#“just go get some then” LISTEN there is no bakery in my town

[hellion-child]

ok but this constant talk of baking and baked goods on my dash has me craving some cake sooo bad hlep

[shiinata-library]

Imagine: You can speak to animals in Middle-Earth

Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bilbo's reactions when they understand you can speak to animals in Middle-Earth

N/A: I haven't written in English for a while. I may be rusty…

[ 📚 Main Imagines Masterlist 📚 ]

Thorin

“The inn is this way,” you say to Thorin several times during the journey when he is lost in towns that you pass through. Or something like “I think the stable with our ponies is at your right, then at your left.” Or, “Oh, Balin is looking for you at the town's entrance, hm, straight on, then left after the bakery.”

At the beginning of the journey, it surprised you how many times Thorin could be lost. But now, you eventually get used to it. 

The only thing you’re not used to is the look on his face every time you help him. Surprised and suspicious. While you just want to help him…

Well, could you tell him it's some ravens that are letting you know when he needs help? “The king is looking for Master Balin.” “The king doesn’t walk in the right direction.” “My lady, the king wants to go to the inn.” They are polite but they never give you the choice…

Other animals speak sometimes with you and you love to listen to them. It’s surprising how much you can learn with them. The best place for that is in Beorn’s house. Thanks to his hospitality, you can walk around his house and speak to animals you have never spoken to before. It’s fun and it especially changes your mind after everything has happened during the journey.

Yet, when you thought ravens have let you in peace, two of them come for you in an evening. You have just finished dinner and the night has almost fallen. They ask for help, explaining their baby is trapped in an orc’s trap. At first, you want to refuse : it’s almost night, Beorn is already out in bear’s form, and some orcs are also soon out.

But you can’t let a baby raven die, right? So you follow them in the forest behind Beorn house. A forest that looks welcoming by day, but much less so at night.

Thanks to other animals' help, you finally find the trap, more or less quickly, and free the little one. As he thanks you, you notice the silence around you, especially the ravens. Then, you notice the darkness of the forest. You remain motionless until you hear a voice behind you.

“What are you doing here?” a cold, hard male voice says behind as you turn to him and realise it’s only Thorin. Even in the dark, it’s impossible not to recognise his voice.

Damn, your heart is dead by now. You don’t even find the good words. “It’s our fault, my King,” one of the ravens says as he comes closer to you on a branch. He explains everything to Thorin while you look at him astonished.

“Don’t tell me he could understand you from the start!” you say, upset as you turn to the raven. “Why did you use me all this time if he could understand?” you progressively raise your voice, ignoring where you are.

“Roäc is the only raven I can understand,” Thorin says. “But now is not the time to speak. Let’s go back to–” When he stops talking, you shiver. You can feel you’re not alone. The ravens and the other animals are already left. Thorin suddenly takes your hand and pulls it. You start a quick sprint to Beorn’s house and you’re glad no orcs found you. 

You enter the house out-of-breath. Thorin turns to you, not making the effort to hide his anger. He shouts at you that you should never have gone outside, that you’re stupid, that you could die easy. And like Bilbo before, that you shouldn't be here with them. 

Oh, hm, it really hurts to hear all of that. You remain silent, looking down until you notice he is still holding your hand. His hand is so big but warm. Oh. Hm. It’s hot all of a sudden, isn’t it? 

“Well,” he starts, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry if Roäc bothered you many times. And thank you for saving his little one.” Is he embarrassed? Oh, you would give anything to have more light to see if he is blushing!

“It’s nothing. He and other ravens helped me during the journey, so it's normal.” Now you look him in the eye, you don’t know what to add. He also seems engrossed by your eyes.

Maybe something could have happened. Well, only if his nephews didn’t enter the room abruptly, shouting they were looking for him. Or maybe it's just postponed for another time…

Fíli 

“Kíli is looking for you,” you say to Fíli once you find him cleaning one of his swords among a lot of them scattered on the floor. An impressive collection that you always wonder if you already saw all of them or not. “This time is because Dwalin has made fun of him and he wants revenge. It seems he can’t leave without you less than an hour,” you resume, smiling as you see him putting away his swords one by one. “The maximum was three days,” he replies, laughing at his own answer. “I'm surprised you found me before him.”

Can you tell him you asked for help from a bird and a dog? The town where you stopped isn’t big but it seems that Kíli couldn’t find his brother ; or maybe it was Fíli who didn't want us to find him. Anyway, you offered your help and with your capacity, it’s always easy to find someone, in exchange for some food or other information. Animals are easier to convince than humans.

“I guess I’m lucky,” you answer, shrugging as you start to walk with him. “Speaking of luck, you should speak to Oín about your recent injury. It could become infected.” Despite your serious tone, he looks at you with a smile, the radiant smile that swings the beads from his moustache, but doesn’t say anything about it. When you join his brother, they immediately start to plan to take revenge on Dwalin, leaving you to your own business before Kíli asks for your help.

During the journey, you notice Fíli disappears sometimes for a short time. You guess you need time alone when you’re a prince with an uncle like Thorin and a brother like Kíli. Even Dwalin and Balin seem to expect a lot from him. It looks exhausting, even from where you are. But, you always eventually find him when someone is looking for him, and luckily for you, he is never upset with it.

Yet, one evening when you were looking for him because Thorin needs him, you got lost in the forest. Because of the darkness of the night, your foot catches on a root and you fall suddenly to the ground. Great, now you’re hurt in addition to being lost…

You chose to sit down for a while, waiting for the pain to pass. Then, you strangely notice there are no animals around you to help you. It’s not good. Not good at all. The only time you didn't find animals in a forest was when there was an orc camp nearby. 

When you wait in this kind of situation, it’s hard to know how much time passes, but the forest is totally dark when you decide to go back to the company’s camp. Now, you can only count on your luck to find the right path and not to meet orcs…

You barely walk when you hear silent branches crackling not far from you. Just a few metres from you, one orc with a small lantern is walking. An orc scout. You don’t have time to take out your weapon that he is already running after you.

When you are about to run, a raven rushes to his face, blinding him, while someone comes from nowhere and kills him without a sound. The lantern falls in the ground and you recognise Fíli. The raven doesn’t wait to fly away, letting you both alone while he crushes the lantern and the fire with his foot.

“How did you find me?” you ask, surprised, as he takes your hand and starts walking away. “Wait, my foot is hurt, I can’t walk fast…”

He stops his steps and takes you on his back as if you weighed nothing. Oh, his hair smells like earth and metal. “My uncle’s raven helped me,” he eventually says as he starts walking. “And some of your friends showed me the forest but my uncle’s raven was the only one who wanted to go with me in this forest’s part.”

“My friends?” you frown. “A squirrel, a bird and, hm, a frog,” he says. “The last one was really hard to follow.”

You stay silent for a moment, understanding he knows you can talk to animals. “How do you know?” you eventually ask, shyly hidden behind his back.

You hear him laugh first as you both get out of the forest, seeing the company's camp nearly. “You talked with all the animals you meet. It's not hard to guess.” 

“So, everyone knows?” you exclaim, glad to be out of the forest given the volume of your voice. “I don't think so,” he says as you breathe in relief. “But I can ask them if they know about it.” 

You don't need to see him to know he's smiling. You travel enough with him and his brother to know when they take advantage of a situation. “What do you want to hold your tongue?” you ask, a little upset. “Nothing,” he replies as he puts you on the ground, his smile widening when he sees your annoyed expression. “Nothing yet,” he hurries to resume. “Let me think about it and I'll tell you.” 

As you both almost join the company's camp, the light of the fire shows his proud face. You don't know what you should expect from his future request, but you know he already enjoys it…

Kíli 

If there is something you enjoy the most in this journey, it’s teasing Kíli. His reactions are always entertaining!

It started at the beginning of the journey when he asked the company where his knife was. Thanks to a little bird’s murmur, you found it for him. He was very surprised. It was honestly so cute. 

Now the journey continues and you often answer his questions. You can even predict the rain. It’s amazing for you and troubling for him. Maybe you should tell him the truth before he imagines anything. But, well, his expressions are too cute and innocent to stop. 

Some dwarves are still suspicious about you, and this doesn't get better with all your answers. So, you would like to avoid Kíli and his questions, but it’s impossible. You’re becoming more and more friends with him, and he often speaks with you, especially in the evening after dinner, when everyone is busy with their own things. (In truth, his brother is also often with you both, when he is not with his uncle and Balin.)

Yet, something changes when you arrive in Beorn’s home. When you realise the skin-changer can also, more or less, speak with animals, you spend a lot of time with him. Used to live alone, you thought you were bothering him, but he seemed interested in talking to you about some animals, their habits, their preferences or the manner to ask them a service. 

So, as Kíli doesn’t know about your ability, he doesn’t understand your obsession for him. “Obsession” may be an exaggeration, but he really misses you. He tries to speak with you, but you often say that you’re busy with Beorn.

A night when Kíli notices you’re not sleeping yet, he looks for you in the house. His worry increases when he doesn’t find you and nobody can tell him where you are. Even if Beorn told them not to go out at night, he ends up outside, walking around the house. 

“No! Don’t get too close to me like that!” he hears you exclaim in the distance. “Don’t force me to use my strength against you!” Then he realises your voice is coming from in the barn behind the house. “No, stop! I already told you not to touch me like that!” Alright, Kíli is now running to you, abruptly opening the front door.

Following Beorn’s instructions, you spend your evenings talking to some animals and all the animals have their own personality. And this bloody dog is too affectionate and full of energy to speak with.

When Kíli enters, he shouts your name, waking up all the animals in the barn. He can’t understand them, but they’re furious against him. He runs to you until he notices the dog next to you. “What’s happening here? Are you hurt? Who is touching you? Even if he is very tall, if Beorn tries–”

“What are you talking about? Beorn didn’t do anything!” you suddenly say, standing up. Then, the dog you were talking with pokes you in the leg with his muzzle. “No, he is not!” you whisper, visibly embarrassed.

“He is not what?” Kíli asks, raising an eyebrow. You start to walk to the exit, but the dog is following you. 

“Yet, you seem important to him!” the dog barks as he walks before you and goes out when you open the door. “He often looks at you during the day. Even his brother is sick of hearing him talk about you all the time.”

“Stop saying nonsense. Join the others for the night and we’ll continue tomorrow,” you reply, not noticing that Kíli looks at you talking to the dog until the dog barks again before leaving. “So, ask him what he dreamt about yesterday night, you will know!”

The dog finally runs away, leaving you and Kíli alone walking to Beorn’s house. He stays silent, hoping you would explain what happened. Yet, you surprise him so much by asking him what his dream was last night that he can’t help but blush and lose his words. His eyes suddenly open wide and he even takes a step back. He was far from imagining that you would ask that question and you clearly understand it when he quickly wishes you a good night before leaving you alone in the entrance.

You stay a while thinking about what happened until you choose to go to sleep, hoping the dog will be talkative tomorrow.

Bilbo 

Talking to animals is so great. In exchange for information or services, they can tell you a lot of things, especially where the best fruits or nuts are. You’re clearly never hungry.

And it didn't escape the hobbit's notice! Bombur or some others saw it too, but they are still too suspicious about you to speak to you. So one afternoon, usually at tea time, Bilbo approaches you on his pony and asks you where you find your apple. You’re happy someone other than Gandalf talks to you, so you gladly tell him and give one from your bag.

That’s how you started your friendship with Mr Baggins. You even call him “Bilbo” now. But you never dared tell him your capacity. He'd think you were crazy, wouldn't he?

Bilbo knows you hide something from him, but everyone has their secrets, so he never asks you how you find those fruits and nuts. It’s only in Mirkwood that he discovers your ability. 

Mirkwood, as everyone else, turns your head and you have trouble staying focused. It’s only when the spiders attack that you notice you aren’t with the company but you can still hear them shouting in the distance. A giant spider finds you, then another. It’s clearly impossible to flee, so let’s try talking?

Well. You try the same technique that Bilbo used with the trolls, but they are more intelligent than them. “It’s the first time a meal can understand us. It’s amusing, don’t you think?” one says to the other. “You’re right, let’s enjoy it a little longer.” 

They talk to you until you don’t hear anything but them. No dwarves’ shouting anymore. Some other spiders join their friends and now, you’re in the middle of a circle of so many giant spiders that you’re ready to faint. You continue to speak, hoping the elves will be here any minute.

But to your surprise, you hear one of the spiders cries and falls, then another. But you don’t see any elf. 

Then Bilbo appears, provokes the spiders, runs far away before disappearing again. All the spiders run in his direction, leaving you alone. You take advantage of it to free the dwarves and then, the elves finally find you like they should have.

After the elves’ dungeons and the escape, it’s only on the freezing Bard’s boat that you can speak again with Bilbo. You sit next to him, wrapping yourself to keep you warm. “I haven't had time to thank you for the spiders yet…” you say, knowing he saw you talk to them. “They seemed to enjoy chatting with you,” he chuckles. 

“I prefer to chat with you,” you say, closing your eyes and letting your head fall on his shoulders. Some dwarves smile but remain silent. You can’t see it but Bilbo’s face has never been so warm despite the cold of the lake.

[frogs-crackcorner]

An Angel All My Own P-2

Simon Riley x reader

Cw: brief mention of knives and guns, fluff

The day had been absolute garbage. It must have been a full moon because every customer that came in seemed to have a stick up their ass. You spent the day calming down entitled jerks and cleaning up after your coworkers. For working in a bakery, you would think they would know how to frost a cake.

When the end of your shift finally came, you couldn't have been happier to leave. You quickly grabbed your purse and jumped in your car. It was a bit of a drive back to your house but you didn't mind. It gave you time to listen to music and unwind. Once you got to the edge of town the houses got farther apart and trees got more dense. The long road to your house was dark and the wind blew eerily. The trees swayed, creaking and groaning. The moonlight cast long shadowy tendrils across the ground. This was the one downside to living out here. No one could hear you scream.

You push those thoughts down and turn into your driveway. You park on the lawn and lock your car. You practically sprint into the house before slamming and locking the door behind you. You flip on the lights. The golden glow of the lamps helps to ease your nerves. You hang up your bag and make your way into the kitchen.

It was nearly ten pm and you still needed to make yourself something for dinner. You rummage through your fridge and cupboards before settling on ramen. You have some leftover greens from a stir fry you made and decide to throw those in there as well. You put the broth and a few eggs into a pot to boil for a while.

