#hopefully that will keep me outta the tags

[auteurdelabre]

Please Mr. Miller Sequel part 2 bfd!Joel x f!Reader

summary: You're moving on from Joel Miller and looking to a bright future with your bf, Conrad. When Mr. Miller comes to visit Sarah for spring break however, old feelings start to resurface.

A sequel (1 of 5 parts now) to my "Please Mr. Miller?" Series because you voted and you want to see these two horny idiots as endgame! Photo is for aesthetic purposes.

rating: 18+ (GET OUTTA HERE KIDS!!!!)

warnings/tags: Infidelity, age gap, angst, oral (f and m receiving), fingering, public sex, public fingering, not sanitary but sexy, mutual pining, jealousy.

a/n: Y'all between here and A03 i've got such an outpouring of comments and support for this story. I thank you so kindly for following along with the adventures of my two favorite horny sluts. Comments are what keep me goin'.

masterlist here

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

Fuck Joel Miller. 

You're over him. You've got a loyal boyfriend, you've been accepted into the master's program you wanted and you've never been happier.

Okay, not happier but content. 

And some people never get content. Content you can live with. Happiness is reserved for girls that don’t pursue and foolishly fall for married men. Happiness is reserved for girls that don’t lie to their best friend’s face about who they talk to.

Sarah had been wide-eyed when you opened the bathroom door at the pub last month.

“Who were you talking to?”

Your stomach had sunk and the room seemed to get dimmer, more muted. You went to speak but all that came out was a baleful croak.

“It was him wasn’t it?” she pressed, eyes bright. “The guy you’re pining over? The married guy?”

Relief, acute and refreshing like a cup of cool water soothed your frazzled expression. She didn’t know everything.

“Yeah.”

“Sounded intense.”

“A moment of weakness,” you shrugged.

“His name’s Joe?”

“Huh?” Your stomach swooped violently. “What did you just say?”

“I heard,” Sarah said with a knowing smile. “I was about to open the door when I heard you say I can’t stop wanting you, Joe.”

You wanted to give a high pitched laugh at her mistake, but instead you nodded violently. She didn’t hear your plaintive moans of Joel’s full name. So yes, its Joe. Not Joel. Never Joel. Couldn’t be Joel Miller, your father, the man you want more than air and water. No, just a married guy named Joe.

“Yeah. Joe.”

“Just dump Conrad,” Sarah urged, hands on yours, compassion in her eyes. If she only knew. You knew Sarah had a high moral compass. You knew that she hated that you were pining over some married guy.

“I don’t need to dump Conrad. Nothing is happening between me and this guy,” you said motioning to your phone in your pocket. “I want him he doesn’t want me. I’m moving on.”

And so you did.

Conrad worships you and tomorrow is the first day of spring break. Conrad has suggested a week away at a spa in Ibiza (he'll pay for everything of course with Daddy and Mummy’s credit card) and you're eager to go. It’s a mere forty eight hours before you're pampered and spoiled with your handsome boyfriend.

And yet your thoughts continue to linger on a home on Rancher Street, in the arms of a man who wears a wedding band snugly around his finger. A man who’s voice sends you into a frenzy and the memories of your forbidden time together have you slick between the legs.

But he’s not for you.

He never was.

///

“Okay Dad, see you soon.”

Sarah hangs up just as you come back from the shower, hair still damp and dressed in your plush pink terrycloth robe.

“Do you think that new restaurant on campus is any good?” she says as she taps away on her phone. “My dad’s taking me for dinner when he gets here. Hopefully they have an opening for tonight.”

She continues swiping on her phone, unaware of the stricken expression on your face.

"I thought your Dad was coming Saturday," you say sharply. "After Conrad and I leave. That way I wouldn't be in your hair and you’d have the dorm to yourself."

"He said the airline cancelled tomorrow’s flight and rescheduled him on this one," Sarah shrugs. "Its fine, he got a hotel room so you don't have to worry about being in the way. Besides he loved you last time! Last week he even asked how you were doing. He's never been that nice to any of my other friends."

You drop the toiletry bag you were carrying; mumbling out an apology before dropping to your knees to retrieve it, hoping Sarah can’t see your red face.  

Joel is asking about you? Why? After his drunken phone call he'd been radio silent. You had been as well, feeling used. You try not to think about him.

You need to get out of here. 

You blow-dry your hair in a rush before applying your makeup in a hurry as Sarah studies in the tufted chair by the window. She doesn’t notice your frenzy of getting ready or if she does she doesn’t comment on it.

“Excited for Ibiza?”

“Mhmm,” you say as you pull on your skirt and top. “Very. I think I’m gonna go over to Con's dorm and go over last minute plans for tomorrow.”

“Things seem better between you two,” Sarah offers hopefully.

“Yeah,” you lie through your teeth as you pull on your purse. “Have a nice visit with your Dad.”

You give her a quick hug, fumbling for your keys as you stuff them in your bag. You open the door as you slip on your shoes, letting out a small oh as the door reveals a large figure standing behind it.

Him.

Joel.

Everything in your body comes alive at once. His eyes widen at the sight of you, a look that travels the length of your body before landing limpid and warm on your face. You watch the lust overtake his eyes, blowing the pupils wide. His hand clenches at his right, so tight you see the veins bulge.

Time has only added to the masculine curve of his nose, the sharp of his jaw. You don’t have photos of him and social media had given up nothing. You only had some old blurry Polaroids on Sarah’s vanity mirror to go off of. He lived in your memory so long that actually seeing him here in front of you takes the breath from your body.

You’re so thankful for the tall young man behind him wearing a football jersey that slowly comes into view behind Joel. He’s handsome with an easy smile and large hands that seem too big for his lanky frame.

“Sarah,” you call over your shoulder, your eyes never leaving Joel’s. “Your Dad is here and I think he brought you a surprise.”

Sarah rounds the corner of the room, her eyes landing on Charlie and she squeals.

“Charlie!”

You move back so that Charlie can drop his bag and move into the dorm room, sweeping Sarah up into his arms and twirling her giggling self. You force yourself to look away from the motion, bitterly jealous that it isn’t you and Joel. Instead your reunion is awkward and stilted. You feel his eyes on your profile but you can’t force your eyes back to him.

He ignores you. He uses you.

Move on from him.

Charlie and Sarah are deep in loud conversation interspersed with chaste kisses. Joel takes advantage of this, stepping towards you and lowering his voice to a husky murmur only heard by you.

“Hey, I know I haven’t-“

“Don’t,” you warn in a whispered rasp. “Just…don’t.”

Now your eyes meet his and you see the searching quality of them, how they gaze into your face as if entranced. You wonder if he’s memorizing your face the way you are his. A secret sketch in your brain so that you have it when he’s gone and nothing more than a memory.

Sarah breaks the moment to embrace her father, pressing thankful hugs around his neck and whispered thank you's. You want to leave the room but Joel is blocking the doorway. Sarah moves back, going to chatter more with Charlie.

Joel’s eyes slide over to where his daughter and Charlie face away from him as she turns the corner and shows her boyfriend her modest dorm room and the photo of the couple that she keeps beside her bed.

“Snowflake,” Joel whispers, drawing your gaze to his once more. It’s a soft, broken thing that makes your heart lurch. Your eyes fall to his mouth, desperate to feel his lips on your again before you tear them away, your thumb digging into the flesh of your ring finger. You wonder if Joel wants to apologize for the phone call last month. Or if he wants to ask if you can do it again.

You don’t know what you’d say. The irritation at being cast aside currently outweighs the churning lust you feel. At least you thought it did, until you saw him here, smelled his cologne and watched the pink of his tongue trail over his lower lip to wet it.

"I was-"

“Hey babydoll,” comes a cheerful voice from down the hall. You turn your head to see Conrad strolling towards you, a broad smile plastered over his features. And for once you’re genuinely delighted to see him and his smug, handsome face.

“Hey,” you say with saccharine sweetness. You shoulder past Joel into the hall, throwing yourself into Conrad’s arms. He eagerly sweeps you up, planting a sloppy kiss on your mouth. You feel eyes on you and your face heats as you slowly pull back. “What’re you doing here?”

“Thought we could go over the itinerary for the trip,” Conrad says pulling out his phone. “See what treatments you’d like.”

“Treatments?”

A low voice sounds from behind you and with satisfaction you see Joel eyeing the two of you icily. His broad arms are crossed in front of his chest and like a grim reminder you see his wedding ring glitter under the lights of the hallway

“Spa treatments,” you say with a smug smile. “Conrad is taking me to Ibiza for spring break.”

See Joel? I’ve moved on just like you.

Charlie and Sarah have come back out with Sarah giving Conrad a weak smile. Despite everything you know she doesn’t like him but she also doesn't like the deception of knowing you have affection for 'Joe'.

“Where are you guys goin’?” Charlie asks sweetly.

“Ibiza,” you say proudly, as if Conrad is a self made man and not some entitled trust fund baby. You don’t miss the narrowing of Joel’s eyes as your hand tightens in Conrad’s.

“Woah,” Charlie says in amazement as Joel just sucks at his teeth, giving a brief nod. He doesn’t look away from your face until Sarah steps further into the hallway, her eyes on you and her hand in Charlie’s.

“I’m so jealous,” Sarah says before stopping herself and smiling at her dad and Charlie. “Well, I was before you guys showed up. Now I don't wanna be anywhere else."

"Makes two of us babygirl," Joel grins at his daughter, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Three of us actually," Charlie adds and the group laughs.

“Conrad this is Charlie, Sarah’s boyfriend,” you say making introductions and smiling as the two young man shake hands. You pause and swallow before motioning to Joel standing there awkwardly to the side, watching the proceedings. “And this is Sarah’s dad, Joel.”

“Nice to meet ya, sir,” Conrad says shaking Joel’s hand firmly.  Joel simply nods in return before shoving his hand back into his jean pockets. His dark eyes find yours over Conrad’s head and you force yourself to look away.

Conrad seems to spot the jersey that Charlie is wearing for the first time. “You a Garopollo fan, Charlie?”

“Yup,” Charlie nods proudly. “I was born in San Fran and I’ll die a 49ers fan no matter where I live.”

“Traitor,” Joel jokes, causing the men in the vicinity to laugh.

“We can’t all be die hard Dallas Cowboy fans,” Charlie teases back with a gentle nudge to Joel’s shoulder that the older man grins at.

“I like the Patriots myself,” Conrad says while you and Sarah exchange looks of gentle exasperation.

“Great,” Sarah rolls her eyes dramatically. “Football. I’ll be here all night.”

“We should go and let you guys get to your dinner,” you say tugging at Conrad’s shoulder playfully. “Let’s go, babe.”

"You two should come with," Joel says casually out of nowhere.

Everyone makes a murmur of surprised delight at the suggestion while you try to hold down the panic that’s festering within your innards. How can you sit at dinner with Joel? You want to be as far away from him as possible. Just being this close has your skin feeling itchy, like you want to peel it off.

“No, no it’s a family thing,” you insist, trying to guide Conrad away.

“No way,” Sarah says stepping forth and taking your elbow. “Don’t make me sit through a dinner of football talk by myself.”

“My treat,” Joel adds with a voice that sounds detached.

"That's not necessary," Conrad says looking at Joel's flannel and jeans. "I'm happy to pay for myself and my girl."

You don't miss the tic in Joel's jaw at this, the chill in his gaze blinked away when he turns his face into an easy smile.

"Alright then. Let’s go." 

///

Sarah didn’t manage to make reservations at Bon Bon but Conrad promises that he can get you all in with no problem.  When you all arrive and Conrad drops his last name the restaurant is only too happy to accommodate a larger party. You glance over at Joel when that happens, gratified to find him glaring at the back of Conrad’s head.

The pretty hostess takes you to a large hand-carved booth tucked away in the corner. It’s got beautiful red roses in the center and long draping white tablecloth that probably costs more than all your college textbooks combined.  

"S'fancy in here," Joel mutters to Sarah and you think he sounds embarassed. You feel a stab of guilt at showing Conrad off like some prize. Even now Joel in his flannel and jeans is so much more enticing than Conrad in his lawn shirt and trousers.

Joel slides in and sits at the end of the table like a king holding court. You and Conrad curl around one side, Sarah and Charlie on the other. Conrad and Charlie haven’t stopped talking since they started on your walk over to the restaurant.

“And I don’t even think that they have a shot for the Superbowl this year.”

“Fucking Superbowl,” Conrad rolls his eyes. “That’s just a chance to sell ad space; it’s not a real game.”

You and Sarah exchange a look of boredom before diving into your menus. You wish you weren’t sat next to Joel in the booth, but Conrad always likes to sit on the outer rim of them because he claims it’s a power position. Fucking ridiculous.

You all chat amiably about what you’re going to drink before Sarah suggests you and her share a Sangria pitcher. You nod eagerly, knowing that alcohol may help to soothe your high strung nerves. Joel and the Charlie order a beer when the server comes by and you don’t miss how Conrad has to order the most obnoxious sounding wine on the menu, all the way to rolling his r’s to hit the Spanish pronunciation.

As she leaves Conrad’s arm goes behind your shoulder in the booth casually and you lean back into it, watching from under your lids as everyone talks. After a moment you go back to your menu, trying to pick what you want when your stomach feels like it’s coming out your bellybutton. Joel doesn’t look your way as you do this, but it’s like you feel him.

“Are you guys doing any excursions when you’re over there.”

“Dunno,” Conrad shrugs playfully. “I’m up to do whatever she wants, I’m just there to carry the luggage.”

He presses a kiss to the corner of your mouth and you grin up at him. He’s being so devoted, so charming. You know that from the outside it fools most people and even you get sucked into it sometimes. It makes you temporarily forget the pouting when things don’t go his way or the way he pays off everything to avoid conflict.

The group continues to talk about differing travel locales they want to visit. Sarah wants to got o Greece, Charlie to Spain and you mention Italy.

“I want to people watch there,” you say with a crooked smile. “It seems the perfect place for it.”

“We’ll have to go there next then,” Conrad winks at you. You let him kiss your mouth, despite how he knows that you despise of public affection. He pulls back, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before he tells the group that the steak here is amazing.

At the first graze you think a spider has crawled over your knee. Your hand sweeps over your bared kneecap, hoping to brush it off when a large hand falls over yours, pinning yours to your thigh. You try to keep your features schooled, but your eyes dart to Joel’s profile beside you. He’s looking over the menu, lower lip stuck out in thought. You feel his thumb rub tiny circles into the top of your hand, almost lovingly. It makes you clench up everywhere.

His long fingers circle your wrist and under the tablecloth he tugs your hand into his lap where you find him hard through the denim of his jeans. Your mouth goes dry as he encourages your fingers to squeeze him through the fabric, palming his thickness.

Joel makes a soft sighing noise that could be a casual contemplation of what to order, his gaze on the menu.  But then his dark eyes dart to your face briefly before he’s dragging your hand harder against his cock.

Everything in you wants to keep going. To feel his cock throb in your hands. To make him come right there at the table. But you don’t. You remember how he last left things on the phone and you feel your irritation churn in your guts.

Fuck him. You’re not here to be his personal fuck toy whenever he throws crumbs of affection your way.

You tug your hand back slowly, not wanting to arouse suspicion before you drag your hand back up, using both to look at the menu as Charlie, Sarah and Conrad complain about the lack of good movies in the theaters these days.

It’s not until the food is delivered and you’re two glasses of sangria in that you feel the gentle graze again. Its feather light on your inner kneecap, tracing the bone there and you feel goosebumps rise all along your body at the sensation. Yet you force yourself to swallow and agree out loud that the Cillian Murphy will probably win best actor.

You keep your hands on the table, not looking at Joel. You furrow your brows only a little when Joel’s hand slowly slides up your bare knee to your thigh, rubbing gently. He’s leaned forward slightly, one hand around his beer. He looks casual, even relaxed as he does this, nodding and offering the odd comment as everyone eats and talks about school, politics, pop culture, sports. You can barely keep track because all you can concentrate on is the large, warm hand that is now sliding up under your skirt.

You take a bite of your salad, almost choking when a finger traces the damp slit of your cunt through your panties. Your eyes dart to Joel to see him resting his cheek boredly on one hand as if the entire ordeal is tiring to him before he takes a bite of potato. The rest of the table talks animatedly as only the young and carefree can.

You used to be like that.

You squirm, trying to dislodge Joel’s hand from your lap, but he has no intention of leaving. Instead you feel his finger curl around the edge of your panties, testing your warmth, feeling your arousal seeping into your gusset. You feel Joel’s dark eyes slide over your face before he joins in on the conversation with Charlie and Conrad about the latest sports team. You can’t be bothered to ask which on because Joel’s thick finger has breached your cunt now, leaving you with wide eyes and trembling as you try to bring another forkful of your steak salad to your lips.

He pumps his middle finger into your welcoming cunt, a small surprised smile on his lips as he listens to the conversations around the table. When the second finger joins the first and you feel your pussy milking them, you begin to breathe unsteadily, trying to swallow the moan that’s building there. But when his thumb taps at your clit and then rubs in slow circles you let out  a small whimper.

Conrad hears it, turning to see your cheeks flushed and sweat dotting your forehead. He gives a look of concern before leaning over and dropping his voice to a soothing murmur.

“You okay, babydoll?” Conrad asks his hand flying to your knee, dangerously close to Joel’s fingers.

“I’m fine,” you say shaking him off before his hand can touch your thigh. Joel’s own hand creeps back to his lap, glistening with your arousal. The sight of it is what sends you pushing against Conrad, desperate to find release.

“I need to use the bathroom,” you urge, nudging him out of the booth. Conrad nods, allowing you to slide out and lurch to the bathroom. You feel your heart pounding as your feet rush to the tiled bathroom, slamming the door behind you.

You’re so achy between your legs you can’t believe it. You lean over the counter, watching as a woman exits the stall, her eyes lingering on your curved spine. She washes her hands, looking at your red face.

“You okay honey?”

“Mhmm,” you nod through clenched teeth. She nods, drying her hands before exiting. You try to catch your breath before you move into the far stall, your body slumping against the wall. You are about to close the door for privacy when a hand reaches out to tug it open. Joel is there, his broad shoulders twisting around

“Joel?”

When you see the fire in his expression you feel your coherent thought leave you. His pupils are blown so wide his eyes look black and the way he looks at you is nothing other than ravenous.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Making you come," is all he says before his he hits his knees.

You fall against the wall of the bathroom stall, hands flat against the cool metal. Joel's pulling down your panties, urging your thighs to part before his tongue is slipping between the lips of your cunt. You offer a small gasp before he begins to suck on your clit, tongue flicking as your knees buckle. It's sloppy and needy and feels so fucking sinful that you immediately go boneless.  

“My good girl,” comes the muffled endearment from between your legs. His broad grasp is around your thigh, urging it over his shoulder so you open yourself more to him. He inhales, groaning before his tongue is back to probing you deeply, coaxing your climax.

You let out little whimpers, eyelids fluttering as Joel’s fingers press into your sopping slot, murmuring to himself about how good you taste. You can’t control the way you start to unravel, letting him lick at you, taste you and praise you. You look down the length of your body to see his curly hair, his eyes half-opened, drunk with arousal. You think of how he’s ignored you for months and you want to push away from him but you can’t. It feels too good, too right.  

"Joel," you whisper, eyes wide as he wraps his teeth around your pulsing pearl."W-why?"

"I need to," Joel says, his breathing quick and sharp as his gaze meets yours. “Need to-“

The door opens and you hear two older women gabbing, chuckling to one another as Joel abruptly stands. You may be in the far stall, but a man on his knees is going to cause a scene if they glance the way of your stall, you’re sure of it.

You wait for him to grow anxious and wait them out, but instead he pulls his hard and throbbing cock from his jeans. Your eyes blow wide when he grips you by the middle, lifting you by the ass and urging your legs to wrap around his waist. You do it, feeling the cold metal of the stall wall against your spine as he pins you there with his body.

His hand goes over your mouth when he slides into you, groaning gently as he does, as if this is what he’s been living for all these months.

“Need to remind you who this pussy belongs to,” he murmurs against the curve of your ear when he begins to thrust into you. “Remind you who you come for.”

