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etherealyoungk · 2 months

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new beginnings - jeon wonwoo

summary: in which a certain someone starts getting extra clingy to you, leading you to find out you're pregnant.

pairing: husband!wonwoo x fem!reader

themes: established relationship, terms of endearment, pregnancy, fluffy, comfort

warnings: reader is pregnant, mentions of nausea, throwing up, anxiety, vague mentions of intimate relations, cats

wordcount: 2.1 k

a/n: just a random idea i had and thought might be cute

you come home a bit later than usual, the smell of something delicious wafting in the air, welcoming you as you step inside your cozy home. you walk in and spot wonwoo in the kitchen, busy stirring something in a pot as you discard your bag on the couch, spotting oreo, wonwoo's cat curled up on the other end in a peaceful slumber.

you slowly make your way towards wonwoo. "hey", you say, as you stand next to him, leaning your head on his shoulder. "hi love", he responds immediatily as he presses a soft kiss to your temple as you nod. "long day?", he asks, taking in your tired expression as you nod your head.

"you're home early", you point out, as you hook your arm around his, watching him stir the pot of soup carefully so that the ingredients wouldn't stick to the bottom and burn.

"yeah, i wanted to surprise you", he says, looking at you. you smile at his words and he smiles back at you. you let go of his arm and busy yourself with setting up the table. you and wonwoo had sweet love story and were now living a happy married life, and you couldn't ask for anyone else to spend it with. wonwoo was just your person and you were his.

but wonwoo's cat on the other hand was another story. you could say that she didn't really have a thing for you. oreo had never bonded with you, and you were only allowed to give her the occasional pet before she'd walk off, uninterested in you. orea never got cuddly with you like she did with wonwoo. you were bummed at first but you decided that maybe she'd grow into you later it. but it looked like you were just going to be a side character to her.

wonwoo asks you about your day as you both eat, but he's also acutely aware of how little food you've served yourself and how you've barely touched the soup he made. "not hungry?", he prompts after a while. "i am, i'm just a little tired", you tell, feeling a bit bad because wonwoo had made your favorite soup and you barely felt like eating it. you force yourself to have at least a few spoonfuls of the spoon and finish up your rice.

it's two am and you wake up feeling nauseous so you sit up, hoping that would ease the feeling but it didn't. it was like wonwoo was so in tune with you that he could always tell when you're awake and you heard him stir beside you. "are you okay love?", he asks, his voice laced with sleep.

"just a little nauseous", you tell softly, feeling umcomfortable.

"should i make you some peppermint tea?", he asks, now sitting up beside you. he doesn't wait for your answer as he heads to the kitchen to make it for you regardless. he comes up and places the steaming mug of peppermint tea on your bedside table, as he sits down next to you. his hand finds yours as he laces his fingers in your hand, looking at you, worried. after a few sips of the tea, you feel slightly better and you're now cuddled in wonwoo's arms as you lay your head on his chest, his hands holding you safe from the world.

you feel the bed dip again as oreo, wonwoo's cat jumps on the bed, walking towards you both. you look at her, ready for her to go towards wonwoo but instead, she comes up to you and settles next to you. "baby are you seeing this", you tell, shocked. "looks like she's finally warming up to you", he jokes and it was like oreo understood and she meows as she looks at you before curling up beside you.

you fall asleep only to wake up an hour late as you rush into the bathroom and throw up, feeling horrible and absolutely terrible. you feel wonwoo's hand on your back a few moments later as he rubs it gently to help you. he then helps you up and you clean yourself up before he helps you back in bed.

that whole week, you battle with nausea, throwing up either in the morning or night, and feeling tired and fatigued all of a sudden. you try to brush it off, blaming it on the stress or just the flu, but wonwoo insists on going to the doctor to figure out what is going on.

you take a sick leave the next day and you're sitting on the couch, scrolling through your phone when oreo comes up to you again, sitting on your stomach, giving you a little meow as she closes her eyes and goes into her meditation. you smile, feeling like you were being blessed by her presence lately. she'd started to get cuddly with you the past week and you were surprised but happy because otherwise you were going to think she was going to hate you forever.

you're aimlessly scrolling through your phone when you come across a video of a cat sitting on a lady, much like how oreo was sitting on you and as the video goes on, the lady explains how she found out she was pregnant because her cat started to get extra cuddly with her. your brain pauses and you glance at oreo, who's in a peaceful slumber on your stomach. you quickly open google, typing in if cats can tell if a person is pregnant and you gulp as you read articles and information that shows up and things slowly start adding up in your mind. this would explain all the nausea, the weird mood swings you've been having and the fatigue you've been experiencing the past two weeks. oh my god.

you gently move oreo off you, apologising to her as you grab a coat and slip on your shoes, heading to the nearest pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test. you buy two to give yourself the benefit of the doubt and now you're in your bathroom as you wait for the results of pregnancy tests. you stand a few steps back, nervous to see the results.

sure, you and wonwoo had talked about having kids of your own and it was something you both did want. you both had also taken care and been careful whenever you were intimate with each other. but now as you stand in the bathroom all alone, a feeling of dread engulfs you and pools in your stomach. you move towards the countertop and look at yourself in the mirror. it was going to be okay you thought ou close your eyes and take a deep breath and you finally find the courage to look down at the pregnancy tests laid out in front of you. you blink down as you see two lines on them bioth and let out a shaky breath as you try to ground yourself.

you didn't tell wonwoo that evening, still trying to take everything in but mostly because you didn't know how to. you were unsure and scared. but when he comes home tonight, you can't seem to hold onto this secret anymore as it seems to be eating you alive. when he comes home later that evening, you're quick to greet him as he shrugs off his blazer, his eyes lighting up when he sees you. you give him a kiss as you ask him about his day. he walks into the bedroom to change and you follow him. "what's going on in that pretty little mind of yours", he asks as he loosens his tie and takes off his watch. "how do you know something is going on?", you ask. "because you only follow me around when you have something you want to get off your chest", he tells, coming towards you. you find it sweet that he's picked up on his piece of information and observed, he knew you too well.

"okay fine, i do have something to tell you", you say finally as you move closer to wonwoo. you look up at him and he patiently waits for you to speak. but as you're looking at him and trying to find the right words and how to get them out, you find yourself getting overwhelmed with emotion all of a sudden and you're tearing up. your gaze flickers to the side of the room and down before you look back up but wonwoo is keen to pick up on his.

"what's wrong sweetheart?", he asks as you try with all your might to hold the tears in, trying to blink back your tears, but you can't and they flow down your cheeks and before you know it you're crying. wonwoo pulls you into his arms, his hand running up and down your back softly in an attempt to soothe you. "did something happen?", he asks, worried as his gaze softens.

you sniffle as you look at him, still in his arms. "no- i-i- don't know why i'm crying god i feel like an idiot", you tell as wonwoo cups your face, gently wiping away your tears with his thumb. "you're not", he assures you and he holds your gaze as he looks at you sweetly, not forcing you to say anything.

he gently moves you to the bedside and sits you down looking at you deeply, a hit of worry laced in his gaze. you'd been off this entire week and he was worried.

"are you okay?", he asks again, gently as he looks at you, his hand intertwined in yours.

"i-im pregnant", you finally tell softly and in the quiet room it was like your words echoed in the air. wonwoo blinks at you and you can see the wave of emotion he goes through.

"i took a pregnancy test, two in fact and they both came back positive", you add, looking at wonwoo to see his reaction.

"you're pregnant", he repeats like he was testing how the words would sound on his lips. "we're pregnant", he says again and you nod.

"i'm pregnant", you tell, tearing up again. "we're pregnant", you say again.

you find yourself tearing up again and wonwoo cups your cheek. "but what if i'm not ready, i'm scared", you add softly and wonwoo is quick to embrace you in another hug.

"i think, no i know that you're going to be a great mother love", he tells. "and remember, you're not alone in this, i'm right here and i'll be here with you every step of the way", he adds as he hugs you tighter.

you pull away, looking at him and you smile. "i love you", you say. " i love you more", he says, making you smile.

"i can't believe we're going to be parents", he says in a soft excitement as he kisses your forehead.

"you know, oreo was the first one to know", you say and he furrows his brows in confusion.

"what do you mean?", he asks, his hands resting on waist. "that's why she's been so clingy and cuddly to me these last two weeks. she knew i was pregnant, cats can sense it", you explain and his interest is piqued by this piece of information. "should we make a bet on if oreo's going to befriend our kid or not", he says and you snort, chuckling at his suggestion. god how you loved him and his silly antics. "i'm gonna bet she will befriend him, she already has technically", you add before leaning in wonwoo's chest again.

-bonus scene-

you're laying on the couch, now six months along your pregnancy and your bump is growing healthily. wonwoo's been so sweet and supportive throughout it all, from helping you when you were puking your guts out from morning sickness to getting you all your pregnancy cravings even if they were weird.

you hear the door open, wonwoo walking in with takeaway from your favourite cafe because you were craving a red velvet cake. he triumphantly lifts the bag as he walks in, putting it down on the table as he sees oreo perched on your belly.

"i think out kid is going to be a cat lover", wonwoo says. "imagine if they're not", you add as wonwoo hands you the cake box and you take it, the sweet smell already filling the air. you take a bit and sigh, content and offer wonwoo a bite.

just then you feel the baby kick and oreo looks alert, wondering where the little movement came from as she looks around and looks at you with a questioning look. "baby, did you see that?", you ask. the baby kicks again and oreo looks around again and glances at your belly before meowing at you and you chuckle. "aww she felt the kick", you tell. wonwoo smiles as he looks at you, his heart overflowing with love as he thinks about how lucky he is and how grateful he is

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probably-impossible · 1 year

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pls pls pls pls give us headcanons about the scara x katheryne crack ship or i will literally die bc i am a sucker for robot love too and i need this in my life :D

Okay so... I may have actually gotten way too invested in this and started writing a fic about it. 😅 But just in case that never comes to fruition, here's my more in-depth, canon-compliant(ish) thoughts:

The Katheryne in Sumeru was possessed by Nahida enough times that some of Irminsul's influence rubbed off on her and made her sentient. This only began to manifest after she was skewered by the Eremites, repaired, and then sent back to her normal Guild duties.

Scara visits the Adventurers' Guild for one reason or another and makes one of his usual snarky remarks, then is surprised when Katheryne briefly breaks character to snark back at him. Intrigued and slightly annoyed by the fact that a supposedly non-sentient "inferior" puppet has roasted him, he resolves to keep observing Katheryne and find out what's going on.

Meanwhile, Katheryne is new to this whole sentience thing and isn't quite sure what to do about it. She tries extra hard to go about her job as usual but finds that some weirdo in a big hat is always hanging around & disturbing her for some reason. She resolves to find out what his deal is and why he gives her pesky feelings in her chest sometimes.

Cue shenanigans, bonding over puppet troubles, themes of figuring out together how to make their own purpose in this world, etc. etc.

My headcanon for Katheryne's personality is that she has spent her entire existence working in customer service and has Seen Some Shit. As a result, she is usually unflappable, but can be taken aback by new or strong feelings. She's also very attached to / protective of the Adventurers' Guild and its members.

By contrast, Scara has the emotional fortitude of a wet paper bag, but he is technically more experienced with having feelings (and he has Nahida as his personal therapist). So he's able to help Katheryne adjust to being her own person & get her to explore the world a little more.

Also Scara's tsundere shit totally fails to land with Katheryne. He'll be like "Tch. As if I could ever do anything as embarrassing as spend time with you," and she'll just say "Okay, goodbye. :)"

I feel like Nahida would know exactly what's going on and would be bemused by it at first, then start actively trying to get them together. At some point she would definitely tell the Traveler to sub in for Katheryne at the Adventurers' Guild one day so Katheryne and Scara can hang out. (Of course the Traveler would be comedically overwhelmed and this arrangement would never happen again.)

If Katheryne gets a Vision in this version of events it would probably be Dendro. Her voice lines in combat would be variations on her standard canon dialogue, ex. "Compliments of the Adventurers' Guild!" or "Here is your reward!" while beating the living daylights out of some Hilichurl.

That's my take on it, anyway! There may or may not eventually be more from me on this because people seem to like it way more than I expected, ha ha 😂

#genshin impact #scaratheryne?#i saw someone suggest wanderyne which i think is fantastic #anyway thanks for indulging me lmaoooo #headcanon #scaramouche #wanderer #katheryne #my asks

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comphy-and-cozy · 3 months

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love it if we made it - mat barzal

Pairing: Mat Barzal x OC (f)

Summary: Aurora Foster and Mat Barzal are friends. Sometimes with benefits, sometimes with unspoken feelings, but always with a little something extra. When they have the opportunity to close the cross-country gap between them, will they be able to overcome the skinny love and take their relationship to the next level?

Word Count: 9.2K

Author's Note: My first ever Barzal fic written for @thewintersoldierdisaster for @wyattjohnston's Winter Fic Exchange! You are such a talented writer and I really wanted to make this a good one - I hope I managed to get the Garden City details covered correctly. 😉 It was a blast to write for someone new even though I am still reluctantly slowly joining the Barzy train. Enjoy, my dear! Thank you to @smileysvech, @pyotrkochetkov, @jostystyles, and @Demi for all of your help in brainstorming, editing, sending inspirational Barzy pics, and the usual general insanity. Couldn’t do it without y’all. Also, just for the record, Mat has hair in this entire fic. No bald Barzy allowed.

Warnings: Mutual pining, angst, alcohol use (characters get drunk), Mat being a bit of a fuckboy. Smut (18+ ONLY); unprotected sex, general sexual tension/sexual themes. Masterlist

July 2013 - Vancouver, British Columbia

The crackling of the fire melds with the gentle splash of waves on the shoreline, crickets chirping happily amid the cool summer breeze. Smoke billows up, wafting to a deep sky sparkling with stars, not a cloud in sight.

Aurora Foster watches the flames, absorbing the warmth on her legs. There’s a blue koozie on the armrest of her Adirondack chair, holding a Diet Coke. She allows herself to sink into the warm, worn cotton of her Burnaby Winter Club sweatshirt, sighing contentedly.

“Anyone want more pizza? I’ve gotta rock a piss.”

Rolling her eyes, Aurora scoffs as the rest of the group murmurs no’s. “Charming, Fabbs.”

The next voice that rings out is clear. “Anyone wanna go for a late night dip?”

“Yeah, I’ll go.” This time of night is Aurora’s favorite time for a swim, when the lake is all but glass and the water feels like a lukewarm bath; not warm, but certainly not cold after spending a day baking under a bright British Columbia sun.

There are no other takers, so she looks expectantly across the fire. His dark hair is shaggy, unkempt, air-dried after a day in the lake. His brown eyes lock with hers, and he jerks his head toward the dock with a grin. “Race you.”

Mat Barzal.

A name that holds the burden of promise. He’s going to be drafted in a few years, to the Show—and he’s going to be good. Not I’m just saying that because he’s my friend and I’m supposed to say that—no, he’s going to be good, potentially even great.

Here, though, he’s just Mat. He feels weird about the weight his name is starting to hold, not really knowing what to do with the slight level of fame. He’s made a vow to himself that whatever happens, he won’t let it get to him, won’t let it change the fabric of who he is—this guy, right here, feeling the warm breeze through his hair as sprints down the wooden dock, two smaller feet pattering rapidly behind him.

“You first,” he grins, gesturing toward the ladder.

“What if there’s a big monster waiting right there and it eats me?”

“I’ll jump in and save you,” he says, like there’s no hesitation. He glances down to double check that there is no actual sign of danger. Aurora doesn’t notice, her eyes also on the dark water, illuminated only slightly by the brightness of the moon.

“You promise?”

“I promise.” The way he says it is so sure that it actually comforts her for a split second, enough time for her confidence to reach the appropriate level to jump in with a splash.

Her body is immersed in cold for the briefest of seconds before she’s enveloped in warmth. The splash next to her tells her that Mat has joined her beneath the water. He rises to the surface a few moments later, letting out a scoff as he shakes out his hair.

“Shit. You like this?” he asks, swimming out toward the trampoline floating a few meters away.

“It’s nice!” she says, following him. “Refreshing.”

“It’s cold.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a big macho hockey player?”

He ignores her with a roll of his eyes, rising back out of the water to climb the ladder to the trampoline. Aurora opts to swim around a while longer, feeling the weight of the water gliding over her skin. It’s nice, heavenly even, how the water makes her weightless.

When she approaches the trampoline, the blast of cool air against her wet skin makes her shiver, goosebumps instantly covering her body. Mat glances at her, sees the way her arms have wrapped around herself in an attempt to warm herself. He extends an arm, his own skin almost dry. “C’mere.”

His arm curls around her frame, warmth of him already heating her skin. He’s not sure if it’s his heart or hers that he can feel beating—maybe it’s both, beating in a steady, sure rhythm next to one another.

Aurora’s toes nudge his, the gesture comfortable and affectionate; a silent thank you.

June 2018 – Vancouver, British Columbia

By all accounts, it’s a normal Thursday evening in June; Aurora’s housemates are getting ready to go out to the bar—there are plugged-in curling irons, loose cans of hairspray, scattered makeup brushes all over the counter alongside an assortment of cups in varying stages of empty. A half-full fifth of Smirnoff is there too, the cap misplaced somewhere.

On any other occasion, Aurora would be right there with them, blasting Taylor Swift and chattering about if Brad will finally make a move on Carley. Tonight, though, she’s opted out in favor of spending the night on the couch in her favorite sweatpants. Just not feeling a bar tonight, she’d said.

The silence when the door finally closes behind her friends is almost deafening; she hadn’t realized how loud it was in the chaos of the pre-night-out ritual. With a contented sigh, Aurora plops down on the couch and tugs a blanket over her legs, opening Netflix and starting an episode of New Girl.

She's part way through her second episode and her first glass of wine when she gets the text.

[Mat:] what’s the play tn

Mat. Of course. He’s home for the summer now, back after his first year in Long Island, and recently returned from winning the Calder trophy. Aurora still had a hard time connecting that this Mat, the one that she’s known since they were 12, the one who she grew up hearing make stupid dick jokes with his friends, is the same one that just won Rookie of the Year in the National Hockey League.

Instead of typing out a message, Aurora snaps a photo of the wine glass in her hand and blanket in her lap with the TV in the background. It doesn’t take long for the response bubble to pop back up, and soon enough the whoosh of an incoming text sounds.

[Mat:] want some company?

Aurora’s heart freezes in her chest. She hasn’t spent any time alone with him since that sorority formal her sophomore year, the one she bribed him to attend with her so she wasn’t the only girl without a date. It was platonic—that didn’t even need to be discussed—and it had been nice to have a familiar figure by her side; it didn’t hurt that he was starting to make a name for himself in the hockey world as a top draft pick headed for the NHL.

What started as a simple, friendly night ended with her leg wrapped around his waist, leaning against the bathroom door of the venue, moaning his name. She didn’t know how they ended up there, but what she did know was that it was passionate, mind-boggling, life-altering sex.

At least, to her it was. He’d never mentioned it since.

At first, it lingered on the tip of her tongue every time he was around, waiting to be blurted out when the sinking confusion became too much to bear. But one month, two months, three months passed, with no recognition or acknowledgement that anything happened between them.

For a while, she began to believe that she’d dreamt it; that her mind conjured the hottest, dizziest, most viscerally real dream possible. But then she’d see his eyes flick to hers during the sex scene in a movie and feel the spark of electricity when his hand would brush hers. Just briefly, but enough for her to confirm that no, she didn’t imagine it all.

Needless to say, Aurora can’t help the rising suspicion at the seemingly random text. Surely, he couldn’t be thinking about one night years ago when he had the pick of any girl he wanted at his fingertips.

Before she can stop herself, she's typing ‘bring chocolate’ and soon, she hears her front door open. There’s a shuffle, the sound of shoes being shrugged off, before that handsome face is rounding the corner. His eyes land on her in an instant, a predatory gaze simmering behind an unassuming smile. In his hand is a plastic bag from which he fishes out a pack of peanut M&M’s, tossing them at her.

Aurora squeals, eagerly tearing open the packet and immediately tossing three into her mouth. After an expectant eyebrow raise from him, she heaves herself off the couch with a dramatic sigh and runs the short distance to him before launching into his arms.

“Thank you, Matty,” she says, voice muffled by the black Acme sweatshirt he’s wearing. He’s warm. And big—bigger than he was before he left for New York. “And congratulations.”

He hums a response, following her as she resumes her spot, this time making room for him beside her. “You didn’t want to go out tonight? Celebrate that enormous trophy?”

Mat shrugs, placing her feet in his lap and securing the blanket over both. “Could take it or leave it. Can’t leave you to be home alone and bored.”

She rolls her eyes and nudges his leg with her foot. “Shut up. You didn’t have to come over.”

“Honestly, I need a break after that media circus,” he confesses. “So much press, so many questions, so many pictures. It’s exhausting.”

Aurora nods understandingly, though she can only imagine being put on public display the way he is day in and day out, the attention only heightened now that he’s won the Calder. She’s seen the pictures, the articles, all of the buzz, feeling a slight tinge of jealousy—not of him, but that she has to share him with the rest of the world now.

Mat settles in, and casual conversation filters in amidst the episode, pausing at moments to hear the dialogue before another one of them is adding commentary or snorting at someone’s Instagram story. It’s so casual, so normal, his place beside her on the couch; like finally finding that one pivotal puzzle piece she’s been looking for for hours. He’s calm, relaxed, and once again she begins to wonder if she’s been creating something out of nothing this entire time. If the flood of nerves in her chest is an overreaction.

“You still seeing that frat guy? Tim, or whatever his name is?”

The question comes out of nowhere. Aurora can’t help but wonder if she detects a hint of jealousy.

“Was never really seeing him,” she replies, leaving a heavy pause, enough time for him to fill in the blanks. It’s true, but maybe she chose her words intentionally, curious to see if that lilt in his tone really was jealousy.

He doesn’t react much outside of a nod and an over-engineered nice, but she sees the very slight tick in his jaw. She resists the urge to roll her eyes, instead supplying, “You really gonna give me shit, Mr. Hot-Shot-NHL rookie?”

“Listen,” he grins, “it’s not my fault there’s a million single girls in New York.”

This time, Aurora does roll her eyes, if only to hide the sting she feels deep in her chest. She wouldn’t say she has feelings for Mat Barzal, but—well, it’s complicated. It’s always been there, buried deep beneath the surface, veiled as fond affection for a friend who’s grown by her side since they were 12.

“But none of them are as pretty as you.”

Aurora has to laugh, can’t help but laugh, rather than feel the discomfort that sinks in when she processes what he said. He’s always like this—these seemingly harmless, flirty comments—but those are the ones that keep his hooks latched into her, keeping her coming back for more, dangling by a single thread of hope.

“Don’t be a dick.”

“M’not. You’re so pretty it hurts.”

She moves to kick him—playfully, mostly—but his hand catches her foot in an instant. Before she has a chance to protest, barely processing the evil grin that hatches on his face, he’s tickling her arch. Aurora shrieks, legs flailing in protest, doing her best to scramble out of his grasp. Mat’s laugh is mirthful as his strong arms easily overpower her, hands moving to her hips to pin her to the couch.

“You’re gonna—” he pauses to wrestle her down, “—hurt yourself.”