With your food cooking, you head upstairs to get into pajamas. You find some cozy pants and a shirt that smells almost clean. It's good enough, you think as you pull the shirt over your head. You drag yourself back downstairs, your feet aching. "Once I have dinner, I'm going to bed," you say to yourself.

You flip on the television before shuffling your way back to the kitchen. The eggs are finished boiling so you turn the heat off and add in your veggies and noodles. You put the lid on the pot to let them steep a little. The tv gives you a decent distraction and you find yourself falling into the lull of your nighttime routine. You turn to grab a bowl out of the cupboard when an abrupt knock nearly makes you drop it.

You make your way to the front door, grabbing a kitchen knife as you go. You weren't expecting any visitors. No one should be out here this late. You cautiously peer through the peep hole, a large dark frame filling your view. You flip on the front porch light to get a better look. Ghost glances up as you turn the light on. You breathe a sigh of relief and unlock the door.

"Hello, Ghost. Sorry, you scared me. Did something happen?," you ask, worried maybe something had happened to Price.

"I need a place to stay tonight. Price said you might have room," he grumbles. He seems nervous, shifting his weight back and forth. Price hadn't said anything to you about Ghost coming over. You made a mental note to chew him out for it later.

"Of course. Come on in," you welcome. Ghost steps into the house and stands awkwardly in the entryway. He glances over to see your still shaking hand holding a knife. He tenses briefly before seemingly remembering where he is and relaxing.

"You should really get a hand gun if you're going to be living out here alone," he remarks.

"I would but I don't have a safe. Besides, I'm not really sure how to handle a gun," you reply. He just nods. The two of you stand there in silence for a moment. You're not entirely sure what to say.

"Um, are you hungry?," you finally ask. Ghost nods again. "Well I just made some ramen if you'd like some," you offer.

"Yes please," he breathed.

"Feel free to make yourself at home. Change the channel to whatever you'd like. I'll go get dinner," you urge. You scurry back to the kitchen and grab another bowl from the cupboard. All you wanted was to go to bed. Now you're stuck playing host to a man you barely know. Why did life have to be so unfair? You dish out ramen into each bowl and add the eggs on top. You sprinkle on a little cilantro as a garnish before going to serve it.

"Careful, it's hot," you warn, handing Ghost the bowl. He's sitting in the chair near the corner of the room. Ghost gently takes the bowl from you. He seems to hesitate for a long moment. You watch as he brings a hand up to his mask and then lowers it again. Something clicks in your brain and before you can stop yourself you're blurting out ,"You don't have to eat with me if you don't want to. You can always eat in your room."

He shakes his head. He lifts his hand again and pulls down the mask. You feel your breath hitch. He had a deep scar twisting from the corner of his mouth up towards his ear. Another scar stuck straight down across his lips and down his chin. A third pulled at the skin underneath his left eye. You could see there were several smaller ones littering his skin.

He was stunning. He looked like something out of a Tim Burton film, in all the best ways. Soft pink lips that stuck out in a pout and long silvery eyelashes. His pale skin lined with purple webs, his deep brown eyes that seemed to notice everything. Like noticing you noticing him.

You quickly avert your gaze, your cheeks heating rapidly. You take a bite of noodles and try to clear your mind. He was hesitant to take his mask off in the first place, you staring at him probably didn't help. You guessed he was probably self-conscious of his scars. Based on the way he wore a mask and kept his head down, he seemed to prefer not to show them. You could understand why but they looked so beautiful to you. You thought he should show them off more. You briefly wondered what caused them. In all likelihood, they were won after countless brushes with death. Some part of you wanted to ask him how he got the scars. How he had eluded death. You wanted to know all his stories. You hardly knew the guy. You knew he couldn't be too bad, after all, Price trusted him alone here with you. But besides both of you knowing Price, you knew nothing about the man sitting across from you.

You watch him bring a spoonful of broth to his lips and gently blow on it before slurping it up. The two of you continue to eat in silence. The soft murmur of the tv fills the room. Ghost was so quiet you scarcely heard him breathe. You glance up just to make sure he really was breathing. You're shocked to see him finishing off the rest of his broth. He basically inhaled that whole bowl. Well, he was a big man and in the military at that. They probably don't get home cooked meals very often.

"Would you like more? I don't have any more ramen but I have some leftover chicken. I can heat that up," you suggest. Ghost seems to think about it before sheepishly nodding his head. You smile and get up to reheat the chicken. Maybe the barge sitting in your living room wouldn't be so bad. He seemed more like a shy school boy than a big, grown military man. You smile to yourself. He sort of reminded you of a Mastiff. They look mean but are about the biggest softies you can find. You plate the chicken and walk back to the living room. Ghost is looking at one of the small shelves on the wall, picking up the little trinkets and inspecting them. He nearly drops a little ceramic bunny when you come back in the room. He quickly puts it back and turns around. The tips of his ears begin to turn pink and you can't help but laugh. Yep. A big softie.

Taglist: @smileykiddie08

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list. Thanks for reading!

[echooefrost]

TGS MEDIEVAL AU :0

Is this Historically accurate? no. Does that matter? no.

Alright, This is gonna be a lot, so thou shalt be warned

In the Au, Robert is a prince and Lanyon Sr. is the King, they rule over a small kindom somewhere in England - name TBA (so not like real monarchies which rule over entire countries etc.) The premise is basically; The Lanyon's personal/private doctor recently passed away so they call in a new doctor/chemist from Scotland - did you guess? yep, It's Jekyll. Hyde exists before Henry/Edward meets Robert (I haven't worked out the exact logistics about it yet, but I will) Jekyll/Hyde are more Chemists/Alchemists than Doctors but they are both still very good doctors regardless (so they don't really wear the 'plague mask' thing) I aged only Jekyll, Hyde and Lanyon down to about their early 20's so it matches around the original timing of when J&H met Robert in TGS. There are other smaller reasons but they aren't to important, all you need to know is that it doesn't really change anything

Lanyon is betrothed to Everly from a neighbouring kingdom -this is where it differs slightly from TGS, it's a political marriage not a lavender marriage. Neither Robert nor Everly are happy about this however, they are both only children in royalty so they don't really have an option.

Hyde is essentially the local gremlin that has in-built eyebags and a sense to sell you things not very discreetly that he probably shouldn't be selling. His Cape is comedically large and has a very extensive collection of illegal powders, drugs, and other nefarious items. Almost everybody knows Hyde becasue at some point they have all needed some rare item from him. - this is where the blackfog comes in (yes it exists!) the Blackfog is basically the same but Hyde really wants to go so he can buy/sell lots of items for his little side-business he has going on, however Lanyon Sr. is opposed to it and it's existence because well... illegal.

*Hyde also goes by: The Spirit of [insert Kingdom's name] at night (soooooo original, ik)

Jekyll stays pretty much the same, He really cares about his reputation so he can move up on the social ladder and create his own Science business at some point, and I mean he doesn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the King of all people, that wouldn't be a very good look, would it?

In this universe, The lodgers are all citizens of the small kingdom and they all sort of have different occupations/roles in the town. They can't all be scientists, but do not fear because they still as equally crazy and chaotic as before. Rachel is the Lanyon's personal chef but she also helps run the bakery in town with Mr. Doddle. Jasper looks after most of the animals and creatures in the kingdom, he used to be a farmer but moved to get away from home. I am yet to work out how Jekyll and Jaspers relationship dynamic stays the same in this universe but I will figure something out.

There is A LOT of Jekyon and Lanyde going on here, so I've got something for everyone, (there may or may not be a masquerade at some point...) and it's not just centred around romance, there is lots of other plot stuff happening so do not fear my ace/aro friends (or just people who aren't a fan of romance)!

That's most of it for now... I'll draw some more stuff at some point and give some extra details, If you have any questions please ask (my asks are open) I'd love to hear from you all!!! Don't be afraid to offer any suggestions or other criticisms. Maybe I'll write a fanfic one day who knows, we will see.

Thanks for listening to my rant (*^▽^*)

*Footnote - I don't think you guys realise how hard it was to make hyde not look like either A.) a fucking elf or B.) Link. Did I succeed? not sure.

[elixirfromthestars]

WELCOME TO MY CAFE! ˖°.₊˚☕⊹♡

I miss interacting with fellow writers and readers, so I decided to host my own little writing challenge ♡ Between juggling grad school prep and an internship, I wanted to do something to keep me connected to this lovely community, so welcome everyone to my cozy little cafe :) 

The writing challenge starts today and closes on September 29th (National Coffee Day). I will be reading + reblogging every fic. The masterlist will be posted at the end. (if you see this anytime later or can’t make the deadline do not fret, if anything below inspires you, you are welcome to write and tag me and I will add your submission to the masterlist♡)

Below are the rules, prompts, and guidelines ♡

who you can write for: all marvel characters are welcome / any fictional sebastian stan or chris evans characters are welcome too (any characters they’ve portrayed based on real life people will not be accepted though!!) (please keep it to x reader fics only!!)

some general guidelines: Below I’ve provided a number of different prompts and songs for inspiration ♡ Anyone can use them and mix and match however you’d like!! If you use any please let me know somewhere in the post! If none of them below inspire you, to stay within theme please include either a cafe or coffee somewhere in the fic :) 18+ fics are welcome, just please add warnings! Any length of fics are welcome, but if it’s over 500 words please add the “keep reading” option. If you write something as part of a bigger series please write your submission as a standalone ♡

˖°.₊˚☕⊹♡ This is a sweet and cozy little cafe, but of course, there is always a possibility of rain. If anything below inspires an angsty fic, then by all means go ahead and write it! Your submission does not have to include fluff! 

what is not accepted: no dark fics, anything involving minors, incest, rape, noncon/dubcon 

how to enter: please tag me and use #elixirscafe when you post ♡ i’ll leave a like to let you know I saw it and reblog it once I read it :) if i haven’t responded to your post send me an inbox or dm please and thank you! 

Happy writing! My inbox is always open for any questions or comments!! ♡  

What table are you sitting at? 

♡ Coffeeshop AU 

♡ Soulmate AU 

♡ Bakery AU 

♡ Regency Era AU 

♡ Western AU

♡ Neighbor AU 

♡ Pen Pal AU

♡ Small Town AU 

♡ Royal AU

♡ College AU

Would you like a sweet treat?

🍩 ༄ؘ “No, I’m not letting you go. It’s too early to get out of bed.” 

🍰 ༄ؘ Saying I love you for the first time.

🍪 ༄ؘ “ Would it be alright if I borrowed your sweater? It smells like you.” 

🍫 ༄ؘ  “ You...you learned how to cook my favorite meal?”

🧁 ༄ؘ “ I’m not going to get sick, you baby. Just let me hold you.” 

🥧 ༄ؘ  “ What else do I need when I have my whole world in my arms?”

🍮 ༄ؘ “ I’m only doing it because you’re cute.” 

🥯 ༄ؘ “ Could you hold my hand?” 

🥞 ༄ؘ “ I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.” 

🍞 ༄ؘ “ I like hearing your heart beating when I put my head on your chest.” 

🍯  ༄ؘ “ Why don’t you tell me what I can do to make your day better?” 

🥐 ༄ؘ “ I’ve tried to forbid myself from falling in love, but now I can’t help it.”

Do you like the music in the cafe? Which song should I play next?

˖°.₊˚☕⊹♡ Feel free to use the lyrics below, the entire feel of the song, or any other lyrics in the song! The playlist is below in case you want to go through and listen to the songs while you write ♡

Apple Cider “ And I don’t even like you that much. Wait, I do, fuck. Call me at midnight. Let’s give this a try.” Beabadoobee

Apple Juice “ Don’t let goodbyes come too easy. Love me, just let me know that you need me.” Jessie Reyez

Apple Pie “I found you under an April sky, and you feel like city life, apple pie baked just right. Home is wherever you are tonight.” Lizzy McAlpine

August “ And I can see us twisted in bedsheets. August slipped away like a bottle of wine.’Cause you were never mine.” Taylor Swift

Bubble Gum “ Sorry I didn’t kiss you, but it’s obvious I wanted to.” Clairo

Caramel “ Love like a landslide, I kiss you goodnight. It used to be easy.” 5SOS

Cardigan “And when I felt like I was an old cardigan, under someone's bed. You put me on and said I was your favorite.” Taylor Swift

Chai Tea “ I love sippin’ chai tea, with you across from me. I love hearing your voice, talkin ‘bout nothing.” Audrey

Champagne Problems “ You had a speech, you’re speechless. Love slipped beyond your reaches, and I couldn’t give a reason.” Taylor Swift

Chocolate “ I need more time off with you to turn you on. And I want to wake up without the alarm. A thousand eyes on me constantly, but I just want you.” Ziggy Alberts

Cinnamon “ It’s a slow cinnamon summer. Your spell is pulling me under. Rowing in a wooded hollow. Showing me the moves to follow.” Jome

Coffee Breath “ Make me fantasize,'bout you baby. And you smell so sweet, like fresh-picked daisies.” Sofia Mills 

Coffee Cup “ So we’re swapping our cups, and after a while, we’re swapping a glance. And I can think nothing better than starting the year with a drop of romance.” Anthony Lazaro

Espresso “ Now he’s thinkin’ ‘bout me every night, oh. Is it that sweet? I guess so. Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know. That’s that me espresso.” Sabrina Carpenter

Grapejuice “ I was on my way to buy some flowers for you. Thought that we could hide away in a corner of the heath. There’s never been someone who’s so perfect for me.” Harry Styles

Honey + Tea “Girls like flowers, clever poetry. That old adage doesn't work on me, but conversation and a cup of tea. Boy, you had me at philosophy.” Mōzi

Milk & Honey “ So come meet me in the garden, where the angels sing. We’re mixing up milk and honey, soft lips divine. Slow cherry and lay me down, oh, she’s coming to set me free.” Jessarae

Pancakes for Dinner “ I’ll try to hide the way I feel, but I’ll just wanna shout. What do I have to lose right now?” Lizzy McAlpine

Thin Mints “ If you let me lova ya like I wanna, write you all the poems like Whitman. You can take my Thin Mints, if you let me love ya like I wanna.” Evan Crommett

