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victoria-grimesss · 10 months

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tear you apart - part IV

Shiny new Masterlist

->Pairing: König x fem!reader

->Words: 4.7k

->Warning: MDNI!, fluff, König spilling his heart out to his favorite girl, roadhead, car sex, outdoor oral, face sitting, overstimulation, pretty much porn with plot at this point.

->A/N: A bit different that the other chapter but I wanted to do something a little sweeter.

Your dreams are luxurious and delicious these nights, a whirlwind of experiences ever since you transferred to the new base. You dream of luxuries far beyond your reach with a man who sure as hell should be out of your reach too. You dine on five star meals on the beach, sip champagne in a clawfoot tub overlooking waterfalls, have ravenous passionate love making sessions in silk sheets.

König has rewired your brain and embedded himself within you.

You awake in his bed again as has been the same routine for a few weeks now, you’ve moved a stash of your stuff to his room at his request of course. You don't see each other too often during the day so night and early mornings are the times where you catch up and enjoy eachothers company.

Spending a few spare moments to soak in the smell of the sheets you roll out of bed and notice a flower in a tall glass of water sitting beside a note.

Chicken scratch, yep written by König alright. You smile as you envision him scrawling it quickly before leaving for the day.

My love,

Clear your schedule this afternoon, I plan to take you somewhere very special.

-König, your one and only. (boyfriend) :)

Boyfriend.

Huh I guess that's really what the two of you are now. You both danced around the word for a while now. You suppose you were a couple in the grand view of it, slept in the same bed, ate dinner together, got ready for bed together, said goodmorning and goodnight to each other. You could get used to this. Off base dates are far and few too, sometimes you'll take walks around base, the views are amazing nearby and it makes you yearn for your own country-side cottage with a garden.

You ready yourself and go about your day, you’ve flowed into a nice routine as of late. Get up, sometimes with König, eat in the mess hall, workout, training, dinner with König sometimes, and usually not get a lot of sleep together because he's too busy having your eyes roll to the back of your head.

You can’t complain.

The mess hall is loud and crawling with activity this morning, you enjoy it more than you thought you would. The activity is a welcome distraction from homesickness. You eat in silence, sitting with a few others you’ve somewhat befriended. Bennet hasn't been around lately, thinking of if now you can’t remember the last time you did see him.

You clear your throat,

“Have any of you seen Bennet around?”

One of the other guys laughed.

“Yea I saw him alright. Saw him on his way out. Guy got so scared of the colonel he transferred back to his home base. Guess the two of them clashed over something. But if you ask me, I just don't think the guy was cut out for this line of work.”

“Yeah, that's weird. Strange.”

You continue eating, your question answered to your requirements.

König is intimidating, sure he’s nice to you but you can’t imagine being an outsider, being on his bad side, or god forbid being his enemy. The stories you’ve heard about the things he’s done on the battlefield could make anyone uneasy.

Breakfast finishes up and you head to the gym where you’re thankfully uninterrupted during your workout. Cleaning up you hit your next stop, the shooting range. It’s mostly empty, the weather is nice today so many people are using the outdoor range.

You take your pistol, silencer equipped and a long range sniper down to the last stall and prep your gear.

You use the sniper first and take deep breaths before firing.

The door opens and you assume it’s just someone else using the stalls until a voice makes you jump.

“Hold it higher liebling.”

Your hand grips your heart, putting the gun down you turn fully around, being met with König standing tall with his hands behind his back.

“König, ever heard not to sneak up on someone with a gun?” You lean against the counter.

“Am I mistaken or is that your forte in the field? I’m simply a superior observing my team members, wouldn't want you using the tools the wrong way right?”

He's so quick with his quips, you smile then turn around bringing the gun up leaning your cheek on the side as to see through the scope.

You feel his hands on your hips and he kicks your feet further apart, you look down at his feet that are standing on the outside of yours.

He brings his head down right next to your ear,

“Hold it back harshly into your shoulder, so the kickback won’t knock you down.”

“You’re making it hard to focus.”

“I would assume you would be able to focus even with distractions yea? But I suppose our time in bed has proven otherwise.”

You blush but regain your composure quickly until one of his hands stays on your hips and the other brushes your cheek to move your hair slightly.

You shoot once, then twice, hitting the target both times.

His voice has gotten even lower, whisper dancing the line of soundwaves.

“You read my note yea?”

“I did, plan to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope.”

He kisses the shell of your ear then your cheek through his mask.

“I will see you later then, you’ll meet me in the lower garage at 1500 alright?”

“Oooh, meeting my big strong colonel in a dark garage, I certainly hope he doesn't take advantage of me.” You laugh and bat your lashes at him.

He squeezes your hip and scoffs playfully,

“Keep talking to me this way and we certainly won’t even make it to the car. Busy yourself and meet me there, don't be late.”

He releases his grasp and you miss it already.

“Shall I pack a bag?” You ask.

“Don't bother, I’ve got everything handled.

“Yes sir.”

He steps away from you, walking to the door ignoring all others in the range and you watch him until the door closes.

Taking a steadying breath you focus once more unto the range, feeling his phantom touch still.

—

You stop by your room before going to the garage, the lights flicker as you shut your door and you grow more and more excited for the evening to come.

Opting for a simple two piece set underneath plain jeans, boots, a simple black shirt.

The walk to the garage is straightforward, taking a dimly lit stairwell downwards and the garage smells of dust and you take it the electrical in this place could use an upgrade. Probably not high on the budget list.

There are rows of military vehicles and equipment, storage and the likes. An area sectioned off from the others hold what looks like personal vehicles, some nice and some looking decrepit.

A door slams in that area and you make your way over,

“König? That you?”

“Y/N, yes it is me! Just finishing up, go ahead and get in the doors unlocked.”

He drives a larger SUV, like the kind you see FBI agents driving, suiting you guess you never really pictured what car he drove but you can assume he drives whatever kind of car he can fit in so style types are probably very restricted.

You enter the car, the inside smelling like leather and the cologne he wears. It’s clean, damn near pristine the same as his room. The trunk closes and he gets in, his seat all the way back, he adjusts and looks over to you, his eyes bright and he's buzzing with excitement.

“Comfortable?” He smiles softly at you, he's wearing a black tactical long sleeve shirt, dark jeans, boots, and his usual hood of course. He looks good in black.

“Very. Can I ask where we're going yet?”

“Nope, just sit back and relax schatz.”

He starts the car and pulls out of the garage, informing the guard of his time away.

The tall gray walls of the base and large fences you know melt away into a wonderful countryside with creeks, tall trees, and rounding hills. König has one hand on the steering wheel and the other on your knee, his thumb rubbing small patterns.

“This is nice.” You breathe a sigh of relief, adjusting in your seat and König’s hand on your knee slips higher.

König looks relaxed, he deserves this. Always working so hard… he should definitely relax.

Your hand wanders from the center console to his arm, rubbing the tight muscles underneath his hoodie. He squeezes the inside of your thigh in thanks.

Trailing your hand down his arm to the outside of his thigh, holding your hand there and tipping your head to look over at him.

He laughs breathily, “What are you doing, liebling?” His eyes shift from the road, your hand, and your face.

“I just want to show you how much I appreciate you, König.” He shutters hearing his name from your lips and your hand moves to the now hardening bulge in his pants, he readjusts his hips to get more comfortable.

“Scheiße, you’re going to get us killed, sit back down I’m serious.”

He’s not serious, there is not even one percent of serious inflection in his tone, he speaks with need, his mouth already being filled with cotton at your movements.

You’ve leaned over the center console, face next to his ear as you unbutton his pants and palm him through his briefs, he’s solid where he sits and your mouth is already watering.

He shutters and his eyes flutter for a second,

“Eyes ahead baby, I can’t do anything if you don’t keep us steady ok?”

He does not answer, the blood isn't in his head anymore anyway, well not the one on his shoulders at least.

The trees race by the window as fast as your thoughts race in your head, you lean down and kiss him over the cloth, you feel his abdomen grow tense.

“I can stop if you really want-”

“Stop right now and I'll turn the car around.”

You grin, mumbling a yes sir before moving your hand under the band of his briefs and giving a kiss to the tip. He takes a steady, concentrated, painful breath in and the exhale is so shaky you feel him tremble.

You give small licks from top to bottom, he’s a big guy so there’s certainly more to love.

“Scheiße, ficken, Liebling ja”

You take him fully in your mouth and he's warm, and fits right in place. You hum and he moans in response, you don’t think you’ll ever tire of hearing him like that. You take what doesn't fit in your mouth within the grasp of your hand starting at a steady pace. The music playing in the car isn't even registering in your head, the heavy weight in your hand and mouth is all you focus on.

“Fuck my love, your mouth feels-feels spectacular, I do not deserve what you give me.”

He groans and bucks his hips up into your mouth, one hand on the wheel and the other gently being placed onto your neck, moving to the back of your head where he gently caresses your hair.

You’re working on him until he begins to shudder and you pull away, he tries to chase you with your hips but you lean back and kiss him on his cheek. His eyes are dark and he glances from you and the road.

“You’re going to kill me, Mein Liebling. He's panting, hand now gripping your hair tighter, you’re far from dry down under and touch his hand that's in your hair and move it down your front and under your pantline. You both moan when his fingers make contact with your wetness, he draws uncoordinated shapes into you, from your clit all the way to your entrance. He presses your entrance through your panties and it’s like he’s knocking on a door asking for permission to grant you the pleasure you oh so want, no need.

“König, please. I need you, I know you need me too.”

You whine, looking down at where his cock sits exposed, leaking heavily with every swipe of his fingers on you.

“My love. liebling.”

He grits through his teeth when you take his hand once more and more your panties to the side allowing him unrestricted access to where the flames burn the brightest.

“Scheiße, du gewinnst” He pulls the car over, sitting on the dirt shoulder of the road, heavy tree cover surrounding you and you hear his heavy breathing.

He puts the car in park, removing his seatbelt and since the seat was already set all the way back due to his size he leans back and pats his lap.

“Come take what you want.”

Eyes dark and hungry he watches you remove your pants and move over the center console onto his lap, his cock sitting right in front of you so it brushes against your stomach, you get a visual of just how deep he will slip into you.

You’re shaking with anticipation when you grasp him again, pumping a few times before raising yourself to tease the tip over your panties.

His eyes are focused on where you touch him, his hands on your hips gently, awaiting your move.

“Get on with it..”

His voice is dark and shadowy, his patience growing thin as you tease and tease him again, he’s a patient man but only for so long.

You play with him until you hear him growl deep in his chest, taking your panties in his grasp and you hear them rip.

“König! You seem to have an affinity for destroying each pair of panties I own.”

You try to quip back but your voice is so breathily and weak it holds no volume.

“I’d rather you not wear them at all, when we have a place of our own you won’t.”

You both moan when he pushes your hips down harshly, he sits fully inside you and you feel euphoric, one because he fills you so deliciously it has your mouth watering again and two he mentioned the two of you having a place of your own. Perhaps it’s him being so drunk on lust he says things he does not mean but your head is already slipping on all sane thoughts so you file that away for later.

His head tips back when he’s fully sheathed within you savoring the warmth and wetness you provide.

“König, fuck. You’re so big.” You whine on top of him and his eyes regain their focus on you, he’s already too sensitive from your mouth earlier you might actually kill him with how tightly you’re wrapped around him.

His grip on your hips is bruising as usual and you have no qualms with it, feeling his grip reminds you this is all real and you need to ground yourself as you begin to move up and down on him the noises amplified in the car.

“Yes, just like that darling, fuck! You’re so, so good, so tight.”

You start to move faster, spurred on by his praises your breathing grows faster as does his. Your hands try to gain purchase on the wheel behind you as you gain more speed, knocking the horn you breathily laugh and he grabs your hands and puts them on his shoulders. You grip your nails into him and he growls, now thrusting up into you he meets you halfway and you’re moaning his name so loudly now your throat hurts.

The windows are fogged and you’re sweaty, hair sticking to your forehead.

He moves one hand from your hip to play with your clit, moving smooth and quick circles into you and you bow inwards your hand slapping onto the cold window, leaving a handprint on the fog it slips down and you wrap both arms around his neck your legs growing shaky and weak from your approaching high.

“König, don’t stop don-don’t stop please please.” You’re whining, squirming, and writhing in his lap an utter and complete mess and he drinks you in. Your pleasure makes his throb and balls tighten as he continues rubbing your clit and thrusting up into you.

“I can feel you getting close, you want to cum yea?”

He’s panting and sounds just as destroyed as you are.

“Yes, I can’t hold on much longer. I want it so bad.” You whine and he stops altogether.

You cry, hitting his chest and trying to move but he holds your hip still.

“König plea-.”

“Beg.”

“What?”

“You want to cum? Beg.” He’s not joking, he’s all serious and you whine again before spewing the filthiest words that’s ever come from your mouth, begging and praising him like a God to be worshiped.

“Please König, god please I can’t, I need it. You’re so big, I need you to make me cum, fuck.”

“Good girl, always listening and doing what I say, I think you deserve a reward.”

Before you can say anything he begins his thrusting and rubbing ten-fold and you once again hold onto him like your life depends on it as you cum harder than ever before, your vision is spotty and he’s praising you through it. He follows you through the high seating you firmly on his lap, holding himself as deep and he can reach and flooding you thoroughly.

You both sit together for a good while, panting growing into soft breaths and you pull away from his chest and look at him, smile on your face.

“You think you can make it the rest of the way now? Are you satisfied?”

He cups both of your cheeks, kissing your nose through his mask.

“I think I'll be ok for a little bit. Maybe.”

You move off of him, both of your least favorite part is when he has to leave your warmth, but he’s never gone for long.

You put on your pants, no panties due to König but you would assume he packed you some more, although his previous words would assume he rather you never wear any.

“Ready?” He’s buckled his pants again and you can’t help but notice the sizable mess you made on his lap, the bottom of his shirt and top of his pants wet.

“König, made a bit of a mess on you, sorry.” You grow shy.

“I like it, it challenges me to make you cum harder the next time.”

Oh God.

He turns back onto the road and you continue your trip down the road, you roll your window down, still warm from your session and the cool mountain air fills your lungs and you rest a hand out of the window.

—

“Liebling, we’re here.”

“Huh.”

You shoot up in your seat, König standing on your right side, the passenger door open his hand gently on your shoulder as he shakes you awake.

“You passed out, I clearly tired you out.”

“Shut up, you’re full of yourself.”

He laughs, offering his hand to help you out, you take it and observe the scenery around you. It’s late afternoon now and you’re parked in the driveway of a small countryside home, it’s dark inside so you can assume you’re not staying with anyone. There’s a large field surrounding the home. Trees lining the meadow and plants that held out over the cold weather stand strong and the evening sun is even a bit warmer than it had been recently.

“König this is beautiful, is this your place?”

“Yea, just somewhere small when I need to get away. Don’t come here often, don’t have many reasons to visit. But I wanted to share this with you.��

He's unpacking the car, grabbing both of your bags.

“Do you need help?”

He laughs.

“No, I do not need help.”

The car is locked and you follow him up the path to the house, clovers dot the front path and a flower box on the window is untouched, dry soil packing the inside.

He opens the door and the ceilings are high, but it’s still cozy, lived in even if he says he doesnt come here often. Shoes are discarded at the door and you hang your jacket on the coat rack.

“This is beautiful König, didn't take you for an interior designer.”

He sets the bags down near the front door and you take in the room.

“I actually had my mother decorate it, I don’t have much of a sense for style like she does.”

“Do you see her often? Your mom.”

“Holidays, I try to call her often but when it’s busy it’s harder. She understands.”

“Well I’m sure she’s very proud to have such an accomplished son.”

He smiles, head tipping down, “I hope so.”

He claps his hands, ending the heartfelt moment.

“You look around, make yourself at home. I will start a fire and later we will go watch the sunset ok?”

“Very well.”

Your heart is giddy and light. He’s so kind and nice and handsome and sweet and a million other words to describe him. The house is more spacious inside than it appears outside, a large archway leads to the kitchen, one bedroom and a nice bathroom. Everything is high up, the shower head is fit just for him, cabinets stacked high, large bed which looks enticingly comfortable.

“König!” You call for him as you look around.

“Yes, mein Liebling.”

“How long are we staying here?”

