#I’m moving to a brand new apartment next month and will have to do a lot of renovations | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

borathae · 3 months

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“You and your friends celebrate girl’s night at the penthouse. This however, isn’t an excuse for Jungkook not to receive his welcome home kisses. You won’t complain, he’s your cutie after all.”

Pairing: CEO!Jungkook x f.Reader

Genre: married life!AU, Slice of Life Fluff, casual BDSM

Warnings: just girlies being best friends <3, they talk very freely about kink, she shows off her playroom, mentions of sex work & BDSM events, mommy kink, Kookie being her cute Bunnybaby <3

Wordcount: 2.5k

a/n: i reread the caravan chapter of aaol and in it, Koo mentions that she can bring her girl friends over for girl's night whenever she wants to. so i wrote something about that feat. Koo being a cutie. have fun besties 🤎

You had your girls over tonight. It has been ages since you last saw them and it couldn’t be any more exciting to have them stay at your place. You call it your Paradis Girls’ Sleepover. Hyejin brings the snacks, Byulyi the drinks, Yongsun is responsible for the face masks and Wheein brings candles. You offer them your guestrooms to sleep in, comfy pajamas to wear and fluffy socks to show off.

The sleepover started at four. Hyejin and Wheein were the first to arrive. Like always. Yongsun was next and Byulyi came last. You all greeted each other with happy squeals and tight hugs, falling into excited conversation instantly. Your voices overlapped, everyone had something to tell and unsurprisingly, nobody was heard. You giggled about it and then agreed on taking turns telling your stories.

Yongsun and her now-fiancé are currently trying for a baby and are moving apartments. She stopped working at Paradis four months ago. You knew of the last fact of course because you and the others were her emotional support cheerleader in the group chat during the process. She doesn’t miss the work and says that sex with her partner feels so much better all of a sudden.

“That’s what I’m always saying. Sex hits so good when you’re only doing it with your love”, you say, snacking on some salted pretzels.

“Yeah I agree, it hits hard. You’re especially lucky though. Kook’s kinky as fuck”, Yongsun says as she sips on her makgeolli.

“Is Shiwon vanilla?” Wheein asks, “that’s news to me.”

“Oh hell no, not vanilla. Just not as kinky as Kook. You guys have a playroom. That’s so hot.”

“Oh, yes right!” you exclaim, clapping into your hands, “Yongsun, do you still wanna tell us more? Because I just remembered that we redid the toy shelves and you didn’t even see them yet.”

“Okay slay. Please show us”, Hyejin says, “unless you still want to talk, Yongsun. We don’t wanna cut your time short.”

“No, I can still talk during the house tour. I need to see the new shelves.”

“Slay. Let’s do that”, Hyejin says and gets up from the couch.

You and the other girls follow.

“Did you realise that you’ve started saying slay all the time?” Byulyi asks.

“Yes god so annoying”, Hyejin groans, “I’m watching this streamer and she keeps saying slay all the time. I can’t stop doing it because of her. Last night, I literally told one of my customers slay after we finished”, she whines, making your little group chuckle.

“Did he say something?”

“Yeah, he asked me what it meant and I had to explain to him. He said that he didn’t get it and then left. Weirdo, it’s not like he wanted to lick cheese sauce outta my belly button before that.”

Wheein cracks up, you and the others laugh as well. You can clearly imagine how weird that customer was. You had so many of those during your time at Paradis.

You chat about the streamer on the way to the playroom. Hyejin tells you that she really likes her streams and that she always watches them in the evening during dinner and her night routine. She then proceeded to gush about this new rice water moisturiser she is trying, which in return made Byulyi think of how she got a new favourite brand of rice. Conversation shifted to Byulyi and her favourite brand of rice and how she thought of so many recipes already. Wheein asked for them and Byulyi gladly shared them.

You keep the door to the playroom open, turning on the lights.

Your girls gasp and coo in unison, looking around the playroom with sparkling eyes.

“This won’t ever lose its spark”, Yongsun gushes, “it’s so hot. Seriously I’m getting all wet just being here.”

“Totally understand you”, Wheein agrees.

“Wait till you see the upgraded toy drawers. That’ll make your clits throb”, you tell them, leading them to the drawers with a happy skip in your steps.

The ladies follow you happily, looking left and right to really take in everything.

“Is that swing new?”Hyejin asks.

“Mhm? That?” you look at the black leather sex swing, “I think you girls haven’t seen it yet, but we’ve had it for like seven months.”

“Slay. Did you use it already?”

“What do you think?” you say and grin mischievously.

“Huge slay.”

Byulyi laughs because of Hyejin, patting her back sisterly.

“It’s sturdy. Also it gives me a good grip on Kook. I can really go to town on him when he’s in there”, you say.

“I can imagine”, Yongsun says, “pegging in a swing just hits so much harder”

“Yeah definitely”, Wheein agrees.

You nod your head and turn to the drawers, “now look at those drawers.”

You and your girls gather in front of them as you open them and reveal your vibrator collection to them.

“Woow so cool”, they gasp.

“Right? Right? Check out the lighting in there. Helloo? We have drawer lights”, you gush, waving your hands around in the drawer.

“That’s genuinely so fucking cool. And the pillowing too. It makes the toys look so expensive”, Byulyi gushes, poking her finger into the velvety pillowing.

“And now check this out”, you say, pushing the drawer closed. It slides closed carefully, slowing down on the last few inches before closing silently, “they have a fucking automatic break in them. Remember the stupid ass drawers in Room 14?”

“They are still getting stuck each time you close them. Trust me, I’m still struggling”, Wheein says.

“I know right. God”, you groan and open the drawer again just to show off its closing mechanism to them, “look at how smooth that is.”

“This is so cool, seriously. Now stop closing the damn drawers I wanna see the collection”, Byulyi says, making you laugh.

“Okay, okay fine. A girl can’t do anything here”, you joke.

Byulyi chuckles deeply, looking into the drawer with a lopsided smirk on her lips.

And so you show them your new toys and give them a few details about how it is to play with them. You show them your pegging dildo collection and Wheein asks about Jungkook’s progress, which you proudly show them. They react in coos and honest praise and you felt so proud of your husband. There is no better feeling in the world than being able to show off with him.

And there are also no better people to do it to than your friends. You share everything about your sex lives. No topic, kink or fetish is taboo. Conversations about them are normal to you and them and part of the bond you share. You honestly think that if you suddenly stopped being so open with each other, the friendship would feel weird. Sex was what brought you five together, it is what you first bonded over as you had to talk shit about weird customers and even now, when two of your little group stopped working at the club, sex will still be a topic keeping you together. After all, there are many kink events where the five of you and your partners go to together. The shared love for kink and fetish is just part of your identities and a big reason why you loved to be friends.

It is obvious how normal kink conversations are in your friendship, when in the middle of you showing off the sturdiness of your flogging post, Byulyi begins talking about her rice again and you all exchange recipes.

By the time the clock showed eight, Jungkook comes home from work. You and your girls were back in the living room again, but still haven’t started the movie you actually wanted to watch. Conversation was just too good to interrupt it with movies.

Jungkook is a welcome interruption however. You look at the elevator until its doors open and reveal Jungkook in his business attire.

“Hey there!”

“Yuhuu!”

“Welcome home, Kook!”

“Helloo!”

Your girls greet your husband happily, giving him enthusiastic waves.

His eyes light up instantly.

“Hey there, girls”, he greets them, stepping out of the elevator, “hey, my love”. he tells you.

“Hey, Bunny. How was work?”

“Okay. I’ll just quickly take off my outside clothes and then I’ll be with you, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jungkook disappears in the dressing room for a moment.

“He worked later today, didn’t he?”

“No, he went for dinner with a friend. I told him to take his time. I’m surprised he’s home already.”

Jungkook reappears again, making his way to you. He looks so handsome in his grey suit that you can’t stop making heart eyes at him.

“___ says that you went for dinner with a friend?” Wheein asks him.

“Yeah, Tae. We had pork ribs. It was so yummy and I ate way too much. My pants are uncomfy now”, he says, tugging on the hem of them to give his tummy a well-deserved break, “I had to drive home with my pants undone”, he says and makes you laugh.

“I understand you so well”, Wheein says, “it’s kinda nice too though. I like being so full with food ‘cause it means that the food was yummy.”

“Yeah definitely.”

“So why are you home already?” Hyejin asks.

“Actually, funny story. Tae had to hurry home because his daughter suddenly got explosive diarrhea and his wife begged him to help her with it.”

“Eew really?”

“Yeah”, Jungkook laughs, “apparently it went all over the walls?”

“Eeew that’s so nasty eeww”, Hyejin says jokingly, “you sure you wanna get knocked up, unnie?” she teases Yongsun.

“Haha, very funny.”

“You and Shiwon are trying for a baby?” Jungkook asks.

“Yup, at least we’re trying for one. I can’t say that I’m hating the process.”

Jungkook laughs, “I can imagine.”

He finally reaches the couch, scanning his eyes over the snacks and drinks.

“Don’t look at the drinks”, Byulyi says, covering the glasses of makgeolli with her hands.

Jungkook chuckles, “it’s fine. I don’t mind looking at alcohol. You girls enjoy”, he says and closes in on you.

He gets on your lap and hugs you, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck. You hug him back instantly, smiling dreamily.

“Hey, Mommy”, he says.

“Hey there, Bunny.”

“How was your day?”

“Good. And yours?”

“Okay. I had too many meetings”, he huffs out air, “so annoying.”

“Gosh, I’m sorry Bunnybaby. But you did it, I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Mommy”, he giggles happily, “I thought of you during the meetings.”

“You did?”

He nods his head and lifts it so he gazes into your eyes.

“I also have to fly to Shanghai for two nights. I gotta meet with a few business partners”, he says and pouts.

“When are you leaving?”

“Wednesday. I should be home by Friday night again”, he sacks his shoulders, “I’m sorry. I know this is really last-minute, but I only learned about it today.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know”, you assure him and squeeze his dainty waist, “gosh Bunny, I’ll miss you so much. Like damn.”

“I know. Me too, Mommy”, he whines and hugs you tightly, “we gotta call each night.”

“Of course we gotta”, you say, making him giggle and lift his head so he could look at you again.

He caresses the sides of your neck, scrunching his nose cutely.

“You’re so pretty, Mommy."

“Mhm, Bunny you’re so cute. Come closer and let Mommy have her kisses.”

Jungkook leans in gladly, kissing you deeply and with his hips squirming on your lap unapologetically. You and he only act this way in front of your girls. No one else in your lives, not even family, knows this side of you. There would simply be too many awkward follow up questions and quite frankly, it was more comfortable to keep this part of your relationship private. But not in front of your girls. They know you for who you truly are. Jungkook was shy about it at first, because he never experienced sharing his kinks with people before. But once he realised that he won’t find judgment with your friends – and he visited enough kink events with you and your friends to know they are just as kinky as you – he began opening up more and more. These days, he is not ashamed of acting like Mommy’s best Bunny in front of them and he is most definitely not ashamed to show how much he likes your kisses. Everyone should know that he is Mommy’s happy Bunny when he gets your kisses.

You break the kiss because you didn’t want it to deepen too much. Jungkook will get horny again and you can’t be with him for at least a few more hours.

He smiles at you, licking his lips afterwards. You retort the smile, squeezing his hips.

“That was nice”, he says.

“Yeah, it was so nice.”

“I think I’ll go to my room then. I bet you girls have so much to talk about”, he says, looking at the others.

“It’s okay. We don’t mind the distraction”, Byulyi assures him.

“We saw the size you can take these days. That’s impressive”, Wheein adds.

Jungkook’s face is beet red in an instant. He gawks at you with big eyes.

“You showed them?”

“Of course I did. I gotta show off with my Bunny.”

Jungkook blushes even harder, hiding his face in his own hands as cute giggles leave him.

“Mommy, you’re so mean. Don’t show off with that”, he whines, making you and your girls chuckle fondly.

“Mhm no. I’ll keep showing off with my Bunny.”

“God”, he falls against you, hugging you tightly as he giggles, “this is so embarrassing. You’re so mean, Mommy.”

“Sorry Bunny. You know that I’m proud of you, yeah?” you say, patting his butt gently.

“Yeah, I guess. Hmpf so mean”, he says and straightens up. You give him a little smooch on his cheek and then it is already time for Jungkook to get up from your lap.

He looks at the snacks.

“Mhm snackies. Don’t mind me stealing some”, he says and grabs a handful of salted pretzels. He snacks on them as he leaves the living room, chewing happily, “will you girls stay the night?”

“Yup, we wanna watch a movie later.”

“Uuh movie. Which one?”

“Hereditary.”

“Isn’t that the movie with the car scene?”

“Yeah.”

Jungkook cringes, “well good luck to you girls. ___ showed me the scene and I’m still traumatized”, he says, making your little group laugh.

“Thanks Kook.”

“I’ll be in the gym if you need me. I gotta work off the calories I ate. Mhm those are good pretzels. Damn”, he says and officially disappears out of sight.

You release a dreamy sigh.

“He’s so perfect, you guys. I’m so lucky”, you gush.

“Wah she’s so in love”, Hyejin teases lovingly, making you chuckle.

“I am. It’s getting stronger each day”, you say proudly, sighing adoringly.

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leanchugger420 · 1 year

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₊ ׅ ֹ 𓈒 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞 | 𝐧𝐦.𝐫 𓈒 ֹ ׅ ₊

pairing – boyfriend!niki x fem!reader

warnings – fluff, heartbreak, established relationship, depressive state, mentions of heart being torn out and bleeding, fluff <3

wc – 0.8k

A/N – i love love love this so much! hope u enjoy <3 please do like and reblog!! it helps me reach more impressions :)

today for the first time ever, niki wasn’t speaking to you. every single question you asked him was shrugged off.

‘hi niki!’ ‘hi’.

‘what’s up?’ ‘nothing’.

‘how are you?’ ‘fine’.

‘is something wrong?’ ‘no’.

niki was always enthusiastic to be with you, to talk to you, or just see you. you wondered why your oh so loving boyfriend who behaved like a little puppy when he saw you, was being cold and ignoring you today.

ever since you and niki had started dating, you’d always be co-dependent with him. if he was happy, you were happy, if he was sad, you were sad, if he was angry, you were angry. you guys were a twin flame.

two months ago, when enhypen’s manager permitted niki to move in with you, you both were more than ecstatic. that entire first week, you were in paradise. pillow fights, movie nights, midnight snacks, playing games together till 4 am. it was everything to you. he was everything to you.

it killed you to feel this way. to feel like you had made him upset. to feel like you made him feel anything less than happiness.

you analyzed every single thing you could’ve possibly done and every single thing you could possibly do to make him feel anything but this way. you were pondering your options while staring off into the distance, but just then, you took a glance at his face. the dead, emotionless expression in his eyes broke your heart in a million pieces.

“niki”.

no response.

“do you want to go get bunggeopp-“

“i think i’m going to move back to the dorms” your face dropped immediately. he’s pushing you away. why is he doing this? he loves you. right?

“w- what? niki, are you joking?” you had to ask even though you knew he was in no place to joke around right now especially about such a serious topic.

“i think we should break up, y/n. my feelings have changed” you felt your heart rip out of your chest and bleed all over the ground. he walked away from you. he doesn’t love you anymore. he’s moving out. niki was no longer your boyfriend.

you lifelessly wandered around seoul city for hours, feeling no reason to want to go home. the one thing that made it your home was gone. it was 2:47 am and you finally stepped into your (ex) shared apartment with niki.

it felt brand new. all of niki’s stuff was gone. it was almost as though he never lived with you in the first place. you dropped to the floor and tears fell out of your eyes. you felt the wetness on your cheeks pouring out and you screamed at the top of your lungs. you didn’t cry, you didn’t speak. you didn’t leave your apartment the next day and you continued to do so for the next two weeks.

it had been two months since niki had moved out and ended things. you were functioning but you lost your spark. you were no longer the person you used to be. yhe y/n that everyone loved. the y/n that niki loved.

for once, you decided to go out for dinner alone. you thought if you were going to be alone, you could at least learn to be happy by yourself. you went to the ramen place a couple of streets away from your flat where you and niki used to go. you sat there for ten minutes after eating your meal to gather yourself. the entire time you had only missed niki and reminisced about your memories in this place.

you wiped your tears from your face while walking into your apartment. you felt your stomach drop when you saw niki sitting on your couch. you were hallucinating, you had to be, but that didn’t stop you from calling out his name.

he looked at you. your flat was completely dark, but you could see stars in his eyes. you had really gone crazy, you thought, as you walked towards him slowly, he got up from the couch and ran towards you. he wrapped his arms around you so tightly and you heard him sob.

this is real. he is real. these words rang in your ears and as soon as you came to your senses you put your arms around him, and the tears poured.

“y/n, i’m so sorry. i miss you so much. i love you so much, i’m so sorry, please forgive me. i lied to you, nothing changed. i love you, i love you. please don’t leave me. you’re all i have left. i wasn’t thinking properly. i miss my mother, i miss my family, i miss japan. i lost everyone. i can’t lose you too.”

you didn’t say anything at all for a while. you stayed still and quiet in his embrace.

“y/n, please say something” he searched your eyes for any sign that you might have moved, that you might say no and turn him away.

“you didn’t lose me. you never will. i love you too, niki. i missed you so much” he held your face and and caressed your cheek and pressed a soft kiss to your lips.

#niki fluff #niki x reader #niki #enhypen niki #enhypen #nishimura riki #enhypen fluff #enhypen imagines #enhypen x reader #niki imagines #kpop fanfiction #enhypen fanfiction #enha fluff #enhypen soft hours

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csuitebitches · 11 months

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Rebranding Yourself Online using ChatGPT

Summary from “Brand Aid: Taking control of your reputation before everyone else does” by Larry G Linne and Patrick Sitkins. This book is from the early 2010s so some things are outdated and not exactly applicable. It’s also a more corporate/ business focused book. I took away what i felt were the major lessons and were more applicable to young adults/ teens/ people on social media today (because social media in 2013 vs today is very different).

I also wanted to add my own input to the summary. I’ve added prompts for ChatGPT that you can use to help figure your personal brand out better.

When rebranding yourself online, I would highly recommend:

1. Archive all your personal Instagram account’s posts (if you have an online business, create a separate page and show very little of yourself). Remove all your stories and highlights. Deactivate your account for at least 8 months.

2. Spend the next 8 months building your social media strategy, your personal brand and reinventing yourself in any way and form you want to (mental, physical, spiritual, etc).

3. Use Pinterest and figure out a theme that defines you the best. Take a look at @mafeanzures

————————-

* A brand is what people think of you.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. What do you think other people think of you?

2. What personal attributes would you benefit from the most if those items were well known to everyone?

Question 1 and 2 in the next few prompts refers to these 2 questions.

ChatGPT prompts after you finish writing down the above answers:

“I want to develop my personal brand on instagram (or any one social media site at a time). Currently I’m seen as a (2 of the most negative qualities and 2 of the most positive qualities from question 1). I want to be seen as (4 of the most positive qualities from question 2). What should I do to be seen as that?”

This will give you a STRATEGY that you can further modify.

Now, ask the same question again but with one change:

This will give you CONTENT that you should consider posting.

* It is very likely that if you are to meet someone new and you’re aware you’re going to meet them, you’ll check their social media out. Whether its LinkedIn, facebook, twitter, instagram… keep your online presence clean.

* Before you post ANYTHING online, ask yourself: “how will this affect my brand?” If you post a story about a nasty break up/ a friendship falling apart/ a negative restaurant review… how do you think other people will see you? Be extremely mindful of your brand and what you post online.

* Rather than the age old advice “just be yourself”, look at “just be your best self.”

7 steps to a great brand:

1. Write down what you think people think of you: both positive and negative

2. Determine your goals in life (career, family, etc). What brand items do you need to get there? For example, the brand item “intelligent” to move up the corporate ladder. What will you need in order to be perceived as intelligent?

3. Gap analysis: the difference between point 1 (current situation) and point 2 (desired situation).

4. Develop action items. For example, if you want to be seen as innovative at work, start bringing ideas to meetings.

5. Influences on your brand: your dress, style, voice tone and quality, health, recreation, the car you drive, social environments, where you live, the language you speak, the subjects of your conversations, social media postings all impact your brand.

6. List what you must do to protect your brand. For example: not drinking in public; dressing a certain way; etc.

7. Review every 6 months.

Ask ChatGPT: “I am (ethnicity) (gender), (age) years old based in (City, country). Currently I’m seen as a (2 of the most negative qualities and 2 of the most positive qualities from question 1). My viewers would mostly be people from (conservative/liberal/ rural/ urban/ define audience. In case there are two audience types, ask one at a time) backgrounds. I want to be seen as (4 of the most positive qualities from question 2). What behaviours should I not engage in?”

Using the power of “always”: 5 specific things you pride on yourself for doing regularly.

“I always take the time to be updated in my field of work.”

“I always volunteer every Sunday.”

Things to keep in mind:

A. Are you easy to find online?

B. Is your content consistent?

C. Do your pictures, videos convey your personal brand?

D. What will enhance your brand?

E. What will damage your brand?

Ask ChatGPT: “I want to develop my personal brand on instagram (or any one social media site at a time). Currently I’m seen as a (2 of the most negative qualities and 2 of the most positive qualities from question 1). I want to be seen as (4 of the most positive qualities from question 2). What can potentially damage my brand if I’m not careful?”

If you are willing to see what you are doing and saying on the front page of a newspaper tomorrow, proceed with it. If you wouldn’t want it on the front page of the newspaper, STOP immediately.

