#bright falls book series | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

iamalasagnagirl · 2 months

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Pls, pls, pls I need more WLW book recommendations!!!

Adults, YA, spicy, soft, I don’t care. I just need wlw books because I want to switch from fanfics only to actual books as well

Okay, here we are, enjoy :)

Bright Falls Series by Ashley Herring Blake: 1. Delilah Green Doesn't Care -> Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls - nothing is there for her except memories of a lonely childhood - but when Delilah's stepsister pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a large check, Delilah finds herself back in Bright Falls once more. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid's stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there's some fun (and a little retribution) to be had, after all. 2. Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail -> For Astrid Parker failure is unacceptable. When Pru Everwood asks her to be the designer for the Everwood Inn's renovation, which will be featured on a hugely popular home makeover show, Astrid is thrilled. However, Astrid never planned on Jordan Everwood, Pru's granddaughter and the lead carpenter for the renovation, who despises every modern design decision Astrid makes. Is she going to pursue the life that she's expected to lead or the one that she really wants? 3. Iris Kelly doesn't date -> Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love and she’s happy for all of them, truly. Iris doesn’t want any of that—dating, love, romance. She’ll stick to her commitment-free hookups. There’s only one problem—Iris is a romance author facing an imminent deadline for her second book, and she’s completely out of ideas. Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as per usual, Iris goes to a bar and meets a sexy stranger, Stefania, and a night of dancing and making out turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life. To get her mind off everything, Iris tries out for the lead role in a local play, a queer retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, but comes face-to-face with Stefania, whose real name turns out to be Stevie. Desperate to save face in front of her friends, Stevie asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend. Iris is shocked, but when she realizes the arrangement might provide her with some much-needed romantic content for her book, she agrees. As the two women play the part of a happy couple, lines start to blur.

Falls from grace by Ruby Landers -> Savannah Grace and her band were huge stars in Nashville. Now enlists Noah Lyman - an indie musician - to help her break out of country music and make a name for herself for once and for all. They have to spend the winter in Savannah secluded vacation home in the woods of Vermont, and Noah brings along his best friend Brynn Marshall and pretend she’s his wife? After all, what could possibly go wrong?

The secret of you and me by Melissa Lenhardt -> Nora hasn’t looked back. Not since she fled Texas to start a new life. Now she can live—and love—however she wants. The only problem is that she also left behind the one woman she can’t forget. Now tragedy calls her back home to confront her past—and reconcile her future.

Books by Haley Cass: - Those Who Wait and the follow-up Forever and A Day -> Spencer Sutton, the daughter of a congressman, and Charlotte Thompson, New York City’s youngest deputy mayor, meet on SapphicSpark, a women-seeking-women dating app. Sutton isn’t built for casual, and Charlotte needs to keep a low profile as the race heats up. In spite of that, a friendship blossoms as Charlotte helps Sutton navigate the dating world. - Down to A Science -> Ellie Beckett is a scientific genius finishing a Ph.D. at MIT, sitting on her stool at her favorite bar, putting the final touches on her thesis - her life is predictable and comfortable enough, until the night Mia Sharpe walks in to play pool with some friends and things are never the same again. and On the same Page -> Riley Beckett met Gianna Mäkinen their first year at Boston University, and it changed everything for the both of them. She knows Gianna doesn't do romance or relationships, and she knows nothing could ever come between them. But when a holiday party mix-up sets in motion a domino effect of changes, Riley has to question everything she thought she knew about their relationship. What, exactly, does Gianna mean to her after all? - In the Long Run -> Taylor Vandenberg is busy running a successful travel blog. Brooke Watson and Taylor’s younger brother have been best friends for the majority of their lives. It means that even if Taylor isn’t physically present, she’s always been a part of Brooke’s most monumental life experiences. When Taylor lands back in Faircombe for an extended stay, it leads to more run-ins than Brooke would like. And more feelings than either may want to admit. - When You Least Expect It & Better Than Expected (I haven't had a chance to read them yet, but I have seen them recommended a lot)

If tomorrow doesn't come by Jen St. Jude -> On the morning Avery Byrne plans to end her life, the world discovers there are only nine days left to live: an asteroid is headed for Earth, and no one can stop it. As time runs out and secrets slowly come to light, Avery fights her way home to save the girl she has been in love with her whole life. But can Avery also learn to save herself and find hope again in the tomorrows she has left?

Kiss her once for me by Alison Cochrun -> Ellie had a Christmas Eve meet-cute with a woman at a bookstore that led her to fall in love over the course of a single night. The next year, Andrew, the shop’s landlord where Ellie works, proposes a shocking, drunken plan: a marriage of convenience that will benefit both of them. They make a plan to spend the holidays together at his family cabin to keep up the ruse. But when Andrew introduces his new fiancée to his sister, Ellie is shocked to discover is the mysterious woman she fell for over the year before.

6 times we almost kissed (and one time we did) by Tess Sharpe -> Penny and Tate keep almost kissing. It’s just this confusing thing that keeps happening. You know, from time to time. For basically their entire teenaged existence. They’ve never talked about it. They’ve always ignored it in the aftermath. But now they’re living across the hall from each other. And some things—like their kisses—can’t be almosts forever.

Nottingham: the true story of Robin Hood by Anna Burke -> (A retelling of Robin Hood's story with a Female Robin and wlw couples) After a fateful hunting accident sends her on the run from the law, Robyn finds herself deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest. All she really wants to do is provide for her family and stay out of trouble, but when the Sheriff of Nottingham levies the largest tax in the history of England, she’s forced to take matters into her own hands. Relying on the help of her band of merry women and the Sheriff’s intriguing—and off limits—daughter, Marian, Robyn must find a way to pull off the biggest heist Sherwood has ever seen.

Forget me not by Alyson Derrick -> Stevie has a terrible fall. And when she comes to, she can remember nothing of the last two years—not California, not coming to terms with her sexuality, not even her girlfriend Nora. Suddenly, Stevie finds herself in a life she doesn’t quite understand. And Nora finds herself…forgotten.

It goes like this by Miel Moreland -> Eva, Celeste, Gina, and Steph used to play in world-famous queer pop band called Moonlight Overthrow. But after a sudden falling out leads to the dissolution of the teens' band, their friendship, and Eva and Celeste's starry-eyed romance, nothing is the same. Until a storm devastates their hometown, bringing the four ex-best-friends back together. As they prepare for one last show, they'll discover whether growing up always means growing apart.

Dominion Series by J J Arias: 1. Losing Control -> Talent agent Adriana Ortiz’s world is rocked when she’s thrust into the tumultuous orbit of Roxy, the raw, enigmatic pop rebel with a notorious edge and a guarded heart. Tasked with steering the wild Roxy on a whirlwind tour, Adriana boards Roxy’s opulent tour bus. The nights are filled with roaring crowds, but it’s the electric tension between Roxy and Adriana that sets the air on fire. A forbidden connection that threatens to consume them. Is the wild, unbridled Roxy worth the risk to Adriana’s career, or is she just another woman falling victim to Roxy’s charms? 2. Fighting for Control -> Lola Barros is a rising talent agent burning with ambition. Carmen Vargas is a dedicated lawyer poised to conquer the legal field. Their shared high-rise is the only thing these two powerhouses have in common. After a trivial parking mishap snowballs onto a full-blown feud, Lola and Carmen are thrust into unconventional anger management sessions and their fiery rivalry gives way to smoldering desire. But yielding to desire isn't straightforward. Between the shadows of demanding careers and familial expectations, their love is tested. Can Lola and Carmen find a balance between ambition and affection? 3. Relinquishing Control -> Natalia Flores rules her exclusive talent agency with an iron fist, brokering blockbuster deals while keeping everyone at arm’s length. But beneath the cold exterior lies a heart that yearns to be understood. Enter Professor Samantha Reyes—brilliant, fierce, and unwilling to let Natalia manipulate her way into the film rights to her book. Their encounters spark with tension and undeniable chemistry. In a world where control is everything, can two powerful women let go of their fears to find a love that’s worth the risk?

11:59 by Erica Lee -> TJ Edmonds has created a whole brand around not getting attached to other people. She has a best-selling novel and a popular phone app both dedicated to helping people stay detached from their significant others, so they don't get hurt. But the only reason she can move on so quickly now is because she still hasn't let go of someone from her past. It's easy to guard her heart when she no longer has it to give away. TJ texts Brooke everyday at 11:59 pm with no answers. What happens when, in a moment of weakness, this someone reaches out to TJ?

Price and Prejudice and the city by Rachel Lippincott -> Seventeen-year-old Audrey Cameron has lost her spark. After an embarrassing run-in with her ex-boyfriend, she’s told that she needs to get back out there and take risks. What she doesn't expect is to be transported to Regency England! Lucy Sinclair has her own problems when Audrey lands into her life, claiming to be from two hundred years in the future, it's a welcome distraction.

Never ever getting back together by Sophie Gonzales -> Maya and Skye are invited to star on the reality dating show Second-Chance Romance, to compete for their now famous ex-boyfriend's affections while the whole world watches. Skye wonders if she and Jordy can recapture the spark she knows they had, but Maya has other plans.

The art of us by KL Hughes -> Charlee and Alex fell in love at nineteen and dated for four years. Theirs was an enviable love — evergreen and growing. Unbreakable…Until it broke. Alex’s job now brings her back to Boston, after five years. When, by chance, they meet again, Charlee and Alex are swept up in a whirlwind of heart-rending history, tossed between past and present, and lovers old and new. Will their lingering connection be enough to convince them that some loves are meant to last? Or should the past remain in the past?

That secret something by Emily Wright -> Rebecca Lawson is off-limits. Jess knows this, but Rebecca has captured her heart for as long as she can remember. She’s sporty, tall and confident—all the things Jess is not—but most of all…she’s her best friend Lily’s sister. But when Jess and Rebecca are forced to spend time together the forbidden feelings intensify and sparks begin to fly. Amidst the chaos of raging bridezillas and other wedding disasters, can Jess resist temptation for the sake of her friendship?

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid -> Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way

That summer feeling by Bridget Morrissey -> Turns out you're never too old for a summer camp romance. Or a change of heart. When a divorced woman attends a sleepaway camp for adults only, she reconnects with a man from her past - only to catch feelings for his sister instead.

Some of these are my absolute favourites, I've lost count of how many times I've read them. I cannot get enough of "the bright falls series", "One the same page", "Those who wait", "The secret of you and me" and the last entry "Falls From Grace". No matter how many times I read them. And sometimes I wish I could read them again, as if for the first time, if that makes sense. Anyway, I have a lot more titles. Let me know if you want them or not. Enjoy the reading

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justbackgroundnoise · 26 days

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The way these would look perfect on a shelf except the publisher decided to change its logo for the second book. WHY!

#ashley herring blake #bright falls series #if you’ve read these…which one is your favourite! tell me tell me tell me #mine is definitely delilah green but I like them all ❤️#wlw books #sapphic literature #just finished re-reading astrid parker which I didn't *love* the first time i read it but I like it a lot more now #the artwork for these books is *chef's kiss*

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maddiesflame · 2 years

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Delilah Green Doesn’t Care headers

like/reblog if saved © maddiesflame

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wordsgood · 2 years

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the outline for hunter & poet is complete!!

this is my first time writing anything remotely similar to this - it's a low fantasy romance/paranormal mystery, intended to be like a paperback romance - so I used Gwen Hayes's romancing the beat outline to help me along. it was incredibly helpful, even if I did remix a couple chapters and kind of do my own thing in the last two. the scrivener template she provides on her website is fantastic, too.

I really am excited to write this one come november, as it'll be my nanowrimo project. from now until then I'll probably try writing some drabbles to get into the world and headspaces of Adder and Sepheri. might try to do whumptober with them?? we'll see! I'm just relieved I've finally got an outline that I enjoy for it. the last two chapters are going to be SO GOOD, Y'ALL

#story: hunter & poet #amwriting #writer life #admittedly I'm getting in a little bit of a rut with my MCs and their love interests #but I have a few ideas for the next books too and those will have slightly more original characters lmao #you just have to let me do my 'introverted asocial weirdo falls in love with handsome bright social butterfly with biceps and kindness'#thing one more time and then i'll get back to my other love: 'beefy woman holding her twink boyfriend on her shoulder at all hours' couple #and eventually the witch and the reanimated skeleton of her deceased best friend will get their own book #and then it'll be who knows what!#i'm so intrigued by romance paperback series that go on for 15 books but they're so dumb and comphet i can't bear reading them #this is for the weird queers who want trashy paperback romances that give THEM unrealistic expectations for relationships <3 #says the ace who's never so much as gotten a kiss on the cheek #prime nerd shit on the writing blog today

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fandom-go-round · 7 months

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Realizing They're in Love: Reader x BG3

Warnings: Implied Internal Trauma, Personal Relationship Issues, Gross Stuff like Falling in Love

Astarion:

He argues with himself for a long time before love comes to mind. It’s bad enough that he’s starting to like you but love? That’s just going to make things even harder. Astarion feels like the more he tries to talk himself out of it, the worse it gets. You corner him after dinner one night and he smiles, turning up the charm. You ignore his nervousness, giving him a simple wooden box. He immediately fills with dread; you want something. Of course you do. He’s not expecting there to be a book inside, the next one in the series he’s reading. You assure him that you don’t want anything in return, giving him a gentle smile before heading to your own tent. His heart thunders in his chest, fingers trailing over the cover. He’s not in love, Astarion tells himself as he goes to start the book. He can’t be but… if he is, it’s not the worst feeling in the world. Not with you.

Gale:

He’s not against falling in love per say, Gale just isn’t looking. Honestly he’s not. This is more social interaction than he’s had in years and he’s not trying to fuck it up, thank you very much. That doesn’t mean he can’t forget himself, especially when you start asking him questions about magic. Gale loves magic most of all and he only realizes he’s been ranting after twenty minutes. He winces, scolding himself mentally and turns to you. You’re both sitting on the floor of his tent, sipping tea in the early afternoon. He fully anticipates that you’re going to half awake, bored to tears and doing something else. Instead, you’re staring at him with rapt attention, eyes bright and small smile on your face. When he’s silent for too long you ask him to keep going, asking if he’ll keep explaining. Gale is more than happy to continue, something warm in his chest. He hopes that you’ll keep looking at him that way even after he stops talking. And you do.

