#girls gone mild blog

[chlorinecake]

🎙️ star-crossed lovers 【 薄幸な恋人 】 ⛦

summ✩ry While collabing with your girl group and Enhypen for a special stage, forbidden feelings spark between you and the main dancer upon dorming together

p✩iring idol!niki x popstar!reader ✩ requested ✩

-> PART 2 HERE

genre band au, fluff, secret romance cw swearing, mild bullying, the word ‘sexy’ like once, kissing, girl drama, reader is younger than Niki wc 4.4k

“Ugh,” Serenity groaned as the hairstylist applied yet another thick layer of chocolate brown hair dye to her scalp.

“This gig better bring in some serious bank, because never in my life would I willingly collab with those overrated wannabes,” she exclaimed, taking a frustrated sip from her vanilla latte.

“Hey, people used to call us wannabe's, too, you know,” Haerin said quietly as she tucked her hands under the UV light.

“Yeah, you should be more mature about this, Serenity... like I always say, professionalism triumphs pride," you added, only half-engaged in the conversation as a certain online article caught your attention.

As the band leader, you were always in charge of everything, so Serenity and Haerin were used to you talking to them this way...

“I’m just glad that we're getting exposure,” Haerin smiled, thinking of the countless nights you and your group spent practicing routines and writing songs for auditions, "it's not often that artists like us get opportunity's to perform internationally."

“For real,” Serenity cheered, “Riot Grrlz for the win!”

The three of you put your hands out to make a circle, “Riot Grrlz for life,” Haerin exclaimed, forgetting that her nails hadn't fully dried yet.

"Whoops," she giggled, just as Jade, the oldest of your group, made her way from the bathroom.

“What took you so long in there?” Serenity asked cheekily, “I thought we were gonna have to call the fire department.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Jade returned, taking a seat beside Haerin so she could get her nails done, too.

“You were talking to the enemy, weren’t you,” Serenity accused.

“No, Ren, I didn’t go behind your back and sell my soul to the devil for fame.”

“Not that enemy,” Serenity grinned, “I'm talking about Mr. Six Foot Moon Eyes.”

“Oooooo,” Haerin amused, pulling your attention away from your phone.

“Ugh, let it up guys. My crush on Sunghoon is long gone, especially now that we’re gonna be working together. Besides, I would never act so recklessly over romance.”

“Who said anything about reckless romance,” you teased, unintentionally giving Jade a full view of the article your were reading on your phone.

"Nobody,” she began, “but I’m surprised you even heard that over all your internet-stalking.”

You were scrolling through a K-Pop news feed when you came across a post.

It was titled: "Enhypen Rumored By Netizens To Be Collabing With THIS Rookie Western Girl Group."

"Shush," you whisper-yelled at Jade, "unless you’re trying to get our record deals pulled!"

Just last week, your management team made you and your group sign a contract of secrecy, swearing silence regarding unpublicized business projects and associations: this included your upcoming collab with Enhypen that Jade nearly just spoiled.

Although, in all honesty, the blog's use of the word "rookie" bothered you more than potentially breaking any contract rules.

"Relax, boss, it's practically a ghost town in here," Jade defended, drawing your attention to the near vacant salon space.

Ding.

It was an email from your manager.

He wanted to inform you all that your chauffeur would be ready around 2:45am to bring you guys to the airport.

"Jeez," you mumbled to yourself, "looks like I'm not getting much sleep tonight."

“Shit,” Serenity whined, “I haven’t even made enough time to brush up on my Korean yet!”

“Luckily me and Haerin here are bilingual baddies,” Jade giggled, giving the cat-eyed girl a fist punch.

“Ahh, watch my nails!!”

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Your company's fashion crew was experimenting with different concepts, assigning each of your members an individual color to permanently represent: Serenity was teal, Jade was purple, Haerin was white, and you were pink.

Some time passed, an you and your group arrived in South Korea around 3:00pm.

Thanks to the fashion tech your management team hired, it wasn't obvious that you and the girls had been in and out of sleep for the past 13 hours.

You couldn't help but stalk the headlines about your group, as rumors about your Enhypen collab continued to spread like wildfire.

So much for swearing silence and secrecy, you thought to yourself.

South Korean pop media had already seemed to build a vendetta against your group, given that you were young, talented, and most importantly, from the states. The xenophobia of most K-netizens was disheartening at best, but you understood that hate was a part of success.

Besides, you were living the dream of many engenes at the moment — most of them would sell their siblings to be in your shoes right now.

“Ahh! This is unreal!!” Jade cheered excitedly in the back of the limousine. You guys had just left the airport around thirty minutes ago, after getting past the pesky crowd of paparazzi.

“I know right? Korean McNuggets slap way harder than back home,” Haerin added while munching on the salty snack.

“Don't get too comfy, Rinnie. We will leave you here,” Serenity joked.

You hadn't even realized the radio was playing until a certain guitar riff blared from the ceiling speakers.

"Oh hell no," Serenity immediately cringed, covering her ears as you, Jade, and Haerin exchanged knowing look, bringing imaginary microphones to your mouths in unison.

It was Enhypen's song Blessed-Cursed, Jay’s voice singing "We go!" over the radio.

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, GO!!" The three of you cheered, obnoxiously dancing to the choreo while sitting.

Memories of your group (minus Serenity) binge watching music videos at sleepovers resurfaced in your mind.

Usually, you'd only listen to throwback hits like Britney Spears or Rihanna, mostly because Rnb and Pop beats inspired your own art.

Still and all, Blessed-Cursed was one video that the three of you fell in love, way before your upcoming collab was even a thought.

"Don't get mad when I start recording you clowns," Serenity threatened, thoroughly amused by your behavior.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Upon arriving outside the Hybe Building, a trio of body guards guided you and your girls to an office room where the seven boys stood awkwardly around a large table.

Part of you still couldn't believe this was all actually happening, despite it being right in front of you.

“Hello! We are Enhypen,” Jungwon bowed as the guards exited the room.

Jay visibly cringed at his leaders words, “I promise we were told to introduce ourselves like that. Please don’t judge us.”

“Well, uhm… H-hi,” you stuttered, feeling a bit nervous, “We are the Riot Grrlz. It’s a pleasure being able to work with you all.”

Niki, the tallest of the boys, caught your attention immediately as he greeted you with a peace sign.

Was he always this cute?, you thought to yourself.

That’s when a lady dressed in all black barged through the glass door on the other side of the room.

“Sorry to interrupt… well, not really. Me and the Enhypen boys are already well familiar with each other, but you ladies can call me Kim,” she greeted, waltzing into the office as if owning the place.

She was a fast talker, so you knew you’d have to pay attention to what she was saying or else you might miss something.

“I hope you made use of each others time and gathered everyone’s names? Phone numbers?”

”We were just in the middle of that before you came in, Miss Kim,” Sunoo clarified.

“Very well then. You have a total of 15 minutes to lock in dorming arrangements. As you’ll see on this clipboard here…”

She paused mid-sentence, holding the clipboard dumbly.

“God, can one of you take this thing already?”

“Oh- sorry,” Heeseung chuckled nervously, taking the clipboard from the fiery woman.

“As I was saying, there are four rooms for the eleven of you to somehow divide. And no, just because you’re all hormonal young adults, none of you get a free pass to break the no-dating rule.”

“No-dating rule? What is this, a detention center,” Serenity mumbled.

Kim cleared her throat, feigning a smile as she glared at Serenity with narrowed eyes, “This is a place of utmost professionalism, Princess Land of The Free. If you have a problem adhering to the rules in place here, you are more than welcome to leave.”

“A-and after that? The fifteen minutes, I mean,” Haerin blurted out shyly.

“All of you will meet back in the main lobby, where you will be guided accordingly.”

Miss Kim turned of her black boots, beelining to the door with powerful strides, “The timer starts now” she called out, closing the door behind her.

And with that began your group discussion of rooming arrangements. Unfortunately, though, things didn’t get off to a particularly nice start.

“Are you effing kidding me?” Serenity asked rudely, screwing her eyes toward a now annoyed Heeseung, “Why can't we just get separate hotel rooms?!?”

“Look, there's no perfect way to go about this," he sighed, crossing out the roommate pairs you all had just agreed on. "So you either humble yourself, or sleep in the bathtub for the next two weeks."

“Really guys, the math is simple,” Jake started, “There’s eleven of us and only four rooms to choose from. Nine of us will be divided in groups of three, and the remaining two will share the last room together.”

"Cool! Me, ____, and Jade can share the first room together!" Haerin obliged with a smile.

"Perfect, and where will I go?" Serenity questioned, mocking Haerin's excitement.

"The bathtub, right?" Jay teased, provoking Serenity to argue with him.

Meanwhile, you attempted to make peace with everyone willing to listen, “Guys, I agree with Jake. We need to make a decision quickly before Kim gets back.”

“Right. Everyone in favor of room number 1, provide a show of hands,” Heeseung said, Jay and Jake raising their hands with him.

"And for room 2?" Jungwon initiated, raising his hand with Jade and Haerin.

A pout formed on Jade's face once she realized that Sunghoon wasn't in the same pair as her.

"3's the magic number, I guess…" Sunghoon offered, Serenity raising her hand with him.

Now it was just you, Sunoo, and Niki remaining.

"I'll group with 3, too. All of our name's start with "S," so it just makes sense that way," Sunoo joined shyly.

"Welp, now that leaves the final room for me and..."

"Me..." Niki spoke with a deep voice, flashing a mysterious half-smile-half-smirk that you knew would haunt your mind later.

"Me and me... the odd one's out! Wow, that's actually perfect!" Jake cheered just as the lady in black strut back in.

“Times up,” she said, taking the clipboard from Heeseung to analyze the finalized dorming plans.

“Hmm, interesting,” she mumbled to herself, tucking the clipboard under her arm.

You all made your way down to the main lobby, just as Kim instructed.

One of the security guards mentioned that Hybe suggested a dinner outing for your group and Enhypen as a way to end the night before you started work the next day… or maybe it was mostly a way to officially confirm the rumors about your collab.

Upon arriving, everyone sat at separate tables, divided according to who they agreed to room with.

Although Niki seemed quiet at first, you and him were giggling the babies the entire time you ate.

“Poor Jungwon. He’s gonna be sandwiched between Jade and Haerin for the next two weeks, his biggest fans,” you joked.

“Nah, Sunghoon and Sunoo have it way worse. Serenity’s attitude is enough to send me running,” Niki chuckled, shaking his head.

"Speaking of running, how come you were appointed leader over your group even though you’re a baby," Niki teased.

"Not you baby-shaming me! I was born in 07', you've barely got any experience on me."

"I've had an entire YEAR to catch up on things, for your information."

"Things like what? Potty training?"

"Pfft, probably..." he replied, going quiet for a second before continuing, "If you ever need help, though, I don’t mind practicing with you after hours.”

"Sounds like fun, but that might be past my bedtime," you pouted playfully, taking one of the fries off his plate.

"Hmm."

"Hmm what?"

"Nothing, I just didn't take you as the type to follow rules," he smirked, taking a sip from his soda.

"I guess it depends on what rules we're breaking. Whether it’s worth it or not."

"So rule breaking is a “we” thing now, huh?"

"Probably..." you smiled, the cool breeze of the foreign air sending shivers down your spine.

Or maybe that had something to do with Niki?

Before you knew it, it was time to head back to your dorms for the night. You knew rehearsals in South Korea were taken a lot more seriously than where you're from, so you needed all the rest you could get.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

Day one was easy.

The main focus was recording voice samples in the studio, experimenting with different harmonies, and training your vocals as needed.

Now you were on day two, which started with a quick vocal session, leading into the dance rehearsal warm-up right after. After stretching, the studio was split in half, girls taking the left side and boys taking the right.

You all wore numbers on your back. This way, there wouldn’t be any confusion when any of your were being called.

Niki was assigned number eleven, and you had number one.

According to Jake, the numbers were disseminated based on skill level, and out of the 11 of you, that made Niki first place… and you the very last.

As rehearsals went on, your placement was proving to be true.

You were struggling to keep up with the choreography and it was really starting to bug you.

"Are you feeling okay," Niki asked as you sighed for what sounded like the hundredth time.

"Yea, I'm fine, it’s just this footwork is a bit tricky," you admitted.

“Aww, the smallest number for our most inexperienced contributor,” Serenity teased, making a pass at both your age and inability to get this one move right.

“I may be the youngest out of all of us, but I was appointed head over our group for a reason,” you snapped back.

“Yea… and it still shocks me to this day,” she mumbled, Jade and Haerin pausing to listen now.

You scoffed at her ignorance, putting your hands on your hips, “As if you could lead the Riot Grrlz any better.”

Serenity gave you a look that made you wanna drop here right there in front of everyone.

You never understood why she always had an attitude over the simplest things, and given the current work setting, your tolerance for her bull crap was at an all time low.

“Right, the Riot Grrlz. “Rookie Western Girl Group,” huh? And you expect me to be proud of that?”

“With pride of lionesses, of course,” Jade pitched in, leaning down to fasten her shoelaces.

“We should really keep working on our routine, guys,” Haerin mumbled quietly, causing the raging brunette diva to roll her eyes.

Meanwhile, the boys seemed to be getting along rather well with their part of the routine, completely blind to the chaos brewing at their left.

And by the boys, I mean all of them except Niki and Jake, who were both too distracted by your girl drama.

Way to go embarrassing myself again, you thought to yourself

“You’re new to this sort of training, aren’t you,” Jake asked curiously.

“What, did my shitty dance moves give it away?”

You know it wasn’t Jake’s fault, but you were started to doubt your abilities as an artist and performer.

Even Serenity felt as though you were letting your group down.

“You’re not a shitty dancer, ____,” Niki answered, walking closer to you.

“Yeah, Niki’s right. You shouldn’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Jake added.

“Exactly! Just focus on your strengths,” Serenity pitched in, “your vocals, for example. You might ruin the dance routine, but at least you’ll save all the high notes with Heeseung.”

It was clear that you and Niki were equally fed up with Serenity’s toxicity.

“Okay, can everybody clear out for a moment," Niki clapped, causing everyone to back up against the walls almost instantly.

He pulled you by the hand, turning you to face him as he called out to Sunoo, "Put on a random dance track, real quick. Something upbeat, please."

“Gotcha!”

Turning back to you, Niki took your chin in his hand, making your eyes meet his. “Just follow my lead, okay?” He whispered, taking off the bracelet he wore before sliding it on your wrist, “Do you trust me?”

“Niki...” you started, not sure of what he was trying to do.

“I need you to feel the music, ____. Let it control you," he said, stepping away as a short remix of "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls blared from the radio.

You could hear an amused Serenity and Sunghoon chuckle a bit at Sunoo’s choice of song, but Niki remained serious.

His gaze met the ground before he started freestyling to the song, letting his mind and body get used to the rhythm as he flowed to the beat. You stood awkwardly beside him, not feeling up to dance at the moment.

He caught sight of you standing and nudged your shoulder, "Loosen up, ____," he smiled, finally starting to feel the song himself.

You started by mirroring his movements at first, adding a few steps to make it fit your own style more.

"See? Now you're getting it," he encouraged again, pulling you toward him so you could dance together.

Your friends and the boys cheered you and Niki on while you two danced as if choreographed.

The track ended with Niki's had on your waist, both of your chests heaving from all the action.

Haerin's jaw dropped as she struggled to find the right words or any words to say, “That was…”

“Sexy!” Heeseung smirked while playfully fanning himself, making Niki turn his face in embarrassment.

You could feel your own face getting hot now, too, especially with everyone staring.

"Relax, Rinnie, you're acting like you've never seen a guy dance with a girl before," Jade chuckled.

"N-not... n-never like THAT,” Haerin said with a shocked face, “____, you're amazing!"

"Thanks," you smiled shyly, eyes falling back the bracelet Niki put around your wrist.

"Keep it... it's a good luck charm," he replied softly.

"Alright, alright. You guys can loosen up each other's buttons on your own time," Serenity snapped, interrupting everyone's gawking.

"Right... On second thought, it’s time for our break," Jay called, handing you and Niki a rag for your sweat.

"Great job, you guys. See you in 20," Jungwon added.

"Come on, girls," you chirped, picking up your gym bag as you took a sip from your water jug, heading towards the studio exit.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

The rest of the day continued according to your work schedule. One vocal practice followed the other as the initially difficult routine felt more natural with each retake.

You also made a stop by Hybe's fashion team, getting your measurements taken so they could design your outfit for the upcoming stage.

Although this was a work trip, you were having a blast in Korea so far. You liked getting to work with the new people and trying different foods. You especially liked being roomies with Niki.

He was super talented, chill, yet flirty at the same time.

No wonder his fans go so crazy over him, you thought to yourself.

“Hey, ____,” Niki called out, jogging to catch up as you made your way from the dance studio after going back to get the pair of headphones you forgot near the water cooler.

“I wanna show you something…,” he announced, “Well, a thing I like to do.”

“Mhm, and what’s that?” You asked playfully.

He chuckled, “Just a thing that I can’t get away with while in idol mode. My secret escape... Are you interested?”

You meditated on his words before answering, considering the early curfew outlined by both your managers, and how it was already 8:00 at night, “It’s getting pretty late, you know… Is it gonna take long?”

He giggled again, this time leaning into you. “Only if you’re indecisive.”

The sounds of your sneakers tapping against the shiny tiled floors bounced off the hallway walls.

Like you said, girls would sell souls to be in your shoes right now: there’s no way you were gonna pass up on a chance to hang out with Niki…

A chance to explore this reckless romance.

“Ok, let’s go, but we have to be back by midnight,” you agreed.

“Ok, Cinderella. We’re not too far from where I wanna show you,” he beamed, fighting the urge to hold your hand as you followed him out of the Hybe Building, clashing into the night.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

The place was reminiscent of a skate park, graffitied ramp-like walls cupping you and Niki in the surface of the arena.

There were a few other people present, but they seemed more wrapped up in their own little worlds to even look your way…

The moon shined behind the thin clouds of the sky, basking you and Niki’s skin with an ethereal glow.

“This is it!” He gestured with open arms, “my secret escape.”

You tucked your hands in your pockets as it was a bit cold out, “A shared secret place?” You corrected, pointing out the tiny groups of people hanging around.

Niki pushed the hoodie from over his head, revealing his two-toned mane, “I guess you could say that… they’re all idols, here. Just like me. They get why I do this.”

“Why you do what,” you inquired, stepping over a few random rocks that decorated the path.

“Why I dance,” he answered almost immediately, looking you in the eyes, “for myself.”

He took a few steps away from you, swaying to the music that rippled from one of the mystery people’s carry-radios.

Like earlier, you mirrored his moves at first, adding your own adjustments based on intuition.

Feeling.

You had so many more questions to ask, but in this moment, you focused on Niki and the way he moved.

The small groups of people developed into a crowd within a matter of seconds, joining you and Niki along with the music.

Although everyone was doing their own thing, in a strange way if felt harmonious.

Some people danced calmly, others were more wild. Either way, you were starting to understand what Niki meant.

Being able to express yourself away from prying eyes, scornful comments, flashing cameras, or a number 1 sign on your back was invigorating.

