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i-cant-sing · 5 months

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I can’t get this scenario out of my head with yan!batfamily in which Bruce worms his way into a depressed reader’s life by marrying their mother and slowly taking over the role of parenting reader while dealing with the depression.

No because Bruce would do that. In his head, its just another mission to "save Y/n" and sure, your mother isn't exactly his type, and your depression isn't exactly her fault- the poor woman just works day and night for you both to survive in this outrageous economy, she doesn't have had enough time to see you not doing so well mentally.

Bruce and his sons, by whatever sequence of events, are now infatuated with you. What started as concern for your well being has now turned into obsessive need to control your life to make it better. So, yeah... Bruce decides to marry your mom, who is more than happy to finally find a chivalrous, handsome man... who just happens to also be very rich.

Meanwhile, you hate him. It's stupid, but you hate how filthy rich he is and even though you know that he donates a lot to charities, you still hate him because Bruce thinks money can solve everything (and in your case, it almost can), but you can't help but feel insulted everytime he offers you a cheque, a wad of cash to pay off your bills and loans, or even a $20 bill to get yourself some snacks. It feels... abnormal. You're not a charity case.

Perhaps your socioeconomic status isn't the only reason you're depressed. Maybe it's just you missing your father (could be dead/murdered/suicide/just moved far far away).

The moment Bruce finds out that your dad is the reason why you're so depressed, oh it's "I WILL FATHER ANOTHER CHILD IN NEED OF PROFESSIONAL HELP" time. He's doubling down on his paternal instincts and he's just mentally smacking himself like "ofc you need a father figure in your life. Who better than me????"

And it just makes your skin crawl at how nonchalant Bruce is about all this- about incorporating himself into your and your mother's life. Treating you both, especially you like you're actually related. Like he's been around with you two his entire life. You lose your appetite when he stays for dinner, but you sit at the table for your mother. You try to make excuses when your mother tells you that you have to go with her at the Wayne Manor because "Bruce wants to spend a day with family". You can't help but look at your mother in wonder at how she is comfortable when you both pull up at the manor. You thought things would be easier if Bruce's sons were also uncomfortable or even hated you and your mother (or thought that your mom was a gold digger), but no, they're just as worse as Bruce. Dick being particularly the worst in the sense that he's more affectionate and his love language is physical touch, so you get squished to his chest everytime he sees you, with a small cry "my baby!" Sometimes, "sis" would be added.

You didn't like either nickname.

Then there's Jason, who is the most normal one of them all, perhaps because he isn't around much and when he is, he just makes small talk.

Tim doesn't talk much either, but he stares a lot. Somehow you feel like he knows something about you, at least more than he's letting on.

And lastly, there's Damian, that pompous little shit. You know he's being amicable for Bruce, but his eyes look at you like he's judging you- thinks you're beneath him. Which is true, in the sense of finance. Despite all of that, Damian still wants to show you off his interests/things around the manor. He's still being arrogant ofc, "Look at this oil painting- it's a Van Gogh original. Van Gogh is a famous painter- he's dead though. I'm sure you aren't familiar with his works. I can take you to the Gotham gallery to show you more paintings. Father owns it, so it can be just us two without other people bothering us." He's nice but also not nice. But at least he's not doing it intentionally.

Then there's Bruce. Who is always looking at you with a small smile, but his eyes are always analysing you, even when he's not looking at you directly, you know that he's watching your every move like a hawk. He tries spending time with you, often he succeeds, only because your mother makes you go. He's a good man, hasn't done anything exactly inappropriate, but... even something as small as making you walk on the inner side of the sidewalk so that you're safe from the cars... it doesn't sit right with you. Why is he being so paternal? You certainly have been rude to him on purpose. Always giving him one word answers when he asks you how your day was.

Then one day your mother returns home with a beaming smile.

"Bruce proposed to me! We're getting married!"

After only 3 months of dating? It's what you wanted to say, but you held it back when you saw how happy she was.

The next day, Bruce held a dinner at the manor to celebrate the engagement. Surprisingly, that was the first time you saw Damian looking mad at you and your mom.

It was a reasonable reaction. Acceptable to you, instead of the overly excited yell of Dick "WE'RE GOING TO BE SIBLINGS! That means we can have slumber parties and pillow fights and-"

Your mother and Bruce were shopping for the wedding, looking at dresses and venues and all the shenanigans while you were at the manor, moving your and your mom's stuff in with the boys. It was the last thing you wanted, but your mother.... she insisted on it. Or at least that's what she says, you know Bruce insisted.

Doesn't matter because by next year, you'd be moving away to college anyways.

You just need to put up with this for a little longer and see your mother finally be happy.

You didn't expect your mother to be dead a week before the wedding.

It was out of the blue. You were sitting in the library at the manor because Dick refused to let you be alone in your room all the time, so he was making you some cookies while you read. Then he and Bruce came together, their faces pale as they looked at you.

"Y/n... your mother, she... she got in an accident."

She was driving to some restaurant, wanted to get you your favourite fried chicken and spend some time with you alone. But on her way, a truck crashed right into her car.

She died on the spot.

Whatever little improvement you had on your mental health went straight down the drain. You locked yourself in your room and just cried quietly. They left you alone the first few days, but then Bruce and Dick tried to persuade you to come out, that they were concerned for you. You did come out the day the funeral was held. And it hurt you... it hurt you so deeply when you found out they were burying her at the Wayne cemetery.

She wasn't a fucking Wayne.

If you had any strength, if you had any energy at all, you would've taken your mother and buried her someplace else.

But you didn't.

When you returned inside the manor, you went straight to your mother's room, which was also Bruce's room but you didn't care if he saw you in there or not. You just started packing all of your mother's stuff, her clothes, her jewellery, her photos, everything she came here with, which wasn't much to begin with but still.

"Y/n?" You stiffened when Bruce called you, but you didn't pause on packing. "What are you doing? Looking for something?"

You sighed. Might as well get this over with.

You turnd around, not looking him in the eye.

"I'm moving out. And I'm taking mom's stuff with me. You can check, I'm not stealing anything that belongs to you."

Bruce looked at you in confusion. "Moving out? Where are you going?"

"College. I'll be going there soon anyways, so I'm moving to an apartment with some friends."

"Oh, but you don't need to move out. You can stay with us. Youre family-" you cut him off.

"Bruce, let's not." You finally look at him. "We're not family. I never was, I never wanted to be. Mom's gone now, and I have no reason or desire to be here. Thank you for letting me stay here for as long as you have, but I will be moving out by tomorrow, if not tonight." You said picking up your mother's bag of stuff and walking out of the room. Bruce followed you to your room.

"But I don't want you to move-"

You dropped the bags. "I don't care what you want!"

Bruce looked at you with his brows furrowed. He didn't get why you were acting like this. Your yelling had gotten the attention of the boys too, all looking in confusion at the bags.

"I don't want to be a part of this family. I never have, and I never will. I never liked you or anyone in this family. And if you're concerned about me speaking to the media about you guys, don't worry. If it helps you, you can make me sign an NDA!"

Damian narrowed his eyes at you. "Dont talk to father like-"

"Shut up!" You yelled harshly. You didn't care who you were hurting. Your mother was gone, you had no reason to be amicable to them anymore.

They left you alone that day, and by the next morning, you were ready to leave. At 6 am, you walked down to the main door, with your bags. You weren't expecting them all to be waiting for you, but here they were. You took a step towards the door, but Dick stopped you.

He cleared his throat. "Um, this is the NDA... if you'd just sign it here." He handed you the papers.

Unbelievable. They actually drew up a contract. You took the pen from his hand and signed at the dotted lines.

"Bye." You took another step, except Damian and Tim blocked your path.

"What now?"

"Where are you going?" Tim asked.

"Do we have to go over this again?" You grumbled. "College." You answered.

"You can't." Damian said smugly. What's he smirking for?

"You're gonna break my legs?" You scoffed.

"No, you just signed a document saying that you're a part of this family, and Bruce Wayne is your guardian and has authority over all decisions concerning you like going to college, or even... going out of the house." Damian replied.

You looked at Bruce, because there's no way Damian is being serious. But there were no signs of joking. You looked at Dick, at Jason-

They were all dead serious.

"You cant- you can't be- you can't keep me here." You said.

"You signed the documents. It's your fault for not reading them." Tim said.

"Bruce-"

"I really do believe that it'd be better for you to stay here." Bruce said, taking ahold of your shoulders. "At least until you're doing better mentally."

"I'm fine-"

"I don't think so. And I could even take you to a psychiatrist, they'd agree with me." Bruce cupped your cheek as you flinched away. "You'd be happy here. I promise you that, you'll be safe and happy with us."

You'd try fighting, but you already knew you were outnumbered.

Besides, even if you weren't, even if you were alone with the smallest one of them, you still wouldn't be able to leave. You have no idea what Damian is capable of.

After all, he's the one who had your mother killed.

#yandere batfamily #yandere batfam x reader #yandere batfam #yandere batman #yandere batboys #yandere bruce wayne #yandere damian wayne #yandere dick grayson #yandere tim drake #yandere jason todd

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noddaduck · 13 days

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D20 really taught me that ttrpg characters should be made with the player in mind, you don’t just have to make a role and try to play it.

Ally with their crazy blue blockers and “nighttime ecstasy” and Lou saying he’d love a pair of those blue blockers was just so Pete and Kingston, and that’s because they made characters they were comfortable with playing, characters they could still be themselves as.

If PiB was making a dnd character for a fantasy Highschool game, he could easily make Gorgug Thistlesprig cause that would set up so many comedy opportunities. Zac “yeah I killed em” Oyama (hope I spelled that right) plays himbos not because he doesn’t want to be mean, but because “sit down” to a massive purple worm just hits so much harder out of the kid who got bullied on his first day of school. And also maybe cause he wants to be soft sometimes I don’t know don’t at me.

Siobhan makes nerds and old characters and mind reading aliens so she can be the smartest one in the room because she is and we should all say it.

Emily makes magical/supernatural punks so she can fuck with Brennan/the system/the world/death itself.

All of Murph’s characters are so confused/stressed/wired so he can yell and solve puzzles and if you gave him Druidic powers he could absolutely figure out how to feed and care for the entire homeless population of New York.

Lou just can’t not have a title, he is the Boy of Destiny, the Vox Populi, the King of Candia, the Maximum Legend. The man has known the struggles minorities face and his ball is absolutely rolling up, it is never coming back down.

Ally Beardsley has made characters with the absolute best development and evolution baked in because of course they did. Mother Goose, the only exception, the calm in every storm of the horror that was Neverafter, as well as the body guard in Mice and Murdered who’s name I don’t remember, the stability and perseverance that comes from truly finding and carving out who you are.

Brennan would make the best parent ever, his self insert was never the eagle guy it was Sklonda and Bill Seacaster and Arthur Aguefort and the Thistlesprigs and Bud Cubby and Jawbone and-

#dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #fantasy high #fhjy #dimension 20 adventuring party

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mx-jinxous · 10 months

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He was in love with a dead man.

Steve found it ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it. When he was forced to find a job after his parents disowned him, the museum was the last place he’d expected to fall in love. The museum gift shop had gladly taken him in as a thank you for his family’s namesake, though Steve didn’t try to pretend interested in the way. He took the job offer, anything to pay the bills.

His current living arrangement was his car until he could save enough money back to get an apartment. Sadly with his car payment and insurance, it hardly left anything to put back, not enough to pay his phone bill for the last few months. Most days it was a toss-up for gas or food, which was going to be a harder decision with the approaching winter. Since he had to drop out of college he’d been left sneaking into the community pool to even get a shower, but soon he’d have to find other options. They started to dwindle as his friends, or rather the people who acted as such, distanced themselves when he was kicked out. He came from money and that’s all that anyone ever wanted.

His first idea was to befriend or date, but he couldn’t use them as people did to him. So he asked for more work, playing it off as expanding his knowledge and role. This led him to partner with the elderly security, who was fondly nicknamed Grey, until they could get him a trainee. Steve happily accepted it. The old man was a storyteller, even his lectures were entertaining as he drifted into stories of his kids. He often let him wander around, and that’s how he found the newest addition to the royalty wing.

They had discovered an underground burial vault, hidden beneath the remains of a castle converted into a long abandoned church. It was above Steve’s pay grade how they ever managed to acquire permission to excavate the vault. One night on his explorations the young man found the exhibit and the statue of King Kas. He ruled in the 1200 c.e., a just ruler in a conflicted era. Sadly, he existed during a blip in history, and few records have been found of his rule.

Still, the statue was handsome and mesmerizing. It was carved from marble and well cared for regardless of facing time. Surprisingly for a cold material, the eyes were warm, inviting even. It’s what kept Steve returning, making him fall. Grey had found him sometimes just talking to Kas about his problems when he came to let him out for the night. He was kind enough to offer an invite to his home whenever he needed, fatherly. He’s what he’d wished his parents were like, he cared for a boy he didn’t even know and even fed him when he didn’t have food. It was nice but also painful.

Steve spent every shift studying the statue. The king was adorned in jewelry; rings, a crown, necklaces, armlets, and bracelets filled with gemstones worth more than Steve’s parents. It only enhanced the beauty of the masterpiece, but it was truly the eyes that pulled him in. Maybe it was the dry spell in his current living situation, but he wanted to reach out and hold his face in his hands. His body was doing that on its own accord, his fingers nearly brushing its cheek when the hallway door was thrown open. Steve responded immediately, hiding behind the nearest pillar. His mind caught up with him once he was out of sight, that he and Grey were the only ones this late, still didn’t want to be caught with his hand on the exhibit.

Taking a calming breath, he stepped out and was going to give him a hard time about the scare. However, he froze when he heard more than one voice, harsh whispers echoing in the unoccupied room. Steve pressed up against the pillar, trying to be silent, trying to figure out how to alert Grey without his walkie.

So he stood there, listening to things being moved, metal clinging. “This is a goldmine. Can’t believe these idiots left it open like this, just ripe for the takin’.” A man cackled, the young man risking it to get a look at the thieves. Three of them, one stripping Kas while the other two robbed his riches.

“Shuddup. You want security up our asses?” Another snapped.

“What? That old guy probably ain’t got his hearing aid in.”

“He ain't alone dipshit. He's got that kid in here. Didn’t see him leave.” The last guy grumbled, sounding like he was struggling. “He’s not gonna be a problem. If he tries anything, I’ll show him mister pew pew.” That got Steve sweating. He needed a plan, a distraction to escape. From his vantage point, he noted the doors were close to the men, there were no windows, and the fire escape was a sprint away that gave the thieves an open shot. But the fire alarm was on the wall, parallel to him. Pulling it would alert firefighters and police, and hopefully scare the men enough to give him the opening that he needed. It was as solid as a plan he could make, but of course, he should know that life loved to make him struggle.

It came in the form of a, “Pull harder numb nuts.”, followed by a clatter. Peaking out he was met with the king's bracelet skidding past him. That’s what gave away his safe spot, the men already yelling and sprinting towards him. Steve took off, snatching the bracelet on the way to the fire alarm. He pulled it as he passed, heading towards the nearest exhibit, Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. There were plenty of places to hide, Steve choosing the curtain that framed a standing sarcophagus.

It was sheered, easy to see through, yet nearly impossible to see in the dark museum. He gripped the bracelet, trying to quiet his breathing when the men came into the room. The alarm lights flashed and blared, however, he could hear things being thrown and smashed. There was angry yelling between the three, Steve watching the best he could through the fabric. He could make out only their silhouettes, watching in horror as they destroyed parts of history, feeling powerless. Was this how it was supposed to end, hunted and afraid? A fitting end to the last shitty months.

All he knows is that he isn’t going down without a fight. The bracelet was a decent weight and could knock someone out with a strong enough swing. He hoped it was enough as the silhouettes grew closer as Steve braced for an attack.

A scream froze the moment, now four shadows appeared on the other side of the curtain. “What the hell!” The man closest to the newcomer howled before he fell, his partner's screams echoing. Gunshots rang out causing a horrified scream to escape the young man. He fell to his knees and curled up, wanting to be as small as he could. Steve couldn’t fathom, nor did he want to attempt, the horrifying noises on the other side. There were screams and then silence.

He could only hope that the perpetrator didn’t find him- but once again life loved to beat him down. The curtain was pulled back, giving him an up-close view of the mystery man. Steve met with those warm eyes that once brought him comfort, now a sign of terror as Kas stood, marble painted in blood. He wanted to beg, to scream, but all that escaped his lips was a whimper. The statue took a step forward and the younger man fell back, trying to push himself as far away from the creature.

Not taking the hint, Kas knelt in front of him, reaching out toward him. He dropped his sword as fingers brushed against Steve’s cheek, causing him to flinch at the cold stone. It was silent between the two, aside from the blaring alarm, leaving them staring at one another. Pulling back his hand, Kas scooped the young man up without warning. A squeak escaped him, fear keeping his mouth bound as he was carried through the blood-drenched room to the king's exhibit. There he was gently sitting on the edge of the stone coffin that had been cracked open to show the interior. The body had been removed before the exhibit had opened so there was no fear of a zombie popping up. Just Steve and Stone Kas.

