#i'm pretty sure someone did a poll about this before
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tempting fate in the CEO's office
pairing: father's business rival CEO!bucky barnes x female reader
summary: you visit your boyfriend in his office to show off your new lingerie, and you end up playing a reckless game when he hast to join a conference call—a call that your father will be on.
warnings: 18+ content (minors dni!!!), smut, piv sex, creampie, cockwarming, dry humping, little bit of come play, light teasing, choking, light bdsm, semi-public sex, sex with the risk of being caught, exhibitionism, dirty talk, light degradation, praise kink, pet names (darling), unspecified age gap, fluff, established relationship
word count: 6,300ish
a/n: ok! this took me ages because i started writing it before moving and it was difficult to get back into it, but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out all things considered. this chapter is set in bucky's office because that was what won the poll i posted. it was fun to write, and i already started writing the next chapter, so i hope y'all enjoy!!
tempting fate in the park (part 1)
tempting fate on the terrace (part 2)
tempting fate in the CEO's office (part 3)
You’d done a lot of reckless things in your life—like wearing a dress with nothing underneath it to the park, or starting a secret relationship with your father’s biggest business rival—but walking into the busy lower Manhattan office building of CEO Bucky Barnes wearing nothing but a set of lingerie, a long trenchcoat and heels had to top the list.
Still, you didn’t feel any trepidation. Not even as the bottom hem of your jacket fluttered around your thighs, threatening to give anyone in the lobby a peak at the lacy undergarments you’d worn specifically for Bucky. But, though every step was a potential disaster—because if you did flash someone in the lobby your most intimate bits, it would surely get back to your father—you didn’t falter.
The points of your heels clicked confidently against the marble floor of the lobby and a fearless smile curled your lips. You were having fun with your reckless behavior. Excitement and desire fizzled in your belly, making you feel like you were walking on air as you crossed the floor to the elevator bank that would take you up to the C-suite offices, where you knew Bucky would be.
While you rode the elevator, you couldn’t help but think about how Bucky would react when you walked into his office wearing only lingerie and a jacket. You could easily picture the way he’d look at you—his brilliant blue eyes darkening and his mouth curling into a smirk. And you couldn’t wait to tell him that he was the one to buy you the matching set.
He’d given you his black Amex and told you to buy something pretty for yourself, despite the fact that you had plenty of money from your parents. You were your father’s daughter, after all, and he’s given you a generous allowance, even as an adult. But Bucky had insisted you spend his money for a change—so you decided you were going to insist he appreciate the pretty lingerie he’d paid for…while it was on your body.
Your smile deepened as the elevator doors slid open soundlessly and you walked into the lobby of the company’s C-suite, giddy excitement thrumming through your body. You couldn’t wait to see Bucky’s reaction to your outfit, but even more than that, you were excited to see your boyfriend.
It still felt a little strange to think of Bucky as your boyfriend. You’d known him as nothing more than your father’s hot business rival for so long, and your relationship was still so new and covert. Neither of you had told anyone about it yet. Everyone in both your circles of friends knew each other, and they all knew your father, so it was too risky.
But Bucky was your boyfriend, and that knowledge made your heart beat faster in your chest, your smile widening even further.
You were still wearing your slightly goofy smile when you walked up to the desk where Bucky’s secretary sat. She was an older woman with kind eyes, and when you gave your name, recognition dawned in her expression. Her face creased with delicate crinkles as she offered you a genuine smile and waved you into Bucky’s office.
As you were walking past, she made a comment that Bucky had given her strict orders to always allow you into his office. Your goofy, happy smile got even goofier and happier at that bit of information, and you pushed through the door into Bucky’s office.
The first thing that struck you about the space was how warm and cozy it felt despite the fact that two full walls were taken up by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking New York City. The whole of Manhattan sprawled out at Bucky’s feet, and you couldn’t help but understand the city’s desire to do so. In your experience, being at Bucky’s feet was an enjoyable place to be.
You bit back a smirk as you looked around the office, taking in the dark wooden furnishings and gold accents. There were plush rugs beneath a small seating area off to one side and another under Bucky’s big desk, giving the space a homey feel that reminded you of his penthouse apartment. The office was professional, but it managed to feel like Bucky, and you couldn’t help but smile at that.
When you turned your attention to the CEO, you found him watching you as you took in his office for the first time. His blue eyes were sparkling and he had a pleased expression on his face.
“Darling,” Bucky rumbled as a greeting, a smile curling the corners of his mouth.
He looked so handsome, wearing a slate gray suit with a black shirt beneath, the colors contrasting with his golden skin and dark brown beard. His blue eyes were two stars in the sky, and his mouth was a charming curve that made you ache to kiss him.
When you didn’t respond—because you were too wrapped up in appreciating the attractiveness of your boyfriend—Bucky leaned back in his leather office chair. His eyes stayed fixed on you, his chin tilting up, and you couldn’t help but think he looked like a king lording over his court.
It made you want to kneel.
Instead, you murmured his name with a smile, “Jamie,” and strolled over to his desk, one hand playing with the belt of your jacket that was keeping it cinched around your waist. “I’m not interrupting, am I?” you asked innocently as you walked around his desk and stepped between his spread legs, your sassy smile making it clear you didn’t care if you were.
Bucky only seemed happy to see you, pushing closer in his chair so his hands could slip around the backs of your bare thighs, making you shiver as he murmured, “Never.”
His head was tilted back a bit to meet your eyes, and his gaze was impossibly soft as he stared at you, making you feel hot and flustered all over—particularly between your thighs. To steady yourself, you slid your arms around his shoulders and ducked down to drop a kiss to his lips, smiling at the slight rasp of his beard. He tasted like coffee.
“Did you have a nice shopping trip?” Bucky asked, his voice quiet and warm in a way that made you want to melt into him. Your fingers idly played with the soft brown hair at the nape of his neck and his smile turned a little mischievous as he asked, “Did you buy yourself something pretty like I asked?”
Impossibly, you’d forgotten the outfit you’d worn into Bucky’s office, but his question reminded you of the lacy lingerie that was hidden beneath your jacket. You smiled like the cat that got the cream and nodded at your boyfriend, fluttering your lashes at him as you asked a question of your own.
“Do you want to see, Jamie?” You leaned back and played with the ends of the belt keeping your jacket tied tight around your body, enjoying the way Bucky’s eyes dipped curiously down to your hands.
His gaze heated, a grin spreading across his face as he slid his hands up from your thighs to your belt. He paused before untying it, flicking his eyes up to yours. When you nodded, Bucky slowly undid the knot, his fingers brushing against your bare skin as he parted the jacket to see what you’d been hiding.
The sharp breath Bucky sucked in when he saw the pretty lingerie you wore, your curves swathed in lace that he’d paid for, was immensely satisfying. Bucky pushed the trenchcoat off your shoulders and let it fall to pool at your feet while his eyes roved over your body like they couldn’t get enough.
Then his hands seemed to be everywhere—brushing against the sides of your breasts, smoothing over the curve of your waist, groping your plush hips. He touch you greedily as his eyes seemed to devour your appearance, taking in the way the lingerie clung to your body, the way it framed your breasts and barely covered your mound.
The blue of his eyes had darkened to the color of the ocean by the time he returned his gaze to yours. All he said was, “Darling,” his voice little more than gravel, as if he was overcome by the sight of you in your new matching set. Your breath caught in your throat at the emotion swirling in Bucky’s eyes. “You’re gorgeous,” he rasped.
A pleased heat spread through your chest, warming your cheeks, and you smiled happily at the sincerity in Bucky’s words. “Thank you, Jamie,” you murmured, ducking down to press another quick kiss to your boyfriend’s lips.
But Bucky caught you around the back of your neck, murmuring, “C’mere,” before reeling you back in and deepening the kiss. He kissed you thoroughly, his hands sliding down your body to the backs of your thighs, and then he was pulling you into his lap, your knees on either side of his legs so you were straddling him in his leather chair.
So much of your bare skin brushed against Bucky’s suit, and though the fabric was soft, it was a reminder of how little clothing you were wearing. You shivered when Bucky’s fingers traced down your spine, pressing you flush to his chest, the lace of your lingerie teasing your nipples deliciously so that you whimpered into his mouth.
By the time Bucky pulled away, your lips were swollen from his kisses and the wetness gathering between your thighs had dripped into your panties. When you squirmed on Bucky’s lap, rubbing your chest against his and enjoying the electric shocks of pleasure to your nipples, you felt his bulge press against your lace-covered core. You couldn’t help the little whine that escaped when you rubbed against the hot, hard length of him.
“Jamie,” you mewled, rocking against Bucky’s bulge, not caring in the least that his secretary was sitting just outside the office door. All that mattered was the way Bucky’s cock twitched when you whimpered his name.
“Darling,” Bucky groaned, pleasure soaking his tone—but there was a warning in his voice, too. When his hands grabbed your hips, he didn’t urge you on like you expected. He forced you to stop. You whined pitifully, leaning back to catch your boyfriend’s eye and pouting up at him. “I’m due on a call any minute,” he explained, a regretful look on his face.
You knew you should leave him to it. Bucky was a busy man, after all, and he needed to work—especially if he was going to buy you more expensive lingerie—which you hoped he would considering his reaction to seeing you in your new matching set. You knew it was still early in the afternoon and you should be content with the few moments you’d stolen of his time already.
But your reckless impulses were too loud to ignore, so instead of sliding off Bucky’s lap and putting your jacket back on, you pressed closer, your soft tits trapped against his hard chest. Your lips brushed the shell of Bucky’s ear as you leaned in, making him shudder beneath you.
“Why does that mean we have to stop?” you asked in a soft, sultry tone. Rolling your hips slowly, you rocked your lace-covered core against your boyfriend’s hard cock in a decadent drag that had both of you letting out little groans. “I’m all dressed up in the pretty lingerie you bought for me, why don’t you let me sit on your lap during your call.”
You nipped at Bucky’s ear before pressing a kiss to his neck just beneath it, enjoying the rumble in his chest as he bit back a moan.
“And since I’m on your lap, why don’t you let me keep your cock warm in my pussy—‘m so warm and wet for you, Jamie, and I promise I’ll be so quiet while you’re on your call.”
Bucky chuckled, both of you knowing full well that you were lying, but he didn’t call you out on it like you expected. Instead, he went a different route, surprising you.
“Are you sure, darling?” he purred, pressing a suckling kiss to the side of your neck that had your head tilting to the side to give him more access. You were so consumed by how good his soft mouth and rough beard felt against your skin that you almost missed his next words. “Every major CEO in the city is going to be on this call—including your father.”
You froze on Bucky’s lap, not even his mouth working against your neck distracting you from what he’d said. Despite your good sense—at least, what little was left of it with Bucky’s bulge pressing between your thighs—you knew you shouldn’t be thinking about tempting fate in a CEO’s office while he was on a call with your father and all their colleagues. But… Well, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t enjoy the thrill the the idea gave you.
And it was that side of you that prompted you to purr in your boyfriend’s ear, “I’m sure, Jamie,” as you melted back against his chest. A wicked smirk curled your lips as you issued a challenge to the CEO, “In fact, I’m sure that if one of us is going to give us away to my father, it won’t be me.”
The chuckle Bucky let out was practically sinister, and your hips squirmed reflexively, grinding your wet slit against his hard cock through your clothes. You managed to hold back the soft moan that wanted to escape, and you were proud of yourself. But then Bucky issued a challenge of his own that had you scurrying.
“Well, then, you’ve got about five minutes to get my cock out, darling,” Bucky said, sounding like he relished giving you a deadline and making you hurry. “Or your sweet moans as I’m stretching out that tight little hole of yours are bound to give you away in an instant.”
Desire flushed hot through your body as you scrambled to reach between your bodies and undo Bucky’s pants. He leaned back in his chair and held your gaze, his blue eyes darkening when you pulled down his zipper, both of you smiling at each other. Reaching into his slacks, you pulled Bucky’s cock free, giving him a quick, appreciative stroke and nearly purring at the velvet-wrapped steel in your hand.
“Hurry, darling,” Bucky drawled, an unrepentant smirk curling his mouth as his eyes went hooded. “Only a few minutes left before I join this call with your father.”
As you lined yourself up with Bucky’s cock, he reached for the phone on his desk. The robotic musical notes of his fingers dialing felt like a ticking clock and your heart beat faster in your chest. Hooking a finger around the lace covering your dripping slit, you pulled your panties to the side so you could sink down on your boyfriend’s hard length.
A loud, filthy moan squeezed free from your lungs, your head tipping back in bliss as you impaled yourself on Bucky’s perfect cock. It felt as exquisite as it always did, Bucky’s thick girth stretching out your tight little hole as he slid inside you. Your moan turned into a high keening sound as you pushed down further on him, the sound filling his office.
The rumble of Bucky’s laughter teased your ears, but as you lifted yourself up only to slide down further on his stiff length, the sound dissolved into a low groan. Lifting your head, you locked eyes with Bucky while you lowered yourself down on the final few inches of his cock, both of you watching each other as your expressions contorted in pleasure. It felt divine to share the moment with Bucky, and it was made all the sweeter with the impending call dangling over your heads.
Your boyfriend wrapped his hand around the front of your throat and reeled you in for a hot, messy kiss, shoving his tongue in your mouth and taking possession of you in a matter of seconds. His lips were demanding, his tongue forceful, and it made all thoughts flee from your mind. You were desire incarnate and you were consumed by the feeling of Bucky inside you, around you, everywhere.
By the time Bucky pulled away, you were panting for more, your hips rocking impatiently on his cock. But Bucky pressed a steadying hand to your lower back, urging you to still, and then he tapped a button on the phone on his desk, his voice drifting past your ear and sounding exactly as he normally did.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Bucky rumbled smoothly, sounding every bit like the polished CEO that he was. Meanwhile, you pressed your mouth against Bucky’s neck to muffle the heavy breaths that you were still dragging in, willing your heart to slow down from its excited pace.
But as you calmed, you were able to take stock of your predicament. You were seated on Bucky’s lap, his cock buried in your cunt while you wore nothing more than lingerie and he was still dressed mostly in his suit. To make matters more complicated, he’d just joined a conference call that your father would also be on. You’d perhaps gone far past tempting fate in the CEO’s office, but you couldn’t bring yourself to regret the decisions that had led you to that moment.
Not when there was some fun to be had with your boyfriend.
While the men on the call greeted each other and talked about their latest golf games, the state of the new Yankees season, and their families—in that order—you focused entirely on Bucky. Looping your arms tighter around his shoulders, you tucked your face into the crook of his neck. Your mouth found the pulse point at the side of his throat, just above the collar of his shirt, and you began sucking softly on the spot that you knew would drive him wild before long.
But then your father’s voice sounded from the speaker on Bucky’s phone—the all too familiar sound of him apologizing for being late—and your entire body clenched tight with surprise and more than a little deviant thrill. When your pussy clutched Bucky’s cock hard, it wrung a strangled sound from the boyfriend your father had no idea you had.
“Y’alright there, Barnes?” your father asked jovially, a tiny hint of the ire he actually felt toward his fellow CEO in his tone. Your father may have hated Bucky, but he knew how to keep up appearances. Mostly.
However, if he ever found out about your relationship with Bucky… You shuddered to think about it.
“Yeah,” your boyfriend responded easily, his hand rubbing soothing circles on your lower back that had you relaxing in his arms. “Just some whiskey down the wrong pipe.”
You bit your lip to suppress the urge to make a snarky remark about taking his cock down your pipe and instead listened as the men on the call all chuckled good-naturedly. Your father’s jocular tone cut through the din as it subsided.
“Hope you’re not getting sick, Barnes,” he said, sounding friendly enough. But there was an undercurrent of malice in his words that made it sound like he was actually hoping for the opposite. Then, as you wondered whether everyone on the call could hear the antagonism in your father’s voice, he dropped all pretenses as he commented, “Though I suppose you don’t have to worry about a girlfriend or wife nagging you to get some rest.” He paused for a moment, like he was relishing his next jab. “You can just call one of your bimbos to take care of you, maybe they’ll take pity on you and give you a discount on their hourly rate.”
It took every ounce of your self-control not to groan at your father’s comment, but it seemed at least some of the other CEOs on the call didn’t have as tight a grip on their willpower. Frustrated huffs and annoyed groans sounded from the speaker, and you could’ve sworn you hear someone mutter, “Not this again.”
You nearly snorted at the comment, but kept quiet, kissing Bucky’s neck in reassurance that you didn’t take your father’s words to heart. The decision to keep your relationship a secret from your father was one you’d made together, and you knew those kinds of comments were par for the course for Bucky. After all, he was a hot, rich and presumedly single CEO. Of course your father would make an insinuation that he paid for sex.
But Bucky wasn’t ruffled in the slightest by your father’s dig. If anything, he sank deeper into his plush leather office chair, one of his hands resting possessively against your lower back. Your lips curled and you smirked against Bucky’s neck, nuzzling into him as you felt his cock shift inside you. You squeezed him with your inner walls and he let out a nearly silent snort before responding to your father.
“Don’t worry about me, chief,” he drawled, a little bit of patronizing humor in his tone, especially when he used the nickname to mock your father. “I’m well taken care of.” Bucky’s hand smoothed up and down your spine, making you purr softly in his ear. You could hear the pleased smile in his tone as he went on. “By the way, how’s the family?”
You nearly choked on a laugh, biting down on Bucky’s shoulder through his jacket and shirt to muffle the sound, as your father grumbled and grudgingly muttered, “They’re fine, Barnes, thank you for asking.” His voice was so stiff, and he was so clearly disappointed Bucky hadn’t risen to his bait, that he was clearly trying to save face in front of all the other CEOs.
You smirked to yourself, leaning up so you could murmur in Bucky’s ear, “Mm, some of us are much better than fine.” Your voice was barely a whisper so you knew the men on the call wouldn’t hear, but Bucky squeezed your hip in warning, which only made you snicker softly. In retaliation, you clenched your pussy around his cock, making your boyfriend grunt quietly.
Bucky’s other hand wrapped around your throat and he gently pushed you back until you were able to see his face. You’d half expected him to be glaring at you for trying to get him to make a noise that would get the attention of the call, but you should’ve known your boyfriend better—he was just as reckless as you.
Instead of a glare, Bucky’s expression was one of amusement, his blue eyes dancing with mischief and his mouth curved into a smirk that you wanted to lick right off his face. “You’re playing with fire, darling,” Bucky mouthed, but there was no real warning in his words. If anything, it made you want to try harder to get him to make a sound that would get the attention of the other CEOs.
As the business part of the conference call finally began, Bucky made a show of settling back into his chair, reclining his head and giving you a challenging look. An impish smile curled your lips and you rolled your hips. You watched Bucky’s eyes droop in pleasure, his mouth falling open on a silent moan, and a shiver raced down your spine as you began riding his cock.
You’d intended to torture him by slowly rising up and sinking back down on his hard length, but your boyfriend looked too delicious just sitting there with that smirk on his face. You ducked forward, flicking your tongue against the corner of his mouth, biting back a moan as you tasted him. His beard rasped against your tongue and a burning need flared to life in your chest. You trailed your mouth along his jaw, biting into his beard like you wanted to devour him whole.
All the while, you rocked your hips as fast as you dared, which wan’t nearly fast enough. Bucky felt good inside you, but your every movement, your every breath was restrained. It made everything hotter, but it also meant you couldn’t truly let yourself give in to the pleasure of him.
You needed more, you needed Bucky to fuck you.
Whimpering into Bucky’s beard to muffle the sound, you whined his name in the quietest voice you could manage, “Jamie.”
Bucky’s hand slipped around the front of your throat, his fingers digging into the sides in a way that made you clench around his cock, your lips parting in a silent moan. Pressing his mouth to your ear, he growled, “Hush, darling, or do you want me to make you be quiet?”
It took you the briefest of seconds to answer his question, your hips bouncing on his lap as you chanted, “Make me, sir, make me.”
“Perfect, filthy girl,” Bucky rumbled in your ear moments before he was standing up and laying you down on his desk as soundlessly as possible.
All the men on the conference call heard were the rustling of papers, which you knew wouldn’t be out of place, and you had to bite your lip to stop from giggling. Your head was close to the speaker phone and you glanced at it before looking back at Bucky, a challenge in the way you narrowed your eyes and smirked at him.
Your boyfriend grinned and mouthed the words, “Be quiet, darling,” before pressing a finger to his lips. Then he pulled his hips back and slammed forward, burying his cock in your slick cunt so forcefully, you had to slap both your hands over your mouth to stop from moaning.
Between one breath and the next, Bucky’s hand was around your throat, pinning you to the hard wooden desk beneath you, his fingers squeezing into the sides of your neck and cutting off all any sound that could even think to dare escaping your lips. Your eyes popped open and you stared up at your boyfriend, spreading your legs wide so he could push deeper into your cunt, the tip of his cock grinding against a spot inside you that made you gush with arousal.
Your face was slack with pleasure, your mouth hanging open as you sucked in tiny, silent breaths, your eyes heavy-lidded as you kept your gaze fixed on Bucky above you. He felt so good inside you, so perfect, his hand around your throat choking you and heightening every sensation in your body.
When you heard Bucky’s name come through the phone, you nearly wailed in protest that someone would try to steal your boyfriend’s attention from you. But Bucky never relented, never stopped fucking you or choking you, slowly pushing you toward your release while he responded to the men on the phone with an even voice. You were too far gone to pay attention to what was being said, but Bucky seemed to know what he was saying, so you left him to it and instead focused on the unrelenting pleasure of his cock.
