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#makes me think about when the family flies in from crushing
folkloresthings · 7 months
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Okay okay okay, last oneeeee!!!
May I please ask for a NORTHANGER ABBEY with my sunshine boy Daniel Ricciardo and the “who did this to you?” trope?? That trope makes me feral and I just know you’d be an amazing person to write it!!
Thanks in advance, definitely thanks again for doing this amazing event, and I hope you’re doing well, darlin’! 🤍🩵🩷
this is heavily inspired by that one normal people so enjoy the pain i’m so sorry
FIX YOU. ❨ daniel ricciardo x reader ❩
✩⡱ warnings: toxic family environment, a violent scene but nothing too graphic i hope 🫶
growing up had not been kind to you. life hadn’t dealt you a fair deal — you were the odd one out. all throughout school, you worked hard and focused on the goals you had set out in your head. this meant sacrificing a social life, being cool, having friends. the weird girl in the corner.
life at home hadn’t been much better. with no father around, your mother turned selfish. she became a workaholic, cold and miserable, uncaring for the feelings of her children. your brother was four years your senior and a mean kind of person. constantly teasing, taunting, dangling a rope in front to wait for you to bite. his torment of you was his entertainment.
when you met daniel, you never knew something could be so good. he was everything you’d never had, everything right about the world. and for the first time in your life, you felt loved. daniel looked at you and only you. he loved you, and only you.
“darling,” he’d whisper to you in the middle of the night. “i’m not a religious person, but sometimes i think god made me for you.”
what had been so horrible in your early life didn’t matter anymore. daniel was goodness and light. he was a new beginning, completely disconnected from any bad memories of your life before. you’d told him a thing or two about your family, but never the full truth. never how bad they were.
maybe it was fear of scaring him off, but not once did you invite him home with you. you’d met his parents, they’d taken you in like one of their own, but he’d never once met your mother or brother. he understood, respecting your boundaries, and when you needed to go home he let you go. you always came back.
once or twice a year you returned back to your home for a few days, just to appease your mother and give her nothing bad to say about you. it just so happened that this weekends race wasn’t far from where you’d grown up, so two birds were knocked with one stone.
daniel was busy with practice, giving you enough time to have dinner with your mother and get back to your boyfriend in time for the new episode of the kardashians. your brother wasn’t supposed to be there. but he was, and drunk. stumbling over his own feet, grumbling insults when he noticed you there.
excusing yourself from his stench, you wandered into the kitchen to clear your plate. he followed behind, stalking you like some prey ready to be pounced one. he taunted and taunted but you blocked it all out. you’d learned to blur his words out, stubbing out the knives before they could pierce your skin.
“give me that,” he snatched at the plate in your hand, grabbing until it smashed against the skin, barely missing slicing your hand. you glare up at him, pushing his hands away. your feet carry you quickly towards your old room, unchanged from when you turned eighteen. your bag was there, your plan to get it and go back to daniel powering you on.
you barely realised he was following you until the door you’d just slammed flies back open, crushing you between it and the wall. your nose took most of the blow, and you feel the blood begin to gush your face in an instant. your brother’s eyes are dark when he sees what he’s done, no regret or sorrow behind them. in fact, he’s proud.
when you found your phone, you don’t know. but daniel’s contact is on the screen and it’s ringing out, him answering in only a few seconds.
“hi baby. how was dinner?” the australian chirps, and your heart squeezes with how happy he sounds. the tissue you had pressed to your nasal is damp with red now.
“somethings happened. can you come get me?” you whisper, locked in the bathroom. amongst all of the commotion, your mother hadn’t come to check on you. she didn’t care.
the keys in daniel’s hand jingle in the background, someone calling him as he hurries out of the drivers briefing. he wastes no time in obliging, hearing the urgency in your voice. he doesn’t know what’s wrong, but something is. that’s all he needs to know.
“i’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
his blood runs cold when you come to answer the door. the blood has dried now, around your lips and chin. your nose is already turning blue. he grasps at your arms as soon as he can, softly moving the tissue out of the way to get a good look at the damage.
“who did this to you?” daniel seethes. never in his life had he felt so angry, not when he’d been crashed into or fucked over by strategists. he’d never felt so scared. behind you, he sees your brother slink in from the shadows. he looks at him, then at you, and he knows. “did he do this?”
you don’t even need to nod, the look you give him says it all.
“go wait in the car,” daniel tells you, not giving you a chance to argue. “go. i’ll be there in a minute.”
he waits until you’re out of site before he pounces on your brother. hands on his chest, pinning him to the wall. danny hovers inches over the other, glare piercing through his cocky demeanour.
“if you ever, ever, touch her again, i swear to god i’ll rip you apart,” daniel’s voice is low, and he’s glad you’re not there to see that side of him. the side that would kill for you. “stay away from her.”
your brother sheepishly nods, hitting the wall with a thump when daniel shoves him back. the driver turns on his heel and leaves the house, for what he swears will be the first and last ever time. you’re waiting in the passenger seat, sniffling as you try desperately to clean yourself up.
daniel slides into the drivers seat, turning the heat on and turning towards you. he feels his heart crack to pieces at the sight of you. he’d sworn to protect you a long time ago, and he hadn’t been there. it had been a feeling of hate he’d never felt for himself before.
“no one will ever hurt you like that again,” daniel swears to you, his voice soft but stern. his hand rests delicate on your cheek, the porcelain of your skin threatening to break under his touch. you sink into his touch, a tear slipping onto his thumb.
but you believe him, amongst all of the blood and ruin. you know he’ll do all he can to keep you from harm from this day on, be it caused by him or another. because he’ll never survive seeing you like this again.
“let’s go home.” daniel kisses your blood stained cheek, starting up the car and taking you away from the worst of the night. little does he know, you’re already home. home is wherever he is.
dolly!! 🧚 i know you sent a few other requests before this and i will get to them but i wanted to write this from the minute it came into my inbox
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quotesfrommyreading · 10 months
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In the terrible winter of 1932–33, brigades of Communist Party activists went house to house in the Ukrainian countryside, looking for food. The brigades were from Moscow, Kyiv, and Kharkiv, as well as villages down the road. They dug up gardens, broke open walls, and used long rods to poke up chimneys, searching for hidden grain. They watched for smoke coming from chimneys, because that might mean a family had hidden flour and was baking bread. They led away farm animals and confiscated tomato seedlings. After they left, Ukrainian peasants, deprived of food, ate rats, frogs, and boiled grass. They gnawed on tree bark and leather. Many resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Some 4 million died of starvation.
At the time, the activists felt no guilt. Soviet propaganda had repeatedly told them that supposedly wealthy peasants, whom they called kulaks, were saboteurs and enemies—rich, stubborn landowners who were preventing the Soviet proletariat from achieving the utopia that its leaders had promised. The kulaks should be swept away, crushed like parasites or flies. Their food should be given to the workers in the cities, who deserved it more than they did. Years later, the Ukrainian-born Soviet defector Viktor Kravchenko wrote about what it was like to be part of one of those brigades. “To spare yourself mental agony you veil unpleasant truths from view by half-closing your eyes—and your mind,” he explained. “You make panicky excuses and shrug off knowledge with words like exaggeration and hysteria.”
He also described how political jargon and euphemisms helped camouflage the reality of what they were doing. His team spoke of the “peasant front” and the “kulak menace,” “village socialism” and “class resistance,” to avoid giving humanity to the people whose food they were stealing. Lev Kopelev, another Soviet writer who as a young man had served in an activist brigade in the countryside (later he spent years in the Gulag), had very similar reflections. He too had found that clichés and ideological language helped him hide what he was doing, even from himself:
I persuaded myself, explained to myself. I mustn’t give in to debilitating pity. We were realizing historical necessity. We were performing our revolutionary duty. We were obtaining grain for the socialist fatherland. For the five-year plan.
There was no need to feel sympathy for the peasants. They did not deserve to exist. Their rural riches would soon be the property of all.
But the kulaks were not rich; they were starving. The countryside was not wealthy; it was a wasteland. This is how Kravchenko described it in his memoirs, written many years later:
Large quantities of implements and machinery, which had once been cared for like so many jewels by their private owners, now lay scattered under the open skies, dirty, rusting and out of repair. Emaciated cows and horses, crusted with manure, wandered through the yard. Chickens, geese and ducks were digging in flocks in the unthreshed grain.
That reality, a reality he had seen with his own eyes, was strong enough to remain in his memory. But at the time he experienced it, he was able to convince himself of the opposite. Vasily Grossman, another Soviet writer, gives these words to a character in his novel Everything Flows:
I’m no longer under a spell, I can see now that the kulaks were human beings. But why was my heart so frozen at the time? When such terrible things were being done, when such suffering was going on all around me? And the truth is that I truly didn’t think of them as human beings. “They’re not human beings, they’re kulak trash”—that’s what I heard again and again, that’s what everyone kept repeating.
  —  Ukraine and the Words That Lead to Mass Murder
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azulera · 8 months
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Sweet Like Açai
Pairing: TAA x Black Reader
Summary: He’s still raw from a rough break-up, his club is trudging through a mid-season slump, and somehow Trent still develops a fat crush on the server at Merseyside’s newest smoothie place.
Notes: this will be my last story for a while, but it is a longer one, and who doesn't love wingman curtis and flustered shy trentski 😃 here is chapter 1, but all other chaps will be posted on ao3. pls enjoy and do tell me what you think!
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The new café that Curtis suggests is only a 15-minute drive from AXA, so after their last meetings and quick showers they take off in his Range Rover and make it there in ten. The owner, he says, is a friend of the Jones family, a former footballer who took the constant chiding of his nutritionists to heart and built a second career from it, and Curtis promises Trent that it’s the best combination of chilled fruit, yogurt, granola and whatever other superfood magic that he’s ever tasted.
But it’s not that Trent needs the backstory that his teammate gives or really much convincing at all - after training his stomach feels as big and empty as a house, and, even still, he figures he deserves it. The past months have been less than kind to him, and closer to brutal: the team’s performance has continued to nosedive in what by Liverpool standards was already an aggressively average season, and he’s still deciding if he’s moved on from the mutual but still painful breakup with his long-term girlfriend two months ago. “Self-care” is a foreign thing he’s been trying to practice at the insistence of his mum and Hendo, since they claim it’s okay to let himself have nice things, to not always push harder when the going is already tough.
A quick, sugary pick-me-up can’t possibly do too much more damage.
A little bell chimes as they step in the door and the air that greets them is pleasantly cool, and sweet. Dark purples and greens blend with browns and oranges on the walls in a swirling pattern, and rustic wood tables with high stools are arranged in rows from one side of the space to the other. There’s a couple sat together at a spot near the window, twin purple cups in front of them, and a single, serious-looking man on a laptop near the back, but the line to order and the self-serve kiosks are both empty. Curtis walks up to the counter, as in any room, like he lives there, and has been there a million times.
“The açai one’s gonna blow your mind, lad, I swear to ya. Plus, the place is Black-owned and that, supportin the community.”
Trent laughs once before settling his hands in the pockets of his sweats and looking up to the menu. There are too many options, really, but at the moment his stomach is non-discriminating.
“Yeah, it better. Won’t shut up about it, you. What’s good- the bowl or smoothie?”
“Hold on – Y/N? Is that you?”
Trent’s question goes unanswered, and smothered by the sound of Curtis’ yell. His voice lifts across the space, shouting the unfamiliar name another time, and again Trent is astounded by just how loud his teammate’s voice can be. That level of volume is helpful on the pitch but embarrassing in public, and Trent feels the eyes of at least one of the patrons on them.
“Curtis? Curtis Jones? Oh my days, one second–”
The ceramic counter holding the ingredients curves around into a small kitchen entrance on the left, and from where he’s standing, Trent can’t see what, or whoever it is that Curtis sees. But the mutual excitement in the voices can’t be missed.
“No way! Get over here!”
Curtis shouts, bouncing on his toes. A moment later, a blur of movement in the shape of a girl flies in from the kitchen, and has Curtis pulled into a tight hug. His teammate reciprocates, and Trent can see his shoulder muscles working to tighten the squeeze, even with the width of counter between them.
“Long time no see, Curt. Was starting to think you were something we dreamed up, only ever see you on the telly.”
Trent can soon confirm the voice does belong to a girl, and on the first glance he gets of her face it is slightly squished against Curtis’ shoulder, but painted in a look of open, undisguised surprise and happiness. It’s the kind of strong emotion he would only ever show on the pitch, almost never in a public place like this, and it almost feels like too much to witness such vulnerability from someone he doesn’t yet know, and who’s heartfelt reunion he seems to be third-wheeling on. He would look away, but his eyes betray him and zoom in, already busy taking inventory without consulting him first.
They start at her skin, which is glowy and smooth, and the same color he likes his tea, on the off day where he does drink a cup. He thinks it’s probably poor to compare a woman to a beverage, in fact, he knows it is, but blames it on his grumbling stomach and moves on. His gaze locks next on her lips, because she and Curtis are speaking again, loudly.
“Could say the same to you, can’t I, been ages since I’ve seen ya! And I’m loving the hair.”
“Yeah, wanted to try something different. It’s been a few years since I’m growing them.”
Her hair, Trent notices when he pulls his eyes from her face, is in locs like his, but lighter brown with amber highlights strewn throughout. They swing about her shoulders as she moves, so that she regularly has to push the strands back behind her ears, away from her face. The familiarity of the movement triggers a thing in his brain that yells “Me too!”, and his eyes travel the rest of her, suddenly hungry to find more things he recognizes. The first are her eyes, which are a warm, chocolatey brown, maybe two shades lighter than his own. The close second is that he finds her unpredictably, and undeniably attractive.
That feeling inside him that went dormant two months ago starts to fidget.
“How is everythin, though? Uni? And how’s the fam?” Curtis asks.
The two of them continue catching up with excitement that hasn’t yet worn off, and Trent stands to the side, trying not to intrude and trying not to be awkward. In a way he hopes is sly, he continues scrutinizing her features while intermittently looking at his shoes, up at the artsy menu board where the offerings are, impressively, engraved rather printed, and briefly at his phone.
He should, he supposes, listen politely to their conversation, try and contribute, but in truth he only checks back in after a loud burst of laughter. She's covering her mouth with one hand, and Curtis is straightening up from being almost doubled over.
“Whoo, I had nearly forgotten about that, you know! Your brother used to be absolutely mad. But hey, I was round here last week and didn’t see you. Are you workin here now?”
“Yeah, I am.” She pulls at the cafe emblem on the corner of her mauve t-shirt. “I’ll be working the front end of things while we’re still small. Only been at it a few days now, but Dad’s made sure I’m working hard.”
“I don’t doubt it, but you tell the big man he ought to hire some more staff, ‘cause me, I’ll be telling the whole city about this place. Dragged Trentski here as soon as I could, just to show him. Me first convert.”
The sound of his nickname evaporates whatever was left of his distraction, and he steps forward a little, as if finally being invited into the conversation. He looks up and finds she’s looking back at him.
“Alright?” She asks, smiling. “I’m Y/N.”
She waits for him to introduce himself even though if she’s a friend of Curtis and a footballer’s daughter, she surely knows who he is. Or does she? Either way, he decides he likes her for it.
“I’m Trent. Nice to meet you.”
“Good to meet you, too, Trent. Let me get Curt situated and then I’ll be right with you, yeah?” She smiles again, and it isn’t one of those plastic, forced customer service smiles, but one that lasts, like she means it. The light from it floods her eyes, and makes them even shinier, independent of the artificial lighting buzzing above them. In it’s glow, his chest does that stupid thing where it feels filled up with too much air.
He watches as she moves down the line and makes his teammate’s bowl with laser focus, trying to guess if what he’s sensing is just politeness, if her smile lasts as long every time. When the flash of white does appear behind her lips again, and twice more before she calculates Curtis’ total at the register, he gets too distracted by it to count the seconds.
“What would you like?” Too quickly she’s in front of him again, hands poised around a brown paper bowl.
“Em, yeah,” He clears his throat. “A bowl, please. Not a smoothie. The açai one?”
“Good choice.” She nods, while scooping portions of the purple fruit-yogurt mix into the container. “Any special add-ins for you today? Plant protein, energy, antioxidants?”
The health-food buzzwords set off signals in his head, and he gives the answer that would make his nutritionist proud.
“Need all of it, honestly.”
She laughs again, but it feels different this time, since he’s the one who made it happen, not Curtis.
“Good boy. Bet your nutritionist loves you. Which fruits?”
Trent freezes a second, affected in equal amounts by the “good boy” and the feeling that she’d read his mind. She pushes the right side of her locs back behind her ear in the silence.
“What about banana? It goes really well with the açai.” She offers.
“Yeah, banana’s good.”
She nods again and uses metal tongs to arrange the pale yellow pieces artfully over the yogurt. He goes on, choosing available fruits from the names listed on the clear glass shield, and trying not to stumble, again. The bowl gradually fills up, and it’s a smooth exchange – it’s much easier to do this, to talk and focus, he realizes, when her face is turned down – until they reach the last two options.
“Pineapple?”
“Em, nah, no pineapple, it-” The next bit of information he adds not because it’s particularly important, but because their interaction is almost over, and he doesn’t want it to be. “-makes me tongue feel—”
“All tingly? Yeah, that’s a thing!”
Her eyes light up as she exclaims and to Trent it seems her face sudddenly changes over — there’s more color in her cheeks, and vibration in her voice. But maybe he’s imagining it. She flits the tongs through the air as she continues.
“There’s an enzyme in pineapple, bromelain, that breaks down proteins, and you’ve got a bunch of those on your tongue and cheeks. It’s what makes it so acidic, and makes it burn a little to eat, but it’s interesting, cause, bromelain is also really good for you? Helps treat inflammation, and indigestion-“
“Not now, Y/N, just give the lad his food! If he wanted a lecture he would have gone uni with you.” Curtis teases from near the register, looking up from where he’d been on his phone, waiting. She graces him with a beautiful and dramatic roll of her eyes, but when she turns back to Trent they’re sincerely apologetic.
“I get a little carried away with the nutrition thing, forgive me. It’s nice to have Curt here, though, to keep me humble. Coconut?”
Trent wants to say, “No, it’s okay, I don’t mind it” but all he manages is a kind smile. He could care less now if she adds the shredded bits of white to his order or not, but he wants her to keep looking at him, for the excited glow on her face from when she’d mentioned food science to return.
“Em, yeah. Thank you.”
Minutes later, their bowls are bagged and paid for and they’re heading towards the door, fond words of parting on all their lips.
“You all come back, okay?” Y/N probes, pulling out from another Curtis, cross-counter hug. “And I’ll tell me brother and Dad you came in, Curt, they’ll be buzzin.”
“Oh for sure, I’ll send him a text as well. It’s been so nice seeing ya.”
“Same. And hope to see you again, too, Trent. Not just on the telly.” She waves at him, more a wiggle of her fingers, and it should look silly but somehow it isn’t. He wiggles his own back, and hopes it works for him too.
In the car, they dig in, setting aside the plastic lids unceremoniously on the dash. Curtis is obnoxious about the cleanliness and quality of many things, his clothes, trainers, and phone screen, but strangely his car isn’t one of them.
The bowl Trent ordered turns out to be far better than average. The yogurt is perfectly tart and tangy, the fruit crisp and juicy and the açai deliciously purple. He still hasn’t got the girl from the counter, Y/N, out of his head.
He’s four bites in when he finally asks the question bumping around his brain the past five minutes.
“How’d you know her again?”
“Who? Y/N? Her brother’s me mate. She was a year older, but we all grew up together in Toxteth. Why?”
“No reason.”
“Do you fancy her?”
“No-what lad?” Trent screws his face his up, unsure how indignant he truly is, and though he saw the question coming. Curtis only shrugs.
“I said, do you fancy her? I saw your face while yous was talkin, and you almost never ask after girls. Just pull with your mind games or telepathy or whatever it is you do.”
Trent gets a mouthful of coconut to formulate his answer, and the taste makes his stomach feel funny. He remembers why he doesn’t usually go for it.
“No, I mean, I think she’s good-lookin, yeah, but I don’t fancy her. Don’t even know her.”
“S’not hard to change that- I could put in a word for ya. Know she’s real busy, real serious about school and that, but you’re you, innit. Trent Alexander-Arnold. Be mad not to go for it.”
Trent lets the drama of Curtis’ compliment slide off him with a shake of his head. But the “you’re you” sticks; it’s what he’s been telling himself the two month’s he’s been girlfriend-less and on a season high not-winning streak, sitting middle of the table with indications to fall. He’ll keep on repeating it, or hearing it repeated to him, until it feels true again.
“You don’t feel weird about that? Since she’s your mate and all?”
“Why would I? You’re both sound people, better than sound. And if chattin to her gets rid of that kicked-dog look you’ve been wearin the past month, brother, I’ll plan the weddin.”
“I haven’t been— there won’t be-“ Trent splutters, before resigning to the chaos that is his closest teammate and friend. “I’ll keep the offer in mind, lad. But let me finish me smoothie bowl first, yeah? Let’s start there.”
“Okay, okay. You’ll remember I told you so.”
Trent keeps eating, lets Curtis switch the subject, and it's not until he’s home, scrolling the lists of Liverpool-based Instagram profiles containing the name “Y/N”, that he questions just what would be the subject of his friend’s “I told you so” — Y/N or the smoothie. He decides to treat him to another one tomorrow to find out.
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archangeldyke-all · 3 months
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my first request without anon, cause I feel brave today
that is gonna be so fluff, what do you think about making some targets for family (celebrating Christmas) and reader use glitter and sev is complaining cause is messy HSHSH and the tap just pops, Flys idk who say this and just sevika in glitter reader in glitter everything in glitter
I just think this can be soooo cute
like they laugh and that hah
thanksss🫶🏻🫶🏻
ahahhahaa i loveee glitter this is perfect.
men and minors dni
it's a sunday, and you and sevika are getting ready for the week ahead.
with the holidays coming up, you're assembling gifts and envelopes and holidays greetings cards for all you and sev's friends and family. you've taken over sevika's home office, and every surface is covered in wrapping paper, gifts, cards, and bows.
sevika's doing her weekly vacuum around the house, collecting the dust and crumbs that gathered over the week.
you're so distracted by your work and the christmas music playing throughout the office, that you don't notice when the whir of the vacuum stops.
you don't notice sevika's approaching footsteps, or the click of the office door as she swings it open.
you're trying to open a bottle of glitter to sprinkle on top of the dollop of glue you've placed over all your greeting card's rudolph's noses. just for a little extra pizzazz.
sevika catches you red handed, literally.
"hey babe, you wanna get take out fr-- oh, fuck no!" she says as she catches you. you glance up from behind her desk.
"what?" you ask, innocently batting your eyes.
sevika hates glitter. she hates how it gets everywhere, how it's impossible to get rid of, how it clings to everything for weeks and weeks and weeks.
"you know what, where did you even get that?! i thought i threw out all your glitter!" she huffs as she storms over to the desk, trying to snatch the container out of your hands. you squeal and take off and sevika chuckles as she chases after you.
"you did throw all my glitter out, and you broke my heart in the process!" you say as you enter the kitchen. sevika laughs.
"so you decided to buy more? knowing how much i hate that shit?"
"i didn't think you'd catch me!" you pout as you sevika backs you up into a corner. "i just want to make rudolph's nose sparkle!"
"i can't believe you." she says as she reaches forward to grab the bottle. you keep your grip on it, and you and sevika enter a tug of war with the bottle. "let go!" she laughs. you huff.
"but i already put all the glue on the cards so now it'll just be globby glue instead of beautiful shimmering red on his nose! hasn't rudolph already been through enough, being bullied all his life?"
sevika laughs and swoops in to kiss you. "you're cute." she mumbles against your lips. you sigh and smile, your grip on the glitter relaxing.
except, sevika hasn't relaxed her grip. so when you let go, the glitter tube that had been crushed in your shared struggle suddenly pops back into its original shape.
and as it pops back, the cap flies off.
a cloud of dazzling, sparkling glitter fills your kitchen.
and then it settles.
sevika is covered in red glitter. head to toe. you gawk at her. she takes a deep breath.
"that did not just happen." she whispers.
you burst into laughter as you reach up to brush some glitter away from your wife's face. sevika's frozen, like if she moves it'll somehow make the glitter worse.
"'s what you get for bein' a grinch!" you faux scold as you continue to laugh and brush your wife clean. she huffs a chuckle, and a puff of glitter escapes from between her lips. this makes you double over, giving up your task to grab onto the counter top as laughter over takes you.
sevika's silently giggling too, you can tell from the way her stomach's twitching and her shoulders are bobbing. when you finally right yourself again and you meet her eyes, you both burst into another round of laughter.
"it's not funny!" sevika says through her giggles. you sputter. "i just vacuumed." she pouts. you lean forward to press a kiss to her lips, cringing as the teeny tiny grains of glitter coat your lips.
sevika wraps her arms around you and pulls you towards her. you squeak and struggle in her grasp, but it's futile, and soon she's got you in a bear hug, all the glitter on her body now clinging to yours too. you groan in her arms but wrap your arms around her anyways.
"you're lucky you're cute." sevika mumbles. you laugh.
"lemme go get the hairdryer, it'll blow all this off." you say. sevika nods, but doesn't let go of you yet. instead, she leans forward and kisses you again.
"love you, you maniac." she whispers against your lips. you chuckle.
"love you too, rudolph." you say. sevika groans and smacks your ass.
"fucker. you're vacuuming this." she says. you roll your eyes and pout.
"fine. but i get to use what's left in the jar on the cards." you say. sevika huffs and rolls her eyes, but relents.
"fine." she grumbles. you grin and kiss her again.
taglist!
@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay @ellabslut @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner @shimtarofstupidity @love-sugarr @chuucanchuucan @222danielaa @badbye666
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crazyk-imagine · 3 days
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Hi, I was thinking Jacob Black x Reader. Where Jacob was waiting for Reader to come out of school till he heard commotion in front of the school and saw Reader fighting a bully who is a guy. She has a bruised lip and bleeding nose. Jacob hurriedly pick up Reader and take her to Emily’s so she can chill out and so Emily can patch her up. The pack saw her and they started asking questions till Emily started lecturing her.
Jealousy and Pack Scolding's
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Pairing: Jacob Black x Uley!reader
Characters: Jacob Black
Warnings: Angst, fluff, Paul being an idiot, Sam not liking the imprinting, this was actually kind of cute, I think I made Jake a likable character (for me), Emily is an angel, Sam and Emily are my fav, reader has avoided making eye contact with Jake bc she has a crush, Sam knows whats up, Embry just wants his imprint, Paul is such a big brother here, love writing for the wolfpack, it's so much fun
Word Count: 2,431
A/N: Ask and you shall receive... this was fun and totally not inspired by Jake fics where he's a little jealous shit
I've aged probably everyone sooo, Sam is 26, Emily is 25. Leah is 23. Jared and Paul are 19 (in a nearby community college) and just one semester from graduating. Jake, Reader and Embry are 18. Quil, Seth, Brody are 17. Cam and Seth are 16
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He kicks his bike stand up, so it stays upright while he waits for you to exit the school. He crosses his arms, not wanting anyone to talk to him, hoping he looks “menacing” enough for his classmates to get the hint and steer clear of him.
He knows Quil and Embry made their way back to Emily's since Sam wants them to do their patrol shift as soon as they can once they finished with their last class.
He couldn't complain much considering he was able to go home and change before heading back to pick you up so he could successfully switch shifts with Embry, which annoys him since Sam basically ordered him to pick you up.
He’d be more okay with it if you two were friends- or even talking; he doesn’t know why he was put to the job since you two aren’t close- or at least, compared to Jared and Paul.
Jake did recently find out (after complaining to the guys when their alpha wasn’t around) you’re Sam's niece and Emily has taken a light to you, thinking of you as her own daughter.
And the only reason he thinks that is because of how she treats you; it always reminds him of the way his mom took care of him and his sisters when they were younger.
Don't get him wrong, he has no problem with that or the way she treats you, he's more curious than anything since you haven't been talking to him.
It kind of bugs him that you talk to Paul and Jared more than him and isn't sure why. He gets the two shifted before everyone, but you've started talking to Embry and Quil so why not him too? Hell, you’ve even started making small talk with the newest shifters Brody and Cam.
He thinks this is why Sam sent him here, so he'll stop moping around about you and not just because the pack is tired of hearing how sad he is with you not talking to him.
The chanting, "fight, fight, fight," overtakes his sense in waiting for you and he steps closer.
He stops behind the wall of people, checking on who's fighting, curious as to who's stupid enough to fight on school property.
The fist flies to your face and he starts fighting his way to get past the people blocking him from getting to you.
You spit, not wanting the copper taste to remain in your mouth. You turn your head back to David, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of feeling like he won.
You kick his upper thigh, right above his knee and knock him down before pulling your arm back and drive your fist as hard as you can into his cheek.
He falls and cups his cheek, whining about the pain and the fact that he's bleeding.
"Talk about my family again and you'll be bleeding more."
Jacob finally breaks through the crowd and pushes David's friend away before the guy could grab you. "Back off," he growls.
The friend raises his hands in defense and backs away, noticing how buff he'd gotten and knows better to not fight Jacob.
He turns to you, smelling blood on you and cups your face, searching to find the damage, ignoring your eyes as the blood from your lip drips further down your chin. "Come on."
He puts you on the back of his bike and starts it before kicking the kickstand.
-
You unwrap your arms and get off the bike, trying to put distance between you, Jacob, and your home.
He grabs your wrist, "where do you think you're going?"
"Away."
"Just because you want to hide your face from Emily and Sam, doesn't mean you can run away."
"I can still try." You tug on his arm. "Let me go."
"No, you need to go in there and face them."
You stop fighting and he lets go of you, trusting that you won't leave. "I don't want Sam to be disappointed."
"Did you pick a fight with David on purpose?"
You shake your head, "of course not."
"Then he won't be disappointed... as long as you talk to him."
"Says the guy who fights him every chance he gets."
That earns a chuckle from Jake. "Says the mousy niece."
You scoff, shoving his arm. "Hey, I'm not mousy."
"This is the longest conversation we've ever had."
"That's your fault, you're always mopey."
"I am not."
"Are so."
"Am"- You walk through the door.
Emily's voice interrupts yours and everyone else's conversations. "I'm happy to see the two of you are talking." She smiles with a twinkle shining in her eye that quickly dies as soon as she catches sight of your face.
"Oh my- what the hell happened to you?" She grabs your chin, tilting so she can look at your face. "Who did this?"
Paul tenses, Jared tries to see over her shoulder.
Embry and Quil walk through the back door and glance at one another with concern evident on their faces once they realize what’s happened.
"Don't tell, Sam," you reply, staring into her eyes, practically begging her not to tell him.
"Don't tell me what?"
You grimace and then wince because your adrenaline has worn off and the pain has surfaced. "How much I love you?" You say without turning.
"I don't buy it." He wraps an arm around Emily, pecking her cheek. "Did you cut your finger again?" He asks with the scent of blood wafting through the room.
"Uh-" She catches your eye as she glances down at her hands. "Maybe, I don't know."
You attempt to sneak away while he's distracted and fail.
"Turn around."
You pout, keeping your head low as you turn.
"Lift your head."
"I like staring at my shoes while they're clean."
He grumbles your name under his breath.
You lift your head and sigh. "I may have gotten into an altercation at school."
"What the hell happened?"
"That's what I was asking before you got here?" Emily chimes in. "And I was avoiding it then."
"What did you do?"
You scoff, "I didn't do anything, you dick."
"That is no way to talk to your uncle," she tells you.
You stare at her, "I'm going to give him the same respect he gives me," and turn to him. "Which is none."
You exit the room when you realize none of you are going to be able to have a proper conversation and make your way to your room, slamming the door behind you.
-
"What happened while you were waiting for her?" Sam towers over Jacob, attempting to search through his mind to figure out what could have happened.
"I don't- I don't know. I was waiting and then I heard the other kids chanting, fight and then I saw her get hit and then take down David-"
"Wait- she was fighting David?" Jared chimes in with a smile.
"He deserves it," Paul adds.
"Guys a grade A asshole," Embry says before snacking on a muffin.
"So, this fight was valid?" Sam asks, wanting to understand everything he's learned within the last five minutes.
"No, it wasn't valid because fighting isn't the solution, is it boys?" Emily turns to the boys at the table.
"No," everyone answers.
"Good," she smiles.
"But this hasn't happened before? What's happened? This David- or whoever clearly said something for her to act out."
"He was talking about my family," you tell them, leaning against the wall with your arms crossed.
"That doesn't give you enough reason to fight," she tells you.
"It does when they start making fun of your dead parents and uncle who's running a cult."
They purse their lips.
"How do you feel?"
You shrug, "my fist and face are aching, so I'd say I did something right."
She sighs. "Fighting isn't the answer."
"I know that!"
"Then why did you do it?"
Your emotions cause you to snap. "I was tired of him thinking he could still bully me!"
She takes a few steps closer to you. "This has been going on for a while now. Why didn't you tell us?"
"I didn't want either of you to walk into the principal's office thinking you could stop it when it'd only make things worse," you grumble.
"We could have found another way to stop him from making comments."
"I took care of it the only way I could."
"There's always more than one way-"
"I know," you run your fingers through your hair in a frustrated manner. "I wasn't thinking but he wouldn't shut up. He waited a few months, giving me a grievance period but then he started talking shit again and today he wouldn't leave me alone."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Jared asks.
"Yeah," you scoff, "because I wanted you guys to help when the hothead is one fight away from being expelled. Everyone still thinks those two," you point to Embry and Quil. "Are weird because they suddenly got buff and had a haircut. Don't even mention the fact that Jake along with Brody and Cam are the new talk of the pack."
Sam sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. "Just, go clean the blood off as best you can, and Emily will wrap your wounds."
"I already did."
