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#same person who co-worked on Six
mollificen · 2 years
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Some good news (especially for the theatre community!!)
There’s gonna be a west end revival of legally blonde, and the cast is super diverse!!
We have Courtney Bowman (a plus sized black woman) playing Elle!
From what I can tell the cast is mostly POC. Plus the show features two trans people, playing Enid and Margot!
(Issac Hesketh who’s playing Margot uses they/she/he pronouns. I unfortunately couldn’t find Alžbeta Matyšáková’s pronouns, but they’re gonna play Enid!)
Emmet and Paulette will also be played by black actors!
I genuinely cannot wait.
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Character similarities
Ok sso I know that many people have pointed out the similarities between Kaz Brekker and Nikolai and Nikolai and the Darling and therefore all three of them, because let's be honest, they are the same people just living and raise in different environments and circumstances.
And the parallels between kaz Brekker and Anthony lockwood have also been drawn. They are definitely more different than the three above but the similarities cannot be ignored. I mean investment and asset are practically the same thing but kaz is much less of an idiot than lockwood, at least in a practical sense. Emotionally, well for all his closed offness lockwood wins that with a landslide. I'd honestly compare lockwood to Nikolai more than kaz because apart from the fashion sense, Nikolai is more similar imo.
But anyway from that we have darling=nikolai=kaz
Kaz=lockwood=nikolai
And I'm just saying the master and the doctor can be thrown in here. I'm just too tired to figure that out right now.
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coldflasher · 3 months
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me every day begging ppl on facebook to listen to their actual vet and not someone on the internet who has zero qualifications whatsoever
#person: six vets have told me i should feed my cat this clinically proven prescription diet that literally doubles the life expectancy#of cats with this condition. but ppl on facebook say i shouldn't :/ what do i do#me: FUCKING FEED IT TO HIM OBVIOUSLY#some other fucking dingbat: just lie to the professional who is trying to save your cat's life ;) and feed them raw chicken instead#im TEARING MY HAIR OUT.#they'll all be like “every single vet tells me i should feed the specially formulated prescription food. idk why tho”#BECAUSE IT WORKS. IT FUCKING WORKSSSSSS#and then i show up like “hey my cat has had this disease for almost 2 years and hasn't progressed basically at all”#and they'll be like “omg what's your secret bestie” and expect me to list off a dozen random supplements or meds#or weird products that have no evidence behind them except “someone on fb said it was good”#and im like IT'S THE FOOD. I FEED HER THE SPECIAL DIET LIKE I WAS TOLD TO. THAT'S IT.#it's so exhausting and im tired of having this fight#but also if i can convince even one person to actually follow their vet's advice and give their cat the proper food. how can i not#it upsets me so much tho. like im in the group because they are helpful in some ways. there are vets IN the group#and they help you interpret blood test results and stuff and they are genuinely good in some ways#but when food is the number 1 most important thing you can do for ckd cats#and EVERYONE in this fucking group will just immediately try and talk every scared newbie with a sick cat into ignoring their vet's advice.#it boils my piss honestly#im half expecting to be kicked out of the group at some point cos most if not all of the admins including the lady who runs the group#are on the same bullshit. but what can i do#at least i did get some satisfaction the other day when one of the admins (who is a vet but can't give advice bc like. that's illegal#when she hasn't seen the cat in question) asked one lady what her vet thought abt x#and the lady was like “oh i don't trust my vet i prefer talking to you guys :)”#and the admin was like. okay well you're a fucking idiot. get off facebook and talk to an actual veterinary professional
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chosopie · 1 month
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SUGAR BABY - TOJI FUSHIGURO
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Toji loves a woman with big bills.
You came from a family of lawyers who owned a big law firm in the city. Your whole life had already been set the moment you were born, and like the rest of your family, you became a lawyer who could easily earn six figures like it just falls from the tree in your huge backyard.
Currently, you were still in law school when you met Toji from a bar.
“Where do you think you’re going, bastard?” The security yelled, using all his efforts to push the big muscular man away from the door. “If you’re gonna drink here, make sure you can pay the fucking bill.”
“I’ll handle it,” you tapped the security guard, waving your card at him. “It’s on me.” You winked at Toji, and in return, he flashed you a wide and cunning grin.
“Damn, lady. Do I know you?” Toji asked.
“No, but let’s change that.” You smile back.
Every Friday night, you’d meet up at the same bar and you’d always treat him to drinks and food. As you both grew closer, you’d meet up at other places like the mall so he could watch you shop.
“Do you want anything?” You’d ask while your eyes remained fixated at the handbag you were checking.
“Why do you ask? Are you going to buy me something?”
“Yes. Just show me,” you nonchalantly said like you could buy the whole store with the wave of your black card.
Toji’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open. “Anything?”
“Yep.”
In the end, you ended up buying a Rolex for him.
“How could I ever repay you?” Toji thought.
There was one thing Toji was proud to offer you—his cock. He was very much aware of how much he was packing. He had a generous length and girth that would surely satisfy you once you get used to its size. It was a perfect gift for you.
His offer was to let you use his dick to get off. He became your sex toy or personal dildo. You’d ride him at your own pace while all he did was watch in amusement. He would occasionally run his big calloused hands over your waist or help you go up and down on his cock when your thighs start shaking form exhaustion.
“You like being used like this?” You teased.
“Yeah, so when am I getting my car?” He groaned as you rode him at a slow and agonizing pace.
“I already told you, the newest model will be coming next week. Be patient or I’m not letting you cum anymore,” you warned him through gritted teeth. You hissed at the feeling of him stretching you out.
Other times, he’d pester you in a special way in order to get what he wanted. His face would be buried between your thighs, tongue slowly lapping at your wet cunt like a kitten.
“Baby… my co-worker Shiu has these new Ferragamo’s. Can I get those too?” He lowly said, his breath fanning your pussy.
“If you can make me cum four times then, maybe I’d let you.”
With his skilled tongue, he was able to fulfill his task, leaving you breathless and shaking.
When you would come home stressed from work, you’d let him fuck you and do all the work. Toji was a person-pleaser when it came to you. It wasn’t just for the gifts and money, but also because he was a sucker for your sweet praises.
“This fine?” He picks a medium and consistent pace, giving you room to ease up around his dick.
“Mhm,” you’d hum in response, your eyes closed as you quickly fell into a relaxed and satisfied state.
Toji was quite the company. He was a pretty thing to look at and his dick worked magic for you. You were definitely going to keep him around for a long time. After all, he was quite the investment.
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hezuart · 8 months
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LITTLE NIGHTMARES 3
aaaaaaAAAAAA
DANG OKAy
So I had a premonition for Little Nightmares 3. Last night I had a dream that Mono was just growing old in a tower he chose to stay in as a hermit and just retired there. The runaway kid's real name was revealed to be "Gilbert" and he summoned UFOs that performed a wicked cool airshow over the sea, but then the USA government shot them down and captured them for experimentation. The government was also after a bunch of super powered teenagers and children. They all swam away and tried to escape. Six was amongst them. One of the teenagers took a liking to Six and used her powers to change Six's (super long???) hair a bright red. It was then revealed the government figurehead in charge of the capture raid was Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. I should also mention every single person including the kids in my dream looked like they were from the Lorax movie. Like imagine Little Nightmares but all Onceler style. I woke up to several dozen messages of Little Nightmares 3 trailer and well... I'm very relieved it's nothing like my dream.
~~~
Anyway! I had very low, negative expectations for LN3. I didn't think it would ever come out, and if it did, it wouldn't be the same. I am SO glad to be wrong. This developer apparently also worked on Little Nightmares 2, so they had a feel for the story, concepts, atmosphere, and gameplay. Little Nightmares 3 trailer doesn't give us a ton to work with, but I see high inspiration from previously unused concepts. Like the crows and mirrors in the Little Nightmares comics, and the giant baby from Little Nightmares 2 concept art.
The crow boy looks as though he can go through mirrors and technically fly with a black-feathered umbrella he uses to float. The girl has a wrench, and at first, I thought she was wearing an ugly gas mask, but it's apparently an old-fashioned pilot hat. So I touched it up in my drawing to make it look more recognizable... and cute. Already their designs are very intriguing. Can't tell what the full story is about, but they're new characters in a new setting, I'm very excited to see the world get expanded!
It's still a somewhat different style and atmosphere to the previous two games, but this developer really seemed like they paid attention and made it as authentic as they possibly could, and for that I am so grateful, I respect them so much. I am now changed! I've got a hopeful and optimistic mindset for the future of this series.
ESPECIALLY AFTER LEARNING IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE CO-OP. HELLO?!
WHO WANTS TO DROP ME OFF A CLIFF?? LETS DO IT
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ninzied · 3 months
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and that's how it works
a co-worker au. based on the prompt: kiss out of spite. ~2.4k.
Alex can’t stand him from the start.
He tries not to actively dislike any co-workers, as a general rule. It takes effort, and time, neither of which he wants to spend on this guy—unless said work has been affected, which, Alex has to admit that it hasn’t.
But there’s something about him that rubs Alex the wrong way the moment they get introduced.
He’s hard-working, Alex supposes, and the quality of the work isn’t lacking. He’s punctual, and to-the-point in his emails. None of those things are an issue. He does make a habit of helping himself to Alex’s office supplies, but a few missing staples and running out of printer paper don’t exactly justify a grudge.
The guy’s personality is, objectively, annoying. He has the worst taste in ties, which to Alex says a lot, and he can’t go more than five minutes without alluding to his pedigree in some way (Alex knows this because he and Nora have made a drinking game out of it at work functions).
Still, it doesn’t explain the weird surge of resentment he gets every time he looks at the guy. And not understanding it might be the most annoying part of all.
He just wishes he knew why.
.
Alex works in the legal department, but the coffee’s way better in HR down the hall, so most mornings he’s using their break room. Most mornings, and at lunchtime too, and in the afternoons more than once until Nora starts cutting him off, which. Fair.
Apparently he’s not the only one who’s discovered HR’s superior coffee, though, because he’s always there too, and always at the same time as Alex. Seriously, can he not? It’s bad enough that they share a cubicle. Now Alex has to suffer the insult of watching him fucking microwave his coffee like some kind of sociopath, too?
“Are you following me?” Alex demands to know one morning, a little ridiculously. He’s aware that HR is not the best place to be throwing accusations around, but he’s kind of had it with this guy. “Because—”
At that exact moment, the door is opening, and Henry Fox is walking into the room.
“Oh, hey,” says Alex.
Henry glances at him the way he always does, that is to say, a little bemused as to what Alex is doing here. But Henry had been his point person when he was hired six months ago, so he must know Alex works here, right? Besides, he’s been coming to drink their coffee every day of those past six months now, and he knows Henry knows this because their breaks usually overlap and the way Henry barely says two words to him half the time is starting to feel kind of personal.
“It’s Alex,” says Alex, because, well, just in case.
“Yes, I’m aware,” says Henry. After a beat that’s long enough to get awkward, he says, “Err. Right then.”
And then he smiles and waves at Hunter, who isn’t even supposed to be here either, and walks over to take the seat Hunter has saved him like they’re all in fucking high school.
Hunter says something smarmy about a new art gallery or what-the-fuck-ever he went to last night, using a slightly too-loud voice that’s clearly meant to be overheard. Alex grits his teeth.
“Oh, I’ve been meaning to go,” says Henry. “What did you think?”
Alex scowls. Fuck, he fucking hates Hunter.
.
“So how’s the transfer going?” asks Hunter one day.
Alex jerks involuntarily and splashes hot coffee all over his hand. “Motherfucker,” he says, and then, because his filter is fully shot now anyway, he glances over at Henry. “You’re transferring? Like, jobs?”
“Oh. Um. No. Departments,” says Henry. Alex supposes that’s all he’s getting—four whole words must be some kind of record—but then Henry continues. “To editing. Starting first thing next week.”
“Oh,” says Alex. “Cool. That’s…a big move.” Literally. That’s, like, whole floors away. He opens the freezer door with his good hand, and wonders what the coffee tastes like up there in editing, if it would be weird to find out sometime. He grabs a fistful of ice.
“Yes,” Henry is saying. “It will be quite the change, and I—wait. Sorry.” He stands abruptly, and Alex stares in surprise as Henry comes over and stops right in front of him. “Please put the ice down.”
“Um,” says Alex. “O…kay?”
“You should use lukewarm water,” says Henry. “Cool, at best. For your hand.”
“Oh,” says Alex. “Right. Thanks.” He turns to the sink, feeling weirdly aware of the fact that Henry is still standing there. “It’s too bad,” Alex says before Henry can decide to sit down next to Hunter again. “Kind of a big loss for HR.”
Henry’s brows knit back together. “Is it?”
Alex shrugs. “To my knowledge, no one else personally escorts new employees to their cubicles on the first day of work. Like you did with Hunter here, for example.” He levels Henry with a grin. “I was there when you showed him around, in case you don’t remember.”
Henry’s expression is inscrutable. “I do,” he says.
Alex makes a point to not look away. “Guess that wasn’t a thing back when I started.”
“Ah,” says Henry. He’s flushing for some reason now. “No, I suppose not.”
Alex considers him. He can’t decide if Henry’s playing dumb, or if he really doesn’t remember that he’d been the one to help hire Alex. Then he decides he doesn’t care, because both options make him feel like something on the bottom of Hunter’s shoe, which he hates.
“Think I’m gonna head back.” Alex looks expectantly at Hunter, who only lifts his mug like he’s still planning on being a while. Fucking fine.
He can still see the two of them through the glass pane in the door when Nora walks by with a stack of folders.
“You okay?” she asks, in a tone that says she’s guessed the answer.
“Fucking no,” says Alex anyway. “What are they even doing? Talking?”
Nora sneaks a peek through the window. “Appears so,” she deadpans. “Talking in the break room. Unbelievable.”
“I know, right?” Alex scowls, then realizes he’s left without his coffee, which makes him scowl even harder.
Nora sighs, then slips her free arm through his. “Let’s walk.”
“Do you think Hunter likes him?” asks Alex. Because—not that he’s spent a lot of time on this—Alex thinks that Hunter does, and nothing is worse than the thought of Henry liking him back because he doesn’t know any better.
Maybe Alex should say something.
Nora is looking sideways at him. Alex isn’t sure why. “I think what Hunter likes is people with a pedigree,” she says. “Anyway, what’s not to like? Henry’s a snack.”
“What?” says Alex. Objectively, Henry looks a bit like an Adonis, but, “That is so beside the point. And just because Hunter’s like Harvard royalty or whatever doesn’t give him the right to come in here and trick people into liking him when—”
“When you were here first?” Nora supplies.
“What?” Now Nora is really missing the point. “This has nothing to do with me, or with Henry. I just meant, like, you know. In general.”
“Right,” says Nora. “I must have misunderstood.”
.
Alex keeps going back to the break room, of course. The coffee’s still better, and he can keep bothering Nora even though she’s transferring soon too (to marketing two floors down, the traitor). None of those things have changed just because Henry is no longer there every day.
The one thing that does change, Alex notices with a dark kind of satisfaction, is that Hunter does not go back to the break room. In fact, he starts bringing his own coffee each morning (Starbucks, which seems very on-brand). If anything, Alex only has more reason now to escape to HR and not spend any more time around Hunter than necessary.
About a week after Henry’s transfer, Alex realizes he’s used the last of the break room’s cinnamon. Again. Goddamn it, he thinks. He’s just spent the morning in back-to-back meetings, he’s getting his coffee hours later than usual, and now this?
He rifles through the cupboards for a second and then a third time just in case there's a rogue bottle somewhere. “Fuck me,” he mutters.
“What’s the occasion?” comes a voice from the door, and Alex turns to find Henry leaning against it. His arms are crossed, and he’s doing that chin-tilty thing that apparently means Alex has zero control over what comes out of his mouth.
“What are you doing here?” Alex blurts.
Henry raises an eyebrow. “I could’ve been asking you the same thing for the past six months or so, but I haven’t.” He uncrosses his arms and comes over. “Would you believe me if I said I came here for the coffee?”
“No,” says Alex, with absolute certainty. “You don’t drink coffee.”
Henry blinks. “I could,” he argues after a moment, then straightens a little. “In fact, maybe I planned to start today.”
“Uh huh.” Alex gestures for him to have at the machine. “Do you even know how to use it?”
“Can’t be that difficult,” says Henry. He gives the machine a dubious look, and Alex doesn’t mean to but he starts to laugh.
“Here, I got it. Was about to make some for myself anyway.”
“Ah.” Henry looks abashed suddenly. Even the tips of his ears have turned pink. “Suppose you’ll be wanting this, then.” He pulls a ground cinnamon bottle from his pants pocket.
Alex shakes his head in disbelief. He could actually kiss Henry right now. “How did you—?”
“Well, you were running low last I was here,” says Henry, like that’s a totally normal thing to have noticed when Alex has never seen him touch the spice rack once. “Figured you'd be out by now, so I nicked some from the break room upstairs. No one’s been using it there anyway.”