“Just for the night my love, couldn't get much time away approved.”

“Oh, ok. Will we come back here eventually?”

“If you wish to do so then we will.”

You observe the view out of the window and König wraps his arms around your waist.

“Scared me.” You laugh, your hands tracing along his hands and up his arms.

“My apologies, shall we head outside to enjoy the view?” He kisses the top of your head and you melt once more.

“Lead the way.”

He brings a thick blanket with him outside and lays it down in the meadow, you lay with your head on his chest, his arm wrapped securely around you, watching the multitude of colors paint the sky as the sun descends another day, bringing a sweeping array of stars and cool breezes.

“Thank you König. You’ve been so kind to me and bringing me here means a lot.”

“All that is mine is yours, if you’d allow me I’d like to show my appreciation again.”

You shiver in his grasp and he holds you tighter.

“Yes.”

That's all he needed to hear before he lifts up his mask and takes your lips in his, he trails his lips down to your neck and leaves new bright bruises and snakes a hand up your shirt to play with your breasts, nipples hard from the combination of the cold and his touch.

“Pants off.” He tugs at your waistband and you comply, the cool air hitting your core.

His hand moves down and caresses your body thoroughly, missing no spot.

“Sit on my face Schatz.”

You pause and look at him.

“I don’t want to suffocate you.”

He actually laughs now, a full laugh.

“I will die a happy man.” You push him back, he’s gleeful and you laugh as well.

“No really darling, you will not ‘suffocate me’ get up here.” He uses heavy quotation marks around his words and you carefully make your way up to his face, knees placed on each side of his head.

He lifts his mask right to above the peak of his nose and he licks his lips eagerly, eyes only focused on where you sit above him.

“Take your shirt off too.” He strokes your thighs slowly leaving goosebumps in his path.

“What if someone sees?!”

“No one is coming out here trust me. I wouldn't have you expose yourself if somewhere were to see what’s all mine right?” He bites his lip as you discard you shirt and bra

Completely exposed outside as you sit above a man you care about fills you with a fire once more.

“It is like I have died and gone to heaven, you are breathtaking.” He kisses the inside of your thighs as he talks, leaving small bites.

He truly feels he's undeserving. The setting sun casts a glow on your back where it illuminates your outline in soft light, it casts on the dips and curves of your body, the swell of your breasts softly lit.

He grows hard again in his pants but wants right now to be all about you.

“Now sit darling and relax.” You sit slowly onto his awaiting mouth, hovering over him as he kisses you first and licks from entrance to your clit. He has to lift his head to reach you which frustrates him.

“I said sit.” He grips your waist and forces you to sit fully on his face, his mouth latching tightly onto your clit and you gasp and he moans, eyes rolling back into his head as he tastes you once more. He can taste the both of you from the car ride and he licks feverishly at you making your head spin. The stubble on his face scratching the inside of your thighs so nicely.

You brace your hand on his head trying to make him slow but he won't relent from his work. He’s a thorough man and once he starts a job he won’t stop until it's finished. He works on you and your chest starts rising faster and faster, he sucks licks and ravages like he’s never eaten before.

“König, don’t stop please.”

You moan and tip your head back, he groans as you arch backwards hands bracing on his midsection and you moan freely into the air. His mumbled words vibrate your core and it makes you reach your peak that much quicker.

König doesn't stop, not after you cum and he won’t slow down, his face is soaked and his pupils dilated.

“König it’s too much, please.”

You try to move your hips away and he growls the hands on your waist gets tighter and you’re able to lift just a bit off his lips for reprieve, he whines.

“Please darling, give me another ok? Just a few more.”

You can’t say no to him, he’s licking his lips again, your fluid soaking his face and nose, it glistens in the sunset glow and you can’t say no to him. So you lower yourself again, he smiles as his mouth meets you halfway.

“Fuck, König.” It isn’t long before you cum on his mouth another two times, he’s quick to draw it out of you and he knows what buttons to push and ways to move to make you unravel.

By the end he’s kissing the inside of your thighs again and you pant down at him mind turned to sand by his actions.

“You look beautiful like this, we’ll have to do this more often.” His grip is light and his thumb makes patterns on your exposed skin and you shiver from the cold now, the sun fully set and the stars in full swing.

“Here, let's get you inside, warm up yea?” He gives you his shirt to put on and carries, much to your protest, you back inside where you both shower and sit on the couch in front of the fire.

His arms are wrapped around you and your eyelids grow heavy as you rest on him.

“König.”

“Yes schatz?”

“Did you mean it earlier when you said we’d have a place of our own?”

He smiles, you can’t see it but he hums at the thought. The two of you retire from the force and he can come home to your awaiting gaze and warm touch.

“I would love it, more than anything. You complete me, relax me and ignite fire within me all the same. To live by your side would be eternal bliss.”

“I would love that too.”

You smile and cozy yourself closer to him, your eyes grow heavy and you feel content giving yourself to sleep in his arms.

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steddieas-shegoes · 11 months

Note

Hello ❤️ I know you’re back home and I think are doing these on an as-you-can basis. If you’re just completely done, let me know! But I got in my feelings today about always being the third wheel and of course my brain wants to whump Steve about it, so here’s two lines from a conversation I had with a friend:

“When do I stop being a last resort?”

And

“When will I get people who care the way I care?”

Again, if you’re not doing these any more, that’s completely fine! Just thought I’d submit these in case you are. Feel free to use one or the other, or both! ❤️

Hello my star ✨ I am technically not doing them, but it kinda sounds like we both maybe need this one and I'm gonna use this a lowkey plug for everyone to consider participating in the @steddiemicrofic challenge. I'm going with the first one because I believe that even at Steve's lowest, he knows he has Robin to care about him a whole lot ❤️

----------

When the dust settles, when everyone seems to find a new rhythm, when they don't always look over their shoulder and wait for the next world-ending crisis, Steve finds himself alone a lot.

When Robin leaves for college, he finds himself alone most of the time.

The kids are back in school, everyone except Jonathan and Eddie have gone off to college, and those two seem to get along just fine without Steve inserting himself into their friendship.

They still come hang out with him sometimes, usually when they wanna rent a movie using his discount, or if Eddie wants to borrow his dining room for Hellfire.

The worst part is he says yes, puts a smile on his face, pretends he's happy just to get some attention, any attention.

And he is a little happy. Some attention is better than none, especially for a lonely person like him.

He watched everyone around him have each other, while he has himself.

He talks to Robin every other night, but he feels like he's burdening her, but would never say that. He just waits for her to stop answering the calls.

It all comes to a head one evening when Eddie is over at his house late, still cleaning up after Hellfire.

Steve had a bad week at work, customers just being rude over nothing, a migraine two days in a row, and now Eddie dragging his feet to leave.

The worst part? He didn't want him to leave.

Just the thought of another night alone had him tearing up.

He made sure to stay facing away from Eddie, unable to stop the tears from falling, but at least able to stay quiet.

Not quiet enough.

"Steve? What's wrong?"

He sounded so concerned.

"Nothing. Just a little overtired. Head still hurts a little. You know how it is."

He couldn't quite laugh it off, the sound more of a choked sob than anything.

Eddie's hands were on his shoulders, turning him around so he had no choice but to look at him, his worried gaze more than Steve expected.

"What's actually wrong?"

So much.

"When do I stop being a last resort?"

He hadn't meant to say that. He certainly didn't expect Eddie's reaction: pulling him close to his chest, his grip on his back and hair enough to make Steve sink into it.

He hadn't been hugged since Robin left for college.

"What do you mean? You're not a last resort."

"I'm no one's first choice. You only come here because I have the most room. The kids only ever call if they need a ride somewhere. I think at this point Robin only talks to me so she knows I'm alive."

The words were hard to get out but he did it. He felt slightly better just knowing he'd said them.

"Fuck. We've- I've been so stupid."

Steve pulled away.

"I just thought you wanted your space. We're done fighting monsters, so you can go back to just being Steve Harrington. I don't think any of us thought you still wanted to be around us. But we've taken what we thought we could get."

"What? Why would anyone think that?"

"Because you only got involved in all this protect people. Now you don't have to."

"I protected everyone because I cared. Why would I just stop caring?"

"When you put it like that, it sounds stupid."

Steve rolled his eyes.

"Because it is stupid."

"So you do want us around?"

"Yes! I thought no one wanted me around anymore since they didn't need me."

Eddie shook his head, disappointment settling over him.

"That's so far from the truth. Dustin was upset the other day because he was convinced you were going to start telling him no when he asked for rides and he didn't know how else to see you."

Steve let it sink in, the words and the way Eddie still hadn't let go of him completely, still had his hands resting on his lower back as Steve looked up at him.

"For a smart kid, he sure is dumb."

Eddie laughed loudly, smiling down at Steve as some of the tension released from his body.

"I guess we all are."

"Including me."

"You're very loved, Steve. By all of us."

"All of you?"

"Yes. All."

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #headcanon

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wardenparker · 3 months

Note

CONGRATS on 2.5k!! You deserve every follow! ❤️ For the co-writer (along with @absurdthirst) of the Whiskey fic that made brain go BRRRRR and got me into reading/writing our fave corndog, how about our Agent with the prompts: "Should we make it official?" and/or "Put me down!" Have fun!

Agent Jack 'Whiskey' Daniels. 2,300 words. "Put me down!"/"Should we make it official?" (Sequel to: "Wait! Please don't go!"/"There is no 'us'." ) Co-written with @absurdthirst

When Jack hits the door, heads turn. The sharp, confident gait of a man on a mission who will not be stopped just shimmers in the air around him. Eyes sharp and narrowed, they scan the floor, looking for someone. For you.

“Can I help you, sir?” It’s the weekend, so a greeter is stationed at the door of the upscale retail store, to help direct customers through the maze of shelves and displays. It is the middle of the city so there are plenty of different kinds who come in every day, but this is definitely the first cowboy that’s ever set foot inside the Lexington Avenue Sephora.

Jack says your name and throws the woman a charming grin. “She’s helped me before so I’m hoping to see her again.” He lies, knowing that you won’t talk to him otherwise.

"Sure! Of course." The new girl smiles warmly, blushing a little as she's easily taken in by the charm that drips off of Jack like dew drops. "She's in fragrances today. All the way at the back of the store."

“Thank you kindly.” He tips his hat like a gentleman and starts for the back of the store. The past two weeks have been miserable. He’s drank, he’s raged, he’s blamed you for expecting too much. Then, when you rejected the bouquet of flowers he had sent to your parent’s house after misusing Statesman resources to find where you were, he had come to a hard truth. He had done you wrong. He hadn’t spoken from heart, not made himself uncomfortable for the sake of growth. Holding onto the fear of losing you if he loved you had caused him to lose you. And no surprise, he had loved you, because he is miserable without your voice in his ear, your fragrance on his sheets and your love in his heart. Now, he’s here to get you back.

You're there in the last aisle, helping a young lady find a specific gift she came looking for, in the uniform dress that you hate but tolerate for the sake of your new job. It doesn't pay well enough and it doesn't distract you enough to dull the constant aching hurt inside you after having walked out of Jack's place, but that's why you had started it the second after arriving back at your parents' place. To try to forget him. It isn't working. Not at all.

"I'll be right wit—" The figure looming a few feet away was only a shadow. It's the second you look up that your mouth runs dry and you feel sick to your stomach all over again. "I'm not sure I can help you, sir," you manage, hating the way your heart wings with so much hope. Hope that he wouldn't be here unless he had come for a good goddamn reason. But you have to stay strong. "You might want to try elsewhere."

“But sugar—” Jack drawls, grinning in pure relief at seeing your pretty face again somewhere else than in his dreams or the photos that haunt his walls. “You’re the only one who can help me.”

“Then you’ll have to wait.” Jack’s appearance has thrown you off completely, but you manage to finish up with your customer and take a deep breath — even hide your shaking hands behind your back — before you look at him again. “You came to my work?” Your voice is incredulous. Quiet. “It had better because you’re out of cologne.”

“You blocked my number and your daddy— well, I didn’t think you’d want there to be a brawl on your parent’s front lawn.” He huffs, annoyed that the old man had waved a hammer at him. He knows he could disarm him, but that would make you even madder at him.

“Ginger helped you find me?” You guess with disappointment. But Ginger is his friend. You can’t blame her for being on his side. “I left Jack. And I did it on purpose. Hell, we didn’t even have enough of a relationship to call it a breakup.”

“We had a relationship.” Jack snorts. “We have one still, this ain’t over, sugar.” He promises, “Not by a long shot.”

"We can't do this here." If he wants to have it out all over again, the least he can do is pay you the courtesy of not getting you in trouble at work. This is definitely going to get you in trouble. "I'm not going to lose my job because you can't take no for an answer."

“I love you, sugar.” Jack breaths out, finally saying the words he’s needed to for a long time. The words you deserve.

If there had been anything in your hands, you would have dropped it immediately. As it is, you feel like crumbling – falling down on the spot or running to him – something utterly undignified that would definitely get you written up at minimum. Your eyes mist and your shaking hands tangle around each other, but you can't break down on the sales floor. And beyond that? As much as you want to believe him, to let the anger and the heartache drip away so you can just go home to him where you want to be? It seems completely unbelievable to you that you walking out his door was somehow the magic tonic he needed to learn those damn words.

"My manager is watching," you murmur to him, glancing past him to the petite ice queen several yard away who has zeroed in on an employee not forcing product on every single person in the store. "We can't—it's not—you have to go, Jack."

“I’m not leaving.” He frowns, tossing the overly made-up manager a single look before focusing on you. “Did you not hear what I said?” He asks. “I love you, sugar. I need you.”

"I heard you." The water pressing at the back of your eyes is proof of that, and the way your voice cracks, but you can feel your manager's eyes drilling into your face and that gaze is angry. "I heard you. And we will talk about this, but I can't afford to lose this job and that might happen if you don't go."

“You don’t need this job.” Jack reminds you. You hadn’t had it when you left, so it’s not like you’ve been here for years.

"I have bills to pay," you remind him, rolling that tick in your jaw backward a little and swallowing the bitter pill that you decided to take all on your own. The undefined thing you had going with Jack had come with a big allowance, but it wasn't a sugar situation. That would have at least been a title. "Therefore, I need to keep my job. And the girl who just got hired can get sent out the door just as easily."

“You don’t need to worry about that.” He shakes his head and reaches for your hand. “Come on, sugar.”

“Why, Jack?” You have to keep your voice down as you snatch your hand back, but it’s still a hiss. “So I can be your stay-at-home friend-with-benefits again?”

Jack has many, many faults and one of them is impatience. His jaw clenches and he knows that he needs to get you alone to talk to you, others starting to warily gaze your way. Instead of answering you, Jack drops his shoulder and scoops you up like it’s nothing.

“Oh my fucking god, Jack!” The screech it earns from you is nearly instant, knowing that you have absolutely just lost your job over his stunt and not really knowing what in the hell he plans to do now. “Put me down! Right now!” He’s stronger than you and you don’t stand a chance of wriggling free in the dress you’re wearing. It will be up over your head if you even try.

“Nope.” His gait is just as determined as he passes by your manager, her jaw on the floor. “She quits.” He tells her and continues on to the door and outside.

“JACK!” Your shit is still in your locker and that’s going to be a black mark on your resume, but right now all you can do is beat your fists on his back and shoulder in protest. “What the hell are you doing? Put me down!”

By his Bronco, Jack finally relents, bending down and setting you on your feet. “Now, we can talk.”

Huffing and puffing like you’re about to summon a personal tornado, you don’t even hear him for all the blood pounding in your ears. “What the fuck was that?! Do you know how embarrassed I’m going to be when I have to go back in there and get my purse?”

“It’ll be the last time you go in there.” He predicts and he smirks at you. “And you’ll be flustered too badly to even think about what those crusted old biddies think.”

It’s a reasonable threat, considering how good he is at flustering you. The whole reason you’ve been so upset is because you do love Jack and you wanted this to work out. But standing out there on the street pressed between him and his Bronco? You feel like you’re about to be sold a familiar looking head of cattle after your own just happened to go missing.

“So what’s the play here?” You work very hard to keep your tone skeptical. “You tell me how much you need me so that I’ll come back to you and then nothing really changes? As usual?” He did say the words, but you’re so scared to believe them. To believe him. There’s a chance he doesn’t mean it and that terrifies you.

