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queenoftheworldisdead · 3 years

Note

I have a request with dark prompts and tropes/ kinks from the list.

The Dialogues:

“Please, I have to get home.”

“Don’t move a muscle.”

Tropes:

Stalking/obsession

Kidnapping

(With the character Andy Barber)

Thank you in advance.

Hard day's night

Warning: 18 + Only, dark theme, kidnapping, choking, bondage, non-consent, dubious consent, forced fingering, cream-pie

Note: hope you enjoy

Dark Andy x Reader

The parking garage was partially empty compared to when you first arrived to work. Your heels echoed off the cement garage walls as you searched for where you parked. Some days you were lucky to park on L3 the prized spot closest to the ground, but today you were late and in your hurry you couldn't remember if you were on L5 or L8.

With the car fob in hand you press the unlock button. The familiar beep signaled that you were further away than you anticipated.

*Honk

The loud car horn from behind had you jumping out of your skin and screeching at the top of your lungs. With your heart hammering in your chest you turned only to be immediately blinded by the car behind you.

Blocking the light with your hand, you realized you were wondering in the middle of the driving path. "Sorry" you shouted back, moving over to allow them to pass you.

The black sedan creeped up and idled beside you. You clutched your purse and moved over closer to the side as the window rolled down. You didn't have mace, but you were sure your purse was heavy enough to wheeled as a weapon.

"Sorry I scared you" Andy leaned over, smiling as he looked up at you. It was slightly jarring seeing him like that. He had been extremely combative towards your boss during the deposition, each session ending in a screaming match.

Mr. Thomas, the defense attorney you paralegal for, had always been mild tempered. The objections during Mr. Thomas's cross drew an ire that you had never witnessed before. It was as if he sought to provoke him on purpose. Tempers were so high that Judge Peters threatened both sides with contempt, forcing several recesses to cool them off.

A process that normally lasted a few hours somehow turned into three grueling days of high tensions and long nights going over transcripts.

"Sorry I was in the way. I forgot where I parked." You jiggled your keys, almost embarrassed.

"Get in I'll help you find it. It's really late and you shouldn't be walking alone in the garage like this."

The offer was nice, but getting into the car of opposing console would surely be frowned apron at your firm.

You were about to protest when he unlocked the passenger door. With a sigh of defeat you got inside. Thankfully Mr. Thomas parked in reserved parking on the lower levels. Far from the general parking on the upper floors that you used.

"I assume your late because of me" he laughed lightly as he slowly drove on.

"Yeah its safe to say you are correct" you dryly chuckled as you hid low in the seat. The garage was slightly empty, but you didn't want to take the chance of being seen as doing something inappropriate. Idiot why did you get in the car?

Aside from him being apposing console Mr.Barber made you feel uneasy. During the hours long deposition you would feel a weird tingle, that made you look up from your notepad only to look up and lock eyes with the DA. You shrugged it off as an intimidation tactic used to get under the skin of the opposition.

---

Clicking your fob again you listened for your car, but somehow you were now further than you were originally. "Oh gosh can we turn back? I think I' m further up."

Andy nodded as he continued down the path. The signs above indicating 'More parking turn left' and 'Exit turn right'.

"Why are you still here?" You questioned him as you searched. The deposition ran long, but it ended hours ago.

"Oh.." He said caught off guard as he made a right turn toward the exit. "I spotted an old colleague John Wilson. We chatted for a bit, didn't and realize how late it was until the old ball and chain called."

Your office had a few former district attorneys. Most left the DA's office for the more lucrative life of defense.

"Um Mr.Barber.. you needed to make the left to go back into the garage." You pointed back when Andy made the right turn toward the garage exit.

"You know I'm impressed by your professionalism." Andy ignored and continued down the wrong path. "Thomas is lucky to have you on his team" he explained as he rolled to a stop behind a car inline to exit.

"Um thank you." You shifted in your seat at the impromptued complement. You hadn't done anything special or out of the ordinary. You just took notes like any other paralegal would.

Was he head hunting you? You heard about big firms doing stuff like that, but not for paralegals that were a dime a dozen.

Andy made no effort to change course and you felt increasingly uncomfortable as he inched closer to the exit.

"Um...you know I will just get security to escort me to my car from here." You pointed at the man in the glass box guarding the exit. "Thank you" you reached over to touch the door handle and heard an immediate click of the lock snapping shut.

"Don't move a muscle." You froze at his command.

"I wouldn't get out if I were you." He warned glancing at the rear-view. "Your boss might frown at you getting out of the apposing consoles car."

Stiffly you turned to peak over your seat, a cold chill fell over your body at the sight of Mr. Thomas car waiting in line behind Andy's in the queue. If you got out now you would be in deep shit. You slunk down low in the seat, in a veiled effort to hide. You shouldn't have gotten in this car. What the hell were you thinking?

"Come work for me" Andy casually grabbed his ticket to feed to the machine as he rolled to a stop. So this was just a job offer? If that was the case you were sure there were better ways to go about it. You had a nice chemistry with the old defense attorney and you were not interested in the stress of the DA's office or the pay cut you were sure to get.

"Um I'm not looking for a new job." You rejected him nervously. Hoping he would turn around and let you out.

"At least here my offer."

It seemed as you had no choice in the matter as he proceeded to pull out onto the road.

Your lips pressed into a frown. If you placate him, maybe he would let you go. He was a DA after all he wasn't going to hurt you tried to convince yourself.

"Fine, what is it?"

---

"Come work for me and I don't charge you with witness tempering"

Your eyes went wild at the allegation. "What!"

A lot of firms were dirty, but yours was not one of them. The cases you handled with Mr. Thomas didn't even rise to that level. At most he handled cases of over zealous brokers, financial fraud cases or embezzlement. The only time you ever came in contact with a witness Mr.Thomas was there with you. And even if it did you would never take penitentiary chances to get a leg up on the competition.

"Don't worry it's not true. I know your a good girl" he glanced over at you with a smirk. The praise graded you as you sat still stunned. "But that won't stop me from charging you. I'm willing to bet that until you get yourself untangled from the mess I am going to make of your life, your boss and his associates wouldn't think twice about letting you go."

You stared at him in disbelief. You barely said two words to this man, yet he was ready to blow up your life. And for what? For you to work for him? "And from what I know of paralegal salaries I would bet you could afford a public defender at best."

"Mr. Thomas would defend me" you scoffed.

"I wouldn't count on it. Because I would take him down too if he tried." He was serious.

You fell back on the seat as your head swam with the madness. You tried to think what you could've done to bring this on.

You had been to the DA's office a handful of times so when you saw the familiar building in the horizon you shrunk further in the leather seat.

Andy pulled into a reserved parking spot as the clock crept closer to midnight.

You didn't belong here. Maybe if you got out you could run for it. Make a mad dash somewhere and call the cops. But what would you say? The DA threatened you with a job, kidnapped you and took you to his office? They would think you were insane.

"Let's start your interview." He announced as he killed the engine. You pursed your lips and frowned deeply.

You were being made to interview for a job you didn't want nor ask for.

“Please, I have to get home.”

Andy paid you no mind, slamming the door in the face of your plea. Your eyes followed him as he headed toward the stone steps to the building.

What did he expect for you to do? Show up tomorrow at your office and sit on prosecutions side? You doubted the judge nor your boss would allow that to fly.

You watched him as you stayed paralyzed in the car. This had to be a joke or a dream. Had you slipped in the parking garage earlier and bumped your head. You tried pinching yourself to snap out of it only to be disheartened by the gravity of this situation.

---

Andy led you down the empty hallways, until he stopped at a door that bared his name.

You stood back while he unlocked it and motioned you to go inside. You couldn't move, dread cemented you in place. It was a miracle he had got you to come this far.

Andy tsked and shook his head in disappointment as he walked inside.

You tried to play back every encounter, every word you could've uttered that could've spearheaded this, but there was nothing.

You would've been surprised if he even knew your name, you couldn't even recall it being mentioned during the depositions.

While you drowned in despair Andy shimmed out of his blazer, tossing it on a chair off to the side.

"You're wasting your potential with Thomas" Andy declared, perching himself on the edge of his desk.

"I can tell your very focused and career driven." He continued on. It was surreal, watching him unbutton and roll up his sleeves. Like a disappointed father ready to reprimand their child.

"I noticed it from the start." The anticipation of what was to come became too much under the weight of his stare. You hugged yourself defensively while warm Tears streamed down your cheek.

It was as if he were a wolf ready to swallow you whole. You squeezed your eyes shut unable to hold his stare.

"Eyes on me" he said firmly. You sniffed uncontrollably as you forced them back open. "Good girl" Andy praised, adjusting his cock. He delighted in this, wetting his bottom lip, reveling in your discomfort.

"With a little more discipline and guidance you will reach your full potential. And I want to help you do that" Andy grunted as he loosened then knot of his tie.

Andy stayed sat before you unmoved by your tears as he slipped the fabric from around his neck, pulling it taunt with one hand while wrapping it around the other.

"You just need a firm hand to mold you. Or you can stay out there and watch as I turn your world upside down."

What could you say? He had you where he wanted you. You held your head low, sobbing to yourself as you approached him. You were no match for the power of the DA's office.

Andy rose from his perch and circled you like a shark with blood in the water. "Hands behind your back." He whispered into the shell of your ear. You looked back at him eyes wet with tears pleading. He sighed disappointed again taking matters into his own hands. You whimpered as he pried your hands from their hold, forcing them behind your back.

"Please Mr. Barber " you chanted as he encompassed your wrist with the tie. Knotting it so tight you feared for the circulation of your hands.

---

Andy's firm body pressed against you, his arms wrapped around you, roaming your body freely. The fabric of the tie burned as you struggled to free yourself. He ripped open your cheap blouse with ease, groping your breast over your bra. You withered in his embrace, unable to fight back.

"You made it hard to concentrate" he hummed into your neck while he played with your hard nipples over the fabric. The heat of his breath and the kneading of your breast electrified the coil that tightened in your core.

You tried to crouch into your shoulders, but Andy cupped your chin harshly. Forcing you to expose your neck to him and endure his assault. You went rigid when his other hand started to trail down your abdomen, tunneling past your waistline in desperate pursuit of your mound.

"Sitting so quiet, taking notes."

Your tears glazed Andy's hand as he forced you to look at him as he plunged beneath the elastic of your panties. His eyes clouded with lust at the sight of your facial contortions. Your clit buzzed as his fingers moved over it. You clamped your thighs tightly around his palm in an effort to stop further intrusion, but he pressed on. Rubbing firmly against your mound repeatedly, sparking an unwanted warmth. You felt shame and guilt as heat pooled in his hand.

"Hmmm so ready to be my perfect little helper." Andy purred.

"Are you ready to be molded by me" he teased. Andy pushed his fingers inside of you, releasing a gasp you could not contain.

"Fuck you're so tight" Andy cursed in your ear while he fingered you.

You bit down on your lip to stop the moan trapped in your throat. The embarrassing wetness, the involuntary moans, it was as if your body no longer belonged to you. Andy manipulated you like a puppet on a string.

You exhaled deeply when he pulled his fingers from you and released your neck. You panted from the over stimulation.

He built up a need and left you cradling on the edge. Without warning Andy spun you by the shoulder to face him.

"Look at you my needy little helper. Ready to learn." He smirked at you.

Your eyes went wide when he began unfastening his belt. You didn't want to find out what he would use that for. Your flight response started to kick into high gear as he closed the space between you.

Reflexively you took a step backwards, almost stumbling to the floor when you tripped on the leg of the chair behind you.

There was no way out of the room without going past him. You doubted you would get far even if you tried. The back of your legs hit his desk, halting your movements.

"Gonna be my perfect little helper?"

You opened your mouth to finally scream, but Andy swiftly rushed you. The grip on your neck felt deadly as you croaked. He leaned his weight on you, tipping you over until you slammed hard on his desk.

Whatever trinkets he had on his desk dug into your back and arms painfully. Andy wedged himself between your thighs, and haphazardly fumbled with his pants. Pushing them down with one hand as he kept you pinned with the other. You bucked and squirmed when you felt his need pressed on your pelvis.

Your skirt had rode up past your waist leaving your thin panties the last line of defense.

"Don't do this please Mr. Barber please I'll work for you please." Choked out incoherently.

You bucked more feverishly when he yanked your panties to the side. The tip of his cock lined up against your entrance.

"That's it. That's my good little helper. So wet for me." Andy praised as his sunk into you as he kept a firm hold on your neck. Your pussy pulsed around him as you strained to adjust. He made you painfully full.

Andy lifted up your left thigh, allowing himself to sink deeper. The added weight of him on top of you married with the pain from your arms.

His focused grip on your neck helped muffle your mewls, but not the sloppy sounds of your cunt. You turned away from his face as he rolled his hips into you. Only to be met with the smiling faces of his family. The facade of his wholesome life seemingly entrained by your predicament.

"Perfect little cunt fits me so well."

Your pussy clenched with every praise to your shame. There was no way to bite back the need he fed deep within you. Your stomach tensed as a staggered moan fell from your mouth.

Your feet curled in the air as your thighs squeezed around him. You felt of mix of shame and disappointment as you came around his cock.

Loosening his grip on your neck Andy could no longer hold himself back. He filled you to the brim, his seed seeped out of you as you milked him dry.

He laid on you briefly, panting heavily before pulling off. Carefully adjusting himself as he watched his cum drizzle down your raw cunt. "Get yourself cleaned up. We have cross in a few hours."

#Dark Andy Barber x Reader #Dark!Andy!Barber x Reader #Dark Andy x Reader #Dark!Andy x Reader #Dark!Andy!Barber x Black!Reader #Dark!Andy!Barber x Black Reader #Dark Andy Barber x Black!Reader #Dark Andy Barber X Black Reader #Dark!Andy x Black!Reader #Dark Andy x Black Reader #Dark Andy X Black!Reader #black writer #asked and answered

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ushidoux · 3 years

Text

Be My Last - Iwaizumi x Reader (Pt. 4)

Summary: You have trouble getting over a past relationship and it’s preventing you from moving forward. (~1.7 words)

Warnings: questionable fidelity, angst, but otherwise tame

A/N: There isn’t a lot of action in this chapter but a whole lot of feelings.

Part 1|| Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5

You awoke to the sound of Iwaizumi’s careful shuffles around your bedroom as he got dressed for the day. Rising slowly to a sitting position with a stretch and a yawn, you noticed he was a little more dressed up than usual, his usual polo shirt and khakis replaced with a pair of sharp trousers, a nicely pressed shirt and a tie.

“Good morning, baby,” you murmured, voice still heavy with slumber.

Iwaizumi’s eyes shifted from their focus adjusting the sleeves of his shirt and smiled as he watched you rub the sleep out of your eyes, walking around to your side of the bed to kiss you on the forehead - a soft brush of the lips.

“Good morning, love. Did you sleep well?”

The smell of a gentle cologne drove you forward, intending to lean your face against his chest, but he was already back to his side of the bed to gather his things before setting out for the morning.

“I did… I can make breakfast if you’re not in a hurry!” You offered, eyes following the young man as he quickly exited the room.

“I’m alright!” He called, voice distant now. You could tell he was already rummaging around in the kitchen, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted in your nostrils in sharp contrast to the toothpaste you were using to rid yourself of morning breath once you trailed behind him.

You glanced at the time on the wall clock, leaning against a wall opposite the inlet to the kitchen. He wasn’t exactly late for work, but he was rushing out faster than usual.

“Is everything okay?” Your voice was muffled between spittle and mild concern.

He glanced at you, hesitating for a split second before smiling.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he replied without answering your question, and then the door closed behind him.

There was a subtle sense of your blood cooling very slightly, a tinge of worry settling in your chest. Venturing back into the bathroom, you finished brushing your teeth, paying exquisite attention to your tired eyes in the mirror as though your reflection was the issue.

Maybe you were overreacting. Things had been a little tense since your argument, but it was nothing that couldn’t be smoothed over.

It was only after you’d settled back onto your side of the bed with your open laptop and your screen flickered on to display your ex’s Instagram page that your heart started to race.

You closed it shut again, wincing.

He didn’t see it. He couldn’t have. He would have said something. The argument would have started right up again. It wouldn’t have ended until one of you was sleeping on the couch or you were sleeping in each other’s arms.

You let out a deep breath, taking a few moments to let your self-defensive thoughts sink into your skin. It was nothing serious after all.

Overreaction after overreaction. The only thing that mattered right now was that you opened your laptop and spent your Friday off of work on getting ahead.

---

As luck would have it, Iwaizumi was stuck in traffic. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that he’d wanted to escape your apartment as soon as possible and make it out early. He’d actually intended to leave before you woke up.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was still angry.

Not at you. Never at you. At himself.

He remembered the words he had said to you at the start of your relationship, what felt both like just yesterday and ages ago.

