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duuhrayliegh · 4 years ago

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my hero - request

request: anon: hi could you write a sebastian x female reader fic where she suffers from anxiety and feels bad because of it but he comforts her and tells her there’s nothing wrong with her and how strong she is even though she has this disorder

pairing: sebastian stan x female!reader

warnings: self-esteem issues, anxiety, toxicity in the fandom, language?

a/n: hey nona! you weren’t super specific on what type of anxiety that you wanted to reader to have, so if this isn’t what you had in mind, lmk and i’ll write you another fic! other than that i hope you like it!

p.s.: my requests and tag lists are open!!

xoxo ray

check out my m.list

You and Seb met at a coffee shop in New York. It was totally cliche and seemed straight out of a storybook. You had somehow managed to spill coffee on that specimen of a man, and he was kind enough to let you pay for his dry cleaning. Your relationship didn’t grow until you ran into him again while you were at a bar with your friends. If he had any say in telling the story of how you met, he spotted you from across the smoky bar and he knew then and there that he had to get to know you. Truthfully, you liked his version, but the real one was just indescribable. It seemed, to you at least, that you were destined to be with this man. Seeing him twice in one week? Come on, that’s possible if you were in the small town you grew up in, but not New York.

You obviously had recognized him as an actor, but really you didn’t care. That’s what drew Sebastian to you in the first place. You treated him as if he was any other guy on the street, he was able to be a normal person around you. Now, two years later, you lounge on the couch of your apartment in LA that you shared with the man you love. He’s still auditioning for any role that catches his eye and you’re supporting him no matter what.

His fans for the most part adored you and your relationship with Sebastian. The fans who didn’t like you were your only issue with this whole affair, but they had nothing to do with Sebastian other than flood his socials with nasty messages about you. You weren’t perfect, that you knew all too well, and you tried to let the comments roll off your shoulders. Most of the time you were successful in your efforts, but other times they clung to your skin like an unwanted disease.

Sebastian was currently promoting his new project Endings, Beginnings. You were so unbelievably proud of Seb, he was doing something that made him happy. In this particular film, he was acting alongside Shailene Woodley, who was just amazing. Seb always came home gushing about the new inside jokes that they had come up with. One of your favorite things that Seb did with you was run lines. You liked having the inside scoop on his new works, but this one was harder for you. It had quite a few sex scenes between Seb’s character Frank and Shailene’s Daphne.

Not that it bothered you. Nope. Didn’t bother you. At all.

...mmm, okay maybe it bugged you a little. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust Sebastian, it was… well you couldn’t really describe what it was. Whatever the case may be, it was putting you deeper and deeper into a funk, one that you were having a hard time coming out of. And Seb’s fans who weren’t in your corner, weren’t really helping you any.

A few nights ago, Seb surprised you with a casual night out in LA. He texted you before he got home and told you that he was going to be taking you out. Did he give you a dress code for the evening? No, he did not (wonderful, thanks so much Seb). You decided to dress in a half business casual, half rail me when we get home outfit. You ended up wearing an adorable bustier top that was embroidered with pretty blue and pink flowers, a pair of destroyed jeans covered your legs. You finished it off with a pair of nude heels, when you looked in the mirror, you thought you looked hot as fuck. It was around seven when Seb picked you up, mouth hanging open, in awe of your outfit.

“Oh my god. You look so beautiful, Y/N.” He opened the passenger door of his car after he hugged you, giving you a small peck on the lips. Sebastian drove you to a restaurant a block off of Thai Town called Home Restaurant.

“Babe, this place is so cute!” You squeezed Sebastian’s upper arm, jumping up and down beside him. “How’d you find this place?” Sebastian shook his head, smiling at you.

“I asked Shai, actually.” He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, and your heart sank a little. Why did it do that? “She said that the paps hardly ever come around here.” He leaned down pressing a kiss to your temple. “I thought that draga mea deserved a quiet night out on the town.” His voice rasped as he spoke in his native tongue, making a shiver race down your spine.

“Well, tell her I said thank you.” You offered him a small smile. He wrapped his arm around your waist, drawing circles on the exposed skin above your jeans. He spoke with the hostess as your mind drifted away. You were pulled out of your thoughts when he guided you to your table. Sebastian sat across from you, staring deeply into your eyes. You brought your hand up to rest your chin on it, staring back at him. “How’s everything been going?” You were genuinely interested in the answer and it made your heart warm watching his face light up.

“It’s been going really well. Everyone we worked with was real nice, it made all the scenes more comfortable.” Seb’s eyebrows rose at the mention of the scenes and you knew which ones he was referring to.

“Oh, right.” You tried not to let your emotions show.

“Yeah, we’re about to start teasing some of them to promote the show.” Seb sighed at the thought of having to use social media, you shook your head at him.

“I’ll help you with it, you dork.” You laughed to hide your discomfort. “Which scene did they approve for the posts?” Sebastian began to speak when he was interrupted by your waitress. After the two of you ordered your food, the waitress returned with your drinks. Sebastian took a large gulp of his before answering your previous question.

“They want me to post the trailer and then the scene between Frank and Daphne at the bar.” You tried to think back to the script, remembering the context. Frank and Daphne were meeting after Daphne had gone out on a date with Jack. Daphne was claiming that she didn’t want to be a wedge in their friendship, then proceeded to make out with Frank. If you were recalling correctly, Frank and Daphne’s first sex scene followed soon after.

“Okay, we can do that. Do you have any behind the scene pictures you wanna post too?” Seb got out his phone, scrolling through his camera roll to see. He had several different photos of him with Jamie and then him with Shailene. He showed you his phone on a picture of Shailene leaned against him on a couch, her arm over his waist. A red filter colored the photo, you had to hand it to him, it was a good one to use. “We can post it whenever we get home, love.” Sebastian locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket, to focus solely on you.

“How has your day been, draga mea?” You bit your lip as you thought about what you’ve been doing. You’ve been working towards your Master’s, so your days have been filled with preparing for your dissertation. On top of that, you’ve become a bit of an influencer on different social media platforms. Really, you believe your popularity came from your relationship with Sebastian. You’ve been giving his fans the content that they’ve always wanted. Not only that, but you’re active with them.

“My day was good today. I had to edit a few papers from my other classmates but other than that I didn’t do much. I did make a few TikTok videos, but really today was a bit of a lounge day for me.” Seb smiled at you, proud of how hard you’ve been working.

“I should be getting a few days off soon, so we can relax together in the apartment, if you aren’t too busy with your classes.” He stretched his arm across the table, palm up waiting for your hand. Seb pulled your hand up to his mouth, placing a sloppy kiss onto the back of it. His eyes settled on you lovingly. To Sebastian, you were the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.

The two of you managed to finish your meal in peace. No fans came up to Sebastian asking for photos, no paparazzi swarms when you left, just a quiet meal for a normal couple in love. After you got home and you were snuggled in your pajamas alongside Sebastian in your comfortable bed, he handed you his phone to read over his post for his Instagram. The paragraph was sappy, about his time working with Drake, the director, and working with the rest of the cast. Seb always was a softy, never was able to hide it, especially in promo posts.

“It looks good to me. Are you going to post it now? Or wait until tomorrow morning?” Seb debated, he probably should wait and do it tomorrow, but he was most likely going to forget to do it. He clicked post, putting his phone on charge and snuggling into you.

“Thank you for always being there for me, Y/N.” He kissed your jawline, nuzzling his face into your neck. “It really means a lot to me, baby. I love you so much.” He wrapped both hands around your waist, pulling you to his front. You smiled wide, momentarily forgetting all of your troubles.

“I love you too, Seb.” You turned your head slightly, pressing a kiss against the corner of his mouth. “Now let’s get some sleep, love.” Little did you know that a single post could ruin all of the progress that you thought you had made.

*********************

You woke the next morning, alone in bed. You could hear pots clanging in the kitchen of your home, bringing a smile to your face. Before you left the safety of your bed, you checked your socials out of habit. You opened Instagram first, seeing an absurd amount of notifications this early in the morning. Your smile dropped as soon as you opened the first post. Comments on Sebastian’s post about Endings, Beginnings and his chemistry with Shailene weren’t entirely out of the ordinary. They were to be expected, they were playing parts in a love triangle. People were ‘shipping’ Shailene with Seb and Jamie, so that wasn’t too crazy.

What hurt you were the comments saying, “living for shailene and sebastian! she’s a much better match for him than y/n.”

“never thought that y/n girl was going to last, glad he’s going w shailene”

“shailene and seb supremacy”

“yes! i’ve always supported seb in everything he’s done, but i rlly questioned him when he got w that y/n girl. what was he thinking?!”

Tears gathered in your eyes as you continued scrolling. You never thought you and Sebastian never fit. You knew that people had issues with your relationship, but you never let it get in your head this bad. You checked your explore page, pictures of you and Sebastian from last night were riddling the page.

Your heart dropped.

There were pictures of the two of you from last night with parts of your body circled. The exposed skin above your waistband, the excess skin on your neck and arms. You don’t know where they got these pictures, but your stomach was steadily sinking with each picture you saw. The door of your room opened, revealing a smiley Sebastian with a plate full of eggs in one hand and a cup of orange juice in the other.

“Good morning, baby.” You quickly shoved your phone away from you, wiping your tears away from your eyes to meet his. His brows furrowed immediately. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” You snuffled quietly, before answering.

“Uh, nothing. I’m just so proud of you.” You smiled at him, not wanting to bring down his already happy mood with your problems. Was that entirely healthy? Probably not, but you were doing it anyway, consequences be damned.

“Oh, well you don’t have to cry for me, Y/N. Even if you’re proud.” He walked up to your side of the bed, placing the cup and plate on your nightstand. He brought his hand up to your cheeks, wiping away your tear streaks. “You know that I only like to see tears whenever it’s me causing you so much pleasure you beg me to stop.” He winked at you, smirking at your rising blush. To say that didn’t lift your spirits for about half a second would be a lie. Sebastian brought the plate to your lap, waiting for you to start eating. At this particular moment, after seeing all those horrible pictures of your body, your appetite had gone out the window, but he was so smiley.

“After you eat, I want ya to shower.” Sebastian’s hand came up to your jaw, cupping it as you used it to chew the eggs. “We’ve got a long day of lounging and enjoying each other's company ahead of us.” Sebastian stood from the bed, throwing a wink at you as he left the room dramatically. You stopped eating soon after he left, the food tasting like ash on your tongue. At some point, you got into the bathroom, staring at the reflection in the mirror.

Your phone was in your hand again. The pictures flooding your Twitter feed. Shaky breaths left your mouth as you watched your reflection tilt its head. Tears began gathering in your eyes as it felt like you weren’t in your own skin anymore. You had worked so hard to be comfortable in your own body.

It’s amazing how just one picture can ruin everything.

You leaned forward on the countertop, hands holding up your weight. You shifted towards the mirror, examining every miniscule detail that your eyes could see. Your lids came down quickly, tears dragging down your cheeks. You squeezed your eyes closed, shaking your head back and forth.

“You are not going to let this get to you.” You took a few deep breaths as you turned on the shower. Not wanting to be around the mirror anymore, you kept your bath short, talking to yourself the whole time. By the time you left the bathroom, it was steamed completely, you couldn’t see your reflection even if you wanted to.

“He loves you.” You had a mantra and you continued to repeat it as you walked into your shared closet. “He loves all of you.” You pulled one of his old t-shirts off a hanger. “Sebastian loves you.” A pair of your underwear and his loose boxers covered your lower half. “Sebastian loves all of you.” You shoved your feet into a pair of fuzzy pink socks, leaving the closet still muttering to yourself. You tucked your phone into your waistband after checking your socials again. You know you shouldn’t have, but there was some part of you that just wouldn’t let you not.

The same shit covered your For You page on TikTok. Videos from the trailer of Seb and Shailene and then videos of you and Seb, comparing the two relationships. “They do fit well together.” You thought to yourself. A part of you wondering why Seb was with you in the first place.

“Did you say something, love?” Sebastian looked at you from the couch. A blanket was strewn over his lower half, his upper body inviting, waiting for you to join him. His smile dropped when he took in your glassy eyes instead of your usual happy expression.

“Oh baby, what’s wrong?” He started towards you, eyes running over your body for any outward injuries. An understanding look crossed his face when he saw your phone clutched in your hand. “Y/N, talk to me, baby.” Sebastian’s hands rested on your shoulders, lightly caressing your biceps. You recoiled from his touch, feeling uncomfortable in your own body.

“Just some stuff that some fans posted.” Seb’s thumb traced just under your eye, wiping away the tears. He held his right hand out for your phone, to understand what you were talking about. His brows furrowed deeply as he scrolled, not fully processing how destructive his fans could be. Sebastian always believed that they were the best fucking people in the world. He knew that they could be mean, but this was something else.

“They don’t know what they’re talking about, Y/N.” Sebastian’s voice was firm. It was almost strong enough to cut through the fog invading your brain, but not quite. You had officially zoned out. Dead to the world. Lost in your own thoughts. No matter how destructive those thoughts may be.

Sebastian noticed that you were already too deep, having experienced this with you many times before. He was aware that you were self-conscious, insecure, however you want to describe it. Your anxiety always got worse when you were stressed. Prepping for your dissertation was definitely a stressful time. Add on top of that, Sebastian was constantly pulling you from your work for various reasons. Had he contributed to this? Scratch that thought, he didn’t have time for that. He needed to bring you back down to Earth, back to him.

“Y/N.” His hands hovered over your hips. “I’m going to touch you for a second.” He directed you to the couch, settling on the coffee table in front of you. His fingers lightly traced circles onto your knees, as he assessed how he should approach this.

“Y/N. Baby?” Sebastian hesitated before bringing his fingers up to your chin, not wanting you to react badly. “I’m right here, Y/N, it’s Sebastian.” His left hand hadn’t left your knee, continuing to trace small patterns into your skin, giving you something to ground yourself with. He watched you blink and swallow harshly, inhaling sharply before opening your mouth.

“Why are you with me?” Your chin trembled with unvoiced sobs. “You deserve the world, Seb. I’m not even--” Your sentence was cut off by a loud whimper causing tears to start streak down. Sebastian wasn’t sure if this was a situation where you wanted him to be involved, so he waited for a sign.

“I’m not even worth a glance from you.” Your hand came up to wipe at your runny nose. “They’re so right. You need to be with someone like Shailene.” A bitter sob racked your body, making your body fold in half. Sebastian caught you before you hurt yourself.

“Y/N. I love you.” He always heard you say that to yourself when you thought he wasn’t listening. He knew that you suffered from anxiety, so he was always watching. Always paying attention to your little cues. The little things that he could use to help you as much as he could. “I love all of you.” He held one of your hands, running his thumb over the back of it.

“I don’t care what they say, baby.” He lifted your face to his, steel blue eyes locking with your cloudy pair. “I picked you.” He pecked your right cheek. “I want you.” A peck to your left. “I want only you.” One to your forehead. “It’s always been you, Y/N.” Another on your chin. “I love all of you, Y/N.” Sebastian landed a final short kiss to your lips, lingering for only a second.

“I want you to understand something, Y/N.” His gaze never left you. “I’m not going anywhere.” His brows raised as he hardened his voice. “I’m especially not going anywhere at the behest of my fans. I love them to death, but they don’t get to decide who I love.” Sebastian shifted to sit next to you on the couch. “Is it okay if I put my arms around you?” All he got was a brief nod in return, which was expected.

“I’m yours, Y/N. As much as you’re mine.” His arms descended around you, wrapping you in a loving embrace. You turned to face him fully, bringing your own arms around his waist, shoving your head into his neck.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with all my shit, Seb.” Sebastian almost missed your comment because you spoke into his shoulder and through loud snuffles. He backed away to look you in the face.

“I signed up for this, Y/N. I’m here for whatever we go through.” He tucked a stray hair behind your ear. “We go through ‘your shit’ together, Y/N. This is a partnership, a two-way street.” He looked at the weak smile on your face, heart warming slightly at the sight. His face turned serious, casting a glance at your phone on the coffee table.

“How long have you been sitting on this?” He knew how quickly your mind could twist things, so he wasn’t sure what to expect. You bit your lip, not meeting his eyes anymore.

“Just since this morning.” He held you away from his body, watching your expression.

“Is this why you were crying earlier?” You gave him a meek nod in response. “Baby, I thought we talked about this. We have to talk to each other when we think we’re going to go into a funk.” The two of you had talked about it before, but you didn’t think this was going to be a funk.

“I should’ve been able to just shake this off because I know you love me and you won’t leave me because of something that some people on the Internet say.” The words left your mouth before you could process everything, your mind quick to defend itself.

“It’s okay, Y/N. You don’t always have to be able to shake something off. We just have to keep each other in the loop.” Sebastian looked over your tear-stained face, pressing a kiss to your forehead again. “Let’s ditch the phones today. Just spend the day in each other’s arms, how’s that sound?” You smiled softly, nodding at the man in front of you. He got up quickly hiding both of your phones in the kitchen somewhere.

This definitely wasn’t a solution to dealing with your anxiety, Sebastian knew that. It also wasn’t dealing with the toxic people on the Internet, but you didn’t need that right now. You needed to be immersed in an environment that accepted what you were going through without judgement, Sebastian could provide that. Seb hummed happily when you snuggled into his side under the covers on your couch while he searched for a movie. He kissed the top of your head and he felt you smile against his stomach.

“I’m proud of you, draga mea.” You turned to face him, a confused expression lacing your features.

“For what, Seb?” He stroked your face with a single finger, mapping out your features.

“I’m proud of how you handle yourself. I’m amazed at how strong you are, even when you think you’re not.” He leaned closer to you, whispering his next words. “You’re my hero.” One corner of your mouth twitched upwards, not wanting to accept it. You rolled your eyes playfully, settling back onto his stomach before speaking.

“I love you, Sebastian.”

“And I love you, Y/N.”

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hermannsthumb · 4 years ago

Note

Could you do #40 cancelled holiday party? Thank you!

40. i just found out that a friend of a friend of a friend isn’t hosting their annual holiday party this year, so now how am i going to have my annual run in with you?

from winter writing prompts here

happy xmas eve, if you celebrate it!

-------------------

Newt doesn’t really have many friends, and certainly not enough to warrant a flood of party invitations come December, but for the past few years he’s been able to rely pretty consistently on at least one. Back when the band was still together, his drummer had a pretty cool girlfriend who would sometimes let them tag along as the entertainment for parties around town, and her brother (who was almost as cool as her) ended up liking the way they sounded so much he invited them back to his own parties a couple times. Then he dated Newt’s guitarist, and then he broke up with Newt’s guitarist, and then he dated Newt, and then he broke up with Newt, and it sort of fell apart from there (and so did the band), but the breakup was actually pretty amicable, and he’s never failed to extend the invitation to Newt for his annual holiday bash as a courtesy. And Newt’s never failed to make an appearance. What’s there not to like, you know? It’s free booze, free food, and the chance to not feel like a total loser loner for once. Plus…well. Another reason.

But this year isn’t looking too good for Newt.

“Sick?” Newt says. “What do you mean he’s sick?”

“I mean,” Newt’s ex-drummer says, irritably, “he’s sick. Caught the flu or something. I don’t know, Jackie just wanted me to call and tell you, she didn’t give me any details.”

“Couldn’t he have called me himself?” Newt says.

“No,” Newt’s ex-drummer says, “I told you, he has the flu, he’s totally out of it, man. Party’s off this year. Hey, did you get our Christmas card?”

“What? Oh. Yeah,” Newt sighs. He tacked it up on his fridge: the two women with their arms around each other, one pink-haired, one blue-haired, holding up their cat in the middle like it was their son or something. Clever. Quirky. Newt just makes a generic Tweet mid-December wishing everyone a happy holiday season and calls it a success—less effort. “Yeah, it was cute. It’s definitely cancelled? He can’t just, I don’t know, take some Advil or something and—”

“Newt,” she says.

“Yeah, okay, fine,” Newt says. “Tell Jackie to tell him to—get well soon? Soon enough for New Year’s, maybe? Because it would be great if—”

She hangs up on him. Newt probably deserved it.

He stalks Jackie’s brother’s Facebook for a bit after the phone call to make sure he’s not just lying about the flu to get out of inviting Newt to the holiday bash he’s definitely having. It becomes clear pretty quick it’s pretty legit—he’s made exactly one post in the last few days, and it’s a selfie of him looking absolutely horrid in his bed, advising everyone to not be like him and get their flu shots. Not lying, then. Damn it. There’s not even going to be anything for Newt to crash.

“Damn it,” Newt groans, and slams his laptop shut.

In all honesty, Newt’s not pissed about missing the party itself. He’s pissed about missing the party guests. How else is he going to have his annual spat at the snack table with his mortal enemy, Dr. Bitchy, British, Badly-Dressed Gottlieb?

Mortal enemy is too strong. Rival, maybe? Though certainly not a friendly one. He’s fond of Dr. Gottlieb, really, in some insane, backwards kinda way, like he’s a specimen Newt would love nothing more than to cram under a microscope and study up close. What makes him tick? What makes him scowl like that, yell at Newt—more or less a stranger—like that, attend the same party year after year like that only to stand in the darkest corner like a vampire and avoid every single other person? The first time they met was at the party three years ago, when Dr. Gottlieb loudly accused Newt of deliberately snagging the last cucumber finger sandwich because he somehow knew Dr. Gottlieb was eyeing it up, too, and only did it to annoy him, and it’s only gone downhill from there. Or maybe uphill. He fascinates Newt.

He’s also insanely attractive to Newt. Bitchy, British, Badly-Dressed, but, my God, what a set of cheekbones, what a set of eyes, what a big ‘ole mouth that Newt can only assume would be awesome for kissing. And only a few inches of height on Newt, too; he wouldn’t even need to stretch up that far to test out his hypothesis.

Since Newt has Facebook open, he does another search for Dr. Gottlieb—Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, technically, though he’s furious whenever Newt tries to call him anything other than his full title. If Newt was normal, he’d just shoot the guy a friend request or something. A simple message. He just stalks his page instead, which makes him feel the sting of the cancelled party even more keenly: Dr. Gottlieb doesn’t post, like, any pictures of himself, but the ones he’s been tagged in by his company and someone who appears to be his brother make it very clear very fast that he kinda just got even hotter over the year. He’s started wearing his oversized glasses on a librarian chain, and his haircut—which had always been a severe sort of undercut—has grown out up top to be adorably poofy. Tragic.

He shoots his ex-drummer a text later. Can you ask Jackie to ask about that Gottlieb guy that’s there every year? Like, what’s his deal?

The reply comes later, while Newt is reheating some leftover Chinese takeout for dinner. they’re friends w gottlieb’s younger bro. mostly invite him to be nice.

“Figures,” Newt mutters.

Well, if there won’t be a party at which to have their annual run-in, Newt is simply going to have to orchestrate a run-in himself. The first step is finding out where Gottlieb works.

Newt picks a miserable day to set his plan into action. A snowstorm swept through the city a few days prior, and before the sidewalks were even finished dethawing, a sleet storm followed and turned them into eighty-percent sheets of ice. And then more snow comes. Newt slips and slides all the way to the cafe across from Gottlieb’s humble little robotics research facility, cursing himself for not having invested in proper winter boots yet. Docs are practical and cool, but they could be warmer, and Newt’s are so old the treads are basically nonexistent. He orders himself the most expensive coffee on the menu as a reward for his troubles and claims a chair near the large shop window in front, underneath a hanging fern. He would simply wait and watch for Gottlieb to walk out. The man had to walk out eventually. Lunch break, or coffee break, or even just clocking out for the day. He had to.

“Would you like to see our sandwich menu, sir?” a waitress asks Newt. “We have a new—"

“Nah, no thanks,” Newt says. He doesn’t tear his eyes away from the window. “You don’t have to call me sir, by the way. It makes me feel old. Does a Dr. Gottlieb ever come here?”

The waitress snorts involuntarily; she flushes a second later. “Sorry,” she says. “It’s just that—yes, Dr. Gottlieb comes in a lot, and he’s kind of…”

“Awful?” Newt grins.

“Particular,” the waitress says. “He has us remake his coffee if it’s not perfect enough for him. And we have to write out the whole thing, Dr. Gottlieb, on his cup, every time. He tips really well, though, so we don’t really mind.”

“Has he come in today yet?” Newt says.

She opens her mouth as if to answer the question, but then furrows her eyebrows. “Why do you want to know, anyway? Are you guys friends?”

“Not really,” Newt says. Deciding it’s not worth the effort to explain the complex homoeroticism of his dynamic with Gottlieb, and to random waitress who probably doesn’t give a shit at that, he amends “I mean, yes. Good friends. I’ll see that sandwich menu, actually.”

Newt has a nice breakfast of avocado and egg on a bagel, and pretends to do work on his laptop for a few hours, but—to his disappointment—Dr. Gottlieb doesn’t come in for a coffee. Newt doesn’t catch sight of any familiar dark-haired, scowling men walking in or out of the institute, either. Gottlieb must have off today. Maybe it’s for the best, anyway; Newt’s not totally sure what he would’ve done if he ran into the guy on the street, or how he would have even explained why he’s there to Gottlieb if he did. He was just sort of operating under the assumption he’d figure it out in the heat of the moment. He calls it quits around three in the afternoon, not wanting to walk home in the dark after sunset. “Happy holidays,” he tells the baristas gloomily, and steps out into the snow with one last cardboard cup of coffee.

He mulls it all over in his head as he avoids ice patches and passersby on the way home. Should he ask for Dr. Gottlieb’s number? Is it weird to ask your ex, or even his sister, for the number of a guy you’re sorta-interested in? Newt supposes it’s weird to invite your ex to a holiday party in the first place, but he really wasn’t lying about it being amicable. Maybe he wouldn’t care. He could always just send that fucking Facebook friend request. Or he could just wait until next year. It’s just a year.

He’s so distracted that he doesn’t notice the patch of ice directly in front of his apartment until he’s already stepping on it, and his stomach flips in a way that lets Newt knows he’s just fucked up; his worn-out boot loses traction, his arms pinwheel, his coffee goes flying, and he lands—

In someone’s arms?

Well, even that’s not totally right. He lands mostly in someone’s arms, but he hears a little oof, an exclamation of surprise, and then they both topple over and into a snowbank. The coffee lands somewhere next to Newt’s head. “Bugger,” a familiar voice groans.

Newt sits up. Dr. Gottlieb is laying on his back next to him, wrapped in a green parka and about three scarves. To Newt’s relief, he doesn’t look angry. More embarrassed than anything else. “Apologies,” he says. “You were heavier than I’d anticipated. Or perhaps I was not as strong as I anticipated.”

“I appreciate it anyway, dude,” Newt says.

He gets to his feet, locates Gottlieb’s cane from where it’s somehow landed on the other side of the sidewalk, then tugs Gottlieb to his feet as well. Gottlieb makes a face as he rights himself. “You ought to watch yourself, and be more careful,” he says. “You could break your neck next time.”

“Worried about me?” Newt says. He dusts some snow off Gottlieb’s shoulders. “What are you doing outside my apartment, dude?”

“Er,” Gottlieb says.

He goes a strange shade of pink, and clears his throat. “I fancied…a walk. In the snow. Fresh air. And I just happened to be—er—” He clears his throat again. “I happened to discover you lived here, and my walk happened to take me by. I wasn’t looking for you, if that’s what you’re implying. Or waiting for you. I have better things to do with myself.”

“Really?” Newt says. “’Cause I was looking for you.”

“Oh,” Gottlieb says.

