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sidney-latrobe · 2 years

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First Time (Fezco x Reader)

Summary: After a long debate, you finally decide to try weed, and your friends send you to their trusted dealer.

Content Warning: Strong language, explicit description of marijuana consume

Word Count: 1,569

It was there for a while now—desire. You were confused and a little annoyed by a growing appetite for a taste of marijuana. It nested in your brain like a tumour, growing in the unknown until it was too late to remove. The first time you tasted it, burning like a punch to the gut, was after rejecting a batch of weed-brownies from Kat and then again two weeks ago after refusing a joint from Maddy.

Despite the teasing from your friends and their playful peer pressure, you never gave in. But you were a tall tree during a storm—destined to be struck with curiosity. And this new curiosity kept you awake at night, tossing beneath your sheets, wondering what if …

Jules had once asked why you refused to join their illegal activities, and you paused, realizing nothing held you back. Speaking from a physical point of view, your body could keep hard liquor down, and after spending a tremendous amount of time in the company of the earthy smoke, you believed your mind built some resilience. You couldn't give Jules an explanation because there wasn't one—it was that simple.

It was a random Tuesday afternoon when you announced your decision to test the herbal drug, and you were met with supported cheers.

"Finally!" sighed Maddy, throwing her hands in the air as if she praised the Lord. "I was starting to think you really were just some lame bitch!"

"You sure?" said Lexi. Worry furrowed her brows. "What changed your mind?"

"Nothing did." You shrugged. There was no lie in your words. Honestly, nothing had occurred that changed your mind. You didn't need an escape from reality or craved freedom. If you searched long enough, a possible explanation could be boredom, the mistress of life and creator of many great things. "I want to try it once. See if I like it."

"That's the spirit," said Cassie in a cheerful voice. "You should go to Fez then."

"Yes," agreed Maddy, "his weed won't make you throw up."

"Great. Got an address?"

"I'm sure he'll be at the Halloween party on Friday."

Ah, Halloween; skeletons in the foreyard, spiderwebs, people filling their rucksack and pockets with candy, scary movies, haunted houses, neon lights, screams tearing apart the night, and dying laughter of children. It was the perfect holiday.

Jules and Rue came by your house to pick you up, and together you gathered Kat and Lexi, walking through the trick-or-treating children toward the party.

"Are you really sure about tonight?" asked Lexi, making herself a drink. "About getting weed from Fez?"

You stood next to her. "Yeah," you shrugged. "I just wanna try it."

"But why? You never showed interest before."

"Well, it bought a CDS bathbomb recently and it was so relaxing! Of course, there was only like twenty-five miligrams in it, but still! I just want to see if it something I could do at parties."

Lexi, her costume an uncanny likeness to Bob Ross, sighed and said nothing more of the matter.

You were glad for her silence and the liquid courage in your red plastic cup because, without it, you wouldn't have the nerve to find the drug dealer. Rue, a famous customer of Fezco's, said that he sat outside by the pool before she ran through the crowd, trying to follow a dangerously drunken Jules.

Fezco was a drug dealer and a college dropout. You never spoke to him before but observed from afar. Sometimes, you wondered how he came to run a drug dealing business at a young age, but the television and movie media provided enough theories. Was he a former addict and worked off his debt? Did he find his passion at college? Or perhaps his family was a sort of mafia? The reason for his occupation didn't matter. He was the producer; you were a consumer.

People smoked on the porch, and a guy hurled his insides into some bush. You skimmed the pool area, drying your palms against your jeans. Despite the incredible amount of liquid courage swimming in your stomach, you couldn't deny that you were tense, and it didn't help that Fezco sat at the far end of the backyard. He sat alone in an armchair by the pool, handing some guy something after receiving payment.

Slowly, you approached him as if he were frightened deer. Although he was sitting, he looked tall. His hair was cut short into a buzz-cut, and his red beard framed his handsome face. She was sure he had light eyes despite the bad lighting. He was handsome, alright—for a drug dealer.

Maddy and Cassie had reassured you there was no need for discretion with Fezco, but you didn't know him, and he certainly didn't know you. You rubbed your sweaty palms against your jeans as you towered above him. Fezco took a drag from his joint and blew the smoke away from you.

"You Fezco?" you said.

"Who wants to know?" asked Fezco. His voice was pleasingly smooth.

You took a deep breath and hesitated, "I, err, I heard you sell something." You fidget with your wallet, avoiding his cool gaze.

Fezco's brows knitted together, and he waited for you to explain further, but your voice was lost and your throat dry.

"And that be?"

"Y-Yes, sorry." You coughed. "I, well, I'd like to buy some … Asparagus."

"Excuse me?"

"Dobby's Hobby? Duct Tape?"

"The fuck you're talkin' about?"

You balled your hands to fits, taking another deep breath, whispering, "Grass."

"Why you whisperin'?"

"I don't know."

Fezco's lips curled into a smirk, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest, letting his eyes look over you once more. "Why you wanna buy weed?"

You sighed, "My, err, friends said you sell it."

"I do." He took another drag from his joint. "You have no idea 'bout that stuff, do ya?"

You didn't answer as he pulled a small plastic from his pocket.

"That'll be twenty bucks."

You stared at the small plastic bag, which contained a dark green substance. Your glance flickered toward his, and you swallowed hard before admitting, "I don't know what do to with this."

"Fucking hell," laughed Fezco, "why you buyin' weed if you don't even know how to roll a joint."

He gathered white paper and a filter. "What's your name?" he asked as he opened the plastic bag.

"Y/N," you answered, taking a seat next to him.

"Right, Y/N, this is how you do it. First, you grind the cannabis." He ground the weed flower into a medium coarseness—about the size of a grain of rice. "Then, make a few accordion folds on one end of the filter paper, then roll the remaining piece around the folds until it forms into a short tube. Pack it up and tuck and roll."

You felt silly letting a drug dealer explain how to joint to you, yet you hoped Fezco didn't think of you as a total idiot. He handed you the finished product in exchange for a twenty-dollar bill, and you stared at the joint.

"Do I just lit it?" you asked, feeling dumb.

"Yes." He chuckled, but then something changed in his face. He looked serious. "You want me to show you?"

You blurted, "Yes," and blushed, knowing how desperate you must have sounded. Fezco chuckled again and pulled a lighter from his front pocket. He took the joint from your fingers and placed it between his lips. Then, he lit the paper's front and breathed in until the white paper glowed red. Grey smoke travelled from his lungs to your face as he handed you the lit joint, and you carefully placed it between your lips.

"You gotta take a puff," he said, smirking.

Now or never, you thought and took a drag from the joint. You inhaled that grey stench, the odour that foretold of tar-infested lungs. As hard as you tried, you couldn't keep the smoke in your lungs; the burn was too painful to endure, and you coughed aloud. Fezco laughed and watched you try again, this time only clearing your throat.

"Who you supposed to be?" he said, lighting a blunt.

"Kaz Brekker," you coughed, "from Six of Crows. It's a book."

"Don't read much," admitted Fezco.

"What about you?" She looked at his outfit—a simple black suit. "Man in Black?"

"Oh, shit," he grinned, "I haven't thought of that."

You laughed, "You just put on a suit?"

"Yeah."

You took another drag from the joint, slowly feeling its calming effect spread from your lungs to your brain. Fezco watched as you leant back into the cushions, a lazy smile spreading on your lips.

"Y/N," he said, and you tilted your head at him, "why you tryin' weed?"

"I just want to try it," you confessed. "Everyone does it, so, I thought I can give it a shot."

"What do you think so far?"

"I like the effect." You giggled.

"You haven't even finished smoking it."

"True." Another drag. "So, buisness going good tonight?"

"Yeah. Kids always paying for the good stuff."

"Good," you said, sleepy. "You mind if I stay here?"

"Nah. Stay as long as you like."

You never left his side.

Please like, comment, reblog, or follow if you like the content I post. Go check out my other works for Fezco here.

#fezco fanfic #fezco x reader #fezco #fez #fezco euphoria #fezco x you

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zackcrazyvalentine · 3 years

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I hope i'm not late for the screenshots thingy!

Here's who i got!

(i got lucky cause Epel and Idia are my faves LMAO)

And for the theme, maybe them reacting to MC cooking them meals from their world? Or maybe them visiting MC's world with them? You choose!

(romantic btw!)

LET'S GET THIS BREAD!!! I'm sorry it took some time to get out

I'll do a half and half~

Let's go!

~ Other Worldly ~

With: Epel Felmier, Idia Shroud, Vil Schoenheit, Jack Howl, and MC

Them reacting to MC cooking food from their world, and visiting MC's world

First off, let me start by saying that a good 3/4 of these characters are super picky(? with their food, Vil and Idia being the most critical (according to what Master Chef events tell us)

Hope you have some super cooking skills and/or premium ingredients at hand! ^^''

Some headcanons didn't come out too romantic orz

🍎 Epel Felmier 🧹

Foreign dishes

Epel noticed the peculiar cooking going on in Ramshackle after visiting one time

While he may be critical of ingredients and overall resulting taste, Felmier is curious to try new things (specially if it's in big portions, unlike Pomefiore's dinners)

He approaches MC shily, asking if he could have a taste of what they were eating at the time

"Sure, no problem! In fact, let me cook some for you fresh!"

Before he could even protest to get them to stop, the Prefect already got to work

He tries to help, but MC shoots him down and tells him to patiently wait

Epel's appetite and curiosity are increasing with every second

Once the food's ready to be savored, he digs right in! And will provide some feedback about what he liked about it, what it reminds him of, and if needed be points out what he thinks it lacked

Eager to try out more of the food MC was accustomed to eating back in their world!

Visiting a far away land

EPEL IS PUMPED!!! FIELD TRIP TO A LAND HE'S NEVER SEEN OR HEAD ABOUT, UNLESS IT'S FROM MC'S MOUTH!!

He's eager to visit all the places his love adores! Make some memories and have a blast discovering the place such a wonderful person comes from

He wants to know how their two worlds differ, how a world without magic unfolds before his eyes

Let's be honest: this boy right here is excited to wreck havoc in supermarket and fast food places' parking lots. Y'all probably woke up at 3am once and decided to go scream and mess around at your nearest McDonald's parking lot

Please show him vine compilations, I'm positive Epel will love to get to know the humor of this world (although he once used a vine reference when talking with a cashier once, thinking it was common knowledge for everyone in MC's world)

Out of the four guys here, Epel is the one most open to improvised plans

Eager to try out any strange fruits and vegetables, interesting snacks and bizarre cookie flavors that catch his eye

"How can your world have such specific flavors? Rosemary garlic jalapeño bread chips? How???"

💀 Idia Shroud 💙

Foreign dishes

MC probably brought some of their homemade food over to Idia's dorm after getting concerned that this boy's diet heavily relies in junk food and sweets, and when he does eat it's a very small portion

So in MC comes and asks Idia if he would like to try some food they prepared, one of their favorite dishes

At first, Idia is very reluctant, saying how he doesn't feel hungry

But the Prefect has a trick under their sleeve: a crestfallen expression with an adorable pout

Seeing them having a meal on their own while occasionally sighing sadly has the flaming haired boy debating what he should do

Then a memory of Ortho's voice resounds in his skull: "Meals are typically shared between people to develop or strengthen a bond. If you want to win [Name]'s heart, you should take them out for dinner."

That and he can't deny the contents of that container in their hands look appetizing

Shroud finally accepts and brings you over to Ignihyde's kitchen to grab a couple of plates

He's hesitant, but takes a nice first bite of food. Chews it carefully as he analyses the taste, texture, consistency

"I've never tasted something like this before. What is it?"

"One of my favorite dishes, [food name]!"

Silence followed, "Huh? I-I'm afraid I have... never heard of it..." He said

"Yeah, Ace and Sebek said the same when I introduced them to it. Makes me believe this is something only seen back in my world."

A nice chat develops and, before they know it, the food's gone and Idia himself ate a nice amount of it

It's in the walk back to his dorm, when they're enveloped in a nice comfortable silence, pinkies entwined, that MC confesses they purposefully did all that out of concern for how much he eats

It ensues some light pushing-and-pulling around and tickling, him saying how that was a tactic well taught out, but also saying how he eats just fine and they shouldn't worry about that. You know, light banter between a loving couple

That dish ends up in Idia's list of favorites. He has asked Mc to bring it with them a couple of times when they hang out together and play games

Visiting a far away land

Frankly, he's curious and very nervous about this trip

MC of course is aware of Idia's dislike of crowds and being out in public, so they prepared a nice and calm trip for him

Visiting the less frequented parts of town, quiet cafés (cat cafés!! because those normally have controlled influx of costumers for the kitties' safety), couple of history museums, supermarkets late at night for snack runs, lots of staying at home to play a plethora of videogames and watch many anime series and movies

He's amazed at the variety of games MC's world has, and is also surprised by how some titles are similar to those he likes to play. Same goes for some anime series

While he appreciates how the Prefect tries to show him what their world and society there is like, he much more prefers their stay at home time

He gets to cuddle with them in their room! Their actual legit room with many memories of their life!

He may not look like it, but Idia likes to snoop around and ask what this or that photo, a toy or poster is about and what memories they hold

Honestly, Shroud came over to his lover's world to know about their life, not so much to learn about the world as a whole

Baby pictures, photo albums, the occasional video of their childhood, diaries and old Valentine's cards, he looks through and reads them all!

He will treasure every bit of information he learns about his partner and their life in this world. Probably takes one of their baby pictures with him back to Twisted Wonderland

👑 Vil Schoenheit 🍎

Foreign dishes

Vil is the hardest to convince to try your food out of this group, no doubt

He does know MC cooks, and knows that some of their dishes are uncommon, but the model has yet to asked them for a taste

It takes one brave "Do you want some?" for the model to finally have a taste of the food

He's very hesitant, you can see it clear in his expression, but it all fades away after the first bite

He will openly state if he likes it or not and why

"Perhaps you have other dishes that suit my fancy better? Come on, I want you to show me more."

He genuinely does want to taste more of those unique dishes

Visiting a far away land

Eager to take a little vacation to a world full of opportunities

I see Vil as someone who would like to visit the most prestigious places (though MC will have to tone it down and remind him they don't have an unlimited amount of money to spend)

Art museums and a couple theatre plays are his go-to, along with nice restaurants, popular cafés, and lovely parks to have a picnic on (he jumps into the idea of attending one of those outdoor cinema projections, those are probably his favorite because he gets to cuddle with his lover under the night sky while a movie plays)

He will want to learn about the history of MC's world and the way society, politics work there

He gets word of the horrible things that happened and the threat of climate change, human rights violations and he will want to take action to protest against it

Okay, but Vil will get along so well with the Prefect's younger siblings and mother/aunts/fem guardian if they have one

Get ready to have him judge favorite makeup products. Prefect better lead him away from the beauty and skincare sections of farmacias and supermarkets

All in all, having Vil over to their world allowed MC to visit many nice fancy-ish places and allowed them to enjoy some simple things they forgot

A wonderful person to have by your side in any world and universe~

🐺 Jack Howl 💛

Foreign dishes

With his fine sense of smell, Jack detected the food MC was preparing for their little date was something unfamiliar

"What's that? Something new?"

Yet MC tries to keep the surprise until the plates are presented and served

Seeing the smile on their face, Jack can't help but think that this dish will taste wonderful due to the love shining on their face

"This is [dish name], one of my favorites back in my world. Haven't seen it offered in the cafeteria, so I decided to try my hand and prepare it for you, Jackie!"

First bite, fluffy tail wagged. He compliments their cooking with a smile before diving in for a couple morsels

Jack isn't too picky, he enjoys food truthfully

I think he will be curious about the story behind the dish and why his love categorizes it as a favorite. Ingredients, techniques, tell him all about it!

I'm sure this boy will be happy to try more of the unique dishes found in a world ways away from his!

Visiting a far away land

A visit to his partner's world, huh? Well, Jack is certainly excited to see what sort of outdoor activities and exploring can be done in this new place!

Dates with Howl in the Prefect's world will consist of visiting natural parks, gardens, forest trails, perhaps do some fishing or bird watching

Jack grew up with snow as a constant. He would like to explore the winter sports scene in this foreign world (if MC lives somewhere with snow/with designated paces on which to practice said sports)

Aside from these outdoor sporty visits, the wolf would like to attend concerts or maybe a local team's game

However, he soon finds out these events aren't suited for his acute hearing (poor baby 😭)

So he's content with spending time inside MC's house, get to know their family a little, look through their family pictures, and have pleasant late afternoon walks in the nearby park

Something as simple as going out for icecream is tremendously pleasant with Jack by your side

(but poor MC if they aren't athletic or into nature because this big puppy will drag them to loooots of nature watching dates asdfg)

-- --

Ngl, this prompt was a little hard to fulfill. I'm well aware this isn't the most romantic, but hope it was enjoyable

Thank you for your request!

and sorry again for taking long

#zask #twisted wonderland #loading screen headcanons #epel felmier #idia shroud #vil schoenheit #jack howl #twst x reader #twisted wonderland headcanons #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader

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cutebubbles · 2 years

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So I just played Growing Up and I am addicted and emotionally attached.

First playthrough (no pics sadly ;-;): I made myself but tbh she diverged from me when I made her develop different interests from me. Childhood she befriended Alex, middle school Wendy and high school Kato. My character was chaotic but a mom friend who made sure Alex didn’t get killed. I was originally was going to have her pursue Wendy but then said she wasn’t interested in any girls or guys and I was just ohhh I guess this isn’t going to work out. Alex I believe is straight so not an option but I fell in love with Kato. I love how cute and dorky they are together. My favorite scene was when they were playing a kissing game with dungeons and dragons dice. My character got all the good endings, married Kato and become a veterinarian.

Second playthrough:

Kato and my character had a son named Julius and his childhood friend is Bobbie (who I love to death), had an enemies to lovers story with Alicia and befriend Flick. Tbh I debated to date Bobbie but I ended up not getting those vibes from their relationship plus idk if I missed but I don’t think I saw an option to date her? With Flick I have this headcanon that she did have a crush on Julius but he never saw her that way since he already liked Alicia since middle school. During that time period in her route when she avoids you he would date Alicia. In her good ending while feeling guilty for what happened to her brother she was able to move on and get married and have kids like she wanted. But when it said she got divorced because she had trust issues I wondered if she thought back to Julius sometimes because he’s still good friends with her and he was the only person she ever trusted. Julius ended up as a football player for the super bowl and married Alicia who became a business women and created non profit organizations to help others.

Third playthrough:

Alicia and Julius had a daughter named Valentina and holy shit her life was the most chaotic. So even though these storylines don’t crossover I like to think she dated these three dudes at different times in high school. So Jake is her childhood friend who I think is her first love and dated him first until I got the bad ending lol when she tried to stop him from getting into a gang she said she loved him but he dropped out of high school and never saw her again and died in a gang fight. Sam I think she would have dated on and off after Jake and at the one point when he makes out with another girl and he said he was now seeing her. I felt chaotic in the moment and had her kiss him and he ended up calling her a skank and she yelled at him and the last time they interact is them awkwardly feeling bad for what happened but never directly confronting each other when they saw each other. Nate she was friends with since middle school and I think it fits he would the last person she dates since his route has romance happen at the end. Omg Nate is amazing and I love their relationship so much. It felt like she had a more genuine connection with him out of the three boys. Valentina ended marrying Nate and she became a famous movie costume designer and he became a veterinarian.

I’m trying to get all the characters and I want to get a playthough with Jake and Sam’s good endings. Highly recommend this game for fun character interaction and character creating with stat building.

Edit:

Fourth playthrough:

After two playthroughs with the only options to be straight, it felt vital to be gay this time. Hmm this story was rather chill. The next kid I would follow is Aria and I would say she’s a chill and artistic sort of girl who wasn’t into school and preferred to draw all the time. I think her route was that slow realization of woah… I’m gay. Cool. Like I can picture many would think her and Richard would end up together since cute childhood friend to romance and Richard develops a small crush on her in high school. I think it was her meeting Patty that made her think about it more. Idk what happens if you try to pursue Charles as a girl and how he rejects you but I like to think because he’s pressured by his father and Aria is his closest female friend he asked her out. They tried to be a couple for like a week and it was the most uncomfortable experience of their lives and have a deep introspection together on how they felt similar about their sexualities. When Richard tries to hold her hand at the theater and explain how he felt uncomfortable doing stuff with romance, Aria was like don’t worry that won’t happy to us… cause I’m gay. Richard was just quiet and then sighed with relief and they stayed besties. This would all build up to Aria’s first kiss with Patty and it was adorable. Aria would end up becoming an artist while traveling around with Patty.

#growing up game #Alex Beaufort #Alicia #kato ababio #nathan prior #jake #Felicity Browers #sam gordon #bobbie #wendy cooke

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lacheri · 3 years

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streets

pairing: dom!Levi x stripper!fem bodied reader

content: modern au, sex work (stripping), degradation, hint of praise kink, fingering, unprotected penetrative sex, choking, slapping, dom/sub themes, Levi's a whole freak in the sheets, also mf has a split personality, minors DNI

summary: erwin drags his lonely best friend, levi, out to a strip club.

wc: 7.7k

Violent vibrations of bass shook through your platform teasers, one leg moving tantalizingly slow in front of the other as neon lights flashed around you. The silver pole loomed in front of you, your hips swaying as you strutted across the stage. You could feel the intense stare of eyes belonging to strangers as you finally wrapped your fingers one by one around the cold metal, circling so slowly around it, pushing your ass and chest out on display. You flicked your eyes up, heavy from false eyelashes, and searched around you.

Some familiar faces, most new, met your gaze as the club’s lights lit up in a dark red. They were all focused on you, sitting forward patiently in their plush seats, waiting to devour your body with their eyes. You leaned your back against the pole, looking down at your body. You were glad you had worn your favorite set of dancing gear, a see-through black mesh bralette and a matching set of panties, and of course, your six inch sparkly pleaser heels. It was simple, yet so effective when it came to the stuffed wallets of your onlookers.

There was one man in the sea of others who caught your attention tonight though. He sat directly in the center, his expression seemingly unamused and unentertained. You wanted to roll your eyes, discarding yourself of this fantasy you were presenting on stage. You resisted the urge, instead, turning your head in the opposite direction, and rolled your torso until you sat crouched. You leaned forward, head turned straight now, ass sticking right up in the air as the tops of your breasts squished against the stage. You used the leverage from your knees to shake your exposed ass cheeks, watching the raven haired man bring his hand to his face, stroking along his jaw as he took in the sight of you.