Use me if you need to.

He gripped the steering wheel and grit his teeth, trying to maintain composure despite the fact that he’d been in the same spot on the road for the past ten minutes and people were laying into their horns around him.

What kind of stupid shit was that?

It had sounded good to say it at the time, like most things a guy says to woo a pretty girl. Use him. You’d fall in love with him later, in due time. He believed it was true then.

He hated that he was starting to lose faith in that now.

He hated the idea that someone else, who really wasn’t doing anything but simply existing in proximity to you was doing such a number on him. He couldn’t fault him either. Ushijima had loved you first.

Did it matter if Iwa loved you more?

---

You’d given yourself that you weren’t allowed to leave your apartment until you got your work done, lest you come up with another excuse not to finish, which meant by the time the clock neared six p.m., you had laid sprawled in nearly every corner of your apartment typing and by now were cross-legged on the kitchen counter, your laptop balanced on your knees.

But you were finally done.

You sighed with excitement. Now to put that behind you.

Saving your work, you slipped off of the countertop and back into your pair of slippers, moving back to your bedroom to change into a just as comfortable but more presentable pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

You were running out of snacks, as evidenced by the frequent trips to the kitchen over the past eight hours. What better way to treat yourself for a job well done but with a walk down to the convenience store to stock up?

Maybe you’d grab Iwa a bag of his favorite chips as a peace offering on the way too.

---

“We’re already out, young lady!” the cashier teased the moment you crossed the store entrance, setting off the bell.

You pout but still glance over to the row of baked goods, where your precious melon bread is normally stacked neatly in clear packaging, waiting for you. It’s a little bit embarrassing that he knew you would never pass up on it, but you’d lived here long enough that it wasn’t inconceivable that it’d become your defining trait.

“I’m absolutely devastated, sir!” You called back dramatically, making your way to the back for ice cream instead. They had what your favorite in stock, plus a limited edition flavor so you had more than enough consolation.

Satisfied, you closed the freezer door after picking your selection only to meet eyes with Ushijima, whose hand closed tightly around the handle of a fridge door. He stood a good distance away, but his eyes had been on you and remained so; the very slight part of his lips betrayed the fact that he had been trying to come up with something to say for the past couple of minutes.

He did say your name, something like a greeting, out loud, and you reflexively looked away, heart pounding. Granted you didn’t own this corner of town, but what were the chances he’d only chosen to go here?

Quickly realizing you still weren’t interested in talking, Ushijima pulled out a large bottle of water and closed the fridge, deciding not to bother you further.

It was suddenly a good thing that a text message to you on his phone was in drafts only, him not having the heart to send it. It wasn’t for a lack of courage… it was more so due to shame. Even if he felt like he had to apologize, there wasn’t much he felt he could say that would make it better, not worse.

His shame and your discomfort only intensified as he ended up queueing up behind you. Timing was never on his or your side it seemed.

Ushijima watched you tense up ever so slightly, your shoulders hunched as your arms overflowed with snacks, including the freezing tub of ice cream. Normally he’d offer to help with your load, given that he wasn’t carrying much more than the water but again, boundaries.

He’d set that distance himself.

In reality, he probably should have chosen another running path to discharge energy after practice had ended early today. However, it had been long enough that alternative courses didn’t come immediately to memory and he’d been willing to take that chance.

And here you both were.

He hated this, the obvious residual feelings bubbling to the surface after having been repressed for so long, the fact that he couldn’t justify any of his actions, the fact that he hated older him.

The fact that you won’t even look at him.

Just say something. Anything.

Is closure every really needed, or is it just an excuse to refuse to move on?

He opened his mouth to speak, yet again, but you beat him to it.

You turned towards him, smiling, albeit a weak imitation of what you’d always offered him, back when you loved him recklessly, with your whole heart.

“I… um, don’t want it to be awkward,” you said in a small voice. The sound of your voice, directed finally to him, unprompted made his own beat speed up.

Was this an olive branch you were extending that he didn’t deserve? He pondered this, steeling himself for the worst.

You kept your friendly expression as steady as possible. You weren’t sure what you were trying to prove, to yourself and to Iwa.

You didn’t love him. And for that reason, you had no right to be bitter or cold. Right?

“It doesn’t have to be awkward,” you continued.

Ushijima was at a loss for words now, watching you carefully with his normally sharp, hawk-like eyes but now more like the hawk’s prey, assessing the threat before it. Could he get his hopes up? “We can be friends,” you decided.

It’ll only hurt for a short bit of time, you told yourself. And soon things will be back to normal. As they should be.

A part of Ushijima wanted to reply, I don’t want to be friends. He’d finally realized this, no matter how selfish of a thought it was. However, he was content to nod only and swallow that thought.

“I’d appreciate it.”

He watched you pay for your items and leave, unsure of what friendship would entail.

---

As you dug into your tub of ice cream a couple hours later, you realized you weren’t so sure what that entailed either.

If only to make it worse, then came the buzz of your phone with a single message, I miss you.

#iwaizumi x reader #iwa x reader #iwaizumi hajime x reader #ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #haikyuu x reader #not sfw #mae.writing #series: be my last #tw angst

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donaidk · 3 years

Text

False Confidence - Chapter Ten

I had to cut the real chapter in two because it was way too long, than managed to make it just as long as it was before again. So I'm sorry for the long read 😂 There's also gonna be an 11th chapter, which is the last planned one. There might be bonus chapters or little snippets of their future, but I'm not sure yet 😊 Hope you guys will enjoy this one and have a great evening 🧡

Inspiration song

Masterlist | Taglist/Queue | Request

Chapter Nine | You’re here | Chapter Eleven

The heartbreak of Bahrain was soon followed by Lewis testing positive for Covid and everyone running around like headless chickens, trying to sort everything out. Seeing George in Mercedes clothing a few days later was still strange, even though all of us knew it was coming the moment Lewis had to step aside. It felt natural but strange at the same time, whenever we crossed paths in the paddock and my eyes were searching for the Williams shirt whenever he was standing next to Nicky and Jack.

That strange feeling followed us right into the weekend, sticking to every step we took. It didn’t help that I still felt uncomfortable around the car after that incident and seeing how wrong it could have gone. I also decided to mention it publicly, standing up for anyone who still couldn’t just forget everything but felt like they couldn’t talk about it. Showing weakness wasn’t a huge part of this sport’s daily routine. A few people immediately questioned my mental strength but my performance the next day showed them otherwise luckily. While the practice sessions went quite well as I somehow found even more speed than usual, it never came out in Qualifying. I got stuck in Q2 and just couldn’t get to the level that we were on during Friday and the morning. P11 was still a good position for points, but with P4s throughout practice sessions, we thought we would get to fight for another podium. Dan had a bigger chance for it, but we all knew it would still be a struggle for him to get up there and also stay there for the remaining laps.

The paddock somehow felt strangely empty compared to other weekends when I entered on Sunday. We all knew who everyone would be looking at for the sessions, but it was astonishing to see how all the cameras were turned towards George every time he showed up. I couldn’t blame them though, we were just as amazed and excited by this change as the fans and the media were. Maybe even more as we knew him a bit more personally and saw how much he deserves to try himself in a Mercedes. I also didn’t mind that all the hype was around him for once, as he deserved it and also gave us a bit of a breather from them always following everyone around the pitlane and paddock. It also carried onto the track with most of the discussion either being about him or involving him, which was also understandable.

Luckily from the moment we got into the cars that energy didn’t follow us and everyone was left with their own little beast and thoughts. It didn’t matter who was in which car, as everyone was your usual opponent and media attention given to one person will not give any kind of advantage to anyone. It was prior to the start of the formation lap when I turned the wheel a bit while looking down at it when I spotted a little sticker behind it. The text on it made me smile but I wondered if it got there thanks to the team or someone else. It had my tiny sunflower sticker, making me suspicious about Dan, although I knew he wouldn’t have had time to do it between the time I looked at the car the last time and the time I got inside.

“ Who’s the sticker from? ” I asked as soon as I took a turn and had a bit of free time on the straight to speak to Aaron. He usually let me get my focus fully back during these laps, but I felt like this wouldn’t change or mess up anything.

“ Lando. Almost got his ass whooped when he came into the garage. ” I got an answer back immediately and I could hear the little chuckle in Aaron’s voice. That must have been a sight, when Lando tried to sneak to my car and then got caught. “ Took you some time to see it finally. ” He added, with a real laugh following his words but getting caught off.

I could remember the first day when I dared to mention to the media how getting back into the car and racing felt a bit strange after the last race and then I went to Lando when they started picking my words apart. Most people thought I wasn’t ready to take part in F1 if something like that brought my confidence down, but somehow it couldn’t really get to me. I wasn’t happy about it and Lando listening to me and giving me advice helped a lot, getting me back to my balance in a few hours. He was the one who told me I shouldn’t follow other people's opinion about me or the team or the car, because I’m not owned by any of them. Which was now on a sticker right in front of my hand, reminding me that whatever others think should not take up space in my head and does not have to be my real end goal.

“ I usually drive with my eyes on the road and not the steering wheel. ” I rolled my eyes a little, focusing on getting the right grid spot and stopping the wheels on the yellow line, before I had a few seconds to lean back and take a deep breath.

Aaron stayed silent from then on, letting me focus on the lights and switching both of us into the usual race mood and mindset. Everything was fun and jokes until it was just seconds away from the lights coming up and then turning off. In the next second my hand was back on the wheel and with one last glance at the sticker my eyes snapped back onto the five lights that lit up after each other and then turned off, signaling all of us that the race is on as everyone took off. Seeing Dan shoot off of his spot on the grid made me smile for a second, before I could see the car next to me getting a bit closer than I felt comfortable with and had to quickly rethink my starting plan to get into a safe spot and keep my position. Instead, making my mind up in just a few seconds I pushed my foot down and ended up in 8th, safe and sound for the next 20 odd laps.

I could see Dan up in the front running at a few turns but when his strategy had him enter the pits I took his position right until it was my turn to take a pit stop finally. Doing a one stop strategy meant that even though I lost a bit of time and a few positions, it was easy to get them back when the others took their second stop, getting out of my way. Only Nicky and Lance were on the same strategy, the latter right in front of me, until his one took longer and I got in front of him just by a few thousands of a second. None of us anticipated the stint going so well and then just as I felt both surprised and hopeful by a chance at a podium place, George fell out from in front of me, giving me P2 in the process. As much as I fought my way up the grid to be in the top 5, it felt unfair to get to second by someone else getting unlucky once and then a second time not long after.

As much as I wanted to focus on keeping my P2 from Lance behind me it was hard to forget about George, who had so much to lose today. Aaron kept my head cool, distracting me from anything that wasn’t in connection with my own driving. It felt like I was flying as I almost got to lead the race behind Sergio so comfortably after a season that was never easy to fight through. Crossing the line in that same position still felt ecstatic even though there was a sour aftertaste in my mouth every time the thought of stepping onto the podium without George went through my mind.

“ Welcome to your first F1 podium procedure, Winola. ” Aaron’s voice over the radio caught my attention and I couldn’t hold back the smile that got onto my face. As much as I was disappointed for George, I knew the team deserved this podium just as much for their hard and relentless work over the weekends. “ I’m sure you will have no problem finding that P2 sign in the pit lane. ” He added, making me thank both him and the whole team as we took one last lap around the circuit to cool down the cars and get back to the pit entrance.

A few seconds later Dan passed me, holding a hand and then his thumb up for me which I copied, keeping up with his pace for a bit before he got in front of me to let others pass. A few cars later I could see Lando’s orange McLaren approaching, aiming for the space next to me. Still following the cool down plans I first sped up a bit putting a gap between the two of us, before slowing down, both in limits of course, as he tried keeping up with the new pace, making him overshoot the space next to me and ending up almost a full car length in front of me. I already had a smile on my face which just got wider during the cat-mouse game I started and then turned into a chuckle as I could see him lift his fist into the air, holding himself back from showing me his middle finger. It would have been deserved too. In the end I gave up, getting myself next to him waving as Lando turned his head towards me and shook it, probably with a smile hiding behind his visor.

While he went with all the other cars I followed Lance’s pink car to the boards, and parked right behind the one that had ‘P2’ printed right across it. After turning everything off, I just sat there for a few seconds with my hands coming up onto the visor of my helmet as I slowly realised what actually happened. I got my head wrapped around my thoughts for a second, before finally getting out of the car. I put the steering wheel back into its place before I let the bodywork hold my weight easily until I jumped off, punching my fist into the air and running to the team immediately. For a split second I thought I would faceplant from the force with which I started running, but luckily a few mechanics caught me before I could embarrass myself in front of the cameras. This second place felt like a win as I got pulled into tight hugs and were met with fistbumps and slaps to my back or helmet. I could feel when Dan arrived at the group hug, almost pushing me off my feet but luckily catching me before I could compensate for the missed faceplant. I thought my face would split into two with my widened grin as he pushed up my visor, the only shield that saved me from everyone knowing I was already crying.

“ I knew it. I told you that you would cry. ” He laughed at me the second he looked through the slot in my helmet, giving it a pat after his words, making me shake my head. He brought me back to the memories we made at the start of the season, making me realise how far we have actually come. “ It’s okay, we all do it. Even if we deny it. ” He shrugged a little, pulling me back into a hug, before the team pulled me away again.

I was soon ushered to the little stand where I could put down my helmet and gloves before finally having a drink. I got to get my interview done second, the whole setting a bit awkward as I never got to experience it before. By the time I finally warmed up to the task we were already done, getting to walk back to my stand until everyone was ready for the podium ceremony. I almost reached my destination when I was pulled back by my arm and enveloped in a hug immediately. I let out a squeal from the surprise that rushed through my body from the force of someone yanking me, but as soon as I realised it was Lando it turned into a chuckle. The first time it actually hit me how tired I felt, was when my body relaxed into his embrace, with my head falling onto his shoulder.

“ I guess the sticker brought you some luck? ” He asked, pushing me back a little, even though I would have gladly let him take my weight, giving me a bit more time to rest. I looked up at him as soon as there was a bit of space between us and and I only had to bend my neck back a little. He wasn’t tall, but then there’s my height that could never actually be called height.

“ It did, thank you. I still can’t really believe it. ” I shook my head a little, letting go of his arm when I realised I was still holding onto him, after getting my balance back. “ This is so bizarre. I feel like I took someone’s place just out of nowhere. ” I let out a sigh, looking around as Checo was still answering some questions and the others slowly getting back to their teams.

“ You took your place. It was waiting just for you, and never let anyone take away from it. You don’t owe them anything. ” Lando answered immediately, repeating similar words to his ‘They don’t own you’ sticker, before the both of us got ushered inside where we would have to part ways. His words stunned me so much that I couldn’t react in time, just let myself get pulled into another hug before he had to get back to his team.

What Lando said stayed with me throughout our wait for the ceremony to start and did not let my stomach calm down. I already had too many feelings swirling around in my gut and it didn’t help when it was time for us to finally get out onto the balcony and take our places on the podium. I already had a few tears in my eyes, chalking them up to the AC inside the building, when it was my turn to walk out and take those two meaningful steps onto the second place of the podium, looking over the crowd of F1 members in front of us. Even though it was my first ever F1 podium ceremony, my eyes were still missing the fans, although I had nothing to compare it to as F2 and F3 podiums were really different.

We waited for Checho to get onto the highest step, clapping for him until everyone stood still to listen to the anthems. As much as I wanted to one day hear mine, right now I was content with what I managed to achieve. Putting the yellow/black cap back onto my head I watched as Checo and their chosen Racing Point employee took their trophies before it was my turn to receive the tiny bit smaller version of it. With a grin taking over my face I stepped forward, making sure I didn’t drop the prize as it still felt huge in my hands, and raising my arm into the hand celebrated with the team even if they couldn’t come closer just yet. While Lance celebrated a bit as well I was already opening up my champagne in order to start spraying the others as soon as the music started. As much as they could have celebrated alone as a team, with both Lance and Checo getting onto the podium, before I could even think about turning away from them their bottles were already aimed at me and I couldn’t hold back my squeal when the cold liquid hit my face and neck.

I was drenched in champagne in just a few seconds, wincing away from the constant attack they started on me. When they turned away from me finally I sprayed them back and then turned towards the crowd and let the champagne go over them even though I knew it would probably not reach them. Stepping back I gladly clinked my bottle to the others’, taking a gulp from it even though champagne wasn’t my drink and my face did scrunch up immediately after the bottle left my lips. I almost stumbled forward with the force that Lance's hand landed on my back in a congratulatory slap that made the both of us laugh in the end, high on adrenaline as the alcohol didn’t yet have time to get into our blood.