He really is cute right now, with his red-tipped ears, his dumb coat, his dumb scarves, the snow sticking to his back and his poofy hair. Sticking to his long eyelashes. It’s the first time Newt’s ever seen the guy not, like, at least mildly annoyed at him; it’s doing something funny to his heart. “Hey, you wanna come in for a coffee or something?” he says. “Mine kinda spilled, and I could go for another.”

“I couldn’t possibly,” Gottlieb says.

Newt grins. “Come on, I know you want to. It’s cold as shit out and you’ve clearly been out here for a while. We can order a pizza or something, too.”

“Well,” Gottlieb says, and he ducks his head as he finally smiles back. It’s worth the wait, because my God, is it cute, all broad and crooked. Newt has the feeling not too many people get to witness it. “Perhaps for a bit. I was hoping to discuss your latest article with you, you know, and was very put out when I learned I wouldn’t be seeing you at the party this year.”

“Oh?” Newt says. He holds out his hand, and Gottlieb startles visibly a moment before taking it. Newt can feel how cold Gottlieb is even through his thick red mitten—he could use a little warming up. Newt can light a fire in the fireplace he rarely uses…maybe break out some wine…it’ll be nice and romantic… “Did you like it?”

“Not in the slightest,” Gottlieb says cheerily.

“Just what I was hoping,” Newt says. “After you, Doctor.”

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous

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mindingmyownbusiness · 5 years ago

Text

20 Seconds

Meet Cute Moment

So like I haven’t written anything new in like a thousand years but I’ve been feeling the itch so I randomly chose a prompt from a meet cute list aaaand here goes nothing!

Bucky x Reader (+bffs Wanda & Steve on the side lol)

You walk out of a dressing room asking if the outfit suits you, but it’s not your friend waiting outside the room like you thought

Dressing rooms are the absolute worst. You’d lost count of how many you’d broken down and cried in over the years. Heck, you wouldn’t even be in this one if Wanda wasn’t having an engagement party in a couple weeks and you were stuck with nothing decent to wear. “The things I do for my best friend,” you muttered under your breath as you shimmied into what had to be the tenth dress of the day only to realize you couldn’t even bring the fabric together far enough to pull the zipper up.

Your quiet scream of frustration as you flung the dress onto the growing pile of discarded clothing was met with laughter and a knock at the door. “It can’t be that bad sweetie.” You cracked the door to see Wanda’s cheeky grin and another armful of options.

“Wanna bet?” you sighed as you grabbed the next round out of her hands.

“I’ve got a good feeling about these!” She called out as you let the door swing shut. “And I actually wanna see some of them this time!”

Reluctantly you did as you were told and made an appearance with a few of the least offensive options. At least she didn’t try to talk you into any of them, one of the things you loved about your best friend was that she was honest (but not brutally so) and that she truly wanted the best for you. You shook your head at the latest fail, “This is pointless Wan, maybe we should just call it a day...”

“Absolutely NOT! We are getting closer I swear, just a few more? For me...?” You couldn’t help but smile at her ridiculous eye batting and over exaggerated pout.

“Alright, alright... you’re lucky I love you, you know that?”

“Yup! Now get in there and get naked, we haven’t got all day!” She turned you around and swatted your butt, ignoring your faux glare as you shut the dressing room door and resumed your seemingly endless battle.

Grabbing the next contender off its hanger you paused, instantly noticing a difference. The fabric was silky soft, practically caressing your hips as you pulled it up and slipped your arms through the straps effortlessly. Turning to look in the mirror your jaw literally dropped. Somehow this miracle dress accentuated the curves you loved while disguising the ones you loved less, the length was absolutely perfect, and the fabric draped over your chest just so as to make you feel sexy but also demure and not at all in danger of a wardrobe malfunction.

“Hey Wan? I think we might have a winner here,” you called out as you opened the dressing room door, distractedly tucking the tag out of sight to get a better idea of the full effect.

“I’d be inclined to agree with you, doll.” Said a voice that was definitely not your best friend. Nope, this voice was deep and smooth and the absolute opposite of how your perky redheaded bff sounded. Not to mention that this particular voice was coming out of the most gorgeous male specimen you had ever laid eyes on. “If you don’t mind me sayin’ so, the guy who gets to take you out in that is gonna be one lucky s.o.b.”

Your brain was screaming at you to be cool but in reality the best you could do was an undignified squeak as his smirk just seemed to get wider causing the heat from your cheeks to quickly spread down your neck and onto your chest.

“If only there was a lucky s.o.b. In her life, but there isn’t,” Wanda stage whispered conspiratorially in the mystery man’s direction as she appeared out of nowhere, taking your hand and giving you a twirl so she could examine you from all sides. Your chronic muteness persisted as Wanda let out a low whistle of approval, “Stop the presses, this is definitely THE one! See? I knew we shouldn’t give up.” She cupped your face affectionately and you couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Now, you might have the dress but Cinderella can’t go to the ball without shoes! I think I saw some that would be perfect with this. Be right back!” And before you could blink she was gone, leaving you alone again with bachelor number one.

Just as the awkward silence was on the verge of uncomfortable he spoke up. “So, ah.. if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the occasion?”

“Oh!” you squeaked, suddenly finding your voice. “I, um my friend just then, Wanda, best friend actually she-- well it’s her thing really. Engagement party, weekend after next. Wouldn’t miss it for the world but I-I couldn’t exactly show up dressed like the hermit I am on the regular so...” Your voice trailed off as you realized your awkward silence had just morphed into a rambling overshare. Clearing your throat your eyes darted around desperate to look at anything but him.

He stood slowly, stepping up behind you and catching your eye in the mirror. “I bet you could wear a potato sack and still be the loveliest gal in the joint.” His sweet smile and sincere words were sending a flurry of butterflies loose in your stomach. “Hard to believe someone pretty as you would be going out looking like such a dish all alone...”

“You know, she doesn’t have to since you just happen to be free that weekend,” a tall muscular blonde interjects as he steps out of the dressing room next to yours and slaps your mystery man on the back before turning to introduce himself. “Hi there, I’m Steve.”

“Seriously man?” the brunet muttered through clenched teeth as he shoved Steve’s arm away.

“What? Like you were going to be doing anything that weekend other than watching Netflix on the couch covered in Cheeto dust?” Steve winked at you with a telling grin then headed toward the front to pay for his purchases. “Don’t screw this up pal!” he called over his shoulder as he went.

“Ignore my idiot best friend. Sticks his nose into my business too often for his own good...” He was the one looking at the ground now, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided your gaze.

“No worries, Wanda’s exactly the same way.” You quietly replied, nervously smoothing away nonexistent wrinkles in your skirt as that awkward silence from earlier returned. As it became more obvious that he wasn’t going to say anything else you reluctantly eased towards your dressing room. “Well I’m um.. I should probably go change...”

At the door you paused, you could almost hear Wanda’s voice in your head screaming at you to not let this one get away. Twenty seconds of insane courage, right? Taking a deep breath you turned, stopping just in front of where he sat with his head in his hands.

“You know, I really do hate going to these things alone...” His head snapped up, his brow adorably furrowed. “Better with two, yeah?” You smile shyly and twist your hands together nervously. He stands up slowly, carefully reaching out, taking your hands in his. You open your mouth with the intent to ask him to officially be your plus one when you suddenly realize what’s missing and you can’t help but erupt into a fit of giggles. “Here I am about to ask you out and I don’t even know your name!”

He chuckles right along with you. “Maybe we should get introductions out of the way then, yeah? I’m James, but my friends call me Bucky.” He raises your knuckles to his lips for a chaste kiss.

“Nice to meet you Bucky, my friends call me Y/N.” Aaaand my blush is back. Dammit.

“Y/N... a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Now he’s smirking again. I am in so much trouble.

“You are quite the charmer, Bucky.”

“Oh you haven’t seen the half of it, doll.”

Laughing you take a step back, “Okay.. so, I definitely have to change now. Be right back, don’t you go disappearing on me.”

He shakes his head, a mischievous smile on his lips. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

You manage to wait until the dress is back on the hanger before you break out into an impromptu victory dance in the dressing room. Practically vibrating with excitement, for the first time in ages you consider a future full of happy possibilities.

#bucky barnes x reader #Bucky x Reader #marvel fanfiction #sebstan #meet cute

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feverwritingandtextposts · 5 years ago

Text

12pm, Saturday, Shinjuku Station

This was also posted on ao3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21695521

"Tomorrow!" Rengoku all but shouts by way of greeting. You turn to him, trying to look less shocked than you felt. Around you, the milling students show signs at having jolted at the history teacher's boisterous voice.

The late afternoon light streaming in through the corridor window bathes Rengoku in a deep gold that only strives to make him look even larger than life. The man himself was wearing his signature manic grin, sonic eyes focused on you.

He looked oddly out of place in the quiet school corridor, too vibrant for the tired air of students dragging their feet home from supplementary classes.

Before you are given the chance to answer, he continues. "Meet me at Shinjuku station! At 12pm! See you there!" Apparently having said his piece, he strides off past you, neither waiting for your response, nor looking back even once.

You watch him power walk away, stopping only to greet the students who call out to him as he goes.

What.

After standing there for long enough for your shocked brain to catch up with the rest of your limbs, you headed down the hallway after Rengoku. Upon reaching the staff room, you learn from a suspiciously animated Uzui that the man had already gone home. Resigning yourself to what seemed to be the inevitable push of Rengoku-induced fate, you gathered up your own things and headed home.

Perhaps this was normal Rengoku behaviour. You had absolutely no yard stick to compare him to, considering you have never met anyone like him before. For a moment, you considered not going.

But then again, you didn't have anything to do tomorrow in any case.

And then again, you didn't have his number so it not like you could have called him to cancel.

Tomorrow brought with it the blinding sun of noontime, and Rengoku Kyoujurou's equally blinding grin, easily recognisable even in the crowded rush of Shinjuku station commuters. Wrapped up in a large, conspicuous red coat, the starched collar of a dress shirt peaks through the neckline. Spotting you immediately as you emerge through the gantry, he strides towards you on glossy oxfords. You feel, all at once, significantly under dressed.

"You look great!" Rengoku booms at you once he considered you significantly within earshot. You were in jeans and sneakers, but you appreciated the polite sentiment anyway.

It was only when you were leaving the house an hour ago that you realised that you had no idea what Rengoku even needed you on a weekend for. You had no idea what to wear, so you had just been hoping it was perhaps a relaxed faculty lunch or an extra tutoring session for any stray failing students, and decided that what you had on would do. Now though, you weren't so sure.

You attempted to glance past him, but Rengoku's wide shoulders and even wider smile seemed to block everyone else from sight.

"You look nice as well," you say, gesturing to his prim ensemble. Rengoku smiles, if possible, even wider. "Thank you! Lets be off!" Turning sharply on his heel, he walks off into the crowd, leaving you to hurry after him, just as before, not once turning back at you.

"Where are the rest?" you ask, finally managing to elbow your way through the crowd to his side as he paused at a stoplight.

Rengoku turns to look down at you, tilting his head unlike a puppy. If, puppies could look so strangely intimidating.

"What rest? It's just us today!"

You blink at him as he begins to walk again, long legs carrying him farther and farther from you as you continued to hurry along. As you got closer, you realised he was talking, and had likely been talking for a while now.

"-And so I think it will be best if we hurry, as then we will be able to see all the fish, AND the penguin show!"

Fish? Penguin show? Hesitantly you asked again, "Rengoku-san... Where are we going?"

"The aquarium! Of course!"

Of course.

Rengoku Kyoujirou tells no lies, and certainly not enough base info, because you soon find yourself within the comforting dim lights of the aquarium's lobby, staring at the whale diorama hanging from the ceiling.

Why on earth did he drag you to the aquarium out of all places? You taught literature for heaven's sakes. Was he going to practice a lecture on the history of Japan's rising sea levels on you?

You heard that the school was planning a learning journey for the students soon, perhaps this was just the recce trip. You didn't find yourself much a fan of fish of any size or shape, thinking the expanse of water a bit overwhelming, and the traumatic memory of watching Jaws when you were only 7 leaving you with mild apprehension for live sea life in any proximity to you.

You said nothing of this to Rengoku, who seemed enthralled at the idea of staring at deep sea eels through twenty meter thick walls of glass, informing you (against your will) about nearly each and every specimen of creature housed in the aquarium. He was so pumped, he waived away your concern of paying him back for your ticket, with a laugh so booming you were sure he startled away a few fish (and some concerned parents).

At exactly 1:50pm, Rengoku straightened from where he had crouched down over the starfish tank, yelling mostly in the direction of the water about the creature's unique ability to regrow limbs "just like a demon!" (you never heard of mythical demons growing back limbs but thought it better than to ask).

"Let's go! The penguin show will start soon!"

The two of you managed to secure a good spot before the crowd started streaming in, thanks to Rengoku's timely actions. The penguins turned out to be absolutely adorable, easily bumping them up to the most enjoyable part of your trip.

Rengoku was unexpectedly quiet as you rambled on, happily recounting to him your favourite parts of the show, as you two followed the crowd out, with just enough timely grunts of approval to let you know he was listening.

As your excitement over the penguins died down, the two of you lapsed into a contemplative silence. You, wondering if its feasible to teach your pet crow similar tricks to the penguins, and him, wondering about whatever it is Rengoku thinks about.

Probably more fish facts.

The silence is broken far too quickly, with him declaring that the two of you should go get lunch. Agreeing readily enough, Rengoku leads you straight out of the aquarium, to your surprise. You had expected him to want to grab something quick at the aquarium's cafe.

Instead, he leads you to a quaint looking restaurant, still bustling with activity despite the late hour for lunch. The restaurant seemed to be populated with couples and groups of fashionable teenage girls, who fit in nicely with the flowery, delicate decor.

Rengoku sits ramrod straight in his ornate chair, ostentatious with his wild hair, red coat (still fully buttoned up), and shiny shoes, yet strangely he did not seem at odds with the gentle atmosphere of the restaurant.

"Do you come here often?" you ask, curious after listening to him recite a practiced order to the waiter.

"No! This is my first time here!" he beams at you.

"You seem familiar with the menu."

"I researched it! I heard this restaurant was popular with young women! I thought you might like it!"

You blink at him, surprised. You were touched at the gesture, and told him as much.

To your continued surprise, Rengoku does not throw you his signature shouted 'thank you!', but instead by way of response, gives you a pleased, serene, closed eye smile, that looked absolutely radiant on his handsome face. Compared to all his wild smiles before, this tugs at your heartstrings in a way that fills your cheeks with an embarrassing blush.

That moment of peace can only last so long. As the waiter returned with your individual meals, so did Rengoku's overwhelming enthusiasm.

"Delicious!" He exclaims, at full volume, completely ignorant of the scandalised stares the other patrons send him.

You hid your amused smile behind your spoon as you ate, trying to ignore the stares as well as he did. The food really was delicious.

Rengoku once again, waves away your attempts to pay, with the compromise that you can pay for the movie later.

Wait. Movie?

And so you went, to an afternoon screening of a newly released horror movie that Rengoku apparently, had booked seats for before. Was he planning to bring the students to the movie as part of the learning journey? You weren't even sure the kids were old enough to see it. Perhaps he's just a horror movie fanatic and wanted someone to watch the show with.

Not wanting to seem like a spoilsport but also not particularly enjoying movies like these, you went along with it quietly, paying for the tickets and buying a large bucket of popcorn for the both of you to share.

You both spend the movie sandwiched on either side between people in the packed theater. Rengoku watched the movie with studious intensity, while you stared at his profile, the popcorn, and the screen (between your fingers). Every so often Rengoku would lean in close to ask you if you were scared, and if you were doing okay, and if you needed him to explain a part of the plot you were studiously ignoring. He was using what he possibly supposes to be a whisper, although it could barely pass for a usual person's speaking volume, and was regularly and aggressively shushed by the people seating close by them.

Worried he wouldn't be able to hear your response from the screams of the actors on screen, you just shook your head or nodded in time to his questions, resorting to patting his arm to reassure him of your comfort, preferring not to reveal to him how scared you were of the movie.

Somehow you had expected to hate the movie more than you actually did. You actually spent most of it amused by Rengoku's undeterred 'whispers' and the subsequent low voiced shushes by the rest of the agitated audience. It certainly shaved off a lot of the possible tension. He also managed to get the plot of the movie completely skewed in the moments he attempted to recount it to you, and it only served to make the situation more amusing.

Rengoku offered to treat you to dessert in return for the movie, seeming to conveniently forget the entire point of you paying for the movie in the first place. At this point, you have gotten used to his steamroller personality and let him drag you to his dessert stall of choice.

Seated at a brightly lit shaved ice cafe, you watch as Rengoku carries over what looked like half the store's entire stock of shaved ice, piled high in a bowl that required both his hands to carry. The myriad of fruits and assorted cookies glittered adorning the dessert wriggled precariously as he sets it down in front of you. You had to lean to your side to even see Rengoku past the towering ice monstrosity.

Handing you a spoon, the man himself grins, manic, turning his gaze to his latest conquest.

"Lets dig in!"

You weren't even sure where all the food went.

Rengoku had just eaten a huge lunch at the restaurant not two hours ago, polished off most of the popcorn you bought (before the commercials even ended), and now was pretty much single handedly finishing off the giant bowl of shaved ice.

You had tapped out long ago, only managing to chew your way through less than a quarter of the thing, barely even making much of a dent in the now overflowing fruits and cookies. Even now, you couldnt rid yourself of the cloying sweet taste of the treats from your mouth.

Rengoku was undeterred by your lack of enthusiasm, shoveling large quantities of ice and fruit into his mouth in between exclamations of its deliciousness. You watched him in a mixture of awe and amusement at his battle with the dessert. You were actually a bit shocked that they sold an item so big at this store.

"Please! Have some more!" Rengoku implores you, speaking around the mixture of melting ice and syrup in his mouth.

You shake your head sheepishly in response. "That's alright, I'm already quite full."

Rengoku pauses his spoon for a second, considering you seriously, and the intensity of his gaze makes you squirm. Before you can say anything to fill the sudden silence, he gives an affirmative "HM!" and continues speed eating before the ice fully melts.

You two pass the rest of the time in silence, save for Rengoku's loud chewing. For you, this is normal. For him, it seems, not so much. You fret silently in your seat, wondering if you've offended him somehow. He did intend to treat you. Perhaps he felt annoyed that you didn't seem to appreciate the dessert?

The silence continued as the two of you walk out of the cafe, broken only by Rengoku telling you that since it's getting rather dark, he would walk you home. Touched by the gentlemanly gesture and horrified at this new, quiet Rengoku, you give him an uncharacteristically cheerful agreement, and get a sharp nod in return.

You avoid looking at your phone on the train ride back, unwilling to offend him further, even though you could feel his intense gaze trained on you. A few times, he opens his mouth, as if to speak, and you turn to him quickly, as if to hear, but he only takes a deep breath and says nothing, mouth shutting with a clack.

Your anxiety was at an all time high by the time the both of you reached the quiet street that lead up to your apartment block. You wondered how you were going to work together when you had somehow made even your most amicable mad at you. You also wondered if he managed to fulfill... Whatever it is he had set out to do today. In the end you got too caught up to the flow of it to ask, and he never said anything himself.

You turn to him, swinging your hands nervously. "We're here. Thank you for walking me back."

Rengoku shoots you one of his signature smiles, although it seems a bit strained. "No problem!"

You take a step back, intending to leave, and Rengoku follows with a step towards you. Another step back, he takes another step forward.

".... Well... See ya on Monday I guess? Thanks for today."

That seems to jolt him out of his reverie. "Ah! Yes, thank you! I enjoyed today very much!" he exclaims, at full volume, booming even louder in the quiet night.

You can't help but smile in return, feeling that the day's activities have made you rather taken with his idiosyncrasies. Even if you had no idea what the entire point of the outing was, you realised you had a surprising amount of fun. It was the first time you've been to an aquarium in years, and you certainly would never have watched that movie or eaten that dessert on your own accord. It's refreshing.

Rengoku takes another step towards you, and you're now close enough to see the fog of his breath. If you reach out, you can feel the material of his fancy red coat. He opens his mouth as if to say something, and gapes at you for a moment, before swooping down, and scooping you in a gentle hug.

You barely have time to process the warmth of his body around you before he leans back quickly, holding his arms rigid at his side.

"WELL THEN!" Rengoku shouts, shouting somehow even louder than before. "GOODNIGHT!"

Turning on his heel, he makes as if to stride away, but this time you're ready for it. Your arm shoots out, grabbing a fistful of his coat, and he stops immediately, one foot still hanging in the air.

"What- What was that?" you ask, confusion and shock melding together to irritation.

Rengoku turns, slowly, and when he faces you, you can tell that he's blushing all the way to his hairline, face dyed nearly the same shade as his coat. Immediately, he dips into a low bow, ponytail flopping with the movement.

"I'M VERY SORRY!"

You scratch your cheek awkwardly at the display. "It's okay, I'm not mad I'm just... Confused. Do you hug everyone after spending the day with them?"

Still bent at the waist, staring at the floor, Rengoku shouts into the pavement. "NO! I'M SORRY! I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO IN FOR A KISS BUT I... IM NOT STRONG ENOUGH! FORGIVE ME!"

You open your mouth, and close it, and open it again.

Sorry? Did you hear that right? Kiss? Who? You? Him? Kiss you?

Very distantly you hear yourself ask, "Why were you trying to kiss me?"

Rengoku peeks up at you from his bow. "Uzui-san told me that kissing you was the only appropriate way to end a date."

Uzui? Date?

"He..." You began, before switching tactics, knowing that anything involving advice from Uzui was sure to end up a shit storm. "This is a date?"

Rengoku straightens up slowly from his bow peering at you with his closest possible approximation towards nervousness. "Yes, it is!" At your lack of response he continues, "I have never been on a date before, so I asked Uzui-san for help! He seems very knowledgeable on the subject! He suggested I take you to the aquarium as it is a staple for dates! He told me of the restaurant to bring you to! He also suggested the movie!"

Rengoku paused, as if to gauge your reaction, but at your totally shocked to stone state, he continues on himself.

"I thoroughly researched the timings and sea life so I could show you the best of the aquarium while we were there! I also checked out reviews of the restaurant and their menu to make sure there would be items you would like there! I picked out the dessert because it had all of the fruits and cookies that I know you liked!"

"I... I just wanted you to have a good time," he finishes off, voice going uncharacteristically soft.

Now finished with his tirade he looks at you expectantly, eyes as intense as ever. Completely bombarded by the rush of information, you scramble to scrounge up a response.

"Why didn't you tell me it was a date?"

He does his puppy-esque head tilt. "Uzui-san says you would definitely know, as aquariums are a staple for dates!"

You were going to murder Uzui on Monday.

But then again, suddenly everything made sense. Rengoku's overly detailed itinerary for the day, his exceptional dressing, the restaurant, the walk home. You felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner.

Never in your wildest dreams would you thought Rengoku to have feelings for you. You had expected him to only see you as a fellow colleague, one who had joined the academy at the same time and were at most, buddies for that reason alone. Sure, he always tries to make time to talk to you at work, but you just chalked that up to how he is with everyone. Hell, you never even really thought you were in his league, fully aware of how popular he was with the student body and fellow teachers.

You bury your face in your hands, trying not to groan out loud at your own obliviousness. In front of you Rengoku shifts his weight from one foot to the other, obviously getting antsy with your silence.

"I understand if you don't feel similarly," he begins in a voice too level to belong to himself, "I respect your feelings fully and am sincerly sorry if I have crossed any boundaries. Do not worry at work I-"

"NO!" you yell, cutting him off nearly throwing yourself forward to grab him in your haste. "I-I'm happy, you told me this!"

Rengoku stares down at you shocked by your loud response, face twitching as if he doesn't know whether to smile or not.

Awkwardly, you step forward, gently wrapping your arms around him, holding them there loosely until you feel him hug you back. You hide your burning cheeks in the folds of his coat, and the two of you stand in that dim street, hugging for what feels like a lifetime.

Finally Rengoku breaks the silence. "So, does this mean the date was a success?"

"Yep," you smile into his coat, your voice coming out muffled by the fabric, but you're pretty sure he heard you anyway.

"Then, can we go on another one again soon?"

You nodded, pulling away from him to face him. He's wearing that heart throbbing serene smile of his, and you cant help but smile in return.

"Of course! Just... ask me for advice next time okay? Not Uzui."

#rengoku imagines #rengoku x reader #rengoku kyoujurou #kny #Kimetsu no Yaiba #demon slayer #i know this is veeeewwwy veeeewwwwy long #my bad...........................#also if u like my work pls tell me

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broken-clover · 4 years ago

Text

AU-gust Day 11- Farm

I return with more ridiculousness!

I will admit I am not a total expert on Sonic Lore, but I played Sonic Heroes growing up and I love Big the Cat (I mean, dude loves frogs, it’s only natural) so this might be a bit bizarre compared to the rest of what I have so far, but here’s a quick Sonic fic with team Rose being good buddies!

Amy hadn’t been expecting to spot a familiar face on the train, but it was a delightful surprise to spot a familiar pair of floppy tan ears, with an upbeat chao circling around them.

“Hey, Cream!” She stuck a hand up in the air and waved as she approached the younger girl. “Long time no see!”

“Miss Amy? Hello!” After a brief moment of confusion, Cream smiled and waved back, with Cheese bobbing excitedly and kicking his little feet. “Are you heading to Mystic Ruins, too?”

“Huh? Yeah, that’s exactly where I’m headed, how did you know?” Amy tilted her head and pulled an envelope from her bag. “I got this invitation…”

“Me too!” Cream smiled, pulling out an identical one. “How exciting! Yours is from Mr. Big as well, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. I wonder what he’s up to? It sounded like he was excited to show us whatever it was that he’s been working on.”

Amy pulled the letter out of its sleeve and unfolded it so she could read it again. She had seen his handwriting before, so it was clear to her that he had been insistent on writing their letters slowly and carefully to make them look nice. It seemed that this, whatever it was, was very important to him, and he wanted his friends to see it.

‘Dear Amy, it read, in thick black letters. ’I’ve been working on something very cool! And you are a very good friend. I want you to come see it, please! Please come to Mystic Ruins next tuesday, I will wait at the train station so I can show you! I hope you like it!

-Big the Cat’

“Any ideas what his ‘something cool’ might be, Cream?”

“Hmm…” The rabbit tapped at her chin, with Cheese mimicking her. “He’s a fisherman, maybe he caught a very large fish that he wants to show us?”

“That might be it. Maybe he’s gonna make dinner out of it!”

“I suppose we’ll find out very soon, won’t we? It shouldn’t be much longer to the station.”

The two girls spent the rest of their short trip chatting about what they’d been up to. It didn’t feel like there had been much of a wait when an announcement came over the intercom.

“Mystic Ruins station, we are approaching Mystic Ruins station. Please do not attempt to exit the train until it has come to a complete stop and the doors have been fully opened. Have a nice day!”

“Oh! Cream, this is our stop!” Amy took her smaller companion by the hand and led her out onto the platform once the train had stopped. As soon as they did, both girls spotted a familiar figure at the bottom of the stairs.

“Mr. Big!” Cream fluttered down, trailed by Cheese and Amy.

“Nice to see ya!” Amy flashed him a smile and a wave. “Glad we didn’t show up too early.”

“You came!!” Big threw his arms around the girls and pulled them into a tight, warm hug. In one hand, he held what appeared to be a pile of straw tangled together.

“Of course we came!” Replied Amy. “We’re excited to see that big surprise you were talking about!”

“Daw, well I’m super excited to show you! I’ve been working really hard on it!” When he finally let them go, he dropped the strange thing in his hands on their heads.

“Huh? What’s this?” The hedgehog pulled the object off to get a better look at it. “Is this a hat?”