His eyes narrow, aware that he deserves that little barb but he shakes his head. “No. That’s not what’s going to happen, baby girl.” He huffs. “You are going to go get your purse and then I’m taking you home, where you belong. And I’m going to make you scream my name before you fall asleep on my chest as we plan.”

That all sounds…ridiculously good, actually. It would be a relief to go back to him. To not have to miss him anymore and feel like your heart has been split in two. But all you do is raise one eyebrow in a show of disbelief. “Plan what, exactly?”

“You’re marrying me sugar, today, tomorrow, or the next day.” He growls, smashing his lips against yours and moaning in relief when you melt against him. Pulling away to caress your cheek. “What do you say, baby girl? Should we make it official?”

“Do you…really mean it?” Months of telling him that you wanted to know where you stood with him — wanted commitment from him — only to be sidelined or waylaid or otherwise put off for just a little while longer, they all melt away in the face of the biggest offer of commitment he could possibly make.

“Gotta ring in my pocket.” He confesses, leaning in and brushing your nose with his. “Sugar, I’ve been such a damn fool.” He murmurs. “I thought I could avoid losing you if I didn’t admit I love you. And I just hurt you, something I never wanted to do.”

“That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense cowboy.” It makes Jack Sense, which is not much at all, but still your arms twine around his waist right there on the sidewalk. “But I’m just gonna brush past how long it took you to show up at the party and embrace the fact you’re here at all. Because I didn’t want to leave. I miss the hell out of you.”

“I’m a damaged soul, sugar.” He admits softly. “But I want to be better, I want to give you everything.” He sighs and leans in to kiss you again. “Come home?”

“Everyone is damaged somehow, cowboy.” Melting measurably more with another press of his lips to yours, you lean into the solid wall of Jack’s body completely. “We just have to talk about things from now on, so we don’t get more damage along the way. Okay?”

“Whatever it takes, baby girl.” Jack promises, wrapping his arms around you and holding tight. “I’m never letting you go.”

You’ve cried so much these last few weeks, it’s almost startling to realize that the tears in your eyes now are happy ones. Ecstatic. Overjoyed at having your Jack back in your life, and for the right reasons. If you were separated by more than a few inches it would have been a lunge to kiss him again, but as it is you wrap up in him and hold on tight. “You really have that ring? Because I’m gonna flash it everywhere when I go back into that damn place to get my purse, and then you’re gonna take me home. Our home.”

“I sure do, baby girl.” He has to take one hand out from around you and it almost kills him, but he wants to prove how serious he is. Pulling a small black velvet box from his sports coat. “Tell me what you think. If you don’t like it, we can go pick out any ring you want.”

"How could I not like it?" It's from him and that's all that matters. But the second he pops the little velvet box open, the tears in your eyes spill over and your heart is in your throat. "Baby...it's...it's...I love it. I love you." It's beautiful, and it's real, and he means it.

Leaving was the hardest thing you ever had to do, but if it was the kick in the pants that you both needed to know that the love you have is real? Then it was worth a little ache.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie @guelyury @lizzie-cakes @for-a-longlongtime @vabeachazn @purplerain04 @weho2kcmo @madnessofadaydreamer

My Masterlist!

#Pedro Pascal #Pedro Pascal character fanfiction #Pedro Pascal fanfic #Jack Whiskey Daniels #Jack Daniels #Agent Whiskey #Jack Daniels x you #Jack Daniels x reader #Jack Daniels x female reader #Jack Daniels x f!reader #microfic #angst #break up #reconciliation

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vampykween · 6 months

Note

hi mic :D

i just read your toxic!husband!ghost fics and would like to ask if u could write one where the reader just gives up on their relationship, maybe they finally file for divorce?

loved your writing btw! ♡

hi hi! thank u! i’m so glad y’all are enjoying toxichusband!ghost hehe

i hope i did your idea justice. i have a problem with just letting asks get away from me oops! but kiss ur brain for this idea cause i loved this! i get way too excited writing angsty stuff

you would realize you’ve had enough on the most random of days. after looking after your kids all day and finally getting your house cleaned, laundry all done. simon would come home and not even stop to greet you. he instantly strips from his fatigues and tosses them somewhere on the couch, turns on the tv to watch the game, and kicks up his feet and perches them on the clean coffee table. just the sight of him makes your blood boil. you make a mental note right then to talk to a divorce lawyer cause jesus you couldn’t take anymore of this.

you’ve been agonizing over doing this for the past week. hidden in your nightstand drawer was an envelope that was going to change your life forever, and not just yours, your children’s lives too. that thought has stifled your desire for a divorce just ever so slightly, as much as you can’t take a loveless marriage anymore you know your kids will be hurt by this.

you and simon are lounging in your bed and you’re losing your edge to serve him the papers. you’re worn out from cooking dinner and doing the usual nighttime routine with the kids. you suck in a deep breath and remind yourself that this decision is for the best; you don’t deserve to be chained down by someone who won’t appreciate you.

“simon…”

“yeah?” he doesn’t look up from whatever he’s engrossed in on his phone and you roll your eyes exasperatedly. you’re swiftly reminded why you’re in this position.

“i- um, we need to talk.” god your palms were sweaty and your heart was hammering in your chest. why was this so much harder than you thought it would be. simon still doesn’t give you his attention and you figure you should just rip the bandaid off already.

your shaky hands open the nightstand drawer and fish out the large yellow envelope you’ve been holding onto for the past week. you nudge his shoulder with enough force to get him to look up at you, and shove the envelope in his now free hand.

he quirks an eyebrow at you curiously, “the hell is this?”

you gulp painfully and whisper at him to just open it. his large digits tear open the paper easily and as he’s scanning through the lengthy paper, you can see it clear on his face the moment he realizes what’s happening. he turns his body fully towards yours and you can see the fury in his eyes.

“have you lost your fuckin’ head. why on earth would ya want a divorce?” the bass in your husband’s voice rattles his words around in your head, simon doesn’t yell often, but god do you hate it when he does.

“simon, i just can’t anymore.” his eyes bulge incredulously at your words, but you ignore his idiotic look and continue. “i’m constantly bending over backwards to do everything for this family and you don’t even appreciate it. hell it doesn’t feel like you love me at all.”

“fuckin’ hell. you think you’re the only one putting in work for this family. what do you think i’m doing all day? and when i’m deployed? ya think i’m just fuckin’ around for fun?”

“oh my- are you serious?! of course i know that you work hard to provide for this family. did you even listen to a word i just said? i have to nag you to clean, to do laundry, to stop giving the kids all the things i tell them they can’t have. i have to literally beg you to kiss me and take me on dates! you never tell me you love me anymore simon!”

the rage behind simon’s eyes dims and he grasps both your hands in his. “love. baby, please you can’t leave me. you’re right, you do so much for us all and i know im shit about saying thank you, but who’s going to do all the stuff ya do if you leave?”

your face starts to grow hot as you begin to boil over with anger. you rip your hands from his hold forcibly. “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me! you can’t even convince me to stay because you love me. you want me here so i can do everything for you. you know what? fuck you! i’m so sorry your poor mommy is gone and you need someone to fill that void, and i was stupid enough to play that role for this long, but i’m not doing it anymore.”

“oh you’re a fuckin’ cunt for that. bringing up my mum, you’re fucked in the head!” simon barks at you. you should feel bad, it was a low blow, but you couldn’t care less.

you scramble out of the bed, storming around the room looking for a pen. you’re throwing open drawers with so much force they’re just a hair from ripping straight out. when you eventually find one, you thrust it into simon’s large hand.

“don’t fucking care. you’re an absolute piece of shit. sign the fucking papers, please, so i no longer have to hold back the urge to kill you with my bare hands.”

“what about the kids? you’re just gonna take them away from me?! if you do, i’ll spend every day trying to remind them they’ve got a right bitch for a mum,” simon sneers at you.

all the love you had for simon has vanished, but hearing him say he’d spend eternity making sure your kids hated you? that tore your heart in two. your throat begins to constrict as tears begin to build behind your eyes. you really didn’t want to cry in front of him, but you were suddenly hit with the realization that the life you dreamed of was never going to be real.

you think back to your wedding day, your husband had written the most beautiful vows, which shocked you as you hadn’t expected him to be able to express his love for you that way. he had promised to always make you feel like you deserved the world. suddenly you woke up one day and the man you once loved was gone, replaced by a shitty, co-dependent, workaholic who sucked out all the life in you.

in this moment, you simply prayed that one day, you wouldn’t feel like every choice you made lead to this terrible life you have now.

#mic answers #simon ghost riley x reader #toxichusband!ghost #i hope you know i spent my entire shift drumming up ideas for this so thank you hehe

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murderhusbands4life · 8 months

Text

Hannibal Lecter X Autistic Child Reader

first request!

request: Can u do like austitic child reader with Hannibal

summary: Hannibal latest patient is a child filled with trauma over their elder brothers death and Hannibal cares for them like his own.

Third person pov...

Mrs L/N and her 7 year old arrive outside Dr Hannibal Lecter's office, Y/Ns new physiatrist. A little over a month ago Y/Ns elder brother died, the 7 year old witnessed it since then the child had been filled with terror and hadn't slept well since.

Said child was grumpily standing next to their Mum staring down at their shoes swaying back and forth. "Do I have too" they pout, this makes Y/Ns mum sigh, she kneels and holds her Childs shoulder making the kid flinch not liking touch.

"Sorry honey, but you know what the school says you have to stick with the same therapist for at least a week before going back to school" explains the kids Mum, the child sighs. "Okayy, lets do it" they say making the women smile at them.

The building itself was beautiful with a sense of historical back ground, it was tall and didn't look like a physiatrists office, nervously Y/N follows their mother inside the building, Mrs L/N had heard from her close friend Jack Crawford about an amazing physiatrist and decided to make an appointment for her child.

Soon they came to a door which was Dr Lecter's office, Mrs L/N knocks on the door, looking down at her nervous child of course the child was nervous, Y/N doesn't like change and this is a huge change for them, then the door opens and man stands there.

He was tall around 6tf, he had ash grey hair, brown eyes, he had sharp cheekbones and an obviously fake smile on his face, to Y/N he looked about 40 maybe mid 40s. he was wearing a dark red pinstripe suit and dark brown shoes.

He looks at the mother and child in front of him wondering who they were. "hello, you must be Dr Lecter, Im Y/M/N L/N and this is Y/N we have an appointment" says the H/C woman, Hannibal eyes widened a fraction before returning to normal. "ah yes my apologies, I had forgotten please come in" he says and stands to the right holding the door open.

He had a slight accent, possibly eastern European, Y/N wracks their brain trying to place it but couldn't think, they shall have to ask the man later.

But Y/Ns mum shakes her head at the invitation. "I'm already late for work, I'll leave Y/N with you" she says before turning her back and kneeling next to her child, Hannibal watches as the child's eyes wonder not looking at their mother.

"Y/N love, I'll be back to pick you up later okay, my shift at the clinic will finish at 5 okay see you then, be good and respectful to Dr Lecter now" she says to the child kissing their forehead and walking away throwing a wave goodbye behind her.

The hallway was filled with silence as the Dr and Child stand. "Please come in Y/N" he says to the silent child. Y/N nervously enters the pristine office, the child gasps at how large the room was, bright E/C eyes marvel at its beauty.

Dr Lecter lips turn up at the emotionless child gasping at his office, he then walks over to the child and begins taking their coat, this makes the child look at him before smiling in thanks. "Thank you, sir," Hannibal hears a mumble.

"of course, now if you would please take a seat we will begin" he says motioning to one of the chairs he uses for his patents, though it had been a while since he had such a young one in his office.

"now then we shall begin, I am Hannibal Lecter and I will be your physiatrist" he says smiling at the small child sitting in the overly large chair, said child was still looking around the room drinking in all the details and books.

"Im Y/N L/N, sir im 7 years old" comes a tiny voice, Hannibal smiles slightly, they were getting somewhere at least he got their name. "hello Y/N do you know why you are here?" he asks the child, Y/N stopped looking around and instead looked at their shoes.

"because I don't sleep and Mummy's worried about me" comes the quiet voice, Hannibal was barely able to hear. He crosses his legs and continues to write in his notebook, brown eyes look over the child sitting opposite him, their movements skittish like a scared bunny.

"And why is that Y/N?" he asks gently coaxing the child to speak more, minutes pass before the child speaks. "Because brother died and I still dream off him though not nice dreams, I miss him" whispers the child tears gathering in the corner of their big E/C eyes.

Already seeing this happening Hannibal hands, the 7 tear old some tissues he keeps on his desk, tiny hand grab the white tissue and wipes their tears and blows their nose. "t-thank y-you s-sir" comes a tearful voice.

Hannibal smiles gently at the child reassuring them. "of course, child" he says as their session moves on.

Over Y/Ns next few appointments with Hannibal they began to get more comfortable with him and always enjoyed coming to his office, once he noticed how their eyes wondered toward his many books on the second level, the expression of surprise will forever make him happy as he told the child they could read his collection.

Said child bounds over to the many books and carefully grabs a couple, he had learnt that Y/N was autistic and had a love for books they loved reading anything, the two become ever closer their sessions became something less formal.

Hannibal had never felt this close to a child before, but he enjoyed their sessions together and was delighted to be able to help such a sweet innocent child go through their trauma.

The end!

Hope you liked this first oneshot for this new book. Sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes in this.

Requests are open!

Word count: 1065

#hannibal #hannibal lecter #hannibal nbc #hannibal lecter x child reader #x autistic reader #x child reader #death of brother #oneshot #fluff #hannibal x child reader

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gnpwdrnwhiskey · 15 days

Text

greatest of all time

Pairing- Dieter Bravo x ofc!Ava (yes, her again, I'm so sorry!)

Word Count- 1,182

Warnings- none really that I'm aware of? some swearing, a couple of beers get drunk but basically this is just ridiculous banter because that's what these two do....

Author's Note- yes, I know I already have two other unfinished works with these two that I should be working on but I saw this post and joked with @wildemaven & @trulybetty that this was Dieter & Ava's next adventure and then that same day I saw the post for the @dieterbravobrainrotclub May drabble challenge and here we are....3rd universe but first time meeting, totally still counts as a meet cute right? lol!

"This can't possibly be right," Dieter mutters to himself as he turns into the campground.

He'd asked his assistant to book him a few days somewhere off the grid. Just peace and quiet and time to clear his head before he started a new project.

But this little semicircle of Airstreams baking in the desert sun can't possibly be the right place. The GPS fucked up or something.

He'll just stop and ask for directions and be on his way. Five minute detour. Max.

Ava glances out the open door of her office when she hears a car door slam before looking over at the massive merle coated Great Dane laying on his custom doggie bed on the floor next to her desk.

"Oh my God, he's here already? He's early! Do I look okay?" She asks the dog, frantically patting at her hair and straightening her clothes. She receives a couple tail wags and a cocked head in response. "Phfft, fat lot of help you are."

"Excuse me?" Dieter asks from the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, not you. I was talking to Goat."

"You have a goat?"

"No, why would I have a goat? Goats are herd animals, a single goat out here in the desert all by itself would be lonely. And that would make me sad. I have a dog. Named Goat."

The dog in question gives a woof at his name and stands to his full height, head somewhere around Dieter's belly button, and gives him a cursory sniff before padding past him to sprawl outside in the sunshine.

"Why Goat? Wouldn't Horse have been more appropriate?"

"Haha," Ava laughs dryly. "Creative. Never heard that one before. My brother named him Peyton...ya know, Manning? So Goat. Greatest of all time."

"Sure," Dieter nods like all of this makes perfect sense, thinking to himself that this woman has probably spent way too much time frying her brain in the desert heat. "Baseball, right?"

"Football," Ava says slowly, thinking what a shame it is that he's cute but apparently oh so dumb. "Anyways. Hi, welcome to Gateway Campground! Are you here for the aliens?"

"No, I'm just here for directions....the GPS must've fucked up....aliens?"

"Do you.....do you not believe in aliens?"

"No?"

"Are you stupid? Of course there have to be aliens! C'mon, there are whole galaxies out there we hardly know anything about!"

"Okay, then sure? I believe in aliens."