The music was still going when Niki grabbed your hand and pulled you to the side, a soft look taking over his features.

“Kiss me,” he whispered, staring into your eyes.

“W-what?”

“I just need to know that what I’m feeling right now is real.”

You took his face in your hands, trying to make yourself feel more in control of the situation, “Niki, I don’t think we should do this. Your manager outlined pretty strict rules.”

He paused before responding, “Remember what you said at the restaurant the first day we met?”

His grip on your hands remained delicate despite how strongly he felt for you.

“About us breaking rules together… only if it’s worth it.”

“Exactly,” he smiled, leaning in, “I knew they didn’t call you a riot girl for nothing.”

His lips connecting with yours like a puzzle piece, both your hearts fluttering as if they’d grown butterfly wings.

You felt like your world was spinning at twice its original speed, but at the same time, the moment felt still.

Niki tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he braced a hand at your waist, pulling you closer before finally letting go.

“I like you, ____. Like, a lot,” he confessed, taking in the dreamy expression displayed on your face.

Your mind went blank.

“Say something? Please,” he urged, taking your hands in his.

A smile wavered over your features as you kissed him back on the lips, feeling as though you both stopped breathing for a moment.

“I like you too, Niki. But isn’t this pretty risky?”

“You said so yourself, risks don’t count if it’s worth it,” he nearly whispered.

“Well,” you began, still holding onto him, “if we’re gonna do this, it has to stay between us… no one else can find out.”

And just like that, you were now secretly dating your roommate / coworker / Enhypen’s main dancer and maknae / one of K-pop’s most sought after It-Boy’s, all in a three days.

Great.

▶︎ ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊| • • •

You and Niki made it back to you dorm rooms undetected. It seemed like everyone else was either too tired or too busy to notice that you two were out for so long.

Unlocking the door to as quietly as possible, you and Niki took light steps, trying not to disturb anyone or draw attention to yourselves.

Once the door was closed, you both bust out in a fit of laughter for reasons you didn’t understand nor cared to understand.

You didn’t need a reason laugh when Niki was around… it’s kind of just something that started to happen over the last couple days.

“What’s your secret to performing so well?” You asked him, both laying face-up on the lower bunk bed together.

“Hmm, I feel like nervousness is a strength. It pushes you to go forward in a sense…”

“Yeah… I get that. Sometimes, I feel like being calm is dangerous. It puts you in a safe space, when performing should be all about taking chances.”

“Right,” he agreed, resting a hand over his stomach, “Speaking of chances, they’re precious, you know? I never just assume I’ll get another opportunity to dance.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Like…” he sighed, trying to find the right words, “Every time I get on stage… in front of those lights… in front of my fans… I perform-”

“As if it’s your last…” you answered for him.

“Yeah, that,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “You know, it’s really nice talking to someone who gets me… the dancer part of me.”

“Of course, it’s really nice talking to you, too, Niki,” you smiled softly.

Breaking the calmness of the moment, he sat up in his elbows, meeting your face.

“Top or bottom?” He asked, referring to where you wanted to sleep for the night.

You crawled over his body, climbing into the upper bunk of the bed and laying down to finally rest.

“Good night, number 11,” you teased, snuggling into the mattress.

“Rest well, number 1. Big day tomorrow.”

🎙️ For my baby, @microwvdstrawb3rri3s, I hope it was worth the wait ~ And yes, before you ask, there will be a second part 💕

⛦ Additional tags for my fellow Niki enthusiasts: @fanficfactoryfoxxx @nikisblkgf @yourmomscuntis2tighy @nikimeows @kimjiho1 @nikipedia07 @nishimuradaniel

🎙️ Feel free to check out more fun reads on the pinned post at my home page ~

@ashgonedash, I still felt bad about forgetting to tag you earlier 👑 so here you go, my love :3

Update: THANK YOU ALL SM FOR 400 NOTES!!

#niki fluff #niki x reader #niki x y/n #niki scenarios #niki fanfic #niki imagines #niki soft hours #niki blurbs #niki drabbles #enha niki #niki enhypen #enhypen #enhypen nishimura riki #niki ff #enhypen riki #nishimura riki #enhypen x reader #enhypen x female reader #enhypen x y/n #enhypen fic #enhypen fluff #enhypen soft hours #enhypen scenarios #enhypen imagines #enhypen blurbs #enhypen drabbles #enhypen ff #nishimura riki x reader #niki x female reader #niki x you

[sunlightmurdock]

Ashes, Ashes | Prologue | Bradley Bradshaw

masterlist | next chapter

Six days after Maverick’s disappearance, Bradley isn’t quite whole anymore. But, there isn’t time to crumble.

warnings: : age gap (23/33), smut, angst, hurt / comfort, mentions of character death, mourning, extra warnings to be added chapter by chapter. This entire fic and my blog is an 18+ space, minors do not interact. Do not repost.

…

“Rooster, those bandits are closing. We can’t go back.”

“Rooster, he’s gone. Maverick’s gone.”

It’s a stomach-sick, sweat inducing kind of fever that lingers now on this mild morning. Breeze blowing across his skin, patterned and rhythmic, reminding him every now and again to breathe.

It has been exactly six days since Pete Mitchell was declared missing in action. Six days since a missile meant for Bradley hit Pete’s plane and sent the sixty-five million dollar aircraft spiraling into miles and miles of desolate, freezing forest. Bradley has slept four times in those six days, and each time he has, his subconscious reminds him of exactly what he is responsible for

Today is a relatively chilly morning in May, and Bradley is sitting on the front step of a cottage near Bird Rock in northern San Diego. Today is the first day since he got home three and a half days ago that he has left his apartment. Natasha stayed over last night. She has stayed over every night. She slept by his side, on top of his covers, just holding his hand. When he was in the shower this morning, she laid out his clothes for him. She hasn’t ever known him to be this quiet. Ever.

He hasn’t said much at all since they got back. Natasha knows that he’s picturing himself alone in that forest. Dead, or worse.

Now, she sits at his side and rubs soft circles on his shoulder over the black fabric of his t-shirt. He would do it for her, if she was the one going through this. She would be too stubborn to listen to him too. They have known each other since flight school. Natasha got so drunk the first Friday that Bradley spent his entire first Friday holding her hair back while she threw up.

The next day, Bradley embarrassed himself so badly in front of a girl he liked that he almost quit just so that they wouldn't have to see each other again. After that, they have remained pretty close. Especially now, when they need each other.

“Rooster, no one expects you to be here right now — you went through something awful out there.” She says it one last time anyway, even though she knows that it won’t change a single thing.

That’s one of the reasons that their friendship is so strong — sometimes a person just has to do what they have to do, Bradley and Natasha respect that sentiment. Even if it means texting back a no-good ex, or staying out a little too late on a work night now and again. Each other’s best interests are always at heart, but it’s human to not put yourself first now and again.

Bradley hasn’t sat on the steps of Maverick’s two bedroom beach cottage since he was thirteen. Right before Maverick pissed off an admiral and got shipped out somewhere crazy, somewhere cold — he can’t remember exactly where anymore, he never wrote a letter there. Right before he started only seeing Maverick on holidays and special occasions, the occasional baseball game.

Pete bought this place back in the eighties. He got it for a steal. A craftsman bungalow three blocks from the beach, with two bedrooms and a small yard. He had wanted to be close to Carole, and he had just gotten married. Bradley’s memories of Charlie are faint, but he knows that her father helped Pete with the down payment. Maverick hated him for that. His first and, as it happened, only marriage hadn’t lasted very long. Two or three years, maximum. She was gone before Bradley finished second grade, anyway.

The spare room here used to be Bradley’s. Back when his mom worked weekends at a hotel in La Jolla, and he and Pete would take Friday night trips to Blockbuster every week. He hasn’t even been inside yet. He can’t imagine how much the interior would have changed since those weekends back in the nineties.

Glancing down at the IWC clock face on his wrist, the big hand has been creeping up on ten o’ clock for what feels like hours by now. Breeze sweeps a strand of Natasha’s hair off of her face. She leans against her best friend, her palm trailing to the middle of his back.

Natasha has two parents. They definitely don’t see eye-to-eye often, but she knows where they are. It’s a Sunday, they’ll be at Costco. She has a sister who gets on her nerves but adores her nonetheless, Leona will be at a spin class this morning. None of the people she loves are missing. If one of them were, she would have others to lean on.

For Bradley, it’s just her now.

“I can’t let her turn up to an empty house.” Bradley’s voice comes out more hoarse than either of them is expecting it to. He hasn’t cried yet. He keeps thinking he might, the urge is there, but the tears just don’t come.

Bradley doesn’t even know you. Not really. Not even when he was a kid. It’s been sixteen years since Bradley was even on speaking terms with Maverick. But now, everything’s different. He has a debt that he’ll never repay.

It has been six days. If Maverick survived the initial hit, and the ejection, then he has still been out in the snow for six days. Probably injured. Alone. Being hunted. He’s gone. And yet, Bradley just can’t — or won’t — grieve him. Moving on isn’t an option.

The person that they are waiting for is yourself. Pete Mitchell’s only child. Bradley doesn’t even know who he’s looking for. The last time he saw you was when you were three years old, staring at him from the backseat of your mother’s blue ford escort with a pacifier in your mouth while your parents argued a few feet away.

Penny Benjamin is the one that contacted you after the initial Navy correspondence. Bradley wouldn’t have even known how. He doesn’t have Maverick’s number any more, much less yours. Back when he knew you, you didn’t even know your numbers. Really he only saw you a handful of times. You hadn’t crossed paths much. Your mother lived up near Oregon. She was a waitress. Most of the time Pete drove up to see you, or the weekends that you visited him, Bradley would stay with a neighbour.

He bows his head just slightly, elbows rested on his parted knees. Maybe he shouldn’t have worn sweats. He hasn’t ever let Natasha dress him before. Today wasn’t a good day to start. Meeting Mav’s kid wouldn’t be a formal occasion, but under the circumstances.

His ears perk up at the sound of a misfire. Natasha flinches against him. She’s not been feeling that great since they got home either. Her dreams are like his too. It doesn’t matter. The car squeals around the corner at the far end of the street like its driver is trying to get it onto just two wheels. He lifts his head in time to see a steel blue ford escort hit the curb on the street just past Maverick’s property line.

Instantly, he pushes himself onto his feet. That kind of maniacal attitude to manning a vehicle must be hereditary.

Both he and Natasha watch as the driver slams their fists into the wheel in frustration. Then, you, the driver, notice them for the first time.

You’ve seen Bradley Bradshaw periodically throughout your life. There is no escaping his image when Maverick’s around. But, none of those photos are recent. They’re all from at least twelve years ago now. The only information you had been given was that Bradley looked kind of like Goose now.

And you — are not a little kid anymore. Natasha pushes herself to her feet, brushing the dust from her palms onto her jeans. A brief look is sent towards her best friend, but he doesn’t reciprocate. He’s staring straight ahead as you twist open the door handle and kick.

It complies with a groan and you start off with one foot on the pavement. High top black converse. The other foot follows next. Jeans. Normal, appropriate for the early May weather before the heat really picks up.

Then, as you push yourself to stand, Bradley can see the rest of you. You exhale and your hand flies to the back of your neck instantly.

“Hi,” You force out. “Bradley, right?”

That’s stupid. You know who he is. He knows who you are. You both know why you’re here. Natasha watches as you cringe into yourself, not necessarily physically, but it’s plastered all over your worried little face anyway.

“Yeah.” Bradley agrees without a nod. His hands are neither in his pockets nor doing anything else that might be productive. He tells himself that he should maybe shake your hand, but he doesn’t. He tells himself that maybe he should say something more, but he doesn’t.

Towering over the pretty brunette at his side, Bradley doesn’t look anything like he had in his photos at high school graduation. His face is longer and wider at the same time, his cheeks have lost some of their roundness but they still have a youthful pink flush. His hair is shorter, auburn and tidy around the back and sides. Still trying to be curly on top.

He grew up near the beach and his skin tells the tale. Freckles and a golden glow to his skin that you just know is an all year round kind of thing by now. Slight redness across his collarbones, the high points of his body where the sun hits most when he’s drying off after a swim.

In his eyes, you were hoping to find the boy from the pictures. The grinning blond in the baseball uniform. Instead, there’s something else.

Whatever it is, you hope it isn’t pity. Just because his dad — no, you shouldn’t think that. It shouldn’t start out like this.

“How was the drive? — Not too bad, I hope?” The tiny brunette finally bursts through the wall of silence that you and Bradley have been competitively building up since your sneaker touched the pavement two minutes ago. “I’m Natasha. I work with… — I — I’m Bradley’s friend.”

“Hi. It wasn’t too bad. I need to see a mechanic while I’m here, but — I don’t know. I’ll find time.” Just from watching you, Natasha can see that you’re all over the place. Neither here nor there. You don’t look like you’ve been crying either. Mascara intact, your makeup looks pretty.

Bradley knows that it has been a long time since he and Maverick were on speaking terms. He knows that even before that, they didn’t talk much about you. But, shit — he wishes now that he had at least seen a picture first so that he could prepare himself.

He remembers footie pajamas and drool and chubby, perpetually sticky cheeks.

Now, the belt looped through your blue jeans makes sure that the denim hugs you in all of the right places and that tank top is confirming to him that you’re no longer anything like the faint image he has in some of his oldest memories.

There’s got to be something wrong with him — that that’s the first thing that sprung to his mind. That Mav’s kid got hot in the twenty years since he saw her last. He shakes it from his head. Physically. He shakes his head and finally springs into action.

“What’s the matter with it?”

For the first time in five days, it’s the first time that someone hasn’t started a conversation by asking how you’re holding up. It catches you totally unprepared, and your knowledge of cars leaves you under qualified to answer anyway.

Bradley Bradshaw takes three long strides along the stone garden path and he has reached you already. He’s on a course right for you, and he’s big when he’s not squished into one of those photo frames in Maverick’s house. You lean back slightly, starting to brace for the impact of him hitting you.

He’s aware of his size and has learned to grow careful with it, stepping around you narrowly and heading straight for your old shitbox of a car.

“I don’t know. The steering is loose and the engine is making a weird noise.”

Bradley twists his neck and shoots an incredulous look at you, back over one of his wide shoulders. It’s a fourteen hour drive down from the Oregon coast, on a good day, and this car ran like shit when your mother bought it twenty something years ago.

Popping the hood, Bradley finds himself thinking of something other than those snowy peaks for the first time all week.

Ahead of you, you’re confronted with Mav’s place. The cottage you were forced to spend the occasional weekend or weeks in during the summer a couple of times through your childhood. Most of the times that you saw Pete were in your hometown. He was always the one who travelled. It seemed fair. His job meant that it didn’t happen often.

Your memories of this house are faint, but the same uncomfortable restless feeling it gives you remains. You remember quiet days sitting on the couch with your hands in your lap, waiting for that court-mandated forty-eight hours to be up.

Natasha is facing the other way. She watches Bradley step off of the curb and pop your hood. Bradley has a technical knowledge of engineering from his career, and a slightly broader scope from his interest in vintage cars — but he’s not a mechanic.

A quick glance to her right and she takes note of the way you’re frowning at the weeds poking through the stone path pavers.

Like watching a storm roll in before a big surf, Natasha has a bad feeling about this arrangement. Two people who should be coming to terms with their grief, and it's clear to her that you’re both planning on ignoring this problem by busying yourself for as long as you can.

“You can’t drive this piece of shit.” Bradley decides from the street. You turn slowly on the balls of your feet and push your hands into the pockets of your jeans. He doesn’t even look up.

Crowding over the hood of your car, glaring down at it. Thick shoulders filling out a plain black t-shirt and long legs hidden under loose fitting grey sweats. An auburn curl dangles over his forehead.

You twist and shoot a look back at Natasha.

“I… Kinda have to.” You point out. A recent graduate with no immediate career plans, who just quit their waitressing job to pick up the pieces of their presumably dead, semi-estranged father’s life. Buying a new car isn’t exactly in the budget right now.

Bradley opens his palms and braces them against the open hood. He turns his head and looks first at Natasha. His best friend. Then, the house. He learned to ride his bike on this street. Maverick lived on this street. Finally, his attention turns to you. He watches you watch him.

Leaning against your shitty, old car like it’s the only thing keeping him on his feet. Squinting at you because he left his sunglasses in work and the doctors won’t let him go back there for another couple weeks.

You’re staring back at him, wondering why he’s looking at you like that. Like he’s looking for something.

He pushes off of the car and stands, wiping his hands on his sweats. “I’ll take care of it. Whatever you need. I can drive you for a bit.”

As Bradley walks around to the back of the car and pops open the trunk to grab your bags, Natasha is struck with a numbing realization.

Maverick put himself in an early grave trying to make up for a mistake he made when he was young, and Bradley won’t stop until he does the same.

…

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#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #miles teller #bradley bradshaw smut #jake seresin #rooster x you #rooster bradshaw imagine #top gun smut #bradley bradsaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you

[jupitercomet]

The Trial Run: Chapter Seven

summary - Bradley Bradshaw has one goal as he finishes his junior year of college - get Makayla Cunningham to be his girlfriend. Because Makayla Cunningham is exactly the kind of girl a guy like Bradley Bradshaw deserves. There's just one problem, Makayla is adamant that Bradley is a bad boyfriend. If he wants to win her over, Bradley has to prove he can keep a girlfriend of Makayla's choosing for the entire summer. It's just his luck that girl is his little sister's best friend.

warnings - college au, frat boy Bradley (Bradley’s frat is completely fictional and in no way meant to reference any existing frats), language, talks of parental death, Bradley is 22 and reader is 19, no use of y/n, Bradley is 6'6" because I said so

this blog is 18+, minors please do not interact

word counts - 3.3k

the trial run masterlist

Bradley shifts for what feels like the fifth time, eyes darting to your frame every few seconds. You’re not paying much attention to him, like everyone else you’re actually trying to enjoy the movie Bob had figured out how to set up on the backyard projector. 

Though it’s been several, several years, backyard movies were practically a Bradshaw tradition back when Bradley’s dad was alive. Nick had even gone so far as investing in those vintage popcorn machines, shoveling bags of it in those classic, pinstripe cartons for the neighborhood kids who swarmed his backyard. He always played the classics, insisting it was important for Bradley and Giselle to be cultured in cinema. And while Carole would argue that maybe Giselle was a little young for The Godfather, Nick always covered her eyes during the gory parts.

Bradley had missed those nights more than he realized, even now he misses them. He misses the taste of fresh, salted popcorn on his tongue—that vintage popcorn machine stopped working years ago so Admiral Simpson saw no reason to take it in the move, and the Bradshaw family has since resorted to microwave popcorn which tastes almost bitter in comparison. He misses locking eyes with his dad’s wiggling eyebrows, grin twitching under his mustache, whenever he understood a joke that wasn’t quite for kids. He misses the way his mom cried at everything sentimental and his dad would tease her a bit before pulling her into his side with a kiss to her temple.

Now his mom’s eyes get misty at an emotional scene and she wipes them with her fingers when she thinks no one’s looking. 

