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crplpunkklavier · 3 years ago

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GERMAN CHEAT SHEET FOR KLAVIER WRITERS

Is Klavier Gavin German? Is he just pretending? Who knows! I’m not here to tell you your headcanons! But I am here to say that Klavier’s in-game German (at least in AA4, I’m not touching the other games) is nearly entirely correct, so he must have some knowledge of the language. You don’t? Well I’m here to help! I’m German from a mostly German family, I have lived here for 27 of my 30 years, and I work with GER-ENG translations.

I’ve put together a whole bunch of either things I’ve seen around the fandom and would like to correct, or things I just figure might be useful for fic writers, comic writers, et cetera. If there is anything else you would like to know that isn’t in this post, feel free to drop me an ask! I’m by far not an expert on all things German, but I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.

Lastly, if this seems like way too much effort for writing about gay lawyers and you’d rather keep using Google Translate, I genuinely, wholeheartedly, cannot and do not want to stop you. German is a silly and difficult language and fanworks are supposed to be fun. If any snooty German ever gets on your case about whatever Klavier said in your work, eat them.

Now! The rest of this post will be under the cut, but here is a quick summary of what I’ll be getting into:

basics and useful phrases

du oder Sie? informal versus formal you

pet names for everyone

ways to say I love you

swearing

the thing about lederhosen

other fun things for writing German Klavier

basics

“Herr” – You’ve seen Klavier use this, and he uses it correctly. Herr means Mister and is used for any male adult you’re being formal with. It’s paired with last names (or shiny foreheads).

“Frau” – The female equivalent for Herr.

“Fräulein” – Sigh. You’ve seen Klavier use this as well. It means Miss. He... uses it correctly, I guess. The thing is, German women do not like being called Fräulein. It sounds immediately condescending. I call my cat Fräulein when she misbehaves. Klavier gets away with it in Japanifornia because nobody knows but if he called a German woman Fräulein she would punch his teeth out. I’m telling you. He can do it, he does do it, I write him doing it, but I just want you to know. If you ever meet a German woman. Do not call her this.

“ja/nein” – yes/no. Easy! An English “yeah” could be “joah” or “jaah” and “nah” would be “nee” or “nö.”

“nicht?/nicht wahr?” – You can put this at the end of sentences you would end on something like huh?, hm?, eh? “Nicht” means not, “wahr” means true.

“richtig?/oder?” – Kind of the same idea. “Richtig” means right, “oder” means or. Goes on the end of sentences when you’re checking something.

“keine Ahnung” – No idea!

“hallo” – Take a wild guess!

“guten Morgen” – Good morning.

“guten Tag” – Literally good day, used as a more formal greeting than “Hallo” during the day.

“guten Abend” – Good evening.

“gute Nacht” – Good night.

“schlaf schön/gut” – Both mean sleep well.

“tschüss” – Bye, fairly informal.

“auf Wiedersehen” – Kind of an “until we meet again,” used as a more formal goodbye.

“auf Wiederhören” – A formal goodbye for phone conversations! Until we hear each other again.

“bis gleich/bis bald” – see you soon; the first is for short periods of time. We all constantly argue over what that means of course, but generally it should still be on the same day. In the second one, “bald” literally means soon, so it’s... whenever.

“guten Appetit” – I’m so sad English doesn’t do this. Every day. The tragedy. It’s German bon appetit! It’s sweet. Klavier should say it.

“danke” – Thank you. “Danke sehr/vielen Dank” then mean thanks a lot, “tausend Dank” is a thousand thanks, but that’s. A lot.

“bitte” – Please, and also, you’re welcome. “bitte sehr” only means you’re welcome, not please.

“gern geschehen/gerne” – You’re welcome. Again.

“Entschuldigung/Verzeihung” – Sorry for quick apologies, also excuse me.

“(es) tut mir leid” – I’m sorry, a more proper apology.

du oder Sie?

So. German has two versions of “you,” one is informal and one is formal. “du” is the informal you. It’s used for children, for friends and for family. “Sie” (always capitalized!! lowercase “sie” is the pronoun she) is formal you. It’s used for people older than you, strangers, and generally in the professional sense. Technically, we are not supposed to just call strangers “du” unless they specifically allow us, usually also allowing us to use their first name instead of their last name.

I... am constantly fighting with myself on whether or not Klavier would use du or Sie for people. He is laid back and cool, but still professional. The thing is, when I, a 30 year old German adult, walk into, for example, a tattoo parlor, or maybe a guitar store, a place where I expect people to be cool, I personally would use du. Not everybody would though! I overuse du because I have very poor manners lol and I do get in trouble with people for it sometimes.

What I believe is that in court, Klavier would still use Sie. Because using du for a judge would be VERY, very bold. And since he calls Apollo Herr Forehead in there, he should use Sie. Because du + Herr/Frau XY just sounds clunky. As soon as they become anything resembling friends though, if you’re going to have him address Apollo directly, please use du. Please. Google Translate will often give you Sie on default, don’t let it tempt you. It’s so awkward.

Pet names

If you’ve ever tried to translate “my love” into German, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry we are so complicated. Look. “Mein Lieb” doesn’t exist. That’s nothing. That’s not anything. I can’t translate it because it means nothing. Mein is possessive and Lieb I guess is the word stem for love. But it doesn’t mean anything like this.

I have seen “Meine Liebe,” which is technically a better translation, because that does literally mean “my love.” However, regrettably, German is one of those languages where everything is gendered. Why is every chair male? I don’t know. But they are. And so, unfortunately, “Meine Liebe” is feminine. You would not say this to a man, unless that man is explicitly cool with it.

The male version then would be “mein Lieber,” but the connotations for that aren’t as romantic as “my love.” It actually can come across condescending, though maybe that’s just me. Here are some alternatives:

“mein Liebster” – this is my favorite alternative for my love. It’s a superlative, like “my most beloved.” It’s unbelievably corny, but not unnatural. Especially not for Klavier Gavin. It’s the kind of shit the medieval bard outside your window would call you. The female version would be “meine Liebste”

“Schatz” – Literally treasure. Easy, simple. Very common for lovers in Germany, also used within families, and I call my dog Schatz lol. It’s definitely valid for romantic use, it’s just not that special. It’s gender neutral, and if you want to add a possessive, the correct form is “mein Schatz.” (This is what Gollum says in German, though, so... lmao people here use it but we also clown on people using it)

“Liebling” – This is just a good solid romantic pet name. On the level of honey, I’d say. Go ahead. Also gender neutral, correct possessive is “mein Liebling.”

“Süßer” – “süß” means sweet and/or cute! Süßer is a cute male person, Süße would be the female version. Using this for flirting while not dating yet is kind of thin ice, it can seem sleazy fast. Once together though, this is fine to use. Possessive is “mein Süßer” or “meine Süße.”

“Kleiner” – speaking of thin ice...... “klein” means small or short. Kleiner is a short male person. So... Use at your own peril, Klavier. It CAN be used as a pet name. I’m just saying. “mein Kleiner” or “meine Kleine” for the female version.

“Großer” – groß means big or tall, so same deal! “mein Großer” or “meine Große”

“Hase” – THIS IS MY FAVORITE. For Klapollo specifically. Hase means rabbit, and it’s a very common pet name here for family or lovers. And it’s just... you know, because of his hair... I think it’s cute. “mein Hase” if you wanna go there

“Häschen” – diminutive of Hase. :) If you wanna go even cornier. “mein Häschen”

“Mausi” – Maus means mouse. This is common I guess but not in my generation and probably not in yours. If someone called me Mausi or Maus I would probably call the police.

“Hübscher” – hübsch means pretty/handsome! Hübscher is a handsome guy. The female version is “Hübsche.” Definitely fine to use when together and when flirting.

“Herzchen” – Diminutive of “Herz” which means heart. REALLY corny. The sort of thing only Klavier Gavin can get away with. Gender neutral, “mein Herz(chen)”

And, just so you know...

forehead = “Stirn”

justice = “Gerechtigkeit”

Both of these words are grammatically female, but if you were to pair them with, say, Herr, you could totally get away with that.

;)

how to say I love you

“ich liebe dich” – you probably already know this one.

“ich liebe dich auch” – I love you too

“ich dich auch” – Can also be used as a response to “I love you,” but it’s that little bit lackluster. Like if you said “me too.”

“ich liebe dich so sehr” – I love you so much

“ich bin (in dich) verliebt” – I am in love (with you)

“(ich) hab dich lieb” – This is kind of a... Like when you say “love you” as a quick goodbye to loved ones? I say this to my sister and friends. It’s sweet but it’s not romantic.

Swearing

HERE WE GOOOOO. Now, I don’t believe Klavier swears a lot. But a well placed swear can work wonders. And anyway, I love swears. Do with these what you want.

“oh mein Gott” – Yes. We do say this. All the time. I say it like a hundred times a day. “Mein Gott” and “(oh) Gott” alone also work, pretty much just like the English version.

“(gott)verdammt” – One more blasphemous one. This is just the German (god)damn. Literally same thing.

“Scheiße” – extremely important!! Everybody loves Scheiße!! It means shit, but it’s used more like fuck. I say this about as much as I say Oh mein Gott. Probably more.

“Arschloch” – Literally asshole, very common. “Arsch” means ass, also works on its own.

“Arschgesicht” – Ass face. We love combining Arsch with just about anything.

“Arschgeige” – One of my favorites and great for Klavier: ass violin! Why is this a thing? I don’t know! But we say it.

“Wichser” – pronounced wixer, means wanker. Very good swear as in satisfying to say and does pack a good punch.

“Idiot” – You know this one. It’s pronounced ee-dee-oht here but it’s the same thing.

“Dummkopf” – dumb head. Doesn’t pack as much of a punch, but it’s common and natural. You can even use it affectionately if the situation calls for it.

“fick dich” – Fuck you. Literally the same.

“leck mich am Arsch” – Literally lick my ass. It can be used like “kiss my ass”, but it’s also used as a kind of exasperated “oh fuck me” when everything is going wrong.

“verpiss/verzieh dich” – Get lost. “verzieh dich” is a little bit tamer, you may have guessed that “verpiss dich” pretty literally means piss off. “Hau ab” is the tamest version of telling someone to get lost.

The thing about lederhosen

Listen... I don’t know how to say this. But we don’t wear these. Most of us don’t. Neither Lederhosen nor Dirndl. If you still want to draw them, I mean, be my guest, of course. But if you’re looking for German formalwear, something traditional that we would wear for special occasions? I am genuinely sorry to say this, but we don’t have any. I can’t get into the death of German fashion culture here because it makes me sad and rabid, but it is what it is. We wear suits and dresses to formal events. The only people I’ve ever seen in Lederhosen/Dirndl were headed for the Oktoberfest, waiting tables at Bavarian restaurants, or 90 year old bearded men back when I lived in the deepest Bavarian alps.

… That said, if you want the Gavins to be old Bavarian farmers, then go ahead and put the boys in Lederhosen. Put a cow somewhere too. And then please @ me. Danke.

Various fun facts

I’ve paid attention to capitalization in this whole post, please use it like this! It’s important, see the “Sie/sie” thing. As a general rule of thumb, all nouns are capitalized.

And please use ß. Please. Copy-paste it. If you can’t, you may use ss (not single s) instead. Don’t... Don’t use B. I don’t see it often, but I see it sometimes. Please. Scheiße means shit, but Scheibe means slice. Like a slice of cheese.

In the same vein, please use the Umlauts ä ö and ü when appropriate. They change pronounciation and meaning of a word! If you can’t use them the workaround is ae, oe and ue.

@heinkel was kind enough to write up a guide for how to access umlauts and ß (it’s called Eszett)! (linking my own reblog of it in case they change their url so the link won’t break) thanks! :^)

The name Gavin sounds like the German word “Gewinn” which means win or gain.

Gavinners, then, sounds like Gewinners! Grammatically correct if you’re trying to say winners, plural, would be Gewinner, but that would have been strange for a band with several people. Anyway I think this is a very clever pun and I love that Klavier thought of it.

As you guys probably know, Klavier means piano. And as I’ve already mentioned, German is unfortunately a gendered language. However, the noun Klavier is neutral in German! Fancy that, huh?

Just in case you’re wondering, guitar means Gitarre, and Gitarre is female.

A.... “popular” German language conundrum is that we don’t really have words for boyfriend/girlfriend. Male friend and boyfriend both mean “Freund,” female friend and girlfriend both mean “Freundin.” You can add “fest” to it, which means firm/solid/steady, implicating that you’re, you know, firmly together. That would be “fester Freund” or “feste Freundin.” Most of us only do that when asked to specify though. I don’t have a solution for this or anything. I just wanted to say it. Do with this information what you will.

And one last thing. If you want to write an authentic German? Just make them obsessed with bread. We fucking love bread. We have so much bread. There are three different types of bread in my kitchen right now and I live alone. I eat all of them. I love bread so fucking much. It’s good and it’s cheap here. And if I had to live in America the bread situation there would make me never shut up about it. Have Klavier talk about bread, he will instantly seem more German.

This is all I could think of today and already pretty long! Again if you have any questions or even requests for more, just let me know! And have fun!!

And one quick plug: If you wanna read more of my silly musings on the German language, stop by @weirdgerman!

#mine #ace attorney #ace attorney: apollo justice #klavier gavin #ace attorney resources #???#well anyway there ya go #german cheat sheet #< follow-up posts + answered questions will also be in this tag

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dreamwritesimagines · 4 years ago

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Burn The Witch 7 - After Midnight [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s an extra chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Missions require stealth.

Series Masterlist

For a spy, working at unusual hours was nothing new. During your training at the academy they would wake you up at ungodly hours to drag you to exercise just so that you would get used to being ready to fight anytime.

So technically you weren’t supposed to be this tired, but you hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. To your surprise, at around 5 in the morning you were assigned to a new mission to capture and bring another member of HYDRA in. It was unexpected because your superiors had told you earlier that earning Bucky’s trust and getting information from him was the priority, and they hadn’t sent you after any target for days up until this morning. You weren’t exactly complaining anyway, other missions weren’t your priority.

Even if you kept telling yourself what you were doing was just business, somehow talking to him didn’t feel like it.

“God damn it,” you muttered to yourself when the sight of your reflection in the elevator mirror caught your eye, making you heave a sigh and push the button to your apartment. Your shirt was stained with so much blood that you could hardly see the white and you licked your thumb before trying to scrub off the dried blood on your cheekbone. The elevator made a small noise before the door opened and you stepped outside, dragging your weary self to your door.

“What’s up neighbor?”

You jumped out of your skin and turned to Keith who was watching you with a grin on his face, holding a cup of coffee.

“What the fuck?”

“Likewise. Why are you covered in blood, you normal civilian you?”

You opened your door and stepped inside with him following you suit.

“Mission.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Young lady, look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t kill the Winter Soldier.”

“What? No!” you made a face, “I could never- it was another kind of a mission.”

“You already have a mission, didn’t you tell them you’re supposed to focus on that one?”

“The target was heavily protected and it needed my expertise.”

“Nobody likes a brag.”

You rolled your eyes, “Keith, General literally told me that before sending me there.”

“You’re not supposed to get close to targets anymore,” he reminded you and you shifted your weight from one foot to other, biting inside your cheek.

“It got out of control,” you murmured, making him sigh.

“Y/N.”

“It’s not like I wanted to!” you defended yourself, “It was just necessary, that’s all.”

“If you get in close combat with a target you might end up with visible injuries, and that would compromise your cover as a civilian and tip Barnes off.”

“I know, I know…” you murmured as you walked to the sink to wash your hands, then switched the coffee maker on.

“Do you?” he insisted, “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re looking for trouble.”

You grabbed a cup from the shelf and turned to him.

“I just wanted to get it over with,” you said, “Okay? I have other things in mind.”

He pulled his brows together, “Like what?”

“Like…” you waved your hands, trying to find the words, “Like other stuff. Like my main mission— by the way I couldn’t ask the other night, why did they locate you here?”

“General said your relationship with Barnes is progressing well. It’s better to have another agent close by, just in case he decides to make a late night visit.”

The innuendo wasn’t lost on you and you raised your brows, “I feel like I’m working in a dark alternate version of a matchmaking system where they hook you up with a date you can’t trust.”

“So every dating app out there?” he asked, making you laugh as you sipped your coffee.

“Speaking of dates,” you started, but was cut off your phone beeped and you checked the time, then cursed under your breath.

“What?”

“I can’t believe I’m working at a stupid milkshake shop,” you grumbled, “I need to take a shower and get to work, see yourself out.”

“You know, you could bring some milkshake home,” he said as you walked to the bathroom, “That’s what a good neighbor would do.”

“Goodbye Keith!” you called out and closed the bathroom door.

***

You really, really needed something to snap you out of this sleeplessness. Preferably coffee, preferably in an I.V. or something because you had a feeling drinking it wouldn’t be enough at this point.

“Thank you and bon appetite!” you smiled brightly at the customer after serving them their milkshake, then dropped the smile and pulled the small apron off your uniform.

“I’m going to take a break and get some coffee,” you told your coworker “You want anything?”

“No thank you,” she said and you fixed your hair before walking outside to make your way to the coffee shop.

Keith had a point. It was stupid to get in close combat with a target, especially now. General had sent you there with clear orders of you keeping your distance and using your sniper rifle, not your dagger and in the heat of the moment, you had decided to go after him when you couldn’t get a clear shot.

“Hi, can I get a hot red eye please?” you asked the barista, “Actually no- make it a black eye, largest cup you have.”

She smiled slightly, “Long night?”

“You have no idea.”

She swiped your card before giving it to you and you walked to the waiting counter to lean against it, nibbling on your lip.

You really, really wanted to believe that your sour mood was a result of you not getting enough sleep, but deep down you knew it wasn’t like you to take unnecessary risks.

It was the fact that you had been too distracted to take the shot at the right time because you were looking down at your phone when the target had walked out of his building.

But after all, it was your main mission, wasn’t it? You had to make sure to get Bucky’s attention to get closer to him. Maybe two missions at the same time had these kind of disadvantages, but it wasn’t as if you could walk there and tell them not to give you side missions.

If you wanted to be a handler, you had to prove yourself.

You took the lid off the cup, the scent of hot liquid filling your nostrils and you grabbed the sugar packets before tearing the top off to pour sugar into it. You dipped the thin stir stick into the beverage to stir it, then put the stick between your lips but as soon as you turned around and saw who had just gotten his coffee, you held your breath.

“Hi!” you said breathlessly, pulling the thin stick off your mouth, “Um- Captain—Captain America sir.”

