The other day you posted about shy boys and I have some thoughts about shy boy Choso if you don't mind. Also, this ended up being longer than intended, sorry 😬

Imagine, if you will, sitting on the couch in your jammies with your bestie Choso, your bestie that you know has a thing for you but won't make a move no matter how many hints you drop that you like him too, your bestie who blushes and changes the subject whenever you talk about sex/dating and the like, he's sitting between your legs laying back against you. You have your feet on the edge of the couch with your knees up beside him and he's resting his arms on your legs.

Imagine making him lift up his head so you can take out his hair buns to run your fingers through his hair and graze his scalp with your nails causing his head to fall back against your shoulder humming at the feeling.

Imagine snaking one hand over his shoulder and resting it on his abs and rubbing your thumb back and forth feeling the definition of his muscles through his shirt. "Just getting comfy," you say when he asks what you're doing.

Imagine the small whine that comes from him when you remove your other hand from his hair. His breath catches in his throat though when your hand comes to rest near his waistband. "Just keeping warm," you whisper in his ear when he asks what you're doing for a second time this time in a slightly higher pitch.

Imagine seeing the blush creep up his ears when you start mindlessly fiddling with the drawstring of his pants. It's not your fault it came undone, the knot wasn't done very tight in the first place.

Imagine his breath stopping completely and his hands starting to grip your legs when your finger tips slip under his waistband, not moving just sitting there.

Imagine seeing the tent in his pants steadily grow as you start to scratch gently at the skin just above his cock.

Imagine him squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head no when you breathe "tell me to stop," against the shell of his ear.

Imagine finally grabbing his cock and having to remind him to breathe because his fingers are leaving marks on your shins.

Imagine the mewls that you pull out of him as you stroke him so slow that he has trouble keeping his hips still.

Imagine having to shush him when you speed up, he's louder than the movie you two were watching.

Imagine giving Choso a reach around and playing with his hair again while telling him how good he's being for you.

Imagine Choso coming in your hand and you bring it to his mouth for him to lick clean.

Imagine, if you will, shy boy Choso panting and rubbing your legs up and down to try and calm himself down after the most erotic experience of his life. He's been so good for you, you should get him a glass of water and a snack when his breathing evens out so he can replenish.

Oneshot - Obey Me! Shall We Date? [Thunderous nights]

Fandom: Obey Me! Shall We Date?

Title: Thunderous Nights

Pairing: Satan X Gender Neutral MC

Word Count: +1.8K

Warning: None

A/N: Just some Satan X MC fluff for ya <3 cuz I haven’t uploaded here in so long. I tried my best, so I hope you like it!

If you like my work, feel free to find more in my Masterlist! You can also request here from any of these fandoms!

“Of course it started raining the moment I left!” You yelled at yourself for staying back at the academy longer as you made a futile attempt to cover your head with your hands as you ran to the House of Lamentation.

You had stayed back in the gigantic library to research more on the essay you had to write for one of your classes and didn’t notice how much time had passed. By the time you exited the building, it was relatively cloudy but it didn’t seem like it would rain anytime soon. Of course, you were proven wrong the moment the first drop landed on your head, then a few more before it started pouring heavily.

You focused on the sound of your feet splashing in the flooded road as you looked around you. Neon lights hanging from posts and buildings would have attracted your attention if you were otherwise jobless. The hanging lights usually helped you calm down but now, they only seemed to droop lower than usual due to how strong the wind was. 

You forced yourself to pay attention to where you were running when you finally noticed the House of Lamentation coming into view. With newly filled determination, you quickened your pace to reach there as soon as possible. 

Once finally inside, you heaved a sigh in relief as you closed the door behind you. Water dripped in large amounts to the welcome mat under your feet. You only hoped it would be able to soak all the water and prevent it from spreading to the floor. 

You looked around the hallway and the staircase to see if anyone was available. You doubted most of them would help you without expecting something in return but you were just about ready for anyone by now.

“Is anyone home?” You yelled and waited for a response, only to receive silence. 

Of course, they are all suddenly gone when I need them.

You grumbled as you contemplated going to your room and leaving a trail of water behind you or risk slipping on the polished floors- or both. Begrudgingly, you took off your shoes and were about to enter when the sound of footsteps reached your ears.

You looked up to see Satan turning from around the corner of the hallway and walking your way, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Where have you been?” He asked before walking closer.

“Through hell.” You sassed, making him chuckle lightly as he examined your situation. 

“Quite literal, aren’t you?” He tilted his head before looking back up at you.

“A little help, maybe? Unless you want me to leave a trail of slipping hazard all the way to my room?”

“Well, it would truly irk Lucifer so I might consider that.” You rolled your eyes as he genuinely began considering your idea. “Alright, then, how do you suppose I should help you? Should I get you a towel to begin with?”

“Yes, please.” You replied immediately as he nodded and walked away quickly, leaving you to your thoughts once more. 

“Don’t you look absolutely delightful?” You heard a sultry voice echo and looked up to see Asmodeus leaning over the railing with the support of his elbows.

“Hello to you too, Asmo.” 

“What happened to you?” He tilted his head as you sighed.

“I stayed back at RAD to finish my work and by the time I was coming back, it started raining.” You shrugged your shoulders and looked back at the ground.

“You could’ve called me to come help you, you know? You know I’m ready to keep you company anytime, darling.” He winked at you as you rolled your eyes at him in return and Satan appeared again from around the corner with a towel.

“And risk you getting your hair wet in the rain? No way!” Asmo gasped in realization at your claim.

“You’re absolutely right! Oh, you take such good care of me, MC!” He smiled at you before waving a gentle bye to you and walking away just as Satan came in his view. 

“Here,” He muttered and draped the towel over your shoulders before beginning to wipe your damp hair.

“You know, I can do it myself.” You smirked at him as he returned the gesture with a small one of his own.

“But do you want to?” 

“Maybe not,” You shrugged as Satan smirked, continuing to rub the towel over your head.

“What were you doing out so late, anyway?” He asked as you removed your soaked jacket and folded it in your arms. 

“I was in the library, trying to finish my research for an essay I am supposed to submit next week. It’s been kind of rough trying to find relevant articles on the topic.” You sighed and turned your gaze to the ground as you thought back to how stressed you’ve been because of this one assignment.

“What’s your essay on?”

“It’s about the impact of the lack of sun versus the presence of sun on the Devildom. Now, I don’t know much about this place so I’ve been very confused about how to continue.”

“I could help you out, if you want. From what I know, almost everyone got a different topic to work with but, fortunately, I have quite a range of books in my room. Furthermore, I seem to know quite a lot about Devildom as well, so you have that, not that that was obvious, certainly.” You looked at the demon as he pulled the towel away from your head and draped it across your shoulders. He was smirking as he looked at you after offering his help rather sarcastically.

“Yeah, because you totally haven’t spent your entire life here.” You shook your head in exaggeration before continuing, “Thank you,” You chuckled as he ruffled your hair with a small smile.

“Why don’t you freshen up and come to my room? I’ll have some books ready for you to look through.” You nodded enthusiastically and wrapped the towel around you properly before keeping your shoes away to dry, then going up to your room so you could change and take a quick shower. 

Once you were ready, you took your essay and a few research papers that you were lucky enough to find with you. You walked over to Satan’s bedroom door and knocked on it twice before receiving a muffled answer from inside a couple of seconds later.

“Hey,” You muttered as you stepped in and closed the door behind you. Satan looked up from one of the many books around him and tilted his head slightly.

“Hey, you’re just in time. I found a few books that might help you out and if you have any questions you can’t find the answers to, you can ask me as well.” He looked up at you as you sat beside him on the bed, making sure to not sit on any books, and placed your papers next to you. 