Too Sweet “ I think I’ll take my whiskey neat. My coffee black and my bed at three. You’re too sweet for me.” Hozier

playlist for the songs above can be found here: 🧸

to my lovely mutuals, please don’t feel pressured to participate or share, just thought I’d share this with you all ♡  

@peteyprecious616 ♡ @malum-forev ♡ @rosepetalsinwinter ♡ @inkedreverie ♡ @nickfowlerrr ♡ @missraion ♡ @pocolottie​ ♡ @sweetiebarnes ♡

[lionhanie]

beautiful stranger (park sungho)

a beautiful stranger has come to save the day!

sungho x gn!reader (college au) 

word count: 4.5k 

genre + warnings: one (1) pinch of angst, cursing, written in all lowercase, a really really really bad date (it’s a random dude dw), sungho is pining badddd!

a/n: biggest sungho brainrot in the woooorrrrld!!!!!shoutout my babygirl jas for giving me the inspo for this <3 (and beta reading as always :3) this was heavily based on beautiful stranger by laufey!  i'd suggest listening to it before/while reading ^_^

dating felt like a hassle. it wasn’t that you weren’t looking for a relationship– if anything, you were more of a hopeless romantic than anything else. pinterest boards full of couple poses you only dreamt of remaking with your partner when you finally had the opportunity to, a page in your notes app dedicated to sweet date ideas, countless playlists full of love songs you’d want to be posted to one day. instead, each failed date chipped away the hope you once held about being in love. 

it was hard to blame yourself for the disappointment you felt every time you had to restart the cycle of getting to know a potential love interest. how many times could you talk about trivial matters you’ve discussed with people who ultimately end up leaving your life? what’s your favorite color? do you have any pets? did you play any sports in high school? it was repetitive, redundant, and utterly boring, to say the least. 

living in a college town didn’t help either. college students seemed to thrive on the idea of a temporary fling– something “casual” is what they liked to call it. you, on the other hand, could not fathom the idea of love being “casual”. relationships seemed to work backwards; it was nothing like what you grew up seeing in the movies. hooking up amidst a drunken haze, waking up the next morning with fuzzy memories of the person you shared an intimate night with. only then do people decide whether or not their one-night-stands are “worth” getting to know properly. everything was so… wrong. 

coming to university made you realize that trying to perpetuate your idea of romance would be difficult, especially when nobody seemed to take anything seriously anymore. but the hopeless romantic in you would never back down– you were determined to experience something at least remotely similar to the type of love you saw on TV in your last years as a student. so here you were, all dolled up, waiting to meet a guy you’ve been talking to for the past two weeks.

you met on a dating app, having swiped right after laughing at one of his prompts. sometimes, you were ashamed to admit you even bothered making a profile, but it felt like your last resort at this point. his name was minwoo, a graphic design major just one year above you. strictly based on his profile, he seemed sweet. unlike many others you’ve seen on the app, his pictures weren’t too flashy. almost too normal, even. your conversations were surprisingly more mentally stimulating than you’d expected from a dating app, which gave you some hope. at least he was capable of talking to someone like a normal human being, right? 

minwoo asked you on a date soon after you first exchanged numbers, but schedule conflicts on both ends kept pushing it further and further away. despite all the obstacles, he still seemed interested. this was uncommon amongst the men you met on there, finding that most of them would ghost you if you weren’t willing to come see them merely days after matching. probably just losers looking for a quick hook-up. maybe this time, the dating-app gods decided it was time to give you someone good. 

you agreed to meeting him only after making sure it would take place in the middle of the day in a public location on campus, where you knew it’d be safe. minwoo didn’t seem to mind, rather going along with whatever you said without complaint. you suggested a bakery that you frequented– the location was popular among students for their cheap drinks and cozy atmosphere that made a perfect spot to settle down and study for hours. being a regular there meant you were familiar with the workers, which gave you comfort knowing you had a familiar face nearby in case the date went south. 

you’re pleased to see other familiar faces when you first walk through the bakery’s entrance– finding strangers you’ve seen before doing work on their laptops or enjoying an afternoon pastry. you got there 10 minutes earlier than your set meeting time, in an attempt to avoid an awkward meeting outside. first dates always make you nervous; not to mention the fact that this was a stranger you found on a dating app. what if you’re nothing like your pictures? will the conversations flow as well as they do through text? hell, what if you got catfished? 

you push away your thoughts, regaining your composure as you take out a compact mirror from your bag to retouch your makeup. each time the chime above the door jingled, you found yourself turning to see if it was minwoo. it was now 2:13pm, almost fifteen minutes after you agreed to meet. you place your hands neatly in your lap, observing your surroundings briefly. 

you share a fleeting moment of eye contact with a man by himself at a table by the wall, holding his page in the novel he was holding. you recognized him as another regular, having seen him occasionally when you’d stop by for a coffee. he was wearing a denim baseball hat, which covered most of his face. he gives you a small smile, but you pull your gaze away quickly. you couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed at the fact that you were sitting alone in the middle of the store, sitting at an empty table because you refrained from ordering something before minwoo got there. 

truthfully, sungho had seen you there before. to him, you were nothing more than a beautiful stranger, one he had the pleasure of seeing more often than not when he would show up to his local bakery. he’d be lying if he said he didn’t look forward to the chance of seeing you every time he came in, sometimes even going as far to dress a little better if he felt like you’d be there that day. he was a bit shy to admit that he’d memorized your order with how often you showed up, hearing the baristas call out the drink and watching you pick it up. even he thought it was a little creepy, but it’s not like he’d ever act on his attraction, right? 

hm, maybe they’re waiting for someone? sungho thinks to himself, completely forgetting about the book he was previously reading. makes sense for someone as breathtaking as you to be in a relationship. he finds himself a bit disappointed as he sinks into his seat slightly. he’s brought out of his thoughts as the familiar bells above the door ring again, signaling a new customer. a sleazy looking guy walks in, and he watches as you perk up at the sight. that’s the guy you’re meeting? sungho’s annoyed at the way your date is dressed in sweatpants and a worn out band tee when your hair is done to perfection to match the cute outfit you had on. 

you promptly stand up as minwoo looks around the bakery for where you were, motioning for him to come over to your table. you feel a bit overdressed now that you see what he’s wearing. once he sees you, he smiles as he gives you an awkward side hug. first dates are always awkward like this, you shouldn’t mark it off as a disaster just yet. 

“it’s nice to finally meet you, yunjin!” what? 

“ah, it’s Y/N, actually.” you awkwardly laugh, hoping he was just making an off- putting joke. surely he wouldn’t get your name wrong.

“pfft, yeah i was just kidding! yunjin’s my mom’s name.” you raise your eyebrow at the comment, finding it weird to think that he’d go on a date with someone with the same name as his mother. “is this place any good?” 

“yeah! i go here a lot, actually. they make all the pastries in the back, so you know they’re gonna be tasty.” minwoo merely nods at your comment, walking over to the counter to order. you follow behind him, looking at all the cake slices on display once you get there. 

you smile at the person behind the register. they give you a quizzical look, side-eyeing the guy next to you. you were normally alone, so it was odd to see someone with you this time around. you shrug nonchalantly and hold in a giggle, glad that minwoo was too busy looking at the menu to see your interaction. 

“i’ll have an iced coffee… and get me one of those croissants over there.” minwoo orders rudely, speaking too fast for the worker to tap in the order on the screen. you watch as they frantically press buttons on the screen, waiting for them to finish before you say your regular order. 

once the barista looks up at you, you open your mouth to speak, only to be cut off. “and for you, a small caramel macchiato, right?” you beam back at them, finding it sweet to think they know your order by heart. 

“you got it! i think that’ll be it for us today, thank you!” the total shows up on the small screen in front of you, card reader lighting up as it waits for payment. you turn to look at your date, expecting him to pull out his wallet to pay, but his hands are resting firmly in his pockets as he looks around the rest of the bakery. you send a sorry look to the worker for the hold-up before you take your card from your purse and tapping it on the reader. it’s not that you cared much about who paid, but rather the fact that he didn’t even try to do so rubbed you the wrong way. 

“thank you! we’ll bring it to you once it’s done.” minwoo’s already on his way back to the table before the receipt is printed. your lips pursed as you take the piece of paper and shove it into your purse, thanking the worker once more.

sungho can’t help but notice the way you look defeated as you walk back to the table alone. maybe it isn’t your boyfriend. what kind of man makes you pay on a date? he scoots his chair a bit closer to your table, glad he was sitting somewhat close to yours. a little eavesdropping wouldn’t hurt anyone. he was just curious, that’s all. 

“sorry, i left my wallet at my dorm.” minwoo explains to you sheepishly. first, he shows up late without apology or explanation. next, you’re called the wrong name. then, he makes you pay for his order. it can only get better from here, right? 

“ah, it’s no worries!” you lie– everything he’s done so far has done nothing but raise red flags in your head, but you remain optimistic. you place your hands on the table, waiting for him to start up the conversation… except, he doesn’t. instead, he’s on his phone tapping away, presumably texting someone. it must be urgent if he needs to reply right then and there, right in front of you. 

you clear your throat, which makes him look up from his screen. “so, you’re in graphic design right?” it’s a topic you didn’t discuss much in your texts, so you felt like it would be a good way to break the ice. 

“eh, yeah. honestly, it’s kind of a joke major,” he comments dryly. his attention is entirely on his phone. 

“what made you pick it then?” you’re desperately trying to keep up the topic. 

“well, my friend said it was easy. plus, i play a lot of video games so i thought it’d be pretty cool.” he picked his major… because it was easy? minwoo continues texting away, when suddenly he scoffs at what he’s reading. “gosh, this bitch…” 

you’re completely flabbergasted at this point. “excuse me?” is he talking to you? sungho’s equally as shocked at his words, letting out a gasp when he hears what minwoo said. 

“sorry, my sister’s just asking me to pick up something on my way home.” 

“oh, i see.” now would be a good time for your drinks to arrive– you weren’t sure what to say anymore. if anything, you weren’t sure if you wanted to keep up a conversation with someone who spoke about his family in such a way. “...i thought you said you lived in the dorms, though?” 

“ah, did i? i live at home with my family.” you tilt your head at him in confusion. you were certain he said he lived in the dorms just seconds ago. it was a weird thing to lie about. why bluff about something so trivial? 

“here are your drinks!” a different worker from before comes up to your table with a tray, placing your order in the middle of the table. minwoo immediately reaches for his own, drinking from the straw before gagging at the taste. 

“hey, this is so bitter. is this how you guys normally make it?” the boy is clearly flustered, looking back and forth between you two. “there’s no way this place takes that long to make an iced coffee if it tastes like this!” you notice the way he’s struggling to answer minwoo’s outburst. 

sungho rolls his eyes. he hasn’t looked at his book in ages, finding your date far more interesting. has this douche never been to a coffee shop before?

“it’s supposed to be like that, yeah. we have sugar in the corner for customers to adjust the sweetness themselves.” the worker explains calmly, motioning to the coffee station by the garbage. he was one of the newer hires, but he resolved the situation well. 

minwoo takes his drink, clearly annoyed as he goes to add sugar. you quickly apologize for his behavior once he’s gone, and the worker gives you a face of understanding before taking the tray back to the kitchen. 

you take a sip from your own drink, finding it made to perfection, as usual. even when you first tried their iced coffee, you can’t recall it being that bad. at least, not gross enough to make a scene. glancing at your watch, you noticed it’s only been twenty minutes since minwoo arrived. it felt like you were there for hours– in the worst way possible. 

minwoo returns to his seat, seemingly satisfied with his coffee now. “i can’t believe they sell shit like this. what’s the point of buying it if i have to make it myself?” he was so… pretentious. it was annoying. 

“i mean, not everyone likes their drinks sweet, so i think it makes sense-” 

minwoo puts his hand in front of your face to shut you up. “well, i do. they should just do it right the first time.” 

you lean back, shocked at the way he nearly hit you with his movements. “it’s not like they know how your preferences.”

“jesus Y/N, you sound like my ex right now!”

“...your ex?” maybe you weren’t the most well-versed when it came to dating, but you knew better than to mention other people to the person you were currently talking to. 

“yeah, my ex was like, batshit crazy. she would always be on my ass about how often i’d go out to the bars with my friends, it was ridiculous! a guy just needs to have fun sometimes, right?” there wasn’t anything explicitly wrong with wanting to go party with your friends, but why did he need to do all that if he was in a relationship? to you, it felt like a valid thing to be angry about. if it was something severe enough for her to lash out on him like that, it must’ve been serious. you can’t find it in you to blame the poor girl, especially if she had to put up with his immaturity all the time.

you don’t have anything to say as you swirl the drink around in your cup, watching as the foam on top melts into the rest of it. this was a disaster. you should’ve known something was wrong with the way minwoo felt like an entirely different person upon meeting. he was nothing like the seemingly kind boy you were texting for the past two weeks. 

suddenly, his phone vibrates on the table. he quickly picks it up before you can see who’s calling, already out of his chair. “sorry, i need to answer this– it’s my sister. i’ll be right back.” minwoo unlocks his phone to answer, his tone much sweeter than it was when he was speaking to you. 

you watch as he walks out the door to take the call outside. suspicion brewed in your gut as you think about what just happened. earlier, he was cursing out his sister, but now he’s smiling on the phone with her? something told you it wasn’t actually his sister calling. 

sungho doesn’t know what gets into him when he finds himself springing to his feet, heading over to your table. in a time like this, he’s grateful that he managed to pick up on your name thanks to the workers. “Y/N, right? this probably isn’t my place, but are you dating that guy?”

you immediately shake your head no, almost disgusted at the thought of being in a relationship with someone like minwoo. 

“i don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he’s obnoxiously loud. if the music was any quieter, everyone could hear the way he’s acting like an asshole.” your cheeks heat up in embarrassment, thankful that most of the people in there were too focused with their own business to listen in on your horrendous date. 

“yeah, he’s definitely… something. it’s my first time meeting this guy, sorry to bother you over there.” you bow your head slightly, flustered to think that you were burdening one of the regulars by bringing your no-good-date to your favorite bakery.

“it’s your first time meeting and he’s like that?” the stranger lets out a huff of disbelief. “you’re free to say no, but… do you need help? i can pretend to be your friend or something so we can get out of here.” his eyes are full of concern. you’re taken aback at the stranger’s act of kindness, but thankful nonetheless. 