“Yeah-huh! Straw hats are super important!” Big’s tail wagged behind him in excitement. “Let’s go! I really want to show you!”

The two obliged, though they were undeniably curious, both regarding their destination and the peculiar straw hats. They had to have some sort of relevance, but nothing came to mind- well, maybe that wasn’t necessarily true. As they began to wander a beaten path into the thickets, the waxy leaves dripped moisture, and Amy noticed that she never noticed any water fall down her back with the hat’s brim in the way. Maybe that was it?

“Are we going to your house, Big?” Amy asked, realizing that the route was familiar.

“Sorta!” He replied with a good-natured chuckle. “It’s right by it.”

Cream bounded up to him, with little flaps to help her jump. “Mr. Big, can I ask a question?”

“Yuh-huh!”

“Where is Froggy? Isn’t he usually with you?”

Amy couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed. They both knew how much Big absolutely adored his small friend. Why wasn’t Froggy with him?

For a moment, both girls wondered if their companion’s bright mood was going to be immediately soured by the fact that he’d misplaced his beloved friend again. But to their surprise, Big continued to smile, and laughed once again.

“You’re really good at guessing, Cream! Really good!”

Neither of them were entirely sure what he was trying to convey. Especially with the steadily increasing sounds of something in the distance. But it wasn’t a confusion that lasted long. The tall plants gave way to a neat little clearing where the man’s humble shack stood- but it was immediately apparent that some renovations had been made. A little barnhouse had been built into it, and neat little fences had been erected around a couple of nearby ponds.

“A farm!” Cream chirped with glee. “Mr. Big, your house is a farm!”

Well, that sort of explained the hats. Amy suddenly realized what the odd noises were. “Not just any farm...it’s a frog farm!”

“Heehee!” Big seemed equally excited. “Surprise! I was making a little house for Froggy, but then it kept getting bigger and bigger!”

He led them to the small barnhouse. A good portion of it was devoted to another small pond, where several frogs relaxed on lilypads and let out melodic croaks. “Froggy! Hello!” Big scooped up a familiar specimen and held it out to his guests. “Froggy has a lot of friends now. An’ I feed them and take good care of them!”

“They’re soooo cute!” Cream said. “I used to think frogs were a little creepy, but you really showed me how cute they can be, Mr. Big!”

“All frogs are good frogs.” Big nodded. “You two can hold them, but wash your hands first! Dirty hands are bad for frogs and it makes them sick!”

There were a pair of spigots built into the wall over a little basin. “I guess it makes sense for a lot of frogs to live here.” Said Amy, as she began scrubbing her hands clean. “It’s so damp out in Mystic Ruins, they probably like it here!”

“I can’t imagine what it would be like, being wet all the time.” Said Cream. “But I guess I’m not a frog. They probably don’t know what it’s like having fur all over them, either.”

“There is a kind of frog that has hair!” Big piped up from the other end of the barn, where he was sitting with Froggy. “It’s not really hair, though. Just looks like it. It also has tiny claws!” When the girls came back, he stood back up and ushered them towards the water. “Holding frogs is kinda hard the first couple times, but I’ll help you!”

Big scooped one off of a lilypad. The animal seemed completely unfazed by it, and simply let itself be held. He offered it to Cream. “Here! This one is very calm, he will sit still for you!”

“Woah, they really are all smooth and slimy…” Cream’s expression was a mix of fascination and faint unease. “Am I holding him right?”

“Yeah-huh! Keep up the good work!” After making sure the frog was secure, Big bent over the water again and scooped up another frog. “Amy, here’s one for you!”

She had gone in expecting to be completely fine with the whole thing, but as soon as she felt the wet stickiness of it, she squeaked in panic and flinched back. “It feels weird!”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Big said, though he still looked disappointed.

Amy steeled herself. “No, I can do it! I can do it.”

“Okay.” He tried holding it out to her again. Amy lifted her hands to accept the frog...only for it to jump and stick to her face.

“EEK!” She shrieked, only barely stopping herself from swatting the thing clean off. “It’s on me! It’s on me!”

“Hold still! I’ve got it.” With a couple of attempts, Big managed to take it off, and he held onto the frog carefully to keep it from hopping off.

Cream gave an empathetic wince. “Sorry, Miss Amy. Are you okay?”

“M’sorry about that.” Said Big, placing the frog back in the water. “That doesn’t usually happen.”

Amy’s expression was blank and unreadable. A bit of slime plastered the bangs to her eyes. After a moment, a faint smile twitched at the end of her lip.

“Heh...ehehe...hahahaha!” Despite the mess, Amy began to laugh, smiling brightly. “I guess that means it likes me!”

#AU-gust #writing #sonic the hedgehog #big the cat #Amy Rose #cream the rabbit

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chickensarentcheap · 5 years ago

Text

I Found (chapter 7)

Warnings: foul language, maybe unrequited feelings (sort of, I guess), some daddy Tyler

Tagging: @alievans007 @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @hemmyworthy

News comes fast. Not in the form of an email or a phone conversation, but with Nik showing up on his doorstep less than eighteen hours later. Given the situation these things are best done in person; no chance of insecure connections or taps on your phone and no extra ears listening in. They could control the situation at his place; very few people going in or out, no strangers past the front door, no one taking photographs and assessing the scene. It would sound like paranoia to the average person. To Tyler it is just common sense.

Still the initial greetings are tense. They haven't being in each other's physical presence in eleven months other than the visits Nik would make to the hospital during those early days of his battle for survival. These two women in his life had been friends; meeting through a series of consequences and bizarre events and becoming incredibly close. Drawn together by similar experiences and skill sets that played off each other extremely well. But there's a chill in there. Tyler feels it. The way they stand on opposite sides of the room regarding one another; fondness in one set of eyes, suspicion in the other. He isn't sure what has changed between them or exactly what happened or when. But that bond they once shared has been severed. Whether it be through something that was said during bedside moments at the hospital or through text or phone calls, something had gone down Perhaps it was Esme's own insecurities. A battle with self confidence since having the baby and not being able to loose some of the extra weight she'd put on. To him she was incredible; the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen and had the pleasure of being with. But to Esme, Nik was the competition. A reminder of times in his life when she didn't exist. There would always be that lingering 'what if', perhaps even an unspoken worry that there were still feelings between them. That fact he has intimate history with both of them makes things a tad awkward. One was part of his distant past. The other his present and his future.

The 'help' that Nic had brought with her lingers in the front hallway; rocking back and forth on his heels, his eyes darting around the room and never making contact with Tyler's. He's nervous. Awkward. A young guy that barely looks old enough to have graduated high school. Short and stocky with unruly blond hair and anxious looking eyes, clad in a crisp black suit, white shirt and tie. He wonders where Nic ever dug this guy up from. He seems skittish. Better suited for a library than a hostile situation. More Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black than Brad Pitt in Inglorious Bastards.

Nik makes the first move; crossing the room in three long strides and taking Esme into her arms, enveloping in her a long, tight hug. For a brief moment the tension becomes unbearably thick. Causing him to clear his throat and uncomfortably and look away; arms crossed over his chest as sits on the arm of the couch. And out of the corner of his eye he finally sees his wife's stiff body relax and the arms that had remained by her sides returning the embrace.

“Look at you...” Nik holds Esme's face in her hands; emotion welling in her eyes, a soft smile curving her lips. “...motherhood suits you. How are you? You've been okay?”

He wonders how long it's been since they'd actually talked. The mood is too frigid to suggest they'd kept up any semblance of their friendship.

He makes a mental note to get to the bottom of it.

The new kid clears his throat noisily. Smooths down the wrinkles in his suit jacket. Straightens and tightens his eyes. His eyes met Tyler's briefly, a twitch of the lips turn up in a smile.

“I make you nervous, mate?” he smirks, as his wife and Nik make slightly awkward small talk. ''

The kid blinks. “Excuse me?”

“You haven't looked at me since you got here. Not even when you shook my hand. You seem a little nervous.”

“A little, I guess,” he admits. “You're a...well...you're a little bit of a legend, sir.”

“Don't call me sir. I'm not old enough to be your father.”

“I'm sorry. Mister Rake.”

Tyler snorts and shakes his head. “Not need for that kind of formal stuff here, kid. We're all in the same shit pile. What are you nervous about?”

“Like I said, you're a bit of a legend, sir...I mean Mister Rake..I mean...”

“Tyler's fine, mate.”

“I'm sorry...Tyler. You're a legend. Everyone in the business knows you. We've all heard the stories. We all know your numbers. Something like three hundred men. That you've...you know...dispensed of.”

“Three, four, somewhere around there,” he says. “To be honest, I stopped keeping track a long time ago. How long you been in the game?”

“Not long. A couple of months. Nik just has me doing security details right now, but I'm hoping to get out into the field. It would be nice to follow in your footsteps.”

“Be careful what you wish for, kid. These footsteps aren't all they're cracked up to be. Trust me on that.”

“Those are mighty big shoes to fill,” Nik pipes up, as she and Esme finally conclude their tense yet promising catching up. “It will be a long time before you even come close.”

“I need to get out of here,” Esme announces. “I need to get some fresh air. Before I start climbing the walls.”

Tyler nods, curling an arm around her waist as she steps between his legs. Her hands on his shoulders as he presses a kiss to her lips. Followed by her forehead. He notices the way Nik shifts uncomfortably and averts her gaze.

Esme moves towards the door. Snagging a set of keys from a bowl on the hallway table before showing her feet into a pair of flip flops.

“That's your cue, mate,” Tyler addresses the younger man. “What's the hold up?”

“Right...okay...I guess I'll just...I'll just go with her.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Tyler runs a hand through his hair and over his face, eyes and voice filled with disdain. “That's what you're here for. Not to just stand there, holding up the wall. You bloody well better make sure nothing happens to her. Because if something does, your end is going to be pretty damn painful and pretty damn bloody.”

The kid's eyes widen; a noticeable red flush appearing on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. And he gives nothing more than a stiff nod in response before following Esme out the door.

Tyler smirks. “Think I scared him?”

“I think you may have made him wet his pants,” Nik retorts.

“Where the hell do you find that guy? Little wet around his ears, no?”

“He's a little...green.”

“Yeah, like fresh baby shit.”

“What he lacks in social skills he makes up for in other ways. You don't have anything to worry about. She's in good hands. And speaking of babies..” Nik finally turns to face him. “..don't I have a niece to finally meet?”

****

Tyler leads the way to the nursery. Nik notices the differences in the way he moves now; his limp more pronounced, his right shoulder hitched slightly higher than the right as the muscles and tendons overcompensate for the damage that had been done. There's more scars now. Some thin and smooth, others thick and jagged. And she can't help but concentrate on that one that graces the left side of his neck. The one that has nearly taken his life and seen him spend weeks teetering on the threshold of this world and the next. But he's the same Tyler; tall and strong, broad shouldered, a powerful specimen to behold. And he'd managed to pack the weight and the muscle back on, and then some.

The baby lies on her back in the middle of the crib. Those brilliant blue eyes wide and focused; mesmerized by the mobile that spins above her. Making soft cooing noises and smiling when she realizes her father is now standing beside her. Tiny hands reach for him, little legs kicking with excitement.

“She's beautiful,” Nik says, and hopes she isn't betrayed by the emotions she's feeling. It is overwhelming; coming face to face with this tiny being who was conceived during one of the darkest and most trying times in all of their lives. An innocent, perfect little creature who came so close to never meeting the man that so obviously adores her.

Amelia Grace. A beautiful and worthy name. Classic. Strong.

“She's doing well?” she asks, watching as his long, strong fingers straighten and fasten impossibly small buttons. Such a juxtaposition. How this hands have done so much damage but can still be so gentle.

“Doing good,” he replies. “Learning new things every day. Growing like a weed.”

“It seems like just yesterday that we found out about her. You were still in the hospital. I remember how scared you sounded when you told me that Esme was pregnant. You were terrified.”

“For good reason. The last time I got someone pregnant, it didn't end very well. Don't think things like that don't mess someone up.”

“I don't think I'd ever seen you like that. Or heard you sound like that. Everything we've been through together and everything that's happened to you, and I'd never seen you that worried.”

“I was shitting myself, to be honest. I still still pissing through a tube and spending ninety percent of my days knocked out from painkillers. Not the ideal situation to be in when you find out your girlfriend's pregnant.”

“Is that what she was? Is that where the two of you were then? It wasn't just a passing thing? Two people caught up in a moment?”

He'd considered that himself almost a year ago. Things had happened fast. Giving neither of them a chance to really catch their breath. Two broken people finding solace and escape in one another.

“If it were, do you really think we'd be here right now? Having this conversation?” he asks. You think I'd have married her if it wasn't more than that?”

“Part of me wondered if maybe you did that because it felt like the right thing to do.”

“Wondered or hoped?” he challenged, and she gives a small smile. “Truth to be told, neither of us really knew what we were at the time. We didn't know where we'd end up. But I knew that I loved her. More than I ever thought I could love anyone. And I knew she loved me. And that's all that mattered.”

Nik nods. That explanation pleasing her. At least for now.

“You want to hold her?” he asks, as one of those large, powerful hands runs ever so delicately over the baby's head. “You can go ahead and pick her up if you want. She doesn't bite. That's more her mother's thing.”

She laughs at that and steps closer to the crib. Hesitating, her top teeth grazing over her bottom lip.

“Christ sakes, you're not going to hurt her. I know she weights all of ten pounds, but you're not going to break her. Here...” he lifts the infant from the confines of the crib and places her in Nik's arms. “...that's it...just relax....why are you so nervous?”

“She's tiny. I've never seen a human being this small. I haven't been around many babies.”

“You wanted to be her aunt and now you get to do it. You've got to learn to hold her. Just let her lay on her arm. Make sure her back and her head are supported. Would you stop shaking? You're going to freak her out. Bloody well relax already.”

Nik inhales deeply and slowly releases the breath. “I don't think she likes me.”

“Just settle down. You're worrying over nothing. See? That's not that hard, yeah? After you master this, we can work on changing diapers.”

“You're pressing your luck with that, Tyler,” she says, her eyes riveted on the tiny creature in her arms, her fingers softly combing through that silky hair. “She's just so beautiful. So perfect. She looks just like you.”

“You're not going to follow that up with 'poor kid' are you?”

“Never. She's precious, Tyler. The best of you and the best of Esme all rolled into one. If you'd told me this is where we'd be a year ago...”

“Surreal, isn't?” his hands move as he speaks; the need to keep constantly busy. Smoothing and straightening crib sheets, folding a bubble gum pink receiving blanket. “This time last year I had a chicken in my bathroom. Now I'm making bottles at three in the morning and wiping baby puke off my shirts.”

“I like this side of you,” she muses. “This domestic side. The one that takes the garbage to the chute and cooks supper and does the laundry.”

“I even clean toilets and windows,” he grins. “But let's cut the shit. That's not the Tyler you're looking for, is it.”

It's a statement more than a question.

“I wish I could say it was. And I was surprised. When you called me and told me you wanted in on this. You're the last person I expected to get back in the game. Why now? You've got a normal life. You've got a wife and a baby. Is this really the life you want for them?”

“One last time, Nik. This is the end for me. After this I disappear. I disappear with my family and you lose my number unless it's only the new Tyler you're looking for.”

“Are you sure this is what you want to do? I need you to be sure, Tyler. I need you to really look inside of yourself and be sure.”

Sighing, he drops down into the rocker by the window; hands clasped behind his head and his eyes on the ceiling as one foot methodically moves the chair. “Let's get one thing clear. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Ovi.”

“I know.”

“The kid needs me. He doesn't trust the guys you've got watching them. And I'm sure they're decent guys. I'm sure they can pack a punch if they need to. But they're not me. Ovi realizes that. I think you do too.”

“And you can handle it? Physically speaking?”

“I'm not a hundred percent. I won't lie and say I am. But I'm at least at eighty percent and that's eighty percent more than what you had before I called you.”

“I can have you on a flight in forty eight hours.”

“Not just me. Esme and the baby too.”

“Tyler...”

“I remember that tone. That's the tone you always used on me when you thought I was saying something stupid.”

“Not stupid. Foolish. Dangerous. Do you really think that's a good idea? Didn't you learn anything from what happened in Dhaka? Hasn't Esme seen enough?”

“She's a big girl. She can handle it. She'll be fine.”

“Things could go wrong. Things could go very wrong.”

He smirks. “They always do, don't they?”

“Then why bring them into this? Why take that chance?”

“They were already in this, Nik. They were in this the second I made my decision. They either come with me or we all stay. That's the way it's going to be.”

“Shit...Tyler...” she mutters. “...this isn't a good idea. This...”

“I didn't listen to you a year ago when you told me to leave the kid in the street and I'm not going to listen to you now. This is the way it's going to be, Nik. It's either the three of us or it's none of us. Take your pick.”

She sighs.

“They're safer if they're with me,” he argues.

“I can have people posted here with them. I can...”

“Who?” he interjects. “Some guy that doesn't look like he's old enough to shave yet? I'm not trusting some guy who looks like he hasn't even reached puberty yet to take care of my family. They're better off with me. You get on us that flight. All three of us. And you make sure that everything is there that we need. Baby stuff. A crib, blankets, all that other shit. Make it happen, Nic.”

“This is foolish, Tyler. This isn't going to end well.”

He motions for her to hand him the baby and Nik carefully passes the infant over. Watching as he presses a kiss to his daughter's forehead and then places her against his chest.

“They know, Tyler. They know you survived. They know you're alive and they know your name. They know where you live.”

A shiver passes through him, but he maintains a calm and stoic front. “I figured as much. How long have they known?”

“A week. Maybe two. We've tried to keep your location quiet. We tried to keep your private life just that. But we could only do so much.”

“They have anyone here?”

“Not that we know of. But Asif had many friends. Many allies. And if these kids turn to them, there's no telling how far their reach will be.”

“Do they know about Esme? And the baby?”

“They know everything, Tyler.”

He nods slowly. Foot moving the rocker even harder. His eyes dark and stormy as his chin rests on top of his daughter's head.

“Get us a flight, Nik,” he says. “We don't have forty eight hours. I don't care how you do it. Just get us a flight.”

#Tyler Rake #tyler rake fan fic #tyler rake fan fiction #I Found

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lokilickedme · 6 years ago

Text

Okay so I promised a bunch of pics from ScotFest 2018, and I’ve been stuck posting from my phone for the last two days so - sorry for the delay, but here we go with the good stuff. It’s long, but stay with me, you’re gonna enjoy this mad trip.

First, let me say this.

FUUUUUCCCCCCCKK. I knew I was gonna be having McClary flashbacks the whole time but it started out ridiculous and just got worse as the day went on.

The moment we pulled up the first thing that stepped into view was a dude in an anarchy tee shirt with a kilt and Docs and long black hair strutting down the sidewalk. If Chem!Tom was Scottish...oh wait a sec, didn’t he say at some point that he was a bit, on his mother’s side? Works for me. So anyway, we arrive at ScotFest and walk the long way to the shuttle bus pick-up with a bunch of kilted guys and an elderly couple dressed in ancient clan clothing (they looked awesome). And before we even get off the bus at the festival grounds, we’re blasted with bagpipe music as a full regalia marching pipe band parades past the entrance. Something smells REALLY.GOOD. and off to the left of the entrance is a field where two Mol-pups are chasing sheep around while their shepherd whistles commands loud enough to split your head open. Yep, McClary flashbacks, right off the bat. And big Scottish athletes are throwing things that don’t look like they were meant to be thrown, though the biggest and most impressive athletes on the field are the females who are using pitchforks to hurl big bags of sand backwards over their shoulders over a bar that’s about 20 feet above their heads. Big is looking at me like “What the hell, mom??” so I tell him the ancient Scots were farmers and they made games and competitions out of their farm chores. He’s like “No, I mean why are you breathing so hard?”

No comment. Did I mention that the females were really impressive? Good start to the day.

So we move on past the games into the main festival area and everywhere are man-knees. I’ve never really paid much attention to man-knees before, but to be honest they’re kinda...hot. I don’t even know why. And there were so many of them...hundreds and hundreds of man-knees on open display, it’s almost like I shouldn’t be looking but they’re RIGHT THERE all over the damn place and I feel like a pervert scamming peeks. And calves. Man calves. Not normally a fan, but there were some good ones on display.

The first thing we did was hit the tribal music tent and it was over for me before it even got good and started...because on the stage inside the tribal music tent was THIS Scottish god:

Don’t worry, the picture quality will get better. So we settle in to enjoy the music and this guy is eating up the stage and spanking the shit out of that drum, and then he starts blowing on a flippin’ didgeridoo (yeah, a nine foot long Australian horn, don’t ask me why but omg that man’s lung power was making the ground rumble under our feet and all I could think was how that skill might carry over, if you know what I mean).

Suddenly I’m really interested in nine foot horns.

A really cool thing about hitting the afternoon shows was the fact that you could go right up to the side of the stage and nobody cared. So I did.

Physically painful, let me tell ya. I could just almost look up his skirt.

That horn is vibrating the ground where I’m standing and I’m actually relieved when he switches back to the drum because all that vibration has shifted my panties about two inches to the left and it’s getting uncomfortable. The drum isn’t much better though, and neither is the view from where I’m standing - he’s a big stout bull and I’m three feet away from him while he beats that drum to a whimpering death. I could reach out and tickle his bare knee if I felt like getting divorced.

So I go back and sit with my guys again and he starts doing this:

KNEES. I mentioned man-knees before, didn’t I? Well here, have a pair. I’ll post a video later of what he did to this poor little drum, and to his own thick neck - because I can’t even describe it, and you know words are my thing. He played his freaking adam’s apple or something, I don’t even know.

There were actually two other musicians on the stage with him, but I sort of forgot they were there.

There were also lots of adorable father/son kilted combos present - and yep, a bagpiper rounds out the onstage trio. But again...man knees. The ones on the left specifically.

So the show ends after a lot of insane drumming, war cries, didgeridoo blowing, bagpiping, and a really nasty little ditty about a girl who’s been touched so much she’s smooth as a stairway bannister (followed by an anthem to an unhealthy relationship that proclaimed “I’d rather be drunk a thousand years than be sober one minute with you”). Nice, guys.

As soon as their set is over we leave the tent to go wander around, but most everyone else stays because it is as hot as the freaking surface of the sun on this day and the tent is like an oasis on Mars - which means when the band comes out to let the next band hit the stage, we’re pretty much alone outside with the bull and his two stagemates (sorry backup drummer and bagpiper, you guys were awesome and I loved you but didgeridoo guy vibrated my panties two inches to the left, you know how it is).

Anyway, we’re outside at the merch tent and Husband is buying something and I look up and nearly slam bodily into this:

Drummer/didgeridoo guy. I vaguely recall yelling to Husband during the deafening noise of the show that he looked like Aquaman, and when I end up face to face with him it’s confirmed. I think it’s the cranky eyebrow.

I also get to ogle the piper’s bagpipes up close and personal, which was hard to do as didgeridoo guy - whose name is CJ - is standing right behind me while I ooh and ahh over this weird thing, and he’s laughing at me for reasons unknown:

Maybe it was the stupid comment I made about squeezing the bag?

And then the three of them pose for a pic:

Goobers. At this point Little walks up to them and they all sort of huddle around him and start laughing (Little has light-blindness and has to wear special shades outside so he was half blind and I think he rammed right into the guy with the hat), so I hand my phone to Husband and go to get him. When I get close, didgeridoo guy puts an arm the size of a tree trunk around me and hugs me up next to him while the other two are tickling Little. Husband starts snapping pics with my phone, but no, I’m not sharing them because 1) my face, 2) Little’s face, 3) shellshock at being touched by this stud ox without having initiated it myself, and 4) the look on my face clearly says MY PANTIES ARE CROOKED AND HIS SWEAT IS SOAKING THROUGH MY SHIRT AND PHEROMONES PEOPLE OMG PHEROMONES I’M IN PAIN HELP I MAY BE PREGNANT

Yeah, he was drenched in sweat from jumping all over that damn stage schlepping a drum that probably weighed more than me. My hand was on his back and it came away soaked. You can consider that a euphemism if you want, it works both ways.

Also - red boots. Urgh. And then he goes like this:

Boy was solid as a whiskey barrel, let me tell you. We came back later to listen to another band and he was out there again, and the girls from the face painting tent had lured him over and braided his hair. He looked flippin cute. And by cute I mean Jesus Wept.

So before this turns into an exclusive didgeridoo guy fest (too late, yeah I know) let’s move along to this fine specimen that I found at the blacksmith tent:

Ladies and gentlemen, meet King McClary’s work kilt.

Dude was nice from the front too:

Definitely an Auchinleck, for those of you familiar with The McClary Chronicles. Check out the tattoo. And he was making maille battle armor, which I got to touch. It didn’t shift my panties quite as hard as the drums did, but there was definitely a quiver.

This guy was at the tent next door to the armor tent, making I dunno, bong pipes or something and he was hilarious:

And then there was this guy, listening to ballads in the historical folk music tent and looking all angsty and authentic, like his love just died of a fever and his crop failed so he joined a ships’ crew to find his fortune in a faraway land but the damn boat sank fifteen feet from shore and now he’s just fucking stuck in Scotland and contemplating becoming a villain:

And he was glaring at my child, I don’t know why. Prissy prick. I was hoping to see his dick but he was so anal he tucked his kilt under his ass from the front. Definitely a villain.

After a couple of teary ballads about wailing winds and failed crops or whatever, I dunno, I wasn’t listening because I was too involved in trying to see Prissy Prick’s ballsack, we wander over to the Highland Dance competition and walk in on this:

We’re in there for all of about twelve seconds before Big starts giggling, then Little starts giggling, then I start giggling. We promptly leave the Highland Dance competition tent, because these girls really worked hard and I don’t want to get arrested for being a dick.

We go watch the Mol-pups chase the sheep around, because nobody cares if you disrupt the proceedings in the middle of a field full of sheep.

And then we watch some more of the Highland Games, in which guys threw stuff while making the best faces I’ve seen since that time Husband wanted to try setting the mirror next to the bed:

Yeah, we giggled.

After that we went back to listen to some more music, because damn. Scottish rock is da bomb. Heard a punk band that Husband immediately fell in love with, so I guess we’re evensies on the lusting after Scottish musicians thing now:

Dude on the bagpipes grinned like that through the whole set, I think he was puffing something out of one of those tubes.

And then we walked out into the big freaking middle of about four billion of these:

Noisy effers. And they don’t stop for anybody - we literally had to jump out of the way because when they paused in front of us, they went into this formation thing and backed up right into where we were standing. Had to grab Little and yank him up off the ground before he was trampled by some dude wearing a dress and giving an octopus a blow job.

Turned to look at a woman sitting next to us a little later and watched her pull a dagger out of her sock and shine it on her kilt like she was getting ready to go assassinate someone in the crowd. We left soon after, so I didn’t get to see it go down. I hope it wasn’t the didgeridoo player, he was cute AF.

All in all it was an 11/12 day, marred only by the outrageous heat and the fact that I’ve been off my supplements and medications for a week in prep for surgery on Tuesday, so I was exhausted and my blood’s gone back to being water again. We didn’t stay as long as we would have otherwise, but we had fun and experienced a lot of weirdness - I ate haggis on accident, Husband sat down with a plate and I thought it was meatloaf (it was good and I didn’t die, so bonus) - and I got to spend the day surrounded by all the clans that tried to assassinate Thomas The Fucking Marauder.

We’ll be going again next year. Husband is a descendant of one of the border clans, so he’s heavy into this...and of course you all know what my connection is to it :)

Let me leave you with a picture of a guy about to bullrush a scarecrow. I don’t know why, I didn’t ask. Scotland’s weird, ya’ll.