“Also,” Satan muttered before leaning away to grab something from his bedside table and that was when you saw the two steaming cups in his hands. “I got us some hot cocoa, I figured you could use something to warm you up.” He smiled lightly as you took the cup from him, a smile adoring your features as your face lit up.

“Thank you so much, Satan!” Your eyes closed as your smile widened at his concern for you. You opened your eyes to see the male averting his eyes suddenly.

“Of course,” He muttered and looked down at the bed as a hint of red coating his cheeks, making you smile further. 

“You’re adorable,” You chuckled and took a sip from your drink before setting it aside to focus your attention on the books around you.

“Is that so? Hm?” He muttered, his teasing tone making you look at him. Before you could react, he wrapped his arms around you to pull you closer to him. A little yelp left your lips in surprise as your back was pressed against his chest and he rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Satan!” You chuckled and shook your head as you felt your cheeks heat up at the sudden proximity. 

“Who’s absolutely adorable now?” He turned his head slightly to look at your expression, finding your current situation quite amusing. You smirked and turned in his arms to face him before leaning against him properly.

“I’m afraid it’s still you.” You pulled out your arms from his grip and wrapped them around his neck to give him a proper hug before bumping your nose against his. His eyes widened as the blush on his cheeks darkened just as you pulled away. 

Your smug expression confused him further as you leaned back and grabbed one of the books to begin your research. 

“Sorry, but it’s time to get some studying done.” You shrugged innocently and pressed your lips together to stop yourself from laughing out loud as you placed one of the books on your lap. Satan remained quiet for a few seconds before letting our a breathy chuckle and pulling the book out of your hands. 

“Oh, no, you don’t get to do that.” With a smirk, he pulled you back onto him and wrapped his arms tightly around your waist so you would be unable to escape again. “I’m not letting you go anytime soon, so you might as well give up.” With a confident tilt of his head, he leaned against the headboard of the bed and pulled you along with him so you were sitting on his lap.

Not wanting him to let you go, you played along by running your hands through his hair lightly, which caused him to close his eyes. He seemed to enjoy the care you were giving him, so you remained quiet and continued slowly running your fingers through his strands. The only sound you could hear was of the raindrops pattering against the room’s window, creating a peaceful silence between you two.

After a couple of seconds, a deep sigh escaped his lips as his body visibly relaxed; though, his grip on you remained all the same, not wanting to let you go. Feeling happy in his arms, you leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. A content smile appeared on his lips the instant you pulled away and he finally opened his eyes.

“So you’ll take the blame if I’m not able to complete my assignment on time?” You teased and brought your hands to cradle his cheeks as you waited for his response.

“Absolutely not,” He denied with a growing smirk before continuing, “You’ll just have to work harder to finish it on time. After all, you started all this, didn’t you?” With that, he pulled you even closer and placed his forehead against yours, causing both of your smiles to widen. 

Needless to say, you were not starting your assignment anytime soon but you didn’t seem to mind it a bit.

All Fired Up - Part 1

So, I was inspired yesterday by @fainttwinkling‘s amazing fan art of Fireman Natsu rescuing Lucy and Plue. I may have written a little something. It was only going to be a one-shot, but it looks like it’s gonna be a two-parter. For everyone waiting on my other fics, what can I say. I’m sorry! They’re coming, I promise. Sooooo, without further ado, here’s part one.

Edited to add link to FF.net All Fired Up

Natsu jogged down the smoke-filled hallway, the torch on his hip doing little to illuminate the area directly in front of him. The fire was crackling further down the dark passageway, gaining hold; he needed to do this search sweep quickly so the team setting up two floors down could move in and fight the blaze. He’d already lost sight of his partner Gray in the haze, even though he was only a few feet away as he searched the apartments on the other side of the hallway.

 “Hello? Anyone up here?”, he yelled, voice muffled by the rubber mask of his breathing apparatus. Most of the tenants had already evacuated down the exterior fire escapes and were huddled in an anxious crowd in a small park across the street, but it was his job to quickly look for anyone unable to get out of the building. He systematically tested each door as he moved past. He was almost at the end of the hall, closest to the fire when he heard a dog barking. A small dog, by the sounds of the frantic high-pitched yapping.

 His hand went to try the door knob, but it was already ajar. It was impossible to see anything through the thick smoke in this room, so he dropped to his hands and knees, using his hands and arms to feel. It was almost unbearably hot, he could see flames pushing into the room, the vicious crackle audible over the hiss of his breathing apparatus.

 “Hey dog. Little help buddy? Where are ya?” A whimpering sound came from his left side and he reached out his gloved hand, but instead of a small dog, found the definite shape of a human arm, a woman’s arm he guessed, by the size and shape.

 “Gray, you there? I found someone. Evacuating her now. Are the paramedics out the front yet?” He could hardly see her in the darkness of the smoke-filled room, but managed to drag her towards him, rolling her carefully onto her stomach. He felt relief punch his gut when he heard a soft moan; she was still alive. He dragged her upwards so he could tuck his head under her arm and haul her onto his back, one hand around her slender wrist, the other tucked around her thigh.

 Gray’s voice crackled over the radio in his ear. “Yeah, Elfman said they’re out the front already. Natsu, you need to get out. Your time’s up, your tank should be close to empty. Do you think there’s anyone else?”

 “Nope, this was the last apartment. Fire’s in the apartment at the end of the hall, western side.”

 “No one on this side either so the floor’s clear. You take the injured person out; Elfman said the exterior crew’s just about to send up a ladder”, responded Gray.

 Natsu shrugged the woman into position and was about to get to his feet when he heard another sharp bark. A small white dog was whimpering on the floor, cowering against his leg.

 “Hey buddy. Thanks for letting me know where your girl was. Good job. But now it’s time to go.” He transferred the woman’s wrist to the same arm hooked around her leg to lock her securely into a fireman’s carry and scooped up the small dog with his other hand as he stood. There was a dull roar as the fire in the apartment began to take hold, rippling across the ceiling above him like it was alive, dropping embers around them. It was definitely time to leave.

 Natsu stepped out into the now pitch-black hallway, using his shoulder as a guide to find where the opening of the stairwell was. He could hear Gray following him down, the sound of the slightly taller man’s heavy boots echoing in the stairwell. Once they’d gone down one flight, Gray gave the all clear to send in the fire fighting crew with their hoses. Hopefully they’d caught it in time before it had jumped to the next level.

 The woman in his arms moaned suddenly. “No, stay away!” she slurred, then coughed, her breath gasping a little as she twisted weakly in his arms. Natsu maintained a firm grip on her.

 “Hey, it’s okay Ma’am. You’re safe now. There was a fire in your apartment, I’m with the Magnolia Fire Department. Just take it easy while I get you to safety.”

 “You’re not him? He hit me…my head”, the woman slurred again. She coughed, her breath wheezing, and Natsu hustled down the steps a little faster. She sounded disorientated, which was common with smoke inhalation injuries. The best thing he could do for her was to get her to the paramedics quickly so they could get her on oxygen and assess her injuries.

 “Gray, I’m takin’ her to the paramedics. You okay to make a report?” Gray nodded, holding the front door of the apartment building open for him before walking over to the crew gathered around the fire engine in front of the building.

 Natsu jogged out of the building and across the road to where the paramedics where waiting. Wendy had an oxygen mask at the ready; Elfman must have let them know he was coming. “Hey Wendy. I got someone for you. She’s been lapsing in and out of consciousness, coughing and wheezing and sounded a little disorientated. Fire had already taken hold, so I’d err on the side of caution and say carbon monoxide poisoning as well as smoke inhalation.”