Lil met me at the exit of the building, leading me right to the team who were already waiting, silently to my surprise. This changed as soon as I came into their sight, all of them screaming and pulling me into a group hug. I could only hug my trophy closer to make sure it was safe from people bumping into me as the group started jumping up and down. As much as I would have loved to stay and celebrate with them all day long, I had to give my trophy up to one of them after a few photos and leave for the media pen. The knowledge that we had the remaining day after my interviews to celebrate today’s outcome was the only thing that held me back from sticking with the team. We caught Dan for a few seconds as he was leaving with Aurélie and I was entering the pen, and it was perfectly enough time for him to pick me up and spin me around. I felt dizzy and a bit out of breath by the time I could finally feel the ground under my feet again, but I had to get to the sport and didn’t really have to time to calm down before I was already face to face with one of my favourite interviewers.

“ Well, that looked like a fun race to take part in. ” She exclaimed, her excitement just adding even more onto mine. “ How was it from the inside? ” She asked, giving me all the time I needed to get my breath and words together.

“ What gave it away? ” I joked about her first question, the both of us sharing a quick laugh. “ But yes, saying it was enjoyable is an understatement. We gave it our all, as the season is almost over, and it finally worked out. Everyone always worked their ass off to give Dan and I a strategy that could get us either a podium or points, and this weekend everything fell into its place finally. ” I was shaking my head as it still couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that I reached this milestone in my first season.

“ A picture perfect end to the year then? Maybe some motivation for next season with the rebranding and the new car? ” She asked, with the same genuine excitement I always saw on her face whenever we got a few minutes to talk.

“ There’s always something that we can improve on, mostly getting Dan to share a podium with me as well, but I guess that will have to stay for the future. Although Abu Dhabi could still surprise us. ” I shrugged a little, not totally believing my own words, but it was perfect daydreaming material. “ But I’m happy with how this race turned out, and it for sure will give me some much needed confidence inside the car. I feel like we have come a long way since February and it’s also not the end of the road. That’s for sure. ” My grin was probably visible from space, but I was sure it wouldn't die down until I went to sleep from total exhaustion after we finally celebrated today with the team.

“ I’m sure Daniel will gladly celebrate with you like it’s also his podium. He may even offer a space for the trophy at home. ” Her words coming from anyone else would have made me raise my brows, but I could easily detect when she was joking by now.

“ He may but everyone can be sure that the trophy isn’t leaving my hands in the near future. I may even take it on the last race with me in the cockpit. ” I shrugged my shoulders a little, my eyes focusing back on her as she voiced her following question.

Media duties were never and will never be my favourite, but today was bearable and an occasion that I would gladly repeat in a few days time. It let me wind down a little before taking at least a million photos with the team and then changing back into my normal clothing. All the celebrations continued over dinner with music and drinks as well as our usual meals. We all knew the end of the day would bring another race week, but nothing could have held us back from enjoying ourselves this one time. It may have made us a bit more cautious but no one really rejected any drinks that were offered.

In the end the party was shut down a lot earlier than usual, which in the end prompted me to steal a bottle of champagne from the main table and two glasses as well. With those in my hand I left the team behind in search of the one person who didn’t celebrate with us, although I would have liked him there. Carefully, making sure I won’t drop any part of the ‘package’, I knocked on his door as soon as I stepped in front of it. It took him quite some time to open the lock and finally pull the door open. However, as soon as I was met with his sleepy eyes and tousled curls, I knew he must have already gone to bed.

“ I have champagne? ” I offered with a smile, although it would have been fair if Lando sent me away. I was still hopeful and let out a relieved sigh when he stepped away to give me space to enter.

“ That bottle saved you from my wrath. ” He shook his head as he closed and also locked the door behind me. “ So I’m guessing the celebration went well? How does it feel to be on a podium, ” Lando walked back to the bed with me following right behind, until we sat down on his bed.

“ It’s fine. ” I shrugged a little, delighted at the face he made at me as a reaction, before bumping my shoulder into his. “ I’m kidding. It’s unbelievable still, even though I went through the whole process of a podium ceremony. ” I shook my head a little, getting ready to open up the champagne at the same time as kicking down my shoes.

“ The first one always feels strange. But it was deserved. You guys nailed that one stop strategy. ” We clinked our glasses together before taking one sip from it. “ Wouldn’t say it all looked relaxed, comfortable and fun, but in the end it worked out. That’s what matters at the end of the day anyways. ” Lando added, leaning back on the headboard with the sleepy look nowhere to be seen.

“ I was lucky. You don’t have to dance around it. I know I was mostly lucky and just at the right place at the right time. ” My eyes were stuck down on my glass, but the smile never melted off my face though. “ But I’m gonna still enjoy it nevertheless. Tonight is my night, well deserved or not. ” I added while moving up the bed and leaning back right next to him.

“ Hey. ” Lando got my attention, my eyes moving up to his face. “ You deserved it, do not make me repeat myself ever again. ” He shook his head and even though a part of me believed him, I knew this would be a fight in my head that I had to get over by myself. “ If you’re not in the right place at the right time, you wouldn’t have gotten lucky. And one portion of luck doesn’t mean it’s long term. You fought well to keep everyone behind and got the placing you deserved. ” His hand on mine was a welcome weight, in a way grounding my running thoughts and also the adrenaline that was still zooming around my body.

“ How do we always end up on your bed? ” My mind immediately went to lighten the mood, a chuckle accompanying my words before I quickly downed the amount of champagne that was still in my glass.

“ How much did you guys already have before you came here? ” Lando asked, looking up at me when I moved to fill up my glass again. We may have had a few drinks, but I didn’t really feel it’s effect yet.

“ Not much. Don’t fret, I can take a bit more champagne. ” I rolled my eyes a little, putting down the bottle while Lando held the glasses, securing them from falling off the duvet. “ There’s no break to detox before Abu Dhabi, so they got everyone to bed early. ” I let out a sigh, turning back from the bedside table afterwards and taking one out of his hand.

“ And why aren’t you in bed early then? ” He asked back, letting his glass touch mine for a second again. He was waiting for me to answer, but I rather took a sip from the drink before getting onto answering him.

“ I am in bed if you think about it. ” I leaned back again, being the one this time who reached out for his hand and even squeezed back gently. He seemed fairly alert and awake, but you could easily tell he was deep in sleepyland when I knocked on his door.

“ If we look at it like that… Although I’m sure they meant sleeping, and not drinking with your friend. ” Lando shook his head a little, but didn’t stay away from the champagne too much longer either.

“ We will be, just not right now. Although I can leave if I’m not interesting enough. ” I offered, sitting up straighter and pointing towards the door. Truly getting up and leaving was never in my plans, but he didn’t have to know that. “ And not here probably. I have to get back to my room first. ” My nose scrunched up at the idea of having to walk after more alcohol in search of my own room.

“ You don’t have to. There’s enough space here anyways. Who wants to walk after getting tipsy, anyways? ” Lando surprised me with his words, but he only spoke the truth. “ Congrats again. Onto the last race. ” He raised his glass before we took the next sip in sync, the both of us letting out a laugh afterwards. As I was already too lazy to walk more than absolutely necessary when I arrived at his room, in the end his offer seemed comfortable enough to make me stay and fall asleep about an hour and a shower later.

Waking up was fun, right until the headache that last night caused kicked in fully. My only hope was that it was immediately after a race, which meant we would get to relax a bit more than usual. Double headers were already a strain on the body but knowing how I will feel after waking up probably wouldn’t have held me back from celebrating anyways. It wasn’t everyday that you get onto a podium as a rookie, and you can’t just pass on that chance when you’re lucky enough to get it. Taking my phone from the nightstand my eyes were luckily met with a text from Marks, informing me that today is mostly off and I’m only needed for one quick session in the evening before flying to Abu Dhabi. With a sigh I got out of the bed, Lando staying fully asleep, and left the bedroom in order not to wake him up by moving around.

As much as I wanted to wait for him to wake up on his own accord, I knew the team would need me for PR duties and some other interviews. Knowing well what Lando liked and usually ordered for breakfast that fit a driver’s race week diet, I ordered him some breakfast and then took the two glasses and the champagne bottle as I was leaving the room. I knew we would meet up around lunch time, so I wasn’t worried that we wouldn’t get to speak if I leave him there for the day. It was rare that different teams shared a hotel, but luckily I didn’t have to make a run for my own building at dawn and could just walk down the hallway to my own room. Or at least that was the plan, which got cut in half for a second when the first person I saw after leaving Lando’s room was Dan and Aurélie. I should have known our team would be moving around as everyone had meetings and to-do lists to complete before leaving for the next weekend.

“ Good morning! ” They got me out of my staring phase with a synchronized greeting, my cheeks immediately feeling ten times hotter than usual. “ So that’s where the last bottle disappeared to. ” Dan exclaimed right before a laugh breaking free from his insides and I followed his gaze with my eyes, landing them on the bottle in my hands.

“ I… Yeah. Thought no one would be missing one bottle. We had quite a few still when I left. ” I looked back up at Daniel, and even though I was worried he was actually mad at me in a way, I was only met with his usual smile as Aurélie was trying to hold back her laughter. “ What? ” I asked immediately, confused about what part of my sentence they could deem funny.

“ I hope it got the mood up for you guys. ” Dan grinned at me but was already inside the elevator, knowing his words would make me want to hit him. He wasn’t far off as I considered throwing the mentioned bottle at him, but in the end thought it would make too big of a mess. It wasn’t worth it sadly. “ If you guys would like to fly to Abu Dhabi with Max and I, let me know. We have two more seats. ” He added, stunning me at first, but it didn’t sound like such a bad idea in the end.

“ You know what? It did. And I will ask him, thank you. ” I lifted it for a second before sharing a laugh with Aurélie and leaving them to finally get to my room. As much as I could feel the blush creeping up on my neck and cheeks, I wanted to enjoy a great joke and if someone, Dan for sure didn’t mean to hurt anyone with his words.

Getting through the day was a struggle with my headache, but I knew it was just that part of the day before I would get to rest a little. The break between the last interview and my late training session consisted of a quick lunch and a long nap in my hotel room. I didn't really get to meet up with Lando before it was already time for me to leave for the hotel gym. Arriving into the lobby I was about to just straight away go to the room that Mark reserved for us, when I spotted Lando chatting away to some fans with Charlotte by his side. He looked just a tiny bit tired, but was far better off then how I still felt from yesterday. The difference between someone partying and someone just drinking a glass or two. Although it still wouldn't have made me change my mind. After a quick glance at my watch, making sure I wasn't late and had a bit of time, I was already turned towards him and got close enough that I got his attention but wasn't rushing them or the fans in any way. It was their lucky day, I wasn't about to ruin it when I could talk to Lando whenever I felt like it.

I waited until Lando signed their caps and took a few pics with them, a smile getting on my face as well, remembering how it felt to meet F1 drivers while you were only a fan and also while fighting towards a seat. Never with Lando, as he was a part of my life before it could turn into a colleague like relationship, but with almost any other driver from the grid who was already racing while we were just karting or fighting through the junior series. He was already saying bye to them and turning towards me when they seemed to spot me as well and asked for pictures. I snapped out from going down memory lane, my head feeling dizzy for a second as I went from a long time F1 fan to the F1 driver I was now, realising that their question shouldn’t have sounded as strange as it felt for me. The second I realised they were waiting for an answer I nodded and stepped closer, letting them decide how they wanted the picture but I wasn’t surprised when they requested Lando to be in one or two as well.

“ Hi! ” He turned towards me, with his usual grin on show, as soon as the girls were content and walking away from us. “ How’s your head? ” He inquired while Charlotte was still on her phone, meaning we had a bit of time before any of us would have to go.

“ Achie, but I deserve it. Hopefully it will get better before we get to Abu Dhabi. ” I let out a sigh, shaking my head carefully not to make everything worse. “ I wanted to find you during lunch, but ended up napping the time away. Dan offered to take both of us on Max’s jet to Abu Dhabi, if you’re up for it. ” I finally got to the subject that I was looking for him in the first place for. The other is just generally talking with him for a bit.

“ If they’re sure about it I would love to. It will be fun, that’s not even up for debate. ” He accepted my offer without any second thoughts or actually barely any thinking about it. I shouldn’t have been surprised, knowing he was quite good friends with Max and Daniel as well. “ Sure you can take them one on one for a few hours? ” His chuckle made one of my eyebrows raise up in question. “ Never mind, it will be fun. ” Lando clapped me on the shoulder, turning towards Charlotte when she called out his name.

“ Go, before she gets angry. None of us wants to experience that again. ” I shook my head while wincing at the memory, before trying to shake it out of my head. As funny as it was, you never wanted her anger to be aimed towards you.

I gladly moved into the hug Lando initiated as we said goodbye and turned towards our own destination. The second I lifted my eyes from my watch I could spot Mark at the entrance to the hallway, leading from the lobby towards the gym and swimming pool, meaning I was already quite late. The numbers on my watch only assured me of the suspected situation, making me quicken my steps towards my trainer. Luckily he seemed to be on the happier side of life that day, and didn’t try to jokingly punish me or push me to my limits too much for my rare mistake either. For once I could thank the ‘recovery day gods’ for saving me from his anger. Thanks to them I could actually get back to my room without a limp in my step and actually managed to get into the shower without fighting my lazy and tired side.

After a quick shower I got on the phone with Dan to accept his offer about the flight to our next race destination, getting all the info about the journey down on paper. Knowing that Lando would be in the middle of some kind of a team meeting, I only texted him the infos and started packing all my remaining stuff. Living out of a suitcase most of the time had its perks, one being the tiny amount of packing one had to do while travelling from one place to another. Let’s not mention the cons of it though. Just as I sat back down on my bed to bug Lando about not answering me, a message from him arrived on my device making me smile. He also pretty much decided on his own that we would be having dinner together before taking a car to the airport, and didn’t give me a chance to decline in any way. Not that I would have, anyways.

He seemed adamant about getting everything sorted, from getting us a taxi to getting us a table somewhere, that he also kept a secret right until we got there. Luckily it wasn’t anything fancy, my basic choice of clothing fitting the diner, but a place that I mentioned to him during our off days prior to the weekend. I was both surprised and touched that he remembered and went out of his way to make it all happen before we would leave. The atmosphere and the food was out of this world, and even though it probably didn’t fully fit our dietary plan, it would have stayed between us anyways. At least I wouldn’t go and tell on him if he kept it to himself as well. What Mark and Jon didn’t know about wouldn’t hurt them. Or us. Depends on the perspective, really.

After our meal we got another taxi to the airport, where we easily walked through all the checks and were escorted to a lounge for the private jet. I was quite surprised to see Max and Daniel nowhere, but thought they were just either running a bit late or were already on the plane while they ran through our papers once more. I didn’t really understand why Lando looked quite nervous, given we weren’t about to travel with strangers or with a big crowd, but with friends he should have known well and it was his own decision to travel with them. By the time we had to board the plane, and our travel buddies were still missing I was starting to suspect some funny business going on in the background. Lando’s anxious leg shaking throughout our whole waiting time didn’t help my thoughts in any way either.

“ What’s going on, Lando? ” I couldn’t wait any longer to ask then when we were walking up the steps to the plane. He didn’t turn back towards me but never gave me an answer. At least not in the form of words.

My brows were furrowed already, but the lines on my forehead got even deeper as he let me go through the door first, making me the first one to get onto the plane. I was close to getting scared about going first, thinking that they might be planning some kind of a prank on me, but the voices I could hear erased any and every thought from my head. I didn’t even care about my luggage anymore, leaving my suitcase in the way of the entrance and took a few huge steps to finally see for myself if I was just imagining the voices or it was my actual reality. A huge part of me was sure I was actually going insane, but my eyes confirmed the picture created in my head as I could see my whole family on board, not paying any attention to us boarding. It was only my scream that got their heads turned towards the entrance, with less surprise on their faces than I had of course.

I probably could have broken some kind of world record with the speed I had for the few steps I had to take to get to my mum at first, and then everyone else. I could hardly let anyone get out of my squeeze to get to another person, slowly getting through the line that formed as everyone stood up. I couldn’t believe my eyes to see both my parents and all my siblings in front of me and not just through a screen. It took me a good ten minutes to calm down finally, just in time for all of us to sit down as the plane was set to finally leave the airport and take us to Abu Dhabi. I took a seat right next to Lando and across from my parents who looked exactly as ecstatic as probably I did from the outside, but at least felt inside.

“ You’re staying for the whole week? ” My excitement was slowly calming down as everything sank down in my head and it wasn’t such an alien thought after missing them for so long. Mum’s nod made me grin once again before I couldn’t hold back any longer and finally brought up the last race, to tell them everything face to face finally.