“Fuck off,” she shouts playfully, hands shoving wildly at his hands in a weak attempt to stop him from tickling at her sides. “I—I hate you!”

In a flash, Aurora finds her arms pinned above her head, large hands pressed into her wrists. She shrieks again, but the laughter dies in her throat when she realizes he’s paused, hovering over her. Her legs stop their thrashing, breath caught in her throat while her heart thumps in her chest. She isn’t sure how long they sit like that, frozen in time, staring at one another; she wonders if he’s thinking the same thing she is, flashing back to the night spent inside the dimly lit bar bathroom.

And then he’s kissing her, desperate, his open mouth pressed against hers. It consumes her, the feeling of his lips, in a way that makes her wonder how she’s survived the last two years without his touch. The thought of stopping is unthinkable, unfathomable, unbearable.

Mat’s hand slides down her arm to cup her jaw, thumb brushing against her cheekbone while his tongue finds hers. With her now free hand, Aurora instinctively moves to run her fingers through his hair, soft and smooth. It’s long, long enough that she can wrap the locks around her knuckles, offering a firm hold that has him exhaling lowly against her mouth.

With just the simplest, subtlest move, Aurora’s flipped the switch inside of Mat that transforms him from doting, passionate lover to desperate and unrestrained. His lips pivot to nip at the base of her jaw, offering a subtle bite on his way down to her neck.

She can hear his heavy breath, feels it hot against her skin. His palm draws warmth up her side, rucking up her t-shirt to expose her bare stomach before his hand dives beneath the hem of the cotton to press flat against her ribcage. It’s shameful how quickly Mat can render her little more than a lolling, whimpering mess, back arched eagerly to chase his touch; she wants to kick herself for giving in so easily.

His hands move in tandem with his mouth, caressing, kneading, aiding her slow descent into madness. When he tugs the cotton over her head, grateful there’s no bra impeding his view, Mat swoops down to her breasts like a starving man getting his first taste of food; with a groan, his tongue swipes over a pebbled nipple.

Aurora’s afraid to say his name, afraid that if she calls attention to the moment, he’ll snap out of it and stop.

And she can’t have that.

Hands roam, chased by hot breath and wet kisses, until she’s all but naked on her living room couch, as if she lives alone and doesn’t have roommates that could come home at any given moment.

He doesn’t even bother to take her panties off, instead ripping them to the side and wetting his tip with her slick, teasing her folds for just a moment.

Mat pauses at her entrance, breath heavy in his chest. His eyes trail up to hers, and Aurora’s heartbeat ticks, afraid he’s going to change his mind right now, when she needs him more than she’s ever needed anything in her life.

And then his eyes slink over her body with a smirk, admiring her breasts, her curves, the way her legs have wrapped around his hips—when did that happen? Mat’s dick twitches when he realizes he has nowhere to go but inside the dripping wet cunt in front of him, perfect and tempting and waiting to be filled up. He lets the low groan rumble in his chest while his lips return to the spot he sucked into her neck.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so pretty like this,” he murmurs against her skin. “Always think of you like this.”

Mat waits for only a moment, so brief that it flits by almost unnoticed, before he’s pushing in with a low groan. Aurora gasps at the sensation, infinitely better than everything her imagination conjures when her fingers slip between her thighs at night. Nothing replicates the feeling of him buried to the hilt inside her wet heat.

“How long you been thinkin’ ‘bout this, sweetheart?” he rasps once he grows accustomed to the way she squeezes him. “Been thinkin’ ‘bout you for a long time.”

Aurora’s fingers settle into the dip of his shoulders, breasts pressed into his chest. She tries to answer, but all that comes out is a moan. How can he expect her to speak when his hips are punching into her like they’re getting paid for it?

He’s smug at the way he’s rendered her speechless, entranced by the way she feels. Sensing he might not make it long, Mat focuses on his rhythm, finding the one that has her nails scratching down his back so he’ll have a perfect reminder of her wrapped around his dick.

When her moans escalate, he brings a hand between their bodies, watching the way her eyes flutter shut when he rubs at her clit. “Bein’ so good and so pretty for me, ‘Ror. Wanna feel you squeezin’ me while you come.”

She likes when he talks, judging by the way her breath hitches and her cunt tightens, so he keeps talking, muttering pretty, filthy somethings in her ear while he circles her clit. Before long, his whispers are covered by the sound of her crying out his name—she sounds the same as she did two years ago, sweeter this time now that he knows what she feels like when she comes.

Later, when he slips out into the night, Aurora presses her fingers against the hickey on her neck, memorizing the feeling of his lips against her skin.

July 2019 - Vancouver, British Columbia

Aurora takes a seat in the chiavari chair beside Gina, offering Dante a wave. A string quartet plays softly, ushering in wedding guests taking their seats before the ceremony. She’s there more out of obligation to the Fabbros, the bride a cousin of theirs that she’d grown up with, too.

Mat sidles in far too close to the start of the ceremony, plopping himself into the seat next to Aurora. He bumps shoulders with her, offering a grin when she mouths “hi” as the precessional begins.

The ceremony is sweet, the food is excellent, and Aurora can’t help but tear up at the best man’s speech during dinner. Afterwards, everyone is on the dance floor, moving and grooving to a Bruno Mars mashup.

Everyone except two people.

Outside of the tent, Mat and Aurora are sitting on a bench, watching the sunset. Not feeling this song, Mat had murmured to her before jerking his head toward the tent opening, and who was she to say no to accompanying her friend to take in a Vancouver sunset?

“You think you’ll do all this?” The question is abrupt but curious, like his mind had been wandering and he blurted it out as soon as it appeared in his head.

“What? A wedding?”

He nods, gesturing around. “Yeah. You know, the flowers, the fuckin’… doilies, and shit.”

Aurora’s eyebrow raises as she hides a smile. “Do you even know what a doily is?”

“No, but it feels like something that would be here,” he says with a shrug. Dante’s loud laughter echoes from inside, piercing the quiet reprieve from the music.

A few moments pass, the silence comfortable. “Yeah, I think I’d like to get married someday. Do the whole thing. No doilies, though.”

Mat snorts, nudging her knee with his. “Wonder what the guy's gonna be like.”

Aurora considers for a moment. In the few minutes they’ve been outside, the sun has slipped beneath the horizon, its dim, fading light still splaying out from behind the trees. Dusk looks good on him, she thinks. “He’s gonna get me flowers. And take care of me when I’m drunk. And he’s gonna be really, really good looking.”

Mat hums, impressed. “Damn. Sounds like a catch.”

“Duh. I’m a catch,” she says, to which Mat nods in agreement. “How about you?”

“She’s gonna have a great rack,” he replies, grinning so wide he almost ruins the delivery of the joke before he’s doubling over. Aurora snorts but joins him in laughter with a playful smack to the shoulder.

Inside the tent, the DJ makes some announcement that Aurora only half hears—something about grabbing a loved one. Mat extends a hand, smiles wide, and she ignores the thump of her chest as she slips her fingers against his palm.

The anticipation pangs in her chest as he leads her to the dance floor. She feels a sliver of apprehension as he turns to face her, placing his hands respectfully on her waist. Instantly, there’s a flash of the night on the couch, of his lips against her skin; if he’s thinking about it, too, he doesn’t show any outward indication.

Any trace of discomfort dissipates once she gives in to his gravitational pull, hands lacing together behind his neck. He’s strong, sturdy, solid—the way he’s always been, ever-present and a constant in her life since she was 12. His eyes are warm, enveloping Aurora in his gaze until she forgets that there’s anyone else around.

They sway through the remainder of the song, and when notes begin to slow, she finds herself wishing it would last longer. Fortunately, almost like the DJ is privy to her thoughts, the beat picks up, slow song melding into something more upbeat. Mat blinks, the bubble surrounding them popping unceremoniously. He can’t bring himself to let Aurora go, not when she feels so right in his arms.

With a dramatic pull, Mat spins her around, hand supporting her back as he dips her backwards. Aurora squeals, hand clutching onto his as her footing almost loses balance. Laughter bubbles out of her throat as Mat pulls her back upright, his eyes glowing with amusement. Suddenly, he’s looking to do anything to keep hearing that sound.

It takes a truly revolting love song for them to finally leave the dance floor, beelining toward the bar in search of liquid refreshment and a break. The rest of the evening is easy, full of elation and conviviality, the kind of night that makes your cup overflow and runneth over.

That night, when Aurora slips into bed tipsy at 2AM with a contented sigh, she falls asleep dreaming of brown eyes and a crooked smile.

December 2022 – New York, New York

When Mat saw the text informing him that Aurora had a job interview for a Software Engineering Lead at TekStack in New York, he offered up his spare bedroom before she could even tell him the date. It would be a waste of money to stay at a hotel when he had an apartment he barely used, he said, and she could make a long weekend out of it and he’d show her around Long Island.

The grin on Mat’s face grows the instant he sees her, a gray coat draped over her arm as she wheels her carry-on behind her. He opens his arms and she falls into them, the way she has a hundred times. “Welcome to New York.”

“—it’s been waiting for you!”

“Set you up for that on purpose,” he says, offering to take her bag. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” she replies. “But I really want to get the airplane off me first. Maybe takeout for tonight?”

Mat smiles. “Say no more. I know exactly the place.”

A few hours later, Aurora is seated at Mat’s counter, a spread of styrofoam across the quartz. Her suit is hanging in a garment bag on the back of the door to the guest bedroom, waiting to be pressed before her interview. It’s so familiar, the fondness, the sense of comfort, the shared laughter over a plate—or several—of food, but it’s no longer Dante’s family’s lakehouse or the Barzal family’s finished basement. This time, it’s Mat’s fancy apartment in Garden City, the rent alone more than what Aurora makes in a month.

But it’s still the same Mat sitting across from her. Same crooked smile, same easy laughter, same silly, unabashed personality. Admittedly, she was anxious wondering about how things would be; they’d hung out plenty over the summer, kept in touch via the group chat, but their one-on-one time had been limited the last few years.

Despite the apprehension, Aurora is surprised at how quickly they shake off the rust, barely needing any recoil time before it feels like old times. Of course, the camaraderie and pleasantries aren’t nearly enough to build up an immunity to his gray Lululemon sweatpants or the peek of his sculpted Adonis belt when he raises his arms in a lazy stretch. She wasn’t sure how she’d feel when she saw him, but she reluctantly accepts the steady beat of her heart in her chest that tells her her crush is, in fact, still holding strong.

They stay up chatting far longer than Mat anticipated, bedtime delayed even further when he offers to help her prepare for her interview, shrugging with a, I’m not tired anyway—anything to spend just a little more time with her. He Googles ‘Top Interview Questions’ and spends over an hour posing them to her, letting her work through how she’d answer each. Admittedly, he had never really had much practice in the way of a job interview outside of the pre-draft conversations he’d had with various NHL GM’s, but he had more than enough experience at preparing for an onslaught of questions—and how to shake off the nerves beforehand.

“The thing I’ve learned most is to be concise,” he says, thinking back to when he first did NHL-mandated media training. “Don’t be afraid to take a few seconds after the question to think through what you want to say. That helps so you don’t ramble.”

“Don’t ramble. Got it.”

“And listen to some boss bitch music that hypes you up on your way in. It makes a difference. I promise.”

Aurora raises an eyebrow. “I’m gonna need to know what type of ‘boss bitch’ music you’re listening to pre-game, Barzal.”

“Megan Thee Stallion is my top preference,” he says with a grin, “but if you tell anyone that, I’ll deny it and say Drake.”

“Any last expert advice for me?”

“Get a good night’s sleep,” he says, then glances at his phone at the mention of the time. “Which means we’re about two hours behind schedule. Let’s get you to bed.”

Mat offers to carry her bag to the guest bedroom—decorated straight out of a West Elm catalog—and Aurora thanks him before bidding him good night. After changing into her pajamas, she quickly shakes off the urge to pad down the hallway and slip into Mat’s bed with him, reminding herself that that isn’t why she’s here.

Instead, she settles into the soft sheets, feeling herself slipping right back into the old, familiar flutter in her chest.

—

Serendipitously, the scheduling worked out perfectly: the interview was Friday at 1PM, and the Islanders hosted the Predators on Friday night at 7PM, which meant Dante would be in New York and around for post-game dinner, drinks, and a little mid-season reunion for the trio of friends. Aurora shook away the feeling that fate was somehow intervening.

Friday morning arrives, and Mat has morning skate, so he wishes her good luck with a tight hug before he shoves a protein bar in his mouth on his way out the door. For good measure, he sends a string of emojis (💪👩🏽‍💼✅💰) once he arrives at the rink, hoping they’ll give her an extra boost of confidence.

Practice is relatively easy, more of the opportunity to move his body and run through some plays—nothing intense, preserving energy for the actual game. He’s thankful for a pretty painless practice as his mind continually floats to Aurora, wondering how her interview went. Mat isn’t quite sure why he feels so invested in her landing this role until he realizes that if she gets it, she’ll be moving to New York.

“Barzy, you trying to go out after the game?” Oliver asks across the locker room. Mat’s tugging on a pair of sweatpants, fresh from his post-practice shower.

“He can’t,” Matt pipes in with a lopsided grin. “His girl is here.”

Mat groans, pressing a hand to his face as he points a middle finger in Marty’s direction. Next thing he knows, the chirps and wolf whistles fill the room and he feels Pierre aggressively nudge his shoulder.

“A girl?”

“Yeah, the hot brunette. Total smokeshow,” Casey fills in for him.

“Woof woof, Barzy!”

“Get it, Matty B!”

“Fuck off,” Mat huffs, a dismissive hand directed at no one in particular. “She’s not my… girl.”

“She stayin’ at your place?” Dobson asks. “Gonna be at the game tonight?”

Mat nods, earning another chorus of whistles. He rolls his eyes as he tosses his gloves and practice jersey in the bin, ignoring the no pre-game sex jokes (“Can’t play 3 periods if you’ve already played one in the sheets”).

“If she’s not your girl, I’m definitely gonna make a move, then.”

“Fuck off, Dobber.”

—

Aurora arrives home from the interview to find a jersey folded on the bed, along with a handwritten note–thought you might want to have something to rep the home team. She sends back a text to Mat to thank him and respond to his inquiry about the interview before setting off to change and make her way to UBS.

The game is disappointing, if you’re an Islanders fan. But while Aurora is sporting the blue and orange jersey, she’s waiting excitedly for a Nashville Predator to meet her in the designated area Mat directed her to.

When he rounds the corner, hair still wet from his shower, she runs up to him and leaps into his arms. Dante grins as he embraces her in a tight hug. “Feel stupid now for wearing the wrong colors tonight, huh?”

“I have to support my host,” she says with an eye roll.

The host in question appears as if he’s been summoned, moving to hug his old friend, but not before his eyes drag over the 13 on Aurora’s arm. The three of them together just feels right, the dynamic shifted—but complete.

Once they’ve been seated at a high top in a bar in Rockville Centre, Dante turns to Aurora. “‘Ror, how was the interview?”

“It went great,” she grins, accepting the fist bump Dante offers her. “I aced the coding exercise.”

“You’re such a badass. I picture you like one of those hackers in the movies.”

Aurora snorts, shaking her head. She thanks the waiter who places her drink in front of her. “It’s not really like that, but thanks.”

Conversation flows easily amongst the trio–only one comment from Dante razzing Mat for the 4-1 loss–and eventually the food arrives, along with another round of drinks.

“So… you really gonna join us and become a Yank?” Dante probes over his meal.

“To be honest, I don’t even know if I’d accept it,” she says quietly. Mat watches the way her lip disappears between her teeth as she contemplates; he doesn’t envy the gargantuan decision that lies ahead of her. “It’s a big move to make.”

As dense as he knows he can sometimes be, Mat recognizes this as a pivotal opportunity for him to share his own experience moving across the continent. He doesn’t have much in the way of advice, the distance something he just grew accustomed to in time, but he knows what it’s like; feeling the divide between him and the rest of his life like a bruise that won’t quite heal, the precious few-hour window where phone calls and texts make 5,000 kilometers feel like 10.

In so many words, he tells her so, aided by Dante’s supporting murmurs in a rare serious moment. Aurora absorbs it, if nothing else, comforted by the fact that they understand—kind of. It’s a little different moving cross-continent when you’re going to make millions of dollars, but money certainly doesn’t make the distance less of a burden to carry.

“FaceTime is your best friend,” Dante says, and Mat nods in agreement.

“Oh, is that why I get one FaceTime from you every two months?” she sticks her tongue out at Dante. Mat makes a mental note to FaceTime her more often. If she moves to New York, he won’t have to.

“No, that’s ‘cause you’re not my best friend,” Dante jokes, and Aurora scoffs playfully, eyes rolled in annoyance.

Sensing the end of the semi-serious moment, Mat stands up. “Gotta rock a piss.”

“Charming, Barz.”

Dante watches Mat’s retreating figure, eyeing the brown locks until they disappear down the hallway toward the restrooms. His gaze moves to Aurora’s, lowering his head conspiratorially. “Is something happening?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You two. You seem… different.”

Aurora’s eyebrows raise. “Different how?”

“Just… different,” Dante shrugs, then takes another swig of his drink. “It’s not like everyone doesn’t know you’ve been in love with each other forever.”

Jaw dropping in shock, Aurora feels her face suddenly get very hot. “That’s not true!”

“Oh, I didn’t realize we were still in denial,” he says, feigning self-defense and fighting a smile. “My bad. I’ll go back to trying to ignore the way you googly eyes each other.”

“I do not make googly eyes at him!”

“Man, ‘Ror, that acceptance is really buried deep down in there, huh?” Dante grins, dodging the french fry she launches in his direction. Then, he’s back to serious—kind of. “I know it’s a big leap to take when you’ve been friends for so long, but you haven’t been subjected to seeing the way you look at each other. I wish you’d just make out already. It’s disgusting.”

Aurora doesn’t have the heart to tell him they’ve already done far more than make out—multiple times—and part of her is relieved that Mat never divulged that information to his best friend despite every opportunity to. This way, it’s their little secret, something for just the two of them to have.

Mat’s return effectively ends the conversation. They pay their tabs—Aurora ignores Dante’s pointed look when Mat picks hers up without a word—and make their way to the next bar.

Several hours and far too many Palomas later, Mat unlocks the door to his apartment. He struggles slightly under the stumbling weight of Aurora, who’s latched onto him as she drunkenly giggles. He’s not much better off, but the Uber ride sobered him up enough to think to order DoorDash, conveniently arriving a few minutes after they get in the door.

Coaxing her to eat is a bit of a struggle, but he finally manages to get her into a barstool, munching contentedly on chicken tenders.

“C’mon, ‘Ror,” he murmurs once he sees she isn’t going to finish the third tender. He wraps an arm around her waist, helping her out of the seat to stand her up. “Let’s get you to bed, yeah?”

“Carry me!”

Without any additional warning, she’s leaping into his arms. Mat lets out an oof but manages to secure her in his arms as he carries her to the guest bedroom. When he places her on the mattress, her legs don’t untangle from his waist, and Mat feels the near instant pulse in his groin. Aurora’s eyes are closed, but her hips move, subtly, and he allows himself to revel in the feeling of her brushing against him. It doesn’t take long for his dick to become hard as steel, aided massively by the soft, sleepy whimpers that leave Aurora’s throat.

“Matty,” she whispers, hands seeking out the dips in his biceps.

Mat wants nothing more than to throw caution to the wind and devour her like he’s been aching to from the moment he saw a glimpse of her in a towel coming out of the shower this morning. He’s got just enough booze in his system to cloud his judgment, hand trailing up her side and savoring the warmth of her body against his palm. His dick twitches in his pants when he glides a hand over Aurora’s breast, yearning to tug the cups of that stupidly sexy corset down to repeat his fantasy.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, he summons every single ounce of self-restraint left in his body and tears himself away from her tempting frame. Much to his chagrin, Aurora lets out the most devastating, disappointed mewl and Mat swears he can feel his heart (and dick) shatter at the sound.

“‘Ror,” he whispers. “We can’t.”

“Why not? S’not like we’ve never… done it before,” she slurs, reaching to run her hands across his pecs. He indulges in the feeling for just a brief moment, his resolve fleeting with every second.

“Not like this.”

“Y-you—” she hiccups, then frowns when he gently takes her hands off of him, “—you don’t… want me.”

“No,” Mat says quickly. He’s pretty sure she won’t remember in the morning, but if she does, he wants her to remember this. “I do. But I don’t want it to be like this.”

“Only wore this so you’d take it off,” she murmurs, and Mat groans, the devil on his shoulder whispering very strong reasons why he should give into temptation.

Ultimately, the good guy in him wins the battle, ignoring the throbbing of his dick when he helps Aurora to shimmy off her skintight leather pants. He does his best to avoid staring at the flimsy scrap of fabric between her thighs and pretends not to notice how little it covers. Her body is almost entirely dead weight as he tries to figure out how to remove her corset, eventually tugging it over her head; her breasts fall free, and he chokes on his own spit as he desperately looks around for something to cover her with.

Dashing to his room, he grabs a t-shirt—only a little bit intentionally selecting an Islanders tee in order to see her wearing his colors again; on his way back, he pours a glass of water and grabs a bottle of Advil from the bathroom. When he returns, Aurora’s breathing is heavy and she’s lying in the same position he left her in, finally asleep.

Mat places the water on the nightstand, then notices her phone and plugs it into the charger. Gently, he slides the t-shirt over her head and maneuvers her arms through the sleeves, then situates her and tucks her in before pulling the blanket up to her chin. With a kiss on her forehead, Mat quietly steps back to return to his room, ready to palm himself off, the image of her tiny panties and her tits seared into his brain.

Just before he shuts the door, he hears a quiet whisper of his name, a soft Matty in the darkness. He pauses, waiting for her to speak again.

“Stay.”

Something in her voice makes his heart ache. He stands, frozen in place, hesitant to return to her; afraid that he won’t have the willpower to resist her if she makes a move again. Like an unruly stepchild, his dick throbs as he adjusts himself.

“Please?”

Her voice is so sweet, he can’t help himself. His feet move of their own accord, back to the bed before he’s crawling under the covers beside her. Aurora’s arm immediately wraps around his stomach, snuggling into the crook of his shoulder. As he listens to her dozing off, Mat pretends it’s the alcohol that blankets his heart with warmth and not the girl sleeping soundly in his arms.

—

Bright light wakes her first. There’s a few, beautiful seconds of peace before the throbbing begins.

Aurora groans loudly, hand flying to shield her eyes. Timidly, she stretches her legs out slowly, to avoid the wave of searing pain through her skull. She has a memory of Mat’s hands touching her, dragging their way up her body, but she can’t decide if that was real or just a dream. Judging by the empty space next to her in bed, she assumes it was a dream.

She gropes for her phone on the bedside table—thankful that she had the foresight to plug in her phone in her inebriated state—and opens Instagram. Dante’s green Close Friends story bubble is one of the first she sees. The video that lies within makes her groan: it’s Aurora, illuminated by the dim, disco lights of the bar they ended up at in Rockville Centre, making an absolute fool of herself dancing. If you can even call it dancing. It’s more like a series of unhinged, discombobulated movements that barely follow the pulse of the music playing over the speakers.

But Mat Barzal is in the background, watching her like she put the stars in the sky. His eyes are warm, and the smile on his face is soft, relaxed; a look of adoration. Of love.