Eventually, you registered that Bucky was offering his farewells to the CEOs on the other end of the line, and you realized the conference call was coming to an end. If you’d been able to make any sound, you would’ve squeaked happily. Bucky reached across your body and hung up the phone.
Then your boyfriend was curling over you, his face close to yours, his expression twisting into one of depraved delight as he started pounding into you harder, faster, fucking you ruthlessly on his desk.
“Did you enjoy that, darling?” he growled, the arousal in his voice making him sound even more gravelly than normal. “Did you enjoy getting fucked on my desk while every CEO in New York City—including your father, who hates me—was on the phone?”
Bucky’s hand around your throat relented enough for you to speak, but you didn’t have any words left in your brain. Not when you could hear the wet sounds of your cunt while he fucked you. All you could do was moan, long and loud, the sound swirling around the two of you and filling the massive space of the luxurious office.
“You’re a temptress, the filthiest fucking girl I’ve ever met,” Bucky rasped, dragging his mouth along your jaw and nipping at your skin as he fucked you harder, grinding against your clit with every thrust. “You’re fucking perfect—you were so good for me, darling, taking my cock so well and staying so quiet for me.”
“Jamie,” you whined, carding your fingers through his soft brown hair and tugging his mouth to yours for a messy kiss. “Jamie, Jamie, Jamie,” you babbled into his mouth, sucking on his tongue and driving him to pound into you relentlessly while you whimpered at how good it felt to finally make some noise.
“I know, I know,” Bucky rumbled in a warm, pleased tone, and you felt him smirk against your cheek. “My cock feels so good in your tight cunt, doesn’t it, darling?” He rocked into you, hitting that spot inside you and grinding against your clit at the same time, making you cry out sharply. “Yeah, I thought so,” he said, chuckling huskily in your ear.
If it didn’t feel so good, you might’ve hit him, but the pleasure coiling tight in your body had you too wound up to care. Thankfully, your boyfriend had no interest in making you wait to come. In fact, he was eager for it as well.
“Mm, you’ve been so good for me,” Bucky rumbled, keeping up that impossibly perfect pace of his thrusts. “Come on my cock, darling, want to feel you milking me with your perfect pussy.”
His words washed over you at the same moment that he thrust deep inside and you were helpless to resist the pleasure. Your release crashed over you, Bucky’s hand squeezing your throat in time to choke off the scream that wanted to be let loose. Instead, your mouth opened wide on the silent sound and your body clenched tight, your back arching up off the desk as wave after wave of pleasure consumed you.
“That’s it, darling, fuck,” Bucky growled, fucking you through your release, his voice going tight as your cunt clenched down hard on his cock. “Gonna come deep in this perfect pussy, and send you home with my come dripping into your new panties,” he rumbled, his thrusts turning wild as he rutted into your still fluttering core. “You’re gonna wait for me in my penthouse, and when I get home, I’m fucking you again in your pretty new lingerie. Gonna show you how much I love seeing you covered in lace and dripping my come.”
Impossibly, your deeply satisifed body tightened in excitement at your boyfriend’s words, and you suddenly couldn’t wait for what he promised. The fact that you’d never been to his penthouse without him was the furthest thing from your mind in that moment.
“Jamie,” you cried softly before you pulled him down for another kiss. Your legs wrapped around the backs of his thighs and you held him inside you so he could only grind into your cunt. The sounds your bodies made were lewd and obscene, but they were drowned out by the pleasured moans coming from your mouths as you devoured each other.
A moment later, Bucky wrenched free from your mouth as he came with a loud groan. His cock twitched inside you while he filled you up with his warm, sticky come, and all you could do was smile dazedly. Your bodies writhed together as you eked out as much pleasure from your releases as possible, your mouths finding each other again and kissing to muffle your whimpers and groans.
Together, you caught your breath, and finally settled. Bucky pulled back to stare down at you, a pleased smirk curling one side of his mouth. Then he leaned down, capturing your lips in a slow, lazy kiss. You grabbed his face and held him close, kissing the hell out of him while his cock softened inside you.
As you continued making out on your CEO boyfriend’s desk, you heard Bucky open and close a drawer. But it wasn’t until he pulled away and held up a key that you saw what he’d procured from the drawer. You stared at the little scrap of metal, the magnitude of what it meant making you suddenly uncertain.
You gave Bucky a questioning look. He smiled affectionately down at you, brushing a kiss to your cheek before explaining.
“It’s a key to my penthouse,” he said, his voice soft and gentle. “I want you to have it.”
Your eyes widened when he confirmed your suspicions, and though you wanted to reach for the key, you held back. “Are you sure, Jamie?” you asked, trying and failing to hide the waver in your voice. You tried to cover it up by barreling on, “We haven’t even told anyone we’re together.” When Bucky just watched you patiently, you tried for a joke. “What about all your bimbos?”
As soon as the words were past your lips, you wanted to take them back, and you slapped a hand over you mouth as if you could actually stuff the question back into your mouth. It shamed you that you’d repeated your father’s dig at Bucky, but before you could apologize, your boyfriend was carefully prying your hand away from your mouth so he could press a sweet kiss to your lips.
“You and I both know there never have, and never will be any bimbos in my life,” Bucky murmured, pressing his forehead to yours. He was so close, you had to close your eyes, which was a relief because there were suddenly tears swimming in them. “You also know that we decide how we want our relationship to move forward and when we want to tell our families.” He let out a soft exhale. “If you want to tell them before we take this step, just say the word, darling.”
With your eyes closed and Bucky’s warm skin pressing against yours, his familiar and comforting scent filling your nose, you let yourself think about it. You knew you’d have to tell your father about your relationship with Bucky eventually. After all, every time you pictured your future, he was a part of it. But you weren’t quite ready yet. You were still having too much fun with just you and Bucky knowing about your relationship.
“Not yet,” you said, your voice barely a whisper.
“OK,” he said before giving you a reassuring kiss. “Will you take the key?”
You gave Bucky’s question the thought it deserved and realized you liked the idea of having a key to his place. There were nights when you couldn’t see him because you’d already gone home to your brownstone in Brooklyn before he’d gotten out of a late meeting. If you had a key to his place—and carte blanche from his secretary to go into his office—then you could see him whenever you wanted.
You liked that idea. You liked that idea a lot.
But, because you were you, you couldn’t give Bucky a simple answer. So instead, you said, “I don’t really have a lot of pockets in this outfit.”
Bucky pulled back and you opened your eyes to find your boyfriend grinning down at you, happiness sparkling in his blue eyes. You watched as those eyes darkened while he tucked the key into your bra. When the cool metal brushed against your nipple, you gasped quietly, your body clenching lightly around his half-hard cock.
“Your new lingerie is pretty and comes in handy, darling,” Bucky commented lightly, bending down to kiss you as he eased himself from your body. He swallowed your groan, then stood up and smoothed your panties back over your pussy. He stared hungrily at the juncture of your thighs and you wondered if your combined releases were already leaving a wet spot.
Before you could ask, Bucky shook himself and he turned his focus to helping you up from his desk. He made sure the key stayed securely in your bra, tweaking your nipple in the process, then stooped to grab your jacket. He held it open for you to step into, then tied the belt tightly around your waist. Last, he pulled you in for a kiss.
“I’ll be back this evening,” he murmured against your lips. “Make yourself at home, darling.” His words were nearly a purr and you shivered in delight at just how much you enjoyed hearing them.
You were excited to spent the rest of the afternoon luxuriating in everything Bucky’s penthouse had to offer—maybe you’d even ask the concierge for some ice cream and cones—but when you pulled away from your boyfriend, you suddenly felt bereft. Your heart panged in your chest and you gave Bucky a bittersweet smile.
“It won’t feel like home until you get there,” you said softly, pushing up onto your tiptoes to kiss him. “So hurry home, Jamie.”
Bucky’s hands flexed on your hips, like he was struggling to let you go, but finally you eased away from him and his hands dropped to his sides. Reluctantly, you turned and began walking across Bucky’s office. At the door, you paused and looked back.
Bucky was still staring at you like he didn’t want to let you leave, but you’d both had enough of tempting fate in the CEO’s office for one afternoon. You gave him one last smile and waved, the key to his penthouse warming against your skin as you slipped out. You comforted yourself with the knowledge that you’d get to see Bucky later.
As you walked past Bucky’s secretary’s empty desk to the elevator, all you could think was that you had a key to your boyfriend’s apartment. You had a key to your boyfriend’s penthouse apartment—and you couldn’t wait for him to come home to you that night.
Maybe, eventually, he’d come home to you every night.
tempting fate in the park (part 1)
tempting fate on the terrace (part 2)
tempting fate in the CEO's office (part 3)
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes fanfiction#bucky barnes smut#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes fluff#ceo bucky barnes#ceo!bucky barnes#ceo au#sebastian stan#sebastian stan smut#sebastian stan fanfiction#sebastian stan characters#witchywithwhiskeywork
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#baz luhrmann#polls#movies#romeo + juliet 1996#australia 2008#the great gatsby 2013#the get down#elvis 2022#i'm pretty sure someone did a poll about this before#i apologize if its a repeat#i do like moulin rouge#just curious tbh
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The night we met | Lando Norris x Reader
Genre | Fluff.
Word count | 2.6K
Warnings | None for once! Enjoy some peace.....
Summary |
When Reader's best friend sets her up on a blind date with one of her long-time friends, she expects anything but the evening she's about to experience.
Author's note | This piece is the result of yesterday's poll! Another poll will be coming soon for y'all to decide what's next :)
"I'm really not sure if it's a good idea, Alice," she sighs, looking over at the bed where her friend is seated, behind her.
"What makes you say that?" Alice replies, arching an eyebrow.
"I have a list of reasons, actually," she states, pulling out her phone.
"You and your damn lists!"
"I know you hate them, but they help me clear my mind," she says, clicking on a note.
"Alright, let's hear your reasons then," Alice laughs. "But I'm warning you, I'm going to dismantle them one by one."
"Okay," she starts. "Reason one is : I don't know him."
"That's kinda... the whole point of blind dates," her friend says, rolling her eyes.
"Well, you agreed to this. I did not. You know how anxious I get when I don't know people," she says, head low.
"Lando is a really nice guy," Alice says, coming close to her friend and stroking her hair. "I just know he'll put you at ease right away."
She takes a few seconds to think, biting the inside of her cheek. It's not the first time she's about to go on a date with someone she's never met before. Even though she doesn't know him, she's not really worried about Lando. She's more concerned about herself, to be honest. She's not a model of eloquence, doesn't consider herself particularly pretty. She's sure her date will do his best. What she's not sure about, is if she'll be able to overcome her own anxiety about the whole situation.
"Reason two, then," she says, focusing back on the note. "I don't know a thing about racing. What are we even going to talk about?"
"Well, something else. I'm sure Lando would be delighted to talk about something other than work for once," Alice replies, winking.
She wasn't lying, she thinks. She really has an answer for everything.
"Shoot me with reason three, baby," Alice says, letting out a laugh.
"Reason three," she replies, eyeing her friend. "Let's say I don't fuck up, which would be a miracle in itself, and we hit it off. How am I supposed to maintain a long-distance relationship? We're not talking about Brighton or Cambridge, we're talking about another continent. Several times a year."
"Well, I'm glad you're thinking so much ahead," Alice replies, earning a frustrated grunt from her friend. "There'll be plenty of people who are in the same situation as you. You can always ask for advice from other WAGS," she concludes, laughing.
"You're insufferable."
"Was there a fourth reason to debunk, or are we done here?" Alice asks.
"There is, actually. That's the last one," she says, staring at her phone. "Every time I've gone on a date like this, without having seen the guy... They were never really... to my taste," she begins. "So I've never kissed them, never went any further. But if I like him, what am I supposed to do?"
"What's the real question?"
"Am I supposed to kiss him on the first date? I don't want him to think I'm easy. Is it better to play hard to get and..."
"Wow, you're overthinking this," Alice says, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't have any answer to give you. Just... Go with the flow. And if you're not sure about what to do, let him take the lead. Okay?"
An hour later, she's walking through the streets of Bristol, trying to calm her breathing, her thoughts, her already racing heart. She's checked the address Lando had sent her about ten times before leaving Alice's apartment. On principle, she takes out her phone, checking one last time. Her phone indicates that the restaurant is less than a minute's walk away, at the corner of the street she's on. There's still time to turn back, she thinks, before gathering herself. No. He doesn't deserve that.
In front of the restaurant, she casts a quick glance inside, checking if he's already there, before remembering that she doesn't even know what he looks like. Well, she has a vague idea. She's seen pictures on Alice's Facebook and Instagram over the years, but his precise features escape her. She remembers curly hair, beauty spots. Not much more. She's not sure if she would recognize him in a crowd.
She pushes the door and slips inside the buzzing restaurant, politely greeting the waitress who welcomes her.
"I have a reservation for two," she says. "The name's Norris."
"Ah yes, he's already here, in the second room. I'll take you to him," the waitress replies, flashing a smile.
Her heart stops. He's already here? She deliberately arrived fifteen minutes early to have time to settle down quietly, to gather herself. To wash her hands if they're too sweaty. This was not how it was supposed to go at all, she thinks, feeling the anxiety rise.
The waitress guides her through the tables to the small room at the back of the restaurant. On the way, her brain disconnects, giving way to total panic. I knew it was a bad idea, she tells herself, biting her lip. I'm going to make a fool of myself. The waitress suddenly stops, saying something that her brain doesn't comprehend before walking away and she looks up, meeting his gaze.
Oh, wow, she thinks, eyes widening. That man is too handsome for his own good.
"Hey, it's nice to meet you" he says, extending a bouquet of white tulips to her. "Alice said those were your favorites."
She smiles, taking the bouquet before burying her nose in it. Alice, you little sneak.
"Thank you so much," she replies, feeling her cheeks flush. "They're stunning."
Lando pulls out her chair before sitting back down, not taking his eyes off her. Feeling his gaze on her, she dives intensely into reading the menu. Or rather, she pretends to, because she's not even reading, just trying to avoid the attention the driver is giving her.
"You seem nervous," he states, still looking at her.
Feeling her cheeks turn red, she holds her menu higher in front of her face, hiding a little more. "Hey," he says, putting his finger on the menu to lower it. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry. I'm just really bad at this," she replies, finally looking at him. "Dates, conversations, one-on-ones. It's not about you, I swear."
There we go, she thinks, head low. We've been sitting for ten minutes and I've already messed everything up.
"Would you like to go somewhere else?" he asks, and she looks up, furrowing her brows.
"What?"
"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, that wasn't the intention," he says. "A romantic dinner may be a bit much for a first date. So, if you want to go somewhere else, do something else, it's not a problem."
"But... We're already sitting," she says, confused.
"It's no big deal," he replies, shrugging. "The restaurant is packed, they won't go bankrupt because we leave. We can just tell them we don't like anything on the menu."
She lets out a laugh, covering her mouth, astonished by the driver's suggestion.
"If you could go anywhere, a place where you feel comfortable and safe, where would you go?" he asks, his big eyes detailing her.
She thinks for a moment, looking upwards, biting her lip again.
"If we really had no limits... I'd go to the sea," she replies, thoughtful.
"Let's go then," Lando says, rising up and taking his jacket.
"What? Lando, we can't do that," she says, still sitting. "The good beaches are like, an hour drive away."
But Lando has already circled the table, jacket in hand, extending his hand to her.
"My car's parked outside," he replies.
She doesn't understand what's happening, so for once, she sets aside her brain and listens to her heart, grasping his hand and allowing him to guide her towards the restaurant's exit, the driver only stopping to explain briefly to the very understanding waitress that an emergency has come up and they have to leave, carefully slipping several bills in her hand as a tip - and as compensation.
Outside, Lando leads her to his car, their hands still intertwined, her heels clicking on the cobblestones. He opens the door for her and she slips inside, her heart racing.
"I've never done anything like this in my entire life," she says, staring straight ahead.
"You should never force yourself to do something you don't want to do, though," he replies, looking through the rear window to reverse, leaning indirectly towards her. His scent reaches her nose and she can't help but look at him closely, detailing every detail of his profile. His clear eyes. His beauty spots that remind her of constellations. The curly lock of hair that crosses his forehead.
"Does Ogmore work for you?" he asks, snapping her out of her reverie.
"Ogmore's perfect," she replies, eyes glistening.
They set off, and as the English countryside landscape passes by through the window, she notices that for the first time since she left Alice's apartment, she isn't feeling anxious. Her heart still beats just as fast, sure, but she suspects it's not really because of stress anymore. Lando rummages between their seats and eventually pulls out a cable, which he hands to her.
"I don't mind driving, but you're the DJ," he says, laughing. "Put on some music. Let me know who you are."
She grabs the cable before connecting it to her phone, scrolling through her Spotify playlist. So you want to know who I am, huh? she thinks, blushing again, before clicking on her favorite song.
The first notes of "I'm Outta Time" by Oasis resonate in the car, and Lando shoots her a surprised look.
"I actually love that song," he says, smirking. "What does it tell about you?"
"Well," she starts. "As you must be starting to suspect, I strongly identify with the idea that the sea is the only place that manages to calm me down, where I truly feel free."
"I'm with you on that one," he replies.
"And then... It's quite personal, but to me, the song's about someone who's lonely. Someone seeking comfort, a pillar, someone who can support them through everything. But also someone they'd be willing to let go out of love."
Lando turns his head towards her, and she gets lost in the softness and understanding reflected in his eyes. The song comes to an end, and she clicks on "On Melancholy Hill" by Gorillaz.
"I promise I'm not depressed," she says, meeting his gaze, while he lets out a laugh.
"This one's talking about the sea, again," he states.
"There's that," she says. "And there's this dreamy feeling. It's about frustration, about pressuring yourself to achieve big things, when maybe..." she stops for a second. "Maybe just being with your person is enough. Maybe there's no need for more," she finishes, looking out the window, troubled by the feeling of having said too much.
"I get it," he says, still looking at the road ahead.
"You do?" she asks.
"Of course. I'm not the last one to have dreams and goals, as you can imagine. But at the end of the day, when all that's over, what's left? What do you turn to?"
The rest of the journey goes on in the same way. She plays a song, explains why she likes it, what it makes her feel, what it reminds her of. Lando listens attentively, interweaving her narrative with his own anecdotes, sharing his thoughts, his fears. That's much more intimate than a restaurant, she thinks. But somehow, she doesn't mind.
Forty minutes later, a sign indicates that Ogmore is the next exit, and Lando turns onto the narrow road, which soon becomes a path. They leave the car in a parking lot, where only a few cars are parked before embarking on the sandy trail. Before them, the sun has begun to set, tinting the sky with orange, pink, and violet hues.
"Just in time," Lando says before plopping down on the sand. She sits beside him, closing her eyes. Absorbing the healing sound of the waves.
"Thank you so much for this, Lando. You have no idea how much it means to me," she says, feeling emotional.
They both lie there, side by side, without saying a word, lulled by the sound of the waves.
"Do you remember the night we met?" Lando suddenly asks, looking at the sky and the stars that the onset of night begins to reveal.
"What do you mean?" she asks, turning on her side to look at him.
"It was last year," Lando starts, as she furrows her brows, completely lost.
"I'm not sure I understand," she replies, confused. "I've seen you in pictures... But this is the first time we meet."
"Alice's birthday, in London," the driver specifies, and she dives into her thoughts, trying to rewind time. "You were wearing a black dress. Backless."
"I... I remember the birthday, and the dress," she begins. "But I don't remember you. Well, I remember Alice saying you had something come up," she continues, lost.
"I had a work function, couldn't get away. But I still stopped by, dropped off Alice's gift," he explains.
"I'm sorry, Lando," she says, embarrassed. "I don't remember seeing you."
"We crossed paths in one of the hallways of the bar. You were leaning against a wall, talking to someone... Jeff? Greg?" he says, closing his eyes as if trying to remember.
"Jeff? My boyfriend at the time?"
"Yes, that was him. You two were arguing about something, I can't remember what. The tone started to escalate, and you walked off towards the restroom."
"I remember that."
"I found myself in front of Jeff, and I told him, "You shouldn't argue with a pretty girl like that. She deserves better". He told me to fuck off, to mind my business, and left," he recalls, laughing.
"Wow, I had no idea," she says. "Him and I broke up like, four months after that anyway."
"I know. Alice told me."
"Why would she tell you that? It must not be of much interest to you."
"I'd mentioned to her that I found you beautiful. In fact, to be honest, I think I said you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen," the driver says. "So one morning, she texted me. Said something like... "She broke up with Jeff. Time to grow a pair."
"Wow," she says, laughing in shock. "I didn’t know that."
Silence falls. Neither speaks for several seconds. He, wondering if he's said too much. Her, wondering what she should conclude from the driver's words.
"So..." she starts. "When Alice told me that she had planned a blind date..."
"It was my idea," he says, meeting her eyes. "But we couldn't say that."
"Oh, my god," she says, laughing again. "I can't believe you two."
A particularly turbulent wave crashes at their feet, making them yelp and quickly stand up. They're suddenly face to face. Wrapped in a heavy silence. One that cannot last.
"So you did, then," she finally says.
"What?"
"You grew a pair," she replies as he bursts out laughing.
"You're not angry at me, are you?" he asks, taking a step forward.