Props to them, they all listened to my rambling, even seeming excited about my story, even though they followed the race on TV and already listened to my presentation through a phone. I was even a bit disappointed that I didn’t have the trophy with myself, as it seemed safer to make it travel with the team, but I also knew we would have the time to show them after landing. We didn’t have to get everything ticked off the list in one hour, when we had a whole week and even the weekend for it anyways. I knew I was running on new found adrenaline the second everyone seemed tired other than me, dozing off in their seats while I was still scrolling through my social media, showing Lando a pic once in a while as he was still awake next to me. By the time I decided to put down my phone, only Lando was awake, but getting ready to sleep as he got back to his seat with a blanket.

“ Wanna share half of it? ” He asked just as I was about to ask for exactly what he offered, and I could only nod as an answer. Without another word he got our footrests up and the blanket draped over the both of us, luckily big enough that we could fit under it both.

I had a debate in my head with myself just for a second, before I pushed up the hand rest that was between our seats, leaning my head on his shoulder. He didn’t even seem surprised and that’s why I got a bit scared when he pulled away abruptly, straightening myself up immediately. I got even more confused when he took his discarded hoodie from the little table we had. My cheeks stayed their normal colour only because they didn’t have time to produce enough blush. However the second he placed the folded up hoodie on his shoulder, leaning back fully in his seat, it seemed like only a few milliseconds were enough for that missing blush to arrive. I was glad he was way too deep in his phone to have a chance to look up and make fun of my new colour. Trying my best I just put back my head in it’s previous spot, hiding my cheek into the soft material as much as I could, catching a whiff of his usual cologne coming off of it in the process. It made me sigh out which prompted Lando to turn his head a little and look at me out of the corner of his eye. As an answer I just gently shook my head, closing my eyes again and focusing on getting some sleep as soon as possible.

When I woke up my head needed a minute or two to realise where I actually was while it was still laying on Lando’s shoulder. My leg also must have moved over his, his hand holding it in place, while we were asleep making me halfway draped over him. Feeling the weight of his head and his curls a bit on my forehead held me back from moving too much around as we still had a few minutes before landing and waking him up wasn’t really a priority. Opening my eyes again they landed right on my mum who had a meaningful smile on her face that made me blush as soon as I completely wrapped my head around the situation. I mostly just closed my eyes again until it was really time for us to wake up, when luckily it was Lando who first started moving around meaning I didn’t have to be the mean one, poking him awake. He seemed pretty out of it at first but got himself together by the time the plane finally landed and we were allowed to get off with all our baggage.

The thought of having my family out at a GP again still felt strange as we took a car ride to the hotel where we had our reserved rooms. Lando’s team was at a different one but he still kept us company for the ride and got most of my family’s bags out of the trunk with the help of my dad before taking the same taxi to his own team’s hotel. As it was already late and everyone was tired anyways we all decided to just get our rooms, have a quick dinner and then call it a night. Before going to bed I still made sure to send a thank you message to Lando, but I only saw his reaction to it in the morning as I fell asleep the second my whole body touched the duvet.

I was glad that I never held back from sending that message as in the remainder of the week we never really had time to meet up and talk more than a few words. The first time I got to really talk to him was during an interview that included both of us after the first two free practice sessions, getting to discuss the whole season and the feelings we were bringing into the last race. It all felt like a simple conversation with jokes flying all over the place as well as of course the usual teasing that us being in the same area almost always brought out of people. It was still a lovely start to the weekend and got our spirits up even if the schedule was packed and we didn’t get much socialising after this occasion. As much as this was the last race it still held the same importance and we couldn’t just forget about it. It was still an important occasion for a chance at points that the team needed.

Somehow it turned out to be pretty underwhelming after everything, although that was actually good news in a way. We were happy for the couple of points we managed to get, but it wasn’t the same kind of content feeling afterwards. The only thing that made it special was having my whole family there, watching the race from the stands and also getting to support me right from the garage through the sessions. All of them would have never fit in that small space, but they managed to decide who and when would sit in the garage rather than their seats in the grandstand. There was a smile that never left my face, not even when we had to separate for the nights as they had their rooms a bit further away from me. I usually went to bed with it, and woke up with it still being there, only disappearing while I was in the car and had to focus.

It took a bit of time for both Dan and I to tick all the interviews off the to-do list which meant we could finally film our last team video together. It turned out to be a bit emotional, the thought of separating from him, in the team mates sense of the word, becoming actual reality just as we neared the end of the day. The end of the video felt like it was a real closing point of the season and the start of something new and uncertain but also very exciting. Even though we were free to leave the spot with the camera crew gone, none of us really made a move to stand up and leave the spot where we were sitting at the pitwall right across our garages. It was strange to see the packing get to the point where they started to take off the boards with our names and pictures, from above our own garage openings.

“ Hey. It might be Lando jumping on my nerves and challenging my calmness next year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come to me. Understood? ” I felt him bumping our shoulders together just as I turned towards him, peeling my eyes off of the packing crew. “ I’m still here, just a few garages away. Even for questions that sound stupid, yeah? ” He asked again, not letting go of my eyes as I nodded.

“ Thank you. I can’t say I won’t need it. ” I let out a chuckle, knowing there will be moments when I will be unsure about the right answer. “ You know... I don’t think I could have asked for a better partner in crime for my first ever season. ” My voice might have sounded a bit shaky during the last few words, but reading his face as much as I could he wouldn’t have been much better off. The hand clapping my back instead of words coming as a reaction also told me that I must have been right.

“ It has been a pleasure. ” He forced his words out in the end, making us both laugh by how formal our conversation sounded. However we both knew, as much as we joked around and with laughter being a main part of the last year, all these words were real and we both meant what came out of our mouths.

It was only when he had to leave that we finally got off of our butts, him leaving towards the car park while I went to get my things together from the garage. I opted for a last walk down the pit lane after retrieving my backpack, watching as I passed every garage, all the teams packing up already. I didn’t miss Lando still standing around, with his team and his phone in hand, and I was about to just wave at him as a goodbye when he called after me. I turned back to see him pass the phone to the two guys next to him while he quickly caught up to me actually running.

“ Hey! Are you coming to the after party? ” He asked without any hesitation, getting to the point immediately. “ I’m sure Dan mentioned it and I hope you didn’t think we would let you pass on it. ” He added with a grin and his arm came up around my shoulder as we continued on my previous route to the parking lot.

“ I knew you guys won’t let me just go back and sleep as normal people would like to do. ” I had to roll my eyes, my smile staying put though as I knew from the moment Daniel brought the party up that I wouldn't get to miss it. “ Yes, I’m going. I already have my outfit waiting for me in my room. ” I let out a sigh when he was still waiting for a real answer from me, even though I thought my words said enough already.

“ Fantastic. Just what I wanted to hear. ” He pulled me closer, almost making the both of us stumble and fall to the ground but luckily somehow we caught ourselves just in time. “ How about I take a taxi to your hotel half an hour earlier than the party and we go together from there? ” He stopped when we got to the end of the pitlane where I would take the exit.

“ I would like that. But don’t be late. Might take myself there alone otherwise. ” I tried to threaten him a bit, even though I knew it probably would never work. He knew me better than to believe such empty words coming from me.

His answer was enough for me though, both saying our goodbyes before I turned towards the exit and he walked back to his team to continue whatever they were doing on his phone. It was only back at the hotel when I realised they were probably already streaming when I met him, as he was still live on Twitch with both of the guys standing around him as well. Deciding it could be my entertainment while getting ready I positioned the phone somewhere safe while I took a shower and got dressed again. I was surprised when he was still going as I was already pretty much done with everything but my hair.

‘ Shouldn’t you be on your way? You might be late already… ’ I took my phone into my hands to send him a message privately and with a bit of a delay could actually hear his phone go off with the notification.

It was already worth it to send it when I could see his face change as he checked his watch for the time and then rushed to the end of the stream. He was of course still on time and would arrive just as I finished up with everything. It was still fun to play with him and make him a bit worried to see his face change in record time. While my screen went dark with his stream turning off I got started on my hair. It didn’t take longer than usual and just as I packed everything away there was a knock on my door. As a last step I pulled on my sandals before taking my little bag from the bed and walked up to the door to open it, revealing Lando in a baby blue shirt and white pants.

“ I’m surprised but also not really, how you’re exactly on time. ” I laughed as his face finally relaxed a little from the tense look he had on just as I stepped outside. “ The fans seemed surprised and sad how quickly you had to leave. ” I let out a sigh, trying to put on a sad face to accompany my words.

“ They would probably let me off the hook if they knew I had a party to attend with someone like you. ” His compliment wasn’t anticipated in any way from my side, making even my hands freeze for a second as I was putting away my keycard. When I looked up at him he already had his signature smirk on, knowing full well he managed to catch me off guard with how his tone told me he meant everything.

We got into the elevator still silently, the both of us leaning back onto the wall, but I couldn’t hold back from looking at him for longer than three floors. I was ready for more teasing words or a cocky grin but his only reaction was reaching out his hand towards me just as we reached the ground floor. With a sigh and a shake to my head I took his hand, letting him lead us out of the building and to a car that took us to the part of the local beach where the party was planned. We could hear the music from a corner away and easily spotted the pack from the entrance as we were granted entry at the sight of our passes.

Turned out we were just on time to get a glass of champagne and listen to the quick season summary before the real partying started. With a last storm of applause and everyone clinking their glasses together the season was deemed close and the music got turned back on, our ears getting saved only by the fact that we were outside and not in a closed-in club. Even if I would have tried to get away after the first few minutes of dancing, Lando and Daniel made sure that I would always have someone keeping me there. I couldn’t say I wasn’t enjoying it as my laughter throughout the night would have betrayed me, but I was still relieved every time when I got to leave the dance floor to get myself a new drink.

After hours of dancing, drinking, conversing and just simply having fun, my feet were happy when Lando offered for us to sit down somewhere. I was a tad bit confused when he seemed to have clocked onto a sitting hammock at the side of the party venue, but I never really stopped him on our way there. I watched intently as he sat down, still holding my hand in his, that he seconds later used to pull me down as well. At the start of the night I might have tried to squeeze in beside him, but right then and there my only thought was to not get his slacks sandy as I sat down on his lap sideways. The back of the hammock almost fully shielded us from the partying herd enough that I could let myself relax into his arm that came around my middle, in order to hold me back from falling off the hammock. We had a great view on the open water with all the music and noise behind us, a bit more muffled than it has been while we were in the center of the crowd. Thanks to probably the alcohol in my bloodstream and also to how tired I was Lando’s whispered “ I’m really glad you’re here too. ” almost went unnoticed even though he said it right next to my ear.

“ Here as in right now with you? Or just in general? ” I wondered when my brain finally processed his words and I realised he wasn’t just thinking out loud. I lifted my gaze onto him from the surface of the water, even though his sudden close proximity made me freeze for a beat.

“ Both. Just you existing and also being part of this whole circus. ” Lando shrugged, his arm tightening around me while he took a sip of his cocktail. I had my drink as well still, but felt like this conversation should be had before I would down even more of it. “ The only part I always like about this hectic place. Even if we had a few bumps on the road until now. ” He was rather looking at the view than me, but in a way I was glad for it, as I got to examine his face without him really noticing.

“ Quite the potholes if you ask me… ” I tore my eyes away from his irises to carefully move around a bit and sit in a way that I could rest my head on his shoulder. “ Surprised we managed to get through it. We’re both a bit too hot headed for things like this. As much as they think you’re a shy little kid, you have your moments. ” I poked his side ‘accidentally’ with my elbow and could immediately feel the shaking of his body as he both tried to pull away from my attack and tried to hold back his laughter.

“ You’re one to talk. We’re both just as bad as the other. ” He shrugged a little, his fingers digging into my side as he tried to make me squirm, and sadly succeeded with his siege. “ You’re the one with a dragon on her helmet. It fits you well. ” He added, making me roll my eyes, but it wasn’t enough to make me wanna leave. After the whole season nothing would get me to actually leave his side. At least not things that could actually happen.

“ Exactly why I have it on there. Scares people away before they try to get close to me. ” My head fell back onto his shoulder, my forehead resting on his neck and my eyes fluttering close. “ I just need to come up with something new design wise for next year. With the new colours. ” I let out a sigh, already daydreaming about the new season, even though usually it stressed me out. His proximity had a great effect on numbing my brain and making me relax. “ You should design one for me. Yours always looks pretty neat. ” I looked up at him, immediately feeling as excitement slowly woke up my brain.

“ I’m not against the idea. But you can’t say no if it’s not perfect. ” He raised his finger in front of my face, threatening me in the funniest way possible. I accepted his conditions with a nod, letting my head fall back in it’s previous spot, staying put even when he flicked my nose. His body shook with his laughter but it wasn’t in any way uncomfortable.

The songs in the background came one after the other, the party seeming endless with all the noise and shouting. In that moment I felt free in every sense of the word. We finally closed a season, giving us some time off, that we could decide to spend however we wanted. It was also the first time where I didn’t try and answer every question that popped up in my head and just tried to enjoy the moment. Also the fact that no kind of media was allowed to the party let me really just go with the flow without worrying what will get onto the world wide web for every fan to see. The drivers still could post content about our night, but we both knew they were our friends who would look out for us and make sure to not post anything that we wouldn’t approve of.

That free feeling was the only thing that gave me enough confidence to move my head off his shoulder, accidentally bumping into his chin as he made the same movement. I couldn't help a quiet chuckle right until his arm moved up from around my waist to around my neck. His eyes were everywhere, in the end focusing in on mine finally, a smile getting onto both of our faces. I could feel his fingers going through my hair absentmindedly, as it was pushed onto my shoulder where his arm was resting. His other hand was still on my thigh, resting right under where my dress ended, his fingers drumming on my skin to the rhythm of the songs in the background. It was all a welcome feeling and sensation going up to my scalp and running through my whole body. His gaze only intensified its effects even though his eyes were even softer than usual. It was the first time I didn't try to understand what's going through his head, although I was pretty sure we had almost the same thoughts and ideas going through our brains.

I would never be able to tell who moved first, but it wasn't important anyways. The only thing I could focus on was how his lips met mine in a quick and chaste kiss. His arm stayed around my neck, holding me closer softly, giving me the chance to pull away any time. Not that I needed that chance. My eyes opened again the second we separated, his doing the same and meeting mine immediately. I could almost feel his smile on my own skin from our proximity and couldn't hold back from the need to experience it as I leaned forward for another kiss. We soon separated again for air, prompting me to move around a little, turning more towards him in order to hide my face in his shoulder. As much as I moved in for the second one, my thoughts caught up to me finally, making me blush immediately. I could feel as he took the glass that was still in my hand, putting it aside before he fully hugged me closer to himself. The moment my hand was free it shot up to the nape of his neck, holding on, even though I already felt secure from falling by his arms. I couldn't help but let my fingers go through the short hairs there, while a shiver ran through my body at first by his breath on my neck and then by the little kiss he left right behind my ear, brushing my hair away from the spot to give himself space.

" Don't you dare close me out now. " Lando spoke up, right next to my ear, leaving another kiss there before leaning back a little. I followed his movement with my body, hiding my face back into his neck but bumping my nose into his jaw intentionally in the process. "You can put on a dress like this but then be shy about a kiss? " I could both feel and hear his chuckle shaking his whole body while his hand slid onto my back to emphasize his words, about my backless dress.

" They're two very different things. " I mumbled into his skin, amazed at how he seemed to understand what I said. " You can't compare them... " I moved my head a little, looking down at his hand that had the bracelet on which I gave him not long ago. It always made me feel warm inside, knowing he actually liked it enough to wear it every day. " But I won't, it just surprised me in a way. " I shrugged a little, moving back again and letting my hand slide down to his stomach. I didn't dare to look up at him yet but was perfectly fine and content letting him take my hand in his and hold it there.

“ I’m glad the season ended when and how it did. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything, not even winning the championship. ” His words made me look up immediately and when I realised he wasn’t joking I had to fight my own emotions. In the end, just a second later, my disbelief won over getting wooed by his compliment and I swatted at his chest full force.

“ Yes you would and should. I would be actually angry if you didn’t exchange it for the championship. ” I shook my head at him, totally forgetting about how looking into his eyes would make me feel after everything. I slumped back into my previous spot, but at the same time couldn’t look away. It was visible even in his eyes as his grin got wider and I was more than mesmerized by the front row view I got of it.

“ Hi. ” He bit out just in time, before my elbow met his ribcage and he let out a huff of air, surrendering to my attack. “ Feisty. Has anyone told you that before? ” His hands tried shielding his sides from another round of attack that his words could have brought onto himself.

I was just about to roll my eyes at him when I could see movement in the corner of my eyes, and turning my head I was met with Daniel standing not far away from us. “ Lovebirds, wanna be part of the group pic? ” He called out to us, not giving me any time to feel embarrassed by our position. He didn’t seem one bit surprised and was already turning away when Lando answered his question.