“Oh God no, please call me Sam.” He offered you his hand and you shook it.

“Hi Sam.”

“It’s Y/N, right?”

“Yes!” you said, “Yes, it’s wonderful to see you again. Under much better conditions where I haven’t been shot at.”

“Bucky just went to that uh….” He paused, “Milkshake shop right? He just went there to see you.”

You scrunched up your nose, “Oh no, I literally just went on my break.”

“That’s alright,” he said, “He’ll be back here. Would you like to sit down?”

Nope.

Nope, you did not want to sit down.

You had planned a whole strategy to pull the wool over Bucky’s eyes, but Sam’s file told you that he was an excellent judge of character, much better at reading people than Bucky. Everything that you had told Bucky to manipulate him had worked so far but persuading Sam wouldn’t be that easy.

Seeing that any small sign could tip him off, you had to put even more of an effort into the illusion.

“I’d love to!” you said and followed him to the nearest table. You sat down and pushed your hair behind you ear, smiling up at him.

“I never got to say thank you,” you said, “For saving me back there.”

“Don’t mention it, really,” he said, “How’s your arm?”

“It got better,” you said, “I thought I was dying but as it turns out, it was just a graze. Only thing that’s hurting right now is my ego.”

“Oh it happens.”

“Even you have to admit, that was a bad first impression.”

He grinned, “For what exactly?”

“For—um… for a first—first impression. In general,” you stammered and sipped your coffee while he sat back.

“So how do you find New York?” he asked, “Bucky mentioned you just moved here.”

“It’s been a month, yes,” you said, clearing your throat, “I like it so far. I mean, aside from getting mugged, I enjoy it. It’s very different than where I grew up in but like— it’s very new.”

“Yeah, especially if you’re from a small town…” he mused, “Where did you say you moved from by the way?”

“Cannon Beach, Oregon.”

“I love small towns,” he said, “Very peaceful.”

“They are!” you said, “I mean sometimes a little too peaceful with nothing to do but…”

“You know, visiting Oregon has been in my list for a while now,” he said, “Any advice on where to go if I end up visiting there?”

Oh he is good.

If you weren’t a trained spy, you wouldn’t have even noticed that he was trying to see whether you could be trusted or not. Bucky, being secretive himself hadn’t even asked anything about your so called hometown but Sam knew exactly what to ask to see if you were hiding something.

You thanked Chloe for making you read everything about your file the other day in your mind before you pursed your lips, deep in thought.

“Well my hometown doesn’t have much to offer but— do you like hiking?”

“Sure, why not?”

“We have a state park,” you said, “I think you’d enjoy it. Natural view, all green and peaceful. Back in high school, every semester break my friends dragged me there and the there was this one time we were all there, I got stung by this huge wasp and it was just before the school dance and I ended up not getting asked out by my crush—anyway, it’s a long way of saying I don’t hike anymore.”

That made him chuckle and he seemed to be convinced that you were sincere, thankfully.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as his eyes went over your shoulder, making you look up and gasp.

Jesus, as it turned out you weren’t the only one with a mission who required you to get in close combat.

“Oh my God.” You covered your mouth with your hands, staring up at his bruised face half hidden by his hat. Sam pushed his chair back, clearing his throat.

“I should probably step outside,” he said as he stood up, “Gotta make a call, I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks man.”

“What happened?” you asked as Sam walked out of the coffee shop and Bucky sat down across from you to the seat Sam had just left. He tried to offer you a small smile.

“It’s nothing.”

“Bucky it doesn’t look like nothing…” you mumbled, your brows pulled together “Does it hurt?”

What?

“Does it hurt?”

You weren’t supposed to ask that, you were supposed to gather info on where he went and what he was doing on missions of his own.

“Not at all,” he assured you and you took a shaky breath.

“What happened?”

“There’s this thing me and Sam are working on,” he said, “Don’t worry about it. I went to the milkshake shop to see you but…”

You wanted to ask for more details but something told you it could create a problem to insist this early so you decided against it.

“Just tell me you’re safe?”

A soft light crossed his eyes, “I am,” he said, “I promise.”

You paused for a moment before you pushed your hair behind your ear. “I gather you’re kind of used to getting hurt then?”

“A little,” he admitted, “That’s why I couldn’t call you or anything. I got caught up in something.”

Ah. He wasn’t giving you any details even if he thought you were a civilian.

He could like you, but he still couldn’t trust you. Maybe it was a precaution, maybe he wanted to keep you away from his mess, but either way, it was very clear that he had trust issues.

You took a mental note to put it on your report for General and shook your head.

“Of course,” you said, “You don’t need to explain anything, I’m just glad that you’re well and safe. Bruises aside.”

“Looks that bad huh?”

“No!” you said quickly, “No I wouldn’t say bad. Not by a long shot, you’re still pret—uh…dashing. Cute as a bug’s ear I’d say. Looking—looking aces. Dynamite even!”

He pulled his brows together, keeping his eyes on you.

“I may or may not have checked some early to mid 20th century slang just in case,” you admitted, making him tilt his head in confusion.

“Just in case of what?”

“Just in case you said something and I didn’t understand on the second date,” you said, “And let me tell you something, you guys spoke a completely different language back then.”

“You’re joking,” he said with a small smile and you crossed your arms.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Say one more term and I will.”

You thought for a moment, “Fine. Are you ready for this?”

“Absolutely, bring it on.”

“I will….” You trailed off, searching your mind for the right words you had checked online the other night, “I will snap my cap if you spook me showing up looking like you were about the buy the farm last night.”

A clear laugh escaped from his lips as it lit up his whole face and that was when you realized how rare it was to hear him laugh out loud. A warmth filled your stomach and you raised your brows, your nose in the air.

“See? Told you,” you pointed out and stole a look at him, “Was it—was it good?”

“It was great,” he said when he could pull himself together, “Absolutely perfect.”

“Why thank you,” you sipped your coffee as he cleared his throat.

“Speaking of the second date…” he said, making you bite down a smile, “Any chance you’re free tonight?”

“I am,” you said, “But you’re not.”

He pulled his brows together, “Hm?”

“Have you seen yourself?” you insisted, “You look like you—you almost died or something!”

“It wasn’t a big deal, really.”

“Well, those bruises say otherwise,” you said, “You need some rest. How much sleep did you get last night?”

He averted his eyes and waved a hand, “Some. Enough.”

“Bucky,” you said, leaning in slightly, “How much?”

Everything the government and your division had gathered on Bucky suggested the same thing; The Winter Soldier was basically created for war. He was the perfect soldier, and there was no way anyone could get any information from him. There was a reason why they had sent you into this mission, trying to get intel from him by force was absolutely impossible.

Even the government knew that.

But the same unstoppable soldier who would probably die before saying anything to the enemy caved in when you batted your lashes.

“Two hours.”

Your jaw dropped and you shook your head, “Nuh uh.”

“It’s enough, it’s more than—“

“Nope,” you cut him off, “You’re going to rest at home and—eat soup and watch garbage TV, mister. No dates for you on two hours of sleep.”

A soft smile pulled at his lips, “I can function with two hours of sleep darling.”

Your heart did not skip a beat at that, it was just you being very focused on your own cover and that was it.

“Well I don’t want you to just function,” you mumbled, “You need to take care of yourself too.”

Judging by his expression you could see that he wasn’t used to hearing that and you put your coffee on the table, then reached out to gently put your hand over his vibranium one. His hand twitched like a gun recoiling in your hand, even if you knew it was involuntary and a look of disbelief crossed his features, as if he hadn’t expected you –or anyone to touch that, as if he was afraid that you would be scared.

But of course, that was the spy in you speaking. Your cover wasn’t supposed to notice anything of the sort.

“How about…” you trailed off, “We have a date tomorrow? You go and get some rest tonight, and I’ll pick what I’m gonna wear for tomorrow and spam my friends with outfit ideas.”

“You sure?”

“Of course,” you said, “We have all the time in the world for dates. And I happen to live here, you know? It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

He smiled and turned his hand to entwine his fingers with yours, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles.

“Good,” he rasped out, “I like the sound of that.”

***

You should’ve known your superiors wouldn’t make it easy for you. This time, you were allowed to take your team with you because as it turned out, the right hand of the target you had brought in last night had gotten away, so now you had to take him down for your superiors to cut a deal with the target.

The first part of the mission had gone splendidly. He was alone and in hiding, so setting your gear up on the rooftop and pulling the trigger hadn’t been difficult whatsoever. You watched as a couple of agents burst through his door so that they could retrieve his body and fixed your ski mask before starting to dissemble your rifle to carry it easier.

“Anyone wants to grab some dinner?” Keith’s voice reached your earpiece and you yawned.

“Nah,” you said, “I’m going to go home and sleep for a year or something.”

“Deleting the security cam footage of the building right now,” Chloe let you know, “And I want dinner, I’ve been running on multiple cups of coffee.”

“You got it.”

“Are you buying?” one of the agents in your team asked, “If you are, we’re coming too.”

“Yeah man, I’m buying. Tacos?”

“Sounds good, just let me check—“ Chloe started but then gasped, “Shrike, get out of there right now!”

It was almost instinctual. You grabbed the small pistol out of your boots and turned around to point it at the person behind you but as soon as you recognized who he was, your heart started pacing.

Bucky had decided not to rest at home after all.

“Hi soldier,” you managed to say, “We have to stop meeting like this.”

Chapter 8

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws #tfatws!bucky #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes imagines #bucky barnes x you #falcon and the winter soldier #bucky #marvel #the winter soldier #the winter soldier x reader #burn the witch

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papergirllife · 4 years ago

Text

Teaser :

Idol! Jaemin x Barista! Reader

“This is the first time a barista has defied my order, and you even know who I am, this is outrageous. Female baristas are the best when it comes to making my order, and you dare to defy me?” Jaemin asked after he had taken a sip of his coffee.

“Oh please, Jaemin. Not giving you four shots of Americano isn’t the end of the world. And as for the other baristas, I’m not the type to kill my best customers by making an unhealthy drink, not everyone can be charmed by your good looks, Jaemin,” you said as you handed out drinks to his members.

“Really? I think you’re even more charmed by me than others, or you wouldn’t be worrying about my health by not serving me the correct order,” Jaemin said as he leaned over at the service counter, eyebrows moving up and down with a smug look on his face.

“Whatever floats your boat, Na Jaemin.”

warnings : tooth rotting fluff, fluffy smut, unprotected sex.

The practice room is filled with hustle and bustle as Jaemin and his fellow dream members prepare for their next comeback, checking their shoe laces before turning on the music, their hard work playing in the background as their choreographer instructs them to stretch before dancing. Practices always went like this at the start of the day, tired eyes trying to decipher the teacher’s moves as they take in the instructions and advice from their teacher, they hardly got any sleep last night, just to finish off recording the side tracks in the studio for their album just so they could focus on the performance side of things.

After the first hour, their teacher let them take a break, registering the tired look on their faces, the boys immediately went for their water bottles, but water isn’t going to help with their fatigue, so Jaemin suggested taking a walk to their usual coffee place, to Jaemin, coffee always helped him focus and gave him energy even more so than food. The boys agreed, making their way to the couch to slip on their padded jackets.

When they got to the cafe, the familiar chime of the doorbell rings as Renjun pushes open the door, the scent of coffee immediately waking them up the slightest, trudging towards the counter that was empty of people, the office workers have already retreated to their workplace, the main reason why they never went to get coffee first thing in the morning.

Renjun rang the bell as Jisung looks at the slices of cake in the display fridge expectantly, tugging on Jeno’s sleeve, hoping that he won’t be the only one hungry right now, but lips downturned when Jeno told him to save it for lunch, that their break wouldn’t be long enough for Jisung to digest the food quick enough to avoid a stomach ache.

When Jisung finally settled on what he wanted, Jaemin rang the bell that sat idly on the register, a girl who looked around twenty who was obviously new making her way to greet them a good morning before asking them what they wanted. If you knew who they were, you didn’t show any indication, unlike the other baristas, mostly female, who’d coo at them and compliment their good looks. You took down the orders with a monotonous expression, asking for their names just like any other customer, that is until Jaemin said his order, a slight wince that was a little noticeable, and surprisingly, you didn’t ask for his name, immediately knowing who he is even with his coat pulled higher, knowing who he is just from the ‘unique’ choice of drink, from what the boys could see as you scrawled his name on his cup with a sharpie, not a spelling in error, but in your defense, you got the other members’ names right as well, even going as far as writing their names on the different cake boxes to avoid mix ups.

The boys waited for their drinks patiently as Jisung tried to smell a bit of his cake through the tiny gaps of the box, trying to subdue his hunger as best as he could before the coffee arrives to fill his stomach, that boy digested this morning’s breakfast like it was nothing, Chenle telling him to eat more the next morning before he accidentally starves himself, a conversation they always have at the start of preparations.

When the first drink arrived, each of them took a look, careful not to take someone else’s drink, especially Jaemin’s, who had ordered an iced Americano in this cold weather, and not to mention, four shots. Jaemin took his drink, taking a sip to check, which he always does when there’s a new barista.

“Excuse me, miss?” Jaemin said as he waves his drink higher to try to get your attention when you were cleaning one of the machines, beckoning you back to the service counter.

“Yes?”

“I asked for four shots of Americano just now, I think there’s only two shots here,” Jaemin said as he stirs his drink with his straw, trying to show you the difference in density of two shots and four.

“Yeah, I know,” you said in a curt tone.

“Look, miss I know it isn’t company policy to make more than two shots, but I’m a regular here, and you do know where your regulars work at right?” Jaemin said as he takes off his cap and pushes his hair back, Donghyuck gagging in the background, knowing that he’s trying to charm her just like all the other female baristas who’ve worked here.

“I know who you are, Na Jaemin of Nct Dream who are under SM Entertainment, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving you that thing you call coffee, and it’s not even a matter of company policy,” you said as you look at him pointedly, not backing off of what you had stood for, the boys attention immediately fixated on you, not expecting you to shoot down Jaemin’s properly executed charms.

Jaemin props both his elbows on the service counter, mirroring your stance as he takes in your beautiful features that he had just noticed, usually he wouldn’t even spare the other female baristas a glance after getting his order, dedicating his flirtatious charms solely on getting his four shots of Americano, but today, he suddenly had a different goal in mind, exchanging his hand of cards for a game of two.

“Whatever floats your boat, Na Jaemin,” was the only thing you said before making your way back into the backroom, a confident bonce in your footsteps.

The next time Jaemin saw you was only hours later, when he was about to head home, he had chose to sit out some promotion discussions, opting to let Jeno listen to the staff drone on about the concept for this comeback, and volunteered to take Jisung for another snack run.

“Their chocolate chip cookies look so good, hyung,” Jisung said as he observes the cookies in the cookie jar.

“I’ll buy you anything you want as long as you can still eat dinner after we hit the showers.”

When Jaemin finally reached his turn in line, your beautiful face greeted him once again.

“Well if it isn’t you again, the one who stops me from having my favourite drink.”

“She’s just trying to add a few years to your life span, hyung,” Jisung pipes up from under all the scarves he had bundled around his neck.

“And this is why they say raising kids are useless and why hasn’t your shift ended?” Jaemin asked, his head cocked to a side in a questioning manner.

“Soon, guess you’ll have to wait for the next barista for your cup of death.”

“Unfortunately for me, I don’t have time to spare. So hit me with anything, as long as there’s caffeine in it, I just need enough energy to last until I get to my bed, and a chocolate chip cookie for Jisung.”

“Free rein of creativity?” you asked in a suspecting tone.

“Just nothing that contains strawberries.”

“Gotcha,” you said before you busied yourself behind the counter.

“Why are you watching her so intently, hyung?”

“What do you mean? I’m checking to see if she’s evil enough to slip a strawberry syrup or something into my drink.”

“But you’re looking at her, not the drink,” Jisung said with a slight teasing tone.

“Kids shouldn’t mind adults business, baby Jisungie.”

“I’m going to be an adult soon.”

“Kids these days grow up so quickly,” Jaemin said with a sigh as you called his name at the service counter, making his way towards your direction.

“Here, bon appetit, apple crunch delight frappe, and a cookie, I heated it up for you, Jisung, hold the top of the paper bag, it might still be hot.”

Jaemin held up his cup of drink, observing intently at the swirls of caramel that decorate the sides of the cup, as well as the cinnamon, apple powder, as well as cookie crumbs scattered on top of the whip cream.

“Is there a lot of milk in this?”Jaemin asked as he swirled his drink, taking a sip to try your drink, testing to see if it tastes as good as it looks, although it isn’t bitter, and probably had only one shot of espresso, the overwhelming sweetness of the drink with the slight bitter undertone has him hooked.

“Jaemin hyung is lactose intolerant,” Jisung said as he takes the paper bag in his hand, a worried expression as he observes Jaemin sipping from the drink.

“I used soy milk, is that okay with you?”

“Wait, how did you know Jaemin hyung is lactose intolerant?”

“I think another worker mentioned it to me, I have to get back to work now, have a nice day, you two,” you said before Jaemin got the chance to thank you.

As time goes by, the two of you make more small talk, and still jokingly argue over the fact that you’re not serving Jaemin four shots of Americano. The members watch curiously as Jaemin breaks the typical platonic flirting routine that he used to have with other female baristas, it’s not that he doesn’t flirt with you, but rather there’s sincerity in his eyes that aren’t there when it comes to the other people he charms.

There was once when the other members took a sip of his new favourite drink, thinking it wouldn’t be as bad as the poison he used to drink, but apparently, they were in for a surprise.

“This shit is too sweet, what the hell?!” Donghyuck yelled before he quickly downs a gulp of water to wash the sweetness off his taste buds.

The others quickly took a sip, saying that Hyuck was probably overreacting, but to their demise, all of them grimaced at the caramel and apple syrup filled drink, the taste of coffee barely reaching their taste buds, masked by all the sweet syrups.

“God, how does she know you so well? How did she even know about your weird preferences for food?” Renjun asked after downing the whole bottle of water, immediately popping a mint into his mouth.

“When you mentioned that, I don’t know, I never told her that before, not even the other baristas that I’ve ordered from, and she even knew I was lactose intolerant.”

“You only mentioned these things on shows, she’s probably a fan, specifically your fan,” Jeno noted.

“Well, well, well, looks like our Jaemin hit the jackpot, you did say our fans are your ideal type, or was that just for camera?” Hyuck said as he looped an arm over Jaemin’s shoulder, a teasing tone as he sings your name loudly in his ear.