You parted your legs slowly, bringing a knee in front of the other, crawling towards the edge of the stage. You pushed yourself up from your elbows until you were in an upright position, allowing your hips to sink forward as you continued to roll your body to the beat. Still, no reaction, or sign that he was going to throw money on you, you scoffed internally and turned your attention to the blonde gentleman sitting closely next to him, a wad of dollar bills crushing in his grip. You smirked mischievously, leaning backwards until you felt the cold metal brush against your back. Flattening out, you brought your legs up, shaking them high in the air to allow your ass and thighs to move in rhythm. You felt the air brush past you as bills went flying in the air, and you smiled in euphoria. Money was your love language, and anyone who threw bills at your half naked form became your lover for however long your dance lasted.

You placed your feet on solid ground, leveraging yourself upwards to a full stand, turning around sauntering back to the pole. You wrapped a lone leg around the cold cylinder, elongated from your heels, and jumped into a spin. Your hands gripped high above you, dangling your head back as you swung in a pretty circle, your other leg posed straight down. Once you had found this balance, you let your right hand leave the stability of the pole, running it down the front of your body, over the swell of your breasts and the flat of your stomach, stopping right before you met your center. You slid downwards until both your feet met the stage floor as you crouched once more, popping your ass out to move the muscles one at a time of your cheeks. You glanced backwards, and you were pleased to see the dark haired man’s cold steel eyes locked in on your body.

He was very handsome, as was his blonde friend. Your best guess was that they were in their late twenties, maybe early thirties. You watched the ravenette reached in his pocket, almost in disgust as he pulled out single bills. You couldn’t see the dollar amount from your angle, so you maneuvered back onto your knees to give all your attention to the man in front of you. You tried the same move as before, crawling on all fours as seductively as you could, this time your knuckles wrapped around the very edge of the stage. You learned forward, a couple of feet away from the man as his expression darkened. As if you were a gravitational pull, he leaned forward as well, only a few inches away. Close enough to reach out and touch him, your thumb and pointer finger met the collar of his white button up, softly trailing the fabric. At the same time you reached out, he was doing the same, tucking the small stack of cash in between the valley of your breasts, managing to not touch any of your exposed skin as he did so.

Thinking about your other awaiting customers, you quickly withdrew your teasing, a smirk laced on your lips. You blew the man a kiss, winking, crawling backwards on the stage.

Your onlookers ravaged your body with their eyes as you continued your dance. Your chest was rising rapidly, out of breath as you did your final spin on the pole. You ended your dance in a slow split, toes pointed and curled as you felt your clothed pussy meet the now warmed material of the stage under you. You pulled yourself up after an explosion of cash was tossed on stage, flashing a seductive smile before retreating behind the curtain to the back of the stage. You’d have one of the security guys clean your cash up before the next girl walked on, knowing they’d get a small cut from doing you the favor.

You relaxed your body into a chair in the dressing room, sighing loudly. The room was empty, makeup and costumes littered about the mirror space as all the girls working were either out on the floor or giving out private dances. You just needed the quick break, you had danced pretty hard out there. You were debating switching outfits, as this one was a little too revealing for casually strolling on the floor.

You shrugged, getting up to get into your locker space, retrieving a cropped leather jacket, chains dangling around the body, brushing against your exposed skin and as you pushed your arms through the sleeves. This would at least give you the illusion that you were covered up much more than what you had believed.

Powdering your shiny face before you exited, you breathed in deeply as neon lights greeted you once again on the club floor. You worked at a pristine strip club, ratings high and prices even higher. There was a twenty dollar fee to even get in the place, and when you finally got in the door, the bouncers up front would make a copy of your driver’s license, just in case you fucked up somehow and they needed to add to you the banned list. Which was a pretty long list, hence the photo copies.

The dancers were high quality as well, all different shapes and sizes and ethnicities. It was almost like a buffet, you could get whatever you desired, just had to go out and look first. Everyone working the shifts danced, absolutely no exception. Of course, you’d want to dance though, making exceptionally more money than on the shifts where you’d stick behind the bar crafting drinks. If you were asked by one of your friends how much money you’d make on a night like this, you’d feel guilty as you would humbly lie, not wanting to entice them into auditioning at your place of employment. When the club was at full capacity, as it was right now as you sashayed to the bar, you could easily walk home with a couple grand. This job paid your bills, bought you pretty things, put food in your belly, it meant everything to you.

“Hey, Annie! Gin and tonic, pretty please,” you batted your thick eyelashes at your favorite blonde bartender.

She only nodded, shooting a desperate plea between you and the overcrowded area of the bar area with her eyes. You snickered, feeling her pain all too well, having spent many a night behind the counter, non-stop pouring drinks. Annie slid your drink over as quickly as she could, being stolen away by an already drunken man requesting a round of shots before you could hold a conversation with her. You shrugged, taking large gulps of your glass. You were parched from your dance, alcohol quenching your thirst. You hadn’t realized you downed your cocktail until you felt the clink of ice hit the front of your teeth. You left the empty glass at the bar, turning around and leaning against the counter as you planned out your next moves.

“You should dance to Doja Cat more often,” you heard a familiar voice hum next to you, looking up into the eyes of your security guard, Connie. A black bag you knew was full of your cash was held in his grip, a playful smile on his lips, “Took me like ten whole minutes to clean this up off the stage.”

You laughed lightly along with Connie, “What would I do without you? Could you put that in my locker for me, babe? I just left the dressing room.”

“‘S gonna’ cost you,” he joked, already leaving your form to follow your request. “You owe me a round of tequila shots, Patrón!”

Connie disappeared in the sea of bodies before you could call out a remark. You sighed, flopping your head onto your shoulder, eyeing back the gazes from different men who took in your relaxed body. None of them piqued your interest, and you found yourself feeling quite lonely in the middle of the club.

This was the last place on Earth Levi had pictured himself in. When Erwin had grabbed Levi’s arm, tugging him out of his home office, a strip club was the very last place Levi could’ve fathomed ending up in.

“You, my friend, are going to have a good fucking night!” Levi recalled his blonde friend shouting at him, tossing the much smaller man into Erwin’s passenger seat of his truck. Levi had only grumbled, disappointed his hot cup of tea would become cold in his absence, the novel he had been reading left disheveled on his desk. When Erwin had pulled into a parking lot, Levi finally had taken notice of their destination.

“What the fuck are we doing at a strip club?” he spat through clenched teeth, a migraine coming on.

“Attempting to get you laid,” Erwin smirked, sliding out from the driver’s seat. Levi had no choice but to follow, Erwin not giving him even a moment to try and talk his way into heading back home.

“Why?” Levi was seething, blood pumping loudly in his ears. Why did Erwin care about Levi’s state of his love life, or lack thereof?

“Levi,” Erwin paused, sighing before the entrance. “I’ve known you since sophomore year of college, that was almost six years ago, and that entire time I’ve seen you go out on one date. You didn’t even see the girl again after it either!”

“She was boring,” Levi defended, his eyebrows furrowing. “Most people are boring. Why waste my time?”

“Because, some people are worth it. I forced you to be my friend, and look at us now!”

“You’re not an idiot,” the corner of Levi’s lips lifted.

“I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Erwin chuckled, tone sarcastic. It was true though, Levi would’ve never allowed Erwin to try and befriend him all those years ago if he had been a total lost cause. Erwin was smart though, driven and ambitious. He worked hard and never slacked off, traits Levi deeply admired. “C’mon, what’s the harm in having a bit of fun?”

There was a lot of harm, turns out. Levi was caught completely off guard by how nice this club was, bouncers all over the pristine premise. He visibly relaxed at this point, his inner germaphobe sated. Though he did use hand sanitizer generously before sitting down on the plush chair in front of the stage, Erwin chatting in his ear over how beautiful the dancers were here. Levi half listened, more interested in his glass of whiskey than his best friend. He downed it easily, almost like he was drinking water. Then the lights dropped, and you had walked out.

With all his might, Levi tried to act like he wasn’t enticed, not wanting to bring Erwin any satisfaction. It was true, Levi’s love life was basically nonexistent. Only having sex with maybe three girls in his lifetime, it had been awhile to say the least since he had seen a beautiful woman in this state of undress. When you had leaned down, breasts pressing so sinfully against the stage, crawling towards him all on fours, a primal urge rippled through Levi’s body. Like you were daring him to act out, to cave in entirely to your will.

He felt a piece of himself missing when you exited the stage, but the room felt lighter, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Erwin was in a similar frame of mind, shooting Levi a knowing look.

“Well, what’d you think?” Erwin leaned towards his friend, a small smile on his face.

“I think that’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life,” Levi groaned, uncomfortable admitting this, rubbing his hands across his face.

“You should pay her for a dance, I know I’m definitely going to get one later,” Erwin’s eyes followed a thick dark skinned woman, swaying her hips, winking at Erwin as she walked past. He pushed up off his chair then, “Actually, hold that thought.”

The absence of his friend so suddenly had left Levi feeling awkward and out of place. His lips held an amused scowl as he watched Erwin confidently approach the woman, her luscious lips twisting into a smile of her own as she grabbed his hand, and led him away from Levi’s view. The ravenette stood then, empty glass in tow, and decided that he would need another drink to get through the rest of the night.

That’s when Levi had seen you, leaning so casually against the marble countertops of the bar as if you had owned the place. Your eyes drooping in disinterest, too cool to associate with the crowd around you. You didn’t even seem to notice various men eyeing your form, talking amongst each other, never breaking their focus from you. And Levi had to admit, you did look so fucking cool. The realization that Levi himself had joined the crowd of your many onlookers startled him, beginning to feel embarrassment and guilt for admiring you almost as if you were an object. When your eyes had met his though, and a pretty smile changed your entire expression, any and all thoughts and feelings rocketed out of Levi’s mind.

He felt his feet move towards you before he could think thoroughly. You stayed, still and collected, eyes never breaking from his. As his strides graced closer and closer, Levi broke the connection from you, stopping to your side and calling out an order to a blonde bartender, ignoring you entirely.

Your shock rang through you like a gong, deep and humbling. This wasn’t what you had predicted in those fleeting seconds when you had seen the raven haired man making intentful strides to you. He was close enough to your body that you could hear the soft cotton of his white button up brush against the thick fabric of your leather jacket, and you felt licks of insecurity, a rare emotion for you.

“What? Shocked I’m not down on my knees begging for you?” Levi couldn’t stop the words from leaving his lips, noticing from the corner of his eye that you had stiffened dramatically.

You whipped your head to see him, to see his stupid expression as you were sure this man thought he was God’s gift to mankind. You knew this personality well, a common one with your clients believing that because you were after their money, you were technically working for them. To your surprise, you were met with the man’s steel grey eyes hard set in disinterest.

“No one’s going to give you a dance with that attitude, sir,” you huffed, clawing mentally to keep your cool. “Keep it up and watch how fast we get you kicked out.”

This man, a complete stranger to you, only ‘tsk’ed, digging in his black slacks to pull out his thick wallet, “I’ll pay you a grand if you take me back for a dance right now.”

Oh shit, you blinked, trying to process his offer. That’s a lot of fucking money.

“You have a funny way of showing that you like me,” you quirked an eyebrow, debating internally. “What’s the catch? What’s your thing?”

“My thing?”

“Your kink, your game, what’re playing at?”

“I’m not going to pay you to stand there and talk to me about what I like in privacy,” Levi scoffed, slightly embarrassed at the very public conversation that he believed was always meant to be in private.

“Fine,” your hand shot out, circling around his bicep, his strong bicep. “Let’s go, sir.”

Honestly the pet name was a shot in the dark, your best guess at what could possibly please this very attractive client. His moody attitude was throwing you off of your very whimsical and flirty facade, parts of your real personality peeking through the cracks. You didn’t know that Levi was actually enjoying this interaction, feeling flutters of admiration at your sharp tongue and quick mindedness.

You guided him to the back of the club, a bouncer stationed outside of a hallway. You nodded to the burly man, and he stepped aside and allowed the two of you to enter the hallway of doors. Numbers gold plated on each wooden door led the way, and Levi was starting to feel flickers of impatience.

The feelings settle once you unlock a door, pushing it open and Levi gazing inside. A plush leather couch sat in the center of the small room, LED lights flashing different colors slowly along the ceiling, and you guided him to sit down. His face was passive, and had you known the man’s thoughts in that moment, you’d know that Levi was unbelievably nervous. While he had the help of the liquid courage provided by his whiskey neats, Levi was incredibly inexperienced when it came to beautiful women, more specifically, you.

“What’s your name, love?” you cooed, hand trailing over his bicep as you placed yourself next to the ravenette, taking in his stiffened form.

“Levi,” he managed to choke out, feeling the deep stir of arousal from your simple touch. How could he not be attracted to you? The way you pressed yourself to his side, so tempting, you were an enchantress.

You mumbled out your stripper name, and Levi felt a pang of unease knowing that the ridiculous chosen name was not your real one. Your fingers trailed electricity over his clothes, the pads of your digits playing with the end of his sleeve. You leaned further in, breathing right against the shell of his ear.

“Ready for your dance, Levi?”

Levi gulped, raising a hand to push back his fringe from his face as you stood before him. His hands finally settled atop his thighs, legs comfortably opened and spread as he took a deep breath in, willing his mind and body to relax. Like Erwin had said, what’s the harm in having a little fun?

Goosebumps raised on Levi’s skin as the smooth bass of a somewhat familiar song kicked in. He had heard it on the radio once or twice, finding it quite catchy and therefore had never felt the need to change the station. His heart hammered in his ribcage, mouth drying as he watched you shift into character. A very fitting one, he thought to himself, a total and complete vixen.

Your back arched as you posed before him. His eyes drinking you in hungrily lit a flame deep within the depths of your soul, feeling the dire need to please the man in front of you. You bent down, tips of your fingers brushing against your toes, and then you threw your head back, hair falling seductively around you at the force. Levi was cursing profanities in his mind, a very verbal ‘fuck’ exiting his lips at the sight.

You turned your back to your handsome client, giving him a full view of your scantily clad ass as you teasingly slid your arms out of your jacket. Levi’s eyes followed every move, afraid to miss a single thing, every detail of you and your body becoming his biggest priority. Your leather jacket fell to the floor noisily, chains clanking as they hit the wooden planks. You threw a longing gaze over your shoulder, a pretty smirk on your face, and Levi had the startling realization that he had never felt a stronger attraction to a woman in his life. In fact, the intrusive thought had his mind traversing through past experiences, and had him wondering if had truly ever felt the tingling of arousal that you had awakened in him.

“Levi?” you brought your fingers under his chin to his surprise, angling his gaze to meet your curious expression.

“I’m alright, just,” Levi paused, letting his focus drift away from you. “This is my first time.”

Your face softened at his confession, genuine concern as you spoke, “‘S okay, just let me know if you want to stop at any point. And if there’s anything at all you want me to do, tell me.”

Levi was mildly stumped at the second half of your response. He could make requests of you, of this dance? The last thing he wanted in the world was for you to stop, in fact he never wanted this moment to end as you resumed your routine, eyes never leaving his.

Levi felt the blood rush to his lower half as you positioned yourself on the balls of your feet, leaning over his seated deposition, ghosting your lips over the shell of his ear, “You know, you’re quite handsome. You probably get that all the time, but truly, you are.”

“Thank you,” Levi managed to mumble, thoroughly embarrassed by the heat of your compliment. “You’re very pretty.”

You smirked, pushing yourself back to take in his shy appearance. You had a hunch that maybe if you provided Levi the confidence he needed, this hesitance would melt away. With that in mind, you turned your body once more, hands reaching behind you to undo the clasp of your lacy bra. Levi’s eyes widened, his fingers twitching in anticipation. When the material was released, you let out a silent sigh of relief from the pressure of the tight material. Your mesh top fell off your arms, you gently flicked it to join your jacket on the floor. Instead of showing your freed breasts to your handsome client, you bent down to your toes once more, shaking your ass and thighs. Levi’s eyes were ready to roll out of his skull.

You finally did turn, crouching between the space in between his thighs. Your hands slid from the bottom of his shins to the top of his thick thighs, you felt the subtle flex of his muscles as he tensed. His lustful expression showed you that Levi was less than hesitant, actually he was really enjoying himself now. This was his private show, and Levi was feeling extraordinarily special. He didn’t dare to raise his touch to grace your exposed skin though, not wanting to risk breaking any rules.

Your knees heaved you up once more, and you moved to straddle the raven haired man’s lap. You felt the hump of his erection between your thighs, and you bit back a moan at the sensation. Levi was in a similar frame of mind, trying not to let his bodily instincts and desires take over entirely. You rolled your hips, teasing his clothed length, and his grasp on control was nearly lost. Your naked breasts pressed against his chest, nipples hardened from your excitement. By no means were you the kind of girl to sleep with your clients or even entertain the thought, but when Levi’s lids fluttered and he bit the inside of his lip, you were rethinking every morally right ideal you held within yourself.

On par with the beat of the song, you leaned back, hands on his knees, and thrust your hips lazily in rhythm. Levi watched your ribcage expand and disappear under your naked torso, your navel shrinking and opening at the rolling motion. You flicked your hair behind your shoulder blades, your lips parted, and you let out a shaky breath. You were flushed against his hardened member, you could feel your center weeping at the contact. This was not your intention, to rub yourself all over this stranger, but the way his hands twitched and his eyes were so hungry had you feeling things you only indulged in by yourself, in the comfort of your bed and with your favorite pink vibrator.

“Make it fifteen hundred, and I’ll let you take me back to your place,” you mewled against your better judgement.

Levi’s concentration was broken, the whites of his eyes exposed as he shot his attention to your face. His lips contorted into an egotistical smirk, a contrast to his past shyness, “We haven’t even been in this room for five minutes, and you’re already wanting to leave?”

“Two grand,” your eyebrows furrowed, pushing your hips into his pelvis, satisfied when you heard a hiss leave his lips. “Keep teasing, and my price goes higher.”

“I’ll pay you whatever I want,” Levi’s features darkened. “Get your things. I want you to finish your dance when we get back to my house.”

You never did complete that dance. Levi was gripping your thighs and lifting you before you could even protest, your back slamming into the wall after he had unlocked his front door. His lips were all over you, your lips, your neck, your exposed collarbones. Your fingers were woven into his scalp, clinging desperately to the man.

He could barely contain himself on the drive home, seated palming your thighs in the back seat of a taxi. He had sent a quick text to Erwin, not explaining much but letting him know he’d talk to him tomorrow. Erwin hadn’t responded, not that Levi cared, but he had a feeling his blonde friend was in a very similar situation.

“You,” Levi growled into your neck, sliding his hands greedily under the t-shirt you had thrown on in the locker room of the club, “Are the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

His teeth sunk where he could feel your pulse the strongest under his lips, and you wantonly moaned out. Although Levi lived a generically organized lifestyle, in this moment all he craved was chaos. He wanted to see your perfect body littered in his marks, his bites and bruises. He wanted to wreck you, bring you out of your nonchalant attitude, stupefying you. Levi was going to fucking break you in all the best ways.

“Levi,” you breathed shakily. “Please, bedroom.”

Levi rammed his clothed hips into the center of your spread legs, your ankles hooked around his waist in this position. You gasped, moaning at the contact. Your nails raked up his back, and you felt a similar urgency as he was feeling, wanting to feel the tear of his skin underneath your fingernails. You felt Levi’s hands grip your thighs to adjust his grip, and soon he was carrying you into the unfamiliar territory of his home. He guided you easily up his staircase, reaching his opened bedroom door and unceremoniously throwing you on your back on his mattress.

Levi was on top of you in an instant, his lips swallowing yours as he grabbed the collar of your shirt with both his hands. He fisted the material, and with a quick fluid motion, he tore the fabric in half. You were shocked, but figured you could easily borrow Levi’s clothing upon your exit. You didn’t stop him as he treated your bra in a similar fashion, thankfully not ripping the expensive lace. He reached under the arch of your back, unclasping it, and you pulled your arms through the straps and the remnants of your poor shirt. Your breasts were on full display for his eyes now, and Levi’s mouth pulled away from you. His hands snaked up your exposed torso, thumbs rolling past your hardened nipples to your neck.

Levi wrapped his right hand around your neck, and your breath hitched in your throat as he mumbled, “You like it rough, don’t you, brat? Want me to use your body however I want?”

You didn’t answer, wanting to seek punishment. His fingers tightened, and you felt a gush of arousal slicken your lower lips. Your hips bucked upwards, eyes pleading as you watched a sick satisfaction cross his expression.

“Answer me,” he spat venomously, leaning in to brush his nose against yours.

“Yes, sir,” you stuttered out, feeling the tips of your ears redden. You were so turned on right now, body responding loudly to every word and touch.

“Good girl,” he praised, not releasing his grip around your neck. His left hand stayed at your breast, tweaking your right nipple roughly, rolling the beaded skin between his forefinger and thumb.

You whimpered, bringing your own hands to rest above your head, stretching your skin more for Levi. His eyes were honed in on your face, all your desperate expressions as his hand left your chest and dipped under the elastic of your grey cotton shorts to meet the lace trim of your panties. His forehead rested against yours, his breath hot against your lips as you panted. When you tried to reach up to capture his soft lips in a kiss, he only squeezed tighter around your neck, discouraging you from trying again. He wanted to watch you squirm, memorize the way your eyes would flicker and your lips would quiver at his touch. His fingers tugged the cotton of your panties aside, and ran two digits across your folds, the pads soaked at the contact.

He circled your clit agonizingly slow, spreading your essence over your hood. Your eyes rolled back into your skull, back arching up to feel some kind of skin to skin contact. Levi was not going to allow this though, and ripped his touch away from your cunt. You whined at the loss, tears pricking on the edge of your lash line. You yelped suddenly when you felt the harsh slap of his palm against your folds. Levi’s gaze was hardened, lips almost pulled back in a sneer.

“Stop, or you’re not getting what you want,” he growled, and even though he was hovering over you, you could swear you felt the vibration from his chest deep in your bones.

You meekly nodded, willing your body to lay there as still as you could be. He smoothed his palm over the reddened area of your center, and his soft, teasing touch returned. His middle and pointer finger spread your lips open, ring and pinky finger kept your panties tucked to the side. Levi tucked his digits inbetween your heat, caressing your folds. It took everything in your resolve to not buck your hips at the feeling of the roll of your clit in between the pads of his fingers. You whined, blinking tears away rapidly.