[Gina:] Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Mat? [Gina:] Dude is looking at you like you just birthed his firstborn on Dante’s story [Gina:] Wait, he didn’t knock you up, did he?

Aurora snorts at the texts from her pseudo-sister.

[Aurora:] Funny enough, your brother asked me the same thing [Aurora:] And no, he did not knock me up [Gina:] Still waiting on the answer to my first question

Aurora is halfway through typing a message (“I’ll call you when I get home”) when she hears the front door open and close. A few seconds later, there’s a gentle knock at the door before a messy-haired Mat pokes his head in. “G’morning, sunshine.”

She groans, throwing the blanket over her head in an attempt to shield herself. “Can you stop yelling?”

He laughs, and though it’s lovely, the sound pierces her brain with a fiery stake. “So you don’t want me to tell you there’s bagels in the kitchen?”

Aurora peeks her head out from under the comforter. “Bagels, you say?”

“Bagel sandwiches,” he corrects. “Best on Long Island.”

Contemplating for a moment, Aurora glances at the glass of water on the nightstand, along with the two Advil sitting by it. He must have put them there this morning. She downs then, throws on a sweatshirt, and trudges into the kitchen behind Mat.

Aurora is convinced the bagel sandwiches have magic in them, reinvigorating her brain and hitting just the right spot. The two of them chew in silence for a while, Mat choosing to give her a few minutes to come back to life.

When he senses the medication might have kicked in, he speaks, slowly. He isn’t sure why he’s feeling so nervous. “Are you sure you have to go back today?”

She laughs and nods. “Sadly, I do have to get back to my actual job that I haven’t quit yet.”

“Just saying, you can come and be my roommate–free of charge. You just gotta do the dishes and help with a little laundry.”

Aurora’s eyebrow raises, taking a long sip of the hot mug of coffee he’d placed in front of her ten minutes ago. “So you want a live-in maid?”

“Well, when you say it like that…” Mat trails off with a laugh. “Really though. When are you supposed to hear back?”

“They just said in a couple weeks,” she shrugs. Only a few more weeks before life could change forever.

Something in their goodbye is different; a little bit timid, maybe even hesitant, but neither call it to attention. Mat gives her a squeeze in the departures lane, wishing her a safe flight, and Aurora promises to keep him updated on the job.

He watches her slip between the sliding doors, watching her figure retreat until he can’t see her anymore.

January 2023 — Vancouver, British Columbia

Aurora huffs, blowing the hair out of her eyes as she concentrates on her phone in her hand. She types, deletes, then re-types her message.

I got the job.

Her finger hovers over the button to send, heart pounding. She doesn’t know why she’s nervous, not exactly, but she knows there’s a lot of weight behind those four words, knows that they have the potential to change everything. For her. For him. Everything.

[Mat:] Congratulations! Told you you’d kill it. 😊

The text is followed by a gif of Buddy the Elf, and Aurora almost snorts at the stupidity of it. She takes a breath, almost… disappointed? If nothing else, she was expecting a bit more excitement, more fanfare.

Aurora presses down on the message and gives it a thumbs up.

Three hours later, she’s on the phone with Gina, gushing over the excitement of her job offer. She hasn’t even accepted it, but she’s still wistfully dreaming of how she might decorate her Manhattan apartment, anticipating the charm—among other things—of being in the greatest city in the world.

Gina senses Aurora’s hesitation before she even says anything. “But…”

“…but if I go, I’m pretty sure I’m going to get my heart broken.” She can hear Gina contemplating on the other line, probably debating how to deliver her latest blow of hard-hitting advice.

Gina’s next sentence is quiet, but confident. “You just need to talk to him, ‘Ror.”

“I know.”

Aurora’s phone buzzes, but it isn’t until she gets off the phone with Gina a few minutes later that she sees the second text appear on her screen.

[Mat:] so, we gonna do this? [Aurora:] do what?

She watches the text bubbles appear, then disappear. The seconds feel like an eternity before a FaceTime call is popping up, a photo of 17-year-old Mat with upside down sunglasses on. Sliding to answer, she’s greeted by the sight of Mat, arm resting behind his head, silver chain peeking out of the hem of his white t-shirt. His hair is ruffled, and he’s looking at the camera with a knowing smirk.

“You and me,” he says simply. It takes Aurora a few moments to realize he’s responding to her text—and a few more before she realizes what he’s saying.

“You–are you—what?”

“You know, give it the old college try.” He offers a cheeky shrug of his shoulders, a flash of his charming smile.

“Mat, are you asking me out?”

“Were you expecting a grand proposal with roses and champagne?”

She ignores his snigger, too frenzied to acknowledge his sarcastic quip. Instead, she opts to get to the real question she has burning a hole in her chest. “Where is this coming from?”

“I’ve been waiting for a chance with you since we were 15, ‘Rora. Jus’ never had one ‘til right now.”

Aurora’s jaw drops, words completely absent from her brain. This was everything she’d wanted to hear for the better part of a decade, and here he is, as casual as if he was asking her to pass the salt at the dinner table.

Mat’s waiting for a response, so she shakes off the surprise and does her best to gather her composure. She isn’t sure what to feel: elated, irritated, and skeptical, and everything in between. “And you never thought to tell me you felt this way?”

He shrugs. “Jus’ did, didn’t I?”

Aurora resists the laugh at the simplicity of his Boy Brain. “Mathew Michael Paul Barzal, if you are fucking with me and this is some shit idea of a joke—”

“Why would I joke about something like that?” he says, then a glint takes over in his eyes. “I would like to be fucking you, though.”

An exasperated sigh leaves her throat, though she begrudgingly notes the way her stomach flips at his statement. “Can you not do—that—for five minutes, please? This is a lot of information to take in.”

Mat hums an apology, not really sorry. He watches the way she puts her phone down, his view now the slowly spinning ceiling fan in her apartment bedroom. He can hear the sigh, the sound of her feet padding slowly on the hardwood floor–pacing.

“I’m serious, Aurora.” He announces it out, loudly, maybe a little more formally than he expected.

Her forehead peeks over the camera, frizzy, unstyled post-shower waves falling over her face. “Fuck, Mat.”

“You could come live with me in Garden City,” he says. “Take the subway in on the days you go into work. Could set up an office for you in the den.”

“Mat, I’m not fucking moving in with you when I don’t even know what this is,” she says, exasperated, ignoring the thought he’s clearly put into it all. She hears the words he’s saying, but after almost a decade of missed connections, crushed hopes, and mixed messages, she’s hesitant to really take them to heart. It’s a defense mechanism, not willing to trust him even though she’s pretty sure he’s serious. “Do you realize how insane you sound?”

“M’not,” he says, shakes his head for emphasis. “It’s always been you, Ror.”

At that, Aurora has to sit down, the weight of the words smacking her clean in the chest. She can feel the magic, the warmth, the fuzzies enveloping her heart, ready to soar into the clouds at what he’s saying. At the same time, she’s confused, uncertain, maybe a little angry. More frustrated than mad, really, but she knows she deserves an explanation all the same.

“Why haven’t you said anything this entire time? It’s been years, Mat. I’ve loved you since we were fifteen—waiting this whole time to hear you say this, to give me any fucking clue that maybe you felt the same way.”

He looks like a puppy who has been scolded for destroying a roll of toilet paper. Then, “You think I don’t want to be with you?”

“You never gave a sign. You never even acknowledged what happened between us.”

It’s the first sign of any remorse when Mat sighs, his eyes cast down from the camera. “I—I thought it was casual. We’ve lived so far apart I just thought—”

“—thought it wasn’t worth it?”

“No,” he says quickly, looking up to meet her gaze. “I thought you wouldn’t want to do it. The distance.”

“Thought you regretted it,” she admits. Her voice is so quiet Mat barely hears it.

“Regret sleeping with the girl I’ve been in love with since I was in high school? Yeah, okay,” he snorts. “My only regret is that we haven’t been doing it all this time.”

Aurora hums, overwhelmed by his confession—if you can call it that—and the influx of feelings that have inundated her chest. What he’s saying makes sense, in a twisted, boy-math kind of way.

“What does being—” she swallows the word girlfriend like a disgusting cough syrup. “—together look like?”

“Whatever you want it to look like.”

“What do you want it to look like?”

Mat hums. He thinks, envisions what calling Aurora his girl—for real, not just when he’s getting razzed by his teammates–would look like. A picture of waking up with her in his arms, sleepy and smiling. Eating takeout on the couch, her feet in his lap, sporting one of his t-shirts while they catch up on Succession. Seeing her in the stands at UBS, wearing his number on her back. Laughter, comfort, happiness. Home.

In other words, the entire weekend he spent with her.

“Don’t say something stupid like, ‘unlimited sex’,” she adds, the dreamy smile on his face alerting her to the idea that some of his thoughts may, perhaps, be unsavory.

“Wasn’t gonna,” he replies, “but now that you mention it…”

“I’m going to hang up.”

“I’m just joking, ‘Ror. I mean, don’t get me wrong, that would be top of my list. But you gotta know that you’re way more to me than just great tits and a fat ass.”

“Mat!”

“Okay, okay, sorry,” he says, holding a hand up as if to defend himself from her scathing tone. Aurora’s eyes roll and she scoffs, though Mat swears he sees the corner of her lip turn up just slightly. “I’d… want it to look exactly like this.”

Aurora blinks, not expecting such a simple answer—not that she had any idea of what to expect out of his mouth, ever. The concept that they’re already there, minus the labels, is… overwhelming. A little bit unnerving, because everything that flicks through her mind just feels like more and more evidence that he’s right. Dante, Gina, everyone else saw it—she’d just been blind to it the whole time.

“So,” he says slowly, afraid to pop her thought bubble. “What d’you say?”

“Wish you were here and not on FaceTime,” she mumbles, embarrassed at the vulnerability that slips out.

“I’ll get a flight to Vancouver right now, if it helps.”

Aurora smiles melancholy, and it tastes bittersweet. She knows he’s serious, would be by her side as soon as humanly possible, if she asked. But she also knows his influence will only sway her in one direction, and she needs to make sure she’s making an unbiased decision.

“Ror?”

“I–I need some space, okay?”

“I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

—

The next week is a blur, a mess of emotions and running through the same scenarios in her head over and over again. Aurora sits at the countertop on FaceTime with Gina, dissecting the options for what feels like the thousandth time.

“I don’t know what he doesn’t understand about space but this sure isn’t it,” she says, glancing at the bouquet of flowers sitting in a pretty—and expensive—glass vase.

“I think it’s sweet,” Gina insists. “Besides, we all know he isn’t the smartest.”

“It feels like he’s pressuring me, Gin,” Aurora says.

Gina rolls her eyes. “So he wants to show you he cares after years of burying his feelings. Sue the guy, why don’t you?”

Dusting a crumb off of the kitchen counter, scrolling through the relocation document TekStack had sent her along with her offer, Aurora sighs. Gina’s right; other than the flowers, he’d cooled it on everything else, and she missed it—the stupid memes, the goofy texts, the random (and gross) Snapchat series of him peeing in different cities. Missed him.

“Can’t wait to visit you. Keep the sex to a minimum while I’m in the guest bedroom, ‘kay?”

“Shut up!”

February 2023 — New York, New York

Mat fidgets, wiping his hands on his sides before glancing at his watch for the 16th time in five minutes. 3:17pm. Any minute now.

When he sees her coming down the catwalk, he doesn’t think twice; his strides quicken, along with the tick of his heart, and his fingers itch in anticipation. When he reaches her, he ignores the look of surprise on her face, hands cupping her jaw and pulling her mouth to his in a kiss that takes her breath away.

“I love you,” he says breathlessly when she pulls away, an expression of pure shock on her face. “Should’ve been telling you that for years. Please, please, please be mine. For real.”

The corners of Aurora’s lips twitch before they curl into a smile, and Mat has to resist the urge to kiss her again before she can even answer.

“Thought you said you weren’t gonna do an elaborate proposal,” she says with a laugh.

“Would, if that’s what it took,” he mumbles. He knows he’s being a simp, but he’s not missing this chance now that it’s right in front of him, so close he can taste it—literally. Her chapstick lingers on his lips, subtle but enough that he knows it’s all her.

“Lucky for you, Barzy, I think an airport love confession is the perfect amount of elaborate.”

SIMILAR CONTENT

The Mystery of Love* Third Time’s the Charm* Adore You

#mat barzal fic #hockey fic #hockey imagine #nhl imagine #nhl fic #mat barzal fanfiction #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal x oc #hockey fanfiction #nhl fanfiction

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theresattrpgforthat · 4 months

Note

games to play with my long distance partner? we’re queer nerds, i have a lot of dnd experience and some not dnd experience, they have a little bit of dnd experience, we both have fucked up schedules so something that’s asynchronous or short would be best. uh. there’s two of us. yeah i think that’s everything.

THEME: Long-Distance Games.

Hello friend, I am excited to introduce to you the joys of epistolary games!

From the Petals to the Leaves, by somewhere with stories.

This is a two player game about writing to a loved one while you are apart. Throughout the game you will write to each other while in different gardens, surrounded by plants and flowers of your choice.

This looks to be a pretty small game, but I think it fits the mood of writing to a loved one, with a concrete topic to base your conversations around - the plants in your gardens. I don’t own this game but I own a similar one by the same creator, so I’m assuming that the game provides you with a prompt list for each letter you send each-other. You can create your characters slowly as you write, uncovering bits and pieces about each-other through your fictional personas. If you just want something a little extra to flavour your letters to each-other, this might be worth looking at.

Soulum Scriptum, by Radmad.

Featuring the art of Marisa Bruno, Soulum Scriptum is a letter writing game for two or more players. You are isolated and alone, until a mysterious courier arrives at your door. They give you a proposition: write letters for someone just like you and they will bring you letters in return.

Develop the broken world and the haven that protects you, all while fighting despair and taking what hope you can find in your new connection across time and space.

This is a game of connection, between two isolated individuals who are struggling with despair. There are pages for various steps of the game, from world and character creation, to how to manage your feelings after your first letter. There’s also instructions for what to do when you fill certain tracks, including the track for your Haven (your home) and your Hopes (lines and pieces of the letters you receive that give you hope). If you like emotional games that have great potential to tell a story that grows brighter as you play, I recommend Soulum Scriptum.

Talking Thunder, by Eleanor Hingley.

‘Talking Thunder’ is a two-player correspondence RPG about finding connection in a dystopian world.

As the world changes, you never know what news each letter from your only friend will bring…

If you even hear from them again.

Another game about connection, this time in a post-apocalypse of some kind. I’m curious about how the letters are meant to reach each-other in the fiction of this game, although I suspect that ultimately that is up to the two of you!

We Are Ciphers, by Jgurantz.

We Are Ciphers is a 2-player letter-writing game where you craft a story using coded messages sent through the mail. You and your partner both covet the Prize, which you believe will transform your lives for the better. But acquiring it is an extremely tricky operation. Many things stand in your way, including the Target.

This is a letter-writing game with an added layer of complexity, because both of you could be writing in code! The code part is optional, but the premise of the game is that you are two spies trying to get your hands on the Prize - whatever you two decide that may be. The game comes with a list of popular media for inspiration, as well as a series of checkboxes for you to tick off to help you create a game that would be fun for the two of you. There’s also a number of worksheets to help you build your world, craft your codes, and create your characters. If you would like a fair amount of guidance as to how to play the game, We Are Ciphers might be up your alley.

The Wanderers, by AdventureByMail.

You and your friend wait to board two ARK-4 Civilian Class Shuttles charted for new colonies in the hinterlands of space. Though you will be several light-years apart, you promise to keep in touch through the interstellar communication network known as the Unified Starways Parley System. You'll use this network to tell each other about the life you build and the love you discover in the far reaches of space…

This creator makes a number of games designed for long-distance play, so if you like The Wanderers, you might want to check out some of their other work as well! The game itself is small enough to fit on a brochure, so it should be easy to print out and keep somewhere for easy reference. There are roll tables to help you create a character, and some advice on how to write your first letter. Following letters will be provided prompts based on a deck of playing cards, with special rules for drawing Aces. If you like using a bit of randomization to help drive a story, this game might be for you!

Games I've Recommended in the Past

I've played The Reaper's Almanac with a friend before and I really really love the premise of it. It has a chance to dive into some pretty traumatic material, however, as it is about death, so make sure to talk about your partner about the things you'd like to steer clear of if you play this game.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #dnd #asks #indie ttrpg #epistolary games

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yuna542 · 1 year

Text

Connected (OT8 x reader)

Part 11<-

Part 12

Pairing: Chan x reader, Felix x reader, Hyunjin x reader

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Warnings: Suggestive Themes, Swearing, mentions of sex, pet names, jealousy

Word Count: 5k

Note: Had to split the original part again. So here you go with some extra fluff before we get to that naughty Hyunjin smut… Don’t come at me because of that cliffhanger! I read all of your suggestions and already included some of them into the upcoming parts. So don’t be shy and continue to send me your requests!

On your first day of your new job as the personal manager of Stray Kids, you didn't expect to be standing in front of the man you made out with last night in a club. But it soon becomes clear that the Stray Kids don't just want you as their manager.

Will this passionate arrangement end your career?

The knock on the door of your office jolted you out of your work and the surroundings blurred before your eyes for a moment as you averted your gaze from the laptop. But it was only Chan who slipped through the door and smiled broadly at you.

"Busy?", he asked in passing, and you rubbed your eyes tiredly.

"It's always busy."

He sauntered into the room with his hands in his pockets, looking at the new decorations you had put up. In addition to several small cacti and succulents, you had also placed a few scented candles that filled the room with pleasant lavender and mint. The way he blinked in your direction and the smug smile on his face made you suspicious.

Chan had done something, you just didn't know what yet.

"Are you going to be at rehearsals later?", he asked, dropping down onto your couch.

"Sure. The dancers will be there and it's the last rehearsal before the shoot tomorrow. I want to make sure everything works out."

Chan nodded and propped his forearms on his knees, staring intently at you. He was making you more nervous with every passing second.

"Is there anything you need?", you finally asked, getting up to go to him. He smiled mysteriously again and as soon as you were within reach, he pulled you by the wrist to the couch where you dropped down next to him. He laid your legs sideways across his lap and played with the waistband of your black stockings.

"I just wanted to see you before we start rehearsals."

You rolled your eyes slightly and smirked.

"What is it really Channie?"

He pressed his lips together and traced patterns with his thumb on the bare strip of skin on your thigh that peeked out from under your skirt.

"Am I that transparent?", he asked, amused, and now it was clear. There was that adventurous gleam in his eyes that he always had when he knew something he wasn't supposed to say.

You nudged him impatiently against the shoulder with your foot and said:

"Tell me! What have you done now?"

He quickly grabbed your ankle and playfully pinched your calf.

"Okay okay! Wait!", he laughed and his big hands gripped your thighs tightly, so weren’t be able to nudge him again.

"You need to close your eyes!"

Astonished, you tilted your head and looked at him in disbelief.

"Is this some kind of trick?", you asked, trying to get a clue from his impenetrable expression as to what he was up to.

"No. Just do it okay?", he said, and you sighed loudly.

"Mhh", you mumbled as your eyes closed. Chan looked at you for a few seconds. The way your eyelashes cast shadows on your cheeks and your sweet lips twisted into an excited smile made his heart flutter.

A sharp gasp escaped you when you felt his lips on your neck, and you had to giggle when he spread wet kisses in a ticklish spot.

"Channie!", you gasped and you squinted your eyes harder. You felt his sweet laugh against your chest, his lips right above your breasts.

"Maybe it was a trick after all. You just look too cute today..."

"What are you doing?", you asked, unable to stop grinning.

"Give me your hand!", he said softly, giving you a quick kiss on the nose. Confused, you held out your open palm to him and he took your hand gently. Then you heard something jingle and something cool touched your palm.

The little thing was as heavy as metal and just as hard.

You frowned and that's when Chan said:

"You can look now."

Slowly you opened your eyes and looked directly into Chan's excited face. His eyes lit up with anticipation and he waited anxiously for your reaction.

Then you looked at your palm and recognized the silver key. It looked like a door key and shone like real silver in the light of the office.

Even more confused than before, you looked at Chan again, not daring to move your hand. Only gradually you started to understand and you could only slap a hand over your mouth in disbelief.

Had he really done that? Had it really worked?

It was too good to be true, so you just stared at him wordlessly, before you could say something.

"Channie, what does that mean?", you asked in a shaky voice, glancing again at the key that lay heavy in your hand.

"We talked to Mrs. Chung and a few others and explained your situation. I did some research. Through your employment contract, JYP Entertainment is obligated to provide you with a place to live. Our proposal was accepted as it has benefits for all parties."

The information didn't quite get through to you yet. Chan wanted to kiss you really bad, you looked so adorable looking at him from wide eyes.

"That means..."

"You're moving in with us. As early as tomorrow. A moving company will take care of everything and bring your stuff to the dorm during the next days.“

Your mind went blank. You could only stare at the key and slowly close your hand around it. Now that the information had slowly reached you, you shook your head.

"Chan, what... how..."

You had no idea what to say. Once again, he had completely overwhelmed you, and you didn't know how you could ever repay him for all that.

"That's incredible," you breathed, and he chortled delightedly.

"I hope this isn't happening too fast for you. But we wanted to hurry since you already have to be out of your apartment by the end of the week."

Chan caught you just in time as you threw yourself into his arms, the key tight in your fist. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself against him until you were sitting sideways all the way on his lap. He held you by the waist and returned the hug with a happy smile. You nuzzled your face to his neck and a broken gasp escaped you, very similar to a sob.

All your worries evaporated into thin air and a heavy stone was lifted from your chest that had taken your breath away for days.

"Thank you Channie! I don't know how I can ever repay you for all that you have done for me."

You felt his body heat and his cologne swirled around you like a pleasant cloud.

"You do such a good job and take such loving care of us... That's the least“, he breathed, enjoying the way your body nestled against his chest.

It seemed like you were never going to let him go and that was just fine with him.

His hands traveled up your back, under your shirt and stroked down your spine to your bra. You detached yourself from him a little to be able to look at him, but without taking your arms from his neck.

His eyes roamed curiously over your face and he was pleased to see your glazed eyes and overwhelmed smile.

"You have no idea how much you're helping me with this... How can I make it up to you?", you asked, stroking your fingers over the back of his neck, to his hairline and nuzzling him, making him grumble in satisfaction.

"Kiss me and maybe I'll think of something", he teased, and you didn't let him tell you twice. You both grinned like idiots and all you had to do was lean forward and your lips collided.

He cupped your face with his hands and put everything he had into the kiss. The key you unconsciously put next to you on the cushion, because as great as it was to have something material that gave you security, it was Chan you wanted and would prefer every time.

He tickled little sighs out of you as he gently bit your lip and your tongue slid into his mouth without resistance. Your hands found their way into his hair and your entire body melted into his. It wasn't long before the kiss became more heated and chaotic.

When he pulled back briefly, his mouth landed on your neck and licked a strip down to your collarbone. As he exhaled, goosebumps spread across your body as the spot tingled cool. You grabbed his hands and put them to your breasts, which he squeezed lightly.

„Can I fuck you right here? At your office?“, he pleaded and kissed your earlobe.

“I’ll do anything you want, Mr Bang”, you teasingly cooed and tugged your hands under his shirt to touch his abs.