“i’m alright, i think. he was a lot nicer over text, so maybe he just needs to warm up to me or something?” 

the man’s displeased with your response; he would’ve rather you walk out on the date right there. “...okay. i’m sungho, by the way. my seat’s just over there, so just give me a look if you need saving.” sungho returns to his table, looking at you before he picks up his book again and pretends to read. 

“listen, she really wants me to come home soon, so i might have to leave in an hour or so.” one more hour spent with this weirdo. you don’t think you could last another ten minutes. 

“that’s fine, i understand it’s something important!” you’re unsure how you maintain such a cheerful act when it feels like your date lied about who he was on the phone with just moments ago. 

“so, are you doing anything later?” he places his phone face down on the table before leaning back in his chair. this was the first time his attention is entirely on you, but after everything you’ve seen, you’re immediately turned off. 

“probably going to work on some papers i have coming up, i’m pretty swamped right now when it comes to my assignments.” you didn’t actually have anything urgent you needed to work on, but you didn’t want to make yourself available for whatever he was about to propose.

“that’s a shame. i was planning on going out to the new club that opened a couple streets down,” minwoo pouts at you, making you groan in disgust internally. “you’re nice and all, but i can’t help thinking about what you’d really be like once you got some alcohol in ya!” 

“oh… what’s wrong with the way i’m acting now?” 

“well, not that there’s anything bad about you, you just seem a bit… uptight! i was just saying you need to loosen up bit. maybe all that coursework has you pent up, if you know what i mean.” you shiver at his implications. minwoo places his sweaty fingers atop yours, rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand. you try to pull away, but he keeps his grip firm as he smirks at you. 

you quickly glance over to sungho, finding that he was already looking at you, waiting for your signal of help. you bite your lip slightly before giving him a small nod. sungho takes his hat off, finally giving you a proper look at him as he runs his hand into his hair. he’s quick to close his book and tuck it under his arm, making his way over to your table in a few long strides. 

“Y/N? what are the chances i run into you here!” he sounds genuinely happy to see an old friend, placing his palm on your shoulder reassuringly as he takes his place beside you. sungho’s so good at the bit, you’re convinced he might be an acting major. “actually, leehan said he found your lab report in the library just now. didn’t we need to turn that in yesterday?” his words are urgent as he shows you random messages on his phone. it was leehan who he was texting, but the contents of their messages weren’t remotely related to his made-up story. 

“fuck, i totally forgot about that,” you place your hand on your forehead, feigning stress over your fake lost assignment. “minwoo, it’s been really nice meeting you, but my entire grade relies on getting that report in, so i might have to leave earlier than expected…”

“oh, really? i haven’t turned in any of my assignments in weeks!” you hold yourself back from rolling your eyes; of course he was a shitty student to top it all off. he was probably on the verge of getting kicked out for his bad habits. 

“Y/N, leehan just said he needs to go to class soon, we might want to go now before he has to leave.” 

“shit, actually?” sungho nods eagerly, making it seem like you urgently need to leave. “i’m so sorry about this minwoo, i should get going.”

“okay, i’ll text you later then?” you hum in response, grabbing your belongings as sungho is practically pushing you away from the table and towards the exit. he holds the door open for you as you step outside, heading in the opposite direction of the store. 

“are you really going to text him later?” sungho’s walking beside you as you count the cracks in the sidewalk. 

you let out a pitiful laugh at the silly question. “god, no. there’s no way i’m going to be in contact with that freak any time soon.” 

“good. anyone could see he was a piece of shit.” his words stung a bit; you felt humiliated. to think that you genuinely thought minwoo might be your chance at a college romance, yet you needed to be saved by a stranger. your judge of character might be worse than you think.

you find yourself at a nearby park far away from the bakery, sitting idly at the swingset. your savior is still with you, an empty swing between you as he kicks the pebbles on the ground. you’re not sure why he’s still there, but you’re comforted by his company in the aftermath. 

why is dating so hard? you curse yourself for not seeing this outcome sooner. there really wasn’t any way you could’ve predicted minwoo would act like that– in a way, it feels like your fault. maybe you weren’t the type of person people would want to date. maybe there was no chance of you finding someone good to settle down with before you graduated. did it have to do with you? maybe it wasn’t the dating culture holding you back. you don’t know why your eyes begin to well up, but you stifle back your sniffles as a tear falls into your lap. 

sungho immediately picks up on your emotions. he doesn’t normally know what to do in situations like this, but he’s sure he wants to comfort you. “hey, hey… are you crying?” he moves to kneel down in front of you. 

he pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket, offering it out to you. you quickly take it, looking away as you dab at your eyes. “fuck, this is so embarrassing.” you force out a laugh, trying to make light of the situation.

“it’s not embarrassing,” sungho pauses for a moment as he thinks about what to say. “sometimes people don’t turn out to be how you think they are.” sungho wants to slap himself for struggling to find the words he wants to tell you.

“i guess, but i’m sitting here crying in front of a stranger.” you look down at him, feeling small despite the fact that he was on the ground in front of you now.

“i’d like for us to be friends, at least.” you giggle at his comment, giving him a nod of agreement. 

“maybe this is a sign for me to give up.” your words are full of defeat. 

sungho’s confused from the lack of context. “give up?”

“give up on love. i don’t know why i thought i could find something on a dating app, for god’s sake. i guess it’s just not for me.” sungho knows whats he wants to say now. he wants to tell you you’re beautiful. he wants to tell you that you deserve to be treated well. he wants to tell you that anyone would be stupid to give up the opportunity to love you. 

he knows he shouldn’t say all that, at least not now. “would you give it one more chance? y’know, if the opportunity ever showed up.” 

“yeah, if that ever happened. i’m starting to feel like a lost cause here, sungho.” you scoff. after so many failed encounters with love, you felt like it was time for you to take a break.  “you’re acting like the right person is going to magically show up in front of me.”

there’s silence in the air between you as the leaves rustle the trees above. “this might be the worst possible time to do this, but would you let me take you out on a date, Y/N?”

...part two? (i have ideas for it already. Plz lmk if u guys GAF.)

taglist: @onedoornet @minwrlds @serejae @loserlvrss @gluion

© lionhanie 2024 ; all rights reserved!

[anonymooseforever007]

Man of My Dreams

(Alfie Solomons x female reader)

Summary: Y/N is one of the newest secretaries at the Shelby Company and she's always eager to make her bosses proud. But one night, when Tommy give her the order to watch one of his business partners.... maybe she took the order "by any way you can" a bit to literally....

A/N: Hi y'all! There's nothing graphic, but this fic does contain a short mention of forced prostitution by some aweful bosses over their secretaries, but nothing happens here. And aside from usual Peaky Language and sexual innuendos I don't think there are any other TW's for this story! I was gonna post this later but I'm pretty please with how it turned out so here it is now 😂 I just wanted to write a nervous reader meeting cheeky Alfie! Enjoy!❤️

WC- 3.2k

Main Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"WAIT! Don't go! You can't!"

"And why is that Treacle?"

".....because I love you?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(A little while earlier)

Mr. Shelby had given you one job. Only one job left today and he said it was vey important that you complete it at all costs and by any means necessary. If you failed there maybe be a lot of trouble and not just for you. But what was that job?

Keep Alfred Solomons inside the office...

It was after closing time at the betting shop and while almost everyone else had gone home you were still working on a few papers Mr. Shelby wanted done by tomorrow. And while they wouldn't take too long, you were still a newer secretary at the company and rather eager to please your bosses. You were also one of the younger secretaries and this was one of your first jobs that consisted of more than stocking shelves or sweet talking rude customers in the bakery. And while everything had gone smoothly so far, you still found yourself accepting the extra work from time to time in order to get in your boss's good graces. He still paid for the time of course, very well actually. But as you'd learn today, late office hours often came with unexpected surprises too. 

One of these began when Mr. Shelby suddenly walked through the main floor towards his office. Only he wasn't alone. Walking a few paces behind him was another man. You'd recognized him as Alfie Solomons, an imposing man who owned the "Bakery" that Arthur Shelby was always grumbling about. You hadn't actually spoken to him or even met him yet. The most you'd gotten was rumors from the other women in the shop about all the terrible things he'd done. Even worse than some of the rumours about your boss. But tonight it appeared that would change. You didn't miss the quick glance made towards you by the Camden Town man when Mr. Shelby passed your desk with a quick acknowledgment, before heading straight to his office.

Only six minutes into the important meeting, Mr. Shelby had been called to the Garrison to deal with a fight started by his brothers. He had been annoyed to no end at having to fix yet another one of his brothers' impulsive decisions, but seeing as Polly was helping Esme with her new baby, he was the only one left to go. Well, the only one Arthur and John would listen to if they were half as drunk as Finn said. And Finn himself was also being dragged back to the bar by Tommy to help control his brothers too, so he couldn't watch the other gangster either. Even if he lacked his brother's stomachs for fighting, Finn still had almost a head over each of them and could hold them back well enough if needed. 

So Tommy brought him along too, leaving you behind with the order to keep the other gangster company until he returned. It didn't matter that Alfie had already agreed to waiting until Tommy came back. Or in his words "graciously relented more of his precious time" in the name of "proof of his good will." Tommy still didn't want him snooping around the office while he was gone. So he'd given you strict instructions to keep the gruff man in his office until he got back. You were also to make sure he didn't mess with much in there either. 

You'd never anticipate just how astray that one plan would take you...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hi. I'm Y/N, one of the secretaries. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Shelby wanted me to look at his typewriter and clean up the office a bit before I left. One of the keys has been a bit sticky lately. So don't let me both you, and if you need anything let me know and I can get it for you."

You'd figured that had been a pretty decent thing to open with. It was a good excuse for staying in the office, and Tommy had wanted you to fix the key for a while now. But you started to rethink your opener, as all you got in return was a brief nod from Mr. Solomons who continued to read over the paper in his hands. Pursing your lips in a line and feeling slightly awkward now, you just nodded to yourself moving to Mr. Shelby's typewriter. You did get a questioning stare after that when you picked up the device and moved it to the table in the middle of the room. That was the table between Mr. Solomon's desk and the door. It meant you had a better chance of stopping him should he try to bolt. Didn't mean it was a big chance though. No, you didn't doubt this man could easily pin you if he tried, and you hoped in the back of your mind that he really did plan to stay as agreed. And so, glancing at the unchanging position of your charge every few minutes, you set to work on pulling apart the typewriter...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silence.

Pure uncomfortable silence had descended upon the small office nearly half an hour after Mr. Shelby left. Well, you found it uncomfortable, but Alfred seemed to have no issue with the quiet that settled over the room. By this point he'd moved from the chair he was originally sitting on to the one behind him, closer to the bookshelf. Which happened to be directly across from your own seat. 

He sat, unbothered, still reading the same contract he had when you came in. He must of gone through it twelve times by now. Occasionally, he'd mumble under his breath, causing your head to shoot up, waiting for something to happen with bated breath. One of these times, to slight humiliation, your head had shot up expecting to see him still looking down at the papers...only to be met with his own piercing eyes. Neither of you spoke at that moment, you just stared eyes wide with surprise while his remained unreadable. The moment was broken by the sound of a siren out of the window causing you to look over. You didn't notice the slight smile the briefly passed the man's face.

It had been fifteen minutes since that moment and you were finally starting to relax, thinking that maybe this really wouldn't be as bad as you thought. Keeping him here didn't seem too bad.

Until, without warning Alfie stood up and quickly walked towards the desk. Thinking he was trying to look at Mr. Shelby's private papers you also shot up. But when he turned back around you saw he was only grabbing a new pen, leaving you standing there... once again staring. He must really be starting to believe you're a creep of some sorts, you thought. Trying to save face you'd headed towards the desk yourself, under the guise of grabbing a piece of paper for the now fixed typewriter. You didn't expect him to, but you were glad the your company didn't point out the stack of paper sitting right next to the machine in the table. And with that, you went back to your seat, trying to calculate how many drinks you'd need after this. 

You couldn't explain it, but for some reason you felt like you were doing this wrong. There was some source of nerves buzzing in the back of your head that just wouldn't settle. You chalked it up to this being the "most important" job you'd been given yet, aside from when Polly had you watch the empty shop for an hour one night after locking up so she could chew one of her nephews out for their latest mess. You had been so nervous about someone trying to break in, you'd almost concussed poor Arthur with his own stapler when he'd come in the back door. The only thing that saved him was the fact he actually fell back on his ass, terrified, because you'd popped out so closely to him. You were also lucky he happened to be sober and registered it was you before fighting back. Neither of you mentioned that night to the others.... and neither of you ever would.

The silence continued for a few endless minutes longer before it was finally broken. Alfie groaned lightly as he got to his feet. Luckily you hadn't stood up this time and were able to slow the rise of your head, looking up at him slightly concerned. Even if you didn't know the man, you'd noticed the slight wince he'd made when he stood up, using the couch arm to stabilise his ascent as he reached for his cane by the table.

"Right. Now that's enough of that poppet. You said if I wanted anything you'd give it to me correct? And now I know what I want so you're gonna help me?"

Eyes wide in shock, both from the fact your burly companion spoke, and of what he spoke, you shot up once again in slight panic. Shit Shit Shit. Not only had his sudden actions threw you off your axis, but now he was also looking at you with a stare that reminded you of how John looked at Esme many times before they'd disappeared to the back rooms for half an hour or so. Esme usually came out looking brilliant as usual, but John wasn't one to hide his messy clothes or the marks on his neck. And now Alfred Solomons seemed to be giving you the same look as his eyes roved your body. He tilted his head and took another step forward, indicating that you still hadn't answered his question.

"I...I did say that yes. What do you need Mr. Solomons?"

"Well let's not dance around anymore. Call me Alfie or Alfred if you'd like treacle. I've seen you starting at me," Alfie moved around the table until he was only a few steps away, "I think you know exactly what I want. I think you know exactly how this is suppose to play out. Your boss leaving you here as 'company' for little ole me? You know what happens now right?"  

The last words were spoken so closely you could feel his breath against your face. Your breath hitched realising what he meant. No. It couldn't be that. You knew Mr. Shelby wanted you to keep his business partner company, but surely he didn't mean that kind of company. Your boss wouldn't do that right? You'd never even met the man before today and he wanted you to....

"Show me where the bathroom is why don't you? I've been needing a piss since the trip up."