Levi felt merciful for a moment, and fled his intimate touch down to your fluttering entrance. You could feel your muscles clenching in anticipation, letting out a moan of relief as he dipped the two extremities into your tight hole.

“You’re so wet, all because of me?” Levi teased, brushing his lips against yours. “Such a good slut, you’ve wanted me to touch you since you got on that stage tonight, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” you panted sharply, his fingers curled inside your walls and began to pump. “Wanted your attention so bad.”

“Like I had a choice,” he chuckled without humor, flicking his wrist hard into your core. “You came out looking like that, what was I supposed to do? This, you on your back, so needy, this was the only conclusion.”

He fucked his hand harshly into your sopping cunt at the end of his sentence, sending your mind reeling and your lungs gasping for air. Your plush walls encapsulated his fingers, you could feel the ridges of his knuckles deep inside of you. His finger pads prodded your sensitive spongy spot, and upon hearing your deep groan of pleasure, Levi aimed for that destination with every thrust.

“Feels so good,” you praised, your knuckles white from gripping the pillows above you. Levi still had his right fist around your throat, he could feel your esophagus tighten as every muscle in your body clenched.

With a hasty release, his right hand came down to pay your heaving breasts attention. His lips replaced his fingers, sucking harshly on the most sensitive parts of your throat. You were almost screaming as he plunged in and out of your pussy, your left nipple harshly being pulled with his other hand, his teeth sinking into your neck. Your clit was throbbing with need, your coil in your stomach desperately searching for any form of release.

“Levi,” you cried out loudly. “Wanna’ cum.”

“Are you asking or telling me?” he grumbled against the column on your neck.

“Asking, please, need you to touch my clit,” you begged, too far gone to care about vulgarity, clearing noting the ravenette’s disregard for formality in the heat of the moment.

He let out a ‘tch’ at the nape of your neck, and pulled his fingers from your dripping heat, “You’re not cumming unless it’s around my cock.”

With his soaked hand, he tore your shorts and panties down to your knees in one swift motion. You lifted your legs, allowing Levi to slide them down the rest of the way and throw them onto the floor. Stark naked and exposed completely to the man now, your knees bent in the air, Levi slapped the backs of your thighs. You whimpered, clenching around nothing upon impact. He let out a groan, tugging his button up over his head, not bothering with the buttons. Your hands left the safety of the pillows above your head, fumbling with the belt that rested on his hips. He met your hands, finishing the job for you. Belt unbuckled, slacks unzipped and freed, he stood quickly, shoving the pants and his briefs to the floor.

You jaw slacked in amazement at the sheer size of his cock. Levi was hung, his member standing tall and proud and mouth watering. He returned to you in an instant, positioning his lower half to align with your spread center. His dick throbbed at the wet contact of your vulva, teasing the head against your clit. You threw your head back, arching your back and angling your hips to allow Levi better leverage. His fist flew to the base of his aching length, roughly fucking himself above you. You could feel the tightness of his knuckles as he brushed against you, and you moaned out his name.

“Such a needy little slut,” Levi degraded you, face set in false anger. “Desperate for my cock, huh?”

“Yes, yes!” your eyes screwed shut, you could feel the pounding in your pussy. “Want you so fucking bad. Please fuck me.”

“Please, what?” he cocked an eyebrow, letting out a groan as his thumb pressed into the underside of his head.

“Please, sir,” you begged as a tear fell down your cheek.

“All you had to do was ask, gorgeous,” he chuckled darkly, sinking the tip into your tight little hole.

You thought he would enter you slowly to allow you to adjust to his enormous girth, you were sadly mistaken though as he plunged his entire length deep inside of your soaking pussy. You let out a strangled whimper, more tears rolling down to your chin. Levi wouldn’t give you the pleasure of patience, pulling out just enough to threaten his head falling out, snapping his hips right back until he brushed your cervix.

“Fuck,” Levi moaned loudly, his hands circling the tops of your thighs, throwing your ankles over his shoulders. “Feels so fucking good.”

All you could do was fist the bedsheets under you as he took you violently. Sobs of pleasure racked through your chest, tits bouncing at the sheer force of his thunderous thrusts. The sounds of your cunt squelching around his intrusion was deafening accompanied by the smack of the skin of his balls hitting your ass. Levi pounded mercilessly into your heat, searching for his own heights before addressing yours. Of course he wouldn’t cum before you did, but the way your pussy fluttered around him gave him clear signs that it wouldn’t take much to push you over the edge.

Levi let out an animalistic growl as his pace quickened, slapping the meat of your thighs as his grip adjusted your knees to your chest. He leaned forward, and in the dim lighting you could see the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. His steel colored eyes were locked in with yours, lips parted as he breathed heavily from exertion. Levi could feel the burn in his hips as he gave you everything he could, fucking you as hard and as fast as he could.

You were nearly screaming, unable to bite back any noises at his assault. You felt his fingers slither around your neck once more, tightening dangerously around your windpipe. He could feel the collection of your tears in the dip of your throat, and his cock was throbbing at the sensation.

“Crying ‘cause it feels so good, aren’t you?” Levi snarled, placing his sweaty forehead to yours. When you didn’t answer, he released your throat to bring his wet palm in a roaring slap to your cheek, “Answer me.”

“Yes!” you screamed at the tops of your lungs, your cunt contracting at the stinging pain turned pleasure. “Please, please, please, let me cum!”

Levi barked out a groan as he felt your plush walls tighten, making his hips stutter in his rhythm. His free hand came down to your clit, slapping the top of your pussy with no real force. His thumb commenced its own pattern then, rubbing the engorged bud with vigorous intention. Levi plowed briskly, his climax on the horizon. You were quivering under him, fat tears leaking from your eyes as hiccups and whines left your throat. You could feel the soreness in your hole, and knew the second you came, you’d be squeezing the ever loving fuck out of Levi’s massive cock.

“So close,” you sniffled, vocals raw from the pressure of Levi’s fist clenched around your esophagus.

“Gonna’ cum all over me, pretty girl? Yeah, fuck, c’mon, my little fucking slut,” Levi’s eyes were smoldering, veins prominent in his neck as he approached his own release.

“Fuck fuck fuck, I’m cumming, I’m cumming,” your eyes attempted to close.

Levi slapped your cheek, “Keep your fucking eyes open, bitch. Don’t look away, wanna’ watch you.”

You nodded meekly, the build up in your stomach at its peak. His thumb circled faster, and you could feel every single motion in your pussy as he slammed his fat tip against your g-spot. It was too much, too intense, and you felt your coil snap as you clenched viciously around him.

With a loud gasp of air, not enough due to Levi’s fingers digging into your throat, you couldn’t stop yourself from bucking your hips. Your vision blurred over in thick tears, your skin was burning hot as Levi cursed above you. Your pussy contracted around him in a mind blowing flow, pleasure seeping in every pore and every cell in your body. If Levi had neighbors, or roommates, the noises you were making would be entirely concerning, sounding as if something gruesome was occurring in his home.

Levi was pushed out of your cunt from the pressure, and he dared not to slip back in your contracting hole out of fear of dumping his seed deep in your womb. He pushed your legs flat down after removing his touch from your clit, positioning his hips over yours as he fucked his fist at the same rapid pace he was drilling into your center. Loud moans escaped his parted lips, pistoning his pelvis with a death grip on his red swollen cock. Thick ropes of cum shot across your breasts, his thrusts never slowing.

You pushed your breasts together with your hands, fingers toying at your nipples to visually stimulate the man above you. He growled at the sight, “So fucking hot, yeah, take my fucking cum.”

He stilled, head thrown back as he let his girth fall from his grip, his cum oozing from his slit. You moaned at the sight, your mouth watering. Had you not been in such a hurry from the start, you would’ve gladly swallowed his cock down your throat, consuming every drop of his load. Maybe another time, if there would be one, you thought.

Your orgasms simultaneously slowed, until the two of you heaved heavily from the hard labor of the vigours fucking that had just occured. Levi moved off of you, grabbing tissues from his bedside table, and wiped up your torso. Before he could collect all of his cum though, you let a finger dip into a puddle in between your breasts, Levi’s eyes watching adamantly as you placed the digit on your tongue, rolling your eyes back into your head at the taste.

“You’re so needy,” he teased, a smirk crossing his exhausted face.

“Maybe,” you giggled breathlessly. “Maybe I just wanted a taste.”

Levi hummed, pushing back his dampened bangs from his forehead. He gazed at you in curiosity as you pushed your aching body off the bed, wincing at the indistinct soreness between your thighs, “I have clothes you can wear, don’t worry about giving them back either.”

Ah, so here came the awkward after the one night stand conversation. You smiled politely then, “I wasn’t worried. ‘Was gonna’ steal them one way or another.”

“Lucky I didn’t catch you then,” he mused, pushing himself off the mattress as well. “You’re welcome to take a shower, if you need to. I’m about to get in myself.”

“Nah, I should probably get home, it’s late,” you searched for your phone on the floor, finding it in your jacket pocket as you tapped on the Uber app.

“I can drop off the money tomorrow at the club, if you’re working,” Levi leaned against his bedroom wall, biting his lip as his demeanor changed back to his previous one from earlier.

You smirked, looking up at him through your eyelashes, “Baby, believe me, you couldn’t pay me to have sex like that. I wanted to fuck you, the money was just a fun little fantasy.”

Levi felt his ego inflate at your confession, his own lazy smirk rolling off his lips, “Let me pay for your Uber at least.”

And so he did, walking you out to the car when it arrived. You were swallowed whole by his comfortable clothing, and he placed a sweet kiss to your lips before you ducked your head into the vehicle, closing the door behind you. The car drove off swiftly, and Levi dug his hands in his pockets, walking back inside the comfort of his home to take that much needed shower.

The usual neon lights greeted you as you spun around the pole the next evening, less customers this time. You were feeling the undeniable soreness of your throat and center as you twirled around. Thankful for full coverage foundation to hide the bruises and marks littered across your entire body, no one had questioned why you were walking with such a limp. Well, aside from your favorite security guard.

“You’re off your game tonight,” Connie noted as you placed your sore body onto the bar stool. “Any reason why you can’t sit fully down without wincing?”

You flicked a unamused glance his way, “Any reason why you’re being so fucking nosy?”

“Just wondering why that guy left with last night has been following you around the club all night is all,” Connie took a swig from his beer mug, eyes batting to point behind you. “Hm, yes, very strange.”

You rolled your eyes, turning your head in the direction of his gaze. Your breath caught in your throat as Levi strided cooly over to you, a small smirk on his handsome face. He ordered a whiskey neat over the counter next to you, and cleared his throat as he finally looked into your eyes.

“Thought I’d actually get to catch your dance this time,” Levi greeted. “Y’know, since I missed it last night.”

You heard Connie snort obnoxiously, and your eyes threw daggers in warning. Connie threw his hands up to mock surrender, taking his drink and walking away. You returned your attention to the ravenette beside you, “Just couldn’t stay away, could you?”

“Just couldn’t get you off my mind,” his eyes trailed to the pout of your lips. “When does your shift end?”

“In a few hours, why?”

“I wanna’ see what kind of place a girl like you can afford,” he smirked. “Maybe get a private dance this time.”

“You do pay pretty well,” you flirted, trailing your fingers up to the collar of the fashionable black sweater. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt.”

“I’ll make it worth the pain,” Levi breathed out cockily, swiping his thumb over the swell of your bottom lip. “Wouldn’t want to get out of here now, would’ya?”

“I guess I could for the right price,” you parted your lips, lightly biting down on the tip of his digit.

Levi didn’t respond, instead he grabbed your wrists and led you impatiently out the door. You’d text Connie later and have him hold your tips until your next shift. You had a very important client to dance for.

#levi x reader #levi smut #levi ackerman #levi ackerman x reader #attack on titan fanfiction #aot levi #attack on titan levi #aot smut #aot fanfiction #snk levi #snk fanfiction #tw: degradation #tw: slapping #levi #levi x you #levi x y/n

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extravaguk · 3 years

Text

sweets&ink

part of my opposites attract! series.

ksj / knj / myg / jhs / pjm / kth

pairing: tattooartist&tattoed!jungkook x baker!reader

summary: jungkook was everything you feared but exactly what you needed to heal your broken heart.

wordcount: 5k

genre: fluff - angst - smut (s2l!au)

rated: m (?

warnings: some cursing, mentions of past abusive/toxic relationships/trauma that might be triggering, a lil of making love at the end. it’s overall just suuper fluffy, trust me. jungkook is a s i m p. we love that for him! slow burrrnnnn.

Jungkook knows it was love at first sight, but doesn's know how to really explain it.

He knew from the moment he entered the small shop, pastel green walls welcoming him replete of sugary treats, a sweet and heavenly scent engulfing him as soon as he stepped a foot inside. With a new found sense of calmness and serenity within he hadn't experienced in a long time, he searched for deserts of his liking, mouth watering while assessing the many options of baked goods available and bright colored frostings stealing his attention.

"Hi. How may I help you?"

Then he looked up and found you. It wasn't easy to appreciate your whole appearence with the counter hiding the lower half of your body, but it was enough for Jungkook to think to himself that he had never seen a prettier girl in hiis entire life. And that's when he knew it. Any type of movement in his surroundings coming to a halt, his heart skipping a beat, his favourite song playing inside his head. And that particular sensation. The same one that had made him feel so at ease since he found your bakery. For a moment he thought his doe eyes might have actually turned into heart eyes until you raised your eyebrows, a concerned expression replacing your previous warm smile.

Blinking his eyes and clearing his throat, coming down from cloud nine into the real world, he stuttered his order as best as he coud manage, heart pounding inside his chest and later feeling mortified for not being able to pronounce "gingernap cookies" correctly.

At first he kind of hated Seokjin for blackmailing him into going to his favourite bakery to buy his favourite cookies (Jungkook really should've known better than accidentally spill ink all over Jin's new script), but when he comes back home with a goofy smile on his face and dreams of your face, he makes sure to text him he'll go get his cookies anytime he wants.

But Jungkook is a masochist apparently.

Because a week after your first encounter he realizes that not being able to get his mind off a girl he's literally only seen once in his entire life is not exactly normal. Not for anyone, but especially not for him. Realizes that the way he embarrassed himself in front of you and probably looked like a bluberring mess (or a creepy weirdo who had never interacted with any woman before) is not reason enough to not keep wanting to try again. And the way you just giggled at him and simply shook your head as you wrapped the ginger cookies he had asked for in a pretty packaging has kept him aching for more.

So he comes once a week now. Still as nervous as the first day, but content to see that your face seems to light up at the sight of him stepping through the door the same way his does. He likes to see you in your cute pastel dresses, and if he didn't know better he'd think you were just trying to keep up with the bakery's aesthetic. But the more he frequents your shop, the more he realizes you're exactly like the treats you bake. He likes how your vividly honeyed persona contrasts with his darker and reserved one. Likes how you're all colors of the rainbow and he's just a scale of greys.

They are small interactions. Just courtesy and cordial exchange of words everytime he visits. He doesn't even know your name and you don't even know his, but sometimes he asks how was your weekend and sometimes you ask how many people had he inked that week. Sometimes he tells you how pretty you look, and sometimes you blush in response. Sometimes you add an extra macaron in his order and sometimes he debates on whether or not he should write down his number on a napkin and slide in right on the countertop before he waves goodbye.

And although Jungkook has never been one to shy away from women, he feels a certain way he can't exactly pinpoint. A way that makes his confidence falter and leaves him feeling like a little kid who's afraid to confess to the girl he likes. Because as cliché as it sounds, you're not like any other girls he's ever met. You don't feel like any other girl he's ever met. Not the older than him, tattoed and pierced type of girl he's accustomed to; not the type of girl that's addicted to trouble and believe him (maybe even hoped) to be something he's not. So it takes a while for him to summon up enough bravery and determination. It takes weeks of pining and overthinking, and a single push from Yoongi ('stop being a fucking pussy and just do it') to ask you to have coffee with him.

"I... I'm sorry. I can't."

And it only takes those words leaving your mouth to shatter his heart into pieces.

It's fine though, he told you and himself. He wasn't going to be one of those guys who believed the 'friendzone' was an actual thing and tried his best to not make you feel uncomfortable, really tried his best to erase the guilt across your face as you rejected him. So he scratched the back of his head and mustered up a big smile before leaving the shop with a bag full of cupcakes and an unsettled stomach.

Letting out a deep breath you didn't even know you were containing, you observe as the handsome stranger exits the shop. Running a hand through your hair before gripping the counter with your hands, you try to steady the heavy throbbing insde your chest.

The boy in question had been unknowingly tormenting you and flooding your mind with thoughts of him for almost two months now. That day you first had spotted him eyeing the desserts in display in amazement and then you in the very same way. It was sudden and precipitated, but it had almost made your head spin, something you hadn't felt in a long time unexplainable tugging at your insides.

You had kept your cool as best as you could, as best as you had taught yourself in the past. Wrapped those cookies he had asked and then waved goodbye, hoping under your breath he wouldn't come back but silently wishind he would. But then he did. He came back once. And then again. And again, and before you realized he had become a frequent costumer. Trying whatever treats you'd recommended him, creating small talk, sending friendly smiles here and then.

You had learned to expect him at the very same time, the very same day of the week; had learned to manage the fluttering in your tummy and the reddish warmth spreading through your cheeks whenever the eye contact was prolongued. Everything was innocent, it was brief and, most importanly, it never went beyond, even if sometimes you hoped it did.

However, after all these years, there was still something you hadn't learned to control yet. And as he spoke, clearly nervous, hesitant and clearly out of his comfort zone, wondering out loud if he could ever treat you to a coffee sometime, your body shut down. The fondness and excitement you had been harboring over the last few weeks quickly replaced by that which made you want to recoil, made you want to back to your well to let its darkness and loneliness envelop you.

That horrible and ugly wave of crippling fear and axiety all mixed together; a little monster that you had successfully concealed, now displaying its ears in warning and the same smile that had been haunting you for years, now advising you, reminding you and most of all, threatening you, to go back to your own comfort zone. And so, powerless, there was nothing else you could really to but to comply, muttering an apology and a rejection that probably pained you more than it pained the boy in front of you.

You knew you did the right thing, but it definitely didn't feel like it.

Especially a week later, as you expected his arrival- as always, ready with a tray full of fresh baked scones you had particularly made just for him, but were left severely disappointed when time passed and he was nowhere to be seen. Or two weeks later, after spending an extra hour making cake pops that you had specifically designed with him in mind (covered in dark chocolate and white sprinkles), only to realize it was closing time and that he never even showed up.

To say you were bummed was an understatement. You knew you always looked forward to him coming in every week to grace your day with a smile and a polite talk, but you didn't come to terms with how much you would miss it until now. So three weeks later, you still bake with him in mind, trying not to lose hope but still chastising yourself for not being brave enough and accepting his offer. It was just a coffee date, for God's sake, not a marriage proposal! Trying to busy your mind with work and customers coming in and out, even if your eyes dart in anticipation everytime you hear the door swinging.

When hours pass and the sun hides to make room for the moon and stars into the sky, you look at the clock and, with a defeated sigh, finish cleaning and tidying around the shop. But before you can gather your things, the door swings open and there stands the stranger you had been praying to see again.

"Am I too late?" he asks, and you don't exactly know but can tell his words hold a double meaning. You smile, a genuine smile, because he looks bashful with a hand scratching the back of his head like he had done the last time you saw him, and because there's a warm sensation spreading through your chest, like your heart is smiling for you.

"I was about to close, but I can make an exception." you accomplish to say and surprisingly don't sound as nervous as you feel. He mirrors your smile as he walks closer to the counter. "So, what would you like?"

That takes him by surprise because he really had nothing in mind when he decided to come here and now he feels like an idiot.

"Uh, um... I would like... maybe cupcakes?" he sounds like an idiot too. But you nod and smile at him and start gathering his cupcakes into a polka dot cardboard box.

"You missed the cake pops I made last week." you say, trying to keep your voice in check as he hands you his credit car. "I think you would've liked them."

"Ah, sorry... Work has been really hectic." and even if it's true, it's also true the fact that he chickened out and was frightened to face you again. He likes how even when you're alluding to his absence, there's not a malicious tone behind your words. He likes how you're still smiling at him even after he's been acting like a pussy for two weeks. But that's why he's here. "I also would like to apologize for... you know. I didn't-...If I made you feel uncomfortable, I'm really sorry."

With your eyebrows raised, your smile dissipates. "What? No, you didn't do anything wrong, really. It's not- It's not that. I just...can't." you stumble through words, trying to explain how much you actually wanted to go to that coffee date, to get to know his name and more of himself, but unavailable to. You can feel it again. The same anguish that always seem to creep up on you and numbs you altogheter. But him, worriedly sensing your distress, waves his hands in front of him.

"No, no. It's fine, you don't have to explain anything! It's alright!" his smile seems to soothe you and you return his smile in gratitude. "Anyways, I'll... I'll get going. See you next week?"

You nod, anticipation already making its way into you. "See you next week." and then he takes the box filled with cupcakes and says goodbye. Before he can open the door though, a tingle of impulsivity and fearlesness makes you say:

"I'm _____, by the way."

He pauses, clearly taken aback.

"Jungkook."

Jungkook hasn't stopped repeating your name in his head ever since you gave it to him, grinning like a fool and thinking about how good it sounds next to his. He hasn't stopped frequenting your bakery either and has lost count on how much money he's spent on muffins and whatever else you sell. He doesn't care though. All he cares about is how much likes seeing you even if it's only for fifteen minutes in your floral dresses, and as long as you keep looking like you're glad to see him every time, then he's fine.

He's more than fine. He feels amazing. Sings tunes while he works on customers, feels his creativity flowing more than ever and he feels whole. It still baffles him how a minimun interaction with you once a week can make him feel on top of the world.

He's got a bouquet of white and pink lillies next time he visits, so sappy and romantic he doesn't even recognize himself. He doesn't tell you he googled their meaning and his mind instantly associated them with you. Purity is exactly what he thinks of you and admiration is exactly how he feels about you. Hands it to you and the surprised look on your face and the spreading of pink all over your cheeks makes his heart burst. You thank him and he tells you he didn't know what your favourite flower is. You answer it's carnations. He writes it down somewhere in his mind, for next time. And then you're the one surprising him.

"Would you like to have coffee sometime?"