The shock on Alex’s face makes him backtrack. “Sorry,” he says, flushing an even deeper pink now. “I—didn’t know you’d be here. You’re usually, um. Earlier. I can return it, if you’d like.” He says all this in a rush.
“No, it’s great,” Alex says emphatically. “Don’t you dare take it back.” He’s still staring a little, but that can’t be helped. Henry knows how he likes his coffee. And Henry had planned to restock the cinnamon without Alex ever knowing.
Henry clears his throat, looking around them. “You didn’t bring Hunter with you today,” he notes.
“No,” says Alex immediately. “God, no. And I don’t bring him anywhere, he just. Shows up. Honestly, I can’t stand the guy.” Shit. Maybe he shouldn’t have said that.
“Oh, thank Christ,” Henry says, looking immensely relieved. “Now that I don’t work in HR anymore, can I just say how little I enjoy his company?”
This is way better news than when Henry had first reached out to Alex with his offer letter and starting salary. He grins. “You can. In fact, please say more.”
Henry looks rueful. “I really shouldn’t.”
“It’s just that—” Alex sobers a little. “He was the only person you seemed willing to talk to.”
“It was easier, for me.” Henry takes a breath. “I feel less shy around people whose opinion of me doesn’t matter as much.” He pauses, something meaningful in the way he looks sidelong at Alex now. “I do want to be better about it.”
Alex nods, considering this. He tries hard not to smile. Probably not hard enough. “I can work with that.”
.
“You do realize neither of you work in this department,” says Nora, pulling food from the fridge.
Henry sips the tea Alex has just made him. Coffee, turns out, had been a lost cause. They’re both leaning against the counter, elbows not-quite-touching but getting closer to it every day, by Alex’s estimation.
“Do any of us, at this point?” Henry muses.
Nora shrugs. “Fair.”
“Just don’t tell You Know Who,” says Alex.
“Who’s You Know Who?” Hunter asks from the doorway. He has a confused smile on his face as he looks from Henry to Alex back to Henry again. Normally the sight of Hunter fills Alex with the most profound irritation, but now he’s feeling kind of pleased.
That’s right, he thinks smugly at Hunter: Henry is mine.
Huh. Suddenly things make a lot more sense now.
“Hey, did you get my email about the museum opening this Friday?” Hunter asks Henry, and Alex bristles instantly. Did Hunter not get the look Alex just gave him?
“Ah,” says Henry awkwardly, and it would be endearing if he didn’t also look so deeply uncomfortable. His awkwardness now is so different from the bashful kind of awkward he used to be around Alex; honestly, Alex can’t believe he’d never been able to tell between the two until now. “Actually, I’m—”
“Going,” says Alex, “already. With me.”
Henry looks at him in happy surprise. “Really?”
“Really,” Alex says firmly. And then, because he likes how dumbstruck Hunter looks right now, and because Henry doesn’t pull away when Alex puts an arm around his shoulders and he really, really likes that too, he does the only thing left that makes sense to him, which is to lean in and kiss Henry. He kind of feels like he might die when Henry kisses him back.
Fuuuuuuck.
Henry’s eyes are still closed when Alex leans back. He’s dimly aware that Nora has shooed Hunter out and closed the door behind them. He’s more acutely aware of how Henry licks his lips, then opens his eyes with an oddly vulnerable expression and says, “Alex, please tell me you didn’t just kiss me for Hunter’s benefit.”
“What? No. I mean—not exactly.” Fuck. Why can’t he use only the words that he needs? “The answer’s still no, but I might’ve used it as an excuse if I’d kissed you like two weeks ago. But that’s not why I kissed you just now, and it’s not why I’m going to kiss you again.”
“Oh, you think you’re going to kiss me again, do you,” Henry says with a hint of a smile, lifting his chin in a kind of challenge that Alex does not intend to back away from.
“One-hundred-percent,” he says, then pauses. “Unless you plan on reporting me to HR.”
“Honestly,” says Henry, “I might have to report you if you don’t.”
“Well, we can’t have that,” Alex says, very seriously, and he pulls Henry back in.
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candycandy00 · 6 months
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The Doll House - A Toji x Reader Fanfic Part 1
You’re in love with Toji, even after finding out he trains sex dolls at the Doll House. Taking a chance, you sell yourself to the Doll House so he can be your trainer, and you bet him that you can make him fall for you by the end of the training.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Read Geto’s Part Here!
Read Nanami’s Part Here!
Read Sukuna’s Part Here!
Read Gojo’s Part Here!
Read Choso’s Part Here!
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On the outskirts of town, there stands a particular shop called the “Doll House”. Inside its walls you can find a “doll” to match any taste you might have. All your desires will be fulfilled, no matter how depraved. Satisfaction is guaranteed! The dolls are exceptionally high quality, thanks to the skillful trainers who work with them twenty-four hours a day, molding them into perfect toys for your enjoyment.
Each trainer has a specialty that they focus on, and they all take great pride in their work. Their methods differ greatly, their approaches vary, but they all follow one rule: never get attached to a doll. After the training is complete, they hand the dolls over to their new owners, and never see them again. However, just once over the course of their careers, trainers are allowed to pick a doll they’ve personally trained and keep her as their own.
AU! Each trainer will get their own story! This is Toji’s. I’m not sure how many parts it will have. If you’d like to be tagged in future parts, let me know! You must be an adult to be tagged! Any feedback whatsoever is adored! I’m keeping the same tag list as Geto’s part. If you’d like to be removed, please let me know!
Note: Consider these parts AU’s within an AU. So you might see Geto with a different doll from the reader in his part, but just consider this an alternate timeline lol. 
Smut. 18+. Short Fem Reader. Cock drunk reader. Age difference (Reader is 20, Toji is 38). Size difference kink. Oral sex. Fingering. Use of aphrodisiacs. Divider by @benkeibear!
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You’ll never forget the day you met Fushiguro Toji. It was your first day at your first job, straight out of high school. A job you still have now, over two years later: working the register at a convenience store in town. 
That day, you were still being taught the ropes by a friendly older co-worker. You heard the bell on the door signaling a customer was walking in, and you turned to give them the practiced greeting. What you found was the biggest, tallest, hottest man you’d ever seen in your life. He was quite a bit older than you, with a scar on the corner of his mouth, but he was absolutely ripped and had lovely green eyes. He was wearing simple clothes, sweatpants and a T-shirt that clung a little too tightly to his muscular form. 
At first glance, he was intimidating. He had a dangerous aura to him, and you remember thinking that he could rob the place and not even need a weapon. You glanced at your co-worker, who smiled and whispered, “I know he’s kinda scary, but he’s a regular. Don’t worry.”
You watched the man grab a few snacks and a pack of beer, then bring them to the counter. When he was standing right in front of you, his imposing height was even more noticeable. Especially considering your short stature. 
As you nervously rang up his items, you looked up at him and said, “May I please see your ID?”
You felt silly asking this man for ID to buy beer when he was obviously much older than you, but your co-worker was watching your performance on your first day. You’d been told to always ask for ID, no matter what, when selling alcohol. 
The man didn’t seem offended, thank goodness. He pulled out a wallet and then a drivers license. You stared at it, trying to glean as much information as you could without being weird about it. His name was Fushiguro Toji. Thirty-six years old. Shit, he was old enough to be your dad, exactly twice your age at the time. 
But you’d smiled and thanked him, saying the usual, “Have a nice night!”
He smiled back and said, “You too!” as he walked out the door. And you were a goner.
Over the next few months, Toji came into the store often, at least three or four times a week. You’d finally gotten comfortable enough to start making small talk with him, and a few times he even lingered after paying for his items, just chatting with you. 
There was nothing romantic or even flirty about his attitude towards you. He probably thought you were too young for him. But by this point you were nursing a pretty major crush. There was something about his casual, easy-going attitude that contrasted with his huge size and the intimidating, dangerous vibes he emitted. It drove you wild. 
Everything changed one night, nearly a year after you started working at the convenience store. You were working alone on a slow night when a man dressed in dark colors, a hood pulled up over his hair, walked in. He lurked in the store for a bit, browsing the magazine rack and then the beverages. When he finally brought a few items up to the counter, you began ringing them up. 
All at once, out of nowhere, there was a large knife pointing at your throat. The man was holding it steadily in his hand as he said, “Empty the register!”
By reflex, you held your hands up in a motion of surrender. “Please, sir, don’t hurt me! I’m just-“
“Empty the fucking register or I’ll stab you in the fucking face!”
With trembling hands, you opened the register and began placing the stacks of money on the counter. Your heart was pounding rapidly, sweat beginning to bead on your forehead, tears threatening to leak from your eyes. You’d never been more terrified in your life. 
There was a button on the underside of the counter that would trigger an alarm system when pressed, but the man was watching your hands intently. You didn’t dare do anything to anger him. Even so, when you were almost finished emptying the register, he suddenly jabbed the knife in your direction, almost stabbing you in the cheek. 
“You pushed the button, didn’t you?!” he demanded, his eyes wild. 
“No! I never touched it! I swear!”
He raised the knife, preparing to slash down at you, but he froze mid swing when the bell on the door jangled. Both of you looked toward the door, only to see Toji walking inside. 
You didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried. Toji looked strong, but he was unarmed. You didn’t want him to be hurt. 
Toji looked at you, at your frightened face, your hands in front of you in a defensive position, then at the man holding the knife. The situation must have been clear, because Toji’s expression darkened as he stepped toward the counter. 
The man turned his whole body around to face Toji, the knife now pointed away from you. “Stay back!” the man yelled. There was a tinge of fear in his voice. 
“Are you making trouble in my favorite store? For my favorite cashier?” Toji asked, walking at a leisurely pace. “I can’t let that slide.”
Toji disappeared. That’s the only way you could describe it. He moved so fast that it looked like he disappeared and then reappeared right in front of the man, wrenching the knife free and sending it clattering across the floor. Then, in another instant, the man was on his back on the floor, Toji on top of him, giving him a savage beating. 
You watched the scene with a mixture of awe and fear. Toji was grinning as he repeatedly punched the man in the face, blood and even a couple of teeth flying through the air. It was brutal, it was violent… it was insanely hot. 
When the man stopped moving, seemingly unconscious, Toji stood up and approached the counter. “Are you alright?”
You looked up at him, tears in your eyes. You looked down at your own hands and realized they were still shaking. In one fluid motion, Toji jumped over the counter and stood next to you. “Hey, are you hurt? Did he cut you?”
You shook your head, but you couldn’t seem to speak. Instead, you threw yourself into his arms. He patted your back. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I took care of him for you,” he said in a voice far softer than you’d ever heard from him. 
He ended up staying with you until the police arrived, and that’s the night your crush on him ended. From that night on, you were in love with him. 
It would be several months after that when you confided in your friendly coworker about your feelings. She looked at you in shock and said, “Oh honey, don’t you know what he does for a living?” When you said no, she gave you a pitying look before saying, “He works as a trainer at the Doll House.”
That came as a huge surprise to you, and also felt like a knife to your heart. So he spent his days having sex with beautiful women. No wonder he never flirted with you, or seemed to notice at all when you made clumsy attempts to flirt with him. 
But it was too late. You were already in love, and finding out you had even less of a chance with him than you already thought did nothing to dampen your passion. You found yourself fantasizing about being a doll he was training, about being pinned down by his muscular body and fucked all night long. 
You’d only had one boyfriend, back in high school. The few times you’d slept with him had been unsatisfying and underwhelming. In fact you’d barely felt him when he was inside you. It left you wondering what sex would feel like with a guy who knew what he was doing, or a guy big enough to make sure you felt him. Toji was certainly a big guy. So you dreamed about him taking you in his bed, bending you over a table, even about him coming into the store and lifting you onto the counter so you’d be high enough for him to fuck you without bending too far. 
Now, exactly two years after meeting him, your desire for him is at an all time high. You want him. All of him. You want him physically, of course, but you want him emotionally as well. You want to spend hours talking to him, because your chats in the store just aren’t enough. You want to meet his family, find out what his favorite books and movies are, to cook dinner with him, to just… know him. 
And so, without consulting anyone who might talk some sense into you, you decide to do something totally reckless and probably stupid. 
You’ve paid such close attention to Toji’s buying habits that you’ve figured out his patterns. Every six weeks, like clockwork, he buys a pack of beer and extra snacks. Otherwise he avoids alcohol and only buys a few items. Your guess, considering the timing, is that he buys these items when he’s finished training a doll, almost like a reward to himself for a job well done. 
He came in early today and bought the “magic items” as you call them. Which means his doll’s training is complete as of today. Which means he’s available as a trainer. 
After he leaves, you take off early from work and head over to the Doll House. You park on the street and watch as Toji’s car pulls around to the back, then you see him walking toward the front door. 
This is your only chance! If you don’t act now, you’ll have to wait another six weeks, and you don’t think you can do that. 
Steeling your resolve, you get out of your car and hurry over to stop Toji before he goes inside. 
“Excuse me, Toji?”
He stops and turns to face you, a flicker of
surprise on his face. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he asks, his tone friendly. 
You hesitate. You had this all planned out, but standing right here in front of him is making you more nervous than you expected. He’s looking at you curiously, probably wondering why the hell you followed him to his job. In a panic, you just blurt out what you want to say. 
“I’m in love with you!”
“Oh, uh, thanks,” he says. “I’m flattered, but-“
“And I want to be your doll!”
His face seems to freeze. “Huh?”
Your own face is burning with embarrassment, but you’ve come this far. You can’t back out now. “I want to sell myself to the Doll House, if you’ll agree to be my trainer!”
He leans forward and looks at you closely, then asks, “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty,” you answer. 
He sighs and scratches the back of his head. “Go home. This is no place for you.”
You stare up at him, not backing down. “I’m serious about this. I want you to train me.”
His eyes sweep over you, down and back up. It feels like the first time he’s ever looked at you as a woman. “Look, if you want me to fuck you that badly, I can take you out back and rail you in my car. But you don’t wanna be a doll. Trust me.”
It’s tempting to take him up on that offer. But you can’t let yourself get distracted now. “I don’t just want sex. I mean I want that too but… I’m really in love with you! I want your heart too. If you have no interest in me at all, just say so and I’ll drop it. But if you’re attracted to me, even a tiny bit, let me be your doll!”
**********************
Toji looks down at the girl in front of him, wondering what he did or said to make her feel this way. He’s always thought of her as the cute, cheery little cashier who always greeted him with a bright smile. And that’s pretty much it. He assumed she was younger than she is, probably because she’s so damn short, so it really never occurred to him to think of her in a sexual way. 
But looking at her now, knowing she’s an adult, he thinks she’s quite pretty. Still, she must be naive, or have really bad judgement, if she fell in love with someone like him. And wanting to be a doll? Did she even understand what that meant?
“It’s a ten year contract,” he tells her. “You’re signing away ten years of your life when you become a doll.”
“I know that.”
“You’re basically a sex slave. You have to do all kinds of filthy stuff, whether you want to or not.”
She nods. “I understand.”
Toji thinks she definitely doesn’t understand. She practically has hearts in her eyes. Shit, she’s actually in love with him!
Well, time to give her a wake up call. 
He steps closer, looming over her, exuding a threatening aura. “My training isn’t romantic. It’s not about love,” he tells her in a serious tone, “it’s about fucking you all day and all night until you’re so cock drunk, the only thing you can think about is cock. You’ll feel empty when my dick isn’t buried in your pussy. You’ll feel hungry when you’re not drinking my cum. And even if you’re sore and exhausted, I won’t stop. There’s no breaks in my training. Love will be the last thing on your mind, because by the end of it, you’ll want any cock that’s available, no matter who it belongs to.”
She stares up at him. He expected her to cry and run away, or at least look frightened. But she has a strangely blank expression as she asks, “Are you trying to scare me away?”
He narrows his eyes. “Is it working?”
She smiles. “Nope. I know how I feel. I might get addicted to you, but I’ll never want anyone else!”
He sighs again. “See, that’s another reason I can’t do it. As trainers we’re not supposed to let dolls get attached to us. You’re already attached. How are you gonna feel when I hand you over to some random guy, and you’re stuck with him for ten years?”
She doesn’t falter even then. Instead she says, “I heard a rumor that trainers can keep a doll they’ve trained.”
Oh. So that’s her plan. “Yeah, I can keep exactly one. Not to be rude, because you’re cute and all, but what makes you think I’ll pick you as the one and only doll I can keep?”
She looks him straight in the eyes. “I’m willing to bet on my love. It’s a gamble I can take, because the reward will be worth it.”
He chuckles. “Ten years with me is a reward? You’re delusional.”
“Maybe so. But it doesn’t change how I feel. I bet you’ll fall in love with me before the training is over!”
He laughs and bends over slightly to face her. “And I bet I can turn you into a cock drunk slut who doesn’t care about love.”
Her eyes light up. “So you’ll be my trainer?”
Shit. He got caught up in the moment. He never could resist a bet. “If we do this, you can’t complain. I’m not gonna go easy on you just because I know you from the convenience store. You can’t pull the shy virgin card. I’m gonna be fucking your brains out constantly, filling every hole you have.”