#ScotFest 2018 #long post

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giranswife · 6 years ago

Text

Cheesy First Dates

Summary: The first official date with no secrets. The two of them together finally clear of their burdens and with everything on the table. They can finally be a real couple and have a real first date. Only this time it’s much more romantic and fun. And somewhat personal. But mostly fun.

W: self-insert x canon, cheesy fluff

Ship: Peter x Ashley (Caught in Love’s Web)

(( Note: This is an extremely cheesy fic, but I really loved writing it. It’s so true to what our relationship is and I love that. I can’t wait to write more with my spidey, and I mean it when I say he’s slowly becoming a fav that I enjoy a lot. Don’t want to say anything else yet bc it’s so early, but you guys know how this is. This is my own self insert/oc shipped with a canon character. ))

The minutes ticked by as I checked my phone just about every couple of minutes. I knew that it hadn’t been too long since I first sat down in the booth, but I was extremely antsy. Mainly because I thought that it was possible I was being stood up. I wasn’t at all taking into account that he could easily have been held up with something far more important. It was just that this date was really important to me. I hadn’t seen him in weeks, and I just wanted to have a second to catch up.

It was also our first real date since we both discovered the truth about each other. I can remember the moment like it had just happened, seeing the truth about what Peter had been hiding from me. He was the person that saved me several months ago. He was Spider-Man, and that was why he was always leaving me behind.

It wasn’t because it didn’t like me or didn’t have similar feelings for me. In fact, it was the complete opposite. He was just worried about me knowing the truth. Even with the added element of my powers, he was still worried about me. I felt a little flattered, but then I also knew that it was good for him too.

It felt nice to know that he trusted me. It also felt good knowing that he wanted this to work, because I was really close to letting go.

Before I knew the truth, I was so worried that I was giving my all and he wasn’t. I was sure that this relationship had nowhere to go, because he was always abandoning me for something better. At first I thought it could be someone else, or something that he was hiding that was much worse than this. Granted, the reveal was still just as worrisome, considering now he’s not just some guy anymore. He’s a hero.

There’s an added challenge to that, but I was pretty much relieved. He was just like me. Someone who was different and unique, only he had found a way to deal with it. He had become this amazing hero, and I was honestly… amazed by him. I looked up to him a lot before when it came to him, and Aunt May, and even his just general character in itself. He was amazing, and this just added onto the things that I knew were true.

He was a good man, and here he was giving me more than his fair share of time. I’ve spent my entire few years here in this city pretty much alone. I always felt afraid of getting too close to people, but none of that really mattered when it came to Peter. From the moment that I met him, he just felt different than anyone else. When I find out the truth… it almost felt like a weight off of our shoulders.

That darkness that was surrounding us has been lifted. What some would think would be a deal breaker was actually the opposite. I was just really hoping this date went well, because I liked Peter a lot. I’ve felt myself falling for him every time we meet, the spark between us very obvious. That’s why I really wanted this to work.

When I saw him jog into the restaurant, I was more relieved than I was angry. I had just glanced at my phone, about to call him for the second time to make sure everything was alright. I smiled brightly, seeing his eyes wander the room until they fell on me. He breathed out a sigh, the corners of his lips curling into a half smile.

“I’m so sorry I’m late. Got a little… held up-”

“Don’t worry. It’s only been… twenty minutes…”

I giggled, seeing the somber expression on his cute face.

It was mainly a joke, and Peter could probably tell I was joking. I hoped anyway. By the looks of his disheveled state I knew that it was serious.

He sat down in the booth in front of me, dusting himself off and running a hand through his hair. I pushed a menu in his direction, taking a quick sip of my tea. The way his eyes lingered on mine just made my heart flutter in my chest. It felt so good to see him and to be talking to him, and I just hoped it was going to last.

“I hope you worked up an appetite,” I said, jokingly.

“Oh yeah. I’m starving. This was a great idea, I haven’t been here in years.”

“Well, thank you! I frequent this place quite often… when I have the money for it… but,” I took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as our eyes lingered, “It’s good to see you, Peter.”

His smile widened, and he gave a cute little nod.

His hand squeezed mine in return, and I felt the warmth of it surrounding mine.

Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I couldn’t stop staring at him. The longer that I did so my cheeks started to darken. I was falling hard and fast for Peter Parker. It had only been a couple of months since we started dating, and even then I just knew that I liked him. I wasn’t sure what this entire thing was, but I knew that it was special.

“It’s good to see you too, Ashley… How have you been?”

“Good… just school and working at FEAST. May’s been asking about us pretty much every day.”

I laughed, listening to Peter’s chuckle to follow.

“I figured… Sorry I haven’t been around much the passed couple of weeks. Things have been-”

“You don’t need to apologize… I understand… A hero’s work is never done, right?”

I whispered that last part really low for only us to hear, and I saw that he got a little kick out of it.

I even winked for a fun measure, watching him fidget a little cutely.

Just about time for us to start talking about other things was when our waitress came by. Peter ordered for both of us, and I thought it was kind of adorable. It was really nice to sit at the table and have a normal conversation for a change. It was what we really needed, and I really needed to catch Peter up on the latest normal people stuff.

He always got a kick out of it when I told him that. Partly because I’m not necessarily normal either, but for the most part I am. Since I don’t really use my powers at all unless I have to, and it’s pretty much underwraps.

The two of us sat eating our meals, laughing over the conversation and it was the best feeling. I loved hearing his laugh, and I loved this moment with him. It was one of my favorites and reminded me exactly why I liked him in the first place. It took me back to the first day that we ever hung out, on the balcony of the FEAST center eating lunch.

I bit my lip and watched him talk, unable to take my eyes off of that grin. No wonder it was so hard to focus whenever he was talking. Or doing anything really. He was just a wonderful specimen.

“I’m really glad that we did this,” I said, taking another bite of my food, “I mean… I’m really glad we’re able to work it out.”

“Me too… thank you for tonight.”

“It’s not over yet. How about we go for a walk after? Maybe go down to the water and talk?”

Peter hesitated for a second, and I tried to continue to smile to let him know that it was okay to say no. But he nodded, breaking out into another one of his usual smiles.

“That sounds like a great idea.”

I giggled, nodding and taking another bit of food.

Whenever we finished our meal, I offered to pay for all of it, knowing that I wanted to treat him. He argued for a second, but knew that I was just trying to be polite and nice. I was the one that asked him here after all. It felt like a nice thing to do after everything anyway.

The two of us walked beside each other down the city street’s, our hands brushing together. I felt my cheeks darken, and I was reminded exactly why I liked Peter so much in the first place. He made me feel nice and warm inside. Like a teenager again. I’d never felt such wholesome falling for someone like this in a long time, but this was different. This was real and it was like nothing I had ever felt before.

And knowing the kind of person Peter was, I knew that it wasn’t a mistake either. I just hoped that this could be a good thing for both of us. I can’t see the future, and sometimes that scares me. But right now it just… makes me feel optimistic.

Eventually, I felt his fingers slowly intertwine with my own. They were hesitant and slow, waiting for me to fall into the gesture. I pulled my fingers in, holding onto his own tightly as my cheeks flared. It felt a little ridiculous to be flustered over something as simple as holding hands, but that’s how our relationship was.

I led Peter a different direction than he expected, not going the route that we would usually be going. There was a spot that I go to a lot when I do some thinking, and it’s a lot closer to the water where I can hear the waves crashing and sometimes put my feet in. Whenever we got closer I could see the wheels turning and he was a little confused.

“Where are we going?” He asked.

“Oh, just a little spot. Don’t worry, I come here all the time.”

He furrowed his brows, letting me lead him down a little path and through a small little clearing of bushes. It looked a lot better during the day, but with the moonlight hitting the water I thought that it looked amazing.

Peter took a long glance at the view, while I found a spot on a large rock. The same rock that I had spent more nights and days sitting at, thinking and contemplating my life and other things. It was really important to me, and I loved the idea of sharing it with Peter. It wasn’t the best spot in the world, but it was mine. It felt like my little corner of the world where nothing could happen.

He slowly sat down beside me, still gazing at the water.

“Woah this is… this a nice little spot,” He said, glancing over at me with a small smile.

I chuckled, nodding.

“Yeah… I used to come here a lot and think when the noise of the city gets too loud. It’s really quiet and peaceful here.”

The wind began to pick up a bit, and I closed my eyes to feel it on my skin. I could still feel Peter’s eyes on me, and that thought alone was enough to make my heart stutter in my chest. Upon opening my eyes again, I scooted a little closer to him and laid my hand on top of his.

“Peter… I like you a lot,” I admitted, feeling the calmness of this spot starting to get to me.

His eyes followed me for a moment, before he answered with only a small hesitation.

“I like you… a lot too… Ashley.”

I smiled, a little bit too pleased to hear that answer. Not that I was expecting any other answer, it just felt really good to hear it from him.

Our eyes lingered on each other for a while, our smiles rather big. A part of me wasn’t sure what else to say, given that I had worked myself up a lot to even say that. Which was a little bit of overkill, but Peter meant a lot to me. I didn’t want to mess this up.

“I want you to know that… I don’t care who you are… I mean, I do care about you a lot, but… you being who you are doesn’t change anything. I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to know that it wasn’t me, and we’re a lot more alike than I thought.”

I squeezed his hand tightly, speaking my mind while I was still feeling extremely calm.

“I know, and thank you,” He said, “I’m sorry that I waited so long to tell you. I just… I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to put you in danger, I just…”

I patted his shoulder, smiling warmly as he stammered.

“You have a good heart, Peter. I understand completely. The burden that you have on your shoulders is too real for me to overlook that. You were just looking for the best for everyone, and that’s why I like you. I just want you to know where I stand, and that I’m not going anywhere. No matter how hard it gets.”

It might have been a little too soon to say this, but I knew that it was what he needed to hear. This wasn’t a normal relationship. There was a lot of factors that we needed to take in, and a lot of baggage that we both had. Something like this isn’t something that we can dive in head first without understanding all angels. We can throw caution to the wind, but not when we cared about each other as much as we did.

The two of us sat there and watched the waves crash, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and me leaning against him. Now that the conversation was over, we had a lot more closeness. It made my heart thud in my chest, racing faster and faster with every second that passed.

I couldn’t help but smile, listening to the rumble in his chest as he spoke to me softly.

“I’ve been thinking… about your powers… I know that you said that you weren’t sure, but… I could help you,” He said, “I’m not an expert by any means, but I can be your test dummy.”

He said that with a little chuckle that made me laugh.

“As fun as that sounds, I’m not sure how that’ll go over. Besides, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“And you won’t. We can only do stuff that you’re comfortable with. Your suit could be a bit help in stabilizing-”

“I don’t… want to talk about that right now. I want tonight to be about us. We can talk about my powers and things like that later, okay?”

I swallowed, pursing my lips tightly. I didn’t want to sound rude or stop him so abruptly, but I really didn’t want to talk about it tonight. There was some more stuff I needed to figure out before I brought Peter into it.

Slowly he gave a nod, trying to apologize which I didn’t allow him to. He was just looking out for me, and I wasn’t upset about any of that. I just wanted tonight to be fun. It was already starting to seem like the funnest night I have had in a long time, and I really didn’t want it to end.

I stood up from the rock, spinning around to face him as I unzipped my jacket.

“Let’s go for a swim,” I said, rather abruptly.

“What?”

“C’mon! It’ll be fun! Oh, don’t tell me the Amazing Spider-Man can’t swim!”

I teased him, my grin coming back as I tossed my jacket to the ground.

“Uh, no, of course I can. I just… Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“But I don’t have my swimsuit?”

I lifted my brows, letting out a little laugh.

“Well, you have spare clothes, right? Or we could just swim in our underwear. Kinda like how they do in the movies.”

Peter let out a laugh, but it sounded like a nervous laugh. I bit my lip nervously, hoping that I hadn’t jumped a little too far. It just seemed like a fun thing to do, and it was extremely spontaneous. Not something I would do with anyone, but it was Peter. I wanted tonight to be perfect.

He took one look at me and then out into the water.

“We don’t have to. I was just suggesting-”

“No, sure! Let’s do it. But that means that Spidey’s going to have to take you home.”

My face cringed at the thought of that, because I knew exactly what that was going to intel. Swinging in the air was not exactly my favorite idea of transportation, but this was my idea in the first place. Giving him a nod, I tossed my shirt over my head and kicked off my skirt. Thankfully it was dark, so I didn’t feel all that flustered to be undressing in front of him. Even though, Peter wasn’t really looking anyway.

I couldn’t believe that I was doing this, knowing that it wasn’t exactly a normal thing for me. But the minute that my toes hit the water, I knew that it was going to be a good decision. And a good memory to have.

I chirped loudly, spinning around in surprise. The water was extremely cold! I had no idea that it was going to be that cold, but I should have had a thought about it. Through my laughter, I hadn’t realized that my fingers were touching something. My body had hit something solid, and I glanced up to see Peter’s face above me.

Swallowing hard, my face immediately began to heat up as I realized just how close I was to him. And given the situation we were in, it was just ironic. The two of us were staring at each other rather intensely, almost afraid to move. I blinked, feeling Peter’s hands resting on my upper back to hold me still as he shifted a bit.

Slowly we pulled apart, though there was a part of me that wished we hadn’t. I bit my lip, immediately wading a little further into the water. It was still very cold, but it did cool down my warm skin. The tension between us was extremely strong, and I could feel it so obviously. There had to be something I could do to break it.

“Damn that is… cold…” Peter laughed, falling a little behind me as I took a deep breath and got a little deeper.

“It helps if you just,” I mumbled, plopping down to the water at chest level, “Get right in without thinking.”

“Sounds easier said than done.”

I laughed, biting my bottom lip.

At this point, you’d think that I bit it off by now. When I’m around Peter it just seems to happen a lot. I do it when I blush and when I’m nervous and when I’m flirting. It’s not a good habit, but I can’t seem to help it at all.

Before too long, he took the risk and caught up to me, and it was then that I noticed his chest. He was pretty built, and I should have expected much from our friendly spider. But looking at it now just made me flustered yet again. Everything about him makes me flustered, and it was almost annoying.

“See? It’s not so bad,” I said with a laugh, “I always thought spiders hated water, though.”

I winked playfully, watching him chuckle while he was shivering a bit.

“Spiders actually can survive just about anywhere, but this spider prefers somewhere…. warm and dry.”

I giggled softly, shaking my head.

“There goes Peter Parker with the trivia. Y’know… I think you’d be pretty good on game shows.”

“You think so?” He asked, wading a little closer to me with mischief in his eyes, “I was considering applying. That prize money would be nice.”

I nodded, though I hadn’t realized what he was up to quite yet. Not until he got a little closer and grabbed my hips without much hesitation. I let out a yelp, swiftly moving my legs as he began to pick me up out of the water.

“Peter! Peter, what are you doing?” I asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just seeing how light you are.”

“That’s… not funny. Peter! Peter, don’t you freaking dare!”

The grin on his face made my eyes widen, even though I couldn’t stop laughing. He pretended as if he was going to launch me further back into the water, causing me to yelp and cling onto him tighter. The way that he picked me up with such ease would normally have affected me as well. But I was too busy freaking out to pay attention.

He did this a couple of times, laughing at the way I yelped and clinged onto him. Finally, he began to slowly set me down once again. He must have found this hilarious, and that thought alone had me plotting an idea of my own.

“You’re cute when you’re scared,” He teased.

“You’re funny. I knew that you were funny, but I had no idea you were this hilarious.”

“Ashley… What are you doing?”

It was now that the tables have turned, my wicked grin crossing my face. Kneeling down a bit, I lifted a brow and watched him raise up his hands in front of him. As if that could save him.

Suddenly, I began splashing him, over and over again. His shout was adorable, and I kept going without care. At first he was just trying to get away from me, but before too long he just decided to splash me back. It’s nights like tonight with Peter that I feel like a kid again. Like I don’t have so many worries in the world, and I live in the moment with him.

I stopped for a second to laugh at his wet hair that clung to his face, not at all focusing on how handsome he looked like that. Peter wiped away his face, narrowing his eyes in my direction.

“Now I’m the one with the jokes,” I said with a grin.

“Yeah… it seems you forgot one thing, though.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

He stepped a little closer, slowly and I almost let my guard down for a second.

“I’m faster.”

In a second he picked me up again, and I let out another small yelp in surprise. Though, he didn’t throw me in the water like I was expecting, and just held me in his arms for a bit while he laughed. I calmed down my screaming, wiggling free from his arms. I was reminded about how strong that he was, slipping from his arms and almost falling back into the water.

Peter laughed and caught my wrist, slowly pulling me up to allow me to stand once again. The two of us laughed at each other’s stupidity, taking a second to catch our breath. I let my eyes wander his frame, smiling warmly. Tonight really was one of the best night’s I’d ever had, and Peter was one of the best guys I’ve ever known. I was extremely happy that we came out here tonight.

“Alright, Spidey. I think I’ve had enough for tonight,” I said.

“Yeah, same here. It’s really cold.”

I giggled, watching him outstretch his hand towards mine.

He helped me out of the water and let me change, though I was really just putting on dry clothes over wet clothes at this point. But I wasn’t lucky enough to have a whole new outfit to put on. Watching him suit up was rather interesting, but I still couldn’t stop blushing about the whole evening. I really didn’t want to leave, but I knew that we had to with how late it was getting.

We gathered our things, and Peter began to swing home. He held onto me, and I almost got sick a few times on the way. It was a very different thing to be that high up and doing all of those motions, but it was also pretty cool at the same time. A few times I caught myself staring at Peter, or at his mask. But I was just so amazed. It felt cheesy, but it was really great.

Finally we made it to the balcony of my apartment, and I felt my heart sink knowing that the journey was over. I let my feet touch ground with a relieved sigh, turning around to Peter who was perched on the railing.

“I had a great time tonight, Ashley. Thanks a lot,” He said.

“Thank you. I’m really glad that we were able to do this.”

I stared at him for a little bit longer, unsure how I should say goodbye. It was a little too early to kiss him. Though, there were a few times in the night that I had wanted to. Looking back on it I almost felt like I should have, but then again I don’t want to scare him off. I wanted to take things at a nice pace.

Something that we can both be comfortable with.

“Well, I should run. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah… I’ll call you tomorrow, maybe…”

Peter stood up, getting ready to shoot out a web and leap off. But I couldn’t watch him leave. Not yet anyway.

“Wait,” I called to him, before I could change my mind.

He stopped for a second, jumping down from the railing and observing my face.

Stepping forward, I gave him a little smile and leaned on my tip toes. I softly kissed his mask, right around where his cheek probably was. It was light and soft and felt a little weird, but it was nice. And I wished that I could see what his face looked like underneath that mask.

“I hope that we can do this again soon,” I said softly, “Goodnight… Peter.”

Stepping backwards, I gave him a little wave as I opened the door to my home. He stood there for a couple seconds in silence, and I was almost afraid that I broke him.

“Goodnight Ashley,” He stammered, stumbling backwards a bit as he shoot out a web to a nearby wall.

I giggled softly, watching him zip away within seconds.

The smile was glued onto my face, staring at the spot that he once was. Tonight was like a dream, and I was excited to experience that again with him. I was excited and happy and pleased. I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it tomorrow.

I really really liked Peter Parker.

#my writing #ship: caught in love's web #cheesy fluff

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marshmarrowsans · 7 years ago

Note

What about ut sans proposing?

(Yasss thank you I LOVE writingmarriage proposal fluff~ -Mod Kasha)

Sans had beenmeaning to propose to you for the past three months. Every time he tried, he just couldn't get itdown right.

The first time hetried, he just plain chickened out. Youwere stargazing together and he was going to do this really cute thing where hemade a really big deal about some star in the sky, made you try and find it forawhile, then brushed it off with an 'oops, my bad, it was a diamond this wholetime' just before presenting you with the engagement ring. But in the middle of gushing over how prettythat star that wasn't there was, he was consumed with doubt. Maybe you weren't ready. He knew he could be a little bit... much to deal with sometimes. He wouldn't blame you if you weren't ready tocommit to putting up with his weird bullshit for the rest of your livestogether. Besides, this was stupid. This was cheesy. You'd be embarrassed telling this story toyour kids one day. Wait, kids? Slow down, Sansy, one thing at a time.

Needless to say,he turned his failed proposal into a weak joke by telling you, 'oh, oops,that's the moon.' At least it made youlaugh.

The second timehe tried, it was just the two of you at home, cuddling and watching an oldfavorite movie from your childhood. Hefelt more comfortable there, in the walls of your shared home. He wasn't going to chicken out thistime. He wasn't going to make some kindof spectacle or joke out of it. He wasjust going to take the pillow lying next to him, plop it on the floor, get downon one knee, and show you the ring in his pocket. But... you had your head on the pillow. And you were asleep.

Shit.

The third time hetried was the closest he got to actually doing it. He was sure that it couldn't go wrong. He'd practically trapped himself into doingit, and trapped you on that path with him, by arranging to go to a fancyrestaurant with you. He set aside enoughmoney to fund your Grillby's trips for weeks, bought a suit for the first timein his life, reserved the table and everything. You looked absolutely beautiful, and you told him that he lookedadorable, so he was riding that confidence-boost high all evening, all the wayuntil dessert came, all the way until the restaurant manager approached yourtable. It turned out, while Sans wasmonologuing about his feelings for you as a prequel to his proposal, the peopleat the table next to you felt uncomfortable at the way you two were holdinghands and, oh so scandalously, even going so far as to kiss a couple of times. Andapparently, that was your problem for being together, not theirs for buttinginto other people's business because they didn't like the sight of a human anda monster being affectionate with one another. You were kicked out of the restaurant.

Understandably, thatkind of ruined the entire night. How washe supposed to propose when you had so much sadness and fury in your eyes? When all you could talk about was how fuckedup that was, how fucked up the world was, how sorry you were that humans couldbe so rotten, as if you were a part of the problem somehow despite loving him completelyand unconditionally? He just held you inhis arms, reassured you that it wasn't your fault and that yeah, the world waskind of fucked up, but it was still worth living in together. Then he teleported you home to sleep on it.

What he learnedfrom those failures was as follows:

1. Don't be acoward. So what if you turned him downor thought it was cheesy? It wouldn't bethe end of the world. It wouldn't meanyou didn't love him.

2. Don't do it athome. It's too comfy. One of you or the other would get too cozyand fall asleep for sure.

3. Don't do it ina place with a lot of humans. A lot ofthem were still weirdly bitter about monsters existing in society.

With all of thatin mind, he swore to himself, this would be the time that he did it forreal. For the first time in a long time,he asked you to go to Grillby's with him, on Friday, right after work. That had been your routine before you gottogether as a couple. After you gottogether, of course, you pretty much went with him whenever he went. To go there again, specifically when you usedto, was somehow kind of nostalgic, even though it was by far your mostfrequently-visited date location. Youeagerly agreed.

Everything wasjust like it always was between you two, just as it always had been. Neither of you dressed up for it. You ordered the same food and drinks (andcondiment) as always. You got into yoursame old pun war with each other and he let you rant about the same oldbullshit at your workplace. He preferredit that way. He just smiled, rested hischin in his hand and thought about how nice it would be to spend the rest ofhis life just like this.

"Sans stopsmiling that asshole stole my lunch from the fridge again."

He only smiledwider. "you did not just tell your skeleton boyfriend tostop smiling. that's like me telling youto stop being cute."

"Yeah, wellI..." You blushed. "Okay first of all, I'm not cute, I'mbadass."

"i thinkyou're living proof that those two aren't mutually exclusive."

"And second of all, you smile differentlywhen you're actually smiling like a human would. It reaches your eyes."

The fact that youcould tell the difference made him feel a rush of love for you. "awwwh. i love the way you analyze me like one of your specimens."

You reachedacross the table and patted his cheek. "You're my speciman."

"heheh." He put his hand over yours, leaned into yourtouch a little, and looked at you with an eager and bashful expression hehadn't quite replicated since your first few dates together. It was the expression he used to get when hewanted you to kiss him but didn't know how to ask. You were expecting him to say something sweetand mushy, but all he said was, "you want an onion ring?"

Okay. Shakespearean it was not, but coming fromSans, that was a tiny bit romantic. Dudeloved his onion rings.

"Oh sure,thanks, honey. I want to see what allthe fuss is about," you chuckled, letting go of his cheek to hold out yourhand for one. "They must be prettydamn good if you never even share them with the love of your life overhere."

There was amischievous gleam in his eyesockets. Youwere sure he was about to prank you, but since you were curious where the hellhe could be going with this, you just let him do his thing. Instead of reaching into his onion ringbasket, he reached into his pocket. Heheld something in his hand, but kept it concealed for a moment, a light blueblush dusting his cheeks.

"oops. did i say onion ring? i meant to say union ring. my bad." He felt physically incapable of it, but he knew that if there was onetime in his life that he needed to look you in the eyes, it was now. So he did. You just looked shocked. It was anatural reaction. He stifled the anxietyrising in the pit of his stomach and presented you with the ring he'd been holdingon to for ages. He'd picked it outbecause, rather than a traditional clear diamond, the center gem was a deepblue, and cut into the shape of a tiny heart. What would be a minor detail to most human couples was a major one tohim, because he wanted it to resemble his soul, as if he were literally handingit over to you to hold and to take care of and to cherish forever.

"heh. i, uh, know it's gotta be disappointing,compared to one of these tasty onion rings you thought you were gonna get. you still want it?"

You stillseemed frozen in place, but he felt his nervousness fade when he saw thegrowing smile on your face. You weregoing to say yes. Oh, stars, you wereactually going to say yes.

"... Yes." Your voice came out soft and shy, nothing like it usually did-- you wereusually bold compared to him. But youwere certain.

As coolas he'd been trying to play it, he couldn't really contain himself anymore whenyou agreed. He jumped off his stool andpulled you down from yours into a long, tight hug, his face buried completelyin your chest. You barked out a laugh,ecstatic. Both of you were shaking inyour excitement.

"God,Sans..." you mumbled as you pressed kiss after kiss to the top of hishead. It seemed you were just as much ata loss for words as he was.

"thanksfor saying yes," he whispered back. "i... really, really neededto hear that from you." He pulledaway a little, but only to smile up at you and slip the ring on to yourfinger. It fit perfectly, and he wasoverwhelmed by the sight of you finally wearing it, a symbol of his love foryou, and your love for him in return. "i dunno what else to say besides i love you. and, uh, fyi, i was tryin' to do this formonths."

Youlaughed and nuzzled his forehead with yours. "That's awesome. BecauseI've been daydreaming about marrying you for months."

That wasofficially the cutest thing he'd ever heard. He could hardly imagine you sitting there and thinking about marryinghim, of all people. No matter how longyou were together, he could never fully understand how you could be so in lovewith him. But he didn't doubt it for amoment, and he was so, so grateful for it. "... have i mentioned that ilove you? because holy smokes, i adoreyou."

"Hehe,yeah, you mentioned it. About thirtyseconds ago. But it's always nice tohear it again. And I love you too,"you assured him.

"sweetheart. babe. you saying 'yes' is all the 'i love you's i'll ever need."

#sans/reader #sans x reader #fluff #marriage proposal #mod kasha #Anonymous

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storytaeme · 7 years ago

Text

hidden – day 17

spoopy kinktober drabbles – NC17

➵ Pairing: Maknae Line (Taekook-focused)

➵ Prompt: Masquerade ↪ content: exhibitionism, strangers, voyeurism, finger cuffs, spanking, frottage, facial

➵ Word Count: 3,834 words

➵ Note: Written for my previous blog, redone to fit taekook.

