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slusheeduck · 7 months ago

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Party Favors

Hero.

That’s what everyone had called Falerin tonight.

“It’s our hero!” called as greeting as his glass was refilled again and again.

“I’m crafting an ode to our hero,” the bard, Alfira, had said with a cheeky little strum of her lute.

Hero hero hero. Fal had never thought of himself as a hero, truthfully. That’s not to say he hadn’t wanted fame—yes, his main reason for wanting to be a wizard had been for the magic needed to keep himself alive, but he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about the renown that would come with that level of power. If he lived, he might as well be some level of famous. A Falerin of Neverwinter situation, to take a leaf out of Gale’s book.

Hero, though. Falerin Glais, hero of the Grove. Much more swashbuckling—Wyll-esque, really—but he actually quite liked the sound of that, too. Maybe that’s how he’d get to live forever, through his deeds. It worked for Drizzt Do’Urden, after all. And if the tadpole helped him be able to do all this…

The thing in his head twitched, and he grimaced. No, no, that kind of thought needed him to be a lot less happy and a lot more sober. He shook it off, giving a smile to a passing tiefling who gave him a wink as he refilled his glass. This was no revel, not even close to one, but the atmosphere was similar—the joy and celebration giving way to hooded eyes and coy smiles.

Fal had done his rounds earlier, checking in with everyone save for two. Astarion, who looked as though he very much hadn’t wanted to be bothered as he stayed near his tent, a bottle in one hand and his book in the other. And their newest arrival.

Falerin glanced over to Halsin, trying to take a casual drink from his glass as he did and ending up with a good amount spilling out down the side of his face. He couldn’t say what it was, but he liked the druid. It was different than how he and Gale had clicked instantaneously, or how he and Karlach had, for all intents and purposes, pointed at each other and decided they were friends. It was that…comfort about being a little more wild than most. Very reminiscent of the fey, which was nicely familiar territory for Fal, but with a much more grounding, solid presence—it was as attractive as a pretty face.

Okay, and his biceps. His biceps also helped.

Fal wiped off the wine that had spilled down his cheek, laughing a bit to himself before he took a deep breath. The air was full of potential tonight, and…well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. He refilled his glass, then made his way over to Halsin. The druid looked up immediately as he approached, and he chuckled as he looked him over.

“I see we’ve already had a casualty tonight,” he said, gesturing to the fresh stain of wine on Fal’s shirt. “But that’s one I’m glad to see.” He waved his hand. “But go on now, don’t waste a night like this talking to me. We’ll discuss your problem in the morning.”

Falerin bit his lip. How did he flirt? Had he ever actually flirted? That wasn’t how the fey worked, and with Astarion…well, he was much more flirted at than flirted with. Finally, he smiled and held up his glass.

“I’m not wasting my night at all,” he finally said. “I thought you…might want to have a drink with me.” There. Perfect. He was so good at this.

Halsin looked him over, then gave a warm smile before he shook his head. “In truth, I rarely imbibe,” he said, voice lowering like he was sharing a secret. Falerin leaned in without hesitation. “The stuff goes right to my head. Before you know it, I’d be breaking into song or…” He chuckled, gesturing to Falerin. “…declaring love to the first person I laid eyes on.”

Falerin’s breath caught. Was he flirting back? He must be. “That…that doesn’t sound so bad to me,” he said, his own smile widening. He was this close to twirling a finger in his hair and giggling.

“You haven’t had the misfortune of hearing me sing,” Halsin quipped back with a wink.

Falerin took another drink of wine, bracing himself. All right. In for a copper… “Perhaps there’s something else you’d rather do, then…”

Was that obvious enough? He tried to show off every bit of his intention in the words as he could, but this was so not his area.

Halsin met his eyes with a smile and, with a thrill of delight from Fal, his gaze traveled over the half-drow’s frame with something a bit more intense than a mere once-over. He wanted it too. Fal’s heart beat hard enough that, without the tadpole, he’d be worried about having an episode.

“I’m sure there are,” he rumbled. “You strike me as extremely…resourceful.” But, just as Falerin was about to throw himself right at the druid, Halsin sighed and shook his head with a smile. “But there are many grateful people here who want to spend time with you. I must not keep you all to myself.” His eyes flicked up to meet Fal’s odd-eyed gaze, the hazel of them warm and wanting. “As enjoyable as that may be.”

“They’re fine,” Falerin assured breathlessly, stepping closer. “I’ve spent time with them.”

Halsin’s eyebrows rose and, subtly but pointedly, he glanced over the warlock’s shoulder. As subtly as he could, Fal glanced back. To his great surprise, Astarion was watching them, fiddling agitatedly with the bottle in his hands. His expression was…not one that Fal could place, not at this level of drunkenness, at least. Desperate was the first word to come to mind. He seemed to realize Fal had looked over, and he immediately took a swig from the bottle, trying to look cool and disinterested as he had up to this point.

“He’s been watching you all night,” Halsin murmured. “And I’ve seen how you speak with him in the short time I’ve been with your party. I think you know where your attention should really go.”

Falerin swallowed, nerves returning in full force. He took a drink, shifting his weight back and forth for a moment as he tried to think of how to best phrase what had been gnawing at him. Instead of any eloquent answer, he blurted out, “I don’t think Astarion really likes me.”

Halsin looked surprised at that, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he crossed his arms, brows furrowing curiously. “You think he’ll turn down your advances, then?”

Falerin chewed his lip. “No,” he said after a moment of deliberation. “No, I don’t think he will. But…” He let out a sigh that was much sharper and louder than he intended. “I think…I think he feels…forced to, for whatever reason. Maybe because he feeds from me?”

“He feeds…?”

“Oh, he’s a vampire,” Falerin said with a casual wave of his hand. He paused, then quickly added, “A good one! He’s a good one. Only feeds on animals. And, you know, enemies. And me.”

Halsin blinked. “Well. Not the strangest traveling companion I’ve had…but up there,” he mused, then looked back to Falerin. “Do you like him? I suppose that’s another area to consider.”

Falerin let out a long sigh, shutting his eyes. “I like him so much,” he whispered. If he was any less drunk, it’d feel juvenile to say—like admitting a childhood crush—but now, there’s no small amount of relief in finally saying the words aloud. “I think he’s wonderful, and funny, and so good at what he does, and—I mean, yes, he’s gorgeous, he’s fucking beautiful, but everyone in this camp is beautiful…”

“I have noticed that, yes,” Halsin said mildly.

“But it’s so much more than that with Astarion for me. I see the way he looks at the night sky and basks in the sun and he’s so happy for those few moments and…” Falerin looked up, trying to find the right words. “I think, if he…if he had someone he could feel safe with…I think he’d just, I don’t know, blossom. Does that make sense?”

Halsin smiled. “Perfect sense,” he assured. “I have no doubt that you could be that for him. But do you want to?”

“So badly,” Falerin said without hesitation. “But I can’t…I can’t say anything like that. He’ll get all…sneery about it.”

“Then show him. There are too many ways for words to get tangled, in my opinion. It’s one of many things nature does better than people,” Halsin said with a little chuckle. He nodded back toward Astarion. “If you’re careful, if you’re slow, I think it’ll work. Like…approaching a cat you don’t know.”

Falerin nodded. He took a breath, then finished his glass and set it aside. He paused, looking up at Halsin. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “For…letting me dump all that on you. I’m friends with the others, of course, but…”

“But you’re trying to keep everyone working well together, and matters of the heart make that difficult,” Halsin said with a knowing nod. “I know that all too well with my position.” He gave Falerin a warm smile. “We’ve a long journey ahead. I’m sure we’ll find plenty of time to talk on all sorts of things, and I look forward to it. For now…” He gestured for Falerin to get moving. The half-drow gave him a wide smile, then took a breath and made his way to Astarion’s tent as casually as possible.

Astarion, in turn, seemed to be equally casual in his acknowledgment of Falerin as he came up to him, but the warlock could see the tension melt from him as he approached. Relieved, if only for a moment. He leaned in, closer than he needed to, before Falerin could even greet him.

“You know,” he said, voice quiet, “I never pictured myself as a hero. Never thought I’d be the one they toast for saving so many lives. And now that I’m here…” He took a swig from his bottle, head lolling to meet Falerin’s eyes with total disgust. “I hate it. This is awful.”

Falerin snorted before he could stop himself, the tension from hyping himself up to have any sort of conversation with Astarion melting away as he laughed. “Really? Saving lives is awful?” he asked, still grinning.

Astarion jerked up the bottle in a half-shrug. “We killed some goblins to save some tieflings. The tally of lives didn’t change much.” He took a swig before sending what could only be described as a pout to Falerin. “And what do I get for all my hard work? A pat on the head, and vinegar for wine.”

Falerin grinned at him, and he pulled the bottle away to take a drink. It’s a heavy, rich red, dry and sharp. Reminiscent, really, of the vampire drinking it.

“See what I mean? Awful.”

Falerin shook his head. “We have definitely had worse,” he said, still grinning. “I think you’re just being difficult on purpose.”

“Me? Difficult on purpose?” Astarion scoffed. “Now I have to deal with shit wine and cruel warlocks. I’m starting to think I should have sided with the goblins.”

“I would’ve had to kill you.” Falerin took another drink. “Or you would’ve killed me, I suppose. Or, what if we killed each other at the same time?”

“How romantic. I assume we’re dying in each others’ arms in this morbid fantasy of yours. Though I don’t suppose…How would that work, if we were both dying?” Astarion suddenly waved his hand. “Look. All I want is a little fun. Is that too much to ask?”

“Were we not having fun just now?” Falerin asked.

Astarion looked up at Falerin from under his lashes. “Not the kind of fun I was picturing, darling.”

Falerin wet his lips and swallowed. Here it was. “So…so what is your idea of a little fun?”

Astarion rolled his eyes with enough force to send his whole body swaying. “By the hells. Sex, my dear.” He rested a cool hand on Falerin’s arm as he purred out, “A night of passion.”

“Ah.” Fal stared straight ahead, every possible thought crashing together in his head. “With me?” he asked stupidly, as if he hadn’t just agonized over this possibility with Halsin fifteen minutes ago.

“No, with Zevlor there. Of course with you.” Astarion’s hand traveled down Falerin’s forearm, clever fingers caressing his wrist as he leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper in his ear, “Let’s wait until things quieten down. Once the others are asleep, we’ll find each other.” Astarion’s lips brushed his ear in the barest hint of a kiss, and he pulled back with a smile. “I’ll see you soon, Falerin,” he purred as he finally drew his hand away and went back to his tent.

Falerin stood in place for a moment, balking. Okay. Okay. He was doing this, and he was going to do it right. Tempting as it was to just go with what Astarion was offering—a night of passion, a bit of fun, nothing more—he’d do his best to show that he could be safe with him. Foolproof.

But…maybe a few more hero’s toasts first wouldn’t hurt.

There was a clearing, not far from camp, that Falerin had been to a few times when the stress of traveling with six extremely strong personalities had been too much. He knew the others had been there, too, so instinctively, that’s where he had known he’d find Astarion. The party had already started dying down when he stole away, and it was quiet as he stepped into the space.

For a moment, he shut his eyes and just tried to calm himself, ignoring the amused chuckle in the back of his mind. Good for you seemed to be what his patron was saying. Glad to know she approved, though she’d likely be equally happy if he royally cocked up a moment like this. No…pun intended.

He looked up as he heard a rustle in the underbrush, and Astarion stepped out into the moonlight, pale skin practically glowing as he did. Falerin had gotten the odd glimpse of him here and there—quickly averted glances while bathing or changing, the sort of thing that was unavoidable when traveling with people for a significant amount of time. But this time, Fal let himself look.

He was beautiful, obviously. All lean muscle and angles, with just enough softness to make Falerin desperate to touch him. And clearly he knew it, with the way he practically posed in a moonbeam. Look at me, was the silent message. Don’t you want me? Of course you do.

Another giggle tickled at the back of his mind. Someone thought he was trying too hard. Falerin tried to shush her as best he could with his mind, then smiled as Astarion sidled over.

“There you are,” he purred out, hooded eyes locking on Falerin. “I’ve been waiting. Waiting since the moment I set eyes on you.” He reached out, finger lightly chucking under Falerin’s chin. “Waiting to have you.”

Oh no. Oh dear. The laughter in his head got louder, and a giggle bubbled out of him before he could stop it.

“You tackled me to the ground and held a knife to my throat!” he exclaimed with a loud laugh before covering his mouth. Astarion blinked, and the seductive poise suddenly evaporated.

“I…well, after that,” he said, suddenly cross. “Clearly.”

“When you said you were going to decorate the ground with my innards?”

Astarion huffed, arms crossing. “Look, if you don’t want to, I can find plenty of other people to spend the night with,” he said, almost petulant. “I bet that stuffy tiefling wizard wouldn’t have such cheek.”

Oh, no. There was still plenty of wine in Falerin, but he could still tell that he’d struck a bit of a nerve. He stepped up to Astarion, chancing to brush his fingers against his cheek. Astarion flinched automatically, and he pulled his hand back. “I do want to,” he murmured, leaning to meet Astarion’s eyes. “Gods, I want to so badly.” His mouth quirked up. “Would you believe that I have wanted you since you held a knife to my throat?”

Astarion looked up at him, and he sighed. “I would, actually,” he said. He took a breath, then smiled, bringing his hand up to cup Falerin’s cheek. The seductive switch was turned back on; fascinating to see, really, but it also sent an odd little twist in Fal’s stomach that wasn’t quite…comfortable. But Astarion tilted his head, red eyes locked on his as he smiled.

“And now, you have your chance,” he said, voice low enough to raise goosebumps on Falerin’s skin. “You’re here. And I don’t think you want to talk.” Before Falerin could say that he wouldn’t mind that, actually, he leaned in, lips brushing the half-drow’s and sufficiently stealing every possible reply as he murmured, “I think you want to be known. To be tasted.”

Falerin’s brain stopped, odd eyes wide as he stared up at Astarion. He swallowed hard, heart pounding in his ears. Then, voice barely able to get above a whisper, he asked, “What…do you want?”

Astarion’s smile widened, and his voice was pure sin as he dipped down to brush his lips against Fal’s jaw. “What do any of us want? Pleasure.” Open-mouthed kisses found their way down his neck, Falerin’s head tipping back obligingly as his breath hitched. “Yours. Mine. Our collective ecstasy.” He pulled back, smiling as he caught the flush on Fal’s freckled cheeks before he locked eyes with him again. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?” he asked, the promise of every pleasure in his voice. “To lose yourself in me?”

Falerin stared at him, lips parted and pupils blown. But even so…it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to be present, to be safe for him. Losing himself would just make him like all the others.

But how could he say that? A little laughter had thrown off Astarion, so imagine what an earnest declaration like that would do. He swallowed, brain trying to race with the admittedly low amount of blood it had to find a solution. He took long enough that Astarion tilted his head.

“Falerin?” he asked. “Are you having a…moment?”

“I want to have fun,” Falerin said in a rush. “That’s…that’s it.”

Astarion looked at him for a moment longer, and his mouth quirked up in an amused smile that almost looked genuine. “Then let’s have some fun.”

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 fic #astarion x tav #bg3 tav #halsin #tiefling party #Casual Banter has 10k hits and almost 600 kudos and I'm having emotions about it #So have the most self indulgent of all self indulgences

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essaytime · 4 months ago

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Thank you so much for the links! I’m not going to answer the asks so I can keep them in my ask box but I will be checking them out when I get back from London. Also do you have any recommendations for things to see at the British Museum or London in general?

- @iron--and--blood

The last time we were in London there was really only one day for sightseeing, the rest were too busy - on top of that, we had three hours in the British Museum and the Roman section was closed due to some issue, so besides that I only have hazier and hazier memories from April last year and the other two times, when I was a child, but I'll try my best.

BRITISH MUSEUM

The Ea-Nasir tablet is, you know, itself. Iconic. You'll have to watch out for it though, it's pretty small (Room 55 or 56, I think 56) and it's just titled "Complaint about delivery of copper" or similarly. Next to it is a piece of Hammurabi Code and on its right some of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

In the same room - or the next room? - there are figures of Mesopotamian doggies and they look insanely cute, very unfitting for the very serious names they have

There's also a neat little swallow on the Egyptian section

The ever-present ghost of my dad most noble history teacher would politely encourage you to take a look at Ram in a Thicket in the Room of Our Lord 55, next to the Standard of Ur

When you exit the Egyptian section upstairs, not the Rosetta Stone one, the other one, there is some fresco (I think it was a fresco?) and it has a fantastic cat. I forgot to take a photo the last time

You can find very funny-shaped drinking cups in Ancient Greece

You are, as well, allowed to touch the copies of the reliefs on Ancient Greek section, a privilege which my friends gladly utilised to sort of immoral extents. Dignity aside, if you'd like to live your Alcibiades in a symposium dream, that's the occassion. I do wish I had the photo with it taken like I was offered to, but we had to go find the teacher. I regret. It was a fun team activity.

South and Southeast Asia is amazing, very pretty exhibits

I don't really remember the rest of the sections because I was a child then and I was very tired. This miserable occurence shall be fixed. I've heard the Enlightenment section is great.

In case you intend on buying something, the shop is most wonderful and you can find all sorts of objects in it. I bought myself a nice medieval-styled brooch, but boy, did I have a hard time choosing. Watch out for the Japanese frog pin.

EVERYTHING ELSE

I profess a great love for the National Gallery, though the last time I was there I was ten. Titian's paintings will forever remain in my heart. I suppose seeing Holbein's Ambassadors is a great experience, but frankly, I don't remember them at all from visiting. Maybe I was too little.

The Wallace Collection is so pretty! They must have closed the exhibition about dogs already, but it's very pleasant to look at. I think that's also where Fragonard's The Swing is.

Natural History Museum is undoubtedly good, though it's not really what I'm interested in, except for the animals. On top of that, the last time I've visited it I had a Zoom meeting and had to frantically hide in corners trying to be as quiet as I can and still explain my view on a Marcus Aurelius quote.

No clue what is going on at V&A right now, but they always have something good.

Never been in the Westminster Abbey, only seen it from outside - and it's already impressive. However, my history teacher says it's stunning.

Same goes for St Paul's Cathedral, only seen it from outside, but it's beautiful

Trafalgar Square is a classic for me, I love this place, and if you visit the National Gallery you're going to be there anyway. Horatio is watching.

I don't like the Thames that much, it's always so dirty, but that's where most of the famous buildings are. They're really close to each other, closer than I thought, most of them. The London landmarks are pack animals.

Watch out for the sculptures near the Parliament! I wanted to take a photo with Fawcett, but I didn't have time.

Chinatown was very fun to visit for me, but I was over the moon anyway, so I don't know how much of that was really Chinatown.

Pray think warmly of all the exhibits from me (them, not the means of obtaining them), and if you happen to see anything from the Shang dynasty, I don't know if there is, think thrice warmer:)

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mysticscrystalrevelation · 4 months ago

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Game 25 Snapshot Tues, July 16 11:30am EDT Phoenix @ Washington

Starting: WASH: Atkins, Dolson, Hines-Allen, Vanloo, Walker-Kimbrough (Austin hip recovery, Sykes foot injury, Samuelson hand injury, Richards knee injury) PHX: Allen, Cloud, Copper, Griner, Taurasi

1st Quarter Myisha Hines-Allen opens the scoring with a silky smooth jumper. BG has taken the first 3 shots for the Mercury. It just doesn't look right to see Tash vs. Myisha. Opposing teams? Noooo. Anyway the Mystics pass pass pass and find Shatori free and 3-worthy. DT shoots one in response. Shatori gets a steal and passes ahead to Vanloo, and what's this? A successful layup? Fluke. Bec Allen hits from 3. Loose pass by the Mystics and Eric calls break at 7-12. Aaliyah goes up against BG and gets denied twice but manages to get the ball back each time. Jade drives in with a waning shot clock and makes the layup. Suspicious. Great cleanup on the glass by Edwards while BG is sitting. Ok now it's getting crazy, she goes in for the reverse layup and it's a tricky shot but goes down easy. What gives? Aaliyah hits a jumper and she is feeling good! Things are physical—about half of the players have personally inspected the floor in the last minute or so. DT just popped Ariel in the face and then fell/crawled over her. Let's not do the injury thing tonight ok? Flagrant 1. 19-17.

2nd Quarter The Mystics keep trying to pass overhead and it keeps getting disrupted. Phoenix may play with a "small" lineup but they aren't actually short. Yish drives hard to the basket. Stef stays strong vs BG and we get a rebound. On the transition JVL finds a streaking Jado who goes straight to it, Kiki Herbert Harrigan blocks with her hand but McWin is not happy about the body contact. Regardless Hines-Allen was there for the cleanup and a foul called now. Eric is given a tech over his displeasure about the no-call for Jade. He led the league in techs last year. DT trucks Jade on the other end now, but it was a basketball play IMO. Then she goes for 3. Physicality continues and it is definitely the most physical game of the season. DT goes again for 3 and the lead. A flaming pass from JVL inside to Dolson who is doubled and drops it off to Engstler who hesitates just long enough to draw a foul—and makes the shot. The Mystics go back to the Ariel Atkins jumper. Now it's 4 quick points for Phoenix off a turnover and a rebound. Earl hits another middy. Aaliyah comes back in and continues her great game. Painfully Recent Former Mystic Tash Cloud hits from 3. Meanwhile DC has consecutive misses and then watches as Kah waltzes to the hoop. Energy check. Shatori is there to provide from 3. Bec Allen got a tech—has she been influenced by her more demonstrative teammates? Earl now catch and shoot 3 off the kickout from Stef. There is a lot more movement now on offense for the Mystics as they respond to a zone look. We find JVL for 3 as a result. Tied at 42. Shoutout to Myisha Hines-Allen. She may not have the biggest game numbers-wise today but everything she is doing she is crushing <3. Shatori scoops one home, arcing it right over Copper and Griner. 46-44.