His hand remains stuck over your mouth, sealing in any disagreement from your side. He’ll have found none even if his hand was taken away. The sound of the women chatting is distant, in another world, like insects in the grass of a summer day.

“All that money and that pretty boy can’t make you feel half as good as me,” Joel grunts against your temple. “Cuz fucking him doesn’t feel as good as fucking a married man, does it?”

Your lower belly tightens, your brows saddle. You worry Joel doesn’t understand that being married is the least enticing part in all of this. That you just want him because he’s Joel Miller. But Joel is feral, fucking into you harshly as he maintains your silence.

“He doesn’t make you wet like this, does he?”

You shake your head, watching with fascination as Joel’s mouth curves into a triumphant grin. He thrusts faster, his breathing punched out with each pump before his mouth is on your ear again.

“He make you come just talkin’ to you on the phone?”

Another head shake.

“But you come so easily for me, don’t ya?” Joel grunts quietly. “Cuz your cunt was made for this cock. No one’ll ever make it feel as good as I do. And no cunt makes me feel as good as yours. Can’t get it outta my fucking head.”

You can’t help but whimper behind his palm at the sound of that because it almost sounds as if there’s longing in his voice.

“Shhh shhh shhh,” Joel hushes you, eyes widening slightly. The sound of the women washing their hands is heard distantly. “You don’t want us caught before you come do you?”

But he needn’t have worried. You’re there, fucking yourself against his thrusts as he sends you into a dizzying climax, one that has your eyes clenched tightly and your eyes ringing.

“I feel that,” he murmurs against your lobe. “I feel you squeezin’ me, baby. Fuck keep going. Ride it out.”

You come with his palm sealed tightly over your mouth, arching back as Joel watches you with appreciative awe, soaking his cock. The women exit the bathroom with casual laughter as they talk about the entrees and you shudder violently against the man who has you pinned to the wall. When he’s sure you’ve finished he slowly lowers you, waiting until your rubbery legs can stand independently.

Joel pulls himself from you slowly, his hardened cock waiting. You don’t even hesitate, you just sink to the floor and take him into your mouth, sucking as he winds his hands in your hair and fucks your mouth. You taste your mingled release when he comes down your throat seconds later, breathing in sharp little huffs of good girl my good girl as he does. You swallow it down, your eyes on him the entire time before he brings you to your feet.

His mouth is on yours, tongue tangling with yours as his hips pin you to the stall wall. Your hands clutch at his neck, lacing there before he pulls back, the heat from his eyes dimming as he realizes how far he’s gone. The air thick with tension as you both realize what a monumental mistake this was.

“You go back first,” he tells you huskily. “I’ll wait a few.”

You nod, smoothing down your clothes and hair, checking the mirror to make sure that your makeup is still presentable. You wash your hands and come back to the table to find the group finishing up.

“You sure you’re feeling okay?” Conrad asks as you slip in beside him. “You’re all flushed. I hope you’re not too sick for our trip.”

Of course that’s all he cares about. You’re convinced if you actually were sick Conrad would somehow blame you for it, as if it were within your control. Instead you just assure him with a tepid smile and a light head shake.

“No no, I’m fine. But I think we should head out. I wanna finish packing.”

You can’t be here when Joel gets back. Just the idea of catching sight of him after everything that’s happened has your knees buckling. Conrad throws back the remainder of his drink as you and he cast goodbyes to Sarah and Charlie.

“Let’s go,” Conrad says slipping an arm around your waist as he stands. “Just lemme pay.”

Your skin prickles as a husky voices sounds out behind you.

“No need,” Joel says with a smug smile as he approaches the table. “Already taken care of.”

#joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller smut #joel miller #dad joel miller #fanfic #pedro pascal #smut #fanfiction #joel miller tlou #dbf!joel miller #dbf!joel #bfdjoelmiller #jealousy #pining

[heavenlyraindrops]

♱ Father Forgive Me (For I have Sinned) ~Chapter Ten ♱

Lucifer Morningstar x Angel!Reader Fandom: Hazbin Hotel Chapter Ten Warnings: profanity Click on the first tag to see all the other chapters

♱Where the purest soul in Heaven falls for the Devil♱

[Chapter Ten]

You pressed the stone on your bracelet feverishly in a string of long and short beeps, hoping Lucifer would receive it. 

They know. Me and you. They know. 

The stone lit up, indicating he had heard you. You pulled your sleeve down over the accessory, and smiled brightly at Avery, one of the exorcists, who was approaching you down the street. She smiled back, but it was shadowed with the disappearance and probable death of her friend who hadn’t come back from the extermination a week ago. 

You’d met in the street and she had stopped you to talk- something that happened to you quite frequently whenever you went out. But now you were itching to get away, now that Adam knew- anyone could have known.

“Well well well. Look who it is.”

You turned your head to see Adam and Lute. Avery perked up. 

“Adam, Lute! How was the meeting?”

Adam yawned animatedly. “Boring. Lucifer’s-“ his eyes shifted towards you “-brat showed up. Has some stupid hotel for redemption or something.” His snickers turned into a flurry of raucous laughter, and even Lute next to him looked smug, yet contemptful. 

“Er, what?” 

Both their eyes turned to you in unison. 

“What meeting?”

“We had a meeting in the Heaven Embassy. Charlie Morningstar was there,” she explained slowly, as if you were stupid, and also because Adam had just stared at you for a good six seconds without any response. “She wanted to redeem sinners,” Lute spat.“Stupid idea.”

Your mind swirled at Charlie’s name, and you bit back your objection- if angels could fall, why couldn’t sinners rise?- but you decided it was best to not disagree with Adam for the time being. 

“Agreed,” you said rigidly. Adam nodded, as if he was pleased with what he heard, then turned to Lute.

“C’mon danger tits,” he said. “Let’s get outta here.”

You watched them disappear down the street.

“Well he’s quite a character,” Avery piped up. You turned to her. You had forgotten she was there, you realized, taking in a deep breath and sighing it out.

“Right. Well. There’s not much one can do.”

Avery laughed. “He’s the first man. Do you ever think it got to his head?” She fell silent, flushing. “Don’t tell anyone I said that, though.”

You gave her a wan smile. “Don’t worry. I can keep a secret.”

♱♱♱

Your hand gripped the edge of the sink, before your eyes met your own haggard reflection in the glass in front of you. You winced at your eyebags, which boasted your lack of sleep proudly, and your dull complexion. 

One month left. You still hadn’t decided. 

You debated between going to the living room and tidying up a bit, or going back to your bedroom and falling asleep for what could hopefully be at least a year. You could wake up and realize this was all just a dream. The past seven years, since the day you had met Lucifer, had been just a dream. You slunk back into your bedroom, shutting the door and climbing into bed. Something drifted out of the sheets and landed soundlessly on the floor, and you bent down to pick it up. 

A single red feather. From his wing.

Something swelled in your throat, tears threatening to spill out from your eyes. You sniffled, then bent over, shoulders racked with silent sobs. You ran a hand through your hair, fingers tangling with the strands and tugging it involuntarily.

A couple of quick, polite knocks on the front door snapped you out of your state. You sniffled again, wiping your eyes hastily. They sounded nothing like Adam or Lute, who usually knocked as if the door was unbreakable, or simply barged in. You picked your way across the messy living room and opened the door. 

“Sera,” you said, trying to make your voice sound bright and welcoming but it just rasped out instead. Sera’s smile began to fade once she saw you, her eyes looking up and down, taking you in, in all your exhausted glory.

“[name],” she said, and her voice betrayed no emotion. You tilted your head to the side.

Fuck. She knows.

“Yes?” You said dryly, trying to hide the fact that your heart was going a million kilometers per second. 

Sera cleared her throat, straightening up. “I’ll cut straight to the point.” You stiffened, waiting for the blow. “Heaven has visitors. From Hell, arriving this week, to plead their case in court- that redemption may be possible for sinners.”

You nodded slowly, the dread melting away as you relaxed. 

“We need a place for them to stay, only for a little while, and seeing that you are- supposed to-“ she frowned as your stare darkened, “-be one of the most powerful souls here, due to your purity-“

“You want me to take them in while they’re here,” you said flatly. She nodded and smiled, continuing, trying to convince you, confident she would.

“It’s safer to put them with you than some random hotel, and your house is quite big, you’ve got plenty of guest rooms, and you’re quite- supposed to be-“ she waved her hands around, as if she was trying to bat your sharpening glare away from her, “-proper, collected… neat and tidy…” Her gaze drifted behind you into your living room and she winced. 

You twisted your head round to look over your shoulder, then snapped your eyes back to her. “I’ll get myself presentable for them,” you said gruffly. Sera smiled again, and you wondered if she actually believed you. Clearing your throat, you forced a smile, even though it came out as a grimace. 

“So. Who exactly are these lovely… wayward souls?”

Sera’s expression hardened. “Charlie Morningstar, the Princess of Hell,” she said stiffly, and then relaxed. “And some other… sinner who she’s going to bring along with her.”

The word ‘Morningstar’ knocked the breath right out of you. 

“Oh,” you managed to utter. Sera smiled tightly. You cleared your throat.

“Well.” You squared your shoulders. “I look forward to meeting her. Sera nodded shortly.

“I’m sure you do.” Her voice dropped as she leaned forward suddenly, and you took a step back. “[name], are you sure you’re alright?” You forced a smile.

“I’m just fine, Sera.”

♱♱♱

A/N: Hey guys! Rain here. Multiple things I’d like for it to be known:

-Exams are coming up, and I have a fuck ton of stuff to study. It’s meant to be one of the most important exams in my course so… it’s a pretty big deal.

-Meaning, this might be the last chapter I’ll be able to get out for a while. Either that, or updates will be slower. Luckily, once exams end I have three months of freedom and will be able to update as much as possible!

-until then, I am going to write oneshots now and then, and am also opening my requests! More details are on the pinned post on my blog. (Pls send me a request it makes me feel cool… :’) no like please PLEASE SEND REQUESTS I literally have nothing to write otherwise)

-all I’m saying is, I just won’t be able to write as much cause I’ll be super busy. Don’t worry haha I am NOT going on Hiatus. The taglist is still open.

Taglist: @boredlime, @ica1, @tremendoushearttaco, @sweetadonisbutbetter, @lucky-flowey,@kitty-kei, @thornwolfy235, @w31rd3rg1rl, @marxo5, @lvstyangel, @brainz00, @lukerycyja-reblogs, @dickmastersworld,@everlastprime259-blog, @rain-doll401-blog, @bakugounuggets, @ren-ren23, @mjhehe09, @angelicwillows, @rayyrayysanchez, @luleck, @dellugh-shposts, @rebecca-hvnstn, @l0v3lyx, @ravenswritingroom, @rattyrattyratty, @lovayle, @relatedsoda, @cimadreamer, @valckenaux, @lauruoriii, @deardaffy, @randompersonnotoneaeth, @bloody-delusion-expert, @vampirefilmlover, @lillianastuff, @tsukiko26

#FATHER FORGIVE ME (FOR I HAVE SINNED) -LUCIFER MORNINGSTAR X ANGEL!READER #lucifer morningstar #hazbin hotel #romance #lucifer x reader #hazbin fanfic #lucifer morningstar x reader #hazbin hotel fanfiction #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin #hazbin hotel fanfic #hazbin hotel fandom #lucifer x reader smut #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin lucifer #lucifer smut #lucifer x you #lucifer #lucifer magne #lucifer x reader fanfic #lucifer x reader angst #lucifer x reader hazbin #Angst #fluff #hazbin hotel angel!reader #romance fanfiction #romance prompts #romantic #friends to lovers #lovers

[s-4pphics]

a lil meanmechanic!ellie and snobbybitch!reader hc list bc i’m clinically ill and my dark thoughts always win i was gonna write a lil fic but i got tired lol long day 

but hopefully thisll suffice for now😚idk how many imma make for them but the sex gon go crazy

wc;cw: 930 real short n sweet, slutty rude annoying rich!oc, i’m not kidding she’s a bad person, more monologues when will it end, oc is horny and a top letting y’all know rn, imma make this toxic🤭

your shiny brand new pink bentley just stopped working! what the fuck! 

after your dad gifted you your third new car, he instructed you to pull up to the swarovski store and pick up your sparkly limited edition lavender tinted lux chrono watch…. and this happens!

how the fuck were you going to get your new watch without transportation?!

you pulled your phone outta your chanel bag and googled car stopped help…

call a tow truck?!

don’t people just buy new cars when they stop working?! 

you dialed the first number suggested online 

“YELLO!” a friendly gruff voice came through the phone

“ummm, hi, my car stopped working— “

“okay, great! where’s your car located?”

“it’s uh.. near this mall complex.” 

“…okay. i mean…. i mean what’s the address?”

…. you don’t fucking know, you’re stranded!

after spending the next ten minutes asking strangers where the hell you were, you irritatingly whined the address to the man on the phone

why does nothing go your way?!

“okay great! we’ll be there in about an hour to get it!” 

an hour?!

but your swarovski watch—!

“hello?” 

“…yeah, whatever.” you said, hanging up.

this is fucking stupid!

after an hour of angrily pouting in your front seat, you saw a red truck pull up behind you in your rearview 

fucking finally!

you got out your new baby and saw—

oh, fuck

oh fuck!

WEEEEEEWOOOOOOWWEEEEEE—

your brain was sending off red alarms!

behind the man, there was a girl in overalls and a wife-beater, dirty sneakers(yuck!), and a bandana on to keep her sweaty hair outta her face

and your mood immediately got better! 

she’s sexy she’s sexy she’s sexy she’s sexy—

“um, hi! ‘m joel! you called for a tow?” 

oh yeah

“y-yup! that’s me! my cars over there,” you pointed in some random direction as you stared at the girl 

“….okay, uh, we’ll get that loaded and we’ll head over to the repair shop!”

“uh huh,” you were so dazed as you watched her biceps ripple as she got some paperwork outta the car 

“….right!” and he walked away

she’s coming over oh god she’s coming over!

“hey. this your car?”

“mhm!” 

you looked at her name tag 

ellie

hm…wanna fuck?—

“cool. just need you to sign here. we’ll do the diagnosis when we get to the shop—“

you didn’t even care about what the fuck she was saying

you wanna eat her out so bad and buy her whatever she wants 

you work so hard, baby, lemme take the stress away! 

“…are you gonna sign…or?”

you were too busy looking at her freckled face and scarred eyebrows to notice she was holding a clipboard out to you 

how about you sign these damn wedding papers! 

“sorry!”

“it’s cool…yeah, just sign at the bottom.” 

she pointed at the dotted line with her calloused finger and you almost sucked it into your mouth! 

turn her out turn her out!

she finally met your eyes 

you wanted her clit in your mouth—!

“um… you can hop in the truck and we’ll head over, it’s like.. 20 minutes—“

“great! let’s go!”

ride my face!

when you arrived at the dealership, you got…. uncomfortable. 

why was it so loud and… grungy looking?

the nice man that answered the phone—joel— guided you into the garage and ushered you to sit on…. dirty chairs and you wanted god to strike you down now

“we’re gonna take a look at your car! it’s in pretty good condition so it shouldn’t be long!” joel screamed at you from the garage exit

you sat and nodded and 

you looked so outta place in here 

pastel colors, shimmery necklace and bracelets, heels!

you stood out like a sore thumb!

rusted, eggshell walls, dimly lit, dusty floor

you wanna leave so bad what the fuck—

“hey!” 

sike you wanna stay ellie’s so fucking fine—

“your car battery’s connection is loose, we’re gonna replace it—“

“today's my birthday!”

you were biting your lip and looking at her with glossy lust filled eyes and you wanted your head between her thighs—

“….’scuse me?”

“it’s my birthday!”

“happy….. happy birthday?” 

“thank you!” now lemme give you head—

“uh huh….. so, the replacement battery is gonna be $60, i can ring you up right now so you're not waiting when your car’s charged.”

you followed her to the desk and….

her fucking back and her shoulders and her ass—

her back her back! you wanna scratch it and make her scream!—

“cash or card?”

“card. my black card!” she needa know you’ll buy her everything—

“….right. go ‘head and swipe.”

you wanna swipe your tongue on her pussy!

but you swiped your card 

and you also reached in your chanel and grabbed a couple hundreds out

“here you go! for your troubles!” 

“what.”

“you fixed my baby! you should get a huge tip! like a really…. really fat one!

lemme give you this tip!

she must’ve noticed your tone, nastily sweet like honey, because her eyes widened before she let out a shocked scoff

you have her you have her—

“are you kidding me right now?” 

what. 

“hm?”

“i’m askin’ if you’re fucking serious? we don’t accept charity.” and she got up

and she looked mad

what the hell?

“w-what! no, it’s not like that— “

“yeah, whatever, your car will be ready in 20. you can take your money and get the hell out.” 

and she stormed off with a slam of the back door. 

…..

oh my god?

…

you want her even more now! 

#ellie williams blurb #ellie x fem reader #richsnob!oc #ellie williams smut #lesbian #ellie williams #mechanic!ellie ˚. ᵎᵎ

[ms-cartoon]

Sorry for the long wait for this review. Life has been biting me in the rear lately and I’ve been unmotivated to get anything done. But I’m finally finished with this commentary and I haven’t forgotten about the “Unhappy Campers” episode that was uploaded recently. That will be done as well!

Okay, FINALLY Season 1 Episode 8 came out and about, after a year I think. Why was it taking so long? 

Well, short story; professional (or personal?) reasons involving Kesha. Also, copyright issues. 

Long Story? Well, as we all know, Kesha, a pretty known popstar, was voicing the role of a character Viv created for this episode named Beelzebub. As you can see from the gif I put on top, you can tell that there are some similarities there. Not just with the voice, but also appearances here and there.... which was one of the problems and reasons why Kesha didn’t wanna voice this role, at least initially since she clearly changed her mind after a year or so. If you’ve seen this episode, you’d probably know by now that Beelzebub is a party girl; she likes to drink, party, and eat junk food n stuff. And Kesha is ALL those things; party girl, likes to drink and eat. Or at least... she was like that? Thing is, she went to rehab for all those things and is recovering from it from what I’ve heard.

Not that I wanna assume anything but... creating an oc that has certain traits that the voice actor was struggling with and had to get cleaned for, not to mention that Beelzebub is a literal reference to Kesha and how she was back in the day? I don’t know what Viv’s goal was there, but doesn’t she think that might be a little insensitive?? Now, I don’t know if Kesha is sensitive about that, but she must’ve felt some type of way about it considering she wanted nothing to do with HB in the first place and had to wait almost a year to finally decide to do it.

Also, I still don’t get why this episode had to wait a year for this. Like, I get that Kesha is Vivzie’s idol and it was her dream to have her voice someone in her show, but did she really want her to voice a role so badly she wanted to put a pause on the season 1 finale and completely skip to season 2 until finally uploading it a year later? Why couldn’t she just get someone else to voice Beelzebub? Kesha didn’t even sing the song that was played in this episode, and she wrote it!! It just kinda feels like all this was for nothing. This should probably be the last time Viv EVER tries to get big-time celebrities to voice over characters in her show. Especially when it gets so complicated to the point where you have to keep certain famous youtube videos private, when animators can’t even upload animation roughs from the episode, and when you can’t tag Kesha about her association with Helluva Boss on ANY social media. Yeah . . . It’s that complicated. Hopefully, Viv will learn some kinda lesson from all of this, cuz she had to take her “Die Young” animation off YouTube because of it, which honestly sucks (mostly for her anyway). It really is messed up, especially when considering that Viv’s Die Young video was what mainly started her whole career in the first place before Hazbin. I really hope it was worth it,Viv. . . .

Anyway, let’s just jump to the review...

So episode 8 was kinda... meh. It was alright I guess, still like always, I was expecting something outta nothing. Of course, some things happened on here that I just had to complain about, and I’ll explain later. But the gist of it is that... not a lot happened in this episode. As always, the writers were just rushing things. This whole episode might as well have been a 5-minute clip after so much wasted time on some stupid song which I’ll admit is pretty catchy (gives me 2010 vibes). And also what bothers me about this whole thing was that this was about Loona. 