Having been born in the spotlight, perhaps Jeongguk had always been a little more drawn to the shadows. There was a reason why he shied away from the prying eyes despite his parents’ reputation and position. He was the good kid, the golden kid. His academics never disappointed, his behavior charmed the hearts of people across the seas, his mannerism impeccable in the public’s eye. After all, the son of the minister of justice could never be found doing anything close to being unlawful.

But Jeongguk had a secret just like everyone else. A secret that kept his dark thoughts at bay, a secret that kept him sane in the midst of the corruption and toxicity.

He could still remember the first time he found himself in the room. The mansion was his friend’s, Park Jimin. He wasn’t sure if he should refer to Park Jimin as a friend considering he was as fucked up as Jeongguk was. Family-wise, at least. The second he had laid eyes on Jimin, he knew he’d be trouble. The boy’s malicious smile was one masked perfectly behind the sweet curve of his crescent eyes and the cherubic features of his face. Of course, no one would doubt the only child of Korea’s most successful conglomerate. “I’ll take good care of Jeongguk, sir.”

And he did, he supposed. Jimin had driven him at a demonic speed, told him to slip on a mask (black and laced, perfect for him) and to trust him. Jeongguk wanted to laugh. Trust didn’t exist in their world.

It wasn’t long before he understood the amount of faith Jimin had placed in him, a new burden had been dropped on his shoulders. Yet, there was a heaviness in his heart that had been lifted.

This room was where the children gathered. The children of the opulent, the children suppressed, the children shadowed by their parents’ success and fraudulence. These were the people who wanted to be liberated, to roam the world without titles like price tags attached to them. Some of them were ready to be married off to the highest bidder, some were being prepared and pampered to wed the next successful entrepreneur. Jeongguk knew them, recognized some of their eyes, but he’d never tell, never mention their names or asked why they were there.

Nobody asked questions in the house.

It was the unsaid rule that Jimin had set for his bimonthly gatherings he held in his house separated from his parents’. His parents never questioned why Jimin had asked for a little house on the prairie on the outskirts of the city. Parents — or more aptly, guardians, in their world at least — never really questioned.

Slipping into the room, Jeongguk found it no longer surprising to find messes of bodies already entangled together. There probably was a safety and hygiene hazard but Jimin had always been a smart one, filtering through guests and letting them trickle into the house only after they had provided sufficient documents that they were clean. In corners, couples were making out, clothes stripped away and masks still hiding away their identities. On the open floor in the living room, music played through the speakers with groups grinding down on each other. There were already some heading towards the guest rooms upstairs.

“Have fun, Guk-ah.” Jimin whispered in his ear before he evaporated into the throngs of people.

Despite his understanding of the whole arrangement, Jeongguk had to admit that he wasn’t numb to it. His heart rate still picked up because of the thrill, the risk. If they were all ever caught, they would all be, in one word, fucked. In more ways than one.

A girl slithered up to him, eyes glassy with intoxication, a delicious smile on her red-painted lips. Jeongguk could recognize her anywhere. Her father was president of Seoul’s largest hospital’s. She had always been elegant, prim and proper during official events. He’s met her once or twice during those. He’s fucked her once before during one of these. He didn’t like going to the same person twice. It was too intimate and intimacy outside of sex in Jimin’s gatherings were never a good idea.

“How about it, sweetheart?” She curled her arms around his neck, lips brushing over his.

Jeongguk merely shook his head, bowed, and went on his way. The woman shrugged before walking away in search of her next target. Personal feelings were never involved, thank goodness. It took him some time to find his own partner while most of the crowd had picked up the atmosphere in the room, air growing heavy with the tension that accumulated.

It wasn’t until Jeongguk saw him. He was absolutely breathtaking in the simple, blood red shirt draped over his lean body. The curve of his small hips accentuated by the tightness of his pants. But the one aspect that caught Jeongguk’s eye was that delicious curve of his plump ass. His finger itched with the need to run his hand over it, give it a good squeeze. The man had a boldness to his stance, oozing confidence and sex appeal, and he knew it. Jeongguk had never seen him before, because there was no way on earth he wouldn’t have approached a specimen like that.

A newcomer. Fresh blood. Jimin hadn’t brought any in for a while, not since Jeongguk.

He licked his lips and weaved through the people to make his way to the tall man, his arms sliding around his waist with his palm settling nicely on his stomach, his front pressed flush against the man’s back. “Good evening, gorgeous.”

The tall man looked completely unfazed, blinking lazily at Jeongguk through his long lashes. Jeongguk found his face to be even more attractive than the rest of him. His features seemed delicate, half hidden behind a snowy white mask with intricate lacing. His lips looked full and kissable. His gaze daringly met Jeongguk’s dead on. There was something familiar about him but Jeongguk couldn’t put his finger on it. “Hello, stranger.”

“What are you doing here all alone?”

He laughed, a deep, velvety sound that had the lion inside Jeongguk roaring. “I believe I was having a pleasant conversation with someone else before you so sweetly interrupted, darling.” Jeongguk could almost taste his name on his tongue, yet it still escaped him.

“Will you let me take care of you tonight?” He whispered, lips peppering small kisses down the smooth column of his throat. The man tilted his head instinctively, allowing more access as he hummed his agreement. Taking his hand, Jeongguk led him towards the couch that had been untouched. He sat down and whirled him around, pulling the boy down to straddle him. His hands smoothed up his back, feeling the silky material run beneath his fingertips.

“I’m Taehyung, what’s your name?”

Taehyung. Taehyung. Why in the world would he place himself in such a vulnerable position? It boggled Jeongguk’s mind. “I don’t do names, sweetheart,” Jeongguk growled. Even after he knew the boy’s name, he still wasn’t sure how this boy seemed so utterly familiar. Then again, his social circles reached far and wide so it really shouldn’t be a surprise. The man shifted as his eyes seemed to speculate his surroundings, scanning his environment very intently. Jeongguk smiled, “Would you like to go somewhere more private? I understand if you’re uncomfortable being out here.”

He turned back to Jeongguk, clearing his throat, fingers reaching to find purchase on Jeongguk’s broad shoulders. Jeongguk had long shed his suit jacket, leaving him in a pressed white shirt that fitted him all too nicely. Taehyung could see the outlines of his chest down to his toned abdomen, the fabric stretching across his body perfectly. “Why? Are you getting shy on me?”

Jeongguk laughed, “I was afraid you were.” Taehyung only responded with a quirk of his brow. “Alright.” Smiling softly, he brought his hand up to the back of the man’s neck to tilt his face down, bringing his lips down to meet Jeongguk’s own. Slow and sweet. It was a nice change from the chaos that surrounded them. While most nights Jeongguk was eager to release his pent up desperation, he knew he could take his time relishing Taehyung’s presence. “Tell me if you don’t like anything okay, love.”

Taehyung winked, “I should be saying that to you.”

“You’re trouble,” he whispered, pushing Taehyung’s shirt up to reveal his beautiful skin. He was pleasantly greeted by the softness of his stomach, his fingers dancing along the flesh teasingly. “God, you’re fucking gorgeous.” Jeongguk could see the outline of Taehyung’s cock pressing up against the fabric of his pants. He thumbed the buttons free as Taehyung moved slightly forward, letting the shirt fall over his shoulders and drape around his body.

Jeongguk leaned forward and latched his lips onto his collarbones, kissing the smooth, unblemished skin to print indigo flowers to mark him as his. Taehyung smelled fresh and sweet, an addicting scent that had him breathing in. Jeongguk’s hand cupped Taehyung’s ass, kneading the heaven-created flesh. Fuck, his ass felt amazing. It was hard enough to hold, but soft enough to squeeze, a perfect balance. Jeongguk tugged at the man’s pants, letting it pop open before dragging the zipper down.

“Stand up and take these off for me, baby,” he murmured. Taehyung smiled lasciviously as he stood on his feet and shimmied his slacks off, letting them pool at his angles. Jeongguk hadn’t noticed it before, but he couldn’t miss the stilettos that decorated around his feet, thin straps wrapping around delicately. Oh fuck. He growled and tugged the boy forward again by two hands full of his ass. “You’re such a tease, love. Pretty little thing, aren’t you?”

Taehyung giggled, going back onto Jeongguk’s lap to rub his nose adorably against Jeongguk’s. “I aim to please, sir.”

This man was going to be the death of him. Jeongguk’s eyes traveled down the man’s alluring figure, wondering how God could’ve created such perfection in one human. Life really wasn’t fair. His finger teased the hem of Taehyung’s panties—godforsaken lace that barely kept his cock in. His cock was sticking up, barely going over the lining to reveal the reddened head. It was perhaps the prettiest and sexiest sight Jeongguk has ever seen in his entire life.

Taehyung eased his cock from the thin pair of underwear, pushing it down so he could release his length and balls, letting it fall against Jeongguk’s thigh. Jeongguk’s cock twitched in his slacks as he captured the other boy’s lips with his again, movement much more frantic as his fingers tangled in between the thick strands of his curls. “You’re such a little tempter.” His lips skimmed down Taehyung’s neck, his hands gripping his ass to keep him in place as Taehyung threw his head back, letting Jeongguk indulge in the taste of his skin. “Baby, I want you to grind on me, yeah?” He hummed. With his hands supporting Taehyung’s ass, he moved him slowly so Taehyung could set his own rhythm.

Fuck. Jeongguk released a groan with the tension that coiled in his stomach. Taehyung panties were pushed up in between his ass cheeks, the plushness of his behind pressing against Jeongguk’s thigh as he moved to sit on one of them. His cock—goddamn, his cock—nudged against the tent in Jeongguk’s pants teasingly. The whimpers leaving Taehyung’s lips did nothing to ease the breathlessness that suffocated him, the heat that simmered between the boy’s legs. Taehyung grew hungrier for friction, moving his hips faster as Jeongguk’s hands massaged the gorgeous mounds of his ass, squeezing the soft flesh beneath his fingertips. He brought his hand down on the other boy with a slap hard enough to jerk him forward but not enough to hurt him.

Taehyung’s following gasp was a satisfying indication that complemented the widening of his eyes. Jeongguk smirked, “Like that, love? Do you want me to punish you?”

Despite the other boy’s inability to form a proper response, Jeongguk noted the way he had shuddered, the way he was still trembling and moving even faster. A bead of precome escaped the slit and rolled down along the length. Jeongguk smirked and rubbed Taehyung’s ass lightly before slapping it again. The boy jolted forward with a whine, picking up the speed of his movements. Jeongguk wanted to come. God, the electricity that coursed between the two of them had him gritting his teeth, his lungs constricting in an attempt to savor the feel of Taehyung’s softness pressed against him.

“Wait, love, let me take these off.” He brought Taehyung to his feet, the boy’s legs shaking ever so slightly, and slowly slid the panties down his legs, kissing a path along his inner thighs as he did so. Taehyung shivered and stepped out of them. Jeongguk shrugged off his own slacks, leaving him with his cock hanging deliciously in front of Taehyung. He was already so, so hard. His cock curved, touching his stomach as he pumped it in his hands, his head dropping against the back of the couch as he moaned. “Taehyung, ride my thigh again.”

It appeared that he didn’t even need to ask twice because the man was already settling himself snugly on his thigh, watching in mesmerization as the muscles flexed in his legs. Taehyung groaned at the feel of his bare skin, heat radiating and keeping him warm. He started slow, moving his hips and reveling in the slow burn that sizzled in his stomach.

Jeongguk watched the way Taehyung’s cock twitched with every shift, every stroke had the boy’s ass clenching around air. Fuck. Taehyung was so hard. His whines only egged Jeongguk on, one of his hands gripping Taehyung’s tiny waist as the other smacked him again. “You can move faster than that, love. Don’t you want to come?”

Nodding, Taehyung choked back his whimpers and shifted his hips faster, his ass enjoying the feel of Jeongguk’s hard muscle underneath. His cock was rubbing up against his skin too as he leaned forward, hands on his thigh. Not to mention, both of them started noticing the curious stares of those around them. Jeongguk spotted Jimin by the bar, staring at the two of them with piqued interest and a knowing smile on his lips. A girl was kissing up his neck, practically throwing herself at him, yet he kept his eyes fixated on Jeongguk and his partner.

Jeongguk was drawn back to reality when he felt Taehyung’s shudders. Fuck, Taehyung was close. So close he could taste it. But Jeongguk yanked him off, flipping him around so he was standing in front of Taehyung and Taehyung was settled on the couch, ass bare against the cold leather. “Suck my cock, love. I want to see those gorgeous lips of yours stretched around my dick.”

Taehyung’s teeth caught his bottom lip to suppress a groan that threatened to escape. inching forward, Taehyung took Jeongguk’s length into his hands, letting the weight settle on his palm, and began to stroke. Taehyung was basically nude at that point with his shirt haphazardly hanging on for dear life around his elbows. The man was far from shy, smiling as he looked up at Jeongguk from beneath his lashes.

With his cock literally in Taehyung’s hands, Jeongguk let his eyes wander to the side, scanning the people that had begun to gather around them. One guy had even pulled his dick out of his pants to jerk off to the sight of Taehyung running his thumb over the tip of Jeongguk’s dick before he took Jeongguk deep into his mouth.

Jeongguk let out a hiss at the warmth of his insides. Hollowing out his cheeks, Taehyung sucked him in deep, pulling out, only to repeat the movement over and over. He took him deeper each time, the tight walls of his mouth wrapped so sweetly around Jeongguk. He buried his fingers in Taehyung’s hair as he bobbed his head back and forth, listening to the satisfied grunts leaving Jeongguk’s lips.

Jimin appeared by his side offering a lit cigarette which he caught between his lips and sucked in. The older boy watched Taehyung take Jeongguk hard, sucking and lapping up every drop of precome that leaked from the slit. His tongue swirled around the head and dug into the little opening, earning a jerk of his hips that touched the tip to the back of Taehyung’s throat. “He’s a pretty one, isn’t he?” Jimin asked, tucking his hand inside his pocket.

“Fuck, this baby sucks cock like his life depends on it.” Jeongguk muttered, puffing out a cloud of smoke as his lust-filled eyes tracked the rhythmic movement. “Such a good boy. Listens so well, don’t you, love?” Jeongguk reached around Taehyung’s body, his fingers finding his nipples and pinching from where he stood. He watched Taehyung’s winces and whimpers that vibrated around his cock.

“Fuck him.” Jimin ordered, taking a drag from his own cigarette. “Give my guests a show, won’t you?”

Jeongguk smirked and nodded. What the boss wanted, he got. He pulled Taehyung off him, lips releasing his length with a small pop. “Get on your knees, babe. I want that sweet ass up for me.” He smiled, nudging Taehyung so he turned around, hands on the back of the couch and ready for him. Jeongguk snatched up the lube Jimin tossed his way, keeping the stick trapped between his teeth as he drizzled his fingers with the liquid. When he slipped two fingers, his digits slid in too easily, “So fucking tight, love. Do you want me inside you?”

“Y-Yes,” Taehyung stuttered, breath hiccuping in his throat as he pushed himself back so Jeongguk’s fingers would slide in deeper. Jeongguk shoved his fingers in a few times, scissoring his insides open to spread it out, before pulling them out completely to slide a condom over his cock. “P-Please.”

“Please what, love?”

“Please fuck me.”

Jeongguk smirked, gripping his hips and sliding straight into the other boy. Taehyung jerked forward with a cry, feeling the strong stinging in his ass, but wiggled it to urge Jeongguk on. The boy pounded into Taehyung, hard and fast. Sweat beaded his forehead as he closed his eyes to let the pleasure crash over him. God, Taehyung was so nice and tight, his hole fitting so snugly around him. He snapped his hips faster to fuck him harder, his cock hitting all the spots that had Taehyung pleading for him to go harder, to fuck him until he came.

He almost forgot that Jimin was still standing next to him until he saw him tug out his own cock, wrists lazily flicking to get himself hard. “Look at you, love, taking it so well. Even my friend here is so pleased with you. You’re giving everyone such a good performance.” Jimin smirked, moving to adjust Taehyung so he was backed up against one arm rest with Jeongguk pounding into him from behind. Jimin kneeled on the couch, cock thick and throbbing in his hand as he pushed Taehyung’s head down. “That’s right, baby, why don’t you take his cock in your mouth, hm? Have both your holes all stuffed with cock.”

Taehyung opened his eyes, dragging himself long enough from the cloud of lust that blurred his perception to realize that people were watching. They were downright staring, looking as if they were ready to join them. Fuck. Then Jimin was standing before him, his cock looking absolutely delectable as it dripped and twitched. He opened his mouth obediently, letting the length slide heavily along his tongue and stretching his lips wide open.

Jimin began to slowly move his hips, hands cupping Taehyung’s face as he fucked into the boy’s mouth. “Fuck, you’re a pretty bitch,” Jimin grunted, taking delight in the way Taehyung whimpered around his cock.

Jeongguk chuckled and licked his dry lips as he fucked Taehyung faster, his fingers digging into the boy’s supple skin to hold him in place so he could reach deeper inside him. He ducked down to leave kisses on the smooth skin of Taehyung’s back, biting lightly to leave marks that would remind the boy of him after tonight, remind him that he had possessed him.

“He takes cock so well.” Jimin murmured, running his fingers through the boy’s thick locks, tugging on them which had Taehyung moaning vibrations around the dick in his mouth. “You picked a good one tonight.”

He only laughed, a bitter chuckle leaving his lips as his hips relentlessly moved to pound into Taehyung. “Love,” he smiled, brushing his lips over the wounds he’s left on Taehyung’s figure. The little purpling bruises, the reddening marks his mouth had left. “Come for me.”

The three little words in Taehyung’s ear seemed to be all it took for him to come undone before Jeongguk and Jimin. His ruby lips parted in a gasp, his body trembling, his walls pulsating around Jeongguk’s cock as his groans rumbled the delicious friction against Jimin’s. Jeongguk felt the warmth that surrounded his length, eliciting his own climax as he let out a long groan, his head thrown back as ecstasy flooded every inch of his being. He could feel the elastic around his cock fill with liquid warmth. Jimin, on the other hand, had pulled out and covered Taehyung’s face in streaks of ivory, a pretty painting on a pretty boy. He milked his cock until Taehyung had come dripping on his lips and his cheeks, over his eyelids.

Jimin chuckled, tucking himself back into his pants, “Finish up, I’ll see you later.”

Meanwhile, Jeongguk sighed, pulling out of Taehyung and yanking his slacks back on. He gently guided Taehyung to sit on the couch, his mind in a dazed state. Jeongguk quickly found a blanket to drape over the boy’s naked figure. Taehyung stood up only for Jeongguk’s hand to shoot out in assistance. He laughed, waving him off, “I’m not that weak but thanks.”

“Thank you, love. I hope that was alright.”

Taehyung flashed him a grin, a devious twinkle in his eye, “More than alright.” Patting his shoulder, Taehyung whispered in his ear as he walked past. “It’s been a pleasure, Jeon Jeongguk.”

He stiffened. Names were never mentioned in the house. Ever. He had been taken aback enough that Taehyung had—Jeongguk’s breath hitched in his throat as he whirled around. That was why he had sounded so familiar. His voice. Now that he had listened in closely, it sounded familiar. A little too familiar. He’s heard it before, the sweet lilt. It was the voice that came from his television every morning, reporting breaking news and current issues. The same voice that had left countless voicemails asking for interviews and an exclusive from the Jeon family.

Fuck.

His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes sought the man’s figure in the crowd.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

#bts #taehyung #jungkook #jimin #bts smut #maknae line #kinktober17 #bts scenarios #bts fanfic #i wrote this for my old blog but revamped and adapted it to fit maknae line :D #edit: jfc can ppl just read my tags or the ask i answered #i feel rlly uncomfy by that person who reblogged with the question #ask me directly instead of commenting on the fic christ

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key-ten · 7 years ago

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Symphysis

So haha here is my Colorful World entry. I can’t remember the last time I finished a long fic. Joining Colorful world was super fun and this is unfortunately my first and probably the last time I’ll do it. But I hope y’all enjoy it. Let me know what ya think

Pairing: Jongkey Word count: 10,947 Rating: PG-15 Warnings: N/A Summary: Forever isn't really as long as it seems. And love is for those naive enough to be redeemed.

“Wanna go on a date?” They’re sitting in the library studying when Jonghyun asks the question. Today he just couldn’t concentrate on his book, opting instead to watch Kibum as he buried his nose in his books. The younger guy was just intriguing to watch. From the way his furrowed brow accompanies a pout when he didn’t understand something to the way he beamed with pride when he got something correct. Really it was distracting and the only solution Jonghyun found to his problem was to ask Kibum out like he’d been itching to for months.

“Huh?” Kibum isn’t really paying attention to Jonghyun, calculus is kicking his ass. Partial differentiation can kiss his ass.

Jonghyun repeats himself, “A date. Want to go on one with me?”

“Huh?” This time Kibum actually does hear Jonghyun’s question, but he isn’t’ really sure if he heard Jonghyun correctly. A date? Them? Together? In the year and a few months, they’ve been friends, Jonghyun never hinted at the fact that he even had an inkling of a crush on Kibum. Where was this coming from? “Are you serious?”

“Wow, way to turn a guy down Kibum. Of course I’m serious!”

“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting it?” Ever since they met in the drama club during Kibum’s freshmen year, they’ve been an inseparable pair. Jonghyun was just one of those overly excited sophomores that wanted to meet and greet all the newbies. Never did Kibum expect anything romantic to come out of their friendship.

“Well now that it's all out there, what do you say?” Jonghyun doesn't even remember the last time his heart raced this much after asking someone out.

“Um sure?” Although Kibum sounded uncertain, he certainly wouldn't be after the date Jonghyun has planned. “Since when did you like me?”

Jonghyun can feel his cheeks heat up, “Really? You're going to ask this now?”

“When else would be a better time to ask?”

The older man rubs the back of his neck. “I don't know? A couple of months? One day I just started thinking about how nice it'd be if I could hold your hand and kiss you. I don't know, that just isn't a thought a friend should have.”

“Why didn't you say anything earlier? You should've just said something.”

“Oh, I'm sorry that I was so nervous that I felt like my heart could burst out of my chest.”

“That's adorable, Jong.” Kibum smiles. “Let's go on the date after my exam, okay?” Jonghyun quickly packs up his stuff, bubbling with excitement. “Where are you going?”

“I've gotta go tell Minho! He said I wouldn't ever have the balls to ask you out. Gotta go rub it in his face.”

“Wait, he knew about it?!”

“Everyone knew about it. I'll talk to you later.”

---

“So, you're telling me that literally everyone knew about your massive crush on me?” They're walking side by side down the street after part two of the perfect date. Or at least Jonghyun thought it would be perfect for Kibum.

They started off at a paint and sip, Kibum always talked about wanting to go to one; although he wouldn't be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage, a virgin pi��a colada would have to do. Next they headed to a market famous for its street food. It was easy to eat a lot for a little, and gave them something to consistently talk about.

“I wasn't exactly shy with my flirting.” Kibum was never receptive towards any of the advances Jonghyun made which was why he delayed this even more.

“So I was just being stupid?” Really he had never noticed. Kibum would like to think that he wasn't completely oblivious.

“I don't want to say yes, but definitely.”

“You're such an ass.” Kibum playfully punches his shoulder.

“Yeah, but this ass has taken you on the best first date you've ever been on.” Kibum couldn't debate that. He's only been in what? Three first dates in his entire life? This certainly was the best of them because Jonghyun actually cared that he was having a good time unlike those other fools he's been on dates with.

“Fine. I admit this has been a pretty good date.”

“Fear not, we have one more stop before this date comes to a close.”

“Oh really? How can this date get any better?”

“Just you wait and see.” It takes a bus ride to the neighboring city and a ten minute walk to get to the perfect destination. “We made it with just a couple of minutes to spare.”

“You're not trying to kill me are you?”

“That would be a terribly thought out murder don't you think? I told everyone on the planet that I was taking the Kim Kibum on a date.” Not to mention they passed by a crap ton a people in order to get to this spot.

“I guess you're right. So what are we doing here? Not that it's not nice or anything.” They stood overlooking a small lake, the moonlight bouncing off of the rippling water. It could even be described as romantic although Jonghyun has never brought someone here before.

“Just wait a little longer.” Were they running off schedule? He did not have this planned out in such detail for it to fall apart at the very end.

A sharp sound shoots through the air. The initial boom catches Kibum off guard, but after the colors dissipate into the night sky, Kibum’s mouth hangs open.

“You brought me to a fireworks show?” Kibum gasps. Fireworks held a special place in Kibum’s life. His grandparents used to take him all the time as a kid before they passed away. He hasn't been to see fireworks since they died a few years back. Jonghyun actually remembered this minor detail? Kibum couldn't have mentioned it anything more than in passing.

“I figured it'd be a good way to end the night.”

“It's perfect.” Kibum looks at him with gleaming eyes and a bright smile. “You're perfect.” Kibum leans in quickly, planting a peck upon Jonghyun’s lips. Jonghyun has been imagining this moment for months and it was over before he could even register that it was happening. Still he feels like he could explode alongside the fireworks into an array of colors.

Instead of squealing in excitement, Jonghyun takes the initiative to intertwine their fingers together. Kibum gives him a reassuring squeeze, too embarrassed to look Jonghyun in the eye.

Jonghyun thinks that Kibum is the perfect one.

----

“So you're the famous Kim Kibum?” He feels as if he's a specimen under a microscope. He takes Jonghyun’s hand under the table for a sense of security. Kibum never imagined that meeting Jonghyun’s college friends would be this intimidating. What they thought of Kibum didn't matter to him, but them liking the high schooler would definitely make the experience easier.

“I don't know about famous but yeah.” They've been planning Kibum’s visit for months, before Jonghyun even moved into the dorms. Jonghyun’s university wasn't even that far away but with a lack of a car and income, it made it difficult from Kibum to come up and visit the older man.

“Jonghyun talks about you a lot. Almost too much.” Hana, or at least he thinks her name is Hana, says. Kibum’s never realized how bad he was with names until seated at this table. He's sure Jonghyun has spoken about these people on more than one occasion and posted way too many selfies with them on Facebook, but the only name to face connection he's making is with Jonghyun’s roommate.

“If I was dating someone as cute as Kibum, I'd talk about them all the time too.” Jonghyun’s roommate, Seo Joon, comments.

“See, Seo Joon understands me. This is why we're the perfect roommates.”

“Are you sure it isn't because I'm letting you guys have the room to yourselves this weekend?” Seo Joon counters.

“If you ever get a girl, I'll let you have the room whenever you ask.”

“Stop it, you're killing the poor guy.” A girl, Nicole maybe, says in an attempt to save Kibum from embarrassment.

“Are you coming to the party tonight?” Party? Jonghyun never mentioned any party to Kibum.

“No. We're just going to spend the night in.” Jonghyun answers for them.

“Oh really? Who's going to be in who?” Seo Joon cracks a joke, soliciting a laugh from everyone at the table

“If really care to know, we're versatile.” Kibum speaks before really thinking about the words that fly out of his mouth.

Jonghyun’s friends erupt into laughter. “Can we keep him please?”

---

“Hey Key?” They're lying on Jonghyun’s bed, just staring at the ceiling. The twin extra-large bed isn't too comfortable but they make it work. It was easier to see each other now that Kibum went to the same college. He seemed to stay over at Jonghyun’s upperclassmen apartment more than his own dorm, not that either of their roommates minded much.

“Hm?” Kibum had to prepare himself for whatever pseudo-deep question was to follow.

“Have you ever thought about getting married?” Well that one was different.

“In general, yes?” He's always dreamed of the white picket fence with dogs, maybe without the kids. It wasn't a priority on his list though. “Have you?”

