#also this made me think: was he really just reflecting on how he got involved in this in mag 81? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

The total number of visits Tumblr.com received during January 2021 is 327 million.

#also this made me think: was he really just reflecting on how he got involved in this in mag 81?

shadow-the-crow · 1 month

Text

Listened to mag 83 and had some thoughts:

I love the "i need to record it" - how it's becoming a recurring thing.

In season 1 Jon was only recording the statements, just because it was the next best thing to digitalizing them (or at least so he thinks).

In season 2 he starts recording his conversations with his coworkers, and he says "i need to record it" at least once (i don't exactly remember), but he has the excuse of wanting to record exactly what they said so he can construct his paranoid little theories.

Now, in season 3, he has no excuse - there's no logical reason why he would be recording this statement. Saying it's part of his job doesn't make any sense, as Georgie points out, because he was fired (or fled because he was accused of murder, idk). So his only explanation is that it's just what he does - and, again, "i need to record it". Said 2 times, without any further explanation, almost obsessively (funnily making him sound like an addict, right after he said "i'm not on drugs"). And his stammering is making me think he's becoming aware of how illogical this need is. This development is so interesting...

He really must be hungry, huh? I can totally imagine Elias slipping this in the letter box thinking "gotta feed my little archivist"...

Or maybe it really was a warning? Was the mannequin Nikola?

#tma #the magnus archives #tma podcast #mag 83 #drawing a blank #tma spoilers #tma s3 #jonathan sims #tma jon #don't answer the questions at the end lol #also the statement itself wasn't as scary as i expected #also this made me think: was he really just reflecting on how he got involved in this in mag 81?#or did he record his own statement because he was starving?#(the feeding thing is already a thing at this point right? it has to be)

33 notes · View notes

feyascorner · 4 months

Note

So might have noticed i have read all your fics and I absolutely love them all!

If your open to taking this request for a fic, i would love like 4 times astarion was jealous and 1 time you were! (I dont know if your familiar with the prompt). Tav sleeping with someone before they get together (act 1) he’s catching feelings! After relationship is established: Act 2 Halsin showing his interest (whether its reciprocated is up to you!). Act3 Shar’s caress, the owner talking about Tav’s interest and drow twins!

Finally, Tav being jealous! Astarion fully enjoying it!

Or just anything with jealous astarion i would LIVE for! Love your work either way 😆

a/n. THEYRE SO CUTE IM IN TEARS I LOVE JEALOUS ASTARION/TAV

also this is not proofread unfortunately, and I'm not 100% if i did this right but we rock and roll!!!1

As much as Astarion boasts (and resents) his familiarity with seduction, you're an anomaly he's yet to understand despite his centuries of experience.

Never once in his courtship, even when he'd been alive, had he felt so tested that he was jealous, over someone. Not really, anyway. Sure there were bits of bitter feelings here and there, but most were trivial and about something involved in the relationship, not the person themselves.

He's counted four times since the two of you met, where he had to resort to his better judgment to avoid resorting to pettiness. The first one, was out of necessity--so much so that he didn't even realize what it was at first.

He had watched you snuggle up to Shadowheart of all people, just when he thought he'd finally manipulated enough to have you wrapped around his finger. Instead, he had to hear you laugh as you let the cleric lead you to a nearby lake, making him question if somehow, he'd gotten rusty. Especially when the rival in question was clearly too busy having a religious crisis to properly court you. Sure, you technically didn't belong to him, nor did he belong to you at the time, but he went to sleep feeling oddly irritated. He made sure to flirt with you even more, apparently, the next morning.

The second time, he had accepted the strange feeling in his chest whenever he saw you. And Gods he should have done it earlier. He made sure to show plenty of public affection, kissing your cheek or hand randomly as you and your companions explored the shadow-cursed lands. He got a mouthful from Lae'zel a few times, but he couldn't care less. And just when he believed he'd eliminated any potential rivals, the damned druid suggested that you had feelings for him. Here, he felt that same churning feeling he had weeks ago at camp, and found it was one that he didn't long for. He wouldn't have blamed you if you'd considered it--especially since the two of you stopped being physically intimate after his confession. But he could deny how much he hated this feeling. Pretending he hadn't heard, waited for you to approach him that night. When you reassured him you'd said no, he could breathe again.

The last time was weeks later, at Sharess' Caress, where the two of you were approached by the drow twins. And when he'd confessed he wasn't ready to become intimate again, as much as it scared him, you only smiled at him and nodded. That cursed warmth he felt from such a simple act of kindness would follow him to the end of his days. But he hadn't had enough time to revel in it, because the drow twins assured you only you would be enough, even if he wasn't a part of it. The moment you refused, he was already dragging you out of the room, cursing the twins under his breath.

But for the first time, he thinks you're the one experiencing that dreadful feeling of insecurity.

"Your measurements are perfect for this new selection that just came in! Here, let me just check if the rest would fit."

He'd thought little of the harmless touches of the tailor, but as he notices your expression through the reflection of one of the mirrors, he thinks differently. Your lips are pursed, eyes following the tailor's movements like a hawk as you tighten the arms crossed over your chest. Astarion himself is no stranger to touch, especially to innocent ones like this, but if your body language means anything, the sentiments are not mutual.

The tailor reaches up to measure his arm span, inevitably bring their face a little to close to his neck. He just tilts away, nodding mindlessly at what the tailor is saying, but his attention is fully on you. You're fidgeting, and your anxiousness is impossibly obvious to him, but the more mischievous part of him stops him from doing anything about it. Instead, he revels in it.

"Did you get my inside leg?" he asks the tailor, grinning widely. "I think you might have to redo it. I was leaning a bit."

The tailor agrees though all he sees is a nod of a head and a voice in his ear going right through the other. He observes as your face falls, and just as the tailor crouches down and leans close, you're immediately across the room at record-speed, hand latching over the tailor's wrist.

Astarion barely manages to hold in his laugh. His smile, however, is another story.

"I'll do it," you mumble to the tailor. They look to you and back up to Astarion before seemingly realizing what's going on, nodding.

"Very well."

He never thought you could look even more alluring than he already finds you, but the way your jaw clenches and your brows furrow makes him think otherwise. You lean down and take the measurements as needed, stomping on his foot in the process.

He snorts.

Once the tailor leaves for the stock room, he finds you sighing. "You did that on purpose."

It's not a question. He laughs, and while he could just apologize, he takes your hand in his, tilting your head with the other so you'd look at him. He might even consider the glare you give him as cute.

"Jealous, are you?"

"What do you think?"

"I was starting to think you weren't capable of jealousy."

"Why not?" you say, feeling his thumb rubs the top of your hand. "I've been plenty jealous before."

At this, he raises a brow. "I'd surely remember that."

"When we first met," you recall. "You flirted with practically everyone in camp. Saying you wanted to drink from Wyll, or something like that."

"You must know that I was--"

"I know what it was," you roll your eyes. "Not at the time though, and I thought you'd lost interest in me."

His jaw falls agape. "You're jesting."

"Why do you think I started flirting with other people? I figured you didn't like me as much as I liked you, so I moved on. Tried, at least."

"Is that what your visits to Shadowheart were?"

You scrunch your nose. "Oh Gods, I forgot about that. I'd rather not remember sleeping with one of my closest friends, thanks."

He can't help the grin stretching on his lips, and you notice, feeling yourself smile with him. "You're enjoying this far too much, Astarion."

"Please, tell me the next time you're jealous, so I'll know to keep an eye on you."

"Don't ask such ridiculous things," you retort, feigning annoyance before lifting his palm to your cheek and pressing a kiss to it. He swears his undead heart might've felt it. And just like that, the tailor returns, and you drop your intertwined hands, and he sees you shoot him a warning glare.

Acknowledging he's had enough fun teasing you today, he shrugs, and when the tailor begins showing him an array of outfits, he's not listening. Instead, he toys with the ring behind his back, making sure to commit your expression to his memory.

#baldur's gate 3 #astarion ancunin #baldur's gate astarion #bg3 astarion #astarion x tav #astarion x reader #astarion #bg3 x reader #fluff #bg3

479 notes · View notes

mauesartetc · 4 months

Text

A while back I got a comment that demonstrated a misconception as to what the character design process actually entails, and I thought it had real "teachable moment" potential. So let me make this perfectly clear:

Drawing a character is NOT the same as designing one.

Let's say I wanted to draw a guy. No backstory, no defined personality traits or preferences, no details about his current life, just doodling some random, generic guy who popped into my head.

That's just a drawing.

But what if I decided to flesh him out more? What if I wanted his appearance to reflect his lifestyle and inner life as well? Here's where the note-taking comes in.

And now for the visual research:

I thought the bodybuilding angle would provide a fun contrast with this guy's profession. The mental image of a huge, burly dude working on a clock or watch with tiny, precise movements just makes me smile. Perhaps I could give him small, nimble hands that would suit his line of work.

Now that I have a better idea of how Mikhail's face and body will look, it's time to establish a pose.

Of course, I never expected to employ all the personality traits I started out with inside this single pose; those were just a jumping-off point. No one drawing will ever be able to encapsulate every single facet of a character, unless they're extraordinarily flat and generic (see also: random guy I doodled at the start of this post). If I wanted to write a story with this guy, I'd have to figure out how all the traits play off each other and how they'd cause him to react to different situations. There would be a lot more note-taking and development involved, but for the sake of keeping this post (somewhat) brief, let's just focus on visuals for now.

On to color!

I decided to give Mikhail a carnation in his pocket (for its round shape), specifically a red one, which represents deep love and an aching heart. Thus, the flower needed to maintain its red color for the symbolism to come through.

For some reason I initially pictured this guy wearing a pink shirt (perhaps as an offshoot of the "romantic" angle), but I wanted to try some different colors inspired by the 70s catalog pages I found. I ended up really liking the contrast of the cool blue shirt with the warm red pants, and that option made it into my top three as a result. I lined them up next to each other to compare them, and in the end, blue won out over pink. I think it also reflects the "colder", more cerebral, less-emotional parts of his personality well (namely "systematic", "stern", and "callous"- one from each column!). Just goes to show that you shouldn't get too attached to your first draft, as better ideas are just around the corner.

I then lightened the blue of the shirt so it wouldn't compete so much with the rest of the outfit, and wouldn't be quite as loud and "in your face". Mikhail strikes me as a bit of an introvert, so the calmer, quieter blue is a better fit. I added a darker belt and watchband and de-saturated the flower just a bit to make the values feel more balanced, and I think we've got it!

Let's see the final result!

Y'all, I was not expecting this process to make me emotional, but there's something special about fully realizing a little guy you've spent hours working on. All of a sudden you look at him and go, "Oh my god, there he is. That's him." This man wasn't even a twinkle in my eye a couple weeks ago and now I'd protect him with my life.

And the thing is, the only reason I'm calling this design "done" for now is that I basically just brought it into existence to make a point. But if this dude were attached to a larger story, he'd be nowhere near finished. I'd have to make a ton more iterations and go a lot more in depth with my research than I did (especially with the Armenian cultural stuff). Overall, though, I hope this quick project properly highlighted the difference between a single drawing and a more fleshed-out character.

Later!

#character design #art tips #art advice #art help #concept art #long post

312 notes · View notes

universallychaoticpan · 17 days

Note

Hiiiiiii can I request where Chuuya and Fyodor's s/o got captured by Dazai to be interrogate and torture for info but there's no need to do that because s/o just tells Dazai all the half-truths BUT IN RIDDLES and also s/o despite being put in an isolated glass room she is still very much in control of the situation and she can honestly get out of the room anytime she wants but not without spilling some blood ofcourse.

You really should get out more - that's what you were thinking anyway. Sure, getting kidnapped and interrogated by the ADA wasn't on your agenda for the day, but hey, plans change all the time. You smiled, flexing your wrists in the fragile cuffs keeping them behind your back.

The key was always remaining flexible.

So yes, you were quite relaxed. Your underground 'prison' was devoid of any distractions, but as always, you were never one to waste times when there were silver linings to be found. It allowed you time; time to think, to plot, to come up with a thousand escape plans, all involving varying degrees of blood and gore. Fyodor wouldn't come to your aid- you were sure of that much. Perhaps that would be insulting to others, but to you, the message was clear: he trusted you. He trusted that his little bird, his little love, his darling with the knife-tipped fingers and the bloody smile would find their way back to him no matter what. It would be child's play, getting out; another thing you knew for certain. Even with the ADA trapping you, you had deduced a few critical facts. One- they had hidden your current location from you, leaving you in the dark as to where you were. Two- the amounts of time between visitors averaged around an hour between each encounter. Three- They always came in alone, and there were only three suspects you'd come to expect. The conclusion you had come to made you smile even wider in your solitude: not only were they weakened significantly, their members were stretched far too thin to possibly stand a chance at containing you if it came down to it.

yes, you knew it sure as you knew your own name.

And it maddened the man sitting across the room from you despite his best attempts to hide it.

Osamu Dazai was quickly falling into a battle of wits with you, baited by your silence and your odd little smiles.

"You already know my question," he smiled, approaching you. "So I'll ask again for the last location of Fyodor's base of operations as you know it."

"And my answer has not changed, detective- you're an even bigger idiot than you look if you think I'm simply going to tell you." Instead of keeping your eyes lowered in some vain attempt to hide any 'tells,' you kept your eyes up. You stared him down, lips curling up into a pleasant smile. "You're welcome to leave and send in another one of your associates to try again."

He turns away, sneering as he striped off his coat, dropping it on the floor before revealing a wickedly pointed knife that reflected the slightly deranged gleam in his eyes. They chilled you, those eyes- how similar they were to Fyodor's, not in appearance maybe, but in their cool ruthlessness, in their kaleidoscopic depth that made you feel at once safe and critically endangered.

'I could hurt you, you know," he purred, slipping behind you, roughly pulling your head back by your hair and exposing the smooth column of your throat to him.

"You could," you agree, still smiling. "But what good will spilling my blood do you? Other than making me more inclined to lie in order to stop the pain...Really, what cards do you have to play? You have no way of proving what I say is true; anything I tell you is tantamount to sending you on a wild goose chase even if it is true. I suppose you could kill me, but then you've lost the closest chance you have at finding the man you seek." His eyes narrow as you chuckle. "And the longer you wait to decide what to do with me, the higher the risk grows that I will grow bored and simply walk away, leaving you lot empty handed." You swallow hard as the blade finds your jugular, a slip of a finger being the difference between life and death.

"And anyway, you've walked on the ground you seek already...it's not my fault you're too blind to see it. At this point your wasting my time, running in circles when you've found the answer. You dogs, detectives- you'd rather gnaw on the bone of a satisfying interrogation than tie up the loose ends you've already begun to unravel! The answer is so simple, you've never even thought to look- the easiest way to confuse smart people, I find, is to make the solutions to their problems the most obvious one."

You're close enough that you can register the look that crosses Dazai's face- the look of a man who's been given the all important device when it comes to solving any puzzle: a clue.

"Where?"

You let your head fall to the side, nicking your skin in the process. "Oh no, detective, I'm afraid that's all I'm inclined to offer.

Your intentions were clear - goading a man like Osamu Dazai was a dangerous game, and yet here you were. He spun the knife in his hands, until the point hovered directly above your heart. "Where?"

This time, you simply let your head fall back, smiling insipidly as you feel your ability floating at the edges of your consciousness, begging you to harness it.

"Really?" His voiced hissed in your ear, venomous and angry as he began to lose his patience. "You talk too much too often and choose now to be silent?"

"You talk too much detective-

next time, I would advise you to keep your eyes on the hands of your captives rather than their mouths."

In the time it takes to blink, you had him on the wall, as you used your hands to wrap the handcuffs around his throat and squeeze, his knife now tucked neatly against his pulse point.

"I warned you, detective- next time, I advise you to not let me get bored."

You smiled sweetly at him one last time, tightening the chain as you pecked his cheek.

"Do svidaniya!"

#bsd x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #bsd #bungo stray dogs #fyodor x reader #bsd fyodor x reader #fyodor dostoyevsky x reader

124 notes · View notes

bonny-kookoo · 6 months

Note

bonnyy cld be get an off duty drabble w oc admiring jk's body mods im so curious abt them🤥

Jungkook has always had his body mods ever since you've known him.

He's never told you how or why he got them- but from what you know about other people's mods, and considering how and where they're placed, you've got an idea as to what their purpose is inside his body.

The back of his neck and his spine is covered by silver metal, a little scratched from the timeframe they've been in place, but overall still in mint condition. You know he's had them for quite some time now, and you've also heard from conversations that he's had them after an 'incident' at work.

So, during his police service, he must've been involved in something that caused him to need the mods now. But, you shouldn't be nosy, right? It's his past, not yours. And he's made it clear that he doesn't really want to have anything to do with you past normal partnership for work purposes.

You tend to forget that sometimes, especially when he's nicer to you than usual.

Right now, you're poking your head around your bedroom door, when he notices you, chuckling a bit. "What's up?" He asks, and you look into the kitchen for a second, before you mumble something. "Hm?" He asks, walking closer to hear you better.

"...can I have something to snack on.?" You wonder quietly, tail tucked between your legs and ears turned downwards. It's normal- you feel bad right now, because you've both been working overtime today, and he'd asked you twice on the way home if you wanted to eat something- which you denied in those moments, thinking that it would just bother him too much.

But you're horribly hungry, stomach growling in complaint.

"Aish, I asked you, didn't I?" He sighs, running a hand through his still damp hair from the shower, before he laughs. "Come on then, I'll warm up some leftovers." He invites you, letting you follow him into the kitchen.

You sit at the table, watching him move around, kitchen light reflecting off the silver body modifications on his neck and back. The clock is ticking and the microwave buzzes while he heats up your leftover dinner from yesterday, before he turns around, catching you staring.

"You can ask, you know." He says, arms crossed in front of his upper bare body, only sweatpants covering him.

"...but I shouldn't." You answer, leaning your chin on your arms on the table. "It's yours." You say.

"I mean, yeah, they're obviously mine. But you can still ask about them." He shrugs.

"...what're they for?" You ask because of that.

"Keep me moving." He simply answers. "The spinal one-" He says, sitting down close to you at the kitchen table so you can see them better. "-connects up here, to the one on my neck." He taps the metal, and you look at them in wonder. You've never seen them up close like this. "Without them, I wouldn't be able to move anymore." He shrugs off, and you look at him as if you want to ask further- but you don't.

"Not one bit?" You ask, and he chuckles.

"Not one bit." He offers. "But I got them, and they work well. So it's no big deal."

"Do you.. is it different with them?" You ask. "Like, do you feel different?" You wonder, and he moves his shoulders a bit, thinking.

"A little." He nods. "My hands feel numb sometimes when it's cold. And I have to be careful not to break them. Won't kill me- but I'd be a breathing corpse, basically." He laughs-

but you're not finding any of it funny.

There's an odd protectiveness bubbling up in you now. Feeding you the need to really have his back now- literally, and figuratively. Because, while you'd never admit it to not overcomplicate things, or put any burden or pressure on him-

You love him.

As more than just a partner.

#bts imagine #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook imagine #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook imagine #hybrid imagine #bts jungkook imagine #jungkook fanfic #bts jungkook fanfic #bts jungkook x reader #jungkook x reader

188 notes · View notes

gritsandbrits · 8 months

Text

In light of recent news over the passing of voice actress Arleen Sorkin, I wish to reflect on the impact of Harley Quinn on my life.

When I was a kid I grew with Harley. From getting fired from a tv show for giving questionable advice, as her backstory in the 2004 cartoon The Batman, to falling in mad love with her own patient as is the origin story in the 92 animated and subsequent media, Harley has such a big role in Batman lore I don't remember a single time where she wasn't involved. Sometimes I wonder what batman mythos was like before her inclusion.

The first thing that drew me to Harley was her design. Red and black the colors of danger which she was. But there was an added playfulness, that she genuinely enjoyed being herself. She was also VERY hilarious and at times out of pocket. Child Me was amazed. Did I want to be her? Not necessarily. But she did look like someone I'd hang out with.

The meta origin of Harley is just as fascinating. The creators of BTAS saw a performance of Arleen in a clown costume. From there inspiration leapt off the pages onto the big screen. Unlike most of the cast Harley didn't originate from the comics. She was created exclusively for the show, an OC if you will. OCs tend to have a mixed reputation. But Harley's concept and execution was so perfect, she almost feels like she could've been a real character in the comics.

And real she became!

Introduced as a psychiatrist, after receiving Joker as a patient, Dr. Harleen Quinzel begins to fall in love with him; and down a path to iconoclastic doom. Her love for Joker is obsessive, hilarious shallow, horrible but also downright entertaining to watch. I enjoyed every moment she was on screen: I still quote "rev up your Harley" to this day! I see her despair, her goofy outlook and morbid ruthlessness. I wanted her to get comeuppance but at the same time I can't help but feel sorry for her.

Joker abuses her, ignores her, and only complements her when she does something good for him. While the makes how awful their relationship clear, there are a good amount of fans who sees the pair as a glamorous whirlwind romance a la Sonny and Brenda or Jane and Mr Rochester. While such fantasies may seem morbid I don't blame them. No matter how horrible Harley is there is a tiny unavoidable spot that aches for her to win. Or at least see Joker for the monster he really is. While Harley is often held accountable for her actions her arc shows that no one deserves to be abused.

Arleen's performance played a major role in brining Harley to life. She nailed her weaknesses and strengths with such a sincere note that elicits pity, humor and shock at the same time. And of course that ear candy of the New Jersey accent that set the standard for future VAs. Whenever I look at a picture of Harley I hear Arleen. Not to say the other VAs aren't bad, but Arleen's performance is that iconic I can't help but think of her!

Over the years Harley grew apart from Clown Prince of Crime. She got her own spinoff comics, made appearances in other DC media. She even gotten her own tv show which sees the DC universe through her eyes. Harley has marginally healthier romances, primarily Poison Ivy (this isn't to say that pairing doesn't have it's share of toxic moments). The Harlivy ship is a fan favorite but even without shipping and the wars, Harley still shines bright as the Bat Signal.

In a way Harley's descent and eventual rise back to normalcy reminds me of my own struggles. I wasn't a happy child growing up, I've made a lot of mistakes and bad choices. To see a person like Harley work to take back control of her life, makes me feel a bit better for my own prospects. Of course I wouldn't torture a kid to near insanity or blow up a whole city but I can at least put my energy towards something constructive. Harley shows people like me thay we can be more than just screwups if we try.

Of course I can't forget Harley's design. The red&black suit is an icon by itself and inspires similar designs in and outside comics. I could talk all day about how cool her design is from a show and historical perspective but that would take me all day. While I prefer her classic palette, her recent blue and pinks aren't bad either and show just how far she's come out of Joker's shadow. It's even to the point where when, I see something black and red and white I have to point it out and say "Harley would love that outfit!"

Nowadays I complain about the oversaturation of Harley quinn (seriously what was DC thinking taking a team started by a disabled character to reclaim her agency) and overshadowing other cool DC villains. But I would be lying of I say she didn't leave an impact. And it's all thanks to Arleen Sorkin for breathing life into a character that proves you don't need to be be from "the comics" to be considered cool.

Thank you Arleen! May her memory be a blessing - Grits.

#arleen sorkin #harley quinn #essay #dc comics #btas #voice actors #batman the animated series #birds of prey #harley quinn show #characters #may her memory be a blessing

333 notes · View notes

milogreer · 12 days

Text

so uhh this is gonna be scatterbrained. but i'm gonna ramble about milo and (what little info we have on) colm. sorry in advance if it doesn’t make sense i just had to exorcise this demon 🫡

i believe "camping with your alpha boyfriend (2021)" is the earliest mention of colm in an audio. obviously we don't actually know milo's side of things because it's told from david's POV, but we still get the mental image of little thirteen year old milo sitting shotgun in his dad's pickup as they drive to their camping spot. gabe's goofing around in the truck bed to make david and asher laugh, and colm joins in the fun by swerving the truck to mess with gabe. very basic dad thing to do, my dad's done the exact same thing to me and my siblings. it feels familiar and silly, and david frames it as a good memory, so it feels like a good memory. which is important to the point of this post

in "celebrating the new house (2022)," we get a little more colm lore:

My dad was forever blowing any cash he made on fucking bets and gambling and shit, chasing some fucking high. My mom was the only reason we didn’t end up out on the fucking street. He didn’t pull his head out of his ass and get some help until after I’d already moved out. So I never got to have that feeling of being in a house that was actually ours, ya know?

already this is a stark contrast to what we've previously heard of colm (i don't think there's any real mention of him between sept 2021 and dec 2022?) and it kinda makes me look at that old memory in a different light, especially with regards to david saying marie was "nagging [colm's] ear off about being irresponsible and a bad example." like. ykwim? like i'm just thinking about that interaction and wondering how far along those problems were at the time, if they were present at all. was this a normal, fun family outing? or would milo have rather been in the truck bed with david, asher, and gabe?

(and the fact that it wasn't until after milo moved out that colm tried getting any help?? i could make a whole other post speculating about milo struggling with wanting to move out of that environment ASAP vs not wanting to leave marie on her own to deal with colm)

so then i'm re-listening to "your werewolf boyfriend is worried about you" and having a visceral reaction to (re-)learning that colm was also an alcoholic:

But what he chose to do with that frustration and that feeling of powerlessness was not his job’s fault, those were his choices. He’s the one who decided to lose himself in booze and gambling and never being home. Never being there for the people he said he loved but apparently couldn’t stand to be around.

the last sentence especially is just an absolute heartbreaker because milo's, what, thirty now? and he's been dealing with this since he was a kid. clearly he's not on great terms with colm. the only times he ever talks about him is when he's shit talking the department. that is a crazy weight for someone to carry their whole life. i don't have experience with the gambling side but i do have an alcoholic family member who i used to be really close to as a kid but grew up to intensely resent as a result of his actions, so it hits a little close to home to see that reflected in milo

but i digress. umm. i bring up the camping story to highlight the most recent mention of colm from milo and how there were good times and sometimes maybe it hurts to remember them when the person involved devastated you as you grew up because they weren't what you thought they were. and how these things follow you through life and impact how you approach certain things. milo has to live with the fact that the same system that royally fucked colm is potentially going to do the same thing to the love of his life; i never drink more than one shot or half a beer, if i drink at all, and i don't like being around drunk people. even though we don't hear about colm very often, his influence is still there whenever milo has to deal with the department in any way

anyway i guess TLDR; imagine living the majority of your thirty years of life feeling like your dad couldn't stand to be around you because he was too busy drinking himself stupid and gambling away every penny he had as a way to deal with the strain that his job put on him. imagine having to witness your mom struggle constantly to keep you cared for. imagine the few good childhood memories you have with your dad being overshadowed by thinking he didn't love you or your mom enough to change. imagine watching the department run your soulmate into the dirt physically and mentally the same way it did your father and wanting to be supportive of them but also being so worried for them. it's a really interesting situation for him to be in and i enjoy it but it hurts me. the end

#one thing about me is that i will gravitate towards characters with alcoholic family members whether i know it or not #redacted audio #redacted asmr #milo greer #sweetheart.txt #milo #colm

67 notes · View notes

blogauroragloryme · 1 month

Text

Yesterday I was scrolling through Pinterest and stumbled into many fan art depicting Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling. JC taking care of JL as a month old baby ,then as a toddler,etc etc...

It reminded me that we never really give much credit to JC for raising JL. I mean sure JGY also played a part , but JC's affection and concern for JL is unbeatable. There was this fanart where JC is actually holding a very tiny JL , trying to figure out how to feed him , then how to change his clothes and all the things that involves taking care of a newborn. The expressions depicted in JC's face just made me ache. I mean just imagine the pain of losing his sister, brother in law and WY(cmon I know despite of JC's love and hate relationship with WY, there definitely must be a part in his heart that must be aching) fresh in his mind , having to take care of a new born , which you have zero idea about. You have to build your sect ,you don't have anyone else to rely on. You can't show your weakness to anyone else. Even if you are damn tired , almost near a mental breakdown,you cannot falter ,you have a nephew and he doesn't have anyone else but you as a family. I would like to believe many a times when JC would be extremely tired and feeling hopeless,JL must be a source of his motivation to keep on.

(I can see a bit of parallelism here with LQR where both of them were young(baby of the house 🤭)and thrusted the responsibility of taking care of their respective nephews. They're not married,but with hit and trial,they are able to raise their nephews to be fine young men.)

Just imagining what would JC have taught JL for his first word. Would he insist that JL learn Mother first before anything. Imagining JC telling a toddler JL about how his parents were ,his mother ,his father,his grandmother and grandfather and about his Da-jiu(only till the time JL doesn't understand as soon as he would grow up ,he would stop telling JL about how the three of them used to enjoy Lotus pier).

And JL eventually learning to call Jiujiu.When JC and JL had their first fight how JC must have felt? Like he's been a strict person like his mother and how certain traits of his mother can be reflected in his upbringing of JL? And when JL got his first scrape after falling down,how worried JC must be? Ok there are so many what if's and possibilities to think about...

But I just wanted to mention that JC tried his very best to raise his nephew. Parenting can always have good and bad , that's what we can see ,but both of them share a loving bond.

I really wanted to write this appreciation post for JC. I know JC has committed horrible mistakes, which are inexcusable ,but still some fans are really very harsh in criticizing him. As much as I love WY ,I won't deny that in some instances I even fault WY ,for not understanding the bigger picture. For me the simple conclusion is that both of them had pride and anger and the result was disastrous. Some are more to blame for their actions,some are less,but the mistake was on both of their part's.

So yes he's a Sour purple grape lol ,but I really hope post canon,him and WY are able to find some semblance and common footing.

#headcanon #mxtx novels #mo dao zu shi #jiang cheng #jin ling #wei wuxian

67 notes · View notes

buckybarnesisdaddy · 2 months

Text

Summer Lovin’ pt 1

Summary: Getting into the villa took more work than expected. What didn’t surprise you though was the drama that would ensue, you just didn’t think it would all involve you.

Pairing: those are surprises at the moment! 🤭 Everly(reader) X ???, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Jake Jensen, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, Peggy Carter, Colin Shea, brief mention of Brock Rumlow. Also original characters.

Rating: Mature!

Warnings: talks of sex, making out, lap dances, petting, PTSD talks. Talks of war, trauma, bombs, war time violence. Graphic talk of injuries.

A/N: there is so much I want to give a heads up for, not bad just some choices I made. So I’ll do that at the end. 😉

Masterlist

You take a deep breath as you climb out of the car. Your bags disappear as a production assistant ushers you down the walk way. “So you will stand here and we are gonna ask you a few questions, okay?” The camera man in front of you has a blank stare as he zooms in closer, the production assistant gives you a look from behind the camera, she motions for you to smile.

“I’m sorry, are we starting now? Like right now?” You ask as you look around, trying to take in the view for just a second. The assistant taps the camera man’s shoulder and motions for him to back up.

“Yes, we are starting now. But we can give you a minute if you need it.” She assures you, thanking her with a smile. “How about while we wait, you tell me about yourself. I actually don’t know anything about you, so leave nothing out.” The assistant chirps happily. You nod and smooth out your sun dress, your fingers fidgeting with the wrinkles.

“Oh, um okay. I thought everyone would know every nitty gritty detail of our lives before we got on set.”

“Villa,” the assistant corrects you. “It will make it feel more like home.” She smiles. You nod as you look around.