Steve was balancing himself the best he could while stone eyes studied up and down his body. They stopped on the bracelet still gripped in his hands, causing him to fumble trying to hold it up to the marble man.

“H-Here! I-I didn’t mean to take it, but I kept it safe. See, no damage.” He shook as the statue took the bracelet, examining it closely. Steve sat there, just waiting until Kas saw fit that the bracelet was fine. He hesitated with any noise or movement, not wanting to earn the creature's ire. He wished to disappear, to be locked behind his car doors on the other side of the country, just out of the king's sight.

Unfortunately, that wish quickly broke when Kas wrapped his hand gently around Steve’s upper arm. He watched in horror and confusion as the bracelet slid onto his wrist, giving the man his first clear look at the jewelry. It was a thick gold band with some basic designs carved in it, a bright red gem enclosed in it. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, even Kas seemed to think so as a smile came to the carved face.

“Yeah, i-it’s a lovely piece, but sadly I’m not a jewelry guy.” His nervous chuckle was cut short when the smile fell, his body tensing as it was just them in silence once more. “Please-.” He whimpered.

A sob broke free when Kas leaned in, his cold lips pressing into his forehead. “Te videre iterum, amore mea.” He whispered, pulling back enough to peer down into Steve’s eyes. Without warning he was shoved back into the coffin, the lid pulled over without a struggle.

“Shit.” He mumbled, trying to push the stone lid off to no avail. “Shit! No, no, shit!” He screamed, pounding against the marble. Panicked tears dripped down his cheeks as he kept trying to push to top off. “I- I ca-. I can’t breathe! Please let me out! Please Kas!”

There was no telling how long he was screaming for, but no one came to his rescue. The fight left him abruptly as the situation set in. He was stuck in a stone prison, running out of air, no one knowing where he went. No one would notice him missing until much later after he suffocated. This was how he was going to die, as a nobody.

Steve went to cover his face, only to be splashed with water. He sat there, horrified at the thought that he was bleeding, but no. His body was sitting in water, the coffin filling at a ridiculous rate. He no longer had to wait to suffocate, now he was going to drown long before that.

A new panicked fueled fire filled his stomach, his legs coming up to kick at the lid. He figured if water was getting in, there was a chance he wasn’t completely sealed in. His head was underwater while he kicked with all his might. Soon it started sliding with each kick, giving way to enough space for his body to squeeze through. He wasted no time, the water weighing him down as he pulled himself free.

It was dark aside from a flickering archway, his body freezing as he took a minute to catch his breath. He could tell he was no longer in the museum, the only light seeming to be the only exit. A groan escaped Steve’s lips as he pulled himself towards the light, coming to a spiral staircase that only went up. It was illuminated by torches on the wall, the only warmth in this dark room. Freedom was near, and though his body wanted to give in to rest, Steve pressed on. His body ached, each step taken with a struggling limp that made the trip feel like hours.

He nearly cried when he saw the doorway, a light illuminating the stairs. He was ready for bed, or maybe he’d try to hit Grey up for a shower to get all the death dust off of him. If he was lucky, this was all a horny-induced nightmare.

That came to head when the universe decided to remind him once more of his shit luck. When he walked out of the doorway he was greeted with a group of swords pointed at him, surrounding him. His body was aching, fighting to stay standing as another wave of armored people came in. Trying to take a step back Steve’s body gave out, a mumbled “Fucking bullshit.”, escaping before he hit the ground. His world went dark once more.

________________

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Chapter 1| Chapter 2

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #steve x eddie #SetinStoneSteddie

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daycourtofficial · 2 months

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It’s so quiet in the world tonight

Lucien x reader

Summary: you and Lucien having a quiet night at home, soaking in the peace, discussing how things will change when your baby arrives

Author’s note: kicking off my 1k celebration with my boy Lulu!!!

(1k celebration masterlist 🍾)

“I’m just excited to see a babe growing up around here,” Helion said, looking at your belly. Your father in law harbored a lot of regret about not being around for Lucien as a babe and not knowing that he was his until a few decades ago.

It took a long time, but they have a lovely bond and get along extremely well. Granted, neither of them had a hard time getting along with most.

Except Beron.

You smile at your father in law, excited to see him take on the role of grandfather.

“Except the name ‘grandfather’ will make me feel so ancient. Is there any other name I could use?”

He had been going back and forth ever since you told him the news. If anyone could make your pregnancy about themselves, it was Helion. You didn’t mind, though. It was much better than nursemaids and various citizens who insisted on asking how you were at all hours of the day.

It was kind of them, and you didn’t resent them that much, but sometimes you felt more like a traveling carnival attraction carrying the next heir of Day instead of a mother carrying her babe.

You couldn’t blame them - it was exciting. They didn’t get to cherish Lucien as he grew up, and so now they were taking the time to let you know how adored the two of you were amongst the citizens of Day.

Lucien was so loved in Day, and he had no issues making his interest in you known. In fact, one of his first acts as a member of Day’s royal court was courting you.

It made you incredibly glad you had declined Helion’s many previous offers to warm his bed.

A little over a decade into your marriage, the two of you decided to forego your fertility tonic, leaving things up to the Mother to decide. Six years later, you found yourself with a swollen belly, an excited husband, and two antsy high lords.

Eris’s frequent visits to his mother and brother made him the first person you had confided in about your pregnancy. It had been an accident, really. You had only figured it out a few hours earlier, and he happened to be the first person you saw.

It just came tumbling out of your mouth.

Eris had actually been extraordinarily kind following your outburst, after his initial taunt of “is this how you greet people now, sister?”

Lucien found you crying on Eris’s shoulder a few hours later, his brother’s well-tailored jacket tracked with your makeup. If Eris noticed, he didn’t let on.

“I didn’t know your first act as High Lord was to make my wife cry,” Lucien said, striding towards the two of you huddled on a couch.

Eris waves his hand in the air, “I managed to sign two treaties and lift an embargo before I came here to antagonize your wife. She wasn’t first on my list, brother.”

Lucien sits on the other side of you, placing his hand gently on your back, rubbing soothing circles.

“What’s wrong, sunshine? Was Eris’s company so troublesome it reduced you to tears?”

You crack a smile as Eris lifts your head off of his shoulder, delicately placing it on Lucien’s shoulder.

“How you wound me, Lu. I’ll be sending you the bill to have my jacket cleaned.”

Lucien’s surprise at Eris’s departure doesn’t last long, as he looks back to you, your tears having stalled for a moment.

“I- Lu, I- I’m pregnant.”

His eyes light up, and you can tell he loses control for a moment because his skin glows a radiant glow, his red hair almost blinding. He grabs your hands, placing them in his, as he asks, “is that why you were crying?”

You nod your head, the action causing a pain throughout your head.

“Are you worried?” He asks, concern on his features.

You stare into his eyes, his mechanical one whirring taking in everything about you. The look on his face told you your concerns were ill-founded, but they still tumbled out of your mouth.

“How are we going to teach them how to read? I’ve never taught anyone how to read.”

His brows furrow, and his eyes light with amusement.

“I think we have a few minutes before teaching them how to read, I’m sure we can figure something out.”

He pauses, cutting you off before you can speak again, “and I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to figure out how to teach them how to count.”

You and Lucien had sat on that couch for hours, all of your worries melting away with your husband’s comforting words.

And the realization from Lu that you could, in fact, hire a tutor to teach the babe how to read.

The two of you had retired to your rooms after dinner with Helion, where he made zero progress with names for your babe to call him.

The name “Papa Hehe” was what led the two of you to excuse yourselves so you could laugh in private over how much thought he was putting into the names.

Lucien helped you out of your dress, pulling it over your head.

“You know,” he says, putting the dress away and picking up one of your nightgowns, “my taking your dress off is how we ended up here.”

You push his chest lightly, “Lu, I’m so swollen I can hardly walk down the corridors.”

His smirk turns feline, “I never said you had to move.”

“I’m due any day now,” you tell him.

“I heard that pleasure can help induce labor,” he whispers in your ear, tucking hair behind it.

You laugh into Lucien’s mouth as he kisses you, holding you as close as the bump would allow him to. You let him guide you to the bed, and he helps you lay down on your back, your hair adorning the pillow behind you in a halo.

Lucien’s hand caressed your swollen belly, receiving a light kick in response.

“And pray tell, what is my baby girl doing awake at this hour?”

You roll your eyes, giving up ages ago on correcting him. Neither of you had any inkling as to the sex, but Lucien was convinced it was a babygirl.

“She got confused and thought we lived in the Night Court.”

Lucien chuckles as he drags his hands up your thigh, delicately placing kisses up your calf and up your thigh, your moans spurring him on further.

And damn it all if Lucien wasn’t right about his baby girl, who arrived about twelve hours later.

#acotar fanfiction #lucien x reader #lucien vanserra x reader #lucien x y/n #lucien vanserra x y/n #lucien x you #lucien vanserra x you

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soul-controller · 2 months

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Going All-American

When Arthur Harris first made his way out of his flat to go check his mailbox, the man had solely been expecting to come across unexciting yet expensive content like bills. Upon gripping onto the solid stack of envelopes and beginning to filter through them, the man’s assumptions were mostly proven to be correct. However, it was the very last envelope that Arthur saw that caught his eye. From just the envelope itself, Arthur’s attention was further pulled in by the fact that his name and address were handwritten onto it along with the several stamps running along the top left corner displaying an American flag. Clearly, this was a personal and international piece of postage that he received, but the fact that there was no return address listed immediately piqued the man’s interest even further.

Upon making his way back up to his flat and hastily tearing open the envelope, the man’s mind was running rampant in the possible content of the postage as he pulled open the letter to figure out its contents. To his surprise, Arthur found a piece of paper that was chock-full of text that he cautiously skimmed through. While reading through the first letter, a slight grin emerged on his face as he found himself coming across a professional-looking note that stated that he had won a trip to California. Although he had no real recollection about applying for a contest or sweepstakes, that didn’t matter once he discovered what he would be doing there.

Congratulations, You (Arthur Harris) are the grand prize winner of the sweepstakes to win an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles! While you are here, you’ll be shuttled to the set of the hit television show All-American, where you will be able to explore the sets and meet all of your favorite actors. Please be ready on the date listed as a car will be waiting for you to take you to the airport for your departure to Los Angeles. We look forward to giving you an “All-American” experience in more ways than one! Sincerely, S-C Productions

“Holy shit!” Arthur said, the letter slipping from his hand as his entire body began to buzz with excitement. Although he wanted so badly to jump up and down in glee and loudly cry out for his excitement, his respect and care for his flatmates caused him to hold back and conceal his emotions as best as he could. Getting a free trip to LA was exciting enough, but the added bonus of getting to travel to the set of All-American was a dream come true. Certainly it would be interesting for the man to witness the entire process of filming given his own interest in film and cinematography, but even more so when one of his biggest crushes was in frame.

Ever since Arthur had first watched Cody Christian arrive on his television screen as Theo in the Teen Wolf TV show, the man was instantly smitten with him. Not only did Cody perfectly play the role of a cocky and self-assured asshole, but he was also incredibly hot while doing so! Every time Arthur watched an episode of the show, Cody was one of the main reasons behind his continued viewing despite the show’s consistent dip in quality. Unfortunately, Cody’s role as a side character that bumped heads with Tyler Posey’s Scott McCall wasn’t enough to keep Arthur engaged though as Arthur ultimately dropped the show before it even finished airing.

As such, Arthur’s thirst for the actor lessened for a bit as he only focused on seeing the hunky man via social media or Tumblr via gif-sets. Luckily though, a renewed interest emerged when Cody landed the role of Asher on the TV show All-American. Not only did the show catch Arthur’s interest because it caused him to fall back in love with Cody, but it also perfectly meshed with his own interests as it was a show about football players… especially since Cody was playing a cocky and materialistic football player named Asher.

Given how much this was a dream come true, Arthur still found himself quite unsure whether this was really happening or if he had somehow fallen asleep accidentally and was thus having the best possible dream. After a painful pinch informed him that this was truly reality, the man tilted his head back down towards the floor to look for the letter once more. Upon doing so though, he saw that the letter was flipped onto its backside after falling to the floor. While this wasn’t anything to write home about, glancing at the piece of paper revealed that there was more important information included onto the back.

Reading through, Arthur quickly skimmed through an itinerary that listed what Arthur would experience throughout his trip. The trip to the All-American set was seemingly meant to take up most of the day according to the list, but Arthur didn’t mind when he read about how the set would provide several meals throughout along with getting to watch several scenes get filmed along with a meet and greet with several of the actors.

As his hands continued to travel down the sheet as he read, his attention soon was caught by the firm slip of paper affixed to the bottom of the paper. Upon looking down, Arthur’s eyes widened as he saw that an airline ticket was already ready to go for him. While it was a relief that the studio had seemingly already worked ahead to get everything ready for the trip, the man was understandably confused about how they knew where he was located and concerned about when he was going to go on this trip. While seeing that the date was on November 22nd, Arthur was quite caught off-guard when he checked his work schedule and realized that he had somehow requested that day off. He had no idea why he would have done that, but he wasn’t going to fret about it too much when it benefited him.

Regardless of how the date aligned so well, Arthur was quite relieved to find that there would be no hassle in terms of getting in trouble at his job. It was a miracle that he had even received this surprise trip in the first place, so Arthur opted to not ask too many questions. In this quick acceptance of his surprise gift, Arthur failed to notice that the ticket was a one-way ticket rather than a round-trip, which would have given him a clue about the fact that his trip would end up becoming permanent. Instead, he quickly made his way back into his bedroom and began filling his suitcase with clothing that would work well with the humid LA weather he would soon be experiencing…

* * * * *

When the morning of the 22nd finally arrived and the alarm of his phone rang out, Arthur woke up with a smile on his face rather than his usual routine of groaning and hitting the snooze button. Excited for the impending trip, the man quickly got out of bed and dragged himself into the bathroom to shower. Upon getting done and tying a towel around his waist, Arthur made his way back into the bedroom. Just as he began to pull the towel off and change into clothes though, a loud pounding against his door caused Arthur to gasp and scream in shock. While trying to catch his breath from the real life jump-scare he had just experienced, Arthur slowly made his way towards the door of his room and took a look through the peephole.

While looking through, Arthur’s eyes caught sight of a burly yet well-dressed man who stood firm with his thick hands at his hips while looking at the door with an intimidating yet stoic expression.

“Uh hello, can I help you?” Arthur inquired, checking for a moment to confirm that the deadbolt and chain on his door were both fully locked. While this was certainly a realistic reaction to seeing the stranger outside his door, the British man let out a deep breath of relief and mentally scolded himself when the man stated that he was from S-C Productions and he was the driver to take him to the airport for his LA trip. Upon telling him that he was in the middle of getting dressed, the driver sternly told him that he had ten minutes before he was leaving - regardless of whether Arthur was in tow or not.

After apologizing and saying he’ll be done as soon as he can, Arthur rushed away from the door and began to change. Given the fact that he would be spending several hours in the cramped seating of a plane, he opted to dress in loose garments that would provide some much needed comfort throughout the hours-long trip. After quickly devouring a small bowl of cereal, Arthur grabbed onto his suitcases and made his way towards the door.

Before turning the knob and exiting though, Arthur stopped in front of the large full-body mirror on the backside of the room’s door to verify that he looked presentable given his haste. As he looked at himself and gave a slight smile to see how others would perceive him, the man was relieved to see that his biceps looked rather impressive given how much skin the tank top revealed. While the rest of his torso wasn’t nearly as buff as his biceps, the man still recognized the fact that he looked better than most people given his semi-regular gym routine. However, the continued staring at his mirror caused him to traverse down a dark mental rabbit hole of self-doubt considering that he would soon be in LA where it seemed like practically everyone would be a 10/10 with gorgeous physiques and perfect visages galore.

Shaking his head in hopes of pushing those intrusive thoughts away, the man finally took a deep breath and turned the handle to begin his journey to Los Angeles. Upon awkwardly introducing himself to the burly driver, Arthur followed the man as he led him down to the ground floor. Throughout the journey from exiting his flat and putting his luggage into the car, Arthur couldn’t help but stare at the impressively-built man. The man, who introduced himself as Wes, had a physique that was filling out the stylish black suit to the brink of having the fabric tear. Following behind Wes was a blessing in disguise for the British man as he got to watch the man’s perky yet firm ass fill out the seat of his pants and bounce with each footfall he took.

Throughout the drive to the airport, Arthur tried his best to make small talk with the intimidating man. Unfortunately, conversations quickly stalled when Wes told Arthur that he needed to focus on traffic to get him to the airport as quickly and safely as possible. Upon arriving at the airport, where Wes quickly told him to get out before speeding off to do another job, Arthur momentarily mourned for the missed connection he had with the man.

But as he grabbed his luggage and began to walk through security and towards his departure gate, Arthur’s mind shifted focus away from Wes and back onto his thirst for Cody. Due to just how excited yet exhausted he was from the early morning wake-up call, Arthur found himself soon falling asleep upon putting his luggage away and taking his seat. As he quickly fell into a state of slumber though, the continued thoughts of Cody Christian and his thirst for the man soon led to a rather erotic sex dream that involved Arthur worshipping the hunk’s muscular body and easily helped the hours-long flight fly by as he felt no desire to wake up no matter how much turbulence he felt.