“All the time.”

“Really? You've never spoken about it before.” In the four years they've been dating, Kibum can't recall Jonghyun mentioning it once.

“You know how much of a hopeless romantic I am, of course marriage is on my list somewhere.” Kibum should’ve assumed after all of the moonlit dates they've been on.

“Alright so where is this conversation going?” Kibum sits up to be able to look at Jonghyun, Jonghyun always wore his emotions on his face, so Kibum could be able to tell what he was feeling easily. Jonghyun only looks pensive when he sits up to look back at Kibum.

“Well I was thinking, that I want to be married one day to you.”

“What!?” Kibum doesn't mean for the question to sound as harsh as it came out.

“Not now obviously!” Jonghyun panics a little, afraid that he scared Kibum a bit. “I bought us something.” Jonghyun digs into the nightstand drawer and pulls out a ring box. “Before you freak out, this isn't an engagement ring. More like a promise ring.”

Jonghyun opens the box to reveal two silver bands. His name is engraved into one of them, Jonghyun’s on the other. The names have one diamond on the left, one sapphire on the right. Jonghyun put a lot of work into designing these. “My name is engraved on the inside of yours and vice versa.”

“Oh my gosh, these are beautiful. How did you afford this?” Jonghyun only worked a couple of hours a week as a waiter and these must have cost a fortune.

“I saved all of my tips for months.” Not to mention that he was afraid to creep Kibum out. Despite how long they've been dating; they've never talked about where they envisioned their relationship going. “Obviously we can replace these with engagement rings later when we're ready for that but until then we can have these. If you want to of course.”

“Of course I want to!” Kibum throws his arms around Jonghyun, pulling back to plant a kiss on his lips. Kibum holds his hand out so that Jonghyun can easily slip the ring onto his finger. Jonghyun does the same. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Forever.”

---

“How is it down there?” Jonghyun finally got the chance to give Kibum a call after Kibum had been waiting days. A couple of months after being a fresh college graduate, Jonghyun was finally approached for a job. The only problem was that it was an hour and a half away from Seoul. After a few encouraging words from Kibum and his parents, he decided to accept the offer.

“It's really good! I'm settling in. And everyone seems so nice so far. I miss you though “

“I miss you too.” College wasn't the same without Jonghyun by his side.

“You have to come out here when you can. It's really nice.” Kibum’s internship has been eating up all of his time, he would've helped Jonghyun move in otherwise.

“I'll try my best.” Of course if he could, he'd be by Jonghyun’s side right now.

“Hey, Jonghyun you coming?” Kibum hears over the phone.

“You have friends over?”

“Ah they're my coworkers. We're going out for an office party because I'm a new hire.” Jonghyun explains over the phone. “I'm sorry guys. I'll be right there; I'm talking with my boyfriend.”

“You didn't tell us that you have a boyfriend.” It's a different voice this time, a woman.

“Really? I feel like I mention him within ten minutes of speaking to someone about my life. His name is Kibum and he's the love of my life.”

“Nice. Hopefully we get to meet this Kibum one day.”

“I don't want to hold you up if you have somewhere to go.”

“Alright, I love you.”

“Love you too. Don't drink too much! You know how you get when you're drunk.’ He gets almost too affectionate for his own good.

“No promises. I'll call you later.”

They carry on like that for months. Quick phone calls every day once as Jonghyun got settled. The weekly video chat just to see each other's faces. Jonghyun’s monthly visits back home to see Kibum and his family.

Until it all stopped.

There were always periods of time where one of them would be too busy to be in contact but never more than a few days at a time. Everything just went cold. Messages left unread. Calls left unanswered. Voicemail box full from how many messages Kibum has left him.

Kibum decides to go visit Jonghyun’s parents to see if they've heard from him. Surely they'd know what what going on.

He rolls up to the house only to be met with a for sale sign on the lot. What was going on? Kibum didn't want to get ahead of himself and worry but his mind was racing and his heart was pounding. They would've never moved without telling Kibum first, they loved him to pieces.

Kibum’s next option was to drive to Jonghyun’s work. Kibum never had the chance to go to Jonghyun’s apartment but he did know the name of the business he worked for. It was just as cute as Jonghyun described.

“Hello, I'm looking for information on someone who works here.” Kibum speaks to the receptionist.

The receptionist looks up at him, her eyes flashing of recognition. “Kibum? You're Kibum right? Jonghyun’s Kibum?”

“Yes that's me. Have you seen him?”

The receptionist shakes their head, “No. He hasn't come to work in weeks.”

“What?”

“I don't know. It was like he disappeared and never came back. Never formally quit either. Our boss was pissed.” Now Kibum had grounds to be worried. Jonghyun was never a flakey person. He would never miss work without reason

“Do you happen to have his address on file?”

“Really, I'm not allowed to give this to you because you're not legally family. But Jonghyun cared about you a lot so I'll make an exception.”

Kibum’s next stop was Jonghyun’s apartment. His heart and mind are racing uncontrollably, that he doesn't hesitate to bang at the door.

“Jonghyun!” The door opens to reveal a tall woman. “Where's Jonghyun?”

“Who's Jonghyun?” Confusion is painted across her face to match the confused thoughts in his head.

“The man that lived at this apartment.”

“I don't know, I moved in a few months ago. You can try asking the landlord.” Kibum runs down to the first floor, the elevator would take too much time. The landlord is easy to find, an older man.

“Excuse me, do you know what happened to the former tenant of 32D? Kim Jonghyun.”

“The kind man that loved to sing? Ah, yes. Of course I remember him.”

“Do you know why he moved out? I haven't heard from him in weeks.”

“He never officially moved out actually. A woman and a man came by to take his stuff weeks ago saying that something happened to him.” Kibum’s heart sinks through his chest.

“Do you know what happened?”

“No. The couple didn't elaborate. But it seemed bad. They looked like they hadn't slept in days.”

“Do you have any way to contact them?”

“No. They didn't leave a number or anything. They took everything out in a day and never came back.”

Kibum’s world turns black.

When he comes to again the blinding white lights of a hospital burns his eyes.

“I think he's waking up! Kibum!” His mom is to his left, grasping at his hand. His father is standing behind her, looking just as worried. Taemin, his best friend, is to his right. “Kibum what happened?”

Kibum had the same exact question. What happened? Where was Jonghyun? The man that promised to always be by his side was nowhere in sight. Jonghyun was even there where he got his appendix removed during his freshmen year of college. Tears welling at his eyes spill over.

“Kibum what's wrong?”

Everything was wrong. From the aching in his head to the hole in his heart everything was wrong. “Jonghyun. Something's wrong. I don't know where he is. His parents are gone. He's gone.”

“I'm so sorry.” His mom wraps her arms around him as best as she can in this position. Everything comes raging out of Kibum’s body, sobbing into his mother's shoulder, fingers gripping into the bed sheets. Why does everything hurt?

He spends winter break back at home with his parents. He couldn't bear to spend time in the apartment that he once shared with Jonghyun. The countless pictures of them together that littered the walls of their apartment were a cold reminder of what Kibum no longer had. Even looking at the wallpaper on his phone was painful, but Kibum didn't have the heart to change it; preferring instead to not touch his phone at all. He took an indefinite leave of absence from his internship, the job being more understanding than Kibum could've ever imagined.

Even daily activities became too hard for him. Getting out of bed was impossible the first few days back at home after collapsing. Not because his body was still reeling from fainting but because everything hurt. Everything reminded him of the things he and Jonghyun once did together.

The bed that he laid in reminded him of their first time together. Kibum’s parents had went to go visit some relatives for the weekend, so Kibum thought that it was the perfect opportunity to invite Jonghyun over for the weekend. In the 6 months that they'd been dating at the time, they never progressed further than making out and the occasional handjob when they found the time. Despite Jonghyun being much more experienced, he never pushed for anything, waiting for whenever Kibum felt he was ready.

It started out like it always did with them making out of Kibum’s bed. Kibum on top of Jonghyun, trailing kisses along his neck. Kibum pulled back to take a look at Jonghyun, his lips puffed up and his eyes blown wide.

“Want to have sex?” Kibum was sure that there was a sexier way to ask, but none could come to his mind.

“What?” Jonghyun sits up, shifting Kibum to be on his lap. “Are you sure?” Jonghyun had the most sincere eyes that Kibum had ever looked into. Big and brown, but clear.

“I've never been more sure of anything in my life.” Jonghyun lit up at his words. Not because he was finally going to get something that he was waiting for for months but because Kibum trusted him enough to even consider it.

“Have you considered whether you want to be on top or on bottom?”

“Not really?” It was a lie, Kibum has thought about this more than he would be willing to admit.

“We can try both and see which one you like?” Jonghyun suggested.

“Which are you normally?”

“I like either, but maybe like sixty percent of the time I've been on top?”

“We can do that then.”

“We can do whatever you want. You just have to tell me what you like and what you don't like when I do them okay?” Jonghyun was always so cautious with Kibum, more so than he's ever been with anyone prior to Kibum. Kibum nods.

“Do you have lube? Or condoms?” Kibum nods going to his dresser, rummaging through the bottom drawer to produce the items Jonghyun asked for. Jonghyun began to laugh hysterically.

“What? What's funny?”

“You lied. You have been thinking about this. You're cute. You might want to find a different hiding spot for it.”

Kibum moved to straddle his boyfriend again. “Are you going to keep poking fun at me or are we going to do this?”

Jonghyun shifted his weight so that he could flip them over, laying Kibum on his back. “Let's do it.”

His backyard reminded him of the first time he told Jonghyun that he was in love with him. Jonghyun already declared his love for Kibum months into their relationship, Kibum was more hesitant with the words. Really Kibum knew all along that he was in love with Jonghyun and Kibum was certain that Jonghyun knew all along which is why he never placed any emphasis on Kibum saying the words. His backyard had this cute hammock that they liked to lay in whenever the weather was nice enough.

“Jonghyun, I'm in love with you.” The declaration was random, while they were just looking at the clouds. He turned to look over at the older man, and a rush of emotions overtook him.

Jonghyun turned to look at him, eyes wide, blinking. “What? Do you want to repeat that again?”

“I think that I'm in love with you.”

“You think?”

“I am.”

Jonghyun jumped off of the hammock, running around the yard. “He’s in love with me! Kim Kibum is in love with me!” He screamed from the top of his lungs like a child.

“Shut up my neighbors are going to murder you!” Kibum moved to run after him.

“He loves me!” When Kibum finally caught up to the older man, he shut him up with his lips.

Everything Kibum looked at was just another painful reminder of what he no longer had.

Finishing up his last semester of college was rough. He wouldn't have been able to get through it without the help of his friends, especially Taemin. He always stopped by Kibum’s place before his classes to make sure that Kibum went. Making sure that Kibum was eating well.

Weeks turned to months, months turned to years. Pain turned to numbness. The feeling of nothing, was scariest. At least the pain reminded him that he was in fact alive. Eventually it became easier to smile, to laugh, to breathe.

---

“Yeah, I'll be right there. I'm just picking up my coffee down the block.” Kibum speaks into his phone, adding soy milk go his steaming hot cup of coffee. He should've anticipated the longer commute due to the heavy rain, monsoon season was the worse. It was during stormy weather like this that he is reminded on Jonghyun the most. He always loved the rain. It gave him the most inspiration.

If he leaves a minute later there is the slightest chance that he'd make it on time to the meeting, but the is no way he'd risk rushing and splashing water on his clothes. Sure a raincoat was made for the rain but Kibum’s was for fashion.

He steps out of the café, coffee clenched in one hand, his umbrella in the other. His walk should be quick and easy with how desolate the sidewalks are due to the rain, save for the obnoxious guy walking towards him with a bright blue umbrella in tow, head down buried in his phone- one of Kibum’s pet peeves.

When the umbrella rises, the only thing that Kibum can hear besides the pang in his heart is the clanging of his umbrella on the ground and the dull thud of the paper coffee cup. Kibum never knew that raindrops could feel like tiny daggers penetrating every part of his being.

Jonghyun? Kibum would never be able to forget that face. The face smiling so brightly despite the grey blooming skies. The face smiling even though Kibum feels as if being struck by lightning would be better than whatever he is feeling now. Kibum thought that he'd be relieved if he were to see Jonghyun again, but the tears streaming down his face mixing with the rain told him otherwise. Kibum couches down, hugging his knees.

A pair of shoes stop in front of him, the rain disappearing with it.

“Are you okay?” Jonghyun was always a knight in shining armour. He gets down to match Kibum’s eye level.

Kibum doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know what to think. Maybe this was just a cruel joke. Kibum’s imagination playing tricks on him.

“Jonghyun?” He stutters.

A pained expression flashes over his face. “Do I know you?” The air is suffocating but maybe death would be a better way out of this. “Would you like to have a talk over some coffee? I can buy you a new one.”

Work would have to wait.

Kibum can feel the barista burning holes into his back as he sits in a chair drenched from head to toe. Jonghyun comes back with two cups of coffee in hand, taking a seat across from him. “First off, I would like to apologize for making you cry.”

“For just today?” What about the nights Kibum cried himself to sleep? What about the days where breathing felt unbearable?

“I take it that you know me. Or well, that I knew you?” Jonghyun carefully brings his coffee cup up to his mouth. He was always so careful. “I’m sorry but I don't remember much.”

“What?”

“Almost two years ago, I got into a car accident with my parents and my memory is really spotty.” The rumors were true then. Warm tears roll down his face. “I'm sorry, please don't cry.”

“I'm just relieved.” Relieved that he hadn't been abandoned. Kibum buries his face in his hands.

“Kibum?” Kibum’s heart skips a beat, hearing his name again in that soft voice again. Kibum drops his hands from his face. “Your name is Kibum?” Jonghyun takes his left hand frantically to look at the ring still on Kibum’s finger. Jonghyun pulls at the chain tucked neatly underneath the collar of his shirt. Dangling at the end of the chain is the silver ring that Jonghyun bought years ago.

“You still have the ring?”

“It was one of the few things that survived the crash, albeit a bit dinged up. I didn't know who it was referring to when I woke up but clearly it was important to me. I take it that we meant something really special to each other.”

He still did. Kibum nods instead.

“I'm so sorry.” Jonghyun apologizes again, not finding the words to say. It wasn't Jonghyun’s fault but that certainly didn't make any of the pain he's felt over the last few years disappear. “I should've tried harder to find you. I should've done something. Anything.”

“It's not your fault.”

“That doesn't make me feel any less bad about it.” He says, looking Kibum directly in the eyes. “So we were dating?”

Kibum nods again. “You bought us these couple rings when you were in your junior year of college.”

“Fuck, how could I forget all of this? I'm sorry that you went through that.” Jonghyun had the memories stored in his head but the faces and names that went along with the memories were nowhere in sight.

“You're the one that got into an accident and got amnesia.”

“But it's easier to get through things when you don't remember what it is that you lost.” Kibum couldn't argue with that.

“So where do we go from here?” Kibum didn't expect anything from Jonghyun. How could he when they were virtually strangers?

Jonghyun extends a hand towards Kibum, “Hello my name is Jonghyun, nice to meet you.”

Received 9:54pm:

From Jonghyun

Do fireworks ring a bell?

Received 9:54pm From Jonghyun:

Like literal fireworks. Not emotional fireworks. Although idk, there may have been emotional ones too.

When Jonghyun suggested that they exchange numbers, Kibum thought it was just to be nice. He didn't think that Jonghyun would actually text him.

Sent 9:55pm To Jonghyun

To end off our first date, you brought me to see fireworks. You remember that?

Kibum could never forget it.

Received 9:55pm: From Jonghyun

I don't know. It's really hard to explain. I remember moments but not who they were done with. Some things trigger greater memories, but I had nothing to remind me of you except the ring. Which was a great mystery.

Sent 9:56pm: To Jonghyun

Oh… your uncle really didn't tell you anything huh?

Received 9:58pm: From Jonghyun

Nope… I wasn't really close with them to begin with so they didn't really know my life. They threw out a lot of my stuff because they just couldn't keep it all while paying for my treatment. Coupled with losing their relative, it was just really hard on them. I don't blame them much but there's a lot of people that I've hurt. people I can't remember.

Received 9:59pm: From Jonghyun If you don’t mind me asking, how did we start dating?

Sent 10:01pm: To Jonghyun You asked me out one day while we were studying. I didn’t think you were serious about it because you were a huge flirt. But you got really excited, so I knew that you were being legit.

Received 10:05om: From Jonghyun:

I don't think I've been flirt. I haven't been with anyone since the accident…

Sent 10:05pm To Jonghyun

Oh.

Received 10:06pm From Jonghyun

Have you been with anyone since?

Sent 10:05pm: To Jonghyun

No.

Not that he hasn't tried. He's been on several dates quickly realizing that he is in no way over Jonghyun. The fact that he's never taken the ring off should tell anyone that much.

Received 10:08pm: From Jonghyun

Oh...

Sent 10:08pm: To Jonghyun

Yeah…

Sent 10:10pm To Jonghyun

I should probably go to sleep. I kind of missed an important work meeting and have been ignoring my coworkers calls…

Received 10:10pm: From Jonghyun

Have a good night Kibum.

Kibum can hear keys jingle in the lock from the couch, Taemin must be home. A few seconds later Taemin walks through the door seconds later. “Why have your coworkers been calling me all day?” Taemin stops in front of the couch with a huff, a disappointed look on his face. Taemin has gotten really good at that face over the years. “Why are you wearing your sad outfit? Did something happen?” it was impossible to hide something from Taemin.

“I found him.”

“Found who? Lucky the Leprechaun? Because something magical must've happened for you to skip work and not even answer calls.”

“Jonghyun.”

Taemin’s face contorts into a look of confusion mixed with a little bit of anger. “What?”

“Jonghyun. I met him this morning.”

“Met him what? As a ghost?” Taemin always has some choice words about Jonghyun after the initial incident. Whereas Kibum reacted in tears, Taemin met it with anger.

“He has amnesia.”

“What?”

“He got into a car accident. His parents died in it and he got amnesia and he hardly even remembers me.”

Taemin’s face finally softens. “He what?”

“He didn't abandon me.” He breaks down again, Taemin quickly moving to wrap his arms around Kibum. Kibum had thought that he had cried enough tears over this, but it never failed to amaze him how much more tears he had to offer.

Always and forever. Kibum trusted those words when Jonghyun uttered them years ago. He always struggled with the idea that Jonghyun could have abandoned him after saying those words with such conviction, that was the hardest reality to face. There was supposed to be a sense of relief knowing that Jonghyun was well, but whatever was festering up within him was anything but relief.

---

“You look like shit.” That wasn't exactly the greeting that he expected walking into work this morning. He knew that he looked like shit. His eyes are puffy and his nose is red. The rain must've gotten him sick. Or maybe it was the shock.

“Trust me, I know.”

“Before I get angry at you for missing yesterday's meeting, and believe me I will, I'm going to give you the chance to explain yourself. So go on what fantastic reason do you have?”

“You've always asked me why I've avoided dating like the plague and I've only given you vague responses.”

“Yup. It makes no sense to me but yes I know.”

“I never told you the reason why before but I guess now would be a great time.”

“Spit it out then.”

“When I was in high school, I started dating this guy all the way to my fourth year of college. And one day he just disappeared without a trace. I didn't know where he was until yesterday. I saw him while I was walking here and I collapsed into tears. Come to find out he had gotten into a really bad car accident where his parents ended up dying and he got amnesia.”

“Whoa, I was not expecting that.” Kibum can see the pity all over his boss's face. “That is definitely a good enough reason but next time, try to answer your phone will you?’

“Sure. I'm sorry about that.”

“No worries. I hope it works out with that guy.”

“Thanks…”

Received 12:22pm

From Jonghyun:

I'm sorry for messaging you again… I just really have no one else to talk to about my life.

Received 12:24pm:

From Jonghyun:

You’d probably be at work right now right? I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble today for missing yesterday.

Received 12:30pm:

From Jonghyun:

I can only imagine how difficult this is for you…. You don’t have to reply to me. I just feel like I can’t apologize to you enough

Kibum has to turn off his phone after the third message. It was hard to focus on Jonghyun and his work at the same time. His boss may have forgiven him for missing work yesterday but he definitely wasn’t going to be okay with him shirking off today.

Kibum turns on his phone at the end of the day half expecting to find dozens of new messages from Jonghyun but only one new message comes through.

Received 5:11pm: From Jonghyun: I’m sorry. I understand if responding to me is too much to handle. I never meant to hurt you.

Sent 8:35pm To Jonghyun: For the past few years I’ve lived thinking that you were dead. I’m feeling so many things that I’d rather not feel at all. I’m sorry as relieved that I am that you’re alright, I feel like the pieces of me that I tried endlessly to tape back together have shattered again. I want to act like I’m completely grateful that you’re alive and well, because it’s so much better than so many alternatives it really is. But I just don’t know.

Sent 8:36pm To Jonghyun: Also I didn’t get in trouble with my boss. It’s easy to skate by when people pity you.

Received 8:41pm: From Jonghyun: Thank you for being honest with me. I guess it’s my turn to be honest with you. Meeting you has been like a whirlwind. Trying to piece together my life prior to the accident has been the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Meeting you made me see a light at the end of the tunnel, that maybe just maybe I could recover my lost memories. We could stop talking right now if you want me to. We can both go on about our lives as if we had never met yesterday. But what does that solve? I don’t mean to sound rude because we just met again but maybe a little discomfort will help you figure things out. Get closure, if that’s what you want. If you don’t know, then I sure as hell don’t. But maybe we can figure that out together.

His phone vibrates again shortly after.

Received 8:42pm: From Jonghyun: I’m happy that you didn’t get in trouble. You seriously don’t need any more issues on your plate.

Sent 8:45pm To Jonghyun: Do you want to meet for coffee?

By the time Kibum gets there, Jonghyun is already waiting there. He must live somewhere close by. Kibum slips into the chair opposite Jonghyun.

“I bought you a chai latte again. Half the amount of sugar and soy milk right?” Kibum nods. “I have to be honest, I was really surprised that you asked to me to coffee.”

“You’ll come to find out that I’m full of surprises.” Kibum takes a sip of the cinnamon beverage. “You’re right.”

“What?”

“You’re right. I could live avoiding you the rest of my life, but how would that help me? It’s been hard for me because I didn’t know what had happened to you. And now that I do, I don’t have any more excuses to be miserable.”

“I want you to be anything but miserable.”

“And I want you to regain your memories as much as you can.”

“Then we can have a mutually beneficial relationship. We get you closure and we attempt to recover my memories.”

“That sounds like a plan.” Kibum takes another sip of his coffee. “Have you always lived here? I know that Seoul is kind of big but it's impossible that I never would've seen you.”

Jonghyun shakes his head. “I lived in the countryside since the accident. I just recently moved here. Country life just wasn't for me anymore. It was also a career choice.”

No wonder he'd never seen him. “What do you do now?”

“After my accident I figured that life was too short to be sitting behind a desk. I produce and write music mostly. I also host a radio show.” Jonghyun always loved music even back then but he thought that it’d be a viable career so he decided to be a financial analyst instead. “Writing really helped me with my recovery process.”

“I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks. I'd love for you go hear them one day. A lot of my stuff was written before my accident, so you're the subject of a lot. Other than the ring, that's how I knew your name. It was written in my song journal like a billion times.”

“You never let me look through your journal when we were dating.” He’d sing songs from it from time to time but he’s never looked through it before.

“I wouldn’t show it to you now either.” He laughs. “It’s kind of a jumbled up, incoherent mess that no one but me will understand.”

“It’s nice to see that something has remained constant.”

“I’d like to think that I’ve remained pretty much the same, I just haven’t had anyone to verify that.” until now of course. “Maybe the only thing that’s changed is that I think much more before I speak.”

“And why is that?”

“I had some hemorrhaging in my brain after my accident that put pressure on my Wernicke’s area which is in charge of word understanding. So until the bleeding subsided words that made no sense would come out of my mouth and I hated that so I stopped talking for a little bit. And even afterwards, I just think before I speak.”

“You speak so easily about your accident.”

“The accident isn’t a source of pain for me. Trying to regain my memories is.”

“Then I guess this’ll be hard for the both of us, huh?”

“Nothing has been harder on me that sitting in countless therapy chairs trying to unlock my memories and coming to no conclusion. The key to unlocking my memories could be sitting right in front of me.” A bitter laugh escapes Kibum’s lips. “What’s the laugh for?”

“That’s what you used to call me. Key. Because I was the ‘key to your heart’. It kinda stuck with the rest of our friends though.”

“Oh…” Jonghyun shifts his gaze to his coffee cup. “I didn't know.”

“Let's make each other a promise. Let's try not to pity each other during this process. We're both essentially asking for torture, so let's just agree to be masochists.”

“Deal.”

“I brought the things you asked for.” The next time they meet is a week later at a park, Jonghyun’s choice of location. Kibum places the box in between them on the bench.

“Thanks.” Jonghyun uncovers the box, his eyes lighting up. Kibum hasn't looked in the box himself since Taemin packed his stuff up. Kibum looks off at the family playing frisbee instead of at Jonghyun, or the box. “What are these pictures from?”

“Thue one is from our third date. We went to go see a concert with some friends, hence the band tees.” The picture had terrible quality. It was pretty foggy because of the smoke and they were sweaty from jumping all night, but their smiles were bright.

“Gosh that blonde hair is atrocious. What was I thinking?”

“You hated darker hair on yourself for a while.” For years Jonghyun wore various shades of blonde because he thought it suited him better.

“Well clearly that has changed.” His hair now is black, it looked good. “What about this one?”

In the next picture they're dressed as a gender bent version of Harley Quinn and the Joker. It was for a costume party for his friend’s frat, and of course Jonghyun felt like they needed to show up everyone.

“It was for Halloween during my first year of college. It was your idea to do the gender bent thing. But everyone loved it and we won the costume contest and got a hundred bucks.”

“We look hot.”

“Clearly everyone else thought so too.”

Jonghyun digs further into the box, pulling out a selection of letters. “Am I allowed to read these?”

“Sure, you're the one who wrote most of them.” Jonghyun got into the habit of sending Kibum random letters in the mail after they'd been dating for about a year. There was never any rhyme to reason when it came to these letters, it was only for Jonghyun to express his thoughts about life, them, anything really.

Jonghyun takes his time reading through the letters, his facial expressions not changing. This Jonghyun was so much harder to read. These letters contained Jonghyun’s heart and soul and yet here he was emotionless.

“I was quite the romantic wasn't I? Especially this part right here where I talk about what I'd like to do to you in bed.” Jonghyun laughs and Kibum gets red in the face. There was a lot of that in the letters, Jonghyun wasn't shy about it at all.

“Don't read that!” Kibum takes the letter from Jonghyun, fearing anymore embarrassment.

“It's so weird knowing that I wrote that but not remembering any of them. Would you mind if I borrowed these for a while?”

“Go ahead, I have no use for them.” The box was just collecting dust at the back of the closet in the hallway. “Aren't you hot?” It was a grossly humid day but Jonghyun still wore black joggers with a black zip up hoodie to match.

“I have scars from the accident, big ones. I don't like showing them off.”

“I don't know if you've noticed but I have a scar in my eyebrow. I was just being a stupid kid and I face planted some pavement really hard and I had to get stitches. But I was left with this scar.” He looks at Jonghyun, really looks at the man he loved (loves?). “I used to fill in my brows because I hated the scat running through it. But then I met this guy would make me feel like the most beautiful person in the world and suddenly my scar didn't really mean much to me anymore. I hope that you're able to find someone that makes all of your scars seemingly disappear.”