Halsin:

Loud barks and hoots draw Halsin’s attention, the druid looking up from his papers. You’re a bit away from camp, Scratch and the owlbear cub playing with you. The three of you are chasing each other and wrestling, the cub slamming into the back of your knees. Halsin watches you go flying before laughing and grabbing the cub as best you can. You half swing him around, Scratch barking as you send his friend flying. The owlbear cub gives a roar, rolling through the grass and you laugh, chasing after the dog now. Halsin can’t help but smile; you’re so kind of everyone around you and he enjoys that you can relax. He hasn’t been ignorant to the feelings developing in his chest, just focusing on different things. The warmth he feels only grows as he watches you and he vows to talk about it. Halsin is sure he recognizes the looks you send him; he just needs to find the right time.

Karlach:

She realizes she’s in love after a tough fight. Her blood is still pumping and she wants more enemies to show up so she can have an excuse to go wild. You’re joking around with Wyll on the other side of the battlefield, the warlock turning to say something to you. You offer a smile and begin to hike up the slope and trip. Karlach watches in slow motion as you land hard on your ass, sliding down mud straight into the river. Wyll is frozen on the edge of the bank and she quickly makes he way over, worried that you’re injured. By the time she gets over there, you’re laughing loudly, head thrown all the way back. Her heart skips a beat; you’re covered in blood and mud and all sorts of gunk but all she can see is the right smile on your face. She’s in love.

Lae’zel:

Lae’zel doesn’t call it love. It’s admiration, respect for your skills. There are very few people she would follow verses leading herself and she admits that you’re good at it. She also enjoys the sex and that’s always a bonus. The sun is just beginning to go down and you stop on the edge of a cliff to watch. Lae’zel turns to scold you (the group needs to get back to camp) but she’s struck by your figure. You look like a painting, noble and steadfast. Your face is determined but not tense, taking in the sunset. There’s something in your eyes, something softer than she expects and it takes her breath away. She swears to herself and turns away, missing the affectionate look you send her. She’s doesn’t call it love, even if deep, deep down she wishes she could.

Shadowheart:

Night has finally fallen on a long, long day. Shadowheart is thankful that you’re the one with her on first watch tonight; your silence isn’t looming as she prays and the sound of sharpening blades is soothing. There isn’t the need to fill the silence with noise and it feels calm in a way that’s unfamiliar. Usually she finds the night comfortable but cold, like an winter breeze. You’re like the night but warm, a balm on an open wound. She smiles as she watches you, not looking away when you meet her eyes. You smile and she’s filled with affection, even as her hand throbs. The pain is worth it; you make her feel truly seen.

Wyll:

You’re crouched by a small cave, voice low and arm outstretched. The group had just finished a fight, a camp overrun with bandits. Wyll scowled to himself, looking over the bodies strewed over the ground. The people had been innocent and he wished he had been faster. Movement catches the corner of his vision and he turns, watching as, slowly, a child comes out of the cave. They’re covered in dirt and blood but you smile and they take you hand. Wyll can’t the stop the soft look from coming onto his face as you begin the check for wounds. The world can be a dark place but you give him hope; it’s more than he deserves.

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imtrashboat · 1 year

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book haul 📖🤍

#bookblr #annotating books #book photography #booklover #reading #lgbtq #sapphic books #barnes and noble #book haul #books #bright falls series #astrid parker doesn't fail #we dont swim here #ashley herring blake #vincent tirado

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2hightocare · 5 months

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PRINCESS TREATMENT ✷

“In a world of boys’ he’s a gentleman” mini series—

Synopsis: Jungkook simply does everything to make you happy..

Genre: established relationship!

Warnings: pure fucking fluff… (seriously makes me wanna jump in oncoming traffic) jungkook is a bright green flag, he’s love language is “acts of service” (can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the first part)

a/n: we all deserve oc and jungkooks kinda love.. I’m turning this into a mini series since a lot of people enjoyed it🤍

for @ohsweetmimosa !!

Falling in love was always something that you wanted, your face has always been shoved into pages of books, wondering when it would be your turn to experience that type of love. Your mom would always tell you that your expectations were too high and that no man could ever be as perfect as a fictional man.

Until you met him.

There were no words in the dictionary to describe him. No words to describe how beautifully his eyes would sparkle whenever he would tell you he loves you, the way his thumb would caress you whenever you would hold hands, or the way he would kiss away the tears that would escape your eyes.

You a hundred percent believed God made men, and sent Jungkook as an apology.

“When did you learn to braid hair…?” You curiously ask, with a slight hint of jealousy in your tone, making Jungkook laugh behind you as his fingers thread the three strands of hair repeatedly. “Watched a YouTube tutorial,” he chuckles, trying so hard not to pull your hair.

“What for..?” You stare at the mirror in front of you with the goofiest smile plastered on your face, watching your boyfriend with no shirt, a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips as he carefully braids your hair with his lip between his teeth.

“You always braid your hair but then complain your arms hurt from keeping them up for so long soo… why not make myself useful.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal.

Your heart did a cartwheel, might have exploded in your chest from how fast it’s beating. But nothing new. You were so accustomed to the feeling of butterflies flying in your stomach whenever he would do or say something to you.

He drops the most beautiful phrases anyone has ever told you so casually, like it was normal. But that was your normal since you met him.

You would hear your friends talk shit about their boyfriends, how they did something or what they didn’t do, but you really just never had anything bad to say about Jungkook. He basically took "Princess treatment" to another level.

You never had to ask for flowers, never had to pull out a chair, never had to open a door, never had to enter a car freezing... because Jungkook being Jungkook went out twenty minutes earlier to turn on the heater before you would get in.

Never had to worry about leaving your wallet at home when the only thing in your bag is lip gloss. Never having to turn on your brain whenever he was around.

Locked doors? Where are the house keys? Did you leave your curler on? Jungkook got it.

“That’s so much better than mine,” you point to his ice cream as your eyes widen from how the creamy flavors melt into your mouth. “So bo—mb!” You muffle out from the mouthful of ice cream shoved into your mouth.

“Let me try yours,” he opens his mouth, waiting for you to send a spoonful of your cookies and cream into his mouth. “Here comes the airplane! Brrr,” you try making airplane noises as your hand does a weird twirl before inserting the spoonful of ice cream into your smiley boyfriend.

“Mhm,” he nods his head, humming loudly, watching you smile at him.

“I actually like yours better, baby. Let’s trade?” Jungkook hands you his small cup of ice cream as you nod happily, while you hand him yours.

Jungkook watches with the biggest smile on his face while inserting another spoonful of the creamy content as he watches you eating the new ice cream flavor enthusiastically, hearing you rave about the new book you have just finished reading and how dumb the main character is.

Jungkook's heart aches, sizing double its size, beating hard in his chest. Your cheeks and nose are rosy from the cold outside the car. You both didn’t care about eating ice cream in the middle of cold December; you guys took it as a challenge on who would get sick first.

He laughs at the lighthearted jokes you threw at him, while you take another big spoonful of the chunky ice cream that was his not so long ago.

Little did you know that he really didn’t like your ice cream flavor.

When Jungkook first met you, he knew from the start that he was a goner. The way you smile at him, how your eyes will have a small glint on them whenever you look at him, or the way you would scrunch your nose if you found something funny or cute.

It took him by surprise when you pulled the move on him, thinking you found something disgusting when you first did it.

“I will literally eat you right now!” You scrunch your nose at your smiling boyfriend who’s slightly kneeling for you to be able to see your initial carved into his haircut.

“So that means you like it?” Jungkook stands up and spins to face you. You stare up at him, his dimples on full display looking down at you with your cute outfit he helped you pick on FaceTime.

“I fucking love it baby!! I have the urge to crawl inside your skin,” you bite your lip containing the laugh you’re trying hard to contain, failing miserably when Jungkook raises an eyebrow with a smirk on his face. “That’s… cute,” he replies before kissing off the little nose scrunch he loves so much off your face.

“Is that like your ‘cutie mark’?” You quip, your arms wrapping themselves around his shoulders. “Cutie mark?” He asks, a hint of interest in his voice while he wraps his arms around your waist pulling you closer to him.

“You never watched My Little Pony?” You fake gasp, eyes widening.

“I’ve heard of it, but me sitting down to watch ponies with superpowers… yeah, no.” Jungkook squeezes your waist as he explains.

“You suck,” you roll your eyes playfully sticking your tongue out before entangling yourself off his arms and making your way to the couch.

“Come big baby, we are watching My Little Pony.” You pat the empty couch space beside you.

He watched every season... all nine seasons with you.

Jungkook just wanted to make your life easier; you were always known for being “Miss Independent” in your family and amongst your friends, but here you were letting a man put your heels on for you.

“Too loose or…?” Your boyfriend looks up to you from his kneeling-down position in front of you.

“You look really good on your knees, sir.” You say instead with a sly smirk on your face, ignoring his question. “Pshh,” he rolls his eyes as he chuckles, tying a bow on your lace-up heels.

“Since when do you not flirt back?” You pout watching your boyfriend repeat his actions on the other foot. “Since we are late... and can’t be any more late.” He looks up with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Psh, okay.” You blow out in defeat as your boyfriend chuckles underneath you.

“Come on princess, let's go!” He stands up, giving you a hand for you to stand up off the bed.

The long rides to your guys' destinations were your favorite; Jungkook had given you the “passenger princess” award ever since you set foot in his car. He even installed a light-up mirror on your sun visor whenever you needed to fix your hair or makeup in the car.

Jungkook would listen to your little playlists. He still remembers when you explained to him that each playlist has a different emotion, which made him laugh. Now, anytime you played a song, he would ask you what emotion you were feeling right now.

“What emotion are you feeling right now baby?” He squeezes your thigh as he stops at a red light. The reddish hue illuminates your guy's face. “In love,” you turn your head to the side, staring at your boyfriend who’s already looking at you.

His eyes twinkle as he stares at you, a big smile adorns his face. As you mirror his actions before leaning in and giving him a kiss on the lips, his eyelids immediately flutter close.

“‘Cause I got my mind on you... I’ve got my mind on you.”

Plays softly from the car speaker; you smile into the kiss. “I love you.” He whispers softly. “I love you.” You whisper back.

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koolades-world · 1 year

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Exclusive Mc Privileges

Lucifer

Getting to wear his big coats and gloves when you’re cold or whenever you feel like it

Interrupting him working with no consequences no matter how silly the reason

Waking him up first thing in the morning like a kid on Christmas

Telling him how attractive he is when he’s mad

Helping him grooms his wings

Taking as many silly pictures together as they want as long as they don’t share them with anyone

Borrowing his pens

Helping yourself to his record collection

Staying out late

Comforting him in the middle of the night when he wakes up with a nightmare

Mammon

Being his passenger princess

Treating him like a princess whenever he feels inadequate

Borrowing his sunglasses at any time

Keeping him company when Lucifer hangs him upside down

Taking the blame for anything bad you did even if it means losing money

Driving his car

Using his money

Calling him you first and cutest demon

Dressing in matching outfits even if they are bright pink

Levi

Joining him to any and all conventions

Making cosplays with him

Borrowing anything from his manga collection

Touching or seeing his tail in a domestic setting since he’s insecure about

Polishing his scales for him before parties!

Feeding him while he’s gaming

Letting you play any game you want on game nights together

Doing his makeup whenever you feel like it

Caring for Henry

Satan

Organizing his books

Sharing his tea collection with him

Baking cookies together from his favorite book series

Going to exclusive events as his partner

Using his influence to get you whatever you want

Spending late night reading time with him

Going on morning walks with him

Scrubbing his hair in the shower <3

Borrowing his notes from class if you were sick or just forgot to take some that day

Asmo

Sharing his morning routine with him since he wants you to look fabulous too

Getting lots of gifts from him since everything he sees reminds him of you

Borrowing anything you want in his closet

Using his Devilgram

Matching jewelry!

Making jewelry together to have it matching which is better than buying it

Attending meet and greet events with him as moral and emotional support

Him cooking cute recipes he found online for you

Being his personal model for new looks

Beel

Cooking for and with him

Stopping him from eating the ingredients while cooking

Picking out his change of clothes after the gym

Going on dates to new restaurants

Stealing his shirts to fashion into outfits or lounging around in

Piggy back rides!

Flexing his arms for you so you can touch them

Admiring his wings

Teaching you everything he knows about various Devildom dishes

Belphie

Sleepy kisses :)

Hiding in the attic to get away for a while and nap

Pillow shopping together

Going camping in the middle of nowhere to admire the stars and each others company

Sneaking off together at parties

Karaoke together since he knows how much you love his voice

Attempting to wake each other up but falling back asleep together each time

Surprising you at RAD with random gifts of flowers

Making cupcakes together and ending in a flour war

#obey me #obey me!#obey me belphie #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me beel #obey me levi #obey me mammon #obey me x reader #obey me x mc #obey me lucifer #obey me brothers

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dduane · 14 days

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Hi Diane!

I promise this will end in an ask, but I have a story to share first, if you have the time.

I’m very new to Tumblr, in fact, I was moved to finally create an account to send you this message, but I’ve been casually poking around for a bit. A quick google last summer told me that Tumblr is the best place to get Good Omens news from Neil himself, but it didn’t do the courtesy of warning me just how magnetic this particular bastion of chaotic creative internet mayhem can be. This story is one example. Fun note, when I was composing this message my husband looked over my shoulder at the literal essay I’d typed out and suggested that I maybe, perhaps, might consider shortening it to the length of a conversation that could take place in an elevator. Or in line at the coffee shop. However, i’m not one sacrifice enormity for brevity.

Your post the other day regarding the cover for your novel, Stealing the Elf King’s Roses, got me thinking. First, that it was a very genuine thing to share, second, that I wasn’t entirely sure why I wasn’t immediately familiar with your work, and third, what a fun visual challenge. I was still thinking about it when I should have been sleeping, so I decided to dig in. I almost stopped reading your bio at the ‘blah blah blah’ because I was feeling quite bad about my media literacy at that point, but then I saw that you’re well-known for the Young Wizard series.

The Young Wizard series.