"Aww, then you can't stay here. Sorry. Strict no communing with aliens rule."

"But you just said--"

"I know, it's quite a conundrum isn't it? But I kinda have an experiment 626 situation going on here that I'm trying to keep on the low low."

"I have no idea what that means and no intentions of communing with anyone. Alien or human."

"Oh...."

"Probably requires some kind of radiation, like EMF or some shit," Dieter continues. "Messes with my fucking brain waves. I don’t even wear wireless earbuds. Besides, I'm not staying here. Like I said before, I just need directions."

"Oh, no, you're in the right place, Mr Bravo? Dieter? I'm not sure what to call you...you are Dieter Bravo aren't you?"

"Dieter's fine, but what do you mean I'm in the right place?"

"Your assistant booked the whole place for you? For a week?"

"This is Joshua Tree?"

"Well, no, but the park is only like 30 minutes away," Ava looks him over skeptically, gaze lingering on his well worn Crocs. "If you're into like, hiking or whatever."

"Do I look like I'm into hiking?" Dieter snaps. "Look lady, I'm sure your facilities are perfectly adequate and you can keep whatever you've already been paid, but I'm not staying in the ass end of nowhere in some shitty camper. So if you could just tell me how to get to Joshua Tree..."

"But--"

"Nope, no, whatever it is, more alien shit or whatever, I don't want to hear it. Ya know what, nevermind, I'll figure it out myself."

"I was just gonna say Joshua Tree will be booked full up this time of year," Ava yells at his retreating back as he stomps back to his vehicle.

"Well. That did not go well," she sighs, leaning against the door jamb and watching Dieter's rented SUV disappear as he heads back towards the main road. "It was the alien stuff, right? Probably went a little overboard on that, huh? But we had to be sure right, Goatie?"

Goat chuffs softly and gives Ava's hand a sympathetic lick.

"He'll be back, right? I think he'll be back," she nods to herself and then sighs again, rubbing one of Goat's silky ears between her fingers. "I hope so anyway. It'll be a long ass week out here by ourselves if he doesn't come back."

Three hours later he is in fact back, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs and Ava bites her tongue to keep from telling him she could've told him so.

"One night," he tells Ava as she leads him to the Airstream closest to the office. "And then I'm out of here. Too fuckin aggravated to drive home now."

"Of course. I completely understand," Ava tells him in her frostiest professional voice as she unlocks the door and hands over the key. "Your assistant provided a list of some of your favorite toiletries and snacks and stuff, so you should find everything you need inside."

"But If you were to find anything lacking, I'm right over there," she gestures towards the lone Airstream parked a little farther away from the others. "Enjoy your stay, Mr. Bravo."

Dieter finds her stretched out on a lounger by the pool as night falls, Goat stretched out on his own lounger next to her.

"Can I sit?"

"Of course, you're the guest here. Goat and I can leave if you'd prefer."

"No, I'd like you to stay, please? And I think I owe you an apology. This place....well, it's not what I expected."

"I get that a lot," Ava grins, digging in the cooler next to her chair and offering Dieter a beer.

"It's really, really fucking nice. I mean that. Better than some resorts I've stayed at."

"I know," Ava nods. "My brother and I worked hard to get it just right."

"You did a fantastic job," Dieter tells her, twisting the top off his beer and taking a long swig. "I uh, I also googled what you said earlier-- an experiment 626 situation. Lilo and Stitch, right? So I guess like, you were trying to tell me Goat is, ah, special?"

Goat gives one short sharp bark and Ava laughs. "Yeah, he is indeed very special. You could even say he's one of a kind."

"I take it back," Dieter tells her, relaxing back in his lounger, face tilted up to the stars. More stars than he thinks he's ever seen before in his life, more possibilities than he's ever imagined. "I think I'll stay a few days."

Ava smiles, mostly to herself, and Goat's tail thumps happily against the fabric of his lounger.

"Stay as long as you want."

#dieter bravo #dieter bravo fanfiction #dieter bravo x ofc #dieter & ava #dieter bravo brainrot club #dieter bravo brainrot club may challenge

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erikahenningsen · 5 months

Note

5 cadina!

5. “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Out of everything that happens during his junior year, what Damian expected the least was becoming friends with Regina George.

A few weeks after spring fling, their English teacher told them to pair up for a project. Damian was feeling generous that day, so when it became clear that nobody wanted to work with Regina, he graciously volunteered.

What he learned—aside from the fact that The Old Man and the Sea is boring as hell—is that Regina is smart, and funny, and a much better companion at the mall than Janis.

And somewhere around the time Damian offered to reorganize Regina's closet in exchange for Regina writing their paper for them—she actually liked the book—they became friends.

They're seated on a bench outside after school, Regina helping Damian decide which Telfar bag he should ask for for his birthday, when Damian spots Cady and Aaron exit the building, hand in hand.

"Oh, there's Cady and Aaron," Damian says, about to raise his hand to wave.

Regina pulls his arm down. "Ugh. If I have to hear about how Aaron beat some new track record or helped his mom plant flowers right now I'll puke." She says plant flowers how Mr. Duvall says marijuana at their anti-drug assemblies—a little disgusted, a little bit in disbelief that anyone would do that.

"I thought you were over him," Damian says.

"Of course I'm over him," Regina says, waving a hand dismissively. "He's so boring, and he somehow always needs a haircut, even right after he gets one. I don't know what Cady sees in him."

Damian studies Regina more closely. She seems to be going for nonchalant, but there's an edge to her voice, and her eyes are a little sad, and then Damian realizes she's not looking at Aaron.

She's looking at Cady.

"Oh my god," Damian says, so many things clicking into place in his brain. Regina stopping Cady in the cafeteria on her first day and telling her she was pretty. Regina randomly going after Aaron as soon as she learned Cady liked him. Regina telling Cady she liked her in the bathroom at spring fling. "Wait a minute. Are you jealous?"

"Of Cady? Please," Regina scoffs.

"No, Regina," Damian says. "Of Aaron."

For a moment Regina looks confused. Her eyes widen comically, then start darting around the courtyard.

"What? No. That's crazy. Why would you think that? Absolutely not." Damian has never seen Regina look this flustered. Her face is actually red.

"Because you are obsessed with that girl. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"Shut the fuck up," Regina says, but it has no bite to it. She drops her head into her hands.

"It's okay to have gay thoughts, Regina," Damian says, patting her back. "I actually think this world would be a more peaceful place if everyone had gay thoughts."

"Can we not do this right now?" Regina says tiredly. She lifts her head, and she actually looks a little frightened. "And please don't tell anyone."

"Of course I won't," Damian promises. "I know what that does to a person," he adds pointedly, and Regina has the good sense to look down at her hands remorsefully.

"I know," she says. "Thanks."

"Now, I can't say I've ever been attracted to the fairer sex but I am here to support you on your lesbian journey in any way I can," Damian says.

Regina whacks his arm. "I will kill you and make it look like an accident."

"What are you gonna do? Push me in front of a bus?"

"Of course not," Regina says. "That plan obviously has flaws—I mean, I didn't die. I'd get a sure thing."

Damian rolls his eyes. He knows she's just joking.

Or, he's pretty sure.

#cadina #mean girls #mean girls the musical #mean girls 2024 #ask #anonymous #prompts

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thatfreshi · 8 months

Text

"Yeah, Besties" (Uni AU P. 11)

tw - slight mention of abuse

You and Astarion proceed to spend all your free time together, which isn't much for him, but it's nice in between the stresses of life. You go from barely being friends to almost inseparable, studying in his dorm and talking about nonsense. There's plenty of times when he has to disappear for miscellaneous modeling things, which he still doesn't really talk about, but you don't mind.

It's been about a week and a half since Astarion got back from LA, and things have been getting much better for everyone. Academics are picking up, sports are starting, and your little group of, 'friends,' has started to somewhat get along, which is a big relief. Since the seven of you are still working on that damned public speaking project, you meet up on Saturday to start discussing the presentation, but of course, you don't actually end up doing that. Besides, who goes to Starbucks and actually ends up studying?

"Ugh! Tav, I told you it was going to be far too busy here on a Saturday."

You roll your eyes at your white-haired friend.

"We're not even staying here, we're going over to the park across the street. Cool it broody."

He mocks you and you elbow him in the arm, making sure to be gentle about it in case there's some other 'scrape' he hasn't told you about.

"Can the two of you stop flirting and decide what you want please?"

Lae'zel is impatient, especially when it comes to caffeine.

"This? This is not flirting, we're like besties."

You throw Astarion a smile, and he responds, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah, besties."

You hear Gale and Shadowheart giggle to themselves somewhere in the back of the group, but you're not sure what about. Probably some bullshit they always find funny that no one else seems to understand. After some group discussion, Karlach decides to pay for everyone's drink, because oddly enough she's never been in a Starbucks.

"I don't know, I've just never gone! Drink a lot of protein smoothies, ya know? Coffee isn't really my thing."

Shadow of course is wrapped around Karlach's buff arm, and here's where someone would say that thing about sapphics and move-in vans on second dates. Eventually you all make up your minds. You get an iced coffee, something basic for your still-waking brain. The rest of the orders go as follows:

Astarion gets a caffè mocha, but asks for double the espresso, which you soon find out is six shots. You know from texting him this morning that he didn't sleep last night, and you're honestly not sure how he lives off of the amount of caffeine he drinks.

Karlach gets the dragon drink because she thinks it sounds cool.

Shadowheart orders a pink drink, blended, and proceeds to deal with intense teasing from Wyll about her edgy exterior. She yells at him about how she just like strawberries, and the aesthetic of her drink has nothing to do with how cool and mysterious she is.

Wyll then orders a chai latte, admitting he's never actually had coffee before after he was scared off of it as a kid.

Gale, like the classic man he is, goes with the caramel macchiato, but makes sure to ask three times that they're using almond milk, making a big deal about how his stomach will not handle it well if it's actual milk.

Lae'zel gets straight-up black coffee, hot. That's it. She doesn't add sugar, creamer, not even a little flavor, just hot black coffee.

So the baristas get to work on your myriad of drinks. You go to ask Astarion something, but quickly get interrupted by a stranger tapping you on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say, you are absolutely gorgeous. Mother Nature blessed us the day she made you."

You turn around to see a rather tall and built man. Your cheeks can't help but fill with red at the sincerity of the compliment you've just been given.

"Thank you! See, you guys really should worship my looks more."

"I know this might be strange, but I'd be honored to take you out sometime. Here's my number, you don't have to text me if you don't want to, but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity. Oh, and I'm Halsin, a pleasure to meet you."

This Halsin character soon walks off, leaving you with a receipt he's written his number on.

"Wow, and I thought I was a gentleman."

Wyll is clearly shocked by the sudden turn of events.

"Seriously, Tav you have to text him! What a heart throb."

Shadow eggs on the flirting that just occurred.

"I don't know, should I? What if he's like a weirdo."

"Oh c'mon, he seems so sweet! You'd be stupid to not at least give him a chance."

There are murmurs of support for Karlach's statement. Soon, your drinks are done, and your ragtag group starts to leave the building.

"I mean, he was maybe a little forward. And the line about 'Mother Nature?' Did he not have anything better?"

"We get it Astarion, you think you're a master flirt. Not everyone is as lusty as you are."

You don't see it, but Astarion proceeds to give Gale a solid middle finger, and Gale matches him. As much as everyone's getting better at getting along, those two still have some trouble.

"I don't know, maybe I should text him. I mean what's the harm?"

"I don't know, the possibility that he could be a serial killer freak?"

"Astarion, he's not a serial killer. There is literally no way the guy that came up to us is capable of murdering anything."

Shadowheart takes a drink of her pulverized fruity beverage in confidence.

"Alright fine, but if darling Tav gets murdered, don't blame me!"

"I mean c'mon Astarion, you hate every guy I'm interested in on the apps anyways."

It's true, because you've sat there and scrolled through Hinge with him far too many times, and everyone you've ever come across has received negative remarks from your pale friend.

"Because they're all weird! Besides, I find making a real-life connection is much more enticing."

"Says the guy who has never been in an actual relationship."

"You shut it Gale! This mystery woman is the first person you've ever been with, so you have no room to talk. Besides, I'm sure I've bed more people than you've ever laid eyes upon."

"Woah, cat fight. Calm down, you might scratch an eye out."

Wyll's comment earns a few laughs. The group eventually gets to the park across the street, finding a large shady tree to sit under. Astarion makes some off-hand comment about how his pants are too nice to be grass-stained, but he ends up joining the rest of you anyway.

"Okay Tav, so how do we craft this message to the hot nature guy? Because honestly I'd climb him like a tree if I could, you're lucky."

Shadowheart scooches next to you in order to brainstorm.

"Oh, so we're still on this? Great. I'll be over here, not thinking about the wannabe nudist."

"Come on Astarion, you have to help too! Shadow's too thirsty. I need a voice of reason."

He rolls his eyes, only obliging because you're the one asking.

"Fine. We will craft a text to this Halsin fellow."

While the others check their student email and actually do productive things, the three of you sit over your phone, wondering what to send to this hunky stranger. After Shadow and Astarion argue quite a bit, you settle on a sweet but intrigued message.

"Are you guys sure I should hit send? I don't know, what if he was kidding? Or it's like some prank?"

"Tav, if it was a prank I'll kill him."

Shadowheart agrees.

"I second Astarion, I would also kill him."

"Okay, fine! I'm doing it!"

You're a little giddy, excited that a stranger so kindly hit on you. It could've been creepy and weird, but he was so nice. With a slight tap, you've sent the message, and your phone emits a little whoosh noise. Little did you know, Gale had started texting Astarion while listening to your conversation.

~~~

gale_eats_paint: you should tell them

wannabe.vamp: tell them what ??

gale_eats_paint: that you like them. i can see you gritting your teeth all the way from here

wannabe.vamp: fuck off gale, you don't know what you're talking about

gale_eats_paint: alright, if you insist on being secretive that's fine. but i wouldn't wait around too long. also your @ is lame. what are you, a middle schooler?

wannabe.vamp: i'm literally albino AND anemic it could not make more sense

~~~

"Oh god, he responded!"

Astarion perks up from his phone, giving Gale a look across the shaded patch of grass. The artist simply gives him a concerned, yet discreet eyebrow raise. You read out the message, which asks if you'd be free this evening for a botanical garden tour.

"Aw, that's adorable! Tell him you're free!"

Karlach is now scrunched up next to you and Shadow.

"Thanks guys, this is so exciting! And what a cute first date idea, bringing someone to a garden? Oh, and Astarion, you have to help me plan my outfit, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

He rolls his eyes.

"Sure, since you asked so annoyingly, I will."

You go to wrap him in a grateful hug, which catches him severely off-guard.

"Thank you! You're the best Aster."

He almost questions the nickname, but decides to keep his mouth shut, because if this is the type of affection you're going to show him, he'll take it, no matter how small. Gale makes eye contact with him again though while you have him trapped in your warm embrace. While the two aren't particularly friendly, there's a sadness in Gale's eyes, knowing that Astarion won't speak up, no matter how much he wants to. Either way, he'll help you get ready for that date, even if it crushes him when you leave for the evening.

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #angst #fluff #x reader #shadowheart #karlach #wyll ravengard #gale of waterdeep #lae'zel #halsin #freshiau

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whositmcwhatsit · 11 months

Text

An Enjoyable Slide to Oblivion

AN: Hi, remember me? Yeah, it's been a tough few weeks, but I'm back on track now and free from soul crushing work, so my brain is free to wander.

The usual warnings apply.

Previous chapter

Chapter 9- Open Your Eyes

Chancy woke up in yet another hotel room. This one had striped wallpaper and heavy flocked curtains. She blinked and smoothed her hair, trying to remember what day it was. With no obvious days and nights, time turned shimmery and difficult to grasp. There were the shows, of course, but sometimes there was one and others there could be two in a day, it was an unreliable unit of measurement.

After a couple of minutes she decided that didn’t matter. Then she tried to remember where she was. Texas? Washington? Ohio? That probably didn’t matter either.

The bed was otherwise empty, which was unusual. She was used to waking before Elvis, having that moment of grace where she could breathe and marvel at him close up. One of the highlights of every day was curling beside him as he slept, her head on his pillow, stroking the back of her fingers down the side of his face and smiling as his lip twitched into the faintest curl.