 Natsu placed the dog gently on the ground for a moment so he could use both hands to carefully lay the woman down on the gurney as she continued to cough. He removed his helmet, breathing apparatus and hood, taking in a deep lungful of the smoky night air. The cooler air was a balm to his heated cheeks and soaked hair, the lighter pink darkened by sweat. He looked down at the woman on the gurney, able to get a good look at the woman he’d saved for the first time, now that he’d removed his safety equipment. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and had obviously had a rough night. Her skin was paled to a porcelain white, a stark contrast to the dark soot collected around her mouth and nose and the blood smearing her temple and golden blonde hair. Her cocoa eyes were wide and frightened. As Natsu moved to get out of the paramedic’s way she grabbed his arm.

 “Plue”, she rasped, the effort of speaking making her cough more. “My dog, he was there…”

 Natsu gave her a reassuring grin. “It’s okay ma’am, try not to speak. I got ‘im. He was the reason I found you. He’s one brave pooch.” He moved to one side to let Wendy in to assess the woman’s injuries but picked up the small dog and held him so she could see her dog in his arms. The little white dog’s tail wagged sluggishly as he heard his owner’s voice, and he managed a few barking coughs similar to his owner. She reached out to stroke the furry ears.

 “That’s twice... you’ve saved me... tonight... Plue. Good... boy”, she wheezed. Her arm tugged weakly on the heavy fabric of Natsu’s heavy jacket. He could see she was in a lot of pain, but she looked up at him and gave him a grateful smile that went straight to his heart. “Thank... you.” She was stopped from saying any more as the blue haired paramedic gently placed an oxygen mark over her face.

 “Lay back now ma’am. What’s your name?”

 “Lu…Lucy”.

 “Okay Lucy. I’m treating you for smoke inhalation. I know you’re probably in a lot of pain right now, and I’ll be giving you something for that in just a moment. You’ve got a few second degree burns on your arms and legs. I’m assuming you’ve got a pretty bad headache too huh?”

 “Yeah”. Lucy closed her eyes, her breathing still raspy. “He hit me.”

 “Who hit you?”

 “The guy. The guy who started the fire…”

 Natsu and Wendy shared a concerned look as Romeo set up an IV line.

 “You’re takin’ her to Magnolia Central, right cuz?” asked Natsu. Wendy nodded, securing Lucy safely on the gurney with straps before she and Romeo loaded her into the back of the ambulance. “Tell her I’ll take care of her dog for her.” 

Wendy nodded as she moved closer to Lucy in the back of the ambulance, placing a pulse oximeter on her finger-tip to monitor her heart rate and oxygen levels. Romeo shut the back door and climbed up in front.

 “See ya later Natsu”, he called as he started up the engine.

 “Yeah, later kiddo”, teased Natsu, chuckling as Romeo rolled his eyes at him. The ambulance drove off, and Natsu looked down at the dog whimpering in his arms. “Hey, don’t worry ‘bout it Plue. I’m sure she’ll be fine. We’ll go visit later huh, after we get you looked at first.” He turned back towards the fire, which was now mostly out thanks to the teams working both inside and outside the apartment block.

 He put his fingers to his earpiece. “Hey Gray, ya loser. Still there?”

 “Yeah. What’s up flame brain?”

 “Tell the chief he needs to call Erza. I think we’ve got more than a simple house fire on our hands. The woman had a head wound which she said was inflicted by a man who set the fire.”

 “Dammit. Looks like our arsonist is at it again.”

 “Yeah. And tell the Captain after I finish my report, I’m gonna have to end my shift early.”

 “What’s wrong you idiot. Don’t tell me you got yourself injured?”

 “Nah. I’m dog sitting for Lucy. Know any good vets around here?”

Edited to add - a linkydink to Part Two

Tim's First Christmas as Robin

Tim walked through the hallways of his school with a smile because he officially had the best life ever.

Why? Because Tim Drake was Robin. He helped people. He saved lives. He worked with literal superheroes. It was hard work, exhausting in every way, it took up all his time, and he still had a lot to learn, but at the end of the day he made a difference in the world.

Batman had begun to warm up to him, too, trusting him more with patrolling certain areas alone and handling common thieves and muggers. Batman even complimented him yesterday!! After Tim solved a mystery about Penguin's disappearing shipments in Gotham Harbor, Bruce said, "Good job" and kinda gave a smile!! According to Dick, that's, like, practically the equivalent of a hug!

And since Dick is coming back to Wayne Manor for the holidays, Batman said Tim doesn't have to go patrolling on Christmas, so he can be with his family.

Tim's parents! That's the best part! His parents were finally coming home after being gone half the year. They were supposed to be home months ago... for the first day of the school year... Halloween... Thanksgiving... but they kept getting held up at their jobs. But this time they promised they'd be there on Christmas Eve! Tim went ahead and put up Christmas lights and a tree in preparation. He had it all planned out. He even got ingredients to make gingerbread cookies. Never before had Tim felt so... festive. A few times he caught himself humming along to the overplayed Christmas jingles on the radio.

So, now was the last day of school before winter break. His last class was Algebra and he took his usual seat by the windows. Everyone was goofing off, the teacher didn't even bother to try to actually teach anything by this point. The class comedian of his peers was talking to everyone,

"Nah, I'm just sayin' it's true! Whenever you're watching a movie and sex scene comes up then -BAM- your parents are right there outta nowhere."

Everyone is laughing, including Tim. God, that'd be embarrassing. Does this really happen that often to other people?

"Yeah, your mom be ignoring you all damn day and then she's suddenly all about your life when people start making out. Like how does she know? It's gotta be like the same magic Santa uses to sense who's naughty or who's nice."

"Shit, man. My dad could be gone for 8 years but as soon as that scene comes up he's right there behind me sayin, 'Hey, son. Watcha watchin'?'"

The jokes are silly and dumb and it makes time pass by quickly. Thr bell signaling the end of the day rings and Tim sets off for Wayne Manor.

Patrol goes well, too. It was all business as normal until the Dynamic Duo got back to the cave and who should be there but

"Dick!" Tim yelled, getting swept up in a classic Grayson hug. "Put me down!"

"Merry Christmas, Tiny Tim!"

"It's not Christmas yet."

"It's Christmas every day if you carry love in your heart." Dick grinned and plopped him on the floor. "I got you the coolest and totally-not-a-robin-motorcycle gift ever!"

"A what?" Tim squeaked. "Motorcycle?? But I don't have anything nearly as cool to give you-"

"Now, now, I specifically said it wasn't a motorcycle. But if it were, then I'd tell you it's fine and not to worry about it! It's Christmas!"

"Dick-"

"I'm gonna hug you again-"

"Don't you dare!"

"Pfft. Fine. But hey, I heard your parents are coming home?"

"YEAH!" And Tim didn't mean to shout but the words starting pouring, "They're gonna be home in time for Christmas and I put up the stockings I made, and I have a list of all of dad's favorite Christmas songs, and I'm gonna make gingerbread cookies cuz I found this awesome recipe online, and I got them the perfect gifts because you see last year my mom was complaining on how she didn't have any earrings that matched my dad's favorite tie that he wears all the time which I think was her way of telling him to get rid of the tie but instead I got him a new tie that's the same color and got matching earrings and-"

"Woah! But you'll still stop by the Manor to say hi, right?"

"Duh! I'm not about to miss out on Alfred's homemade Christmas cookies you guys brag about all the time."

"Good! How was patrol?" And they chatted away until Tim decided it was late and he should go home.

The days dragged on until finally finally it was the morning of December 24th. His parents would be home any second! He waited, looking out the window now and again, watching the clock tick by...

And he waited

And waited

They were late.

He called his mom twice, and she answered the second time.

"Yes? Tim, honey?"

"Mom? Um... are you guys almost here or...?"

"What? Oh no, I thought we told you. We aren't going to make it in time for Christmas. You see-" and she explained how an artifact they'd found was accused of being a fake and how much of a legal mess they were in... and... more excuses... "I'm sorry, honey. You know if we could we'd much rather spend Christmas with you. We sent your present in the mail."