More things to keep in mind:

1. The internet amplifies everything

2. Context matters

3. Consistency is everything

4. Your “at home” brand is as important as “outside of home” brand

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oleander-nin · 8 months

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The Weight of a Letter(10)

A/N: I'm so sorry this one's so short. I'll make the next chapter upwards of 3000 words as consolation. Thank you dearly to @faetaiity and @astral--horrorshow for beta reading. I'm brain dead and can't look at this any more or I'll explode. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

Taglist? If you want to be added or removed, just say so: @ssak-i @sinister-things @ancreativename @t0ta11y-n0t-cup1d @idiotreblogger @whygz @lexiechr@10yagurlchip01 @rex-ray @sunsersilversky @theavianlady

Part 1 - Previous - Next

Words: 900

Content warnings: not much, dark themes, yan themes

Chapter 10: A Hidden Fracture

I carefully close the door to the guest room, shuffling over to the bed. I glance at the door, biting my lip. I couldn’t imagine how Irma would react to my phone suddenly being back. As far as she knew, I gave it to a normal human kid who would drop it off in person, not toss it on the fire escape. I needed to make up an excuse.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll say they dropped it off at school? No, that wouldn’t work. Irma’s with me most of the day. Maybe I’ll just say I ran into them at some point. I didn’t need to worry about an excuse until tomorrow anyway. I have all night to come up with one. I lay on my stomach as I plop onto the bed, holding my phone in front of me. I power it on, watching the phone slowly come back to life. It was like brand new.

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief when the company screen passed and my familiar wallpaper shone bright in the dim light of the room. My phone was fixed. Donatello actually fixed my phone. I hold my hand over my mouth, biting back a squeal of delight. For once in the months of paranoia and torment, something was truly going right. Even the letters, which I admit I had gotten emotionally dependent on, weren’t as exciting as they used to be. Especially with everything happening. Irma’s theories were convincing, sure, but it still didn’t make sense. I shake the thoughts of the letters out of my head. Maybe Donatello and his brothers were the friends I needed. I hope I can introduce them to Irma soon.

My eyes drift over to the vase on the nightstand. I had moved it to stay here with me in the days I’ve spent with Irma. I tap the side of my still locked phone, contemplating. Technically, the police cleared my apartment and it was safe to move back in. But did I trust them? What if they missed something important? What if my apartment got broken into again?

What if they were already there, waiting for me to return?

I shudder, trying to shake off the thoughts that had dug their claws into my brain. I couldn’t go back. Not yet. I quickly reopen my phone, pulling up different articles on locks and security systems. If I was going to move back in anytime soon, I needed to be safe. They wouldn’t be getting away this easily. My eyes skim the words on the page as I read comparisons for different locks. I chew on my lip, barely noticing the sharp sting or the sudden taste of copper.

A sudden buzz from the device in my hands accompanied by a small pop up notification startles me out of my thoughts. I stare at the alert for a moment before pressing on the notification to view it in full. I just received a text from Donatello. The name stands proud at the top of the messaging screen, a bright purple and magenta D logo set as his profile. I’m a bit surprised to see it, but shrug. It makes sense he added his number, he was the one to fix my phone anyway. My eyes drop to read his message, wondering what it contains. I needed to thank him for my phone anyway, might as well do it now.

Donatello: Is your phone treating you well? I mean, of course it is, I fixed it.

I snicker at the text, rolling my eyes. Sure, the happenstance meeting on the fire escape was a bit weird, but Donatello and his brothers were endearing in an odd way. Especially Donatello’s small quips and ego. It was entertaining.

I send a quick confirmation of my happiness with the phone, as well as a thank you. I don’t want him to think I was rude. If all goes well, we can be good friends. I close the message thread before looking through my phone to see if he added or changed anything else. My settings are still the same, as are all my previous apps and conversations. The only thing he added was his and his brothers number, four small little contacts added to my already small list.

I open up Mikey’s contact, my thumbs hovering over the keys. He was the one who seemed most excited to see me, so he would be my best bet in making plans. Hopefully.

I send him a quick text, hoping he’d see it soon. A few moments pass and I grin as my phone lets off another quiet buzz. I watch Mikey’s ecstatic messages roll in, my mood improving even more. It was nice to talk to him, considering what seemed to be the oldest brother insisted they leave so soon yesterday.

I feel a warm buzz in my chest as he invites me to dinner the next day, each text of his more bold and ecstatic than the last. I chew on my lip, wondering how I’d tell Irma. She knew I didn’t have any other friends. Maybe I can tell her this was how I was picking up my phone. Yeah, that was a good idea.

I send back a short text, accepting his invitation to dinner. I couldn’t wait, he claimed to be quite the master chef after all.

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cieloclercs · 7 months

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𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐞 , cl16 — chapter five

pairing. charles leclerc x senna!oc part. 5/? warnings. basically just pure angst 🫠 yeah it’s gonna be like that for a while 😭 swearing, arthur is such an icon in this icl word count. 5.7k

SAUDADE. in which childhood rivals turned best friends realise they were always meant to be something more

05. everything changes (nothing changes)

author’s note. so i’ve had this chapter written for about 2 months. no i don’t have an excuse as to why i haven’t posted it yet 🫠 but i figured i’m going through a bit of a dry spell in my writing at the moment so i may as well post it 😭 hope you guys enjoy, and as always, please leave a comment or reblog if you did !! <3

read it on wattpad!

previous: chapter four next ➜ chapter six

Nice Côte d'Azur Airport 8 February 2021

NOA DOESN’T SEE Charles for another two weeks. She doesn’t hear from him either, not including his brief message confirming her flight’s arrival time. He’s giving her space, just as promised, and she finds herself grateful for that. The time in between their meeting at the café and the looming date of her temporary move to Monaco is for setting the record straight. When Noa breaks the news to her parents, they immediately assume the best of the situation – they’ve patched things up, got over themselves and finally rekindled their friendship. She flushes bright red when she has to cut off her mother’s delighted cheers, and her heart aches to see the grin on her face fall. We’re not friends, she tells them firmly, despite the pain it causes her. Noa is doing this for her career, not for some distant, nostalgic memory of the boy she’d once thought the world of. No. It’s her turn to be selfish for once.

Flávia is understandably upset. Just as Pascale considers Noa to be like her daughter, she has always viewed Charles as a second son. Even though she tries to deny it on several occasions over the weeks before Noa’s flight to Monaco, she isn’t stupid. The first few months after she and Charles stopped speaking to each other, Flávia had been fairly vocal about what she thought of the whole situation. She understood the hurt that they were both feeling, but as far as she was concerned, they still needed each other. Her greatest fear was that they would both continue to grow into the cut-throat world of racing without the person they trusted most at their side. As someone who experienced how difficult life could be at the pinnacle of motorsports, even as only a family member of one of the racers, Flávia worries for them. She had Gabriel to lean on after Ayrton’s death – her best friend and the love of her life. Noa and Charles, as long as they’re apart, don’t have that.

Speaking of her father, he seems to understand her reasoning a little more. Gabriel Borges is ambitious if nothing else. He fought tooth and nail to win his championships and solidify his place in the Formula 1 hall of fame. It’s a trait he’s passed on to his daughter. Sponsorships like this are important now, with racing becoming more and more lucrative with each passing season. In order to succeed, a driver needs the backing of some of the most influential brands in the world. For a rookie, it simply doesn’t get bigger than Chanel. Both Noa and Gabriel know that this is an opportunity she can’t pass up, no matter how difficult it may be for her with Charles there. They need to make it work.

He may not necessarily agree with her ‘keep him at arm’s length’ approach, but if that’s what she thinks is going to work for her, then Gabriel will support her through it.

With Luiz and Eloísa settling into their apartment in Italy, it’s only her parents who wave her goodbye at the airport. Noa has never been a fan of flying. The seats are too cramped and the people too noisy – she can never find a position comfortable enough to fall asleep. Sometimes it can be peaceful simply watching the world pass by beneath her from the window, but eventually, miles upon miles of ocean gets a little boring. So Noa spends the first thirteen hours of her flight wide awake, silently begging the couple in front of her to do something about their screaming baby. Stopping off at Heathrow for the change over feels like a slice of heaven. Just to be able to get up and stretch her legs for a little while is pure bliss. But within an hour she’s back on a different plane, looking down over the English Channel, over Normandy and eventually, the south of France. The nerves begin to set in then. There’s no going back once this plane lands – she’ll be stuck in Monaco with the person she most wants to avoid in the world for the next three weeks. Granted, she’ll have her second family there with her too, but Noa doubts she’ll be able to shake the awkward feeling even when they’re around.

Jetlag’s a bitch, is all she can think when she steps off the plane and into the harsh winter sunlight. It makes her skull ache, beating down on her, yet offering little to no warmth – typical Europe. If only it was summer here like back home. She’s grown accustomed to heat in the high twenties and sleeping with all the windows open. Checking the weather app on her phone, she sees that right now the temperature is barely breaking ten degrees. Lovely. On top of that, Noa hasn’t slept for practically an entire day. She can already imagine the headlines if she gets photographed – Gabriel Borges’ daughter spotted wandering airport sleep-deprived and wearing no makeup! The press would have a field day with that one.

She just about manages to haul her suitcase through security before collapsing on one of the lobby benches. It’s her own fault for overpacking, really. She’s never been one to prioritise well when it comes to clothes. Noa pulls her phone out of her pocket, quickly refreshing it to see if Charles has messaged her yet – sure enough, sent seven minutes ago: I’m outside. Do you want me to come in and help with your bags? Despite the contempt she still feels towards him, Noa could have cried with pure joy. She sends back a brief yes before struggling up off the bench, all but dragging her luggage through the lobby now. She can only hope he gets here quickly, because her arms are surely about to come out of their sockets if she has to carry these any further.

When his figure appears in the distance, the nerves return. He’s dressed like he doesn’t want to be spotted, in a grey hoodie and shorts, large enough that he can practically hide the entirety of his face in the collar. No one seems to notice him. For the moment anyway. When Charles eventually spots her, he seems to hesitate for a moment – like she’d seen him do at the café, arms hanging uselessly by his side as if he wants to outstretch them towards her, but remembers at the last minute that he can’t do that anymore. Noa’s eyes are glued to the ground as she walks towards him. They meet in the middle. He murmurs a brief hello, and when she doesn’t reply, takes her bags without another word.

They walk out to his car in silence. It’s a black Mercedes G63 – inconspicuous by his standards, and perhaps those of the travellers milling around them (many of them are en route to Monaco, after all). It has black tinted windows, she notices. Charles tells her to climb into the passenger seat while he loads her bags into the back. She hasn’t the energy left to complain. It takes everything in her not to fall asleep as soon as she’s sat down, eyes drooping in the dimmed light, a hazy warmth taking over her body. She jumps slightly as Charles opens the door and slides into the driver’s seat. He starts the engine. Before Noa can really process what’s going on around her, they’ve already left the airport.

"How was your flight?" Charles asks after a few minutes, soft spoken and hesitant. An absentminded hum is what greets him.

"It was alright." she murmurs back, fighting off the sudden urge to yawn. There's an edge of discontentedness in her voice, an air of frustration and annoyance about her. Noa has always hated flying, he thinks. Even as children all those years ago, she'd kick up the biggest fuss possible before so much as stepping foot on a plane. His mother always joked about it being because she can't sit still for more than a few hours, which, he supposes, had a fair amount of truth. Charles knows it's because the whole thing made her anxious. He's held her hand at takeoff enough times to have realised it, even if she never spoke the words to him out loud. The memory almost makes him smile. Then he remembers where he is, and his jaw clenches shut.

“Just to let you know, Maman, Arthur and Lorenzo will all be home when we arrive.” Charles is, once again, the one to speak up when they lapse into silence, “They’ve planned a, uh, sort of welcome home – welcome back meal.” He relays, glancing at Noa anxiously out of the corner of his eye. She’s slumped in her seat. The only sign she’s even listening to him is the tiny hum she lets out. “I can tell them you’re too tired to do it today, though, if you’d like. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind pushing it back to tomorrow –“

“No, it’s fine.” Noa cuts across him quickly. “That’s really sweet of them.”

Charles nods. He thinks back to that morning; helping Lorenzo pin up the ‘welcome home’ banner above the archway leading from the kitchen to the living room; watching with a wistful smile as his mother set out a tray of paçoca, the little cylinders of peanut butter Noa used to love when they were younger, on the kitchen table. Where she managed to get hold of them Charles doesn’t know, considering they’re a sweet pretty much exclusive to Brazil. He tries not to think about how Noa will react to it all. The thought digs up old memories he'd rather stayed buried, for the sake of his heart.

“If you want you can get some sleep now. I know you’re probably jetlagged.” He speaks up again after a beat of silence, quieter this time, “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

Noa doesn’t reply for a moment. She’s still turned away from him ever so slightly, but as he glances to the side, he can see her expression reflected in the window. Her bottom lip is caught between her teeth, biting down hard from the looks of it. He doesn’t know if it’s his imagination, but her eyes appear glossy, brimming with unshed tears. There’s an ache in his heart that he’s not sure how to properly describe. Cathartic might be the only word close enough. It hurts, but at the same time, it’s almost freeing.

“If that’s ok with you.” She finally speaks, after what feels like an age. Her head turns to the side until she’s looking at him. Charles keeps his gaze on the road, but he can see her in his periphery.

“Of course.” He mumbles, a little hoarse. His heart is screaming at his head to turn, to smile at her, to show a little of the warmth they used to share for each other, in the wildest, most fanciful hope she may be reminded of it and find it in herself to forgive him there and then. In the end, he doesn’t turn. Instead, he hears the faint rustling of fabric on skin as Noa curls up a little to the side, leaning her head against the window. It falls silent again. Now Charles is the one with glossed over eyes, battling himself.

“Thank you.” Her voice, melodic as ever, cuts through the quiet. This time he does turn – but she’s not looking at him, already half asleep, eyes closed and fluttering ever so slightly underneath their lids. He watches her until he runs the risk of coming off the road. Charles knows she’s already asleep before he has the chance to say anything in reply.

Noa tends to have very vivid dreams. She remembers many a time closing her eyes and being greeted with an explosion of colour, scarlet race cars screaming down asphalt tracks, her flag: emerald, gold, deep blue, waving her across the finish line. A glinting trophy is thrust into her hands, and she lifts it high into the air, watching the crowd raise up their arms with her – a sea of red and yellow. But today, Noa closes her eyes and sees nothing but darkness. Charles is nudging her gently awake, it seems, less than a split second after falling into her slumber. Bleary-eyed, she sits up. The Leclerc house, her second home, sits gleaming in the frosty winter sunlight like a beacon. A thrill of excitement grips her heart. It’s been so long since she’s seen Pascale and Lorenzo – far, far too long. Her head turns, a half-smile on her face, to find Charles watching her. It falls. The sky seems to darken.

“You ready to go?” he asks. Noa nods solemnly, waiting for him to open the car door and climb out before sucking in a deep, shuddering breath. When she too steps out onto the pavement, her expression is steeled.

Charles is holding her bags in either of his hands. He gives her a look that, after years of knowing each other, she can interpret in an instant – Don’t even try it, I’m taking them in for you. She feels a small surge of gratefulness, but every positive emotion seems to be drowned out by her crushing nerves right now. Noa’s not exactly sure why she feels so nervous. These people are her second family, after all. Maybe it’s the nagging fear in the back of her mind that too much has changed; that things will never go back to the happy, perfect way they used to be.

The doorbell ringing brings her back the present. They’re stood on the front porch now, shoulder to shoulder, tense and stiff. Noa pulls at a loose thread on her joggers, focussing with absolute resolve on the door in front of her – paint peeling away ever so slightly at the edge. She knows if she brushed her fingers over it, they would come away dusted with white paint flakes. A second, maybe two passes. The door swings open.

All her nerves simply melt away as soon as she sees Pascale; arms already held out wide and motherly, eyes glistening with soon-to-be-shed tears, and the most genuine smile Noa has ever seen anyone wear. She looks only slightly older than she remembers. A few more wrinkles perhaps, a couple more grey hairs, but in essence, exactly the same. Constant. At least this much hasn’t changed.

“Ma fille!” My girl. Pascale gasps loudly. She’s rushing forwards, pulling Noa inside and engulfing her in a hug before she even knows what is happening – but the familiarity of it is so easy to melt into. The young woman rests her forehead briefly against her shoulder, suddenly unable to stop smiling, when before she’d been wondering how she would manage to fake one. Of course, she’s known all along how much she’s missed Pascale. The woman has been like a second mother to her for practically a decade. But being here now makes her realise the full force of the emotion. It feels like returning home after a long vacation, when all you want to do is sleep in the comfort of your own bed and relish in the sensation of being utterly safe. That’s how Pascale feels to Noa. Safe.

“Oh, look at you!” she gasps again, pulling away to place her hands on either of Noa’s cheeks. “You’ve grown so beautiful!”

In the two years it’s been since she last saw the Leclercs, Noa has blossomed. From a scrawny eighteen-year-old with skinny elbows and seemingly untameable curls, she’s truly grown into herself. Thanks to training, she’s attained the ‘athlete’s build’ she always craved as a teenager. Days spent soaking up the Brazilian sun on Ipanema beach have bronzed her skin, giving it an almost golden hue. Perhaps it’s the salt air, but even Noa’s unruly curls seem to have matured – instead of going frizzy in the heat and falling messily over her eyes, they now frame her tanned face perfectly. Honeyed streaks of blonde run all the way through to the ends. She looks different, she knows that. But it never hits her until she meets people again who have been absent from her life for years.

“Thank you.” Noa can’t help but giggle. Pascale merely holds her tighter, seemingly inspecting every inch of her face for anything else that may have changed. She can see the surprise and the elation in her eyes – but there’s sadness too, an odd mixture, as if she’s battling with regret. Noa supposes it’s to be expected. They went from seeing each other at least every month to all but no contact for two years. Pascale is as affected by it as she is.

As soon as Noa is released from her grip, she turns to face the other Leclerc brothers, who have been watching the whole time with fond smiles and wide eyes. She goes to Lorenzo first, since Arthur has already seen her fairly recently. The eldest of the brothers opens him arms to her gladly, and she steps straight into them. Lorenzo has always been like her protector. As the boys got older and, as boys tended to do, teased her or played too rough (case in point Arthur almost drowning her at the beach one time), he was always the one to give her a hug and scold them afterwards. With only little brothers (Charles didn’t count, as her best friend), Lorenzo was to her the older brother she never had but always found herself wishing for.

“Woah, how much have you grown? A foot?” he says, pulling away only slightly so her arms are still clasped around his back, and his come to rest on her shoulders. Noa giggles softly. It was a long standing joke that, even at eighteen, she barely rose to the height of Charles or Lorenzo’s shoulder. Miraculously, her long-awaited growth spurt arrived once most girls her age stopped growing entirely. Now she stands at a fairly respectable five foot six – though still short enough for Lorenzo to use her head as an arm rest, he quickly realises. Noa waves him away with a playful glare.

“Did he talk to you in the car? Or was it deathly silent?” he asks, not even needed to use Charles’ name for her to know exactly who he is talking about. His eyebrows raise as if he’s joking, but Noa can sense the hard edge of frustration in his voice. She smiles at him sheepishly.

“I wouldn’t know. I fell asleep.”

Lorenzo snorts. That’s all they say on the matter, because Arthur is soon weaselling his way in between them to give her a welcome hug. Apparently, a minute is far too long for his brother to spend with her whilst he’s stuck waiting on the sidelines.

Charles’ feet padding on the carpeted staircase draw Noa’s eyes unwillingly to him. She hadn’t even noticed him exit the room, too caught up in reunions and holding back tears to pay much attention to her surroundings. He’s taken her bags up to her room, he tells her. She merely nods in reply. The tension doesn’t remain for long – Pascale doesn’t let it. Soon enough, everyone is gathering in the kitchen, all proud, knowing smiles from the Leclercs and gasps from Noa as she catches sight of the ‘welcome home’ banner strung up across the archway. She’d known, of course, that they were planning something, thanks to Charles’ warning, but she didn’t expect something like this. They’ve brought another long, wooden table from God knows where into the room, placing it end to end with the main kitchen table to make more room for the spread set out across it. A white floral tablecloth covers the wood, and on top of it, tiered stands of seemingly all the food she could ever eat – fresh strawberries, watermelon, French cheese (which Noa had been introduced to by the Leclercs, and was shocked to find she actually loved), pineapple, even some chocolate and cupcakes (something she’ll later say is just a one off to her nutritionist), and finally, in the very centre, a bowl full of paçoca, her favourite childhood sweet. She remembers Charles calling her strange for essentially eating peanut butter on its own – but even today, it really is her one weakness.

“Oh, meu Deus.” Oh my God. She whispers. Her hand flies up to cover her mouth, holding back the half-sob she can feel bubbling up in her throat. “This – this is too much. You really didn’t have to –“

“Noa.” It’s Arthur that cuts her off, rolling his eyes fondly, “Just let us do something nice for you. Call it a late birthday gift.” He adds with a smirk. Noa scoffs. A part of her had thought maybe they wouldn’t remember her birthday – of course, she was wrong about that.

“This is amazing.” She speaks up softly after a moment, “Thank you so much.” Her throat closes around the words ever-so-slightly, vision blurring, heart aching in the best way possible. Pascale moves forward to pull her body into hers, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.

“We missed you so much, petit ange.” She murmurs, “We’re just glad to have you back with us.”

I’m glad too, Noa thinks. She’s not naïve enough to believe it will all be smooth sailing from here; not as long as the pair of sad green eyes burning into her back remain. But this, she believes fully, this she can deal with. Reuniting with her second family has been a long time coming.

They eat like it’s the old times, bar Noa and Charles’ playful bickering (fallen flat, almost dead now). Pascale insists on piling her plate as high as possible, mumbling something about athlete’s diets being too sparse (or at least, that’s what she could make out with her questionable French vocabulary). Arthur doesn’t spare a thought before diving straight into the cupcake and chocolate stand, ignoring his mother’s protests about him letting their ‘guest’ choose first. Lorenzo opts for the fresh fruit more than the confectionary. Charles tries to resist the pull of sugar, better than Arthur admittedly, but his attempts are short lived. By any right, that amount of food should never disappear as quickly as it does – but before they know it, every last morsel is gone. Noa sits back in her seat, deep in conversation with Pascale about latest goings on in her family life, finding her eyes growing heavier with each passing second. Everything around her feels pleasantly hazy; comfortable. It’s the same way she feels sat at home with her parents and her brother after a good meal, lounged on the living room sofas watching cheesy Brazilian telenovelas. Like she’s safe to just be herself.