"I'm... quite surprised, I won't lie. But I'm not angry, no. I've never had a first date like this," she confesses. "I've never felt so listened to, so understood... In so little time. It started off badly, and yet you... you made me feel like I could be myself."
"You can," Lando says, taking her hand. "That's all I want."
"Will you think I'm moving too fast if I kiss you?" she suddenly asks.
"No," he says, coming closer until their breaths meet. "I won't."
#f1#f1 2024#f1 fanfic#f1 fic#f1 imagine#f1 x reader#formula 1#lando norris#lando norris x you#lando norris x reader#mclaren f1#mclaren
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been reflecting on my year a bit, and i was thinking about something. i think i know what the best thing i did for myself this year was.
making cometcare public. making the ask blog.
ive had this AU stirring in my brain since 2019, ever since i got really attached to doomi during the haunted arc. one reason i went so long without revealing pollarrydoomi as a ship to readers was because doom's crush wasn't public information until late 2021.
i had kept his crush a mystery for 3 years, but revealed it after a fun experience where people figured out who it was through guessing. i'm pretty sure i did a poll about it? asking people to guess who they thought it was, and uni won the vote, meaning everyone had already figured it out.
after pollarrydoomi was revealed and i started drawing art for it and people made fanart for it, i still couldn't post any of my AU art because ally wasn't public and she and howie were in the AU. in july 2022, for the comic's birthday, i revealed ally as a character to the readers. others around the time had started to notice characters i had in pfps and i ended up telling everyone i did have pollarrydoomi ship kids, but i didn't make them public.
in november 2022, i revealed eve on toyhouse. after her reveal, i would soon reveal sly as well in december 2022 on my birthday (revealing sly as a birthday present to myself is such a funny gesture now that you guys know how important he is to me). over the next few weeks i revealed cream, frosty, and marco as well. all of the main cometkids except chem.
then one day someone out there suggested that i make an ask blog for the cometcare AU. it was such a spontaneous decision, and i didn't even really know what i was gonna do with it at first. i was just kinda messing around. but when i made the blog i realized that if i wanted this AU to be experienced in complete authenticity, i couldn't make uni cis.
so i revealed uni being trans through the blog, despite the fact i'd gone so many years without ever revealing her identity. why did i do it? there's a lot of reasons. not wanting to make her a "dad" in the AU contributed, but also i felt like it wouldn't be detrimental to the story to confirm a character being trans. it also made me (and the crew in general) a lot more comfortable being able to properly refer to uni with her actual pronouns.
making the ask blog really changed me, because finally i could share this little family and comfort story i'd built in my brain with the world and make it real and make content for it and let people consume it.
but what stopped me most of all?
i've said it many times before... but i felt like it was cringey.
i felt like making an AU with 93985893844 fankids in a ridiculous complicated polycule wasn't something a Serious content creator should do, and i was really worried the reception would be negative or people would think it was stupid or something. i did NOT expect it to become as popular as it is. the blog actually has more followers than the MAIN ASK BLOG for the canon comic. it was received SO POSITIVELY and the fact it was just kind of blows me away.
it means so much to me. being able to share the most special thing in my life with people and for people to actually like it and have fun with me and want to see it, and for me to be able to not have to follow strict professionalism about spoilers and chronological storytelling, and being able to change and add in things whenever i felt like it. it's such a freeing experience.
when i was a kid, i used to make stories and OCs and i didn't take them as seriously as i do the sparklecare reboot. this kind of turned into my entire life and career kinda, so i had to take it more seriously. but making this AU honestly just makes me feel like i'm a kid again, it makes me feel like i can have fun and literally do whatever the fuck i want without worrying what people think or if it's realistic or if it makes any sense.
i know though, that some people don't like pollarrydoomi. and i know why. whether it's because of being attached to barruni (of course, they're the canon ship and main characters, i get it) or just having discomfort with the idea of shipping doom with anyone when canonically he hasn't experienced a redemption arc... i get it. i know not everyone likes it.
and that's okay! people are entitled to having their own feelings about content. i understand it. and i've come to accept that's always going to be the case with anything i do with these characters.
but i'm still going to do this for myself. i do this because it makes me happy to just have fun and not worry about being serious all the time. it feels good, especially when it's with characters that are really really important to me.
cometcare is genuinely the most special and important thing i've ever made for myself, it's such a huge piece of my identity and it makes me who i am. and being able to make this story public and share it with people and share these things that have been in my brain for so long with others means so much to me.
that's why i think it was the best thing i've done this year. it's kind of literally changed my life to be able to talk about them. it's made me happier than i've ever been making content. i'm not just making it to entertain myself alone anymore, i'm making it to entertain others like i do with other stuff. and the fact people actually like it still is unbelievable to me.
so, i guess my outlook for next year as it comes is to continue to stop taking everything so seriously. i can tell my stories however i want to. i hope others can realize they can do this too.
please make whatever you want, whenever you what, as much as you want, even if it doesn't make sense or if it's "cringe". you will be so much happier when you realize as a creator you DON'T have to take all of this so seriously. the comic still exists and people read it even if i'm doing this. You Can Do Whatever You Want And Nobody Can Ever Stop You. the only person who can stop you is yourself when you let your inhibitions get in the way of your ability to create things for yourself.
have fun! life is too short to take everything you do seriously
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Your Love's Been a Long Time Coming: Chapter 1
A/N: Ahhhhh a new series!!! This is the one that won the poll, so I hope y'all love it! Also, I decided to play with POV on this one, so I'm telling it from Elvis's perspective. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!!
ICYMI, this is the Elvis x OC Vivian Choquette series. Want to learn more about her? Here.
PS- I love you @ccab for loving Vivian as much as I do before I even write the story!
Warnings: Not much, this is gonna start slow, but trust me, it'll heat up. Kissing, cussing, alcohol use, smoking
Word count: ~2.4k
By September of '59, Elvis was used to the army. He was used to the routine, used to the work, used to the people, used to the fans, and used to looking for a good time wherever he could find it. On this particular night, he found it at a party at his own house in Bad Nauheim. All his friends were there, along with a plethora of girls to keep everyone interested. Elvis moved through the party easily, making small talk and keeping everyone stocked on drinks, despite the fact that he didn't have any himself. Sometimes he imbibed, but usually he didn't. Although his beloved mama was gone, what he learned from her still lived in the forefront of his memory. That is, unless he found himself at the Moulin Rouge. But that was different. Here at his own house, he preferred to remain in control.
Despite having a girlfriend back at home, he moves through the house looking for a girl to talk to. That's when he notices her in a corner, her dark hair swept into a low ponytail and blue eyes glancing lazily around the room. She almost seems bored. So much so that she turns to the bookshelf that came with the house and pulls a book down. She opens it and begins to read. Elvis is intrigued by the kind of woman who reads at a party. He begins to walk over to her and realizes that the book is in French. He panics for a second and then remembers that the guys taught him a phrase in French. Surely he can figure out how to communicate with her. Besides, most of these French girls speak a little English.
He swaggers up to her, ready to try out his French. He stands there in front of her for a minute before she looks up at him.
"Bonjour."
"Mhmm." She looks down at her book, but he doesn't leave. He's suddenly nervous, but he decides to risk it. She's pretty enough that it might be worth it.
"Uhh, est-ce que tu aimes le sexe?"
She looks up at him suddenly and laughs.
"What? Did I pronounce it wrong?" She laughs even harder. When she finally catches her breath, she holds up a hand.
"First of all, I speak English. Second of all, please don't ever say that to anyone ever again."
"Oh. Why?"
"You just asked me if I like sex."
"What?! Those motherfu- I mean, those jerks. They told me it meant 'how are you'."
"And you believed them? It literally has the word 'sex' in it."
"Well, I don't know! I don't speak French!"
"Obviously." She looks back down at her book. He's not ready to give up, though.
"Hey, if you speak English, why are you reading in French?"
"My mother was French. I speak and read it because of her." She answers without looking up from the page.
"Was?"
"She's been gone for a while now. I live with my stepdad. He's an officer in the army." He feels the pain of having lost his mother too soon and looks at her with even more softness and affection than he did before.
"I'm Elvis." She looks up at him.
"I know." He nods and she notices the look he's giving her. "You know, I'm actually here with someone."
"Oh?"
"Mhmm." She points across the party to Charlie, who's making his way to her with drinks.
"Charlie?!"
"Yes."
"Well, goddamn." Charlie makes it over to them and hands her one of the drinks. He throws his arm around her casually and looks up at Elvis.
"Hey buddy. I see you met my lady."
"Well, not officially..." She holds her hand out to him.
"Vivian Choquette. Nice to meet you, Elvis Presley." He takes her hand and has the strangest urge to kiss it, but he'd never do such a thing with Charlie right there. He's been a good friend to Elvis, so no matter how much he likes her, he won't risk their friendship. Instead, he shakes her hand like he would if she was a man.
"Yeah, likewise." Elvis nods awkwardly and then turns to go back to the party. It's too bad that she's there with Charlie. He wanders around a little more, before he sees a girl that will change the trajectory of his whole life. Still, he never forgets the girl he met first.
******
The next day, Elvis sits at lunch with Charlie.
"So what did you think of my girl?" Elvis chokes a little on his food and tries to think of how he can answer without letting on that he hasn't stopped thinking about her.
"Oh, she's... she's somethin' else."
"Ain't she? I saw you talking to that cute little thing though. She seemed like somethin' else too."
"Priscilla? Oh, yeah."
"Little young, though."
"Yeah..." Elvis tries to focus on Priscilla, but all he can think about is Vivian. If she wasn't with Charlie, she'd be exactly what he's looking for. He's not sure how he knows that based on the half of a conversation they had, but something about her just draws him to her. Maybe it's the fact that she seems deeper than most of the girls he's encountered. Maybe it's because she didn't fall all over herself to talk to him. Maybe it's because she understands the pain of losing a parent. Whatever the reason, he can't stop wishing that she hadn't met Charlie first.
******
About three weeks later, Elvis is walking around town and he passes a cafe. He doesn't think much of it until he sees someone he recognizes sitting at one of the little tables. His heart jumps a bit at the thought of talking to her again. Then, he remembers Charlie with his arm around her. He decides to keep walking, but as he gets a little closer, he notices her shoulders are shaking. She's got her long, dark hair in her face, so he can't see her eyes, but it looks like she might be crying. He can't let her sit there alone if that's the case.
He cautiously approaches the table and realizes he was right. Her sniffling is quiet, but he can hear it. She's got a lit cigarette in one hand, and it looks like she's forgotten it's there. Her other hand fiddles with her coffee cup on its saucer. When he gets to her, he's not exactly sure what to do. He didn't have much of a plan beyond walking to the table. After hesitating for a second, he pulls the chair across from her out to sit in, but it makes a horrible screeching sound and she looks up startled.
"What the f-"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry. It's just me."
"God, Elvis, you scared me."
"I'm sorry, honey, can I sit down?" She wipes her face and nods.
"Yeah, sure, I guess so." He sits down across from her and watches as she puts out her cigarette and continues trying to wipe her face clean.
"Are you... are you alright?"
"Ha! Yeah, I'm just fine." She pulls out another cigarette and lights it. They sit in silence for a bit while Elvis tries to think of what to say.
"You sure?" Vivian takes a puff of her cigarette and blows it straight up into the air.
"Do I look alright?" Elvis hesitates. He wants to say that she looks beautiful, but it doesn't feel appropriate.
"You seem upset."
"You're very observant." She responds spitefully. He looks down at his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry; that was rude. You're not the one that cheated on me and abandoned me."
"No... Charlie?" She takes a drag and holds her breath, nodding. Finally, she has to exhale, so she does and then starts to cry again. It's killing Elvis to sit there and watch her cry without doing something about it. He stands up and offers her his hand. "Come on."
"What? Where are we going?"
"My house is only a block from here. You can cry in private." She looks up at him and he can tell she's thinking about saying no. "I won't hurt you. Come on."
She puts her cigarette out and grabs her purse, taking the hand he offered her. They walk in silence to his house, but they continue to hold hands. When he finally gets her settled on the sofa, he sits next to her and leans back, spreading his legs wide. He's trying to indicate that she can relax and sit comfortably too. To his utter shock, she slips her shoes off and tucks her feet up under herself, also getting comfortable.
"So, he cheated on you?"
"Well, I guess that's not exactly fair."
"What do you mean?"
"I was the one he cheated with. Turns out he's been writing letters to another girl for a while."
"Ohhhh... and you found out about it." He thinks about the girl he writes letters to at home. What would she think of him here on the couch with this girl.
"Yes. I didn't want to be the other woman. Besides I thought he... well... it's stupid."
"What did you think?"
"I thought he wanted to marry me." Elvis's eyebrows shoot straight up before he can stop them. He never thought of Charlie as the marrying kind. Then again, he can understand not wanting to let Vivian go. "See, even you think I'm stupid."
"No, I don't. I think you just had hope. There's nothing wrong with that."
"There is if you're me." He sits up and looks into her eyes. The sadness rolling off of her is about to kill him.
"Why do you say that?" She looks up trying to keep herself from crying, but it doesn't work and fat teardrops slide down her cheeks.
"Everybody leaves me. My father left me. Then my mother left me. The first boy I loved. And now Charlie. Why does everyone leave? What's wrong with me?"
He scoots close to her and pulls her into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. She doesn't object. Instead she lets herself be comforted as she continues to cry. He strokes her hair and kisses the top of her head. The pain of loss is something he's all too familiar with. He takes her face in the palm of his hand and looks into her eyes.
"Viv, this is not your fault. There's nothing wrong with you. I know what it's like to lose people too soon and it hurts. But it's not because of you."
"Why does it feel like no one wants me?" This smashes his heart into a thousand pieces. He wants her so badly it hurts.
"That can't possibly be true." Just tell her. Say it. Say 'I want you.' He wills himself to tell her the truth, but he just can't.
"You're sweet, Elvis." He smiles awkwardly and tries to ignore the fact that she pats his thigh. She leans her head on his shoulder again and snuggles into the side of his body. He knows she's just seeking comfort, so he tries to stay focused on being that. But he is a young man and she is a girl with her hand on his thigh and his imagination is running wild with what would happen if he carried her to his bedroom. He swallows deeply and begs his body not to respond physically to what's in his mind.
Still, there's an electric charge in the air that she has to notice too. Almost at the same time, they pull back and look into each other's eyes. He puts his knuckle under her chin and looks down at her lips. When she closes her eyes, he knows he has the green light, so he leans in and softly presses his lips to hers. Something bubbles up inside him and his hands begin to tremble. He backs up slightly and hovers just above her lips. They both smile and he dives back in for a deeper kiss, dipping his tongue into her mouth to slide against hers. She nibbles on his bottom lip a little and he groans. His hands rest on her hips in an attempt to get them to stop shaking and he eventually lifts her into his lap to straddle him. The intensity of their kissing increases as his hands roam over her body.
Suddenly, she pulls back breathlessly.
"Wait. Elvis, do you have a girlfriend back home?" His mouth pops open. He's not sure how to answer. Yes, he has Anita at home, but for the right girl, for her, he'd end that in a heartbeat. "Answer the question."
"Well... I-I-I..."
"That's all I need to hear." She peels herself off of him and stands up, smoothing her hair.
"No, honey, wait-"
"No. You're basically doing the same thing that Charlie just did. All you G.I.s are the same."
"Hon, please-"
"My name is Vivian!"
"Viv, just, don't leave..." she tries to put her heels back on and stumbles to get the second one on. He uses both hands to steady her as she does.
"Elvis, no. Good luck with Priscilla."
"Wait-?"
"You know she's 14."
"She's 14?!"
"So, you know, have fun with that." Vivian stomps towards the door with him close on her heels. He doesn't know how to make her understand that she's all he wants. Priscilla, Anita, none of them compare to her. But he doesn't know how to say that, so instead he watches as she walks out his front door, catches a cab, and disappears from his life.
******
Or so he thinks. In 1961, Elvis is home from the army and back to his film career. In March, he leaves the continental US to get ready to film Blue Hawaii. He arrives and goes to a cast meeting on set where the director is excited to introduce his costar. His first view of her is from behind and his heart skips. Surely it can't be?
"This is Vivian Choquette. She'll be playing your girlfriend, Maile Duval." She turns to face him and smiles awkwardly. Elvis tries to hide his excitement, hoping his trembling hands won't give him away.
"Hello again..."
******
Until chapter 2. Thoughts so far?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Taglist (let me know if you want to be added or removed):
@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @tacozebra051 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @louisejoy86 @rjmartin11 @from-memphis-with-love @deltafalax
#elvis presley#elvis presley fanfiction#elvis fanfic#elvis#elvis presley fic#elvis fanfiction#elvis fic#elvis presley fanfic#elvis x oc#elvis presley x oc#Elvis x Vivian choquette#Vivian Choquette#your loves been a long time coming#ylbaltc
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hello 🙃this is my first request ever and it's pretty weird but can u do a piece with rip x f! dutton reader when she's pregos with rips bby girl and she either have a little accident with a horse or in danger bc of one of the shows villains like beth and rip goes a little crazy like he how he did it in the car driving to Beth on those 2 guys were beating her.
Comfort from john and rip and fluff at the end also maybe a age gap 😁😁😁plz and thank u
Wheeler's as Tough as a Beer
The rain was hitting the glass windshield harder than I cared for. When I left the doctors office it was only lightly raining and you could hear some thunder in the distance. Gripping the steering wheel I gulped in nervousness feeling the car kind of fighting me when I drove through some puddles. Moving one hand to my phone laying In the cup holder I saw it was my husband calling me. “Hey honey, I’m on my way home now.”
“That’s great. Although the storm is picking up here. What did the doctor say about the baby?” Rip asked through the phone where I could hear the barn door shutting behind him meaning they were putting the horses up before it got worse than it already was.
Using my turn signal I stopped at a red light waiting for it to change to green. "She said everything was good. In about 3 months we should have our baby boy or girl." The ranch was only two different turns and one stop sign before I was back on the family home.
The light finally changed from red to green where I slowly hit the gas pedal. Turning my steering wheel I was making the turn but there was a car coming down from the way I was turning. But the car instead was on the wrong side of the road coming directly at me. “Oh my god, Rip!” I screamed before I attempted to move my car but the wheels hit a big puddle where I swerved and the other car still barreled straight into me.
My head hit the steering wheel harshly before it hit a wooden poll that was for the power lines. My phone got thrown and it shattered the screen. Blinking my eyes I lifted my head when the air bag went off. Looking at the mirror there was blood on my forehead and I gasped feeling sharp pain in my pregnant belly. It would be a few minutes before I blacked out on the wheel. Someone was shaking me lightly making me wake up a few hours after that where I could make out my husband’s voice. “Y/n, y/n! Come on, darling wake up. Don’t die on me.”
“Rip….ahhh!” I winced when I felt him gently picking me up by my knees and underneath my arms. I felt so,e blood running down my side meaning that the air bag or something must have cut me.
He slowly walked me to the ambulance while the medics checked me out. Rip pushed my hair back out of my face crying some tears which he never die really unless we were alone. So the bunkhouse guys knew who was the boss. “Sssh you’re alright now. You’re with me, Y/n.”
“Everything hurts, Rip. And I…I was on my way home and the storm….it got worse….where this car was on the wrong side of the road.” I began sobbing through heavy tears.
He wrapped his arms around my body after the medics had went off to read the tests that they had done. Wrapping my arms around his neck I buried my face in the crook of his neck crying. "Excuse me, Mr. Wheeler. But we need to get your wife to the hospital. The baby she is carrying is in distress." One of the medics came over to us explaining with concern.
Rip immediately got in the back of the ambulance with me laying down on the cot. I grasped his hand tightly in mine while we rushed there. The second that we got there I was rolled in with a wheelchair and a doctor bursts into the room. "We will have to do a C - section if we want to save the baby in you."
"Okay...I love you." I croaked up at Rip squeezing his hands before I was rushed into surgery. I'm not sure how long I was out for but I moaned blinking my eyes feeling the medicine they gave me wearing off. Lifting my head up from the pillow I saw Rip sleeping at my bedside. "Rip...Rip wake up."
He rubbed his eyes where I instantly saw tears in his brown eyes. "Oh my gosh, Y/n. Thank God I was so worried...I love you." He kissed the crown of my head tucking hair behind my ear.
"Rip, where's the baby. Is it okay?" I asked him when he brushed his fingers through my hair that was sticking to my forehead.
He sucked in a breath resting his forehead against mine when he spoke his next words. "The baby is in the nick-u. She came out a premi. But she's beautiful. The doctor said she'll have to be monitored for a while. But she's alive honey...she's here."
"I love you...and I'm glad she's okay." Wrapping my arms around his neck I began crying happy tears. Rip wrapping his arms around my waist holding me as close as we could get. Releaved that his family was alright.
Comments really appreciated ❤️
#rip wheeler x pregnant reader#rip wheeler x reader#rip wheeler#rip wheeler imagine#cole hauser#yellowstone tv series#yellowstone tv show#yellowstone tv#yellowstone imagines#yellowstone imagine#yellowstone fans#yellowstone fanfiction#yellowstone fanfic#yellowstone request#rip wheeler images#pregnant reader#ask box is open for anything#requests open#yellowstone#comments really appreciated#car crash
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I don't know if this is allowed but hear me out, a few friends of mine and I have been theorizing about Hazbin and we came to the idea that Sera and Lucifer were a couple before Lilith was created. This relationship eventually led to Emily but Lucifer doesn't know that and Sera kept Emily's actual origins a secret for fear of Emily falling.