"I... I know, Mom." Tim sighed, "I'm not mad. I understand."

"You're such a kind boy, Timothy. We love you so much. We never stop thinking of you."

"I love you, too." And she hung up.

Tim stared ahead blankly, the phone still in his hand. He wasn't sure how long he just stood there, but suddenly his phone rang again

"Hello?" Tim answered. His voice sounded distant to him, like he wasn't even the one talking.

"Tim!" It was Dick, "Hey, so I know we should probably know this but, um, are you allergic to any nuts or spices? Like, even just a small allergy to something?"

"No."

"Sweet! Thanks! Hey... are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"You seem... off."

"I'm fine. I'm just... distracted with my family. They... aren't as excited as I am to be home."

"Oh, that sucks. But they made it home, right? They're there with you now?"

"Yeah, no. They made it here okay." Tim didn't know why he was lying... Was he ashamed? And at who? His parents? Himself? "I should go."

"Well, alright. See you later!"

"Yeah." Tim sighed and threw the phone away from him in disgust.

His eyes stung, he quickly wiped away the beginnings of tears. This was stupid to cry about. Not worth it. Why cry? Just because his parents broke another promise? Because they say they love him but they keep leaving? Why don't they stay? Did he do something wrong? Is he that horrible that they don't want to be around him? Why isn't he good enough for them? Why don't they like him? What can he do better?

Tim started crying and immediately hated himself for it, but he couldn't stop. It all seemed so unfair. It hurt. And the hurt made him want to be comforted, and he wanted his mom here to comfort him. But she's not. She can't be. And somehow, Tim knew it was his fault.

He looked at the Christmas tree blurred through his tears and thought briefly about pushing it down. But that wouldn't fix anything, would it? No. It wouldn't bring his parents home. There was nothing to do about it.

He curled up on the couch facing the Christmas tree and let the tears fall until he could sleep.

The next day was Christmas. Yay.

Tim didn't feel like celebrating. Or moving in general. He managed to slink over to the living room and turn on the TV. Maybe he could watch something to distract him from Christmas.

Or every channel could be focused on the importance of family during Christmas time. Literally. Every. Channel. Christmas and love. Christmas and love. Fuck Christmas. It's was just a stupid commercialized waste of time! Why's he even doing this Christmas shit? He's pretty sure his mom is Jewish anyway! Ugh!

But then he clicked the channel and woah- that's more skin showing than he expected. Suddenly, he remembered:

"Whenever you're watching a movie and a sex scene comes up then -BAM- your parents are right there!"

What if...

He changed to one of the more "mature" channels debuting their Christmas specials. It was sappy romance stuff, which isn't the worst, but he was more of a scifi kind of guy.

It was a typical plotline. A lady is scheduled to marry a prince but she's in love with a commoner guy. Lazy writing. It's been done before. But maybe...

Is it too childish to hope for a miracle on Christmas?

He sat with rapt attention through the whole ordeal. At one point the lady runs away to meet her forbidden true love (even though it's totally going to get her caught and in trouble and might even get the lover killed). They start kissing and taking off their clothes, but Tim isn't paying much attention now because this is the moment! He listened for the doorbell, for a knock, for a car, for a voice... But no parents came running. No one was there at the door. Why did he even hope...

Tim glared angrily at the two naked people on screen, "Is it too much to wish for my family to be here on Christmas??"

Then a *ding dong* came from the front of the house. Tim paused the TV. Wait. Could it be?

One second he was in the living room, the next he was swinging the front door open without any hesitation,

"Mom?? Dad??" Tim called excitedly before realizing who was there, "Oh... Hey, Dick. Uh, come on in." He tried not to look disappointed.

"I thought you were going to visit the Manor?" Dick pouted, walking in. Only then did Tim notice Alfred was following him.

"I lost track of time." Tim said honestly, "I'm sorry." Oh God, what if Bruce was upset with him? What if Bruce hates him now?? What if he ends up leaving Tim for months at a time and lies about being home for Christmas??

"Where are your parents?" Dick asked, but it was more rhetorical than anything. He could no doubt see the puffy eyes of someone who spent the night crying. Tim answered anyway.

"Africa."

"Still, on Christmas?" Alfred raised both his eyebrows in disapproval.

"It's not their fault! It's... work stuff. They don't... they said they'd rather be here with me but... It's not a big deal."

"Well, as that may be, Master Timothy, I insist you join us today and tonight at Wayne Manor."

"Yeah!" Dick chirped. "Alfred made a ton of food, like, all of your favorites! Didn't you, Al?"

"Indeed, I did, sir."

"But, Bruce-"

"Is the one that asked us to come and make sure you're okay." Dick smiled, "He's waiting for us. Actually, I think he really missed you on patrol last night."

"Really?"

"If I may," Alfred whispered, "Master Bruce also specifically requested I hang up a stocking with your name on it."

No way. But... Alfred wouldn't lie about that would he... Bruce really... Wow

"...Right. I'll visit him as scheduled and then leave." By the glint in Dick's eye though, Tim had a feeling he'd be staying in the Manor longer than planned. And honestly? That sounded a lot better than staying in this house alone.

"Great! I'll get your coat." Dick walked around the corner to the living room. "It's this way, right? Oh. Huh. I remember this movie."

Oh.

"TURN IT OFF IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE-"

The end.