Pascale tells Lorenzo, Charles and Arthur to collect all the dirty plates and begin the washing up. They know that refusing isn’t an option, so it isn’t long before she and Noa are alone. It must be mid-afternoon by now, the Brazilian woman thinks, but her limbs are as heavy as if she’s stayed up all night and well into the morning – which, she supposes, technically she has. Pascale is observant enough to have already noticed, luckily for her. They’ve spent all of five minutes talking in the living room when she tells her to go up to her room and sleep off the jet lag.

“Oh, but –“ Noa is quick to interject, “I haven’t even asked how things are going for you yet.” She says guiltily. Pascale has been so fixated on catching up with every single moment of the last two years she has missed, that there hasn’t even been time to cover anything else. Noa is acutely aware that the last time they saw each other, it had only been a year since Hervé passed away. She knows as well as anybody that sometimes the people that look the most put-together are the ones who are struggling the most. She just wants to make certain that Pascale is doing ok – truly ok.

“I’ll still be here tomorrow.” The woman reassures her with a gentle chuckle. Noa’s concerned expression falls into a tired, but content smile. That’s the beauty of it – right now, they really do have all the time in the world to catch up. Until of course the new season begins. But three weeks before her soon-to-be packed schedule feels like a lifetime.

Noa retreats slowly upstairs, not so much as sparing a glance towards her unpacked bags, or even attempting to change out of her airport clothes before she collapses onto the bed, and almost immediately falls straight to sleep. The ease with which she already seems to have slipped back into life in the Leclerc house (which almost feels like home) is unexpected, but by no means unwelcome. She just hopes she’ll be able to carry that feeling of safety with her into the coming weeks, when undoubtedly, some difficult conversations will need to be had.

By the time the Leclerc brothers have finished the washing up – a difficult task, what with Charles and Arthur squabbling over who gets to dry the plates and who has to do the unpleasant job of actually washing them, whilst Lorenzo, serene as ever, allocates himself the task of sorting the various items of crockery away – Pascale is sat alone in the living room. She looks calm, quietly assured, but at the same time, they can sense a level of disappointment that wasn’t there before. Charles fears, before his mother’s gaze even turns in his direction, that that disappointment is meant for him.

“Où est allée Noa?” Where did Noa go? Lorenzo asks, taking the seat next to Pascale and looping his arm fondly around her shoulders. Arthur, not so delicately, throws himself face down on the long sofa facing the television, leaving Charles to occupy the lone arm chair on the other side of the room. It’s ironic, that he’s separated from his family that way, when he’s been feeling separated emotionally for far longer.

“A l'étage. Pour dormir.” Upstairs. To sleep. Pascale answers, soft-spoken as ever. Lorenzo nods, as Arthur flips his body around on the sofa so he’s no longer lying face down, but rather looking up towards the ceiling.

“Ah. Le décalage horaire?” Ah. Jet lag?

“Oui.”

Charles stays quiet. He knows full well his family are waiting for him to say something – maybe they’re not sure what, but then again, he isn’t either. Noa hasn’t spoken a single word to him. All of her attention has been directed towards his mum and her questions, or to his brothers and their playful teasing about how much she’s grown. That still doesn’t take away from the fact that he knows she’s doing it on purpose. Most of him doesn’t blame her, but there’s a small part in the back of his mind that feels almost…betrayed. It takes two to end a friendship, after all. Noa didn’t exactly attempt to salvage the wreck they’d made.

“Well I think that went pretty well.” Arthur speaks up first in French, staring up at the ceiling with his arms crossed over his stomach. Charles looks over, trying to catch his eye. He must sense it, but his gaze remains turned away. Another beat of silence passes.

“She’s quieter.” Lorenzo says thoughtfully. He’s right too. It’s not just in the way that she doesn’t talk half as much as she used to, it’s something in her demeanour as well. There used to be a spark in Noa’s eye that Charles would look towards whenever he needed cheering up. Now when he searches for it, there’s layers upon layers shrouding the once happy memory. Like he’s peering through thick fog, trying to make out a landscape he’s long since forgotten.

“Je ne suis pas surpris.” I’m not surprised. Arthur muses. All eyes turn to him, Lorenzo frowning, Pascale already prepared to question what exactly he means by that. Charles thinks he knows. “Oh, come on. It’s obvious isn’t it?” the youngest of the Leclercs scoffs, sitting up from his relaxed position on the sofa. His eyes are dark, frustrated, perhaps even angry. “First he takes her chance at being offered a Formula 1 seat – with Ferrari, her dream team.” Arthur begins, jabbing a harsh finger in Charles’ direction. He winces, “Then her mother almost dies, and she has to give up her career just to be with her. She’s a Senna Borges. Racing is in her blood. And we all know how hard she worked, just to fall short at the final hurdle – not even through her own fault.” He takes a pause to breathe, eyes now blazing. Charles, Lorenzo and Pascale sit watching in some kind of fascinated horror. It’s rare to see Arthur so worked up. He’s always been the kind of person that can make light of any situation, no matter how grim. But there’s something about Noa and the cruel hand she’s been dealt in life lately that makes his blood boil.

“Now she’s finally made it to Formula 1, where she deserves to be, but she’s also stuck with the person who ruined that dream for her the first time around.” He goes on, turning now to Charles, “Look, I don’t care about what happened between you two. There’s nothing you can do to change it now. But Noa is like a sister to me, and as long as you both refuse to talk to each other, we’re never going to feel like a family to her again. Like we used to.” Arthur speaks, almost alarmingly softly, his jaw clenched hard, “For once just stop being so selfish and look at this from someone else’s perspective. Preferably hers. You know you owe it to her after –“

“Arthur!” Pascale’s voice cuts through the tense atmosphere like a knife, silencing her youngest son immediately, “Do not call your brother selfish. You don’t understand the full story – none of us do.”

That seems to bring him back to his senses. Everything falls silent, but also on the brink of chaos, teetering on a knife edge. Nobody except Lorenzo notices the faint tremor in Pascale’s hand, which he tries to quell by rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. Charles is sat, rigid back, white knuckles, in the arm chair, glaring at Arthur from across the room. Meanwhile the aforementioned blinks as if he’s just awakened from a trance.

"Je suis désolé." I’m sorry. He murmurs, “I don’t know what –“

“Maman’s right.” Charles cuts him off tersely, “You don’t know the full story. You don’t know the things I said to her that night, or the things she said to me…” he trails off, breathing shakily even at the memory of it, “But you’re also right. I took the opportunity of a lifetime from her. She has every right to be angry at me, every right to hate me. That’s why I’m trying to make this right – and believe me, Arthur, I am trying. It’s just…it’s hard.” Charles’ gaze drops to the ground, almost shamefully, “So much has changed.”

Guilt is the most overwhelming part of this whole mess. Even though much of the misfortune that Noa has endured in the past two years has been entirely unrelated to him, he still can’t help but feel partly responsible. Perhaps it was his actions, something at the time he considered to be a mercy, that began the snowball effect. Perhaps if he’d never accepted Ferrari’s call, even though he so desperately wanted it, everything would be as perfect as he remembers. There’s so much uncertainty it’s impossible to predict. But Charles knows, at least from his side of the story, ever since the moment Noa walked out of his life, it’s gradually been growing duller and duller and duller. In a sick sort of way, he half hopes it has been the same for her.

“You do know she could never hate you, right?” Arthur speaks up softly. Charles’ gaze lifts from the ground, eyebrows furrowing inquisitively, “Mon dieu you’re both so stubborn.” He laughs humourlessly, shaking his head, “Noa may act like she can’t even look at you right now, but I know her just as well as you do. Maybe even better now, if you can’t see it.” He arches an eyebrow, “She’s hurting, Charles. You know what she does when she’s hurting? She pushes the people she cares about the most away.”

Winter break, 2014, Charles thinks. Of course. How could he forget?

“I’m just saying,” Arthur goes on, “If you mess this up any more than you already have, then she will end up hating you. But I can see it. Right now, she doesn’t. Not even close.”

Later, Pascale says something to him of the same effect. Hurt can fester. There are only two ways that things can go from here, with them both being kept so close to each other for the first time in so long. Either it brings them closer together – they work through their differences, overcome the mountains that stand in their way, and emerge on the other side even stronger because of it. Or, they’ll push each other away.

“I know what I would do if I were you.” Pascale tells him solemnly, “But you two need to figure this out on your own.”

It’s easy to say that, Charles thinks, when you haven’t made the mistakes they’ve both made. It’s so easy to imagine himself explaining how he thought he’d be protecting her by not telling her Ferrari had approached him. In his mind, she’ll listen and understand, and everything will go back to the way it used to be. But every time he runs the words he might say to her through his mind, he draws a blank. What mere words can salvage the ruins of a near decade-long friendship? What words can do justice the longing he feels to have her back in his life, not just as a distant memory, a relative stranger, but as his best friend. And even if he could find the words, there’s no guarantee Noa will even listen to them. Despite everything, she seems set on keeping her distance. Maybe Charles doesn’t blame her. Or maybe he wishes she’d fight a little harder.

taglist: @harrysdimple05 @ricciardosheart @azxulaa @cxcewg @dakotali @hopingforpeace @flowerchild-69 @destourtereaux @wordsthatwaterflowersinyoursoul @luckyladycreator2 @roseamongthorns13 @chasing-liberosis @laneyspaulding19 @lordperceval-16 @sainzluvrr

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ofstoriesandstardust · 11 months

Text

to build a home

a/n: just something small i cooked up while i work on something big for the end of the month. part of same mistakes-verse

summary: Coyote and Hangman buy a home

warnings: swearing, unedited, alcohol mentions

word count: 1.1k

You slam the paper down next to the stove where Coyote’s cooking, earning a curious glance from him.

“What is this?” He asks, taking the paper from you.

“It’s the listing for the house next to mine and Bradley’s. I think you should buy it.”

Bradley groans from behind you, where he sits at Jake and Javy’s kitchen table. Jake sighs, pushing himself off of the countertop, coming to stand next to you. He sets his hands on your shoulder, giving them a little shake.

“You know that I love and adore you.” You nod. “Absolutely not.”

It’s your turn to groan as you step out of Jake’s hold. “Why the fuck not? You’ve both been talking about wanting to buy a house for a while now, it’s in your price range, it’s in a good neighborhood, it’s right next to me, I’m not seeing any cons here.”

Coyote chuckles, turning the stove off. “We’ll think about it.”

“So?” You prompt, bouncing up and down on your heels as Coyote looks at the empty space. He’d nudged Jake into coming into looking at the house, but asked the real estate agent to come by the house a second time by himself.

He sighs, sticking his hands in the pockets. “It’s a really nice place.”

You nod, looking around. “Same floor plan as our house but the owners put a lot of effort into renovating this place. Practically brand new.”

He nods, moving to look out the sliding glass doors. “I like that it has a huge backyard.”

You hum, moving to stand next to him. “Only a fence separates us.”

He tilts his head. “We could always take it out.”

“Oh, they’d hate that.” You say, referencing your partners. He chuckles, turning away from the backyard.

“When has that ever stopped us?”

You nod your head in acknowledgement of his statement, turning to watch Javy roam around the space.

“Surprised you didn’t drag Jake back for a second look. My opinion doesn’t really matter much here.” You say after he walks around in circles for a few moments. The nice hardwood beneath his feet gleams underneath the bright LED light in the center of the room, something you’re sure they’d change if they bought this place.

He shrugs. “Jake actually didn’t have too many complaints. Loved the place actually.”

“So what’s holding you up from making a bid?”

He shrugs again, giving you a sheepish smile. “You’ve always been good at knocking my head on straight.” You raise an eyebrow in silent question and he sighs. “I just- it’s crazy to me that Jake and I could actually buy this place. This could be our home.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

He shakes his head. “No, not a bad thing. Just- do you think I’m making the wrong choice here? I mean, Jake and I aren’t even engaged and we’re thinking about buying a home together.”

You cough awkwardly, looking away from Coyote.

What Coyote didn’t know about Jake’s proposal plans wouldn’t hurt him.

He doesn’t notice, starting to pace again. “I mean- do you think I’m crazy?”

You shake your head, taking a step closer to him. “Javy, you’ve lost me. Jake’s a great guy-”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that.”

You shoot him a look, continuing on. “-and he’s good to you. Sure, you’re not engaged yet, but I mean if the right house comes up, what are you waiting for?”

“You know, from the first moment we stepped into this place to tour it, it felt like, you know, this could be our forever home. I could see Jake and I growing old here, having kids here, getting a dog and maybe a fish or something but I just-” He shrugs, looking down at his feet. “I don’t know, I guess part of me is scared I could do all of that and we’d still fall apart.” He’s silent for a moment before sucking in a deep breath. “I don’t know, maybe it’s stupid.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid.” You say automatically. “Hi, remember who’re talking to?”

He chuckles a little bit. “Yeah, but like, you had a reason to be that way. I don’t know, you guys are like, the perfect couple. I feel more at home at your house then probably anywhere else besides my place with Jake.”

You sigh, taking a step closer to him. “You know what my Dad told me when I moved out of our place? A house is just four walls and a roof. A home is what the people inside of it make of it. You guys could make this place a home.” Javy watches you carefully as you reach out for him. “I think you guys should put a bid in for this place. Settle down, move out of that shitty apartment the two of you have been living in for way too long and start the next chapter. Get a dog, have kids, take out that fence so we can annoy the shit out of Bradley and Jake for the rest of our lives.” You see, squeezing him as your arms wrap around his middle. “I know that a new chapter can be terrifying. It’s easier to stay in what we know and what we’re comfortable with. But a new chapter is also so exciting.”

He smiles, returning your hug. ��This is exactly why I brought you.”

You hum. “I know.”

He laughs, letting you go and you smile, taking a step back.

“Listen, all I’m saying is that I need new kids to be the cool aunt for. Payback’s kids are getting older, Elijah’s in high school now.”

Fanboy chuckles into his beer as Jake sighs with fond exasperation, crossing his arms. “I can not just start adopting kids because you want me to.”

You scrunch your nose, picking up your wine glass. “Oh don’t hide it Seresin, you want kids so bad.”

“You also want another dog. Doesn’t mean you’re gonna get that any time soon either.”

“Hey, Buddy, needs a brother. Or a sister.” You say as the dog in question comes pattering into the kitchen, toy plane in mouth. Fanboy’s face lights up as he pulls the golden retriever into his arms. You laugh and shake your head at the sight, Fanboy’s arms overflowing with all 66 pounds of Buddy, who is happily wagging his tail, always content with the attention Fanboy gives him.

Someone places a key next to you and you glance up, catching Coyote. “What is this?”

He sighs. “That’s your house key.”

You raise an eyebrow. “What?”

“To our new place. That’s your key.” Jake says.

Your eyes widen as your head swings between the two men. “Are you serious? You guys got the place next door?”

They both nod, confirming your questions.

“Wait, that’s so fucking awesome, I-”

Your sentence is interrupted by Bradley entering the kitchen, catching sight of Fanboy and Buddy. “Fanboy…” He sighs.

“I just love your dog, okay!” Fanboy shouts defensively, voice slightly muffled from the dog’s fur.

“I hope you know we’re taking the fence out.” You saying, fiddling with the key.

Both Jake and Bradley’s heads snap up. “No.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #javy coyote machado #javy machado #bradley bradshaw #same mistakes #top gun: maverick #top gun: maverick fic

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thisapplepielife · 4 months

Text

Written for the @steddiemas challenge.

Permanent 99

Prompt Day 30: Smut Themed Sentence Starters | Word Count: 2811 | Rating: E | CW: Sexual Content, 18+ Only | Tags: Sports AU, Swimming AU, Modern Setting, Eddie & Gareth are BFFs, Olympic Swimmers, Heat Wave, Outdoor Fooling Around, Blowjob, Eddie POV

This follows my Sports AU drabble from @steddieholidaydrabbles where they were Olympic Swimmers, but can be read standalone.

This one is also available right here on AO3.

we're hot and sticky as we can get, don't need to go swimming to be soakin' wet, you lean in and you bite my lip, it's hard to be cool in heat like this, sweat drop at the end of your nose, makes you lose your mind and lose your clothes Christian Kane, Permanent 99

Eddie rests his forearm over his eyes, attempting to block out the way too bright sun and wipe the sweat away from his forehead at the same time.

The strips of cheap vinyl from the PVC lounger are sticking to his bare back and he can't seem to shift in any way to get comfortable with the feeling. Steve is worth millions, but he's dragged out some old as shit, tri-fold lounge chairs from last century. They had to have been stashed in his parents' pool house, left over from the eighties, faded from sun and years of disuse. If Eddie's going to be subjected to the summer sun, he's definitely gonna need a newer chair, because this is really not working for him.

He's sticking to it in ways that feel really gross.

That has a lot to do with the fact that it's so humid it's almost insufferable. The glare off of the water isn't helping matters. It's blinding him, even through his sunglasses. They've spent a lifetime looking at pool water, so Eddie's not entirely sure why they're still doing it now, on their own time.

“It’s hot as shit,” Eddie finally announces, moving his arm just enough to catch a glimpse of Steve next to him.

Steve smiles, seemingly unconcerned by the unrelenting heat.

He's tanned, and glistening in the sun, looking every bit of a Greek god. That bastard.

Eddie's actually seen Steve in Athens, at the fucking Olympiad itself, and he damn well didn't look anything like he does right now. Steve was only nineteen then, still just a kid chasing a dream. And, now he's a man. A gorgeous man.

Eddie is pretty sure he looks like an overheated, wet cat in comparison. A pitiful thing that probably just needs put down.

But Eddie grins, because retirement looks good on Steve Harrington. Damn good. Retired before thirty. That's quite the thing to wrap his head around.

But that's not going to stop Eddie's complaining.

“From now on, summer months will be spent strictly indoors. It's too hot, and I’m too pale for this,” Eddie declares, as if that is the final decision on the subject matter.

It isn't. Not if his perpetually sun-kissed boyfriend has a say in the matter.

Steve just rolls his eyes, and doesn’t look away from his magazine, "You made the worst dressed list, again," Steve offers, flashing the glossy pages in his direction. "They put you on the fug list."

Well, Eddie doesn't give a flying fug what that rag thinks. He's gonna wear what he's gonna wear.

"And let me guess, you're in the other column?" Eddie asks, but he already knows it. Ever since they went public with their relationship after retirement, they've been tabloid fodder. Everyone has been speculating on how long this has been going on (since Athens) and how long it will last (hopefully forever) and they've picked apart every last detail of their lives they can get their hands on. And their very different style choices have been a popular topic of conversation.

Steve retired, Eddie didn't. Until he did. And now, they're both out of the meat grinder, free at last to do whatever they want to with all this brand new free time. Eddie's had fun running swim clinics for kids, and Steve has been funneling his time and money into his charitable foundation.

The rest of the time, they spend lazing together, just like this. Finally getting to really build this relationship of theirs into something even deeper, and stronger, than ever before.

They can't leave swimming, not totally. It's in their blood. But it's nice to be away from the early practices and constant sacrifices you have to make to be an Olympian, not just once, but several Games in a row.

Their not-so-secret love went public at Eddie's last Games, when Steve showed up, but kept out of the announcer's booth, and refused to be interviewed. He wasn't there for his own promo. Everybody was pissy about it, wanting a piece of him, wanting the ratings boost his voice, his face, would bring in. But Steve was only there to see Eddie, Gareth and the rest of his friends on Team USA swim, that's it.

So, it didn't take long for rumors to reach a fever pitch, and instead of denying them. They just admitted they were together, and had been, for a very long time. And now, they were looking forward to retirement, together.

And that was that.

They've been holed up at Steve's house ever since, trying to keep away from prying eyes, to just be together. With no other commitments. No early practices. No strict diets.

They're just Eddie and Steve. No longer Harrington and Munson.

But, Eddie's getting a little stir crazy and a lot hot. He needs to be anywhere but beside a pool right now.

“I haven’t even set foot in the goddamn pool and I’m sweating through my trunks,” Eddie whines, just making sure his opinion on the subject has been heard by Steve, loud and clear.

“Shoulda rocked the banana hammock, bro,” Steve supplies with a shrug of his shoulders, laughing loudly, totally unbothered by Eddie’s constant bitching.

Eddie smiles, "Don't call me bro, dude."

Steve giggles, and it's the best sound. So carefree. All that weight of expectation just…gone. It was amazing to see. Retired from professional swimming, Steve doesn’t sweat the small stuff, not anymore. And Eddie is one hundred percent down for that.

"Speedos aren’t exactly casual pool wear, regardless of what you might think, Harrington,” Eddie adds.

“Sure they are,” Steve answers, waving his hand over his lap.

Eddie looks over at Steve, and lowers his sunglasses down his nose. Steve's wearing a tiny, all-white Speedo that Eddie can't look away from. It was a purposeful choice, Eddie is well aware.

Steve's baiting him.

And the white makes it basically see through. It’s nearly obscene and Eddie knows damn good and well Steve wore it on purpose, knowing he’d either sweat through it, and make it see through, or end up in the pool…and make it see through.

Eddie knows this game well and it sadly always, always works on him. He's an easy mark. Always has been when it comes to Steve Harrington.

Eddie pushes his glasses back up on his face.

“You're right, the Federation should have forgotten all about the tech suits and went back to those," Eddie says, licking his lips, wetting them. Two can play at this game.

There’s a sweat drop clinging to the end of Steve’s nose and Eddie reaches over to catch it with his thumb. Raking his eyes all over Steve.

"Is this seriously turning you on?" Steve asks, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm basically wearing an old work uniform."