“You know how sexy it is when you talk to me like that?”, he grinned and grabbed your ass to knead your skin under your skirt.

It took quite a while before you realized the knock on the door. Breathing heavily, you detached yourselves a little from each other and someone was already pushing down the handle.

You slid off his lap next to him just in time as Na Ji-Deung entered. The young man had been working for the company for a couple of years, but had been responsible for organizational tasks and had only been back in town for the last week.

He was now in charge of managing the economic aspect and quotas of Stray Kids, and now worked closely with you. He was a few years older than Chan and from the very beginning loved to interfere in matters that were actually your area of responsibility.

He was constantly sneaking around near you and knocking on your office more often than it was necessary. That's exactly why you quickly found him very annoying, since he always barged in when it didn't suit.

You also noticed his attempts at flirting, but you kept it to yourself. You really couldn't use any extra stress right now.

Now he was glancing back and forth between you and Chan, who was staring at the ceiling in annoyance, taking a deep breath. Quickly, you straightened your shirt and took your legs off Chan's lap.

"Can I help you?", you asked when he didn't say a word.

He quickly cleared his throat and straightened his tie.

"I wanted to let Bang Chan know that the background dancers are all here now. I couldn't find him so I assumed he was here."

You thought you detected a slightly sour tone, but maybe you were just imagining it.

"You were obviously right about that. You found me", Chan said and stood up. You grabbed the key and slid it into your bra before standing up as well.

"Thanks. We'll be right there", Chan said again emphatically when he didn't move.

"Everyone is already waiting for you", Ji-Deung replied, to which Chan raised his eyebrows with a petrified expression. You quickly grabbed his upper arm.

"Go ahead! I'll be right there", you assured him, and after a brief hesitation and an emphatically long look at Ji-Deung, he nodded and then left the office. Only when he was gone did Ji-Deung seem to breathe a sigh of relief and relax a bit.

"Do you need anything else?", you asked with a smile and that's when he seemed to think of something again.

"Uh yeah... I would need your signature for the upcoming cooperation", he said and held out to you the document he was carrying. You nodded quickly and took it from him.

While you skimmed it, he looked around the room a bit and then stared at the sofa where you had just been making out with the leader of the band you were both working for.

"You get along pretty well with Bang Chan...", he remarked seemingly unintentionally.

As you pulled a pen out of your drawer, you had to smile a bit.

"Yes. We work very closely together, so we spend a lot of time together. Wouldn't be so good if we didn't get along."

He nodded slowly and tensed up again. You put your signature on the document as you found everything to be suitable and handed it back to him. He ran his hand through his short black hair and averted his eyes from your legs, which he had been looking at while you leaned over the desk.

"Are you very close?", he asked then suddenly and you could only raise your eyebrows in surprise.

"I get along well with all the members...", you said, and finally he took the document from you.

"Or what do you want to know?", you added sharply.

Quickly he shook his head as he looked into your face.

"Nevermind."

"Excuse me. I have to work", you said monotonously and finally he understood and said goodbye. You left your office after him and made your way to the practice room. Your heart was still pounding with nervousness.

Did he suspect something or was he just too curious?

If he only knew that you were regularly fucked by the members...

Rehearsals were in full swing and the guys were doing their best with the new choreography. The background dancers were also excellent and all sympathetic and sweet.

During a meeting, you struck up a conversation with one of the younger dancers and you quickly got on the obvious topic.

"I've seen that you can dance very well too", he said, brushing his brown hair out of his forehead.

He was really cute, had dimples when he smiled and was polite.

"I was a dance teacher in America. Now here I just dance for fun", you explained and he nodded attentively.

"That's cool. You'll probably know all the choreography by heart."

"Not yet... But I'm working on it", you laughed and he leaned against the wall next to you.

„I could teach you."

That's when Lee Know elbowed Hyunjin in the side and nodded in your direction. Both of them were busy talking to the choreographers. But Hyunjin immediately clenched his teeth tightly when he saw the handsome young man with you and how he made you laugh.

After a few more runs, your body automatically moved to the music and imitated the dance steps. You would have loved to join them on the dance floor. The performance was energetic and exciting.

The guys were fully engaged and during a small break the handsome dancer came up to you again.

"The steps already look better on you than they do on us", he laughed, and you shrugged it off.

"No... I don't think so. I still don't understand the most of it. For example, the transitions..."

You started fooling around a bit and he showed you some of the steps in more detail. Hyunjin kept looking in your direction and gradually became more and more restless. He couldn't stand the way he looked at you when he gently touched your arm and you blinked at him with your beautiful eyes.

Eventually he couldn't take it anymore and broke away from his position. The guys were busy making adjustments anyway and you winced when he suddenly appeared next to you.

"How do you like it so far?", he asked, naturally putting an arm around your shoulder. As he did so, he didn't take his eyes off the dancer, who immediately became quietly.

"It looks really great. The power goes well with the song”, you said a bit irritated.

Hyunjin smiled slightly.

"What are you up to?", he asked, and the dancer took the floor:

"I'm just showing her some of the dance steps."

Hyunjin nodded and looked down at him like an insect.

"Oh yes. I almost forgot... Lee Know needs you. You should go to him."

"Oh really? Yes okay."

Somewhat confused, he listened to him and walked over to Lee Know, who had never said that. Hyunjin just wanted to remove him from around you.

"What was that about?", you asked in wonder, looking up at him.

"Do you like him?", he asked, and you had to smile lightly. Was he a little jealous?

Just because you were talking to another man?

"He's nice. He offered to help me with the dance cover I wanted to do."

"Hm... You know I can help you too."

Quickly you nodded and smiled knowingly.

"Of course I know that."

"Good..."

He just looked at you for a while. He loved the way you glanced at him. Like he was something fascinating that you couldn't take your eyes off. Hyunjin had to rejoin the others, but didn't miss the chance to stroke your back and seemingly accidentally touch your butt.

As the rehearsal drew to a close, everyone was sweating and out of breath. But it all worked out and the choreography was finally wrapped up. After the guys thanked the staff and said goodbye, you could see the handsome dancer approaching you again.

With gritted teeth, Hyunjin noticed this too.

Why couldn't that stupid boy just disappear?

He stood by you for a while, you chatted casually, and every time you smiled, Hyunjin wanted to run over and finally put an end to it. When you even gave him your cell phone and you exchanged numbers, Hyunjin couldn't stay calm anymore.

Within seconds, he was standing next to you and the smile was gone from his face. Instead, he only radiated coldness and you could only look at him silently.

"The rehearsal is over. You can leave now buddy!"

Although his tone sounded friendly and he patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner, there was no warmth that he usually radiated.

"We were just exchanging numbers in case I ever have a question about choreography or a dance cover. I don't always want to bug you guys about it since you're so busy."

You sounded like you were justifying yourself and the dancer was getting more confused each second. Hyunjin continued to look at him coolly and nodded slowly.

"I think that won't be necessary."

"Jinnie... Can we talk in private?", you whispered then to end the awkward situation. He nodded and together you walked down the deserted hallway.

As soon as you turned to him, you crossed your arms.

"What was that about?", you snapped at him.

"I don't like the way he looks at you."

"Ri-eun is just being nice!"

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows and slowly approached you. Like a predator encircling its prey.

"So you already know that frat-boy's name? Do you really think he wants to help you? He just wants to fuck you, can't you tell?"

His voice got darker and darker and you bumped your back against the wall. Astonished, you looked up at him and audibly exhaled as he trapped you between his arms, which he placed on the wall to the left and right of your head.

"Oh, you're jealous", you noted quietly, and he immediately frowned.

Was that what took his breath away as soon as he saw you with someone other than his members?

"Maybe”, he murmured.

As he spoke, he moved his thumb to your chin, pulling your lips apart just a little before running it down the front of your throat, adding just enough pressure to make you gasp.

"Maybe I'm just scared."

The tension was taut to the breaking point and you barely dared to breathe. His face hovered close to yours and he pushed your legs apart slightly with his knee.

"Scared?", you asked breathlessly and could only stare at his perfect lips.

His skin was still shiny from the exertion and the hairband kept the soft strands of hair out of his face. In his eyes now shone not only the typical warmth, but dangerous heat that could burn you at any moment.

He stroked his fingers further down your neck, leaving a crackle on your skin.

"I am scared because I don't want anyone else to realize how beautiful, smart, funny, kind and just so damn lovable you are. Because maybe then they will steal you from us. We don't want to lose you, princess."

His words made your whole body tingle and you automatically put your hands to his chest to feel him closer. His fingers slid down your collarbone to your chest.

"You're not going to lose me. After all i’ll be moving in with you in a few days."

At that, he lifted his eyes and looked at you in surprise.

"You said yes?"

An amused snort escaped you.

"Of course I said yes. You guys mean just as much to me, haven't you noticed?"

Now all he could do was smile, and it was the most beautiful smile you've ever seen. His hand stroked your neckline and you wanted to feel his touch everywhere at once.

He leaned forward until his mouth hovered next to your ear and you had to suppress pressing against him as your upper bodies touched.

"Come to the dorm tonight... Then I'll show you how much you're really worth to us”, he whispered in your ear and your whole body trembled with excitement. With a smile, he kissed down your jaw with his hand still on your cleavage, eliciting a trembling gasp from you.

Only briefly did his lips detach from your skin and you looked at him in wonder, but his gaze was fixed on something in the hallway.

You followed his gaze and your heart leapt.

Ri-Eul was standing in the hallway and was probably about to leave. He was staring at both of you and Hyunjin made no move to let go of you. Quite the opposite. His lips brushed along your neck again and one hand lay firmly against your breast, while you had to suppress a desperate moan with all your might.

Quickly the dancer tore himself away from the sight and hurried along the corridor until he disappeared.

"Did you have to do that?", you asked, clawing your fingers into his chest as his warm breath brushed against the sensitive skin on your neck. A chuckling laugh escaped him and he lightly squeezed your breast through the fabric of your top.

Of course he had done this on purpose.

He wanted to be seen like that, so the boy would understand that there was nothing to get from you.

"I'll see you tonight", he said with a meaningful grin, squeezing your hip. Then he disappeared back into the practice room to finish discussing with the boys.

Your heart fluttered like crazy when you later stood in front of the dorm's door.

The thought that this would soon be your home was so unreal that for a moment you just stared at the white door. It wasn't until someone came up the stairs behind you that you remembered to ring the bell. While waiting for someone to open the door, you looked down at yourself.

You had put on a long black coat, because although the first flowers were already blooming, the icy wind of winter was still sweeping through the streets.

It had taken you forever to decide what you would wear. Hyunjin's words and his jealousy had not left your mind. You also wanted to give him something, which is why you had chosen a tight white dress. You knew exactly how much he loved white on you and also how much he liked to look at your body, especially your boobs, when you wore something more revealing.

Your outfit for him was safely tucked away under your coat, with only your white stockings peeking out from underneath. When the door opened, a delicious scent of chocolate immediately hit you.

Felix stood in the doorway and smiled when he saw you.

"Hey, Y/N! You're just in time. I need you to do me a favor."

Taken off guard by his radiant energy, you let yourself be pulled into the apartment with amusement. You were a bit surprised, since you had expected to be alone with Hyunjin, but when you saw Changbin putting on his jacket in the hallway and Chan slipping into his shoes in the living room as well, Hyunjin had probably made sure that you were undisturbed tonight after all.

"You have a key now, don't you? Why are you ringing the bell?", asked Changbin with a heartwarming smile.

You slipped out of your boots and Felix directly intertwined your fingers.

"I don't live here yet, Binnie", you replied over your shoulder, as Felix was already pulling you along. You let him lead you through the living room and up to the open kitchen.

"I found out last that you're really moving in with us", he said over his shoulder, and you waved hurriedly at Chan as you passed.

He just grinned a little, since Felix had taken you in before you could even say hello.

In the kitchen, Han was mixing up some protein shake and when he saw you, he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Yeah. I can't quite believe it yet either", you said, and that's when Jeongin joined you in the kitchen.

When Felix let go of your hand to open the oven, you understood why everyone was now gradually drifting into the kitchen.

"I wanted you to try my brownies first. I tried a new recipe", he said, setting the warm tray down on the sideboard. That's where the tempting aroma came from, and your mouth watered at the mere sight of the brown mixture.

"Felix is mean and didn't allow us to take anything until you tasted it", Jeongin muttered with his arms crossed, watching longingly as Felix began to cut the dough into small rectangles.

"Otherwise, there wouldn't have been anything left", Felix laughed, offering you one of the pieces on a plate.

"You don't have to tell me twice", you said, taking a bite of the juicy brownie.

Indeed, they tasted different than usual. The chocolate was more intense and a slight bitter note made you feel directly addicted. Your eyes got big and as soon as you swallowed, you nodded vehemently:

"These are unbelievably good, Lix!"

Satisfied, he smiled and watched you devour the whole thing.

"I'm glad you like them. Because I prepared a whole can for you. You can take it with you then", he replied, tapping a blue can that was next to the sink.

"Now give it to me!", Han yelled at him and pushed him roughly away from the tin.

He took a piece and Jeongin also made a grab for the brownies. Together with Felix, you went back into the living room and saw Changbin and Chan standing at the door ready to leave.

"Are you guys leaving?", you asked as Felix also grabbed his jacket and you slowly approached Chan.

Before answering, Chan pulled you closer by the waist and kissed you without warning. Completely caught off guard, you looked up at him and wrapped your arms around his neck.

"What was that for?" you asked with an amused smile.

"I just felt like it", he replied, and you grinned at each other like love-struck teenagers.

"Hyunjin made us leave", Lee Know replied from behind you. You hadn't even noticed how he had come into the room. Turning to him, you now saw Seungmin also leaning against the doorframe.

All of them were dressed and on the go.

"That's right. He said that we should be gone by the time he gets home... So we're going to get something to eat in town", Changbin explained, and Han came back out of the kitchen.

"He owes us all dinner now”, he said, coming up to you.

So Hyunjin had planned all this after all. Your heart pounded excitedly in your chest at the thought that he was doing all this to be alone with you.

"You haven't even taken off her coat yet!", suddenly Han snapped at the others, helping you out of your coat like a gentleman. He tossed it to Jeongin, who hung it up in the hallway.

Han's eyes wandered over your body in surprise and you could feel the guys' gazes prickling your skin.

"Shit we should have asked for so much more", Han muttered, looking like he was about to drool at the sight of your cleavage.

"Where's Hyunjin?", you asked in wonder, since he wasn't at the dorm.

Seungmin glanced at his watch, then said:

"He had to go to work again. He should be back any minute, though."

"Come on, let's get out of here! A deal's a deal", Chan then said, but not without giving you a pat on the butt. Sullenly, Han tore himself away from the sight of you and was dragged along by Changbin.

Felix was the last and you held him back by the arm before he could disappear.

"Thanks for the brownies Lix. You really need to show me how to bake!"

His eyes glittered like amber and his hands were firmly on your hips.

"I can show you how I make the brownies. Then you can help me", he said, and you nodded quickly.

"Sounds good."

"Then we'll have a baking date", he smirked and you ran your fingers over his chest.

It sounded like a sweet temptation you couldn't resist. Just like you couldn't resist putting your lips on his and pulling him into a heartfelt kiss.

As if he was just waiting for it, he hastily returned the kiss and you could taste the chocolate on his lips. It was intoxicating and when you broke away from each other, his eyes shone even more.

Just as he was about to lean down to kiss you again, you heard Changbin calling from the stairwell:

"Yongbok! Are you coming?"

And already Minho's voice was echoing off the walls as well:

"Hurry up, brownie boy!"

Sighing, he hung his head and you couldn’t resist kissing his checks and his pretty freckles, while he squeezed your hips.

"See you, jagi", he whispered, giving you one last innocent kiss on the lips.

"Bye, Lixie," you replied, and he walked backwards out the door to look at you until the last moment.

->Part 13

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Taglist (closed):

@poisonivy21 @elizalabs3 @chartrucewhore @smutlemononeshot @hgema @bookwyrm28 @jeongchaos @jihanlovic @comingupwithacoolnameishard @marked-unknown @yuhjoeyuh @bakedlilgoonie @itstorimf @toomuchtellyneck @ana-stasssiaaa @galaxypox @n034sy @amara-mars @purple-belle @amararosesblog @tori719 @rindomo @freakinthesheets-excelexcel @niaalove @crazyllamasurfer @luunaruwu @mariegalea @kimseungminsprincess @julciaqwerty @officialshania @whore4stucky9104 @foxinnie8 @i-dont-know-me-either @sirenthalia @mixling-blog @httpsmultifandom @hyunlixwife @eastleighsblog @tzalethhwang @queenofdragons12 @fixation-dump @midsoulz @emmxxsworld @scarletrosesposts @sugahannie @jinniespuppy @minervasystem @tasteskz-sworld @hyunlixsbbygirl @purple-bell

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ros3ybabe · 3 months

Text

Update on...Life?

Hello, my lovelies! I can't believe I haven't posted since...early December 2023? and now it's almost February! The time has flown so fast, kinda crazy. I do apologize for the lengthy absence, but as you'll find out, life has been hectic for me recently.

My boyfriend was in town from Dec 23rd til Han 1st, and then him and his mom left. The 2 weeks after he left were absolutely so difficult for me. As I've been unmedicated since early December due to insurance issues, my depression ramped up as heavily as it could and I pretty much stayed in bed those 2 weeks until my job started having us come back as the semester was going to start soon.

Once I started going back to work, I felt so much better. And now that my classes have resumed, I have more moments where I truly feel like myself despite still being unmedicated. But because my job is still pretty short staffed, I'm working a lot right now to both help out my job and make some extra money. Since my semester has only been started thus last week and a half, I am able to work this much but geez, I am so tired all the time right now.

I did finally get my insurance back! I have to pay over 150$ USD a month to maintain it, but I'm just excited to get back on track with my mental and physical health!

Things are slowly looking up for me at the moment and I'm honestly excited for what 2024 is going to being for me.

That being said, I am fully planning on coming back and posting regularly again! I missed this community more then I realized I would, and since the semester has started and I'm getting back into routines, what better way to keep myself accountable then to utilize my blog!

I am keeping the same theme, I love the pink feminine aesthetic still, but sometimes I may switch up the color theme, I'm not sure yet! And I will be resuming my challenge! I believe I got to about 30 days before I stopped, but due to the long hiatus, I will be basically starting back from day 1! I think I will resume the challenege either on Monday, January 29th OR Thursday, February 1st. I am not too sure yet.

also, please feel free to send me any questions you have about... anything, honestly! I will, alongside my challenge posts, be posting my goals for this semester, my study routines, stuff revolving around any hobbies I pick up, or my new *improved* routines.

til next time lovelies 🩷

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twbutterfly-milk · 2 months

Text

Intro below ⬇️

Dm/comment for post removal. Feel free to suggest posts you would like to see :)

Tw: ED, stats, topics abt health problems and dni if u don't want to engage in a minor's post. I do post some non ED related stuff but i usually have tw if ur worried, so if u wanna see that stuff (examples, recipes, self care during periods/common cold which is coming soon, and weekly cute animal vid reblogs just because i can) then proceed with caution ig

Info abt posts + blog intro below the cut

Any other info can be found in my bio

Upcoming posts:

Hair care (especially with an ED, your hair doesn't NEED to fall out or lose strength I promise) ✅️

Ways to reduce bloating

Natural weight fluctuation ✅️

Easy tips to help you reach your daily water intake goal/ maybe i'll make a post abt how to figure out how much you need per day

Flexible and short workouts that allow u to stay consistent and get results (thinking of doing a thigh gap one first and seeing if i enjoy doing them oe not)

Recipes

Volume eating

Self-care during common cold

Self-care during periods

My little pony themed diets cuz I'm sick and tired of "themed" diets not having anything to do with the actual characters themselves. U can't just put a picture of Pinky pie in front of numbers and call it a pinky pie diet!!!! (Ok, now that i got that off my chest i feel a bit better lol, also i'm doing my little pony ones cuz i love MLP but if u want me to make a themed diet based of a theme u like, don't hesitate to request one)

OMG THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE I SEE STRUGGLING AND MAKING BINGEING WORSE AS AN ATTEMPT TO STOP IT, i gotta start working on a binge reduction/prevention post (gonna take a while to do but it's ok) so more people know how to properly respond to binges ✅️

Intro to my blog:

Hello! I'm a nerdy, mentally ill MINOR (say it louder for the predators in the back lol) using this mostly as an ED blog. Undiagnosed due to reasons but i def used to have bulimia but i think i might be developing a different one now.

I am using this mainly to post health and safety info rather than just triggering ED stuff but i still do have a few posts abt that, so if ur in recovery, i don't reccomend engaging (recovery is so brave, keep fighting you CAN do this!). I truly do encourage recovery for anyone who can.

My bio has most of the info u need to know.

Despite my fear of carbs, sugars, fats and calories, i do like cake somehow.

Disclaimer: i am NOT any kind of proffessional yet, i will try to post my sources so u can fact check stuff, but i always encourage u to do ur own research too!

PLEASE COMMENT OR DM FOR REMOVAL OF POSTS**BLOCK ME IF U WANT JUST DON'T REPORT**FEEL FREE TO LEAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR POSTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE**THANKS FOR BEING HERE

With that out of the way, my stats are below the cut

Stats:

150cm or 4"11'

(I'll convert the others to lbs when i reach them)

Important info: i'll prob be unable to go below 40kg/88lbs without being forced into recovery (even then it's too much) i try to focus on visual goals more, my current are to get a flat stomach, thin arms and a thigh gap by may/June

Key:☆reached goal □gained back. ■gained extra

Sw:50kg/110lbs

Hw:60'something kg/ >132 lbs (overweight, way before my ED)

Lw:47kg/103lbs (got down then gained a bit when i used to binge all the time)

Cw:50kg/110lbs

49kg/108lbs ☆

48kg/106lbs ☆

47kg/104lbs ☆

Gw1: 46kg/101lbs (if i reach this, i get to wear the new black top, it's rly hot atm cuz of global warming, so i hope i get here soon, i only set rewards when i'm getting closer to the goal, not that i need rewards but it feels good to be extra nice, gonna try to get slimmer arms tho cuz that top would make me feel insecure when it should make me feel pretty cuz it's a nice top)

45kg

44kg

Gw2:43kg/95lbs

42kg

41kg

Gw3:40kg/88lbs

Ugw: 35kg/77lbs

Thank you for your attention, stay safe 🫶🏻

#ana meal #ana bllog #ana rant #ana trigger #tw ana diary #ed meals #ed not sherran #ed relapse #tw ed sheeran #i just want to be thin #thin$po #thinspp #thinspø #tw thinspi #weight loss #gaining weight on purpose #i wanna lose weight #fat loss

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kiestrokes · 7 months

Note

i like had this thought in the back of my head of like what ateez would be like with an S/O who has a physical illness bcs i actually have one which causes a lot of pain to my bones and i'm like in a constant state of pain and discomfort, been going on for about 12 years HELL YA ✊🏻, if i don't keep up on my meds (currently don't have the proper meds so it only tides me over for a little while-) then im basically fucked so IDK i feel like there isn't a lot of stuff written about this kind of stuff (im a sucker for shit i hardly ever am able to read abt) ALSO IM NOT 100% SURE IF YOUR REQS WERE OPEN BCS I DIDNT SEE ANYTHING POSTED ABT IT SO- YA- if you don't want to write it obviously you don't have to !! no pressure at all lovely

ATEEZ Caring for You: Chronic Illness Edition | SFW

Pairing: ATEEZ x Gender Neutral!Reader/You/Yn Rating: SFW Genre: fluff, slice of life, headcanons, imagines, scenarios. Warnings: chronic illness + immunocompromised talk.