FAST FRIENDS

(requested by anon) Kai Parker x Reader word count : 4 101 warning : smut summary : Kai meets Reader at the Salvatore house and teases her with magic. *gif by christophwood ____________________________ Ever since Kai turned into a heretic , Damon and his friends made it their mission to keep an eye out of him and keep him busy so he doesn’t kill anyone. Weirdly none of them seemed to even consider that maybe he was changing and that now with his coven was gone there wouldn’t be any reason for him to snap. When they asked him to come over that day he had no idea the day was going to be full of surprises for him. To Kai spending the day at the Salvatore’s with Damon and everyone else (except for Bonnie who still couldn’t stand to be anywhere near him) had seemed like the most annoying thing in the world. They kept eyeing  him, following his movements around the room while he looked around , wondering if he’d give them the slip. There were so many things there , he couldn’t help but want to check out every single one of them. It appeared that over the decades , the Salvatore’s had gathered quite an impressive collection of all sorts of trinkets.     “Put that down creeper.” said Damon , taking a sip of his bourbon seeing Kai holding one of the old vases. “If you break it , I will break you.”     “Always so hostile , Damon. Why is that ? Has Elena stopped letting you — tsk tsk , you know.” said Kai wiggling his brows. “Cuz that would definitely do it , or maybe its just who you are. I still can’t figure out which one is it. Or what Elena sees in you. Stefan is so much better than -” Damon held onto his glass so hard , the glass smashed in his hands sending shards everywhere. Elena ducked to try and avoid getting pieces of it in her body , rolling her eyes before pulling Damon down on the sofa with her to keep him from killing Kai.     “Owh , did I struck a nerve ?”     “Ignore him.” said Elena quietly , rubbing Damon’s forearm. The young heretic kept walking around the room under the stare of the couple , slowly making his way to the hallway , checking out the paintings when the front door opened and someone he had never seen before in his life walked inside the house and bumped into him almost knocking him down.     “Watch where you are —” started Kai , freezing on the spot. “Oh hello.” Kai checked out the knew comer from head to toe,  twice - the girl looked around his age , wearing short shorts , a plain white top with her hair made in waves. He was surprised to figure out she was a human since there weren’t that many humans left in the Mystic Falls gang. He wondered who she is. One thing Kai knew for sure - the girl stole his breath away and he wanted her to like him and be his friend or more maybe than a friend. So far he hadn’t managed to screw anything up with her , so maybe there was a chance for at least one of those things to happen.     “Sorry.” she smiled nervously , taking a step backwards.     “No harm done.” he smiled , unable to look away. “Wow you are like really pretty. How don’t I know who you are?”     “I um — W-who are you again?”     “Oh right sorry , manners. I’m Kai.” said Kai grinning at her , nervously running his fingers through his hair before shaking her hand, holding onto it a few seconds too long.     “Step away from the human.” said Damon , getting up from the sofa to welcome his friend. “Welcome home troublemaker. Had a good year at NYU?” Kai couldn’t take his eyes off the new girl and she appeared to have the same problem , glancing at Damon only for a few seconds. He could hear her heart racing and  her breathing becoming uneven. Damon gave Y/N an awkward one arm hug , messing up her hair right after until she slapped his hand away.     “NYU was — fun , I guess though nowhere near as fun as hanging out here…apparently.” she said , running her fingers through her hair trying to fix the mess her friend had made.     “I am just trying to get to know your friend , thats all. Why ? Does she have a boyfriend or something ?” wondered Kai , not taking his eyes off her. Thinking  this girl might belong to someone else but him made him feel weird. “You still haven’t told me your name.”     “Sorry — I’m Y/N and no , I d-don’t have a boyfriend.” said Y/N smiling nervously. Elena wrapped her hands around her pulling her into a hug. “You never said he was that hot.” she whispered to her friend.     “You think I’m hot ?” said Kai with an smile on his face,  taking a step towards her until Damon pulled him away. He glanced at the vampire , pushing him off. “Oh stop it with the over protective stuff. I am not going to hurt her. I think she likes me , it would be a shame if I don’t get to know her at least. What do you say? Do you want to spend the rest of the day with the most dangerous heretic ?” Damon groaned and Kai ignored him , taking another step towards Y/N. He could hear her heart beating so fast, as if trying to leap out of her chest the closer to her he got. Something told him it wasn’t fear that was causing her reaction.     “I promise you , whatever they have told you about me - they’ve over reacted.” said Kai , snaking his hand around her waist and walking her to the sofa.     “Yeah because what you did at the wedding was a walk in the park.” said Damon , but Kai ignored him completely. All his attention was on Y/N.     “Who knows , maybe you will see the good in me.” he smiled lightly brushing his fingers against her cheek for a moment. “Hey do you have twitter ? You should follow me - cobrakai1972. You know , like Karate Kid? ” Y/N felt a tingly feeling spread from her stomach through her body the second Kai touched her. He didn’t seem evil like her friends had told her , he just seemed — like he wanted someone to talk to. There was no denying he was smocking hot and somehow in their first few moments together he had stirred something inside her , something she hadn’t felt since her boyfriend Kol. No way she’d hate Kai , ever. It was already too late for that.     “Um … I don’t believe I’m familiar with that movie.” she laughed nervously.     “OH then maybe we can watch it together like — you know, on a date?” he asked raising his brows for a moment just as they sat together on the sofa.     “Wait – we just met and you are asking me out already ?”     “Yeah , why ? Is that odd ? Sorry , I’m a little rusty on my social skills. You know , magical timeout and all.” he smiled nervously. Y/N turned towards her friends raising her brows as if to say ‘Thats the super dangerous person you told me about ?’. Kai had a danger vibe around him , yes , but he didn’t seem as dangerous as her friends had made him out to be. He seemed nice and cuddly with eyes that could melt any girl’s heart. Like they already had started melting hers.     “You two are full of surprises , aren’t you ?” she wondered turning towards her friends. “So where are my welcome home cupcakes with those red sprinkles on top ? I thought you said there would be cupcakes.”     “You like cupcakes too ? Awesome ! Ch-cholate ones right ?” Y/N glanced at Kai and then at her friends and then at Kai again , slowly starting to piece things together. Were they trying to make up for killing Kol with the white oak stake to get the stupid cure ? Sure they hadn’t known about her and the original vampire back then but it still hurt like hell. A nervous smile showed on her face and she ran her fingers through her hair.     “Yeah …. with chocolate frosting and melted chocolate on the inside.” Kai grinned rubbing his hands excitedly. “OH those are the best. I love you already.”     “S-sorry what?” said Y/N blinking a few times really fast.     ���What ?”     “You said ‘love’.”     “No , I didn’t. I said ‘like’.”     “Ohh-kay.” she said clearly remembering him saying ‘love’.     “You like cupcakes and you are talking to me without that judgy look in your eyes all your annoying friends get whenever I am around.” said Kai sincerely. “How can I not like you ?” Kai grinned at her , pinching her cheek.     “Don’t – don’t do that.”     “Why ? Is it annoying you?” he said pinching her cheek again as she tried to swat his hand away. “You missed.” Y/N started laughing , even more seeing Elena and Damon’s expressions. They were looking at them with a look of disbelief , suspicion , surprise as if Y/N had gone crazy and like Kai had done something evil instead of being all cute. 'What?’ she mouthed. 'He is smoking hot –’     “Alright thats - that’s enough. If you two keep it up like that I will need  a lot more of this.” said Damon shaking his empty glass in his hands , moments before he poured himself another glass with bourbon. Kai raised his hands in defence. “Fine , I’ll stop talking.”     “Yeah , as if thats going to happen.” muttered Elena sitting on the other sofa , reaching for Damon’s glass and gulping it at once. “Sorry , you might need to get yourself another one.” ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER Kai had stopped talking , mostly because he couldn’t figure out what to say to Y/N to get her to get out with him. He was starting to get worried something had gone seriously wrong with him because not once in his life he had felt that way. Why were his palms so sweaty and why was his heart doing those weird flips? How it was that he couldn’t focus on anything else but her in that moment ? Y/N kept glancing at Kai noticing how he hadn’t taken his eyes off her , studying her face with curiosity in his blue eyes. Was she imagining it or was he moving closer to her ? Kai pressed his lips together for a moment , lightly licking his lower lip with a low 'hmmmm’ following afterwards. Damn thats hot. she thought unable to look away from him. A few minutes later Stefan and Caroline arrived at the house with the cupcakes her friends had promised her when they called two days ago. Stefan said something to her but she could barely see or even hear him. All her focus was on Kai and how in this moment his fingertips were grazing across her arm slowly sending chills all over her body. Y/N swatted his hand away but he didn’t give up. No matter how hard she tried to focus on reality it wasn’t possible , not with her new blue eyed friend doing all of this.     “Oh just get it out of your system and kiss. I can’t stand the thought of an evening with the two you and that tension.” said Damon suddenly. Y/N and Kai turned towards him. The young heretic was grinning and she was looking at her friend with a mix of shock and surprise in her wide eyes. Only half an hour ago he had practically tried to drag Kai away from her and now he was suggesting they make out. What ?!     “I – I don’t want to kiss him. Why w-would I want to kiss him ?” she stuttered. “T-this is ridiculous.” Kai put his arm around her shoulder pulling her towards him , sending electricity through her veins.     “Oh sure you do , sweetheart.” grinned Kai placing his other hand on her stomach. “Owwh listen to that heart beat - racing so fast , so strong. Hmmm…” Kai leaned in towards her brushing his nose against her cheek slowly moving it towards her neck while snaking his other hand on her stomach , getting her to lose it completely. Y/N’s eyes fluttered closed for a second and glanced at Damon then at Kai , pushing his hands away getting up quickly.     “I’ll be right back.” Y/N almost ran to the kitchen to get something cold to drink and find a way to cool down. Kai’s touch and just his presence had sent so many butterflies in her stomach she was 100% sure somehow they’d burst out of her. A few minutes later she had poured herself a glass with her favourite lemon / ginger ice tea and had leaned against the kitchen counter , taking a sip. Her eyes closed and she threw her head back for a moment letting out a small moan.     “Oh that felt good.” she muttered to herself.     “So hot moaning like that…” said a male voice , sounding way too close. When her eyes opened Kai was standing right in front of her , so close his body was almost pressing against hers. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her towards him leaning in towards her. His eyes kept darting between hers and her lips , his breath lightly hitting her face.     “Kai – what are you doing ?”  she wondered trying to find a way to pull herself away from him. No way she’d kiss him. No way she’d let him kiss her either no matter how much she wanted to. Luckily for her his grip wasn’t to strong and she pushed him away. Kai grinned at her , reaching for one of the cupcakes on the counter swiping some of the frosting with his finger and licking it clean right after. Y/N’s eyes widened and she tried very very hard to push away all those thoughts , but instead of helping he pushed it even further - licking some of the frosting from the cupcake with his tongue without taking his eyes off her.     “MMmmmhmmm those are delicious. You should try them , here.” he swiped some of the frosting and held out his finger for her. “Come on , you know you want to. Plus how can you say 'no’ to chocolate cupcakes.” Y/N gripped his wrist and pushed his hand away. “I um …no , t-thanks.” Quickly she turned around walking out of the kitchen when barely a few steps away from the door , Kai caught up with her and without saying a word backed her against the wall , pinned her hands over her head and kissed her as if his life depended on it. Then as if nothing had happened he walked on his way to the living room leaving her breathless with her heart pounding so fast , even she could hear it. Y/N walked to the sofa , clearing her throat and lightly scratching her head. Kai poured two drinks - handing one of them to her.     “T-thanks.” she smiled nervously unable to stop thinking about that kiss. Kai had sneaked up on her pushing her buttons so hard they were stuck and now all she could think about was him. Even more than before. How did he even do that ?     “Go out with me.” he asked suddenly.     “I barely know you. Why would I go out with you ?”     "Thats why I want you to go out with me. To get to know each other. Isn’t that obvious or do kids do it differently those days? Tell you what. If by the end of the night I haven’t convinced you, I’ll let it go.”     "Just like that ?”     "Just like that.” he said raising his hands in surrender and then something flashed in them for a split second. “But you will go out with me. I know you will.”     "Cocky much?”     "Alright you two , break it up - my ears are bleeding.” said Damon sitting between Y/N and Kai. “Y/N is the smartest person here. She is not going to go out with you -”     "We’ll see about that.” said Kai with a smug smirk on his face.  _______________________ The evening dragged itself on. Eventually everyone stopped eyeing them and she relaxed a bit. Kai had cooled it down with the teasing but just as she thought he might’ve given up on that idea something happened. All of the sudden she felt as if someone was touching her way down there. Y/N glanced at her lap but there was nothing there. For a moment she thought it had been her imagination and pushed the thought away.Then it happened again only this time there was a little more pressure and it felt as if someone was drawing circles her clit and a quiet moan left her lips before she had had the time to stop herself.     "Are you okay ?” asked Kai innocently , placing his hand on her hip very slightly moving it. “Do you need water or something ?” Y/N turned towards him seeing the devilish spark in his eyes for a second and thats how she knew - whatever was happening , it was him. He was somehow responsible.  Damon glanced at her then at Kai , grabbing the heretic’s hand and droppingit on Kai’s lap with a smirk on his face.     "No , I’m g-good. Thanks.” she muttered with a small smile , shooting him a warning look. How can he do that , specially with Damon sitting between them?! Kai grinned at her and took a sip of his drink when all of the sudden her legs parted slightly and an invisible finger entered her ,making her moan a little louder. Damon turned towards her straight away while everyone else glanced at her and she started coughing to try and cover it up.     "S-sorry , it went down the wrong p-pipe.”     "Go out with me.” whispered Kai leaning over behind Damon’s back.     "No.” she whispered through gritted teeth , feeling the invisible finger getting joined by another. Y/N gasped , starting to clear her throat to cover it up feeling them curl around pumping in and out of her slowly picking up the pace. Quiet whimpers kept escaping her lips no matter how much she tried to muffle them. Y/N balled her hands into fists , her nails digging in her palm almost drawing blood while she tried not to moan every time Kai’s magic fingers curled inside her. A couple of times she shifted on her seat , even tried pushing her legs together but none of it seemed to work.The girl was sure if she says something her friends would intervene but — she didn’t want them to. Y/N had no idea how her new friend was doing this but she enjoyed every second of it.     "Ahhh that’s some really good bourbon.” muttered Kai , taking a sip looking around the room innocently while he continued teasing her with magic. Her skin felt on fire and the more she tried not to moan the worse things got. It was as if Kai wanted her to moan and his fingers picked up the pace even more. Y/N rested her back against the sofa digging her nails in the cushions. For a second she glanced at Kai and could see devils dancing in his eyes , turning her on even more. Another curl of his fingers later her back arched off the sofa and a quiet moan left her lips. Kai turned towards her grinning , his fingers slowly picking up the pace while an invisible thumb rubbed her clit. Y/N’s cheeks had flushed , her eyes kept fluttering closed and the way Kai kept looking at her with innocent eyes as if there is nothing he had done was just too much.     “I freaking hate you.” she whispered through gritted teeth.     “What did I do ?” wondered Damon. Y/N grabbed his glass with bourbon and gulped it all at once.     “Woawh…” said Kai with an amused look in his face. Kai continued teasing her , pumping his fingers deep inside her curling them around ,watching her squirm and try not to moan failing almost every time. Luckily her friends had started laughing about something and didn’t hear her whimper or see her legs shake as she came. Her thoughts were a mess , her skin was on fire and the lingering feeling of Kai’s lips on hers was driving her completely nuts. All she could think about was how much she wanted him. There was one thing left to do. Y/N turned towards him with an innocent smile on her face.     “Kai?”     "Yes , Y/N ?”     "Will you come help me with the um - “     ”-cupcakes?”     “Yeah … lets go with that.” she muttered , getting off the sofa with Kai on her tail. Y/N’s legs felt like jelly and she tried to hide it while walking out of the living room and into the hallway , turning right instead of left , heading towards the cellar. Kai caught up with her at the stairs pinning her against the wall not waiting a second before smashing his lips against hers. Their lips moved hungrily together as if trying to swallow each other. He took her hands by the wrists and pinned them over her head , pressing his body against hers ,pushing his crotch against hers making her moan into the kiss.     "Go out with me.” he asked again gazing longingly into her eyes. Y/N shook her head , wounding one of her legs  around his waist. A smug smirk showing on his face pushing against her again , resting his forehead on hers. Kai started saying something but she shushed him. ‘They are listening.’ she mouthed. ‘I dont care. I want you and I always get what I want.’ he mouthed back , slipping his hand in her jeans and under her panties until his fingers reached her clit. His lips formed a small letter ‘oh’ realising her panties were pooling with arousal.     "Someone had fun.” he whispered as quietly as possible. “I wonder what you taste like ? Hmmm … ” Y/N s eyes widened knowing her friends are upstairs listening in. What if one of them comes looking for them ? A devilish spark flashed in Kai’s eyes and his lips smashed against hers drowning out her moans while his long fingers pushed inside her to the last knuckle curling around , pumping inside her a couple of time. Each curl made her back arch off the wall and her hips kept pushing down on his fingers wanting him to go deeper. Y/N tried hard not to groan in frustration when his fingers pulled out. She had thought teasing her with magic had felt good but that felt magnified to the max. Kai brought his fingers to his lips , moaning as he cleaned his fingers as if her juices are the most delicious treat there is.     ”So delicious.“ he moaned , leaning to whispering her ear. "And so tight around my fingers. It will feel so nice stretching you out.” Y/N’s eyes widened and she slipped down the wall for a moment just thinking about what would happen next but he held her steady. However on fire she had felt upstairs , in that moment she was burning up.     “Mmmmhmm … So , what do you say sweet cheeks ?” he whispered in her ear. “ Will you go out with me?” he asked again loosening the grip on her hands.     “When?”     “Tomorrow ?” Y/N hooked one of her hands around his neck , slipping her other down between their bodies pushing its way in his jeans , palming him through his briefs. “Only if we get out of the house in the next 15 seconds.”     “Is that a challenge?”     “12 seconds –” Kai grabbed her , whooshing them upstairs and through the door before anyone had had the chance to see them , though the sound of the door closing shut with a loud bang got all her friend’s attention.     “Pay up brother.” said Damon with a smug smirk. “Told you they wouldn’t be able to resist each other.” ______________________ MASTERLIST - SMUT MASTERLIST - FLUFF

