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#also the model works in-game that's always fun to see :)
ventismacchiato · 2 days
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stuck with you — delusion !
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scaramouche — was a trainee alongside you in your guys’ younger years. both of you were constantly in battle for the top rankings. he debuted a year before you which caused a lot of envy and disdain between both of you since you trained longer. he became an idol to follow in his mother’s footsteps. known for staying late to practice and overworking himself to the point of exhaustion. probably passed out on stage in his younger years until his group forced him to chill. the main vocalist and visual of the group. nepotism made him the most popular member but also his demeanor. the only member in his group to release a solo album. also goes viral for replying to your posts to add fuel to the fire. surprisingly also very chronically online, he’s always lurking on twitter and replying to the most outlandish fan posts. makeup artists always fight to get to work on him since he has glass skin and the prettiest features. 
childe — auditioned because he thought it would be fun and wanted to give scara company since they were school friends before this. #besties! managed to get in and decided to stick it out as an idol. fans dug around and found out his family is super rich. he spoils his group members a lot. main rapper of the group and helps with lyrics. the most genz idol, gives keeho from ph1 vibes if you know of him. loves to do stupid vlogs, which causes fans to be alarmed at how messy their shared dorm is. will also play games during lives and his fans always bully him in them, they never let him win. 
aether — leader of the group, also the only responsible one who knows media training. twins with lumine so they tend to collaborate a lot. another vocalist and helps childe with production. stylists also fight to work with him because they love to do his hair. models for brands on the side, imagine calvin klein photoshoots omg. trained in ballet and dance so he helps with choreo for the group. goes viral a lot because locals think he's a girl. i know he doesnt talk a lot in game but imagine he has the lowest voice out of everyone so its a crazy juxtaposition from his cute face, kinda like felix from skz if u know of him. shares clothes with lumine so they share outfits a lot, rocks a crop top. also plays games on live but unlike childe his fans will wait for him and let him win.
kazuha — falls asleep while getting his hair and makeup done. sells weed to venti on the downlow, no clue who his dealer is. the most calm member out of all of them and disputes the silly fights everyone gets into. always looks like he isnt one hundred percent there during award shows. ‘kazuha zoning out for ten mins’ compilations. is not afraid to get drunk and gets super flirty and clingy when he does, goes live with xiao a lot and will drape himself over him when hes inebriated. super flirty during fancalls and fanmeets, takes fan service very seriously. will put the cat ears on during fan meets and let fans poke his dimples.
delusion — the only other idol group underneath sakura entertainment at the moment. a four member male idol group known for their vaguely gothic and r&b dance pop. think of enhypen’s brand. have been a group for about four years, members range from 22-23. their initial fame was due to scaramouche debuting in the group, since his mother ei was in a popular idol duo in her younger years with yae. ei is now the ceo of the entertainment company that delusion and windblume are under. fans came to see if the son of such a popular idol could live up to their expectation. their debut album Wonderstruck got them to their popularity today.
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stuck with you !
masterlist — prev | next
fandom name for windblume is bloomies! and fandom name for delusion is visions! i think visions would call themselves delulus for fun tho
manager for windblume is lisa, and manager for delusion is jean.
lowk love the delusion album cover i think i would be a vision in this universe i ate that up
going to introduce two soloists later to spice things up, but i won’t spoil who for now! one of them is scara’s ex 🤗 also if you don’t fw the side ships just pretend they're faking it for the camera, i wanted to switch it up for myself so i don’t get burned out from writing the same pairs
synopsis — after the disaster that was the live award show, where you and scaramouche got into an argument on stage after both of your groups got a tie for top artists, your guys' PR teams have been in shambles trying to scrape up your mess. that's when the idea to send you both off with some other idols to a remote location for a survival dating show to mend your public image comes up. before you know it your bags are packed and you’re on a plane to a remote island. the only obligation is you need to end up with scaramouche at the end of the show, whether you end up liking him or not doesn’t matter to your managers as long as the show’s ratings stay high. whatever you do in between to get there is up to you!
notes — was supposed to post this earlier but i ended up playing stardew for five hours so mb y’all 😇 but now we can finally get into the story
taglist is closed! but feel free to join my discord server where i’ll ping you for every update!
taglist — @na1lea @cindywasneverhere @lunavixia @sheraeera @aestherin @mlaakai @camvrin @retiredmommylover @iheartpieck @crystalcrys @cartierfiles @loveariel @silly-ez @mochipls @pomeiu @chuuismylife @flowerypesky @creammpuff @justanothertiredreader @boxdisappeared @kissmiere @kissingkzuha @webbywill @kazusboyfriend @s3xpistolss @pjsucks @bunns-wonderland @lordbugs @localgirlywithnolife @kosumos @danfelions @yotraumainthebuilding @featuredtofu @pinxeajin @herebyaccident0 @haeunoo @scaradooche @pglt19 @chemiru @childesbabygirl @simonisferal @shutingstar @vxcmx @domimiki @ttalgi @esuz @tokkishouse @kitsuvil @scarasmood @ihearttori @nomurahayami
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antirepurp · 13 days
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okay im not sure if the magenta is working with how similar it is to red and since frontiers is throwing a hundred effects and things on it to top everything off. RIP magenta symbolism im going to have to figure out something else for you
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noxturnalpascal · 5 months
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Dancing is a Dangerous Game
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(FrankieMorales  x  F!Stripper!Reader)
A/N & Warnings: Sexual Content below - 18+ only, Frankie doing what he do (iykyk), unspecified age gap (anywhere from 10-15 yrs), talk of stripping/dancing as a job that pays the bills. The photos on the Moodboard are just for fun, the female Reader is not specifically physically described so you can imagine her however you want. Thank you to @saradika for the divider.
Did I make this prompt up myself for me and some fellow writers? Yes. Did I set the word count limit? Also Yes. Did I stick anywhere even close to that limit? *laughs hysterically.
PROMPT: Pick a Pedge Daddy character - Joel Miller, Frankie Morales, Dave York, etc. (it can be Canon or Non-Canon/AU/No Outbreak).
PPCU Daddy is surprised - and excited - to learn that the grad/postgrad student he hires to watch his child sometimes also works as a: stripper/dancer/cam-girl/onlyfans-model/dating-or-escort-service (or straight-up SW) 
*1000 word Minimum - 2000 word Maximum
WC: 4749  (I have a problem)
Frankie’s mouth was hanging open. He knew he should close it. He knew he looked like a weirdo. He knew he was about to get a “Catfish, lookin’ like a fish” joke from his friends. But for the life of him he couldn’t take his eyes off the stage, or close his gaping jaw.
Not since his babysitter walked on stage and started taking her clothes off.
To be fair, you're not his babysitter anymore. Not since he called you three weeks ago asking if you could babysit for him tonight and you broke the news to him that you'd gotten a new job and couldn't babysit anymore. At least now he understands why you left the not-so-lucrative world of babysitting for an arguably better-paying gig. 
You've only been dancing for two minutes and he already sees more money on the stage than he would've paid you to sit his kid tonight. He’s been watching as you undulate your body across the stage, bending and dipping, stripping down to your underwear. Even though part of him thinks he should, he definitely doesn’t look away when you divest yourself of your lacy little bra.
He always thought you were hot. He was a newly-single dad, interviewing you for a semi-regular babysitting gig. He tried to focus on your resume and your qualifications. He tried to breathe through his mouth so he couldn’t smell your delicate perfume. He tried to ignore the dewy pink lipgloss you had spread across your mouth, which is in stark contrast to the bright red lipstick you are currently sporting.
He was very motivated by the fact that you, as a graduate student in your mid-20’s, seemed more responsible to leave his kid with than the other applicants to his babysitting ad, all of whom were literal teenagers. But truth be told - you were also really fucking hot. Horny dad and the hot babysitter, what a fucking cliche he was.
However, in the eleven months you babysat for him, he never acted on his inappropriate attraction to you. He never treated you as anything other than an employee. You’d show up to his house, hair in a messy bun, wearing comfy clothes, ready to sit on the living room floor all evening playing with his kid. He was polite, and respectful, and was almost positive you never caught him staring at your tits.
Your tits that he’s most definitely staring at right now. Holy shit you have great tits.
“Fuckin’ A Fish, if you’re gonna keep your mouth open, you could at least pour some beer into it.”
“Huh?” Frankie snaps his head back to the table he’s sat at, surrounded by his friends. They all chuckle. 
“We’re about to order the next round and you didn’t even drink any of that one yet,” Benny says as he points to the dripping bottle in Frankie’s hand.
Oh, sorry, Frankie mumbles as he pushes the now-warm bottle to his lips and begins to drink the beer down, his eyes moving back to the stage. The entire club is lit only by colored lights that coordinate with the twirling lights and lasers pointed at the stage, pulsating to the tempo of the music you’ve picked. Fog rolls across the floor of the stage, cascading over the edge. 
There’s a single golden pole at an outcropping of the stage that you’re now gripping with both hands, sticking your ass out towards the audience and giving it a wiggle. You let go of the pole and hook your thumbs into the waistband of your panties. You slowly begin to push them down and just as the crack of your ass comes into view Frankie momentarily forgets that he can’t swallow liquid and breathe at the same time. 
He begins to sputter and cough, choking on the bubbly liquid and spurting it across the table onto the faces of half of his friends. He’s met with groans, curses, and several swats to the back of his head as he attempts to get his wheezing under control, and the fluid out of his trachea.
Santi, who somehow managed to avoid Frankie’s beer-foam projectile, slaps a palm on Frankie’s shoulder and says,
“Guys, Frankie’s real sorry, he’s just never seen a naked woman before.”
The laughter at Frankie’s expense serves as some form of forgiveness, and everyone slowly goes back to flirting with the wandering dancers and ordering their second round. Santi keeps his hand on Frankie’s shoulder and leans into Frankie’s personal space.
“You alright?” Santi asks, squeezing his friend’s shoulder firmly.
Frankie manages to mutter a strangled yeah before several rounds of trying to clear his throat. The lights have dimmed, sinking the club temporarily into a hazy darkness. He briefly registers that the song you were dancing to has ended, so you’ve most likely left the stage.
Santi laughs, shaking his head. He moves his mouth right to Frankie’s ear, almost whispering.
“When I convinced Will to have his bachelor party at this club I thought you’d be the one making your hot babysitter choke, not the other way around,” and he claps Frankie on the back hard, “if you know what I mean.”
Frankie’s eyes go wide as he meets Santi’s crooked grin, but his friend offers nothing more as he moves to the other side of the table, turning his devilish smile on the waitress. He orders two beers and three shots for each man, dismissing the groans of protest from the table. Bachelor Down!, he shouts at Will as everyone does their shots and chases them with cheap beer.
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You approach the table full of men with seven other dancers, each of you assigned by the club to give a 20-minute private dance to one of the members of the bachelor party. You’re each in various states of dress, but most are only half-dressed. You’re back in your lacy underwear set - panties and bra - but the sheer nature of the fabric leaves little to the imagination. 
Your previous job as a part-time nanny worked while you were an undergrad. When you started law school it became too much and you had to switch to more infrequent evening babysitting gigs so you had your days free for school and studying. Unable to keep up with school payments you recently had to find something new. Something that only required night and weekend availability, but paid really well.
Enter: Stripping. 
You’ve only been doing this job for a little over a month but you’d quickly gotten very comfortable with being naked in front of strangers. You had your little dance routine and could easily make flirty banter with the club’s customers. Your boss was impressed enough that he’d started assigning you party gigs with some of the other girls, like this bachelor group.
You walk up to the group of strangers, the rest of the girls fan around the table as you’re left standing just behind a broad-shouldered man with a baseball cap on, curls sticking out from under the back strap. You turn to the man with a big smile on your face.
Holy Fuck. 
Not a Stranger.
It’s Francisco Morales. The hot dad you until-recently babysat for.
He looks at you sheepishly. Your hands immediately fly to cover your breasts, suddenly mortified that your nipples are showing through your nearly-transparent choice of outfit. 
“Mr. Morales!”
“Oh I- I already,” he begins to stutter. Is he telling you that he’s already seen your tits? 
You look around at the collection of empty beer bottles and shot glasses on the table and figure that they’ve all been here for much longer than just your dance. So covering your nipples does nothing for your modesty as hot dad has probably already seen everything. You drop your arms to your side, attempting to look relaxed and casual.
“So I-uh. I guess you found a babysitter for tonight.”
He laughs. He actually laughs at your awkward attempt at diffusing the tension. Thank god. He opens his mouth to speak but before he can say anything one of his friends is speaking to the group. He explains that “everyone gets a private dance” and no one can object - and he looks right at Mr. Morales when he says this - because “it’s all been paid for already.”
Following the lead of the other girls you gently grab Mr. Morales’ hand, missing the looks back and forth between him and his friend. You do your best to confidently lead him back to the private rooms with the rest of his group. There are a dozen rooms in the hallway and eight of them have been held in reserve for this bachelor party group. Pulling him inside the last room on the right, you close the door behind you. 
The room is dim, save for the red glow of the lights. The ceiling and floor are both painted black and the three walls without the door are mirrored. Towards the left is a single high-backed black leather chair facing a brass pole that sits in the exact center of the room. On the far side of the room is a curved loveseat against the wall.
This should be easy. Not just because this is your job but because unlike any other man you’ve ever led back here, this is a man you are extremely attracted to. 
This is a man you have fantasized about.
You’ve imagined his curls between your fingers when you’ve grabbed a fistful of a customer's hair, imagined that it’s his stubble scratching between your breasts when you’ve pressed them close. You’ve envisioned his wide chest as you ran your hands down their front, his massive paws in your hands as you’ve taken their sweaty palms and placed them on your rolling hips. 
You’ve wished they were his thighs that you were grinding your ass onto and his erection that you all-too-frequently felt pressing into you. That should make this easy. But instead you’re super fucking nervous. Even more nervous than your first night here, when you dragged your panties down your legs and bent over, exposing your pussy lips to a packed room of strangers. 
What makes you most nervous is probably that the fantasies didn’t stop in the club. It would be one thing if they were just here, serving as a comfort, self-soothing by putting a familiar face in place of a groping stranger’s face. But that’s not the truth. You’ve imagined him at home too. 
In the shower, pretending your hands were his hands as you pinched and plucked at your wet nipples. Daydreaming about his weight on top of you, fucking into you, as you drove one of your toys in and out of your wet cunt. 
And if you’re being perfectly honest, you can admit that it’s been going on for almost a year, since shortly after he hired you to be his babysitter. Remembering the times you’d made yourself come on his couch, hours after his kid had fallen asleep, waiting for him to return home from a night out with his friends. Your hand stuffed down the front of your pants, petting your clit to the thought of him on his knees in front of you.
You never thought you’d actually be naked in front of your fantasy-DILF. This is like being slapped in the face with your own wet dreams. This is kind of a nightmare.
“Listen, you don’t have to-” he begins just as you start to speak as well.
“Mr. Morales I know-” and you both stop and let out breathy, nervous laughs.
“C-Can you please stop calling me Mr. Morales?”
“Oh sorry! Is that weird?”
“It sounds like the start of a bad porno,” he groans, laughing again. “Please just call me Frankie.”
“Of course, I’m so sorry Mist- Frankie. Sorry. Frankie.”
You both break out in laughter again, loudly this time, hoping to finally diffuse some of the tension. A knock sounds at the door and a deep voice - security - asks if everything is alright. You shout back that everything is fine and the room quiets down.
“I should start the music and get going,” you say quietly, motioning for him to sit on the curved red velvet seat against the far wall.
You press a button above his head and music starts up, the first of three songs forming a 10-minute loop that will repeat for this booking. You look into the mirrored wall to your left and notice how nervous you look. Then you meet his eyes in the mirror. Why does he look just as nervous?
You straddle one of his legs and shakily reach back to undo the clasp on your bra. You meet his eyes again. Fuck he can see how your hands are shaking. You look like such a fucking kid. A goddamn amateur. This is going to be the least-sexy lapdance he’s ever been given. 
You can’t stop the gasp that leaves your lips when you suddenly feel his hot hands covering yours at your back. 
“You can leave this on if you’d be more comfortable,” he says softly, barely heard over the pumping bass of the music.
“No I’m fine, I’m just…” you don’t know how to explain to him without embarrassing yourself but suddenly you’re making an admission and the word-vomit has left your mouth before you can even do anything to stop it. “I just always thought you were hot.” 
There it is. It’s out there now. 
He opens his mouth to say something and your nerves bubble up and come out as more words and why the fuck are you talking more?
“I know, I know,” you spit out before he can get a word in, “the babysitter thirsting after the hot dad, how prosaic, right? Talk about a bad porno.”
His warm hands still touching you, he slowly moves his fingers around yours, deftly undoing the clasp of your bra for you.
“It’s okay, I kinda… thought you were hot too,” his admission slips out in a whisper.
You really want to kiss him right now. But that would be a very bad idea. Security patrols the hallway and the door has a small window towards the top of it. It allows security to peek inside and see from the shoulders up. Usually if they can see your shoulders, all is good. If they can’t see your shoulders, it gives them an idea if rules are being broken or if the girls need help. 
Kissing - among other things - is against the rules.
You barely turn to look at the windowed door but you’re embarrassed to think that Frankie must know what you’re thinking because it’s like he can read your mind. Or maybe he’s just thinking about kissing you too? Either way he puts his hands back down to his sides and lets you lean into him, allowing your bra to slowly shift down your shoulders until it falls into his lap.
Your tits are right in his face. You’re half naked in front of the hot dad whose child you used to babysit. The hot dad who you’ve pictured doing this exact thing with - and more. But he’s not even looking at your tits. He’s looking you right in your eyes and making you feel more naked than you’ve ever been in your whole life.
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He shouldn’t be here, not doing this, not with you. He should ask for a different girl. He should tell the security guy to kick him out. He’s making you so uncomfortable, he can tell by your twitching movements and halting breaths. He can’t stop staring at you like he’s some kind of lonely creep, what a fucking weirdo he’s being.
You position your legs on the outside of his, keeping his legs slightly open and his hands obediently face-down on the couch next to him. You’re straddling him but hovering above his lap, seemingly careful not to touch him. When you put your hands on his shoulders to brace yourself you begin to stiffly roll your body towards and then away from him.
He doesn’t know where to look. He can’t keep looking at your face, he knows the eye-contact is getting very disturbing. Why the hell did he tell you he kinda thought you were hot too? At least he didn’t admit the truth, that he thought you were fucking supernova-hot. He’s had to bite his tongue countless times to stop from asking you out.
He focuses his eyes at the hollow dip that lies at the base of your throat. It has a dance of its own, moving slightly with your pulse and rolling with your shallow breaths, the rise and fall of your chest a baseline rhythm. He tries not to think about your bare breasts just below, breasts that he’s thought about putting his hands on every single time you’ve walked into his house for the last year. 
He can see your deep red lips in his peripheral vision, and immediately the image of those lips on his skin is conjured. He pictures a chaste kiss planted on his cheek followed by a less-chaste thought of his thumb pressed into your mouth, your eyes looking up at him while your lips leave a red ring on his hand. He needs to fucking calm down. This is just a dance. You’re at work doing your literal job.
He suddenly notices you’ve almost completely stopped moving. He looks up at your face and you’re wearing a tight, pained expression. His brows furrow. Oh no. What’s wrong? Is his erection noticable? Is he creeping you out too badly? Do you want him to leave? He opens his mouth to ask if you’re okay but you silence him with a gentle squeeze to his shoulders.
“I think I’m gonna die if you don’t touch me,” you squeak out in a strained whisper.
In the back of his head a part of him thinks that he shouldn’t immediately cave. It shouldn’t be this easy. Part of him thinks he should need more than just you saying that. 
But he doesn’t. At all.
He slowly slides his body down the sofa, pushing his frame between your legs. You move your feet apart to accommodate his wide shoulders once you realize he won’t fit otherwise. He stops when his ass is sitting on the floor and his head is just above the seat of the sofa, you towering over him. He reaches down and begins to take off your platform heels one at a time. 
As your bare feet hit the floor you run your hands up your neck, over your face, and through your hair, your knees knocking at his shoulders. Touching you gently with only two fingers on each hand, he pushes on the backs of your thighs, guiding you even closer to his face. He grabs your feet and holds them in his hands, forcing your legs to fold and pushing your knees past his ears as his head rests back on the seat.
You’re kneeling at the edge of the sofa, shins on the cushion, feet dangling over his shoulders, your toes curled in his massive hands on his chest, and his head between your thighs. Your face still looks uneasy, and he can just make out whining noises over the music. High-pitched and breathy, the way a dog would beg for scraps at the dinner table.
“Don’t worry baby, I’m gonna touch you now,” he growls.
You grab the brim of his hat and twist it off his head, immediately diving your fingers into his locks. He squeezes your toes and you take his cue, lifting your hips and canting them towards his waiting mouth. Latching his mouth onto your underwear, he runs his tongue up and down your covered seam. 
He feels you begin to rock your hips into his face, rolling your body above him. Any security who looked in the window would see your shoulders moving to the beat and assume you were kneeling on the couch and giving a lap dance. He can only barely see you from his angle, sees the lace of your panties, sees your wrists grabbing at his hair.
Letting go of one of your feet, he grabs at your wrist, dragging your hand from his head to the front of your own underwear. You run your fingers down yourself, parting them around his mouth, letting his tongue tangle in them. Then you grab the edge of the gusset and pull it to the side.
Wasting no time, he immediately begins to lick at your folds, tasting the wetness that has gathered there. A lot of wetness. Christ, you’re so fucking wet. His nose touches just below your clit and a string of your arousal attaches him to you when he pulls back slightly.
A slight pause in the music has his heart stop and his stomach in his throat. After a couple seconds - that seem to stretch on forever - the first song begins playing again, restarting what must be a looped set of music. 
That must mean this private dance-time is halfway over. Ten minutes left but since you two probably started after everyone else you might not have the full ten minutes of privacy if his friends decide to burst in the door. Which, if they’re led by Santi, is a real possibility.
Less than ten minutes. No problem.
You must also feel the sense of urgency because you adjust your hand that is holding your panties to the side. You take your thumb and pointer finger and move them over yourself, parting your lips to open yourself more to him and pulling up slightly, exposing your nub. He flattens his tongue in response and drags it over your sensitive bundle, noting the way your body trembles when he does so.
He knows he doesn’t have the time to edge you as he’d like to, but he can’t help himself when he moves his head lower and twists his tongue into your hole, thrusting it into you. You are bouncing yourself slightly up and down, helping him fuck yourself on his tongue. He feels your wetness pouring over his lips and dripping down through his whiskers.
He feels your hand leave your own body and tangle back in his curls along with your other one, grabbing two fistfuls of hair tightly in your grip. Having had enough of his teasing you’re apparently deciding to take matters into your own hands.
Frankie loves eating pussy but this? This might be his favorite thing in the whole world.
He angles his head perfectly, opens his mouth, and sticks his tongue out stiffly as you begin to grind your pussy against his face. You’re using his nose, his tongue, his chin, even the bristles of his facial hair. You’re using whatever you can to get yourself off as you ride his face. It takes everything in his power not to break out in a giant smile.
He doesn’t hear you, you’re still being the quietest you’ve been since you got in this room, but he feels it. Shit, does he ever feel it. He feels your body tense, then your legs quiver, feels the pulsing in your cunt as you press yourself firm into his still-open mouth. He gently laps up your gushing orgasm as you release the grip on his hair and whimper softly above him.
Knowing you’re short on time, he has you climb off him much sooner than he’d like you to. Your heavy-lidded eyes meet his and then yours go wide. You bend down and grab his hat, plopping it back on his head and attempting to tame his just-fucked-hair back underneath it. You run to the corner of the room and grab a small robe hanging on a hook, skipping back over and roughly wiping his face off with it the way you would a toddler after a meal.
He quickly adjusts himself, tucking his protruding hardness under his belt in an attempt to conceal it as he watches you adjust your askew panties. Still topless, you throw the robe back towards the corner in a panic just as there is a quick knock at the door. Without a signal to enter the door flies open anyways, no less than three of his friends bursting through the doorway drunkenly, shots in hand for Frankie to partake in.
They make Frankie drink the shots before he even leaves the room and then they drag him away from you, hollering obnoxiously. All he can manage is an apologetic look over his shoulder as he hears the final song finally come to an end. Time’s up. Luckily you’re laughing at their antics and don’t seem to be upset. Maybe you were just flirting with him because that’s your job. Maybe you just wanted a good tip.
A tip! Shit.
Being dragged down the hallway Frankie grabs Santi by the arm and asks in his ear how much he should tip you. Santi says he usually tips $200. Frankie is shocked that a 20 minute dance would garner that big of a tip, but then again it’s been a long time since he’s been at a place like this. And to be fair, you - albeit unknowingly - let him fulfill a long-time fantasy of his.
$200 is more than he would have paid you to watch his kid tonight. No wonder you’re not his babysitter anymore. He fishes around in his wallet and takes out all the cash he has, $236. He manages to break off from the group of guys after they do another couple shots and he looks around for you. 
Unable to find you he spots one of the girls you came to the table with and she lets him know you’re on a break but she can get the tip to you. He hands her the folded bills and she thanks him by leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek. When she pulls back from him she widens her eyes at him and flashes him a knowing smile.
“I’m sure she’s very appreciative… of the tip,” she winks.
Frankie tries not to blush and resists the urge to high-tail it to the bathroom and wash his face off, opting instead to keep the scent of you on him. He returns to the table of his too-drunk-to-notice friends and finishes out the night of revelry.
.
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3:03am
Hey
Hi
3:06am
Sorry
3:09am
You’re probably asleep
3:10am
Hi
I’m just getting home actually
3:11am
Oh cool me too
Sorry to bother 
I just wanted to make sure you got your tip
I left it with your friend
3:14am
I did, yes. Thank you so much.
3:14am
Cool 👍
3:16am
Don’t take this the wrong way…
But how drunk were you tonight?
3:18am
Idk
Why?
What did I do?
I’m so sorry
3:19am
No, don’t be sorry!
I’m not trying to be rude.
I just….
Did you mean to tip me that amount?
3:25am
Oh my god
Was it not enough?
I can give you more
I’m really sorry
Do you have Venmo?
3:27am
No! OMG. It was plenty!
Literally the most I’ve ever been tipped is like 40%
You tipped me 118%
3:30am
Oh
3:31am
Yeah so I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get too drunk
And accidentally just give me everything in your wallet
3:35am
Is that what happened?
3:37am
Because I can Venmo some money back to you
It’s really not a problem
3:40am
Sorry no
I just tipped what my friend told me to
3:41am
Well I checked with the other girls….
NONE of your friends tipped that much
And they were all very generous!
3:44am
But none as generous as you
3:45am
He’s such an asshole
I’m sorry
I didn’t know
I feel like an idiot
3:46am
Again, please don’t be sorry
It was VERY generous of you
And I’m very grateful
3:50am
I was in a giving mood tonight I suppose
3:51am
Mr. Morales, is that you being flirty?
3:53am
Oh we’re back to Mr. Morales now?
3:55am
Can you get a babysitter on Wednesday night?
3:55am
I don’t have custody this week so no babysitter needed
Why?
3:56am
We should go out to dinner
3:57am
Oh we should?
3:59am
Yeah we should
Frankie
4:01am
MY treat
4:01am
LOL I should hope so!