I was the first one to get to my feet, taking my sandals and the remainder of my drink into hand, knowing I would probably lose them otherwise. I watched as Lando did the same with his shoes and glass, my eyes sticking to the part of his shirt where a few too many buttons were opened as he straightened up. In my dazed state I gladly took his hand when it was offered to me, letting him pull me towards the group gently. We both left our shoes at our official table before joining everyone else at the front of the bunch thanks to both of our heights. I didn’t pull away when Lando’s arm came around the front of my shoulder, in that moment giving up any care of the world around us. I just wanted to enjoy the bit of time we still had before the break started.

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cherrywoes · 3 years

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liar's dice. (gojo x f!reader)

title: liar's dice.

pairing: gojo x f!reader

rating: nsfw (18+)

a/n: nie! i did my best! i hope you like it! <3 i struggled a bit but i think it turned out okay. :) @sixeyesgojo

GOJO NEVER STAYED—not like he was now, indulgently tracing tiny little circles over your abdomen. Circles that turned into letters that turned into numbers that turned into words that turned into phrases; ones you couldn’t read, because he was perceptive, and ones you could only guess at the meaning of. He was tender, soft, casual where he normally wasn’t; bruises littered your throat and body as proof, rough imprints of his fingers into your soft skin, livid and visible, deep from the force. Not even your legs had escaped his destruction, teeth marks and the crescent indents of fingernails in your calves, your knees carpet burned to hell, and your scalp aching pleasantly from where he had wrapped those long fingers in the hair at the base of your neck and pulled, the agony oh so pleasant. He never paused to give you a tender embrace, like he was now, nor did he ever stop to lie with you and bask in the afterglow that you usually experienced alone. You didn’t think he knew the gentleness he was showing you, not with the way your jaw still ached and your core throbbed to the point of unpleasantness.

“What’s changed?” you asked him quietly, voice hoarse and cracking from overuse. You didn’t dare turn your head to look at him, wary to catch those gorgeous blue eyes filled with emotion—or anything at all that wasn’t pure lust. You weren’t sure if you could handle that. “Why are you staying?”

His fingers followed a sinuous path over your hip bone. “Is it bad of me to want to stay with you, [Name]?”

Not [Name]-chan, [Name]-san, or even [Surname]—just… [Name]. It sounded so strange, so wonderfully odd coming out of his mouth without an honorific. You twisted in his grip, sitting up, the sheet you’d thrown over yourself falling to your hips. Gojo’s fingers fell to your thigh, questing, and squeezed your knee in inquiry; once, twice, thrice, a queue he hadn’t used since you’d first started hooking up with him. A queue to feel you out, gauge your emotions when you couldn’t speak.

Cautiously, you reached down and covered his hand with yours, lips twisting, working out the right way to tell him that you didn’t trust this.

“Yes.” Your [color] eyes, red and swollen from tears of ecstasy and overstimulation, darted to him, something fierce and angry within. “Yes, it is bad—because you never stay, Gojo. You always leave and it’s cruel of you to stay, knowing that you’ll leave anyway for someone else—that I can never be good enough for you, not completely, because you go to others! And yes, I know it’s shitty of me to back out on an agreement I proposed, but I—if you do this, I can’t deal with it anymore. I just can’t. Lingering, staying, making me think you might have a smidge of something in that heart of yours for me, and just crushing me when I realize you never felt anything at all. That I’m a convenience when you want to get your dick wet.”

Tears, hot and stinging, welled up in your eyes unbidden and you brushed them away with a harsh stroke of your hand. Your mouth quivered and a knot formed in your throat; your lungs constricted; your chest felt heavy. You wanted to take an inhale, but you knew it would only produce a choked up sob, so you smothered it as far down as it would go, pressing your lips together so hard between your teeth that you knew they had to be bleeding.

“Oh.”

You scoffed, feeling a bead of blood dribble down your chin when your lips parted. “‘Oh’ is right.”

Unable to bear his touch, the firm hand on your knee, you swung your legs over the edge of your bed and ripped the sheet off of your body. You trembled, but you didn’t fall, the muscles in your legs reliable after a moment’s rest. Not waiting to see if he reached out to you, you slung on a vintage silk robe you’d picked up at an estate sale, tying it into a hasty knot around your waist. You didn’t want him seeing you naked again, so vulnerable after that confession, even though he had seen you nude beneath him just half an hour ago, writhing in the throes of your orgasm. You felt that if he said the words to break your heart, you might just shatter to his feet.

Your balcony had a perfect view of the city, and you used it to your advantage, picking out the silhouettes of those still awake even in the early hours, walking past the windows, either on the phone or cleaning. You tried and failed to swallow the knot in your throat as sheets rustled behind you and Gojo stepped behind you, never touching but hovering, his very aura an oppressive presence crawling over your skin. You were tempted to press yourself against the tempered glass to get away from it.

“I can’t lose you, [Name].” His fingers touched the back of your elbow gently, testing. When you didn’t pull away like he expected, he carefully slid his palms up to your shoulders, following the subtle curve of your collarbone. You closed your eyes, squeezed them tight, as his fingers moved over your pulse and rested there. “I realized it a few days ago, because in every girl I slept with, I looked for you in them. It also probably didn’t help I said your name instead of theirs, but… Besides the point! I’m not leaving you, [Name]. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“Right.” You gently wormed out of his grip and stepped around him. The truth of the matter was, you didn’t believe him—not one bit. Not with how he was. To be so flippant, so ridiculous about something so serious to you… It was like him. But you didn’t appreciate it. You padded towards the kitchen, reaching for the doorknob to escape the confined space you both stood in. You twisted, hearing the click of the lock. “Whatever you say, Gojo—”

You were ripped away from the doorknob so quickly you had whiplash. Your mind spun as you were pressed against a wall opposite your bed, quite harshly, the back of your neck and shoulderblades digging into hardened plaster. Gojo placed a hand beside your head, the other palm pressed flat against your stomach, pinning you to the wall with nowhere to go. You knew what he was capable of; you had even witnessed in on one occasion when you were stupid enough to get too close to a curse.

“I’m not lying.” His breath crested over your face and throat, a warm wave as he exhaled. “[Name]... You have to believe me.”

“I believe you.” Your eyes narrowed dangerously. You were tempted to punch him, kick him, something to get him to stop pinning you down like this. “The fact is I don’t trust you, Gojo. You’ve given me no proof—”

A kiss, harsh and splitting your lips more than they had been, blood smearing across your mouth, silenced the growing argument brewing in your lungs. You felt him swipe his tongue over the laceration when he tasted blood, pulling his head back and regarding you with pleading eyes.

“You’ve never given me a chance to try,” he whispered, reaching over and wiping a bead of blood from your bottom lip. You allowed him to do so, resisting the urge to bite down and sink your teeth into his skin for causing you so much heartache. He’d probably enjoy it, knowing him as you did. “Let me try.”

He was unraveling your robe tie before you could say no, pushing the silk off of your shoulders. It slipped down your arms and body and puddled at your feet, leaving you feeling raw, exposed, and vulnerable in a way you had never felt before. He had cut a lamp on somehow, exposing the flaws of your body and skin to him even more prominently, even the wicked bruises and bites he had left on you—you immediately went to sweep the robe back into your arms, but he stopped you, knocking your arm away.

“Stop fighting it,” Gojo advised, slowly settling down to his knees. You watched the muscles in his legs and abdomen twitch and quiver, balancing his weight out, and the peculiar way he almost seemed reverent as he knelt at your feet, palm sliding up from your belly to grip your chin, forcing you to look down at him like an indolent god. “Let. Me. Try.”

The words shriveled up and died in your throat as he lifted your leg over his shoulder, pushing the rest of your weight against the wall, and pressed his lips to your thigh, feeling out the pulse there with his mouth. You flushed fresh with heat, new coils winding around in your abdomen despite your anger, and watched as he trailed his lips up your leg towards the apex of your thighs, never breaking eye contact with you.

He waited for you to stop him, breath cresting over your swollen lips, but you never did.

Your hands came down into his hair, already mused and messy, as his tongue slid across abused flesh. Slow and with no immediate goal in mind, he enclosed his mouth over the slick folds already growing wet for him, and gave gentle nips and licks to already sensitive and overused flesh. Each time he passed over a tiny bruise, your breath hitched, and he moved on, fingers pushing up and spreading you apart for his pleasure. You felt a well of embarrassment come up as he admired you in the light of the tiny lamp by your bed, but before you could manage a biting quip, he was pushing his tongue between his fingers and sucking your clit into his mouth. Tired and wrung out, you could barely produce more than a breathy moan, but for Gojo, that was perfect—he moved his fingers in perfect strokes to accommodate the harsh attention he gave your clit, feeling the muscles inside your pussy clench around air as you grew closer and closer to your peak. He could pick up on the little halts in your breath, the way you tensed and froze up, hips pushing against his face, and before you could release on his tongue, he parted from you, a string of spit and your wetness webbing between you.

“Gojo,” you hissed, watching him rise from his knees and hook a hand behind your head, supporting your neck. He was always like this, teasing you; but something felt different, something had… changed. “Why’d you do that?”

“I wanted to.” He pressed a kiss to your mouth and you were helpless but to return it, tasting yourself on his tongue. “Legs up, [Name].”

[Name] again—no variation. You were a lost cause, complying easily, sliding your legs up and around his hips. His length pressed against you, hard and leaking already, as he pushed you further into the wall until he was flush against you, staring into your eyes as if he could drown in them.

“Gojo,” you whispered, partly a whine, tightening your legs and simultaneously grinding your pussy against the length of his shaft, hot white heat jumping up your belly at the sensation. “Please…”

He reached down and, in one smooth motion, entered you at your plea. You moaned at the stretch, fingers digging into his shoulders, and he was torturous as he set a slow pace, intentionally hitting every spot you could think of with each stroke; you could feel another orgasm building behind your navel, faster than you had ever had before, and you wanted to close your eyes, but found yourself mesmerised by his instead, the blue jewels riveted upon your face in fascinated observation.

You realized, belatedly, that you could actually see how he looked at you in the dark because the lights were on. And he could see you, in full form—and somehow, not even your orgasm could rip the intense focus between you apart, though you tried, your exhaustion catching up with you.

“You’re not leaving,” you affirmed, barely a whisper.

“I’m not,” he affirmed.

And so, from then on—he stayed. Just like he promised.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x y/n

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moveslikebucky · 3 years

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WIP Wednesday

Hello so it's Wednesday huh? I am so bad about actually posting these but today I have stuff I would really like to share! It's from me and @ouidamforeman's ghosts AU, Night of the Living Boyfriend!, as we soldier on into Chapter 4 and further into Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship and their time spent apart over the summer!

And since I haven't posted one of these in a while, I'm giving y'all a nice and long look at a currently unedited part of the next chapter! A quick content warning for blood in this snippet, but that's kind of just what you get with this Crowley.

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The bus ride from the airport felt like an eternity, spread out across several miles of beautiful New England countryside that Aziraphale couldn’t even find the good sense to enjoy. Every moment spent in a queue waiting to find out his class schedule made his skin prickle with frustration. Why couldn’t things just move? Didn’t the world know he had better things to do?

Summer with his family had been… well, par for the course honestly. Lots of time alone, secluded from the family he never liked to interact with. Lots of implications about him having the ‘good sense to keep his morals about him’. As though Tadfield University cared one crumb about the family name. As though anyone did anymore. His family was still powerful, but in an old money way that didn’t carry as much weight as it used to. And he’d never wanted any of it anyway.

There were letters, written but never sent. How do you address a letter to a ghost? “The Haunted House Down the Lane” written on an envelope doesn’t really do anything. But he wrote them anyway. Well over a dozen, full of confessions he wasn’t ready to say. It made him feel closer, even though the months with Crowley had felt more like a fever dream than anything else.

Finally, with the schedule finally in hand after what felt like years, Aziraphale was able to return to his apartment. He didn’t even stop to unpack, simply opening the door and throwing his suitcases in before closing it behind him. He had much more important places to be.

He fully expected, if he were honest, that the whole thing never happened. That he’d arrive at the old dilapidated Nutter House and find it completely empty, grown over with vines and cobwebs. No cassette deck, no blankets to keep out the chill, no little plant being nursed back to health.

Aziraphale’s feet carried him down the familiar path as soon as the bus doors opened; muscle memory taking him past the familiar trees at the end of the sidewalk, further into the woods. The leaves were just starting to shift from their verdant green into shades of orange and yellow, the heat of August doing nothing to stem the seasons from changing.

Soon enough, he was at the door of the old house. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, reminded himself that this was somewhere he was wanted. But as he reached for the doorknob, he paused.

Three months had passed. It was a long time. Long enough for someone to move on, if they didn’t hear from someone. Long enough for someone to pass on, if Crowley had found what was tying him to this world. Long enough to be forgotten.

He shook his head, those thoughts wouldn’t do. Either Crowley would be there or he wouldn’t, and at the end of the day it didn’t matter one way or the other. Crowley was his friend first, before everything else that had come along.

Aziraphale knocked politely before turning the knob and letting himself in. The house was unusually cold for the tail end of summer, but it often was. That was one thing all the books on ghosts got right, at least.

“Crowley? Are you here?” Aziraphale asked the empty space as he walked through the house he’d become so familiar with. He made his way through the kitchen, towards the stairwell. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the withered snake plant, flourishing and bright on the kitchen counter, soaking up the sun coming in through the window.

He poked at the soil, finding it just a tad bit on the dry side. It could probably do with a little water at least, and Crowley sometimes took a while to manifest. He took one of the dingy glasses to the outside tap, feeling a cold chill up his spine as he crossed the threshold. So it was going to be like that, was it?

“Goodness me, it’s ever so boring here all by myself. Just me and the plant. The only friend I have to talk to,” Aziraphale said, chewing the scenery of the kitchen for all it was worth. “Woe is me, to be all alone in a crumbling old house. I hope nothing horrible happens to me while I’m minding my own business, watering this plant.”

The cold dripped in slowly, a slight chill prickling at his senses. Like the first sip of strawberry cordial on a July afternoon. It dipped lower and lower still, enough to make Aziraphale shiver. He could see the puffs of his breath in the air as a cold wind came on with a moan right through the small kitchen. A gurgling noise started in the sink basin. Aziraphale looked inside to see a glowing mass of ectoplasm and blood bubbling up from the drain. How dramatic, he thought to himself. Though he supposed after a summer alone he could afford Crowley a bit of dramatics.

The bubbling continued, viscous glowing red blood filling the sink basin, overflowing and spilling onto the floor as Aziraphale rolled his eyes. It creeped across the floor, leaving an iridescent trail in its wake, before coming together and materializing into something – someone – not altogether corporeal.

“Hi,” Crowley said, with his trademark half smirk, eyes glowing red behind the sunglasses he had died in.

“At least there isn’t blood dripping from your mouth this time,” Aziraphale pointed out, unable to contain the fondness slipping into his words.

“Three months away and that’s all you can say?” Crowley asked, trying to look hurt but smiling too wide for the ruse to be successful.

“All you can say is ‘hi’, so what does that say for either of us?” Aziraphale crossed his arms, leaning against the still-bloody counter and raising an eyebrow.

The moment wasn’t awkward, not really. But it was charged. It was a moment that held all of the weight of the past three months of separation. Of no way to keep in touch. Of unsaid words and unsent letters. Aziraphale broke first. “I missed you, my dear.”

The smirk on Crowley’s face shattered, splintering across his features into something much larger and more real. “Missed you too, angel.”

#text #wip wednesday #my fic #good omens #book omens #cw blood #so excited to be working on this again i hope y'all are ready for it #they're gonna hurt in this chapter though :'c

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buckybabybaby · 4 years

Text

café d'amour

A/n: my entry to @firefly-in-darkness 's challenge. Thank you for letting me enter! I left it to the last minute once again, but! This time it's not late so... fingers crossed next time I'm early xxx

Proof read with a text-speech device.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/reader (gender neutral)

Word count: 3537

Warnings: none! :]

Plot: Maybe covering a friends shift in a city park coffee kiosk won't be too bad if it means running into a certain super soldier.

coffee-shop sort of au, fluff and more fluff.

Masterlist

*****

The machine humming quietly in the corner of the tiny hut seems to be mocking you, a constant reminder of just how out of your depth you are. People who think working in a coffee shop, or in your case, a take-out kiosk, is easy, should try it for a day and see if their opinion changes. This is so far away from your usual job, safe and warm re-shelving books in the colleges library, but a promise is a promise, so you've just got to suck it up for the next few weeks and hope you don't mess anyone’s orders up too badly.

Peter is going to owe you big time after this.

When he'd asked you to cover for him in his small business, you had agreed without properly thinking about what time of year it is, and how cold the wind can be when you're stood still in it for hours on end. Two days in and your hands have aged about ten years from the combination of frequent washing and the icy air, and the layers of thermals you've got on under your uniform fleece and matching joggers are making you look a little rounder than you actually are, you couldn't care less though as long as you are warm. The water heater provides a little warmth, leaking through to your skin if you press up against it, but you've found the best way to escape the freezing gusts is to crouch down below the counter when the queues have diminished.