Upon the plane landing and a young female attendant softly shaking him awake, Arthur moved in a dazed state as he exited the plane. Given his total discombobulation about the new area along with not knowing where to go to pick up the luggage, he opted to just follow the crowd through the terminal towards the correct area. Luckily, Arthur’s luggage was one of the first few pieces to arrive, so he was able to escape the large crowd and make his way towards the taxi area of the airport where the letter stated that someone from the studio would be there to pick him up.

After a bit of getting lost and having to ask for directions, Arthur finally made his way to the correct area where he looked through the long aisle of drivers holding signs with their intended client’s name. At first annoyed that it took two rounds of searching through the crowd of drivers to find the one holding his name, Arthur quickly began to recognize why when he walked up to the hand extended through the crowd and discovered that his driver was a rail-thin man cramped between two chubby drivers.

Upon asking for the men to move, Arthur pulled the mousy man through and revealed himself. “Hey there, I’m Arthur. Are you the driver from S-C Productions?” he inquired, trying to make sure he wasn’t taking the wrong Arthur’s ride.

While he awaited a response, the British man quickly took a look up and down to observe the man he’d seemingly be working with throughout the entire trip. The man was rather tiny, with a height that just barely reached 5’5” and a weight that refused to go past 95 pounds. The man’s face looked rather impressive with the angular jawline, high cheekbones, and bright blue eyes, but Peter’s thick black-rimmed glasses and low weight counteracted those features and instead made him look nerdy and rather malnourished.

“Hey there, I’m not a driver but I am here to pick you up and take you to the studio though. I’m Peter,” he began, stopping to extend a hand out, which Arthur quickly accepted as they did a quick handshake. “I’m an intern at the studio, they needed someone to pick you up and I volunteered. It certainly beats doing coffee runs and dealing with difficult actors, am I right?” he said, his high-pitched and whiny voice shifting into a deep and wheezy chuckle that understandably took Arthur off-guard.

“Oh ok, uh, it’s nice to meet you then Peter,” Arthur responded, returning the chuckle to help the dorky-looking man not feel self-conscious before pulling his lips into a light smile. Although Peter tried his best to appear official by offering to take Arthur’s luggage, the British man feared possibly injuring the man due to how hefty his bags were and thus declined the offer and said he’d carry them himself. At first, Peter seemed a bit caught off-guard by the kind behavior, but when his expression turned appreciative with a wide smile, it was clear that the young intern appreciated not being treated as the help for once.

So upon leading the way to the black Escalade that the studio had told Peter to use to pick him up, Arthur deposited his bags into the backseat before hopping into the passenger seat. As Peter finally put the car into motion and drove out of the airport, Arthur’s eyes widened as the intern surprised the retail cashier with a quick little tour of LA as they made their way towards the studio. It was incredibly exciting for a cinephile like Arthur to get a quick glimpse of famous locales like the Hollywood sign or the Griffith Observatory. Despite the slight intimidation those locales provided in terms of realizing the impact and level of celebrity he was going to be around as a result, Arthur found himself remaining calm as Peter finally made his way towards the studio entrance.

After making a moment of small talk with the security guards out front, Peter showed off an ID badge that allowed the gates to open and for the intern to continue driving. As he made his way through the busy backlot, Arthur’s eyes couldn’t help but wildly dart in hopes of seeing any famous celebrities in the midst of walking to set or coming out of any of the trailers that lined the outer edges of the road. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see anyone of note beyond what appeared to be some stunt actors decked out in some recognizable costumes.

While he continued to search around, Arthur’s frantic attempts were suddenly interrupted as Peter put the car into park and caused you to violently lurch forward from the fast braking. Upon looking over towards the meek man, who apologized for the abrupt stop, Arthur decided to ignore the whiplash and unbuckle his seatbelt. Before exiting though, Peter quickly ran through the itinerary to remind him of the schedule for the day. First, Peter would give Arthur an in-depth tour of the All-American sets that weren’t currently in use. Then after getting some lunch, Arthur would be ushered to the current filming locations where he’d be able to watch some takes and meet the actors of the show. Upon finishing that, he’d be led to the writers room, where he could discuss screenwriting with them, before heading to get some dinner courtesy of the studio’s lavish buffet. After this was finished then, Peter would drive Arthur to the hotel that the contest had purchased for the night.

With the itinerary for the day repeated to him by Peter, Arthur eagerly smiled before getting out of the car so the tour could finally begin. Luckily, the tour was fairly impressive to Arthur, as evident by the wide smile on his face as he saw the sets of the show and began to recall countless scenes (and gifs from Tumblr) where Cody was involved. Although there were many interesting sets that Peter led him through, Arthur was by far the most captivated by the set of the college gym. The mental images of several workout gifs that he had seen (and even jerked off to) continued to play in his mind as his hands grazed along the freshly cleaned equipment.

In all honesty, it was a bit of a bummer that it was so freshly cleaned because Arthur would have wanted nothing more than to get remnants of Cody’s sweat onto his fingers and catch a whiff of the surely alluring scent. Was it a bit creepy to think about getting off to an unsuspecting actor’s sweat? Sure, but Arthur knew that it was the wholehearted truth and felt no shame as a result.

Upon finishing up with that standout set, Peter followed it up by announcing that it was time for lunch given how hungry the Brit must be after the flight and drive to the studio. Although Arthur didn’t originally think about his appetite due to his excitement about eventually meeting Cody, the sudden gurgle deep in his gut was so loud that it echoed through the empty set and caused him to agree with Peter’s assumption. After following him through the seemingly empty studio, Arthur soon picked up on the sound of several distant voices that grew increasingly more prominent with each step he took. Peter pulled back a black curtain and motioned for Arthur to enter first, which caused him to quickly find himself in the middle of a craft services room. As the intern returned to the front to lead Arthur through the crowd of confused and curious low-tier members of the cast and crew, Peter took a moment to introduce Arthur to everyone and explain the reason behind his inclusion on set.

After Peter led him to the table to get a plate of food, which ended up being a filling yet basic meal of a sub sandwich and some chips, Arthur took the time to walk around and network with the crew members in between bites of his food. Given his own interest in film and the lesson plans that he’s had to do in the past involving cinematography, the man had a decent time talking with the lighting and camera operators to learn directly from them about their job and how they work to create the best possible show.

Although Arthur could have spent much longer chatting with people, the alarm of a clock rang out to signal that the end of lunch had arrived. While several of the crew members had their expressions sour as they returned to their job, Arthur stood out as he grinned in joy due to the realization that it was finally time to move onto his most anticipated part of the set visit - it was time to watch filming commence and meet some of the cast of the show.

As Peter led him through a door, Arthur was caught off-guard when the dense California air hit him. Looking around, the man soon discovered that not only was the set they were filming on was outside but it was a scene being filmed on a replica football field. Although the football field wasn’t completely legit given the fact that size constraints meant that they were shooting on a small plot of land rather than a 100 yard long area, the illusion was certainly still realistic to Arthur while seeing all of these actors decked out in football gear. In fact, the cameras were currently rolling as they filmed an actor sprinting before turning behind him to catch a football. Stunned at just how realistic the play felt, Arthur was utterly transfixed as the director called cut and the football player dropped the ball before sauntering out of the frame and gruffly demanding for someone to get him water.

Given Arthur’s own thirst for cocky and dominant men, his eyes remained trained on the mystery actor while admiring the man’s physique. From just that single take that Arthur observed, he was able to immediately pick up on how buff the man was. While watching that take as it occurred, his attention was instantly caught by the moderately firm set of quad muscles and the sizable ass that tightly bounced against the athletic shorts that he was wearing. Although the man wasn’t a real football player, he certainly could have been one with such an impressive build!

While Arthur watched the still-helmeted actor move to the side and get crowded by a bunch of assistants (where one of them handed him a styrofoam cup full of water), he couldn’t force himself to direct his attention elsewhere. Even as Peter basically dragged Arthur closer towards some of the cast and crew, Arthur remained utterly transfixed by the man’s sweat-soaked skin that glimmered in the sunlight and only showcased an impressive set of biceps that caused the fabric around his arms to bunch up. As such, Arthur endured an incredible shock when the mystery man finally pulled off the helmet and revealed that the man was none other than Cody Christian himself.

“Ho- holy shit,” Arthur said under his breath, although his panic and shock caused it to be a bit louder than he intended as he saw several people turn to look at him confused. Now that’s one way to make an entrance, Arthur thought to himself, instantly replaying the scene he witnessed in his head over and over. Of course, the reveal that Cody was practically next to him elicited a physical response in the form of a sizable bulge that pressed out against his shorts. After moving his hands down to try and conceal the untimely boner that he had sprung, Arthur’s thirsting session was interrupted as Peter caught his attention and told him that it was time to meet some of the cast while they took a break from filming.

Although he meant no disrespect to the other cast members that Peter introduced him to, Arthur couldn’t help but make quick small talk with the people before using his peripheral vision to see what Cody was up to. Based on the few glances he had taken throughout, it seemed as though the man’s personality wasn’t too far from the characters that he often played. From what he could see and partially hear, it seemed as though Cody was having a tantrum and yelling at his assistants and other crew members due to how hot the conditions were outside and how they didn’t respect him enough to keep him hydrated by having water ready for him.

As previously mentioned, Arthur loved himself a bad boy, so while this would be a turn-off to some people, it only made the actor more desirable in his eyes. While the cashier certainly didn’t like how Cody was treated the staff, his mind twisted the man’s behavior and speech into a more sexual context as he envisioned himself intimate with the hunky actor. It wasn’t often that the asexual had vivid sex dreams, but something about Cody just unlocked something deep in him that left him yearning for any kind of physical intimacy imaginable.

This sexual daydream was quickly interrupted by Peter, who tapped Arthur on his shoulder and broke up out of that daze. “Hey Arthur, was there anyone here on set that you were specifically wanting to meet today? If so, I can try to see if I can get a meeting with them. If they’re not here on set today, I could always try to pull some strings by contacting their agent or manager and arranging a FaceTime session with them,” he inquired, giving a reassuring smile that caused Arthur to lean in and whisper Cody’s name. “Ah I see, well let’s see what I can do about that then huh,” Peter continued, smiling and patting Arthur on the back before using that arm to push him forward towards his celebrity crush.

Even though the journey was only a few feet, it felt like an eternity for Arthur as he watched his body traveling closer and closer to Cody. Once he was two feet away from the actor’s group surrounding him, Arthur couldn’t help but gasp as Peter loudly spoke to gain their attention. “Excuse me, excuse me,” he began, smiling as his voice was able to break through the small group and get everyone (including Cody) to turn and look at Peter and Arthur’s direction. “Hey there, this is Arthur Harris, he won a contest through the studio for a special set tour and meet and greet with the cast of All-American. According to Arthur, he’s a big fan of yours Mr. Christian, so I thought it would be nice to properly introduce you two,” he said, keeping a chipper smile on his face even though Cody’s expression remained cold and quite clearly rageful.

“Uh hi there, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Arthur stammered out, which caused a few people in Cody’s posse to pause upon hearing the British accent he was speaking with. “I’ve been a big fan for years, so it’s really awesome to get this-,” he continued, suddenly interrupted when Cody huffed loudly and began to speak.

“Hey dude, it’s great that you won this random contest or whatever, but I’m like really not in the mood for a meet and greet. Plus, I’m like, really in the zone with my acting right now. So even if I wanted to spend my precious time chatting with some obsessed British fan, I really don’t have the right mentality for this right now,” he coldly said, which immediately provided a soul-crushing blow to Arthur given how direct and biting his words were.

Even though the man had never met the British man before, his phrasing was so direct it seemed as though they had been enemies for years! Although he wasn’t the most vocal person around, the cruel words had struck a chord with Arthur and thus he felt a desire to make his opinion heard by the cocky actor. But just as he began to take a breath to speak, Arthur was interrupted as Cody angrily cursed and caused everyone on set to look at the interaction going on.

“Bro, I really don’t give a shit about what you have to say. Like, you’re a nobody and I’m Cody Christian. Everything about you pales in comparison to me. So how about this, why don’t you get the fuck off my set so we can finish our scenes and I can go home. The sooner I can forget about you and your dumbass fanboy behavior, the better!”

Throughout the entire experience, Arthur could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes as he looked around and found that everyone there bore witness to his humiliation at the hands of the actor. Although he wanted so badly to tell the actor off and give him a taste of his own medicine, the fear of further punishment and potentially causing the actor to snap and get violent towards him caused him to back down. Instead, he allowed Peter to lead the way as the intern led the embarrassed man away from set to somewhere more secluded.

This location ended up being a small crew trailer that was quite a bit away from the liveliness of the active film crews. Upon entering, Arthur finally allowed his emotions to show as he began to actively tear up and try to release the pent-up emotions that he was feeling. Throughout, Peter found himself trying his best to console the man and lift his spirits, but it seemed to be no use. Then a light bulb suddenly flicked on in Peter’s head and caused him to smile and look down towards Arthur.

“Hey, don’t get upset about that asshole. What would you say if I potentially had a way to get some revenge on Cody?” Peter inquired, which immediately caused Arthur to stop his sniffling and look up.

“Wha- what do you mean?” he said, taking a deep breath in between his words as he tried to calm himself back down.

“Let’s just say that I have… something special that could teach Cody a lesson and make him regret treating you like that. What would you say to that?”

“Say no more then, I’m interested. That asshole has no right to treat people like that just because he’s an actor. I want him to pay for what he’s done, I want him to feel the same intense sense of humiliation and shame that I feel right now…”

In response, Peter reached into the pocket of his pants and searched around for a moment. Upon pulling it out and extending his hand outwards, the nerdy intern dropped his clenched fist and allowed a necklace to unfurl out in front of Arthur’s face. “Well, I think I have something in mind that can do just that…”

Looking at it, Arthur saw that the necklace itself seemed rather simple and basic given the fact that it was a silver key with a small silver chain looped through it. But as he grabbed it with his hands to inspect it, a full body shiver coursed through Arthur’s body, which was seemingly enough to get him to go along with whatever plan Peter had in mind.

“Ok, tell me what’s going to happen then and what I need to do…”

* * * * *

At first, Arthur was quite worried that he wouldn’t be able to find Cody’s trailer despite Peter’s directions, but it seemed as though Cody’s ego made sure that that was impossible. While walking through the backlot, Arthur eventually stumbled in front of a trailer that proudly had Cody’s headshot taped to the front door along with a bold and unmissable text that displayed his full name. According to Peter, Cody often took breaks alone in the trailer around this time to “unwind” and “get in character”, so the duo figured that this would be the perfect opportunity for Arthur to enact his revenge against his tormentor. So after having a moment to take a deep breath and steady himself, Arthur gave himself an encouraging nod as he pulled open the trailer door and quickly walked into the premises.

Of course, as Arthur entered up the steps and made eye contact with the hunky actor as he sat back in a leather recliner, the man’s expression quickly changed from the lax and seemingly happy expression he was displaying. Bizarrely though, the expression it became wasn’t of rage but rather total confusion.

“Wha- who the fuck are you?” Cody inquired, which only furthered Arthur’s annoyance and dedication to his current plan. The asshole didn’t even recognize him even though the interaction just occurred less than an hour ago!

Feeling emboldened by the power that Peter had seemingly gifted him, Arthur found himself standing strong and angrily responding to the actor’s questions. “I’m the wrong guy to mess with, you fucking asshole,” he cried out, taking a few steps closer to Cody and crossing his arms.

“Wait, you’re that fucking obsessed fan from earlier,” Cody sneered, getting a bit uncomfortable being stuck with who he assumed to be a total creep. “How did you find my goddamn trailer? What, did you think you were going to just come in here and try to see me naked or something? Get the fuck out before I call security and get your pervy ass put in jail!”

“Yeah, that’s not happening Cody. You’ve been an asshole to the wrong people, it’s about time you pay for all of the bullshit you’ve put me and this crew through. Luckily, I have the perfect way to make sure that you learn your lesson,” he began, stopping before revealing the answer and thus causing Cody to get a rare shiver of panic to course through his body.

“What, are you going to try and hurt me because I wouldn’t say hi and take a fucking selfie with you? Grow the fuck up! I was working, I don’t have the time for such worthless bullshit!”

“I’m not going to hurt you, but I am going to make you regret the way you not only treated me but those poor assistants of yours. There’s no reason for you to be so stuck up and rude to people. I was a big fan of yours and I just wanted to get the ability to properly say hi and tell you how much I appreciated your work. Instead, you brushed me off and made me feel worthless like those poor assistants of yours.”

“Oh, so you’re making threats now huh?” Cody retorted, immediately pushing himself up from the recliner and sauntering his way over towards Arthur. With each step, the actor tried to make himself appear even more intimidating by clenching his fists and cracking his knuckles, allowing the noise of the popping to fill the empty trailer until he was face-to-face with the fan. “I don’t take threats lightly, so I don’t think you know who you’re messing with. I don’t think you thought this plan through bro…”

“You think so? Actually, you’re exactly where I need you to be,” Arthur responded, a wide grin emerging onto his face as a sudden tingle emerged from his chest.