Lemme explain; so y’all remember Ozzie’s right? That whole thing with Blitzo spying on M&M and bringing Stolas along just to get in the club? Yeah, that episode. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but that was supposed to be a Part 1 before episode 8 before Viv decided at the last minute to change that. At the end of episode 7, Blitzo pushed Stolas away after dropping him off. He went home and was scrolling through pictures and started to cry after seeing a picture of him, his sister, and mother. I was expecting this whole episode to be about just Blitzo and what he got going on, similar to Stolas and his episode in the second season. Like maybe a flashback of his past or something with the people that was a part of his life and left at some point over what he did. We have yet to know what happened between him and Fizzarolli that ended their friendship. Or what about his sister?? Cuz apparently, she doesn’t like Blitzo either and is holding a grudge about something. With Verosika, well we already know the two dated and why they broke up sorta, but I still feel like we have yet to explore the relationship they had. Like, how the hell did a scrawny little imp like Blitzo get with such a baddie like Verosika??? What was their relationship like?

So yeah, I just feel like this episode could’ve given us a whole other different plot. If anything, the story in this episode could’ve been saved for another. Not that there was any plot to tell anyway, especially when it’s 15-minutes long and rushed as hell. 

It’s literally just Loona at a party...

In episode 7 S1, Blitzo got a text from Loona saying Vortex invited her to a party and that’s where we are. The whole time, she’s having difficulties socializing with folks and is very awkward. Plus we have our new character, Beelzebub to lighten everybody’s mood. She’s also Vortex’s girlfriend, but I’ll get into that in a little bit. Also, after a while, Blitzo comes by to pick her up initially but later joins the party with Loona.

Let’s just get started....

-- Hold up, so no disclaimer of “This is for adults! You have been warned!” warning?? We’re just gonna jump straight into the episode? I’m not sure whether they forgot about that part or if they just don’t care anymore, but to me, it feels rather off. Especially since they’ve been doing it since the first episode of season 1. If you’re wanting to go all out with the r-rating anyway, it would still be best for you to put that disclaimer every time before you start the episode, especially when folks of a younger age are watching it for the first time and don’t like to be caught off guard with anything vulgar.

-- I couldn’t tell if Loona just hung up on Blitzo or just left him on read when he tried to call her. Regardless, she didn’t answer the phone while knowing fully well he’s trying to call her and its pretty rude. I know I’m being nitpicky about this part, but as someone who has parents who’d get onto you a little for not answering the phone sooner and not calling back immediately after finding out you missed the call, it can get a little triggering.

-- The hellhounds in this party don’t even look like actual hellhounds; just over a hundred different breeds of dogs with red eyes. If anything, Loona and Vortex look more like hellhounds.

-- Is it just me, or does the animation and clean-up here feel . . . . off? I mean- Look at the outlines!!

Do you see how different the outlines are in size in each different scene??? They’re thick in one part, totally thin in another, but right back to thick again, and so on. Honestly, the more I notice it, the more irritable it is. I get that there are hundreds of animators working in this show, they like to animate their way, and I’m no animator myself (not yet), but would it kill y’all to stay consistent with the clean-ups here? Why can’t you stick to the same brush size while outlining?

-- While we’re on that topic, Loona’s character model looks much more off than the outlining. I’m not sure how I can explain it, I don’t critique art or character designs often (ironic cuz I draw a lot, lol), but Loona has been drawn so stiff and thick lately. . . . . I dunno. It just doesn’t look the same. You might see what I mean if you just look at the pictures above. Once again, it just seems like the animators and artist cannot stay consistent with the animation and character appearances.

-- Loona butts in on a conversation with a couple of people she apparently doesn't get along with. I get that she's trying to socialize, but why, out of everyone in this party, did you choose to talk to someone who takes embarrassing photos of you and talks shit??

-- So this poodle hellhound took a photo of Loona throwing up that one time at a party she participated in. A party before this one of course. But last I checked, it was implied in ep 3 season 1 that Loona had never been to a party before and the one that Tex invited her to (the one in the episode) would be her first one. The party that Loona vomited at should’ve been her first one instead of the one Beezlebub is running. Not to mention that she has met some of these hellhounds before and is known as “Lunatic Loona” by most of them. This folks is yet another retcon.

-- Loona calls the poodle a bitch, leaving everybody completely shocked for some reason. “Ooooh! Teacher! She just said a bad word!” That’s seriously what they’re acting like. As if NOBODY in this wasted ass party (or in hell at all) has ever said a bad word before. If y’all don’t grow tf up-

-- I’m sorry, but if y’all asked me what I thought The seven deadly sin of Gluttony would look like, NEVER in my LIFE would I have pictured THIS--

I know I cannot have been the only one high off shrooms the moment I seen this character design. . . She looks like a concept art of an OC that was made a 12-year-old Vivziepop. 

 So first off, she calls herself Queen Bee... but is shaped like the rest of these furry fanservice mutts. She’s just another wolf/fox with only a little bit of bug-like features to pass off that she’s only. . . part bee. But why not just make her a FULL BEE??? Why does she have to look like a whole lava lamp hellhound??? Like, I know the lava lamp feature was supposed to be based off her personality, but why can’t that just be her hair?? Why do you have to add that part to her STOMACH!!?? I can’t even tell if that’s just apart of her clothes or her actual body! Either way, its too much!! It must’ve been hard as sh*t to animate her!!!

It doesn’t even make sense that she looks like a hellhound anyway!! Hellhounds are supposed to be in the lowest rank right beside imps and Beezlebub looks like one of them, only with an extra pair of arms!! Once again, why can’t she just be a BEE or something???

-- I always forget that Helluva Boss is supposed to be a musical. Probably because it just doesn’t fit as one at this point, especially with this pop music. When it comes to musicals, the point in the songs is that we would have to feel empathy for whoever’s singing and they also tell a story while we get a sense in what we’re about to see, and it also drops hints in what will happen next. But THIS song, it’s just a little pop music talking about sweets while also introducing Beezlebub. I get that its the point in pop music; there’s not much meaning to them and it’s only meant for you to enjoy and sing along with, but you can’t really call this show a musical when music like this is being played. Like I said from before, it’s still fairly catchy. I’ll admit that, but I could hardly feel for it.

-- I don’t wanna badge Kesha for her acting skills. It’s not like she’s been in a lot of films anyway. I mean, she’s a pop singer first and always, so that’s fair. But it was pretty, meh? Like, she kinda sounded like she didn’t even wanna be there in the studio and is only reading her lines instead of actually ACTING them while putting little emotion in what she’s saying. Honestly, most of Beelzebub’s lines are kinda pointless anyway. Like she’s just saying random bizarre monologues that I can hardly care about or even listen to. I can’t even tell if I was supposed to laugh at them or what. Seems like to me the writers only put those lines in the script just to hear the famous Ke$ha talk more. Not to mention that some of what she said sounded completely unnecessary and weird. For instance, Beelzebub mentioned how she was associated with Satan and thinks of him as her brother, but also finds him hot without his shirt on and said that she could “hit that”. . . . . Uhh, not exactly something you should say or even THINK about your brother figure ma’am. Why y’all gotta have Kesha say all that?? I can definitely see why she wouldn’t wanna act out these scripts!! She must’ve felt hella uncomfortable reading them!

And Viv, WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND THE INCEST JOKES!!??

-- Okay, so . . . . Vortex, a lower class hellhound, and Beelzebub, one of the seven deadly sins being Gluttony (which means she a higher rank) dating?. . . Um, last I checked, a lower class and someone of higher up than that is kinda frowned upon by most of the demons in hell, as seen with how some people reacted to Blitzo and Stolas’s relationship. But for some reason, no one seems to react to Tex and Bee’s relationship?? Why is it that people mock Stolas and Blitzo for being a thing, but Tex and Bee can walk around and hold hands scott free??? I can tell that Viv just doesn't care anymore about the ranking system SHE made up.

-- I don’t really see Vortex and Bee as a couple anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I actually find it cute they’re together and even like the ship a little bit. But from what little interactions I’ve seen between them, kinda just seems like they’re more platonic best friends then boyfriend and girlfriend. I guess if we we’re to dig deep into they’re relationship, then I might see something, but . . . . I dunno, that’s probably just me.

--  Loona is so hard to read, especially now. The whole time she’s there, she’s just feeling super uncomfortable, like she doesn't even wanna be there even though she's with Vortex, who's the only person she seems to be more at ease with out of everyone in the party. Even when Bee is super welcoming and nice to her, Loona still feels bitter while not even liking her (Probably because Bee is dating Tex). And then for some reason, she just ups and leaves then starts to... tear up?? It's not too clear to me why she’s feeling sad. You can’t blame me for not knowing or picking up on it. It’s not like she was doing much of anything other than standing there and barely talking. How am I supposed to know what she’s really feeling and why she’s feeling it when she’s given no dialogue?

-- I'm reminded that Loona still acts so bitter around Blitzo and it's honestly irritating. She calls to ask him to pick her up and when he asks her if she was doing okay, she responded with such attitude! Aren’t we supposed to be sympathizing with her here??? I don’t care how frustrated she feels right now, especially since she has no reason to be. And I just love it how when people see her and say, "Oh hey Blitzo! Is that your daughter?" And she quickly responds, "I'm his ADOPTED daughter!" Like bitch. . . WAS ANYONE ASKING THAT!! He’s your family!! Paper or no paper!! DEAL WITH IT!! And no shit your adopted!! People can see that he’s an imp and you’re a HELLHOUND!!! Stop being so defensive!! 

-- Are you for real right now. . . . . . 

You were getting all teary-eyed n shit, wanting to go home but as soon as some hellhound hottie starts flirting with you, you immediately get over it and change your mind in less than 5 seconds before you’re about to leave???? Like you don’t even think about it?? Viv, where are you getting at here???

-- I can’t really say much about Blitzo right now. He’s barely there anyway, only making an appearance in the last 10 minutes of the episode for comic relief and a pity party.

-- Viv must really don’t know what to do with her female characters and how to go about ‘em. Loona’s shown to be introverted and sad at first to straight up confident and lively around everyone in a matter of seconds. She’s so quick to make friends and get along with other hellhounds at the party as if it was no issue from before when it was. We don’t even get to see any progression of bonding with these out-of-nowhere friends she’s making. And all because of some dude that called her hot!!! It kinda makes me question on why Loona was even feeling sad in the first place since it was so easy for her to gain confidence.

-- Y’all, I think I’m convinced right now that the only reason Loona doesn’t like Beelzebub is because she’s dating her crush! Like- there’s nothing else to it. Bee and Tex are dating, Loona is still crushing Tex and that’s why she doesn’t like Beelzebub. Not to mention she’s possibly jealous because she feels inferior to her. She’s super outgoing, social, and could easily get along with anyone, something Loona can’t easily do (though that alone shouldn’t even matter because Loona already managed to make friends and some random hellhound flirted with her). You CANNOT convince me otherwise. And if that is the reason, then honey, you’re gonna have to let that go. For real!! You’re lucky that Tex even likes you enough to want to be your friend.

So Bee and Tex confront Loona about Blitzo, saying that he’s been drinking a lot (obviously) and that he’s going overboard with the partying. They suggested that Loona go check on him to make sure he’s okay and that he doesn’t cause some kind of scene (Then again, I don’t see why Bee would care. The point of her being the sin of Gluttony IS to go overboard with nearly anything. I mean- not the whole point, but it’s a common characteristic, so I don’t think she should be worried about it. I guess it’s good to know she’s considerate though.) Then all of a sudden, Loona snaps mainly at Bee and gets so hostile towards her saying, “You don’t know anything about my dad.” such and such, and I’m just like, “Ugh, again with your attitude!!!” 

For one, its pretty bold of you to stand up to a higher rank considering she could squash you in an instant.

But I mean- WHAT IS WITH THE SUDDEN HOSTILITY??? And most people wanna validate her, saying, “It was only a trauma response. You gotta understand that Loona is new to this and she’s not used to people suddenly caring and being kind. She’s just having a hard time trusting people and she did apologize.” Y’all. . . don’t even- First off, Loona's reaction to Bee felt too rushed and forced to be considered traumatic. Second off, someone having trauma does not excuse an unnecessary shitty attitude, especially when Bee has been so kind to Loona this whole episode. Third off, for someone who doesn’t trust people so easily and isn’t used to being given kindness, Loona seemed pretty quick to make friends with everyone at the party who were nice to her. She was sure as hell quick to get along with Vortex after only knowing him for a short amount of time! And he was kind to her too. She wasn’t being bitchy to them then. But when BEELZEBUB is showing care or kindness, Loona will suddenly start to act bitchy??? And because of some past trauma?? PLEASE!!

And some fans would go on to say, "She's just getting over a heartbreak. It takes a while to get over your crush."

They're saying this as if Loona is head over heels in love with Vortex when she was simply CRUSHING on him and from the moment she saw him. And yes, there IS a huge difference especially when Loona only knew Vortex in that short amount of time. I would understand Loona falling in love with Tex if they actually had the time to bond after ep 3. . . . but they didn't. At least there was no indication that they did. And on top of that, just for the record, Loona already knew that Tex had a girlfriend the same day she met him!! Which was five episodes ago!! So before y'all go on and say "She needs time to get over her crush", she should've already gotten over it by now!! I dunno why she's still crushing and blushing around him as if she believed he liked her back!

Why did she seem so shocked after Tex introduced his Bee anyway? As if Loona never recalled him mentioning he had a girlfriend back in ep 3. And say that was the reason why she was sad . . . why would it would it make her sad!!?? Like I said, she should’ve already known Tex had a girlfriend since he brought it up straight to her face. I would understand her being upset if he didn’t tell her and she didn’t find out about Bee until the last minute when Tex introduced her as his girlfriend. Then it would actually make sense for Loona to still crush on him the entire time because she wouldn’t have known he was taken and would believe she still had a shot with him. In this case, it would be understandable why it would make her sad. . . . but we didn’t go that route. Instead, we had to go about it the “Vivzie Way” (the more complicated way).

Point blank, Loona seems to only dislike Bee because she's with Tex and is jealous. And she shouldn't have reacted the way she did out of jealousy when Bee was only showing concern for Blitzo. Trauma or no trauma, I don’t care. It was unnecessary.

-- “Blitzo! BLITZO! Where are you, shithead!!”

Loona . . . . how’re you gonna get all defensive about your dad and then go straight back to calling him names?

-- For once, Loona decides she actually wants to care about her dad (mainly cuz she was told to). I guess its nice to see a cute father/daughter moment between Blitzo and Loona for once. Can’t say I feel for it at all though especially when it immediately starts to become completely pointless a season and two episodes later when we see this happen-

Seriously, how're they gonna have Loona and Blitzo bond by the end of the episode only for Loona to go back to treating him like shit the next? It’s like whatever build-up was being made between them immediately collapsed a season later, and over something as petty as a mild criticism Blitzo gave Loona. You can just TELL that Viv and the other writers don’t think before writing these scenes down!!

Also, how is it that Loona will get all concerned for Blitzo making out with folks in the party while wasted even though she was literally cheering for him to chug a whole barrel of liquor in order to beat Bee in a game. What’s sad about this is that it was one of the only times Loona calls him “Dad”. . . . In a drinking game . . . . .

-- Blitzo: "Loony, will you be there for me?"

Loona: . . .Be where?"

Be invisible, obviously. . . . Frickin' idiot. . . .

-- We're supposed to feel bad for Blitzo, but it's kinda hard for me to do that when he wasn't even the main focus in this episode at all when he should been. Still, it's not like I could feel sorry for him anyway since he brought that whole Ozzie's mess on himself.

For now, I think that's all that could be said about this episode. I might just make some edits if I feel if I left something off. But the whole gist of it is that I feel like this episode was just a whole lotta nothin'. I don’t even think Loona learned anything this entire episode. Of course, the whole plot here was Loona learning to socialize and make friends with everyone, but we didn’t even get to see any of that. And she clearly didn’t learn anything since she was influenced by some rando calling her hot. It’s honestly sad, for real. The females in this show needs some serious work not just in their stories, but their characters too.

#helluva rant #helluva boss rant #criticism #critique #animation critique #helluva boss critical #helluva boss criticism #helluva boss critique #anti helluva boss #Loona #Helluva Boss

[shutupheathersorryheatherr]

“What hair product I think each svt member is”

Summery: a holiday fic that has absolutely nothing to do with the holidays! Wanted to try my hand at writing something a bit different and thought this was a good idea to start. Not really comedy but amusing none the less! (idk if what I wrote makes sense hopefully yall are picking up what I’m putting down) approximately: ten minute read

A/n: THIS IS NOT MY ORIGINAL IDEA! (In a way it is buuuutttt still) I can’t find the author who wrote the “what piece of furniture svt are” or something to that effect so they’re the ones who gave me the idea so if yall find them please tag them unless I do first!

warningz/info: mentions of pain, mentions of chocolate, I think what, three curse words? y'all let me know if I should start keeping them to a minimum or remove them entirely because I know some people are uncomfortable with them! I feel like the spacing between paragraphs is weird in this fic but oh well. no idea how this is gonna go over and im scared that I tagged it with "x reader". plus I dont know if anyone would read/enjoy it but I had loads of fun writing it! as always, if you did like it, please leave some love like comments and or reblogs!

~this is simply a piece of fiction. My imagination onto “paper. This is in no way is mean to be taken as an actual and real representation of anyone.~

•••••••••••••••••••

>Seungcheol<

gel. Sticks to you like glue once you find each other (romantic music starts playing in the hair care isle when you pick up your favorite gel) everyone has their preferred brand/ look they worship. Thicc. Either smells putrid and chemical like or good enough to transport you to a magical land of chocolate, pink grass and purple clouds

>Jeonghan<

he is a Bobby pin. And I will provide no further explanation on this except that he holds you together but will stab you lmao

>Shua<

an Afro pick/ hair pick. Its what everyone’s looking for: that little somen’ somen’. That little poof we all desire. Also scalp massages :)

>Jun<

wide tooth comb. My fellow thick haired/ curly haired people will know about this one 😭 this shit can be mean to your scalp tugging on your hair and UGH helps you greatly and is a necessity but damn… that’s all I gotta say

>Hoshi<

Refresher product/ moisture product. wakes you up in the morning. Gives you a reason to NOT look like you just rolled outta bed even though you did. For most this is one ofthe holy grails in life. What would I do without it? Makes us all smile even at 4:00 am because oh my god I look better after I slapped this in. Just all around a day-brightener

>Wonwoo<

curl cream. Grounding. Has many different looks n stuff

>Woozi<

a rat tail comb. Everyone should have one. Versatile, used for many different things. Good for every sort of job and is a natural to be honest and is small but mighty lol

>DK<

a satin/ silk bonnet. And no, not one of those that most  moms wear with the lace trim. Those end up at the foot of your bed by the morning. The ones with the thick elastic. I choose this cause it goes by many different names, just like him lol just has that comfy homey feel to it

>Mingyu<

hair mask. Made at home with some questionable ingredients. Seriously sometimes I don’t think he’s real lol 

>Hao<

a denman brush. It sounds to helpful and great. And it is great!…. When you figure out how to use it. Hard to figure out but once you get the hang of it you’ll never go back (another thing my fellow curly haired babes will understand)

>Seungkwan<

co wash. A little something extra, a boost of energy, if you will. a well kept secret but also a well known fact 

>Vernon<

hair tie. Easy to loose but also easy to find. especially in places where youd think: “why the fuck would it end up here?” Like idk man, but you should definitely check the dark corner collecting lint— that’s where they always are

>Dino<

leave in conditioner because with use over time it makes your hair (you) healthier

~End~

a/n: annnnnnnnddddd thats it! hope y'all enjoyed this disaster of a fic lmao if you liked it, please leave some love like comments or reblogging!

stay safe, y'all!