"Then go get the first aid kit and bring it in here."
You walk back into the bathroom throwing everything you’d laid out on the counter back into the bag and aim for the kitchen. "Heal me with your magical powers, Em."
She smiles and wraps an arm around your shoulders as she guides you to the island so she can use the natural light to check over you. "Does this hurt?"
"Not yet."
"Okay, let me know when it-"
You suck in a deep breath through your teeth.
"Hurts. You okay?"
"Peachy, Em."
"I know you had to defend yourself today, but fighting isn't always the answer."
"Yeah, I know," you reply with an attitude.
"I'm just reminding you, so you don't continue hurting yourself. You're not like the others, and I don't like seeing you get hurt."
"Thanks, Emily," you wrap your arms around her and pull her in for a long hug.
She smiles, returning the hug. "Don't go getting into fights again or else I'm going to bubble wrap you."
You chuckle. "As long as you save me from a Sam lecture."
"Deal." She slides the plate with muffins, closer to you. "Eat something first."
The guys shake their heads at your behavior.
"Does this mean I can hang out with you guys?"
"You hang out with us already," Jacob points out.
"Cliff diving." You unwrap your muffin.
"Absolutely not," your uncle tells you.
"Come on."
"No,” Sam shakes his head.
"Guys," you beg, turning around to look at the others.
"We're not getting involved in that," Paul raises his hands, heading towards the couch.
- Extra -
"Wha-"
"I'm with Paul," Embry tells you, pulling Quil with him as they sit beside Jared.
You turn to face your knight in shining armor. “Jake-”
He turns away from the others and glances back at you, the humor falling from his face.
“Oh, shit,” Jared mutters.
“Are you serious?” Embry whines.
You owlishly blink trying to figure out what’s happened when he falls to his knees. You set your muffin down and push yourself off the stool to stand in front of him. You poke his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“It’s you,” he mutters.
You raise your head and face the others with a scared and confused expression. “Guys, what the hell just happened?”
Paul smirks and looks away.
Jared buries his face with a muffin.
Embry and Quil face the tv, not wanting to see how things plays out.
Brody and Cam walk through the door.
“Holy shit,” the former says.
“Congrats, Jake. You finally got your imprint,” the latter adds.
“What?” You spin around to face Emily. “Imprint? That’s what just happened?”
Sam rubs a hand over his face. This was the last thing they needed.
“Did we- did you not know?” Brody asks you.
“Does this look like the face of someone who’s in the know? Does it. Brody?”
Cam pulls his buddy away before you can rip their heads off.
“I think we need to talk,” Sam says, pulling Jacob off the ground. “Outside.”
You three stand on the porch, trying to wrap your heads around the whole situation.
-
“I don’t know what this means,” you tell them.
“This means, no being alone in your room. No sneaking out after curfew. No-”
“Sam, we’re not dating. This doesn’t apply to us.”
“It could,” he says, finally snapping out of his mind.
“What?”
“It- the imprint bond doesn’t happen by accident, it’s the joining of when two soulmates find each other.”
“So, we’re soulmates?”
He nods.
“I thought you were in love with Bella?”
“I was.”
“And now you’re not? You couldn’t have moved on that fast just because of this bond.”
He sighs, “I know this is going to be a lot of work, but I want to get to know you whether we go out or not… even though dating you-”
The clearing of someone’s throat cuts him off.
He sheepishly smiles, rubbing the back of his head. “We’ll talk more later.”
You can’t help but giggle and wince soon after.
He’s kneeling in front of you in seconds, searching for any sign of pain. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My lip is going to be the kill joy of my existence for a few days but I’m fine.” You place a hand on his shoulder, “thanks for pulling me out of there when you did.”
He shakes his head, “it was nothing.”
“It was more than you know, and I know you were only there because Uncle Sam made you, but I still wanted to thank you.”
He can’t help the wide smile that stretches across his lips. “I’ll always be there for you.”
-
Sam throws you over his shoulder. “Babe, where’s the extra wood I keep for the winter?”
“Back room, why?” She asks, watching as you beat on his back.
“I’m locking some doors.”
“Sam, no!” You screech. “Boys, help me.”
“He’s the alpha, what he says go,” Paul tells you.
“You suck, Lahote.”
“You’re gonna be swallowing, princess.”
Paul has never shifted and ran out of his alpha’s place as quickly as he did today.
The others lose their minds as he runs all around, nearly bumping into the clearwater siblings as they head towards the place.
-
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@kmc1989 @gilbertgirl13
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xpeachesncream · 2 years
Text
sticks & stones (myg) | one shot
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part of the titillating touches collab
♢ genre: (18+) friends to lovers, ex-fwb, mutual pining, massage au | fluff, sprinkle of angst, smut
♢ summary: surprise! you're gifted a free massage at the nearby massage parlor called "Blissful Hands." you've heard about the parlour about once or twice, never thought about stepping foot inside to take advantage of their services. thinking you could use the massage to relax, rid yourself of any stress and built up tension, you walk into the parlor excited for your first massage opportunity. however, when you realize your masseur is no other than Min Yoongi himself, all excitement flies out the window. never did you think you'd reunite with your biggest crush in college, the one that got away. they say sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you— but in this case, you find out that words have actually ruined a lot for you and Yoongi. and stones.. well, they'll do a lot to ease that instead.
♢ pairing: reader x masseur!myg
♢ words: 18.4k
♢ warnings: i did as much research as possible on hot stone massages pls forgive me, mature language/cussing, sexually implied content, sprinkle of angst??, miscommunication, rumors and assumptions, unspoken feelings, awkward reunion lol yoongi isnt really having it at first, oc shoulda tried harder tho oof, he does have a soft spot for oc, drinking/intoxication, flashback scenes, use of pet names like baby and princess, cuddles, after care, making out, unprotected sex, missionary, multiple orgasms, use of oil and hot stones in foreplay, fingering, clit play, slight marking, sprinkle of spit play, breast play, smut on the massage table ://, pulling out, grinding, edited but unedited lolol sorry if i missed anything!
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♢ note: thank you so, so much to @ressjeon​ for thinking of me and for inviting me to be a part of this collab! i had tons of fun writing this <33 also, big shoutout again to @ilikemesometaetaes​ & @jimilter​ for this beautiful ass banner! please check out the other works part of this collab, they’re all amazing and won’t disappoint!
—i also wanted to let you all know i’ll be continuing my break and i won’t be as active on here for awhile. i need a moment to rest since i’ve been feeling pretty down and unmotivated lately. just gotta take a moment to shake off this funk. but, i’ll be writing behind the scenes from time to time in between pulling my personal stuff together. 💞
♢ support me!
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It's that time of the year again.
It's that time of the year again where your loved ones sweetly greet you, your coworkers shove plans and alcohol in your face because you aren't getting any younger— Immediate family reminding you where you need to be at this point in your life.
Married, with kids, doing some other job that brings in more money.
You know what it is.
No harm, they say. Just a reminder. It's your birthday for fucks sake, and they wanna give you a reminder?
Anywho, you park your car after a long day of work, just now hanging up the phone after your mom and dad had called to greet you [aka bringing up said reminder mentioned above] in the most loving way they can. You know they come from a good place, and you know that they support you either way, so you can't help but give off a tiny sigh and respond with a cute little 'yes, I know but thank you, I love you' in the end. You grabbed your purse and headed up the steps to your apartment, grabbing the mail on the way up without giving it another look as you set it near your keys at the entrance way. You immediately slip out of your heels first, then make your way into the kitchen to wash your tupperware from lunch.
It'll be a quiet birthday, and that's okay with you.
That's how you've always preferred it, anyway. Quiet, lowkey, no surprises—
"Surprise, bitch!" You pick up the call from your bestfriend, slightly bringing the phone away from your ear when you hear her scream on the other end. "Happy birthday to the love of my life and the only person I can stand! Did you open your mail yet? What are you up to today? Who is getting some of that tonight—"
"Hold on just a minute, Rissa." You nervously chuckle. "Thank you, and I love you, but one question at a time, please?" You tuck the phone against your ear with your shoulder as you put your dishes away.
"I'm sorry." She giggles. "You know I love you. I'm just sad I can't be there with you since they have me on this work trip for the month."
"It's okay." You crack a tiny smile. "How is it?"
"It's fine, same old." She sighs. "But this isn't about me, birthday girl. What are your plans?"
"You already know me." You laugh. "Keep it lowkey. Order some good, comforting takeout and pair it with red wine." You plop on the couch and put her on speaker so you can start your next 15 or so minutes just looking for food that you'll end up doordashing over.
"Mkay, really?"
"I don't know why you're so surprised."
"Guess you didn't open your mail."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" You look towards your entrance way at the stack of envelopes.
"Can you just go and open your mail? I made sure that would get sent with priority." She laughs as you chuckle and shake your head, meandering over to the envelopes you wanted to ignore for the evening at the very least. Well, for the most part, the majority of the envelopes get flipped through and tossed to the back, especially if you already knew none of them necessarily had an urgent deadline.
Alas, you come to Rissa's envelope. Soft pink in color with 'Y/N Y/L/N' in big, bold, black Sharpie on the front— a little drawn heart attached to the end of it.
You take your finger and gently rip the envelope open, revealing a card with a piece of paper in it. You read the sweet message written by your bestfriend before pulling out the paper to read what it consists of:
One free 60 min. massage at Blissful Hands - Applies to all massage types. Redeem Now!
No expiration date.
"A free massage?" You think out loud and Rissa laughs.
"Girl, you need to relax, okay? You're always working so damn hard, you never give yourself a break. I know I had mentioned the parlor before, but I just haven't had the time to take you. I want you to go and treat yourself as my birthday present." She pauses briefly before going on again. "And don't give me that 'with what time' bullshit cause I'm gonna be on your ass until you step foot in that establishment. Trust me. I'll be annoying, you don't want that." You laugh.
"Thank you, Rissa. I love it, seriously. Maybe I could use a day to just do this and nothing else." You flip the coupon in your hand.
"Maybe, yeah." She says sarcastically. "If you aren't gonna use that unlimited PTO benefit, then let me at it."
"You're right." You shake your head. "Fine, I'll go."
"Like, tomorrow."
"No, not tomorrow."
"Before next week, though."
"Yes, damn." You laugh a little louder. "Jeez, you weren't kidding when you said you'd be on my ass."
"No, I wasn't. Besides, I spent the money so that you could have this day be all about self-care."
"Thank you." You repeat. "I love you. And I miss you dearly."
"I miss you, too. I'll be home soon and I'll make sure my first stop is your place."
"Sounds like a plan." You say softly, genuinely missing the company of your bestfriend. "I just hope you're enjoying yourself down there in between work."
"Oh girl, you know I am. Don't you even worry." She chuckles. "Seriously though, take that coupon into the parlor this week, you hear me?"
"I will."
"Mmkay. I'll let you get back to your lowkey birthday celebration. Love you to bits and pieces." She says in a sing-song tone. "By the way, there's more gifts coming your way, they're just delayed."
"What!?"
"Byeeeee!" She laughs and abruptly ends the call. You look at the phone in disbelief before slowly setting it down onto your coffee table. You pick up the coupon and look at it again, suddenly getting the urge to look through your work calendar to see which day you could call off.
No meetings, no agenda, nothing.
Just you, yourself and this massage parlor.
"Why not?" You mutter to yourself as you place the coupon back down and start looking through the rest of the week on your calendar.
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You actually don't get the chance to go until closer to the end of the week— a Thursday that most people decide that they want to cancel group meetings or work remotely to focus on other urgent projects. You don't complain though, hell, you quickly put in your time off and don't look back.
That Thursday comes just as quickly as you submitted the time off request, the sun beaming straight into your room and warming your sheets through the sheer blinds. You stretch a bit, arms poking out from underneath the covers as you yawn and try to completely wake yourself up. You figured starting your day at the massage parlor could be good, maybe it'll just get you started on the right foot, maybe it'll get you to do other spontaneous, productive things that you should've done on your actual birthday. Who knows? You were just excited to have the day to yourself with no other obligations and people, emails, deadlines— whatever fucking else comes with corporate— to worry about. You get yourself washed up and ready for the day, throwing on a simple, all black biker shorts and sports bra set. You grab a hoodie in case the day is actually colder than expected, throw on some socks, tie up your sneakers and head out the door.
The establishment isn't too far, and it's nice that it's pretty convenient. You and Rissa both had incredibly busy schedules, it was almost impossible to think about a massage during a normal week at work. If it wasn't for your birthday and for her gift, you aren't entirely sure you'd ever step foot here to take advantage of their services [knowing damn well you could use it, too]. The added bonus now is the convenience and how close it is to other establishments you frequent.
Maybe you might be back after a taste.
When you walk in, it's peaceful, serene, as you expected; soft music played in the background. A lady stood near the front desk, walking the receptionist through something— you weren't entirely sure. They finally turned their attention towards you, the lady standing coming towards you with a smile on her face.
"Hey, welcome in to Blissful Hands!" She smiles. "I'm Yannie."
"Y/N." You give her a small, toothless smile as you tug on the strap of your bag. "I, um—" You flash her the coupon after pulling it out from your jacket pocket. "I have this coupon I wanted to redeem."
"Oh, fantastic! You came at a perfect time, we have lots of availability right now." She grabs some paperwork from behind the desk and walks back over to you as you sit on the clean sofa. "I'll go through these in a bit. But, I wanted to ask. Did you already have a particular type of massage in mind? If not, I can grab a pamphlet and we can go through any questions you might have in regards to our services."
"Hm. Do you guys offer hot stone massages?" Is the first that pops into your mind. It had always been something you wanted to try, especially seeing the ads and the promos at the hotels during work trips and conferences. Plus, you've heard about its benefits through word of mouth. If they were able to offer that here, why not get yourself a free hot stone massage? It might turn out to be exactly what you need.
"We sure do." She chuckles and sits next to you. "Why hot stone, if I may ask?"
"Well, besides the usual response of lowering stress, I just feel like my body is pretty.. tense? Lots of muscle tension, soreness, fatigue. I run a lot, try to get some boxing and pole dancing in. No matter how many times I go, I still feel like it's my first time." You chuckle nervously, afraid you've spilled way too much information than necessary. She didn't even ask. "Sorry, just felt like I needed to add that in there for some reason."
"No, that helps a lot. Thank you." She laughs. "I think that would be a great option for you. Our masseur is one of the most top-rated in the city." You nod, impressed. Were they now? "Here." She hands you a pen. "I just need you to fill out these medical intake forms—" She pushes the form closer to you. "And then sign these liability forms." She follows up with the last forms.
"Sounds good."
"Once you're done, I'll take you to a room to get situated before your masseur comes in." You nod once more, giving her eye contact before continuing your task of filling out the paperwork appropriately. Yannie heads back to support the front desk momentarily until she sees you walking towards her with the completed paperwork. She thanks you, takes the papers and hands it over to the front desk before nodding towards the back. "Follow me, I'll bring you to a room." You quietly follow behind, the back area of the establishment being much bigger than you expected. You pass two rather handsome and attractive males on the way to your room, both of them giving you a bright, white smile before continuing on their way. You make a mental note that maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all.
A massage and eye candy? Shit, count me the fuck in.
You passed a line of rooms before Yannie turns towards an empty one near the end of the hallway. She lets out a breath for a moment before stepping aside to let you in, showing you to the side of the room where you could place your things.
"Hm, let me go grab your masseur so that you can be on your way, alright? You can place your things here if you'd like, but once he comes in, he'll have you undress down to your underwear and into a robe before getting you on the table." She gives you a smile before walking out and shutting your door. As you stand around awkwardly, you hear her outside asking for your particular masseur, which isn't the problem, but it's the name that catches you off guard—
"Where's Yoongi?" You hear her ask. Yoongi, as in Min Yoongi? You hoped that there was another Yoongi on this planet just to save you from making this session 10x more awkward and weird, but something inside you told you that no, he was the only Yoongi you knew of and that's exactly who this was.
Fuck.
"You have a client, she's in there already." You hear her down the hall, followed by a low 'alright.' Suddenly, the door swings open again and it's Yannie along with the Min Yoongi himself. You're caught off guard that you don't even speak. You simply look at him, eyes full of curiosity, full of question, as he with you. But, he's quick to furrow his brows before slowly walking inside, Yannie catching onto the sudden tension in the air.
"Um, this is Yoongi, your masseur." She clears her throat.
"Sure is." You say, still keeping your eyes on him.
"Have you two met before?"
"Yup." Yoongi says before turning to her with a small smile. "I got it from here boss, thanks." Yannie gives you one last smile before shutting the door and walking down the hallway to continue her previous tasks.
"Well, if you look who it is—" You say sarcastically, placing your things down onto the side. "I didn't know you worked here." You're saying things in a certain tone to make sure Yoongi doesn't see how much you're actually dreading this right now. Because you are, god, you fucking are, and you almost wish you didn't step foot into this establishment and ask for a hot stone massage.
Could've been anything else. You should have done your research before.
"Hm, there's alot of things you don't know about me anymore, Y/N." He says coldly. "Didn't think I'd ever see you here." He starts to look at the papers and gather his things together, his back turned against you.
"Yeah, well. Rissa gave me a birthday coupon." He nods silently. "H-how've you been?" You ask him, awkwardly rubbing at your arm.
"Good as can be." He says flatly before turning to look at you, no emotion to match his blank expression. You look at the way he's changed— his orange, long hair that suited him well, body built perfectly, jaw line shaped with perfection. You're pulled out of your thoughts when he turns once more, pointing towards the back of the room. "Gonna need you to undress and get into the robe. This time, might wanna keep your panties on." He gives you a look, and you aren't sure whether or not he's throwing shade at you for whatever problems you had caused him— you weren't sure. Maybe that's where you went wrong because at one point, you and Yoongi had been close. You and Yoongi had shared everything, you and Yoongi had been everything to each other. He was one of your closest friends, maybe at some points a little too close than friends normally would be, but that was your relationship with him and you both had been on the same page about it. He was always good to you, always taking care of you, always knowing what was best for you over him—
Then, it just.. stopped.
And you clearly never understood where you went wrong. At least, to your knowledge, it wasn't clear where you went wrong.
"Mmkay." Is all you say, heading behind the divider towards the back end of his room to change into the fresh, clean robe hanging on the other side of it. You slip out of your clothes, leaving your panties on as Yoongi ever so respectfully requested, and get the robe on. You tighten the strap, feeling shy around him even though Yoongi has definitely you full blown naked before.
He's touched you.
He's kissed you.
He's handled you.
It's been years, though.
"Get on the table face down, please. I'll start off with your back." He turns to you, meeting your eyes but nothing more. He's always been this way, he's always been hard to crack. You were just lucky you were able to at some point.
You do as you're told, slipping the robe off of you and tossing it aside when Yoongi turns around to give you some privacy. You lay face down onto the table, suddenly feeling Yoongi place a clean linen cloth to cover your sacrum and below. He looks at you for a minute because even though it's been awhile, he remembers everything about you, your body. He remembers the tiny mole right below your left shoulder blade, remembers the scar on your knee. He remembers where your spots used to be, where you liked to be touched, kissed.
He lets out a small huff before shaking his head at the thoughts that start to occupy his mind. There's soft music playing in the background to help ease the energy in the room, to help relax you and soothe you. And it does. Everything feels peaceful for a moment that you almost forget you're about to get a massage by Yoongi himself until—
"You ready? I'm gonna start with your back. Let me know if the stones get too hot for you." He says, dimming the lights just a bit, lighting some candles and incense.
"Mhm." You mumble. You hear Yoongi digging the stones out of the water bath, placing them gently on a towel in front of him before grabbing the oil and lathering his hands.
"I'm gonna start, alright? Gonna oil you up first." He says, his large, strong hands manually giving your back a good massage with the oil to introduce his touch, get your tissues warmed up. You immediately feel relaxed under his touch, all tension seemingly disappearing into thin air. He feels you ease up underneath him, hands with the magic touch you could almost call him Midas.
/ FLASHBACK
"Fuck." You giggle into Rissa's shoulder, red cup empty after the second, third, sixth [who fucking knows at this point] drink of the night.
"So drunk." She giggles along with you, sipping on water.
"God, I'm getting over this party though." You turn to look at your surroundings. "Look, literally no one is dancing anymore. Everyone is just standing around talking or—" You snort when you see one of your friends slumped on the couch. "Slumped."
"It's almost that time of the night, miss. We're crossing into 1AM."
"Ugh, I need to take my drunk ass home."
"No, you need Yoongi to take your drunk ass home." She lifts your chin to get you to look at her but you pout.
"You're not going home, huh?" You ask her, already knowing she was going to spend the night at her boyfriend's apartment.
"Mm, you know this." She laughs. "Your girl needs dick. Bad."
"Whatever."
"Saying it like you don't have the same fucking thought. Shame." She gives you a look.
"Where is heeeeee?" You elongate the 'he,' lip forming into another pout as you drunkily close your eyes.
"Your man's over there." She nods towards the living room, Yoongi standing along the wall with a few of his friends.
"He's not my man."
"Mm." She looks at you up and down. "Go over there before I have more shit to say." You laugh and start making your way over to Yoongi, immediately wrapping your hand around his wrist, chin resting against his bicep.
"You okay?" Yoongi chuckles at how adorable you look.
"Drunk. Just.. drunk."
"I see that." He moves his arm to drape it over your shoulders and pull you close. "Wanna get out of here?"
"Fuck, yeah. Please."
"Where to?"
"Home." You look at him and he nods. The both of you bid your farewell's to his friends before tossing your empty cups and heading out. Yoongi had one drink earlier in the night, but he had been sipping on soda onwards throughout the evening simply because he knew you needed him to take you home. In fact, he would rather let you have the time of your life and watch you have your fun instead of him. He loved seeing that side of you, loved seeing you full of life, full of fun.
It's what attracted him to you the most.
"You okay, princess?"
"Yeah, just wanna get the fuck out of these shoes." He laughs.
"Okay, almost there." He says, kissing your temple. When you finally head down the street to the car, Yoongi gets you situated in the seat before heading to the driver's side and getting himself situated. "You're not gonna yack, are you?" He laughs when he starts driving off towards your apartment.
"No, I'm fine. God." You roll your eyes and lean your head back against the head rest.
"I'm just playing, baby." He says, large hand roaming to your thigh and giving it a good squeeze. You let out a small whimper at his touch, Yoongi smirking to himself when he knows exactly what that means. "Gonna get you some water and make sure you sleep this shit off, I don't wanna hear you complain tomorrow."
"When do I ever complain?"
"All the fucking time, dude." He laughs. "Damn. You're lucky I like you." He quickly caresses your chin. The rest of the ride is quiet, nothing but the soft music playing in the background in his car, the sounds of cars passing by along with the train running through the tracks nearby your apartment building. He parks in a guest spot that's quite far, offering to carry you up to your apartment if you feel too tired. You let him know you're alright though, lacing your fingers with his as you make your way to your door. He grabs your keys, unlocks the door and watches as you stumble in and hurriedly get out of your shoes— tossing them off to the side messily.
"Thank God, ugh." You groan, falling face down onto your comfortable, comfortable bed. You hear Yoong in your kitchen, grabbing you a glass of water and going through your medicine cabinet before walking in to your room and shutting the door behind him.
"Here. Drink some water, please."
"And if I don't?" You tease, still face down against your pillow.
"I'll leave."
"That was unfair." You say, slowly sitting up to drink some of the water. His hand caresses your back as you drink, watching to make sure you get a good amount of water in you before you set the glass back down. Once you do, you immediately get to removing your clothes, tossing them aside and crawling under your sheets in just your bra and panties.
"You wanna sleep? You don't wanna stay up for a bit?" He says, grabbing the pair of basketball shorts he left behind in your closet so he can change into something comfier.
"And do what?"
"You're gonna have a headache in the morning, Y/N."
"It's fine, I'll deal with it when the morning comes." You whine. "Can you just come here and cuddle me like you typically do?" He chuckles.
"Yeah, yeah." He says, finally crawling in and throwing his arm around your waist even as you awkwardly lay on your stomach with a leg bent upwards. He begins to quietly massage your sides and down your back, fingers gently running a line down your spine. He listens to you let out a breath, body easing up under his touch like it always does. "Feels good?" He says nearing a whisper, close to your ear.
"Mhm." You let out breathily, eyes shut to feel more of his touch. You feel him unclasp your bra to work his hands deeper into your shoulders and either side of your spine. Yoongi always knew how to work his way with you, work his magic on you— so much that even this simple massage has you wanting more out of him. It's like that though. Your relationship with Yoongi was just like that. You turn to face him and his hand continues to linger on your side, giving it a squeeze when he looks down at your face, nose, down to your lips.
"Need a massage here, too?" He smirks, playing with the strap of your bra.
"You're an idiot." You giggle as he pulls you closer and completely gets rid of your bra while planting small, soft kisses along the surface of your neck. "Wasn't really planning on this, you know?"
"That's funny cause that's always the story, yet what do we always end up doing?" Your eyes flutter at the feeling of his lips against your skin. Your hands roam up to grip his hair just as he makes his way up to your jaw, cheek, kissing the tip of your nose before locking his lips with yours. You moan into the kiss as it deepens, your tongue instantly slipping into his. The only sounds that can be heard within your room are the cars passing by outside, mixed with the noises of wet kisses being exchanged.
You work your way to toss Yoongi's shirt aside, just as he works his way to hook his finger onto your panties and slip it off. You tease at his clothed, hardened cock by palming him through his shorts and he responds by feeling how wet your pussy is. You let out a small gasp when you feel his hand start rubbing at your pussy, spreading your wetness across your pussy lips.
"Just fuck me, Yoongi." You moan, already taking his cock from beneath his shorts before he can fully shred the piece of clothing.
"Yeah, I'm gonna take care of you, baby." He says, wasting no time to climb ontop of you, taking his cock and sliding it up and down your slit a few times to tease you.
"Please." You whine. "Need to feel you." He smirks and bites onto his bottom lip just as he takes his tip and breaches your entrance.
"God, you already feel so fucking good." He lets out. "So wet for me." He watches his cock sink into you, deeper and deeper, until he bottoms out completely.
"Ohhhhhmygod—" You arch your back slightly at the feeling of being full. Yoongi works at a slow pace at first, trying to get the right rhythm going as he cocks your legs wide open with his hands.
"Princess. Look at you. Creaming the fuck out of my cock." He says, looking down as he teasingly slips in and out of you. He begins to pick up his pace, rolling his hips into you as a hand grips onto your headboard to keep him steady, the other hand kept tightly on your hip. He starts to pound into you relentlessly, loving how delicious your walls feel wrapped around him tightly.
It always, always, always, keeps him wanting more of you.
"Yes, yes, yes— just like that—hmmmfuck!" You moan a bunch of jibberish together, nails digging crescents onto his arm. "Feels so fucking good." You continue to whine, whimper, begging him to keep going for you. He lowers his body so that he could run his hands up your hair, whispering praises in your ear as he strokes in and out at a steady speed.
Making you feel him, all of him, completely.
He always tells you how beautiful you are to him, how you're his baby, how there's no one who could make him feel the way you do.
How no one could ever come close to you.
And that's the one thing that always has you hurdling over the edge, reaching your orgasm much faster than expected. Because not only does he fuck you so, so good— but he praises you, knows just the right fucking words to say, knows just how to touch you in the right places.
You let out a loud moan, yelling his name as your eyes roll to the back of your head when your orgasm takes full control. His hand slides down to grip your neck, fucking you senselessly as he tries to reach his own high watching you cum all over his dick. And he does. It takes a few more thrusts, but before you know it, his lips are grazing yours, both of you letting out silent moans when he releases inside of you, painting your walls full of white ribbons.
He comes down from his high as he softens inside of you, lips pecking feathery kisses on yours before he finally pulls out and rolls over next to you. He grabs a napkin from your nightstand and gently wipes you clean before taking care of himself and throwing his arm back around you.
"You okay?" He brushes the hair out of your face before you roll onto your side.
"Definitely more sober now." You say, making him chuckle as he holds you close and kisses your shoulder.
"Good. At least I helped prevent the morning headache."
"Shut up." You chuckle.
"Anything for you." He continues to joke.
/ END FLASHBACK
After Yoongi gives your back a good introductory massage, he then turns to get the stones and holds them tightly in his palms. You feel the back of his hands work their way down on either side of your spine, all the way down to your sacrum, before coming back up. He repeats this process a few times before flipping his palms over and rolling the stones down the same path. He adds the right pressure against the surface of your skin, the heat just enough to penetrate and hit deeper into your tissue.
Yoongi doesn't even know how to feel right now with you being underneath him for a completely different reason today. And it's been years— years since you've last spoken, last talked.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't hurt all over again when he saw you.
You still looked beautiful as ever, still rocking that fine ass body with curves in all the right places. Yeah, he definitely wasn't hurt when you two ended up the way you did. He wish it never ended up that way. He wanted much, much more with you. You just never seemed to feel the same. But he couldn't dwell on it. Figured he'd just accept it and move on, even if that meant without you by his side. That was probably the hardest part all along. To be with you almost 24/7, to suddenly being without you at all. He had to do it though, for his own sake.
Yeah, he'd defnitely be lying if he said he wasn't hurt all over again when he saw you.
"Feels alright?" He dips lowly near your ear as he holds stones sideways and digs them deep into your shoulders, down your back, sacrum; always avoiding the spine directly.
"Mmm." Is all he hears. He continues to work all through your back and up to your neck before placing the stones down to rest along your spine. He places two tiny stones amongst your shoulders, guiding you to move your hand backwards one at a time, just so he can give you a good, deep, proper massage in between the scapula. Afterwards, he grabs new stones and moves down to your left leg. He uncovers it, gently massaging up and down your thigh, calf, in a circular motion with the stones, using them as an extension of his hands. He does this for awhile until he feels like he's done enough, the heat slowly moving away from the stones in his palms. So, he sticks a stone on the back of your knee where the bend is, and takes the other stone down to your foot for a soft massage— flipping the stone as needed to distribute the heat along your foot properly. Once he's finished with his final touches, he places the stone in the middle of your foot, covers the entire leg with the linen cloth and repeats the same process on your right leg.
You're sinking in and out of sleep while Yoongi massages you, all of a sudden forgetting the heated, awkward tension in the air as he continues to work his magic throughout your body. For a moment, you don't regret stepping foot into the establishment. For a moment, you don't ponder on your worries and why things feel so fucking tense between you and Yoongi. Then it hits you when he clears his throat in the background that yeah, your relationship, friendship— whatever the hell you wanted to call it— was cut off so abruptly. Seeing him made you really miss having him around. Because besides Rissa, he was someone you were able to lean on, have fun with, be yourself around.
There was no pressure with Yoongi before.
Now, there's a ton.
Pressure to, what? Fix things? Talk about things? Figure out where it went so, so wrong that he had upped and left, cutting off all ties with you without reason? You don't even know where or how to start.
"Y/N." He repeats.
"Hm?"
"I said I need you to flip over so I can work on the front of your body." You're nervous. God, you're nervous. It's like you were trying to impress him all over again, the same Min Yoongi that you had the fattest fucking crush on. The same Min Yoongi that you could do all that shit with, but could never admit that you had feelings for.
You hold onto the linen cloth as you carefully turn yourself over on the table, Yoongi once again giving you the privacy you need by turning his back. When he feels like he's given you enough time, he turns to see you pulling the linen cloth over your chest. He walks over, taking his biggest stone into another towel and wrapping it tightly before placing it down on your abdomen.
"That feel okay? Gonna leave this here while I work through your arms and legs."
"Yeah, that feels nice."
"Cool." He says, pressing it down ever so slightly just so you could feel the heat against your abdomen. He starts with your left leg, following the same rhythm he had when he massaged the back of your leg earlier. He takes the stones around your thigh, down to your calf, and works it in small circular motions before repeating the same up and down motion he had done before. He then takes the stone, places it underneath the bend of your knee and take the other to your foot. He gently grips your foot, working the stone in small motions against the surface before his touch disappears and he moves onto the next leg.
His touch.
You remember feeling cold without his touch.
After massaging your leg, he takes a moment to grab another warm towel and places it over your breasts before sliding the linen cloth down below your abdomen.
"Gonna give you a quick abdomen massage. The towel feel okay?" You let out a small 'mhm' before you hear him take a stone from behind you. He slowly introduces his touch against your abdomen, watching your body react to his touch.
His touch.
You remember how you used to react to his touch.
His touch is soft, gentle, when he presses into your abdomen, applying the right pressure as he goes on just as he realizes you're comfortable again. He takes a stone and proceeds with double-handed kneading that followed the pattern along your colon.
He makes his way up to work with your left arm, hooking the stone into the palm of his hand while he uses the other for support— gently running it up your arm and over your shoulder, back down towards your wrist. He switches to another stone and turns your hand over; starting from your palm and working his way up to your axillary node, then back down. Afterwards, he takes both stones in his hands, running it back all the way up before gently kneading as he comes back down. He leaves a stone under your hand before taking two long stones to do some manipulation around your shoulders. Once he feels like he has finished your left arm, he repeats the process on your right.
"That felt nice." Yoongi smirks at your sudden comment.
"That's the goal." He says, fixing the linen cloth over your body, tucking it in neatly so that your upper chest is properly exposed to him. "We're almost done here. I'll work on your upper chest and do a facial massage, okay? Then you'll be out of here."
"What if I don't wanna be out of here? It's too relaxing." You mumble.
"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way." He chuckles. "Relax." He closes off the quick conversation by soothing your upper chest, working his hands around, up the shoulders and neck just to warm up the tissue. He repeats the process but this time, takes his two long stones and works them in, running it across your chest and in circular motions around the shoulders. He places them right beneath your collarbones so you can continue feeling the heat penetrate your tissues before taking two smaller stones to your face. He works the stones in an outward motion on your cheek, your forehead, in between your eyes— before working in an upward motion along the same path. Then, he grabs two stones a size up, working it behind the neck, ear and into the hairline in smaller motions. He sets the stones aside, now finishing off the massage by working his fingers deep into your scalp, down to your temples, keeping his hands over your ears for a brief moment to let the heat and energy transfer over. "How do you feel?" He says lowly near your ear, the vibrations in his tone somehow still able to send a tingle down your spine after all these years.