Her face reddens, but there’s excitement in her love struck eyes. “I’m not a virgin,” she says, “and I might be a little shy at first but I’ll get over it.” Then she meets his gaze again. “You’re all I’ve thought about for two years. I want you to wreck me!”
His eyes widen. She’s cuter than he realized. She’s so small framed, he could snap her in half like a twig, but she’s determined and strong willed. He’s starting to look forward to splitting her open on his cock. 
“Okay, if you’re sure about this, come inside and sign the contract,” he says. 
******************
The inside of the Doll House is, oddly, almost exactly how you imagined it would be. Everything looked opulent and classy, the furnishings all expensive, the colors all rich. The smell of some sort of perfume fills the air, making you slightly dizzy as you follow Toji inside. 
“Wait here, I’ll get the owner,” he says, disappearing into a dark hallway. When he returns a few minutes later, a beautiful woman with silver hair is with him, holding a contract. 
“Read this very carefully,” she says, “then sign if you agree to the terms.”
Despite your reckless plan, you still take the time to read over the contract. Everything sounds fair, so you take a pen from the nearby counter and sign on the dotted line. Toji watches with an unreadable expression. 
Once you’ve signed, Toji leads you further into the house, down a hall, and to a door. “This is my room,” he says, opening the door and motioning you in. “You’ll spend most of your time in here, but you’re not confined. You can wander the house if you want.”
Walking into his room, you feel a bit overwhelmed. It’s fancy, like the rest of the house, but there’s enough personal touches for you to see his personality. There’s a large punching bag hanging from the ceiling in the corner, a mini fridge sitting on a cheap-looking metal stand beside a large TV. The bed is made, surprisingly, but it still looks a little sloppy. There’s laundry scattered here and there on the floor. 
“You can send for some clothes and stuff later. You won’t need much thought,” he tells you, tossing some clothes out of a nearby chair. “Here, have a seat.”
You walk over and sit down in the offered chair. Toji leans against the dresser and begins explaining the rules. 
“As a doll under my training, you have to do whatever I say, no matter what it is. If you don’t, you’re breaking the contract. I don’t do freaky shit like punishments or collars or whatever. You’ll see plenty of that with the other trainers. If you don’t follow my orders, I’ll just send you home and you’ll get sued.”
You nod. That all seems simple enough. 
Toji goes to the mini fridge and opens it, then comes toward you with a small bottle of liquid. “Drink this,” he says.
You look at the bottle without touching it. “What is it?”
“It’s an aphrodisiac. It helps with the training.”
“Oh, I don’t think I need that,” you say. 
Toji frowns. “You wanted me to train you, so listen to your trainer. Drink it.”
You take the bottle from him and pull off the lid. After giving the liquid inside a quick sniff, you shrug and down the whole bottle, then give him back the now empty container. 
“How long does it take to work?” you ask. 
He gives you a grin. “Just a few minutes. You’ll know it when you feel it.”
“Okay,” you reply, trying to act cool when you’re about to burst from excitement. The man you’re madly in love with, that you’ve been thinking about nonstop for two years, is going to touch you, kiss you, have sex with you! You want to squeal! But mixed in with the excitement is a little bit of nervousness. What if you can’t satisfy him? What if he’s too rough? 
He’s back to leaning against the dresser, one ankle crossed over the other, casual slide-on sandals on his feet. He’s wearing baggy sweatpants and a form fitting T-shirt, his standard look. God, he looks good. You can’t wait to have those big strong hands on you, sliding over your body, pinning your arms above your head, squeezing your-
Wait. Is the aphrodisiac already working? You were already thirsty for him but suddenly you feel like tackling him to the floor. Your body feels hot, like you’re running a fever. Your breathing has quickened. You look up to find Toji grinning at you. It’s a smug, knowing grin. He knows exactly what’s happening. 
He pushes away from the dresser and casually strolls over to you. “Sure you’re ready for this?” he asks as he stands over you. 
You gulp as you look up at him, probably looking the same way a mouse does before a hungry hawk. “Y-yeah! I’m totally ready!”
He kneels down in front of your chair, placing one hand on each of your thighs, and then moving them up, dragging your skirt with them. Your breath catches in your throat when your skirt is hiked up around your waist, revealing your blue and white striped panties. He locks eyes with you as he hooks his fingers into the waistband and slowly pulls your panties down, sliding them under your ass and all the way off your ankles. 
His hands are firm as they push your legs up and apart, leaving them to hang over each arm of the chair, spreading you open. His eyes flick up to your face once more before he dives in, burying his face in your wet pussy. His tongue goes straight to work, teasing your clit by drawing circles around it while two of his fingers slide inside you. You’re so slick with arousal that they slip right in despite their size, then pump in and out as his lips close around your sensitive nub, sucking hard enough to pull on it, making your body jolt. 
“Oh God!” you moan, your back arching in the chair, your head tossed back. Toji’s lips release you, his tongue now lapping at the juices leaking out of you as his fingers continue moving. You’ve never felt such intense stimulation in your life. And to think… the man you’re crazy about is doing this to you! It’s euphoric. 
You lose track of time as Toji eats you out in the chair. You eats your pussy like he’s a starving man, and you can only quiver and squirm in pleasure, moaning and gasping. 
“Ahhh… Toji!” you scream out when you feel his teeth lightly graze your clit. Then it’s his tongue again, then his lips, and finally your body can’t take any more pleasure. You cum with a loud cry of his name, and you look down just in time to see fluid squirting out of you, most of it hitting Toji right in the face. 
He pulls back, licking his lips and using the collar of his shirt to wipe his face. He laughs and says, “Didn’t know you were a squirter!”
You blush crimson. “I’ve never done that before! I’m sorry it got all over you.”
“Are you kidding? I love squirters! Lets me know I’m doing a good job. You can spray my face anytime.”
Before you can respond to that, Toji stands up and then scoops you into his arms. You feel weightless when held by his massive strength as he carries you to the bed and lies you on your back. 
With expert motions, he pulls your shirt up your body and over your head, tossing it to the floor where it blends in with the rest of the laundry, then slides your skirt down and off, leaving you completely bare. 
Then, he begins undressing himself. You watch breathlessly as he takes his shirt off, revealing his muscled chest. God, he’s gorgeous. He wears a smirk as he shoves his pants down, watching your eyes bulge at the sight of his humongous cock. Oh, you’re definitely going to feel that! If he can even get that tower of a dick to fit. 
Maybe it’s the aphrodisiac, or maybe it’s the fact that you love him, but you’re not scared at all. You just want him inside you, even if he has to tear you apart. So when he climbs onto the bed and pushes your legs up, folding you in half, you’re ecstatic. Even when you feel his tip at your soaking wet entrance, even when his heavy body presses down on you, effectively pinning you to the bed, it doesn’t even occur to you to panic. You look up at him lovingly, waiting for your fantasies to finally come to life. 
He shoves into you, all the way in on the first thrust, stretching you impossibly wide and deep. It takes your breath away, your hands gripping his broad shoulders. It feels like he just penetrated your womb, even if you know that’s physically impossible. There’s a dull, throbbing ache inside you, but it’s a feeling you welcome. Because you’re stuffed so completely full of the man you love. 
After giving you a few moments to accommodate his size, he begins pumping into you, slowly at first but quickly picking up speed. With every thrust, you gasp, your fingers digging into his skin. It hurts and it feels great at the same time. “T-Toji…”
You look up at him, and he’s looking back
at you with heated eyes. “Fuck, you’re tight! Holy shit!” he mutters, thrusting even harder, rocking your whole body against the bed. 
“Ahhh… Toji…. it’s so deep!”
You hear him chuckle, then he leans down, putting his mouth close to your ear as he says, “Baby, I’m only halfway in.”
“What?!” you gaze up at him in shock. “But I thought…”
He grins. “You thought this was it? I’m insulted.” He laughs, patting your head. “You’re adorable. But I think this is all you can handle right now. I’m not into hurting dolls.”
“M-more…” you murmur. 
“Huh?”
“I want more of you! I want all of you!” The words burst from your mouth in a cry as your arms wrap around him. “I don’t care if it hurts! I lo-“
He cuts off your cries with a kiss, his lips smothering your own, his tongue in your mouth. When he pulls away, you’re left panting. 
“There’s plenty of time for that, trust me,” he says, his voice low. “This tight little pussy is gonna get every inch of me. But right now, this is your limit.”
As if to punctuate his words, he gives a hard thrust, making you moan and tighten your grip on his neck. He’s too much, but it’s still not enough for you. You want everything he has, but you agreed to listen to him as your trainer, so you drop the issue and let yourself enjoy the feeling of him inside your body, his toned abdomen scraping across you, the smell of his cologne drifting around the room. 
You didn’t think you could fall anymore deeply in love with him, but you have. 
********************
Toji wants nothing more than to plow his entire length into his new doll’s tiny, drenched pussy, and she’s practically begging for it, but he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t like hurting dolls. He wasn’t like Sukuna, who got off on inflicting pain. Toji could enjoy giving some asshole a beating, but he’d never understood the appeal of hurting a lover. 
The girl currently writhing in ecstasy beneath him was so small in stature, and a bit younger than the dolls he usually trained. He was aware of his own size, of his unusual strength, and so he had to be careful with dolls like her. He didn’t want to break her. 
As he fucks her, he kisses her again, on her lips, her neck, her breasts, tasting her sweet skin. He slides one hand down between their bodies and finds her clit with his thumb, making her tremble and cry out his name again. 
He looks down at her blissed out face. She’s staring at him so longingly, her face flushed with pleasure, her lips parted and wet with his own saliva, he feels his jaded heart skip a beat. 
Does she actually love him? Or has she just convinced herself that she does? Either way, it doesn’t matter. Within a couple of weeks she’ll be turning those pretty, loving eyes on anything with a cock. 
As for Toji, he will never fall in love with her. He tried love once, long ago, and it only brought him misery. Much easier to have fun fucking dolls and then send them on their way. 
The doll cries out loudly, her body shaking under him as she cums, her arms clinging to him. “Toji… I love you…” she says, barely conscious. 
She really is cute, he thinks, and tight as fuck. He thrusts into her for a few more minutes as she rides out her orgasm, then pulls out of her. His cum shoots out onto her prone body, coating her tits. Her eyes flutter open and she looks down, touching the sticky fluid with her fingers. She looks disappointed. 
“You didn’t cum inside me?” Her voice is weak, almost sad. It makes him want to fill her with his seed until it’s pouring out of her. 
“Not until you get on birth control,” he tells her. It’s something all dolls are expected to do. No one wants to deal with a pregnancy, least of all Toji. One brat is enough for him. 
He gives her a few minutes to catch her breath, then reaches down and rolls her onto her stomach. “Time for round two,” he whispers into her ear. 
She turns her head suddenly to look back at him. “Right now?!”
He points down at his still fully hard cock. “I took one of those aphrodisiacs myself. I can go for hours! I told you, you don’t get breaks in my training.”
There’s a flicker of panic on her face, but it’s quickly replaced by excitement. She draws up her knees and lifts her hips. “Okay. Maybe you can put it all the way in this time?”
His eyes shimmer as he says, “Fuck, you’re already hungry for my cock, aren’t you?”
She blushes but smiles at him. “Well, that, and I just love you so much. I want to feel all of you, everything about you.”
He looks away from her face, focusing on the sexy little ass sticking up in the air. “That’s good for you, then. Cause we’re just getting started.”
Tag List:
@suguguro @kaedear @onyxsphynx @poopoobuttsy @butterskyy @collectionofdolls @akaotv @witchbybirth @bloofinntoona @wasurenagusaa @tclbts @tojirin @lucyrocks86 @badbyeyoongi @97britt @aydene @lzaj19 
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sipsteainanxiety · 2 years
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one of the things you'd never understand was how goddamn silent bakugou katsuki could be.
he was huge, for one thing, all six-foot-something of iron muscle and sharp angles. the training he had undergone in the past and continued doing to this day made him bulk up—particularly around his upper torso. a small waist led up to thick pecs and wide shoulders with just as wide biceps. he could crush you so easily with one hand alone, his palm big enough to cover nearly your entire face.
he was also so fucking loud at times. that was his entire hero persona—dynamight with the loud explosions that could temporarily deafen anyone who was close enough to them. his entire hero costume was a deadly configuration of grenades and other heavy gear too—things that cluttered and banged together whenever he moved around too much.
you'd seen him stomping around his agency before in his heavyset boots, so you knew he was the type to be big and bold with literally anything he did. he was always barking out orders with that raspy voice of his or yelling at his co-workers whenever they appeared at his agency to bug him for one reason or the other.
katsuki's very presence, personality, was just so. loud. thunderous.
so you didn't fucking understand why he kept sneaking up on you so easily.
it happened more often than you liked to admit. you'd be in the agency's breakroom, grabbing a cup of coffee to help you stay awake for the day when you'd turn around and he'd just—be there. standing silently behind you.
it made you jump every time, a yelp escaping your lips as you'd clutch a hand at your heart and glare up at him as he'd look down at you with a raised eyebrow.
"jeez! don't do that!" you'd scold him, scooting away slightly to put more space between the two of you. that was another thing—he just always seemed to be invading your personal space, intentional or not. "scared the hell out of me."
"'s not my fault y'don't pay attention," he'd grumble before reaching past you to grab one of the protein bars from a cabinet. you'd roll your eyes and walk away with your coffee cradled in your hand, not wanting to put up with him so early in the morning.
sometimes he'd get you while you were tinkering away in his agency's support lab.
in your defense, you tended to get absorbed in your work a lot, your hands fiddling with materials and tools that could be pretty loud or distracting. you didn't always hear when people would enter the lab, but they usually left you alone.
not katsuki, though.
you'd turn around with the intention of reaching for an item on the table behind you only to get startled when your face would come into contact with a broad chest.
fuck him and his steely pecs. nearly broke your goddamn nose.
"bakugou!" you'd screech, jumping back as you'd rub your nose with your eyes scrunched together. you had to force yourself to not tear up with how much it'd stung. "stop doing that!!"
"doin' what?" he'd say as though he wasn't fucking creeping up on you on purpose. and maybe he wasn't, but the amount of times he'd done it was no coincidence. "need my bracers. goin' out on patrol."
"fine, fine," you'd mutter, giving him a suspicious look before you'd stomp away to grab his stuff for him. you didn't like the way he stared at you, with his eyebrows raised as though you were the one acting crazy and not him for silently standing behind you.
but you knew, you fucking knew, that he was experiencing some sick, twisted amusement at seeing your reactions. you just knew. there were a few times where you'd catch him with a smug smirk on his smooth face as you'd leap away from him. the bastard thought it was funny seeing you all jumpy. and it irritated you more than you'd like to admit. but he'd just pretend he wasn't doing it deliberately. asshole.
at one point, you'd considered doing the same to him. but you'd brushed the idea away pretty quickly. his hero senses were honed—he'd be able to tell you were coming from a mile away. and even if you did manage to sneak up on him, you knew he was a pretty tense guy—he'd blow your face up before you could even raise your own brow at him.
so you just decided to do your best to ignore him. which was hard, considering the fact that he was practically everywhere. it made sense, considering it was his own agency, but still. you'd walk into a room sometimes, and he'd just be there. or you'd turn around and he'd be behind you again. it was frustrating!
but what you didn't know... was that katsuki had been trying to work up the courage to ask you to dinner all this time.
for all the villains he fought and strength he had, he just couldn't muster up the words. he'd make it all the way up to you, standing behind you as he tried to get himself to clear his throat and just fucking say the words he needed to say. but he couldn't. and you'd turn around, get startled, then get irritated at him that he just couldn't ask you out.
so for now, he was simply stuck in this endless cycle, hoping that one day, he'd be able to break out of it.
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buckets-and-trees · 3 months
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The Only Way of Knowing You [Nick Fowler x Reader]
Title: The Only Way of Knowing You Characters/Pairings: leshy!Nick Fowler x curvy female!Reader Word Count: 7.8k
Summary: When you visit a cabin, you're drawn more and more to the forest, the flora and fauna, and a handsome stranger you cross paths with in the woods.
Content Warnings: explicit smut - nipple play, vaginal fingering, unprotected vaginal intercourse, initial consent to questionable/dubious consent ending, kidnapping, intimidation, implied stalking and explicit stalking, human to monster transformation, monster fucking
Logistical Notes: Very belated, but this is my addition to the Enchanted Birthday Fest and my humble gift to all of you who come around and read what I write. Incorporating Mania (obsessive love - stalking) for @the-slumberparty's Eight Types of Love challenge. Thank you @goldylions and @sgt-seabass for blasting this with your beta energy. It certainly benefitted from your poking, prodding, and polishing.
Narrative Notes: There's a lot of leshy lore that's evolved over time since differing versions existed across Europe and you've got modern media takes. I took pieces that stuck out to me as I combed through. The most significant trait I adopted was that a leshy king could shape shift into human or animal and would adopt disguise to hide, adapt, or even lure people into the forest.
↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest
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You gasped and stopped on the trail.
“A dog,” you whispered to no one but yourself, a grin splitting across your face.
The wilderness of the forest around you rose into a small, banked ridge on the left. You had only just heard the rustle of leaves that drew your attention over to that side to see the creature. You couldn’t tell the breed for sure – all dark fur, pointed ears, looking something between a husky and a wolf – but with him being so calm and willing to come this close to the path when he’d undoubtedly heard you walking, you assumed he couldn’t be too wild or feral. He had piercing blue eyes that locked with yours.
You were so tempted to try to call him over, but if he was wild, it was probably better not to, and if he belonged to someone, you didn’t want to lead him away from where he needed to go.
So, after another beat, you continued along your path.
After the four hour drive to your destination with some of the team from your office, as soon as you had unloaded and eaten lunch, you had been eager to get away to stretch your legs and to have some time away from everyone else, and you had some time before the rest of the team arrived for the work retreat your boss had put together. You had six days of training, strategizing, and team bonding ahead of you with a professional consultant and facilitator flown in who had built the agenda. There were breaks built throughout the day, and as you set off for this first walk, you imagined both the physical movement and the time away from the group would help keep you focused, energized, and from actually strangling your co-worker Rachel who regularly burst into song during casual conversation. 
You saw the dog again as you took the same path the next day when your group took a mid-morning break. This time, he walked alongside your path, keeping his distance off to the side, but only kept pace with you for about five minutes before wandering off.
You were hopeful to see him when you headed out in the afternoon.
But instead of the dog, you encountered a man in almost the same area, approaching you on the path.
The man was dressed in sturdy hiking boots, dark jeans, a dark green flannel over a white shirt, and a tan jacket over that. He was tall, well-built, with short brown hair, and entirely too handsome a person to encounter in real life, especially with his devastatingly blue eyes – eyes that were the same color as the dog.
You groaned internally for comparing his eyes to the dog’s.
“Hello,” he said, nodding at you a few paces before you were about to pass each other.
“Hello,” you managed to return – it was mostly automatic, but the intensity of his gaze almost prevented you from the customary politeness of fellow trailwalkers.
After he passed, you shook your head. No need to be flustered by the momentary passing of a stranger.
You looked back over your shoulder, and then your heart thudded to discover that he was looking back at you, too. He smirked, turned, and kept along his way.
You shook your head at yourself and then kept on your way.
The walking path through the forest was narrow in parts, wider in others, and rambled on for a mile or so before it split, allowing its travelers to eventually circle clockwise or counter-clockwise around a still, blue body of water that was bigger than a pond but not quite large enough to be classified as a lake. The trees ran right down to the water in many areas, and the path, as it circled, sometimes came very close to its edges, and in other places only came within ten or fifteen meters of the shore.
On day three, you saw the man in the morning, and the dog in the afternoon.
The man, the same you saw before, came towards you after he'd done a circle around the lake. You reached the two forks before having to directly pass him, to which he waved and said hello, the same casual niceties. 
In the afternoon, the dog approached you slowly but directly, and you knelt happily and held out your hand to encourage him to close the gap. He did, and after a quick sniff, let you pet him and scratch his ears.
“No collar?” you asked as you pet and admired his smooth, shiny coat.
After a minute, you stood and said, “You seem pretty familiar with this forest, well-fed, and so friendly. I don’t need to worry about you, do I?”
He circled you quickly, wagged his tail, and you laughed. “You want to join me for my walk this time?”
He trotted ahead a few steps, then looked back at you and waited.
You laughed. “I guess I’ll join you for this walk then.”
The two of you kept pace with each other all the way around the small lake, and then shortly after you got back to the main forest length, he trotted off the path into the forest again with only a small look back and a happy bark before bounding away.
That evening, because you had gone on so many walks, the rest of the group at the cabin decided to take an evening stroll around the lake. The planked wooden path made an adventure after dark doable enough. You didn’t see either of the strangers – dog or man – but there were a few times you had the keen sense you were being watched. In the dark it was impossible to tell, but the feeling came and went.
The next morning, you made your way down the deep forest path without encountering anyone and took the right fork to make your way around the lake.
At nearly the same place the dog had approached you the afternoon before, the man came striding your way from off the path.
“Hello,” he greeted as soon as he’d stepped out of the trees.
It was evident he intended to speak to you.
“Hello,” you said, trying to be friendly, but unsure how this would unfold, and a little nervous over engaging with the stranger.
Your heartbeat sped up the closer he got, but not because he was still a stranger, but because you were reminded he was altogether too handsome of a stranger. This was made even more obvious than your brief passings the previous two days, as now you could only stand still and watch as he approached you.
You remembered he was tall, but today he seemed taller. Those blue eyes had you rooted to the spot where you stood, and his face had a small but easy smile. You tried in vain to keep your heart from racing the closer he got.
“I’m Nick,” he offered, once he was close enough for conversation.
You gave your name in response.
“Nice to actually meet you,” he said as he stepped up onto the boardwalk. “You’re not from around here. Staying in one of the vacation cabins?” he guessed.
You nodded. “And you are from around here?” you surmised. “Do you live here? Work here? Both?”
“I suppose you could say both.” A calm but crips breeze swept through the trees around you, rustling through the leaves. 
“Oh, are you the caretaker?”
“Guardian, caretaker, king of the forest,” he joked.
You laughed, and it was an easy laugh.
He echoed your laugh. “What, you don’t believe me?”
“No, of course, I do,” you said.
“If you let me join you, maybe I can prove my place here in the forest, share some of the history of the land, and some of my expert knowledge.” He raised his brow in a questioning look.
You were torn equally between hesitance and intrigue, but you were more unsure of how to decline, nor did you actually want to, so you nodded, and the corner of his mouth ticked up. He swept his arm to the side, gesturing at the path, and as you started walking, he fell right in step with you.
“So, what brought you to the forest?” he asked.
You explained how your boss had booked the large corporate retreat cabin for your team, planning many days of bonding and strategy conversations and leadership workshops with the consultant flown in from New York City.
As you walked together, he made good on his promise to tell you more about the forest and the lake. He pointed out some of the flora and fauna, showing his care and consideration for the wildlife and growth of the wilderness.
“It must be nice living out here.”
“You would like it.”
You looked over at him, finding he was already watching you, and then turned your head back to the path. “I think I might. Being out here the past few days has me contemplating quitting my job, selling off most of my stuff, and just finding a small cabin in the woods and writing or something.”
“You should.”His concentrated attention both unnerved you and put you at ease at the same time. It was a strange feeling. There was something within you that wanted more time with him like this, but it was silly to want. This was only your first conversation with him. You wouldn’t be spending day after day stumbling into walks with him any more than you would be abandoning your city life to embrace a secluded existence in a cabin in the forest.
But it might be nice, you thought.
“If only,” you finally sighed.
He was quiet for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. “When are you supposed to leave?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
He hummed in thought. “That seems like an awfully long cabin retreat for a team of colleagues.”
You laughed. “It certainly is. My boss has too much money and got very excited. It’s mostly a good office of people, and there are about ten of us here, but I definitely like my time away from the group – we’ve been encouraged to spend our breaks however we need.”
“And you took to your walks in the woods.”
“Mhmm,” you hummed and smiled softly. “Oh, actually, do you know about the black dog running around out here? I’ve seen him every other day, but not yet today.”
“He caught your heart, didn’t he?”
You grinned and nodded. “Does he have owners out here, or is he wild? He doesn’t have a collar.”
“No owners.”
“Not unlike you?”
“Oh, have I caught your heart, too?”
Your jaw dropped slightly, and you tried not to let your pace falter. “I–”
He gave a chuckle, but he also let his fingers brush against yours as you continued to walk side by side. “Don’t worry, if I didn’t want to see you, I would know how to go unnoticed by you in this forest.”
“Oh.” It was a small response, especially compared to the burst of warmth that bloomed in your heart, but you weren’t quite sure how to respond. You were flattered with the flirting and his insinuation that he did want to see you. A whisper in the back of your mind wondered how many years he must have walked these woods to know its secrets and be so confident that he could wander it undetected, but he gestured for you to listen to the faint call of a pair of birds nearby. He identified them as veery thrushes, and  then you were carried along into learning about them and some of the other animals that inhabited this area of the forest during the rest of your short morning walk. 
Nick came across you walking again in the afternoon. He told you more about the forest and its history, but more and more he started to ask more questions about you.
You liked that he asked about you.
It seemed impossible that this unbelievably tall (was he even taller than he was before? Surely he wasn’t), dark, handsome man was so keen on your company, but you couldn’t help but take to him, and to the warmth of the attention he shined on you like the sun that filtered through the leaves of the trees to bathe the rest of the flora in the forest.
It may have been silly to dream about him that night when you went to sleep, but you had no real control over that, and although this whole excursion was for work, a small, inconsequential crush on someone you would never see again when you went home was fine.
The next morning, you didn’t run into him during your walk, but you were happy to run into your furry companion again, and he stayed right at your side while you took the loop around the lake. You were only a little sad there was no sign of Nick, but even though he clearly spent a lot of time there, you couldn’t expect him to always be in the woods.
So, when you were just starting along the path for your walk and hear footsteps coming up behind you, you eagerly looked over your shoulder, only to see two men walking some twenty to thirty yards behind you. You sighed and kept walking. You hadn’t seen a great deal of people on the trail over the past few days, but these weren’t the first strangers, as it was an area with enough scattered cabins throughout the forest to merit the establishment of the sturdy planked path in the first place.
But as you continued on, the men seemed to keep pace with you, speeding up when you did, and slowing down and maintaining some of the distance when you tested it, and that made you nervous. You would feel better even just to see the wild dog so you could call him to you. You were sure he would deter the men. But there was no sign of him either.
As you approached the fork that created the lake loop for the path, you didn’t know which to hope for – that they would take the other path and you would have to potentially pass them, or take the same one as you and you could hope that they would keep their distance.
They went the same way as you.
And they started to close the distance.
You thought you were imagining it at first, but when you increased your pace, theirs quickened even more, and there was no more of the hum of talking between them.
You didn’t want to panic and run. They both had a height advantage with longer legs, and if you could simply continue to walk more quickly, you could at least stave off the need to run until there was no more choice – because you were sure the second you ran, they would follow suit, and you didn’t know how long you’d last.
Especially now that your heart was already racing.
“Hey sweet thing,” one of them called out.
You focused on keeping your quick pace and didn’t look back.
“Nice day for a walk,” the same gruff voice added.
Still you refused to engage. You expected this now and then in the city, but it wasn’t supposed to happen out here. You didn’t have a phone to suddenly get on and call someone or keys in your pocket to thread through your fingers for makeshift protection. 
“Nice day for more than a walk, don’t you think?” the second man chimed in.
“Yeah, maybe a little afternoon delight.”
Your skin crawled. 
“A little fucking,” the second one jeered.
Maybe you did need to run. 
And then suddenly at a bend in the path, you turned and there he was.
Nick.
Your heart leapt in relief, and you rushed to him.
He had to have instantly seen the panic in your eyes as his own blue eyes changed immediately into a dark storm, and he looked beyond you as he quickly strode forward to meet you. He saw the men immediately as they, too, turned around the bend, and you heard their footsteps slow immediately.
Nick pulled you into his side, wrapping a protective arm around you.
“Afternoon,” one of the men said, both of them nodding, trying to pass off casual greetings as if they hadn’t been closing in on you, making their intentions clear.
“Turn around, pack up, and leave this forest,” Nick said, voice flat and threatening.
“Hey! Look, man,” the other started, but Nick cut him off.
“Turn around, pack up,” he repeated, enunciating each word with more fury, “never come back.”
They stopped walking, putting them only ten yards away.
“Now,” Nick growled.
A ripple of fear shot through you at his tone, and it wasn’t directed at you. There was a sudden groaning and crashing of trees in the distance that only added to the tension of the moment, and then the two men turned around and retreated.
“I know where you’re staying. Don’t make the mistake of thinking my directions are idle or that I won’t check to make sure you’re gone,” he spoke loudly enough for them to hear as they got further away.
With them no longer in sight, Nick turned his full attention to you, taking both your hands in his. “You alright?”
You took a deep breath in then let it out to release the tension from the fear-driven adrenaline and nodded.
He murmured your name, pressing in concern, ducking slightly to gaze directly into your eyes.
You smiled softly at his worry, the seeds that bloomed earlier in your heart coming to life and blooming a bit more. “I’m fine now,” you reassured him, giving his hands a gentle squeeze.
He narrowed his eyes.
“Really,” you promised. “Not the first intimidating creeps I’ve ever encountered.”
“Okay.” His face relaxed, but only a fraction, and you had the impression it was only to help ease your tension. “If you’re sure.”
You nodded. 
He dropped your hands, and you reminded yourself not to let your face drop as he did.
“Sorry I didn’t meet up with you earlier, I-“
You cut him off, “I wasn’t expecting you to meet up with me, and I don’t always get to steal away for these walks at the same time.”
He nodded. “I know. But I want to show you why time got away from me.”
“Okay.”
His face split into a bright smile. “Follow me,” he said, turning around and trekking into the trees. 
You trailed behind him as the ground gently sloped toward the lake. The trees and underbrush were abundant yet thin enough to allow the two of you to pass through. The wooden path varied in how close it was to the lake as it wound around, and here it was less than a minute before you could see the water’s edge. Nick abruptly stopped and put his arm out for you to also stop.
Since he’d been walking so quickly, you did bump right up against his arm with a small mumbled, “sorry,” and he turned his head to smile. Then he turned to look ahead and pointed to a cluster of rocks right at the shoreline.
You squinted to study them, and then you gasped when two little furry heads popped up over the top of the rocks.
“Otters!” you whispered.
“Yes,” Nick confirmed. “Freshwater river otters. I think we’ve got a clan of at least four that have only appeared today in the lake. Probably migrated down the river from the lake further up. They’ve been getting a bigger tourist draw up there, and I imagine they don’t want to be constantly disturbed by humans encroaching on their habitat.”
He took slow, measured, unassuming steps closer, and you tentatively followed. The two otters both perched up higher on the rocks, giving tiny yelps.
Nick motioned for you to kneel as he did. He held out his hand toward the pair of mammals.
“They’re a curious and friendly species,” he said, and even as he said the words, the two darted up and over the rocks, coming closer by a few feet before pausing. The slightly larger one gave a little trill and took a couple more hops forward. Its companion sauntered right up next to it, but then took a few more steps forward, bopped its nose against Nick’s hand, huffed and turned away, darting right down the bank and into the water, gliding smoothly away. The other came forward, gave Nick’s outstretched hand a little more of a sniff, then turned its head to you, and edged your way. You quickly but carefully stretched your hand out, received a couple of sniffs, and then this otter also snorted and trotted away and into the water, trilling as it slipped into the clear water.
“No fish, no interest,” Nick said, and the two of you laughed.
He moved to sit on the ground, and you sat next to him. The pair of otters re-emerged, swam up to shore, and dove back in and out of the water frequently as the two of you watched and talked.
You only stayed there for a short space of time, and then Nick seemed to sense without you needing to prompt him that it was time to get back to your walk. He stood and gave you a hand up. He held onto your fingers for just an extra moment, looking at your hands together, before letting go and brushing himself off. You did the same, and then fell into step with him, heading back to the path.
Easy conversation, just like the day before, continued to flow between you. He appeared to have endless questions about you, and again his rapt attention was its own warm, addictive rush, and that thing in your heart continued to grow, vines starting to sneak out of your heart and around your chest.
Suddenly he stopped, and you stopped another step ahead and turned to look back at him. “What is it?”
“We’re at the spot that leads up to the cabin your group is staying in,” he answered, a broad smirk on his face.
“Oh,” your cheeks heated, and you ducked your head to laugh. “Oops.”
You didn’t want your last walk with him to suddenly be over.
“You’re quite taken with all of this, aren’t you? The forest calls to you.”
You let out a wistful sigh and looked back up at him. Damn those impossibly deep blue eyes. You were overcome with a terrible ache that radiated from the base of your throat and the top of your chest, and you desperately tried to tamp down the thick emotion.
“But I have to go home tomorrow.”
“Come walk with me tonight.”
You bit your lip.
“Come on,” he urged you. “It’s your last night, and it’s a full moon. You have to see the forest bathed in the full moon's light. Come with me.”
“Yes,” you heard the word tumble out of your mouth, unable to deny him.
His eyes darkened and sparkled. “I promise you’ll see things you’ve never seen before.”
Though Nick wasn’t far from your thoughts, you focused well enough on your last evening with the group, engaging in dinner and the evening’s bonding activities. Wine and mocktails were poured for a final night looking up at the stars around a fire in the firepit on the balcony, and you made sure to enjoy that time, too. You had liked some of your coworkers before the retreat, but now you had a better understanding and appreciation for all of them.
However, once it got closer to ten, you anxiously started taking stock of the minutes passing away further into the night. Two of your group said goodnight at ten, but that was too early. You determined you would do well to stay with the balcony group until at least half-ten so you didn’t get too anxious about seeing Nick later.