There's uncertainty in your voice that doesn't go unnoticed by him, and for a moment he thinks he's dreaming. He's cool with what he's got right now with you, but you repeating his words back to him makes him feel euphoric, like he can't believe it. He knows he looks dumb, the way he's looking at you.

Completely dumbfounded. He stutters like the first same he met you, but he says yes (omits the part where he tells you he could almost die). You exchange number in each other's phones with shaky hands, set the day and hour, and then wave each other goodbye.

You instantly regret it as you watch him leave. Keep regretting it the following days. That voice in your head telling you 'it'll happen again', telling you fairytales didn't exist and this most likely wasn't one, even if it felt like it was, suffocating you like it had done many times before. Screwing with your head until you consider canceling.

But you power through it, like you had taught yourself to do. This time it's harder though. Because this time there's a new romantic interest at hand, one that's making you feel things you buried a long time ago and made you swear to yourself you'd be smarter and stronger than any man could.

It's Hoseok's encouraging words that help ease the panic. It was also Hoseok's words who encouraged you to ask Jungkook out. Said you deserved something good for once and that you couldn't close yourself to love your entire life.

Thought it was time for you to write a new chapter after a rather sad one.

So on Saturday, Jungkook insists on picking you up and it already feels like too much for you. Especially when he shows up with a bouquet of carnations in his hand and a smile that takes your breath away and definitely doesn't help to ease your nerves.

Takes him by surprised how pretty you look. maybe because it's the first time he's seen you out of your shop and even though you're still loyal to your clothing style, he still fumbles with his words like an idiot to try to express how beautiful you look. Seeing he's as much of a mess as you settles you a little bit. Then he takes you to a cute café that almost makes you laugh, because seeing him, inked arms and piercings and a closet that consisted mainly of black oversized t-shirts and pants in such a bright environment reminds you of the first time he entered your shop.

You're surprised to see how well the conversation rolls, how easy it is to talk to him beyond the usual brief interactions you two have. You like how he makes you laugh and how he seems to love hearing it. You like how his attention is solely focused on you, even if his gaze on yours sometimes feels too intense and his overall character intimidates you. You like how soft spoken he is, how careful he is with words and the sound of his voice. Sounds like a lullaby without melody.

And when the date is over, he drives you home, walks you to your door and respectfully wishes you a good night. You kiss him on the cheek spontaniously before hiding the embarrassment on your face and stepping inside your home. You miss the way he stays at your doorstep for a whole minute before getting in his car and driving himself home. You also miss how peacefully he sleeps that night, dreaming of cupcakes and you. You don't miss the heart emoji he sends you before going to bed, making yours quiver.

You're glad you didn't cancel, and now you're sure you don't regret it at all

It goes on. The dates, getting to know each other more and more, Jungkook's visits to your shop and spending way too much money on sweets and carnations, the butterflies in your stomach everytime he's near and the birth of something inside of you that's starting to make you feel alive after feeling dead for so long.

It's still new, still wholesome, moves in slow motion. You're glad Jungkook doesn't push, doesn't ask for anything, never demands more than a kiss on the cheek everytime he drops you off. He is nothing like he looks like, you realized that right away.

But with every brand new beginning that requires feelings like this, especially as unique and exceptional as the ones Jungkook is causing within you, comes the evil monster trying to scare you off, to make you back off and remind you that not everything that shines is gold. The voice inside your head that keeps bewitching you back into a dark room, reminder in your head everytime that one day Jungkook will want more. He'll want more and you might not be ready to give it to him.

A voice that keeps resonating and has kept you unmoving for the past few years and now is making you feel more frightened than ever.

You've been more quite than usual and Jungkook can tell something is not quite right. It's a friday night, and after having dinner that he insisted on paying, he decided this time to drive you away, to a secluded space somewhere where you both can appreciate the city lights on the hood of his car. He can tell, so he asks you, but you give a vague answer. He wants to ask again, but he's afraid of overstepping your boundaries. He wants to get to know you in every level, want's to scratch the surface until he can see everything. He wants to learn you inch by inch. Wants to love every part you bare to him, because he's sure he will.

"My ex partner was abusive."

You finally say with a voice that's not entirely yours, and it doesn't feel real. Doesn't feel real to say out loud and letting the words sink in. It's taken all this time of excusing behaviors that were not excusable, trying to make light of a situation that wasn't and blaming yourself for things that you were not to blame for. Jungkook stays silent, but his attention immediately focused on you as soon as you spoke. Eyes slightly wide and mouth starting to open as if to speak himself. But you go on.

"Not physically." you swallow a lump in your throat. "Sometimes he would throw things at me, but they didn't always land. Or... one time he pushed me while we were arguing. Never raised his hand at me though. It was mostly psychological and emotional. He was extremely jealous and possesive. Didn't like me hanging with my friends, would never bring me to hang out with him and his friends. Though I' was cheating on him with anyone. The cashier at the supermarket, a randome dude on the street that simply looked at me. Anyone." tears prickle your eyes, but you'd learned to hold them back.

"He would always get mad at me. Would already wake up angry and take it out on me. Without reason. Would always blame me for everything. He would get mad, insult me, call me any terrible name you can imagine, tell me I wasn't worth shit. That I wasn’t worth living.Then he would punch the wall, or break whatever was in sight. Everytime, I told him I was terrified of him. Would cry in a corner and beg him to stop. Sometimes he would just laugh at me for it." you sniff, still looking straight at the city lights, and trying to keep a composed tone throughout. You had grown up a lot since then, and you knew Jungkook deserved to know you. He deserved to understand.

"Then he would calm down, apologize while he cried and promised he loved me and would change. He never did. It took me a long time to finally walk away, but the demons still haunt me to this day. You," you choke, because comparing your ex to the guy currently sitting next to you was like day and night, like heaven and hell. "You make me feel things I've never felt before. I always felt like asking for respect was asking for too much. And then here you come, like a knight on shining armour ready to sweep me off my feet. It felt like a dream. Still does..."

Jungkook's hands are balled into tight fists, his whole body rigid as he listened to you. His own heart breaking, like he could feel himself inside you and experiencing your own heartbreak. His blood's boiling, jaw so tight and eyes blinking. Pushing down his anger, because this is about you not him, he lets his body relax before sliding your hand in yours.

"I like you so much,_____, it literally kills me at night how much. Not as much as hearing all of this, though. From the moment I saw you, I was whipped. I wanted and still want to give everything I can to see that smile of yours. It's me the one who can't believe you're paying me any attention at all." you're still not looking at him, but he still sighs in relief when your lips quirk up. "Just having you here next to me and letting me take you out on dates is more than enough for me. Whatever you give me, whatever your terms are, I'm content with that. You're healing, and while you do, I'll be right here."

You look at him now, not bothering to hide the tears streaming down your face anymore.

"What if I never heal completely?" there's fear in your voice as your eyes meet his, but just the dark brown in his gaze help you feel secure, less worried about the future and more serene about the now.

"I'll still be here."

It doesn't take long for you to call it love.

Not when Jungkook keeps proving himself to be so different and so special. Not when his gestures never cease to make you feel so special, so worthy of recieving and sharing love. Because Jungkook makes you feel invincible, makes you feel one in a million.

"What to you even see in me? We're like, polar opposites." you ask him one day. And it's true, you are. So different from each other, yet the same. He laughs in disbelief, shaking his head, still holding your hand in your doorstep about to kiss your cheek goodnight.

"I see everything." he simply says, eyes boring into yours in adoration. "I see the sun, and the moon, the stars, the entire galaxy when I'm with you." your heart clenches as he interlaces his fingers with yours. "Before I met you, I felt like I was blind. Like I was lost and was looking for an exit that I couldn't find. But then I saw you, in your little bakery, with your cute dresses and those eyes, and it was like my eyes opened for the first time. Everything made sense. Everything has been filled with so many colors ever sinc-"

You shut him with your lips on top of his, emotions pulling at your heartstrings the same way you pull him down by the neck. He takes a few seconds to respond, but then this hands are dropping to your waist, their warmth immediately spreading through your skin against the chilly night.

"Would you like to come in?" you whisper, breath fanning over his lips. He nods, hurriedly, and he knows he looks like a damn idiot for the hundredth time, but he doesn't care. Because coming in doesn't only mean stepping in your home. Coming in means you're letting him in. Means you trust him, means you want him there, means you're allowing him inside your heart.

Again, Jungkook doesn't expect nor demands much. Your presence is everything he needs. You kissing him is like winning the lottery to him. Like completing a marathon, like climbing the Everest, like getting his first tattoo. Kissing you is sweet, fills him with something strong that makes him feel on drugs, like nothing matters but you and him. Like nothing has ever mattered to neither of you.

So it's you who leads him to your room, it's you who straddles his thighs and pushes his hair back as his hands carress your sides. It's nothing fiery. It's slow, tentative, and full of care. Of lingering touches, low sighs against each other's mouths.

It's you who reaches inside his shirt, hand sneaking past the hem of the fabric and trembling cold fingers coming in contact with firm skin. It's also you who asks for more with a small roll of your hips. It's you who asks him to take his shirt off. It's him who complies. Still tells you you don't have to, you tell him you want to.

It's you who asks him to touch you. He's scared like he's never been, because you're you, and you're so perfect and everything he's ever wanted and suddenly he's afraid of you're too good for him. Jungkook only wants to make you happy, never wants to see you cry, just wants to treat you the way you deserve.

It's you who begs.

It's you who tells him you need him. Need him take care of you, need him to show you much you're worth, need him to help you write a new chapter, probably even a new book where you're both the main characters and nobody else has ever existed. You say it with tears in your eyes, and he's quick to kiss them away, tongue entangling with yours. He's quick to undress you as well, with hands that still ask for permission even after you've granted it already. Hands and lips that are also quick and eager to learn your body, to find every mole in your skin as he lays you back to look at you in admiration. He keeps kissing you. From head to toe, muttering praise, making sure every 'beautiful' and 'gorgeous' and 'perfect' that leave his lips stay fire engraved in your being forever.

He first makes you cum with careful fingers and skilled tongue, thighs wrapped aro around his head, eyes still looking for yours as his hands keep your body still and yours crumple the sheets beneath. Tells you how good you taste, how long he's been dying to have you like this. Tells you this you his favourite sight as he kisses his way up.

You beg him again, asking him to please, please, fill you up. He groans against your mouth and he tells you again, you don't have to. He says he's happy like this. Repeats he's in no rush and just wants to please you and make you feel good. That it's about you, and will always be about you. You beg him again, and again and again, enticing him with a trail of wet kisses down his neck, up to his eralobe. You whisper there, tell him you need him to fill you with his cock so bad. His whole body goes rigid as your legs wrap around him, legs pulling him closer to where you want him, his erection grazing your entrance and his teeth nibble your lower lip.

Jungkook doesn't move for a while, eyes closed shut, jaw clenched and head buried in your neck. He doesn't move because his mind is somewhere else keeping him stagnant, pussy wrapping around him so good and wet and tight he's about to bust. Takes a while for him to move, but when he does he makes sure to grip your thighs around him, keeping you close, never wanting to let go as he tells you you were made just for him. Just for him. Tells you how good you feel. He tells you he loves you. Kisses your lips as you sob, tears threatening to spill from your eyes. He tells you he loves you. Tells you he'll love you forever and will always keep you safe and happy.

You're crying now, cheeks wet and he stops for a moment to look at you, concern written all over his face as his hands craddle yours, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "We can stop, baby." You shake your head no. Pull him back into another kiss, urging him to go on. You tell him you love this, love him so much. That it's a good thing. That they are happy tears. That you've never been happier. And then his hips start moving again, your words egging him own, soft whimpers and sobs leaving each other's throats until you cum at the same time.

He then removes himself from you, rolling onto your side but he's quick to pull your body close, arms wrapping around you and lips kissing away the wet stains on your cheeks.

It doesn't take long for you to know Jungkook would be the healthy forever and after you had always dreamed of.

#THE FEEELS BRUH #aaaaaa #jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook smut #bts #jungkook fic

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dana-chan-the-control-brain · 2 years

Photo

yeah sorry about springing in like this, i was gonna dm you or message but i dont really want to be known since this is super awkward

But some while ago i receeived this rly weird message about you in my inbox and idk what to think of it.. i debated but i feel like you should know somebody out there is saying stuff like this about you. i normally dont believe stuff like this to begin with cuz it seems really outlandish in the first place but i dont know

u dont actually have to explain anything or post this honestly.

-----------

Lol.Wow.I'm just laughing because of how ludicrous this is actually.

But for a quick debunk that I know I don't owe anyone but I have time to kill:

1. This is the only blog I have. I don't have any alternative accounts. @dana-chan325 is my only other blog. And the reason I stopped using it is because around my birthday last year, I got completely locked out of my account, and was forced to change my password. The email associated with the account is my college email, and as a graduate, I don't have access to it. So I was perma-locked out of that account forever. And I don't believe I've ever reblogged zadr on it, aside from maybe jokes about it, or them holding hands. Same here.

2. As far as supporting Zadr goes, it's cute. I read it when it's there. The fandom is so oversaturated with it, it's easier to just casually like it. I have no beef with zadr and I've read a few several fics on the ship, but I more prefer zadf. I'm also extremely selective and picky about it. And I typically don't reblog anything past the boys holding hands or hugging. Maybe a kiss, but if it's a @bamsara brand kiss. (chomping dib's face off) Although I have stated several times on my blog that my all-time favorite IZ fic of all time is a zadr fic.

Also... I wonder if that person even sees my blog.

I'm an Avid shipper of Zim's Computer and Professor Membrane. (arguably, the only male adults with a lot of screentime in the show.)

I just reblogged fanart of them that @i-like-pink-lolzz made me for my birthday.

Because Zim's Computer and Professor Membrane are just totally Zim and Dib in costumes right? loooooool

3. "She dated a pedophile"

This I have to fucking laugh my ass off.

I've only dated two people in MY LIFE (and swiped left on dating apps over a schmillion times)And I haven't dated since 2013.

That's over eight years ago

so if they grew up to be pedophiles, I don't freaking know. I lost all contact with them after we broke up XD

The first guy I dated was majoring in childhood education, and the other guy was a scumbag who cheated on me with my sister.

So if any one of them turned out to be a pedo hope it's guy number two and he's in jail XD Cus fuck him honestly.

4. Additionally, to debunk me being a pedo... I work as a one-on-one children's Aid at an Elementary School. Working with Kindergarteners and extremely young children. I've also worked at a High School as a one-on-one with Autistic Teens and Teens with developmental or anger issues. I don't take pedo accusations lightly, and I feel the internet has to stop throwing that term around just to describe people they don't like.

5. "A Zadr Discord server."I don't own a discord server myself.

But I am an avid member of the Moo-Ping 10 Discord Server. But I am not a moderator or an owner of it.

The server is ship neutral and ship safe. People do draw Zadr there, but there is also, Brainbrane, ZaTr, ZaGr, and PraR and PaZRr as well as many others.

The server is all-inclusive and non-discriminatory towards ships. A lot of minors are on it, but just as many adults are on it as well. It's a PG-13 server and it's a place where people won't feel judged for just wanting to see their favorite fictional characters kiss. Anyways, I hope that clears that up.

And weirdly, thanks for sharing that with me.

I have seasonal and chronic depression that hits me pretty hard around this time of year. But this actually cheered me up so much. It gave me a good laugh, and made me realize how awesome I am compared to someone who would go around spreading baseless rumors like this. But it weirdly made me happy, and made me feel a lot better about myself. So thanks.

But yeah, that anon just hates me I guess.

#submission #danachan's asks #but yeah thanks for that #Horray I got anon hate for my birthday #sometimes it takes an asshole on the internet to put things in perspective #also I thought I disabled anon ages ago #idk how this got through

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spidey-sophie · 4 years

Text

Curiosity Bit the Cat | Tom Holland One-Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female Reader

Warnings: meet cute, fluffy smut, public bathroom sex, hand kink (shocking), fingering (f receiving), sex with a 'stranger'

Summary: On the biggest Halloween party of the year you meet a mystery guy dressed as Spider-Man. You haven’t even seen his face, but somehow you just can’t get enough of him.

Word Count: 5.8k

Notes: Okay, so first of all, thank you everyone for your kind words after reading the teaser! Also, I can’t ever thank enough to my wonderful editors @worldoftom and @hypnotized-so-mesmerized ! Thank you for staying up all night, listening to me talking about it for daysss and making this fic as amazing as it is! Also, thank you to my lovely twin @rebekkah4766 for brainstorming with me and jumping in whenever I needed her to!

It was your favorite holiday of the year. Halloween.

As a kid, you would look forward to it all year, excited to go trick or treating, collect loads of candy, and eat it with your friends. Now, you loved the holiday for a different reason. You still looked forward to Halloween months in advance, but not for trick or treating. Halloween gave you the chance to don a mask and transform. There’s something about those masks and the anonymity that they provide. Wearing a mask always set you free.

“Are you coming, Daenerys Targaryen?” your best friend called out from outside of the car, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts. She wasn’t completely wrong, you did reuse your old Daenerys blonde wig tonight, styling it differently to get your character’s famous platinum blonde hair just right.

“How many times have I told you, I’m Black Cat tonight!” you said, finally climbing out of the car. As soon as you did, you started regretting your decision. Your leather costume was too tight. It did hug your figure in all the right places, but it was so uncomfortable to move with it on. The white fur around your wrists and neck wasn’t helping either.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how much of a nerd you are,” she said as she took your hand and started tugging you towards the entrance.

“Wait a second,” you said, pulling you and your friend to a stop to unzip the front piece of your costume. You had debated whether you should rock the famous Black Cat décolleté, and at the last moment you decided to go for it.

“Well, now we’re talking, come on!”

The loud beats and bass vibrations took over your senses as you entered the club, looking around in awe at the lights and decor. The place was crowded, full of people in various costumes, all of them wearing masks. You could barely recognize the rest of your friend group as they spotted you and waved you over.

“How did you manage to get us into this club?” you leaned over to ask your friend. This wasn’t a place you’d usually go out to. It was too luxurious for your taste. And for your wallet.

“I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy… don’t question it, enjoy it while you can!” Your friend said, gesturing afterwards that she was going to the distant table your friends were at. You nodded, deciding to push through the crowd to the bar to get you both some drinks first.

There was one thing you needed to be able to fully let loose in the crowd - alcohol. You made your way towards the bar and, after a while of squeezing your way through the crowd, you finally managed to get to the bartender. As soon as you finished ordering your drink, you heard someone laugh right next to you.

Intrigued and liking the way the laugh sounded, you turned around. It was immediately clear why this mystery person had laughed.

There, right next to you, was a guy dressed as Spider-Man. You couldn’t help but smile at the coincidence.

“Never thought I’d see you here, Cat,” you heard an appealing, smooth voice coming from under the mask.

“Back at ya, Spider. Thought you could only ever be spotted over the city's skyline.” You didn’t know exactly why, but you decided to play his game.

"Well, I heard a rumor a certain thief might be here and had to check it out."

You started to reply but lost your train of thought when the crowd jostled him closer to you, letting you see him better in the dim light. He was wearing a red and black version of the famous Spider-Man suit, with the mask fully covering his face. There was no skin in sight, but nearly every muscle of his was noticeable through the tight suit. Your eyes landed on his broad shoulders, and you couldn’t help but continue checking him out. Sure, you couldn’t see his face, but you could see plenty of his body and, for the moment, that was enough.

“Wow, after all these years, you’re still thirsty for me, Cat?” His voice startled you from your observations.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Spider.” You looked back up and turned around to face the bartender who just came back with your drinks. "I was just passing the time."

“You two have the best couples costume I’ve seen so far,” the bartender said as he gave you two shots for you and your new friend.

“Thank you, but I don’t like to be associated with spiders,” you said, and could almost hear the guy next to you smiling at your quip. Just as you grabbed your drinks and started walking away from him, you felt his hand on yours, lightly squeezing it.

“Will I see you around?” he asked, almost whispering into your ear.

“Maybe. If you use your spidey senses to find me.” You winked at him and finally left to join your friends.

The rest of the night went by pretty quickly. You spent most of it either dancing with your friends or meeting some new people, but none of them caught your attention like the mystery Spider-Man did. You couldn’t explain it, but there was something about him that attracted you. You felt stupid that you hadn’t even see his face yet, but there you were, searching for him in the crowd while drinking and dancing. Yet he was nowhere to be seen. You didn’t mention your mystery man to your friends. The only thing you knew about him was that, judging by his accent, he was probably American, but that clue wasn’t enough for you to find him.

You eventually gave up on looking for him and focused on the night. With your friend’s hand in yours, you strutted towards the dance floor. The music was so loud, it was almost throbbing inside your body. Letting yourself sink into the feeling, you started moving to the rhythm. You could feel many eyes gazing at you, following your every move closely. But, you felt indifferent to their attention. Hand in hand, you were dancing with your friend, spinning each other around and having a blast dancing together to your favorite songs. She was there for a little bit, but then her hand left yours and she gestured to the bar, and you nodded, continuing to dance on your own. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this good, this free. You stayed dancing alone on the dance floor, most of your friends too drunk to join you or had already hooked up with someone, but you didn’t care. You just wanted to have fun.

A few songs had passed when you felt someone only a few inches behind you. Curious to see if it was one of your friends or someone else, you started turning your head back but paused when you heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

His soft voice sent shivers down your spine. You couldn’t believe you were so drawn to someone’s voice. Though you’d just met him a few hours ago, you’d missed hearing it. You smiled and finally turned your whole body to face him.

“What happened to those spidey senses of yours?” you said, stepping closer as his hands moved to rest on your elbows. You look down at his suggestion of proximity and surprisingly didn't feel uncomfortable with it. It felt… nice.

“Turns out they don’t mix well with alcohol," he said, "or maybe you were too skilled for them tonight. Where were you hiding?” The music was too loud so he had to be close to you in order for you to hear him.

“See that Harley Quinn who keeps frantically waving at us? She’s at my table.”

“Oh, I see. I was at the complete opposite side of the club.”

“You know, I almost approached the wrong Spider-Man,” you told him with a slight giggle, putting your hands around his neck as he drew you closer by the waist. The last thing you had wanted was for him to know you were looking for him, but somehow the alcohol made your mouth work faster than your brain. “There’s too many of you guys now anyways, I can’t keep track anymore.”

“Which one is your favourite?” he asked you.

“Oh, Miles. Definitely.”