2023 ©️copyright for shutupheathersorryheatherr do NOT repost, steal, or translate my work even if you give me credit

taglist: @itz-yerin

#Seventeen #seventeen dk #mingyu #wonwoo #dino seventeen #jeonghan #seungkwan #minghao #svt woozi #choi seungcheol #svt vernon #hoshi #seventeen joshua #seventeen jun #ghosts writing #dk x reader #mingyu x reader #wonwoo x reader #svt joshua x reader #dino x reader #jeonghan x reader #seungkwan x reader #minghao x reader #woozi x reader #seungcheol x reader #vernon x reader #hoshi x reader #jun x reader #Svt x poc reader #minghao x poc reader

[stardustedsins]

Kiss Prompts #44: A kiss out of lust

Hol Horse/reader (gender neutral reader)

This one is rated T, but doesn't get up to M, so I won't tag nsfw.

It’s been a slow afternoon at the bar today. It usually is, around this time. That’s why you’re the only one working right now. They won’t pay two employees when there’s hardly enough work for one just so you can have someone to talk to. There’s only one customer right now, and he seems to be taking his time with his beer, not in any hurry to order more. Which means your tips for this shift are probably just gonna be the dollar or two he’ll (hopefully) leave you for his one drink. 

Flirting gets better tips, right? Maybe you should try it, you think. You should at least be able to get him to order something else. You check yourself over once and leave the back bar to approach his corner booth.

“Doing alright over here?” You make sure to make eye contact. “Can I get you anything else?”

He looks you up and down briefly, which is certainly promising. 

“I’m just having a drink on my way out of town. I'll be outta your hair soon enough.”

“Aw, that’s a shame. You’re the only one here to keep me company.” It might be a little too unsubtle, but he smiles. 

“Then maybe I oughta buy you a drink.” 

“Maybe you should.” You say, and he nods.

“Go ahead and put it on my tab, then.” 

“Yes, sir.” You wink and go to pour yourself a beer (better to match what he’s having) before coming back to slip into the booth opposite him. “Mind if I sit?”

“Not at all.”

You look him over, letting your gaze linger here and there. He’s not bad looking at all. This might even be fun.

“I haven’t seen you around before, but you said you’re leaving town already. Just passing through?”

“Yeah, I travel a lot for work.”

“What do you do, Mister…?” You let the end trail off, hoping he’ll give you his name.

“Hol. I do contract work.” You’re not sure if he means he works under contract or on the contracts themselves, but you don’t really care.

“Well, I hope you had some time to see the sights while you’ve been here.”

“Oh, I’ve seen some beauty in this town for sure.” Hol winks at you, and you feel yourself blush. What a charmer. You take another sip of your beer to cool down. 

His foot bumps against yours, very deliberately, under the table. You nudge him back, playing along. 

“It can get lonely, being on the road all the time.” He says suggestively. “It’s always nice to have a little company from time to time.” 

You know exactly what he means, but you decide to keep engaging. Maybe you wouldn’t mind his company.

“Then I’m glad I came to talk to you.” You play it up a little, giving him a coy look. “I wouldn’t want to leave you all by yourself on your last day in town.”

“Very kind of you.” He says, finishing his drink. You don’t want him to go just yet, but you don’t think he’s in as much of a hurry anymore. “How much longer are you here for?”

“Too long.” You sigh, but you have to make it clear that’s not a rejection. “You know, I usually lock up for my break around this time. But I wouldn’t want to send my only customer away so soon.”

“Go ahead and lock up. I can stay a little longer.” 

You nod and stand from the booth, retrieving your keys from your back pocket in the most conspicuous way you can manage. You glance back to make sure he’d seen, and find him watching you with a heated gaze. Good. You flip the sign on the door to the closed side, then the smaller “on break” sign next to it. 

Hol’s out of the booth when you come back, standing in front of it waiting for you.

“You wanna take that break in the back somewhere, for privacy?” He asks, and you shake your head.

“I think we should stay out here, actually.” You lean lightly back against the table, inviting. He finally touches you, hands on your waist as he leans in close, and then he kisses you. It’s hungry and wanting and you kiss right back with the same enthusiasm, even as the table digs into your back with the way he presses you against it. You feel hot, like whatever had been building between the two of you had spilled over when he touched you. The press of him against your thigh as you kiss him tells you he feels the same.

You stop just long enough to put your hands on the tabletop behind you and boost yourself up to sit on it, with Hol’s hands on your waist helping. As soon as your hands are free again you tangle them in his hair and pull him close to kiss him again as his hands start to wander.

In the end, you get a lot more than just that tip you’d been worried about.

#my writing #kiss prompts #gender neutral reader #sfw #stardust crusaders #hol horse #implied not sfw

[baahsu]

hi hello baahsu its me the person who wrote two (give or take) whole ass vscest smut fics in your inbox now returned after a sudden month long disappearance to (hopefully lol) continue yelling happily about this ship with you!! :]

tldr i got back into op again and noticed how incredibly dry tumblrs vinsmokecest tag is and realized itd prolly be best to add to it lol, but alas i don't rlly know what to talk about rn :,)

uh. how about this!! what do you think would be the siblings' favorite outfits to fuck in, iydm me asking??

kinda generic but i think 124ji would lose it (/pos) if they got the chance to fuck sanji in his raid suit, mumbling and raving in his ear about he should just keep it on all the time as they take turns destroying him. reiju, although not as crazy abt it bc shes a *liiitle* more sane lol, would probably find it decently hot as well. sanjis no better tho- he sees his siblings, (especially yonji and reiju cause. tits :o]) all hot from battle in those skin tight suits and his nose is GUSHING

and heads kinda empty rn so cant think of much BUT i do have two ideas that im curious abt ur opinion on (and these are purely self indulgent lmao):

i srsly think ichiji has a feminization kink, though he doesnt really realize it 'less he gets emotions. it mostly crosses his mind whenever he sees sanji or niji in more effeminate clothing, like blouses, dresses, and ESPECIALLY skirts and is abruptly hit with the Vinsmoke Horny Gene™. he probably wouldn't piece it together unless reiju (ever the attentive vouyer) just straight up told him lmao

and SPEAKING of reiju, whether its her or one of her brothers wearing them, i feel like she has a thing for stockings. especially fishnets 🤲. especially TIGHT fishnets 🤲🤲. obviously all of them have good bodies that could rock stockings, but if we're going for a lower/bottom heavy build clearly sanjis the way to go. idk i just think that if reiju were to ever see sanji in any type of stockings (ESPECIALLY nice, snug fishnets) she'd just destroy him. like suck the soul outta him lol

YEAH thats all I got rn hqdyaduqfuqf good to be back yelling in your inbox about My Thoughts again have a good day/night :,]]

Welcome back anon!! I missed you 💜💜

I've said this before but I don't even bother looking at the vinsmokecest tag here bc I know there's never any new content in it (tho I'm surprised there's no hate either, guess this ship is unpopular from all sides lmao)

I actually never thought about any of these outfits options and my mind just went 🤯 at sanji's raid suit. Like, I can totally imagine the brothers praising sanji so much while wearing it?? "You're so pretty in it, it fits you so well, look at your thighs, it was made for you, you should just come back to us so you can always wear it, your ass looks so delicious in it too" they'd do it so much even reiju would have to say something, maybe just a subtle "they're right, you know" that would instantly disarm sanji

A more obvious outfit is lingerie, with how they are just the sight of a lacy bra strap or the peak of a garter belt or thigh strap would get them going. They'd be walking around the castle and catch a glimpse of it through the collar of a shirt, see the lines under one of their pants, and they'd pull the other into the closest room, sometimes not even that, the hallway is good enough and the staff passing by doing their jobs be damned (I can't decide if they'd enjoy putting on a show or if they'd get ridiculously jealous and rip their heads off tho)

#vinsmokecest #vinsmokes headcanons

[rebouks]

Welcome to Curtis's Container Commune!

SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

Or.. it will be a commune one day, but he needs a hand or two first! Technically seven extra pairs of hands... As of right now, all Curtis has is an empty container and a vision! That vision is a self-sufficient community, a greener world and hopefully some nicer digs.

Sure he has no money, the air is putrid, the soil barren... There's no stove, no proper bathroom, no beds, no food, no power, no water, uh.. we'll stop there, but you get the picture. It's gonna be great, right?!

Tired of the rat race? Want to get your hands dirty? Parents kicked you outta their basement? Wanna make some new friends.. maybe more?! Look no further!

Please send your applications to the former Cassidy residence as Curtis doesn't have a mailbox yet (warning: Cassie will read them all)

You might be asking; Becca, what the hell is this? Well... It's a rags to riches style mini "BC" I suppose.. though also, not really 🤔 The idea being that Curty here builds up a container community with seven other sims, since he's the jade generation of the NSB2 challenge... Maybe he finds love, maybe not? I guess you could consider it a rough take on a BC since he could fall in love with one of em? But obviously there's no roses, challenges, dates or eliminations and some sims may leave due to.. idk, not being able to cope, falling out with members of the community, whatever else?? We're wingin' it here as per, so we'll see what happens.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of right now I'm on patch 1.89.214.1030 and have no plans to update. Any submissions need to be made/have been made for this patch or earlier. I'm sorry to potentially cut some of you off from submitting but I'm just not willing to potentially break my game for this shit lmao.

Info: Curtis is a vegetarian, recycle disciple, green fiend with the Eco Innovator aspiration aka the Jade Gen of the NSB2.

Seven sims will be chosen! (I learnt my lesson last time, no more!!)

Occults are allowed but ehhh.. not preferred.

All sims/genders/sexualities are welcome! YA preferred.

Sims may have jobs, likes and dislikes, freelance careers etc if you wish but we're sticking it to the man for the most part, so..?

Curtis is a dummy so he's not screening this shit. Obviously handy sims, gardeners etc etc would be the most use but if you wanna throw a squeamish spanner in the works, go ahead!

In a similar vein, feel free to give 'em some skills!

Sims may not bring any money with them. We're starting from 0!

I have all packs/kits except journey to Shituu and High School whatever it is.

At least one outfit per category.

CC allowed but keep it light on the clothes plx, no alpha hair either.

Give 'em as much or as little backstory as you wish. They're ultimately just gameplay sims so you don't have to go nuts if you can't be arsed.

Any in game traits allowed but keep it real y'know.. 3 traits only and no custom traits plx!

Wicked Whims is in effect 👀

Non "winners" or sims that choose to leave may stay in my game as a townie or be returned to their creator.

Hmmmm.. I think that's it? Idk.. any questions or w/e shoot me a dm!

Bear in mind this is simple gameplay so posts will just be like my regular gp posts, it's not gonna be some big production with dialogue or anything. I just felt like bringing some other peoples sims along for a fun little experiment to spice things up.

Tag me and your simmies with #Curtis'sCommune so I can see em! Deadline for submissions is August 30th (ish). I have a busy two weeks coming up so this may be longer if I can't get my shit together.. or shorter if I get a ridiculous amount. Somnium is my baby and comes first so this is gonna be real chill! Curtis is still a teen atm so it's all gooood, I won't be starting straight away.

#ts4 #sims 4 #curtis #Curtis'sCommune #idk wtf to tag this as lmao #it's hardly a bc #😂 #just my regular gameplay but with your simmies knocking around to spice things up #god knows the eco asspirations are boring af so i need something to get me through this gen lmaoo

[karahalloway]

Sleepless in New York: Chapter 7 - Take My Breath

Series: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Synopsis: What if Drake met Harper on the first night of Prince Christian’s New York bachelor party? A stand-alone AU written from Drake's POV.

Masterlist: Sleepless in New York

Chapter Summary: Harper and Drake arrive back at Harper's apartment... where more than one surprise awaits Drake.

Word Count: 5,800

Rating/Warnings: E (swearing, angst, Drake massively overthinking, lemons(?))

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: Sorry this took so long to get out! Real life has been unexpected busy (even though I'd been hoping it would calm down lol) and this chapter ended up being quite a beast to wrangle into shape (I think I rewrote most parts of it like 6 times... 😅). But hopefully the contents will make up for the wait!

A/N2: I am participating in @fictober-event's Fictober 2022 event, and I (belatedly) used the Day 21 prompt: "I never said that" (which appears in bold within the text).

A/N3: I tagged this installment on the basis of my updated Tag List (which I will be posting tomorrow). If you were not tagged, and would like to be, let me know!

Chapter 7 - Take My Breath

"My... my jacket?" I blabber stupidly, hand frozen half-way to my ear like a moron... which, at this moment, I completely am.

Because my mind’s spinning from the bombshell invitation that she just dropped on me...

...and the potential implications.

"Yeah," she confirms with infinite patience. "The one you lent me last night."

"I wasn't expecting it back," I mutter while desperately searching her face, her eyes, her body language for any kind of clue as to what her true motivations actually are.

Because if she means what I think she means then—

"I know," she shrugs. "But it's yours. So, it's not right for me to keep it. Especially since you're leaving tomorrow."

I kick myself as she turns away to pad back towards the main road.

I'm such an idiot...

Her words confirm that which I should've known all along — that the invitation is completely platonic. And that it’s my own dumbass fault for trying to read something into the situation that isn’t even on the table.

At least not anymore.

Because whatever mood we managed to spark tonight got left in that damn elevator when I high-tailed us outta there.

And now it’s too late to get it back.

Because I ended up hurting her.

And despite the fact that she forgave me for the incident, there’s no way she'll want to take things further.

Not tonight, anyway...

...even though tonight’s all we have left.

I raise my gaze beseechingly to the heavens.

Why didn't I just go for Korean BBQ last night...? Then I never would've met her, she never would've gotten fired, and I wouldn't be feeling like—

"NYC Yellow Cab Company. Where are you going this evening?"

The sound of the operator's voice jars me from my thoughts. "Yeah. Um... I'd like to order a cab to..."

I trail off, realising that I actually have no idea where we are.

I cast my eyes around, trying to find a street sign, or an obvious landmark. But apart from the inky waters of the Hudson behind me and the yellow glow of the streetlamps along the sidewalk, I see nothing.

"Err... hold on a sec, will—"

The sharp sound of a whistle rends the air.

Throwing my head around, I spot Gale leaning out into the road with her arm in the air.

"...actually, never mind," I say, hanging up as a cab pulls up obediently next to us.

"One New York taxi," declares Gale triumphantly as she steps in front of me to yank the passenger door open.

Dropping my phone back in my pocket, I throw her a sidelong glance. "Thought you said cabs are a waste of time and money."

She shrugs back at me. "They are. But you were going to call one anyway, so I thought I'd save you the trouble... and the overpriced roaming bill."

I shake my head wryly. "And here I thought I was doin' you a favour."

"Who says the favour can't go both ways, cowboy?" she counters with a wink before climbing into the cab.

I stare at her ass painedly.

Now, why did she have to go and say something like that...?

Because despite the fact that she made it clear literally a minute ago that I shouldn't expect anything when we get back to hers, that one comment has kicked my dirty, sex-deprived imagination into overdrive again...

...and now all I can think about is eating her out while she goes down on me, 69-style.

"You coming, or what, pal?"

The driver's voice snaps me from my thoughts.

Swallowing a groan, I slide into the backseat — careful not to touch her, even accidentally, because then all bets are gonna get blown off — and pull the cab door closed with an agitated bang.

Sweet Jesus, I’m a horny mess...

I can’t seem to get through one conversation with this girl without my mind — and my dick — going wild with everything I want to do to her.

And that isn’t like me.

Sure. I've been turned on by girls before. Even been handcuffed, made to wait for gratification until I was literally sweating with need.

But never like this — outside of the bedroom, where the proverbial screw just kept getting pulled tighter and tighter without any assurance of release.

No. This is completely uncharted territory for me.

Because any other girl, any other situation, I'd've closed the deal by now. And moved on.

So, maybe that’s the problem — the fact that every time I seem to be getting somewhere, I end up getting cock-blocked with a meticulous precision that seems nothing short of premeditated.

By her asshole boss. By her infatuated coworker. By the cabbie. By Leo. By the pricks at the club.

Not to mention by myself. Because I keep saying and doing the wrong things. So, that fact that she’s still talking to me is basically a miracle.

And even though I somehow managed to salvage each and every fuck up — just — it hasn’t been enough.

Because I’m still sitting on square one.

But I've run outta time.

And that grates me no end.

Especially considering how narrowly I missed the end zone.

My head drops back against the head rest.

Christ, I need to fuck...

The adrenaline, the cortisol — not to mention the testosterone spliced with all the pent-up thirst — is still roiling through my veins, setting my teeth on edge, begging for release.

And while I completely respect Gale's decision to not want to take things further after everything she's been through tonight, I know I'll never be able to catch anything even remotely resembling sleep until I've blown off some steam.

And if it isn’t gonna happen with Gale — even though I want it to, desperately — I need to cut my losses and come up with a Plan B...

...though the idea of going back out again, to a noisy bar or club to scour the crowd for a potential hook-up is not appetising in the slightest. Especially since there’s no guarantee of a decent score.

Might just need to bite the bullet and steal a page out of Tariq's pathetic playbook by calling up a damned hooker.

I clench my eyes shut.

Sweet Jesus, I really must be desperate.

But as tantalising as the idea may seem at first blush, the thought of actually having sex with someone who is only in it for the money turns me off faster than flipping a kill switch.

I heave a resigned sigh.

Jacking off under a cold shower it is... Christ, this night can’t get any worse...

I feel the taxi slow.

Glancing out the window, I see that we've arrived on a residential street comprised of tightly packed multistorey brownstones.

"That'll be $24.56," declares the driver, putting the car into park.

"Thanks," acknowledges Gale, reaching for her clutch.

But I've already pulled my wallet out. "Keep the change," I tell him, handing over a ten and a twenty.

Gale's head snaps up. "Hey!"

"You want a receipt?" asks the cabbie, palming the money.

"Nope," I tell him, already halfway out the car.

The sooner we get this done, and the sooner I get gone, the better.

Flicking the door closed behind me, I walk quickly 'round to the other side of the cab to help Gale out.

Because even though I may not be getting laid tonight, I’m not gonna be an asshole about it. My parents had raised me better than that.

Gale greets me with a terse glare from the backseat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I raise a brow. "Opening the door for you?"

"We agreed to share the fare!"

I heave a breath. Christ, not again... "No. We didn't."

"Yes. We did," she insists sternly, gathering her things. "Because I said—"

"I know what you said," I reply calmly, pulling the door wider. "But we never agreed."

Her mouth drops open in surprise. "But—"

"In fact," I continue, holding out a hand to help her out of the cab, "I specifically disagreed with your proposition. Because it's not right for you to fork out cash you don't have on a cab that you only need because of me."

"I have $12!" she hits back, ignoring my offer of assistance even as she struggles to climb out of the backseat with shoes, bag, and jacket in hand.

"No. You don't."

She freezes, half-in, half-out of the cab, staring at me in disbelief.

I meet her eye pointedly. "You lost your job, remember?"

"Yeah, but—"

"So, my point stands," I conclude, reaching out to steady her as she pushes herself up to stand. "You don't have $12 to spend on a cab. And since that's my fault, it's only right that I foot the fare."

She lets out a low breath. "Drake, you don't need t—"

"I do," I insist, shutting the cab door behind her. "Especially since I never finished apologising back at the club."

She flicks her gaze up with a coy smile. "We did get very rudely interrupted, didn't we?"

"Very," I agree, reaching up to brush her hair out of her face as the car pulls away. "So, it's only right that I make it up to you some other way."

Dammit, why can’t I keep my hands off her...?

Something flutters in her expression. "And that's very sweet of you. But I can't keep taking your money."

"Pretty sure it’s the cabbie who took my money..." I murmur softly.

She swings her Jimmy Choos at me. "You know what I mean!"

"Harper," I say firmly, letting the shoes ping harmlessly off my arm. "It's fine. Honestly. I'm not gonna begrudge twenty bucks — or even ten times that — if it helps you get home safe. After the way I gatecrashed your life, it's the least I can do."

She opens her mouth to protest.

I meet her gaze calmly, but steadfastly.

Her shoulders drop. "Okay, fine. But just so we're clear, this is the last time I'm letting you do this."

"Spend my own money?" I ask, quirking a brow.

"Blame yourself for what happened."

Her words pull me up short. "But—"

"You didn't gatecrash my life. If anything, you kinda did me a favour because I actually hated working at that bar," she admits. "The place was a dive, the hours were erratic, and Jovan was—"

"—a right piece of shit," I offer.