"Really good."
"Yeah? That's good." He says, hands gently gliding down your neck, back to the surface of your chest before he removes the stones. "Hope that was a nice session for you."
"Way more than that. Thank you." He smiles to himself before turning towards the counter, placing the rest of his supplies back on the surface to remind himself to do some good cleaning and disinfecting before his next client.
"Take your time when you get up and get ready, alright? Don't get up too fast." You open your eyes, still feeling calm, relaxed, as your body feels every inch of the table.
"Can't I just stay?" You joke.
"No can do." Yoongi chuckles a bit.
"Hey."  You call for him. "This might sound a little crazy to ask but, do you think we can catch up? It's been a long time, and quite frankly, I wasn't really expecting to run into you here." He turns over his shoulder before shaking his head.
"I don't know. I don't really think there's much for us to catch up on."
"You said it yourself, there's alot of things I don't know about you anymore. We used to be close—"
"Used to be." He says quite harshly when he cuts you off. "And yeah, just cause I said that, doesn't mean it's shit you need to know." He sighs, pushing his things aside before looking at you. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that way, but you're right. It's been years, and to be honest, part of me just wants to leave it in the past like it should be kept in the past. I don't really know if there's much for us to talk about."
"Please don't be like that. I'm trying to figure out where things went wrong. It's always bothered me that we ended up this way." He shrugs.
"You ever think that maybe this is just how things were meant to be?" He says, giving you one last look, his tongue licking his bottom lip. "It was really nice to see you though, Y/N. Hope you had a good time." He says before grabbing the door knob and twisting it, not really expecting you to be back for another session after all of this. "Again, no rush. My next client isn't until an hour from now." With that, he walks out and shuts the door, leaving you to your own peace.
You were relaxed. Felt blissful, felt at ease.
But now, you aren't so sure. You aren't sure if you wanna break down and cry, if you wanna run after him and beg for him to just talk to you.
You just aren't sure.
So you get up and walk over to the back, throwing on your clothes before lazily tossing the robe into the hamper placed near the divider. You let out a breath before grabbing the knob and twisting it, revealing an empty hallway with a few closed doors in front of you. No Yoongi in sight though, and you can't help but feel a bit heavy walking out of the session as if you didn't just receive a hot stone massage from him.
"Hey! How was it?" Yannie asks, reading your expression as you walk out and tug on your unzipped hoodie. You give her a small, toothless smile and nod, hoping to be on your way quickly.
"It was great!" You simply say with a nod. "Definitely will be back." You lie, mainly because you aren't really sure where this leaves you with Yoongi even if you wanted to be back for one. Shit, that massage was everything you needed and more.
"Good to hear, we'll see you again soon then." She smiles before waving you off.
Fuck.
As for the rest of the day, you do take the time to walk around town, run into a few stores to window shop and eat at the nearby mom and pop Vietnamese restaurant for a good ol' bowl of pho. Mainly out of enjoyment for your day off, moreso because your thoughts were starting to plague your mind and you needed a distraction.
If anything, today taught you that you really needed to take more time out of your busy schedule to slip in some self-care. So, that's what you do to end your night just as well as you started it [you like to think]. You run some hot water and bubbles, pour a glass of red, red wine and light up some incense, candles.
"Wait—" Rissa says while you have her on speaker, phone sitting on the toilet cover. "Yoongi was your masseur?!”
"Yuuuup." You say, sipping on your red wine.
"Oh, this is some shit." She laughs. "Wish I could get my ass on that first flight home so I could see how you look right now."
"Don't even try it."
"Well, tell me the massage was at least worth it."
"It was, very much so." She chuckles.
"But?"
"But, what?"
"There's a 'but' in that sentence. Now, spill."
"It's just weird. We fell off so abruptly, there was no closure. I just wish we could talk about things, I'm not entirely sure where things went wrong between us and it kinda sucks now that I've seen him again."
"I know Yoongi has always meant a lot to you, Y/N. But you could never admit it to him, yourself, even. Don't you think that has a lot to do with this?"
"W-what? That's not true."
"See, there you go again." You sigh.
"I don't know. Maybe."
"Think about it. Not saying that's it, there could be other reasons and the only person who would really know is Yoongi since we know what your side is like, but we don't know his."
"I don't know what to do. Should I go back?"
"What, for a massage or for Yoongi?" She laughs. "Or both, I guess."
"Both." You slip a bit further down into the water. "He was pretty direct today. I don't think he wants to talk about it, but part of me can't really let that go."
"You've always been stubborn like that. But, it's good, you know? You always go for what you want without giving up. I say go for it. If he really, really doesn't wanna see you and talk about things after this, then don't force it. Maybe he's right. It sucks to say, but maybe that's really how you two were supposed to end up." You sigh.
"Yeah, yeah." You respond simply, shutting your eyes as you let the hot water seep in and continue to relax your muscles. It was hard to say. Yoongi did mean a lot to you. He was someone you always had fun with, someone you could trust, someone who took care of you even when you didn't ask.
Of course, he meant a lot to you.
Of course, you wouldn't let that go after seeing him again.
But of course, Yoongi's detached and you're having to break through his walls yet again— most likely due to something you did that you weren't even aware of.
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"You're back!" Yannie exclaims when she sees you walk through the door shyly.
"I am. I probably should have called beforehand, but I wasn't sure if I was going to make it in time before the last slot." You rub your hands together. "Is Yoongi here?"
"He sure is, and you just got lucky. His last spot cancelled not too long ago." Yannie shrugs.
"Sweet."
"He's with someone right now, but the session will be over—" She glances at the time. "Pretty soon, actually. Take a seat and get comfortable for now, alright?" She smiles, handing you one form to sign. You silently take the form with you, reading through the liability language again as you take your pen and get ready to sign at the line on the bottom half of the page. Sooner or later, you hear some giggling and a female voice echoing in the back hallway, a pretty, young lady coming through with Yoongi following behind her.
His smile drops almost instantly when he sees you sitting there. But it's not cause he's mad or anything, no. He could never be that mad at you after everything, could never hold a big grudge against you. He's just surprised that you're back, and he's also [surprisingly] relieved to see you're back.
Your eyes, and that smile.
The way you always used to hold onto him and hold his hand, looking up at him with those puppy dog eyes.
Your laugh.
He could never be that mad at you.
"Hey, I know your last client cancelled, but Y/N is here hoping to grab that slot." Yoongi nods.
"Yeah, it's no problem." He looks at the young lady in front of him as she bats her lashes and sways her hips while walking towards the door.
"See you next session, Yoonks?" She calls him a weird nickname that falls off her tongue so poorly. God.
"Of course." He smiles shyly, hand coming to the nape of his neck as he watches her walk out. He finally turns his attention towards you and clears his throat when he realizes you had been watching the interaction the entire time. "I um, just need to clean up in there a bit then I'll be ready for you. Give me a couple of minutes."
"Okay." Is all you say before finally scribbling your fucking signature on that line. Oh, Yoonks. Hope she isn't the one you're slipping in bed with. Your heart would be crushed to know he already had someone, even though you knew it was a high possibility after all this time. You couldn't be selfish with him forever.
Sooner or later, you're pulled out of your thoughts when Yoongi peeks his head out into the waiting area and taps the door frame. He purses his lips together when he looks at you and nods.
"Ready?"
"Mmyeah." You get up to follow him.
"Enjoy!" Yannie exclaims when she sees you follow him to the back. You quietly continue on, setting your things aside like you had done before when you step into the room and Yoongi shuts the door behind him.
"Was that your girlfriend, or something?" You tease.
"No. Repeat client." He looks at you before turning. "Somehow, I know you aren't really here for the massage." He fiddles with his things on the counter.
"I mean, I am. I could really use one."
"But you wanna try and talk, don't you?" You silently excuse yourself behind the divider to change and slip the robe on.
"Maybe. I won't push it." You say, tying the robe close before taking a seat on the edge of the table.
"Mm, but you always push it." He softly chuckles. "There's no stopping Y/N when she's determined to get what she wants." He turns to look at you, white tee hugging his body so nicely— you can't help but ogle a bit when he steps in front of you.
"No, not anymore necessarily." You try and cover your shit up even though both him and Rissa are right. You know this.
"Right." He lets out a little laugh. "You wanna lie down so we can get this started?" He walks over to the cabinets, grabbing a fresh, clean pair of linens in his hands. When he turns, he catches you removing your robe and covering your breasts when you're about to lie down. He quickly turns because quite frankly, he shouldn't even be in here for this— but, it's you.
You know this, too.
"I'm ready." You tell him, placing your face into the cushion comfortably.
"Cool." He says, draping your lower body with the linen in his hand, tucking it gently into your sides to make you feel even more comfortable. He makes his way to the front, preparing to manually massage you before adding the stones just so he can introduce his touch again. "Gonna start, alright? Relax, breathe in and out. I'll massage you without the stones first to get your tissues warmed up."
"Okay." You pause before calling for him again. "Yoongi?" You let out a little weirdly with the pressure he's adding onto your back.
"Hm?"
"What really happened between us?" He chuckles.
"And here you were, trying to tell me you weren't gonna push the agenda. Do you have to do this now? Mid-hot stone massage?" You head the clacking of the stones against each other before he starts working it into your back. He's right, it honestly feels too good for you to speak properly, but you felt like this was the only way— the only option, so to speak. His number had changed, he wasn't necessarily on social media. Didn't live at home with his parents anymore.
How else could you contact him besides seeing him for a massage?
"What other choice do I have?"
"I already told you there isn't much to talk about."
"Yeah, so why are we so awkward with each other?"
"It's been years."
"Why has it been years, Yoongi?" He sighs, head falling before he continues to work your back.
"It's your massage, don't blame me if you don't feel completely rested afterwards." He caves, gives in, knowing he can't ever say no to you. He can't ever be that mad, no.
You know that.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Y/N. I was pretty upset with you when we spoke last. Do you even remember when that was?" He speaks up again.
"In college, yeah." You let out a small sigh when he deeply massages near the shoulder blades.
"So, you don't exactly remember?"
"Yoongi, I don't. Okay? I'm sorry." He should've expected it. He remembers that scene so clearly in his head, it almost aches him. He really did like you, Y/N. Min Yoongi was so much in like with you that he wanted to stop being friends with benefits, and he wanted more out of it. He was sure you two could take it there, no doubt. You fit each other well. So, so well—
Until you didn't.
/ FLASHBACK
"Sorry, I need to go find Y/N soon. She said she wanted to kick it." Yoongi tells his friend, Akio.
"What, for a quick fuck?" He laughs, making Yoongi shake his head.
"Shut the fuck up. She's not just a quick fuck. That girl means a lot to me, alright?" Yoongi catches the way Akio's face falls, moreso into confusion.
"Wait, you're not serious, right?"
"I'm pretty sure I am." Yoongi responds sarcastically, a little thrown off at the way he's taking the news right now. Was there something he wasn't aware about? Last time he checked, even if you two weren't serious, you both were exclusively just fucking around with each other and each other only.
Yoongi could be completely wrong at this point, though. But he hoped he wasn't. He really respected you and cared about you more than anyone he has ever crossed paths with, and the foundation of your friendship, that closeness you two had before anything, meant everything to him. He would never fuck that up. That's why he always checked in with you, always made sure that what you two were doing was still okay. He would never wanna disrespect you or make you feel uncomfortable. He never wanted to step out of line, or even hurt you in the slightest bit.
"Look, I just thought you two settled on the fact that you were friends with benefits, that's all."
"What do you know that I don't?"
"Nothing, man. That's it."
"Don't lie to my face, dude." Yoongi gives off a nervous chuckle. "What did she say to you?"
"She's been telling people that you two weren't serious and that she couldn't really see you two together like that.. or— that she couldn't see you like that." Ouch. Yoongi's fucking hurt, alright. And if that wasn't enough, Yoongi catches the way Akio looks past his shoulder, so he follows his gaze. He turns to see you flirting with the hot soccer boy on campus, Kane, who was also notorious for sleeping around and messing with other females at the same time.
Great.
Fucking great.
Because he knows you wouldn't turn that down— no, the fuck you wouldn't.
And he wishes he was wrong because the moment he sees you hold onto his arm and let him walk you up into the dormitory, his heart sinks. Shatters to pieces. Everything feels numb.
He thought you two were on the same page. Clearly, you weren't. He could never be that mad at you, though. Because he's always gonna have it for you, always gonna have that soft spot for you and hold you close, even if you were meant to stray away, even if you were meant to be kept at a distance.
He could never be that mad at you, no.
"I'm sorry my guy, I really thought you two had been on the same page. I didn't wanna be the first to break it to you like that. Maybe you should talk to her."
"No, it's good. You're right, it's really not that serious." He lies.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, it's whatever." Akio shrugs.
"Alright then, I'm just saying. It could be good for you two to talk. It seems like there's still a disconnect somewhere." Yoongi ignores his added statement and pats him on the back.
"Gotta go, catch you later." He thought you two were close enough, thought he could read every inch of you, be that person who knew you like the back of his hand. He thought he had the privilege of having that much access to you because god, never in a million years would he have guessed. It started off so innocently, started off as two friends going through college together, before it grew into something more.
He wished it could blossom into more.
But now, maybe he truly does have to keep you at a distance. Keep you away, treat you like your mind and heart had been somewhere else this entire time.
Fuck.
Later that evening, Yoongi runs into you after you finish up a review session in the library. It was the last thing he wanted to deal with tonight, but there was no turning back. You weren't even aware that he knew about the things you said, seeing you with Kane earlier today. You knew nothing.
"Hey." You giggle, swinging your arms around him, but he gently pries it off and continues to walk towards his dorm. "Wait, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just having an off day." He says, keeping his head hung low.
"What happened?"
"Classes, homework. Lots of stuff to do."
"Oh, okay. That's it?" You nervously chuckle. "You got it, champ. I know you'll get through it." You playfully punch at his bicep, but he doesn't respond. "Okay, well, I'm sorry it's been a bad day." You awkwardly rub at your arms, stopping in your tracks. "I'm gonna go hang out with Kane and his friends, alright? Let me know if you need me."
"Mhm." He says, brushing you off completely and walking into this dormitory building.
/ END FLASHBACK
"I was waiting for you to try and figure out what was wrong. I wanted you to come to me and fix things, like I always do when something is off between us—" He works his way to your left arm. "With you. But the one night I needed you to do the same, you couldn't. Then you proceeded to tell me you were gonna go off and hang out with Kane and his friends." He says, working the stones down your arm.
"I wish you could have just told me."
"Y/N. You knew something was wrong, but you just didn't try to fix it. You didn't really care in the moment. The only thing you cared about was yourself and benefitting for yourself." You aren't really sure how to respond because now that you think about the moment, he was right. You knew something was off, but you didn't care enough to try and fix it. Yoongi had always been there for you, had always put you before anyone and anything.
And the one time he expected you to pull your own weight, even as a good friend [all benefits and fuckbuddy shit aside], you couldn't do that for him.
"I'm sorry."
"I mean." He chuckles, covering your arm with the linen before moving down to your leg. "Doesn't really matter anymore, right?"
"Of course it does. I'm sorry it had to take this for me to realize but it really fucked me up that we just stopped talking. I was dumb." You mumble.
"You're not dumb, don't say things like that." He adds.
"I'm really sorry."
"Don't apologize anymore. It's fine. I shouldn't have made it such a big deal."
"It is a big deal." He sighs a bit. "Can I ask you something?"
"Mhm."
"Were you really hurt about the whole Kane thing?"
"Are you really asking me this?"
"Right." You subtly shake your head. "I take it back—"
"Of course I was hurt." He continues to reply anyway. "I thought we were on the same page. We were for awhile. My feelings for you grew, and I thought we'd eventually make our way into something bigger than just being friends with benefits. I cared a lot about you, I tried to do a lot of things to show you that you were something special to me. You always came first because I had never had someone make me feel comfortable in my own skin the way that you did. Then—" He gently massages your foot with the stone before moving onto your other leg, introducing is touch just like he did before. "When I found out you were messing with other people and telling other people you didn't really see me that way, it fucked me up."
"Yoongi." You turn your head to the side, hoping to get a glimpse of him somehow.
"Nah, it's okay. You wanted an explanation so I'm giving it to you. Really, there's no need to try and apologize for it now. It's all in the past and I kinda just wanna leave it that way." You're a tad bit hurt at the way he won't accept the apology, but part of you understood that it took way too long for you to realize that something you had done affected him in ways you could only imagine.
"I should've done better." Is all you can say. He doesn't respond to it, though. Just continues to massage you, make you feel good like he always has done. You feel a little awkward now, lowkey regretting the fact that you came here with the sole intention to get Yoongi to talk about what happened between you two. Although, it was definitely something you needed to hear. Where to go from here though? You had no idea how to navigate this. What if this was it? After seeing him, you didn't want it to be. You wanted to try and fix this, even with knowing that it was close to impossible to bring back what you two had before.
That's the only thought that continued to plague your mind at this moment; the only thought that repeated itself over and over again that you didn't even realize you were now having to face him as you switch onto your back to let Yoongi massage the front of your body.
"You can relax, you know?" He looks you in the eye, a little confused as to why you're just plainly staring at him as he starts the front body massage.
"I'm sorry." You repeat, close to a whisper. "I just wanna fix things between us. I know it's a little late, but better late than never right?"
"Mm, I'm always going to have a soft spot for you Y/N.. but in a way where I can just support you and care about you from a distance. I think we work better that way."
"Do we, though?"
"These past years kinda say so, don't you think?"
"But that's because I didn't know any better." He shrugs.
"It seemed to be fine." He simply states.
"Were you, though? I missed you, a lot. I just didn't know how else to reach out to you before, or where to even find you."
"Don't say things you don't mean." He lets out a tiny breath, pursing his lips together.
"I do mean that. I thought about us, you, a lot. I missed the way you cared for me and how you were always there for me. I missed how you always made me feel so special." You stop there, even though you can go on and on about how Yoongi made you feel back in the days. That lingering feeling of attachment, of needing his touch, his cuddles, the way he never let you down. Fuck, he was so good to you. You let him get away.
"Sounds like this is purely for your benefit."
"You can't say we didn't make each other happy."
"You did make me happy, I just wasn't the case for you."
"Of course you made me happy."
"Kinda hard to believe." He says flatly. "Look, I said what I needed to say. I think that's what you wanted, right? I've just come to the conclusion that we're better off the way that we ended up. You'll always mean something to me, no matter what. Don't get me wrong. But, I think we both just need to continue moving on and leaving that where it belongs." Suddenly the room feels hot and tense, especially when he's incredibly close to your ear, close to your face, your lips. His hands continue to travel down your body, working his touch like he's always been so good at doing.
You leave it at that, though. Respecting his wishes, not wanting to push any further to avoid more issues. Although it fucking kills you, and you wish you could just snap your fingers and you and Yoongi could return to your old ways like shit never happened.
You should've known better, you could have done better. You were too selfish to try at the moment, and now you're laying here wondering how things could have been if you just tried a little harder for him.
He's the one that got away.
Maybe he was right, maybe there really was no coming back from this. Maybe it was just better this way.
When the massage comes to a close, Yoongi softly lets you know that the session has concluded, but doesn't say much. He doesn't offer for you to come back like the first time you came here, doesn't really offer much in general. You quietly get up to change behind the divider, tossing the robe into the hamper while Yoongi tidies up his room for closure tonight. When he hears you come out from behind the divider, he simply gives you a look over his shoulder before returning his attention to his supplies beneath his hands.
"You feel alright?" He decides to ask anyway.
"I guess so." You dig your hands into your pockets. "Thank you."
"Of course." He finally turns to fully look at you, eyes locking onto yours as his tongue comes out to meet the corner of his mouth. You don't pull your gaze away for a bit, his look still giving you those same old butterflies you used to feel when he used to give you the same look back in the day. His eyes used to say a lot about how he felt about you without the need to actually say it out loud. He watches as you grab one of his business cards and scribble something on the back before handing it to him.
"Just know that I'm really sorry, and I really wish we could fix things. Or, I could fix things. I should have done better for you, especially when I knew I felt more for you than what I showed at the time." He sees that you had written your number on the back of one of his business cards, eyes locked on it as it sits in his hand. "In case you ever needed it." You give him one last look before giving him a tiny, toothless smile and excusing yourself out of his room.
Don't get it twisted, though. You do feel relieved he at least told you what was going through his head at the time, and what had happened between the two of you. But, the majority of you felt guilty, and you weren't sure how you'd fix this without forcing the connection, without forcing what wasn't meant to be.
Damn.
"Sorry, I just came out of my massage and got home." You place the phone against your ear as you step into your apartment.
"How was it?" Rissa asks with a small giggle.
"I don't even know, Rissa. I think I may have just fucked this up for good. I shouldn't have gone back."
"Don't say that. Tell me what happened." She says, hearing another sigh leave your lips as you place your bag and keys down.
"I'm so stupid, Rissa. I should have known he was hurt by the whole Kane thing. I should have told him the truth."
"Girl, not to be the 'I told you so' bitch, but I am gonna be that bitch and say I told you so." She says directly. "I knew you were caught up at the time cause Kane was giving you the attention, who wouldn't? But you going around saying the things you said about Yoongi and denying that entire thing was definitely going to backfire."
"God, I was so fucking selfish and dumb." You lay back against your couch and let your head rest back, now remembering the times you brushed Yoongi off without even realizing.
"We live and we learn, at least now you know." Rissa says.
"I apologized, though. I really did try to talk to him about it."
"I'm sure he appreciates it, love. What else did he say?"
"Nothing. He just thinks that maybe we really were meant to fall off and be this way. He was saying that after all these years, it just seems better. He just wants to keep it that way and keep it in the past."
"Maybe he just needs time to think. I'm sure it was hard on his part, especially having to unexpectedly face it again. You know Yoongi doesn't trust a lot of people, and you probably were the one person he could fully trust. I'm sure it hurt him a lot." She says softly.
"I don't know what to do now. I left him my number but fuck, I don't even think he'll use it. He probably trashed it the moment I left the room."
"Just give it time. Again, if it really is meant to be, then it'll happen in time. If not, then I hate to say it, but maybe he's right, hun."
"I hate to think of it that way. God. Why didn't I just realize it at the time?"
"We were young and dumb. It was college. We weren't worried about all this because we wanted to have fun."
"Doesn't make it an excuse." You sighed heavily. "I don't know. I really can't do anything to force it, so I'll just let it be like you like said." There's a small pause before Rissa speaks again.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I will be." You shake your head, not wanting to think more about the situation for the rest of the night. "So, tell me all about what you did today, please? What fun did you get into?" She hears it in your voice, and as your bestfriend, she knows very well that you don't like to stress too much about things. So, she gives you what you want. Gives you the full details of her day so that the both of you can pick at the little things and go off on tangents.
Just so you no longer have to think about Yoongi for tonight.
But that's the opposite case for Yoongi, even if he didn't want it to be the case. Because the moment he gets home from work, all he can think about is you.
He hates that this is always the case with you, hates that he always has that soft spot for you no matter how direct or blunt he can get. Hates how you always have him in some kind of hold, hates how after all these years, you can still make him weak in one way or another.
But he'll never be that mad at you, no. He can never be that mad at you.
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/ FLASHBACK
"Hey." Yoongi whispers, slipping into your dorm bed around 2AM. You were fast asleep, cuddled up in your blankets. But, you always left your door open especially for Yoongi to slip himself in.
"You're so cold." You mumble against the sheets, scooting to make room for Yoongi to situated himself in your bed next to you. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you close, instantly wanting some of the heat you radiated under the covers. "Yoooongi." You whine, trying to pry his arms off of you.
"Baby, you're so warm though." He snuggles against your neck. "Missed you." You continue to whine a bit until you feel him warming up behind you.
"How was Akio's birthday outing?"
"Fun. Kinda drunk, not gonna lie."
"I see." You chuckle a bit, eyes still closed as you turn to face him and snuggle against his chest.
"Been too long without you."
"Shut up." You giggle, eyes slowly flickering as you look at him in the dark.
"Did you miss me?"
"No."
"Fucking liar." He laughs, pulling you closer. He places a peck on your forehead before moving down to the tip of your nose and your lips. You giggle when he continues to give you small, feathery kisses against your lips, playfully pushing him away to get some air.
"You're so fucking affectionate right now. Gross."
"Just missed you." He squeezes your thigh and pulls you near, your waist tucked as close as possible to his crotch. You liked it when he did this shit though, always telling you how much he missed you, how much he wanted you. Always made you feel good, feel special. "Can I kiss you, please?" He looks at you, brushing the hair away from your face and off your shoulder.
"You still have to ask?" You turn a bit, laying on your back with your head turned towards his direction.
"I always have to ask. I never like to assume." He says, large hand coming to cup your cheek. "C'mere." His thumb caresses the surface as he slowly brings your face closer to his, eyes drawn to yours, then down to your lips. When you feel his soft lips press a light kiss against your own, you can't help but release all the butterflies in your tummy. You feel tingles run down your spine, your arms, entire body, even as he continues to deepen his kisses.
It's a quiet night. The only sounds that fill the room are the sweet, soft, slow kisses being exchanged between the two of you. And it was perfectly fine. There were no expectations to fulfill any other need besides being in each other's company and enjoying each other's kisses.
His hand slips down to your sides, giving it a gentle squeeze as he pulls you closer, peppering your jaw and the surface of your neck with feathery kisses. He hungrily moves back to your lips, sucking on your bottom lip before pulling it back with a soft pop. You moan against the next kiss, tugging on his shirt as his hand roams inside of yours.
"Can we fuck already?"
"Not what I came here for." He chuckles when he pulls back from the kiss. "Just wanted to kiss you and cuddle you to sleep."
"Wow, are you being foreel?" You kinda laugh in his face, unsure if he was serious or not.
"Seriously." He edges his face to kiss you some more on the neck, letting him do whatever he wanted to do to you.
Which was that; it was just that. And sometimes, you really did enjoy this part of having Yoongi around— where there was nothing but safety, comfort. No strings attached.
/ END FLASHBACK
The flashback comes into Yoongi's mind after he steps out of the shower, your constant 'I'm sorry's' repeating in his head while he looked at his own business card sitting next to his phone on the bathroom sink counter.
More like your voice repeating in his head, the look on your face repeating in his head. Your eyes, lips.
He can never forget those.
The towel hangs loosely on his waist, water drips down his orange hair, down his chest. He lets out a deep sigh before grabbing his phone, clicking his teeth when he grabs the card.
"Fuck." He mumbles to himself when he types in your number and decides to send a text. A lousy, little text—
[unknown number] 8:53am: coming by again any time soon?
[unknown number] 8:54am: it's yoongi btw
He's definitely lost his touch. He does a slight head tilt when he tosses his phone aside, waiting for your response. Albeit, he hasn't really had a relationship since he was messing with you. Had a few fuckbuddies on the side to try and get rid of the shit you put him through. Nonetheless though, it was never going to compare.
You look at your phone, startled at the sudden notification [especially since it wasn't your family or Rissa]. You look at Yoongi's text for a little bit, unsure if you're relieved he actually put your number to use or if you're nervous about interacting with him some more.
[y/n] 8:58am: why do you ask?
[yoongi] 9:01am: promos happening, just thought you should know
You smirk. That was a terrible lie, and he should've known better than to pull that one.
[y/n] 9:05am: riiiight.. lol. thought about coming later today. could use another massage after this proposal takes everything out of me. wasn't sure if i'd try another kind of massage tho.
[yoongi] 9:07am: you don't want the other dudes here, trust me
[y/n] 9:08am: and why not??
[yoongi] 9:11am: just cause. let me know if you're stopping by, ok? i'm free at 4.
[y/n] 9:12am: yoongi, i know you aren't really just texting me about some promos..
[yoongi] 9:14am: i mean i am
[yoongi] 9:15am: listen, i just want you to know that i didn't mean to come off rude or anything last session. i'm sorry, alright? you know i never mean to hurt you, but i also had to be real with you
[y/n] 9:17am: heard you loud & clear.
[yoongi] 9:18am: so coming by later today?
[y/n] 9:20am: sure, i guess so. why not.
[yoongi] 9:21am: kk
[y/n] 9:22am: why do you want me to come by so badly?
[yoongi] 9:23am: just think we need to re-do last session, felt kinda bad
[yoongi] 9:25am: i gotta run, i'm about to be fucking late and i haven't even left the house yet. i'll see u later
You look at your phone in slight disbelief. This was starting to sound a bit like the Yoongi you knew, however, you were still confused as to why he wanted you to come by so badly.
Plus, he didn't even want you to try the other services they had to offer because he felt like he needed to re-do the last session?
He was up to something. Even if he wouldn't say it directly.
But really, you knew it was easy for Yoongi to feel bad. He never liked making you upset in any way possible, never liked making you feel like you weren't worth his time or effort. Because you always were worth it, you were always going to be worth it to him.
When you left the other day, he couldn't help but feel a tad bit guilty about his tone and how he came off. He never intended for it to be that way. Sure, he was hurt. But he wasn't going to fight fire with fire. Seeing you made him miss you, too. He was afraid to admit it, but he'll say it now. He does miss you. He misses how things used to be. And maybe it won't ever go back to that 100%, but he'd enjoy having you back in his life one way or another.
That's why he doesn't want you to try the other services and see his colleagues. They had their own shit going on too, anyway. He tends to be pretty selfish with you, whether he realizes it or not.
Your day goes by stressfully, with this month-long proposal finally being submitted as a final draft to your boss. You had put in so much time and effort into this, fixing every single detail down to the T to make sure it was to his liking. He has you walk through the proposal from beginning to end, suggesting teeny tiny last n minute edits before he tells you that the proposal is beautiful and that it should be good to go after the last corrections have been made.
A relief.
You definitely deserved this massage, especially since you worked so hard, so long, on this shit [that wasn't necessarily even your responsibility] and took the project under your wing with grace.
Waltzing into Blissful Hands a bit before 4PM, the waiting room is a bit more packed than you the past two times you've been here. Yannie gives you a wave, signaling for you to do the same routine before seeing Yoongi. You sit there awkwardly, fiddling with your fingers until you see Yoongi poke his head out from the hallway to give you an 'i'm ready for you' nod. You purse your lips together and follow him to his room— this time, candles lit, incense burning.
"Uh, wow." You set your things aside. "Those smell really nice."
"Figured I'd help you relax a bit more this time." He looks at you. "How are you feeling today?"
"Good I guess, finally fucking finished that proposal I've been working on for months."
"Yeah?" He licks his bottom lip before turning. "That's good. Assuming you're in marketing like you've always dreamed of getting into?" You shrug before walking towards the back divider.
"Mhm." It's quiet for a moment as you switch out of your clothes and get into the robe, gently sitting on the edge of the table while your feet dangle as Yoongi prepares the rest of his supplies. He finally turns and comes towards you, hand brushing the hair away from your shoulder.
"Is it okay if I start with the front today?" He asks you.
"Do you always do that?"
"Sometimes, If I wanna switch it up."
"You know best." He chuckles a bit.
"Lie down, please." He hands you a smaller linen to cover your breasts when you slip out of the robe and lie down in the position he needs you to be in.
"Did you really feel bad for last time?"
"Kinda, yeah. Not gonna lie. Didn't want you to think I was coming off like a dick."
"Maybe just a tad. Understandable though. It's my fault."
"Sorry." He says. "I am happy to see you again, you know?" He says softly. "You always win."
"Win?" You watch as he drips some oil down your arm, eyes locking onto yours as he places the tiny bottle down. He starts to work his hands down your arm and up to your shoulder, to the base of your neck, his touch sending tingles down your spine this time.
"I can never stay mad at you." He says huskily. "After all this time, I didn't think it'd be the same way, but it is."
"Elaborate."
"I—" He sighs a bit, positioning himself right above your head as he drops more oil down your left arm and abdomen. "I was just remembering the times we spent together, that's all."
"I miss it." You simply tell him. You know your eyes should be shut right now, but for some reason, you can't. He doesn't even tell you to, and you know it's his intention when he locks eyes with you during the duration of his warm up. Even as Yoongi turns to grab some of his stones, he still looks at you.
He keeps looking at you.
You swallow the lump in your throat when he takes a stone down your arm, slowly. His body drops a little closer to yours, his chin almost matching your level when he brings it back up and down with the right pressure.
"Does it feel okay?" He asks, close to a whisper, lips only inches away from yours.
"Mhm." You look at him.
"Harder? Softer? Let me know."
"It's perfect, Yoongi."
"Okay." He works your arms before moving the smaller stones to your abdomen. His finger gently brushes over the linen cloth covering your clothed pussy, his eyes flickering back up to you when he catches you slightly flinch. "You okay?"
"Sorry, was just not ready for that."
"I'll take it slow." He says, his hands using the stones as an extension as he kneads and kneads gently into your stomach and abdomen. You weren't sure why, but you were nervous around him. But in a way where you had hoped you were still enough for him. In a way where he'd look at you and still remember how he felt about you back in the day, even if you couldn't get that back. At least he'd remember.
His touch makes your palms sweaty and he feels that when he takes his tiny stones against your palm and places them in between your fingers.
"Nervous?"
"Not really." He smirks.
"You don't have to lie, I can tell Y/N." He gives you a hand massage. "Don't be nervous, okay? I told you I wanted you to relax this time around."
"Okay."
"Gonna move to your legs now." He uncovers your right leg, locking eyes with you once again when he lets the oil drip from your thigh to your inner thigh, even as he continues to move down your leg. His large hands start from your feet, up to your calf and knee before he's kneading your thigh and inner thigh. Your breathing hitches when you feel him getting closer and closer to your heat, only for him to pull away and grab his stones.