“Right, Villa. The Love Island Villa.” You say quietly as you turn around and look at the looming mansion behind you. The assistant motions to the camera man to start rolling again, but this time he backs up and makes sure to not be seen. The cobblestone driveway clicks beneath your heels as you shuffle around in place. Gazing up at the two story mansion before you, modern but still home like. The black and gray color that make up the exterior contrasts all the bright pink, orange, and yellow that make up the furnishings, and decor. The windows reflect the sun brightly and the greenery perfectly placed along the balconies and tresses are lush and full of life, and quietly under all the excess noise coming from the camera crew and the production team, you can hear the roar and crash of the ocean waves. You take a deep breath and turn back to the production assistant. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name before.” You ask, extending your hand for a shake. She smiles and reaches her hand out to yours.

“Annie” She offers. You nod and shake her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you Annie, I’m Everly.”

“Nice to meet you, Everly. Now how about you tell us about yourself.”

🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩

You spend the next hour making an intro video that will be played on TV. After that Annie sits you down and explains the rules of the show. “Okay, No leaving the villa before the end of filming, unless of course you are voted off. Have physical altercations of you will be removed from the villa by police and charges may potentially be filed. You can’t have your own personal phone or communication device of any kind. We will provide you with one while you are here and it is solely for the purpose of texting between production and the participants. You must adhere and pass all drug and STD testing while you are here or else you will be removed from the island. And lastly, have fun!” You hear everything Annie is saying and you just nod.

“Do people really fail their STD screenings when coming in?” You ask and Annie laughs.

“You’re be surprised! It also depends on what it is. If it’s easily treatable then we may keep you and just quarantine you.” You lightly laugh.

“Well I don’t plan on getting one.” Annie laughs.

“No one plans on getting and STD, Everly.” She guides you back to the car. “Alright, now that we’ve got you checked in and set up, we wait!” You scrunch your eyebrows.

“Wait?? I thought-“ you point to the villa.

“Oh don’t worry, you are on the island.” You take a breath at Annie’s reassurance, you’re not sure why, you didn’t even sign up for this stupid love show, your friends did it for you. “But production of reviewing all your information and the other girls information as we can decide what order to introduce you to each other.” Annie smiles and then whispers, “But you have nothing to worry about, you’re total bombshell material.” And with that Annie is gone.

**** 1 month ago****

“Nooooo!!” You drunkenly whine. “Sarah why?!” Sarah, your best friend since childhood laughs.

“Because! The last man you let touch you was that pathetic excuse of a boyfriend you had! You need love, Evie!” Sarah says sweetly as you pout and pour another glass of wine.

“I don’t Need anything.” You correct her and she raises her hands in surrender.

“Okay true, you don’t need a man or love. But it couldn’t hurt to let yourself have it. Just because you don’t need it doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to have.” You grumble, knowing Sarah is right. “This is a fun and easy way to get back into the dating world, and to meet a lot of hot guys while you’re at it! After everything with Colin and don’t even get me started on Brock-” You sigh.

“Yeah I guess.” You laugh to yourself. “You know what? You’re right! Why should Colin be the last guy who’s ever touched me?! He doesn’t deserve that title!” You exclaim, the wine finally settling in and carrying you to the loud drunk stage.

“Yes, that’s the spirit! Now, let me tell you all about the island.” Sarah giggles as she explain her favorite guilty pleasure TV show.

“So it’s like the Bachelor but better?”

“Yes!! And babes,” Sarah looks you up and down. “You are bombshell material!!” Sarah hypes you up. “Those eyes and that hair! Those lips and hips! Those boys will be eating out of the palm of your hand and those girls are gonna be Mad!” Sarah laugh and you giggle.

“I don’t want to make enemies!” You laugh nervously.

“To quote the age old, love island proverb, ‘it’s love Island, not friendship island.’” You bust out laughing, the wine finally making you lose your mind and Sarah is right there with you.

****

You smile as you think back to that night. Sarah had helped you with your shopping spree the next day. Bathing suits, dresses, cute outfits. All of it perfectly fitting your style and helping you stay true to who you are. You fidget with your sundress again as you look down at your freshly tanned legs and painted toes. You been sitting for almost an hour with no word from Annie, maybe they looked at all your stuff and changed their minds. Now they are hoping you get the hint and leave. “No, Everly. Don’t think like that. They would have brought your luggage back if that were the case. Stop worrying.” You say to yourself. You think about how your mom reacted when you told her you’d be gone for 8 weeks to be on a dating show. She about blew a gasket and then she laughed and cried and wished you good luck. Your sister promised to keep detailed notes so she could tease you mercilessly once you got back. Your dad and brother promised to not watch a single episode after they googled and realized what all could happen on the show. Your dad said, “I’ll meet whoever wins your heart after the fact. I don’t need to see you swapping spit with him.” You laugh out loud at that memory.

About five minutes later Annie walks back in. “Okay Everly! You ready to get changed? We have this bathing suit for you.” She holds up one from your suitcase.

“Did you go through my stuff?” You ask as you take the swimsuit from her.

“We have to make sure no contraband is snuck in. Don’t worry, we don’t touch any self care items we find.” She winks and your face goes red. You didn’t pack anything like that but you know Sarah and your sister, Lizzy were snooping around your bag before you got picked up. “Oh god, what did they put in there?” You mumble to yourself and Annie laughs having heard you.

“Well if it was your friends that snuck that certain item inside then they want you to have a great time, regardless of finding love of not.” You blush bright red and dart into the changing room.

You slip on your bikini, it’s royal blue and fits you perfectly. The bottom is full around your butt with the slightest bit of a cheeky cut. You adjust them again as you recall telling Sarah ‘none of those boys have earned seeing any more of my ass.’ As you look at yourself in the mirror you stand by your decision. The top perfectly supports your breast and honestly makes them look irresistible. You slip on your sandals and walk out to meet Annie. “Oh perfect! Although, are you sure you don’t want these heels?” She holds up a pair you brought from home.

“I’m sure, I want to keep the sandals for now.” Annie nods and then takes you folded up clothes.

“Okay, these will be placed in the bedroom with your suitcase,” she holds up your clothes. “Now we are going to film your entrance and then you walking into the villa. After that, you’re on your own until we check in with you. Okay?”

“Okay.” You take a breath and wait for them to say action.

You push open the main door and are immediately greeted with a giant neon sign that says ‘Love’. You smile and start to feel a little excited. You hear some others moving around upstairs so you make your way up. Passing by the living room, decorated ceiling to floor with pink, orange, yellow, and green and the kitchen with neon lights along the kitchen island and another neon sign that says ‘snacks’, you find the stairwell rather plain. But it open up to a giant room filled with 4 large beds. The floor is marble and there is a nice sized carpet in the middle of the room. The four beds face each other, two on one wall and two on the other, with a grand chandelier in the middle of the ceiling providing the light. At the very back there is an opening into the bathroom. A walk into shower, big enough for 2 and a tub big enough for 4, thankfully there seems to be a separate area for the actual toilets which there are three stalls in a little hallway on the other side of the shower. The shower is nestled in the corner with tiled walls except for the glass door and the tub sits under a large window that looks out over the yard. With further examination you see that there is in fact a door to the bathroom that can be locked, and that sets your mind more at ease.

You take another look at your surroundings and notice no one else is around. “So not the bombshell,” you sigh. “Great.” You explore some more when you hear people moving around again. “Hello?!” You call out, hoping to get an answer.

“Did you hear that?!” Says one girl with a sweet voice. It’s a little deeper and it has a Smokey sound to it, but still inviting.

“Yeah, it sounded like another girl!” The next girl says, her voice is lighter and softer, like velvet. You can’t tell there is the slightest bit of an accent.

“Oh great, the bombshell arrived.” The last girl says is a very proper British accent.

“Cut it out, let go find her and introduce ourselves.” The first girl says. You take a deep breath and prepare for whoever is about to walk out of the closet. First is a shorter woman, she has beautiful hair that is red at the roots and blonde on the ends, she’s obviously let it grow out and she’s absolutely owning it. She walks with grace and poise as she crosses the room to you.

“Hi, I’m Natasha. And you are?”

“Everly! It’s nice to meet you.” You smile at her and her friendly attitude.

“Likewise.” Natasha offers. Two more woman come walking out of the dressing room. One with bright red hair and soulful eyes and the other with brown curls and red lipstick.

“Did I hear your name is Everly?” The other red head asks, you nod. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Wanda.” She moves in and hugs you, you’re a little taken aback but you don’t mind. The other woman stares at you over Wanda’s shoulder before she smiles and introduces herself.

“I’m Margret, but most people call me Peggy.” Her voice sounds familiar but you think nothing of it, You smile and wave

“Nice to meet you.” looking around and sighing. “So how long have y’all been here?” Natasha settles on the bed behind her.

“Not too long. Enough to get settled and get ready to meet the boys.” She smirks. “But before we do that we need to know more about you! Tell us a little something, Everly!” You laugh and shrug,

“Not much to tell! I am a physical therapist and I work primarily with Veterans who have been through a life changing physical trauma.” Natasha and Wanda beam at you and Peggy just gives a tight smile, you realize she looks familiar too but you can’t place her. “I had a boyfriend of 2 years until I found him in bed with someone else back in December. I dumbed him and have been healing ever since. My friend nominated me for the show and after some soul searching I decided I am ready to give this all a try, hopefully find Love and if not then at least have a good summer.” Natasha looks at Wanda with a smile.

“So you’re here for love too!?” Wanda asks.

“Of course, I mean that’s the name of the game, right?” You joke and she nods.

“I’m ready to settle down.” Wanda says. “Natasha here is on the love hunt too.” Wanda teases and Natasha laughs and rolls her eyes.

“I am open to finding love but if all I have is a summer of fun then so be it. Isn’t that right Peggy?” Natasha turns to the tight lipped, familiar lady standing on the other side of the group.

“Definitely, we are all here for our own agendas and our own lives. Whatever our reasons are, are our own.” Peggy says as she crosses her arms. You look at Natasha’s who gives you a face and you hide your laughter.

“Well said, Peggy.” Natasha answers. “Anyway, Everly what is your type?”

“My type?” You ask.

“Yeah! Like mine is nerdy and sweet.” Wanda offers. “Natasha’s is moody and loyal.”

“You make my type sound like a dog.” Natasha jokes and you three laugh.

“Oh I didn’t mean it like that!” Wanda exclaims. “If anyone’s type is like a dog it’s Peggy’s! Protective but able to take orders?!” The girls laughs and Peggy roles her eyes.

“I would have much appreciated if you had kept my ‘type’ to yourself.” Peggy crosses her arms. Wanda is about to apologize but Natasha stops her.

“Oh calm down Peggy. It’s a type of man, not your bank codes.” At that Peggy does crack a smile. “We are just having some fun, lighten up! It is too early to be making enemies and something tells me Everly is gonna be someone you want to be friends with.” Natasha winks as she looks at you and asks you again. “So Everly, what’s your type?!” You blush and look at your feet and then back at her.

“Well I am a hopeless romantic. The idea of meeting someone in a coffee shop and spending the whole day with them because the conversation and company is just that good? That makes me melt. So my type is the romantic, passionate, sweet type.” Wanda smiles and looks like she’s gonna melt where she is.

“Yes! Someone to sweep you off your feet and then defend you honor all at the same time.” You laugh and nod.

“Yeah, something like that.” Suddenly a phone dinging gets all of your attention.

“It’s my phone!” Wanda excitedly exclaims as she read sit out loud.

*Wanda, the boys are waiting downstairs for you to make your move. #showthemwhatyou’vegot*

Wanda looks up and about squeals from happiness. “I’ll see you all outside!” Wanda hurries down the stairs and outside. Natasha grabs your arm and drags you closer to the window.

“Can you see them?!” Natasha asks.

“No, not a one. But we will see them soon!” You answer back as you try to Crain your neck just enough to catch a glimpse. Natasha’s phone dings.

“Some of us sooner rather than later.” Natasha teases. “See you down there!” She runs down the stairs. You sit in silence with Peggy who looks like she’d rather be anywhere else.

“So what do you do, Peggy?” She looks over at you and politely smiles.

“I am a military contractor.” Peggy says. You nod not having a clue what that means. The awkward silence is broken by your phone dinging.

“Huh,” she smiles up at you, “guess they are saving the best till last.” You don’t even bother to look at her, you just read your phone.

*Everly, it’s time for a bombshell like you to shake things up. Two of the four boys are coupled up but those boys could still step forward and fight for a chance to couple up with you. #Gogetthem #bombshellalert #summerlovin’

🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩

You feel butterflies in your stomach and you take a deep breath. “Okay, Everly. Let’s do this.” You walk downstairs and out to the back doors. You take another breath and decide to give it your best sexy strut. The big white doors open and the sun shines on your face, the warmth sends tingles down your spine. You toss your hair around a little as you start your entrance. Making sure you add a little bounce to your step as you descend the concrete stairs to the grassy yard. You take another deep breath, “hiya boys!” You holler and wave as you get closer. The four men in front of you stand with their eyes locked and jaws dropped. “I heard y’all were ready for some summer Lovin’. I’m Everly, nice to meet you.” You wink and walk even closer. Natasha cat calls you and Wanda cheers. The boys are mesmerized by you and just watches your every move.

“Hi, I’m Steve.” The tall, blonde, chiseled man to your right offers a bright smile as he itches to move closer to you. His eyes are a pretty blue and his smile is bright and infectious.

“Hi Steve.” You bite your lip a little and then smile.

“And I’m Bucky.” Says the tall, brunette, and just as chiseled man to the right of Steve. His eyes are a pale blue and his voice is so smooth, you can already imagine what sweet nothings would sound like coming from that voice. He holds himself proud and strong, you can tell he is a sturdy man. Natasha laughs and nudges his arm. She cocks her eyebrow and Bucky blushes as he looks back at you. You smirk and give a little wave and wink which seem to do the trick.

“Hi Bucky.” The next man is tall and blonde but his hair is shorter and a little spiky. His glasses are round a look absolutely adorable on him. He is a little nerdy looking but in a way that you totally love. He fumbles a little and looks between you and Wanda. Wanda smiles and gives him a nod.

“I’m Jake- and wow! Oh I’m sorry-” He looks at Wanda who nudges him.

“No I agree,” she looks back at you and smiles. “Wow is right.” You notice Steve fidgeting and you can feel Bucky’s eyes admiring your form. You dart your eyes to the side and he knows he was caught. You smile to let him know that you don’t mind it at all before you shift your eyes back to Jake.

“Well, thank you, Jake. That was really sweet.” You coo as sweetly as you can before you walk in front of the last man in line. He is of course, tall, his skin is beautiful and glowing in the sun. His abs are incredible and he stands as though he was military. He smiles and has the smallest gap in his front teeth. It’s kinda cute.

“Hi, I’m Sam.” He says as he stands straighter and looks you up and down.

“Hi Sam.” You offer back with a nice smile. You look at the boys and give them all a contemplative look. You are very interested in all of them but you don’t want to ruffle any feathers, at least not on the first day that is. “Okay, I am going to couple up with-“ You see Natasha elbow Bucky and he jumps forward.

“Now wait, you’re supposed to ask us to step forward if we are into you.” He gives you a shy little smile. You blush and look at Sam and Steve who just shrug. Sam steps forward, Bucky eyes him and steps forward as well. You are caught off guard, of course you want men fighting for your heart, it’s nice to be wanted. But so publicly and at the express of the new friends you’ve made.

“Now boys, hold on-“ you start but are interrupted by Steve.

“Well if we are really doing this,” Steve says as he walks forward. Jake shuffles around and Wanda squeezes his hand.

“Step forward if you want, Jake. It’s okay, it’s the first 30 minutes of knowing each other, no one should be too attached at the moment.” Jake shuffles forward and stands shoulder to shoulder with the other three men. You blush and look at each guy overwhelmed by their interest in you.

“Well, I am very flattered but I don’t want to step on any toes.” You start to explain again when Natasha interrupts you.

“No need to worry, Everly. We just met these guys and we have all summer to woo and win them back if you take them.” She winks and you laugh.

“Well how about you tell me about yourselves.” You say and Sam speaks up first.

“I am a retired airman. Now I work in security. I’ve got a boat I love to work on back home and I’ve got jokes for days.” He smiles and you laugh, teasing him a bit.

“So it takes you days to tell a singular joke? Must not be that funny.” You wink and Sam laughs as he shuffles around.

“Oh we’re gonna have fun.” You shrug and move on to the next.

“Jake? What about you?” Jake smiles and adjusts his glasses.

“Well I’m retired military as well. Actually I’m supposed to be dead.” You gasp and he shrugs. “Anyway, I have a niece I am crazy about and I’m really good with computers and tech.” He smiles proudly and you can’t help but smile back.

“I’m sure your niece is very proud of you.” You assure him and Jake beams back at you. You then turn to Bucky.

“Oh my turn? Right, so I am a retired army Sergeant. I now work as a carpenter, me and my buddy started a construction company a few years back and it’s going pretty well. I also do some freelance security work.” You laugh as you ask.

“What does that mean?”

Bucky smirks at you. “If I told you then I’d have to kill you.” He winks and you blush and promptly look at Steve.

“I am a retired army Captain,” he looks at Bucky as he emphasizes his higher rank, and Bucky lightly laughs and shakes his head. “Funny enough I also work in carpentry and have a business with my buddy. Who I also work in freelance security with on the side.” Everyone looks at each other and then back at Bucky and Steve.

“Wait,” you ask. “You two are friends? And know each other from the outside?” Steve and Bucky laugh and nod.

“Yeah, Buck and I go way back.” Steve answers as he squeezes Steve’s shoulder.

“Childhood friends and all. Someone had to keep him from getting his teeth kicked in.” Bucky says as he puts Steve in a headlock. Sam and Jake are laughing, the girls are all in shock and Steve pushes Bucky off of him with a loud laugh. You look at Natasha and she cocks an eyebrow.

“You’re also all veterans, huh? Everly what was it that you do again?” Natasha taking on the role of best/worst wingman in the world. You clear your throat and wish away the blush rising in your cheeks.

“I’m a physical therapist. I work with Veterans who have experienced life changing physical trauma.” All four boys look at you in awe.

“WOW, that’s amazing.” Sam says.

“Could have used one of those when I got out.” Jake says jokingly.

“I bet you’ve helped a lot of men and women get back a little piece of themselves.” Steve admires.

“I know the work you do, mine changed my life after my accident.” Bucky admits, that’s when you notice the faint, white scarring across the left side of his chest and left arm. Your professional curiosity is about to get the better of you but you quickly snap back to the task at hand.

“I do what I can, I hope I’ve made a difference.” You gently smile at Bucky and he gazes back. Natasha clears her throat.

“So Everly, you gonna steal one of our guys?” You look at Natasha and then back at Bucky and Steve. You smirk and playfully answer back.

“Now Natasha, it wouldn’t be any fun if I stole them, they may choose me on their own.” You wink and Natasha give a playful laugh. Bucky looks like he’s about to melt where he is and Steve looks about ready to jump out of his skin. “Well I don’t want to ruffle feathers and we have all summer, plus this guy looks about as sweet as a golden retriever and I need that energy in my life.” Wanda looks a little worried, thinking you’ve got eyes for Jake. You assure her by flicking your gaze to the man you are choosing. “I want to couple up with Steve.” Steve punches the air and gives you a big hug as you jog over to him. You stand by his side as you wait to Peggy to make her entrance. She comes waltzing down the stairs and you feel Steve shift around a little but then he looks at you with his deep blue eyes and you melt. He takes your hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. You then hear Bucky whisper to Steve, “I thought they usually saved the Bombshell for last? After Everly my head is spinning so much I can’t bring myself to focus.” Steve agrees. You blush and try not to let it go to your head.

“Well, hello boys.” Peggy says sweetly. “Seems most of you are coupled up,” her gaze flicks to Steve, “but we could change that. Step forward if you fancy me.” Sam steps forward and so does Jake. She looks at Steve and then her eyes float to you. You can tell Peggy is gonna cause some trouble in the future. “Hmmm I think I will couple up with this tall, handsome man right here.” She takes Sam’s arm and Jake shuffles back to Wanda who promptly wraps her arms around his. You get a text.

*Islanders, these will be your couples until the next recoupling. Which may be sooner rather than later. Take some time to know your partner and the fellow islanders. #flirtaway #mixitup*

You turn and look at Steve, he smiles down at you and then looks around to find a place to talk. “The daybeds look like a nice quiet place to talk, wanna?” He asks and you nod.

“Lead the way.” You two make you way across the lawn and pass the pool to the little covered patio on the other end of the lawn. The daybeds lay three in a row and face the rest of the yard. Steve sits down first and you crawl on the bed next to him. As you get settled you meet his gaze and his eyes flick from yours to your lips and then back again. Blushing and looking away, Steve lightly laughs, “So, tell me a little about yourself, Everly.” He reclines and rests one arm across his chest and the other behind his head. His smile is warm and he stares at you like you’re the most important person in the world, you feel butterflies erupt in your stomach as you meet his gaze.

“Well, as I said before I am a physical therapist but I also do some writing on the side. Helps take my mind off of work and lets me escape a little.” Steve raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“A writer too? WOW, what kind of stuff do you write?” He asks as he sits forward, even more intrigued.

“Romance of course!” You tease and Steve laughs. “But really, it’s love stories and teeth rotting sweetness. Just something to lighten up my mood after a hard day.” Steve beams at you and reaches out to squeeze your hand. “Humm what else? I have a sister and brother that I adore and my parents have been married for almost 30 years. I’m pretty easygoing, I love to spend time with friends and my loved ones.”

“Do you live near your family?” Steve asks as he rubs his thumb over the back of your hand.

“I do, but not so close that they would drop by unannounced.” Steve laughs and nods.

“I know what you mean. My mom lives across town and I make sure it stays that way. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my mom, but sometimes you need your own space.”

“Yes!” You exclaim. “Sorry,” you apologize for your loudness, looking around to see if anyone was disturbed by the outburst. All you see is Peggy staring at the two of you. “Umm sorry,” you laugh, “But I totally get that. My sister drops by sometimes unannounced and well let’s just say she has seen some things.” You blush and Steve lets out a loud laugh.

“Oh really?! What kinda things?” He smirks and leans a little closer, itching for the juicy details. You blush even more.

“Umm like an afternoon delight in the kitchen.” You cover your face and Steve pulls your hands away.

“Hey, no need to be shy!” He smiles kindly at you. “Would it make you feel better if I told you an embarrassing sex story too?” You laugh.

“Absolutely!” You cross your legs and lean your elbow on your knees and as you gaze up at him. He laughs and starts to blush himself.

“Well I was still enlisted when this happened. We were out on assignment and were waiting for the all clear to move in on our target. We were board and well, one of the M.A.S.H surgeons decided it would be fun to play strip poker. One thing led to another and me and her were in the back of the humvee going all the way.” You interrupt him.

“Steve this just sounds like your bragging about getting laid in a war zone.” You tease and Steve holds a hand up.

“Hold on, I’m not done.” He laughs and looks up at the sky, “Right as we were about to finish, the back door to the humvee opens.” You gasp and Steve nods, “yup, apparently while we were naked they radioed that we had to move out immediately. Everyone was geared up and ready to go but when they opened the door all they saw was my ass-“ Just then You hear Bucky and Natasha walking over, Bucky decides to finish the story for Steve.

“Yup! And that’s why we lovingly called him America’s ass the rest of his enlistment.” Bucky grins and pats Steve’s back. You try not to laugh as you look at a blushing Steve. He just nods and gives you permission, and you can’t hold it in anymore.

“Oh my god, that’s horrible. And kinda funny.” You laugh and Steve smiles, he likes your laugh, it’s sweet and light. He could listen to you laugh all day.

“I’m a big boy, I can handle being laughed at. But can you Bucky? Should I tell Natasha your embarrassing sex story?”

Nat laughs and looks between the two of them. “You two swap sex stories?” You giggle as you look back at Steve.

“Well yeah, don’t you?” He teases Natasha and she nods in agreement. “So Bucky are you gonna tell it or should I?” Bucky shrugs and looks at you with a smirk.

“Go ahead Stevie.”

“Stevie?” You question with a smirk of your own, Steve blushes and nods.

“Something my mom and my overprotective best friend always called me growing up. Now it’s just whipped out in times where he wants to be condescending.” Bucky laughs and agrees.

“Well I like it, Stevie.” You reach out and ruffle his hair and he catches your hand and give sit a kiss. “But back to the topic at hand, Bucky’s embarrassing sex story!” The four of you laugh and Bucky raises his hands.

“I was with a girl and her dad caught us. Walked right in there for a visit and apparently he had a key. And we were taking advantage of the great lighting in the living room of her apartment.” Natasha gasps.

“Wait?! As in like videos?!” Natasha asks, Bucky blushes and you want to see him do it again.

“If I said no would you believe me?” Bucky says to Nat and she laughs out loud.

“What?!? Like only fans???” Natasha asks, not weirded out at all but interested.

“Yes but it wasn’t mine. It was hers and it was a 1 time thing. We met at a bar and we were gonna hook up so she asked if wouldn’t mind being filmed. I said I didn’t care as long as my face and voice weren’t shown. So we set it all up and got to business. Her dad caught us before we could finish. So the video was deleted and that was my short, non-existent only fan’s career.” Your jaw is dropped and Natasha is laughing. Steve can’t breathe he is laughing so hard. “Anyway, it was for the best cause that was my first and only 1 night stand.” Natasha stops laughing.

“Wait really? Not trying to shame you, just wondering why.” Natasha asks as she takes his hand in hers. He smiles at her and then his gaze flicks to you before he answers.

“I’m more of the romantic type. I can flirt the pants off any women in a heartbeat but 99.9% of the time I then promptly ‘put them back on’. I’m kinda old fashioned in that way, I like it to mean something. Actually now that I think about it that story is kinda sad cause I was going through some shit and I was kinda in a spiral.” Bucky looks from you to Steve. He then lightly laughs. “Way to bring the mood down, Buck.”

“No, you didn’t, Bucky.” You assure him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “Thanks for sharing. And I think that’s sweet about wanting it to mean something, I’m like that too, hopeless romantic and all.” Bucky’s eyes light up in a way that only you catch. He nods.

“Thanks, Everly.” He then looks at Natasha. “So, what’s your story?” Before she can answer her phone dings. “Saved by the bell!” She laughs and opened the message as she screams for the other to join.

“I got a text!!” Wanda and Peggy run over, followed by Sam and Jake.

*Islanders, head to the fire pit for a steamy game of Truth or Dare. If the fire isn’t burning by the end then a switch up may be coming your way. #Hotandheavy #getthefirestarted #sparksareflying*

You and Steve look at each other and then back at Natasha and Bucky. “Sounds like if there aren’t sparks flying then that decoupling might happen sooner than we expected.” Bucky says as he looks at you and then back at Natasha. “We should probably head over.” He says as he stands up, you three follow him over to the fire pit. It’s sits right below the deck and has a built in bench that circles around half of the fire. The cushions are soft and brightly colored to match the rest of the house. You sit next to Steve and feel Peggy’s eyes on you. You glance her way and she avoids your gaze. Steve notices your face and gives you a nudge.

“Everything okay?” You meet his gaze and offer a small smile.

“Yeah, just I seem to have already made an enemy without even trying.” Nodding your head in Peggy’s direction as you whisper. Steve hums and takes your hand in his.

“I’m sorry, anything I can do?” He rubs the back of your hand with his thumb and you blush a little.

“Maybe get those sparks flying so we can stay together?” You give a flirty look and Steve bites his lip as he watches you.

“Oh I can definitely do that.” He smirks as he leans in closer, so close his lips graze your temple. “But maybe I should wait for the game to start.” He pulls back and winks and you just melt. You look across the fire pit and see Bucky, his eyes are soft as he watches you and your stomach does a flip. You give a small smile and Bucky has to bite his lip so he doesn’t break out the biggest smile. He clears his throat and looks at Natasha.

“So how do we play?” His phone dings, “Guess I could have waited 1 second and I would have gotten my answer.” He laughs and opens up the message.

*Islanders, each person will get a chance to pick a truth or dare card. Each card is a steamy dare or a sexy truth. Now let’s get the fire started because whoever you have the most chemistry with is who you will go on a date with tonight, and it might not be who you are partnered up with. #isithotinhere #letsgetstarted*

Bucky meets your gaze and you shift around a little. His eyes are so captivating but you can’t get caught gazing at him when Steve needs to be your focus. You turn your gaze to Steve and he smiles down at you. “Okay, who goes first?” Steve asks, his phone dings and he reads the message, “Looks like it’s me.” He smirks as he walks up to the deck of cards on the edge of the fire pit. Drawing the first card and a letting a big smile break across his face. “I got a dare card and it says ‘kiss the hottest girl for at least 15 seconds’. They don’t have to tell me twice.” Steve turns and looks at you, he walks over and pulls you up from your seat, your heartbeats faster and your gaze flicks to his lips as he leans in closer. Soft gentle lips graze yours and at first it’s sweet and tame. Then his arms wrap around your body and pulls you closer as his tongue gently pushes against your bottom lip, you hold back the moan that’s about to escape you when you hear the timer go off. Everyone cheers and claps. Sam whistles and Jake says some joke about it not counting if there wasn’t tongue. You blush as you pull back and open your eyes. Steve has the cutest blush breaking across his cheeks and nose, give him a ‘sun-kissed’ look and it’s so cute you could melt. You sit and pull Steve to sit down with you, holding his hand and trying to hide your blush from everyone else. Natasha meets your gaze and gives you a killer smirk.

“So Everly, sparks?” She asks and you blush even more. Steve lightly laughs and looks down at you.

“I’d say there were sparks flying, huh?” You nod and Steve pats your thigh as you two sit back.

“Okay, my turn!” Jake shoots up and grabs a card, “Truth! ‘Have you ever faked it to get out of a horrible lay?’ Well I feel this would have been a question for one of the ladies, but surprisingly I have.” Jake looks at Wanda and she just laughs.

“Wait, how?!” She asks, you’re genuinely curious too.

“Well, we weren’t naked yet and I felt horrible about doing it but I also didn’t want to sleep with her if I wasn’t into it. So I just kinda-“

“Oh my god,” Sam exclaims. “You faked getting off in your pants to get out of having sex?!” He looks at Jake and Jake hangs his head.

“Yeah, I did.” The boys laugh, Wanda speaks up.

“I mean it’s sweet you didn’t sleep with her when you knew you weren’t into it. But you could have told her the truth too.” Jake nods and agrees.

“I know that now! Then I was 17 and just wanted to get out of there and get home.” Jake explains. Wanda rubs his back and gently smiles at him.

“It’s okay, Jakey.” She assures him and Jake blushes and acts all shy. Bucky laughs and shakes his head. Natasha stands up and grabs a card. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrow cocks as she reads the card. “Huh, I got a dare and it’s says, ‘Sit in a boys lap who isn’t your partner for 2 rounds.’ Sorry Buck.” She smirks as she walks towards Steve. “I hope you don’t mind,” she sits on Steve’s laps and gets herself comfy. “Rules are rules.” She shrugs and you laugh and shrug. Steve looks anything but uncomfortable. You just roll your eyes and laugh. Nat continues to move around a little at a time, knowing exactly what she’s doing. Sam goes and his was a truth. He had to share what a perfect date would look like. “And then we’d end it back at my place,” he looks at Peggy. “What do you think of that?” She shrugs.