While he was asleep, he was safe, he was calm, he was predictable. All was well.

Sighing, she threw back the covers and padded across to the bathroom to make herself presentable. As she passed the door that had been left ajar, she heard voices coming from the living area beyond, and she paused to make them out. Elvis’ was unmistakable, of course, but there was also Jerry’s near monotone, Lamar’s nasal twang, and Ricky’s uneven pitch. She also glimpsed Sonny’s broad shoulders through the crack in the door.

“I don’t know, man, I’m just saying you got your work cut out for you,” Lamar was saying somewhere off to the right. “She’s real sharp, you know. Plus she knows you so well, she’s got you bang to rights, son.”

“Well,” Elvis replied, his voice soft and slurred. “We’ll see, I guess. Maybe- maybe that’s what I need.”

“It’s what I’ve been saying for years,” Jerry intoned. “You always need a challenge, man. When you’re working, you rise to the occasion, so why not in love too, you know?”

“You worried about me being able to ‘rise to the occasion’, Jerry?”

There was a chorus of guffaws. Chancy rolled her eyes and smiled at them talking about relationships like they always teased the girls for doing. She didn’t want to think about who they might be talking about. There was no good answer to that.

The list of things she was refusing to think about was getting long enough to warrant a scroll rather than a page of a notebook. The tour would be coming to a close soon and they had not talked about what would happen next. Chancy would be going home to her job and her family and he would presumably be getting ready for his latest stint in Las Vegas.

Standing in the shower, she told herself that she had only signed up for the tour, and that she was only equipped to be there for the tour. No doubt he already had someone lined up for Vegas, and probably someone else for the rehearsals in LA beforehand too. And that was for the best.

“I tell ya, no need for windows when I got a view like that!”

Chancy whipped round and had to throw out her hands to stop herself from skidding on the slippery tiles, peering through the shampoo suds trickling into her eye.

“You scared me!” she replied. He had opened the shower door slightly and was peeking in with a sneaky, boyish smile.

“You don’t ever need to be scared, baby, not with me around.”

‘Most of the time you’re the one who scares me!’ she wanted to say but didn’t. Instead, she tilted her head up to catch the spray and rinse off her hair. The waft of cooler air hitting the steam made her glance back over as he pulled open the door, shrugged off his robe and stepped into the cubicle in his pyjamas.

“I don’t think you understand how showers wor-” His lips swallowed her words as he ducked down and kissed her, pulling her against him.

“See, I got ya,” he mumbled, his hands sliding down her slick skin as the shower soaked his hair to his face. “I’ll always protect you.”

“You’re crazy,” she murmured, clumsily unfastening the buttons on his pyjama jacket as her mouth chased his. He leant down to allow to her peel off the sopping top, grimacing in discomfort, but grabbed hold of her again as soon as she flung it over the screen.

“A real man’s gotta be ready to protect his woman any time, any place,” he informed her with childlike earnestness.

“And who or what are you protecting me from right now?” she asked, playfully inching down the waistband of his pants.

“Honey,” he mumbled into her mouth, “you never know.”

As soon as she got his pants down past his hips, he surged forward, pressing into her, and the sudden pressure almost took her off her feet. Trying to help, he grabbed her in a bear hug and almost went with her.

“Shit, this was a much better idea in my head,” he murmured wryly, biting on his luscious bottom lip as he pushed his hair from his eyes.

“It was an amazing idea,” she assured him, fruitlessly trying to swipe away drops of water from his brow to stop them trickling into his eyes. “But I think the only thing I need protecting from right now is gravity and these darn tiles. Can’t fight science.”

“Aw, faith beats science every time, you know that,” he replied, resting his head on her shoulder and turning his face into the crook of her neck. The pattering of the spray against her skin, combined with the soft touches of his lips and the scrape of his stubble and teeth at her throat, was almost too much.

“And common-sense beats all,” she told him, carefully stepping backwards. “Come with me?”

She reached down to grab his waterlogged pants and toss them out of their way and when she looked back his gaze was heavy but loving as his eyes slowly travelled down from her face. She withstood this as long as she could, legs trembling, and then she turned and stepped out of the shower.

“Damn, I’d follow that ass anywhere,” he murmured, catching her when she paused to grab a towel, and pulling her into him. She could feel his excitement against the curve of her ass as he practically lifted her, nibbling her neck like a hungry vampire. When she tried to turn to hand him a towel, he just squeezed her tighter and they half-walked, half-stumbled back into the bedroom.

Something felt different, there was an urgency about his actions that hadn’t been there before, and she wondered if he was thinking about the end of the tour as well. Without preamble, he manoeuvred her onto the edge of the bed, flipping her at the last second so that she was looking up at him. When he swooped down, fitting himself against her like they were made that way, she slid her fingertips up his arms where they twitched against the ripple of muscle as he held himself up over her on his elbows.

“Are you okay?” he asked directly against the shell of her ear, his damp cheek pressed against the side of her face. She went to nod but shivered instead, digging her nails into his shoulders. “I can’t- I…” He pulled back, but couldn’t meet her eye, his cheeks pink. “I want-”

She nodded this time, gritting her back teeth as pulses of tension radiated out through her body. He pulled away from her with a grunt, leaving his hand splayed out across her chest to hold her in place and she clasped her own hands over it. As he looked down, the fingers of his other hand slipped and slid into her, testing her readiness. She writhed slightly against them and his frown of concentration faded into his boyish smirk, his eyes glittering in that irresistible way that made all the girls swoon, Chancy included.

Having learnt her lesson, she didn’t push or urge him on, but scraped her nails up his soft sides, making him twitch his whole body and glare at her with playful ire.

“Don’t play with me, baby, you don’t wanna know what I’ll do to win,” he warned in a silly, deep voice that had her giggling. Her laughter cut short as he plunged a finger inside her, biting his lip against a smile as she inhaled sharply.

After a minute or so of this, he nodded absently and took hold of himself, his other hand moving down to her stomach as he positioned himself at the right angle. When he thrust up, she gasped and he sank down and scooped her up with his forearms. His forehead pressed against hers as he drew back and then pushed deeper, filling her with an aching heaviness.

“You’re okay, baby.”

All of her senses were in overdrive, she could feel the droplets of water from the shower still on the middle of his back as she wrapped her arms around him, trying to tug him in tighter, closer. His chest hair scraped against her skin, the weight of him crushed her ribs and hips, and she wanted more. It was never enough.

“Wait, wait a minute!” he exhaled, pulling up and releasing her onto the mattress. She was hanging half off the bed, and the beaded edge of the mattress felt scored into the skin above her tail bone.

Wordlessly, mindlessly, she watched him rise to his feet and view her pensively, his hands hooked just below his hips. He seemed unaware of her eyes as he thought, his erect cock glistening with her and his soft, round belly rising and falling with his breathing. She marvelled at how intimate and safe they had come to feel around each other in such a short period of time.

“Are you okay?” she asked finally, curling upwards towards him. He started slightly, like he had forgotten she was real, and smiled.

“Uh, yeah, let’s get you more comfortable, baby.”

He scooped her up into his arms like he was a groom about to carry her over the threshold (She shook her head at her stupid brain making that comparison.) and placed her in the centre of the bed. Face intense, he climbed on after her and slid his hands underneath her head, drawing out her hair and fanning it around her face.

Beginning to feel the chill and aching inside, she lifted an eyebrow and asked, “Are you done? Maybe once you finish dressing the set you could give me a script?” His eyebrow twitched as he considered the thought with faraway eyes. “You are so bad!” She tossed a pillow at him, hitting him right in the middle.

“Hey, watch it!” he retorted, grabbing her wrists and pinning them on either side of her head. He wriggled his hips so that he was lined up perfectly against her and rolled them slowly as he pressed her hands into the pillows. She craned her neck to kiss him, but he moved back slowly, a slow grin spreading across his face. Almost effortlessly, he slid into her, and her breathing hitched as he finally lowered his head, devouring her mouth.

Once he had picked up where he had left off, his pace was relentless and his hunger undeniable. His mouth rarely left her, pulling away only to gasp a breath before he was kissing and biting and just pressed against her again.

The pressure rose as the ripples of pleasure glided out from her centre, her muscles contracting and aching and tingling all at once. She shivered and shuddered beneath him and reached up to cup his face with her hands.

“Baby,” she whispered, “open your eyes.” He did, blinking a little at first like he had trouble focussing on her, before a filter of complete adoration came over his face. And she came in such a rush that it was almost painful, her clenching and moaning sending him sinking into her with a groan.

They lay catching their breath, plastered together, the silence loud and thick.

“Well, damn.” His voice was muffled deep in the pillows and she laughed, wiping her hair out of her face from over his shoulder.

“Now I’m gonna need another shower,” she remarked, as he peeled himself away from her with a wince.

“Let’s have breakfast first,” he murmured, dropping onto his back and resting his arm across his face. “Need to regain my strength. You’re relentless, woman.”

“What can I say, I just can’t control myself,” she returned, giving him a nudge in the side. She caught him smiling underneath his arm.

It was pancakes for breakfast again. At this rate, Chancy reflected that she might be able to write a book on the range, variety and edibility of pancakes served by hotels across America. These ones were good. Not Grandma level good, obviously, but soft and fluffy and just absorbent enough to take in the syrup without sucking it away never to be seen again.

“I didn’t realise there were so many factors to consider,” Elvis remarked after her review. He picked up a strip of charred bacon between his fingers and chewed on it, holding back his smile.

“Of course there are. Pancakes are a work of art.”

“Well, you’d know.” She watched him dip his next strip of bacon into the jug of syrup and shook her head with affectionate disbelief.

“What? C’mere a minute. It tastes good! Here, try it.” She shook her head and he leant over, rubbing the bacon on her lips and coaxing her in baby talk to just try an ‘iddle widdle bit’. When she didn’t crack, he ate it himself, shaking his head at her refusal. She stuck out her tongue and let it flick over her bottom lip, tasting the salty grease and sweet syrup together, but she refused to admit it was good because he didn’t need the encouragement.

“Gotta make the most of it,” he shrugged, munching through the bacon. “Gotta go on a diet as soon as we get home.”

The look on his face was positively mournful and she stopped herself from pointing out that if he ate less bacon dipped in syrup now then he wouldn’t have to spend so long on a diet later. He wasn’t stupid, but there were areas in his mind where logic failed to stick and eating was one of them.

“You know what would finish this off perfect?” he commented suddenly, brightening. “Something cold and sweet. Baby, can you call down and order me some ice cream?”

“For breakfast?!” Her laughter was caught between amusement and disbelief.

“It’s six in the evening,” he pointed out with that mischievous boyish smile.

“Are you serious?” She thought back to times when she had witnessed someone question his eating habits and how promptly they had been torn down and tossed out. It made her tense before she gently added:

“Sweetie, you can’t still be hungry.”

“Pwease, Cha-Cha?” He stuck out his bottom lip and she knew that she would give in, as much as she didn’t want to. She was inwardly cursing her weakness as she picked up the receiver, keeping her back to him so that he couldn’t mouth any more requests while she was ordering.

By the time the ice cream arrived, Jerry and Joe had appeared to check in and talk about arrangements for the show. They side-eyed Elvis’s breakfast without comment, knowing better, while Chancy shifted uncomfortably. She knew should have tried harder to talk him out of it, though it was likely she still would have been unsuccessful at doing anything but putting him in a bad mood.

Gradually, as the evening wore on, more people arrived at the suite, the usual faces, but also some locals. There were the beautiful young girls, as always, some local police officers that Elvis had got talking to in the hallway while they were moonlighting as security, (She hoped they were not as zealous as that one cop that had strong armed her in the elevator.) and more of the guys.

Elvis was evidently in a very social mood since he seemed to be making it his mission to talk to every single person as though he was their best friend, leaving her doing her best to not look awkward. She was usually better at this, better at striking up random conversations, but after her first attempt when she had made a joke about Sonny’s shirt and Charlie had come rushing over to laugh hysterically while also giving her a panicked shake of the head, she had retreated to an armchair.

“Hey CC, you okay?” Chancy blinked and stared up into Jerry’s concerned face.

“Sure!” she trilled. His expression didn’t change and he didn’t move away.

“Can I get you anything? You want a drink?”

“No, I’m fine, thank y- You know, actually, a drink would be great.” She looked over to where Elvis was joking around with Joe and Red, shoving at Joe’s shoulder as he burst out with his deep belly laugh. “And, you know, if you wanted to pour a drop of vodka in the Pepsi, I would not be averse.” Jerry winked and nodded.

A few minutes later, she discovered that he did not know how to quantify ‘a drop’. She almost spat out her mouthful, but forced herself to swallow it down, burning all the way.

“Wow, look at you!” Sandi remarked, giving a low whistle as she glanced over at Charlie and the rest of the guys with Elvis. “You’re really looking the part.”

Chancy peered down at the white silk sheath halter dress that Elvis had asked her to wear, wiping her fingers, wet with condensation from her glass, on the geometric sequined shapes that cut into the sides in different shades of blue.

“My arms are cold,” she replied numbly. Sandi nodded, her eyes narrowing.

“It’s a little chilly in here. Are you okay?”

Chancy looked up into her wide, blue eyes and remembered the teenager with a headband and little hair flips like Lesley Gore standing giddily by the gatepost of Elvis’ LA house every time a car drove past her. She reminded herself that she was living Sandi’s teenage dream.

“I’m fine, honey,” she replied, forcing a wide smile. ”You know, you look beautiful, that outfit looks so good on you.”

“Thanks, it’s from Bullocks,” Sandi replied, swishing the skirt slightly. “Cost more than my rent.”

Chancy studied her face, unsure whether that was intended to be a dig at her sitting there in her Elvis-bought dress with her Elvis-bought underwear and her Elvis-bought jewellery. Intended or not, it smarted. She smiled politely the way her mother had taught her to do through awkward situations and glanced down at her half-finished drink.

“Hey, baby, you gotta look up now and again. I’ve been trying to get your damn attention for the past ten minutes.” Elvis squatted at her feet, leaning on the arms of her chair and caging her in. “I needed you to come rescue me from Sonny telling us the story of how he almost made it with that chick Sylvia from last night.”

“Almost?” she asked, recalling the way that the girl in question had practically shoved her silver hot pants in Elvis’ face as he sat talking to some karate instructors he had met the last time he had played there.

“Hell, no, don’t make me retell it, baby. It was boring enough first time round.”

“Does it end with her telling him that she’s holding out for you?” she teased. He grinned, biting on his bottom lip.

“Naw, she said she had a boyfriend.” He rubbed his nose ruefully and reached for her glass. She only remembered why that wasn’t a good idea a second before he took a big gulp and choked on it.

Grimacing, she waited for him to stop coughing and wondered how much trouble she was going to be in. She had a flashback to the time that Elvis’ cousin Junior had given her a glass of some spiked punch at a party and Elvis had yelled at her in front of his family.

His face like stone, Elvis grabbed hold of her by the wrist and marched her into the bathroom away from any nosey onlookers. Slamming the door shut, he emptied the glass down the sink and tossed it onto the counter. She was surprised to see it bounce rather than break.

“Baby, what’s going on?” She had been expecting anger, so his sigh and soft question threw her, leaving her clutching for a response amongst all the defensive, appeasing replies she had already prepared.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” she said finally, slightly defensively. He nodded, lowering his head as he stepped closer, sliding his fingers down her palm until they entwined with hers.

“You know, people are sending out messages all the time, sending and receiving, without ever even realising it. Their souls are communicating on a higher level that they are usually not even aware of.” He squinted slightly as he gazed down at their feet. “It’s like waves, you know, o-o-or television or radio signals. And some people, I’m talking heavy, spiritual types, gurus and holy men, heavy mothers, they train for decades to learn how to master the skill of- of communicating soul to soul.”

His eyes flickered up to hers and he had a mischievous, wry look on his face. “Now, don’t go panicking, honey, I’m not saying that I have that power, not completely. I know everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I’m not that crazy, yet. All this to say, you might have a fan-fuckin’-tastic poker face, baby, but I receive more than you think I do a-a-and if you try and lie to me it’ll only make me fuckin’ paranoid.”

“You just made a whole meal out of calling me a liar,” she observed. He laughed, rocking on the balls of his feet so that his chest nudged into her.