I said I’d try to keep it brief and this is my best attempt. I read books 1-5 of that series during the hardest, strangest, most heartbreaking time in my childhood when I desperately needed a different reality than my own. What I found in your novels was so much better than that. Your stories, your characters, your vision, helped teach me to ground myself in my strengths, frame my reality with hope and purpose, and how to build the spaces I needed within myself to find the compassion, forgiveness, joy and peace I so desperately needed. One of the things I built within myself on my healing journey was a beautiful jeweled box. It resides in my mind just off of I-335 in Topeka, Kansas. I was driving through the flint hills on a road trip from Milwaukee to Wichita when I finally finished the long process of constructing it, so that is where it stays, shining in the sun and twinkling under the stars. This box contains everything I experienced that couldn’t come with me as I grew. Crafting it was a lengthy, emotional, wrenching process, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done to allow me to become the person I am today. I used visit it every now and again, to make sure the jewels are still bright, but I’m very careful to not jostle the lid.

I’m recounting all of this to you because two nights ago I quite suddenly found myself standing beside my box for the first time in almost a decade. I could feel the gravel under my slipper socks as I gently opened the lid to see my copies of your books resting at the very top. I wasn’t immediately familiar with your work when I saw your name because it is so inextricable from the very fabric of how healed myself, that I accidentally let your words fall under the closed lid of the very box they helped enable me to make. Nothing else clamored to be released as I carefully pulled them out, and once more closed the lid.

So, the ask. I will be brief here - I’m an artist. Not currently working professionally as I’m exploring a different career path, but I’m usually working on a personal project or two. I needed a new one and was still intrigued by the post that started this all, so to help me process the emotions described above I made a version of a cover for STEKR and wanted to ask if I could share it with you. It looks like I can’t attach here, but I’d love to post it on my new, very empty page. It truly might not be your style, but I once again found solace in a space you opened the door to and this time I have the opportunity to share it!

Also, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

You're so very welcome! And I'm really glad the books were there for you when you needed them. (And plainly are there with you still.) 😊

And absolutely, post that cover! I'll be delighted to see it.

#Stealing the Elf-King's Roses

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ktgoodmorning · 2 months

Text

Perfect

(love language series- quality time)

Aitana Bonmati x Reader

Inspired by the love language quality time- you and Aitana enjoy a day off together. pure fluff.

Can't decide if this one was kinda a flop or if I completely love it. Gonna do one for each love language, each with a different player. Write less fluff and make it stay under 2k words challenge should be next for me lmao. As always, Requests and feedback are super welcome/encouraged, let me know what you think! :)

The rest of the love language series:

Silent communications. M.Leon x reader. Physical touch.

Let me spoil you. C.Coll x reader. Giving and receiving gifts.

Broken. P.Guijarro. Acts of service.

You know I love you. A.Putellas. Words of Affirmation

Masterlist

You were awoken slowly by beams of Barcelona sunlight streaming in past the edges of your curtains. Knowing that both you and Aitana had the day off, you rolled over hoping to fall back asleep. In doing so, you sleepily wrapped your arm around your girlfriend, trying to pull her into your side. As you lazily pulled her in, you could hear her giggle softly at you and you being half asleep. Unbeknownst to you, it was 9:30 which was extremely late for either of you to still be in bed. Typically you’d both be out the door by 7:00 so this was unheard of for you. Aitana knew you needed the sleep so she avoided waking you up no matter how bored she was becoming. While you continued to sleep, she carefully reached over to grab her book so she could lie next to you and read. The woman’s free hand gently ran over your scalp, putting you back to sleep while she read. Even though she could rarely sit still, it was easy when you were with her.

Around ten, you slowly started waking up further. You squinted your eyes as you opened them slightly, caught off guard by the brightness in the room. Aitana was lost in her book, not noticing you slightly starting to wake up. It gave you time to look up at her, admiring her and the way you were cuddled into her side. You noticed she was sitting up while you slept, making you wonder how long you had been sleeping, “what time is it?” your voice was raspy from sleep when your girlfriend finally realized you were awake.

Aitana set her book down next to her, turning her full attention to you, “it’s almost ten, amor.” she gave you a soft smile and gently tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear, out of your face.

You knew how active she typically was and were suddenly overcome with guilt that she had felt like she needed to sit with you until this late in the morning. “Tana, you didn’t have to stay,” you looked up at her questioningly. “You could’ve gone on your run if you wanted to, I wouldn’t have minded,” you tried your best to communicate to your girlfriend that she didn’t have to be tied down by you. The last thing you wanted was to hold her back or keep her from the things she enjoyed.

“Amor, it’s one day. I’m happy to skip my run for a day if it means getting to lay here with you,” she moved down to be laying next to you and pulled you in close for a tight hug. Her genuineness was clear from the way she held you tight, giving you no choice but to believe her. You knew she liked to be by your side, you just wanted to make sure she still did the things she wanted. “We never have time to just sit like this, it’s nice.”

You pulled back from her slightly, seeing if she was serious. “Aitana Bonmati, are you sick or something?” you placed the back of your hand on her forehead as you giggled, “since when are you willing to lay around in bed?”

Aitana rolled her eyes at you with a small smile on her face. She grabbed your hand from her forehead, kissing your knuckles before placing it back on her waist for you to snuggle back into her. “I like laying around when it’s with you, especially when we’ve both been so busy.”

You hummed in agreement and pulled yourself back into her, still tired from the past week. “I just want to lay here with you all day,” you grumbled into her shoulder, “you’re so comfy.”

“Well… nothing’s stopping you, we’ve got nothing we have to do today.” Your girlfriend's arms wrapped around you, pulling you in close. Her hand rubbed gently down the side of your arm, lulling you back into your sleepy state.

Sometime around noon you had woken up for real and the two of you decided it was time to finally get out of bed. You had decided to go on a walk to your favorite cafe together and then see where the day took you. It was the perfect way to spend your day together, never leaving each other’s side.

Walking down the streets of your neighborhood, holding hands with Aitana, taking in the beautiful day- all were some of your all time favorite things to do. It was perfect. When you arrived at the cafe, Aitana found a spot for the two of you to sit while you ordered for the both of you. You easily found your girlfriend after you had ordered your food. She was settled into your favorite table in the corner. It was perfectly private and tucked away but still enough of a view to watch the other patrons of the cafe. She had been sitting on her phone as she waited for you but immediately put it in her bag when she saw you joining her. You took note of the small gesture and how she always wanted to make the most of your time together. The Catalan greeted you with a bright smile, just as she always did. Your smile was one of your favorite things about her, it lit up your heart every time you saw it.

As you sat down with Aitana, she just looked at you for a while, silently, with love in her eyes. You were always catching her looking at you like this, she’d given up on hiding it now. The sound of the waitress bringing your food over seemed to break her from her trance. The two of you started eating in a content silence until your girlfriend spoke up, “how was work yesterday? I know I didn’t see you much because of the match last night.” You loved how she still wanted to check in even though you could never blame her for being busy. “Was that one girl still bothering you? Or did she get fired yet?” she looked at you hopefully with another smile on her face.

You giggled at her in response, shaking your head slightly. She always remembered all your complaints about your job and which of your coworkers was annoying you at the time. There was no reason for her to remember it, it wasn’t significant, but she always did. It no longer surprised you, Aitana was just like that. She was always interested in everything you did, even if it didn’t really affect her. “I don’t think I’d be lucky enough to have her get fired, amor. I just wish she’d back off and let me do my job. I’ve got this new project I’ve been looking into starting, I think it could be really cool,” you started to ramble on about your latest work ideas.

Aitana had no idea what you were talking about. She could always follow at first but the more you continued to spill all your ideas, the more she got lost. To her credit, you were quite scattered, not always making the most sense of all your thoughts. One of her biggest talents was not letting you realize how lost she got when you got into work mode. She continued to listen with admiration, her attention not faltering for a second. To her, it didn’t matter if she understood it. You were excited about it and that’s all she needed to enjoy listening to you. She tried her best, nodding and really working to connect all your random thoughts as you went on. At times she’d cut in with some questions, trying to clear up as much as she could so she could at least get the general idea of it all. It didn’t matter, she loved it no matter how little she understood.

Your lunch continued like this for the most part, Aitana would ask you about something, you’d get sent into a ramble, going on and on about it, while she did her best to follow. You appreciated being able to get your thoughts and ideas off your chest and she just loved listening to you talk about everything you were passionate about. It was perfect for both of you and exactly what each of you needed to help cope with the stress of your lives lately.

As you wrapped up your lunch date, she took your hand in hers and led you out of the cafe. Together, the pair of you ventured on a walk, ending at one of your favorite spots in Barcelona, a small park near your house. You sat down on a bench and just watched the people walking by. It was perfect. Aitana had wrapped her arm around your shoulders so you could lean your head against her shoulder. The two of you sat in a comfortable silence, just taking in each other’s presence and watching the world around you. You didn’t need ongoing conversation or action to keep the two of you happy. Being with each other was always enough, especially on days like this when you had the rare opportunity to slow down and just be. Aitana loved days like this when she wasn’t “Aitana Bonmati,” she was just yours. That was all she could ever want. She loved being yours.

You tilted your head, still on her shoulder, so you could look at your girlfriend. It was unbelievable to you how you had gotten lucky enough to be able to call her yours. You knew you could always count on her to still prioritize you when she knew you needed it, no matter how big of a footballer she became. The way the sun shined off your girlfriend’s brown eyes was like artwork to you. You were lost in her eyes when she turned to face you, catching you in your staring. All she could do was give you a soft smile, knowing she often did the same to you. “Should we head home,” she spoke softly, “so we are home before it gets too dark?” You just now noticed that the sun was starting to set. You gave her a nod before standing up and offering her your hand to help her up.

Aitana gladly took it and joined you. She didn’t let go of your hand the entire time you walked, swinging slightly as you took in the Barcelona scenery around you. Eventually you noticed how she shivered slightly. The air had cooled down since the sun had set and Aitana was definitely not built for the chilly weather. Wordlessly, you took off your hoodie and passed it to your girlfriend. She pushed your hand away slightly, not wanting to take it from you, “Amor, you keep it, I’m okay,” you knew she was lying, feeling bad that you’d be going without it. “You’ll get cold,” she tried to protest but you could see the shy smile as she spoke.

“Tana, we both know I handle cold much better than you do,” you laughed lightly as you teased her. Her eyes rolled, “just put the sweatshirt on, you’ll be more comfortable.” She had given you a small push as you teased her but still gave you a smile and nod. Briefly, you let go of her hand so she could put it on.

When she was comfortable (and warm) in your slightly-too-big hoodie, she grabbed your hand again, “Gracias, mi amor.” You loved how she often spoke to you as if it were still your first date and she was still shy about speaking to you.

You responded by bringing her hand up to your lips and leaving a soft kiss against her knuckles. “I couldn’t let my girlfriend go cold now could I, Tana?” She laughed softly, pressing a kiss to your cheek. The two of you were mostly silent while you finished your walk home. There was some brief conversation here and there but you mostly just enjoyed your time with each other. Neither of you wanted your day to end.

When you got home, you made dinner together, how long you had been out. Aitana had put on some music and the two of you bounced around the kitchen, chatting and dancing while you helped each other cook. As much as she loved her Barca teammates, Aitana loved to tell people that you were her perfect teammate. She liked to think of you as her “life teammate.” It’s not like she was wrong. Anyone who saw the two of you together saw how perfectly you meshed. It was times like this, doing something as simple as cooking together, where you saw how true it was. You were lost in conversation, her filling you in on some of the team’s latest endeavors. Neither of you ever had to break the conversation to talk about what you were doing as far as dinner went, you always just knew. That’s how everything was with Aitana. You both just knew.

The two of you finished dinner, and decided on a movie night before you had to go to bed and prepare for work the next day. It was the perfect way to wrap up your lazy day off together. Eventually, you both ended up ignoring the movie as you got lost in conversation yet again. She was lying stretched out across the couch while you laid on top of her with your head against her chest, happily chatting away. Hearing her heartbeat always put you at ease, always made any stress melt away.

When Aitana was giggling through her latest story, you lifted your head up to look into her eyes, just smiling at your girlfriend before leaning in for a kiss. As you pulled away, the two of you were both smiling wide. She pulled you back to her and gave you another quick peck, giggling again at how you chased her lips, hoping for more. You gave your girlfriend a playful pouty face which she responded to by peppering your entire face in little kisses, until you also started to giggle at her. You buried your face in her neck for a minute while you both laughed at each other.

Once the two of you calmed down, she cupped your face in her hands and finally pulled you in for a real kiss. You sighed into it, pleased to finally get what you wanted. Kissing Aitana was one of your favorite things. Her lips were soft, yet filled with conviction, always managing to express her love to you through her kisses. The two of you lazily made out on the couch while the movie played on in the background. Aitana gently ran her hands down your back, somehow bringing you even more comfort. You slowly pulled away and pushed a piece of hair back from her face.

As usual, your girlfriend was looking at you with admiration. “Thank you for today, Tana.” She looked at you with confusion, unsure of what you meant. “Today was just perfect. It was the perfect day off with you. I love when I get this much time with you, especially when we’re usually so busy.” You laid your head back on her chest. Her arms squeezed you tight, holding you close.

You could feel the vibrations in her chest as she hummed in agreement, “me too. I think we need to do this more often.” All you did was nod against her, and return the hug she was holding you in. “I love you, amor,” she started to ramble, “I love this and I love you and I can’t wait to do this with you forever.”

With a shy smile, you pulled away from her so you could look at your girlfriend's face. The two of you had talked about your future many times, and both knew you planned on getting married. Something about this time felt different though- the way she mentioned it so casually as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I love you, mi Tana, always.” She smiled back at you and gently ran a hand through your hair. You placed your head back on her chest as she continued to softly massage your scalp.

The more you snuggled in, listening to your girlfriend’s heart, the more you were lulled to sleep, thinking of your perfect future with Aitana. It took awhile for Aitana to notice that you had fallen asleep on her. She was so lost in her own daydreams, thinking about your future wedding, your future family, she hadn’t even noticed how you had settled into her. Neither of you could imagine a life better than this. It was what you had both dreamed of. All she could do was snuggle in further and allow herself to drift to sleep, holding you tightly, both with soft smiles settling on your faces. You couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day together, just basking in each other’s presence.

The rest of the love language series:

Silent communications. M.Leon. Physical touch.