“Seems okay.” She focuses back on the others and Sam sighs and looks over at Bucky, who offers him a pat on the shoulder. It’s your turn and as you walk up everyone cheers you on, you do a little dance as you get closer and it has everyone in stitches and cheering even more.

“She’s got the moves!” Bucky yells as he smirks. You look back at him and wink.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” You flick your hair and seductively bend down to get a card. You know your ass looks good and you know Steve and Bucky are looking at it. Hell maybe even Sam. “It’s a dare-oh Lordy it’s a spicy one. ‘Make out with someone who isn’t your partner for at least 30 seconds.’ Hmmm decisions, decisions.” You look around at everyone and their hopeful faces. Steve pipes up.

“Come on Everly, take your pick. You should pick me no matter what the cards say.” He winks. You laugh and turn to face him.

“Just for that I should make out with Natasha while she’s still in your lap, just to tease you.”

“Please do that!” Sam almost yells.

“Oh god yes!” Jake exclaims.

“Don’t tease us!” Bucky warns

“I’m game if you are.” Natasha smirks. You giggle at all the reactions.

“I won’t do that, mainly because I am straight but also because I’m sure these boys would explode in their pants, and for real this time, right Jake?” You tease and he blushes while everyone else laughs. You throw him a wink and he smiles. “But I’ll give you this.” You walk over and gently peck Natasha’s lips. It’s over before it begins but it affects the boys all the same.

“Shit,” Steve mumbles and you hear the other boys curse beneath their breaths too.

“Now onto the actual dare.” You turn your attention to Bucky. You walk over and move right between is legs. He is laid back casually as he watches you lean closer and closer. As you start to climb in his lap and straddle him his ‘cool vibrato’ breaks and you see his pupils dilate. His eyes flick from your lips to your eyes and then back to your lips. He moves his hands from the back of the bench and slowly moves them up your back, watching your eyes to see if it’s okay. You gently smirk, “this okay, Buck?” Without answering he crashes his lips to yours as you wrap your arms around his neck. He moves his hands to your head, threading his fingers in your hair. You move your hands around his shoulders and feel his chest rise and fall beneath your fingers as he nudges your lips with his tongue. Without a second thought you let him and he licks into your mouth, both of you completely lost to the moment. When you break apart you are gasping for air and your lips are a little swollen. Bucky’s pupils are blown wide and you can feel his heart pounding beneath your hands. Everyone is cheering and whistling as you two come back to earth, under his breath so no one else can hear him, Bucky says.

“Fireworks, absolute fireworks. You just lit up my world, Everly.” You blush and give his chest the slightest squeeze wanting him to know you feel the same way. You quickly climb off and walk back to Steve. You meet Natasha’s gaze and she gives you a knowing look as she passes by and smiles to reassure you that she would have done the same thing. You find your seat next to Steve and shyly look up at him.

“Hi,” you say and he lightly laughs.

“Hey,” there is the slightest bit of worry in his eyes and you reach out and squeeze his knee. “Wish that had been me.” Steve admits and you smile before you let your gaze fall to the ground and then back at Bucky. You turn back to Steve and whisper.

“There still plenty of time left in the game, I’m sure we will get a chance.” You kiss his cheek and he blushes and nods.

The rest of the game isn’t as exciting. Wanda does a little dance for Jake who absolutely loves it. Natasha shares about her threesome experience. Sam has a dare that makes him get close and personal with Peggy who doesn’t hate it but definitely doesn’t love it. The whole time Peggy has her eyes on you. You Ignored her sighs as you settled next to Steve. Even when Bucky and Steve went again and chose you to carry out their dares with. One was to dance with you and the other was to make direct eye contact with you for a full minute. Bucky’s eyes are incredibly beautiful and you didn’t have any issues. Steve knows just how to move and he got your blood pumping towards the end. The whole time Peggy sat there, tight lipped and looking at you like you had killed her dog. When it’s her turn she stands up and grabs her card. “It’s a dare, ‘Kiss your partner until the other islands say stop.’ Well, I-”she looks at Sam and then back at everyone else. She doesn’t speak she just makes a b-line to Steve grabs his face and plants a big kiss on him. And Steve makes the mistakes of going along, his hands along her body and kissing her back.

“Whoa?!” Yells Sam.

“The card said your partner, Peggy! Steve?!” You exclaim, jumping up from where you are sitting. Natasha and Bucky walks towards the scene right as Peggy steps away. She gives a smug grin to you all.

“I know what my card said. I also know what I wanted. I’m fine with breaking the rules to get what I want.” She saunters back over to Sam who stands up and walks to the other side of the fire pit. Steve stands there shocked, with his hair messed up and red lipstick all over his lips. He looks down at you and sees the hurt in your eyes.

“Everly, I’m sorry. But it’s part of the game.” Before you could speak Natasha is standing up for you.

“No me sitting on your lap or Everly making out with Bucky was a part of the game. You helping Peggy break the rules and obviously enjoying it while doing it, that isn’t a part of the game.” You look at Peggy and her smug look, all you want to do is cry. You don’t know why, you just met Steve and it’s not that deep or special, but it’s something about the way Peggy looks at you and seemed to hate you from the moment you met. A text interrupts your thoughts. Sam speaks up.

“It’s mine.”

*Islanders, the game is over. The dates tonight are as follows.*

“Anyone have a text yet?” Jake asks. His phone dings, “oh I do!” He reads it out. “Jake and Wanda. We got a date!” Wanda smiles and kisses his cheek. Sam’s phone dings.

“Let’s get this over with,” he reads it and his eyebrows raise. “Sam and Natasha.” He looks at Natasha and she gives him a flirty wave and wink. “Well, alright.” Sam’s mood looks like it’s improved quite a bit. Steve’s phone dings.

“Steve and-“ he stops and looks up at you and gives you a sorrowful look. “And Peggy.” Your heart sinks and Peggy jumps up and comes to sit on the other side of Steve. You wait and wait and no text comes. Jake gets another one.

*Islanders, those are all the dates. Please head to the room to get ready. #Dates #loveisintheair

You try not to cry, it shouldn’t hurt but it does. In the shows eyes you didn’t have chemistry enough with anyone not Steve and not even Bucky. You feel sick to your stomach and can’t meet anyone’s gaze. Steve tries to talk to you but you just pull away because you can’t let him see you cry. Right before your voice breaks you croak out a, “go have fun, find me when you get back.” And with a kiss on the cheek you disappear to hide until they are gone. You sit up on the terrace and wait to hear their voices drift away as they all leave through the front door, the cars staring and driving away, leaving behind only the sounds of the ocean and your quiet sobs. Sitting there watching the sun set you remember that 1) you need to eat and 2) you aren’t here alone. So you make your way to the kitchen to whip up dinner and then you go to find Bucky. He’s sitting by the pool with his legs dangling in the water. He hears you walking up and he turns around to look at you before he waves you closer.

“Come join me, Evie.” You smile at the sweet nickname he just gave you.

“Thanks, Buck.” You offer back and he lightly laughs. Leaning back on his hands and watching as you sit next to him.

“Well, no matter what that dumbass game says, I think we had some pretty fire chemistry, don’t you?” He says, trying to lighten the mood. You give a sad smile and nod. Bucky sits up and nudges your shoulder. “Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?” You shake your head, “Look I know Steve can be a dreamy guy,” you laugh and wipe a tear away. “But even he isn’t good enough to have a beautiful girl like yourself crying over him.” You sigh and wipe away more tears.

“It’s not that, I umm-“ you take a deep breath and look at Bucky. You can tell he is trustworthy and kind, the way his eyes dance over you and not in a sexual way but in a protective and caring way. “I had a boyfriend, we broke up back in December because he was cheating on me. I found him with the women in our bed.” You can feel Bucky straighten up next to you, he puts his hands in his lap and you can tell he is squeezing his hands together. The thought of another man hurting you that way makes him angry, and that is incredibly comforting. “I thought I heard something so I stood by the door and waited. I heard a women say, ‘I know and I don’t care.’ Amongst other things. So, I walked in while they were in the throws, I wanted to make sure he saw me as I walked to the bedside table and grabbed my charger and bags before I glanced at her and then just stormed out.” Bucky puts an arm around you and rubs your shoulder before he leans in and kisses your head.

“I’m so sorry, Evie.” Bucky whispers against your skin.

“So Peggy swooping in and stealing Steve and Steve just going along with it,” you look up at Bucky, “well it opened up some old wounds.” You sigh again, “and I know that’s how this show goes and I know we’ve known each other for not even a day but it still hurt, you know?” Bucky nods.

“Yeah, I do.” Bucky looks at your lips and then back at your eyes. “I’m sorry he made you cry and I’m sorry Steve did too.” He leans in closer. “No man should ever make such a sweet, beautiful girl like you, cry.” And right when you think he’s gonna kiss you, he lifts up and kisses your forehead. A sweet and very kind gesture. “Well since we have this place to ourselves, let’s get to know one another, huh? No more tears unless they are from laughing too hard.” Bucky suggests and you agree.

“You’re right! Even if we apparently had the worst chemistry of the entire bunch, we can still have fun!” You laugh and so does Bucky. He shakes his head.

“Nah, we had chemistry, I think they did that for dramatic effect. And it worked. But now we are here, by ourselves for hours.” He smiles and raises his eyebrows and suggestively. “Whatever shall we do?!” You smirk and lean in really close, close enough to almost kiss him but you don’t.

“We should,” you say slowly. And Bucky nods.

“Yeah?” Bucky asks.

“Totally stake claim on the good beds and eat the best ice cream before those losers get a chance.” You giggle and Bucky nods.

“You read my mind!” He laughs and stands up, pulling you up with him. “Let’s go!” Dashing off to the kitchen you eat the dinner you made and talk about your jobs. “I love what I do and it pays well. But there’s just something about building something from scratch- something about creating that is its own kind of therapy, you know?” You agree and just smile and listen as Bucky goes on about the business he has. “So you work with Veterans?” You nod and sit back, pushing away your empty plate.

“Yeah, a lot of men and women who have lost limbs or have gone through some type of trauma that affects their mobility.” You look at Bucky as he nods and finishes his last bite. You bite your lip, trying to decide if you should ask about his injury or not. If working with Vets has taught you anything it’s that you don’t just casually bring up things that could trigger their PTSD. Bucky looks up at you and he can tell what you’re debating in your head. He smiles and sits back.

“You can ask, I can handle it.” You gently smile and sit forward.

“What happened? What was your official injury?” Bucky takes a drink of water and then sits forward to meet you halfway across the table.

“Roadside IED. Humvee hit it while we were making our rounds. It wasn’t there earlier that day but it was that afternoon. I’m a sniper, well was a sniper, so I was sitting in the nest on top on the car. We hit the bomb and I went flying, as did the car. I woke up and my left arm was hanging on by the bone and only the bone. There was also a large part of the Humvee keeping me pinned. I was in and out so I don’t know how long I was there but I know Steve was the one who saved me.”

“Really?” You ask, trying to control the emotion in your voice. Bucky nods.

“He was back at base and when we didn’t check in they sent out the search team. Knowing I was out there Steve demanded to be a part of it.” Bucky laughs. “He found me and damn near tore every muscle in his arms trying to lift that piece of Humvee off me. He saved me and got me back to base. From there we I was stabilized and sent home. It’s only a miracle that they saved my arm.”

“You have full range of motion and sensations?” Bucky smiles and looks down at his empty plate and then back up at you.

“If you’re asking as a professional? Yes, I can move and feel everything and I have my regular check ups to make sure there is no late onset nerve damage.” His tongue darts out quickly wetting his bottom lip, “if you asking as the woman I’m trying to win the heart of? Yes, I can pick you up carry you upstairs and feel every inch of your body if you’d let me.” Your heartbeat quickens and your eyes flicker to his lips and then meet his gaze again. He smirks and then sits back as you quickly regain your composure. You blush and get up to grab the ice cream.

🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩🦩

“You like mint?!?” You exclaim as Bucky takes a bite. He laughs and defends his choice.

“Not exclusively but maybe I’m just wanting to freshen my breath in case you wanna repeat our dare from earlier. Or make me prove that my range of motion and sensations are fully intact!” You giggle and run away from him as he chases you, trying to kiss you. You run to the pool and one thing led to another as you both go crashing in. You emerge gasping for air and laughing so hard as Bucky pulls you closer. Your laughter dies down as you gaze into each others eyes, growing closer and closer as he backs you up against the pool wall, taking your face in his hands and leaning in. Right as your lips are about to meet, your phone dings. Coming back to your senses you climb out and grab your phone reading the text.

*Everly and Bucky, you guessed correctly. You two had the most chemistry out of all 4 couples and we thought you deserved some private time while the others enjoyed their group date. But the privacy is almost over as the other islanders are on their way back. #Sparkswereflying #recouplinganyone?*

You look back at Bucky and he walks closer to you. Taking your face in his hands. “Well now I won’t feel bad about doing this,” he kisses you as his hands dance across your skin and your arms wrap around his neck. He moans into the kiss as your bodies move closer and you gasp as he bites your bottom lip before soothing it with another kiss. When you pull apart you stare into each other’s eyes and know that this summer is only about to get more interesting. Bucky moves back in but you stop him.

“I can’t- I know Steve and I aren’t exclusive but- I chose him, Bucky. I have to try, please understand.” Bucky sighs as he takes your hand.

“He’s on another date as we speak.” Bucky says.

“And technically so am I. How do you think he will feel when he finds out we got a private date, away from prying eyes.” Bucky sighs again and shakes his head.

“Okay, fine but you can’t deny what we have, Everly.” He pulls you closer and brushes your wet hair away from your face. “And I’m not giving up, I’ll be here. Natasha is great and I’d probably fall for her if you weren’t here but I meant what I said after that dare.” Your breath catches, it’s the first day, could you really have found it all on day one? “You lit up my world, Evie. And I’ll go about this however you need it. But I’m not giving up.” You let out a shakey breath and pull him into one last kiss before pulling apart and putting some space between you two just as the front door opens and the three couples come walking inside, loud as ever.

“Hey! What did you two get up to?!” Natasha yells as she motions to your soaking wet clothes. Steve walks closer and eyes you two intensely. You both laugh and play it off pretty well.

“Oh, well we were having a debate over which ice cream was better and it got heated and Bucky chased me and made me fall in the pool. I made him jump in too as pay back for ruining this perfect outfit.” You give Bucky a playful shove and he picks you up and hauls you over his shoulder, ready to throw you in again.

“You wanna go in again?!” He teases and you yell and try to wiggle free. He tickles your sides. “I don’t know, what do you think Steve?!” Steve laughs.

“Okay Buck, put her down. I think you’ve tortured her enough tonight.” Steve walks closer and pulls you into his arms and kisses your forehead. You feel Peggy’s glare bore into your back as Steve ushers you away. You look back and see Bucky watch you walk away with Steve. Nat and Wanda come up to comfort him and usher him towards the kitchen. “So how was your time here?” Steve asks once you get settled on the day beds.

“Good, got to know Bucky a little bit. Can see why you two have been friends for so long.” Steve nods. “He also told me the story about his arm.” Steve sighs and squeezes your hand.

“Yeah that was a scary time. But thanks to people like you,” he kisses your hand. “He is back to his old self.” Steve looks down at you and his eyes flick to your lips. “Man I really want to kiss you right now.” Your heartbeat quickens.

“You do?” You ask, a little unsure. Steve nods and closes the distance between both of you. Your lips crash to his and he slips his hand behind your head. He pulls you closer and you feel your cheeks starting to heat up. He pulls away too soon and rubs his thumb across your cheek.

“Wow, now that was worth the wait.” You blush and curl up next to him as you gaze at the stars.

“So how was your date?” You feel Steve shift and tense up. He clears his throat and you sit up to look at him.

“Well I want to be honest with you,” he hesitates, “Peggy kissed me and I didn’t exactly stop her.” That angers you more than it should and you don’t know why. Especially considering what you and Bucky got up to.

“I really like and care about you but I’d be lying if I said Peggy didn’t turn my head a little.” You sit back and create some distance. “I’m sorry, Everly. I just want to be honest.” You nod and sigh.

“No I appreciate that. And I guess I should be too.” You take a breath. “Bucky and I kissed while everyone was gone. We got to talking and flirting, we had a heart to heart because I was sad after yall left and well we kissed.” You meet Steve’s gaze and he seems a little upset but about as much as you were at his news about Peggy. He then sighs and leans his head back.

“Was your head turned?” Steve asks and musters up the courage to look at you.

“A little, yeah. But I told him that I chose you and I wanted to see where things go- if there is anything here, you know?” You explain and Steve nods.

“Yeah I get that.” He takes your hand. “Thank you for being honest.” You gently smile and kiss his cheek.

“Always,”

“Good to know. So are you gonna tell me why you were upset?” Steve asks as You lean back and stare at the stars.

“Just something earlier today reminded me of my ex who cheated on me. It made me more emotional than it should have. Not sure why though,” you shrug it off. “Anyway, Bucky helped and talked me through it.” You smile at the sky and Steve catches the fondness that washes over your face as you think of Bucky. He wished it didn’t hurt.

“Well I’m glad, Bucky is a great man.” Steve says as he pulls your attention back to him. “So are we all in until a recoupling potentially pulls us apart?” You smile and look at Steve, you see Bucky over his shoulder and he seems to walking your way. He gets there before you could answer Steve.

“Hey! A couple of us are gonna have a late night swim.” His gaze dances over you. “You two wanna join?” You look at Steve and you can tell he’d much rather talk but something in your eyes must have told him differently because he looks a little sad and then answers for the both of you.

“Sure!”

You are getting changed into a bathing suit as you hear two people in the bedroom.

“Did you tell her?!”

“No! Why would I?!”

“Because-“ you accidentally knock over a can of hairspray and it clangs loudly. The people who were talking quickly rush out of the room before you can see who they were. Thinking nothing of it you head down to the pool where the party seems to be in full swing.

“Oh there she is!!” Bucky cheers and whistles.“The party has arrived! Everyone Evie can do an excellent cannonball, saw it myself.” Bucky teases about earlier. You walk over and he knows what’s about to happen and he accepts his fate as you push on his chest and he backflops into the pool. You laugh and jump in after him. Natasha swims over and gives you a look that tells you, she knows everything.

“So a little birdy told me that had we been gone longer then we might have needed to treat this pool.” You blush and shake your head.

“No, nothing like that was gonna happen.”

“But something did.” She smirks. She sees your guilty face. “Oh that face better not be for me, because Bucky is hot, I’ll give you that but I’m not feeling it. So you are not stepping on my toes.” You sigh out of relief.

“I told Steve that my head may have turned.” You admit. Natasha hums.

“And how did he take it?” She asks.

“Pretty well. Said his might have too. But we still wanted to try while we are together.” You say and Natasha nods.

“So where is he?” You look around realizing he isn’t there. “He should be here with you, in the pool, grinding all over each other in the water.” You laugh and look around again.

“I actually don’t know where he is.” You go to climb out. “I’m gonna go see if I can find him.”

You grab a towel and head to the day beds and what you find as you get closer makes your blood boil and your heart breaks. Peggy is straddling Steve and making out with him while she moves his hands over her body. You hear Steve trying to get her to stop, to slow down, telling her that he is with you and that he likes you. “I’m with Everly, I like her-“ but she’s not listening, not respecting his wishes. You are speechless and then you hear her say it, “I know, and I don’t care. Touch me.”

It all comes back to you, standing in the hallway of your own apartment as Colin fucks some girl in the bed you share. “You know this will never go anywhere. I love Everly.” Her laugh and response, “I know, and I don’t care. Touch me.” You storm in to grab your stuff and you see her brown curls draped over your pillow and her legs around your boyfriend. Peggy was the women who fucked your boyfriend.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!!!”

A/N: So I don’t like Peggy is you couldn’t tell 🤭. Also I know Colin is actually a sweetheart but let’s just say this was during his fuck boy phase. 🤷🏼‍♀️.

Taglist: @hisredheadedgoddess28 @cadencejames87 @jessieasher1616 @janineb86 @cjand10 @slytherinqueen4life @theinheriteddutchess @rainydayandmondays @georgiapeach30513 anyone else who wants to be tagged to contact me! 🥰

#sebastian stan #bucky barnes #bucky barnes smut #chris evans #steve rogers #steve rogers smut #jake jensen #sam wilson #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #bucky barns x reader #steve rogers x reader

85 notes · View notes

unluckilyimnot · 1 month

Note

hello :3 do you think you could take a request about Sae Itoshi? From blue lock, like a little AU! fantasy where he is a prince and we are his soon to be wife? If you don’t, just ignore this! Tysm and have a nice day

Happy birthday - i.sae

in which you spent your birthday night with you fiancé I fantasy AU (kinda) I 1.6k

m.list | rules

note: hii thank you for your request <3 fantasy AU are my nemesis, i suck at it but I am a ball lover so i did it that way i hope it's fine. i basically do anything with sae so always feel free to ask

You exhale slowly as you check your reflection one last time in the huge mirror in your room. Doing a little spin, and another so you get to see every angle of the wonderful dress your father got you for your birthday party, you can’t help but feel nervous.

The dress is beautiful, in every fabric and color that you love. It’s perfect, in every detail, from the laces to the sparkles. It’s everything that you like. Your makeup is perfect for the night, your hair is down : your servants really did an amazing job, you're so thankful. Everything is perfect, and so will be this night. The princess’ birthday party is always the best. But that will also be the last one happening here for you, in the palace you spent your whole life.

You’re getting married later this year and maybe that’s because you will enter a new world, a new home and family that you felt more like crying than laughing for the moment. Even if there’s no need to worry about this right now, you can’t help it. It will be your last birthday here, you had to make it special. Softening the fabric below your hands, you brush the dress lightly while composing yourself one more time. It will be a wonderful night.

You checked your alliance one last time as you made your way to the reception room, ready to make your entrance. There’s already so much noise, you can hear so many voices and music is being played in the background. You glance to the side, bow your head to the knight guarding the place for everyone's safety before letting go of the breath you held until then. A pretty smile appeared on your lips, bigger than the one you force yourself to portray everyday and you take the corner to stand in front of the big stairs. Someone announced your presence and you started going down the stairs while smiling at the crowd under thunderous applause.

You received a thousand congratulations for your birthday and all your previous worries were long forgotten, vanished with the music and you lost track of time. Letting yet another man kiss your hand while congratulating you, you bow in appreciation before hugging his wife who is a close friend to your mother. You get once more involved in a rather boring conversation that you have to pretend to like before someone catches your eyes. Excusing yourself, you hurriedly walked through the crowd to the special someone you just noticed, a sincere smile on your face and sparkles in your eyes.

“Good evening, Sae.” you said happily, taking him off guard. You’re not buying it, him ? Here ? That’s a real surprise. “I’ve never seen you at any balls.” you added, to notify your own surprise.

He cleared his throat, not fully laying his eyes on you yet. “I’m not the most sociable.”

You chuckled at his words. Yes, you’re aware of that for sure. He frowned at you a little before offering you his hand anyway.

“But I couldn’t miss my fiancée’s birthday, could I ? Your dad would’ve been mad.”

“So would I, Mister. Are you even thinking about me ?” you teased before taking his hand in yours. Now, it was like everything was in place to spend the night you were hoping for.

“More than you think.” he whispered as he started to guide you through the crowd once again.

You two talked with so many people, drank so many drinks that you lost count of how many dances you did or how many partners you had between your friends, siblings and guests. All you could feel with the blessing sensation of being as light as a feather. The music takes you to another world, allowing you to be silly one last time, laughing around with your friends and siblings under the persistent yet loving eyes of your future husband. You played dumb when your eyes met and always sent him a huge smile, but you were just as observant as he was and knew exactly when to come to his rescue.

That’s how you stumble to him, playing a little more drunk than you actually were and take his hand even though he was caught up in a seemingly boring conversation.

“Dance with one with me, would you ? Can I steal him from you ?” speaking quickly to both of them, your eyes fell on the medals on the other man’s jacket before smiling to ease him. Military men are hard to deal with.

“I can’t decline anything the princess says, can I ? Especially tonight ; he’s all yours !” You smiled at him as a thank you and just like that, Sae was being dragged away on the dance floor, shaking his head in disbelief. Taking his hands in yours, you two waited for the new song to start and moved along with it when it did.

“You don’t have to thank me.” you teased again but he didn’t answer this time, knowing he didn’t have to. You were already too caught up in the dance, swinging around in this magical waltz as if this was your last night – which felt like it to you. You were getting married in three months, everything was already set and you wouldn't see your siblings or friends often anymore. It felt like the last time you would be able to enjoy yourself that freely and he knew it. That’s why he came, so you wouldn’t have only boring memories with him. To see you smile and have dances like those with you, hearing your laughter was all he asked for tonight.

But the music slowed down and soon, you got closer. He’s not making you spin anymore, you don’t try to make him spin when he doesn’t want to either, and your laughter calmed down. Only a satisfied, tipsy smile remained. Your footsteps synchronized together at a lower pace. Everything seems quiet suddenly, you could only hear your heartbeat and feel Sae’s hands on you. The music and people’s voices fade out, leaving you and Sae in a bubble. You chuckled at the safety filling your body. It was indeed a great night.

“Thank you for coming.” you said out of nowhere, not even looking at him but laying your head against his shoulder. Your heart racing in your rib cage, probably beating hard enough for him to hear it but you didn’t mind. You two will soon be even more intimate. He will feel your heartbeat more than once.

“Don’t thank me for that. Happy birthday, my dear.” he answered quietly, close to your ear before kissing your temple. A nervous laughter left your lips before you bite it down.

You never thought he would be like that, he seems like a distant man when deep down he can’t keep this facade up. Not that you mind. That’s why you fell for him.

i hope you liked it !

#blue lock x reader #blue lock headcanons #blue lock hc #bllk x reader #bllk headcanons #bllk fluff #sae x reader #sae itoshi x reader #sae fluff #sae headcanons #sae hc #sae itoshi #blue lock fantasy au #sae fantasy au #sae prince au

91 notes · View notes

descendant-of-truth · 1 year

Text

Y'know what maybe I'm not done talking about Journeys queercoding actually. maybe I do wanna work out my literary analysis muscles for the sake of Pokemon protagonists. why not

To clarify, this isn't about me personally enjoying the ship between Ash and Gou. I do enjoy it, but I'm making an argument for potentially deliberate queercoding in the writing, I'm not necessarily just here to gush (though that may be a side effect)

I'm also a firm believer that actions or behaviors that we typically think of as romantic are only made romantic if that's how the people involved feel about it. I don't think romance is the only possible way to interpret their relationship.

But when it comes to predicting where a story might be going next, or figuring out what the writers are intending to hint at us, I gotta pull out my textbook of Romantic Tropes first to see what fits the bill.

And I'm sorry, but even if it's not the intended interpretation, you can't include all of these scenes:

...and assume no one in your audience will think there's anything romantic happening here.

Of course, those are just the obvious visual interactions between them that can come off as romantic, to say nothing of the symbolic visual hints; the no less than four rainbows they've been under (one of which was reflected in Gou's eye), the two sets of heart-shaped pokemon that swam past them in a single episode which also had them falling under a rainbow, stuff like that.

But even all of that is pretty surface-level stuff. If the writing doesn't support a queer reading very strongly, then my argument for the queercoding being particularly intentional would fall flat.

Thankfully, the writing does support a queer interpretation, so I'm in the clear! Since breaking this part down will take a lot longer, I'm putting it under a cut.

So, right off the bat we've got the basic setup for the show. For the first time, the focus is primarily on Ash and one other person, as opposed to two or more people... despite having a third person in Chloe, who could easily make this into a trio dynamic, considering she's friends with Gou from the start. But they choose instead to make the core of the show about Ash and Gou.

This is even reflected in promotional material, where they'll often be placed closer to each other than Chloe:

Them being roommates is something I usually bring up as a joke, but it is worth noting anyway simply because it's another way the writers have decided they're going to spend almost all of their time together when they really didn't have to.

But now we gotta get into the real Writing Choices(TM) that are the meat and potatoes of this analysis, such as: making brief allusions to the idea that they might like other guys, too

One way to build up a character's orientation is to show them being attracted to people in shorter instances before giving them a main love interest. Think Luz from The Owl House; she had expressed attraction to both boys and girls before she got a girlfriend or started wearing a bi pin.

Likewise, this is Ash when he's thinking about Leon after seeing him battle for the first time:

I kid you not, he keeps up this blush and zoned-out expression for a solid minute, so caught up in thinking about how cool Leon is that he doesn't even think to eat the scones in front of him.

Now, Ash is a person frequently characterized by his love for food, and in previous episodes he had expressed a particular adoration for Galar scones, so this is pretty unusual behavior for him.

So unusual that it's. literally never happened before, to the best of my knowledge?? I don't think it takes much analyzing to realize that, even if it was brief, you could easily take this as Ash having a celebrity crush on Leon.

(There's even pink flowers in the background but that's probably less important)

Meanwhile with Gou, his "setup crush" in this scenario would be Horace. These two have a whole episode dedicated to their first meeting and the bond they forged, and how that turned bitter on Gou's end when he gets stood up right as he thought he was finally making a friend.

What sets this up for a romantic interpretation is largely the framing of things towards the end of the episode:

"Why do I keep thinking of him" is historically not the most platonic thing you could be bitterly thinking to yourself while you remember stargazing with someone, even if I do stand by my statement earlier of nothing being inherently romantic by itself

The end of the episode also implies that the feeling is mutual, if this shot is anything to go off of

(It's just a very shoujo manga-esque frame okay there's no way I wasn't going to point it out)

And the ending scene is two Celebies looking down happily at the two of them while the narrator talks about how pokemon form "many different kinds of bonds"

Many kinds of bonds, huh? Wonder what he could possibly be implying there

Okay so we've got orientation buildup, next in line is this. suspiciously consistent trend of characters who are close to Ash telling Gou to take care of him, or even going out of their way to test him to make sure he's good enough to be his rival or friend.

Gou himself even echoes the sentiment completely unprompted once, which says even more to me that they're trying to make a point out of this:

And here's the thing. None of the other companions have ever undergone this sort of treatment. Nobody questioned whether or not Ash's friends were good enough to hang out with him before, so why now? Why Gou? What makes him different?

Kiawe is relatively easy to explain because (from what I can tell) he's just Like That about rivalries, but why the addition of describing a rival as "the person closest to Ash"? Why does Gary suddenly care about the quality of Ash's buddies when that was never really a concern for him before?

Well gee I don't know about you guys but to me, this feels like the trope where someone's friends and family all start scouting out the guy they're interested in (or who is interested in them) to make sure they won't like, break their heart or something. And despite my best efforts, I'm struggling to see how this wasn't the writers' intention behind these plotlines.

Gou telling Ash's mom that he'll look after Ash on two separate occasions as opposed to the initial one also feels like an easy parallel to someone promising their love interest's parents that they'll be a good partner.

To my understanding, that isn't traditionally something friends also have to promise, even if there's more justification here as Ash and Gou are traveling around and getting into chaotic situations regularly.

So, with all this in mind, it kind of reframes the stuff I mentioned earlier, doesn't it? The blushing, the hand-holding, the spin hug that I'm never getting over, the frequent appearance of rainbows and the heart shaped Pokemon (Luvdisc if you were wondering)... it feels a lot more intentional once you take into account the bigger themes in the writing.