All of it makes Bradley feel uncomfortable. It makes his throat thick and his hands tremble slightly. He doesn’t want to do any of this without his dad, it doesn’t feel right. It feels like they moved on too fast, like his mom got married, and his sister stopped crying every Father’s Day. Bradley’s not ready to move on, not from this. He wants his old vintage popcorn machine and the classic movies that everyone should watch.

He wants his dad.

You get up suddenly and Bradley can hear you quietly tell Giselle that you’re getting some water from the kitchen before you start making your way to the sliding glass door. Bradley watches the door close behind you, his fingers fidgeting as he tries to keep his concentration on the large projection of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Still in the back of his mind, he can’t stay focused and without you in front of him to flit his gaze to every few seconds, it’s harder and harder to sit still.

Unable to hold himself back from it any longer, Bradley gets up from his blanket on the grass, not even bothering to come up with an excuse to Javy as to why he was leaving. Not that the other boy even cared or noticed, Bradley was able to make it all the way to the kitchen without being questioned.

You’re getting water from the fridge filter, looking up in mild surprise when you hear the door slide open. Upon realizing it’s Bradley, you visibly relax and he watches a small smile take over your face. “Hey,” you greet quietly, even though you're quite a few feet away from the movie watchers.

Bradley nods. “Hey.” 

“Just getting some water?” You question, gesturing to the fridge with your cup before you take a sip.

“Yeah, I—” Bradley clears his throat when his voice comes out weaker than intended. “I guess.”

Your brows furrow slightly and you purse your lips, setting your drink down as you take Bradley in with a much more analytical gaze. “Are you okay?”

And Bradley wants to say that yes, he is okay. Because he is, or he should be. Bradley doesn’t know why he can’t seem to move on like the rest of his family, why he feels like this from just watching a movie in his backyard. And he hates that you can see that so quickly, how you always sense what’s wrong with him like he’s that readable.

So he does what he does best, ignoring your question with another, sudden clear of his throat. “Do you wanna go to my room?”

Your eyes widen in surprise, lips parting slightly, and you look entirely caught off guard. Bradley watches your eyes drift to the backyard behind him, to all your friends sitting on lawn blankets watching a movie. It occurs to Bradley now that you might say no. And it also occurs to him that he really doesn’t want you to.

Finally you turn your attention back to him, something unreadable in your eyes, and you nod your head meekly. “Um,” you wet your lips, “okay.”

Bradley holds back his sigh of relief, instead running a hand through his curls just so he has something to do with his fingers. 

Though you both seem to agree, neither of you make a move to leave the kitchen, both just watching the other like some confusing game of follow the leader where you’re not quite sure who’s following who. Finally Bradley can’t take the silence and he gestures to the pantry.

“Should I bring snacks?”

“If you want,” you offer shyly.

Again the conversation falls dead. Bradley doesn’t really know when it started that he started acting like a damn teenager, but he doesn’t like it. If only to save himself from blurting out something stupid, Bradley grabs a random bag of caramel and cheese popcorn from the pantry.

“After you,” he gestures towards the staircase, the bag of popcorn rattling in his grip.

He watches your shoulders lift and fall in a breath and then you’re making your way out of the kitchen, leaving your glass of water behind. Bradley follows after you with one last glance to the back door. Like he suspected, all your friends are still too distracted to realize you’re missing. Of course he knows they’ll realize eventually and he’ll never hear the end of it when they do, but Bradley can’t bring himself to care. He just doesn’t want to be alone.

Your feet still when they make it to Bradley’s door and you turn to face him like you want to check again that he’s even being serious. You seem to be too embarrassed to even ask because you shut your mouth quickly, avoiding his gaze to open the door with a bit of an almost frantic force. 

Bradley watches with bated breath as you take in his childhood room. Part of him worries you’ll judge it - the football posters on the walls, the trophies from little league that shouldn’t be that impressive for a 22 year old. It’s so different from his bedroom back at the frat house, so much more vulnerable.

Without saying anything, you sit delicately on the edge of his bed, glancing at a framed photo of him, Giselle, and his dad on his nightstand. Bradley watches you roll your palms against the fabric of your shorts as you look up at him hesitantly.

“So… what do you want to do?” 

The lights from his backyard and the surrounding houses cast in through the window, illuminating you in a soft glow against his navy bed sheets. Bradley can only suck in a breath, the sight of you striking a chord in him that he wasn’t expecting. Maybe it’s just the fact that he wants to forget about everything going on tonight, but Bradley can only take a step forward, his eyes glued to your frame. 

Your lips look soft, he can see the waxy residue of your vanilla chapstick on them, shining faintly. Just enough that it’s almost teasing Bradley, who’s been finding himself thinking about your lips a lot more than he should recently. You’re still looking up at him expectantly and Bradley swallows down his nerves before you can manage to see right through his defenses again. 

“Do you want to watch something?” 

You snort lightly. “Weren’t we just doing that?”

“Yeah, but,” Bradley tries to relax himself with a breathy laugh. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” He makes a face.

“What’s wrong with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?” You cock your head teasingly.

And, really, Bradley doesn’t find anything wrong with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It’s the people in his backyard, and the fact that they’re watching a movie and there’s no old popcorn machine or classic, pinstripe cartons. It’s the fact that, any day now, Admiral Simpson is going to return and Bradley’s going to feel unwanted in his own house. Except it isn’t his house. This whole summer Bradley has just been reminded over and over that none of this is his.

Your features soften slightly—which is exactly what Bradley didn’t want to happen—when he doesn’t answer. “Bradley?”

And Bradley doesn’t want to think, or feel all of this, or explain to you what’s going on in his head, so instead he surges forward, forcibly swallowing down your concern as if that will make it go away. He reclines you gently onto his mattress, his eyes shut tight as he tries to overwhelm himself with you. He doesn’t want to think about his dad, or Admiral Simpson, or that stupid popcorn machine, so he kisses you in hopes he’ll forget his own name.

“Bradley.” It comes out a gasp, your back arching slightly as he moves his lips to your neck, inhaling the faint scent of butter, salt, and bug spray lingering on your skin. “Bradley—”

He noses at your jaw, tilting your head up and making room for himself along the expanse of your throat. Bradley nips at your skin gently, rolling it between his teeth before blowing on it gently. His hands paw at your shirt, running up and down your sides until he catches the waistband of your shorts.

And it’s all too easy to lose focus when he’s basically depriving himself of oxygen, getting lost in your subtle warmth. Bradley squeezes his eyes closed tighter, letting his hand fall to the meat of your thigh, feeling it between his fingers as he hikes your leg over his hip. He lets his hand run along the bare skin a couple times, tracing over your goosebumps as his lips make their rushed path back to your own.

With a force that teeters on desperation, Bradley kisses you, silently begging to feel your fingers tighten in his hair, your gasps against his skin. Instead, he feels the palm of your hand cupping his cheek as you pull him away from you gently.

“Bradley, wait,” you’re panting, looking up at him with wide eyes as your hand stays planted against his face.

“Sorry—” Bradley swallows thickly, everything coming to him all at once as he hovers over you. He takes in the ragged rise and fall of your chest, the slight deshevel of your clothes, the bite marks littering your neck. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—” He can’t even look at you, his eyes locking with the dip of your shoulder as he moves to get off of you.

You don’t say anything as you sit up slowly, looking at him like he’s some sort of feral animal. Even from his peripheral, Bradley can feel it.

“Are you okay?”

There was that stupid question again. The exact question Bradley had been hoping to forget in the first place. Because he is okay. He always has been. And he doesn’t understand why you almost seem to insist that he isn’t.

You wet your lips. “You don’t… If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

And Bradley knows a loaded sentence when he hears one, but the last thing he wants to do is snap at you. So he doesn’t say anything, looking down at his fingers as he tries to figure out when he started caring so much about old movies and good popcorn. And instead of getting mad at him like he thinks you will, you sit up some more, getting comfortable against his headboard.

“What’s your favorite movie?”

Bradley turns to look at you slowly. “What?”

“It just got me thinking,” you gesture towards his window that faces the backyard. “And I realized that I don’t know what your favorite movie is.”

Bradley thinks for a moment. “Back to the Future,” he says finally.

To Bradley’s surprise, you smile, biting down on your lip as if attempting to hide it.

“That’s the first movie your dad made us watch when we had those neighborhood movie nights.”

And Bradley doesn’t really know if he should be more surprised that you recalled that so quickly or that you remember those old, neighborhood movie nights at all. It’s not really weird that you remember, it was your childhood too, but it had never really occurred to Bradley that those movie nights would have mattered to anyone but himself.

“You know what I really miss?” You continue, seemingly not offended at how little Bradley is involving himself in your conversation. “Your dad’s popcorn.”

Bradley stills, his fingers no longer fidgeting, and he sucks in a breath, your words hitting him hard. “Really?”

“Don’t tell your mom, but whatever popcorn she’s buying at the store isn’t good,” you laugh lightly.

At the sound, Bradley relaxes, shifting slightly to better face you. “I know,” he lets out a soft chuckle. “Though, in fairness to her, I don’t think there’s any brand of popcorn that would be as good as my dad’s.”

You sit up suddenly, a buzz about you as you look at Bradley with a wide smile. “Do you have the Bronco keys?”

Bradley looks at you weirdly because of course he has them. It’s his car. “Yeah?”

“Good,” you hop up from his bed, grabbing his hand without thought as you stand excitedly in his room. “Come on, I want to show you something.” 

That’s all the context you give Bradley as you drag him to his car. He doesn’t even know where he’s going, just following your directions like some easily excitable GPS. You’re giving nothing away though, even as Bradley argues that the place might not even be open, merely grinning in his face and then telling him to “take a left at that light”. 

Bradley is thoroughly confused when you have him pull into the parking lot of one of the city's AMC theaters. It was the one you all used to go to as kids, a staple of the summer when all the big blockbuster came out. Back then, their reclining seats and surround sound system were the coolest things any of you could imagine and you all came up with things like dumping your Nerds into your popcorn so you could get in as much junk food as possible. It was the movie theater Bradley had his first date in, the first time he snuck into an R rated movie.

It’s still just the same as when you were kids, the large twinkling lights illuminating the whole parking lot as cars pull in and out. As soon as Bradley parks, you give him a look before hopping out of the car.

“Wait here.”

And so Bradley does.

For 20 minutes, Bradley switches between looking out the window for you, swiping through his phone, and wondering what the hell he’s doing here. Instagram reels only give him so much distraction, and then he switched to looking at all the large posters of upcoming movies to see if any looked interesting. They were mainly sequels, which he suspected, but there were a couple he noted to watch the trailers of later.

Finally you come out of the theater, sporting two large buckets of popcorn in your hands and a wide grin on your face. Bradley can only watch in confusion as you hop back into the car and hand one of the popcorn buckets to him.

“Enjoy,” you say dramatically before shoveling a handful of popcorn into your mouth.

Bradley looks down at the bucket of popcorn in his hands. The kernels are saturated with butter and it looks as though the golden yellow consistency seeps through each layer. He takes one between his fingers, placing it in his mouth hesitantly.

You’re looking at him expectantly as he bites down and his eyes widen slightly. The salty, buttery flavor explodes against his taste buds and the kernel doesn’t feel burnt or stale. Bradley didn’t think that he could care this much about popcorn, but everything about this night has proved that wrong and he looks up at you in thinly veiled shock.

“Good, right?” You smile, having some more of your own popcorn. “It’s the only popcorn I’ve found that’s as good as your dad’s.”

Bradley cocks his head in confusion, shoveling a handful of popcorn in his mouth with more confidence. “You got it from the movie theater?” He asks through a mouthful of kernels. “I didn’t know their popcorn could taste like that.”

You shrug. “I know a guy.”

“You know a guy?” Bradley scoffs teasingly at your answer, shifting in his seat to face you better.

“I do!” You stick your tongue out at him. “You’re not the only guy who knows people here, Mr. Quarterback.”

Bradley’s eyes crinkle as he laughs. “Yeah, alright, who’s your popcorn dealer then, sunshine?”

“Peter Binkley.”

Bradley nearly chokes on his popcorn. “Peter Binkley? No way you still talk to Peter Binkley.”

“He was my partner in chem and then he started working at the movie theater. He’d bring popcorn to our study sessions and we figured out the perfect butter to popcorn ratio,” you explain proudly. “We don’t talk a lot, but I still get free popcorn here.”

Bradley prods his cheek with his tongue thoughtfully. “He totally has a crush on you.”

“What? No, he doesn’t!” Your jaw drops, your voice raising a couple octaves.

Bradley grins. “Yes, he does. And as your boyfriend, I think I’m gonna need to shut that down immediately.”

“And how are you gonna do that?” You give him an unimpressed look.

Bradley’s eyes flit to the wall of movie posters before coming back to you. “Take you on a date to the movies, obviously.”

You seem caught off guard by that response, your fingers slipping slightly on your bucket of popcorn. Ducking your head down to avoid his gaze for a moment, you clear your throat. “How are we gonna get good popcorn if you're trying to beat Peter Binkley up in the back alley?”

Bradley pretends to think, tracing his tongue along his teeth. “You’re right,” he nods knowingly. “I guess I can put my masculine pride aside for the sake of good popcorn.”

You roll your eyes endearingly. “How courageous.”

Bradley laughs, his character breaking as he relaxes against the seat of his Bronco. You follow suit, still eating kernel after kernel of popcorn as the two of you sit in his parked car outside of an AMC theater. That itching feeling that had been consuming Bradley, that caused his thoughts to race and his heart to pound, fades away with every bite of buttery popcorn all while you’re sitting next to him with a smile on your face, the lights of the movie theater shining against your skin. Something settles in his chest and he sucks in a breath.

“Should we—” Without thinking Bradley wipes his buttery fingers against his shorts. “Should we head back?”

He feels your eyes on him. “We could… Or we could try to see how much popcorn we can throw into each other’s mouths.”

Bradley grins.

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#bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw imagines #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw angst #bradley bradshaw au #rooster imagine #rooster imagines #rooster x reader #rooster fluff #rooster angst #rooster au #top gun maverick imagines #x reader #the trial run #buggy's got a pen

[seresinsbabe]

Dream of Me: Prologue

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x fem!reader

Synopsis: Jake made the dumb mistake cheating on the only girl he every really loved. Fast forward a few years, he's a Navy pilot and you're now a famous singer.

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Angst, cheating, heartbreak, mild smut not graphic at all, cursing.

THIS BLOG IS 18+ MINORS DNI

Masterlist | Next Chapter

“So you’re really gonna go for it?” Your sister’s voice came through the receiver with an excited tone.

You bit down on your lip, smiling as you stared at paper with the recording studio’s information on it. “I have to. What's a bigger sign than being approached like that after a show?” To you it only made sense. How could you give this opportunity up?

“What if he’s a scammer?” Despite your sister's excitement, she was still skeptical. Everyone knew how much you wanted this. That you spent every weekend you could traveling around Texas to sing at any bar or saloon that would have you. And they all knew the only reason you had gone to nursing school was for a back up plan. In the chance you never made it big, even though everyone knew you would. At least they told you that you would. 

“I don’t think he is Sara, but I promise if I smell a scam I’ll get out.” You promised, but your sister knew she wasn’t going to talk you out of this. “You gonna help me write some more songs? I’ll need some new material before I go in a couple weeks.” Just as you knew she would, your sister agreed. After plans were made and a few ideas were spitballed you hung up.

The closer you got to home the more excited you got, the realization settling in. This was happening, you were getting your chance to live out your dreams. How many times had you almost given up because you felt you weren’t good enough? That if it was going to happen it would have already happened, that you wouldn’t have even had to go to school for a degree. You’d have already been selling out arenas and topping the charts. Not caring that you were still young, you still had time and a massive support system. 

By the time you pulled into your driveway you could feel the tingling excitement in your bones. You were bouncing as you jumped out of the car, not even taking notice of the strange car in your driveway. All you could focus on was telling your long time boyfriend and high school sweetheart about everything that had happened over the weekend.

That excitement all came shattering down around you when you found him, boxers around his ankles with some girl bouncing on his lap. Even the air in the house smelled like infidelity and made you want to vomit more than you already did. You wanted to go back to thirty seconds ago. Before you walked in on the one person you thought would never hurt you doing just that – hurting you.

But it was like you were already numb and on autopilot as you walked past them and into your shared room. Her clothes on the floor and the sheets mussed up, like they’d already defiled your bed before moving to the living room. 

You could hear Jake’s frantic footsteps behind you. “Babe it’s no-”

“Get out.” Your voice was calm and your eyes were dead. So much so that it scared Jake.

“Wha-baby no! I-I’m sorry it was just once and it won’t happen again.” He was scrambling and unpacking the items of his you’d been stuffing into his suitcase. 

He knew he’d fucked up, but you were sure he was only sorry he’d gotten caught. Because you knew Jake, better than you knew anyone. He didn’t do things without thinking, this wasn’t a lapse in judgment. This was a choice he’d made for whatever reason. One that you didn’t really want to know, because you didn’t want to hear his voice. 

“You’ve just been gone and I missed you and-”

“So you decided to search for me in some other girl’s pussy? Did ya fuckin’ find me?” You screamed, your voice full of anger and pain. “There were hundreds of other choices you could have made if you missed me so much. So why the fuck did you make this one?”

You watched as Jake’s mouth opened and closed, no words ever coming out because he had no excuse.

“Get your shit and get the fuck out. I don’t ever want to see you again.” You moved to leave, needing to get out of here, but as you passed him he reached out, trying to pull you into his arms. The feeling of his fingertips on your skin burned now. If you tried to speak again you knew you’d cry and you didn’t want him to see you that weak because of him.

The walk from the hallway to the front door felt like it took forever. The girl was still sitting on the couch as if she was dutifully waiting on Jake. You tried your best to ignore her and you were doing a damn good job of it until she opened her mouth.

“Maybe if you weren’t so focused on your stupid little music career he wouldn’t have had to come to me.” 

You closed your eyes to collect yourself for a moment. When you turned you opened them ready to fire something back at her until you noticed the way her fingers incessantly scratched at her cunt. As a nurse you knew exactly what that meant. So instead of firing something back at her you just laughed, collected your things and walked out the door.