A soft smile grows on Jonghyun’s face, “Thanks Kibum.” He furrows his brows before turning away from Kibum.

“You look happy.” Taemin says upon seeing Kibum walk into the kitchen.

“It was a nice day.”

“If you count outside being so humid that my sweat has sweat then yes it's a nice day. What have you been up to?” Kibum stays silent, any talk about Jonghyun enticed an argument. “You were with Jonghyun, weren't you?”

“Yes I was.”

“Kibum, what do you think you're doing?”

“Trying to help someone recover their lost memories.”

“With what purpose? In some sick hope that he'll come to realize that he's still in love with you?” Taemin could have slapped him in the face and it would've had the same effect on him.

“Yes, maybe some twisted little part of me wants him to still be in love with me! But more than anything else, I want to stop being sad. I want to stop living through life feeling hatred when other people feel happy. I want to feel happiness again. True happiness. And the only way that I can do that is if I face Jonghyun.”

“You can be happy without torturing yourself.”

“No, I can't!” Kibum shouts, surprising Taemin and himself. “I've tried! All of these months, all I've fucking done was try! Try to put on a smile on my face for my parents, for you! But it’s not working. I’m crumbling on the inside!”

“I—”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m gonna go lay down.”

---

“I’m sorry for calling you in the middle of the day.” Kibum had thought that at some point over the last few months they've reconnected that Jonghyun would stop apologizing.

“It’s fine, I was just about to go for my lunch break. What’s up?”

“I just left my therapist’s office. I’ve made more progress in this one day than I have since I’ve started therapy.”

“How so?”

“I remembered something. Not some foggy memory by really remembered something.”

Kibum swallows, “You recovered some of your memories?”

“One. I was introducing you to my mom and we were sitting at the dinner table and you were gripping my hand to death because you were nervous.”

Kibum laughs into the phone, “I remember that day. Your mom was amazing.”

Jonghyun talked about formally meeting his mom early on in their relationship. They’d met before briefly during a theater club rehearsal but then they had just been friends, being introduced as a boyfriend was a much bigger thing in Kibum’s mind. Really he shouldn’t have been as nervous as he was in retrospect, but having the most important person in your boyfriend’s life like you was huge to him. He put way too much thought into what to wear and what to bring even though Jonghyun insisted that his mom would love him no matter what. Jonghyun couldn’t have been more right because his mom really did adore Kibum.

“I told you that I loved you for the first time on that day.”

Kibum clears his throat, “You remembered that much, huh?”

There’s a moment of silence before Jonghyun speaks again, “You cried after I said it.”

“I did.” Kibum confirms his recollection of events. “Happy tears of course, but nevertheless there were tears.”

“My therapist says that meeting you again was the best thing for my recovery “

“Well, I'm happy that my tears have been instrumental in assisting you.” Kibum jokes.

“Really, you've been amazing.”

“Thanks…” Kibum trails off. “I'm gonna go.”

“Uh yeah. Have a good break.”

---

Received 4:31pm From Jonghyun:

Do you want to visit my studio? I said that I’d show you some of my songs.

“Sorry, it’s a little small. Literally no more than five people have been in here at a time.” Jonghyun opens the door in his usual all black attire with the addition of a cap.

“Are you kidding me? This place is great.” There was a little lounge area with mod decor when he first enters, leading to the soundboard, followed by the sound booth. It was small but it had all of the necessities. “How can you even afford this place?”

He shrugs, “Inheritance, life insurance, song royalties.”

“You make enough off of royalties to afford this? Have I heard any of the songs you’ve written on the radio?”

“Maybe. Gloomy clock by IU. Playboy by EXO. Breathe by Lee Hi. You didn’t hear it from me but I’m actually working on a song for Lee Hyori’s comeback.” How could he be so nonchalant about his accomplishments?

“She’s making a comeback?! What?”

“You didn’t hear it from me!”

“Dude those songs were huge. How did I not know about you?”

“People care more about who is singing more than who actually wrote or composed it.” He states, heading over the mini-fridge in the corner. “Do you want anything to drink? I’ve got mostly water and a couple of beers.”

“I’ll take a water.” Jonghyun tosses a water bottle over to Kibum.

“Don’t just stand over there, come over to the soundboard. It’s where all the magic happens.” It was interesting to see Jonghyun in his element. The most Kibum had ever seen was some miscellaneous strumming and humming. “Welcome to my home, I have slept here on one too many occasions.”

“Wow, the cool badass producer could've slept right in the chair that I'm sitting in.”

“Such an honor right?” Jonghyun jokes. “Anything you're interested in hearing?”

“It really doesn't matter to me. Being here at all is amazing to me.”

“Wow, I'm so touched.” Jonghyun hums fiddling with his laptop. ‘This song is called Suit Up. It was actually written years before my accident, probably one of the first songs I’ve ever finished but I didn't compose the music until maybe a couple of months ago.”

An angelic beat floats in, pulling Kibum in instantly. It was a different sort of sensation from the first song. This song had the sort of beat that Kibum could rest peacefully to, not nearly as heavy sounding as the first. Jonghyun’s breathy voice filters in, singing the sensual lyrics. I’m craving for something sweet, I’ll put you in.

After the song ends Jonghyun looks at him with hopeful eyes. “That was beautiful. It wasn't about me was it? I never imagined wearing a veil in my wedding day.”

“I actually don't know. There were no notes about it in my notebook.” Jonghyun couldn't piece things together without the notes in the margins.

“Have you ever thought about becoming an artist yourself?”

Jonghyun hums, “I've thought about it, I've gotten offers. But I don't know, I don't really know if I see myself in the spotlight.”

“I think you'd do great. You're handsome, you've got an amazing voice, and a story to tell. What else could the people possibly want?”

“I suppose you're right.”

“I forgot to ask, how have the therapy sessions been going?” Jonghyun hadn't mentioned anything since the last time they've spoken about it.

“Good. She highly doubts that I'll be able to recover all of my trapped memories but she says it's going well.”

“I’m happy to hear that.”

“Thanks for the support Kibum. It's been really helpful.”

Kibum smiles, “I'm happy to help.”

Jonghyun is looking into his eyes, and there's a flash of something in his eyes that Kibum can't out his finger on. But it's gone as soon as it appears, and Jonghyun’s back to looking at his laptop. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind for the rest of the night.

---

Received 9:54pm: From Jonghyun: Do you want to grab a drink?

Jonghyun is already sipping on a caramel colored beverage at the bar by the time Kibum arrives.

“Why the frown?” Kibum slips onto the bar stool next to him.

“I keep thinking about my parents.” Jonghyun replies not even looking up from his drink. “Do you want anything to drink? I've got an open tab going.”

“No. I don't really drink much anymore.” Jonghyun nods.

Jonghyun turns to look at him. “Did I ever tell you that the accident was my fault?” Kibum shakes his head. “We got T-boned by a truck while I was driving. My parents got hit straight on. I used to think about them more often.”

“What do you think about now?”

“A little bit about everything. These days I'm feeling regretful.” Jonghyun takes a final swig of his beverage. “But not towards my parents which makes me more perplexed.”

“Who are you feeling regretful towards?”

“I know we promised each other not to feel bad for each other, but lately towards you mostly. And myself.”

“Why?” Kibum feels like a therapist asking guided questions to try to get Jonghyun to his point.

“The more I regain my memories the more I feel bad, I'm not even sure if I know how I feel anymore. The idea of what my life, our life, would've been had the accident never happened is plaguing me.” Kibum had imagined it too, where they would've been. Would they have been married with some puppies running around? Would they not have been together at all?

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Not much has made sense lately.” Jonghyun swirls the empty glass around. Kibum had never seen Jonghyun this down before. Kibum was never all too great at consoling others, that was always Jonghyun’s thing. “I thought that this agreement would bring more clarity but I'm more confused than when we started.”

“Then we can just end this here.” He had nothing to lose anymore.

“That’s the thing, I don't want this to end.”

“I don't understand what it is that you want to do then.”

“I like you.” He confesses.

“What?”

“At first I thought that whatever I was feeling was because of my memories resurfacing, but I know what I felt then and I know what I feel for you now and they’re not the same.”

Kibum shakes his head in disbelief, “No, I can’t do this again.”

“I know that this doesn’t make any sense, but please hear me out.”

Kibum moves from his seat to back away from Jonghyun, “I’m sorry, I just can’t.”

Jonghyun latches onto Kibum’s wrist, looking at him with the most pitiful set of eyes Kibum has ever seen, “Kibum please.”

Kibum pulls his arm away from Jonghyun, turning to head for the door. “I’m sorry.” Jonghyun makes no other attempt to stop Kibum. It isn’t until Kibum is out the door that it registers that Jonghyun was wearing shorts.

“Can you come pick me up?”

“Where are you?” Their friendship hadn‘t been the same since their argument, but Taemin was always someone that Kibum could depend on.

“Thanks for coming to get me.” Kibum slips into the passenger seat.

“What happened? Trouble with your peculiar arrangement?”

“If you’re going to be a cynical asshole about it, I’ll just jump out of this moving car right now.” He really didn’t need Taemin to be an ass right now.

“That really wasn’t my intention. I’ve been meaning to apologize for our last argument.”

“Well it’s been fucking weeks, why haven’t you?”

“I didn’t know how to bring it up?” What a better place than a car? “I didn’t understand why you were still hung up on Jonghyun, honestly I still don’t really understand it, which is why I said some harsh things. And I’m sorry for saying those things.” Taemin glances at him, before turning his attention back to the road. “But one thing I do understand is the fact that you’ve been happier in the last few weeks than you have been in months, so who am I to take that away from you?”

“Well, I’m anything from happy right now.”

“What happened?”

“Jonghyun confessed to me.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I don't know what I want anymore.”

“What's holding you back?”

“Fear.”

“Since when have you let fear dictate what you do in life?”

“Since I experienced a pain that I didn't even know was possible to feel.”

“But you survived it and came out stronger, right?”

“Where are you driving?”

“I don't know; I was just driving straight.”

“We can go back home.”

“I'm not going to tell you what to do, but you know better than anyone what you want and deserve.”

Received 11:31pm: From Jonghyun: Please don’t ignore me. I’m sorry.

Kibum groans, sinking into the chair. “Please take my phone away from me before I do something stupid.”

---

“You look more miserable than when you found out that your dead ex-boyfriend was not as dead after all.” His boss comes over with a cup of coffee in hand, offering it to Kibum.

He gladly accepts the cup with a smile. “Thanks, it was almost as if I hadn't noticed when I walked out the door this morning.”

“Does this have to do with him again?”

“That obvious, huh?”

“Yeah, I take notice when my favorite employee is off his game. Can you tell that fucker to stop fucking up?”

“I haven't spoken to him in a few days, so I would gladly give you his number so that you could tell him yourself.”

“Damn, what did he do?”

“I'd rather not talk about it right now.”

“Fine, I won't pry. But if you ever need time off to take time for yourself, feel free to do so.”

“Thanks.”

Received 12:20pm:

From Taemin:

Do you want to grab lunch? There's a new place that opened a couple of blocks over from my job. I can swing by and pick you up.

“What kind of a restaurant is it?”

“I think I heard that it is an Asian Latin fusion sort of thing.”

“Sounds delicious, I'm starving.” All he had for breakfast this morning was the cup of coffee and a croissant, he was due for a meal. “What's with the crowd? There's no way all of these people are coming just for this restaurant.”

Taemin shrugs, “No clue. Wanna check it out before lunch?”

“Why not?” It's impossible to make it through the crowd, so instead they choose to stand where they have an amazing view of the broadcasting monitor. “I didn't even know they still did guerilla concerts.”

“Well considering how much this impedes on traffic and decreases foot traffic in this area, I can see how this would be outdated.”

“Wow thanks for raining on this parade.”

The crowd starts getting revved up, shouting for the incoming artist. He can barely discern the name of the artist through the frantic shouts, but he thinks that BACE makes the most sense from what he can hear. From backstage comes the famed artist, a fluff of pink hair hiding the face of the artist entering in in a bowed position. Kibum swears his world stops for a bit.

“Let’s go.” Kibum turns away quickly, Taemin grabs onto his arm.

“Stay for the first song.”

“You planned this with him?”

“Please just stay until the end of the first song.”

“Fine.”

“The popular producer BACE has made his transition from the background as a producer to a singer yourself, what prompted you to make that decision?” The MC asks.

“The offer of making my debut was always an option with my agency. I had songs that I didn’t have the heart to give to other artists, so I thought releasing an album with the collection of songs would be a good idea.”

“Your album will be released right after this event ends, what can we expect out of the album?”

“Love songs mostly.”

“Is there a source of inspiration behind these songs?”

“I was in a terrible accident almost three years ago and I hurt somebody because of my absence. I was able to find him again because I moved to Seoul. Recently, I’ve hurt him again and I don’t know where we stand now but a lot of the songs were written with him in mind.”

“Why don’t you perform one of the songs off of your album? The first song is called 1000?”

“This song was the last one to be added onto the album as I finished it about a month ago. I think the song lyrics speak for themselves, so I’ll just play it.”

Jonghyun’s handed an acoustic guitar and takes a seat center stage right in front of a mic. The song starts off with the soft strumming of his guitar. He looked serene, fiddling with the strings. His gentle voice filters in, saying the words to Kibum that he never thought that he’d be able to say.

1, 2, 3, another day quickly passes 1, 2, 3, tomorrow is already almost here Pressing down on my shoulders, pinning down the shadows I need a place to comfortably rest

You and I Even if it wasn’t back then You and I We would’ve definitely met some time A lot of time has passed But things aren’t different from the beginning It’s still the same, I’m a blessed person

Hug me, lean on my shoulder Have strong trust in me You know that saying I know even though you don’t say it That is very touching but Please tell me even if you know

The song ends as peacefully as the song trailed in with the guitar was the outro. His eyes blur with tears, but his pride swells more than the well of tears. Jonghyun rises from his stool, looking out in the crowd. “Kim Kibum, I don’t know if you’re still out there, but back then and even now you mean so much to me. I’m sorry for shocking you, but please don’t ignore me.”

Kibum flicks the tears from his eyes and turns to Taemin with a smile, “Let’s go grab food, I’ve got to be back at work.” Taemin doesn't protest this time.

“Did you plan this out with Taemin too?” Kibum finds Jonghyun waiting outside their apartment as he comes from work. Jonghyun looks up at him, his eyes lighting up. “You know he hates your guts right?”

He laughs, “He wasn't shy about mentioning it.”

“Then why are you here?” Besides the fact that they weren't talking at the moment, Kibum doubts that it's acceptable for a newly debuted artist to be out and about at night.

“Because I still itch to see you even if you're mad at me.” The words just flow out of his mouth so easily.

Kibum chooses to ignore the statement, “You didn't tell me that you were debuting when we were in your studio.”

“NDA’s are serious agreements.” He simply states. “What did you think of the song?”

“It was nice, any song that you could make would be nice.”

“Hopefully the general public would think so as well.”

“They'd be crazy not to.”

“Thanks.” Jonghyun’s eyes flicker from Kibum’s eyes back to the ground, “I'm sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“You know why.” He did.

“I thought we both agreed that we wouldn't feel sorry for each other. You have nothing to feel sorry for.”

“Then why do I feel like the only thing that I can say is sorry?” He asks.

“Because it's easier to say than what you're really thinking.”

“Do you want to know what I’m really thinking?”

“I would appreciate the transparency.”

“Fine. You know what I think?” His eyes are shaking but his voice is firm, “ I think that you’re scared, terrified even, to even think of the possibility of being with me again. And trust me I understand that, but I’m not the Jonghyun you knew before. I fucking hate the rain, it makes my joints ache. I’m not the bright person that sees the positives in everything in life. I can’t be that guy that you were in love with back then because I’m not, not anymore at least.” He rants but continues softly. “But what I know is that whenever I'm with you I feel like I'm floating on clouds. I know that the bubbling in the pit of my stomach isn’t because of nausea. You make me feel like I can brave any storm. And I can’t ignore that feeling.”

Kibum plainly responds, “You’re right, I am scared.” Jonghyun used to be the one person that Kibum felt invincible with.

“Really? That’s all you’ve got to say?” He couldn’t even hide the disappointment in his voice.

“What more do you want me to say?”

“How you feel about me? Us?”

“I don't know.”

“Okay. Well, I don't know if I can sit around and wait for you to decide that you do know.”

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Kibum changes the pace of the conversation with the question.

“Soulmates?” Jonghyun questions.

“When we were younger I didn't really believe in it but I thought that if they did exist that you would be mine.”

“And that has changed?”

“I don't think so.” Jonghyun turns to look at him.

“So what does that mean?”

“Wanna go on a date?”

#SHINee #Key #Jonghyun #Jongkey #fanfic #my writing #my fic #idk what tag i used for my writing rip

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midwestmontessori · 7 years ago

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Montessori-Inspired Gift Ideas 2017

A Charlotte- and Simon-approved Montessori-inspired gift list for 2017!

I wrote an extensive Montessori-inspired gift guide last year which is filled with some of our favorites of all-time. I have a few items to add to that list based on our growing family, new finds, and new interests.

Important note: You don’t need to own all of this. We don’t own all of this. This would be way, way too much for one or two, or even three or four children to receive all at once. We are big believers in teaching gratitude and thoughtfulness over excess and entitlement. These are meant to be *ideas* that spark and inspire those who may be stuck on what to give a little person in your life. This is not a list of must-haves. This is a list of things we either have enjoyed ourselves, things we’d love to add to our collection, OR things we admire while making the choice NOT to own, for the sake of having less or just because.

The Montessori philosophy is about making offerings for children with intention, so I’ll suggest to purchase with thoughtfulness and intent. That intention may look something like “one thing they want, one thing they need, something to wear, and something to read.” We choose to do something different but that isn’t necessarily better or worse.

Anyway, keep those thoughts in mind.

Inspired by Simon (2.3 years old)

Second children (and subsequent) are difficult to shop for. For the most part you have what you need already from your firstborn. But I didn’t want to make this list extremely one-sided in favor of Charlotte, so here I included many things Simon enjoys that were hers first. There are a couple of new things that I’m excited about (yay fish puzzle!). But I’ll tell ya, toddlers are pretty simple. Puzzles are fun, don’t get me wrong, and I’ve included several in this list. We have several on his shelf to choose from. However, if I’m being completely honest, if all that boy had were his bike, kinetic sand, a pair of tongs, and a basketball, he’d be set. Gross motor and practical life dominate this age group, along with real-life experience and language. Fine motor and “toys” certainly have their place, but if you have a toddler you know how much ROAMING they do. So keep that in mind when choosing a gift for a toddler - less is more.

Toot Scoot mini balance bike - our favorite for 1-3 years old

shapes puzzle

layered puzzles such as the pictured layered barnyard animals puzzle or this layered house puzzle - these are getting harder to find!

kinetic sand + tools (this pastry wheel is Simon & Charlotte’s all-time favorite)

HABA peg board

model vehicles (pictured: bus and recycling/trash truck)

fish parts puzzle (other animals also available)

crazy train tracks (to go with our current IKEA train set)

play dough + tools (such as nylon scrapers, cookie cutters, rolling pins, sculpting tools, molds, scissors, an extruder)

tongs, tongs, tongs

basketball (with optional a basketball goal)

lacing cards

Grimm’s ramps

4-piece vehicle puzzles

3D train puzzle

knife (wavy chopper)

Schleich animal figurines

shape sequence puzzle

nuts & bolts boards

person/body parts puzzle

Thinkfun Roll & Play dice game

Inspired by Charlotte (4.5 years old)

By the time a child reaches this age there are probably some definite interests. So these are things I know Charlotte would enjoy. Not every 4 year old is going to have the same preferences. However I think there is a nice range here so I hope it can be helpful to some of you. The bike is definitely the #1. It is a very nice bike but definitely pricey, so do check out the website I linked for other recommendations. Charlotte loves her bike - I can’t think of any one thing she spends more time with.

dice

Junior Snap Circuits

roller skates (and pads and helmet)

spinning tops (or these)

mini Judy clock

Spirograph set

weaving loom

art supplies: hole puncher, pipe cleaners, craft sticks, washi tape, quality construction paper (they sell this at Hobby Lobby too), craft punches

knitting fork

embroidery & needlework supplies (basket, embroidery floss, needles, pin cushion, trimming scissors, needle threader, hoop, plastic grid)

human body model (her FAVORITE)

knife

K’Nex building set

planets magnets

Kiwi crate subscription

George Luck puzzles (and this one)

Games: Aggravation, Uno, HABA Orchard (or try the mini version)

tactile number and/or letter book (These can be ordered separately as well. We only have the number book as we are doing cursive for letters.)

Silly Putty

Woom pedal bike (with freewheel kit and helmet) - see TwoWheelingTots.com for other recommendations as well as I am well aware this is a pricey one

Mindware pattern play

umbrella

Gifts Charlotte & Simon would both enjoy

It is apparent our children like to build and pretend-play together (as well as listen to music and read, which you’ll see more of in a minute). Many of the items on their individual lists will be enjoyed by both of them as well.

people figurines + Grimms foldable dollhouse

world map fabric (or (land/water/air mat) + animals

Grimms rainbow

Legos

shears, doilies, small vases - for flower arranging (a pitcher too)

pitcher for pouring drinks (or a larger one for older children - 3+)

insect specimen

Wavee board

mini scoop + food jars

unit blocks

marble run

tea set

Keva blocks

apple slicer/peeler

OXO measuring cups

insect viewer

dressing frames (if your child isn’t in a Montessori classroom)

Bobux Aktiv shoes

Grimms pyramid blocks

Books & CDs

I can’t think of a better gift than a book or a CD. Books and music are so, so important and also so, so easy to give freely. The possibilities are endless. As you can tell I had a hard time narrowing it down so I included extra recommendations here. Enjoy!

Family Tree by Frances England

The Animal Book by DK Publishing

"About” Series: A Guide for Children by Cathryn and John Sill

The Milly Molly Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley

The Small World Series - Wash Up by Gwenyth Swain

Pelle’s New Suit by Elsa Beskow

It’s a Big World by Renee and Jeremy

Web of Life series - Here Is The African Savannah by Madeleine Dunphy

First Discovery books (out of print but worth buying used - or there is a new version with a different publisher)

Cobble Street Cousins series by Cynthia Rylant

Billy & Blaze series by C.W. Anderson

The Year at Maple Hill Farm (and it’s companion Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm) by Alice and Martin Provensen

World Sing Along by Putumayo Kids Presents - one of my favorite children’s CDs of all time

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Poetry Speaks

The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader

Snowflakes in Photographs by W. A. Bentley

In Between Dreams by Jack Johnson

Miss Rhonda’s Readers by Rhonda Lucadamo - an adorable series by a Montessori teacher

The Lumineers self-titled album (we also love Cleopatra)

Here is the Arctic Winter by Madeleine Dunphy

A Child’s Book of Poems illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa

Backyard Birdsong Guide by Donald Kroodsma

Animals by QED Publishing

This Is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World by Matt Mamothe

Not Pictured: White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt

Larger Practical Gifts

Families who are just getting started with Montessori, or those who have infants moving into the toddler stage may like to gift something larger and practical for the home. These are some of our very favorite Montessori-at-home items. Most are from IKEA (with the exception of the children’s dining chair. IKEA is a great place to find Montessori-friendly furniture for very low prices without sacrificing looks. The quality is adequate and in some cases excellent. I can’t recommend these enough. You don’t have to spend a fortune to do Montessori at home. Fancy learning towers aren’t necessary when there is a $20 that does the job even better! The children’s chair is more expensive, but it fits the child from infancy all the way to adolescent years (even I sit on it from time to time!).

LATT children’s table and 2 chairs - $24.99 - cut down the legs according to this chart to set your child up for success

LACK table - $7.99

FLISAT stool - $14.99 - pairs perfectly as a chair for the LACK

Stokke Tripp Trapp - there are less expensive versions as well)

BEKVAM step stool - $19.99 - all time favorite and “must have” in my book

BESTA shelving - $60 - my absolute favorite for it’s size, color, simplicity, and adjustability - the besta! heehee

RASKOG cart - which we use for art supplies but could be used for a number of things

Holiday Staples

As a Christian family we participate in many religious holiday traditions. I want to make it clear that Montessori is not a Christian philosophy. The Montessori philosophy is open to everyone regardless of a religious or non-religious background. So by including religious items here I am no way claiming Montessori as a Christian philosophy.

As a Christian Montessori parent I do try to offer religious concepts in a developmentally appropriate way as well as with Montessori principles in mind. By including these here we do not aim to isolate those who are not Christian. It be inauthentic for us to share religious traditions that are not our own but that would be the only reason for not including those.

Not every family who celebrates during the Christmas season is Christian and that’s perfectly okay! We wish those who do not celebrate for religious reasons a very happy holidays as well. If you celebrate this season something other than Christian traditions, please share with us! Leave a comment or send a message. We love hearing how families enjoy this wonderful season.

For these reasons I included both our religious and non-religious holiday staples on this list.

Christ-centered Christmas favorites

Advent calendar - There are hundreds of advent calendar ideas on Amazon, Pinterest, Google images, and in stores all over. The Melissa and Doug calendar above is really simple which I love for young children! We have decided to start a Jesse Tree tradition with this set of ornaments and companion book. If the tradition works well I may upgrade our ornaments someday. I love these DIY ornaments or there are several beautiful sets on Easy. I am still deciding between a miniature live tree, a wooden dowel tree, or a DIY tree made of sticks. Any ideas? Leave a comment and help me decide!

Advent wreath - We use our Waldorf-style birthday ring with a berry wreath around it, but it could be dressed up for Christmas in so many ways. There are also hundreds of advent wreaths out there to choose from.

Nativity figurines (a stable is a lovely addition as well) - We love our Fontanini figurines. They are hand-painted and made in Italy. We started with a basic set and we add a new one each year (a gift from my grandparents to our family). These hold such a special place in my heart. They are so very child-friendly but still gorgeous. I love that we have a set our children can play with as much as they’d like.

Books that tell the Christmas story (None of these are perfectly biblically accurate, but I think having a few different ones helps. The Story of Christmas is the most accurate but it is definitely written for the very young. The other two are beautiful with some inaccuracies but we make do.)

The Christmas Story Golden Book by Jane Werner Watson

The Story of Christmas by Vivian French

The First Christmas by Carol Heyer

Charlie Brown Christmas CD - CLASSIC

other Christmas music - We typically make playlists or listen to stations on streaming services. There is so much excellent music out there.

Favorites that are non-religion specific

Night Tree by Eve Bunting - We LOVE this book. It is excellent for religious or non-religious families. Definitely a keeper.

holiday pajamas - one of my favorite holiday traditions!

cookie cutters (and sugar sprinkles)

tree ornaments

gingerbread house kit (or there’s the village which makes 4 mini houses)

live Christmas tree

Christmas countdown calendar - Simple calendar for little ones!

candy canes

stockings - These knit stockings are just gorgeous. We found our forever stockings from World Market in a similar style.

holiday music - We typically make playlists or listen to stations on streaming services. There is so much excellent music out there.

We hope you have enjoyed this year’s gift guide! I just love preparing for the holidays. Gift-giving is one of my very favorites. I love the challenge of finding things they’ll love while keeping our priorities in check. So, if you’re doing gifts with your family, what are you planning to give your children this year? Do share your ideas! We’d love to know.

Happy Holidays!