Looking down at it caused Cody’s eyes to follow suit, which caused him to discover the gem on the necklace that Arthur was now wearing violently shaking against his firm chest. While this originally could have been explained by the jock actor as some cheap gimmick or gag gift, the sudden levitation of the necklace was unexplainable.

“Holy shit,” Cody exclaimed, watching as the key rose up until it was no longer hanging around Arthur’s neck but rather extended straight out towards Cody’s own neck. “Wha, what is that shit? Are you a goddamn witch?”

Before Arthur could offer up a response to the hilarious assumption though, the key suddenly jerked forward and caused Arthur to be dragged along for the ride. Given the fact that there wasn’t much free space for the man to move given Cody standing in front of him, Arthur instinctively closed his eyes and braced for impact as it tugged him directly towards the confused actor. Despite the lack of any physical impact of their two bodies, the tugging seemingly had an unintended side effect as Arthur found himself quickly drifting off into unconsciousness as his newly comatose body remained stuck in place. If he had been awake and looked down at the necklace though, Arthur would have seen that the key had somehow plunged itself deep into the center of Cody’s neck and caused his gasps of shock to become muted.

Although it was painless for Cody, it was still quite terrifying to endure finding himself no longer able to speak as his throat was stabbed by the key. So while his mind originally focused on the fear of no longer being able to speak or deliver lines, a new fear began to emerge as he opened his eyes and watched as the crazed fan was going through an indescribable sight. The longer it looked, it seemed as though pieces of Arthur’s body were seemingly being pulled off of Arthur’s body and turning into particles that were sucked into the thick silver key like a vacuum. It was quite a horrific sight to watch as the man lost limbs and several pieces of his body until only his head and neck remained levitating in front of him. But soon enough, this too dispersed into particles that were also transferred into the mysterious yet magical key in front of him.

Even without a neck wrapped around it, this key remained stuck in place lodged into Cody’s neck. Cody could only gasp in shock and allow tears to fall down his face as he could feel motion emerging with the key. Looking down, he watched as the key somehow turned itself sideways into his flesh and made it appear as though it was unlocking a doorway.

In reality though, the necklace itself was a magical item that promised the ability to transfer souls. Upon getting in close contact of an intended target, the necklace would go into action by inserting itself into the subject’s neck and allowing the wearer’s body to evaporate as their soul was transferred into the necklace as a sort of holding chamber. Upon having the necklace turned, it unlocked the usually impenetrable soul of the human body and allowed for the wearer’s soul to invade.

So as this unlocking occurred, the entirety of Arthur’s soul traversed into Cody’s neck and began to disperse itself throughout all of Cody’s body. With each additional second after this invasion, Cody found himself growing fainter and fainter as he lost all of his motor control and senses. Once every piece of this was taken from Cody and traded to its new host, Cody’s soul lost consciousness and caused the body of the hunky actor to suddenly collapse and fall to the floor. Upon making an impact, the key suddenly popped out of Cody’s throat and bounced across the wood floors of the trailer a few times before finally settling.

Out of nowhere, Arthur suddenly gasped as he was slingshot back into the realm of reality. Upon finding himself on the floor of the trailer, the man grimaced and groaned as he reached onto the end of the leather recliner and pushed himself back up to his feet. Looking around for a moment, Arthur’s eyes widened as he looked around and realized that he was alone now. As he took a look down at himself and saw the firm physique stretched out in the same clothes that he had previously seen Cody wearing, it didn’t take many more context clues for him to figure out what had occurred. “Holy shit, I’m Cody Christian,” he said, chuckling as his cock began to immediately harden at the thought of being in the body of his celebrity crush.

Eager to get a better look at himself, Arthur quickly grabbed onto the necklace on the floor and put it on before pacing through the small yet spacious trailer in search of a mirror. Upon finding a bathroom door and heading inside, the man flicked the light on and smiled gleefully as he saw Cody Christian staring back at his reflection. What soon followed was a rather intimate and erotic session of feeling up his body and admiring the gorgeous physique. As he lifted up his arms and flexed, the man’s cock throbbed and began leaking pre-cum due to just how erotic this all was. He was already a fan of transformation content, but the concept of actually experiencing a transformation of his own into one of his celebrity crushes was truly a dream come true.

“Serves you right you fucking asshole,” Arthur remarked, chuckling while hearing the sound of Cody’s voice saying his words now. “Yeah, I know you’re still down there deep down. A little perk of using this trusty necklace made it so you’re still able to witness and feel everything that I do while I’m in control. You made me feel extreme amounts of shame and embarrassment from just simply saying hello, so I’m going to make every day of your life a living hell now.”

Before Arthur could continue explaining how exactly he was going to go about torturing the real soul of Cody Christian, a knock on the actor’s trailer door caused him to stop. Upon taking a moment to calm down and try his best to adopt Cody’s talking style, Arthur took a deep inhale and exhaled before making his way out towards the door. Pulling it open though, the man smiled widely as he saw Peter standing on Cody’s doorstep.

“Did it work?” the intern asked, trying his best to play it cool in case the real Cody was still around.

While he at first tried to play it cool and pretend as though he was really Cody, Arthur couldn’t keep the charade up long and thus broke character by curling his lips into a devious smirk. “Oh yeah, it worked,” Arthur said with a chuckle. “The Cody Christian that you know is now no longer in control…”

Opening the door wide to allow Peter inside, Arthur quickly slammed the trailer door shut and locked it as he prepared to get a crash course on acting and get a head start learning Cody’s lines before he’s required to head back to set in 20 minutes. Although it was certainly a struggle at first trying to comprehend the intricacies of acting and learning what Asher’s plotlines have been so far this season, it was totally worth it when it was finally time to change into the clothing necessary for the next scenes. When Arthur was handed a hanger that contained Asher’s football uniform, the man was buzzing with excitement as he headed into the bathroom and changed into his clothing. Despite wanting so badly to spend time checking out his new body nude and admiring every inch of his godly new muscles, Arthur was adamant about the fact that the new Cody Christian wouldn’t be tardy or a drama queen in any regard. As such, he pushed aside his erotic urges and instead pulled the uniform on.

While doing so, Arthur still had a blast as he was able to find his two favorite things colliding together into one thing. Not only was he now in the body of his celebrity crush but he was also getting dressed in an accurate football that was quite similar to those that the NFL players he thirsted for wore. It was an absolute dream come true! This was especially true taking a moment to check himself out in the mirror and seeing how the padded football pants helped his thighs and ass look impeccable while the skintight compression shirt fully showcased the strong arms, modest pecs, and broad shoulders that he could now call his own.

Upon pulling on the shoulder pads and then putting on the jersey, Arthur’s cock, which was now a few inches longer, was consistently throbbing as the look was completed and he saw his reflection. He truly looked and felt like a football star! With this much needed boost of confidence from Cody’s previous taunting, Arthur was most certainly in high spirits. This was especially apparent as he looked into the mirror and gave himself a pep talk. “You’ve fucking got this, you’re Cody Christian and you’re even better than that shitty imposter!”

With this pep talk completed while also riding on the high of further tormenting the real Cody trapped deep down inside, Arthur gave an elated grin towards his reflection before exiting the bathroom and allowing Peter to lead him to set.

* * * * *

As shooting for the day was called, Arthur Harris was quite relieved to know how well his first day as an actor went. While remembering lines was one of his biggest worries, it seemed to be seamless for him as if he had gained Cody’s own ability to act and recall lines. The biggest issue actually came in the form of having to do the full-on football scenes that required him to actually run plays and catch the ball while in the role of Cody’s wide-receiver character. Luckily though, a quick refresher from some crew on the show was able to help Arthur fully grasp the plays and successfully nail the scene by rushing down the fake field and scoring the game-winning touchdown. Although it was obviously fake given the field and the numerous takes it took to get it right, Arthur still felt like a star football player when he “scored” and clenched the win for his character’s team.

While his time watching the shooting of some scenes was relatively brief, it was quite apparent that things were dense due to Cody’s diva behavior. But given the fact that the real Cody was no longer around and Arthur was on a mission of turning Cody into a more respectful and calm person, things began to feel a bit less restrained as the crew and cast began to interact more and thus started to create a sense of harmony on set.

This continued into the night until filming was finally finished after doing a workout scene in the college gym that Arthur had often seen hot clips of Cody working out in. It was quite mind boggling to find himself in Cody’s body while in the area that had led him to have plenty of wanking material. Even more wild was the fact that the scene called for Cody to be working out shirtless (something that the crew told him was due to feedback from focus groups that were aiming to appeal to more female viewers). Given the fact that Arthur hadn’t really gotten a great chance to check out his shirtless body, he was more than willing to go along with such a concept and eagerly peeled off his shirt.

While the crew offered to mist his skin to make him appear like he had been sweating, Arthur was quick the shut the idea down. “Nah, I’d like to go method for this scene,” he cockily remarked, giving a wide smile to the director which seemingly convinced him to agree. With permission granted, Arthur spent a few minutes working out on several machines until he was dewy enough for the camera to pick up on it.

Once the scene was shot and filming concluded for the day, Arthur opted to stay back and spend a little bit extra time in the gym set. After saying goodbye and thanking the crew for their hard work, Arthur watched as everyone slowly filtered out and went home for the day besides himself and Peter. Upon waiting a few minutes to verify that there were no stragglers that could return in case they forgot something, the duo finally began to speak and discuss the events of the day.

After Peter gave high praise to Arthur for his performance as Cody Christian, the duo shifted gears to discuss some other elements to their deal. Obviously, given the fact that Peter was able to provide the unbelievable reality of possessing Cody, there would be a requirement to reward Peter for the gift he had bestowed upon Arthur. Although there could have been a sizable monetary requirement for such a priceless gift, Peter’s ask was quite simple. All he wanted in return for giving Arthur Cody’s body was the chance to admire the actor’s physique and achieve his fantasy of getting Cody Christian off however he desired.

Given the fact that Arthur knew that he would surely be horny in the aftermath of possessing Cody, it was a no-brainer for him to accept such a proposition. Not only did he get someone else willing to worship his body, but he also got to cum in the process! With the agreement out of the way, Arthur wasted no time pulling off his clothing and revealing to the both of them for the first time the nude physique of Cody Christian.

As Arthur lifted his arms up and flexed his biceps, Peter was quick to jump into action by peppering kisses along his firm upper arms and running his tongue along the musky pits of the freshly sweaty actor. All through the experience, Arthur had a look of pure elation on his face as he savored the sensation of feeling incredibly strong and masculine. Although he had gained a rather impressive physique from his years of working out, the man was still rather meek and thus didn’t really use those muscles for much when it came to any romance and intimacy. With Cody though, that would all change since he felt like the total package.

To make matters even erotic, Peter was desperate to add more humiliation for the real Cody by moaning his name as he ran his arms along Arthur’s back and firmly used a hand to squeeze each perky ass cheek that he now had. While his hands then traversed back up Cody’s broad back and moved to the front, Arthur even chimed in talking about how great it was to have his body felt up by someone smaller than him. This tit-for-tat continued between the duo as Peter cupped Arthur’s pecs and ran his tongue along the man’s washboard abs while Arthur continued on the slight taunting towards the thinner man.

The idea seemed to be rather effective, as both men were soon rock hard and begging for release. Luckily, Peter recognized this fact for both of them and opted to do something about it. As he got down onto his knees and began to focus on toying with Arthur’s new cock, the former British man fell back onto the seat of the bench press and lifted his arms up while gasping. Despite seeming like a total novice when it came to sex, it appeared as though Peter was an expert as he sensually ran his tongue along Arthur’s new 9.5” shaft and even took a moment run his hands underneath Cody’s sweat-stained shorts to play with the straight actor’s tight asshole. Luckily though, the main event finally arrived as Peter opened his mouth and put his lips around Arthur’s cock. Before long, the two of them were loudly moaning (although Peter’s was muffled due to just how wide his mouth was spread attempting to wrap around the girthy manhood) as they both pushed desperately towards completion. Within seconds, the inevitable finally arrived as the duo came in unison, with Arthur’s thick load taking a quick journey down the back of Peter’s throat while Peter’s own cum splattered against his underwear in an intense fashion.

After Peter finished sucking and pulled his mouth off of Cody’s cock, the duo both laid down for a few minutes to catch their breath from such an erotic and unbelievable experience. When Arthur first received the invitation for the trip from Nate, he had no idea of just how life-changing it would be. Not only did he get to teach a cocky asshole a much-needed lesson, but Arthur also got a new body and life out of it… and the body of his idol no less! It was a dream come true, so much so that Arthur quickly said as much as he logged into his Discord account to send a message to Nate saying exactly that. While he promised to explain more later, Arthur ended the message by saying that the gift was the best thing he could have received.

Now eager to get out of the studio and explore what this new life has in store for him, Arthur said his goodbyes to Peter while talking about how he was excited to see him tomorrow. Although there was certainly no real attraction that Arthur felt for the meek nerd, it was safe to say that they would be friends forever due to the kindness that Peter had done for him. As he finally made his return to Cody’s trailer, Arthur rifled through the rather grand closet that had countless designer brands hung up. Feeling rather proud of himself for such a great performance as Cody Christian, Arthur opted to pull out a luxury suit and put it on. It was quite erotic to see the final result as he looked into the reflection in his bathroom mirror, especially given how form-fitting it was with his muscular build!

“Let’s go see what the life of Cody Christian has to offer huh?” He said to his reflection, lifting his arms up and giving a cocky flex that was punctuated with a wink to just further the humiliation towards the soul stuck powerless in his own body. After grabbing Cody’s phone and wallet, a quick search through the trailer provided a set of car keys. Making his way out of the trailer, the man was quite amused to click the lock button of his key fob and see the lights of a brand new sports car light up.

Upon unlocking it and getting into the driver’s seat, the man oohed and ahhed at the leather seats he had as he turned the car over and felt the car purr to life. As he took a moment to press his foot onto the gas pedal and feel the engine powerfully rev up to the point where his body was shivering, a cocky smirk emerged on Arthur’s face as he felt drunk on unbridled power. Not only was he in a powerful car, but he was also now the proud owner of an even powerful body and life. All of those years of thirsting and blindly stanning the actor had paid off as Arthur was now for all intents and purposes Cody Christian through and through. With a body like this, he could get any man or woman he desired along with any role given his Prince Charming level good looks.

Even though he didn’t have a license or a car back in the UK, the brand new Cody Christian still felt no worries as he sped off into the night. He was a lucky man after all, and there was no way that he’d end up losing when he looked and felt this good!

Like what you read? Please consider signing up for my Patreon to not only support my work but also get access to longer and more explicit stories like this one.

#male transformation #possession #male possession #jock transformation #revenge #celebrity

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hotvintagepoll · 2 months

Text

Propaganda

Myrna Loy (The Thin Man, Manhattan Melodrama, Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House)—Started out a slinky silent screen vamp. Became a screwball lead who had a blast drinking, being married to William Powell, solving mysteries, and taking her dog everywhere in the Thin Man Movies. Broke our hearts in The Best Years of Our Lives and played a string of dream wives. Remained hot the entire time. Decades of hotness.

Gracie Allen (A Damsel in Distress, Honolulu)— The funniest woman who ever lived, she was the brains behind an absolutely brilliant radio show that she did with her husband George Burns. The radio show was later turned into a television show (which you can find on Youtube) but during the radio days, it was announced that Gracie would be running for President of the United States for the year of 1940. She was running for the Surprise Party, and refused a Vice President as, according to her, there would be no room for vice in her white house. Her slogan was "Down with common sense -Vote for Gracie Allen." [more about this beneath the cut]

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Myrna Loy:

Myrna Loy excelled at playing coy women, so common in screwball comedies in the 40s. She batted her lashes, and shrugged with grace, and made her costars look like foolish heels next to her. She charmed with sneaky elegance, well-placed pouting, and repartee. Besides, she was sultry AF.

While Myrna certainly looked hot in some her earlier vampy exotic bad girl roles, I think shes hottest when her comedic chops got to be displayed. Her dry wit, comedic timing, and subtle facial expressions make her the queen of deadpan snark.

She's just very Mother

So beautiful and popular she was crowned Queen of the Movies in 1936, Myrna Loy was also an amazing actress. She's best remembered for The Thin Man and sequels, where she gets to show off her comedy skills, adding irresistible impish charm to her classic beauty and dancer's figure.

THE SASS

One of the few actresses who managed to successfully transition from silent to talkies, never won an Oscar but was at one time the highest paid woman in Hollywood. Advocated for better roles and pay for Black actors in the 1930s, so passionately anti-Nazi in the 40s she made Hitler's blacklist, spoke out against Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare, and advocated for fair housing in the 1950s and 1960s, all while being hot as fuck opposite William Powell, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy and a whole galaxy of the Hot Vintage Men Poll all-stars.

Cute as a button with so much RIZZ! She and whatsisname in The Thin Man are relationship goals.

She was literally called the Queen of Hollywood! She is so sassy and funny in the whole Thin Man series. Absolutely hot in those, and who doesn’t love a woman who can laugh? She had the sultriest gaze and that style! Also before she was a star she sat as the model for an iconic statue for a school (representing “Fountain of Education”).

the glamour!! the banter!! the comedy!!

She's got this cute kinda scrunched up face AND shes funny AND shes got a bangin body.