Smalltown Blues- Part 2

The next day I woke up to Nicole shaking me. “Good morning, sunshine! It’s time to get up and be my friend!” Nicole was a morning person. I was not. “Ugh, what time is it?” My head was pounding.“It’s noon! How late were you up?” Nicole responded. All of a sudden flashes of memories from the night before came flooding back; spray paint, Kristen, Pulp Fiction. I shook my head, “Way too late, is Kristen here?”  “No, she’s at work. But I made coffee!” I rubbed my eyelids. Cool, I can deal with that a little later. “Alright, alright I’m up. I need to go into town and get some things for the bar anyway before I have to go in.” “Sweet! I’ll come with.” I rolled out of bed, and headed to the bathroom. I looked myself in the mirror. I’m not sure who I saw, but it wasn’t me. It’s like overnight someone else inhabited my body. This person had no inhibitions, no fear, no self-restraint. This person was fun, but reckless. Well-intentioned, but ignorant. And whoever this person was, they were about to have a hell of a ride.  Later that day, I went to work, as usual on a Friday night. I worked with two other bartenders at Rusty’s Pub-- Nicole and Abbie. Abbie was twenty-four and had two kids. She was about the same height as me, right around 5′8″, not stocky, but strong; and not just physically, but emotionally too. She supported her mom and two children by herself, worked her ass off, and still managed to have a smile on her face every single day. I admired her. She was my best friend. I got to the bar around five, and Abbie came in around seven. As we got everything ready for the weekend rush, we talked about work, life, and our current events.  “So, what did you do last night?” she asked me. She knew I always had a story to tell.  “Me? Oh, nothing really. Just sat at the house and drank a few beers. What about you?” I directed the question her way. “That’s all? You were off all day yesterday. Didn’t go see Jake at all?”  Ugh, Jake, I totally forgot about Jake for a second. “No, I just kicked it with Nicole for a while. I didn’t really feel like driving to Barlow and back. (Barlow was a “town” about thirty minutes west of Desgrange, with a population of seventy-five and no post office.) “Gotcha, so how’s that whole situation going? Have you met the other girl that lives there?” By this point, I’m sure she could see my cheeks flushing. It was obvious that I did not want to talk about it.  “Uh, yeah, it’s going well. Yeah, I met her last night. She’s cool. Doesn’t seem like it’ll be hard to live with her. You should meet her, I think you’ll get along.” “Well, bring her up here! I’m sure she’ll love the group.” “Yeah, I’m sure Nicole will drag her out eventually. Anyway, do you know who’s coming out tonight?” “I heard from Tom earlier, but other than that, no.” Around nine o’clock, everyone started showing up. The crowd at Rusty’s was made up mostly of regulars. There wasn’t much else to do in Desgrange but get drunk and snort shit, so bartending was a booming business in town. Tom showed up first, and greeted us at the bar. “What’s up?” I smiled. “Long time, no see.” My friends came in the bar every night but Sunday and Monday, primarily because we were closed those days, but also to rest their livers and wallets, and just drink at home. “Whatcha drinking?” Tom sighed, “Uhh, give me a double shot of Bacardi with a couple limes.” I turned to see Abbie with the bottle already in hand. “On the rocks?” she asked. He nodded, and I continued.   “Rough day?”  “Same old, same old.” Abbie slid Tom his drink. “Well, then I’d say that’s a pretty rough day,” she said with a smile and looked at me.  “Oh, no, everything’s fine with Kat, I’m good there. Just exhausted with my job.” “So, she’s not still staying with Amber?” I asked, confused. “Yeah, she is. But she stays with me sometimes too, and we had a good talk last night. She said that they’re not fucking anymore, and that she’s gonna move back in with me but she just wants to make sure that it’s gonna work out before she moves all her stuff back.” I shook my head. His ignorance blew my mind. “Tom, she is definitely still fucking her.” Abbie chuckled, “First of all, you two were engaged for a year. Don’t you think she should know by now if it was going to work out between the two of you? And second, even if she’s not gonna move in, she could at least stay with you.” “She does!” “How often?” “At least twice a week!” “Okay, so the other five nights a week she’s at Amber’s?” “Yeah, but I really don’t think they’re fucking. I know you think I’m dumb, but I believe her. You guys don’t know her like I do.”  “UGH!” Abbie and I dramatized, “You don’t know her like I do.” “Whatever, guys. I need another drink.” I looked at Abbie and we laughed, I turned around and got a glass.  “Better be careful, Tom,” I said with a smirk, and cut my eyes at him, “We don’t want another incident like last Thursday.” About that time, my cousin and his roommate walked in.  “Will!” Abbie said excitedly. Everybody loved my cousin. He was one of the smartest people I’d ever met, and equally as good-hearted. Will was only a year older than me, and we grew up as next door neighbors. You could say we were pretty tight. “What’s up guys?” Tom chimed in. Christopher was Will’s best friend and roommate, and a lifelong friend of mine as well. He was recently back from Afghanistan where he was in the infantry. He suffered from some PTSD, and not just from his time overseas. Chris was a good guy, but inherently misunderstood. You see, you had to know him to even begin to understand the things he said. You had to know that Chris used to come home to his dad tweaked out on their couch tattooing himself, and that he raised his little brother and sister. His stepmom was a pill-head; his real mom was a pill-head, and died in a car accident when he was eleven. When we were fourteen, Chris called me from the top of a crane at his uncle’s repair shop. I talked him out of what he had intended. This happened a few times growing up. He was a tortured soul who had made the absolute best of what he was given. But it was hard for some to look past the fact that he had an upside down cross on one forearm and a noose tattooed on the other.  “Hello assholes!” Chris said, bright with a smile on his face. Tom quickly engaged him in conversation. “What’s going on, cuz?” I said to Will, as I made them a bucket of Busch Lite.  “Not a lot, Cuz, taking it easy. How’s everything with you?” “Moved in to Nicole’s last Sunday while I was off work.”  “Nice, how’s that?” I finished making their bucket, and sat it in between them. Christopher cracked a beer, chugged it, and said “I gotta go to the bathroom,” before making a beeline for the hallway.  “Seems alright, there’s another person who lives there.” “Who’s that?”  “Her name’s Kristen.” “And?” I paused, trying to decide what my intentions were with this conversation. When I realized there were no good ones, I responded, “Nothing really, just, there’s another person there.” “Yeah, I can see how that would be weird, considering you’ve only known Nicole for a couple months, you really don’t even know her that well, let alone this girl and you said Nicole’s boyfriend lives there? Seems stressful to me.” “It’ll be interesting for sure,” I agreed. About that time, Christopher came back, grabbed another beer, drank about half of it, and asked Will to play pool with him.  “Sure, I’ll meet you back there,” Will said then looked at me. “Well, he’s on one.” “Yeah, you’re telling me, we were up all night last night, I slept for like two hours around ten this morning, but I don’t think he ever did. He was saying some crazy shit last night, Cuz, I’m kinda worried about him.”  “He needs to go back to the doctor,” I had said this a million times. “I know that, but you can’t tell him that,” Will had said that a million times. “Go play pool with him, we’ll do something after bar close.” Will gave me a thumbs up, grabbed his bucket of beer, and headed to the pool tables. As Will rounded the wall into the backroom, Smith walked in still wearing his sunglasses with his leather pool cue case on his shoulder. He had his Hollister hat turned backwards, button-down shirt two-thirds of the way buttoned, black skinny jeans, and his black suede vans. His name was Benjamin Smith, but for whatever reason, everyone called him Smith. Those closest to him sometimes called him Benji. But only those closest to him. “Sup?” he said casually as he slid into a seat at the bar.  Smith had a type of swagger about him that couldn’t be rivaled. So natural, and so modest. However, in a town of 15,000 it’s not exactly cool to be cool. We were at least five years behind in all fashion, music, and pop culture awareness, and at least fifteen years behind in the evolution of the moral compass. Needless to say, people like me and my friends, we were different in a small town, and it was well known. And sometimes, it was not well-accepted. But we had a safe-house, a haven, if you will. We had Rusty’s, and it was as weird as we were. Abbie, Nicole, and I bartended. Abbie and I kind of co-managed it, and Nicole had just recently hired on as extra-help. There were strange paintings and knick knacks in every inch of the bar. There were colored Christmas lights lining the walls and colorful band and movie posters. In the back room, there were pool tables, darts, and foosball tables. On the walls, a massive mural, using every color you can imagine, showing mushrooms, cult-movie references, crazy, abstract designs, all at the hands of artists from around town. I met some of my best friends working there. 