Any headcanons about that idea?
Hi there! For future reference, an ask like this I consider to be a discussion ask! Essentially, ya know, discussion topics like AUs or fan theories! I’ll still answer asks like this if requests are closed since these are more opinion pieces!
But holy shit i hear what you're saying and i gotta know more about this theory!
It could also lead to some seriously interesting interactions between both Charlie and Emily should either party find out!
Like can you imagine what would happen if Lucifer and Sera ran into each other again? I gotta know though, was emily conceived before the split or right at the end? Did Lucifer know about Emily before his fall, cuz I'm pretty sure that if he didn't know before the fall the chances of him finding out after the fact are slim to none.
There's a lot to play around with when it comes to a theory like this!
I could definitely see someone exploring this in fics, i'd be down to read something like that, or possibly ever write for it.
honestly i'd be open to writing a short series of like a emily-centric type thing(possibly even an x reader tie in, considering that that's what my blog is mostly centered around, though i do know that that's not everybody's cup of tea. not a whole lot of emily stuff if that's something anybody would be interested in might do a poll later or smth)
#hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel x reader#hazbin imagine#hazbin headcanons#wasabi talks#emily hazbin hotel#sera hazbin hotel#hazbin hotel lucifer#charlie hazbin hotel
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— party boyfriend | leon kennedy
700 follower special!!
pairing: bbf leon x afab reader
warnings: smut! brother best friend leon, a little ooc leon, party setting, mentions of SA!, mention of alcohol!, pet names, degradation, praise, oral (m receiving), size kink, rough, almost getting caught, unprotected sex :0, creampie, public sex, leon saying no and stop a few times
synopsis: you get grabbed on at a party and leon is there to comfort you
wc: 2.9k+
note: this poll won so y’all get smut but for the ppl who wanted fluff I PROMISE NEXT FIC WILL BE!! this is also based on this audio, so credit to them for this🙏 (i didnt follow it down exactly to a t but it comes close) also now finishing this i feel guilty posting this bc it’s not 100% original but i hope y’all like it nonetheless
── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──
You heard the music blaring in the house and your head was slightly dizzy. You walked through the hallway and felt someone’s hand grab your ass. You immediately turned and slapped the hand away— some random creep “Got a fat ass” he smirked, and you felt sick to your stomach “fuck off” you huffed.
You wanted to punch him in the face, but you opted to just walk out of the house to get some fresh air to escape. You heard the creeps' insults as you walked away, but you ignored them. You opened the door and walked down the steps, you didn’t know what to do so you called your brother's best friend— Leon who is also at this stupid party.
“Hey?” you heard the ambiance of the party and could barely hear Leon, “Can you meet me outside please?” “What? Okay yeah, I’ll be there” He gruffed before hanging up. It took a few minutes before you heard the door open and close “What, what’s up?” Leon said a little annoyed— probably because you ruined his fun but you didn’t care right now.
“I need to talk to you,” you said and Leon rolled his eyes “I’m pretty sure I can guess what this is about, last time we came to one of these we kissed” You shook your head trying to explain but Leon cut you off “sure it happened I was drunk you were drunk, shouldn’t have been but we kissed” you felt a little angry at the fact he wouldn’t let you speak but you sighed and continued to listen.
“It happened, I get it okay you know, but I’m friends with your brother I’m not doing that again” you groan “No, it’s not about that! Some guy fucking grabbed on me,” you said frustrated. “Oh…gross, who was he?” “I don't know some fucking creep,” you said looking down.
“Well I'm sorry, just don't tell your brother, though he’ll never let you come to another one of these again” he chuckles and you raise an eyebrow at that, why would he care? “Why not?” you joked “Because you’re cool to hang out with I guess,” Leon said a little awkwardly, “So why did you drag me out here?” he questioned and you felt your cheeks burn.
“I don't know I was thinking maybe if the guy saw you with me he’d leave me alone” You shrugged now feeling a little stupid admitting your plan out loud. “Oh, so now if he gets hella trashed he’ll come to beat me up?” he laughed, “No!” you said panicking a little as Leon shook his head “Nah just saying you know telling you how it feels” you groan and roll your eyes.
“I’m just messing, it’s cool we can stay out here for a little while until you want to go back inside and drink or dance,” he said sitting on the steps and you followed. “Can we drink together?” you asked smiling, “No absolutely not, we cannot drink and dance together” he argued and you felt a little hurt but you scooted closer, “What are you doing?” he said a little shocked you ignored him and leaned your head on his shoulder.
He groaned “Fine. You can lean on me to “sell” the image I guess” You smirked and felt his warmth “Put your arm around me, it’ll sell it more” you teased wanting more. Leon cocked an eyebrow “No, I am not doing that” You frowned and begged “Pleaseeee?” he rolled his eyes. “Don’t frown at me from down there” he laughed.
You gasped “Down there?!” I’m not that fucking short asshole. “Yes down there” he laughed “You have to look up at me when talking, when we kissed I had to lay on the floor-“ you cut him off and punched his arm. “Ouch- okay okay” he laughed before wrapping an arm around you, “just 1 arm okay, I gotta look cool” he smiled.
“What if I want to get laid tonight, you’d ruin the chance” you laughed, he couldn’t be serious “Like someone would want to” he looked a little offended “Um yeah some girl totally would” he rolled his eyes.
You always had a little crush on Leon but you never acted on those feelings fully, the only time you did was once when drunk and Leon doesn’t count it. This time was different. You both were sober and you felt a little confident, you wanted him so you teased him.
“Why don’t we?” He looked at you like you were crazy. “Um, because I’ve known your brother for my whole life, and I'd rather him not catch us,” he said shaking his head and looking off into the street and you laughed, catching us kissing?” you smiled.
“No im not worried about kissing,” he said turning to look at you before leaning into your ear and whispering “im worried about him catching me fucking rearranging you” You immediately felt your breath hitch and your whole body heat up at his words as he pulled away and watched you get all flustered. Your heart filled with hope— maybe he felt the same about you, just maybe.
“And besides he’s inside right now,” Leon said pointing to the door, you both looked back “I don't think he can see outside the glass though, wait,” he said getting up and you followed “I don't think anyone can see for that matter,” he said looking inside.
He turned back and it looked like he had a revelation, “you, you just used this to get me close to you huh?” he said towering over you, you smirked— maybe a little but it wasn’t entirely your plan but you decided to bite the bullet and palm him through his jeans. You knew it would change the subject but also to let him know you wanted him, not like that bullshit drunk kiss.
He immediately reacted and looked down at you, “You cannot do that.” Leon let out a shaky breath, he looked at the door and furrowed his brows looking back at you “I think he’s coming you have to stop it” he said grabbing your wrist and pushing you into the door. Your breath hitched and you felt your heart beating out of your chest as you swallowed your spit dryly.
He pulled it away and looked at you sternly “You cannot be doing that understand? You’re being fucking bad” he said sucking his teeth, you felt yourself getting slick and you smiled looking up at him trying to make him break. “Fine” You smiled and turned around to look inside— pressing your ass against him. You chuckled and got onto your tiptoes and peered inside, “Oh yea? Gotta look inside, and rub that little ass on me huh?” he said, sucking in a breath.
“Gotta get on your tiptoes for that princess?” he teased and you felt your cheeks burn and you immediately turned around setting your feet flat, you looked down and saw his bulge. You smiled feeling beyond confident and he looked down to see what you were looking at and he practically read your mind, “Yes yes I’m hard” he tried to brush it off as if it was nothing, but you wouldn’t let him get away that easily.
“Why?” you smiled, of course, you knew why but teasing Leon was too much fun. “because you’re fucking gorgeous— Jesus okay, but no we cannot I’ve known your brother way longer and our friendship will last longer than any orgasm,” he said shaking his head trying to reason with you.
“Your dick says otherwise” you smirk, “yes okay but that’s not a valid point,” he said looking around to see if anyone was noticing but it was pitch black. “But I need you Leon,” you say squeezing your thighs to try and get any friction. His face immediately changed and you could tell you were breaking him, “huh, really now..how much?” he asked cautiously.
“So fucking bad, I’m dripping,” you said trying to press your body against him, he gently pushed you away “Okay okay— sorry but we cannot be doing this, absolutely not your brother is inside that house, so no” you felt frustrated and this was going nowhere so you decided to spice it up “fine, I’ll just go back inside,” you said turning around but Leon grabbed you “no don't just go back inside the creep is probably looking for you,” he said pulling you back.
“Then what do you want me to do?” you said turning back around, you knew if you put enough pressure on Leon he’d crack “Look- fuck I don’t know okay,” he said before you both heard footsteps and the door handle jiggled. Your heart dropped and you both panicked and immediately ran to the side of the house, Leon grabbed you and pulled you as fast as he could and covered your mouth with his hand “Shutupshutp just shut the fuck up” he whispered yelled.
“Sis? Are you out here?” you both heard and froze, you smirked— the perfect opportunity to test him, you immediately rubbed him through his pants. “Fuck no don't please come on” he whispered, the door closed and Leon let out a breath and you took that moment to get on your knees and unzip his pants. “Oh! my god” he said panicking as you pulled his cock out and looked up at him.
“Stop. Stop it” he said trying to get you off but you smiled and pumped him with your hands before kissing the tip. “Oh, my god, that’s not fucking fair” he moaned, and you smiled. You had broken through, “it’s so big” you teased and kissed the side, “of course you think it is it’s half your god damn size— god stop. stop it,” he said running his fingers through his hair.
“Oh my god, you have to stop” he moaned and shook his head “We can’t no stop,” he said but made absolutely no effort to pull you off. “You won okay, fuck” he said as you pushed up his shirt to see his trail and swirled your tongue at the tip making his knees buckle slightly.
You saw Leon give in to you and you never felt more proud, you popped off and smiled up at him. “Jesus okay fine, we’ll do it okay just— just this once,” he said pushing your hair out of the way “So fucking gorgeous with my cock in your hand princess” he smiled softly.
“Just suck my cock” he said panting and you immediately dove in, “oh shit yea just like that, make it sloppy,” he said closing one eye. You smiled and took him as far as was comfortable and sucked while pumping the rest. You popped off and spat on it before swirling your hand up and down it before paying attention to the tip, he moaned and entangled his fingers in your hair. Your heart was beating so fast, you’d been dreaming about this moment for years ever since you graduated from high school at 18 and left for college.
“Oh fuck, yea just like that— so fuckin’ dirty” he smiled and his core was tightening. You took him deep into your mouth and used your other hand to touch his balls and he immediately sucked in a breath and smiled, “Yeah keep going— come on baby” he moaned watching you devour him. “Ohh…oh yeah” he chuckled as his dick twitched in your mouth, “fucking drool all over it, be a good fucking girl f’me”
You were a mess down there, dripping out your panties, but you weren’t complaining at all. Watching Leon enjoy your mouth gave you validation like no other, you wanted more— no needed more. “Yeah so cute, you feel all that in your mouth?” he asked and you hummed and he winced feeling it, and chuckled. “Yeah well I’m gonna fucking use this cock on you like your a fleshlight— like a toy made just for me” he smiled.
You immediately moaned against him as you felt a jolt of pleasure send straight to your cunt. “Play with yourself” he moaned trying not to get too excited, “come on, rub that clit” he said desperately as you gagged on him. You reached down with one hand and dove into your panties, immediately moaning against him as your fingers met your clit.
You rubbed circles and slapped it gently before plunging 2 fingers in, “atta girl, such a good slut for me” he said as his breath was hitching slightly. “Yea drip all over the grass” he moaned and you kept fucking yourself with your fingers. He groaned and pulled you off abruptly and picked you up to stand on your feet, “turn— turn around fucking bend over” he said kissing your lips.
You immediately did hands pressing against the cold house, “good girl” he smiled and pulled down your panties to your thighs. He aligned his cock with your pussy and slowly went in, you both moaned as he went deeper, “oh my god” you said looking back. “So fucking good, hugging me so good” he smiled a toothy grin.
He shook his head and came back to reality “You’re okay?” he asked a little concerned and your heart swelled at the thought of him caring about you even in a moment like this, “good, so good” you huffed and pushed your hips back into his trying to get more. “Oh god,” he moaned as his hips met yours before pulling back and thrusting again. Your voice hitched and you tried to fuck yourself against him as well, “yea that’s right fuck” he chuckled and slapped your ass.
You went forward a little and gasped as he gripped the red mark before slapping it again, grabbing the fat of your ass roughly. He groaned and struggled to bend down to meet your ass, “fuck, it's hard bending down” he said breathlessly “Do— do you trust me?” he asked and you nodded.
“Good, I’m gonna pick you up and fuck myself into you how does that sound? Yeah, you won’t have to think about anything else but this dick okay?” He asked and you moaned and he pulled your panties to your ankles and spun you around and picked you up holding you tightly. “It's okay I won't drop you” he smiled and kissed your lips quickly, before pushing his dick back into you thrusting up and pulling you down slightly.
You both moaned at the new angle as he hit even deeper inside you, you felt so tiny in his arms but in a good way. It was turning you on so much as he buried his face into your neck, he moaned and pushed your back against the house and you wrapped your legs around his back as your panties fell to the ground.
He reached down and rubbed your clit as you felt yourself getting worked up, you knew if he kept pounding you so good you’d gush. “Yea, yea, shit, so good, you don't even have to think huh? You can just focus on being a whore for me yea?” he smiled and bit your neck as you moaned, he left sloppy kisses all along your neck.
“God wanna fill you up, but it's such a bad idea” he chuckled, you could feel you were losing it, “on birth control” you huffed out. Leon immediately grinned, “yea? Then I’m gonna stuff you full” he moaned and felt his hand cramping up but he didn’t care because he felt you tightening around him.
You moaned and wrapped your arms around his neck moaning his name as he kept pounding and rubbing you, “Oh god im so close” he moaned. All your senses were overloaded— the cold house on your back, Leo’s cock, his warm body, and the adrenaline from the risk of getting caught only fueled you and you felt your orgasm seconds away as he thrusts into you so hard and at the right angle.
Your eyes rolled back as you clawed at his back and squeezed around him gushing, he immediately stopped rubbing your clit and grabbed you by your thighs before ramming into you at an ungodly speed. “Oh fuck.. oh god yesses” you both moaned like a mantra before he sunk his teeth into your shoulder and came deep inside you.
You moaned in pain as you were panting and he groaned before slowly pulling out and setting you down. You smiled and huffed “So fucking good” you teased and he smiled “Yeah”. “Get your panties before anyone sees,” he says, tucking himself back in and zipping his zipper.
You did and looked up at him, he placed his hand on your shoulders and tried to fix your hair, “god everyone's gonna know what happened if you go back inside now” he chuckled “I don't care” You smiled and wrapped your arms around his neck as you stood on your tiptoes.
He chuckled and grabbed your waist, “yea?” he smiled before looking away and looking back at you “I know I only said once but um, maybe… if another boy tries something like that you know, maybe we can do…this again? Only at parties though— I can be…your little party boyfriend and protect you, sound good?” he smiled and you nodded, “yea I’d love that”
taglist 🏷️: @ghostkennedy @adaelines @konigbabe @rat-typewriter @meowsiee @dilucstruelover @antidesire @d34ng3l @alewesker
#leon kennedy#leon kennedy x reader#fanfic#leon kennedy smut#leon s kennedy#leon kennedy x you#leon kennedy fanfiction#leon kennedy imagine#leon kennedy fanfic#au
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I saw your requests are open and I simply had to send a request for Steve and Bee Girl! I’d love to see them at the Fun Fair or something equally summery. But anything you want to write is awesome! Thank you for NGAW, it’s such a fantastic series ❤️🐝
wow, how did you know i was writing exactly that already for this poll!! so, here you go my dear. steve and bee girl from no good at waiting go to the county fair | fluff, post-au summer fun, a little suggestive! 1.4k
Steve's been nagging you to go on a date like this ever since you took the kids to the amusement park.
"Come on," he'd say. "I want to let loose at a fair or something without worrying that one of those shitheads is gonna hurl all over a family."
"In the summer, Steve," you'd tell him. "We'll go in the summer."
Well, summer has come. Your life in Hawkins continues to be lovely. The farmer's market has started again and the kids run wild, seemingly growing before your eyes.
But today is about you and Steve. Well, and candles.
"So, you're telling me that this date is actually just a recon mission?" Steve says once you're on the highway. It's a hot day and all of the windows are down, the most recent tape you've made him playing low enough that you can still hear him.
"It's multitasking," you insist. "Bob says that rival farm will be at this county's fair and he wants me to see what their scents are like. And lucky for you, I decided to ask my boyfriend to come along." You lean over to tap his nose with your finger, which he swats at, eyes still on the road.
"Lucky for you, your boyfriend wanted to drive across state lines for some wax," he drones. You blow a raspberry at him and Steve grins, resting his palm on your bare knee. It's honestly too hot to be touching that much but with Steve you never really mind.
You'd left mid-afternoon so you could get to the fair for the cooler evening, and then plan to stay in a motel before heading out tomorrow morning. Your bags are in the backseat of the BMW and it's kind of thrilling to get out of Hawkins, to get away from everyone and everything you see everyday and to just be with Steve.
The drive is calm. You and Steve spend a lot of time together, sure, but there's always someone who needs one or both of you for something. This feels like the first time you can really relax in a while. You chat about nothing important, time flying by as it tends to do in the company of one of the people you love most in the world. Pretty soon he's pulling up to the fair, the sky now a soft pink, the lights bouncing off of the rows of cars in the makeshift grass parking lot.
"Have you ever actually been to one of these before?" he asks you, locking the car and linking your arms. The heat of the day is already fading and he eyes your bare arms but knows better than to suggest a coat. He'll just give you his jacket eventually.
"I think so," you say. "When I was young."
"These things are nuts," he says. "I gotta take you to the Indiana state fair someday. You'll freak." You imagine a younger Steve at one of these, cotton candy all over his face and the lights of the rides he'd be too short to ride reflecting in his eyes. You kiss his cheek, just because.
He doesn't question it. Something you've worked on is vocalizing your feelings but also showing him as much affection as you can stand -- it always makes his cheeks darken and his eyes sparkle.
"I can't believe you haven't taken me already, Harrington," you tease. "Feels like a right of passage."
Steve buys you a handful of tickets at the entrance booth and rolls his eyes. "Honey," he says. "This is our first summer. And I'm not the one working extra shifts."
He doesn't really mean it. You both know you're working extra shifts -- he is too, just starting in the fall -- so you can save up for a place of your own someday. For both of you.
"Anyway," Steve says. "We should make a summer bucket list."
"What, like we're in a teen movie, or something?"
He pulls his arm from yours and slings it around your shoulders, grinning at you. His hair is lighter this time of year, you've noticed, and he's got a nice tan. You met Steve at the beginning of fall and fell in love with him as the days got colder, but you see now that he's made for summer. The season highlights everything about him and he has come alive.
"Exactly like we're in a teen movie."
You laugh as you walk slowly through the fairgrounds, hardly paying attention to anything but the beautiful boy at your side. "Alright. What should we do?"
Steve puts on his thinking face. Bottom lip jutted out, eyebrows raised, head tilting side to side. He counts off on his fingers.
"Skinny dip in the lake, for sure," he says.
"If you're lucky." He winks.
"Do karaoke at that college bar with Robin."
"Oh god," you say, laughing. "I don't think they'll let us back after we tried last time."
"I don't think they'll let you back after last time," he corrects. You wrinkle your nose at him.
"Alright, hotshot, what else?"
"That's all I've got," he sighs. "But I'll workshop it. Right now, I'm going to win you a fish."
"A wha-- Steve, wait!" Your boyfriend charges ahead of you to some kind of water gun game where he can, sure enough, win a fish.
Steve does not win you a fish.
"Can we go find that candle stand now?" he says to you instead of apologizing for the lack of fish in your hands. You don't tease him, though you desperately want to.
Then you see something even better. "No," you tell him. "Because I'm going to win you a stuffed bear."
It's Steve's turn to look incredulous as you stride towards the ring toss.
You do win him a bear.
"Holy shit," he says when you hand it to him. It's purple and has a yellow bow around its neck. "That was kind of hot."
The laughter sputters out of you before you can control it and it makes Steve laugh too. He buys you some fried Oreos as thanks and makes sure to get powdered sugar all over you and then brush it off a little too thoroughly for such a public setting.
You do make it to the candle stand, finally, and the girl working it is so nice that you buy one. "Don't tell Bob," you warn Steve.
The evening is winding down when Steve convinces you to get in line for the Ferris wheel.
"Remember when we frenched in the one in the amusement park in the fall?" he whispers in your ear.
"Oh, do you mean when I sat in your lap and you almost busted your pants--"
He claps a hand over your mouth. "Yeah, guess you do remember." You lick his palm and he grimaces and lets you go. "Gross."
"You love it," he says. Well, what can you say to that?
You climb into the car -- this one isn't enclosed like the last one, more of a bench that sways a little too much for your liking, so there will be no funny business. It goes slow and as you rise you realize how pretty the fair looks against the darkness of the woods around it.
"It's so pretty," you say.
"Sure is," Steve replies. You don't look at him, but you put your hand on top of his where it rests on top of your knee.
"You better not be looking at me as you say that because that's so cheesy."
"Me? Cheesy?" You do look at him and yeah, he's looking at you. He's smiling at you. It's your favorite Steve smile -- it's soft, sincere. Almost disbelieving, like he thinks he's in a dream and he's going to wake up any second. You know how he feels.