“God you’re annoying, and yes I did mean it, but that doesn’t mean she’s a fan.”

“She’s obviously a fan,” all of them said immediately.

“Even if she isn’t, you were already fascinated by her the first time she wouldn’t give you your drink,” Renjun said to make a painfully obvious point that Jaemin didn’t want to come clean yet.

“I’m heading to bed, keep guessing guys,” Jaemin said as he got up from the couch, retreating into his room, but finds himself staring at the same face once he closes his eyes, your smile in his mind as fatigue finally lulls him into peaceful slumber.

A month went by and things haven’t changed much, but the boys are finally getting weekends off after getting the choreography in their mind, now they just need to practice it until it’s perfect, before the filming starts.

The winter season at times, drives customers away from the cafe, opting to stay home and settle for the instant coffee packets they have in their comfort of their own houses, but six very persistent customers never fail but to make it to the cafe’s warm confines every morning, other than the other customers that can’t start work without their daily coffee intake as well of course.

“Morning boys, what would you like to have today?”

“Morning, the guardian angel of my kidneys, every morning I feel warmer just by looking at your beautiful smile.”

“Actually I think that’s the air vent on top of your head, Jaemin,” you said as you pointed at the ceiling, trying to hide the smile on your face.

“Right, I didn’t see that until today, I’ll have my usual,” Jaemin said with a toothy grin on his face, trying his best to distract you from his failed pick up line as the rest of the boys snickers at his failed attempt, only pausing to tell you what they wanted.

When you came out with their drinks, Jaemin plucked the sharpie that was clipped onto your apron and a cup sleeve from the stand, uncapping the pen to quickly write down his number on the sleeve before reaching out your hand, trying to not get distracted by your smooth skin as he slips the sleeve onto your wrist, catching you by surprise.

“Call me,” was all he said before he ushered the boys out, not wanting them to tease him in front of you so blatantly.

You laughed at the amusing scene in front of you, Jaemin pushing the boys out as he clamps a hand over Donghyuck’s mouth. When they were out, the cafe was once again empty, giving you time to ponder over the feeling of where Jaemin held your hand, butterflies erupting in your stomach at the sight of his number on your wrist, taking the sleeve off and placing it in your pocket securely.

You and Jaemin have been texting back and forth, and you find that he likes asking very specific questions from you, other than the good morning, how was your day, and goodnight texts. He’d ask about things like what was your favourite colour, and when you say you didn’t have one, he’d send the doggy eyes emoji and said that he wouldn’t know what to get you for your first present, and you promptly told him you didn’t want any gifts from him, but Jaemin being Jaemin, got you Ryan house slippers the next day when you had randomly mentioned how cold your floorboards are these days.

“I don’t want to seem like we’re talking solely because you’re buying me stuff, you know, just because you’re an idol, doesn’t mean you can splurge on me,” you said as you were making his coffee, putting in extra effort in making the whipped cream look nice.

“Don’t worry, I have plenty of savings, and now I can finally match with someone, the boys refused to have matching house slippers with me,” he complained in that baby tone of his. “Just let me buy you a gift to show my sincerity, and don’t act like you weren’t happy when I passed you the bag, your beautiful eyes give you away,” Jaemin said as he was leaning onto the service counter, watching you focus on your work is really attractive to him, taking a mental image of this moment.

“Sure, sincerity. Though, I do hear little birdies singing about how you flirt with every barista here, and that you’re their favourite customer,” you said as you passed him his drink, fingers touching his, but he didn’t let go, your eyes flicking to the boys who were sat at a table nearby, watching the two of you like a movie, but coffee clutched in their hands instead of a soda, eyes wide in concentration.

“You’re different,” he still hasn’t let go of your hand.

“How so?” you asked as you watch him trace your knuckles gently.

“You’re the only one I gave my number to, and what we have, isn’t casual flirting,” he said as his eyes looked upwards, holding your gaze, “it’s interest,” he said before leaving, the boys following suit before waving you goodbye and a ‘see you later’ from Jisung.

You stood still at your spot even after they had left, pondering over the words Jaemin chose to describe whatever attraction he had towards you, your chain of thoughts were however broken by the distant chime of your phone, signaling the arrival of a text message. You opened your phone to see a text from Jaemin.

‘Wanna go for a bike ride tonight? I’ll come get you after dinner.’

��I don’t have a bike.’

‘You can borrow Jeno’s.’

‘I don’t know how to ride a bike.’

You were suddenly startled by the ringing of an all too familiar song of your ringtone, pressing the call button with an unknowing smile on your face.

“You just saw me minutes ago, and now you’re calling?”

“You seriously don’t know how to ride a bike? Or is this a subtle rejection to our first date?”

“Yes, Na Jaemin, I seriously don’t know how to ride a bike, I kid you not.”

“How did you even manage to get around Seoul without a bike?”

“The bus, the metro, my legs, I never needed to ride a bike my whole life. So we can’t have our date tonight?” you asked, hoping that he’d still have it on.

“How about I teach you?”

“Falling on my butt at twenty sounds like a bad idea for my tailbone.”

“Wait, I got an idea, send me your address, I’ll come pick you up at 9, I got to go, duty calls,” was the only thing he said before ending the call, leaving you miffed about what he’s going to pick you up from. From what you know, only Jeno, Renjun, and Chenle have their driving licenses.

Guess you’ll have to wait for tonight.

“I should’ve just said I was busy if I had known you’ll pull something like this.”

“What’s the problem?” Jaemin asked as he sat on his brand new bike, not the sporty one he had, but a brand new normal bicycle, the ones that had an extra place for you to strap your bag, though, instead of the empty netted metal plate, it was turned into a makeshift seat, Jaemin had strapped a pillow there using two old belts.

“You brought a new bike just for this date?” you asked as you looked at him in disbelief.

“Well, not just for this date, I plan to have plenty of bike dates with you, so I thought why not? Come on, time’s ticking, Cinderella,” Jaemin said as he held a hand out and pulled you to him, letting him adjust the helmet he had just placed on your head.

You stared into his honey brown orbs as he fixed your helmet, looking at the little stars in his big eyes as his fingers grazed your cheeks, hoping that he doesn’t touch your heated cheeks. When he was done, you hopped onto the back of the bike, your feet dangling off the ground.

When Jaemin paddled, you weren’t used to the jolt of speed, and instinctively looped an arm over Jaemin’s waist, your body lightly crashing onto Jaemin’s back, your cheek on his shoulder.

“Hold on tight, princess.”

Jaemin took you to a nearby hill which overlooked Seoul’s beautiful night sky, but you pulled onto his sleeve and pointed at a couple nearby, alerting him of their presence.

“They might recognise you.”

“Don’t worry, I know another place,” Jaemin said as he paddled further into the area, crossing into a small patch of grassland that was shaded by some bushes. You hopped off the bike and took off your helmet, looping it onto one of its handles, and breathed in a breath of fresh air.

“This is nice, feels like I’m really in a fairytale.”

“Thought you might want to feel a different atmosphere from the busy cafe, I immediately thought of this hill, Jeno and I come up here sometimes.”

“Thank you, Jaemin, this must’ve been a special spot to you.”

“I like seeing the stars here, when the night’s clear of clouds. Look up, there’s a few above us.”

You tilted your head up to see the stars shining down on you, alongside a crescent moon, barely steered clear by a large cloud.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Not as much as you,” Jaemin said as he laid down on the blanket he had set out, a hand patting the empty spot next to him.

“Ever the flirt, aren’t you?” you teased, but nonetheless laid down onto his outstrecthed arm, letting him pull you close to him.

“It was a compliment, not flirting.”

“Okay Mr baristas’ favourite, I will take that as a compliment as per your request.”

“Finally, thank you.”

You fished your phone out to take a photo of the sky, and that’s when Jaemin noticed an all too familiar photo of himself on your home screen, from the candy lab photoshoots.

“I knew it!” Jaemin said as he grabbed your phone, inspecting your home screen like it wasn’t him on it, “I knew you were a fan, that’s the only way to explain how you knew about my lactose and my taste preferences, just let me check,” Jaemin said as you shouted for him to give you your phone back, embarrassed that you had overlooked the need to switch your wallpaper before this date, Jaemin went and clicked onto your gallery, revealing your folders.

“Look what we have here, a Jaemin file, and there’s 89 photos in here, wait a minute, why do you have a file for Jeno? And there’s 94 photos?! How could you?!” Jaemin demanded as he waves your phone right in front of your face.

“Oh please, don’t be a drama king, Jaemin. Like you said, I’m a fan of you,, naturally I’m a fan of Jeno as well, the two of you come together like couple, most of us fans think you guys are in love with each other.”

“What?! So you thought I was gay at first?!”

“Well, yeah.”

“Now I know why my charms didn’t work on you the first few times,” Jaemin mumbled into your shoulder after he pulled you into his embrace, wallowing in self pity, as well as an excuse for a hug. After a minute or so, he pulled his head away, his smile back on his face.

“I won’t be discouraged because of that, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself, princess, since you already know everything about me. Like who do you live with? That area you live in was developed long ago, very different from what I had thought of, come on, tell me.”

“I live with my grandpa, he’s been staying there for decades now.”

“What about your parents?”

“They died in a car crash along with my grandma when I was just a baby, I don’t remember anything about them.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jaemin said as he stroked your back to comfort you, his palm warming you in this cold weather, as well as this distant cold memory.

“Don’t be, we’ve moved on, it’s been so many years now. How about you? How’s idol life?”

“Wake up, train, sleep, and repeat, unless it’s during promotional periods, then things get to be more exciting, tired, but regardless, exciting, seeing the fans enjoy our hard work pays off.”

“You’ve come so far, Jaemin. I’m proud of you, all of us are,” you said, your voice soft, but full of admiration.

“Thank you, really, those words mean a lot to me. I sacrificed quite a bit to be where I am, I think I miss going to school the most, as ridiculous as it may sound to other people, I don’t have any friends outside of the company. What about you, don’t you want to go college?”

“I like what I’m doing, and my grandfather has a fair amount of shares of various companies he had bought when he was still in doing business, he’s getting old, and I want to spend as much time as I can with him, college would’ve taken up too much of my attention, plus, I could always do college when I’m older, but grandpa wouldn’t be getting any younger.”

“That’s really sweet of you, as sweet as the drink you make me everyday.”

“You don’t think it’s cowardice? Some people have said that to me, and said that it’s an excuse for not getting out of my comfort zone.”

“I don’t think not going to college is a sign of not daring to go out of your comfort zone, it’s just like choosing a career over family, it’s just a difference of commitment, and you chose to be with your grandpa, and I think that’s what you always wanted, don’t let people who don’t understand you completely to tell you what to do, and you don’t have to give them an explanation either, just be you, and that’s enough.”

“For a twenty year old, you’re pretty wise, Na Jaemin. I’ve always wondered how you dealt with the not so nice comments and put a smile on your face everyday.”

“You smile everyday too, you’re stronger than you think, princess.”

“I smile to my customers because that’s my job, and it’s not even genuine, but I can see that yours are, it’s why fans adore you, your smile brings them joy.”

“As long as they’re happy, I’m happy. So are the smiles when we step into the shop genuine? Or are those scripted as well?”

“I did say you bring happiness to your fans, didn’t I?”

“Yeah? Then is it too much if I ask for a photo of us? Of you smiling?”

“Go ahead, but I don’t think we should use flash, what if the people down there sees us?”

“Even if they do, they’re not going to trudge uphill in their office attire just for the sake of gossip. Have a little faith in humanity.”

“I don’t have much faith in humanity,” you said as you sat up from the ground, looking at the couple only a few feet below you, one glance up and they’ll definitely see you if they looked up.

“What about me, then? How much faith do you have in me?” Jaemin asked, sitting up, his hand immediately on your back, nudging you to the direction of his face, searching your eyes once more.

You heard the question, but instead of answering immediately, you pondered over it as you lift a hand up to run your fingers through his locks gently, avoiding his eyes for now, not wanting to seem like a fool desperate for love, swallowing the lump in your throat before answering him.

“Just the right amount for my heart to shatter if placed in the wrong hands,” you answered, your voice somewhat hollow, a nagging voice in your mind tells you that you might have revealed too much, even from that one sentence.

Jaemin thinks it over before replying to what you said, the mood suddenly took a somber change, and he didn’t want to put it too simply, and he doesn’t want to disregard your emotions, he wants to know how the scars in your heart come about, he wants to know who you used to smile to before him, but he doesn’t ask, he doesn’t want to pry open your wounds once more without any preparation. He knows you’ll tell him when you’re ready.

“In exchange for your faith in me, I’ll give you this,” Jaemin said before taking your hand in his, cupping it over his heart, his eyes looking into yours, hoping that you’ll take this promise into account, that you’ll allow him in your heart, even if it takes a long time.

“Jaemin, I...” Jaemin puts a finger on your lips, he doesn’t need an explanation, not yet.

“Tell me when you really feel it. ”

At that moment, he looked like the sweetest thing ever, no one has ever looked at you like you were his whole world, you could faintly see your own reflection in his eyes, right next to his own stars, you could see yourself in the windows of his soul, you were apart of the little galaxy in his eyes now, his doe eyes making your heart do flips, you didn’t know what to say, what you were feeling right now seemed too vast to be worded out, so instead, you showed him with your actions, you leaned in and kissed him, your body’s weight shifting onto his, making him topple over as he reciprocates the kiss, your hair splayed all over his face, the sweet scent of your shampoo making him a hundred times more delirious, like kissing you wasn’t making him dizzy enough, he had to summon utmost concentration in kissing you back, his pouty lips engulfing your bottom lip, sucking gently as his arms around your waist pull you flush against him, the feeling of your cold hands on his warm nape keeping him on the edge, reminding him not to screw the first kiss up.

When the two of you pulled apart for air, you could see Jaemin’s lips red and swollen as his chest heaves slightly, with a little bit of drool on his chin, still bewildered that you were the one who did this, to the Na Jaemin, the boy of your dreams. Although the two of you broke off the kiss, both your hands are still on each other, no sign of letting go anytime soon.

When Jaemin finally collected his thoughts and registered that he had finally kissed you, he fished out his phone from his pocket, a wide smile on his face, “Now about that photo.”

The boys didn’t notice anything at first, the two of you acted rather normal around each other even after the fact that you’ve been together with Jaemin for a month now, though they did pick up subtle changes like how Jaemin would have a tiny heart at the back of his name on his coffee cups, then came the homemade cookies whenever your grandpa wanted a baking session with you, the sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies filling the air of their dorm kitchen whenever Jaemin took them out from the container you had stored them in, things started to really get serious when Jaemin slept earlier, opting out of his gaming sessions just to wake up and cook you something for lunch, neatly stored in a bento box.

After a month or so of this, Jaemin finally asked you over for dinner, just the two of you and some sushi he had bought from your favourite Japanese place, you knew what dating an idol would be like, so you assured him that you didn’t mind having a date in his living environment, on the plus side, you could look into his life clearly, no more the days of trying to gather as much information of him as possible through the confines of your phone screen.

“Where are the boys?” you asked as you removed your shoes, stepping into a very homey place, from the way they decorate and place things, this was much more of a home than a dorm house.

“I told them to go out for dinner with some of the WayV members, it’d be weird to have them looking at us on an official date, and I’d like to talk to you without the fear of Jisung burning down the kitchen a few feet away.”

“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” you questioned as you took out the boxes of sushi, inhaling the delicious smell of your favourite dishes.

“He once asked me if you needed to wash vegetables with dish soap.”

“No way.”

“Way. I don’t even know what went through his mind that moment. Let me open the boxes, you go can pick out a movie for us.”

You laughed and shook your head at disbelief, imagining the scene in your head as you picked out a movie on Netflix, playing Monster Inc.

“What are you? A five year old?” Jaemin teased as he placed down the many boxes of sushi, just realising that he probably ordered too much.

“You signed up for the full package and that includes the immature disney loving side, do you wish to have a refund?” you joked as you grabbed a pair of chopsticks, popping one whole sushi into your mouth, making your cheeks full, emitting a coo from Jaemin instantly.

“If I get to see this everyday? Not a chance,” Jaemin said as he poked your cheek.

You focused on enjoying your food and the movie, trying your best not to laugh with your mouth full, but little did you know, Jaemin was staring at you the whole time, if he wasn’t smiling like a dork because of how you were trying your hardest to not laugh while eating, he’d be sneaking a photo or two of you with your biggest smile, one that is quite a rare view to him, the way your eyes light up, and your cheeks become round, and a little bit of teeth showing in between your plump pink lips, he couldn’t get enough of how perfect you look right now, and your sweater paws only make you even more irresistible in his eyes.

When the movie got emotional, you had unintentionally leaned into his embrace as you chewed on your california roll silently, doe eyes watching the scene in front of you. Jaemin took this chance and kissed the corner of your lips, stealing your attention for a quick second, before telling you to get back to the movie, silently enjoying the feeling of basking in your warmth as he takes a sip from his iced green tea.

There was still a bit of food left, guess he’ll just have to heat it up for tomorrow’s breakfast, unless Jisung gets hungry in the middle of the night, again. When the movie ended, you had an expression on your face that Jaemin hasn’t seen before, but when you started speaking, he realised that he had just been allowed deeper inside your heart.

“When I was in high school, I dated this guy for around 4 years, I thought we’d end up together until the end and whatnot, until I realised that the end for him and I was when he needed to leave for college in another country, we tried the long distance thing, but he fell out of love, so yeah, that’s how it ended, it’s been more than a year now, I’ve moved on, but at that time, I just felt this uncertainty that I didn’t want to confront at that time, but I realised that, you’re different Na Jaemin, I lo-

“Wait! Let me say it first, I’ve been dying to say it,” Jaemin said as he clamped a hand over your mouth.

“I love you, princess, from the bottom of my heart, and I’m not leaving you, so you better not try to get rid of me.”

“I love you too, drama king.”

Jaemin let out a chuckle before pouncing on you with a big fat kiss, giving you smooches all over your face before kissing you seriously this time, the slight bitter taste of green tea invading your taste buds, you could feel Jaemin smiling into the kiss, which made you smile as well, the butterflies in your stomach going wild, kisses with Jaemin always made you feel giddy inside, like Jaemin whenever he was on a sugar rush, every feeling maximised whenever his lips touch yours.

The two of you were still smiling when you broke off for air, but the clock on the wall broke your trance, telling you that it was time to head home before the last bus. You got up and packed away the leftover sushi, telling Jaemin to put them in the fridge before getting a bag to clean away the empty boxes, when you started collecting your things, Jaemin stopped you.