Eddie just nods, looking at every inch of Steve's body. Still toned, but already going slightly softer in places. Not to mention all the body hair. Steve's hairy, when the fuck did that happen? After only knowing him as the shaved and waxed swimmer, this has been a fucking revelation of a magnitude Eddie can't even put into words.

Steve's a man. No longer the kid he was when they met, a million years and a million miles away from here.

"You're staring," Steve says, teasing him, and Eddie just nods. He's definitely staring and he'll do it some more.

Steve smiles and sets his magazine down and crawls over onto Eddie’s lounger, straddling Eddie’s thighs. It creaks and shifts under them, and Eddie holds his breath, and prepares for the little metal legs to collapse. It doesn't, miraculously, and Steve takes Eddie's stillness for an opportunity to lean in and bite at Eddie’s bottom lip before Eddie can, well, give him any more lip. Eddie groans a little at the feeling, hands settling on Steve’s hips. Steve deepens the kiss and runs his fingers through Eddie’s sweat-damp hair.

When they finally break apart, Steve is even slicker with sweat than he was before, but he just grins down at Eddie.

“Let’s go in,” Eddie urges, thumbs tracing lazy circles on Steve’s exposed hip bones. Running his thumb over Steve's Olympic rings tattoo that's just barely peeking over the top of the tiny Speedo.

Steve took Eddie to get his own rings tattoo after his first Olympics, and Eddie took Gareth after his. It's a sacred tradition.

Eddie presses his thumb into the slightly faded ink, then dips it lower, stroking until he feels coarse hair under his thumb. Then, he's sliding his other hand up and down Steve's hairy thigh. More hair. Hair for days.

In fact, Steve’s chest hair is damp and right in Eddie’s face. It’s driving him a little wild. Steve spent so many years shaved, that this has been a goddamn turn on. Eddie leans forward and buries his face in Steve's chest.

Steve just laughs, and pushes Eddie back down, nipping at Eddie’s neck playfully, “S’good out here.”

“Think of the air conditioning. And the big, big bed.”

“This is bed-like,” Steve insists, reaching over and hitting the lever sending the chaise flat. The unsteady metal legs wobble comically and Eddie laughs as Steve topples over on top of him ungracefully. It's a nice change of pace, since Eddie often feels like he's the ungraceful one nearly everywhere but in the water. Always one wrong move from a trip to the E.R., while Steve stands by, shaking his head.

Eddie’s fairly certain this flimsy-ass chair can't hold their combined weight indefinitely, even without Steve trying to fuck him through it. But he still runs his fingers through Steve’s hair, pulling him closer, encouraging him.

He'll ride this train into the ground, without question.

Steve closes his eyes, and grinds down against him.

Eddie grips Steve’s hips, resting his fingers against Steve’s ass, cupping him through the Speedo. When he squeezes his fingers underneath the tight material, Steve opens his eyes to meet Eddie’s, and Eddie just raises an eyebrow, questioning.

“By all means,” Steve answers, lifting up enough for them to work together to get it shimmed off his ass.

It isn’t easy. Removing a wet Speedo never is, and Steve’s wallering him in the process. Eddie almost takes a knee to the nuts, but they finally get it peeled off Steve's hips and tossed onto the ground.

Steve unties Eddie’s trunks and pulls the Velcro closure apart loudly. He snakes his hand inside and closes his fist around him, and Eddie can’t help but buck up into the tight grip.

“Fuck, Steve,” Eddie pants, leaning back further, enjoying the feeling.

Steve smiles and leans forward, chasing him, licking a path of sweat off of Eddie’s chest. It makes Eddie shiver unexpectedly and he can’t stop himself from tangling his hand in Steve’s hair. Urging him lower. Steve takes the hint. He always does.

He pushes apart Eddie's trunks, getting himself better access, and Eddie lifts up, to let him tug them down a little further, but not all the way off.

Eddie groans when Steve’s mouth makes contact with his dick.

He rests his hand on Steve's head, feeling every movement from above and below. Steve's a gold medal cocksucker, that's for goddamn sure.

"That's good, sweetheart," Eddie says, and Steve hums in acknowledgement, head moving up and down, hand doing the rest of the work in tandem.

Eddie slides his hand down to Steve's face, pressing his palm to his stubbly cheek, and Steve changes the angle, so the head of Eddie's dick now hits the inside of his cheek with every bob of his head, bumping against Eddie's palm.

Steve's teasing him, playing with him, but it's fucking hot.

So hot, and it's all Eddie can take, honestly, and he arches his hips off the chair, coming.

Steve pulls off, and makes eye contact as he swipes his tongue around his mouth, gathering up Eddie's come on his tongue, which he shows Eddie, before swallowing.

"You're gonna kill me," Eddie says, as he moves to wrap his hand around Steve's hard dick, but Steve holds up one finger, wagging it at him.

And then he slides fully on top of Eddie, and ruts into his hip. Using Eddie to get himself off.

Jesus H. Christ.

Retired Steve is his favorite version, so far. Even more than top of the podium Steve. Or secret locker room blowjob Steve.

This version? His to keep? This is the one.

Steve's breathing heavy into Eddie's ear, hot puffs of air and soft moans that make Eddie wish he could get hard again right now. Eddie digs his fingers into Steve's slick back, just along for the ride. Getting to enjoy the sights and sounds of Steve working hard. Breath catching with exertion.

It's so familiar, and yet, brand new.

Steve lets out a groan in Eddie's ear, and then comes inside Eddie's shorts, and that's a new feat, for sure.

Steve clearly doesn't give a fuck if he glues himself to Eddie's pubic hair, as he lays down on Eddie fully. Naked, sated and happy. This is the kind of hot Eddie isn't going to complain about.

He almost says so, when he feels the whoosh of air blow past his arm before there’s a splash in the pool. He freezes. He doesn’t dare open his eyes, even if he’s certain it’s only Gareth. Maybe Robin, if he's really unlucky.

Steve's house has a revolving door. You never know who's gonna show up, unannounced.

And Eddie can't help it, he flushes even further, cheeks red and hot, totally embarrassed.

When Eddie finally cracks an eye open, he laughs when he sees Gareth standing in the pool, right at the edge. Arms folded, head resting on them. Staring right at Eddie. Gareth has no shame and doesn’t get embarrassed easily, if ever.

Just like Steve, honestly.

How he's surrounded himself with these two, he's not exactly sure.

"Whatcha guys been doin'?" Gareth drawls out, like he can't see Steve's bare ass in his face and know exactly what they were doing.

Gareth's caught them fucking in several countries at this point. This is nothing. It's not even in the top ten most compromising positions he's seen them in. But still. Eddie could do without it, for sure.

Gareth's dog, Bonzo, is prancing around poolside, barking and jumping, just as hyper as his owner.

Steve just shakes his head, leaning over and picking up his discarded Speedo and walks back towards the house, like it’s no big deal to be walking around the backyard, totally naked. It's nothing Gareth hasn't seen before, to be certain. They've all spent far too many years together, in far too many locker rooms.

Still, Eddie lifts his hips, and gets his trunks back up and securely fastened. He’s not about to get caught naked if he can help it. Unlike Steve, he does have some shame, and doesn’t exactly desire his junk getting featured on TMZ.

Some days, Eddie thinks Steve's just daring them to run dick pics of him. Probably because he knows what he's packing, and nobody in their right mind is gonna give his dick bad press.

Definitely not Eddie. No way.

Eddie is about to get up, when Bonzo seizes the opportunity for the freed up premium seating, and jumps up onto Eddie’s lap.

Eddie hears the chair give way before he feels it. Soon enough they’re both falling to the ground. It’s a short fall, but Eddie still scrapes his elbow on the concrete and Bonzo shoots him daggers as if this whole mess was Eddie's fault, as the dog darts away from the scene of the crime, and towards the house, trying to catch up with Steve.

Steve clearly saw it happen, and he’s doubled over laughing near the sliding glass doors, still naked, and Eddie really doesn’t find it all that funny.

“Fuck you, asshole, that hurt!” Eddie yells across the yard as he awkwardly untangles himself from the wreckage. Steve just laughs harder, and as much as Eddie wants to, it’s hard for him to stay mad at Steve.

Eddie gets up and surveys the collapsed heap of vinyl and aluminum. It looks like it's a total loss, and that does make Eddie smile, fully thankful that the chair from hell finally met its overdue end.

He jogs to catch up with Steve, hoping to slide in the shower with him, where Steve will kiss his wounded pride all better, and maybe go for round two.

Notes: Song is Permanent 99 by Christian Kane. It's not on Spotify, or I'd just embed it. Gareth's dog is Bonzo, after John Bonham. Because I still like to think he's a drummer in this world, and that still plays with Eddie here, too. They just took their focus elsewhere.

This is the kind of chair I'm talking about, which they're still making apparently?! I had no idea.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddiemas and follow along!

If you want to see more of my entries from this challenge, they are in my tag right here!

#steddiemas #steddiemasnaughtylist #“Is this seriously turning you on?”#steddie #steddie ficlet #olympic au #swimmer steve harrington #swimmer eddie munson #gareth is a little shit #gareth stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things fic #thisapplepielife: short fic #thisapplepielife: steddiemas

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sweetswesf · 3 months

Text

After receiving the offer, I jumped into high gear to prepare for my new role. They were requiring me to be in the office in Silicon Valley. My prayers to move out of San Francisco had been answered. My whole reason for moving from New York to get to Silicon Valley that I initially dreamed at 21 had come true at 30. Although SF and my last company and becoming a software engineer was a goal that I accomplished in 2019, being a software engineer in Silicon Valley at this type of company was the initial goal. I found a church QUICKLY that seems to be everything I want: diverse, full of happy, friendly, and genuine people, but especially Black people. So many people of all races have welcomed me and asked for my number and check in on me and save me seats and invite me to lunches and hikes and game nights. I’m getting paid more than double what I was making at my last company. I have a quiet apartment with counter space in my bathroom and kitchen. I have a short commute and can walk 10 minutes to the shuttle stop that takes me to campus in a WiFi bus. This place has so much documentation. Services are stable and work. Setting up my laptop, schedule, goals, etc have been great. My team has been so welcoming. They constantly remind me to take my time and that I can hop in when I’m ready. There are 2 other Black women on my team. They invest a lot into their employees and brand. I have a great relationship with my parents and grandparents. My mom calls em everyday. My Mom continued to send me $1000 a month every month until I got my pay check. I didn’t get my paycheck until the end of my 2nd week, but she still sent money my first week of work. I had to move from the first place I moved in because the insulation was so poor that I heard EVERY footstep and thank God I followed what I believe to be His voice to look at my lease to see that they had a 30 day guarantee where I could break my lease no questions asked. I’m in a better place. I have a Costco membership. I get to buy clothes that fit that I enjoy wearing. I still need to be a good steward of the blessings God has given me. I learned how to trim my hair, so I’m truly independent with my hair care. I was freaking out about not knowing Java before I started my new role, but my manager planned before I got there to give me time to ramp up on the language but give me tasks in a language I already know so I could start delivering on the team. He is giving me space while allowing me to feel productive. I’ve received great feedback so far. I know what I’m being asked to do in my role. Things are clear. I feel more responsible. I be tired, but the office is a great temperature! Most of my team is scattered across the country and only me and another colleague come in the office, but we don’t even sit right next to each other so there’s no pressure to show up a certain way. She’s such a sweetheart. Upon meeting me, she asked if she could hug me. It felt like God was hugging me through her. Like, “You made it child.” I’m trying my best to remember where I came from, maintain in relationship with God, keep praying as I did when I really needed God to come through, expect only the best and not let my past or past bad habits haunt me. I went through what I went through for a reason. I’m more patient, responsible, happy, grateful, calm, trusting. When I learned my destination was closed when I got dropped off, my Uber driver said, “You took that pretty well. Most people would be mad.” I’ve come a long way to hear this. This was such a compliment. I’ve learned to chill. I practiced this before getting what I prayed for because I knew God would grant me it.

I know I will face challenges, but I know that I don’t need to worry. Before all these blessings, I thanked God for making it happen, because I knew He would. All while I got to stay true to myself and just focus on doing my best. I have prayers for my life, my career, a marriage, my finances, my health, my family, the world, and I know God is capable. I know things are going to turn out better than I expect.

I had been wanting to share God’s love with y’all for a while, I just needed time to settle in to all the newness. God did exceedingly, abundantly, above all I could ask or think. And He can do the same for you. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. God bless you, reader. Whatever you’re going through, I know God can get you through.

#software engineering #san francisco #python #silicon valley #coding #women in tech #tech #black in tech #black women in tech #codeblr

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timotheechlamett · 2 years

Note

roommate tim?

AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES

cover by @softhecreator 💗

WARNINGS: platonic relationship, fluff, pining?, roommate!timothee, fem!reader, use of alcohol, not proof read /:

——————————————

Moving to New York was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It wasn’t the fast pace of city life or the fact that everything was brand new that had me worried, it was the cost to live there. I could deal with the other things.

Even with the money I’d set aside from every paycheck, freshman year to now, wasn’t enough to last me more than two months. I had looked at many, many, many, apartments before deciding to look for a roommate. It was a last resort.

I took a trip up East from my Midwest home and met a plethora of future roommates, but only one in particular sat right with me.

Timothée Chalamet.

The way his name rollled off my tongue was nearly enough to send me back home packing, I just had a feeling, you know?

None the less I had to be smarter than that, yet as he sat across from me in the coffee shop, I found myself entranced by the life story he couldn’t help but spew my way. It was like he had word vomit, I’d barely gotten a word in myself and it was a wonder he didn’t question me.

He was the most sweet and nervous of the bunch of candidates. Normally those things would be a red flag where I’m from, but the way he made me laugh, along with how he carried himself, and the genuine care how I found my way around here, let me know I’d met my match.

So I waited until he had talked himself hoarse and returned the favor. I told him I was fulfilling a dream of my younger self, my family and I were from a small town, how I had never been in a city this big, but I could feel the creative energy run through me when I took in the scenery, or walked down the sidewalk, I told him how I felt I finally belonged.

Him being a native, accepted that statement rather quickly and supported it. He sat back in his chair with a smirk.

“I’ve been looking for a roommate for months and, it may sound strange, but you’re the only person I can see myself co-existing with.” He said with a true smile on his face.

I let myself smile before answering, “I’ve met with a few people today and you know what? I think you might have read my mind.”

And that was endgame. A week and a half later we were moved into our place.

There was string of time, months, where we spent every second together. Going furniture shopping, finding our favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner spots, we went grocery shopping together, he even went as far as walking me up and down the streets near and far just so I’d be familiar with the area.

But just as fast came a time where he wasn’t home much at all and our schedules became complete opposites.

He had dropped out of NYU when he finally got his big break and the night he got the e-mail we celebrated with shitty champagne and take out. As for me, I had landed an internship on top of small indie roles that paid the bills.

“When are you leaving?” I place more noodles on my plate.

“What’s today?” He asks, mouth half full.

“Wednesday.”

“Thursday, Friday, Saturday..” He lifts a finger for each day.

“You can’t be serious right now-“

“Next Friday.” He holds nine fingers up toward me.

“You leave next week and had to count the days on your hands..out loud?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Look I have a lot going on up here,” He taps his temple with his finger, “Don’t judge.” And sends a smirk my way.

“I’m not judging! It’s kind of refreshing that you didn’t pull out your planner.” My smirk turns to a smile, “You nearly have your whole life written in there, down to each hour.”

“How do you know it’s down to the hour? Have you been reading it?” He asks quizzically, his face deathly serious.

I pause from taking a bite and stare at him with a confused face, “Please tell me you’re joking.”

After a moments pause he bursts out laughing, “No shit I’m joking, I’m not that fucking weird,” He takes a bite of a dumpling, “It’s planned by the week, day, and THEN the hour.” He grins.

Now it was my turn to laugh, “Have you ever considered therapy?”

After loading our dishes, and the dishwasher flooding with bubbles (due to the fact he put Dawn where the Cascade was supposed to go), and both of us throwing said bubbles at one another, we cleaned up and sat down on the couch to watch our show.

I laid down and was nearly asleep, feeling the after effects of our champagne, on my end of the couch. I watched him take another swig from the bottle before closing my eyes.

I could feel his face hovering over mine, “Y/N?” He tried to whisper.

“Yes Timothée.” I keep my eyes closed.

“I’m gonna miss you when I leave,” I feel the couch dip behind me, his head stuffed in the back of my neck, “I miss you already.” His voice is sleepy and rough.

I feel my cheeks heat at his words, such innocent words but in this moment they felt different. Maybe I’m drunk.

“I’m gonna miss you too Tim.” I glance back to find him softly snoring softly behind me, peacefully burrowed uncomfortably beside me.

I really look at him for the first time. Of course he’s been beautiful, but right now he looks angelic, so serene as he sleeps. I face forward again and let the heaviness of sleep take over me.

That night I dreamt of myself in his arms for the first time.

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csuitebitches · 1 year

Text

How to Build Identity Capital

What is identity capital? Identity capital is essentially investments that we make in ourselves. Things that play a role in defining who you are, such as, your job, degree, the extra-curricular activities you participate in, where you’re from, how you look, speak etc.

Your identity capital is your autobiography.

Identity capital helps you move up in life, and can play a role in getting you to your goals faster too. It’s sort of like you’re very own personal brand that you’re curating.

A very important thing to note- personal growth, including identity capital, does not happen overnight. It will take time and consistent efforts. There is no get rich quick scheme here apart from discipline.

On a personal level it includes:

1. How we speak

2. How we look

3. How we solve problems

4. Our relationships

5. Our hobbies

On a work level it includes:

1. Resumes

2. Degrees

3. Associations

4. Organisations

5. Accomplishments

So how does one do this?

Get a piece of paper and start answering the questions I’ve noted down. You’ll see a summary of the questions as points below.

Hard skill questions:

1. If I had $3 million in bank account and I had to spend 10% of it on charity, which is the first cause that immediately comes to my mind?

2. Do I need money to give back to that cause or can I also give my time?

3. When was the last time I updated my resume? Can I ask someone for a second opinion on how it looks?

4. What is a skill that is important for my job/ potential or future job for at least the next 3 months?

5. Are there any topics or subjects that I’m naturally attracted to that has no direct relevance to my work? (For instance: I’m very interested in women in history)

6. What is one workshop I would love to attend, if everything was at my disposal? (Example: I’d love to go to a chocolate making workshop)

7. What is a hobby that my ideal self would have?

Soft skill questions:

1. When was the last time I spent time quality time with people that mattered to me?

2. Am I interested in learning a new language?

3. When was the last time I took a social media break?

4. What would my bucket list look like right now?

5. What are some short term goals I know I can achieve with effort by the next month?

6. When was the last time I went over my finances? Can I reach out to someone who can guide me better?

7. Is there anything I enjoy collecting?

8. What is a subject I wish I had in school or college?

Notes of hard skill steps:

1. Giving back to a cause that matters to you

2. Keeping your resume updated

3. Learn a new skill and practicing it for a few months

4. Watching one educational video on YouTube/ one podcast such as TED talks a day to improve your knowledge

5. Attending workshops

6. Keeping a gratitude journal

7. Engage in some sort of a creative project or hobby

Soft skill steps:

1. Spending time with people who matter

2. Learning a new language

3. Social media breaks

4. Making a bucket list

5. Making a list of short term goals (Achievable in the next month)

6. Evaluate your finances and set financial goals

7. Start a collection of something you enjoy

8. Take a class in a subject that interests you, even if it doesnt relate to your job or degree

(Source: The Defining Decade by Meg Jay)

https://gentwenty.com/51-ways-to-build-identity-capital/

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bridgertonbabe · 4 months

Note

I’m guessing in the meet me at midnight AU that both Benedict and Sophie are each others firsts?

How does the aftermath of the chat with Edmund and Vi go and eventually when they do become intimate how does that go?? Cause I’m sure they’d both want it to be as perfect as it could be but couldn’t help remembering the awkward conversation 😂

Warning: this post contains horny horny teenagers 😂

Edmund and Violet's painfully awkward chat definitely factors in to the young couple resisting taking their relationship to the next level for quite some time, though they are more than happy playing tonsil tennis for the foreseeable. They spend the remainder of Benedict's last year at school snogging when they aren't revising ahead of their forthcoming exams, and then during the summer holidays the non-stop kissing only continues. However ahead of her sixth year and knowing she's got another two years at school keeping her apart from her boyfriend, Sophie does consider going further with Benedict to solidify their relationship even though she doesn't feel 100% ready. Before she brings it up with him Benedict expresses how much he's going to miss her and vows to write to her to every single day if she wants, and quickly any doubts she had that she needed to fast-track their intimacy in order to cement his attachment to her simply fell away. Benedict loved her and was only interested in her and she shouldn't let any insecurities of hers make her doubt his commitment to her. (She did still indulge in moving his hands to fondle her breasts during their last makeout session before she left for Hogwarts, although that was purely for their own mutual desire than from any sort of pressure to keep him interested in her.)

The next few months ahead of the winter holidays dragged by terribly and Sophie couldn't seem to remember what she used to do before she and Benedict were together and snogging 24/7. It didn't help how everyone around her was coupled up and snogging away and she glowered with envy every time she caught sight of anyone else loved up. She was of course over the moon when Benedict surprised her with an appearance at the first Hogsmeade trip of the school year and once they were able to have some on on one time together they made up for lost time and kissed the afternoon away.

However coming away from that, Sophie felt a new wave of desire for her boyfriend and in bed that night she craved him even more than before. She so badly wanted him around, wanted to kiss him to her heart's content in bed just like they did over the summer, for him to squeeze her breasts like he had before she had left for school, for him to move his hand between her legs-

She jolted awake, unusually breathless and with a brand new sensation between her legs as she examined the results of her first wet dream. Sophie wanted to talk about it with someone but she didn't have many options. Her three best friends were all guys and it was definitely not something she wanted to discuss with them; Posy and the Bridgerton sisters currently at Hogwarts were all too young to even bring it up with; and it was far too mortifying a topic to write to Violet or even go to Professor Danbury about. She could write to Benedict, since he had been the object of her dreams and desires, but it was a conversation she'd rather have in person instead of through a letter due to it's intimate nature.

