Floating in the Blue

H's voice is warm and velvet smooth when he answers the call. "Hello, Alex." "Hi. Um. Am I supposed to call you H? Feels weird." "Under other circumstances, I'd tell you precisely what to call me." He must be trying to lighten the mood. No way did he intend to make Alex go hot all over. "What do they call you?" Alex asks. He could use the inspo. "You know, your partners. Or singular partner, I dunno, you do you. Do you actually choose how they address you?" H hums. Alex thinks he can hear a smile in it. "I certainly do. And I'm partial to 'Sir,' although sometimes I branch out. 'Daddy' is good fun when the situation calls for it." Maybe it was a mistake to make this call in bed. "Do you happen to know what your pal in New York might like to call me?" "You know, I think a better question in this instance is what you'd prefer," H says, a much firmer edge to his voice. So hot. "But if I were to make a suggestion… Don't let him call you anything at all. Only permit him his safe word, and 'please.' Thank me afterwards." Fuck. Alex widens his legs a bit. This is going a little too well. "... Guess I'll keep that in mind." His voice comes out raspy in a way that's actually mortifying—yet surprisingly, it makes H draw a sudden, slightly shaky breath. Then, nothing. A long moment of nothing. It feels charged. Thick with anticipation. Not the only fucking thing that's thickening. "Sorry," Alex offers when H still doesn't speak. "This is all super sexy, but I can behave." "Pity," H says. Wait, what? "Where are you right now?" Oh, God. "If I answer that, you're gonna think I'm coming onto you." "And are you?" H's tone is velvet smooth again. Fucking irresistible. "I don't… I'm not looking to sub. Not even for you." "Are you hard, though?" H asks. Like it's that simple. "Wouldn't you like to finish what we've started?"

Brother Peluko

Also they should use the GamePro 5.0 face, but that’s unrelated.

Castle Ashby Gardens 🍃 | Daniel Casson

Henry the Fifth

- ALWAYS encourage others to do their best.

- NEVER talk about people behind their back.

Antony and Cleopatra

- ALWAYS check your produce for pests. [They liked this one so much made a rap about it.]

- NEVER count your chickens before they hatch.

Hamlet

- ALWAYS act decisively

- NEVER tell your girlfriend to go to a convent and become a nun [Oh boy they REALLY liked this one]

Romeo and Juliet

- ALWAYS collect all the important information before making an important decision

- NEVER bite your thumb at us, sir. [They enacted this scene in the original language a lot, except they swapped every “sir” for “bro.”]

The Merchant of Venice

- ALWAYS pay your debts.

- NEVER judge based on appearances, because “all that glisters is not gold.”

The Tempest

- ALWAYS try to forgive others.

- NEVER be a colonizer. [Yes, a middle schooler said this]

Midsummer Night’s Dream

- ALWAYS stay on forest trails

- NEVER fall in love with an ass. [They were excited about this one for obvious reasons.]

Twelfth Night

- ALWAYS stay in touch with those important to us

- NEVER read other people’s mail

Macbeth

- ALWAYS wash your hands. [One of the girls performed Lady Macbeth’s entire Out Damn Spot monologue at the end of the semester]

Yeah, I was re-reading the Tempest like “hmmm will they even understand the subtle themes here… this might be a cut-and-dry magic story to them.”

Kid 1 (known intellectual): Wait, Prospero is like… a colonizer to the magical creatures. He showed up on their island and enslaved them.

Kid 2: Enslaving people is bad! Is Prospero a bad guy?

Kid 3: But Caliban is bad! He wanted to kidnap Miranda.

Me: Yeah, it’s kind of hard, isn’t it? Just like how in real life most people are a mix of good and bad.