“Hey, what’s the rush? Why are you leaving so soon?”

“The last bus leaves in 15 minutes, I have to get to the station now.”

“It’s late, come on, stay the night, we could continue where we left off” Jaemin said in his baby voice, a pout on his face, knowing that you won’t be able to resist him.

“I’d love to, Jae, but the boys will be home soon, I don’t want to make them uncomfortable, especially Jisung, you room with him, remember?”

“I’ll just call Hendery and tell him to take Jisung to the his dorm, I bet Jeno and Renjun would follow suit, they already can’t stand us in the cafe, they wouldn’t want to overhear us,” Jaemin said as he slid a hand up your shirt, caressing your heated skin, his large eyes pleading you.

“Okay, fine, but I’m leaving before they come back tomorrow, okay?”

“Don’t worry, it’s the weekend, they won’t be back anytime soon. There’s a new toothbrush and a fresh towel in the cupboards, and use the skincare labelled with Nana, I’ll come to you after I make the call.”

You freshened up in the bathroom, surprised to see he had a very complete skincare routine, heading to his room to slip out of your dress into the comfort of one of Jaemin’s t shirts that you recognise from one of his schedules, the shirt ending just above your knee, it was oversized on him, so it looks even bigger on you. You heard the tap running in the bathroom you had just came out from, giving you some time to look around Jaemin and Jisung’s room, looking at photos of the boys since pre debut times, cooing at how adorable they look when they were kids, as well as the more recent photos of them, Jaemin just got more and more handsome as the years went by. A pair of arms on your waist and a kiss under your ear, caught you by surprise, turning back to see Jaemin’s beautiful bare face.

“You should walk louder next time.”

“Your scared face was cute though, I think I’ll keep doing that.”

“Meanie.”

“But you still love me.”

“Unfortunately, yes,” you said before laughing at Jaemin’s offended expression, but let out a yelp when he scooped you in his arms, carrying you to his bed before laying on top of you, his elbows propped up beside your head to not squish you.

“You look really good in my shirt,” Jaemin said as he dips his head down to scan your figure.

“Really? Wait till it’s on the floor,” you said as you trailed a leg up his thigh, getting dangerously close to the rising tent in his sweats.

“Getting bold, aren’t we?”

“You started the fire, Jaemin, why? Too hot to handle for you?” that was the last struck to his ego before Jaemin takes the initiative to do as you say, slipping off his shirt off of you and onto the ground, sitting up to admire your bare beauty as his fingers slowly trace your curves, goosebumps rising in his wake.

“Even more beautiful from what I’d imagined.”

Jaemin leaned down to engulf your nipple in his mouth, the warm wet feeling of his tongue flicking against your once cold nubs making your head spin from the sudden pleasure, his other hand reaching up to play with the other one, rolling your nipple in between pads of his fingers, eyes wide in astonishment as he takes in the way your face contorts in pleasure, breathless moans of his name falling from your lips like a mantra.

Jaemin moves down southwards to your core, gently prying your legs open before asking you if you wish to continue, you let out a breathless yes and nudged his head closer to your core, making him chuckle at how much you adore his touch. Jaemin gets to work immediately, lapping up your soaked slit before giving a few kitten licks to your clit right after his fingers successfully found your sensitive bundle of nerves.

Your moans started getting louder as you curled your fingers in Jaemin’s locks, trying to stable yourself when he dipped his tongue into your warm velvety walls, Jaemin’s only goal tonight is to worship you like the queen you are, putting your pleasure as priority.

Once your walls started opening up to the intrusion, Jaemin slipped two fingers inside of you, curling into your roof, trying to locate your sweet spot, a cry from you signaled him that he had found it, and began thrusting his fingers into you at a faster pace, slipping a third finger into the mix, a smile gracing his lips when he heard a whimper from you.

Jaemin halted all movements and slipped his fingers out, quickly taking off his clothes, you opened your eyes to see why Jaemin had stopped, only to see his cock standing tall against his abs, a drool worthy sight. You were going to sit up and return the favour, but Jaemin stopped you.

“I want our first to be together, maybe next time, princess?”

“Okay,” you said as you leant back into the bed, spreading your legs wider for Jaemin, a hand tracing his muscles, fingers dipping into every curve and nudge, driving Jaemin crazy under your teasing touch. Jaemin shook his head slightly to focus on the task at hand, he could always ask you to do this again later, but he can’t afford to screw up the first time.

Jaemin took your hand that was palming his abs in his, holding it as he asks you one last time, “We could stop if you need me to.”

“I want this, Jaemin, I want all of you,” you said as you looked into his eyes, showing him that you meant every word you said.

“Okay, tell me if anything hurts,” Jaemin reminded you before slipping inside of you inch by inch, penetrating your walls bit by bit felt so good, he could’ve came on the spot if he wasn’t concentrating. Jaemin ceased all movements when he bottomed out, littering kisses and whispers of sweet encouragements as you adjust to his size, his thumbs smoothing out the crease of your brows.

After a minute or two, you told Jaemin to move, finally adjusting to his size, he was significantly bigger and longer than your ex, reaching undiscovered parts inside you as he started his shallow thrusts, not wanting to hurt you, you could feel every vein that’s mapped on his length, the veins dragging against your smooth walls felt magnified to you, perhaps it’s just been a long time since you had any physical intimacy, but to you, Jaemin made you feel like it was your first time all over again.

Slowly, all the pain faded, and it was being replaced by a shocks of pleasure as Jaemin thrusted inside of you faster, legs looped around his waist to allow him to have easier access, the position allowing Jaemin to thrust into your sweet spot as Jaemin’s hand held onto yours, not letting go. You could feel the coil in your stomach starting to wound tighter.

“Jaemin, faster, please,” you spluttered out between moans of his name.

Jaemin immediately obliged, angling your hips higher to thrust into you harder and faster, snapping his hips against yours, making your toes curl as you let out a scream of his name, fueling his desire to help you reach your high. You could feel Jaemin’s tip hitting your sweet spot repeatedly, your hand that was clasped in his was digging crescents into his palm, but Jaemin didn’t mind, in fact, he secretly loves the mixture of pain and pleasure he’s feeling, he moves his other hand that was holding onto your hips to your clit, rubbing circles on your bundle of nerves.

The stimulation on your clit by Jaemin’s strong fingers was the last push that made the coil in your abdomen snap, eyes rolling into your head as your back arched into Jaemin’s embrace, your sensitive nipples grazing his as you let out a silent scream, tears brimming your eyes from oversensitivity. Jaemin snaps a few more thrusts before reaching his high, immediately switching to a sloppy pace, careful not to drive you into overstimulation as he paints your walls white, his cum warm inside you.

When Jaemin finished, he gently pulled out as he coos at you, your face set in this beautiful afterglow as you tried to control your breathing, your eye lids fluttered shut from the exhaustion. Jaemin gets up from the bed, but was pulled back by a weak tug of your hand.

“I need to run you a bath, princess, I’ll be right back,” Jaemin said as he gently removed your hand and placed it on the bed, heading to the direction of the bathroom, coming back to you not long after, carrying you into the tub of warm water.

When you settled into the tub with Jaemin, you had on a serene expression, eyes glossy as you leant into his touch.

The two of you washed each other off slowly, getting shy when Jaemin touches your breasts once more under different conditions, making you heat up and bury your head in his shoulder. About an hour later, the two of you had to get out before your skin gets wrinkly, Jaemin wraps you in a fluffy towel before he drains the water, making sure you’re warm.

You padded back into his room, slipping under the thick blanket, Jaemin joins you soon after, leaning down to kiss you with his arms holding him up, his necklace dangling onto your collarbone. You toyed with his necklace before he had the chance to lean back, kissing him again.

You continued toying with his necklace as he spoons you, distracting him from his much needed sleep. Jaemin chuckles at how you’re observing the charm, reaching behind his neck to unclasp it, putting it on you instead.

“Here you go, now go to sleep, princess, and just ask next time, anything that’s mine is yours.”

“I was just looking.”

“Right... Goodnight, princess.”

“Night, Jaemin,” you replied before closing your eyes, the metal warm against your heart.

#nct smut #nct fluff #jaemin smut #jaemin fluff #nct #nct dream

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daydream-believin · 4 years ago

Text

Flowers Have Feelings

summary: it's valentines and you're making some gifts for your good pal douxie,,, also confessing

warnings: swearing probably, no proofread cause tired

word count: 2659

a/n: i've been struggling with writers block. i guess. i've returned to this only to write like, a paragraph so many times. which is bad cause like cheese designed the bouqeut and this should have been done ages ago. idk idk bon appetit

tags: @yagirlcheesely, is for you

image below: sketch of the bouquet

You jumped out of bed and slammed your alarm. Today was the day. You had to get everything ready today. Tonight would be the presentation. The night you finally do it. The night you confessed to your closest friend and crush, Douxie. Also happened to be Valentine’s day.

Your friends may have told you: “Just be patient. Drop hints. If he likes you, he’ll let you know.” But you weren’t about that passive love life. You liked to grab that strawberry cow by the horns. Subtly was boring and took far too long. You were in love with your friend and you were gonna let him know frankly if it killed you. It probably would, to be honest.

As confident as this makes you sound, you were aware of the possibility of him not liking you back, and that was okay. Sure, your heart would be shattered and you might not be very peachy for, say, a month or six, but you accepted that. At first, you had resigned yourself to just adoring him secretly. But you quickly grew impatient with that. What were you afraid of, really? Him letting you down gently, and ushering you two into an era of awkwardness? Okay so maybe that was worth considering. But not really. You wouldn’t let it come to that. Even if he did turn you down, you weren’t about to let that fact taint your friendship like that. You two were very close, and Douxie wasn’t the kind of guy to suddenly treat you differently after such a thing. Just a few weeks of awkwardness at most before all was forgotten (on his end at least). Only a problem for you. But, boy, it would be really, really nice, and not awkward, if he reciprocated.

You and Douxie were thick as thieves. There wasn’t a thing you hadn’t told each other. Not a secret between a pair of buddies as close as you. Oh, one thing, you know. The fact that you had caught feelings, that was definitely something you had kept secret from him. As eager as you were to do so, you couldn’t just drop a bombshell like that at any old time. That’s why you chose today of all days to confess; a little extra luck from St. Valentine. A little magic to give you a boost, placebo or not. This was going to happen. This was going to work.

You strapped on your helmet, safety first, before heading out on your bike. You cleared your schedule for the day cause you weren’t really sure if everything would work out or not. You could have everything done and ended wrapped up neatly in a few hours, or you could have a complete disaster on your hands, which could take up all your time. Time you would happily give, since you were determined for everything to be perfect. It was also nice to know you didn’t have to come in to work later,, lest you spend the whole night, crying your eyes out. You shuddered at the possibility. You were gonna stop thinking about that now. Yeah, only confidence now.

You may be a teensy bit sleep deprived. Only a teensy bit. You chugged a monster this morning, you’ll be fine. It wasn’t your fault you were up all night researching flower language. There were so many flowers, and those flowers had so many feelings. Eventually though, you managed to settle on a bouquet of roses, daisies, and dandelions. Fern leaves for greenery too. Greenery was important for flower arrangements. It tied the whole thing together. While it wouldn’t be the most on theme color scheme, the yellows, whites, reds, and greens, would mix together prettily. You definitely didn’t have to go as far as this, and you were banking on the fact that Douxie even knew flower language, but it was sweet, it was romantic. And you were going to be romantic about this, dammit.

Daisies, for friendship. It was really important that you communicate just how much you valued Douxie’s friendship and how nothing would change between you two if he were to not return your feelings. Red, red roses, classic romance. There was a reason the blooms were so strongly associated with the valentines holiday itself; no one sees a red rose and thinks of anything other than love and romance. A clear message to your beloved. And well, the dandelions? Cheery, beautiful, resilient, common weeds, never to be approved of, finding the strength to bloom despite assholes like Merlin’s best efforts. Dandelions were Douxie’s favorite flower.

Too bad the florist didn’t even consider them to be anything but said common weed. You had included them in your order when you called it in and you could hear the florist laugh, but muffled as if he put his hand over the receiver, before returning to the phone to inform you that you would have to add them yourself. Pretty rude, if you say so. No matter, hand-picked dandelions would be romantic, anyways. Even if no one else knew about it but you.

You placed the bouquet neatly into the basket of your bike. You’d pick the dandelions to complete it later, right before the big confession, in order to keep them fresh. But as of now, the bouquet peaked out of your basket, the floral fragrance wafting up to your face as you made your way to the next store.

Last week, you had seen such an adorable little box of chocolates. It had chocolates shaped like little skulls, flowers, and ghost cats, and the box had a silly pun about death. Goth chocolate, def. It would have been perfect for the edgy wizard in your life, but alas, it was way too fucking expensive. Like obscenely expensive. But no matter, you’d just steal the idea. How hard could making chocolate be anyway?

You left the grocery store with your haul safe in your skull-patterned reusable shopping bag. Wizard-chic and eco-friendly, it was your favorite bag. The contents of the much-loved bag? Melting chocolates, a jar of marmalade, a jar of raspberry jam, a jar of strawberry jam, and a new roll of wax paper, since you were out. Now you weren’t as ambitious as to make your own jam here. This was a failsafe. There are only so many ways to ruin chocolates if you did not make the chocolate nor the filling yourself. Now just a quick run in the stationary shop on your way home for a cute box, and you were all ready to start your chocolatier career.

* * *

Douxie was getting antsy. Not many patrons had paid a visit to his bookstore this afternoon. Which was strange for valentine’s. and it left him with nothing but his thoughts to entertain his anxious mind. Doux had a lot to worry about. His band had a gig in a new town, so he wasn’t sure how they would be received. He was waiting on a shipment of books that was supposed to show up days ago. It may have gotten lost. That Lake kid was getting himself into more and more trouble these days and it was starting to become hard to help out without overstepping his vaguely imposed bounds. But most of all, at the very moment, he was worried about you.

You had asked him to meet up for dinner tonight. Okay, pretty normal for a Sunday night. Not that the weekend meant anything to either of you, but you normally set aside Sunday for dinner hangout. So nothing to abnormal. But then. Then, you said, something… Douxie actually can’t recall what you said, per se, just that it was along the lines of “we need to talk.” And that your tone sounded nervous. He did not like that one bit, nope nope. He had spent a great part of the day just revisiting every interaction the two of you had had in the last month or so, desperate to figure out if he did something wrong. But he was coming up blank, for all his efforts. Across the room, the clock ticked on. It would be closing time soon enough, and then he’d no longer have to wonder just what he did wrong, as you would be there to tell him directly. Fuzzbuckets, he couldn’t wait.

* * *

You wiped the goopy chocolate off of your cheek with the back of your hand. So far this wasn’t a total disaster. You had at least seven chocolate skulls filled and drying in the molds. The white chocolate seemed to have melted smoother than the regular chocolate? The regular chocolate ones looked kind of lumpy. You hoped they came out of the molds okay. Not to mention the ones you already messed up. A little mountain of chocolate pieces and jam had started rising from your table top corner.

It had been lots of fun at the start. melting the chocolates with a double boil, planning out which molds would be which flavors. But actually filling those molds? A messy, messy ordeal. You had chocolate and jam all over your kitchen, up to your exposed elbows, and even a little in your hair. But that was okay. You’d clean the kitchen later. With the molds in the freezer to set, your priority now was cleaning yourself up rather than the kitchen.

And you cleaned up nice, if you did say so yourself. You got the chocolate out of your hair, and had on a fresh outfit, taking a little time to put effort into your style. You looked snazzy, but not too fancy. You needed to stay casual. Something that you hoped would make Douxie be like ‘wow they look pretty okay’ but not freak him out with formality. Yeah. This was good.

Your watch beeped. Okay, you needed to get out of here, no more dilly dallying. You pulled the candies you made out of the freezer. Moment of truth. Thank the stars, all of the chocolates came out of the molds smoothly without breaking. You arranged them in the cute circular box you set up earlier and folded the tissue paper over them. They all fit in perfectly. The cheesy valentine card, the most important part, didn’t quite fit on top of the candies, you’d have to put it with the bouquet. You slid the lid onto the box and fastened a bow around it with a blue ribbon. Maybe this was a bit overkill, but Douxie knew how to appreciate the dramatic. He’d love it, you were sure.

Last but not least, you headed to the greenspace across the street from your apartment for the final ingredient in your Douxie wooing, dandelions. You were lucky that the empty lot had recently bloomed an entire garden’s worth of the yellow things. The chilly breeze mussed up your newly-fixed hair as you danced about gathering the tiny flowers, adding to the bouquet until you felt like it was enough. Which took longer than you had hoped. You definitely could have kept adding in more dandelions but your watch beeped once again and you had no choice but to make peace with the level of yellow and book it to the bookstore where you and Douxie were supposed to meet before heading out for the night.

* * *

Hearing the ding of the door chime, Douxie turned around to kindly inform the customer who came in that he wasn’t open, but the words caught in his throat when he was met with your smile. There you were, standing in the shop with a box in one hand and flowers in the other. You looked cute. Really cute. But Douxie chased that thought away. He fumbled with the book he had been re-shelving. It fell out of his hand unceremoniously, landing with a thud.

“Hey,” Doux managed to get out. “What’s all-”

“These are for you!” you shoved the presents into his now empty hands. That courage you had earlier? Gone. Your resolve? Dissolving as we speak. You had to get this over with before you chickened out. He was just so good, okay. And why did you think this was a good idea. Douxie looked down at the gifts in his hands confused, before blushing. If he could have reached a hand behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck he would have.

“I didn’t know we were doing Valentine’s, uh. I feel bad I didn’t get you anything.”

“Oh! Don’t be. I just,, felt like doing something nice for you and uh, special,” Douxie tilted his head. You took the box, freeing up his hand. “These are chocolates I made, like, like you’re supposed to do.” You waltzed over to the counter to place them out of the way. “The bouquet is the real star here, uh, I picked them out very carefully.” You tucked your arms behind your back. “I, uh- I brushed up on flower language, and I hope I got it right.”

Now Douxie may have been a Victorian once upon a time but he had barely any surviving memory of the frilly flower language people socialized through in those days. But thankfully, the blooms in the bouquet in front of him were straight forward enough that he did in fact get the message without taking too much gear turning in that noggin of his. Although, the friendly daisies with the red roses were kind of sending him some mixed signals. He knew what he wanted them to mean, but he could just be misinterpreting. You seemed to notice his hesitation.