"I was going to say 'moody bastard', but sure," she grins. "The only reason I stuck it out for as long as I did was because the tips were relatively good and I was able to hit my monthly savings goal after I'd paid—"

"Savings goal?" I cut in. "What were you—?"

A blush colours her face. "It... It doesn't matter. Point is, I can get another job. And until I do, I have enough to cover the rent. So, it's not like you've ruined my life, or plunged me into debt, or homelessness..."

"Yeah, but—"

She lays a finger against my lips, silencing me. "I said it's fine... Really. You don't owe me anything, Drake. You never did."

I struggle for breath. "Har—"

"But I do owe you your jacket back," she reminds me, giving my nose a tap with her finger. "And you probably want to get back to your bachelor party. So, up and at 'em, cowboy."

The breath I didn't realise I’m holding explodes out of me as she turns away.

Fuck.

This girl really is try'na kill me.

Every time she gets up in my space like that, touches me like that, calls me cowboy like that, she pushes my self-control — and my sanity — right to the limit.

And at this rate, what little rein I have left on my composure is going to snap, and she’s gonna find herself on the receiving end of a very different kind of 'up and at 'em'... the kind where she’s up against the wall and I’m up and inside her.

I force myself to take a steadying breath as I follow after her.

Keep it together, Walker. As she made it clear — again — that's not the reason you're here. And unless she changes her mind, you can't overstep the mark.

She leads me to the squatter of two buildings on the block. Stopping in front of a narrow door that’s tucked next to the shuttered store front of a second-hand bookshop that occupies the ground floor, she reaches for the numerical access panel and taps the six digit code in.

The lock clicks back and I reach forward to push the door open.

"Thanks," she says with a smile, stepping through the opening.

"Anytime," I murmur, trying — and failing — to not breathe in her honey-camomile scent as she slides past me.

Dammit, why does she have to smell so good...?

"Hope you like cardio..."

I snap my head up just in time to catch the wry glance she throws me over her shoulder.

"...'cause it's a bit of a trek up to the fifth floor."

I let the door bang shut behind me with a sigh.

Yup. She’s definitely try'na kill me.

Because apparently it isn’t enough that I've already had to suffer through a burlesque routine and a sexually charged turn on the dancefloor that had basically been foreplay.

She’s now going to make me stare at her ass while we climb five flights for stairs.

Fuck my fuckin' life...

But, short of walking out on her like a high-strung douchebag, I don’t really have a choice.

Unless...

"Up and at 'em, Gale!" I prompt as I dart past her.

Her mouth drops. "Wha—?"

"Thought you want to be quick about this," I say, pausing on the landing to look back down at her.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to race you up the stairs!"

I raise a brow. "Who said anything 'bout a race?"

"You did. Just now."

I lean over the banister. "I just offered to up the pace. But if you aren't up for it—"

Her eyes narrow. "I never said that..."

"Then I'll see you at the top," I shrug, resuming my jog up the stairs.

Even if she ends up trailing behind, at least I’ll have had a chance to blow off some much needed steam before we get to her apartment.

"Bet your ass you will, Walker!" she shouts, blowing past me as she takes the steps three at a time.

I snort despite myself, throwing myself into a sprint to catch up to her.

This girl...

She keeps managing to surprise me.

I hadn't intended for this to turn into a head-to-head. But apparently she has a mean competitive streak and can’t resist another chance to try and show me up. Even when she’s barefoot.

I catch up to her on the next level.

"Nice try, Gale," I chuckle, using the handrail to pull myself past her on the corner of the landing. "But you ain't winning this."

"Speak for yourself, Walker!" she cries, grabbing the back of my shirt to use me as a counterweight to propel herself into the lead again.

"You wanna play dirty, huh?" I huff, reaching out to grab her around the waist.

My fingers brush against her bare skin...

...but before I can close the hold, she's twisted away.

"Close, but no cigar!" she taunts with a smug look.

"Closer than you think," I grin, pulling past her through the opening she's unintentionally afforded me.

A shocked gasp rises up from behind me. "You bastard!"

"Don't dish it if you can't take it, girl!" I call as I round the final corner.

Pushing through the burn in my thighs, I bound up the steps, pausing at the top to catch my breath.

Doing that every day'll sure keep you fit! No wonder she has such great legs...

The sound of bare feet slapping against concrete echoes up the stairwell.

Glancing behind me, I spot Gale stomping up the steps with a murderous expression, her arms crossed over her chest.

"The fuck was that, Walker?" she demands angrily as she draws level with me.

"A fair win?"

"How the hell was that fair!"

"Hey," I say, holding my hands up. "I was just playin' by your rules, Gale... So, don't tell me you've got double standards."

"I didn't rip your shirt off!" she protests vehemently, aiming a kick at my shin.

I dodge out of the way...

...and suddenly realise why she’s so pissed when I see that her arms are still wrapped around her chest.

When I'd tried to grab her, my fingers must've accidentally pulled the tie of her shimmery crop top loose at the back. And now she’s desperately trying to keep the flimsy covering from falling off her body completely while holding onto everything else she’s carrying.

An inadvertent snort escapes me at the absurdity of the situation.

"Oh, yeah. Hilarious!" she snips sarcastically, shoving past me. "Jackass..."

Her comment hits me like a kick to the gut. Goddammit...

Of all the ways I've imagined undressing her — and there have been a lot of ways! — this was definitely not been one of them. By mistake... In the most asinine and juvenile way possible.

Because now she’s pissed at me. 

Again.

"Gale, hold up," I plead, stepping after her. "I swear I didn't—"

"Save it, Walker," she snaps, arriving at a nondescript door marked with the number 502 and reaching for her bag without looking at me.

Shit. She really is fit to be tied.

"Look. You're right," I sigh. "It isn't funny. I shouldn't've laughed. It wasn't cool and— You okay?"

"I'm fine," she grits, struggling to open her clutch while keeping her top in some semblance of decency and juggling her shoes and jacket as well.

"You sure...?" I ask, unconvinced. "'Cause you look like y—"

Her hazel-green gaze snaps irately up to mine. "I said I'm—!"

As if on cue, the tenuous hold she has on her bag slips, taking the rest of her precariously balanced stuff with it to the floor in a heap.

She grabs after the lot instinctively...

...only to realise she's let go of her top.

"Shit!" she gasps, grasping the sparkly fabric after a moment of stunned indecision.

I slant her a deadpan look. "You were sayin'?"

"Just... shut up," she groans exasperatedly, managing to save her decency...

...but not quite quick enough.

My eyes widen. "Yes, ma'am," I affirm, quickly bending down to start picking everything up.

She heaves an aggravated breath. "Drake, I don't need—"

"I got it," I assure her, scooping her jacket and shoes before she can get to them. "You... you got more top-level problems to deal with."

I hear her suck in a shocked gasp, followed by the rustling of fabric on skin as she hastens to adjust the wayward scrap of material.

I keep my attention focused on rounding up the various items that have escaped her bag, and not on the dozen different ways I suddenly want to tease the nipple she accidentally flashed me before I remembered to look away.

I clench my eyes shut. Sweet Jesus, how am I gonna—?

I feel her fingers brush against mine. "Thanks..."

My eyes snap open to find her crouched in front of me with a wry, slightly embarrassed look.

"...for the save," she adds, not quite meeting my eye.

"An-anytime," I reply hoarsely, handing the now refilled clutch back to her. "And I'm sorry. About earlier. I hadn't planned on—"

The colour rises up her cheeks as she drops her gaze and takes the bag. "I know. And I'm sorry for flipping out on you. It's just... my brother Tyler used to pull stunts like that when we were younger and—"

"You still have a bad taste in your mouth about it," I finish for her. "I know."

She lifts her gaze to mine. "Sounds like you speak from experience..."

I nod tightly. "There are things my sister's probably not forgiven me for either."

"The joys of sibling-hood," she observes dryly, straightening back up to return her attention to the door.

"Yeah..." I mumble, feeling that all-too familiar emptiness settle in my gut as the ghost of Savs' face rises through the spectre of my memories.

The rattle of keys jars me from my thoughts.

Looking up, I see that Gale had located her keyring — adorned with a made-in-China, plastic Statue of Liberty — and is in the process of slotting a brass-coloured key into the lock. The tumbler clicks back and the door swings open.

I hang back on the threshold as she steps into the narrow entranceway to flick on the hallway light. The golden glow reveals the outlines of a small, open-plan kitchen-living area within.

"Do you want to—?" she asks, pausing on the threshold to look back at me.

I shake my head. "I'll wait here."

I don’t know that I can trust myself to behave if I follow her inside. And I don’t want to burn what little goodwill I probably have left with her.

She nods quickly. "Okay. Let me just grab your jacket and—"

"Don't forget these," I remind her, holding her own jacket and shoes out to her.

"Oh. Right. Thanks," she blushes again as she takes them. "I...I'll be back in a minute."

"Take your time," I murmur as she disappears into the flat.

On one hand, I’m desperate to get outta here while I still have some semblance of sanity left. But, on the other hand, I know that as soon as I turn away, and she shuts the door, that’s it. She’s out of my life.

For good.

And I’m not sure I’m ready for that.

But short of bringing her back to Cordonia with me, or ditching the return flight — neither of which is an option — I don’t really have a choice.

Because let's face it. I've known the girl less than a day. It’s irrational to want to—

"Sorry, it's a bit rumpled," she apologises as she reappears, blazer in hand, errant crop-top exchanged for a white, 'I ❤️ NY' t-shirt. "It fell off the hanger."

"Don't worry about it."

She holds the jacket out over the threshold. "Thanks again for lending it to me..."

I reach out to take it. "You don't need to thank me, girl..."

Her chest rises. "I do. Because—"

My fingers brush against hers. "I just did what anyone would've done."

Her hazel-green eyes meet mine. "No."

The intensity of her declaration knocks the air from my chest.

"You did the exact opposite of what anyone else would've done," she continues decidedly. "You went out of your way to help a total stranger. Not once, but several times. Without expecting anything in return. So, it's me who owes you, Drake; not the other way around..."

I shake my head. "Harper, you know you don't—"

"...and I've yet to properly thank you."

My head snaps up.

Our eyes lock.

Her mouth parts.

And the world falls away.

I have no idea who moves first. Me or her. Maybe it's mutual...

But the next thing I know, the damned blazer is tossed to the floor and we're at each other's throats, devouring each other like a pair of rabid animals.

Because we both suddenly realise that we've been fuckin' fools for letting ourselves get jackknifed by the very circumstances that keep propelling us together. For keeping our cards close to our chests when we should've been throwing them — and each other — down on the table.

Because we've been too distracted by all the auxiliary bullshit to realise that we've wanted the same thing from the very start.

Each other.

"Fuck, baby," I groan against her mouth. "You don't owe me anything..."

"But I—" She gasps as I grab her by the ass to yank her against me.

"How 'bout we call us even?" I growl, hoisting her up into the air.

A surprised squeak escapes her.

But I don't give her a chance to protest the matter because my mouth is already back on hers, wanting more, taking more, giving her no quarter as I march her back into the apartment, kicking the door shut behind me.

Because now that we've finally stumbled onto the same page, I’m taking control of the narrative. No more pussyfooting around... No more second guessing.

Because we've wasted too much goddamn time already and to say that I need her is an understatement. I yearn for her... Fuckin' burn for her with an intensity that’s borderline obsessive.

So, in what few hours I have left with her, I want one thing, and one thing only. To set her world on fire the same way she torched mine just by stepping into it.

My teeth scrape against hers as I shove my tongue down her throat, giving her a promise of what’s to come.

She moans into my mouth, and I nearly lose it right then and there.

Christ, she tastes good...!

She’s a heady mix of sweet and zest that’s straight up intoxicating. Like summer raspberries and honey wine. And I curse myself for not letting myself kiss her sooner.

The sound of ripping thread rends the air.

My eyes fly open.

"Now we're even," she declares with a smirk, sending the dislocated buttons flying as she throws the top of my shirt open.

I scoff at the irony as I carry her into the small kitchenette. "Thought you wanted to save this shirt."

"That was before you ripped my top," she counters saucily, raking her nails down my chest.

A low groan escapes me as I deposit her onto the countertop. "You're lucky I waited this long, girl. I've been wanting to tear that damn thing off you since the start of the night."

"Got something against my clothes, Walker?" she asks, tugging the shirttails out from the waistband of my pants.

"Yeah," I confirm, reaching for the hem of her t-shirt. "You're still wearing them."

She lifts her arms with a wry look. "That's kind of the point of clothes..."

"Trust me," I counter, pulling the top over her head and tossing it to the side. "You ain't gonna need them. Not for what I've got planned..."

"Oh, yeah?" she purrs, grabbing my belt. "And what's that, cowboy?"

"Knockin' your fuckin' boots off."

She cries out as I dive down to catch her now fully exposed nipple in my mouth, not able to wait a second longer to have her under my tongue.

I've of course gotten a sense of her thanks to that barely there crop top and skin-tight jeans she'd been wearing. So, I know that she’s slim yet toned, tending towards athletic instead of shapely, though still possessing some curvature to her bust and waist.

But clothes — no matter how revealing — are never gonna tell the full story. Which is why I've been dying to see — and feel — her as nature intended. Without any superfluities or accruements in the way.

And sweet Jesus, has it been worth the wait!

Because Gale naked — or as good as — exceeds even my wildest dreams. Her hips curve into the palms of my hands, her skin has that same enthralling scent as her hair, and while her breasts are on the smaller side, they are still perfectly soft and natural, with pert nipples that I already know I can get addicted to after just one taste.

And the way she’s responding to me? Christ, she’s gonna drive me straight to the edge just with the sounds she’s making as my hands coast over her body.

"Drake..." she moans, fingers tangling into my hair, pulling me closer as she wraps her legs around my waist.

I hear myself groan in abandon as she arches up towards me, tits thrusting up into my face, begging for more.

I heed her unspoken plea and switch my attentions to her other breast, sucking hard.

She gasps out loud, thrusting herself against me uninhibitedly. And if my giant hard-on isn’t already ready to bust a motherfuckin' hole through my pants, it sure as hell is about to now.

Because nothing’s hotter than a girl who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it.

And damn right I’m gonna give it to her.

My hands drop to the front of her jeans.

"Someone's... impatient," she gasps as I slide my tongue up her neck.

"Girl, you have no idea," I breathe, making quick work of the top button and fly. "You've been driving me to the edge of reason the whole night."

"Really?" she purrs. "I wouldn't have guessed..."

I lift my gaze sardonically as I secure a hold on the waistband of the denim. "Why d'you think I was downing shots like those things had an expiration date?"

"Performance anxiety?" she asks with a sly grin, raising her hips off the counter in anticipation.

"Never," I assure her, wrenching her jeans down.

"Drake!" she cries out in surprise.

I look up from between her legs. "You okay?"

She nods shakily. "Yeah. I... I just didn't expect you to do that..."

I quirk a brow as I manoeuvre the denim off her ankles, careful to avoid the blisters. "Undress you?"

She scoffs breathlessly. "Rip my jeans off."

I slant her a glance as I trail my hands back up the inside of her thighs. "You and I have very different definitions of 'rip', girl."

"Oh, yeah?" she pants, struggling with the remaining buttons of my shirt as my fingers skirt upwards, brushing over the lace of her thong to round her hips. "What's your definition?"

I hook my fingers into the elastic of her underwear. "The literal one."

I tear the flimsy scrap of lace off her in one forceful motion.

She jolts as she finds herself suddenly exposed before me. "I should've guessed..."

I meet her eye. "Tell me it didn't turn you on..."

She sucks in a shuddering breath as I drop to my knees in front of her. "Guess you're about to find out..."

"Damn fuckin' right," I confirm, wrenching her knees apart.

An impassioned cry is torn from her lips as my mouth collides with the slickness of her arousal. Her earthy sweetness engulfs my senses and I inhale deeply, losing myself in her sultry heat as I rake my tongue hungrily over her already throbbing clit.

Her body tips back in ecstasy, but I throw a hand out over her ass, keeping her lower half pinned in place so I can chart every inch of her.

She moans loudly, spreading her legs wider, pulling at my hair to try and guide me where she needs me most as she arcs up into my face.

My eyes shudder closed. Oh, sweet Jesus...!

If this isn’t the gateway to Heaven, I have no idea what is. Because very few things in life can top the addictive interplay between trust, submission, and eroticism that comes from pleasuring someone with your mouth until they fall apart in front of you.

And the feeling of finally being able to experience it with Gale...? Shit, it’s better than gettin' higher than a fucking kite.

Opening my eyes, I glance up at her.

She is panting above me, eyes closed, lips parted and head thrown back, raw bliss written all over her face as my mouth and tongue tug her inexorably towards complete implosion, her fingers fisted almost painfully into my hair.

Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

And I can see she’s close. So, I double down on my efforts with a low growl, tracing my tongue around her heated clit in ever-tightening circles as she starts to crest, moaning my name like a benediction.

"Oh, my God! Drake...!"

I feel the vibrations start before the inevitable noise...

...and my heart drops to the floor.

"Fuck..." I groan as the opening rift of Kenny Loggin's Danger Zone shatters the mood of the room.

Of all the million and one moments tonight, this is the one that gets fuckin' interrupted?

The sweet baby Jesus sure has a fucked up sense of humour...

Because this ringtone means one thing and one thing only — my night’s about to go to complete and utter shit.

But as much as I want to ignore the incoming call, I know I can’t.

I drop my head in defeat. "I'm sorry, baby... I... I gotta take this."

She whines in protest, reaching desperately for me as I pull away, as nettled by the sudden halt to the proceedings as I am... If not more so, considering that I’m leaving her in the lurch at the worst possible moment.

Like a fuckin' ass...

But unfortunately for both of us, the situation can’t be helped. Because there are some things in life that are more important than getting off.

Like the safety of a high-status foreign national...

...who also happens to be my best friend.

Wiping my face with the back of my hand, I reach resignedly for my phone, knowing that I’m not gonna like what I’m about to hear.

"Wh-who is it...?" stammers Gale hoarsely, face still flushed from the intensity of our disrupted foreplay.

"Bad news..." I mutter, answering the call without looking at the caller ID.

Because I already know who’s calling.

"Oui?" I ask, switching to French on autopilot.

Gale's eyes widen.

But I don't have time to mitigate her surprise, or provide an explanation, because Schweitzer is already barking down the phone at me.

"Vous voyez l'appât?" he demands without preamble.

I steel myself. "Non. Je—"

A low growl of frustration. "Putain de merde..."

"Attendez," I interject, forcing myself to stay calm, even though my gut’s already twisted itself tighter than barbed wire. "Que s'est-il passé?"

"Nous ne savons pas," he grits. "Une minute, nous avions une ligne de visée sur lui, mais la suivante, il a plus simplament disparu."

I frown. "Comment ça, 'disparu'?"

"Comme une fantôme!" Schweitzer — now bereft of all semblance of calm — shouts down the line.

"Non, non," I interject with a shake of my head, the rapidly building stress causing me to start pacing around the small flat. "C'est impossible. Même si nous ne pouvons pas le voir, nous pouvons toujours—"

"Nous avons perdu son signal!"

His words — and the blood-curdling implications — slam into me with all the force of a .50 cal round.

"FUCK!"

The story continues in Chapter 8 — Minutes to Midnight

A/N1: So, in the context of researching certain details for this chapter, I discovered that — in contrast to e.g. the whole of Europe — it is pretty much impossible to call a cab in New York using your phone, because there is no official NYC cab company phone number (or if there is, it's guarded with a CIA-level of secrecy 😅). Instead, if you need a cab, you go out onto the street and hail one (like Harper does). However, by the time I found this out, I'd already written the corresponding scene of Drake calling a cab on his phone both on this chapter (and in Chapter 2), so I decided to leave it in, because it helps with pacing, etc. Consequently, I instead offer my belated apologies to any New Yorkers reading this! 

A/N2: As always, translations for the French:

Drake: Yes?

Schweitzer: Do you have eyes on the asset?

Drake: No, I—

Schweitzer: Fucking hell... (lit. trans. of 'putain de merde' is 'shitty whore' but connotatively it's used the same way as the way I've translated above)

Drake: Wait. What happened?

Schweitzer: We don't know. One minute, we had eyes on him, and the next, he just fucking* disappeared.