The wheel stops and you have a perfect view from the top. "I never thought life could be this perfect," you say softly. "We've come so far."
Steve somehow squeezes closer to you. "We have," he replies. "And we deserve it." He kisses your temple.
"It's just so nice to be happy. To belong." Your throat feels tight and you're not totally sure where this is coming from. It's just another night, right?
"I love belonging with you," he says. It takes your breath away.
"That's so cheesy, Steve," you say thickly.
"I know," he says. He traces the faint scar on your palm. "Still true, bee girl."
You kiss him under a sky full of stars.
thank you for reading <3 reblog, send feedback, masterlist here!
#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x you#steve harrington x y/n#steve harrington fluff#steve harrington fanfiction#steve harrington fanfic#no good at waiting
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Champagne Bracket: Round 3, Poll 1
Propaganda from submitters Under Cut
Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu
He’s a bitch and a hate (love) him. I will now quote him below: "Sigh... I don't do the whole sweating thing, Neku." "Very impressive, Neku. Show those fifth graders who's boss." "Who needs other people's values? It's easier to just live by your own rules." "Oh! I can't say I'm particularly interested, but... I'll go ahead and ask, for the sake of convenience. Do you have a name?"
Smug asshole. Always playing mind games with the player character. Has many secrets but never shares them. Also did a bunch of spoilery shit.
Byakuya Togami
Very elitist, constantly calls others "commoners", talks about how he is gonna kill someone and get out of the killing game, hangs up a corpse and writes a message with their blood on the wall because he already knows the murderer but wants to see who is smart, complains the other students left him out even though he made sure to tell them every time that he wants nothing to do with them, pretty sure he screams in the 4 chapter " How can you know something I don't know?!", the only reason he doesn't qualify as a villain is cus he doesnt kill someone and in the end works with the rest of the survivors. He also constantly wants the protagonist to tell the rest what he knows
he's mean and self-centered and sees himself as above everyone else.
such a cunt 😭 doesnt eat breakfast w everyone and spends all his time in the library. (also he tampered with a crime scene but spoilers)
His title is literally, get this, "ultimate affluent progeny" Fucking look at him /hj Treats everyone as inferior in every way, even when they're trying to solve a murder he goes "how did YOUUU figure this out before MEEE???? >:0" Constantly has an "Me vs. Them" mentality about everything so he feels the need to prove himself to be superior - Messes with crime scenes because it would "make them more interesting" (purposefully incriminating someone else, who he didn't like) Actual quotes by him: "I'm only here to get breakfast. I have neither need nor desire to talk to you. Now withdraw." "You're like a child lost in the woods, you know that? A total waste of space." "You know, I still just can't believe it... That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long." "You have only yourself to blame—you came to me with your tragic little story. I didn't ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale."
This rich mf… He spends the entire game being a snobby, condescending, uncaring asshole. He becomes relatively nicer by the end but never stops being a dick. He also desecrated a corpse once for funsies. He’s also stupid but he doesn’t know that. I both like and hate him. It’s complicated.
He's an heir to a wealthy family corporation and he sure does act the part. He acts like he's better than everyone else and thinks they're not worth his time. He's just a huge asshole. (SPOILERS) He tampers with a murder scene just for fun and outs another student's secret alter, knowing full well it was irrelevant to the case. He also has a small breakdown about being wrong in another trial. By the end, he becomes a bit more likeable and kinda a tsundere that pretends like he doesn't care about the other survivors (but he totally does). Still very much an asshole though. He's a fucked up lil guy and something about him draws me to him. I would kick his rich bastard shins IRL given the chance, however.
He is emotionally detached from his classmates…
why you should vote byakuya "tell em naegi" thanks for watching like and subscribe
#champagne bracket#champagne bracket round 3#polls#tournament polls#yoshiya kiryu#joshua kiryu#twewy#the world ends with you#byakuya togami#danganronpa#blond jerk tournament
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Tumblrwoman Election Wrap-Up
To celebrate the end of this election, I'm gonna answer the rest of your questions!
First off:
Thanks everyone for participating! This ended up way bigger than expected. It was pretty exciting, seeing everybody chime in and participate.
Shoutout ESPECIALLY to all the people making fanarts, memes, etc... you people are incredible!!! Most of it can be found under #twe23, be sure to check it out, everybody!
Here's some highlights you people have made:
this github live number tracker made by @twilight-sparkle-irl during the vriska/katya poll. A THRILLING read!
this hollow knight miku oc by @anonymous-utility!! shes so cute...
@seasoned-cabbage made a wiki sandbox for the polls... it's so satisfying to see the stats laid out like this : D
@unidentifiedfroggy wrote fanfiction that just perfectly encapsulates the whole experience : ' )
General Q&A
"Who did you want to win?"
I myself think Vriska deserved the title most! I think vriska is just as integral to tumblr as Cecil is, if not more.
As for the other 2 involved, they didn't really care who won!
How often did you hear "Why are you pitting 2 bad bitches against each other"?
Often! One of us was going to count, but he got so annoyed that he stopped. You people need to get a new sentence.
"Why are there minors in a tumblrsexywoman contest?"
It's not a tumblr sexywoman contest, it's a tumblrwoman election! Before we made the poll, we considered whether it's better to throw out the minors or remove the "sexy" angle. We decided on the latter, mostly because this kind of competition would feel incomplete without tumblrgirls like miku and vriska.
Will you be doing this again next year?
Hm, not sure. Probably not! At least, I wasn't planning on it. We did this on a whim, and this is (SUPPOSED TO BE) my art blog.
I might make a blog for it next year, if these are still relevant and the demand is high (which i highly doubt).
Why didn't you answer my question?
I got like 130 asks this week and most of them were cries of pain and outrage. I was also incredibly busy irl until a day ago. If I didn't answer your question, Sorry!
Concerns about Corruption
According to the tags on these, every single one of the polls was rigged in some way or another.
Particularly grievous examples of this were Miku's loss (I suspect Vriskavoters doing foul play (I am vriskavoters. I voted Bayonetta to sabotage Miku. Then i spent the whole day listening to Miku voicebank comparisons.)), and Marcie's win (Somebody accused the Adventure time subreddit of having swamped the poll. The post in question had 19 upvotes. The poll on tumblr had 92,123 votes).
What's more, I've been offered bribes!! Several american dollars! The political landscape of tumblr sure is a scary place...
Manners
Some of you really don't know how to act. This goes out to a small (but very, very vocal) minority - don't be a dick! Just because it's the internet does not mean you can just insult random strangers! This is a poll about fictional women, this is NOT a place to call people the r-word or imply someone is stupid for liking a character.
Some people left pretty graphic, violent messages. Most of these were jokes, but still. Take caution with the words you choose. This should go without saying, but telling strangers to "eat glass" and the like is not acceptable behaviour.
In the end, this was a competition between fictional characters, so seeing people arguing in the replies and trying to gain some sort of moral high ground was a little bit saddening.
Most of you were nice though, luckily : )
Thanks
To everyone who left kind messages, to everyone engaging and having fun, the fan art, the posts, to everyone expressing their thanks to us - thank you!!!
In the end, this was a lot of fun, and it was nice to see the website come together like that!
What's next?
For the next few days, I'm going to be promoting my friends' projects as much as I can to scare all of you people off of my blog.
I got WAY too many followers from this and frankly, that is simply not acceptable. You all need to leave NOW, because I want to get back to posting art eventually and I would rather not be on everybody's timeline.
That's why I have decided to become a massive sell out and reblog my friends' stuff on main for a bit. Peace!
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Chapter 21: MY BIRTHDAY PARTY TAKES A DARK TURN
Thank you so much to:
@ary-cm
on Tumblr for the awesome cover image!
I can't believe I'm already almost done with one of the three series?!
PJOPJOPJOPJO
Will read what he was sure to be the last chapter title with heavy concern. What on earth could be left to happen to Percy that couldn't have waited until the next disaster of an adventure to start with?
Nico's heart sunk that's how his appearance was described. Apparently whatever respect he'd gained from Percy was already twisted into fear so early. He couldn't blame him, after what he'd talked him into. A lifelong curse he now had no clue about...
"Please involve something cool and fun for once," Thalia sighed, imagining him having one last fight to the death and passing out on his birthday or something. "Like blacklights! You don't enjoy the effects of those enough!"
"To see all the blood in my room? No thank you," Percy scoffed.
The rest of the summer seemed strange because it was so normal.
Will's tone was happy, hyper even, he seemed genuinely excited he was finally getting to share Percy having a normal time at their camp for actual weeks on end for once.
The daily activities continued: archery, rock climbing, Pegasus riding. We played capture the flag (though we all avoided Zeus's Fist).
"Clarisse actually sat out of most of them," Percy recalled in surprise. "Her whole cabin didn't, but she and Chris helped be the medics for a few fights. It was sooo weird, but it made a lot of the campers who were clearly uneasy about him warm up a bit. Especially when Mrs. O'Leary cuddled up to him too."
"He caught on pretty quick," Will agreed, "he still helps out in the infirmary too when he doesn't really need to anymore," he finished with a significant look at Nico. Most kids didn't seem to care who was helping them as long as the pain was going away, his parentage or whatever he'd done in the past usually wasn't on their mind when it hurt like that.
"Are you sure it wasn't changed to Kampe's fist?" Alex asked when Nico didn't seem to be answering in any way. "The first never even seemed to fit."
"Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to try and get everybody to agree on a new name for something?" Will asked. "Even if we did a poll it would be chaos."
Which was no bother at all to Alex of course, so she looked at him like he was the one who was nuts for pretending that was a good excuse not to.
We sang at the campfire and raced chariots and played practical jokes on the other cabins.
Will hid well how hard the adjustment had been for him that time marched on. Kids had come and gone from the camp, his siblings hadn't been immune to shocking deaths from a random monster attack in the forest or even defecting, it wasn't even the first time he'd been witness to such a thing, if only a handful of times before; but it was usually the ones who'd been there a few weeks. The kids who he'd barely gotten to know.
Lee had been there from day one. Had shown Will the ropes and been his Luke, his best friend, his go to for advice on everything there. It was strange for so long to not wake up every day and have him rousing them for breakfast. Micheal had never tried to emulate him either, he'd done it his own way, which had been all right, but a part of Will had wished someone in there would keep making Loony Tunes references, would keep challenging them to archery target practice instead of just letting the memory of him slowly fade away. Hearing him in Percy's life had been the most he'd been able to think of him in a few years now, and it felt nice.
I spent a lot of time with Tyson, playing with Mrs. O'Leary, but she would still howl at night when she got lonely for her old master. Annabeth and I pretty much skirted around each other. I was glad to be with her, but it also kind of hurt, and it hurt when I wasn't with her, too.
Percy expected the laughing at the teasing, probably a few snarky comments about Rachel.
None came, and as he looked around in surprise he just saw sympathy. Because he didn't have that option now with her nowhere to be seen. He had friends down here, but he still didn't have someone very important to be going through all of this with him.
I wanted to talk to her about Kronos, but I couldn't do that anymore without bringing up Luke. And that was one subject I couldn't raise. She would shut me out every time I tried.
Jason couldn't let that one go without a good laugh though. "I'm now imagining you following her around and she actually darts into random cabins or bathrooms or anywhere she can to slam a door in your face. Maybe even a window if you agitate her enough."
"You're right Jason," Percy sighed with indulgent exhaustion. "I should have cornered her in the woods, maybe used Grover and Tyson to triangle her in so she couldn't escape."
"You say that like she doesn't need an intervention," Thalia grumbled.
July passed, with fireworks on the beach on the Fourth. August turned so hot the strawberries started baking in the fields. Finally, the last day of camp arrived. The standard form letter appeared on my bed after breakfast, warning me that the cleaning harpies would devour me if I stayed past noon.
Magnus opened and closed his mouth several times like he couldn't decide if he wanted to ask how real that threat was. If he stayed and killed the harpies would he be punished or rewarded for yet another fight for his life? Would they devour him if he stayed until 12:01 or if he managed to avoid them until next summer would the ban be lifted?
He ultimately closed his mouth and decided it wasn't worth the headache.
At ten o'clock I stood on the top of Half-Blood Hill, waiting for the camp van that would take me into the city. I'd made arrangements to leave Mrs. O'Leary at camp, where Chiron promised she'd be looked after.
"Tell me you at least intend on riding her down the streets of New York once Percy," Alex looked rather betrayed such a glorious hound was being confined to one camp.
"She deserves to be on a farm where she can stretch and be happy, um, without the death metaphor," Percy shrugged.
"You can still have her for the weekend," she sighed but didn't argue the point further.
Tyson and I would take turns visiting her during the year.
I hoped Annabeth would be riding into Manhattan with me, but she only came to see me off. She said she'd arranged to stay at camp a little longer.
"I can't decide how the bus should feel about that," Jason told him with an almost straight face. "You now range from blowing them up to awkward silence when she's around."
"He's blown up more on his own in his younger years without her, I think the bus should be worried," Thalia offered.
Percy sighed and muttered something about normal friends, whatever that meant.
She would tend to Chiron until his leg was fully recovered, and keep studying Deadalus's laptop, which had engrossed her for the last two months.
"I think you should be thanking some god out there for making sure she stepped away from it," Will agreed.
"She slept with it, Malcolm has proof," Thalia agreed.
Then she would head back to her father's place in San Francisco.
"There's a private school out there that I'll be going to," she said. "I'll probably hate it, but..." she shrugged.
"Yeah, that but," Percy agreed with the same feelings of awkwardness swimming through him now. A feeling that apparently wasn't as good of a swimmer as him, as it kept coasting up and down his throat like vomit!
"Truancy, something even a child of a wisdom goddess would never break the rules for," Alex agreed tragically.
"Yeah, well, call me, okay?"
"Sure," she said half-heartedly. "I'll keep my eyes open for..."
There it was again. Luke. She couldn't even say his name without opening up a huge box of hurt and worry and anger.
"I'll get the key," Nico promised through gritted teeth.
"Maybe you could lose a few while you're at it," Will muttered. Nico seemed to have been better as of late about not keeping everything so close to the chest, but it was still something he found himself worrying about.
"Annabeth," I said. "What was the rest of the prophecy?"
She fixed her eyes on the woods in the distance, but she didn't say anything.
"You would nag Zeus himself about not finishing destroying you," Alex told him with a hint of awe in her voice.
"Seriously Perce, learn to let it go," Jason couldn't help but agree with a troubled frown. Annabeth had been through enough.
Percy didn't feel particularly ashamed though. His stubbornness paid off, and if Annabeth didn't resent him he wasn't going to let these guys make him feel guilty for getting the full picture. It had happened so rarely before meeting her.
"You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze," I remembered. "The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. We raised a lot of the dead.
Magnus had a cheeky remark on his tongue for, 'who's this we,' before he paused and realized. Bianca might never have revealed herself to Nico if Percy hadn't been there. His coming along on Annabeth's quest was likely essential for that to happen. It hurt his head, a lot, to realize all over again how powerful those fates were to be able to weave together such immensely different and important things.
We saved Ethan Nakamura, who turned out to be a traitor.
A line that Annabeth had probably hoped referred to Luke all this time, Thalia thought miserably. The girl had been a hopeless optimist when it came to him, but that would imply she'd ever fully admit to Luke being a full blown traitor.
We raised the spirit of Pan, the lost one."
"Raised, and or released," Will agreed.
Jason pursed his lips rather than putting in. He kind of regretted his comment to Percy because he loved that they went over these at the end to analyze them, but he felt like he'd only be encouraging Percy.
Annabeth shook her head like she wanted me to stop.
"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," I pressed on. "That wasn't Minos, like I'd thought. It was Nico. By choosing to be on our side, he saved us.
Nico still smiled at how casually Percy acknowledged the good he'd done on this quest instead of that unfortunate period of threatening his death. Seems Will had been right, Percy really didn't go around saying a bad thing about him.
And the child of Athena's final stand—that was Daedalus."
"I'm sure Malcolm is so relieved," Percy snorted.
"Percy—"
"Destroy with a hero's final breath. That makes sense now. Daedalus died to destroy the Labyrinth.
"Which is very awesome," Alex couldn't deny. "Though I'm still mildly disappointed Annabeth didn't discover some kind of sonic blast breath or something along the way."
"She uses words as a weapon, isn't that enough?" Percy sighed.
"Whoever said words don't hurt never got hit by a dictionary," Thalia nodded in agreement. She'd gotten quite angry in her youth trying to memorize all the homonyms once and thrown it across the room where Thalia's head happened to be.
But what was the last—"
"And lose a love to worse than death." Annabeth had tears in her eyes. "That was the last line, Percy. Are you happy now?"
"No," Percy whispered, shivering for the first time in the cold depths of the ocean. He'd always known she liked him, but it didn't really hit him until now she liked liked him. Not just admired and was impressed, as Percy once was. It left a very dead feeling inside him, wondering what had stopped her from running away with Luke back when he'd tried to kill Percy. If Luke had gone to Annabeth and taken her away then, how different his life could have been without her.
The sun seemed colder than it had a moment ago. "Oh," I said. "So Luke—"
"Percy, I didn't know who the prophecy was talking about. I—I didn't know if..." She faltered helplessly.
If it meant him, Percy clearly understood that context! She'd thought him dead, she might have even thought kissing him was some final breath that had been all her fault!
He found himself scrunched up in his seat to stop himself beating at the walls. He wanted her in here! He wanted Annabeth to look him in the eyes and say she was okay with how this had all gone and mean it! It was probably selfish of him to want her to relieve this nightmare with him, but he ached for her in a new way he couldn't even begin to describe to himself. Annabeth meant so much to him, couldn't her prophecy have mentioned that!
"Luke and I—for years, he was the only one who really cared about me. I thought..."
Before she could continue, a sparkle of light appeared next to us, like someone had opened a gold curtain in the air.
Magnus finally released a breath he'd been holding for getting to jump off the topic of the creepy idea of his cousin hoping some guy twice her age would be in love with her too and instead blanched in horror if that was Kronos/ Luke about to appear from thin air and murder them all. How was it possible her life was so much more miserable and complicated than his?
"You have nothing to apologize for, my dear." Standing on the hill was a tall woman in a white dress, her dark hair braided over her shoulder.
"Oh hey," Alex said with a hint of violence already on the horizon. "She owes you an explanation!"
Percy grinned a scary sight, tapping his fingers impatiently on his leg and glowering at the book. She'd scarred the piss out of Annabeth, her advice had been in no way helpful, and he had a bad feeling already he could blame more on her soon for how miserable this quest had gone.
Jason sighed. Just what they needed, another god for Percy to piss off.
Thalia was glancing uneasily between Percy and Jason though as her own guilty thoughts got an unpleasant jumpstart. Their reaction to her showing up only reinforced in her she was doing the right thing for now, keeping her suspicions to herself. Percy was already unhappy at Hera for his own and Annabeth's past, if he found out what Thalia was considering he'd rip apart the ocean in a heartbeat just to get rid of his growing tension.
Jason, Jason just looked like he would want no part in this. He was too cautious, to content to let things slide. She enjoyed that about her little brother, it would make picking on him much easier and made him nothing like their dad, but for this it felt right to keep him where he felt safe.
"Hera," Annabeth said.
The goddess smiled. "You found the answers, as I knew you would. Your quest was a success."
"A success?" Annabeth said. "Luke is gone. Daedalus is dead. Pan is dead. How is that—"
"Our family is safe," Hera insisted.
Will couldn't help but read that in agreement. He couldn't help but share the sentiment, that the good had outweighed the bad this time. His brother had died, his camp had felt vulnerable and left him scared to sleep at night like nothing before...and yet he still had a bed. Siblings he could lean on. Not all was lost as it could have easily been. There were better paths out there, like if Hera had actually stepped in and banished all the monsters before any of her 'family' had to die, but Will honestly read that with a sense of joy in his tone that, to Percy's ears, had somehow been lacking. Hera had been stating a fact with pride, Will made Percy smile in some sense of agreement of the word family, even if not the whole pie.
"Those others are better gone, my dear. I am proud of you."
I balled my fists. I couldn't believe she was saying this. "You're the one who paid Geryon to let us through the ranch, weren't you?"
Hera shrugged. Her dress shimmered in rainbow colors.
"Taking a rainbow in vain," Alex scowled hotly for such a beautiful representation of inclusiveness being taken hostage by someone so selective.
"I wanted to speed you on your way."
Will's voice cracked, like someone had stabbed his bubble with a knife. He knew Annabeth had a beef with Hera, the whole camp knew she blamed the goddess for Percy missing. His heart broke though that Nico's journey hadn't even been considered in her wisdom? That she'd only paid for just Annabeth's group to get through and any other half-blood could suffer the consequences? That had been Hera!
"But you didn't care about Nico. You were happy to see him turned over to the Titans."
"Oh, please." Hera waved her hand dismissively. "The son of Hades said it himself. No one wants him around. He does not belong."
The pain of hearing that surprised Nico more than the actual words. His dad said it all the time, he assumed it frequently from the few interactions he'd had with these major gods, but for Hera herself to just come outright and say it made him flinch.
Which quickly morphed into admiration when he heard Will cuss. He hadn't seen that before. Sure he'd been angry in the past, but never full-blown swearing like he was doing now. His southern accent really came through too, he was twanging bad on all his i's and drawing them out to a noticeable level.