So for a couple of weeks Sophie kept her frustrations to herself, though these new feelings were starting to crop up more and more. One night as she sat in the speakeasy Michael had set up in the Room of Requirement, she observed her aforementioned friend tucked away in a dark corner getting frisky with a girl from their year. The way Michael was running his hands over her and the obscene way they kissed each other made Sophie feel quite strange - but she found the strange sensation unexpectedly appealing as she continued to watch them; until she caught herself and looked away in abject horror for actually enjoying the visual of Michael's exploits as her imagination humoured the thought of her and Benedict in such a clinch.

It was when Phillip's girlfriend, Lucy, sat down next to her and asked her if she was okay that Sophie realised she might actually have someone she could confide in. Since Lucy was in the year above and had been nothing but lovely towards her since she had been seeing Phillip, Sophie decided to bite the bullet and put her trust in the girl. She quietly opened up to Lucy, mentioning how she had been feeling over the last few weeks and explaining how she didn't know what to do with herself without her boyfriend to satisfy her growing desires. Much to Sophie's relief Lucy was very kind and considerate of how she was feeling and offered her some of her romance novels to read. She said while they might not cure Sophie's newfound needs, they would certainly keep her occupied and her mind somewhat distracted until she reunited with Benedict in a few short weeks.

The next night in bed Sophie began to leaf through one of the books Lucy had lent her and naively she had thought the romance novels would simply be focused on romance - she hadn't anticipated just how filled with erotic content they were. As she read through them, her desire only grew and she quickly discovered the brand new sensations she had been feeling were of a more mature nature because no longer was she pining after Benedict in the lovestruck puppy way she had been before; now she was lusting after him and desperately wanting him to touch her the way in which the romantic hero in the novel was touching the heroine. She read through all the romance books Lucy had given her within a week - and then she reread them again and again, rubbing her thighs together and trying to ignore the stickiness growing between them (and yet unable to deny to herself just how much she liked it).

Finally she got back to Aubrey Hollow for Christmas and she was once again reunited with Benedict, though now she held secret thoughts of doing far more than kissing the next time they had the opportunity to be properly alone together. Sophie made sure they did in fact have alone time together once everyone had gone to bed one night and she was positive Colin was sound asleep before she slipped out of her bed, crept up the stairs, and entered Benedict's room. As soon as she had, Benedict locked the door and muffled his room so they could make out in his bed - but not long into it, Sophie spoke up.

"Ben?"

"Mmhm?"

"I um... I... I've been thinking..."

Benedict pulled his lips away from her neck and met her eye, curious to know why there was a tinge of hesitancy in her voice.

"What is it?"

"I... well I've been reading these books recently, and I... well um,"

Sophie wasn't entirely sure how to say it. She had never had to verbalise this specific desire before and even though Benedict was the person to share this with, she suddenly found herself at a loss of words and feeling very shy to speak it aloud.

"What kind of books?" he asked her gently, not yet aware of where his girlfriend was heading with her train of thought.

"Romance books." she answered in a soft murmur.

She nervously met his eyes and while there was a brief flash of mirth, like he was about to tease her about her chosen genre, it was instantly gone as Benedict suddenly clued on to what his girlfriend was trying to get at.

"And um well... when I read them... I've been thinking of you."

"Yeah?" he breathed, keeping his voice neutral as he patiently waited for Sophie to express exactly what she was feeling.

"And I... I want... I've been... when I read them and I think of you... well I..."

"Do you... do you touch yourself?" he gently asked her, though his voice had become a lot thicker even to his own surprise.

"No." she shook her head timidly - truthfully as much as she had considered it she didn't feel bold enough to try; and in her head she had convinced herself her own hand wouldn't compare to the hand she had been fantasising about. "I want you to touch me."

Benedict's lips parted in amazement because even though he knew where Sophie was leading as she spoke her desires aloud, it still blew him away that she desired him in such a way.

"Unless you don't want to." she added with a gulp after Benedict had fallen into stunned silence. "Because that's fine if you don't, obviously-"

But she was silenced by Benedict's lips finding hers and kissing her fiercely, a kiss filled with assurance that he definitely wanted this as much as she did.

"Of course I want to." he said against her lips. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." she answered him immediately.

"Okay." he nodded and kissed her again. "But if you change your mind or want to go slower, just tell me, okay?"

She nodded back before he began kissing her again, this time with a brand new intensity as he built up the passion between them and slowly his hands made their way down her body, pausing to squeeze her breasts and tease her nipples through her shirt, before ending up at the waistband of her bottoms. As they continued to kiss, Benedict slipped his hand underneath the waistband and brushed against her, eliciting a gasp from Sophie into his mouth.

"Is that okay?" he quickly checked as Sophie momentarily froze from the intimate contact.

"Yes. Yes." she nodded as her eyes flashed with nervous excitement and secured her lips against his.

Benedict boldly touched her again, this time drawing his fingers along her folds and feeling himself become aroused by how wet Sophie already was and how much more she was becoming from his touch. He teased her at first until her body began reacting, clearly desperate for him to go even further until he dipped his fingers into her and had her gasping for more. He quickly built up a rhythm and as he did he moved his lips to Sophie's neck if only to hear the noises he was provoking from her all around his room, turning himself on from the pleasure he was releasing from his girlfriend. His pace quickened and quickened until Sophie clenched around his fingers and she cried out wantonly despite the hand she had clapped over her mouth at the last second.

"Well, baby?" he breathed. "Did that live up to your expectations?"

She looked to him, dazed in astonishment before answering him with a stunned nod, and then she hauled him down to spend the remainder of their night kissing.

The following night Benedict was keen for a repeat of the previous, but Sophie had other ideas.

"Can... can I touch you?" she asked him after they had been kissing for awhile.

"Really?" he swallowed, not having anticipated her request (though his dick twitched immediately in response). "Are you sure?"

"It's only fair." she replied. "But only if you want to. I... well I've only got the romance books to go off of but in practice... I don't exactly know what I'm doing." she nervously admitted, and though she was clearly apprehensive, she did genuinely want to return the favour he had bestowed upon her the previous night.

"Sophie, don't feel like you have or that you owe me. If you're not comfortable with that yet then I'm more than happy for us to do what we did last night-"

"Do you touch yourself?"

He flushed pink, surprised by the question despite the offer Sophie had just suggested to him prior.

"Well, yeah."

"And... and does it feel good when you do?"

"Yes." he replied, feeling almost guilty to share such information with Sophie in spite of what they had done the previous night.

"Well, what if you showed me?" she suggested. "You could guide me how to touch you the way you like it, if that would help?"

She looked to him with such earnestness in her eyes and though a part of him felt he should chivalrously turn her down and simply go about satisfying her again, he could only feel his dick getting harder at his girlfriend's suggestion.

"You seem to like the idea." she acknowledged with a devilish smirk and Benedict realised she could actually feel his cock stiffening against her leg.

"I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with," he rushed out, desperate not to pressure her no matter how his body was physically reacting to the very idea of it.

He was silenced by Sophie's lips pressing against his, and he realised that this was her assurance that she was very much comfortable with her own proposal.

"I want to make you feel as good as you made me." she told him. "Unless you don't want to?"

Benedict kissed her back, confirming that he wanted to as much as she did. They continued to kiss though this time Benedict gradually guided Sophie's hand further down his body.

"You tell me if you change your mind or anything." he said between kisses.

"You too." she returned before recommencing their kissing as their hands slipped into his pants.

Slowly he guided her, breaking their kissing to offer gentle direction, timidly mentioning how he liked to be touched even though Sophie touching him was a thousand times more exhilarating than any previous time with just his own hand. He couldn't quite believe Sophie was getting him off and the more she touched him the more confident she got as she began stroking him and building up a pace.

"Ben?"

"Mhm?" he bit back, desperately trying to restrain himself from completely falling apart quite so quickly under Sophie's hand.

"When you touch yourself... what do you think about?" she asked him as her thumb swiped over the end of his cock that had precum already seeping out of it.

"You." he grunted out.

"Do you always think about me when you-"

"Yes. All the time. Yes." he answered urgently.

"What am I doing? What am I wearing?"

"Blue bikini." he winced, admitting to the image of her he had ingrained in his brain ever since she had worn it during the summer, the image of which he lusted over when he took himself in hand over the last several months.

"Do you think of my wet tits bouncing as I climb out of the pool?" she pushed. "Or of me stripping it off just for you-"

"All of it. All of it." he furiously nodded, unsure of how much longer he could hold on for.

"Or how wet you made me last night-"

"Soph - aaaahhh!" he cried out as he came hard and fast and he breathlessly stared up at the ceiling above him, shocked by the sheer power Sophie had over him, how every previous masturbation had paled in comparison to his girlfriend jerking him off instead.

"Was that okay?" she asked him, blinking down with unexpected uncertainty like she hadn't just been teasing him and saying the exact right things to push him over the edge.

"I think you know it was more than okay." he swallowed and he couldn't help snorting as soon as her lips pricked up into a smug grin.

The rest of the festive season passed with Sophie sneaking into his bedroom late at night as they continued to take it in turns of touching each other intimately before the insatiability grew and they would touch each other simultaneously, racing to get the other one off first. They'd even make each other come more than once a night in the run up to Sophie's imminent return to school, desperate to have as much of each other as they could, before they reluctantly had to part ways once more.

During the second half of Sophie's sixth year they continued writing to each other, though now the letters were of a far more intimate nature, with Sophie writing to inform her boyfriend that she was now touching herself and thinking about him, sometimes with and sometimes without the romance books to help her (while of course ensuring her bed curtains were drawn, casting a spell to keep them as such for the rest of the night and muffling them so she could pleasure herself in private). Benedict wrote back, enquiring after the titles of the books she was reading and after discreetly acquiring them and hiding them away in his bedroom, he'd further enquire after certain passages and extracts that Sophie found the most arousing. When she shared the scenes she envisioned themselves in, he'd read them and get himself off as he too imagined himself and Sophie in those scenarios while enjoying the added layer of his girlfriend getting off to them as well.

It made the rest of Sophie's sixth year a lot more bearable but ahead of her seventh year, she knew she was ready to go all the way with Benedict. When she got back to Aubrey Hollow for the summer break she once again sneaked into his room in the middle of the night to share with him that she was ready. She had been burning for him, her growing desires had reached it's fever pitch and now she wanted every last piece of him and naturally Benedict was only too happy to indulge - however they wanted far more privacy than they currently had. Benedict's locked and muffled bedroom had done the job well enough for the last eighteen months but they wanted far more intimacy, they wanted to be truly alone and take their time with each other without the entire Bridgerton family under the same roof; and so they devised a plan.

Benedict went to Kate and Anthony for help, asking them for a massive favour in letting him and Sophie borrow their flat for an evening. They immediately caught his drift without him explicitly having to state the reason behind the request and while Anthony joked that he could have it so long as Benedict forked out for a hotel room for them to spend the night in, Kate rolled her eyes and told her boyfriend's brother that he could use their flat for free. Relieved that they were happy to help, Benedict then asked Kate if she would be able to give Sophie some advice ahead of their intended night, as his girlfriend wanted to properly prepare herself without having to awkwardly go to Violet and make her aware of what they were planning to do.

Kate of course obliged and the next time she and Anthony visited she took Sophie aside and checked to see what she needed. She then took the younger girl out to the shops not only to accompany her in acquiring contraception but helping Sophie pick out some underwear for the occasion. Sophie wasn't sure how to play it, whether to purchase her first set of sexy lingerie or opt for something more simple and not make a complete fool of herself. Kate assured her that Benedict would be more than thrilled seeing his girlfriend in any form of underwear and that she should pick whatever made her feel comfortable and confident and to not stress herself too much in having the perfect first time; it would be perfect because it was between her and Benedict and that's all that mattered.

Sophie and Benedict then schemed to arrange their night together. While Anthony and Kate had given them their discretion, Benedict casually mentioned one morning at breakfast that he'd be going to a concert with some of his mates and crash at one of theirs in a few days - which coincidentally coincided with Sophie staying over at Phillip's to work on a History of Magic project. Of course Phillip was well aware of the set-up and happy to go along with the cover story as well as briefly welcoming Sophie as she travelled to his home from Aubrey Hollow via Floo Powder in order to keep her alibi airtight. He greeted her with a knowing smile and gave her a quick hug to wish her luck before she transported herself to Kate and Anthony's flat.

There she met Benedict and while they were both nervous, they were also incredibly excited to finally be properly alone just the two of them without any distractions or fear of anyone walking in on them. They shared a small dinner together and watched some TV to unwind and de-stress ahead of their night before they lost interest in the program they were watching and began to make out, which very quickly became more and more heated.

Eventually Benedict took the initiative to lead Sophie into the bedroom where they crawled into bed as their lips and hands began to travel. Sophie paused to strip down to her underwear, a simple white lace cotton set which had Benedict groaning with desire as he pulled her on top of him and began stroking up and down her legs as he kissed her chest. Sophie hauled his top off of him before he did the same with his shorts and the pair kissed and caressed and ground against each other until they were in need of much more. The rest of their clothing followed suit, Benedict bringing her to climax once through his touch so she was wet and ready for him, then with one last breathless assurance from Sophie that she needed him the pair became intimately connected and reached their orgasm together. When he rolled off of her, collapsed on the bed beside her and they exchanged a glazed look in their comedown, they couldn't help but share a laugh of relief of what had ended up being the first time they had both longed and hoped for, before sharing a kiss and reaffirming their love for one another with whispered sweet-nothings.

#asks #look i might not be the most well-versed in writing anything smut-related but a girl's got to practice lmao #meet me at midnight au

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live-the-fangirl-life · 1 year

Text

The One Where Everyone Finds Out

The Court - Throne of Glass x FRIENDS - Fic Series

S5, E14 : After Lysandra finds out Elide and Lorcan are secretly together, she, Aelin, and Fenrys plan to get the couple to confess. Meanwhile, Rowan finds a new apartment that’s too good to pass up.

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist | Read on Ao3

Warnings: Language, Nudity (non graphic)

8093 words

A/N - I don’t know if I love this but I was more than halfway done and I couldn’t not finish it, so let me know what you think lol. This is the first piece I’ve written in a few months and I’m trying to shake myself out of this slump.

*******

Cartons of Chinese food were scattered across the coffee table still pleasantly warm despite having been brought back in take-out containers. Lysandra’s voice cut through the chatter that seemed to always fill the apartment as she stood by the large wall of windows overlooking the building beside them.

“Oh hey, you guys, look” she chirped, moving to get a better view, “Ugly Naked Guy is putting stuff in boxes.”

That was enough to encourage everyone up from their spots in the living room and leave their food to join her. All except Lorcan; he kept eating, like popcorn for a movie, as they watched the man they’d all come to know pack away his things. Well, as much as you can get to know someone by spying on them in the nude for years without actual conversation.

Aelin crouched down and moved so Elide could see too. “I'd say from the looks of it, our naked buddy is moving.”

“Ironically, most of the boxes seem to be labeled clothes,” Rowan snorted, crossing his arms and squinting as he read what was scribbled onto the cardboard.

“Aw,” Aelin crooned, “I’m gonna miss that big old squishy butt.” As weird as it was, the view had been a strangely comforting constant in all the years she’d been around.

“Aaand we're done with the chicken fried rice.” Lorcan’s groan of disgust earned him some chuckles that he rolled his eyes at as he tossed aside his meal.

“Hey!” Rowan glanced around with a small grin as an idea came to him. “If he's moving, maybe I should try to get his place!” It would make his life so much easier. A chorus of yeahs and oohs and good ideas quickly answered him before he added “It would be so great to live across from you guys.”

Nodding, Fenrys chimed in excitedly, “Yeah! Then we could do that telephone thing! Y'know, you have a can, we have a can and it's connected by a string!”

Before the blond could even finish talking, Lorcan closed his eyes and sighed heavily through his nose. “Or we can do the actual telephone thing.”

“Taking all the fun out of it,” Fenrys muttered under his breath, reaching around Lorcan to steal his discarded food as they wandered away from the window.

***

The next day, Aelin and Lysandra joined Rowan for a tour of the prospective apartment. Most things had already been packed away, but there was still enough left to make you feel like it was a reals living space. The familiar couch sat in the middle of the living room along with another chair and side table, and a large cabinet nested in the corner.

“Gods, I love this apartment.” Rowan walked around the surprisingly spacious living room in disbelief. “Isn't it perfect? I can't believe I never realized how great it is.”

Aelin agreed, scoffing as much to herself as any of them, “Ah, well, that’s because your eye immediately goes to the big naked man.”

He pointed at her and nodded. Approval shone on his face as he kept looking around the place. He could clearly picture where he would set up his own furniture, where he’d display souvenirs and knick-knacks…he could even paint the walls and make it feel brand new.

“It’s amazing!” Lysandra agreed as she paced behind the sofa. “You better hurry up and fill out an application or I'm gonna beat you to it. Aedion and I could use a bigger space.” She muttered the last bit under her breath, but fondness shone through her tone.

Rowan chuckled good-naturedly until Lysandra made to walk out the door and then he quickly hurried out before she could. The brunette’s huff of a laugh followed him around the corner.

“Well, I never thought I’d say this,” Aelin mused, “but I'm gonna go use Ugly Naked Guy's bathroom.”

Lysandra watched Aelin giddily walk away before getting a closer look at the window that up until now had been their only glimpse into this surprisingly interesting apartment. It was tall and wide, letting in lots of light, and offered a clear view of the building next door…of Elide and Lorcan who stood in their own apartment a little above Lysandra’s eyeline.

“Oh, look! There’s Ellie and Salvaterre!” Her voice carried to Aelin in the other room as she grinned and tried getting her friends’ attention. “Hey! Hey, you guys! Hey!”

Despite yelling and waving her arms trying to get them to notice her, they remined oblivious to their unwitting audience. She was just about to pull out her phone to call them and say ‘hey, look out your window, it’s me!’ when they moved.

Lysandra’s excited grin wiped clear off her face, leaving her to watch in horror as Elide and Lorcan grabbed at each other at the same time and pulled themselves into a fierce kiss while simultaneously unbuttoning and pulling off the other’s clothes.

“Oh!” She shrieked, the sound laced with shock, gaping at what she was seeing. “Oh no! Ahh-ahhh!”

Hasty footsteps echoed behind her as Aelin rushed to see what was causing Lysandra’s horrified screams. “What?” It only took a second to register, and then blue-gold eyes flew wide at the scene.

“Ahh!” Lysandra screamed again, pointing frantically at the couple. “Elide and Lorcan! Elide and Lorcan!” It was like a horror movie she couldn’t drag herself out of.

“Oh my gods!” Aelin added her voice to the screaming. Lysandra’s hysteria serving only ramp up Aelin’s own panic, more horrified at the display itself than the pair doing it.

“ELIDE AND LORCAN!”

“OH MY GODS!”

Lysandra finally tore her gaze away when she was flashed a glimpse of Lorcan she’d never, ever wanted to see. “Oh! My eyes! My eyes!”

She scrambled backwards away from the window as Aelin quickly followed and tried to get a hold of her.

“Lys!” Aelin grabbed her shoulders, urging her friend to stop freaking out. “Lysandra! It’s okay, It’s okay!”

“NO!” she screamed, turning back towards the window, pointing an accusatory finger at it before immediately remembering why she’d looked away in the first place and clamped her eyes shut again. “THEY’RE DOING IT!”

“I KNOW! I KNOW!”

“YOU KNOW?!”

“Yes, I know!” Aelin hissed frantically. “And Fenrys knows! But Rowan and Aedion don’t know so you have to stop screaming!”

“What going on?”

Both women whirled to find Rowan in the doorway.

Aelin leapt forward and spun Rowan around so his back was towards the view and a still reeling Lysandra, and plastered on a wide grin as she did her best to divert his attention.

“What? What?” He tried turning again but Aelin’s hands on his shoulders kept him in place.

“Nothing! Oh gods, we’re just so excited you might be getting this apartment!” she exclaimed and kept clapping and laughing.

His shoulders relaxed and he carded a hand through his hair as the corners of his mouth twitched up. “Actually, it looks really good.”

As he tried turning once again, Lysandra finally snapped out of it and started screaming excitedly, drawing his attention to her with an almost manic look in her eyes. Aelin quickly joined her and amped up the distraction by jumping around to keep Rowan’s gaze off the very clear, very indiscreet window.

“Ahh!” Incoherent cheering filled the apartment as Aelin and Lysandra desperately tried to keep Rowan focused on the moment.

Too caught up in the weirdness to wonder why his friends were being so odd in the first place, Rowan let Aelin tug on him to be excited too. With a bewildered shrug, Rowan quickly thought fuck it, this place is awesome and started jumping and cheering along with them.

***

Back in Cadre Coffee, Aelin felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she finally got to tell some else about the ‘secret’ relationship. She and Lysandra carried their coffees to their favorite couch - it really was amazing how it always seemed to be empty – as Lysandra kept asking questions about their friend’s sneaking around.

“You mean whenever Elide and Lorcan were like, y’know doing laundry or going grocery shopping, or—Oh! All that time Elide spent on her phone with sad Molly from camp?”

Humming along as Lysandra talked, Aelin nodded and corrected with a bit of smug satisfaction, “Uh-huh, doing it. Doing it. Phone doing it.”

“I can’t believe it!” The brunette leaned back against the soft backing of the couch. “I mean, wow, that’s great! For him.” She shrugged half-jokingly, “she could do better.”

Aelin snorted into her coffee as the bell above the door jingled and Fenrys walked in.

“Fen! Come here!” Aelin waved him over to plunk down into the chair next to them

“What?” He shrugged off his jacket and furrowed his brow at her urgency.

Grinning brightly, Aelin said, “Lys just found out about Elide and Lorcan.”