3rd Quarter It's JVL for 3 right off the bat in the 2nd. Slim wrote a paper in college about Christy Winters-Scott. Dredge it up! Let's read it! JVL goes again! She is back in form after a couple tough games on their road trip. Nice moves here by Shatori for 2. On the next play it's perfect chemistry as we pick, roll, and kick out to the hot hand—Vanloo 3, Phoenix timeout. DiDi is HYPING JVL like only she can. Kah hits at the buzzer to respond. A good run by the Mercury follows and it's still a very close contest. Shatori blocks Kah but the ball lands in the hands of Sophie Cunningham for 2. Stef nets a deuce from the key corner. It has been a game of impressive offensive plays. To me the defense has looked good on both ends, but it's been showing off by both teams on O. The All-Star Game wishes it were this smooth. A couple turns now and the Mercury work up a 3-point advantage. Eric stops play. We turn again out of the timeout and commit our second foul this game on a 3-point shot. Not the way to end the quarter, DC. Another turn and we are going to need to chill out at the qurater break. 13-0 Phoenix run from those turns, yikes. 63-71.

4th Quarter Things are looking just as sloppy to open the 4th. Yish flies in like a hero, though, to grab a pass and put it in. She goes strong under the hoop on the next play, too, and Coach Tibbetts wants to talk it over. Heh heh heh we go straight to Hines-Allen again out of the timeout and this time she reverses it. Stef drains a 3 now. A couple misses and turns put us right back down 10 with 5 minutes remaining. Shatori gives us 3 needed points. The Mercury are drawing a lot of fouls. JVL is off from 3, but we recover possession and she gets the second attempt. Earl is fired up and steals the ball right from DT's hands, she takes it all the way herself versus Tash and makes a difficult shot—through contact. 4-point game. Kah has been all money this half, she hits another buzzer beater. Cunningham hits a 3 and the lead is back to 9 with 1:17 on the clock. Kah seals it. We are not a comeback team. 87-96 final. Tash was one rebound shy of a triple-double. Double-double for Myisha as well. The Mercury shot very, very well. Turns piled up too much at the end for DC.

It's time for a break. Sending love and healing to our 4 injured players. Looking forward to a healthy Act 2.

#wnba #washington mystics #mystics #game 25 #phoenix mercury

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brocflowers · 1 year ago

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Of A Particular Quality

Chapter 2: Every morning the world is created

Earlier that day, Brosca wakes to find her sister having a tense conversation with their mutual employer. He issues an ultimatum.

Word count: 2,425

[AO3]

[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]

Chapter warnings: Beraht.

"Look, precious,” Beraht says, his voice half-sweet and dripping with condescension, “You've got a sweet look, something to light a man on fire, but you gotta make it count. I don’t have any use for you otherwise.”

“Please be quieter, I don’t want him to hear this.”

Brosca hovers by the doorway, unwilling to pass through the curtain that separates the room Rica and her share from the main part of the house. They think she’s sleeping, clearly, and she would like to keep it that way. She doesn’t think she could handle the weight of Beraht’s attention right now. Frankly, just hearing his voice is turning her stomach, but she listens anyways. Rica won’t tell her truthfully what they talked about if Brosca asks her later, and she’s tired of being kept out of the loop.

“I’ll talk as loudly as I want,” Beraht says, raising his voice in order to make his point. It makes Brosca flinch. “And don’t act like she’s ignorant in this. Your brother knows the slope of the land as well as anyone.”

Hearing him talk about her makes her anxious, she begins to tap her fingers one after the other against her bare arm. It doesn’t help much, pacing would be better, but pacing is loud, and this is quiet.

“Why are you here, Beraht? What- do you need something?”

There’s an edge in Rica’s voice that Brosca can’t identify. It makes her wary, makes her stomach hurt.

“I’m checking in on my investments. Why? Do you have a problem with that?”

“Of course not,” Rica says, too fast, “you’re the boss.”

“A generous one too. You were just another duster when I found you, Rica, and now look at you. Braids down to here, gold-capped teeth, you can sing, you can play the harp and recite that pretty surfacer poetry all the nobles pretend they don’t drool over. You’re every man’s dream.” A pause. “That’s a lot of money, Rica, a lot of time too. I’ve put a fucking lot into you, and what do I get in return?”

“Beraht-”

“Back-talk from your little freak of a brother and you standing here with no noble on your arm and no brat in your belly. That is what I get.”

Fabric and leather shifting against each other, movement, a footstep. He’s moving closer, getting in Rica’s space, and it makes Brosca tense. She’ll go in there if she needs to, she won’t let Beraht hurt her, but she’d rather not have to. Hitting him would be a pleasure, but the aftermath of having done so wouldn’t be.

“I'm giving you two weeks, precious. If you don't have a patron by then, you're back to sweeping streets.”

No one speaks for a long moment. Brosca catches herself clenching her teeth, and forces her jaw to relax so it doesn’t start aching later.

When Rica speaks again, her voice is very quiet. Brosca can barely hear her.

“Is what Nightshade does for you not enough?”

Beraht laughs. It’s not a nice sound.

“You’re just as fucking stupid as he is. No, it is not “enough”. Not to make up for what I’m sinking into you. Dusters willing to crack skulls for a little money are a copper a dozen, your brother is disposable, and if you don’t start producing results soon, you are too.”

That’s not good. As much as she wants to be relieved at the idea of being rid of Beraht, of never again hearing his voice or smelling his breath or willing herself not to fight back when he pushes her around, she knows it won’t be that easy. It’s unlikely he’ll just up and disappear out of their lives in a half month. No, Beraht never cuts himself out of a business arrangement cleanly, he likes to leave messes in his wake. A message to everyone else he works with, a reminder of what the consequences are for disappointing him. It’s never pretty.

Being the person he so often tasks with making those messes, she knows that better than anyone.

“I have met someone,” Rica says, the soft scuffing of her feet on the floor suggesting that she’s begun to pace, “he seemed- he seems interested.”

“Is that right?” A pause. “Well, this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

She blinks. This is the first she’s hearing of it too. If Rica’s lying to him… Brosca just hopes she knows what she’s doing.

“I didn’t want to promise anything, but he seems very interested. I’m seeing him later this afternoon.”

“Have you fucked him?”

Brosca flinches. Not so much at the subject as the way he says it. He always makes it sound so awful. Harsh and nasty.

“Stone’s sake, Beraht.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” more movement, the shifting of leather against fabric, “that’s a good start, precious, that gives me some hope.”

“I aim to please.”

That tone of her sister’s voice she can read perfectly well, even without looking at her. Brosca smiles to herself a little, happy that she isn’t who’s on the receiving end of it.

Beraht scoffs.

“I’d be careful with that tone if I were you,” Beraht says, it doesn’t have nearly the same amount of bite his other threats did, “tell your idiot brother not to wander off, Leske will be down here later to fetch him.”

No sound for a moment, and then Brosca’s skin starts to crawl with the sensation of being looked at, even though the stone wall between them makes that thoroughly impossible.

“And remind him that I expect perfection this time,” he shouts towards the doorway, obviously with the intention to wake her, “no fucking around, no making a scene, no back talk when it’s over. This whole family is on loose sand.”

Brosca goes still. He’s clearly waiting to see if she stirs, and she’s not sure if it’s better to make some noise in acknowledgment or to stay quiet.

Beraht makes a dismissive sound under his breath.

“Two weeks,” he says to Rica, voice back to a conversational level.

Rica says something inaudible, and then there’s a long moment where there’s not enough sound for Brosca to piece together what’s going on. She doesn’t like that, and she holds her breath as she waits for any noise, any indication as to what’s going on. Anything to assure her that Rica is okay, to talk her out of announcing her presence, of going in there and breaking Beraht open with her bare hands.

He turns and leaves before she gets worried enough about Rica’s safety to make any of that necessary. She lets her breath out slowly, leans against the wall as she listens to the sound of his boots get further and further away. It leaves her both thankful and disappointed.

The door grinds open, closes again. The whole house is quiet.

Rica sighs, long and drawn out and weary, Brosca feels it in her bones. It's proof that her sister doesn’t know she’s awake, she would never let herself sound that tired if she knew Brosca could hear her, always hiding how she’s really feeling when they’re together. Stays calm and collected and optimistic, for her sake.

Brosca doesn’t like that Rica lies to her, but she understands why she does it, even if it doesn’t really accomplish anything in the end. There’s not much left in the world that her sister can shelter her from. She had to grow up a long time ago and they both know it.

She listens as her Rica’s footsteps come closer, but doesn’t move. Rica pushes through the curtain with her expression perfectly in place. Bright and not tired at all, pleasant, neutral, ready to lie.

She looks left after blinking in confusion in the direction of Brosca’s bed for a moment, and as soon as she lays eyes on her her expression falls. Careful mask slipping away.

“You were awake?”

Brosca nods.

“How much did you hear?”

“I woke up when you did.”

“All of it, then?”

Brosca nods. Rica sags a little, her eyes look sad.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” she says, “you know I try to keep you out of it.”

Brosca shrugs. I wish you wouldn’t, she thinks, but they’ve had that argument before, and she doesn’t want to have it again. On this subject, her sister is impossible to convince.

“It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”

“I wish that wasn’t true,” she says, “I wish there was more I could do to protect you, I wish I’d-”

She pauses, swallows, brings her hands up and presses them into her forehead. Brosca waits.

“I know you don’t want to talk about the work he has you doing,” Rica says, finally, “and that’s fine, you don’t have to tell me anything, but I know… I can assume. And I can see how much it’s killing you.”

“Rica-”

“Don’t try to deny it. You're so hard lately, so closed off, and it hurts so much to see it. You were always such a loving child, so bright and sure of yourself and-and I hate it. I hate what this place is doing to you.”

Brosca doesn’t know how to respond to that. She is so tired lately, sad and angry and frustrated in turn. Her whole life, she has aspired to be seen as a warrior. To act as one, even if she wasn’t one in legal name. Practical and proficient in the use of his hands, skilled in battle, fair and honorable in his actions, noble, and brave, with a duty of protection to those around him. The first and second she is without doubt, but the rest…

Life has given her few chances to live her ideals to their fullest, but she had always assumed that that would be temporary, and in the meantime, she tried her best to live as a warrior as much as her situation allowed. She stole, yes, but not from anyone poorer than here. When she had extra, she put it in beggar’s hands. She carried heavy things for her neighbors. She didn’t hurt anyone who couldn’t fight back, didn’t start fights unless it was necessary to help someone else. She behaved always as she imagined an honorable man might, were he forced to stand in her place. She always tried her best.

She cannot do that now that she is under Beraht. His orders give her little room to choose, and often leave her doing things that she finds repulsive and wrong. Things she would never do if she didn’t have his boot on her neck. She has a reputation now, and she doesn’t like it. Doesn’t like the person other people were beginning to see her as. Worse, she is beginning to fear that what they see is what she actually is. That she is turning into something warped and evil. That this is permanent, now, a state she will always be in and not simply a rough beginning she has to pass through on her way to glory. It is wearing on her, slowly but surely, as water wears down rock.

She had no idea that Rica could see it, though. She thought she was hiding it better than that.

Rica’s hands drop, revealing shiny wet eyes, and Brosca locks up at the sight. Rica hasn’t cried in front of her in years, she doesn’t remember what to do.

“I’m sorry,” Rica says, wiping at her eyes, “I’m sorry, I-”

The little crack in her voice breaks Brosca out of her paralysis, body moving on instinct. She uncrosses her arms, steps forward.

“Hey,” she says, gentle as her voice is capable of, “hey, don’t- come here.”

She pulls Rica in against her chest, squeezes her arms around her shoulders as tight as she can without crushing.

Rica tenses for a brief moment before giving in, stretches upwards a little to better press her face into Brosca’s shoulder and then goes utterly loose in her grip, heavy like a stone. A slight dampness works its way through her sleep shirt, and Rica’s breath comes thick and heavy, shakes her body as it moves in and out of her lungs. Brosca presses her cheek into the side of her sister’s head, breathes big and slow so that she can feel the rhythm, rubs her back. It’s not something she’s built for, giving comfort, and even with all the practice she had growing up, she isn’t getting any better. It always feels awkward, like she’s doing a bad job, like she simply isn’t built for it. Too big, too squared off, too specific in her intended purpose to be useful for anything else. Like a sword being used to slice mushrooms for dinner.

But she tries anyways, as best as she can. Rica always told her that trying was enough.

The front door opens just as Rica finally starts to calm down. No knock, swearing as the hinge sticks, the door slamming shut so hard the walls shake. Brosca closes her eyes and grits her teeth, tries to ignore the muffled sounds of her mother fumbling around in the entryway. Worn boots on the stone floor, breaking glass, more swearing, a body slumping heavily into a chair. Familiar noises. They put her on edge.

Rica, now no longer sobbing, sighs.

“Mother’s home.”

Brosca hums in response. Rica shifts, and Brosca lets her go. She wipes at her eyes again, straightens her clothes, collects herself.

“Thank you,” she says, “I’m fine, I promise.” She sniffs, palms at her nose delicately before smiling. “I’m sorry for my little display.”

“You’re allowed.”

Rica laughs wetly.

“I don’t want you to worry about Beraht,” she says, using her big bright smile, “he makes his little ultimatums all the time, nothing ever comes of them. It’s all going to be fine.”

Brosca nods, smiles back. Of course it will be. It always is. Rica doesn’t lie to her.

Something in her stomach doesn’t quite believe, though. Tight and aching, it feels like her insides are turning into stone.

“I need to braid your hair again,” Rica says, reaching up to tug gently at a loose strand by Brosca’s temple, “this is coming undone. I’ll go get my comb.”

“It can wait until tomorrow.”

A loud thump from the front of the house, more angry mumbling. Rica does a pretty good job of seeming unphased.

“Don’t be silly, we have time.”

“I’ll return the favor.”

“I know you will,” Rica says, fondly, “now go sit.”

#mountain sound #of a particular quality

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zuluc · 4 years ago

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summary: how the genshin boys give hugs

characters: childe, diluc, kaeya, razor, venti, xiao, xingqiu, zhongli

style & genre: bulleted & written; fluff

warnings: none

notes: a self-indulgent fic for my birthday yay, i hope you guys enjoy this I just really want a hug but it’s hard to see friends right now 🤧🤧

Childe

sometimes a side hug or quick embrace; sometimes not because there are days he never wants to let you go

his outward persona is lost because he trusts you

once his arms come around you, you feel like the life is being squeezed out of you, in a good way of course

there are still traces of his past he has yet to share but he wants you to know how much you mean to him

Paimon had stayed behind to finish that chop suey Su Er'niang offered you both. You finished your share, giving some to your companion, and you left to sight-see around Liyue.

It’s different from Mondstadt and there were quite a bit of things to get done here for your journey. Your feet take you to the stairs leading up to the Wanwen Bookstore and you hope no one has bought out the book you wanted to finish.

Before you could take a step upwards, someone grabs your wrist and pulls you into a small alley. You hand comes up to summon your sword but then your vision is obscured by a head of copper hair. You gasp when his arms tighten around your torso while he heaves a sigh beside your ear. He lets go after a few seconds and you can see the smile on his face.

“Just a recharge,” Childe winks and turns around to get back to what he was doing.

Diluc

he gives the type of hugs that hold so much emotion that he hides from the public

his body runs warm and appreciates when you snuggle further into him when he has you

his hugs are never quick and he likes to take his time, his hold tight enough to make you feel safe but loose enough to allow you to leave if you so wish

rarely initiates them but will take full control when you’re in private

You could tell when the work he had was becoming too much for the night. The annoyance tainted his handsome features and you just wanted to take it all away. Diluc worked hard, everyone knew that, but he was only human.

You give him the letter Jean wrote out and proceed towards the door to get back to your own duties. Your name rolls off his lips and when you turn around to look at him he’s gesturing for you to get closer. When you’re mere inches from his desk he stands up and places one hand on your back and the other on the back of your head, burying his face into your neck.

The temperature outside was chilly and his naturally warm body contrasts to how you felt prior. You can feel him frown against you when he feels how cold your skin is.

“Will you be coming back tonight?”

Kaeya

he gives you many hugs, anywhere and at anytime

there isn’t a day where you never receive one and if that every happens, the next day will include even more

will almost always lift you off your feet and/or catch you off guard; he likes to keep you on your toes

even when you’re just standing around waiting for another mission or watching the sun set he’ll hold you close against his side

He’s late. Again.

You finished off the last of the slimes around Starfell Lake with little to no damage to yourself, luckily, but someone was supposed to assist you to get the job done faster. You look around for any more enemies before kneeling down and dipping your hand into the water. It was cool against your skin, relaxing you after the day’s work. But it might have been just a bit too peaceful.

A force pushes you forward and you close your eyes to brace for the inevitable impact into the water. You wait a few seconds before realizing that you are still very much dry, but there’s something blocking you from lifting your arms. Kaeya chuckles behind you as you lightly hit his arm, hugging you tight.

“I got you,” he says with a smile.

Razor

he’s an awkward hugger, mostly because he doesn’t know how these things work as well as that he doesn’t want to hurt you

he doesn’t know where to put his hands and they usually end up against his sides before he realizes that he makes you think he doesn’t like them

when he gets more comfortable, his hugs are gentle and soft

he grew up with the wolves and these types of things just didn’t happen, but you make his heart soar

He’s taking a casual walk in Wolvendom to reflect on what Lupus Boreas had told him only days ago. He wasn’t a wolf, he was human, but he couldn’t accept it so quickly. His mind wanders and he doesn’t hear the steps, or rather running, behind him. It’s only until you jump on his back that he realizes.

You knew that he was thinking about what happened and you wanted to return as fast as you could to check on him. You slide off his back and he gives you a forced grin. Razor avoids your gaze but you place your hands on his shoulders to square them towards you.

He appreciates your presence and he wants nothing more than comfort, hands twitching at his sides. You’re aware of his little signals and smile when you hug him tightly. He closes his eyes and breaths in your calming scent while hugging you back with care.

“Thank you.”

Venti

there’s a sense of happiness once he hugs you because it just makes you feel lighter and free

there seems to always be a slight breeze about him and you can feel it brush your face when you rest your head on his shoulder

he comes and goes but never forgets to hug you before and after he returns to see you

his hold can range from very loose to holding on just a bit tighter

Venti left a month ago and you knew that’s just how his way of life was. He was never one to stay place for too long, much like the wind you would say. You yourself were someone who likes to travel around, but everything always brought you back to Mondstadt.

You stand overlooking the city at “your usual place,” as he liked to call it, for some peace of mind. You sit on the edge of the statue’s outstretched hands and lean back on your hands to take in the view. A soft breeze passes by you and your ears pick up a quiet sound behind you. You smile and stand up, immediately wrapping your arms around him.

His own naturally fall in place behind your back and a light laugh escapes his lips. It was nice to see you again, as always.

“Missed me?”

Xiao

he used to be so stiff when he first started hugging you as he never had physical contact with anyone

being you, he warms up and learns how to properly hug someone

will have a hand behind your head because he wants to make sure that every part you of is against him

he’s very protective of you in general and it gives him a peace of mind knowing he can keep an eye on you in this way

You’re sleeping, sitting in his lap with your head resting against his chest as he sits on the balcony of Wangshu Inn. You came to him only a few moments ago and it was clear that you took the time to clear out nearby hilichurl camps due to the small scratches and bruises you had on you.

Xiao narrows his eyes at more of the culprits across the water on the little islands, making a note to do something with them later. You mumble in your sleep and he looks down to see your brows furrowed. He cups your face gently and smooths his thumb over your cheek which causes your face to return to it’s peaceful state and you move closer to him.

It was surprising that he fell for someone. You made your way into his life so unexpectedly and now he just wanted to take care of you. And he wouldn’t change a thing.

“Rest well.”

Xingqiu

very proper hugs because they are reciprocated in with the same energy, or even more, than the ones you may give him

he has no problem in giving you hugs away from prying eyes

he would usually whisk you away onto adventures with him with a promise of them

will get flustered when you hug him while saying just how much you appreciate him

You’re amused at the way he presents himself to others and talks to them as expected of him. Xingqiu was known to be mild- and well-mannered as his mischievous side was hidden from those not so close to him.

You both manage to escape the party, standing beside each other as you look up into the night sky. He feels less restricted with you and he takes this opportunity to lace his fingers through yours. You give him a fond smile and return to staring at the stars.

An idea pops into your head and you let go of his hand, him giving you a questioning look before he is brought into a hug. Xingqiu blushes at the suddenness of your actions but returns it nonetheless. His eyes keep diverting to the house so you have to reassure him that no one can see the both of you.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Zhongli

he enjoys hugging, contrary to what most might think

he likes the intimate feeling and being close to someone he loves in such a sweet way that can be done anywhere

he will never deny you of the affection and if you initiate it he will go through with it no matter what

he’s always looking at you paired with a soft smile on his face whenever he has you in his arms

Zhongli’s voice pierces the quiet as you both take a stroll outside of Liyue. He’s telling you of its history and old traditions that have disappeared throughout the years, but you’re becoming tired due to the sound of his voice.

When you’re out of sight from the guards at the front gates you give a slight tug to the end of his coat sleeve. He stops in the middle of his story and sees that your eyes are growing weary. You keep your hold on his sleeve until you pull yourself to rest your head on his chest, closing your eyes and content with the sound of the night as you’re against him.

He holds you close, making sure that you’re not actually asleep as it would make for a very interesting walk back. You tell him that you’re just resting your eyes for a few moments and that he can keep talking. That you love the sound of his voice. Zhongli places a kiss to your forehead as he continues, adoration for you clear in his eyes.

“Now, where was I...”

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binniesthighs · 4 years ago

Text

call me babydoll | reader x chan

soooo shhhh this actually a part one shhhh but i’m just trying out writing out different things and getting out some of my ideas outta my head that i’m really excited about, this one being one of them!! for now...just pretend that this is just a regular ol’ drabble hehehehe. this part is the set-up chapter (shhh i mean drabble)

One

Pairing: self insert, female reader x bang chan

Genre: fluff, smut, and angst

Tags: (overall) bodyguard au, moderndayprince!chan, bodyguard!reader, secret agent au, royal au, action and peril, plot driven, running out of time, slow-ish burn, growing feelings, softswitch!chan, hardswitch!reader, some skz side characters, jeongin third wheel and comedic relief LOL, travelling, chan being expensive and having a lil bit of a superiority complex, flirtyyyy chan, bits of mystery, explicit language, mentions of food and alcohol, idk think like 007 vibes hehe

CWs: guns and gun violence, a shooting in a ballroom, mentions of blood

Word count: 4.6k

Parts

ONE | TWO

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here early.”

“Well, expect the unexpected.”

“Don’t turn the motto back at me. I’m sick of hearing it so many damn times.”

“What? You and I both know that it’s true. You’re here early too, so, technically you don’t get to say anything.”