4:02am
Pick me up at 7 😉
4:02am
I will
See you Wednesday
307 notes · View notes
nonsensical-pixels · 11 months
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SYBOULETTE'S CANDY NURSERY CONVERTED TO THE SIMS 2 🍭
my previous conversions of syb's nursery sets can be found here: dreamy toddler 👶🏽| little dino 🐱‍🐉
hi everyone! @syboubou released their candy nursery set some time back in april to celebrate the release of ts4's growing together expansion pack, and i DESPERATELY wanted it for ts2! it's so, so adorable! so i did what i do, and almost two months later... here we are! i'm finally done converting the ENTIRE set! 🥳💃🏽
altogether there are 23 buy items, many of them functional, and 3 build assets: 2 wallpapers, 1 carpet floor. i'm immensely pleased with how it all turned out! it should pair well with my dreamy toddler conversions (linked above) and also my 4t2 conversion of madlen's kei baby care kit!
credits go to @syboubou for the amazing original set! it's simply perfection! 💝
there are two versions in the download below: a merged version, and an unmerged version. yes, the download is just THAT big. please pick only one! a collection file has also been prepared for convenience's sake.
DOWNLOAD: SFS | MF 🧁
keep reading below the cut to read what you need to read! and see what you need to see!
more previews
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things to note
a readme.txt is also included in the download!
the changing table does not actually come with a bin. so unless you place the decorative trash bin next to it, your sims will be throwing their trash into the void.
the crib is unanimated. i tried my best but the mapping and the way the model was made simply would not accomodate any animations without looking even worse 😫
the dresser is just decor. i use the gussy up mod in my game so my sims rarely use wardrobes. plus, the original dresser's structure made it impossible to be animated 😅
the way that the playmat works in the previews above is actually as a rug. i made an invisible recolor of the sims 2 store playmat (included in the download) and layered it over the decorative one so that it's 'functional'! if you just want the playmat as a rug, you can delete this.
the toddler bed is cloned from @themediocresulk's toddler beds as pet beds so that it's less buggy and your toddlers can get in or out whenever you want them to! you may want to grab this mod so that they gain more motives.
items included
taken directly from that readme.txt.
buy mode:
Baby Shoes Box -> 318 polys, $49 Beehive Ceiling Lamp -> 900 polys, $99 Bookcase -> 489 polys, $249 Books -> 84 polys, $49 Cat Plushie -> 840 polys, $39 Changing Table -> 349 polys, $249 Cloud Rug -> 2 polys, $49 Crib -> 1788 polys, $399 Diapers Box -> 772 polys, $9 Dresser -> 76 polys, $699 Hanging Plant -> 506 polys, $19 High Chair -> 1048 polys, $249 Mirror -> 270 polys, $149 Ottoman -> 316 polys, $89 Playmat -> 1584 polys, $249 Potty -> 112 polys, $99 Rabbit Lamp -> 912 polys, $35 Rocking Egg Chair -> 1760 polys, $379 Shelves -> 168 polys, $89 Toddler Bed -> 1855 polys, $349 Toy Rattle -> 432 polys, $49 Trash Bin -> 222 polys, $39 Vanity Case -> 1436 polys, $29
build mode:
Floor Carpet -> 26 swatches, $1 Wallpaper Panelling Paint -> 56 swatches, $1 Wallpaper Panelling Pattern -> 32 swatches, $1
misc:
a recolor of the sims 2 store's baby dangle monster playmat is also included. if you want to use it, you'll need the original mesh from the store download.
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phew, that was a LONG, but satisfying, post to write! i hope everyone enjoys these conversions as much as i do! i had a lot of fun making them 💝
have a lovely day simming everyone! don't be afraid to reach out to me if there's any issues with this download. though as always, keep in mind...
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cheers ~ 🥂
678 notes · View notes
manicpixiefelix · 3 months
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baby, put your back into it {Farleigh Start/Reader/Oliver Quick}
2/2: think about me while you do it [SMUT]
{ masterpost : 2/2 }
Summary: In which Oliver puts you in your place, and makes you beg to be there.
Need to Know: She/Her. AFAB!Reader. Established FWB Brat!Reader/Brat Tamer!Farleigh
Warnings: PWP!! smut; fingering, oral (M receiving), unprotected sex, dirty talk, lots of arguing, reader is very very bratty, dehumanising language and overall incredibly degrading talk, BDSM, leashes, dacryphilia(crying), reader being treated like a dog, bondage & restraints, creampie, so much begging, sir kink, oliver having the time of his life as a manipulative dom, pet name used for the reader "princess" and being referred to as "good girl"
A/N: 7434 words. never ever as long as i live will i ever write this pairing (farleigh/brat!reader/oliver) again, and not only can you quote me on that, but you can take it to the fucking bank. that being said, i did genuinely LOVE writing this, i think they're dynamic is so incredibly fun to explore, and honestly there's something hot about the mind games they all play on each other. it's just that it takes FUCKING FOREVER for them to do anything because they all hate each other. well, you and farleigh hate oliver and he hates both of you, but you also like to cause problems on purpose which pisses them both off. i love it. i never want to write them again. 10/10 LETS GET WEIRD WITH IT i would love to know what you guys think about this all :) oh also we definitely get heavy on the farleigh/oliver in this as well
TAGLIST IN COMMENTS!! // TAGLIST ALWAYS OPEN ! (just message or comment to be added)
----
Farleigh has always had these long, delicate fingers that Oliver's been fascinated by since they'd met, since he'd grabbed his thigh - so achingly briefly - in their tutor's office and levelled a grin that surely read as apologetic to the professor for running late, but turned so immediately dismissive the minute his gaze flicked to Oliver himself. For so long as Oliver wormed his way into Felix's life, into his circle of friends, that's all Farleigh had been; dismissive looks and long, enticing fingers poised with cigarettes and disdain like he was a model for Marlboro.
But the coldness in Farleigh's eyes turned warmer, especially over the Summer at Saltburn, and Oliver couldn't deny the heat of his frustration didn't have some kind of want pitting in his stomach. Anger and lust have never truly been strangers, at least not if he was judging by the way Farleigh had been looking at him tonight.
Now, Farleigh was looking at you with that heat in his eyes, looking at your parted lips and breathless smile like he wanted to devour you whole after so readily giving in to Oliver's degradation. Then he's watching the gentle way Oliver caresses your face in the moments that follow, and that heat too turns degrading.
"You really have no self respect," he scoffs; the mood shifts sharply to the left. There's that look in your eyes again like you're on the verge of causing more trouble.
"He said I had no manners!" You protested as Farleigh moved back from you, "my etiquette teacher would be rolling in her grave if she heard that!"
"Etiquette teachers aren't a real thing, are they?" Oliver, genuinely baffled enough to be pulled out of his earlier mood, automatically shuffles back as Farleigh gently pushes you over. You land on your stomach with a humph, hands still trapped at the small of your back, though now Oliver can see the skilled, tight way his belt was binding them. It conjures up images of expensive leather contraptions, restraints, and you on display, desperate for a hungry-eyed academic like Farleigh who'd actually put in the work to study how to best tame a beast like you.
"Do you think she ever stops to think why we call her a princess?" Farleigh scoffs in a brief moment of solidarity as he reclines on the bed. Oliver actually, genuinely laughs at that, much to your chagrin, at least until Farleigh's hand, those beautiful fingers, pushing down the waistband of his own boxers to finally give his cock some sorely needed attention. "Don't think your manners are the most scandalous thing you've been a part of tonight," he adds, turning his head to you with a deliciously sly smile, "your etiquette teacher know you beg like that?"
Oliver had caught sight of the way you were pouting, legs kicking ineffectually against the end of the bed considering how you were trapped in your position, like a little worm. You turned your head to face Farleigh with that same sulky expression, like all three of you didn't know exactly what he was talking about.
"My arms hurt," is all the response you give.
"Good," Oliver hadn't meant to say that out loud, nor had he entirely realised how fucking pleased he'd sounded as he'd said it, but it had seemingly escaped him nonetheless. His focus had been caught on the lazy rhythm Farleigh had been using to keep himself hard, but he still found himself enjoying the sound of your complaints, it seemed.
And your reactions to him; the way your fingers curled, the shiver he could see run down the length of your spine, and how quickly you had to press your face into the mattress, most likely embarrassed by whatever Farleigh would have seen in your expression. It seemed Farleigh himself wasn't even immune, cock momentarily twitching in his hand before Oliver realised how long he'd been staring, and that Farleigh's bright yet smug expression had meant he'd definitely noticed.
"You are taking to this remarkably fast," Farleigh sounds almost pleased, almost proud. You tell him to shut the fuck up, face still pressed against the duvet, but can't kick anyone from this angle, much to his ongoing amusement.
Surfacing, but still rather flustered, you announce sharply that you're not touching either of them until you can use your hands again. Oliver remarks that that's the point, and there's a part of him that's far too pleased about how it makes Farleigh laugh too. Of course this sets you off - he should have known - but it's easy enough for Oliver, sitting on his knees beside you on the bed, to keep you from sitting up too far once you've managed to roll over onto your back.
He knows he's different in this light, leaning over you, everything awash with the blue and silver of the night. For just a moment, it's as if you know you're helpless, his hand flat and warm on your chest, on your sternum, and you can see it in his eyes that he thinks you're helpless beneath him too. The chain around his neck hangs like the sword of Damocles above your own throat, and with the blue, searching, hungry eyes of a man who remembers every last cruel remark you'd tossed at him in the past week.
"Can I at least get some water?" You break the moment, and Oliver almost has to laugh, "it's not funny, I'm thirsty and for some reason," you pointedly rolled your eyes, words dripping with sarcasm, attempting to regain some of the composure you liked to carry yourself with, "I can't move my arms."
"Of course, your highness," Oliver briefly acquiesces, lips twitching into a smile as he made his way to the adjoining bathroom, hoping their was some kind of cup in their. Re-joining the room, he finds Farleigh to be amused, and you to still be on your back, annoyed -
"- not kidding, I'm not doing anything with either of you if you don't take this belt off of my damn hands," you were still insisting. Farleigh just grinned.
"Yeah, Miss Green-Light-Princess, we'll see about that."
Considering how your expression scrunched up to something almost flustered, and you didn't have any kind of comeback, it was safe to say you were still on board, just as Farleigh was delighted to call you out on it. Oliver reintegrates himself, sits himself on the edge of the bed and wears a little smile even as you call him your hero with more bitter sarcasm than he's ever heard from anyone in his life.
"Sit up," so gentle, so opposite of the ways he's been speaking to you just before he'd left; Farleigh is regarding him curiously, but you just roll your eyes. Now that Oliver knew inside and out - pun entirely intended - you were deliciously predictable. Easy to lull into a false sense of superiority.
"I can't."
"Roll over," the sweetness is quickly disappearing. For a brief moment, Farleigh's gaze meet's Oliver's, and he knows exactly what Oliver's doing, even if you haven't clued in. There's a spark of devilish glee that they share in this moment, but Oliver can't let it show on his face.
"What?"
"Roll over, I'll help," Oliver's smile doesn't reach his eyes, but you dubiously agree. Perhaps you think he'll undo the restraints around your wrists. Of course he won't, you should know better than that.
With you obediently on your stomach, Oliver puts the water on the nightstand. One hand goes to your shoulder, the other holds your shoulder.
"Now princess," he murmurs low in your ear, tone oozing condescension, "sit," like ordering a dog when he pulls you upright; you don't even fully notice at first, the pressure from the angle that he pulls your arms makes them ache once more, but then you're sitting up on your knees, and Oliver's lips are inches from yours, leaning into your space with intent, "stay," and you go quiet.
There is fury when he looks in your eyes; your jaw twitches as you bite down on a hundred different retorts. There's something intoxicating about you, the way everything you do in these moments is a war between your cruel nature and your hedonistic desires. You want to kick him, you want him to spit in your mouth, you want to ruin him, you want him to ruin you. All of it is written in your eyes.
You have spent all week treating Oliver Quick like nothing more than a dog; you hate that it turns you on when he returns the favour.
Farleigh is eating this interaction up, watching like a hunter who lay in wait for his prey, content with how Oliver so skilfully toyed with you -
"There's a leash in the bottom draw of the night stand -"
"Farleigh Start, I'm going to kill you with my bare hands when I get them back," you hissed, but Farleigh's comment had piqued Oliver's curiosity. Before you could even look back to give Farleigh a withering glare, Oliver's hand found your throat. Thumb and fingers against your delicate pulse points, not yet cutting off the blood flow, but right where they needed to be.
Ironically it's Farleigh's voice in the back of his mind, a night out at the pub where it had just been mostly guys, and somehow the topic of their sex lives came up. It had been Farleigh who had rolled his eyes and explained - it's here, idiot - reaching over to demonstrate on Felix himself - it's cutting off the blood flow that makes their head spin, not actually choking them to death. Gorgeous fingers momentarily placed on his cousin's throat, Oliver had memorised the placement. Considering what he now knew of Farleigh's relationship with you, he didn't need to guess why he was so sure back in the pub.
"Didn't say speak."
"I'd kick you if I could," your lip curled, even as his grip on your throat tightened. That fire in your eyes was betrayed by the way your heartbeat practically danced beneath his fingertips, "give me my water, I wasn't kidding about that."
There's a long, tense moment where Oliver deliberates. Then, very slowly, he lets you go, and turns, reaching over to the night stand. Out of the corner of his eye there's a very sudden flurry of movement, and of Farleigh moving unexpectedly fast. The water actually shakes with it, spills and splashes several drops onto his thighs, cold in the humid room, before he turns to see the tableaux of attempted rebellion. Farleigh looks still amused, but rather exasperated, like he expected as much, expected to have his hand in your mouth, your teeth in his palm, other hand digging nails into your shoulder as he attempted to hold you back.
"It's like you forgot, Ollie," Farleigh says with a mean little smile, "my dog's the kind that bites," still he plays along, the words coming out lazily despite how he seems to actually have to work to pull his hand from your mouth. Your anger at being thwarted seemed to simmer just beneath your skin; this smile you now wear is laced with malice that hadn't been there before.
"Just having some fun," you practically spat, with both of Farleigh's hands now on your shoulders, holding you in place. This malevolence is it's own kind of fun; your desire to hurt, to wound, to sink your teeth in like a cornered animal betrays you to Oliver. Your pride is starting to win over your desire; your capacity for cruelty is overcoming your desire to be put in your place. Perhaps it was getting to real, perhaps you remembered how much better you supposed you were than Oliver himself. This is exactly how he wants you.
Princess. Collared.
Taking a deep, deliberate breath, Oliver levels a flat, unimpressed look at you. Both you and Farleigh are waiting, watching, letting him lead in this moment, and he does. Water in one hand, he carefully reaches down to the bottom drawer of the nightstand - when you move, the bed moves with you, but Farleigh's grip on you never yields, never lets you lunge at Oliver the way you keep trying. The collar is sleep and simple, padded on the inside, with a leash to match. It even has a little bell, and an engraved tag.
Bitch.
Oliver chuckles a laugh as he reads it, he can't help himself.
"Farleigh thinks he's very funny," you roll your eyes, knowing exactly what Oliver had found so amusing. Farleigh does look particularly pleased with himself over your shoulder.
"It was true when I got it engraved and it's still true now."
But Oliver's moving on again, asking Farleigh to hold the glass of water for him as he fiddles with the collar. He is quiet, intense, arms around your neck as he takes his time doing up the collar; his face is so close to yours, sharing your furious, shaking breathes.
"How is our princess feeling?" Oliver takes the moment to check in, genuine, though it seems to irritate you further, "green light?"
"Do not flatter yourself into thinking I am yet speechless," you spit, "if I truly thought you offered me nothing, and wanted nothing more from you, I am more than capable of making that abundantly clear." You were endlessly fascinating to Oliver; you wanted to maim him, but you wanted him nonetheless. He tightens the collar around your neck. Farleigh still has one hand on your shoulder; his thumb comes to press against the edge of the collar, against your skin meeting the leather as he makes a pleased hum. "Green fucking light, scholarship boy," you give a mocking little smile to Oliver, the bitterness never leaving your eyes.
"Good -" the moment Oliver has latched the collar, has the leash curled at the back of your neck around his fist, you strain forward against it. The bell rings with the movement, a delicate sound for an indelicate moment -
"But I am warning you," forehead pressed against Oliver's, you're straining for any inch, any millimetre more you could get from his unyielding grip on your leash, you practically snarl against his lips with venomous hatred, "about what you will get when you treat me like a dog." Yet Oliver makes sure to remain impassive, perhaps even a little amused, in the face of your threats.
"If I can't make you bark like a good girl, princess," Oliver murmurs, catching your lips in a kiss even as you try to bite him, pulling back with a cold smile, "then I'm going to make you beg."
"Are you going to be a good girl?" Farleigh's voice purrs in your ear, and some of the viciousness about you eases. You sit back, back out of Oliver's space, and watch as Farleigh hands the water back to Oliver's waiting hands, trading him for the leash.
"For you," there's contempt in your eyes as you watch Oliver while addressing Farleigh, "I'll think about it."
Oliver's gaze meet's Farleigh's as he presses his laughter to your shoulder; something in his eyes almost says, well, good luck, I tried. Like Oliver isn't revelling in this chance you've laid before him; like he doesn't know how quickly your body betrays you at every single opportunity.
"If you want some water, you have to ask nicely," Oliver offers. A pause follows, and he watches you change tact.
You relax, letting the fight leave you, pressing yourself back against Farleigh as much as you could. Feeling his face so close to yours you turn, practically nuzzling against him.
"Even if I'm nice, he's going to be mean about it," your voice comes out so sweetly, so transparently manipulatively, "I just want a drink of water, you wouldn't make me beg for a drink of water, Farleigh," you insist, voice plaintive, all doe-eyed and pouting and not looking at Oliver.
"I can and I have and you didn't complain this much," Farleigh saw fit to remind you, giving a wide, mean smile. Your lip began to quiver.
"You're not even fucking me and I'm going to cry," you tried whimpering.
"Funny how none of those sound like any of those safe words," Oliver points out. Your lip stops quivering, in fact, you glare at him out of the corner of your eye as you pout, still trying to be soft and gentle with Farleigh.
"That's because they're not," Farleigh says far too knowingly, far too smugly, muttering into your ear once more, though loud enough for Oliver to clearly hear how sharp and praising it is, "and aren't you pretty when you cry."
"Can't cry if I'm dehydrated," you huff, and finally Farleigh, with a roll of his eyes, gives in with a sigh.
"Give her the water."
You immediately perk up, looking far too pleased to be getting your way, and lean forward expectantly. Oliver will give you this - and only this - before he drags every bit of satisfaction out of you that he wants. So he is careful, doesn't let the water spill, lets you breathe between mouthfuls when you indicate.
"All of it; it's good for you," still he tells you, tone like a teacher, cup insistent at your lips.
"Yes sir," you managed sarcastically, rolling your eyes as you drank more of the water, but something snapped, rewired in Oliver's brain. Farleigh could see it too.
"Oh he liked that," he commented, eyes alight with intrigue, and you frowned as you indicated for Oliver to lower the cup.
"I'm not saying it again."
"The optimism you have about what you will and won't do tonight is adorable," Farleigh tells you, planting a teasing kiss on your cheek, while you tell him to piss off.
"Give me the last of my water, you fuck," you finally manage, and Farleigh finally feels like he can lay himself back down, cackling at your audacity in the face of everything that had just happened. He also drops the leash, at least confident in either Oliver, or his own reflexes, for the time being, "do you want me to drink it all or not? Pick a lane."
Oliver, glass in one hand, reaches between your legs with the other. Immediately, you close your eyes, breath catching, knowing exactly what he was playing at.
"Is that how you think you're going to get fucked tonight?" No response; Oliver's thumb begins moving on your clit, pressing insistent circles as your breathing grows deeper, "are you going to be a good girl?"
"I'm not going to bark for you," you manage through gritted teeth, though after a moment, you half stutter out a moan, "please can you let me finish my water?" Two fingers slide teasingly down your slit, "please, Oliver -" you swallow hard, eyes opening to meet his; he can see this almost pains you, "please Oliver Quick, can I have the last of my water?" Those two fingers inside of you, curling, teasing, pulling a groan from you, eyes fluttering closed, and your voice barely above a whisper, "may I finish my water, sir?"
Oh yes, he did like hearing that from you.
"Of course," Oliver sits back, pleased, licking his fingers clean like a pleased cat while assisting you with finishing off the glass of water. You can't meet his gaze, already embarrassed by how quickly you'd given in. He watches your tongue dart out across your lips, collecting the few drops that had strayed, clinging to the edges of your lips. Beautiful mouth, he's sure he can put it to good use.
"All better, princess?" Farleigh snarks from behind you. Oliver thinks he can see you bite back on a harsh retort, and once again watches you change tact. Shifting away from him, half turning so you were now perpendicular to Farleigh and able to properly look at him, you wriggled your legs out from under you, perhaps a little more comfortable to your side, like a Victorian woman on a fainting sofa, it's an unassumingly sweet pose for the situation. Though it clearly matched the energy you were trying to give off.
"Yes, Farleigh, thank you, Farleigh," without even sparing Oliver a single glance. For a long moment, Farleigh's gaze slides from your innocent act to Oliver, looking unamused and still holding the empty glass. A strange moment of understanding passes between them the minute Farleigh sees Oliver's gaze snap to the leash down your back. So he sits, leans in close to you, and takes your face in one hand. It's clear you're leaning in to this perceived moment of tenderness, but Farleigh stops, a breath from your lips.
"You fucking bit my hand," his voice ice cold, you see there's no humour in his eyes as you pull back and try to stammer out something, anything, genuinely caught off guard, "so thanks won't cut it, princess; you can start with an apology."
"I -" you begin to frown, but then the bed dips behind you, and Oliver's cool hand is grasping at the leash, pulling gently.
"Didn't say speak," he warned, and didn't even give you a moment to butt in before continuing, "show Farleigh you're sorry."
Farleigh, clearly delighted by this turn of events, sits himself up, shuffling back to lean comfortably against the headboard. This confidence becomes him, legs spread in invitation, generous cock resting hard and wanting against the smooth plane of his stomach. For several long moments, Oliver watches Farleigh lazily stroke himself, simply watching you and Oliver through a smug, half-lidded gaze.
"You should see yourselves," the teasing barely hides how his voice is dripping with want. Unsurprisingly, you try to play it off, becoming flustered at the implication of you staring, of how much you knew you wanted him. But Oliver meets Farleigh's gaze, tongue darting out to wet his lips. Farleigh's smile widens.
"Aren't you lucky?" Oliver murmurs into your ear, grip on your leash tight as he keeps his eyes locked with Farleigh's. Though you've gone quiet, Oliver's unsatisfied with your lack of proper response, and gives a pointed yank on your collar.
"Yes."
"Yes what?"
"Yes, I'm lucky," you sighed faintly, "sir." Farleigh snorts a laugh, and Oliver grins, shuffling himself to sit on Farleigh's other side, by his hip, and looks expectantly at you before giving your leash a tug. At least you seem to be getting into this, considering you actually perk up, scrambling as best you could to sit yourself between Farleigh's legs.
There's something about the gleeful little grin that you give Farleigh in this moment that give away how much genuine joy and anticipation you have to have your mouth on his cock. He too seems at home in this moment, settling back against the headboard with his hands behind his head. It's almost cute, your eagerness, the way you lean down in anticipation before.
"Can I have my hands back now?"
Farleigh goes to sit up, goes to say something, as if he'd realised you'd probably need your hands for the act, but Oliver cuts him off before he can.
"No." And it's too firm for him to argue with. When you look at Oliver this time, there's something there that wasn't before. A moment of genuine doubt, a moment of genuine submission.
"Sir, I think I need my hands for this," instead of argumentative, it's almost pleading. This is the moment he knows he's starting to win. Oliver tips his head to the side, as if regarding you curiously.
"Do you?" He can see the doubt in your eyes grow; it's driving him mad the way he's holding himself back, but good things take time.
"I think so," you don't sound sure.
Oliver moves slowly, deliberately, and makes sure you're following his movements. Farleigh's cock twitches in Oliver's cool hand, but all Farleigh does is let out a low, pleased hum. He starts simply, thumb gliding over his slit, collecting the precum that had been beading there, hand then moving up and down in even strokes. For a moment, he chances a glance at Farleigh, only to see his head lolling back against the bedframe, pleased smile on his lips.
When an actual whimper escapes you, and Oliver feels you tug on your leash in his other hand, he remembers his task at hand. There's lust in your eyes as you wriggle, thigh clenching and rubbing together at the sight of Oliver working Farleigh's cock. This might be far easier than he thought.
"You want this?" Just like a pet owner with their clearly eager dog, Oliver teases you.
"Yes," your practically bark, breathless and eager and embarrassingly fast. It actually seems to catch both Oliver and Farleigh off guard, Farleigh's cock clearly reacting positively in Oliver's hand to your obvious desire, and Oliver giving Farleigh a genuinely impressed look.
"Never seen someone so eager to get their mouth around a cock before; you must've done something special to her."
"Do you want me to teach you or do you want me to show you?" Farleigh's eyes shine as brightly as his smile in the silver-blue glow of the night. Oliver's mouth goes dry at the thought, his own cock aching at the mere thought of what it would be like to look up at Farleigh with his smug approval - knew you could be boy for me, Oliver - and he wants to hate the idea, but he can't. But he doesn't get the chance to respond -
"No, mine," slips from you like a whine, unexpectedly possessive. It brings both boys' attention back on you, however, and you seem to realise your slip up. Mouth opening and closing, you can't even seem to find the words to defend yourself; at least you've learned to shut up.
"Careful princess," Farleigh says surprisingly coldly, slipping back into dominance with practiced ease, "you're lucky, remember?"
"I'm lucky," you nod emphatically, but you're straining against your leash, wetting your lips.
"Good girls get treats," he yanks your collar back to remind you who still holds your leash, "this a treat for you, princess?"
"I do genuinely enjoy it," you admit honestly, seeming a little flustered to be saying as much, looking to Oliver with a sheepish smile, "not with anyone else though," it's actually a very sweet moment.
"Really?" Farleigh seems genuinely flattered, wide, bashful smile on his face as he sits forward a little.
"You seriously don't understand how hot the noises you make are," you laughed a little self consciously, "I came completely untouched once just from going down on you."
"Are we here to stroke Farleigh's ego or his cock?" Oliver rolled his eyes, already tired of this, but Farleigh sat back obliging, while you tried to bend down, but very much couldn't.
"Pick a lane, Oliver," you groaned, before quickly amending, apologetically, "sir." Farleigh snickered. Oliver's gaze grew cold.
"Beg for it."
He pushes his hand between your shoulder blades, forcing you to double over and bend down, but then kept his grip on your leash tight as he held the shiny, plump head of Farleigh's cock just inches from your lips.
"Please," already you were back to playing along, mouth open, breathing heavy, whimpering as you hear an impatient moan from Farleigh himself, "please, sir please -"
"Please what?"
Mouth hanging open, panting like a desperate whore, you beg for Farleigh's cock in your mouth, your throat, to be facefucked and used, whatever - you felt like you were going insane from the suspense. All the words come spilling out from you, begging and dripping with need that Oliver almost gives in right there.
Oliver's hand has been skilfully fisted around Farleigh's cock this entire time, keeping him hard and ready and in the perfect spot to drive you made, just out of your reach. He'd half forgotten he was even doing it, getting him all worked up, leaking, slick, fingers shiny and sticky with Farleigh -
"Oliver -" Farleigh chokes out in a kind of warning tone, as if to tell him to stop playing around one way or the other.
"You think you deserve this?" Oliver finally lets Farleigh's cock go, and you actually whimper. Oliver wipes his hand off messily against your mouth, once more demanding to know if you think you deserve this. You're begging, please tumbling from your lips even as Oliver presses two fingers into your greedy mouth.