“Um, there’s a card too. In the flowers somewhere. That. Probably explains what I’m trying to say a little clearer.” You carded your fingers through your hair. You had anticipated not being able to really speak with your voice, as you barely could now, so you’d written it all out on the card as backup. But damn, that card had everything on it. You maybe got a little carried away. There wasn’t going to be any going back from this.

Douxie dug out the card from amidst the blooms. It was handmade, with a cheesy little drawing on the front complete with a pun. And then he opened it. It was almost solid black with ink. Yeah, you had written that much in there. Both sides. And a little on the back. Wow. Doux tried his best to keep up a poker face while reading it but failed quickly as the first few lines alone left him flushed. It was true, everything was on it. From how much you adored Douxie as a person, to how much you valued his friendship, to how pretty you thought he was, to how you longed for something more, with him? Douxie felt like his hands were getting the card all sweaty.

It was nerve wracking watching him read that card. It seemed like he was finished, since his eyes stopped raking through it, but now he was staring intensely at the words written on the pages, in a trance. He broke focus, looking to the bouquet, back to the card, and then finally settled on you.

“Wow.”

“… is that a good wow?”

Douxie caught you by surprise. He pulled into a hug. “Yeah, a good wow.”

You and Douxie’s first non-platonic hug? Yes please. You didn’t even mind the flowers pressing into your back. Okay so a few rose thorns were poking you but that was fine. Douxie smelled like something you couldn’t name, but it was spicy, and cozy. He let you go sooner than you were ready to, but he grinned at you as he left to rummage through his things in the back for a vase. He turned to you as he proudly displayed them on the store’s counter, right where he could look at them all workday,

“So, where are we going tonight? For our first date?” Doux chuckled, “and, technically, our first Valentine’s day too.”

#valentines💘#douxie x reader #douxie x y/n #hisirdoux casperan x reader #douxie casperan x reader #hisirdoux x reader #douxie imagine #hisirdoux casperan imagine #douxie casperan imagine #tales of arcadia x reader #tales of arcadia imagine #douxie #hisirdoux casperan #my writing

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 years ago

Text

summertime sadness .2.

holiday

Sequel to kiss me in the d-a-r-k

Part 1 (masterlist under construction)

Warnings: dub con sex (intercourse, oral)

This is dark!(dad)Steve and dark(professor!)Bucky explicit. 18+ only.

Summary: You enjoy your last days of escape.

Note: Alrighty, we’re building up to the real crux of this installment and I am pumped to begin the next chapters because shit gon get wildin’. I hope you all enjoyed the first part and here’s a fluffy, smutty second chapter. Bon appetit. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think in a reblog, reply, or like.

💋💋💋

The jet lag lulled you into a heavy sleep. Even so, you woke up early as Steve snored loudly beside you. You suspected, had it not been for your exhaustion, your night would have been restless because as soon as you opened your eyes, you were thinking of the day before.

Your phone vibrated as if sensing your thoughts and you grabbed it as you climbed off the bed. It was a text from Kylie. ‘Missing out girl’. You read and crept into the living room. ‘Don’t rub it in’, you replied after several tries. Your stomach was fluttering.

You were miles away and yet you felt just sending that message would give you away. As if she would sense your secret hidden between the letters. Your phone blipped as she returned a tongue out emoji and you countered with a thumbs up and set the phone aside with a sigh.

“Hungry?” Steve’s voice frightened you and you nearly jumped as you turned to him. “We’ll order some room service.”

He rubbed his eye with his knuckles as he took the menu from the coffee table and sat. “Eggs? Crepes?”

You sat beside him and looked over his shoulder. “Fruit and yogurt’s fine.”

“Boring,” He sounded like Kylie. “This is a vacation.”

“I’m not very hungry,” You argued as you crossed your arms and slouched against the couch. “But thanks.”

“Okay,” He shrugged as he reached for the phone on the table that stood by the arm of the couch. He dialed the extension and the other end picked up almost immediately as you closed your eyes. “Hi, I’ll get the Executive Breakfast and some yogurt and fruit to Suite 3a. Yes. And two mimosas…” You opened one eye and he peeked over at you with a grin. “Coffee too. Thanks.”

He hung up and sat back. He rubbed his shoulder against yours and leaned in. “

What’s going on, miss grumpy pants?”

“Please,” You pushed yourself to your feet. “Don’t talk to me like a child.”

“I’m not,” He argued. “Really? What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” You lied.

“We’re here to have fun so please… just tell me.”

“I just feel…” You looked around. “I dunno. I guess I’m just not used to all this.”

“So enjoy it,” He stood with a groan. “A nice day by the pool, hmm?”

You tried not to smile as he neared and pulled you to him. “I… my apartment could fit in here and more and my mom’s house is barely--”

“Do you ever think of yourself?” He interrupted.

“I think you know I do,” You let him wrap his arms around you. “I’ve grown too comfortable with being selfish.”

“Having fun isn’t selfish,” He insisted. “Don’t think of it like that.”

“Don’t you ever think… about what other people think?” You ran your hands along his shoulders. “When they see us together? I mean, they might not know us but--”

“They probably think I’m a lucky man,” He leaned in and kissed your forehead. “I don’t care what they think. Do you?”

“I don’t know, but I notice the looks.” You shrugged.

“Jealousy. Bitterness.” He said. “Let me tell you, if I could be your age again, I wouldn’t bother with caring about other people. It’s not worth it. Trust me.”

You smiled reluctantly. “I suppose…”

“Hey,” He caught your chin before you could look away. “You’re not stuck with me. If you’re not comfortable, if this doesn’t feel right, we can end it when you want. No hard feelings.”

You inhaled and gazed up at him. “No, I don’t want to end it, I just… am still trying to understand it. To understand myself.”

“You’re young, you’ve got time to figure yourself out,” He stroked your cheek with his thumb. “And this is just a step on that road.”

💋

The day was serene. After breakfast, you changed into your new swimsuit and settled into the pool with a book. Steve didn’t bother you much. You caught him watching you but he didn’t do much. When you climbed out and claimed one of the loungers, he followed you.

You sat back and closed your book. You set it aside and he took it. He read the synopsis on the back cover and gave a ‘hmm’. A dry history of the American Railroad; two bucks out of the discount bin but surprisingly intriguing. He put it back where you left it and stretched across the other lounger.

“You excited?” He asked.

“About?” You adjusted your sunglasses as you bent your legs.

“Your new job.” He was unabashed as his eyes explored your figure.

“Oh, yeah, nervous.” You answered as you fidgeted. “I’m trying not to think too much about it.”

“Why?” He reached over and touched your hand. “It’ll be a foot in the door and you’re a great writer.”

“Am I? How would you know?”

“Bucky sent me a copy of your article. The one that got you the placement.” He explained and you looked at him, stunned.

“You read my article?” You gaped.

“Enjoyed it,” He smiled. “You’re gonna go far, you know that? You’ll be visiting Hawaii every year. Living the life.”

You laughed. “Okay, sure.” You pulled your hand away and wiped the sweat from your forehead.

“I mean it,” He said. “Any plans after your degree?”

“I don’t know. Maybe another or… We’ll see how this goes first.”

“Gee, I’m sorry,” He shook his head. “This was meant to be a nice little getaway and I just ruined it, didn’t I?”

“No, it’s fine,” You assured him. “Really. I’m just… anxious.”

“I can help your nerves,” He purred and you rolled your eyes at him.

“Mmhmm,” You hung your arms over those of the chair and closed your eyes. “Nothing a little sun and dissociation won’t help.”

You ignored his shadow on the other side of your eyelids and the subtle shift of his lounger as he moved. You squeaked as you felt his fingers brush from ankle to knee. He pushed your legs apart as you opened your eyes. You tried to resist him but he was strong, insistent.

“Steve,” You whispered.

“Shh, it’s okay,” He bent over the end of the lounger and pulled you closer. You slid across it and tried to catch yourself on your arms. “No one can see us.”

“I don’t--” You gulped as he pulled aside the crotch of your bathing suit. “Steve, please, let’s go--”

His tongue was cool and your legs locked up around his head as he buried it between them. You hissed as he suckled at your clit and unable to push him away, you stretched your fingers across his head and urged him on. He was only too eager to bend to your will.

“St-e-ve,” You shuddered. “Pl-ease.”

He smiled against you as he drank you up. You whined and squeezed his head between your thighs as you contorted in pleasure. How simply he could wrap you around his finger. You arched into him as he grabbed your legs and pushed them over his shoulders. The lounger felt just as weak as you were.

You panted as he pushed you over the edge. Your orgasm was a song; a series of moans smothered beneath your palm. He hummed and lapped up your ecstasy. He was reluctant to pull away. Your legs trembled and slip from his shoulders as he sat up. He licked his glistening lips and fixed your swimsuit.

“Well,” He grabbed the lounger and pushed himself to his feet. “I think I need to cool down.” His shorts were tented with his arousal as he turned his back to you and stretched his arm above his head. He neared the pool and lowered himself into the water with a sigh. “How about you, sweetie?”

“Uh… yeah,” You breathed. “Sure.”

You were slow to rise and slightly dizzy as you got to your feet. You swept off your sunglasses and left them on the lounger. Your cum cooled against your swimsuit. You sat on the edge and carefully slid into the water.

Steve was quick to draw you to him and pin you against the wall. His broad chest pressed against yours as he kissed you. The water swayed gently around you. He held you to him and turned so that he was pressed to the tiled wall.

“You know,” He cupped your cheek with a damp hand. “I wanted to fuck you in the pool last summer but… well… if I’m being honest, I would’ve fucked you in every single room.”

You giggled and kissed him again. “You’re so dirty.” You teased as you pulled away.

“Oh, I never said I wasn’t,” He nuzzled your cheek as his hand glided along the curve of your side. “You should come down again. I can take you for a ride on the motorcycle… finally finished that old beast.”

“I don’t think--”

“Kylie will be visiting for Thanksgiving this year,” He offered. “You can tag along with her if you’re free.”

“I don’t know, my mom--”

“Of course,” He dragged his nose along your chin and pecked along your throat. “We’ll figure something out.”

His hand slipped down and he lifted your leg. He hooked it around his hip and pushed down his shorts beneath the water. You looked down and your eyes rounded. He took your hand and wrapped it around his dick. You grasped him and raised your head slowly. You began to stroke him and he shivered.

“You can take me for a ride now,” You grinned.

“Oh yeah,” He grabbed your ass and lifted you easily.

You clung to him with one arm as you angled him beneath the water. You shoved your swimsuit aside with two fingers and quickly pushed him inside. You bit your lip as you slid down his length and he let out a long breath. You rocked against him and moaned in his ear.

“Mmm,” He purred. “Sweetie, you’re so sexy.”

“Yeah?” You preened as you rode him slowly. “You like that?”

“I love it,” He assured you as he squeezed your ass. “I just… couldn’t help myself. Watching you all day…” His hot breath crept down your neck as he spoke. “Reading over there with no clue how hard you were making me… the way your lips move just slightly…”

You moaned again and he bent to nibble along your throat. He led you up and down as his impatience grew. His teeth pinched your skin, sure to leave a mark, but you didn’t care. The water splashed around you as you crushed him against the wall of the pool. You tossed your head back and sped up.

You were frantic for release. His name rolled off your tongue as you chased your climax. Your core pulsed hotly and all at once the coil snapped. You came with shrill mewl but didn’t slow. You grabbed Steve’s head and smushed your lips against his. You parted as you bounced against him and your lips quivered.

“I want you to cum in me,” The words sent a thrill through you. “Please.”

“You sure?” He rasped and you nodded with a hum.

He smirked and turned you suddenly. He pushed you against the tile and pounded into you harder than before. You cried out with each thrust and he growled as he gripped the edge of the pool. He grunted as his hips jerked wildly. A warm gush filled you, searing as the cool water flowed around your bodies.

He shivered as he stilled and sank into you entirely. He stepped out of his shorts that had slumped to his ankles. He moved away from the wall, still inside you and walked with you in his arms to the steps of the pool. He climbed them slowly and the water dripped from your intertwined bodies. He carried you through the glass doors.

“What are you doing?” You asked as the haze cleared.

“I’m gonna do exactly what I always wanted,” He snarled and fell onto the couch with you under him. “I’m going to fuck you on every piece of furniture in this place.” He rocked his hips and spasmed as your walls clung to his oversensitive cock. “And then again. And again.” He spoke with each tilt of his hips. “And again.”

💋

Three days and then you were headed back to the city. The weekend had gone much like the beginning. By the end, you’d forgotten the worries that awaited you back home; the underlying duplicity of your tryst. The plane ride was long enough for it all to come hurtling back but you staved it off for your last twelve hours of bliss. With your hand in Steve’s, you let him hold the load for you.

And when you landed in New York and you’d retrieved his rover from the lot, you were ready to sleep off your doubts. He stopped outside your apartment. You could tell he was sad to see it. You lingered in the car as he leaned over to kiss you.

“So…” He said as he pulled back, his arm across your seat. “I’ll see you...later.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how much time I’ll have off,” You lamented. “But I’ll call you.”

“Facetime?” He asked coyly.

“Hmm,” You chewed your lip. “You sure you can figure it out?”

“Hey,” He retorted at the jibe. “I think you know age barely hinders me.”

“We can try,” You said. “I’ve never… it might be awkward.”

“Never,” He assured you. “But I’ll be coming down in September to help Kylie move back into dorms.”

“Kylie…” You echoed. “So, is she still trashin’ your place?”

“As far as I know,” He grumbled. “But I’ll deal with that when I get there. Maybe I’ll just cancel her little girls’ trip seeing as she’s already had her fair share of fun.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin with her,” You shook your head. “Well…”

“I can stay another night.” He offered.

“No, no, you should get going. I got a lot of stuff to do for this new job and some commissions to finish.” You said glumly. “Thanks. For everything. I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” He kissed you again. “I’ll tell Bucky to take it easy on you.”

“He’s not so bad. I don’t think I’m in his section next year but we’ll see,” You chimed. “Drive safe.”

“I will, sweetie. I--” He stopped himself and glanced out the windshield. “You let me know how the job goes, okay?”

“Will do,” You said as you grabbed your purse. “See ya.”

“Yeah, see ya,” He nodded stiffly. “Goodbye.”

You kissed him one last time before you got and grabbed your bag from the trunk. You stepped up on the curve and he gave a small wave as he pulled away. You watched him go and turned to your building. The ivy creeping along the aged brick dragged you back from the sunny serenity of Hawaii.

Time to get back to real life.

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outofcontextbonappetit · 4 years ago

Text

A continuation of answering asks

Some things for this batch - I’m glad you all enjoyed the first header switch while we had it up, it was my idea at first and I did my shoddy attempt because I’m bad at editing but @animalbks made it better so that was cool

But ultimately thank you to everyone who made us aware that Hawa didn’t want to be associated with BA so we could just get a fresh picture up there

I’d like to change it back to the cast soon in some way but some things have started circulating twitter VERY recently (and don’t worry I will make sure that information is available for you before I go to sleep) and I wouldn’t be surprised if more people ended up dropping because of it so it’s Toby Goofy time for now

Part Two

I’m not going to rip into you, so if it comes across that way I swear it’s not my intention. I worked in a restaurant September-March (and still kind of do, but covid) so this is coming from experience, admittedly not a lot, but I’m trying not to talk out of my ass

Absolutely a restaurant kitchen runs on a seniority manner, where the people who have been making those specific recipes for years should be given the most control. It’s like what the BA chefs have said so many times - the goal is to get the best quality out in as short a time frame as possible

But the BA test kitchen isn’t a restaurant, it’s a test kitchen. The goal isn’t seamless replication, it’s development (and I suppose for them specifically, it’s grown to also be content development given their massive following). So in that regard you would expect them to hire a diverse staff so that they can have input from many different schools of thought and different points of expertise

Beyond that, I think the bigger problem is that they’ve been championing themselves for diversity that was ultimately hollow because those people have not been compensated for their work while BA at large benefited

One big thing is performative diversity ≠ true diversity

You’re welcome, once again I’m glad that this was helpful for you!

I hear what you’re saying here. This is the part where some people might be mad at me, but I personally disagree with attacking the white members of the test kitchen for not saying anything sooner. I’ll get into that more in-depth in one of the later asks, but I think that they either had no idea or didn’t understand the extent of the problem. And if they did, I think the threat of losing job security, or their whole job, is a pretty powerful motivator

Thank you for the support, I really appreciate it :)

I also had this idea, I was hesitant just because I didn’t want to make people feel guilty for not having the money for it (especially now) but this was the push I needed to make a post about it and I will 100% be doing that once I’ve gotten through these asks

And I didn’t even know about that until this happened! Everyone on stage laughed it off like “haha my racist boss again” it was so awkward. It was so telling

I was honestly floored by how quickly that happened, it must’ve been less than twelve hours. I hope that’s a good sign that Conde Nast will act quickly in giving their bipoc employees their fair compensation

Thank you, I really appreciate it

I know that some of my fellow Bon Appetit blogs have deleted because of this, and I completely respect that decision and admire them for that. I also know though that I have almost 40k followers so I was in a good position to try to do something about it, and I’m just glad it worked

#asks #anonymous

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im-actually-ok · 4 years ago

Text

Fangs

Chapter two

First, next

Masterlist

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Ships: Platonic DLAMPR

Word Count: 1336

Genre: Semi angsty i think?

Warnings: Fangs, very slight body horror(the fangs), food, eating, sleep deprivation, fighting, yelling, all caps, slight swearing, mention of tying someone up for info (Remus), Remus being Remus. (i think that’s it but if i missed anything please let me know so i can add it, thank you!!!)

-----

Logan fixed his tie and sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. He /really/ didn’t want to do this. He had stolen some of Virgil’s makeup to cover his dark eyebags but Virgil was paler than Logan so the concealer didn’t look quite right but it was close enough. He had prepared more conversational flashcards and had fixed his hair and cleaned up his disheveled appearance but he honestly was not ready to meet the others for dinner, especially since his problem was in his mouth.

No matter how hard he tried to get rid of his fangs they wouldn’t go away, they had actually seemed to be getting sharper, the amount of times he had bit the insides of his cheeks was insane.

The worst part is they now caused him to lisp slightly as he spoke, which was annoying of course but the others would definitely notice if he spoke to them with a lisp, even if he covered his mouth. ‘Why does this have to be so difficult?’ he thought with a small sigh. He ran a hand through his neatly brushed hair and took a deep breath. Here we go.

For the first time in weeks he left his room, walking down the hall and down the stairs, entering the living room to see the others there, waiting for him at the table, talking, but they sounded… nervous?