“Well, one thing I do know is how to turn everything into a performance, right?” Giggling, she swivelled one of his pendants that had gotten twisted in the opening of his shirt.

“I’m okay, honey, really. I’m just a little tired.”

He brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, his mouth lifting into a small smile, before stepping around her and reaching for his black case. She rolled her eyes at the wall and turned to follow him more slowly.

“I know what you’re gonna say,” he said gently once he had drawn out the pill bottle he was looking for, “so can we just pretend that we already went through the whole damn script already, and you can take one of these?”

“What is it?” she asked warily.

“Just a little boost of energy.” He stroked her side like she was a skittish horse. “Just an itty bitty one for my itty bitty girl.”

“I don’t know…”

“I know you don’t, that’s why you got me. I know, so be a good girl and do what you’re told.”

Gingerly, she took the pill from him, thinking about ways she could dispose of it without him noticing, but he rinsed out her glass and refilled it with water, watching her intently.

Hesitating all the way, she slipped it onto her tongue and took a sip from the glass. As soon as she did, he emptied out several more into his own palm and threw them back. He winked at her as she stared and he pretended to think twice before taking the water from her.

“Nearly killed me last time,” he muttered. “No more drinking, honey, okay? You know I don’t like tasting it on ya, a-a-and it ain’t good for you anyhow.”

He threw the pill bottle back into the case and then pulled open another drawer. When he turned back he had a little smile on his face and something shiny in his hands. He took her wrist and pulled it up, leaning over so that she couldn’t make out what he was doing until he had clasped the bracelet. It was one of his, the rolled gold thick and heavy against her bones, with his initials spelt out in diamonds and one sapphire in each letter.

“There, just a reminder for anyone who forgets.”

“Who you are?” she asked, confused.

“Whose you are,” he replied, gritting his teeth as he clasped her jaw and brought her in for a tender kiss.

It was hard to make the right face after those words, but she gave it the old college try.

“Oh my, this is too much, baby! It’s beautiful, but- but- but it’s yours.”

“Was mine,” he corrected, grinning down at it. “Looks prettier on you.” She threw her arms around him and leant in, finding it much easier to focus on infusing her voice with joy when she didn’t have to concentrate on making the right face as well.

“You are the sweetest man,” she whispered into the shell of his ear, twitching her nose as the sideburn tickled. “I love it, thank you!”

When they walked out of the bathroom, Elvis had a self-satisfied smile on his face and Chancy could tell from the way some of the guys were eyeing each other and exchanging smirks that they thought he had just gotten lucky. She was too unsettled to play along.

The pill began to kick in as Elvis dressed for the show. She was gradually aware of her heart pattering at the inside of her rib cage and her scalp prickling. Her arms and legs felt incredibly restless like they might run off without her if she didn’t get up and move. Her fatigue, which she had felt for days now, melted as lightning, sharp and cold, filled her veins.

She cast her eyes about for someone to talk to, feeling in desperate need of being part of a conversation, as if she might sink between the atoms of the room if she didn’t keep moving and talking, reminding her body that she was a living human being. She spotted Jerry standing by the window talking to a couple of men she didn’t recognise. They were all wearing sunglasses at night like a gang of blind vampires.

“I just want to let you know that you are a lousy bartender,” she murmured, touching his elbow to get his attention.

He glanced over his shoulder and she was gratified to see him smile when he registered her. It was funny how quickly things could change when you were forced to interact with someone at close quarters at all hours of the day and night.

“It’s not a career path I was looking to pursue,” he shrugged. “Seems to have brightened you up though.”

She worked to maintain her smile as she didn’t correct him. She was ashamed to admit that she had taken what Elvis had offered, though she knew that she was by far not the only one to do so.

“Didn’t realise I was so dim before,” she countered, lifting an eyebrow. Like a gentleman, he introduced her to the two men he was talking with, but she found it hard to follow the conversation. Something about a deal, maybe a movie or a concert, percentages, the Colonel, promotion… She moved on again.

Her eyes lit upon Sandi and Charlie standing by the stereo system that had to be unpacked in every hotel room when they arrived. He was switching records now as Sandi gazed over at Elvis while she sipped her drink.

“What’cha putting on, Charlie?” Chancy asked, leaning against the shelving unit.

“Why, you got a request?” he countered with a grin.

“No, I trust you. Just as long as you don’t put on something and then play it over and over and over.”

“Hey, you know I don’t have no control over that,” he replied pointedly, gesturing over his shoulder with his chin to where Elvis was entertaining the masses.

“Then put on something he’s not hung up on.”

“And you know I can’t do that neither.”

Red and Sonny were chatting with a small group of girls. Chancy could have called them women, but she would have needed to do an ID check first. She recognised the guys’ smiles, the boisterous way they were nudging each other with their shoulders and puffing out their chests. She had seen it all countless times over the years. The only things that changed were the girls’ faces and names. Even the hair colours stayed the same.

Joe was standing by the door, walking himself round in a little circle, folding his arms and then unfolding them to check his watch before folding them again. He didn’t look so cool, calm and collected at the moment, no quick smile and charming quip ready to deliver. He glanced up and caught her eye, raising his eyebrows in irritation. There was a message there, a challenge. She found herself nodding like an obedient soldier and moved across the room to where Elvis was talking to a man with a hairstyle that belonged back in the 50s.

“Well, that’s kind of you,” Elvis was saying. “I appreciate it, really. When I first started out, none of them big-time promoters and radio stations wanted anything to do with me, really. It was always the smaller- the ones who actually went to the shows and knew what the kids were into- they were the ones playing my records and getting us out there and everything. Without ‘em I’d still be playing small towns in Texas, or driving a truck most probably.”

Chancy tried to imagine it, but the picture dissolved in her mind each time. He was too big, too stark, too loud to fit into the scenarios she created. When she thought of the truck, she put in an excitable, strange-looking boy, quick to smile and always fussing and fiddling with something, eager to be on his way to the far-off future that awaited him. This man didn’t belong there, wouldn’t have existed there.

With this stark realisation clanging about her brain, she hooked her pinky around his, wincing slightly as he tightened his finger and his ring pinched her.

“Are you coming to the show?” she asked the man standing before her. He hadn’t looked at her once and still didn’t now as he answered in the affirmative. She was impressed since most of the guys had raked their gaze across her cleavage at least once that evening. “Do you know a short-cut, because I think we’re all gonna need it at this rate!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Elvis murmured to the man. “You won’t miss it. Ain’t no show until I get there.” Chancy felt Elvis release her finger very deliberately and let her hand drop and she knew that she had made a misstep.

Minutes later that was confirmed when he snapped at her in front of everyone:

“You don’t have no right, no right, to tell me when I’m done talking. These people, they put me where I am, gave us all we got, and all they want in return is to shake my hand and get a fucking autograph. It ain’t your job to tell ‘em to move along, or me for that matter. You understand?”

The simmering heat in his gaze somehow made her feel icy cold as she stared up at him, knowing better than to try and defend herself or explain.

“Yes.”

“Because if you can’t handle that, then I will send your ass back home so fast you’ll be half buried in that fucking town before you know what’s happening, you get me?”

“Would-” She hesitated as his eyebrows rose, but squared her shoulders and pushed on through. “Should I go and apologise?” He searched her face like he could sense her defiance hiding somewhere, but she had been raised by a gambler and his mistreated wife, she knew how to bury her thoughts and feelings and sharpen them like weapons for later.

“Ain’t no time. We gotta go.”

The rest of the evening, Chancy got a helpful reminder of why people went out of their way not to annoy Elvis. When you upset them, most people might stew in it for a while and then you got past it. Elvis was no different, but when you lived in his world that meant you had dozens of people giving you the same treatment. It could sometimes feel like you had ticked off the whole world.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it will blow over,” Sandi said as they took their seats, the lights immediately going down since the intermission had already run ten minutes over.

“I’m not worried,” she replied, inwardly cringing at how defensive she sounded.

“Good for you,” Sandi murmured, patting her on the knee.

After the first song, Elvis made a barbed comment about being late because of “complications, yeah, that’s about right.” He shot JD and the rest of the backing singers a sideways look, and apologised to the audience, assuring them that he was happy to be there and he would do his best to entertain them.

Chancy began to seethe, knowing that she didn’t deserve this level of punishment for trying to help. If it wasn’t for her they might still be back at the hotel, Joe pulling at his receding hairline, and the promoters considering having to refund tickets.

After that, the show continued as normal. Needless to say there were no song dedications that night, but the worst part was the looks that Sandi kept throwing her and the supportive, condescending pout on her face as she tilted her head and rubbed her arm.

Elvis didn’t speak to her in the limo, even when she handed him his sunglasses and joined in with the chorus on what a good show it had been.

Back at the hotel, Joe caught her arm as she trailed back to their room.

“Hey Chancy,” he began, and her stomach dropped. She knew that tone, that fake pally smile and easy amiability. “You know, the girls were saying that they haven’t had the chance to have a real catch-up with you yet. They were wondering if you’d come down and visit with them.”

To stop them from betraying her with a wobble, Chancy’s lips twisted into a knowing smile as she reflected that at least she was important enough to warrant the big guns and that Ricky hadn’t been tasked with telling her to get lost for a while. She glanced down, rubbing at her goosebumps as the chemical energy fizzed endlessly inside of her.

“Can I at least get my coat?”

“Oh, you won’t need it. They’re just downstairs and I think they’re planning on coming back up here later.” Oh, they had it all figured out.

“In that case, uh, could you take this and put it somewhere safe in the room?” She unclasped the heavy bracelet around her wrist. “I don’t want to be walking around flashing this about. It might as well spell out ‘Rob me’.”

The way Joe’s smile dropped from self-satisfaction into disquiet was truly delicious to Chancy. In fact, she had to shove down the laughter that bubbled in her belly as she imagined him plodding into the suite with the bracelet in his outstretched hand. She wiggled her fingers in a cheerful goodbye and turned towards the elevators.

The Sweet Inspirations, the female soul group that provided backing for Elvis, were staying a few floors down with the rest of the stage crew. When Chancy arrived at their open door, they were riffing on how they should probably be grateful that Colonel Parker hadn’t put them in a motel by an off-ramp. Estelle nudged Myrna who was making the crack as Chancy wandered in.

“What? Everybody knows what I’m talkin’ about,” Myrna retorted. “He’s the kind of man who’d invite his mama to stay and then charge her rent.”

“No, he’s not,” Chancy said. “He’d never invite his mama to stay. And she wouldn’t wanna come if he did.”

“Come on in, girl, you’re our kind of people!” Myrna called, beckoning her over to the sofa.

Soon, the music was turned up and the drinks were flowing and Chancy almost forgot about the mess she had left behind. She almost forgot that Elvis was mad at her, that Joe was probably mad with her now, and she relaxed. Kathy the soprano joined them with the rhythm guitarist, and some of the Stamps were wandering the corridor and stuck their heads in to say hi. It was almost like being back home again.

“So, you see Jerry tonight, Estelle?” Sylvia said with a mischievous grin. “He was looking fine in those tight little jeans, wasn’t he?”

Chancy grinned, watching Myrna shooting them all murderous looks before she started to giggle.

“You shut your mouth about them jeans,” Myrna retorted. “Don’t you be looking!”

It was fun spending time with the women of the crew. Chancy always had fun with the Inspirations, who never ran out of things to say and knew how to have a good time. They had a few drinks, put on some records and gossiped about people they knew. They tried to interrogate her about what was going on between her and Elvis, but she shrugged it off, pointing out that if she was his girlfriend, she would have been up in his suite and not there with them.

An hour or so later, someone must have called down, because people started making their way upstairs. Chancy considered staying where she was just to make a point. She was sure that she could find herself a spare bed for the night after hearing about what some of the crew were getting up to. But she was also weak. Part of her just wanted to be back with him, in spite of how mad she was about the way he had spoken to her. It didn’t feel right being away with him, knowing he was mad at her.

Sonny opened the door to the suite when Myrna knocked, turning back to make a joke to them. Myrna didn’t spot the look of panic on Sonny’s face as he took them in, but Chancy did and a wriggling sick feeling filled her stomach.

It was almost like the crowd parted as she walked through the door. She vaguely felt someone knock into her with their shoulder and was rubbing the throbbing part of her arm as she focussed on the girl in Elvis’ lap. Having strode across the room, Sonny tapped Elvis on the shoulder and then turned away smoothly like he probably had a dozen times before, fading into the background so that he didn’t get caught up in the mess.

The vague impression that Chancy got of the girl was blonde and tall like a model from a Coppertone ad, her legs gleamed golden from the hem of her tiny skirt to her strappy wooden heeled platforms. She glanced up at Sonny as he whispered to Elvis and a perfectly straight curtain of white-blond hair obscured her face. Chancy inhaled as Elvis raised his head, and though the tinted lenses of his glasses hid his eyes, she knew he was looking right at her. There was a self-satisfied curve to his mouth.

If Sandi had even tried to pout and pat her arm in sympathy right then she would have punched her. As it was, the girls shot each other looks and said something about going to get a drink. Chancy forced a smile and joined them, almost counting the seconds as she watched her glass get poured and she sipped it down in big gulps. She refused to give him the reaction he was looking for, refused to titillate all the onlookers waiting for a scene.

Eventually, when it seemed like a good amount of time had passed, though it had probably been only ten minutes, she slowly and calmly made her way across to the bedroom. It took all she had not to slam the door of the bedroom behind her, but she held it together, trying not to think about everyone whispering on the other side.

Even if she hadn’t felt the weight of his gaze the entire time, it was obvious that he had been watching her when he immediately followed.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she pulled clothes from drawers and from hangers in the closet. It annoyed her that someone kept unpacking all her things like irritating little elves every time they arrived at a new hotel.

“I don’t really need to answer that, do I?” she asked, trying to fold a silk shirt that kept slipping and sliding in her shaking fingers until she balled it up and rammed into her case. He put a hand up to his forehead and winced like thinking of a response hurt his head.

“You sore ‘cause of what happened earlier?” he mumbled finally.

Chancy paused and studied him, noting the way his head was hanging and the way he seemed to be listing to the left.

“Yes,” she replied curtly. “You didn’t have to yell at me in front of everyone.”

“You were out of line,” he replied, his tone light and teasing even as the words slurred together. “Being all pushy, like a little bossy baby.” He knelt on the edge of the mattress and bit on his bottom lip as he gazed at her through the dark pink lenses of his sunglasses.

“I’m not playing right now, Elvis,” she returned coolly, turning away from the bed and snatching more clothes from hangers.

Echoing her in that high pitched cartoon voice he knew she hated, he carried on crawling across the mattress and he grabbed the dresses she had just put in her case and slung them behind him.

“Cut that out.”

“Nope.” He waited until she returned to jam more things into the case and then reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her towards him. “You gotta stop being a widdle bossy girl, trying to tell your man what to do.”

“Elvis, I mean it, I’m not- Just leave me alone!” She wrenched herself free more out of luck than anything else. He almost fell backward onto the bed and grabbed the headboard to keep himself steady. His eyes lit up with an icy glow.

“Who in the hell d’you think you’re yelling at, huh?” He jabbed out his foot and kicked her case off the bed, where it overturned and emptied all of her things on the floor. “Waltzing in here all worked up like you didn’t start all of this with your fuckin’- your little show out there earlier.”

“My what? I was- We were running late and everyone was getting antsy and I was just trying-”

“You don’t need to be tryin’ to do nothin’. What d’you think I pay all those motherfuckers out there for, huh? No, I don’t need no more managers and lackeys thinking they can tell me what I can and can’t do, ain’t your job.”

“My job,” she scoffed. “Do I have a job? What is it?” Bed warmer? Human teddy bear? Placeholder until you get someone better?

“Well, it ain’t to be a bitch, that’s for sure!” he spat back. “I- I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into you, I really don’t.”

Chancy raised her eyebrows in disbelief and dropped to her knees, righting the case and trying to shove everything back in. She scrambled round the bed to retrieve the dresses he had tossed.

“Uh huh, the silent treatment. Right on goddamn cue.” He stumbled off the side of the bed and slid the case under the bed out of her reach. When he clumsily stood back up straight, his face was aglow with a weird cruel, playful energy and his eyes were opaque, he was so high. She looked away as he took hold of her biceps, steering her onto the bed.