@cherrycola27 @clancycucumber230

#top gun au #top gun fic #hangman x reader #hangman x you #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin fic #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin angst #jake seresin au #jake hangman seresin x you #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader

[circa98s]

‧ ₊ ˚ ✧ › MUN: good afternoon, my dears! i'm k ( she/her, est, 21+ ), the writer behind han mila & shin eunbi. milas blog serves as my main, while eunbis is a side, so you'll most likely see me interact from this one more frequently ooc! if you'd like to plot over on discord, i'm happy to give that out upon request! ♡

‧ ₊ ˚ ✧ › MUSE: and now, meet han mila— 25 years old, a city girl who planted her roots in yuseong bay only 4 months ago, so she's a new resident. utilizing her marketing degree ( wow, fancy ), she currently works as a visual merchandiser at eclectique 33. you can find her wip stats page here!

when did your muse first arrive in yuseong bay? mila has only begun planting roots for herself in yuseong about four months ago ( so, essentially, at the very beginning of this year ).

what does an average day look like for your muse & where can they usually be found? the busiest of bees, mila can be seen fluttering around eclectique, as well as it's general vicinity, the majority of time— at least, during the day / general work hours. as mornings wind down into evenings and the sun begins to set, the blonde often takes refugee at the 88&bar, nursing cocktails of her choice as a way of keeping her frazzled thoughts at bay ( when i tell you this city girl is still trying to adjust to rural living amidst having her hallmark movie moment . . . pls help her ).

how does your muse feel about hanhwa resort? having no real frame of reference for what mild negativities a resort like hanhwa could be bringing to the local space and its primary inhabitants whose daily lives are now continuously altered, mila herself doesn't see the harm with how much attention it seems to be garnering. honestly, the urban crowds that filter in and out are a welcome familiarity.

is there an aspiration for your muse to stay in or leave yuseong bay? for the time being, mila has no real idea what she's looking for just yet— coming to yuseong had been a random, but conscious, choice, one made with the intention of being somewhere different. for now, four months in and still aspiring to find some sense of rthym for herself ( as hard as that'd currently been ), the thought of wanting to leave has yet to cross her mind.

list your muse’s three favorite songs. healing — fletcher. walking home — mac ayres. naked girl — iyla.

describe your muse’s wardrobe. flirty, girly, pastels. a soft romantic at heart, that aspect of her personality translates one for one in terms of her fashion.

what is a color, word, and emoji that you feel describes your muse? baby pink, ambitious, 🎀.

three strong likes and dislikes for your muse. likes — floral perfumes, early mornings, staying busy. dislikes — creative ruts, the stench of fish, root regrowth.

three positive and negative traits for your muse. positives — sweet, upbeat, extroverted. negatives — impulsive, workaholic, judgy.

three talents and shortcomings for your muse. having a knack for connecting with others, a skill she'd already had since childhood that only got stronger with time, mila can make an acquaintance out of anyone. open, ready to talk about anything and everything, there's not a single person she'd ever found herself intimidated by enough to keep her distance. often times, it's this very facete of herself that leads to a decline in energy by the days end, her social batteries quick to recharge after quiet evenings, and even then, she'll often find herself engaging in conversations past her moods expiration simply because that's what she's always done. mild eye bags and all that'll be gone come time to wake up the next morning, mila engages with a smile.

what is a book/tv series/movie/video game character that you feel your character relates to? without question, elle woods has always been a role model, a character mila strives make proud.

a relevant goal or arc for your character to overcome. finding balance, not just within herself, but in this new daily life she's found for herself.

#˚ ♡ ‧₊˚✧ › THE MUN. #yshqs:intro #( late to the party as always :'3 eunbis will be posted soon!

[spectrumlife99]

A more personal story about a big struggle of mine...food.

I've talked a little bit about how I hate food before on this blog...but now I think it's time to go in-depth about it...even though I usually HATE talking about it, and I'm really nervous and anxious about making this post, but I'll do my best.

Ever since I was little (like, two years old when I was taken off the baby bottle and had to move to solid foods, which, actually, I have NEVER drank milk since the baby bottle was taken away because it was nasty and I no longer needed it to survive...and I STILL to this day hate milk and find it gross), I have had MAJOR sensory issues with food, causing me to be extremely picky and particular about what I eat. I have issues with the look, smell, taste, texture, etc. I also hate things on my plate touching each other, and as a kid I had to have everything on separate plates/bowls because I wouldn't eat if anything on the plate touched each other. I still hate that to this day though, with a lot of work, I have been able to move past the "everything on separate plates/bowls" thing. I do still try my absolute best to keep everything a good distance from each other though.

I am also very particular about even the same types of food. For example, I only eat certain specific brands of certain specific things, and if the brand is wrong, even if the food itself is the same, I will always notice just by smell alone, and refuse to eat it. If the brand is not the safe brand, I will not eat it. If we don't have a safe food or the right brand of safe food, I will choose to go hungry rather than eat, because it's just too much for me to eat a non-safe food/brand. My diet is extremely limited...I would say that 99% of all foods in this world are way too overwhelming for me, and I know for a fact that I can count the number of foods I will actually eat on my fingers...and everything on that list is bland, except for a couple VERY SPECIFIC flavors of VERY SPECIFIC kinds of candy. It has to be bland because I can't handle anything that's spicy (even if it's only a tiny kick or a pinch of seasoning, it will still feel like my mouth is burning and my stomach will start feeling bad), I can't handle bitter things (bitter things will immediately trigger the gag reflex), and I can't handle sour things (sour things, aside from being overwhelming in taste, make my mouth really irritated and that really hurts), or things that are too sweet (I can handle mild sweetness but if it's anything even the slightest bit over mildly sweet, I can't handle it, it triggers the gag reflex). If I could survive without eating, I would never ever eat a thing because I hate food and eating so much. I usually only eat one meal a day, that being supper, because my family always makes sure to have safe food for me in the house for supper specifically. And if we have takeout or go to a restaurant, we always make sure that the restaurant has one of my safe foods beforehand, otherwise I won't eat.

I have gone multiple days in a row without eating anything, because there was nothing safe around. This was back when I was in my early teens in the psych hospital. I was there because I needed a medication adjustment, they had to take me off everything and put me back on everything again slowly, as well as change some of the meds because I was struggling with severe anger issues and aggression, there wasn't a day that went by without me exploding on someone and physically hurting them or myself back then...so I was in the psych hospital for about a week and a half. The teen ward was like a dorm at a university or something, there was a common area, and two long corridors of rooms, with the girls on one and boys on the other. Now, the food situation there was...less than ideal... especially for someone like me. We had a choice of what we wanted to eat, but to actually GET to choose, we had to wake up at the designated wake-up call time...which was always really hard for me since I am not a morning person and I also had nightmares that woke me up and made me really anxious and panicky basically every night. So, as you can probably guess, I always missed the menu choices, meaning I always ended up with something random. That was not good, because it was almost always something that wasn't a safe food. The worst part of it was, there were multiple days in a row of this, and by the fourth day in a row of me not eating, one of the nurses did the worst thing possible for a person with severe food sensitivities...the nurse force-fed me...and continued to do so everyday after that. It was like torture, and every time after being force-fed by the nurse, I would go right back to my room, head right to the bathroom, and proceed to get rid of it by gagging myself on purpose to make myself throw up. The food sitting in my stomach made me nauseous as it was already so I just had to get it out of there so I could feel better. I never told anyone about it though because during my entire week and a half there it was so traumatic I was basically rendered mute, barely saying a word to anyone. I know that they were just worried about me and wanted to make sure I survived while I was there, but they definitely could've done it less...aggressively...

This wasn't the first time I was force-fed either. As a kid, with my OT, I did a type of feeding therapy called Feeding Team. It was supposed to help me learn to try new foods...but it didn't work. Now, the person who force-fed me there wasn't my usual therapist. My usual therapist never did that, she just sat there with me and reminded me that if I didn't eat the food of the week, I wouldn't be allowed to do all the other stuff...the stuff I liked doing in OT. Multiple weeks just consisted of me just sitting there the whole time because I just wouldn't...COULDN'T eat. But my usual therapist never threatened to force-feed me or anything like that. So how was I force-fed there, then...? Well...it was when my usual therapist wasn't there, and I had a substitute...a couple substitutes weren't the most patient and after it became clear I wasn't going to eat, they would pick up the fork or spoon, gather some of the food on it, and shove it into my mouth. I would immediately go running to the bathroom after that and proceed to, once again, get rid of it all so I didn't feel sick anymore with the food sitting in my stomach like that.

No one, absolutely NO ONE in my family knows that I've been force-fed before. They also don't know about me purposely getting rid of the food I was force-fed every time. I have only told my talk therapist and a best friend of mine who understands what having food sensitivities like this is like...and only brought it up in the first place because I've been thinking about this for a while and having nightmares about the force-feeding where I wake up feeling sick and like I need to get rid of the food I was force-fed in my dream...so it's been really bothering me a lot lately. And I'm one of those people who HATES anything to do with throwing up. If someone around me is sick with a stomach bug or flu and I hear or see it...I freak out and have full-on panic attacks over it, and when I have the stomach bug or flu myself, I try to keep everything from coming out as long as I possibly can.

And food unfortunately is something that can make me really sick and trigger the gag reflex from just the look and smell alone...which is why I always stay away from the kitchen when my family is eating their meals, and waiting until everything they had is all cleaned up and put away before I can finally have my own safe food for supper...I do this pretty much everyday, as it's very VERY rare for my family to have something I can eat alongside them for supper. The only thing that really comes to my mind that I eat with them is pasta...my mom makes it plain and makes the sauce separately because she's allergic to tomatoes and I don't like sauce. I completely cover my plain pasta in the (what I like to call) "cheese salt" type of parmesan cheese because that way it tastes better and it's not greasy. One of my younger brothers (who also has some food sensitivities, but he's not nearly as problematic in my parents' eyes as I am because he eats a lot more things than I do) does the same thing, and we often fight over the parmesan cheese because of it.

I used to have to sit at the table with everyone during holiday meals, which felt like torture, but now I don't have to do that anymore because I just can't do that without feeling sick and losing my appetite at the sight and smell of all holiday food. The only thing I eat on holidays is plain rolls...which is just bread. Everything else is way too much for me. So I wait for everyone to finish and clean up, and then I have a safe food, just like basically every other day.

On Easter yesterday I didn't even eat supper at all because I just wasn't hungry. I have a hard time noticing when I'm hungry or not, so that plays another part in me not wanting to eat, because I don't feel like I need to. I've been put on an appetite stimulator medication because my one meal a day is not enough for my family and support workers and it makes them worry...even though I'm totally fine with one a day but that's just me. It worked for a while, it didn't change anything I actually ATE but it made me feel hunger a bit more...though now it's stopped working and I'm back to one meal a day. I get really tired of my family constantly judging me for being picky, berating me for never eating anything, telling me I'm being difficult, and saying things like, "There are people starving out there, you should be grateful for what you have and eat!" When they say those things, it does not help at all! It instead just makes me really upset because I literally CANNOT HELP IT! I didn't ASK for this, I didn't ASK to have so many food sensitivities...and it drives ME just as crazy as it drives THEM! I wish I could eat more things so they wouldn't get so mad at me all the time but I just CAN'T!

You know how people will expect you to just toughen up and eat what's in front of you...? Yeah...no...that doesn't work for me. If there's nothing I can eat, nothing that's safe, I will not eat a THING until I have a safe food in front of me again, even if it takes multiple days...the longest I've gone without eating was four days. I am so glad my parents don't force-feed me though, like the nurses at the psych hospital or the substitute OT person did...because that means I haven't had to intentionally make myself sick to get rid of the things I was force-fed in about a decade now. I am so afraid to tell my family about those incidents because they have never heard anything about it from anyone at all and I always keep traumatic memories and things that happened to me to myself for years at a time, until I can't take it anymore and I just break from the stress, but I am working on it now with my talk therapist, so I hope I'll be able to say something eventually.

Anyway, I guess what I want to say is, anyone else who's autistic and struggles with food sensitivities, I see you and I feel you. You are not alone. I used to think I was alone in this until I met my best friend who struggles with this stuff too. It was so validating for me to finally have someone who understands what this is like, and I hope my story can help some of you feel not so alone either.

#actually autistic #autism things #food is a sensory nightmare #food is gross #i hate food #i hate talking about this usually #but i wanted to spread the word that this is a real issue people have and it's not because they're choosing to #and hopefully help anyone who has this same problem feel validated and less alone #i see you and feel you #also please don't hit me with the “oh it's an eating disorder” thing...last i checked you're not born with eds #and i have been like this since i was very very little...like two years old little #it's entirely a sensory thing...a really really major sensory thing with multiple components to it #long post #sl99 talks

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Crown For Two {9}

Henry Cavill AU x OFC Xari Thornton

Warning: Mild Cursing, Cheesy Christmas Themes, Fluff, 

Words: 8.2k

Summary: Xari Thornton is a travel photographer with a blog and social media that garners some heavy-duty traffic. People tune in to see where she is and what she’s doing there, all in hopes of either living vicariously through her or to plan their next vacation.  

Her slogan: “Traveling the path to the most off-beaten places, so you don’t have to.”  

Her next stop on her four-destination travel itinerary of “Places You May Never Have Heard Of” is Sandvell, a small European country. When her plane makes an impromptu stop due to bad weather, she has no idea where she is. It feels like she’s stepped inside of a snow globe and back in time in a modern way. It leaves her fascinated.

This bad weather forces her to stay at an Inn, The Beaux, for the night. She explores and meets the friendly locals. One local in particular captures her lens with eyes as blue as the ocean and a jaw that was chiseled from stone. Once they separate, she gets herself into a harrowing situation.  

As soon as she awakens, she realizes she’s not in some fever dream, but a palace and the owner of the palace is none other than the local she met before with the piercing blue eyes, His Royal Highness Henry Wellington Leopold Danglishton, First of his name, Crown Prince of Brexendor.

Note: AND WE’RE BACK!!!  It’s December again which means we all need a cheesy Christmas romance. 😁 I know this has been gone for a long, long time and I am thankful for each of you who still care about it. As a reminder, it’s going to be fast-paced a bit, and I am gonna overload you with pictures because why the hell not, it’s a Christmas Fic. 😁 Feel free to come by and tell me what you guys think.

As always, thank you all for reading, I appreciate each and every one of you.

If you enjoyed this, please, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG!!! ❤️❤️

***NOT Edited/Proofread***

***Interactive***

Previous Chapters: {1} | {2} | {3} | {4} | {5} | {6} | {7} | {8} | 

-Y/N-

“Hey you’ve reached Neka. I’m too busy living my life the way I want to and can’t be bothered to answer. Leave a message and I’ll call you back. If I want to.”

 You sighed hearing your sister’s very familiar voicemail message.

 “Aneka, it’s me. Where are you? I get this place is obscenely huge and there is plenty to explore but pick up the damn phone. Let me know you’re okay.”

 You ended the call and sighed again as you made sure you had everything in your purse. A few moments later, you stopped thinking again about going to this thing. Half of you was telling you it was a bad idea and that you should stay away from everything related to this country including its crown prince. However, the other side was traitorous and telling you to run carefree and live by the seat of your panties and take them off for said crown prince.

 What’s the worst that could happen? You recognized the question from the carefree and often diabolical devil on your shoulder.

 Humiliation and heartbreak are what. The words from the practical and cautious angel on the other side of your shoulder piped up.

 You stood there thinking about both sides for a few moments then continued putting items into your purse.

 Good girl, live a little, have some fun and get a few orgasms at the same time. Win/win. The devil was on a roll.

 It is all fun and games until you get your heart broken by an actual prince who has obligations to be with someone other than you.

 The angel’s words were like a gut punch. It was right.

 MSG Aneka: I’m sorry RiRi. I’m going to this thing in the park. You should come I hear it’s a lot of fun.

 Your sister never ceased to amaze you. She’d found out about the citizen’s Brexenavide on her own and was already in the thick of it. She had no problem going with the flow and having a good time when she saw it could be had. You sighed again, finally deciding to just do it. However, a few minutes after making the decision you scowled remembering who you’d be driving with.

 There was something about this Freddie girl that rubbed you the wrong way. Something about her that screamed she was not to be trusted and that included enough to be in the same car. You groaned because you’d long left high school and the petty turf wars of petty bitches behind. You were an adult now who had bills and obligations and checking a rich bitch wasn’t one of them. A smirk spread across your face as you came to the realization that you were happy to rise to the occasion though. After looking yourself over, you divided to change. While your current outfit was cute, one look outside said you needed something warmer.

 At that thought there was a knock at your door. When you opened it, you found a honey eyed member of the staff you recognized. She smiled and bowed her head slightly.

 “Ms. Xari. I come with a message from Princess Jemma.”

 Recognition hit you then, “Tamina, right?”

 She smiled wider and nodded, clearly delighted you remembered her.

 “Yes, ma’am.”

 “Come in, please.”

 “No need ma’am. This is from the princess. She wanted you to have it for the event today. Her direct message is to wear it and it will ensure no one will be able to take their eyes off of you.”

 What the hell did that mean? You reached out to Tamina and took the two garment bags that were lying across her forearms.

 “Thank you, Tamina. Please thank the princess.”

 Tamina bowed again before walking off. When you turned back into your room you staggered to the bed from the weight of the items in your arms and laid the bags across your bed. Unzipping the first one, your eyes widened at the sight of a chic, and beautiful outfit resting there. The items looked designer, and no doubt must have costed several thousand dollars. Your hand brushed against the shiny leather of the pants and instantly recognized it was high quality. It went perfect with the cropped knitted sweater that rested just atop it.

 You didn’t know how Jemma knew you were a sucker for leather pants, but you were busting at the seams to try them on. Every woman needed a great pair of leather pants that made their ass pop. You reached for the second bag and opened it and gasped. A plush fur coat that brought the whole thing together waited for you to touch it. You were so tempted, and that temptation proved to be too much. When your fingers entangled in the fur, you cooed. It was perfect. Leather and fur, how luxurious, you thought.

 When in Rome, or Brexendor. Live a little. The angel on your shoulder had a point. Within minutes, you’d peeled off your own clothing and changed into the ones sent by Jemma. Surprisingly they were a perfect fit. The moment you buttoned the pants you sighed. They were made for you. Once you’d pulled it all together, you stood in front of the full-length mirror in the room and surveyed your look from every angle. Every angle passed the test. You looked damn good. For the final test, you dropped down like you were doing the beat drop challenge and kept your eyes on your ass. A wide grin spread across your face.

 “Thank you, Jemma!”

 You hurried into the closet, remembering you’d already packed the perfect boots to wear with this outfit. When you’d packed, Aneka had made fun of you saying you were going to slip on a patch of ice and break your neck because of them. You didn’t bother telling her it would never happen because no one pays nearly nine hundred dollars for boots that were designed for cold weather in mind with the chance of said boots sending you to your death because they couldn’t hold up. You’d worn these two times before and they’d never failed you.

 Standing in front of the mirror again, this time in the knee-high fur heeled boots you smirked. Jemma’s words came to mind then.

 “Wear it and it will ensure no one will be able to take their eyes off of you.”

 You wondered if Henry would be among those who couldn’t keep their eyes off of you. Memories of the night before flooded your mind and within seconds you were frozen reminiscing of the way his hands felt against your skin, the scent of his breath as he moaned against your ear, the taste of his lips and the intensity in his eyes when his locked with yours. You had to put a hand out to stabilize yourself because the thought of his body pressing on top of yours made your knees buck

 With much effort, you pulled yourself back to reality. If you thought about him any longer you knew you’d be on edge all day which you guessed would be akin to torture. There was a nagging feeling inside of you that told you that you’d need to be alert today. After checking your make up once more, you grabbed your purse and phone then made your way downstairs. As you passed by the staff you stopped for small talk, inquiring about everyone’s health and thanking them for all they’d done for you thus far. Each of them looked surprised but more than happy to stop and chat with you.

 When you stepped outside into the entry roundabout of the palace, you saw a long line of cars waiting and plenty of bustling bodies still in preparing mode for the departure. You watched the dignitaries load in their cars and pull off one by one. From the looks of all this pomp and flair, you knew this event was much more than just meeting the citizens. Perhaps this was a test of some sorts. You saw the man who’d been introduced as the prime minister do a quick perimeter check, surveying the around area before he looked in your direction. You expected him to get into the car as normal, but he didn’t. Instead, he stared in your direction and the longer he did the more the hairs on the back of your neck stood like your entire being was trying to tell you something about the man.