"Please, sir," muffled so much that it's almost indistinguishable as your thorough tongue laps at Oliver's fingers, "please, I need him," and the desperate tears are welling in your eyes as he keeps his fingers in your mouth but pushes you back up onto your knees.
"Will you sit for me if I give you what you want?" He pulls his fingers slowly from your mouth. You nod, heartbeat alive when he wraps a firm hand around your throat, "will you stay for me if I give you what you want?" Another nod, lip trembling and breathing so desperately hard. He applies more pressure.
"Anything," you gasp, hips moving again, insistent, desperate for friction; he'd see to that soon, "speak, shake," you wet your lips, "roll over."
Oliver glances over his shoulder to where Farleigh is watching with rapt attention. Good.
"Good dog," Farleigh mumbles, desperately working his own hand up and down his shaft.
Oliver lets go of the leash carefully, and your eyes snap back to him. Just as you promised, you sit, you stay, a good dog, watching him move closer to Farleigh with intent. He hears your breath catch the moment he takes Farleigh's cock in hand, and the desperate chanting of 'pleasepleaseplease' as he lowers himself down. For a moment, he looks to Farleigh, a silent question of permission, but considering he too can hear how desperate and needy you're behaving at the mere sight of this, he realises, at least in part, what Oliver's doing and seems entirely on board.
You were right, Farleigh moans and whimpers like a whore with a mouth on his cock. A wanton melody made all the sweeter for your begging having turned simply to needy noises. What Oliver can't fit of Farleigh in his mouth he continues to jerk off, momentarily slipping down to gently squeeze Farleigh's balls, earning him the most beautiful series of swears Oliver's ever heard. Tongue always moving, caressing, often lapping at Farleigh's slit and the sweet, salty slickness, Oliver works hard to make him feel good - which he knows he's more than capable of, despite his demeanour he's nothing near a virgin in any realm - without getting him to close. He'd still leave that for you.
For a moment he glances up at Farleigh, and the bitterness in his eyes at the edge of the obvious lust, like he resents Oliver for being so good at this, makes it all worth it.
I got you here, Farleigh, Oliver thinks with bitter triumph, everything else is sloppy fucking seconds.
When he pulls away, he makes sure there's a distinctive, lewd slurp before he takes a deep breath.
Looking to you, the fight is back in your eyes, but it doesn't fucking matter; Oliver won. He pulls you in for a rough kiss -
"I hate you," you snarl at him through your intensely frustrated pout, even as his hand grabs your jaw, "interloping little slut, where the fuck do you get off -?" But the minute he pushes his tongue into your mouth you still try to press yourself against him, to kiss him harder, taste all of Farleigh in him that you could. You know you're sloppy fucking seconds to him, and you hate him for it.
"I was thinking it was going to be in you," Oliver says blithely as he pulls away from the kiss. In the back of his mind he knows it's a loaded statement - ha - but he hasn't forgotten the colours if this was a bridge too far -
"Fucking finally you have some common sense," you sneer, as if you weren't still on the verge of tears, "I was going to say that if you ruined my sheets I was going to have you arrested."
"No you weren't," pipes up Farleigh with an eyeroll. Immediately embarrassed you tell him to shut up, "no, I don't think I will; I'm beginning to think you guys are a bunch of fucking teases -"
Oliver gives him a thin smile, handing over the leash, having gotten all the permission he needed.
"Are you going to be good for Farleigh?" He whispered low in your ear, "didn't you want this?"
"Weren't you just begging for it?" Farleigh smirked down at you, lust-filled approval in his voice, "come on, baby," he murmurs as he takes your face in his hands, and immediately you're his, "crying for me?" The teasing starts warm, but as he's wiping the first of the tears from your cheeks, as you're nodding with embarrassment, his teasing turns mean and sharp and smug, "crying like a desperate, little cockwhore," he doesn't even time to let you react before he's giving your cheeks a gentle squeeze; "open up," he orders in that same cruel, loving, smug tone that makes Oliver's hairs stand up on the back of his neck. But you seem to react with relief the moment you have your mouth around him.
There's something that even Oliver finds entrancing about Farleigh in this moment. He'd been leading you both for so long that he'd forgotten where it had all started, the way Farleigh had spoken so early on, and how even in your most vicious or playful, part of you would always refer back to him. Part of Farleigh had earned your respect, and in the end, he had been the only one in the house who made the princess feel like her place was on her knees.
"Now your little power trip is over," Farleigh's voice cuts through Oliver's thoughts like a fucking knife, as always, painful and clean and precise, "do you need my permission to -" but Oliver's done with his bullshit tonight too.
"Shut it Farleigh," he rolls his eyes and starts to move once more. Time he focuses on your bound hands, finally deciding that you'd probably had enough, or at least were willing enough to listen to either Oliver or Farleigh in a way that mattered.
"Oh my god, freedom!" You immediately announced, sitting up to throw your hands in the air with a genuinely delightful glee.
"You see what you've done," Farleigh looked over your shoulder to Oliver, tossing his belt to the side, but you were already using your freedom to crawl up to meet him. Oliver's surprised by how genuine and affectionate you are when you tell him to be quiet for a moment. With one hand still working on him, the other being used to brace yourself up, you kiss Farleigh gently. What surprises Oliver even further is the momentary look of actual love in Farleigh's eyes as he cups your jaw and kisses you back.
Then you're moving back, making sure to let them both know that you weren't kidding about how much you enjoyed going down on Farleigh. However you do give pause, looking at Oliver through narrowed eyes for a long minute where he's sitting by your knees, watching the exchange, not quite sure where he was meant to go from here.
Your foot lashes out at him. Hard. It's unexpected. Somehow, so is the second kick that follows immediately after. The third he anticipates, but by that stage you'd shunted him to the edge of the bed, and though he tries to catch your leg he falls off, unsuccessful.
"What kind of problem do you have?" Oliver is scowling from the floor, his shoulder and hip sore from the fall, while Farleigh is laughing his ass off.
"What are you, a coat rack suddenly?" You demanded, matching his scowl with one of your own, still braced on your hands and knees over Farleigh, "also fuck you for making me beg for water." Careful, Oliver thinks, he's not quite done making you beg.
"Maybe his dick's broken," Farleigh snorted, "which would be a fucking shame; have you had a proper look at it?" Oliver bristled at the implications, though he knew he'd be thinking about the compliment tucked in there for days to come.
"You are both right fucking insufferable," Oliver snapped, getting to his feet and brushing himself off with indignation.
"Yeah, I'll cry about it in the shower later," you could clearly be heard rolling your eyes. There's a few pointedly obnoxious moments where you make a point of gagging on Farleigh's cock before coming back up for air and to add, "fuck me or fuck off - woah, okay, good choice!"
Before you can even finish your ultimatum, Oliver's decided he's come too far to, well, not. Grabbing your thighs with all the strength he could muster, he pulls you almost entirely away from Farleigh, to the end of the bed, half off the bed, causing you to faceplant into the duvet the moment your knees were no longer supporting you. Farleigh's protests fall on deaf ears, however, as all Oliver allows himself to focus on is keeping you stable, bent over the end of the bed like this.
Still, Farleigh shifts down to accommodate your change in position, despite his eye rolling and claims that Oliver's being dramatic, it's overshadowed by the sudden, loud moan that escapes you.
"Never felt someone so fucking desperate for someone they hate," Oliver bites out, almost impressed by how easy it was to bury himself in you. In the moment he gives you to adjust, his hand pressed to the small of your back to which you eagerly arch back against him, he watches Farleigh. It's his turn to be smug.
After a moment, he gives a few, shallow, experimental thrusts. Each time you rock back to meet him, to take him as deep as possible, and each time he hears a faint, pleased whimper. Your body and it's desires has betrayed you at every single opportunity, which is information Oliver gladly keeps in the back of his mind.
"Come on princess," he leans over to you to murmur in your ear where you'd pressed your face to Farleigh's thigh for the moment, attempting to keep going with your hand on him when your body could only focus on the rhythm of Oliver, Oliver, Oliver, "you've got a job to do, don't you want to be good?"
"I want to be good," you keened, before making the effort to prop yourself up, taking Farleigh in your mouth once more.
It's the last moment of care that Oliver affords, however, as he very quickly sets a rough pace, nails digging so hard into your hips that he thinks he might draw blood. But your cunt still clutches at him like it was made for his cock, so slick with how much you need this, need him in this moment, that it's already dripping down your thighs.
The three of you get lost in each other, each desperate moan from your muffled by Farleigh's cock hitting the back of your throat. The sensation soon sets him off and he can't keep his hands off of you. Up on his knees he takes over, takes your face in his hands as you look up at him, teary-eyed with a heady kind of bliss, and he matches Oliver's rhythm as he fucks your face.
Oliver can only imagine the kind of mess you look like right now, but has to focus on sustaining himself, making sure he doesn't leave you with any more excuses to belittle him tonight. So he reaches around, between your thighs, and his fingers find your desperately sensitive clit.
Immediately your stance slips, widens, gives him better access to your clit, and he hears your muffled moan become a choked sob. The beginning of the perfect end.
Farleigh's getting close, his pace is faltering, his hips are stuttering, you're whining and gasping desperate breathes between each of his thrusts, that have turned to wordless, overwhelmed sobs in the past few minutes. Oliver is genuinely impressed that you're able to take all of Farleigh like that; he wonders if he'd dedicated time to training you. He can't dwell on it, not when Farleigh's eyes have fallen closed and he's started mouthing what Oliver can only assume is a string of swear words.
For just a moment, Farleigh looks like an angel. Ethereal. He almost glows. Perfectly at peace and content and not a total, unbearable smug asshole. Then he pulls his cock out of your mouth and lets his legs give out again, flopping back onto your bed with a wide grin.
"I thought Oliver couldn't make you speechless," Farleigh teased, while you had in fact moved past words almost entirely, except -
"Please," you sobbed desperately. Farleigh, who'd never gotten to see you like this from here, lights up, moving back to you. You're shaking, barely able to support yourself, and he finally sees Oliver's hand between your thighs, and puts two and two together.
"Please?" He wears a smile that's all teeth, gently taking your shoulders and the pressure of keeping yourself up. In return you find yourself holding his face, his arms, everywhere, for support as he moved you back to press against Oliver. Taking the hint, Oliver wraps his arm around you, firm against your back, keeping you secure as he fucks up into you.
"Pleasepleaseplease -"
"Words, princess," Farleigh tells you as he brushes Oliver's hand out of the way, letting him focus on the new angle, the new sensation, the way you're trembling and so close to cumming on his cock. Before you can even formulate proper words at first, your head falls forward onto Farleigh's shoulder, sobbing, aching with how good you've been made to feel.
"I'm so close," you choke out, "please can I -"
"Selfish," Oliver admonishes coldly, and the reaction is immediate.
"No, no," you whimper apologetically, something Farleigh's never heard from you before. Lifting your head you lean back, fitting yourself against Oliver further, trying to placate, "please, no I promise- you, I need -" you take a deep, shuddering breath, "Ollie, please, it feels like I'm going to fucking die if you don't cum in me," you blurt out. Farleigh actually laughs, he's never seen you so fucking weak for another person.
Your begging and desperate pleas spur Oliver on, holding you tighter, fucking you harder, until he finally leans forward, sinking his teeth into your shoulder. It sends you over the edge, has you seeing stars as you cry out. Shudder and sobbing with your release, you feel Oliver bury his cock deep in you as it twitches and throbs and paints your inside.
Oliver lets you go, lets you fall onto Farleigh as your orgasm is still quaking through you. Oliver's hands grip your hips, keep you flush to him, keep you from pulling away.
"That's a good girl," Farleigh murmurs in your ear. He's holding you close with one arm, the other gently running his fingertips up and down your back in a comforting rhythm. He doesn't bother sparing Oliver a second glance, Oliver isn't an important part of this equation to him anymore. Not that that matters to Oliver.
It was far easier to pick you apart, to own you inside and out, than he'd ever imagined. He'd brought you to tears, made you beg for every last bit of fucking pleasure including every inch of him and then some. He would leave you aching, leave you knowing that you both knew the truth of where your place is in his world.
Finally Oliver pulls out of you, wiping his softening cock on your thighs before he thinks about getting dressed. He does take a few moments, while you're still half bent over the bed and being supported by Farleigh, where Oliver watched with a detached kind of approval, the way his cum starts to leak out of you, down your thighs with your own shining arousal.
The princess had been collared, cuffed, and his, inside and out.
"Thank- thank you, Oliver Quick," your voice is demure and grateful among your sniffles and whimpers, and Oliver can't help but smile to himself. His pride in you extends only to your final show of submission, though it's pride nonetheless.
"Good girl."
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chelseachilly · 3 months
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falling for you
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pairing: reader x ben chilwell summary: as a reporter for chelsea and england, you and ben have always been friendly - and sometimes a bit flirty - but you never imagined a fluke injury while filming a youtube video could lead to something more warnings: mentions of minor injury, mainly just fluff ☺️ word count: 6.4k
author's note: hope you like this one! it was a lot of fun to write and definitely my longest one-shot yet hahah. fc is olivia buzalgo obviously lol
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As a reporter for both the England national team and Chelsea, you’ve always tried your best to remain professional and not show favouritism towards any of the players.
For the most part, this hasn’t been an issue. While you do spend a lot of your time with incredibly fit guys around your age, they’ve never been anything other than colleagues or, at the most, friends.
Except for Ben Chilwell. 
He had been on your radar professionally for some time before you met, as he was an up and coming talent at Leicester and for England. You always thought he was good looking when you watched him play on television, but you didn’t really know much about him.
It wasn’t until he signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2020 that things changed.
You were tasked with conducting Ben’s first interview for the club, and the two of you hit it off immediately. You felt like you had known him your whole life within the hour you spent together in a small room at Cobham, chatting about his career and his goals at Chelsea. 
You also learned quickly that Ben wasn’t just attractive - there was something magnetic about him. You felt instantly at ease around him, yet he also made your heart rate triple with a quick smile as you passed in the hallway or a glance in your direction while he’s on the pitch.
While you would never dream of pursuing him, partly because it’s unprofessional and partly because there’s no way he feels the same way, the connection between you two hasn’t exactly gone unnoticed. 
Every time you post an Instagram story of you working with Ben or a video of you interviewing him is released, the comments and replies are flooded with fans speculating about whether you two are dating. You always feel a bit embarrassed, wondering if he’s seeing these responses too, but you continue to post the content for two reasons:
One, because your content with Ben always performs the best, meaning your bosses are always encouraging more of it;
And two, because you’re super into him and you’ll take any excuse to work with or spend time with him.
So, despite all the speculation, you continue to post pics with Ben whenever you’re working together, and the occasional borderline-flirty comments he leaves certainly don’t help matters. 
yourusername
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liked by benchilwell, masonmount and others yourusername Always a pleasure with the best left-back in the league @benchilwell ☺️ view all comments benchilwell High praise from the best reporter in the game 😉 chelsfan1 ooh i think chilly has a crush on y/n benfan2 they are never beating the secretly dating allegations 🤨
The seemingly flirty comments he sometimes makes in person don’t help matters, either - certainly not for your growing crush on him. You find yourself both looking forward to and dreading every opportunity to film something with him, loving every minute of your time with him but wishing deep down that it could lead to something more. 
You’ve hung out a bit outside of work, too, sometimes grabbing something to eat after a shoot or partying together after Chelsea have won a big game. You’re friends, but that’s all you are. You’re painfully reminded of that every time you read about the latest gorgeous model he’s dating. 
That doesn’t stop your heart from skipping a beat when your boss emails you your next assignment, a video with Ben and Conor. They’re two of your closest friends on the team, so it should be a dream day of work for you to film a silly video with them for the club’s socials, but you’re more nervous than usual. 
Ben’s been a little bit flirtier than usual lately, bringing you coffee when you’re working at Cobham and sending you funny TikToks throughout the day. You’re not reading too much into it, but it’s definitely going to make it harder for you to ignore your feelings for him.
But you’ll at least have Conor and the camera crew there, so it won’t be that bad. You hope.
You arrive at Cobham bright and early that day, already dressed and having done your own makeup as per usual for a shoot like this. You meet up with the cameraman, Brian, who you frequently work with, to go over the plan.
“You nervous?” Brian asks when you walk into the office, a small smirk on his face. 
You can feel your face go pale and your eyes widen. “What? Wh-why would I be nervous?”
“Because of the shoot,” Brian says blankly, raising an eyebrow at you. “You know, how you were saying you’re awful at football…”
Ah, yes. The normal reason for you to be nervous. 
Truthfully, your mind has been so taken up with thoughts of seeing Ben that you haven’t worried too much about the video itself. The premise is that the boys will demonstrate some football skills and you’re supposed to try to replicate them. You’re hardly a footballer, so it’s really just meant to be lighthearted, funny content for fans who like your dynamic with the boys. 
“Oh, right,” you say with a small laugh. “I’m sure it won’t be too bad. How hard can it be?”
Brian just laughs, ignoring your slightly odd behaviour from before. “Yeah, you’ll be fine.”
A little while later, you make your way out to the training pitch where you’re meeting the guys, and you smile when you see Ben has shown up early and is kicking the ball around and scrolling on his phone. He stops and smiles when he sees you approaching.
“Y/N, hey!” he exclaims, pulling you into a quick hug. “You alright?”
“Hey, Ben,” you reply, in a bit of a trance as you pull back from the hug. “I’m good. How are you?”
“Great,” Ben grins. “You ready to learn a few things?” 
“Oh, yeah, it’s not every day that I get a free football lesson from the stars of Chelsea FC,” you tease. 
“Yeah, you basically won the lotto,” Ben chuckles.
You raise an eyebrow with a smirk. “You’re comparing a morning with you to winning the lottery?”
Before your banter can continue, you see Conor and the rest of the video crew approaching and you’re brought back to reality - in which Ben is your coworker, not your boyfriend, and you have a job to do. 
You quickly hug Conor hello and chat for a minute while the guys set up the filming equipment. You can tell they’re in high spirits from the recent winning streak they’ve been on, making the atmosphere around Cobham better all around. 
Once it’s time to get started, you get into position and begin your intro, explaining the premise of the video. 
You start off with some easier skills, watching Ben and Conor demonstrate before attempting them yourself. You’re definitely not a professional, but you played a bit as a kid, so you can handle a few kick ups and headers. 
As things start to get a bit more complicated, you’re definitely struggling more, but the boys are very sweet and encouraging. Honestly, you’re not too concerned with showcasing your abilities - it’s just a funny video, and it’s part of the job. You don’t think any of the fans are expecting you to be the next Leah Williamson or something, but you still try your best for the sake of the challenge. 
The final skill you have to do is a bit of a trickier one, a crossover. Ben shows you how to do it with ease, obviously, before encouraging you to give it a go. 
After a couple failed attempts that you hope the video editor cuts out, you finally manage one, and both Ben and Conor cheer for you like you just won the Champions League.
“You’re a pro, Y/N,” Ben grins. “Wanna go again?”
With a sudden boost of confidence, you nod, and Ben kicks the ball back to you. You kick it up a few times and meet Ben’s gaze with a small smile before jumping up and swinging your leg around the ball again. 
Only this time, instead of landing perfectly on your feet, you land directly on the side of your left ankle and fall over.
There’s a shooting pain up your leg, but that’s overshadowed by the immediate embarrassment you’re feeling. The moment you catch your breath and sit up, Ben is already at your side with his hand on your upper back, asking if you’re okay.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you insist, before you’ve even had time to assess if that’s true. “Just give me a sec and we can keep going, sorry guys.”
“Are you sure?” Brian asks, setting his camera down on the tripod after he stopped filming. “It looked like you twisted your ankle pretty bad.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” you say, though the pain has begun to settle in and it definitely doesn’t feel like nothing. “Ben, can you help me up?”
Ben looks hesitant, his eyes flitting from your ankle back up to your face, but he nods and grabs both your hands to help lift you to your feet. 
You’re determined to soldier on and finish the video with minimal humiliation, but the moment you put the slightest bit of weight on your left foot, you wince sharply and feel tears begin to brim in your eyes. 
Ben immediately catches you and carefully lowers you back to the ground, keeping a hand on your back.
“Y/N, you’re hurt,” Ben says, eyes full of concern. “It’s your ankle?”
You nod, afraid that if you speak, your voice will tremble from the pain.
“We should take her to one of the physios to get it looked at,” Conor suggests. 
“I’m sure they have more important things to deal with,” you mumble, feeling a bit more grounded by the way Ben is gently rubbing your back, giving you something other than the pain to focus on. 
“Not really, we don’t have training today so most of the boys aren’t even here,” Ben assures you. “I’ll take you there now.”
You’re about to ask how you’re going to get all the way up to the physio offices if you can’t even stand, but you don’t have to wonder for long before Ben is carefully slipping his arm under your knees.
You let out a small gasp as you’re swept off your feet, suddenly finding yourself in Ben’s arms. 
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” he asks quickly, misinterpreting your surprise for pain.
“No, I’m good,” you say quietly. Despite the shooting pain, this is partially true - how could you not be good when you’re currently being carried bridal style by the guy you’ve had a crush on for years. 
“Sorry, guys,” you say to Conor and the crew. “Maybe once they look at my ankle we can continue-“
“There’s no way you’re walking on that today, and we have enough content for the video,” Brian tells you. “Go get checked out and let us know how you’re feeling, alright?” 
“I will,” you smile. “Thanks.”
“Good to go?” Ben asks you, and you nod. 
You rest your head on his shoulder as he carries you with ease up to the physio department, feeling strangely comfortable in this position you never expected to be in. You love the feeling of being in his arms, how safe and protected you feel even in your vulnerable state. 
Once you arrive at the physio rooms, Ben sets you down gently on one of the beds and runs to grab someone. He returns moments later with Billy, who you’ve met a few times around the club. He’s a kind man who you know is particularly close with many of the players, including Ben.
“Hi there, Y/N, let’s take a look at that ankle,” he says gently. “Ben, mind grabbing some ice?”
“Of course.”
Ben goes over to the freezer and grabs a bag of ice while Billy carefully removes your shoe and sock, the action alone making tears form in your eyes once again. 
“Let’s ice it for a few minutes first,” Billy suggests after seeing the state of your rapidly swelling ankle. “I’ll go get you something for the pain.”
After he takes the ice pack from Ben and gently places it on your foot, relieving the throbbing a little bit, Billy leaves the room. Ben pulls up a chair next to you and lightly touches your arm. 
“You doing alright? That looks like a bad one,” Ben says, his voice impossibly even softer than before as he sees the pain you’re experiencing.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” You sigh, shaking your head. “I’m just so humiliated, to be honest. Leave it to me to injure myself on video, and in front of my coworkers and two professional footballers.” 
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, love, that could’ve happened to anyone,” Ben insists, making your heart jump at the tender nickname. “It’s my fault, I encouraged you to go again. I’m so sorry you got hurt, I feel awful.”
“No, Ben, absolutely not,” you say quickly. “It was just a dumb accident. I think I got a bit too confident in my football abilities.”
“Well, you were doing great,” he smiles. “I think the fans will love the video. Just like everything else you do.”
You’re grateful that Billy walks back in right in that moment, both because of the pain meds he has for you and because it diverts Ben’s attention from your now flushed cheeks. 
As Billy begins your assessment, you turn back to Ben.
“You really don’t have to stay, I’m sure you have better things to do with the rest of your day.”
“Don’t be silly, Y/N, I’m not going anywhere,” Ben says definitively. 
You’re sure you’re blushing again, but it’s quickly overshadowed by your grimacing in pain as Billy gently rotates and palpates your foot. Ben’s presence calms you down massively as Billy runs some tests to determine the extent of your injury.
After it’s determined that it’s just a bad sprain, Billy puts you in a boot and gives you crutches to get around for the next few days. He says to go for an x-ray if it doesn’t improve in the next two weeks, but that you should be walking fine by then. 
Once you’re cleared to leave, Ben offers to grab your stuff from the media team offices as you rack your brain to think about how you’re going to get both yourself and your car home. 
He returns with your bag slung over his shoulder and another gentle, heartwarming, completely irresistible smile on his face. 
“You ready to go?”
“Yeah, I just need to call my parents and see when they’ll be able to make it,” you tell him. “It might be a while, but I’m fine to wait here. I’ve already taken up way too much of your time.”
Ben just furrows his eyebrows. “Don’t your parents live in North London?”
You just blink at him for a second, completely surprised that he remembers this detail you hardly remember sharing with him, before nodding.
“That could take hours with traffic, I’ll just take you,” he insists.
“That’s really nice, Ben, but I also have to get my car home somehow.”
“So I’ll drive you home in your car, then Uber back to get mine later,” he says nonchalantly. 
“Ben-“
“Please just let me do this, Y/N,” Ben pleads. “I swear it’s no trouble.“
After a moment of deliberation, you find yourself agreeing with him. It could take hours for your parents to get here, and you’re really looking forward to being home on your couch after the day you’ve had.
He helps you down to the car park, matching your slow pace and opening all the doors for you, and then helps you get into the passenger seat of your car. You feel mildly embarrassed that he has to drive your tiny little vehicle that probably cost only a fraction of his weekly pay, but he immediately tells you how nice it is and cracks a joke about how much cleaner it is than his own, putting you at ease. 
You play some music while he drives, chatting about some of the recent changes at the club as you give him directions to your flat. About halfway there, you notice how his phone that he placed in the drink holder between you is incessantly buzzing.
“Do you need to get that?” 
“No, it’s alright,” Ben shrugs. “Probably just the boys. I was supposed to go to my mate’s house after we wrapped up, but I’ll text them and explain. He won’t mind.”
You instantly feel terrible for keeping him from hanging out with his friends on a rare day off from training. 
“Ben, I-“
“Y/N, it’s really no big deal,” he says, looking over at you now that you’re stopped at a red light. “They’re not going to care that I bailed on playing FIFA to help my injured friend.“
You nod and smile at him, holding his gaze until the light turns green and the person behind you is honking at you to drive.
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liked by benchilwell, conorgallagher92 and others yourusername Before and after attempting to keep up with professional footballers…I’ll keep my day job lol 😅 view all comments benchilwell You'll be back on the pitch with us in no time 🥰 conorgallagher92 Hope you're feeling better!! You did great 😊 chelsfan3 aww poor y/n, what happened?? yourfriend Get well soon babe! x benfan4 Omg Y/N and Ben...need this video out asap (and hope she's ok!)
The next few days pass fairly uneventfully as you’re laid up on your couch icing your ankle and watching Netflix. 
Thankfully, you didn’t have any in-person work commitments this week, and you’re able to do some prep for next week’s interviews from the comfort of your own home. 
Although the injury is certainly a disruption to your routine, the most significant change is the sheer amount of attention you’ve been receiving from Ben ever since.
After he helped you get home and learned that your flatmate is on holiday for two weeks and you would be home all alone, he insisted on staying and making you something to eat. He only left once he was confident that you were comfortable and had everything you needed. 
Since then, he’s texted you way more than he ever has before, constantly checking in and asking if you need anything. As much as you would love for him to come over every day and watch movies or have dinner with you, you have a nagging feeling that he just feels guilty about your injury. You like him so much, even more so for how sweet and attentive he’s being, but you don’t want to take advantage of that kindness.
After the third day of being bored at home, though, you’re starting to go a little stir crazy, and it’s hard to resist when Ben texts you. 
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True to his word, Ben shows up at 5:45 with Nando’s for both of you, having remembered your order from one time you went together after an interview he did for Sky. 
After teasing him during dinner for never having finished the films, you decide to watch the fourth Harry Potter movie, Ben helping you settle in on the couch with your leg up before sitting right next to you. 