Your entire body seemed to relax hearing those words. Yes, Alfred Solomons was a very handsome man, the kind you often fantasised with your friends about meeting one day. But that didn't mean you had any desire to sleep with the man for your boss's benefit. You'd heard about monsters who forced that from their poor secretaries. 'A sweeter part of the business deals' is what some of them wanted. Men like that disgusted you, and you were relieved your boss wasn't that way. If he was though, you believed you'd actually have shot him yourself for such a suggestion. Yes, you had a habit of being quiet and were often anxious about if you were correctly doing your job, but you'd be damned��if any man thought he could treat you that way. Your father had taught you how a man should respect a woman and your mother gave you a gun if he didn't. A gun that was currently locked in your nightstand, but nonetheless you figured you'd have time to grab the stapler on Tommy's desk if you needed to. Though now that Solomons had brought it up, the idea wouldn't leave your mind. After all, it was just you and Mr. Solomons in the office. Mr. Shelby wasn't back yet and there was no telling how long he'd be. What if he got to you before you reached the stapler?

"It's alright dove, I'm not gonna hurt ya," Alfie's words broke through your thoughts once again, and you'd nodded this time hearing the truth in his words. He'd noticed you'd relaxed upon his last demand, only to tense up a bit in thought moments later. Based on your quick glance towards the stapler on Tommy's desk, he could tell you were now thinking of another request he'd might have made. One that honestly he wouldn't have minded indulging in he thought, taking another quick look at the woman before him. But he didn't because of the uncertain look in your eye and the scolding voice of his late mother telling him off for what he'd just done. 

He knew it was wrong of him to imply such a thing, especially when he'd only just met you and when you seemed nervous as it was. And for a man who rarely regrets his actions, he did feel a slight hint of guilt for scaring you. His mother would have tore him a whole new asshole if she'd heard him make such a comment, implying what the young woman practically had no choice to do. Given, he certainly had made many comments like those before and they were often eagerly accepted and lead to quite a few passionate nights while Cyril was sent home with Ollie... But that didn't mean now was the time for them. Not when it was late at night alone in Tommy Shelby's office the his secretary he'd met forty five minutes ago. Wouldn't that be a story to hold over the shorter gangster though? The time he bent Tommy's new secretary over the man's own desk in under an hour. Alfie felt the seat of his pants tighten slightly at that idea, but tried to push it off because it still wasn't the time for that. 

"The bathroom is this way."

Your words broke him out of his thoughts and Alfie looked over to see you standing by the office door you'd been guarding so "intensely" the whole time. Like your time in the office, the way to the bathroom was also silent. You walked Alfie all the way up to the door, and he was half surprised you didn't accompany him to actual toilet seat. 

After a few moments standing awkwardly outside the door, feeling like you sister waiting for her five year old son, Alfie finally came out again. He didn't even wait for you as he made his way back through the main floor. But instead of cutting a straight path through the other desks like before, he was weaving his way around and between the tables. Sometimes he'd pause and look at the papers on a seat even though they were likely just blank log pages, everything else having been put away for the night. Then he'd straighten up again and travel a completely different direction than before. And because you wanted to make sure he wouldn't take anything off the other desks, you followed him. 

Up and down and around. If someone were to walk into the company just now, they'd have seen what looked like a two person game of tag....One you seemed to be loosing. Finally he reached the door of Tommy's office again, stopping so suddenly, you almost ran into him. 

"Well that was a rush wasn't it poppet? Had to get me daily exercise in didn't I?"

The intimidation you felt from this man was finally starting to wear off. All of the sudden the mood of environment changed again. Alfie sighed and shrugged his shoulders like he'd made a final decision. 

"Right. That's really enough of that poppet. Seems your Boss is a no show and I'm a busy man," Alfie stated as he gathered up the papers he's been looking at. You froze, watching him stand up and make his way to the door. Shit shit shit. He was joking again right? He was suppose to stay put. But now he's moving towards the door and doing the very thing he wasn't suppose to do. Why was he leaving now? He said he'd stay. Shoot. You wanted to go back to the uncomfortable silence from before.

You looked around the room for a reason to keep him there. But aside from Tommy's stapler, you didn't see any means of holding him back. Besides it wasn't like the stapler would be of much use. Tommy always forgot to refill it when the staples were gone and had a bad habit of stealing yours and never giving it back. Sure, he technically owned every stapler in the building, but you were still very proud of your own little tool. It hardly ever got jammed. But now it was no where in sight and Tommy's stapler was as usual, empty, meaning unless you wanted to beat Alfie over the head with it, you were out of luck. Sure, you could probably toss it at him as a distraction and then roll the desk chair into his bad hip, but that just felt mean. Arthur would absolutely love it and might have given you a raise for doing it even, but there was a larger part of you that spoke against hitting a man in his war wound. That just felt like a special type of cruel. But it meant you were left with no other option but to witness Alfie walk out the door. As you watched, Mr. Shelby's words flew through your head, talking about how important it was for Alfie to stay until he returned and how you need to keep Alfie there at all costs. Suddenly, an idea hit you.

"WAIT! Don't go! You can't!"

"And why is that Treacle?" The words came out absentmindedly, Alfie already focused on what he'd do when he got home.

".....because I love you?"

Alfie's hand was on the door when he froze, hearing your almost desperate plea. Spinning around as much as he could with his hip, he faced you again. Confusion covered his face, quickly replaced by an almost cocky amusement.

"You love me?"

"Yes," you nodded somewhat confidently," I've loved you since the moment I first met you."

Alfie, tilted his head and took a step closer, raising and eyebrow.

"Well poppet, considering moment I met ya was an hour ago, I'd say it's a love that won't take long to get over."

He turned again but this time you shoved yourself infront of the door before he could grab it.

"No it's not!"

"It's not?"

Now Alfie was confused. He'd have remembered meeting a pretty face like yours before, especially it it accompanied your rather memorable personality, you'd shown today. On the other hand, you were cursing yourself out internally, berating yourself for the impulsive lie. Why didn't you just grab the stapler? Scrambling to cover yourself now, you delved deeper into your story.

"It's not. The first time we met was... it was... at.... no by.... It was by..... in .in in.... IN MY DREAMS!! The first time we met was in my dreams and I've been in love with you since then!! Yes that's it!"

You nodded vigorously, smiling, hoping he'd believe you. He didn't obviously, he knew you were still trying to follow your boss's orders.... but damn was this fun to watch. Alfie raised an eyebrow moving a step closer again.

"Are you saying I'm the man of your dreams poppet?"

"Yes! Absolutely. I think about you every night."

"You do?" Alfie was only a step away now. "What exactly about me do you think dove?"

You thought for a moment, scanning his body for things to talk about, not that it would be hard, but you felt a little pressured here. If Alfie moved any closer his beard would brush you chin.

"Beard.... Your beard is fluffy, and looks soft," you started," and your stance is...like a sturdy man's stance..you have pretty eyes too...and you have arms... I like arms. You look like you'd give good hugs... or could like make my bed," Alfie bit his lip, trying not to laugh. "Also legs, you have legs, and a cane for your hip. You could like do stuff with the cane ... maybe I don't know. Some people may like that. I know people into that." You had no clue what your were saying at this point, just rambling and Alfie didn't know if it was embarrassing or enduring. But before you could delve deeper into your hole, he stopped you.

"Alright poppet. I get it don't I? You're madly in love with me and the idea of me leaving just breaks your heart, don't it?"

"Yes?...." You nodded, not believing that he was believing it. Maybe?... "It breaks my heart and that's why you can't leave. You have to stay with me. In here. In this office....So you can't leave. Because I absolutely love you with all my heart and if you were to go I wouldn't know what to do. I'm just lost without you Alfred Solomons. You are the man of my dreams an..."

"Y/N, What the fuck?"

Startled by Finn's voice you cursed, turning around to see not only the youngest Shelby, but Tommy, Arthur, John, and Michael staring at the scene before them. Evidently during your "heartfelt" speech you hadn't noticed them arrive back to the office. Nor had you seen them opening Tommy's door, only to hear the last bit of you professing your "love" for the man who'd screwed them over more times than John had kids....which was to say a lot. Tommy's eyes met yours in confusion and slight concern as your mouth opened and closed like a fish, unable to provide an explanation. When he said keep Alfie under control he meant, just make sure the man didn't piss in the whiskey decanters or draw horns on Arthur's picture. He wasn't sure why that involved professing your love. In the back of his mind, it passed that you could be a spy, and Tommy honestly hoped that wasn't the case. He liked you, Lizzie never let him take her stapler. A drunken John just smiled in amusement, pleased with the free entertainment. Meanwhile, Finn and Michael were silently making faces at each other, arguing over who'd grab Arthur's legs, and who'd get arms if he decided to act on the dangerous glare he was giving Alfie. He wasn't actually drunk, but Arthur saw you like another Ada, and he didn't like the idea of Alfie romancing you. Arthur also had a deep seated despise for Alfie in general, but everyone knew that. Now they were all looking at your for an explanation.

Looking over your shoulder, the stapler was still empty.

Perfect.... 

[artemis-73]

Suptober Day 12: Harvest Festival

The hunt is an easy one. Calling it a vamp nest would be an exaggeration, and Dean takes the two of them out without breaking a sweat. He thinks about calling Dad and asking if he's missing something.

Then he figures Dad wouldn't answer anyway.

He heads back to the motel alone. On the way, he passes Main St. It's completely closed with hay bales stacked in the street to block anything but foot traffic. There's a huge sign in faded oranges, browns, and reds declaring the start of the town's harvest festival. Tacked to the bottom are fliers from a bunch of local businesses, and one in particular catches his eye. It's for a place called Milton's that claims to have the best pies in the state.

He parks in the nearest empty spot and hoofs it back. The entire street is filled with people, mostly families, who are enjoying each other's company as much as they're enjoying the booths. Dean tries not to look at them too closely.

The bakery's booth is easy enough to find; he just has to follow the trail of people with half-eaten baked goods. When he gets to the front of the line, the woman behind the table freezes. She has fire red hair pulled back in a ponytail and big brown eyes that widen in surprise. Her customer service smile is still plastered on, and after an awkward, stuttering moment, she says, "Hi, how can I help you?"

She throws a look over her shoulder at the man who's slicing a new pie at the back of the booth.

"Uh." Weirdly enough, none of Dean's alarm bells are going off. It's a weird interaction, and he should be running the other direction, but... But he really wants some pie. "You got pumpkin?"

She nods eagerly. "Of course." To the other man, she says, "Cas, can you bring me a slice of pumpkin?"

Without looking up, Cas says, "I'm a little busy, Anna."

More urgently and through clenched teeth, Anna says, "Cas."

With a put upon sigh, Cas looks up, and it's like deja vu. As soon as he sees Dean, he freezes. His ice blue eyes dart to Anna then back to Dean. He drops the knife, scrambles for one of the pre-packed slices, and comes over to hand it to Dean.

Neither of them say anything while Dean takes out his wallet to pay. He even drops a couple of bucks in the tip jar before he starts back toward where he parked.

He's almost made it to the car when he hears someone calling his name. When he turns around, Cas is jogging after him. Dean slips his hand into his pocket so he can feel his switchblade.

"How do you know my name?" he asks.

Cas stops. Clearly, Dean's apprehension is obvious.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--" Cas worries his lip. Then like it's some kind of joke, he raises his hands and says, "Be not afraid."

Dean flips the switchblade open but keeps it close so that the people driving by (probably) won't notice it. "Listen, buddy. I asked you a question, so start talking."

"Okay, okay." The real concern on Cas's face makes Dean relax a little. No monster's going to be scared of a little blade. "Anna and I are human. We are. We just haven't always been."

"Then what were you before you were human?"

"You're not going to believe me."

"Try me."

"Angels," Cas blurts out.

Dean laughs. It's a little manic, but man, the guy is actually crazy. "Angels aren't real."

Cas hasn't lowered his hands, but he takes a step closer. "Your name is Dean Winchester. Your younger brother is Sam. Your father is John. He raised you both to be hunters after your mother, Mary, died."

"How the hell do you know all that?" Dean bumps against the Impala. He hadn't even realized he was backing up.

"Heaven has plans for you and your brother. Awful plans."

"And what? You're telling me out of the goodness of your heart?"

"When Anna and I fell, we told ourselves we wouldn't get involved with any of it. We didn't expect you to show up at our booth, and it seemed cruel not to warn you." Cas finally lowers his hands. "I'll leave you alone now. I'm sorry." Awkwardly, he turns and starts back toward the festival.

The guy's crazy. Maybe he knows other hunters, and that's how he knows about the Winchesters. Maybe he's some kind of monster with amnesia that thinks it human. Whatever the case may be, there's no reason for Dean to do anything but climb into the Impala and leave.

"Fuck," he grunts. Then louder, "Hey, Cas!"

Cas turns around tentatively, but there's a hopeful quirk to his eyebrow.

"You said this whole heaven thing included Sammy?" Dean asks.

"Yes."

Dean sighs. He looks back at the road that leads to his motel. He could be packed up and heading out of town in less than half an hour. Cas hasn't moved.

Finally, against his better judgement, Dean says, "Could you and Anna use some help packing your booth up?"

[eastwindmlk]

Day 13 of @jilytoberfest is brought to you by a weird outside POV! This is a loose story continuation of day 5. Prompt; Muggle Technology. Word count: 1113

Sander Cohen drove his way to the sleepy town of Godric’s Hollow on what seemed to be a normal day with a new student. While it had seemed odd to him that there was no phone number listed, but then again maybe they moved recently. BT was notoriously slow with their connections, especially all the way out here.

When he pulled up to the house, a young lad stood waiting. Nothing he did not expect. However, he had to admit that when he asked to move around the corner because he wanted to surprise his wife, took him by surprise. The lad looked maybe nineteen at best and seemed a little young.

Maybe he was the religious sort, Sander decided. A theory that was almost immediately dashed when he got out to greet the young man. “Hi, oh thank fuck you moved when you did. James Potter, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Sander was it not? See, I am trying to learn how to drive and surprise the wife with a road trip, you know. It would have spoiled it if she’d seen you,” James rambled and shook his hand rather frantically throughout this entire explanation.

“James, can I call you James?”

-” Mister Potter is my father, Hades rest his soul,” he replied with a solemn look on his face like he had not just said something slightly off colour.