🗝️ Note: Hey atiny anon! You actually asked the right person; I have fibromyalgia combined with a few other annoying chronic illnesses. Because you can't just have one 😓 I hope that you can find a decent fucking doctor and get on the proper medication soon. That's the biggest part of the struggle, finding a physician that will listen and is competent enough. I hope this was enough, I tried to assign each member a caring task that I felt fit them! Has not been beta-ed.

Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction; I do not own any of the idols depicted below.

Seonghwa

He’s here to help you prevent all the chronic pain that he can. Booking you massage visits. Trips to the hot springs. All the arnica rubs. Silly little games the two of you play, to keep your mind off the pain and depression spirals. His favorite is seeing who can build their new Lego set the quickest. Hwa is the biggest advocate for you, he would never return a dish at the restaurant when its wrong. But he will fight for you at every appointment, every pharmacy, wherever you need him to. Because he knows you've grown tired of fighting all the time.

Hongjoong

HJ's specialty is flexibility. You have a sudden burst of energy? He’s down to go explore that new pop-up market with you. You’ve come down with a bout of bone numbing pain? That’s cool, you’re getting changed into comfy clothes and piled up on the couch. Swaddled in your heating pad with all the snacks. Where he falls asleep on your shoulder. HJ never gets frustrated with your rapid change in mood or plans. Nothing but the most understanding partner you could ever have asked for, and boy is he so cute and snuggly when dozing on you. Small hands seeking your face for drowsy kisses that soothe your aches just a smidge.

Yunho

The quiet presence, the one who knows what you need before you say it. Passing you tissues, making you a cup of tea and most importantly holding you so that you can cry. Shedding angry tears about how frustrated you are with your own body for betraying you. For feeling weak. For missing out on things. He's gently calming every frayed nerve in your brain. Reassuring you that you're exactly where you need to be in this moment, and he will bring all of the fun to you. And he does, in small, manageable doses.

Yeosang

His way of caring for you is through caring for your outside. All the skin masks, hair treatments, skin softening lotions because if you feel cruddy, at least he can make you feel cute and comfortable. They do heal though, in their own way. The extra moisture of the humidifier and every cream and essence he buffs into your skin helps keep some of the aches away. Subsiding the itchiness of the nerve pain, just a little. And you can’t get over how cute Yeosang looks in each animal themed headband or with his hair tied back into teeny space buns or how nice his hands feel every time they glide over your skin.

San

Where Yunho is quietly attentive, San is passionately attentive. You cry, he cries (while holding you). Quite literally your pain, is his pain and he’s here to be with you through each step. No judgment is ever passed when he has to pick up your extra chores around the house. Because to him, that is the smallest act of service he can perform for you. San is the one who wishes he could take on your pain, that he could fight it and destroy it and it pains him that he cannot. So he will simply have to do everything else.

Mingi

He thrives on making you laugh and smile through tough days, because he understands feeling burdensome. Mingi never wants you to feel that way, he wants to make sure you verbally know that your presence is needed and welcome. His favorite thing is cuddled up in bed with you wrapped in your heated blanket watching shows. You looking so small in his arms, giving him the feeling of protecting something. He reassures you constantly, because he himself seeks constant reassurance. Mingi never tires of this, he will reaffirm every single self deprecating thought with a compliment even on his worst days.

Wooyoung

He cares for you with his skinship, which is incredibly healing. His happy heartbeat encourages yours. His strong hands make you feel loved and needed. Who would cuddle him if not you? Woo often reminds you, whispering the phrase into your ear as he traces his nails through your hair, or while rhythmically drawing circles on your spine. Making you float into dream land and anchoring you in the moment with him at the same time. Woo also loves making you whatever dish you’re craving, knowing you need energy to fight off fatigue and pain. And cooking is one of his many, many love languages.

Jongho

Needing to hoard all the extra rest you can get; you seek out solace at Jongho’s place for nap time. Jongho has taken notice, he’s also taken inventory as to which blankets of his you prefer, the pillows that keep you asleep the longest, what temperature you prefer the room to be based on what you’re wearing. All your favorite snacks before or after. New blackout curtains. He’s made his place your ultimate nap zone. New heated blankets. Duplicates of your fave lounge wear and socks. And he takes his payment in cuddles. Holding you tightly in his bed or sprawled on the couch. Sometimes he falls asleep himself and flips you onto your back to bury into your side like a full-sized teddy bear.

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ravenelyx · 9 months

Text

Cobwebs - Sebastian Sallow

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Fem!Reader

Words: 2k

Chapter Warnings: jealousy, light angst/angst if you squint, fluff, Sebastian's comfort food is corn apparently idk, suggestive (barely)

Summary: When a festival in your hometown causes you to dress up with medieval clothes, dance and act, Sebastian couldn't be happier and more proud - until he realises you will have a partner through all of it. And the partner is not him.

A/N: for the Sallow Sunday challenge !! I'm late in my country but it's still Sunday somewhere - inspired by a festival I went to today (literally came back at 1 am and wrote this: it's currently 5 am)

Masterlist

You can find the whole fanfiction also here on ao3

Sebastian had woken up with the biggest grin on his face. A rare occurrence, really, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't wipe it off his mouth.

Because today, apparently, was special.

He had been waiting for two weeks since his girlfriend had told him the news: at first Sebastian didn't really understand her ardour, but the delighted expression on her face was enough to propel the boy to match the enthusiasm completely.

There was a festival in her hometown: a celebration that, for one reason or another, had been impossible to arrange for about ten years. It was her favourite, she had said, because of its theme — a living re-enactment of old times, with dances and traditional clothing from her home — even more so now that she was chosen to be one of the people who was supposed to parade as an extra.

She was to wear a beautiful medieval tunic, and had to attend rehearsals everyday. As much as Sebastian wished to follow her there to see her hard work, she insisted that she wanted to keep it a surprise for when he finally saw her at the fest.

He had sulked a bit at that moment, but had been since then looking forward to seeing his beautiful girlfriend in an amazing dress.

He stood in the front row, having arrived early just to earn a perfect spot to bask in her splendid beauty ringside as soon as she came, and patiently waited for her to appear, nodding his head to the folklore music in the meantime. When the parade started, his body shook all over in anticipation, standing on his toes, eyes darting everywhere to catch a glimpse of his beloved.

And she was perfect.

Hair cascading in little twirls locked in a beautiful braid on her shoulder, adorned with a headband on the crown of her head, she smiled brightly, her lips shining with clear gloss. Her face was still natural-looking, with makeup that matched her features and made her look even more ethereal, and her green bliaut hugged her figure in ways that left little to Sebastian's imagination as his jaw fell open. It was tight at the waist, her corset even harsher around her flank under the kirtle, and adorned with a brown cincture knotted around her abdomen. Her only exposed parts were her cleavage, from which Sebastian could see a peak of her chemise, and her wrists, where the gown widened slightly. She moved with elegance and poise, careful to mind each graceful motion of her arm as she walked, and Sebastian felt his cheeks hurt with how wide his smile was, almost tearing at the corners of his mouth.

A smile that fell as soon as his eyes darted away from her gorgeous figure.

The parade consisted of couples dressed in different ways, only interrupted here and there by close groups of musicians who accompanied them, and as such, she was on another's arm as she moved.

And, Sebastian noticed, he was very handsome — much more handsome than he was, with his chiseled jawline and elegant walk. He held her arm carefully as they walked together, chin up and perfectly in line, straight posture and measured walk. It was clear he had rehearsed for a long time.

And he had rehearsed with her.

Sebastian felt something sour and ghastly bubble in his stomach when they finally stopped. She turned to the man next to her, and he bowed gallantly at the waist before taking her hand in his.

The dance started. The musicians moved to the side, while the couples took their place in the midst of the plaza, moving from side to side at the fast paced rhythm of folklore music. When she went forward, he did the same, arms bending to meet. And then they stepped away together, extending their arms all the same, hands never separating. The steps of their frolic echoing in Sebastian's ears, thundering in his brain at the ease and preparation with which the couple moved together. She twirled in the man's arms, taking a step back and then twirled again on the opposite side, and Sebastian’s hands began to shake. Their manoeuvres were so measured, so controlled they must have rehearsed a lot. They must have spent a lot of time together to perfect it. Hours and hours, days of days of his beloved dancing with another man.

Panic seeped its way into his core: What if those days of rehearsal had awoken something in her? Something that made her realise that the man dancing with her was better than Sebastian in every way?

He didn't dare go further with his thoughts… but what if…

The crowd cheered, pulling Sebastian from his reverie, and he looked at her. And she was looking at him, too, wearing a bright smile, eyes shining as she silently asked him what he thought. Her forehead glistened a bit with sweat, a sign of her hard work, and Sebastian forced a smile on his face, nodding at her. She nodded back and turned to the man again.

A new dance began.

She had been on that man's arm most of the night, entertaining kids and adults all the same, dancing with him once a new folklore song started, and even re-enacting some play scenes along with the other extras.

Sebastian was left watching, embittered by the sight so much that, at some point, he had to completely avoid said sight.

Whenever he saw a glimpse of her beautiful figure, he would turn around and go into another alley, hoping to find some solace in the street food he had been shamelessly indulging in since the fest started.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" The man in front of him asked Sebastian at some point, after the brunet had visited his corn stand at least three times. "I can't give you another cob."

Sebastian scowled, but he had to admit the man was right. His stomach couldn't take it anymore.

"My girlfriend… she…" Sebastian began, kicking the dirt while the man stirred a huge cauldron of maize porridge. "She looks absolutely gorgeous today…"

"I hardly see how that's something to be concerned about," the man lifted an eyebrow. "Has the corn gone to your head? Why isn't your mesmerising girlfriend on your arm?"

"Because she's on another's arm," Sebastian blurted out, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "And I can't do anything about it!"

A beat of silence followed. Sebastian bit his lip harshly, while the man seemed to understand the situation. He handed the brunet another cob. "Maybe you do need another."

Sebastian's shoulders slumped and he took up the offer, defeated, biting on the warm kernels. "It's just…" he spoke, voice muffled by his full mouth as he moved the cob around frustratingly. "Today was supposed to be a celebration, and instead I'm here with you and those damn cobs!"

He took another bite and the man sighed. "Just go find her is my advice. You're a handsome lad, and the dress up time has been over for a while I reckon, so she can be yours for the rest of the night."

"What if she doesn't want to be?" The words left Sebastian's lips without hesitation. "He's much more handsome than I am! Maybe she's even… they're even…"

He didn't want to think about it, the idea making the back of his eyes sting a little.

"If she was, why would she invite you?" The man shrugged. "And don't finish that corn, you hear me? Give it to her before your stomach gives up on your body more than you've given up on your dignity."

Sebastian grimaced at the man's harsh words, but he could feel his stomach grumble in protest and he knew he was right. He reluctantly let his now-comfort food lay at his side in his hand, and he made his way through the decorated alleys, dragging his feet like some chained torture was pulling at him.

Maybe it was good if he found her — just to give her his corn, that was. It would have been a shame to waste it.

"Seb! Where were you?" She asked in concern once his legs came to a stop in the plaza. "You weren't at the plays. I just… did you not like them?" She asked, voice feeble and unsure, and Sebastian felt his stomach twist as he realised he'd failed her once again.

"I… got you corn," he retorted weakly, handing her the half-eaten cob.

She took it with a frown, and then she met his eyes with disbelief. "You ate corn all this time?"

Sebastian blushed deeply, before his chest turned cold again at the sight of the man standing behind her.

"You were with him all this time?" He asked caustically, shifting his weight on his leg and crossing his arms defensively.

She was at a loss for words. "What— are you serious right now?"

"Very much."

"He's my partner!" She claimed, raising her voice, the cob in her hands swinging dangerously.

"No!" He snapped, unwinding his arms and taking a step closer. "I am your partner!"

She gasped a few times, unable to retort as she saw the look on his face. He wasn't angry, despite his deep frown and lips pressed together. He was hurt.

"Sebastian," she sighed, stepping closer. "It's just a festival…"

"You danced with him," he responded, the heat radiating from her body making his resolve crumble. "You must have rehearsed a lot."

"Yes, for the festival." The hand that wasn't holding the cob of corn came to lay on his cheek, and he melted in her touch.

"Still, I didn't like the way he looked at you!" He hissed, gesticulating sharply, trying to restrain himself from pacing back and forth as he usually did. "You look gorgeous and…"

"Sebastian… he's married," she sighed, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on his cheekbone, "and he's like… five years older than me."

Sebastian was quiet at that, a small blush coming to rest on his ears when he realised. "So… well married men can… I mean…"

"Not him… trust me," she chuckled, now so close she could bump her nose to his. "Besides," she smiled, amused. "It's a small town, and he's my cousin."

Sebastian gasped, mouth falling open at the revelation. How stupid could he be? He had been sulking the entire evening, missing her plays and hard work just because… because…

"Were you jealous?" She asked, nuzzling his cheek.

Because he was jealous.

"I… I…" he stuttered. "I might have been… eating more corn than necessary."

She laughed against his skin, and he smiled fondly at the sound.

"Yes, I imagined that," she said, handing the cob to her cousin and taking Sebastian's hand in hers, guiding him through the alleys. "But no more corn now."

Sebastian frowned, confusion evident on his features, and she smiled at his face as she got a bundle of keys from the aumoniere hanging from her belt.

"It's my family home," she explained, "and it's empty."

She pulled him inside once she opened the door, immediately wrapping her arms around his neck once he was close enough.

"I'm just…" he began, feeling like it wouldn't be right to do anything without apologising for his behaviour. "I'm sorry I missed your plays," he whispered, feeling guiltier than ever as her lips pressed on his skin tenderly. "I should have valued you more…"

"You've seen the first two ones," she smiled and pressed another kiss on his jaw. "Last two were boring anyway."

"Still, I should have enjoyed them," he protested, returning her kisses. "And your dress, too… you look so beautiful… so…"

"Well… dress up time is over," she whispered, mouth hovering his. "Care to help me with that?"

Sebastian let out a low chuckle at that, smirking against her lips. "Oh, I'm so going to enjoy that."

He pushed his arm back and pressed his palm on the door, closing it loudly behind him.

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nebmia · 1 month

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Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf: 5, Flying Circus

Flying Circus is a a game by Erika Chappell where you fly planes, have messy dramatic relationships, and find out who you are. Sometimes all at the same time. More specifically you fly *rickety planes from the dawn of aviation* and have messy, dramatic relationships, and find out who you are *in an essentially queer way*.

The first thing I love about Flying Circus is it's sheer audacity in taking pbta (usually deployed for low crunch storygame-y titles) and twisting it into a highly detailed and technical system for running dogfights. I think its really clever how Erika has taken the idea of a detailed combat system are re-appraised it from the ground up in the context of dogfighting.

There is no grid based movement here, it simply is not useful in the three dimensional world that planes inhabit. Instead your positioning is modelled through altitude and air speed, with each being tradeable for the other and spend able to perform maneuvers.

Honestly the whole system is rather intimidating (a fact the book freely admits). Each plane requires a little personal instrument panel sheet (and a few extra side sheets) that resemble somthing you would expect in a euro-game boardgame more than an rpg. The system goes as far as modelling how your plane performs as you use up your modelling fuel and with varying altitude. There are also a lot of fairly involved moves that it feels would be a little tricky to keep aware of while running a dogfight. However, from what I hear, the system works well and, once you understand it, isn't /that/ tricky to run. I think this isn't actually that crunchy when compared to your standard tactical battlers, it's just completely new (and working in a zone most people have less of an intuitive understanding of [although its worth noting that most peoples intuitive understanding of medieval style combat is dead wrong]) so we are unably to draw upon our preexisting assumptions.

You will notice I have to fall back on reports and intiitions here because I am yet to be able to play the game, which is honestly my biggest problem with it: it carves such a specific niche that I think I will really struggle to ever bring it to the table. Anyone I have talked to about the game has always responded to the effect of 'I don't think I'm into planes enough for this'.

I am also not half as into planes specifically as Erika Chappell is. But what I am into is getting deep into things in general, and this whole system excels at letting you get incredibly technical and nerdy about your plane (as far as things like exactly what radiator fluid it has, if you use the advanced rules) and making those choices actually matter in play.

ok, that's probably enough about planes (a phrase I anticipate has never once been uttered by the author of this book), what are you doing when you get out of the planes?

The game follows a cycle of mission and downtime, which you spend relieving stress (in healthy or unhealthy ways) and running upkeep on your company. This is where you do a lot of the character work and bring into focus the 'coming of age' narrative that the game intends.

Which seems a good lead in to talking about the playbooks. Each playbook is focused around a particular thematic idea or experience, which is helpfully spelled out directly in a 'themes' section for each one. This isn't a game where you play as a fighter because you want to solve problems by hitting them but rather one where you play as a Fisher because you want to engage with "a queer reclamation of the monstous", or a scion because you want to engage with "privilege and power, and what obligations come with it", or a believer because you want to engage with "a mindset that thrives on radicalism", or a survivor because you want to engage with "a metaphor for what it feels like to be a transgender person escaping an unwelcome or abusive situation".

Obviously, alongside themes you do also get a load of cool abilities to use.

Of the many games that claim to be ghibli-esque but I think Flying Circus hews closest on account of two things: understanding miyazaki's perspective on war and also due to being absolutely unhinged about planes.

#ttrpg #my stuff #Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf #Flying Circus #pbta

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user-needs-new-hyperfixation · 27 days

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something that's been tickling my brain for the last couple of days and kind of bugging me is that seemingly from the extras (Xie Lian being powerless against the amnesia monster etc), breaking his cultivation really DID sap Xie Lian's power.

Like. Okay. So Xie Lian spends the bulk of the story with his power shackled, reliant on borrowing it from other people when he needs it. And then there's this huge pivotal moment when he is freed from those shackles by Hua Cheng's sacrifice, freed by love to be empowered and fight his own battle, etc etc it's very beautiful. And then Hua Cheng comes back and they get married and the consummation of that same love that freed him strips him of his power and puts him right back to having to borrow it?!?! (albeit sexily😆) As much as I love this story, I'm having a hard time being satisfied by that.

My instinct is to want something like this: We know that in this universe the beliefs of the worshipers have at least some impact on the gods they worship. Xie Lian hasn't had worshipers besides Hua Cheng in centuries. And the new followers he's slowly gaining worship him as he is, not as he once was. They're barely aware of him as a prince, or of Xianle at all. They don't know or care what his cultivation path was. They just know that he was with them in Banyue Pass and Mount Yujun and so on; that he faced the serpents fearlessly and that he fought off the ghost brides and that he is kind and compassionate and brave and also clumsy and a terrible cook. They know him helping in the fields outside Puqi Shrine with a handsome lad in tow. And so when he breaks his vows to seal new ones, Xie Lian expects to lose his power. But when he reaches tentatively for it afterwards, he finds it all still there. Because no one needs him to be a virgin anymore. No one needs him to be free from anger or competitiveness or sorrow or love. No one needs him to push aside every human impulse and desire and emotion. The worship of those who love him -- and most especially of the One who loves him most -- frees him to be the god he is, and to have power as he is.

Anyway. This isn't necessarily a critique so much as a question...am I missing something? Because I very much like MXTX's writing and it's generally very intentional so that's entirely possible. Is the way I would like just too obvious? Too happy an ending with no downsides? Is there some narrative theme I'm not quite grasping? I would love to hear (kindly voiced 😅) opinions!

#tgcf #tgcf spoilers #heaven official's blessing #heaven official's blessing spoilers #hualian #random rambling

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yyawnjun · 7 months

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BE MY MUSE

photographer!studentminghao x fashion!studentreader

summary: how does it feel to be unexpectedly for one day the muse of your biggest crush since middle school? and what if it became harder than you thought ignoring those feelings?

short smau ; fluff!! ; funny; 2.4k wc

last part !!! let me know your opinions plsplspls ; if you want I could do other parts like extra chapters (?); and maybe another short smau with another pretty guy; let me know if yes and with whom you would like; thanks for all the support !!!

previous // next

8.08 am you were when you woke up, and as soon as you opened your eyes a delicious smell of pancakes surrounded you.

Jun - because he had lost a bet the day the night before - had been forced to cook breakfast for everything, and so he was in the room near baking pancakes.

You got up, maybe because of the scent or maybe because you were anxious about the day ahead, and slowly moved to where the good smell took you.

You found him with his back turned with his eyes fixed on the stove, and had it not been for the noise you caused when you greeted him he might have remained in that trans state forever.

When you looked at the calendar after checking the time on the attached to the wall clock, which read a little after eight fifteen, you realized that the moment had arrived to pose for Minghao. Now is the time to be the muse for your crush—the person you had been admiring since middle school but had never gotten too close to.

Since you were a student in a fashion school, you had already modeled for several projects, including dress fittings and fashion shows. But it seemed like you forgot about that when you had to pose for the person this time—the one who made it impossible for you to be calm and collected, the one who made your heart race.

Thoughts began to wander, and Jun became concerned briefly as he attempted to jolt you out of your brief state due to the baffled expression on your face.

You were so dimly aware that you didn't realize that Jeongan and Chaewon had also arrived to say - as soon as you blinked and returned to the real world, the first thing you noticed was a phone next to your face and the sound of the picture.

"New group profile picture. Thank you," Jeonghan told you in a voice still slurred with sleep as he put the phone away.

"PANCAAAKES" Before anyone could say anything about what had just happened to you that word was shouted.

A few seconds later, you heard a sound of quick footsteps, followed by a sort of shriek of happiness at Jun's freshly prepared breakfast.

"DID YOU REALLY MAKE PANCAKES?" screamed Yujin.

"PANCAAAKES," he replied, as Jungwon echoed.

And so it came about that soon enough you were all seated at the same table, too tired to speak, eating the exquisite pancakes Jun had just made with slow movements and light smiles.

The simple things that morning, like the deliciousness of the pancakes or the way the sunlight illuminated your friends and made them even more beautiful than usual, kept your attention from wandering and from falling into anxiety.

"Yn, we appreciate your attempt not to burst from anxiety. But your expression betrays you - Jungwon said at one point - you went from spacing out for ten minutes, and then to "I look at my friends as if they are the only and the greatest thing in my life", are you okay?"

Startled at how they had again been extremely detailed, you replied. "I feel like my mind could explode at any moment."

"Focus on the fact that you would be late if you didn't start getting ready in 3 seconds." with that simple but striking phrase, Jeonghan brought you back to reality.

9:28 in the morning; you had only 32 minutes to be ready. You quickly stood up and dashed to your room to change. After Minghao mentioned the theme of his photos the previous day, you were grateful that your friends had helped you with choosing your outfit.

Shortly after you were joined by your Yujin and Chaewon, who helped with make-up and hair.

"If the crush on Minghao pass yn hit me up. I am better than a man, and you are too beautiful for a man," concluded Yujin as she finished fixing your hair.