At ten-thirty, a few more peeled off from the group, and so you retired to your room so that your timely departure didn’t seem unnatural to anyone.
You showered and messed with your hair for a bit but didn’t bother with makeup since it was after dark. You put on your favorite pair of joggers, a crewneck, and good walking shoes. You certainly hadn’t anticipated taking to the forest with so many walks each day, it wasn’t anything like how you were at home – busy with work and taking care of your life in the city – but it had been so natural to take to the outdoors while you were here. This final walk before your party went home in the morning wasn’t going to be like any of the others. You tried not to feel foolish for indulging in a walk at midnight with the hulking man with the most captivating blue eyes you’d ever seen who could easily take your breath away and whisk you off your feet.
But you had said yes because when else would you ever do something like this?
The answer was never.
And there was no harm in taking a handsome man up on his offer for a midnight stroll in the moonlight.
You put on the watch your grandmother had given you and the simple necklace you typically wore. They weren’t much, and you told yourself you didn’t need to dress up anyway, but they were small touches all the same.
Looking briefly in the mirror, you smoothed your hand down over the front of your shirt and took a deep breath. It’s fine, you thought. He’s seen you plenty before now, and it’s going to be dark, and it’s only a walk anyway. You checked your watch, and it was just a few minutes before eleven-thirty, which is when Nick had said to meet him.
You slipped quietly out of your room, down the stairs, and out the back door. The full moon was bright out here so far away from any city lights, illuminating the familiar path from the cabin that would take you down to the main boardwalk trail.
So many times Nick had simply appeared in the forest, but he was waiting for you right at the end of the path. Your heart raced just a little as his lips turned up in a smile.
“Hey,” you said softly.
“You came.”
He studied your face intently. You were unsure what he was looking for and simply focused on returning your gaze as unassuming as possible, telling your heart to settle and stop beating so fast. Yes, he made you feel things, but one of those things over the past few days had also been a sense of calm and safety in his presence, and you concentrated on that.
After another moment, finally, you responded with a simple, “I said I would.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “Then let’s go.”
You fell easily into step with him, the trail so familiar now, though it had been less than a week, and knowing this ramble down to the lake and back, your chest started to feel thick in anticipation of missing it already. As you walked and talked, you thought you were keeping pace with Nick, but maybe you were more tired than you thought because it seemed like you were working to stay in stride with him as you hadn’t had to before. Either that or his legs were longer than before, but that – of course – was an impossible thought.
You shook your head.
Nick paused and turned. “What are you shaking your head at?” he asked. “I’ve lost you, haven’t I?” His tone was soft and teasing.
“Sorry, I got distracted, and my imagination got a little carried away with impossibilities.”
He cocked his head slightly. “Maybe more is possible in this forest than you might think.” His eyes danced with a hint of mystery.
“Is that so?” You played into his mischief.
He leaned closer. “This is an old forest, and it’s a full moon. Anything could happen on a night like tonight.”
Your body seemed drawn into him, leaning closer as well. “Anything?”
“Anything,” he whispered, and his eyes flicked down to your lips.
The moment hung between you. You tilted your head up, and your eyes fluttered closed. You could feel the warmth of his breath on your face.
And then he tugged on your hand, yanking you out of the moment. “Come on, pretty girl, we’re almost there.”
You sighed, letting out the breath you didn’t know you’d been holding.
But with how tightly his hand held yours as he led you off the boardwalk and into the trees, you didn’t feel too disappointed.
He was quiet now, but he also kept you close as he led you through this part of the forest. The trees were more thickly woven together here, with girthier trunks, and you couldn’t help but feel how they were older the further you wandered in. There was no trace of a path now, but Nick kept a confident pace, clearly knowing each inch of the forest intimately, and his surety allowed you to let yourself be swept away further and further along.
His steps were swift but nearly silent, and you tried to walk as quietly as possible. The sounds of the forest at night were soft but present – soft wind whistling through the trees, the song of nocturnal birds, and the chirping of crickets. The light filtering through the branches was minimal, and it had to be tricking you because you knew he was tall, but it felt like he was somehow taller tonight. It had to be the nature of how you were keeping so close just behind him, focused on the square of his shoulder and the gentle pull of his arm leading you.
He wasn’t taller now than he was earlier today, was he?
“Just up ahead,” he said, looking back over his shoulder at you, one of the easy smiles that made your heart sigh painted on his face.
His pace quickened, and your anticipation built as you hurried to keep up.
Seconds before the tree line broke, you heard the rippling sounds of water before emerging into a glade. Nick stopped a few steps into the clearing, and you came to stand right next to him. The first thing to draw your eye was a stream running into a small pool. The meadow on the side of the stream where you stood sloped gently down to the water, and it was covered in blankets of wood anemone, reaching right down to the bank and springing up and sprawling away again on the other side. The trees surrounding the glade were certainly some of the tallest you’d seen in the forest, and they rose as giant sentinels toward the inky black sky, which was studded with stars around the bright full moon.
As you looked up and around, the coupling of the simplicity and the majesty of it all had you enraptured, and you let out a soft sigh of contentment.
Nick brought your hand up to his face, pressed a kiss to the back of your hand, and your heart stuttered in your chest. You turned to look at him. His eyes almost appeared to glow an even brighter blue.
“I said it earlier, but this forest calls to you, doesn’t it?”
Your brows furrowed.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
You did.
He dropped your hand, and you let it fall to your side.
“Take a deep breath,” he whispered.
You inhaled slowly, letting the breath fill your belly and lungs, fresh, clean, and calm. You tipped your head back, your face craving the moonlight in that moment.
Although you didn’t hear him move, suddenly you felt the warmth of Nick standing behind you. “Now, listen and feel,” he murmured softly in your ear, his breath warm against your skin. You shivered but remained rooted to the spot. His fingers brushed along the backs of your hands and began to trail slowly up your arms. Your whole body was humming at his touch.
He pressed one soft kiss to your neck, and you sighed and let your neck fall to the side. When his hands landed on your shoulders, he pressed another soft kiss at the bottom of your neck, then turned you to face him.
“You should stay with me.”
Before you could respond, he took your head in both his hands, cradling your jaw. He searched your eyes for any hesitancy, but you knew you couldn’t summon any, nor did you want to. Instead, you pushed up on your toes, seeking his lips, and he met you halfway, claiming your lips with his.
Your hands came up to clutch at his wrists as he held your face, and you leaned in, longing to feel your body close to his. His tongue teased at the seam of your mouth, and you let him in, allowing the kiss to deepen, to sear into your very soul. His left hand moved, quickly coming to press at the small of your back, drawing you flush against him. One of your arms wound around his broad chest, and the other came up to mirror how he was cupping your cheek, feeling the trace of stubble along his jaw with your fingers. You stroked his tongue with yours, moaning into the kiss, and he reciprocated stroke for stroke. You quickly became so consumed by his kiss, feeling lightheaded but not sure if it was him or a lack of air, because you couldn’t tell if you were still breathing. It was a fevered kiss driven by something you’d never felt so strongly before, and you needed more.
Nick sank to his knees, and you went naturally down with him. He sat back on his heels, and you followed, perching in his lap. He held you there, your core over his groin, for a delicious moment, and then suddenly he lifted you up and laid you softly but swiftly onto the soft flowery bed of the meadow, his lips never leaving yours. You gasped and giggled against his mouth.
“What a lovely sound,” he said tenderly. He pulled back just enough to look into your eyes, a satisfied grin on his face.
Whether it was smug or sweet, you weren’t sure, and you felt your cheeks growing warm under his hungry gaze and his soft praise.
“I wonder what other lovely sounds I can draw from you,” he added as both of his hands moved to your hips. He began kissing you again, having only given you a moment of reprieve, then his hands slid slowly up your waist, skimming up over your ribs, pushing up the fabric of your sweatshirt. When his thumbs brushed up against the underswell of your breasts, he pressed back and forth a few times, teasing you, drawing a little whimper, before he let his thumbs run up and over your nipples. They were both peaked, and you shivered in pleasure, the teasing through the fabric of your bra its own unique sensation, but you were eager for more, so you moved your hands to begin quickly unbuttoning his flannel. He took the hint, helping you by shrugging off his jacket, and when he leaned up for a moment to pull off his flannel and remove the t-shirt he had on beneath it, so you shifted beneath him to pull off your sweatshirt and reach for the clasp of your bra, tossing that to the side as well.
You hadn’t hesitated to rid yourself of your clothes, but you were hit with the rush of baring your chest to him now as – with his own clothing discarded – he froze and looked down at you from above. You flushed with heat, but as you moved one hand to tentatively cover yourself, he grabbed it in his, drew it up to his mouth, and kissed your palm.
You were aware of every imperfection as his eyes roved over your body, but when he looked into your eyes and said, “gorgeous,” his face was so serious, so hungry, you didn’t question that he meant it.
He lowered himself back down over you, supporting himself by planting one forearm on the ground next to your side, and this time his lips sought your chest. He kissed down your sternum, then took one breast in his mouth, and palmed the other with his free hand. You moaned as he sucked one nipple and rolled and teased the other with his fingers. You arched beneath him, your body responsive to his diligent ministrations. He switched to the other breast, flicking his tongue over the nipple before lapping and sucking at it. You hadn’t cum before from nipple play alone, but he had you wondering if you might as the pleasure mounted.
You trembled and whimpered beneath him, and as you began to writhe more desperately, he took his mouth off your breast with an audible pop. He moved back up your body, and his hand cupped your face again, his thumb brushing the apple of your cheek, urging you to open your eyes and look at him.
“Tell me you never thought about it, about staying here with me after I left you earlier today,” he said.
You were already breathless, or else the powerful drive in his deep blue eyes would have stolen your breath once again.
“You must let me have you,” he implored.
You couldn’t answer, but only because you were overcome by the desire in his eyes. For you.
Your name fell from his lips, and his voice was soft, deep, and controlled, but you could still feel the edge of the desperate plea as he uttered your name.
“Yes,” you keened, and you rocked your hips up against his.
“Say the words,” he said. “Say my name and tell me I can have you.”
He slipped his hand down, hooked two fingers into your waistband, and pulled teasingly along the edge from your hip to just below your navel. The torturous movement along your soft skin only drove the hunger that was building for more.
He had to know how he was mounting and playing with the anticipation. But if he needed you to say it, you’d say anything to get what you wanted right now under the light of the full moon from this inimitable figure of a man, nearly unreal in his beauty.
“Nick, you can have me!” You cried.
He wasted no time in pulling your trousers and underwear down in one go. You tried to kick off your shoes, but slightly struggling to do so, his hands helped remove your shoes and socks more deftly, and he was able to more easily toss it all away. And as your legs settled back down on either side of him as he knelt above you, you realized he was suddenly somehow as naked as you – though you didn’t know how he managed that so quickly, so quickly it felt like magic. Everything about tonight felt illusory, and yet it was all tangible and indisputable, and you gave yourself over to it. When else would you ever find yourself in such an enchanted set of circumstances like this ever again?
So what if it felt like a dream?
You took a deep breath and let your fingers tangle in the grass and the stems of the wood anemone. Your eyes traveled up his thighs to a cock so thick and long and hard for you, then up further, over his hips, defined abs, chiseled chest, and broad shoulders, and you whined. Every inch of him ignited heat through your body, and when your eyes met his again, your pulse stuttered.
You could dream like this for one night.
Keeping his eyes locked on yours, Nick settled back on his haunches and pulled your thighs up over his, drawing you up over him, angling your lower half up as an offering, and his piercing cerulean gaze moved to your core, fully on display. His fingers brushed over your lower stomach, the touch so light it tickled, and you jerked, but his other hand held your hip firmly in place. His fingers parted your folds without hesitation, and he licked his lips.
“Such a pretty, wet cunt, my little nymph,” he said, and you felt both shy being so exposed to him, and desperate for him.
“Nymph?” you couldn’t help but question, surprised by the pet name. 
“Mhmm,” Nick hummed. He traced your wet folds with one finger, in no rush. “You belong to this forest.” He spread your wetness along those lips with the attention of an artist to his canvas. Then he slipped two fingers inside your cunt.
You gasped, and your eyes fluttered closed.
He pushed them all the way in, then gave a few slow, shallow thrusts in and out.
You never wanted to wake up from this, but you needed more.
“Nick, please!”
He withdrew his fingers and then pressed them to your lips. “Taste your sweet nectar, nymph.”
The digits easily slipped into your mouth, and the urge to suck was a near primal reaction. He applied gentle pressure on your tongue as you sucked, and it only drove the craving in your core further. You were entirely lucid, and yet you felt thoroughly intoxicated by him, by everything around you.
“Open your eyes,” he said, and you did.
You swore he could see into your soul when he looked at you so intensely, but rather than fear, it soothed your nerves. It also more deeply stoked your desire for him, and as much as you wanted to linger in this moment, there was an undeniable pull you couldn’t ignore.
“Kiss me,” you breathed.
He shifted to lean down over you, remaining rooted between your thighs but shifting forward so you were nearly chest to chest. He bore his weight on his forearms, caging you in. As he settled, lips only a breath away from you, you felt the weight of his large, thick cock rest on your stomach. You lifted your head to pull him into the kiss you wanted. You ached for him to fill you up, but you also wanted to give everything just to this kiss for a few beats longer.
It was like he was drinking you in. One of your arms came up around his back, the other brushed up along the side of his arm, seeking and ultimately finding his hand, and your fingers instinctively entwined together.
He moved his other hand down briefly to guide the head of his cock to your weeping hole, and you gave a little moan into his mouth as his head entered you.
As he seated his cock fully inside of you, the tip nudging your cervix, you had to break off your kiss to concentrate on breathing. Nick dropped his forehead to yours, seemingly unable to refuse some form of intimate closeness as he rocked into you again. “You can feel it,” he spoke, the warmth of his breath still close to your mouth.
“Yes,” you panted. Your legs wrapped around his torso. He resumed thrusting, slow, deep thrusts.
“I can feel it, too,” he murmured along your jaw. “You’re answering the call of the forest.”
“Mhmm,” you hummed, hardly focused on what he was saying, but the deep warmth of his voice made the words swell through your mind.
He continued his unhurried thrusts, almost methodical in nature, and after a few more minutes, his cock began to swell inside you. And it continued to grow.
You moaned – or groaned – you couldn’t decipher if what you were feeling was real and whether it was painful or pure ecstasy. Your hand clasped his more tightly, and his answering squeeze was accompanied by tendrils of vines sprouting and circling around your hand and down around your wrist.
“What?” Your eyes flew open, and then you gasped. “Nick!”
He was transforming before your eyes. His face remained familiar, but a crown of horns appeared around his head, and emerald moss and glossy leaves intermingled and sprouted throughout his dark hair. Two enormous, magnificent antlers had emerged from his temple and were still slowly growing, just as he was still slowly growing inside you as he continued his steady thrusts. His shoulders broadened, and you knew he was growing in stature. 
You trembled beneath him, tears springing to your eyes, in danger of spilling over.
“I told you, my little nymph: I’m the king and guardian of this forest – it speaks to me like it wants to speak to you. You’re answering the call, and I can’t,” he paused to groan, and with a shiver, you felt the ridge of his spine shift from skin to a supple tree bark. “It’s midnight, and with you giving yourself to me and the forest, I can’t hold back my true form.”
He began to thrust more quickly in and out of your cunt, a few of the strokes a little erratic. You whimpered, overwhelmed, and a few tears spilled over your cheeks.
“No, none of that,” he scolded, but kissed away the tears. “You didn’t want to leave, and now you don’t have to, nor can you.”
His free hand moved between you and found your pulsing, puffy clit, applying immediate, furious little circles that refused to let you feel anything but pleasure in response to his ministrations. His lips reclaimed yours once again, and as your body continued to tremble, his thrusts sped up even more, your channel never more full, making the mounting wave of pain and pleasure so exquisite as the waves grew that you let out a sob as your orgasm crashed over you.
Unrelenting, as your cunt contracted around him, Nick more demandingly sought his own release. He moved both hands to grip your ribs below your wrists and railed into you with abandon, punching the air from your lungs over and over, and ultimately pushing you into a rushed second orgasm only seconds before he roared his own ecstasy, his hips stuttering as he spilled deep loads of his seed inside of you, a warmth you could feel permeating you.
And then Nick petted your face, showering kisses softly over your lips, cheeks, and eyelids before ultimately resting his forehead on yours, and gently caressing your neck.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for you, for this, and now you're mine forever.”
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↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest
If you enjoyed this at all, read the other two fics from the Enchanted Birthday Fest! They're both exquisite!