Gracie Allen:

Continued from previous propaganda: "We don't want to get rid of men entirely," Allen said, according to a story in the April 22, 1940, Indianapolis Star. "All we want to do is make them unconstitutional and keep them out of circulation, but have them handy when there's no place else to go."

On the Neutrality Bill pending in Congress: "If we owe it, let's pay it." On recognizing Russia: "I don't know. I meet so many people." On which political party she was affiliated with: "I may take a drink now and then, but I never get affiliated.""

She did have to drop out eventually, with World War 2 being on and all, but thousands of people still wrote her in anyway, even if the FDR won the popular vote in the end. (https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2016/03/31/that-time-a-comedian-won-the-wisconsin-presidential-primary/84944806/)

#gracie allen #myrna loy #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 1

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itsmealaiah · 3 months

Note

Could you make one with 2010!Tokio Hotel and fem!reader just gets passed around between them (sorry if this is to weird)

dw you're good! ❤️

Passed around

can be read as male or female

tags/ warnings: Sfw and Nsfw headcanons, mentions of sex, roughness/ dom! band members, body worshipping, mention of safewords

MDNI ⚠️

Synopsis: being passed around the band is more fun then meets the eye

(i would think the cycles like a month one week for each of the members)

Tom:

He's absolutely making the most out of those seven days with you. Taking you to clubs, getting wasted, waking up hungover, still dressed in the same clothes as the previous night.

Heavy, heavy sex during this time. Doesn't matter when. Public? perfect place to throw you against a bathroom wall and have his way with you. However, in private, he's much more dedicated, savoring each part of your body with his eyes, before giving you what you're both craving.

Very careful not to get you to use a safeword. It breaks his heart when the word spills from your lips, tiny little sobs escaping as well. He'll do whatever he can to make up for it, giving you cuddles, kisses, anything for his love.

I don't think he'd be fully in love, maybe like ninety-percent but only because the band each has a turn with you every week, so you come back to him pretty much used to the max (ifykyk)

Bill:

He is never leaving your side, always with you, taking in every single moment he can. It can mean him in bed, or just a calm day together where he pampers you like crazy, doing all your favorite activities, getting the best out of this short time frame.

Shopping, little dates, trips to the park, small car rides, or just a relaxing night in with ice cream and a cheesy movie, he's doing it all. He doesn't want to miss a second, and pass up the chance to be with you.

Cuddles are an absolute standard. He doesn't like to make loving sessions of cuddling sexual, he loves just to feel your body warmth wrapped around his, being consumed by his slim, tall figure while lying down.

When you guys actually have sex, its not just quick and easy, it's with love, with gentleness, with heavy carefulness. He prides in your wellbeing, making sure you feel better than he does. In his mind, he doesn't matter, only you, he takes so, so much pride in making you feel good.

(and when you squirt from his actions he feels like king of the world)

Georg:

He hates the seven day period, always begging for more time because he doesn't want it to end. (obviously a no but still)

He'll be worried that he's not giving you enough, that he needs to do more, rushing you everywhere, prompting you to tell him its okay, to just take it easy, that there's no rush.

Once he's calmed down and is in the right headspace, he's such a caring and gentle person. Giving you little gifts, going grocery shopping for your favorite foods, surprising you with clothes or just something fancy for another time when you're out and about together.

Romantic in-home date nights are a staple in this relationship. Usually ending with sex and aftercare, their his favorite night with you. It's probably not just one night to be honest, maybe like fridays and saturdays, I find those days romantic and carefree.

When he's in the mood, he's putting you first, just like bill. He takes such a delicate approach to your body it simply makes you melt in his arms, making him smile feebly while he's pounding in and out of you. He's both a dom and a sub, the roles reversing basically on your mood.

Gustav

My man gustav. He's probably the most gentle out of all the members, like in all my fics.

Every night, out to dinner. If you get bored of the same thing every night, he'll change it up. A relaxing night in, cuddling, giving you massages, small words of comforts spilling from his lips.

Falling asleep in his arms, his heart will be filled with so much motherfucking joy he feels like he can't breathe. He'll love you even more after that, giving you so many massages it'll make you crazy.

He loves those little moments with you. it seems cheesy to the rest of the band, but he lives for them. A little kiss on the forehead, cuddles, here and there. His love language is definitely physical touch.

In bed together, he will prefer being a sub over a dom. Have yall heard that thing were big dick men are always quiet? I feel like thats gustav 🤭😏. He will practically worship your body, eyes pouring over your naked frame, taking in each twitch, each movement, each little noise you made, begging him to stop looking and start using.

he makes it worth your while in the end

a/n: thank you for reading! requests are open! ❤️

#tokio hotel x reader #tokio hotel #tokio hotel x you #itsmealaiah #bill kaulitz #tom kaulitz #kaulitz twins #gustav schäfer #georg listing smut #georg listing imagines #georg listing #gustav schafer smut #gustav schafer fluff

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creedslove · 1 year

Text

DIAMOND RING 💍

Pedro Pascal x f!reader

Summary: Pedro reflects on the biggest mistake of his life: letting you go

Warnings: angst, age gap, insinuations of cheating (open to interpretation), no happy ending

A/N: don't be tricked by the name of the story, this is a sad one and no happy ending

1.6k words

If someone asked Pedro what was his biggest regret in life in an interview, he would probably make something up just to please the media and he could get away with the answer.

But if his friends or family asked him about that… well, they wouldn't even need to ask the question in the first place, they all knew his biggest regret was letting you go.

You'd been his for four years, four of the happiest years of his life, yes he wasn't that famous, and he certainly didn't have as much money as he did now. But the two of you were happy.

He was older than you, by almost more than twenty years and your family wasn't thrilled to see you fresh out of college with a guy much older, but you didn't care. You loved him with all of your heart. He was handsome, sweet, he had a beautiful soul and it didn't matter if people talked about your age difference. It was not his fault Pedro had fallen for someone who was younger and it wasn't your fault you had fallen for someone older. Despite the odds, you were meant to be.

Pedro could never get his hands off you, he'd never been more turned on before. You and him would spend the whole weekend in bed, just exploring each other's body and making plans for the future.

He always dreamed about making it big and you believed blindly he would reach his goals. You supported him through his jobs, some of them were bigger and some paid better, but it was still not what Pedro had dreamed of.

He would hold you tight at night and whisper sweet nothings into your ear, including promising you once he got a big, well paying role, he would buy you the biggest diamond ring he could find.

You two would burst out laughing at the idea, but you enjoyed closing your eyes and daydreaming about that. Not because of the money, of course, you didn't care about it at all. Of course having a comfortable life was good, but you two had already had that. You lived together in a decent apartment, you and Pedro managed to pay the bills and there was even some extra cash to travel here and there. Not to mention how happy you were, you had each other and that was the most valuable thing in your life.

Yet, you daydreamed about the ring, not because of the diamond, but you daydreamed about what it represented. Pedro, on his knees, offering you that symbolism of a life together, a marriage, maybe kids, your future together.

But not everything was a bed of roses.

And no matter how much you loved Pedro, you felt upset each time you were seen together on the streets and he said you were nothing but a friend. Pedro always explained he wanted to preserve his personal life, and you weren't against that, you knew that even if he weren't that famous yet he was already photographed on the street, so you figured once he reached fame it would be worse.

But it still stung to be addressed as a friend only, as if you were his dirty little secret. Good enough to be his girlfriend at home, but not enough to be his girlfriend in public.

Whenever you saw him getting ready to hit a red carpet or a public event your heart clenched at the small amount of envy you felt. You often wondered how good it would be to be all dressed up and dolled up to follow him to premieres. Walk around movie starts, watch all sorts of releases before everyone else, but you always got the same answer whenever you asked Pedro if you could come: you'll come with me the next time, sweetheart.

Also the long shooting schedules took a heavy toll on your relationship, Pedro was always all around the country, sometimes abroad, up to six, eight months shooting in latin america.

You trusted him blindly, but sometimes your insecurities got the best of you, he worked with so many beautiful women, met actresses, models, and all sorts of gorgeous girls while you were back home. Sometimes a picture or two would surface with him and the cast, or him and another woman smiling, but to anyone who asked, Pedro would say the same he did about you: it was just one of his friends.

As the years went by, you saw your friends moving on, growing mature and taking steps to adult life. Less parties, less clubs, and engagements, weddings and baby showers were the places you would mostly see them. You were so happy for them, but you couldn't control that tiny little jealousy seed growing within, as it seemed everyone was evolving and you were stuck. You loved Pedro with all of your heart, but you began wondering if he loved you just as much.

When Pedro got the Mandalorian role, you thought your chest would explode out of love and pride, knowing he had worked so hard for decades, he had done his best and had to overcome so much, so you got his favorite bottle of wine and headed home after work.

He was already there, he had just got off the phone with one of his sisters and smiled at you. It was a nervous smile, but you didn't even care, you ran to his arms and hugged him tight, burying your face into his neck and looked up at him. You tried kissing him, but he stopped you.

"I got something for you" Pedro said and asked you to sit down.

You obeyed excitedly and curiously, watching him attentively.

He sat next to you and cupped your cheeks "I got something for you, but you gotta promise me you will let me explain and you won't interrupt me" he asked gently and he got the small box out of his pocket, showing a beautiful, elegant ring. The diamond was big and sparkly and you couldn't believe your eyes. It felt like you were invaded by a bunch of butterflies flying around your whole body.

"Pedro…" you whispered, already tearing up, your heart racing to the point you could hear your blood pumping through your ears.

"Shh, let me speak, Y/N" he asked.

"I always promised you you'd get one of these when I finally got a lot of money, because you deserve it as you've always been with me, supporting me, and I'll always be thankful to you for that" he looked into your eyes and caressed your cheek.

"But we can't continue doing this, Y/N. I love you, but I can't give you what you want. You want a husband, kids, a house with a white fence and that's just not me, that's not who I am and what I want for my life. You're incredible and I want you to take this ring to remember our times together" he swallowed hard and hated to see the disappointment in your eyes, how they swelled up with tears and you sniffed before crying.

You couldn't believe what was happening. Pedro was dumping you now his career was about to kick off, after all the time you supported him now you weren't good enough for him.

You looked at the ring and shook your head throwing at him

"I don't want this fucking ring, fuck you Pedro!" You yelled at him and exited the living room.

You never looked back.

Another four years had passed and your lives took opposite turns, Pedro became a real superstar, to the point it was nearly impossible grabbing your phone without seeing something about him and his career.

You hadn't spoken again, but you still followed each other on Instagram. You saw his posts but pretended you didn't. And he did the same with you. He watched as you evolved into a beautiful, mature woman, but never made any interaction with you. He wondered if you ever missed him like he missed you everyday.

He'd had many friends over these last few years but none of them got as nearly as you did into his heart and as much as he hates admitting the truth, his heart did break a little when you made your new relationship official. His breath got ragged and his anxiety spiked when he took a look at your boyfriend.

He was the complete opposite of Pedro.

Your boyfriend was tall, blonde, had piercing blue eyes and was way younger than him.

Pedro tried ignoring it, let it go, he reminded himself there were hundreds, thousands of women who would just about anything to sleep with him, and yet, that thought didn't make him feel better.

It didn't matter what he tried to do to distract himself, that feeling was still in the back of his throat, burning and making him uncomfortable.

He thought it wouldn't be worse than that, but then it was, when less than a year he'd seen your post, you made another one to announce your engagement.

In the picture, your now fiance held you as you both showed your hands to the camera, making it possible to see the ring. Pedro sighed and went to his nightstand, getting the small box he'd kept after these four years and saw the ring you refused.

His was more expensive and more beautiful, but your current ring made you happy, because it wasn't just about the price or the size of the gem. The ring you carried now, was given by another man, another man who could give you something Pedro never could and never wanted.

He was going to give you a family, while Pedro only wanted to have fun. That was the difference between them, and luckily to you, you'd picked the right man this time.

_____

A/N: reader's boyfriend face claim is Lithuanian actor Rihard Lepers because I have the hots for him as well xD

#pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x y/n #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal headcanons #pedro pascal headcanon #pedro pascal angst #joel miller #javier peña #javier pena #rihard lepers

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astaroth1357 · 1 year

Text

We Need To Talk About Nightbringer (the Person, Not the Game)

I'm still scratching my head over what Nightbringer's goal is here... How is MC involved? Why send them back in time? And, of course, who are they??

SPOILERS Up to Lesson 12 Below Cut

The Fuck is the Goal Here??

Sending the MC back just to form pacts makes no goddamn sense. If the MC acquiring pacts was the real aim, then that mission was already accomplished in the present-day. There's something more here.

Why send MC back to RIGHT NOW? What about making pacts AT THIS TIME is desirable to Nightbringer? Is the end game even having the pacts at all...?

I posit that Nightbringer wants war, specifically, another war between angels and demons. The imagery of scales brings to mind the fragile balance of peace that Diavolo was mentioning between the realms before. RAD isn't built yet, his goal to improve relations is still in its infancy, and the times are so tumultuous that MC risks an all out fight starting just being there. So if Nightbringer wants to make things come to blows, then this is the PERFECT time to send them to.

However...

What is this "path to happiness" all about? What does Nightbringer think will make the MC most happy...? And what about THEIR happiness is linked to his? Is he assuming that in a war of the three realms, MC would side with the demons and thus if demons win then MC will be glad? That doesn't really track with the MC as presented in game... They're generally shown as a peacemaker or bridge builder. I don't think a war would make them happy at all!

Ultimately, I don't think we can answer this question in any way that makes sense until we have a better idea of WHO Nightbringer is so....

Who is Nightbringer??

It's Barbs

This goes for any version of Barbs: past, present, future, or even an alternate self I guess. This only makes sense because we're dealing with a demon who does time travel and there's only one demon we know who fits this bill but... why?

I can't imagine any reason why Barbatos would betray Diavolo, at least the one we know. This guy is so loyal to his lord that he's the ONLY character who won't completely kowtow to MC's whims even in the OG game. His true loyalty was always to Diavolo. Not the realm, not demons, DIAVOLO. And if Diavolo seeks peace, then why on earth would Barbs want to cause a war?? Is he more bitter about things than we thought...?

If it's a different version of Barbs, then I guess this goes out the window, but even then what's an alternate Barbs care about this world specifically? What would he hope to gain? MC? Why?? The means are all here, but I just can't figure out the motive, so...

It's Not Barbs, but Connected to Barbs

You know. I've been thinking a lot about this and I've been considering how, thematically, it could be appropriate for Diavolo not to be the only one with a progenitor/parental figure out of commission. We can assume that Daddy Devil must of had an attendant like Barbatos to aid him like Dia has Barbs so...

What if Nightbringer is the old King's previous attendant? And what's more, what if they aren't Barbs but related to Barbs? Like a sibling or parent? It's important to note that Barbs' time capabilities are not INTERNAL to him. It's his room of doorways to other timelines. Presumably, anybody with sufficient knowledge could inherit that room and just take over the role of the Devildom's time lord.

I know it goes against all of our previous notions to think that Barbatos was, at some point, just an everyday demon and not some primordial, OG force of nature but none of that was canon anyway. Something to think about.

It's Michael

I know people keep offering up this one, but I'm really not buying it... Yeah, Michael has always been this looming, shady figure over the OM universe and he's canonically and non-canonically done some eyebrow raising shit, but what's the motive here? Plus, Nightbringer's thematic ties to, well, night really feel more demon than angel... The Celestial Realm is always sunny, the Devildom is always dark. I think it's just a stretch...

Michael wanting another war could be interesting, especially since we've seen far more of angels being actively antagonistic to demons than the other way around, but I don't think that makes him Nightbringer. At most, he could end up being a shadow ally in his plot to bring everything to a head once again.

It's Solomon

In truth, even I don't think Nightbringer is the Solomon we're talking to. But I still think it's suspicious that all of this plays out so perfectly for our present-day Solo-pal... Personally, I take anything this guy tells us directly with a grain of salt since we know he'll lie openly, so here are the facts we're working with:

We are interacting with our present day Solomon (or at least one with knowledge of who we are and our timeline's events).

Solomon is the only one in this current space who knows of our full history in the OG timeline.

This Solomon put himself not only in the position of being the ONLY ONE who knows us that we can interact with, but happily isolated us from the brothers and made himself our main point of contact.

And last (and perhaps most importantly) HE'S STILL TRYING TO MAKE PACTS. He approaches Lucifer about it and successfully makes a pact with Asmo centuries before he's supposed to! If my guy is really from the present, that's like, Changing the Course of History 101! What the hell???

Let me present to you a theory. He is not present-day Solomon, sent back to help MC. He is past-Solomon, caught up to MC's identity through Barbs' time powers and just playing the part of our modern-day buddy. If he's from the past, he doesn't have to worry about changing the present timeline like we do because that ain't even him we've been speaking to. It feels like he has this bet going with Nightbringer... they have some kind of wager and MC is key to it. They're the one who'll tip the scales and Solomon is trying to get us to stay on his side.

It's Not Solomon, but Connected to Solomon

There's something off about Solomon that everybody, LITERALLY everybody, makes comments on: how he doesn't seem human anymore.

The OM timeline introduced the idea that a person can become something else, no matter what they started out as. The brothers were angels, but they fell, so they became demons. Simeon violated angel rules, so he was made into a human. The idea of corruption related to Solomon has always stuck in the back of my mind... The guy has over 70 pacts, he's lived for several centuries at least, and there's just something NOT RIGHT about him...