Jeongin straightened his bow tie, then patted down the sides of his perfectly ironed tux with not a crinkle to be found. Knowing him, it was a miracle that he hadn’t messed it up in some form yet. He promptly took out his pocket square to clean off his glasses.

“You’re looking nice. Seems like they don’t mind spending money now on you these days.” He blew off the flecks of dust on his lenses.

“They know that they get their return on their investment. And thank you.”

You smoothed down the sides of your dusty pink dress that nearly went all the way down to your ankles. Had you any other choice, it would’ve been something different, but, dresses were really good at hiding your thigh holster compared to the slacks you usually favored. You didn’t mind the times that you would have to put on a pretty dress, it somewhat reminded you that there was normal life outside of your job. Not to mention, they had started sending you jewelry as well. You always had liked the look of a diamond necklace.

“You do your research for tonight?”

Jeongin nodded, then took from his pocket his phone to read over the details.

“I’ve done a background check on everyone attending, we shouldn’t have any issues. It’s already a low risk event anyway. Charity is never something to get too worked up over, but, you never know with the detail that some of these people come with...who they might be tied to...”

“--The only people we can trust is ourselves.” You nodded with arms crossed.

“Expect the unexpected, I know.” He slid his phone back into his inside suit pocket to adjust his cufflinks.

“--Nervous?” You took note of his fidgeting actions.

“Nervous? No. I’ve been through this before. You know that.”

You flicked your partner right on his forehead strung with his white hair. You had really wished that he had picked a less conspicuous color, but he had strings to pull that you didn’t.

Jeongin cleared his throat, “You do your once over?”

“Do you even need to ask? I did it hours ago and when we arrived. You know that I’ve done this before too.”

“I know. I know.”

Jeongin looked out at the vast circular atrium that made up the center of the hotel. Several stories down under the glass rooftop, you could hear the faint sprinkling of the intricate fountain which smelled of copper. A bit further down, you could see the tips of the tree branches from the indoor landscaping. Across the way, a door slammed with residents tucking in their ties. The two men you had recognized from the roster: a simple thing which made you feel at ease. Your young partner must’ve started to have an effect on you. A sense of unease seemed to quell in your neck. You always listened to your hunches.

“W-what do you think he thinks of us?” Jeongin broke the silence.

“Well,” From inside the room you had waited outside, you could hear his distant murmuring, so you lowered your tone. “I think that he has yet to trust us. It’s only been a few weeks. He doesn’t seem like the kind to give himself up easy. That, and I’m sure his resentment of his father must have some influence.”

“You think he hates us?”

“I think he hates his father for hiring us. I mean, wouldn’t you? His old security detail, he had them for years.”

“I guess so. But, we’re not like his old detail.”

“No. We’re not. I don’t think he gets that yet. I think he sees us as one more way his father has a hold on him.”

“It’s not like he can do much else about it when his dad’s a kin--”

“--No, no, thank you, really, it’s lovely. Some of your best work. Thank you.”

Chan swung open the door to his room, stopping Jeongin right in his sentence.

“Ah. You’re here already. That’s...punctual.”

As dazzling and showy as ever, Chan looking nothing short of a magazine model. For a prince, he had certain...appearances that he had to maintain. Today, it was a velvety and maroon suit jacket with a white button up. On the collar, two matching brooches had been perfectly placed, and they were silver like moonlight in the shape of English ivy and adorned with diamonds. On his lapel, he wore the royal insignia of the lion and the wolf. Behind him, you could see his slew of stylists cleaning up their makeup kits and obscene assortment of designer dress shoes for him to pick from. You had thought before that he even smelled like royalty: stuffy white roses with a hint of priceless cognac.

Jeongin bowed his head respectfully. “Everything has been prepared for tonight. The rest of your guards are surrounding the building, and I’ll be corresponding with them as needed, your Highness.” He tapped at his earpiece.

Chan drew his attention over to you, giving you a rather lusty glare. Over the past couple weeks, you had gotten used to it. He was a prince to every extent of the word. If there was anything that he had wanted, he simply had to ask. It drove him insane that all he could do was merely look at you. You had wondered if he harbored anything else for you besides the way that he would devour the curves of your shoulders and hips.

“Fox. Bee. You look nice tonight. I like seeing you dressed up. Makes me feel less out of place.”

You couldn’t help but let out a little sound of discontentment over his rather affectionate nickname for you. You and your partner had been introduced to him as F and B. Quickly he had figured out Jeongin’s codename as Fox, considering that he had done a poor job picking out one that wasn’t related to him at all. Anyone could tell that boy was fox-like, and he also just wasn’t that creative when it came to picking out a name for himself. B, or Bee as he had decided, was your name; as in bumblebee. After learning about Fox, he figured that there was an animal theme going, so Bee seemed to fit best in his oponion.

You tested his glare with your best, “Thank you, your Highness.”

Jeongin gulped. “Your assistant should be waiting downstairs with your itinerary. She told me that you should meet her first off.”

“You work too hard F. Have some fun tonight, hm? But don’t...drink too much. You’re responsible for my life remember?” Chan clapped his bodyguard on the back.

Your partner nervously laughed and adjusted his glasses once more: his preferred tic.

“And Bee?” Chan rose a brow to lean into close and whisper. “Stay close, alright?”

“Of course, your Highness.”

Chan let out a little scoff after getting one more proper look at your frame. “Damn. You really are stunning. Just a little too dangerous for me though.”

You rolled your eyes, dishing him outa, “Whatever you say, your Highness.”

Jeongin threw you and annoyed glare before tracing after Chan as he sauntered down the hall to the glass elevator.

“Bee? You coming? Or do you have something better to do?” Chan’s voice called down the hall with an echo and a little teasing gesture of his hand.

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

It had been seven years since you had chosen this line of work, and each time that you had to go to one of these things, you hated them more and more. Not because they were hard to control--they were easy--but you just hated how many superficial and self-absorbed people that they could fit into one room.

The air was filled with the scent of champagne bubbles and too much Chanel No. 5. From corner to corner of the room, and even next to the ice sculpture of the lion and the wolf crest, silk, satin; velvet and the best cotton could be found. Long gloves covered the arms of ladies with wrinkling skin, and tweed vests held in the guts of men who indulged in their food just as much as their mistresses. All this effort just to appear as if they had given one care about the philanthropic efforts of the royalty.

Several neatly dressed waiters passed you with golden platters of hors d'oeuvres made of ingredients so expensive, they would’ve cost the same amount as the generous donations made by the attendees. If you could’ve, you would’ve scooped up as many of them as you could, just to eat all of their copious amounts of money yourself, but, there was somewhere a rule that you had to keep your hand to yourself when you were on duty. The best that you had to look forward too was take-out to eat at 3 in the morning with Jeongin later.

Buzzing chatter filled your earpiece while each of the additional guards gave their hourly report.

“Damn. It’s fucking colder out here than I thought. It’s fucking summer.” One of them joked to the tune of the other guards laughter.

“Stay focused.” Jeongin scolded over the line. “Don’t leave your posts until your shifts change.”

While he was a timid man, Jeongin was not one to mess around. Son of the director, he knew that he had big shoes to fill. After pleading for years for her to admit him into the academy, she had agreed. Everyone knew the reason why she didn’t want him in this line of work. Too many dead. Too many missing. In some ways, he was also yours to look after.

You trailed after Chan who was busy talking to his assistant and his publicist. While he nodded at their words, you knew that he must’ve been barely listening. Chan never really was one for formality, but much rather enjoyed simplicity and pleasure. Jeongin and you had somewhat of a bet going: out of all the guests, you had liked to bet which one he would take with him to his bedroom. Since you had all the profiles of the guests, you liked to bet a little money on which one it would be.

Jeongin had guessed it to be the heiress and daughter of a tycoon who had made a multi-million won donation in the name of his company. It was ironic; his very company was a big-scale pollutor who liked to make nice with the crown. She was conventionally very pretty: long legs, a thin frame, she was educated and looked as if she could hold somewhat of a conversation...not like that mattered to him.

You had predicted it to be the foreign CEO who had just started business dealings with the crown. While she might’ve looked a bit stuck-up and prim, she was intimidating, and a challenge. Chan loved challenges. Chan also had a pension for pretty boys with a bit too much money on their hands--usually inherited--and with nothing much else to do other than dote on him. There were plenty of those attending the gala tonight.

Chan snaked through the crowd, bowing his head at all of the Good evening, your Highnesses and the It’s a pleasure to meet you, your Highnesses. Every few moments or so he would take a bite from a golden plate and then pop it into his mouth. The whole night long, he would hold his glass with him and it would get refilled for him without him even needing to ask. You sometimes liked to pretend that in some places, they must’ve assigned someone to watch him from afar to make sure that he would never need anything before it was given to him. It wouldn’t have surprised you.

“Having fun Bee?” Chan languidly rolled his head back, swirling his glass.

“As much fun as you are.” You quipped.

“Anything that I should be concerned about?”

“Nothing of concern.” You stated matter-of-factly. Had you matched his flirting tone, you knew that you wouldn’t hear the end of it for the rest of the night. “Fox. Report?”

“Nothing that I can see. No one has been tagging you.” Jeongin had staked himself up on the upper balcony of the banquet hall room, and had been watching for as long as you had been following after the prince. “You sensing anything strange?” His voice tickled in your in-ear.

“Just a bunch of the normal crowd.” You kept your tone down low. “He’s rubbing noses with the usual. You’ve seen too?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

You followed Chan to his seat nearest the front of the room which had been fashioned into a stage with a clear glass podium in the center. Right in front there was one more crest decorating it. Chan had ensured it to be so: he had wanted everyone to know that this was all for his charity.

“It seems like our bets aren’t working out. He hasn’t talked to either of the...suspects.” Your partner changed his choice of words knowing that the other guards were listening.

From the opposite side of the room both the heiress and the CEO stood with thin glasses of wine in their lithe hands. Chan had in fact walked right past them, and didn’t even notice.

“Tonight is going to be a long night.” Jeongin sighed over the line.

You politely pushed past attendees with a raised hand and a sweet smile. You had found that when you smiled, you had appeared less intimidating.

“Oh wait...what’s this?”

“What?” You whipped your head around after Jeongin’s interjection. “What? Do you see something? What’s the call?”

“Relax! It just looks like he’s approaching someone he wants to talk to. I think both of us are about to be proven wrong.”

“Ah, shit.” You sighed. “Don’t put me on edge like that.”

“I’m only trying to entertain myself.”

“Name. Who is it? You’ve got the roster.”

You partner was quiet for a minute, and you watched from a distance as Chan approached the man leaned over a martini seated at one of the perfectly decorated tables.

“Uh, I think that he’s Lee Minho. Some kind of royalty from somewhere else. Pretty low ranking from the looks of it. I think that he made a donation himself...and it’s...damn, larger than you would expect.”

“Should we be concerned?”

“No. Seems harmless.”

“Thank you for coming,” You made out the words that Chan had mouthed. He drew a chair next to the unknown man.

From what you could tell, Lee Minho was handsome to the full extent of the word: nearly all of his physical features were exemplary and his suit appeared to have been fitted to perfect for him; likely one of a kind. He too wore an insignia on his lapel, but it was one that you hadn’t recognized before. He had immaculately styled hair that had some kind of rebellious and boyish charm to it. The man had a kind of mystery about him too: you had been able to pride yourself in being able to read people, and it had saved your life on more than one occasion. But with him, there was something that you couldn’t place.

“Do they know eachother?” You asked Jeongin.

“Not that I know of. School friend maybe? Seems like all the royals send their kids to the same schools.”

“Hm. That would make sense.”

“Enjoying yourself?” Chan said.

Lee Minho nodded, and rose his glass to clink it with the prince’s.

“Do we think that he’s our...suspect?”

The stranger dipped his head into his hand as he listened to Chan speak. A flirty gesture that you had seen a hundred times or more. Still, the way that he inspected Chan, it wasn’t adoring. Or at least, you didn’t think that it was.

“No. I don’t think so.”

“What the hell are you yapping about?” One of the other guards snapped over the line.

“Um, classified stuff.” Jeongin quickly explained. “Above your paygrade. Don’t worry about it.”

“Fox. Watch out for him tonight.” You snuck over to a corner of the room where you could watch the two of them more discreetly.

“Affirmative....” Your partner paused. “Babydoll.”

“Pffff--Babydoll??” The same guard stifled his laughter. “You call her Babydoll, Fox? Damn, you all must be closer than I thought. Didn’t know that I was missing out on some of the action--”

“--Ever heard of a codename, Three?”

“Babydoll’s her codename.”

A grin crept over your lips. “Expect the unexpected.”

You had almost gotten distracted enough to miss how Lee Minho had leaned over to whisper something into the prince’s ear. After he had done so, Chan laughed out a little, then reached his arm around the other man’s chair comfortably.

“They’re...cozy.” You updated your partner.

“I’m trying to cross-check where he might know him from.”

Chan’s assistant and publicist finally slipped away with giddy little smiles. In many ways, you were jealous of them. They could leave whenever the wanted, eat what they wanted...

Jeongin scoffed. “Well, turns out...nothing. I can’t find anything.”

“Nothing?”

“Negative. I’m not seeing any crossover.”

“So they really are strangers?”

Your partner sighed. “Looks like neither of us are cashing ou--I mean--finding the suspect.”

Under your breath, you wondered aloud, “Who are you...Lee Minho?”

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

The night drew on longer with the rest of the formalities: the formal dinner, followed by several speeches from important people while dessert was being served. It all led up to the final act: His Royal Highness, Prince Chan’s speech. On several neat notecards marked with the crest, he held them in front of him while he ate his last bits of Mont Blanc Chocolate Pavlova. Even the name of the sweet itself sounded pretentious. Granted, it smelled delicious--as many expensive things did.

You stifled a yawn from your little set up on the edge of the room. At least you should’ve been able to sit, but it turns out that sitting is also against the rules in this line of work. A couple other security and bodyguards had joined you at the edge: some of their heads nodded with sleep, and the others looked as if they had taken one too many energy shots. Luckily, your stamina had been well crafted.

A fancily dressed MC made his way up to the podium and the room filled with applause after the last speaker had said all of their correct mandatory words.

“It is my honor to introduce to the stage, our wonderful head benefactor of this organization, His Royal Highness, Prince Chan of the Crown.

Applause tenfold of before erupted through the whole room and it wasn’t even an afterthought for the every attendee to stand up from their seats in an ovation. It was a force of habit for you, but you found yourself clapping as well.

Chan rose with grace, and re-buttoned his jacket with finesse. A blinding spotlight found him and it made the diamonds adorning his beck wink brilliantly. Even more blinding was his pearl white, and perfectly trained smile accompanied by his wave.

Thank you. Thank you. He mouthed.

“It’s like he’s a frickin’ movie star.” Jeongin groaned.

“Might as well be with the way that they treat him. You know deep down they’re all just terrified.”

Chan made his way up to the stage in all of his regality, and the applause didn’t stop until he cleared his throat. A collective groaning of a couple hundred chairs squeaked when everyone sat back down.

“Thank you everyone, really. I wanted to thank you all for your generous support in your donations to this organization, as well as your association with the crown. I’m sure that all the beneficiaries of your donations are beyond thankful compared to me. Without you, this would not be possible.” Chan spoke with grandiose gestures, as usual, but this time, he had found you on the side of the room. “Listen, aside from being a prince, I’m also just a person. A person who knows what it means to struggle, to--”

“--I can’t listen to this anymore.” You whispered into the quiet room, and to your partner.

“Just a few more hours.” He droned. “I almost wish that something would happen so that we don’t have to sit though much else of this.”

“Be careful what you wish for.”

In the corner of your eye, Lee Minho shifted in his seat, but still kept his undivided attention to the stage. You figured he must’ve been just like the rest of them: enamored by the flashiness of the crown--and Chan. He had a way of putting a spell on people: it was the kind of spell that a prince of deception had crafted after years of being kept under lock and key.

“--Anyway, what I’m trying to say, royal or fanciful we all might be, in the simplest way, we’re all just people, therefore this is what connects us all. Thank you.”

Chan was gifted yet another standing ovation that was somehow even more thunderous than before.

“Yeah right.” You scoffed. “People born into money. There’s a difference.”

Chan gave his last waves, then a clamor echoed from the back of the room. At first, it had just sounded like the same raucous laughter you had heard all night, but then it shifted to something different. The sound of laugher turned into shouting, then screams: high pitched and piercing. You had seconds to respond, head whipping around the room to catch sight of the confused prince. In your in-ears, the the sound of gunshots echoed with rapid-fire speed. Machine guns. Shouting commands barked in your ear, and muddled with Jeongin’s string of demands and questions.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE? REPORT! REPORT!”

Your heart instantly started beating into hyperdrive, and your legs sprinted as fast has physically possible

“THEY’VE GOT GUNS!” A shrill and cracked voice of an older woman wailed from the back of the room.

Immediately after she had said so, shots fired into the darkened room with sparks, and the metallic sound of bullets hitting the marbled ground followed.

Chan looked around in his panic for you, petrified on the stage. You slung your gun out from your thigh holster and latched onto him with all of your might.

“TH-THEY JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE IN THESE VANS. THEY’RE ARMOURED, WE CAN’T--”

“Get the fuck down there and secure the exists!” Jeongin growled into his mic. “B--is the prince secure??”

“Secure!” You yelled back. Using your body as a barrier, you led the cowering prince through the mass hysteria of the crowd.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Shit.” Chan shook under your iron grip.

More shots fired into the room and bodies parted like the sea and fell over each other.

From the balcony, you had caught Jeongin aiming his own gun at the chaos below.

“I’ll cover you! Fuck! There’s so many of them! Get him to the car out back--Three, Six, meet B out there! Three!? Six!? Report!”

“Three and Six are down F!” One of the guards panted. “I can provide cover out back!!”

“Who’s speaking??” Jeongin bellowed, then aimed from above at one of the intruders. Your only focus was on weaving you and Chan out of there, but you had seen one of them in a blur. Each of the men with guns wore dark grey suits with black ties and leather gloves. Each of them wore their own crest: and it was all red.

“Bee?? Bee???” Chan shouted out for you, and jumped every time the crack of a shot echoed in the ballroom.

“I’ve got you, your Highness. We’ll be out soon. Keep your head down and listen to me.” Your arm held to him tightly, and you soon found the exit nearest. There was no telling if there would be more of them outside, but you loaded your gun quickly just in case, and pointed it out.

“Jeongin, get your ass down here!”

“Jeongin? Who the fuck is that??” Chan ducked down to hide himself behind your frame.

His name had slipped on your tongue, but that hardly mattered.

“I’ll be down in a second!!!”

“Don’t fucking waste time up there when I need you down here!!”

“Two! Two Reporting!!” A man suddenly yelled in your in-ear. “I’ve made it out back and I’ve secured the exit. The car is safe!!”

“FOX! Now!”

Your partner heaved, “I’m coming, I’m coming!!”

You kicked open the exit door, gun’s still blazing, however one one else could be found on the other side.

“Thank God,” You sighed.

“Oh shit, I’m gonna be sick.” Chan had turned paler than white, then stumbled in your arms.

“Hey, HEY!” You held him upright. “It’s gonna be alright. I’ve got you. You’re safe. You need to trust me. Your life is in my hands and I’m not giving it up easy, got it?”

“O-okay.” He stammered, then attempted to straighten himself.

“The Prince is outside, repeat, The Prince is outside. Two, are you in position?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

Other than the fact that you had just escaped absolute peril, the evening was unbearably pleasant. Crickets chirped in the summer evening, and the humidity of the night smelled gorgeously of the lake that was near-by as well as the vast array of flowers that had been purposefully landscaped around the hotel. Chan’s uneven steps scraped at the gravel walkway.

Since you had canvassed the whole building well, you had known exactly where the getaway car was, but you were still careful.

“Bee. Bee!” Chan blabbered. “Have-have I told you yet that I-I’m in love with you?”

“No, you haven’t Your Highness.”

“I fucking am. If I die tonight, I want you to know that I am ridiculously in love with you, and fuck, I wanna--”

“--I’m sorry, Your Highness, respectfully, but now is not the time for this and you are not dying on my watch.”

Somewhere off in the distance, frogs croaked, and the splashing of fish in the lake plopped at the surface waters. You turned a corner to finally see Two waiting his his gun raised. He was a bit of a shorter and scrawnier man, but something about him told you that where he lacked in strength, he must’ve made up for in agility.

“I’m out! I’m out!” Your partner gasped, and over the in-ear you could hear his running footsteps. “I’m almost there! I’ll be there in a second!”

“Your Highness,” Two bowed and opened the car door. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. You can call me Two or J. Either you prefer.”

Jeongin came bounding around the corner with heaving breaths and his clothes askew. His glasses which just barely held onto his face had a crack on them and his knuckles were covered in blood.

“Let’s go.” The younger man prompted.

“In the car you go, Your Highness.” You motioned for him to do so.

Chan whimpered like a toddler.

You shoved his body in, “Stop that. Get in the car.”

“I’m in love with you Bee!” He yelled out, “I’M FUCKING IN LOVE WITH YOU BEE!”

Jeongin slammed the door in his face with a bit of a chuckle.

“He’s delirious.”

“Mm.” your partner smiled. “Sure.”