"Yoongi?" You panic and call for him even though you don't necessarily know what you're trying to say right now.
"Mhm?"
"T-that felt nice." You recover quickly.
"Yeah?" He focuses the stone in his palm against your inner thigh, watching as you close your eyes momentarily, body feeling heavy but relaxed in his grip. "Good."
And it's like that, it just continues to be a teasing game for the majority of the session. You weren't sure what Yoongi was hinting at during this moment, but god, did he make you feel good. He always knew how to make you feel good, one way or another. The session goes on for the full hour, Yoongi standing near the side of the table as you try to sit up and stable yourself post-mini nap while he worked on your back. He places his hand on your thigh as your cover your body with the linen cloth, brushing your hair back as you sit and get yourself together.
"Yo, are you okay? Was it that bad?" You chuckle.
"Shut up. It felt so nice. I wish I could just lay here forever, seriously." He smiles. "You're really good at what you do."
"Thanks." You look at him and he doesn't say much, but he also doesn't move away. "Guess I'll be seeing you again then?"
"Maybe." You stand, bodies almost pressed together with the way he doesn't move in his position. "I just hope I'm not a bother."
"You've never been a bother. Just wanted you to actually enjoy yourself." He says. The pause lingers for longer than you imagined, and you're not entirely sure what takes over you in that brief moment [although you kinda do], but you move yourself closer to him, lips crashing into his.
He doesn't move away.
He takes the kiss and runs with it, hands coming up to the small of your back to press you flush against him. You can feel the bulge in his pants against your covered core, and suddenly, you want more out of Yoongi. You're just not sure if you could have it the same way you did before—
"Do you know what you're doing right now?" He pulls back slightly, whispering against your lips.
"Think so."
"I don't know if we should be doing this again."
"Then why didn't you stop me earlier?"
"Shit is just going to get complicated."
"It doesn't have to be. What was all that during the session?"
"I was just doing my job, Y/N" He steps back a bit, teeth nibbling onto his bottom lip. "I—yeah." He sets his things aside. "We probably shouldn't." He scratches at his temple, flustered from the kiss because yeah, does he want you. He really does miss you, does miss having that relationship he had with you— keeping you close, having you to himself at one point.
He's not sure why or how these feelings came rushing back, but they did, especially after you laid that kiss on him moments ago. It's like the complete closure you two were looking for never came because it brought you two to this very moment where maybe, you didn't need to close that part off. Maybe, you both didn't need to shut each other out completely for the rest of your lives.
Maybe, it would be better this time around.
But no, Yoongi still gets a little afraid, still is doubtful. He doesn't know anything about your life right now besides you working your dream job. Hell, you could have a man for all he knows and that could all be fucked up and complicated now.
What was he doing?
What were you two doing?
That was always the question, and that's probably the biggest reason why he just had to step away in the first place.
"Um, I'll give you some space to get dressed." He says, clearing his throat. "You can make your next appointment at the front after, okay?"
"Wait, Yoongi—" You watch as he scurries on out, shutting the door behind him and leaving you to your own peace. "Fuck." You run your hand through your hair, dragging the stupid linen cloth along with you to the back divider to get changed. You still hoped you could catch him, so you hurriedly throw on your clothes and grab your bag, not realizing that your wallet had been poking out and fell onto the floor in the midst of your swift motions.
No Yoongi in sight.
You let out a deep sigh, tugging on your bag strap as you walk out and greet Yannie with that same old 'it felt amazing' smile you always give her before walking out of the establishment.
Fresh air. Fresh, fresh air. No tension, no suffocation.
"Rissa, fuck." You call her as soon as you step into your door, tossing off your shoes and throwing your keys aside. "I'm sorry, I know it's probably still stupid early there but I need you."
"What happened?" She sleepily asks, still trying to get some shut eye in before she has to fully wake up for her day.
"I kissed him."
"Oh fuck." She lets out with a laugh. "Ohhh fuck. Wow, yeah, I like waking up to this kinda news."
"No, bad!" You tell her in a whiny tone. "I shouldn't have, and now it's probably gonna be so awkward. I couldn't help it though, I felt like he was teasing me all session and being gentle with me for certain reasons."
"He's a fucking masseuse, Y/N." She laughs.
"He was teasing me!"
"Listen, he probably liked the kiss so much he had to run off and hide his boner." She shuffles in the back. "That boy has always had it for you. I ship."
"Rissa."
"What, you can't tell me that this is out of the ordinary. You two are always so fucking weird about your relationship, especially you. Just get together already!" She yells into her pillow. "You two obviously have always really liked each other and those feelings never went away. Why don't you finally do something about it? I mean, don't you think there's a reason why you two crossed paths again?"
"Ugh."
"Yeah, ugh. You're telling me." She chuckles. "Go for it this time. Please don't hold back and just go for it." You pause, digging through your bag to try and find your wallet. "Hello? All of a sudden you don't wanna say shit." She jokes.
"Wait, oh my god." You start to panic a bit when you realize your wallet is nowhere to be found. "What the fuck!"
"What's wrong?"
"My wallet? It's gone? I don't know if I dropped it or—"
"Did you have it on you when you got to the massage parlor?"
"Yeah, I did." You sigh and run your hand through your hair. "Shit."
"Welp, guess you're going back to see Yoongi." She giggles. "I better hear about him clapping your cheeks when you get back."
"You're too much." You roll your eyes and shake your head. "I gotta go before I lose my shit even more."
"Update me, text me, whatever. I hope you find it, boo. I'm sure it's just there."
"Thanks. I'll keep you posted." You grab your keys, sighing deeply as you slip back into your shoes and head out back to the parlor. It's not as busy as it was earlier, with only two people waiting in the waiting room for their sessions. Yannie is surprised to see you back, questioning whether or not something had gone wrong during your last session. You simply tell her no, and that you were just over to check if your wallet had fallen out in Yoongi's room. Luckily, he doesn't have anyone back there just yet, so she lets you head on back and straight to his room.
No Yoongi again, though.
You peek your head in at first, scanning the room to see if Yoongi may have just been hiding in the corners, but he wasn't there. You welcome yourself into the room anyway, figuring you were harmlessly looking for your wallet. You scan the side of the room thoroughly, checking the sides, crevices, making sure you weren't missing the item as you passed along. When you finally hit the back area, you catch a glimpse of your wallet right underneath the divider, giving you some relief.
"Oh, thank god." You mutter to yourself.
"What're you doing?" You jump, startled at Yoongi's voice as he stands at the doorway with a tangerine in his hand.
"I—uh, dropped my wallet. Didn't realize it until I got home." You raise your wallet and shyly show him.
"Oh." Is all he says.
"Sorry, I'll get out of your way now." You try to rush out but he blocks your path, holding his hand out.
"Wait, you don't have to rush out."
"Kinda want to after earlier." You directly tell him.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to do in the moment." He looks at you, genuinely trying to apologize. "I mean— it happened so fast. I didn't know what to say or do." He stumbles over his own words.
"You shouldn't be the one apologizing."
"Look Y/N, I didn't mean all of that. I didn't mean to lead you on, or anything. It was kinda just.. a defense mechanism for me. It's been so long since we both had been close in that way and I'm afraid you'd pull the same shit."
"Things change, you know? Even though I didn't try before, doesn't mean I wouldn't try this time around." You try to brush past him, but you still aren't successful. "Yoongi, please just let me get home."
"I know things change." He says. "Can we— can we just do that whole thing over?"
"You'd want to?" You cock your head to the side, trying your best to read him.
"I know we both had our own faults in the past and I want to leave that there as much as possible. At the same time, I really missed you and it's been hitting me ever since the first time you walked into this establishment. I don't know what it is about you, Y/N. I don't know if I'll ever figure it out. But I want us to move past that and start fresh, whatever that means. I'd hate to let you slip away again." He looks at you, stares into your soul almost. You don't really know what to say except, you know this feeling all too well. You've felt this for Yoongi for so long, you've thought about him and your relationship with him for so long. He was the one you couldn't stop thinking about, the one who you always managed to ponder 'what if's' and 'maybe's' about.
You're also terrible with words, but you nod anyways. And you finally find the courage to tell him—
"I feel the same way." He gives you a tiny smile before placing his tiny tangerine down on the counter. He gently cups your cheeks, pulling you in for a kiss that manages to deepen quickly— so quickly that you find yourself being carried onto the table. Yoongi sits you on the end, hands roaming up your sides before giving it a good squeeze.
"I wasn't sure how to take it earlier, please don't take it personally." He whispers near your jaw as he begins to pepper it with light kisses. You tilt your head back slightly to give him more area to work with, eyes shut and rolling to the back of your head when you feel his tongue glide over your neck and below your ear.
"I'm sorry. I—" You whisper back, trying to explain why you had the sudden urge to kiss him at that moment, but he cuts you off.
"It's fine, you don't need to explain. We're here now, right? Can't necessarily turn back." His lips graze yours as his hand travels down your shirt, tugging on the bottom half to signal that he wants you out of it. "Don't necessarily want to, either."
"Fuck— don't you have someone coming in soon?"
"In about 30 minutes, yeah."
"Yoongi."
"Can make you cum before then, right?" He smirks, finally getting you out of your top.
"Is that on your secret menu?"
"No." He chuckles. "Promise." His hands start to roam over your breasts, giving them a good squeeze while he continues to kiss you passionately— working his tongue in your mouth, sucking on your tongue in between. He tugs on your bottoms, getting you to slip out of them with ease. He feels the wet spot pooling on those thin, black panties you have on and it instantly sends blood rushing to his dick—
The fact that you two still had this affect on each other, he couldn't help himself.
You continue to kiss him roughly, passionately, as you get him out of his own clothes, tossing all the pieces of fabric to various points in the room. He slips you out of your panties, instantly rubbing his thumb against your clit. You let out a quick, muffled moan against his lips, only for Yoongi to pull back and smirk at you.
"Like that?" You nod.
"Why'd you stop?"
"Thought I could make it a little more fun." You watch as he grabs his oil and his smaller stones. "If.. that's okay with you. These were the ones I used on you earlier."
"Okay." You say, close to a whisper, gently bringing your lips back onto his. Your hands snake up his neck to get a good grip on his orange strands, tugging on them lightly as he works his way down to your neck again. He pulls away slightly, locking eyes with you before he spreads your legs wider and lets some drops of oil fall down your abdomen and onto your pussy.
He sees your breathing hitch again, but this time, he takes the stone and presses it against your clit to start massaging the oil around.
"Yoongi, fuck." You breathe out as you sit back a bit further, head tilting in pleasure.
"Can already tell how wet you are for me." He bites onto his bottom lip as he continues to work the stone and oil against your clit, free hand slipping in two fingers to pump in and out of you. If it weren't for the soft music Yoongi had playing in the background, you were sure people passing by could hear how wet you were. Because to Yoongi, all he hears is you. The way your pussy sounds when he works his digits inside, the way you let out soft moans as you sit back and let him do his work.
"Need you inside." You let out breathily as you open your eyes again and watch Yoongi damn near pierce his bottom lip with how quick he's trying to work his magic and make you cum on his fingers.
"Wanna cum for me first?" He says near the surface of your neck, lips grazing below your ear before he takes your earlobe into his mouth and gently tugs back. He works the stone faster against your clit, the pressure enough to have you reaching the edge quicker than expected even if the stone was losing its heat.
"Fuck, yeah— like that—" You whine, working your hips against his motions. "Shit, I'm gonna cum—" In a matter of seconds, you feel your high, body twitching as you finally tip over the edge and call Yoongi's name. He slowly pumps his digits in and out, helping you work through your high until he slowly removes it from inside of you. He smirks, setting the stone and oil aside before grabbing at your jaw.
"Open." You do as told, allowing Yoongi to slip in his fingers just so you could have a taste of yourself. "That's my girl." He says.
"Wanna feel you, please." You beg, watching as Yoongi strokes his rock hard cock before bringing you back closer to the edge of the table and spreading your legs wide open for him.
"I got you, baby. You know I always do. Lay back for me and relax." He says, dropping some oil down the valley of your breasts, your stomach. He takes two stones into his palms, gliding it over your chest and stomach, multitasking to add the right pressure through his hands while he takes a hardened bud into his mouth and tongues it in circular motions.
"Oh my god—" You whine, feeling him move onto the next nipple to repeat the process, his tongue gliding effortlessly over your bud. When he finally feels like he's had enough teasing you and making you beg for more, he leans back, setting his shit aside before giving your clit a good rub. He spits on to your pussy, watching it drip down to meet his cock as he slowly penetrates your entrance. Your mouth falls open, a silent moan releasing. It's been years, but you could never forget how Yoongi always made you feel so good, so fucking full and complete.
"Fuck, missed this." He huffs as he bottoms out. He stays in his position for awhile, afraid to move and release too fast, even though he knows he's on a bit of a time crunch right now. He slowly begins to thrust in and out of you, finding his rhythm after a few strokes. He's careful to make sure he doesn't make too much noise with the table, careful to place his hand over your mouth when he starts to hear you moan loudly again as he picks up his pace.
But all in all, his end goal was to make you beg for more and fuck you into oblivion.
Which, he always manages to do. He manages to do it tonight. He's fucking you so good and so deep that you're screaming his name into his palm, tears spilling over and staining your cheeks. His hand has a tight grip onto your thigh, keeping you stationary as he rocks into you— in and out, in and out.
"Baby shit, you feel so good." He moans deeply, head tilting back in pleasure for a quick moment before he's focused on you and only you. "Gonna make me cum all over you. You want that?" You nod, whimpering a quick 'mhm' into his palm once again while he continues with the momentum he has going. You tap his wrist a few times, signaling that you're about to reach your high again tonight, and he picks up on a quick.
"Cumming—" You manage to mumble.
He sees the way you grip onto his wrist.
Feels the way you're clenching around his cock.
Watches the quick way your chest rises with every breath.
It's not long before he feels you tightening around him, eyes shut as you dig your nails onto his wrist and moan loudly into his hand.
"Fuck, gonna cum with you." He groans. The sight, the feeling, is enough for Yoongi reach his high, quickly pulling out to release his seed all over the surface of your pussy.
"Holy shit." You pant, laying there as you and Yoongi try to regulate your breathing. His hands run up your sides to help soothe you, leaning down to place a kiss on your lips before coming back up to grab a towel near the table.
"You okay?"
"More than okay." He chuckles.
"Let me clean you up." He says, wetting the towel and cleaning you up before helping you up from the table.
"You have like 7 minutes before your next client." He shrugs.
"It's fine, I'll clean up quick." You slip back into your own clothes.
"The stones?" You look at him and point at the table.
"Ah, yeah. I'll sanitize those but I'll probably stash them away for you." You laugh.
"Wow, I get my own set of dedicated stones, huh?"
"Probably better that way, anyway. I have extra, and Yannie can always order more for me." You shake your head.
"Thanks, by the way." You raise your wallet. "Needed this."
"Figured." He fixes his shirt and tucks it into his pants before letting out a breath and walking back towards you. "So, am I gonna see you again?" He pulls you tightly by the waist, keeping you flush against him as you look him in the eyes and smile.
"Just might." He chuckles and nods before caressing your chin and placing a warm, soft peck against your lips.
"Let me know when you get home, alright?"
"Okay. Have a good rest of your shift." You giggle before walking out and leaving him to his peace. Getting home, all you could think about was the sudden turn of events and how you were going to tell Rissa about the shit that just happened.
She'd be fucking ecstatic.
She was.
Not even gonna lie.
You had to pull the phone from your ear a couple of times even though that girl claimed she was going to keep it a minimum since she was supposedly on a team call. And to be quite honest, you liked every bit of it even though it made you flustered at times. You liked it because you finally felt like you could do this right, could do him right. You liked it because it finally felt like things had fallen into place and that the closure you thought you needed didn't have to actually come—
Because now, you and Yoongi could finally move on and move past that grey area, together.
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>> 1.5 MONTHS LATER
For days, you and Yoongi had continued to see each other at the parlor, both for hot stone reasons and other reasons, before he was finally seeing you at your place and vice versa. Following those weeks and the next month or so, you had started to see each other outside of work, spending a lot of time together and spending the night at each other's homes. Everything had grown quickly, but at the same time, it only felt natural being that you and Yoongi had known each other and had been in this space before. It almost feels like you two picked up right where you left off, even though the both of you considered this to be a fresh start.
It felt amazing, real, genuine.
Like everything had fallen right into your lap just how it should have. And hell yeah, you learned your lesson from the beginning. You weren't gonna mess this up again.
"Scoot." He smiles when he sees you laying down in his bed with nothing on. You set your phone on his nightstand, gripping the sheets closer to your body when you turn and face him. He slips himself in, immediately pulling you flush against his body before brushing the hair out of your face. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." He lets out a small laugh, giving your side a light squeeze.
"Say it, baby."
"It's just kinda crazy, isn't it?"
"What?"
"This. Us?"
"It's crazy only if you make it crazy." You playfully punch him on the chest.
"Seriously." You pout and he gives in, he always gives in.
"A bit, but I wouldn't think too much of it. Guess this is how it was meant to happen."
"Never got that closure because we never needed the closure." You added.
"Are you happy, though?"
"Of course I am." He looks at you and presses a kiss against your forehead.
"I want you to let me know when you aren't, okay? The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy. Doesn't matter if that means with me or not. I just want you to be honest."
"I know. But, I am." He nods.
"Okay." You lean in and kiss him on the lips just as he turns from shutting off his nightstand light.
"Sleeping already?" You mumble against his lips and he smirks.
"I mean, fuck. Yeah? Was hoping to at least get some sleep tonight." You giggle, gently grabbing at his jaw and pulling him in for another kiss.
"No fuuuun." You whine.
"What'd you have in mind then?"
"Oh, I don't know? Thought we could just stay up and talk." His breathing hitches when he feels your soft hand stroking his cock, hardening by the minute.
"S-stay up and talk, huh?" He lets out a breathy moan when he feels you pump him slowly, grabbing his tip and smearing his pre-cum all over your clit. "Aren't you tired, baby?"
"Nope. We don't have to go all the way, though." You say, slipping his cock in between your legs, enough for it to glide smoothly back and forth between your pussy lips. A low groan emits from his lips, hand gripping onto your ass to keep you close. He sucks onto your bottom lip before biting down and pulling back.
"Always make me feel so good." He whispers, feeling your wetness spread across his length. It's almost embarrassing how quick you can make him cum just by doing this but god, it felt heaven sent. Just being with you, by you, all around you, felt heaven sent.
"I could at least do my part somehow, right?" You giggle, nipping at his chiseled jawline while rocking along his length, picking up your pace at the same time. He feels your tongue swipe against the surface across his throat, making Yoongi let out a moan that has him stressing—
"B-baby, gonna make me cum—fuck—" His pants getting heavier, cock twitching underneath you. You glide slowly, feeling his tip brush up against your clit before sliding back down before picking up your pace again.
"Gonna cum with you." You whisper, feeling yourself tipping over the edge with every move you make at this point. When Yoongi finally lets himself go, it's mid-kiss and he's having to grip your waist tightly as he releases white ribbons messily all over your legs and in between. You tremble in his grip, allowing yourself to fully let go as well while he holds you close.
"That felt so good, princess." He presses a kiss against your temple, holding you close to him as you come down from your own high. He grabs a few napkins from the nightstand to clean you both up nicely before he's tossing it into the trash can and shutting his eyes when his body crashes back onto the mattress.
"Yeah it did." You throw your leg over him as you lay on his chest and listen to his heartbeat slowing down. "Are you really gonna sleep?"
"Baby." He laughs. "Yes?! As much as I love you, you fucking wear me out. Sheesh." You chuckle.
"Fine."
"Goodnight. Expect me to wake you up bright and early though."
"Mhm." You tease as he kisses the top of your head. As promised, Yoongi does wake you up very bright and early for another round. And you loved these moments with him, you loved it even more now because he was yours and you were his. No more of that bullshit, that fuckbuddy-no-strings-attached-but-kinda-strings-attached grey area you both had going on for years.
It just felt right.
When the both of you split ways in the morning for work, you figured you'd visit him during his lunch just to spend more time with him [as if you didn't already]. Rissa calls you while you drive over to the parlor just as she makes her way to the airport as her work trip finally comes to an end.
Not only was Yoongi yours, but your bestfriend was finally coming home.
Yeah, shit felt right.
"You better tell him I'm coming over as soon as I reach the airport so I can tease the hell out of both of you."
"Yeah, yeah."
"I'm so happy. Fucking finally. I get to come home. I get to spend time with my bestfriend. I get to see her happy. Maybe I'll finally find somebody to mess with at Blissful Hands, too."
"Please." You laugh. "Don't even start."
"Can't promise." She squeals. "I'm excited. I'll text you as soon as I'm on my way over, alright?"
"Oh, you were serious?"
"Yeah I fucking was, you better make room for me. Yoongi can wait." You nod.
"Alright, alright. Speaking of him, I just got here. Have a safe flight, okay? I love you."
"I love you too!" You end the call and tuck your phone into your purse before heading into the establishment.
"Goodmorning Miss Y/N." Yannie smiles at you.
"Hey!"
"He's on his lunch in the back."
"Cool, thanks." You say, heading back towards Yoongi's room. On the way over, you see his colleagues getting ready for their own clients. One smiles at you [Taehyung or was it Namjoon?] while the other mumbles to him—
"Great, gonna have to hear him fuck her brains out again." Which you catch on the way to Yoongi's, making you giggle to yourself before you greet your man and shut the door behind you.
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tags: @spideyjimin​ @miinoongi​ @thebeebi​ @ggukkieland​ @bluesharksandfish​ @unicornbabylover​ @preciouschimine​ @codeinebelle​ @shesoldbutcute​ @jikookiekosmos​ @awhnamjoon​ @namjooningelsewhere​ @bunnybearrj​ @babycoffeefire​ @bri-mal​ @sintaethick​ @taejkjoons​ @love2luvya-blog​ @pb-n-juju​ @dianaxnyc​ @fan-ati--c​ @jungjoonie​ @jcsmae​ @favouritesblog​ @ppeachyttae​ @awseokjin​ @jjk1iscoming​ @moonchild1​ @vantxx95​ @genzslayer​ @knjeuphoria​ @jksjx​ @oogawooga222 @yoonqki​ @halesandy​ @chimchimmarie​ @deliciousdetectivestranger​ @lookhere-2seok​ @persphonesorchid​
1K notes · View notes
segretecose · 4 months
Note
Ok, Taskmaster UK tier list. Go
excluding: pre-Series 7 (because it has been ages since i've seen them and i honestly do not remember); Champion of Champions; New Years Treat
(*) indicates the series that i have watched multiple times and/or more recently.
S16*: possibly dictated by recency bias but i genuinely enjoyed this series more than any other i think. it usually takes me a couple of episodes to warm up to the cast but i was immediately sucked in this time. not a single normal person in sight and Sam Campbell is a special brand of insane that i resonate with on a worryingly deep and personal level.
S7*: watching James Acaster get genuinely angry over futile things is one of life's greatest pleasures if you ask me and my god does this series deliver on that front. this cast exists somewhere between found family and deranged Lord of the Flies remake in a way that i find irresistible.
S10: nearly ex aequo with S13 but the fact that this was filmed during the pandemic gives it an underlying hysterical quality that makes it take the cake. the outtakes (especially the "Little Trumper" part) are possibly the hardest i've ever laughed while watching this programme.
S13*: the way the cast interact in the studio really gives this series some extra oomph. i can't quite put my finger on it but the vibe is sort of like Fellowship of the Ring except they all die the second they set foot outside of Rivendell. besides, Greg Davies being genuinely scared of Bridget Christie will never not be hilarious to me.
S11*: very close to S10 and S13 but i have a primal dislike of Lee Mack that means i personally can't fully enjoy these episodes. there are still some excellently cursed moments (e.g., "absolute casserole") to be enjoyed. i had a weird crush on Mike Wozniak for months after watching this. it was humiliating but it bumps it up in the ranking.
S9: i've only watched it once back when it aired and maybe it would rank higher if i did watch it again. Ed Gamble's actual visceral rage at David Baddiel during that one studio task is legendary, i wish we got more of that. unfortunately i can't remember much else.
S14: as deducible from this list one of my favourite Taskmaster tropes is Contestant Who Desperately Wants to Do Well being teamed up and hindered by Inept Contestant(s) and the Dara O'Briain - Fern Brady - John Kearns partnership is a shining example of that. ranks low(er) only because i feel like the tasks themselves weren't terribly memorable.
S12: similarly to S9, i feel like i need to revisit this one to form fair judgment but i don't think i ever really clicked with the cast. i liked the contestants individually but perhaps their interaction was hampered by the social distancing measures. i remember it was enjoyable but that's about it.
S8: another example of one cast member souring the overall experience for me. i didn't love Lou Sanders in this and i just can't be objective about it. Joe Thomas had some good moments i think.
S15: even though it's the second most recent series i can't remember much from it. nothing against the contestants but unfortunately i think something did not work and the comparison to S16 makes it look even more lacklustre in hindsight.
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hecoxthirst · 1 month
Text
Title: Ivy and forget-me-nots
For @lilac-hecox
Rating: General audiences
Tags: Alternative universe, soulmates, tattoos/birthmarks, angst, fluff, happy ending, fan art.
Summary: Everyone in the world is born with a little bud drawn on their inner wrist, that changes over time. This is the story of Ian and Anthony's relationship told through those changes.
Read on AO3
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Everyone in the world is born with a little bud drawn on their inner wrist.
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It looks like a tattoo, but it’s more like a birthmark, and it changes over time. The style of it and even what real life plant it resembles is not the same for everyone.
When Ian first meets Anthony, he’s just a kid. He hasn’t put much thought into his mark, yet. He knows it will start to change when he meets his soulmate. He is excited to notice the first changes after only knowing him for a few weeks.
He can’t stop looking at it. From the base of his wrist, long thin stems have begun to grow. Small buds open up over time, revealing tiny, pale blue flowers.
“Looks like forget-me-nots.” His mother casually comments. He blushes and pulls down his sleeve, like any prepubescent kid would do when confronted about their crush.
Ian feels lucky to feel such a strong bond with his soulmate already. And they met so young too! This is great. It means they’ll get to spend the rest of their lives, the majority of their lives, together. Some aren’t as lucky and only get to see their mark bloom much later in life, spending their young years wondering if their soulmate is actually out there somewhere.
He has no doubt it’s Anthony.
Twisting vines have started to sprout from his wrist, and the first leaves appeared when Ian agreed to stay overnight so they can work on Anthony’s website.
Anthony always dreamed about meeting his soulmate in the most romantic circumstances possible. He had a whole romance movie in his head. He didn’t expect his mark to start growing after spending a day drawing swirly poops with flies around them, but he can’t be mad about it.
Something about Ian immediately caught his attention. It’s the way he laughs so easily at his jokes, and the way he’s so effortlessly funny, making Anthony laugh too. Plus, he’s really cute, which is a nice bonus.
Anthony knows soulmates can have complicated relationships, but he knows it’s even worse when people ‘settle’ for someone who isn’t their soulmate.
His mother never found hers. She married once, but it wasn’t the one. Things worked out in the end for their family, sure, but Anthony still can’t help but think that there’s gotta be someone out there who would be the perfect fit. He can’t help himself, he’s a romantic.
This is why he’s beyond excited to get to spend every second of every day with Ian. They are inseparable. Their respective parents already talk about how they make a cute couple, they have also become acquainted with each other knowing they will be in-laws eventually.
And Anthony believes this too. He is too young to do anything now, but he can’t wait to be old enough to propose.
Despite this, they don’t do anything explicitly romantic besides holding hands. Their bond is so strong. They are destined to be together, there’s no need to rush things.
Still, Anthony’s feelings grow stronger every day, just like the ivy climbing up his arm.
It’s hard to know if Ian feels the same, sometimes. But Anthony can’t doubt their love. He has to believe.
Finding your soulmate this young is actually pretty rare. 
Soon, most people just kinda know they found the one. It’s easy to tell, just looking at their marks. Not everyone knows they are each other’s soulmates, but most people who know them do.
They have their first kiss when they are fifteen.
Neither of them had the chance to date other people, so neither of them has experience with this stuff. Anthony asks Ian out on their first ‘official’ date - yes, Ian, it’s different than just hanging out! It’s- it’s just different, trust me.
They fumble awkwardly, bumping noses and not knowing what to do with their hands, but after a brief moment they both burst into giggles.
“Oh.”
“See, I told you it would be different.”
“Can we, uh…”
“Do it again?”
“Yeah.”
Anthony’s smile couldn’t be brighter. If he smiled any harder than this it would hurt. He cups Ian’s face this time, making sure to measure the distance so they won’t bump into each other or press too hard this time. He connects their lips softly, and he feels Ian tremble slightly.
This is the happiest he’s ever been.
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As years pass, their marks don’t change much, but they stay just as luxuriant. Ian’s with his pretty blue flowers and Anthony with his lush green leaves.
Life moves along, Smosh becomes something bigger than they had ever imagined, so much that it feels like a lot to handle on their own. So when a company approaches them with the idea of buying it from them, it sounds really appealing.
It’s great at first. They have a bigger budget than they have ever had, the production quality of their videos skyrockets, but… over time, it becomes clear that something’s not right.
There’s this fragile equilibrium. It’s a pendulum swinging, it’s a glass set on the edge of a counter, it’s a sword hanging over both of their heads.
As Anthony grows angrier and more resentful, the ivy on his skin turns into something uglier he can’t even recognize.
On Ian’s arm, tiny blue petals begin to fall, crowding around his wrist like a bracelet he can’t take off. One by one they fade, until all that’s left is these sad, dried up stems.
Every time Ian gets a glimpse of the thorny mess on Anthony’s wrist, his stomach churns. He tries as hard as he can to ignore it. There’s already so much going on, they have so many projects. He can’t afford to stop and think too hard about what this means.
He’s heard the stories and he’s seen the movies. It’s never a good sign when someone’s mark changes so much for the worse.
Anthony feels like he’s trapped. Smosh, this beautiful thing they created together, which represents their friendship and their shared sense of humor, is being turned into some kind of creature he doesn’t recognize, something that has a life of its own and he has no control over it anymore. He feels lost and hurt, and it only gets worse when he’s finally brave and broaches the subject to Ian.
Of course Ian won’t leave with him. Look at those withering, dry stems on his arm. It shouldn’t come as a surprise. Anthony knows Ian stopped loving him a while ago.
With Anthony gone, Ian finds himself wearing a lot of long sleeved shirts. He’s tired of people assuming, or even worse, asking about his soulmate. He doesn’t want anyone to see what a sad, pathetic little thing his mark was reduced to.
All flowers fell long ago, and gradually those little stems are bending down, falling over, breaking. Soon, there’s nothing left. It’s like it was never even there. It almost looks like he doesn’t have a mark at all, which in a way is a relief.
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Years go by, and Ian never really stops missing Anthony, but the pain becomes more dull over time. He convinces himself that he doesn’t need, he doesn’t even want, a soulmate.
That is, until his friend brings it up. He avoids talking about Anthony when he can, but he trusts her enough to mention him, and she asks to see his mark.
He pulls away. He hasn’t shown it to anyone in years. But she’s gentle and he eventually gives in, offering his left arm to her. He can’t look at it. He knows what she will see. He feels her lift up his sleeve. When she says nothing, it bothers him enough to look at her to see her reaction.
She has this little smile on her face.
“What?” He asks, befuddled.
“Are you so sure you’re over him?”
He is confused. Until he sees her eyes dart downwards. He follows them until his own fall on his mark, and… his heart squeezes almost painfully. A small, pale, delicate flower has blossomed again after so long.
“Uh… that’s nothing. It doesn’t mean- I- I can’t.”
He panics, retreating his arm into his lap, hastily covering up his traitorous mark.
He’s been watching Anthony from afar. He can’t bring himself to watch through a single video, but he’s seen what his soulmate has been up to. He finally found his footing as a creator and he’s enjoying his success. Not just that, but he looks happier now. Happy, period.
Ian thinks ‘good for him’, but part of him can’t help but wonder. Is Anthony happier without him? Is he finally completely over him?
Anthony never hid his mark, unlike Ian. But over time it’s become harder to see it clearly, since he decided to hide it with tattoos. Or, at least that’s how Ian interprets it. He’s sure they have a significance or whatever.
Even so, Ian saw people speculate online. He saw the screenshots. He tries to stay away from that stuff, he blocked his name wherever he could so he wouldn’t have to see people’s comments about it, but even so… it’s inescapable. He stared at the green leaves amongst the thorns and the ink. He hadn’t seen a single leaf on Anthony’s skin in years.
He can’t help the little ember of hope burning in his chest. Maybe that’s why his own mark changed. Whatever he used to feel for Anthony was never truly gone, it’s just… it became harder to see what was so good about their relationship when everything else surrounding it was such a complete mess. But now, with distance, both physical and temporal… it’s easier to see it again.
So when his friend suggests he should reach out… it doesn’t feel completely insane to consider.
They meet - on purpose, with the intention of being in each other’s presence - for the first time since Anthony left.
They are not alone, they brought friends so they’ll have some kind of buffer between them. The idea of being alone with him is overwhelming. Ian doesn’t think he could handle it.
But it goes well. It’s a little awkward, but only for the first few minutes. They are both surprised to find it’s so easy to pick things up where they left them back when they could still call each other friends.
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They have been hanging out semi-regularly on their own for a while now. Ian can’t believe he is about to say this, but nothing has ever felt so right.
He chooses to be brave. If Anthony turns him down, at least he can say he tried.
“This is gonna sound crazy, so bear with me. It’s been on my mind for a while, uh… what if- what if we bought Smosh?”