 The feel of someone touching your left elbow startled you.

 “My apologies Lady Thornton,” said one of the palace butlers.

 “It’s all right.”

 “Your car.”

 His hand stretched to the left at a silver car with its door open and waiting. Through the window, you could see the woman who’d so eagerly offered herself and her car to get you to the event. You were under no false pretenses about her sincerity in doing so. There was something more to her supposedly kind offer. You weren’t in a hurry to find out just how much more but from the way you’d caught her looking at Henry the night of the ball you had your guesses. You allowed the butler to direct you to the car and see you inside.

 As soon as you sat, the woman across from you pasted a smile on her face. It was one of those basic instinct smiles, a smile that housed a thousand lies, and a thousand and one daggers.

 “Xari, darling!”

 Your eyes widened. It had been a while since you’d been around this level of fake.

 “Thank you offering to get me to the event,” you breached.

 She smiled wider, if that was possible then leaned closer and took your hand in hers. “No thank you needed, dear. I have always been keen on helping those less fortunate.”

 You heard the bells of a boxing match in your head. She’d started round one.

 “Wow, um--.”

 “What a cute outfit you’ve chosen for yourself. I worried your tastes would be too—tactless for what the Brexendor press are used to, but I am surprised to see tactlessness will be missing from the day, at least in your outfit.”

 You cocked your head to the side. How did she manage to make so many insults sound so pleasant? You stifled a snort because thanks to your upbringing you’d been forced to go through debutant classes where you learned everything from etiquette to the art of polite disrespect. It was a southern thing. Those classes had prepared you to deal with the southern aunties, upper class grandmothers and quite a few socialites who thought they were better than everyone else because they had a trust fund and a rotation of cars for every day of the week.

 You opened your mouth to speak but the door on the right of the car opened first. First it was your sister, Aneka who ducked inside and sat beside you, then Albee, the man with the pretty eyes from the ball who sat beside Freddie.

 “Aneka?”

 She looped her arm with yours and smiled. “I thought you’d left already?”

 “I was but I got—distracted,” she said coyly smiling at Albee who smirked right back.

 “What are you doing in my car, Albee? Though I know yours is far less luxurious than mine I am sure you have your own car,” Freddie cheeked.

 Albee didn’t look fazed in the least, instead he smirked and made himself more comfortable in his seat. “Freddie you are aware that we are the same rank, correct?”

 “Duchess Frederica,” she retorted through clenched teeth.

 Albee scoffed. “Freddie. We’re all friends here, no need for titles. Only those who feel themselves more important than you truly are need to lean on such trivial things.”

 Freddie glared at him with one brow raised.

 “Since you are offering transport, I humbly accept your offer. Driver, carry on.”

 Before Freddie could reply, the car took motion, and she didn’t look one bit happy about it. You and Aneka exchanged glances speaking through them as you usually did. You were tempted to bust out your secret language from when you were kids but didn’t want to come off as intentionally rude. This was a tit for tat game.

 “And who are you?”

 Freddie’s calculating eyes landed on Aneka, but she didn’t shrink back, Aneka instead raised her brow and put on a sugar sweet smile on her face.

 “Aneka, Xari’s sister.”

 Freddi’s eyebrow darted upward as she took both of you in. “So there are two less fortunate souls that need our charity.”

 “The only thing unfortunate is your dye job. Did you pay for that?”

 The fire in Freddie’s eyes sparked and you saw Aneka had struck a nerve. It was after all her specialty.

 “Oh don’t tease dear Freddie about her hair. She loves it more than Jesus and little children,” Albee teased.

 “Children are disgusting,” she added never taking her eyes off of Aneka.

 “Interesting. That is not what I recall you telling the queen just a few weeks ago. What was it? Oh, I do so love children and cannot wait until I can become a mother. I do believe it is my life’s purpose.”

 You couldn’t help but snort. Dipping your head to the side to hide in Aneka’s shoulder you snickered.

 “I knew I scented fake on you, but I didn’t know it was this much of it,” Aneka added.

 “Fake? Are we talking about fake as in your supposed Gucci shoes or perhaps that atrocity you call hair atop your head? That level of fake?”

 Aneka lunged forward but your hand across her chest like a theme park ride safety bar stopped her.

 “Ri, Aneka began but the look you gave her stopped any further words.

 “So your hair is a sore topic? Remember that before you even attempt to go toe to toe with me.”

 You could hear Aneka’s teeth grinding. You knew she had it in her to beat Freddie’s ass in record time then step out the car without so much as a scratch on her. However, this was not the place and definitely not the time. You didn’t want to offend the queen or the family especially with the level of hospitality they were currently showing you both.

 “Take it easy Freddie. We wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened two Christmases ago. I don’t think the gossip would die down so quickly this time,” Albee cautioned.

 The look Freddie gave him could have frozen anyone’s heart, but he didn’t look bothered at all. His smile was bright as he met the challenge of her icy gaze. It was clear that this was normal for the two of them. Either this was a huge scheme between them to dupe the newcomer or the two disliked each other.

 “Why am I not surprised that you have found yet another commoner to slum it with. Do you not have any sense of pride or self-worth? Do you not feel them beneath you?”

 Aneka made a move to lunge at Freddie again, but you held firmly to her and brought her attention to look out the window.

 “Tsk, Tsk Freddie. Where is your decorum? My sense of pride and worth were never in question. Yours however—I can after all say I have never had a lifelong pursuit of someone who didn’t want me in the slightest bit.”

 You tucked that bit of information away for when you were alone to dissect it. All conversation stopped and you pointed things out to Aneka. Everything you pointed out Albee took it upon himself to either explain or give backstory to. It was interesting the information he revealed about the country. It was clear from his voice he also loved his home. With every other sentence he spoke, Freddie had a snide remark for. Either it was something to make him look bad or to point out how out of bounds you were to even be here.

 Thankfully, the car pulled into the destination when it did because you were quickly approaching the limit to your acceptance and ability to turn the other cheek. You looked at all the things that were set up for this event. Off to the side where the path was fully paved, there were stations set up for snacks, drinks, souvenirs, pictures and a few other things such as arts and crafts. Across the massive open field there was plenty to do. The car rolled past a toboggan area where children and adults were already speeding down the steep slope having a fabulous time. There was even an ice-skating rink that looked like the perfect photo-op to showcase how picturesque this country really was. You caught sight of other stalls set up with games, even child and family friendly park rides and even animals for petting.

 “Wow, give me this over a ball any day,” Aneka said.

 Freddie scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Gauche,” she hissed.

 The car door opened but before Freddie could make a move you slammed it shut again and locked it. You’d had enough.

 “I have sat here this entire car ride and listened to your disrespect and belittlement of myself, and my sister and I let you get it all out because I know those who feel threatened the most always feel the need to wail and moan about it so their voices are the ones heard the loudest to distract from how insignificant they truly feel and are.”

 Freddie’s eyes blazed. She opened her mouth to speak but you continued, keeping your voice steady. “I wasn’t going to point out your insignificance, but I feel I must now. If you had any respect for yourself, your country and people you would shut your mouth and practice a little thing we call in America and by we, I mean women with mine and Aneka’s hair, call self-restraint and self-love. Because you would truly understand that you reflect upon your country and people. It is very telling of your low intelligence when all you can do is attempt to make others feel lowly about themselves because you put so much value on wealth. This holier than thou act will only lead to one thing in your life, shame and loneliness. Though I think you are fully aware of the loneliness part. You can’t make me feel bad about myself because I know my worth and it is astronomically higher than yours and we both know he sees that.”

 Freddie sputtered clearly trying to find the words for a comeback. You gave her a good five seconds to compute but even that wasn’t enough. Poor little Tink Tink, you thought as you unlocked the door. It opened as soon as you did like the driver had been trying the entire time. You didn’t wait for her to climb out you took the initiative and took the driver’s hand and climbed out of the car holding onto Aneka’s hand bringing her with you.

As soon as you stepped out of the car, you caught Henry’s eye. His brows were burrowed and there was a look of concern on his face. You gave him a polite smile and head nod as you rounded the car. Slowly, he brought his attention to the group of men before him. Albee stepped beside you then leaned close to your ear.

 “She has fangs,” he whispered.

 You smirked, “And my bite and bark are both deadly.”

 His smile widened as he tipped his invisible hat to you.

 “I like you,” Albee added as the line of dignitaries began moving. “And I can see why he likes you too.”

 His voice was lower this time, but it was his words that had you stumbling. Thanks to Aneka’s grip on your arm, it was barely noticeable. Thank goodness too because the press were hungrily snapping pictures of everyone and everything. You and the others stood to the side as Henry, the queen and Jemma shook hands and took the lead in the festivities. Your eyes couldn’t help but follow Henry as he shook the hands of several people while exchanging pleasantries. His smile was wide and the gleam in his eyes said he was genuinely happy to be there and interact with them all.

 When you saw him dip down to greet a few children, your ovaries practically exploded. The kids melted and in turn he did too. He played around with them as his mother and sister took over with greeting the adults. The more you watched the more your heart thumped thinking how adorable he looked.

 “Romancing the daughters of the dignitaries, Duke Baldrik?”

 Your attention turned to a photog standing in front of the three of you snapping pictures. The bright lights blinded you momentarily making you bring your hand to shield your face.

 “Ha, not at all, Albee replied with a bachelor perfect smile.

 “They look unfamiliar. Who might they be?”

 “Honored guests of the crown,” Albee offered holding out his arms for both you and Aneka to take. Once you did, he tipped his head to the photog and began ushering you toward the stalls that were set up.

 “Enjoy the event,” Albee called out.

 As soon as he was out of earshot, he blew out. “While the press here is not entirely as bad as it is in America, I do have to caution you. Do not underestimate them.”

 “Thank you,” Aneka said with a flirtatious smile.

 If was clear now that she was into him. Of course, she was, you thought. Aneka liked them pretty.

 “My pleasure. The longer you are here the more you will be able to figure out which ones prefer some scandal on top of their news and who truly have the crown’s best interest at heart. Him—scandal fattens his pockets.”

 You scanned the photographer from before who was now snapping pictures of Freddie who was now with two other women who looked just as stuck up as she did. She looked to be loving the attention and the compliments she was getting from everyone around her. Figured. Rolling your eyes, you turned your back on her.

 “Are you not afraid?”

 “Afraid of what?”

 “The power she wields.”

 “Call me dense because I know nothing of her power. All I see is a sad little bitch.”

 Albee snorted and heartily laughed bringing the attention of most around you, even Henry.

 “My goodness. You are a breath of fresh air. Would you like me to enlighten you of her power, or the power of her name?”

 You looked at a few figurines at the stall smiling at how cute they were.

 “Nah, I don’t care.”

 “I do. Know thy enemy, Art of War, Sun Tzu,” Aneka butt in.

 Albee’s smile widened. “I do think I am going to enjoy this season.”

 As the three of you walked around taking in the many activities, that had been prepared Albee told you all about Freddie and her family. He didn’t leave much out including her net worth and the influence her family had in the past. When he told you about her lifetime hope and dream of becoming the queen, you almost laughed. Of course she wanted to be queen. She was clearly obsessed with power and wanted the second highest position in the country. However, when Albee revealed that Henry didn’t seem to be keen on that idea you couldn’t keep a smile off your face. It was short lived though, because it dawned on you then that you’d stepped right into another season of “The Bachelor: Who Wants the Crown”. Rich women would fight to their last press on nail for more money and more power and it was even better if it came with a crown and a pretty hot prince.

 From the look Aneka gave you, she was thinking the same thing. You tentatively listened as Albee pointed out the who was who of the group all with backstory. He was clearly well informed from growing up within all of this but firm the way he spoke about the rest of them in comparison to Henry you could tell he harbored no ill will toward him. Perhaps there really were some good people besides the queen and Jemma after all.

 Fo the next few hours you, Aneka and Albee explored the park flitting from game to game and stall to stall. Every few seconds you were snapping pictures trying to capture the joy and liveliness that was all around you. Everyone was so friendly you couldn’t help but feel right at home among them. Kids easily approached you to play and sing and show you the ropes of a few local games. Grandmothers with kind eyes happily shared stories and happy memories of previous Brexenavides while offering local delicacies like candied nuts that came in a plethora of flavors that you quickly became addicted to.

 Before you knew it, you’d wandered off by yourself with no sight of Aneka or Albee. You wondered if it was purposely done so she could get some alone time with him. Deciding not to go find them, you wandered the area some more until you felt a snowball hit your back. Expecting to see a child, you spun around but found Henry with the evidence on his leather gloves. Your jaw dropped.

 “Your highness,” you gasped.

 His laugh echoed around you as he approached you.

 “Forgive me my lady.”

 “There goes that title again. I’m no lady.”

 Henry took you in for a few moments. “I beg to differ. I have always seen a lady as one who is refined, polite and well spoken, someone who makes those around them feel valued.”

 “And that is me?”

 “Yes. Since you’ve arrived, I have overheard many of the maids talking about your kindness to them how you never make them feel less than and how you are always polite, stopping to talk to them as if you care about their feelings.”

 “And I take it that is something out of character in Brexendor.”

 Henry took a deep breath. “Among my family not at all, but when the palace gets filled with dignitaries and other world leaders, I am ashamed to say yes.”

 You nodded and popped a few more candied nuts into your mouth. You tipped the bag toward him.

 “Are those what I think they are?”

 He dipped inside and came away with a small handful that he tossed into his mouth. The moan he let out was deep and it took you right back to the night before. Goosebumps skirted across your skin making you stand taller as a shiver ran through you.

 “Are you cold?”

 “Uh—no. I’m all right.”

 “I am sorry I got carried away. These have always been my favorite. I remember the first outing my father took me to. He knew I was not looking forward to it and that I was anxious about making a good impression on him and the family. Once I got into the car, he had a bag of these waiting for me. As we drove, we talked about sports, video games and my tutor who I mightily disliked. We ate the whole bag within minutes and by the time we got to the appearance all of my nerves had wilted away. Every outing I went on whether it was with him or without there was a bag of these waiting for me.”

 The smile on his face was so warm but it was also sorrowful.

 “That’s beautiful.”

 He nodded popping another one into his mouth. “Then he died and since—I haven’t had not even one.”

 The sadness rolling off of him touched your heart. You wanted to wrap your arms around him and tell him everything was going to be all right. You wanted to comfort him in a way that this open space did not permit. You glanced around and caught sight of the toboggan area.

 “How good are you at toboggan?”

 Henry scoffed the dusted off his hands. “I am the toboggan king.”

 You giggled and rolled your eyes. “Put your money where your mouth is, your highness.”

 “Money? Are we betting?”

 “Bet your ass we are.”

 “My ass? My, my Lady Thornton, how forward you are to think that is up for grabs.”

 The look he gave you was a steamy one.

 “Is there something else that should be up for grabs, your highness? Perhaps something—harder to—accomplish—something bigger?”

 Heat flashed behind his icicle blue orbs as he held your gaze. Henry took a step to you then another. With clenched jaws, he sighed.

 “Winner makes the request?”

 “Wager accepted.”

 The two of you walked over to the toboggan areas. As soon as you approached those around marveled at having him so close. It didn’t matter their age they were all captivated by him. To have that much power, you thought. How was he not some self-absorbed asshole?

“After you,” Henry offered, holding his hand out to an empty toboggan. You smirked then climbed on taking care to use your long jacket to pool between your legs so there would be no unsavory photos later.

 Once you were comfortable, you glanced to your left, he was seated in his own toboggan ready and waiting with a boyish excited smile on his face. You wondered when the last time was that he’d smiled like that.

 “Last chance to back out Lady Thornton.”

 You playfully rolled your eyes. “A lady never goes back on a wager. Are you sure you don’t want to forfeit before you lose terribly in front of your citizens? A true king knows when he is in over his head.”

 Henry laughed loudly again and everyone around him giggled clearly catching his excited joy.

 “That is true, but I assure you my lady, this is not one of those times.”

 You smiled and focused in front of you. Someone off to the side began counting down from four and when you shouted one a pair of strong hands gave you one push sending you down the steep hill. You’d underestimated the hill greatly and your scream said so. Henry laughed then leaned backward. You watched him inch before you, leading by almost a foot. You did the same and smiled when you cut his lead by a few inches. With the bottom of the hill in sight, you needed a last-ditch effort to come out on top. Not knowing if it would work or not, you rocked back and forth hoping it would increase your speed. Instead, it made the toboggan choppy.

 All too late, you saw the fist sized rock in front of you. However, it was too late. The slate of the toboggan nudged it sending the back of it forward and you sailing through the air. It all happened in slow motion, and you fully caught sight of Henry coasting into the finish line and to a stop. He stood and held his hands in the air in triumph, but that excitement faded when he saw your current state. You heard him shout your name then come barreling toward you. You braced yourself for the hard impact you knew was coming and tried to prepare for the face full of snow you were about to ingest. When you felt the hard collision, it knocked the wind out of your lungs. You rolled a few times but barely felt any pain.

 Finally, when you came to a stop, it took several moments to open your eyes. Atop you was Henry with his face mere inches from yours. For a few seconds, you thought you’d transported back in time, and you were in the garden room with him again. The patches of snow in his hair slowly registered as did the fact that he was calling your name with his hands on your cheek.

“Xari.”

 “Did I win?”

 Henry’s features softened as he gave you a half smile.

 “Not even close.”

 You giggled at first, but it got louder and more uncontrolled. Henry joined in neither of you fully registering that you were not alone and in fact in front of dozens of people. Feet stamped to you, and you turned your face shielding it from the patches of snow.

 “Your highness, are you all right?”

 Reality was colder than the snow you laid upon.

 “Ehm, yes. I am quite all right,” Henry said as he stood. “Just doing the right thing and saving the damsel in distress.”

 You snorted as you took his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull you up. “I suppose I earned that title. Thank you, your highness.”

 Henry nodded, bowing his head ever so slightly. “A pleasure, Lady Thronton.”

 “This way your highness,” Henry’s advisor breached directing the way.

 As he walked off you took note of Freddie and her friends standing off to the side watching you. The look on all their faces told you that you were now on their radar. A few more hours passed, and you took the time to get to every ride and activity. You wanted to experience it all so you could really write about it later. This event was definitely a must for any visitors during this time of year.

 When you ducked into a photo booth, you sighed out taking the time to catch your breath and give your feet a break. Before you could get too comfortable, another body ducked in beside you.

 “Ex--.”

 Henry’s smiling face stopped you.

 “Fancy meeting you here.”

 You snorted and shook your head.

 “Shouldn’t you be working?”

 “Funny thing. I came here fully prepared to work but knowing you are here only makes me want to experience this with you—through your eyes.”

 You searched his then smirked.

 “So, you’re—hiding out?”

 He nodded and you had to laugh then. “Oh, your highness.”

 “Every time you say that it sounds so dirty, and it brings my head to very ungentlemanly things.”

 You leaned forward and began making selections for the pictures.