Sander decided to shake it off, after all, he did strike him as the eccentric type with his wild hair and floral tunic. Deciding to get started, they walked a circle around the car while he explained various things like the fuel cap and even popped open the hood to get a look at the engine.

He explained to James how to work the chair after he’d folded his legs into his compact car, then the mirrors and the handles. All routine stuff, all things he’d likely encountered before in his parent’s car. Only James looked fascinated. Like he was seeing all of this for the first time.

“It’s so different from a motorcycle,” James said after the explanation and flicked on the windscreen wipers with a chuckle. He tried the lights a few times before finally turning back to him. “So, when are we flying this thing?”

Sander looked at his new student for a moment and contemplated if maybe he was hearing things wrong. Flying? He almost asked aloud but something in his gut told him that this would lead to another ramble like there had been before. “You are going to drive a little now and heading to somewhere safe you can practice getting a feel for the car.”

His simple explanation was met with eager nods and a bright, boyish grin that made him wonder how someone like this managed to get a wife but he himself had yet to be so lucky. Sander was quite happy that most students were very focused on their first lesson and he did not need to listen to much newly-wed chatter during his lesson.

How wrong he was. It started as they drove past the bakery and James’ head craned to the display. “Oh, they have the lemon tarts again! You know, my wife loves those,” he commented and nearly drove into a curb. Sander had to grab the wheel to correct him.

The next near accident came at the stop light when James did not seem to have the intention to stop when it turned red well before they reached it. James was far too busy telling him how his beautiful wife, his words, would love seeing some more of the country.

“I’m sure she’s seen plenty on the train to school, but it is different. I am sure we can find somewhere lovely to go. Do you know somewhere nice to drive?” James only blinked at him confused, whole head turning his way to look up at him, eyes full of confusion. “Why did we stop?”

Sander could not help but blink at the man sitting in the driver’s seat and wonder if maybe he shouldn’t be. “The light was red,” he answered watching in horror as his student’s face turned inquisitive.

“But there was no one there,” James asked and this put him in such a state that he produced a packet of Marlboros that he usually only smoked during his breaks. The lord knew he needed it.

Rolling down his window he placed kept the fag between his lips and produced his lighter. “Do you mind?” he asked rhetorically and waited five seconds, he counted them, to be polite before lighting up.

“You know, my wife used to smoke those too. Said it was the hardest thing she ever had to quit,” James commented and he took a long drag to not have to answer. Just humming and nodding. “I know it is supposed to be unhealthy, but you should have seen her while smoking.”

Before he knew it Sander had the second fag ready when the first one was about to burn up. He felt a lot safer once they turned into a large, empty parking lot. Even if they hit the curb on the way in. They went through some basic things, breaking, shifts, turns and signals. James seemed to be receptive to these things.

He even asked questions and though some of the answers Sander gave sprouted another comment about ‘his wife’ it was alright. He’d resigned himself to his fate. This far too chatty bloke loved his wife and he supposed he should be happy for him.

Even if he loathed every word that came out of his mouth.

The road back to the address was better, he supposed. No run stop lights and no curbs. The parking was still abysmal, but the fatigue of learning something new had, mercifully, dried the well of stories.

He peered down his empty packet of fags once they were out of the car, sucking his teeth annoyed at the fact that he needed to buy a new pack when James appeared in front of him, once again offering his hand. “Thank you for today, it was an honour to learn from you.”

A little startled Sander took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Uhm, fair enough. You… did good?” he answered awkwardly as he sunk his hands into his pockets. “Tell your wife I said hi.”

James grinned at him boyishly before nodding. “Will do! I’ll ring for another lesson. Take care!” With that, he jogged back around the corner leaving Sander to press his forehead to the cold roof of the car. Deciding to buy two packs in preparation for that next lesson.

[sofiiel]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲: 𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐝!𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Part 2 ⇢

Summary: In which you stumbled upon Cryptid!Eddie cowering in an alleyway one chilly autumn night in Hawkins, Indiana. And make a new friend.

Warnings: Bittersweet fluffy friends. Angst in the form of sad, not so little guy. Cheesiness. DemoEddie.

A/n: I may make a slowly updated friends to lovers series out of this, as I'm fond of their interactions. I'm certainly thinking of writing this from Eddie's pov. Also, I am done with summer so here it's fall 🧡

It's a particularly cold autumn night as you empty the trash from the bakery into the dumpster.

You're new to Hawkins, and you've heard all the strange stories. Though, you thought it was all small town hysteria and conspiracy theories. But the town was now a tourist destination. And a perfect place to open your first business.

You'd had a busy grand opening and your mind is still thinking over the day when you hear a startled yelp from inside the large trashcan.

You stumbled back as a dark figure leaps out and darts into the shadows. A strange high-pitched whine following the sound of scrapping.

Was it a dog?

Pulling your coat around you tighter, you venture to investigate, carefully.

"Stay back..." A raspy voice calls out from the corner. A large wisp of breath floating towards you.

Your feet stop moving, was it the dog's owner? Something wasn't adding up.

"Sir, if you need food for your dog, I have dog treats inside if-"

A distorted laughter seeps from the shadows, it turns into a spine-chilling whinny. If a whistling wind could chortle.

"Please just...go away." said the voice.

He didn't sound like he was in good shape, and you ponder calling the police.

"Hold on, I'll be back, I'm just going to call and get you some help. You don't sound well, sir-"

"Don't do that!" it bellowed. The cry knocks you off your feet, the force behind and it and something else…

You wince, glass shards stuck in your palm. You have little time to worry about it, however, as you feel a thick, warm liquid seep out of your ear.

His yowl felt like standing too near a train whistle.

You sat among the scattered leaves of the large oak tree above your shop, trying to stop the fear racing in your chest.

Pressing a finger to your ear, you examine the blood.

A moan of regret comes from the shadows, "I tried to warn you. Please leave." it says.

Something in the way its words hit your core, sways your fear into an odd curiosity.

"He sounds sad." You find yourself thinking.

One thing was obvious, that cry that pierced your ears, would have hurt any canine to the point of whimpering. His dog was either deaf, or there was never a dog to begin with.

"But could a man hop out of a dumpster with such speed?" you ponder.

Getting to your feet, you hear shuffling in the corner. It's extremely late and Hawkins has gone to bed. In the sleepy quiet, all small sounds are magnified. The same was true to the tiny hiss of pain in the corner.

"Are you hurt?" You question, only to be answered by a hushed growl.

You bit your lip and glance away. "Listen, I won't call the police, but at least let me help." you offer.

He says nothing, but you can hear him slink further into his corner.

"I won't come back there, I promise. I'm just going to bring you a blanket, my first aid kit and maybe something warm to drink?" you say.

He doesn't respond, but he'd made himself perfectly clear any time he'd disagreed with your actions.

"Ok, I'll be right back." you murmur, whisking away to the back door of your shop.

Closing the cold out behind you, you lean against the door and exhale. Just a moment to collect yourself. However, you still had little time to squander.

You take the old lift to your studio above and rummage through your trundle drawers for your extra blanket. Moving about as fast as you are able, you pop a cup of hot chocolate into the microwave.

From your bed came a dry 'mrow' from your calico devon rex.

"Not now Toad, I'll give you your snack later, I promise." you tell her as her green eyes square on you.

At the sound of the 'ding' with blanket and paper cup in hand, you head back down.

In a small amount of time, the wind decided to waken. Opening the back door, you are met with the biting breeze.

There's a slight gasp and a great commotion.

"Shit, fuck...damn it..." a string of soft curses follows the noise of hit metal and pavement.

"A-are you ok? I did say I'd be right back." you call to him. Blanket thrown over your shoulder and cup in hand.

You feel as though someone's watching you with a weighty gaze.

Quietly, you move forward and set the cup on the ground.

"I kinda don't want to lay your blanket down on the cold ground. So, I'll just hold it out to you?" your statement comes out as a question.

He offered no objections, only -

"Could you," he lulled carefully, "possibly look away."

You nod and turn your head, shutting your eyes. Scraping against the concrete tickles your ears.

Briefly against your fingertips, a cold pointed sensation brushes against your skin. The shivering touch stands out even against the frosty night air.

You shut your eyes tighter at the swooshing of the blanket.

More scraping, he must be going for the cup. But why that sound? What's moving along the ground?

Curiosity won't leave you be, and you dare to take a peek.

Your head slowly turns as your eyes widen gradually. Your lips tremble as they part, and your hand goes to silence a gasp.

The man kneeling before you, blanket draped over his shoulders, hardly looked like a man at all.

Long shaggy curls hid his face, lanky arms twice the length of any natural anatomy were thin but strictly muscle. What one would expect to see if you pulled away one's skin.

Hands the length of feet grasped the cup, spindly taloned fingers curling over one another.

If he stood he would be a tower, a gangly frightening tower.

But what shocked you the most was the oddly elegant webbing around his arms.

"Wings." you exhaled.

The creature who'd been happily slurping the chocolate looked up at you with a start.

He was the monster, and yet he was the one who looked terrified. While his body shivered from the cold, fear had him frozen in place.

Dark eyes slowly filled with water, they shimmered under the light of the crescent moon.

You should have been running, you have screamed and called for help. Though somehow in that alley, looking into the face of this creature, you felt as if you were the threat.

Moving carefully, you lower yourself as much as possible.

"You're ok." you tell him. You take your words slowly and make sure to meet his eye.

"I won't hurt you, if you won't hurt me. Deal?" you ask.

He watches you in wonder but manages to nod his head.

Looking over your shoulder, you glance at the door. It probably wasn't wise to bring a monster into your business. It was probably twice as ridiculous when said business was also your home.

With a sigh, you turned back to him and managed a smile. You offered out your hand.

"Come on, You'll freeze to death out here, and you missed the grand opening today. We gave away free finger sandwiches and soup." you tell him.

He blinks several times, his gaze tells you he thinks you're a little looney. However, his eyes fall to your hand, it's in his eyes that he wants to take it.

You wait patiently and twinkle your fingers.

"Well come on, when's the last time you had a nice hot meal, hmm?" you tempt him.

A strangled chuckle chokes out from his throat, droplets of water now coating his eyelashes. He shook his head no, but the weight in your palm and the fingers curled tightly around your hand whispered, "please."

You look on him softly and give the hand dwarfing your own a gentle shake. "Very well then, come on." you hum.

"My name is ____, I hope you'll enjoy Lazy Pot's signature soup." You continue to converse with him, if only to put him at ease. That look on his face left a sour feeling in your gut.

"You're nuts." He murmured.

"I get that a lot." you shrug. Had you turned around, his height may have stunned you.

You lead him to the door, standing in the entryway, when his feet come to a halt. With his hand still gripped onto yours, dead weight pulls you back.

You turn to him with your question silently lingering on your face.

He didn't have to voice his answer.

"I promise, I'm probably the scariest thing about this building." you tell him. His eyes which had been stuck on the door look down to his clawed feet.

He awkwardly raised one digileg and wiped his large foot against the mat.

You weren't going to correct him, for fear you'd scar him off. Waiting for the creature to wipe his feet and ducking to clear the entryway, take his first steps into the door.

What struck you with an uncomfortable tingle down your spin was a red, swollen wound around his right ankle.

The faint sweet and savory smells that hovered in the shop seemed to be luring him in as he gave his lips a lick. One small step at a time, it took a while before he'd made it completely through the door.

"May I close the door now?" You ask.

He gives an absent nod, eyes scanning his new surroundings with a twinkle.

Moving slowly, you closed the door.

With the curtains drawn shut, you watched in wonder while the creature plowed through plates of finger sandwiches, and his third bowl of soup.

Your eyes followed the twined tail that swished about the ground like a cluster of roots.

"How'd I miss that?" you think to yourself.

If it wasn't all so peculiar, you might have laughed. He was hardly frightening, cocooned in his blanket, gobbling down spoonfuls of soup like a child eating all his most favorite food.

With a release of breath, you lean back in your chair, finally able to relax.

The creature came to a realized halt, and with timid eyes glanced up at you. You flashed him a smile.

He reaches his finger out towards the plate piled in sandwiches, "You don't want anything?" He asked between slurps.

Your eyes crease into a smile of their own, "thank you, but those are all yours. I don't think I've ever seen someone enjoy my food this much, please help yourself." You urge.

For a moment you could have sworn you saw red tint his cheeks.

He wiped his mouth with the bend of his wrist and looked away from your eyes.

"Thank you." He murmured quietly.

"No, thank you, I think you've given me the best wordless review I've ever received." you chimed.

Your brows knit with concern as you move to leave the table.

Before you could blind, a hand snatched your arm, a trembling grip held to you.

"I'm just going back to the kitchens, there's a first aid kit back there. Your ankle is hurt." you explain in a slow calm.

His hands ease back, fingers uncurling from your wrists.

"Sorry." he whispers.

"It's fine. I'll be back." you say this, but you can still feel a worried gaze watching as you go.

It was almost uncomfortably quiet while he allowed you to clean and wrap his leg. The food was gone, and he now sipped on a bottle of water.

But you could feel those eyes on you.

"Do you have a name?" you ask him, desperate for sound beyond the ticking of the wall clock.

"I-" his words caught as if trying to remember.

You glance up at him, his eyes wide.

"It's been a long time since I needed to know my own name." he confessed.

"Is it Joe? You look like a Joe." You tease.

The creature shook his head.

"Billy?" You keep up, with a snap of your fingers you grin, "Tom, that's it for sure."

His eyes stay on you before a hint of a smile comes to his face.

"Name's Eddie." he says.

"Well Eddie, I'm glad I found you when I did," you hummed, listening as the wind gave a howl.

You move away, finished with treating his wound. "Where are you from?"

He scoffs, "Hawkins." he said.

"Do you have a home? Family? Others like-"

You swallow your words as Eddie flinched.

"Are there no others like you?" you ask softly.

"No, I came back....wrong." he whispered, lifting his hands so that he might look at them. Eddie gave his fingers a wiggle, his claws clacking together.

It may have been better to change the subject. "What happened to your leg?"

"Bear trap, spent too much time around the local farms." Eddie uttered quickly under his breath.

"Bear trap!" you nearly shout.

Eddie shrugged, "it's happened before." he spoke, eyes wandering between his hands and yours.

You had so many questions. How'd something as large as himself hide for others? It couldn't have been easy.