And once you start looking, it keeps piling up. The way Gou hurriedly says that he totally didn't want to help Ash out or anything after Scorbunny gives him a knowing look, like how most tsundere tropes tend to play out:

Or the specific way Gou is taken aback by one of Ash's compliments before trying to play it off by looking cool, only to be comically shocked when Ash gets distracted by something else:

I could go on but I'm running out of image space and I think you get the idea.

Ash's side of this whole thing is admittedly a lot more subtle than Gou's (*cough* because he's arospec) which is why I haven't gone over it much - my aim with this post was not to go too far into speculation territory - but we at least have marketing on our side for that

Gee Ash how come Animedia let you feed Gou two pastries

Anyway, in conclusion: I ran these two through the literary queerometer and the results were positive, thanks for coming to my TED talk

#pokemon #pokeani #anipoke #pokemon journeys #ash ketchum #pokemon gou #journeyshipping #satogou #analysis #meta #Can you tell I started this at a reasonable nighttime hour and finished at 3am #XD #TAKING THESE SCREENSHOTS TOOK SO LONG #especially since I had to backtrack and edit for a lot of them #Finding the animedia posters in decent quality wasn't exactly a cakewalk either

820 notes · View notes

nahimjustfeelingit-writes · 1 year

Text

Mirror, Mirror

Kinktober fic fest submission

Summary: Dina Brighton enters a masked sexy party for elites uninvited and has to escape. Dark!Erik x OC

Warnings: Smut, katoptronophilia, size kink, anonymous sex kink, breath play, knife play kink, degradation kink, BDSM, Dirty talk, cult, angst.

part four

Kinkober fic challenge moodboard one moodboard two part one part two part three

Erik stepped off of the crowded elevator and onto the twelfth floor, Saint Laurent black duffle briefcase in his right hand, wool and alpaca Cavallo blazer in his left hand draped over his shoulder, and a fierce look in his eyes. A series of Good Morning’s and hello’s welcomed him as he strolled past offices and cubicles. He didn’t return any of them, nor did he desire to. He was on a mission.

Erik finally arrived at his destination; Dina’s office. His obsidian eyes stared ahead into an empty office with no trace of her. The desk was cleared off, her cushioned swivel chair was neatly tucked in, and her name plaque was removed, leaving behind an empty space with a neat scattering of dust surrounding it.

Erik rested his bottom on the edge of Dina’s desk, retrieving his phone from his pocket again, calling her cell phone for the fifth time that morning. It rang five times before it reached her voicemail again. Erik closed his eyes and listened to her fruity voice. It felt like she was whispering in his ear.

Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now. Leave a message.

“Dina…listen…I’m sorry about what happened on Monday….I…I really want to talk to you in person…apologize properly…I didn’t know what I was thinking. Please, whenever you’re available, just call me back…”

Erik ended his attempted call.

A soft knock caught his attention and there stood Monica; the receptionist. She had a disinterested look on her face, as if even existing was a buzz kill.

“Mr. Stevens, I have a message from Dina. She asked for me to relay it to you. Are you busy?” Monica asked.

“What is it, Monica?” Erik stood up from his desk abruptly, earning a strange look from Monica.

“She quit.” Monica declared.

The corners of Erik’s lips turned down into a frown.

“Quit?” Erik echoed.

“Yes,” Monica sat into her hip, “She said that she finally landed that job she’s been dreaming about and she thanked you for everything. She also wishes you and Vivian a happy relationship…said that you two were made for each other?” Monica said.

Erik cast his eyes out of a window in Dina’s old office.

“Thank you, Monica.” Erik finally answered.

“…would you like for me to reopen the position?”

Erik turned his back on Monica, trying his best to hide his frustration as best as he could. Monica rolled her eyes, unfazed by his momentary breakdown. She’d been here before. Hire a new assistant. Predict how long they will last. Reopen the online application. Repeat.

“Yeah…” Erik finally answered.

He couldn’t accept this.

Sure, he could have declined Vivian’s kiss until Dina had left, but it was his way of showing her that getting romantically involved with him was indeed a big mistake and should never happen again. After successfully getting rid of Cora permanently, he went home that evening, took a cold shower, and laid awake for hours. He stared up at his darkened reflection, flashes of Dina’s smile, her sweet voice, her innocent eyes, that built body, and her troubled past crossing his mind.

He still couldn’t get it out of his mind. She was a parentless child. Her mother’s life was taken away at such a young age. Her father carelessly killed her mother and left Dina behind like she was nothing to him. The thought of knowing that her father got away with this had a fire burning so rageful inside of Erik. If it were Erik, he would have hunted his father down and done the same if not worse. But, that’s not who Dina is. She’d probably forgive her father. She’d probably still want a relationship with the only parent she has left.

Erik left Dina’s office, shutting the door quietly behind him. A familiar door across the hall opened, and Greg appeared in the hallway with an empty coffee mug in his left hand. He spotted Erik and lifted his chin in greeting. Erik returned the gesture, but Greg could tell that he was sulking over something. He followed Erik into his spacious office and shut the doors behind him. Greg watched his childhood friend slowly stroll towards his desk, the silence surrounding them unnerving.

“I’m gonna have to find a new assistant. Miss Brighton quit.” Erik said.

“Really? Did she say why?” Greg questioned.

“A better career. She got her dream job…”

Erik trailed off as if he wanted to say more but instead he opened his work laptop and began typing in his username and password.

“Doesn’t matter. Work still needs to be done, and I want to get as much of this shit done before I leave early today. Are you coming to the estate for an early celebration?”

Greg fixed the disappointment on his face and took a seat at the head of Erik’s sleek desk. His eyes scanned left and right, trying to come up with a response while his thoughts lingered on Dina. He finally looked up at his friend who was too busy on his laptop.

“Yeah, I’ll come up once I get things situated here in the city…gotta pick up my tux and cape for the evening…Dina did look pretty upset on Monday, E.”

Erik’s fingers slowed down from punching aggressively on the keys, he didn’t look up at his friend but Greg knew he was listening.

“…She was crying. We went to lunch and I tried to cheer her up but…she was really torn up about something…and I did see her leaving your office—”

“What do you wanna know, Greg?” Erik cut Greg off.

Greg shrugs, “Does it have anything to do with Vivian?”

Erik smirked.

“Let me guess,” Greg’s eyes narrowed, “Dina let you in, huh?”

Erik exhaled, reclined back in his chair, and stared into Greg’s eyes with a penetrating glare.

“You know…It’s really none of your business, bro.”

Greg chuckled, “You just gotta have what you want? You weren’t even into Dina until I said something that day. It’s like you gotta prove you can bag women and throw it in my face—”

“You wanted her? You wanted her, Greg? When you want something, you go for it, right? You make a move…and did you make a move? The proper move? I never said I wasn’t interested in Dina, not once did I mention that she never crossed my mind. I just chose not to make a move at the time—”

“And when I expressed my interest, you jumped on her. Call it what you want, man, but I know. You had her crying over you. Feels good hurting her feelings, doesn’t it? That’s all you do, bro. You don’t have it in you to love somebody—”

Erik stood up and walked around his desk. Greg raised up, meeting Erik, both of them ready to get physical if need be. Greg enjoyed toying with Erik. He knew what to say to get under his skin. Erik Stevens. He thinks he can get what he wants. Throwing money at everything. Doesn’t have to lift a finger. Erik smiled in Greg’s face menacingly, and Greg’s left eye twitched angrily.

Erik’s voice lowered to an ominous tone, “You know, it looks like you’re still not over the fact that I fucked your sweet, little sister…”

Greg shoved Erik and he stumbled back slightly, correcting his stance before fixing his blazer. Greg walked away to clear his head, exhaling deeply.

“What? You gonna hit me, Greg? Cut the bullshit. Listen, I did get in with Dina, and you know what else? She’s different. I like different. Nothing familiar about her. She looks past all the shit and sees me for me. Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t want to pursue her, but I’ve always had an eye on her…”

Greg looked back at Erik over his shoulder.

“Doesn’t matter now. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. You can put on your cape now and be her shoulder to cry on. Let’s see if she’ll give you some. You think you’re any better than me? We’re cut from the same cloth, G.”

Erik went back to his seat and watched Greg over the top of his laptop. Greg walked back to Erik’s desk to retrieve his mug, before turning to leave Erik’s office. Before he disappeared into the hallway, Greg glanced back at Erik, a mischievous smirk appearing on his handsome face.

“I just might do that.” He said.

The afternoon New York traffic gave Erik some time to reflect. He allowed the sweet melody of one of his favorite vocalists, Carmella Love, to serenade him while he gazed out of his window at the congested sidewalks and many cars practically bumper-to-bumper. He filtered out the road rage and excessive honking to enjoy her distinctive contralto voice. It’s husky, sultry, elegant and sexy. Definitely hypnotic.

He could only imagine how it felt to be in her presence. He’d only heard that she was an alluring woman. People capitalized off of her death, creating books and documentaries. He could remember one occasion in his earlier youth asking his mother what Carmella Love was like. He’d seen many group photos with his parents and Carmella from the late 80s to the early 90s. In every photo, Carmella’s captivating smile and seductive eyes stole the shine while his mother posed with a fake smile. She never stood next to Carmella and although they were just photos and you can’t really tell if they’ve had a friendship, it still felt distant.

Erik’s cell phone buzzed in his hand and when he checked to see who it was, he took a second to prepare himself before answering.

“Ma, good to hear from you,” Erik spoke.

“Son.” Victoria said.

“How are you?”

“…not so good.” Victoria said with a curt tone.

Erik knew where this was headed, but he wasn’t going to give in. He wanted to see if she would address it first.

“Did you need me to send more money?” Erik replied.

“Hm,” Victoria hummed, “I do need something from you…the truth.”

Erik’s lips went tight and he remained silent on his end.

“No? It’s the least you could do. I spoke with Cora’s mother. She’s hysterical.”

“I extend my condolences,” Erik said, “It’s really unfortunate what happened to her…really…I can’t imagine what her mother must be going through right now—”

“STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!” Victoria shouted, “I should have seen right through you when you apologized! You don’t have one remorseful bone in your body! I am disgusted! I had to speak to her mother and lie because of what you did!”

Erik glared, “What I did? How about what she did. You know me so well and yet you didn’t wait for me to leave to plot against my downfall. I heard the two of you talkin’. I did what I had to do…what I won’t hesitate to do to anyone that gets in my way…you of all people should know about that,” Erik spoke darkly.

Victoria remained silent. Erik knew his mother was panicking. Probably pouring herself another glass of wine.

“My own mother…still so bitter that I got everything and she got NOTHING. I can’t believe you. If you weren’t my mother, I’d kill you. My father did everything for you. Gave you everything. And this is what you do? Turn your back on your own child?!”

“I lost you as a child years ago, Erik! I put blood, sweat, and tears into that marriage! Your father treated me like dirt! And you are just like him!—”

“I’m your son—”

“MY SON IS NOTHING BUT A MURDERER WHO DOESN’T LOVE ANYONE BUT HIMSELF!”

“And you’re a drunk, conniving, bitter woman who never loved her son. You did not ONCE show me affection. You don’t think I wanted that?! You were too busy drunk and high out of your fucking mind passed out on the couch to even pay attention to me! Don’t blame me for what you failed to do! Feel however you wanna feel about my father, but at least he loved me. I can’t say the same shit for you—”

“DON’T YOU EVER!!!!!—”

“I’m not fucking finished,” Erik spoke through clenched teeth, “You chose to stay married to him. You chose to put up wit’ it. That ain’t got shit to do wit’ me. I’m not having this conversation anymore wit’ you, but know this…you hurt me. I can accept the fact that you resent me, but this? Plotting my downfall? Just all types of evil–”

Erik’s chauffeur beeping the horn made him remember where he was and that it was best to end this conversation. He had nothing else to say to his mother. And despite what she did, he still loves her. Erik blinked back tears and took a calming breath before speaking again. He wasn’t going to allow himself to cry. He’s tired of wasting tears on his mother.

“I am far from evil. I am disgusted. To see you become your father…it pains me. Cora loved you—”

“Cora ain’t love me. She was out here doing her dirt too, ma. She only wanted to marry me for gain. It was all a game to her. That’s what you fail to see. So concerned with who I should be with, and yet, you don’t know anything about me. You owe me an apology…”

“I will not apologize for planning to stop you! Maybe then, I could have my son back…the way he was before all of this,” Victoria said with a shaky voice.

Erik thumbed away a tear and frowned. He took the phone from his ear and ended the call without even saying goodbye. He couldn’t even trust his own mother. Would she even mourn him? The only biological parent he has left and she treats him as if she wants him to join his father six feet under.

Erik cleared all thoughts of his mother out of his brain and stared straight ahead out of the dashboard window to see what the traffic looked like. The city streets were packed like sardines. Carmella’s voice calmed him and his thoughts drifted to Dina again. Phone in his hand again, he googled the number to the Chanel headquarters in New York to inquire about a new hire. He needed some kind of positivity to overcrowd how enraged he felt.

The phone rang once and after pressing whatever buttons he needed to reach someone, the phone rang twice before a woman with an overly cheerful voice greeted him. She said that her name was Sarah and she confirmed that she’s responsible for hiring candidates. Sarah informed him that there have been over twenty new hires. Of course, she knew who he was and expressed that she would be happy to help him with anything he needed.

“I was wondering if you could tell me if there is a Miss. Dina Brighton among the new hires? last name is B-R-I-G-H-T-O-N. Dina with an I.”

“Sure! Is it alright if I place you on a brief hold?”

“Of course,” Erik rested his head back against the seat.

Elevator music played in his ear as he stared up at the roof of the car. Five minutes later, Sarah was back on the line.

“Mr. Stevens? Are you still there?” Sarah asked

“Yes. So? Any information?”

“Unfortunately, I did not find Dina Brighton hired for the position of Media Specialist. I even did an extensive search, just in case there may have been a different first name, or another position, and I still don’t have any record of us hiring her.”

A crease formed in Erik’s brow, “Not even a refused application?”

“No. We keep a record of everything. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

Erik was lost in a state of confusion that he lagged on a response to Sarah.

“Mr. Stevens—”

“Thank you, Sarah.”

Erik ended the call.

“Hey, change of plans. Head to Miss. Brighton’s apartment.” Erik informed his chauffeur.

Luckily they were closer to her place than his. Maybe, by the time they got back on the street, the traffic would ease up. Twenty more minutes rolled by and the driver parallel parked. Erik hopped out and jogged up the steps to the entrance of the apartment lobby. He located Dina’s apartment number and rang the bell to her apartment. Erik checked the time on his watch, noticing that he was running behind schedule. He rang the bell three more times and even called her again.

“Can I help you?”

A low and hesitant voice caught his attention and Erik turned to find a middle-aged black woman with short, curly black hair sprinkled with gray. She was dressed in a pair of slim-fit jeans, a worn graphic tee, a windbreaker jacket, and black converse on her feet. She had a leash in her right hand connected to the collar around the neck of a Husky.

“Hi. I’m trying to reach a friend of mine…Dina.”

The woman pondered for a moment before shaking her head full of type 4 curls, “I don’t know a Dina. I’ve been living here for some time…what floor?”

Erik checked and then responded, “Third floor. 3A.”

“I’m 3D. I know all of my neighbors,” She tugged on the leash to get her dog to stay still, “And Dina doesn’t ring a bell. Now…there is a young lady who shows up every now and then—wait—what’s her name—Adena—yes…yes. I know Adena. She lives in 3A.”

Erik gave the woman a perplexed look, “has to be the same person…what do you mean you see her every now and then? Is she not around often?”

“Who are you?” The woman questioned.

“My name is Erik.”

The woman studied his face for a while and then recognition crossed over her face.

“Erik Stevens. I knew you looked familiar.” She said with a smile.

Erik returned the smile, “What did you mean by every now and then? See, she works for me—worked for me, and I was worried about her. Hadn’t been able to reach her all day.”

The woman nodded her head in understanding, “Adena is rather quiet when I see her. Pleasant, but withdrawn. I work from home but I do leave my apartment often and I never see much activity from 3A. There’s always deliveries weekly, big packages, and you’d be lucky to catch her. I ran into her coming back from Starbucks one morning last week and she was taking a package to go…like she lived elsewhere. Some of the tenants here rent out their apartments but live elsewhere. I get the feeling that Adena doesn’t occupy that apartment on a regular basis. More of like…a home away from home.”

Erik scrutinized the apartment building, screwing up his face in deep thought. Was Dina a nickname? But then that couldn’t be, because he was certain her name was Dina, not Adena. Had she been lying to him the entire time? First, she never even applied for a position to work with Chanel as a Media Specialist — her dream job — and now, he discovers that Adena could be her real name and she doesn’t even live here.

“If you see her, could you please tell her that I came by to check on her?” Erik said.

“Yes.”

Erik descended the stairs, stopping to pet her dog before getting into his ride and driving off. As much as he wanted an explanation from her, he had bigger plans awaiting him that couldn’t be ignored.

The Stevens Estate was so christened by its first owner, landscape designer Robert Malone, Jr., a son of Italian immigrants who in the early 1920s enlisted the help of preeminent New York architecture firm Delano & Aldrich in designing it. Albany’s lushly forested and rolling landscape, evocative of the English countryside, has long been a place of quiet wealth. Since the early 1900s, members of New York society seeking to avoid the social spotlight of places like Newport, Rhode Island; Southampton, New York; or Lenox, Massachusetts, have gathered there.

Robert Malone, Jr., was born in 1887 to an old New York family. In 1921 he married equally socially prominent Hannah Elias Stevens, nicknamed “The Negro Enchantress” in the tabloids of New York City in the early 1900’s. She was one of the richest black women in the world in the early 1900’s. Although he began his career as a banker, he is best known for his later work as a landscape architect.

Malone designed the landscapes of other distinguished members of New York society, including the Westchester estate of Mr. and Mrs. David Rockefeller. He worked closely with many of the famous architects of the era, and when he decided to build his own country home in 1924, he hired William Adams Delano and Chester Holmes Aldrich.

After the death of Malone in 1950, Hannah continued to evolve the estate with the help of her prestigious family until her death in 1973. It wasn’t until the late 1980s, when the estate was in disrepair, that Joseph Stevens Jr., Hannah’s great nephew, set about restoring and updating the great old period mansion.

Joseph and Victoria Stevens lived about an hour north of Manhattan in a village that is to the suburbs as the navy cashmere blazer is to men's jackets. To call Albany a suburb is somewhat misleading; it is more like Manhasset or Old Westbury in the day of the Paleys and the Phipps. Zoning is generous, houses are hidden, and horses are welcome. It’s a mixture of opulence, luxury, and Hollywood movies.

The paved road gives way to dirt and gravel several miles short of the Stevens estate, which is surrounded by over 250 acres of rolling lawn and woods. Norman in style, stone and slate, it was built in 1919, and there is no reason to think it will look any different a hundred years from now. At 17,000 square feet it is big but not overwhelming; it feels appropriate and comfortable. The only clue to who is in the house is the car in the forecourt, one of a collection of classic sports cars that look as they did the day they were delivered a half century ago. In its later years, it’s been endowed with technology and also bullet-proofed.

As in an English "stately," the entrance hall is not overly decorated. The first of many oil paintings greet you, as does the scent of lilies. Throughout the house there are dense, formal arrangements of romantic white flowers—hydrangeas, imperial lilies, calla lilies—with old-fashioned scarlet-red roses tucked into them. Animal imagery, and the energy it imparts, is everywhere too, in pencil studies of lions and oil paintings of horses and leopards, and especially in the fascination with leather.

Stevens collect leather and African artifacts the way an anthropologist collects bones. It is almost always what you find yourself sitting on or looking at. Old briefcases and schoolbags are used as accessories. Hide, suede, alligator and croc turn up in every possible condition: nicely mellowed, worn to a shine, darkened from a century of fingertips, shaped to the human form, crumbling to dust. This is a museum.

Erik wore a pair of ivory chino pants with a matching polo and tinted aviator shades. He had his staff at the estate carry in his bags while he greeted his male cousins and old friends. All ten of them were standing around, checking out the vintage sports cars and bragging. Erik noticed that Greg hadn’t shown up, and he wasn’t surprised. They group spotted him walking up and all of them shouted his name, walking up to him, dapping him up and giving him a one-armed hug.

All of his cousins and friends do well for themselves. Although Erik was the most sought after, any woman would be lucky to even have a chance with any of them. Erik’s older cousin, the closest cousin to him, Raymond, who is a successful software developer generating millions of dollars, was the last to give him a hug. The last time Erik had seen his cousin, he was a groomsman in his destination wedding in Jamaica. That entire getaway was foggy to him. He spent most of his time drinking, smoking weed, and fucking bitches. He even had to get a taste of the bridesmaid he walked down the aisle with. That was the best time Erik had in a while.

“Look at you little cuz! Looking sharp!” Raymond said, “Ready for a wild night?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. How’s Fiona?”

“She’s great, you know I got a baby girl on the way. I’m excited about that.”

Erik smirked, “Congrats, Ray. That’s beautiful, man.”

Raymond walked alongside Erik as they followed the rest of the crew up the steps to the entrance of the estate. Erik’s butler, Amadi, an African man whose parents are from Yoruba, oversaw the traffic of staff walking in and out of the mansion. Alongside him is his late father’s personal assistant, Malia. She’s swiping away on her tablet while giving orders to the decorating committee. She’s wearing a gray pantsuit with a satin fuchsia pink top and black heeled sandals. Her long black hair is styled in a top not to complete the look.

“Hopefully it’ll be you someday, E.” Raymond said.

Erik chuckled, “Marriage? Nah, you know that’s not me.”

“Could be.”

Erik saw marriage as misery. Unhappiness. He’d grown up finding the idea of tying the knot laughable. It’s all smoke and mirrors. But isn’t everything in his life that way? embellishing the truth? His father always wanted something new; new car, new ways to make money, and a new woman. He wanted a woman at home to take care of his son while he dabbled. His mother was a train wreck with a temper and substance abuse issues. His father’s ego and his mother’s bitchy ways were always the result of screaming matches and physical fights. As Erik got older, most of the men in his life cheated on their wives. It was the norm. To Erik, none of them were happy. Why should he be?

“Erik, good to see you.” Malia greeted him.

Malia stared deeply into Erik’s eyes.

“Malia. Everything good?”

“Yes, just some final touches for the aerial dancers and we’re good to go. The only thing left to do is make sure the kitchen staff have the preparations for the full course. Amadi is handling that now. As soon as they’re finished, I’ll be on my way.”

“Thanks for the update. Life treating you well?”

“Definitely,” Malia beamed, “I took a trip to Ibiza for a week and that was an experience.”

Erik knows about her trip. She kept sending him pictures of herself. At first, they started out as group photos with her girls, then eventually turned into solo pics and selfies. Erik would sit back and wonder what she would taste like on his tongue, but he couldn’t see himself messing around with Malia because his father did often. If things were different, if Dina never slipped into his life, he would have added Malia to his list of women.

“Glad you had a good time. Listen, I really appreciate you for everything you do around here.” Erik said.

“Not a problem…you know I’m here if you need anything, Erik,” Malia concluded before walking away.

Raymond and the rest of the crew had left him standing there to get themselves settled in. They planned to go yachting for a bit before heading back to enjoy some cigars, liquor, and lunch prepared by the kitchen staff. As he walked through those grand doors and into the magnificent foyer with an imperial staircase and a piano, Erik removed his aviator shades and scanned the room.

He always got the impending nervous jitters before the Halloween Ball. With his father gone, Erik is now the leader of The Court of Aje and it puts a lot of pressure on him. They wouldn’t say it, but he knew that they would be looking at any chance for him to screw things up. Erik’s uncle, Frank Stevens; Raymond’s father, wanted to take over The Court of Aje, but with Erik being Joseph’s son, it automatically went to him. The Court of Aje is an aristocratic secret society that is a century old with immense power and influence embedded into the very architecture and history of New York City.

They worship a deity of prosperity and money known as Aje. In the Yoruba religion, Aje is a traditional goddess of abundance and wealth, often associated with the businesses of the marketplace. She is selective about where she grants prosperity; those who make offerings to her in the form of prayers and good works are often her beneficiaries. However, she is known to simply show up at the market stall of those she deems worthy of bounty and blessings. Aje often slips into the market unannounced and selects the shopkeeper she is ready to bless; once Aje enters your business, you're bound to make a profit.

Aje; supreme god of wealth; benevolent provider of all human needs. The Court of Aje meets up on the eve of Halloween every year to offer a sacrifice to Aje. After drinking the blood of the sacrifice, the rich and powerful men dawned in cloaks intoned mysterious chants before parading off with naked women and having group sex. Women in masks wander in the nude, accompanied by cloaked men in masks. They end up in a formal dining room or room of choice, where everyone is nude and having or watching sex. The celebration ends after 4am and everyone goes back to their lives as if nothing happened.

The first time Erik attended the Halloween Ball, he was fascinated. He’d always had a dark side to him, a side he could only keep private. The act of inflicting pain on others for personal enjoyment, typically of a sexual nature or receiving pain for sexual release. Erik Stevens is too many shades of gray with a sadistic character flaw to sexually possess, control, dominate, and debase women.

The mistreatment and abandonment of his mother made him feel unworthy of love. Being exposed to such a toxic environment, Erik would often experience frequent mood swings and bouts of anger. In his younger years, Erik would take out his aggression by getting into physical fights with students at school or anyone else who seems antagonizing. Victoria suggested therapy for Erik, but Joseph didn’t think his son needed help, that therapy was too judgmental and for those with mental health issues.

Erik’s first encounter with BDSM was at the age of 21 with an older woman named Kelis Smith, a friend of his mother’s and a Neurosurgeon. Erik used to have a no strings attached relationship in high school with her daughter, Sylvia Smith, until Kelis decided to make a move on Erik. Their affair consisted of Erik being her submissive. She confessed to Erik that she’d noticed his anger and thought he should learn to control it in ways that were enjoyable.

He was able to relinquish control, feeling safe, comfortable, and free; helping him channel his emotions in constructive ways. After three years, kelis’ husband found out about their relationship and furious, got into a brawl with Erik that resulted in her husband’s ‘unexpected’ death in a boating accident. Although their arrangement ended, Erik continued his BDSM lifestyle.

He wasn’t going to apologize for his sadistic ways. He decided long ago that it’s who he is. Joseph taught him to never feel sorry for himself. No woman he brought home to his sex dungeon had any complaints. Erik Stevens is presented as a rich, playboy, philanthropist who maintains his body in shape and has a good relationship with others but in secret he is an unstable, cold, calculated, homicidal, vicious and sadistic man.

Yesterday evening:

“Adena!”

Carmella rushed inside of Adena’s room to wake her daughter. Adena woke up while rubbing her sleepy eyes, trying to pay attention to what her mother was saying, but her body was too tired to comprehend.

“I want you to hide!” Carmella whispered frantically, “Don’t come out unless I tell you to. Don’t make any noise, understand? I want you to stay safe!”

“Mommy, what’s happening?” Adena questions with a sleepy voice.

Carmella pointed to a spot behind a mountain of Adena’s stuffed animals. Adena quickly crouched down behind a giant giraffe and laid on her side. Carmella tossed a few teddy bears over her daughter’s body and pressed her finger to her lips.

“Please, stay put right here. There are bad men here and I don’t want them to hurt you. Mommy loves you, baby.”

Carmella kissed her daughter on the lips and stroked her braided hair before rushing out of her room, shutting the door behind her. Adena’s eyes were staring into the darkened corner, heart pounding against her rib cage. She could hear a man’s voice and her mother arguing. Moments later, a shrill cry and tussling. Adena didn’t know how long she’d been lying there, but the bad men her mother told her to hide away from opened her bedroom door.

Light from the hallway danced across her pink wall, two shadows appearing on the wall when the door was fully opened. Adena covered her mouth to muffle her shaky breath. One of the men entered her bedroom, drawing closer towards her. Just when she was about to be discovered, a cold, dark voice stopped the man in his tracks.

“What are you doing? We’re not here for the child, Jonathan.”

“We can’t have any mistakes, Damion. What if the child knows who we are—”

“Stop talking,” Damion argued, “Let’s get out of here.”

Adena shot up in bed, inhaling deeply through her mouth as if gasping for air. She clutched her chest and then her fingers gripped the collar of her black satin slip. Sweat seeped from her pores and onto the sheets creating a large damp spot. Her eyes remained shut as she sat still on the edge of her bed, taking calming breaths to stop her heart from racing out of control.

It’s been sixteen long years since that night. Sixteen years since she’d discovered her mother’s lifeless body sitting in a bloody bath with her wrists slit. Her nightmares have gotten better since then thanks to her therapist, but the fury and obsession to make them all pay for what happened to her mother still remained. It blanketed her like a heavy downpour. When she’d finally opened her eyes, the pain in her chest dulled just a little, giving her enough strength to stand on her own two feet.

Dina was born Adena Brighton. Her mother is singer and actress, Carmella Love Brighton and her father is Damion Jones. Carmella had a secret relationship with Damion while he was married. Carmella also had a close friendship with Damion’s sister, Felicity, which is how she initially met Damion. Their relationship led to Adena’s birth which Carmella kept a secret from Damion. She didn’t want Damion to know about Adena out of fear of what he might do. He killed Carmella because she knew too much about what he was involved in. Although she swore to never say anything about the Stevens or himself, he killed her by staging a suicide. Her wrists were slit and she was left lying in the tub filled with bloody water.

Adena found her mother’s lifeless body and sat with her, confused and waiting for her mother to somehow wake up from a deep slumber. She was only seven. Felicity, her aunt, raised her up until the age of eighteen when Adena found out about her mother’s faked death. Felicity tried for years to keep it from Adena, but soon, she started asking questions that demanded answers, and it took for a heated altercation between Felicity and Adena for her to finally know the truth. She found out that her father, Joseph Stevens, The Mayor, and other corrupt men of power were responsible for her mother’s death. Adena felt betrayed by her aunt for keeping it from her, but she also understood why her aunt hadn’t gone to the police for help. They were all on The Stevens’ family payroll.

Adena became obsessed with wanting to kill her father. She also desires to take down The Stevens’ and the Mayor; Jonathan Montgomery. Adena remembers that name the night her mother was killed. with all the information she needed, Adena plotted what would go down in history as one the most successful take downs. While doing her research on the once Mayor of New York, Adena looked into his family. She knew that her aunt Felicity was a walking target for her father, so she couldn’t risk her life. She had to come up with another way to get into this secret Halloween Party. And what better idea than to befriend the wannabe Princess of New York.

Ruby Gianna Montgomery was born into Manhattan's most elite social circles to Paulina Porizkova, a Swedish-born model, actress, and well-respected New York socialite who is dubbed as a gold digger. Ruby attended Manchester Prep, a prestigious co-educational private school just outside of the city and lived on the Upper East Side with her mother and father who was the corrupt mayor of New York City; Jonathan Montgomery. She has three brothers; two older and one younger. Her first eldest brother; Caleb and younger brother; Patrick, are in politics, following in her father’s footsteps.