 “Is that so?”

 “Quite so. Is it intentional on your part?”

 Shrugging, you looked at him.

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

 His eyes dropped to your lips and within seconds he pulled you flush against his lips at the same time the flash of the camera went off. You both moaned neither pulling away, both intensifying the kiss. His tongue curled around yours making you wrap your arms around his neck at the same time he brought his hand to the back of your neck. He held you tenderly like you were precious but firm not wanting you to slip away. When you came in here, you hadn’t planned on this being a make out spot but now you couldn’t care less about the pictures.  

 His lips were sweet but cold and his tongue warm and intoxicating. Somehow, he tasted like peppermint and chocolate, and it was now your new favorite flavor combination. Needing to be closer, you sank your fingers into his tresses and gripped. The guttural moan he let out reverberated all over you, hardening your nipples and moistening your underwear.

 “Mm, I can kiss you all day every day and never tire of your lips,” Henry whispered.

 “All day? However will you get any work done?”

 He smiled then kissed you again nibbling your bottom lip.

 “I guess I shall not.”

 Your eyes met and you saw the truth of his words. How sweet, you thought before you traced your tongue along his bottom lip then his top carefully outlining his perfect cupid’s bow. He didn’t move an inch. When his eyes fluttered closed giving you the most amazing angle of his long lashes, you softly sighed. Henry then claimed your lips pulling you closer to him so your bodies melded together becoming one figure. His lips hungrily kissed you, nibbling, sucking, licking as he pleased not caring where you were or who could happen upon you at any moment.

 “Eh-em, your highness incoming. Duchess Freddie.”

 McArthur’s voice broke the lustful haze surrounding you forcing you both to reluctantly pull away. Henry groaned his displeasure then glanced behind you.

 “I think I have worked enough today. Care to join me on a personalized tour?”

 You smiled brightly then took his head. “As you wish.”

 “A low growl escaped him, and it sent your heart fluttering ten times as fast. “I do hope you remember those words when I most need them.”

 His grin was mischievous, and you made a note to say them again. The list of words and phrases that elicited a sultry reaction was steadily growing and you planned on monopolizing him at every chance. Henry stood and led you out the other entrance to the booth that was opposite where McArthur must have been standing. His steps were quick as he dashed away like it was the scene of a crime. Perhaps it was seeing how you were now wet and wanting him. When he pulled you through a clearing of pine trees, you squealed, your sense of adventure and excitement picking up.

 Once secluded behind the trees, he backed you into a mass of them tucking you in the tight crevice there then kissed you again. You eagerly accepted the kiss. He felt too sublime against you not to. His lips dipped to your jaw then trailed to your neck where it was clear he was a man with a plan.

 Henry groaned on your neck then nibbled your earlobe, “What are you doing to me, Xari? How have you taken every single brain cell I have and imprinted your face upon them? How have you touched my skin and made it impossible for me to see anyone else doing it? How have you come here and tortured me so?”

 You could hear the yearning in his voice. It was overwhelming, making you want to give in completely to him no matter the consequences. You were speechless. sensing this, he placed a chaste kiss at the tip of your nose then took your hand again and led you through the maze of trees. When you emerged, you saw the spread of rides before you just waiting for you both to let loose like children. McArthur stood just at the large Birch a few feet away with his back turned to you.

 “Your highness, the queen said she can manage the rest of the event with the dignitaries and the press and princess Jemma said she will take point with the children and citizens. They are both instructing you to play the role of the proper host to out palace guest,” McArthur informed.

 You pinched your lips. You knew what a set up sounded like. You couldn’t help but wonder why they were seemingly pushing him to entertain you. Before you could think any further, Henry looped your arm through his and led you across the field. McArthur handed Henry a newsboy hat and a dark scarf to replace his royal blue one he was currently wearing. Once he was disguised, you scoffed because while it gave him a little more coverage you were sure his people knew him thoroughly and would easily spot you. McArthur handed you a large wide brimmed hat that gave you full coverage from every angle.

 “To protect your privacy, Lady Thornton,” McArthur clarified.

 You smiled as you put it on. “Thank you, McArthur.

 A few minutes later you were seated in a ride called Santa’s Sleigh which was similar to those back and forth rocking pirate ships only it was led by the reindeers with Santa in the back.

 “Feel free to scream your highness, I will allow everyone to think it is me.”

 “I do not scream Lady Thornton, however, if you make it worth my while I will be the loudest in the land.”

 You giggled and enjoyed the ride teasing him the entire time. Your interaction was so natural it almost felt unreal. Though he didn’t touch you above your waist, his thigh remained pressed to yours no matter what. By the fourth ride, you’d deduced it was purposely done. Knowing that you couldn’t stop your heart from fluttering.  Ride after ride you laughed, joked and teased one another. Ride after ride he made sure to keep some part of your bodies touching. Ride after ride you exchanged flirtatious glances that only increased your body temperature. It may have been twenty or so degrees out, but you were a sweltering ninety-nine degrees.

 “This is your favorite ride?”

 Henry’s questioning eyes were glued to the carousel that was decked with reindeers, sacks of Santa’s presents, giant boulder like forms of coal, Santa’s mailbox and other notable Christmas decorations. The sun had now set and the lights that bathed the ride made it seem so magical. This entire country was plotting against you here, you thought to yourself.

 “Sure is.”

 “Then, shall we?”

Like a six your old child rather than a grown ass woman, you scampered toward the ride then walked around it trying to decide the best figurine. It was a tough choice, but you ended up picking a reindeer which had Henry choosing the same one beside yours. Before he climbed on, he took the time to carefully buckle you into the harness tightening the straps as needed. As he did so, his hands touched your waist and hips and from the look on his face you knew this too was purposely done.

 “Be careful your highness. You are very close to alerting the outside world to just how horny you are.”

 The smirk he wore slipped and his brows furrowed.

 “Is that what you think I am?”

 His voice was tight btu other than that it gave nothing away.

 “Um—isn’t it true?”

 His jaw clenched and a scowl fell across his lips. Backing away, he claimed onto his own reindeer but didn’t bother buckling the straps. A cold breeze engulfed you making you feel the bitter coldness for the first time. Had you said something wrong?

 The carousel went round and round sending you and Henry up and down, but he didn’t speak at any point. Instead, he held onto the pole while staring off into the distance. You allowed the silence to stretch for a few moments then when you turned to speak to him, you found his eyes already on you.

 “Something wrong?”

 Henry opened his mouth to speak but shook his head instead. You didn’t believe him. He definitely had something to say but you didn’t push him.

 “Why is the carousel your favorite ride?”

 You smirked then shook your head. “It just is.”

 “Even if it was not obvious you were lying, I would not believe that. Come on tell me.”

 “You won’t laugh?”

 “I might.”

 You narrowed your eyes at him, but your look was met with a hearty chuckle.

 “Come on tell me.”

 Hugging the pole of the reindeer tighter, you rested the side of your head on it, looking at him. “When I was about 8, I always saw it when looked so—pretty. It was usually the only ride that looked so—magical no matter what time of day or where I went. My father told me that it was a portal to a magical world. He said there was always one sometimes two chosen figures that were spelled to open the portal but only those destined to find it could. So, whenever I saw a carousel, I made it a point to ride it hoping to find the right figure to unlock the portal and take me away.”

 The smile Henry wore was an adoring one. “That may be the cutest image ever. An 8-year-old you climbing onto these things hoping it opened a portal to another world.”

 You nodded. “My parents indulged me, I was lucky. As I got older, I grew out of the heavy belief there was a magical portal and began to see how beautiful and romantic carousels were and went to realizing that perhaps they were magical after all, but not because of going to another world but how they made you feel and the memories you could make with those who matter while on them.”

 You hadn’t meant to spill so much to him. Glancing at him, you tried not to cringe realizing his eyes were glued to you. However, the longer he stared at you the more you felt like jumping off the ride and running back to the maze of trees.

 “So how many memories have you made with those who matter on one of these?”

 You smirked then shrugged. “One or two.”

 His huff made you pinch your lips in an effort to not laugh. “Interesting.”

 Making your best innocent face, you turned the question back onto him. “

 “And you?”

 “I feel like you are the one who will laugh at me here.”

 “Why?”

 “Because this—this is the first carousel I have ridden with anyone—leisurely, well that was not family that is.

Your eyes widened. “Ever?”

 “Ever.”

 “Oh my goodness, Henry—am I your first?”

 His smile was mischievous. “It would appear so, Lady Thornton.”

 You bit your bottom lip then smiled widely. You didn’t know why you felt so prideful. It wasn’t like it was something that mattered or something that reflected on you in any possible way.

 “Well, you are my first prince in a magical fairytale country that I’ve been on one of these with,” you began pausing to contemplate if you should say the rest of the sentence.  “And this just may be my favorite ever.”

 His cheeks flamed and you couldn’t help but smile. Then when his smile stretched bigger than you’d seen, your heart couldn’t bare it. He was too damn cute.

 “Mine too,” Henry muttered a little above a whisper knowing that you’d catch it.

 If cloud nine was the highest point one’s spirit could reach you were ebbing onto cloud 10. There was no need to speak for the rest of the ride. You and Henry rode it once, then twice but neither of you seemed quite ready to get off. After a fourth go round, the two of you walked around the park taking in the different games and events that were scattered about. You’d wanted to try the skating rink but didn’t want to expose him to the eyes of everyone around due to the openness of the rink, so you opted for other lowkey options for entertainment. You chatted about a plethora of things never remining on any subject long because you had so much in common that always branched out to other topics.

When you saw the actual reindeers, you lost it and scurried over to pet and baby talk them. While they were massive, you couldn’t help but find them adorable. You fed one a carrot and squealed at how affectionate it was. When you turned to make a puppy face at Henry, you found him snapping pictures of you with his phone like it was the most natural thing in the world.

 At the urging of the reindeer master, you climbed into the sleigh that was decked out as if it truly were Santa’s sleigh and posed for the professional photos. As they snapped away you looked to Henry trying to coax him into the sleigh with you. It didn’t take long before he climbed in and smiled for the pictures with you. It felt normal to do this with him, normal to be around one another like this. A massive bubble in your chest screamed of caution and reservation so loudly that your head had no other choice but to register the warning.

 After a few more photos, McArthur motioned for Henry’s attention which had him jumping out of the sleigh and stepping off to the side where both of them spoke in hushed tones. You prepared to climb down from the sleigh but as you did you happened to glance off to the right where you saw Freddie watching you. The rage and hatred in her eyes could not be missed and for a second you panicked. When you saw her raise a gun in her hand, your eyes widened. Before you could make a noise or move, a loud “pop” echoed through the park. You fully expected to feel the pain of the bullet and braced yourself, unable to move.

 Instead, the pain never came. What did unfold was pure chaos. Several loud “neighs” boomed through the air then a forceful jerk. The action sent you hurling backward landing in a crumped heap on the seat of the sleigh. There were screams in the park and you watched the reindeers panic, colliding with each other as if they were fighting. Antlers thwacked together making it sound as if trees themselves were splintering around you. Henry made a move toward the sleigh but was stopped by his protective detail that was now circling him and locking him down, ready to take any stray bullet for him.

 Within seconds, the reindeer that was harnessed to the sleigh you were in took off.

 “Aaaaaaaaaaah!”

 With terror, you watched as the unmanned runaway sleigh bound across the park not caring where it went. Everywhere people dashed out of its way trying to save themselves. All you could do was watch from your scrunched position, holding on for dear life as you prayed this was not how you died.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TagList:

@caramara3 @chaneajoyyy @caplover22 @queenoftheworldisdead @liquorlaughslove @shinebrightlikeafanbase @night-of-the-living-shred @dangerouslovefanfic @areubeingserved @maxcullen @jovanaprime @pananegra @bakarilennox @littlepreciousangel @shar74nett @pananegra @laketaj24 @blackgurlkillinit @maeleeme @live-laugh-love-ki @mary-ann84   @mery-be​ @sonjashuterbugjohnson​

@jamesbarnesappreciationclub @momobaby227 @naturalthrone22 @emjayewrites @kikimiyazaki @minton131 @aar-journey @sincerelyglowing @theonewithherheadintheclouds @livinglifeformemyselfandi @kittykatlow @mauvecherie @give-me-a-million-dollars-pls @angrybirdcr @winchwm @alyxkbrl @rn7rocks @thesecretlifeofdaydreams

@simply-heaven @winchwm @maximumninjavoid @offrostandstarlight @angrybirdcr @maxcullen  @xsweetdellzx @sausagefest1996 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @bellaamor88 @alyxkbrl @hello-therree @mery-be @that-chick212 @smuttywriter @ljstraightnochaser

@mrsbarnes-rogers @melanicia @live-laugh-love-ki @deadpixie22 @asiaaisa77 @queenshikongo3 @queenreignssupreme @cltex84 @helenasmirkedno @areubeingserved  @petty-bitch-akira @rynabarnesrogers-reading @themeforanudebeach @i-just-like-fanfics

@october505 @msblkfire84 @msbrightsidestuff @youremysuperstar @storiestoldbyjazz @themeforanudebeach @i-just-like-fanfics @titty-teetee       @wellthirsted @t3mporaa @jd-now-jq @libbymouse @queen-zelieonna    @abschaffer2 @omg-mymelaninisbeautiful @ramp-it-up  @kianya-loves @cutiebubbleboo @koko-michelle @keytodespair @ficsfordays  

@littlebvbie @pricklypear 

#crown for two fic #henry cavill #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill au #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill x you #henry cavill x black reader #black fanfiction #christmas fanfiction #cheesy christmas fic #henry cavill x black ofc #royalty au

[s1yeye]

make intro post yes say hi talk about who i am what i do

my name kuru or siyeye, siyeye ainu to mean be sick or be ill, kuru is ainu, reconnecting with culture and language, please be nice do not mock names or language just because not white not friendly sound funny to you.

kuru part in system, other system not talk here, but kuru is inside of, complex did / polyfragmented many alters many parts. do not let other parts on this blog, only for kuru, may only say hi if is an emergency or big worry need to adress things because kuru me i cant do it.

kuru it/its pronouns. kuru an it, thing, being, nonhuman creature weirdo crazy. no she he they no no do not use any of that. just kuru, just it, just me. kuru body transfeminine, kuru body boygirl nonbinary lesbian, but kuru not girl or boy, kuru only kuru siyeye it me thing being.

kuru have many disorders, many disabilities, kuru level 2 autistic medium support needs (mild ID), kuru have POTS and asthma and TBI and other body ailments that make life work hard not good hard to make a living hard to do things for good livings. kuru will talk about it, affect life happen very much. kuru also, more important, schizoaffective disorder symptom holder hold symptom for alters other parts not feel as bad as kuru do. kuru have schizoaffective since young age, 13 or 14, early onset, cause many many problems in life hard to deal with many many many harsh hard wow so many suffer medicate suffer evil. this will be main many post include symptoms vents rambles talk about life experiences medicate psychatric ward and others and others that happen because of this. kuru talk funny because of schizoaffective disorder. kuru talk and write weird due to positive negative symptoms mixing mixing cause words jumble mix up hard to speak thoughts racing by fleeting away from me. all words come out all at once becoming mixing jumbled and hard to understand word write or speak. kuru can not help this or fix this. other alter sometimes can write better, can help kuru siyeye do this, but abilities go downhill, catatonia apraxia alogia flat effect etc etc make worse and worse spiral go downhill eventually all gone some day maybe fear. kuru also speak weird part of trauma CPTSD DID abuse severe severe severe many happen occurence all at once. ruin kuru life, make extra extra difficult.

i kuru is an also poc indigenous east asian mixed many races mixed. if could not tell from name. do not want white people telling what to do on race related issues. has seen this happen, feel it felt it before. go away shut up.

kuru me i also a minor, bodily 16. if uncomfortable talking to speak to minors, let kuru know and will not follow.

kuru dni include endogenic (support ok, no syscourse on blog), transabled / transrace / etc (only transgender, transsexual, transspeices good), proship / comship, intersexists and transmisogynists. kuru block liberally, will use many block button, do not throw cry hissy fit if find out blocked by siyeye.

kuru may talk about triggering, bad bad hurt harmful things. can trigger tag if something heavy or obvious bad, but otherwise will not know to do unless you tell me to. if one of kuru follower, ok to ask to trigger warn tag things if they are being triggering to you. kuru ask that mutuals trigger tag heavy religion, around kuru, ESPECIALLY satanism / christianity, can triggering bad scary hurt kuru siyeye make bad visions remember horrible scary thing. thank you for if you are doing this.

edit : panphobes, acearo exclusionists, transmeds, do not follow like reblog interact!!!!! kuru is collective body mogai many genders and arospec, some parts acespec pan or others, support all harmless queer identity!!!!! go away if exclusionist bad bad person rude harmful mean leave

[sleepingdeath-light]

white pearl cookie smut hcs ; 18+

requested by ; 🍾 anon (12/08/23)

fandom(s) ; cookie run

fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | specific

character(s) ; white pearl cookie

outline ; “white pearl! relationship and smut hcs ~ 🍾”

warning(s) ; sexually explicit content, dominant leaning switch!white pearl cookie, praise kink, overstimulation, dumbification, cum drunk!white pearl cookie, slight pet name kink, size difference and size kink, lingerie kink, oral sex, mild body worship, pet play

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

although white pearl cookie is extremely inexperienced (in fact, you’re the first person she’s ever been intimate with and sexual education in sugarcrown is incredibly limited), her natural curiosity and determination to learn everything about you — and do everything with you that a land dweller would — meant that she was quick to learn how to pleasure you and what she enjoys doing during foreplay and sex

despite this inexperience, though, once she finds her feet (so to speak, anyway) she settles comfortably into the role of soft dominant in the bedroom — she’s more of a switch, really, and can enjoy being taken care of by you but dominance is (shockingly) natural to her and will be her default unless you express a desire to dominate her instead

speaking of her dominant side, white pearl cookie tends to lean towards soft dominance above all else — of course she’s still a bit of a tease and has been known to make you beg for her attention, but for the most part she prefers praise and overstimulation over degradation and denial (hell, she can barely stand to insult you without getting misty-eyed and hugging you as she apologises — a very different story to the person she’d become much later on in life)

she can happily, and easily, overstimulate you for hours at a time (going until you pass out or cry out the safe word… whichever comes first) — and she can do this many different ways: (a) growing to her largest size and have you ride her fingers/knuckles/palm until you’re so far gone that she has to use her other thumb and forefinger to push you onwards, (b) growing larger than you and using her tongue to stroke/fuck you until you’re sobbing and squirting/spurting into her mouth, or (c) staying at an equal size to you and using her hands to pleasure you whilst she rests between your thighs, kissing your neck and whispering praise to you as she pushes you over the edge again, and again, and again

… she can sometimes go a bit too far with you, which is how she discovered her kink for dumbification, but whenever that happens she’s quick to rectify her mistake with extremely thorough aftercare and plenty of apologies

her go-to compliments in the bedroom are ‘my beautiful/handsome moon’, ‘that’s my girl/boy/star’, ‘good girl/boy/star’, ‘my precious one’ — as well as plenty of praise for your taste (she’s quick to get cumdrunk with you so be mindful of that) and encouragement to be as vocal as possible (she likes knowing that she’s doing a good job given your… very different biologies)

often times when she’s taken on a form that’s larger than you — especially if the difference is substantial — she finds herself becoming much more protective over you whilst also being much more attracted to you (it’s incredibly confusing to her, and she never actually brings it up to you, but from how flirty and playful she gets when she’s in such a state it’s clear to you that she does have something of a size kink… even if she doesn’t realise it herself)

she’d also probably be up for pet play as a dominant, and she’d make a wonderful owner/master — complimenting you, tending to you, dressing you up so you always look so very pretty/handsome/darling, and always making sure that her pet is well taken care of (both in the sense of spoiling you rotten with all the amenities being a gem mermaid can provide — with the help of her sisters that also generally consider land dwellers to be something of a strange pet to be kept, at best — and in the sense of fucking you stupid with her hands and tongue whenever you ask and she’s available to do so)

when she’s submitting to you she’s very… cheeky — not bratty, not cruel, but definitely a bit of a tease who ought to be put in her place and then spoiled until she’s no longer even able to remember her own name (or anything beyond the feeling of your hands/mouth/body on her own)

she’s a big fan of dressing up for you, especially if you tend to praise her for it: lingerie that’s more frill than fabric, tight undergarments spun from white lace and decorated with pearls, sheer flowing nighties that barely reach past her stomach — and, when she eventually learns how to take on a more human form for you, knee high stockings (always either pale pink or pure white) that match whatever else she’s wearing

(again, after she’s found a way to turn into something more humanoid from the waist down) she’s also a big fan of being woken up with oral sex, especially if you really take it slow and practically worship her pussy whilst gently massaging her thighs and breasts as she gradually wakes up — seeing you peeking up from between her legs really never gets old to her and she’s always happy to reciprocate once she’s finished all over your face

#sleepingdeath #🍾 anon #minors dni #minors will be blocked #gender neutral reader #ageless blogs dni #ageless blogs will be blocked #smut #smut hcs #crk smut #crk x reader #cookie run smut #cookie run x reader #white pearl cookie smut #white pearl cookie x reader

[babyjakes]

happy to see you. [blurb.]