Before he’s even done talking, Anthony jumps to his feet, unable to contain his excitement.
“Dude, you beat me to it, I was about to say-” he proceeds to go on a rant about everything they could do if they had their old channel back, and it’s clear that he’s put thought into this, it’s not the first time it crosses his mind. Ian can only sit there and listen, and watch him talk animatedly, with fondness blossoming in his heart, and awe painted on his face.
That’s it. There’s the man he fell for, that’s his soulmate he knew. He’s back.
Despite this, he won’t let his hopes up. They can be friends again. It doesn’t mean they are ready to be romantic soulmates again, not so soon, or maybe ever.
They meet at Ian’s house to attempt writing a sketch for the first time in… god, too long. He wonders if they still have it. He hopes so, but he wouldn’t be too shocked if it turns out they’ve changed too much.
They spend hours on this, almost forgetting this is supposed to be work. They are just having so much fun, laughing so hard their sides hurt. It feels like they are little kids again.
By the end, Ian is pretty satisfied with what they created.
Before leaving, Anthony turns to Ian. Ian can’t stop smiling, he’s giddy like he hasn’t been since he was a teen with a crush. To be fair, Anthony isn’t faring much better.
Anthony reaches for Ian’s left arm. Ian rolled up his sleeves without thinking. He is already gulping at the realization that Anthony probably saw his single blue flower, and the thought of what he’ll think about it.
Anthony’s eyes drag along his arm, watching in silent awe. Ian glances down and his eyes widen.
His mark has fully bloomed again over the span of a single afternoon. He hadn’t even noticed, he’s astonished. He knew his mark was sprouting new buds, but he didn’t think they’d all bloom at once so quickly.
“I’ve never seen it like this.” Anthony comments, almost breathless.
“Me neither.”
Anthony smiles at him at the admission. Ian takes one of the hands holding his wrist and turns it over so he can take a look at Anthony’s. He has a feeling, but if he’s wrong he’ll deal with it like an adult.
But whatever he was expecting wasn’t as wonderful as what he actually sees. There’s none of the tangled thorns. In their place, now beautiful ivy sprouts at his wrist and climbs all the way up his arm to his elbow, twisting around his arm.
When Ian glances up, he notices him blushing faintly.
“Yours grew so much in one day too?”
“No…” Anthony chuckles, shyly ducking his head. “It’s been growing for a while, but it’s even more lush after today.”
“Oh.”
He almost can’t believe this. All this time he thought his hope was unfounded and his feelings weren't reciprocated, at least not in full, but it’s impossible to deny now. The proof is a living, growing thing on Anthony’s skin.
“I’m sorry I interpreted it the wrong way,” Anthony says, once again taking Ian’s hands in his own. “It took me years to understand that it didn’t mean your love was gone, just that your feelings were complicated. Mine were too, I should have known.”
Ian is taken aback by the sincerity, but he gets a hold of himself and shakes his head.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I mean, I looked at yours and I thought it meant you hated me.”
“I could never hate you.” Anthony looks hurt by the mere insinuation, “I was just so angry, because I felt like we were losing control of something that used to be ours, and I needed you to stand by me, and you didn’t. I’m not blaming you, I understand why you couldn’t! But it hurt at the time. And… for a long time, after.”
Anthony squeezes his hands lightly. He can’t believe they are talking about this. He never thought they would talk again at all, let alone have such an earnest and heartfelt conversation. He missed Ian so fucking much, part of him still can’t believe he’s here right now.
“I know that now,” Ian says, “But seeing your ivy turn into that bramble… it was scary. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to say that that part of you is scary, you had a right to be upset–”
Anthony cuts him off, “I get it, it’s okay.” He smiles gently at him, so fondly, Ian almost melts. “Let’s not let our marks speak for us anymore, okay? Let’s use our words.”
Ian smiles back, blushing a bit.
“Yeah… good call.”
He looks away because he can’t stand to hold his gaze, and instead he takes in the beautiful forget-me-nots that now take up a large part of his forearm.
“Man, that’s gonna be hard to hide.” He chuckles. Anthony stays silent, so he looks up and immediately he realizes his mistake. “Not because I want to hide it! I just– sorry. Force of habit. I was hiding it for so long to avoid questions. I, uh…” It’s hard to admit. He feels pathetic, but he knows he’s safe to admit it to Anthony now. “I didn’t want people to pity me.”
Anthony lets go of his hands. Ian begins to panic, but soon he finds he has no reason to because one of Anthony’s hands goes to cup his face instead.
“If you would rather keep it private, I understand. Our bond is none of anyone’s business.”
“What about yours? That looks even harder to hide.”
Anthony shrugs. “I’ll wear long sleeves.”
Ian is so touched. He shakes his head.
“There’s no need to. I’d like people to see it.” He cracks a teasing smile, “You didn’t hide it back then it was at its worst, why hide it now that it’s so gorgeous?”
“If people see it, they’ll know how I feel about you. They’ll know something has changed… they’ll want to know everything, they’ll speculate.”
“Let them.”
Anthony is surprised to hear that. Ian always had this type of attitude, acting unaffected by everything, but he knows that he’s really a private person and this type of thing bothers him.
“Are you sure?”
“Fuck it, man.” Ian laughs. “I got my soulmate back. I don’t give a fuck what strangers on the internet have to say about it.”
Anthony can’t help but let his laughter infect him. Without having to think about it too much, he just does the most natural thing he could do. He kisses his soulmate.
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avonne-writes · 1 year
Text
Hope
Short lucemond drabble
TW: implied death
Luke survives Shipbreaker Bay. He’s washed ashore soaked and unconscious, and Aemond finds him like that on a rocky beach. Flooded with relief, he checks Luke for wounds, then picks him up gently and flies back to King’s Landing with him in his arms, trying to keep him warm despite the still raging storm.
When they arrive, their whole family descends on them. Aegon congratulates him, Otto schemes to use their little prisoner to their advantage, Alicent frets, unhappy with Aemond and worried about the consequences. Suddenly, Helaena rushes into the room and her face contorts in devastation when she sees Luke there, laid down on a bed and examined by a maester. She starts crying, mumbling about hope being the cruelest death. Aemond and Alicent both try to comfort her, but it's futile.
When Luke wakes up, he’s scared and angry. He’s tortured by shivers and coughs, but the fire in his eyes is as scorching as ever. Aemond visits him in his confinement as often as he can just to tease him and keep an eye on him while Otto tries to negotiate with Rhaenyra.
At first, Aemond starts feeling proud of himself for securing Baratheon and a bargaining chip in one go.
But the cough doesn’t get better.
Lucerys has a strong build and healthy organs, but it was cold and windy that night in the storm, and the sea was as welcoming as liquid ice. He’s suffering from a sickness that doesn't go away.
Aemond throws in a few jabs about it in the beginning, sitting in a chair by Luke’s bed as the maester rubs balms on Luke's rattling chest, but the quieter Luke’s retorts get, the deeper Aemond's concern spreads. When Luke stops getting out of bed, he forces him, thinking it can only be a fluke, or that not moving will only make Luke weaker. Luke’s fatigue is so heavy that he doesn’t even say anything to the accusations.
The next day, Luke comes down with a fever. Aemond is beside himself with dread and worry - something in his chest begins to tighten, almost like a shadow of his panic from that day in the bay. But it's a shadow that only grows, looming behind him ever darker as his sun's light weakens.
Luke sleeps through most of his days now, and even when he’s awake, his eyes are hazy, delirious. They slide off Aemond's face as if they don't recognize him.
The maesters try everything they can. None of their medicines work, the leeches only make Luke cry, and the cold cloth on Luke's forehead is lukewarm within minutes from the burning heat of his body. It's as though while barely escaping Vhagar's jaw, a lick of dragonfire caught him and began eating him from the inside out.
Helaena cries and mutters riddles about hope.
Aemond hopes. He wakes with it every morning, his heart pounding and trashing in an ever tightening cage as he walks the halls to Luke's room. Today, he’s going to glare at me and call me dragonkiller. But his hope is crushed every day as his gaze lands on Luke's sunken cheeks and pallid skin. He dies every day. It's just like those few minutes above Shipbreaker Bay when he thought Luke was gone.
Over and over again, he hopes and despairs in endless circles. But he feels his doom impending like winter in the North.
When Luke stops eating, he sits by his bedside and spoonfeeds him, opening Luke’s mouth for him between coughs like a puppeteer moves his doll. He whispers kind things to Luke, he apologizes, he begs for forgiveness, prays for recovery, but the weak spark of his hope dwindles.
When the maesters tell him there's nothing more left but that hope, tears spring to Aemond's eye sockets. He understands it now. There's nothing crueler than a slow death. Nothing more painful than watching the consequences of your recklessness progress day by day towards an inevitable end. A litany of if only-s looping in your mind in the rhythm of those whistling, struggling breaths.
"Please, don't." Aemond whispers with his forehead pressed to Luke's motionless shoulder. His regret tastes like bile.
"Mum..." Luke whispers, tear tracks trickling from his closed eyes.
At that moment, Aemond knows the venomous truth that has been dripping into his veins drop by drop.
Kinslayer, his shadow hisses as it opens its mouth to swallow him like a dragon broken loose. And still, he clings to the most painful of hopes.
157 notes · View notes
freshlyrage · 9 months
Text
Running Like Water
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Chapter 10
whats playing: Best to You by Blood Orange
pairing: Javier Peña x OFC (written as xReader)
fic warnings: Explicit Smut (18+ MDNI) language, strained family relationships, mentions of drug abuse, discussions of insecurities and body image issues, daddy and mommy issues
fic tags: Best friends younger sister, Life-long crush, Friends to lovers, Unrequited love, slow burn, Push and Pull, Small Town Dynamics, Secret Relationships, latina MC, Fluff and Angst, OFC!Jessica Alba face claim, sorry Lorraine I'm bringing you into this, Time jumps, 2 year age gap, pre-canon
word count: 5.3k
A/N at the end
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1983
The height of your bed frame made for good leverage when Xavier was over. You tilted your head back as he removed your pants slowly. Your mama was out for a few hours and when Xavier heard, he came straight for your home. He started kissing you the second you got up on the bed, his hand grabbing the back of your head. Once the pants were off he tugged at your ankles, dragging you from the headboard. Crawling back up to kiss you, your nails grip at his hair. Kissing him always felt good, that you could count on. 
His lips drag from yours and down your neck and to your chest. Still your low cut tank on as he pushes it up a bit to start kissing your stomach. His tongue coming flat right above your panty line. 
Oh, is he…? Finally?
He kisses you more along the line and you feel a rare sense of excitement. Most of the time it gets down to hooking up, he’s inside of you almost immediately. Foreplay seemed like a mythical creature you only read about in cosmo or heard from your girlfriends. Your stomach grows tight with his kisses on your stomach, your hand flies to his hair. Shifting your hips up with eagerness to finally kiss you where you’ve wanted. 
Xavier chuckles against your skin, kisses your stomach again before sitting up. You look to him breathless and confused. He shakes his head before toying with his belt, “I don’t… you know, eat anyone out.” He laughs, swiping the belt off. Your face grows red and your eyes almost well in embarrassment. Right. 
Feeling insecure you joke, “Yet I give you head whenever you ask.” You laugh nervously and Xavier laughs too, pulling his pants off.
 He shrugs. “Maybe if you did it more often I’d consider,” He taps your ankle, his hand reaching into his boxer. “Now turn on your stomach baby.” You feel humiliated but you turn on your stomach, with your face pressed into the bed, a few self-conscious tears fall. 
He pulls your underwear down.
You were already in a dress when you ringed Javi. You took note of his brows raising when you quietly ran to his truck, looking behind you to make sure your mom hadn’t noticed. You were an adult but you were under her roof which meant. No boys, no partying and no coming home late, so you removed your sandals as you crept down the stairs and crunched along the concrete to his car. He got the Melissa Diaz memo as his lights were off as he waited for you to sneak out. 
Your hair and dress blew with your hurry, Javier leans over the console and opens the door for you when you hop in. Out of breath, you run a hand on the soles of your feet cleaning them, Javier watches intently as you put your shoes back on. Your eyes flick to him as you settle with an exhale. He looked extraordinarily handsome in this light, in a button down collared top with a faded green denim jacket. A smell of cigarettes and a cherry scented soapy aroma lifted from him. New, you think. you were so used to the nutty scent from him. This was new. 
He’s tense, you can feel it. He’s tense and you're relaxed. Also new. Before, it was you nervous, stomach flipped while he leaned and teased without a care. You look back to the house and back to him. He narrows his eyes at you once more before driving off. 
He clears his throat as he drives slowly down the hill, “So remind me again why you needed me to pick you up?” He quirks a brow and side eyes you. Maybe it was the breeze or the feeling of being next to him but all the anger you stored for the last six years fizzled out and died. 
You screw your face up and bring your bare knee up to lean your head on it. The wind blowing up your dress for a moment. “I think I heard my mom having sex.” You wince and so does Javier as he draws out a jesus. Your mother was god fearing but she was married and not shy from having more children despite her climbing age. “Just take me anywhere.” You sigh, digging your cheek to your knee a bit deeper. It catches the attention of Javi, he does a double take with a furrowed brow. 
His large hand, paired with veins protruding, hooks under your knee and forces you to sit normally. “Out of your damn mind - we get into an accident and boom” He pats your knee and shakes his head. “Straight into your skull, querida.”
Your lips quirk in smile and look out the window as he makes a sharp right that makes you lean, your hands gripping the door. The right leading to “Vincent's Nose” the mini mountain with the town lookout where everyone would hook up back in high school. A flat parking lot about 4 minutes up the mountain, you heard the craziest stories back in high school. You wondered if maybe this is where he brought Josefina. He’s quiet and his hands are gripping the wheel tightly, like he’s fighting something deep inside. That bothers you. 
He stops the car at the lot, parking in reverse so that the pickup is facing the view. You keep your eyes trained on him as he shuts the car off. Skepticism taking over, if he thinks he can take you to some makeout point like you're some teenagers, he’s greatly mistaken. “You’ve been here?” He asks, awkwardly and you laugh. 
“Jesus Christ Javier, lighten up.” You swing his car door open and hop down, you hear him follow with a laugh. You circle the car and open the back to climb onto the pickup. Staring down the view. 
There weren't many tall buildings in town, just the church that pointed high close to heaven, or so it felt when you were little. Looked small and silly from here. Javi climbs into the back, sitting as far as possible from you. His silence and sudden brooding presence makes you nervous. 
Suddenly you're aware that you aren't sixteen and he isn't seventeen with a girlfriend. He was a grown man, with sideburns and a pack of cigarettes, and he was more handsome then he was when he left. He’s single, he's an adult – you're an adult. And your dress is blowing as your knees are at your chest. Fiddling with your ring on your middle finger you answer his question, “I actually have never been here– well I’ve never parked here. Back in high school we used to call this – um, doggy lookout.” 
You shut your eyes and your cheeks turn flush, you could practically hear his smirk when he mutters a what. You laugh, your cheeks are already hurting from smiling. You look at him and scrunch your nose up. “Well-” you giggle again, “During junior year, Liandra came up here really late with her boyfriend and you know… she was in the back of his car — and like, for some reason she decided to be fully naked on her hands and knees… and a fucking cop knocked on their window, she was petrified, so we started calling this doggy look out to taunt her and it just became a thing.”
“Jesus christ.” He laughs, shaking his head, leaning against the truck's rear windshield. “Should we watch out for cops?” He looks around jokingly and you let out a small laugh.
“I'm in the presence of one right now, Officer Peña.” You wrap your arms around your knees to control the wind blowing through your dress. You could see the spring fair in the church parking lot from the truck, the lights were off. May 22nd was the first day, embarrassingly you were quite excited for it. You knew Liandra was home so that meant getting drunk and getting on rides until they closed. 
“Agent.” He corrects. Your head snaps towards him as he leans his head back with a teasing gaze. It makes your heart sink a bit, you want to push him out the truck. 
“Hmm.” You cross your arms, an image of Josefina flashing in front of your eyes.
 You begin to gaslight yourself into picturing Javier taking her up here and then fucking her, making her shake. The thought has you sneaking another glance at his face, his strong nose casting a shadow on his face. You felt so creepy about how much you loved his nose. You remembered the feel of it tapping your own when he kissed you all those years ago. How then you had been so willing to have him out there in front of everyone, not caring who saw. You were willing, eager, desperate. You were so young untouched so you never verbalized that want. That ache. It terrified you for years, shamed you. How fucked was that? Your own fantasies, your own needs, it was something you could never verbalize, cuz’ you were too fucking scared. And maybe going all the way with your brother's best friend in a parking lot was a bit much but that feeling balled and leaked into your real sexual relationships. Pretending to be turned on by a little man with a big ego and his cock in your mouth. Letting him make a joke about your weight to his friends then pulling your pants down later that night for about 45 seconds until he was done with you. 
So when you heard that girl, a girl who Javier barely knew, not like he knew you, to hear her being able to openly share an experience of something good, fulfilling, body trembling, your body rejected that. So did your brain. 
“What's on your mind Andrea?” It's soft, like he could read your mind and wanted to know more, like he hoped you didn't hear his question so you could keep on your jealous tirade. 
Your thumb strokes the underside of your arm nervously, cheeks feeling sun-burnt from the strange thought that maybe he really could read your mind. You press your lips in a thin line, licking the bottom, blurring away the lipstick from earlier in the day. A burn down your spine shoots, a jealous burn. It's been a while. “Just wondering if Josefina Alto is your type or not, I was just running down a list of girls you've been with in my head and I’m not sure where she falls-I mean she looks a bit like me and I’m not on that li-”
Javier exhales a nervous breath and shakes his head with a pained face, “ Jesus” Javier felt just as caught as you, not grasping the possibility that having a one night stand with someone from town could be front cover news. He pinches his nose and then screws up his face in realization , I’m not on that list. “What makes you think you’re not on that list?” 
His question makes your cheeks redden even more, the lights of the town below give him a new look. You could see the lines next to his even better than before, smile lines. A feeling of satisfaction settles in your stomach at the thought. “I’m thinking of girls you dated, you have a thing for blondes I’ve noticed.” You shrug, unhooking your arms and pushing your body upright to fully face him. Where the sudden confidence came from, you were unsure. 
“Lorraine. That's all. ” He answers.
“Donna Ortiz.” You reply quickly, earning an eyebrow raise from him. You could feel your confidence fizzle and settle in realization. You tried so hard to seem unbothered and soooo moved on and here you go, responding with the name of an ex from junior high.
He has a shit eating grin and your eyes fall to your lap. But he decides to ignore the comment, a new move from him. If it were 1980 he’d taunt and tease you over your attention to detail, maybe throw in a stalker comment and make you go home teary eyed from the embarrassment a crush drunk girl could only feel.  
His hand comes up to stroke his jaw, and you watch. The watch on his hand glimmering from the street light a few feet away from the 3rd parking spot. You bit the inside of your lip at the sight of his hands, deft, you knew that. You know he knows how to work his fingers skillfully, he hadn't even touched you in the places in need of most skill, but when his hands roamed your body. You knew, he had to be good. “Josefina was pretty and I was loaded, just happened. I’m sure you can relate.” He shrugs nonchalantly. 
Your brows tighten and you shake your head a no. You couldn't relate. “I-no. I-i've done anything like that before.�� Your arms are crossed again, hiding your insecure body from his concerned gaze. Concerned with your stuttering and frown. 
He doesn't look like he follows, he’s worried. “You never what, Andrea?”
Your nostrils flare in embarrassment. Feeling like you were in sixth grade again having to cover your ears when the big kids talk about their love lives. Feeling like you did when you would be pressed about your embarrassing juvenile experimental phase, in front of Javi. 
Had a one night stand, you murmur. And Javi tries his best to hide his shock. It was true, sure in high school you did all the blow job, hand job stuff at parties but when it came down to having sex, actual sex , you had only done it with Xavier. You couldnt picture being that vulnerable with him, but you were, so you sure as hell couldn’t fathom fucking a stranger. Javi utters an Oh. 
“Why?”
Dangerous. Dangerous game , you think. Asking why, the why was detailed and sexual in nature. You’d have to be open about your sex life to him, it was foreign and a risk. A risk when you already feel a pit in your stomach with just him looking at you. You were afraid that he’d say something that would make you crawl into his lap and get another taste. 
Another taste. 
“I-I didn't have, you know, I-” Strong start Andrea, you're thinking of getting on him but cant even get a sentence out. He’s watching you now with a new look, half lidded eyes. You let out a shaky breath, “Uh, I didn't really have any positive sexual experiences so I just never felt like trying again.” Fuck, you sounded like you never want to try again. That wasn't true, and with the way Javier's chest expanded, you sure as hell wanted to try again. “Not-like-not that I never want to try again but just-jesus christ you still make me fucking nervous.” You huff and Javier doesn't even smile, his brows just knead closer in concern at your bashful face. 
He tenses up a bit and digs a hand into his pocket retrieving his pack and lighter. “Need one?” He teases, thinning out the uncomfortable air you built. You laugh away the nerves. 
“Fuck off…” You swat his extended hand and he flinches and shrugs in defeat before lighting up. His ability to make you feel safe, comfortable and honest never failed to make your heart swell. He was the only person who could do it for you. He could build you up with just a look, that was even scarier. 
He drags, and blows out the right side of his mouth to keep the smoke from blowing in your face. You felt so silly. Your stomach flipped at the small action. You had been infuriated with him for so many years, he broke your heart and didn't care to apologize. Even in college when you had convinced yourself you were over him, when you would cry about your father, the tears turned to ones falling for Javi. You were so fucking hurt by him, but now he’s here and you just want him close. 
You don't know where it came from but the moment it left your lips, you could feel a skip in your chest and a burn in your eyes. 
“What would've happened if I told you to stay all those years in your kitchen?” Your voice is weak, similar to the way it sounded when you said bye to him all those years ago, back when the feeling of your heart being crushed was fresh and hurt all the same. 
“Andrea…” He warns but you couldn't seem to care. Your eyes are threatening to break into tears and sobs. 
“Javi, please-you-you broke my heart then, i need an answer please.” Your voice cracks and the fact that your tears don't fall shocks you, it probably shocked him. Javier closes his eyes for a moment, hiding from your confrontation. “What would've happened?”
It's silent. All that is heard is the trees on his right moving with the late night May wind. The sound of some cars on the roads below. You're alone with Javier Peña on the tailgate of his truck, asking him the question that circled your head for years. 
It spun, and got trapped in a web of questions and fears at the corner of your mind. Stuck next to the conversation you had with his father years ago where he said that Javier was in love with you. Just the thought makes your chest cave, you can't ask that question. Did you love me Javi? You couldn't ask that. 
The silence dies with the smoothness and softness that is Javi’s voice. “I think I would have wanted to be with you.”
You bring up your hand under your eyes as you pinch the bridge of your nose to stop whatever tear threatens to fall. Not now, not in front of him. Not again. You needed time to process, you gave him silence right back. You deprived him of a glance, keeping your eyes closed. 
“Wanted to be with me? Or just be with me? Did-you want me before? To be your girl?” You look now and he’s giving you that same earth shattering look he did in his kitchen. His face was so full of worry and pure nervousness. It was the first time since he came back where you had seen that boyish look on him, it took you back. 
His hand reaches over to rub the back of his neck, “I’m not sure Andrea. I was with Lorraine and your brother-”
Your chin quivers with a scoff, “God don’t bullshit me. You kissed me the second you broke up with her and if you cared about how Frankie felt you wouldn't have put your fucking hands up the dress of his little sister.” Your voice raises and Javier is sitting up straight now with a bit of anger in his eyes. 
“Don’t put it that way Andrea.” He hisses and your cheeks heat with anger this time.
“Put it in what way? Does the truth bother you Javi? You fucking got back with her two days later and didn't have the decency to tell me you were leaving!” You're glad you're not one of those people who cry when they're angry, that tightness in your throat quickly flipped into a flush against your chest. Javier can't even look at you, of course he can't. “If we hadn't been interrupted what would have happened? Huh?” You tilt your head and you watch as his jaw clenches. 
“Would you have fucked me in your truck, take my virginity and then what? Get back with your cheating girlfriend and hide your dirty secret from Frankie? Jesus Christ Javi, just take me home.” You snap, and make your way off the truck. Your chest rising in anger, you hear the metal creaking as he follows behind you. You close your eyes tightly feeling the slightest bit of remorse for bringing up Lorraine. You hear him shut the tailgate door with a slam. 
You circle the truck and reach the passenger door, pulling its locked handle. Wanting to shriek at the thought of having to ask him to unlock the door after storming away from him. You huff, “Javi can you please unlock-”
You’re cut off by a quick spin and your back hitting the truck door. Javier’s hand holding your face and his lips. His lips shutting you up. Despite your heart beating quick from your anger, your hands find his hips immediately pulling him flush against you. Wanting his body weight on you as much as possible, your lips slipping with his. It isn't sweet or soft or calm. You could feel his primal want in it, and you love the taste and you're so fucking pissed. He groans against your plump wet lips when your fingers tighten on his hips. It's carnal, the way he presses his body harder into you, completely crowding and covering you. It’s familiar. Like the first time.
His palm swallows your entire cheek but it moves down to your throat with a grip. Your mouth falls open at the sudden lack of air, Javi takes no time in licking you. You take no time wetting him right back. It was like the first time, but far less innocent. You whine when he parts, his open saturated mouth dragging to your cheek leaving a bit of a mess. “Didn’t expect you to be such a fucking brat when I came home” He grunts into your ear, the slick sticking to your panties spreading with his voice. You dig your nails into his hip bone and he teeths at your ear lobe. “You used to be good.” 
He kisses the space below your ear and jaw. Your hands move to thread in his hair, you're a panting mess. You're so achy and wet you can't think straight, “I’m still good.” you murmur and Javier chuckles against your neck as he sucks. His grip on your hip was strong enough to practically manhandle you, he moves the two of you a few inches away from the door. You're so entranced by his lips on your neck that you don't notice him opening the door and sitting you on the seat, your knees still facing him as he continues to kiss you from outside the car. 
His body is in between your thighs as Javi drags his lips to the column of your throat. “I won't leave a mark querida,” He reassures you but you were so turned on you hadn't even fathomed the consequences that came with him touching you like this. You just nod desperately, shifting yourself closer to the edge of the seat to press your throbbing core against his stomach. Your ankles wrapped around his waist.
 He parts from you, his eyes raking over you, you finally get to take him in. His lips stained with what was left of your lipstick, god you were so fucking wet. 
“Lift your dress.” He demands. Your heart leaps, lips catching in between your teeth and you know the sight wrecks him. Nerves settling in realizing he was going to fuck you, right here. Your cunt clenches at the thought, you hadn't had anyone-anything in you in years. Even when you touched yourself it hurt like the first time, you don't know how it was going to feel after 3 years. But Javier settles your heels on the edge of the car where the door should be, his hand on your knee spreading you open a bit. His mouth was parted, wet and perfect. Your hands found the bottom of your dress and you lift, exposing your light pink panties to Javi. 
His nostrils flare and his lips quirk for a moment. His hands fall on both of your knees and spread you further, your nervous bite on your bottom lip is lethal, watching him look at you like this. How had you two been arguing just 3 minutes ago? You know his small smile is at the dark wet mark on your panties. He sinks to his knees.
The car gave him perfect leverage for your pulsing core to be at the perfect level. Oh. Was he? 
“Javi, please,” You whine, your hips grinding into the seat but his death grip on your knees prevents you from feeling any release. He shushes you with a kiss on your inner thigh. He kisses, and then sucks, knowing he can leave you marks down there. No one will see. He sucks, licks and drags his teeth against your thigh.
 His lips parting as his hand from your knees move to sooth the pink and red and spotted mark so close to your pussy. He notices quickly that without his hands holding you open, your achy and shaking body forces your knees to close him between your thighs. He chuckles, looking up at your face, you can't imagine how lewd you look but his smile fades. His eyes drop back down to what's in front of him, “Pull your panties to the side baby.” 
Your left hand is gripping your dress and your right stutters as it drags down and grazes the large wet spot.
  Oh my gosh. 
You hold your breath as your fingers hook under the fabric, pulling it away from your doused core, a string of your own arousal getting dragged with the pull of the underwear. Javi groans and stares like he’s starved. A gluttonous look that is nothing short of tragic. You have never been this exposed in front of someone, not with their face so close to you. Not being able to feel his breath so close, never.  “Jesus christ, fuck-” He’s stumbling over his words and a warmth spreads across your covered chest. He still has that look, primal. His eyes flick up to you, your mouth had been so open for so long your hand moved up to catch moisture from your bottom lip. “I’m going to eat your cunt okay?”
I’m going to eat your cunt 
You never-you- “Okay.” You agree and he wastes no time torturing you. The second his tongue is against you, you jolt forward in shock. You had never had someone lick you there, your stomach was tight immediately. His tongue hasn't even touched your clit yet, its just dragging and collecting all the arousal already there. His mustache prickling against that bundle of nerves, causing your hands to reach his shoulder to brace yourself. 
Your mouth is O shaped , as you moan, Javi, Javi, oh my god. You can barely keep your eyes open to watch him but you try because the sight of Javier fucking Peña between your legs is something you just cant miss. Javi finally moves his tongue upward, his moving jaw nearly prodding your entrance. The sensation is so new and intense your moans are no longer legible, just noises, no more names. And your fucking loud, you almost forget that he is on his knees and your halfway out the car with your dress rolled up. His tongue is working so deftly, you're practically leaking onto his jaw, making him a dripping mess. 
An image of Xavier flashes in your head, maybe if you did it more often I would. Insecurity rushes you suddenly, you try to speak but Javier’s licking is making it almost impossible. 
“Ja-Javi, you-fuck” You fold over again when his tongue drags down to your entrance. “Javi-you don't have to, I can-ngh-If you want me give you a blow job I will but-but don't feel like you-” His hands grip your thighs and his mouth parts from you for a moment, looking up at you with a furrowed brow. God you really are making a mess on his face, his mustache is shimmering and his chin drips. 
“Andrea, what are you talking about?” Your brows raise, oh.
“I-I’m sorry I just thought-sorry just with Xavier he-”
Javier clenches his jaw at the mention yet also at the realization. Javier shakes his head and moves his head back into your core, continuing. Lick, “Next time I see him…good god.” He grumbles against you and the feeling is so good again that you can't seem to care about your awkward intermission. 
“You taste so sweet, querida.” He moans into you and moves his feasting back up to your swollen bud. You were so close, your back arches with your head thrown back, ears close to ringing. 
But suddenly his mouth is detached and your dress is tugged back over your knees. Javier is stood quickly, wiping his chin and pulling you up right. You're in so much pain from the close orgasm, you're panting with tears in your eyes to notice that Javier is talking to you. To fucked to realize the cop car pulling up next to you two. “Andrea, cmon.” He pats your knee softly as the cop car settles.
The click of the car snaps you from your trance, your dress covering you but your panties are still damp and misplaced. Javier stands in front of you with his hand reached behind him on your knee. Still needing to brace yourself, your hands grip his wrist.
You could see Javier’s lips quirk a bit at your hold, the cop exits the vehicle. A familiar face, an officer you’ve seen around. You just pray he doesn't know either of you. He’s tall and maybe in his early thirties with his hands on his waist. Guess the mustache was just trendy for men in service. He mirrored Javier in looks, just tanner and thinner. Sunglasses folding in his hand. “Good evening officer.” Javier says with a nod.
The officer tilts his head to look at you. Your face had it written all over you, your eye glanced at the side view. Your hair was slightly messed and your cheeks were stained red. “Javier Peña verdad? DEA, he oído.” The cop flashes a smile and your stomach turns at the thought of the Officer possibly knowing you. Javier waves his hand away from you. You frown at the action. 
He crosses his arms, stepping away from you as you sat behind him. “Sí. Hay algun problema, señor?”
The cop shakes his head before looking over his shoulder and then back to you. “Just making sure we don't have anyone causing a disturbance up here, what's your lady friend's name?” He steps to the left to get a better view of you, you had discreetly fixed your hair behind Javier’s broad shoulders a few seconds before. Your eyes stupidly snap to Javier's waist then pants, seeing his obvious bulge pressing against the denim. Eyes wide when Javi shoots you a warning glance. You feel dizzy and want him back in between your legs. 
Your tongue wets your dry lips and you look back to the officer that had a fiendish stare on your body. “Drea sir, my name is Drea.” You reach a hand out and he shakes it in return. Javier has a possessive eye trained on you. The officer grips your hand a second too long and Javier clears his throat.
“Well officer…” Javier’s eyes narrow at the tag on his chest, “Officer Flores. Me and Drea were just leaving.”
The officer still has a stare on you, his eyes narrowing, scanning your face, then your body with a gawk at your breasts, before looking back to Javi who kept his stoic face. Officer Flores nods to Javier in what you can only take as approval, it makes you sick for a moment. What the fuck was that?
Luckily, Javier does not entertain the cave-man-ish gesture. You want to reach out to hold him again, feeling uneasy about the entire exchange. “Well, I’ll let you two get going, have a good night.” The officer calls before adjusting his belt and turn on his heels. 
Javier wastes no time shaking his head and tilting his head at you to sit correctly in the car before closing the door on you. Your hands fall to the hem of your dress immediately, lifting it to readjust your panties. By the time your hand is reaching between your legs Javier is opening the drivers side. Stopping in his tracks at your position, your cheeks heat and your panties snap against your skin. 
He lets out a struggled breath before deciding to ignore how insatiable agonizing the sight was for him. Your eyes settle to his lap as he turns the key, his arm flexing with the stutter. His arm settles next to the console as he pulls from the parking lot. For a moment you think of grabbing his wrist and placing it between your legs.
But your mind disagrees. You just close your eyes with your chest filling with an intense emotion you can't describe. You look to him and he has a similar silent smile as he drive quietly down the mountain. 