Let me spoil you. C.Coll x reader. Giving and receiving gifts.

Broken. P.Guijarro. Acts of service.

You know I love you. A.Putellas. Words of Affirmation

Masterlist

Feedback and requests are always welcome! :)

#aitana bonmati #barca femeni #barcelona femeni #woso imagines #fcb femini #woso one shot #woso #espwnt #espwnt x reader #sefutbol fem #aitana bonmati x reader #woso x reader #woso imagine #barca femeni x reader #woso fanfics #wosoreading24/7 #wosoreadingaitana

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bad-and-drawn-that-way · 3 months

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Okay, so... I had this thought earlier... but what would Vox think.. if a reader.... had a breeding kink? They get off to the idea that Vox fills them up after a hot and heavy pounding. Would something awaken in him, or would he just simply indulge in their fantasy after some thought?

My god you'd definitely awaken something in him.

That being said, if you were to start begging him to breed you in the middle of a session, it would give him just enough pause to make you wonder if you fucked up before he goes absolutely fucking feral.

If You Insist [Vox x Reader] NSFW

(NSFW writing under the cut. Minors stay away <3)

It had been a long fucking day. Vox's schedule had been booked to the second with back-to-back meetings regarding products, partnerships, and new streaming services that would be released in the upcoming year. To say he was ready to tear someone apart by the end of it all would be an understatement. Having to sit through so many boring meetings had been mind-numbingly dull and he wanted nothing more than to unwind and blow off some steam.

You were lying on the couch in his penthouse when you heard the familiar electric charge building up from one of the cameras installed in the corner. The room flashes with bright cyan light as you look up from your phone and you perk up at the sight of your favorite overlord.

"There you are," you say as you pocket your phone and get up. Your eyebrows furrow as you see the mental exhaustion clear in his expression. You open your arms and Vox groans as he falls into them, burying his face into the crook of your shoulder as he takes a deep breath.

"Long day?" You ask as you rub his back.

Vox simply grunts, his arms tightening around you. "Fucking idiots. Every last one of them, I swear."

You chuckle, shaking your head. "They can be, yeah. What can I do to help? There's still leftovers in the fridge or we could watch reruns of that shitty series you like or-"

Your trailing list of suggestions is cut off as Vox's claws dig into the back of your shirt, his hot breath fanning over the side of your neck. You shiver as he begins marking a trail of heated nips and kisses on your skin.

"T-That answers that," you sigh as you tilt your head to give him better access. After dating Vox for as long as you had been, you know better than to let him get too carried away without redirecting him to a more comfortable location. He was impatient and once he got going, he didn't tend to give much mercy or consideration to any potential aching joints after the fact.

You pull on his bow tie as you take a step back, then another. He growls as you make him follow you to the couch, his claws drifting down to your hips. You smirk as you keep ahold of the accessory and pull him down onto the couch. He straddles your lap as he hungrily presses his lips against yours.

"Coming home to this was the only thing that got me through all that bullshit," he muttered against your lips as his hands sneak under your shirt. You take the hint and help him pull off the offending garment. It gets tossed to the side and you grin as he bends down and immediately captures one of your breasts between his teeth while cupping the other.

You let out a pleased hum as your fingers find the back of his collar and dig into the fabric. "You know I'm always more than happy to help you unwind," you purr.

It wasn't long before all clothing was abandoned altogether and he had maneuvered you onto his lap while he lay on the couch beneath you. His hips stuttered against yours as you ground your slick heat against him. Every time he tried to pull you down, you smacked his hands. He growled in frustration, his claws digging into your skin hard enough to break the surface. You hiss at the pain, but grin as you look down at him and continue to tease him with your ministrations. "Patience, Vee," you chastise him.

"I've been patient," Vox growled with frustration. "All fucking day!" You had planned on teasing him for longer but were caught off guard as he flipped your positions and pinned you underneath him with a scowl.

"Vox, wait- Ah!" Your hand shoots above you, clutching onto a pillow as he slips two of his fingers into your heat. His grin is cruel as he doesn't bother taking much time before he slips in a third and moves faster.

"No, I don't think I'll be playing your games this time, Dollface," he smirks as he plunges deeper within you. He scissors his fingers and curls them cruelly as you gasp and writhe beneath him. He leans in, pressing down as he lowers his face to yours. "I'm going to do what I want to you, and you're going to let me. Isn't that right?"

You moan as he curls his fingers against your G-spot. He strokes slowly over the sensitive area with a sadistic grin. His free hand shoots out and clamps down around your throat. You gasp, clutching his wrist as he tightens his grip. "When I ask a question, you answer."

He lets you struggle for air for just a little longer, still teasing you with gentle strokes despite his cruelty before he relaxes his grip just enough for you to find your voice.

"Y-Yes," you gasp. "Whatever you want. I'll take it. I'll take it all."

"Good," Vow growled as he released you. He pulled his fingers from your needy cunt and looked at the slick collected between his fingers. "Now then," he sighed before shoving them into your mouth.

You gag as his claws press dangerously against the back of your throat. "Be good and clean up the mess you made."

Tears prick the corner of your eyes as you swirl your tongue carefully around him. His sadistic grin only grows at the sight of your pathetic obedience. "That's better," he purred as he reached down and pumped himself slowly at the sight.

He lined himself up against your entrance, rubbing the head of his cock against you teasingly as you rolled your hips against him. He groans, unable to hold himself back for much longer. "Show me," he orders.

You open your mouth, letting your tongue hang out as he retracts his clean fingers. He inspects them and nods. "Good," he says simply before his eye flashes and he shoves himself inside you without warning.

Your back arches and you let out a strangled scream as he snaps his hips into you cruelly. "Now take it all."

His claws dig into your hips as he holds them up and pounds into you mercilessly. You cry and grasp desperately at the couch beneath you as he lets out his frustrations. "That's fucking it," he groans. "You're such a perfect little fucking cocksleeve. Fuck! Your body was made for taking this dick."

You nod, babbling with tears in your eyes, "Yes, fuck, yes! I'm yours to use, all fucking yours. Please!"

Vox chuckled as his sharp, cruel thrusts slowed to a stop. You whine, feeling the desperate need in you begging to be released. "No, no, no, please don't stop!" You sob.

"I don't know," Vox smirked. "You were playing pretty damn coy earlier. I don't know if you deserve it." As much as he wanted to ruin you, he loved watching you suffer for it. For him, it was just as good as actually finishing.

You wrap your arms around his neck and roll your hips up into him desperately. "Please Vox, I'm sorry. I'll be good. I promise."

"Hmm," Vox grins as he considers it. "You promise, huh?"

You nod furiously, "Yes, yes, I promise, so please for the love of god, fuck me."

He growls as he captures your lips and starts pounding into you hard. You shake, hanging on for dear life as you moan around his tongue in your mouth. When he releases your lips, you throw your head back as you lose yourself in the bliss of it all. "Fuck, thank you, thank you, thank you," you say as you moan unabashedly.

"T-That's it," Vox said as his screen started to glitch. "There's my good fucking w̴̘͇͆͋̕̕h̷͇̦̪̺̯͋̄̂͝͠o̸̼̝̼̬͑͌͜r̵̡̻͋͛́̾è̷̹̻͎̼̹. Take it."

"Please, fuck, I'll take it, I'll take it! Fucking fill me up," you babble as the knot in your core tightens. "Pump me full of your cum. I want to take every last drop, please!"

Vox's eyes widen and he slows to a stop as he catches his breath. You whine, throwing your head back as the peak you had been so close to reaching slipped from your grasp. "Nooo, why?!"

"Did you mean that?" Vox asked, his tone unreadable and quiet.

You pant, your expression furrowing in frustrated confusion as you look up at him. "What?"

"You just-," Vox huffed, dropping his head as he continued to catch his breath. "You just fucking told me to cum inside of you, dumbass."

You blink slowly before the words of passion catch up with you. Your heart is pounding as you bring your hands up to the sides of Vox's face and lift his screen so he's looking at you.

"Vox?" you say softly as you look him deep in the eyes. "Breed me."

"Ohoho, fuck," Vox grins. You feel him twitch hard inside of you and squeal in delight as you feel him lift your legs and fold you into a mating press.

"Don't have to tell me twice," he growled with a feral grin. The familiar black rings in his eye sent a shock of excitement through you as he held you down and slowly slid back inside of your glistening cunt.

You both moan and Vox's eyes screw shut in concentration as he steadies his breathing. He crouches over you, his body pressing your legs further against your own body, and starts fucking slowly. His entire body shakes with excitement as he presses into you and holds himself for just a moment. "Just remember," he says hoarsely. "You asked for this."

His cock slid in and out of you with ease as he started his relentless assault. You moaned and babbled absolute gibberish as the obscene sounds of his grunting and balls slapping against your pussy filled the room. Every thrust felt impossibly deep as he pounded into you without restraint.

"F-Fuck," he grunted as his face started to glitch. "I'm gonna make you take every. Last. Fucking. D̴͕̂r̵̛̳̺̽̽o̷̦͘p̶̢͕̈ͅ.̷̜̤͈̿̒͌"

The rekindled need inside of you snapped as you felt him shove his cock as deep in you as he could as he came with a strangled shout. He pressed you into the couch and stars exploded across your vision as you felt him pour into you until you were impossibly full.

"We are absolutely fucking doing that again."

Vox collapsed on top of you, his cock buried inside of of you, keeping his cum plugged inside of you. The weight made you groan weakly and he chuckled as he looked down at your wrecked expression. He gently dragged his claws across your forehead, pulling the hair that stuck to your skin out of your face. He pressed a surprisingly gentle kiss to your cheek as he committed the sight of you to memory.

#vox x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #vox #hazbin hotel smut #give me more requests #im too tired to beta read this tonight

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hotjaneaustenmenpoll · 2 months

Text

Semi-Final Two

Propaganda...

Mr Knightley (2009):

Johnny Lee Miller as Knightley is JUST SO. I mean the way he says "if I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more" IS JUUUST. The dance scene. The tentative shy smiles. The fact you can see in his eyes the entire time " I am completely in love with this woman. She'll never love me back BUT I DO NOT CARE I'LL LOVE HER FROM A DISTANCE ANYWAY" IS JUUUUUUST

We need to appreciate Mr Knightley more for both his snark and for those soft eyes just so full of love for Emma

GIF by dearemma

I was just going to send in the actual dance but the little panic he has when Emma says she knows his secret is just soo charming. There was some thread on twitter a few years ago about how a romcom man's most important quality is knowing how to look at a woman and JLM is just the master of it in this Emma

youtube

I really feel like the pictures say it all. He stands there, head tilted to one side. He is listening to you. His posture is relaxed. His gaze open, frank, candid. He's not trying at all. He just is.And that's why he is Knightley.

GIF by night-unfurls-its-splendour

Some propaganda, not just for Jonny Lee Miller, but the general interpretation of 09 Knightley. I have some excerpts here from my review of the 09 adaptation:

What I really think is great about the 2009 interpretation of Mr. Knightley is what an easy and comforting presence he is, without being apologetic when he scolds Emma. I think this is communicated especially well by how often we are actually shown Mr. Knightley taking his almost-daily walks to Hartfield, how smoothly he comes and goes, and how happy Emma is every time she sees him coming up the path (usually, just at the perfect moment when she needs something to put her back to rights.)

Here is Emma, feeling lonely after Miss Taylor's wedding. And in the background, walking up to Hartfield--there's Knightley. He's always been there for her, and he always will be.

And also this Mr. Knightley is as understated as ever, but I wanna highlight this outfit and why I love it: This is Knightley’s first appearance in the series and it’s the perfect establishing shot that shows the viewer everything they need to know about Emma and Knightley’s relationship and how it has always been. He sort of materializes, out of focus in the background, but Emma immediately knows he’s there. And to accentuate how much Knightley is part of her home and scenery, his clothes (similar shades of pale tan, white and minty green to the wall behind him) almost camouflage him and make him seem at one with the moulding of her home.

Additionally, Jonny Lee Miller captures Knightley’s playful qualities, and his exasperation is so endearing

GIF by christophernolan

GIF by sashajames

GIF by christophernolan

I can’t be the only one tickled by this Knightley’s frustration with Emma! JLM FTW!

Jonny Lee Miller is mesmerizing in any role he inhabits. It’s 2009 Knightly all the way.

no but can you actually go vote for mr knightley he was FOUNDATIONAL for 16 year old me my favourite portrayal of my favourite austen man cannot fall at this hurdle!!!

He is my ultimate Austen Dream Man, I'm with him until the end. Honestly this adaptation is my very favorite of them all (P&P 1995 is a VERY close second) because it made me fall in love with Emma as a story? Honestly no other adaptation or indeed even my reading of the book made me love it quite as much. My crush on JLM goes back to 1995 and I do think he is one of the better actors of his generation - his range alone is just impeccable. The fact that he can go from Sick Boy to Mr. Knightley to Sherlock to Jordan Chase is really something. Of all the actors I know, his range is the most impressive. But i love how bright and sunny this adaptation is. The colors, it is as vibrant as Emma should be! The Kate Beckinsale Emma is dark and terrifying to me, not at all suitable an adaptation. I like the Paltrow Emma a lot, but it's got the same issue the 2005 P&P has for me -- it's just too short. This is tonally just right, and the casting is lovely, and JLM is just at his dashing best. His face is so expressive, he is so capable of communicating so much without saying a word. His open jealousy of Frank Churchill is delightful to watch. His face when Emma tells him his secret is out at the ball! JLM is maybe the most underrated actor of his generation and I LOVE that he has been multiple Austen heroes. I maintain that in a future adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, an older JLM would make an EXCELLENT Mr. Bennet. He would convey the right amount of grumpy but fond beautifully.

Look. Do people realize JLM hates wearing period clothing AND hates dancing? And yet in Emma he's sashaying around in pink jackets looking amazing and is THAT convincing? That's called BRILLIANT ACTING!!

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A tiny bit of Mr Knightley 2009 propaganda but I love that they put in that bit from the book where he looks like he's going to kiss Emma's hand when he's saying goodbye but then he hesitates and doesn't and I just...it's such a tiny detail but conveys so much!