〈 disclaimer: this blog posts content not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. minors are strictly prohibited from viewing, sharing, or interacting with this blog. for more information on this blog's commitment to protecting minors, read our full statement here. 〉

summary | steve coaxes you out of your shell the first time you become little around him.

pairing | daddy!steve rogers x little!reader

warnings | sfw regression (daddy!steve little!reader), reader’s first time being little around steeb, very shy!reader, sOFT!daddy!steve the softsoftsoftest <3, just very fluffy and nice and sweet :’-)

word count | 411

requested by @nony-bear | Hehe I know I’m early but I wanted to send in a blurb idea because I love you and I’m so proud of you and your blurbs are always so good 😊 also I know I’ve gotten several requests written by you before so if you want to save me for last or another time that’s okay too 💕 but I was wondering if I could have a blurb where either Steve or Andy are with their little and it’s early on in the dynamic so the reader is being a little shy and the daddy is a little nervous too but he talks to her and gets her to open up a little and giggle and blush and then they end up cuddling or something like that

an | friend friend friend omg yaaay i’m so glad i get to write more stuff for you hehe <3 thankyou so much for this request i love this idea so much, hope it’s okay i went with steve. he’s just the softest, nicest daddy and so soothing to little!reader when things are starting out – hope you enjoy!

Though it’s never happened before, the first time you drop into littlespace around Steve, he somehow instantly knows it.

You’ve appeared in the doorway to your shared bedroom, waiting cautiously in the wooden frame of the door as the blonde-haired man relaxes on the bed, shading away at something in his sketchbook.

As soon as Steve catches a glimpse of your almost trembling form, he lowers his work, his gaze drifting up to meet yours. One look at your slightly cowering demeanor and he knows, his face softening immediately as he offers you a warm smile.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” he coos, his voice much gentler than usual. Dropping your gaze down to the floor, you bite your bottom lip, unsure of what to say. Am I supposed to tell him, you ask yourself, how is he gonna know?

“You need something, lovebug?” the man’s sweet voice interrupts your racing mind. Looking up shyly at him, all you can manage to do is blink. “Hey,” he hums, keeping his voice mild and soothing, “S'alright sweetheart. You just looking for a little time with Daddy?”

Perking up slightly at his use of the word, you nod, earning another brilliant smile from Steve. “Yeah? Come on over then, peanut. I could use some good snuggles right about now.”

Making your way over to the bed still somewhat shyly, you climb up next to the broad man, melting instantly into his arms as he pulls you in close and shifts you onto his lap. “There’s my good girl, hi baby,” he sings, bouncing you gently on his legs. “How’s my sweetie pie doin’ today, hmm?”

“Good,” you mumble shyly, heat rising through your cheeks as he runs a soothing hand across your back in broad circles.

“Yeah?” Steve chuckles softly, planting a gentle kiss on your cheek. “What’ve you gone quiet for, doll? Just feelin’ a little shy?” Nodding, you tuck your head against his shoulder, inhaling the safe, familiar scent of your partner as he coos over you dotingly. “Aww, that’s okay, princess. Just so precious, aren’t you, bunny? Daddy’s sweet baby girl.”

“Daddy’s baby,” you repeat, allowing yourself gradually to slip further and further into that warm, fuzzy headspace you’ve been craving for so long to surrender to.

“That’s right,” Steve smiles proudly, taking one of your hands in his and bringing it up to his lips to plant a kiss on your pinky. “Daddy’s little baby. M'so happy to see you, honey.”

#eun's writing #happy to see you #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers blurb #steve rogers drabble #steve rogers headcanon #daddy!steve rogers #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers one shot #steve rogers imagine #captain america #captain america fanfiction #hurt/comfort

[vespersposts]

Burning the midnight oil

Happy birthday to dear @haithamuse 🥂🎂

Thank you for thinking of "The lover's journey" event.

I love collaborations, I especially enjoy reading each author's selfships and dreaming a little.

If there are blog friends among the authors, it's even more fun (yes, @the-chronicles-of-a-bookworm and @melancholicautumnfever I'm talking about you). 🫶

My entry is an oneshot, slice of life with lots of fluff and some cuddling turning a bit more affectionate, there are lots of innuendo, but no smut. 👀

Best wishes again to the birthday girl! 💐

Until next time!

V.

-> more knb stories here 🏀

When it snows, only one thing is certain: you will be late.

You can feel the cold stinging your nose, your cheeks and every inch of your uncovered skin. It doesn't matter. The sight of that little white wonder will always be one of your favourites, even if it delays your train by an hour and forces you to say good night on the phone.

"What's another hour, I could wait all night for you, babe!" he yawns, and you immediately picture him sprawled out on the couch in the most uncomfortable position his six-foot frame would allow, an impudent expression on his face underlining the naivety of your suggestion. Daiki Aomine, your better half, the sexiest man on the planet, your only reason for living, who can't resist Morpheus? Pfft!  Have you gone mad? You have been working too hard lately, and it shows when you are at odds with his word.

"Then it must be that my brain has frozen along with my body! " you chuckle, knowing that behind this wall of closure lies a simple desire to fall asleep with you, in the silence of your bedroom. His voice catches your attention, as you see the train coming and you are about to end the call.

"Once home, I'm going to warm you up properly, in all the ways you like best, baby angel!" he says casually, sure that you'll be blushing like crazy on the other end of the line.

The way he makes you feel will never be something you will be able to downplay.

"I'm glad you're entertained!" you snort at his giggles, trying not to lose your dignity in front of the ticket controller, who looks at you with mild curiosity.

Then, you realise that your thoughts are already wandering through your memories.

Now that his magic has reached every knot in your body, your mind brings back his smile.

That mischievous grin on his cheeky, adorable face. 

The one he gives you every time he teases you with one of his tricks. 

The same one he wore when he asked for your phone number, after he'd waited for you to say goodbye all your friends after lessons. That swaggering expression he put on, the night of your first date, commenting on every girl you met, so much so, that you wondered if you had misread his intentions. That annoying mask, which fell off when you admitted that you felt uncomfortable and walked away, leaving him alone in front of the fridge in the konbini, where you were supposed to get an ice cream. 

Back then, he had caught up with you instantly, grabbing your hand at the red light of the big crossing to the metro. It has been there, in the middle of the flow of commuters on their way home, that he gave you your first kiss and his heart.

When you finally step inside your apartment and take off your gloves, you realise how cold you are. Your hands are red and icy, as are your cheeks and nose. You leave your shoes and bags at the entrance, walking slowly down the corridor. That quiet welcome has one and only meaning.

Morpheus won. 

You cannot help but be a little dazed when you get to the bedroom and find him asleep. His head on your pillow, his legs slightly open, his light breathing mixed with a few causal sounds from his parted lips. You move closer, knowing that you can only caress him with your gaze, since you are the same temperature as the ice that covers the streets. But Daiki is attractive, so attractive, too attractive. He's also being his usual careless self, leaving the top of his pyjamas on his pillow, but his body temperature is close to that of lava, and he doesn't care. Not bad, because you don't even have to bother opening the drawers. Very bad, because the rhythmic rise and fall of his broad chest, his muscular arms and his big hand let open over his strong abs, clouds your senses for a few minutes.

It is only the threat of sneezing that makes you abandon your malicious intention of waking him up to remind him of what he'd promised.

With this thought to keep you company, you had forced yourself to take a hot shower, and now you are walking on tiptoe so as not to wake the sleeping handsome prince. Perhaps he was not as asleep as he would have you believe, for in those few minutes he managed to slip under the covers that you were now pulling off.

His pillow is softer than yours, and smells of the shampoo you bought him, which he always complains about, but always uses. His pyjama shirt is big, comfortable and dangerously loose, just the way he loves it, but Daiki plays dead, clearly wanting to continue the game you started on the phone.

If he's a natural tease, you're even worse.

There's one thing you know he’s not keen on : kisses on the forehead, exactly what you're going to give him. You move slowly, unhurriedly: your left hand near his pillow, your other hand on the mattress beyond his chest, one leg between his: curled on him but away from him, that’s how you press your warm, supple lips between his eyebrows for a fleeting moment. You are so close, but all the boy can feel is the cloud of perfume from your shower gel and the soft caress of your hair on his skin. His eyes dart as you withdraw, lingering on your cleavage for a few seconds to register how scantily clad you are, devouring you as you press your leg further against his thigh, biting your lip as his big hands cradle your hips. Ten long, strong, shameless fingers press you down on him, his palms flat against your back, tracing your spine so that his belly kisses your womb, then rising and locking you to him. 

"Gotcha!" he chuckles as he moves closer to you, gently lifting your head to look you straight in the eye. "I've been thinking about this all night " he admits, running his right hand down your chest, enjoying the look of astonishment on your face as he brushes his thumb over your nipple, which instantly hardens, making it easy for you to respond. "Poor baby Daiki" you tease him, slowly moving your leg between his , caressing his clothed manhood with your soft bare skin, matching the thrill of intimacy with a soft moan. "Don't make me wait any longer" he whispers, closing the words over your mouth, playing with your lips, gradually increasing the pressure of his talented tongue, pulling away to show himself, brazenly needy, sure that what makes you tremble against his warm skin is pure desire. 

"I won't " you promise, smiling softly. 

Your lips and breath meet again. 

Your body adapts to his, your hair thrown over your shoulder, your borrowed nightgown unbuttoned by his naughty hand as his lips restore the warmth lost with your clothes. You run your fingers through his dark hair and the kisses cease, his eyes rise from your collarbones to your face and he smiles, hiding his head on your heart.

"I've missed you so much" he whispers, as if apologising for his need to have you, as if a part of him is still afraid that you won't recognise his feelings, that you'll just see him as an horny boy. 

"I love you too" you smile, welcoming his lips on yours with delight, closing your eyes to let that sense of electric heat pass through you to make you one with him.

The dark, cold night is left behind, as you're burning the midnight oil.

#[ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐘 ] #knb #kuroko no basket #aomine daiki #the basketball which kuroko plays #knb x reader #aomine x reader #knb scenarios #writing collab #vespercollab

[cheerfulmelancholies]

Masterlist

Profile pic by @annama-art

About me: I love reading/writing and at any given moment I have too many projects circling through my head. I've loved to read for as long as I can remember and I've enjoyed writing things for that same amount of time. I also love video games and motorcycling, so if I'm not working on a wip I'm usually doing one of those two.

I'm not currently published, but I have a handful of original stuff I've been working on as well as fanfic. Some of my favorite tropes to read are found family, action/suspense, angst, horror/supernatural and slice-of-life. I tend to write very light sci-fi, action, supernatural, angst (though usually with a happy, if not bittersweet, ending) and occasionally somewhat comedic stuff. Sometimes, sometimes, I make shit get dark. I struggle with writing mystery and heavy romance, though I've been experimenting with the latter. A lot of my characters have somewhat sad backstories because apparently that's just what I do.

Tag game friendly!

I also love hearing about other people's wips so anyone is welcome to ramble in my inbox about their ocs and stories.

Side blogs: @purefandomonium: my blog for anything fandom-related. @artspace1001: for any art or photography.

Other places to find me: I currently lurk on FFN and AO3 under the username ThisPerson1.

Info about my wips below the cut.

All of my works are primarily tagged under their full titles, the fandom name if it's a fic, "creative writing," "writers on tumblr," "fanfic" and "my writing." Anything extra will be listed.

Original WIPS:

Medical Mechanical: A story about a couple of friends who set out to uncover the truth behind the mysterious mega-corporation that has infested their town and done strange things to their parents. Sci-fi, young adult, and I guess it also sort of falls under action, although nothing major really happens until much later. Additional tag(s): "mm" and "sci fi."

It's the first original thing I began posting about and also my favorite original project. I actually do have tons more than what I've posted thus far, but I got caught up in perfecting it and then sidetracked and kind of just stopped talking about it.

The Set Up: A sort of enemies-to-lovers* story involving two old acquaintances meeting years later and being reminded of how much they piss each other off. After they end up stuck together on a camping trip that was nothing more than a mischievous plan by their respective friends, they're forced to deal with each other until the trip ends. (Very light) Romance*, slice-of-life, humor/comedy, and angst—mostly due to their past trauma.

It's the second original project I'm working on, although this one has taken a backseat to my other works because I'm still going through the process of reformulating it. I thought I had it figured out, and was originally going to have it take place in college and be a forced-by-friends camping trip gone wrong, but I just wasn't feeling it. I don't know, but the way it was coming along just... didn't feel right. So I decided to essentially start over rather than force myself through something I wasn't enjoying and that wasn't getting anywhere. The main theme is that the two MCs initially can't stand each other and butt heads, however, they eventually learn more about themselves and each other and start making amends.

*I'm also at a point where I don't think I'm going to keep it as romance, but instead have their relationship be platonic. We'll see.

Connection: Pokepasta/Glitchy Red fic about a girl who manages to befriend the embittered glitch. In other words, hermit high-schooler gets ahold of the titular Red cart and gets a new friend, and local depressed kids' game may not think life is so miserable anymore. Sci-fi/supernatural (because my version of Red is somehow both just a bunch of code and some digitalized cryptid entity,) very mild angst in the form of bullying, and found family/friendship. Additional tag(s): "glitchy red" and "pokepasta".

Fanfic:

I got the brainrot and just wanted something to write with no worries. I write a chapter and as long as it holds up the story it gets published. That's it. I'm taking a break from serious writing/editing with this one. I've already let it get too out of hand as is. It was supposed to be a two-parter. Now look at it.

Mysterious New Member: Fic about the BF5 gaining a new member under mysterious circumstances. Due to the secrets she seems to be hiding, and the rising tensions of the war, Vert and the others find themselves on edge and at odds over what to do. Takes place during Fused. Sci-fi, action/adventure, humor. Additional tag(s): "bf5," and "hot wheels battle force 5."

Fun fact: This is a fic I started when I was like 13. I recently began rewriting it because now I am not 13 and I was rereading it one day and went, "The fuck did I write it like this for???" So began my tedious work of redoing the whole thing. The original is actually still up on FFN under the exact same name, for the new one I only added rewrite to the title 😅 I'm not mad at myself for the way it came out or anything, as I was literally a kid, but I can safely say my writing has improved immensely and I just couldn't fight the urge revamp it. I'm quite proud of how this new one is coming along, being both an improvement of my original version and also a slightly daker and more interesting take on BF5. I'm actually close to done, I'd say about 75-ish percent. I really just have two more major plot points to go through and the rest is just tying up loose ends as I go along. That said, if you'd like to check out the abandoned original, feel free. Just be prepared for a bit of whiplash when comparing the two.

It's The Thought That Counts: Dead Plate AU fic I started on a whim and, like a lot of things, it got out of hand and became a fun little side project. Rody isn't hopelessly pining after Manon, who's still alive but not relevant to the story, and Vincent isn't a psycho cannibal killer. Essentially gay panic meets bi-denial, Rody attempts to impress Vincent by learning how to bake lemon-themed desserts after he discovers it's the only thing that gives him any semblance of taste. After a shaky start, Vince decides to start giving Rody lessons and they eventually come to terms with their feelings. Romance, humor, angst, slice-of-life.

I've actually never written proper romance before this and am absolutely shocked that it's coming along as well as it is. It's the most fluff I've ever written. For whatever reason, these two dorks are super easy for me to write. I also recommend checking out the game, it's super fun.

There is so much more, but I'm going to stop for now.

If it wasn't already obvious, writing is my biggest passion and I hope to keep improving and expanding what I do. I'm also always open to advice and constructive criticism, and I hope to inspire and help others with their writing. Also, if you write anything with the tropes or genres that I listed, don't hesitate to tag me and I'll check them out! I really enjoy reading other people's works.

So yeah, that's me. If you made it this far, thank you for checking out my blog (and my long ass intro post) and I hope you'll stick around and see what I have to offer. Be on the lookout for more and more to come!

#writeblr #my writing #my proper intro post #writers on tumblr #creative writing #writeblr intro

[honney-pies]

When the Wind Meets the Stars✮⋆˙

Pairing: Shinazugawa Sanemi x Tsugo (Y/N) F!reader

Fandom: Demon Slayer/Kimetsu no Yaiba

Summary: The dance between them continued.

Teaser twoજ⁀➴

Word count: 800

Hi, sorry for the wait, but you might need to wait a little longer! Half way through writing I realized that I didn't really like the original idea all that much, so I decided to save it for a rainy day and write another one. The previous teaser still works with this though. Thank you for your patience and I hope you like it! As always...there is an oc version on my blog and ao3!!

Our lives began to be intertwined by one encounter. We met one day at the Ubayashiki Estate, it was cold and you only wore your uniform and haori. I was practically freezing to death. You called me a hamster, I called you a piece of shit on a stick. Kanae had only been gone for a minute or two and we were already at each other's throats. But there was also a level of comfort. That wouldn't be out of the ordinary for us though, in fact it was expected after some time. It became commonplace, a dance between the two of us.

“Kanae-san, why are we here today? I thought we were going to see your friend,” A light voice that practically floated through the air made its way to Sanemi’s ears. Two Days ago he had gotten a letter from Kanae saying that she had someone she thought he would get along with. 