He stayed up on the stairs, trying to listen in on their conversation.

“He /growled/ at me the other day! Actually growled!” Roman exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Patton was the next to speak, “we just.. We just have to talk to him, obviously something is wrong.”

“Have you ever even met Logan?? He’s not going to tell us the truth about what’s going on, he’ll just say he’s fine and continue to shut us out,” Virgil said with an annoyed huff.

“Grim Burton is right, we need to be sneaky about this,” Roman replied, “let’s just see how dinner goes, everything will be fine,”

“Have you ever thought about, oh, I don’t know, leaving Logan alone? I know I would absolutely /love/ it if all my friends went behind my back to plan ways to get me to spill my secrets,” Janus hissed, rolling his eyes at the others

“Seriously guys, lets just go with my suggestion of-”

“Remus we are not going to tie him down for answers.”

“You’re all no fun.”

He listened to them bicker and talk about him behind his back until he had enough. He walked down the remainder of the stairs and everyone went quiet.

“Logan! Hey, kiddo!” Patton said with an enthusiastic yet nervous smile

Logan simply nodded in response, coming and sitting at the table in his usual spot between Janus and Virgil and across from Roman

After an awkward moment of silence, Roman spoke up, “Uhh, me and Padre made pasta and salad and stuff, you know, healthier choices and stuff, I-I’ll go make up everyone’s plates,” he said, standing and moving to get the food.

Great. Soft food. Not like Logan could eat any of it, softer foods have been proven harder to eat with the fangs seeing as they’re designed for meat. Not like he could eat anything anyways, not without opening his mouth and risking them seeing…

Roman came, serving up each different plate and bringing it to the table, setting them down in front of the others and eventually in front of Logan who didn’t say a word. Roman swallowed nervously and continued to sit back down with an anxious chuckle, “uhh, bon appetit?”

Logan picked up his fork and for a hopeful second they thought he might eat, but then he continued to simply poke and prod at the food on his plate, eyes down as his glasses slid down his nose and were promptly pushed back up into place.

“So, uh, how is it, Lo?” Roman asked after a good five minutes of silence even though all of them knew that he hadn’t taken a bite.

Logan simply pulled out a flashcard that said ‘Lit, adj. Amazing, cool, or exciting’

“Oh, back at it with the flashcards, huh? When are we going to hear that beautiful voice of yours again, teach?” Virgil asked when he saw but Logan gave him a look that made the other shrink back and mumble a “geez, sorry,” and pull his hood up over his head.

“Now, Logan, don’t get upset with Virgil just for asking to hear you speak,” Patton said in a sterner parental voice which earned him the same look from Logan that he had given Virgil.

Logan rolled his eyes, standing and turning to get something from the fridge where they were unable to see him speak, “I am thimply not in the thpeaking mood, thank you very much,” he said, opening the fridge and grabbing the orange juice

“But you haven't spoken to any of us in for forever, Microsoft nerd,” Roman said, moving to stand, “And now you’re here at dinner, not eating and not saying a word, what are we supposed to think?”

A low growl started to grow in Logan’s throat as he stayed, facing away from them, “I would thay you’d think to mind your own busineth,” He growled, a lisp creeping into his words, grip tightening around the carton in his hand.

“Now, Kiddo, there’s no need to be rude,” Patton reprimanded.

“Logan we just totally /don’t/ want you to talk to us,” Janus said, standing as well.

“Anyone else notice Nerdy Wolverine’s lisp?” Remus asked from his position, leaned back in his chair with his feet on the table.

“Hey… yeah, what’s that about, Lo?” Virgil asked, sitting up a little to look at the logical facet.

“Why doncha give us one of them award winning smiles, eh? Been a while since we’ve seen them pearly whites,” Remus said with a smirk.

“Will you all jutht SHUT UP?!” Logan snapped, hand gripping the carton so tight he was crumpling it.

“Logan Sanders!” Patton yelled, going to scold him again but Logan turned, slamming the fridge and chucking the carton at the wall, watching it splatter on the hard surface.

“Jutht LEAVE ME ALONE!!” he snapped before walking to the stairs, and he could hear all of them calling after him and he felt Janus catch his wrist which he yanked away and growled at the other, causing him to step back as Logan continued up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door shut behind him, breathing heavily as he locked it and turned, pressing his back against the door and letting his body slide to the floor.

“Well, that /totally/ worked,” Janus said with a huff

Remus just smiled,“Woah, damn I forgot how hot the nerd could be,”

“Remus, now is not the time-”

“You’re one to talk, Pat, what was that?! He’s obviously having a hard time, you didn’t need to scold him,” Roman said, obviously upset.

“Roman you weren't any better,” Virgil snapped, “calling him out like that, you scared him off!”

“Oh /Roman/ scared him off?! What about you, Virgil?? Pressing him about the lisp, you could have been gentler,” Janus snapped and Virgil hissed at him.

“You’re all missing the point!!” Remus yelled and everyone quieted down, “That fucking nerdis our friend and you were all fucking idiots and hurt him, now quiet down because it’s all of yours faults,” He said, rolling his eyes and sinking out.

Patton sighed, nodding and sinking out into his room followed by Janus and Virgil until only Roman was left, standing there alone.

He looked over at the stairs, lips pressed together in a fine anxious line. He hesitantly made his way up the stairs and into the hall, finding Logan’s room. He could hear the heavy breathing on the other side of the door and after a minute he took a breath, raising his hand and knocking on the door softly.

“Lo? You there?”

“Yeah… I’m here…”

------

Part two!! Finally did it!! XD The next part should be coming soon, unless I get distracted or forget.

Fangs tag list:

@did-he-just-hiss-at-me @aegis-the-ace @occasional-fander

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mugiwara-rosewolf · 4 years ago

Note

what do you think an average day in the strawhat kitchen would be like?

Yay!! My first ask! Thank you so much, Anon! I decided to write about the morning part of the day, if that’s okay. I’m setting this scenario after Water 7 and before Thriller Bark because I forgot about Brook & Jinbe. I hope you enjoy!

Italics = dialogue (including rudimentary French)

Bold Italics = Japanese (spelled out, idk kanji)

Gif by 1997onepiece

An Average Day

The day begins early. There’s a thread of light leaking under the door even before dawn. Peeking in, a familiar lanky-noodle of a man can be seen in rumpled clothes, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. The soft clatter of dishes can be heard as his hands shuffle about on autopilot. One fist lifting a pan from a cabinet. Another fidgeting with the silk knot of his tie. A wisp of smoke trails from the corner of his lip and out the porthole window.

Every color of dawn passes through the windows. Dusky grey as the seas and shadows of night give way to light. He readjusts the buttons on his shirt that he missed. Faded indigo grows bright as flares of sunlight scatter across the wide open sky. He settles the loop of his tie under his collared shirt. The knot sits right beneath his throat. By then, the world out the window is nothing but blue.

Freshly pressed and clean as a chef can be, ‘Black Leg’ Sanji sets to work. The sizzling of ingredients over an open flame is enough to draw a few groaning bed-heads and rumbling stomachs into the room. Most are aware enough to mumble a greeting, which the chef appreciates. A small smile tugs at the edge of his cigarette as he registers each voice.

“Good morning, Chef-san,” a sweet voice croons into the room.

The click of recognition in Sanji’s brain is enough to send his heart a-flutter. “Robin-chwan!” Steam erupts from his ears like grease in a hot pan. “What a wonder it is to see you this lovely morning!” he crows. Spinning around on a perfectly-polished heel, he serves his beloved crewmate on the pristine porcelain plate she so admired back in Water 7. “A breakfast sandwich for our lovely nightingale. Bon appetit, mon amie.”

Robin hides a darling chuckle behind a delicate hand. Sanji can feel his knees wanting to crumble under the rush of hearing her laughter. Sparkling joy rushes down his spine. But he quickly shakes himself. There are more meals to be made, after all. And many more crewmates to feed.

Just as the willowy blonde cook turns back to the stove, he hears the crisp clop-clop of hooves on the hardwood floor. “Bon-bonjou--” A bright, squeaky little yawn follows the groaning of the kitchen door. “Bon morning, Sanji~”

The older cook chuckles to himself. “Très bonjour, Chopper,” He says, passing him a little wrapped package from the pantry. “This chocolate has some nuts in it, that okay?” The little reindeer gives a sleepy nod before wandering to sit next to the elegant Robin. Sanji smiles a little, gnawing on his cigarette.

All-too-soon, that chain-smoking cook hears the all-too familiar stomps of boots. The tinkling of scabbards like wind chimes rambles closer and closer until a bulky black shadow stands in the doorway. Sanji grits his teeth, nearly sawing his smoke in half. “Marimo.”

“Curly brow.”

“Go sit down.” The chef ground out. “Your food’s almost ready.”

“I think I’ll just stand here, actually.”

Sanji whirls around towards the swordsman. “You trying to piss me off, moss-hea—“

“Morning, Sanji-kun!”

Suddenly it was as if the clouds parted and the heavens opened up before him. But even the clouds of Skypiea could have hosted such a gorgeous angel. Sanji’s spinning feet nearly collapse underneath him. He pushes himself off the counter, eager to greet the darling of the Strawhat crew.

“Ah, Nami-swan!” He smiles, his heart singing at the sight of her. “What a blinding vision you are, a gift from the sea goddess herself!” He takes her hand in his, as if inviting her to dance. Her fiery sunset hair flares in the early morning light. Her warmth amber eyes dance with flattered mirth. The softness of her hand against his calloused palm has Sanji’s pulse fluttering in his ears. He leads her gracefully to the table, where she’s seated with fresh squeezed orange juice and a bowl of equally-Colorful fruit salad. “Profiter, belle mademoiselle.”

“Merci beaucoup, Sanji-kun!”

If it weren’t for the brooding Marimo glaring a variety of blades into his back, Sanji may have just fainted on the spot. However, determined to maintain his composure, he simply lifted a bento from the table and showed it to the man over his shoulder. “I told you to sit down, Moss-head. You forget where your spot was?”

Zoro grunted. Marching up to the table he swiped the bento from Sanji’s grip and dropped himself down on the dining room bench. The chef huffed. Ungrateful brute. And a messy one at that. Within a moment of sitting down, he has rice grains stuck to his cheeks and chin. Sanji rolled his eyes and returned to work. At least Zoro was enjoying the meal. That was all a good cook could ask for.

“urgh-guh-morning...” the rambling natter of a long-nosed sniper sounds almost gravely at such an early hour. Sanji can hear the soft scritch-scratch of the young man ruffling his mop of unruly curls.

“Mornin’ Long-nose,” he greets the younger man. He thinks he might hear a grumble of protest from the rumpled boy. Sanji chuffs to himself. Wordlessly, he passes Ussop a seafood omelette and a bottle of tabasco on his shuffle to the table. After a moment of hushed tapping, ceramic and silverware and murmurs of morning voices—Sanji blinks. He turns to the sniper once more. “Where’s Franky?”

“Bulled in all-Nighteye in da-shop again,” Ussop slurs. “He’s passed out. Da-sided to let’em sleep this time.”

The chef absorbs this information with a thoughtful nod. He knows there’s another bento box in the cabinet somewhere. He just needs to find one to fit Franky’s appetite. The shop is his anchoring place. Sanji will take the shipwright’s meal down there before washing up. Everybody gets messy in that place.

Speaking of appetite—“SANJI~!!”

Everybody looked up. The cook turned and braced for impact. Sure enough—THWAP! The rubbery captain smacked into him with all the force of a Marine cannonball. Sanji heaved, but managed to stand his ground. All the while, Luffy was chanting.

“Oi, Sanji! I smell food, you got food? I smell meat, do you have meat? I love meat, ‘specially meat on the bone. You got any of that, Sanji?!”

“You bet your ass I do,” Sanji retorted. Pulling open the SUPER deluxe oven Franky made last week, the chef reveals his culinary masterpiece. Three dinosaur-sized legs of meat, with a cleaned bone on one side, just like his captain liked it.

He’d had to let them marinade overnight just to make sure he didn’t make the rubber-twerp sick with undercooked meat. He wasn’t sure the impulsive freak could get sick. But he didn’t want to be the one to test that theory. Franky had to assure him many times over that the oven wouldn’t catch fire if left in attended. Just looking at the finished product, Sanji could feel his tired bones sag with relief.

Luffy had all three ‘meat sticks’ in hand in the blink of an eye. Sanji turned and growled at him. “Go sit and eat at the table, you rubber animal!”

“Course I will, Sanji. I’ll always eat what you cook!” Luffy replies with a beaming grin.

“That’s not what I—”

“Hey Ussop! I got more meat than you!”

“Of course you did, Luffy, you’re a freak of nature.”

“I think you mean force of nature—“ Nami-san commented dryly.

And so their chatter continued. Every voice overlapping and rising in a joyful noise unlike Sanji had ever heard before. Even when he sailed on the Orbit, or with the fighting cooks on the Baratie. The next time he blinked, that thrice-blasted swordsman was in front of him again. Empty bento in hand, mossy green hair mussed in all directions—the stoic fool eyed him with a level stare. Sanji was just about to bark an insult at him when...Zoro’s sash brushed past his arm. He walked just close enough so Sanji could hear:

“Itadaki—merci, Ero-cook. You did good.”

Where little embers of embarrassment were glowing on the swordsman’s ears, Sanji’s face caught fire. He stomped out his cigarette. Then quickly lit another. One deep breath. A plume of smoke follows his exhale like a sleeping dragon.

“De-rien—Dou itashimashite. Anytime, Baka.”

#straw hat pirates #one piece #rosewolf writes #mugiwara #one piece luffy #monkey d. luffy #op luffy #rosewolf #black leg sanji #rosewolf requests #rosewolf asks

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floralguccistyles · 4 years ago

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Hello all! While I am very happy to share this chapter with you, I am also aware that a lot of my social media feeds and timelines have stopped highlighting the BLM movement, which is so much more important. This fight is not over. It will not be over until there is justice for every single black mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, aunt, uncle, friend that has been killed by police brutality and violence. Please don’t allow the people we follow to sweep this under the rug. If you do not have the means to protest, there are several other ways you can donate and raise awareness to this issue. Here is a Twitter thread of donations that still haven’t reached their goals. Here is a compiled list of petitions you can sign, numbers you can text, and causes you can donate to. Here is a Twitter thread of Youtube videos you can watch that gain ad revenue and donate all money made to the BLM movement. Please do what you can, especially my fellow non-POC users, to help with this issue. It is so, so incredibly important.

wildflower :: chapter two

...and stays up with you all night

There was a tradition between the Horan-Fairbrough clan that once a month, we would all try and get together and have dinner. It usually ended up with Greg’s son Theo falling asleep while I held him and Violet spewing on about something she learned in college before we all settled down to watch a movie. We had an ongoing rotation on who picked the movie, and this month it happened to be Niall’s turn.

Which was why I was so shocked that it was a horror film.

I didn’t like scary movies. And neither did Niall. But when he sat between Lily and I (on the floor since our parents took the couch while Greg and Theo took the loveseat), I realized his intention. Lily hated horror films even more than I did. And when the first jump scare came around, Lily hid her face in Niall’s side and squealed a little.

Smart boy, that Niall.

“You’re an asshole for picking this film,” I told Niall as I held the popcorn bowl between us. Niall and I hadn’t spoken since last Monday, when he’d dropped off his stuff at my house. Everything had been in a nice neat pile except for my necklace. When I had inquired about it, he had told me that he hadn’t seen it, but he would look again. I think the look of panic on my face told him how serious I was about that particular piece of jewelry.

“Why would I give up a chance to hold both my Fairbrough girls while they scream bloody murder?”

He wasn’t wrong. I found myself jumping right alongside with Lily whenever something frightening happened, so Niall just grinned at me, called me a baby, and then offered his hand for me to hold.

I gripped it like it was my lifeline.

The day had started off normally, waking up in Lily’s bed to her arm strewn across my neck, quite close to choking me. Though I may have snored in my sleep (according to she and Niall, I was still doubtful), Lily tried to kill me in hers. Her alarm went off approximately three minutes after I untangled myself from her comforter and I went to work on making us coffee and breakfast while she took a shower. I was expecting Niall to show up at around seven-thirty, since that was normally the time Lily was done taking a shower and I was expected to keep him entertained. When the door opened and I saw him in a salmon-colored dress shirt, I smiled.

“Morning,” I said, blinking against the bright smile he gave me. “Want a cup?”

“God, you’d be an angel.”

“I’m always an angel, what are you talking about?” I stuck my tongue out at him, but started to work on his coffee. The eggs were frying in the pan, so I quickly added some garlic salt to them (because I knew Niall liked it) before I poured his drink into a to-go cup. I watched him sit at the barstool, tossing his sunglasses on the counter as he watched me make breakfast. “So, it’s your pick for movie night tonight. Any contenders?”

He shrugged. “Hadn’t thought about it much, to be honest. I’ve been dealing with some stuff at work.”

Rummaging through some drawers, I found a Sharpie and uncapped it. “What’s up?”

He sighed. I didn’t like this look on Niall, the defeated kind of look that made him look at least three years older. He looked like he was carrying the weight of something heavy on his shoulders. “Hey,” I said quietly, reaching across the counter to grab his forearm in what I hoped was a comfort. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

His other hand reached to grab my fingers, moving my touch on his arm to hold my hand. His fingers interlaced through mine, examining them for a moment. “One of my boys...a girl came forward and made a sexual assault claim yesterday.”

I tried not to freeze. I wasn’t sure if he noticed when my hand suddenly went limp, but his eyes were still locked onto our hands as if he were contemplating much more than just how large his were compared to mine. “Oh. Shit, I’m sorry, Ni. What...what’s happening?”

His nose wrinkled. “They’re getting him off the team, that’s what. I’m not going to have someone like that representing our team. He’ll go to the dean next week to talk about expulsion.”

“And the girl?” I asked softly.

“I don’t know, Rose. She’ll have to...Christ, she’ll carry this around for the rest of her life. I’ve assured her that his place on the team is nonexistent, but she didn’t look like she believed me.”

“So you didn’t think...she was pathetic or anything?”

“Pathetic? Jesus, Rose, no. I just feel like shit that she was even put in that position at all.”

I squeezed his hand tightly. He didn’t know why my fingers turned from a caress to a grip, but he squeezed my fingers back even so.