Was he born this way? If so, why were there none like him?

In the back of your mind, the rumors about the town echoed.

Slowly Eddie pushed out of his seat, "Thank you, ____. I'll hit the roa-"

A loud crack was followed by the delicate tinkling of glass shards against the wood floors.

You duck as you hear cackling and several more crashes.

"Welcome to Hell! Enjoy your grand opening! Freak!" voices shout amongst the laughter.

Your eyes fall on the brick and stones laying on your shop floor.

Headlights blinding both you and Eddie as they brightened before the tire's squealed.

The shop became dark and silence took over once again. The holes in the glass welcoming in the cold wind, insult to injury.

In that silence, you lingered, until it felt safe to move. You rose up and glared at the brick. "It's the same everywhere I go." you murmured.

Eddie turned to you with a brow raised.

You sigh, "I don't know if you have access to news or papers. But I'm kind of infamous by way of an unhinged celebrity dad. He tried to blow up Area 51. Said they were hiding a hell gate. Of course, that drags his novelist chef child into the pits as well." you muttered.

"it's stupid." you shrugged, going to fetch the broom.

Eddie's eyes followed you. "hell gate?" he asked.

"Like it said, it's stupid." you called back to him.

Eddie shook his head as if clearing his thoughts or shaking away a bad memory. His eyes going to the window.

"I can go get them, if you'd like." he offered you, voice hollow.

You loot at him steadily, "are you offering because you think that's what a monster ought to do?" You ask.

Eddie turns towards you with clumsy feet, his head tilts a little.

"I mean, at least I'd be good for something like this." he said with a shrug.

Your eyes thinned at him. "You say that like you weren't always...like, that."

"I wasn't," Eddie then chuckled, "alright, I may have always had this ugly mug." he said circling his face.

You frowned a little at his disparaging smile.

"But I wasn't always like this. It kind of just..." Eddie's words faded.

You waited, but knew he had little intentions of finishing that statement.

Eddie glanced around, twiddling his long fingers. "So um," he lulled sucking in his lips, "y-you got another broom. I can help with this." He offered.

You found yourself blinking and, wordless as you watched him, fidget about. The sight of the bashful creature was certainly something to see.

His words crept out from his lips quietly, "or, you know, I can just leave."

Your eyes brows creased as you watched him, his body seemed to turn away from the door naturally. That obscure tail of his wrapping around his feet. Eddie's entirety was trying to fit into the tiny place where he stood.

Saying nothing, you walk to him, tilting your head back to look up at him. Eddie's eyes almost fret full as he waited for you to speak, they wouldn't hold your gaze as he shied them away.

"I'll le-" Eddie gasped silently, his hands naturally gripping the broomstick you'd offered him.

For a moment, he looked at you with eyes so wide you feared they'd roll out from the sockets.

You give him a smile, "I'll go get the other broom." as you turn away from him, you manage to catch a glimpse of a small smile. Both of Eddie's hands clutched the broom stick tightly.

After cleaning up and making Eddie some more soup in thanks, You studied him. "What am I going to do with you?" you pondered.

Eddie clanged his spoon against his bowl, any minute now he'd announce he should leave again. But still his movements were the opposite of what his words would have been.

"I should-"

"Leave?" you asked.

Eddie looked up at you a flushed slightly. "Yeah."

"Where would you go? Where do you go?"

"There are lots of woods and thickets around Hawkins. It's easy to disappear in the cornfield near the outskirts." He murmured.

"But you came all the way to downtown." You stated.

Eddie nodded, "I was checking on someone."

At the twinkle of realization in your eyes, Eddie quickly held out his hands. "I didn't let them see me. I never do." he said.

Looking down at his hands, Eddie flexed his powerful claws, whispering, "not like this."

"but you do have people who care about you and where you might be." you spoke carefully.

Eddie subtly shook his head, "they care, but i've been dead for years now."

"Dead?"

Eddie simply nodded and got to his feet, heading for the back door. "Thank you for the food, and..." Eddie's claws grasped at the blanket still dangling over his shoulders.

His thumb stroked the slightly beaded lenty fabric.

"You can keep it." your words rushed out quickly. He seemed not to want to part with it.

"and," you exhaled slowly.

This was probably a stupid idea. The worse idea, the point in most movies were you wanted to shout at the screen "idiot!" but with hands balled up loosly you resolved yourself.

"You can stay." you said.

Eddie's slumped shoulders jerked up to square as he turned to look at you.

"If you want." you added, "I mean...it's friggin cold out."

He pulled the blanket around himself like a hug, tail swishing about, "you're sure? Like serious?" he questioned.

You can't help but let out a little laugh at his reaction.

"Like sooo serious. It's not everyday you meet a friendly beast." you tease.

Eddie pulled his new old blanket above his head and cocooned himself once again. For the first time he flashed a full smile and it was uniquely dazzling.

"I won't cause you any problems. I promise." He said quickly.

"You won't even know I'm here, swear. I, I can stand guard down here, sleep in one of the booths or something." He spoke excitedly, tail trashing about more, whacking into the tables.

"It's still cold down here, the windows are busted." You said, withholding your laughter.

Pointing over your shoulder towards the small lift, you smiled. "My studio is upstairs. You can sleep on the sofa." you offered.

Eddie tightened the blanket around himself even more.

"But, that's your house." his words tumbled out.

"Yeah. I'm not the brightest. But I let what looks like an eight-foot man faced bat-raptor version of a xenomorph into my shop a talked to it for what's amounting to two hours now." you reasoned.

You eased away your playfulness and gave him an earnest smile. "If you'd had plans to hurt me, you could have done so already. Very easily. You don't want to."

Eddie fiddled with his claws, looking down at his feet.

So once again, you held out your hand. "Now it's no commercial grade lift, just a personal one the previous owner had. I-I'm not sure if it'll carry the both of us but, I guess we'll soon see." you chuckled.

Eddie slipped his hand into yours, your finger's barely able to wrap around his large palms.

As you stood next to him, dwarfed by his height, the elevator doors closed. "Oh...how are you with cats?" you asked him.

"They hate me."

"Oh no..."

Toad mrowed loudly as she proclaimed her spot on Eddie's lap. Rubbing the side of her face and ears against his claws like a personal scratcher.

"So much for they hate me." you sighed with a giggle. Returning to Eddie with a spare pillow and another blanket. He was far too lanky for just one.

In the better lighting of your studio, you could finally see his clothes. Ripped and tattered as if he'd seen battle. Everything was shrunken in the wash in a cartoonish fashion.

Eddie shied away as he noticed your attention on him.

"Stop, you wouldn't want to be stared at." you told yourself.

Going to him, you offered the pillow, "Here you go."

Eddie excepted the pillow and set it in place, Toad taking her leave after arching her back high into a stretch.

You notice Eddie's eyes flutter, lids dropping. You speak quietly, "Lay down, you're safe here." and it causes him to peer up at you. His dark eyes large and sad now filled with what you could only describe as gratitude.

His body relax as if accepting a wave of exhaustion. Eddie curled into a ball and lay his head down on the pillow, wrapped in the initial blanket.

Using the second blanket, you pull it over his lower half, taking care around his ankle.

Eddie's eyes closed as he managed a "thank you" through a yawn.

Your hand reaches down to him, just managing to stop yourself inches above the top of his head.

"Would that be weird?" you asked yourself, but he just seemed so...small. Like a kitten scooped out of the gutter.

"Yeah," you thought. Instead, resting said head on his shoulder. "Get some rest, Eddie. Something tells me it's been a long time." you whispered.

"I'm just across the room, behind the divider, if you need anything." you offered. But you could already hear his soft snoring.

You gently tuck in the blankets snug and make your way around to turn off the lights. Before heading to the bathroom to change, you steal one last look.

There you find Toad, hopping onto Eddie and walking her comfy circles before nestling atop of him and his blankets.

Your gaze on him softens, "how utterly terrifying." you think with a shake of your head, closing the bathroom door behind you.

That's how you met The Monster in the Alley.

Part 2 ⇢

[valentinaonthemoon]

Off Menu Tag

I've been listening to a lot of Off Menu Podcast these days, so I've tried to think about my own Dream Restaurant Menu, and I've decided to transform it into a tag. I'm not sure if it existed before on tumblr, but still, if you're unsure about it go listen to some episodes too, if you want!

You're in the dream restaurant and a genie waiter is ready to take your dream meal order:

Where does your dream meal take place? I would love to say something romantically beautiful like "in space" or "on the seaside", but the truth is it has to be indoors and without many distractions, otherwise I can't enjoy it as much, I'm not going to lie.

Still or sparkling water? Still, please. Room temperature is fine unless it's summer, then I'll get a iced tea instead.

POPPADOMS OR BREAD? Bread, and it has to be a particular one from my town's bakery, because they make it heavenly. Although in 2020, before the pandemic, one particular restaurant blew my mind by serving us extravirgin olive oil to eat with the bread: ate it only once since because the surprise was never the same, and it's just oily bread afterwards. But a nice surprise the first time nonetheless.

Dream starter: Last May I had a "vitello tonnato" (veal with tuna sauce) so good at a restaurant that I had to go there again just to buy some more of just that. I never used to eat that before, and if so, I'd prefer turkey instead of veal, but that one was very good. And it was served as if they were little roses as well!

Dream main course: So, since we have "first" and "second" course here, and both are main courses, I am not really sure what to say. I cannot choose a pizza if we're counting the rest of the meal because that's just going to be two meals, and I physically cannot do that. I'll have to choose pasta, then. Very Italian of me. I'll choose spaghetti with the vegetable sauce my mum makes because they're delicious. The sauce has some tomato, carrots and zucchini in it.

Dream side dish: Just every vegetable you can find. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, boiled, roasted or grilled, in any way. BUT also those little snacks we call "salatini", maybe a little German sausage in some of them, just for fun, and some guacamole. Little delicacies like those.

Dream drink: I don't drink alcohol, because I don't like how it tastes in my mouth, so I'll get a mocktail. I really liked the virgin mojito I tasted on holiday last July, but I think I'll get something fruity and sweet for this particular meal.

Dream dessert: In 2019 I went to a course outside of my region by train and when I came back I stopped for dinner at my favourite pizzeria: the dessert I got then, I NEVER found since. It was a WONDERFUL cherry millefeuille and it was PERFECT. A perfect end to this meal as well.

Tagging, with no pressure whatsoever: @2minutes2midnight, @agentofship, @andmethefivefooter, @cryingatships, @pollodigitale,

@mycatisatool, @an-imaginary-raven, @the-sky-the-stars-the-sea, @hismercytomyjustice, @laurengoesforaspin

@stitch-me-not, @linameka, @the-eclectic-wonderer, @genetic-lottery-unicorn, @apathbacktoyou, @thepondstogether

I also tag whoever is reading this! (just tag me if you do it! I love reading menus and stories!)

And friends, if you feel uncomfortable talking about food or about your relationship with it, you are definitely allowed to skip this post altogether <3

I hope you all have a lovely day! :)

[chaotic-starlight24]

Dallas Winston Backstory Headcanons Part 2

I genuinely feel bad for writing this much. But hope you enjoy it! Same warnings as part 1 (Check it out!)

Part 3, General Headcanons

These are my headcanons for his travels pre-Tulsa!

Dally hopped trains for a couple years. But never really found a place he wanted or had a reason to stay in. He didn’t trust anybody so he would mainly just stick to himself when he was in a town or city. If anyone tried to approach him he was quick to just try and act tough and sometimes even threaten them. A part of him convinced himself that he liked the open road, feeling the wind in his hair, seeing all the different people from afar, and the adventure. But the other part of him just wanted a stable place to live. Somewhere with people who will help him out without using it against him.

After everything he saw in NYC and from his own family, he was especially untrustworthy of adults. So when in towns, he wouldn’t purposefully try to talk to any of them. He would mainly swipe things from stores and hang out with the groups of kids nearby. He met a lot of nice kids and being so young he could fit in if he wanted to. He would play marbles with some kids, swing from rope into a nearby creek, your normal kid stuff. But those kids alway had to go home to their loving families. So Dally eventually started to disappear the day after. He hated the reminder that he truly had no one. 

After he was running around the united states for a while, he ended up in the midwestern area. He spent April of 1961 (12 years old) running around Indiana and while he was walking around Waterloo area someone pulled him into a building and yelled at him about why he wasn’t inside yet. He was basically sleeping wherever he could find a place, no matter the weather so he was really confused. Till the man who pulled him into the gas station shushed him and said to listen. Suddenly Dally could hear a train-like sound and what sounded like a giant saw cutting through the buildings nearby. The man got into position and pulled Dally into the back room of the station. Dally had been in a lot of bad situations, but man was this one of the scariest. The tornado took off the roof and tore out parts of the wall but did not hit the building head-on. But Dally has a large fear of tornadoes now. As well as just gets nervous during thunderstorms. (I know it’s stupid that he stayed in Oklahoma, but I’ll explain later)

Everything he owns is from other people. He swiped several things, but a lot of it is from people who either had extra of something or just felt bad for him. He sadly never saw that their intentions were genuinely to be kind and not to pull one over on him.

Examples: His leather jacket was from a black man in Mississippi who made it for him after he helped out on the family ranch for some extra money. (The last amount of money he would make before making it to Tulsa) A fabric satchel was gifted to him from an older lady after she saw him just roaming near her bakery. She said he was a good boy for keeping himself from stealing and he felt kind of bad since he did steal some goods. But he didn’t for very long because he needed to eat, didn't he?

The midwest was a generally rural area and mostly had small towns. So he did a lot of walking. He enjoyed it but when he made it to the South he felt at home. He didn’t know why but something just drew him in. Maybe it was just the vibes. He took part in several rodeos, drank a lot of sweet tea, and ended up with a full stomach pretty often. He would stumble into parks where super large gatherings were happening and just be given access to the table full of bbq and hot dogs. 

I’ve talked a lot about the nice people he met, but few were actually kind to him. Many would kick him out of places as they just believed he was going to steal stuff or cause trouble. So he eventually started playing that role. He always convinced himself it was a compliment and that he just looked that tough. But a small part of him felt upset that just because he was rough around the edges people would judge him just like that.

Overall, to those who were kind to him they could tell he was going to be a horrible influence on their kids and such but seeing that he was a kid they wanted to help him out. He just didn’t want to accept that help. Growing attached to anything always meant bad to him.