“Well, he’s one lucky guy then, to be your favourite,” he said, running his hands up and down your lower back. Your skin felt like it buzzed with prickles wherever he touched you, hands still resting on the back of his neck. Since you couldn’t see him, you tried to focus on other things apart from his face and eyes, such as his voice. It sounded very comforting to you, almost like you’d heard it somewhere before.

"But you come a close second, Parker," you said with a grin and a partial wink. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You know," he said, moving one hand close to yours and starting to intertwine his fingers with yours. "You have quite an irresistible smile."

Transfixed by his flirt, you let him hold you like that, relaxing into him. And there you were, face to face. One of your hands was still on his neck, while he brought the other one to his chest, still holding on tightly. Even with his gloves on, you could feel how warm his hand was against your cold one.

“You do, too… I mean, not that I’ve seen… I meant the sound of it.” The embarrassment tingling through your body was unbearable, so you moved your hand from his neck to wipe a phantom drop of sweat from your brow. You felt stupid, but in a good way. In a way you haven’t felt ever since talking to your first childhood crush.

He laughed yet again. "Don't worry, kitten, I know what you meant."

Before you knew it, you were quickly wrapped around him from the warmth of his words.

You danced quietly for a bit, both of you moving your bodies out of sync with the music but in tune with each other. You’d become used to the silence between the two of you when he finally said, “I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”

“And I liked talking to you,” you replied, gently caressing the back of his neck with your nails.

“Maybe we can talk better if we go outside. If you want to?” he asked when the dance floor got too crowded, and the music got even louder. As close as you were, you could barely hear each other now.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. I just need to stop by the restroom first.”

“I’ll go with you.” He took your hand in his and led the way. That little gesture made your heart beat faster. However, once you were in front of the bathrooms, you saw the familiar long line you were hoping wouldn't be there.

“I can’t believe I’ll have to wait ages to pee,” you groaned.

“Wait, you can use this one, there’s no one else inside.” You saw him opening the door of the men's bathroom and gesturing to you with his hands to come inside.

“Are you sure it’s okay that we’re both here?” you asked him once you walked in.

“No, but we’ll see,” he laughed, and so did you.

You were done fairly quickly, but he seemed to still be in one of the stalls. You decided to sit on the sink counter, waiting for him to come out of the toilet. You looked around. The counter was fairly big, there were four sinks with a big mirror. On your left were urinals, the stalls on your right.

“How did you get out of that suit?” you asked, to kill some time while you were waiting for him.

“I have a zip at the back, darling.” You loved the way he used pet names for you, it made you smile and caught you off guard. “But I’m going to need your help to zip it back,” he said as he got out. His gloves were off, so now you could see his hands. They seemed soft and a bit bony. The thing that drew your attention the most were his fingers. They were really long, with a few veins popping on them. You watched him washing his hands and caught yourself imagining how those fingers would feel on your body.

“Can you even see in that thing? Can you breathe?” Once you realized you were staring way too much at his hands, you tried to change the subject.

“I can, and sadly not so much. Could you zip me up please?” You loved the way his fingers clenched the towel while he was drying them.

He got near you, right between your legs, facing the opposite direction. You saw a fair portion of his freckled skin through both sides of the zipper as it fell open till about half of his back. As you zipped him up, you could feel your heart pounding and your hands growing clammy with sweat. Especially when you looked up and caught sight of his curly brown hair peeking under his mask.

“All done,” you said nervously.

"Thanks," he said as he turned around to face you. You lifted your head and looked at him. Your eyes flicked over his face, trying to distinguish his facial features, but his mask hid them very well. You lingered on his nose jutting out through the spandex before taking in the details of his white lenses. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't see his eyes, though you could almost feel him studying you just as intently. Neither of you said a word, but the silence didn’t feel stifling at all. In fact, you couldn't help but smile at how calm you felt just sitting in front of him like you were.

"I thought cats had vertical pupils." His voice sounded lower than before. Sultrier.

"Don’t spiders have eight eyes? It's unfair that I can't see yours to find out."

"Well, they hold too many secrets, kitten." You smiled at his remark. He lifted his hand and put it on your arm. It felt like his touch was emitting fire on your already warm body. Your fingers were trailing from your thighs to your knees, searching for distraction but you wanted to put them back on his body so much that they were almost aching.

"Your lips are fully human tho," he said while he traced little circles with his thumb on your forearm. "Can I kiss them?"

You noded shyly. You started removing his mask, but just as you pulled it over his nose, he caught you by the wrists. He placed your fingers near his lips and kissed them.

“Look, I, um, I’ll need you to trust me right now. This is gonna sound odd, but do you mind if I keep my mask on? If it makes you uncomfortable in any way, we can stop. Say the word and we'll stop, alright?” he told you, and you nodded. You couldn’t explain why, but this idea excited you.

You took a closer look at the bottom half of his face. Well, as much as you could since the lights in the bathroom were too dim and red. They complimented his mask. Your heartbeat quickened, it felt like it was about to come out of your chest. You hoped he couldn’t feel it since he was so close to you.

His jawline was the first thing you noticed. As you gently traced the strong path with your finger, you noticed his lips curving into a devilishly hot smirk. That’s when you decided that your best response would be to kiss him.

You lightly brushed your lips on his. Excited but also a bit surprised that you had the courage to kiss him first. Just when you thought about parting your lips from his and apologizing for kissing him, you felt his hands on the small of your back, bringing you closer to him.

His tongue flicked at your lips and you finally parted them, letting out a small moan as you let him in. His hands tightened around your waist as he kept pulling you closer than you already were, like he never wanted to let you go. Instinctively you lifted your legs up and around his waist. The heat of his skin was seeping through the material of both of your costumes.

And he was kissing you so good. Somehow, it seemed like this mystery man knew just the way you liked being kissed, hard and slow. Your hands were on his neck, touching the only parts of his skin that were exposed for you. His skin was soft, and you could feel the way his neck muscles tensed while he was kissing you. Your hands started roaming his body, not breaking the kiss.

Just below his abs, you could trace the outline of his erection in his suit, and he kept pressing it into you. Soon he started slowly and lightly jerking his hips to meet yours, which was enough to make your whole body twitch, desperate for more. His hands had gone around to your ass, caressing it before squeezing it hard. You were desperately yearning for his touch that even though his action took you by surprise, you moaned into his mouth.

The kiss got hungrier than before. He nibbled on your bottom lip and after a while, started moving back slowly. You moaned once his lips were away from yours. In the heat of the moment, both of you forgot to breathe. He moved from your lips to your neck, his breath was hot and it sent shivers down your spine all the way down to your toes.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you.” He growled into your neck. His voice sounded even more familiar to you now, but you couldn’t focus on it, your mind turning hazy from the pressure of his lips. Just when you were about to ask him if you'd ever met, you heard someone coming into the bathroom.

You jerked away from each other, quickly reminded that you were still on the counter, at a public place. He pulled you by the hand, guiding you until you were both crammed into a bathroom stall.

His body was pressed flush into yours even though there was enough room in there. He was so close to you that you could feel him breathe. You focused on the way his muscles were tensing, on the way he smelled and on his paced breathing. Looking up, you kept your eyes on his plumped lips. They were puffy from all the kissing. You could hear the sink run as the person that came into the bathroom washed their hands and felt relief that soon you’d both be alone and wouldn't need to keep quiet anymore.

Once you heard the person leave, he captured your lips with his yet again, kissing you like you had all the time in the world, his tongue exploring your mouth like both of you could stay there forever.

Your hands went up to your mask and you tried to remove it, but he held them. “I still have mine on, it’s only fair if you keep yours on, too.”

You removed your hands from his and slid them down his arms instead.

“And, y’know, you look hotter with it on, too,” he added, his mouth shaping into a smirk.

It was captivating, but you wanted it gone, so you kept moving your hands until they reached his growing bulge. His skin tight costume couldn’t hide how excited he was. You started moving up and down, feeling him growing even more. You needed to use both of your hands to cup him completely, caressing and stroking him through the fabric. He thrust into your hands, grinding on them while he kissed every exposed piece of skin on your face and neck. His fingers worked his way to your back where he found the zip to your own costume. He pulled back from your neck.

“Is this okay?” he asked you as if he hadn't started to unzip you already. As soon as you nodded, he pulled the zip down to your bottom and started pulling it down your body. He squatted in front of you and peeled it slowly off your legs, leaving you in a lacy black underwear. He put your costume on top of the little countertop behind the toilet while still on his knees in front of you. Your underwear was soaking wet and you knew he could see it, feeling the brush of his finger on your clit. He gently kissed your clit through the fabric. You were yearning so much for him it was almost painful. To hell with him for choosing this moment to tease you.

He got up and slid his hand behind your back to unclasp your bra. You were overwhelmed but you wanted to see his body too. Just when he was about to start kissing your neck, you pushed him off of you and reached for the zip on his back. You knew very well where it was from having helped him before, so your fingers found the pull tab easily.

You started pulling his costume off his shoulders, feverishly tugging it down the rest of his body. The first thing you saw was his collar bones, you started moving down his abdomen. He was wearing white Calvin Klein boxers, which was nice and made you send him a cheeky look, but you wanted them gone anyway. You knelt in front of him, tugging every piece of clothing down to his ankles. Looking up, all he had left was the mask over the top of his head.

You ran your hands over his exposed abs, your nails lightly dragging over his smooth skin. He quivered and flexed, and led you to kiss the mole right above his belly button. Just as you were about to start kissing his cock, he put his fingers on the nape of your neck and pulled you back up.

“If you do that now, I’m not going to last long,” he said in an accent that sounded different than before. It had an English touch to it, more pronounced.

Once you were standing, he bent down and pulled your hard nipple into his mouth, gently stroking the other one with his left hand. You moaned, digging your fingers into his back.

“I need you,” you panted.

“Oh do you now,” he growled into your collar bone, moving slowly back to your neck. He started sucking on your skin very hard while moving his right hand down into your soaked panties.

“Do you have a condom?” you asked him, struggling to catch your breath. His hand stopped right at the hem of your underwear.

“No… but wait a second.” He pulled away and slowly opened the bathroom stall door. You took a quick look, too. There it was, attached to the wall, one of those vending machines with condoms and toothbrushes, but both of you were naked and someone could come in any second.

"I got this," he said, pulling his boxers back up in a hurry, attempting to pull up his suit too, but ultimately leaving it half hurled around his knees. When he sneaked out of the stall, you peeked through the opened doors and saw him trying to walk as fast as he could. It was nearly comical, but you contained your chuckles for the sake of the moment.

Soon after, he was on his way back to you, sporting a grin, but the bathroom door opened and you could hear at least two guys chatting animatedly on their way in.

You cussed to yourself, but he was less smooth. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he mouthed repeatedly, audibly too, until you were able to reach out and pull him back in by an arm. Just in time because you could still hear a boyish 'woaaaah' coming from outside even before the door was locked.

"Get it Spidey!" a voice said, and immediately you both started laughing and shushing each other at the same time. You almost didn't want to because his laugh was the cutest sound you'd heard in a while.

“Sorr…” you started, but he put his finger over your lips to silence you. Still there was no way to stop your wide smiles, even though you had pretty much been walked in on.

You moved your eyes to his chest in an effort to stop smiling, and noticed him breathing heavily. Unsure if he was struggling to hold back more laughter or high on the adrenaline, you decided to give him something else to focus on. His finger was still on your lips which made it easy to part them and start sucking on it, keeping your eyes focused on his face. His smile instantly faded, his mouth hanging open while he sucked in a sharp inhale.

Satisfied at his reaction and wanting more, you used your hands to maneuver his middle finger into your mouth as well, grabbing his wrist to suck on both fingers hard. You could see his lips dancing around the word 'fuck' and glanced into the white eye-shaped lenses, daring him to stare back at you from behind the mask. It felt weird yet captivating to not be able to see into his eyes.

As soon as the restroom door banged closed again, he removed his fingers from your mouth and you let out a small whiny moan. His hand snaked into your underwear, its motion heightened by the kisses he littered on your neck, all the way down to your breasts. He pinned you to the wall with his shoulders, sucking on the soft skin right under your collar bones. You moaned softly under his ear as he slowly worked his way around your pussy and clit, cupping it with his fingers, rubbing it with his whole palm.

He slowly put one finger inside of you while his lips were all over your neck and breasts. Once his finger was fully inside of you, you started moaning a bit louder. He had to kiss you to keep you quiet. His tongue was teasing your lips, waiting for you to let him in. At the same time as his tongue entered your mouth, he put his other finger inside of you and started curling them. The kiss was urgent and sloppy, like your whole life depended on it.

The tension in your lower abdomen started building up. Whether it was the adrenaline rush from the risky location, the fact that he was so mysterious that he wouldn't even let you look him in the eye, or simply his skilled fingers and mouth, you didn’t know. But the truth was that you hadn’t been this wet in a while. You weren’t even kissing him now, just breathing into his mouth. Your hands were around his neck and you could feel the ends of his hair within reach of your fingers. Your lips left his and you started moaning into his neck, feeling him shiver from the warmth of your breath.

Your lower back was still pressed against the cold bathroom wall, thrusting hard into his fingers as you started clenching around them. You started mouthing his shoulder to control your moans and to keep yourself from slipping down.

“I’m so close,” you whispered into his shoulder, kissing and biting into it while your hips bucked hard onto his fingers. He was working you up with his middle and ring fingers, his palm on your clit providing you with more stimuli. They were curling inside of you, hitting just the right spot. You could feel the pure pleasure building inside of you and let out a loud moan when it finally approached.

This time he didn’t try to shut you up, smirking instead as you came down from your high. Your hands instinctively went to his throbbing cock, the need to erase that smirk from his face overcoming your exhaustion You pulled the foreskin over his head and started jerking him off, watching as his lips parted and let out a soft moan. You smeared the precum of his tip and brought your fingers back to your mouth, humming around the taste.

“Turn around,” he told you and you knew exactly what to do. Turning around, you put your hands on the bathroom door and leant against it. You heard him ripping off a condom with his teeth while he rubbed your clit with one hand.

He teased your entrance with his cock, spreading your wetness all over him. He pushed inside of you slowly, making both of you moan. You gasped when his hands reached and squeezed your hips. They were all over you, moving from your hips to your ass cheeks and then finally to your stomach, leaving goosebumps behind in their wake

One of his hands finally slipped back onto your swollen clit. He started rubbing circles around it, while pushing into you with only his tip.

“Are you close?”

His words were distracting, but when you tried to answer, he filled you up completely and your mind went blank. Your only response was a loud moan, you didn’t even care if there was anyone outside of your stall who could hear you.

You felt your arms beginning to ache, shaking a bit from the effort of keeping yourself in position while he pounded into you.

“Can you please hold me?” you whispered through your moans, and he did with a hum. He moved his hand from your ass to your stomach, holding you tight, pressed onto him. His breathing intensified, matching yours.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” you finally said as you felt your body melting into his.

“I got you, I got you,” he moaned breathily, not stopping his movements. He fucked you until it was too much for the both of you. You came when his hand found your nipple, the pleasure it caused setting you ablaze. Then you felt him tremble behind you, hips erratic from chasing his high. Your hands were shaking and his hands on your body were the only things keeping you from falling. Even after he was finished, he couldn’t stop grunting while rocking his hips slowly back and forth, still not ready to pull out and to stop this magnificent feeling for both of you.

When he finally pulled out, you needed a few moments to collect yourself. You struggled to stand still, bracing yourself with one arm on the door. Once you turned around, he grabbed the sides of your face and kissed you hard.

“Fucking hell, this was something else,” he said while his hands were still on your face and his head was resting on yours. You stayed like that for a few moments, and you could feel his hot breath all over your face. When he moved away from you, he got rid of the condom while you took some toilet paper to clean yourself up. A smile bloomed on your face while you took your suit and started dressing up. You couldn’t believe what you had just done, but it felt so good. Your eyes went straight to him and to the way his muscles shifted while he was dressing himself. He turned around for you to zip him back up. You left a little kiss on his back and you could feel him smiling.

“Thank you, kitten,” he said, sounding more American again, using his Peter Parker voice.

“You’re welcome, Spider.”

But as he moved to help you, it hit you that a few moments ago his voice sounded a bit different and his accent definitely had an English lilt. “Can I ask you something?” you asked him while he zipped your suit up.

“Sure. But let’s get out of here first.” You turned around and he pressed his lips lightly into yours while your heart was pounding furiously. The kiss was gentle and sweet, you never wanted this to end.

But it had to. He broke the kiss but moved his hand up to your cheek. His thumb was caressing your lips, almost like he wanted to savor this moment. He smiled before he put his mask back on. You took one last look at the bottom half of his face. And maybe you were out of it, maybe the leftover alcohol was playing tricks on your mind, but you were now almost completely sure from where you recognized his voice and his smile. You needed to ask him. He couldn’t be who you thought he was.

Luckily, the bathroom was empty so you had no trouble getting out of it. Just like when you first came in here, he was holding your hand and leading the way. As you got out of the bathroom, you were blinded by the lights and startled by the loud music. It was hard to believe that you had been in the same building this entire time, the bathroom seemed like it was its own bubble. You stood there with him for a few moments, as you both tried to figure out the best way to get away from the crowd when someone dressed as Batman appeared in front of you.

“Tom, mate, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. We’re outside, ready to leave.” You felt your heart sink into your stomach. No. It couldn’t be.

“Right, mate, I’ll be there in a second,” he answered him in that same accent he had while he was having sex with you.

“I’ll use my spidey senses to find you,” he whispered in your ear. His American accent was back on. You didn’t know anyone who could switch accents this effortlessly except for the person you thought he was. You were too shocked to respond to him. You just stood there watching him with your eyebrows slightly raised while he showed you a peace sign and left.

Once he was gone, you mechanically walked towards the table your friends had been at. Yet, as you tried to find them, only one thought was on your mind. And you still couldn’t believe it.

Did you just have sex with Tom Holland?

taglist: @duskholland @perspectiveparker @whattheheckparker @thefallenbibliophilequote

#tom holland #tomholland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland smut #tom holland one shot #tom holland fandom #mcufam #tom holland oneshot #tom holland fic #tom holland x fem #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland fanfinc #halloween #halloween fic #spider man #black cat

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hime-hana · 3 years

Text

JEONG YUNHO ♡ DADDY A TO Z ♡

A = Announcement.- How do you tell him and the world that you’re expecting?

Yunho was a little confused when he saw a note on the kitchen counter "Treasure Hunt - Find all the hidden notes around the house and follow the clues to retrieve the treasure". Excitement was written all over his face as he looked everywhere for clues. It seemed a little strange: a baby shoe, a toy, colored crayons. The last one told him to go outside for his last mission. You were expecting him in the backyard, trying to hold your smile as he finds the key to the chest and opens the treasure. A small velvet bag awaits for him, the words "CONGRATULATIONS FUTURE DADDY" printed on a baby shirt. It takes him a moment to realize and he almost trips over the chest as he can't wait to hug you faster.

B = Books.- Did he read the books?

No, he won't be able to concentrate on any book, but he is more than happy and willing to listen to you reading the books out loud or telling him all the new information you learned.

C = Cuddles.- Who cuddles the baby more?

Both of you, he will love holding you and the baby at the same time while laying in bed and spending quality time together.

D = Daddy.- His reaction to being called Daddy and it setting in.

Ecstatic, more than happy he ever felt. Honestly, he can't believe this is real and his baby just called him daddy. Won't be able to hold back his smile and stop talking about it.

E = Empty.- Who goes to the store when you guys run out of supplies?

It would mostly be Yunho, he knows you sometimes need a moment to relax and chooses to do errands or grocery shopping himself. As long as you give him a list.

F = Feeding time- Who does feeding time?

It would be mostly you as Yunho watches from behind, but if you would ask him to step up and help you he definitely will. He will also do it if he notices you are too tired.

G = Grumpy baby. - Who is better at dealing with a grumpy baby?

Yunho. He just knows how to make the baby calm down and turn his frown into a smile in an instant. Playing with his toys or making silly faces - Yunho can do it all.

H = How?- how many kids does he want?

I think this would be debatable, but probably around 1 or 2. The most would be 3 but you will both need to be completely sure you will be able to handle another baby, though he may want the last one when your children were a bit older.

J = Jokes.- best dad joke?

All day, every day. Yunho finds them so funny and even if you hate his dad jokes, he always managed to put a smile on your face with them.

K = Kisses.- His favorite place to kiss the baby.

His forehead and chubby cheeks. Whenever he passes by the baby's crib as it's sleeping he won't be able to stop and lean down pressing a gentle kiss on its forehead.

L = Little.- How he feels when he holds the baby for the first time.

He won't be able to contain his happiness. He would be a little scared holding the baby for the first time because he would fear he might hurt it, but it will feel as if everything faded away for Yunho when he embraces it tightly to his chest.

M = Mommy.- What does he call you?

He would call you sweet nicknames, but his favorite will probably be "cutie" since it will be a nickname he has called you ever since you two became a couple.

N = Nappies.- Who deals with the really bad ones?

He will help you, but I think you will do it more often than him. Nonetheless, he will do it if he notices you struggling or you need a break.

O = Onesies- Who likes to dress the baby in ridiculous outfits?

Absolutely Yunho. Especially if it's a very cute animal costume. Your baby will have a full collection of animal costumes by the time he turns 2.

P = Pet names- names he calls the baby.

He would call the baby all types of silly nicknames, most that would make you wonder what the hell is he even saying. Your baby would be dressed in a shark costume and for the next few days, Yunho will call it "baby shark" while singing the song in the background.

Q = Questions.- How many questions does he ask the nurse?

Many, many questions. He wants to be informed about everything so he will probably make a mental list of the things he wants to ask the nurse about.

R = Rely- What is the biggest thing you rely on each other for?

The main thing you would rely on Yunho would be the way he always boosts your mood and makes you happy no matter what. In return, he knows you will always be there if he ever has any doubts about his duties as a daddy.

S = Sleep duty. - Who gets up when it’s really late at night?

It would be you most nights, but if you pat his shoulder gently and ask him if he could get the baby Yunho will definitely-although very sleepy-agree and calm down your child.

T = Trepidation.- Fears as a new parent.

Since Yunho would be a goofball even after your baby is born he will have many questions about the way he wants to raise the baby and that maybe he is not being strict enough on him.

U = Ultrasounds.- His reactions to the ultrasounds.