He shot her confused glare and said in an entirely unconvincing tone, “You mean how they’re friends and nothing more?”

“No. Fen, she knows!” Aelin rolled her eyes at him but explained. “We were at Ugly Naked Guy's apartment, and we saw them doing it through the window.” Fenrys’ sharp inhale cut her off midsentence, but she went on. “Actually, we saw them doing it up against the window.”

“Okay,” Lysandra interjected, “so they know that you know, and they don’t know that Aelin knows?”

Fenrys nodded. “Yes. But you know what? It doesn’t matter who knows what. Now, enough of us know that we can just tell them that we know! Then all the lying and the secrets would finally be over!”

“Hold on a second,” Lysandra’s brows pinched together and confusion flitted across her face. “Why are they keeping it a secret?”

The three shared a look before Aelin shrugged and guessed, “Maybe they didn’t want to mess things up if it didn’t work out?”

“Sneaking around is hot,” Fen offered instead.

“Thought we’d judge them?” Aelin suggested. “I mean, we are, but it’s not like that’s gonna stop them.”

“Okay, fine,” Lysandra brushed past it. “Doesn’t matter why, it just matters that it used to be a secret and now it’s not.”

“For us. Rowan and Aedion still don’t know.”

Both women shot Fenrys a flat look for adding that obvious clarification. Aelin refocused. “Okay, so, we tell them that we know?”

A feline grin spread across Lysandra’s lips as her eyes twinkled with delight. “Or, we could not tell them that we know and have a little fun of our own.”

“What do you mean?” Aelin asked skeptically. She been on both sides of Lysandra’s ideas before; she knows that glint in her eye can only mean trouble. Or hilarity; its all about perspective.

“Well, y'know every time that they say that they're like doing laundry we'll just give them a bunch of laundry to do.”

“Ooh, I would enjoy that!” One thing Aelin didn’t like about the building was the lack of in-unit washing machines. If she could avoid trekking up and down from the ground floor and have a little fun messing with her friends, it was a no-brainer.

“No, no no!” Fenrys cut them off with a shake of his head. “No, wait, Ael, you know what would even be more fun?” he dropped the faux interest and deadpanned, “Telling them.”

“Mmm, no, I wanna do Lys’ thing.”

The man groaned. He knew a losing battle when he saw one, but couldn’t help bemoaning, “I can’t take any more…”

Lysandra shook her head and reassured him, “No! You don't have to do anything! Just don't tell them that we know!”

“No, no. I can’t take any more secrets!” With wild eyes he looked to Aelin, “I’ve got your secrets. I've got their secrets. I got secrets of my own y'know!”

“Oh, you don't have any secrets!”

“Oh yeah,” Fenrys scoffed. “Well, you don't know about Moony, my bedtime furry friend.”

A beat of silence passed during which Fenrys sunk back into his chair and looked like he wanted to crawl inside it. Taking pity on him, Aelin refocused on Lysandra.

“So, how are we going to mess with them?”

They both ignored Fenrys’ annoyed groan.

“Well, you could use your position y'know as the roommate.” Lysandra suggested.

“Okay.” Easy enough.

“And then. I would use the strongest tool at my disposal. My sexuality.” She threw both her friends a wink. But her expression faltered. “ I would…if y’know, if I wasn’t married to your cousin.”

“Right…” Aelin hummed. “And how set in stone are you about that? I mean, do you like like him?”

“Do I like like my husband?”

“Uh huh.” At Lysandra’s exasperated sigh, Aelin lifted her hands placatingly. “Fine, fine, you’re the one suggesting we mess with Elide and Lorcan, I’m just wondering if you’re not fully committed.” When she met her friend’s eye again, they had a silent conversations consisting of raised eyebrows, quirked lips, and head tilts. Then they both swung around to look at Fenrys. She opened her mouth to ask—

“No. Don’t look at me. I mean, it would totally work, I could charm the hell out of ‘Lide,” he pointedly ignored the double snort. “But no, nuh-uh, this is your scheme, you do the dirty work. I will sit on the sidelines and watch happily as this all blows up.”

“Alright, blondie,” Lysandra and Fenrys both turned to Aelin, “its up to you to ‘charm the hell’ out of Salvaterre.”

A long pause settled around them as Aelin blinked at her friend.

“Absolutely not—”

“Oh that is so not going to work…”

“Hey,” Lysandra shook her head and cut off both interjections. “What happened to being fully committed?”

“Not happening– ”

“…not even believable…”

Spek of the devil – Lorcan chose that moment to stride into Cadre Coffee, effectively cutting off the trio’s conversation. He greeted them quickly before stopping at the counter to order. With his attention elsewhere, he didn’t see the looks his friends were erratically exchanging.

Lysandra kept jerking her head towards Lorcan with wide, adamant eyes while Aelin glared daggers at her and shook her head furiously. Her silent scoffs at her friend’s stubborn nods only emphasized how ridiculous she thought the plan was. All while Fenrys looked between the two with mixtures of disbelief, amusement, and skepticism.

The women’s intense silent conversation finally ended with Aelin jabbing a finger in the brunette’s face, sighing deeply, and plastering on a fake smile.

“You owe me big time. Big. Time.” she hissed. Then Aelin shook her head and loosed a breath. “Okay, watch, learn,” her eyes flicked towards Fenrys, “and don’t eat my cookie.”

Standing up from the couch, Aelin made her way to the counter where Lorcan was waiting for his coffee. She summoned up a bright smile and inwardly cringed because there was no way this was going to work. Lorcan was never going to believe she was into him. She couldn’t sell that. And even if she could, he knew she would never do that to Elide. But he didn’t know she knew about Elide…which is why she was doing this at all…but it didn’t matter because she would rather kiss her cousin than Lorcan and that was something that made her want to vomit, but if she vomited on Salvaterre? Well, then all this wouldn’t be in vain, but—

“Hey,” Lorcan’s deep voice cut through her spiral and she managed a blink and a sly quirk of her lips.

Fine.

“Hey,” she leaned closer to him and swept her eyes over his figure, hoping she was putting on as a good a show as she thought. “Oh, wow that jacket looks great on you.”

He lifted a dark brow and squinted in confusion. Yeah, this was stupid, Aelin should drop it and move along and forget she even tried. And get back at Lysandra for even suggesting it.

“Really?” He drew out the word with the level of skepticism she expected from him at her unexpected compliment.

Okay, fuck it. If Aelin was going to put on a show, then she would bring her best performance. “Yeah, the material feels so soft,” she stepped closer into his space, ignoring the incredulous look he flashed her as she ran a hand up and down his arm. “—hello Mr. Bicep! Have you been working out?”

Fenrys choked on a laugh that he tried covering up as a cough and she subtly kicked the back of the couch.

Lorcan opened and closed his mouth completely thrown off guard by Aelin’s come-ons. She couldn’t blame him.

“Well, I try to you know…” he carefully answered, probably deciding whether or not to just go with whatever the hell she was doing. “…lift things.”

Her giggles hurt her own ears and he kept looking at her like she’d grown a second head.

“Are you okay?” Lorcan asked clearly disturbed with this whole interaction.

“Well, if you really wanna know, I’m—oh! ! I can't tell you this.” Aelin forced another light laugh and brushed his arm again.

He looked genuinely concerned now. She was acting so far out of off from her normal self that he honestly worried for her sanity. “Galathynius, you can tell me.”

“Well, actually, you're the one person I can't tell this to.” She stepped back and looked up at Lorcan although her lashes, batting them a few times for equal measure. “And the one person I want to the most.”

Lorcan kept watching her as he reached around for his finished coffee. Had she smoked something before coming here? What the fuck? “What’s going on?”

She sent a silent apology to Elide. And to Lorcan. And to herself. Aelin coated the sigh leaving her lips in longing and looked at a point over his shoulder.

“I think it’s just, y'know, that I haven't been with a guy in so long and how sometimes you're looking for something and you just don’t even see that it's right there in front of you sipping coffee—Oh no, have I said too much?” She feigned a gasp and for the first time had to hold in a laugh at the look of pure revulsion that settled on the man’s face. Don’t worry Salvaterre, feeling’s mutual. “Well, it's just something to think about.” She flashed him a flirty wink. “I know I will.”

With one last glance at Lorcan’s disturbed face, Aelin grabbed her coat and walked out of the café with an extra sway to her hips.

***

That evening, when Elide and Lorcan were about to go to sleep, Elide settled herself against Lorcan’s chest and absentmindedly drew patterns across his skin.

“You are so cute,” she crooned with a sly grin, “how did you get to be so cute?”

Lorcan rolled his eyes at her and scowled, but as much as he tried, he couldn’t stop the heat that lined his cheeks. “I’m not cute,” he grunted, “I’m manly.”

“You can be manly and cute, they are not mutually exclusive,” She argued. “Key example: you.”

He grunted again but Elide emphasized her point with a kiss that had him tightening his hold around her, pulling her more firmly into his space. “You know, that is a popular opinion today.”

At the sound his voice trailing off, Elide propped herself up on an elbow and arched a brow. “What?”

She waited as Lorcan scrubbed a confused hand down his face.

“The weirdest thing happened at the coffee house,” he furrowed his brows, still trying to make sense of the odd, and frankly disturbing, interaction he’d had earlier. “I think…I think Aelin was hitting on me.”

Elide snorted so hard she almost choked. “What are you talking about?”

Groaning again, Lorcan unenthusiastically explained, “I’m telling you, I think Aelin was coming onto me.”

“That’s not possible.” His girlfriend answered so fast that despite wholeheartedly agreeing with her—

“Ouch.”

“I’m sorry, its just,” Elide rolled her eyes again and sat up. “Aelin would never hit on you. She’s always accepted you as a necessary evil – her words, not mine – and sure, you’ve grown on her in the last few years, but in a, in a sexless acquaintance sort of way.”

“Oh y’know, I can’t hear that enough,” he deadpanned even as the corner of his mouth twitched up.

Chuckling, Elide brushed her hair over her shoulder and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lor, I think you just misunderstood her.”

It’s not like he wanted Galathynius’ advances, but if he had to go through the disturbing interaction, then gods be damned Elide should too. Lorcan propped himself up against the headboard and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “No, I didn’t misunderstand, okay? She was all over me! She touched my bicep for crying out loud!”

His girlfriend’s dark brows shot up and she eyed the offending muscle. “This bicep?”

He let her fingers graze a path down his arm, waiting until she was halfway to his elbow to flex. She almost startled at the sudden strain of his muscle but instead flashed him a smirk and lied backdown. “I wouldn’t blame her,” she hummed, “if that had actually happened.”

With a resigned huff, Lorcan dropped it.

***

Aelin and Lysandra were spread out in the apartment’s living room while Lorcan sat in the kitchen. The blonde flipped through a magazine she had opened on the small coffee table. Elide breezed in from her bedroom and the sudden entrance made the other two women look up.

“Hey El, what are you doing today?” Aelin asked. “Wanna come see a movie with us?” she jerked her head towards Lysandra who waited for Elide’s answer.

The quick glance at Lorcan wasn’t missed. “Uh, you know actually, I was going to do some laundry.”

Aelin feigned nonchalance as she forced back an eyeroll, sharing a confirming glance with Lysandra. “Oh.”

Elide spun towards her not-so-secret secret boyfriend. “Hey Lorcan, wanna do it with me?”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll do it with you.” The large man pushed himself to his feet with surprising eagerness

“Okay,” Elide grinned back.

Aelin smirked and sprung up from where she’d been sitting on the floor. “Okay great, hold on a sec!” Before anyone else could chime in, she was in and out of her room, carrying a large bag of laundry. “Here you go! Oh you don’t mind, do you?” She opened her eyes wide and pulled her most grateful face. “That would really help me out a lot, thanks!”

It took everything in her not to laugh at the panicked look that dashed across her friends’ faces.

“I mean, uh, I don’t think I have enough quarters,” Elide shrugged, doing her best to look apologetic.

“I have quarters!” Lysandra jumped up and pulled a cartoonishly large sack of loose change from her purse and came to stand next to Aelin as her lips spread in a wide grin.

Rowan chose that moment to stride into the apartment and unknowingly saving Elide and Lorcan from having to come up with another lie. “Hey.”

“Hey Whitethorn, any word on the apartment yet?” Lysandra asked, sitting back down in her chair.

“Well, I called over there and it turns out Ugly Naked Guy is subletting it himself and he's already had like a hundred applicants.”

“Oh.”

“Oh man.”

“No, no,” He waved off their sympathetic groans. Rowan had a smug air about him as explained. “I got the edge. I know it's not exactly ethical, but I sent him a little bribe to tip the scales in my direction. Check it out, you can probably see it from the window.”

Rowan aimed straight for the large paned window followed closely by his curious and nosey friends. The apartment across the way was filled from floor to ceiling with treats, toys, and trinkets. Rowan’s shoulders started to slump when Elide squeezed closer asking, “Oh is it the pinball machine with the big bow on it?”

“No.”

“That new mountain bike?” Lorcan guessed.

A beat. “No.”

“Well, what did you send?” Aelin asked, wincing at how Rowan kept deflating with every question.

“…A basket of mini-muffins.”

Lysandra squinted. “But there’s a whole table of mini-muffin baskets. Which one did you send?”

Loosing a long groan, Rowan rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “The small one.”

“What?” Aelin snorted. “You actually thought that basket was gonna get you the apartment?”

“Well yeah! Someone sent us a basket at work once and people went crazy over those little muffins.” He sighed wistfully. “It was the best day.”

Lorcan clapped him on the shoulder. “Your work makes me sad.”

“Damnit!” Rowan cursed himself as he walked back towards the door. “I was so sure that was going to work. There's twelve bucks I'll never see again…” His voice trailed off as he rounded the corner and the door shut behind him.

“All right babe,” Lysandra grabbed her coat and shot Aelin a look. “we’d better go if we wanna catch that movie.”

Elide waved them goodbye and missed the way Lysandra nudged Aelin towards Lorcan again. Inwardly sighing, Aelin made a point of brushing against Lorcan as she walked away.

“Bye, Salvaterre,” She shot him a wink and leaned in closer to tell him quietly, “I miss you already.”

For the cherry on top, Aelin smirked and planted a suggestive smack on his butt as she walked away. He whipped around so quickly she could feel the air shift as his hair fanned out. But then she was gone.

“Okay, did you fucking see that?!” Lorcan whirled on Elide, his dark eyes bugging out incredulously. “With the inappropriate, and the patting!”

More than confused, Elide slowly nodded and looked between him and the closed door. “Actually, I did.”

Lorcan carded a hand through his hair. “Yeah, so now you believe—”

“Oh, my gods!” Elide inhaled sharply. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes flew wide, gaze darting everywhere as she made sense things before finally meeting his incredulous stare again. “Oh my gods, she knows about us!”

“Are you serious?”

She nodded emphatically. “Aelin knows and she’s just trying to freak us out! That’s the only explanation for it!”

For all his love for Elide and toleration for Aelin, he was still a man. So he argued, “Okay, but what about my smackable ass and my biceps—she knows!”

***

“Fenrys!” Lorcan slammed his apartment door open and stormed in, Elide hot on his heels.

The man in question woke abruptly from the nap he’d been taking in the living room. Lorcan didn't have the energy to wonder about the wolf toy Fenrys hastily threw behind the recliner. Later, he’d tease him about it later.

“Yeah?” Fenrys’ voice came out higher than he expected. He cleared his throat and tried again, “yeah?”

“Aelin knows about us.” It wasn’t a question; it was an accusation. Elide crossed her arms in solidarity and glared at Fenrys.

He sputtered. “Well, I didn’t tell them!”

“Them?!” Elide hissed. “Who’s them?”

“Uhh, Aelin and,” Fenrys opened and closed his mouth several times before finally landing on: “Fenrys.”

His friends shot him nearly identical flat looks. Gods if they weren’t already together he’d be stupid not to try and meddle with that, but whatever.

“Fenrys.” Elide scolded again.

It didn’t take long to crack under Lorcan’s intensifying glare. Fenrys loosed a long breath and confessed reluctantly, “And Lysandra. I would’ve told you, but they made me promise not to tell!”

Again, nearly identical muttered fucks were the responses he got.

“I’m sorry. But hey, it's over now, right? Because you can tell them that you know they know and I can go back to knowing absolutely nothing!”

Fenrys’ relived smile fell as he saw the scheming glint in Elide’s eye. She was small but she was scary.

“Unless…”

“No!” he tried, “Not unless! Look, this must end now!” If he thought Lorcan would back him up against Elide’s plans, then he should’ve known better.

“Oh man, they think they are so slick messing with us!” Elide’s grin grew and Fenrys groaned and plopped back down in his chair. “But see, they don't know that we know that they know! So…”

“Yes.” Her boyfriend caught on and mirrored her sly grin. “The fuckers become the fucked with.”

***

“Would you stop that?” Aedion groaned to Rowan who was standing at the window in Aelin and Elide’s place with a pair of binoculars aimed straight into Ugly Naked Guy’s apartment.

“Yeah, Rowan, you gotta stop torturing yourself!” Lysandra added, nodding from her place on the sofa beside Aedion.

Aelin looked over her should at him, leaning back into the arm of her chair, “Yeah, why don't you just find another apartment?”

Rowan sighed but walked away from the window. “Look I've already looked at like a thousand apartments this month and none of them even compares to that one.” He knew he sounded like a broken record, but he couldn’t help it, that apartment was perfect.

Aelin tried a different suggestion. “Y'know what you should do?”

“What?”

“You should find out what his hobbies are and then use that to bond with him.” She nodded towards Fenrys who was walking back from the fridge. “Yeah! Like if I wanted something from Fen I would strike up a conversation about say umm, sandwiches. Or uh, or my underwear.”

Fenrys focused on her, “I’m listening.”

“See?” She spun back to Rowan, raising encouraging eyebrows.

“That is a great idea!” a spark of hope lit up Rowan’s face. “And! I know Ugly Naked Guy because we've been watching him for like five years—”

“—don’t lead with that.

“—so that gives me back my edge!” Rowan’s brows furrowed as he thought. “Oh, let's see now he had the trampoline.”

Lysandra hummed warningly “He broke that.”

“Well, he had gravity boots,” Rowan offered.

Aelin winced. “Yeah, he broke those too.”

Nodding sagely, Fenrys concluded, “So he likes to break stuff.”

Aedion snorted.

“No. Okay, I have to go but I will figure something out.” He was halfway out the door when he spun on his heal and looked back. “Hey, didn't he used to have a cat?”

“I wouldn't bring that up,” Lysandra grimaced, “it would probably just bum him out.”

Humming, Aedion muttered, “Yeah, poor cat, never saw that big butt coming.”

A few moments after Rowan left, the phone next to Lysandra rang.

“Hello?” she answered, waving off Aelin’s eye roll about answering someone else’s phone. “Oh yeah! Hold on a second.” Lysandra kept one hand over the phone’s speaker and turned her attention to Aedion, “Babe, could you run back to our place and grab that jacket I was telling you about?”

“Now?” he raised a brow.

“Mhm.” She waited for him to mutter a yeah, fine, sure “Thank you!”

Once Aedion left, and at the questioning looks from Aelin and Fenrys, Lysandra finally passed Aelin the phone, grinning maniacally and explained “It’s Salvaterre”

Aelin took the phone but mouthed I hate you back to her friend who simply grinned wider. She could hear Lorcan’s impatient grumbling before she used a soft, sexy voice. “Hello, you.”

Aelin pretended to gag just to make sure Lysandra knew how ridiculous this was.

“Gala—” he puffed out a short breath like he’d been cut off. “Aelin. I've been thinking about you all day.”

Any amusement Aelin felt instantly disappeared. She blinked assuming she heard wrong. “Huh?”

Her friends shared a confused glance at her sudden change in demeanor, but Aelin was trying too busy trying to process what Lorcan was saying to notice.

He cleared his throat but kept talking, “Well, you know that thing you said before – I’d be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued.”

What??

“What??”

“Yeah, listen, Moonbeam isn’t gonna be here tonight,” he dropped his voice even lower. “So why don’t you come over. We don’t have to talk. Better we don’t, actually. But we can still have a bit of fun.”

Aelin choked out, “I’ll have to get back to you on that. Okay, bye!” she frantically hung up and threw the phone onto the couch like it personally offended her. It had. She whirled on Lysandra with wide eyes and shrieked, “Oh my fucking gods! He wants me to come over a have a bit of fun.” She hissed out the last bit.

Her friends jaw dropped. “Are you kidding?!”

“No!”

Lysandra seethed. “I cannot believe he would do that— and with you of all people— to Eli—” she stopped, blinked, and slowly turned to narrow her eyes at Fenrys who was doing everything he could to avoid her glare. “Fenrys…do they know that we know?”

“No.”

“Fenrys.”

“They know you know,” he admitted.

“Agh! I knew it!”

Aelin felt waves of relief wash over her, but then growled “Oh, I cannot believe those two!”

But Lysandra was laughing, “Gods,” she faced Aelin who soon mirrored her near manic grin. “They thought they could mess with us?”

“They’re trying to mess with us?! They don’t know that we know they know we know.” They both looked towards the man hanging his head in his hands. “Fenrys, you can't say anything!”

“Couldn't even if I wanted too.”

***

Rowan spent ages trying to find the best way to connect with Ugly Naked Guy. It really shouldn’t be so hard, seriously, they’d been watching him for years now. There had to be something Rowan had picked up on that could give him the in. He needed that apartment.

When the idea finally occurred to him it stopped him in his tracks and nearly made him hit himself for how long it took for him to get there. He did know one thing about Ugly Naked Guy…

Deciding not to waste anymore time, Rowan headed straight for the building and knocked on the guy’s door. He pulled up his most charming smile and acted as if the sight of a middle-aged man answering the door fully nude while holding nothing but a jumbo-sized soda was the most normal thing in the world.