320 notes · View notes

xxdragonwriterxx · 4 years ago

Text

🔥The Perfect Shot🔥

A/N: This one was a little experimental but I’m actually kinda proud of it 😅. I had a dream about this and just had to write it down so here you go! This one has been in my drafts for a while and I finally had time to edit it, not me doing this instead of my homework, so I figured I’d post it so I have some new content out while I work on the two requests I have. Speaking of which, those will be out soon so keep an eye out for those! I love working on them and they are both really awesome requests so I’m really excited to get them out to you. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this quick piece! Love you guys! 🥰🥺

🐉Song Recommendation: “Stick Up” By: grandson 🐉

Word Count: ~4.2k

~~~

Levi scowled immediately upon entering the bar. It didn’t have anything to do with the bar itself, the establishment was actually surprisingly clean. A little too messy to meet his usual standards, but clean enough for him to get comfortable. No, his scowl was aimed right for his old friend Erwin, the owner of the place.

“Levi, what’s with the sour look?” Erwin asked, his gaze sympathetic. Bastard, he knew what the look was for.

“Haven’t I told you not to pity me whenever I come in here?” Levi snapped, not in the mood for the giant blonde’s antics tonight. “My job is hard enough as it is without you constantly looking at me like I’m some kind of injured animal.”

“It’s not pity, Levi, it’s a thing called concern. I know you’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s something that friends show each other when they are worried about the well being of the other person.”

“I’m fine,” Levi grumbled. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Erwin knew that wasn’t entirely true, could see it in the shorter man’s eyes, but he let it be, knowing Levi would just get more irritated the longer the conversation continued. “The usual?”

“Yeah.”

“Oi, Miche! Levi’s here, get him his usual, please!”

Levi heard Miche’s responding yell from the back room where the dirty blonde was probably hanging out with Hanji, the brunette scientist, a close friend of Erwin’s who got special permission to stay in the back room with them whenever the foot traffic was slow. Shaking his head, Levi fought the small smile that tried to appear on his face as he thought about the people he had surprisingly come to know as his friends. He still had no idea why they ever wanted to talk to him, but he had come to appreciate it nonetheless, even when Hanji blabbed his ear off about scientific studies, although he’d never admit it aloud.

Soon enough, a glass filled with dark copper liquid was slid in front of him, and he lifted his gaze to see Miche smirking at him, “Hard day?”

“You could say that,” Levi murmured, lifting the glass to his lips and taking a healthy gulp.

“Work hours are only getting longer, huh?”

“Yeah, and the people I work with are idiots. It was almost like my latest clients were on a mission to make my job as difficult as possible. It would’ve been a complete disaster if I hadn’t been able to focus everything at the last minute; would’ve cost both of us a lot of money if I hadn’t gotten the shots they wanted.”

“Sorry to hear that, Levi,” Miche said, a slight frown on his handsome features. “I hope this helps you loosen up a bit.”

Levi nodded as Miche ambled away with a light pat on the mahogany, a sigh quietly slipping from his lips as he picked up the glass and swirled it before taking another sip. The golden lights above him were dimmed, making the space feel surprisingly homey, the glow from the lamps contrasting nicely with the dark wallpaper and bathing the wood of the bar with a warm honeyed finish. Levi closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, allowing the cozy atmosphere to soothe him.

He was grateful for the emptiness of the bar, the quiet hum of the television playing the latest news one of the only sounds filling the air. He wasn’t surprised, it was nearly two in the morning, but it made him grateful nonetheless. He did feel bad about coming in so late, knowing that even though the bar was still open, his friends would want to be heading home soon, but he had been working late, cleaning his equipment and resetting his work space for the next day and hadn’t been able to come in any earlier. He had thought about waiting, but the stress of the day pushed him to put himself before others for once and have a damn drink.

Levi was still lost in his thought when the sound of a bell tinkling snapped him out of it, his silver hues darting over to the door and narrowing. He quirked an eyebrow in surprise when he saw a woman standing in the entryway, a black hooded cloak wrapped around her shoulders to protect her against the biting autumn chill.

“Hey, (Y/N)!” Miche’s booming voice called out, only adding to Levi’s confusion, “How’re you doing today? Work go well?”

The woman Miche had called (Y/N) lowered the hood of her cloak, letting out a relaxed sigh as the warmth of the bar chased the cold from her skin. She smiled when she saw the tall, dirty blonde man, her (e/c) eyes sparkling.

“I’m doing well, Miche, thank you! Work ran really late today, some difficult clients seemed to be on a mission to make me want to kill them, so I just had to get a drink when I finally finished up. I hope I’m not bothering anyone this late?”

Miche waved off her concerns with a broad smile, “Of course not! Seat yourself and I’ll be right with you, the usual, right?”

(Y/N) nodded and shrugged off her cloak, draping it over the back of her seat as she slid into a spot two places away from Levi, naturally giving the raven-haired stranger space. Levi watched her as she took her seat, his head tilted slightly to the side curiously. He had never seen her before, despite the fact that she was obviously a regular. He wasn’t a constant drinker, but he had come to this bar enough to be curious about her, trying to figure out which days she usually liked to come in. Maybe she usually came in during the day. It would make sense, Levi almost always came in around midnight due to the effort and professionalism he put into his craft taking up most of his time, but he was still surprised he had never heard of her, not when she was clearly a good friend of Miche’s.

“Ah, I thought I recognized that voice, welcome back (Y/N),” Erwin said as he rounded the corner, a bright smile on his handsome face as he presented her with her drink of choice. (Y/N) smiled back at him and gently grasped the glass in her palms, a quiet murmur of gratitude slipping from her lips before she sipped.

Erwin knew her too? That did make sense, if Miche knew her than Erwin, the owner of the bar, would definitely know her too, but this seemed like more than your average bartender and customer relationship. They were acting like close friends, as if they’d known each other for years. He could see it in the way the blonde behemoth beamed at the sight of the mystery woman, the way he talked so easily to her. He knew Erwin was usually charming, easygoing, but this felt different.

“I heard you had a tough day at work,” Erwin said, leaning against the bar with both elbows perched on the wood.

“Yeah,” (Y/N) said with a sigh, taking another sip of her drink. “It was these new customers. Most of my clients know of my skill and trust me to do the job right but these people just wouldn’t stop being so controlling. Every five seconds they would be telling me to move and take another shot, move and take another shot, practicing over and over again with decoy subjects as if this were my first time doing this. It took me way longer to get everything done, and cleaning up took forever at the end because of all of the extra stuff they wanted to include. It was infuriating, like, I know how to do my job, so please, shut the fuck up.”

Erwin chuckled, “I would’ve paid good money to see the look on their faces.”

“You know I didn’t actually say that to them. I wanted to, really wanted to, but they are business and business is money, so I just had to deal with it. It just comes with the job, I guess.”

Erwin nodded and leaned back, pulling a washcloth from his pocket to wipe down the the wood, cleaning the smudges from where he had been leaning. “Yeah, I get it. People come in here all the time just to be difficult. Some pick fights, some try not to pay, some are just petty because they want to be, some come in at ungodly hours of the morning, it’s just part of the job, like you said.”

(Y/N) winced, “Sorry, I know it’s late. I can leave if you guys are packing up.”

Erwin shook his head with a warm smile. “Don’t be, I was just teasing you. I had Nanaba working the morning shift, so I haven’t been here for that long. Take your time to unwind, you deserve it.”

She smiled at him again, thanking him as she lifted the glass to her lips. Erwin slapped a large hand on her shoulder and squeezed once before leaving to go into the back room, no doubt to check on Miche and make sure he wasn’t being harassed by Hanji and her over energetic explanations of her experiments.

(Y/N) leaned back and hummed happily at the feeling of the warm alcohol burning pleasantly in her stomach. She could feel the eyes of the raven haired man on her as she took another sip, but she ignored him. If he wanted to talk to her, then he could say something, but she wasn’t going to engage him unless he did, content to just finish her drink and go home.

She supposed if she didn’t want to talk to people she could’ve just had a drink at home, curled up on the couch with a movie, blankets, and maybe some ice cream, but there was just something about Erwin’s bar that was so comforting.

It was a quiet little place, even during the day, a hidden treasure that was hard to find if you didn’t know where to look. It was only known through word of mouth, which made it wonderfully calm most of the time, as most people went to the more popular bars in the area. (Y/N) had learned about it through Hanji, her friend from college, who told her about it after (Y/N) had had a particularly horrible day at work and needed a pick me up. Now, she came all the time, even if she didn’t order anything, just to talk to her now good friends and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

She had actually been surprised to find someone else sitting at the bar when she had walked in. Erwin’s bar wasn’t a complete secret, she knew that despite the lack of advertising, quite a few people knew about the joint, but she almost never saw anybody at this time of night. Not when the bar was technically closed and her friends were finishing up.

It made her wonder if her friends knew this man, if he was a friend of their’s. If he was, she had never heard of him. Maybe he was just one of those private types. But then again, would a private type be so obviously staring at a random woman in a bar at two in the morning? She didn’t know, but for some reason, although the stare unnerved her a bit, she wasn’t really bothered by it. She occasionally liked to people watch, albeit more subtly, so despite the intensity of the stare making her want to squirm, she let him be, downing more of her liquor until it burned her throat and warmed her chest from the inside out.

The man’s phone suddenly buzzed, the normally quiet noise sounding a lot louder in the wake of the near complete silence in the bar. He glanced down at it, turning the screen at an angle of which she couldn’t see, and scowled. She watched as he silently seethed, unlocking his phone and quickly replying to whoever had texted him, his fingers flying across the little keyboard.

(Y/N) had to admit, he was quite handsome, her eyes roving over him while he wasn’t paying attention, subjecting him to the same treatment he had been giving her. He was shorter than the average man but (Y/N) hardly noticed, his pale skin and black hair, both darkened by the dim lighting of the bar, paired with his gunmetal eyes proving to be an appealing combination.

Levi growled to himself lowly, pretending not to notice the woman staring at him as he typed on his phone, writing a response to a cheeky text from Hanji.

“You’re going to creep her out if you just keep staring at her like some kind of predator. Go talk to her!”

“Fuck off, Shitty Glasses.”

“I’m serious, Levi! She’s a good friend of mine, it’ll be good for you two to get to know each other. Besides, I think you’re drooling. Go talk to her before I make you, she won’t bite!”

“I said, fuck off.”

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Levi placed his phone face down on the table and ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of a reason to approach her. It wasn’t because he was drooling over her like Hanji claimed, he was just bored and had time to kill. She just happened to be different enough to capture his temporary interest. At least, that’s what he told himself. He didn’t let himself admit how surprisingly pretty she was, nor did he acknowledge the fact that his eyes kept straying to her face, fixated on her attractive features.

But, as much as he hated to admit it, Hanji was right. Staring at her like this without saying a word, in the middle of the night, at a bar, alone, was creepy as fuck. He was genuinely surprised she hadn’t confronted him already, telling him to fuck off.

Talking to people just wasn’t his forte, he felt uncharacteristically nervous, but he had to say something, otherwise she’d see him as nothing more than some creepy asshole. He had no idea why he cared so much about her opinion, but he ignored that thought as he scrambled for a topic to bring up.

“Hard day?”

Her soft voice snapped Levi out of his thoughts, his eyes flicking up to meet hers, which he hadn’t realized were trained on him, “What?”

“Oh, you just seem like you’ve had a hard day, so I thought I’d ask you about it.”

“What made me look like I had a bad day?” Levi asked.

“Well, for one, you’re here at two in the morning. You could just be an insomniac who prefers a drink late at night like me, but you also looked constipated a minute ago, so I made an educated guess.”

Levi fought the smirk that tried to appear on his face. He often made shit jokes when around his friends, it made a small part of him happy knowing she did too. “It was shitty.”

(Y/N) giggled, “Mine was too.”

“Yeah, I heard you talking about it with Erwin and Miche. Annoying clients, right?”

(Y/N) nodded, “Mm, just some folks who think they know everything. But it wasn’t anything a little drink from Erwin’s place can’t fix. How about you?”

“Same kind of thing,” Levi said, sipping from his glass. “Just some shitty people trying to control every aspect of my job.”

(Y/N) hummed her acknowledgement and took a healthy swig from her drink. “Exactly. All day, they’ve been making me change things that didn’t need changing, swap out equipment that didn’t need to be swapped, etc. It’s so infuriating sometimes when things would get done so much faster if I was left alone. I had a vision right from the start that would’ve given me the perfect shot if they hadn’t interfered, but because of them, my work wasn’t nearly as professional as it usually is.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at that, surprised. It wasn’t often he found someone who worked in the same career field as him, at least not in this area. It made him wonder just how spontaneous this was, if Hanji had somehow convinced (Y/N) to come out on a night when the brunette knew he would be there.

“Really? Why don’t you tell me about this perfect shot?”

(Y/N) glanced at him, one eyebrow raised, “What’s it to you?”

“I’m curious, we might have different perspectives on how to get this so called ‘perfect shot’. If you share with me your methods, I might share some of mine too.”

(Y/N)’s mouth parted in shock a little. Her profession wasn’t that uncommon, but in this area? She was the most notable by a landslide, so it made her curious. Maybe he was from out of town? She didn’t recognize him, but maybe she had heard of him before and just didn’t know it was him?

“Alright, fine,” (Y/N) said, getting up and moving closer to him, seating herself beside him. “Usually, to get what I want, I have to start by surveying the space. I really like to note all of the possible places I could position myself for maximum clarity and optimal focus.”

Levi nodded, his mind going back to his own methods, identifying that as one of the things he did when preparing for work as well. “I like to do that too. If you don’t pay attention to your surroundings, it can limit your opportunities and present unexpected obstacles.”

“Exactly. Then, once I’ve found a spot where I want to be, I try to either imagine the thing I’m shooting and where I want them to be, or try to plan for exactly where they are going to move to as I work. That way, I can estimate where the focal point will be, and when they are finally in position, it’s a lot easier to locate.”

“Where do you shoot from? Far or close?” Levi asked, his attention completely focused on the woman in front of him.

“Well, that depends on what my client wants and where the person is. The location, time, client, and weather can change at any time, and all of it directly impacts the quality of the shot. So I flip back and forth between them depending on what’s happening. How about you?”

“I usually tend to favor distance rather than close proximity, gives me more to work with. It makes it harder to focus and even the slightest movement can ruin the job, but close proximity can make it harder to see the whole picture, at least, in my opinion,” Levi said.

(Y/N) nodded, “That makes sense.”

“What next?”

“Well then, once I have a focal point picked out and a position set, I get my equipment ready. Sometimes I have a bunch of extensions and extra supplies to help me out if it’s a particularly important client, but most of the time I try to keep it simple. Less distractions that way.”

Levi nodded, his eyes glinting as he listened to her speak, neither of them aware of the eyes that were watching them from the back room window, trying to stifle their squeals and chuckles.

“After everything is prepped and ready to go, I then have to prepare myself. You’d think that after doing this job for so long that I wouldn’t be affected by nerves and emotions while working anymore, but unfortunately, I am. So before I even touch my equipment, I usually have take deep breaths and completely wipe my mind of all anxiety. It has to be perfect for each client, no matter who they are, so I have to get a grip on myself before I start. Even the tiniest hitched breath can affect the shot.”

Levi was pleasantly surprised with that one. It wasn’t like anyone he worked with denied the fact that emotion and nervousness could impact the shot, but they often didn’t consider it too much as a factor, preferring to power through the anxiety and get it over with. Levi had always been annoyed with this strategy and the mediocre results it produced, so hearing (Y/N) talk about something most others chose to ignore, made him want to get to know her more.

“I agree,” Levi said. “Ever since I started, that has always stuck with me.”

(Y/N) smiled, “Finally, once everything is in position and I’ve gotten a handle on my adrenaline, I position myself with my equipment and take the shot. Thankfully, after that, I have a crew that comes in for cleaning up the area when I’m finished so I can go back and take care of my equipment. Unless, that is, I miss. If I miss the target, then I’m responsible for tracking them down while avoiding shots aimed at me. I wouldn’t want anyone on my team to get hurt, and if I miss the shot, that’s my own fault, so I have to clean up my own mess.”

Levi was nodding along until her words really sank in, making him freeze. Target? Tracking them down? Avoiding shots? Getting hurt? Levi’s face paled and (Y/N)’s smile immediately faded, replaced by a look of concern.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Levi swallowed thickly and nodded, the gears turning rapidly in his head as he tried to think of what to say. “Yes, sorry, I just remembered that I have an important client coming in tomorrow that I forgot about since today has been such a mess. You just reminded me of it, that’s all.”

“Are you sure? You look… sick... all of a sudden.”

“I’m fine. I’m just stressed about this photo shoot tomorrow. It’s really important for my business. If I lose them, then I’ll have a bit of a problem on my hands.”

Levi watched the color drain from (Y/N)’s face as if her skin was being bleached right before his eyes. Her mouth opened, a small squeak coming out but no words, her eyes wide with shock and panic.

“O-Oh my gods…” (Y/N) whispered. “You-You…!”

“Yeah, I thought you were a...” Levi whispered back.

“Oh gods, I am so sorry, um, I-I didn’t mean to- um, okay,” (Y/N) stuttered and tripped over her words, her head turning frantically as she fought for something to say. She felt like she should leave, but she was worried about how that would look, especially after dropping such a bombshell on him. Sighing, she admitted defeat and pushed the rest of her drink away, moving to grab her cloak. “Gods, I am so sorry, I’ll just go, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or-”

“Wait,” Levi said.

(Y/N) wanted to escape the situation, wanted to leave this nightmare and bury her face in some pillows at home as she wallowed in her embarrassment, but the conviction in his voice made her stop and slowly sink back down into her seat.

“It doesn't bother me,” Levi said slowly. “You didn’t know, and it’s your job. I can’t fault you for that.”

“Really?” (Y/N) said, not convinced.

“Trust me,” Levi said. “I’m friends with Shitty Glasses, who literally experiments on anything and everything, I’ve heard worse stories than that one.”

When (Y/N) still didn’t look convinced, Levi sighed and reached into his coat pocket. “Here, I’d like to talk to you again sometime. Come around one day and I might just show you how I take the perfect shot.”

(Y/N) hesitated but eventually reached forward and took ahold of the little white card he held out to her, her eyes sparkling when she saw his name, number, and studio address on the piece of paper. Looking up, she could see the honesty reflected in his gaze and finally allowed a small smile to come back onto her face.

“That sounds good, Levi. I’ll see you around.”

“See you,” Levi said as he watched (Y/N) stand, stretch, and walk out, cloak in hand.

As soon as the door shut and the (h/c) haired woman made her way around the corner, his friends burst into the room, all of them wearing smug smiles that only made Levi scowl.

“So, looks like you’ve got some plans, huh? I’ve never seen you hand out your card to anyone that wasn’t a major client,” Hanji said, wiggling her eyebrows and beaming when he turned his glare on her.

“Shut up, Shitty Glasses. Why didn’t you tell me she was a sniper?”

“Well, because usually that’s a pretty big turn off for people. (Y/N) is my best friend and she needs some love too so I figured, why not? I knew you’d figure it out eventually, but I didn’t want to set a precedent for her that would make you unwilling to approach her. And look what happened! Now, you have a date!”

“It’s not a date, Four Eyes.”

“Uh huh, whatever you say, Shorty.”

Levi ignored his friends as the two men started laughing along with Hanji, cracking jokes about him and the situation he had somehow found himself in. Looking out the windows, towards the corner of the street where he had seen (Y/N) disappear, he couldn’t help the small smile that curled the corners of his lips.

A photographer and a sniper, huh? Maybe they weren’t so different after all. Maybe, whatever this was that was blooming between them, will be worth a shot.

~~~

A/N: I totally forgot to say earlier that this story is based off of the prompt posted by @writing-prompt-s! Sorry for not sourcing it beforehand, completely slipped my mind. Thank you to those who reminded me!

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genderfluid-insomniac · 3 years ago

Text

"Predator and Prey" ~ Hawks x reader x Mirko

So again with smut it's hard to do gender neutral language but I tried my best and this was pure self indulgence. I do want to do a second part but it might be a while and either way I had a bit too much fun writing this

How you got into this situation you'll never know. Here you were working your shift at a local bakery down the street and you were getting ready to close when your boss had left to take out the trash, leaving you to lock the register and clean the cases that had previously been filled with baked goods.

You had wiped the tables off and wrapped up a few treats for yourself and your roommate when you heard the door open. You didn’t turn around and continued to clean the counter,

“Hello, I’m sorry but we’re closed right now. You can come back tomorrow if you want to buy something-”

“Yeah, no. You’re going to hand over whatever is in the register and be nice and quiet.” You jerked your head up to see a person wearing a hood and a black mask holding a loaded gun pointed at you. You slowly stopped cleaning and froze,

“Hey, the register is locked, I don’t have the key. My manager-” They cut you off, “Bullshit! I just saw you closing it minutes ago. Now hand it over.” Well, so much for lying. Your manager was probably locking the back door and should be getting back now but it could make matters worse. considering you were quirkless, you decided it’d be better to comply than risk getting shot.

“Okay. Okay. I’ll get the key. Just don’t shoot.

Even if you could defend yourself, it was useless when the person had a gun And it wouldn’t help to purposely get hurt anyways. You went to get the key and clicked a button under the counter, signaling a distress call to the police station and nearby agencies. Hopefully, you could stall long enough for them to get here.

Inserting the key into the lock and hearing the click, slowly opening the register and hearing the criminal yell at you for taking so long. You threw him a glare and put the money on the counter for him to grab, carefully glancing outside and the hallway leading towards the back door.

“So, any chance that I can get you to stop this?”

“What do you have a death wish? What’s with the small talk, bitch?” I mean you didn’t really have many life preservation skills, so that was a maybe. “Honestly, I have no idea, just curious I guess if these are my last moments.”

They raised an eyebrow at you and just shook their head, seemingly not bothering to respond to your last comment. You saw a blur of red and someone shouted ‘Duck!’ It probably should have given you a warning sign that your first thought after you crouched was ‘quack’ but I guess it didn’t matter.

You heard some yells and grunts, objects falling onto the wooden floor. A couple noisy moments passed when it was quiet and you peaked your head up to see what was going on. Seeing a pair of big vermillion wings take up your vision, blinking to see the light turn back on and fully getting up.

“Oh hey, kid. Everything’s all good. You okay?” The winged hero caught your eyes and walked over to you, leaving the intruder to the others behind him. His eyes looking over you for injuries and meeting your eyes, a smile plastered on his face.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a bit shaken up.” Looking around the shop to check the damage, “I’m surprised how quickly someone got here. I was expecting to have to stall a bit longer,”

Laughing halfheartedly at your poor excuse for small talk and trying to recover what was left of your mind to come up with a sentence. Hawks stood in front of you in his usual attire, looking very attractive, still occasionally glancing around the room but keeping his gaze on you.

“You know what they say, I’m too fast for my own good. You still look as stunning as you were before, so I say you’re all good. Are you the only one working?”He said winking and smirked seeing your face flush softly.

You shook your head and tried to ignore the flirty comment he made, explaining to him that you were working with your manager and she left to take out the trash.

Noticing her talk to an officer by the front door and worriedly making hand movements. You both continued to chat and make small talk, the blonde hero throwing in small flirts or compliments here and there.

Having no idea why Hawks was flirting with you of all people but you returned it every so often, knowing many others would dream of being in this situation. Well, not the robbery part of it but the after effects. A loud voice interrupted the two of you, and the hero put her arms on his shoulders.

“Hey, I heard there was some commotion over here, so I decided to hop over. Oh-” The bunny hero spotted you and smiled, “Hi cutie. Were you going to keep this one all to yourself, birdy?”