Ruby’s second eldest brother, Gregory Montgomery, Jonathan desperately wished his son had interest in the family business. Gregory was sent to Oxford and Harvard and almost never got any visits from his father. All Gregory wanted was to be accepted by his father but he refused to let him in because he had different interests than following in his father’s footsteps. Dina discovered that Gregory and Erik were friends since grade school.

The Montgomery House; the opulent Fifth Avenue town-house mansion, is where Ruby grew up. As Ruby came-of-age, she excelled in many academic fields and became fluent in the French and Vietnamese languages. Ruby also mastered the Piano and became known throughout the school community as a role-model and an inspiration to all parents, even though secretly developing addictions to alcohol and sex with older men. seduction and betrayal among the teenaged idle rich. She is beautiful, yet conniving and manipulative. She shows signs of possessiveness towards men when she doesn’t get her way with them.

After being home schooled since the death of her mother, Adena applied to NYU and majored in Business of the Arts with a minor in Global Arts. There, she befriended Ruby, which wasn’t hard because Adena’s passive personality attracted people like Ruby. It was a way for her to control them, like her minions. Despite the pure hatred for anyone like Ruby, Adena bit her tongue and held up the guise of a friendly, saccharine girl who’s an orphan and student juggling two jobs to afford her rent and car payments. Ruby ate that shit up like a delicious slice of black velvet cake.

Adena easily juggled her double life, hiding in plain sight, gathering scandalous information on the corrupt rich to use against them. She hunted down old classmates and ex-friends of Ruby’s and discovered that Ruby would do whatever it takes to win, even if that means putting someone in the hospital or throwing dirt on their name. She had a knack for creating a narrative about someone and causing others to turn their backs on them. After learning everything she needed to know about that fake bitch, Adena added her name to her hit list.

The view of Manhattan from her penthouse windows is what she loved most. It calmed her. City night. It's alive. The kaleidoscope of shimmering lights flicker in the distance as the starry sky sweeps over the city that never sleeps. It seemed like the clouds had gotten a sudden fascination with the moon and wrapped themselves around it. The moon's faint glow passed through them, coloring them white from gray.

Adena walked across the black vinyl plank floor to sit on her black, ceiling hang chair covered with a magenta pink fur throw with matching pillows and one cheetah-printed throw pillow. With her cell phone in hand, Dina swung back and forth, the magenta-colored LED smart lights in her room creating a peaceful ambiance.

Multiple unread messages and voicemails awaited Adena, but she didn’t plan on returning his calls or texts. Fuck him. Shame on her for even falling for him. That wasn’t part of the plan. At least she got him to feel some sort of remorse for what he did. Sure, Erik Stevens doesn't know how to properly express himself without being a complete asshole, but still, the fact that he kissed Vivian in front of her like that just opened Adena’s eyes again and put her back on track. That smile, those eyes, his voice, the touch of his lips, the stroke of his fingers, his scent, and that dick was a distraction.

No. Adena won’t let him get to her again. He’s persuasive, but she won’t succumb to his seduction. However, he did successfully succumb to hers and she didn’t even try. Yes, Adena isn’t that sweet, innocent, naive girl. That’s just an act. A part of her roleplay fantasy. What she enjoys more than anything is trickery. Dina isn’t her real name. It’s Adena. She doesn’t desire to be a media specialist. She’s a proud Dominatrix. Adena is sent money and lavished with expensive gifts by men who seemingly want next-to-nothing in return - it’s all about submitting to the dominant woman and relinquishing control.

It's this surrendering of power that is arousing. She inherited her mother’s siren abilities to seduce and destroy. Why not use those extraordinary powers to get what she deserves from men? It’s always been believed that it made evolutionary sense that a man be dominant and a woman be passive. Men were to fight off rival suitors and other dangers and to procreate. Women were to contribute to this process by voluntarily subordinating to men. Men tended towards the aggressive and sadistic and women towards the passive and masochistic.

Times have changed as women are now somewhat freer to assert their dominance over men in all phases of life. The Dominatrix is a female archetype associated with a particular dress that depicts her role as a strong, dominant, sexualized woman. Black leather corsets, thigh-high boots with high stiletto heels, fishnet stockings, and a whip are familiar to most people.

Adena is aware of Erik’s secret lifestyle. His Sadist nature. Unbeknownst to many, Erik used to frequent an underground sex club for kinksters — The Siren — A club that Adena owns. She’s Headmistress there and she enjoys watching all the taboo activities from her private VIP behind a two way mirror. Erik would always show up alone and wearing a mask to hide his identity, something that mostly everyone there did to avoid being discovered. Adena found it laughable. She knew every single person that walked through those doors and into a sexually liberating world.

It could be a Pastor who preaches about the ugly in the world, or a Judge who just sentenced a murderer to life behind bars, or your child’s preschool teacher, or a man escaping his wife and kids to fulfill his sexual desires. No one knows who Adena really is, they only know her as Headmistress. There were times where she wanted to reveal herself to Erik, all the times she would watch him in one of the many sexual-themed rooms behind a two-way mirror. Adena grew to desire Erik and the way he dominated women. She wanted to be the one to take control of him.

The scenarios in her mind were not for the faint hearted. There were times where she pictured herself holding a knife to his throat with her 7-inch lace up platform heel pressed against his erection. She pictured him bound to a table with leather restraints around his wrists and ankles while she tortured him. All of those thoughts made her pine for him; yearn for him; wish for just one night to turn the tables on him.

It wasn’t just about the sex if she was being honest with herself. Adena had the pleasure of seeing the hidden layers of Erik Stevens; the happiness and the playfulness and the trauma. She felt as if they shared parts of themselves that not many people know about. Adena never told anyone about what happened to her mother, and yet she felt compelled to share it with him. When he revealed to her how unloving his mother is, she wanted to hug him.

What really struck her was how close her father and Erik are. It angered Adena how much Erik was like his father. Damion and Joseph exposed him to this lifestyle at such a young age that Erik knows nothing else. There were things about Damion and Victoria that Adena discovered. How they have had a secret affair for years. That Damion wanted revenge on the Stevens Family. That would shatter him, and although Adena wants to bring him down right along with her father, she felt that Erik needed to know. He needed to know that Damion was coming for him next.

It’s a big day. Despite the swirling gray clouds in the sky and the chilly wind, New Yorker’s had places to be and people to see. Before Adena left the city for the day, She planned to make a stop at her Midtown West apartment, and that was her first destination. Adena entered the building wearing all black; black turtleneck, black slim-fit jeans, black platform Doc Martens, and a black oversized longline coat.

Adena walked up to her mail box, opening it with her key. She peeked inside and noticed several Cartier gift boxes. Each box varied in size from small to large. Adena assessed her surroundings before retrieving all of the boxes, making her way towards her apartment quickly. With the key in the door, loud barking startled her from across the hall and when she looked up, she noticed the woman living in 3D leaving her apartment wearing active gear. Her light brown eyes spotted Adena and she waved at her.

“Hello, Pamela,” Adena replied.

“How are you, darling?”

Adena placed a firmer grip on her anonymous gifts, “I’m doing alright. You?”

“Oh, you know…just taking it day by day.” Pamela said.

“That’s good to know,” Adena forced a smile, “It was good seeing you—”

“A young man stopped past here earlier today looking for you…a rather famous young man…Erik Stevens. He said that you work for him and that he’s been trying to reach you.”

Adena was halfway into her apartment when Pamela mentioned Erik. She slowly glanced over her shoulder at her neighbor, wary eyes landing on her.

“…He said that he wanted me to let you know that he stopped by to check on you.”

Adena blinked her eyes away and stared down at the Cartier boxes in her hands. Who else would send her gifts to this address besides her aunt Felicity?

“Thanks, Pamela,” Adena replied, “I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Adena.”

Inside her apartment now, Adena walked over to her usual spot on the couch to open her expensive gifts. The first red box with the fancy gold script had a pair of gold hoop earrings in it, the second box had a beautiful trinity white gold and yellow gold bracelet, and lastly, the larger box was an elegant case filled with different Cartier perfumes. A small card with typed words rested on top of the perfumes, and when Adena lifted it to read, she noticed right away that he’d sent her this.

Adena,

Knowing how well I want to treat you, and knowing how I wound up treating you, I am completely ashamed of myself. Please forgive me. I know saying that I am sorry just does not sound good enough, but I really am so sorry. Please forgive me and give me a chance to express to you in person how sorry I am. I know this probably is not the best apology ever, but I just can't think straight knowing I hurt you. I am really so sorry.

Despite everything, Adena couldn’t help but feel smitten with him. It wasn’t the gifts, because Adena owned many Cartier, it was his devotion to winning her back. But, she couldn’t. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this between them. She sniffed the perfumes one by one, taking in the notes and thinking about how he chose these fragrances specifically for her. If only things were different. If only he wasn’t a Stevens.

Adena placed her gifts on her coffee table and stood to retrieve her secret box from her dear friend, Ruby. In order to enter this elite party, Adena needed to bring her invitation and the dagger. Despite her lengthy preparation for this very night, Adena couldn’t deny the nervous jitters. Felicity revealed to Adena everything that goes down at the Halloween Ball, but she’d never experienced it. Getting past the door was her main concern. Would they make her take off her mask? Did she have to show some other kind of proof that she was invited?

Adena strolled through her apartment that’s more kinky than its original purpose. While some people have private rooms in cellars and attics, Adena’s entire apartment is covered in all things BDSM. She needed enough space to use all equipment appropriately and not feel claustrophobic, unless claustrophobia is what does it for you. In her kitchen, there is a hanging contraption from the ceiling, cages and swings decorated her living room and guest bedroom, each bed had built-in bondages and restraints. Sensual lounge chairs and armless chaises in different textures and tufted, upholstered beds was her preference. All kinds of fetish and BDSM gear you could think of, Adena owned.

In her bedroom closet, Adena grabbed everything she needed — dress, shoes, accessories, and secret box— and left her apartment. Outside, Adena popped the trunk to her matte black, premium G–Class SUV, placing all of her things in there before getting into the car. It was going to take her a few hours to get from the City to Albany. Determination set in her features, Adena blended into traffic at the precise moment it began to rain.

The three hours gave Adena time to reflect on everything. She listened to her favorite playlist on repeat and rolled her windows down to allow the scent from the rain to waft her nose. All she could think about was how her childhood trauma molded her into the woman she is today.

We can often undervalue the relevance of our childhood experiences, “Adena’s therapist said, “We can also underestimate the effect childhood experiences have on us when we become adults. Childhood makes up the pillar we build our personality upon. It's our way of understanding the world around us, our relationships, feelings, and thoughts…”

Adena was exposed to a distressing and emotionally painful event. It caused psychological damage that took years for her to cope with. She has difficulty establishing healthy relationships because she constantly has her guard up and she’s unable to trust anyone enough to let them into her personal space. A hyper-vigilance resulting in her constantly mistrusting everyone around her.

She was able to do that with Erik, because he too is healing from trauma. The neglect from his mother in his childhood, the abuse, the constant fighting between his parents, and his mother’s substance abuse helped develop an unhealthy pattern. Adena is driven by her traumatic experience to seek revenge on her father and everyone else responsible. Erik is driven by unresolved anger and resentment. BDSM for both of them is a healing process.

In BDSM, individuals often focus on their breathing while they endure pain and other sensory play. Rhythm and repetition may be introduced through creating consistent rhythms in impact play or by having one of the participants count to a certain number while they do a certain task. It can be introduced in a lot of creative ways. It helps with her depression and anxiety. It gives her the upper hand and control.

After several hours, Adena arrived at The Argus Hotel and Cocktail Lounge, valet taking her keys and the hotel staff graciously loading her things onto a cart to take to her room. She booked a family room for the evening since she didn’t plan on staying the entire weekend. After retrieving her room key, Adena decided to grab a drink at the cocktail lounge. She took a seat at the bar, waving down a bartender. Adena ordered herself a whiskey smash and waited only ten minutes before a radiant, expensive looking woman with voluminous hair swayed into the lounge. She spotted Adena sitting at the bar and joined her. They both embraced each other for a long time. It’s been months since they’d seen each other.

“Aunt Felicity,” Adena said, smiling fondly, “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”

Felicity pulled Adena into another hug.

“I missed you too, sweetheart…so much,” She looked at Adena with glossy eyes, “Look at you! Just as beautiful as your momma…”

Adena smiled, “You look great too, auntie. London is treating you well I see.”

“It could be treating you well too if you decided to stay with me.”

Felicity ordered what Adena had and they took their drinks to a private booth to sit down and have a chat. Felicity removed her red peacoat revealing a champagne-colored satin blouse and high waisted, wide leg black pants. The low lamp light above them casts a yellow glow against their skin. Felicity removed the cocktail straw from her drink and took a sip from the rim of her glass, leaving a red lip stain behind. Felicity looked at Adena with sad eyes. Adena knew what she wanted to say so she sat waiting patiently.

“Adena, you know you don’t have to go through with this. I’ve told you more than once that it isn’t safe. But, I also know that I can’t change your mind.” Felicity whispered.

“Then you know that this is what I want to do, auntie. They deserve to pay, all of them.” Adena spoke with determination. Her voice went from sweet and silvery to provocative and soothing; her usual voice.

“Even Erik Stevens?” Felicity questioned.

Adena sat in silence staring across the table at her aunt’s accusatory expression.

“You plan to kill him tonight as well? Or do you not have it in your heart anymore?”

“…I plan to end his life as well,” Adena said with the most captivating voice, “Do you doubt me, auntie?”

“No. I don’t doubt you. I know you’re more than capable…I just wish I could be there to protect you.”

“If you step foot in there, they’ll kill you, aunt Felicity. I can’t have that. They already took my mother away from me, I won’t let them take the only real family I have left.” Adena argued.

Felicity released a shaky breath.

“And you think I’ll allow any of them to hurt you? I promised your mother that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Going in there is like walking into a lion's den. They will not show you mercy, Adena.”

Adena leaned into the table to talk closer, “I will not show them mercy. I’ve waited for this moment. Tonight is the night they pay for all of it. I’m not changing my mind.”

Felicity’s eyes fell to her hands. She blinked back tears quickly before meeting Adena’s eyes again.

“Didn’t you say that there are weapons lining the walls?” Adena asked.

“Yes. Plenty.” Felicity replied.

“Good. This dagger won’t be enough. I need something bigger,” Adena said before a wicked smile graced her lips.

“You better come out alive, Adena. Or so help me God I will run in there after you. I’m serious, Adena—”

“Do you need a reminder of what my father did to you when he thought you tried to give him up for what he did to my mother? He beat you close to death. You were in the hospital for MONTHS after that while I was taken care of by some woman I hardly even knew. Every time I came to visit you, I thought you were going to die. Do you know how hard that was? After what happened to my mom?”

The adrenaline coursing through Adena’s body made her blind from the amount of tears that escaped her brown eyes. Felicity sat very still across from her, her own eyes brimming with tears that she fought to hold back.

“No. You will not come looking for me. I’ve worked hard to get to this point. No man is strong enough to take me down, auntie. I’m built on rage and strength beyond what they’re prepared for. I’m naturally stronger than the average person, and it’s not because of my combat skills. I’m a siren like my momma. That alone will carry me through the night.”

“Hello?!”

Vivian sauntered into The Stevens Estate looking like a tall glass of milk wearing an all-white pantsuit with a white fur coat and Prada shades. Erik’s chauffeur carried in her things for the highly anticipated evening, waiting for someone to show up and take her things. Amadi appeared from a room with his hands behind his back and his chin held high. Vivian removed her designer shades and smiled excitedly at Amadi, but he didn’t return the smile.

“You must be Miss. Wood,” Amadi said, “Welcome to The Stevens Estate. We have been expecting you.”

“Thank you for having me,” Vivian spoke pleasantly.

Amadi grabbed her bags from Erik’s driver and stood before her.

“Follow me this way, Miss. Wood. I will show you to your room for the evening.”

Vivian looked around in wonder at the extraordinary home that belonged to the prestigious Stevens Family. She prided herself in finally snagging an invite from the man himself. She’d worked hard to get here, and to finally walk the halls with polished floors and pricey decor, she couldn’t help but inwardly cheer. Amadi led the way up one of the staircases to the second level. From there, he entered one of many guest rooms that was the size of an apartment. Vivian looked around with astonishment. The master bathroom reminded her of a royal bath house and the bed was fit for a queen.

“This is where you will stay. Mr. Stevens is quite busy at the moment entertaining guests, but there are some things he would like for you to do to prepare for your evening with the Court of Aje.”

Two young and very attractive women who looked like maids sauntered into the room. They both kept their heads bowed, waiting for their command.

“This is Alicia and Lucy. They will help you prepare for the evening.”

Amadi turned to leave and Vivian helped herself to a glass of complimentary champagne sitting on a gold platter.

“Hello, ma’am. We’ve been instructed to give you a preparation bath for the Feast of Feasts.” They both spoke in unison.

“The Feast of Feasts?” Vivian questioned.

“It’s the big dinner before the ball. There is a tremendous spread of food and it’s required for you to be full and hearty. You must dine naked and only wearing your masquerade mask.” Lucy said.

Alicia continued, “And before the dinner, we have to give you a bath infused with essential oils that help with your sexual energy. You also have to release that sexual energy…through multiple orgasms. It helps to get everyone prepared for the night’s festivities.”

Vivian downed the rest of her champagne and placed the empty glass back on the gold platter. Alicia and Lucy — both overwhelmingly gorgeous with their deep melanin skin and braided hair — approached Vivian at a leisurely pace. Vivian looked between the both of them, startled when Lucy began removing her coat while Alicia went to work taking off her clothes. When she was fully naked before them, Alicia and Lucy led Vivian into the bathroom. They instructed her to sit while they prepared the bath.

A jacuzzi tub began filling with bath water and Alicia and Lucy started pouring essential oils into the bath. Lavender, sandalwood, and ylang ylang. They topped it off with white rose petals and burned incense. Vivian stood from her seat and walked over to the bath so that Alicia and Lucy could help her in. The water was hot and the oils against her skin felt therapeutic. Vivian was instructed to lay back while Alicia and Lucy massaged her body. The smell, the touch, and the taste of champagne on her tongue woke up her sexual desires as if they were hibernating.

Vivian was stunned to feel both of their hands between her legs, rubbing along her folds softly. Vivian thrust her chest out and her nipples began to pebble. A pair of lips wrapped around her left nipple and her eyes shot open to find Lucy sucking on her tit. Alicia was busy circling Vivian’s clit with her thumb as she watched Lucy feast on her hard nipple. This isn’t Vivian’s first rodeo; being with a woman. She’d explored many times before. She just didn’t expect this to be a part of the equation. However, she wasn’t complaining.

“What are you both doing?” Vivian asked with a quiver in her voice.

“What we must do, Miss. Wood. You see, it’s our job to help you relax and release. The essential oils are an aphrodisiac when inhaled before and during intimacy. You’ll need to prepare yourself for what’s in store for you this evening.” Alicia said.

Vivian swallowed spit. If this was just a crumb of what she would be getting herself into, she couldn’t wait to see what else was in store for her. She sat in that bath and allowed Lucy and Alicia to taste and touch her body. Vivian held her tongue, but deep down she wanted them to join her. Take off their clothes and climb into the bath so they could explore each other’s bodies.

“Miss. Wood, it’s time to go back to the room where we will finish what we started,” Lucy said with a soft voice.

The water sloshed as Vivian stood up and stepped out of the tub. Still dripping wet, Lucy and Alicia led her over to a leather tantra chair within the room. Vivian was instructed to sit closer towards the edge with her legs spread wide. Vivian did as she was told, curious as to what was going to happen next. Both women dressed as sexy maids got down on their knees between her legs and without hesitation, spread her outer lips. The heat radiating from Vivian’s core caused both women to release audible moans before they inched closer. Their curled tongues dragged slowly over her inner folds.

“Oh, Fuuck!!” Vivian whispered.

They were such good pussy eaters.

“You have to stay still, Miss. Wood. It’s required that you cum from our mouths first before we insert the vibrator.”

“What?—”

Vivian hissed when Lucy began flicking her bud with the tip of her tongue. Alicia pressed her own appendage against Lucy’s and went to work making that clit as stiff as it can get. Vivian’s perfectly implanted breasts propelled forward as she arched her back from the chair. She reached forward and placed her hands on the backs of their heads.

“Yes! Just like that, shit,” Vivian’s toes flexed, “Fuck, yes!”

When her clit was nice and fat, Alicia lunged forward and wrapped her juicy lips around its stiffness before Lucy could. Lucy simply giggled, sitting up on her knees to finish tasting Vivian’s breasts.

“Mr. Stevens informed us that this is a fantasy of yours, Miss. Wood. As beautiful as you are, I couldn't resist the urge to see for myself what Mr. Stevens spoke so highly of.” Lucy revealed.

Alicia popped her clit out her mouth, “It’s true that you have a big clit…and you taste so good, Miss. Wood.”

Vivian remained speechless but the overflow of lubrication from her opening and the hardness of her nipples was enough to let them know that she was enjoying everything. Alicia switched places with Lucy to let her suck on Vivian’s clit but Alicia inserted two fingers into Vivian’s pussy. Vivian’s hips bucked in unison with Alicia’s fingers pumping in and out of her. She looked from Lucy sucking on her pussy to Alicia thrashing her wet tongue on her nipples.

“You both are gonna make me cum!” Vivian shouted with ecstasy.

“Good,” Lucy groaned, “Cum as much as you want, Miss. Wood.”

“Do you hear her pussy, Lucy? It’s soaked,” Alicia spoke with astonishment.

“Let me see,” Lucy dipped her fingers inside, “Mmmm…so warm and wet.”

Alicia giggled with her two fingers in her mouth.

Vivian felt heat creep up her body and her inner thighs quaked with her release. Milky white ejaculate flowed from her opening and down the crack of her ass. It didn’t matter how overstimulated she was, Alicia and Lucy were in awe of her pussy and the taste of it.

Lucy licked her fingers clean and Alicia spread Vivian’s pussy open so she could see everything clearly. The sheen of sweat on Vivian’s tawny skin looked just as tasty as her cum. Alicia stood to retrieve something from a drawer while Lucy tongue-fucked Vivian.

“You can’t get enough of this pussy can you?” Vivian said.

“Neither will the others,” Lucy smiled.

Vivian’s clit jumped at that.

Alicia returned with a bullet vibrator that is remote-controlled. She brought the egg-shaped toy to Vivian’s creamy entrance and began inserting it. Once inside, she tested out which setting would be best and settled for a low rumble that will keep Vivian teetering on the edge of another orgasm.

“With her cum covered lips, Lucy spoke, “Soon, Amadi will be here to retrieve you for a feast before the ball. Me and Alicia will get you prepared after dinner.”

Alicia and Lucy made their exit with the control to the vibrator in their possession. Vivian rested for an hour before being summoned to dinner. Within the dining room, there is a grand dining table filled with savory foods and desserts. Vivian was escorted in by Amadi, a long, pure white sheer robe draped over her visibly naked body.

Erik was seated at the head of the table, plate half eaten. He was wearing a fluffy black robe with matching black slippers and the family name embroidered on it. His locs are side swept and freshly twisted. From the opening in his robe, Vivian can make out a Cuban link gold chain resting against his pecs. Amadi pulled out Vivian’s seat at the other end of the table so she could stare across at Erik.

“Your kitchen staff made enough food to feed an entire army,” Vivian stated.

“How was your bath?” Erik questioned, ignoring Vivian’s previous statement.

“Lovely. And so are your maids…bed warmers I assume?” Vivian spoke with amusement.

“Did you not enjoy what they did for you, Vivian?” Erik questioned.

“I—I did. But—”

The bullet vibrator inside of her began to rumble and Vivian gripped the arms of her chair tightly while her knees buckled. Erik watched her from the other side of the table, chewing on a buttery roll. The fork in Vivian’s hand clattered to the table from the amount of writhing she was doing in her seat.

The vibrations finally stopped but the throbbing of her clit didn’t cease.

“No buts. Lucy and Alicia are great at what they do and they are well taken care of.” Erik said.

“I wasn’t trying to talk bad about them, Erik,” Vivian said breathlessly, “I was just shocked.”

Erik triggered the vibrator again and set it to a pulse setting that had Vivian jumping in her seat.

“Eat, Vivian. And drink your wine, you need to be well nourished for this evening’s events. Now…have you ever been properly slutted out before, Vivian…by multiple people at once?”

Vivian continued to squirm in her chair. She began moaning over her plate of food, unable to answer Erik’s question.

“Nod your head yes or shake your head no. Have you had sex with multiple people at once before. Threesome? Foursome? Orgy?”

Vivian looked up at Erik through flickering lids and an open mouth and shook her head no.

“Hmm,” Erik grabbed his glass of Hennessy, “Well, don’t I have a surprise for you, baby. You see, in order to properly be prepared for the Court of Aje, you have to be sexually liberated…free from social conventions or traditional ideas…”

Vivian whimpered into her glass of wine. Erik lowered the setting on the control and a shaky breath escaped her mouth. He knocked back the rest of his drink and stood from his seat. Erik walked over to Vivian with an empty glass in one hand and the control in the other. Her half-lidded eyes traveled down the length of his body until they fell on the bulge she could see in the front of his robe. She looked up at him again and pleaded for his dick to be in her mouth. Erik stepped away before she could grab him and walked around to settle behind her chair.

“No…tonight, you don’t get to suck me…or fuck me…you will be a sex slave to the Court…you will obey every rule of the Court…understand?”

Vivian rapidly nodded her head and Erik increased the vibrator to the highest setting. Vivian’s head fell back against the chair and Erik looked down at her. He could see her nipples straining against the sheer robe and smell her arousal.

“Words. Do…you…understand?” Erik demanded.

“Yes,” Vivian said.

“Good. Finish your food. Lucy and Alicia will be down to take care of you.”

Erik swept away with the controller in his hand while Vivian tried to enjoy her meal without thinking about what Erik had said.

“Well? What do you think?”

Felicity stood from her seat on Adena’s hotel bed and stared at her niece dressed in her attire for the evening.

“It’s…beautiful. Fitting for your mission,” Felicity’s eyes lingered on the dress, “Very dark.”

Adena turned and stared at her reflection in a body-length wall mirror. The dress is all black and sparkling as if doused in black diamonds. The sweetheart neckline and bodice fit her curves like a glove. A black, sheer, floor-length cloak draped over her shoulders and the hood covered her French twist updo. A silver and black full Venetian masquerade mask covered her face. She looked like she was attending a wedding for the underworld but in a glamorous fashion.

“Ruby will be expecting me to show up tonight wearing red…but black is more my fashion,” Adena said.

“Your mother wore red,” Felicity recalled, “Someone sent her an anonymous red box with a black and red masquerade mask inside of it…just like Ruby did for you.”

Adena recalled the red box that determined her mother’s fate. What is it with red boxes? It couldn’t be that easy…could it?

“…Why didn’t I make this correlation before,” Adena rushed over to the box, opening it frantically, “This can’t be a coincidence—but Ruby doesn’t know anything about me. She doesn’t know that Carmella Brighton is my mother.”

Felicity stood from her seat on the bed, “Well…I think someone does…I thought so for a while now…”

Adena cut her eyes at her aunt, “what do you mean?”

Felicity gave Adena a sorry look, “I was going to wait to tell you after tonight but we made a promise never to keep anything from each other again.”

“Yes, we did,” Adena clarified, “So, what is it?”

Felicity took a minute to gather herself before grabbing Adena’s hands, caressing them with her thumbs, “Victoria Stevens…and your father…had an affair together for years…before your mother came into the picture.”

Adena slowly nodded her head in understanding with a perplexed look on her face, “I remember you told me this…but what does this have to do with the red box?”

Felicity heaved a sigh, “Victoria is a jealous woman. She sabotaged any relationship Damion had, and she didn’t hold her tongue about how much she hated your mother. It was envy. She couldn’t stand the way Damion looked at her. She hated that your father would go back to Carmella again and again…she wanted her dead. Just like how she wanted Damion’s fake wife dead...and she got her wish.”

“Aunt Felicity,” Adena said, “Tell me. No more secrets.”

“…I don’t think Ruby sent this box, baby,” Felicity picked up the elegant box with the satin bow. She smoothed her hands over the top of the box, eyes never blinking, “This is the exact same box from all those years ago…I can tell. As much as Ruby may despise you for what happened with Erik…she doesn’t have the power to pull strings to get an exclusive invitation to one of the most strictly confidential parties.”

Adena’s heart beat rapidly as she stared at the box. She couldn’t understand how Victoria Stevens knew about her. She knew that her aunt Felicity wouldn’t have said anything. Damion would have found her by now if he knew. What was Victoria playing at?

“Wha—how–how does she even know about me?!” Adena said frantically.

“I don’t know, Adena. I don’t think she always knew. She probably hired a private investigator to find out everything about you. Has anything weird happened around you lately? Do you ever feel like someone is watching you?”

Adena pondered with fierce eyes, “No. I didn’t notice anything.”

“She’s trying to get rid of you…because of Carmella,” Felicity clenched her jaw and bared her teeth like she wanted to strangle someone, “She has some fucking nerve! Everyone who truly knows Victoria knows that she couldn’t have children. As soon as she found out your mother was pregnant, she did everything in her power to bring her down! She was so miserable and unloved in her own marriage that she had to go and have somebody else’s—”

“What do you mean she couldn’t have children? She had Erik.”

Felicity tilted her head at Adena and shook her head. Adena took a few steps back, dropping her mask onto the carpet.

“Wait…Erik isn’t her child?”

Felicity hung her head and turned her back to Adena, walking away towards one of the windows with her arms folded. Adena stood there, staring at her aunt's back, waiting for her to laugh or say gotcha! Felicity ran her hands through her voluminous hair and exhaled.

“Victoria had suffered from multiple miscarriages with Joseph. It made her depressed and damn near suicidal. Joseph resented her for it, he was out doing his dirt, sleeping around, and beating Victoria whenever she talked back to him. She wanted a child so badly…and finally found the opportunity…to make Joseph happy.”

Felicity veered back to look at Adena as she spoke, “A young mother put her baby up for adoption…Simone was her name…Simone Merryman. She was a rape victim who had gotten pregnant and she was looking for a well-off family to take her newborn baby in. Victoria jumped on the opportunity and to no surprise, so did Joseph. He wanted a son to carry on the legacy of The Stevens Family. Blood or not, he took Erik in and raised him to be his rightful progeny. The only ones who knew the truth were Damion and me.”

Adena was stunned into silence.

“I shouldn’t be unloading this onto you right now, Adena, but I just…I can’t keep things from you anymore. I’ve been in hiding, and I feel like I haven’t been a very good aunt to you…a guardian. I feel like at times I’ve been so caught up in my guilt that I forgot about my responsibilities. And now look, I’m letting you walk into this party alone.”

Felicity’s voice cracked and she tried to focus on her breathing but she was distracted with the amount of tears blinding her vision. Adena knelt down in front of her aunt while she was seated on the bed and stroked her tear-stained cheek. Felicity hung her head in shame, unable to look her niece in the eye.

“So many secrets...I just feel like I’ve let you down.”

“Auntie…hey…look at me,” Adena said with a soothing voice, “I love you. You are an amazing woman and a great parent. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to raise me after the tragedy that struck my life…so I don’t want to hear you beating yourself up about anything, you hear me?”

Adena rested her cheek against her aunt's lap and Felicity rubbed the tears away from her cheeks.