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rans-baby · 2 years
Text
when they think you're going on a date with someone else
a/n: I NEED A REVIVAL OF THE HAIKYUU FANDOM PLS. I NEED HAIKYUU MOOTS TO HELP W THIS BRAINROT.
tw // jealousy, possessiveness, nsfw-ish (no explicit scenes), fwb to lovers, childhood friends to lovers, exes to lovers, mutual pining
part 2 (iwaizumi, kunimi)
ATSUMU
classic fwb to lovers
you and atsumu have been messing around for about a year now, and in the beginning, neither of you wanted anything serious
but over time, you learned each others quirks and habits
he would make you coffee when you woke up and you'd make breakfast and with a chaste kiss to the cheek, you would start your days
you would spend most of your day after work in his apartment just hanging out, watching movies, making dinner, playing board games really anything to spend more time with each other
totally normal fwb behavior!
but one day he noticed that you were a little more dressed up than usual and he couldn't help but ask
"why're you all dolled up tonight sweetheart?" "oh a co-worker asked me out!"
he had never really considered the status of your relationship, but something about you going out with another man rubbed him the wrong way but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was
you were on your way out when you thought he was going in for his usual kiss on the cheek
what you weren't expecting was him to go for your neck, leaving a trail of hickies that had you gripping his shirt and when he looked down your dress, he caught a glimpse of his favorite lingerie set, his
"wouldn't want someone to get the wrong idea, you're mine sweetheart, don't you ever forget that"
you could hear the silent desperation in his voice despite his arrogant facade
needless to say you didn't go anywhere that night
what he didn't know was that you had no intention of going on this non-existent date in the first place but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him
RINTARO
childhood friends to lovers! (personally my favorite trope)
you'd known rin since elementary school, somehow making it all the way to college together
you were inseparable and everyone around you thought you were together
with all the people both of you had rejected in the two decades of being friends, everyone had backed off of both of you after a while
lately you were busy with school and rin was also getting busy with his plans on going pro
over the past six months, you guys hadn't really spend that much time together and while you had missed spending time together you both knew there would always be time in the future for each other
or so you thought
because you had spent so much time apart, people thought that the both of you had become fair game
up until that point, you had both chalked up your lack of love lives to general disinterest in romance
but after you had saw rin at a cafe, your favorite cafe, on a date with his new manager, you came to the realization that you were in love with your best friend
but you thought it was too late, so you had entirely ceased contact with him which hurt him but he wanted to respect your boundaries so he let you be
what he didn't expect was to see you three months later during his practice but before he could reach you, he saw you waving past him, right at one of his teammates
he watched as the man jogged up to you, pulling you into a hug and talking with you animatedly
he was usually a pretty chill guy, but in that moment something lit in his chest that he had never felt before
was that jealousy? he knew he had no right to be jealous, seeing as how he'd gone on his fair share of dates in the past few months but no one caught his interest long enough to last anyways so it wasn't the same as what you were doing to him now
before you realized it, you felt someone loop their arms around your waist from behind
"hey princess, been a while. who's this?" "y/n you never told me this was the infamous rin!"
there was a petty satisfaction in knowing that you had talked about him to other men, especially to men that you were seemingly dating
"rin, this is my cousin, haven't you met before?"
he had a vague memory of meeting someone similar in appearance during high school at your 18th birthday party, but he was too enraptured on how you looked that night to really care about all the people you were introducing him to
his cheeks immediately took on a dark pink hue and he released you with a nervous chuckle
"oh hahah yeah, of course I remember I'm just.. not wearing my glasses today!" "rin, you don't wear glasses"
needless to say you still teased him about that incident to this day, your daughter finding it especially amusing that her stoic father could get flustered so easily, but only for his wife
KIYOOMI
exes to lovers, my second favorite trope!
you and kiyoomi had dated during high school, but neither of you were really ready for what being in a full blown committed relationship meant
kiyoomi had a relatively hard time expressing himself and while you tried your best to encourage him to be more open with his feelings, he genuinely couldn't and so after graduation you had broken up
once you parted ways, he realized his mistake but didn't want to disrupt the life that you were planning on building for yourself, one that he thought would be radically different than the life of a pro athlete
a few years passed and while he occasionally thought of you, it hurt less over time and eventually he had gotten over you
until he saw you with his team one day, well he had heard about you first
"have you guys seen our new athletic trainer? she's so fine, wanna bet who could get with her first?"
he was never one to entertain silly games like that, so he brushed off atsumu's words not really thinking about it
he watched in slow motion as you walked in, waving at atsumu first before turning your head and making eye contact with him before waving at him too, albeit a little less enthusiastically and that hurt him just a little
atsumu sprinted up to you, overhearing him talk about the guy that he saw you with the night before and whining about how you wouldn't give him a chance
"'tsumu he was just a friend, pinky promise!"
he couldn't control himself as he marched straight up to you, grabbing your wrist and dragging you across the gym
"well hello to you too kiyoomi, nice to see you after five years, how are you doing?"
he ignored the sarcasm
"hi y/n, nice to see you after five years too, how are you doing? who's this new guy you're with?"
to say you were surprised was an understatement, his mocking tone catching you off guard
"why do you care? he really was just a friend"
he still wasn't buying it, but after looking into your eyes after five years he couldn't help but spill out all the words that he's wanted to tell you since you had broken up
"and can you please call me omi again?"
his meek tone threw you off, but you would be lying if you didn't say that you were overjoyed at the prospect of finally being able to make things work
"omi, the guy I was meeting with the other night was komori. he needed help planning his proposal so we went out to dinner together. and by the way, I know you didn't ask but yes, I would love to hang out with you after practice"
after all these years you could still read his mind and that thought made his heart flutter in a way that it hadn't since high school
"promise I'll treat you right this time around baby, you aren't going anywhere"
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lemonlover1110 · 1 year
Text
Baby Steps
Satoru Gojo
[Chapter 18] Satoru's Plans
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Pairing: Satoru Gojo x f!Reader
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Satoru can’t stop thinking about your date, one with a man that just happens to have the same last name as his old best friend. He didn’t get you to repeat the name, so maybe he misheard. But he doubts it. He just knows that it’s Suguru. He doesn’t know what Suguru is up to, but he knows that Suguru is up to no good.
And it doesn’t let him sleep. He’s trying to find out when you have the date so he can ruin it. Moreover, now that Suguru definitely knows who you are, his relationship with Leiko is pointless. So he’ll end things with Leiko as soon as possible and then– He doesn’t know what he’s going to do with Suguru nor you for a matter of fact. But he’ll figure it out eventually.
Right now, Satoru’s main focus is to stop your date. Or at the very least, ruin it.
So he’s trying to figure out when you have your date, and he hates doing this, but he’s following you around. You’re barely going out as a six-month-old jobless pregnant woman, but you do go out for a moment to get some food since you’re not in a cooking mood. You’re getting too much food for one person, and he wonders why until he remembers that Kaya is living with you. Apart from that, you don’t go out for the rest of the day.
That night you don’t go on a date. So he has to come the next day to watch you. You don’t go on a date for a whole week– At least you don’t go out with anyone else. Satoru ignores work calls and Leiko for a whole week, focusing completely on you. The man thinks it’s easier to find Suguru and kill him than to wait around.
The eight night, he’s thinking about how the date just isn’t going to happen. You’ve backed out. You definitely have at this point. He’ll just break it off with Leiko and try to receive your forgiveness, while also figuring out what he wants to do with Suguru.
He receives a phone call when he’s about to go home, and to his surprise, it’s you. He quickly picks it up, putting the phone to his ear, “Hello?”
“Hey, Satoru… Just haven’t heard from you in a while. Want to make sure you’re still alive.” You say, and he mentally curses himself, knowing that he’s been unintentionally avoiding you while keeping his eye on you. He pinches the bridge of his nose, a sigh escaping his lips, making you think he’s annoyed with you.
“Yeah, I’ve just been busy. I’ll stop by tomorrow with some items for the baby and–” He sounds irritated over the phone, even though he isn’t– Maybe at himself but not at you. But you certainly don’t know that.
“You know what? Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to come around since it’s such a hassle. I’m going on a date tomorrow anyway.” You respond. He exhales, biting down his bottom lip before a stupid smile comes to his lips. Of course you are. “Alright. See you.”
“Wait–” He begins but you hang up the phone on him. He bites down his lip before sighing in frustration. Almost one week wasted, and your date is still happening.
-
You aren’t sure why you agreed to a date, maybe to piss off Gojo. But you dread getting ready, wondering if you should show up. It’s best to just cancel, again, but you can’t risk Kaya getting mad at you, again. Plus, it’ll be nice for you to go out with someone else that’s not your best friend. You don’t necessarily have to date, maybe you’ll just make a friend.
You show up at the little restaurant that’s near your apartment, your eyes searching for the man she showed you in pictures. Gauges, long black hair, nice face. You think you’re in the wrong place or maybe too early, until your eyes finally land on him. He stands up, a big smile appearing on his face.
You try to smile at him, but it comes off as insincere. But he doesn’t mind. You walk over to the table he’s at and take a seat across from him. When you’re seated, he takes a seat again. You feel awkward for sitting down so soon when he introduces himself, “I’m Suguru, it’s nice to meet you.”
You introduce yourself as well. You’re definitely awkward at first, and he notices. So he tries to get you to loosen up. He cracks a couple of jokes, however, you don’t laugh. After that failed attempt he asks, “What do you do?”
“I’m a full-time student.” You answer, and his eyebrows raise. Of course you are, Satoru will make sure the mother of his child is comfortable. You watch as he waves at the waiter to walk over and take your order. You’ve barely looked at the menu though. You feel awkward and mean to even think about dismissing the waiter, so instead you order the first thing on the menu. “How about you?”
“I’m a cult leader.” He responds, and your eyebrows raise, your eyes clearly displaying worry. Before he bursts into a laugh. You awkwardly laugh in response too, “Man, you don’t seem to have a sense of humor.”
“That’s so mean to say… But you’re right. I’m just a tad bit nervous.” You confess. “I’ve just been thinking about this… Isn’t it awkward for you? Are you actually comfortable with this?”
“With what?” He plays dumb. He knows exactly what you’re talking about. You smile at him and then shake your head. You begin to converse about something else, and you start to loosen up. He actually makes dumb jokes that you laugh at.
Everything goes so well, until someone that you weren’t expecting approaches your table. You find the father of your son staring right at your date, and you furrow your brows as you look at Satoru. He doesn’t even care to acknowledge you while staring at Suguru. Suguru looks at you and asks,
“Do you know who this is? Why is he here?” You glare at Satoru and you’re so tempted to shake your head. But perhaps you’ll end up being friends with Suguru, and you don’t want him to later find out about the fact that Satoru is,
“He’s the… Father of my baby.” You reveal, almost ashamed to admit it.
“Don’t act like a damn idiot, Suguru. You know who I am.” Satoru says, and you’re taken back by the fact that Satoru knows who Suguru is. You only ever mentioned his name to the man and that was over a week ago. However, Suguru doesn’t seem to know who Satoru is. “I should’ve warned you. If you even try to touch her, I’ll kill you.”
Satoru doesn’t try to be discreet, and now there’s eyes on you. You feel your face get warm, and you end up standing up. You can’t even look directly at Suguru as you mutter, “I’m so sorry, I think we should go. I’ll ask Kaya for your number.”
You grab Satoru’s hand and try to drag him out of the restaurant, you don’t have to use much force since the man complies. The moment you’re outside, you cross your arms and just glare at him. You chew on the inside of your cheek, trying to decipher what the right words at this moment are. “Satoru… I’m just so… Disappointed right now.”
“Let me hear about your feelings.” He responds. You take a deep breath before you answer.
“I’m just… Why can you have a girlfriend but when I have a date you come and ruin it? I was starting to have fun with him, but you came and threatened to kill him in front of everyone for no reason.” You argue.
“Don’t you think I’d have a reason? Do you think I would just threaten to kill him for no apparent reason?” He questions and you slowly nod in response. It’s not like Satoru has given you too many reasons to trust him. You can rely on him financially, but you have no other reason to put your trust one hundred percent on him. “I know I haven’t handled things the best way but… I’m asking you to trust me on this. Suguru is not your friend and if he wants to get close to you, it’s to hurt me. And please trust me, the father of your child, over a mere stranger.”
“I don’t even know what to say…” You shake your head disapprovingly. You pinch the bridge of your nose before sighing. “I’ll trust you. But you have to tell me why. I can’t just ignore him for the simple reason that you don’t like him.”
“It’s a really long story.” Satoru answers, and you roll your eyes. You begin to walk away, but not back into the restaurant, “Won’t you just trust me?”
“I want to hear your reasoning. We have so much time to kill.” You respond. He follows behind you as you walk back to your apartment, which isn’t too far away. “This baby isn’t coming out yet, you think you can tell me between that time?”
“Why are you so mad? You two literally just met, it’s not like I ruined anything?” He questions and you come to a stop. You turn to face him, clearly irritated with him. 
“It’s not about Suguru. It’s about the fact that you can be all happy with Leiko, and what do I do? Nothing. But the moment I go out on a date, you come to ruin it. Worst of all, you don’t give me an explanation.” You tell him, and he sighs. “Or what? Do you not want your baby to have a stepfather? Do you just want me to stay single? You’re so crazy, you were just encouraging me to go out with someone else–”
“I don’t want you to go out with him– And don’t even suggest him becoming the stepfather of my son.” Satoru says, making you turn around and walk away again. “Plus, I’m breaking up with Leiko.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it!”
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🏷 @witchofoe @cactustattoo @kageyamaslittleroyal20 @mykyoon @sunjayist @fonkymonkeyfriday @lilith412426 @luvs-wrld @witchymermaid12 @fi106 @distractionforyourthoughts @dearsunaa @tamak00 @watyousayin @leiriswhore @q-the-rockaholic @shuxjodie @syynnaaah @kleeboomed @shrekmwa @bakugobiddies @blueeskies17 @arminsgfloll @obeythemasters @crispmarshmallow @levismainbabe
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jbaileyfansite · 4 months
Text
Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer's Interview with The Hollywood Reporter (2023)
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“Johnny B! Johnny B!” Matt Bomer exclaims as he logs in to Zoom to join his Fellow Travelers co-star, Jonathan Bailey, to do press for their critically acclaimed Showtime limited series.
“Hey, Matty Mo,” Bailey replies. 
The actors spent about six months filming the eight-episode series — so, of course, they’ve established a playful bond. On this particular day, they’ve even given each other nicknames.  
“I don’t think I’ve ever called Matt ‘Matty Mo’ in my life,” a smiling Bailey says.
“I love Matty Mo,” Bomer replies. “Listen, I love Matty Mo. I appreciate it.”
Bomer and Bailey built a brotherhood and onscreen chemistry for the historical romantic drama about two male political staffers who fall in love at the height of the Lavender Scare, a time when homosexuals were banned from holding positions in the federal government. The series — based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel of the same name — follows their intense affair into the ’80s, also visiting Vietnam War protests and the AIDS crisis.
Zoom, it turns out, is where the actors first met, reading lines together to see if there was magic. And there was.
Since debuting in late October, Fellow Travelers has had an overwhelming response from viewers — some connecting directly with Bomer’s Hawkins Fuller, a veteran and State Department official who carefully hides his homosexuality, or with Bailey’s Tim Laughlin, an eager and naive congressional staffer who falls hard for Hawk. Others have identified with some of the supporting cast, including Allison Williams in the role of Hawk’s wife, Lucy Smith, and breakout stars Jelani Alladin as reporter Marcus Hooks and Noah J. Ricketts as drag performer Frankie Hines, whose gay Black love story is one of the show’s many highlights. 
“It’s so nice to be able to have discourse with people who are responding to the show. That’s been really refreshing and enlightening,” says Bomer, who is also an executive producer on the series.
Bailey, best known for Bridgerton and his theater work, says he was drawn to the show because “it felt new and it hadn’t been done in this way — in an elevated, eight-hour, rich aesthetic with gay actors.
“The queer experience is so different for so many people,” he adds, “but the one thing that unites the queer experience is these moments in history.”
In an interview with THR, Bomer and Bailey talk about prepping for their roles and being gay while playing gay, while also breaking down those milk and toe-sucking scenes.
What has it been like to have people connect emotionally to the series?
MATT BOMER: I won’t name names or anything, but I’ve known people over the years who’ve made similar choices that Hawk made in order to survive. Not governmentally — I mean in a society that certainly didn’t want to see them succeed. But for me, the most refreshing thing has been the young people who are really engaged in the show and knew nothing about the Lavender Scare, and are speaking to the show and the characters, but also, aspects of our history that they were unaware of that the show has — I don’t want to say taught them about, because it’s not a teaching tool — but they’ve learned about through the show.
JONATHAN BAILEY: When people respond in that way and you hear their personal stories, it’s amazing that people feel that they want to share that. It’s the most grounding thing to tell a story and investigate a time or a period or a movement, that hopefully leaves an imprint on people, and/or catalyzes them to tell people and talk about their own stuff. That’s the dream, really.
Jonathan, it’s so heartbreaking to watch Tim hurting in various scenes. What were you pulling from to give such a strong emotional performance? 
BAILEY: Thirty-five years on this earth. (Laughs.) Drawing it from the ground. Naturally, it’s totally parts of me and parts of people that I know, experiences that you think of. Tim’s character arc is so huge, and [I wanted] to capture his youth in those early moments and then expand into what breaks such a pure, optimistic, passionate soul and all the different ways in which that could show itself. There were moments on set that you couldn’t help but be incredibly moved by. 