As time passes, he gets progressively closer to you, until his arm is resting on the back of the sofa. He’s not quite touching you, but after he selects the next film, silently looking at you to see if you want him to stay, you feel a bit braver. After nodding with a smile, prompting Ben to hit play and settle back into the cushions, you shift slightly closer to him and lean into his body. 
“You’re warm,” you say, suddenly feeling the need to justify your closeness when you feel his muscles tense slightly.
When you feel him shift away from you, you’re completely humiliated for misreading the situation. What on earth were you thinking trying to cuddle with him? You don’t cuddle with your other friends.
But these thoughts are quickly shut down as Ben grabs the blanket from the opposite end of the couch and drapes it over both of you, then raises his arm to invite you to lean back into him with a smile on his face. 
You hesitate only a moment before curling back up to him, your head now resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around you. 
You’re so comfortable and at ease in this position, despite it being completely new and a bit terrifying, that you can feel yourself drifting off less than halfway through the movie. You swear you feel Ben press a kiss to your forehead, but you’re not sure if it’s real or you’re already dreaming.
When you wake up again, the credits are rolling and Ben is half-asleep with his head resting on top of yours. 
“Sorry I fell asleep,” you murmur with a small yawn, reluctantly extracting yourself from his embrace. 
“It’s okay, you needed the rest,” Ben says softly, his voice a bit gravelly from lack of use.
God, you want to kiss him so bad. 
“It’s late, do you have training in the morning?” you ask.
“Yeah, at nine,” Ben confirms. “So I suppose I should get going. Do you need anything before I do?”
“No, thank you, though,” you say. “For everything, Ben. You’ve been so amazing, I really cant thank you enough.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Ben says softly, taking your hand and giving it a squeeze. “You’ve always been so nice and supportive when I was injured, whether you’re interviewing me about it or we’re just chatting privately, and I don’t think I ever told you how much I appreciate that. How much I appreciate you.”
Your cheeks are growing hotter as you hold his gaze, his bright blue eyes staring into yours with a new kind of intensity you’ve never seen before. 
As much as you desperately want to lean in and press your lips to his, or even tell him how you feel, you’ve grown to treasure your connection with him too much to risk anything. You have to be sure. 
“You’re welcome, Ben,” you say. “I’m glad I could help. I’ve always hated seeing you go through that.”
Ben nods, squeezing your hand once more before letting go.
“I’ll text you tomorrow, keep taking it easy and feel free to call me if there’s anything you need. At all.”
“Thanks,” you say once again, rising and grabbing your crutches to walk him out and so you can lock the door behind him. “I’ll be okay. But I will probably have to miss the game on Sunday, not sure I’ll be up for the journey to Newcastle.” 
You hate missing Chelsea games, whether they’re home or away, but even if you secure a spot on the team jet and you have a comfy spot in one of the boxes, it would be a lot to navigate on crutches. 
“Of course, we’ll all miss seeing you, though,” Ben says. “Won’t feel right doing the interview with someone else after we win.”
“I love the confidence, but you speak with other interviewers all the time,” you tease him gently. 
“Yeah, and I always wish they were you,” he admits as he slides his shoes on. “Good night, love.”
He steps forward, cupping your face and pressing another kiss to your forehead - this one definitely not a dream - but pulls back much too quickly for your liking. 
“Good night, Ben,” you’re barely able to choke out, your heart rate nearly triple its usual pace.
The moment he’s gone, you crutch back over to the sofa and flop down, letting out a long exhale. 
Surely, he would’ve kissed you when he had the chance if he fancied you, right?
But, at the same time, no matter how nice of a person he is or how much he treasures your friendship, you doubt he would spend his whole evening cuddling with you if he didn’t want to. 
As you settle in and press play on yet another movie - the perks of not having work in the morning - you try to put all thoughts of Ben out of your mind. This proves difficult, considering the blanket you’re using still smells a bit like his cologne, and because you haven’t really stopped thinking about him since the day you met. 
-
The next week, after Chelsea defeat Newcastle 3-1 with a spectacular assist from Ben that you really wish you could’ve seen in person, you’re back at work. 
You’re doing an interview with Pochettino this afternoon to talk about the win and how the season is turning around, which is a great opportunity for you, career-wise.
You just wish that it hadn’t happened on a day when you’re still hobbling around in a boot and Brian is stuck in traffic, meaning you have to set up for the interview yourself. Thankfully, you’re no longer on crutches, but by the second trip down the stairs from the media office to the room where you’re doing the interview, your ankle is really starting to protest all the walking.
Just as you’re taking a break in the middle of the stairwell, propping the tripod you were carrying up against the wall and taking a seat, you hear the sound of footsteps approaching and mentally prepare yourself to explain what you’re doing just chilling on the stairs.
“Y/N!”
The sound of the familiar voice calling your name relaxes you a bit, your shoulders slumping as you see the same smile that has been imprinted in your brain for the past week. 
“Someone told me you were in today but I couldn’t find you in the media office,” he says, the smile on his face fading as he notes your slightly pained expression. “Are you alright, love?”
Since your injury, he’s called you “love” more times than you can ever recall him saying to anyone before, making your stomach fill with butterflies every time. 
“Yeah, I’m fine,” you insist. “Just…taking a break.”
Ben narrows his eyes, and you know you aren’t fooling him, as much as you don’t want any more pity or guilty looks from him. 
“In the stairwell? Wait - you aren’t carrying equipment yourself, are you? Y/N-“
“Brian’s stuck in traffic, and I’m interviewing Poch in an hour. I’m not going to waste his time because we were late to set up.”
“Y/N, there’s no way I’m letting you carry anything else down these stairs,” Ben says seriously, reaching out to carry the tripod under one arm and offering you a hand with the other. 
You take his hand and let him pull you to your feet, but you still can’t help but protest.
“Don’t you have training right now?”
“Nah, just finished,” he says, beginning to walk down the stairs and keeping a hand hovering behind your back as if he’s afraid you’ll topple over. “We have a break for lunch now before we hit the gym.”
“But-“
“I’ll have plenty of time to help you and eat,” Ben says, now countering your arguments for accepting help before you can even make them. 
Once you get down to the room of the interview, Ben insists you sit down and elevate your leg while he grabs the rest of the stuff. On his final trip, he comes back with your folder of notes in one hand and a bag with lunch and drinks for both of you in the other. 
You don’t know how he keeps continuing to surprise you with his sweet gestures, but somehow he’s one-upped himself yet again. You sit on the floor and eat the sandwiches he grabbed from the cafeteria together while he helps you review your talking points for the interview. 
He doesn’t get up to leave until Brian arrives to finish setting up, ensuring that someone will be there to prevent you from doing any more physical labour.
“Can I give you a ride home today?” Ben offers as he helps you up off the floor. “You still can’t drive with that on, right?”
You glance down at the cumbersome boot. Unfortunately, you did injure your driving foot, which means you had to get an Uber here today. You’re about to tell him you can get another one home, not wanting to inconvenience him any more, but you know that he’s just going to refuse.
“That would be great, Ben, thanks,” you smile, squeezing his hands before letting go. “I should be done here in about an hour and a half.”
“That’s perfect,” he grins. “Good luck with the interview, I know you’ll smash it.”
He jogs away to head to the gym, which you suspect he’s now late for, leaving you in a bit of a daze with a completely lovestruck expression on your face. 
“Someone’s got a crush,” Brian says a moment later with a smirk, snapping you out of your trance.
“I-I do not,” you insist quickly, your eyes wide.
“I was talking about Chilly,” he says, chuckling a bit at your frantic denial. “But now that you mention it, you have always gotten on particularly well with him. No wonder the fans are always commenting about the vibes between you.”
“Oh, shush,” you roll your eyes. “There are no…vibes. He’s just being nice because of my ankle.” 
“Right, I’m sure that’s the only reason,” Brian retorts sarcastically. 
You pull out your phone and see that the Instagram stories you posted earlier are garnering lots of attention, your replies full of fans commenting on how sweet Ben is - something you’re well aware of.
yourusername via instagram stories
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Thankfully, Brian can’t tease you much longer before Poch shows up for the interview. You say hello and settle in before getting started. 
About 30 minutes later, you have everything you need from him and thank the coach for his time and a great conversation. You and Brian head back to the media offices to get to work on early edits of the video, a part of the process that you’re not really required to help with, but you always enjoy being as involved as possible. 
You’re wrapping up and sending the file to the media team for final edits when Ben appears in the doorway, freshly showered and now wearing grey sweatpants and a hoodie that really look unfairly good on him instead of his training kit. 
“Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” you smile. “I’ll just grab my bag-"
Ben is already walking over and grabbing it for you so you don’t have to carry anything, and you both say goodbye to Brian before heading for the car park. 
He opens the door to his car for you, even though you’re definitely capable of getting in yourself now, and then he begins to drive to your place, no longer requiring any directions.
“So, how was the interview?” Ben asks after a moment of comfortable silence.
“It was great,” you say. “He speaks very highly of you, you know. Not that I blame him after that assist on Sunday.”
“You watched?” Ben asks, his eyes lit up with joy as he glances over at you. 
“Of course, I wasn’t gonna miss it just cause I couldn’t be there in person,” you smile. “You were brilliant.”
You can’t tear your eyes away from Ben’s gorgeous smile as he continues to drive - improved only by your compliments being the reason for it. 
You continue to chat about the game and other things until you arrive in front of your building. It’s hard to keep the slightly sad expression off your face when Ben pulls into the driveway and you know you have to say goodbye to him again. 
All you want is to drag him inside with you and never let him go, but you know that isn’t realistic. Sure, he’s been wonderful and caring and attentive all week, but you’re sure that as soon as your ankle heals, everything will go back to how it was. 
“Are you okay?” Ben asks once he puts the car in park and notices the look on your face. “Is it your ankle? Is it bothering you?”
“No, no,” you say, quickly dissuading his worries. “It’s nothing, I’m all good.”
He nods, but the concerned expression doesn’t quite leave his face. “I’ve been worried about you. You know, being here by yourself and stuff.”
Though your stomach flips once again at his soft tone, you try to ignore it. He’s just being nice. He’s a nice person. That’s why you like him so damn much. 
“It’s okay, my mum has come around a few times and my flatmate will be home on Saturday,” you tell him. “Besides, I’m completely fine. I know you feel a bit guilty, but it’s just a sprained ankle. You’ve been so sweet looking after me, but I don’t want you to feel obligated.”
Ben blinks at you for a moment before letting out a sigh, running his hand through his hair. 
“It’s not…I mean, I did feel a bit guilty, but that’s not why I wanted to take care of you. It’s because I care about you.”
You frown in confusion. “I’m not saying you don’t care about me, Ben, I care about you too, but-“
“Y/N, for gods sake,” Ben cuts you off, taking a deep breath. “It’s not just that I care about you, okay? I care about the boys, but I don’t exactly turn up with dinner and cuddle with Reece or Trev when they’re injured.”
As you realize what he’s implying, your breath catches in your throat and you find it hard to speak at all, let alone say the right thing.
You’re not sure what comes over you, but the only thing you can think to do in the moment is the thing you’ve been dreaming about doing for the past three years - you lean across the console and press your lips firmly to his.
You have a brief feeling of terror that you’ve misunderstood what he was saying, until Ben starts to kiss you back and you no longer have any thoughts in your brain that aren’t of his lips.
He parts his mouth slightly and you kiss him harder, his hand coming up to tangle in your hair. You sigh into his mouth, in pure ecstasy as he kisses you like his life depends on it. 
You only part when you both need to come up for air, and even then, you’re reluctant to pull away from him, lingering close. Ben brushes his nose against yours, and you watch as he slowly opens his eyes.
“Y/N,” he breathes. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you to do that.”
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to,” you murmur, slowly pulling back from him. “Why…why didn’t you ever say anything?” 
“I wasn’t sure if you felt the same, and I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable since we work together a lot,” Ben admits. “I thought about bringing it up every time we hung out outside of work, but I always chickened out.”
“Oh,” you exhale, your mind whirring with a million different thoughts. “I never knew you felt that way about me.”
Ben raises an eyebrow. “I flirt with you all the time! There’s a reason the fans are always posting about us online, saying I fancy you and stuff. I thought it was obvious.” 
You could nearly scream at your own obliviousness - if only because it delayed what was just most definitely the best kiss of your life - but you never thought in a million years that Ben would choose you over all the other options he has available to him, over all the perfect girls you’ve seen fawn over him at games and parties.
“Well, I’m glad you’ve told me now, even if it took me falling over and injuring myself for us to get here,” you laugh under your breath, making him roll his eyes at you with affection.
“I’m definitely not glad you got hurt, but I was happy to have an excuse to spend more time with you,” Ben admits. “I just…always want to spend time with you.”
You’re blushing like crazy again, but this time, you don’t care that Ben can see. When he reaches out to cup your face and stroke your cheek with his thumb, you don’t shy away from him, your bashful smile mirroring his. 
“Are you free tomorrow night?” he asks. “There’s this amazing French restaurant in Richmond, I would love to take you if you want.”
You’re giddy at the thought of an actual, romantic first date with Ben, though you’ve felt more romance eating sandwiches on the floor and chatting in crowded stadiums and walking to get coffee with him than you have on any “real” first date you’ve ever had. 
“I would love to,” you smile. 
“Okay,” Ben grins. “I’ll pick you up at seven, then?”
You nod, feeling pure elation as Ben begins to lean in to seal your agreement with a kiss. It feels so natural, it’s hard to believe your first one was just minutes ago.
“Can I help you inside?” Ben offers once you’ve pulled away again. 
He knows full well that you’re completely capable of walking to the door by yourself, but you’re not offended by his chivalrous behaviour, especially now that you know he has a very good reason for it. 
“Only if you kiss me again at the door,” you respond, smirking at him playfully, and his eyes light up with delight.
“I can definitely do that.”
-
please let me know what you thought!! i love your comments and asks more than anything 💕
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avatar-anna · 1 year
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i need more dadrry content with his 6 children 😩
Mom’s Night Out
Young dad!Harry x Young mom!Reader universe
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“I can always stay home. Really, it’s no big—”
“You’re going.”
“Are you sure? Because Simone still has to do her reading assignment for school, and the twins sometimes pretend to brush their teeth, and Natalia’s teething—”
“Y/n. I’ve got this.”
Y/n stayed quiet as she fastened her earrings in the bathroom. Harry was sitting on their bed with Natalia while she got dressed, but he was also there to convince her to actually leave.
“You know, your silence gives me all the confidence in the world,” Harry said, slightly joking. He could watch the kids on his own while Y/n went out with some friends for a few hours. Did she think he couldn’t?
“I know. I’m sorry. I have total faith in you, baby,” she said, stepping out from behind the bathroom door. “Okay. How do I look? Is it too much?’
Harry’s tongue went dry before he could respond.
Y/n had always been the most stunning person he knew, but seeing her all dressed up...
“Wow, Mama,” he breathed. “You look incredible.”
He never needed reminders that his wife was beautiful. Even when he worked with actresses and models or did PR stunts, his heart was always with Y/n; there was truly no one else who could even come close to her. But even so, he suddenly felt lucky that she was his.
“You think? I can’t remember the last time I got dressed up.”
If Harry hadn’t been holding an infant, he would’ve shown her just how nice he thought she looked, but he settled for taking her hand and kissing it. “I don’t think, I know. I’m slightly worried about all the attention you’re gonna get now. No one knows you’re a married woman.”
Y/n blushed, but didn’t reply. Instead she took her youngest daughter into her arms and kissed her little cheeks.
By the time it was officially time for Y/n to leave, Harry had to practically force her out the door. She kept finding excuses to prolong her departure —laundry that needed to be switched out, putting Geneva down for a nap, helping the twins with a Lego set—until Harry finally ordered an Uber and told her to stop fussing and have a good time.
“Be good to Daddy, okay?” were her final words before she closed the door and Harry was alone with six children.
Harry knew this day was coming, had been preparing the last couple days. He bought games, ice cream, picked out movies to watch with the kids. It was going to be a fun night.
And then Simone said she was going to watch YouTube upstairs, Collette followed, and the twins went back to their Lego set, leaving Harry alone with the babies. He couldn’t say he wasn’t a little hurt because he was, but perhaps he should’ve expected everyone to go to their separate corners.
“Guess it’s just us, huh?” he said to Geneva and Natalia, who were both sitting in their high chairs.
“Baby Shark?” GiGi asked in her adorable little toddler voice.
“You got it, peanut.”
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Harry was expecting a more eventful night, but it was relatively quiet. GiGi, Natalia, and the twins went to bed early, and Simone and Collette were still playing together in their room the last time he checked on them. The house was quiet, almost too quiet, Harry thought, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Wife💕: How’s it going?
Harry smiled down at the text and typed his own reply. Taking a picture of him in bed with a book.
Harry: House hasn’t burned down yet!
He watched as the three little text bubbles appeared on his phone, wondering what she was up to. Harry wished he was with her so they could have a little date, but he knew how much Y/n needed this, even if she didn’t say it. She was always home or working, always driving the kids from place to place. She deserved a night off.
Wife💕: I’ll be home soon. Give my little munchkins a kiss for me
Harry: What about me?
Wife💕: You’ll get your kiss later
Harry couldn’t complain about that, could he?
He read a little more soon after their conversation ended, but before long, he heard a cry from the baby monitor. Not surprised that Natalia woke up, Harry got out of bed to put his daughter back to sleep.
When he made it to the nursery, she was wriggling in her crib, eyes scrunched up as she cried. Harry tried rocking the crib for a few minutes before picking her up, hoping that Natalia would fall back asleep without any trouble, but she kept on crying.
“Daddy’s here,” he cooed, reaching down into the crib to pick her up. “Did you have a bad dream, darling?”
Harry continued mumbling words and holding her to his chest until she calmed down. Which was not easy. He changed her diaper, wrapped her up nice and tight the way his mum taught him when Simone was born, he tried to sing her to sleep and feed her a bottle, but nothing seemed to work.
He finally left the nursery, deciding to walk around the house until Natalia fell asleep. By a stroke of luck, she seemed to like the sound of the laundry tumbling in the machine, and she finally stopped crying. It was a while before she fell asleep, but Harry felt just a bit more sane than before.
His shirt was wet with tears and snot by the time Natalia was back in her crib, and his own eyes were feeling heavy. He sat down on the rocking chair, his head falling heavily to the side when he heard yelling coming in the hallway. Simone and Collette.
“Give it back!”
“It’s my turn to pick!”
“Your videos are dumb!”
“You’re dumb!”
“Dad, Simone is being mean!”
“Don’t be a tattle tale!”
It was hard to keep up with his oldest daughters. One moment they were inseparable and the next they were at each other’s throats. Harry knew siblings had their little squabbles here and there, but Simone and Collette really got into it when the mood struck, though Y/n assured him that was common among sisters. Either way, it often gave him whiplash.
Their argument woke up Natalia, who immediately started crying again, and Harry almost felt like crying himself. But then he thought of Y/n and how this would be a minor issue for her, and he told himself to buck up.
Taking Natalia out of her crib once again, he went out to see what the problem was between his oldest girls.
“Alright, what’s all this?” he said, making sure his voice carried over theirs.
Simone and Collette immediately launched into their sides of the story at the same time, but Harry was used to getting the gist by now. Something about not sharing the iPad, ripping it out of the other’s hand, and name calling. When they finished, Harry didn’t really know what to say. He was tired, Natalia was still crying her little lungs off in his ear, and his first solution was to throw the iPad into the ocean.
But he took a deep breath and spoke to each of his daughters individually. “Simone, you know the rules. You share the iPad, and you especially don’t call your sister names.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Harry said, then turned to Collette. “And you. You know better than to rip things out of people’s hands.”
“I know, I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.
“I—It’s okay,” he said gently, pulling Collette in for a hug.
Then, out of nowhere, Simone began to cry as well. Harry’s eyes widened, not expecting more tears. He was still holding Natalia, but he managed to wrap an arm around both Simone and Collette, who seemed to cry harder when her older sister came closer.
“What in the world...” he muttered to himself. Three out of his six children were all crying, seemingly out of nowhere, and Harry was absolutely baffled. He hated hearing his kids cry. Was he too hard on them?
But then, in the midst of all the crying and noses rubbing into his shirt, Harry noticed something. It was almost as if Simone and Collette were trying to outdo the other. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did.
And then, through a sniffle, Simone said, “Are we still in trouble?”
What? Harry couldn‘t believe it. He thought he was being a stern parent, and he was being played like a fiddle. The minute he saw his girls in tears he turned to mush. How many times had this happened before?
“Yes,” Harry said, trying not to let Collette’s sniffles break him. “No more iPad tonight or tomorrow. Both of you.”
The sniffling stopped as Collette looked up. “Why?”
Her eyes were wide and lined with tears, her bottom lip jutted out just so, but Harry held strong. “Because you weren’t nice to your sister, and she wasn’t nice to you, and now you have a consequence.”
“But Daddy—”
“No but Daddy. You can have it back the day after tomorrow. Now apologize to each other.”
They both mumbled something under their breath that perhaps resembled an apology, but that wasn’t good enough for Harry. Honestly, he was still a little miffed that Simone and Collette played him.
“Like you mean it,” he said, then nodded when he was satisfied. “Good. And because you two woke her up, you’re gonna help me put Natalia to sleep.”
Simone slumped her shoulders, but followed Harry back to her bedroom while Collette took his hand. Right, he thought. One crisis down, one more to go.
“Play with her while I grab something,” he told Simone, jogging back to his room for pillows, extra blankets, and Natalia’s swing. When he returned, Natalia wasn’t crying, but she was wide awake while her sisters played peekaboo. “Okay, we’re gonna hang in your room for a bit,” he said, switching on the colorful lamp that casted soft light on the walls and ceiling. “Help me lay these down.”
They all got comfortable—Simone at the bay window where Harry had made a little alcove for the girls a couple months back, Collette in her teddy bear bean bag chair, and Harry on the floor with Natalia.
“What now?” Collette asked.
“Now,” Harry said, playing some soft music from his phone. “I’m going to read.”
To his surprise, Harry didn’t receive any protest from the girls. After putting Natalia in the swing, he took a book at random from the bookshelf, opened it, and began to read.
He made sure to use different voices and push Natalia’s swing while he read. Eventually Collette moved onto her bed, and from the few times he looked up, Simone’s eyes were getting heavier. Natalia took a bit longer, but she eventually closed her eyes, and Harry was suddenly the only one awake, though not by much.
He was debating whether to leave Natalia in the swing a little longer or move her back to the nursery when the door opened.
“Hey, little man,” Harry said, opening his arms up for Julian to walk into. “What are you doing up so late?”
“I had a bad dream,” he said, his hand immediately reaching for Harry’s hair.
“I’m sorry, bubba. Do you want me to sit with you? Make sure the bad dreams stay away?”
“Wanna sleep in your room. I want Mommy.”
“Me too,” Harry sighed. “She’ll be back soon. Don’t you think she’ll be so proud if she sees you sleeping in your big boy bed?”
Jules shook his head, his mind clearly made up.
“Okay, I tried. I have to take Natalia back to her crib first. Is that okay?”
Harry first picked up Simone and put her back on her own bed. He kissed her forehead and then Collette’s, then took Natalia out of her swing. She moved around a little, but didn’t wake up, which Harry thanked his lucky stars for. Julian followed him into the nursery and quietly waited for Harry. When they finally made it to Harry’s room, someone was already there.
“You too?” he asked quietly, Maeve already fast asleep in the middle of the bed. Looking down at Julian, he said, “Where are Mum and I supposed to sleep?”
Julian merely held his arms up towards Harry, and Harry responded accordingly by picking him up and climbing into bed.
When Y/n entered the bedroom, Harry was doing everything he could to stay awake. She was only gone a couple hours, but he was exhausted.
“Got a full house tonight,” she mused, eyeing the twins sleeping soundly in her bed.
Harry stood up and followed her to the bathroom so they could talk while she got ready for bed. She told him about her night out with her friends and where they ended up going to dinner. She’d had a lot of fun, but she missed her babies.
“How was everything here?”
For a moment, Harry considered telling her that everything was smooth sailing the whole time, but he shrugged. “Natalia had a tough time falling asleep, and you know the girls. Had to take the iPad away.”
“Really? Wow,” she said, sounding surprised. But not that he had to, Harry realized, but that he did so at all.
“I can be stern when I have to be,” he said, defending himself.
Y/n smiled and wrapped her hands around her husband’s neck. “Baby, I love you, but you’re as soft as a marshmallow when it comes to the girls.”
“That is not—” he stopped himself to lower his voice. “That is not true.”
“I bet they cried to get you to cave,” she said, a knowing glint in her eye.
Harry just pouted. “I hate when you’re right.”
Y/n leaned up and kissed him, her hand playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “I love it.”
They kept kissing, Harry suddenly no longer tired. He pushed Y/n up onto the bathroom counter, his lips trailing down her neck and along her jaw. He began to kiss down her chest, pulling the top of her dress down when he heard a small voice from the other side of the bathroom’s door.
“Daddy?”
Both of them sighed, and Harry helped Y/n down from the counter. They straightened each other out before opening the door to see Maeve, hair a tangly mess and stuffed animal dangling from her hand.
“Mommy! You’re home!”
“Mommy’s home?”
Julian was suddenly off the bed and launching himself at Y/n, who was quick to catch him. She gave Harry a look, and he understood it perfectly. He leaned over, Maeve in his own arms and kissed his wife’s forehead.
Next time.
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starleska · 4 months
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Dollface - the Toymaker x Real Toymaker!Reader
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As a toymaker, you are delighted when you stumble across MR EMPORIUM'S TOYSHOP. But when you meet its eccentric owner - one eponymous 'Toymaker' - you enter into an impossible game with higher stakes than you ever imagined…with the risk of your deepest fantasy coming true. Rating: Mature. Tags: Dollification; Toyification; Truth or Dare; Reality-Bending; Humiliation; Psychological Torture; Fluff; Teasing; Touching; Forced Dancing; Mentions of Neglect; Cosmic Horror; Horrible Fake German. Reader is presumed female, but has a complicated relationship with gender and enjoys feminine terms of endearment. requested by the lovely @chronicbeans!! whilst this was originally meant to be a few-paragraphs long headcanons bit...but then it sprawled into a 13,000 word fanfic. my apologies to yourself, and to any German speakers in the audience 🙈💖 you can also read this on AO3. i hope you enjoy!
Toys are your life.
For as long as you can remember you have been fascinated by all manner of toys: everything from teddy bears to zoetropes; spinning tops to yo-yos. As a child you weren’t just interested in playing with toys—you wanted to reach inside of them, pick them apart, and understand every little detail about how they worked. Much to the chagrin of your parents, you spent more time trying to put your toys back together than you did actually playing with them. 
But all of your alternative playtime paid off. Now, as an adult, you run a modest yet successful local toymaking business, with your own vendor stall at the market and a popular online shop. Much of your work is custom, using vintage materials to replicate toys of the past, and you occasionally trade and sell real old toys too. As a result, you have something of a monopoly on the local toy scene, and feel you know every single toymaker and toy-collecting enthusiast in a fifty mile radius.
That’s why it’s a real shock when you stumble across MR EMPORIUM’S TOYSHOP late one night. 
The storefront is a gorgeous assault to the senses. Parked in the middle of the cold, grey street, the toyshop beams out crimson and gold onto the snow drifts, with all manner of classic toys peeking out at you through the windows. You are delighted to see an assortment of downy plush bears and hand-painted model motor cars crowding the shelves: so many it feels like the toyshop itself might burst at the seams. Your giddiness only increases as you get closer to the window. You can make out all sorts of fun, bright shapes within: countless colourful toys beckoning you and begging to be taken home. 