For more gift ideas see our other posts:

Last year’s Montessori Christmas Gift Guide - including our all-time favorites

The Ultimate Montessori Gift Guide for a 1-Year-Old

The gifts we had “Under our Tree” when Simon was 4.5 months and Charlotte was 2.5 years old

Puzzle and Fine Motor Materials for Infants up through 2 years old

Montessori Infant Toys series (for babies from birth through 6 months)

Montessori-Inspired Newborn Essentials (great ideas for expecting parents)

#montessori #giftguide #toys #christmas

6 notes · View notes

valdomarx · 7 years ago

Text

Mission: Improbable

There are 4 days left until Avengers Assemble season 4! To celebrate, here’s some fluffy silly stevetony fake dating <3

“You want me to do what?” Steve was certain he must have misheard.

“Date me,” Tony said with a cheeky grin.

Steve felt his cheeks heating. “Well gosh, Tony-”

“Just for one evening!” Tony interrupted. “I’ve got an important mission, and I need you to pretend to be my date.”

To pretend, Steve thought, with a rush of something that could have been relief. Of course. Why else would Tony be asking him on a date?

“Um. Why?” he asked, trying to affect nonchalance.

“An old friend tipped me off that something strange is going on in the high society circles she moves in: a rash of people suddenly giving away their fortunes or dropping out of the social scene entirely. Could be mind control, could be magic, could be good old fashioned extortion,” Tony shrugged one shoulder. “But something’s up, and there’s no one more observant than Ms. Van Dyne. If she says it’s fishy, we ought to check it out.”

“Right, then we need to investigate.” Steve nods. “But this involves us pretending to date because....?”

“There’s a society party that the key players will be at next week. I’ve been invited to attend, but in a non-Avengers capacity. The invite said I couldn’t bring the team. But it did say that I could bring a date - and it didn’t specify who that had to be,” Tony smiled mischievously.

“Wouldn’t Natasha be better suited to this kind of mission than me?” Steve asked, trying to maintain an air of casual professionalism.

“I really can’t see Nat and I making a convincing couple,” Tony said with a small shudder. “You know what black widows do to their mates, right?”

“I heard that, Stark,” Natasha called from the other side of the room. “And I’m frankly delighted to hear that you’re too terrified to even pretend to date me.”

“What about Clint? Why don’t you take him?” Steve asked, struggling not to sound desperate.

“Clint at a fancy party? Yeah, like that wouldn’t be a disaster.” Clint stuck his tongue out at them, thereby demonstrating Tony’s point rather neatly.

“Sam?”

“I’m twice his age. Absolutely not.” (“You’re too gray and wrinkly for me anyway, old man!” Sam called out in response.)

“Thor?”

“Again, not sure that the thunder god and the squishy mortal are a believable couple.”

“.... Hulk?”

“Geez, Steve. You really don’t want to do this, huh?”

Steve opened and shut his mouth, trying to think of a good excuse. The problem was not that he didn’t want to go on a pretend date with Tony. The problem was more that he wanted to go on a real date with Tony. He wanted that rather a lot, actually. He wanted to share a meal with Tony and hear about his inventions and his ideas, to see how he looked when he was happy and relaxed and not worried about work, to know what his lips would feel like...

“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important,” Tony said earnestly. “And it’s not as if you’ll have a problem being seen dating a man.” Tony indicated the BI PRIDE shirt that Steve was currently wearing.

Sam gave Steve a thumbs up from where he was perched at the breakfast bar. “It’s a good shirt,” he called over.

“Umm,” Steve had definitely run out of excuses by now, and his team needed him. He would just have to put aside his silly feelings for Tony and focus on the job. He was pretty practiced at that by now anyway. “Sure. Okay then. Tell me when and where.”

“Aww, shnookums, you’re the best,” Tony gave him a tiny wink. Steve already wanted to die.

On the day of the event, Natasha took pity on Steve and helped him choose a white tuxedo from the tower’s copious shared closet. Steve tugged at the hem of the jacket awkwardly. “Don’t you think it’s a bit… much?” he asked when she lead him over to a full length mirror.

“You’re supposed to be Tony’s date,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “I’d be more worried about whether it was enough.”

The way she was smiling suggested that was a joke, but Steve had found a whole new set of worries now. He was still dithering around trying to select cuff links which suggested the impossible combination of ‘sophisticated yet understated’ and ‘someone stylish enough to attract Tony Stark’ when Tony walked in.

Tony’s eyes went wide as he took in Steve.

“It’s the outfit, it’s all wrong, isn’t it?” Steve babbled. “God, sorry, I’ll try to find something else to wear-”

Tony walked over and looked him and up down. “No need, darling,” he said with a hint of velvet in his voice. “You look absolutely perfect.” And then he took Steve’s hand and pressed a very gentle kiss to the back of his knuckles.

Steve froze for a second and tried not to panic. Natasha rolled her eyes as she swished out of the room. “You’re really going to have to work on keeping that blush under control if you want people to buy that you’re a couple,” she called over her shoulder.

“Ehh, don’t listen to her,” Tony said. “I love making my dates blush.”

Oh god, thought Steve, his cheeks glowing, this was going to be a disaster.

The party was held in a staggeringly, overwhelmingly, intimidatingly opulent mansion. The front porch had marble columns covered in ivy, where a serious-looking man was checking names off a list and letting people in.

Tony laid a hand on Steve's arm. “We only need to listen to some gossip and gather information on the recent incidents. Don't worry, it'll be easy.”

As if anything was ever easy when Tony was involved. Right now, all Steve could think about was the warmth on his arm where Tony’s hand was on him. But there was a mission to see to, so Steve strapped on his game face and gave him a firm nod.

Tony strolled up to the door confidently. “Tony Stark, with his plus one,” he announced them.

“This is your date?” the doorman asked Tony, sounding surprised. Steve felt his hackles rise. Why shouldn’t Tony be attending a party with a man? If he gave them any trouble-

The doorman looked Steve up and down, assessing. “Specimen. Watch out or I’ll be after him for myself,” he said, giving Tony a wink. He turned to Steve. “If you get bored of this guy,” he indicated Tony with a cheeky head tilt, “you’re welcome to come and hang out with me.”

“Watch it,” said Tony with a grin, sliding his arm around Steve’s shoulders as his ears went pink. “This one’s all mine.”

They had been circulating around the party and had already overheard several conversations about people going missing or behaving strangely. And each story had one figure in common: a glamorous blonde woman calling herself Amora had recently entered the lives of each of the victims.

Now they were mingling and trying to stay on the lookout for Amora herself. According to the now very friendly doorman, she had been invited and was expected to arrive later.

Steve tensed as he saw Justin Hammer swaggering towards them, wearing a shiny purple silk suit with gray accents that even Steve would have described as tacky. Of course he would be here. Just their luck.

“Tony!” Hammer called, and Tony tried to hide behind the largest nearby object - which in this case was Steve. “I see you, Tony!”

Tony sighed and slunk out from behind Steve. “Try not to punch him, okay?” he whispered to Steve as Hammer approached.

“Justin, a delight as always,” Tony said, almost convincingly.

“For me as well,” Hammer said smugly. “There’s never a better time to look stylish that when you’re confronted with your lowly competitors.” He pretended to brush a speck of dust from the shoulder of his stupid purple suit.

Tony scowled.

“But I see you’ve turned yourself out nicely too,” he indicated Tony’s flawlessly cut black tie ensemble. “Putting on a show for a hot date, is that it? Where is the lucky lady of the evening anyway?”

“Actually,” Steve cut in firmly. “I’m here with Tony tonight.” Steve took a quick breath and slid his arm into Tony’s.

“Oh, I see,” Hammer said knowingly, and Steve thought for a moment that Hammer was going to make a scene and he was going to have to sock the guy. That wouldn’t be the worst feeling in the world, but it might be rather a blow to their mission.

“It’s about time, that’s all I have to say,” Hammer continued, oblivious. “The Cabal had a betting pool going on how long it was going to take you two to get together. Attuma will be so mad when he hears - he was convinced that you were secretly dating this whole time.”

Steve gawped. What on earth was he supposed to do with that information?

Tony laughed and patted Steve’s hand where it sat in the crook of his arm. Steve absolutely did not wobble.

“Tell Attuma it serves him right for trying to drown us,” Tony said. “And now, oh look, over there, someone who isn’t you who I just must go and talk to.” He dragged Steve away and they left a scowling Hammer behind them.

They managed to identify Amora by following the excited whispers of the fellow partygoers that escalated once she arrived. Apparently she was a recent addition to the society scene, but she had already made quite the name for herself.

She was standing across the room from Steve: a tall, striking woman with long blonde hair that seemed to twinkle in the light. She wore a fitted dress covered in tiny green sequins which refracted the light into thousands of tiny sparkling points.

She looked otherworldly, as if she had stepped out of a painting or a legend. The overall effect of her was stunningly beautiful, but even from a distance Steve could tell that her eyes were cold and calculating.

The crowd around her didn't seem to mind. A host of men and women fawned over her, complimenting her outfit and offering to bring her drinks, vying for her attention.

Every time Steve and Tony tried to approach her, though, she somehow melted into the crowd. She would disappear and pop up minutes later in a different corner, surrounded by another group of adoring followers.

They chased the woman around the party for an hour, but failed to get anywhere near her. Then, as suddenly as she had arrived, she was gone. Steve grimaced in frustration. They decided to ask around to see if anyone knew where she was from.

While Tony was trying out his charms on an older widower to get information, Hammer corned Steve by the bar.

Steve steadied and reminded himself that he had survived a world war, freezing in ice, alien invasions, and the Hulk’s morning breath. Surely he could survive a nosy Justin Hammer.

“About you and Stark-” Hammer began, and Steve’s mind ran through all the worst possibilities: that he must know they were faking, he’d reveal their charade, the mission would go to hell. But Hammer continued glibly. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to out you to the press or anything.”

Steve opened his mouth. “Uhh. Thanks?”

“I know it’s not easy. I had hoped that one day, Tony and I might… but never mind that. I’m happy for you both.”

“Uhh,” said Steve again. “Thanks.”

“But you better treat him well, you hear me? Or next time we meet, you’ll have the full wrath of Hammer Industries to deal with.”

“Right. Yes. I’ll remember that,” Steve said. “Now, oh look, over there, someone I have to talk to...”

By the end of the evening, they had established that Amora had been working her charms on people for three weeks now, persuading them to give up their families, homes, friends, or fortunes as she commanded. Every person affected seemed undistressed - in fact, they were positively delighted to do exactly as Amora asked - but they were clearly being influenced. Despairing of finding anything more useful, Steve and Tony decided to call it a night.

As they were leaving the party, Tony patted Steve on the arm. “You did good,” he said, though Steve was pretty sure that he was lying.

Tony was smiling though, looking all soft and happier than Steve had seen him in a while. And he really was ever so handsome in that suit. Steve took his hand as they stood in the cool night air.

Just at that moment, a flash popped from somewhere near them and they heard footsteps running away from them in the dark. Steve leapt to the ready to give chase, but Tony merely gave a tired sigh. “Paparazzi,” he said distastefully. “There goes our chance of keeping our newly blossoming romance on the down low.”

The next morning, the picture made the front page of the newspaper.

HEROIC ROMANCE??? The headline screamed. IRON MAN AND CAPTAIN AMERICA IN SECRET SPANDEX TRYST?

Beneath was the photo, the two of them standing close in the moonlight, hand in hand. Tony was smiling up at Steve and Steve was gazing back at him in a way that looked, frankly, somewhere between ‘adoring’ and ‘hopelessly smitten’.

Clint grinned as he tossed the paper down on the breakfast table. “Good job, guys! You wanted to convince everyone that you’re dating, then this is gonna do it. How’d you know when the pap photographers were gonna get you though? You must have set up that moment perfectly.”

“Right. Yeah. We got lucky, I guess,” Steve said.

“Hey, Tash, check out this photo! Look how well they staged it,” Clint waved her over.

“Mmm,” Natasha said, giving Steve a Look. “What lovely staging. What fine actors they both are.”

That afternoon, things looked up when a giant purple box tied with pink and blue ribbons arrived at the tower.

“Alright!” Sam announced cheerfully. “More cookies from my mom!”

The team cheered. Sam’s mom’s cookies were truly legendary. But when Sam checked the attached label, he pouted. “According to the label, they’re not for me,” he said. “They’re addressed to you two.”

Steve realized that Sam was looking at him and Tony. He took the box and opened it to find neat rows of cookies, each one iced pink at the top, with a thin stripe of purple in the middle, and blue at the bottom. There was a handwritten note inside, which read: I saw the news and I’m very proud of you both. My congratulations and have a Bi-eautiful day!

Steve was still beaming when the Hulk bounded through the door.

“COOKIES!” he exclaimed.

“Pride cookies,” Sam corrected. “In recognition of the work Tony and Steve have done representing the LGBT community.”

“HULK WANT COOKIES.”

“They’re not for straight guys like you, Hulk,” Sam said patiently.

“PFFF,” Hulk replied loudly. “HULK NOT BELIEVE IN ENFORCING RIGID HETERONORMATIVE PATRIARCHY. ALL LOVE IS PRECIOUS. ALL GENDER IS PERFORMATIVE. HULK IDENTIFY AS PANSEXUAL.”

The team stared.

“WHAT? WHY YOU LOOK AT HULK LIKE THAT? HULK READ JUDITH BUTLER.”

Steve shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said, and handed the Hulk a cookie.

Thor came by the tower for a visit, and his face was grim when they described the woman at the party to him.

“Amora, here in Midgard? This is most ominous.”

“You know her?” Steve asked.

Thor nodded and looked wistful. “She is of Asgard, and was famed there for her beauty and her magic. There was a time when she and I were close, but she wanted something from me that I could not give. She was most displeased, and her wrath has been fearsome ever since.”

“An Asgardian with a grudge,” Tony said with a sigh. “That’s not great.”

“Friend Anthony, friend Steven, you must proceed with great caution. Amora is a formidable adversary and she can be quite dangerous when cornered. If you continue to investigate her, you must do so covertly.”

“So... “ Tony glanced over at Steve. “Looks like we’ll be continuing our dating charade for a bit longer. I’ll see if I can snag us an invitation to the next party.”

Another opportunity to make a fool of myself at a fancy party, Steve thought sourly. Oh joy.

Steve was most definitely not hiding. That would be ridiculous. It just so happened that he’d had a lot of training to do in the few days since the party, and all of it had to be done here in the tower. For public safety reasons.

Tony, of course, had been out and about like nothing was amiss. He seemed to shrug off the intrusive questions about his personal life that he was peppered with every time he was out in public with a easy that astonished Steve. He’d had plenty of practice, Tony had explained one evening, but he had looked a bit sad about it.

“Couldn’t you break up with me?” Steve asked, poking dejectedly at his breakfast eggs.

“And be the man who broke Captain America’s heart?” Tony asked with a dramatic hand to his chest. “The world would never forgive me.”

Steve sighed. At least Tony seemed to be having fun with this whole fake dating business. Steve was trying not to be uptight, but some of Tony’s offhand comments were hitting distressingly close to home.

“What are you up to this afternoon? Let me take you out to lunch,” Tony offered. “There’s this incredible dim sum place nearby, and I know how you feel about Chinese food.”

Steve couldn’t deny that was a tempting offer: exciting new food and Tony, two of his favorite things in the world. But he dithered. “I don’t know, Tony, do you really think we should be going out in public together after those photos in the paper?”

“Eh, if I stopped what I was doing every time I was featured in the gossip rags, I’d never leave the house. Come on, sweetheart,” Tony said with a broad grin. “What’s the point of being a millionaire if you can’t treat your best guy to a meal now and then?”

Steve’s heart absolutely did not do a little flip at that.

The dim sum proved to be as good as Tony had promised, and Steve was happily chowing through his third portion of spring rolls.

“Oh, these are tasty,” he said with gusto. The rolls came with a little pot of dipping sauce that was sweet and spicy and hot all at once, and it was the most delicious thing Steve had eaten in some time.

“Here, you have a little-” Tony gestured to a smudge of sauce on Steve’s cheek, then laughed as Steve batted at his face and failed to clean it off. Dammit, Rogers, try not to cover yourself in food on your date. On your fake date. Your non-date. Tony smiled softly and took his napkin, wiping away the sauce from Steve’s cheek.

A middle aged woman in a fur coat and an enormous amount of gold jewelry strode over to their table.

“Can we help you, ma’am?” Steve asked politely.

“Yes,” she said snippily. “You can stop parading your lifestyle around for everyone to see.”

Steve felt Tony tense next to him, but he was merely confused.

“Our… lifestyle?” he asked.

“You and him,” she spat, waving to indicate him and Tony sitting close together. “How am I supposed to explain that to my child?”

Steve glanced behind her and saw a small boy sat at a table, looking embarrassed.

Tony went to move away, placating her. “We don’t want to make any trouble-” he started.

“Oh, hang that,” Steve said firmly, taking Tony’s hand with confidence. “You can explain to your child that one of the wonderful things about the modern world is that people are free to love whomever they want. You can tell him that some people date women and some people date men, and some of us even date both.”

She looked incensed.

“And you can tell him,” Steve raised his voice enough to carry over to the young boy, “that if anyone ever says that there’s something wrong with two people being in love, they can take it up with Captain America.”

Then Steve leaned over and boldly kissed Tony on the cheek.

The woman was spluttering with fury. The little boy gave Steve a big grin and a thumbs up from behind her.

“Come on, Raphael,” she snapped at boy, storming off, “We’re leaving.”

“Sorry about that,” Tony mumbled as they walked back to the tower. “I guess some of the world isn’t quite as forward-thinking as I’d like them to be.”

“It’s not your fault, Tony,” Steve said.

“We can stop, if you want. This whole ‘dating’ thing, I mean. You didn’t sign up to be heckled by busybodies regarding your dating preferences.”

Steve pulled a face. “Those people are only exposing their own bigotry. I couldn’t care less what they think. I’d be proud to call you my boyfriend. I’d want to tell the whole world about it.”

That came out a bit closer to the truth than Steve intended, and Tony was looking at him oddly. Oh dear.

“-If I was dating a man, any man, I mean,” he clarified quickly. “If this were real. If that was how I actually felt. If it wasn’t all fake.”

Tony was still looking at him strangely.

Smooth, Rogers, he thought, and resisted the urge to jump into a dumpster to hide.

The next opportunity they had to investigate Amora was a garden party being thrown by a rich socialite. Tony’s friend Ms. Van Dyne managed to score them a couple of invites, and Thor loaned them a divining rod which could detect when Asgardian magic was nearby. If Amora showed up, they’d be ready to track her.

For the party, Tony was wearing a pair of snappy rose-pink linen pants and a matching wasitcoat, with a jaunty little straw boater hat perched atop his head. Anyone else would have looked preposterous in that outfit, but Tony somehow managed to look both elegantly sophisticated and utterly adorable.

Steve felt distinctly underdressed in a pair of plain chinos and a pale blue shirt when they arrived to see an entire field decked out with tents, pavilions, color-coordinated bunting, and elaborate flower arrangements. Steve wasn’t aware that garden parties could be this posh, and he quietly added ‘trying to avoid getting grass stains on your white designers shoes while standing in a garden’ to his mental list of things about the future which were decidedly odd.

The divining rod which Thor had given then had been bouncing around, indicating several people who were currently under magical influence. But there was no sign yet of the spellcaster herself. They tried to subtly make a perimeter of the party, but they attracted the attention of several burly men who were working security. They managed to duck into a catering tent to hide before they could be identified.

As they retreated back towards the crowd, Steve realized that they were still being followed. A number of men had broken off from their positions around the field and were observing them closely. They were going to need to lose them quickly, or to fight with whatever they had to hand.

At least this is familiar, thought Steve. He wasn’t great at parties, but fights, those he could do. Of course, that was when Tony turned to him.

“Kiss me,” Tony said urgently.

“Wha?” Steve burbled.

“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable. Kiss me.”

Whatever else he may have been dealing with, Steve was fundamentally a professional. The mission came first. And if the mission required him to kiss Tony Stark, most handsome man in the universe and the most distressingly unobtainable, then Steve would step up to the plate.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw figures scanning the crowd and searching for them. He took Tony’s face in his hands, took a deep breath, and kissed him.

Oddly enough, it all felt very familiar, as if they’d done this a thousand times before. Tony’s arms went around his waist, and he tilted his head for a better angle. I better really sell this if the mission depends on it, Steve thought, and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into Tony’s mouth to taste him.

Before Steve had the chance to worry about whether that was appropriate, or if slipping the tongue to your co-worker in the middle of a mission was a distinct no-no, Tony actually groaned and pulled him closer. He didn’t seem to be too concerned about Steve’s breach of undercover etiquette.

Either that, or he was a terrifically dedicated actor.

Steve backed Tony up against a jauntily decorated pavilion, pressing their bodies close. They fit together perfectly, Tony warm and firm against him. Tony’s lips were soft but insistent under his, his fingertips squeezing against his waist.

When Tony finally pulled back and heaved in a breath, his lips red and kiss-swollen, Steve couldn’t stop smiling at him.

“Do you think we lost them?” Tony asked.

“Lost who?” Steve asked breathily.

Tony gave him one of those looks and Steve remembered with a jolt that they were supposed to be undercover. Right! The people who were searching for them, who they had to hide from. Camouflaging themselves with the clever use of kissing.

Tony glanced around. “I think they’ve moved on. We can get back to work now.”

“Are you sure?” Steve asked, a little too quickly. Perhaps the men might still be around. Perhaps might come back. Perhaps they’d need to hide by kissing some more.

Tony’s eyes narrowed and he looked like he was about to say something. But then he shut his mouth and shook his head to clear it. “Pretty sure. Now come on, we’ve got an angry Asgardian to catch.”

They still hadn’t located Amora, but the divining rod lead them away from the party and towards a small clearing.

Tony crouched down and picked up something which was glinting in the grass. As he stood, Steve could see that it was an amulet: a long gold chain with a large green emerald in an ornate gold setting. It was giving off a faint glow.

Tony pulled a face. “I can’t scan it for radiation without my suit,” he said, “but I’d recognize the queasy feeling of magic anywhere. This is the source of the spells that are affecting everyone, I’m sure of it.”

Steve concurred, feeling the slightly slipperiness in the air around him, almost like oil, that he associated with magic. “Let’s destroy it and set these poor people free. I’m ready to be done with this ridiculous mission,” he said firmly, worrying that he was going to do or say something terribly embarrassing in front of Tony if they had to play at being a couple for much longer.

He could have sworn that Tony looked almost disappointed for a moment. “Whatever you say, Cap,” he said, tossing the amulet to the floor and stamping on it hard.

Green light shot out from beneath Tony’s foot for a moment, and there was a terrific shattering sound.

Several people in the field stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion, asking where they were and how they had got here. It seemed like their plan had worked, and the spell had been broken: Those who had been under its influence were coming back to themselves, looking around for friends and partners. Steve sighed in relief.

“You impudent fools,” a female voice bellowed from behind them. “You may have destroyed my amulet, but you have no idea of the extent of my powers. Now you must face the wrath of… Amora the Enchantress!”

They turned to see Amora, her hand upraised with green energy crackling from her fingertips. Oh dear. Tony was without his armor, and Steve was without his shield. This was not good.

“How dare you meddle in my plans,” she called out to them. “I am a goddess! What hope do you lowly mortals think you have of beating me?”

“We may only be mortals,” Steve called back, steeling himself. “But we’re here together, and that gives us strength.” Tony smiled at that.

“You couples,” she said disdainfully, looking down her nose at them. “You think your relationship is strong and pure, but every courtship has its deceptions and lies. Let your darkest secrets be revealed!”

She waved her hand in a complicated motion and green energy shot out from her hand towards the two of them. Steve tried to deflect it with a drinks tray he had grabbed as a makeshift shield, but the energy passed straight through it as if it were nothing.

When the energy surrounded him, Steve was surprised that it wasn’t painful. It was almost pleasant, actually, like a warm cocoon. The green tendrils spread through his mind, and he felt himself relax, to begin to smile. Everything was fine. He felt safe. He felt like he could say whatever was on his mind.

“Now,” Amora said imperiously. “You will tell me the truth. I will hear of every cruel thought you have and every shameful indiscretion you have committed. Tell me how you really feel about each other.”

“God, he’s wonderful,” Tony said immediately. His eyes were glassy and his voice was faint, but Steve heard every word. “Meeting him was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Amora’s nose wrinkled in dissatisfaction. She turned to Steve.

“He’s the most brilliant man I’ve ever met,” Steve heard himself say. “He’s brave and kind and smart and handsome. So handsome. He’s everything that’s wonderful about the future.”

Steve saw Tony’s eyes widen, even through the magic-induced haze.

“You must have lied! All couples lie to each other,” Amora screamed, increasingly angry. “Tell me what you have lied to each other about!”

“I pretended that I didn’t have feelings for him for a long time,” Tony said sadly. “I enjoyed our missions together far more than I should have.”

“I never told him how much I care about him,” Steve said, the words leaving his mouth without his brain engaging at all. Everything felt soft and mushy. “I think about him all the time, but I don’t want to make his life difficult if he doesn’t feel the same.”

“Oh my gods,” Amora snapped. “I can’t believe I’ve been saddled with the one couple in this stupid realm who actually like each other!”

“Amora,” a booming voice called from above, and Steve looked up to see Thor, floating in mid-air, his armor glinting in the sun and his hair haloed around his face, looking every bit the thunder god that he was.

“Thor!” Amora gasped, apparently even more impressed by his appearance than Steve was.

“Let my friends go, Amora,” Thor said calmly. “There is no need for violence.”

“Easy for you to say, Thor,” she yelled up at him. “Since you left Asgard I’ve been trapped here in this terrible realm, all alone. Everyone else here has friends and lovers and I have nothing. I have no one!”

“Is that why you cast spells on all those people? I understand that it’s easy to manipulate mortal minds, but you don’t have to use magic to make friends,” Thor said earnestly.

“They wouldn’t invite me to their parties,” she wailed. “Me, a goddess! Turned away at the door from their little gatherings! So I used a few spells to make them appreciate me as I should be appreciated. I didn’t hurt anyone. Not much, anyway.”

“If you wanted company, you could have asked me. I would have been happy to accompany you to a party,” Thor said.

“But you hate me,” she said, quieter now. “You would never want to spend time with me.”

“Not so,” Thor said firmly. “You are of Asgard and thus you are like family to me. Perhaps I cannot love you in the way that you want. But I should dearly like to be your friend.”

Amora looked up at him, hope in her eyes.

“Let Iron Man and Captain Rogers go,” Thor said gently. “And we may explore this friendship together.”

Amora glanced back at Tony and Steve. She pouted. “They were no fun anyway,” she said, snapping her fingers. The green energy instantly dispersed and Steve felt his mind clear.

“Good,” Thor beamed at her and he indicated the fairground area in the party below. “Here is a valiant warrior’s challenge which the Midgardians call SKEE-BALL. We could practice our skills together. I would be honored if you would join me in this game.”

Amora gave a tiny smile and nodded. Thor swooped down, pick her up, and they flew towards the games together.

That left Steve and Tony, standing alone in the middle of a field and desperately trying to avoid each other’s eyes.

“Was that… what you said, was that true?” Steve asked, his heart hammering inside his chest.

“We were under a truth spell, weren’t we? So, yup, all true I’m afraid,” Tony said, looking at his feet.

“Well then I owe Amora a big thanks. I never thought you’d feel the same.”

Tony glanced up at that, face disbelieving. “Say, Steve, would you like to go on a real date with me some time?” he asked nervously.

Steve felt his face break into a massive grin. “Why, Tony, I thought you’d never ask.”

#aas4countdown #stevetony #stony #avengers assemble #marvel #my writing #thank you everyone for the help selecting a fic topic! hope you enjoy it :d #everyone is bi in this fic because... well because i make the rules

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