He will just watch in awe as the doctor points to the screen and the shape of what will soon be his baby pops up. Pressing kisses to the back of your hand as he takes the small photographs from the nurse. He will want to keep them forever and will most likely tuck them safely in a tiny frame next to your bed.

V = Values.- What is the most important value he wants to teach your child.

He will want to teach him to be responsible from a young age but also keep his liveliness and child-like innocence. To always pay attention around him and not be careless to the other's needs.

W = Water.- Who gives the baby the bath

Yunho would volunteer for this job since it will be a time when he can have as much fun as he wants with the baby. Bringing the dolls, rubber ducks and basically, almost every toy your child will own. Bath time will be his favorite and your child's as well.

X = X-mas- What do you guys plan for the holidays?

He would want to do everything with your baby, but having fun in the water with your baby would be the funniest thing ever. The baby safely put in an inflatable seat as Yunho runs and splashes around him making everyone laugh at how cute they are.

Y = Yelling.- How many fights do the two of you get in?

Arguments won't happen often and when they do, they will be short-lived. The most common causes of your fights would be stress and tiredness.

Z = Zoo- How crazy is the house after the birth?

Not very crazy, except for when he is acting silly trying to make the baby laugh. Everything will be calm and rather peaceful.

#ateez headcanons #ateez scenarios #ateez fluff #yunho fluff #ateez yunho #ateez #ateez yunho imagines #ateez imagines #daddy a to z

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tsukikento · 3 years

Text

Empathetic Chapter 16 (Please Read A/N for Update)

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

Summary: After your mom, the number 1 hero in America, gets offered a teaching position at U.A., you two pack up your things and head to Musutafu, Japan to start a new life. Pressure for you in America was at an all-time high, and now you’re in Japan, where almost no one knows you, or your family’s past.

This tale starts on your first day of class where your new teacher decides the best way for you to fit in is to fight against the strongest person in your class: Bakugou Katsuki.

Warnings/Genre: This piece will feature some angst and reference to an abusive parent, if you are ever worried about other tw’s feel free to send me an ask and I will let you know. There will also be fluff, slight angst, pining, and slowburn.

A/N: Two chapters in one month?? Your super nice and amazing comments always want to make me write so much more! I’m glad I had some extra time this week to get things out. PLEASE READ NOTE BELOW:

With the recent chapters of the manga in mind, I want to make note that this story is non-canon. I want to keep this story cohesive and not spoil anything that is not in the anime. However, there may be discrepancies or differences because I started writing during the overhaul arc. I understand a lot of people don't read the manga and some things have happened that could impact what I plan to do with this story. So, please keep in mind that this is not canon, but is set in the second year. My main goals are clarity within this story and not spoiling anything. Thank you!

(series masterlist)

The next few weeks passed in a blur because your schedule was now much more packed with various activities. You had cooking on Monday, training with Aizawa-sensei and Shinsou every Tuesday and Friday, and training with Bakugou every Wednesday and Sunday.

On top of that, physical training had increased throughout the class because of the approaching sports festival and many people were asking to train with you. So far, you had trained with the girls a couple of times as well as in other small study groups when the spaces were rented out. Everyone was rather nice about inviting when they could, although you didn’t always say yes.

As of now, it was the Wednesday before the Sports Festival. Class ended with a big endurance workout and then some stretches. Each student was breathing heavily and slowly making their way back to the lockers to change. Knowing you would be training with Bakugou in the next hour, you didn’t want to shower, but also didn’t want to switch back into your school uniform because it would become dirty.

However, you immediately changed your mind as you saw how sweaty you were in the mirror. Strands of hair were stuck to your face from sweat and your face was clearly flushed.

“Did I look this bad all of class?” You frantically asked Momo and Jirou who were ruffling through their own lockers.

Jirou let out a few snickers at your reaction while Momo shook her head and smiled sweetly.

“You don’t look bad at all,” Momo explained while she applied deodorant.

“You’re too nice,” You replied, waving hero off sheepishly before looking to Jirou, “Tell me the truth, Jirou-san.”

“You don’t look too bad,” She responded, “All of us look like a mess. I don’t think anyone would really notice if that’s what you’re worried about.”

You hummed a response, not quite satisfied with her response, but also not about to beg her to call you either gorgeous or hideous. You turned back to your locker, deciding last minute to take a shower. You weren’t going to wash your hair, but you would borrow the hairbrush you knew Ashido has in order to fix your hair.

Once finally clean, with hair neatly brushed and tied back from your face, you leisurely walked back with Ashido and Hagakure to grab your school bags.

“So, now that I am officially in a relationship,” Ashido began, “I figured it was time I played matchmaker for you two hopeless romantics,” The kindred girl skipped ahead of you and Hagakure with a wide smile.

You chuckled low in your throat. “I don’t think that really describes us well,” You retorted, trailing behind slightly.

Ashido simply waved you off and moved around to throw her arm around Hagakure. “What about you, Toru-chan? Do you want me, who is in a steady relationship, to help you and Ojiro?”

“Um,” The invisible girl tentatively started. She was clearly unsure how Ashido would be able to help. “I’m okay with my relationship with Ojiro right now…”

“Really?” Ashido inquired. “You’re okay with just being his friend?” Your small group rounded the corner, approaching the classroom.

“Well,” You were sure Hagakure would be blushing if she wasn’t invisible. “I don’t want to push him into anything because he is shy and likes to go slow. I think it is best if it happens naturally.”

Ashido visibly harrumphed before looking back at you. “Y/L/N-chan!” She explained, moving from Hagakure to you. “Let me be your wing-woman!”

You slid open the classroom door, head turned to reply to Ashido. “I’m pretty sure Bakugou would blow you up before you even had a chance to be my wing woman.”

“Meanie,” The pink-haired girl pouted before pushing past you to go to her desk and grab her bag.

“I just don’t know if Bakugou would want anyone to meddle in the too-small relationship we have now,” You explained, walking over to your own desk. Everyone else’s desks were empty, meaning you were the last three people left.

“Yeah, but you are barely spending any time with him. Not only do I know Bakugou well, but I can help you because I’m dating Kirishima,” Mina countered. “I could talk you up, or lowkey make us go on a double date. It would work perfectly.”

You all walked out of the classroom, closing the door after Ashido and Hagakure both exited, and walking toward the lockers at the entrance to change shoes.

“I feel like I spend plenty of time with him,” You reasoned, adjusting your backpack up higher. You were trying to explain yourself without being too descriptive. You saw him every day at school, ate lunch with him, spent time with him three days out of the week, and saw him in the halls occasionally.

“You mean lunches with all of us and cooking dinner once a week with him and Sero?” Ashido countered. “That’s maybe more time than half the class, but it isn’t very much for a romantic relationship.”

You rolled your eyes and laughed loudly. Personally, you weren’t sure if Bakugou would really spend much time with his partner. He wasn’t a very outgoing person to begin with and you imagined that he would want someone who respected his privacy.

After a short debate, you decided it was best to tell your friends about the additional time you had spent with Bakugou. The time you spent with him was more heavily focused on training than anything else, meaning this information wouldn’t change too much about what your relationship with him meant. “You can’t say anything, okay?” You began your confession. You felt safe telling them but wanted to make sure it stayed in your small circle of friends.

Both girls turned towards you. Ashido’s eyes were wide with curiosity.

“Bakugou and I have been training together every Wednesday and Sunday,” You simply said.

“Huh?” Hagakure spoke up, “Like, you guys happen to be at the gym at the same time?”

“No,” You clarified, “Like, we meet up every Wednesday and Sunday for hours to train together.”

“What?” The pink-haired girl screeched. She turned and moved to be in front of you in order to stop you in your tracks. “Really?”

“Why would I lie?” You replied, shrugging easily.

“I don’t know,” She shot back with a cheeky smile. She looked down and nervously bit on her lip. “I just can’t believe it.” Before you could say anything else, she looked up at you. “I don’t think you even need my help, Y/L/N-chan!”

“Thanks,” You laughed out.

The three of you began walking again before separating to go to each of your respective lockers. You grabbed a couple of textbooks, put a few things from your bag away and into the locker, as well as switched your shoes. You met back up with Hagakure and Ashido at the door and exited together.

The silence was quickly ended by Ashido. “I can’t believe you are training with him.”

“Is it really that unheard of?” You inquired.

“I mean, he doesn’t really train with anyone. The fact that he is training with you is a good sign,” Ashido explained. “But that is also giving you an insane opportunity to spend time with him that almost no one else gets.”

“Wow,” Hagakure finally added. She turned to face you. “You really are lucky huh?”

You felt your cheeks flush. “Oh, well, um,” You stuttered, “I don’t think I’m that lucky. It’s probably just a coincidence.”

Ashido scoffed, “Yeah, we’ll see.”

You simply rolled your eyes at the girls and followed Ashido as she went on to talk about Kirishima while leading you all back to the dorms.

As subtly as possible, you pulled out your phone to check your notifications. Bakugou would often text you after class or in the morning to let you know where he wanted to meet that day. Frequently, it would be in the cityscape, because it was best for his quirk.

In reflection, you were often mostly working for his benefit. Although you definitely improved through practice, small details like the location of the training, or discussion on what to improve often revolved around the blond boy.

You bit your lip, debating if it was bad.

On one hand, you were happy to spend time with him, help him, and still improve yourself.

On the other, is it a bad sign that he is unwilling to help improve your skills?

Well, it’s not like he is unwilling. I’ve never asked, you reasoned. And maybe he doesn’t know how to help me like I know how to help him because I grew up in a hero family.

You sighed at the predicament just as your phone vibrated with Bakugou’s decision on where to meet.

Let’s meet right outside the dorm room. No hero costume necessary.

That’s new. Sure, the first time you met outside the dorms so he could show you where the cityscape was, but he hadn’t done that since.

You shoved your phone back into your pocket as Ashido opened the door to the dorm house. You each quickly went your separate ways. Hagakure rushed to the bathroom, Ashido went to grab a snack, and you went upstairs to change and get ready.

You did your best to tidy up quickly. You didn’t need your hero costume, but you still might be doing some form of combat or exercise so you needed to dress in workout clothes. You dressed in comfortable, dark leggings and a sports bra to match. On top, you wore a sweat-resistant shirt and styled your hair to keep it out of your face.

You bit your lip as you looked in the mirror and thought over what you could do to make your appearance any better. This probably isn’t even something Bakugou thinks about, you thought as your forced yourself to look away and grab your phone.

You had just enough time to pack a small bag with your belongings and go downstairs to fill up your water bottle. When done, you popped your head outside the front door to see if Bakugou was waiting. With five minutes to spare, you were here before the short-tempered boy. And so, you sat down at the large couches by the door and waited for Bakugou to come down while scrolling through your phone.

“I thought I told you to wait outside,” You heard a gruff voice say. You looked up from your phone to see Bakugou walking towards the kitchen to fill his own water.

“I didn’t know how long you would take,” You reasoned and smiled at the blond before getting up to meet him in the kitchen. In reality, you were waiting no more than two minutes before he came down.

“You know I would never be late,” He retorted while screwing the cap onto his bottle.

You shrugged in response, not bothering to reply verbally. The conversation died down as you followed behind Bakugou and out of the house. “So, where are we going?” You asked as you closed the door behind the both of you.

“The library,” Bakugou explained. “I want to do some theorizing stuff, maybe some combat after.”

You hummed and followed behind him on the short trek to the library. “Is there anything specific on your mind?” You inquired, considering this isn’t something Bakugou had wanted to do before.

“The sports festival is this weekend and I want to win. I was thinking we could watch old highlights and strategize what the possible challenges could be and how to approach them,” Bakugou described.

“And we can’t just do this in the dorms?” You shot back.

“Shuddup,” He responded. “It’s always easier to study in a computer lab rather than our rooms.”

“I guess,” You simply replied, not really caring about where you were when you would be analyzing old clips from sports festivals in the past.

“I guess,” Bakugou mimicked back, a habit he formed quickly when you began to talk more. Anytime your accent sounded a little off, just slightly weird, the blond would repeat it, emphasizing the mistake, and snickering at it.

“Oh shut up, you idiot,” You snapped back, not too harshly slapping his name on his arm.

“What?” He loudly reasoned while still laughing. “I’m trying to help you speak better Japanese.”

“No, you aren’t,” You rolled your eyes at him shrugging, “You are just laughing at me.”

Bakugou feigned surprise, gasping and putting his hand onto his chest. “How dare you? I am in the top 10 of our grade academically, and your accent has only gotten better since I started doing this.”

“Yeah, well you suck ass at English,” You mumbled in response.

“I don’t need to have a perfect accent if I am speaking English in Japan,” He retorted before pulling open the door to the school. It led to the library and computer lab that was a few stories up.

“When you speak English here, you will most likely be doing hero work with tourists that unfortunately got caught in something,” You reasoned, “They won’t be able to understand you well if at all when you don’t study tonal English.”

Realistically, yes, they would be able to understand Bakugou. However, you were currently butt-hurt and unwilling to compliment him.

“Then I will leave the talking to you.” Bakugou pressed the elevator door button and waited until it dinged and the doors opened to walk in.

“And you expect me to just be there in the field with you?” You questioned, following behind him.

“What?” Are you going back to America?” He asked back. His voice had a different tone to it. He was no longer teasing you and instead of asking a genuine question.

You pushed away the want to analyze this difference in inflection, knowing it would make you look like an idiot for pausing to reply for so long. “Not anytime soon,” You finally replied, “But we can’t predict the future, and I have no clue where I will go after graduation.”

“Well, you should stay here,” Bakugou simply said.

You couldn’t help but shoot him a shocked and curious look. “Does the Bakugou Katsuki really want me to stay in Ja—”

“It’s not like that, you idiot!” He interrupted you. “Japan is just a lot better for heroism than America so you will learn more and be better if you stay here.”

He had a pout on his face that begged you to not tease him.

So, you didn’t.

However, you weren’t sure what to say so you simply followed behind Bakugou as he entered the library and beelined it to a table.

“And my name isn’t Ka-TSU-ki,” He finally spoke while placing his belongings onto the table.

You shot him a confused look, “What do you mean?” You placed your own things down to his right.

“Put more accent on ‘Ka’,” He explained easily. “You should rush through it to sound more like KA-tski.”

Bakugou shot you a look as if he was waiting for you to say his name. “What?” You curiously asked.

“Practice,” He motioned for you to speak.

“Uhhh, Ka-tski, KA-tski, Katsuki,” You awkwardly attempted. You felt the heat spread from the bottom of your neck to your cheeks and finally to the tops of your ears.

You weren’t a fool. You knew what using a first name meant in Japanese culture and also knew that no one except Midoriya referred to him by any other name besides Bakugou. For him to so casually have you repeat his first name over and over made your stomach flip.

“Good,” He spoke, voice deep and almost raspy. It made butterflies erupt in your stomach. His tone was… different and it made your head spin crazily. The blond sat down and pulled out his laptop.

“I didn’t bring my computer,” You awkwardly explained.

“That’s fine,” Bakugou immediately replied. “I can rent one out from the library if need be, but we can share earbuds and watch videos on my laptop.”

You gulped down the quickly forming lump in your throat and simply kept watching the blond unpack his bag.

From being able to say his first name without him yelling at you to his tone and his willingness to share, Bakugou was acting unusually. And you were clearly flustered by it. You were sure that if Ashido was here, she would practically be stabbing you with her elbow while she winked at you repeatedly.

Luckily, however, it was just the oblivious and preoccupied Bakugou who was currently opening a tab on his laptop and pulling up videos. You were free to push your chair back, gulp down too much water, and attempt to manage your breathing pattern without him noticing.

Or at least that’s what you hoped.

“Here.”

You looked up from the desk and saw Bakugou holding out an earbud to you. Before grabbing it, your eyes trailed down the wire that inevitably connected it to Bakugou’s own ear. Bakugou had moved the laptop to be evenly between you two on the desk, he was also leaning in slightly to give your more room with the earbud wire. Finally, he also had a notebook and pen to his left so he could write down notes.

You moved closer to the blond and put in the earbud. You tried your best not to move too close, but Bakugou easily moved closer once you stopped adjusting and his own shoulder was now brushing against yours.

Oh, great, you thought. You felt a tinge of nerves from Bakugou push into you. Because your shoulders were only brushing, sometimes not touching at all, you could really only see his surface-level emotions. More than anything, he was focused and determined.

Bakugou opened a document that already had a plethora of notes. “These are the past 11 years of sports festivals and what challenges were done each time,” He explained as you scanned your eyes over the expansive document. It was organized by year, then by class year, and finally, by challenge done.

You hummed to simply let Bakugou know you heard him as you searched for patterns.

“The most common one is a race,” Bakugou began, “But it is different every time.” He moved his cursor to open a video. “This is a compilation of the 17 races or marathons that were done.”

Without waiting, Bakugou began playing the video. They were short clips, the teacher hosting the sports festival explaining what each step of the race was as well as a few highlights. You took mental notes while Bakugou scribbled away in his notebook. You immediately noticed him angrily grumbling when last year’s highlights came up, it showed Midoriya expertly soaring into first place.

“These definitely favor flight abilities,” You mumbled as the video came to a close. The notation wasn’t so good for your quirk, but you knew Bakugou would have little trouble.

“Yeah,” Bakugou simply replied, well aware of the disadvantage you would have if it was a marathon-based challenge.

“How are you feeling about your maneuverability?” You asked Bakugou, knowing there was little you could do. Well, except hope that a marathon challenge wasn’t in this year’s sports festival.

“I’m fine,” Bakugou responded, before changing the subject, “Races are least common for second years though, so I’m not sure if we should expect it.” Bakugou leaned back in his chair, “I know that U.A. does some stuff to help prevent repetitiveness between the classes within a year, but also between the same class each year.”

“Damn,” You commented, “You really know your stuff.”

“Yeah, well it makes sense to analyze past stuff,” Bakugou explained, “I can train all I want, but analyzing last year definitely helped me too.”

“I wonder if anyone else is doing this,” You thought out loud.

Bakugou simply shrugged and turned back to his computer. “Usually, every second round is a group-based challenge, but they vary a lot.” You nodded in understanding, “The most common one in the past 11 years is a mini-disaster situation. They love doing this for second-years, but it costs a lot so it has only happened 9 times between all three grade levels.” Bakugou once again pulled up a video and began playing clips from the 9 previous disaster situations.

The first time it was ever done, the teachers played it off as a real situation. It made for great television and a realistic view of how heroes work in the field, but the audience was unaware of the decision and it terrified them. There were actors in place as villains and civilians, but U.A. ended up apologizing and doing it the next year with multiple variations and adjustments to be more family-friendly.

“They didn’t do this last year,” Bakugou elaborated, “So I think they will this year.” He moved back to a new document. It had each year’s disaster detailed on it. It listed hat was the problem, the main highlights, as well as who won and the quirks the team had.

“The grading of this challenge is based on the team’s ability to work well together, how they work against the villain, and how they help rescue the designated civilians.” Bakugou paused for a beat, “I know you haven’t done the hero provisional license, but it is similar to the task during that test, just on a smaller scale.”

You nodded in understanding while reading over the group’s quirks. “Do you know if the students got to pick their teams?” You asked.

“I couldn’t find anything on it, but for our team-based challenge last year, we were allowed to pick groups,” Bakugou replied.

“Who would you pick then?” You asked him, partially out of curiosity for his strategy and partially hoping he would say your name.

Bakugou hummed in thoughts, “Most teams in the past were five people, and I don’t know how great I would be with helping civilians.” Bakugou paused in thought, “I think you, Kirishima, and Ashido would be great with that.”

And there go the butterflies once again erupting in your stomach.

“You would also allow us to communicate across the field, Kirishima would be great for defense if the villains ever attacked the civilians, and Ashido has a great offensive attack and personality that would keep people calm.” He paused for a few moments, “I also think Sero would be great with saving civilians and then moving to help in the offensive.”

“Isn’t that the same team you had last year?” You questioned. You wanted to tease him for being so willing to compliment people, but you knew he would react badly. You made a mental note to tell Ashido later.

“Well, I added you!” Bakugou defended, voice rising in volume slightly.

The librarian shushed him and you snickered at his angry face. “Calm down,” You reassured, placing your hand onto his own.

It was a habit to touch people and help them, you weren’t even thinking about how it would change his feelings. However, you immediately felt the heat from his hand warm your cool skin without processing exactly what you were doing. Although your mind wanted you to snatch your hand back once you felt his warmth, you knew it would only make the situation weirder. Instead, you pushed away his anger and calmed him just slightly, trying not to push your own nerves onto him.

Bakugou looked at you with wide eyes before his face relaxed. Similar to before, you felt his nerves rush into your body. It honestly made you more nervous. Knowing that your focus on nerves would only worsen both of yours, you pulled your hand back, trying your best to seem casual. Thoughts rushed through your head as you tried to figure out why he became so nervous when you touched his hand with your own.

You weren’t an idiot.

You knew what type of nerves he had.

It wasn’t sickness-related and it definitely wasn’t an anxiety-induced nerve. It was the same type of nerves you felt when your stomach would flip at the rare sight of Bakugou smiling. It was the same flutter of your heart when you saw Bakugou dressed in his hero costume.

You could even see the small blush forming on the tips of his ears and cheeks, only helping to confirm your assumptions.

If you didn’t stop yourself, you would have already stumbled out an apology before grabbing your belongings and rushing out of the library. Except, if you did do that, it would be a dead giveaway that you understood his nerves.

Something you reminded yourself over and over was that if anything was going to happen with the blond, you would need to be patient. Over the past few weeks, as you two have grown closer, it was patience and understanding that made him more comfortable around you.

“Sorry,” You apologized after a moment, moving to grab your water and take a few sips.

Bakugou pulled back from you, “It’s okay.”

He knows.

He knows I know.

He knows that I know that he knows.

You closed your eyes tightly to push your anxious thoughts away.

How could he know? He’s just as nervous as I am if not more!

“Sometimes I forget my quirk will just go off, I didn’t mean to change your feelings,” You explained. Although helpful, sometimes it was best for people to feel out their emotions and learn to change them on their own.

“It’s okay,” Bakugou repeated, “It’s for the best anyways. I’d hate to be kicked out of the library…again.”

“Again?” You questioned, quirking your eyebrow at the blond.

Bakugou nodded, laughing at himself slightly. “Yeah, it was when I was tutoring Kaminari last year. That idiot can be so stupid sometimes, I couldn’t hold back my screams when he told me the 4 squared was 8.”

You chuckled at Bakugou’s story, covering your mouth slightly to muffle your laughs. “Oh my god,” You exclaimed in surprise.