“She’s quite adorable, really,” She had written, and who was Sanemi to say no to the most kind hearted person he had ever met.

He walked closer to them and finally saw the girls. Kanae saw him first and waved, followed by a sweet smile that would melt even the thickest of snow. The other girl turned around and he had to agree with Kanae, she was quite adorable. She had soft features. (H/C) hair with red, rosy cheeks, a cute nose. ‘Really quite adorable’. What did catch him off guard was her uniform. Even though the girl was nearly drowning in blankets, and hantons her uniform was still noticeable. He couldn’t help but stare at the star shaped cut out in the middle of her chest. He saw no skin though, only bandages. He looked in her eyes and only saw what could only be described as small suns. They had an unnatural brightness that was slightly unsettling at first glance. He knew that she was pretty, her beauty rivaled Kanae’s in his mind and he knew he shouldn’t say something stupid-

“You look like a hamster.”-but nothing ever really went the way he wanted it to. He saw those small suns turn into the flames of hell in a matter of seconds.

“You look li-” Kanae patted the girl on the back and shook her head, yet she still kept her smile on her face. Sanemi knew that he would do just about anything to keep seeing her smile. The Sun girl, he had begun calling her since he still didn't know her name, let out a sigh and never finished her statement. Kanae then looked at him and he had become captivated all over again.

“Shinazugawa-san, this is my friend Tsugo (Y/N).” Kanae then nudged the Sun gir- Tsugo. Tsugo then gave him a fairly stiff bow and looked him in the eye and gave him a smile, not the soft one he had seen her give Kanae-san, but one filled with mild annoyance. He could already tell he was going to get frustrated being around her. As long as he didn't spend any more time with her, he would be good.

“Shinazugawa-san I have to go meet with Oyakata-sama. Would you mind showing (Y/N) around? I’m afraid I don’t have the time.” Of course he minded! Then she went and whipped out that gorgeous smile that put the very sun to shame. 

“Fine.”

She smiled at him once more before taking her leave.

“What’s with that look on your face? Do you have indigestion?” Sanemi whipped his head around and stared at the smaller girl and glared. 

“This is my normal face, you hamster!” Tsugo let out a small ‘hmm’ and frowned.

“I didn’t realize anyone could impersonate a piece of shit on a stick so well, although I hadn't met you before today. Tell me, do your eyes naturally look like an owl’s?” she turned and gave him a smile, again not a sweet one.

Her crow circled overhead as the two wandered the grounds. There wasn’t always shouting and insults, but a comfortable rhythm between the two. The awkward air dissipated to make way for borderline hate crime level comments. Though both claimed to take offense, neither took it to heart.

“Tsugo-san, Oyakata-sama wishes to speak to you.” A white haired girl, roughly their age, came and greeted them. (Y/N) looked at the white haired boy and smiled, a soft, sweet one, and thanked him for his company. Though there were quite a few colorful words sprinkled into the mix. 

“You were an annoying little hamster.” And just like that the pretty smile was gone and replaced with a punch to the shoulder. She walked with Amane into the estate and left Sanemi to stare as she left him. 

He knew he couldn’t wait to see her again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: omg it's done! I promise I'll release this in its entirety asap, though I still haven't decided if it's going to be a short story or a long one shot. Honestly it depends on how much gets written. Thank you for your patience!

#demon slayer #kanae kocho #kimetsu no yaiba #sanemi shinazugawa #sanemi x reader

[kyogre-blue]

CF, let's go!

Immediately more amusing than SS by virtue of the fact that I care about the enemy units. Yes, Rhea looks so cool, Flayn is so cool, Catherine yeeeeeah. Very nice, I'm very happy.

Jokes aside, CF is looking very interesting from the perspective of speculating about 3H's production process.

From what I recall of the interviews, it seems they added CF comparatively late, due to simping reasons. That's interesting in itself, because Edelgard was given a lot of focus in development, given stuff like the early drafts of her also being able to Divine Pulse. But I guess it was only later in that they realized that, yeah, giving her a route would be cool and probably the most unique thing they could do.

Anyway, given its weird development, CF has a lot of strangeness about it. It's the shortest route by a good margin (VW and AM have 10 chapter each, SS has 9 due to Gronder being cut, but CF has only 6). There is only one actually unique map, I believe (Tailtean), but the chapters are reshuffled in completely different order from VW-SS-AM having basically the exact same progression. At the same time, is a very obvious lack of pre-rendered cutscenes and even in-engine scenes to some extent.

So the impression I get is that it was added late, so they couldn't produce certain assets like cutscenes or more than six chapters, but at the same time, they had a lot more passion for it, since they created a unique progression and honestly Edelgard has been emoting more in one scene than the entire Academy phase.

My dudes.... perhaps you should have started from the villain route and just gone full in, instead of the limp-wristed SS stuff, which supposedly was written first out of everything.

Live blogging notes:

I like how Edelgard is in her school uniform during the pre-battle scene in the Holy Tomb, but is then in the Flame Emperor outfit post-battle. Girl took the time to change, I see. It's not really a huge deal, but it's so lacking in attention to detail, sigh.

Man, furious antagonist Rhea is so cool. Very nice.

The Immaculate One is just a still here, where it was always a cinematic in the other routes.

"The monsters that have controlled Fodlan in secret for far too long" Edelgard again attributing things the Agarthans have done to the Nabateans.

We book it. Only respect for Rhea.

Hum... all the BE students escape with us to one of the Imperial army's provisional camps. Except Flayn, obviously. The students give a mix of reasons why they're siding with Edelgard, and they're fine. Kinda mild, but whatever. The music really gets me. Cute bubbly track while everyone is like "well, I wasn't thinking and just ran" or "I have political reasons" and then it switches to Edelgard's imperial march theme, and man. It's really something.

Yeah, Edelgard's anti-Church pitch is kinda... lol. Given that her own henchmen was like "steal all the bones! desecrate those graves! kill everyone!"

"[The Church's] control over the lords of the Kingdom and the Alliance is nearly absolute" L M A O

This is hilarious. Admittedly already more fun than SS.

Edelgard admits to being well aware of how much chaos and destruction she is bringing about based on just her own will. She knows she is the cause of countless deaths. But she still says she wants to bring down the church.

Except, of course, the Church hasn't done anything to her lol Edelgard's manifesto will expose "the foul practices of the nobles from the Kingdom and Alliance" like what tho

Byleth is going to lead a special "Black Eagle Strike Force"

oh ho.... we're exploring a non-monastery area! very nice

Quickly noting: We skip the entire last month of Academy Phase, going from 2/29 for the Holy Tomb directly to 3/30 for the pre-assault camp.

Edelgard B: takes place in her monastery bedroom, which is funny at this juncture. She talks about how she'd like a day to just idle away and eat sweets, and also how without Byleth she would have become a harsh leader with a heart of ice (ok, sure) and how everyone else always treated her as an untouchable princess or emperor, didn't look her in the eye, etc. Ferdinand does not exist, I guess. It's very staple as a concept, but the details aren't really in place for this. At best, you can say this hinges more on her own perceptions -- she never respected anyone else until Byleth enough to let them approach her as anything except pawns and vassals. Self-imposed trials and all that.

Roundup of the kids: Ingrid wants to try to persuade her father to join Edelgard but thinks he probably won't, Caspar's father is leading the "western units" and he'd have had to fight him if he stayed at the monastery, Linhardt calls out that the biggest nobles in the empire stripped Edie's dad of his powers but are now supporting her to smoothly take the throne (weird!), Ferdie acknowledges that his father is greedy and arrogant but feels that he did a lot of work for the empire only to now be disgraced (stripped of his rank and under house arrest), Bernie has less thoughts in her head than Caspar, Felix has like two lines lol, Leonie is just directly with Byleth and no one else, Ashe emphasizes that he can't trust the Church after Lonato and Christophe, Sylvain is kind of mess, thinking of his father, Dimitri, how he might die in the fighting, etc.

Hubert says it's not up to Edelgard to bring the students to our cause, which is... kinda wild. Why is it not up to her. Based on the rest of the dialogue, he means the recruited students from other houses, but uuuh given 3H quality, I expect he says this even if you haven't recruited, and also the phrasing is very vague to begin with.

Garreg Mach has never been attacked, so no one really knows how well it can stand against assault. Edelgard is confident in our power "from a mathematical standpoint."

Ladislava leads Edelgard's personal guard. There's also Randolph von Bergliez. His mother married into Caspar's family but this was after his birth. Unclear if this means he's from a previous relationship of hers, or if he wasn't legitimized despite being from a Bergliez fling. That explains one random battle line I got from him when attacking as Caspar on SS.

There's a couple stray comments from NPCs about Rhea turning into a beast (which happened down in the Holy Tomb where only a few people were, so... curious an NPC knows) and about not entirely believing Edelgard but supporting her for now.

Overall battle plan for the assault: Edelgard (+Byleth) leads an elite force that strikes as close to the monastery as possible, planning to draw attention of the elite Knights and Rhea's ire. Meanwhile, the main forces that marched in from the capital will surround and "annihilate" the remaining areas.

Another still of the Immaculate One after the battle, no CG. The entire scene is just one still, headshots of models talking and some filter to show that "the castle" is "crumbling." And that's it, wow.

Without Rhea fighting Thales and trying to save Byleth, she's well enough to flee to Faerghus. Nice!

Dimitri is King <3

Claude "strategically stirs up conflict between Leicester lords in an effort to maintain neutrality" lmao

Sothis is cool with you even after the Edelgard simping shenanigans, I guess.

The Imperial Army is holding the monastery, which is different from the other routes.

Edelgard emotes?? At the reunion with Byleth. WOW

Another still, no cutscene.

Edelgard's dialogue here... has almost the exact same beats as Claude's which is a bit funny.

Recap again that Dimitri is King and supporting the Church, Claude is being neutral, though Edelgard makes it clear this is a negative. His leadership "has thrown the Alliance into chaos."

OK, so Edelgard directly says we're going to eliminate the Church, the Kingdom and the Allaince. We're out to get them all, and the first target is Claude because Riegan has been standing against the Empire. To secure a route for imperial troops into the Alliance, we'll take out the big bridge first. At the same time, we'll take out Judith and since her territory is on the border with the Kingdom, getting her out of the way will be useful too.

#playing fire emblem

[abitohoney]

Missing Scenes - A Collection of Jinx, Silco, & Sevika One-Shots

Part 4 - The Moon Blood

Pt1, Pt2, Pt3, Pt4, Pt5, Pt6

AO3 Link

Rating: Teen, mostly SFW (note my blog is not for minors)

Tags: Sevika, Silco, Jinx, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Good Parent Silco, Found Family, Father-Daughter Relationship, Humor, Jinx Needs a Hug, Silco Needs a Hug, Sevika Deserves a Raise, Young Jinx

Word count: 1k

Summary: A collection of one-shots set during the time-skip, mostly centered around Jinx growing up as Silco's adopted daughter. Many will likely involve Sevika, whether she likes it or not. Lots of awkward, funny, and good family feels.

Chapters will not necessarily be in chronological order, nor do they require that any other chapter be read for clarity.

AN: This has been posted on AO3 for quite some time. I'm just now getting around to posting it here.

TW: Very mild mentions of blood

Jinx stood in the middle of Silco’s office, staring awkwardly at her feet as she shuffled them in place. Sevika sat sprawled out on the couch, looking rather perturbed as usual. Silco sat in his high back chair patiently waiting for Jinx to explain something to him.

“What’s the problem, Jinx?” Silco gently prodded.

“I-I’m…” Jinx stammered, trying to speak quietly, “I’m bleeding.”

Silco’s brows furrowed. “Where?” he asked, his gaze slowly wandering up and down Jinx’s small form, but there were no signs of a wound, or blood for that matter. “Do you need help mending it?”

“No, I uhm…” Jinx continued to struggle, glancing over her shoulder at Sevika who seemed more interested in her mechanical arm than anything that Jinx had to say. “It’s… between my legs,” she sputtered.

Sevika’s eyes suddenly widened and her attention turned to Silco. He wore a look of absolute confusion and was eyeing Jinx’s pants again for any sign of blood. Sevika quickly stood and made her way to Silco’s side. She bent down, bringing her mouth close to his ear to whisper something out of Jinx’s range. Shear panic spread across Silco’s face as he slowly turned his head to gaze up at Sevika.

“What? What do-” Now Silco was struggling to form words.

Sevika turned to Jinx, who looked just as horrified as Silco. Shaking her head in disgust, Sevika stood up and attempted an explanation to clear the air, “Just to make sure everyone understands what’s going on here, Jinx is menstruating. This is completely normal for girls to start at this age.” Jinx’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, her gaze on the floor. Realizing her boss was completely clueless as to how to handle this, Sevika released a heavy sigh. “I can give her some of my product to hold her over for now, but you’ll need to get her more for the future,” she said, addressing the still floundering Silco. There wasn’t much that left the Eye of Zaun speechless and without a plan, but apparently female reproductive health was one of those few. Seeing as Sevika was not going to get any form of response from him, she nodded her head towards the door for Jinx to follow.

Reluctantly, Jinx trailed behind Sevika, dragging her feet as she went. Once they were gone, Silco sat back in his chair and carded a hand through his hair which had somehow ended up looking just as ruffled as he felt.

“This shit is not what I signed up for,” Sevika snarled to herself, but plenty loud enough for Jinx to hear. She glanced back at Jinx who was staring at her feet as she followed, cheeks still pink from a mix of embarrassment and now probably anger for having to bring Sevika into the ordeal. “Didn’t you learn about any of this from your sister?” Sevika snarled. Jinx only scowled, offering no reply.

The two of them ducked into a small bathroom, closing the door behind them. Jinx fidgeted with the end of one of her braids while Sevika rummaged through something on one of the counters.

“Here,” Sevika snapped, shoving several small cylinder-shaped packages in front of Jinx’s face.

Jinx took them and gave them a once over before looking up to Sevika for more information.

“Take one out of the wrapper and shove it between your legs,” Sevika sneered, her lips curling in a smirk. She was clearly amused with Jinx’s discomfort.

Jinx’s eyes widened for just a moment. “Will… Will it stop?” she asked, just above a whisper.

“Bleeding?” Sevika questioned. She chuckled mockingly. “Yes, in about a week.” Jinx’s face relaxed somewhat in relief, but it was short-lived as Sevika continued to explain. “Then it will happen all over again in a few weeks, usually happens once a month, and will continue to long into your adult years.”

Jinx looked utterly defeated, uncharacteristic of her usual confidence and sass around Sevika.

“I need to go explain some of this shit to Silco,” Sevika explained, “Put one of those in now, replace it when it’s too dirty.” Jinx said nothing, staring blankly at the new items in her hands as Sevika left her to her thoughts.

When Sevika entered Silco’s office again he appeared to still be rather flustered, face contorted as he took a long drag from a nearly finished cigar. He glanced up from whatever he was staring at on his desk, probably nothing, catching Sevika’s irritated gaze.

“You need to get her more of these,” Sevika stated flatly as she slapped one of the same products she’d given Jinx onto his desk. “It’s called a tampon,” she explained, “She’s going to need to use several of these every month. This one came from top-side, and I recommend you avoid any of the shit down here unless you want her to catch crabs or some other nasty shit.”

Silco’s brows raised incredulously as he stared at the offending item.

“Trust me, just get them from top-side,” Sevika insisted.

“Is this not something you can buy for her?” Silco questioned, taking one last drag from his cigar before placing it in his ashtray.

Sevika had to know he was going to ask, but she didn’t look any less perturbed. “Is that an order?”

“Yes,” he replied with some confidence back in his tone.

“Yes Sir,” Sevika muttered.

Silco rested his head in his hands before waving a dismissive hand for Sevika to leave. As he heard the click of the door latch, he raised his head to find the tampon had been left on his desk. Hesitantly, he picked it up, spinning it in his hand as he examined it. Slowly, he peeled back the paper covering, revealing the contents. Realizing what exactly it was meant to do, where it was meant to go, and what it meant was happening to his daughter, he immediately threw it into the trash can beside his desk. He took the still burning stub of his cigar and tossed into the trash, watching with a blank stare as the contents slowly began to smolder and burn.

Next Chapter >

#arcane #jinx #silco #sevika #found family #arcane jinx #arcane silco #arcane sevika #powder #arcane powder #honey writes

[selamat-linting]

so anyway, back to bitching again (i always bitch) yall know the women's group? the one i talked about? yeah so a little backstory first for the newcomers: this girl, she was a former member of a branch of my org. she was from another town. when she moved here, she's supposed to be helping my branch right? but no, she broke off with no warning, and started a women's group with her friends. thats the group im talking about. they focus on producing art / writing as a form of their resistance. with the occasional charity event in-between. its a very laid-back almost apolitical group. my girl plans to push her friends' left by meeting them on their own terms. doing resistance the way theyre comfortable with and hoping it would influence them to be radical.

suffice to say, it failed. my girl is kicked out of the group she founded, and when i offer her to go back here, she doesnt want to. claiming this town is too far gone for any meaningful resistance. my feelings on that loaded response is well documented on this blog but anyway. lets go to the present

this group is now doing another event, a talk show about mental health. now this would be good except the topic is this, "self diagnosis: valid or not" featuring a fucking psychiatrist.

i dont know, maybe because im a victim of (mild) medical neglect from a psychiatrist, and im firmly anti-psychiatry after seeing how lucky i got compared to my comrades with a more stigmatized disorder, but this is just wack to me. idc.

like, first of all, in what world that a discussion of whether self-dx is a special topic of discourse to be treated this way? girl look at the state of our healthcare system. look at how we lack a social safety net. look at how there's practically no help for abuse and bullying victims. we dont even have a homeless shelter in this town! look at how many mental health workers that still treats homosexuality as a disease or asks child abuse victims to forgive their parents. look at how the criminal system treats addicts!!! look at the prisons! by god look at the prisons!!! prison inmates are prime examples of men and women who is failed by the state over and over again and end up hurting and abusing everyone around them, fueling the cycle anew.

youre putting the cart between the horse, by discoursing about self diagnosis when you havent even talked about how bad society is falling apart and how inefficient and inaccessible the healthcare system is. and im not just talking about the money, i know treatment's free, but is it really treatment when you have to wait four hours every two weeks just to meet an out of touch doctor for five minutes who'd just tell you to forgive your abuser then dose you up with potentially addictive medications without telling you the side-effects or even listening to your concerns?

also wow, inviting a shrink for a self dx discussion. i would bet money their stance is that theyre against it because heyyy therapy is free and covered by national insurance uwu and its your personal responsibility xoxo. very neoliberal. i always suspect their politics is as progressive as a gay conservative since they decided not to make a post acknowledging pride month when they personally call themselves a feminist collective. how come a group of college-educated women could be this unserious? unprincipled? eugh. i expected better of them than the empty headed dumbfuck boys who made a metalcore concert for a day where at least a million people died by the hands of the state but turns out theyre just a different flavor of annoying and ignorant.

but i guess i have to act professional and nice around them since they did agree to help for the pro palestine campaign. i hate this fr fr!!!!!

#posts about my life #infighting and resentment tag #anti psychiatry #i guess?