[twstgarden]

❁ ❝ 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 ❞

━ first years and gn! reader ━ it was the weekend and you and the first years are having a video chat to pass the time and reminisce about the events these past few months.

slight (?) spoilers for chapter 1 to 7! (f/n stands for first name.)

do not steal or translate without my permission.

"hey, can you hear me?"

ace's voice came through the speakers of your phone as you propped it up on the nightstand, looking around the drawers for your earphones as the rest of the first years joined the call.

it was halfway through the weekend when you suddenly received an invite from your group chat, which was a video chat invite sent by ace, to be precise. now here you were, on the call with ace, deuce, jack, epel, ortho, and sebek.

"yeah, dude. we can hear you."

epel's reply was heard as you wore your earphones and looked at the screen. all of their cameras were turned on and deuce was clearly seen behind ace and vice versa, making you chuckle to yourself as you knew if one of them will speak, their voice would echo through the other's microphone.

"what's with the invite?"

sebek was confused as he looked at the screen, his background indicated that he was on the lounge of diasomnia and so, the chances of him being alone were slim. you wondered if he joined the call on his own accord or if lilia told him to.

"just a little bonding time, i'm guessing," replied jack as he propped his phone on a desk, the view of his cacti caught your eye as you continued listening to them.

"i'm glad we get to deepen our bonds by video chatting! this is a great way to communicate with your friends over the weekend," spoke ortho as the wrinkles around his eyes indicated that he was smiling if the way his eyes shone brighter did not give it away.

"well, glad ortho's really enthusiastic about this," replied epel as he smiled at the screen, his background indicated that he was in his room. "yes, but... we see each other at school 5 days a week," you added as grim went up to the table and blocked you from the camera, showing only him as he smiled.

"they obviously want to see more of the great grim," interrupted the cat-racoon monster as you sighed to yourself, adjusting the angle of the phone so both you and grim were seen by the rest.

"there's nothing bad about video chatting once in a while. come on, admit it~ you miss us from time to time, too!" teased ace as his laughs echoed through his and deuce's microphone, making jack and sebek twist their expressions to discomfort as the audio went a little too unbearable, even for you.

"man, your voice is echoing," said epel. "i'll stay over at the lounge," spoke deuce as he stood up from his bed, walked out of the door and held the camera towards his face. "do you guys not have a rule about staying over at the lounge at this hour?" you questioned as you rested your chin on your palm.

"not that i know of..." mumbled deuce as he sat on the lounge, nodding as his gaze went off-camera, presumably acknowledging the presence of another student in the lounge - it could be cater or trey or just a random student, who knows.

"anyway, do you guys have any plans tomorrow?" asked ace, "i was thinking we should go check out the bakery at the foot of the hill in town! they should have new pastries to sell for breakfast."

you hummed in response, "that'd be great. you did promise to buy me some food, after all." ace groaned softly as you reminded him of the end of his deal, but his groan shifted to a laugh as he spoke, "yeah, yeah... i also think we should goof off and relax a bit, a lot of things happened this year, you know."

"well, he's not wrong," added epel, "a lot happened and it was only a span of months, too! not even an entire year..." jack hummed in agreement as he added to epel's statement, "we persevered through it, so we should be proud of ourselves for going this far... especially you, prefect."

"me?"

your attention was suddenly caught by jack as soon as he addressed you. the rest of the first years nodded as ortho spoke, "f/n-san has done a lot for us these past few months. i am certain it must be hard for you to handle all the things you've done during the overblot occurrences, especially because you were unfamiliar with this world."

"ortho has a point, n/n," said ace as his expression and tone went a little serious and concerned. "we know how much you want to head back home, so we'll do whatever we can to help you," added deuce as he gave you a comforting smile.

epel hummed in agreement as jack nodded, whilst sebek stared at the screen, unsure of how he should respond. meanwhile, grim frowned a little as he mumbled, "if... they head back to their world, they won't be with me to celebrate once i become the greatest mage..."

"hey now, grim..." spoke epel as he tried to console the monster. "yeah... we won't be doing these calls once f/n heads back to their world," mumbled deuce before trying to brush off the sadness on his expression, smiling at the camera, "still, we should be happy for them... we should be glad that we get to do this while they're still here, right?"

"yeah... and hey, what's with the frowns, guys? i won't forget you even if i'm back to my world..." you spoke as you smiled a little bit, "though, i will miss you all."

"oh no, they said it!" exclaimed ace, pertaining to the "i miss you" that you just said, chuckling as he tried to turn the slightly depressing atmosphere into something a little more lighthearted. you chuckled along as you spoke, "you know you'll miss me too, idiot! ahaha!"

as the little laughing died down, you still smiled as you ruffled grim's head while looking at the screen, "no, really... i'll never forget you all. you made a lasting impression on me. i mean, come on, this is an interesting friend group. i have a literal 70-centimetre cat monster as my roommate, two brain cells, a good wolf boy, a country boy, an adorable child, and a loud crocodile..."

"brain cells?!" exclaimed ace and deuce in unison whilst grim looked at you with a slightly grumpy expression, "this 70-centimetre cat monster is the great grim-sama, mind you!"

"a good wolf boy...?" mumbled jack. "eh, you're not wrong," shrugged epel. ortho's eyes were twinkling as he said, "ah... adorable? hehe, thank you, f/n-san!"

"wha...?! ...hmph! i'll excuse what you said for now," exclaimed sebek as he frowned at the screen, his brows furrowed as his voice was certainly loud despite the neutral volume on your device.

you laughed softly at their responses before continuing your little pats on grim's head. they continued conversing about random topics as they all had agreed to meet tomorrow at the bakery, as a way to unwind and spend a little time outside of the campus. however, sebek was still a little hesitant as he had his duties to attend to, but you could hear lilia and malleus in the background encouraging him to go and hang out with his friends.

while all of that went on, a soft smile found its way on your lips, your hand still caressing grim's head as you looked at the screen, all your friends laughing about and saying some inside jokes that you grew to understand. this may not be your original home, but you knew there would be a missing piece in your heart once you leave them. you had grown accustomed to your life here, but you won't let that deter you.

you still had responsibilities back home.

still, you washed those thoughts away as you sighed to yourself, thinking at the back of your mind.

"i'll miss everyone here when i leave..."

© twstgarden 2023 || please do not steal, translate without my permission, or use this to train a.i.

[lurrywrites]

Unfortunately I couldn't @ the requester but hope you find this! This was so, so enjoyable to write! Thank you!

In the quaint town of the bustling empire named Roan, the aroma of freshly baked goods wafts from a small bakery in which [----] works as a bakers assistant. Choi Han, a dedicated warrior, was just heading there to visit them.

As he walks towards the bakery, he looked at the sign inviting locals to a special tasting event of newly crafted pastries. Curiosity piqued, he wondered when you were going to tell him about that, and steped inside the cozy establishment. Immediately he noticed a few people forming a queue, obviously wanting a taste of free goodies. He walked past them to a blank door and slipped past it.

And there, stood you. With your back turned to the door he could only assume you're fretting over some produce, and he was right. "Choi Han! Hello! I'm just finishing up." You greeted him with a warm smile, gesturing to a selection of delectable pastries laid out on a wooden table, and he feels a rush of excitement. But, he still has to ask about the sigh..

They looked almost surprised for a second. "Oh!.. Yeah, we're doing a little promotion for two days or so.." they looked to the side bashfully, "Sorry, I forgot to mention it, 't was busy...".

He chuckled. Typical you.. "It's alright, can I have some of.. what ever you're working on? If it's alright." Choi Han gestured behind you, to the table. Your eyes lit up oh so beautifully when you looked up at him. "Yeah! Sure! I was just preparing some soufflés; It's not for giving away but I'll let you have one. They're blackberry flavoured, hope you'll like 'em." You turned around and grabbed one, carefully handing it to him. "Only the best for my dear, hah!" You winked, and he felt his face get a bit hot, so he decided to look down at the dish. It looked tall and golden on top, surface lightly browned, and had a dusting of powdered sugar on top. You handed him a spoon which he thanked you for and when he scooped into it some purple colour was peeking through the crust. He noted it was kind of puffy and rounded on the sides, probably promising a light and fluffy inside. He put the spoon in his mouth, feeling the crispy top break easily. And the filling felt like a mix of sweet and a bit tangy, like biting into fresh blackberries. He hummed. It's soft and light, reminding him of how he throught eating a cloud would be like.

"...so we start with these juicy blackberries, mix 'em up with whipped egg whites 'til it's all fluffy and colorful. Then into the oven they go, and bam! They rise up all golden and fancy. Man, it sometimes feels like making these soufflés is, like, a type of cooking magic, and every spoonful is a taste of the fun I had making 'em!"

.....Ah. had he not been listening to you?

[carpfishfacebook]

under the counsel of my royal advisor (bunny) i’ve come up with a reguri bakery au meet cute whatever and it is taking all of my willpower to finish my open wips before starting this but oh gosh i’m tempted. to stave off my cravings for pastry-themed fluff, im gonna ramble about it here. please feel free to encourage or dissuade me concerning this venture, whatever you’d prefer really.

- red’s lived in pallet town for all 19 years he’s been alive and has not once seen a new business open it’s doors

- out of nowhere, some fancy pastry chef from kalos sets up shop about five minutes from his home

- unlike the rest of the residents of pallet, red isn’t interested in the slightest. he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and he buys his bread from the grocery store like a normal person

- unfortunately for red, his best friend and roommate leaf saw a post about them on instagram and has been pestering him to take her there for weeks. red finally gives in

- red may not be that big a fan of baked goods, but something does end up catching his eyes- namely, the baker behind the counter

- red starts going to the pâtisserie almost every day to buy something trivial that he doesn’t want just so he can spend a few minutes chatting up the kalosian twink who he learns is named green

- after about a week, green starts giving him baked goods that he didn’t asked for and not charging him because they’re ‘a gift’. red is king autism and doesn’t see that green is flirting with him

- eventually, green offers to teach red how to bake

- since green’s kantonian still isn’t all that good, he keeps saying incredibly suggestive shit to red about baking, like ‘do not have fear of being rough when he is not listening to you’ or ‘you must pound him harder’ about gluten development and red is just. trying his best to not get absolutely bricked up in the kitchen

- because in french our word for ‘it’ is the same as our word for ‘he’ (il)

- anyways plot blah blah blah they fall in love or whatever

[duckchu]

Under The Weather SDV Sebastian x reader

Reader isn't the farm, pre established relationship (Sebastian is your boyfriend), jealous Sebastian, reader is a baker since imo Pelican Town deservers a bakery

It was a week since the farmer moved in. She looked like a nice gal, although very silent. She sometimes stopped by your bakery and listened to your rants about Joja putting your shop out of business. She would even sometimes gift you your favourite items. You really grew to like her, even sometimes allowing her to hang out in the back and visiting her farm for garnishes for your dishes, unfortunately that meant you had practically no time for your boyfriend, Sebastian. Due to the nature of his job, you would usually hang out in his basement, with him doing some last fixes for his latest code and watching a movie later. You were sad that you haven't seen him in more than a week. Maybe you should stop by Robin's, especially since you needed to fix one of the displays, as the wood on it started cracking.

Next day you closed shop early to go visit your future mother in law and after giving her the money for the display fix up, the farmer walked in. You wanted to go to your boyfriends room, but she stopped you, handing you a really pretty crocus, one of your favourites.

- Oh my...Thank you - you gave her a big smile and put the flower into your bag, going down stairs into the basement. Sebastian was sitting in his chair, eyes fixed on his computer. You walked up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek, alerting him to your presence. He nodded to greet you, busy with his work while you sat down on his bed and took out your tablet, looking for movies to watch this evening. You felt good about returning to your usual routine. That was until Seb finished his work, getting up and looking at you, noticing the crocus.

- Did she give this to you again?- He didn't look mad or hurt or even upset, but you knew deep down he was mad at the farmer. Sebastian wasn't usually a jealous guy, but he felt like he was only with you due to the fact that he got lucky. He was sure everyone in town thought you would be better off with someone with an actual life. Like Alex, Hayley or even Sam. Now that the farmer has appeared, he was sure you would have preferred to be with her...No matter what you told him, he kept on deluding himself to stay in his misery. It pained you to see him like this. You couldn't come up with a good answer to his question so you just pulled him into a hug to at least try to reassure him that you aren't planning to leave him anytime soon.

Ah, Spring, the new plants, the air getting warm...You couldn't help but to enjoy the season. The 24th approached quickly so you dusted off the old white dress and went to the field. Looking for Sebastian, you ran into the farmer. She seemed to be enamoured by your looks in the dress. It was...flattering to have this kind of attention. You knew Sebastian tried his best to show you affection, but he was bad at it...You were sure he loved you, but he couldn't show it...You looked for Sebastian again, but it seemed like he didn't show up...You sighed, then the farmer asked you to dance. Well if Seb wasn't going to come anyways...You decided to agree and go back to socialising when you saw him. You felt shame engulf you as he approached, knowing that you're gonna have to deny him.

- Y/N, would you like to dance with me? - he asked, a light smile on his face, how unlikely of him. It felt even more crushing to deny him

- I would love to, but I didn't think you'd come and then the farmer asked me...- the sudden change in his expression hurt you, his smile disappearing

- I understand - he said, as much as he didn't want to show, his hurt apparent in his eyes. You felt so disappointed in yourself for making him feel that way. You went up to the farmer and the dance begun, you looked sadly at Sebastian standing in the corner, not wanting to participate even with Abigail, his best friend...You decided to make it up to him.

As the days of spring went by, you finally caught a rainy one. You went to the pier, with hopes of seeing your beloved there.

You were really lucky, finding him in the exact spot he always was. You walked up to him.

- Sebastian? - he looked at you, his cigarette hanging from his mouth

- I'm sorry about the flower dance...I thought you wouldn't come and...the farmer asked me and...-

- I understand. - he cut you off

- No, Seb, I love you...- He looked surprised, almost like he was expecting you to say something different. He looked at you, soaked wet and almost... desperate to prove that you really love him, even though you risked being sick. He looked back at all the moments you've spent with him and finally realised just how sincere you were when you said those words.

×-----------------------------------------------×

Please don't mind me sucking at endings thank you

~ Dukchu