We found ourselves filming by coincidence on World Aids Day. It is really not hard to feel the importance, but also just the grief is palpable in the stories. And there is a lineage — you inherit this in your community. It just felt like an opportunity to learn as much as I possibly could, generally, about the queer experience. We are surrounded by amazing gay men, as well. And then, of course, I’ve lived my life trying to understand the gay experience, so it wasn’t a shallow pool to [pull from].There’s a well there.
Matt, your character is so cutthroat, but obviously there’s sympathy for him, as well. What was it like playing Hawk?
BOMER: Hawk does what he has to do to survive. He has his empathy and his allegiances, but anything that calls his survival into question, there are immediate and severe boundaries. But then enters Tim, who is so guileless and so full of love and all the things that Hawk wishes he could be at his core, or maybe once was before certain aspects of his life changed that or his point of view about that. You’re always looking for a shadow in your character, and it was so refreshing — he obviously has a public persona, a veneer that he presents to the world in order to maneuver in it, but he really leads with a lot of the more shadowy aspects of a typical character. It’s the love and the more open and vulnerable aspects that are his shadow in many ways. That was an interesting flip for me to get to sink my teeth into. 
It’s profound to have two gay actors playing two gay characters on a TV show. Did you ever think something like this could exist?
BOMER: Honestly, no. My mind has been blown so many times over the past 20 years. I’m just so grateful that the gatekeepers gave us this opportunity. I was doubtful, almost up to the 25th hour on this, that they were really going to put the money and the opportunity into this series that they did. And I’m just so grateful that people who are in the position of calling the shots gave us the chance to tell the story — and the way we needed to.
BAILEY: It’s the Tims of the industry, who are searching for more, who are deconstructing, who are questioning. Because they’re all a similar peer group — [series creator] Ron [Nyswaner] knows Dante [Di Loreto, executive producer of Glee and P-Valley], who’s at Fremantle [which produced the show], and they’ve worked together for years. This isn’t something that just got commissioned overnight, because there’s a wave of progress. The people who are really doing it, as well as the actors, are the people in positions of power who have worked their way up with these questions.
And it’s funny, the one thing I have thought over the years is — I’ve just looked at gay characters, they’re such rich, brilliant, oppressed, complicated, joyous characters to play, so of course people want to play them. And this is a brilliant example of: What better way to do a character study of two polar-opposite gay characters than have gay people play them? But that’s what I felt growing up. I just thought, “Of course people want to play those parts,” which is great. It’s just, what happens if, just for a moment, gay people play them?
And I do think that everyone can play everything, and that’s what we should be headed toward. But I do think there’s a balance that needs, and needed, addressing. And there are a lot of people whose questioning and hard work have created a world in which this can fly.
BOMER: I agree with you wholeheartedly. And it is the Tims of the industry or maybe some Hawks, too, hoping for retribution.
BAILEY: That’s true. We stand on the shoulders of all the Hawks, as well. 
BOMER: (Laughs.)
BAILEY: [The Hawks] did all the work at MGM, yes. (Laughs.)
Jonathan, your character drinking milk in the series got a lot of attention. 
BAILEY: It was a brilliant way of showing such naiveté, and immediately you know that this is a character who’s completely outside the world Hawk inhabits, and he sees the world completely differently. He’s so open. It’s so interesting, isn’t it? Because, it’s funny that Tim leads with his heart and his openness and his childlike wonder, and his shadows are his compulsive nature of constantly needing something that he can’t fill. There’s a moment in episode six — they’re in Frankie’s flat, and I was like, “He’s got to be drinking milk.”
BOMER: There was a power shift in episode eight, too.
BAILEY: Exactly. The milk was on the call sheet. It’s a character in its own right. And also the milk’s character arc is more dramatic than everyone else. Give it a spinoff, I say. (Laughs.)
There was also that toe-sucking scene. Jonathan, did you get the script and it said “suck toe”? 
BOMER: Just “suck toe.” (Laughs.)
BAILEY: It was very, very precisely written down — it was as precise as it needed to be. I saw that as an incredible way to dissect power. I got it when I read it, and I wasn’t intimidated by it. I was just like, “If in the first episode that’s what we are doing, it’s going to be worth five months moving to Toronto, and it’s going to be a series that I would want to watch.” Because not only is it incredibly complicated, not only is it really hot, it’s also something that masks as being provocative, but actually it’s really psychologically impactful and the people who get it get it.
BOMER: I think all those scenes were a really external representation of what was going on with these characters internally, emotionally. And for me, it was really refreshing to see the gay love scenes brought to light in a really unflinching way.
BAILEY: The shock and overwhelm and the tantalizing chemical combustion that happens seeing it — it’s a greater sensory experience because that’s exactly what it meant for Tim in that moment. It captures exactly what’s going on for Hawk and Tim, hopefully, allowing the viewer to experience a bodily reaction to it in the same way, whatever that may be. 
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hoedamn-eron · 1 year
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he found the box of condoms - part 3 (finale)
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You and Leto have to deal with the aftermath of your relationship.
Warnings: Age gap, but it is appropriate/legal. Mentions of drinking but it's isn't specified to be alcohol (but it's implied). An awful lot of dialogue. Some swearing. Angsty but happy ending. I have never seen nor read Dune (yet), so there may be some inaccuracies (Duke and Paul being OOC, stuff like that), but it's Modern!AU anyway. Slightly proof-read, as per usual. Word count: 3,025 GN!Reader, no use of Y/N.
FINALLY, I have this posted! Not some of my best work, but I was so aware that I hadn't updated this for 4 months!
Part 2
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You wished you had declined your parent’s invitation to their barbeque.
It had been a terrible week. You had started your new job, but the person you were taking over from must have left the company with spite since they left everything in such a mess, that you technically couldn’t ‘start’ your job until everything was put right again. And there was a snooty woman (Harriet, in sales) on your office floor who had already decided you weren’t worth her time, and she seemed to have her fingers stuck in a lot of pies.
You’re dating life was a joke too. You’d been on a few dates here and there, from your adventures in the worlds of Tinder, and Bumble, but nothing went past the first date. They were all either looking for different things or just general walking red flags. The only ‘successful’ dates you had had were with your neighbour, Tom, who was a really nice guy, who treated you really well, and put an effort into your dates, but you had let him down massively by being too hooked on Leto Atreides. Now you can barely look at him when you happen to pass each other in the hallway of your building.
Speaking of your living arrangements, your apartment wasn’t working out like you thought it would. When you moved in five months ago, you weren’t prepared (or warned about) the excessively noisy neighbours, and the terrible water pressure, and the fact that your apartment was just freezing constantly. You’d already been on your landlord’s case, but he didn’t seem to care in the slightest, not now he’d had your security deposit and months’ worth of rent. You were on the verge of asking your parents if you could move back in until you could afford and better place.
And to top off your already terrible week, Leto was here.
You hadn’t seen him since he broke up with you six months ago, after you told your parents and Paul (who hadn’t talked to you since) of your relationship. It had been a hard time for you, obviously, practically seeing him every day since he lived next door to your parents. Of course, you didn’t expect your parents to stop talking to him, he was their friend before he was your partner (even though your dad had given him the cold shoulder for a while); but they could have given you some warning that he was going to be here.
“I’m sorry,” your mother said after pulling you aside to ‘help with the salad’, away from earshot of the other guests.
You were already shaking your head at her, giving her a tight smile. “It’s fine.”
It wasn’t, but you weren’t going to tell your mother who she can and can’t have in her own house.
“Your father must’ve invited him – “
“Really, it’s fine,” you say, placing your hand on her shoulder. “I’m gonna grab a drink.”
You really needed one.
Your mother soon went back to mingling and you hung around by the kitchen door, regretting your decision to come to the barbeque more and more. Everyone just seemed so chatty and happy, and like they currently had no problems happening in their lives. These people weren’t struggling to get hot water or being shunned in work by their new co-workers.
They most certainly weren’t in the same space as their ex-partners, still hopelessly in love with them. You did feel slightly pathetic, still pining over Leto the way you were, especially when he’d made it perfectly clear that it would be in everyone’s best interests that you separated.
“We shouldn’t see each other anymore.”
You had the feeling that was what was coming when he had said ‘We need to talk’. Nothing good every came from ‘we need to talk.’ But it didn’t stop you physically feeling your heart break in two, your body suddenly feeling like it would collapse.
Leto’s shoulders slumped as he looked at you with, annoyingly, sympathy. “That came out – “
“No, it’s fine,” you breathed, lightly shaking your head. “I get it.”
But it wasn’t fine, and you didn’t get it. You didn’t understand why you two would need to end what you had, just because Paul had thrown a hissy fit. But at the end of the day, you knew – deep down - Leto would choose Paul over you any day; he was his son, his flesh and blood. They’d both been through a lot since Jessica died. Leto would want the easiest life for Paul, and this wasn’t a part of it.
“I’m sorry,” Leto whispered, looking at you with those deep brown eyes, that you always thought held the stars. “I’m so sorry. It’s just you’re young, you don’t want to be with someone like me, an old man. And Paul is…I’m sorry.”
You shook your head at him again, disagreeing with everything he was saying. You both go silent before a wobbly smile makes its way on to your face. “We can always stay friends.”
Leto stared at you for a moment before giving a single nod. “We can.”
You almost roll your eyes at the memory, trying hard to ignore the pang in your chest. You hadn’t even remotely stayed friends. You wanted far away from him as humanly possible after that night. You were pissed off for a while, blaming Paul and wanting to wring his neck, but eventually you accepted that was just how life was going to go. Sometimes things work out how you want, and sometimes they don’t.
No matter how much you had wanted it.
You take a large sip of your drink, almost coughing at the burn down your throat. You truly didn’t want to be here. Maybe you could give your parents a discreet goodbye a quietly sneak out. Surely no-one would notice, only your parents had greeted you. Leto hadn’t even noticed you were here. You take a quick glance around your parents sunroom, your eyes landing on the God of a man himself.
He always looked so effortlessly good looking. He’d grown his beard out a little and God dammit, if salt and pepper wasn’t his colour. His white polo really brought out his golden tan, evident he’d been working in his garden with the nice weather you’d had the last few weeks. He didn’t look like his life was falling apart; obviously, Leto was a perfect human being. Nothing ever went wrong with Leto Atreides.
You sigh as you finish your drink, throwing your head back and looking back at Leto, before jumping out of your skin.
He was looking right at you, an unreadable look on his face.
You avert your gaze quickly, going to take another drink before realising it was already gone. Good, an excuse to disappear and avoid Leto’s coffee brown gaze. You make your way into the kitchen, intending to raid your parents appropriately named ‘drinks fridge’ for a good five or ten minutes. You weren’t ready to face him, even 6 months of being apart. It still hurt.
Once you had refilled your drink, you turn only to nearly drop your drink in shock. Leto had followed you into the kitchen.
Oh God, you’re cornered, there was no escaping him now.
“Hey.”
Why, why, did he have to have a voice that melted you from the inside out? It wasn’t fair. And you hadn’t heard him since you moved out, it shouldn’t make you feel like this.
“Hi,” you greet back. You curse yourself as the slight wobble in your voice, but you hope he didn’t notice.
He probably did, but he won’t say anything, because he’s just that nice of a person. He’s even looking at you like he’s causing you such an inconvenience talking to you.
“How are you?”
How were you going to answer that? Would you be honest and tell him that you were the unhappiest you’d been in a while, or would you lie? You could tell him that you were living your best life, that everything was absolutely fine with you, that you hadn’t had a few unsuccessful pity dates with your neighbour across the hall, because all you could think about was the Adonis of a man stood in front of you.
You’re taking too long to answer. The call of your name causes you to blink at him with a quick, “I’m fine.”
Leto nodded, an awkward silence filling the air. You look down at the drink in your hand, swirling it around the glass, biting your lip. You wanted to leave. What were you supposed to talk about? How miserable your life was? How he’s probably living his best single life with all the people falling at his feet?
“Your mom mentioned you’d…that you’d met someone.”
You couldn’t help the snort of a laugh that came out of you. Straight to the point. You shook your head as you look back up at Leto, a confused look on his face. “I wouldn’t say mine and my neighbour’s dates were something to write home about, pretty sure we’re not going to go out again.”
“So you’re not seeing anyone?”
“No.”
“So I can take you out then?”
You freeze, looking at him with wide eyes. What did he just say? “Pardon me?”
“I’ve been…completely miserable,” he said, huffing a laugh as he shook his head. “The past six months have been rough.”
The nerve! He broke up with you. He decided to end your relationship for Paul’s feelings, which you understood, really you did, but that didn’t mean you were going to just drop everything and crawl back into his arms. He’d ignored you for six months until today. As much as you were pining for Leto when you first spotted him, you couldn’t help but feel put out and pissed off.
Unnerved by your silence, Leto cleared his throat. “I spoke to Paul – “
“That makes one of us,” you mutter.
“He’s mentioned that he misses you and wants to make things right between us all.”
“He could have reached out himself instead of making you come and speak to me,” you mutter. “It’s awkward enough as it is.”
“He didn’t make me – “ Leto huffed, his shoulders slumping. “I’m trying here.”
“I just thought that my feelings meant just as much as Paul’s do.”
Leto sighed your name, closing his eyes in frustration.
“No, I get it,” you say, nodding at him. “As long as Paul’s feelings aren’t hurt.”
Leto looked back at you. “He’s my son – “
“And as I said, I get that, but he was also my friend. And he was a prick.”
“I know, I’m sorry, but you have to understand – “
“I do.”
You both stare at each other.
After a few moments, Leto shook his head at you. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” you counter. “We broke up. That was it. The relationship was evidently too much, so we decided to end it. And now you’re coming up to me, assuming you can take me out, like nothing happened?”
You knew you were being unfair. You had agreed to break it off too, but you had been having a bad week and you weren’t prepared for him to be at your parent’s house after feeling sorry for yourself. And for him to just approach you the way he did and throw his feelings back at you?
You wanted the floor to open you up and swallow you whole.
You found yourself suddenly laughing in disbelief, averting your gaze to look around the kitchen, mainly so you didn’t have to look at his heart-breaking expression, and so he didn’t see the overwhelmed tears in your eyes. “I really didn’t need this today.”
Leto didn’t say anything as you ranted to him, your stress and anger from the past few weeks coming out of you.
“Ever since we broke up, I feel like my life just fell apart. I lost Paul, and you, and my apartment that looked great on paper absolutely sucks and my landlord knows it but doesn’t bother to fix anything. My new job isn’t what I thought it would be and I have already rubbed somebody the wrong way, and I can’t seem to hold down a date with a decent guy, because all I can think about is you!”
You hadn’t realised Leto had made his way to you until he pulled you into his arms. You hadn’t realised you were crying until he was shushing you and whispering apologies in your ear, keeping you to his chest and he lightly swayed you. He was always so warm and welcoming, and always left you wanting to stay in his arms eternally.
You find yourself trapped in a wave of conflicting emotions. As the memories of the time you had spent with Leto flood back, you feel a mix of joy, pain, and longing at being held by him again, even if it was in the middle of a breakdown. Your heart feels heavy with the weight of regret, as you reminiscence on the times you had together and the things left unsaid when you broke up, how it was so sudden when you felt like your relationship had just started.
You don’t know how long you both stood embracing in the kitchen for, but you were vaguely aware of Leto waving your mother away, probably checking to see where you’d both gotten to. You heard your father call to the guests that he was going to start grilling, so you took that as your queue to get out of the kitchen. You pulled away from Leto, wiping at your eyes and avoiding looking at him.
You’d embarrassed yourself enough.
He watched you silently pull yourself back together before you finally look up at him, giving him a shaky smile. “Sorry about that.”
Leto was already shaking his head. “You don’t need to apologise. Ever.”
You take a few more deep breaths, finally calming down. “Did you mean what you said?”
Leto looked at you with a raised brow, before countering back. “Did you?”
Well, yes you did. You know you constantly think about Leto. He’s never far from your mind, you’re always wondering how he was doing since you moved out of your parent’s place, wondering if he ever got back into the dating pool, or if Paul had forgiven him (evidently, he did). Leto was the love of your life, even if you both chose to separate. And despite this, he was giving you the choice to get back together.
You eventually nod at him. “I did. I think about you all the time.”
Leto gave a small laugh of disbelief. “Then what are we both doing?”
You shook your head at him. “I don’t know. Everything was happening so fast, I didn’t…”
Leto gives you a small smile. “I understand.”
“I didn’t want us to break up. I didn’t want to be alone, without you, but you looked like you were doing so well without me and I was practically a pathetic, blubbering mess.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”
“I’m glad you were as miserable as I am,” you say jokingly, giving a small laugh.
The change in Leto is instant. His shoulders relax, and he starts giving you that small smile that he used to give you when you were having your long talks on dates. It was the smile that warmed your insides and made you feel gooey, like a teenager going to prom with the most popular person in school.