Yet it isn’t these treasures which catch your eye the most. Right at the back of the shop, near the counter, you spy a shelf lined with dolls. They are beautiful even at a distance: likely from the early 20th century, masterfully painted and wearing a fine rainbow of little dresses. Even from your vantage point you can see the impeccable craftsmanship. There’s immense detail in their delicate hands, and if you’re not mistaken, each doll has a crop of real human hair.
Perhaps most intriguing of all is the eyes. Their glass sheen looks so sad and wistful…far more emotion than a doll should be able to communicate.
If you didn’t know any better, you would believe the dolls were alive.
Oh, I shouldn’t , you tell yourself. I’m much too old now to be playing with dolls…and I keep all my old ones locked up anyway. I shouldn’t deprive some kid of a toy. This is a deeply silly excuse, and a hypocritical one. The vast majority of your clientele are adults, as are the brilliant toymakers you’re proud to call your friends. This is the perpetual double-standard you constantly believe and are always trying to rally against: that you are uniquely strange, and deserve to be ridiculed for your interests. 
The curious thing is that this idea doesn’t apply to toys more broadly…only to dolls. You have made countless dolls throughout your career, and yet owning dolls and enjoying them is something you’ve long nursed a hang-up over. But that is a can of worms you refuse to open up today. No , you decide, today I am going to be a normal adult who is confident about their interests and doesn’t feel an ounce of shame! I am going to go into this toyshop and look at those dolls, and that’s that! With your mind made up, you shift your backpack onto your shoulder, take a deep breath, and push through the toyshop’s door. 
The door slams shut behind you with the tinkle of a bell. You are immediately enveloped in warmth, and the delicious scent of varnished wood enrobes you like a fine dress. You can’t help but close your eyes and inhale: somehow, the toyshop smells just like your childhood.
“Hallo, meine kleine Mädchen! Komm in, komm in, be ge-removings yourselves from dee kalt! It is ein horrid evenings, is it not?”
You open your eyes in surprise, and see an older, greyish-blond-haired man leaning against the counter. He’s dressed in a most whimsical fashion, wearing a soft white work shirt coupled with a maroon waistcoat, and a brown apron stuffed with woodworking tools. A spotted ascot around his neck and a pair of pince-nez balanced at the end of his nose complete the look.
The man smiles at you like he’s known you all his life. You feel like you’ve been transported to another time.
“It is,” you agree, as you shake the snow drifts from your boots. “So sorry for dropping in so late—I’m surprised you’re still open.”
“Ah, but I am always having times for dee beautiful Fräulein,” says the man with a coy wink. “But vot is it zat is ge-bringings you here?”
You have to stifle a giggle. You know enough of the language to know the man’s German is terribly off, and his accent is borderline offensive. However, you also know that folks in the toymaking community tend to be eccentric, and you can forgive a corny, theatrical accent for the wonderful atmosphere of this shop. Who are you to judge if he wants to LARP as a Bavarian thespian?
Before you can reply, the strange man is suddenly beside you…although you don’t recall seeing him move. He has also removed his pince-nez. You blink, a little taken aback. How did he move so quickly? You wonder if you’ve eaten enough that day.
“I’m…a toymaker,” you say, trying not to sound freaked out. “I’ve never seen your shop before, and I thought I knew everyone in town who makes toys. What’s your name?”
The man’s eyes are blue, you notice—terribly blue, and sparkling in the soft light with unspoken mischief. “You are beings ein toymaker? Vy, zat is a coincidence…” He taps the side of his nose. “Many peoples ge-calls me by many names. But zey most oftens call me the Toymaker, und nothing else. It be gettings dee point across, nein? Und was ist your name?”
You tell him, and the Toymaker’s mouth splits open in a wide grin.  
“Das ist ein schöner name!” he says enthusiastically. “Truly, a magnifizent fit. It is not often zat I am gettings other toymakers in mein shop…I vonder, vot does your eye ge-fallen upon? Could it be mein cuddly collection of teddies? Oh, ja, I sees you are ge-needings ein soft companion for dese frosty nights. Or could it be mein train? Choo-choo! it goes, round and round all dee livelong day! I am ge-havings many customers mit ein eye for dee train.”
The Toymaker’s voice is smooth as butter, rich and inviting, and each word he speaks seems to add a little more colour to his delightful environment. You look around in awe at all of the toys, unable to comprehend the sheer scale of the place. Just moments ago the shop seemed so small, with the abundance of toys seriously crammed in on the shelves, but now it looks impossibly vast: a veritable sea of playful delights. The little choo-choo train in question chugs along on its rails and moves past the doll shelf, drawing your eye back to their pretty little figures.
“Ah, dee Katze hast gotten your tongue,” says the Toymaker. He gestures to the dolls, and the gold ring on his right pinkie finger catches the light. “I too ams often becomings stricken by dee beauty of mein dollen…zey took me many nights to make, ja. Oh, but ge-look! Eins ist out of place. Zose fingers are so fiddly! Und dee hair…zo many eveninks ge-spended brushing out zeir tiny curls."
You watch as the Toymaker reaches up and begins deftly rearranging the dolls. His fingers are long and nimble, and they move with such care and attention, placing each doll’s tiny hands neatly in their laps and smoothing down their dresses. When you’re a toymaker, you grow to appreciate a pair of well-practised hands, and there’s something undeniably… charming , about this Toymaker and his cartoonish whimsy. It’s silly, but you feel a little heat rising in your cheeks. The attention he’s paying to such small, delicate objects…
…well, it’s only natural that your mind should wander to more practical applications of such hands.
“The dolls are gorgeous,” you say. “Do you offer any toymaking classes? The dolls I make have a bit more of a modern touch.”
That’s when the Toymaker laughs, and it is a strange laugh: it tinkles out of his mouth like a jingle, in a musical, ‘Ha ha ha HA ha ha ha!’
“Oh, mein dollen are sehr modern…moreso zan you sink,” says the Toymaker. He gives you another wink, as it seems he likes to give them out for free.
That’s when you feel the little clench in your chest. Oh dear, he really is quite handsome. This wouldn’t be the first time you’d caught feelings for a quirky, attractive stranger, and they were often not as well-dressed as the Toymaker. You have a tendency to get caught up in the realms of imagination, and have thought up more than a few daring trysts with pretty-faced people with whom you’d only exchanged a couple of words. You ought to grab a doll, leave, and have a quiet little panic attack about this interaction at home.
You force your eyes away from the handsome man and back to the shelf.
That’s when you spot her.
Somehow, a doll had escaped your notice. Right in the middle of her sad-looking rainbow sisters is another doll, simply and prettily done up in a powder-blue be-ribboned frock. Unlike the other dolls, this one is smiling in a dimpled way, and her eyes sparkle with a magical sheen not unlike that of the Toymaker’s. You note with some amusement that the doll has the same eye colour as you—hair colour, too. This isn’t strange on a doll, but it gives you the same jolt of satisfaction and déjá vu you get when meeting someone who shares your name.
“Ah,” says the Toymaker (now on your other side). “Dee dollen…zey speak to you, ja? Zey are ge-having ein chitter-chatter, all high up on dee shelf. Vot fun games zey have ven I ge-leaves the shoppen!”
Dollen isn’t even the German word for dolls, you know—it’s Puppen. But you get the sense that the Toymaker’s German accent is less an earnest recreation (and it’s certainly not his natural accent), but a pantomime version intended to amuse and entertain.
“I’m sure they do,” you say, but you’re distracted from the Toymaker’s little act. The longer you look at the doll, the stranger you feel.
You move closer to the shelf to get a better look, and are startled by what you discover.
It isn’t just that the doll on the shelf has similar hair and eyes to you: they’re both the exact same shade, even down to the imperfect flecks in your irises. 
You study the doll intently for a moment, blink, and— what? The doll’s hair is now the same length as yours. Was it always? No, you could have sworn just a moment ago it was not just a completely different length, but style.
You rise up on your tiptoes to get a better look at the doll, and are baffled by what you see. It’s as if detail is stacking on the doll right before your eyes, the way some video game maps load in piece-by-piece. You watch as texture is added to her hair, and light pools in her eyes. This level of craftsmanship is uncanny; it’s as if the Toymaker went out of their way to create a doll which resembles you.
“How did you do that?” You turn to the Toymaker, confused. “Did you know I was coming here?"
The Toymaker’s mouth contorts into an offended pout. “Now, you ge-vounds me. It is ein special privilege, having another Spielzeugmacher in mein shop. Tell me, vot do you sink of her hair? Es ist pretty, ja?”
“But that doll looks exactly like me,” you say.
You can feel your heart hammering in your chest. Suddenly the warm, cosy atmosphere of the toyshop feels more claustrophobic and oppressive. The Toymaker looks unbothered; he rests his chin on his hand and contemplates the shelf. 
“Zere ist ein…certain resemblance,” says the Toymaker, with an unusual, almost French affectation on the last word. “But you are just ge-havings, as zey say, ‘von of zose faces’. Ja, das ist richtig: ein dollface. Puppengesicht. All smooth und sveet. Vy, vot a lucky lady you are! She simply must be goings home vith you.”
You’re scrambling to work out what kind of practical joke this is, and how the Toymaker was pulling it off. You’d met a few eccentric toymakers with God complexes before, as they tend to go hand-in-hand: you’d briefly dated one who designed escape rooms in his spare time. But this is on another level…creating a doll which can be imperceptibly altered to resemble a person in real-time? You’d never heard of such a thing, and you can’t think of a non-creepy reason why someone would go to the trouble of making one.
Oh, hang on a minute, you think. This guy might just be a genius. “This is a marketing trick, isn’t it?”
You pull away from the Toymaker and lean against his counter, feeling terribly smug for having figured it out.
The Toymaker puts his head on one side, quizzical. Playing dumb, you think.
“I am not ge-followings you,” the Toymaker says. 
“You make dolls of the people you see ahead of time,” you explain. “People you know who will come in here at some point…collectors, other toymakers. Then you wait and put them on the shelf when they come in, maybe behind some hidden panel so you can spin them around when they get close. Then when they come in, it’s like they’ve found the perfect toy!” 
You’re so proud of yourself for having cracked the case, you want to pump your fist in the air. For a moment, you envision yourself wearing a deerstalker hat and smoking a pipe. Go me! But your victory is short-lived. During your diatribe, the Toymaker’s bright, childish grin had frozen on his face, and remained in place even during your brief mental celebration. But now the smile slowly slips like a mask peeling away from too-tight skin. In its place sits a stormy frown: one which clenches the muscles and wrinkles of the Toymaker’s face into an expression which says ‘insulted’.
“For shame,” says the Toymaker. “That’s twice you’ve accused me of cheating now. You really do me a disservice. I am bound by the Rules of Play, and would never resort to such cheap tricks.”
What the hell…? The Toymaker’s accent is completely different. Where before his voice was a thick soup of faux German, now it is a soft British breeze: a proper, formal accent which speaks the way trees rustle. You gape at him, dumbfounded. 
“Your accent is different,” you can’t help but say. You’re no longer just leaning against the counter—you’re actively pushing into it, with the edge of the countertop pushing into the small of your back.
The Toymaker raises an eyebrow at you, and smirks. “You are not half as stupids as you are ge-lookings,” he says, slipping the German back on like a heavy cloak. “But zen, I know you are playing ein game mit me, aren’t you?” 
You stare at the Toymaker. Something has shifted: the air is thick with a tension you cannot identify, but which you want to run away from. You keep staring, thinking that if you look away from those too-blue eyes for even a moment, you might just lose your grip.
You know for a fact that if you look back at that doll on the shelf, it will look even more like you than before.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you say, and you wish you weren’t lying.
The Toymaker laughs his musical laugh and wags his finger in your face. “Sehr naughty!” he says. “Oh, how natürlich dee lies kommen to sie, mein Schatz. You be ge-knowinks how to play games…zis ist ein lecker human mind game, und you are ge-tryings to deceive me.”
His voice slips smoothly back into the British:
“Do you think I don’t know all about your little fantasy?”
Your eyes go wide, and a choked noise escapes your mouth. No. There is no way that this man…this impossible toymaker could possibly know. You were always so careful, so sure to keep it all to yourself! Familiar shame and embarrassment wash over you in a hot wave as the Toymaker looks at you, looks into you, as if he can see the inner workings of your mind. Your mind grabs at the old, familiar justifications the way one might grab a newspaper for modesty if they found themselves naked on a bus. It’s perfectly normal to have fun little flights of fancy. Everyone plays make-believe sometimes, right? “But zey are embarrassing, zese thoughts of yours,” the Toymaker giggles. “Not dee kind of thoughts you can share mit deine Mutter. I am not ge-thinkinks zat you have shared your desires mit ein Partnerin…” There goes the eyebrow again, cocked sardonically to match the wicked curl of his lips. “Is zis true?” You feel nauseous. The firm pressure of the countertop underneath your palms is all that stops you from shaking. It feels as if the Toymaker is probing the inside of your skull, and using those skilled fingers to strip back the whorls of your brain and grab at the fleshy thoughts inside. 
“Get out of my head,” you say quietly.
“Oh, but zis is dee game I ge-likes!” says the Toymaker. “Humans mit zeir internal struggles. Desires mit dee most fun ideas, but you are too ge-frightened to say vot you vant. So you play games mit dein loved ones…dee hunting und dee exasperation. Oh, you simply vill not communicate!"
You don’t know when the Toymaker got so close to you, but now he’s towering over you, with his hands firmly planted on either side of the countertop. You’re close enough to count the spots on his ascot, and examine the year-lines etched around his mouth and eyes. When he smiles those lines crinkle, but not naturally: it’s the way a puppet’s arms reach for the stars when the marionette twists them upwards.
“Okay, you’ve had your fun,” you whisper. “I’ll buy the doll and leave.”
This close, the Toymaker radiates heat. He smells like rose petals and Christmas.
“You could…but zat vould be no fun,” says the Toymaker. “I propose ve solve zis in a more interesting vay…”
The Toymaker waves his hand across your field of vision…and transforms the centre of the toyshop. A small wooden table complete with chairs has popped into existence just in front of the counter. You gape at the sight. How did he do that?! “Let us play ein game,” he says. “If you vin, you can take dee doll free of charge. But if I vin…”
The Toymaker’s smile cracks like the earth preceding a quake.
“You vill stay vith me und play mein games forever!”
You have to give yourself credit for reacting as well as you did. Most people, if they were faced with a crazy fake German man who seems able to read your mind, may have had a breakdown or made a run for the door. But you’ve seen a lot of anime, and you understand that if you are challenged by a handsome, powerful man with magical powers and a delightful hairstyle, you cannot refuse the call. Your brain has shifted from This should be impossible, to It’s game time.  “Alright,” you say slowly. “You’re clearly very powerful. It seems like if I play a game with you, you have far more to gain than I do. A doll isn’t a good enough prize.”
The Toymaker smiles at you. “Ein girl after mein own heart,” he says. “How about zis: if you vin, I vill show you exactly how I make mein dollen, complete vith a demonstration. Zat is generous of me, nein?”
His words are laced with sinister venom, and it’s all you can do not to be poisoned.
“And I’m guessing that if I refuse your game, something terrible would happen to me?”
The Toymaker hums low in his throat. “Hm…not accepting mein game is always ein option…ja, you could do zat. Und yet…” 
You inhale as the Toymaker brings his face terribly close to yours. The skin of his cheek brushes your own. You can feel his soft breath as he whispers into your ear, British once more:
“I know you are so curious as to how I make my dolls. If you leave now, you’ll never know. And I think if you wanted to leave, you would have done so already.”
The Toymaker pulls away from you, leaving you with your face on fire. He’s right. In less than ten minutes, the Toymaker has sussed out your fatal flaw: your damned unstoppable curiosity. There have been countless times where your life would have been improved if you’d kept your nose in your own business…but this is different. The Toymaker isn’t just dangling a carrot: he’s already dug his hooks in you, and you are being reeled in with every second you spend looking into those impossibly blue eyes.
When you next blink, the Toymaker has moved again. He is sitting in one chair, his hands folded primly in front of him.
“Name your challenge,” he says.
You weren’t expecting this: you thought he would have a game in mind. “Any game at all?”
“There isn’t a game I don’t know,” says the Toymaker coolly. “It is common courtesy to allow the guest to pick the party game.”
You can’t help a nervous giggle. “This is a weird kind of party,” you say. 
The Toymaker acknowledges this by inclining his head. “Choose.”
Your mind scrambles over dozens of options. There are so many games…board games, card games, strategy games. Do we need equipment? How long does the game have to be? What games can you play with just two people? That’s when your brain starts to run in a very different direction, and a variety of… game positions …flash through your imagination with impunity.
A flush scalds up your neck. You look at the Toymaker, who raises his eyebrows in a knowing way.
He knows exactly what you’re thinking.
You want to scream.
“Truth or Dare!” you blurt out.
That gets his attention. The Toymaker leans forward, his eyes quizzical. “Zat is non-traditional…yet apt,” he says. “Could it be zat you are ge-vantings me to force zat fantasy out of you, meine Liebchen?”
“No,” you lie. “I want you to tell me what you are, and why you’re doing this to me.”
“Then let’s get down to business,” says the Toymaker. “We take it in turns to ask each other Truth or Dare. A Truth corresponds to a question which must be answered truthfully, and a Dare is an action which must be carried out. The player earns one point for each Truth or Dare successfully completed.”
The Toymaker steeples his fingers together. You can’t pull your eyes away from them.
“If you refuse to complete a Truth or a Dare, or you contravene the rules of the game, you lose a point…and must complete a forfeit.” 
The way he says ‘forfeit’ sends a shiver down your spine. “What kind of forfeit?”
“Oh, dee usual,” says the Toymaker casually. “Somesing difficult or humiliating. I do not ge-liken to pre-plan zese things…I am preferings to be spontaneous.”
You are starting to regret your choice of game. This is a man who knows more about you than you’ve ever told your closest friend…surely a game like Truth or Dare would be pointless for him? So you ask: “Why would you want to play this if you can already tell what I’m thinking?”
The Toymaker frowns. “A good question,” he says. “The Rules of Play prevent me from having any unfair advantage over an opponent. Although my abilities will remain intact, anything which would tilt the game in my favour is out-of-bounds. I am physically incapable of cheating, and would thank you not to bring it up again. There are only two states of being which matter: winning, or losing. I intend to win.”
Fair enough , you think. “And what if I cheat?” you say. “I have a pretty good poker face. If you can’t look inside my head during the game, what if I just lie to you? How could you tell?” 
The Toymaker chuckles, bearing his mouth wide. To your horror, you see there are far, far too many teeth in his mouth.
“I can always tell when someone is lying to me.” 
“Six turns,” you counter, voice trembling. “Whoever has the most points at the end of those turns is the winner. And…you can’t choose Truth or Dare more than twice in a row.”
The Toymaker seems impressed by your game-making skills. “Agreed,” he says. “Let us begin.” 
He snaps his fingers, and all the lights in the toyshop go out. Above, a stagelight snaps into existence, pouring heat and light onto your scalp in a cascade. The Toymaker’s striking features are illuminated by this shift in lighting, casting the lines of his face with the severity of stage makeup. You swallow: he looks divine.
“Would you like to go first?” he asks politely.
“...No,” you say after a moment. “I think that honour should go to the house.”
Your gamble pays off: you realised that the Toymaker is a man with great respect for the rules of the game, and this offer makes him smile.
“How generous,” says the Toymaker. “Truth or Dare?”
“Dare,” you say. 
The Toymaker taps his finger to his lips, considering. Then, he says, “Destroy something precious to you.”
It takes a few seconds for you to really process the Dare. When it hits, you are baffled. What kind of Dare is that? you want to say…but you don’t bother saying it aloud. What kind of toyshop is this—and what kind of ‘toymaker’ is he? All you need to know is reflected in the sadistic gleam in the Toymaker’s eye. This wouldn’t be an ordinary game, and contesting his requests would be fruitless. All you can do is make your move.
You take a deep breath, and reach down into your backpack. You didn’t leave the house this morning planning to bring anything precious to you, but you are a sentimental person by nature, and know you have one item which fits the bill. It’s with great sadness that you pull out a small, ratty teddy bear and place him on the table. The bear is old and beige and dressed in a crimson band leader’s outfit, complete with a hat and red-laced riding boots.
“Oh, ein teddy bear!” laughs the Toymaker, delighted. “How charming. He is quite dee looker, isn’t he?”
“He’s the first bear I ever made,” you say. “I was listening to some 90s British pop music, and the idea for his design just…popped into my head. I scribbled it down and pulled him together from scraps of fabric and repurposed stuffing in just a day. His name’s Neil…I keep him with me for good luck.”
Something about what you said is terribly amusing to the Toymaker, but you don’t know why. “Ein handsome name indeed,” says the Toymaker. “But I am afraid zat vill not be enoughs to ge-save him. Poor Neil. Now…vill you complete your Dare?” 
You take a deep breath. There was no turning back now; you’ve accepted the Toymaker’s game, and the predatory sheen in his eyes tells you that you can no longer just walk away. So you pick up Neil, grab hold of his little teddy bear ears—
And tear his head off, sending stuffing careening all over the table. 
“Oh!” says the Toymaker with a false gasp. “Vot an unfortunate end for poor Neil. I did not know zat you have such ein cruel streak.” 
“Shut up,” you say, trying not to look at Neil’s decapitated corpse.
Even though he’s just a teddy bear, you feel like you’ve just killed a defenceless animal. Neil’s lifeless button-eyes gaze up at you imploringly, as if asking why you’d do such a thing. You knock Neil’s head off the table and focus back on the Toymaker.
“That’s one point to me,” you say. “Truth or Dare?”
The Toymaker grins at you like a shark. “Dare.”
There are a thousand questions ricocheting around your head, but you ask the one which you know will keep you up at night: “Tell me how you did that thing with the doll.”
The violence of the Toymaker’s laughter makes you jump. He actually covers his mouth to quieten himself, but his shoulders shake even so. “Oh nein, nein, nein, you are ge-makings ein mistake!” he says. “You cannot be askings a question ven I have chosen Dare. Oh, meine Schatz, you have your lost your point…and must receive ein forfeit.”
Your veins run cold. “What? No! That was never in the rules!” 
“It is a common rule,” says the Toymaker, suddenly serious. “What is the point of distinguishing between a Truth or Dare, if a Dare can be a Truth?”
You want to protest…but his logic is infuriatingly sound. It’s exactly the kind of argument you could see yourself making if you were playing the game against a friend. You try to think of some other get-out-of-jail-free card—anything which would allow you learn how the Toymaker made that doll look exactly like you—but you come up short. You slump in your chair, and resign yourself to waiting for the next round.
“Oh, do not ge-look so sad,” says the Toymaker. In mock sympathy, he makes a little tutting sound against his teeth. “Now, about zat forfeit…ah! I am ge-knowings just dee sing.”
The Toymaker snaps his fingers…and your clothes burst into a flock of doves.
You scream and leap up from the table, batting away at the birds scrambling over your skin. They coo and and flap in your face before struggling upwards and flying into the rafters. Shocked, you look down to find yourself still fully clothed…but with a wardrobe change. You are now clad in a beautiful, powder-blue dress. The fabric is inhumanly soft and threaded through with white ribbons.
“Oh my God!” you yell. “What did you do?!”
The Toymaker is doing his best to stifle a giggle behind his hand. “Do you like it?” he asks. “I think the colour is rather fetching on you.” 
You clutch at the skirts of your dress, wishing the floor would open up and swallow you whole. There is no way this is possible…you hadn’t felt anything, not even a shift of your own clothes or the sliding of new fabric against your skin. One moment you were wearing your own clothes, and the next you weren’t. It’s as if your clothes were merely a covering, and when they transformed into doves and flapped off, they left only your dress behind. 
You move your legs under the layers of fabric, and blush when you discover you’re wearing a pair of frilly stockings. As you stick out your feet, you can see your feet are clad in a shiny pair of Mary Janes. It’s with a sick feeling in your stomach that you realise what the dress is.
It’s the same dress that the doll on the shelf is wearing.
"You're sick," you hiss.
The Toymaker cocks his head to one side. “Indeed?” he says. “How odd. I thought I was being rather generous, giving you a helping hand towards becoming your true self.” He snickers at you. “If I am sick, then I do wonder what that makes you. My mind is full of games, but the inside of your head is full of so much more.”
You ignore the Toymaker and hold your own arms, shrinking back down into your chair. Yet as you look down at the dress, you can’t help but feel a pang of longing. The dress is a perfect fit, one which could have been custom-designed, and the fabric is truly stunning in appearance and quality. With its puffy sleeves and shapely waistline, you know if you were alone you would have given your new skirts a twirl.
But you can’t let yourself get lost now. This is as much a mind game as it is a real one, you realise. The Toymaker is eyeing you like a piece of meat, and it’s clear that he is capable of so much more than a costume change. You must press on with the game. 
“I want to keep playing,” you say.
“Wonderful,” says the Toymaker. "We’re currently still at zero points each, with two turns down. Unfortunately, your turn was taken due to the forfeit. I must ask you: Truth or Dare?” 
You don’t allow yourself time to think about it: “Dare.” 
The Toymaker’s smile is knowing. “It is a fool’s errand, trying to delay the inevitable. I believe my initial suspicions were correct…you do want the Truth to be pried from you, don’t you? Perhaps that makes the shame a little less potent. After all, the mean, scary Toymaker made you dress this way. It wasn’t your fault…you couldn’t help it. Am I getting warmer?”
Your face is getting warmer, and it’s getting increasingly hard to meet the Toymaker’s gaze. “It isn’t my fault that my opponent is insane,” you say, with venom. 
Somehow, the Toymaker’s laugh is German. “Ah, zere is zat fire. You are quite dee entertaining playmate, meine Liebling. I am not ge-xpectings you to verstand games of dee mind…but I do find zem exhilarating. Dee expressions ge-crossing your face right now…I vish you could see zem.”
You scowl at the Toymaker. “Just give me your Dare.”
The Toymaker shrugs at you. “If you insist. I Dare you…to perform a dance befitting a fine young lady such as yourself.”
Oh, God, no. This is a nightmare of a Dare. “I—I’m not a dancer,” you say. You can feel your blush crawling up your neck. You envision yourself prancing around in your new dolly-dress, and the embarrassment makes you physically cringe.
“Oh, zat is not ein problem!” The Toymaker beckons you to look under the table. When you do, he taps his own shoes against the floor, performing a rhythmic tap-step. “Zose lovely Schuhe I gave you vill ge-helpen sie along. Provided you are villing to perform dee dare, your tanzen is all taken care of. All you are ge-needings to do is stand up, und take drei steps backwards.”
The Toymaker leans back in his chair and looks at you expectantly. The list of excuses which blossomed into your mind when he first suggested the Dare are dwindling rapidly, each one seeming more pathetic than the last. But…maybe there is a way out of this?
“What about music?” you ask. “Surely you can’t expect me to dance without music.” 