And damn, that girl's compliments made you feel so happy.

It was 9:50 a.m. you had just finished, and you were about to leave.

"Yn! Let's bet: confess to him. If he reciprocates, you'll transfer me to my iban 15$. If not, I'll do it for you." Jeonghad said.

"Sure sure," you said before you left.

"Yn, the colors of your socks are different. - Jun said before you could be too far away to hear him - nothing could go wrong !!"

That phrase was the only one that accompanied you on the walk as you reached Minghao.

He stood out from the crowd when you first saw him, and you bet you could recognize him anywhere. You would tell everyone that it was because of his unique style, but in reality, it was your feelings that made him the most handsome person you could imagine having by your side.

He wore a large black bag, sunglasses, headphones, a tight semi-transparent shirt with dark red and green designs, and black baggy pants. His body moved slightly in time with the music while his gaze remained fixated on the void.

As soon as you reached him and welcomed him, you could feel his eyes moving back and forth across your body, top to bottom.

He quickly smiled and said, "You look very nice; let's go," before turning and walking in the direction he had in mind.

People were staring at you as you walked, watching you with a certain mixture of amazement and admiration.

You seemed to be prepared for a fashion show.

He, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised by the looks, but he could tell you were nervous.

"Yn, they are all admiring you. They all look at you admiringly, as in a fashion show. And if I weren't in danger of crashing with a light pole, I would do the same."

Your ears made the words sound like classical music. When so much still needs to happen, you reach the first point of highest tension, just as in symphonies.

"mpf look who's saying that," you whispered.

You two soon arrived at the destination, which was your middle school.

You suddenly had a thousand memories come flooding back, both good and bad. Minghao, and how it all began with him, was the one who stood out among them all.

You were a little confused by the setting because he hadn't given you much information regarding his plans for the project - but he had added that since you had become his muse, the whole photobook's theme had changed.

"Memories of Beauty" was the theme of which you were the muse.

You didn't know much more than that; all he had said was that he wanted his photographs to be simple and minimalistic.

You two went to an empty classroom that would be your photographic studio that day after entering the school and moving quickly to avoid being seen.

"Do you remember that this was our art room?"

"How could I forget! It was in this classroom that you spoke to me for the first time," and immediately afterward you bit your tongue at what you had just spoken.

The awkward silence had developed, even if you were the only one who recognized it, so your mind started to come up with millions of things to say to break it.

The silence was absent for him as his heartbeats filled those moments noisily.

"I remember that very well," he added, making you wince.

Despite the moment of confusion, he appeared calm, and this also helped you to relieve your initial tension.

"I chose this theme since you reminded me of it; it won't be anything wild. I'll give you a more thorough description of my photobook project at the end of the day. I am aware of your curiosity, and I promise you that you will know everything," He told you while smiling as usual.

You found out only later that he was not yet ready to give you the speech he had prepared the night before.

So you nodded and prepared for the photoshoot.

As a model, you already knew many poses, and he, as a photographer, knew as many poses. Thanks to this, you were able to work very quickly and without too many hiccups.

Occasionally The8 would hand you some accessories, such as his glasses or one of his jackets, but the funniest moments were when he showed you how to set up for the pose.

Once you switched roles—he was the model, you were the photographer—and while your laughs filled the classroom, you made memories untouched by the outside world.

"We have one shot left. I thought you might change outfit," the boy said at one point.

"Oh, I hadn't thought about bringing another one."

"Do not worry; it's not necessary. If it's good with you, of course, I thought I'd lend you some of my clothes."

"Of course, thank you" you replied without thinking.

He handed them to you, and you moved to the bathroom to change.

Only there you realize what you had just so nonchalantly accepted.

His scent on those clothes was intoxicating and tremendously good.

Only a red tie, red boots, and red sunglasses stood out from the long, dark skirt and matching top.

When you were following Minghao's Instagram account, you remember seeing images of him wearing the same outfit. You smiled and flushed at this.

So, with your head still in the clouds and a dreamy expression on your face, you made your way back to the classroom.

It was the click of the camera that made you wake up.

"What is this thing of taking pictures of me when I least expect it-" you said, thinking back to the Jeonghan episode that morning.

"Uh sorry, I should have immortalized you because I was mesmerizing…"

"Uhm! Thanks…I guess," you replied, chuckling.

When The8 saw you wearing the outfit, his eyes struggled more to re-cross yours, and the points of his ears turned crimson.

At that time, only he knew how attractive you were in his eyes.

The shots ended, and it was now 2:38 p.m., so you opted to go and have lunch together.

It had been a quick photo shoot. But, thanks to his talent, combined with yours, and a healthy dose of luck and worry about the short deadline, you finished in almost five hours.

You hadn't forgotten about the change in your attire, but you both chose to keep your opinions to yourselves about it. You to keep his fragrance close for a little longer, and he because seeing you in that dress had encouraged him to confess.

Lunch flew by, and you found yourself going through a park, planning to sit down someplace and rest for a moment in the shade of some trees.

"Do you know who a muse is, yn?"

"Of course, besides being the daughters of Zeus, the muses are those who inspire poets, painters … artists," you said, smiling.

And he nodded before continuing, "I chose to ask you to be my muse because I knew exactly what that word meant. And I knew I couldn't use it on anyone other than you. You are my muse of memory of beauty."

"What do you mean?"

"I chose as the theme for my photobook: "memory of beauty" , and I couldn't help but draw inspiration from the ancient Greeks. Those from whom we derive the current definition of beauty, you know? And the Greek poets, such as Sappho, were always inspired by a muse while creating those timeless works of art."

You hesitated for a moment, perplexed by his speech; was this his way of confessing to you?

"Oh look! There is a perfect spot under that weeping willow tree," he said pointing to the ground.

You approached there, and as you sat down on the lawn, he stretched out to look at the sky.

"…I don't think the beauty of my photobook will be immortal for everyone, but it will be eternal for me because of your collaboration."

"Wait, so you think I am pretty?… I mean, because you're the one who compared me to the concept of beauty…I am honored, Minghao."

And hearing his name mentioned by you sounded sweetly as honey in the boy's ears.

"You are beautiful yn."

The words that came from him seemed almost more romantic than Yujin's.

He'd never stopped looking up while saying this, because the only thing preventing him from the urge to kiss you at the time was the sky.

"If you use those words, look, I might even fall in love with you," you joked as if you hadn't already.

He paused for a bit before whispering, "You are beautiful."

"What?" convinced you didn't hear correctly, or perhaps to make him repeat himself, you moved closer to his face.

You unintentionally covered the sky with your face at the moment. He started to feel addled as his sight became lost in all the features of your face.

"My muse, you're making it complicated for me to resist the temptation to kiss you," he told you as he closed his eyes, trying to improve the situation.

"Oh?" you boldly asked.

And almost driven by an invisible force, you kissed him.

Because of how well your lips matched each other, it was a kiss that tasted fresh, fantastic, and magical.

He had opened his eyes wide in astonishment, only to close them again and be able to feel the feeling that he had been hoping for…

"MINGHAO YOU ARE DEAD. YOU SHOULD HAVE KISS HER FIRST-" A familiar voice was heard, and then Hoshi - a boy with black hair and a shirt with a tiger drawn on it - appeared from afar.

"HOSHI SHUT UP-" another male voice tried to shut him off.

Seungkwan, Jeonghan, Yujin and Chaewon all came shortly afterward.

It took a short time before all your friends joined you.

Yujin had been alerted by Hoshi's live tweeting, and once the others were informed, it had taken little time for them to reach you.

So you all ended up in a bar near the university since Dk was the waiter, and you and Minghao were mentally preparing to tell your version of how it all happened to the new big friend's group.

comments, likes, and reblogs are always greatly appreciated. I hope y'all will like it <3

taglist: @zzenkha @nobraincellmode @mirisss-reblog-and-tags @sunnynapp @kissesfrmwonwoo @justcruisingalonguntilbamkpop @meltinghershey @giuliadesu @tiny-angel05 @wondering-out-loud @amxlia-stars @sp1ng @lirtha97 @moretinyideas @haolistic @punkhazardlaw @fairywriter-oracle @eunwoophobic @miriamxsworld @shookykookie30

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jq37 · 2 months

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The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 6

Post Shrimp Jump Conspiracy Board Special

Hey y’all! Welcome back to Seacaster Manor where the shrimp party is still raging and the Bad Kids are balancing being cooler than ever with some serious sleuthing. We get a lot of new information this episode so I wanted to try out a new format for this week. I often talk in a metaphorical way about putting items up on a Conspiracy Board but I want to actually try that now that we’re a little over a quarter of the way in and have multiple overarching things happening. This is going to be a lot less linear than usual but bear with me. Gotta shake things up a little so I don’t get burnt out! There’s still fourteen more episodes to go!

The Rat Grinders

The Bad Kids’ de facto rival party got a lot of screen time in this episode, which makes sense: Adaine declared the party their nemeses over Goldenhoard or anyone else they’ve fought, which is saying a lot. Before this point, we knew the following facts about them:

1) They got their name because the only enemies they’re recorded as killing are low level ones (including rats) that they grind in the woods behind the school, showing a willingness to follow the letter but not spirit of the rules but also an impressive amount of dedication.

2) Their leader seems to be rogue, Kipperlily Copperkettle who is type A as hell and has a LOT of free time to kill having found the rogue professor (or at least having the rogue professor find her). She’s running for class president on a platform based around “fairness” which is a theme that’s come up more than once this season.

3) Also on the team are emo Bard Reuben (who seems to be related to the new Artificing teacher and who shares an agent with Fig) and nonplussed Barbarian Mary Ann (who is buffing herself magically somehow).

4) Kipperlily specifically asked about where Kristen was able to create a new god. Now how, where. An odd question.

This episode, we learned a lot more, so let's throw them on the board and make some connections!

5) The Rat Grinders have a new cleric named Buddy Dawn (something Kristen’s brother mentioned two episodes ago). He’s from Highcourt and moved with his grandparents. He’s got super Mormon+Southern “Bless Your Heart” energy and Kristen doesn’t like how familiar it feels. His vibes are clocked as well meaning but kinda judgey.

6) Buddy Dawn was *specifically requested* by the party. Of course, requesting a cleric isn’t weird–why wouldn’t you want one? And Helioism seems a pretty common religion in the region so odds are good that if you get a cleric is would be a Helioic one. But, paired with KP’s question about Kristen, it makes you wonder if the plan is to recruit a Kristen expy and try to get lightning to strike twice.

7) At the beer pong table, we meet the RG’s archer who is an elf named Ivy Embra. She’s got some flirty, catty energy (which we see when she interacts with Fabian and Mazey respectively).

8) We also meet the party wizard, Oisin Hakinvar, who is a Conjuration specialist with a focus in summoning. He’s a blue dragonborn which means that he has a great great great (etc) blue dragon ancestor he can ping when he needs barrels of diamonds, no problem. He has so many in fact that when Adaine lies badly that she’s also swimming in diamonds, he kindly offers to let her borrow some of his “extras”. But she turns them down, calls him great, and then panics and runs away to commiserate with Fabian who is also panicking about a flirty moment with Ivy. Oisin, for his part, seems driven to distraction and can’t make a single other shot all night. Cute! But–

9) As much as I want to wholeheartedly love Oisin (and honestly do and will until I am given direct evidence to change my mind) I have to point out that KVX, known evil bank, did change its logo from red (Goldenhoard’s color) to blue (Oisin’s Ancestor’s color) and there is a shot in the trailer of the party fighting a blue dragon. Connected? Maybe.

10) From investigating some yearbooks, the party also learns that the Rat Grinders have existed since Freshman Year but, at the time, they were called the High Five Heroes. They all look a lot more smiley and a lot less intense–Rebuen’s not even emo. It was the lineup from above, minus Buddy and plus a frost Genasi cleric named Lucy Frostblade. They learn that she supposedly died in their Sophomore year but specifically during a period near the end of the year where grades are locked and it wouldn’t affect their party comp which is…convenient.

11) Fig tries to investigate this by disguising herself as Lucy and seeing how Ivy and Oisin react. Only Ivy sees her but she doesn’t seem shocked at all to see her allegedly dead party member She just raises an eyebrow and ditches the game to talk to her. Fig bails (and rolls only a 12 to stealth away) so we don’t get any extra info but just the fact that Ivy reacted that way is pretty juicy info as is.

12) The other Rat Grinders don’t seem to be at the party but the members are skeptical about that. On the other hand, when Ivy leaves, it’s because Oisin pulls her aside and says, “Kipperlilly’s calling”. So it’s possible there was a Team A and a Team B for whatever the Rat Grinders were doing that night?

13) And speaking of what they're doing, we do have a theory. When Fabian checks some damage in the basement where Max and some other kids were smoking "gorgenfern" he sees that something called a cloud rider engine was smashed up pretty bad and in a suspicious way–gorgenfern doesn’t make you rowdy. Fabian checks the security tapes he obviously has and sees that some ice mephits came in and riled people up to the point of crashing into the engine. Adaine conjured some earlier in the party and as far as her arcana check can tell, they’re here, but there’s suspicion that Oisin–a conjuration wizard–could have done it. It’s certainly within his skillset. A cloud rider engine allows a vehicle to fly on clouds and it’s not clear if it was simply smashed or if something was stolen from it.

14) Max isn’t a Rat Grinder but he did ask them all if they wanted to smoke with him and Ivy offered Fabian snuff so Riz is suspicious that the RG’s are trying to get them kicked out of school for drug use now that they have a non-Aguefort principal who presumably cares about silly rules like that at the murder school.

That’s basically what we know about the Rat Grinders! So, to sum it up, I’d say the conspiracy board bullet points are:

Supposedly dead cleric Lucy Frostblade: What actually happened to her and why isn’t Ivy surprised to see “her”?

New cleric Buddy Dawn: Why was he specifically requested?

The High Five Heroes: What caused them to turn into the Rat Grinders? And, as they seem like they were more gung ho their first year, why did they never pivot to fighting things other than low level monsters?

Do they actually have beef with the Bad Kids specifically or are their vibes just terrible? Were they trying to sabotage them by offering drugs? Did they break the engine on purpose and, if so, why?

Oisin: Is he chill or is he working an angle? That question technically goes to Ivy as well but I’m almost certain she’s fully working an angle, lol. I’m getting straight up Aelwyn vibes from her.

Class President: What is KP’s angle re: running for class president? This seems like something she’d want to do either way with her personality but her policy of fairness dovetails too neatly with Grix’s appearance and Cassandra’s inability to say the phrase, “It’s not fair,” last episode.

How did KP find the rogue professor and is that relevant?

And finally, why did KP want to know about where Kristen created her Freshman year god? Well, that question may be partially answered in our next section.

God Stuff

There is a lot going on this season with celestial shenanigans between Cassandra and Galicaea and even Yes! So let’s mark out what we know.

1) Cassandra was possessed by some kind of rage entity via crystal shards that were expelled from her body. Her status is kind of up in the air right now as the party was shunted away to safety by Connor Counterspell (RIP) and all Kristen has left of Cass are some glowing, purple shards.

2) Earlier in the fight, while lucid, Cassandra said, “I thought you were dead” about some unseen entity. Later, Kristen heard from a creepy voice that said, “She is at my side once more”. It then threatened her and slid out the rotting corpse of Yes! as a sick joke. Likely that these are the same person or at least connected.

3) Gorgug identified that the rage stars are similar to what’s going on with Ragh’s mom, Lydia so it was put on the docket to get in touch with her about that–especially because Kalina specifically told them to track down Ragh with her last lucid words.

4) Tracker’s Galicaea rebrand is going really well. Her social media is really popping and the endless night probably didn’t hurt.

5) Kristen on the other hand, hasn’t been doing so hot. Due to a bunch of negligence based in lack of time management and personal uncertainty, she hasn’t been evangelizing much which means only she and Craig stand between Cass and her permanent destruction.

6) Kristen can’t contact Cass telepathically and says she can’t use her magic which is Not Great if you're as danger prone as the Bad Kids.

Alright, that’s all the old business so let’s move to the new business.

7) When Kristen talked to her parents, we learned that Helio doesn’t have a chosen one since she left but we learn that it’s more serious than that. Helio also can’t choose a new chosen one. He only gets one. With Kristen gone, the whole religion is without a chosen one.

8) At a certain point, Tracker finally gets a hold of Kristen and says some harsh but true things about Kristen but, more relevant to the conspiracy board, she talks about her girlfriend Nara and Adaine, as a fellow high elf, clocks her as coming from a family of moon goddess clerics in Falinel. That raises the question: is this run of the mill teenage rebellion a la the theme song, or is she some kind of plant? We’ll hopefully get some more info from Aelwyn since Adaine texted her about it.

9) The real juicy stuff happens when we talk to Ragh’s mom. The fiend in Lydia's gem is called Bakur. Her having him in there doesn't make her rage--she's raging to keep him trapped but that's it. Her personality is the same.

10) Bakur was a pit fiend and the right hand guy of a dead god whose name we don't know (hmm, another dead and nameless god). Bakur can't even say the god's name. It's like, weird god rules and Lydia explains in a weird vague way: gods not being able to use loopholes and saying names being powerful and rules changing for non-mortals when gods die.

11) The one very concrete info we get is that a god can only come back in a place where they were born or created. The reason Bakur’s plan failed is that he tried to bring back the nameless god in the Red Waste and not where they were created.

12) Rana (Lydia’s party cleric) is away and Cormyr (the party sorcerer) is dead but Lydia offers to put the party in touch with Rana and Cormyr’s family because they have more stuff related to this and they were the ones who knew more about this than her.

Following? Good. So let’s distill this down to bullets again:

Holy Helio. The corn god doesn’t have a chosen one anymore because Kristen up and left. What does that mean in a concrete sense? What can a chosen one do that a normal cleric can’t? Is Helio gonna ask Kristen to do anything this season now that we know that this is a special position that only one person can fill? Is it until she dies (or at least dies for real)? Would a fanatical Helioic person try and kill Kristen to open up that slot?

KP specifically asking WHERE Cassandra was created seems clearly tied to the info Lydia gave about only being able to resurrect a god where it was created. But what does that mean exactly? Is she trying to resurrect the same god as Bakur? Did she just assume that wherever Kristen made her god is probably where most gods are made and, thus, her best bet? What’s her angle? Is this an evil plan for just a “this will get me a good grade” plan?

Where in the world is Cassandra right now? She is MIA right now which means Kristen’s powers are too. Though I wonder if she can draw on those shards to cast spells.

We obviously can’t be sure but it seems like the voice Kristen heard and the person that Cass thought was dead is likely that unnamed god. What’s his deal? I’m sure we’ll have more info for this bullet soon.

Is Tracker’s new girlfriend Nara, much like Ecaf, a turncoat?

With Helio, Cass, and Galicaea all being in the mix, is there any kind of family angle being played. It doesn’t come up a ton but they are very much related.

MISC

This is a section for a few points that don’t yet fit under the main two headings of the season but still need to go up on the board.

Why would Aguefort program a robot that acts like Grix? Is he supposed to be like or is he hacked? If he is hacked, who would be able to do that? The new artificing teacher? The old one?

We learn that Aguefort has made a lot of contradicting proclamations and all of them are canon, so you’re able to pick and choose what you want to cite (I feel like I’m in law school again). Lots of room for loopholes which could be useful later.

Adaine, while very drunk, had an oracle vision of Kristen at a birthday party, giving a victory speech to a bunch of teens on election night as a crescent moon hangs in the sky. The Crescent moon potentially gives them a time frame if they look into it (and it specifically being mentioned makes me think of Galicaea even though not every moon thing has to be connected to her). And we know Gorgug’s birthday is near the Frosty Folk festival so maybe that’s why the hats.

Speaking of, we know there’s a connection between Riz’s mom defending someone for money crimes re: that Festival and Gorgug’s parents hosting it so that’s something to remember.

This isn’t something for the pin board per se but this season introduces a stress token system for downtime! I’m sure I’ll talk about it more when we use it for the first time next ep but, for now, gotta say he’s really ramping up the pressure on our kids! And, to that point, let’s do a quick check in with everyone and see what they’re up against!

Character Board

Adaine

-Adaine is still facing major money troubles. After last episode, not only is her job terminated, but she actually owes 2.5 gold for her uniform.

-It looks like she might be developing a bit of a crush on the cute dragonborn (yay) but he’s a Rat Grinder (nooooo). I will say though, cross party romance could be a lot of fun and also my favorite NPC in this show is Aelwyn whose top 2 traits are famously Criminal and Loves Adaine so I am honestly fine with this either way lol.

-Speaking of Aelwyn, I’ll put the sister stuff together: When Adaine calls her to ask for dirt on Nara she says, “Working, will call in five.” And when Adaine questions the fact that it's 5am on a Saturday, Adaine just gets a winky face emoji back. Suspicious!

Fabian

-Fabian has to juggle the new 150% course load (bard/fighter) as well as his new party house reputation.

-He has a lack of adult supervision which also means a lack of adult care and it seems to be affecting him more than he’s willing to let on.

-But honestly his biggest obstacle is probably himself right now, lol. He made himself a new nemesis in Gertie Bladshield and I am not confident he can handle this honey trap mission with Ivy without the tables being turned on him.

Riz

-Riz is also facing money troubles, but for him that’s kind of business as usual unfortunately.

-He has a TON of extracurriculars to keep track of but he so far seems to be handling it pretty well and is picking up some interesting allies (that double as votes for Kristen’s campaign–campaign manager is also an extracurricular he’s taken up): the aforementioned Gertie Bladeshield (Apiary Club), Sprak LeFevre (Aviation Club), and Molman Holden (Soil Club). Always good to have new allies and Aviation Club seems like it could be really useful later! I can see him making some luck checks to successfully say, “I know a guy” in a tight spot based on how many clubs he’s joined.

-He also has the Reliable Talent ability now which means he’s incapable of rolling lower than a 21 on things he’s proficient in which includes Investigation. We’re about to be getting some INSANE lore dumps.

Gorgug

-Gorgug has his insane 400% courseload happening and I didn’t notice this until it was pointed out to me but Zac actually leveled Gorgug DOWN in Barbarian to take an extra level of Artificer! That’s commitment. But I can’t imagine Porter, who already has a problem with him, is gonna like that.

Fig

-Fig would hate it if I didn’t start this list by saying that she hella misses Ayda and that’s her biggest problem.

-But she also has her album to worry about and we actually get the bombshell during a conversation with Mazey that she’s not even sure that she still wants to be a bard.

-On top of that, she’s taking Barb and Warlock classes along with the Bard classes she’s finally going to.

-She has her gnarly Gilear curse happening that’s seemingly connected to whoever the boss who owns the pride armor is.

-She has beef with Rebuen and is living her double life as Wanda Childa to try and learn whatever she can about him/the Rat Grinders.

-Both she and Wanda are wanted by the Solace FBI.

-On a positive note, she really endeared herself to Mazey by sweetly sticking up for her when Ivy was being catty. If Fig wasn’t so devoted to Ayda I could have read their interaction at the end of the ep as flirty. Regardless, nice moment and great ally.

Kristen

-Welp, her god is, if not dead, MIA which is arguably the biggest deal of anything on any of these lists, especially since it’s tied to her magic AND her grade.