Feeling brand new. You were going to kick your feet and scream into your pillow when you got home.
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A/N: Guyssssss the slow burn has officially been put out OMG. I haven't written smut in years but I've been compiling smut prompts about Javi and Andrea since chapter one, trust they will be used.
They still have so much story left, I hope you love my babies like me. See you next chapter!
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sterekdyke · 3 months
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Okay but I can’t stop thinking about girl!Jake (Jake Bradley and ice and mav all as women, everyone else can be canon gender I guees), fighting tooth and nail to get on the boys football team in high school and killing it on the field and then putting on a cute little sun dress and being all charming country cowgirl esque and all the boys love her and the girls don’t know what to do with her, but she bonds with girls over ‘girly’ things (which she genuinely does love) and with boys about sports and how her brothers taught her to fix cars, and the whole school would fuck her if she let them. But she won’t…
But Jake wants to fly planes, and she can’t do that if she’s out, so she makes out with her gal pals at sleep overs and complains to her best friend Javy. He and her joke that Jake should have been into men so they could be together, but they both are ride or die and understand that their friendship is just as important as any future partners they may have.
Jake falls in love with a woman who’s a little older than their cohort and always wears dumb Hawaiian shirts and has these stupid curls and long long legs. Bradley clearly has some big attachment issues and is incredibly avoidant one minute and then when they’re alone she’s all over Jake. Sure, they have to be careful of DADT, but women are allowed to physical in a way men aren’t, so what gives?? The only person Jake sees Bradley be affectionate with without reservation is Natasha Trace and it makes Jake want to set her own plane on fire. Why can’t Jake and Bradley cuddle in the rec room the way Bradley and Nat do? It would be fine…
So she flies like she’s on fucking fire, just like her hero (and ‘celebrity’ crush) Maverick (one of the first female fighter pilots, one of the best pilots ever) and unknowingly triggers the fuck out of Bradley who pushes her away further. Jake tells Bradley she loves her before graduation, Bradley tells her they have to choose flying or each other, and she doesn’t want to ask that of Jake, so she chose for them. She wants Jake to fly and forget they ever were more than friends.
Javy, being besties with Jake, has no reservations with hitting women in a fist fight, which he makes very clear to Bradley after she breaks Jake’s heart. Bradley ruins the satisfaction by basically saying please hit me and crying all over Javy, who is just too weirded out by measured and detached (when it comes to Jake) Bradley Bradshaw sobbing about how everything always ends and people always die or lie or get torn away and Javy better fucking punch her lights out and promise to make sure Jake is happy and in the sky and he better fucking promise not to mention this conversation to Jake. Javy calls Nat to come get Bradley. He doesn’t punch her in the face like she so desperately wants him to. It seems to earn Javy brownie points with Nat.
Jake doesn’t learn about that conversation for many years. She does learn other things though. DADT ends and her other lifelong hero Admiral Tomaszi ‘Iceman’ Kazansky comes out in the aftermath, as a lesbian (which, duh have you seen that woman’s frosted tipped flat top????). Iceman gets a lot of flack from all ranks, but her achievements speak for themselves and Jake is in total awe. In the release Kazansky spoke of the harm DADT had done her community and her family, and she hoped it was a step forward. She mentioned a partner, and there was a slew of speculation, but Jake was too busy getting laid to give it much thought. She sent Bradley a text, one of solidarity and excitement: “if THE ICEMAN can come out so can we 🎉” Bradley leaves her on read. Jake gets the hint. Etc etc…
I have more weird lesbian brain worms, but idk if I’ll keep going or write this, but HANGSTER AS LESBIANS WHY HAS NO ONE DONE IT????
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spaceman-earthgirl · 1 year
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Supercorptober 2022 Masterlist by spaceman-earthgirl
Prompts are based on this list by @kmsdraws
1. Summer
The superfriends are trying to plan Kara and Lena's wedding...the couple have to break the news to everyone that they couldn't wait and already got married.
2. Swift
Lena surprises Kara with a trip to Midvale.
3. Drunk
Lena turns up drunk at Kara's apartment late at night.
4. Office
The superfriends play hide and seek. And Kara and Lena end up hiding in a closet together.
5. Orange
Esme and Kara tell bad jokes. Lena's found herself a family.
6. Leaves
"I flew into a tree."
"No shit, Sherlock, I want to know why you flew into a tree."
or Kara flies into a tree because of her crush on Lena.
7. Night
Kara gets worried when she doesn't hear from Lena, so she goes to check on her best friend and finds her asleep on the couch.
8. Rain
"Hey, Le- oh, gosh, you're soaking, what happened?"
or Lena goes to Kara's apartment after she gets caught in a storm
9. Fresh
Lena surprises Kara with a pecan pie for her birthday.
10. Ice
Lena is always cold, and she uses Kara to keep herself warm.
11. Forest
Lena and Kara go camping. Lena hates it.
12. Evening
Kara and Lena have their first night out together since having a baby. This fic was based on this amazing art by @sheltereredturtle
13. Peace
Lena has made peace with the fact that her feelings for Kara are unrequited.
14. Soaring
Kara gushes to Alex about kissing Lena.
15. Warmth
Kara and Lena's plans are ruined because of the rain. So they make different plans instead.
16. Sparks
A follow up to Peace, where supercorp kiss after Kara thinks they've been dating for a month while Lena thinks they're just friends.
17. Cafe
Lena's having a bad day, which turns around quite dramatically when she meets her soulmate.
18. Secret
"Lena’s pretty sure Supergirl has just walked into Noonan’s. And no, she doesn’t mean Supergirl, with the cape and the skirt, but Supergirl who apparently wears glasses and a cardigan in her free time."
19. Suit
Kara decides to wear a suit on her wedding day. Lena loves it.
20. Kara
"Every time Lena’s phone lights up, and she sees her best friend’s name on the screen, it makes her heart stutter stupidly in her chest and it makes her smile like a schoolgirl with a crush."
21. Broken
Lena comes up with a solution when Kara and Esme struggle to be in the same room together because of their powers.
22. Skull
Lena comforts Kara after she's had a nightmare.
23. Spice
Lena's been working too much lately and Kara's barely seen her, so Kara surprises her with lunch.
24. Lena
"Maybe getting older isn't so bad if you kiss me like that."
or it's Lena's 29th birthday.
25. Comfy
Lena's 8 months pregnant and just can't get comfortable. Luckily her wife is there to help.
26. Acorn
Kara and Lena go to a farmers market together. Kara is not a fan of all the healthy food.
27. October
"I can't believe you chose today of all days to tell me you love me."
Or it's Lena's birthday, and Kara tells her best friend how she really feels.
28. Holiday
Kara gets caught stealing Christmas cookies during Kara and Lena's first Christmas together as a couple.
29. Bonfire
It's the annual Danvers family bonfire night, and all of Kara's friends and family are there with her.
30. Spell
Kara's in the hospital wing when in walks an injured Lena Luthor.
or a Harry Potter au where Lena's family has a bad reputation but that doesn't stop Kara befriending Lena. Also, Lena has a cat.
31. Spookycorp
“You can’t punch a ghost, Alex! And what about clowns? You don’t know what’s going on under that face. And don’t even get me started on zombies. They’re dead, so you can’t kill them again!”
or Kara and Lena visit a haunted house and Kara is scared.
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squishosaur · 9 months
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i hear youre a treyjade enjoyer, do you have any headcanons with them or how they got together? :0
yeah ummm.... a few :lookingaway:
♡ - i'd like to think that jade has always looked up to and respected trey, but when he realized "oh, this guy is not as normal as he says he is" he is just infatuated and needs to study him. like a freak.
☆ - i think trey is someone who sees the best in people. like, he could be seeing the scary parts of jade, he just finds him silly and interesting though. riddle is distressed like, "you DO NOT want that guy." but trey is like "i could fix him" when jade is Actively trying to make him worse.
♡ - jade definitely fell first, but that doesn't mean trey didn't Also fall fast. trey was sort of interested in him, and jade instantly picked up on this and started toying with him. anything from offhanded comments about how nice he looks or how polite he is to just straight up "i heard you were interested in dentistry. can you look at my teeth" and then he does Not wait for an answer. trey is conflicted about this!!! floyd and azul are so disturbed at jade just opening his mouth like that in public.
☆ - trey has a horrible sense of humor. jade also has a horrible sense of humor and will laugh at any of his godawful jokes or puns. (have you seen the shrimp flied rice comic)
♡ - as for how they got together, trey would probably confide in cater about his crush (and he is Absolutely eating this up btw it's so funny to him) and he's like "oh dw trey-kun, i'll be your wingman kk??" and trey is like "oh my god no.." but it's too late.
☆ - with cater on the case, he is like. coaching him on what to say and what to do. "sit with him at lunch, compliment him, get to know him better, walk him back to his dorm, Ask Him Out OMG WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG..." and trey somehow fails at all of these things but this is amusing to jade. "your eyes are like... um. leucoprinus birnbaumii and. tilled soil?" "aw, are you flirting with me?"
♡ - azul also gets wind of this information also and is like "i can tell you any amount of information on jade's interests right now if you become the dessert chef for the mostro lounge exclusively- sign here." trey said no, but azul is still pushing. so now trey has like the shoulder angel and devil thing going on with azul and cater... but they're both devils.
♡ - in the meantime, they're Not Dating, but jade keeps asking trey to spend time with him. "i was just about to check on the mushrooms i've been growing, would you like to accompany me?" "if you aren't busy this weekend, i was wondering if you could join me on my next hike. it's just so lonely on the mountains by myself... camping would be so much more fun with friends..." trey says yes because his internal monologue is like "how could i possibly say no..." (riddle is shaking his head defeatedly, like, "just come back alive").
☆ - trey is about to just Give Up at the end of his third year, since they won't be on the same campus or anything anymore, but suddenly jade is like "can we exchange contact information, i think i'll miss you the most.." and so they do that. And are Not Dating Still.
♡ - during his off-campus year, trey studies dentistry and also spends a lot of time messaging jade and when they're both free they arrange meet-ups. cater is still trying to wingman over the phone and trey is like "no, we're still just talking..." and At The Same Time floyd keeps asking jade when he's gonna break up with that guy and jade is like "oh, but we haven't even started dating yet."
☆ - after trey is done with his studies at NRC, he decides to spend a year back at home with his family. as luck would have it, jade is spending his 4th year in the queendom of roses to study mycology (and a little bit of anthropology also, but mostly the mushrooms, molds, and yeast interests him). and he reasons "what better place to study yeast than a bakery!" trey feels absolutely insane when he asks his parents to let jade stay with them for a year. but they say yes because they as just so nice ("as long as he helps in the bakery" was also a condition).
♡ - they were not expecting a merman though and are quite shocked by the very tall eel with razors for teeth politely introducing himself one day. trey's siblings like him though! they ask him all about the ocean and his studies and nrc and even just about what trey was like at school (trey keeps shutting this specific topic down). jade helps with cooking and cleaning around the house and mr. and mrs. clover both appreciate him for it.
☆ - at some point, the two stay up really late together (they're both studying) and trey just finally blurts out that he likes him. jade just goes "i know." with a smile and asks him out. trey is shocked because he had waited Forever to ask it but its too late now. he laughs it off and says yes. they kiss (followed by jade quipping that it was not customary to kiss on the first date, to which trey responds that is was Hardly their first date and jade goes "touché")
♡ - you would think i would end this here because you asked about how they got together but i can't because i havs not gotten to the part where trey 1) actually comes out to his parents and 2) tells them that he's going out with jade
☆ - but anyways, yes, he comes out to his parents and they accept him for who he is. his mom also mentions that she assumed that he and jade were Already dating and he just wasn't ready to tell them yet. trey vehemently denies this and jade is just laughing. trey also texts cater and cater replies saying "tell jade i said i'm so happy for him and his ugly fking bf i'm serious /ref <3333" he also tells riddle who Actually says something positive. jade tells floyd and azul, who reply "can you divorce him yet" and "congrats! is he willing to work for me now" respectively (they really all are happy for them btw)
♡ - they do go on dates mostly outside on walks or hikes when they have time to spare. trey talks about the history of the area and jade identifies different organisms and infodumps about them as trey listens intently. if they see the same thing again, jade will say its name and trey will recall something jade said about it before, which makes jade happy.
☆ - neither is big on pda (unless they get jealous, which is infrequent), but they will hold hands when they're alone. they both tend to go more with acts of service and just quality time with one another, so generally they will do things like cook for the other or engage in activities that the other likes.
♡ - they do visit the coral sea, but it's more of an annual trip. usually, if jade wants to see azul or floyd, it's on land because azul's franchise is on land.
☆ - unfortunately i could continue for forever but i will not yw <333
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bcolfanfic · 1 day
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Hiiiii! I just wanna say that east side of sorrow is one of the best fics I've ever read. It tore my heart to shreds from the first paragraph. I love how you've characterised the boys and the way you capture the atmosphere and Bucky's inner dialogue </3.
If this is coming up in the second part of the fic just ignore me, but I wanted to ask how did Gale deal with the aftermath of Bucky's attempt, after he left him in the hospital? I bet he felt so guilty for just leaving Bucky by himself. Did he tell any of the boys (except Curt ofc)? Or did he make up some sort of excuse about where Bucky was?
Love your work <3 <3
while i do want to write a gale pov eventually it’s a ‘after i get farther on all again’ thing so yeah we can talk about this now!
poor thing is so crushed. comes back home and comes inside and sees the hole in the wall and just. breaks down. he’s so freaked out and upset and i think ends up calling curt almost immediately instead of even sleeping. when he does fall asleep it’s passing the fuck out from all the exhaustion finally coming to a head and catching up with him. maybe doesn’t even make it to their bed and he sleeps straight through for like 12 hours.
ken knows by proxy of curt, but he doesn’t go with when curt flies out because he doesn’t want to overwhelm gale (or bucky when they go see him but ahhh that goes a little sideways even without him there).
when curt is there/staying with gale he asks how he feels about telling the others what’s going on but gale is just. so so hesitant because even though bucky didn’t tell him he couldn’t he still kinda feels like he’s selling him out/embarrassing him. so if anyone does ask he says he went to see family in wisconsin. if they ask too many questions about why he didn’t go with him he changes the topic. which kinda screws things up because the 2+2ing the guys do with how weird he’s being is thinking they’re getting a divorce 😅
but after he goes to see bucky in the hospital and All That Happens they have a conversation about it and bucky tells him he can let them know, might as well so they don’t find out on accident- or think something else is going on.
and i think curt helps him with that so he’s not handling it by himself. poor sweet gale. he’s done so much for his husband and doesn’t regret a second of it because he loves him but he feels like it wasn’t enough since he almost you know, left. i think he probably starts seeing his own therapist after bucky is home and settled, just to work through those feelings and that guilt.
gale is muchhh more protective of bucky after this, even more so than he already was. which is something else he ends up talking about in therapy because he can tell bucky is a little irked by it. and bucky maybe straight up tells him he feels like gale just isn’t ever going to trust him again no matter how ‘healed’ he gets.
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spiralcass · 2 months
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NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 3, EPISODE 8
 We open in Dr. Sean Garrison’s office, where he’s having a seemingly normal session with Quentin. 
GARRISON: “Anything new in your life? Friends? Crushes? Anxieties?” 
QUENTIN: “Don’t think I’m welcome with my old “friends” anymore, but I don’t care. I’ve got my own gang now.” 
GANG: “A gang?” 
QUENTIN: “Just a name. Was actually thinking of calling us “The Omega Gang”. You know. For the infinite potential we’re going to show humanity we have.” 
Garrison laughs. 
GARRISON: “Cute.” 
QUENTIN: “Some of the girls in the gang brought in a kid. Still unsure about her. Crushes? No. But I figured out my best friend has one on me a while ago.”
GARRISON: “Brian? I thought you were out of that crowd.” 
QUENTIN, smiling: “He’s different. He never belonged with them. He’ll see that soon.” BEAT. “Anxieties? Heh. No. Ever since you helped me find myself, I’ve only felt alive.” 
GARRISON: “I am so happy to hear that, Quentin. Usually, therapy can take months or even years to see any progress, but you’ve gotten this far in mere weeks.” 
QUENTIN, overly proud of himself: “I’m one of a kind.” 
GARRISON: “I agree.” Garrison stands up, pruning tool in hand, and approaches his flowers. “Now, update me on our plan to destroy the Jean Grey School.” 
QUENTIN, cracking his knuckles: “I got everything we needed off Cerebro. I’ve gone over the plan with The Omega Gang a million times. And Laurie Collins moves in tomorrow.” 
GARRISON, grinning as he prunes a flower: “Brilliant.” 
QUENTIN, eagerly leaning forward: “It’s going to be awesome. I don’t know if the X-Men will get the message, but no parent will ever send their kid to this rancid school again. So…” He eagerly leans forward. “When do I get to meet Lady Akabba?” 
Garrison prunes another flower. 
GARRISON: “My lady is the inheritor of Lord Apocalypse’s will. To be granted an audience with her, you must first prove that you are fit.” 
QUENTIN: “You know I am!” 
GARRISON: “Of course I do. And when you and the Omega Gang are triumphant, she will understand that.” Quentin nods along. “Before you launch your attack, there’s one more thing we need you to do.”
QUENTIN: “Name it.” 
GARRISON: “Introduce yourself to your newest classmate.” 
Garrison prunes another flower as we hard cut to Laurie being toured through the Jean Grey School by Sofia. 
Laurie looks at everything and everyone with wide eyes. This is so cool! She hasn’t gotten to go to a real school in almost two years, and now thanks to Sofia, she can be in a school with people like her. 
Sofia is glad she’s happy, and she’s very excited to introduce her to all of her friends. 
LAURIE: “They sound really cool from what you’ve said.” 
SOFIA: “We have had our many ups and downs, but they are my family. I fight for them. Who do you fight for?” 
LAURIE: “I don’t really fight. But I guess I wanna make my mom proud?” 
SOFIA: “She is a lovely woman. What about your father?” 
LAURIE, sullen: “I never met him. He died a long time ago. Mom has never had anything nice to say. She never even told me his name.” 
Sofia doesn’t think that’s fair. Passed on or not, there is nothing like the bond between father and daughter, and she deserves a taste of that. 
LAURIE, confused: “I…thought you hated your dad.” 
Before Sofia can respond, Pixie flies up to the two other girls, no longer wearing her helmet, chewing bubblegum, and with a black streak in her pink hair. 
PIXIE: “Hey new kid!” She pops a giant bubble in her face, scaring Laurie. “Try not to look so cute and helpless, okay? That’s my thing!” 
SOFIA, as Megan flies off: “So glad you are doing better, Pixie!” BEAT. “And I was worried she might turn out like her sister.” 
LAURIE, confused and afraid: “Huh?”
SOFIA: “Don’t worry about it.” 
Sofia grins and hooks her arm around Laurie’s as the two enter the cafeteria. Sitting at his table with the Omega Gang, Quentin sets his eyes on Laurie while Glob and Redneck play “Draw the short straw” with their french fries, Redneck lighting up his molten hands in frustration and Glob laughing after the former’s consecutive losses, Tattoo and Radian are scribbling doodles of dead X-Men in their notebooks, Tattoo using her power to imprint titles underneath the pieces, and Ernst frustratedly asks Martha where Shela is; this is the third day in a row she’s skipped out on lunch with them. 
Quentin tells all of them to shut up. He’s got his eyes on the target. 
RADIAN: “You do not get to tell us to shut up.” 
GLOB, confused and looking around: “I don’t see any targets.” 
Quentin seethes, before putting on an obviously fake smile and floating over to Sofia and Laurie. 
QUENTIN, telekinetically shoving Sofia out of the way (with Sofia momentarily dropping her “mask” and looking like she’s about to murder him): “Why hello there!” He takes and kisses Laurie’s hand, her face instantly going red. 
LAURIE: “I’m…um…” 
“Not interested.” 
Quentin’s head aches, Sofia taking the opportunity to remove Laurie from the situation. 
QUENTIN, telepathically: “Cuckoos? What’s your problem?!” 
SOPHIE: “You are.” 
ESME, CELESTE, PHOEBE, AND MINDEE: “Loser.” 
Quentin is confused. He thought they were cool now. Sophie points out to him that was before he drugged Surge. “And not in a fun way”. 
CELESTE: “We like your style.” 
ESME: “And how you handle humans.” 
SOPHIE: “But you’re still just the same old Quentin.” 
Quentin sneers, with a veiny forehead, glaring over at the friend group’s table and, in particular, Brian, as he’s just having fun and messing around with Noriko, Cessily, Roxy, Sooraya, and the no longer distracted Cuckoos. From the brief look we get at their game, they’re playing a Mutant version of snap, with powers allowed, but Noriko being forced to play with her teeth to keep things fair. 
Their happiness and friendship only serves to piss him off more. 
On the lunchline, Julian approaches Sofia and Laurie, telling them good morning. 
LAURIE, shrinking behind Sofia: “Um, I’m not interested.” 
Sofia tells her not to worry and that this is Julian; her ex-boyfriend. 
JULIAN: “I know it shouldn’t, but it still stings hearing you call me that.” 
Julian introduces himself to Laurie, with Laurie questioning if he isn’t dating Surge. Julian cringes, and Sofia apologizes for giving Laurie out of date gossip, letting her know that they broke up. 
SOFIA: “I really am sorry things didn’t work out.” 
JULIAN: “Not your fault. It’s Quire’s. For the best anyway.” 
SOFIA, smiling and delicately resting a hand on his shoulder: “I am sure you will find exactly who you belong with eventually. Perhaps sooner rather than later.” 
Julian cycles through multiple expressions at her touch, including shock and pleasure, before asking if they can talk later after class and training. Just the two of them. Sofia tells him she’d love to. 
Julian, pleased with how that went, walks away with his head held high. Laurie is confused; it sounds like he wants to talk to her about getting together again, but she’s still dating Laura, right? 
SOFIA, still smiling: “We’re just going to talk. I promise. I would never hurt Laura like that.” Sofia and Laurie reach the front of the line. “Now, would you like the meatloaf or Doop’s Surprise?” 
LAURIE: “What’s the surprise?” 
Doop scratches himself, with flakes flying off of him. 
LAURIE, grossed out: “Meatloaf, please.” 
In the Mission Room, the six current adult X-Men are having a meeting. Cyclops starts things off by sarcastically thanking Sunspot for taking time out of his very busy schedule to join them; he knows that can’t be easy. 
ROBERTO, staring at his nails, unbothered: “I wouldn’t still be here if I wasn’t worth it.”
Scott points out that this is actually a good place to start; he’s not asking them to put in as much as the rest of them, but Sunspot and Magik should both become more involved in the school. Magik laughs at this, balking at the idea. 
MAGIK: “You want the soulless monster influencing the little children? You must be dumber than those sunglasses make you look. I mean I’m not complaining but–”
KITTY, holding Magik’s hand: “I think you’d make an excellent teacher.” 
MAGIK: “But I think I’d love to give it a try!”
Beto makes a whipcrack sound with his mouth, Magik sticks her tongue out at him, and Magneto ponders to himself if he’s traveled back in time five years. Sunspot points out that he does teach a class, with Emma quickly countering that, yes, he teaches “a” class, far fewer than herself, Kitty and the others. And with Kurt having run off with Pitor to join Logan and Storm, all of his classes are now up for grabs. 
SUNSPOT: “I’ll think about it. Could we please move on to the ongoing crisis at hand?” 
Cyclops obliges that request. As far as finding the Horsemen and figuring out what happened to Sofia, they think they may finally have a lead. Thanks to Magik. 
Magik, who’s already stopped paying attention, is brought back to attention by Kitty phasing a hand through her. Startled, she tells them all that the Horsemen definitely used Pixie to make their knockoff Gem of Cyttorak; a chunk of her soul is missing. 
KITTY: “That explains the personality change.” 
EMMA: “Did she fling mashed potatoes at you, as well?”
KITTY: “No, I think she just doesn’t like you.” 
Magik continues to say that she was able to track the source of the magic, to a point; they definitely have a teleporter, and that makes things fuzzy. 
MAGNETO: “So you have nothing?”
MAGIK: “I didn’t say that, Teach. I took a closer look at what was going on in the remnants of her soul, and at what had been done to it. It’s…indelicate. The soul is chipped, not cleanly broken apart. Comparing it to the energies coming off the sapphire, it should have been far more difficult for me to destroy.” 
SUNSPOT: “All this to say?” 
MAGIK, kicking her feet up on the table: “Lady Akabba isn’t some long-lived, perfect heir to Apocalypse, capable of all that he was. She’s a novice. I’d bet Cyclops’ head she’d never cast a spell on this level before.” 
BETO, suspicious, with gears turning: “I see.” 
Emma asks Magik if she’d be willing to help her provide counseling for Megan, potentially able to offer a valuable perspective on what she’s going through, while Magneto brings up that that can’t happen today, as she’s already agreed to try examining Wanda to see if magic can undo Pestillence’s infection. 
Magik groans in frustration, pulling at her hair over what all the headmasters want from her. They know she runs a hell dimension, right? 
KITTY, intentionally overly sweetly: “Please?” 
MAGIK, cringing: “You are taking advantage of my devotion to you.” 
KITTY, still smiling: “Yeah, I am.” 
She kisses a grumpy Yana’s cheek. 
Cyclops asks Emma to use Cerebro to check in on all of the planet’s teleporters. Amelia Vought, Lila Cheyney, all of them. See if any of them can lead them to the Horsemen. Emma agrees to get on that as soon as they’re done here. 
EMMA: “But we have another matter to discuss. Mr. Quire.” 
The X-Men continue to speak via voice over, as we cut to Quentin, sitting in his gaming chair in his room with his eyes closed. They note that the kid is spiarling out of control, he didn’t regret using Cerebro without permission or fighting Hellion, he’s talented enough that he could have hidden info from Cerebro from Emma when she scanned his mind, he’s still been seeing Dr. Garrison despite the X-Men cutting off their relationship with him, and while he did show regret over what happened to Surge, they doubt he isn’t still finding ways to take Kick himself. 
SCOTT, voice over: “We go easy on these kids because the world throws enough at them already, but we need to come down hard on him before he slips through the cracks.” 
Quentin sneers as we zoom inside his head. Inside Quentin’s mindscape, which takes on the form of an elegant museum full of portraits and sculptures of himself, The Omega Gang, now including Escapade is waiting. 
QUENTIN: “Listen up. We’re going over the plan one more time.” 
The Omega Gang groans. 
TATTOO: “We all know what we’ve gotta do to take this place down, Q. Don’t sweat it.” 
QUENTIN: “Never call me that again.” Quentin glares at a clearly anxious Shela. “Martha, Ernst, why does your friend look like she’s about to piss herself?” 
MARTHA, able to speak here: “She’s fine. Right, Escapade?”
QUENTIN: “I think she can speak for herself.” He gets right in Shela’s face and makes a big toothy grin. “Tell me what’s wrong.” 
SHELA, creeped out: “Uh, nothing. I just kinda sorta don’t understand why we’re doing this?” 
MARTHA: “We told you already!” 
ERSNT: “The X-Men don’t care about us.” 
RADIAN: “They care about Mutants, obviously. And about keeping us safe.” 
TATTOO: “But they don’t care enough to take real action. Not when they can play superhero for the flatscans.” 
REDNECK: “We would be ruling the Earth right now, never needing to worry about Purifiers or U-Men or politicians again if it wasn’t for them.” 
GLOB: “And however nice they seemed when they recruited you, don’t believe it. They only care about their “special” kids.” 
QUENTIN, still grinning and putting his hands on Shela’s shoulders: “That’s why we need to teach them a lesson. Some people may get hurt, but the X-Men will finally understand what it is they owe us, and what all of Mutantkind is owed. Do you understand?” 
Shela nervously looks over at Ersnt and Martha. They shake their heads at her. She looks back at Quentin. 
SHELA: “Yes. I understand. This is for the best.” 
QUENTIN: “Glad that’s settled.” 
Shela breathes a sigh of relief as Quentin turns and walks away from her. 
Quentin gets them back on topic and explains that he knows even the dumbest among them understand their assignments But he’s making a last minute change of plans. They need every bit of firepower they can get to pull this off. There’s someone he wants to be a part of this. The person who first helped him see he could be more than what he is. 
Quentin psychically drags a very confused Tag into his mindscape. 
BRIAN: “Huh?! What the Hell?!” 
QUENTIN: “Hey Bri. Hope you weren’t doing anything important. We need to talk.”
Taking a look around him, and at Quentin and the others, Brian is able to quickly assess that something bad is going down. 
Back in the Mission Room, everyone is getting up, having each been dealt their assignments. Kitty tells Magik not to take too long helping Emma and Magneto; they still need to make up for being too exhausted to do anything on Valentines. 
Kitty opens her mouth to say something to Scott and Emma, but she decides it’s a bad idea. Scott asks her what it is. 
KITTY: “I was gonna ask if you two wound up doing anything on Valentines, but then I realized there’s nothing I’d rather not know.” She immediately transitions to saying, “Emma, put the knowledge in my brain and my hand goes through your chest.” 
Emma’s amused, while Scott’s a little embarrassed. She tells Kitty that she’s sure she could get them separate seats for the opera she and Scott are attending that night, but Illyana shuts that down, saying they’ve already got tickets for monster trucks. Emma facepalms as she’s walked away by Scott, the younger women both clearly enthusiastic about their plans. 
Erik asks Roberto if he’ll be choosing what other classes he wants to teach immediately,  or if he has another flight to catch. 
ROBERTO: “I should actually be around for quite a while, now. I have someone else to handle flying for me.” 
Beto more somberly asks Magneto how he’s managing with everything that’s happened with his children. 
ERIK, glaring at him before speaking: “I’m afraid unless you’re prepared to pick up where we left and share with me what’s going on, that isn’t a question I’m comfortable answering.” Roberto cringes. “That’s what I thought.” 
Erik dramatically departs with a swing of his cape, leaving Beto on his own to kick his feet. 
BETO: “Shit.” 
 In Quentin’s mindscape, Brian has been filled in on what The Omega Gang is doing. 
BRIAN, shaking his head: “No. No, this isn’t you.” 
Quentin laughs. His gang laughs with him. 
QUENTIN: “Of course it is. You know that better than anyone.” He puts an arm around Brian and looks at the others. “Did you he know he was the one who helped me bury those humans whose brains I cooked?” 
The Omega Gang cheers and applauds Brian.
Brian shoves Quentin away. Yes, he did do that! Because he cares about him. But drugging Nori crossed a line. And what he wants to do crosses every line. 
REDNECK: “Of course you’d think that! You’re one of their special little X-Men in Training.” 
RADIAN: “Yeah. Some of us don’t get to have futures outside their welfare.” 
TATTOO: “We won’t even all get to stay together. Only so much space here. A new crop of kids will come in, and we’ll be out.” 
Brian grimaces, as he flashes back to his fight with Firefist. 
FIREFIST: “The X-Men somehow win and you’re still with them? A loser like you will be dropped just as quickly as I was.” 
Brian contemplates for a moment before his face fills with determination. 
BRIAN: “I get what you’re saying. It’s something I’m worried about too. But I won’t betray everyone.” 
QUENTIN, irritated: “What, then? You’ll rat us out? Watch and chortle with your friends as they “come down hard” on us to set an example so that no one ever dreams of calling out the perfect X-Men again?” 
BRIAN: “No, dude, I’m saying let’s just talk to them so we can tell them our problems. They’ll listen!” 
ERNST: “Exactly which of the supermodel billionaires or monarchs past or present will listen to US?” 
BRIAN: “If they’re really as bad as you all think, they’ll at least listen to me. Like you said, I’m part of that crowd. For now.” 
Quentin sneers. 
QUENTIN: “Maybe we should do things your way. Then you’ll see exactly what I’ve been telling you since we met. Not a single one of your friends or mentors cares about you for you. The second you step out of line, you’ll be cut. Don’t expect to come crying back to us after that though. You’ll be all alone. Again.” 
BRIAN, cracking: “You’re wrong.” 
QUENTIN: “Or maybe I’m right and we should just skip the heartbreak and get to the part where I save all our futures.” Quentin takes Brian’s hands as he smiles at him and makes him shiver. “Them abandoning you is inevitable. But I never will. We’re the same. You just need to accept that.” 
Brian sweats, panicking and breaking down as different members of the gang either egg him on to join or mock him, and Quentin psychically applies just a little extra pressure. 
Brian breaks, putting his hands on Quentin’s mouth and making out with him. Quentin goes along with it and keeps it going. Most of the gang is grossed out, but Glob thinks they’re cute. 
Night falls on the Jean Grey School. 
Julian hangs out above the school, floating in mid-air and looking up at the stars. He pounds his metal fists together and stares down at them. 
“Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?” 
Julian instantly smiles as Sofia flies up next to him, wrapped in a blue trenchcoat. 
JULIAN: “I learned more tricks while you were away than what I show off in training. I don’t even need to make my telekinesis visible to keep myself warm with it now.” 
SOFIA: “Very impressive.” She blows her coat off of herself and onto Julian. “But you still look like you could use one.” 
JULIAN, liking this, teasing and not complaining: “What are you now, my mom?” 
SOFIA: “No, I do not think I’m an uncaring baseline with terrible skin.” 
JULIAN: “Ha!” 
SOFIA: “I’m serious. I’ve sponsored some products that could help her.” 
JULIAN: “Only help my mom needs is a shrink.” 
The two giggle. 
JULIAN: “Aren’t you cold now though?” Sofia blows a gust of wind in his face, messing up his hair. “Ah. Right.” 
Julian tilts his head back. 
JULIAN: “What are we doing here?” 
SOFIA: “You wanted to talk. You tell me.” 
Julian bites his lip. He hates this. 
JULIAN: “Do you love Laura?” 
SOFIA: “What? Of course I do.” 
JULIAN: No. Not like you love all of us.”