“No more secrets, no more lies,” Adena said with a trembling voice, “Is there anything else that you want to tell me? Please? I know you feel like you need to protect me, but I can handle it. You know I can. So please,” Adena pressed.

“…okay,” Felicity caved as if released from bondage, “I killed Joseph Stevens.”

Adena shot up from her aunt's lap and gasped so loud the people sleeping next door could probably hear. She pressed her hands against her mouth and took a few steps back from her aunt. Somehow, this news was more shocking than finding out that Erik Stevens is actually adopted.

“I was in town here in Albany…Joseph somehow found out that I was back, probably somebody that I thought had my back told him…anyway…he found me staying at a boathouse that I rented and things got heated,” Felicity balled her fists in her lap, “He tried to kill me, Adena! I–I–it happened so fast! we were in his car and it was raining and I grabbed the steering wheel and he was flooring it—”

Adena rushed over to her aunt and grabbed her hands.

“We hit a tree and he went flying out of the windshield, Adena,” Felicity’s lower lip trembled and tears streamed from her eyes, “I was stunned. The only thing I could think of doing at that moment was getting out of there. I called the only person I knew would cover this all up…your father.”

Adena closed her eyes and a single tear cascaded down her left cheek. She’d always wondered why her aunt hadn’t spoken to her for a while after that.

“Damion helped out with everything. I had a few cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Damion was…happy. He was thrilled to find out that Joseph was finally gone. Happy that he did what my family had always wanted…bring them down one by one. I actually thought he would leave me there to die…I wanted to tell you…I should have told you.”

Adena grabbed her aunts hands, ��Forget about that. I’m just glad you’re here with me.”

“I’ll always be here with you.” Felicity spoke gently.

Felicity pulled Adena into a tight hug and watched as her niece walked away to retrieve her masquerade mask from the floor. She followed Adena’s movements to the side table and noticed that she’d checked the time. Adena’s expression hardened and her back stiffened before her eyes fell on her aunt’s.

“It’s time to go, aunt Felicity. Are you ready?”

“Are you?” Felicity asked.

Adena thrust out her chest and squared her shoulders before giving her aunt a firm nod.

Instead of driving up to the frontage like the other guests, Felicity arrived at the Stevens Estate and parked her black sports car down the hill so she wouldn’t be spotted. Adena stepped out of the car with her mask on and a small, black sequin handbag that carried her invitation, dagger, and cellphone. She promised her aunt that she would be back and walked away towards the open gates leading to the mansion on a hill.

Her anticipation and eagerness pushed her up the hill. She wasn’t tired, she was more than energized. Adena was ready to fuck shit up. Show these bourgeoisie people what being a Brighton is all about. Adena’s four inch heels click-clacked against the cobblestone as she made her way past the iron gates, rounding a large, tiered water fountain and stopping at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front entrance of the three story mansion. Two burly guards wearing pitch black cloaks and decorative wood masks colored black and gold stood before the doors as still as statues.

Adena gathered the bottom of her gown and took her time ascending the stairs. As soon as she made it to the top landing, one of the guards stepped forward abruptly, stopping Adena before she could even take another step forward. His calloused, beefy hand stretched out and Adena looked from his open palm to her sequin bag. She unzipped the handbag and stuck her hand inside. With the folded invitation in her hand, she placed it gently into the masked guard’s hand and waited with baited breath.

The guard opened the folded invite and brought it up, examining it through the tiny slits in the mask where his eyes are. Adena tried her best to remain calm but her left brow began to sweat. The guard before her raised his head to peer at her, then turned to look over his shoulder at the other guard. They both nodded their heads before he turned back to face her.

“Password?” He said with a muffled voice.

“Fidelio.”

Both guards stepped aside and Adena stared straight ahead past the double doors and black drapery. Adena hesitated for a moment, a small part of her afraid to walk past the barrier. The thought of entering the place filled with people responsible for what happened to her mother made her ill. But she knew she had to keep going. She knew she had to find Damion…and Erik. As she proceeded forward, a part of her felt sorry for him. That part also didn’t want to kill him, but there is no other way.

Adena’s trembling fingers parted the black velvet drapery, and she crossed over into a room filled with masks, black cloaks, nudity, Aerial dancers, and rumba dancing. Some masks were elaborate and feathered, some were made with intricate craftsmanship as if carved front steel, and others were very freakish and creepy; fitting for Halloween. The room was dimly lit and suspended from the ceiling were aerial dancers twirling on black and gold acrobatic silk that glided through the air creating a beautiful show.

There had to be at least one hundred people in attendance —more men than women — and the men wore black cloaks while the women were either dressed in formal wear to match their masks, or nude. Cigar smoke clouded her vision and there was an abundance of alcohol being passed around for everyone to get a taste of. Each time her mink brown eyes swept the room, a new scene would play before her. There were young women ushering horny men to a spot to play out their exhibitionist fantasies. Couples swapped spit while fondling each other on the dance floor.

What really had her attention was a woman wearing an all white masquerade mask and a matching old Hollywood feathered white robe as pure as snow. She was currently sitting upon an all black throne chair with each of her legs draped over the arms of the long back chair. Two men wearing back slacks, a white button up with the sleeves rolled up, and full face, gold Venetian masks held each of her toned legs back by her slender ankles while her wrists are tied with white silk behind the chair. Another man dressed in a cloak and a plague Doctor Venetian mask was holding a wand vibrator to her pussy that had her moaning loudly.

The spotlight above the woman put her on display for everyone to enjoy. The man between her legs glided the vibrator over her swollen bud one last time before pulling away so a long and heavy stream of squirt could release. Her inner thighs quaked out of control and she didn’t look like she had it in her to cum again. Her head dropped forward but her legs remained open and another man stepped forward carrying a drill with a 12-inch dildo attached to the end of it. Adena was happy her face didn’t show. With the head of the silicone dick inside of her, he started the drill and the dildo spun and whirled around deep in her overworked pussy at an inhuman pace.

“Look at her pussy! Isn’t it beautiful!”

“The sacrifice is perfect!”

“Make her squirt again!”

“I’m fucking her next!”

The woman looked as if she would fall into a coma. There’s no telling how many times she had an orgasm. Adena knew all too well what that felt like. The bow tie arm position with the frog tie leg position was one of many bondage positions she was tied up in when she was apprenticed to a BDSM couple for a summer. Adena could recall many times of almost blacking out from intense rounds of overstimulation during her training with the couple.

Adena didn’t stick around long enough to see the woman in white cum hard and hopefully a final time all over that 12-inch dildo. Instead, she made her way towards an open bar where she ordered a drink and kept her eyes focused on her surroundings. She noticed many Venetian mirrors lining the walls, which wasn’t surprising considering Erik being a Katoptronophiliac; having a kink for mirrors. Adena scanned the room full of people and spotted Ruby chatting it up with Mark and another man. It wasn’t hard to recognize Ruby with her half masquerade mask. She’s wearing a stunning long gown in rose gold set by its V-neckline in thin straps. The curvy and body-lacing fit traced her body contours, showing off her beauty on the surface level. The fitting silhouette flared down the hip, shaping like the mouth of a trumpet.

Mark wore a simple pair of black slacks and a white button down with a black cape tied around his neck that made him look like a 17th century vampire. He completed the look with a white phantom of the opera mask. The mystery man chatting with them wore an all black tux with a silver full masquerade mask on his face. Adena knew exactly who that was. She walked away with her drink in hand, eyes on her like she was the main attraction. She stared openly at the man in the silver mask until he could feel her looking and when he met her eyes Adena turned away.

So far, she hadn’t spotted her father or Erik anywhere. She was impressed that she’d made it this far without being questioned about who she is, but that didn’t take away from the anxiety she felt of being discovered. She noticed people climb the stairs to the second level, curiosity getting the best of her as she climbed the stairs. The attendees occupying the stairs parted for her like the Red Sea, whispering and pointing, wondering who was under that mask.

Finally, Adena arrived on the second-floor landing, and her eyes scanned from left to right. Two long hallways leading to many doors with walls decorated with art and collectibles. She decided to go left, walking at a slow pace, making sure she wasn’t being followed. The music faded as she made her way down the hall, her eyes scanning the walls. She noticed that most of the art and collectibles are African. Pictographs, Petroglyphs, vases, sculptures, and tools made from stone and bone. There was a variety of African weapons including spears, shields, clubs, swords and knives that are placed in protective glass curios.

A male voice suddenly could be heard coming from a room with double doors and brass handles so Adena slipped into an empty room that looked like a guest bedroom and waited to see who was coming. After a minute a male figure wearing a hooded black velvet cape with a long train and loose linen black pants that were tight at the ankles and bare feet. As her eyes ascended his body that she could tell was solid and well-proportioned from his bare chest and v-cut, she noticed various gold chains hanging from his neck and then a flashy all gold masquerade mask with wings that reminded her of the wings of Horus shielding half his face. The braided back locs, thick lips, and gold fangs told her the identity of the man straight away.

Adena froze. This would have been the perfect opportunity to strike, but she couldn’t move. Erik turned around and began talking with another man and the deep baritone of his voice filled her with rage. She peered between the crack in the door, and her eyes fell upon her father. His voice was hushed so Adena couldn’t make out his words. This brought her back to the first time she’d seen her father in person that day at work. Adena is quite the actor with years of preparation to finally face her father. Inside, she was screaming and imagining herself standing over his mangled body.

She thought up so many ways to kill her father. Slow torture, gun-shot to the head, a knife to the throat, poisoning, fire, any and every way to murder him. Now, she just wanted him dead no matter how she got the job done. When they finally walked away, Adena exhaled a breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding. Her hands were clenched into a tight fist.

The aerial dancers had gone away and what’s left is the black and gold silk billowing around the room. The ballroom darkened except for the spotlight illuminating the center of the floor. Everyone in attendance formed a circle, silently awaiting the arrival of their cult leader. Adena had snuck back downstairs at some point during the party and blended in with everyone. The sexual activities came to a halt momentarily for what looked like an important transition in tonight’s festivities.

Straight across, two burly, cloaked guards with wooden masks opened two grandiose doors that led to the back of the estate and in walked Erik Stevens, Damion trailing behind him. You could hear a pin drop in the ballroom with how quiet and still it is. The acrobatic silk hanging from the ceiling brushed over Erik’s shoulders as he strolled forward with an intimidating gait. Adena could even feel the presence of him deep within her bone marrow. As soon as he appeared in the center of the lit circle, the woman in white joined him wearing a satin white gown with a train.

Erik stepped aside and allowed the woman to occupy the center of the lit circle while he slowly moved around her, as if sizing her up. The woman nervously locked eyes with him each time he appeared in front of her. Adena felt someone grab her hand, and when she looked over her shoulder, she recognized the mysterious man that was talking to Ruby and Mark earlier. His silver masquerade mask is reflective and she could see her cautious eyes staring up at him. With one gloved hand, he pressed his finger to the mouth of the mask, signaling for her to remain silent.

“You have been chosen by Aje herself for the evening,” Erik stopped in front of the woman, “And tonight…we make an offering to Aje…our goddess of abundance and wealth. She choses who is deserving of good fortune…”

Erik stepped aside, revealing the woman in white to everyone in the room again.

“Now…do you feel you are deserving of good fortune and status?” Erik questioned.

“Yes,” she spoke loudly and proudly, “I have worked hard to get where I am today.”

“Have you?” Erik asked, tilting his head in question, challenging her words.

Unsure, the woman nodded her head, “I believe I am. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been asked to join the court.”

Erik clasped his hands in front of him, “I never said you were a new member of the court…Vivian.”

Gasps and whispers filled the room. Adena looked around her and then back at the woman. When Erik removed her mask, Adena’s eyes squinted with recognition.

Vivian Wood.

“You crave power, money, fame…and yet you aren’t worthy of any of those things, Vivian. You haven’t been for years now.”

Vivian stood embarrassed by Erik’s claims, looking around the room trying to appear poised and confident.

“You’re washed up, Vivian. You look down on others around you as if you’re anything better. You use people for your own financial gain…”

Erik began circling her again, and this time Vivian began to cower beneath his gaze. The black cloak he wore reminded Adena of an imposing shadow and his winged mask made him look even more powerful.

“And don’t you dare lie. It won’t do good to lie…especially when you're the offering to Aje.”

“…offering? What do you mean by offering?—”

“Filled with libations and freed of sexual tension…you are more than ready to join the others before you.”

Vivian stepped back and when she did, the circle grew tighter. Her frightened eyes turned to Erik for an explanation, but he simply stood before her, looking down on her as if she were the scum of the earth.

“You’re the sacrifice, love.” Erik said with a menacing voice.

Vivian backed away and almost tripped on the bottom of her gown.

“A sacrifice! What?! Erik! What is this—what do you mean by sacrifice! How—How could you do something—what kind of people are you?! Is this some sick joke to make me scared?!” Vivian shouted.

Laughter filled the room and Erik raised one hand to silence it. Vivian looked from left to right then back at Erik, trembling with fear.

“A—After everything, you—you want to kill me? Am I really not worthy enough?! Do I really mean nothing to you, Erik?!”

“Vivian…we were never an item. I only got close to you, because it was a part of the plan. I knew that you wanted an invite to the Court of Aje…It was only a matter of time before you finally showed up.” Erik said.

Erik snapped his fingers and the guards that opened the doors for Erik seized Vivian’s arms. With their strength, they lifted her off her feet and carried her to the yard while she was kicking and screaming. The room erupted with sinister cheers and praises to Aje. Adena watched as everyone bounded forward, following behind their leader. The man behind her with the reflective silver masquerade mask gripped her left wrist tightly, halting her in her footsteps.

“What are you doing here, Dina?” He whispered.

“None of your business, Greg,” Adena whispered back through clenched teeth.

“I saw you…at the hotel…”

Adena turned to face Greg.

“Were you following me?” Adena questioned.

Greg didn’t respond as he led the way out of the ballroom and into the yard. Adena could see a raging fire and a large stone edging where the two guards tied Vivian’s ankles and wrists to. She was laid out like a sacrificial lamb, screaming and pleading for help. Beyond that is a hedge maze and a botanical garden. The full moon and swirling clouds made for a spooky evening above them.

“How do you know Felicity?” Greg asked with a hushed voice.

“…how do you know her?” Adena fired back with a question, “And right now isn’t the time to ask questions.”

“She’s Damion’s sister. I’ve known her since I was a child…I saw you talking with her in the lounge…then I saw you and her leaving your room dressed as you are now…”

Adena stood silent but she looked around her to make sure no one was listening.

“I’ve always felt as if I’ve seen you before, Dina…and the truth is…I have.”

Adena went very still.

“You’re friends with my sister, Ruby…I’ve seen you once before some years ago…so there’s clearly more to you than just an assistant to Erik Stevens.”

Ignoring Greg, Adena’s eyes fell upon the man of the hour. Erik walked up to Vivian’s writhing body, his cloak gone now. He’s carrying a gold blade in his right hand, and his guards stood behind him in a straight line as if waiting for their next command. A dreadful feeling formed in her gut. She knew what was going to happen…but was she prepared to see someone slaughtered in front of her. She knew the flames were there to burn Vivian’s body to ash.

Erik stood over Vivian’s body, staring down at her tear-stained face and struggling limbs. He reached out with his hand and lightly stroked her cheek with his knuckles before raising his Kukri blade. The gold blade gleamed like the gold slugs on his teeth as he parted his lips to speak.

“Aje, supreme goddess of wealth. Benevolent provider of all human needs. Owner of 1400 ado. Aje turns the wise man into a fool. And makes a fool of the wise man…”

The praise echoed as everyone else began reciting those exact same words.

Erik spoke again, raising his blade with both hands, “Aje, supreme goddess of wealth. Benevolent provider of all human needs. The only master that calls. To whom all respond. The white man pitching a tent in the bush is an adventurer driven by bad luck.”

Adena tried to repeat the words in tune with everyone else to blend in.

“Aje! Aje! You are the mother in the house. You are the mother at the farm. You are the mother of all the hidden and open places. Aje, supreme goddess of wealth! Benevolent provider of all human needs

You made a servant into a king! Aje! Aje! Aje! Benevolent provider of all human needs. Wife of six hundred husbands!”

Aje! Aje! Aje!

Ritualistic drums sounded off and everyone began prancing around as if overcome by the spirit of Aje. Greg pushed Adena along so it wouldn’t go noticed that she was an outsider. She jumped, waved her arms around, and shouted Aje! Aje! Like everyone else. Erik stretched his arms out and looked towards the sky, giving praise to Aje. Vivian’s cries and shouts landed on deaf ears as the sound of the drums grew louder and louder. Some people dropped to their knees and bowed before the sacrifice. Others continued to dance in a circle. The sound of the drums began to slow down and eventually it grew silent again as everyone took their place surrounding Vivian. Adena was still by Greg’s side waiting to see what would happen next.

“Whatever you do…just go along with it, Dina. You have to trust me if you want to live through this. No one ever does.” Greg whispered.

Adena knew that all too well.

“Why should I trust you? Aren’t you just like the rest of them?” Adena said with a hushed tone. .

“Listen to me, whoever sent you that invitation doesn’t have your best interest at heart, Dina. They want you dead.”

“I don’t plan on dying tonight, Greg.” Adena spoke with confidence.

“Dina—”

Adena turned away from him when Erik began speaking again.

“It is you Aje who commanded me, the son of Aje…command me to give you this offering…as a token of my gratitude. Aje! Aje! supreme goddess of wealth. Benevolent provider of all human needs!

Aje! Aje! Aje!

“Accept this offering from your son!”

Aje! Aje! Aje!

Adena’s eyes grew wide behind her mask.

“Aje! Supreme goddess of wealth!”

Her eyes followed the knife in Erik’s hands rising above Vivian’s body to stroke.

Aje! Aje! Aje!

The attack was swift and sudden. The blade sliced into Vivian’s left side and up towards her heart. Her chest ripped, ribs broke. Erik pulled the blade out with violence. Vivian gasped, her eyes bulging in disbelief. From her open mouth came gurgling, sputtering sounds. She wanted to cry out for help, to scream her agony and fear to the party, but she could get no volume. Without a word, Erik inspected the bloody blade and his equally bloody hand, walking away purposefully, with no appearance of panic. With a spluttering gasp, Vivian lay still, as her life ebbed from her, and her senses faded. It was quiet, not uncommonly quiet, but unsettling so.

“Now, present your daggers,” Erik spoke to everyone, “And come forward to show your loyalty to Aje and thank her for the sacrifice.”

Adena watched as everyone presented their daggers. She opened her bag and carefully retrieved her own, removing the protective covering. Adena’s heart hammered in her chest. She knew what she was walking into, but to see it happening before her eyes made her icy with panic. Greg tapped her side and Adena looked up at him. She could see his eyes so she locked onto them.

“You have to do it, Dina. You can’t show your fear.”

People began to walk forward and Adena’s throat tightened when she watched everyone take turns stabbing Vivian. The closer she got, the more she could tell that Vivian was dead. She didn’t particularly like her, but she did feel sorry for her. Who are they to determine who is worthy?

Adena approached Vivian and blood froze in her veins as she looked down at Vivian’s dead body covered in blood. The crimson fluid permanently stained the stone beneath her and trickled down the sides. She knew what had to be done, and the longer she stood there, the more suspicious people would be. Adena masked her fear and raised her blade above Vivian’s thigh. Her grip tightened on the handle and she striked Vivian’s meaty thigh, adrenaline pumping through her body. She’d never stabbed someone before. As she withdrew the blade, blood oozed from the wound slowly. Anxiety eclipsed her thoughts as she dropped the blade in the grass and walked away. She could feel the stickiness of Vivian’s blood on her fingers. Flashes of her mothers body appeared in her mind.

After everyone finished, Damion walked up to Erik dressed in dark blue with a black, gold and royal blue Bauta Mask. The long pointed chin covered his mouth and muffled his voice while the Mask hid his face. Raw anger shot through her at the sight of her father. Erik turned to face him and Damion began applauding Erik in a successful ritual and how they will begin the scarification ritual the next day to finalize everything. One of the cloaked guards with a wooden mask stepped forward with what looked like an ancient Egyptian wine goblet, passing it over to Damion who took Erik’s gold blade covered in blood and began stirring the wine with it. He passed the cup over to Erik and he brought it to his lips, drinking it all down.

“Praise Aje for the blood of the sacrifice…” Damion said.

Erik opened his eyes slowly and licked his lips.

“Thank you, Aje.” Erik said.

The clock struck midnight.

The party continued as if Vivian’s burning body was an afterthought. It was a celebration of Aje’s acceptance of the offering and everyone continued to fill up on wine, food, and sex. Adena didn’t participate in any of the wild fun, she simply stayed far away from everyone, waiting and watching to determine when was the best moment to strike. Damion was a hard man to keep up with. Each time she drew closer to him, he would disappear. Erik had joined the party soon after dressed in a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up and the first few buttons undone and black slacks with black dress shoes. He still wore his gold chains and gold winged mask. He was partying with a group of guys and carrying a bottle of 1942 in his hand.

Adena kept her eye on Ruby as well. While Mark tried to keep her attention, Ruby was too busy focusing on what Erik was doing, watching his every move like a hawk. Adena felt her handbag vibrate against her hip so she opened it to check her phone and noticed a text message from her aunt Felicity. Adena opened the text and sighed before locking her phone.

Auntie: Adena, time is running out. I’m getting worried sitting out here. If you take too much longer, I’m coming in.

That’s the last thing Adena wanted. She agreed to let her aunt wait for her in the car, but she couldn’t risk losing the only real family she had left. Adena cased the room for any sign of Damion and still, no sign of him. She looked towards the stairs and was ready to go searching for him when a hand wrapped around hers pulling her in the opposite direction. Adena turned around and looked at Greg’s masked face. He wasn’t going to stop so Adena followed him up the stairs and they made a right down the hall and into a room. Greg cracked the door and made sure the room was empty before he removed his mask. Adena placed her bag on the table and Greg sat his mask down before he walked over to Adena.

“What are you doing here?” Greg grumbled.

“Like I said, it’s none of your business. Why are you so concerned?” Adena snapped.

“Because this is not a place for you to be,” Greg looked towards the door before stepping closer to Adena, “Who sent you the invite, Dina?”

“…Your sister,” Adena revealed, “Maybe you should ask her all the questions.”

“Ruby wouldn’t have invited you. She doesn’t have the leverage to secure another invite. No…it was someone else…”

Adena remained silent, turning away. Greg’s face contorted with frustration.

“How do you know Felicity? I hadn’t seen her in years. When I saw you sitting at the bar alone, I was going to join you but then…Felicity walked in and…I saw you two hugging…talking closely…it just doesn’t make sense…”

Adena’s expression hardened beneath her mask.

“You can tell me, Dina. You can trust me.”

“…how can I trust you when you’re a member of The Court of Aje, and your father is a dirty politician who enjoys killing people and covering up murders?”

Adena was face to face with Greg now, looking up at him through her mask.

“For all I know, you just want to get information out of me to try and get me killed. And like I said, your sister invited me. Again, you should ask her all the questions—”

“And you should get out of here, Dina. Whether you want my help or not.” Greg fired back.

“Why are you helping me anyway? Wouldn’t you be risking yourself as well?” Adena scolded.

Greg’s expression closed up and his mouth set in a hard line.

“I know all too well what happens to someone when they get involved with the Court of Aje,” Adena reeled around, her back facing Greg, “And that’s why…I need you to get out of my way.”

Greg drew nearer to Adena, “Dina…did Erik do something to you? Did he hurt you? I know you don’t know me—”

“Then you should know that I have nothing else to say.”

“What happened to that sweet girl?” Greg asked.

“I’m far from sweet, Greg,” Adena admitted.

Greg gaped at Adena. She slowly turned to face him, walking up to him with a switch of her hips.

“I may look naive, but I’m a monster…and I don’t play fair…I won’t hesitate to hurt you if you get in my way.”

Greg’s eyes bugged out at her words and he stood rooted to the spot as Adena walked away. She opened the door to leave but stopped suddenly when Ruby walked in, her hands on her hips and an evil smirk on her lips. Adena took two steps back, her eyes boring into Ruby before she looked over at Greg.

“Well…well…well,” Ruby glared at Greg, “what do we have here? My brother helping an outsider?”

Greg charged forward, blocking Adena, “Why don’t you go back to the party, Ruby. This doesn’t concern you.”

Ruby laughed, “It does. Especially when she’s my dear old friend…Dina…I thought I told you that this party was for the highest members of society? What makes you worthy to step foot into this place and mingle amongst the rich and famous? Hmm?”

Adena didn’t respond to Ruby’s insult. She was seeing red and ready to knock Ruby down a couple feet.

“My brother isn’t the only one who has had eyes on you since the moment you walked through those doors. The woman in black who caught everyone’s attention. And don’t think it didn’t go unnoticed how out of place you acted during the ritual for Aje.”

“What’s your point with all of this, Ruby? She’s your friend!” Greg raged.

“Please, Gregory!” Ruby snapped, “Wait until dad finds out about this. He’ll be even more disappointed in you than he already is. Now,” Ruby turned her attention back to Adena, “What makes you think you belong here, Dina?”

Adena tilted her head at Ruby, still not giving her the satisfaction she desired.

“Nothing? Let me guess, my pathetic little bro decided to invite you?” Ruby hissed.

“Don’t play stupid, Ruby,” Greg argued back in his defense, “You sent her an invitation.”

Ruby’s eyes sparked with rage at her brother.

“I didn’t send her an invite! Why would I risk myself for her—”

“We all know you want Erik and would do anything to get him,” Adena said, “Even if that means getting me killed. I know all about you, Ruby Montgomery. Daughter of Jonathan Montgomery. The mean girl who would do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Even if that means getting blood on her hands.”

Adena was face to face with Ruby now, daring her to do something. Ruby looked Adena up and down with amusement, clearly not taking Adena seriously.

“I let you have your five seconds of fame and glory, but now it’s my turn,” Adena raged, “You don’t get to walk in here with your fake ass and tell someone who’s worthy of what. Bitch, you’re the one that’s not worthy! Never have been. Can’t stand when someone else takes the shine, your non-existent man, your delusions of a life so deserving that you’ll never have because you’re nothing!” Adena shouted angrily, “Every person who has ever crossed your path has nothing but bad things to say about you. Standing right here, right now, I can’t even stand to look at you. I want to ram my first so far into your face that no one would be able to recognize you!!”

A slow and sinister smile spread across Ruby’s lips and she laughed boisterously in Adena’s face, “So, not only are you broke and pathetic, you’re a stalker as well? Wow, Dina. Poor Dina…so envious of what I have that you think your little words are gonna hurt me? Try again,” Ruby sassed, “Try harder. You wanna know why I befriended you? Because I saw that you were broken. You needed me to feel good about yourself, and what better person than me? Why would anyone want you? You’re a foster child, no mommy or daddy,” Ruby faked a whiny voice and pouted in Adena’s face.

Adena fired back, “See…that’s where you’re wrong. You thought you knew everything about me, but you don’t. You never have. Pathetic? You’re still chasing after a man who wouldn’t even breathe in the same air as you if it was up to him. You think everyone is checking for you. NEWS FLASH BITCH! If it wasn’t for your daddy, no one would even notice you! I actually feel sorry for you. Its actually embarrassing to watch you act a fool over a man who would NEVER FUCK YOU AGAIN!”

Ruby gawked at Adena.

“That’s right, I know all about you and Erik. And I know he fucked you and tossed you aside. I know you can’t stand when another woman gets to have a chance with him. And I know exactly what you’re going to do right now…tell everyone that I don’t belong here…guess what? Do it. I dare you. You’re so tough? Walk out.”

Ruby leaned in closer to Adena, “I will. Let’s see how far you make it before each and every one of your limbs are cut from your body—”

It happened so fast. Adena clipped Ruby in the jaw and watched her stumble back against a table, knocking the chair to the floor. Ruby rolled onto her stomach clutching her lip, staring down with distraught eyes at her blood-stained fingers. Adena pushed the hood of her sheer black cloak from her head and ran up to Ruby, grabbing her by her neck, punching her square in the nose. Greg was paralyzed with shock to even stop them from fighting.

Ruby kneed Adena in her stomach which gave her enough room to stand. Blood dripped from her nose and onto her dress profusely. She swayed on her feet, noticing her left heel had snapped and now she was limping. Ruby screamed, baring her teeth as she charged at Adena. Adena took a swift side step and Ruby lost her footing again, knocking into the wall.

“You bitch! Look what you did to my face!” Ruby shrieked.

She picked up a vase and flung it at Adena, missing her by a centimeter as it crashed to the floor, shattering into many pieces. Ruby swung at Adena who dodge it expertly, putting her arms in front of her face to block her weak attempts at punching. She ducked under another punch and used the force of Ruby’s attack, pulling Ruby towards her and down to the ground with a combination of a trip and a push. Ruby’s back thumped loudly against the floor and one of her hands came up to snatch Adena’s mask off, the mask revealed yet another one underneath; a metallic steel gray, glittery half masquerade mask. Adena’s eyes were cold with fury, nothing like the innocent eyes she Ruby was used to. It was a completely different person above her. Adena placed both of her hands around Ruby’s neck and squeezed with a strength that Ruby couldn’t get out of. Ruby gurgled, trying her best to stop Adena. Her face began to turn colors and she felt her consciousness drifting away.

“Dina! Stop!”

Greg yanked Adena off of Ruby who began gasping for air and coughing. Adena growled, and swiftly struck Greg in the face with a direct frontal snap kick that targeted his chin, knocking him back on his heels. Ruby had already dashed for the door, but with Greg no longer holding Adena back, she lunged for Ruby again, ripping the bottom of her dress when she grabbed her.

“Dina!” Greg shouted after her, holding his bruised chin.

He ran into the hall and watched as Ruby grabbed a Zulu African knob from one of the weapons curios, swinging it at Adena. What Adena did next stunned Greg and Ruby. Dodging the blow from the stick, Adena did a cartwheel without hands. One of her legs jumped up, while the other kicked hard to the side, causing her body to rotate over itself. She landed on her feet away from Ruby and did a front flip, her leg coming down and snapping the Zulu knob in two.

Shocked, Ruby looked from the broken stick in her hands, to Adena and then dropped the sticks, running away as fast as she could. Adena looked over her shoulder at Greg, challenging him with her eyes. He didn’t want to mess with her so he didn’t try to stop her when she picked up a black Zulu spear and ran off after Ruby.

Ruby rushed down one of the staircases with one heel on her foot and a bashed-in face. She yelled to get everyone’s attention, but Adena had caught up with her, kicking her the rest of the way down the stairs. The music stopped playing and the crowd of drunken people half naked and clothed watched as Ruby landed on her shoulder, screaming from the pain. Everyone began drawing closer to Ruby, a couple of men crouching down to help her up. All eyes were on Adena who descended the stairs with vengeance.

Four cloaked guards barged forward, taking in Ruby’s battered face and dislocated shoulder. Their masks weren’t enough to veil the shock at who was responsible, and Adena didn’t back down either. She proudly walked forward with a sway in her hips, ready to kick anybody’s ass that dared step to her. She kept a firm grip on the Zulu spear in her right hand and was ready to kill Ruby on sight where she stood but the masked guards all pulled out pistols, pointing them directly at her.

“Drop the spear!” One guard ordered.

“Do it now!”

“What the fuck is going on?”