“I know,” Bakugou confirmed. “I don’t think he would have passed last year if I wasn’t there to tutor him,” Bakugou smirked while watching you giggle at his joke. Once your laughter died down with a deep breath, Bakugou adjusted himself in his chair to face his laptop once again. “Anyways,” He began, “I think the team I mentioned earlier would be great. We would have well-balanced defense and offense.”

You nodded, “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind if we all make it to the second round.”

“Oh, you better,” Bakugou pointed his finger at you. “I don’t care what the first round is, your better be ready to be the second person at the finish line.”

“Second?” You asked, already knowing where this would go.

“Yeah, obviously I am first,” Bakugou said seriously.

You held back your laugh but smiled all the same. “I’m sure you will be first, Bakugou-san. Now, let’s get back to review so we can make that possible.”

Bakugou nodded and began another small speech about the other team challenges. You listened diligently, watched the videos intently, and provided notes and feedback when you had some to say.

You both started a consistent pattern, reviewing each section before talking about how it could be positive or negative for each person. You theorized different abilities and moves you each had that could assist in a challenge. For example, a less common first challenge was a multi-round skills test.

It was much more used in the past but featured small rounds within the challenge that would add up to give people overall grades. Previous rounds featured breathing tests or aim with weaponry of choice.

“And that’s it!” Bakugou sighed, pushing himself back to rest against his chair. At this point, you and Bakugou had been in the library for over three hours with only one break to get up, stretch, and use the restroom.

You quietly whooped and took out the earbud so you could also lean back into your chair. “My back hurts, but this was definitely worth it.”

Bakugou chuckled at your comment, twisting in his chair to crack his back. “Happy to help.”

“If you are so happy to help, are you going to share this with anyone else?” You asked, looking at him from the corner of your eye.

“No,” Bakugou began, “Probably not.” He grabbed his water. “But you grew up in a hero family so you could help strategize more than the other class members.”

“I guess, but you don’t know that.” You turned to face him as he sipped on his drink. “Not only are you making assumptions about my past, but you are making assumptions about the other students as well.”

Bakugou dropped his head and rolled it to the side to look into your eyes with his own, vibrant scarlet orbs. He had a slight smirk on his lips that made you not quite gasp, but a breath in quickly and suddenly. However, it only got worse when his tongue appeared, slowly swiping across his upper lip. You wondered if the action was intentional, or if he could really look this good unintentionally.

“How many times is it now that you’ve come after me for assuming things about you?” He asked, his eyes squinting slightly at you.

You looked away, knowing you couldn’t respond if you continued to watch him. You were tempted to tell him not to look at you that way but also knew that would make him even more conceited and only edge him on. “Often enough for it to bug me and for you to remember. I think that’s a sign you should have learned by now,” You shot back.

“Oof,” Bakugou replied, moving in his seat to be sitting up straighter, he turned to face you more head-on and lay his right arm across the chair. “Why don’t you just clarify your past for me then?”

You eyed Bakugou closely. “Do you not remember what happened the first time you asked that?”

“You mean when you stormed out like you had a temper worse than mine? Of course, I do,” Bakugou shot back. He paused for a moment and you watched him think over his next words carefully, “Aren’t I your closest friend here?” You could tell it was to more so tease you, but you also wondered, due to his pause, if he was hoping you would say yes.

You scoffed at his comment, “Shouldn’t that be Ashido or Hagakure?” There was a fine line between complimenting Bakugou, revealing your feelings, and just making him more conceited. You feared that if you played into his idea about you two being close, it would give him an upper hand in your relationship. You were not willing to let Bakugou tease you and make you blush like a fool.

Well, it's not like you had too much of a choice in the matter though.

“Oh, please!” Bakugou retorted, “You spend so much more time with me than you do with them.”

“I also spend a lot of time with Shinsou,” You replied.

It was almost like a tug of war. Bakugou wanted you to admit that you spent so much time with him that he was practically your default best friend while you were trying to prove that you weren’t reliant on him. It’s not that the amount of time you spent with him was bad, not at all. You just didn’t want to tell him the truth because it would make him too confident.

“Who?” Bakugou asked, looking at you with a confused expression.

“Are you serious?” You laughed, “Are you really that unbelievably bad with names?” When Bakugou didn’t bother to reply, you continued, “Purple hair? Mind control quirk?”

“Him?” Bakugou exclaimed once realization dawned on him, “How are you spending so much time with that guy?”

“I’m interning with him and Aizawa-sensei,” You explained. “I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before.”

Bakugou slumped over his chair and pouted, “I would have remembered that. Why are you even interning with him?”

“Well, if you must know Bakugou-san,” You began, “I don’t have my provisional license and need a way to train. Plus, our quirks work well together. Aizawa-sensei wants us to get our licenses as soon as possible because he wants to see how well we work together in the field.”

Bakugou grumbled something you couldn’t quite hear so you simply ignored it.

“Are you actually upset?” You asked him, noticing his telltale signs of jealousy, but not quite believing he could be the jealous type. Or if you were worth being jealous over.

“No!” He immediately shot back, earning him another shush from the professor. “I just didn’t know you were training with other people too.”

You didn’t believe this was jealousy over you training with other people but knew pushing the subject would make Bakugou irritated. Forcing someone to share their feelings and emotions was never ideal. You could push slightly to see if they would open up, but if the situation isn’t severe, and you receive push back, it is best to let it go for the time being.

You saw the pout on his lips and simply laughed at his cute and childish actions. “What’s gonna make you feel better, huh? Should I tell you about my family’s deep, dark past?”

Bakugou scoffed and turned his body away from yours slightly. “Don’t tease me.”

“What do you mean?” You asked. “You doubt that my family has a dark past? Doesn’t every hero family have one?”

Bakugou called your bluff, “Then go ahead, tell me yours.”

You paused, not sure what to do. “Okay, w-well,” You stumbled over your words slightly, “It’s not that I don’t have one. I just didn’t expect you to actually ask me to tell you.”

You felt nerves erupt in your stomach, wondering how Bakugou would react to you backing out.

Bakugou laughed lightly, moving in his chair to sit up straight and look at you. “I’m never going to force you to tell me anything, but I’ll be here whenever you are ready.”

Oof.

There goes your heart rate, skyrocketing at Bakugou’s words. You did not at all expect a reaction like this. You didn’t know him for long, and you were well aware that you were on a good side that very few saw, but that comment was out of character for him. Or maybe, rather than being out of character, it was a new side of Bakugou even fewer people saw. You wondered if Kirishima had ever seen this side, or if this kind and patient attitude was reserved for the people he was most fond over.

Could this comment really be the key indicator in demonstrating that Bakugou had feelings for you? The anxiety and doubt that was ever so prominent in your life washed over you like a wave trying to rationalize why Bakugou would say something like that without concluding the specialness it held.

While you panicked, Bakugou began packing up his bag, putting away his laptop and notebook. He could see the gears turning in your head, and he knew that his comment pushed past the walls each of you set up in your friendship.

But maybe he didn’t care. However, it’s not like you could tell with the earbuds in that prevented you from reading his mind.

“You ready to go?” He asked while you stared into space like an idiot. He leaned into your line of view to bring you out of it.

“Huh?” You blinked a few times before locking eyes with the blond. “Yeah,” Your hoarse voice croaked out. Your throat had gone drier than you expected. You grabbed your bag and water quickly, “Do you want to go train at all?”

Bakugou looked out the windows, watching the sun start to set. “It’s a bit late, and I’m sure dinner is ready by now.” He looked down at his phone, “I can’t believe it’s almost 7:00.”

“Really?” You inquired, leaning toward him to check the time on his phone. “Damn, I didn’t expect us to be here so long.” You moved back to give yourself room to stretch. “We’ve been sitting for so long, I feel like I should do yoga and go on a run just to make up for it.”

Bakugou smiled at you, much kinder than you would expect him to. You felt the butterflies once again flutter in your stomach as you turned away to hide your face. Your cheeks were hot, and your mind was rushing quickly with ideas of what today meant. You definitely needed to talk to Ashido.

“If you’re still up for it after dinner, I’d love to go with you to the gym,” Bakugou offered.

“Is the gym usually busy at night?” You asked, trying to brush past his proposition. The idea that Bakugou wanted to spend more time with you than he already did was driving you crazy.

“Hmm, good question.” Bakugou started. “There are a few different ones on campus so that some can be reserved for groups or training sessions with teachers, but I don’t think a lot of people go after dinner. If you’re worried about that, we can always go to the track and use the yoga room which is always quiet and chill.”

You shrugged your shoulders and smiled at the red-eyed boy, “Either sounds good! Now let’s get back so I can eat.” You pouted and rubbed your stomach.

Bakugou snorted at your behavior before leading the way and opening the door for you. The conversation between you two flowed easily, with it mainly revolving around the class and the sports festival.

When you arrived home, you were each greeted by your classmates. Bakugou didn’t bother to reply to their greetings and instead rushed upstairs to drop off his things. You, on the other hand, immediately went to Ashido’s side.

“Bathroom, now.”

You pulled her away from Kirishima’s side and led her into the bathroom before checking to make sure no one else was in there.

“You and Bakugou didn’t even hide that you came home together, literally in front of everyone,” Ashido said before you even had a chance to speak.

“I know!” You exclaimed, smiling widely at the idea. You looked from Ashido to the mirror and checked your appearance, luckily, you still looked just as good when you left. “We literally hung out in the library for over 3 hours, talking about the sports festival, other shit, and being way too close to each other.” You turned back to your friend.

Ashido shook you in excitement while she squealed. “Are you going to give me details or what?” She asked after finally letting you go.

“Yes, of course, okay.” You tried your best to collect your thoughts. “First off, we were watching videos on his laptop, so we were sharing his earbuds and sitting so close that our shoulders were touching.”

“Oh my god!”

“Not only that,” You continued, “But anytime our shoulders did brush, I could tell that, although he was focused on the videos, he was also nervous because of how close he was to me.”

“No fucking way!”

“I know!” You practically shouted. “And you know how I am interning with Shinsou,” She nodded, “He literally was jealous when I brought it up. I didn’t even have to touch him to know because he was pouting, getting defensive, and just clearly upset.”

From per excitement, Ashido practically jumped around the bathroom. “Y/L/N-chan! I think Bakugou likes you!” She spoke in a sing-song voice. The smile on her face was just as wide as yours and you felt your cheeks heat up again.

“You think?” You asked.

She nodded fervently in response.

“Well, guess what?” You began, “I brought up doing yoga and running after dinner and he literally asked to join me.”

“You are literally going on a date,” Ashido immediately insisted.

“No, I’m not!” You sheepishly replied, scratching at your face and looking away. “That’s a little much.”

“Sure,” Ashido mocked you. “And sky totally isn’t blue.”

You rolled your eyes at the girl and waved her off. “I just want to take things slow,” You explained.

Ashido leaned in closer to you, “And that is why you are a great match for him.” She smiled widely, “I totally bet you guys will be together before the end of the year.”

You laughed, “Don’t make a bet on my relationship.”

“Okay, okay,” Ashido held her hands up in defeat. “But just know I’m in your corner.”

You smiled at your friend fondly before changing the subject. “Anyways, I’m hungry. Do you know what is for dinner?”

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #my hero academy #bakugou katsuki #bakugou #bakugo katsuki #bakugo #bakugou x reader #bakugo x reader #bakugo kastuki x read #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugo fanfiction #bakugou fanfiction #bakugo katsuki fanfiction #bakugou katsuki fanfiction

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foodbytesback · 4 years

Text

The Rise and Fall of Bon Appetit

Sometimes life comes at you fast. Sometimes, that means stories in the food industry break in such rapid succession that you have no time to blink in between. Sometimes, it means someone found out about something racist you did a few years ago. What happens when it’s both? Ask the fine folks at Bon Appetit.

In recent years, Bon Appetit made a name for itself, rising from the ashes of dying print media, through its Youtube channel featuring a diverse cast of personalities. But over the course of this past week, many of the publication’s executives have been found to foster a toxic workplace culture, rife with racism, sexism and homophobia.

Before I get too deep (because this is going to be a long one), I feel the need to point out that while this story’s breaking happened to coincide with Black Lives Matter protests across the country and gained traction from people’s outrage towards inequality, the events that have unfolded should not be blamed on “cancel culture,” “political correctness run amok” or any other reactionary dismissal of critical thinking. Adam Rapoport didn’t lose his job because Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter came to be because of the damage that many in positions of power like Rapoport have done in both mainstream media and society as a whole.

[Also, yes, there are going to be a lot of links to Instagram posts that have been screenshotted and uploaded to Twitter. Clearly the real takeaway from this debacle is that I need to get an Instagram account. Also also, thanks to Tumblr’s new rules about offsite links, you’ll have to go to my main site for the full receipts.]

Preamble

Shortly after the killing of George Floyd, Adam Rapoport, Editor-in-Chief at Bon Appetit, wrote an editorial highlighting some of the coverage they’ve given to black chefs. Many criticized this as being superficial and performative, with others saying that BA has, on numerous occasions, shut down articles relating to black culture for not being “trendy” enough or otherwise was discriminatory towards black employees. (Also, the repeated use of “uprisings” instead of “protests” seems a little suspicious.)

An article from Eater criticized the role BA played in the appropriating and whitewashing of many cultures’ ingredients and cuisines (gochujang, Aleppo pepper, and sumac seem to be some of BA’s favorite ingredients) that had become prevalent in food media in recent years.

While it’s a fairly minor offense in comparison, it may also be worth bringing up the time Rapoport accidentally called Priya Krishna “Sohla,” the name of his other Indian employee.

Monday, June 8th

Food writer Tammie Teclemariam posted a screencap of an Instagram post made by Rapoport’s wife, which depicted the two of them donning Puerto Rican stereotypes as Halloween costumes, brownface and all.

Many were quick to declare their outrage and demand that Rapoport either resign or be fired. Meanwhile, Sohla El-Waylly, one of the leading stars of the Youtube channel, was one of the first BA employees to speak up, and disclosed that this kind of behavior was just the tip of the iceberg. She said that BIPOC workers have been paid disproportionately for their work, including not being paid a per-video commission that the white stars of the Youtube channel receive.

Molly Baz, one of the aforementioned white stars, announced that she would no longer make videos for BA until all of El-Waylly’s demands were met. One by one, their white coworkers chimed in in agreement.

Former staff photographer Alex Lau also wrote an extensive tweet thread about his experiences at BA, including how he had futilely tried to fix the system from within.

By the end of Monday, Adam Rapoport had resigned from his position as Editor-in-Chief.

Tuesday, June 9th

Since Rapoport’s official resignation did little to fix many of the systemic problems in place at BA, many began to turn their attention to other senior members of the staff.

Some came for Andrew Knowlton, the Restaurant Editor, for behaviors such as gaslighting an employee for trying to bring up racist practices in the offices.

Others called out Matthew Duckor, a VP at Conde Nast and BA’s former “Head of Video” (Did a 3 year old come up with that job title?), for a series of old racist and homophobic tweets. He tried to apologize by saying that he was young and didn’t know any better at the time, but many were quick to point out that he was, at the youngest, 20, aka for all intents and purposes An Adult when he wrote those tweets.

Tammie Teclemariam returned to ask current and former BA employees to DM her information about Duckor that they didn’t want to go public with themselves, ranging from his hand in the aforementioned pay disparity to making inappropriate comments towards women.

Teclemariam also did even more social media muckraking and found that Drinks Editor Alex Delany had once decorated a cake to look like a Confederate flag, while others found things like a Vine where he says the f-slur and some questionable comments about women on this Tumblr. He later deleted his Tumblr and Twitter, and issued a cookie-cutter apology on his Instagram.

She also vague-tweeted that Brad Leone, one of the most beloved stars of the Youtube channel, is “possibly not a great guy,” but later added, “don’t fret.” At that point, some began to accuse her of just trying to stir the pot.

Ultimately, Matt Hunziker, director and camera operator for Leone’s show, reported that the higher ups were ignoring the situation regarding the pay disparity, and that they were not “learning and growing.”

Wednesday, June 10th

By this point, journalists were able to do more thorough investigations and put together exposés that were more than a blurb about an accusation followed by a nut graph.

Business Insider published an article where they interviewed 14 current and former BIPOC employees of Bon Appetit. In addition to information already discussed above, it also described events such as an incident where several BIPOC staffers were told they weren’t allowed the test kitchen. (Carla Lalli Music, the Food Director at the time, would later defend her stance in the affair on Twitter.) Ryan Walker-Hartshorn, a black woman who served as Rapoport’s personal assistant, recalled that she would often spend her day doing menial tasks like polishing her boss’s golf clubs or trying to teach his wife how to use Google Calendar. In another incident, Knolton called Rick Martinez a “one trick pony” for only developing Mexican recipes, which is what he was being forced to do so BA could tout “diversity” bonus points. Martinez would also say that the magazine under Rapoport’s tenure “went from old and irrelevant and white-washed content to young and trendy white-washed content." (Martinez would also upload a more graphic description of the treatment he received to his Instagram that same day.) Later that day, Business Insider would also report that Duckor had left the company.

Vice would liken Rapoport to Michael Scott from The Office, but noted that that kind of bumbling, endearingly insensitive bad boss archetype isn’t as charming in the real world where real employees are being affected. Parallels were also drawn between the Youtube channel and The Office itself, stating that the “quirky workplace” facade put on in the videos helped hide the more sinister practices that lurked beneath the surface, and that the notion that they were “one big family” often pressured BIPOC into doing more than their fair share for the greater good.

Jezebel showed email transcripts where Rapoport argued the semantics of having his costume be called “brownface” when he wasn’t wearing makeup, and had to be explained to, like a child, that the term refers to the racist caricature and not the literal act of putting brown makeup on one’s face. What a douche.

Bon Appetit published an official apology on their site, a whole two days after the controversy began. Many believed that their empty promises of “learning from their mistakes” were a day late and a dollar short.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, former BA writer Alyse Whitney said that senior editor Andy Baraghani had, on several occasions, used his influence to undermine her efforts. Whether this had to do with racism, sexism, or just Andy being petty is up for debate, but still constitutes as unprofessional behavior to say the least.

Thursday, June 11th

As interest in the story seemed to wane for many in the industry, Claire Saffitz, arguably the face of the Youtube channel, released another statement on her Instagram. She said that her relative silence was due to taking time to find the right words, and that the same-old promises to “learn and grow” that most had been giving felt empty and performative. Unlike many of her white coworkers, she directly apologized for being complicit in the toxic environment and for not using her status to try to leverage even pay for her BIPOC coworkers.

Another BA Youtube personality, Amiel Stanek, also released a statement in response to BA’s official press release, where he demanded Conde Nast to stop avoiding action by setting vague timelines for changes or making excuses for not giving BIPOC workers raises like “the money just isn’t there.”

Associate editor Christina Chaey also opened up about her experiences with being pushed into more and more videos to “diversify” them- all without compensation.

Friday, June 12th

The biggest scandal of the day was that, as Teclemariam predicted, Brad Leone is possibly not a great guy. A leaked screenshot of an Instagram DM showed him making callous, almost Trump-y comments regarding El-Waylly’s demand for better pay. He also allegedly said that if Delany were to be fired (as of that day he had been sent on leave), he would quit.

Saturday, June 13th

The New York Times published an article suggesting that the issues prevalent in BA’s management may go all the way to the top of Conde Nast. Highlights include Chief Executive Roger Lynch chastising the whistleblowers within the company for raising their concerns in such a public manner and an account of an incident where he gave his black assistant a guidebook on how to speak “proper” English.

The Sporkful released a special episode of their podcast containing interviews with several current and former BA BIPOC workers. Nikita Richardson divulged that after she was laid off, a story she had already done all the leg work for was picked up and credited to Amanda Shapiro, a white staff writer who is now acting Editor-in-Chief in lieu of Rapoport. Sohla El-Waylly confirmed that the self-congratulatory editorial Rapoport wrote in the wake of George Floyd’s death was the real beginning of the end, and that the racist photo was just the final straw. She also described a company-wide Zoom meeting held after the photo began to be spread around where Rapoport issued a half-hearted apology, and began talking about how he would “fix the brand” before El-Waylly demanded he resigned. Furthermore, she revealed that after her Instagram posts began circulating rapidly, Duckor had offered her a new contract with increased pay, but she is refusing to sign it until all BIPOC have received similar compensation. She also said that she had a hand in the wishy-washy statement that BA had published on Wednesday, and said that it originally had taken much firmer stances on the issues but their PR office made them tone it down. Also, she commented that Leone, for the most part, just seemed like she “genuinely think[s] [that he] just found out racism is real.” Ultimately, she was glad that the story was getting as much coverage as it was, since it made her feel that her voice was finally being heard.

Sunday, June 14th

Baraghani released a statement on Instagram apologizing for his behavior, saying that trying to achieve his personal goals in BA’s toxic, competitive environment made him lose sight of solidarity with his fellow BIPOC.

While that may seem like the end of the story for now, it’s important to note that, even with the resignation of two executives, nothing has truly been done to fix the systemic problems at hand.

#bon appetit #adam rapoport #matt duckor #alex delany #sohla el waylly #molly baz #carla lalli music #andy baraghani #brad leone #clair saffitz #amiel stanek #tw racism #tw homophobia #tw sexism

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asthmark · 4 years

Text

❝ only us ❞, n.jm

summary → it was obvious to anyone that you guys had practiced this various times. or maybe it was just natural chemistry? jaemin isn’t sure what’s worse.

request → “could you write about bestfriend jaemin getting jealous when he sees you kiss jeno for a play at school that you're in” (anon)

word count → 3k

a/n → this request made me so incredibly happy because all the knowledge i acquired my musical phase finally came in handy!! also i haven’t listened to dear evan hansen since i downloaded the illegal bootleg on my laptop like last year so i don’t remember much abt it :( i just kind of described it really vaguely lol anyway hope u enjoy ;)

jaemin dropped his backpack carelessly onto the floor of the crowded cafeteria. he set his plate down on the lunch table, not even glancing at you as he eagerly dug into his food.

“sorry i’m late,” he says to you, eyes concentrated on the orange citrus in his hand. his fingers skillfully begin peeling off the skin. “i had to stay a couple minutes after history class as punishment for eating during the lesson.”

you roll your eyes, an amused smile on your face. “disappointed but not surprised.”

at hearing this comment, he glares at you. “hey, i didn’t have breakfast today and my stomach was growling like, really loud! seriously, it sounded like a whale mating call or something.”