She turned to Hawks and raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer. Her red copper eyes flicking to yours, lifting her arm and stepping over to you. An arm wrapping itself around your waist and pulling you into her. Woah that escalated quickly.

“Well, I was here first, Miruko and I think you interrupted something. Me and this beautiful worker here were having such a pleasant conversation until you rudely barged in. Don’t you think, baby bird?”

Well. This had turned into a dangerous territory and you weren't sure if you liked where this was going. You went to respond, when Hawks cupped your face and brushed his thumbs over your bottom lip, preventing you from saying anything. He smirked and glanced up to Miruko, still having an arm wrapped around your waist, as if daring her to continue.

Your mind was racing, you could see some people still in the shop and would rather have no one see the two pros having a competition over who could make you blush harder. As much as you loved what was happening to you, you still had to focus on something and was dragged back to earth when the white-haired woman tightened her grip.

Tilting her face towards hers and pushing his hand away, sweetly staring at you. She leaned in and pecked your cheek, her soft lips meeting your skin for just a moment. A part of you wanted it to be more but you were too flustered to respond,

“Aw look, I broke them. You okay, darling?” She angled her head to the side cutely and laughed. “I’m sure I can put them back together, after all it was your fault.” Hawks peeped in and playfully glared at the other, while her arm wove around your waist as well. You were being pulled from both slides and you weren’t really complaining, deciding to speak up so this could continue not around others.

“U-um, as much as I love this and I do. Why don’t we do this away from everyone else? After I close, I promise we can continue this wherever you want. Yes?”

They both looked at each other then back to you, “Are you afraid of others seeing us fight over you? Because I’m sure we could make such a scene, don’t you think, Hawks~?”

“I know we could, Miruko~” He whispered back and tilted your head, kissing you quickly. You made a noise of surprise and returned it just as he pulled away. Being turned around and kissed by the red eyed hero behind you, breaking away for air at the last second. Humming,

“I do think getting out of here is a good idea. Wouldn’t want someone stealing you from us,” They both loosened their grips on you, letting you go and waving at you to close up with your boss. Walking over to talk to you and reassuring her that you’re okay, grabbing her shoulders when she started to look over you inquisitively.

“I promise that I’m okay. Now, I can clean up if you want?”

“No, No. I can handle that. Why don’t you get home safely and I can finish up here. Some officers are going to stay here to collect more details so I can’t close up until they're done.”

“Oh okay, thanks! What’s going to happen tomorrow?” It would be nice if you had a day off but you doubted it. As nice as your boss was, you still had to work to pay rent.

“We’ll have to start late, but if you don’t mind coming in around 1 tomorrow afternoon that would be very helpful. No one else is scheduled tomorrow except for the two of us and everyone else is on a vacation or it’s sunday coincidently.”

You agreed and left to get your stuff from the back after confirming with you, glancing back once more at the two pros still in the shop chatting with each other. If someone told you that both Hawks and Miruko would flirt with them after they were rescued from a life threatening robbery, you would’ve called them crazy.

I mean it’s hard to believe that a slow Saturday morning turned out so chaotic and eventful, you thought as you picked up your small bag holding all your belongings.You played with your keys as you thought over whether or not they were both serious and also trying to push the anxious thoughts away that ate away at your mind. If they weren’t serious then they could have just left you after you got your stuff or they wouldn’t have continued to flirt with you.

If both of the heros were still there when you got back then you could be sure that they weren't playing around. If they were gone then you could at least treasure the time you did have with them. Walking back you spotted the two of them leaning against the wall with a bored expression on their faces but lit up once they spotted you.

Hawks and Miruko were still there, guess that means they weren’t kidding. You met them at the door, “So should we get going?” Smiling, they both nodded and had some form of contact with you,, the rabbit hero holding your waist and the winged hero holding your hand, swinging it lightly.

The night air was cool and blew at your face, fluttering Hawk’s big crimson wings and Miruko’slong silver hair causing her ears to twitch slightly. You all walked in peaceful silence as you looked up at the stars, aware of both of them gazing at you in adoration. Laughing you, spoke up,

“I know you guys are staring but could you make it anymore more obvious?” Hawks lifted your intertwined hands and kissed the back of them.

“What can I say, I can’t help but look at the beauty in front of me. You’re just so god damn attractive baby bird. The way you look so cute just taking in the stars and not to mention how calmly you can handle stressful situations.” You chuckled humorlessly,

“I can tell you right now, I was so anxious there. Normally I’m a mess with that stuff but knowing someone else was there helped a bit to mask it. I’m not as strong as you think-”

He cut you off and stopped walking, facing you with a serious expression, “Fuck what you say because you made it out of there with little damage to yourself or others. I know it may not seem like it but you’re so strong for just making it through the day if what you say is true.”

Miruko chimed in, “He’s right for once,” she laughed playfully, “Even though you think your faults make you weak, they don’t. You have to overcome obstacles that others don’t have to and I know it’s tiring but you are so brave for just getting through each day. And this isn’t some hero shit I’m saying,”

You smiled and kissed her cheek, thanking both of them for cheering you up, “Hey- where’s my thank you. I’m sad you forgot about me, kid.” Hawks pouted, brightening up when you gave him a peck and continued to walk to your apartment.

When the three of you arrived, you hugged the heroes and kissed their lips quickly. You got pulled back when you started to walk up the stairs, being captured in a passionate kiss with Hawks. Returning the kiss and tilting your head to deepen it. His warm soft lips colliding against yours and bringing a hand up to the back of your neck.

The blonde bird rubbing circles on your hip with the other hand, breaking apart and running his thumbs against your bottom lip, “Now, we can say goodbye. For now obviously.” You blushed and turned to Miruko, giving her a passionate kiss as well. Her silver hair brushing your legs as her tongue grazed your bottom lip, leaning back just as you were going to allow her access.

“Next time, we can pick up where we left off cutie~” She said as they handed you bits of folded paper. Smiling back at them as they left, a gust of wind being forced your way as Hawks took off into the dark sky and Miruko running off in the opposite direction.

You stood there for a few seconds recalling everything that had happened in the last 2 hours. Blinking and shaking yourself out of zoning out, you went up the stairs and used your key to get. Running up to your shared apartment and slamming open the door, panting,

“River! You’ll never guess what just happened to me!”

After explaining everything to your roommate, River, what had happened last night and having a small moment of shock with them that you indeed flirted with two stunningly attractive pro heroes, turning in for the night after all the excitement. You did have another shift the next day but at least you could sleep in.

Part of you was curious if you’d see them again and you hoped you would, but you did understand that they were probably very busy and had their hands full. Even still, you couldn't help but imagine what your life would be like if they were in it.

Surprise visits during their patrols or romantic date nights on their days off. Your mind could go on and on about the possibilities and your memories of tonight only fueled it. Eventually, letting sleep consume you and leading you off to a wonderful dream, only to be abruptly woken up hours later by your alarm signalling that you had to get ready.

Getting out of bed, you spot the small bits of paper they gave you last night and pick up your phone to text them a good morning as it couldn't hurt.

Y/N: Good morning you guys! <3

Short and simple, adding a heart for good measures. You headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day, brushing your teeth and running your fingers through your hair to get out the bed head. Deciding that you were good and slipping on your work uniform because it was comfortable and pointless since you’d be going to work soon.

“Morning River! How’d you sleep?” You speak to them as you walk into the kitchen and pour yourself a cup of lukewarm coffee, making another for them. They groan a bit then rest their head on their folded arms,

“Could have been better. Just some insomnia and binge watching keeping me up. How about you?” Taking the coffee and drinking a bit, sighing contently at the caffeine buzz it gave them. You sat down next to them with some toast in hand, taking a bite and swallowing before answering River.

“Good, besides some scenarios that popped into my mind after last night.” They laughed as you hit their arm, “Hey! Stop laughing! It’s not my fault that it's the most significant thing that happened this week-”

“No-no, I’m not laughing at you but at how you kept thinking of what might happen in the future~” they said in a playful tone, stealing your toast for a bite causing you to elbow them and take it back. “I’m just shocked that it happened to me of all people. I’m not complaining whatsoever, I loved every second of it. it's the most attention I’ve had on myself for a while,”

You sipped your coffee again and continued to talk with your roommate about today and what it could hold. River had a job as a teacher’s assistant but since it was the weekend they had work off, both of you helping out with the rent. Taking a look at the clock and and seeing it was 11am,

“I’m heading out to the store to get more milk and coffee since we’re pretty much out of it and I don’t want to deal with your ass without coffee.” River stuck their tongue out playfully and you did it back to them, slipping on a light jacket and heading out.

Stepping out onto the streets it was mildly busy, certain pros were patrolling and people were chatting as they walked down the sidewalk. You put in your earbuds and put on a random song as you made your way to the nearest convenience store, feeling your phone buzz with texts.

Hawks: Morning dove <3

Miruko: Morning <3

Hawks: r u free tonight? Say around 8ish?

Miruko: We’d love to hang out with you again, baby.

You blushed at their greetings and went to text back yes, looking back up for the store across the street. Taking a quick look both ways before jogging across and being greeted by the cool air of the shop, buying some coffee and milk.

After you got what you needed, you headed back to your apartment when your phone buzzed again and picked it up thinking it was them again. Miruko’s contact popped up, surprising you a bit but answering it nonetheless and putting your earbuds in for privacy. You heard her smooth voice speak,

“Hey Y/N. How are you? I’m so excited to see you again tonight~” She purred.

“I-I’m good. I can’t wait to see you too! How are you doing?” “Better now that I’m talking to you, cutie,”

Shaking your head to focus so you didn't walk into anything while you talked to Miruko, “God, you two never fail to fluster me,” You laugh, “I hope you didn’t ignore work just to call me. I wouldn't want to be the cause of any trouble-”

You hear her chuckle over the phone, “No, I’m not. Just doing boring paperwork, the uneventful side of being a hero that you don’t see. Don’t worry, I can easily listen to your sweet voice while doing something else.”

Almost at your apartment, you kept walking past in favor of talking with Miruko more and starting your day with a pleasant start.

“You know, I can’t wait till we are alone with you. I get to have you all to myself, taste those soft lips again and see that blush on your cheeks just from my praise, my voice.”

Shit. It suddenly got a bit warmer, a heavy blush filling your face and letting out a noise of surprise. Wasn’t she worried about someone hearing her? At least you had headphones in, you can’t imagine the embassament if you had answered this in your apartment. The amount of teasing you’d get from River about how ‘they’re practically all over you and how lucky you are’.

“Oh, what was that? Do you like all my praise I’m giving you? Get a look at that wonder body of yours, worshipping all your curves and don’t even get me started on those plush thighs of yours. Perfect for marking with hickeys and bites, just screaming that you’re all mine.”

You were thinking of sitting down somewhere so you wouldn’t drop anything or bump into anyone because of how hazed you were. Trying to push your lewd intrusive thoughts back as they crept up, and focus on walking like a normal person.

“How I would love to see your face right now, I’m sure it’s bright red. Unfortunately, I’ll have to save the rest for tonight. Duty calls. Later, darling~” You stutter out a goodbye before hearing her hangup and it’s safe to say you walk back to your apartment in silence. Desperate to calm your blush down so River doesn’t ambush you with questions you don’t have the answers to.

Unlocking your door and putting the groceries away, calling to River that you were going to make lunch then head to work. Making yourself a quick sandwich and scrolling through your phone while you wait for it to be done. You went onto social media and coincidently saw some photos from a shoot that some pros must have done.

You spot Hawks striking a pose, in casual clothes, wearing a white shirt under a black bomber jacket, navy jeans with a couple tears in them, and a silver feather charm on a chain. Smiling at the camera, no doubt charming every person who saw the post, including you. Scrolling down to see a picture of Miruko, also in much formal clothes, smirking at the camera while playing with a collar of the navy suit she was wearing.

To say that they were both attractive was an understatement and it seemed unfair because they were both so gorgeous, but you got a little confidence boost. Knowing that they flirted with you and only with you, and were interested in you enough to have a date with you. At least you thought it was a date.

You weren’t sure if it was but with Miruko’s words in your head still, calling it a date seemed like an understatement too because how… flirty she was. Scenarios again filling your head, you could only imagine what Hawks would be like since they both seemed so competitive and trying to one up each other by flustering you as much as possible.

The timer on your phone rang and you ate your sandwich, luckily being distracted by your roommate making lunch as well while chatting with you about some drama that happened to the teachers where they worked. Enjoying the calm and fun moment that didn’t have you blushing on cloud nine, even though it felt amazing.

=“Alright, I’m headed off to work. See ya River!” They waved goodbye and took a bite of their sandwich. You locked the door behind you as you headed off to work, seeing the streets were busier now and different heroes were on patrol, catching sights of what must be students working with pros. The sun was beating down on you and everyone else and you were grateful to work in a place with AC.

You called out to your boss as you walked in and returned her greeting, heading to the back to put your stuff away. Getting behind the counter and taking the next order as she was making the previous customers’, people coming in and out occasionally sitting down with their food or drink. You didn’t blame them with how hot it was today and continued making drinks and ringing people up.

An hour passed as the shop grew quiet and you and your manager were talking quietly about last night and how clean up went, when the bell rang signalling someone came in. You went back to the register, calling to your manager that you got this one. Making your usual greeting but halting when you saw who it was,

“Hello, welcome to Delights Cafe! What can I get you- Hawks?” You nervously laughed under your breath, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be working or patrolling right now?”

The red winged hero smiled, “Aw I’m so happy you remembered me. I was just on my break when I was passing by and saw this place again, thinking I should take my break here.” You smiled back and shook your head in disbelief, it couldn’t be a coincidence that you heard from both of them today.

“Of course, well what can I get you, Hawks?” he scanned the menu behind you, “Everything here sounds so good, but I don’t suppose you’re on the menu?” You couldn't help but laugh at the lame pick up line and attempt to stifle your laugh to remain professional.

“That was so cheesy, but no, I’m not on the menu.” You responded, still containing your laughter as he winked at you again “Damn. Guess I’ll have to wait until tonight~” Hawks got closer and leant over the counter as you anxiously scanned the shop to make sure no one was looking. The cafe was practically empty and your boss was busy making food for another customer, not paying any attention to you.

“I heard that rabbit got some time alone with you and I can’t say I’m too happy with that. As far as she’s concerned, you’re mine. Those beautiful hips and gorgeous eyes luring me in, how you taste so good when I kiss you. I love how flustered you get when I tease you, just a few words and you’re practically all red by my hands.” Shit. What’d you say! They’re competitive and you were the prize that came with bragging rights.

Even with that small praise, you were already blushing quite a bit and it only made the hero’s smirk widen, which made your mind go even more hazy. You went to say something but you couldn’t make a cohesive sentence,

“How did- How did you find out-” You were interrupted as he brought up something on his phone, showing you a series of texts.

Miruko: Hey birdy, guess who I got to spend some quality time with? I can’t wait to see them mewling out my mine and completely helpless over me.

Hawks: Like that would ever happen, you saw how flustered they were when I was giving them all that attention.

Miruko: Well safe to say that they’re mine now, bird brain.

Hawks: Guess I’ll have to even the odds.

Putting his phone back into his pocket, “Now you why I’m here. She may have got a moment with you this morning but she’s not here to stop me now.” He lowered his voice an octave and whispered, “I know you’d be moaning out my name with everything I want to do to you. How your thighs would squeeze me as I ate that delicious pussy of yours.”

“How you love me teasing you, edging you till you see stars and tasting all your juices as come undone under me.” Your cheeks burned as you met his gaze, those golden yellow eyes piercing you, and your mouth opened to say something but again nothing came out. How could he say something so lewd in public. In plain sight?!

“Hawks-” “The number 4 looks great! I’ll take that and an iced coffee.” The blonde quickly spoke in a happy go lucky tone like nothing happened while you shook your head, clearing your mind. It stunned you how quick he could change attitudes and cover everything up with just a smile. Nevertheless, you nodded and told him his total, giving him his receipt as he paid. You could feel his eyes on you as you made his order, tracking your every movement like ….well like a hawk.

You gave him his food and drink, thanking him for coming but not before receiving a kiss on the cheek seeing his wink and walking out the doors, flying off somewhere to eat. Standing there in somewhat of a shock at what just happened, again they managed to leave you speechless and flustered.

You could only imagine how tonight was going to be and you were counting down every hour till you saw them. Brushing off your thoughts and cleaning the counter, waiting for the next customer to order. Hours passed as people came and left, the afternoon turning into night as 6pm rolled around and your shift ended, helping your manager close the store.

Both of you made sure everything was locked up and secure so no one could break in. You said farewell to her and you basically ran to your apartment, overjoyed that it was almost 8. Running up the steps and throwing open the doors, not hearing the usual shout from River to not slam open the door. Everything was in its place and nothing was moved except for some dishes in the sink which they had probably left.

You put your bag down and took your jacket off, hanging it on a hook to the side of the closed door. A yellow sticky note on the counter caught your eye, and you walked over and picked it up reading it.

Hi, Y/N! One of my coworkers called me upset because of some rumors spreading about her through some shitty teachers and I went over to her place to work things out. Sorry, I didn’t tell you but I know you’ll find a way to have fun without me.

See ya later.

River.

You laughed softly and threw the note away, happy that you had the apartment to yourself tonight. Washing the remaining dishes and putting them in the cabinet, going to your room and cleaning it up. Searching for someone to wear other than your uniform and finding something cute to wear.

Preparing some food for you guys to eat, and turning the stove on, figuring pasta was good. Thoughts filled your head once again as the time got closer and closer to 8. You were in your head when someone knocked on your door, pulling you out of your head and you turned off the stove to go meet them.

Bright red wings and a pair of soft white ears greeted you, they both smiled at you walking in and shutting the door behind them. Miruko walked over, giving you a peck on the cheek, “Evening cutie. I missed this cute face of yours.”

Hawks came over after slipping off his jacket and captured your lips in a gentle kiss. “You look amazing as always.”

“You both look stunning, I can’t believe this is actually happening. I don’t know why you both are interested in me when you could easily go for someone else-”

“But we’re not and we chose you because you’re just so adorable and alluring to resist.” Miruko spoke as she wrapped an arm around your waist and cupped your jaw, kissing you passionately. Her soft lips pressing against yours and taking short breaths. She ran her tongue along your bottom lip and nipped it.

“Miruko-” “Rumi. Tonight it’s Rumi. I’m not a hero but someone enjoying their date with a cutie like you.” Nodding you smiled and reached up to touch her ears, feeling the soft white fur and silky white hair behind it. A feather brushed your cheek and turned your head over to Hawks.

“And we couldn’t just let a beauty like you be taken by someone else. Call me Keigo.” You buried your head in his chest and sighed, “Thank you Keigo. Why don’t we eat?”

He smirked and brought you closer toward him, tilting your head up, “Gladly. I’ve been waiting for this all day” Keigo got down on his knees and ran his hands over your hips, the sight below causing you to blush.

He hooked hands on the sides of your pants, glancing back up at you just to make sure you were okay with this (A/N:Cause we love consent and it's sexy) and slowly pulled them down once you nodded, humming as it got lower and lower.

Rumi mumbled something and pulled in for a kiss, passionately slamming her lips on yours and massaging your lips. She tilted your head up as you felt warm hands rub your thighs, placing kisses and bites all over them. He pushed you legs apart for a better position and put one leg over his shoulder, blowing some cold air on your clothed clit causing you too to whimper into the kiss.

“Damn. I can’t wait anymore.” Throwing away his self restraint and moving your panties down to your ankles, licking a slow lineup from the bottom to the top. Your moans were swallowed by Rumi taking the opportunity to push her tongue into your mouth, claiming your mouth as she explored every inch of it.

Letting you breath as she placed small kisses on your upper lip, but going back to kiss you and bite your lip. You felt light headed as Kiego ate you out, his tongue swirling around your bud and sucking your clit. Enjoying the lewd sounds you were making all because of him,

“Your pussy is so fucking delicious, I could eat it out night and day, baby bird.” You felt his warm breath fan your clit and blushed at his words, “Let me hear that beautiful voice of yours crying out for me.” Keigo spoke before he dove back in and thrust his tongue deeper, making you let out another loud moan. He laughed and continued to move his along your sensitive walls, sucking on your bud simultaneously.

Rumi broke the kiss and tilted your head to the side, “That was mine, Kiego. They clearly enjoy me much more.” She bit your neck as you cried out, “Rumi! Keigo! It feels so good. Please more,” A mewl escaped your mouth as Keigo bit your labia and you caught his gaze. His blonde wiry hair strewn about as your hand grabbed it and those bright golden eyes examined your pleasure ridden face.

Kisses and bites covered your neck as Rumi found your sweet spot, abusing it mercilessly and sucking it. She peppered kisses all over your neck and nipped it whenever your attention was directly away from her. One of her hands around your waist and the other crawling underneath your shirt and cupping your chest, flicking your nipples as you arched your back.

“That’s it baby~” She cooed as she continued her attack on your neck, rubbing your nipple in between her fingers, you pushed your body into hers. Keigo meanwhile was feeling left out and sucked on your clit and moved his tongue in and out, feeling your walls clamp down on his tongue. Your legs shook as a knot built up and if not for their hands holding you up you would’ve fallen.

“Cum for me songbird. Let me hear that voice cry out in pleasure~” Rumi used both hands to push up your shirt and gave attention to both breasts. Giving one a lick, feeling you to tense up and moan, pinching and pulling the other as you sucked and licked the other. Switching position to keep the pleasure growing and smirking as she heard you breath hitch, Keigo swirled his tongue around your bud and coaxed two fingers in your pussy.

The wonderful stretch nearly pushed you over the edge as his finger pumped in and out, using his tongue to give you some outer stimulation. Humming when your grip on his hair tightened and sent waves of pleasure crashing down on you with his vibrations, feeling his hold tighten on your thighs as you shook. Keigo used his tongue to help you ride out your orgasm and Rumi played with your nipples, pulling you in for a kiss and capturing your moans.

“Damn, Baby Bird. You’re so goddamn attractive. How’d we get so lucky?” The red winged man spoke, running circles on your thigh and lovingly looking at your expression twisted in pleasure. That must have been one of the best climaxes you’ve had, even with your vibrators and exes. You caught your breath and opened your heavy eyelids, seeing Rumi and Keigo look at you, no doubt a mess.