He stuck his hand out to you. “Shall we start again? I’m Leto, it’s nice to meet you.”
You snort but humour him, grasping at his hand as you introduce yourself.
“I just noticed you across the room and I have to say, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re so cheesy.”
“I remember you used to like me being cheesy.”
You feel your cheeks warm as you gave him a light shove. “We just met, Leto, I don’t know what you mean.”
Leto smiled at you. “Want me to ask you out again?”
You couldn’t help but sigh dreamily at him. Your heart beats hard against your chest as you nodded at him.
“Can I take you out sometime?”
Your breathing quickens, and you still felt like you were melting against that smile of his. This was it. This was your opportunity to be with Leto again, to be happy again. You wouldn’t need to sneak around and you could be a real life couple.
But you didn’t want to risk being hurt again. What if the same problems arose, that Paul wasn’t okay with it after a while, or your parents? Would Leto break it off again? Would he think it was too much again and end things? You were still an adult and could make decisions for yourself; something that others seemed to forget last time.
But you could handle it. You loved him, and you were sure he loved you. And you could be together again.
You nod at Leto. “Yes. I would love to go out with you.”
Leto grinned. “Are you free on Saturday?”
“I am.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven on Saturday then.”
Before you could reply, Leto leans forward, his lips meeting yours. You melt against him, your eyes closing as you revel in the familiarity of their kiss. The way his lips fit perfectly against yours after so long, like coming home after a long journey. You wrap your arms around each other tightly, deepening the kiss, savouring every moment as if you’d never been apart.
As the kiss comes to an end, you both pull away, gazing into each other's eyes, feeling the love and longing that has been building inside you for so long.
“I’ll hide the condoms better next time.”
You let out a laugh before slipping your hand into his, leading him back out to the party. You choose to ignore the smirk your parents were giving each other as you join them.
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Tagged - @m0nster-fvcker, @justanotherkpopstanlol, @eonnyx, @secre-flower, @shaggzthatsnottheworm
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theresattrpgforthat · 2 months
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Is there a modern Rural or Small Town TTPRG? Without agriculture as a central theme? Maybe something focused on community or the idea of rural? 😳
Theme: Small Town Games
Hello friend, I think I have a few games that might work out for you. Some are collaborative, some are petty, and some are in small towns but the focus in on something a little different.
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Turn, by Beau Jágr Sheldon. @beaujagr
Turn is a slice-of-life, rural supernatural tabletop roleplaying game for three to six people. Players are shape-shifters in a small, rural town--able to turn into animals like raccoons, cougars, and bears. They must balance their human lives and habits with their beast lives and instincts, while pursuing acceptance and community with other shifters - and with the mundane humans and beasts that populate the town. 
Players and the Town Manager build their town together using a unique town building system, and create the characters who populate it and the wilderness around it. Turn uses the Script Change toolbox to support player comfort and consent, and explores themes of identity, community, self care, and otherness.
Turn is a rural game that adds a supernatural twist in that your characters are all shapeshifters. The small town is meant to be a setting that will likely challenge your characters and provide emotional growth. The game itself is written very carefully, with essays sprinkled throughout to help you navigate difficult topics that may arise within the game.
Unincorporated, by Ethan Harvey.
An optimistic person might call this place a town. It has a name, a gas station, a few stores. It just doesn’t have many people. Which makes these other losers still hanging around here important. The same few people are your co-workers, your neighbours, your dating prospects, the folks you run into everywhere.
"Friends" might be a stretch, but they know you. Or at least they know who you used to be. They know about all the stupid things you’ve done, and they won’t let you forget it. Nobody gets a clean slate here. But maybe you can shake off your reputation and become something new.
Unincorporated is a collaborative, mostly-GMless story game for 3-5 players who take on the roles of ordinary people caught up in petty rivalries, long-held grudges, intense frenemyships, and hopeless love affairs, all while trying to shake off the weight of expectations.
If what you really want is small-town drama, this might be the game for you. The basic rules are inspired by Powered by the Apocalypse games, and the settings are flexible - you can use a pre-suggested playlet, or build a setting of your own. This means that the game can also be used alongside another ttrpg, if you want to experience the intricate lives of the town your characters live in alongside their larger-than-life adventures.
The Woman of Sayora Village, by luciellaes.
Your country has been at war for several months now, closing on a year. Your village feels empty. Anyone capable of fighting has long since been taken far from home, leaving more than enough work for those left behind. For some, that work is a welcome distraction from the pain and fear of separation, while for others the added burden is overwhelming enough of itself.
Your village feels different. Most of the departing soldiers were men, and those who remain are mostly women, the young and the elderly. Until it happened, you had never quite grasped what a difference this would make. Toxic behaviours that were once tolerated or even celebrated are now shunned and punished. Feminine rituals and celebrations that had begun to fade into obscurity have seen a startling renaissance. Formerly taboo subjects can be discussed openly in the fields and on the streets.
Perhaps when the war ends, things will return to the way they were. Perhaps not. In the meantime, there remains much work to be done.
This is a very specific setting for a small-town game, namely in that it is about a town during a difficult time, and without almost half of its population. This game is also highly interpretive, because it uses a deck of tarot cards, which you will have to interpret as you draw them. The game is also GM-less, which means that everyone at the table will fill similar roles.
I Went To Bourbon, Indiana Once, by Beth and Angel Make Games.
I Went to Bourbon, Indiana Once is a hack of I Went to Seattle Once by Lucky Newt Games which is itself a hack of I Went to Japan Once by James Lennox-Gordon. As per the original, you are friends, family, or perhaps random strangers bored in line at a gas station who all suddenly realize you've been to Bourbon, Indiana, a small little town without much to do. Did you visit either (or both!) of the town's dollar stores?Check out the town gazebo, a local hangout spot? Or perhaps you hit up the Redbox kiosk and relaxed for the night.
Players roll dice and share experiences blending the results of two separate tables, but once too many players tell the same stories over again (as we Midwesterners are wont to do), everyone goes their own way and the reminiscence concludes.
As a game about the traveler's experience of a small town, rather than a resident’s, I went to Bourbon, Indiana Once may provide a unique take on the theme of small-town games. The game includes a number of prompts to provide you with events that happened during your stay, and that’s about it. I think that would make this game pretty hack-able for any small town that you can dream of - and it might also make this a great mini-game to put inside a larger campaign.
Our Town, by Miles Kirk.
Our Town is a theatrical 1 page tabletop roleplaying game with no dice, no masters.
Players take on the roles of citizens in a small town and play through snapshots of their lives from adolescence, to adulthood, to one of their deaths.The game can be played with 3+ players and can take 2-4 hours depending on the size of the group. It provides the opportunity to explore many different subjects surrounding everyday life; safety tools are strongly encouraged during play.
The creation of the town you live in is essential to the play experience of this game. You’ll come up with some basic details about the layout and buildings of the town, but you’ll also populate it, creating relationships between the residents and following them through a day in their life. Then the game moves out to observe the town in the long-term, asking what happens over the course of 10 years, as well as what happens when prominent characters die. If you want a game that looks at the bigger picture rather than a play-by-play, this might be the game for you.
Little Island Gift Shops, by astoryinpieces.
In this cooperative roll-and-write dice game, 2-4 players are members of the Little Island community, a place that puts helping your neighbors at the front. Each day, they'll decide how much time to spend diving for ocean goods to sell in their individual gift shops on the island. Unused goods are shared with neighbors, or can even be returned to the ocean as decorated gifts in order to receive its blessing. However, Little Island is only bountiful and strong when everyone uplifts each other! So organize your shop carefully, be respectful of your ocean home, and never be afraid to help your neighbour~
This game feels a little bit like a board-game, asking players to weigh decisions of different numbers of dice rolled, as well as strategize to determine which shop owner gets which trinket. The end of the game also asks the players to tally their scores, with the lowest player’s score setting the score for the whole group. As a result, this game should encourage everyone to work collaboratively, in such a way that the community succeeds as a whole.
Games I’ve Recommended in the Past
An Altogether Different River, by ehronlime.
What the Water Gave Us, by Jordanna George.
What’s So Off About This Small Town?, by Ostrichmonkey Games.
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blueberry-lemon · 9 months
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Shouting into the Void about Palia, which has begun its open beta.
Palia is a "cozy sim MMO set in a fantasy world", as pitched by the developers at Singularity Six. If I had to set it up in one sentence, I would pitch it as something like "what if an MMO didn't need to have combat?"
Which is something I'm really excited about.
To clarify, I think the MMO term is slightly misleading. When you log on, you're sent to an instance of around 25 players or so, similar to how Sea of Thieves works. For what it's worth, I think this is actually a preferable experience versus being a "true MMO" with hundreds of people crowding around the town area. I think they made the right call.
Although I have some small critiques and some reservations about recommending Palia during its open beta state, I'm having a really fun, relaxing time and I'm really looking forward to how the game grows. Full thoughts below.
--- I'm sure people will be quick to compare Palia to Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. This is valid, and probably something the developer wants you to do. Like those games, Palia is about relaxing and having a good time in a simple town with charming NPCs.
That said, I think the closest analogs to how Palia works are actually Disney Dreamlight Valley and Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. Dreamlight Valley I think is the most direct competition, so to speak. It's funny to see that another developer got to the multiplayer pie before Disney's teams were able to fully add multiplayer, lol.
In Palia, you dress up your character and you customize your home. I think the art is really great, and the animation has really impressed me. There's a great variety of outfits (although to be clear, 30% of clothing options are available from the start and the other 70% is, for now, premium currency only.) There's unfortunately only 2 choices of body type in the Open Beta, although the devs claim that more are coming.
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There's a shocking amount of customization for your house and your lawn. At least, picture Animal Crossing: New Horizons but with better controls for dragging and dropping where you want everything. People who like setting up their plot of land will have a good time. You can even expand your property to make it larger.
The core of Palia's loop involves you hopping around between progressing the Main Story and progressing 8 different skills: Cooking, Hunting, Bug Catching, Gardening, Foraging, Fishing, Furniture Making, and Mining. In addition to this, you're progressing your friendship meter with the different NPCs and, if you'd like, selecting one to Romance.
There's some really smart innovations in Palia that I like.
For example, your Mining skill only increases when you PICK UP the ore loot that drops from destroying a vein of ore. Why is that? Because you're supposed to work together with friends and strangers. If the skill increased for each time your pickaxe struck the vein, then you'd get annoyed if your friend helped you, because working together would destroy the vein in less strikes. If the skill increased for destroying a vein, then only the person who got the "last hit" would reap the exp reward. In Palia, so long as a player strikes the vein at least once, the loot will drop for them when it's destroyed. This way, anyone around you can "get their hand on that ball" by helping strike the vein at least once. This encourages working together, sharing the loot, etc. The same goes for chopping trees: anyone who contributes at all will get the wood that drops. This naturally encourages people to work together. There's no reason not to, because you're not "stealing" the loot from anyone else or "stealing" the exp.
Cooking is the most fleshed out co-op experience from what I've seen. Recipes require ingredients and a stove or prep station. Then, when you start the recipe, you do minigames to chop ingredients and stir them. So long as any player contributes an ingredient or does one of the minigames, they get the full exp and the finished dishes from cooking, even if that contributing player doesn't have the recipe. So if your friend loves cooking, and has a bunch of recipes, they can initiate the cooking and then you can bring the mushrooms and do the chopping. Then you all get to level up and get the dishes.
Even activities like Fishing are more fun to do together. If you fish near someone else who's fishing, you'll both get a buff that makes the fish bite your hooks much sooner. It stacks higher the more you fish together.
Another smart innovation: a rework of the infamous "stamina meter." This time, it's a Focus Meter. If your Focus Meter drops to 0, nothing happens. You don't pass out, you don't starve, nothing. However, if you DO have Focus, you get a Exp Gain Multiplier. This encourages you eating dishes to stay well-fed without punishing you too strongly if you ignore it.
And then, lastly, the core conceit of the game: there's no combat or danger. Although there is a Hunting Mechanic, it's completely one-sided, like hunting deer (which the game is quick to tell you are overpopulated in the area.) You can't die, you can't get hurt, you don't take fall damage, you don't even have health, period. I think this is great at trimming the unnecessary parts of a game like this and keeping it truly relaxing.
Although I'm having a fun time, I can't wholly recommend the open beta of Palia for everyone. The game is still early in its life and is missing a lot of important UI/UX and central features. The Pause and Settings menus are pretty sparse. You can only have 1 character so far, there aren't multiple character slots. You can't even change your characters name once you've made it, so choose carefully. In addition, you might feel like there "isn't enough to do together" if you play with friends, which is similar to a complaint I have about Animal Crossing multiplayer. It's mostly a chill hangout game about fishing next to each other.
There are a lot of things in the game that still need to be fleshed out, but I'm really happy with the core structure they've set up. Once this game leaves Open Beta, I think it'll be an easier recommendation, especially for folks who have enjoyed Disney Dreamlight Valley. I think these devs are smart about how they're handling the core desire here: wanting to play a game like Final Fantasy XIV or Stardew Valley without having to worry about combat or stamina.
My partner and I love to play these relaxing zone-out types of games. While trying Atelier Ryza recently, my partner said: "I just want a game where you zone-out and pick stuff up off the ground." My friends, we finally found it. It's called Palia.
You can find the Palia Open Beta on PC, and the game is slated to release on Nintendo Switch.
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buckrecs · 1 year
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Hi☺️☺️ hope you’re having a great end of year! i saw in a recent post that you live in korea and I don’t see many people living in korea or koreans (if you are) on here so that was a nice surprise!!! not my fave account living right in the same country as me🫢
could u plz rec any bucky x avenger!reader or agent!reader fics if u know any?? they’ve been my favourites to read recently. thanks a lot!!!!
Avenger / Agent Reader
masterlist | req masterlist
Heyyy!! I’m korean and I live in korea too🥺 So nice to meet a fellow korean on tumblr 새해복 많이 받으세요🫶
And here are some Avenger/Agent!Reader oneshots!
I really wanted to add everything that I read in the past but I couldn’t, so please check out other works these amazing writers wrote! (My following page is public too😉)
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delicate by @mediocre-daydreams
this ain't for the best my reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me.
the one where the protein shake plays matchmaker by @mediocre-daydreams
you and bucky barnes can find any reason to hate each other. new york can find any reason to believe you two are together. when steve asks you to do a co-interview with bucky, the two of you are barraged by dating rumors that you vehemently deny and it breaks bucky’s heart. do you really find the thought of being with bucky so revolting?
Obsession by @wkemeup
Targeted after your complicated relationship with Bucky ends up on every news channel in the city, your stalker takes things into his own hands to ensure that you belong to him, and him alone.
I Told You To Be Patient by @shamevillain
Patience is a virtue and Bucky would love to be the one to bestow it upon you.
Worth The Risk by @itsapeterthing
when bucky and sam get captured you have to go in alone to save them leading to a worried, overprotective bucky who cares about you a bit more than a teammate should.
black out by @creativebeang
a black out in the middle of a mission leaves you and bucky in dark. an unfortunate situation may be the best opportunity to shed some light in deeper issues.
b.b. boy by @bucky-bucket-barnes
Bucky and you have been friends ever since he arrived that rainy at the Compound. Silently pining, you’d hope he would pick on the numerous hints you dropped. It’s not until a small miscommunication happens that he confronts his feelings for you.
Liability by @writing-for-marvel
Bucky takes you under his wing when you become the outcast of the new special forces team working with the Avengers.
If This Is The Last Time by @/writing-for-marvel
Bucky finds you bleeding out and he fears it will be his last opportunity to tell you how much he cares.
I Grew Up In The Shoes they Told Me I Could Fill by @nightowlwriting
you were built in the image of the winter soldier and with that comes blood on your hands. you do your best to find any sort of repentance in your new life with the avengers - your new life living with, and being in love with, bucky barnes. when your past comes back to haunt your present... well, you're not sure you'll get a future.
I Can Do More by @the-bau-quinjet
The team underestimates Y/N's strength until one day when her powers save them all.
Out Came The Sunshine by @sidepartskinnyjeans
A quiet evening takes a surprising turn when a new recruit moves into the compound.
You Deserve This by @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky
As the newest member of the team, you’re doing your best to prove yourself- but doing so is difficult when you’re sick.
Six Days by @tmpestuous
make the effort to avoid Bucky during a mission after he upsets you in an argument, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. 
Welcome Notes by @snotwebs
You’ve been a S.H.I.E.L.D agent for many years now, but recently you’ve been on more and more missions with the Avengers, and so Fury decided it was time for you to move to the team’s wing in the tower. You are welcomed by everyone but there is just one person you still haven’t met. Bucky Barnes. You’ve heard so many stories about him, but he kept very much to himself. You decided to make it your mission to make Bucky feel as welcomed as you did, and so it all began with a note...
The Enemy within our own Ranks by @pherelesytsia
Y/N is injured during a mission.
restoring a legacy by @alisonsfics
you are there when bucky finds out about the “new cap”
Art Therapy by @invisibleanonymousmonsters
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