GIF by myforeverworldofmovie

It’s the only Emma adaptation that really hits the romance notes well. Knightley’s crowning moment of awesome really feels like it (when he rescues Harriet from humiliation) and his subsequent dancing with Emma does make you feel a shift in their relations. Love this adaptation. - This Knightley and Emma in particular are equals. They quarrel, not because he’s telling her off, but because they can have an argument because they know each other, trust each other and care about each others opinions, and there is never a sense of domination of one over the other. This adds so much fire to the romance, and it’s so unusual for a romance of that era (or even one written today!!). - Emma is rich, clever and beautiful and as powerful as a woman of her age and situation could be at the time and she married Knightley for no other reason but because he’s her best friend and his company for the rest of her life will enrich her. - He even leaves his house to move in with her!

Captain Wentworth (1995):

Ciaran Hinds has that perfect ruggedness yet friendliness to his face that makes him the perfect charming Wentworth. And all of the longing that he manages to convey in his eyes is so hot.

Wentworth may be angry/resentful with Anne but in general he is charming and the best friend you could ever have. Ciaran gets the pleasant parts of his character and brings them out, while keeping a guarded coolness (protective camouflage) with Anne.

GIF by molinaesque

I dunno if this counts as propaganda or not, but Ciaran Hinds has a face that looks like it was jackhammered out of a shale cliff.

If a line like 'I am half agony...half hope' comes out of a face like that you know that man has a soul for poetry.

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in

F. W.

I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never.

This is propaganda for the next round because I need my boy to be a finalist! But this letter is all the persuasion I need to know that he is a winner

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Ciarán Hinds in this is a whole other level of "a good man" He makes Anne's decision at the end so much more perfect.

#hotjaneaustenmenpoll #semi finals #mr knightley #captain wentworth #emma 2009 #persuasion 1995 #Emma #persuasion #jane austen #ciaran hinds #jonny lee miller

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httpisaoki · 3 months

Text

stupid in love ft. yu jimin

sypnosis: you can deny it all you want, but yu jimin can't help but to be stupid in love with you-- even if it she showed it in the most cheesy way possible.

warnings: fluff, pre-established relationship, flirting, both reader and karina are in the top 3 of their school-- so basically karina likes reader and isn't afraid to hide it AND shes so loser coded in this fic broooo

-> the final part of the chrome hearts series. inspired by stupid in love by max ft. huh yunjin.

know it's a little soon, maybe but I'd go anywhere you take me long as you're calling me, baby they can all call us crazy

jimin couldn't handle the boredom, the both of you sat on your respective seating arrangement, the two of you being seatmates-- she would always find a way to tease you.

the two of you were the best of the best when it came to aces in your university. jimin being the swim captain, and one of the best volleyball players in yonsei, while maintaining her grades into a 99. you on the other hand, were a known 'genius' in your school, being the vice president of the stuco, you had always been the most responsible and respected person on campus, not only that, you were the top 1 in yonsei.

ever since the both of you were spotted together, the common 'academic rivals' trope stood between you too, most of the students made a fanbase between the two of you. basically, they were being nosy in whatever you two had. wether it was the crowd's opinion or not, yu jimin made it her mission to swoon you over.

until, a year ago, while in the middle of her bet of making you hers, she fell for you. yes, yu jimin was helplessly in love with you. now, jimin clicks her tongue, sighing before finally breaking the silence.

"you know, i wish i could've met you all over again." she teased with a smile on her face.

you glance at her, tilting your head in question, "hm?" you hummed.

she laughs, "oh, c'mon! stop playing dumb with me, yn. i mean, just look at me!" she chuckles, her eyes are bright and shiny as she grins wide, her lips puckered into a small o-shape, her eyebrows raised up in amusement.

she tilts her head at you, a smirk painted on her small, pink lips as she waits for your response.

as jimin waits for you to respond, she gives her hair a slight shake, the strands of dark brown hair falling down onto her shoulders.

her eyes are full of glee, she couldn't help but to feel giddy. you made her heart pump loudly in her chest, but for the sake of embarrassment, it didn't show.

"i wish i could've met you for the first time all over again." jimin laughs, leaning back on her seat to look at you.

as she finishes on speaking, she bites the tip of her tongue, her teeth digging lightly on it, the tips of her cheeks flushing. she lets out a small giggle as she leans back on her seat, her hands folded on her chest as she looks at you.

she opens her mouth to say more, yet nothing seems to come out of her when the mere fact of her heart hammering like crazy and her thoughts blanking out made her unable to move-- to utter another word.

you chuckled, "hm? why? did you miss me that much?" you teased her, stretching your hands as you turn to face her. your body language has always been an open book to jimin. the way you lean back into your seat and the way your shoulders slouch, the way your hand brushes against your neck, to her; these actions seemed so natural.

she sighs, before finally uttering a single word: "yes." her fingers brush over the hem of her blouse, as she shifts in her seat, feeling incredibly embarrassed at her own actions.

she crosses her legs under the table and bites her tongue, a small smile etched on her lips as she waits for a reply from you.

you smile at her, "i thought so." before continuing the lectures you were reading.

even though she was a bit irritated with your reply, her stomach twisted and turned, getting more butterflies than she should have.

"y-yn!" she whined in an exaggerated tone in attempt to get you to hear her. "stop working on that stupid exam paper, talk to me!" she whines again, this time, leaning a little forward from her seat.

you glance at her, then at the papers on your desk. you sighed, finally giving in. "alright. i'm sorry, rina." you give her a soft smile.

she gasps, placing her both hands on her chest, in some sort of an exaggerated motion.

"r-rina?" she teases, her voice was high pitched and her tone was teasing, "did you miss me that much? i'm flattered." she continues, her head tilting to the side, her eyebrows raised.

you playfully rolled your eyes, you scoffed softly, "your ego is huge." you smirked, "but yes, I did miss you." the statement makes her ears go red.

she laughs, giggling as well as biting her tongue. she puts her face on her palms, laughing

even more, her fingers running through her hair as she tries not to laugh too hard.

"yn.." she teases, taking in a deep breath and letting it out as she looks at you, before continuing, "you know you're cute." her dark eyes sparkle under the dim lighting. Her words made her cheeks burn.

you smirked, "hm? I think you're even cuter when you blush.."

her face heats up even brighter, she tries to cover her flushed cheeks with her palms, yet it was to no avail as her hand keeps trembling.

"w-well--" she tries to speak, but her voice came out as a mumble. the both of you were having a cute moment, but it was a bit strange as her face was so flushed that it was almost redder than her eyes. you would always remember her blushing face everytime you two are together.

she looks down and sighs quietly as she plays with her hair, her cheeks still incredibly red. you notice her tapping her leg under the table in an anxious manner.

you couldn't hold back your curiosity anymore and you just had to ask "jimin," you say, wanting to get her attention. she slowly lifts her head, to look at you with a bright smile. her eyes are still sparkling as she looks directly into you eyes, a small blush painted on her cheeks.

you couldn't help but notice her nervous nature, it was adorable how jimin was so expressive with her feeling. you couldn't resist teasing her.

"jimin, you do know that blushing doesn't hide your feelings, right?" you teased, letting out a small chuckle as you look at her small red cheeks, her eyebrows slightly quirked up in amusement as you notice her nervous hand gestures.

even after all the time you spent together, jimin was still the same girl you learned to love. she was the same girl who made you laugh, and taught you how to love. yu jimin was the girl who loved you, and you'd hate to admit it, but you were stupidly in love with her.

I don't wanna think too much let's get matching tattoos I don't wanna think it through baby, I'm so stupid in love (with you)

masterlist.

#aoki's works #yu jimin x reader #aespa x reader #karina x reader #kpop x reader #fluff

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 1 year

Text

More Than Enough

Pairing: Harvey Specter x Reader

Rating: T

Notes: Not beta-read because when is it ever. Technically part of my Men I Always Meant to Write For non-series series.

Length: 9.9K

Warnings: Angst. Angst angst angst angst, mentions of reader having anxiety, friends to enemies to lovers, has a happy ending

Summary: Mr. Ross (Mike, he’d insisted, but you knew that you had to keep the formalities up for your own sakes) introduced Beth first, giving you a chance to just—look. You’d never bothered to catch up with Harvey once he’d gotten a job in New York. You knew that he was there, of course. The few friends that you had kept in touch with from Harvard had told you. You’d heard his name every couple of months regarding some case that he had tried, some deal that he’d closed. But you couldn’t imagine what you’d say to him if you turned up, and you weren’t sure that you wanted to know what he’d say to you—if he’d have anything to say to you.

There were a lot of things that you remembered about Harvey. You remembered his dimples, and the freckles peppering his shoulders; you remembered the way his eyes lit up when he hit on something good; you remembered the casual, almost bored way that he answered questions in class. Most of all, you remembered how he looked at you.

Harvey used to look at you with warmth, and teasing. He used to watch you hunker over your books and notes, stare you down when he was determined to come out on top in an argument. He used to peer up at you as he tried not to fall asleep on your shoulder, sharing the train ride back to spend the odd weekend in New York.

You remembered the way his gaze used to send nervous butterflies swirling through you. The way his smile made your face go hot, and your heart pound in your chest.

You remembered so many things about how Harvey made you feel, things that you held on to for such a long time—and they were in direct conflict with the way Harvey looked at you when you walked into the conference room that morning.

Something funny had happened in your gut when you’d heard his voice, the way he was warning his associate that he would, “Handle this one, and we’ll be outta here in five minutes.”

As you rounded into the room, you could see that his associate wasn’t convinced; you couldn’t blame him. You’d put up a hell of an argument with Mr. Ross a couple of days before, which had no doubt prompted him to return with backup. Now, you felt the first stirrings of panic, faced with a past you'd tried to forget, but you were too close to the conference room to turn tail, and with Beth already two steps deeper inside, it was too late to bail out. You’d promised her that you’d stick to her side through this ordeal. She couldn’t afford a real lawyer, and the few that you’d spoken to about pro bono work just didn’t have the bandwidth to help her case. The rest of your coworkers had been overwhelmingly supportive, your boss included—you couldn’t think of any other employer that would let a lawyer come and speak with Beth at her workplace without raising a stink about it.

Mr. Ross (Mike, he’d insisted, but you knew that you had to keep the formalities up for your own sakes) introduced Beth first, giving you a chance to just—look. You’d never bothered to catch up with Harvey once he’d gotten a job in New York. You knew that he was there, of course. The few friends that you had kept in touch with from Harvard had told you. You’d heard his name every couple of months regarding some case that he had tried, some deal that he’d closed. But you couldn’t imagine what you’d say to him if you turned up, and you weren’t sure that you wanted to know what he’d say to you—if he’d have anything to say to you.

Harvey looked good. Self-assured, confident, wearing a bright, charming smile as he shook Beth’s hand. You could hear Mike introducing you, and had just a moment to brace as recognition his recognition swelled.

It took over his expression entirely as he met your eye.

Harvey’s gaze flickered, brow furrowing a touch. The dimples disappeared as his lips dropped from a smile to a stunned purse. You shook his hand where it had frozen, a quick, firm pump before you let go.

“Please,” You gestured to the small conference table before you set your things down. The space wasn’t at all grand, it was…Homey. Surely not the sort of spaces these two were used to, if the suits were anything to go by.

“I appreciate your persistence, Mr. Ross,” Beth started, tucking a stand of greying hair behind her ear as she tried to steady her nerves, “But my position hasn’t changed since the last time we spoke.”

You glanced from your elderly coworker toward Mr. Ross. Just out of the corner of your eye, you could see Harvey watching you closely. The feeling was at once familiar and foreign; it made your stomach turn.

“Ms. Owens, I recognize that our client has put you in a difficult position—” Mr. Ross started. You had to clench your jaw to keep from rolling your eyes as he went on, “But the valuation that we’ve offered for you to change the name of your LLC and sell the site is incredibly generous.”

You did smile, then. Hell, you couldn’t help it.

“You disagree?”

Your stomach lurched at Harvey’s question, and you looked toward him. Oh—you knew that expression. His eyes were narrowed; his lips were curled into a smirk that dared you to argue with him.

“Isn’t that obvious? If we didn’t disagree, none of us would be in this room right now,” You pointed out.

“We’ve spoken to our client,” Mike cut in, drawing your attention again, “And he’s authorized us to bump the offer up to $100,000.”

You let that hang in the air for a few moments, brows raising when Mike gave a small, encouraging nod.

“That’s it?” You retorted dryly. “You expect me to believe that a pharmaceutical company with a market value of over three hundred billion dollars is willing to drop a whole 100K? How overwhelmingly generous.”

“Do I need to point out that your cash-grab is standing in the way of medical progress?” Harvey argued.

“Oh, please,” You scoffed. “It's a dick pill, Harvey.” You tried to ignore the stunned, slap-shocked look when you used his name, pushing on—“And if you’d read the comparative studies that the company did, you’d know that it works with roughly a third of the effectiveness of the market leaders. This isn’t exactly going to blow the toupee off of Viagra, no matter what your client says.”

“We could bury you under fees and paperwork.”

“Whoa, Harvey,” Mike muttered beside him, casting him a wary look. You could feel Beth shifting nervously beside you as well. You forced yourself to be calm, and to smile a little, even as your stomach flipped. You’ve done your homework; you’ve prepped. You can do this.

“Yes,” You nodded, “You could. But you’d be doing so at the expense of a woman who has owned and operated a company out of her studio apartment under this name since 1995. What Beth has here isn’t just a little stumbling block for your client—it’s an institution, with hundreds of annual customers and testimonials speaking to the way her products have improved their lives. This may be a blip for your client, but it’s a significant part of Beth’s life. And considering the recent, sharp drop in the company’s stock price and the uptick in legal suits, I wouldn’t be surprised if you all need a win right now. If you railroad us, we will go public with your client’s intimidation tactics.”

“Intimidation—?” Harvey snapped.

“Oh, have they not mentioned the non-stop late-night phone calls, the people following Beth to and from home? The private investigators? The threatening letters?”

You watch Harvey’s expression mar with surprise. You can’t help but chuckle then.

“C’mon. You should know better.” You look down at the folder in front of you. “The fact of the matter is, my client has had to endure a mountain of shit for what is only a marginally effective aid for erectile dysfunction—one that’s projected to make your client nearly $18 million in its first quarter on the market. If you need to close anyone, it’s on your side, not ours. You either bump the offer up a mill, or we go to the press with what we have.” You drew two copies of an article out of your folder, sliding it across the table to them. “Just a little taste.”