Drake: What do you mean, 'disappeared'?

Schweitzer: [I mean] like a fucking* ghost!

Drake: No... That's impossible. Even if we don't have a line of sight on him we can still— (I know I wrote 'no' twice in the French; it's a common form of emphasis)

Schweitzer: We lost his fucking* signal!

* So, as far as I've been able to determine, French doesn't have a term that can be inserted into a sentence to emphasise frustration/disbelief/anger the same way that English speakers use 'fuck' — this is achieved more through tone and volume. So the intent of Schweitzer's expression is as I have translated.

Permatags

@twinkleallnight @lovingchoices14 @kingliam2019 @petiteboheme @aussiegurl1234 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @tessa-liam @alyshak92 @secretaryunpaid @princessleac1 @walkerdrakewalker @angelasscribbles @nestledonthaveone @tinkie1973 @twinkle-320 @knaussal @nikkis1983 @lunaseasblog @ficloverevie @indiana-jr @differenttyphoonwerewolf @xpandass420x @eversoaringqueen12 @peonierose @3pawandme  @alexabeta @veebug8 @fangirling12566 @queenmiarys @berriesandpixels​ @coco-lina-s @lolablackwrites @ivyflowers13 @persephone13 @hollygirl1269 @adri-ja-96 @harleybeaumont @katedrakeohd @uneravine @choicesficwriterscreations

Sleepless in New York only

@bebepac

Picture Credits: Stairs - Hell's Kitchen - Kiss - Harper - Taxi - Tease - Drake - Shirt

#drake walker #drake x mc #harper gale #sleepless in new york #fictober22 #the royal romance #trr fanfic #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #new york #Spotify

[voidthewanderer]

For the OTP Prompt Challenge!

20. Date Night

&

24. Washing Dishes

((( thank you c: )))

@anonwyvern || OTP Prompt Challenge

I adore that this is also essentially dealer's choice 👀👀 It's been rattling around in my brain for a little bit what exactly I wanted to do for this one, but then it came to me and I get to write two ships for the price of one. It was all I could think about writing when I got home from work on the fourteenth. Tagging @bleumanouche for this as well, as Sweetjane is his! Yeah, I could have also done these spicy as well, but I already knew this would be a long one, didn't want it to be super incredibly long. This entire piece made me an absolutely mushy baby writing it. Lots of moments that I think would bring some of these guys to their knees honestly. A much longer one, but yeah.

Rating: T (mature themes mostly only implied, though also spoken about/teased) Word Count: 2939

An aggravated growl sounded from the ghoul chef as he tried to prepare for the evening’s meal. It was bad enough that he didn’t have his partner there to help him out, but they’d been busy working on a project that they were keeping a secret from him. He narrowed his eyes at the tanned ghoul perched on the bar stool across from his workspace, slowly starting to get more and more fed up with the badgering.

“C’mon, Arsen, please,” Ripper begged, giving the other a charming smile. He knew this wouldn’t work on the other, but he still had to try, “You can make it after you’re done with this stuff, I know you can! I wanna do somethin’ special for Sweetjane!”

“Then make it yourself,” Arsenic growled back, “Just stay outta my way.”

The elder ghoul pursed his lips for a moment, contemplating what he could do to get out of actually cooking something. What he wanted to do for her was far beyond what he knew he could make. Perhaps a little tease wouldn’t hurt…

“If ya do this for me, I’ll tell ya what Crow’s makin’.”

This caught Arsenic’s attention, his brow perking at the thought, “What makes ya think I wanna know?”

“Caught your attention, dinnit? Make this for me an’ I’ll tell ya.” He wouldn’t really ruin the surprise, but he could see that Arsenic was actually considering the offer now. Arsenic studied Ripper for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not he was telling the truth, “Ya’d really break their trust?”

Ripper shrugged, “Act surprised when it’s actually done, ain’t no big deal. You’re gonna find out eventually, anyways.”

Another growl before Arsenic finally gave it, “Fuckin’ fine. This better be worth it.”

Ripper nearly sprung up from the chair, shoving a list of stuff he’d wanted into Arsenic’s hand, “Thank you!”

Just as he was about to run off, Arsenic reached over the counter, tightly gripping the other’s wrist, “Ah, not before ya leave. Speak.”

“O-oh right, yeah! Uh… let’s just say that… eh…” He had to think fast “-You’re gonna be in th’ same place as me pretty soon.”

Arsenic’s grip lessened slightly, his gaze casting to the ring on his finger for a moment. It gave Ripper enough time to pull himself free and dart off into the farm. He had a lot to prepare for; making sure the kids were gonna be alright for the night, among other things. All the while, Arsenic just stood in his kitchen, frozen with the thoughts that swam in his head now. If what the conclusion he came to was right, there was no way he’d be able to keep it a secret that he knew… Hopefully, he could. Crow seemed to want to keep whatever it was one and he didn’t want to crush that.

***

“Ya ready t’ head out?” Ripper smiled at his wife, grabbing the basket he’d filled with everything he needed for their first date night since getting married. Sweetjane gave a nod, “Lead th’ way!”

Ripper gave Arsenic a nod, who only returned it with a half-hearted wave as he served the ghouls waiting for their dinner. On the way out, he gave Amy a hug, “Be good for Crow an’ Arsen. We’re gonna be further up river than we normally go, I don’t want ya wanderin’ off if ya really need us without ‘em, alright?”

“I will! Bye, Dad! See you later, Mom!”

This caused Ripper to hug his daughter just a bit tighter, trying to not cry happily at hearing that. Crow couldn’t contain their coo at the couple, though otherwise kept their mouth shut. They could see that Sweetjane had a smile on her lips, trying to not let out a happy cry as well. They practically pried Ripper off the child, “Go have fun, you two. We’ll keep these two safe, don’t worry.”

The pale ghoul practically shooed the two out the door; Ripper quickly taking the lead towards the riverside. He held Sweetjane’s hand tightly as the couple carefully tread along the small trail they’d started to wear into the embankment. Sweetjane spoke up, “’At was sweet, wasn’t it?”

Ripper nodded, “Not gonna lie, didn’t think either one of them were gonna call you mom. Know ya told ‘em that ya weren’t here t’ replace Amelia, y’know? Or t’ like… come up with their own thing t’ call ya.”

“She’s a good girl, she is. Wasn’t expectin’ anythin’ ‘at soon, anyway.”

The worn pathway faded from beneath their feet, Ripper taking more care to not drop the basket, but also making sure Sweetjane didn’t fall into the water either. He didn’t lead her too far away from The Slog; though the settlement wasn’t exactly in view either. Just a nice little spot that seemed to have recently been dug out, perfect for the picnic he’d planned.

He laid out the blanket, getting everything out of the basket before setting up a couple of pillar candles to light. After, he held his arms out, giving her a bright smile, “Ta-da! A nice little place just for us! Been comin’ out here t’ make a flat place when I could. Was thinkin’ maybe could make a little gazebo or somethin’ int’ th’ hill a bit, be a nice place for us t’ have our dates an’ a place for us t’ bring th’ family for little outings too.”

“Aww, Rippa, I love it,” Sweetjane crooned at the ghoul, her arms snaking up around his neck and shoulders. His arms found their home at her waist as he dipped his head down slightly for a kiss. He broke the kiss only to lift her up off the ground and spin her around, “Nothin’s gonna change now that we’re married. If anythin’ I wanna make this a regular thing.”

“O’course! This’ll be a great spot t’ get away. How long ya been doin’ this fer?”

Ripper shrugged, sitting on the blanket, and gently pulling Sweetjane down next to him, “Dunno, like three months or so? Figured it was a good place, has good cover with trees, right by th’ water, good fishing spot. If we get some sort of seating or canopy up, think this might be a good place too ‘at Cody would wanna spend some alone time when he wants it, so he doesn’t coop himself up in his room all th’ time, y’know?”

Sweetjane pressed her hand against Ripper’s cheek, him tilting into it slightly, “Chiriklo, it’s perfect. Yer perfect. Now, c’mon… tell me whatcha got goin’ on.”

Handing off a bowl, Ripper opened up the old thermos that Arsenic had provided, pouring out the soup that was inside, “Rabbit stew! I know it’s a bit warm still for hot soup, but I know ya said ya hadn’t had it in a while. An’ for dessert…” He shifted the two bottles of Nuka Cola that had been leaning on a box to the side, pulling up the box, “A cake! I dunno what Arsen decided to bake for it, but it looks good!”

Sweetjane took a spoon, setting the bowl to the side for a moment to open one of the bottles of soda. She couldn’t help but laugh, “Whatcha gotta do t’ get ‘im t’ do alla dis?”

“I may or may not have teased him about what Crow’s been up to.”

“Rippa! Ya know they wanna keep ‘at a secret!”

“I didn’t tell him! Not outright anyways! He’s not gonna know exactly what they’re making. An’ ‘e already knows they’re gettin’ married anyway!”

Ripper put a spoonful of the stew in his mouth, forgetting for a moment that he’d never actually had rabbit before. Well, he certainly realized now, though seemed to be rather pleased with what he’d eaten, rather than concerned. Sweetjane chuckled at him, “What were ya expectin’? Chicken?”

This caused the other to give a playful little pout, “Ey! Ain’t ever had it before!”

“Clearly ya like it,” she mused. He nodded, “’S good.”

Before he took another spoonful, he quickly leaned over, giving the tip of her ear a little nip, “Ain’t nothin’ like what I could be eatin’.”

“Later,” her tone had been rather nonchalant, only pushing Ripper more on edge. He pulled her to lean against his side, the two savoring the calmness of the evening. Stolen kisses between bites, nuzzles into hair, it made for a perfect first date after wedding. Eventually, bellies were full and the two found themselves laid back into the blanket, Sweetjane tucked close to Ripper’s side. His arm had been wrapped around her waist, keeping her close.

She gave a light kiss to the side of his neck, feeling the other shudder at the touch, “Tesoro…”

Shifting to straddle against his hip, Sweetjane couldn’t help but smile down at her partner, it only growing as his hands lightly caressed her thighs, “We got all night yannow…”

“I know…” he hummed, “An’ I want it t’ last that long…”

Sweetjane arched forward, pressing her lips heavily against Ripper’s. His hands lightly trailed up her thighs, resting somewhat firm on her hips; holding her in place. As the session progressed, his pressed his hip up slightly, drawing out a breath from his partner. She was the one to break the kiss, blue eyes intent on his hazel ones. His lips had been curled into a smile, “Ya drive me wild, ya know that, right?”

Ripper pushed himself up so he could be seated, shifting Sweetjane’s legs so she was still sitting in his lap, just a bit more comfortably. His arms rested at her waist, hands locked behind her back, “Tell me… ya wanna have dessert first?”

“I got choices now… don’t I?” Sweetjane hummed, the teasing tone in her voice making him chuckle, “Suppose ya do… Or… We can indulge in all of the sweet things we have here.”

Now that? That sounded like a plan. Their lips locked once more… the first course seemed like it would be one of the sweetest things they brought with them…

***

Knock knock knock

“Who’s there?” Crow called out of their studio, the only noise otherwise coming from the old greenhouse being the music on the radio.

“’S me, babe.”

“Hold on!”

Now there seemed to be a bit of a ruckus going from the inside. Crow had blocked out the lower portion of the windows with old boxes. Arsenic called back inside, “Can ya come out? Would like ya t’ have one more meal before bed!”

Arsenic kept his back to the door, his eyes trained on the two kids who were standing next to him. Crow quickly shuffled out of the room, shutting the door quickly behind them, “Sorry, I got-”

“Caught up in th’ project. I know. You’re better with th’ kids than I am anyway… Dunno if ya wanted t’ do somethin’ with ‘em before they turn in for th’ night too.”

“We don’t need babysitters, y’know,” Cody muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Crow could see Arsenic take a sharp breath, them lightly touching his arm, “Go to the kitchen, alright? I’ll be right there.”

It took a moment for the other to budge, but did so. Crow waited until he was out of earshot, “I know you guys don’t, but he’s trying. I think spending time with you guys is more for him than it is out of being asked by your father to watch you guys. He’s… eh…” They didn’t know how to explain the mood Arsenic was in. Mourning, maybe? Realizing he’d lost the ability to ever get to partake in.

“He seems sad,” Amy pointed out, causing Crow to nod, “You’re not wrong Amy. Part of him is sad. He lost something that I don’t think he really realized he wanted before it was too late.” Crow glanced back up to Cody, “Don’t take what he does personally. It’s gonna take a long while for him to adjust. If you guys wanna do your own thing, please, go right ahead. Just remember your dad wants you at least back in the house before the sun’s completely past the horizon. And no leaving the settlement.”

“Can we make something to drink before we do anything else?” Cody asked.

“Of course, you just know the rules with the communal kitchen. We’re gonna be cleaning up in a little bit.”

The trio headed back into the pool house, Crow and Amy finding seats at the bar stools. Cody went to pull a couple of mugs from the cabinet, but Arsenic stopped him. He seemed to handle Cody a lot more gently than others who invaded his space at least, “Let me. What were ya makin’?”

“I was gonna make tea for me and Amy before heading back to the house.”

Arsenic placed a small plate of food in front of Crow before turning to pull something out of a cabinet, “’S th’ last packet I have, but how about hot chocolate instead for th’ kid?”

This raised some excitement from Amy, making Crow smile softly at Arsenic in the process. They went to work on their food, eating silently as their fiance made a cup of hot chocolate and ash blossom tea for the kids. The two took the cups, Amy letting out a rather excited ‘thank you’ as they headed to their house. Crow rested their elbow on the counter, cheek lightly pressed in their hand in the process, “You’re really starting to blossom, you know that, right?”

“Shush.”

“I mean it, love. I adore that you’re trying to be good for them. And you’re doing a lot better at not just immediately reacting to Cody’s teenage angst thing he’s got going on. ‘M proud of you.”

“Yeah, yeah…” he sighed softly, pulling the empty plate away. Crow shifted off the stool, making their way around the counter to pull Arsenic into a hug. His arms were tight around them, burying his face against the top of their head. They hummed softly, “You’re wonderful, Arsen… you really are.”

Before pulling away from the hug, Crow shifted to give Arsenic a kiss. His hands fell to their hips, fingers curling against their skin lightly as he tried to pull it deeper. They managed to break free, “Let’s clean up first, how about that?”

He gave a nod, begrudgingly breaking away from the hug to start cleaning up the counter. Crow shuffled behind him to run water in the sink to start dishes. It didn’t take him long to wipe down the counters, quickly finding his place to the left of his partner, scrubbing down each dish and utensil. As he finished each one, he handed it off to Crow, who was content to rinse and dry off each item. He couldn’t help but glance over at Crow every time they’d brush elbows with him, unable to keep his thoughts at bay. They were doing it on purpose, he knew they were, but it still made him feel things.

“Crow?”

They hummed softly, giving him a small glance. Oh, the feeling that gripped at his heart… he loved when they looked at him with those sweet eyes…

“I… I should probably tell you…”

“Arsen, if this is about what Ripper said, I know. He told me.”

This made his stomach drop, “Wh- And you’re not-”

“Of course not. You already know we’re getting married, I dunno why you’re bein’ all shy about it. He told me to assure me that he didn’t tell you what I was working on. That’s still a surprise. You’re somehow the most observant, but most oblivious person I’ve ever met and I love that,” they laughed. Arsenic shifted on his hip, feeling a bit embarrassed that he didn’t realize sooner that Ripper hadn’t actually told him anything. Crow pressed up against his side, “Did what he say get your mind reeling?”

He nodded, swallowing hard before speaking again, “A-a bit, yeah.”

Glancing back down at them, his expression finally softened to match their soft smile, “Tell me.”

Arsenic took a small scoop of bubbles from the sink, brushing the suds against what was left of Crow’s nose ridge; making them laugh. He hummed softly, “’M just… excited. ‘S been so long since we got engaged, y’know? Dunno what ya got planned for everythin’… but goddamn I can’t wait t’ see ya in what you’re gonna wear… whatever ya got planned for th’ rings… Gettin’ t’ call ya mine.”

“You get to do that already,” Crow laughed. Arsenic ducked down, surprising them with a kiss, “The process makes it even more special.”

He handed off the last few dishes to be rinsed and dried, drying off his hands before hugging Crow close to his chest, resting his chin on top of their head while they finished up. When the last of the dishes were done, Arsenic spun Crow around, easily scooping them up and sitting them onto the counter. Their arms draped over his shoulders, lightly holding him close, “Arsen…”

No other words were exchanged, the ghoul pressing his lips to the other’s. He lightly pushed their legs apart slightly, just so he could get between them; quickly relaxing when they locked their legs around his waist. They felt him take a breath, his hands shifting to grip at their thighs. Crow gave a soft laugh, “We goin’ home?”

He gave a chuckle in response between his trailing kisses, “Not ‘nless ya wanna fuck here…”

“Just a little longer…”

“Gladly…” He wasn’t going to object getting to be this close to Crow, even if it meant prolonging what he wanted.

#shut it void #friend talk #bleumanouche #ripperxsweetjane #arsenicxcrow #otp: old fashioned love song #otp: a different life #oc: arsenic #oc: crow holiday #oc: ripper #bleumanouche: sweetjane ledet

[attapullman]

My dearest Mo, thank you as always for letting me drop this stuff in your inbox, I'm super glad it cheers you up and hopefully these ones will do the same (lol).

-"Mating season" for the boys usually happens anywhere from Feb. 14th to March 31st and you bet your ass they get super territorial. Rhett and Kayce always have to go to the pharmacy to buy extra condoms and constantly drill it into the guys heads to "wrap it before ya'll tap it!". Luckily they don't have to spend an obscene amount of money since Foster and his boyfriend usually pick up that bill (lol).

-Speaking of which, one poor little freshman pledge had never been with a girl before and was a little scared to admit it in front of his big brothers. Rhett and Kayce felt kinda bad so they gathered up any pledges who had never been with a girl before and hauled out "The Official Delta Tau Sex Manual For Pledges" and this thing was as triple X rated as you could get!!! Each of the brothers had written a chapter in there on various sexual acts, what to do, how to perform and what to do in an emergency and my God did it serve the pledges well.

-If anything, the boys are absolutely TERRIFIED to leave a freshly baked apple pie laying around. Even when they all go home for Thanksgiving, Rhett kinda cringes whenever you see Royal or Cecelia taking the apple pie outta the oven (lol).

-Mating season is also at the height of spring break. The entirety of Delta Tau as well as the Phi Gamma sorority joined you guys down in Islamorada, Florida for spring break and was also forever immortalized as "Florida Fuckfest" because of how much fucking occurred on the beaches for those two weeks. It ended with you, Rhett, the other brothers and the sisters having to all go to one of the local diners on the beach for a hangover breakfast and Bloody Marys.

-You guys even got to stay at the house that Foster and his boyfriend had been renovating for a while. The place was already done but had no furniture so you guys decided to christen the house Delta Tau style by throwing a rager complete with glow sticks, glow in the dark body paint and a ton of swimming off the dock that stuck out into the ocean. The very next morning, you, Rhett and Kayce opened up the grill and an avalanche of beer cans and red solo cups came spilling out. Foster had to double check the toilet tank and sure enough some alien asshat had stashed full beer cans in there (lol).

Mo-Mo, I'm seriously lovin Frat!Rhett and I'm glad you're lovin it too. If you have any ideas and wanna share'em too, my box is always open and any kinda Frat!Rhett stuff that's written down the road, I'll be sure to tag you in it (lol).

THE DETAIL IN THIS!!! THE WAY I CAN SEE ALL OF IT!!!

I need to know about the apple pie. I need it more than any other basic human need - I need to know. But also poor dudes walking into a bakery!

I'm dropping something special into your inbox later tonight - a little frat!Rhett/Delta Tau special just for you! Your thoughts forever keep me entertained, your brain is incredible!

Everyone give Mary all the hugs and love for how well we are fed!!

#letters to mo #auroralightsthesky 🪩 #frat!rhett abbott

[yeehawbvby]

Falling Away With You | Ch. 26

Sebastian x F!Reader and M. Rasmodius x F!Reader

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Chapter Summary: Time for y/n's first Dance of the Moonlight Jellies!!