The Toymaker shakes his head at you. “Do not ge-worry about dee musik! I have it all covered. Unless…you vish to forfeit once more?” The idea of any other part of your body spontaneously transforming into an animal is enough to make you scramble to your feet. Immediately, you are self-conscious: the dress is equal parts beautiful and ridiculous, and is so poofy and frilly that it gives your lower half the shape of a bell. You haven’t felt this kind of embarrassment since you were in school: the dry throat and sweaty palms before getting up on stage for assembly. Feeling like a silly child, you can’t help but look at the Toymaker, searching those mirthful eyes for guidance. But the Toymaker simply shoos you, indicating for you to step back.  Hesitantly, you take one step away from the table. Then another. Then, one final, gentle step.  Without warning, the floor of the toyshop erupts! From beneath your feet a wooden stage springs up, unfurls around you and traps you like a box. You shriek and try to stumble away, but your new dancing shoes root you firmly to the spot. A spotlight bursts into being above your head and illuminates your frozen self in all your newfound frilly glory.  You look down from your new height to see the Toymaker sitting in what is now the front row of a vast auditorium; the toyshop’s interior has vanished. He whoops and grabs a fistful from a cartoonishly large bucket of popcorn. You open your mouth to yell at him, and maybe call him some horrible names you haven’t thought of yet. But before you can, music starts blaring from all sides of the auditorium. It’s a grating, repetitive tune: some ghastly combination of twee guitar and twinkling piano…and it’s so familiar . You know this song, but what is it? And why does it sound so…childish?  The music hits a powerful note. Your mouth opens unbidden, and from your vocal cords a voice which is decidedly not yours belts out the opening lyric to a familiar nursery rhyme:  “I’m a little teapot, Short and stout!” Your voice is loud and beautiful, and you project better than any Broadway singer. You can do nothing but watch yourself in abject horror as your knees bend in time with the music, and your shiny shoes send you toppling along the stage in time with the song.  “Here is my handle Here is my spout!” You try to scream and stop, but your body is no longer in your control. Your arms bend at frightening angles, and your hips send your neck careening to the side with a crack . A rictus grin is firmly plastered onto your face, and your mouth stays open and singing: “When I get all steamed up, Hear me SHOUT!…” Your hands flap and your toes point and you screaming on the inside, begging for this to stop, stop, STOP ! But the infernal music is inside of your head and it’s pushing in on all sides, and no matter how much you cry and beg and plead your mouth won’t work except to belt out the final words of your song. “TIP me over and POUR. ME. OUT!” At the last line, your knees give out and you collapse face-first onto the stage. A grand cheer goes up from the auditorium. You twist around, trying to see if the Toymaker has conjured up an audience to witness your humiliation—but he is the only one present. The Toymaker is on his feet and giving you a standing ovation. “Vunderbar!” the Toymaker cries as he claps enthusiastically. “Oh, you are dee most darling little teapot, ja. Zis is a fine game we are ge-havings!”
“What—did—you—do?” you gasp on the floor. You feel like your lungs have been crushed. Something the Toymaker did seized up everything inside of you and folded them up like paper. Now it’s as if you really are a doll: crumpled up and discarded in the corner when your owner is finished playing with you. Although you’re quite sure the music has stopped, the melody is blasting in your head in a maddening loop. You try to move, but your legs won’t work. 
“Oh, don’t be zo dramatik. Eversing I ge-make brings viele fun,” says the Toymaker. “Herzlichen Glückwunsch …das ist ein point to you.”
You don’t see the Toymaker get up on the stage, but the next thing you know, he’s crouching down next to you. Without warning, the Toymaker lifts you up under the arms and pulls you to your feet as if you weigh nothing at all. You try to stand but your rigid muscles struggle with the task and you stumble, falling right into the Toymaker’s chest. He chuckles, and you hear it rumbling softly in his chest. His skin is impossibly warm…and you can’t hear a heartbeat.
The two of you stand like that for a long moment, with you enveloped in the Toymaker’s arms. When pressed against his waistcoat, the maddening song infesting your brain quietens, and is replaced with an easy sort of calm. It’s strange…all the questions and anger and terror seem to just burn away. They’re forgotten in the simplicity of being held like a doll.
Eventually, your senses kick in. You manage to pull yourself away from the Toymaker, and you refuse to look at his face. “I just want to get on with the game.”
“Of course.”
The Toymaker waves his hand and the stage and auditorium vanish. You are transported back to the interior of the toyshop, with its familiar cuddly audience and the table taking centre stage. You sit back down at the table shakily. You know when you look up the Toymaker will already be sitting across from you…and you’re right, even though you didn’t see or hear him pull back his chair. His eyes are bright and curious. 
“Okay…Truth or Dare?”
The Toymaker places his hand on his chin and pretends to be deep in thought. After a while, he says, “Truth."
You very nearly ask him the same question you were denied just before: how was he able to make that doll look exactly like you? But the momentary calm offered by the Toymaker’s embrace has had a quieting effect on your mind, and a spike in your critical thinking skills. You have to think strategically; if you want to win, you need to ask him a question which will throw him off-guard. Asking him about the doll wouldn’t be a challenge because he likes to gloat, and to tease. But if you win, you can have your answer to that question and an actual demonstration…
…plus, you get to keep your freedom. Don’t forget that.
So you stare at the Toymaker and wonder…what causes a man (creature, entity, etc.) to end up this way?
“Tell me about your childhood,” you say.
The smile is wiped from the Toymaker’s face in an instant. His mouth twists in discomfort and anger. For the first time since you’ve met him, you feel a pleasant curl of satisfaction in your guts. The game is on, you think.
“What’s wrong?” you ask out loud. “Do you have a problem with the question? Because you can always forfeit—”
“I. Will. Not. Lose.”
The Toymaker’s fists are on the table now: they’re clenched and shaking. Although he’s looking at you, his mind seems far away, trapped somewhere else. After a beat, he leans forward, grabs your head and brings your foreheads together so they’re just barely touching.
“You asked for this,” says the Toymaker gravely. “I will do more than give you the answer to your question. I will show you. Close your eyes.”
The closeness is invigorating: the Toymaker’s hands are strong against the sides of your head, and you wonder for a second if he could pop your skull like a balloon. You consider saying no and demanding he just tell you the answer, but the look on the Toymaker’s face is so intense that you cannot refuse. It’s that terrible curiosity in you, willing you to stand at the edge of the universe and take a step off the cliff.
So you do as your bid, and close your eyes…
…only to awaken in a void.
To say there is nothing around you is an understatement. Your idea of nothingness is very particular: blackness; emptiness, an absence of sound and light. But this is something else entirely. You can’t even feel the lack of something in this place because there simply isn’t anything to feel. From the moment you open your eyes you feel the contradiction of yourself as a physical being, standing in this vacant not-space. There is less than nothing here. There is zilch. There is negative zero. There is null.
You try to get your bearings by looking around, but there are no bearings to get. This is a nothingness which exists beyond your comprehension. Just standing in this nothingness makes your jaw tighten and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. This is a phobic realm which is the antithesis to life.
And it is so, so cold. 
“This is where I grew up.”
You jump. The Toymaker is standing beside you, arms folded behind his back. He surveys the nothingness with humble respect, the way a weary sailor surveys the ocean.
“How?” You try looking around again, but without anything to anchor gaze on, your eyes just swing back round to the Toymaker. “There’s nothing here.” 
“Nothing except for me.”
The Toymaker sits down on the emptiness, cross-legged. Feeling discombobulated in the lack of space, you sit down too, next to him, and wonder how that’s possible. You hug your elbows, trying to fend off the omnipresent cold.
“We are outside of your universe,” says the Toymaker quietly. “Below it, as a matter of fact. We are in a pocket realm, like the hollow in a tree branch. Here there was nothing for a very long time…so long, that I do not know how to count it. The void is indifferent to such concepts.
“I was a child for an eternity, and many more eternities after that. Merely a conscious speck suspended in forever. At the time I had no form. No body, no face, and not really a mind. I was a collection of distant ideas and fraught, base emotions. There was no reason for me to have either a solid shape or a brain. I existed only in relation to the void, and the void went on forever. All I had to entertain myself were my games.”
With a flick of the wrist, the Toymaker conjures a ball into existence. Then another. Then another. He does this over and over again until he is juggling at least twenty balls. His hands move in a blur as he juggles the balls effortlessly. He tosses them higher and higher, so high that you have to crane your neck to see. Eventually you lose sight of the balls in the nothingness.
But then, the Toymaker sighs…and you notice that the balls are disappearing. This continues for about a minute, the balls growing fewer in number until he’s down to just three…and then there’s only two, so he’s not really juggling at all.
Finally, the Toymaker catches the last remaining ball and holds it up to your face. A frost has grown along its leathery side.
“Playing games can keep you warm,” says the Toymaker, “but only for a little while. Eventually, the cold gets in. And the cold devours everything."
“How did you survive here?” you ask quietly. You can’t raise your voice above a whisper: it feels disrespectful.
“Death isn’t something I am capable of experiencing,” says the Toymaker. “I can never die from the cold. But I can still feel it.” 
The Toymaker looks at the ball in his hand, and it catches fire. You gasp and pull away, but the fire only burns for a few seconds: the flames are quickly extinguished by a new crop of frost, growing over the ball’s surface like a disease.
In moments, the Toymaker is holding nothing but a ball of ice.
“I’m…sorry,” you say.
It’s a feeble reply, and you know it. The cold here is wrapped into the environment itself. This no-space could well be made of nothing but a creeping, insidious chill. It’s worse than the kind of cold which slams into you, like the jump from the shower to a towel on a winter night, or the way your cheeks are slapped when stepping outside on a snowy day.
This cold is sinister. 
It waits.
It seeks out warmth wherever it can, wraps itself around that spark of heat, and crushes it frozen.
The Toymaker runs hot, you remember with a shiver.
No wonder. The Toymaker fends off your weak sympathies with a shake of his head. He stares off into the nothingness, and continues to speak.
“I thought it would just be me and the void forever. But then one day, I heard laughter! It was a sound utterly foreign to me. I was so frightened, I spent millennia curled tight up into a ball, cringing away from the sound. But I could hear them now…beings, with shape and light and thoughts. As the epochs stretched before me and the void remained still, I found myself drawn to their laughter.”
The Toymaker’s eyes glitter with recollection. “I learnt how to poke small peepholes into the fabric of the void, and peer through at the shapes. And oh, the things I saw! These beings, they played games , just like me! Games which used pieces and strategies and all manner of wonderful toys. I wanted to have them all. Needed to have them. So I did. I fashioned myself fingers, and with those fingers I fashioned toys and toys and toys, enough to fill up every child’s toy room in every universe!"
You watch as the Toymaker trembles with excitement. His voice has swollen to fit the void: a rallying cry against the darkness. He looks so proud of himself…but only for a moment. 
“After a while, my toys grew old,” he says sadly. “They say a boy becomes a man when he must throw his toys onto the fire in order to keep himself warm...and the cold never stops. I realised that wood and string were all well and good, but they had no personality of their own…and I had no opponent.”
The Toymaker turns to you then. There’s a manic look in his eye. “So I began to lure in the flesh-and-blood creatures,” he says. “It was easy enough once I learned to assume their shape…especially the early ones, who weren’t so bright. And what shapes I would become! I enjoy this shape so much that I’ve decided to keep it permanently, with the odd touch-up every half-century or so. Being handsome helps bring in the players.”
There goes that easy wink again, smooth and charming and drawing you in like the lure on an anglerfish.
“And…that’s why you’re here today?” you ask. “You just want to play games with us?” 
The Toymaker’s laugh is mean. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he says. “All that exists is to win, or to lose. I don’t want to play games with you. I simply want to win.”
The two of you stand in silence for a while, contemplating the nothingness. The longer you stay, the more you can feel the chill sliding its icy fingers over your flesh. It crawls up your socks and settles into the gaps behind your knees. It causes wet, cold dew to form at the edges of your eyelashes. It even seeps into the spaces between your skin and fingernails.
You wish you hadn’t asked for this Truth.
“One point to you, Toymaker,” you say through chattering teeth.
The Toymaker starts: clearly he’d forgotten all about you. The void has a sobering effect on him, it seems. How did a little boy manage to have any imagination in this place at all? “Yes,” says the Toymaker with a worn smile. “One point each.”
The next time you blink, the void is gone. You are returned to the familiar warmth of the toyshop, and are still sitting at the table across from the Toymaker. But now, even as the cold sloughs off your skin and your cheeks begin to heat up again, you can see the toyshop for what it is. The bright lights and colourful attractions are nothing more than decorative wallpaper for a frozen, ephemeral darkness, ever-creeping in on the corners of your vision.
When the Toymaker speaks again, his German is back in full force, and you wonder if he’s trying to stave off how frightened he really is.
“Zat is vier turns down,” he says. “Mit only zwei to go. I ge-believe it is my turn, ja?”
Oh, hell: he’s right. You’d gotten so caught up in the impossibility of the Toymaker’s mind that you’d forgotten you’re playing a very dangerous game. But the Toymaker’s smile looks fake now, and the way his eyes glimmer seems less like mischief, and more like withheld tears. For the first time you want to stop this game…not just for you, but for the Toymaker too.
But that’s not how this would be played. The rules are fixed, and you’ve seen what the consequences could be. Worse, you only have one response left to give. By the way the Toymaker is grinning at you, you know he’s remembered this rule too.
“Truth or Dare?” he asks.
You swallow, before giving the only answer you can: “Truth.”
The Toymaker laughs a little too loud. “Now, you had better nots ge-try to get out of zis one,” he says. “I vant you to tell me dee truth: vot exactly is your fantasy? I vill be requiring details.” 
There it is: the question this whole game has been building up to. This situation is impossible and ridiculous. Here you sit, surrounded by beautiful toys in your gorgeous dress, playing a game with an unbelievable, broken man who can rewrite your entire reality with nothing more than a thought. Yet you still can’t just open your mouth and give him the answer. Somehow, even in the face of impossible adversity, you are still beholden to your human embarrassment.
“If I tell you…” you say slowly. “...Do you promise not to laugh?” 
The Toymaker’s eyebrows knit together. He looks distressed by the question. “All players should be treated with respect,” he replies.
That’s not the answer I want, but it’s the only answer he can give , you think. But maybe that’s the key here. You would never willingly part with this information…but the Toymaker just did the same thing for you. He didn’t have to show you where he came from. He could have talked around it, given you the crib notes, and you would have been none the wiser. The Toymaker showed you vulnerability just by allowing you into his history.
You owe him that same level of respect.
“I didn’t get much attention when I was growing up,” you say. “It wasn’t a bad upbringing, but I was just kind of…left, a lot of the time. I wasn’t looked after. There was always some sort of problem that needed fixing, and my parents never had time for me. No one bothered to check on me, so I just had to figure things out for myself. I spent most of my time alone in my room…just me and my toys.”
“That sounds familiar,” says the Toymaker, and the sympathy in his voice is real. “How did you pass your time?”
“I took my toys apart,” you say. “I think my parents felt guilty for leaving me alone a lot, so there was never a shortage of toys. But I wanted to figure out how they worked. That seemed much more interesting than actually playing with them, you know?” 
The Toymaker smiles with approval. “Dee keen eye of a toymaker is a gift,” he says. “But I sense you are delaying your real story…” 
You curse inwardly: again, he’s right. You cannot hide any longer.
“I took apart all of my toys…except for my dolls.”
That gets the Toymaker’s attention: those bright blue eyes light up with interest. “Go on.”
“I had a set of five dolls,” you say quietly. “Generic dolls. Sparkly, brushable hair, and little swappable outfits. Nothing special. But even when I was really small I couldn’t hurt them. I was terrified of damaging them in any way. There weren’t any other kids around to talk to, and my parents weren’t home, so I just…talked to the dolls instead. I knew it was weird, but in my head the dolls were more sentient than my other toys. I thought they could really understand me.”
The Toymaker starts back up in his German voice: “Ah, zere is nothing more ge-saddening zan a lonely Kind. Zat is why decapitating poor Neil vas being no problem for you, zen?” 
“Yeah. It still hurt, but not for the reasons it would hurt most people.” You swallow; this is the really difficult part. “The older I got, the more toys I had, but I never added to my doll collection. My parents would joke all the time about how I was becoming a ‘little lady’. When I became a teenager there was so much pressure to be pretty, and girly…and it made me feel sick. So I tried to fight back against it. I cut my hair, I swore off pink, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in a dress.”
The words stick in your throat. You look up at the Toymaker, hoping for some kind of mercy, but you don’t find it. But he isn’t mocking you, either: he just sits and waits for you to continue.
“I locked my dolls away,” you say. “I pretended I had thrown them out…but secretly, I’d sneak them out, and play with them. I’d brush their hair, and mend their dresses. I still do.”
The Toymaker leans in. “Why?”
“I…I wanted to be like them,” you whisper. “They are so pretty. The long, flowing dresses and the perfect makeup…they’re dazzling in a way I could never be. I can never, ever be that beautiful.”
You twist the fabric of your dress between your fingers fitfully, and force yourself to say it: 
“I always wanted to be someone’s favourite doll."
There’s silence in the toyshop. You stare down at your lap, your heart pounding and your face flushed. Stupid, stupid…! Your eyes well up with hot tears. You can’t bring yourself to look at the Toymaker.
“Und zen you arrive here,” he says. “Meine beautiful dollen drew you in.”
“Yes,” you say quietly. “If I can’t be loved like a doll, then at least I can give them love instead. If I were a doll, maybe things would be easier, you know? Maybe…”
You can’t help the little choke-sob which escapes your lips.
“...maybe someone would take care of me."
The tears fall freely into your lap now and stain the beautiful fabric of your dress dark. You feel disgusting: worthy of ridicule. I deserve whatever happens to me now, you think, your brain awash with old, dark feelings you’ve kept locked up just like the dolls in your closet.
But it’s the Toymaker who snaps you out of his reverie. You didn’t hear him move, but you flinch when his fingers slide under your chin and tilt up your face towards him. Your tears cast him in a watery halo.
“Mein Liebling, stop ge-crying,” he says. “I have made sehr many dollen over dee years, und many of zem have been beautiful. But you are somesing else entirely entirely. Ein living, breathing, villing doll, so cute und poseable. Oh, you und I vill have zo many adventures together! You could be mein prized possession, und I vill hold you and play vith you from dawn zu dusk.”
The Toymaker’s words send a shudder through your body. Blood thrums at the surface of your skin and pools in your cheeks and neck. The Toymaker leans in until your noses are almost touching. He’s so very close to you now…close enough that he could kiss you. 
But just before he reaches your lips, the Toymaker moves to the side and whispers into your ear:
“Dee game is not yet over, meine schöne dollen. You have one final question to ge-ask of me. Do it, und zis vill all be over…one vay or another.”
You can feel him smiling gently against your hair, and it makes you want to sob. Oh, please let this torture end…! But you’re in the Toymaker’s grasp now, in the final throes of his game, and you know you have to finish this or your suffering will never be over. There is only one turn left. You have to try, one last time, or you would spend the rest of your life at the beck and call of this madman.
“Truth or Dare?” you manage to croak out.
The Toymaker lets your face go. “Dare."
You take a deep breath. This is your last chance.
“Let me go.”
The Toymaker takes a long, long moment to process your answer…and then he starts to laugh. Really, really hard. The tinkling arpeggio of his laughter builds and builds until it seems to shake the very walls of the toyshop. For a moment, you are terrified that it’s all going to come crumbling down like a house of cards.
“Oh, perhaps becoming ein dollen hast eroded deine brain, ja?” says the Toymaker, the arrogance flashing in his teeth. “I am not ein genie you kann outsmarts. I am afraid zat since letting you go ist your prize, you cannot request it of me. So, you have lost ein point, putting us at a tie…und you must complete ein forfeit once more.”
No. No. NO! “That’s not fair!” you yell. The tears are streaming down your face in earnest now; all of the distress of this game and the Toymaker’s psychological torment can no longer be contained. 
“Oh, und here comes dee tantrum,” says the Toymaker with a sigh. “I hates it ven zey get like zis. You must have ein forfeit…und I think I have dee perfekt idea to stop your ge-crying.”
The Toymaker snaps his fingers again. You open your mouth to scream at him…but nothing comes out.
You try again, but your mouth just flops open like a fish, with no sound attached to it whatsoever.
The Toymaker has stolen your voice. 
“I have assisted you in another core aspect of your doll transformation,” says the Toymaker, the British swooping in over his tongue with ease. “I do not think most dolls can talk, do you?”
You awful…! But the words can’t even die on your tongue, because they never reach your tongue in the first place. There is a total disconnect between your mouth and your brain. Although you can fashion your lips into the correct shapes and try to push the air into forming syllables, none of them can escape your mouth.
The Toymaker has silenced you, taking away perhaps your only remaining asset in this game.
You mentally tally up the points, and realise he’s right. You are now tied, and six turns have passed. 
“But I cannot tolerate a tie. Dee rules dictate zat ve must perform a tie-breaker challenge…” His accent ripples between the German and British easily, as if he can’t decide between childish delight and cool professionalism. “Do you have any suggestions for a tie-breaker?"
The devastation of losing your voice almost made you look over this detail. Yes, he’s right: for all of your suffering, the Toymaker hasn’t actually managed to get a point over you. That means all is not lost.
That means you still have a chance to win.
But you cannot strategise in a vacuum: much less when you can’t speak. The Toymaker looks at you in amusement, as if expecting you to try and talk anyway. You could have written a message down on a piece of paper, or typed it on your phone, but you decide not to give him the satisfaction. The Toymaker has already gotten you on the rules twice: you are going to play within his boundaries and win fair and square. 
You don’t see where he produces the hat from. A flourish of the arm, and it’s suddenly in his hands: a beautiful top hat which would have gone perfectly with a tuxedo. The Toymaker flips the hat over and proffers it to you.
“Ladies first,” he says with a sly smile. 
You reach into the hat and are surprised to find a variety of small, paper tickets. After some rustling around, you pull one out and read it. When you do, your eyes go wide.
WHOEVER HOLDS THEIR BREATH THE LONGEST IS THE WINNER.  “Vot fun!” exclaims the Toymaker, clapping his hands together in excitement. “I must ge-varn you, I am a very gut schwimmer, and kann hold mein breath for ein long time.” 
But do you even have a lung capacity?! is what you would have asked if you could. How was this fair? The Toymaker is clearly an extradimensional being, and his physical body doesn’t seem to conform to the laws of physics, space or time…anything that would put a real challenge to this game. But you can’t say so: you have no way of telling him.
Besides…is it cheating if that’s just how he is? Is it cheating if he’s just better at the game?
A loud tick-tocking draws your eye to the right side of the toyshop. Against the wall (where it definitely didn’t exist before) is a grandfather clock. Both of the clock’s hands are almost at the 12. This was news to you; you’d arrived at the toyshop sometime around 8pm.
“Ve vill begin when ze clock strikes twelve,” says the Toymaker. “Zere are no fancy rules…ve just start ge-holdings our breath, until eins of us cannot anymore.”
The grandfather clock ticks closer to your demise. You look at the Toymaker in desperation, clasping your hands together in a silent plea…but he just looks at you coolly. Now, you are nothing but an opponent to defeat. You are an obstacle ready to be demolished. 
Well, I am not helpless. If anyone is going to decide the winner of this game, it’s going to be me. With only thirty seconds remaining, you fish around in the pocket of your backpack and pull out your phone. You set up your video camera, prop the phone up against a toy monkey holding a pair of cymbals, and hit the record button.
“Ah,” says the Toymaker. “In case of ein photo-finish. Gut idea.”
There’s a cold fire in his eyes now: something which ignited when he took you into his personal void. You have no moves left, and no gameplay strategies to implement. It is clear that he is the master of games, and you may as well already be his doll. 
But hell, you are going to try your best.
The grandfather clock strikes twelve with a loud, booming chime, and you suck in the largest breath of your life. You don’t balloon out your cheeks: instead you opt for a subtle approach learnt from musical training, where you draw in the oxygen deep into your lungs and will it to sit there for as long as you can handle.
By comparison, the Toymaker doesn’t look like he’s holding his breath at all. You merely hear him stop breathing. He looks totally at ease.
The first ten seconds are child’s play.
The first twenty seconds are fine.
The first thirty seconds are acceptable.
But by the forty-second mark a playful fire start to burn in your chest, and the urge to take a breath begins to beg. Inside you curse yourself, wishing that you’d practised— but why on earth would I have practised such a useless game?! You look at the Toymaker. Big mistake. He waggles his eyebrows at you silently, rippling them in an over-the-top-sultry manner. You feel your lips quirking up into a smile…You can’t believe it! He’s trying to make you laugh!
So much for respecting the rules, you think to yourself. Your chest is really starting to hurt now. But then you wonder, is that really cheating? If the Toymaker can try to make you laugh, what if you can make him laugh too? But you shut down that idea immediately: if you prancing around in a frilly dress singing I’m A Little Teapot didn’t make him laugh (just clap!), you didn’t have a chance in hell.
Oh no. What is he doing now? While trying to focus on holding your breath, the Toymaker had conjured two familiar puppets on the ends of his hands: Punch and Judy. With a final, victorious wink, the Toymaker begins a silent, over-the-top slapstick routine with the puppets. Even without dialogue you recognise the beats of the show; Mr Punch is a mess of a man, overwhelmed by the demands of his wife and baby (the latter brought into being with a tiny, adorable puppet the Toymaker wears on one of his thumbs). His hands move with such finesse that the puppets almost look real.
Such a gaudy routine wouldn’t have been enough to make you laugh by itself, but the Toymaker brings a whole new dimension with his wonderfully expressive face. Each time the long-suffering Judy begins a voiceless tirade of her husband (i.e., throwing little puppet-objects at his face), the Toymaker supplements Punch’s depression with a frown worthy of a theatre mask. When Punch manages to land a hit on his wife or baby (My God, were these shows always so violent?), the Toymaker grins with such deranged glee that you can’t help but find it hilarious.
Oh no. You look at the clock: it’s been a minute, and your chest is really starting to hurt. The Toymaker and his puppets make your cheeks puff out with the effort of not laughing.
He smirks at you as Punch picks up his wife and baby and tosses them into the air, punting them like footballs. It’s so absurd and ridiculous that you can feel the giggle rising up in your chest. You desperately want to open your mouth and suck in oxygen but you can’t, you simply can’t, because if you do you’ll lose the game and he’ll keep you here forever…!
As your remaining seconds tick closer to your inevitable failure, you close your eyes. You want to have one last moment to remember yourself as you are, because you are sure whatever the Toymaker is going to do to you will not be pleasant.
Your chest aches. Your cheeks bulge. Your will starts to unravel.
And then, you have the idea.
It’s a stupid idea, and with barely any seconds left to execute it, you have no guarantee that it will work. But as you open your eyes and look at the Toymaker’s smug ‘I’ve already won!’ expression, you know you have no choice but to follow through with your mad plan.
So, holding on to every last bit of breath you have, you lunge at the Toymaker—
—and envelop him in a bone-crushing hug.
Several things happen at once:
The first is the Toymaker exclaiming in surprise, his breath clearly lost, and dropping his puppets, which dissolve into ash as soon as they hit the floor. 
The second is your desire to breathe finally overpowering you as you collapse against the Toymaker, and the two of you tumble to the floor. 
The third is the grandfather clock exploding. Just as you hit the ground the clock bursts apart, firing out wooden shrapnel with a horrifying bang! On reflex you huddle yourself against the nearest form of safety, which in this case happens to be the Toymaker’s chest.
You weren’t expecting him to hold you back.
The two of you stay like that for some time: you and the Toymaker, on the floor together, breathing heavily and wrapped up in each other’s arms. Despite your own adrenaline, you can’t understand the Toymaker’s terror: surely he caused the clock to blow up? He certainly wasn’t in any danger.
But then you hear a sound you couldn’t hear before. It’s the thrumming of the Toymaker’s heart, loud and insistent and desperate to survive. You hear it through the fabric of his waistcoat, and feel it in the pulse of his neck. For just a moment, the Toymaker seems to be just as human as you.
You wonder if the Toymaker’s mortality is contextual.
Eventually, you manage to disentangle yourself from the Toymaker’s limbs. You peek at the smoking remains of the grandfather clock, and are relieved to see that nothing has caught fire: there’s just a scorched, black mark where the clock once existed. The shards of wood which exploded out from the clock have disappeared.