Sofia doesn’t answer. 
Julian almost silently mumbles, “Sorry, Laura.” 
JULIAN: “And what about me?” 
Sofia widens her eyes faux innocently. 
SOFIA: “I told you I still loved you when I came back. But you were with Surge. If you weren’t going to wait, neither was I.” 
Julian cringes, shutting his eyes. 
While his eyes are shut, Sofia kisses him. He opens his eyes in shock. 
SOFIA, smirking flirtatiously: “What? Are you not your mentor’s protege?” 
Julian nervously laughs and stumbles over his words. He pulls himself together. 
JULIAN: “Were you just trying to make me jealous?” 
Sofia shrugs, as she effortlessly positions herself in Julian’s arms. 
SOFIA: “I obviously don’t want to hurt Laura. But I want you more than anything. So if you want me…” 
JULIAN, holding her tight: “Yes. A million times yes.” 
SOFIA, face unseen by Julian, smirking evily: “Then I will make sure Laura wants to end things herself. And everything can be how it should.” 
Julian wishes they hadn’t screwed things up so badly, again, but at least they have a plan. Sofia promises him this will all be over soon; in fact, she has an idea to make Laura happier than ever. 
JULIAN, holding Sofia in front of himself, the two looking into each other’s eyes: “I’m never letting anything come between us again, Beautiful. I don’t care if I lose my legs, or if you lose your powers for good, or about anything else; I’m not letting you go again.”
Sofia, pleased for clearly more reasons than just her evil plan, gives him a quick peck. 
SOFIA: “I love you too.” 
The two passionately make out, beginning to take off their clothes as they fly swiftly down into the bushes. 
In the common area, Sunspot and Warpath are playing chess. They go back and forth as James takes one of Roberto’s pieces after another. He gets annoyed. 
JAMES: “Why are you letting me win?” 
BETO: “Letting you win? That doesn’t like me. You know I love winning. It would be too painful not to for me.” 
JAMES: “Uh-huh.” 
As the two continue to play, Beto asks James how he’s been feeling; he heard about his tussle with Juggerlossus. 
WARPATH: “Yeah, it happened while you were off kissing some girl halfway around the world.” 
SUNSPOT: “I’ll have you know I showed her the very best of times on Valentines Day, not that she particularly cared.” 
Beto is serious though. What prompted him to jump into battle like that? James makes clear there was no special reason; he may be finding more to himself than just a warrior, but that’s still who he is. They needed backup, and he could provide it. 
Beto catches James by surprise as he takes his knight. 
SUNSPOT: “Any interest in returning to the X-Men full-time?” 
WARPATH, making his next move: “You going somewhere?” 
SUNSPOT: “Just a question.” 
WARPATH: “It’s never “just” a question with you.” 
SUNSPOT: “I’m just wondering where your head is these days. If you’re longing for anything more than being a teacher.” 
WARPATH, taking another piece: “These kids need me. I’m doing something that matters. That’s where my head is.” 
SUNSPOT: “And that’s completely fair.” Beto takes James’ queen, stunning him. “I just think you could be thinking bigger.” He smirks. “You are the biggest man I know, after all.” 
James glares at Beto as he tips over his king. 
“James.” 
Laura enters the room. 
LAURA: “Can we talk?” 
In Laura’s room, James examines various pictures arranged of her with Sofia (and the rest of her friends). He asks what’s up; she knows she doesn’t need to ask to talk to him. 
Laura tells him that, the last time she ran away, she didn’t tell him anything; she’s sorry about that. James tells her not to bother. He understands from what she’s told him. Kimura hurt her bad. But the important thing she didn’t let her get to her for long, and she remembered who she is. They’ll pay Kimura back in blood one of these days. 
Laura thanks him, but he’s wrong. Kimura was right about her. She is a weapon. And that’s why she’s doing what she’s doing now. 
LAURA: “Sofia has a plan to find the Horsemen. With just the two of us. And we’re leaving tonight.” 
James is very concerned. 
Also concerned, sitting alone in dark in his room, is Brian. In only his boxers, he stares into the glow of his phone, with the “X-Men in Training” group chat open, and Emma and Dani tagged. He shivers and pants, before furiously typing. 
He gets a message written out, explaining Quentin’s whole plan, not that the audience gets to see the specifics. He hovers his thumb over the send button. 
In Shela’s room, Escapade pretends to be asleep, revealing herself not to be as she checks to see if Martha and Ernst are passed out. 
Shela tosses on a robe, sneaks out of her room, and races toward the headmasters’ office. She bangs on the door, calling out for someone to open up. It’s important! 
Alas, Shela freezes part way through her next knock, as her eyes flash pink. 
QUENTIN, telepathically: “And this is why I don’t work with kids.” 
In his room, Brian deletes his message, and smashes his phone against the wall. 
In the boys bathroom, Julian sweats and pants heavily as he stares at himself in the mirror, exhausted and guilty. 
JULIAN: “You didn’t do anything wrong. Sofia shouldn’t have used Laura like that, but you’re just setting things right. You’re not hurting her, you’re keeping her from getting hurt.”
Julian coughs. He clenches his fist and screams as she punches his reflection , not only shattering the mirror, but accidentally putting TK energy behind the punch and destroying part of the wall. 
JULIAN, panting even harder: “Shit.” 
“You SHOULD be upset; you can’t afford to pay to fix that anymore.” 
Julian seethes as he exits the bathroom, where he finds a lone Cuckoo waiting for him in the hall. 
JULIAN: “I’m not in the mood to talk, um…” 
CUCKOO: “Oh my god, even you can’t tell us apart.” 
JULIAN: “Sorry. Sophie?” 
SOPHIE, rolling her eyes: “Idiot.” 
As the two walk, Julian tells her to cut him some slack. He’s having a rought night, and it’s been a long time since just the two of them hung out and…
SOPHIE: “Interesting way to describe having sex. Like you and Sofia were just having.” 
JULIAN, sighing: “Please tell me you weren’t spying.” 
SOPHIE: “Eww, no, gross. Your mind is screaming. You’re hurt worse than you look.” 
JULIAN: “That so? Then why didn’t the others hear?”
SOPHIE: “They did. I’m the only one who wanted to come check on you.” 
They each crack a half smile at each other. 
JULIAN: “Thanks. But I really don’t want to talk.” 
SOPHIE: “You’re lying.” 
JULIAN: “Maybe, but there’s nothing to say. I’m a jerk who can’t stop being selfish. All there is to it.” 
SOPHIE, getting in front of him: “I know I just called you an idiot, but are you really that dense? Or did you just just your brains screwed out?
Julian tries to get past her, but she shoves his back with telekinesis, Julian not resisting. 
SOPHIE: “How many times have you fought to protect everyone here? And the world? How many times have you wound up in the medical bay because you’re always the first to put yourself in the line of fire?” 
JULIAN: “I know I’m an awesome X-Man. Doesn’t mean I’m a good guy.” 
While Sophie acknowledges that to be true, she’s seen who he is at his core. He’s a dimwitted blowhard, like all boys, but he always put his friends before himself; from her limited understanding of the situation, being honest with Laura is the only thing he could do, and that would be far crueler than Sofia’s plan. The guilt he feels is because he knows this is all wrong. 
SOPHIE: “If anyone should feel guilty, it’s Sofia.” 
Julian shakes his head, telling Sophie that Sofia isn’t a saint; with what she’d been through and found out, of course she lashed out. 
JULIAN: “I can relate.” 
Julian bursts ahead with his telekinsis, with Sophie following behind. She isn’t trying to make this about Sofia. She’s not about to judge what she did; she can respect the cold-bloodedness. 
SOPHIE: “When we first arrived and were on a rampage, you stopped us. Made us rethink our approach. Helped us make actual friends. Ones we could have forever. And since then, we’ve gotten to fight with you.” Sophie hangs her head, smiling. “My sisters have varying thoughts…but I think becoming an X-Man sounds really cool. Being one doesn’t mean you’re responsible for what everyone else does.” 
Julian stops walks and sticks his hands in his pockets. 
JULIAN: “If you wanted to, you could have just zapped the guilt from my brain.” 
Sophie kisses his cheek. 
SOPHIE: “No need. You’re a superhero. Try not to think so hard about it.” 
Sophie starts walking away, with Julian not saying anything, until…
JULIAN: “Hey, Sophie!” She turns her head. “Looking forward to you joining the team. Means I’ll get to be your boss.” 
SOPHIE, smirking: “Dork.” 
As Sophie departs, Julian is a little more at ease. 
Laura and Warpath exit the former’s room, James wishing her good night. Once he’s gone, a gentle breezes passes by Laura, making her smile. Sofia flies up to her, in full costume. 
SOFIA: “Ready to go?” 
Laura bends down and, right next to the door, grabs a bag.  Sofia takes her hand. 
SOFIA: “Are you nervous?” 
LAURA: “You’re asking me?” 
The two smirk. 
Outside, Sofia calls out mentally to Exodus, saying they’re ready. 
Exodus telepathically laughs, mockingly. 
EXODUS, telepathically: “You are making the right decision, children. Lady Akabba will make you both stronger than you ever dreamed of.” 
Sofia and Laura both scowl as Lila Cheyney appears in a flash and, just as quickly, teleports them away. 
Night turns to morning, as the sun rises. 
Emma, Kitty, and Magik slump into the teacher’s lounge, where Dani, Karma, and Rahne are already having coffee. 
DANI: “Wow. You guys look like crap. What happened?” 
Emma, clenching her forehead as she telekinetically prepares a cup of coffee, asks Magik if she’d like to explain or if she. 
Magik shrugs. 
MAGIK: “I thought the monster trucks could be spiced up by some actual monsters.” 
KITTY: “It got a little out of hand.”
The other New Mutants start laughing. 
EMMA: “It isn’t amusing. Cyclops and I had to come clean up the mess. In spite of that, he wanted to get straight to work despite the lack of sleep, so I told him I’d be a dear and get someone else to make his coffee.” 
As she says this, we see Scott yawning as he sits down in his office, alone. 
DANI, sarcastic: “How sweet of you.” 
EMMA: “Yes, I’m a positive housewife.” Getting more serious, she turns to Rahne. “Wolfsbane, how did Escapade do on her first remedial history quiz yesterday?” 
RAHNE, nervous: “Oh. Well, don’t be mad, but I didn’t give it to her.” 
EMMA, this being the last thing she needs, deadpan: “Why?” 
RAHNE: “Lass said she was anxious! I can’t blame her. Poor thing hasn’t been gotten schooling in years.” 
EMMA: “Hmm. Well, hopefully she’s at least well rested for a makeup.” 
We cut to Shela’s room, where she’s stuff in a trance in bed, her eyes glowing purple. 
KITTY: “Well, I need sleep. I’m just here to grab that whole box of donuts and–” 
Kitty is cut off as the power goes out. 
KITTY: “Oh come on!” BEAT. “Wait, aren’t we supposed to have multiple back up generators?” 
EMMA: “Yes. We are.” 
In Scott’s office, he yawns. He tells himself not to fall asleep just because of a little blackout. The backups should be on any minute. 
Scott yawns again. 
SCOTT: “Well, maybe a quick nap after I get a little done.” 
Scott turns his computer on, the sounds of it booting up all we hear. 
The screen flashes on…brightening up the room more, and startling Scott, as he finds a grinning Quentin standing on the other side of his desk. 
QUENTIN: “Hello, Mr. Summers.” 
Scott tries to take action, but he finds himself immobile, as the rest of the Omega Gang becomes visible, sans Shela, enters sight. 
SCOTT, pissed and concerned: “Kids, what are are you doing?” 
“No, Mr. Summers.” 
Scott is shocked as Brian joins the rest of his gang. 
BRIAN: “What are you doing?” 
Quentin smirks triumphantly, putting an arm around his friend. 
Around the school, various students react to the blackout. Some gather around Match for light, Eye-Boy starts looking around his and Prodigy’s room for his blacklights, Mercury and Bling! see it as an excuse to get back into bed and snuggle, and Pixie cackles faux-manically, plotting to pants everyone and then act like it was an accident. 
Before she can do that, however, everyone in the school covers their ears as their heads are filled with eardrum shattering British punk rock. 
QUENTIN, telepathically to everyone: “Students and faculty, the Jean Grey School is now under lockdown. I am in everyone’s minds, and if any of you attempt to leave, I will execute my hostage, Headmaster Summers.” 
While many students gasp, and are afraid and confused, including Laurie, the X-Men and teachers in the teachers lounge, Magneto in Wanda’s room, and Sunspot, Hellion, and the Cuckoos in their respective bedrooms look ready to beat this kid. 
QUENTIN: “My team, The Omega Gang, and I, are currently located in the headmasters’ office. Should anyone attempt to enter the office, I will execute him. But fear not my classmates, I mean you no harm. Today, my compatriots and I simply mean to bring attention to a critical situation: the failure of the X-Men.” 
As the X-Men rush to meet up, Emma telling everyone, teachers included, to get to the Mission Room NOW, Quentin continues to say that he knows the student body doesn’t care for him, and that’s okay; he hates who he used to be too. Fortunately he isn’t that weakling anymore, but it is true that he and his gang are largely friendless…with one exception. 
As Hellion races through the halls, he’s stunned to hear Brian take over the announcement. 
BRIAN: “The X-Men have let down each and every one of us. They give us comfort, a roof over our heads, meals, and an education. That’s great. No one’s saying they don’t care about Mutants. But they don’t care about US.” 
As Brian continues his speech, Emma, Dani, and all of Brian’s friends are in complete disbelief. 
BRIAN: “They provide us the illusion of protection, but that’s all it is. Yeah, they’ve saved some of you, and they’ve fought some bad guys, but all they do is fight symptoms, not the cause.” 
OMEGA GANG: “FLATSCANS!” 
BRIAN: “They keep hunting us! They keep trying to kill us! And what do the X-Men do? Put them in human jail and wait for the next ones! And while we wait, do they give us all the same treatment?” 
OMEGA GANG: “No!” 
BRIAN: “Of course not! The X-Men are the privileged elites of Mutantkind. Billionaires, monarchs, handpicked from youth prodigies. And it’s the same story with those they prioritize. I don’t even need to say their names. You know I’m talking about my friends. This message is from me to them.” BEAT. “Surge, Dust, Wolverine, Wind Dancer, Bling!, Mercury, Cuckoos…Hellion…” 
Each of them are shown reacting as he says their names, save of course for Laura and Sofia. In particular, Cessily and Roxy just look worried about him, while Dust is as angered as everyone else. 
BRIAN: “I love you guys. You’re the best friends I’ve ever had. But I’m done pretending like I belong with you.” 
Quentin down more Kick, just pouring pills down his mouth from the bottle, as he pats Brian on the shoulder. 
QUENTIN: “But oh, it’s not like the X-Men have all the time in the world. If they’re not saving it, they’re spending as much time as they can with us, right?” 
OMEGA GANG: “Wrong!” 
QUENTIN: “They go to the opera and sky shows! They party half-way around the world and are never around! One of them I don’t think has spoken to a single one of us! You know she’s an actual demon from Hell, right?!” 
ILLYANA, to herself: “Tch. Limbo.” 
QUENTIN, screaming in Scott’s emotionless face: “Some of them leave! Some of them are pushed out! Some of them invite school exploding robots to teach science. Some of them transform into dark, flaming gods that threaten to end all life on Earth!” 
Quentin knows this is a lot, and that they must be wondering what the point of all this is. Simple! The time is now for the future of Mutantkind to make their voices heard! The time is now to demand that the X-Men embrace what it means to be homo-superior!
QUENTIN: “I ask all of you…do you not want more?” 
Quentin pants as he finishes, and silence spreads over the school, everyone wondering what they should do. Until…
CRASH! 
PIXIE, having just knocked over a vase: “Yeah! Riot!” 
Quentin grins as students follow Megan’s lead, and begin screaming and tearing things up. 
In Egypt, Lila Cheyney materializes with Sofia and Laura inside the underground base, shoving them forward. 
LILA: “My masters will be with you shortly.” 
LAURA: “Wait…I know you. Aren’t you a musician?” 
LILA: “No, hon, I’m a certified rock icon. Doesn’t mean I can’t also fight for a good cause.” 
Lila disappears. 
SOFIA, shaking her arm, whispering: “Definitely not listening to her music anymore.” 
Wide doors open, Sofia and Laura bracing themselves as Exodus, Malice, and Akihiro appear before them. 
EXODUS: “Ladies, welcome to the headquarters of Clan Akabba.” 
MALICE: “What is it you X-Men say? “Hope you survive the experience”?” 
AKIHIRO, glaring at Laura: “I wouldn’t give them good odds.” 
Laura glares back at him. 
SOFIA: “We aren’t X-Men. Not anymore. It is like I told Exodus; Apocalypse was right.” 
LAURA, to Akihiro: “And if Logan hurt you, I need to know exactly how.” 
Exodus snickers. He then launches a telekinetic wave, blasting them both back and into a stone wall. Akihiro and Malice join in the amusement. 
EXODUS: “First things first. Initiation.”
Exodus tells Akihiro that he will teach his sister how things work around here; he doesn’t need the boy getting carried away. But he can play with Wind Dancer. 
AKIHIRO, smirking sadistically at Sofia, licking his lips: “Sounds fun.” 
Sofia cringes in disgust. 
MALICE: “And what about me? Who do I get to play with?” 
EXODUS: “Oh, I don’t know. Why don’t you go kill an X-Man?” 
LAURA: “I thought Lady Akabba gave the orders here.” 
EXODUS: “Lady Akabba has bigger things to concern herself with.” 
Exodus orders the other Horsemen to give him and Wolverine some privacy. Akihiro comes over to the girls to drag Sofia away, but before he does, Sofia kisses Laura. 
SOFIA: “We’re going to be okay. I love you.” 
Laura is shocked, but grins confidently from that. 
LAURA: “I love you too.” 
Akihiro grabs Sofia and pulls her away, as Malice exits on her own. 
AKIHIRO, squeezing Sofia’s arm tight: “You look so fragile. Should be fun breaking you. Especially when you thank me for it.” 
SOFIA: “We will see who breaks who.” 
AKIHIRO: “Ha!” Akihiro shoves Sofia through a door, making her trip and fall. “Move!” 
The door shuts behind the two, leading Akihiro and Sofia into the throneroom, where the large, intimidating Death towers over the young woman on the floor. 
Both begin to giggle. Very quickly, this turns into hysterical laughter, as Akihiro helps Sofia up. 
AKIHIRO, crying from laughter: “Oh, that was too much.” 
SOFIA, equally amused: “You really sold that you were going to torture me.” 
AKIHIRO: “And “I love you?!” Really twisting that knife.” 
Sofia, pleased with herself, shrugs, as Lila appears next to them. 
SOFIA: “Make sure Exodus doesn’t kill her. She’s more valuable than him.” Sofia takes Lila’s hand. “I’ll be back soon for my costume change.” 
In the Mission Room, Emma, Magneto, Kitty, Magik, Sunspot, Hellion, and Wind Dancer, as well as the teaching staff, Dust, Mercury, Bling!, and the Cuckoos are gathered, the telepaths keeping everyone’s perception so that they can actually see each other. Magneto questions where Wolverine is, with Sofia expressing that she isn’t sure. Emma sighs. They’ll just have to proceed without here. 
HELLION: “Shouldn’t we be tapping in Surge?”
KITTY: “Even if she weren’t suspended, she needs to rest. Emma’s keeping her asleep so she doesn’t hurt herself.” 
Julian begrudgingly accepts that. 
EMMA: “Whatever any of you feel about what these miscreants have to say, or conflicts regarding Tag’s involvement…” She looks right at a pissed Julian as she says that. “...put it aside. They have taken Cyclops, incited a riot, and forced punching down to become our unfortunate priority. We will worry about understanding at a later time. Any disagreements?” 
Erik, nor anyone else, speaks up, even as Julian clearly thinks about doing so. Cessily holds his hand to comfort him. 
ERIK: “Emma and I have already worked out our plan of attack. We will–” 
Magneto is cut off as Kitty starts responding to someone over her com. She’s concerned, but firm as she gets the information, and promises they’ll be right there. 
SUNSPOT, irritated: “What now?” 
KITTY: “It’s Dazzler. Exodus and Malice are after her.” 
Magneto’s eyes fill with rage and his nostrils flare, as Dani notes that this can’t be a coincidence; they planned this. Which means…
EMMA: “Which means Mr. Quire is doing their bidding, and we have all the more reason to not feel too bad about maiming one of our students.” 
Erik quickly adjusts the plan for this and dishes out orders. They’re baiting him away from the school, but it’s bait he has to take. He will go and fight the Horsemen, defeat them both, and force Pestillence to undo the harm she’s done to his family. 
MAGNETO: “Magik, I will require transportation and potential backup.” 
MAGIK: “Aww, I wanted to beat some kiddies.” She groans and gives a thumbs up. “But I’ve got you, Teach.” 
Magneto then turns his attention to Dust, Mercury, and Bling! Alison is currently on tour in densely populated Paris. He’d like Mercury and Bling! to accompany him and Magik and provide crowd control and rescue. The girls, while a little afraid of Magik, agree. As for Dust, she and Warpath are in charge of protecting Wanda. The Horseman want her, and they cannot rule out that obtaining her is the true purpose behind all of this. 
DUST: “No harm will come to her.” 
Magneto notices James glaring at him. 
MAGNETO: “A problem?” 
JAMES, smirking: “No. Not at all.” 
Erik doesn’t have time to question that and continues. Cannonball, Wolfsbane, Karma, and Danger are to restrain the students without harming them, before they hurt each other or cause significant damage to the property. 
MAGNETO: “Wind Dancer, your new friend and our newest student controls pheromones. Do you believe you could–?”
WIND DANCER: “Use my winds to spread calming ones throughout the school? Of course.” 
EMMA: “That just leaves Quentin and his friends. Kitty, Sunspot, Danielle, Hellion, Cuckoos, you’re with me.” 
MINDEE: “Actual approval to crush Quentin like a bug?” 
CELESTE: “I don’t know if that makes it more or less fun.” 
Julian hangs his head. Emma notices. 
EMMA: “Hellion, I care for Brian as well, but we do not have time for doubts. Kapeesh?” 
JULIAN, seething: “Kapeesh.” 
In the headmaster’s office, lit up by Quentin’s TK energy, Quentin taunts Scott.
QUENTIN: “Do you hear all that ruckus? That’s the sound of your students opening their eyes and turning on you.” 
Scott ignores him and doesn’t answer. 
QUENTIN: “Martha, you’re letting him speak, right?” 
Scott chuckles. 
QUENTIN: “You’re laughing. I’m tearing down your establishment and you’re laughing. Here I thought I’d be getting a whole speech about why I don’t really want to do this.” 
Scott shakes his head. 
SCOTT: “Why couldn’t you just try and make friends?” 
QUENTIN: “Hello! I have friends!” 
SCOTT: “That so?” He grins. “Brian, don’t you find it funny that Quentin checks every box for the kinds of people he claims to be fighting against?” 
QUENTIN, not giving Brian a chance to speak: “I am nothing like you!” 
SCOTT: “You’re a natural genius from a family of billionaires gifted with telepathy among the most powerful on Earth. You’re as privileged as any X-Man.” 
QUENTIN: “If that were true, everything would be different.” 
SCOTT: “Quentin, there’s only one difference between you and an X-Man, and it’s not about privilege. You’re just a dork.”  
Quentin takes Cyclops’ bait and, livid at his word choice, telepathically assaults him. Scott attempts the Red Triangle, having wanted this opportunity, but Quentin’s power combined with Martha’s is too much, and he writhes in agony. 
Quentin laughs at him. He almost had him there! But Cyclops made a critical error. He thought that he was “one of” the most powerful telepaths on Earth. But he knows his worth! And with a little help from Kick, he knows that he is the most powerful telepath on Earth! 
QUENTIN: “I never did pick one of those codenames everyone else has. How does, “Kid Omega” sound?” 
Quentin doesn’t actually give him a chance to answer, as he proceeds to psychically torture Scott. As Redneck, Radian, and Tattoo cheer him on, Brian looks away, guilty.
Around the school, the teachers get to work. Wolfsbane becomes a pack of wolves to scare kids back to their rooms, despite the best threat she’s able to toss out while bearing her fangs being that they won’t be getting any supper if they don’t behave. 
Karma, not wanting to possess any of the kids, delivers quick, knockout chops to a bunch of wily, but purely physically mutated students, while Danger handles more capable ones like Loa and Onyxx by stretching out her arms around a whole group and pulling them in close to physically restrain them. 
DANGER: “Believe me, children, I understand wanting to destroy the X-Men. I came close. But it isn’t worth it.” 
Wolf Cub, from behind, throws a baseball at her head. 
WOLF CUB: “No one cares what you think! You blew up our school!” 
All the kids in her arms scold her and tell her that she should just leave them alone. Danger grabs Wolf Cub, and keeps everyone else restrained, but is saddened as she does so. 
Meanwhile, Cannonball flies around the school, just able to flick students unconscious at the speed he’s moving at. Hearing a lot of noise, he moves toward another area of the school. By the time he gets there, however, the sound of a riot in this area has been replaced with gentle 60s folk music, courtesy of Icarus on his ukelele. The rampaging students are peacefully pacified on the floor, as Jay, and a dancing along Melody, float over them. 
JAY: “We’ve got things covered here, bro.” 
SAM, proud: “Nice work.” 
In Sofia’s room, Laurie has been told what they need her to do, but she isn’t sure it’s a good idea her control of her powers is terrible! What if she sends out the wrong kind of pheromones?! 
Sofia tells her to breathe and helps her through a familiar exercise. She promises her that she can do this. Laurie is still nervous. She hasn’t been here long. How does she know Quentin isn’t right?
SOFIA: “Please, Laurie. You only briefly met Quentin, but you must have been able to tell he isn’t a hero. He’s a hypocritical supremacist and misogynist, and it is up to us to stop him.” 
Laurie is swayed and begins producing pheromones. Sofia channels the winds…but Laurie’s pheromones aren’t what she blows away. Instead, she blows open a small bottle of pre-made pheromones hidden in her boot and spreads those. 
We quickly see the effects as Anole and Specter go from having fun together trashing the school to violently assaulting one another. Sofia has spread rage pheromones. 
In Paris, Exodus rains terror upon the city, blowing away entire buildings, leveling streets, and murdering hundreds of people. He regrets having to do this to his home nation, but it has tragically been filled with millions of impure vermin. 
EXODUS: “I would say a prayer, but the lord has already decided the fate of your species.” 
Nearby, Dazzler lies in rubble, having been brutalized. Malice stands over, without barely a scratch on her, smirking sadistically as she stomps down on Allison. 
MALICE: “Now…be honest…was fighting to protect the humans really worth it in the end?” 
DAZZLER, grunting: “No one…hurts my fans.” 
MALICE: “Perhaps not while you live. But that won’t be an issue anymore.” 
Malice magnetically raises a metal beam, ready to crush Allison with it, but as she goes for the kill, Magik and Magneto appear from a stepping disc, Illyana cutting the beam in half with her sword, before Erik uses his own magnetic powers to launch the beams into Malice’s got, sending her flying. 
ALLISON, grateful but not enthused: “Oh. Great. They sent you two.” 
Magik rolls her eyes as another stepping disc brings Mercury and Bling! to their location. Magneto orders Roxy to tend to Dazzler’s injuries, while Cessily begins protecting the civilians. 
MAGNETO: “Exodus!” 
Exodus grins as he takes notes of Magneto, flying down next to Malice.
EXODUS: “My former lord and master! How wonderful to see you again. Especially as we were previously denied the previous opportunity to reunite.” 
MAGNETO: “As I understand it, you fled with your tail tucked between your legs because you couldn’t even best Iceman. Yet you wish to challenge me? I thought you smarter than that when I made you my right hand.” 
EXODUS: “I was smart enough to find a new master upon realizing you were a false prophet who lacked the will for what was necessary.” 
MAGIK: “And yet Apocalypse still chose a little girl to be his heir over you.” 
Exodus sneers. 
Magneto turns his attention back to Malice and commands her to release Polaris, and undo the harm done to Scarlet Witch; if she complies, she may live. 
MALICE, ready to fight: “I will not surrender my body. Not for anything…Father.” 
Without further hesitation, Magneto begins the fight. 
In the headmasters’ office, the Omega Gang continues to stand around, while Scott has been knocked out. 
REDNECK: “You guys think we’ll have, like, titles and crap when this is all done?” 
RADIAN, mockingly: “Yeah, I’m sure the queen of all Mutants will just be handing them out like candy to a bunch of kids who threw a riot in a school. Get a grip, man.” 
REDNECK: “I was just saying, man! Be nice to get some thanks!” 
ERNST: “We aren’t doing this for thanks. It’s just what’s right.” 
TATTOO: “I’m hoping Lady Akabba could use some Court Musicians.” 
RADIAN: “Oh, I like the sound of that.” 
REDNECK: “Please, you guys suck at guitar.” 
RADIAN AND TATTOO: “We do not!” 
GLOB, quietly: “I think I want a fancy hat.” 
While Quentin continues to be annoyed by everyone, he notices Brian has positioned himself in a corner, eyes stuck on Cyclops. 
Quentin’s face softens, genuinely, as he moves to talk to him, but before he can, he receives a telepathic message. 
SOPHIE: “You’ve really done it now, haven’t you?” 
Quentin smirks, adjusting his glasses. 
QUENTIN: “Thanks for helping me make so many friends. I couldn’t have done this without them.” 
SOPHIE: “It didn’t have to go like this.” 
QUENTIN: “No, this was inevitable as soon as I asked you out, and you laughed at me. It woke me up to who I needed to be, and from there, it was impossible not to see what needed to be done.” 
SOPHIE: “What needed to be done was turn everyone here against each other? You and I agree that Mutandkind is superior. But I learned not to step on our own. Surrender now, and you can still learn that yourself.” 
Quentin wipes his nose with his fist as it starts to bleed. 
QUENTIN: “I’m guessing that means you’re helping Ms. Frost come after us. Fine. I’ll be more than happy to show you, and your sisters, exactly what I’ve learned.” 
Sophie sighs. 
SOPHIE: “So be it. But for what it’s worth…” 
The door to the office is busted down, with Emma, Kitty, Sunspot, Dani, and Hellion in the doorway. 
SOPHIE: “...I didn’t laugh.” 
Outside the comatose Wanda’s room, Warpath and Dust stand outside. Sooraya is disturbed by all the violent noise going on elsewhere, but James tells her that he knows it's hard, but she has to stick to her assigned task and trust that the others will get the job done on their end. Being able to maintain that trust is part of being an X-Man. 
Sooraya is able to compose herself and thanks Mr. Proudstar. She turns her attention to another thought. 
DUST: “I don’t fully understand what it is Scarlet Witch does, but isn’t she meant to keep our whole world safe from monsters? Are we in danger right now?” 
WARPATH: “There are things out there a lot worse than monsters. But we should be fine. Captain Britain and Prestige were able to convince Selene Gallio to help them fill in for Wanda until she’s healed. She can’t rule the world if it’s been gobbled up by an angry god.” 
SOORAYA, somber: “So that is a yes.” 
Warpath notices Sooraya isn’t doing so well and asks if there’s anything else on her mind, outside their immediate crisis. Soo doesn’t wish to bother him, but James assures her she won’t. Sooraya explains that this is her fault. The others are always all busy, with their romance and adventures, but she’s only ever here, doing her best to study and train so she can keep her friends and mother safe. 
SOORAYA: “I should have seen what was happening to Quentin and Brian.” 
James tells her to shut that thought down right now. He’s sure there’s going to be a lot of people playing the blame game when this is all done, but everyone makes their own choices. Quentin’s doing this because he wanted to and Brian joined him because he wanted to, just like he joined the Hellions back in the day because he wanted to…
JAMES: “And just like no one’s to blame for what happened to my brother besides the people who killed him.” 
Sooraya breathes, touching James’ arm, and smiling. 
JAMES: “What?” 
SOORAYA: “This sounds like a lesson Ms. Frost would teach.” 
JAMES, playing along: “Oh, you know that hurts, kid. That hurts worse than any attack.” 
“Is that so?” 
Dust and Warpath turn, knives drawn and sand ready, as they hear a modulated voice and turn toward it. 
LADY AKABBA, in her full armor: “Shall we test that?” 
In the Horsemen’s lair, Laura wakes up on the grounds, filthy and covered in cuts and bruises. 
AKIHIRO: “Looks like Famine had fun with you.” Laura looks up to see him standing over her, Muramasa in hand. “You must be angry. Care to get any of that out?” 
Laura grits her teeth, pops out her claws and attacks. Just as in their last encounter, Laura is outclassed, with Death blocking all her attacks. This time, however, instead of taunting her, with each failed strike, he tells her what she’s doing wrong. He kicks her down, but she gets right back up. She still isn’t able to hit him but can see her already listening and learning and doing better. Still, he ends up grabbing her and slamming her into the floor before she can land a clean it.
AKIHIRO: “Quick learner. That’s good. How do you feel?” 
Laura picks herself up. 
LAURA: “Where is Wind Dancer?” 
AKIHIRO: “Occupied. Lady Akabba had a use for her after all.” Laura sneers. “Don’t be jealous. You’ll get to meet her too, in time.” 
Akihiro tells her to keep coming for him until she can hit him. And while she does…
AKIHIRO: “You already made the smart choice, coming here. But I’m sure you still have doubts. Allow me to share my store, and rid you of them…little sister.” 
The two stare each other down before Laura goes on the attack again. 
In the Headmasters’ office, Quentin arrogantly greets the X-Men, as the Omega Gang assembles around him. Brian casts his head down as Julian glares at him. 
QUENTIN: “I knew you attempt to spoil everything. Too bad for Cyclops.” 