“Excuse me?” You heard. The four of you turned your attention to the office secretary, who was lingering in the doorway. Right on time, just as you asked. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a call. I can have them hold—“

“No, that’s alright,” You shook your head before turning back to the men on the other side of the table, subtly waving for Beth to stand. “We’re done here. Thank you for your time, Mr. Ross. Harvey, always a pleasure.”

You led the way out, holding the door open for Beth. Vindication shot through you as you just caught Mr. Ross asking, “What the hell was that?”

She was all over the page. Harvey had given the article a couple of passes while he was in the car on the way back to the office, but reading it through again, he felt that even if she hadn’t handed it to him herself, he somehow would’ve known that it was hers.

The argument that Mike was having with Craig Philbrook seemed almost muted to him as he read it for a third time. It was a concise presentation of the facts, but it hit the exact emotional points that it needed to. It was beautifully balanced. Harvey could almost imagine her curled over her laptop, drawing up a draft, editing it with expert precision. He’d seen her work like that before. Sure, it had been a long time ago, but the sight of her hunkered down in Langdell Hall had never really left him—not even when he’d done his best to push it away.

“Harvey!”

He glanced up, brows raising. Craig’s face was the shade of a cherry tomato, and seemed just about ready to pop. His chest was heaving from what must’ve been a spirited bout of argument with Mike. Glancing at his associate, Harvey found Mike wide-eyed and pink-cheeked, at an equal fever pitch. He considered for a moment more before he tossed the article onto the table.

“We don’t have any choices here, Craig,” He admitted.

“A million dollars? That’s insane!”

“Actually, considering what the company expects to pull in almost a eighty mill in the first year, one million is pretty reasonable.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“I’m on yours, Craig. Look, if you wanna action your plan, we’ll sic the dogs on ‘em. But the press is never gonna side with a company that’s putting a little old lady through her extreme financial and emotional distress just for a landing page. If we settle outside of court, slap an NDA on top, none of this ever comes out. Keep it clean.” Harvey pushes himself out of his seat, standing and buttoning his suit jacket before taking the article up again. “Talk to who you need to talk to, but do it fast. Every incident that they noted is another ticking time bomb that we may have to worry about diffusing.” He rounded his seat, heading for the door before he paused and turned back. “Oh, and Craig? Quit having her called and followed. You’re just giving them more rope to hang you with.”

He turned away, tucking his hands into his pockets as he strode down the hall, Mike in tow.

“You think he’ll cave?” Mike asked.

“He will. He has to.”

“Okay—Question.”

“Is it related to the case?”

“Yes. What the hell was that?”

“That was me doing my job. The job you were supposed to handle, and you're welcome, by the way.”

“I don’t mean back there, I mean this morning.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bullshit.”

Harvey cast an irritated glance back toward Mike as he walked into his office. It was no surprise that Mike followed; once he got something in his head, he couldn’t let it go. Neither of them could.

“She said seeing you was always a pleasure,” Mike added as Harvey settled behind his desk.

“Maybe she was just trying to get under my skin.”

“Seems like it worked, and I’ve never seen anyone but Tanner do that. How do you know one another?”

Harvey considered. He didn’t know her, not really. Not anymore.

“We went to Harvard together,” He finally admitted.

“She’s a lawyer?”

“No.” Maybe? He wasn’t sure. He hadn’t checked the bar for her name in a long time.

“So she…Did what with her degree?”

“As far as I know, she never got it. She dropped out, middle of our second year.”

“Why?”

“No idea.”

“Come on, you can tell me.”

“Don’t you have a brief to write or a motion to file.”

Mike was quiet for a moment, gaze sweeping Harvey’s face before his mouth fell open in slight surprise.

“...Oh, my god, you really have no idea,” He managed.

“Why are you still standing here?”

“Does Donna know?”

“Why would she?”

“Because she knows everything.”

“Well, I doubt she would know this.”

“You’re deflecting. She definitely knows.”

“Go ahead and ask her.”

Mike’s mouth works wordlessly again before he turns his head just a little.

“...She doesn’t know.”

“She does not.”

“Unless she does, and you’re trying to double psychy-psych me into not getting an answer.”

“Then go ahead and ask.”

“...She doesn’t know.”

“Are you asking?”

“If she does know—”

“You could be doing this on the other side of the door.”

“Okay.”

Harvey relaxed a bit as Mike leaned back in his seat, then smiled as he heard Mike call out, “Donna?”

He shook his head, taking up a baseball from behind his desk and turning his chair to gaze out of the window, turning the ball over and over in his hands. Mike wasn’t entirely wrong. If there was anyone in the city who may somehow know what happened, he was almost certain it was Donna. Harvey sure as hell didn’t know what had happened.

Harvey could still remember the shock of it—turning up to goad her into going to get dinner with him, only to find that her half of the room was completely cleared out. Her roommate had told Harvey that she didn’t know where she’d gone, didn’t have a number to reach her. Harvey had chased answers down within his means. He’d gone after phone numbers that he’d used and found them disconnected; he’d stopped by her apartment building and asked the doorman for information, even tried to bribe him, but the man hadn’t let a single word slip. Harvey had waited outside for hours in the hopes of seeing her, but had come up with nothing.

No call, no note, not a word of warning or explanation. Harvey hadn’t been worth saying goodbye to then, and he apparently hadn’t been worth saying goodbye to today.

His gaze dropped to the baseball in his hands, his thumb sweeping across the stitching as his chest fluttered with bitterness. Mike hadn’t come back in, so he was almost certain that Donna didn’t have the answers. Harvey eyed the article on his desk, frown deepening.

Maybe Harvey would have to get the answers for himself.

“Um—Did you happen to see Gerald’s email?”

“Nope,” You hardly looked away from your laptop screen as Beth sidled up to your desk. “What’s up?”

“He wants another SWOT analysis.”

You closed your eyes in irritation, drawing in a deep breath.

“Of course he does. Thanks for flagging.” You opened your email, glancing over when you realized Beth was still standing there. “Everything okay?”

“...Just, I haven’t heard anything yet, from…” She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “I just wonder if we were too aggressive.”

You nodded a little, offering her a reassuring smile.

“If anything, they’ll counter, maybe for half a mill.”

“But…What that other man had said about burying us in fees, and paper—”

You turned your chair, taking Beth’s wizened hands in yours.

“He’s not going to do that,” You swore. “They’d screw themselves over if they did, and they know it. They’re probably just ironing out paperwork. It’s gonna be okay.”

Beth’s eyes darted between yours before she finally nodded. You gave her hands a gentle squeeze before you let go, turning back to your laptop as she walked away. You bit your lip, peering at your laptop screen. Your eyes scanned it, but you weren’t really taking anything in. You were just as panicked as Beth was that you hadn’t heard anything from the firm. It either meant something very good, or very bad. But you didn’t dare let Beth know how nervous you were. If it hadn’t gone your way—if the company decided to take Beth down—you would never forgive yourself.

You drew in a deep, shaky breath, curling your fingers into your palms and trying to shake off the oncoming shivers trickling down your spine. You’d always hated this feeling—the fear of loss, the swell of hopelessness. You hadn’t felt either so acutely in a long time. You’d been happy for it; you hadn’t missed them. Arguing with Harvey had brought you back to the contentious moments in law school, the panic of not knowing who the professor would call on next, the fear of tripping over your words in front of a dozen of your peers—

You closed your eyes for a moment, drawing in another deep breath and forcing your mind calm. You weren’t in law school anymore. You were a manager at a marketing firm. You did good work. You liked your job. The life that you led was more than enough. The people that you answered to were satisfied with your results—and whatever happened to Beth could be overcome. You were certain.

You opened the email from Gerald, reading it through before you CC’d Anne from finance, Jason from legal, and your boss before you typed out your response:

Hi Gerald,

Per our contract, we’ve completed the four SWOT analyses that we’ve been contracted for this year. Happy to take this conversation offline to discuss renegotiation.

“I’m going out.”

Donna sprang up at the warning, striding to catch up with Harvey.

“Going out where?”

“I need some air.”

“There isn’t enough air in your office?”

“I like outside air. The exhaust, the cigarette smoke, the waft of salt from the hot dog vendor.”

Donna arched a brow, folding her arms across her chest as Harvey hit the down button for the elevator.

“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the woman that Mike asked me about last week, would it?” She asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh no?”

“Nope.”

“Too bad. Her LinkedIn, Instagram, and Bumble profile were very interesting.”

Harvey arched a brow, glancing toward Donna before he stepped onto the elevator.

“Since when are you on Bumble?”

“I have a few profiles for research purposes.”

Harvey shook his head, smiling and casting his gaze toward the elevator floor as the doors closed.

When someone came to a stop at your desk, you assume that it’s Beth, or your boss—someone that you worked with. When they didn’t speak, you glanced up, and realized immediately that it was a mistake. Harvey was standing there, his hands in his pockets as he waited to have your attention. You dropped your gaze back to the screen, clearing your throat.

“I’m assuming if you’re here in person again, it’s bad news,” You commented. Harvey’s lips pouted as he seemed to consider.

“Depends on what you consider bad news.”

“I consider Beth getting screwed out of her fair share as bad news.”

“Well, then I have good news and bad news.”

“Okay.”

“The good news is, my client is ready to settle out of court for the requested amount, provided an NDA is signed.”

“I’d need to see that before she signed it.”

“Of course.”

Your brow furrowed.

“Then what’s the bad news?”

“There’s one more contingency to the deal being signed.”

“And what’s that?”

“Get a drink with me.”

Your gaze narrowed, and you couldn’t help but lean back in your seat, arms folding across your chest.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Not at all.”

“If I refuse?”

“Beth will still get her settlement. But,” Harvey tipped his head from side to side, “It’ll probably take way longer.”

“How much longer?”

“Pff…Anywhere from a few months to a year. To be perfectly honest, my client doesn’t want to pay out. I mean, he will, because he knows that our advice is the right way to go, but I can gum up the works.”

You pushed out a stunned scoff.

“You’d seriously do that for a drink with me?”

“We each have something the other wants.”

“What the hell could I possibly have that you want?”

“Answers.” Harvey's critical gaze skimmed your rapidly heating face. “So? Are you busy tonight?”

You felt out of place. The bar was nice, and everyone seems dressed for it…Except you. Well, your workplace was fairly casual. It was rare that you met with clients in person. You dressed up in those instances, of course, but your day-to-day work wear is jeans and a nice shirt. You were trying not to shift uncomfortably, or fidget to adjust your cardigan, or the shirt underneath. You glanced up toward the waiter, offering a small smile as he set your drink down.

You picked up your glass, drawing in a long, slow sip. You’d spent the last five hours distracted at work, torn between trying to figure out what the hell you were going to say to Harvey, what sort of questions he could have. You already knew that this was more likely to be an interrogation than a friendly chat.

He was drawing it out, too. He was taking a slow sip of his own, watching you like his gaze could drill through your skull.

Maybe it could. He was certainly trying hard enough.

“So?” You pressed, unable to help the silence. His lips twitched. Ugh, he’d wanted you to cave first, and you had played right into his hand. Bastard.

“Did you ever finish your law degree?” He asked.

Embarrassment prickled your skin. The conversation was going to be a roller coaster if that was where he was starting.

“No.”

“Never went back to Harvard?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I had no reason to.”

“Not even to visit? Maybe pick up something you forgot?”

“I didn’t forget anything when I left.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Irrelevant.”

“I find it very relevant.”

“I disagree.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Are you?”

“Not particularly.”

“Move on.”

“Speaking of moving on, you seemed to do that very quickly.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You disappeared. No one could get in contact with you.”

“I didn’t want contact with anyone.”

“So you just dropped off of the face of the earth, for what? Fun?”

You shifted in your seat a little, fingers pressing into your palms where they were hidden in your lap.

“Trust me, nothing that happened to me then was fun.”

“Why should I trust you?”

Your stomach lurched; your hands tightened in your lap.

“Take my word for it, then,” You corrected.

“Your word isn’t worth anything to me.”

You averted your gaze, jaw tightening as you leaned back in your seat. Maybe you could just slam the drink back and go. You could hear Harvey leaning forward in his seat.

“Tell me,�� He pressed, “What happened.”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“This has been a giant question mark for me for a long time. You know I hate loose ends.”

You drew in a deep breath, leg beginning to bounce beneath the table as your nervous energy swelled.

“I couldn’t do it anymore,” You finally admitted.

“What?”

“I couldn’t do…Harvard Law. That environment, I couldn’t do it. Look, I loved it at the start, I loved the feeling of getting in, but once I was in, it was too much.”

You couldn’t meet his eye; his look was as heavy as ever.

“Why didn’t you talk to me?” He asked after a moment. You scoffed a laugh, raising your brows as you finally brought yourself to look at him.

“Are you serious?…Harvey, you were allergic to feelings.” It was a little vindicating to see Harvey shift in his seat as you went on, “If I’d told you that I was struggling, you would’ve told me to buck up, that it wasn’t that hard, that I just needed to put my head down. You don’t respond weakness, you can’t fucking stand it.”

“You did just need to put your head down.”

Your mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, lips curling into a hysterical smile as you breathed, “Oh, my god—” Because there it was. There was the answer you’d expected years ago.

“You were top ten!” Harvey argued. “You were this close to knocking me off out of the top five.”

“I was losing my shit!” You lowered your voice, leaning in. “I couldn’t sleep. I was having panic attacks every time I left my room. I couldn’t handle it, alright? I’m not like you.”

“No, you’re not. I wouldn’t have given up.”

It was like a slap. You bit the inside of your cheek before you leaned back, nodding. You could feel your throat going thick as your eyes welled with tears.

“Okay,” You reached into your pocket, drawing your wallet out for a twenty as you stood. “Well thank you for this lovely trip down memory lane.”

“Sit down.”

“Fuck you.”

You didn’t even care that your language drew the attention of the other patrons. You just strode out of there as quickly as you possibly could, hands fumbling for your phone to get a car. Maybe it shouldn’t have been so surprising that you heard his footsteps behind you moments later. It pushed you to walk faster, to keep him from seeing your watering eyes.

“Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that you’re turning tail and running,” He sounds almost bored, “You’re so good at it.”