“That- That was amazing. Fuck. You both are incredible. I guess we’re skipping dinner then?” They laughed at your joke and stood up, still holding onto your hips to keep you steady just in case. Keigo buries his head into your neck giving it light kisses, “I don’t know I’m still pretty hungry~ I mean we haven’t even gotten to the main course, songbird.”

Rumi spoke up, “I’m waiting for my turn too. Won’t you do me the pleasure of eating me out?” A crimson blush spread over your cheeks and you took a step back onto the wall, both of them caging you in, “I’m going to fuck you till the only thing you remember is our names.” He whispered in your ear, biting your lobe, “Now, where is the bedroom?”

#mha hawks #mirko x reader #hawks x reader #my hero academia #hawks x y/n #pro hero hawks #rabbit hero: mirko #mirko x y/n

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weelittleweasley · 4 years ago

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a day in the snow (h.p.)

prompt as requested by anon: after being friends for two years, you had been toying with the idea of how and if you should tell harry that you have feelings for him. but will the fear of rejection hold you back?

pairing: harry potter x fem! reader

warnings: food

word count: 3.2k

author’s note: this could be read as a sequel to may i sit?, but you don’t have to read it to understand this fic! happy reading! oh! and requests are still open ;)

Soft, powdery white snow covered the Scottish hills that rolled in the distance. The green grass now hidden beneath blankets and blankets of freshly fallen snow. Untouched snow was soon replaced with trails of snow shoe footprints and laughter of students as they weaved their way to Hogsmeade. It was a perfect winter’s day. Cold enough to keep the snow from melting and make you shiver if you wore the wrong jacket, but not cold enough from keeping you from dragging Harry through the snow to the town.

Harry would have much rather stayed inside and kept warm in the comfort of the common room with the roaring fire in front of him, blanket over his lap as he enjoyed the chatter of his closest friends. You, on the other hand, lived for days like today. You insisted it would be an adventure; out in the snow, romping around, enjoying each other’s company. Although Harry insisted you had gone to Hogsmeade so many times in the past, you had practically begged him to go today. You needed some excitement rather than being cooped up in the castle all weekend long. With a groan and exaggerated roll of his head, Harry finally gave into your pleas. He couldn’t resist you for longer than five minutes of constant begging.

Linking your arm in his, the two of you trudged through the snow, you laughing as Harry bemoaned about snow getting into his boots. “Don’t be such a party pooper, Potter,” you tease him as he rolls his eyes. “We’ll make a day of it. We can get Butterbeer at Three Broomsticks, shop around at Honeydukes, maybe venture into Zonko’s,” you list off excitedly. It would be a pricey expenditure, but you had just received your monthly allowance from your parents and you were certainly planning on spending a chunk of it today.

“Or we could head back to the castle, get a blanket, sit by the fire in the common room, sneak into the kitchens. You know the house elves love me,” he smiled as you scoffed at him. “We’ve been to Hogsmeade hundreds of times, why can’t we enjoy a day inside the castle?” he implores you as a bright smile appears on your face as the village comes into your view.

You drop Harry’s arm and make a mad dash for the village, giggling wildly. You turn to face him, walking backwards now, “We are in that castle every day, Harry. I need a change of scenery once in a while and what better place to do so,” you speak merrily. Pure joy was laced in your voice as Harry sighed and shook his head with a smile. He couldn’t deny the look of childish glee on your face as you stood there, waiting for him to catch up to you, clapping your hands like a toddler on Christmas morning. “Now come on, let me treat you to a Butterbeer,” you extend your hand out to him as he gladly accepts it, swinging your arms back and forth.

The gesture was simple, something you and Harry always did. But you couldn’t deny that every time Harry held your hand, flashed you a toothy grin, cracked a joke and looked your way to see if he had made you laugh, it always made your heart flutter and mind races with a thousand and one thoughts. Harry had been your mate, a close one, for almost two years now. After the night you two had formally met, you were inseparable. You spent nights in the library studying (mostly fooling around and pissing others off), running through the corridors playing elaborate games of hide-and-seek, exchanging small glances during class. Together, you and Harry just made sense. The two of you got along like you had known each other your whole lives and yet, nothing more evolved from your friendship. You had managed to convince yourself that a friendship was all you signed up for and all you wanted from Harry which was a total lie. Harry made you feel like you were the only person who mattered; like when he was with you, you had his full and undivided attention. Harry made you feel safe.

But you ignore the butterflies that danced around in your gut as you walked towards Three Broomsticks, Harry opening the door for you as you slid in carefully. “Go on and find us a seat, I’ll grab us drinks,” you instruct him as he smiles and nods.

You approach the bar and see Madam Rosmerta, drying some mugs. She catches your eye as she flashes you a brilliant smile, “Back again, Miss (Y/L/N),” she beams as you nod. “What can I get for you, my darling?”

“Two Butterbeers please,” you request, leaning against the bar, removing the woolen gloves from your chilled hands. The Three Broomsticks was warm, in temperature and the environment. The pub was bustling in customers, varying in age, old and young. Some Hogwarts students were tucked away in booths as you surveyed the area, some on what looked like dates, others messing around with friends.

Madam Rosmerta gives you a look, raising one brow suggestively. “Two?” she asks as you nod. “You fancied your way into a date now? Who with?” she implores. But before you can protest that you were just in for a quick drink with a friend, her eyes land on Harry who waits patiently at a table. Madam Rosmerta dramatically gasps, “With the Chosen One?” she gawks. “Nicely done, my darling. Way to go!” she hits your arm encouragingly.

You shake your head feverishly, “No, no, Harry and I are just mates. We’ve always been mates and always will be.” When the words tumble from your mouth, your stomach feels sour. Always been mates and always will be. Nothing more and nothing less for you and Harry. Stuck in the friend zone. Madam Rosmerta gives you a look to tell you that she’s not buying it. You insist, “Really. Harry is a good friend. We’re just spending the day together as mates.”

She smiles at you as she pours you up two brimming mugs of Butterbeer, the copper mugs foaming wildly with the delicious beverage. “That’s how it always starts,” she teases as you play with the hem of your lavender jumper. “Just mates usually means something more is on the way,” she winks as you lightly laugh. Reaching into your pocket, you look for a few sickles to give in exchange for your drinks, but Madam Rosmerta stops you. “These are on the house,” she insists. “A toast to best mates,” she winks.

“Thank you,” you blush before you part from the bar, walking over to the table with your drinks. “For you,” you slide the mug over to Harry who thanks you before you sit down and take a sip from the refreshing beverage.

Harry takes a glug from his mug before speaking, “Alright. Well, now that you’ve got me here, what’s on the agenda? I want the full (Y/N) (Y/L/N) experience.”

You smile at your best friend and shake your head. Harry could be a pisser, but he sure knew how to make you smile. As you ran off everything you wanted to do for the day, you became very aware of Harry’s gaze as he looked at you. His green eyes held so much tenderness, gently resting upon you as you spoke with such glee in your voice. Occasionally, he would permit a small smile to appear on his lips as you would catch him and ask what he was smiling about. He would brush it off and simply say, “Nothing. I find it sweet when you get excited about things.”

In response, you scoffed and rolled your eyes whilst inside your stomach did and flip and your mind screamed about how much you liked him. How you wanted to hold his hand and tell him how much you cared for him. How you wanted kiss his lips and lay your head on his chest, falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. But instead, you continued blabbering on about the day ahead of you.

After finishing at Three Broomsticks, you and Harry walked down High Street and made a stop at Honeydukes. Inside were countless shelves filled with sweets and treats beyond imagination. As soon as you stepped foot inside, you immediately ran to the shelves to pick out your favorite sweets. Harry laughed at your impatience; you couldn’t even wait for him to grab you a basket. “We have to stock up on all the good stuff, Harry,” you say very intently as you grab three parcels of Jelly Slugs. “Godric knows that once Ron sees the stash, he’s bound to consume half of it,” you huff as Harry laughs. You weren’t wrong.

Harry watches as you select a few Chocolate Frogs, Chocolate Wands, and Cockroach Clusters from the shelves. “Easy does it, you don’t want to spend all of your money in one place,” he warns.

You flash him a look. “Geez, you sound like Granger,” you laugh as he rolls his eyes. “Last time I checked if Harry saw me buying this many sweets, he’d be encouraging me to buy more,” you tease as he rolls his eyes. “Come on, what do you want? My treat.”

Harry looks at you and shakes his head. “(Y/N), no. You already treated for Butterbeer, I’m not letting you buying me sweets too,” he tells you as you shake your head.

“Madam Rosmerta covered the cost of the Butterbeers, so that doesn’t count,” you reveal to him as he gives you a confused look. But before he can question why she would cover the cost, you speak up, “Come on, Harry, if you don’t chose, I’ll chose for you.” You nudge his arm as he sighs giving in as you smile widely.

You knew Harry didn’t want you wasting your money on him, but you hardly considered it a waste. You wanted him to enjoy himself too, especially since he didn’t want to leave the castle and you practically forced him out. This was just a small way to express your gratitude.

Now, your shopping basket was full of sweets and was considerably heavy. But it was no problem. You swiftly paid the cashier and carried out a large bag of sweets out of the shoppe as Harry laughed as you struggled to carry it. “Give it here,” he laughs as he takes the bag from your hands, easily carrying it in just one of his. “Light as a feather.”

“Oh, shut it, Harry,” you laugh alongside him as you trudge through the snow, enjoying how lively the town was today. People made chatter, buying things from the shoppes, children playing in the snow, indulging in sweets. The scene made your heart swell. You loved how alive and well the town seemed. As you looked around, you felt Harry’s gaze on you again as you caught his eye. “Why’re you staring at me?” you laugh as Harry blushes.

“I can’t look at my best friend?” he defends himself. “Rather me close my eyes and walk around blindly?” he teases as he screw his eyes shut, pretending to feel around for directions. “Someone help. My best friend is mad that I dare look at her so now I’m forced to walk around like this!” he jokes as you roll your eyes.

But before you can say anything, you hear someone call out for Harry’s name. You both turn around and see Ron jogging over to you both as Harry looks at you. “Go,” you smile at him. “No need to ask me for permission.”

Harry smiles as Ron runs over to him, the two of them immediately babbling about something that Ron found in Zonko’s. Behind Ron is Hermione who walks over to you with a small smile. “Enjoying yourself?” you wiggle your eyebrows at Hermione.

She rolls her eyes, “Ron and I were in Zonko’s for nearly three hours.” You laugh at her complaint. She sighs, “But it made him happy. So in a weird way, I guess it was worth it.” You poke at her sides, teasing her for her innocent crush on her best friend. “Oh, stop, you’re one to talk! Harry told us he wasn’t feeling well today and he wasn’t going to come out with us,” Hermione reveals.

You stop poking at Hermione’s words as they fall from her lips. You twist your face with confusion. “What do you mean he didn’t feel well?” you ask as Hermione restates what she had previously revealed. Did Harry lie to his two best friends, so he could spend the day with you? You shake your head, “No, Harry told me he wanted to stay in the castle today. He didn’t want to go out today all together,” you justify.

Hermione gives you a knowing look. “Sure, he could have told you that, but you know Harry likes to give people a hard time. He would have gone with you whether you begged or not,” she smiles. “Even if you didn’t go to Hogsmeade, you would have stayed at the castle with him, wouldn’t you?” she asks, already knowing the answer to the question when a rosy hue appears on your cheeks. “(Y/N), drop the charade. You both have been infatuated with the other since you met each other,” Hermione places a hand on your arm, rubbing it. “Everyone sees the glances you two steal, the way you laugh at his jokes, the way he literally drops everything to be next to you...don’t wait any longer.”

If this all was true, then maybe it really did mean Harry had deeper feelings for you. But the possibility that people were reading into it and Harry saw you as just a close friend loomed over your head like a dark rain cloud. The fear of Harry looking into your eyes and telling you that this relationship of yours was merely platonic would break your heart. You would rather keep your secret just that, a secret. That way you could prevent yourself from being hurt. But then there was the risk of keeping this secret hidden deeply and hurting yourself by watching him live life with another girl, someone who wasn’t you. And that was what made your stomach churn.

Before you can ask Hermione advice, Harry speaks up, “(Y/N), you ready?” You look at Hermione who gives you a reassuring squeeze and wink as you sigh. Turning to Harry, you nod.

“We’ll catch up later,” you tell Hermione who gives you a curt nod. You walk over to Harry who extends a hand out to you to walk back into the castle. You accept it, letting your hands swing back and forth, letting the negative thoughts in your mind float away as you enjoy the feeling of his gloved hand holding yours.

Harry gives your hand a gentle squeeze as he notices you ruminating in thought, nibbling on your bottom lip. He knew your nervous habits like the back of his hand and he monitored them carefully. “What’s bothering you?” he asks quite simply. You look at him, puzzled. “Your biting your bottom lip. You always do that when you’re overthinking something,” he tells you as you sigh defeated. He knew you too well and that was the problem. “You know you can tell me, (Y/N). We’re best friends.”

Best friends. That’s exactly what you were. “Can I ask you something, Harry?”

“Anything,” he smiles as he continues to swing your hand back and forth.

But you stop walking and drop his hand, tucking both your hands into your jacket pockets. Harry watches as you do so, gulping, nervous as to what you had to say. “Did you...did you tell Hermione and Ron that you didn’t want to go to Hogsmeade with them today because you weren’t feeling well?” you ask.

Harry looks at you blankly before inhaling deeply. “I did, yes.”

You, even more confused, now try to clarify. “But you came out to Hogsmeade with me instead? You told me you wanted to stay in the castle, so why didn’t you? If you weren’t feeling well, you should have told me that and I wouldn’t have asked you to come with me,” you tell Harry who just stands there. “Harry, you know you don’t have to follow me around. I could have gone with someone else today.”

He shakes his head, “That’s not the point, (Y/N). That’s not why I came with you.”

“Then why did you come with me?” you ask, genuinely needing to know the answer. Harry remains silent for a moment as you groan. “Harry, I need you to be honest with me. You tell some of your friends one thing and then you tell me another. I’m just confused and I need at least a little clarity as to what is going on inside that head of yours,” you exclaim.

Harry stands there silent again as you look at him, with an exhausted expression on your face. Was it really that hard to tell you the truth? You shake your head and start walking away from Harry, whispering under your breath, “This is ridiculous.”

Before you can take another step away from him, Harry grabs your hand and pulls you back to him, spinning you around to face him. He wastes no time, cupping your cold cheeks in his hands and pulling you into him, connecting his lips with yours. You are taken aback by the sudden move, but you instantly melt into his touch, kissing him back. His lips are cold from the weather, but the kiss is warm and sweet and genuine. The kiss is revitalizing; it makes your heart speed up and makes you pull him closer to you, wanting more and more and more until you can’t take anymore. Harry only kisses you harder as you relax into the kiss. As you kiss, you can feel snowflakes fall upon your cheeks and eyelashes. The scene was picturesque. Two friends now kissing in the middle of the snowy pathway as freshly fallen snow surrounds them like halos.

Gently, Harry pulls away and rubs your cheeks with his thumbs as you keep your eyes closed, savoring the sensation of his cool lips on yours. “Does that clarify things?” he asks as you lightly smile, fluttering your eyes open, looking into his green ones. “I always want to be with you, (Y/N). I lied to Ron and Hermione because I wanted to be with you. I will take every opportunity to be with you because I’m absolutely head over heels for you.”

His words make your heart flutter. It was everything you have ever wanted to hear and you can’t help but smile like a goofball at his words. “You are?” you say in disbelief, breathlessly as you hold onto his arms tightly, not ever wanting to let go.

“Head over heels,” he repeats. “And I’m willing to do anything to prove it to you.”

You smile widely before pressing your forehead against his. “There’s no need. Because I’m head over heels for you, Harry,” you confess as Harry smiled brightly at your confession before kissing the tip of your nose gently. “Quite the pickle we’ve gotten ourselves into, huh, Potter?” you tease him.

Harry shakes his head, “One I don’t plan on getting out of any time soon,” he tells you before kissing you again sweetly as the snow showers over the both of you.

#Harry Potter #harry potter fandom #harry potter fanfic #Harry Potter Smut #harry imagine #harry potter imagine #harry potter x reader #harry potter x ravenclaw!reader #harry potter x ravenclaw #harry potter x slytherin!reader #harry potter x fem!reader #harry potter x original character #harry potter x gryffindor!reader #harry potter x reader imagine

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reids-rendering-reality · 4 years ago

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Blind Date

Summary: Derek Morgan sets up two of his friends for a blind date. They have never heard of each other or seen each other. But something tells Derek’s intuition they would get along well.

Type: fluff

Warnings: talking about serial killers

Word Count: 1.9K

Spencer Reid’s POV

I walked into work on a regular Tuesday morning, coffee in hand, a book tucked under my arm and my bag draped over my shoulder. I wasn’t expecting anything at all, being the first to walk in as per usual. Following my typical routine for paperwork day I sat down at my desk and went through file after file on that big pile in front of me. After about 30 minutes the others walked in. Still, everything appeared completely normal. So normal in fact, that it was almost suspicious.

“Hey, pretty boy,“ Derek said loudly as he walked directly towards me, without even stopping at his desk first, “I have an idea that you’re not going to like at first, but you’ll agree to anyway.“

“If I’m not going to like it, why would I agree to it?“ I asked curiously and looked up at him as he came to a halt right in front of my desk.

“Because I am asking you to and you will thank me later. Now hear me out please.“

“Alright,“ I responded, shifting in my seat towards him and pushing my glasses up a little.

“So, you know how the other day you said that you never go out on dates?” He obviously noticed my face flush as my eyes darted around the room to check if someone else was listening, “I was thinking, how about I play the wingman to help you get a date?”

“You want to play the what?” I asked confused and shocked simultaneously.

“Forget it,” he said hastily, “what I’m trying to say is, I set you up for a date.”

“You did what?” I could hear my voice getting louder the more shocked Derek made me. Again looking around, I noticed Emily exiting the elevator.

“A friend of mine – a female friend, who is also single – recently complained to me how she always dates the bad guys and how she just wishes for a good guy to come along and sweep her off her feet. So I set up a blind date for you guys. Listen, Spencer, I know this is uncomfortable for you, but it’ll be fun. Just agree to it and see what happens. You can become friends with her or never speak to her again afterward. But just give it a shot, maybe you’ll even get lucky,” Derek grinned at me.

I thought about it for a moment. Why was I even considering it? This is a crazy idea! She probably wouldn’t like me anyway and I would just embarrass myself for a few hours before going home and reading the book just as I had planned. But the way Derek was looking at me like he would never let me say now, and just that little sliver of something similar to hope made me nod my head slowly and uncertainly.

“Great! Wait – it was that easy to convince you?” Derek asked, a little shocked.

“It was this easy to convince him to do what?” Emily, who now reached us, interjected.

I went to yell a quick “nothing” before the situation got out of hand, but Derek was faster and began explaining the scenario.

“And he agreed to a blind date? Looks like our genius isn’t that much of a recluse after all,” Emily mused as she walked away towards her desk.

---

Y/N’s POV

To say I was nervous was an understatement. I hadn’t been on a proper date in like forever plus 2. But I promised Derek I wouldn’t bail on him and go to the restaurant anyways.

So here I was, entering a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant that Derek picked out 5 minutes before 8 pm on a Friday. To ensure the blind-dateness of it all, the table was reserved in Derek’s name. And he picked the perfect spot. In the back corner, a little bit further from everyone else, but with a view out the window into Washington D.C’s buzzing nightlife.

The waitress led me to the table, which was not yet occupied. I sat down against the wall to make sure I would see whoever came in. Taking off my coat to reveal my satin dress underneath I shivered lightly at the lack of warmth. Maybe it was the nerves too. Taking a deep breath and looking out the window into the night, I tried to force myself to calm down. I did not want to make a bad impression on one of Derek’s friends. If he was one of his friends? I knew nothing about this man. Just that it was one. A man.

Just as I began getting lost in my thoughts of who would be my dining partner, I noticed footsteps approaching me. My clock read 7:58. At least he’s very punctual. Looking up towards the body the feet belonged to, my heart began beating faster.

In front of me was a tall, handsome man with longish hair, dressed in a fine black suit and a deep crimson shirt. He looked shy, his eyes wide open and his lips slightly parted. He turned to thank the waitress and I examined his portrait. Ugh, he was definitely attractive. I thanked Derek in my thoughts for knowing my type and giving this man a head start.

“Can I sit here?” his voice was quiet as if he were as uncertain as I was. I nodded and smiled slightly, to calm both his nerves and mine. He sat down and for the first time our eyes properly met. And for a second we just stared.

I was the first to look away, my nervousness taking over, “um- I’m Y/N”.

“Hi, I’m Spencer,” he said more confidently now.

After exchanging the expected small talk about how we both knew Derek and what we did for a living, we ordered our food. This is the moment I feared. Chitter chatter out of the way, waiting for the food. What if there was nothing to talk about now?

“You’re studying medicine?” he asked to draw my attention and I nodded, “how are you enjoying it?”

And boy, he should not have asked that. With my heart racing in my chest, so were my words. I began a ramble on how I always wanted to study it and what excited me the most. When I realised how much I was talking I abruptly stopped with an awkward, “so yes. I am enjoying it.”

He grinned slightly, which eased some of my nervousness. I smiled back at him slightly.

“I’ve been meaning to say, you look beautiful tonight,” he said and for the first time that evening, he sounded confident. I guess my ramble eased his nerves too. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I quietly thanked him.

Right then, the waiter came and brought our food. We ate in silence for a little while, but it wasn’t awkward. If anything, it was serene. We looked at each other occasionally, appreciating the other’s presence.

After a while, Spencer spoke up, “did you know that the reason why Vietnamese food is so healthy is partly because they don’t use that much oil? And of course also because the food contains so many vitamins, like C, B1, B6, and B3, but also many trace elements, for example, zinc, copper, magnesium, and potassium.”

I looked up at him as he started talking and nodded attentively, “no. I did not know that. But now I feel encouraged to eat Vietnamese more often.”

We finished our dinner with pleasant conversation, Spencer interjecting a few interesting facts here and there. I quickly realised he must be incredibly intelligent, which made me even more attracted to him. But I must admit, I was pretty proud when I knew some of his facts and could even add to them with my knowledge. For example when we got to the topic of serial killers (which of course was unavoidable given his job):

“So one gene that could make a person psychopathic is the gene coding for monoamine oxidase A. If you have one version of it, the protein becomes ineffective and can’t break down your brain’s monoamines like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. One study on a family in Holland found that they all had a version of it where the protein was completely ineffective. And they had unusually high levels of aggression and violence in that family,” Spencer said. His speed was almost hard to keep up with, but me hanging onto every word he said helped.