"It's, erm, not a big deal Will," Nico patted his hand again. Not one person in here looked like they even sort of agreed with Hera, instead they all looked varying levels of anxious at Will and a tad angry too and his behalf. For some reason that didn't surprise him anymore, which surprised him. "We all know that's how the gods feel about-"
"It is a big deal Nico, because she's being a mother fu-"
"Will," Alex sighed, rubbing her temples. "I agree with every word you're saying, but maybe use some other language, oh child of a poetry god."*
Will finally shut his mouth with a restrained grimace. He didn't feel nearly the amount of better as he'd have liked after venting, but Alex looked as discomforted as Nico for once, who was looking equal parts uncomfortable as usual at being so focused on, everybody watching him for his reaction, and just a tad flattered at Will so vehementily defending him; all while looking rather anxiously at the book clearly wondering how Percy had reacted to that.
So Will conceded he'd made himself plain enough while wondering what the opposite of an offering was as he muttered and searched for his place.
Thalia looked on, mildly impressed and perhaps recruiting Will on her kill Hera crusade, while Percy just felt bad the guy was finally at his level of outrage. He hadn't wanted to drag anyone else down with him.
Magnus and Jason were to busy glancing at every speck to make sure Hera wasn't going to appear and blast them all to smithereens to react properly in time.
"Hephaestus was right," I growled. "You only care about your perfect family, not real people."
Will's voice still shook with fury at just how right the god of the forge was about that apparently. When the gods were born, how much understanding did they have? Had this newborn child looked up at his mother and seen the look of disgust on her face before being pitched off a mountain?
It was an ugly truth Will had never really been confronted with until this moment. It made him sick to realize if Luke had been telling kids this kind of stuff all along and how it wasn't that unbelievable to him anymore. He'd never considered the gods perfect, but growing up in camp had always given him a sense they'd at least grown from their first depictions as the very worst they could be called today. They'd laid out a safe space for their kids to practice and grow, they had to have been evolving with the times, if slower, right?
His breath shook loose, a calming feeling as he remembered his dad helping Percy find Artemis and how awkwardly yet fervently Posideon continued to help Percy. None of them were perfect. They were distant and often harsh and more often unhelpful if they did try and tended to make their lives worse, but Hera was just a horrible exception.
Ares and Hephestus, Zeus and Posideon, he'd never really had much firsthand experience with any god except Mr. D and flip-flopped between pitty and heavy annoyance with him with minimal grudging appreciation he didn't just incinerate them all and call it a job done. Percy's adventure in detail didn't really change anything, it just gave him a heavier feeling of what he'd been fighting for than he'd gone to Manhatten with.
It sort of scared him for a moment, actually, as he frowned at the rest of the page and his skin twitched with displeasure at what he'd really just been doing. He never would have considered thinking all that before being thrown in here, let alone saying it out loud, verbosely, and only having to be stopped because someone asked him to. He'd been noting Nico's slow change with enthusiasm, but hadn't really stopped to consider his own until this moment, and it left an uncomfortable knot in him as he continued.
Her eyes turned dangerously bright. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon. I guided you more than you know in the maze. I was at your side when you faced Geryon. I let your arrow fly straight. I sent you to Calypso's island. I opened the way to the Titan's mountain.
Nico felt his mouth open for several moments before he realized he should close it. Not since the stories of old had he heard such blatant interference, and it kind of impressed him. That Hera had gone so out of her way, unprompted, to help them every step of the way. He'd never have believed such a thing from Percy's own mouth, but to hear it from an Olympian herself was amazing. Like a real flip of the cards to reveal what her plan had been all along and strike down all foes come to life.
It was, of course, possible she'd done all that just to gloat and change history a bit in making her seem like the caring mother her title suggested she could be, Thalia's painful looking sneer proved this wasn't a popular thought, but Nico still found it extremely fascinating. He'd have never wanted such help from a god before all this, every interaction he'd had with them was laced with tension and she herself proved they wanted nothing to do with him in return...but that didn't make this less interesting to hear by a mile.
Annabeth, my dear, surely you see how I've helped. I would welcome a sacrifice for my efforts."
"Do you think anybody sacrifices to her?" Magnus had very mixed feelings about hearing this, Percy was a tad disgusted to hear a touch of pity in his voice. "I think she really did do this, like a kind of adoption?" He didn't sound that sure though. Like a theory he expected to get trashed. He even mouthed 'sorry' to Nico, not trying to disconnect from the fact she didn't do it well! Yet Annabeth's own mother didn't seem to have stepped in here, maybe Hera had really wanted to help and was just out of practice.
Percy strived to keep his voice even and not too harsh in return. "I, um, think it's a tad more selfish. It sounds like she was willing to win by any means necessary, it just happened to align with our means."
Annabeth stood still as a statue. She could've said thank you. She could've promised to throw some barbecue on the brazier for Hera and forget the whole thing.
Jason looked very queasy at all of this, for once instead of being the arguing party he understood both sides well. Juno probably did feel undervalued, with no direct link to those kids at Camp. Her temple dusty, her history rarely spoken of and if so negatively.
Yet, he had a feeling what Annabeth was about do. The same thing Percy would have done. He had almost grown used to the level of disrespect these guys so often showed to the gods, and it froze some inner part of him with dread at the mere bubble of thought, let alone what his ears were about to hear worse than anything Will could have called her.
But she clenched her jaw stubbornly. She looked just the way she had when she'd faced the Sphinx—like she wasn't going to accept an easy answer, even if it got her in serious trouble. I realized that was one of the things I liked best about Annabeth.
"Name a thing you don't like about Annabeth," Thalia rolled her eyes.
Percy opened his mouth, closed it, thought about it for a moment, and then said with confidence, "her love of olives. I tolerate them at best, but she puts them on everything!"
"Ah, the olive theory, a classic," Alex snickered while Thalia just looked at him with complete pity. Gods, boys.
"Percy is right." she turned her back on the goddess. "You're the one who doesn't belong, Queen Hera. So next time, thanks...but no thanks."
"Not really as harsh as I was expecting," Magnus admitted even as his heart tried to jump around his chest like a jackrabbit on crack no matter what he said.
"I guess that was her restrained dismissal," Alex agreed with a tad more disappointment. She'd probably wanted at least one jump scare at minimum to impress her.
"And this was the girl who warned you to be polite to Ares," Jason mumbled through numb lips, expecting her to drop dead any second honestly.
Hera's sneer was worse than an empousa's. Her form began to glow.
"That, is not great," Magnus said with a very dry mouth. Somehow Percy constantly pissing off gods felt like second nature by now, it really wasn't that great of a concern at this point since he was alive.
Where the heck was Annabeth?! Was this curse to be forced to live at the bottom of the ocean meant for her? If so, the digs seemed way to nice, though perhaps by their standards this was poverty?
"You will regret this insult, Annabeth. You will regret this very much."
I averted my eyes as the goddess turned into her true divine form and disappeared in a blaze of light.
Most of the others flinched and instinctively wanted to close their eyes, imagining a mushroom cloud in her wake after that.
Except Jason, who sat frozen in place without the good sense to do anything other than mutter, "uhoh."
Percy sighed, already knowing he'd probably have to tackle this idiot to the ground at least once in his life if he saw something cool enough to kill them all.
The hilltop was peaceful again. Over at the pine tree, Peleus the dragon dozed under the Golden Fleece as if nothing had happened.
"I'm sorry," Annabeth told me.
"She's sorry?" Percy asked meekly, a very strange expression on his face. "Where's my apology?" His tone implied none was needed though, his lips were twitching to much and he kept rubbing his thumb across them. They all figured out what that tone was and collectively decided they didn't want to hear it again.
"I—I should get back. I'll keep in touch."
"Listen, Annabeth—" I thought about Mount St. Helens, Calypso's Island, Luke and Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and how suddenly everything had gotten so complicated. I wanted to tell Annabeth that I didn't really want to be so distant from her.
Then Argus honked his horn down at the road, and I lost my chance.
"Remind me to smack an eyeball onto Argus's sense of timing," Thalia groaned. She would have personally handcuffed the two together if it would have resolved their problems already.
"Duly noted," Percy and Jason both promised, causing the others to snicker hard.
"You'd better get going," Annabeth said. "Take care, Seaweed Brain."
She jogged down the hill. I watched her until she reached the cabins. She didn't look back once.
Percy had never felt so much at once seeing her take off like a blond comet across the green fields. Her confidence in every stride, how happy he was for her she'd finally made peace with her dad and felt no need to look back.
The longing he wished she'd at least slow down, that she'd shove that tenacity of hers in his face and kiss him again when he wasn't about to die. That she'd tell him he was a Seaweed Brain and that her feelings for him were just as complicated as they were for Luke's at minimum.
Will's voice startled him out of his memory, to be dragged back here as lost and confused as ever what Annabeth would ultimately decide was best for her with no clue how to show her it could be him.
He didn't even know who to ask for advice about this. His dad was kind of out of touch at the dating thing, he'd probably just suggest Percy snap his fingers and offer to split the ocean for her or something, or ban him from talking to Annabeth if he didn't already know who she was. His mom was just way to embarrassing to even consider every time her name came up. Chiron, maybe...nope. Still to awkward. He was starting to become more convinced by the hour that lone memory he'd awoken in here with was a dream and a fortune teller was probably his best bet. Gods he was hopeless.
Two days later it was my birthday. I never advertised the date, because it always fell right after camp, so none of my camp friends could usually come, and I didn't have that many mortal friends.
"Do you, have any?" Thalia honestly tried to ask without sarcasm, but it sounded that way anyways.
"Um, I used to cat sit for this really old lady before we moved and she'd give me jelly beans when I walked her dog," Percy shrugged.
"A true bestie I'm sorry we never got to meet," Thalia chuckled.
Besides, getting older didn't seem like anything to celebrate since I'd gotten the big prophecy about me destroying or saving the world when I turned sixteen.
"There are so many themes you could do around that though!" Alex sighed. "I can think of three off the top of my head!"
"Alex can and will make a volcano explode in your apartment," Magnus sighed with full confidence.
"But I'll leave the surprise of who jumps out," she winked.
"Pass," Percy could only say hesitantly though. It sounded fun, he'd never even had a bounce house before...but hadn't it already happened? Retroactive birthday party? Maybe? If he survived another year?
Now I was turning fifteen. I was running out of time.
My mom threw me a small party at our apartment. Paul Blofis came over, but that was okay because Chiron had manipulated the Mist to convince everyone at Goode High School that I had nothing to do with the band room explosion.
"Yes!" Percy fist bumped the air with such exuberance there was yet another new crack in the ceiling. "I thought of that before but didn't know if I'd remember to tell Chiron before I left!"
"Now remember this plan for the next time," Nico chuckled.
Percy sighed at the already assured knowledge there was going to be a next time, but it had been a nice five seconds while it lasted.
Now Paul and the other witnesses were convinced that Kelli had been a crazy, firebomb-throwing cheerleader, while I had simply been an innocent bystander who'd panicked and ran from the scene. I would still be allowed to start as a freshman at Goode next month. If I wanted to keep my record of getting kicked out of school every year, I'd have to try harder.
"You say that like it was your fault," Magnus told him bracingly. "Until someone invents monster repellent, you can try all you like and get nowhere."
He meant it in a positive way, but Percy nodded as glumly as before. It was something he'd heard all his life being ADHD. He'd have to try ten times harder than the 'normal' kids and still never be on their level, which to him sounded like he really shouldn't bother trying that hard at all.
Tyson came to my party, too, and my mother baked two extra blue cakes just for him.
Percy bounced in his seat for a moment with one of the happier grins they'd seen on his face today. Annabeth couldn't or wouldn't be there, Percy didn't feel like his own birth should be celebrated, but his little brother was there. His mom had opened the door and greeted him with a Tyson worthy hug and had extra cake just for him and that was pretty much the greatest birthday present he'd want anyways.
While Tyson helped my mom blow up party balloons, Paul Blofis asked me to help him in the kitchen.
As we were pouring punch, he said, "I hear your mom signed you up for driver's ed this fall."
"Would Percy's bus explosion problem translate to cars?" Alex asked eagerly.
"Gods I hope not," Percy sighed.
"I'm not sure I get the stereotype about New Yorkers and driving," Magnus admitted. "You have to walk everywhere because the streets are horrible, but if everybody walks or takes the subway why are the streets so bad?"
"We're fearless about any obstacle but are to impatient," Percy grinned.
Magnus might as well have asked him to spell out those Canadian monsters names again for all the light that provided on the subject.
"Yeah. It's cool. I can't wait."
Seriously, I'd been excited about getting my license forever,
"Pretty sure that's something we look forward to from the time we're born," Will said wistfully. He'd spent the whole day of his sixteenth birthday on the chariot track, imagining it as his dad's sun-mobile. He'd spent the previous week painting it bright red and everything and, according to his own imagination, won every Indie 500 Race that day.
Only to have several of his siblings show up and hog the races the rest of the day from the rest of camp to make that a reality. Kayla had even painted brands and logos on some of them for authenticity while Micheal and Lee somehow always had the dastardly bad luck of fumbling the finish so Will could sail through.
It really had been a good day, and only a tad bittersweet at the end as he sat on the roof of his cabin watching the sun go down, his prayer unanswered of hoping his dad would just make an appearance, let alone let him touch the sun. Austin had assured him that night as he flopped into bed they'd all made that wish and Apollo hadn't answered in centries for any of his kids, just another day.
but I guess my heart wasn't in it anymore, and Paul could tell. In a weird way he reminded me of Chiron sometimes, how he could look at you and actually see your thoughts.
Will realized his thoughts had drifted him into a melancholy mood, and trying to jump right back out, he offered, "hey, did you know Chiron will help kids at camp get their license if they want to. He does something with the mist, gives them papers if they need it, but they still have to pass on their own merit," he finished with a grin at remembering Connor nearly drove his practice car into a jewelry store and still insisted it was an accident. It probably was an accident, but it was still funny too.
"I was actually wondering about that for a second," Magnus told him gratefully. He knew he was out of luck on that front and would likely remain homeless forever because of it, but for once this Camp finally had a solid, irrefutably good thing he might be able to look into.
I guess it was that teacher aura.
"Is the dark turn Paul's been a secret FBI agent all along infiltrating the school," she paused with a wild gasp, "or your family! And he reveals the secret conspiracy of hauling you all away to Area 51!"
"Alex," Percy sighed with a good-hearted grin. "You are going to be excellent at whatever you decide your life is."
"Living that dream," she smirked.
"You've had a rough summer," he said. "I'm guessing you lost someone important. And...girl trouble?"
"I guess we know who the problem child is, the ones the parents gossip about," Thalia did a pretty good impression of an ornery older sister to Percy's ears while he flushed and muttered a bit about how he wasn't surprised this had come up with his mom.
I stared at him. "How do you know that? Did my mom—"
He held up his hands. "Your mom hasn't said a thing.
"Oh," Thalia sounded as stunned as anybody while Percy went from shocked to pleased the fastest. Percy had never really missed his life as a mortal, he'd spent to much of his younger years being the odd kid out to even know what that felt like but at this moment he knew that if Paul was the dad in his life that he didn't have to be, things would have still turned out all right for him.
And I won't pry. I just know there's something unusual about you, Percy. You've got a lot going on that I can't figure. But I was also fifteen once, and I'm just guessing from your expression...Well, you've had a rough time."
I nodded. I'd promised my mom I would tell Paul the truth about me, but now didn't seem the time. Not yet.
"Save that for his birthday," Jason chuckled, "see how long he thinks you're pranking him and asking for his real present before it sinks in."
"Well I know who I'm scratching off my next guest list," Percy rolled his eyes.
"I was on the list?" Jason looked surprised, which Percy hoped was a joke. Obviously everybody in here was.
"I lost a couple of friends at this camp I go to," I said. "I mean, not close friends, but still—"
Will looked touched all the same Percy didn't go back to his home and try to forget it even happened. Maybe the next time there was a war council meeting and Lee wasn't at the table Percy wouldn't just blink and breeze right past it like it had entirely left his mind.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah. And, uh, I guess the girl stuff..."
Percy had never been the greatest with his words. He had no more clue what to say to Paul than to Annabeth herself, how to get started on her and Rachel and Luke and the constant question mark bouncing around in his head. It wasn't because of Paul though. He'd stood there waiting patiently the entire time as he'd gathered his useless thoughts and then scraped them at least five times.
"Here." Paul handed me some punch. "To your fifteenth birthday. And to a better year to come."
We tapped our paper cups together and drank.
Percy couldn't have asked for a better toast. Any year had to be better than the one he'd just had. Right?
"Percy, I kind of feel bad giving you one more thing to think about," Paul said. "But I wanted to ask you something."
"He asks you if you're a half-blood?" Thalia asked, because really, it had to be something with Paul. Maybe he could see through the Mist too and never knew how to say it before he saw Kelli.
"Is he going to ask what he should have gotten you for your birthday?" Will asked, imagining he'd gotten Percy, like, a black puppy that turned out to be a hellhound too or something and that was the 'dark turn.'
"Is he going to ask to move in already?" Magnus asked, no clue how fast these things were supposed to go, but it felt like 'a step,' worthy of including Percy.
"What is the capital of Bulgaria?" Alex chuckled.
"Yeah?"
"Girl stuff."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Oh gods," Jason's mind started spinning like a guinea pig. "He's not going to ask you what he should get your mom for her birthday?"
"Sounds, um, kind of nice?" Nico offered. Percy obviously got along with Paul, maybe Paul was looking for a way to spend more time with him.
"Your mom," Paul said. "I'm thinking about proposing to her."
"Oooh," all seven of them said with the same blank look. That was, so beyond the scope of their understanding honestly, they barely knew how to react to that other than nonplussed, maybe a little mild pleasure. None of the others really had a great enough relationship with their own mortal parent to process entirely what was being said.
I almost dropped my cup. "You mean...marrying her? You and her?"
"Sally and Paul, sitting in a tree," Thalia burst out singing with surprised laughter.
Percy came out of his dumbfounded state enough to react to that and give her a shove. He was happy for them, a hundred percent. Really, it wouldn't even be that weird, the guy was over all the time anyways. He just didn't even know how to process something like this because it didn't involve stabbing something.
"Well, that was the genera idea. Would that be okay with you?"
"You're asking my permission?"
Paul scratched his beard. "I don't know if it's permission, so much, but she's your mother. And I know you're going through a lot. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't talk to you about it first, man to man."
"Man to man," I repeated.
Percy had never been called anything more than his mom's little man before. He found himself sitting up straight in his beanbag chair, smiling with a new kind of pride.
It sounded strange, saying that. I thought about Paul and my mom, how she smiled and laughed more whenever he was around, and how Paul had gone out of his way to get me into high school. I found myself saying, "I think that's a great idea, Paul. Go for it."
It had felt like the obvious answer the moment he'd said it. Paul had looked him right in the eye while asking, despite their height difference. He was always there for his mom, he'd never made her cry. Percy didn't even know what else people needed to be in a marriage, but he already knew it would be better than what she'd had before.
He smiled really wide then. "Cheers, Percy. Let's join the party."
Percy had followed him with a strut in his step he'd never had before. His imagination had already been going wild, asking Paul to help him put on those weird monkey suits he'd only seen on TV. Would Paul ask Percy to call him dad? How upset would he be if Percy never wanted to?
But his mom...those seemed like minor problems when he could already feel the happiness through a kind of faith alone he'd never had for the gods that she was never going to stop smiling after this day.
I was just getting ready to blow out the candles when the doorbell rang.
"Did you make a wish?" Thalia asked with interest. The only time she'd ever managed to sit down for one of her birthdays was over a trashcan fire with Luke and Annabeth. They'd found some lumpy, frozen chocolate that had clearly all once melted together and were chipping it away, the two teasing her not to blow out their 'candle' that was keeping them warm, and she'd only promised her wish would be it never did. Other than that experience, she had no clue what someone would wish for.
"Yeah," Percy grinned without elaborating. It had just been a feeling really, of hope, that everything would be okay. He'd bottled it up tight and been about to exhale it onto that candle as a kind of offering all its own to the cosmos when that knock had interrupted him. He tried not to frown at that being some kind of bad omen.
My mom frowned. "Who could that be?"
It was weird, because our new building had a doorman, but he hadn't called up or anything. My mom opened the door and gasped.
It was my dad.
Percy had instantly felt zapped, shrunk back down to twelve years old again and seeing him for the first time on Olympus. He'd wanted to load him into a taxi and have some fairy tale ending. Instead, he'd told Percy he regretted him being born.
He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt and Birkenstocks, like he usually does. His black beard was neatly trimmed and his sea-green eyes twinkled. He wore a battered cap decorated with fishing lures. It said NEPTUNE'S LUCKY FISHING HAT.
"Pos—" My mother stopped herself.
"What kind of fake name could she have even given?" Alex asked in amusement. "Pos, pause, pus," she kept trying to enunciate that into something and looked increasingly frustrated coming up with nothing. "Posterior? Pustrami? Pussudinym? Postumus? Possible? Positive, Pustual, Potter, Pos-"
"Posey?" Percy offered. That was a flower, and a girl's name, right? Then he went crosseyed as he realized what he just suggested his dad should go by for any length of time.
"Yes! Great one Percy!" Alex cackled in delight.
"I think we could go through every religion to find his alter ego and he'd still rather just go by his own name," Will finally interrupted the madness with a laugh.
She was blushing right to the roots of her hair. "Um, hello."
"Hello, Sally," Poseidon said. "You look as beautiful as ever. May I come in?"