“Leave me alone, Harvey.”

“You know, I had the wildest theories back then. Kidnapped by a foreign government, taken by aliens, activated sleeper agent. It’s a bummer to find out that you were just a coward.”

“Stop it,” You warned, shoving the door open and striding through it. You heard his palm hitting the wood behind you to keep the door from hitting him in the face, and you were desperate to escape it in the city noise. Harvey pushed on as if you haven’t said a thing:

“I used to think we were one and the same, but I would never have done what you did. I never would’ve just disappeared. Why didn’t you trust me—” His fingers curled around your wrist, tugging you to turn to him. His diatribe seemed to falter as he took in the tears slipping over your heated cheeks. You twisted your wrist out of his grip, tucking your arms around your middle and keeping your gaze anywhere but Harvey.

“...You could’ve talked to me,” Harvey finally said.

“You would’ve told me then exactly what you said just now, and that was the last fucking thing I needed back then. Frankly, it’s the last fucking thing I need right now.”

“Look at me.”

“No, you—You got your answers, alright? Get Beth her settlement.”

“You want me to get her settlement for you?”

“I want you to get it for her. Because she deserves it. So, get her the money, the money she’s earned, and just…Just leave me alone.”

You turned away from him again, getting just a little relief from the fact that you don’t hear him following you.

You spent the night worrying that your answers won’t be enough, that Harvey would go out of his way to bury Beth in paper, screw her over to the point where you had to go back to knocking on the doors of firms willing to take her case on a pro bono basis.

But when you turned up to work and Beth practically clobbered you with an excited hug, you knew that he hadn’t gone out of his way to fuck you over. You let out a sigh, patting Beth on the back and letting out a relieved laugh as repeated her thanks.

“Be nice.”

That had been your boss’s only warning as you’d headed into a conversation with Gerald. And you had every intention of being nice. But you also wanted to be realistic. You glanced from the finance rep to the landline in the middle of the conference table as Gerald groused, “There's no need to be unreasonable.”

“I don’t think us upholding our end of the contract is unreasonable," You argued. "We’ve done the SWOT analyses that you asked for in the past, and we’ll be happy to do them again. But we need to adjust the contract.”

“You can’t just do a one-off and bill me extra?”

“We could, but if we open that door, you’re just going to keep coming in, Gerald.”

“This is ridiculous,” He snapped. “I can cut this contract.”

“Yeah, you can,” You nodded. “You are absolutely at liberty to do that.” You heard the sound of a door opening to the conference room, but you felt your focus locked-in to the phone. “But if you cut this contract, that’s going to cost you a lot of time and a lot of money. We have a guaranteed pay clause regardless of termination, so if you cut us loose, you’re still going to have to pay us for the full year. While you’re still shelling out cash to us, you’ll have to pay to bring on another firm. You’d be better off negotiating the additional SWOT analyses instead of paying two firms off at once.”

You were quiet for a moment, brows raising as you and your associate waited in silence. You closed you eyes, holding your breath. Please, please please—

“How many SWOT analyses would I get with the increased cost?” He finally asked.

“That’s up for negotiation,” Anne hurried to reply. “As it is, you’re averaging one per month. If we push it to a dozen, we could work with you to discount them at 25%.”

Another pause. Another moment of you holding your breath, of please, please please please please—

“Send the revised contract.”

“It’s already in your inbox," You admitted. "Thanks, Gerald.”

“Yeah.”

You reached out, stabbing the button to hang the phone up before he could change his mind. You sighed, slowly leaning back in your seat and peering up at the ceiling. Christ, you felt dizzy.

“You can’t keep bullying our clients,” Anne grumbled.

“Our clients can’t keep bullying us. If we keep going the way we’re going, we’ll be the firm that does triple the work for half the pay. We’re too good for that.”

“She’s right.”

His voice made you whirl around in your seat, heart sinking into your stomach. Harvey stood just inside the room, his hands tucked into his pockets. Heat prickled along your neck. How long had he been there? Shit, you’d thought your boss had been the one to come in—

You glanced toward Anne with a guilty smile.

“Can we get a minute here?”

“Sure,” She nodded, pushing herself out of her seat. Harvey grasped the door handle, holding it open and shooting her a wide smile as she walked past. You stood as well, folding your arms across your chest before hurriedly lowering them to tuck into your pockets. You wanted to mirror him, look as nonchalant as he did, not all twisted up and shielded and defensive. Oh, you were cool as a cucumber. Definitely no reason to worry here, no way.

Harvey closed the door, stepping a little deeper inside.

“What can I do for you today, Mr. Specter?”

“Thought I’d come see how Beth’s planning on using her retirement check, how you’re going to use your fee.”

You frowned. “What fee?”

“You didn’t charge her a fee? Standard in New York is 40%.”

“I wouldn't take Beth’s hard-earned money.”

“You earned it, too, considering how hard you defended your client.”

“Beth was not a client. This was a favor for a friend.”

“That’s funny, because you called her that during our conversation.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. You said that your client had had to endure a, what was it…‘Mountain of shit’?”

“Well, that is true,” You muttered. “It was a mountain of shit.”

“Could’ve been two mountains of shit.”

“But it wasn’t, so. I thank you for that.”

“It’s only fair. You did what I asked, you answered most of my questions.”

“Most?” You scoffed, folding your arms over your chest. “What the hell else could you want to know?”

“You wanna do this here?”

“I don’t wanna do this at all.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

“Harvey.”

“I didn’t have a clue—”

“I am not doing this here.” You spoke more firmly than you felt. “This is my place of work.”

“Well when I tried to do this elsewhere, you walked out on me.”

“And yet you followed.”

“Because I had a chance to this time. I didn’t get the chance back then."

You shook your head, averting your gaze.

“Look,” Harvey stepped closer. “I’m just asking for a chance.”

“Last night wasn’t enough for you?”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Well, it was for me. Hell of a flashback, just like old times. Same old Harvey, not knowing when to back off. Strong, direct, painful line of questioning—all gas, no breaks.”

Harvey was quiet for a moment, eyes skating over your face.

“It won’t be an interrogation again.”

“How can I know that?”

“I was angry last night.”

“And you’re not now?”

“...Not in the same way.”

“Oh, well. That’s a relief.”

“I just want to understand. Help me understand.”

“Understand what?”

“How one of the smartest people I’ve ever known changed her mind all that time ago, and then flexed the hell out of her legal muscles to get me to close in ten goddamn minutes.”

“People change, Harvey.”

“You haven’t.”

The two of you watched one another for a long, contentious, quiet moment before he said, “You need to come to my office.”

“What for?”

“To read over the NDA before Beth signs it.”

Fuck, the NDA. You’d forgotten about that.

“Fine," You nodded. "When.”

“How’s tomorrow work for you?”

“Tomorrow's a Saturday. You’re gonna do this on a weekend?”

“Gives us time to turn around any edits you need before you give it to Beth on Monday.”

You bit the inside of your cheek. Goddamnit.

“Fine,” You agreed. “How’s seven?”

“Sure. We can grab dinner—”

“In the morning.”

Harvey’s brow jumped, his chin tipping down a touch.

“Are you serious?” He asked.

“Completely. You wanna get this NDA into your associate’s hands as quickly as possibly, right?”

“You expect me to be in my office at seven in the morning so you can read something.”

“You could’ve saved us both a trip and just brought it with you.”

“It’s still being worked on.”

“Well, you can have someone messenger it over tonight and I’ll drop it off tomorrow morning. Or is it long enough that you’re going to, um…Gosh, what was that neat little threat, again? Bury me in paper?”

You saw something flash across Harvey’s face. You didn’t know if it was remorse, or what—but it’s gone as soon as it appears.

“Fine,” He bit out. “Seven. In the morning.”

“Sounds good.”

“Don’t be late.”

“Oh, I won’t. I’m very punctual.”

“I remember.”

Your stomach flipped. Of course he did. He turned away, opening the door…And holding it open.

“What are you doing?” You asked, raising your brows.

“Are you coming?”

“Are we camping out outside of your office overnight? You strike me as a glamping guy.”

“I thought you were leaving the room.”

“I’m not.”

“Your meeting is over.”

“I have a quiet room and a SWOT analysis to work on.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t done it already?”

Your face went hot at the accusation, lips pressing to hold in your irritation at the way Harvey smiled. You were relieved when he finally turned away. It gave you a chance to sink down in your chair and parse through what the hell just happened.

“Oh, wow. You’re early.”

You raised your brows at the tone of surprise, eyeing the entrance to the building, and then turning your attention back to the young man that had just sprung up in your way.

“Yes, I am. Good morning, Mr. Ross.”

“Please, call me Mike. Not on the other side of the table anymore.”

“Well, until that NDA gets signed, yes, you are, so. Excuse me.”

You made to step around him, but he stepped into your way again.

“I just wanted to say,” He added, “That I really admire how hard you worked for Beth, and I completely agreed with your assessment of the company’s value.”

“...Thank you, I appreciate that. Now, if you could just—”

You side-stepped him again—and again, Mike got in your way, pressing:

“I honestly didn’t think they’d cave for a million, but you really showed them—”

“Mike?”

“Yeah.”

“Did Harvey ask you to make me late?”

Mike’s mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, panic marring his features. You smiled sweetly.

“You know, I’m not sure what Harvey has told you about our past, but he probably didn’t mention that we were in an intramural dodgeball league. I can throw some mean elbows when I’m trying to get what I want, and you look like you bruise easily. So if you’d like to keep your ability to bend comfortably, please step aside and let me in.”

Mike pursed his lips before he nodded once, stepping aside.

“Thank you,” You cooed, sliding past him.

“I really do admire what you did for Beth!” He called out after you. You snorted, shaking your head as you headed to the lobby to get a visitor’s pass. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t more than a little antsy, glancing at your phone as you waited for the elevator, then waited in the elevator. When you stepped off, you found a stunning red-head standing there. Her eyes brightened at the sight of you, and she took a step back as you stepped off of the elevator.

“Mr. Specter’s office is this way,” She waved for you to follow. You raised your brows, falling into step.

“Was that a lucky guess, or did you know who to look for?” You asked.

“I knew. I don’t operate on luck.”

“Right. Did Harvey or Mike show you a picture of me?”

“Nope. I found pictures myself.”

“For what purpose?”

“Curiosity.”

“Sated?”

“Very.”

“Excellent. Do I get to know who you are, or do I have to go sleuthing on the firm’s site after this?”

“I’m Donna.”

“And what do you do here?”

“I just told you,” She stopped, waving you toward an office, “I’m Donna.”

You raised your brows before you turned, walking into the office. How the hell did he look pristine this early in the morning? Did the bastard sleep in a suit? His brow furrowed at the sight of you, shaking his sleeve back and eyeing his watch.

“6:59? What the hell did Mike do down there?”

“He made a valiant attempt, but I got past him.”

“How?”

“How did I get past him?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshitted him. Told him that we used to play dodgeball together, that I know how to throw a mean elbow. He crumbled like a bran muffin.”

“Damn.”

“You really should teach him how to lie. Second I called him on it, he blue-screened.”

“Trust me, Mike knows how to lie.”

“Whatever,” You shook your head. “Can I have the NDA so I can go?”

“Go? Oh, no. This doesn’t leave the office.”

“...Excuse me?”

“This document doesn’t leave the building until it’s ready to go to Beth.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

Your mouth worked wordlessly for a moment before you snapped it shut.

“....Fine.”

Harvey took up the document, holding it out. You fought the urge to snatch it from him, instead taking hold of it before you sat down in one of the seats in front of his desk.

“Need a pen?” He asked.

“Nope,” You shrugged off your bag, rooting around in it before drawing out a red papermate felt tip pen.

“You hungry?”

Yes, you were. You’d been planning on getting breakfast and a massive coffee before going over the damn thing on your own, in your apartment, but no. Harvey had done what Harvey always does: turned the situation in his favor.

“No,” You answered, uncapping the pen.

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

You didn’t answer to that, you just tipped your head into your hand as you settled in:

THE PARTIES: This Non-Disclosure Agreement (referred to herein as the “Agreement”) created on__________, is by and between…

You were quiet for a moment, tipping your head to the side as you skimmed your finger over the pages.

“Harvey?”

“Sure, we can do bagels.”

Damnit, a bagel sounded so good right now.

“Why is this NDA…” You tipped your head to the side, flipping through the file, “Thirty pages?”

“Because it needs to be.”

“Ballpark, this should’ve been six, tops.”

“You’re dealing with a big company. They want to make sure their bases are covered.”

You shot Harvey a disbelieving look from under your lashes before you looked back down at the file.

“Besides,” Harvey added, “It’s not the length, it’s—”

“—It’s the content, yeah yeah,” You muttered. You heard him huff a soft laugh, but you forced the flutter of butterflies in your belly aside in favor of focusing. Hell, you needed to get through this, and fast. If you weren’t careful, your stomach was going to start grumbling.

“Here we go.”

You glanced up, doing a double-take at the sight of the coffee tray in Donna’s hand. You looked back down at your work, finishing a note that you’ve been jotting before you turn the page. You went still when Donna held a cup out to you.

“Sugar-free iced dirty chai with a double shot,” She offered. You raised your brows, taking hold of the cup.

“You’re good,” You nodded.

“I’m Donna.”

“I remember.” You couldn’t help but smile at her before you took a greedy sip of the iced chai. Oh man, that hit the spot. You’d been there a while, and you were starting to get a headache. You hadn’t tried to parse through legalese like this in a long time, especially not on an empty stomach.

“So? Are we doing bagels?” Harvey pressed. You glanced at where he was leaning back against an end table lined with basketballs. He arched his brows. “Come on, it’s been an hour and you’re only halfway through. You’re going to run out of steam if you’re not careful.”

“...You’re paying for them.”

“Of course.”

“Then yes, please. Bagels.”

“They’ll be here in five,” Donna warned, striding past you and back to her desk.

“She’s very good,” You commented, nodding after her as you turned back to your work, making another note.

“You really are gonna run out of ink.”

You fought the urge to mimic him, just going on about your business.

“I’ve got plenty of pens,” Harvey added.

“Law firm this big, I’d hope you’d have a few pens.”

“More than a few. Hundreds.”

“Mm.”

“Thousands, even.”

“If you’re not sure if it’s hundreds or thousands, then maybe you should go count them and get back to me.”