Author’s Note: OOPS I MADE A PLAYLIST :3 I hope it doesn't suck!

Enjoy the super fluffy holiday chapter, take care <3 x

Table of Contents + Work Summary

Check it out on ao3!

Prev | Next

After Seb finished de-stinking himself from sleep and Manual Labor™, we went to Pierre’s for some last-minute ingredients and supplies. The blueberry cream pie turned out to be a success, which shocked us both! I haven’t baked in years and Seb’s kitchen skills are typically limited to chopping up raw fish and microwaving frozen pizzas. 

The jammy bloobs came out decadently sweet. The equally sweet and tangy cream cheese concoction below them was the perfect balance between fluffy enough to melt in the mouth, and firm enough to hold the weight of the berries. The crust came out just a tad burnt, but the buttery crunch was a nice contrast to the rest of the dessert. We fuckin’ nailed it.

I split the pie in half, letting Seb take some home to share with Robin (and Maru and Demetrius, if he so desires). The rest is allll mine, baby. 

As soon as Seb leaves, I steal another slice. Once I’m full of enough sugar to give me palpitations, I begin divvying up some blueberries to gift to a few villagers around town. I found some cute, small, palm-sized straw baskets at Pierre’s, as well as some gift tags to tie to their handles. The baskets seem to be meant for decorative purposes, but I figured they’d be the perfect vessels to hand out these puppies with.

I’m gonna give Sam some, as well as Leah, Marnie, Willy, Gus, Magnus, and Abby. I try to set it up so everyone has an equal-ish amount, and work hard to make the plain gift tags look real cute with calligraphy and shit. I subconsciously wind up decorating Magnus’ tag a little more than the others, though. 

While I work, Cannoli gives me those big, needy eyes, like he wants some berries of his own. I give him a small one, but quickly realize my error, as he proceeds to try and eat some more directly from my gardening basket. 

“Get outta there,” I giggle, scooping him up in one arm. He meows in protest as I place him across the room, hoping he’ll take the hint.

Next, I rush around town with my basket full of… smaller baskets. I’m hoping to get my crops to everyone before the sun kisses the horizon. People will probably be preparing for tonight’s jellyfish migration once it’s dark, and I don’t wanna get in the way of that.

I’m too shy to greet Abby in her room, so I leave her portion of berries with her dad. Hopefully they’ll make it to her… I’ve heard Pierre sometimes sells other farmers’ produce, at a higher price than what he gave them, claiming he grew the crops himself. Loser. 

Sam tries to keep me to himself, after raving about how cool it is that I managed to grow so many blueberries on my first try, but I reject him with a big comfy hug in favor of doing my other deliveries. Gus and Willy both express pride in my hard work, making me feel all fuzzy inside. And Marnie and Leah both voice how grateful they are, but Leah adds a hug and a kiss to my cheek for emphasis. Spirits or Yoba or whoever, please help. Such a simple peck from her had me weak in the knees. I’m not sure my poor heart can take this.

Given my interaction with Magnus earlier, I’m a bit nervous for our next one, so I don’t give him his blueberries face-to-face either. I place them in front of his door in hopes that he’ll sense my presence, and come retrieve them sooner than later. Don’t want any squirrels (or that chunky tanuki) to get to ‘em first.

Swiftly, I scurry away, but am caught red-handed when Magnus telepathically invades me. “What are you doing?”

I stop in my tracks, stifling a giggle, but slowly begin walking again after a few breaths. Hoping that if I don’t respond, he’ll ignore me. Just as I pass the bottom of the cliff, the door to the tower swings open with a creak.

“(Y/n), I know you’re–” 

He cuts himself off, and I hear a faint chuckle as I try my best not to crunch any branches below my steps. I dare to look behind me, and see the elemental peering over the edge of his land. I squint playfully, fail to hide my devious smile, and begin jogging home to get ready for the festival. 

_______________

When I arrive at the beach for the Moonlight Jellies, I’m intimidated by the amount of people on the docks, so I head to the side that’s covered in small tidepools. Seb’s family, minus Seb, are all standing along the shoreline, and I think I can make out that the shadowy figure on the dock nearest to me is Leah. As far as I can tell, nobody else is around. 

Just as I step off the makeshift wooden bridge and into the sand, Robin turns to me and waves. As I greet her back, I’m thankful that she didn’t call me over – as much as I love her, and think Maru’s pretty cool, Demetrius gives me the creeps.

I bypass everyone and head to the complete opposite end of the beach. Staring into the abyss. Wondering how many jellyfish will show up, how much they actually glow, and if I’ll be close enough to give one a little pat on the head. That last thought is probably dangerous, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. 

Exhaling deeply, and realizing how tired I am, I spin my upper half a bit to pop my back, then tilt my skull from side-to-side to do the same to my neck. Maybe the movement will help wake me up a bit. As I begin reaching my arms behind me and craning my back, a voice pops into my head.

“This is an awfully strange time for yoga, don’t you think?”

I nearly jump out of my fucking skin, holy shit. Deadpanning the sky, I think, “Where the fuck are you?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Magnus Rasmodius I swear to Yoba–”

A decadent chuckle floods my brain, warming up my cheeks. “To your left.” 

I follow his directions, and spot Magnus practically as blended in as he possibly can be with the trees that line the sand.

“Is that your usual Moonlight Jellies-lurking spot?”

“Indeed it is.” 

I peer around, making sure nobody’s watching me, before shuffling over to Magnus’ side. Don’t wanna draw attention to him, but my head hurts too much from sleepiness to try and think in responses only. 

Keeping my voice down, I continue our conversation. “I thought you were gonna be done creeping around, after learning you’re not actually Abby’s dad.” 

“Eh,” he shrugs, “It’s mere tradition.”

Eyeballing the ocean from where we stand, I ask, “Can you even see the jellies from all the way back here?”

“I’ve seen the migration more than enough in my lifetime. I suppose it’s the sense of community that draws me in, at this point.”

I feel a pang in my belly. “Yeah, a community that either doesn’t know you exist or shuns you when they do…” I grumble and roll my eyes, looking down as I fidget with my sleeves.

Words can’t describe how bitter I am that he has to constantly hide himself – despite single-handedly keeping the entire valley free of dangerous elementals – for the sake of a bunch of people who judge him based on what they perceive him to be like. Sure, they don’t know what he does, but those who do could be at least a little welcoming, no?

I squeak as a large hand places itself atop my head. “You’ve no need for concern.” Magnus removes his palm and places it underneath his black cloak. 

I feel my heart firmly thump in my chest at his softness. I push it aside, and mumble “Too bad,” under my breath. “It’s not fair…” 

A quiet laugh escapes the wizard, before he replies, “Really. There’s no need to dwell on it, my dear. I assure you.” He sighs, then practically purrs under his breath, “Although, I must admit, it’s quite adorable of you to be so protective over me.” 

…Did he just call me adorable? 

Does he know what that means? 

Do I know what that means?

Because that sounds an awful lot like he’s saying he finds me attractive in some way or my personality attractive or– 

My eyes must be popping out of my fucking face as my brain short circuits. I squeak again, knowing damn well that if it were any lighter out, my ears and cheeks would be red enough for everyone within a 100-foot radius to see. 

I choke out, “Sorry,” clear my throat, and continue to ramble my way away from him. “I gotta go. Uh, I left something, um… over there.” I motion vaguely towards where the majority of Pelican Town is gathered.

“Did you, now?” There’s a hint of amusement in his voice. As if he knows exactly what he did.

“Yeah. Like, way over there.”

“Could you not simply retrieve it later?” 

“Bye Magnus!” I quietly sing, keeping my eyes on the other people gathered around the shore as I escape.

As I cross the bridge again, I lightly shake my hands. Stimming away the fluster to the best of my ability. It’s… not working very well. In another attempt to distract myself, I make way to Pierre’s booth to scope out today’s wares. Retail therapy, or whatever.

When nothing captures my attention, I awkwardly thank Pierre for his time, apologize for bothering him, and shuffle away. On the docks, I can vaguely make out the figures of a flock of emos, so I pad closer to them. Sam is the nearest, and none of them seem to notice me, so I opt to fuck with him.

Sneaking up behind the man, I tippy toe to gain some height, and flick the small, faux diamond piercing in his earlobe.

“Ack!” Evilly snickering to myself, I back away a little. “What the hell, little lady?!” Sam laughs when he realizes I’m the culprit. 

“Had to do it to ‘em.”

Seb joins in. “Haven’t you done enough to poor Samson?” 

“Whoa!” Sam and I answer in unison. I feel Abby looking at us from the corner of my eye, and Sam continues, “Low blow!” 

“Seriously,” I agree. “The fuck, dude?!”

Menacingly laughing, Seb blows his cigarette smoke towards me. I hurriedly swipe at the air, hoping to waft it away. Don’t want that stuff to make its way into the little baby nose of Vincent, who’s running along the wood behind us… or poor Penny, who’s babysitting, I guess. 

Where the fuck is Jodi? Does this poor girl ever get a day off from mothering other peoples’ kids?

Pushing those thoughts aside, I continue walking. “When does this start, usually?” I mutter, sitting down at the very end of the dock. Peering down at the dark water below me. Resisting the urge to hop in for a cheeky lil’ swim.

“Eh, Lewis usually sends off his little raft at, like, 11.” 

I turn to look up at Abby. She’s… sitting down next to me?! 

Did my plans the other night actually fucking work? Does she like me now? Did I gain her approval? What the fuck–

“Thanks for those berries, by the way.” Phew, I’m glad Pierre didn’t steal those! “Used ‘em in a smoothie.” O-oh. Ya know, I feel like you wouldn’t taste them over the flavor of other fruits that way, but hey! At least she used them! “Not bad, lady.”

“Yeah, no problem, Abby,” I grin at her. ”Glad you liked them!”

A silence falls between us. As Abby reaches to dip her fingers into the sea, I hear Sam and Seb chattering behind us. 

“U-uh,” I mutter, filling in the blank space, “Sorry last night wasn’t as, like, cool as you were expecting.” I look at the sky, and begin a mental count of all the shooting stars that zoom by. 

“It’s whatever. S’not like I expected much from it.” Theeere’s the sassy Abigail I’m used to. “I’m still creeped out by that dude living there, though. How have I never seen him before?” 

The corner of my mouth that she can’t see curls into a smirk, as I think of Magnus – Mark, in this case – standing against the flora not even a quarter of a mile away. I shrug. “Guess he’s a hermit or something, I dunno.”

“I mean, I guess,” she scoffs. More silence, but this time, Abby is the one to cut it short. “This your first Jellies festival?” 

I nod. “I… I think so? My memories from being here as a little kid are foggy.”

“I see…” 

This is the most Abby’s spoken to me since her interrogation my second night here. I inspect her, hoping she doesn’t notice that I’m staring a bit. I wonder if she was telling the truth, back when she said she doesn’t dye her hair. Or if she knows that her pale complextion glistens like a fucking Twilight-ass vampire’s skin under the moonlight… 

Looking lower, I admire her thigh tattoo. It’s big and intricate, with flowers and thorns, and there’s little easter eggs to various video games hidden within each bud and petal. A badge for Prairie King. A cowplant. A junimo in a minecart. A keyblade. Monokuma... It’s a real shame that she usually wears pants that hide it. 

Y’know, if she wasn’t a bit snooty, I’m sure Seb would be all over her still. I mean, he was once, way back when. But I wonder, had Abby not lost her marbles over him, if they would’ve been together now. Maybe even married.

Riding around Zuzu on the same bike he drove me to that cliff on. Getting matching tattoos and piercings. Buying each other fancy musical equipment, PC parts and video games, custom Solarian models and boards you can only get over in the city… Being fucking edgelord nerds together.

I feel something sink in my tummy. Mirroring her earlier actions, I try to ground myself; taking in the way the cool water grazes my fingertips, leaving a salty film behind. Focusing on the breeze kissing my cheeks, and the way the barely-there waves reflect all the twinkling shooters in the void above us.

Why am I getting fucked up over what could have been? I know Seb doesn’t have feelings for her anymore… maybe I almost feel guilty about that? That after all her pining, she didn’t get him in the end? 

Maybe, despite that talk last night, I’m guilty that I have feelings for someone besides Seb, and I’m just projecting that now? 

Maybe I feel guilty that I have several people crushing on me, allegedly… and she might not have any, despite being a total stunner?

I dunno.

I hear Lewis announce something from behind me, but don’t pay it much mind as I zone out on the water’s surface. I’m snapped back when I feel a nudge at my butt. I look up and behind me, and smile at Seb smirking down at me.

He taps Abby’s butt with his foot too, and once he has both of our attention, he mutters, “Scoot over.” Our amethyst-haired companion moves a little bit, and I do too, until there’s just enough space for him to plop down at my right side. 

I look around and notice that The Dog Boy is nowhere in sight. “Where’s Sam?”

“Went to go stand with his mom and Vin.” 

I nod, leaning onto Seb’s shoulder afterward. He tangles his fingers into mine, and he, Abby, and I sit in silence as Lewis’ makeshift boat and candle float out into the distance. 

A few quiet minutes later, only filled with the sound of the sea breeze and whatever calming song Lewis has playing over the speakers near Willy’s shop, I see a bunch of glowing blobs making their way over to us.

“No fucking way,” I whisper, leaning off of Seb’s shoulder a bit. 

Are they really just… swimming on over to us? All because Lewis sent a candle out into the ocean?!

I must look like a freaking child, the way I’m smiling at the small creatures in the distance. I lean forward, hoping I can get a better look, in case they don’t get any closer – but they do get closer, and they keep on drifting our way with each passing second. 

I feel eyes on me, and turn to see Abby watching me. Grinning at me. Fondly, almost. 

It’s terrifying.

“W-what?” 

“...Fucking nerd.”

“What?!” I laugh. “It’s my first time, cut me some slack, lady.”

I hear a giggle from my opposite side, and turn to see Seb watching our banter. “Shut the fuck up, you two.”

“Make me.”

Abby fake-gags next to me. “Don’t make her.”

I think back to when Sam, Seb and I had this same interaction. Contrary to last time, I know exactly how he would make me shut up. Hehehehhh.

“You too, huh?” I ask Abby. She side-eyes me.

“What can I say, my dear,” Seb mumbles. I turn towards him, and hear a fake-gagging noise from my left in response to Seb’s pet name for me. “My friends know me well.” He fucking winks.

I squint at him and give him a playful shove. Noticing something light in the corner of my eye, I look back at the water. 

They’re here. 

There’s. There’s so many jellyfish. 

They’re so chunky. 

They’re so cute. 

Look… look at that form! They’re wiggling so much!

They’re so cute. 

I want one. 

I want one.

I’m gonna take one hom– Is that little guy green?

“Why is that one green?”

“Oh shit,” Seb mumbles. “Green ones are rare.”

“I want it.”

“...What?”

I deadpan him. “It’s chosen me. I need to take it home.”

“That’s not how this works.”

I squint, then mock him. I turn back towards the jellies and find that most of them are beginning to drift away. The green one is still big chilling though. 

I wonder if this has anything to do with ~magic~. Am I stretching logic too much, by hypothesizing that? Or is it an adequate stretch, given I’m now possibly capable of that sorta thing now?

Silently, I watch in awe as the jellyfish fully begin to leave. It takes all the restraint in my body to not pet the green one in front of me, but in respect to the little friend’s personal space, I opt out. It’s the last one to go, at least from our area. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

#sebastian x reader #sebastian #sdv sebastian #sdv #sdv rasmodius #sve magnus #magnus rasmodius x reader #stardew valley rasmodius #sdv sebastian x reader #stardew sebastian #sebastian stardew #sebastian headcanons #stardew valley #stardew #sve #sebsatian sdv #sdv wizard #stardew wizard #magnus rasmodius #stardew valley fanfic #stardew valley sebastian x reader #wizard x reader #rasmodius x reader #FAWY #love triangle #abby redemption arc #stardew valley abigail #sdv abigail #dance of the moonlight jellies

[saturdaysh0rts]

One more propaganda push before the polls close

@homemadegirlbossbattle​

Vote Chrysanta!!

Chrysanta’s peak girlboss years as a highway robber

Countin’ Cards

Chrysanta (age 29) playing cards with her pal Vincent Valentine (the artist’s very own PC in this d&d campaign). As the title would imply, she’s counting cards. And maybe proper cheating a little too.

All art credit to @shmungles​

And one more (partial) chapter under the cut. More girlbossery and badassery from Chrysanta. TWs in the tags.

Simon was working a shift that night at the saloon, I knew, and Dot liked to go with him, so I headed right there. A drink might be nice, anyhow.

"Mama!" Dot's tiny voice squealed as I walked in.

“Hello, my little Sunshine!”

She ran up to me, holding up a large pink button for me to see. "Look! It's pink!"

I crouched to meet her and gasped in awe. "It is! That's beautiful, Sweet Pea. Where'd you get it?"

She pointed at Lars, who sat on a barstool at the long counter, ale in hand.

"Well that was awful sweet of them to give you. Did you tell them thank you?"

She nodded all proud of herself.

"Good job, Kiddo." I stood and walked with her back to the bar and took a seat next to Lars, lifting Dot onto my lap as she continued to gaze at her new button in admiration. Simon leaned over the bar and I leaned forward to meet him and give him a peck on the lips.

"How was the trip?" he asked.

"Just fine," I said. "Easy goin'. Nothin' too exciting."

It was a slow night at the saloon. The only other folks there were Heather and her husband, seated at a table along the wall opposite the bar. I ignored her and she returned the favor.

“What can I get for you, Beautiful?” Simon asked me.

I grinned. "Well, Handsome, I think I'll take a whiskey.”

“Coming right up.”

Lars, who I learned very quickly was five drinks in, struck up a conversation about how nasty they thought whiskey was while Simon poured my drink. No sooner had he set the glass in front of me than a couple folks I didn’t recognize wandered in. Lars and Simon didn’t bat an eye, kept on talkin’ about alcohol and how different types were made, but I didn’t take my eyes off the strangers. One look and I knew they were trouble. I was suddenly glad I hadn’t dropped off my weapons at home before coming here. Nothing they were doing was wrong, but it was almost like a smell they gave off. It was a man and a woman, both young, maybe early twenties, and both wearing warm, worn clothes. The man had long, light-colored hair tied behind his head and wore a tooth on a necklace. The woman’s hair was short and she had a piercing in her lower lip with a scar running from it to her left ear. They didn’t appear to be… no, they were both armed, just hiding it. The man had a shortsword stowed at his hip, almost covered by his traveler’s cloak. The woman almost certainly had her hand on a gun of some kind in her oversized coat pocket.

I wanted to get Dot outta there, but if these folks were here for trouble, they’d be trying to make sure nobody left.

"Hey Sweet Pea, I think I left a couple o’ buttons I was gonna give you in the storeroom behind the bar. Can you go find 'em?"

Her little eyes lit up.

"They might be lost back there, so you might have to look around for 'em real good, okay?”

"Okay!" She wiggled off my lap and ran back into the storeroom. Hopefully that’d keep her safely occupied and outta the way if shit went south.

Simon shot me a confused look as he stepped away from his conversation with Lars to greet the newcomers. The two strangers watched Dot run back into the storeroom and then approached the bar, stopping a couple seats down from me and Lars. I watched them real close from the edge of my seat. If they weren’t blocking the exit, maybe they weren’t here to make trouble. Or maybe they were just… yeah, they were just too stupid to block the exit.

The second the woman drew her gun on Simon, I was already directly behind the man with my sword over his throat. I was glad I was able to catch him off guard—I’d lost a lot of strength in the past few years. He gasped, and as he did, I got my revolver trained on the woman, too.

“Put that away,” I commanded before she had a chance to say a word to Simon, “and w-walk out now.” My goddamned stutter. This was exactly why Corvus always did the talking back when we was in these strangers’ shoes.

The woman turned to see me, and her face instantly fell. “Wh– Hey, we…” She faltered, caught by complete surprise. She didn’t lower her weapon, though.

“W-walk away now,” I repeated. “This is m-me askin’ nicely. I ain’t gonna do it again.”