“I know! But the gene alone doesn’t suffice to make someone more aggressive. A study found that which gene version you have interacts with your environment during childhood. In maltreated children the effect on aggression can be seen way stronger than in children with a normal childhood,” I responded excitedly, leaning forward onto the table.

But Spencer didn’t respond. Instead, he froze, his lips parting as his jaw dropped a little. He stared at me with an emotion that appeared to me like shock mixed with fascination – and maybe awe? I didn’t know what to do so I just looked back at him shyly, feeling a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

That night, Spencer drove me home, like a gentleman. When we arrived at my apartment, he got out of the car and walked me to the door.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” I said softly looking up at him.

“Me too,” he smiled, and then a sudden wave of nervousness washed over him, “would you maybe – I don’t know – want to… do this again some time? Only if you want to of course.”

A smile spread onto my lips as well, “I’d love to.”

---

Spencer’s POV

The Monday following my dinner with Y/N, I walked into the office with a slight bounce in my step. I was still ecstatic over how well it went, and that I even had a chance with her. We had texted all weekend, about anything and everything.

“Hey Reid, come over here,” Derek shouted at me from his desk.

My face instantly flushed as I realised I would now have to spill all the details to him.

“How did the date with Y/N go?” he asked curiously. I could feel the eyes of Emily and JJ on the back of my neck from Emily’s desk.

“Um- it went well, I guess,” I said, shuffling my feet around awkwardly.

“It went well? Come on, Spence, give us more details!” JJ said as the two of them came to join me and Derek as well.

“Yeah, I mean we talked a lot and she enjoyed my fun facts. We will go on a second date soon, we even texted all weekend,” I stuttered, not meeting any of them in the eye.

“See? What did I tell you, Reid? You would not regret this,” Derek told me and then turned to the girls, “am I one hell of a matchmaker or not?”

They giggled slightly as my hands reached up to feel my burning skin.

“I knew she would be your type, just like you’re exactly hers. Enjoy it, kid, she’s a keeper for sure,” Derek said while patting my shoulder as he left for the coffee machine.

#criminal minds #criminal minds fluff #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid smut #criminal minds smut #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid imagine

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jugandbettsdetectiveagency · 4 years ago

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nancy/ace; 2x11 drabble

Her nose itches, her fingers are freezing, and she’s ninety percent sure that’s blood over there on the asphalt.

She swipes a lock of rain-damp copper hair away from her eyes and tries to calm the rapid pulse of adrenaline shooting through her veins. It threatens to spike again at the sight of deep, claw-shaped gouges in the metal of the truck parked in the centre of them all.

Someone—a girl in a dirt streaked white jacket—screams. It all happens pretty fast after that.

“Like a heat emergency?”

“There’s something wired into the engine.”

“Guess we inhaled.”

The five of them hold themselves like caught breath. The glass bauble holding the key to their memories swirls lazily in front of them, like it’s got all the time in the world to let them figure this out themselves. A low grunt cuts through the tension.

“Hey, does anyone here know where I can get some bandages?” the guy that spoke last adds. Their eyes all move in unison, down to where he’s gingerly cradling his leg. Even in the dull, overcast light a great gash is clearly visible across his thigh. “‘Cause, ow.”

Instinct has her moving first, ushering them all towards the shack that’s signposted as The Claw. “Okay. Let’s try in there.”

The restaurant is empty other than a whirlwind of debris, made up of makeshift weaponry and pieces of scrawled on paper, littering nearly every available surface.

“Hey, look,” one of the other girls says, pointing. In the corner of the room stands a pinboard. Among an array of other things, photos of each of them are tacked to it. “It looks like we made ourselves reminders of who we are.”

“Can you read ours out while I,” she gestures at the soaked denim covering the thigh of the guy with the soft-looking hair.

When she glances up he’s already looking down at her, where she’s pressed up against his shoulder, a contemplative expression on his face.

“Did you know you stand very close?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—” She takes a step away on the pretence of finding the first aid kit.

He follows, grimaces when he puts too much weight on his injured leg. “That’s okay. You smell quite nice. Flowery.”

“Oh. I— Thank you. You… have very pretty eyes.” She ushers him into the closest chair as an excuse to hide the redness tinting her cheeks.

“Thanks. If I remembered what they looked like I’m sure I’d agree.”

She learns she's Nancy and he’s Ace, and, beyond the fact they both work here, very little else.

“And I’m Nick’s girlfriend,” she hears the girl, George, say.

The other boy, Nick, grins back at her. “Nice.”

Their chatter, cut through with the more discernible lilt of a British accent—belonging to Bess, Nancy repeats to herself—fades into the background as she tries to get her fingers to cooperate enough to do a decent job of stemming the blood flowing from the cut. And it is a cut, too clean to have been made by the same thing that attacked the truck outside. She files that information away for later.

Ace, for his part, puts up with her fumbling with minimal resistance. He only starts to shift in his seat when Nancy can sense he’s gearing up to speak.

“You think,” Ace begins, barely a second later. So, she thinks, allowing herself the barest smirk, maybe she knows him pretty well. “You think any of the rest of us are dating?”

That throws her. “If we are, we didn’t write it down on the cards,” she answers diplomatically.

“Right, of course.”

Nancy doesn’t know what it is, but she doesn’t like that she’s the reason those eyes have dulled by a fraction. “Maybe it’s a new thing,” she corrects in a rush. She clears her throat, trying to put as much of her attention into taping up Ace’s leg as possible. “Hypothetically. We haven’t told people yet so we didn’t write it down. Although, it’s not like they’d remember right now if we did.”

Nancy exhales shakily. This… whatever this flustered feeling flapping about in her chest is, it’s throwing her. She gets the sense she’s usually more sure footed.

“I’d definitely want to tell people. If, say, you and me… you know. Were,” Ace says. He catches her eye and holds it, the smooth lines of his face betraying nothing but sincerity.

The warmth in her cheeks is back. “Guess we’ll find out when we get our memories back,” Nancy murmurs. She secures the last of the bandages and draws away.

A smile, part puckish, part shy, hides at the corners of his mouth. “Fingers crossed.”

“If this place isn’t cleaned up by tomorrow a Viking god isn’t the only one who will be unleashing their wrath upon you.”

Nancy looks up from where she’s sweeping away the worst of the mess to lock eyes with Bess on the other side of the counter.

“It’s so good to have the old George back, isn’t it?” Bess says sweetly, even as she violently wrings out the dish rag between her hands.

Nancy’s snort gets lost to Nick loudly interrupting before George has a chance to bite back. “I, for one, think it’s very good.” He leans down to drop a soft kiss to her upturned lips, staying there until some of the tension leaks from George’s shoulders.

Allowing herself a deep inhale, Nancy turns away to pick up her full dustpan and carry it out back towards the trash.

“Oh!” She rounds the corner, drawing up short to stop herself colliding with Ace’s chest, grip tightening on the dustpan to keep it stable. “Sorry, excuse me.”

Ace drops his hands from her elbows now that she’s steady, but otherwise stands his ground. “They never show you this part in the movies. I think far less people would be tempted to invoke supernatural entities if they all ended with a cleaning montage.”

They’re standing so near she’d have to crane her head back to look him in the eye, but they’re pressed way too close for that. Instead, she keeps her gaze downwards where it catches on her haphazard patch up of his leg wound.

“Speaking of clean up, you should really go and get that checked out. I am no nurse and it is probably on its way to being infected as we speak.”

“What did I just say about invoking supernatural entities? I heard about George’s wrath from way back here.”

“Go,” Nancy says, rolling her eyes. “You’ve got a good enough excuse to bail.” She gives his arm a little shove, as much to get him moving as to give herself some space to breathe.

She wasn’t sure, when they’d all stood over the apparatus and inhaled their memories, if they’d get to retain every reset they went through. And as the different versions of herself poured back into her head, playing like the slides of a movie, she didn’t know if she was happy that, apparently, they got to remember it all.

She swallows, making an attempt for light. “Besides, I’d say I’m well equipped to deal with vengeance at this point, even from a harried George. I’ve got your back.”

“Would never doubt the Hero of Horseshoe Bay.”

He still doesn’t move to leave, waiting, and the pressure of one reset in particular is building in her chest until she can’t not say anything anymore.

“Listen, Ace,” she calls out when he’s about to let the back door swing shut behind him. “About… about some of the things that were said when we were… not really us.” Nancy let’s her eyes flutter closed for a breath, steeling her nerve in the face of Ace’s ever unreadable expression. “Today was strange enough without trying to figure anything else out. We can just forget it all happened. It’s okay.”

Silence stretches out between them, and Nancy is about ready to hitch up the last of her dignity and leave when Ace speaks.

“I think,” he says, tapping his fingers against the edge of the door. “I’ve had enough forgetting for one day.”

She catches a flash of that same smile from earlier, the one that’s just for her, as he rounds the corner. “Goodnight, Nancy.”

#nancy drew #nancy x ace #nace #i wasn't sure I was even gonna post this cus #i don't do this anymore lol but #idk im doing it and its giving me anxiety lmao #bonus scene at the end is specifically for liv bc shooed me until i did it #literally #all references to soft hair are for beth bc its facts #writing

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starkeristheendgame · 3 years ago

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Hunter!Tony x Demon!Peter AU

Hunter!Tony binds Demon!Peter to himself in order to find the monster that murdered his late fiancée. Lead down roads he’d never imagined himself taking, Tony discovers that maybe revenge isn’t the only thing he’s hungry for.

“Is being a pervert part of the hiring process or are you just getting your money’s worth?”

Tony couldn’t see it, but he knew regardless that those plush lips would be pushed into a pout and those arched brows would be furrowed into a petulant scowl.

“If you’ve got me running around like your little errand boy, the least you could do is be nice to me,” a high, sweet voice simpered back. The face that belonged to it was just as youthful when it appeared in the mirror over his shoulder, watching him button his shirt with vested interest.

Tony didn’t deign to dignify it with a reply, staring down the pretty little monster until it let out a sigh.

“Fine. I have your lead. Arkansas, a seedy little dive known as the Dog Den.”

Something hot and rabid twisted in his gut and he had to pause his motions, hands trembling almost imperceptibly. It felt a lot like rage and a little bit like hope.

“Are you sure?”

Eyes the colour of fresh honey rolled so hard he could almost hear the muscles stretching. “No. I asked a magic eight-ball.”

He twisted with a snarl, reaching out. The ring on his finger pulsed with a molten orange glow and between slender wrists a chain that shimmered transparently flared to life, forming a delicate set of shackles no wider than if he’d wound a necklace there.

He curled a finger in the glowing links, dragging the Demon close enough that he could see the flecks of gold in those dark eyes.

“I’m sure,” it repeated, softer, quieter, holding his gaze with wariness, but not fear.

He let the chain drop after a moment, grunting as he turned around and finished buttoning up his shirt. When he twisted to reach for the jacket the lithe figure was sprawled out on his bed, artfully arranged as the Demon flipped through a magazine Tony knew hadn’t been in his own bags.

“You know,” the Demon piped up again as he tucked in his shirt, “maybe if you smiled a little more, the ugly things in the dark wouldn’t try to kill you as much.”

“Shut up.”

“Not possible.”

“I’ll make it possible.”

“Oh, you always promise me a good time and never deliver.”

Despite himself, Tony found he had to wrestle fiercely with a smile. “Peter.”

That heady, dangerous gaze pinned itself to him again. He met it evenly, ignoring the thrum of his pulse. The Demon really couldn’t have picked a prettier vessel to take over, a smudge of parasitic darkness inside the prettiest packaging.

That pink little mouth opened like it was considering another witty retort, then closed. Instead the Demon - Peter, merely hummed and went back to flicking through his magazine, disinterestedly glossing over half-naked women and gossip scandals.

It was almost disconcerting. To look at the pretty little slip of a thing sprawled out on his bed like some rented whore and to know that behind that pretty face was a being of Hell’s creation. Something twisted and dark, a corrupted soul festering behind a distracting smokescreen.

Peter Parker was the sort of face Tony would’ve fallen for like a rock, if he hadn’t been the one to summon the Demon to the surface.

Perhaps that’s why the Demon had chosen such a nice outfit. A desperate bid not to get ganked the moment he crawled out of Hell.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Peter sighed, turning a page idly. He’d rolled over onto his stomach now, jaw propped in his palm.

“You can’t read minds. Don’t get comfortable, we’re leaving soon,” he grunted in reply, shrugging on a jacket.

“Can’t I just meet you there?” the Demon whined, looking up with (literally) sinful puppy eyes.

“No.”

He left it at that, flat and unforgiving, as he had to be. In another life he’d have fallen for that soft whine and that pleading look. Might’ve taken his shirt right off and crawled onto the bed, put that open mouth to good use.

But this was not that life, and that pretty face was stolen.

He checked all his things then reached out, plucking the gossip rag from Peter’s hands and throwing it in the trash. “Meet me at the car.”

“I was reading that,” Peter huffed indignantly, glowering up at him before he disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a dip in the bedspread and the scent of copper.

He was sprawled in the backseat when Tony made his out to the 1970 Challenger he called his own, a set of stylish shades covering his eyes, fluffy hair unkempt and arms folded behind his head.

“Feet off the upholstery,” he huffed as he turned the key, swinging the car out of the parking lot and onto the road with a loud rumble of the engine.

“I know for a fact you sleep in this car and my shoes are clean,” Peter answered primly, angling his head towards the open window and the warmth of the morning sun.

Arkansas was a three day drive. They spent the first in almost complete silence, although the Demon did sulk when they stopped for gas and Tony declined to buy him anything. Rather than waste money on another motel he pulled onto a quiet patch of land behind a thicket of trees, settling across the bench seat with a sigh.

“Fuck off and come back in the morning.”

“Eloquent as ever,” Peter griped, leaning over the seat, arms folded and chin atop them. He looked laughably angelic in the darkness, all soft edges, voice quiet enough that a mouse wouldn’t flee it.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered, and when Tony cracked open an eye to repeat his command, he was gone.

Gone, until he thumped his fist on the window at the ass-crack of dawn, looking chipper and cheerful, Starbucks cup in hand. “Up and at ‘em, sunshine! The monsters aren’t gonna hunt themselves!”

Tony considered stabbing him there and then, but Peter was unfortunately an asset he couldn’t afford to lose. Invaluable, as much as it stroked the Demon’s ego. He settled for glaring, baring past the Demon as he stomped off to relieve himself.

The next two nights went much the same, although Peter got chattier the more bored he became. Fiddled with the radio, disappeared for moments only to return holding an ‘interesting’ leaf or rock, scooped up from the side of the road Tony had just driven past.

Arkansas was crisp and bright and dewy in the mid-weeks of spring. It was so different from the New York of his youth, with it’s towering glass jungle and concrete pillars. It was a visceral reaction to think of the scent of flowers and clean air in Sicily, of pink lipstick smudged on his jaw, a laugh fading slowly, overtaken by the rumble of the engine.

Countryside became a smattering of industrialisation, bars and houses, garages and stores. He wanted to keep on going, chase that tail until he caught it and tore it off, but he knew better than to rush in half-blind.

He had to eat something proper. Had to rest. Had to learn everything he could from the paltry little stack of papers that Peter had given him, printed out at a library miles and miles back in the time it had taken Tony to piss and buy a bottle of water at a gas station.

Food, first.

The diner was like every other. Gaudy and cheap with food that was more grease than nutrition. Peter’s nose scrunched the moment they entered and he looked nonplussed when they were guided to a booth.

The Demon made a big show of pulling out a pack of wipes from the pocket of his fitted jacket, scrubbing the table as the waitress listed off the day’s specials. Tony rolled his eyes before ordering coffee and a slap-up breakfast, about to dismiss the waitress when Peter cut in with a saccharine smile.

“Bacon too, please. Crispy. And a milkshake. Thanks a bunch, darling.”

She arched her brows but made no comment, glancing at Tony before leaving. Then it was Tony’s turn to stare and quirk his brow, watching the Demon shrug lightly.

“What? I get cravings.”

Peter fiddled with a napkin as they waited, as Tony read through the sheets of paper. Folding it over and over into a little crane that he perched atop the salt shaker.

“Where did you even learn origami?” Tony grunted, watching it sway before it stabilised. Peter’s gaze flicked up to him and there was something unexpected there. A hollowness, heavily guarded but flickering in the gold of his irises even so.

“Even the worst of the worst need hobbies, hunter,” he uttered softly, and then their food arrived and they were lost to the silence that overcame those sating their hunger. Peter ate with an almost childlike manner, easily distracted, toying with his straw before each sip. He even swung his legs a little and drummed his fingertips on the table top.

The perfect performance.

He looked away.

Peter was unusually quiet after that, subdued as they made their way to a motel relatively close to the Dog Den. He didn’t even pester the receptionist or try to embarrass Tony by pretending to be some sort of rent boy as he purchased a key, eyeing the Demon consideringly.

When Tony slipped beneath the sheets Peter disappeared without argument, offering only a mock salute before he flickered and was gone, leaving nothing but a wisp of dark smoke.

He wondered where the Demon went. Back to Hell? Some run-down library to read through the night? An empty motel room to pilfer their cable connection?

The disconcertion over Peter’s silence left him the next day, when he commanded Peter to steer clear as he got dressed to hit their lead.

“You can’t go alone,” Peter announced, frowning.

“I can and I am. You’ll just attract attention,” Tony pointed out, shrugging on another flannel and tucking the flask of holy water against his belt.

“And if you die?” Peter shot back. It surprised his brows into lifting as he met the Demon’s gaze, tipping his head.

“Then you’ll be free of your bindings and there’ll be one less hunter ganking your friends. What’s the problem?”

Peter’s mouth opened, then closed, as if he was only suddenly remembering that he wasn’t in this little dynamic duo willingly.

“I get the Challenger if you die,” the Demon said instead, turning away from.

And maybe Tony should’ve thought more about that demand, because the only thing he could think of as he lay bleeding in the middle of the woods several long hours later was that Peter would most definitely get the car all scratched up and dirty.

Demons had no respect for vehicle maintenance.

He coughed wetly and grunted, pressing a hand to his bleeding chest. They wouldn’t, he supposed. Demons could just fly everywhere.

Peter had adamantly argued it was not teleportation.

He breathed out a sigh and shifted fumbling for his wallet. His fingers smeared blood against the white edges of the crumpled photograph in there and he stared at his wife’s smile, frozen in time and taken just days before a Demon on a murder kick had burnt her soul up from within her, along with their unborn daughter.

“I’d say see you soon, but. W’both know m’goin’ to Hell, not where you are,” he told her image softly, giving it a weary, slow smile.

“Hell would ask for a refund,” came a familiar voice, and moments later there were warm hands on his jaw, tilting his head up. “You stupid bastard. I told you not to go alone. I could feel there was someone stronger in this town!”

Peter’s eyes were wide and round, plump lower lip between his teeth as he dropped his gaze, eyeing where Tony was slowly leaking his insides all over his outsides. “Shit,” the Demon breathed softly.

Tony made an agreeable sound. Shit was about right. He’d run head first into the messy, gruesome end that almost every hunter found themselves at. The end of the road; the final curtain; bleeding out somewhere at the hands of something twisted and ugly and evil.

“Guess you get th’car,” he rasped, aiming for humorous. It fell short when he blanched and more hot fluid slid down his throat and his chest, pooling at his navel.

“Shut up,” Peter growled at him, letting go of his head to pull up his shirt. His fingertips were light, but it still felt like fire. Hot and licking over everything he touched. “God, you’re so fucking stupid. I told you to take me. I told you I should go.”

“C’n you save th’gloatin’ ‘till I’m dead?” he asked, frowning. Most hunters probably didn’t get this much conversation on their deathbeds.

Peter shot him a positively scathing look, pressing down hard on the wound. It made agony flare up his torso, smothering his pathetic yell of pain into a weak, thready rasp.

“This is gonna hurt us both,” the Demon muttered, looking inexplicably angry as he settled his palms flat atop the worst of the wound. A muted sound was all Tony could manage, watching the Demon with hazy confusion.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Or at least, Tony didn’t notice it happening.

But then a strange, new type of pain began to lance through him, battling against the numbing burn of his torn organs. It crept through his veins and branched out, a tingling, almost electric sensation that had him tensing as best as his broken body would let him.

He opened his mouth and if he’d had the energy left for it he’d have reeled in surprise when Peter leaned forwards, slotting their mouths together firmly.

The Demon’s lips were soft and plush, with the faintest trace of soda. His lips were warm, too, just a breath above what would be normal for a person.

Tony almost didn’t know what he should be recoiling at the most; kissing a Demon, or kissing what was for all intents and purposes a sixteen year old.

Peter didn’t try to do anything else and Tony realised in the timeframe that he’d been internally broiling over the situation, breathing had become easier.

The fire was dulling to a simmer; a slow ember that still ached but no longer made him feel like he had one foot in the gates of Hell. His breath hitched and Peter pulled back slowly, keeling to one side slightly and almost falling over as he drew away.

His eyes were pools of inkblack, shiny and void as the Demon sucked in his own rattled breath, pulling shaking hands away from Tony’s torso.

He let his gaze fall slowly to his chest. He was still covered in blood, but the flesh there looked smooth and unmarred. Where he was once carved open like a pot hole there was once again closed off muscle and flesh.

He looked up in surprise. Peter was on his knees, hands braced on his thighs as he rode out the strain of wrangling his leashed powers. His eyes were slowly returning to the human hue, red-rimmed as if he’d been crying, plump lips downturned.

Tony licked his own, jerked straight back into the sensation of Peter’s mouth on his.

“Why?” he demanded roughly, bringing a hand to subconsciously touch his chest.

Peter shot him a sidelong look, the effect slightly dampened by the way he looked vaguely sick.

“A thank you might be nice,” the Demon sneered at him, huffing a twisted curl from his eyes as Tony pushed himself to his feet, ungainly and uncoordinated. Bracing himself on a tree, Tony stared down at the Demon.

At Peter, who’d saved his life. Against all he stood to benefit from Tony’s death, against all that he’d done his best to kill him when he first discovered he’d been shackled to Tony.

Coughing, Tony did his best to pull his shredded shirt closed before he made a rough gesture. “Get up. You’ll have to take us back to the motel. My car’s still at the bar.” Smashed up or stolen, he realised with a pang of sadness and anger.