When Solomon and Nightbringer are speaking to each other, this line stuck out to me.

I find this comment so damn weird. If Nightbringer is a demon and has always been a demon, why would Solomon feel the need to lampshade this? He's pointing it out as if it's meant to get under Nightbringer's skin... Why state the obvious?

What if Nightbringer wasn’t always a demon?

Nightbringer refers to and brings up his demonness as much as Solomon brings up his humanness. That, to me, reeks of insecurity. They may not just be fighting on the lines between demons and humanity, but fighting each other/themselves to prove who's side they're actually on.

What if Nightbringer is a fully-corrupted Solomon? Either a Solomon in the future who's fucking around with the past or a Solomon in this timeline/dimension that's trying to use MC to cause destruction for his world??

..... Okay, I do know this is a bit of a reach. As much as I would love to blame the sorcerer, Nightbringer still seems like a being who's just... been around a while. Far too long to start fucking up shit now. It's possible that if he is from the future and just hopping through time, there's nothing stopping him from going back however far he wants to, but then you could get into the "You are your own grandfather" paradox and the next thing you know we're in another installment of Kingdom Hearts where time is our worst enemy.

HOWEVER, the idea of corruption DOES bring me to my wildest theory yet.

What if Nightbringer wants MC to become a demon...?

Think about it.

It could explain why Solomon is trying so hard to make MC remember and side with their humanity.

It could explain why Nightbringer sent them there under the guise of demon to start with.

It could be why he wants them to make their pacts again. He's trying to seduce them into fully embracing the demonic world through their connection with the brothers.

Humans die, right? Why not be a demon and not have to worry about it?

Throw away the Ring of Light.

Stay by your demons' sides.

Embrace the darkness.

Join the damned.

And when that big'ol battle that he wants happens, he'll have the most powerful sorcerer/sorceress, fully demonized, fighting for his side against God himself.

..... Or that's my spec script anyway. Probably too out there, but man would it be fun...

#my money is on option two #but option five would be WILD #or you know #my trust issues are acting up again #obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me nightbringer spoilers #obey me nightbringer #obey me nightbringer theories #omn spoilers #omnb spoilers #obey me solomon #omn solomon #obey me barbatos #omn barbatos #obey me michael

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kindasleepywriter · 3 months

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Bird of Prey - Chapter 11: Light and Darkness

Bird of Prey masterlist. Azriel x Reader.

Chapter summary: Azriel tries to teach you how to summon shadows of your own, but you both find yourself very distracted.

Story rating: Mature - Minors DNI

Warnings: Talks of emotional and psychological abuse, mention of past El.riel relationship. Some explicit content (grinding, kissing, biting)

Word count: 3.9k

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“If you think about it, one little flick of a dagger and my target is choking on their own blood. It’s all I need, really, I can just decide to not use my magic…”

Azriel scoffed. “And continue destroying every living room in Prythian? I think not.”

You rolled your eyes and leaned back, staring at the ceiling once more. You lay sprawled on a beat-up old couch, one that had taken the place of another costly one you’d seen upon arriving at Azriel’s discrete house. Mor’s orders, he had said when you asked him about it. She had ‘spent too long choosing his furniture to let it be turned into rubbish’, apparently. You really couldn’t blame her; you knew you had been racking up a large bill for repairs.

Azriel, sat at the other side of the relatively small couch with his wings draping over the backrest, gently squeezed one the calves resting in his lap.

“Look, if you only focus on the material aspect of the shadows, they’ll never come to you.” he said. “Yes, their purpose is to serve you, but they’re not mindless listening devices. They still have to deem you worthy on some level.”

As if in agreement, one of the shadows surrounding you both ran up your neck to curl behind your ear, before returning to its peers.

“Great,” you said, “the one thing I’d been craving this week was a little bit of extra judgment, just to keep me humble.”

Azriel tilted his head back in laughter. “Don’t see it that way, it’s more about respect.” he said, adding “Something that took me a bit too long to figure out.”

You rose to rest on your elbows, raising an eyebrow at him. He sighed, refusing to meet your eyes.

“When the war happened, I somehow got stuck on the idea that, since Rhys and Cass were mated to two of the Archeron sisters, Elain somehow had to be mine.”

“But isn’t she…”

“Mated to Lucien, yes. And we both knew it at the time, I was just holding on to the idea that I couldn’t be the one “left out”. Three sisters for three brothers, is what I think I said a couple of times.”

You frowned. “That’s… a good way to make sure your kids never date, that’s for sure.”

He shrugged with a chuckle, playfully pinching your ankle.

“You should’ve seen the crisis I had when Rhys ordered me away from her, I was furious in a way I’d rarely been before. When I was with her, my shadows would go away for some time, and I took it as a sign that she was the light I needed.”

“Wait,” you interjected, “they left completely?”

“Yes. I thought that was a good sign, but I realized after some time that they’d been hiding from her, from us. What she and I had was unhealthy, we were both desperate for control over our own lives. When we ended it, when I came to my senses, I encouraged her to seek out Lucien and to at least give him a chance. I promised her that, if she ever said the word, her mate wouldn’t ever be near her again. I think that security let her take that step.”

You nodded. That’s what Lucien had meant when he had mentioned that Azriel had played a role in Elain’s acceptance of the mating bond. The thought of the Vansera had your heart clenching. You still hadn’t talked to him since that night on the balcony when you’d compared him to his family. It was a low blow, especially from you. Gods, what a mess of things you had made.

Azriel stroked your calf with his thumb, snapping you out of your thoughts. His shadows remained draped over you like a cloak, less agitated than the ones around him. He looked at you carefully, a tight smile adorning his features. “He’ll get over it, you know. He asked about you, how you were. He cares.”

You sighed, fully sitting up and resting your head on your knees, shaking out your wings in the process. You tried to keep them from brushing against Azriel’s but, on a couch this small, it was almost impossible. Your feathers only brushed the very tip of the membranous surface, and you saw Azriel clench his fist, barely noticeable. “I think that might be the problem,” you said, “we went our own way shortly after escaping autumn, and I’ve changed over the centuries. I was broken then, and the things I’ve done since…”

He inclined his head in acknowledgement, full of understanding. He’d told you just enough about his role as spymaster that you knew his duty weighed heavily on his mind.

“I was still barely out of childhood and, despite all that had already happened, I think I still had some shreds of hope that what I had lived was the exception, not the rule. The further I travelled though, I just kept on seeing the cruelty of the world and I decided I wanted no part in it, that I was better on my own. Lucien… We haven’t talked in centuries. I preferred not to break his image of me.”

He lifted a hand and softly pressed circles onto your lower back. You shivered at the contact, glad that he wasn’t venturing any higher. “What happened in Autumn?” he asked softly.

You hesitated. You had never told a single soul other than Lucien about those details, and you knew he himself kept his life in Autumn relatively private. Shadows curled around your ears once more and, though you could not hear their song, you knew they were trying to comfort and anchor you or remind you that you were not alone.

“I… I don’t think my fiancé,” you spat the word like poison, “had much of a plan in mind. He wasn’t exactly a mastermind; Beron was always the one pulling the strings. Beron was- well, he was an enigma to me, albeit a vile and cruel one. He was great in the beginning of course, but he changed when I had lost most of myself and by then I had lost the will to fight back. I had no idea why he wanted to keep me there.”

Azriel didn’t pause his comforting movements but stiffened next to you, frowning, dread and anger shining in his eyes. Some of his shadows had drifted some distance away from the both of you, but you could see their erratic movements from the corner of your vision. You stayed quiet for a moment, giving him a moment to gather his thoughts. This side of him, the diplomatic spymaster who chose every word carefully, always fascinated you. It was a sight you hadn’t witnessed much since you’d made peace with each other. You hoped it was because he could let his guard down around you, but when it happened you nevertheless couldn’t take your eyes off of him.

“Did any of them-” he hesitated, though you suspected it was more so in response to your stare than any doubt of his own, “Did any of them ever cross any boundaries?”

You had to bite back a scoff at the time it’d taken him to come up with that, but your chest warmed from his intent to be respectful. “That’s… a complicated question.” His hands stilled on your back and his eyes darkened. It wasn’t dread that they contained now, only pure fury. “The tactics they used tended to be very psychological, they didn’t need to harm me physically. Any word or action I did would be weaponized against me by Lucien’s brothers, but the one I was engaged to made me feel like I was losing my mind. He’d say something had never happened, that I was misremembering... I felt a lot of shame, even more so when I started to realize what was going on. I felt… I felt naïve.”

Azriel winced at the pointed way you spoke the last word. ‘Naïve, pitiful girl, blind to the most basic of manipulations’ he had said, back then.

“Not my greatest moment,” he admitted sheepishly. “I need to apologize for those words, they were more hurtful than I’d planned, and I should’ve corrected myself. I never actually believed those things.”

You quirked an eyebrow at his admission. You couldn’t say you forgave him exactly, but it had happened centuries ago. You nodded at his words. “What had you ‘planned’, then?”

“I had only seen you once before saying that. One of the brothers, the one I assume you were engaged to, was ‘teaching’ you how to act in court, and you were hanging on his every word.”

You remembered that day. You’d failed to use the correct title to address some lord or other, and the Vansera had spent an entire day showing you the standards you were held to, in a way that subtly implied you didn’t have any say in the matter. ‘But that’s only when we have company, of course.’ He’d failed to mention then that, in the Autumn palace, there were a constant flux of guests, nobility and the like, as well as guards in practically every room. You always had company, so you always had to obey.

“Clearly, he was an asshole only pretending to care for you” Azriel continued, “but when he started explaining how to best hide your wings and even went so far as suggesting removing them, I was so shaken that I could barely think. When I saw you truly consider it, I felt like I couldn’t stand there and watch. Being the idiot that I am, I thought spelling it out when I knew you’d overhear would be a wake-up call, but when Cass reprimanded me afterwards and I realized I did nothing more than insult you, you were already gone. I couldn’t exactly start a war to get to you, not with Rhys’ still fragile rule at the time, so I had to let it go.”

You grimaced. You had indeed considered such a procedure. Your wings had brought you so much pain in your brief experience of life and you’d trusted the Vanseras completely at the time. If they said something was for the best, you just nodded and went along with it. Passing as High Fae would’ve been an added perk, especially since they already all thought you had lost the ability to fly.

It was Beron who’d pulled the plug on the idea, the fee for the healers a waste of gold. It might’ve been the only good decision that had been made in that palace concerning you. You were far more suspicious of his motivations now. Having a half-breed for a daughter-in-law wouldn’t be something he appreciated.

Gods, the idea of letting them take such an important part of yourself made you nauseous now. Your wings reflexively flexed at the thought, the urge to taste the sky stronger than ever. If only you weren’t in a populated city… maybe you could at least try to glide, for the first time in centuries.

You realized with a start that Azriel was under the same impression as the Vanseras: he thought you were clipped. You’d never told him otherwise, and you’d refused to fly when you had met him in that clearing. The thought made you panic. Was it too late now, would he see it as dishonesty?

You breathed in, attempting to speak, but the words were caught in your throat. You knew he disapproved of the barbaric practice, but you’d kept that side of you, the bird of prey, hidden since arriving in Velaris. You’d trained alone with Cassian, sure, you’d wrestled Nesta to the floor, but you had held back. The killer, the warrior with a need for vengeance, that was a secret you still held.

Seeing clipping in a negative light didn’t mean he would accept that.

You’d been silent too long; your breathing had gotten too fast. The hand Azriel held at your back raised to the nape of your neck to softly caress the skin right underneath your hair.

“Hey, stay with me, you’re okay.” He whispered, concerned eyes taking in your increasingly tense posture.

“There’s something- I just-”, you tried, avoiding his gaze, your voice strangled and unable to form the words.

His hand softly tightened where it rested, softly turning your head towards him, his other one coming up to stroke your arm. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, Dove.”

That wasn’t quite true though, was it? He was still the spymaster, he needed to know things like these. You struggled some more, looking anywhere but at him and trying desperately to speak despite your fast breathing.

His hold on your neck tightened. “Look at me.” he said, louder, more an order than a comforting plea.

You couldn’t help but quickly meet his eyes, your years of trauma rearing up their ugly head.

“You’re free from them and they don’t hold any power over you anymore, no one does.” he asserted firmly. “Your story is yours to tell or keep.” You nodded as he talked, anchoring yourself to the hazel eyes that seemed to almost glow, to the shadows that surrounded the both of you tightly. “You don’t owe anything to me or anyone else.”

‘Breathe, breathe’ you could almost hear as your fluttering heart started to slow down to its usual beat. You gripped on to Azriel’s shirt, screwing your eyes shut for a moment as you focused on the resounding voices.

‘Safe, unharmed.’

“We… We’ve got company, Dove.”

You peeked through your lashes, not noticing anything, so you fully opened your eyes and examined the room. Nothing seemed amiss.

You snapped your head back to Azriel as his hand ran up your, a trailing finger brushing against the sensitive skin behind your ear and sending a shiver down your spine. He stayed still for a moment, now with a focus you’d never seen before, waiting for something that you couldn’t discern. A moment of silence, your almost-normal heartbeat still lowly drumming in your ears.

After a few seconds, he slowly removed his hand and brought his open palm between the two of you. You could have wept at what you saw, had you not been slightly distracted by the proximity his movement brought.

In his hand laid two shadows, one of them a shade of grey so light it was almost white and one as black as coal. They were intertwined in a swift dance, their colors merging in a shifting grey scale before they separated again. They ran circles around Azriel’s hand. He was absolutely entranced by the sight of your shadows, and a disbelieving grin stretched across his face. You’d never seen him look so unabashedly happy.

“They’re- They’re both mine?” you asked unsteadily, though you already knew the answer. You could hear their song clearly now, a soft breeze that floated up to your ears, comforting words turning more playful by the minute.

‘Finally,’ you heard them whisper in unison, and you couldn’t help yourself from letting out a sharp laugh. You hadn’t expected them to have an attitude. They slithered out of Azriel’s hands, still twirling together, before they darted away from the both of you, falling into a cycle of exploring the room for a few seconds followed by them rushing back to you, informing you of things you hadn’t even noticed. They curled behind your ears, exactly how Azriel’s shadows often greeted you.

You looked around, keeping track of their song. The books that seemed the most worn-down by frequent handling, the dwindling fire in need of a new log, the window that wasn’t quite latched… They saw it all. You could only watch in wonder, excitement taking over, as they proceeded to intertwine with Azriel’s shadows, playfully dancing with them before running over the man himself. Could they communicate?

‘Beautiful, strong, protective’ they sang as they reviewed Azriel and your cheeks heated at their whispers, even more so as they continued. ‘Kindred soul, loved.’

You looked up sharply at the man in front of you, mortified at the idea of him hearing their words, but he only looked awestruck. You almost startled at his stare; you were the object of his attention now, and he didn’t seem to react to your shadow’s words. You were the only one who could hear them, you remembered, and you let out a shaky but relieved sigh. Your shadows continued their stream of information as you struggled to keep up with them, still reeling at their existence. You had summoned them, you had succeeded!

“Can you hear them?” Azriel asked.

‘Care, fascination.’, you heard.

“I can!” you exclaimed, grabbing his hands in elation. All previous thoughts were already forgotten. You were practically vibrating with excitement, your wings spread wide behind you. One of the shadows, the light one, reported that Azriel had apparently missed a spot while shaving. In disbelief, you didn’t hesitate and grabbed his face, one hand splayed across one side of his jaw and the other gently tilting his head back to give you a better view. You didn’t remember the last time you felt so alive.

“Whoa,” you blurted with a grin, a thumb brushing over the barely noticeable stubble. “They really do see everything.”

He laughed, almost nervously. “They never stop,” he said, “better get used to it. They’ll learn to prioritize with time.” You looked up again and met his eyes. You realized the intimacy of your position; you were practically in his lap, as if he’d sat down while holding you in a cradle carry. You felt thighs clench when you shifted, and you instantly stilled at the sensation. He might be leaner than his brothers, but even sat down like this you felt the power those muscles held.

‘Vulnerability. Arousal.’

You snorted loudly, broken out of your thoughts. “Leave the poor man alone, come here.” you chastised softly, meeting Azriel’s eyes and instantly stiffening at the intensity they held. The shadows hurried back, and you laughed lightly as you felt them burrow between your ruffled feathers, probably blending in with their respective colors, singing words of annoyance in harmony.

You still hadn’t completely let go of Azriel, your hands now splayed across each side of his neck, but you remained locked in his stare, mesmerized by the gold speckles that reflected the fire’s low flickering light around his dilated pupils.

“Hi.” you whispered, wide eyed. He was so close, so close, and you were left dizzied by the delicious scent of cedar and mist that hung around you. You’d never considered if a person could be addicted to a smell but, if it was, this would be the one for you.

“Hi.” he answered, amused. His voice was lower than it had been moments earlier and you felt at your side every vibration that rumbled throughout his chest. His hand came up to rest between your shoulder blades, fingers brushing the light dawn feathers at the base of your wings that peeked through the back of your shirt as he pulled you closer. You instinctively arched at the innocent touch and your wings snapped open as best they could despite the couch. A low whimper escaped you.