“Just sit down for a minute,” he murmured, like he was the reasonable one. “We’re getting ourselves all worked up over nothing. It’s silly, honey. I know you were trying to help, you always help.” He knelt between her legs and pressed a soft, gentle kiss against her collar bone.

As if he had hypnotised her, she felt the anger and tension drain in an almost painful wave down her body, her brain instead filling with calm and anticipation. She took a deep breath and let her head sink against the side of his as he kissed his way up to her neck, but as soon as she closed her eyes, she saw the leggy blonde being nuzzled in almost the exact same way. Something inside her crumbled.

“You should let me go,” she said, looking past him and focussing on tiny details in the room to clear her head. “I’m sure that girl is great at helping too.”

“What girl?” he murmured after a long pause, nibbling on her earlobe.

“The girl you were kissing when I came in. She was real pretty: tall, blond, probably had gorgeous blue eyes like you like.”

“No, I don’t think so, weren’t me,” he replied, shaking his head slightly as he continued pressing breathy kisses across her cheek. “I like teeny tiny brunettes with big brown eyes.”

Chancy sighed, put a steadying hand on his shoulder, and scrambled backwards up onto the mattress. She dropped off the other side and leant down to retrieve her case.

“You know what you’re doing?” he asked, his voice gritty and deep like he was playing a role. “You better not be playing games, woman, because you walk out that door, I ain’t chasing after you.” He rose to his feet and glared at her across the bed. “You know I hate this kind of dramatic bullshit!”

“Ha, yeah, that’s why you always set it up this way!” she returned, angrily scraping the tears from her eyes with the top of her wrist. “All of that was on purpose, I’m not an idiot and your tactics never change!”

“Just go on, get out!” he sneered, waving his hand. “You’ve had your foot half out the door since the beginning anyhow, don’t even try and deny it!”

“I haven’t!” She was suddenly furious at how breathless and weak she sounded, pathetic. “How can you say that?!”

“Maybe because I got fucking eyes!” He lobbed something in her direction that hit the doorframe with a metallic clink and dropped onto the shag carpeting. She looked down and saw a glint of gold.

“Because I won’t wear a ton of gold on my wrist when I’m all alone in a strange hotel?”

“That ain’t why you threw it back in my face,” he retorted scornfully. “Don’t give me that bullshit! I know when pushy women don’t get their way they get spiteful.”

She snorted mirthlessly and nodded, letting her case hit her against her calf.

“Yeah, just women.”

“Goddamn your smart fuckin’ mouth!” he stormed towards her and grabbed her wrist, yanking her out the bedroom so fast she almost lost a shoe. He was yelling for Joe, who suddenly popped up from out of nowhere like he had been waiting. He probably had. The rest of the suite was empty as if it had been raided.

“Get this bitch a ticket and make sure the fuckin’ plane leaves tonight!” he dragged her forward and released her hand, sending her into the back of the couch with the force of the momentum.

“Don’t worry about it, Joe!” she yelled, even though he was standing feet away. “I’ve got my own damn ticket!”

The bedroom door slammed shut and she heard it repeating over and over in her head. Her eyes were throbbing with the pressure of the tears behind them, but she refused to give in.

“You, er, want me to call down and see if I can get you a room?” Joe asked smoothly. “He’ll probably cool down in a couple of hours and want to see you. You know what he’s like.” She laughed, a couple of loose tears spilling over the edge of her lower lids.

“Yeah, I know what he’s like,” she returned, choking on the sobs and bitter laughter in her throat. “That’s what makes this so pathetic. I’m going to head to the airport, but thanks.” She looked down over the back of the sofa, hating the heavy feeling in her stomach, glaring at the cushion where Elvis and the girl had been sitting.

“Has he got her stashed somewhere?” She looked at Joe sideways, her mouth tilted in a wry smile. “Am I gonna get on the elevator and find myself face to face with a giant pair of legs?”

Joe didn’t say anything, but Chancy laughed at her own joke, before wiping her eyes with the heel of her palms. She walked out of the suite without looking back.

@thatbanditqueen, @ellie-24, @be-my-ally, @vintageshanny, @missmaywemeetagain, @from-memphis-with-love, @richardslady121, @dkayfixates, @c-rosenn, @fallinlovewithurlove, @notstefaniepresley, @heartbrake-hotel, @freudianslumber, @bbrtt777, @18lkpeters, @prompted-wordsmith. @literally-just-elvis-fics, @eliseinmemphis. @lookingforrainbows, @stylespresleyhearted, @amydarcimarie, @returntopresley, @savedrebelcreation

#elvis presley #elvis fanfic #elvis x oc #elvis fanfiction #elvis presley fan fic #70s elvis #whositmcwhatsit #an enjoyable slide to oblivion

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dinocanid · 3 months

Text

Our System Overview

(Preface: our system is highly metaphysical, in every single aspect, so that's the context everything's written in)

I've gotten a few requests over the months to write out how our system works, but I could never get around to it since it's hard to articulate. I'm attempting to do that today, but I'm encouraging you (the reader) to send asks if something is confusing since I acknowledge that some things might not be clear still. And of course, this is all our personal experience! Everything is different for everyone.

Members (and visitors)

One thing you'll probably see a lot in the rest of the post is "members" and "visitors". Everyone that's considered a member lives in the system; while they can venture out, they are bound to the system and for one reason or another can't just walk out forever to live somewhere else. Everyone that's a visitor doesn't live in the system, they exist elsewhere in whatever universe they came from and can leave whenever they please. Regardless, they're all under the "headmate" umbrella.

Our members (besides myself) include:

Amorphous (Ammy)

Drom

Gaster

And all of or visitors include:

Sans (from our timeline, not the canon one)

Several of his AU selves (there's a reason for this, it's just. A whole thing we're trying to get sorted)

Coincidentally, all of our members are spirits/dead in some sense of the word, while all of the visitors are still alive in their respective places.

Headmates That Are Also Kintypes (IE: the case with Ammy and Drom)

Often times when I'm talking about experiences relating to my dragon or dromaeosaurus kintypes, I'm using "the plural I". The reason for this is because due to some reincarnation shenanigans we are both each other and separate at the same time. They're both my past lives, and so one example is that when I was a dragon I was Amorphous (I'm not a "piece" of her or anything like that). When I'm feeling dragon-y that's not because of her doing anything, it's because my behavior and whatnot from the time I was a dragon is popping up. Duplication may or may not be the right word.

A good way to think about it is that both her and Drom are like "snapshots" of those lives, and each snapshot stacked with the next one. So Ammy was following Drom around as a headmate, and now they're both following me around.

How We Operate

At the time of writing, everyone both has their own individuality and are able to function independent from myself. There is no single thread of thought, everyone is doing their own thing at all times. How does my brain keep track of all that? It doesn't. Everyone is able to autonomously think and act in the headspace even if I'm not paying attention to them, but even so, I do have to say that it takes up a lot of processing power. Unless I'm asleep, my brain is regularly firing all cylinders like a laptop trying to run a heavily modded copy of The Sims. It's not uncommon for me to get headaches from system-related things. If someone new enters the system (visitors included) then I will get a headache even attempting to communicate with them. It usually takes a couple weeks for my brain to get used to it and for that effect to stop happening every time.

While I'm the main one seeing through the perspective of the body's eyes, everyone else not in front is capable of having multiple perspective. They can either have the view through the eyes psychically beamed into their heads (what happens by default), or they can go to the fronting room and see through the screen in there. They're also aware of all the other senses like smell, touch, and taste. These are all things they can opt in and out of at any time if they choose to. We don't all have access to the same thoughts though. Everyone can tell what I'm thinking (they have to since that's how we communicate), but I don't know what they're thinking about at any point in time unless they tell me (much like a separate-bodied person).

Although we aren't currently able to switch, we are currently practicing and most guides are hard to follow since it assumes that all of what's described above is not the case. Rather than there being "the body (who is the host) + everyone else", for us it's "the body + the host + everyone else". So a guide that details how to change a stream of consciousness (often described as "the I") is a bit hard to follow when we each have our own individual stream. And guides that describe "becoming the host" don't help either because the host isn't the body in our case. I'm the host because I'm the original occupant of the body, but I metaphysically exist independent of it with another form entirely. So reading guides on switching is a huge mess of "ok what do you mean because that is not how we work, what are we supposed to do exactly?".

The Headspace

Our default headspace is the void, which is a whole bunch of black nothing aside from the couch, lamp, and coffee table (and those are relatively new additions). If you've seen this post, that's basically the entirety of all that's in there. Even though it's virtually endless in all directions, the best way to think about it is that it's metaphorically in a bubble. In a very convoluted way, Gaster is a part of the void in a literal sense, so he has decent control over it (he could just meld down and be a disembodied voice if he really wanted to, less energy). He can keep our system's "bubble" of the void closed to prevent visitors from coming in, and can temporarily make "rooms" that's like being in a void on your own.

The void headspace also has the fronting room, which does look like an actual room but doesn't function for what it was made for. So as of right now it is a room you can stand in if you don't want to stand somewhere else, and that's about it (Drom likes to paint in there lol). It's unclear if the fronting room is connected to the void or its own thing. The door that goes out of the room leads into the void, but how you get to the fronting room from the void is a bit fuzzy. Sometimes the room is just freestanding in the distance and sometimes it isn't. My only guess is that it "loads/unloads" based on if someone is entering or exiting the room, so if someone's not currently going through the door then after a few moments it'll just poof if you're outside of it.

Another completely separate headspace we use regularly is a canyon area that has things like Drom's fishing pond, a forest, and a house. Unlike the void though, it cannot sustain itself and I have to actively "manifest" it so-to-speak, which takes a lot of mental energy and can result in headaches if done for too long. When I stop manifesting it the headspace reverts to the default void, so using another headspace is an event we usually have to plan for a specific block of time.

#alterhuman #plurality #actuallyplural #plural

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hebuiltfive · 9 months

Note

Just in case the last ask failed:

Sickness prompts:

snoozeville: [character] falls asleep somewhere that isn’t their bed. With Scott please

Thank you @janetm74! I hope this suffices!

Snoozeville (feat. Scott Tracy)

Scott was undoubtedly an early bird. He preferred sunrises over sunsets, and he found something refreshingly cleansing about early morning air. Whenever duty wasn’t calling him, Scott often found himself down in the gym, purpose-built on the island to cater to all their needs and to save the residents trips to the mainland every time they wanted to pump some iron.

This morning was no different.

Nor were the bags that he carried under his eyes, the dull throb of a headache just beginning to form or the feeling of limp muscles.

Perhaps burning the candle at both ends wasn’t the best idea these last few weeks. Rescue call after rescue call, a mountain of work for the business that kept everything afloat and then general insomnia on top of it all because God only knows why… Scott was tired.

Of course, he could have slept through the morning if he really tried, but he had things to do, and a Scott who hadn’t managed to fit in a morning work-out was like a Virgil who had gone without coffee. So, yes, whilst he was beginning to feel sleepy now the birds had started their tweeting, Scott actually getting some sleep didn’t seem like his most favourite of options. Thus, the gym.

It was the aching, dull muscles that had Scott choosing the bench press over the treadmill once he’d limbered up as his first work-out of choice. The weights would help his body wake up, right? Somewhere in the depths of his mind he heard a voice, that sounded a lot like Gordon’s, telling him that his choice was a dumb one, but Scott chose not to listen. He was too tired to listen.

He loaded up the barbell, choosing weights that were just under his normal tolerance (because he wasn’t a complete idiot, give him some credit), and laid himself down on the bench. The lights of the gym were set to a soft glow, bright enough to light up the space but not too bright to blind him, though that had been considered as an option to help him wake up.

Now, lying there, he was thankful he decided against that. Scott breathed deeply as a pain shot across his forehead. Perhaps he should have taken some painkillers before coming down here. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come down here at all. Ugh, whatever. He was too tired to care. Besides Scott was certain the aches would pass in a moment and then he could start his work-out… in a minute… he just wanted to close his eyes for a second first…

“Scott! Are you insane?”

To his credit, Scott did not jump up and hit his head on the barbell that was still cradled on the stand above him. He did, however, jolt awake.

Awake? Hold on…

“Actually, don’t answer that.” His brother continued, coming to to a stand beside the bench. Virgil hovered a scanner over him as Scott blinked his eyes into focus.

“… Virg…?”

“How many times have I told you not to use the gym unless you’ve had a proper rest before?”

Scott’s brain had a hard time catching up. Had he… fallen asleep? Impossible. Surely he hadn’t been that tired. “I was only resting my eyes for a few seconds.”

“Under the weights?”

“He’s been in here for over an hour.” The unmistakeable tone of EOS echoed through the hall from Virgil’s handheld monitor. “I told you he was acting recklessly again.”

“Hold on, you used EOS to spy on me?” Scott’s attempt to sound offended fell flat due only to his still sleepy head.

“Not spy…” Virgil quickly clarified, his eyes darting to the weights on the end of the bar in guilt. “She woke me up after seeing here and… This isn’t about me. Stop deflecting, Scott!”

Scott sighed, carefully sitting himself up despite his body’s protests to just stay there for a little longer. He didn’t dare chance a glance at his brother, who’s eyes Scott could already feel were staring him down.

“Bed. Now.”

“It’s seven in the morning, Virg…”

“I don’t care if it was midday.”

“Virg, I am fine.”

“These readouts don’t back up your theory. You need to sleep, Scott.”

Scott knew when to pick his battles, especially with medic-mode Virgil. Denying the evidence that was now being put before him — ouch, those are a lot of red areas — he knew that this was not a battle he would win.

“Fine. I’ll… try and get some rest.”

But Scott didn’t move.

Virgil waited a moment. “Now, Scott.”

A sharp intake of breath and Scott was back. Had he almost just fallen asleep sitting up? Yikes. “I’m fine, I’m fine, I just.. need a minute.”

“Do I have to carry you?” Virgil lightly swatted at his shoulder. “Do not fall back to sleep. You’ll fall backwards and hit your head on the bar.”

“I thought you wanted me to sleep.”

“Scott.” Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly exasperated. “Do not start. Get your butt to bed and, for the love of God, please stay there until you’ve had a decent amount of sleep.”

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #ask game #sickness prompts #five answers #scott tracy #virgil tracy #five fics

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quodekash · 1 year

Text

ECLIPSE INCORRECT QUOTES

because that’s when you know im obsessed with it

(disclaimer: I meant to do this literally two weeks ago but I didn’t think I had enough but I stopped for a bit and my adhd brain promptly forgot about it for a week and then remembered and then forgot for another week, and honestly i meant to actually make this for like a month before that but i didnt actually start finding the quotes until two weeks ago, but it’s fine I’m here now)

—- —-

Akk: Ayan is a little bitch. Wat: Why? Akk: Number one, he’s little. Number two, he’s a bitch.

(episode 1-3 core)

—- —-

Namo: The floor is lava! Kan: *helps Thua onto the counter* Akk: *kicks Wat off the sofa* Ayan: *lays on the floor* Namo: ...Are you okay? Ayan: No.

(im 80% certain this is a deleted scene from the beach episodes)

—- —-

*Akk and Ayan are planning to break in somewhere* Akk: We need to distract the guards. Ayan: Right. Akk: What are we gonna do? Ayan: I'm gonna break their elbows while you poke their eyes. Akk: Ayan: Akk: Deal.

—- —-

Akk: Aye, can you help me? All of my clothes keep disappearing for some reason. Ayan, wearing a hoodie that's 5 times bigger than his size: Spooky.

—- —-

Akk: I'm going to take a shower, I'll be right back. Ayan: Why are you telling me this, I don't care. Ayan, right after Akk leaves the room: I miss him already.

—- —-

Aye: Fuck capitalism. It's a rigged system that keeps us poor and it isn't fair. You shouldn't need to work three jobs to afford basic necessities. Aye, playing Monopoly: Sorry, if you wanted to win you should have tried not being poor.

—- —-

Akk: I fell— Aye: From heaven? Akk: No, I literally fell— Aye: In love with me the moment you saw me? Akk: MY ARM IS BROKEN! Aye: Okay, but do you think I'm pretty? Be honest.

—- —-

Aye: Are we fighting or flirting? Akk: I'm pinning you against a wall with my hand around your neck- Aye: Your point?