Erik pushed through the crowd of people and stopped suddenly as his eyes fell upon Adena; the woman in black. Her hair was undone from the neat French twist and cascading down her back. The black cloak she wore was removed, revealing a form-fitting dress that molded into her generous curves. The glittery black masquerade mask shielded the top half of her face, but her lips were glossy with brown liner, making them appear plumper. He knew those lips from anywhere. He recognized those big brown eyes.

Dina Brighton.

How did she get here? Why was she wielding a weapon? Why was Ruby Montgomery bloodied and beaten? So many questions raced through Erik’s mind. This wasn’t the Dina he knew. Why would the Dina he knew want to hurt anybody? The blood on her knuckles sang a different tune.

“She’s an outsider!” Ruby shouted, “She tried to kill me! You have to stop her!”

“What would you like for us to do, Mr. Stevens?” One of the guards asked.

“Easy...we kill her.”

Heads followed the direction of that deep and eerie voice. Damion walked forward from the crowd with his hands behind his back, taking his place next to Erik.

“We have zero tolerance for unwanted guests. Grab her and dispose of her now.” Damion ordered the guards.

Erik cut his eyes at Damion, “Nah, I’ll handle it myself—”

“If one of you comes any closer, I’ll kill you,” Adena pointed the spear at Erik, “I don’t think you want to make that mistake.

Damion laughed, “It’s one of you, and many of us, silly girl. I’m afraid you’re outnumbered. Now…be a good girl and put the spear down. Then maybe…we’ll go easy on you.”

Adena gave Damion a sly smirk, “I’ll take my chances.”

Erik stepped forward and Adena pointed the tip of the spear at him. He side stepped her and knocked the spear out of her hand, lunging for Adena but she was faster. She opened the high split of her black gown, revealing a thigh holster and grabbed her Glock with a chrome finish, pointing it at Erik’s head. Startled, his hands went up and he looked her in the eyes confused.

“Back away…slowly…that’s it…good, boy,” Adena walked around Erik, gun aimed for his face, “Or I’ll shoot a hole in that pretty face of yours, Mr. Stevens,” Adena said with a breathy voice.

“GRAB HER!” Damion shouted.

The guards ran forward after Adena. She raised her glock to the ceiling and made a precise shot that detached the chandelier. It came down fast, crashing onto the ballroom floor, blocking the guards from following her out into the yard. People began panicking, rushing out of the mansion to avoid being exposed or worse…killed. Adena made a beeline for the hedge maze. She could hear footsteps stomping after her. Adena didn’t look back as she ran forward, turning every which way. After some time, she stopped and pressed her back into the hedging, trying to calm her breathing. The bottom of her dress was dragging in the dirt and she could feel tiny twigs scraping across her exposed skin.

Distant voices had her on alert with her finger on the trigger. She couldn’t get the look in Erik’s eyes out of her mind. He couldn’t believe she was there or that she was pointing a gun at his face. It’s unfortunate that this is how they had to reunite. She could only hope that she make it out of this situation alive.

The sound of leaves crunching to her left, Adena whirled around and pointed her gun at one of the masked guards. She aimed and pulled the trigger, shooting the guard in his throat. He dropped to his knees and fell face-first into the grass. The sound of the gunshot echoed, and Adena’s fingers trembled. This was the first time she’d ever killed someone. She stepped over his dead body, no time to look back or think about what she did. There were going to be more casualties that evening so it was best for her to get used to it.

Adena turned left, right, then left again, running head on into another guard who slapped the gun out of her hand and backhand slapped her in the face. Adena’s head flew back from the impact but she quickly recovered. He grabbed Adena by her upper arms and lifted her off of the ground, thinking he’d won, but Adena was ready. With her thumbs, Adena jammed them into the guards eyes. He shouted with agony, releasing Adena and she fell at his feet to the ground. Adena scrambled for her gun, and when she found it, she shot the guard in his groin. Running as fast as she could, Adena tried to find a way out of the hedge maze. She slowed down again when she felt no one was nearby.

“Dina…”

Adena went still, pressing her body into the hedging.

“Dina…”

Taking a deep breath, Adena jumped out and pointed her gun. The gun fired off and the person in front of her fell to the ground clutching their stomach. Adena crouched down to get a good look at whoever it was, relieved when it wasn’t Erik.

“Looking for me?”

Adena shot up from the ground but two powerful arms wrapped around her, lifting her from the ground. Everything turned foggy and dark. She pushed back against him, but his hold on her tightened.

“You got some explaining to do, girl…I hadn’t heard from you in days and this is how we meet up?!” Erik growled in her ear, “you murdering people now? What the fuck has gotten into you, Dina?!”

Adena stomped on Erik’s left foot hard and brought her elbow to shoulder height, pivoting her opposite foot and made contact with the side of his face with the back of her elbow. Erik’s hands fell from her waist and he backed away from her, Adena getting into a fight stance with her fists raised. Erik’s forehead creased and his eyes looked beyond her, alerting Adena that someone had shown up.

“Erik! You found her…”

Adena picked up her gun from the ground and aimed it at a black man in his mid-seventies dressed in a navy blue suit with a long trench coat. Behind him stood two bullocky men ready to attack on his command. Adena recognized that man and his voice. She lowered her gun and stared the man directly in the eyes.

“Jonathan,” Erik cautioned, “I got it from here.”

“She hurt my daughter…could have killed her. I want to watch her burn…”

“Dad…”

Gregory caught up with his father and stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on Adena and Erik.

Agitated, Jonathan circled around to face his son, “Why are you here and not by your sister's side?! If it wasn’t for you, none of this would have happened! You should thank me for saving your ass, son. Otherwise, Mr. Stevens here would have killed you. Consider this a final warning!”

Hurt by his father’s words, Greg backed away and ran back towards the mansion. Jonathan chuckled, seemingly embarrassed by Greg’s actions.

“Thank you for sparing him, Erik. I know he’s your friend, but he was wrong. He protected this girl after what she did to his sister—”

“How about after what you did to my mother?” Adena chimes in.

Jonathan raised his chin, looking down at Adena.

“I don’t know who your mother is, but trust…whatever it was I’m sure was deserving,” Jonathan shoved his hands in his pockets.

Adena cocked her head to the side and her eyes became slits. Angry tears welled in her eyes, fury vibrating her being. Her grip tightened on her piece as she pointed it straight at his chest, right at his heart.

“Did I strike a nerve? Are those tears in your eyes,” Jonathan laughed menacingly, “Put that down, little one. No need to act so tough…you’re as good as dead.”

Adena felt Erik’s hand on her waist as he approached her from behind. She looked back at him over her shoulder, trembling with rage. He held her gaze, wordlessly telling her to drop the gun. There were four of them. She wasn’t going to die here. That wasn’t an option. No, she was going to survive this.

“Erik? What are you waiting on? Take her gun!” Jonathan shouted angrily.

Erik snatched Adena’s gun away and placed it in his back pocket. Adena was simmering as she stared daggers at Erik, wanting nothing more but to kill him where he stood.

“See? Your little adventure has run its course.” Jonathan provoked.

The two men walked around Jonathan and flexed their muscles as if that would intimidate her.

“I got it from here, Jonathan. I’ll take full responsibility for her getting in,” Erik spoke up, “I’ll make sure to get rid of her.”

“I trust your judgment, Erik, but I want to watch. That’s what I did all those years ago when Joseph and Damion tortured and killed that pretty woman.”

Adena jerked her arm away from Erik and faced Jonathan.

“Drag her by her neck if you have to,” Jonathan said with his eyes still on Adena, “Is there something you want to say, sweetheart?”

“Yes…as a matter of fact it is…”

Adena hooked Erik’s front leg and with a fast execution, she pushed him with the palm of her hand and he fell to his knees, giving her the opportunity to grab her gun. Working fast, Adena raised her glock at Jonathan and before his henchmen could retrieve their weapons, she put a bullet in his head and then two more bullets in each of the men, watching them fall to the ground.

“That woman was my mother…asshole.” Adena said.

Erik stood up and Adena pressed her gun into his chest. Erik raised his hands in surrender, locking eyes with her.

“Your mother? My father had something to do with it?”

Adena fought back tears as she pressed the barrel of the gun hard against Erik’s chest. Erik smacked the gun away and grabbed Adena by her throat, his eyes wide and jaw tight.

“Start talking. Now!”

“I don’t owe you a fucking explanation! How dare you?! I was stupid enough to let you in. That won’t happen again. I’m tired of the way you make me feel! Let go of me!!!”

Adena shoved Erik hard in his chest. His forehead furrowed and he sized her up with a glint in his eyes.

“You’ve been lying to me this entire time, haven’t you? About everything?” Erik gave her a once-over, “Is Dina even your real name?”

Adena could hear someone else coming so she broke off into a run. Erik ran after her, his legs heavy as if sinking into quicksand. He was shocked by her strength, her skills in combat, the way she handled her own, and how she killed those men so easily like she could do it with her eyes closed. He needed to find her before Damion did. Erik spotted her opening a side door to the mansion and Erik noticed that she was entering the mirror maze. A sick addition to the house that was Erik’s idea. He enjoyed primal sex play in the mirror maze, playing hide and go seek.

Erik slipped inside of the mirror maze, the red light acting as night vision. He proceeded forward, the mirrors giving the illusion of infinite hallways in multiple directions. He could see infinite reflections of himself because of the angles of the mirrors in relation to each other. They reflect the truth. They reflect what is. Like a labyrinth, Erik was guided deeper, his eyes scanning left and right. When his eyes flickered left again, he could see Adena’s dress flowing behind her as she ran. He used his fine motor skills and visual skills to find her.

“Dina? You know I’ll be able to find you,” Erik said with a gravely, calm voice, “I won’t hurt you. I want to help you…but I need to understand why you’re doing all of this…”

Erik turned and he could see her one minute, and then the next she vanished. He ran towards where he’d seen her last and found her mask lying on the floor. Erik picked it up, stroking it with his thumb.

“Who are you?” Erik whispered.

He continued in that same direction, using not only his eyes but his keen sense of hearing to find her.

“This isn’t how I pictured us seeing each other again…I’m sorry you had to see all of that tonight…I guess…I guess we should start being honest with each other, yeah?”

Erik could hear footsteps behind him so he turned back in that direction, widening his strides. He sucked his teeth when he’d lost her again.

“…My family started the Court of Aje in the early 1900s. Some of New York's oldest and wealthiest black families used murder and money to wield power over politics, culture, society, and even the criminal underworld…that way…those truly in power stay in power. It was the only way they could protect themselves…”

Erik walked the stretch of a long hallway, looking around in a circle. She can’t be too far, the maze isn’t but so big.

“…we make a sacrifice to Aje, our goddess of wealth and power…on the eve of Halloween. The Orisha is what kept us afloat. Without her, we wouldn’t be where we are today…”

Erik stopped within a circle of mirrors. He gazed around and around, waiting patiently.

“…After my father died, I was given the mantle as leader of the court. Damion is there to guide me through it all. There are times when I feel like it’s too much to take on…being responsible for something so secretive. It’s not something I could just bring up in conversation…that I’ve murdered people—”

The cocking of a gun had Erik frozen. He kept his back turned, but he could see through the many mirrors Adena standing behind him with her gun pointed at the back of his head.

“Are you really going to kill me, love?” Erik asked.

“…Why did you kill Cora?” Adena questioned.

Erik’s nostrils flared and his upper lip curled.

“Because she was conspiring to bring me down, to expose me!” Erik barked out, “I couldn’t have that.”

“You Stevens are nothing but trouble. You’ll do anything to save your asses,” Adena argued, “And you’re just like your father…what you did to Cora—”

Adena’s voice became hoarse as she fought back tears. Erik could see her struggling to keep it together, wanting to know desperately why Cora’s death was so triggering for her and what his father has to do with what happened to her mother.

“It reminded me of what happened to my mother,” Adena said with a tremble in her voice, “Your father…and my father…murdered my mother and covered it up as a suicide! I saw my mother’s dead body in a bloody bath with her wrists slit! I was just seven years old!”

Erik shut his eyes. He couldn’t bear hearing the grief in Adena’s voice. It struck him like a car at high speed. He never wanted to see her like that. Deeply saddened and broken. He was wrong. She didn’t have it all together. She was a complete wreck. Hearing her say that his father played a hand in her mother’s death angered him but didn’t surprise him. His father was a deeply deranged man. He’d witnessed his mother near death many times because of his father’s rage. Erik locked eyes with Adena in one of the mirrors. He wanted to hold her close, but from the look on her face, she didn’t want anything to do with him. That cut deep.

“I let myself get close to you when I shouldn’t have. I fell for you hard when I should hate you. I still have feelings for you, Erik! I can’t erase you from my mind! No matter how hard I fucking try!” Adena cried out.

“I have feelings for you too, Dina. I know that nothing I have to say will change what my father did…but I’m not my father—”

“Yes! you are!” Adena yelled.

Erik turned around to face her, “I’m different because of you,” Erik said, “The moment you entered my life—”

“Please,” Adena said, “It’s too late for all of that. On your fucking knees,” Adena pointed to the floor with her gun, “Right Fuckin’ now.”

Erik lowered to his knees, his eyes locked on Adena. She walked up to him and pressed the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

“I've been waiting for this moment…” Adena released a shaky breath, “It feels good to see you on your knees for once…at my command…my life in your hands…you want the truth about me, huh?”

Erik looked up through his long lashes at Adena. Despite his compromising situation, he could feel his dick throb. Staring up at her from that angle— her hair wild, eyes staring down at him, all fiery, plump lips parted— he was irrevocably in love with this woman. And she wasn’t as naive and timid as he thought she was. Or unsure of herself and what she’s capable of. She knew who she was. It radiated from her like a heat wave. It consumed him. Put him in a trance.

“Keep wondering.”

Adena shot down the mirrors surrounding them, the glass flying everywhere. Erik ducked his head and shielded his face after he felt a shard of glass slice his left cheek. When he finally looked up, Adena was gone.

He wasn’t going to let her slip away again.

Adena dusted tiny pieces of glass from her dress carefully as she walked back into the mansion. It was eerily silent, too quiet to be trustworthy. She needed to find Damion. Adena made the conscious decision to spare Erik’s life. He wasn’t the real enemy here, and truthfully, he was unaware of what his father had done. Killing him would only hurt Adena. She pressed forward, climbing the stairs again. Instinct kicking in, Adena raised her gun and fired a couple of rounds into a masked guard that attempted to overtake her. His body fell over the banister and landed hard on the polished floor below. Adena checked her rounds and when she noticed only three left, she pushed the clip back in and rushed forward.

“Come here!”

Adena was grabbed by her hair from behind and she lost her gun in the process. She grabbed her attacker by the hand and twisted his wrist so hard she heard a pop. She turned and jabbed them in the throat before Roundhouse kicking them down the stairs. Adena sprinted down the hallway, spotting three men charging towards her. She kicked the curio glass in and grabbed a blade. With proper upper body strength and endurance, Adena swung the long blade with both hands, slashing one man in the abdomen and one in the throat with a twirl.

“Gotcha you little bitch!”

Adena was sliced on her upper arm with a knife. She winced before turning around, kicking the pocket knife from their hand and ramming her blade into the side of their neck. When she withdrew the blade, a spray of blood stained the wall. They dropped to their knees before her and Adena stepped away in time before they landed on her feet. She couldn’t feel the cut on her left bicep, but she knew she would feel it after the adrenaline wore off.

“Adena!!!!”

Adena looked up to see her aunt Felicity running towards her. She pulled Adena into a tight hug, pulling away to examine her.

“Jesus,” Felicity looked at the cut on her arm, “it took me a while to get in here undetected. I saw everyone running to their cars. I’m so happy you’re alive!”

“Auntie, you can’t be in here!” Adena argued, “it’s not safe—”

Adena was flung away from her aunt from the force of being knocked aside. She landed hard on her back against a door that was ajar, her head hitting the hard floor. Adena picked herself up, whimpering from the pain in her head, and at her full height, she looked into the eyes of her treacherous father.

“Damion! Don’t touch her!” Felicity shouted like a mad woman.

“Shut up!” Damion raised his hand and slapped Felicity so hard she knocked into the wall, “I’ll deal with you after I deal with her!” Damion roared.

He turned around to face Adena again, cracking his knuckles. Adena lunged forward but Damion grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off of the ground. Adena clawed at his hand, gasping for air. Damion didn’t flinch.

“Fight all you want, little girl. I’ll make sure you’re dead by my hand. I’m assuming you killed Erik…pity…I wanted to do that myself.”

“GET OFF OF HER!!!!”

Felicity hit Damion in the back of the head with a chair and he released Adena, dropping her to the floor. She took in a sharp breath while rubbing her neck. Felicity rushed over to Adena to help her up from the floor when Damion was up on his feet again.

“What is your affiliation with this girl, Felicity?! Why are you protecting her?!”

Damion inched closer while Felicity shielded Adena from Damion.

“You are a disgrace to our family. I should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance. I should have left you to die in that car…”

Adena stepped around her aunt and ignored her attempts to try and keep her back. As Damion stared at Adena, his face slowly morphed into that of recognition.

“You’re Erik’s assistant…Dina, right?”

Adena’s eyes flickered with fury.

“Who are you really?” Damion questioned.

“…I’m your daughter.”

The smile on Damion’s face morphed into a frown.

“Adena…” Felicity pleaded.

Damion looked at Felicity and the tears in her eyes made Adena’s words all too real. Damion studied Adena’s face with disbelief.

“Carmella…” Damion said with a sigh of irritation, “All this time…”

A single tear rolled down Adena’s cheek.

“And you took care of her?” Damion questioned Felicity with narrow eyes, “you kept this from me all this time—”

“LIKE YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN IN MY LIFE!” Adena shouted, “I PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE HERE IF YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN!”

Damion smirked, “You’re right. The only mistake I made was sparing your life that night…both of you.”

Damion reached behind him and Felicity jumped in front of Adena before she could even stop her.

Pow!

“Aunt Felicity!!!”

Adena was at her side on the floor, cradling her head while trying to apply pressure to the wound in her aunt's stomach. She stared down at her aunt’s face and screamed with rage. Felicity—weakened and clinging onto life as the blood from her wound stained the carpet—reached up to caress Adena’s cheek.

“I told you not to come here!” Adena yelled.

Felicity parted her lips to speak but no words escaped her mouth.

“Don’t die on me! Please!” Adena pleaded with a shrill cry.

Damion watched the scene before him with a sinister smile. Adena looked up at him boiling with anger and hatred towards him.

“What a daddy-daughter reunion this is. Get up.” Damion ordered.

Adena carefully placed her aunt's head onto the floor and stood before her father.

“Don’t worry, you’re joining her,” Damion chuckled darkly, “And your whore of a mother. If you weren’t so screwed up, maybe I would have taken you in.”

“You’re a joke,” Adena snarled, “You’d kill your own sister…your own daughter…the mother of your child…you haven’t won.”

“Oh, I have,” Damion gestured to the gun in his hand, “Always have. Come harder than that, Princess.”

Adena looked over Damion’s shoulder and spotted Erik standing in the doorway, a long cut on his left cheek. His eyes fell to the floor and noticed Felicity struggling to stay alive. His eyes traveled to the gun in Damion’s hand and then he looked back at Adena. He brought a finger to his mouth to silence her.

“I’ll have to thank whoever invited you here tonight,” Damion said smugly.

“Victoria Stevens,” Adena revealed, “The same person who invited my mother all those years ago. You still fucking her?”

Erik looked at Damion in a new light, eyes squinting and jaw clenching. He locked eyes with Adena again when Damion began to laugh.

“Victoria is something else…she never liked your mother. Carmella was my weakness…and Victoria hated that she had such an effect on me. She was even happy when that fake marriage I had was all a hoax to prepare her for a sacrifice to Aje. She must have suspected all these years that you were my daughter…and took matters into her own hands to get rid of you.”

Adena tilted her head, “Like you wanted to do with Erik?”

Erik’s eyes became stormy with rage.

“The Stevens Family couldn’t live with the idea that my family…the King Family…were making a rise to power with our new money. A member of the Stevens Family accused a family member of mine of sexual assault. It was a fabricated lie to get rid of us. After everything we did for that family…they turned their backs on us for more power. My family was forced to change our name to Jones in order to blend in. I’ve been working hard all these years to bring that family down…to get revenge for what they did. Felicity unwillingly killed Joseph when he tried to end her life, and that left Erik. The other Stevens Family would be easy to take down once I got the money for myself thanks to Victoria.”

Erik’s eyes were glossy with tears listening to Damion’s confession. He looked away to try and wipe his eyes, but Adena had already seen it. She watched him take in deep breaths, his clenched fists shaking with fury.

“But none of that matters now,” Damion lifted his gun at Adena, “Any last words?”

Adenda exhaled, “Yeah…turn around.”

Confused, Damion’s head turned and Erik slammed his fist into Damion’s jaw so hard that Adena could have sworn she heard it break. Erik snatched the gun out of Damion’s hand and puffed out his chest, pointing the gun at Damion’s head. Damion was dismayed, convinced that Erik was dead. Adena looked between them, her rage mirroring Erik’s.

“Erik..put the gun down,” Damion said carefully, “You don’t want to do this—”

“I don’t?! I heard everything you said! You killed her mother! And you’ve been working against me?! Sleeping with my mother?!” Erik barked out.

“You’re pointing that gun at the wrong person, son.”

“Son?! Don’t call me that! You ain’t no godfather of mine. You’re a traitor…and a dead man—”

“After everything I did for you! I helped you get where you are today! This girl is trying to break your legacy—”

“NAH… nah, that’s you. How could you kill her mother? How could you stand here and shoot your own sister? Turn a gun on your own child? That’s some shit I would never do, bruh!” Erik shouted, “My father was many things—”

“Tell him the truth, Damion,” Adena said.

Damion glared at her over his shoulder, “What did Felicity tell you?”

Adena could hear her aunt panting on the floor. She finally found the words to speak.

“T–T–Tell him,” Felicity said.

“Tell me what?” Erik said with anger.

“You were adopted, Erik.” Adena revealed.

Erik cocked his head back in disbelief, looking from side to side confused out of his mind. He struggled against his anger, eyes searching Damion’s face for the truth. He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to accept that his life was a lie. Damion looked at him with an unblinking stare, not once opening his mouth to speak. Erik frowned and a fresh swell of tears clouded his vision. Adena watched him cave right before her eyes, unable to hold back her own tears. Fury tore through Erik and he sniffled back his tears as best as he could, gun raised at Damion again.

Damion tried to tackle Erik and Erik’s back collided with the wall. He punched Damion in the ribs, dropping the gun in the process. Locs in his eyes, lips drawn back in a snarl, Erik body slammed Damion to the ground, climbing over him and started beating his face in with bone-crushing blows. His shirt had ripped in the process and the blood from Damion’s nose splattered over his naked chest. Adena rushed forward to pick up the gun and when she did, Damion grabbed her ankle, knocking her down to the ground.

Erik reached out to help her and Damion took that moment to hit Erik upside the head with a lamp that had fallen from the side table in the room. Damion pushed himself up on his feet and dashed towards the door but Adena climbed onto his back, putting him in a headlock. Damion growled, Stumbling backwards to try and get Adena off of him. He reached behind him and grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her from his neck. Adena kicked him in the jaw and Damion lost his footing, crashing to the floor. Erik rushed over to Adena to help her up and then followed Damion to the balcony.

“Nowhere else to go, Damion!” Erik yelled after his retreating body.

Damion braced himself on the balcony railing, peering over and down at solid concrete. He abruptly turned around to face Erik who was more than ready to kill him. Erik swung and hit Damion so hard in his ribs that he curled. He uppercut him and his arms flailed. Damion’s knees buckled, and he looked up at Erik through swollen eyes while blood dripped from his mouth.

Adena walked out onto the balcony with Damion’s gun in her hand, standing next to Erik. Erik looked down at her and then back at Damion, stepping aside to allow her to do what needed to be done. Adena walked up to her father with slow strides, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. Damion struggled to get onto his feet, and when he did, he looked his daughter in the eye and smiled.

“You’re ruthless just like me.”

Adena pulled the trigger and like a bullseye, the silver bullet lodged between his eyes, killing Damion instantly and sending him over the balcony.

Adena lowered the gun and collapsed to her knees. She broke down crying, bending forward. She wailed and beat her first onto the ground and trembled. Erik couldn’t imagine how she must feel. He reached out to touch her but Adena raised her head. She stood up on her feet and rushed back into the room, dropping down beside her aunt. Felicity was still alive, but she lost so much blood. Adena stroked her cheek and cried hard, tears dropping onto her aunt's cheek.

“I did it,” Adena said with a quiver in her lip, “I killed him.”

“I know, b–baby,” Felicity smiled weakly, her eyes so low they looked like they were closed, “I’m so proud of you. You fought hard to–to get here.”

Adena hiccuped from all the crying she did, staring at her aunt's belly.

“We need to get you to a hospital,” Adena stressed with a shaky voice.

“I’ll get there…where’s–where’s Erik?”

“I’m here…”

Adena’s eyes fell upon Erik’s. They stared at each other for a moment before Adena broke her gaze away to examine her aunt.

“We can get her to a doctor friend of mine who has a private practice,” Erik stood up quickly, “She can get here fast and take care of her.”

Erik picked up Felicity and tried to calm her when she began to cry out in pain. He rested her on the guest head and dug in his pocket, pulling out his cellphone. Adena sat next to her aunt and watched Erik speak on the phone with his friend. He ended the call five minutes later, joining them on the bed.

“She’s on her way with help.”

“Thank you,” Adena said with a small smile.

Erik’s eyes scanned her face fondly.

“You’re welcome.”

His eyes dropped to Felicity’s face.

“I’m sorry about what my father tried to do.” He said.

Felicity cleared her throat before speaking, “It wasn’t your fault, Erik…I know how much he meant to you.”

Erik twisted his mouth, eyes blinking away tears.

“Nah…he wasn’t my father…”

Adena wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. Erik exhaled and straightened up, staring across at Adena again. His eyes scanned her beautiful face. He saw her so differently now. She was such a strong, capable woman. Watching her hold her own weight made him respect her even more. He’d never seen a woman so bold and powerful. He could only imagine that her mother was exactly the same. Carmella Love. He was still stunned by that reveal. He wanted to know everything about her, but he knew right now wasn’t the right time. Felicity’s health mattered the most.

“Adena, huh? Pretty,” Erik smirked.

“Thank you,” She smiled weakly.

Ten minutes later, footsteps stopped in front of the door and an Indian woman with long, shiny black hair, big dark brown eyes, full lips, and a petite frame ran into the room followed by two men in teal scrubs.

“I’m Padma,” she said to Adena, “what happened?”

Erik and Adena filled her in on everything while the two men carried Felicity out of the room.

“That explains all the bodies in the hallway…you two should come with me, you may need medical attention as well.”

Erik and Adena both agreed as they rose from the bed. Erik reached out for Adena’s hand, checking her face to see if it was alright. just a few abrasions. Erik secured her fingers tightly around his firm grip as they walked hand in hand, out of the room.

@goddessofthundathighs @hearteyes-for-killmonger @nobodybaby93 @theegoldenchild @afriicanhoe @19jammmy @abcdestinyyyy @whorderofthepheonix @shaekingshitup @tgigoldie @soufcakmistress @chefjessypooh @pananegra @theblulife @becincere @blaqwidow91 @fish-outta-watah @eyeknowmywrites @crowngold @blktinkerbell @luvanxi @sheisexcellent1 @chocolatedippedinhoney @brandithecrystalgem @soulfulbeauty19 @btitannaaaaa @sunkissedebony97 @youngblackndgifted @harleycativy @rbhp @thee-germanpeach @thadelightfulone @palmstreesallday @skylahb @truglori @queenflaws @ljstraightnochaser @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @nickidub718 @thehomierobbstark @fd-writes @chasingsunlight @sickaddiktions @xo-goldengirl @tiava143 @33kiara @honeytoffee @asiasblackworld727 @momobaby227 @soulshinechronicles @fanfangal @kreolemami @thoughtsoftheantagonist @luvwitoutlimit1 @mygirlrenee @hippiesandpeacesigns @jaysaidhi @shawnstacksss @mareethequeen @browngirldominion @ceeverse @therealmrsrhodes @sensitivelegend @teheeboo @yomiloo @msreshel @afteracouplepuffss @shaelyn102 @amyhennessyhouse @chaneajoyyy @dameshaemonique @glittermakesmesmile @notavintagecliche @pariahcolored @ambthegamer @efonteno @wisenerdcreator @draggingstxns @eevolsidog @asweet-serendipity @ajspencer1892 @quietpoeticheart @itsjustyazz @dasia21 @woah-express @bbgiirrll @forbeautyandlife @cecereads209 @queenbetter @daddys-baby-girl-t @lovinthemelanin @ladymac82 @t3mporaa @iv0rysoap @naysianaee @nyleveeee @woahthatshitfat @scarypumkin23 @vikki240401 @enigmadivine @gingerylimonte @counterfeit-recherche @unholyxcumbucket @xdezaraex @missgigglesmoultrie @dashhoney25 @oversorry @admirehermind @wassuduoo @kaykay0829 @woahitslucyylu @xsweetdellzx @amorestevens @tinystudentfirepurse @suburbanblackhoe @keiosha234 @bewitchedtbaby @crestsmile83 @dollfaceddom @majesticbrownjawn @lovelymari4 @endlessmockery @meunearthed @blackpinup22 @im5ftbutmythroat66 @youthought-iwasa-nicegirl @richonne4life @alookintohersoul @youcantkillamutant @riveristhenameofhersong @queenfaithmarie @sourbabynaee @dessianna1 @msincognito67 @themeirajay @toni9 @joanna-doe @cool-fancyone @kehlaniswifee @bugngiz @soulfuljas @tinystudentfirepurse @childishgambinaax @callmemckenzieee @thesandbeneathmytoes

#Erik Killmonger #killmonger imagine #killmonger fanfiction #killmonger smut #nahimjustfeelingit-writes #kinktober #bd/sm kink #spooky szn

421 notes · View notes

carryonafi · 4 months

Text

never say no.

michael clifford x reader; SMUT!!!! 🔞

a/n: whatsup‼️ some more smut for u dirty people, this one is some epic groupie x michael stuff so BE PREPARED!! this is inspired by the absolutely wild conversations i’ve had with my friends about the groupie era, so slightly exaggerated BUT it’s just catering to your fantasies pretty much😭 — also! i feel like i could take this story somewhere, so let me know if you want a second part to it? enjoy!

words: 3.9k

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Something about this didn’t feel real, standing behind The Forum on a chilly night standing in front of two men. Not just any two men, Luke Hemmings and Michael Clifford who both play guitar and sing in 5 Seconds of Summer. Your heart was pounding in your ears with every passing word, every giggle you and your friend let out echoed in your ears and hearing a laugh from either of them in response made you dizzy. You had your eye on Michael from the moment you saw them on MTV just a few months ago, it felt like. Now here they stood, in the flesh, body language giving off a dirty intention you just couldn’t pass up. Everything about this was wrong, they had you both wrapped around their fingers and it was so, so cliche. Power imbalance, authority, but it felt right. It was too good not to chase after.

A leather jacket was draped over your shoulders, but of course, it wasn’t yours. Luke cracked a joke that had you two giggling again as if they were the funniest guys in the world, but really, you were just too flustered.