“Good evening, sir. My name is Rowan Whitethorn. I'm one of the people who applied for the apartment.” The guy simply kept looking at Rowan, waiting for him to get to his point. “And I realize that the competition is fierce but—I'm sorry. I can't help but notice you're naked,” Rowan made a show of clapping, hoping to gods it looked genuine. “I applaud you. Man, I wish I was naked. I mean, this—” he gestured to the man in question; the man who determined Rowan’s next living situation, “this looks so great. That is how the gods intended it.”

Because if nothing else, Rowan knew one thing about Ugly Naked Guy, and it had been staring him in the face the whole time.

***

“Ooh this is good! They’re panicked!” Elide laughed quietly. She and Lorcan had come back to hers and Aelin’s apartment after the fiasco of a phone call.

“They’re totally going to back down,” Lorcan agreed. There was no way Galathynius would go through with, with…with whatever it was they were trying to do.

While the couple was whispering to each other in the kitchen, Aelin and Lysandra were huddled on the couch discreetly making their own plans.

“All right,” Aelin said, half to Lysandra and half to herself. “All right! If he wants a date? He's gonna get a date. Okay, I'm gonna go in.”

The brunette nodded and gently nudged her friend’s shoulder. “Be sexy.”

“Please,” Aelin laughed. She tossed her hair over one shoulder in the way she knew caught people’s attention. Lorcan and Elide stopped their hushed whispers as they watched her approach. Aelin winked at Lorcan and noticed, to her immense satisfaction, the moment of disdain that crossed his face before he masked it with faux intrigue.

“So, Lorcan,” She batted her eyelashes and side-eyed Elide for good measure as the shorter women began stepping away. Sorry. “I’d love to come by tonight.”

He blinked, grunting, “Really?”

Oh, this was too fun. “Absolutely. Let’s say around seven?”

“Yes.” And though he tried, She could tell he’d spoked through gritted teeth and a forced smirk.

“Good,” she replied. And just to see him squirm, “I'm really looking forward to you and me having sexual intercourse.”

She wished she had a camera to capture his bewildered face. As Aelin walked away, she missed the alarmed and pleading look Lorcan sent Elide and her friend’s answering it’s okay we got this.

“Hey!” Fenrys’ laughing voice cut through the tension. “Check it out! Ugly Naked Guy has a naked friend!”

Most thoughts of fake dates and faking fake dates disappeared as the group crowded over at the window.

“Oh yeah!” Aelin huffed out a laugh.

“Oh, my gods!” Lysandra leaned on Aelin to get a better look. “That’s our friend! Its Naked Rowan!”

“Yeah, it is! Naked Rowan!!” Good for him.

***

“Show time!” Came Lysandra’s sing-song voice as they got Aelin ready.

Wearing one of her best dresses, Aelin went over her look once more. “Oh, Lys, get me perfume.”

“Okay,” she laughed and went to grab it.

“And Fen,” Aelin turned to him, “could you get me a bottle of wine and couple glasses?”

He grumbled under his breath and dragged his feet but turned form the kitchen table towards the shelf and reluctantly got what she asked for.

Lysandra came back and spritzed Aelin’s light lemon verbena scent around her, urging her to twirl and complete the preparation.

Across the hall, Elide was hyping her boyfriend up to fake seduce her best friend.

“All right, it’ll be great” Elide encouraged as she flattened out his shirt and handed him a breath mint. “You just make her think you wanna have sex with her. It'll totally freak her out!”

Lorcan slowed her down, “Listen, how far am I gonna have to go with her? Because I can’t pretend like I’m attracted to Galathynius forever.”

“Relax,” Elide waved it off, “she's gonna give in way before you do!”

“How do you know?!” he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Because you're on my team! And my team always wins!”

He just muttered a fucking hell under his breath before Elide pressed a quick peck to his lips and rushed to hide in the bathroom. “Go get some!”

In the hall, Lysandra and Aelin waited by the door.

“Okay, hon,” Lysandra grinned at Aelin. “I’m gonna try to listen from right here.”

“Okay. Oh, wait,” Aelin glanced down at herself and pulled the neckline for her satin dress to expose more cleavage. “Yeah?”

Lysandra nodded. “Perfect.”

They shared a glance and both women paused. “This is so weird,” the blonde muttered.

Turning towards the door, Aelin knocked with the hand that wasn’t holding the bottle of wine. Lysandra moved to stand against the wall so she wouldn’t be seen when the door opened but could still hear what was being said. She flashed Aelin one last conspiratorial smile right as Lorcan opened the door.

“Aelin.”

“Lorcan.”

Tension radiated between them, and the silence grew with each moment they stood there. Finally, Lorcan jerked his head backwards and stepped back to give her room to walk in. “Come in.”

This was happening. Aelin smiled seductively and tossed her head to the side, allowing her golden hair to effortlessly flip over her shoulder. “I was going to.”

He closed the door behind her and before he could interject, Aelin went on, showing off the bottle she’d brought. “I brought some wine. Would you like some?”

He nodded, a harsh jerk of his head, so she made a show of uncorking it and poured two glasses of the red wine with a flourish. “So, here we are. Nervous?” She asked.

Lorcan merely arched a brow looking rather unimpressed and picked up his glass. “Me?” he scoffed, “No. You?”

She eyed him. He eyed her right back. She lifted her glass to her lips and took a long sip. He followed suit and in a few deep gulps completely drained his glass.

“No, I want this to happen,” Aelin lied.

“So do I,” Lorcan grimaced and snatched the bottle off the counter between them and poured two more full glasses. Each trying to get the other to break, they kept up the ruse, watching each other for signs that the other was about to crack. Eventually, they both broke eye contact and each downed the rest of their wine.

The clinks of glass on the countertop broke through the heavy silence and Lorcan turned away, carding a hand through his dark hair. “I’m gonna put on some music.”

Damn. How much longer was this going to take? “Maybe I’ll dance for you,” she told him instead, slowly moving her hips to the music now echoing through the apartment

The corners of Lorcan mouth tightened as he held back scowl. He cursed his devious, beautiful girlfriend for convincing him to do this as he gritted out, “You look good.”

“Thank you,” Aelin crooned, making more of a show with her movements and raising her brows suggestively as she inched closer to him. “You know, when you say things like that it makes me just wanna…rip that…shirt right off you!”

Barely concealing a wince, she took great pride at the alarmed look that flashed across Lorcan’s face. But he disguised it so quickly she almost thought she’d imagined it. Almost.

“The let’s move this to the bedroom,” he suggested, smirking.

That brought Aelin up short. “Really?”

“Oh,” he took a giant step back and sounded far too innocent as he asked, “do you not want to?”

“No. No!” She shook her head vehemently. “Its just, you know,” she scrambled and dropped her voice lower, more husky, “I want to take off all my clothes and have you rub lotion on me

Lorcan’s responding gulp was audible but his face remained neutral. “That’d be nice,” the strain on his voice gave him away, “I’ll go get the lotion.”

He spun on his heel and beelined for the bathroom, startling Elide who’d been pressed up against the door.

“Listen, this is getting way too fucking out of hand,” He hissed to his girlfriend. “Okay? She wants me to put lotion on her!”

Scoffing, Elide waved off Lorcan’s worry. “She's bluffing!”

“Obviously!” he griped with an eye roll. “But she’d not backing down. She went like this!” he tried to mimic Aelin’s earlier dancing but only managed to look stupid and cause Elide to huff a laugh.

The moment Lorcan’s back had turned on her, Aelin had darted into the hallway and hissed to Lysandra, “He's not backing down. He went to get lotion.”

The door across the hall opened and Fenrys took one look at the women standing there and groaned. “Come on, aren’t you guys done yet?”

“Fen, look,” Lysandra huffed, “just look at it this way, the sooner Aelin breaks Lorcan, the sooner this is all over and out in the open.”

His face lit up. “Ooh, yeah okay. I like that.”

Back in the bathroom, Elide was trying to get Lorcan to keep up the ruse.

“You go back out there, and you seduce her till she cracks!” Elide told him. The bathroom door wasn’t very thick, and she could hear the entire conversation despite being hidden. Aelin was so close to breaking, Elide just knew it.

“Okay, shit, give me a second.” Her boyfriend scrubbed a hand down his face and absently looked around the small room. He looked at her again with a raised brow and said with some amusement, “Did you clean up in here?”

“Of course,” Elide admitted and shrugged with an air of obviousness. Then she nudged his arm to get him to turn around before pushing him out of the bathroom. “Now go!”

Throwing an annoyed look over his shoulder at his girlfriend who simply gave him a thumbs up before quietly closing the bathroom door, Lorcan walked back into the living room and paused when he saw Aelin at the apartment door.

“Oh, you’re going?” He asked, crossing his arms, and trying not to look so smug.

“Uh,” Aelin floundered for a second but then she slowly sauntered towards him. “Not without you, lover.”

Yikes.

Lorcan would never be into her like that, just like Aelin would never, ever be into him. She knew that. She knew he knew that. She knew that he knew that they were playing a game of chicken…but Aelin was the reigning queen; she had never, not once, lost a game of chicken. And she certainly wasn’t about to let Lorcan Salvaterre dethrone her.

He cleared his throat, but it sounded more like a strangled grunt. “Right. Get over here.” he had the audacity to look her in the eye as told her, “I’m very happy we’re gonna have all the sex.”

In any other scenario, Aelin would laugh at how ridiculous he sounded.

“You should be. I’m very bendy,” she said instead, taking a step closer. “I'm gonna kiss you now.”

“Not if I kiss you first.”

The pair eyed each other warily, silence stretching between them as they took comically slow steps towards each other. When they finally met in the middle, Aelin narrowed her eyes and lifted her brows in challenge right as she reached forward and placed a hand on his hip. His gaze shot down to the point of contact before carefully rising back to hers. Then, like she had, he hooked his hand around her opposite hip and pulled her closer. Never one to be outdone, Aelin used her free hand to reach behind him and grab his ass. Lorcan grunted, nearly seething. His remaining hand hovered over her breast before wisely deciding – for the sake of his life and sanity – to rest it on her shoulder instead.

“Well, I guess there's nothing left for us to do but kiss.” Lorcan gritted out.

“Mhm,” Aelin nodded, dragging out the syllables. “Here it comes. Our first kiss.”

They eyed each other and after a few moments concluded that the other wasn’t backing down. Incrementally slowly, Aelin and he leaned in. Closer, closer, so close she could feel his breath fan across her face. And then he was flinging himself away, shaking her off and finally dropping the act.

“Okay! Okay! Shit, okay! You win! You win!” His voice carried loud and clear to everyone. “I can’t have sex with you!”

“Ha ha!” Aelin shouted gleefully as her win continued, taking no small amount of joy as she goaded, “And why not?!”

“Because I'm in love with Elide!”

Triumph morphed into shock as she registered what he’d said. “You’re—you’re what?”

The front door swung open as Lysandra and Fenrys walked in with equally stunned looks. At the same time, Elide walked out of the bathroom, not sparing her friends a fraction of her attention as she kept her focus on Lorcan, a soft smile blossoming on her face.

“Love her!” Lorcan’s voice rose, his hands waving erratically like what he felt had all been bottled up and now there was nothing stopping it form overflowing. “That’s right. I love her! I! Love! Her! I love her.” He loosed a harsh breath and met Elide halfway, taking her into his arms and calming repeating, “I love you, Elide.”

Her words were thick with emotion as she looped her arms around his neck. “I love you too, Lorcan.”

She pulled him into a kiss, her hands raking through the hair at the nape of his neck as his found their home around her waist, gently but firmly keeping her pressed against him.

Their moment was broken by the cooing of their friends.

“I just,” Aelin started. Her eyes wide with surprise but happiness for them. “I thought you guys were doing it, I didn't know you were in love!”

“Dude,” Fenrys awed and shot Lorcan a grin and a thumbs up.

Lorcan jerked his head reluctantly towards Aelin. “And hats off to Galathynius. Quite a competitor.” He smirked at her and snorted when she smirked back.

“All right!” Fenrys clapped, looking overjoyed. “So that's it! It's over! Everybody knows!”

Elide slid to stand next to Lorcan with her arms still wrapped around his middle as he slung an arm over her shoulder.

“Well, actually,” she said, “Rowan doesn’t.”

“Or Aedion,” Lysandra reminded them.

“Yes, and we'd appreciate it if no one told them yet.”

Fenrys’ joy melted away. His lips pressed into a firm line as he leveled a cold stare at his friend.

Lorcan’s response? He shrugged.

*****

Taglist:

@acourtofsnakes @a-frog-with-a-laptop @astra-ad-mare @autumnbabylon @backtobl4ck @bankerfrog @becarefuloflove @camerooonchiu @captain-swan-is-endgame @charlizeed @cookiemonsterwholovesbooks @doubt-less @earthtolinds @elentiyawhitethorn @feyretales @goddess-aelin @highqueenofelfhame @jorjy-jo @julemmaes @leiawritesstories @lemonade-coolattas @llyncooljones @mariamuses @moodymelanist @morganofthewildfire @nerdperson524 @rhysiedarling @rowaelinismyotp @rowaelinrambling @rowanaelinn @shyvioletcat @stardelia @superspiritfestival @sv0430 @swankii-art-teacher @thegreyj @the-lonelybarricade @the-regal-warrior @tomtenadia @westofmoon @whimsicallyreading

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sovonight · 1 year

Text

xan’s bg2 bonded romance is a downgrade from his romance in bg1 for two reasons: his underwhelming reunion, and the fact that he is now way too horny. in this essay i will--

(--and i really did write the essay because that’s how strongly i’m disappointed by this loL)

first, let’s get into the underwhelming reunion. at the end of bg1, xan promises that he’ll quit his job and return to charname--a promise that he makes of his own volition and initiative:

”When... if... it is over, I will have to abandon you for a few weeks. A long time, I know, but I see no other way. I have to report on my mission... and ask my superiors' permission to leave. I am going to resign. [...] But wherever your mad destiny hurls you, wilderness, city or dungeon, I... I'll find you, and we'll walk together again. I promise.”

when you reunite with him in bg2, you find him in the government district, standing around next to the area’s entrance. when you talk to him, the first thing he says is, “What... what are you doing here?”

now, bg2 made itself accessible to brand new players by saying that a potential side effect of charname’s weeks of torture at the start of bg2 is that charname lost all of their memories; throughout the game, you have the opportunity to decide that charname doesn’t remember who the companions from bg1 are, or what the events of the first game were. similarly, when you meet xan, he can’t immediately say anything that refers to a specific timeline of events that happened in bg1, because the choice is up to you--and that’s how you arrive at something as lackluster as “what are you doing here”. it’s only after you define the nature of xan and charname’s bonded relationship in bg1 that xan finally says, “<CHARNAME>... It is a miracle.“

then, charname can ask, “You... here... How? How did you find me?” (which is an odd option to offer, because he didn’t find her, she found him), to which he says:

“It was easy. We share a bond, so I felt you every step of the way. As well... as well as your pain.“

so he claims to have always been able to find her--and indeed, at the end of bg1, he implies that he’ll be able to find her wherever she is--but that just makes the circumstances of their reunion look worse. while here in athkatla, wouldn’t he have recognized that, for the first time in weeks, she’s moved while he stood still? that her pain has stopped and the distance between them has shrunk? wouldn’t he at least say, when she runs into him, that he was about to go looking for her? and if you’re recruiting him late--weeks to months after charname’s escape--this reunion feels even worse, bc you’re telling me that he’s known all this time that he’s in the same city as charname, has supposedly been very worried about her, has the means to find her, and yet he hasn’t made any move to actually find her at all?

then xan asks what happened to her while they were apart, and from here on the conversation is essentially exposition to get them both up to speed, but it’s... so... sterile. he’s been worried about her, so wouldn’t he at least rush to her, hold her face tenderly in his hands, and search her eyes for the scars on her soul? it’s not out of character--he’s already done something similar in bg1, for charname’s nightmares ("*Xan swiftly crosses the distance between you and cradles your face in his palms.* My <CHARNAME>... why would your own mind torment you so?"), which definitely rank lower in severity than the weeks of torture she’s suffered in bg2. instead, xan makes no move to approach her, and they stand apart for the whole conversation. there’s an option for charname to be angry at his “betrayal” (which doesn’t make any sense--the betrayal refers to xan leaving charname at the end of bg1 to go quit his job. like... huh?? lady, he literally told you he was going to leave??) and xan will literally get on his knees to apologize, but that is it. that’s the extent of the movement that occurs in the conversation. no hug, no holding of hands, not even a comforting hand on the shoulder.

xan tells her he's here on business:

“I promised you to leave the Greycloaks and travel with you. Well, I did - and didn't. A powerful vampire established a coven in Athkatla, endangering the city, and I was asked to investigate. I will do so, but only if it does not hinder your plans. My first and only priority is your well-being.”

but what does “i did and didn’t” mean? did he quit the greycloaks, but agree to one last job? did he mean that he did keep the promise to travel with charname, but didn’t keep the promise to leave the greycloaks? he makes his meaning clear in later, separate conversations, but look--i really don’t care if he quits his job or not. charname didn’t ask him to quit his job in the first place, his sense of duty was clear all throughout bg1, it’s an integral part of his character. but to have him promise to quit, and then appear not to, just makes him look flaky. if the author wanted him to have this mission to tie him to charname’s main quest (the way that he would be tied by default if his romance with charname had not been established), then they could’ve had him say that though he intended to quit his job for her, being back home reminded him of more deeply than ever of his sense of duty, so he chose to stay with the greycloaks after all and he’ll just have to figure out how to balance that with staying with her. the fact that he’s a moonblade wielder already holds him to a similar sense of duty on its own, so honestly nothing would change if he stayed a greycloak. but since the author didn’t do that and made the fulfillment of his promise sound vague and halfhearted, it now just feels like xan was caught double-booking his time and commitments.

at the end of the conversation, xan asks to join charname again, and there are three options that amount to “yes”, “yes”, and “not yet”. if you choose the first two, he joins up without saying much more. but if you choose “not yet,” he says:

“I cannot. I cannot leave you alone, hunted and in danger. I left you once, hoping for the best, with the best of intents - and what happened? No. I am sorry, but you will have to endure my presence for the time being.”

and i find that very curious, because oh, it’s only when charname doesn’t immediately accept him that he reveals for the first time in the conversation that he can’t bear to leave her “alone”?

if they really wanted me to believe this, xan’s worry should have been established from the beginning. xan only starts the reunion conversation when the player clicks on him, but it’s possible for npc’s to initiate conversations with charname without first being clicked on; it happens often throughout both games, and while it’s kind of annoying from a player standpoint to be forced into an interaction, it’s useful in driving urgency. why didn’t they have xan be the one to run up to charname? sure, it’s uninvited by the player, but you can restrict it to happen only if charname meets the race & gender requirement for a bonded romance, and play the interaction off if the player decides they were never bonded. and if this interaction is absolutely, definitely off the table, why couldn’t they at least have explained xan’s apparent inaction with a better excuse?

the current story is that xan was robbed on his second night in athkatla and went to go file a report, and that’s when you find him in the government district. it’s a way to explain why he starts off without any of the expensive equipment you may have left him with in bg1. but really, honestly, look at that second half--are they really saying that xan’s need to file a police report over stolen items he knows he’s not getting back was greater than his need to find charname? if it were anyone else, you could make the argument that xan knows charname can handle herself--but to him, any opinion he has of her capability is ultimately irrelevant. what xan believes is that anyone can fall, and that charname is doomed. he’d find her and be worried for her even if all the game’s cheat codes were activated, if her hp were maxed out to infinity. but as it is, the entire structure of this reunion ends up implying that xan could’ve sought charname out at any time after her escape--and yet he did not.

second... xan is too horny now. no no, hold on--this has to be addressed. in the first conversation that happens after xan joins the group again, he ends up talking about how terrifying it was to feel charname’s torture through their bond, and eventually says:

“But I am pathetic. You suffered, you were tortured, and I keep rambling about my own pain. I am sorry, <CHARNAME>."

there are 3 options for charname’s response:

“I understand... and you have my forgiveness.”

“Well, you could stop rambling and turn to more... pleasant matters.”

“You are always thinking about yourself! Just leave me be!"

and you might think, well, they’re both traumatized, and option 1 leaves things open for them to talk it out, so let’s go with that. but if you do, xan says:

“Sometimes I think you understand me better than I do myself. But I cannot continue, not with you in front of me... so beautiful...”

and i’m like?? oh, so we’re solving all problems with sex now?? so we’re solving all problems with sex. charname’s options are now “yes”, “yes” but worded differently, or “No, Xan. I am sorry, but I want to be alone tonight.” if you choose to reject him, he’ll sigh and say, “Now it is my turn to understand, it seems. But I do. Rest well.” now, he did provide her the basic decency of being like, “i get it, good night,” but is there really... not... going to be any other resolution to the conversation? are neither of them going to get the chance to say, well actually, it could help if we spent time together that isn’t just sex?

in bg1, after charname finds out that she's a bhaalspawn in front of the rest of the party, and they take their first rest after the reveal, xan starts a conversation:

“*sigh* I've been dreading the moment all day. <CHARNAME>, what should I say now? That I'll die without you, Bhaalspawn or not? That for me, you'll never be a monster? That your face invokes desire, not repulsion?”

there are a couple different paths in the conversation, but xan offers his comfort, making it clear that it’s not necessarily sex, and charname is given the chance to choose between three options:

sex

“Not tonight, Xan. But will you take me to review some of your old, happy memories again? That would distract me, and I want to be distracted.”