Her eyes shifted between me and Simon, connecting dots in her head. "Are you really going to make me shoot your little girl's dad?" she threatened, but I knew it was a bluff. I had her beat and she knew it.

"Go ahead," I told her, pressing my blade a little closer to the man's throat. "Ain't neither of you gonna live to feel the guilt of it anyw-way."

Simon was frozen in the corner of my eye. I wanted to look at him, reassure him, see how he was doing, but I held eye contact with the woman. If my stutter was gonna screw me over, I could at least make up for it with composure.

After a moment, she lifted her hands in the air, gun still in hand, and backed off. “Fine, fine,” she relented.

“Gun on the c-c—-counter.” Fuck me.

She relaxed her arms for a second and scoffed. “You sure you have the balls to shoot?”

I pulled the hammer back on my revolver. “You’re fixin’ to find out.”

“Kiyori…” the man breathed from behind my sword, voice shaking.

“Alright, fine, gods…” She set her gun down on the bar.

“Honey, if you would?” I said.

Simon didn’t move.

“Simon, the gun.”

He jumped and shook himself, then took the gun, depositing it safely (I assumed) under the counter.

“Alright, will you let him go now?” the woman asked.

“You go out first,” I said. “He follows.”

The woman started backing toward the door.

“Mama?” Dot’s voice cut through the room, soft and afraid. Shit.

“Go to Daddy, Baby. Everything’s okay.”

In the corner of my vision, Simon swooped in and scooped her up from the doorway that led to the storeroom.

I watched the woman back out the swinging saloon doors all the way to the street, waited a good minute, then let the man go, shoving him away from me with the butt of my shortsword. “I see your w-weapon. Don’t try anything funny, just leave.”

He shot me an angry look before walking away, giving an indignant shrug on the way out. I watched them through the gap above the doors til they walked off down the road.

Every person in the saloon seemed to let out a breath at once.

“What the fuck was that, Chrysanta?” Lars half-shouted. “Holy hell!” They laughed.

I still didn’t take my eyes off the door. “Lars, please don’t cuss in front of Dot.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Lars said. “I mean, uh, dang… See this is why I drink here instead of in front of my own kids. Anyway. Cheers to you for all that,” he congratulated me, followed by the sound of a small splash. “Shit. Hey Si, you got a napkin back there?”

Simon didn’t move, and only then did I take my eyes off the door to look at him and Dot. They were also watching the door, or at least looking in that direction. Simon’s eyes had a far-off look, and it seemed like he was still holding his breath.

“Simon,” I said. “You okay?”

His eyes re-focused and he blinked when I said his name. He turned to look at me. “Yeah, I’m–”

I threw myself to the ground before I knew why, and as I did, I felt something graze my arm. Only after I moved did I register the BANG of a gunshot that came before it.

Dot shrieked and began to sob loudly. Lars tripped and fell trying to scramble off his barstool. Heather and her husband slid off their seats and crouched under their table, trembling. I scrambled back to my feet as the saloon doors swung open. The woman held a second gun, and the man had his shortsword drawn. He walked right at me as his companion scooted herself behind the bar.

"You. Money. Now," she barked at Simon.

Simon put Dot on the ground and kept her behind him as he backed away. She clutched his leg and kept sobbing. My blood boiled. Anger like I hadn’t felt in years took over, and I breathed deep to calm the adrenaline that rushed over me.

The man swung his sword at me and I dodged, ducking under it to pop back up and smack him across the face with my revolver in my right hand. As he stumbled, I jabbed my own sword deep into his right shoulder. He cried out at the impact and lost his grip on his weapon. Using my sword to keep him at arm’s length, I crossed my right arm over my left, and fired my revolver twice at the woman, quick as I could while having to pull back the hammer between rounds. She dropped.

Corvus was cut short by two quick gunshots that sent blood spattering from his face as he dropped straight to the ground.

The man grabbed at my hair with his uninjured arm and yanked, bringing my attention back to him. I kicked him in the balls, and he released my hair and doubled over. Using my sword in his shoulder as a leverage point, I threw him to the ground and then pulled my sword back, blood dripping from the blade. He made a move for his dropped weapon, and I kicked it away, leveling my gun at his head.

The realization hit him that he'd lost. He collapsed onto his back and stuck his hands up. “Don’t shoot!” he cried. “Please don’t shoot. Please, please don’t–”

“Lars, go get Doctor Murata if you ain’t too drunk,” I shouted over the man’s pleas for his life and Dot’s continued screaming.

“Yeah,” they said. “Doctor Murata. Yeah, I can do that.” They scrambled up from the ground and took off out the door.

“Heather, go find the sheriff.”

Slowly, timidly, she got up from under the table. She inched toward the door, glancing nervously between me and the man on the ground. Her husband followed.

“Hurry it up, please, I don’t w-wanna be here all night.”

They picked up the pace.

“Dot? Simon, Honey? You okay?” They was still behind the bar, but somewhere behind me. I knew better than to take my eyes off my prisoner to look.

“Yeah,” Simon said. “Yeah, we’re good.” He appeared in my peripherals, shushing Dot as he bounced her gently in his arms, trying to keep her from looking at any of the mess that was left. Her cries were becoming less screams and more sobs.

“Listen, the woman I shot,” I said to him. “Make sure she doesn’t move, assuming she ain’t dead.”

“I’ve got Dot,” he said.

“Yeah, and neither of us’ll have her if that w-woman gets up while we ain't lookin’,” I said. “I can’t take my eyes offa this fu… fella.” I narrowly stopped myself from cussing.

Simon left my peripheral vision, and Dot’s crying picked up again. She’d seen a couple dead bodies before, living in a monastery and all, but never that much blood.

“It’s okay, Sweetie,” Simon said softly. “Look at me. Eyes on Dad.”

I heard the splash of a small trickle of water. He was giving the woman a last taste of water, the first step in the death rites that also helped check if a dead person was actually, well, dead.

“I think… I think she’s gone.”

I sighed. More work for me and Aria tomorrow.

At Simon’s words, the stranger who still lived started breathing faster and shallower. “No. No. Kiyori?! KIYORI?!”

‘CORVUS!’ My own voice rang in my head. I shook myself. Breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold. Keep it together. Least til the sheriff gets here.

I talked myself through every breath as the man broke down in front of me. He screamed and stupidly grabbed for my gun. I didn’t have to shoot him though, cause Simon appeared right then and pinned him down with a foot to his chest.

Dot was still crying.

“You should get her outta here,” I told him.

“I’m not leaving you alone with this guy,” Simon insisted.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I have a gun. He doesn’t.”

“I–” Another scream from Dot cut him off. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

He left, bouncing her gently in his arms some more as he went.

The man kept on shouting curses and throwing insults at me, but I tuned it out. I just kept breathing in, hold, out, hold, keeping my hand and gun steady til Lars got back with Doctor Murata. The man was too distraught to let her get close to him to look at his shoulder. Not too long after, the sheriff arrived, manacled the stranger, and hauled him off while the doctor followed behind. As soon as they was out the door, I dropped my weapons onto a table and collapsed into a chair. I tried to keep breathing evenly.

“Man, I need another drink after that,” Lars said.

“Bar’s closed, Lars,” I said. “You should go home.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” they sighed. “Hey, since when do you know how to fight like that?”

“Since always,” I said.

They nodded and started shuffling toward the door. “Damn. Well, Chrysanta, that was incredible, and I’m definitely gonna be way more fucked up about all this when I’m sober. Sorry. See you.”

I couldn’t get any words out in reply, but they left anyway.

My Breath was steadily getting out of control. I squeezed my eyes shut. A fire ignited on spilled liquor in front of me. I could smell gunsmoke. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Corvus was cut short by two quick gunshots that sent blood spattering from his face… Another gunshot. My arm was sticky with my own blood.

“Chrys, you’re bleeding.”

“Huh?” I blinked and I saw Simon leaning over the bar to find a fresh towel. He found one, then crouched beside me and dabbed at my right arm where the bullet had grazed it earlier. The wound wasn’t deep, probably wouldn’t even need stitches. As he cleaned me up, I realized I’d taken Corvus’ bird stone from my pocket without thinking, and I was running my thumb over the carved design.

“Where’s Dot?” I asked.

“At home. Aria and Tsunayo are there with her,” Simon said. “Did you dodge that bullet?”

“I don’t… I don’t know. I guess so.”

“You ducked so fast, I thought for a second you’d been shot. It scared me.” He brushed all the hair away from my face and ran his hand gently down my torso, my arms, my legs, checking me all over for any other injuries. “I'm sorry I wasn’t much help," he said. "I froze up.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay, don’t be sorry. You looked after Dot.”

“I didn’t know you could do that,” he said.

“Do what?”

“All of that. I mean I knew you’d been in your fair share of fights, but seeing it was… Goddamn, Chrys. It was like you knew what was going to happen before it did.”

It never occurred to me til now that the closest Simon had ever been to seeing me in a fight was the couple times I went out with my revolver to check on a suspicious noise in the middle of the night. He’d never seen me do anything like tonight, or like I used to do before we met. “I been on the other side o’ that enough times in my life…” I trailed off.

Me and Corvus made our dramatic entrance into the tavern. I smelled blood as I shot the waitress, slit a man’s throat. Fire. Gunsmoke. Corvus was cut short by two quick gunshots.

“Can you hold me?” My voice was barely a whisper.

Immediately and without a word, Simon squeezed me to his chest. It had been a while since I’d had flashbacks like this, like nightmares in the daytime. Simon stroked my hair and gave me gentle kisses on my head while I took deep breaths to collect myself.

“Are you okay?” Simon asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “I wanna go see Dot and go to bed.”

"Me too," he agreed, and tied the towel he was still holding around my arm as a temporary bandage.

Simon stayed behind to clean the saloon as well as he could that night before locking up. The whole ordeal had left a lot of blood on the floor. I carried the body of the dead stranger to the monastery and left her in the crematorium.

When I got inside, Dot was still sniffling as Tsunayo held her in her lap. As soon as I walked in, she started crying in earnest again and wiggled away from Tsunayo. I picked her up as she ran to me, and her cries subsided back to sniffles.

Simon hadn’t told Aria and Tsunayo much when he’d dropped Dot off with them, so I explained the situation a little more and thanked them for looking after Dot. Simon got home soon after they left, and he sat next to us in front of the fire and held us both close until Dot wore herself out crying and fell asleep. Simon put her to bed then went to bed himself, but I stayed up in front of the fire for a bit, promising to be in soon. I knew I wasn’t gonna sleep that night anyway.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman I shot—Kiyori, the man called her. I couldn’t get over the rage I still felt, seeing her point a gun at my husband and child. At my child. But if I really thought about it, had I been that different from her all those years ago? I never shot a kid, but I did shoot a few folks in front of their own kids.

I stared at the crackling fire. Tomorrow would be back to more of the same as it always was these days. And I’d have to figure out how to handle Dot. Shit, she’d just watched her Mama shoot a woman. Barely three years old and she’d already seen more violence than I had before I was twelve. I should’ve went with her to make sure she stayed in the storeroom. Or sent Simon or Lars or something. I was already messing this up. Messing her up like I'd got messed up.

What was I doing here? What was I doing trying to raise a kid? Who was I kidding? Even if I wanted to be here, I knew I didn’t deserve a quiet life with a loving husband and daughter. Kiyori sure didn’t, so why should I get one? And besides that, Dot deserved a better mother than someone so violent. She deserved better than a mother who was miserable living in her own home, who couldn’t even get out of bed half the time. Simon deserved a better partner than that, too. My heart ached for them, but it also ached for the desert, for watching the stars above me as I fell asleep, for the sweet relief of sitting in the sand after a hard day’s work. I was trying. I really was. But I was in pain here, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it started to affect Dot, if it hadn’t already. This was why I never wanted a kid in the first place. I’d never wish her gone, though. Never that.

Before I knew it, the fire had burnt itself out and the sun was rising. I stood. I had work to do. Those bodies wouldn’t bury themselves.

#Simon is a sweetheart #fun fact Chrysanta doesn't like nicknames #the only people allowed to call her by a nickname are Simon and her brother and Vincent #she very begrudgingly allows Vincent to call her Santy #anyway she has so many feelings #a few weeks or so after this she up and bails for seven months leaving nothing but a note #chrysanta propaganda #homemade girlboss battle #tw blood mention #tw violence #tw death #tw guns #also you should ask shmungles to see more art of vincent bc they have a lot of it and he's very sexy

[dcbbw]

Weekend Update

Hello, hello! Happy Summer, everyone!

I know I have been hit and miss for a long while, so to those of you who are still sticking around hoping and wishing, THANK YOU! It’s been a minute, but I swear, the past three years have been a blur of demands on my time, keeping all the things both personal and professional afloat, and making my life fit around other folks’ schedules and needs.

I’ve also been MIA from Tumblr more often than not; first, I have the ideas and unfinished stories but no motivation. Our little corner of Tumblr is not what it was, and frankly what little free time I have cannot spent on toxicity and hypocrisy. Drama, yes. The others … no. But I miss the friends and fans I have here, all 3.5 of you! 😊 (Hopefully that’s a joke)

So, I’ve been letting my batteries recharge and calling my fucks back home so I can release these numerous ideas onto page/screen and post for your enjoyment.

Below are summaries/synopses of the more pressing stories I want to complete (some are in progress, but not all of them) and send your way, sooner than later:

Daddy Duty: Inspired by @txemrn’s Father’s Day prompt, it’s also the launch of the Little Nobles AU (as if I don’t have enough) where we explore our favorite gang’s childhood, and delve into the lives of their parents (TRR Gang version 1.0) using the lightest of canon and a lot of head canons. So far, my favorite characters are Annabelle Beaumont and Zizi Vancouer (Neville’s mom).

Untitled: We’ve all written that fateful night in Applewood, myself included. But this time, I have a twist (and it isn’t what you’re thinking/expecting). Debating between Smoking Gun and Double Cross for title choice.

Hot Topic: The DC AU gang hang out, eat food, and hold a conversation that covers topics and events such as skin pore care; the death of Vinny Chin; Juneteenth; Riley B. and Drake’s breakup; being POC; Pride; and worry about Riley B.’s latest obsession/fascination: the Jonestown cult.

Babylon (working title): Riley isn’t the only one fascinated by the Jonestown cult, and a story featuring a mix of familiar and original characters is brewing at a rapid rate. Think TRR joins Peoples Temple.  Sorry to disappoint but Liam isn’t the good reverend … Constantine is.

Body Count: Who’s killing the noble women of Cordonia, and why?

Kangaroo Court: It’s Depp vs Heard meeting fandom discourse, #Riam style.

Untarnished Silver: A celebration of King Liam in all his facets by those who love him most. Inspired by #King Liam Appreciation Week

Ready: Fric and Frac are finally ready to make their debut! Their momma isn’t.

Entrepreneur: Yu (the Chinese waitress) seeks Riley’s help to launch her online business; Riley brings along a motley crew of helpers. The King is unamused. Inspired by a TikTok Live and convos with @burnsoslow.

Gonna see what happens this weekend (I have an extra day this weekend), and which story makes it outta my head and onto my blog.

If there’s a particular story from the above list you’d REALLY like to see happen first, let me know in the comments!

Tagging:  @jared2612 @ao719 @burnsoslow @marietrinmimi @merridithsmiscellany-blog @queenjilian @texaskitten30 @glaimtruelovealways @indiacater @kingliam2019 @bebepac @liamxs-world @the-soot-sprite @hopelessromanticmonie @mom2000aggie @cmestrella @iaminlovewithtrr @liamrhysstalker2020​  @neotericthemis​ @twinkleallnight​ @umccall71​ @superharriet​  @busywoman​ @gabesmommie1130​ @tessa-liam​ @phoenixrising308​ @beezm​ @gardeningourmet​ @lovingchoices14​ @foreverethereal123​ @mainstreetreader​ @angelasscribbles​ @lady-calypso​ @emkay512​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @21-wishes​ @princessleac1​ @charlotteg234​ @bbrandy2002​ @queenrileyrose​ @debramcg1106​ @alj4890​

#dcbbw writes #WIP update #trr fanfiction #trh fanfiction #aus galore

[penbwl]

hii no pressure to respond right away!! I know you're busy xD

I kinda want to get into digital art and drawing and make a tumblr too but it all seems like so much at once. Do you have any tips on how to start? Or any art tips either xD I really like your art style and you're like a really impressive person and you've inspired me to try sharing my art skills.

Thanks!! Hope you have a good day!

Hiya!! That’s so sweet and I’m honoured that you’ve found inspiration in my work🥺 thank you so much❤️

I myself am still struggling to navigate being an artist online but I have a few tips that will hopefully be helpful to anyone else out there!

• Hashtags

Using tags on your posts is always useful to have your art get attention, especially when you’re first starting out and you don’t have an audience yet. If I’m not seeing posts from the people I already follow then it’s almost always because I’ve found the post by looking through a fandom tag I’m interested in.

• Interaction

Interacting with your audience is a big one! It gets people interested in what you’re doing and forms a bond between you and other creators that drives you to continue sharing what you make. Comment and share others posts, ask questions in your own posts that get people to engage. It’s just a nice genuine way to have fun and be creative - you may even make friends!

•Consistency

Okay so this one can be hard to upkeep honestly and I’m not the best at it myself. Being consistent with posting is always gonna be a huge thing to keep in mind. Sometimes I’m inconsistent with how much I post, sometimes I’m inconsistent with what the actual content is (Although it’s completely up to you wether you stick to a single category/fandom or not - I find it definitely helps keep your audience if you’re sticking to a single fandom. I can’t say much though because I never have the attention span for it😭 ) Wether or not your posts stay within the same category though it’s still important to keep consistency in how regularly you post if you want your audience to stick around.

•Presentation

How the world sees you! This can be anything from your username, bio or to the art itself. Keep it authentic and really try and get across what you want people to see when they first glance at your page. Presentation in the art itself is a big thing because that’s what’s gonna attract people in the first place. Think about why people are interested - does your style have a certain niche that may peak people’s interest? Is there any way you can expand upon that?

Okay so most of that I sort of just pulled outta my ass- hopefully it helps though😭 when it comes to actual art tips I could talk on this for a while so I may make a separate post if people want to know specific stuff. Generally though just make sure you find a software you’re comfortable with and get to know it well - practice your art and anything you think it needs improvement on! Hope this helps❤️

#please don’t bully me tumblr I don’t know what I’m talking about #ask #digital artist

[dovesofcedar]

WIP Wednesday

Only a week late on this. Tagged by @edaworks!

Little something from 'Beneath his Throne' this time. Been hit hard by writer's block recently, so this'll probably change more before I post it in, hopefully, the next couple weeks.

His entire body wanted to give up; to fold in on itself and tumble to the cracked, dust covered concrete. He dropped to one knee and swayed. Come on... They were so close now. His head hung down, feeling like it disconnected from his spine to dangle so heavy against his will. The world around him started to get blurry. Spinning, dizzy, nauseous... The front of his face pulsated, over and over, stronger with each passing second. Sergio slapped his hand against the ground, the second crashing down to join. A jolt of white-hot pain traced an agonizing trail down the back of his neck - lightning in a field of already towering flames. His vision went completely dark.

He didn't remember hitting the ground, only the rough touch of Gage's hand against his jaw as he slowly came back around. A mercy, if he was being honest... Despite his calloused, worn fingers, he gently pulled down Sergio's lower eyelids, one at a time.

"Look at me, and try to keep your eyes open," he demanded. 

In his daze, Sergio did as he was told. He couldn't struggle if he wanted to when Gage tilted his head for a better look. Supported by the raider's hand, Sergio let his weight shift to his chin and leaned heavily into it. 

"Hey, stay alert." Gage squeezed his chin and suddenly let go. 

Left to fall, Sergio gasped and bolted upright. He grunted and glared at Gage.

"Just tryin' to keep you from passin' out again. Scared the fuckin' shit outta me. Fuckin' hell, man..." He offered no helping hand up. Instead, he used his palm to keep Sergio from standing. 

"Not yet. Hold still for a couple more minutes." 

#fo4 #fallout 4 #fallout 4 fanfic #porter gage #nuka world #my writing #wip