The truth was, his words meant more to me than he’d ever know. But it also made me sad. For the girl, for me, and for anyone else who ever had to deal with something like that. I knew I didn’t deserve to place myself on the same caliber as the girl Niall was talking about. She’d been assaulted, and all Kent ever did was corner me in his office to exchange a promotion for sex. Still, knowing how Niall felt about it made things a little easier. There was no question on whether the player would still be on the team. He would just be...gone. No questions asked.

“You’re a good guy, Niall,” I whispered softly.

“It’s not a matter of being a good guy or not. It’s a matter of being a decent human being.”

Lily appeared in the kitchen before either of us could continue with our conversation, which was probably for the best. “Morning. Smells good, Rose,” Lily commented, coming over to stand by Niall. She wrapped her arms around the back of his shoulders and gave him a squeeze, kissing his cheek. “You smell good,” she mentioned to him.

He didn’t blush, which was weird because Niall always blushed when someone complimented him. He just grinned and let out a little chuckle. “Thanks, Lil. You’re dripping all over me.”

Lily usually let her hair air dry while she ate breakfast and then ran the dryer over it. It locked in enough of her curls to make it stylishly wavy, but not dry it enough so that they straightened out. She had it down to a science. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly, pulling away and lovingly wiping off a bit of water droplets from Niall’s shirt. The salmon color darkened to a burnt coral with the water, but it would be dry in a matter of minutes, so Niall didn’t look like he minded terribly. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Eggs, coffee, and I was going to cut up some of that fruit,” I announced, grabbing said fruit from the fridge. Lily usually kept her fridge pretty stocked with fruit, so she had several berries and a couple of assorted melon slices.

“Where’s the bacon?” Niall groaned.

“We have some microwaveable bacon, but I doubt you want that.”

He wrinkled his nose. If there was one thing Niall hated, it was the shitty pre-cooked bacon Lily bought. I didn’t mind the taste of it, personally, and appreciated its convenience. Niall was a firm believer that bacon should take time and love. “I’m fine with eggs and fruit.”

“That’s what I thought.” Cutting the fruit and not cutting my finger proved to be a task, but I accomplished it and put all the berries and melons on a plate. The eggs, which had been taken off heat during my fruit-cutting, were still warm, so I put them onto individual plates and handed them off to Lily and Niall. “Bon appetit.”

“A meal fit for a king,” Niall exclaimed. He was always too generous when describing my cooking. I wasn’t terrible and my food was almost always edible, but I wasn’t going to become a chef anytime soon. “Thanks, Rosebud.”

The morning continued on as usual, with Lily leaving Niall and I to keep each other company while she went about her morning routine. There was no more discussion on the girl that had come forward about Niall’s student athlete, but I could tell by the duller color of his eyes that it was still weighing heavy on his mind. Which was why when he was looking away and getting things situated for his day at work, I took the Sharpie and scribbled out “you’re a great role model for the students” with about a thousand x’s and o’s underneath it. He grinned and pressed a kiss to my hair when he saw it, and claimed “he’d keep the cup until the end of time, Rosebud.”

But Niall couldn’t hide his disappointment and sorrow. Which, in retrospect, might have been the reason that he had chosen a horror movie. It was probably a last minute decision.

I wasn’t sure what the title of the movie was, but it was some gory and bloody thing with demonic possession. Our families had varying reactions to the film. Greg was falling in and out of sleep, while his parents on the other side of him were cringing at the film. My parents, who had grown up with horror films, seemed to be genuinely enjoying it, letting out little ohs and ahs when something interesting happened. Violet just stared at the screen with the indifference of a Gen Z child, typing away at her phone whenever the plot got too boring for her to handle.

It was only about forty minutes into the movie when Violet nudged my foot with hers and gestured towards the kitchen with her chin. Things had been back to normal between the two of us, the vulnerable night of sleeping by her side long forgotten. I was honestly thankful for the usual attitude. If she started treating me like some frail thing, I might have burst into tears. I had always prided myself on being a strong person, and I was obsessed with Violet and Lily seeing me in the same light. So when we had woken up the next morning, Violet with drool down her chin and my hair in a wild disarray, I wished she would say something normal.

I believe her exact words had been “Jesus, you have bad morning breath,” before she had promptly rolled over to face away from me.

Still, I followed her to the kitchen, Niall’s eyes on me questioningly when Violet and I walked away from the family. I shrugged my shoulders, unaware as to what Violet wanted as much as he was. Unlike Lily and Niall’s apartments, my childhood home had a kitchen separated by a thick wall, so maybe Violet wanted some advice on Selma and Eric and needed privacy.

When we arrived to the kitchen, however, I did not expect the turn our conversation took.

Without saying anything, she walked to her purse and pulled out a slip of paper, handing it to me.

“Am I supposed to know what this is?”

“It’s the health specialist at my university. She has a practice outside of the school, so I asked for her office number.”

I stared at it, a little more than confused. “Alright. Cool. What am I supposed to do with it?”

“She’s a psychologist.”

The paper suddenly felt like a weight in my hand. I gaped at her, mouth open like a fish as she stared at me, almost daring me to give it back to her. Which I tried to do almost instantaneously. “I don’t need this, Violet. Save it for someone who actually does.”

“Seeing a therapist isn’t a bad thing, Rose. She can help with the whole Kent thing. She’s been helping me a lot and I really like her, so I think you will too.”

“I’m sure she’s a wonderful lady, but I don’t need to see her.” I crossed my arm over my chest, only after setting the unwanted phone number on the countertop. “This was a little invasive of you.”

“It wasn’t invasive. It’s me trying to help. You’ve got some shit you need to deal with, as do I, and she can help. I mean, she’s no miracle worker, but it would be nice to talk to someone about what happened.”

My mouth went dry. “Violet, nothing happened. People have had it much worse than I have.” I thought about this morning, about Niall’s defeated face when he told me about the girl at the college. “He didn’t...he didn’t assault me or anything. He just made some lewd comments. It isn’t enough to see someone over, trust me.”

“Rose, you’re nearly twenty-five and you have to sleep with someone else in the room.”

I knew deep down that Violet was coming from a place of love, just like all her other jabs and pokes did. But this felt too personal for me to brush off. I had opened up to her that night at Lily’s, and she was throwing it back in my face. “You didn’t have to come into my room that night,” I said defensively, and I wondered if she could tell my voice was ten times icier than it had been before.

“I’m not trying to attack you or anything—”

“That’s what it feels like.”

Lily must have sensed that Violet and I in a kitchen alone would stir some trouble. She came in only seconds later, raising an eyebrow at the two of us. “Having a party in here without me?”

“I gave Rose the therapist’s number and she’s refusing to take it,” Violet commented.

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed.

“You gave it to her in the middle of the Horan-Fairbrough family night?” Lily asked incredulously. I was happy that she seemed to be as confused as I was, but then her words actually caught up to me.

“You knew?” I asked, turning to face my big sister. “Did you tell her what a bad idea it was?” Lily looked at me, her lips pressed together in a thin line. When she didn’t speak for a few moments, I knew. Maybe it was stupid to feel the stab of betrayal, but I did. “You told her to do it.”

“She was mentioning how much her therapist has helped her with college and I thought it might be beneficial to you. I didn’t know she was going to give it to you during family night.”

Lily never went behind my back. About anything. She and I were always open books with one another. So hearing that she had gone out of her way to ask Violet do this made me feel like shit. “I thought you were fine with me staying at your place?” I couldn’t keep the childlike whine out of my voice. I had never thought that Lily disliked having me in her apartment, but maybe she did. Maybe she had asked Violet about this because she wanted to get rid of me.

“Of course I am, Rose! That’s not the point of this,” Lily was quick to assure me. “I just think talking about it might help.”

I felt like someone had just pulled the rug out from under me. They were asking me to see someone, like I was a giant burden. I would have expected this from Violet, who was always blunt and truthful, but I would have never expected it from Lily. Lily would have sat me down, brought it up, asked my opinions, and then let it go when it seemed like it was something I didn’t want. “Right. Well, I don’t think it will, so let’s drop it and go watch the rest of the movie.”

“Okay,” Lily said, reaching out to rub my shoulder comfortingly. “Yeah, we’ll go back out.”

“No,” Violet mentioned, her posture hard and defiant. “I’m not letting you walk back out there until you take the phone number. Lily may baby you about this, but I’m not going to.”

“Violet,” Lily chastised.

“You let her get away with so much shit, Lil. And then the one time we dare request she do something to help herself, you act like her word is final. You’ve got some serious shit going on, Rose. You need to let it out before it eats you alive.”

“Right now, all I need is to exit this conversation. A conversation, might I remind you, that our parents and Niall don’t know about,” I snapped angrily.

“What don’t I know about?”

Perfect. When I turned, Niall was standing in the kitchen, hip leaning against the counter with the empty bowl of popcorn in his hands. His hair was tousled, most likely from Theo running his fingers through it playfully earlier on in the dinner portion of the night, and he was wearing a flannel that looked soft to the touch. He also looked adorably confused at our conversation.

“Nothing, Ni,” Lily commented, sending a quiet look towards Violet to remind her to keep her mouth shut. Violet huffed impatiently, but luckily shut her mouth. “Need me to get more popcorn?”

“Yeah, Greg’s fat arse ate most of it.” Lily took the bowl from him and got another bag from the pantry, placing it in the microwave. “What are my favorite girls discussing?”

“Rose’s job,” Lily deflected, sending a blinding smile towards Niall, as if that was going to stop him from asking questions. “The hotel’s offering her a couple of free rooms and she was going to use them for our parents’ anniversary. She wanted it to be a surprise, so you can’t tell them, got it?”

“That’s sweet of you, Rosebud. I won’t tell them, promise.”

“Thanks, Ni,” I breathed out. Violet rolled her eyes.

I knew this conversation was far from over. Violet was glaring at me and Lily was looking at me like she was apologetically about to burst into tears, but all I wanted to do was curl back up on the floor and finish the stupid movie. I knew there would be no more getting scared tonight, due to the fact that I wouldn’t be paying attention to the rest of the film, so I was safe from any nightmares I might have had about a possessed demon child. But the tension hung from the three of us like albatrosses, and it continued as we slowly made our way back to the living room.

“Need me to hold your hand again, Rosebud?” Niall joked. I mustered up a small smile, putting the popcorn bowl between us again. I ignored my sister as they sat back down, Lily for once not cuddling up to Niall’s side. He stared back and forth between the two of us. “Something wrong?” he whispered towards me.

“Nope.��

“That wasn’t very convincing.”

“Drop it, Niall.”

He seemed taken aback by my shortness. His jaw ticked, a sure sign that I knew he was either embarrassed or annoyed, and nodded at me, leaning back against the couch. He didn’t look in my direction for the rest of the film, and while I felt shitty about being so snappish, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. My sisters had somehow ruined my night in one fell swoop.

There was a reason I didn’t talk about what happened at Barkley’s. On top of me being completely done with the situation emotionally, I was also incredibly embarrassed. How had I not noticed that Kent seemed to favor me simply because he thought I was cute? All of the times he had complimented my work ethic, made me feel like I was one of the best employees, and the consecutive months of being employee of the month (which wasn’t a feat because there were only three of us and the other three hardly made their goal sales), he had just been doing it because he wanted to have sex with me.

It made me feel useless.

And if there was one thing I hated most in the world, it was feeling useless.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to Niall, trying to keep my voice soft so my parents wouldn’t overhear. “You caught me in a bad mood, and I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“No,” he agreed, “you shouldn’t.” But he held up his palm, an invitation. I relaxed immediately, threading my fingers through his and cuddling up against his side.

He didn’t let go the entirety of family night, his little reassurance that we were okay.

I was willing myself not to leave my bed.

Like usual, I had woken up about three hours after falling asleep. The apartment was quiet and a little chilly, so cuddling up next to Lily’s side would have solved all my problems. But my head continued to revolve around the conversation with Violet and Lily, and now I felt like I was just going to be a burden if I went into her room and bothered her.

The ride back to the apartment from the Horan-Fairbrough family night had been quiet. Lily had kept the volume low so I could talk to her if I wanted to, but there hadn’t been anything to say. Knowing Lily as well as I did, I knew she was feeling guilty. But I couldn’t bring myself to talk about the night’s events with her.

Now, sitting alone in my bed, I wished I would have.

I shifted my weight, moving so I was laying on my side and facing the door to my room. In the year that I’d been here, I’d made it my own. I had pictures and plants on my shelves, I had brought in a bookcase, and there was art hung on my walls with command strips so I wouldn’t have to put a nail through the wall. This room was my safe space, like nothing bad from the outside world could ever get me when I was in here.

Violet’s words rang in my head.

My hands were on my phone before I could really process what was happening. I scrolled through the Facetime app until I came across Niall’s information, clicking on the silly little photo I’d set as his contact photo. On bated breath, I waited for Niall to answer the phone call. I should have known better than to feel nervous. Niall was the type of guy to always answer, no matter what time of night it was.

Which was why I was staring into a grainy version of his bright blue eyes only seconds later.

“Rosebud,” he grumbled, groggy from sleep. His hair was mussed, his eyes half closed, and he was shirtless. I couldn’t see much because the blanket covered most of his chest, but I still grew a little warm. “What time is it?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, shaking my head, feeling incredibly foolish. “I shouldn’t have woken you up.”

There was something in the tone of my voice that had him sitting up, eyes opening a little wider. A cute yawn escaped his mouth, but he looked more awake than he had when he had initially picked up the phone. “Don’t be stupid,” he said softly, “what’s up?”

“Has...has Lily ever talked to you about not being happy I’m at her place?”

Niall’s eyebrows furrowed. “No. She loves having you there.”

“You don’t think I’m a...a burden?”

“Rosebud,” he said, and his voice was so soft and sweet that it made me want to cry. “You could never be a burden. Where is all of this coming from?”

The tears came faster than I thought they would. I hated crying in front of people. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times I’d done it and all of them had been in front of Lily. Lily, who I knew wouldn’t judge me for it. Niall wouldn’t judge me either, of that I was sure, but I still felt like a stupid little kid when the first tear spilled over.

“God, Rose, please don’t cry. I can’t handle it when you cry.” At the look on my face, he let out a small laugh. “Not because you’re a burden, Rose. Just because seeing you cry honestly breaks my heart.”

“I’m sorry,” I managed to stutter out.

“Don’t be sorry, Rose. Just dry those big brown eyes and talk to me. What’s going on?” I couldn’t answer for a few moments, still trying to stifle my cries so I wouldn’t wake Lily up. I saw Niall start to move on his bed, before I heard his voice. “I’m coming over there.”

“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t call to bother you.”

“When are you going to get it through that thick head of yours that you aren’t a burden to me?” he asked, rolling his eyes. “I won’t come if you don’t want me to. But I’ve got to know what’s going on, Rosebud. You’re worrying me a little.”

Once I calmed my tears a little, I sniffled so I wouldn’t look like a complete fool with snot dripping down my nose. “In the kitchen earlier, Violet made a subtle dig that Lily might not like having me here. Like I’m a burden to have. I just...I know you know her better than anyone, and maybe she felt like she couldn’t share her real feelings with me. So I wanted to ask you and see if she’d said anything. You know Lily. she wouldn’t tell me to my face if that’s how she felt because she’s too nice.”

“She is too nice. But she wouldn’t lie to you about something like this, Rosebud. I know for a fact that she doesn’t hate having you there, though. You’ve got to know that.”

I nodded hopelessly, rolling my eyes at myself. “And I just feel so stupid because I can’t sleep unless I’m with someone. That’s why I asked you to stay at your apartment. The idea of sleeping alone terrifies me. But Violet has me paranoid that Lily doesn’t want me here, so I don’t want to wake her up and bother her.”

“Lily won’t mind,” Niall said softly. He was leaning back against his pillows. Sometime during my crying, he had turned on his lamp and basked in the soft yellow light. No one looked good in that awful yellow light, but somehow Niall managed. “But I could stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep, if you want,” he continued.

“I don’t want you to pity me or think I’m pathetic, either.”

“Rose, I don’t think I’ve met anyone stronger. You take everything in stride and still have a smile on your face. It’s more likely that I’m going to be in complete awe of you.”

My breath caught in my throat, stuck in the center like I needed to swallow it down. His words filled me with the kind of reassurance and comfort I needed at this exact moment, and I sighed when the warmth of his words hit me. “You always know what to say, Niall.”

He laughed. “Not true. I feel like I’m a bumbling mess around you most of the time.”

Frowning, I shook my head. “You’re one of the most eloquent and well-spoken people I’ve ever met. I always value your opinions and advice.” I moved myself back against my pillows, laying on my side and propping my phone up on my nightstand so I didn’t have to hold it up while I conversed with Niall. “You’ll make someone a very happy girl someday.”

I saw the way his eyes softened, like he was lost in a memory. They were the color of the sky in the morning, right when the sun was rising and it was cast in a warm yellow glow. “I don’t know,” he said, raising a hand to the back of his neck. His cheeks, like they normally were when someone complimented him, were an endearing pink. “There’s...there’s really only one girl’s opinion I care about.”

I wanted to sit up straight and demand he tell me more, but I refrained. I knew that acting suddenly might spook him into not telling me. “I didn’t know you liked someone.”

“Like…” he trailed off, shaking his head and letting out a little laugh. It sounded like the word wasn’t sufficient enough for what he was feeling. “Yeah. Yeah, I like her.”

“Tell me about her,” I encouraged, my voice as soft as I could make it.

“You don’t want to hear about this, Rose.”

“I always want to hear about what’s going on in your life.”

He groaned, running his hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have even said anything.”

“Don’t make me pull the Fairbrough puppy dog eyes.”

“Not the Fairbrough eyes,” he gasped dramatically, clutching his hand to his chest as the both of us let out small laughs. Then, he sobered up, his smile turning a little more soft and caring. “She’s great. Driven, strong, stubborn. She’s got this crazy loyalty to her family, like no other. And she’s probably the most gorgeous fucking girl I’ve ever seen in my life.”

He was describing Lily almost perfectly. I felt the smile growing on my face. As Lily’s sister who wanted the absolute best for her, I knew that Niall was it. He was kind, almost to a fault. He would never hurt her intentionally. The way he revered her...it was how I’d always wanted someone to look at me. “She sounds incredibly special.”

“She is.”

The question was burning on the tip of my tongue, begging to be asked. But these things took time. I didn’t want to scare him away from his feelings for Lily by discussing them, so I let the subject drop. “She’d better get ready to be a babysitter for Horan-Fairbrough family nights. I think Greg passed Theo onto me the second I walked through the door. How that man became a father, I’ll never know.”