—- —-

Thua: Two bros! Kan: Chillin' in a hot tub! Thua and Kan, in unison: Zero feet apart 'cause we're GAY AS FUCK!

—- —-

Akk: I owe you one. Aye: That’s ok. You can just date me and we’ll call it even.

—- —-

Thua: I want to kiss you. Kan, not paying attention: What? Thua: I said if you die, I wont miss you.

(its okay thua, he's not ignoring you, he has adhd. just kiss him, he'll be happy, trust me)

—- —-

Kan: And now for a gay update with Akk and Aye. Akk: Getting gayer. Kan: Thank you, Akk.

—- —-

Wat: So… I’ve seen you’ve been spending a lot of time with Thua recently. Kan: No, Wat, it's not what it looks like, I swear. Wat: Oh really? So no reason for me to be jealous? Kan: No! You’re the only one for me. Wat: Is that so? Kan: I promise! Thua and I are just dating, okay? He’s my boyfriend. Wat: So there are no best-friends-feelings involved? Kan: You are still my one and only best friend! He’s just the love of my life, nothing more! Wat: But I’m still the platonic love of your life, right? Kan: Of course bro! Wat: Bro... Thua: What the-

—- —-

*at 3am* Kan: *runs into Akk’s room and turns on the light* Wake up sleepyhead! Akk: *wakes up* Dude! Kan: *cackles* Aye: *sits up from where he was sleeping behind akk* What the fuck, Kan? Kan: *jaw drops* Wait WHAT-

(the original vine is now playing over and over in my head and its probably my favourite vine and its literally them and i love it so much gerjdhgbrh)

—- —-

Kan: This totally sucks, man. Akk: This is horrible. Kan: Yeah, I know, I mean look at everything the curse did to those rulebreakers today. Akk: No, it’s not that, it’s Aye. Akk: It’s just like, I can’t get him out of my head and every time I look at him I have these pains in my chest, and I just know it’s his fault, that bitch!

(AVPM QUOTE LETS GOOO and yes it is perfection and is exactly canon i take no criticism)

—- —-

Kan: Did Thua just tell me he loved me for the first time? Akk: Yeah, he did. Kan: And did I just do finger guns back? Akk: Yeah, you did.

(oh you sweet sweet maybe-bisexual man)

—- —-

Aye: *finds a note* Hmm, whats this? Kan: Hey, that's mine! *tries to grab it* Aye: Aww, it's a love note for Thua? Kan: No- Aye: *opens it* Aye: Kan: Aye: I can't read this.

(is it because the contents are too explicit to read or because kan's handwriting is awful? you decide)

—- —-

Kan: So are you gonna explain how the hell you crashed my car? Akk: Well we were driving and there was a deer in the road, so I said "Aye, deer!" Kan: ...And what did you say? Aye: ..."Yes, Honey?"

—- —-

Kan: I love you. Thua: I love you too. I've waited so long to hear you say that. *Kan and Thua kiss passionately* Wat, to Akk: You owe me 20 dollars.

(HES BEEN SAYING IT FOR YEARS AND THEY FINALLY DID IT. IMAGINE THE VICTORIOUS FEELING WAT FELT IN THAT MOMENT. NOT TO MENTION THE JOY AT HIS SHIP FINALLY GETTING TOGETHER. BRO IS AS PHENOMENAL AS TIW AND I LOVE HIM SO FREAKING MUCH (someone write a crossover fic where tiw and wat get together and plot their ships' getting together. if someone has already written this, please tell me)

—- —-

Kan: Time sensitive question how flirt boy. Akk: Throw rocks at he. Aye: Hot Dogs. Wat: Kill him. Kan: Thanks guys.

—- —-

Kan, trying to sound happy: *about Aye and Thua* They’d make a cute couple, huh? Akk, holding back tears: They certainly are standing next to each other.

(first few episodes core. specifically when aye is whispering in thua's ear and theyre both just standing to the side watching it happen and completely unaware that this means they are gay and in love with one of them)

—- —-

Thua: I'm so happy, I could kiss you! Kan: Um...Neat. *later* Kan, lying face down on their bed: I said "Neat," Akk. Who the fuck says neat these days? It's not neat to say neat but I said it anyways because I'm fucking stupid. Akk, reading a book: Don't beat yourself up too much, Kan. Everyone gets nervous sometimes. Remember what I did when Aye confessed his love for me? Kan: Didn't you thank him? Akk: *closes the book and looks at the ceiling* I fucking thanked him.

—- —-

Kan: How is the most beautiful person in the world? Thua: *blushing* I— Aye, butting into the conversation: Akk is perfect, thanks for asking.

—- —-

Wat: Do you love Kan? Thua: Yeah, I do. Wat: Akk! I told you I knew it! You owe me 100 baht! Akk: We all love Kan. You should've asked if he was IN love with him. Thua: I thought that was implied. Akk: ... Wat: ... Thua, looking straight at Akk: Congrats Wat, you just won 100 baht.

—- —-

Akk: Are you trying to seduce me? Aye: Why, are you seducible?

—- —-

Aye: Jail is no fun. I’ll tell you that much. Wat: Oh, you’ve been? Aye: Once. In Monopoly.

—- —-

Wat: When I was a kid, Kan told me that the paper strip that’s in the chocolate kisses were edible and I ate them with the chocolate for a year. Teacher Sani: They are! Wat: FOR REAL? Sani: No! Why did you fall for it again?

—- —-

Thua, on a random band name generator: Oooo! They Might Be Depressed Horses! That about sums up my friend group.

—- —-

Akk: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us. Ayan: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both.

—- —-

Ayan: Hey, Akk, what do you think it would be like if we had kids? Akk: What would it be like? Inconvenient, mostly. Ayan: No, I mean, what would they be like, the kids? You ever think about it? Akk: Can't really say I have. Ayan: You know, for someone as eccentric as yourself, you can be boring as fuck sometimes. Akk: Sorry, Aye. For what it's worth, I'm picturing them now. A boy and a girl. Two perfect little freaks of nature raised by people who've clearly got no business bringin' up anybody.

—- —-

Ayan: Talk dirty to me, baby~ Akk: The dishes. Ayan: Wh- Akk: They’ve been there for 4 days and it’s your turn to wash them. You still haven’t cleaned them and I have asked you to do so several times.

—- —-

Ayan: My hands are cold. Akk: Here, let me hold them. Ayan: My lips are cold too. Akk: *covers Ayan's mouth with his hand*

—- —-

Akk: Okay, I’m going to get the wedding cake. Ayan: Perfect, while you do that I’ll check on the ring bear. Akk: ... Akk: You mean ring bearER, right? Ayan: ... Akk: Look me in the eyes and tell me you are not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to our wedding.

—- —-

Ayan: Since we're in a relationship now, your clothes are my clothes too. Don't ask me why I have your shirt on, this is our shirt. Akk: Fine, but when I come strutting in with your fuzzy socks I don't want to hear shit.

—- —-

Akk: You are the love of my life and I would do anything within reason to make you happy. Ayan: I would be happy if you ate, stayed hydrated and got a reasonable amount of sleep. Akk: I said within reason, Ayan. How about I murder that guy? Ayan: So murder is in reason but proper self care isn't? Akk: Well, duh. What kind of question is that?

—- —-

Ayan: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine. Akk: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again. Ayan: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns?? Akk: Is it working?

—- —-

Akk: I don't need to go to bed. I'm not tired, I'll be fine. Ayan: But, darling, I'll be so lonely without you. Come curl up in my arms so I can feel whole again. Akk: O-oh. Well. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy sleeping patterns?? Ayan: Is it working?

—- —-

and now, for my personal favourite...

Ayan: Akk is playing hard to get. Ayan: Little does he know, I'm a master at playing hard to get rid of.

—- —-

that's all for now, but i promise, i will be back

#the eclipse #the eclipse series #the eclipse the series #the eclipse incorrect quotes #akkayan #ayanakk #firstkhao #khaofirst #first kanaphan #khaotung thanawat #thuakan #kanthua #neolouis #louisneo #louis thanawin #neo trai #the eclipse wat #wat the eclipse #aj chayapol

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emberfrostlovesloki · 6 months

Text

Studying with Aaron [requested]

All photo credits after the tag list.

Hello, loves! I hope you are all having a good day/week so far. This post is for my sweet anon who asked for some Aaron study inspiration. Thank you so much for your request. I had such fun coming up with the mood board, HC's, and a little drabble. I hope you enjoy it and good luck with all of your studying and exams! You've got this! Love Levi -❤️

If you'd like to submit a request of some kind, please see this post, Request Post (linked)

Aaron knows that it gets cold in the library, so he brings an extra sweater or blanket for you to wear while you both study.

Aaron gets you any candy or snacks that you want from the vending machines on the second floor. He also knows that apart from the basics, the machines don’t have everything you like, so he buys a few bags of your favorite chips and salty snacks and has some in his apartment and in his backpack in case you need a change from sugary snacks.

If you're on the quiet floors of the library and a person or group is being loud, he will go and tell them to move and is serious about this request. He will stand and glare at the individual(s) until they are gone.

Aaron will quiz you on formulas and concepts for your math and science exams and has written a detailed list of major dates, people, and events for your history courses. He takes all the time you need to remember the important things for each class. He suggests memory devices and tricks to help you retain the stores of information you need.

Even if he says he’s not a good writer, Aaron is a good editor. He will read over any papers or presentations you must turn in. He will make remarks on the whole paper and major points, but he’ll also correct you on your syntax and grammar. As a prelaw student, he is used to detailed work and he wants you to present your best work.

He doesn’t bother you when you are working. He has his own studies too, but every hour you will both debrief and say one major point that you have both learned in that time. You write them out on a whiteboard next to your table. You and Aaron also both have major goals or assignments listed on the board and when either of you finish one of them you cheer each other on! (This is on a non-quiet floor of the library of course).

The short Hotch drabble is below the cut. 1.2K words.

Pairing Hotch x gender-neutral reader

Category: Fluff/comfort

Word count: 1.2K

Content warnings: None

A/N: Two things. 1. This isn't well edited and 2. I use the slang Diffy Q which stands for differential equations. If you liked this story, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated!

_y/n_ = your name

You look at your phone again. It had been nearly half an hour since Aaron had run out to grab a drink. Unless he was getting plastered somewhere off campus then ‘Going to grab a drink’ shouldn’t have taken him more than a few minutes. Just as you were about to shoot him a text asking him where he was, the man in question came walking down the hall and toward your table. He was rather awkwardly holding two 711 Styrofoam cups. He took a sip of one of them to make sure he was giving his partner the right cup. He was right and set the other cup in front of you. You smile at him and in a teasing voice say, “Have you suddenly anthropomorphized into a car and needed some petrol to keep that brain of yours going?” Aaron scoffed and replied, “You know you stop making sense when you’re this tired _y/n_.” You jokingly pouted and said, “What are you talking about, I’m at my peak performance right now.” Just as you finished saying this, you couldn’t stifle a yawn from coming out of your mouth. You hide the betrayal of your body with your mouth. This really had Hotch laughing, and he said, “Well maybe your soda will help you a little bit.” You smiled up at him and grabbed the cup. You take the straw in your mouth. Once you had taken a sip, you smiled even more. Aaron watched you. The little gleam in your eyes at tasting the drink was worth the walk to the convenience store just across from campus. Once you had taken a sip, you said, “You didn’t have to get me root beer Aaron, that was very sweet of you.” Hotch pulled out his chair and sat back down, as he said, “Well you deserved a treat. After all, you finished that twenty-page sociology paper. And I needed to stretch my legs. My eyes were starting to glaze over with this reading.” You looked over to the large textbook in front of Hotch and asked, “Is this still Poli Sci?” Hotch nodded and said, “Mhm.” You reached over and pat his hand as you both slipped back into your respective studying.

A half hour later you ran a hand through your hair and made a sound of frustration. Hotch looked up and asked, “What bothering you _y/n_?” You set down your pencil and said, “This freaking calc review is impossible. I don’t know why my professor decided to include problem types that we’ve never seen before here? I’ve tried working problem seventeen three times and I’m still not getting the answer provided. I’ve checked my stuff and it’s not working.” Hotch nodded and asked, “What concept it is over?” You looked back down at the guide and said, “antiderivatives, which I’m normally good at. But this is something else, let me tell you.” Aaron steepled his fingers under his chin and said, “Why don’t you try writing it out on the board. Maybe seeing it bigger will help you see something differently?” You stand and say, “Well it can’t hurt my chances of figuring it out.” Aaron smiled and said, “That’s the attitude I’m looking for,” as he tossed a green marker at _y/n_. You grabbed the marker and wrote out in neat writing: f(x)=ex−3x2+sinx

You continued to work on this problem for another few minutes before hearing someone call you and Aaron’s names out. You turn and see Spencer and Penelope walking toward you. You beam and move away from the board; the annoying problem is momentarily forgotten. Garcia rushed forward and gave you a hug, while Aaron gave Reid a strong pat on the shoulder. When Penelope had released you, you and Hotch changed positions as you hugged Spencer and Aaron gave Pen an embrace. As everyone pulled apart, you asked, “What are y’all two here studying for?” Spencer spoke first saying, “Diffy Q and computational engineering.” The thought of Spencer’s highly advanced school load had your head spinning and you were grateful when Penelope said, “And I’m here to write an essay for Brit Lit and remind myself for the seventieth time who Plato was and why his cave is important.” At hearing this, Spencer rolled his eyes as his gaze moved to the whiteboard, he clocked the unfinished calculus problem. The boy genius asked, “You working on calc, _y/n_?” You sighed and said, “Yeah, unsuccessfully.” Reid smiled softly and said, “How about I solve this one for you and then give you another similar problem? I won’t tell you how I’m solving it, but I’ll leave my work and you can reference back to it?” Hearing this, you smile and nod saying, “That sounds great Spence, thanks.” Reid annoyingly quickly solved the problem and provided a new one. Once Reid was back next to Garcia, Hotch asked, “Would you like to join us?” Penelope nodded no and said, “We booked out a room upstairs for the next three hours. I need ultimate silence to write.” You nodded in understanding and asked another question: “We’re still set to meet tomorrow at Commons to work on the speech, right?” Garcia and Spencer nodded, and Pen replied, “We sure are my sweet. Darn was I lucky to be put in a group with all of you. My friend Stacy who’s also in the class said half of her partners hadn’t even started their parts of the presentation.” Aaron chimed in with a “Here, here to that.” The friends spoke for a few more minutes before Spence and Penelope moved up to their booked room. As you turned back to the board to study Spencer’s work, they reflected on how they had met their best friends at school. It was fate or the academic advisors who had thrown the four into the same Intro to Communications class. You had sat next to Penelope and across from Aaron on the first day of class. They had all hit off well. In the second week, Spencer had heard Pen complain about her history class and he joined their group. It was Garia who had told you that she thought Aaron had a thing for them. You hadn’t believed her, but later that week, Hotch had texted you asking if you wanted to grab dinner off campus sometime? And the rest, as they say, was history.

You spent another half hour trying at the problem, but you were getting tired and frustrated. You flopped into your chair and put your head in your hands saying, “I’m gonna fail this exam.” Aaron reached out and placed a hand on your shoulder saying, “Hey, no negative self-talk. This exam isn’t until Wednesday and it's only on Sunday. Reid will help you, and you can meet with your professor if you’re really, really concerned. You’re incredibly smart and capable _y/n_. Don’t let this one problem get you down.” You looked up slightly from your hands and saw how genuine Aaron was being, and how proud he was of you.” Softly you said, “What did I ever do to deserve you, Aaron?” Hotch smiled and said, “Nothing. And you never will, _y/n_. Now, it’s getting late. How about we call it here? I can drive you back to your place.” You agreed. You both packed up and as you walked toward the exit, you were very happy to be at the library at 12:30 a.m. As long as you had Aaron as a cheerleader, you knew you could make it through finals. You were pretty sure you could make it through anything with him by your side.

______________________________________________________________

tag list: @criminalskies @tgskitten @geminitapestry

Want to be added to the tag list? Please see this post, CM tag list (linked)

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Photo credits

Top row: Center and Right (@shakespearesdaughters)

Center row: Left (@shakespearesdaughters) Center: (@foldergif

All other photos are mine.

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