Thankfully, your phone is untouched! You pick it up, pause the recording and watch it back. A smile stretches across your face.
“Oh, Toymaker!” you say, and you are so very pleased that your voice has returned. “You’re going to want to take a look at this.” 
When the Toymaker climbs to his feet, you are immensely amused to see that his perfect curls have been knocked a bit by the explosion. For the first time since you met, the Toymaker is dishevelled and confused. It’s a cute look on you, you think.
“You broke my game,” says the Toymaker incredulously. “How did you do that?”
“No idea,” you grin. “Maybe it was an unexpected outcome. Still within the rules, still a valid way to win, just…unorthodox.”
You show the Toymaker the recording. You watch as his expression turns from bafflement, to despair, to outright blazing anger.
“No!” the Toymaker cries. “You can’t have beat me!”
But the camera never lies. The footage on your phone clearly picks up the Toymaker gasping in shock as soon as you hit him with your hug…whilst you don’t gasp for air until a few seconds later, just before the grandfather clock explodes.
“Seems like I have!” you say happily.
“But I…you…” The Toymaker’s fingers flex in the air meaninglessly, as if looking for a straw to grasp. “But that’s cheating!” 
“No it isn’t,” you say with confidence. “There was nothing in the rules about us not being able to make each other lose our breath. If you making me laugh was a valid strategy, then me hugging you was too. Either we both cheated, or no one did.”
The Toymaker looks like he’s been slapped, and it is a delicious feeling. You almost want to pinch his cheeks. With a pout fixing his lips, the Toymaker snaps his fingers…and your clothes return to normal. Your dress is gone, replaced by the clothes you entered the shop with.
(Is it a little silly to be regretful of that fact…?)
“I still say that shouldn’t count,” says the Toymaker sullenly. “That was an underhanded tactic. I’ll be writing that into the rules next time.”
But you’ve turned away from the Toymaker now—he obviously needs to work through his sore-loser feelings in his own time. You trot over to the doll shelf, pick up the beautiful doll in the powder-blue dress and cradle her in your arms. She truly is a wonderful prize.
When you turn back around, the Toymaker is sitting on the floor with his hands hugging his knees. You feel a pang of sympathy for the man…it seems this really is his whole life.
“But why did you hug me?” the Toymaker asks, baffled. “That’s not a winning strategy. You just surprised me. You were so…”
The Toymaker looks up at you with shining eyes. This time, his eyes really are wet with tears.
“...Warm,” he whispers.
The triumph of your win quickly sours on your tongue. The way the Toymaker is looking at you gives you a powerful feeling…and it’s not one that you like. Even though every part of you is telling you to make a run for the door while you have this post-win window…you don’t.
Instead, you sit down cross-legged on the floor next to the Toymaker, just like you did when in the void. You even bump your shoulder against his.
“I’ve been sad a lot in my life,” you say. “But I’ve never felt as much sadness as I did in your void. And it made me wonder if…you’d ever been held before.”
The Toymaker looks at you with flashing eyes. His bottom lip trembles as if he’s trying to hold back a lifetime of grief. He doesn’t say anything, but those eyes tell you all you need to know. 
“I wouldn’t mind coming around here sometimes,” you say gently.
The Toymaker looks at you like you’ve got two heads. “You would voluntarily subject yourself to my life-or-death games?”
“Maybe not the life-or-death part,” you say hastily. “But I had fun today. Weird, horrible fun. You’re kind of a weird and horrible guy…and I’m pretty weird too.”
To your surprise, the Toymaker actually laughs at that. “You are unique, meine Liebling,” he says, German once more. “To out-ge-smart me, you must be.”
“Well…maybe it’s a good thing we met,” you say. “Maybe you don’t need to keep luring in suspecting people to your shop, Toymaker. Some of us might actually want to stick around and play. And maybe…”
You rest your head against the Toymaker’s shoulder.
“...Maybe I could help keep the cold out for a while.” 
The Toymaker and you sit in silence for some time, listening to the gentle whirs and clicks of the toys going about their business. You keep your new doll tucked between your legs, and your cheek resting against the Toymaker’s shoulder. He’s so warm that you find your eyelids fluttering: you could easily fall asleep right here.
It’s a surprise when you feel the Toymaker’s fingers sliding into your own. You look at him, and see those telling blue eyes alive with fresh excitement.
“It’s a deal,” says the Toymaker, with an enormous, brilliant smile.
You let the Toymaker pull you to your feet. To your amusement, he grants you a deep, formal bow.
“Run along now, meine Schatz…today must have been ge-xhausting for you. But I shall be seeing you again soon, ja?"
Other people would not have caught it, but you know what loneliness sounds like: you hear the edge of desperation at the edge of the Toymaker’s voice. You take a step back and return the bow with a curtsey.
“Ja, genau,” you grin.
The Toymaker’s smile could have outshone the sun.
That night, when you return home, you take all of your dolls out of your closet. You line them up with care on your shelf, making sure to pose them prettily and smooth out the creases in their frocks.
But you keep your new doll in your hand, and clamber into bed with her. Before you turn out the light, you look one last time at her perfect, dimpled face.
Oh, what games will you and the Toymaker play next?
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Okay I just watch digital circus because of your post and it was a blast and I love the character and the idea of a scenario came to me
Caine, Pomni, Jax, Ragatha, with an actor reader who loves to play into the adventures and play NPCs to set up the immersion maybe even write up some ideas for Adventures to make things more fun
Anyways have a great day night whatever and thanks for the fun writings
Thank you! Hope I did your ask justice!
Caine, Pomni, Jax and Ragatha x Reader who makes NPCs and writes
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Caine
★ He really appreciates your help! It's hard work making up games for everyone to play while taking into account everyone's preferences. No matter how much you protest, he will use each and every idea you come up with.
★ Caine sets up a little studio for you to work in. It's filled with paper, multiple typewriterband all sorts of art supplies. Maybe some clay for you to build some models of a character you want to create?
★ You're NPCs are always great and often end up being a hit with the others. By that I mean the gang tolerates them more than his NPCs. You manage to give them more personally than he could have ever given.
★ If you somehow get Zooble to join in the fun he will congratulate you for doing a good job. His hat is off to you, you did something he thought was impossible. Now only if you could get Zooble to stop trying to swear...
★ I know the NPCs don't have any ai but Gooseworx confirmed that Bubble is a much simpler AI created by Caine. Therefore, he can theoretically make one of your characters come to life.
Pomni
★ At first she thought that the characters you make were real people. Once you told her that they were nothing but glorified puppets she had to question the sentience of everyone she's met so far.
★ You gotta make this girl a therapist. Aside from that it doesn't take her long to start asking questions about why you like to make different characters and stories.
★ She's not as creative as you, doesn't really understand the appeal of creating something like you do. The most she can do is come up with a few names.
★ Despite knowing that they aren't real people, Pomni still apologizes to the NPCs. It's force of habit. Maybe you could add some dialogue for if/when someone apologizes for something?
★ If we're being completely honest, she doesn't really like any of the NPCs. It just feels wrong when she needs to talk to them for something. It's like speaking to one of those robotic pre-recorded messages over the phone.
Jax
★ He's extra mean to the NPCs you make, just because he can. He knows that they can't get offended or upset but he doesn't care. They will be getting pushed into the mud.
★ When you decide to scrap an old character he gladly helps. The moment you say you need to get rid of it he's reaching for the nearest baseball bat. No need to worry about cleaning up 👍
Jax when the NPC starts to annoy him
★ Jax thinks it's funny when you get upset over him being mean to a NPC because you've grown attached to some of them.
★After that he asks you what you plan to make next. Can you blame him for being curious? Jax wants to know what you're planning before anyone else. Don't worry, he can keep a secret.
★ As a "joke" he told you to try and make a NPC that Caine would need to heavily censor. Just to see what the ringmaster would do. Whatever you made that day was thrown into the cellar.
Ragatha
★ She likes to watch you make different characters for certain situations. Caine wants to set up a fishing adventure? Best believe you are making an NPC who's a fisherman to set up the immersion.
★ You might overwork yourself while trying to come up with a game for everyone to play. Ragatha sometimes needs to step in to tell you to take a break. There's no use overworking yourself, go take a break!
★ She really wants everyone to have fun with the adventures you put together. There's no doubt that she loves them. Also she's the first person to yell at Jax for being mean to the NPCs.
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everlastlady · 4 months
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Boyfriend Vox HCS
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✥- Author's Note: I can't wait for Hazbin Hotel to come out, now Vox isn't my favorite character but he isn't a character that I hate. He's a character that I find interesting, and when the show comes out maybe my interest will spike and I'll enjoy him more. I'm already enjoying his voice, design, and especially his singing voice, tell me what you guys think about Vox's voice and design, what do you hope to see in the show when it comes to Vox besides his rivalry with the radio demon Alastor. Remember to eat a meal or a snack, drink some water, get some fresh air, take your medicine, and remember that you are loved. If you loved this story remember to comment, click or tap that heart button, reblog with tags, and blaze if you can. Always remember to support your local writers. ♡♡♡
✤- Story Contains: CEO female reader, romance, Vox being a bit of an ass, strong language, reader is a falling angel, and overall just a fun silly fan fiction.
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✤- Vox has always been asshole towards (Name) but (Name) was always an ass back to Vox too. The two trading insults and even shoving each other. This was this love language because the two were dating. The powerful Overlord was dating the falling angel ceo of Hell. Vox was fascinated that (Name) was a falling angel, and built a company on helping falling angel especially since they made a lot of money. But Vox didn't love them for the money, he loved them for their passion, fiery attitude, and being able to stand for themselves. Vox was glad that (Name) was his girlfriend.
✥- The two helped each other out. Vox made sure that (Name) had all the power and influence she needed for her company. And made sure that Vox any of his associates were protected from the angels. She also uses Vox's products at her company and having models use them in photoshoot. " Think you can have one of your models eat my cereal in the video babe? " Vox asked. " Yeah, sure. " (Name) smiled giving a nod. " In a sexy way please. " Vox walked away. It took (Name) a while to progress what her wide screen boyfriend just said. " .... In a sexy way? "
✥- Whenever (Name) and Vox argue in public or call each other names. Even shoving each other and fighting. People don't know that it's over the most stupidest things. Vox could say a cloud looks like a turtle but (Name) would say it looks more like a mouse then they'll fight even in meetings. If you were there Velvet would just say. " Don't worry this is how they express their love. "
✥- Vox loves to spoil (Name), he loves getting her a ton of gifts and outfits. Only the best for his woman, he especially will rent out her favorite restaurant so that they can have it all to themselves and order whatever they want off the menu. Vox once rented out Loo Loo World for their anniversary and they had a lot of fun. But (Name) laughed her ass off because Vox was screaming like a little girl because of a roller coaster ride and he could hit the targets at one of the games after bragging about how he'll win her a prize but in the end, it was (Name) that one him a large plush toy of a wolf bear that he keeps in his bedroom.
✥- (Name) also spoils Vox. She treats him to fancy dinners, gets him the most cleanest and comfortable suits. Sends him a shit ton of birthdays money. (Name) also spoils him in affection with kisses and pet names. Sometimes in public which Vox doesn't mind. He wants people to know that (Name) is his girlfriend anyone who even tries to flirt with her has to deal with Vox.
✥- Vox will brew up a hot boiling pot of rant when he talking about Alastor which (Name) finds annoying because she didn't care about Alastor and wasn't afraid of him. So whenever Vox got worked up to the point his ranting was annoying (Name) she would say. " He's starting to sound more like a crush that you want to kiss instead of a rival, maybe he should be your boyfriend. " (Name) said smirking. Vox would buffer a bit before making a face of disgust. " I don't love that mediocre show host, don't ever think or suggesting that. " Vox said. He would walk off, finally (Name) could read in peace.
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dn-imagines-in-2023 · 5 months
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DATE NIGHT
Light
Is pretty open to whatever you want to do. If you ask him to choose, he'll go with the classic dinner at a nice restaurant and maybe go to a museum or something.
He's a very good conversationalist. He loves to learn so he's very easy to talk to; he remembers details.
'Oh, they hate this color, I better pick a different tie.'
If you're doing something fun, he'll have a good time. But he's not a fan of the 'lay around on the couch' kind of dates, they make him feel unproductive.
L
He LOVES the lay around on the couch type of dates. They're a good safe option for him when it's not safe for him to be in public.
When it is safe for him to be in public he's completely shameless. All of his habits and quirks are out on display for the whole world to see and he does not care if he gets judged for it.
So if you can't handle the secondhand embarrassment of your boyfriend having his bare feet out for free, you're going to have a bad time.
If you do go out, he likes quieter, more private dates. A library, a park, places that aren't too crowded or chaotic.
Cafes and bakeries are always a win for obvious reasons.
Misa
She really goes all out. You have to schedule your dates with her, because they can be like 6 hours long.
She's a big fan of classic romantic dates. The 'dinner and a move' kind of thing.
I think she would absolutely love to take you to a masquerade. A chance to experiment with fashion and dance with you all night? She'd be all over it.
She would also like shopping dates. She loves to pick out clothes she thinks would look good on you and will let you pick out things for her too.
Takes lots of cute pictures through the night and displays her favorites in her room.
Mello *NSFW mentioned*
He’ll only go on dates with you on his off time- work always comes first. He has to beat Near by any means necessary, that means his love life comes second to that. In another world where everything was resolved neatly, he would likely be more willing to engage in romance.
Mello loves an adrenaline rush. His favorite dates are always a little risky and you always end up sweaty and out of breath (in a good way.) 
I imagine he would like taking you out for drinks and going dancing- probably to raves rather than nightclubs. 
The dark is a nice excuse to hold your hand- so you don’t get separated of course. 
When you’re so exhausted and dizzy you can’t see straight, he’ll call you both a cab and you’ll do everything short of have sex in the back of it.
The real fun starts when you both get upstairs ;)
Matt
Matt loves relaxed stay-at-home dates. You hop on multiplayer on a really relaxing game like stardew valley or minecraft and just lay in a snuggly pile of blankets together. 
I think he would also like dates where you make something together- trying a new recipe, or making an art project. It might not turn out great - he doesn’t have a sophisticated palette or a lot of artistic skill, but he would have a lot of fun.
He doesn’t mind going out once in a while, but he doesn’t like dressing up. He hates wearing ties. He’ll do it occasionally for your sake, but it’s not his favorite.
Near
He doesn’t really do specifically set out *dates*. You both just… end up in each others company.
It’s never a case of ‘Let’s set aside this Saturday at 7 for a date night.’ Usually, you just end up in his room while he’s working, you distract him, and you two end up spending the next six hours talking.
I imagine he would like that type of date, where you sit and have a really, really good conversation for hours and hours.
Especially since you’re one of the only people in the world who can really keep up with him.
He might bring out something for you two to work on together, some of his toys, puzzles, models, etc.
He likes meticulous, detail oriented work. Introduce him to knitting/crochet and you two can sit and knit together for hours. (embroidery would also work for this.)
Matsuda
Silly goofy guy.
He likes new experiences, he’s willing to try just about anything once. So if you have a really wild date idea, he’s probably down with it.
If he’s the one to come up with the date, he tries to put some thought into it and make it personal to you. But he has trouble coming up with new ideas so he tends to stick to what he knows - you two have a dedicated date night restaurant you both like.
I have no idea why, but I imagine he would love live theater? Like specifically musicals. Take him to see Hairspray, he’ll have the time of his life.
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ghostytoad · 6 months
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* Fun n' Games *
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ROTTMNT Boys x GN! Leo-esque reader who enjoys drama, making jokes, and being overall awesome
Summary: The Hamato brothers unexpectedly fall for the smug, but genuine, fun-loving reader despite their egocentric habits
Headcanons for: Mikey
GN! Reader; Romantic; Fluff || Words: 1.8k
Raph | Donnie | Leo | Bonus!!
Mikey:
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this boy will not hesitate to call dibs on being y/n's best friend the moment they meet; not only are they super cool and confident, they're pretty funny too!
he genuinely admires everything about y/n, from their charismatic and funny nature to the way they seem to keep their cool under pressure
mikey likes to refer to them as the "color bomb of our family portrait" (whatever that means) and will insist they are the splash of color the group's been missing this whole time
nicknames!! he will literally call y/n everything under the sun as a show of affection; some of his favorites include "leo 2.0" and "rainbow"
mikey will take every chance he gets to cling onto y/n like a koala bear or use them as his personal lap pillow; he is the most physically affectionate of the brothers, so expect lots of tackle hugs and cuddles too
insists that it's completely platonic though! cuddling doesn't always have to be romantic or just for couples or anything! if he's not holding onto y/n's hand, he's at the very least hovering in their space at all times
he just happens to enjoy how warm y/n is and they don't seem too bothered by the touching so it just makes sense that y/n is the first one mikey calls when he's in major need of hugs
y/n has a big ego, but mikey doesn't exactly help that fact with his endless praise and compliments; it's like he has stars in his eyes every time he sees them do anything mildly exciting. if anything, y/n is TOO HUMBLE in his eyes
he constantly brags to his brothers about how great y/n is (and how lame the boys are compared to them) to the point where it's painfully obvious to evevryone how lovestruck he is; every conversation somehow loops back to y/n and if no one's around for him to gush about them to? he'll just channel that affection into his art!
every time he invents a new dish, y/n is the first person to taste test his new creation. and if they say they like it? he will make it his new specialty dish for the next few weeks. y/n gets to name it too! a special privilege for only the greatest of greats in his eyes
every time y/n comes over to the lair, he immediately stops whatever he's doing to greet them and show them around like it's their first time ever being in the lair. it's basically a tradition at this point.
no joke, he will literally take them on a tour of the place like it's a new bachelor pad or something
"welcome to our humble little abode~ please feel free to relax on any of our luxury beanbags or "sacco" as the italians call it! to our left, we have the most advanced in genius technology, created by our very own donatello hamato!" "mikey, this is the third time this week they've been here. please for the love of plato, get out of my lab and let me work."
it's also just a fun little way for him to show off his new art without looking too braggy and he can't pass up a chance to pester his brothers; truly a silly little menace
if he's drawing, he usually has y/n pose for his practice sketches; they're just so photogenic and fun to draw, the perfect muse! and they don't complain as much as leo does when he has to model for mikey
he also keeps a special sketchbook meant just for y/n and him; they hand off the sketchbook back and forth every other week to fill with sketches and doodles of anything and everything. mikey thinks it's the purest form of bonding and gives every one of his doodles some meaning that ties back to y/n
the one-liners aren't exactly his style, but he still finds y/n to be incredibly funny, especially when it comes to their pranks. he will not hesitate to join in on their latest scheme (he's terrible at keeping secrets tho so they don't always work out)
is genuinely considering starting an improv troupe or a comedy duo with y/n; he thinks they could make it big if they just had the right venue! or maybe they could start their own cooking vlog together?
"c'mon, just one open mic nite! i promise it'll be fun and you're gonna kill it on stage! and i'll be front row cheering you on!"
y/n has their own little spot in the projector room right by mikey for movie nights; complete with a secret snack stash he's hidden in their beanbag for the two of them to share (he will eat most of it tho if y/n doesn't stop him)
he's not too keen on the idea of dragging them along on dangerous missions, but he will not hesitate to take them for a trip to the hidden city. after all, what better way to introduce y/n to yokai/mutant culture and the untamed world of mysticism than by exploring the mystic metropolis itself?
takes y/n to all of his favorite restaurants and parks when they're out, he enjoys being able to share his safe space(s) with someone special to him! and of course, he wants y/n to have fun too so he won't say no to visiting some of their favorite places!
unlike donnie and leo, mikey's pretty good at keeping y/n's more impulsive nature in check; he might be the wild card, but he's also very aware of the fact that Y/N is a human and as such, should be handled with care! (ironically, he gets upset when raph does the same to him)
don't get him wrong, he doesn't baby y/n, no no. he is simply trying to be a caring, considerate, and responsible friend. he's sure y/n can handle themselves, but the yokai world is new to them! mikey just wants to take it slow is all!
it's not until papa splinter decides to bring up the dreaded topic of grandchildren that mikey is confronted with his own feelings
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"All I know is that you boys are only getting older and with each passing day, my hope for grandchildren is getting smaller and smaller."
"DAD, WE AREN'T EVEN ADULTS YET! At least give us a chance to vote for the first time before you start yapping on about kids!"
"It is not the timing I am worried about. It is the sheer lack of game you three seem to have with the ladies. You have to BE a player to start the game." Splinter muttered the last part as if he were talking to himself. A bewildered trio of turtles sat before him in their usual "begging circle" before his favorite chair, unsure of how this conversation went so wrong. All they wanted to do was borrow their dad's iconic Lou Jitsu suit. And he was lecturing them about romance and grandchildren?!
Y/N and Mikey had no idea just what they were walking into when they sauntered into the projector room together, bags of snacks in hand for another movie marathon. Splinter let out a fond chuckle as Y/N greeted the rat with a bright smile and a wave.
"You see, I do not worry about Orange. Clearly he is the only one to receive my dashing looks and irresistable charm! How else would he have caught Y/N's sleek eye?" The old man threw a wink Mikey's way as the turtle stopped in his tracks to glance back and forth between his brothers and father.
"What… did I just walk in on?" his confusion translated into a sharp grimace, the corner of his frown quivering.
"Dad here's bugging us about dating." Leo couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Wha- I thought he was gettin' on our case about grandkids or somethin'?"
"No, no. He was clearly implying that we have no social, relationship, or emotional skills to speak of and therefore have no chance at prospective mates with which we might eventually settle down with and have offspring of our own." Donnie's pout was apparent as he recapped the conversation, unsure if what his father said was a positive or negative sentiment.
Mikey and Y/N exchanged equally horrified glances, dropping the bags of goodies.
"WH-WHAT?!" they cried out in unison.
Y/N could barely get a breath in between their screeching tirade of 'NO NO NO' and Michelangelo's "STOP STOP STOP", both of them making a show of flailing about in humiliation and shaking their heads. Y/N and Mikey? Settling down?! KIDS??!!
"I feel as though I may have missed something…" Splinter watched the spectacle of shame with a quirked brow, stroking his greying beard and shrugging to himself.
The young mutant stopped his panic long enough grab Y/N by the shoulders and sharply turn them to face Splinter, pointing his finger into their cheek as if he were presenting them.
"DAD, WE are FRIENDS. FRIENDS! FFFRIEEEENDSS!" he hissed between clenched teeth, motioning between himself and the human that stood beside him. Behind him, his brothers quietly chuckled and snorted amongst themselves, but he chose to ignore them as he continued.
"WE are NOT getting married any time soon!" he gave Y/N a gentle pat on the shoulder and shot them a soft smile, "No offense."
"N-No, none taken!" Y/N nodded, eyes still wide with shock.
"WE are NOT having kids ANYTIME SOON!" With each word, Mikey's face loomed closer to his father, the man's amused grin unwavering.
"And if anything, I sincerely doubt someone as amazing, sweet, and funny as Y/N would ever wanna have kids with someone like me considering THIS whole situation!"
His hands waved over his body frantically to refer to his mutant form, oblivious to the now-offended scoff Y/N gave.
"Y/N and I were just here to-"
"You don't think I'd be with someone like you just because you're a mutant?" Y/N couldn't keep their irritation from seething off of them as their arms crossed tightly on their chest and their foot tapped impatiently against the cold floor. They were not happy. Mikey shrunk in on himself at the display and waited for them to continue, the entire room now listening intently.
"I'm sorry, is it just me or did you drink a big ol' mug of DENSE juice?" Their finger aggressively poked against the young turtle's plastron, "I happen to LIKE everything about your 'whole situation' and I happen to think YOU are just as amazing and funny, Michelangelo Hamato!" Despite the sincerity of their words, each syllable was spat from their downturned lips as their glare became fatal with angst. Neither of them paid any mind to the others, mouths gaping and eyes rounded with surprise. The box turtle's green cheeks burned a dark red at their words, his heart pounding wildly against his chest and his muscles tense with excitement.
"Does… does this mean I can hold your hand now? Like romantically...?" he squeaked, barely able to contain his glee. Y/N sheepishly nodded as they took his hand in theirs and pulled him into a gentle embrace. From behind him, a chorus of groans and sighs sounded from his brothers. All he could think of now was that Y/N liked him back. Maybe even loved him. Not even his brothers could ruin a perfect moment like this.
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windenbro · 1 year
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la VIANDE
🥩 Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m so excited to share this one with y’all! la VIANDE is a collection of super sexy “sleepwear” for your male sims, briefs, thongs, shirts and socks; 14 total pieces in a 21 swatch palette.
Some background: This collection was inspired by some pics I saw of Francois Sagat modeling for EXSL. He’s so hot and their clothes are so sexy. None of these pieces are actually stuff from EXSL, but I was just inspired by the vibe and then took it in my own direction. The brief/thong has a fully custom hand-painted texture that I’m really super proud of. I wanted to get a velvet/satin look across and I think it came out so cool.
🎀 Item breakdown:
~ Tops: There are 3 new cropped shirts. Super tight and cropped just enough to give sext but not over the top (so your sims can wear them for some everyday looks with a pair of jeans or whatever too, they’re pretty versatile I think). 3 sleeve lengths, and they come in opaque and sheet versions.
~ Bottoms: There’s a high hipped brief, a thong, and versions of both with a sexy sheer trunk on top for a whale tail moment. the cobos have just the same color for the brief/thong and the trunk, however I made an accessory overlay version of the trunks (found in leggings) that can be used for some fun color combinations too (see Rob in the picture above)
~ Accessories: In addition to the trunks, there’s also a fun graphic overlay that will work on these shirts (or just about any shirt if you like). Simlish text and a couple cheeky designs in a few colors. To top it all off there’s a pair of socks that come in the full matching color range of the rest of the collection.
I’m so excited to see your guys strutting their sext stuff in this collection! Tag me in any pics you take I always LOVE to see what you guys put together!!
💘 Enjoy!
💌 DOWNLOAD: SFS ⛓️ TOU: Please do pretty much whatever you want with my CC besides put it behind a paywall. If you recolor, or use it in your game, or whatever, I’d love to see! Tag me!
@ts-malematch @maxismatchccworld
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babyouran · 1 month
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The Twins Fight! - what started as a tricky game soon turns into a dramatic argument where the twins cause chaos in their fight against one another
pairing - fem!reader x host club
apart of - ouran add-in
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"Let's all play the ‘Which one is Hikaru’ game!" The twins exclaimed, standing up while the ladies clapped at their announcement. "So, can you tell which one of us is Hikaru?"
"Well, it's hard to say," One lady began, tapping her finger against her chin.
"You're identical!" The other added.
"Many ladies have tried to tell us apart, but so far none have succeeded."
"Oh, they're playing that game again?" Y/n turned to Haruhi, the girls didn't have any customers at the moment. They were just enjoying the less busy crowd and chatting about a book Y/n read recently.
"It's kind of stupid," Haruhi expressed.
"What? Have you got a problem with it, Haruhi?" They overheard her comment, turning to look at the two girls.
"No, it's just odd," She simply spoke, turning her attention back to Y/n.
"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki spoke, running in with a computer. "When I gave you control of the club's website, I did so on one condition. That you take it seriously!" Tamaki scolded them.
"We take our job very seriously boss," Hikaru responded.
"In fact, last night we worked on it till dawn," Kaoru added.
"Is this what you worked so hard to create?" He pulled up the screen, showing Y/n without her mask on and a shorter dress going up to her knees.
"Oh no," She stood up, grabbing onto the device to look at it. In response to seeing the less-than-accurate image, and realizing what lecture she would receive if her father saw such an image, she slumped to the ground. 