-Next of course is the potato to her meat on her plate: her campaign. But that’s actually going really well, especially after this party. Her biggest issue is whether or not she can get Fetty Wap to homecoming and, lbr, in a pinch Fig can just disguise herself as him. When has that ever not worked?

-She also has this unnamed god (or whoever it is) taunting her and threatening her specifically which isn’t ideal.

-But I honestly think she was more fucked up by the conversation which Tracker where her ex basically outlined everything she needs to get together in her life and then posted a pre-written pic with her new girlfriend. That’s gotta sting.

And that’s it! I wanted to focus on the specific nuggets of info we got this episode and start to connect them with what we knew so far. Different format, I know, but I’m feeling experimental this season and I might switch it up a few more times as Junior Year goes on. I love covering Fantasy High but, like I said at the top, I have to keep it fresh so I don’t burn out. See you next time when Brennan makes the stress we’re all feeling an actual game mechanic! Fun!

#Dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers #d20 #d20 spoilers #fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #spoilers #the report card #when I started doing these no one was doing proper recaps #now other outlets are and I'm thinking pivoting to commentary rather than straight recaps might be more fun #but I'll see how I feel

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anonymouse1312437 · 5 months

Text

Matthew Lillard Smut Story

Scream VII: The Extras

◇EXPLICIT E IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!◇

18+ Only

Minors DNI!

This contains some backstory and ends with a smut. If you came here purely for the smut scroll towards the bottom.

Word count: 11,321

(Sorry this is a long one.)

Title:

SCREAM VII:THE EXTRAS

Today is the day I get to audition for a new movie that's happening in this area. All I know right now is that it's a horror film and they really only need extra’s right now. Which is fine I am just starting and shouldn't expect anything more yet. All I have done is commercials and well I have been stuck doing that since those come around more frequent then movies do.

They made it very clear to show up with a clear face and no makeup. No lines were going to be given they just wanted a very specific look and would go off of our everyday appearances. They also made sure to add that it was to be only casual clothing. Which was fine. I didn't exactly own anything fancy anyway.

I looked through my closet trying to find something that didn't have name brands or any writing on them as that could be against some kind of unspoken rule. After flipping through fifteen shirts I found a black shirt with bleach stains on it. It came off looking like it was distressed in some spots. I pulled out my black skinny jeans that had a hole in the knee. I grabbed my black combat boots out of the closet and started to get dressed.

This was a normal everyday appearance for me. I didn't need to brush my hair. I curled it last night so I could have more of a loose lived in beach wave curl. I just dyed my hair black last week so it looks even better than normal. I think I look alright. I hope they are looking for my style. I walked over to my dresser and grabbed my Scooby-Doo themed wallet that I got from hot topic when I was a teenager. It's intended to be a man's wallet but I don't like the bulky women’s wallets. They are inconvenient. I put it in my back left pocket and grabbed my phone. I unlocked it and opened up my browser since the address was on the ad I found. I copied the address and opened up the GPS. I pasted the address and pressed on go so it would route me to the place where the auditions and casting were going to be held. I am really excited. I made my way to my parking garage and walked over to my 2008 jeep wrangler. It was an army green color and is a four door. My pride and joy.

Once I was in my jeep I hooked my phone up to my bluetooth and opened my Spotify. I put my 2023 jams playlist on and Because boobs by Pyschosticks came on. I turned up my car radio so it was blaring and started to drive to the auditions.

Thirty minutes of zoning out and jamming out to music passed and I was pulling into a building in Santa Rosa. It took an additional fifteen minutes to find parking. I am glad I gave myself the extra thirty minutes. I turned my music down and sat in my car for a couple of minutes. It's going to be okay. The worst they can say is go home. Rejection happens all the time.

I finally turn my car off and grab my phone out of the cup holder. I turned it on silent and slid it into my back right pocket. Remember everything is going to be fine.

After five minutes of walking I found the building with a sign that said auditions being held here. I opened the front door and met the other fifty people that wanted to be cast. I heard a different door open and most of everyone fell silent except for a few who still were chatting amongst themselves.

"Alright, everyone thank you for coming. We are going to quickly look at everyone and the one's that fit our style will get a name tag and will need to stay. If you are not chosen then you are free to leave thank you." The person said. I couldn't see who was talking so this just became more intimidating. I heard the door open again and the sound of shuffling feet. I started to hear some tears spill from a couple of people who were headed in my direction. They walked past me and left out of the door. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This is going to be okay.

"Remember to stay put.” A mans voice said and I opened my eyes and three people were in front of me and one of their hands was extended towards me with a name tag. Shut up! Shut the fuck up! I got a name tag! I grabbed the name tag from the man and smiled at the three of them as they continued to walk through the room and more tears were shed and heard. The sound of the door opening and closing became harder to hear.

"Alright everyone. We are going to have tou come up one by one. When you get to the desk in the next room we are going to have you write your names down on the name tags and we will also be taking your pictures for passes for the film. As well as you will be signing a contract saying you will not disclose any information about the movie to anyone until after the movie is released. Once that is done we will group up again and we will discuss what the movie actually is and your roles in it. Okay. Let's get Started." The man that handed me the name tag said.

Everyone formed a line and because I was standing closer to the door it meant I was the middle of the line. It wasn't as long as it was waiting for the name tag. It took twenty minutes and then I was going through the second door and making my way to the table. I bent forward picking up the pen and writing my name on the name tag and then signing the contract. I put the name tag on and was guided by one of the people to the camera set up when the next person came in and started the process. They took the picture of me and told me to find a chair and sit down. I followed their directions and found a seat in the back and waited. Another twenty minutes passed and the chairs were filled and the three main people moved to the center of the room.

“As you can see a total of thirty- five people were selected. We will be using everyone of you in this upcoming film. Each of you will have specific things to do. None of you will have speaking roles. This is a horror movie as stated on the ad we posted. This isn't just any horror movie. It's the most loved horror film series. This is going to be Scream VII. You will be working along side some of the best actors and actresses. This does not mean this is your chance to befriend them. You are not allowed to be around them unless you are used in the same scene as them. Do not go out of your way to get their attention. If you do you will be removed from this project. Every day on set you will get new directions on where you are supposed to be. We will be starting in two weeks on Monday. We will start at 8 a.m on the dot do not be late." The man said.

Hell yeah! I am excited! They had us jot down our phone numbers when signing all the paperwork so I assume that's how they will be contacting us if they need anything.

"Can Josh, April, Samuel, and y/n stay behind a little longer please." The same man said.

The four of us stayed seated while the rest of the extras left.

"We happened to think your overall style fit in great but, we have decided we would like to use you as side characters and not extras. You will have speaking roles. You won't have a lot of lines but these were preplanned characters that the actors decided against being in the movie last minute. We will be using your real names for these roles. It will make it easier on your cast mates. Here are the scripts we are going to have you highlight your lines. All of you will die in this movie. Two of you will die at the end. Making it to the very last minute.” I smiled and tried to hide the excitement I was getting from this announcement. They passed out the scripts and we got to work highlighting all of our lines. They were right when they said we weren’t getting many lines. I’m okay with that. I mean honestly it’s not a bad thing.

We were flipping through the script highlighting lines still but we got to a page and my eyes nearly bulged from my eyes. They had me saying a couple of lines with Stu Macher. I KNEW IT! HE DIDN’T DIE! Oh my gosh I’m going to be in the presence or Matthew Lillard. Oh my God I have lines with him. He is the one that kills me sort of. I don’t mind my death at all. I die after a sex scene. I mean you don’t see anything it’s just heavily implied until they pan the camera over and see Billy stab me to death as revenge. I would also like to note that I make it to the very end. I am so freaking happy.

“Alright you guys thank you for coming. We look forward to working with you and will see you in two weeks.” The three of them said and all of them stood up and shook our hands. This is truly a dream come true. I walked myself out of the building and back to my jeep. I unlocked it got in and immediately locked it again. I put my keys into the ignition and started it up. I put my bluetooth on and grabbed my phone out of my back right pocket , unlocked it, and put Spotify on to the same playlist I had on earlier. I turned it up so it was mildly loud and then screamed with joy. The smile on my face was huge and I wanted to celebrate but I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone which made that hard to do. I can’t believe it. I’m really getting to do this. I finally put my jeep into reverse and started my thirty minute drive home.

Once I got home I was antsy. I didn’t have to work today and since this is supposed to be a paying job I will have to take a small break from work when this starts so I will have to get it sorted out. I’m a waitress and they make it very clear I’m replaceable but I don’t really care. If they fire me yes that would suck but there are other places I could get a job too. I decided to celebrate with some wine and a movie marathon of all the screams. That would be awesome.

The next two weeks felt like they took forever. My job told me if I took a couple of weeks off then I was going to lose my job so I let them put my two weeks in. Every shift they made it a nightmare for me. Every massive table and multiple big parties at once. It wasn’t easy but I stayed on top of it and I made enough tips that I was a couple of months ahead on bills and would still have playing around money. I wasn’t going to be hurting right at this moment so that was nice. I have always been relatively smart with my money. Tomorrow is the day I get to go to this acting job and start the project with everyone. I’m truly so excited. I got a phone call earlier this morning letting me know to come not made up tomorrow and that they would be doing hair and makeup for me on the set. The other three and I get to share a space together as far as trailers while the bigger stars got their own space. Totally fine I’ll just have to remember to not bring a lot of stuff.

I woke up before my alarm went off. I was up two hours before my alarm. Great, I was too excited to stay asleep. Alright if I’m up I mine as well as stay up so I don’t sleep through my alarm later.

I got out of bed, made my way to my closet and through on some black skinny jeans and a frumpy grey t-shirt. I put on some black no show socks and then made my way to the kitchen. I started to brew myself a pot of coffee and made my way to the fridge. When I opened it I smiled at what I saw. My roommate left me a cinnamon roll. It had a note on it saying congratulations on the new job I hope you have a good day. I smiled and pulled it out of the fridge along with the eggs and milk. I grabbed a pan off the drying rack and fried myself two eggs and grabbed a paper plate from the cabinet. I put the cinnamon roll on the plate and put it in the microwave for a minute so it would heat up. They always taste better heated up. I poured myself a cup of coffee and when everything finished I sat down and ate breakfast. This is the first time I have ate breakfast in forever. It was so good. I found the remote on the table and turned the TV on and opened up Netflix and decided to watch a couple of episodes of good girl.

Every episode with Matthew Lillard was the best. The one tacky blonde he cheated on Beth with was lucky. To have been “sleeping” with him was lucky. Beth was also lucky. She had proof that she was screwing Dean. She had kids with him. Granted he was lucky too she had massive boobs. Not to mention Dean’s ass was so round in some scenes. It’s just something you want to sink your teeth into and hear him groan in pain. I got chills up my back just thinking about it.

I heard my phone go off and saw it was my original alarm. I had thirty minutes before I needed to leave the house. I got up and threw my plate away and washed my dishes really quick. I turned off the TV and went into the bathroom and brushed my hair and brushed my teeth. I went back into my room and slid my combat boots back on making sure to tie them tight. I grabbed my wallet and phone and slid them into my back pockets and grabbed my keys and made my way back out to my jeep.

As directed by the three members of staff that hired me I drove down to Woodsboro. Once I got to the town I followed the directions they texted me and found myself at the entrance. When I pulled up a guard asked for my name and ID and when I gave it to him he verified I was part of the cast. He told me where to park and told me to wait by my jeep. Someone was going to be by with a cart to get me. I waved goodbye to the guard and smiled.

As soon as I parked I got out of the jeep and waited behind it. I saw a golf cart headed my way with two of the others that were with me. April and Samuel. They stopped in front of me with the worker driving and he greeted me and told me to hop on in. He spun us around in the golf cart and took us to our trailer where a makeup artist waited for us.

“Hello. My name is Mykie and I will be doing your makeup and hair today. It’s going to be pretty light for two of the four of you for now and I know they dropped off a couple of outfits for the ones they asked sizes for.” She motioned to the clothes. It wasn’t me so I assume what I am wearing is fine. She started with April and made her way through those three before I sat in front of her. She took like twenty minutes on me makeup wise but when I looked at myself I was in awe. I looked like a true goth. Eyes all black, a droopy but sharp wing. Big false eyelashes. My eyebrows were shaped to perfection and then she curled my hair. She handed me a small amount of accessories. A couple of rings and a thick chunky black bracelet that looked like a belt. I am digging this look.

We all stopped moving and chatting with each other when we heard a knock on the trailer door. All of us looked pretty awesome. April looked like a cheerleader which is fitting. She looked frail and cheerful.

“Hey everyone I hope you are all ready. I want you to make your way out to where we are shooting some clips.” One of the casting members said. We all smiled and ran out of the trailers following behind them. They hushed us and had us follow in behind them. We started to hear some voices saying lines and I heard the very familiar voices.

“Come on Stu. We can do this together again. We are best friends Stu. We can do this.” Skeet/Billy said. I cannot fan girl right now it will cost me this job. I’m not willing to lose this job.

“You left me behind you dick. A TV fucking fell on me and you never even looked back or tried to help me. You threw a god damn phone at my head. I don’t want to help you!” Stu/Matthew said.

“I’m sorry Stu. We can get past this can’t we. We have something to finish here. We have kids who continue this on for us. They can get back at everyone who bullied them. Let’s get back together in this.” Billy said to stu trying to convince him.

“look who’s here. Your exs daughter April. The ex who also ditched your sorry ass. Just do it stu. Get back at her and hurt her the worst way possible. Like the good times.” Billy said. April made her way to the edge of the scene and Skeet dragged her into frame. I just noticed that they had put some wounds on April.

“No man I’m not doing this.” Stu said

“This is crazy man.” Stu added.

Billy forced April to fall in front of him and put a knife in Stu’s hand.

“April tell him how old you are.” Billy said.

“Why does that matter?” Stu asked looking confused.

“I’m seventeen.” She said whimpering starting to cry.

Stu looked at her with confusion.

“You can’t be seventeen. Your not my kid.” He said. The hurt becoming more visual.

“Did she cheat on me man?” Stu asked Billy.

“She had David’s kid. He had a blast knowing she did it behind your back.” Billy said now laughing and making Stu more upset.

“DAMN IT!” Stu yelled. His hands running to the side of his head. Grabbing the knife with a firmer grip.

“Stupid fucking bitch!” He yelled again. Within moments he started to stab April. It looked so real. April looked like she was actually terrified.

“CUT!” The director yelled.

“That was awesome everyone. I’m just going to have Stu feel bad for what he has done and then drag April off scene okay?” The director made the note. They yelled action and Matthew did as he was directed to do. Once April was off screen Skeet walked towards the camera where it cut off when the screen went black. It was a way to transition to a new part of the movie without having to clip it. Matthew and Skeet made there way over to April who was standing next to me.

“Hey are you alright? Sorry if we actually scared you.” Matthew said putting a hand on her arm. She wiped a couple of tears away and smiled.

“Being yelled at is never fun whether it’s for real or acting. It did scare me a little bit but, nothing I can’t get over.” She said smiling at them. They gave her a hug and walked off. Now that she was dead I am pretty sure she doesn’t get to come back.

“Does that mean you don’t get to come back now that your character is dead?” I asked her.

“Yeah they gave me a one day pass. They said I won’t actually be on screen anymore. They would just use a snippet of my death later if they needed it.” She said smiling.

“Oh well that sucks I’m sorry.” I said. I really felt bad for that. I mean I know we all have to die during this but that really sucks. To only get to be here for a day.

We continued this routine of arriving and getting brought to the trailer by a golf cart to get ready. Then walking to set. It was really nice. Today is the day I died. I didn’t get to see Skeet or Matthew in a while since I wasn’t going to be in the background or much of anything today.

“Y/N get ready.” Someone on the sidelines said.

I walked to the side of the set scene and waited for my que.

“Y/N! Where are you?” Stu dragged out every word.

“I’m gonna find you.” Stu dragged out the words again.

I followed the que and started to crawl under the bed on the set. I started to hear the footsteps next to the foot of the bed and it made me shiver with anticipation. I felt a hand wrap around my ankle and pull me out from under the bed.

“You can’t hide from me baby.” Stu said. He pulled me up so I was standing next to him and he wrapped me in a hug.

“I will always find you and be right at your side.” He added. He pulled away from the hug and puts his hands on my cheeks. He pulled my head up to look at him.

“Let’s do this before Billy spots us okay?” He smiled and leaned towards me. They warned me there was a kiss and that I would be led to the bed but I didn’t know if that was going to actually happen or not. He continued to lean forward and closed the gap between us and kissed me. He pushed me back against the bed and then the director yelled cut as that was the end of the scene.

“Let’s set it up for the next scene. We changed your death a little bit Y/N.” I heard the director say. Fuck. Does that mean this is really it. I got to kiss Matthew Lillard and now I have to die? Can’t we kiss for at least another half hour and give me time to memorize the feeling? Please?

They started setting up the next scene. They didn’t tell me how my death was going to happen just that it was happening in the next scene. My guess is they want a genuine reaction for this. Which is fine I just hope this isn’t too bad.

“Are you okay if we put you in a nude colored tube top? It’s just we want to make it seem like your bare and have nothing on for the next scene. We know this is a bit of a change but if your not okay with it we can find another way.” One of the makeup and wardrobe people asked.

“Yeah that’s fine.” I said more than happy to be adapting to the change. They tucked me away behind a curtain and gave me the nude colored tube top that perfectly matched my skin tone. There was a small bit of padding to keep it so my nipples didn’t poke through it. I assume for some sort of protection from the other person. I stepped out from behind the curtain with the new top on and they smiled. They fixed my hair and makeup a little and gave me a couple of capsules to put on the side of my gums inside of my mouth.

“Alright when the time comes and you will know we want you to bite down on the capsules and the fake blood from it will pour out. It’s edible but doesn’t taste very good as a warning.” The makeup artist said. I grabbed the capsules and tucked them next to my gums.

“Sounds good.” I said

“You better get over there I think they are ready to start.” They both said to me. I smiled and walked back over to set.

“Hey I know this is a little more intimate then you were prepared for so if your uncomfortable just tap my arm okay?” Matthew who was now shirtless and in front of me said. Uhm is he hoping for a response because I can’t find any words. I just stared at his bare chest.

“Did you hear me?” He said.

“Oh yeah of course. It’s going to be hard to make me feel uncomfortable though.” I said and smiled.

“Okay good. Just remember it’s just a scene I’m not sure if this is the only thing you have done but, it’s just acting.” He said to me. I smiled at him.

“Alright everyone places.” The director yelled out. Matthew lifted up the sheet on the bed and I crawled in and he crawled on top of me.

“And Action!” The director yelled.

Matthew or should I say Stu leaned down and started to kiss me. His lips were soft. They were slightly small but I didn’t mind. He started to slightly grind against me which was a bit shocking but I tried my best to not have a reaction to it. He moaned a little into my mouth and it turned me on a little too much. I heard a door creak open.

“You fucking bitch. You stupid fucking bitch!” Billy yelled at us. Or rather me. Stu pulled away and looked at Billy and laughed at him.

“What can I say she has good taste.” Stu said.

“Not any fucking more!” Billy yelled and stomped over to me. He pushed Stu off of me and started the motion to stab my stomach repeatedly. I move the capsules in my mouth to between my teeth and bit down on them. I let the fake blood run down the back of my throat so it could trigger a gag response so it started to spill out of my mouth giving me a convulsing reaction. I heard them finish off the scene after it was panned off of me and waiting for them to yell cut so I could be removed from the set. After another five minutes with me in the background the director yelled cut and it was the end for me. My death was kind of lame but it’s fine. At least I can say I got to kiss Matthew Lillard and he dry humped me. Not everyone can say that. They handed me back my shirt and told me good job. They thanked me for being a part of the movie and I made my way off of the set and to my car. Once I got to the car I felt some tears near the brim of my eyes. I haven’t turned my jeep on yet so I was just sitting there in shock from the past couple of weeks on set. I heard a knocking on my window and I looked over my shoulder and saw Matthew standing next to my car door. I turned my jeep on and rolled down the window.

“Hey I was wondering if you wanted to grab some coffee or something later. Make sure your okay. I did it with the rest of the extras. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or that you have to. I know it can be scary sometimes or in this case sad when your released from a project “ He said to me with a shy smile.

“I would love that actually yeah.” I said.

“Mind if I get your number and I will let you know what day and time?” He asked me.

“Sure do you have your phone on you?” I asked him and he dug his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“Don’t you have to put your password in?” I asked him.

“I don’t use them. No need for one.” He said with a smile. Damn he is a trusting man. I nodded and opened up his contacts and put my phone number in his phone and texted myself so I had his. That way I knew not to ignore the texts or calls.

“I hope you don’t mind but I texted myself so I also had your number. I normally ignore numbers I don’t recognize and I don’t want to miss your call or text.” I smiled at him.

“Not a problem. Then I will see you soon.” He smiled back at me and I handed him his phone and he waved goodbye to me. Once he wasn’t near my jeep anymore I rolled up my window and started to drive away. I memorized the pathway to get home at this point so I didn’t bother with my GPS and I was so lost in thought that I didn’t bother with the music.

My phone started to ring ten minutes into the ride and I reached forward on my stereo and answered the phone through my bluetooth set up.

“Hey it worked you didn’t ignore my call.” I heard Matthew say with a bit of a laugh following his words.

“Nope I sure didn’t.” I said also laughing with the words.

“Anyway Skeet and I are going to dinner tonight with a couple other members of the cast. If you haven’t gone far would you like to join us?” He asked.

“Yeah I would love that. Where at?” I asked him.

“We are going to head over to BJs meet us there in like fifteen to twenty minutes?” He said. Okay that’s doable. It won’t be too expensive I don’t think.

“Sounds good.” I said and hung up the phone. Okay this is perfectly normal. This is totally normal. I’m just going to a casual dinner with coworkers. Cast members. It’s going to be okay. I know I haven’t passed BJs yet it’s another block away so I was going to be early. That’s fine. I have a couple of shirts in the back I can change into and I can brush my hair really quick and get more of the curls out and loosened.

I found a parking spot near the back of the parking lot and smiled. I put my jeep in park and reached behind me digging through some of the clothes in the back seat. I grabbed my Metallica black, grey and white shirt and took off the shirt I had on. I was wearing a tank top under my original shirt since I had to give back the tube top they had me wear for the scene. I wasn’t going to be flashing anyone today. I grabbed my hairbrush from my glove box and started brushing the curls out some more. I opened up my sun visor and looked at myself in the mirror and I looked decent. I checked my teeth in the mirror to make sure there was nothing in it anymore. I was able to get all the fake blood out of my mouth by swishing water all around it and spitting it out. When I put my hairbrush back in my glove box I pulled out a tin of mints and put two in my mouth and closed the glove box back up. Alright I looked decent. I smelled decent I’m pretty sure I have perfume in here some where. I bent back over and reached back into the back seat and started to dig around. I found it under the passenger seat finally and brought it up in front of me and started to spray a crazy amount onto me. It was the Japanese cherry blossom scent from bath and body works. It smelled so good. I put the perfume back into the backseat and looked in front of me. I saw Matthew getting out of his car and walking to the front door so I decided to get out of my car and walk over to meet up with him. I didn’t see anyone else yet. Maybe I should hang back so I am not going to make things awkward. Whatever I got this. It won’t be awkward unless I make it awkward right.

“Hey.” I said from behind him. He turned around and greeted me with a smile.