“Oh no, lover-boy. You’ve been keeping me at half-mast all year. One night of fun has done me in for the night. I’m limp - get your own ride into town.”

Tony glowered, but all his frowning and snapping proved fruitless. Peter’s powers had been bound tight for almost a year and he really was burnt out, looking every inch as young as his vessel as he wobbled to his feet. The most he managed them was a few meters down the road when he tried.

It took them until sunrise to come close enough to the town that Tony could hotwire a car from the side of the road, ditching it a reasonable way from the motel and wiping it down with a clean patch of his shirt to get rid of his fingerprints.

He wasn’t bothered about Peter’s. Peter had mentioned having this particular vessel for over fifty years - his prints would be written off as a glitch on the system.

He went straight for the shower, scrubbing his skin pink as he tried to sleuth off the memory of being cut open, of dying alone in the dark and the cold, certain that this was his one-way ticket downstairs.

Brushed his teeth; trying to rid himself of the guilt that came with realising that the kiss had been pleasant, to a degree. Soft, pink skin, the sweetness of a soda consumed while Tony had been-

He shut off the water.

When he stepped out, Peter was actually curled up in the bed, looking almost infantile with the covers pulled up to his jaw. He seemed only half-awake, barely stirring when Tony entered the room. He was pulling on a new shirt when Peter spoke, voice sleepy and quiet.

“My Uncle taught me.”

Tony paused, glancing over his shoulder.

“Origami,” Peter clarified softly. “You asked me. At the diner. Where I’d learned origami. My Uncle taught me when I was thirteen.”

Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, Tony took a light seat on the edge of the bed, each of them facing a separate wall. He was quiet for a little while, digesting the information.

“Thank you for saving me,” he grunted after a moment, uncomfortable with the intimacy of the words. It wasn’t anything he’d ever thought he’d say to a Demon. Peter had gotten him out of scrapes and healed up wounds before, but always under command and never anything so serious.

Desperate to rein back some control, he slid under the sheets and stared up at the ceiling. “If you ever kiss me again, I’ll use thread soaked in holy water and sew your mouth shut.”

Irritatingly, Peter snorted. “That was hardly a kiss.”

“You’re in a snot-nosed brat’s body, what would you know about kissing?” Tony shot back, brows pinching into a frown.

“This,” Peter huffed at him, rolling over and on top of him.

Tony blamed the fact that he didn’t pull away on simply being too tired to.

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bookstantrash · 4 years ago

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A/N: Who’s in for more Nessian Pride and Prejudice? This is now going to be a multichapter fic so I hope y’all enjoy it as much as I do! This is also almost 4K (3.997 words to be more specific lmao), the most I’ve ever written, so you can tell how obsessed I’m with P&P.

You can check here Pemberley’s Lake , part one of this fic.

Once again, huge shoutout to the gc for always being so encouraging. I love y’all 🥺 and special thanks for @perseusannabeth for brainstorming this fic with me 💜

Hooked on you

“The baskets?”

“Yes, my Lord”

“And the refreshments?”

“Yes, they are cool and ready to be served”

“And the table was set in case the ladies prefer its comfort to sitting in the picnic towel?”

“The fluffiest and silkiest one has been chosen and is in place, along with the table, chairs and parasol”

“And what about—”

“My Lord,” Mrs.Potts firmly said, interrupting Cassian’s nervous rambling “Everything has been double checked and ready since my lord inquired about it during breakfast”

Cassian exhaled, running his hands through his hair. Nesta and her companions were to arrive at any minute now, and he had to make sure everything was perfect. She deserved nothing but perfection, and Cauldron blast him if he ended up offending her and her friends in any way.

“Forgive me Mrs.Potts,” he said with small smile “My nerves are getting the best of me”

“You have nothing to worry about my Lord, the staff and I will not disappoint” the elderly head maid assured him. All of Pemberley’ staff had noticed how much their master’s encounter with Lady Archeron had raised his spirits, and they had made their life purpose to make sure his smile never disappeared.

Cassian had to be one of the kindest masters Mrs.Potts had ever served, and most of the staff agreed with her. He always made sure to make all of them comfortable and inquire about how their family was faring, if they were in need of any assistance. He showed a care towards his personnel that went beyond the common care of a master towards his servants, but rarely appeared to be truly happy, wearing a mask that concealed a deep sadness and loneliness within himself.

They had taken upon themselves to organise the most elaborate picnic in the history of Pemberley, in hopes their lord’ smile wavered no more.

And that a certain lady decided to accept his heart.

“The guests have arrived, sir” Cogsworth, Pemberley’s major-domo and head of the household staff, announced “They are waiting in the parlor”

“Thank you, Cogsworth. I shall be with them in a minute”

The butler gave a small nod and left them, going back to tend to the guests.

“Mrs.Potts,” Cassian said, turning in his head maid’s direction “How do I look?”

“Quite dashing, sir, if I may say so” she replied with a motherly smile.

“You may. And the compliment is most welcome” he replied, a boyish grin on his face.

Cassian had taken the utmost care getting dressed that morning. His hair alone had taken him two hours to achieve its natural messy and ruffled appearance, he wore one of his best fitted clothes, and his shoes were so polished he could see his reflection on them.

He could not allow himself to ruin this second chance fate had given him. Even if Nesta had not accepted his heart, he would do anything and everything to be of assistance to her and make sure she had the most enjoyable time in Pemberley.

Cassian quickly walked to the parlor, possible dialogues with Nesta going over his head, from polite greetings to teasings and inquires about her sisters and trip.

But it all went flying from his head the moment he laid his eyes on her.

Nesta Archeron possessed a beauty that took Cassian’s breath each time he saw her, and her current attire did little to help him breath.

She wore a light blue one piece gown, but what had him mesmerised was its off shoulder design, allowing him a clear view of her clavicule and showing a little bit more of skin than the current fashion allowed. White flower shaped buttons added a nice touch to the design, and her elbow length gloves acted as the perfect element to balance the daring dress.

“My Lady,” Cassian greeted, boldly reaching for her hand to drop a chaste kiss on it, wishing those stupid gloves were not in the way “I hope you did not wait for too long?”

“Not at all, sir” Nesta answered, a slight blush in her cheeks “May I introduce you to Miss Gwyneth Berdara, Miss Emerie Carynthian and Sir Balthazar Oristian?”

Cassian looked at both ladies, greeting them as he had with Nesta.

“It is an honour to finally meet the most sought singer in all England” he said, raising the opera singer’s hand to kiss it too, her pale constitution allowing him to notice how much she blushed.

He had thought it better to greet all ladies in the same manner, for it would be impolite and could arise assumptions of his feelings towards Nesta.

Miss Gwyneth Berdara was a petite woman, but Cassian knew that once she sang one could not help but be drawn to her, who shined the most brightly on the stage. Her copper chestnut hair was free, pinned back from her face by a dark blue ribbon, allowing a perfect view of her teal coloured eyes and freckled face. He could not help but wish that Nesta had followed her friend’s example and let her hair down too, which was fashioned in a coronet braid.

Cassian had not been able to stop thinking of Nesta with her hair unbound, that look of surprise on her face in the back of his mind.

He was always thinking of that look on her face.

Miss Berdara held a dark green parasol — no doubt to protect her fair skin from the sunlight — and a matching dress in similar fashion to Nesta’s, although hers had long sleeves.

“And you must be the famous business woman who has been driving society mad with your beautiful designs” he eyed the lady in question and tried to hide his surprise as he greeted her.

Because Miss Emerie Carynthian was wearing high waisted black pants and a long sleeved white shirt with ruffled laces, her curly brown hair in a high updo.

She for sure was the one responsible for Gwyn’s and Nesta’s daring attire.

“How flattering, sir. At least one gentleman here knows how to talk to ladies” Emerie said, glancing at their only male companion with a smirk.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, sir” Balthazar ignored Emerie, quite used to his business partner’s teasing “I heard incredible stories about your feats in the War. Shame I was placed in a squadron so far away from your or else I could have seen you in action.”

“You participated in the Battle of Meinir Pass?” Cassian asked, surprised, shaking the other man’s hand in greeting.

“Aye sir, third squadron. After the War I invested some money in business, being fortunate to make a big deal. The unfortunate side being that said deal was with Miss Emerie here”

Cassian laughed. They were a curious group, with only Nesta actually having a place in high society, but still befriending those of different status. It was not something usual, and he felt even more wonder towards her.

“Shall we move on? There are refreshments and we were graced with wonderful weather.” escorting his guests outside, Cassian asked Balthazar about his time in the army, all the while keeping an eye on Nesta, that damn dress threatening to undo his sanity before lunch time.

~•~

Fishing was supposed to be a nice activity. Calming. Relaxing.

Harmless.

Except nothing was truly harmless if Nesta Archeron was involved, because Cassian could not care less about catching fish.

Emerie and Gwyn — she had insisted to be called Gwyn instead of Gwyneth, “We are friends now, you cannot call me Gwyneth, it is too serious” — had gotten bored of fishing after twenty minutes and were now eating strawberries in the blanket laid near the lake. Cassian was really glad they had liked the blanket and ditched the table.

It meant they were comfortable around him.

It meant that he was one more step away from ruining his plan to make today perfect.

Balthazar had promptly prepared his things and in no time had caught three fishes. Emerie had bet he could not catch ten until they left for their inn, so now he was making his goal to catch not ten but fifteen.

Cassian could only wonder how their partnership was if this is how they usually behaved around each other.

Nesta, on the other hand, had been busy reading a book, completely lost in her world.

Until Gwyn and Emerie thought it would be a good idea to splash water at her.

Cassian thought she was going to be angry to have her clothes wet — or to risk getting her book damaged — but he was taken by surprise when Nesta threw her head back and laughed, cheeks flushed and the sun shining in her hair.

It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, and he was so mesmerized by it that he almost hooked his finger instead of the fishing bait.

Cassian lost all interest in fishing once they started splashing water at themselves, watching them play with a small smile on his face, no doubt appearing to be a fool in love.

Balthazar, however, was not so happy.

“This must be a plan from Emerie to ruin my fishing” he muttered a little annoyed “I was about to catch a big one but they scared it away”

“They will get tired soon, my friend” Cassian tried to assure him “It is quite hot today to be moving around, even if they are splashing water at each other”

The sun was indeed high in the sky, and Cassian could not help but wonder how the ladies managed to appear so composed and fresh despite the many layers they wore. He and Balthazar had long ditched their coats to stay only in their shirts, Cassian going as far as rolling his sleeves.

He had failed to notice how Nesta had been eyeing him as he rolled his sleeves, her eyes tracing every new piece of tanned skin being exposed.

“It must be the sun” she thought to herself as she felt her mouth getting dry looking at Cassian’s bare forearms “Surely I am not attracted to him. I am just thirsty because of the weather.”

Nesta had been feeling strangely anxious since they had arrived at Pemberley, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest when Cassian kissed her hand. Oh, how she had momentarily wished she was as bold as Emerie and Gwyn to not bother with gloves — Nesta had been offered by Emerie to wear one of her newly designed pants, which she politely declined, stating that the off shoulder gown was as daring as she would allow herself to be — so she could finally know how Cassian’s lips would feel against her bare skin.

She was not proud to have thought such an improper thing, and even more ashamed of the ugly feeling in her heart when Cassian greeted her friends in the same manner.

How delusioned she had been to think he was showing her some preference.

That his feelings had stayed the same since her sister’s ball.

Cassian was a gentleman, and as such was only showing proper courtesy by greeting them all in the most dignified manner.

“Oh, it is so hot” Gwyn complained, their water game interrupted to get some refreshments “Even your light designed gowns cannot keep it away, Emerie”

“If only we could go for a dive” Emerie sighed, eyeing the lake.

“It would not be proper” Nesta mumbled, still distracted as she watched Cassian.

“Proper” Emerie snorted, taking off her shoes and rolling her pants until her ankles “I almost regret wearing those pants, if only they did not look so good on me”

“Emerie what are you doing, for the Mother!” Nesta exclaimed, watching as her friend dipped her feet in the cold water.

“I am refreshing myself dear, what does it look like?” she waved her hand in dismissal. “Balthazar could not care less about seeing some skin, he is too busy trying to win our bet. Whereas Cassian is too polite to stare. Besides, I dare say he would not care either, as he seems to be used to female attention.”

Nesta found herself with nothing to say in face of Emerie’s remarks, except her annoyance that Cassian would have ladies falling left and right at his feet.

That strangely bothered her.

“Pardon me then, I will agree with Emerie on this” Gwyn declared, dipping her own feet in the lake and sighing in delight “Join us Nesta, please. You must be feeling quite hot”

“Oh well, stop rushing me” Nesta replied, faking annoyance. She promptly dumped her feet in the water, even going as far as taking off her gloves and unbuttoning the first two buttons of her dress, letting the fresh air cool her warm skin “There, all relaxed and improper.”

“Bravo!” Emerie exclaimed, and the three of them laughed loudly.

Nesta had to agree that the cold water was indeed very refreshing, soon not even caring about Cassian or Balthazar’s presence. It was good to let off some steam and forget proper etiquette for a moment. She imagined her mother rolling in her grave in ultrage at her eldest daughter's attitude, which filled her with smug satisfaction.

A fish came up to swim around Nesta’s feet, and she giggled at the sensation.

“Do not move” Balthazar said, eyeing the fish “I have my sights on this little fella”

“Balthazar! Let it go! It’s not bothering me” she exclaimed, feeling protective over her new aquatic friend.

“But Nesta, I have caught twelve fish already. If you let me— “

“I do not allow you to dare and hurt it. You have more than enough time to attempt and win yours and Emerie’s bet” Nesta declared, leaving no room for argument.

Balthazar cursed quietly, but he knew better than to try to go against Nesta. Even if it was over a small thing as a fish.

Nesta asked Gywn about her mysterious sponsor, which had made it possible to fulfill her dream of singing in the most renowned opera houses in England. Gwyn informed she had yet to meet her generous patron, but that recently she had been receiving flowers every new performance.

“You think they are from your patron?” Nesta inquired “Or from any of your mass of admirers?”

Gwyn blushed at her friend’s teasing. Her dressing room was usually crowded with gifts after her performances, be it with expensive jewelry, chocolates, dresses and even love letters.

“I do not know. All I have as a clue are the lovely ribbons used to tie the flowers with” she indicated the one currently tying her hair.

They kept talking about who possibly could be her sponsor, lost in their gossip.

If they had paid attention, both ladies would have spotted Cassian — a small blush that could pass as a result from the hot weather adorning his face — gazing at Nesta.

More specifically, at her ankles.

His hands were tightly gripping the fishing rod, his eyes moving from her ankles to her bare arms to the two open buttons of her dress.

Cauldron, the places Nesta Archeron made his thoughts wander to.

He quickly looked back at the lake, shaking his head to try and think of other things, glad they were too busy to notice his blatantly staring.

Only that Emerie had seen him and the way he looked at one of her dearest friends. She tucked that information for later, both to tease Nesta about it and to think of more scandalous clothing to make her wear.

She knew a look of love when she saw one, and she was sure Cassian held it.

Nesta, on the other hand, would need a little push to realise her feelings.

And to Emerie’s joy, it appeared that until the end of the day she would have plenty of teasing material.

Both Cassian and Balthar took a break from fishing to have lunch with the ladies — although the latter kept eyeing his fishing rod while he ate, no doubt wanting to get back as soon as possible. Mrs.Potts and the rest of the help had really outdone themselves, there was enough food to feed at least twenty people.

“This has to be the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten” Nesta declared, already in her second slice “Please deliver my compliments to the cook”

“I am sure Chef Ramsay will be most pleased to hear that” Cassian said, knowing his chef would most probably scream something along the lines of ‘Of course she liked my food, I am the one who cooked it!’ but be secretly happy with the compliment.

“Elain will be sad to hear that” Gwyn teased “To think her cooking talents are viewed in such poor manners in your eyes….”

“Hush now. My sister’s cooking is exceptional, but even her would have to agree with me on this”

“You certainly enjoy it, I have never seen you so unlady like” Emerie said laughing, indicating the chocolate sauce that had gotten on her fingers.

Proving that she could be even more unlady like — by that time her mother would be almost resurrecting to hit Nesta with a whip for her horrid attitude — and shock her friends even more, Nesta licked her fingers instead of using a napkin, promptly cleaning her hand. That action brought fake gasps from her friends, who feigned horror at her action. Even Balthazar got in the play, saying no man would now dare to court her after such behaviour.

Little did he know that Cassian was thinking of proposing to Nesta again. He had tracked each lick, each portion of the chocolate sauce being eaten, his heart beating faster and faster, feeling his body warming and his mind wandering to unspeakable places not for the first time in the day.

“Get a grip Cassian” he thought to himself, drinking some lemonade in hopes of calming down.

Nesta chose the exact moment to glance at him, wanting to see his reaction at her attitude.

Not that she was anxious he would find her repulsive or unworthy of having been invited to this outing.

Rather, what she saw was Cassian drinking lemonade, the sun making his dark hair shine like obsidian, her mouth suddenly dry as she watched him swallow.

“What sorcery is this? Why do I feel that way even with the smallest things he does?” Nesta asked herself. feeling her cheeks getting warmer and looking down at her empty plate.

She made her best to try and avoid looking at him again, jumping at the opportunity to make flower crowns with Gwyn while Emerie sketched some news designs in a small notebook she carried everywhere.

Soon she was lost in the calming motion of twisting and knotting the flowers together, all thoughts of Cassian momentary forgotten.

It was Emerie’s voice saying her name that brought her back to reality.

“I think Nesta may have something”

“What?” she asked, looking up to find both Cassian and her friend looking at her.

“I was wondering if any of you would have anything I could tie my hair with” he brushed his hair back, a few curly locks falling in front of his eyes “I forgot to bring my usual leather strap with me”

“I have a ribbon” Nesta said, fumbling in her purse for the spare she always carried.

Handing him the red ribbon, her heart skipped a beat when their hands touched. She could swear his touch lingered for longer than necessary.

She watched as he gathered his hair in a bun, failing again and again at tying it with the red piece of silk.

“Is the General Commander losing against a mere hair accessory?” Nesta could not help but tease.

“This is quite different from what I am used to” he sighed in defeat “I’m withdrawing from this fight. It seems I will have to bear with the sun for a little longer”

“I could tie it for you” she blurted out before she could hold her tongue back.

Cassian only blinked at her.

“I mean, if Your Grace allows and is not bothered by me touching your hair or—”

“I would be most honoured” he cut her nervous rambling, moving to sit in front of her.

"Pardon me then” Nesta breathless said, taking his hair on her hands.

His hair was much softer than she had imagined and she dared to wonder if had she accepted his proposal, Cassian would have let her brush his hair.

If her making those small braids to make it easier to tie his rebel locks would have been a frequent occurrence.

“Oh, how lovely Nesta!” Gwyn exclaimed and placed one flower crown on Cassian’s head “There! Now he’s perfect!”

“The General Commander of the British Armies wearing a flower crown and with braids on his hair! Ha! No one would believe me if I told them!” Balthazar exclaimed, having grown tired of fishing after his eighteenth catch.

Cassian’s land really was blessed with an abundance of fish.

“What are you laughing for? I also made one for you!” Gwyn said, dumping one crown with pink flowers in Balthazar’s head, making Emerie roar with laughter.

If Cassian appeared to be bothered, he did not let it show, and Nesta could not help but think he looked adorable, nothing like the famous Lord of Bloodshed, who had killed many enemies of the Crown in battle.

“Your friends are rather charming, my Lady” Cassian pointed out, watching Emerie and Balthazar bickering while Gwyn laughed at them.

“I hope we are not causing Your Grace much trouble”

“Not at all” he assured her “This is the most fun I have had in a long time”

Nesta hoped he was saying the truth and not being excessively polite.

The afternoon went on, the group deciding to call it a day and gathering their things. Nesta stayed a little behind the group, too busy trying to button her dress again to keep up with them.

“Those beautiful unpractical buttons” she muttered angrily, failing to put the flower shaped buttons in their place.

“Lady Nesta, is something the matter?”

Nesta almost let out a scream when she saw that Cassian had not left.

“I was just— “ her words died in her throat when Cassian got closer, his hands hovering over her dress.

“May I?” he inquired softly.

Nesta could only nod and pray to the Mother he could not feel her heart beating faster than racing horses. Up close and with his hair tied back neatly — the small braids suited him more than she would have liked to admit — she could pinpoint every scar he had, from the one on his left eyebrow to the small cut near his mouth.

Her fingers itched to trace them.

To kiss them.

To kiss him.

“There. All proper now” Cassian said, his voice a little hoarse.

“Thank you, sir” Nesta managed to say despite wanting to scream and melt inside.

They walked silently back to the main state, a comfortable silence between them.

Cassian desperately wanted to hold her hand, using once again the excuse of helping her get on the carriage to do just that.

“Shall you pay Pemberley a visit tomorrow?” he hopefully asked “I could show you the rest of the state”

“I shall be waiting for your call, sir” Nesta replied.

“And please accept this,” she added in a rushed tone, dropping a small object on his hand “ it is not much but I would like to show my gratitude for today.”

“I am most thankful” Cassian said, the carriage leaving before he could say anything else.

Looking at his hand, he realised he held a delicate daisy chain, no wonder made by Nesta while she and Gywn were making the flower crowns.

“I will treasure this forever” he said looking at the carriage turning smaller and smaller as it got away from Pemberley.

Tags: @sayosdreams @thewayshedreamed @sjm-things @perseusannabeth @arinbelle @caotica-e-quieta @vidalinav @swankii-art-teacher @ireallyshouldsleeprn @duskandstarlight @greerlunna @thegoddessaltenia @dayanna-hatter @verypaleninja @awesomelena555 @courtofjurdan @valkyriewarriors @moe8 @illyrianwitchling13 @silvernesta @bri-loves-sunflowers @queenestarcheron @imwritingthesewords @vasudharaghavan @rainbowcheetah512 @darkshadowqueensrule @letstakethedawn @starlightorstarfire @city-of-fae @thalia-2-rose @nestaarcher0n @rowaelinismyotp @julemmaes @dontgetsalmonella @alinaleksanders @lysandra-tiara9 @inardour @hikari274 @fatimafares123 @angelina-figjam @castielspelvis @illyrianundercover @firebirdofscythia

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#nessian #cassian x nesta #nesta archeron #cassian #pride and prejudice AU #sarah j maas #sjmaas #sjm books #sjm fanfic

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