"Can you say no to that?" Magnus stage whispered.
"I wouldn't want to try," Percy shrugged though because it was his dad, not in general.
My mother made a squeaking sound that might've been either a "Yes" or "Help." Poseidon took it as a yes and came in.
Percy shook his head at the six of them getting a good laugh out of that, Thalia of course escalating it by giving him a hearty clap on the shoulder and saying, "well, now we know where you got that from too."
"I don't squeak," he finished with a long, exhausted sigh knowing he couldn't really deny any such thing.
Paul was looking back and forth between us, trying to read our expressions.
Jason nodded in understanding. Some random guy showing up probably had Paul instinctively worried about Gabe showing up, if Sally had shared anything about him at all.
Finally he stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Paul Blofis."
Magnus crinkled up his nose in disgust at the idea of a creepy, three-eyed monkey coming to mind who always introduced himself like that at the end of those old cartoons. He'd really hated that thing. It had nothing to do with Paul, it was just a bad name association.
Poseidon raised his eyebrows as they shook hands. "Blowfish, did you say?"
"Ah, no. Blofis, actually."
"Oh, I see," Poseidon said. "A shame. I quite like blowfish.
"Poseidon's favorite son confirmed," Will snorted.
"At least it's not Antaeus," Percy shrugged.
I am Poseidon."
"I kind of like that better," Alex said. "Just come right out with it, why hide?"
"I think we just heard Alex's life motto," Nico grinned.
"Poseidon? That's an interesting name."
"Yes, I like it. I've gone by other names, but I do prefer Poseidon."
"Like the god of the sea."
"Very much like that, yes."
"Well!" my mom interrupted.
"I have never thought of your mom as a killjoy before this moment," Thalia admitted. "Even when she's being boring and safe and loving, telling you not to die and be careful and all that nonsense. This, this I would have paid to see how long your dad would go on like this."
"She's a little stressed," Percy shrugged, "and she gets a free pass."
"She gets all the free passes," Thalia nodded in agreement.
"Um, we're so glad you could drop by. Paul, this is Percy's father."
"Ah." Paul nodded, though he didn't look real pleased. "I see."
"Oooh, jealousy," Alex snickered in surprise.
"I'm guessing Paul's not his biggest fan," Percy agreed, confusion mixed into every syllable of how he felt about this. "My mom always made sure I knew my dad didn't abandon me, but you know, I was a little kid. I don't think Pual would have taken to that lost at sea thing. He probably wants to speak to him man to man too," he finished with an awkward smile he'd definitely have to be a part of that conversation to make sure nobody got turned into blowfishes.
Poseidon smiled at me. "There you are, my boy. And Tyson, hello, son!"
"Daddy!" Tyson bounded across the room and gave Poseidon a big hug, which almost knocked off his fishing hat.
"Naww," Magnus smiled in surprise.
"It was that or Tyson was going to burst into tears of joy or something," Percy grinned in relief at this choice.
Paul's jaw dropped. He stared at my mom. "Tyson is..."
"Not mine," she promised.
"Legally," Percy mock whispered, using air quotes and everything.
"It's a long story."
"I couldn't miss Percy's fifteenth birthday," Poseidon said. "Why, if this were Sparta, Percy would be a man today!"
"That's true," Paul said. "I used to teach ancient history."
Poseidon's eyes twinkled. "That's me. Ancient history.
"Have the gods written a memoir?" Jason asked with a false amusement meant to hide his instant need for such a thing. "An autobiography? A manuscript? A rough draft I could steal?"
"Jason, that last one could count as high treason, worse than stealing the bolt," Percy told him with wide-eyed concern that wasn't really mocking.
Jason laughed like he was kidding, but even to his own ears he knew he didn't convince anyone.
Sally, Paul, Tyson...would you mind if I borrowed Percy for a moment?"
He put his arm around me and steered me into the kitchen.
Once we were alone, his smile faded.
Percy sighed as that chapter title came true, again. He wished they wouldn't even be there to kill his blue skies, always looming over whatever nice moment he'd been having. Like storm clouds rolling in and chasing everyone off the beach. His dad hadn't done it on purpose he was sure, it had just instantly killed his mood.
"Are you all right, my boy?"
That immediately felt like the storm running out of rain though as Percy smiled. Chiron had called him that many times, but it had never hit as hard as that did.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I guess."
"I guess," Thalia nodded without surprise. "You know Percy, you don't have to guess every question you're given."
"I'm right like, fifty percent of the time," Percy shrugged.
"I call bullsit on that number," Jason scoffed.
"And I'm to bad at math to do the actual percentage," Percy scoffed right back.
"I heard stories," Poseidon said. "But I wanted to hear it directly from you. Tell me everything."
"See, this is why they invented cellphones though, to avoid awkward moments like this," Magnus said with a twitchy feeling in his gut. The gods popped up at any old place now, yeah been there done that, but something about Poseidon being in Percy's apartment was giving him a feeling of anxiety. Ever since Gabe had left, Percy had always felt safe there, and though his dad was clearly no threat to him, it felt invasive. Like he could hear howls in the distance...
So I did. It was kind of disconcerting, because Poseidon listened so intently. His eyes never left my face. His expression didn't change the whole time I talked. When I was done, he nodded slowly.
"I cannot say I've ever had a god's undivided attention before," Will said with a touch of awe. When Annabeth had done it, he'd been infuriated beyond words. Now his mind felt overflown with jealousy at Percy getting the same from his dad. It really did feel like all or nothing for the Olympians sometimes.
"So Kronos is indeed back. It will not be long before full war is upon us."
"As opposed to the minor battles you've been dealing with," Nico sighed.
"What is war if not just for a bunch of little battles," Thalia agreed.
"Violent," Alex offered.
"Profitable," Percy raised his hand for something he actually remembered from a class.
"You two think you're so clever," Thalia scoffed.
"What about Luke?" I asked. "Is he really gone?"
"I don't know, Percy. It is most disturbing."
"But his body is mortal. Couldn't you just destroy him?"
"We've been asking that since he summoned a scorpion and tore a rip in the air with a sword," Magnus said, and by we he clearly meant himself.
"Mortal, perhaps, but there is something different about Luke, my boy. I don't know how he was prepared to host the Titan's soul, but he will not be easily killed. And yet, I fear he must be killed if we are to send Kronos back to the pit. I will have to think on this. Unfortunately, I have other problems of my own."
"That, was the best summary of the gods, and I didn't even have to Sparknotes it," Nico sighed. Yeah, your problem sucked, but I'm busy with other things!
I remembered what Tyson had told me at the beginning of the summer. "The old sea gods?"
"I wonder if Oceanus is listening in on us and muttering about how his strategies still would have worked," Thalia said with interest. She wished he wasn't such a reclusive old nut, she'd have liked the chance to hear the perspective of an old Titan.
"More likely he'd forget our names every other minute and be whining about how the Olympians run things," Percy rolled his eyes.
"Back in my day we squashed puny mortals on their birthday!" Alex even gave a helpful old man impression again to prove Percy's point, earning a grin from said child of the sea.
"Tethy's didn't seem that bad," Jason was clearly on Thalia's side with a hopeful smile at the door.
"So long as she keeps that thermometer away from me," Percy insisted.
"Indeed. The battle came first to me, Percy. In fact, I cannot stay long. Even now the ocean is at war with itself. It is all I can do to keep hurricanes and typhoons from destroying your surface world, the fighting is so intense."
His dad had been stroking his beard the whole time, a nervous tick Percy had never seen him do before. He didn't have his triton on him, also a first. Poseidon had seemed more human in that kitchen than Percy realized he even could be. Like that delirious moment of him just waltzing back into his mom's life and snapping his fingers to make everything perfect was possible for just this second.
And then what he'd said really sunk in. That his dad, in all his godly power, was already exhausted and torn in half by a war long before Zeus even admitted one was happening. His father, like any of the gods, was far from perfect.
"Let me come down there," I said. "Let me help."
"The summer camp I'm honestly surprised you haven't attended yet," Alex agreed.
"Not for lack of trying!" Percy groaned.
Poseidon's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "Not yet, my boy.
"Yet," Percy sighed, though when he did try and search through his mind to get a glimpse for that feeling, it hurt. A trace of pain lancing through him he had no wish to play connect the dots with in the slightest.
I sense you will be needed here. Which reminds me..." He brought out a sand dollar and pressed it into my hand. "Your birthday present. Spend it wisely."
"Is, that a joke?" Jason asked slowly.
"Um, spoiler, I didn't laugh," Percy promised if it was.
"Uh, spend a sand dollar?"
"Oh, yes. In my day, you could buy quite a lot with a sand dollar.
"Could probably buy a whole sand mansion or something back in his day," Nico snorted.
"Wasn't he kind of born owning the ocean?" Magnus asked. "How rich is he from just all the treasure in the seas?"
"More immeasurable than his already infinite power I'm sure," Percy sighed at them missing the point, as usual.
I think you will find it still buys a lot, if used in the right situation."
"What situation?"
"When the time comes," Poseidon said, "I think you'll know."
Percy sighed at the strange feeling that gave him. Like he knew his dad was right, and it wasn't even particularly painful like the last time he'd just tried to understand this cryptic advice, but it was still as exhausting as wondering whose string those old ladies had cut. Better than sending him another card though.
I closed my hand around the sand dollar, but something was really bothering me.
"Only one something?" Jason sighed. "Because I'm over here losing track of all my somethings."
"I prioritize better," Percy smirked.
"You forget more," Thalia rolled her eyes.
"Dad," I said, "when I was in the maze, I met Antaeus. He said...well, he said he was your favorite son. He decorated his arena with skulls and—"
It had been a really horrible moment in a vast, never-ending sequence of horrible moments down in that maze. Nobody was surprised this one had stuck with Percy.
It was nice he got the chance to air it for once. That Poseidon had a chance to answer for why he'd never stepped in and told Antaeus to knock it off with the murdery entertainment.
"He dedicated them to me," Poseidon supplied. "And you are wondering how someone could do something so horrible in my name."
I nodded uncomfortably.
Poseidon put his weathered hand on my shoulder. "Percy, lesser beings do many horrible things in the name of the gods. That does not mean we gods approve. The way our sons and daughters act in our names...well, it usually says more about them than it does about us. And you, Percy, are my favorite son."
Percy smiled to bright for them to do anything other than smile along, the answer had clearly meant a lot to him that they weren't going to badger for more.
Yet it felt more like a redirect than an answer.
He smiled, and at that moment, just being in the kitchen with him was the best birthday present I ever got. Then my mom called from the living room.
"Percy? The candles are melting!"
"You'd better go," Poseidon said. "But, Percy, one last thing you should know. That incident at Mount St. Helens..."
For a second I thought he was talking about Annabeth kissing me, and I blushed, but then I realized he was talking about something a lot bigger.
"There was something bigger that happened?" Alex said in an oh so innocent impression of Percy's voice.
Percy gave her an eye roll for that, a blush on his cheeks but sinking lower in his seat all the same for what he'd done.
"The eruptions are continuing," he said. "Typhon is stirring. It is very likely that soon, in a few months, perhaps a year at best, he will escape his bonds."
"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean—"
Poseidon raised his hand. "It is not your fault, Percy. It would've happened sooner or later, with Kronos awakening the ancient monsters.
Percy couldn't believe the weight that was lifted off of him, like taking a much needed breath of air. He did still feel the responsibility of that on his shoulders, but for his own dad to assure him it wasn't his fault was unbelievable when he knew best the gods would try and blame this kind of mistake on the easiest target available.
But be aware, if Typhon stirs...it will be unlike anything you have faced before. The first time he appeared, all the forces of Olympus were barely enough to battle him. And when he stirs again, he will come here, to New York. He will make straight for Olympus."
"Oh, so it's not just my birthday that took a dark turn," Percy sighed. "It's the whole stinking continent that's soon going to be covered in ash and blotting out the sun getting a dark turn."
Thalia gave his shoulder a gentle shake and her usual spiel about not freaking out to early while Nico batted his eyes at Percy in surprise. He'd been so sure that stupid thing related to him, that he'd hear Percy's uncomfortable thoughts about inviting him inside to darken his apartment. Percy's wasn't exactly a great interpretation, but it certainly was different than his.
That was just the kind of wonderful news I wanted to get on my birthday, but Poseidon patted me on the back like everything was fine. "I should go. Enjoy your cake."
And just like that he turned to mist and was swept out the window on a warm ocean breeze.
Alex chuckled for a moment before telling Nico, "you still have the best calling card in this one by the way, but Poseidon does get points for spirit on that."
Nico swelled with pride he was being compared to some god other than his dad to care what those points were worth.
It took a little work to convince Paul that Poseidon had left via the fire escape, but since people can't vanish into thin air, he had no choice but to believe it.
"I feel so bad for Paul," Magnus chuckled as he rubbed his temple. "Knowing the answer you're given isn't the truth but feeling crazy there's no other answer."
"Yeah," Percy agreed with a sorrowful nod. He'd felt awful lying to Paul after the awesome talk they'd just had and resolved in himself to tell him the truth sooner rather than later. He hoped he'd managed to do that before this whole disappearing off the face of the earth thing he'd apparently done so his mom had someone to really confide in about her worries.
We ate blue cake and ice cream until we couldn't eat anymore. Then we played a bunch of cheesy party games like charades and Monopoly. Tyson didn't get charades. He kept shouting out the answer he was trying to mime,
"Which is lucky for you because he would have kicked all of your butts being such an awesome artist," Alex grinned.
"I call him on my team!" Jason instantly yelped.
"Hey, no dibs before we even set up our own game night," Alex narrowed her eyes with a menace none of them were sure was entirely playful.
"Got to be faster Alex, sorry," Jason just shrugged smugly.
Thalia loudly cleared her throat to move that on before she had to restrain the two.
but it turned out he was really good at Monopoly. He knocked me out of the game in the first five rounds and started bankrupting my mom and Paul.
"I see Tyson really got all of Poseidon's good traits," Magnus laughed in surprise.
"I call him on my Monopoly team," Alex said swiftly.
Jason sighed in defeat they would switch it up between games and gave in.
"How do you play Monopoly in teams?" Percy asked.
"By making shit up I'm sure," Thalia shrugged at the amount of chaos that was going to happen when this night happened.
I left them playing and went into my bedroom.
"Aw Perce, don't tell me you're a sore loser," Will frowned.
"More like I was getting a headache watching their money move hands so fast," Percy grinned.
I set an uneaten slice of blue cake on my dresser.
Nico smiled in surprise that finally explained why, when he'd materialized, he'd heard shouting in the background like there had been a gameshow on when the TV was off as he'd come in. He'd thought he had shut it off or something crazy when he'd come in with his weird powers and aura and they'd fallen silent upon seeing him. Turned out it was a much more fun, and mundane reason.
Then I took off my Camp Half-Blood necklace and laid it on the windowsill. There were three beads now, representing my three summers at camp—a trident, the Golden Fleece, and the latest: an intricate maze, symbolizing the Battle of the Labyrinth, as the campers had started to call it. I wondered what next year's bead would be, if I was still around to get it. If the camp survived until next summer.
Percy did have another bead on there, of course, and he clasped his fist around the lot now, his throat as tight with worry as ever what had happened between all that. He felt like the best-case scenario was he'd come out alive, but the more realistic possibility was he'd just gone nuts and molded one for himself in a mock victory from his grave or something before being plopped in here.
I looked at the phone by my bedside. I thought about calling Rachel Elizabeth Dare. My mom had asked me if there was anyone else I wanted to have over tonight, and I'd thought about Rachel. But I didn't call. I don't know why. The idea made me almost as nervous as a door into the Labyrinth.
Thalia sighed with guilty relief he hadn't. It would have just been awkward if Annabeth found out about that...and yet she knew from Annabeth Percy had spent a large chunk of time coming up hanging out with Rachel so she was a tad surprised that hadn't started here.
I patted my pockets and emptied out my stuff—Riptide, a Kleenex, my apartment key.
"You kept up with that this whole time," Will asked in complete disbelief. "I need the brightest rainbow lanyard I can find to keep up with my key to my cabin because I keep losing the dang thing and my siblings started locking me out after the seventh time."
"I never lock my cabin door," Percy said blankly.
"You scare kids to much to sneak in there," Thalia scoffed.
"I want to know how and why you got a kleenex," Alex snorted. "And, more importantly, why you didn't offer that to Annabeth when she was sobbing her nose out."
Percy's heart froze and his mind scrambled as he suddenly found himself asking the same thing before Magnus jumped in saying, "probably pocketed it from that meal with Hera, I wouldn't trust that thing not to be poisoned anymore. Grover's probably just immune to such things."
Which didn't make Percy feel better, but did make him laugh for a moment along with the others.
Then I patted my shirt pocket and felt a small lump. I hadn't even realized it, but I was wearing the white cotton shirt Calypso had given me on Ogygia.
"I bet Annabeth loved that," Jason muttered, imagining she'd hardly looked at him the entire time because of the reminder.
Percy had been amazed it held up so well, covered in dirt, mud, and other unmentionable things he was sure. She was probably more amazing with a loom than Circe for giving him clothes he hadn't lost and or torn to shreds.
I brought out a little piece of cloth, unwrapped it, and found the clipping of moonlace. It was a tiny sprig, shriveled up after two months, but I could still smell the faint scent of the enchanted garden. It made me sad.
Percy touched where the little pocket had been over his heart, of course no longer there on his camp shirt. He had done the impossible, he had forgotten about Calypso even for a brief time in all the other madness that went on when he came home. Now it was Annabeth, Rachel, and Calypso all bouncing around in his head like a screen saver all fighting for his attention as his fingers tightened in his shirt before he dropped his hand back to his lap and sighed.
What the hell had Hera meant by it, sending him to her island? Had it been a warning, that all the Titans had faced punishment and Percy had better remember which side he belonged on? Had it been her deranged way of helping, giving him a chance to heal there, a place she knew he'd never stay on?
All he did know was that, like all help with the gods, it felt more harmful than good really. From now on, only his dad was allowed to send him off on vacations, and that was a spotty vow considering he wasn't sure what the outcome of this place was going to be yet.
I remembered Calypso's last request of me: Plant a garden in Manhattan for me, will you? I opened the window and stepped onto the fire escape.
My mom kept a planter box out there. In the spring she usually filled it with flowers, but now it was all dirt, waiting for something new. It was a clear night. The moon was full over Eighty-second Street. I planted the dried sprig of moonlace carefully in the dirt and sprinkled a little nectar on it from my camp canteen.
Nothing happened at first.
Then, as I watched, a tiny silver plant sprang out of the soil—a baby moonlace, growing in the warm summer night.
"I'm surprised Grover didn't sniff that out and eat it," Alex broke the heavy tension falling around them. "I honestly expected this to be mentioned back at camp as an invasive species and D would rip it up and threaten to strangle you with it."
"My brain works in mysterious ways," Percy grinned, a sad but meaningful one to help take his mind off all the bad. "That's probably why it waited until just now, weeks later, for me to ever think of cleaning out my pockets."
"Mmm, yes, mysterious," Alex laughed, because she said mysterious like one would their least favorite kind of cheese.
"Nice plant," a voice said.
I jumped. Nico di Angelo was standing on the fire escape right next to me.
"Nico's back!" Will yelped in surprise. For once he hadn't been tensing up beside him, fidgeting and internally freaking out about this happening, so Will had not a hint of warning any more than anybody else.
"I've been here the whole time you nit," Nico rolled his eyes with a smile.
Will's arm pulled him just another tiny little bit closer as he just laughed in surprise and kept going like the whole room was a bit brighter all of a sudden, making Nico blush and for the first time think of pushing him away making this 'a thing.' It was just a fleeting thought though, one he didn't act on.
Will didn't find it hard to explain to himself why he was so jazzed for this news. It was the very first instance of Nico reaching out to anybody, especially the most perfect person on the planet being Percy with his mom right on the other side of that door. For Nico to get a glimpse of how he should be greeted any time he entered a room.
"Is anybody going to ask how?" Percy yelped loudly, rudely interrupting Will's joyful reading as he stared strangely at Nico. "You appeared out of nowhere dude!"
"Practice," Nico said with pride in his voice, which of course, was no answer.
Percy groaned, Chiron and Thalia were known to do that too so it wasn't just the gods being cryptic and annoying, they were passing it on!
Nico really did give him a sorrowful smile though and pressed his finger to his lips, his skull ring gleaming. They had shadow-traveled a lot in the coming time, and he didn't want to upset Percy now when he saw the last page in Will's hand. They were nearly done with another, no need to go pushing Percy's mind to its limit when he'd get his answer without Nico forcing it on him soon enough.
He'd just appeared there.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"That's—that's okay. I mean...what are you doing here?"
Nico inhaled carefully, letting his mind think of that with interest now rather than the little happy dance he'd been doing in his head Percy's first reaction back then hadn't been pushing him off the fire escape in surprise. Now he really heard this for what it was. Not the blatant acceptance he so craved, just Percy reacting to him somehow even better than he had Rachel popping up in his mortal life. It was surprisingly a nicer, warmer feeling than his old feeling he had to keep off any part of his face.
He'd grown about an inch taller over the last couple of months. His hair was a shaggy black mess. He wore a black T-shirt, black jeans, and a new silver ring shaped like a skull. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side.
"An outfit you apparently never changed out of," Jason chuckled in surprise.
"I bet he has a closet full of the same outfit," Alex sighed tragically.