“The only difference is that his red hair isn’t natural, or is that what you two have in common?” Luke poked fun at your friend who stood beside you, naturally flaming red hair and seductively sweet green eyes with specks of hazel.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out.” She flirted, even you gawked at her because she was never this bold. Luke had this smirk on his face in response which awakened some kind of realization within you. This was happening, this was really happening. Michael was rolling his eyes at Luke and the way the light from the dim street lamps seamlessly reflected and bounced around his features had you in a trance, you could stare at him forever. Honestly, you just wanted to reach out and run your hands all over his face.

“You wanna come back with us? It would really be a shame, all this talking going nowhere…” Michael drawled in a way that captivated you and your desires, leaning back against the cold brick of the building you lot were currently hiding behind. Your friend happily reached out to you and squeezed your arm, not breaking the gaze she had on the two firm figures in front of you.

“We’d love that, yeah.” You replied, pulling the leather further over your bare shoulders. “Don't have to pay for a cab, right?” It was mostly a tease, and score, you made the 2 guys laugh with it.

“We’ve got you covered.” Luke shrugged nonchalantly as a way to play along, nodding his head in the direction of the exit of the alley. All you could think about was Michael, he plagued your thoughts as you continued to stare at him. Paying attention to Luke was just so difficult with the other next to him, eye-catching red hair paired with smokey black eyeliner that accentuated the barely visible, sweet freckles around his nose and hopeless green eyes. You had seen many, many pictures and videos, but up close he was simply something else.

“Come on! (Y/N) already answered for me, it’s cold out here.” Your friend complained to the two boys, her arm sliding down the fabric of Luke’s jacket until their hands ended up interlacing when she reached the hem of the sleeve. He graciously wrapped his arm around her and gestured for Michael to follow, but you could see that glint in their eyes. They had this similar look to them that only said triumph as you began to tail behind Luke. The flirting between her and Luke was hardcore, unashamed and definitely feeding into the jealousy for anyone else involved in these streets. However, Michael liked how you were much more. You got your point across by body language, a physical communicator and not so verbal. Hopefully that would be different, he was a sucker for any type of dirty talk.

“You have to be cold, too. I mean… look at that little skirt you’re wearing, and a flannel over a tank top? Wasn’t the smartest choice, was it?” Michael placed his hand on the small of your back to make sure you weren’t leaving his side, and the blessed giggle you let out in response was more than music to his ears. “I can feel you shivering.” He said a bit lower, voice unwavering despite his own lack of warmth.

“Well, I didn’t plan too far ahead…” You sighed, turning to the side to whisper back to him as you blindly followed Luke. “I don’t dress for practicality, y’know? Whatever makes me feel attractive, I guess.” You replied, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth as you watched his eyes dilate.

“Well it definitely worked.”

—

The journey back to whatever hotel this was didn’t take too long at all, but holy shit, were you impressed. The car had those seats you saw in movies or paparazzi pictures, the two backseats facing each other which had you and your friend staring back at marveled faces as you settled in. However, it didn’t last too long, the flirting continued and some of the things these boys were saying had you squirming in your seat. Did car rides always take so long?

Michael never left your side, from the moment you exited the car to when you finally entered the 6th floor hallway that held their rooms. It seemed as if the other two band members were already in their respective rooms, leaving Michael and Luke the last ones to arrive at their temporary stay.

“Night, mate.” Luke locked hands with Michael, giving him a slight wink. “Don't be too loud, can’t get another noise complaint.” He spoke like it was scripted. If you had known that there was an unspoken rule between the guys to hype each other up as much as possible without lying, you would have laughed out loud. Something about the thought of them having multiple noise complaints stirred a bit in your mind, making your eyes widen at your friend who was still sharing a shocked look at you. She followed Luke into the room as you did Michael, the click of the door bringing you a rush of energy and eager anticipation. Michael tossed the keycard onto the table next to the door, and in this moment of silence it was like your thoughts temporarily froze. You could barely think, clouded by bewilderment and desire.

“Are you sure?” Came a voice from behind you, which was obviously Michael, who else would it be? Still, unbelievable. You turned to look at him, swallowing the nervous yet anticipating lump in your throat as his hand followed an invisible line to your shoulder. Your shoulder, down your arm, slowly interlacing his fingers with yours. Something about that made you feel warm, heart swelling as you stared up into his eyes heavy with lust, but laced with concern.

“I’m sure, yeah.” You breathed in agreement, letting a smile tug at the corner of your lips.

“I know I — “ Michael paused, cutting himself off with a slight shake of his head. “I know I was talking a lot, but I really, really don’t want to pressure you if you don’t want to do this.”

“Michael.” You cut him off yourself this time, closing the gap between your bodies. “It’s okay, I want this.”

There was barely a pause between your words and the moment he pressed his lips to yours, it took you aback, but just as quickly as the event turned you relaxed. The warmth of his lips made you shiver, his hand disconnecting from yours to snake around your waist and pull you closer to him… as if you couldn’t get any better than your original position.

Your heart fluttered, the effects of his sweet gesture beforehand still lingering even now in the moment of this heated kiss. Your nerves feeling like they were on fire, nothing felt more amazing than this moment. Michael had now wrapped both arms around you, lips sliding against yours as he hummed between kisses and led you back towards the hotel bed. He was so careful in his movements, immediately stopping when you wouldn’t move anymore. You were pretty sure he noticed the side of the bed hitting the backs of your knees before you did, leaning forward with the support of his hands on your back. Your heart pounded in your chest, hands cupping his cheeks in a desperate need to hold him. To touch him, to know that this was real. Fortunately, this was not one of your comfort scenarios you thought of at night to make you blush before falling asleep. This was reality.

Michael’s fingertips brushed the leather jacket, quickly moving up your body to push it off of your shoulders with the flannel following suit. The harsh chill of the hotel room sent goosebumps all throughout your body.

“Still cold, hm?” His words against your lips, all you could do was breathlessly nod. “Won’t be a problem soon.” Michael pulled you in for another kiss, and god, were you floating. You had imagined he was good at kissing, but he was incredible. His lips were warm, soft and sweet. His tongue skillfully glides across your bottom lip before escalating to battling yours for dominance over the kiss, and that stubble… scratched your skin so good and made you push forward for more initiative.

Yet still, you needed to do more. Your hesitant fingertips traced careful lines down his jaw, over his neck before they caught the collar of his shirt. Michael knew what you wanted instantly, reluctantly breaking away from the kiss you shared to swiftly tug his shirt off over his head. It ruffled his hair, making the spiked up back parts stray away from the rest of the style. You couldn’t help but grin, and apparently it was contagious due to Michael pulling the same face. “Don’t laugh at me.” He playfully shook his head as you started to giggle.

“But you’re just so cute.” You replied, hands pressed to his pale chest trying your hardest not to marvel at his bare torso.

“We’ll see about that.” Michael buried his face in your neck, making you laugh even more feeling the tickle of his breath against your pulse point. Until he started sloppily kissing, sucking, biting every spot that made you tense like he knew your body better than you did.

“Oh god, Michael…” You sigh dreamily, voice wavering as he reaches your collarbone. Your breathing had become slightly labored, tangling your fingers through that bright red mess you had just teased him about. Michael’s lips continued to move across your neck, leaving you no choice but to tilt your head back. Before you knew it, your top was being lifted and the zipper of your skirt was being enticingly played with. Once again, your mind left you no choice but to follow the desires. Now with your tank top gone, skirt hanging low on your lips and Michael left in black jeans that hugged his legs, the slow setting reality started to hit you again. However, your position finally changed, moving from the awkward edge of the bed more towards the center in a bit of a diagonal way. You weren’t on any pillows, but the pushed up comforter made for a good substitute.

“S’fucking beautiful,” Michael’s hands roamed your body. “Absolutely, goddamn gorgeous, (Y/N).” That made you weak, chest rising and falling with each shallow breath you took. Your eyes widened, analyzing every detail of his face with care. The pure amazement in his eyes, lips parted with his own breathing. You wondered for a second if he was looking in a mirror.

“Why are you so sweet?” You shook your head, cradling his face in your hands yet again to place a gentle kiss to his lips. “You just had to be everything, hot, talented, and a sweetheart?” This made him flush a soft pink, you giggled and kissed both of his reddened cheeks. “You’re not really proving anything to me about that whole ‘cute’ ordeal.” You raised your eyebrows, to which you were shocked when you felt a hand on your inner thigh.

“Gimme time.” Michael hushed you with his lips, fingertips ghosting closer and closer towards your core… until he moved his hand away and began the same soft strokes to your other thigh. The sigh that left your nose was out of need, your hands sliding to clutch his shoulders. There it was, the pressure you so desperately wanted from his middle and index finger to you, it felt relieving despite the cloth separating the friction. If anything, it created more as you moved your hips in time with the slow circles of his fingers. You hummed with satisfaction, breaking the kiss with a sound that sent an additional shiver down your spine. “Take those off.” Michael ordered with his voice just barely above a whisper, but it sounded more like a plea.

Without a second thought, your thumbs hooked in the fabric as you lifted your hips and pushed them down. They got to a point where you could easily kick them off, ending up somewhere on the other side of the bed. Michael was, once again, struck with wonder. “There are so many things I want to do to you.” He muttered, shaking his head like he was the one who couldn’t believe this was happening to him.

“We’ve got all night.” You tugged him down for a kiss, making him chuckle.

“Maybe if I leave those ‘things’ for later,” You could almost hear the air quotes around the word, despite him not physically making the gesture. “Then it’ll give me an excuse to see you again?” Michael’s voice heightened in question, eagerly awaiting your answer with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“I think I can work with that.” You nodded playfully, and he did that laugh — that cute, shy giggle he did in interviews when he wasn’t really supposed to laugh but did anyway. He kissed you again, only briefly before sitting up on his knees and loosening the button to his jeans. You bit your lip in response, propping yourself up on your elbows to get a better view as he struggled to shove his pants off. Luckily, the way you had your lip harshly between your teeth stopped another laugh from escaping.

His boxers were bright blue with Superman logos in a uniform pattern. Was that sexy? No, not one bit. But it was cute, and you loved cute more than you loved sexy, sometimes. Especially when it came to Michael Clifford.

However, a thought seemed to make itself known. One that might win you a reaction from the man you so desperately wanted to please. So, you took it upon yourself to run your hand down your body, over the peak of your breast and over your belly button, right down to your clit where you rhythmically swirled your middle finger. Your lips separating in a silent moan, instead letting out a shuddering breath to which Michael did the same. He had a condom wrapper in his teeth which presumably came out of the pocket of his jeans, seeing that his hands were preoccupied with palming himself over the patterned cotton. Michael almost dropped the plastic from his mouth, making a sound like a growl from behind his clenched teeth. Those perfect teeth, which were actually not very perfect… but they were to you.

“Gettin’ impatient over here, Mikey.” You tried out the nickname everyone on the internet called him, rolling off your tongue seductively as he brought up a hand to tear the wrapper open with haste.

“You’re so fucking hot.” Michael gaped at your actions, exposing himself with one quick movement as his superhero boxers accompanied your panties on a corner of the sheets. The latex now removed from the package, you jumped at the opportunity to stop focusing on yourself for a moment. Michael stopped in confusion as you sat up, snatching the condom from his hand and wrapping your own free hand around his cock. The contact made such a quiet sound slip past his faultless, swollen pink lips, a shaky breath following soon after. You slowly applied the rubber with care, not breaking eye contact just to see the look on his face as you teasingly pumped his length. His eyebrows scrunched together, tongue poking out to wet his lips as he tilted his head back — it was amazing to you how he couldn’t even hold the eye contact himself.

“You look much more needy than me.” You teased with a cheeky smile, to which Michael huffed out of amusement. He lifted a hand to cup your chin between his index finger and thumb, lips briefly hovering over yours. This proximity sent another chill down your spine, the other carefully guiding you to lay back down on the bed as his lips connected with yours. This had become second nature, kissing Michael like you had done this a million times before.

“You okay?” He whispered, waiting until he got your silent approval. A pause, then he was teasing your entrance with the head of his cock shielded by the slick latex. You held your breath, waiting for a sting of the stretch which came after just a few seconds of your anticipation. You faintly gasped, nails digging into Michael’s shoulders as you took in every little thing you were experiencing in that moment. You could feel everything from Michael’s waist grazing your knees, the tickle of his hair against your neck where he had hid his face, the sheets crumbling under the weight of your bodies, everything in between. Michael mumbled something into your skin, taking note of how tightly you held him. It was your turn for your eyes to shut firmly, grabbing frantically at his shoulders as his hips stammered and pulled back again. He thrusted this time, causing you to jolt with an airy moan.

“Michael, please — just…” You breathed, begging him to start moving. The boy lifted his head from the comfort of your warm, flustered skin to follow your orders. He read your face, and you read his. Both glowing in a pink tinge, perspiration heavy between the both of you as Michael searched for your discomfort. He sensed none, so his body began a steady rhythm.

“So beautiful. S.. So beautiful.” He mumbled lovingly past groans and it felt so right, why did you feel like his words had meaning? You were convincing yourself that Michael had something for you, something more than a fan and groupie relationship. Was it real? You had no idea of knowing, but for now, you just had to enjoy this moment like you would never get another chance, despite Michael implying this wouldn’t be your last time.

The room turned into a pornographic scene within seconds, you squirming and writhing beneath Michael as he took your body for his own. He held on tightly to your frame with the one hand that wasn’t holding himself up, digging his fingertips into your hips that were bound to leave marks just like the ones on your neck. Michael suddenly moved positions, carefully sitting back on his knees and sliding your body closer to him. He tried his best to be as low as possible, now able to grasp both of your hips as he thrusted. You were left no choice but to splay your arms above your head, back arching to meet his hips with ease. Michael was amazed by your state, you were a mess of endless moans and gasps, long whines of Michael’s name which overpowered his gentle, yet greedy sounds.

This was your breaking point, opening your eyes to see the same face he was making earlier. Tightly knitted eyebrows, gritted teeth and messy hair, flushed cheeks and chest glistening with sweat, mouth open letting out moans increasing in frequency and volume. You cursed, thighs twitching with need as your belly tightened and relaxed over and over again, leading you closer to your orgasm. With that, you would have warned him, but you could barely make out a coherent word before it crashed over you.

“God — (Y/N), f.. fucking… gonna fucking cum. ‘f you do that. You’re gonna make me… f- fucking,” Michael stuttered, the way your walls pulsated and enclosed around his cock had a strangled moan tearing past his throat barely seconds after you. The comedown felt like nothing, just staring down the back of your eyelids as your chest heaved with quick gasps. You were on fire, and just like the books said, seeing stars. Your thighs were hurting from being in one strained position for so long, and momentarily, you forgot this was not just some guy you met at a bar. Not some random you decided to drag home, it was Michael Clifford. Michael Clifford gently pulling out of you out of concern for how you felt, Michael Clifford’s weight shifting the bed, Michael Clifford kissing your forehead as he looked down at you. Michael fucking Clifford you opened your eyes to.

“You’re fuckin’ amazing.” He muttered sweetly, so sweet it made you question his feelings yet again. His hand leaving loving touches across your face with his thumb, stroking your tear/blush stained cheek as you both came to. You couldn’t help but smile, leaning into his touch as he settled in next to you. Silence hung in the air for a few moments, ending with one of your many deep breaths.

“I hope you’re not expecting me to leave, because there’s no way it’s happening now.” You teased, your voice now hoarse and heavy with exhaustion.

“Never. I never thought about you leaving so soon.” Michael assured you, then more silence. “I meant what I said.” He said finally.

“Hm?” You replied curiously.

“When I said, um… other things. I want to see you again.” Michael elaborated, surprisingly hesitant considering how he had just railed you not even 2 minutes ago.

“You do..?” Your eyes softened, staring back at his face. God… you’d do anything for that sweet face.

“Yeah, yeah. I do, this leg of tour is over. Just… talking to you outside was amazing, too.” Michael sighed as you placed your hand over his, still resting on your cheek. “Yeah, we walked up to you because we thought you were hot, but you’re so cool too. You’re witty, I like it.” He mumbled out his sentence in a boy-ish manner that made you giggle, just barely turning your head to kiss his wrist.

“Okay.. yeah, okay. I… wow.” You laughed again, not so discreetly hiding your nerves. “Yeah, Mikey. I want to see you again, too.” Finally, a complete, finished thought that made sense. This made Michael’s heart soar, just by seeing the look on his face you were satisfied with how this whole situation had turned out. “I thought this would just be a one night stand.” You admitted.

“I did too, but it wasn’t.” Michael agreed, his tired eyes bored into yours with a shared acknowledgment of his intentions. You couldn’t be happier about it ending up this way, there was only one thing that changed… and that was your cuddling position in bed throughout the rest of the night.

#5 seconds of summer #5sos fanfic #ashton irwin #calum hood #luke hemmings #michael clifford #calum 5sos #michael 5sos #luke 5sos #ashton 5sos #5sos x reader #5sos smut #5sos one shot

50 notes · View notes

elia-liendy · 6 months

Text

A little analysis about Beelzebub

I'm liking the game a lot and one of my favourite characters is Beelzebub, so I wanted to do a little analysis of his character based on the little information that we have currently of information about him.

Spoiler warning about the personal story about Beelzebub (Selfie) card (part 1 and part 2) and the comics of : Bael, Beelzebub (selfie), Amon.

Leak waring about Beelzebub butt card.

I currently never met Beelzebub in the main story, I'm on chapter 2 and stuck as I am writing this.

But I also think that we never met Beelzebub to all the 4 chapter available at the moment because if you go to 'album', you can see which GC you have and how many you missed it and of who you missed it. And there isn't yet an option about him or Abyssos/Avisos.

I think Beelzebub himself will show for the first time or at Gehenna or Tartaros, since in his description it says to spend most of his time there, but only later we will have to seriously have his "kingdom arc".

Before talking completely about Beelzebub I want first to talk about his kingdom, because I think, even minimally, that each kingdom represents/reflect it's king personality and doings.

(honestly I don't understand if his kingdom is called Abyssos or Avisos, but I will use the first to name the kingdom and the second the organisation)

In Abyssos there is an entertainment district and a casino, the existence of these things, makes me connect that Beelzebub is a party animal, and consider having fun something really important or something of his begin as a person.

In fact in the comics we see a Beelzebub that is always doing something fun such as begin on the beach/vacation (Amon comic) or hanging out whit the other kings (levithan selfie & mammon butt comics).

And seeing him in one of his many tentative of run away from his job and responsibility as king, and failing this time. (Beelzebub Selfie)

[immagini 2]

I put this last image not only cause Beelzebub looks like a fucking chad, which is hilarious to me.

But also it shows the "darker" side of him, better to say that it shows Beelzebub strength and serious side of him and the fact he actually do his job.

And made me also think about Beelzebub not using his power while he is trying to run away in his selfie comic. Could he not wanted fully to run away? Or wanted to have a little distraction before continuing to work and wanting to actually get cached? Or he just doesn't use his power to run away cause he fully believe/knows he is able to run away whitout using them?

I'm saying this cause he was catched whit s bear hug, and it's said in his description that his powers doesn't follow any kind of laws, and if he wanted really, really to "escape" he could have use it easily.

I also recently discovered that after Solomon death (B.C. 931) Beelzebub decided to completely run away from his kingdom and never stepping on it again, or at least till now.

In Bael description it says that Beelzebub is specifically targeted by angels, and since Bael takes Beelzebub identity, he have to fight all the angels that come to Beelzebub. But why he have to do so??

Not long ago I read a theory that says the reason why Beelzebub is Always on the run since B.C. 931 and targeted by angels it's because he is involved to the death of God and Solomon.

I would also add one of my personal theory: remembering Solomon death lead all the demons he made a pact whit, extremely restrained by the contract still existing.

And I believe that Beelzebub is one of the Demons that got extremely weak and/or unable to use his power, making him a really easy target for angels, reasons why Bael has taken his identity, is it to protect Beelzebub by angels since he still can use his power.

But at the same time Bael made believe to the angels he is Beelzebub, Abyssos civilians seem knows that right now, at the "throne" there is Bael replacing Beelzebub since they miss Beelzebub. (Abyssos description)

But I could completely wrong, we really don't know actually the reason why and I hope in the future we will get an answer about it.

I also think that only whit MC influence in future chapter he will return back to Abyssos, after breaking solomon contract and/or whit some persuasion.

Or not, Beelzebub is a impulsive and unpredictable person that does what he wants most of the time, like 9 time out of 10.

but I think he will return, because even very subtly it is shown that Beelzebub cares about his his people and kingdom.

He personally gives piercing all Abyssos citizens to shown that they are from Abyssos.

And I also read somewhere that Beelzebub doesn't scribble on Abyssos walls (I don't remember if this last thing is canon or a headcanon, so take this information whit a grain of salt)

But it's shown more than once his care for his friend Bael.

Bael comic is one of my favourite comic at the moment.

I love how it shows Beelzebub and Bael relationship, I love it how's it show a new side Beelzebub personality and his guilt, and I love that last panel of Bael smiling and the little drawing.

Specifying more, I want talk about Beelzebub guilt and behaviour in this comic.

The comic shows Beelzebub feelings about the situation of Bael using his identity:

Whit a flashback to, what I think is, the first time Bael impersonated Beelzebub.

It shows Beelzebub shock as he see Bael taking his identity in front of the angels and also it show Beelzebub running away from the fight as he is begin called a coward by other Devils and Beelzebub insulting himself as he is running away (and when he returns back to bael completely wounded by the angels).

I'm sure there is a specific reason to why Beelzebub acted this way, especially cause on the Amon comic there is a Beelzebub that isn't scared of fighting or is weak that it have to run away.

Here I will stand again on my theory of how Beelzebub can't use his power because of the pact he made whit solomon and his death.

I also want to talk about how at first Beelzebub was exited to talk whit Bael about a back joint therapy in Gehenna that he wanted to do at first, but taken back his words whit a "I'm not actually serious about it, I'm joking/only talking about it".

remembering to the fact how this can mean such a burden to Bael since he is impersonating him, and how they need have minimal differences.

after Bael decides to change topic whit a joke saying "if you want to change your look, why don't we dye hair together (implied of the same colour) " to lighten up Beelzebub mood.

In the comics it look like Beelzebub his a person that hide his problems behind his extroverted personality and momentarily forgets about his problems as he distract himself to wait pick his interest.

Going to the next topic, I want to talk about his description.

Free - mysterious - doesn't follow rules - hearty and lovely

Are key words on his description that catch my eyes the most and I want to analyse each one for themselves:

Free - we can see many times how much he is a free spirited person, not really linking to work and always on the run in search of entertainment and something that catches his eyes, this is also why on the same day you can see him in two different countrys.

Mysterious - more than mysterious, he is pragmatic, a bit hard to read at first, and since always on the run you never know what going on whit him and inside his head.

Doesn't follow rules - I think this is self explanatory.

Hearty and lovely - WHERE?????? BECAUSE FOR NEITHER IN HIS SELFIE CARD HE IS?? HE IS MORE OF A BITCH THAN LOVELY.

Seriously the first time I read the story (part 1) I literally wanted to punch him in the face. (I still do every time I re-read part 1)

I really don't understand this, since it's never shown this part of his personality or hinted.

Even considering Bael comic, he doesn't really look or act "hearty and lovely", he is acting more of a person that cares about his friend.

In the 2nd part of the story( still Beelzebub Selfie card), MC and Beelzebub begin to do the doings and he encourage MC as MC takes their times, but he isn't "hearty and lovely" even there.

He is for sure a flirt and kind of a bastard in the first part. While in the second, he is kind of patient, he doesn't make fun of MC "inexperience" and even encourage MC to continue and go harder.

Which I really liked, not in a horny way, but liked in "enjoying the character personality" way, and honestly before reading the second part I trough he would make fun and insults MC in a kinky way, but he didn't which surprised me in a positive way.

Maybe in the future it will show his "hearty and lovely" side, but for now that side doesn't exist or is hidden very well.

Plus at the end I wanna talk about his Butt card:

At first in the card I looked at his (ass) crying face, seeing him acting this "childish" because of a syringe, made me consider if Beelzebub have a "childish" personality. It true since he scribble everywhere, and he doesn't to his job (homework), but he doesn't really look that childish, more than acting like a kid, he acts more of late teenager that doesn't want to study and go to the disco

But then I got confused, is he scared of needles? I don't really thinks so since he have his ears pierced, and he himself pierce every Abyssos civilians, he shouldn't be scared of needles. Is he scared on needles only when it's about syringe???

Recap of Beelzebub personality:

Beelzebub is impulsive and blunt person that loves to have fun and always on the run of that fun and never following any kind of rules as he loves his own way of freedom.

But also a person that under his care free personality shows his depth as character: affection to the people he cares, even guilt and regret to his own action to even call himself as "useless" to the fact he isn't able to help his friends and even Kingdom that tries to hide by his party animal personality.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I really hope whit this Recap of his personality, I didn't watered down my whole analysis.

I finally finished my analysis and I wanted to thank you to everyone who read this and also to say sorry about:

the possible grammar errors, miss typo and repetition, I tried my best to write something that have a sense.

the possibility that this analysis may be superficial, which is something I really didn't want to do.

#what in “Hell” is Bad?#what in hell is bad #wihib #whb #whb beelzebub #whb beel #beelzebub #Abyssos #Avisos #character analysis #analysis

137 notes · View notes

rockanroller · 4 months

Text

ok the "creation story" of hazbin is slowly coming back to me as i reflect on the first two episodes and it was confusing.

here's how it went...

no god. only angels. "beings of pure light" that "worshipped good" and "shielded all from evil"

(who did they shield? idk, humans haven't been created yet, we'll get there in a second.)

Lucifer was one of the angels and he was a "dreamer" that the "elders" thought he was a troublemaker

(he's only shown making harmless fireworks) and "his way of thinking was dangerous to the order of their world" so he could only "watch" as they did things their way.

the *angels* make Adam and--not Eve--Lilith. Adam. and Lilith. from the dust. "equals as the first of mankind" but for some reason, even tho they were created equal, Adam "demanded control"

...just gonna express that sin hasn't even been introduced yet so why would Adam feel the need to do this? he was just *created* and instantly desires power even tho no one has bitten the apple or brought "evil" into the world yet? i get that there seems to be *something* Viv wants to do about the narrative of "good" and "evil" but it makes you question where those lines are in this world. we'll get to "evil" in a second. anyway...

Lilith refuses to "submit" to him and flees the garden.

now. listen. right after she runs away she's shown in a sad/depressed pose all alone, and there's this line...i'm still reeling from it. it's literally "drawn in by her fierce independence" ... what... the *fuck* ... does that even mean. independence means you can take care of yourself/stand on your own without needing someone else, it doesn't "drive you inward"... ??????

so... that line is instantly followed up with "Lucifer found her" and suddenly she's really happy and the "two rebellious dreamers fell deeply in love." and "together" they wished to share "the magic of free will with humanity"

((...where'd the rest of humanity come from all of the sudden?? they might've just meant ~ in general ~ or referring to the humans of the future, but they only mentioned Adam & Lilith so far, were they just "the first"?? and idk why Lilith knows about free will, she's a regular human that just got created?? like Lucifer could've told her about it but--hey--actually--she already *had* free will bc she CHOSE to leave Adam/the garden so do the other humans *not* have it for some reason?? what??))

moving along--get this--"they", as in Lucifer *and* Lilith, offer the "fruit of knowledge" (not the fruit of free will, fruit of knowledge) to... "Adam's *new* bride, Eve" ??? where did Eve come from???

((also even though the story says how Lucifer AND Lilith wanted to share free will w/humanity, Lilith is literally just standing there, Lucifer's the one who poofs out of a snake and offers the apple to Eve. did he just tell Lilith about the apple and Lilith agreed or brought up the idea? how was she involved?))

but the "gift came with a curse" bc giving humans free will was an "act of disobedience" that gave evil a way to get into Earth. ((insinuation of that Root of Evil thing in the visuals.)) bringing with it a "new realm of darkness and sin" and the "order heaven worked to maintain shattered."

so Adam insisting to have power over Lilith didn't disrupt heaven's order, or doesn't seem to count as "evil" or "sin" ...but free will invites evil? or is it the fruit of knowledge that invites evil? or is it Eve herself who-- ugh idk. ((as an aside, hazbin's story calls it the "fruit of knowledge" but insinuates it would give humans free will. in bible mythos humans are already made with free will by god so they were free to choose whether they "disobey" god or not. the fruit's "knowledge" is the awareness of good and evil. self-awareness and shame and shit like that which brings sin into the world so god tells them "don't eat it" but a serpent convinces them to. it's not free will or a gift. Viv can write whatever story she wants, just pointing it out.))

so, for doing that, Lucifer & Lilith are cast into "the dark pit (Lucifer) had created" but it doesn't tell us what happens to Eve or Adam.

((...and what's the dark pit? Earth??? Hell??? The dimensional concept of darkness/evil???? is hell literally *in* Earth or is it a pocket dimension somewhere?????))

and they did this so Lucifer couldn't ever see "the good that came from humanity, only the cruel and the wicked" ...so he becomes Sad BoyTM that "lost his will to dream" and mopes. meanwhile Lilith "thrived" and empowered demonkind with her voice and songs and "as the numbers of hell grew so did its power" so heaven felt too threatened by that and decided to do the yearly exterminations to "make sure sinners could never rise against them."

(("heaven made a heartless decision" is shown with a visual of Sera's silhouette who makes a sad expression, then a line about the exterminations brings up a silhouette of Adam's angel form smiling widely--there is no clarification in the narrative or visuals during the creation story that this is The Original Man Adam, we get that insinuation later when he says he's "the original dick".))

but Lilith was still hopeful and "her dream was passed down to their precious daughter"

((note! the grammar was off here bc "their" *assumedly* insinuates Lucifer, but him losing his will to dream is that last time he's mentioned by name in the story. we're just suddenly given the line "Lilith's hope remained and her dream was passed down to their precious daughter" and the only entity referred to in the narrative before that was heaven. so. unless Lucifer literally isn't her dad that's an error.))

and the last line of the story after that is "...the princess of hell" and of course that's when Charlie does the "don't worry mom I'll make you proud" line.

((last thing i'll say on that too is we were never really told what Lilith's "dream" was. to free demonkind? to empower them? to fight heaven? all we know is Lilith "wanted to share the magic of free will with humanity", "thrived in hell", and "empowered demonkind" that's it.))

phew. now listen--everyone's free to do what they want with story--i was raised Christian like a lot of folks but personally idgaf if you wanna shit on Christianity, or blend mythos together. and many story things that might be confusing or lacking can be like... "explained away", but usually what makes a story stick with ppl is when it makes sense without needing the extra explaining. and tbf some of this i don't think will make sense even if it's explained later.

this whole creation story kind of felt like decisions made along the way to fill holes in the plot or to "make" specific plot elements work together without considering if it makes enough sense as a cohesive story without needing extra explaining.

thems my thoughts on hazbin's "creation story" for now, opinions subject to change in the future.

#hazbin hotel first impressions #hazbin hotel creation story #hazbin hotel critical #vivziepop critical #vivziepop writing

45 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

sportyclown

no second chances in baseball

themaknaelover

The Maknae Lover

valyakoshelnik

Без названия

saenvs3000

Here Comes The Sun

justalildumpling