“Hey, so a little bit of a change it’s just going to be Skeet, you, and me. Is that okay?” He asked me.

“Yeah of course. If I get in the way I can leave. If you would rather hang out with your friend.” I offered.

“Oh don’t worry it’s fine. I’m glad he invited you to hang out with us. We wanted to get to know you a little better miss Colgate commercial.” I heard Skeet say. He walked in front of me and smiled down towards me. Wow they sure did make me feel short.

A hostess walked over to us with her jaw hanging open.

“Hello. Two for a table?” She asked. I assume she must think I don’t know them which isn’t her fault.

“Three.” Both of them said and she blushed feeling a tad embarrassed and grabbed a third menu.

“Do you prefer a booth or a table?” She asked.

“A booth somewhere in the back is fine. A little less public if you don’t mind.” Skeet asked.

“Of course follow me.” She said and guided us to the back of the restraunt and sat us at the booth that wasn’t directly next to a window and was a bit out of sight. No one would come back here that wasn’t supposed to be back here so that was nice.

Our waitress came out pretty quick and she was a really pretty petite blonde. I noticed she was eyeing both the men. I don’t blame her I have been too. I know both of them are married so that’s a bummer but awe well.

“So Matthew how is everything going you know since that thing happened?” Skeet asked.

“It’s been fine. I’d rather not talk about it too much right now.” He said peering at me a little. What does that mean?

“I can go. It really won’t hurt my feelings any if you both want to catch up.” I said again.

“No don’t go. It’s perfectly fine and we trapped you on the inside of the booth so we can learn about you more.” Matthew said.

“Uhm okay I guess. What would you like to know?” I asked confusingly and slightly worried.”

“All we know is your name so how old are you? Do you have family around here? Are you from California? Do you have someone that makes you happy?” Matthew was throwing a few questions out there.

“What about your favorite color? Is that your natural style? What’s your favorite kind of music?” Skeet mentioned a few questions himself.

I think I might need a drink for this. The waitress was still here. “You know what can I get a margarita on the rocks please?” I asked her and she jotted that down.

“Can I see your ID?” She asked and I dug my wallet out of my back pocket and handed her my ID after digging it out.

“Okay awesome I will get that started for you and what about you two?” She asked bringing her attention back to them while handing me back my ID.

“We will both take the beer on tap.” Skeet said. With our drink orders in she made her way behind the bar and started getting our drinks.

“Alright to start answering some of your questions I am 27 years old, I don’t really associate with my family anymore. They aren’t really accepting of me which is fine. I am not from California I am from Arizona. If your question is more related to happiness then yes I do have someone and that someone is my roommate. They have been my best friend since I was little. If it's more towards romantically then no I am single. My favorite color is an earthy green more so the color of the trees in fall. This is more of my everyday style except I really don’t like to wear makeup. I think I’m pretty on my own and don’t need it. I am all over the place with my music style. I like the 70’s- 2000’s style of music more than the current music in 2023 but I still listen to a few here and there.” I finished up the line of questions they threw at me and smiled with a bit of relief when she made her way back over with the drinks. She handed me my margarita first and I chugged it.

“Can you just bring me like two more for now?” I asked her and she just smiled.

“Sure thing. Are you all ready to order?” She asked.

“Yeah I think we are ready.” The boys ordered burgers and were looking at me for my order.

“I also will get a burger and your fries and do you mind adding on the sample platter you have and just add your favorites onto it? I haven’t been here before so I kind of want to try something new. Oh and here. Can I pay for it right now?” I asked her handing her my card.

“Are you going to be drinking more?” She asked.

“Yeah probably I’m not sure. If I decide to drink more I can pay again later if that’s okay.” I said.

“Sure thing. Is this for everyone or just yourself?” She asked.

“Everyone.” I said and smiled back at her. She smiled towards me and took my card.

“Hey wait a minute.” Skeet and Matthew tried to grab her attention but, she didn’t hear them.

“What are you doing? You didn’t have to do that. We could have paid for ourselves or even better we could have treated you.” Skeet said and Matthew agreed.

“Oh no, let me treat. I don’t want you guys paying for me. You barely know me.” I said with a grin.

“Well that’s not exactly fair you don’t really know us either.” They said almost in unison.

They had a point. I didn’t care about the point but that’s my problem.

“Well I am also a secret fan. I admire both of your work a lot.” I said with a lot if honesty coming from me. The alcohol will help me a lot. This might be a better night than I thought. A couple of minutes later the waitress brought my two other margaritas and came back a moment later with our appetizers and my card. She handed my card back to me with a smile.

“Alright your food should be out in a moment does anyone else need another drink?” She asked smiling. I had finished another margarita by the time she went and grabbed our food. I should slow down but I felt like I needed a buzz to keep me going.

“You know can we get a couple of waters for the table? “ Skeet asked her.

“And another margarita if you don’t mind?” I added.

“Sure thing I will be back in another moment.” She added.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Matthew asked and Skeet was waiting for my answer too.

“Yeah I’m fine I will just be starting another job search tomorrow. My waitress job fired me when I told them I needed some time off for this project. I can always get another one no big deal.” I said smiling. The booze was starting to catch up with me as I slowly drank on my third margarita. My vision went a little blurry.

“Alright hand me your keys. Your not driving home if your going to drink like that. I can see it in your eyes already.” Matthew said.

“I’m not going to fight you on that.” I handed him my keys that were in my back pocket and smiled.

“I can make sure you get home safely. Don’t worry. Drink away of you want to.” He added.

“Thank you.” I said and continued to drink my third margarita and I started to slow down. The one she is bringing needs to be my last one. I have one more on the table so that means it will be my fifth one. The waitress rounded the corner with food in her hand. She handed us our food and walked away.

Oh my gosh it looks so good. It’s been a hot minute since I have had a burger that doesn’t come out of a brown paper bag. I picked it up and took a big bite from it and practically moaned as I swallowed. I would normally be embarrassed but right now I couldn’t be because of all the booze. I washed down everything I ate with the other two margaritas and pushed the plate away from me. I’m going to be sick tomorrow. No doubt.

“Oh here.” I said through the small talk we were having and handed them my wallet with all my stuff in it.

“That way I can pay the rest of the tab.” I said. Skeet and Matthew both looked at each other and Matthew pulled out his wallet and went and found the waitress leaving my wallet on the table. I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to that though. Matthew was gone for a good twenty minutes before he came back to the table.

“Alright he came and picked up my car ill just drive her jeep to her place. I’ll let you know if you need to come by. If her roommate isn’t there to keep her safe I might stay until she sobers.” Matthew said.

“Sounds good. The bill has been taken care of right?” Skeet asked to double check.

“Yeah of course.” Matthew answered his question.

“Alright come on y/n let’s get you to your jeep and home okay?” Skeet said pulling me out of the booth. Both of them put their arms around me to keep me stable in a standing position and we started to walk to the jeep. We managed to make it there without having to stop to correct my balance which was really nice. They both got me sitting down on the passenger side seat and Matthew buckled me in.

The two men hugged goodbye and Matthew attempted to get into the driver’s seat.

“Holy cow are you crazy? I’m going to be smooshed to the steering wheel and my knees will be to my chest if I don’t move your seat.” He started to laugh which made me laugh.

He fixed the seat so he was able to get in and comfortably sit down.

“Alright how do I get to your apartment?” He asked.

“Uhm here.” I pulled out my phone and opened up GPS and clicked on the shortcut labeled home and started the route. Oh my gosh my wallet.

“Wait I forgot my wallet on the table.” I said looking panicked.

“Don’t worry I grabbed it. It’s in the cup holder. Why don’t you try and nap a little bit and when we get there I will let you know.” He said. I just nodded and set the phone in the cup holder next to my wallet. I rested my head on the door and dozed off quickly.

Thirty minutes later he was lightly shaking me awake.

“Hey we are here. Which one is your apartment?” He said. He parked in the guest parking spot which is fine.

“It’s 122C.” I said.

“Okay so let’s go to the C building and get you to your actual apartment.” He said and started to pull out of the parking space. He drove around to the C building and parked in one of the parking spaces that said 122. He noticed the second spot was empty and he assumed my roommate wasn’t there.

“Alright wait for me.” He said quickly grabbing my phone and wallet from the cup holders and then exiting my jeep. I felt the passenger side door open and I unbuckled myself and tried to get out by myself. I went to try and walk but I was a little wobbly.

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew too fast. Let’s go. Here.” He said and wrapped his arm around my waist. He was still being so respectful when I was trashed. He was so sweet. We made the journey to apartment 122 which thankfully was on the first floor. We came up to the room 122 and all the lights were off.

“Don’t judge me. I don’t know what state my apartment is in. My roommate works night shifts so sometimes her messes are all over the place by the time she goes to work.” I said as he was going through the keys trying to find the right one. He managed to find it pretty quick and he opened up the door. He helped me inside and sat me on the couch that was right by the door and closed and locked it.

“What time does your roommate get home?” He asked. She was a nurse so she might not really even be home tomorrow.

“I’m not entirely sure. She is a nurse and she might not come home for a couple of days.” I said yawning. I’m so tired.

“Okay, I’m going to hang out for a little bit until you sober up which one is your room so I can get you to it.” He said.

“Oh forward I like it. It’s this one.” I stood up and angled for the master bedroom.

“No I don’t do that with people who are drunk. You would have to be able to spell your name forwards and backwards twice before I would be willing to.” He laughed a little bit. Damn this booze is kicking my ass with confidence. He walked me to the bedroom and watched as I laid down.

“Okay I’m going to be out here if you need me in your living room.” He said. I couldn’t even reply. I was fast asleep.

A couple hours went by before I woke up sweating my ass off. Oh my God what happened? Why am I sleeping with clothes on. I got off my bed with a pounding headache and got butt naked. I walked to the living room and turned the thermostat down to 67 degrees and went to the cabinet above the sink and grabbed the aspirin. I grabbed a cup off the drying rack and set it on the counter. I opened the fridge and grabbed our filtered water pitcher and poured my cup with half a cup of water and put it away and drank a sip and downed two aspirin. I really hoped waking up and taking this in the middle of the night killed whatever hangover I was going to have in the morning. I walked back towards my room but noticed someone in my living room staring at me. Fuck he didn’t leave. Oh my God I’m fucking naked. I ran to my room and closed the door.

“I’m so fucking sorry. I figured you had left. I grabbed my robe that was on the floor and put it on around me. I walked back out to the living room and he just looked at me with a blush on his face.

“You have a tattoo.” Matthew started to say.

“Yes I do.” I have a few which one is he referring to?

“You have a shaggy and scooby-doo tramp stamp.” He said. I’m not surprised that’s the one he is hooked on.

“just above that one is tinkerbell smoking pot and holding a beer and on your butt you have bite marks tattooed into your skin. Who bit you for that?” He asked.

I blushed.

“My best friend. My roommate. We are close. My teethmarks are also on her ass cheeks. I bit both sides on her.” I smiled at the memory of the tattoo artist getting hot and bothered by the action. I remember after hers was finished he railed her in the bathroom. They have been together ever since. He follows her around like a puppy. It’s actually very cute.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have looked but it’s hard not to when it’s all right there. How are you feeling?” He asked.

“I mean beside the headache I’m fine. I’m sober enough that I can make decent decisions and not accidently kill myself.” I said laughing.

“Oh good. I should get out of your hair then. We had a really fun night tonight and were happy spending time with you. It was fun getting to know you a bit more.” He said.

“I really appreciate being invited. I really am a fan of yours and his. It made my night. I’m sorry I got drunk. It wasn’t my intention going into that dinner but, I started to get nervous and the only way for me to get rid of my nerves is to drink through them and I don’t do that often.” I said.

“Well that’s good. That stuff can get addicting so maybe you should look for another way to cope with your nerves.” He said.

“Yeah did you by chance go in my room?” I asked now terrified of the answer.

“Yeah but I didn’t really walk into the room I just watched you go over to your bed and get into it. I didn’t really pay attention to all the scream posters you have up with the hearts around my face or anything like that.” He said.

“Oh gosh I’m so embarrassed.” I said holding my face in my hands.

“It’s okay but, your robe is falling open a bit.” He said looking away for a moment. I looked down and noticed he had a full glimpse of my breast. They are practically completely out. I closed my robe again and held it closed. I mean I don’t mind him staring at me. I hope I look okay right now.

“Are you sure you are good to go?” He asked.

“Yeah of course. But, hey its like two or three a.m. no one’s going to be out at this hour you mine as well stay here until morning.” I said.

“I think you might be right. Are you sure it’s okay?” He asked.

“Yeah of course come on.” I said and motioned for him to follow me to my room.

“I’ll find some pajamas to wear so I don’t make you feel uncomfortable. Come stay in here. I have a king sized bed and it’s super comfy compared to that couch.” I said and he stood up and followed me. When he walked into the room he started to kick off his shoes and socks and waited for me by the door. I walked into my closet and because it doesn’t have a door I tried to keep my robe on while I looked. I found some shorts hanging up that were some what comfy and a tank top. I took the robe off letting it fall to the floor and as I was reaching for the shorts I felt a his right hand on my right upper arm. I’m naked and he is touching me.

“You won’t make me feel uncomfortable. Sleep how you normally would. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” He said as he pressed himself to my back and brought his mouth down to my ear. Feeling him was something else. Hearing him so close made what hair I had on my body standing. He lightly dragged his right hand down my right arm and it gave me the chills.

“Are you sure you are sober?” He asked.

“Y-yes. I’m sure.” I said.

“Turn around.” He said and I did as he told me. I turned towards him now looking up at him. His left hand now under my chin keeping me in that position. He leaned down and gently ran his lips over mine.

“Did you really forget that I was out there? Or was that intentionally done?” Matthew asked me.

“I actually forgot you were out there but it’s turning out to be a good surprise.” I said in a hushed tone against his lips. He brushed his lips against mine one more time before gently kissing my lips. He pulled away and walked over to my bed leaving me standing there in my closet butt naked and now completely wet and turned on. Fuck I want him. I want him very badly.

It takes a moment for me to process but I walk into my room next to my bed and noticed he took his shirt and pants off and got under the covers. He was on my side of the bed. Where I lay every night and sometimes master bate to the thought of him. In the end table directly next to him is my vibrator and dildo. I walk over to the other side of the bed that is now very cold since I adjusted the air and slipped under the blankets. I didn’t reach for him right away. Instead I just sat there and waited for him to make a move but he didn’t. Maybe I have to make the next move.

I scooted closer to him and that’s all I could pull myself to do. I’m to nervous to do anything else.

“Are you scared to make the move on me y/n?” He asked and started to look at me. He turned his whole body on his side and looked down at me again.

“Yeah, just a little bit. I don’t want to do something you don’t want to do.” I said very honestly. He leaned down and kissed me slowly. He kept his lips feeling gentle like they were barely there but then he slid his tongue into my mouth and brushed it against my tongue. Something about it made me even wetter. My pussy felt like a dam and he has barely touched me. His right hand kept his head propped up while he kissed me and his left hand was lightly running down my body from my neck, to the middle of my breast, down my stomach, and stopped right above my clit. He is just barely gliding his finger over my clit and I felt my pussy clench around nothing. I wanted to feel him so bad. He pulled away from the kiss but stayed very close to my lips.

“When’s the last time you were fucked?” He asked me.

“It’s been a year. Probably almost two.” I said. All I have done is masterbate. I didn’t want anyone. No one was physically attractive to me.

“Fuck me. You are going to be tight aren’t you?” He said now lightly kissing my cheek and down to my neck. He bit down a little on my neck where my collarbone is and it sent another set of shivers down my spine. He started to add more pressure against my clit and started to rub circles against it. I moaned at the touch and immediately felt an orgasm filling my senses. Oh fuck this is going to be embarrassing. I pushed my head back into the pillows more and moaned again as he slid his fingers past my clit and lightly traced my entrance. Oh fuck please. Please I need it. I need him.

“Do you think you could handle me?” He asked.

“Y-yes. Please.” I said moaning out the Please. I need him so bad. He traced my entrance one more time before slipping his middle finger into me slowly. His first knuckle going in as his kissed the spot on my collarbone going in. The second knuckle going in deeper as he kissed down to my chest and finally feeling his third knuckle on the inside of me while the rest of them rested against my ass and he wrapped his lips around my left nipple. Fuck. He is driving me crazy.

He started to pump his finger in and out of my trying to drive it deeper and deeper while he massaged my nipple with his tongue and nibbled on it with his teeth lightly. As he pulled his middle finger out and I lost the feeling of him inside of me he started to lick down my stomach and without warning other than him shifting between my legs. I felt him lick right between my pussy lips sucking my labia’s into his mouth and moaning against my pussy.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Oh fucking God.

“Oh fuck.” I said moaning. My head can’t be pressed harder into the pillows as it already was against them as far as it could go. He started lapping his tongue against my clit gliding his teeth against it as he slipped a second finger in with his middle finger. This time I can feel his fingers stretching me open and moving in an up and down motion against the soft spot of my vagina at the very top. He moaned against my clit flicking his fingers very fast against my g-spot. It was making my toes curl and without thinking I let my left hand run through his hair and grab on hard.

“Oh fuck. Please. Oh my God that feels so fucking good. Please.” I kept saying it over and over again and he continued to repeat the same motions over and over again.

He pulled his lips and tongue away from my clit and started to forcefully flick his fingers against my g-spot and got rougher in the motion with his wrist. I started to hear what sounded like a sloshing sound from within my pussy and a gush of fluid left my body and I was shaking and grabbed onto the bed sheet beside me tightly. I felt like the wind was sucked out of me and my abs tightened.

“Oh fuck!” I moaned out loud as he dove right back between my legs licking every drop that was between my legs. Oh fuck it’s so sensitive. He pulled his lips away from my pussy lips again and pulled his fingers out of my pussy. Oh god no. Please. I want more.

He moved his left hand to my clit and started massaging it again. Oh god the orgasm was coming back quickly.

“Fuck please I need you I need to feel you.” I said whining out a bit.

“You can’t I wasn’t planning on having sex so I didn’t pack a condom on me.” He said.

“I’m allergic to latex. I had my tubes tide two years ago and they checked and made sure it stuck. I’m not going to get-“ He cut me off my kissing me quickly and then pulled me to a seated position and he laid on his back. Oh fuck he wants me on top? I hate being on top. Fuck it.

I got up and straddled him as he positioned his cock right at my entrance I slowly forced myself down on him. I managed to get half way before it started to hurt a little. He was bigger than anyone I have ever been with. He was also thicker than everyone I have been with. I tried to get further down but it was too painful to do all at once so I started to pull him out a little and forced myself down again. Hissing as he slid deeper but not much farther. He sat up a little and wrapped his arm around my waist and picked me up enough with him still tucked inside me and put me on my back. I think I might have been going to slow for him.

Fuck me. He rolled his hips in towards me and he managed to get further inside. He started to pull out and rolled his hips back into me and managed to bottom out inside of me. I felt his balls slap against my ass as a moan escaped his throat. Oh god that was so sexy. He pulled my legs up towards his shoulders and rested them against his shoulders and started to lean against my chest. My knees now touching my shoulders as he rolled his hips into me thrusting further into me. As his arms stayed by my head keeping himself up. He kept us like that for a couple of minutes before releasing one of my legs and driving his cock deeper into me closing the gap between my mouth and his and kissing me. He put all of his weight on his right hand and moved his left hand to my throat. Oh god. He started to put some pressure against my throat and it proceeded to get me wetter and closer to another orgasm. It started to sound like a gush of water again.

“Open your mouth.” He said. Oh fuck what’s about to happen? I opened my mouth as much as I could with his hand pressed against my throat. He spit in my mouth and I immediately closed my mouth and swallowed it. That wasn’t what I was normally into but right now this man was making everything hot and a turn on.

“Oh fuck me. You are fucking tight and I’m going to cum. Where do you want it?” He asked and moaned out every word. I know where I want it. I want it buried inside of me. I have no reason to be worried about it.

“Please. Oh god please inside of me.” I moaned out.

“Only if you squirt for me again. I know your ready too.” The sloshing sound got louder. He gripped my neck tighter and another gush of liquid came out of me. Soaking his cock with my squirt and he returned the favor slamming his cock balls deep inside of me. Moaning and groaning as he released his cum deep inside of my pussy. I felt his thighs tighten as he was Cumming inside of me. Oh my God that was so fucking hot.

After a moment of him leaving his cock inside me he started to pull out. He started to soften up again and he laid down next to me. Fuck I’m tired for real now. Oh god I don’t want to move but it’s a mess down there. I need to clean it up.

“Where is your bathroom and rags or wipes or whatever you use?” He asked me. “My bathroom is right there and” I pointed towards the door next to my closet, “the rags are under the sink along with wipes. You just have to pick your poison.” I said.

He got off of the bed and made his way to my bathroom. It was so quiet in the apartment now that even with the door closed I could still hear him peeing. My eyes started to close and when I thought I was on the brink of sleep I felt something very cold between my legs.

“Oh my god.” I said as I looked down. He was using the wipes to clean up the cum he left inside of me that was now dripping out of me.

“Such a pretty sight to see too bad.” He said as he continued to wipe everything out and then dried my pussy with the rag in his hand. He walked back into my bathroom and put the rag in my hamper and the dirty wipes into the trash can.

“I thought you said your tubes were tied?” He asked but it sounded more like a statement as he walked put of the bathroom holding my birth control tablets. “I am I just don’t take chances. I take that as a secondary. I don’t want kids of my own. If I did that whole thing I’d rather adopt or join someone’s family. I don’t want to do the baby thing. I worked to hard to lose weight I don’t want to gain it back during a pregnancy.” I said very honestly. He walked over to the end table and sat the birth control on it. He crawled back into bed next to me and pulled me back into him so my back was to his chest.

“Goodnight beautiful. I’m really glad you decided to stay around at dinner. Thank you for dessert.” He said putting a kiss to the side of my head.

I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as a blush formed and I dozed off pretty quick laying next to him.

*The aftermath*

8 hours later is was close to noon I heard some banging on my door.

“Hey y/n are you alive in there?” my roommate screamed through my door.

I started to rub my eyes to get some of the fogginess out of them. I felt an arm around my waist and I turned my head towards the back of me to see Matthew still asleep. I felt something poking me between my legs and moaned against him trying to move my pussy closer but immediately regretted it because it was sore from a few hours ago.

“y/n if you don’t open or at least answer me then I’m going to be forced to come in.” without missing a beat or giving me a chance to respond she walked right into my room and her mouth fell open. I shushed her and motioned for her to leave the room. My boobs on full display not under the covers and his hand was grabbing my left boob. He squeezed it gently and got closer to my ear and moaned into it thrusting against me. I closed my eyes and moaned at the motion and my friend slowly backed out of the room closing the door. Oh my God. I could stand to have a few more orgasms. Fuck I’m going to need a couple of gallons of water first though.

~sorry for the very drawn out fanfiction. If I had just gotten straight to the point I wouldn’t have been able to picture the full story. I have read through this twice so if there are errors in this I am really sorry. This took me a couple of days to write and I hope you enjoyed it. If you want more please let me know in the comments and give me some ideas. I’m open to requests.~

#fanfic #fluff #smut #william afton #matthew lillard my beloved #matthew lillard #matthew lillard x reader #matthew lillard smut

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