“Hey, Smith! How are you??” Abbie reentered the room from the walk-in cooler.” “I’m good, how are you?”  “Good, haven’t seen ya in a while.” “Yeah, I’ve been trying not go out as much. You know? Save money.” I rolled my eyes, “And hide from your friends.” “I was just here last Thursday!” we all laughed and looked at Tom. “Come on, guys, am I ever gonna live that down?”  “Not for a while, Tom,” Abbie said, “Pay your dues.” “Hmm,” Smith changed the subject, “Got anything new?” I opened the cooler, seeing our selection, “We’ve got a new Elysian beer, some sort of Pale Ale. Wanna try it?” “Sure, let’s try that.” Abbie slid him a bottled beer. “Will and Chris are back there playing pool.”  “Right on, I’ll be back there, then. Tom, wanna play?” “Sure,” Tom responded. Smith glided out of his barstool and around the corner to the poolroom. “Can I have another. please?” “Damn, Tom, three in thirty minutes. You’re really pushing for a rerun, aren’t ya?” Abbie chimed in with a smirk.  “No, shit,” I looked at Thomas and laughed. “That was ONE TIME!” Tom responded. I slid him his drink, and Tom popped out of his chair and stormed into the backroom. “ONE TIME,” he exaggerated as he walked off. “It was last Thursday!” Abbie yelled when he was out of sight. We laughed.

I guess I should tell you that me and my friends-- we liked to party. We were also dirt-poor. We worked to have money, and we spent money to party. We had fun, though, lots of it. But with good times, come bad. I feel like it all started breaking down that night. At about 10:30, my friends had been at the bar for about four and a half hours, we had a few regulars come in and out, but over all, it was a slow night. Abbie and I talked a lot that night, about where our lives were going, and what we still needed to learn about ourselves. I realized that night that I had a lot to learn about myself. I stepped outside and called Jake. Jake was my boyfriend of about five months, he was wanting to get a little more serious than I was, and we were kind of in the middle of an argument about that as it was. That entire night I had this feeling that if I did not break up with Jake that night I would regret it my entire life. So that’s what I did. I called him up, I told him I needed space, and that I didn’t think we were good for each other romantically. Blah, blah, blah, I hope we can still be friends, genuinely, blah blah blah. (Don’t get me wrong, I meant it all, but the conversation was entirely too long.) Finally, we came to the agreement that we would talk more tomorrow, so long as he understands we are broken up, and he does not come to the bar tonight. 

What are agreements anyway? 

By 11:15, Jake was at the door of the bar in handcuffs, shouting incoherently through the glass at me. Not angrily shouting though, it seemed very heartfelt. However, in a drunken rampage with blue and red lights flashing behind you, face smushed on the glass door to my JOB, it becomes a little less meaningful. In the midst of me stepping outside to explain the situation to our county sheriffs, Kat, Tom’s half-fiance, decided she was going to make an appearance in the bar, where Tom was absolutely wrecked from drinking nine double shots of Bacardi, straight, in four hours.  By 11:30, Tom and Kat were in a screaming match in the middle of the dance floor and Chris and Will were in the back screaming the most obscene things they could possibly think of. Smith made his way up to the bar to join the right-minded.  “I told you that I don’t love her like I love you! You don’t trust me! I just want to make sure you and I are right for each other before I come back over all the time. She’s a great friend to me.” “Great friend, eh? I’ll show you a great friend,” Tom slurred. “I-- I been-- was the one-- and I loved you.”  “Alright,” I turned to Abbie, “This is getting ridiculous.” “Yo, what’s up Nicole? Perfect timing. It’s a shit show.” Abbie said and I turned around to see a familiar face next to Nicole.  “What’s new?” Nicole chuckled. “What’s up?” I said, starstruck. I smiled, “What are you doing here?”  “I brought her out for a couple drinks,” Nicole interjected. “She said she had a long day at work.”  “Well, I just can’t understand why. You INSISTED we stay up all night.” “What?! I did not,” Kristen said and laughed. The flashbacks were immediate and intense. “I distinctly remember you begging me to watch Pulp Fiction with you.” “That doesn’t sound like something I’d do at all,” I said with a smile. “What are you drinking? Malibu?”  Kristen looked at me, trying to hide a smile, “I think I’ll just take a Busch Lite.” “Um...,” Nicole started, slowly examining Kristen and I, “yeah... I’ll have a cranberry vodka please.” She looked at Abbie. “I’ll get it. Single or double?” I could see Abbie looking at me with a very confused expression. Nicole looked at me, then at Kristen, and then at Abbie, “double.”  As the night progressed, Kat and Tom wound up hooking up in the men’s restroom. Instead of inhabiting the one and only stall, like normal drunks, they shut the entire bathroom down, so the rest of us all took turns in the women’s restroom.  Will and Chris had calmed down a bit, and were laughing at a table close by. Smith went back to play more pool with a regular, and Kristen and Nicole sat at the bar with Abbie and I.  At 1:15, Abbie called last call (she was much louder than I was).  “So what’s the plan after this?” Nicole looked at me.  “Don’t ask me, I live with my friend,” I said and she laughed.  “Well, let’s bring the party back to my house.”  “Sure, sounds good to me. I’m gonna have play catch up, though, with these drunk motherfuckers.” “I think I’ll pass,” Abbie said, “I need to be home with my kiddos tonight.” “Who said you were invited?” I shot a look at Abbie. Nicole and I laughed.  “Well, fine, I didn’t wanna come anyway!” “Kidding,” I said with a soft smile. “Alright, sounds like a plan, just let us close the bar up real quick and we’ll meet you there. You might see if you can swing by Kerr’s and pick up some alcohol before they quit selling.” Bars and gas stations have to quit selling alcohol by 1:30 a.m. in the state of Missouri. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the house.” “See ya,” Kristen said and they made their way out the door. I smiled, “later.” “Chris, Will, Tom! Come pay your tabs!”  My friends made their way to the bar, debit cards in hand.  “So after this we’re gonna go to Nicole’s house if ya’ll wanna come.” “Man, Cuz, I think I’ll pass. Me and Chris both gotta work in the morning, and I think Tom is gonna need some help getting home.” “Where’d Kat go?” Abbie asked. “Not a clue, but he’s passed out in the men’s bathroom.” “Oh my God, this is exactly like last Thursday.”