“I am sorry, Xan, but no. The day's events have been too overwhelming.”

this, at the very least, is the array of options i was looking for. it’s just strange to me that in bg2, charname is given no equivalent middle option, and it feels ridiculous that xan--who shared her traumatic experience, who had gone through something similar in bg1 when he was captured and tortured by mulahey, and who has proven through his behavior and his chosen school of magic that he’s emotionally intelligent and aware--can somehow only muster sex as a conclusion to their conversation about his own pain.

after this, sex continues to be central to multiple flirt interactions and on-rest events. there’s a pattern of xan going "i want you tonight," and charname being given the option to go either "yes!" or "hell yeah!" or "no there's too much going on". in one case, if charname rejects him, he sighs and says, "I see that it is going to be an unpleasant night indeed". like, hello??? what happened to you?? how is this the extent of nearly every expression of affection from now on??

look--bg1 xan, admittedly, walked the line of being kind of an asshole. he's standoffish; he’s a loner; he takes sometimes too much pride in his culture and heritage, and takes his profession deeply seriously; he keeps a myriad of sharp and sarcastic retorts at hand bc he has learned to expect to be ridiculed for his elven-ness and unconventional outlook on life. but he still cares and holds respect for other people in the party, he cares for charname's well-being and comforts them in his own way regardless of if they're a romantic interest or not, and his whole character is about feeling so deeply it brings him to despair. meanwhile, the first time i really saw a trace of this again in bg2 is in a banter with yoshimo, where yoshimo doesn't understand why xan can’t share his carefree attitude, and xan's like, read the room, you escaped irenicus unscathed but the rest of our companions did not, what do we have to be carefree about? and i was like, there it is. there's the quality in him that i was looking for. but then where is that in charname's conversations with him?

when charname talks to him now, it's about his pain for himself, his dread for himself, and he ends each complaint like, i'm sorry, i know you have it worse. and then charname’s options are "are you saying it's my fault?" "yes i have it worse" or "here xan i'll kiss it better, and more". and here's the kicker: when charname offers sex, there are times where xan is allowed a response that says sex wasn't necessarily what he was looking for (though he takes it anyway bc ofc the player’s ego would suffer otherwise). double standards much??? how does this even make sense??

here's my totally blind theory that i don’t care enough to search through the forums to try to corroborate or disprove: i think that after xan's bg1 romance came out, people were like oh pretty please can we have him in bg2 too, but can we actually do more with him this time, can he stop trembling and being so reluctant and sad and worried, can he flirt more often and more brazenly, can we get more options to interact with him, can we have more sex now that it's been unlocked. it's a common pattern, people want instant and more satisfying gratification--and i fall into that trap myself--but sometimes more indulgence isn't right for the story. i mean, now there’s literally a convo that triggers when you rest in the sewers in bg2, where xan’s like "it's gross and dangerous down here huh" and charname’s like "yeah" and xan's like "the danger just makes me hornier for you though. want to have sex tonight?" like, that needs no commentary right, you can see why i'm fucking speechless

bg2 is darker in tone, starts with heavy pain and loss, and is exactly kind of narrative that xan’s apprehension and dread make sense in. in bg1, xan despairs that charname just doesn’t understand the worst that the world can do to her:

“You have never been abducted and tortured; decades of aimless wandering do not wear you down; you have never loved anyone; you treat this life as an entertaining game. You don't even comprehend the notion of dying.”

by the start of bg2, charname has been abducted and tortured; she’s loved him, she’s bonded to him; and by the end of bg2, she’ll even have experienced death. this is a time for her to understand where xan’s outlook on life comes from even more deeply, and yet still find ways to hope for the better and persevere; it’s a time for xan’s tentative hope to develop further, for him to support her, and catch her should she threaten to fall into the same pitfalls of despair that he has. but in the first chapters of bg2, where he could offer her comfort, the only thing he regularly offers her is sex.

the lack of any nuance stings, bc xan’s bg1 romance had felt structured like an outright rejection of this, this indulgence at the expense of character integrity. in bg1, xan loves charname deeply, but won’t bend to her every whim, and that extends to the player: no matter how hard you try, the romance progresses at the same slow pace, because xan can’t help being who he is, and you the player for all your godlike power can’t rush him down that path. for a while he even cuts you off from the dialogue menu you can normally initiate with him; he still has agency, even within the confines of the game, and after charname bonds with him, he makes it clear that he can’t change who he is, and neither can she.

but all of that is gone now: he ends his events with more “pleasant matters,” because you, the player, have selected the bonded path. you’ve already gone through this dance with him in bg1, his rejections, his limits. you want to enjoy your spoils, don’t you? here: he’s freer now. his nature and his character have been cut back so that you can enjoy your fade to black. he will always accept charname’s invitation of sex, and will always give it in return. why should you be given any options to have charname spend significant time with him that isn’t in his bed? why would you choose them? this is your reward.

#i may be Very ace. but bg1 xan had more sense than this

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romanstheory · 10 months

Text

All The Way

Characters : Drew McIntyre, Erika (reader), Sheamus

Warnings : age gap (over 21), visuals, smut, fluff, size kink, oral sex female receiving

Word count :823

18+

Finally…. We’re alone. Finally I get my fiancé all to myself! Every day has been interviews, press, training for us for the last month. Drew and I have been engaged for a little over a year now, and with our hectic wwe schedules it seems like we never see each other anymore. Not to mention being on different brands. “I feel like we never see each other anymore” I say to Drew before taking a bite of my food. One of our favorite things to do was order takeout and watch a new cringy horror movie. “I know babe” Drew sighs. Despite all of our time spent apart, when we do spend time together it’s like we never left each others side. Drew is my soulmate without a doubt, he’s my home, my resting place, and he knows me better than anyone else in every single way.

Our relationship started off rocky….. he’s 13 years older than I am. People assumed I was after his money, but I’ve always had my own money. Not to mention some people don’t take too kindly to mixed race couples. It seemed like the odds have always been stacked against us, but we always make it out on top. Slowly the rumors starts to die down and everything fell into place. Drew wraps his arm around me, pressing me into his warm toned body. He uses his other hand and pulls my head up, crouching slightly to lock lips with me.

Our lips locked and twisted softly but passionately. His big hands began to wander around my coco skin landing on my breast. He softly squeezes them, playing with my nipples between his fingers.

I begin kissing on his neck, I know it drives him crazy. I leave a trail of love bites on his neck and he flips me on my back onto the couch. He almost rips my pajama bottoms off of my petite frame. He quickly kicks off his pajama pants and looks me deeply into my eyes before pulling his long dark hair back and starting to give me head. His tongue swirled around my now throbbing clit. He groaned in enjoyment while I wrapped my thick thighs around his head. He reaches his arm up, gripping my breasts again. I tangle my hands up in his hair feeling myself approaching my climax soon. He licks faster, flicking my clit with his thick warm tongue, sending me into a frenzy….. I can’t control myself…. I release my thick cream onto Drew’s face. He chuckles and wipes face.

“A bit shaky huh?” He chuckles “don’t tell me you’re tapping out already”. It was very clear he was just getting started and I was on board with that ever he wanted to do. He picks me up, gently pressing my 4’11 frame against the wall. He lowers me onto his thick long member and passionately moves in and out of my soaked vagina. I can’t help but release long, loud, groans while I claw at his back and curl up my toes

He makes me feral! “You like that don’t you” Drew whispers in my ear “look at how you take me all in”. He begins bouncing me frantically. “Oh god Erika!” Drew’s voice echo’s like thunder. I sink my nails into his back one last time before he pushes himself deep inside of me releasing his warm juices. He pulls out of me, his thick semen running down my leg. We both shower and go to lay in bed.

We spend most of the night up talking and giggling. God I’ve missed him!

The next morning Drew and I get a text from Hunter about the surprise draft coming up….. we’re both eligible for draft. “Baby did you see this text from Hunter?” I say bright eyed. “I did! This could be great for us” Drew answers “I mean we could be on the same brand again”. It’s been two years since we were on the same brand! This draft was going to be different, the fans wouldn’t know. It was going to be a complete surprise to them.

I’m really getting my hopes up that Drew and I will be on the same brand. Oh god that would be amazing! “Maybe we can be a tag team” Drew chuckles. I was sure how serious he was, but I liked the sound of it. We could be like Miz and Maryse but a million times better. I already have a fearless ruthless persona, it would just work so well with him. Drew’s phone begins to ring, he answers without hesitation and puts it on speakerphone. “Hey big fella did you get that text too? About the draft?” Sheamus speaks loudly on the other end of the phone. “Of course I did!” Drew answers. “What’re ye hopin for?” Sheamus responds “I’m kinda hoping for Smackdown”. Drew sighs “I’m just hoping to be on the same brand as Erika. I mean you know that’s all we’ve wanted” he responds. The two exchange banter and end the call.

A week of silence passes….. and finally…. It’s time for the draft. WWE is making it its own event. All of the superstars are watching from home, live recording themselves for the worldwide WWE universe. Drew sets up the camera, I’m trembling in anticipation……. The draft begins….

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chatterbox-73 · 1 year

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.The ‘perfect’ girl.

.Part IV.

.Iida Tenya x fem!reader.

.Brand New City.

By .Mitski.

Potentially graphic content, please read texted below.⬇️

This series is a character x reader multi part story, there will be graphic descriptions of disturbing content, so please reader the Content and Trigger warnings before reading each part, I do want to advise minors not to read this series and if I see any minors or even ageless profiles interesting with this series I’ll have no choice but to block said profiles. Thank you☺️❤️

You must be 18 years or older to read this...

READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED

A/N: sorry this took so long to come out, I had work, other writing fics/one shots and birthdays parties to organise this past couple months, I also added a lot in this part and it was hard to keep it consistent…

Also I think I should mention that this version of Y/n I’m writing in this multi part fic is a ‘Mary Sue’ character on the outside but quite critical, self-centred and superficial, which I kinda tried to portray towards the end of this part, where she references to herself as amazing and perfect and picked apart Midoriya, Uraraka and Iida.

Summary: But if I gave up on being pretty. I wouldn't know how to be alive. I should move to a brand new city. And teach myself how to die.

Word count: 2.9k

TW: mentioned of vomiting, violents, (adult) drinking alcohol.

“It was all his doing, he made them do it” you frowned before you took a sip of the cold glass of melon juice they gave you, “so he made them dismember you, but he was the one to kill you?” Asked the detective and you only nodded in response, “you know, it’s not your job to protect any of them?” Said the woman in the white bodysuit who you had leant went by Midnight, “I’m exactly what they think I am… but I don’t wanna be… and I know they’re more then an accident” your grip on the glass tightened and you took a shaky breath, a tired man called Eraserhead sitting next to Midnight sighed and shook his head, “so because they think lowly of you, you believe they’re had every right to cut you up into little pieces” he crossed his arms and glared at you, Midnight elbowed the man and glared at him while you looked down at the table knowing that what he said was mostly spot on, “well yes and no, they weren’t fully in control of their actions, Sensei has a way of convincing people of doing what he wants of them… even if they don’t want to.” You mumble and keep your eyes downcast, this caused the tired man to sigh and apologise, “so then what are you planning? And how can we help?” The detective leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms waiting for you to begin explaining your plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You sat in the back seat of your grandparents car reading the letter the police passed on to you from mrs Hasegawa, she wrote about how sorry she was her husband… ex-husband… did such horrible things to you and how she was grateful she was free of him and to have met you, she also explained how Zeus missed you quite a lot. “Do you think it was cruel letting him think I killed his wife?” You asked putting the letter back in its envelope, your grandmother turned in her seat and laughed, “it wasn’t cruel enough if you ask me, besides he was the only one to get hurt” she turned back with a big smile, the woman continued on about how proud of you she was but the moment she gave you a chance to talk she could see you weren’t handling the change well, “are you upset with me, because I’ll be so far away” you looked out the window feeling your stomach turn at the thought of living so far away from them. Your grandfather chuckled and shook his head “nah, we’re glad you’re growing up so fast… maybe a little too fast but we’re still glad” he smiled and continued driving, you stayed silent the rest of the way to Musutafu in Shizuoka Prefecture.

.One Month Later.

You sat on the ground panting as you wrapped your arms around your sides trying to dull the ache of the beating you had just received from the agent you were training with, you glanced at the man before rushing him and swinging at him, he smiled and grabbed your wrist before throwing you over his shoulder, you hit the ground with a hard thump which caused you to lose your lunch, “asshole” you groaned as you just lay there in a paddle of your vomit. “Alright she’s done for now, we’ll resume training after dinner” said the woman with ash blonde hair, “can’t we do it before dinner?” You groaned and focused your eyes onto the woman but not daring to move your body, “you’ll fight better on a full stomach” she smiled and left the training room.

Walking back to your room, you grumbled under your breath about wasting a good meal as you took small slow steps as to not get vomit all over the floor, getting into your room you showered and finished your homework. It had only been a month since the hero commission began training you and they were all ready working you to the bone, you had been staying at the Musutafu hero commission compound, this gave you the opportunity to meet many famous heroes and get to know them personally which was definitely a plus. The commission told you they planned to have you stay at the compound until you completed the UA entrance exam, when you do you’d move to an apartment setup and payed for by the commission.

So that’s what you did, you worked hard and focused for the next several months until the day finally came. You walked through the UA courtyard, mentally preparing yourself for what ever the school was going to throw at you.

You stood at the end of the finished line doubled over panting as you wrapped your arms around your waist, you were quite pleased with yourself, not only did you do well in the race, you also did excellently in the written exam. You were almost certain you made it into UA’s hero course, however even if you didn’t you were still so proud of yourself and how far you’ve come thus far. You stood up straight and breathed out a sigh, it took you a moment to compose yourself before you walked to the change rooms, your legs slightly shook with each step you took and you prayed to every higher being that no one noticed, you certainly didn’t want people… boys… falling over themselves to help ‘frail little’ you, yet. Besides you hadn’t wasted any time so far talking to other and you weren’t going to now, you were above small talk and meaningless attention, you weren’t here to be admired or flattered, you were here to become a hero… a hero who could save young people from falling into the same trap you did, saving them from older people who’d give anything to take advantage of them. You dressed and left as soon as you could. Weeks had passed as you waited for your letter of confirmation, you had been out doing grocery shopping when you got a call from the hero commission, they asked for you to come in immediately, judging by the tone of the person who called you, you had thought that maybe you had been rejected by UA or put into the general study course. Disappointment filled you as you walked home for the grocery store, your arms loosely wrapped around your grocery bag, you shuffled inside your apartment and placed your groceries on your bench before taking your time putting them away.

You reluctantly walked into the commission President’s office and took a seat at her desk, “ms Y/n, I believe this is for you” she placed an open envelope with your name on it, you picked up the envelope and pulled out the small disk in it, you placed the disk on the desk and pressed the red button, suddenly a hologram of All Might’s big smiling face appeared, “congratulations! Young y/n, you have been excepted into UA’s hero course…” the smiling man gave a thumbs up, “we as a school expect great things from you. I- I can’t wait to see you achieve greatness.” All Might slightly stumble over his words and looked off too the side, as if he was reading note cards, you chuckled and wanted as the hologram disappeared. “Congratulations, we did open the letter and take the information sheet and book list, I hope you don’t mind…” the commission president smiled and you nodded, “we’ll send all you school equipment and uniform to your home, also if you could fill this out and bring it back within the next week, that’d be great” she placed a sheet of paper in front of you, written on the sheet was ‘Hero costume sheet’. You took the sheet along with the mini projector and stood to leave, “oh and if you need help with your costume please call Midnight…” the woman smiled and wanted back to her business, you left the room and made your way home.

You sat across from Midnight with your head resting against the desk as you pushed the sheet of paper back towards her, “I couldn’t possibly wear something like that” you groaned and the woman only chuckled, “yeah you can, it’ll be embarrassing at first but you’ll get used to it… and it’ll help with your quirk” she slide the paper back to you and you sat up straight, “it’s just impractical, heels and leather” you sighed as you looked at the costume, all things considered it was still quiet a good looking costume design, it was just highly impractical. “Okay… we’ll change the heels to boots and leather to a light weight polyester blend mix with your hair, so your clothes double with you… better?” Midnight smiled taking the sheet and changed a few details on the costume sheet, before passing it back once again. You nodded before looked over the sheet and placing it in an envelope, “did you needed anything else?” Midnight asked and you looked down nervously, “would you like to stay for dinner and a movie?” You asked and the woman chuckled, “sure… but let’s go have some takeout, it’s my treat” she smiled and stood up putting on her jacket, you nodded and quickly changed into something warmer before leaving out the door with your mentor.

You walked along the busy city streets of Tokyo metropolitan, you hadn’t expected your mentor to take you all the way to Tokyo and sure it was only about an hours train ride but you definitely didn’t expect her take you all this way just for food, “the city is exciting, isn’t it?” Midnight smiled as she walk beside you, you nodded and watched small groups of people pass you, most people took a double-take for both you and Midnight, you were almost positive it was because they realised the woman with you is a pro hero. “There’s this really great BBQ place just a little farther down” Midnight smiled and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, walking into the restaurant the woman asked for a booth and told the waiter she’d like a cold beer while you both went through the menu. You carefully thought the menu, “see anything you like…? I’m thinking you’re a beef and green onion girl…” Midnight smirked and you flashed her a big smile, “yeah, I am… can I have an iced milk tea as well, please” you placed down the menu and watched the woman flagged down the waiter before listing off a large amount of food, along with a can of beef and a iced milk tea, before long you were both eating till your hearts content.

Midnight lent on you while you walked down the street towards the train station, however she suddenly stopped and pulled you to a small photo booth, you smiled and laughed as you both took pictures together, after looking at the photos on the screen Midnight click a few buttons and slipped the money into the machine, “we’ll get two” she chuckled as you both waited, once the machine spat out the photo strip the woman passed one to you and pulled you towards the train station.

You woke up to the smell of grilled fish, getting up off the couch, you walked into the kitchen only to find Midnight finishing making breakfast, the woman instructed you to grab a breakfast tray and take a seat at the table, as you sat and began to eat Midnight plopped down in the chair opposite to yours. Looking over the woman, you noticed how ragged she looked, “are you okay?” You asked and continued to eat, Midnight rested her cheek on her palm and sighed, “not really, I have one killer hangover and for some reason you have no painkillers anyway” she gave you a half smile as you nodded along, “yeah the commission doesn’t want me taking any unapproved medication, so they raid my place every so often and take any unnecessary items” you smiled as you stood up and walk over to your fridge, “but there’s ways around that” you chuckled as you climbed on the countertop next to the fridge and opened the ceiling vent just above the fridge before taking out a box. You walked over to the kitchen table and opened the shoe box to reveal a bunch of seemingly innocent items, “smart girl… very smart girl” Midnight chuckles as she picked up a small pack of pharmacy brand painkillers, the woman took two pills and put the rest back before turning her attention to the thick envelope of cash, “now why would you need that?” She asked as she pointed at it, “a rainy day fund… the commission control my allowance from my grandparents… so it’s nice to know I can handle a situation on my own if one should pop up” you explained and Midnight smiled as she continued to search through the shoe box, “and I thought you were a good girl” the woman let out a loud laugh as she held up a small box of condoms that were hidden under two chocolate bars, you blushed and snatched the pack from her hand before placing them back in the shoe box.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You dusted off your uniform before reaching for the door handle, you felt anxiety bubble up in the back of your throat, it’d been so long since you’d been to school and when you last went to school you were pushed down a flight of stairs, then dismembered and scattered all over the place. Despite your nervousness you were reminded of the words midnight shared with you only moments ago as you both walked through the corridors to your classroom.

‘Remember to own that classroom as soon as you walk in, you are pretty, confident, strong and smart. Don’t let anyone put you down and don’t feel bad about being you because who you are is why you’re here.’

You felt your heart flutter and you held your head high, Midnight was right you are amazing, sure you were killed the last time you went to school but you came back… you’d always come back, because the world needed your perfection and there wasn’t a single person alive or dead who could argue that, and you’d step on or pull down anyone who tried to deny it. One final deep breath and you slid the door open, walking in, only to find a green haired guy and a brunette girl standing in the doorway, blocking your way into the classroom. “Excuse me…” you hummed and watched as the pair jumped before turning slowly to look at you, the green haired guy was really average looking, nothing on him really stood out, his hair was really curly which would of look really good but he hadn’t been taking care of it properly. The brunette girl was fairly cute with her round face and big doe eyes but also quite average however it worked for her, she was the approachable type. “You’re in the way…” you smiled and watched as the pair blushed uncontrollably before they stepped aside, allowing a tall blue haired guy come into view, the blue haired guy had a nice physique but was far too stiff and uptight looking, his face was also handsome but hidden behind his glasses, “we apologise… please come through” the guy spoke in a serious tone as a light blushed formed on his cheeks and you gave a single nod before walking into the class, you looked around the class at all the others before finding a familiar face smiling properly one of the largest smiles you’ve ever seen. “Mini-chan” you smiled brightly before you walking over to the small teen and sat at the empty desk next to him, you crossed one leg over the other and watched Mineta visibly gulp as he eyed your legs, you really didn’t care about him ogling you, as to you, he acted just like every other guy around you, to you every guy was just as perverted as him, though you did have something to say when he or any other guy was being gross to other girls… you may not have a problem with it, that doesn’t mean they don’t.

“Mini-chan… seriously when are you going to stop that?” Mineta pulling his eyes off your legs and you laughing out at his red face before leaning over and pinching his cheek, “when you stop being so Mini, Mini-chan” you leaned back in your chair and faced the front of the classroom, you listening to the trio in the front of the class start up their conversation again before being interrupted by a yellow sleeping bag with a tired man in it. Aiwaza instructed everyone to grab out their sports uniforms and change into them, before he took the class out to a field and began to explain everyone would be going a fitness exam, he also explained the last person would be getting expelled, you weren’t too scared as even if your were last Aiwaza would have an incredibly difficult time expelling you as he’d have to deal with the hero commission, though you were confident in your abilities that you would be last in your class.

You couldn’t be last, you’d worked to hard to have nothing to show for it, it’d just be pathetic at this point if you failed, so that wasn’t going to happen.

.The Perfect Girl. Masterlist

.The Perfect Girl. Spotify Playlist (Coming Soon)

Next Part: .FOOLS.

Previous Part: .Oxytocin.

#bnha #mha #bnha iida #bnha tenya #iida tenya #iida x reader #mha iida #mha tenya #tenya iida x reader #tenya x reader #tomie aesthetic #junji ito

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