Quentin puts his fingers to his head, and attempts to fry Scott’s brain, but…
EMMA: “You were just speaking to Sophie, yes? While she was distracting you, the rest of my girls snuck inside your head. No telepathy for you.” 
Quentin is irritated but shakes it off. They still aren’t afraid. He is an Omega, and all of them have Kick running through their veins to make them their best selves. 
GLOB: “Yeah! I crushed a guy’s head a couple days ago!” He turns to Brian. “Wanna see me do that to your old friend, Tag?” 
Brian stays silent. 
KITTY: “Oh, now you’re quiet! What the Hell happened to you, Brian?” 
DANI: “Kitty, don’t.” 
The others are confused as Danielle steps forward. 
DANI: “Robert, did you really kill someone?” 
TATTOO: “We all did. Had to know we could trust each other.” 
DANI, clenching her fists and welling up: “I’m so sorry.” 
ROBERTO: “Dani, care to explain to the uninformed?” 
Dani struggles to compose herself. 
DANI: “They’re my squad. My other squad.” 
The fact that Sunspot, Hellion, and Kitty are all surprised by this knowledge only pisses the Omega Gang off. Quentin just stepping back and leaning against the desk, while his teammates berate her. 
TATTOO: “I thought you were so cool when I first got here, I thought we were becoming like a little family..”
RADIAN: “But then you decided we weren’t good enough! You wanted the powerful kids!” 
REDNECK: “Then suddenly we never saw you outside training.” 
GLOB: “You abandoned us, Ms. Moonstar.” 
Dani is so sorry for making them feel like this for so long, but they have to believe her that this was never her intention. She didn’t take another squad because she wanted more powerful kids, she wanted another squad because she was already close with Surge and Wind Dancer. She didn’t know the kids saw her like they did, and she didn’t realize how little time she was making for them. 
The kids don’t seem impressed by her apology. 
QUENTIN, seeing an opportunity to drive more conflict: “Emma knew about the first people Brian and I killed.” 
DANI, instantly flipping to rage toward Emma: “What?!” 
EMMA: “Do not fall for his game, Danielle. Not when we’re in this predicament because, unlike me, you couldn’t handle two squads.” 
DANI: “Why you…” 
Kitty pulls Dani back and gets between everyone. Look, this doesn’t need to go any further! The kids wanted to send a message? They’ve sent it. Now they can listen, and make changes accordingly. 
KITTY: “We’ve let you down. But I promise things can be better. We can do better.” 
SUNSPOT: “Unless, of course, this isn’t really about a message.” 
Quentin laughs. 
QUENTIN: “If that’s you’re way of telling me you sussed out who I’m working for, and attempting to assess if they are as well? I am, and they are.” 
Upsetting news to everyone. Except…
JULIAN, powering up with his aura: “That’s it then, isn’t it?! Everything is simplified? We’re X-Men. They’re villains.” 
He says that last part, not having taken his eyes off Brian since he entered. Finally, Brian looks up and stares back, glaring. 
BRIAN: “Yeah. We are.” 
Brian slaps his chest, tagging himself. 
Everyone starts forcibly shifting, with Julian roaring as flies right at Quentin, grabs him, and crashes them both out the window. 
Hardcut to Paris, where Magneto and Magik battle Exodus and Malice, while Mercury pulls civilians out of rubble, and uses her body to form shields to protect civilians from falling debris. 
As Magneto and Exodus exchange blows, Exodus decides to show Magneto exactly how far beyond him he’s become, flying up high. Magneto chases after him, as Bennett fires off a telekinetic blast large enough to destroy the entire city. Magneto, in turn, creates a shield to deflect the attack. 
While Exodus is panting and shocked, an unamused Magneto merely dusts off his shoulder. 
Magik bounces around the sky in a circle around Pestillence, via stepping discs, taking pot shots to kick, punch, and slice her. Malice meanwhile can’t hit her while she’s teleporting around like this. 
MAGIK: “You really should surrender now. You’re not going to hit me, and since you’re running around in Polaris’ body, I can’t even have fun cutting you up into itty bitty pieces.” 
Malice is pissed…but Magik just gave her an idea. She’s seen Polaris’ powers and the power gifted to her by Apocalypse, but she has her own weapon. 
YANA: “You think I’m gonna give you MY body? I just got this thing!” 
Malice smirks as her eyes open past her eyelids. Magik’s eyes open the same way. 
Inside of Magik’s mindscape, which looks like a normal little girl’s bedroom, save for the mutilated stuffed animals with fleshy guts, Illyana is confused by what’s going on. 
MALICE, appearing as a 14 yo goth girl with a British accent: “Sup?” 
Hellion crashes Quentin down into the school’s front lawn, forming a crater. He repeatedly punches a still-smug Quentin in the face, trying to break through his forcefield. 
HELLION: “I should have pounded your skull in the first time you talked to Brian, you dweeb! You messed him up, you hurt Noriko, and you’re hurting everyone here! You’re not hurting anyone else!”
Quentin blasts Hellion back, as he floats up into the air. 
QUENTIN: “You know why we could never be friends, Hellion? Because you, none of you, can acknowledge what you are. You think you’re the sad little victims of this world, despite being the gods among gods! I know my worth. I know who I can uncaringly step on.” He smirks. “And who my useful lessers are.” 
Hellion charges Quentin again, but Kid Omega meets him in mid-air, grabbing the back of his head and smashing him into the ground. 
Inside, Emma in diamond form is punched through a wall by Ernst. As Ernst points out, she has to stay in that form to avoid getting trapped by Martha. But like this, they’re on the same level. 
EMMA: “Do not insult me like that, child.” 
Emma moves in to attack, but slips as a rioting student uses her powers to form a puddle underneath Emma, while fighting another kid, allowing Ernst to hit her again. 
On a staircase, Dani fights Radian and Tattoo. Ms. Moonstar may never have given them proper attention, but the hand-to-hand training they’ve paid attention to. Dani pleads with them to not make her hurt them, to which Radian uses his light powers to blind her, while Tattoo phases her hand inside her to torture her by tattooing her insides. 
In the common area, Sunspot is left fist-fighting Glob. He calls KItty over the coms to ask where she is; he hates to admit it, but their lowest-performing student may be stronger than him - at least on Kick. Kitty responds that Tag got her good, and sent her phasing through the Earth pretty far down. She’s working on coming back up as fast as she can. 
This is no comfort to Beto as he takes a punch to the face. 
In the Mission Room, the Cuckoos sit around the table. Things aren’t going well. They need to do something. Celeste notices that Quentin’s telepathy is still partially active. Mindee sees it now too; he has someone knocked out. 
PHOEBE: “Eww. It’s that freak.” 
SOPHIE: “She may be a freak, but if Quentin’s afraid of her, I say we wake her up.” 
Sophie quickly changes her wording, telling the others to get on that. She has her own plan. 
SOPHIE: “I know how to operate Cerebro. That should provide a far larger power boost than mere pills.” 
As Sophie gets up, Esme grabs her wrist, telling her to stop. They’re the five-in-one. Splitting up is dumb. Especially when Sophie has never done anything like this before. They should just let everyone else do the stupid fighting. 
SOPHIE, pulling Esme off her and smiling: “Come on, Esme. Haven’t you ever wanted to be a superhero?” 
Back by Wanda’s room, Warpath gets in front of Dust, as Lady Akabba draws her sword. 
WARPATH: “Lady Akkaba, I’m guessing? Nice armor.” 
SOFIA: “Thank you. My father made it for me.” 
WARPATH, nervous but quickly assessing the situation: “Dust, get in the room.” 
DUST: “What?! You cannot fight her alone!” 
WARPATH: “If she gets Wanda, she can do anything. If she kills me, you need to get her out of here. Got it? Do not help me, no matter what.” 
Sooraya hates this,but after a quick glance at the monster in front of them, agrees. 
SOORAYA: “Good luck, Mr. Proudstar.” 
Dust shifts into dust to get under the door. 
Lady Akkaba tells Warpath she hoped to avoid this. However, Magik cast a nasty protection spell preventing her from directly entering that room. She’d hoped to take her out of play before today like she did Surge and Wolverine, but he got in the way out of that. 
James questions what she did with Laura. Akkaba tells him she’d be happy to tell him, once he bends the knee. Warpath is a fierce warrior, a former X-Man who was able to hold his own against her Juggernaut, and who’s even fought Externals before. He belongs in her army. 
James pretends to think that over. 
WARPATH: “Warren Worthington was everything I grew up hating. I never spent a ton of time with him, but enough to learn he was a good man.” He takes a stance. “Tell him I say hi when you see him.” 
SOFIA, sighing: “You X-Men are so difficult.” 
Warpath lunges forward and attacks Lady Akkaba. For all his strength, Lady Akkaba is far faster and lighter on her feet, blocking all of his knife swings. 
Swinging overhead, he forces Lady Akkaba to hold a block. 
LADY AKKABA, barely struggling: “Your knives are nice. Adamantium?” 
WARPATH: “Same as your sword I’m guessing.” 
LADY AKKABA: “Hardly. My blade was forged millenia ago by an invincible Mutant, and wielded by one even stronger.” 
James knees Akkaba in the stomach, hurting her and knocking her back. 
WARPATH: “I get it. You love Apocalypse.” 
LADY AKKABA, amused: “I wasn’t speaking of Apocalypse.” 
Sofia sets her hands aflame. Realizing that in the narrow hallway, there’s no room for cover, Warpath tries to launch one more attack, but he’s met with the flames of war to the face, as they fully consume him.
Akkaba presses on her attack, promising Warpath that if he survives this, he will come back stronger. Only to receive a surprise punch to the face from the burning man, sending her flying down the whole hallway and crashing through the wall. 
Able to fly, this doesn’t phase Akkaba. As Warpath continues to rush after her, she fills the hall with more flames. James refuses to slow down. X-Man or teacher, he promised his life to these kids, and he’s not letting them down! 
Warpath leaps again at Lady Akkaba, but is unable to reach her. Once he’s in mid-air, Sofia uses her winds to blow back all the way across the hallway, and back into the flames, as she lays on even more. 
This time, James can’t get back up. Sofia absorbs all the flames back into herself. 
SOFIA: “As expected, you fought well.” She raises her sword as she stands over the unconscious Warpath. “But there is only one fate for those who refuse to serve me.” 
Rather than execute him immediately, Sofia’s swordhand quivers. 
We zoom inside Sofia’s helmet to see her blue face, as she breathes with trepidation. She rapidly flashes back to all the time she spent with Warpath, back when he was teaching her to control her rage. 
In the present…
SOFIA, under her breath: “I cannot be weak.” 
Lady Akkaba brings her sword down to kill Warpath…
…only to be stopped as a sandstorm overwhelms her. 
DUST: “You will not harm anyone else!” 
SOFIA, protected by her armor: “Didn’t your teacher tell you to stay put? He had the right idea!” 
Rather than burn Sooraya, Akkaba merely blows her away, through the hole Warpath made, and far away from the school. 
Sofia breathes heavily as she looks down at James, left to decide what happens next. 
Back in the Horsemen’s lair, Akihiro has finished telling Laura his story, while Laura is in the process of healing up large slashes all across her body, and has been provided a water bottle. 
LAURA: “I don’t know what to say.” 
AKIHIRO: “You could say our father is a monster who won’t be worth another thought once we torture him to death.” 
LAURA, hanging her head: “Are you sure that it’s all true?” 
AKIHIRO: “Do you doubt me?” 
LAURA: “No.” Laura picks up her head and looks at her brother. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.” 
AKIHIRO: “Realize what?” 
LAURA: “That you were used like I was. By The Hand. And Romulus. You were just their weapon.” 
Akihiro sighs in annoyance. 
AKIHIRO: “Look, try not to be too annoying about the whole, “I’m a weapon” thing, okay? Last I checked weapons don’t have beautiful girlfriends. You’re a Mutant, a strong one, and if you play your cards right, a valued one to our lady. Help me take out Logan and I’ll even put in a good word for you.” 
LAURA, squinting: “You’re being nice.” 
AKIHIRO: “Would you rather I cut your head off?” 
LAURA, slightly smiling: “No.” 
AKIHIRO: “Smart. You keep drinking that water, I’m gonna go grab something a little stronger. We’ll pick up training after that.” 
LAURA: “Sounds good…Brother.” 
Akihiro smirks as he walks off. We see him texting Sofia that he’s still with Laura, and she wasn’t kidding: She’s a very good actress. But she still doesn’t suspect a thing. 
We zoom in on the smiling Laura, as she scowls. 
We flashback to her earlier conversation with Warpath. 
LAURA: “Sofia has a plan to find the Horsemen. With just the two of us. And we’re leaving tonight.” 
Laura continues. 
LAURA: “I’m going to play along and act like I don’t know what she’s up to.” 
WARPATH: “You sure it isn’t time we tell Cyclops what we know?” 
LAURA: “No hard proof. I know she’s Lady Akkaba. I know from how War fought, I know from her smell, I know Sofia. I know that isn’t really her, that Apocalypse brainwashed her, but she already showed she can get around telepathy.” 
With Apocalypse down, Exodus must be running the show and controlling her now and using her as a distraction. Either that, or Akihiro is controlling with his pheromones. Or Malice can actually possess multiple people. It doesn’t matter. She knows Sofia won’t really give her the opportunity to figure out where the base is, but if she can get close, she can start picking off the Horsemen until she gets the right one. 
James doesn’t like it, but he trusts Wolverine’s judgment. Can she promise him she’ll be careful? 
LAURA: “No.” 
JAMES: “Figured.” 
One more thing though. Akihiro. Logan talked to her about him after their run-in, right? 
LAURA: “Yes. He has been used. In ways he doesn’t even realize. I don’t know him. You’re more a brother than he is. But Logan wants him alive.” Laura picks her head up. “I will kill Exodus and Malice first. If he isn’t the one controlling Sofia, I will save him. I will save them both.” 
In the present, Laura sips her water. 
In Magik’s mindscape, she takes a guess: this goth girl she’s talking to is the real Malice? 
Malice giggles as she plops down on Illyana’s bed. It’s who Alice McAllister used to be. A normal girl from Yorkshire who couldn’t stand her bloody annoying parents or any other authority. 
MALICE: “I had hobbies. Journaling. Making Pinterest boards. Protesting. I had dreams. I was going to be an artist. But, you wake up one morning outside your body, unable to be seen or heard by anyone, or touch anything, and suddenly you can’t write, or draw, or scream for change. Just wander. Alone.” 
 Yana yawns. 
MAGIK, mockingly: “How sad for you.” 
MALICE: “What, no sympathy for another young girl who had her life stolen from her?” 
YANA: “Don’t. I promise your experiences do not compare to seven years in Limbo with Belasco.” 
Yana does ask how long she’s been like this though. 
MALICE: “Four years. Don’t tell Exodus, though. I don’t want him thinking I’m another of Apocalypse’s kiddies.” 
MAGIK: “I promise you I couldn’t care less.” 
Malice laughs as she pokes at the fleshy guts inside a stuffed rabbit. She doesn’t know what Limbo is like, but she promises Illyana that her life has been hell. Even once she got over the initial shock and realized how her powers worked. Finding depressed souls who’d be willing to hand over their bodies wasn’t hard. But it wasn’t that simple. See she burns through human bodies rather quickly. Usually within mere days. 
MALICE: “Can you imagine that? Four years of living in different bodies every day, each one wrong in so many ways?” 
That finally hits Yana, who looks at herself in a child’s mirror and sees her 7 year-old self. 
Malice continues to explain that she got beyond lucky finding Polaris, but she isn’t perfect. She’s strong and sturdy and she’s held up well, but this body is starting to go too; it has another few months at best. After Apocalypse killed all the humans, he was going to release his fellow Externals, and force one of them to give her an immortal body, but the X-Men ruined that. 
Magik focuses back on Malice, questioning if she doesn’t actually have the same goals as the others. 
MALICE: “Lord, no. Fascists like Apocalypse, Exodus, and Lady Akkaba are the kinds of people I used to throw red paint at. They’re just the only ones who were willing to help me.” 
Now, the new plan is to use Scarlet Witch to make her a body, among all the other plans for her, but that doesn’t need to happen. 
MALICE: “Not if you give me your body.” 
Malice appears behind Illyana and covers her eyes with her hands. 
YANA: “What are you–?” 
MALICE: “I see you, Darkchylde. Acting like you’re oh so happy to be Magik, and being a little goblin girl. But that’s all it is. An act. You are still a demon, a creature of darkness, a soulless husk. Fighting along dandy superheroes because you just love your girlfriend so much. But I know she can’t be enough for you. All the friends in the world can’t be. You’re still miserable. Anyone stuck in the wrong body would be. But with its mystical nature, it would be the perfect body for me.” 
Magik punches Malice, but that just makes her appear in front of her. Malice promises to take away all her pain. Having a soul will do that! Magik will still get to exist in the back of her head, finally at peace. 
MALICE: “You have no way to either restore your full, demonic form or to obtain your old soul. You are not good or evil. You are nothing. I can take away that pain. Having my soul will do that! And you’ll still get to exist in the back of my head, finally at peace.” 
Magik is shaken, especially as Malice reaches her hands inside her and smiles innocently, telling her to think of how happy they’ll be together. 
Magik smiles back at her and holds her arms. She then proceeds to turn her face into Darkchylde’s and burn Malice with Hellfire. 
Magik snaps back to reality, not about to worry about any of that stuff right now, and just focus on the bitch who got past her defenses. 
MAGIK, panting: “Now…where are–?” 
Illyana is cut off and screams as she’s blasted from behind by Pestilence, who then proceeds to rain metal rubble down on her, burying her underneath. 
MALICE: “I’ll be in touch to see if you change your mind!” 
Magneto, still engaged with Exodus, notices this, and cries out with concern for Magik. Erik launches another blast that only only penetrates Exodus’ forcefield, but tears off some of his flesh. As Magneto swoops down to rescue Magik, Pestilence flies up to Famine and tells him it’s time to go. 
As Magneto pulls all of the rubble off of Magik, we see Mercury, exhausted and overwhelmed from all of this, but having successfully evacuated the area. Roxy finally makes it over to her, with Cessily falling into her arms. 
Erik meanwhile holds the unconscious Magik in his arms, relieved that she survived, but further enraged as Pestillence, horrified by the thought of losing Illyana again. 
Back in the school, Sunspot continues fighting Glob, eventually taking a punch to the face that draws blood. 
ROBERTO: “How dare you?” 
Glob laughs and tells Roberto he pisses him off more than anyone. All the X-Men act like they’re better than everyone, but Roberto is the worst about it, because he thinks he’s smarter than everyone. 
GLOB: “There are more important things than being smart!” 
Redneck appears on the scene, ready to back Glob up, rushing Sunspot with his burning hands. 
GLOB: “Redneck, no!” 
Redneck grabs Sunspot, but, of course, all this does is supercharge him, enabling him to blast both of the boys unconcious. 
GLOB, passing out: “You…idiot.” 
On the staircase, Tattoo taunts Dani as she tortures her, proclaiming how, whatever role she has in Lady Akkaba’s world, she wants to be a mom one day, with a bunch of kids. 
TATTOO: “Thank you for teaching me exactly what not to do with him.” 
Dani cringes. 
DANI: “I’m sorry I failed you. And I’m sorry for this.” 
Dani finally pulls her power. Radian and Tatoo fall down the stairs as they imagine sentinels firebombing them from above, with the ruins of Genosha around them. They’re left trembling in fetal position as Dani bends down to hold their hands. 
Elsewhere, Ernst rushes toward Emma, but she has a low tolerance for misbehavior, and these girls have thoroughly expended it. The X-Men saved them both from the U-Men and gave them their home; they’re sorry they couldn’t also be their parents, but that’s just not how it works. 
EMMA: “Now…sit down.” 
Emma leaves her diamond form, and before Ernst can attack her, or Martha can freeze her body, Emma overwhelms them both with a psychic wave, knocking them out. 
Outside, Quentin and Hellion continue to try and murder each other, exchanging punches, blasts, and chucking trees at each other, with Quentin also excelling with bladed constructs to cut up Julian. Keeping Julian on the backfoot is not only Quentin’s body running on Kick, but unlike himself, Quentin clearly doesn’t care if his attacks kill everyone. 
Once Quentin notices that Julian is playing defense for the school, he launches a full-power attack directly at it. Hellion himself between the attack and the school, but while he is able to stop it, it exhausts the rest of his energy, and he collapses. 
Quentin picks up Julian, who’s bleeding significantly more than he is, by the neck and raises him into the air. 
QUENTIN: “You almost had the right idea. The whole “Hellions” thing. You were stronger, more fit, than the rest of us, and you treated us like we deserved. If I’d woken up to my true potential back then, we really could have been friends. But by the time I did, you’d let the X-Men corrupt you with their arrogant complacency. I wish the Omega Gang packed the kind of power your gang did, but then, I have much bigger plans than being a school bully; before long, I know I’ll be a Horseman.” 
JULIAN: “C…C…” 
QUENTIN: “Something to say? Going to call me a dork again? Want to tell me my parents were right to desert me?” 
JULIAN: “C…Could you tell me where I left my hands?” 
Quentin panics as he realizes Julian’s hands are missing. Just then, he’s struck from behind as demonic metal, supercharged with the last of Hellion’s energy, collides with the back of his head. 
Quentin falls over as the wind is knocked out of him and his forcefield momentarily goes down. Hellion reattaches his hands, and is about to pound away at Quentin before he puts himself back together, but…
“Get away!” 
He’s tackled away by Tag. Brian, mounted on top of Julian, has tears in his eyes, while Julian is still in disbelief its gotten this far. 
Elsewhere, the four non-Sophie Cuckoos work to wake up Escapade, while Sophie sets herself up in Cerebro. Quickly, Escapade is jolted awake.
ESCAPADE: “That jerk!” 
And Sophie, with some difficulty, is able to dismount the Cerebro helmet from the rest of the set-up, informing her sisters she’s on her way to save the day. 
Julian and Brian wrestle around on the ground. Julian finally gets to ask the big question. 
JULIAN: “Why?!” 
BRIAN: “I said why! You just never pay attention!” 
Julian kicks Brian off of him. He never thought Brian was as dumb as he thinks of himself, but if he really let Quentin convince himself, without telepathy, that he was ever going to abandon him, he really is an idiot. 
JULIAN: “You’re my best friend.” 
BRIAN, on the verge of a breakdown: “Yeah. You too, man.” 
Brian beats Julian. Quentin is able to get up, happy to see this. 
QUENTIN: “Don’t hold back, Tag! Once he’s dead, we’ll never have to think of this loser again! It’ll just be you and me!” 
“Hey Quentin!” 
Quentin is confused and turns around, as Escapade rockets out of the school on her jet boots, grabs Quentin’s face, and electrocutes him with her shock glove. 
ESCAPADE: “You were talking about what you’re owed?!” 
Quentin knocks her away. She switches places with him, hoping to immobilze him that way, but she quickly collapses and the switch is undone, as her body reacts horribly to suddenly being filled with Kick. 
Quentin pants. He’s tired, the back of his bleeding profusely, and now this little bitch just burned half his face off! But he’s still standing! 
QUENTIN, looking over at the other fight: “Brian! Kill him already!” 
Julian laughs. 
BRIAN: “What could you possibly be laughing about?” 
JULIAN, grinning: “I do get how he got to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying more attention. But you’re kidding yourself if you think he won’t dump you faster than we ever would have.” 
Brian stops punching. 
QUENTIN: “Tag! What are you doing, you idiot?! Do I need to do this myself?!” 
Tag glares at Quentin, wiping his tears on his arm. 
QUENTIN: “Oh now what? Did he say something? Don’t listen to the enemy, you idi–!’ 
Quentin falls to his knees, screaming in agony. 
Sophie, wearing the Cerebro helmet exits the school, taking note of the destroyed landscape, and the already beaten Hellion and Escapade. 
SOPHIE: “Never send lesser Mutants to do a Cuckoo’s job.” 
Sophie, approaching Quentin, tells him it’s over. His “friends” are beaten, her sisters are blocking his telepathy, and thanks to Cerebro, his mental defenses are nothing to her. 
Sophie stomps down on Quentin’s head. 
SOPHIE: “Die, loser.” 
Quentin screams as he bleeds from his eyes. 
QUENTIN: “The Sophie Cuckoo I loved would have loved to crush all of humanity underneath her stilletos!” 
SOPHIE: “I grew up. You should have tried it.” 
Quentin’s still not done. Using his telekinesis, he unloads every bit of Kick he has left from his pocket, and shoots it all down his mouth. 
BRIAN: “No! Sophie, watch out!” 
With the power boost from the extra Kick, Quentin makes Sophie scream as well, as he stands up, laughing manically. The other Cuckoos all scream as well. He overrode their block, but they can still back Sophie up. 
QUENTIN, enjoying Sophie’s pain as she struggles against him: “You said you didn’t laugh, right? Kiss my boots now, take back that last comment, and you can still be my queen. A HA HA HA!” 
Sophie digs her heels into the ground to help her stay standing. Despite Quentin’s overwhelming strength, she’s still confident she can beat him. 
Brian watches on as Sophie struggles to fight back against Quentin, but refuses to back down nonetheless. He looks to Julian to do something, but he’s passed out from his injuries. With Escapade also down, he’s the only one who can do anything. 
BRIAN: “I’m sorry, everyone. I just wanted friends.”
Sophie’s knees bend as she bleeds from her mouth, her eyes roll around in her head, and the other Cuckoos writhe in agony as well. Even still, Sophie isn’t letting up, just looking for an opening in Quentin’s mental assault. 
QUENTIN: “Esme, can you and the others all hear me over you’re screaming? I hope you can. Because once I’m done with her, I’m coming for–!” 
Quentin is cut off as Brian lands a devastating hook to the back of his head. Everything goes silent. Then, Quentin loses control and Sophie finds her opening and hits Quentin with everything she’s got, as Brian is blasted away, and the front lawn is further devestated. 
In the Mission Room, the Cuckoos all stop screaming, and start crying. 
Emma, Dani, Kitty, and Sunspot finally make it outside to find their school wrecked, and five of their students unconcious. They rush without hesitation to check on them all. Kitty gives the thumbs up that Escapade’s okay. Sunspot lets them know Hellion’s just out cold too. 
Dani and Emma aren’t so lucky as they check on Brian, Quentin, and Sophie. Dani cries, while Emma turns to diamond, holding Sophie tight. 
That night, in the Mission Room, Cyclops has his head buried in his hands. 
SCOTT: “How did we let this happen?” 
The only ones sitting with him are an equally depressed Kitty and Sunspot. Lockheed is in Kitty’s arms. 
KITTY: “We made mistakes. A lot of mistakes.” 
BETO: “Someone knew exactly how to take advantage of them.” 
SCOTT: “And now two of our kids are dead.” 
As the three try and press through going over their whole situation, we see Quentin lying in bed in the medical bay. And next to him, Warpath. Neither is dead, but both are comatose. Beto is not only enraged at what happened to Jimmy, clearly from the burn marks War’s doing, but while he doesn’t wish death on him, he resents that Quentin survived everything. 
KITTY: “I tried talking to Dani. Couldn’t get a word out of her.” 
We see Dani crying hysterically as she works a punching bag in her room. 
SCOTT: “Emma’s had a similar time with the Cuckoos. She’s still trying now.” 
We see Emma following behind four Cuckoos, only for her to turn a corner, and discover they were just illusions. 
Scott continues to bring up how the Omega Gang has been given to SHIELD, and thanks Kitty for making it clear on his behalf that they aren’t to hold these kids long term; they’ll take them back when they’re ready, and do better by them. They’ll certainly have the space if the current rate of parents pulling their kids out of the school doesn’t slow down.  
SUNSPOT: “Not to be the pragmatist at a time like this, but the Horsemen got what they wanted from all of this. They got Wanda.” 
We see Magneto splitting the ocean in his rage. 
SUNSPOT: “If they figure out a way to use her power, we’re done.” 
KITTY: “And we’ll stop them before that happens. Nothing we can do about it right now though. What we can do is do better by the kids. By all of them.” 
Dust, Mercury, Bling!, and Surge stand outside the medical bay, all in tears, with the camera at first focusing on the comatose Warpath. 
SCOTT: “Quentin was wrong about a lot. Less than his “friends” were. But he was right about one thing. One of the same things Professor Xavier got right.” 
The camera in the medical bay pans over to Magik, Hellion, and Escapade, unconscious and//or heavily injured, but not in critical condition. 
SCOTT: “The X-Men are elite. We have to be. Because most Mutants aren’t. They’re just ordinary people. Whatever privileges we enjoy, what comes first is that responsibility to keep each and every one of them safe.” 
“Even if we don’t always meet that responsibility.” 
The camera in the med bay pans over to reveal the two casualties of the riot: Sophie Cuckoo and Brian Cruz. 
The four girls hold each other’s hands. 
In Sofia’s room, Laurie is SO sorry. This is all her fault. She knew she’d make the wrong pheromones. Sofia, acting distraught but keeping herself together, promises Laurie this isn’t because of her. There was chaos, yes, and bad people took advantage of that, but neither of her friends’ deaths were because of her mistake. There are bad guys who deserve that blame. Okay? 
Laurie tearfully nods. 
SOFIA, slightly smirking: “Listen, I didn’t want to do this because, as an X-Man, it was my responsibility to bring you here, but I might know someone who can help you with your powers just as much as we can. Call him a tutor.”
LAURIE: “A tutor.” 
SOFIA: “One with the same powers as you. I met him in my travels after I left the school. His name is Sean. I think you’ll like him. If you’re willing to give this a try.” 
Laurie forcefully nods. This can’t happen again. She’ll try anything. 
Sofia pets her hair. 
Cut to Sofia leaving the room, where Laura rushes up to her, having heard what happened, enraged and distraught. Sofia hugs her. 
SOFIA: “We will make the Horsemen pay. Every one of them. I promise.” 
LAURA, claws out: “Don’t you worry. I’ll kill them all myself.” 
We cut between Laura’s face, depressed and filled with righteous anger, and Sofia, wearing mere impressions of these emotions. 
In Egypt, Sofia enters her lair, still in her normal clothes, where Exodus, Malice, and Akihiro are celebrating their triumph with drinks and a feast before they get to cracking Scarlet Witch. 
AKIHIRO: “Will our lady be joining us?” 
SOFIA, head held high: “Yes. But I have an important matter to attend to first.” 
Sofia confidently marches out, Exodus clearly curious about what Sofia is up to What could she be plotting? 
In the washroom, Sofia violently vomits into a toilet. More than once. 
SOFIA, looking like she’s just had the worst nightmare: “What have I done?”
---------------------------------------------------------------
CAST CHANGES:
Brian Cruz AKA Tag is no longer part of the main cast.
Quentin Quire is no longer part of the main cast.
Sophie Cuckoo is no longer part of the main cast.
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ettawritesnstudies · 2 months
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Etta tell me more about Viola’s story maybe???
Vilotta is the fictional youngest daughter of the real world historical figure Marchioness Isabella d'Este who ruled the Italian city state of Mantua from 1492-1539. In 1499, she commissioned Leonardo Da Vinci to paint a portrait of her, but it's questionable whether or not the painting was ever actually finished. She herself was a major cultural figure who had a classical education and patronized the arts and ran the city state in her husband's absence.
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In my story, when Leonardo Da Vinci arrives in Mantua, Isabella decides to supplement her daughter's education with some hands-on experience. As her youngest daughter, she won't be expected to inherit the throne so she has more freedom than the other siblings, but she'll need a well-rounded education to hold her own as an adult in the court or to be equal to a future husband in a political marriage. So she sends the 12 year old Vilotta to study with Leonardo Da Vinci as an art apprentice.
At first, she's bored by crushing pigments and mixing paints for her eccentric mentor, but she takes an interest in his work after seeing diagrams of the flying machines in his notebooks. She also learns that there's quite a lot of chemistry in the materials of paint and learns that there isn't such a big difference between art and STEM after all. Between painting, they start working together on a glider, and despite her young age, she's a clever inventor in her own right, and together they make several improvements.
All this intro is original to the story I wrote when I was 13, but everything after this is new and also better than what 13yearold Etta could come up with:
Impatient to test it, Vilotta sneaks into their workroom one evening after they've finished painting for the day, opens the windows, and launches herself into the sky on her glider. Hurrah! It works! She causes a huge commotion as she lands safely in the fields around the castle, met by a joyful, worried, relieved, and angry Leonardo who's astounded by her recklessness and excited his invention works, but he's mostly just thrilled she's not dead.
But horror of horrors, when they return to the workshop, the gust of wind from the launch blew over all the carefully prepared pigments and ruined the weeks of work on the painting. Leonardo is irate and terrified he's going to be exiled for A) endangering the princess and B) not finishing yet another commission, so Vilotta decides to take matters into her own hands to fix her mistake, and flies off to collect replacement pigments before it's too late.
Queue a fetch-quest style adventure that leads Vilotta all over the city states of Renaissance Italy, narrowly avoiding danger from highway brigands who find out she's a lost princess and try to kidnap and ransom her, and rival military generals who try to steal her miraculous flying machine. I'm imagining this turns into a comedic "Home Alone 2: Lost in NYC" situation where a 12 year old girl with enough chemistry and mechanical engineering skills to hold her own keeps tricking her pursuers into increasingly slapstick-style antics as she escapes with her precious pigments.
This ends in a somewhat tense situation as she finally arrives back at home, enemies on her heels, and needs to own up to her mistakes and make amends with both her mentor and her parents, who have dispatched half the army to look for her at this point.
I just think it's a really fun idea that has a lot of potential as a vaguely educational adventure book that blends mechanical engineering, chemistry, art history, geography, politics, and various creative mediums. The D'Este family is well known enough that there's material to research but they're also not one of the Big Names most lay people know off the top of their heads, so it's a perfect place to play around and invent my own plausible fictional characters, like Vilotta.
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