“and who’s fault is that?” you ask, tucking your hands beneath your chin.

he frowns as he pops an orange wedge in his mouth. “mine, i guess. but it’s only because coach told me i should eat less if i wanna play better. something about less body mass making it easier to move around the court.”

“well, i’m pretty sure he didn’t mean skipping out on entire meals, doofus,” you retort. “breakfast is the most important meal of the day, isn’t that what everyone says?”

“true.” suddenly, his eyes light up. “so, you’re gonna start bringing me breakfast in the morings?”

you raise an eyebrow. “i’m sorry, when did we decide on that?”

he flashes you one of his infamous na jaemin smiles. “just now.”

“yeah well, tell your coach you’ll be losing that weight because there’s no way i’m going to wake up at the crack of dawn just to get you a mcmuffin.”

“but it would make my mornings so much better,” he whines. “having basketball practice so early sucks but with my cute little cheerleader there it would be totally worth it... the mcdonald’s is a bonus.”

you can’t help but laugh. “sorry nana, but i prefer sleeping in over watching a bunch of sweaty guys toss a ball around at 6 a.m.”

“fine... buy me a coffee after school and i’ll let you slide.”

“maybe tomorrow, i’ve got theatre today.”

“well, after that then,” he suggests.

you shake your head. “but then you’d have to wait and we’re doing a full rehearsal today.”

he shrugs. “i can wait, i don’t have practice.”

“yeah but i know how you are, na jaemin. you have the attention span of a goldfish.”

“not when it comes to you. you always have my attention.”

you’re about to laugh at what you assumed had been a purposefully cliché one-liner on his behalf but there’s no sign that he was joking. his devilish smirk and teasing eyes that usually appeared when he flirted with the girls on campus were nowhere to be found. instead you’re met with a straight face and his glimmering eyes that seem almost expectant, concentrated on you only. it takes you by surprise. was he being serious or something? the thought alone has your heart beat steadily increasing.

“okay fine, fine. anything for you to stop staring at me like that.”

he tilts his head to the side, resembling a lost puppy. “staring at you like what?”

“like—“ you pause, debating on whether or not you should say it. “like you’re in love with me or something.”

he only chuckles. “you have no idea.”

you almost choke on your sandwich. before you have a chance to ask him what in the world he meant by that, one of his teammates from the basketball team appears behind him, stealing his attention away.

“hey jaem,” donghyuck greets as he ruffles the younger boy’s hair. “coach just called a team meeting.”

“right now?” jaemin asks, displeased.

the brunette nods, folding his arms over his chest.

jaemin suppresses a groan as he stands and grabs his belongings. “sorry y/n. i’ll see you later for your rehearsals, okay?”

you nod. “see you later, nana.”

“bye jaemin’s girlfriend!” donghyuck exclaims receiving a punch in the arm from your ‘boyfriend’ although he doesn’t deny.

“i’m excited,” comments jaemin later that day. he has a bright grin on his face as you make your way through the hallway to the multipurpose room where you usually went for theatre club .

“oh really? i didn’t know you liked musicals.”

“well not really. but i like you.”

for the second time in one day, jaemin catches you off guard. you kick yourself for letting his shamelessness get to you. after all, wasn’t he like that with every girl? he had always been a charmer, you knew that before you had even met him.

na jaemin—point guard and certified flirt.

the only reason you had grown closer was due to him being in critical need of academic help and your teacher seeing you as a fit tutor. at first everyone found it amusing; the classic popular guy and quiet girl cliche. nobody had expected that you two would become practically glued by the hip. especially not you. maybe that was why you were so opposed to jaemin flirting with you. you were best friends but you knew how he was: not interested but never one to turn down any kind of attention. there was just no way that among so many girls you would be an exception.

“well, i hope you can like me for two hours because that’s probably how long this is gonna take,” you say, trying to move the conversation forward.

“i already told you, i have nowhere to be!” he exclaims. “besides, when would i ever turn down an opportunity to stare at you for a couple hours?”

you can’t help but roll you eyes, playfully. “please refrain from using any of your cheesy pick up lines on me while we’re there.”

“why?” he whines. “are you embarrassed of me?” when you turn to look at him he’s making those ridiculous puppy eyes that he knows you find hilarious.

you snort at seeing the familiar face. “when you do that, definitely.”

“alright fine. i’ll try to be on my best behavior in front of your little theatre friends.”

“thank you.” despite not believing a word he says, you still push open the door leading to the multipurpose room.

before you even get one foot in the door, your cast mate is already in your face.

“y/n, finally!” he says, looking beyond relieved at your presence. “i thought you’d never come! c’mon, you gotta change into your costume so we can start.”

“it’s not even opening night, jeno, calm down!” you say, laughing. “and i’m only a couple minutes late, it’s fine.”

he frowns. “you know how anxious i get. everything needs to be perfect.”

“yeah i know, sorry renjun.”

jeno makes a face, showcasing his disgust with your comment that compared him to your strict director. “shut up, you’re gonna summon him.”

“summon who?”

speak of the devil.

you shake your head at renjun who has appeared besides jeno. “not important.”

he smiles sarcastically, brushing his blonde bangs out of his face. “oh good. so can we move on to the actually important things now? like how you’re 6 minutes late?”

you sigh. “i had to wait outside jaemin’s class that’s on the other side of campus, sorry.”

but renjun doesn’t seem to care about your apology. instead, his attention has shifted to jaemin who stands behind you, hands stuffed into his pockets and eyes curiously observing the interactions between you and your friends.

“hello there.” your director moves past you, extending his hand towards your best friend which he takes awkwardly. “pleasure to meet you. you’re on the basketball team, right? i heard you scored the winning touchdown at the last game. congrats!”

“um, it’s just called a point in basketball but... thank you.”

renjun ignores jaemin’s correction. “is it your first time visiting the theater club?”

the brunette nods.

“oh, that’s wonderful! do you plan on coming to see our play on the 15th of this month?”

jaemin scratches the back of his head. “um... to be honest, i didn’t even know you guys had one coming up.”

renjun laughs, harder than usual. “that’s quite alright. it’s called ‘dear evan hansen’. it’s about the trials of high school life for a depressed teen who’s caught in a huge lie.” his hands fly around wildly, using them for emphasis as he dramatically explains the plot to jaemin. “you should come support us!”

“well, i would love t—“

“great! entry is $10.00, cash only. and definitely invite the rest of the basketball team!” with that, renjun rushes off, shouting something about how that was ‘exactly how to sell tickets for the play’ to the rest of the staff.

jaemin gives you a confused stare. “what just happened?”

you chuckle and give him a pat on the back. “you just experienced firsthand what we call here at the theater club the huang renjun effect. never fails to suck somebody into buying tickets for our shows.”

“well, now i kinda wanna buy one.” he turns to you, his eyes widening so big it’s comical. “wow, he’s good.”

“he’s more of a salesman than a director, that’s what you always say, right?” you turn to jeno who nods at the statement. “oh, this is jeno, by the way. he’s one of the few people around here who is not crazy.”

jeno waves at jaemin who smiles weakly at him, too busy observing his physique to say anything. his costume consisted of a blue polo shirt that made his biceps and veiny arms much more prominent. the shirt was pretty tight as well, making his toned chest and torso visible to just about anyone. the khakis he wore were fitted and his thick thighs were impossible to ignore. jaemin can’t help but wonder what a guy with his body was doing in a theatre club when he could be such a useful player on the court.

he looks up at his face, his cheeks curved into a smile that reached his squinted eyes. he would admit, he was a good looking dude. he then glances at you and realizes—you spent almost everyday with jeno. he feels guilty for it but he can’t stop himself from feeling slightly threatened by your cast mate.

jeno clears his throat, trying to ignore the awkward silence that has settled upon the three of you. “um, it was nice meeting you.” he shifts his attention to you. “i’m gonna finish getting ready.”

once he has left, you let out a giggle that you had been holding in during the entire exchange. “what’s the matter? you got all choked up just now. look, i know jeno’s hot but you gotta keep your cool just like the rest of us, okay?”

he frowns as he folds his arms over his chest, your last comment only fueling his feelings. “quit teasing me.”

“aw c’mon, you know i gotta give you a hard time,” you say, knocking his shoulder with yours. “it’s my duty as your best friend.”

before he can even respond, renjun’s voice is heard, being amplified by the megaphone in his hand. “rehearsals will start in 15 minutes instead of 5 because y/n wants to chit-chat with her friend instead of going to hair and makeup!”

you scowl at having been called out. “alright, i’ve gotta go get ready. please enjoy the show, though, okay?”

jaemin nods, smiling at seeing the genuine glint in your eyes. “of course.”

you were reaching the half point of the musical and jaemin had already cried twice.

with the looks he was receiving from the stage crew and even some of the cast members up on stage, he could tell they hadn’t expected him to be as emotional as he was but he couldn’t help it. the play was incredibly sad and he found himself not even knowing who to pity.

there was jeno’s character, evan hansen, who was stuck in a hole he had dug himself into but there was still a bit of him that was innocent and so helpless.

then there was connor murphy played by a kid named park jisung, who had only been around for a couple of scenes since his character was so tormented he had taken his life at the beginning of the play.

there were many other supporting roles, such as family members or friends and they all seemed to have their own issues but the character that truly got to him was yours.

you were playing zoe murphy, connor’s sister who was grappling with the death of her brother the entire musical, not sure whether to mourn him or remember him for the abusive person he was. in fact, your performance had tugged at jaemin’s heart strings so intensely that your solo song was the reason he had cried the first time around.

your acting skills had impressed him and your vocals left him stunned. all the times you and him had carpooled and sung the songs on the radio at the top of your lungs, he had never noticed your heavenly pipes. now that he had, he could feel himself becoming even more into you, if that was possible.

he sat on the edge of his seat, eyes focused intently on you and jeno as the 10th song began. as soon as the sound of the soft piano begins, jaemin prepares himself to shed tears once more but to his surprise, it seemed to be taking a more romantic turn.

he could only watch as you and jeno sang about being together and not letting go of each other... basically saying everything he wanted to tell you. he knew it was all a part of the act but seeing a guy as perfect as jeno pour his feelings out to you as you watched him with heart eyes and sang about how mutual it was proved to be incredibly tough. it made him feel like all his shameless flirts and stares that were too long to be just friendly were useless. why couldn’t making you his be as easy as jeno was making it seem?

before he can beat himself up for it anymore you and jeno lock lips. it isn’t just a quick peck, either. your hand tangles itself into his gelled back hair and his hand ends up on your waist as your lips move against each other, rhythmically. it was obvious to anyone that you guys had practiced this various times. or maybe it was just natural chemistry? jaemin isn’t sure what’s worse. all he knows is that he can’t take another second of watching you two engage in your passionate kiss when all he wishes is that he were in jeno’s shoes.

so, without a second thought he gets up and rushes out the door. he doesn’t look back at you because he doesn’t want to see the confusion and disappointment that will surely be on your face. he doesn’t want to deal with the consequences of his childish actions. he doesn’t stop running until he reaches the gym and takes a seat in the bleachers. he doubles over, head in his hands as he pants heavily in an attempt to catch his breath.

shortly after, much to his surprise, the door swings open and there you stand.

“what are you doing here?” he asks, sitting up straight.

“me? what about you, jaemin?” you approach him, slowly. “you just ran out of the room, for god’s sake. everyone’s worried, i’m worried.”

he feels another wave of guilt wash over him for interrupting your rehearsal and going against the one thing he said he was going to do: behave. “please go back. i’m fine, y/n. just needed a breather.”

“oh no,” you say walking up the stairs to the top row of bleachers where your best friend sits. “don’t ‘i’m fine, y/n’ me. you are most definitely not fine.” once you reach him you take a seat to his left, making sure to leave a generous space between you and him. “what happened back there? i swear, if renjun said anything to you i’ll personally make sure he never looks in your direction again.”

“no, it’s not that.” he pauses. “you and jeno were just—“ he trails off, his throat going dry.

you carefully place a hand on his arm, letting him know you would wait for anything he had to say.

“you were just really convincing.”

“well, isnt that a good thing?”

“it was... too much for me to see,” he confesses.

“so, what you’re saying is it’s too unrealistic? do we need to tone it down a bit?”

he nearly groans in frustration. “it’s not that! i wanted to be him, y/n! i want to feel your lips and hear about how much you want me!”

you retract your hand from his arm. “are you serious right now?”

he shoots you a harsh look and you notice how his eyes are glossed over, confirming just how serious he was. he gets up to leave, accepting his rejection before you grab his arm again and yank him down. he lands back on the bench and stares at you, visibly puzzled.

“if you would have waited a second longer you would know how badly i want those things too, you goldfish.”

the tears in his eyes fall but he still shoots you a toothy grin, showing he was anything but unhappy. you bring your hand up to his face, your thumb softly rubbing away the wet stains on his cheek. he unconsciously leans into your touch, never once breaking eye contact. once he’s had enough of delicate touches, he pulls you into his chest and you breathe in his scent—peppermint and coffee.

“i’m sorry.”

“for what?”

“for basically trading spit with jeno right in front of you.”

“it’s alright, baby... let me be the only person you practice that kiss scene with and i’ll let you slide.”

“deal.”

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maxwell-grant · 3 years

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What’s the difference between a pulp hero and a super hero?

There is a common sentiment when discussing pulp heroes, when compared to superheroes, that positions the two as if they were separate by entire eras, with pulp heroes being as distinct from the superheroes as the dinosaurs are to mankind. But then again, the dinosaurs never really went away, did they?

Oh sure, they endured a great extinction, they downsized and ceded their thrones to the tiny little rats that scurried in their shadow, who then grew to become just as big, and then even bigger, but they never went away. They simply adapted into new forms and formed new ecosystems. We call them birds now.

The gap between Superman and The Shadow is merely 6 years, hardly much of a generation. There are those that argue that the Marvel and DC universes still have pulp heroes, that Batman is (or was) one, that characters like The Question and Moon Knight carry on the tradition. We have characters like Hellboy, Grendel, Tom Strong and Zack Overkill as original, modern examples of pulp characters, strongly identified as such. Venture Bros had in 2016 the best modern take on the Green Hornet. Lavender Jack is still going strong. So the idea that pulp heroes are defined solely by being old and outdated isn’t exactly true, when clearly there’s still enough gas in the tank centuries later for stories with them to be told.

Is there any meaningful distinction between pulp heroes and superheroes? If not, can we identify one?

Costume is definitely a big part of it, as Grant Morrison famously argued in his own summation. Of what he considers the big difference between the two:

“What makes the superhero more current is the performance aspect. That's what The Shadow and those other guys don't really have. Their costumes are not bright, and they don't have their initials on their chest, and everything isn't out front and popping like the superheroes. I think we can relate to that about them because in the world we live in, everyone has a constant need to be a star. I think superheroes are keyed into that parallelism. They're performers. They're rock stars, and they always have been.

And he’s right, to an extent. It’s definitely tied into the central differences between The Shadow and Batman, as I’ve elaborated. While The Shadow was far, far from the only type of pulp hero, the superhero’s costume has long been defined as THE thing that sets it apart from every other type of fictional character. At least, when it comes to American superheroes.

Because the “criteria” for superheroes is nowhere near as set in stone as some would like to believe. Our basic definition of superheroes is based around comparisons and contrasts to Superman and Batman, and how they fit into what we call “the superhero genre”. The existence of a superhero genre is, in and of itself, debatable, and any working definition for superheroes is inevitably going to have too many exceptions.

Superheroes are not defined by settings, like cowboys or spacemen, or their profession, like detectives. They can’t be defined by superpowers (Batman), a mission statement, having secret identities (Fantastic Four, Tony Stark), being good people, or good at their jobs. The costume, the closest there is to a true, defining convention, still has a considerable share of exceptions like Jack Knight’s Starman, a great deal of the X-Men who do not wear uniforms, or most superheroes created outside the US. The most basic definition of superhero is of comic book characters with iconic costumes and enhanced abilities who fight villains in shared superhero universes, but even that falls short of exceptions by including characters who are not superheroes (John Constantine and other Vertigo characters, Jonah Hex, the Punisher). Some people would call Goku or Harry Potter or Lucky Luke or Monica’s Gang superheroes, Donald Duck has literally been one. “Character with a distinctive design and unusual talents who fights evil” includes virtually every fictional hero that’s ever achieved a modicum of popularity in a visual medium.

Even telling stories with super characters doesn’t mean you’re going to be writing a superhero story (Joker). Superheroes are not defined by settings and genres, but they can inhabit just about any of them you can imagine. Horror, westerns, gritty crime drama, historical reconstruction, romance, space adventure, war stories, surrealism stories. As Morrison put it, they aren’t so much a genre as they are “a special chilli pepper-like ingredient designed to energize other genres”, part of the reason why they colonized the entire blockbuster landscape.

Aviation became a thing in the war years, so they started producing en masse aviation pulps as a subgenre. Zeppelins became popular, so they had a short-lived zeppelin subgenre. Celebrities starred in their own magazines. The American pulps were different from the German pulps, or the Italian pulps, or the Canadian pulps. In China, wuxia arose at a similar time period and with similar themes and distribution. In Brazil, we have “folhetos”, short, poetic, extremely cheap prose often written about romantic heroes and “cangaçeiros”, the closest local equivalent to the American cowboys. In Japan, “light novels” began life as pulp fiction, distributed in exactly the same format and literally sold as such. Pulp fiction has long outlived any and all attempts to define it as 30s literary fiction only.

Likewise, “pulp” and “pulp heroes” are terms employed very, very loosely. Characters like The Shadow and Doc Savage arrived quite late in the history of pulp fiction. You had characters like Jimmie Dale, Bulldog Drummond, Tarzan, Conan, a billion non-descript trenchcoat guys, and before those the likes of Nick Carter and Sexton Blake, dime novel detectives who made the jump to pulp. You had your hero pulps, villain pulps, adventure pulps, romance pulps, horror pulps, weird menace pulps. Science fiction, planetary romance, roman-era adventures, lost race adventures, anything that publishers could sell was turned into pulp stories starring, what else, pulp heroes.

How do you make sense of it all?

The main difference to consider is the mediums they were made for.

Pulp heroes were made for literature, superheroes were made for comic books.

Superheroes NEED to pop out visually, to have bold and flashy and striking designs, because comic books are visual stories first and foremost, who live and die on having attractive, catching character designs and the promise of an entertaining story with them. Pulp heroes, in turn, can often just be ordinary dudes and dudettes and anything in between in trenchcoats or evening wear or furry underwear, or masters of disguise rarely identifiable, because the only thing that needs to visually striking at first glance in a pulp magazine is the cover, so your imagination can get ready to do the rest. Smoking guns, bloody daggers, a romantic embrace, monsters hunched over ladies in peril, incendiary escapes. The characters can look like and be literally anything.

Comic books are a sequential art form where art and writing come together to tell a story, and every illustration must serve the story and vice-versa. It needs to give you an incentive to keep being visually invested in whatever’s going on. Pulp literature stays dead on the page unless animated by your expectations; you may have the illusion of submitting to an experience, but really it’s you expending your imagination to otherwise inert signals. You have to provide the colors and flashy sequences and great meaning yourself, and as a trade, you get much more text to work with in novels than you do in comic books, where the dialogue and narration are fundamentally secondary to the visual, whether it’s a superhero punching stars or a monster covered in blood.

Each art form has its strengths and weaknesses, of course, which are only accentuated when each tries to be of a different kind. There's been pulp heroes that tried making the jump to comics, and comic heroes that made the jump to literature. There’s good, even great examples, of both, but even at their best, there's always some incongruity, because that's not the medium these characters were made for.

Superheroes are characters defined by being extraordinary. The pulp heroes are too, in many cases, distinguished from their literary antecessors because they were too uncanny and weird, a middleground between the folklore/fairy tale heroes and the grounded detective and adventure characters such as Sherlock, and the later far out superheroes. But they don’t necessarily have to be extraordinary. Sometimes they can very well just be completely ordinary characters, caught in bizarre circumstances and managing them as best they can, or simply using skills available to anyone who puts in effort to do good. Often enough the extraordinary comes in the form of a bizarre villain, or a tangled conspiracy, a monster from outside the world, a unique time period. The extraordinary is there, but it doesn’t have to be in the hero.

That is, I’d argue, the other big fundamental difference between the two. "Superhero” is a name we use to define a type of character who fits an extraordinary mold, a Super Hero. It’s a genre, it can be every genre, it’s a shared universe and a stand-alone epic. There are guidelines, structures at work here. Grids, page count, illustrators. The Big Two and their domain over the concept. Academic usage of the term, standards that rule the “genre”, when it is defined as a genre. Malleable and overpowering and adaptable and timeless as the superhero may be, it’s still bound by a certain set of rules and trends.

The term “pulp hero” is a term that we use to label just about any character that happens to star in something we recognize as “pulp fiction”, even if it isn’t literally written in pulp, even if it’s decades later. It’s a “metaphor with no brakes in it”. Superheroes can be pulp heroes. The most powerless, unlucky, homeless bum can be a pulp hero, there were entire subgenres of pulp stories based on homeless protagonists or talltale stories told in bars. The cruelest villain can be a pulp hero. Boris Karloff about to stab you with a knife named Ike IS a pulp hero, and so is a space slug on a warpath (look up what happened when Lovecraft and R.E Howard collaborated).

As much as I may dislike the idea of pulp heroes largely only existing in the shadow of superheroes nowadays...that is kinda appropriate, isn’t it? Of course they are going to live and make their homes in the place where the sun doesn’t shine. Where Superman and co would never go to.

Of course the 90s reboots of these characters failed. Because they tried turning these characters into superheroes, and they are not superheroes. They can visit those world, but they don’t belong in them, or anywhere else. They live in places where the light doesn’t touch, worlds much bigger and darker and more vast than you’d ever think at first glance, worlds that we still haven’t fully discovered (over 38% of American pulps no longer exist, 14% survive in less than five scattered copies, to say nothing of all pulps and pulp heroes outside of America). Not lesser, not gone, despite having every reason to. Just different, reborn time and time again. The shadow opposites.

In short: One is represented by Superman. The other is represented by The Shadow. There are worlds far beyond those two, but when you think of the concepts, those are the ones that things always seem to come back to.

#pulp heroes #pulp fiction #pulp art #pulp essays #comic rambles #superheroes #the shadow #superman

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