With a smug smile, he hummed questioningly and repeated the gesture again, eliciting another strangled noise from you. “Interesting.”

“That,” you breathed, “is a sensitive area-ah!” You gasped as he dug his fingers in more, the texture of his fingers scrapping so perfectly against your soft skin and feathers. You felt the familiar throb of your core in response, arousal flooding you. Well, if that was how he wanted to play…

You released his neck and used his broad shoulders as support as you whipped around, straddling him in a single flourished move. He groaned through gritted teeth at the friction between you and grabbed your hips to keep you still. You softly ran your hands down his shoulders towards the expanse of his wings, teasing the leathery skin. They twitched at the contact, and he tensed, meeting your eyes again.

“What,” you purred, “can’t handle a taste of your own medicine, Shadowsinger?”

He laughed lowly. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Shadowsinger.”

You hummed at the mirrored title. You didn’t know you’d qualify yourself as one with a single pair of shadows by your side, but the sheer affection that seemed to drip from Azriel’s every word distracted you from your thoughts. “Tell me, then. Is the reward worth the risk?” you whispered, more vulnerable than you’d intended it to be.

“Oh, absolutely.”, he said, pulling you towards him and crashing his lips against yours. You clenched your hands instinctively at the contact, holding on for dear life, and Azriel nipped sharply at your lip when his wing became the victims of your fingernails. You let go, embarrassed, and managed to emit a soft Sorry somewhere between breaths and moans. He passed his tongue over the bruised skin in silent forgiveness.

You trailed your hands along the hem of the leathers, that he hadn’t taken the time to strip from when he’d arrived home. You expertly undid the clasps holding it together, and he tilted his body forward as he shucked it across the room.

‘2 feet from the fire’

You giggled against Azriel’s lips at the information your shadows provided, slightly entertained by the live commentary, but you sharply shook the wing they had taken residence, effectively flinging them off of it, and they took off into the next room. You had no doubt they’d return to list everything they found the second they got bored.

You explored the shape of Azriel’s body, softly feeling every inch of his chest as he brushed a finger up and down your spine. You sighed, melting like putty in his hands, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue inside your mouth. You moaned as he slid it across yours and you deepened the kiss, almost crazed by your desire for him, for his taste. You grinded down on him, your wings brushing against his, and he let out a tortured groan as he bucked up towards you in response, burying his face in your neck. He sucked briefly at your pulse point, his teeth occasionally scrapping against your skin, and he soothingly ran his tongue over his handiwork. He repeated the process along your collarbone, no doubt making sure you’d remember this moment when you woke up the day after.

You leaned into his touch and tilted your head to expose more of your neck. You pressed soft kisses along his jaw up to his ear and whispered “Eager, are we?”. You half-yelped and half-moaned as he bit down on your shoulder in response, immediately replacing his teeth with the warmth of his tongue. You shuddered, an additional wave of arousal coursing through you, but a deep voice sent ice running through your veins.

“Well, if this is your idea of necessary training, Az, you have better watch out before I try finding new powers of my own.”

Rhysand.

Long time no see! I hope a bit of love might balances out reader's life trauma, oups

The only thing I could think of while writing the scene where Azriel reaches up to touch reader's shadows is the image of a magician going "hehehe look a penny behind your ear!". I am not well.

I beg you guys for some feedback, this is my first fic and i have no idea what I'm doing x) I hope y'all like it!!

Banner created by the amazing @saradika!

Taglist: @sapphenaa @minnieoo @weasleyreidstyles

#azriel x reader #azriel #acotar #acotar x reader #acotar fanfic #azriel fanfic #azriel POV #azriel x you #azriel x y/n #enemies to lovers #bird of prey

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saintmeghanmarkle · 14 days

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Comment in the Standard: How dare Montecito millionaire Prince Harry demand our tax money to cover his legal costs

This subject matter cannot be covered too much for my taste.

Emphasis and comments by me:

Prince Harry’s latest court defeat in his rightly unsuccessful bid to overturn the decision to refuse him guaranteed Met police protection after he pulled out of royal duties might seem like a trivial battle over legal fees.

But in fact the duke’s failed attempt to pass 50 to 60 per cent of the costs incurred by the Home Office in fighting his unmerited claim tells us much about the preening prince and his selfish disregard for virtually anyone other than himself, his equally self-obsessed wife, Meghan Markle, and his children. [No one else matters of course. It is all about them.]

That’s because when the Duke of Sussex, as he still wants to be called despite ditching his royal role, wasted yet more of the High Court’s time in arguing for the taxpayer to fund at least half of the hundreds of thousands of pounds that the Home Office was forced to spend on the case, what he was really doing was trying to pass on a large chunk of the bill to ordinary taxpayers. [Sponging off others is quite on brand.

That’s right: instead of having the decency to accept that he’d have to pay up when he lost, the Montecito multimillionaire, for whom the legal expenses will be loose change, wanted taxes paid by everyone ranging from people on the minimum wage to bus drivers, cleaners and pensioners to cover his costs. It’s frankly contemptible. [Does he think it is his birthright to have the peasants pay for his temper tantrums?]

It's notable too that yesterday’s costs order by the High Court judge, Sir Peter Lane, reveals that Harry, who is so protective of his own privacy (when it suits him), managed to breach a confidentiality agreement made as part of the litigation by emailing “certain information” that was meant to be secret to one his lawyers and the MP Johnny Mercer. The prince might have apologised for the error, but the costs order refers to the “seriousness of the breach” and it was at best a sloppy mistake that added to the Home Office costs that he was trying to avoid. [What were you up to Harold?]

Harry’s whole case was, of course, misconceived from the start and it’s worth recapping why.

He asserted that the decision in 2020 by security experts on the Government’s Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec, that he should no longer receive publicly-funded police protection in Britain because of his move abroad should be overturned.

The supposed reasons were that the committee had allegedly failed to take into account the impact of a successful attack on the prince and had also acted unreasonably, unfairly and with a lack of transparency.

It was nonsense for the prince to think that he knew better than a panel of experts informed by the latest security advice from the police and intelligence agencies. [This man has a very high opinion of himself.] The High Court unsurprisingly dismissed Harry’s claim on all grounds, finding that there was no reason to overturn the Ravec panel’s decision. It had in fact left open the possibility of occasional police protection for the prince when in Britain, if there was evidence in future of a sufficient threat to his safety.

An attempt by the prince to persuade the courts that a later offer by him to pay for police protection should have been accepted was also rebuffed. Yet another judge dragged into Harry’s interminable litigation ruled it would be wrong to allow the wealthy to receive a service from the limited pool of specialist Met protection officers that a less affluent person could not afford.

That too was the correct and inevitable decision. Police protection officers are highly skilled specialists, trained at significant public expense, who exist only in restricted numbers and who are required to safeguard those facing the highest risks such as working royals, Cabinet ministers and prime ministers current and former, not others like Harry wanting the comfort blanket of protection they don’t need.

In short, every argument put forward by Harry was flawed and rejected by the courts. It’s a sign of his delusion that even the succession of earlier rebuffs from the judiciary didn’t stop him basing his attempt to get off a big chunk of the Home Office’s costs in fighting the litigation on the fantasy claim that he’d achieved “partial success” in his legal action. [He learns nothing from his experiences.]

Maybe that was how Harry viewed it. After he all, he told the world in his biography Spare that “there's just as much truth in what I remember and how I remember it as there is in so-called objective facts”.

But it simply wasn’t true, as yesterday’s High Court costs order reminded him.

It pointed out that Harry had “comprehensively lost” and that there was “no merit” in his claim of partial victory with his judicial review argument failing “on all of the pleaded grounds.” [Harold is a big loser.]

It was the obvious outcome from the start and the claim should never have been brought. His inevitable defeat was deserved and now it’s time for the penny-pinching prince to pay up.

👉 How dare Montecito millionaire Prince Harry demand our tax money to cover his legal costs | Evening Standard (archive.ph)

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author: Von_und_zu_

submitted: April 17, 2024 at 10:53AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

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herbgerblin · 10 months

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ipre theater thots

loosely based off of this poll. sorry, this got away from me. i was a theater kid for years (i still am, i literally made a bunch of friends larp as wizards two weeks ago)

Davenport: Producer and Stage Manager. Personally more experienced in opera than musicals, but answers the call when the need for a manager arises. Keeps everyone focused and on schedule. Has final word on what choices the art department gets to make. Sometimes does solo performances on his own time.

Merle: Choreographer and Director. Leads the ensemble into meditation every rehearsal before warming up. Talks with each member of the cast one-on-one. Sometimes leaves the script open to interpretation. His artistic vision sounds bonkers in concept, but illuminating in execution. Why are there so many plants? Don't worry about it.

Magnus: Lead Actor and Set Builder. He brings the energy every single night. He doesn't need to be micc'ed up because his natural voice projects well enough. It takes a bit of time for him to memorize the script, but he devotes his heart and soul to it. He claps loudly for the ensemble when he's in the wings. He cries at the emotional numbers. Built all the sets by hand.

Lucretia: Co-stage Manager and Supporting Actor (not for lack of chops, only because she spreads herself very thin.) Knows the script like a second language. Mainly reserves her Director Voice for backstage when things get chaotic. Enjoys performing the musical numbers because no one knows she can belt, until she does. Standing ovation girlie, but bashful about it.

Lup: Co-lead Lead Actor and Costumer. Only willing to do the role if Davenport lets her include cold sparks and fog machines in the set budget (he finds a way.) No one knows when she took measurements for the costumes, but they're ready by dress rehearsal and they fit perfectly. Helps the other actors figure out their groove. Great at engaging the audience.

Angus (special edition): Child lead and stagehand. The sweetest little singing voice you ever did hear. Everyone is going to rue the day his voice starts cracking. A heartbreaker of a performer and a speedy backstage assistant.

Taako: A MYSTERY. He's wearing a fancy scarf and roaming all over the place. He's talking about the Art of the Theatre. He's listed on the billing of lead actors and NO ONE knows what his role is. He remembers all the little things that everyone forgets: clothes pins, a hot glue gun, and electrolytes. He's got a walkie-talkie. Only the managers and tech are supposed to have walkie-talkies. Hello, this is Taako speaking, over.

Barry: Usually Tech. He's got a beautifully choreographed queue of lighting designs and stage effects. He's got an immaculately labeled pad controller and a ready-to-go Excel spreadsheet. But on opening night, Lucretia informs him he's in the orchestra pit.

Barry: ...But I'm lighting tonight.

Lucretia (via walkie-talkie): And our percussionist twisted his ankle tripping over a stage light. You're in the orchestra now, compadre.

Barry: (with increasing emphasis, decreasing conviction) But. I'm. Light. Tech.

Taako: E N T E R T H E P I T B A R O L D

Davenport: Taako, get off this line.

During intermission, Magnus asks him to help lift the ensemble dancers onto the set scaffolding, and hold it steady. Barry agrees, thinking he's in the clear after that. But the second the music number ends, Merle tells him that one of the support roles had to leave, so now he's the understudy.

Barry (longsuffering): I am just. the light guy.

Merle (gesturing to Taako in the balcony, having a ballgame playing with the lightboard): well, in two minutes you're the showstopper guy, so you need to go out there and stop the show

Lup (emerging from nowhere, slapping a red, hooded robe on Barold's shoulders): Knock 'em dead!

Barry: D:

#:0 knock em dead!#okay i'm done it's back to doing laundry #taz balance #taz au #herbgerb blerb #the adventure zone #long post

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kirby-manga-translated · 2 months

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Kirby Manga Double Bill + A Fanfiction?!

Solid Snake voice: Kept you waiting, huh?

Finishing off the requests in my queue (at least for the time being), I present to you two chapters! One from Manmaru Nikki and one from Mopupu. And yes, you read that title correctly, there's a special surprise after them as well! Well not a surprise I guess since it's in the title but very special! Anyways, let's just get to the manga, eh?

Kirby: Manmaru Nikki (AKA Daily Round Diary) - Volume 4, Bonus Chapter 2 English Translation

Starting off with a quick little retelling of Cinderella with Kirby characters in all the roles! Though this one is short, I still feel like I got some good translation work in there. A lovely morsel of Kirby manga that can be read in full at the following links:

Imgur

MangaDex

Google Drive

Next up, it's

Kirby: Moretsu Pupupu Hour - Volume 7, Chapter 8 English Translation

A full-sized chapter here about Kirby leaving and the manga getting a new main character that definitely isn't just Kirby wearing a costume! King Dedede is left to figure out what's going on and how to convince the others that it's obviously just Kirby wearing a costume. Read the full thing at the following links:

Imgur

MangaDex

Google Drive

Now what was that about a fanfiction?

It's true, dear readers: I have dabbled in fanficcery! It's kind of like translating a manga chapter except instead of translating Japanese into readable English I have to translate my internal thought process into readable English.

It's a nice and simple story about Kirby wanting to eat a cake but not being allowed to eat said cake and all the emotion and heartbreak that occurs as a result, featuring King Dedede, Daroach, Adeleine, and Magolor. It's the very first fanfic I've ever written, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It might not Wham Bam Rock your socks off but it could, uh... Fatty Whale your... scales off? Look just read the thing at this link if you want

Whew! Looks like you've got some reading to catch up on. It hopefully won't take me this long to update again since I'm not planning on writing another fanfic anytime soon (but maybe someday...). Hope you enjoy the chapters and please let me know what you think of my fanfic!

#kirby #kirby manga #king dedede #meta knight #kirby fanfiction #nintendo #if youre wondering why i waited until all three of these were done to actually post any of them here my answer is 'idk lol'

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parkerlyn · 8 months

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Major PSA: Patreon Changes & Discord Shutdown

Oh, I hate to be predictable lol.

What it comes down to is, I've lost the love in creating this story. (But this is NOT a "I'm not writing anymore of this story" post!)

I've put a lot of pressure on myself to put out bonus content on Patreon, and it and the Discord server hangs over my head - giving me that feeling like since I'm not constantly posting or growing an income around The Nameless, that I'm not doing enough or I'm not legit enough, etc.

I do want to stress that y'all are wonderful, and I'm honored that you've stuck around this long, and there has been absolutely NO pressure from you - it is self-inflicted guilt for sure.

The reality is that my day job workload is much more than it used to be with the new role I took earlier this summer - but it's work that I love. And I'm so thankful and pinching myself that I was able to find that.

In the end, I hope that will mean better things for you and the game - giving me the time and space to draw and write out of joy instead of guilt, getting to share a lot of content with everyone on tumblr again, and focusing my writing in on the game instead of trying to balance too much.

So, Patreon will be turning into a tip jar.

1. Currently, billing is paused. On September 2, the current tiers will be deleted and tiers will be added for (USD) $2, $5, and $7.

2. For current patrons, when a tier is deleted, your subscription IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY CANCELED. You must edit your pledge on your own to a lower tier if you don't want to be charged what you were before.

3. (EDITED) There will be no guaranteed bonus content, and the only difference in content will be that 18+ posts will be reserved for the $7 tier . I'm still planning to do the first meeting POVs and some art specials, it just may be slower and take a little while longer. I'm also hoping to at least post monthly progress reports, and will be figuring out how to open the current posts to the new tiers.

4. I will also be shutting down The Nameless Discord permanently today.

Thank you again for your patience with me, and I hope this will turn a new leaf and get me back in the head space for the actual game again.

Sending y'all much love, and thank you for everything. <3

Parker xoxo

#interactive fiction #the nameless #tnif #parker personal

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punkshort · 9 months

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Chapter Two

Pairing: Joel x F!Reader, pre-outbreak and post outbreak

AU (the only thing I kept was the outbreak, Joel, and Tommy's characters. Joel's backstory is different, and the way he finds Jackson is different. I may include Ellie one day, I just haven't planned that far)

Fic Summary: You worked for Joel and Tommy a few months before the outbreak. The outbreak happens, and you and Joel get stuck traveling the country and keeping each other safe. Neither of you spoke about the feelings you had for one another pre-outbreak, and in a post-apocalyptic world, it seems like survival should be your only focus. But feelings can't be ignored forever.

Fic tags: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI), Smut, Language, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use, Age Difference (Reader is 10 years younger than Joel), slow burn, mutual pining, angst, trauma, SA referencing later but I will put a big warning on those chapters

May 2003

It had been almost a month since you started your new job and you were getting the hang of things quickly. You always prided yourself on learning fast and being an overachiever. Everybody in your department seemed very friendly and helpful, but you really hit it off with Colleen and Debbie, given the proximity of your desks, and your mutual age range. It felt nice to have a couple friends, although you have yet to hang out outside of work, so were they really your “friends”? They had invited you out drinking with them a couple of times, but you politely declined, still feeling a little shy.

You had, however, been spending more time with one of the few men in your department, Justin, who worked in payroll. You could tell he was interested in you as more than just friends, so you weren’t shocked when he asked you out on a date. In a moment of weakness, you agreed, figuring it was about time you got out on the town and had a little fun. Justin was a little taller than you but not by much. He had sandy blonde hair and kind, brown eyes, always clean shaven, and most importantly he was a safe bet. You could tell by the moment you met, he was a mild mannered, sweet guy, very non-threatening. He was easy to get along with, and you hoped with time, maybe you could develop stronger feelings towards him. You haven’t had a boyfriend since college, and you were starting to become lonely. A quiet, sweet guy is just what you thought you needed to shake the dust off.