That's where you are now, half heartedly straightening the packets of treats, getting distracted by the many different types of cookies and brownies, and not keeping an eye out for potential customers.

“Hello? Is this self-serve or what?”

The voice startles you, so close without warning, almost like they crept up on you. Hopping up quickly, you hover your hands under the sanitiser and rub them together as you collect yourself and prepare your speech.

“Hello! Sorry! Hello,” You start again, marginally calmer, “Welcome to-”

That's as far as you get, not even able to ask what they 'fancy today?' before the customer interrupts.

“Just a coffee. Black. No fancy milks or syrups or anything, no cakes or anything extra. Just coffee, okay?”

Finally looking up from your now dry hands, you take in the man who has placed such a blunt order. He's attractive enough, the little you can see underneath his hat, something about him familiar to you, his tone definitely one you've got used to over the past day or so, though he's not anywhere close to the rudest person you've served.

You smile pleasantly, in the disarming way you've learnt. “Okay, just coffee, got it. And a name for the cup?”

He looks around at the lack of other customers. “Is that necessary?”

Laughing self-consciously, you say, “Probably. If it gets busy I'd hate for it to get mixed up. I'm new.”

“Ah.” He tuts. “James.”

“James, cool. That'll be a few minutes.”

As you grab a pen to write his name on the sleeve of a cup, he shuffles off to the side, adjusting his hat as he does, and when his coat slips a bit down his left arm your mind goes blank. He's not paying attention to you so your staring goes unnoticed as you realise why you thought he was familiar earlier, wondering how it didn't click when he said his name, but then again wrapped up in his scarf and gloves it's not surprising. You're guessing he doesn't want to be recognised right now, hence the use of his real, less known name, so before he can catch your mild freak-out you look away and messily scribble on the side of his cup.

Even a simple order can be a struggle for you, and now, slightly flustered from serving the Winter Soldier, you make sure to double check the measurements before you start, concentrating hard to make the greatest cup of coffee he's ever had. There's a reason this kiosk has a reputation for the best hot drinks in the park and you aren't about to ruin it by messing up the order of Captain America's best friend.

Breathing a sigh of relief as you place the lid on top of the perfectly brewed coffee, you tap it against the table to get his attention. “Here you go. The machines ready.”

Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he swipes his card to pay then grabs the cup off the counter, murmurs something that could have been a 'thanks' and takes off along the dim path leading him deeper into the park.

“Well.” Huffing as you lean against the glass front of the booth, you watch his retreating form with a small frown. He wasn't anything like you thought he might. The media has built him up to be some sort of tragic figure, one to be feared and pitied in equal measure, but all you saw was yet another city dweller on a quest for caffeine.

At least now you have a story to tell from your time working in the coffee kiosk, aside from the ones about frozen fingers and half-spilt drinks.

*****

The next day he's back, around the same time in the afternoon, as the daylight is dying and the street lights are flickering into life, about an hour before closing. You're finishing up a complicated order for a group of friends when you notice him standing away from the small crowd, waiting for them to leave before he approaches.

“I want a coffee like yesterday,” He says, adding as though an after thought, “Please.”

“One black coffee?” You confirm.

He nods, watching closely as you locate the pen to write on his cup. Before you can even open the cap, he's butting in. “Why don't you have a name tag?”

You freeze, confused. Meeting his eye, you flush under the intense way he's staring you down. “Why don't I-?”

“You see, I have a very good memory, despite my age. I distinctly remember telling you my name is James, so imagine my surprise seeing my nickname written on my cup when I looked properly.”

His expression is not giving away any clues on how he feels about this invasion of privacy. Heart racing, you search for the right words to apologise, and convince him you're not some crazy stalker.

There's no chance to speak as he's continuing. “So I thought I'd come back today and find out your name, then we'd be even. But you don't have a badge on. Why not?”

“I'm so sorry,” You breathe, unsure what more you can say. “I swear I'm not a weirdo, I just recognised you yesterday and I must have written the wrong name by accident.” A beat of silence, then you propose a way to make it right, “How about free coffee for life?”

He laughs, a glorious sound in the crisp air, and your shoulders relax at the genuinely happy noise. “Aren't you new? Are you allowed to make promises like that?”

Wincing, you admit, “Probably not. But when I explain it to Peter I'm sure he'll understand.”

“Peter?”

You start working on his drink as you talk. “He owns this place. And normally works this shift, I'm only covering whilst he's away.”

“Oh.” The hissing of steam drowns out his next sentence, you only catch the last half, “-here how long?”

“Couple of weeks, maybe? Not too long hopefully. You'll have a professional barista back soon, don't worry.”

“I think you're doing fine.”

The words are spoken so softly, such a contrast from how you thought this conversation would end, and the shock has you fumbling with the finished cup of coffee, nearly spilling the scolding liquid all over your fingers.

“Careful.”

Taking the cup from you, his hand lingers against yours for a moment too long and you force yourself to stand up straighter and away from his touch. The last thing you want is to become a horrible cliché, falling for a customer after a few sweet lines.

He grabs a few napkins to wipe the cup dry, then looks expectantly at the card machine.

“I meant it, free for life,” You say, determined.

Shaking his head, he roots around in his pockets, pulling out a couple of notes and sliding them across the counter towards you. “Old fashioned money it is then. I didn't mean to come across as angry earlier, or yesterday, thinking about it. Sorry about the whole,” He waves his hand around vaguely, “Murderous vibe I give off, or whatever Sam calls it.”

He rolls his eyes fondly when talking about his team mate, and you giggle as you reassure him. “You didn't look murderous, just a bit like you might sue me.”

“Ugh.” He wrinkles his nose. “Not really my style.”

Your bank balance is thankful. “And to answer your question, I'm Y/N.”

Blowing on to the top of his drink, he takes several steps back, all whilst keeping eye contact. “Well then Y/N, I guess I'll see you tomorrow.”

“I'll be here.”

With that, Bucky waves goodbye with a wide smile, disappearing into the dusk as you wonder just how much trouble he's going to be.

*****

The kind of trouble you don't mind, you find out when you run in to him again the next day, a lot earlier than you imagined. In an attempt to keep yourself warm for the long hours stood in the open, with only a waist high counter between you and the frozen air, you've taken to walking around the park before you are due to start, so the heat generated by the exercise keeps you warm for at least a proportion of your shift.

The sunshine is deceptive this afternoon, doing nothing to raise the temperature as you wander around the edge of the lake. Lost in thought, a sudden shout from behind makes you jump.

“Hey, Y/N! Wait up.”

Turning around, you struggle to place the voice as you scan the few people also on this side of the park. None of them are even looking in your direction, let alone trying to draw your attention, and you're about to continue on your way thinking you must have misheard when a body nearly crashes into yours. This is not an image you ever thought you would see; the Winter Soldier panting to catch his breath after jogging up to you, all because you're on first name terms and not because you've suddenly turned to a life of crime.

“Bucky?”

At your bemused tone, his face drops. “Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. If you want to be alone, I can go, I just thought-”

“No! No, it's okay. I don't mind a bit of company.”

You share a smile, and he lets you take the lead back along the small track, winding its way between the trees and the water.

He breaks the silence a few meters along. “So, what do you normally do?”

“Me? Err,” You pause, trying to think of how to make yourself sound interesting to someone who spends his life side by side with superheroes and literal gods. Sighing in defeat as you conclude you're always going to be boring in comparison, you mumble, “I work in the library where I'm also a student.”

Bucky doesn't appear to think you're dull. “That's cool!” He says, like he means it. “I miss being in school.”

“So did I, so when I got the chance I went back. I'm a bit older than most of the students-”

He snorts. “I know how that feels.”

“But I'm determined to get my degree this time.”

“I'm sure you will.” He grins at you and you're inexplicably filled with hope that he's right. “And after? Do you know what you want to do once you've graduated?”

You shake your head. “Right now all I'm focused on is passing exams and submitting essays on time. I'll think about the future when it's closer.”

“That's fair. Nothing wrong with waiting to figure things out.” More reassurance from this relative stranger. You didn't know how much you needed it until just now.

“Most people say I need a ten year plan or something.”

“Most people are wrong. But,” He pauses, and you hold your breath as you anticipate his words. “Can I suggest if you go into business, maybe don't start off by offering life time free supplies at the drop of a hat?”

Two minutes in to this 'friendship' and he's already teasing you? What is going on? Turning your face away so he can't see your stupid grin at this turn of events, you really would believe this is some sort of perfect daydream if it wasn't for the all too real frozen mist clinging to your coat and the ends of your hair.

“I'll try to remember that, thanks.”

Dodging a puddle in the middle of the path, you're trying to come up with a witty retort to impress him when your phone buzzes in your pocket.

“If you need to get that-”

“Oh, no. It's only my alarm to remind me not to wander too far from work before I need to start.”

“Soon?”

“Yeah.”

“I'll walk you back, then.”

Not wanting to leave his side quite yet, you let him accompany you back through the trees, but you refuse his offer to carry you across a muddy part of the path where the stream has burst it's banks. Flushing as he laughs at your careful steps, you manage to get across without completely ruining your shoes, informing him you've learnt the hard way that these trails aren't exactly 'white trainer friendly' as the kiosk looms into view.

Relieving the worker from the morning shift, you rearrange the counter back to the way you like it before any customers turn up, watching Bucky hovering nearby until you give him a questioning look.

He clears his throat. “If I came this way the same time tomorrow, would I bump into you then?”

The hopeful look he gives you would be enough for you that, even if this walk wasn't part of your daily routine already, you would have made it so in order to see his again.

“Uh huh. Are you planning too?”

“Whenever I come with Sam, we always end up getting recognised with the way he can't keep his voice down. It's nice not having that sort of attention. So if you don't mind?”

“I don't mind.” A patron approaches and reluctantly you turn away, sending a quiet promise to your new friend. “See you tomorrow, Bucky.”

*****

The days past so fast now they're full of work, both at the kiosk and in the library, trying to study, and, most importantly, walking with Bucky every afternoon. Some days the two of you talk the whole way, conversation flowing so easily you're amazed at how honest you are, like you've never been with anyone before, and other days you walk together in relative quiet, completely comfortable in each others presence.

Falling for him is the quickest and easiest thing you've ever done. Dealing with your feelings, however, might be somewhat harder.

With the lighter evenings comes the message that Peter is finally on his way home and soon you'll be free of your second job. It feels like a bolt from the blue, to be reminded that this is only temporary and in not too long you will no longer have an excuse to see Bucky.

You mention it to him a week before your last shift.

“Isn't that good?”

“I guess.” Your reply is short and unenthusiastic, changing the subject quickly to hide how heartbroken you are.

Time moves too fast, and before you know it you're greeting him on that last day, taken aback as he presents you with a small cardboard box, which when you take it, is much heavier than it looks. “Natasha gave it to me for you. Apparently it's really good for your hands. I thought you could try it? Now you won't have to wash them constantly?”

Scanning the sides reveals that it contains a moisturiser, from some luxury brand you've never even thought to try, too far out of your price range. “Oh, this is too much, I can't take-”

“Yes you can.”

“Let me give you something-”

Gently tugging your hand back out of your bag, he stops you from grabbing your purse by enclosing his gloved fingers around yours. When he doesn't let go, instead pulling you along and down towards your now usual route, you let him, gaping at the back of his head before coming to your senses and squeezing his hand in a kind of thanks.

“This is a very kind present.”

He shrugs it off. “It's nothing. When it's your birthday or something, then I'll get you a proper present. Presents, plural,” He emphasises as your eyes widen at the thought. “Nah, this is just one of the hundreds of products Natasha gets sent in the vain hope she'll provide the companies with some free advertising. Better you have it than it go to waste.”

It still feels like a gift to you. “Well then, thank you for thinking of me.”

“Always.” The implication of that one word would have been entirely missed if it wasn't for the panicked look on Bucky's face as he corrects himself. “I... I mean, of course.”

Stopping in the middle of the path, your joined hands cause him to halt too and the atmosphere grows tense as you stare at each other, unsure where to start. The minutes haven't stopped ticking down until you're due on your last shift, and with the implication that comes with hanging over you like a dark cloud, now seems just as good a time as any to bring it up.

You hesitantly begin. “Bucky, can I say something?”

Mutely, he gestures for you to proceed.

“Right, so you know today's my last day at the kiosk, at least until Peter goes away again, so, that means I won't have a reason to walk around here any more. Or I won't, unless...”

“Unless?”

“Unless I do. Unless you still want to come around the park with me, even if it's for no more reason than simply going for a walk?”

“I'd love that.”

The relief that flows though you as he agrees is almost physical, gripping onto his hand in yours just a little tighter.

Feeling brave, you dare to push your luck. “And if it was more than just a walk?”

It takes a moment, but then you see the realisation dawning on his face, a slow smirk appearing as he takes a step into your space. “More?”

You know he knows what you mean, that he's playing with you. That doesn't soothe your doubts though, hoping beyond hope that you're not misinterpreting his teasing.

“Yeah. More.”

Letting go of your hand in order to bring one arm around your waist and pull you closer, your own come to rest against his lapels as he dips his head down.

“I think I'd like more,” He whispers.

You swallow as his gaze slips to your mouth, sinking in his embrace as his lips brush against yours, so soft and brief it barely registers,

Moving back to put a bit of room between the two of you, his thumb brushes over the corner of your mouth as you pout sadly.

“You can have another one once you've finished tonight. Maybe. Or maybe you'll have to wait until after our date tomorrow.”

You frown. “Tomorrow?”

“Yep. If you're free?”

“Always.” Repeating his earlier phrase with a sly smile, you turn around to continue along the track, leaving him speechless for a second before he rushes to fall into step.

His arm slides through yours. “So, is it okay to wait for you tonight?”

“You've just kissed me and you're still asking that?”

“I'm just checking.” When you don't answer he presses, “Is it? I don't want to impose.”

'Too late for my heart', you think but don't say, not wanting to scare him off, instead nodding in reply and leaning into his side as you wind your way through the woodland path. The fear you had felt this morning at potentially having to say goodbye to Bucky feels like a distant memory, and as you watch the sunlight dance across his hair you realise you could never have let today be the last. You started this job reluctantly and now, instead of Peter owing you for the favour, it seems you owe him.

Peter doesn't needs to know just yet, you decide.

That usually particularly muddy part of the path has become even muddier after the overnight rain, and this time you allow him to pick you up in his arms and carry you across, feeling its finally appropriate now your relationship has changed. Setting you down on the other side, he presses a kiss to your forehead almost absent-mindedly, and your tummy does a flip as you take a second or two to admire his profile.

You sigh happily. So much for not becoming a cliché.

*****

Thank you for reading!! Masterlist

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky imagine #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #buckybabybaby

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tails89 · 3 years

Text

No Place I'd Rather Be

Pairing: Evan Buckley x Eddie Diaz

1.5k words

Summary:

“Bucky's my favourite,” Chris declares, then pauses, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “After you, dad.”

“He’s my favourite too.” Eddie says, gathering Chris up in a hug. “But you’re my most favourite.”

“I’m happy he gets to live with us. I hope he stays with us forever.”

Eddie stands up, stretching out his back as he rises. “Yeah, me too kiddo.”

Read on AO3 (or below)

Eddie silences the alarm that blares, sighing softly as a quiet hush settles back over the room. He’d set it with the intention of getting up early and making the most of his morning, but now that the it has actually arrived, all he wants is to curl back into the warmth at his side and go back to sleep.

He may as well enjoy it. He’s probably got ten minutes, if that, before Chris is up and crashing through the house in search of breakfast. Eddie has no idea how one kid makes so much noise and can’t wait for the teenage years everyone keeps warning him about; sometimes he thinks he wouldn’t mind a kid who sleeps in past eight AM.

Curling his arms around the warm body beside him, Eddie presses a kiss to the top of Buck’s curly head.

“You need to get up.”

“You need to get up.” Buck rolls over, pulling the quilt up over his head. “I don’t need to do anything, it’s my day off.”

Propping himself up on an elbow, Eddie drags the covers back down.

“You were the one who promised Chris a trip to the zoo,” he reminds his boyfriend. “And pancakes beforehand.”

“It’s the asscrack of dawn, Eddie,” Buck whines, squinting up at him. “The zoo doesn’t open for hours. This is inhumane. Moving in with you was a terrible mistake.”

Eddie laughs. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Right on cue he can hear the click of Chris’ crutches down the hallway. If they’re lucky, Chris will turn on the TV and they’ll get another twenty minutes before he comes begging for breakfast. A few minutes later, the sound of Chris's favourite morning cartoons echo up from the living room.