“You just want me out of the room.”

“I want you to stop watching me.”

“Why?”

“It’s creeping me out.”

“Did it always?”

“Objection: relevance.”

“If you allow me a little latitude, I can establish relevance.”

“No thanks.”

“Why are you going over this thing with such a fine-tooth comb?”

“I wanna make sure you don’t screw Beth over somewhere.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“I don’t trust your client. You work for your client.”

“I do what’s best for my client.”

“And I’m doing what’s best for my friend.”

“Your due-diligence.”

“I’m just reading, Harvey.”

“You and I both know it’s more than that.”

You ignored the comment, turning to the next page of the NDA.

“Food’s here,” Harvey spoke up after a few minutes of quiet.

“Thanks.”

You could hear the rustle of bags as Donna unpacked things before leaving again.

“...You gonna put that down?” Harvey asked.

“When I’m finished with it, sure.”

“What about the bagels?”

“I’ll take it to go when I’m done here.”

“Come on, I can hear your stomach growling from here.”

“My stomach isn’t growling.”

“Not at the moment, but it has been.”

“I’ll live through eleven more pages.”

“The bagel will get cold.”

“I’ll heat it back up.”

“You’re going to reheat a toasted bagel?”

“Yes, using the same apparatus that toasted it in the first place.”

“A twice-toasted bagel is gonna be hard as a rock.”

“Oh well.”

“And if you don’t eat now, I will use all of the scallion cream cheese.”

“Knock yourself out.”

“I mean all of it. There’s a ton here, and I probably couldn’t fit all of it on a bagel, so I’d have to go in with a spoon. You want me to do that?”

“Do whatever the hell you want, Harvey. You usually do.”

Blessedly, that shut him up for a few moments.

“So did you,” He countered after a moment. You didn't need a law degree to catch that insinuation.

“I didn’t leave Harvard because I wanted to. I left because I had to.”

“You chose to.”

“I made a decision that favored my mental and physical health over my career prospects. There's nothing wrong with that.”

“You ever regret it?”

You considered for a moment, gaze drifting from the papers.

“...Sometimes,” You admitted finally, glancing toward Harvey. “When this whole thing with Beth cropped up, yeah. It was a bummer not to have the full force of the degree behind me. But…If I had become a lawyer, I probably wouldn’t have met Beth, or had enough time to help her, so…” You shrugged, looking back down at the NDA. “It’s not as easy as just regretting it or not regretting it.”

“You regret leaving everyone behind?”

“...Yeah. I could’ve been better about the way I did it, but at the time, cutting everyone off felt like the right thing to do.”

“Even me.”

“Harvey,” You sighed heavily, “I’m not saying that what I did was right for everyone involved. If I had reached out to you, to Scottie, to any of our friends, maybe I would’ve gotten a different answer, but the way that you reacted to me the other day? When you told me that I was a coward?” You lifted your head to meet his eye. “That was exactly what I was expecting. And you know what, it hurt like hell last night, but there is no way I could’ve handled hearing that from you back then.”

Harvey’s jaw worked for a moment.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” He admitted softly. “I’m sorry.”

You hesitated before you nodded a little, turning back to the NDA.

“If it’s what you felt—”

“It wasn’t,” Harvey shook his head. “I was mad, and I let it get the better of me.”

“And you’re not mad now?”

“Not at you for that.”

“But you are mad at me.”

“For making me get up to be in the office at seven in the morning? Yeah, I’m outraged.”

You fought back a smile, shrugging.

“Didn’t mean to fuck with your beauty sleep, princess.”

You turn the page, twiddling the pen between your fingers.

“You’ll make it up to me.”

“Will I?” You arched a brow. “How exactly do you think I’m going to do that?”

“You’ll pay for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, we’re getting dinner?”

“I’m fully aware of the vast difference in our salaries, so I’ll pick somewhere with only one Michelin star.”

“What a generous smug asshole. Time really has changed you.”

“It hasn’t changed either of us.”

“I don’t know. I think you’re more of a dick than I remember you being.”

“I’m blushing.”

“Sure, Specter.”

“Put the NDA down and have a bagel.”

“Bossy.”

“It’s my office, I get to be bossy.”

“Fine. I’ll take the NDA to a conference room and give us both some space.”

“Keep your seat, have a bagel, and let me see what you have so far.”

You didn’t look up until you saw a plate lowered into your field of vision. You arched your brows before you raised the NDA, holding it out to Harvey as you took hold of the plate. You shifted in your seat, sitting up just a bit. Crap, you hadn’t realized how far down you’d slid in your seat over the course of the last hour. You set the bagel aside for a moment, capping your pen and tucking it behind your ear. You twist the top off of the bagel, lapping at the thick layer of cream cheese before taking a bite. You can’t even help the soft, relieved groan that you let out at the taste.

Damn, you were hungry.

You glanced across the desk, met by Harvey’s smug smile.

“Shuddup,” You mumble around the mouthful.

“Didn’t say anything.”

“Didn’t have to.”

You took another bite as Harvey began to flip through the notes that you’d made in the NDA.

“You’re having fun with this,” He comments.

“I’m protecting my friend.”

“And you’re having fun doing it.”

“Sure, Harvey.”

“You are.”

“So you’ve upgraded from not analyzing your own feelings to telling everyone else theirs?”

“Not everyone. Just the people that I know.”

“Bold claim.”

“I told you—you haven’t changed. This NDA proves that.”

“How so?”

“Because so far, you have marked every single thing that I threw in there to trip you up.”

You nearly dropped the plate, and the bagel. You completely froze in the middle of your chewing. Harvey’s smug smile widened as he closed the NDA and reached out, taking up another, far thinner file from his desk, holding it out.

“Here’s the clean one.”

You reached out, setting the plate down on the desk. You flipped it open, embarrassment beginning to well up as you saw entire passages from the previous NDA—the very ones that you’d spent your time marking—omitted. You nodded for a moment before you muttered, “Okay.” You dropped it into your purse, slung your purse over your shoulder, and stood, taking the remainder of the dirty chai and the bagel with you.

“Hang on,” Harvey groaned.

“Nice meeting you, Donna,” You commented, ignoring Harvey as you passed her desk.

“You too!” She chirped over Harvey’s following, and his call of, “Would you wait a minute!”

“Why, so you can keep making a fool of me?” You bit out.

“I didn’t do it to make a fool of you, I did it to make a point.”

“And what point would that be?”

“That you’re a damn smart person—”

“I knew that already—”

“And that you would’ve made an amazing lawyer! You could still make an amazing lawyer!”

“That doesn’t mean that I want to be one!” You whirled around to face Harvey, face hot and close to his as he comes to a sudden stop to keep from ramming into you. “Just because my goals changed doesn’t make them any less important than yours. I am glad you’re a lawyer. I’m glad you have your corner office, your fancy fucking suits, your title, your position. But I’m glad that I have my life, the way I want it, without all of this. I get that what I did hurt you back then, and I am sorry. But I wasn’t fighting to knock you out of the top five when I was at school. I was fighting for my life. I know that I am smart. I know that I could’ve been an amazing lawyer, but I am happy just being myself as I am, right now. If that’s not enough for you, I don’t give a shit, because it’s my life, not yours.”

You left Harvey standing alone in the hall, his gobsmacked, stunned expression remaining as you turned away from him and strode to the elevator. He didn’t bother to chase you down this time, which was a relief. You managed to hold it together as the elevator doors slid open, studiously ignoring Mike as he stepped off and greeted you:

“Hey! Done already?”

You reached out, jabbing the lobby and door close buttons as quickly as you could.

Mike’s brow furrowed as she disappeared from sight. He turned away from the elevator, peering around the corner to see who might be nearby. There wasn’t anyone there for a few moments, and then…Harvey, standing there looking stunned and lost.

“Did she already finish her mark-up?” Mike asked. The question seemed to snap Harvey out of his reverie. He cleared his throat, straightening and turning away.

“She got halfway. I gave her the clean version.”

“What? I thought you were only going to give it to her if she caught 95% of the errors."

“She was on track to catch every single one. Spoiling the surprise didn’t seem like such a bad idea.”

“Is that because this whole endeavor has been a bad idea?” Donna piped up as the two neared her desk.

“I don’t wanna hear it,” Harvey warned as he strode past her.

“I wanna hear it, but I don’t have time, I have uh,” Mike pointed down the hall, “A 10-Q filing to comb through—”

“Go,” Harvey nodded him away before he turned, heading back into his office. He reached out, taking up her half-marked NDA. His gaze skated over her notes, and it was as if he was transported back to Langdell, to the notes that she would scrawl in his margins, questioning his citations and methodology.

“...She’s happy as she is.”

“Donna."

“She said it herself!”

“She’s not working at her full potential.”

“Sounded like she preferred it that way. You’ve seen her at work. Is she bad at her job?”

“No.”

“Good at it?”

“What’s your point.”

“My point is,” Dinna leaned in the door frame, “That success looks different to different people. For you, it apparently looks like rubbing someone's skills in their own face. And I think if you keep harping on what might’ve been, she’ll just resent you for it—and if you lose her again, you’ll resent yourself for that, too.”

Donna raised her brows pointedly before she pushed off of the door frame. Harvey looked after her for a moment before he lowered himself into his seat, tossing the NDA onto his desk. What to do next?

Bringing her there hadn’t brought him much luck, but so far, going to her had been far more effective.

“I’m going to file a restraining order.”

“May as well do it on a full stomach.”

“I don’t have the NDA here, I sent it back with my edits.”

“I know.”

You glanced between Harvey’s calm expression and the bag of takeout that he was holding up. You sighed heavily. You thought you’d been able to shake Harvey, at least for the day. As soon as you’d gotten home, you’d double-checked the NDA, and hadn’t been able to find a thing wrong with it. You’d sent it back with a messenger, unwilling to step foot in that damn office again that day. You’d been certain that that would be in, but there Harvey is.

“I promised you dinner,” He adds.

“I thought you said that I’d be the one paying for it.”

“I take cash and Venmo.”

“Okay—” You drew your hand back to shut the door, but Harvey pressed his palm against the wood before you could.

“Wait a second.”

“Harvey, I can’t do handle a repeat of this morning.”

“I’m not asking you to. This morning, I wanted to understand what happened, I got that.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

Harvey seemed to have to brace himself.

“The woman that I knew at Harvard…The woman that I thought I knew—”

“Thin ice, Specter.”

“—I had a different perspective of you then. I know we can’t blank slate this, but I’d like to get to know you properly, and I want you to get to know me. As adults. I wanna know what I’ve missed.”

You considered for a long moment, your gaze dropping to the bag of takeout. Letting him in wasn’t the greatest idea. If it went south again, you couldn’t just storm out—it was your apartment. But there were things about Harvey that you’d missed, too; things that you hadn’t been able to learn about through your mutual friends, and things that you couldn’t just get from googling the guy’s name.

“What’d you get?” You asked finally.

“Chinese.”

“Dumplings?”

“Vegetarian, fried.”

You sighed, stepping back and nodding over your shoulder with a concession of, “Alright.”

There were a lot of things that you had remembered about Harvey. But sitting on the floor of your living room, leaning back against your couch as you ate dinner and drank beer was bringing back so much more. Harvard had held so many bad memories that it had nearly crowded out the good ones, the warm ones. But now, as Harvey busted your balls, teased you, ribbed you as he nudged your knee with his, or your arm with his, or your shoulder with his, was bringing back memories of vicious butterflies.

Oh, you’d had the worst of crushes on this man. It had only been made worse by late nights spent in his dorm, all-nighters pulled at the library, nights spent dancing with him at parties. You’d been certain that there had never been anything there, and you hadn’t pushed it. Harvey had been your friend, a good friend. But now, with the way Harvey’s smiles softened and his gazes lingered, you found yourself wondering if there had ever been anything more, anything that the both of you had buried.

“...I was sorry to hear about your brother.”

Your admission came out of a quiet moment, and it sobered the both of you. Harvey nodded a little, lowering his head and looking at the beer in his hands.

“I would’ve reached out,” You added, “But I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me at that point.”

“I didn’t.”

You nodded at his confirmation, and it was your turn to look at the beer in your hands.

“You knew more about my life than I thought you would,” Harvey added, leaning back against the couch and shifting to face you a little.

“Well, some of our mutual friends kept me informed on the happenings of the great Harvey Specter.”

“Why didn’t they tell me about you?”

“I asked them not to.”

“Why?”

“Figured you hated me.”

You bit your lip as Harvey reached out, taking the beer out of your hands and setting it on the coffee table. Your stomach flipped as his hand raised, tucking two fingers beneath your chin to turn your head toward him. You hesitantly met his gaze, stunned by the warmth you found there.

“I never hated you,” He murmured. “I was upset, sure. I was angry, and confused. But I didn’t hate you.”

“Maybe you should’ve.”

“Couldn’t if I tried.”

“Did you try?”

“Yes.” Hervey’s thumb smoothed along your jaw. “But every time I got angry, I worried, too. I had no idea where you were. I didn’t know if you were alright, if you were at another school or dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“I’m sorry—”

“I know,” Harvey nodded, hand smoothing around to your nape. “But I’ve gotta say, if you ever disappear on me like that again—”

“You’re done?”

“I’m gonna send a hundred fucking Pinkertons after you.”

You scoffed a laugh, brows raising. “That a threat, Mr. Specter?”

“It’s a promise.”He shifted closer. “I’m not losing you again.”

“You did fine without me.”

“I would’ve done better with you.”

“You didn’t need me! You had Scottie, you had Jessica, you have your career and your suits and your—”

Before you could say another word, Harvey pressed his lips to yours. Your eyes went a touch wide at the sudden unexpected contact. It was a moment before you let yourself lean into him. You raised your hand hesitantly, resting it on his chest as he drew you closer. Your knees knocked against his as you cuddled against him, humming softly as Harvey sucked your lower lip between his. You leaned back a touch, smiling as he rested his forehead against yours.

“I want you around,” Harvey murmured. “Can’t that be enough?”

You nodded, sweeping your thumb gently under his collar.

“It’s enough. More than enough.”

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#Harvey Specter x Reader #Harvey Specter x You #Harvey Specter/Reader #Harvey Specter/You #Harvey Specter fic #Harvey Specter imagine #More Than Enough

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