"You look great N/n-chan," Honey smiled.
"Pretty," Mori commented, and soon enough the girls were all surrounding the screen trying to catch a glance.
"There, there," Haruhi patted her back.
"My teeth don't look like that," Y/n pouted. "Also my lips are not- never mind. You have to take that down," She walked over to the twins flicking their foreheads. "Kyoya-senpai!" She yelled, wandering off from the mischievous duo.
"When did you take those photos of her?" Tamaki walked up to the twins.
"Didn't you hear her? We didn't," Hikaru explained.
"There is something called Photoshop, boss," Kaoru added.
"Can you do it with her wearing this?" Tamaki lifted a magazine where the main model was wearing a fancy green dress. 
"No," They deadpanned, walking away to leave a disappointed Tamaki. Instead, they decided to focus their attention back on Y/n who was arguing with Kyoya.
"I don't care if it got you more views on the website, if you don't want to be sued by my father take it down!" She stated, clearly frustrated and flustered trying to reason with Kyoya. In the presence of the twins, she switched her yelling onto them, taking the computer from Kyoya’s hands and motioning it to the boys. "Take it down," She pushed it in their hands.
"Why? It's fun. When we get bored we make fun."
"No," Y/n rolled her eyes, “This is not fun, this is bad!”
"You're our pet," Hikaru spoke, while Kaoru started working on getting rid of the photo.
"Be a good girl now," Kaoru looked up from over the screen.
"I'm not a dog. I can’t be both of your entertainment like this, you should go on and find a toy."
"You want a toy?" A dark figure appeared from behind a door, candlestick in hand. "Toys, toys. If you like toys then you should come and visit my Black Magic Club," The boy offered. This piqued Haruhi’s interest as she walked over to the mysterious figure to hear more about his offer. 
"We've recently opened a marketplace that hosts black magic items from across the globe. We're also holding mass around the clock. If you visit right now, I'll even throw in a free curse doll. You can have Belzenef as your gift."
"Why is he talking to us through a crack in the door?" Haruhi wondered, looking back at the fellow club members.
"Wait a second, has that door always been there?" The twins pondered.
"Nekozawa-senpai likes to hide. He doesn't care for brightly lit places," Kyoya informed the group.
"Don't get involved with that guy Y/n," Tamaki snuck up on her, scaring her. She jumped and flinched where she was standing. "If you do you'll end up being cursed, don't you do it either Haruhi!"
"How do you know?" Y/n asked, moving closer to the door, her arm was about to reach for the doorknob but Tamaki stepped forward to pull her arm back so that she was standing next to her. 
"It happened during final exams, at the end of the last school year," Tamaki let go of her wrist since she was trying to shake her hand out of it. He then went on to explain a story where he stepped on a 'cursed' doll, leading to him taking a test in different lettering and he also didn't know any of the students in that class. "I was in a different dimension."
"Scary!" Honey cowered.
"Did that really happen to you?" Haruhi questioned, unsure, trying to hide behind the shorter boy. Y/n walked over to the nervous Honey, bending down a bit and patting his head in a comforting way.
"Don't you worry Honey-senpai, or you either Haruhi-chan. I think Tamaki-senpai just went to the wrong class," Y/n explained while Honey was hugging her. 
"It was a curse! I know because I woke up three days later and my legs were as heavy as lead!" Tamaki fired back.
"Your legs were heavy because you ran a marathon the day before, remember?" Kyoya told him, still working on his normal tasks despite the new presence of the man. 
"You shouldn't underestimate the dark powers of Belzenef the cursed doll. All you have to do is write the name of someone you hate on his back and then that someone will come into misfortune," Nekozawa popped up, holding the cat doll.
"Wow this guy is dark in more ways than one," Kaoru spoke, and soon he and Hikaru exchanged a glance.
"I wonder what he will think of this," Hikaru showed the flashlight from behind his back before shining it on Tamaki and Nekozawa. Both of them ran away scared, Nekozawa choosing to retreat to his club room.
"How on earth could you two do such a thing? Obviously, the two of you don't know the true terror of the black mirror!" Tamaki shook, but this wasn’t anything the twins paid much attention to, instead just wandering off with complaints that they were bored.
"My dignity as the club's leader is being ignored," Tamaki sulked in his spot. 
"Hey, Y/n! We have a favor to ask you," The twins spoke.
"What’s that?" Y/n responded, going over to her bag to search for a new book.
"Can we go to your house?"
"No."
"That could be fun," Tamaki looked up.
"No, it wouldn't. My house is almost the same as yours, it would be different if we were going to Haruhi's, that could be fun," Y/n shrugged, finding her book and taking a seat. Soon enough the twins were standing around Haruhi, hopeful eyes looking upon her. 
"No, you're just going to make fun of it," She shook her head, crossing her arms in distaste. 
"I think it's about time we all pay our respects to our beloved Haruhi's family!" Tamaki beamed.
"No way in hell, only Y/n can," Haruhi mumbled the last part, looking over at the girl reading intently.
"We can settle this with a game! If you can't pick out which one of us is Hikaru, then your penalty will be the two of us coming over to your house later tonight!"
"It's kind of simple," Y/n commented. "That's Hikaru and that's Kaoru," She pointed to the boys.
"You're wrong."
"No she's right," Haruhi agreed.
"Sure you guys look alike, but that doesn't mean your personalities are the same," Y/n mentioned. 
"How did you tell?" One of the girls asked.
"With that hat, it's so hard," Another wondered, Y/n ignored the words of the girls since the book once again captured her interest which made Haruhi have to answer the question. 
"Well, how do I put it? It's kinda difficult to explain. But Hiakru's speech and actions make him come across a little more mischievous than Kaoru," Haruhi explained honestly, not truly thinking about her words before speaking them.
"I'm sorry Hikaru, I don't mean to laugh," Kaoru spoke, trying to hold back a laugh but soon ended up breaking into a loud one.
"I don't see what's so funny. I'm honest, I speak my mind, and I don't hold back. It's sneaky people like Kaoru who are the troublemakers," Hikaru argued.
"Don't turn this on me, Hikaru. After all, I'm the one who's always going along with all of your selfish games.”
"I may suggest them but you're the one that gets into them Kaoru. If you hate it so much then why don't you just stop?"
"Because I'd hate to see you make an ass out of yourself, in front of everyone. It was your idea to call Y/n a pet, but I noticed you were quick to make a pass at her. Admit it, Hikaru, you're actually in love with Y/n, aren't you?" Karou smugly spoke, Hikaru getting all flustered.
"You've got it all wrong, Kaoru! Man, you're such a freaking idiot," Hikaru told him annoyed.
"Yeah! There are some things in this world that must never be said," Tamaki buzzed.
"Why would I fall for her? I mean she can't even show her face, she probably looks like a tanuki," Hikaru claimed.
"How dare you call her a raccoon dog?" Tamaki fumed. "You're going to pay for that!"
"Can you guys be quiet-" Y/n tried to speak before a large rumbling cut her off. 
Soon enough Renge made another surprise appearance and started to emerge from the ground. "Our beloved Y/n is in the middle of a beautiful yet poignant seven-sided romantic relationship! And to make it even better, two of her admirers are twins, torn apart by love! Just the thought of it could make me eat three bowls of rice!”
"Wait, what did you-"
"Oh butt out, otaku," The twins spoke causing a total flip in Renge’s confidence as she now stepped down from the platform all sad.
"You guys are meanies! You shouldn't say something like that to your manager!"
"But Renge, I thought you had feelings for Y/n as well.”
"I do and it's platonic, but I have no problem with her having relationships on the side. Also after speaking with Haruhi, I'm developing feelings for him as well," Renge announced back to her confident self.
"I'm confused, I thought you had decided to go back to France, Renge," Haruhi walked over.
"Well, I was going to start up a host club of my own… but, I don't think France is ready for a host club, just yet," She told Haruhi, a light blush on her cheeks.
"I don't think anywhere is ever ready for a host club," Y/n commented, Renge was about to mention something else but was cut off by the twins' voices raging at one another. 
"Cut it out already! You're the one always crawling into my bed! Talk about annoying," Kaoru yelled.
"I only do that because you look lonely. I wouldn't choose to sleep in your bed, you idiot!"
"Who are you calling an idiot? You're the one who sucks at math."
"Oh yeah, well you're failing your foreign language class you dummy," Hikaru argued, just continuing to go back and forth like little children.
"That's it we're over!" They fumed, walking in opposite directions of one another, stomping off into the distance. 
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Later the next day Haruhi and Y/n were sitting beside each other in class chatting before it began.
"What did you think of the fourth chapter?" Y/n asked her friend who was taking out her book.
"I didn't expect Tobio to show up especially him claiming he wanted his daughter back," Haruhi spoke excitedly.
"Hey Y/n, Haruhi!" One twin walked in, flamingo pink hair. "Good morning.”
"Um, Hikaru," Y/n spoke, squinting her eyes in disbelief at what she was seeing. "What did you do to your hair?"
"Why is it dyed pink?" Haruhi wondered.
"Because pink suits me. Don't you think it's cute? From now on I'm the pink-haired twin. I didn't want to be mistaken for that Kaoru for the rest of my life, you know?" Hikaru mentioned, his now blue-haired brother, coming up next to him.
"Good morning Y/n, Haruhi," Kaoru voiced, Hikaru, walked over to an empty seat near Y/n and sat beside her. "I was finally able to sleep all by myself last night, but I ended up having a nightmare. I dreamt my stylist had dyed my hair pink. It was so garish and ridiculous looking, I woke up screaming.”
Hikaru stood up and walked over kicking Kaoru's chair so that he fell. Kaoru then returned the favor, knocking Hikaru down the same way. Once back to their seats, the twins stared at each other and soon enough an all-out war erupted with a multitude of items being flung over Haruhi and Y/n’s heads. 
"This is going to be a long day," Y/n grumbled as Haruhi nodded in agreement.
When class was over and it was noontime Haruhi and Y/n decided to chat about the lesson they had just finished learning while walking into the cafeteria. 
"I was wondering what all the fuss was about, I can't believe the two of you are still fighting," Tamaki spoke, watching the twins in line arguing about food.  "You're a disgrace to the Host Club!"
"Why is the rest of the club here?" Y/n questioned, turning to Haruhi. Haruhi just shrugged and let Y/n wander over to the group. "Hey guys!"
"N/n-chan!" Honey exclaimed.
"Hey, look who it is!" A short-haired girl spoke, joining hands with another.
"I've never seen them all together like that," Another one commented.
"We've had enough of this, you're both to blame for this fight," Honey said, then pulling out a cake. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan I want you to make up and then go halfsies on this cake, 'kay? But I want to have a piece too, and N/n-chan should get some, so I guess we're gonna have to have fourthsies," Honey went on babbling in an attempt to try and figure out how to cut the cake.
Y/n just walked over to the nox distressed and anxious boy, lifting him, and taking him over to Mori. 
"You're just making it worse, leave them alone," Mori told Honey, moving him far away from the irritated twins.
"Oh, Y/n! I didn't expect to run into you in the dining hall," Tamaki fangirled, rushing over to the girl who was watching Honey now munching on the cake he was once going to share.
"Haruhi and I decided to follow the twins here, they have been acting odd all day," Y/n looked over to her senpai. 
"I brought a boxed lunch and I just wanted to eat it in the classroom," Haruhi mumbled, walking over to where the host club now decided to eat lunch. 
"A boxed lunch?" Tamaki repeated.
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In Tamaki's head
"Tamaki, darling, I hope you will accept this food I made. I'm not amazing at cooking, but I made it with love!"
"I will eat anything you make Y/n, it's always beautiful and tastes delicious," Tamaki declared 
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"I will eat it!" Tamaki spoke out loud.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kyoya mumbled.
"Ah," Y/n ordered beside Kyoya, pointing out the dish of her choice
"Our chef makes amazing crab, it truly is so delicious the way he seasons it. Maybe once you can come visit and try the dish," Kyoya mentioned, the two walking towards the lunch table that the Host Club members were currently occupying.
"Damn rich people," Haruhi grumbled.
"Haruhi, come sit over here!" Y/n waved her over, but instead of just Haruhi another friend had joined alongside them, Hikaru.
"What's that, what do you have for lunch?" He questioned, watching Haruhi take her seat.
"Yesterday's leftovers, and a rolled omelet,"
"Haruhi you want to switch?" Y/n looked over at the mouthwatering expression on Haruhi’s face as she stared at Y/n’s food. With a happy nod, the two exchanged their meals.
"This is amazing!" Haruhi exclaimed, tasting the food.
"Great! I usually like to eat more in private, so I can just save yours for later!"
"Y/n, I got a meal that you’ll enjoy. Want to try it, all you have to do is take your mask off," Kaoru softly grabbed her chin, tugging it closer towards him with one hand while his other held a fork with a piece of his meal on it.
Hikaru chomped the food off of the fork instead of the intended recipient, "Quit butting in Kaoru." At the possibility of another fight, Y/n moved out of her seat and grabbed Haruhi's hand to take her with her. Just as they were out of the line of fire Kaoru threw his soup at his twin but missed the wanted target and instead, it got splashed all over Tamaki. 
"I'm going to go eat alone now," Y/n quietly muttered over the yelling of the twins, choosing to take her leave from the noisy group.
After the whole cafeteria incident, the group (excluding the twins) met up again in the club room, hoping to relax with some tea and discuss the problematic antics of the twins.
"Looking at the numbers, if this situation isn't resolved, I'm afraid we're going to have to stop offering our brotherly love package. We're down one pair of loving brothers," Kyoya announced, typing in some digits into his calculator. "Oh, Haruhi, I just want you to know there's no reason for you to feel responsible, even though it was your tactless comment that started this whole feud between the twins."
"It's weird for Hika-chan and Kao-chan to be fighting like this," Honey spoke, playing with Usa-chan. "It's never happened before."
"They have never fought before?" Haruhi pondered, looking over at Honey.
"I've known Hika-chan and Kao-chan since we were in preschool. We weren't in the same year so I never really got to talk to them, but I remember that the two of them always played together," He told the group.
"Yeah that's true, I mean I've only known the twins since middle school but they have always stood out," Tamaki added, he went on about how the twins had been together for a while, saying it might not be such a bad thing they are fighting.
Yet quickly his former opinion changed when the twins finally arrived and they were still fighting, Tamaki quickly getting annoyed at the twins’ reckless behavior. 
"Don't you guys think it's maybe time to give up all this fighting?" Tamaki wondered. "It's driving me insane."
"What'd you say? It is driving you insane? You've got to be kidding me, how do you think I feel? Every time I look in the mirror I see his face. I'm sick and tired of being mistaken for you Kaoru! The truth is I hate your guts!" Hikaru snapped.
"You took the words right out of my mouth. In fact, I hate you so much, I bought this. Belzenef curse doll!" He pulled out the cat doll and a marker. "I'm going to complete the curse, Hikaru, I'm going to write your name on his back. From this day forward you are going to experience nothing, except misfortune and sorrow."
"Okay, this is getting to be enough," Y/n interrupted. "All because of some comment, that didn't even mean to offend you guys."
"Yes!" They both screamed. Mori rushed over to take Y/n’s hand in an attempt to bring her back into safety if they decided to start one of their throwing tantrums again. He did not want to see the girl getting injured once again. 
Haruhi finally had it, truly annoyed at the way they were treating her friend and how stupid they were being about an argument that didn’t make much sense. They were acting like toddlers. 
"Will you guys knock it off?" She smacked the sides of their heads. "What do you think you're doing? You don't bring something like this into a petty fight,” she motioned to Belzenef, “Both of you are at fault here, but what is truly sad is that you're bringing everyone else into your big mess! Now apologize to each other, if you don't make up right now I'm never going to let you come over to my house!" Haruhi threatened.
"So, then what you're saying Haruhi is that if we make up, we can come to your place?" The twins questioned at the same time.
"Oh, no," Y/n whispered, slapping her forehead, she figured out the mischievous plan they were trying to hatch all along. Haruhi slowly turned the doll around just for it to be blank, her face dropping in fear.
"I'm so sorry Kaoru, even though I was just following our script I said such awful things to you. I'm not fit to be your brother," Hikaru apologized.
"Don't say that Hikaru! I was so worried, I couldn't live with myself if I ever thought I had hurt you," They embraced each other, repeating apologies.
"You've got to be kidding! You mean you guys were faking it this whole time?" Honey shouted, arms flaring above his head.
"We didn't have anything else to do, we were bored!" They told him, laughing with each other. Haruhi was now sulking to the ground where Y/n moved in attempts to try and comfort her.
"Twins with too much time on their hands, are the devil," Tamaki concluded.
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Later on the next day, the club was back to running like normal, with no obnoxious feuds between the twins but instead back to their game.
"Okay, it's time to play the ‘Which one is Hikaru’ game!" The boys announced.
"I know," A girl with short hair raised her hand. "The twin with the pink hair is Hikaru!"
"We have a winner!"
"So, are you two going to keep your wild hair color even though you made up? It's much easier to tell the two of you apart now," A girl with longer hair spoke.
"Not really," Y/n sighed, sitting up in her seat where she was eating cake with Honey. "The blue is Hikaru and the pink is Kaoru, they switched for the day," She then continued back with munching on the sweet treat while the twins stared in astonishment. 
"Do you realize what happened Hikaru? Until now, there were only two groups of people, 'us' and 'everyone else'. But for the first time, someone's crossed into our world."
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next chapter - The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!
80 notes · View notes
foone · 1 year
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My one bit of advice I think every gamer should hear:
GO PLAY OUTER WILDS.
Seriously. It is easily one of my top 5 games of all time, and that's mainly because I'm being cagey about if it's the #1, because it probably is.
It's a game where you're a little alien who is taking their first flight into space, in their little spaceship. You go to space and find a mystery, and have to figure it out.
It's a game entirely about learning things about the world you're in: it's a tiny solar system modeled amazingly well, with varied planetary environments, archaeology, and quantum fun.
It's a game that's hard to talk about without spoiling, because it's about solving the mysteries. There used to be some other aliens here, they're long gone. What happened to them? Their whole society was built around trying to find something: what was it? Did they find it? And there's a weird disastrous event that keeps happening, why? Can you stop it? Should you stop it? Is it connected to the other weird things that keep happening? What happened to that ice planet that exploded with vines? One of the astronauts who came before you was the best pilot who ever lived, but they vanished. What happened to them? And why can you sometimes hear their harmonica over the radio when you point it at your own planet?
The game is wonderful and non-linear and the most unique approach to a Metroidvania I've seen years: it's basically "what if we did the Metroidvania idea but with no items or power ups? What if the thing that you got to unlock new areas WAS INSIDE THE PLAYER'S HEAD?"
Because you don't unlock the next area by picking up the high-jump boots, you unlock it by learning something new. Now you can do something you didn't realize you could before, but now you know you can.
And that's only one of the amazing concepts they stuffed in this game. The itemless Metroidvania, the tiny simulated solar system, the quantum mechanics... Each of these alone could be enough to carry an indie game. They stuffed them all in one game combined with a great story, and that's in a gamewith relatively little dialogue!
There's like a dozen people to talk to, but you spent a lot of time reading conversations left by the long-gone aliens. You get to know them, what they were working for, how they interacted, and what happened to them, thousands of years later. It's less the bioshock style audio-logs, and more like going over bits of ancient writing, making connections and correlations from the fragments you can find.
And don't get me wrong, this might sound like this game is going to be dry and boring: it is so very not. It is a game about mysteries in the void of space, the death of a civilization, and the potentially world-ending dangers that face a living one, and even bigger concepts. It could so easily be a cosmic horror, about the cold death of space and the universe itself, and the nihilism of realizing that even a race that could cross the gap between the stars and bend spacetime to their will... They too died out. If they couldn't make it, what hope do you have, in your little spaceship that's primarily made of WOOD?
And yet... The game is always engaging. It has a few scares, and space is never a safe place to be, but it maintains a sense of humor and wonder. Yes, the universe can be scary, but it's also amazing. And you're just a little salamander-guy who wants to see it all, and figure out all the things. Maybe you don't know something yet, but tomorrow is a new day, and you can go blasting off to another planet, find some writing in a city suspended upside down over a black hole, try to fly into the core of a water planet, dodge giant anglerfish inside the warped space of an exploded planet, and try to explore an ancient city that's slowly filling with sand. It is a game about Things Ending, and it refuses to give into despair. It is one of the most relentlessly optimistic games I have ever played.
And the experience of playing it is so unique. This isn't a game where you could watch a letsplay and only get spoiled on some plot points, it's a game where the fundamental gameplay loop is about learning things. You should try it for yourself. It's got hints and many different avenues to explore (and it even keeps track of them for you, in case you forget!), so you don't have to worry much about getting stuck for too long. You can always put aside a "puzzle" and come back later, after you've learned more. (I put puzzle in quotes because it's not exactly a puzzle game. It's more of a mystery game. You aren't solving a logic puzzle or putting the pegs into the right holes, you're asking "Why is this like this? Where does this go? What is this for?" and then figuring that out from clues)
It's like 25$ on steam, and you can get it for Playstation and Xboxes as well (sadly no Switch version. They were working on one but it seems that version has stalled, with no announced release date)
You can probably get it for like 10$ if you're patient and wait for a sale.
One final note: there's also a DLC. The DLC is fully self-contained, in that you won't miss anything playing the main game without it. It basically adds a huge side-area to the game which goes and fills in some gaps in the history, explains some things, and introduces some more variety to the Outer Wilds universe.
It's utterly amazing, too. It's basically Outer Wilds 2 in everything but name, but it's totally fine to just grab the base game and play that. You can always come back and grab the DLC later if you want more Outer Wilds.
Seriously. To sum up, Outer Wilds is one of the greatest games ever made, it won a ton of awards, and it should have won more. They should invent more gaming awards just to give to Outer Wilds. This is one of the games that is going to be talked about in future "history of gaming" classes and put on lists of the 50 most groundbreaking and influential games, alongside things like Myst and King's Quest and Zork and Mass Effect. It's just that good, that groundbreaking.
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Tw afab reader, cyprus being horny, reader being cringe on main
Despite Cyprus preferring his girlfriend to be a girly, airheaded bimbo, he's also fascinated by those who are naturally awkward and geeky. The epitome of cringe and would speak in tongues only the chronically online would understand.
Maybe your tactic to ward him off was to be as painfully self-depreciating or embarrassing. You could break out into dances that are popular in some online shooting game in public; he would of course urge you to stop appearing so deviant, even dragging you away by the forearm if you don't stop.
However, you're only endearing yourself to him even more, Cyprus does encourage you to express your interest in the privacy of his apartment, because it's amusing. As long as you're not overly consumed by the internet.
He wouldn't always understand what you're always saying. For example, you would always exclaim that phrase whenever he says he has to use the bathroom. Cyprus wouldn't get why you would go crazy over a few lines in random places, you could be showing him the source material, but he doesn't understand the humor in it.
You could yap about the unending lore of some game that he thinks may be too scary for its intended audience. He would be totally clueless but the way you retell it is so funny, so adorable and enthusiastic, that Cyprus could sit and listen to you talk for hours. But there is always a limit, you would know that you reached it when he began making out with you mid-sentence.
It's your enthusiasm that he's attracted to, it's cute that you're so excited over something so esoteric.
To your surprise, you could purposely make your cosplay costumes or choices as atrocious as possible, thinking he would scrunch his nose in disgust and not want to do anything with you. But it's the opposite. He would burst out into laughter, at first laughing at you, but eventually it turned into admiration for your effort. Cyprus wouldn't help you with your makeup or costume unless you asked, he would be equally as fucked up anyways. So the quality of it wouldn't change too much.
To your surprise, he would get two tickets to the cosplay convention. He would just put on his leather jacket and fingerless gloves, claiming he's cosplaying whatever character closest in appearance despite not having any knowledge of the media. You would be in your own costume, having a blast.
It goes without saying, he will keep an eye out for you. He's oddly much less protective and possessive in conventions (perhaps it's because he believes that the majority is here to only partake in their interests of the arts, no one would want their work to be ruined. And maybe he thinks that your cosplay is weird enough to ward off rivals.) , he allows you to act as "cringey" as you like, but within reason. Because he thinks you're just acting in accordance to the norm there. He wouldn't let you get kicked out.
Cyprus isn't necessarily camera shy. He was an actor and model for a handful of retail commercials, he would still work as one if they pay him enough. He doesn't mind appearing in videos or pictures with you, but don't expect him to learn your little dances.
He would gladly be the cameraman, though. It doesn't take a genius to guess that he's internally dying from second-hand embarrassment through his crumpled face as he watches you act like an animatronic in slow motion.
No pointers, no suggestions on how to make it better, Cyprus lets you be in your element no matter how cringe. He loves it even if it kills him to watch you make a fool out of yourself. It's because he just loves seeing you shine and away from that damn phone for once. You're doing something productive and fulfilling, and that's extremely heart fluttering to Cyprus.
He would definitely tease you, lovingly. But only he gets to do it, no one else. Cyprus barks heavy threats and insults straight to the faces of those who bullies and makes fun of you for your special interests, sometimes it would even get physical if they go too far and actually hurt your feelings. For every tear you shed, your hater will receive a broken bone.
Okay. That did not work, it only made him more attracted to you. At least you had fun.
So now you tried to bore him away, he's generally impatient. Hot headed and needs a lot of stimulation day-to-day. He would definitely want to rip his skin off when you suggest completing a 5000 piece puzzle, right?
Yes, he will groan. He will complain and he will whine. Pawing at you to do something else, your silly dances, your funny cosplaying, to get out of the apartment, to have sex- anything other than this! It's so boring for him.
The first few days, he would just be next to you, trying to convince you to get a new hobby where it doesn't involve boredom. Forcefully dragging you out of the apartment to go on adventures, but you would always go back to completing your puzzles whenever you get the chance.
He would distract you by leaving hickeys on your neck, curling his tongue in your mouth and if you're already at that stage, eating you out like a hungry man. Drinking every drop of your nectar.
Once he realizes that he could give you cunnilingus daily, he's suddenly okay with your "very boring" hobby. But you wouldn't be, so you stopped trying to complete it. This would make him frown, because it always displeases him to have you lose interest in something.
So he very begrudgingly agreed to stop latching his mouth onto your pussy and join you in your quest of completing the picture.
The first few hours would consist of him giving up every five minutes because he couldn't find the next corner piece. He would slide his hands down your underwear and touch you until you cum.
However, if you persevere, Cyprus will eventually find himself enjoying the hobby too. Finding that it's therapeutic and almost hypnotic in a way. But only if you sit on his lap and allow him to bury his cock deep inside you.
Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to concentrate with his large, hard member slowly but surely stirring your guts for hours. Each time he picks up a piece, his aroused dick would twitch and send shocks into your mushed brain. Or when he gets mildly frustrated, he would bounce you on him until you orgasm- that would reset his patience and keep him going. He stops working on the puzzle for the day when he ejaculates, which would take anywhere between thirty minutes to half a day.
In the end, Cyprus would be the one who finished the puzzle while you're mostly too busy trying not to pass out from cumming too much.
Cyprus would be so proud of himself for doing it, even buying a frame and displaying it in his mostly barren living room.
He would be baffled when you reacted negatively when Cyprus brings back another 5000 piece puzzle for you and him to complete.
To him, you're so predictable and unpredictable at the same time. Your hobbies and interests could change just like that and without warning. But regardless, he loves you even more now since you somehow made something so "soul crushingly boring" like puzzles, into something super fun.
Your attempts to make Cyprus sick of you have failed, but at least you knew that he was supportive in his own special way no matter how much he disliked it in the beginning.
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