"I like this color," he kept the childish note out of his voice almost well enough. He should get used to defending his odd choices now if he was going to go to camp and hear this over and over...then he was surprised how easily that thought had come to mind. Tartarus had gone to far from his plans, he realized as a cold feeling swept him.
Will's hand curled gently around his arm, a warm pulse radiating from his palm that gave Nico a chance to exhale and focus on this.
"I've done some exploring," he said.
"A common day pirate," Will smiled in delight. "A vassst yee, I shall be tied down to no land!"
"See, now you're getting it," Nico's eyes shimmered with delight at the goofy impression.
"Even pirates need a secret cove to bury all their treasure," Will reminded hopefully. If that's all camp could be to him, a way station of safety, it would feel like enough so long as he'd always feel free to use it.
"Hmm, I'm not much of an artist Will, I'll have to work on getting a map together," Nico couldn't help the glib comment, the wishy-washy response. Despite how comfortable he felt under Will's arm, it was the longest, most permanent feeling he'd ever had in his life up to this point. Something so solid, even more permanent like Will kept wanting still sounded like to much for him to wrap his mind around right now.
"That's okay, I know a good one. X marks the spot and all that," he grinned all the same. He'd still carve that on Thalia's old tree when he got back and knew Nico at least would get the reference.
"Thought you'd like to know, Daedalus got his punishment."
Will's voice somehow sparked with even more joy getting to read this so soon. He really had wanted to know his fate, and Alex was right there with him, leaning forward eagerly in her seat, her teeth sunk into her lip as she wavered back in forth in her head how harsh she wanted to hear this being.
"You saw him?"
Nico nodded. "Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for an eternity, but my father had other ideas.
Nico had been surprised when he'd showed up in his courtroom he hadn't even needed to step in and offer anything for this. Daedalus had been such a notoriously lost soul for so long Hades had already taken an interest, and swift execution before Nico had even woken up.
Hades had laughed to himself about the cheese fondue idea and even filed it away for later though. As far as Nico knew, Minos was still on his seat at the judge's table, so he hadn't exactly been as punished as Nico would have liked, but hey, you win some you lose some.
Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It'll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He's still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends."
It was just the perfect kind of Greek ending really. Quintus, Daeadlus the fifth's body, had had a very long road, and his punishment was to continue making them. It was no reward, but really, it was no great punishment. Hades seemed to have found a stroke of balance in his domain that all wished for really, a kind of medium eternal life after his grand adventure that rocked to many boats.
"That's good."
Nico tapped at his silver ring. "But that's not the real reason I've come. I've found out some things. I want to make you an offer."
"What?"
Percy hadn't squinted suspiciously at him or anything, he hadn't gone for his sword or jumped back in and slammed the window in his face. He hadn't exactly jumped to his feet with delight either and hugged him for finding all this out, so, that had been the highlight of Nico's month.
"The way to beat Luke," he said. "If I'm right, it's the only way you'll stand a chance."
I took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm listening."
Will's voice was so happy as he read that, his pupils kept wanting to jump away from the text to glance at the two with such bright eyes. This, this had been what he'd been hoping for Nico for so long, ever since he'd vanished after the Titan War. He already knew Percy and Nico made an awesome team, the two working together had been the saving strategy and the reason they were probably all alive today. Why did Nico constantly think he wasn't accepted again when Percy had been open and amenable from the start to his plan?!
Nico glanced inside my room. His eyebrows furrowed. "Is that...is that blue birthday cake?"
It had been the strangest feeling, Nico shook his head at himself. He'd been glancing around for an enemy, someone eavesdropping. Instead he'd seen the brightest splash of color, a blue swirl patterned cake with sprinkles. The exact kind of thing Bianca would have smacked his hand for reaching for, telling him he'd get a cavity just looking at that thing.
He sounded hungry, maybe a little wistful. I wondered if the poor kid had ever had a birthday party, or if he'd ever even been invited to one.
No, and no, Nico pursed his lips together rather than answer. Will, thankfully, read right over the moment without waiting for an answer, bless him. Nico still considered himself a no on both too, because he hadn't been 'invited' to this party. He'd gate crashed.
"Come inside for some cake and ice cream," I said. "It sounds like we've got a lot to talk about."
"Everything Percy brags about his mom's cooking is true by the way," Nico said swiftly before anybody could ask questions they weren't going to get an answer to. "It was, the best cake, I've ever had." He smacked his lips in appreciation at just the thought. It had been the most solid food he'd had in months and he was pretty sure his ambrosia had switched to tasting like that for a while.
"We'll get her her own cookbook, or a TV network show or something," Jason laughed.
Percy had a lot more questions buzzing around his mind about how that night would have continued. He opened his mouth with at least three trying to all bunch together, but all that came out was a very rude yawn.
"The question now is, do we take a break or just start the next one?" Thalia asked, stretching and jumping to her feet all the same.
"A break, definitely," Percy pleaded at once. "Hell, can I take a nap, since the days all out of whack anyways and we start the next one tomorrow."
"Nap yes," Thalia told him not unkindly, "but I am waking you back up to at least start on the next one! We'll be in here for twenty years if you sleep to your heart's content Rip Van Winkle!"
Percy nodded and then, actually just slumped over, right there in his chair. It would have been a tad concerning if he hadn't started drooling only moments later.
Nico expected Will to jump up and join the others as they all started talking quietly, stretching and going off to eat, but instead he stayed in place, hugging the black book tight to his chest and smiling at it still. Nico still thought him nuts, but a very charming kind. Nuts and berries.
Something had been nagging at the back of his mind though. A pessimistic idea that wouldn't leave him, an observation about Will always being so happy and optimistic at the idea of Nico being at camp. "Did you kiss me because you want me to stay at Camp?" Nico asked, his stomach in painful knots that the answer was going to be yes and how much he should care about that and how much it would make a difference. Maybe Will did just want something from him-
"No!" Will's startled blue eyes were pure honesty. "I kissed you because I wanted to, no other reason." Nico still seemed confused though, so he offered, "look, I, I feel like I should apologize, for kissing you right then," Will confessed. "That, um, wasn't exactly, 'friendly,' and if that's what you need right now-" his arm started to pull away even.
"I like it," Nico interrupted, the surprise on his own face for admitting that causing him to sheepishly avert his eyes, but his hand darting up to hold his fingers in place, nearly pining them to his black shirt. "L-liked. Um, it was, it feels- felt, good, but if you regret it-" his hand spasmed as he told himself to let go.
"Woah, I never said that," Will interpreted right back. "I've been trying to get to know you since we met. I just, um, was trying to make sure-" he was blushing himself and stammering and going very blank in the mind to find words to describe anything.
"Right, well," Nico took a shaky breath but looked back at him with a hesitant smile. He interlocked their fingers, and Will easily mimicked him. "That's, established. Neither of us, regret it, and we both like talking, so let's just, keep doing, that."
"Sounds perfect," Will grinned.
PJOPJOPJO
I am not promising that this will be the last book to end with Solangelo, I don't want to be a liar like that, but I do already have the ending to the next book planned out and it's not focused on them, so there's that?
So I'm taking a short break and then posting Demigod Files next month for sure, and then I'm going to start Last Olympian in May! I'm so excited guys, I'm looking forward to it all as much as anybody!
*I know most people probably imagine Alex using the f' word like a bestie, but I'm more familiar with people who grew up in verbally abusive households disliking strong language because it's been used on them to much. Also I do my best to keep these PG, T at most, so it's going to stay at least in the level of clean you've seen so far in the tone of the original books, so this is what I'm going with.
#pjo#Percy Jackson#HDYSG#Thalia Grace#Jason Grace#alex fierro#Magnus Chase#Will Solace#nico di angelo#solangelo#fierrochase#percabeth#BotL#battle of the labyrinth
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tva tumblr dashboard simulator (limbo of after s1 but before the big events of s2)
✳️ childoflizardwizards Follow
Can L1130 stop throwing infinity stones at me while I review his mission report
✳️ childoflizardwizards Follow
I told him I was gonna snitch to Mobius and he stopped
#X-5 was right #he literally deflated the moment I told him how much power does Mobius hold over this guy
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🔆 hunter-a-9 Follow
just learned theres a department called repairs & advancements and its run by just one guy?? so thats how my tempad gets fixed
🐍 ouroboros-rna Follow
hello! (-‿◦☀)
🐌 deskslug Follow
wait. ouroboros? did you write the tva official handbook
🐍 ouroboros-rna Follow
yes :D
🐌 deskslug Follow
OH MY GOD I'M A HUGE FAN CAN YOU SIGN MINE
🐍 ouroboros-rna Follow
sure! just come down to r&a ^_^
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do you ever think about your l̵̝̦̝̻̹̹̿̌̔̓͒̎̃̇͠ͅi̷̙̿̋̃̕f̸̬̘̙̀ͅe̷̦͍͎̮̎̔͑̐̀̿̾̓̎̋ ̵̢̭̺̹̈ó̵̘̫̣̹͖̜̞̫͍͘ǹ̴̠̩̼̩͔̈́̇̀͒̈́̓̽͝ ̶̛͇̒̅͋͛̉̓̄t̶̡̼͎̟̀͌̿͒̕h̴̛͓̣͍̓̊̈́̈́͑e̶̟̩͑̈ ̸̫̱̥̉̅̓̓̚t̷̗̲̲̞̺̞̣͍̮̐̾͊̀̎̚̚i̷̻͑̉̐̊̆̾̽̽̃̚ḿ̷͉̻̩̝̗̉ḛ̴̡̘̣̖͖̮́l̴̡̞͓̪̹̦͚̟̑̂̉̅̏̍͐í̵̘̪́̽̿̿̈́ͅn̴̯̬̫̭̮͉̝͐̒̂̒̽͆͜͝ȩ̶̤͈̪͓̠̝̮̳̔͘
🃏 probablygambledinapastlife Follow
DEACTIVATED?? THIS WAS POSTED 5 SECONDS AGO
#fishy #i thought it wasn't possible for weird fonts besides the tva standard ones #it is now! #MISS MINUTES???
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📜 judge-gamble Follow
did i just see renslayer open the sims 4 on her tempad
#so much for the rule of not jailbreaking them
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📌 acoolusername Follow
blonde woman stepped through a time door and is currently making me type this as she holds a dagger to my throat, so does anyone know where mobius and the variant are
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
probably making out
✏️ grammarwarriorattheoffice Follow
They're in the auto-mat.
📌 acoolusername Follow
thanks you guys suck -syl
📞 notastandout Follow
@alligatorwithacrown-inmourning i was across from op and her, she looked hella pissed when she saw your rb
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
they would make a good couple tho
✏️ grammarwarriorattheoffice Follow
Our job is to manage the timeline, not speculate on relationships.
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
do you think her and the variant were exes
📞 notastandout Follow
do you ever shut up
#annoying cubicle neighbors
18,223 notes
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
📞 notastandout Follow
GO BACK TO WORK
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
im pretty sure that the blonde woman was the variant's ex
🚨 casey-prisoner Follow
I'm going to gut you like a fish!
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
WHAT WAS THAT FOR
🚨 casey-prisoner Follow
The variant taught me that one! And go back to work, Emilia is going to start lashing out on me if you keep posting :)
📞 notastandout Follow
damn right casey
7,458 notes
🧶 weavingitallup Follow
can someone prune the variant (aka loki (of many), aka L1130, aka mobius's pet) hes going to destroy the tva if he keeps teaching casey these things
#i miss when fish didnt exist yet
5,100 notes
? XXXXX Follow
Hi y'all, this post has received a warning and will be deleted soon! Please carry on.
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💤 snoozingtilltheendoftime Follow
do you think anyone has ever gotten freaky with this
🏖️ howtoretireatajobyouweremadefor Follow
op what the hell is wrong with you
💤 snoozingtilltheendoftime Follow
i sit at a desk for eons
🍴 thesaladinthecafeteria-isspoiled Follow
miss minutes please do your job and delete this post
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🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow
Why is there a poll discussing my relationship with the variant?
📞 notastandout Follow
@alligatorwithacrown-inmourning
🐊 alligatorwithacrown-inmourning Follow
FUCK
🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow
keep up the great work people
🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow
He took my TemPad, sorry.
🗡️ sylvie Follow
loki we need to talk the next time you come over
📞 notastandout Follow
wait weren't you the girl that almost killed my coworker
🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow
i can come over now is it an emergency
🗡️ sylvie Follow
not for me but for you
🔎 mobius-m-mobius Follow
im not coming over
📌 acoolusername Follow
SHE ALMOST KILLED ME
🗡️ sylvie Follow
;)
2,023 notes
#loki series#loki#time variance authority#tva#loki laufeyson#mobius m mobius#sylvie laufeydottir#miss minutes#fake tumblr post#fake tumblr dash#most of this is self indulgent tbh
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Hey quick question to the smiling critters fandom cause I'm making a fic and idk if I should tag it as Psychological horror or comedy or both (poll near the end before the death headcanons), and some headcanons on how the smiling critters died
If I made a fic where the smiling critters reincarnated , like, all of them, and they reincarnated into the cartoon world
BUT (and here's kinda where I find it a comedy) they don't know everyone else reincarnated, and they're pretending they didn't reincarnate (cause they don't want the others to worry about them/ think they're weird in case the other critters didn't reincarnate, and they really don't want to ruin their second chance), and they keep getting into scenarios where like "did the others reincarnated or no??" And maybe they also think only some of them reincarnated
(I headcanon they died one by one, catnap being last, so they don't know if the others died as well, so they don't know if they reincarnated as well)
So it's a kinda a comedy of scenarios where they're like "who's reincarnated??" "I hope they don't think I'm acting weirdly" and some "I hope they don't realize I'm not they're actually [insert character here], and hopefully they don't realize I somehow replaced them"
Then the reason why it's psychological horror :
Well, since they all died, and most of the reason due to catnap and stuff, they're kinda walking on eggshells, not knowing if they can trust they're friends
(I headcanon [sourced from PickyPiggy's cutout] that PickyPiggy ate KickinChicken, CraftyCorn and BubbaBubbaphant, so yeah, definitely some trauma there, and maybe PickyPiggy starved to death [I think she said "still hungry..." In her cutout after all])
And maybe retaining some fears from how they died and trauma from the past life that that they kinda have to repress cause they don't want the others to worry (since they don't know if they're even their friends, and if they would understand, [so maybe angst as well in the tags,that's one hell of a whiplash if I decide to include all three tags lol])
Anyways, onto the headcanons of how they died, and how this might affect how they act in the fic
Catnap and Dogday:
We already know how they died, Catnap with a painful boop and Dogday getting possessed, so no headcanon needed there (though, it wasn't really said Dogday died, but I'm pretty sure I would die if that happened to me, but maybe Dogday is built different, who knows)
So Dogday is probs scared of catnap, like everyone else (and probably dislikes catnap, especially when he said "that...thing...Catnap" like, zamn)
PickyPiggy:
Seeing in her cardboard cutout saying "Still hungry..." I'm guessing she starved to death or something, so she's probably more hungry in the fic, OR she doesn't like eating anymore
Craftycorn, KickinChicken and BubbaBubbaphant:
Seeing how PickyPiggy said "Seared Unicorn, Grilled chicken, Flayed elephant, yum!" (or something like that), and then "hey, wanna be my friend?" Guessing PickyPiggy ate them. So the three probably hate and/or are scared of PickyPiggy, and maybe everytime they hear her stomach growl they just tense up and get a meal ready (or just bolt)
BobbyBearhug:
I'm guessing she got lost, seeing like, on her cardboard cutout she said she was lost and stuff and "you won't leave me, right?" So I'm guessing she and her companion (may e they were searching for supplies or traveling or something) got lost / split up, and BobbyBearhug eventually died while lost, so yeah, maybe some abandonment issues for her,
HoppyHopscotch:
Guessing she fell to her death, seeing as like, her cardboard cutout screams "JUMPPPPP!" so I'm guessing she jump through a big home while running away from someone (maybe catnap) and tried to jump over the big hole (there's lots in playcare after all) but fell to her death, I also kinda theories she might've been with BobbyBearhug at the time, and tried to jump with BobbyBearhug but may e BobbyBearhug hesitated, and saw HoppyHopscotch fall to her doom, may e HoppyHopscotch even abandoned BobbyBearhug just to try and jump to the other side, which would probably make BobbyBearhug more traumatized (poor girl, frfr), anyways, so probably some fear of heights for HoppyHopscotch
Anyways, if you guys got your own theories, don't be afraid to tell me! I like reading theories about characters I like, and if you guys got like, any scenarios I can do for my fic that would be cool too (since I'm opting for a more show-like fic, since they reincarnated into a cartoon world where they're kinda like in a show so the chapters are kinda like episodes I guess, idk how to explain it lol)
Also, Dogday and Catnaps names are probably the shortest cause they're the main two characters, thus, it's better to have shorter and more recognizable names, especially since the show Is catered to more younger audiences, (though, it makes less sense if you view Catnap as the newest member [especially since Catnap plush was recalled and stuff, ] but may e he's the guy they add when the show is losing popularity to boost ratings, but there's no way Smiling Critters loses popularity)
#the smiling critters#smiling critters#deep sleep#poppy playtime 3#dogday#Catnap#bobby bearhug#HoppyHopscotch#BubbaBubbaphant#kickinchicken#Craftycorn#picky piggy
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I think that the complaints about Vickie are less "she is too similar to Robin" (bc girl literally had half a scene of screentime. we have no idea who she is.) and more "once again there are only two (2) explicitly queers in the show (I will always be a Will should've come out to Jonathan truther) so of course they will be forced together".
She was only barely introduced. It feels a lot like the only reason she exists is so Robin can be with someone. The Duffers already have problems dealing with their current (pretty big) cast, it does not bode well for Vickie's characterisation tbh (I'm sorry, I love him as much as the next person. But Argyle's one (1) personality trait is literally. Weed. So it doesn't seem improbable that Vickie's one (1) personality trait would be becoming Robin's girlfriend. Which would suck for obvious reasons. Also, like. They are already infamous for their treatment of queer(-coded) characters)
It would also take away from stobin time, which is an already established dynamic everyone (if you don't you are simply factually incorrect sorry not sorry) loves. The cast is huge, the Duffers will have to pick and choose who they want to focus on, and it seems way more probable that those will be the established mcs (Will & El especially) and not Robin's side-character love interest. I mean, it would honestly be bad storytelling if they did that in the last season.
Especially since the straight romances are so good. Lumax? Absolute banger. The early Stancy development? So good. Jancy? Pretty sure there's a poll out there about how they are one of the most well-liked couples. Mileven? Multiple seasons establishing groundwork before they even get together. To have Vickie not even be a character before she is thrown into a relationship with the only lesbian feels a bit like a slap in the face. Like, at least Steve had a bunch of character development after the breakup but that can't happen with Vickie because it's the last season and they really have other stuff to worry about 😪 Like, idk, at least everyone else had a choice, which is part of what makes those romances so impactful (lumax, jancy, etc etc), while Robin - on the count of being a lesbian and Vickie being the only other sapphic character - really.....doesn't.
(Plus maybe it's the aro in me speaking, but I found it kinda cool to have a canonically queer character whose story arc is not completely focused on romance for once)
I also think this part of the reason why ronance got so big. Nancy already *is* her own person. Nobody can look at Nancy and say "her only personality is being queer" or "she's only here so Robin doesn't end up alone because we obviously need to pair everyone off somehow". A relationship between them would be another facette of their development, not the one thing that defines them. (Like. Her being bi is literally the only reason Vickie is even in the season. Sorry not sorry.)
But I mean. The season isn't out. We barely saw the two interact. My expectations are already below ground level. Maybe they will surprise me.
#i hope this doesnt come off as discourse or mean it was just an observation#analyzing what my feelings regarding this are and putting it into words#tbh i personally would rather robin and vickie be queer bffs than girlfriends. but. once again. very aro#stranger things#robin buckley#vickie stranger things#(she doesnt even have a last name 😭)#robin x vickie#ronance#stobin#st s5
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Group B, Round 2, Poll 2:
Propaganda under the cut
Starscream
This mf is THE gaslight gatekeep girlboss of Transformers. He manipulates EVERYONE he can and is constantly trying to kill his boss to take his position. He has probably tried to literally gaslight someone before I'm sure, there's a lot of versions of him and they have different levels of fuckery but they're all A Bitch (affectionate). He's also tried to kill a bunch of people so you could say he's trying to gatekeep being alive. He also has an exclusive crew in a few different continuities that he has high standards for
Every 5 seconds he's trying to assassinate Megatron and declare himself leader, lied to everyone about succeeding, actually succeeded, became immortal, is the queerest transformer (which is saying a lot bc they're all really gay) and has high heels. Also I think it would be really funny and there are exactly 0 tf fans who would object to him being in this.
Takuto Maruki
literally rewrites reality so that dead people come back to life and makes someone believe she is her dead sister since she couldn’t cope with being responsible for her death (he’s her counsellor btw). tries to convince you that this is the ideal reality and also did a similar thing to the girl from before to his ex fiancée (just fiancée at the time? i don’t remember it’s late i’m sorry). he does give you snacks but other than that he is literally gaslighting reality itself and gatekeeping reality from like the general public. pretty girlboss (funny thing is he’s also a complete failguy he smacks his head into microphones all the time and is super awkward but also see above. pretty cool)
#round 2#group b#Maccadam#Macaddam#Starscream#Transformers#Transformers Starscream#takuto maruki#persona#persona 5 royal
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