“Nope, no more sleeping,” Eddie teases, noticing Buck’s eyes have drifted shut again.

“’m not sleeping.”

“Really?” Eddie leans over pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Buck’s mouth. “Are you sure?” He trails his lips down along Buck’s jaw, smirking when Buck turns his head towards him, ducking to capture Eddie’s mouth and draw him into a long lazy kiss.

Kissing Buck was always a rush; it leaves Eddie dizzy and breathless and desperate for more. He doesn’t pull away until it feels like his lungs will burst and even then, Buck follows, pressing soft kisses into the hollow of Eddie’s throat.

“You better not be starting something you can’t finish, Diaz,” Buck whispers, his breath hot against Eddie’s skin.

“Oh, you’ll finish alright, Buckley.”

They pile into Eddie’s car after breakfast, Buck and Chris chatting a mile a minute about what they want to see first and ranking their favourite zoo animals.

“—but you don’t have to see everything in order,” Buck points out. “We can go and see your favourites first.”

“But they’re all my favourites,” Chris says. “And if we start at the start we know we won’t miss anything. I want to see all the animals.”

They keep up their friendly, teasing bickering the whole way too the zoo and Buck is still trying to convince Chris to start at the otters when Eddie pulls into a parking space and cuts the engine.

Chris ultimately wins. He always does, he’s got Buck completely wrapped around his finger. Eddie’s waiting for the day Buck will have to tell his son no and stand by it—there will probably be tears, most likely from Buck. Fortunately today is not that day.

They buy their tickets and head on in, studying the map.

“Australian animals are first,” Eddie says, pointing off to the left. “It says here you can buy feed for the kangaroos.”

“Did you know koala’s can get chlamydia?” Buck says conversationally as they follow the path down towards the enclosures.

“What? No, I did not know that,” Eddie says, glancing towards Chris who has got ahead of them. “How do you know that?”

Buck shrugs. “Chris had that assignment on animals native to other countries, remember? I think I read about it then.”

“Sure, because that comes up in a fifth grade assignment,” Eddie says and Buck flushes. He’d probably fallen down the Wikipedia rabbit hole. Again. “So what else do you know about koala bears?”

“They’re not bears, dad.” Chris has stopped to wait for them at the entrance to the themed enclosure.

“Yeah, Eddie.” Buck mirrors Chris’s tone exactly. “They’re marsupials. Right, Chris?”

Chris nods enthusiastically.

“Look,” he shouts, pointing to the sign in the exhibit. “You can get photos with them. Can we? Please.”

“Yeah, buddy. Let’s do it.” Buck digs into his pocket for his wallet.

“You want to get a photo with one?” Eddie asks, incredulously. “After you just told me they all had STIs?”

“Just the wild ones,” Buck promises. He gestures for Chris to lead them onward. “Actually, it’s a massive problem, there’s just like, one place left where they’re not infected.”

“Oh.”

They get a photo of the three of them crowded around the koala. The small grey animal- marsupial?- sleeps through the whole thing but Chris is ecstatic, excitedly telling Buck that they were this close to a real live Australian animal.

He loses his mind when they feed the kangaroos and laughs at Buck who cowers behind Eddie when they come across the emus. The giant birds are behind a fence, but one of them manages to snatch the map out of Buck’s hands.

“It’s not funny,” Buck grumbles. “Those things are terrifying. Look at their eyes, they remember being dinosaurs.”

Eddie laughs and wraps an arm around Buck's waist. “They’re flightless birds, how bad can they be?”

Buck looks Eddie, his face serious. “Look up the emu war some time Eds, and tell me if it doesn’t change your perspective a little.”

“Wait, there was an emu war?” Chris asks. “Who won?”

Buck’s lips twitch. “The emus.”

By the time they’ve seen the primate exhibits Chris is getting tired, so Eddie decides it’s time to stop for lunch.

He puts Buck in charge of finding them a picnic table while he takes Chris up to order food.

“Are you having a good day, mijo?”

“Yep, it’s the best,” Chris tells him beaming. “We should come back next weekend.”

“I’m working next weekend,” Eddie reminds him as they make their way to the front of the queue. “Maybe another time?”

“Or, maybe Buck could bring me?” Chris looks up at his dad with an expression of such hope, it’s clear why Buck can never say no to him. It’s a look that makes Eddie’s heart swell with love and joy.

“You’ll have to ask him.”

There had been a small part of him that had worried that Buck moving in, becoming a more permanent fixture in their lives and taking on some of the responsibilities of living with a child, would cause some tension. The dynamic shift from fun best friend to potential step-parent was a tricky one, but Buck and Chris seemed to have both taken it in stride.

“Hey, Chris.” Eddie crouches so that he’s level with his son. “I’m really glad you like spending time with him.”

“Bucky's my favourite,” Chris declares, then pauses, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “After you, dad.”

“He’s my favourite too,” Eddie says, gathering Chris up in a hug. “But you’re my most favourite.”

“I’m happy he gets to live with us,” Chris says. “I hope he stays with us forever.”

Eddie stands up, stretching out his back as he rises. “Yeah, me too kiddo.”

They return to Buck with a tray loaded up with burgers and fries and drinks. He’s found a table for them in a shady spot overlooking the giraffes, and he waves them over when he spots them.

After lunch they carry on, taking the park train around to the big cats, arriving just in time to watch the talk about tigers.

Chris gets chosen as a volunteer to hold a chicken wing with a pair of tongs through the fence. The zoo keeper helps him hold it steady while Buck and Eddie take a hundred photos of his beaming smile.

It’s getting late by the time they make their way back to the entrance of the zoo. Chris is exhausted so Buck gives him a piggyback ride towards the gift shop, while Eddie follows carrying Chris’s crutches.

“Don’t forget the photo, Dad,” Chris shouts as they’re about to head out the exit. He nudges Buck to turn around but Eddie waves at them to keep going.

“You guys wait outside; I’ll go grab it.”

He turns back towards the counter and waits while the attendant searches the computer for the photo.

“Here it is.” She brings it up on the screen so Eddie can see. “You’ve already paid for one copy, you want any more?”

Eddie ends up purchasing a second copy, thinking it might be something his abuela would like.

“Here.” The girl hands over the packet with their photos. “You have an adorable family.”

Eddie glances down at the photo then across towards the exit. He can see Buck and Chris sitting just outside. Chris is telling a story, his hands gesturing wildly as he talks and Buck is laughing along loudly.

“Yeah, I do.”

#911 #buddie #evan buckley x eddie diaz #evan buckley #eddie diaz #fluff #911 fanfic #my911fanfic

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canyouhearthelight · 3 years

Text

The Miys, Ch. 133

Whew. I finally get a chance two queue chapters and add to my buffer! Yayyy me! Kind of long author’s note, feel free to skip to the readmore.

Seriously, though, I managed to only work 5ish hours of OT this week instead of the 25/wk I’ve been clocking the last several weeks. It’s been a ride, for sure. Thank you for bearing with me through this frankly-insane time.

@baelpenrose and I have had more chances to write together in real-time, which considering both our schedules and living 3 timezones apart has been a delightful miracle and I will never take it for granted ever again.

@anotherusrname and @the-raven-fae have been very encouraging of my efforts to work less, which - it turns out - has been a huge concern for oh, my entire family... Sorry I worried you all. :( I’m trying to do better! Swear I have vacations coming up!

@charlylimph-blog has just been... such a support. She literally texts me every night at 10pm my time to tell me to take my most important medications. Sainted Eldritch Fae cannot be appreciated enough, and somehow I have two.

Final shout outs go to @snickerfritz, @just-a-pastel-bunny, and @eldritchmoths for love-bombing my inbox recently. Seeing anyone speed-run through this story lets me know that I’m not wasting my time.

Don’t forget to check out the podcast!! AhhhhH! I want to scream in delight each time a new episode is released!

Focus, I told myself, breath coming in short pants. It was easier said than done, with sweat dripping into my eyes while I constantly tried to pay attention to where I was safe to move to without putting myself in the line of fire. Seeing the incoming hit, I ducked and pivoted to my left -

“Oof,” I grunted as I took a blow to the ribs. I managed not to be winded or fall, but I was pretty sure something just broke.

A voice taunted me. “You have got to get better at keeping your guard up.”

“I am,” I panted. “My ribs are a lot tougher than my face.” Refusing to be distracted, I jumped back from the next hit and started circling wide.

“And I hit harder than your sister.”

Yeah, well broken ribs are for bitches, I thought to myself. It wasn’t like I hadn’t had a broken rib before. I was fine. Out of reflex more than forethought, I pivoted my leg and bent my knee to absorb the shock of the next hit - this one to the thigh. Grabbing the offending leg, I held tight around the calf with one arm before shoving upwards on the heel with the other, dropping him onto his back.

Unfortunately, the kick to the chin I got as a result also landed me on my back.

Like an exceedingly annoying ninja, Arthur sprang to his feet before holding out a hand to help me up off the floor. “You should have expected that.”

I scowled and rubbed my jaw. “Why am I sparring with you again?”

“Because Tyche’s busy and I’m the only other person willing to actually hit you hard enough to teach you anything.”

Rolling my neck, I tried to relieve some of the tension that was setting in. “It’s not like aliens are going to know Terran hand-to-hand combat,” I pointed out as I took my stance for the next round. This time, his movement was a lot more fluid, which told me he was going for grappling instead of striking.

The kick I almost took to the face told me that his stance was also a lie.

There wasn’t any time for trash-talking, this time around. I could barely find time to breathe as he aggressively attacked, although I barely managed to avoid him actually touching me. I wasn’t an idiot - if he got a hold of me, I would be waking up from a forced nap with a sore throat. However, after what felt like an eternity and was probably only about five minutes, the odds of keeping it up were dwindling. My heart was pounding in my ears, my lungs were searing with the effort of trying to keep up with it, and there wasn’t a chance in hell that I had enough stamina to outlast him. The man ran a 5k a day as a warm up. Even more humiliating, I had spent the entire time running and dodging without even a chance to mount a counter to any of it.

Finally, I was spent. Every time I tried to raise my hands, they shook so badly that there was no chance of landing a hit, even if I had the opportunity. My legs were trembling, my knees burned, and the broken rib felt like someone was twisting a hot blade into my side. Feeling defeated, I dropped my hands and squared my feet up. The blow to the solar plexus was unsurprising, as was the chokehold he put me in as soon as I doubled over. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time this had happened while sparring with him - or even with Tyche.

I was so frustrated. No matter how much I sparred with either of them, I felt like I hadn’t gained any ground. The whole point to training so hard was to prove that I actually could defend myself. Councilor or not, the thought that I was going to be shoved in the back of the Archives in the event of an attack was insulting. Not only that, it was even more insulting than the time I had round-the-clock guards. No one else had to put up with this, why did I?

“Tap out, Sophia,” he warned me. He wasn’t squeezing yet, but he had his arm locked tightly enough that I couldn’t get my head out. When I silently refused, he sighed and applied pressure, pissing me off even more.

I’m not helpless, I growled at myself. The anger at myself and the frustration with the situation flooded my mind, and I started pulling against the hold with my legs.

“You’re going to break your neck,” he grunted as he leaned the opposite direction. I may not have had his stamina, but I could also leg-press nearly five-hundred pounds. He could let go, or lean back, no other options.

Spots were floating in front of my eyes when I felt his posture change, and as soon as I felt it, both my arms swung up. Assuming I was going to hit his face, he leaned back even further…

Right into the path of my cupped hands, which hit his ears hard enough to bruise both my hands.

“Ow, FUCK!” he shouted, the pain of his ruptured ear drums distracting him just enough that I was able to pull my head free.

As soon as I stood, he reached up to one of his ears, only to pull his hand away and see blood. “Son of a - “ he stopped when he realized what happened. “Huh. That… that is a pretty neat trick.”

Oh, just you wait, I thought to myself.

Sure enough, as soon as he tried to shift his weight for another assault, he stumbled. Trying to compensate, he made it even worse and ended up falling flat on his back. Dropping his head to the mat in defeat, he splayed his limbs out to try to gain some sense of equilibrium. “Oh that is cool,” he muttered, obviously for my benefit since he couldn’t exactly hear himself.

I managed to get him to his feet and drag him to the corridor as the medical transport arrived - there was no way I was going to try to walk him to a medbay. Once his eardrums were restored - along with his internal balance - Arthur stood and stared me down. “That was a dirty trick, Sophia.” Without warning, I was suddenly pulled into a crushing hug. “I am so proud of you. Do that, a lot of it.”

“Can’t breathe,” I gasped.

He released me, stepping back. “Right. The rib.”

I tried to wave him off. “It’s just a broken rib. I’ll be fine.”

“Medbay.” He gestured around the room. “Stop being stubborn.”

“You’re overreacting - “

“If you trip and fall, which you will, you can puncture a lung.”

“Hasn’t happened yet.”

“It’s been broken all of ten minutes. Medbay. Now.”

I glared at him. “If you think this is the first broken rib I’ve had, you’re insane. It’s not even the fiftieth.”

“Stop reminding me that I can’t go back to Earth and kill someone who is hopefully dead anyway. You made me go to the medbay for some broken teeth after the fight with Jokul. Also, with your luck it’s a miracle you haven’t killed yourself by breathing, and I am not going to be the one who’s next up on Tyche’s shit list. Go. Medbay. Now.”

I opened my mouth to argue again, but was cut off by swearing and Arthur literally just picking me up and dropping me in the closest berth. With exactly zero shame, he pinned me down by my shoulders and hips while one of Noah’s avatars held me down from the other side and scanned, then healed, my broken rib - both of them, it turns out. Finally, they both let go of me. “Can I leave now?” I asked petulantly.

“Only if you tell me the eardrum trick so I can figure out how to use it on other species.”

Sliding off the berth and to my feet, I ran a hand through my hair. “Easy. You just cup your hands so there aren’t any cracks between your fingers, like this.” I demonstrated. “And then try to clap your hands through someone’s head, right over the ears. Force of the air ruptures the ear drums, and the trauma reaction kills their spatial sense and balance.” When he tilted his head at the simplicity of it, I shrugged. “Women’s self-defense classes.”

“Ah,” he nodded. “Speaking of women and self-defense, we have got to get you more in the habit of striking and blocking with your legs. Pretty sure you’d kick like a horse if you tried.”

“If I kick you, I’ll break something.”

“Your legs are a lot tougher than you think - “

“I meant something on you,” I clarified, staring at the ground.

I didn’t look up, but I could hear the savage grin in his voice at what he said next. “Oh, we have got to try this.” When my head snapped up, sure enough, he was smiling. “If you can land a kick on me, I won’t even be mad if you break something. But that’s not what I meant.”

“You want me to test it on someone else?” That wasn’t exactly a better option.

He rolled his eyes. “Maverick literally does calibrations for a living. Pretty sure he’s got something that measures impact force. Then we do the math from there.”

“I feel like I’m on an episode of MythBusters,” I grumbled as we headed out of the Medbay and back towards my office.

“I know!” he agreed enthusiastically.

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#the miys #found family #aliens #apocalypse #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #humans are space fae #hfy #self defense #science fiction #sci fi #original science fiction #original sci fi #original writing #my writing

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pixelwisp-archive · 3 years

Text

Itadakimasu!! | Part 8: Stick to What You’re Good At (Written Chapter)

word count: 3.9k - I’m so sorry

Eggplant and Kabocha Miso Gratin?

No. That's a little too much.

Maybe a Cream stew?

No, that's too easy.

"Just make a curry. It's chilly today. I'm sure he'll appreciate the warmth." Kuguri's voice broke through the silence in the small kitchen. You pulled your head up from the depths of the recipe box to look at him, your eyes gleaming at the idea.

"You're a genius, you know that?" A ghost of a smile fluttered onto his face and Kuguri exhaled a mix between a sigh and a laugh as he stopped at the threshold of the kitchen. You watched as his eyes travelled across the kitchen, landing on a seemingly inconspicuous vase placed in the corner, where a few stems of peach blossoms drank in the sun that beamed through the kitchen window. He stared a little too long, you noted, and a grin stretched across your face.

“They’re from Kita.” The pink tint to the tips of Kuguri's ears didn't go unnoticed by you, and you couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled up and slipped past your lips. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the small vase, walking toward the fridge and pulling out a drink. Tearing open the cap, he took a large gulp and finally snuck a look over at you, your knowing smile making the blush creep up his neck at an alarming pace.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"I'm not looking at you like anything," you teased as your eyes quickly left his figure and went back to the recipe box to rifle through them, this time in search for Baachan’s curry recipe. "There was a note, by the way." Kuguri walked over to the folded card that stood in front of the simple arrangement. He delicately grabbed it and flipped the cardstock open, brows furrowing at the text.

“‘Fascinating’. What do you suppose that means?” You shrugged, fingers dancing across the dozens of small, ivory cards with various family secret recipes from generations before etched in a delicate scrawl onto the face.