As far as work went, you were getting rather confident in your abilities in your new role. You were even beginning to learn about some of the company’s clients over the phone when you called requesting payment status on past due invoices. Today was one of those days. You had been on the phone for nearly half an hour with Mr. Sullivan, a client who was behind a few months on his payments.

Miller & Miller was remodeling a few floors of a high rise into office space for Mr. Sullivan’s insurance company, which had been growing exponentially to the point where Mr. Sullivan was having trouble keeping up with all the business, let alone his bills. However, you sadly learned that Mr. Sullivan’s wife had unexpectedly been hospitalized for the past 3 weeks, and you could tell listening to his voice shake over the phone that it was hard for him to talk about. You patiently listened to him and gave gentle words of encouragement when the moments called for it, and at the end of the call he assured you that the check he promised to mail out today would cover all the backed invoices. You hung up the phone, thanking him for addressing the matter, and wished him and his wife well.

“Sheesh, that was a long call, what was that all about?” Colleen asked, craning her neck around the wall of your cubicle. You turned and filled her in on Mr. Sullivan and his wife, and how you had felt bad asking for money when he clearly had just too much going on at the moment. She stood from her desk and entered your cube as you spoke. She was wearing her hair in a ponytail today and a floral skirt with a pink blouse. You started to wonder if all she owned was pink. It definitely matched her personality. Colleen leaned against the back of your desk as you finished your story, nodding along, brows knit.

"Make sure to fill Heather in before our meeting today, in case Joel asks what the deal is,” she reminded you. You froze for a second, forgetting that today was the department meeting with Joel. It was your first meeting with him, and even the first time laying eyes on him. Having only heard stories for the past month, your imagination was beginning to make this man out to be a big, bad wolf.

“Right,” you nodded, jotting down the reminder on a post-it note. “Good call, thank you. I completely forgot; I should get some notes ready on the other clients I know about.” You chewed your lip nervously, and Colleen picked up on it.

“Don’t stress it! He probably won’t even acknowledge you today, just lay low, and avoid eye contact. Ha, it sounds like I’m describing a how you should act if you see a bear!” She joked, and you gave her a forced laugh in response. Colleen walked back to her desk and you began furiously looking up all of the clients you are familiar with, jotting down notes on your pad for the upcoming meeting that afternoon.

The morning flew by, and Heather was booked with meetings all day. You never got a chance to touch base with her about your notes, so you sent her an email around 11am with all the information you had, praying she would be at her desk at some point before your department meeting with Joel and print it out, at the very least. Still, just in case, you grabbed your notepad as the whole team filed out the door together to the 10th floor conference room after lunch.

Once upstairs, you all settled into a long room with an equally long table, with a huge glass wall that overlooked the city, and another wall with a large TV screen installed so that presentations could be displayed. A conference phone, and a pitcher of water with glasses sat in the center of the long, dark wood table, the Miller & Miller logo emblazoned on the glasses.

Justin settled in the chair next to you. He shot you a shy smile and reassuredly grazed his pinky finger against the back of your hand. You glanced up from the contact and smiled back at him. He was so sweet and gentle, but you were still lacking that spark. It had been a few weeks of you seeing each other several times outside of work. You knew you had to decide soon about this relationship, either take the next step and sleep with him, or end things. You dreaded thinking about the tension in the office if you stop seeing Justin, but the spark just wasn’t there yet.

Heather hurriedly entered the room, taking a seat at one end of the table. You opened your mouth, about to get her attention and ask if she saw your email, when the door swung open behind her and in walked Joel. You snapped your mouth shut and your eyes darted up to finally take him in.

You already picked up on the vibe everyone told you about: he radiated a certain level of irritation across his tanned face. He had an angular nose; and messy, dark curls for hair that somehow also looked styled, and a patchy beard along his jaw, which ticked to the side as he walked. He had dark eyes that did not even bother to sweep over any of you already seated as he made his way to the head of the table. He wore a pair of grey dress pants and a light blue button up shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbow, showing off toned and tanned forearms. Behind him walked another man, who appeared to be a few years younger than him, hair longer than Joel’s but just as dark. He had a smattering of facial hair, but less so along the sides of his jaw. He wore a dark black suit with a white shirt, and a blue tie. Tommy – you determined for yourself, as you watched the two men sit next to one another.

Tommy ran his eyes over the group and shot you all a tight smile as he readjusted himself in the chair next to his brother. Joel kept his eyes down on the papers in front of him as he sorted them, still ignoring the presence of everyone else in the room. It was so quiet, you thought everyone could hear your heart hammering in your chest. It appeared nobody planned to speak until Joel decided the meeting began. You averted your gaze from the two brothers and reviewed your notes again for the hundredth time, your stomach twisting in knots over the tension in the room. You snuck a glance back over to Heather at the other end of the table. Her face was stoic and unreadable. She kept her eyes down on her portfolio, placing a calculator next to her on the table, patiently waiting.

Just when you thought you couldn’t take the tension any longer, Joel finally stopped shuffling his papers around and looked up. You tried your best to not look over at him again, the advice about staying below the radar swimming in the back of your head, but something about him was magnetic. Your head remained tilted downward at your notes, but you found your gaze was slowly making its way along the length of the table, reaching his large and rough looking hands resting on his papers, continuing up his forearms to take in his broad shoulders that looked to be fighting against the fabric of his button down, and finally landed on his face again. Your eyes widened when you found that his gaze had already been settled on you, and noticed the whole time you were checking him out.

Were you checking him out? Or were you just curious? Shit.

Your eyes darted away and back to your notepad. You felt your pulse quickening in your throat, as you gently swallowed and nervously squirmed in your chair. It was then that Justin discreetly placed a tender hand on your knee, sensing your discomfort. Unbeknownst to you, Justin’s movement hadn’t been all that subtle. Joel saw, and then flicked his eyes away from you, back to Heather.

“Alright, let’s get started, I got a full afternoon so I'd like to keep this short. What're the numbers for month end, let’s see ‘em up on the screen.”

His voice matched his gruff and harsh demeanor. He had a deep baritone, with a slight twang to the way he spoke, which made you think he must have grown up somewhere else but tried to suppress the accent. You did your best to stay focused on the meeting, but your mind kept wandering to Joel, in a way you did not expect before entering the room. You stay tuned into his voice, trying to pick up little hints as to where that accent was from, and you found yourself daydreaming about those large hands, what it would feel like if –

Stop it. Get ahold of yourself, you have a boyfriend!

You gently shook your head, as if the physical motion would actually make those thoughts go away. You figured you must be losing it; this guy was at least ten years older than you and certainly not the type of man you had been with before, not your type at all. Maybe that’s why he’s in your head.

You had not been paying attention to the meeting well enough, but when you heard the name ‘Sullivan’, it snapped you out of your daydream. Joel repeated himself, with an edge to his voice now, staring Heather down from across the table, hands twitching on his papers.

“How the hell have we let this guy get away with 3 weeks of unpaid invoices?” he growled. “I am alternatin’ two crews a day on that job of his, I ain’t gonna waste another minute of my time if he can’t be bothered –“ Suddenly, a voice cut him off.

“He is mailing a check today, for the entire balance due on his account.”

The whole room fell silent. You wondered for a moment what the big deal was, why everyone was looking at you like that, until you realized you said those words. You gulped, scared to look at Joel. You felt the heat from his gaze burning a hole in the side of your head. You kept your eyes glued to your fingers, which were fidgeting in your lap. You were fucked. Not only did you do exactly what your co-workers told you not to do, but you interrupted the man who runs the entire company. A man known for bursts of rage that made people cry and quit. You braced yourself, waiting for the worst, but it never came. It felt like an eternity went by without a word spoken, until finally Joel broke the silence.

“That’s great, sweetheart, but unless I got a check in my hand, promises don’t mean shit. There’s no reason this guy should be jerkin' us around, I’m gonna go down to the site today and pull my guys til we got that check.” He turned his attention back to Heather, ready to move onto the next topic.

You still had yet to look up at him until now. Something in you was still hung up on the way Mr. Sullivan sounded on the phone, the story he gave you about his wife broke your heart. The words Debbie said on your first day about ‘this company is not saving lives’ rushed back through your head, and suddenly you felt this switch flip. The company made record profits last month, and this customer was a real human being who needed to be shown some compassion. Maybe you were naïve, but it felt so cruel to just assume everyone who skips out on their bills is a crook. Before you could give it another thought, your eyes shot up and locked onto his.

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” you stated firmly, noticing in your peripheral some of your co-workers shifting uncomfortably and exchanging glances. “If you care to know, his wife has been in the hospital for three weeks fighting an infection the doctors can’t seem to fix. He’s got his hands full, he apologized profusely to me this morning and I believe he is sending us that check. If you prefer, I can go down to his office and pick up the check myself.”

A part of you couldn’t believe you said that, and not only that but said it with such resolve, your voice not even faltering. You refused to break eye contact with Joel, no matter how intimidating and uncomfortable it felt. His eyes bored into yours, his jaw clenched, and two of his fingers began to gently tap on the table in front of him. You kept it together and continued to look him dead in the eyes. You felt butterflies in your stomach begin to work their way into a frenzy, and the sweat started to accumulate on the back of your neck. You briefly wished you had worn your hair up so your neck could get more air. Your cheeks started to feel warm under his gaze, but you couldn’t back down now.

Finally, Joel gave his answer.

"Fine. But if we don’t get that check, it’s comin’ out of your paycheck.” He looked away and started asking Heather about more financial reporting, but you had no idea what was said exactly. Your head rushed with blood pounding in your ears. As the adrenaline washed away, you wanted to get up and use the restroom to collect yourself, but you could not give Joel the satisfaction of getting under your skin.

Thankfully, the meeting only went for a few more minutes. Your team gathered their things and quickly exited the conference room. By happenstance, you were the last to file out. You don’t know why, but as you walked through the door, you shot Joel one more glance over your shoulder. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes glued to your retreating form. They no longer looked hardened, but they showed a glimmer of something else, like amusement.

After you left the room, Joel’s eyes remained stuck on the empty doorway. He and Tommy were the only two that remained at the table. Tommy whistled lowly and leaned forward to catch Joel’s attention.

“She’s a sparkplug, wonder who she is, I don’t remember seein' her before,” Tommy said to Joel, who finally tore his eyes away from the doorway and looked at his brother. “Maybe I should find out what her deal is.”

“Her deal?” Joel nearly spit out, anger flaring in his belly.

Your “deal”? Your deal was clear as day to him – the Ken doll next to you marked his territory the first moment he got. The guy who looked like he couldn’t change a tire and probably never raised his voice in his whole life. The guy who likely skated by on looks, and never bothered to focus on a personality. Joel knew the Ken doll worked here for a while, but he couldn’t remember his name. It didn’t matter, anyway. Why was he even thinking about this?

“Yeah, her ‘deal,’” Tommy emphasized the last word for dramatic effect and rolled his eyes. He stood up from his chair. “She’s pretty. And she seems fiery. I like that.”

Tommy lifted his eyes from the papers in his hand to grin at his brother, who was scowling in return.

"What’s the problem? I can’t have a little fun?” he sulked, his grin slowly disappearing.

“No, I don’t think you should be screwin’ our employees, Tommy. You run this company with me, what the hell does that say about us?” Joel stood up and looked him in the eye to show he wasn’t joking.

“Aw, come on, Joel, it doesn't got to mean anythin'. I’ve done it before, it’s never caused a problem.” Tommy’s gaze turned back towards the door you had just left, his thoughts clouded with the last image of you. Joel’s anger began to flare.

"I don’t care, you leave her alone.” he replied. He snatched up his paperwork from the meeting and brushed past Tommy, exiting the room and heading towards his office. Tommy jogged up behind him, as the realization hit.

"Oh shit, you got a thing for her?” Tommy teased, and nudged Joel with his elbow once he caught up. “Why didn’t you just say that? I won’t go near her, give you a decent shot at ropin’ her in,” he laughed, but Joel stopped in his tracks, which caused Tommy to stumble and turn around in surprise.

"I ain’t got a thing for her, I just don’t think you should be screwin’ the women around here. Sets a bad example, is all.” Joel huffed and picked up his pace once more, turning into his office.

The room was massive. It was the biggest office in the building, although Tommy’s was only smaller by about 75 square feet. The office had the greatest view over the hustle and bustle of the city. It had a couple of velvet navy couches off to the corner that were surrounded by a glass coffee table for when he entertained clients or other executives in the company, and a small mini bar in the other corner, which also housed a coffee machine. Joel rounded his desk, which was stationed so it was overlooking the fantastic city view. He sat down in the plush desk chair and looked up to find Tommy standing on the other side, who was clearly not satisfied with the conversation.

“Alright, brother, I’ll let it go. I don’t believe you, but I’ll let it go.” Tommy suppressed a small smile as he turned to leave the office. “Oh, but one more thing,” Tommy stopped in the doorway and waited until he had Joel’s attention again. “She’s definitely got a thing for you. I saw the way she was lookin’ at you, I’m not stupid.” And with that, Tommy exited to return to his own office, satisfied with the impact he made, and left Joel once again staring at an empty doorway.

Joel let a small smile spread across his face now that he was alone, glad he didn’t misread the way he caught you looking at him.

You managed to get back to your desk without saying a word to anyone. The entire elevator car had been dead silent. When you sat down in your chair, you felt like your heart rate had finally returned to normal and your head was feeling less fuzzy. You shook your computer mouse to bring the machine back to life and tapped in your password. ‘Incorrect password’ flashed on the screen, so you tried again. It took three tries for you to slow down enough and enter in the password correctly.

OK, so maybe you were still rattled.

As you waited for your computer to log back in and load all your open programs, you closed your eyes and rested your face in the palms of your hands, elbows resting on the top of your desk.

You jumped when you felt a gentle squeeze on your shoulder and whipped around to find Justin standing next to you with his hands held up in mock surrender.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, just wanted to check and see how you were doing,” he gave a sweet smile and stretched out his hand once again, caressing your shoulder. You sighed, giving a weak smile in return.

"I’m fine,” you said, “I don’t know what got into me, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

It was then that Debbie, who had clearly been waiting for a chance to interrupt, came around the corner.

“Don’t sweat it, girl. That was nothing, you must have caught him on a good day. That was probably the nicest I’ve ever seen him.” She assured you, leaning casually up against your cubical wall. You gave a shaky laugh, which she returned and said “I’m only kind of kidding, though. He was in a good mood, maybe he finally got laid last night.”

Colleen came over after listening to the voicemail she had waiting for her.

"Ha, I doubt it. Nobody’s seen him with anyone for years, not since Amy left him.”

“Who’s Amy?” you asked curiously. You were surprised Colleen never shared this bit of gossip with you before.

“Amy’s his ex-fiancée. They broke up right around the time I started, so I guess that would have been 5 years ago now? Anyway, no one knows what happened, other than it made Joel the guy you saw today. Well, he was pretty tame today, but you know what I mean,” explained Colleen. “He’s been grumpy ever since.”

You all froze when you heard the electronic keypad on the other side of your locked door, indicating someone was entering the department. Colleen and Debbie quickly went back to their respective desks. Justin valiantly stayed by your side, although it was likely he stayed only because his desk was so far away, it would have been obvious he was fleeing by the time the person entered the room.

Heather pushed the door open, immediately made eye contact with you, heading in your direction. She gave you an apologetic smile once she got to the opening of your cube.

"I’m so sorry, I just saw that email from this morning, that was completely my fault, I should have been the one to handle that. How are you doing?”

Relieved she wasn’t mad at you for speaking up, you smiled back, your confidence returning.

"I’m good, really. It wasn’t that bad. I think I just got in my head about it because of the stories I’ve heard, I thought it would be worse.”

“Honestly, it usually is worse. He must have taken a liking to you. I had a voicemail waiting for me when I got back to my desk, he wanted to know who you were. He wasn’t mad, just didn’t recognize you. He wants you let him know personally when that check comes from Mr. Sullivan. I can go with you to his office when the time comes, don’t worry, I won’t throw you to the wolves!” she said with a chuckle.

You could feel the tips of your ears getting hot at the prospect of seeing Joel again so soon. You had thought you would have another month to recover. You nodded in acknowledgement, and with that, Heather bid the department farewell, late for another meeting. Justin looked back down at you once Heather left.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go camping this weekend? There’s a great spot I like to go to just outside the city, it’s fantastic when you need to clear your head, and the weather is supposed to be perfect. What do you think?”

You figured why not. Camping wasn’t your favorite thing in the world, but it was something to do. Plus, you had to give more attention to this relationship and decide which fork in the road you were going to take.

That weekend, after having a few glasses of wine with the picnic Justin packed for you two, you did the last thing you could think of to summon up any strong feelings for your boyfriend. As Justin sloppily thrusted inside of you while you laid spread out in a field of wildflowers, all you could think of when you closed your eyes was strong, calloused hands gripping the side of your hip and a rough, patchy beard rubbing along your jaw.

Once you returned from the trip, you gently ended things with Justin.

Chapter Three

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