“He finds you fascinating, I guess? aha,” a victorious gasp left you as you found the correct recipe, plucking it from it’s home inside the ornate wooden box. A satisfied smirk settled onto your lips as you made a mental note of the ingredients you had, the ones you didn’t, and how much time you had.

“Or you, they could have been for you,” he said. You scoffed.

“I can’t think of a single conversation with Kita that hasn’t ended up about you. They’re not for me, dork.” Kuguri cleared his throat again, slightly more aggressively this time, and took another generous gulp of his aloe drink.

“Changing the topic - Miya is coming over today.” You eyed Kuguri, suspicion evident on your face.

“...Yes, he is.”

“And you’re cooking for him.” That faint smile was back, this time accompanied with a, what, coy? no. Mischievous, expression. “Sound’s like a date.”

He chuckled when you made an exaggerated gag, your finger pointed to the back of your throat. “Absolutely not. He’s just coming to fix the stove. He told me not to pay him so instead I’m feeding him,” you explained, fussing with the recipe box and placing it off to the side. “Can you believe he insinuated I was gonna give him food poisoning? The nerve.”

Kuguri sat across from you and rested his chin onto his palm. “So that’s why you’re obsessing over what to make.” Another scoff left you as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“I’m not obsessing.”

“You’ve been hunched over your ‘super special, super secret’ family recipe box for the better part of-” He checks his watch. “-Two hours.”

Your cheeks flushed as you confirmed the time on your phone. Okay, so maybe you had been obsessing a little, but it was only because you wanted to make sure that whatever you make tonight is so good that it slaps the condescending grin off his face and he has no choice but to bow at your superiority. The thought alone made your lips curl into a devilish grin.

"I just wanna make sure that whatever I make tonight is so good he actually shuts up for once." That made Kuguri laugh, and Kuguri's laugh was always so pretty - it was light, a little breathy, and made your heart feel a thousand times bigger than it was. It directly contradicted your own loud, boisterous sound that resonated across any room. Your eyes crinkled and you giggled along with him as you finished the food list you scribbled on the back of a spam letter and grabbed your keys.

"I'm heading to the market, text me if you need anything, ok?" He nodded and you took that as your queue to leave, his echoes of 'drive safe' fading behind you as you descended the stairwell and out of the shop.

Osamu stood at your shop’s side entrance for what seemed like hours. It was like clockwork: every few seconds, he’d raise his fist to announce his arrival, pause right as his knuckles were millimeters away from making contact with the weathered door, stand there frozen for approximately fourteen and a half seconds, groan internally and let his fist fall limply at his side, only to repeat the action in about ten more seconds.

Was he supposed to knock? Walk in unannounced? You were expecting him any minute now, and he began to feel the beads of sweat on the back of his neck. Walking in without warning seemed rude, but it was going to be a bakery soon, so would it seem weirder for him to knock when its technically a public establishment? Maybe he should just go around the front instead so it would seem less rude to just walk in. No no, that’s stupid, just knock, you dumbass. Osamu raised his fist and brought it down to rap on the bright, Robin’s Egg blue wood when it suddenly opened, revealing you in all your frazzled glory. Unfortunately, his brain didn’t catch up with him and he continued to bring his arm forward, making contact with your forehead instead of the door.

You yelped, more out of surprise than real pain, and reeled back, your hand finding its way onto the crown of your head. He also took a step back in shock, noting the way your mood instantly soured once you recognized him. An uncomfortable silence fell between you and he took the opportunity to take in your appearance; your hair had been thrown up haphazardly and your apron was an absolute battlefield of food stains. The sweatpants you had on had been rolled up, the left one being significantly higher than the right one. He cracked a smile at the flour that was smeared across your cheek and sprinkled in your hair.

Cute.

“What?” Osamu blinked. Did he say something?

“Is there something on my face?” Your hand moved from from your head to your cheek, the wrong cheek, and he had to bring his hand up to his mouth and clear his throat to cover the smile that wanted to make itself known.

“No, no, you’re fine,” he lied. His eyes travelled to the trash bag you had been holding onto, noting the way your grasp had been strained by the weight of it. “I can take that for ya,” he said, and reached out to relieve the task from you. You were having none of it, however, and you pulled it out of his reach.

“I can do things for myself, thank you.” His brows shot up and he shot you an amused grin.

“And yet ya can’t fix a stove.” You grumbled something about him being a smartass, and he laughed as he moved to the side, opening a path to the dumpster. He could see the effort you were making in trying to look like you weren’t struggling with the weight of the bag, but the slight tremor in your arm and unsteadiness to your legs gave you away.

“Are ya sure you’re gonna be able to pick that up over the dumpster?” He couldn’t see your face, but he didn’t need to - he could feel the scowl radiating off you like a force field. As if to prove him wrong, you said nothing, and instead hauled the bag over the side of the dumpster with a small grunt, the clang of the bag hitting the bottom of the bin echoing through the small alleyway. You dusted your hands off, shooting a smug grin his way.

“Told you I got it, now let me through - I’ll show you where the stove is.”

It wasn’t until he stepped into the bakery that he noticed just how good the food you were making smelled. His steps faltered behind you as he took a slow, steady inhale, reveling in the warmth the scent alone was giving him. He knew you were making curry, that kind of dish always had such a distinct essence to it, plus the fresh stains on your apron had been another dead giveaway. Osamu would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited to be able to try some, though the excitement came with a slight bitter aftertaste.

“Here she is, in all her glory.” You gestured toward the ornate stove sitting along the far wall, the gold trim against the iron making it a clear statement piece for the kitchen. Osamu let out an impressed whistle as he bent down and gingerly ran hands across the door to the oven.

“I can see why ya wanna restore.” His eyes met yours and he swore your eyes sparkled when you stared at the antique.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” He hummed in agreement and shifted so he could pull the oven a little farther from the wall to take a peak. “Ah, I have a tool kit, lemme grab it for you.” You scurried off to the opposite corner of the shop, returning moments later with the aforementioned object in hand. He muttered a small thank you, and the smile you gave in return was so cute he had to look away.

“I should be good down here. You should probably check on your curry, might burn.” He heard you scoff in protest, but after a moment of silence, you rushed up the stairs and he couldn’t stop the smirk that crept up his face. Osamu turned his attention back to the stove as he flipped open the tool box.

“Alright Pretty, let’s see what ya got for me.”

“Kuguri, have I ever told you that I’m a fucking god?” You were (sort of) joking, but you couldn’t help the tiny snort that escaped you at the sheer exhaustion on Kuguri’s face when he met your gaze. He sighed and walked over the pot of curry that you had been towering over for the last three hours.

“I take it the curry was successful?” You gestured for him to try it and took a step back. You clasped your hands together in front of your chest as you watch on with bright eyes and an even brighter grin.

There was genuinely nothing more satisfying than seeing someone enjoy the food that you made. The way Kuguri sighed into the bite as his eyes fell shut had you swelling with pride, bouncing on the balls of your feet in excitement as you waited for him to say something. He was quiet for what felt like an eternity, before finally, he put down the spoon and turned to you with an unreadable expression.

“You said you wanted to shut him up?” You nodded, your eyes flitting between him and the pot. “After this, he’ll never be able to speak again.” You cackled in victory and shooed Kuguri out of the kitchen.

“Thank you, thank you, I know I’m a culinary genius. Now shoo, I have to plate everything. You mind letting him know?”

“Sure thing. Oh,” Kuguri whirled back around to look at you “I forgot to mention, I won’t be eating with you guys, I have a meeting with one of the contractors. Save me a plate?” A groan left you and you reached up to clutch his arm, a desperate plea written across your face.

“You’re leaving me here? with him? Alone? Don’t you love me at all?” Kuguri chuckled and waved you off, shooting you a look.

“You’re a grown woman, I think you can manage one meal with Miya alone.”

“Fine, but if it gets ugly, you have to help me dispose of the body.” He sighed, but you spotted the smile he tried to cover up by wiping a hand down his face. You waved goodbye as you turned your attention back to the food to plate the curry and rice. Hands worked diligently, and as you heard the muffled voices beneath you followed by the shop door closing and footsteps ascending the stairs, you swallowed the bundle of nerves that had worked its way into your system.

Your grandmother’s food is always well received; It was the star of every function, holiday, and bake sale from way back when you were growing up in Miyagi to now, with you carrying on her legacy. You had never met anyone who didn’t love something from the recipe box, so you weren’t sure why you seemed especially desperate to garner Osamu Miya of all people’s approval.

You were satisfied with the excuse that it was because you didn’t want to give him any more fuel to act like a condescending shit lord to you.

When the door to the apartment opened, you had just finished placing the prepped plates onto the dinner table. The effort it took in avoiding eye contact was beginning to weigh down on you, and finally, you gave up, looking up from the spoon you were meticulously situating to meet his cocked eyebrow.

“I think that spoon’s still a little off-center,” he joked. You crossed your arms over the front of you and shot him a glare.

“Har Har. How did it go with the stove?”

“I got it workin’. Actually wasn’t too bad of a fix. Just a little finicky,” he said. His voice was slightly drowned out by the sound of the kitchen sink running. Your eyes remained trained on his figure, absentmindedly staring as his shoulders moved along with his hands as he washed them. The sound of the faucet turning off pulled you back and you shook your head, turning toward the table with a grimace.

“Thank you again, I seriously didn’t want to have to gamble any more of the renovation funds,” you said, hoping he didn’t see you staring at him like he was the most interesting being in existence. He sat down across from you and sent a polite smile your way.

“Not a problem.” The two of you stewed in the awkward silence and you noticed that neither of you had reached for the food yet. Did he even like curry? You mentally slapped yourself for forgetting to ask.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to ask if you liked curry. I just assumed,” you admitted, and he shook his head.

“Oh no, that’s not it, I just, uh..” Osamu’s voice faltered, and his brows came together with a frown. “I have a feeling I’m gonna like it.”

The grin that flew onto your face oozed with superiority. The fact that the mere thought of enjoying your food upset him only made your impending victory taste that much sweeter to you. You watched him like a hawk and thrived on how uncomfortable he looked across from you, painstakingly taking his first bite.

As stated before, there was nothing more satisfying than seeing someone enjoy your food, and you thought Osamu would be no exception, but this stingy little asshole maintained an entirely unreadable expression as he closed his mouth around the spoon, popped it out, chewed, and swallowed. You fidgeted in your seat as you waited for him to say literally anything about it, but he remained lost in thought, looking anywhere but at you as he reached for a second bite.

“Well?” Your voiced must have snapped him from whatever he was daydreaming about because he looked almost startled when his eyes finally met your own.

“Oh, sorry...” He trailed off, eyes fluttering back down toward the curry. “It’s good.”

“Just good?”

“Its really good?” He offered, and you scoffed, grumbling something about ‘it should be the best damn curry you’ve ever had,’ as you dug into your own plate, melting as soon as the spices touched your tongue. The beef had become so tender that you swore it would fall apart if you so much as looked at it a little too long, and the vegetables had just the right kind of consistency and complimented the beef perfectly. The ginger and curry were so warm together it reminded you of a time during winter break, snuggled with your Grandmother by the old brick fireplace, the vibrant orange glow of the flame illuminating her frail figure as she regaled you with exaggerated stories of her youth. She always made sure to end each tale with a lesson, and a challenge: to never settle until you could say with confidence that you were irrevocably happy.

Osamu cleared his throat, effectively bringing you back to the current moment. Your eyes flickered over to his plate and you noticed it was empty. He took the napkin and quickly wiped at his mouth, but you still caught a glimpse of the pout that he was clearly trying so hard to hide. A smug grin stretched out across your face and you tilted back down to take another bite.

“You can get more, if you’d like.” He grunted in response, but got up nonetheless, helping himself to a second plate as he pointedly ignored the pride that oozed off of you.

“It’s okay, you can say it, the curry is amazing, stupendous, out of this world-”

“It’s delicious.”

You blinked. To be honest, you weren’t expecting him to admit it right off the bat, especially since he made a point to say it was just “good” earlier. Whatever snippy reply you had stored died immediately in your throat, and you found your pride shrinking as a new bashfulness took over instead.

“Oh. Thank you.” Osamu nodded in response, and suddenly it was like a gateway opened - for the first time, you guys conversed with relative ease. It was hardly anything more than history and business, but the fact that you weren’t considering stuffing his body into a trash bag was certainly saying something. It was...nice, being able to talk to him like this, and you had to admit you’d take this over the usual pissing match any day.

Osamu mentioned how Kita was a rice farmer and was his supplier as well as business partner. He spoke about how they were old teammates who decided to go on similar lifepaths which led to them working together once Osamu opened up his shop in Osaka. You learned that they originated from Hyogo, and that Kita still lives there and makes the hour long commute to the shop a few times a week just to help Osamu out with the shop.

You told him about how you managed the volleyball club back in high school. (He joked about showing you a few moves, and you joked back that you bet you could destroy him since the Wakatoshi Ushijima taught you well enough that you can hold your own in a match any day of the week.) You talked about moving to Tokyo with Tendou after graduating, and how you guys decided to open up the bakery together as business partners. You gushed about the hopes you had for Paradis, the dreams that had spent so much time buried in your notebook finally getting a chance to come to life with this new location. Your eyes sparkled as you babbled on about all the plans you had for Paradis.

“I just...I always intended for Paradis to be more than just a bakery.” Both of your plates had been long finished and were set off to the side. You sat cross legged on the dining chair, your hands fiddling with each other in your lap. Osamu had his chin resting on his hand and he listened so intently it sometimes made you feel a little too seen.

“How so?”

“Well, for one, I’d love to expand the menu,” you explained, and you saw his face fall with furrowed brows and a deep frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Why would ya expand the menu?” There was a sharpness to his voice, and you were taken aback. You shrunk back in your seat as you chose your next words carefully.

“I want people to enjoy all of my food, not just the sweets...why?” His face hardened, eyes trained anywhere but your face as he stood up abruptly. He reached for both dishes and made his way to the kitchen wordlessly.

The two of you had a habit of having this uncomfortable silence fall between you, and you hated it, because the tension was always so thick it felt like you were suffocating. You wondered if he hated it too, or if he thrived in it, like some sort of deranged villain reveling in the suffering of his underlings. You found yourself glaring at his back as he washed your dishes, drying them and putting them off to the side without saying a word.

Eventually, he turned around, and the frown that had been evident on his face deepened once he made your irritated gaze. “What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? What the hell did I do to piss you off?”

“There’s no reason why you should expand the menu.”

“I just gave you a reason. Plus, you seemed to like my food enough to have two helpings, it’s not like I can’t cook. Why shouldn’t I?”

“The curry was fine, it wasn’t anythin’ to write home about. I was just starving because I missed lunch.” You scoffed.

“That’s a load of bullshit. You know you loved it.”

“I told ya it was better than it was because ya would’ve had a hissy fit otherwise.”

“Oh, fuck you, Miya. I can’t believe I was actually beginning to enjoy your company for once.” He rolled his eyes and made his way to your apartment entrance. He paused at the threshold of the open door, looking straight ahead and most definitely not at you.

“Don’t bother expanding. Stick to what you’re good at if ya want any chance of success here.” With that last remark, he ushered down the stairs and back home, leaving you frozen in the kitchen consumed with rage, shock, confusion - and you didn’t move until Kuguri came through the door and gasped in surprise at the sight of you still in the kitchen.

“Jesus, y/n, you scared the hell out of me. What’s going on? Are you okay?” The frustration bubbled up inside you and you felt hot tears tickle the back of your eyes. The shock of Osamu’s sudden animosity toward you settled into your bones, leaving behind a residue of white hot anger. You willed the tears away and looked over at the curry, then at Kuguri.

“I hate him, Kuguri.”

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Fun Facts -

no fun facts today, My brain is fried lol. Might add later!

A/N: Long boi today, I’m so sorry for the long wait for this chapter!! I hope you guys enjoyed the holiday if you celebrated and I hope you enjoy the chapter - I feel like I should have definitely split this up into two parts, let me know if you’d prefer smaller chapters or if this is more preferable lmao thank you ok bye

Taglist (shoot me an ask if you’d like to be added!) -

@larkspyrr @oikawaandkuroostan @fucktheworlddude @doctorspencereid @keiarma @cherriechurros @halesandy @k3nma-fairy @jewlmin @tabipleats @kaleidoscopekai @confusedturtle @vintagexparker @hoeevern @syaziahvg @hallothankmas @lilith412426

#is this a terrible time to post #probably #no one is active rn usually lmao #but its fine #Itadakimasu!!#osamu smau #osamu x reader #osamu miya #osamu miya x reader #osamu miya smau #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu smau #h #haikyuu!! smau #hq!! smau #hq!! x reader #haikyu!! x reader

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