He laughed, but there was something off about it, like he was disappointed in the subject change. “Must be because you’re so good with kids.”

“I’m shit with kids. Greg’s just fucking lazy.”

That seemed to bring the smile back to his face and he let out a chuckle that sounded like melted chocolate and sunshine and everything else good in the world. Lily would never be lacking in the husband department when she and Niall got married (because let’s be honest, it was an inevitability). He was the entire package, gifted in every area. He would be the kindest, the handsomest, the funniest.

I didn’t expect the pang that went through me.

I’d always wanted what Niall and Lily had. The easy friendship and the fiery passion (I imagined there was fiery passion, I’d never personally seen it) and the desperate longing. I wanted someone to look at me the way they looked at each other and talk about me the way Niall talked about Lily now. It was how Patrick and Niamh looked at each other. It was how my mother and father looked at each other.

It felt so impossible, so far away for me, that it made my heart curl in my chest.

“Tell me what’s going on in that head,” he whispered, and he must have thought I had fallen asleep by the look on my face. I blinked, giving him a soft smile.

“Just thinking.” I heard another voice, something grainy and staticy and narrowed my eyes. “Are you watching TV? I didn’t know my company bored you so much.”

Niall shrugged. “It’s Dawson’s Creek, Rosebud. You’d do the same thing.”

I laughed, snuggling up further against my pillows. “What episode?”

“The one where Joey and Pacey kiss for the first time.”

“Okay, but the car kiss or the fireside kiss?”

“The fireside, obviously.”

“That’s not technically their first kiss,” I pointed out.

“It’s the one that matters,” he countered. “Can you believe there are some idiots who would prefer Joey with Dawson?”

“The horror,” I agreed, rolling my eyes. “Say some of the lines for me so I know what’s going on.”

“I’m not going to talk over one of the best scenes in television history.” He took one glance at my pleading face and groaned. “I hate you, you know that?”

“No you don’t. If it’s the fireside scene, I have this one memorized. You be Pacey and I’ll be Joey.”

He rolled his eyes, but turned back to the television. His voice came through just seconds after Pacey’s did. “The only reason that you don’t have the answers is because you’ve been too scared to ask yourself the right questions.” I recognized the line right away.

“What are you talking about?” I replied, grinning when he gave me a look, as if asking do I really have to do this?

“Look!” he suddenly exclaimed, making me laugh and stifle it into my pillow so I didn’t wake up Lily. “I know how I feel. You know how I feel. That much is obvious by now. But during this whole process, we’ve managed to miss the point. Because the point is not how I feel, it’s how you feel. So how do you feel?”

“It’s so obvious she loves him back.”

“Oi! If I have to do the lines, you have to do the lines too.”

“Awful!” I copied his exaggeration and heard him chuckle. “That’s how I feel Niall—”

“We’re supposed to be Pacey and Joey!”

“I’m adding flair! That’s how I feel Niall, I feel awful.”

“So do I. When I was kissing you tonight, I don’t think I’ve ever felt better and worse in my entire life. I mean, the very idea that...who should be Dawson and Andy?”

“Patrick and Niamh.”

He raised a brow. “Hopefully Niamh and Patrick aren’t cheating on each other with the two of us.”

“Just finish it!”

“The very idea that Niamh or Patrick could find out about us is killing me. It is tearing me up on the inside to have these feelings for you, but I can’t get rid of them. I can’t keep on kissing you, Rose.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean just that. I can’t keep on kissing you. Alright, I’ve done it twice now! I can’t be the one who’s always initiating this. I can’t be the one who’s always giving you all the answers. Look at me, Rose.”

“Shit I forgot the next line.”

“What a shit Dawson’s Creek fan you are. I thought you knew all the lines.”

“Shut up,” I laughed, pausing the Facetime so I could look up the exact scene lines. “I can’t,” I said dramatically, finding the lines easily and returning to the Facetime so I could see Niall giving me a deadpan look.

“Please,” he recited. I went to go find the script again but he protested. “You’re supposed to be looking at me! You’re not a very good Joey.”

“It’s your line anyway.”

“If you felt even one shred of what I feel for you...then we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation.”

There wasn’t another line for me to reply with, as Pacey and Joey had finally kissed, so I looked at Niall with a grin on my face. He was staring at me, something unreadable in his eyes. I knew that our game of reciting lines was over in the way that his eyes burned and his mouth turned downwards at the corners. I wished more than anything that he was here so I could reach out and embrace him, reassure him that there was no possible way that Lily didn’t love him back. He didn’t have to be heartbroken anymore.

“Unrequited love is a bitch,” I said in a whisper.

“I thought you said it was obvious that Joey loved him,” he replied.

“It is. I just meant...in general. It’s a bitch. But we should still tell the people we love that we love them. Life’s too short.”

He swallowed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

It was silent between us. I didn’t ask Niall to recite any more lines and he didn’t ask me to join in. He just sat and watched his TV and I just sat and watched him. Eventually, my eyes slowly closed and I drifted off into sleep.

I heard him whisper a “goodnight, Rosebud,” before I completely fell.

I woke up, for the first time in the past year, alone in my bed.

When my eyes opened, I blearily glanced at my clock. If waking up by myself hadn’t surprised me enough for one morning, then I would have been surprised at how late I had slept in. Most days I was up around the same time as Lily, since I could never go back to sleep if she started making lots of noise. Looking at my clock now, my eyes widened a little bit when I saw it was just four minutes past nine, which meant Lily and Niall had already been at work for an hour.

I allowed myself only five minutes to stay cuddled in my blankets before I stood, rubbing my eyes and making my way to the kitchen. The coffee was still out, though it was probably cold. Since I usually didn’t eat much for breakfast, I just popped bread in the toaster and poured myself a cup, shoving it in the microwave to heat it up.

Since Lily and I hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk about what had happened, I regarded the little pink Post-It note with hesitance. I knew that she was apologizing. But I still felt a little sad. The betrayal and anger had left me last night, as I was falling asleep with Niall humming something in the background. I was still furious with Violet and probably would be for the foreseeable future, but it was hard to be mad at Lily when she meant so much to me.

Dinner on me tonight. We’ll hang out and talk. Stopping by the bundt cake place after work and getting white chocolate raspberry. Your fave!! Love you.

I set the note back on the counter and retrieved my cup of coffee. I didn’t have much to do today since it was one of my days off, but I felt too antsy to stay in the house. Deciding to get ready for the day and see where it took me, I headed back towards my room with my plate and coffee cup in my hand.

I wondered how Niall was doing. Today was the day that they were meeting with the dean to discuss the expulsion status of the sexual assaulter. Knowing him, he would be incredibly stressed and worried about the whole ordeal.

Which was why I found myself standing in the donut shop thirty minutes later.

“Rose!” The owner, Matilda, said. She was a larger woman with pretty dark skin and incredibly white teeth. “Nice to see you. Day off?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“You here for Lily and Niall’s favorites?”

“Just Niall today. I’ll get four of his favorites. He’s meeting with the dean at his job about a student and I thought he could use the pick me up.”

Matilda grinned at me. “You are too sweet. Niall’s lucky to have you.”

“I’m the lucky one,” I responded. And it was true. I was so incredibly lucky to have Niall in my life.

She walked back towards the display cases, grabbing a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting donut, sprinkled with coconut shavings. Niall could devour three of them in a minute. As she loaded up the to-go box with the donuts, she added in a maple bar for me. “How long have y’all been together?”

It took me a moment to process her question. I blinked at her, giving her a confused smile. “Oh, Niall and I aren’t together. He’s in love with my sister, Lily.”

Matilda’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “No shit? I could have sworn he was all moon-eyed over you. When you used to come in here with him back when you in school, he would stare at you with the most adorable look on his face.”

I laughed. “Knowing him, he was looking longingly at the donut I was holding. He and Lily are soulmates. Our whole family has a bet on when they’re going to get together.”

She handed me the box, accepting the tenner I passed over the counter. “You know, my David just got married. Nice girl. They moved to New York, so they’re too far away, but I just found out she’s pregnant.”

“Grandma Matilda. It’s got a ring to it,” I joked.

“I could have sworn he was going to end up with his childhood friend, Zoe. They did everything together when they were younger. They’re still super close. In fact, she and Clarissa, the new wife, hit it off. Zoe was the maid of honor.” I didn’t really realize the point of her story, but I didn’t care. I could listen to Matilda talk for ages. She was just someone you wanted to listen to. “If I had made bets on Zoe and David, I would have lost.”

“I might lose because of the timing,” I countered, shuffling with the change she handed me, “but they’re definitely getting together.”

Matilda shooed me out of the shop with a wave of her hand and a threat that if I didn’t come visit her soon, she’d drag me out of the apartment by herself. I just grinned and got another Uber to take me to the college.

Niall’s coworkers knew Lily like the back of their hands. They were always wondering who it was that Niall was taking out to lunch. However, they didn’t know me. Which was why when I walked into the athletics building of the college and asked to see Niall, the secretary looked at me a little strangely.

“Sure,” she said hesitantly, like she didn’t think Niall knew anyone else besides Lily. “Just fill out this sign-in sheet and let me print you out a visitor sticker.” I filled out the sheet and handed it back to her. The second she saw my last name, she understood. “Oh. Fairbrough. You Lily’s sister?”

“Guilty.”

“He might still be in the meeting with the dean, but feel free to wait in his office. If he is still in the meeting, it won’t be long. Ten minutes tops.”

Offering my thanks, I made my way through the building. It was decorated with sports jerseys from the college, as well as professional jerseys. I realized I had never been in Niall’s office before, so when I walked in, I was a little surprised to see how open and spacious it was. Obviously I didn’t think he worked in a tiny little cramped space, but there were large windows on one wall and his desk only took up a quarter of the room, meaning he still had a good amount of space for filing cabinets and things of the like. I sat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk, admiring the pictures and little knick knacks that littered his space. Just like in his room, the frame he had next to his computer had pictures of he and his family and my sisters and I.

The door opened and slammed shut. Niall hadn’t noticed me yet, but he was pinching the bridge of his nose and looked like he had the headache of the century. I heard him let out a tiny curse before he opened his eyes and all anger melted away from his face, leaving only confusion.

“Rose?” he asked softly, like I was a figment of the imagination.

“Hi Niall!” I greeted cheerily, ignoring how wrong it felt when he didn’t call me Rosebud. “I brought donuts.”

He ignored the proffered white box, instead marching forward with purpose and wrapping his arms around me. A surprised grunt left my mouth, but he clutched me like I was a lifeline and I immediately wrapped my arms around his back. I let him cling to me, sensing it was something he needed. Honestly, I probably needed it too. It was nice to be held and know that Niall wanted to keep me safe from any harm.

“That bad?” I whispered into his shoulder.

“They had us talk to the girl afterwards. She had a meltdown. It was horrifying to watch.” His grip on my waist tightened.

“I figured it would be bad. I brought donuts,” I said again, weakly.

“Don’t need donuts,” he stated, “just need you.”

“I’m here.”

I couldn’t begin to fathom the moments we stood there, just gripping onto one another. Occasionally, his hand would move from my waist to my hair, tangling there and drawing me even closer, like he couldn’t believe I was there. My forehead pressed into his shirt, a pretty lilac color. One of the many things I loved about Niall was that he wasn’t afraid to wear color. The purple soothed me a little bit, even though I hadn’t come into his work wanting to be soothed.

Eventually, he pulled away. His eyes were red and he looked on the verge of tears. “What’re you doing here?” he asked gruffly, his voice low from emotion.

I reached out and grabbed his hand, not wanting the contact between us to end. He laced our fingers together immediately. “I knew today would be tough. And you were so supportive and...there for me last night that I wanted to do the same for you.”

“You don’t have to pay me back for last night, Rose. I wanted to.”

“And I wanted to help today,” I argued, shoving the box of donuts at him once more. He smiled and took them. “Matilda has threatened to come hunt us down if we don’t come in more often.”

“I don’t need to be seeing Matilda on a daily basis unless she wants to roll me out of the building.” He sat at his desk, across from me, and dug into his donuts. I wondered if he had been too nervous to eat anything that morning, despite the fact that Lily made them breakfast.

“I realized I’ve never been in your office,” I commented as he ate. “I love it. It’s bigger than I expected.”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty decent setup. I can give you a tour of the campus later, if you’d like.”

I nodded enthusiastically. Though I’d known Niall nearly all my life, I’d never really been around the campus he worked at. I’d been once or twice for a class that they offered when spots at my own college were limited, but that was it.

He reached into the box and handed me my maple bar, along with a couple of napkins so I wouldn’t get his desk sticky. We ate in comfortable silence, him looking over some documents and me just enjoying being in his presence. Once I had taken my last bite and he had shuffled his papers around, he cleared his throat and gestured towards the door.

“C’mon, we’ve got a pretty decent coffee place and I know the pot was probably cold when you woke up. Microwaved coffee is shit.”

“It was fine.” I shrugged. I hadn’t minded it that morning, more focused on my plan to comfort Niall.

“Bullshit,” he said, giving me a grin that for some reason did weird things to my heart. Holding out his hand, I laced our fingers together as he led us out of his office. The secretary’s eyes nearly popped out when she saw us together, leaning over to whisper something quickly to a coworker that was sitting at the front desk. It made me a little uncomfortable, but Niall pulled me along quickly so I didn’t have time to dwell.

The college was gorgeous. I could admit that. It was even prettier than the own college I attended. When Violet had been applying for colleges, this had been one of her main contenders because of how gorgeous it was. Ultimately, it didn’t have a veterinarian program like the college I attended. Therefore, she was at my alma mater. Still, as Niall pointed things out with the hand that wasn’t holding mine, I made sure to comment on how pretty the layout of it was.

“Hey, Mr. H!” I heard someone shout when we started walking towards the little coffee stand outside of one of the buildings. Niall blushed a little at being called “mister” in front of me; it was as endearing as every other time he blushed when he was complimented. The kid walking towards us waved his hand enthusiastically.

“What’s up, Jordan?” Niall asked, grasping Jordan’s hand and pulling him into that guy hug I’d seen him do many times before to his brother. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Styles’ class right now?”

Jordan was a muscular kid with shoulder-length brown hair and pretty dark brown eyes. “Nah, he cancelled today. My girlfriend and I were going to get some coffee and then see a movie. She’s technically got Payne in twenty minutes, but they’re just doing an optional extra credit quiz.” I saw his eyes wander over to me, wondering who the girl with Mr. H was.

“Jordan, this is my friend, Rose. Rose, this is Jordan. He’s probably one of the best baseball players this college has seen in a while.”

I didn’t know shit about baseball, but I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Jordan.” His hand engulfed mine comically when he shook it. “I’ll give you a tenner if you call him Mr. H again. He got so red.”

Jordan laughed. “We call him Mr. H until he tells our coaches to push us harder. Then we call him names behind his back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Niall said, waving off Jordan’s comments. “What are you and Poppy getting? I’ll buy.”

“Mr. H, you don’t have to!”

“It’s pointless arguing with him,” I told Jordan, shrugging. “I usually just relish in the free stuff.”

Jordan laughed. “In that case, just a vanilla latte and a caramel macchiato.”

Niall didn’t bother asking me for my order, since he knew how I took my coffee. He stepped forward to the cart to order, leaving Jordan and I a little ways back. “So, what’re you studying?” I asked Jordan.

“Kinesiology,” he responded. I was impressed. I could never get into the big sciences. “You?”

“Graduated a couple years back with a business major and marketing minor.”

“Cool. You’re lucky to be such good friends with Mr. H. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve met. Told me he’d give me a letter of recommendation for my masters program in the fall.”

“Sounds like him,” I agreed. And it did. Niall wouldn’t hesitate to help his athletes. Plus, I imagined for Jordan’s sake that a letter of recommendation from the athletics director of the school was nothing to scoff at.

Niall returned with our coffee, handing Jordan his two drinks. “We’ve got to take off, but come visit me sometime, yeah? Have fun with Poppy.”

“Thanks, Mr. H. I’ll see you later.”

Jordan walked off, leaving the two of us to enjoy our coffee as we made our way through the courtyard of the school. “You really make an impact in these students’ lives.”

He shrugged. “A lot of directors are removed from the teams. They let the coaches do all the work. I want to be involved in the careers of the athletes. Feel like I helped them in some way.”

I grinned, taking his hand and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He squeezed me into his side. “You help everyone in every way. It’s pretty much impossible to meet you and not be affected in the best of ways.”

That blush came again and I smiled at the sight of it. “You’ve got to stop complimenting me. It’ll all go to my head.”

He wasn’t expecting the shove, but after he finished being dramatic about how I could have killed him, he wrapped his arm around me again and I caught him smiling.

I realized I hadn’t thought of the situation with Kent, my lackluster job, or my sisters once.

#wildflower #wf #1dff #niall horan au #niall horan fanfiction

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oh-theatre · 5 years ago

Text

Promissum

A/N: I started this awhile back and decided to finish it now, its bad and I have ABSOLUTELY no idea why I wrote it but uhh here and im so so sorry

summary: Roman looks for Patton on a quiet evening, a delighted smell guides his journey

pairings: Royality

warnings: none except some light angst

“Logan have you seen Patton?” Roman inquires peeking into the logicals sides study. He looks up from his book thinking if only for a moment, a sinking feeling as he shakes his head. “Rats!” Roman snaps his fingers. “Thanks anyway” He closes the door carefully, minimizing the creaking it causes.

“Hey Ro, whatcha doing?” Virgil asks from behind scaring the prince. Roman turns, glaring slightly at Virgil. “Sorry, what's got you so jumpy?”

“Im looking for Patton, have you seen him?” Roman tries his luck, if anyone knew where he was Virgil was his best bet.

“Mmm, he just checked in with everyone before bed...I think Remus was the last to see him” Virgil shrugs, cocking his head towards Romans lesser half. “Why? Whats up?” Roman sighs, fiddling with his sash, Virgil inches closer examining him. “Rooooooman” He stretches, prying his way through the defenses.

“I just need to talk to him ok?” Roman blurts, Virgil snickers patting him on the back as he walks away, presumably towards his room. “Ok, Remus...remus” Roman mumbles, hesitantly strolling down the hall towards his brothers room. Feeling less than confident he knock, the door swinging open a moment later.

“Haven't seen him, Dee might know” Remus yawns, Roman sighs, not an uncommon occurrence. When they try, they can keep their thoughts separate, when they don't care it melds into one. “Night” He shuts the door promptly, giving Roman no other option. Luckily, the mysterious side emerges from his room, giving Roman the perfect opportunity to inquire about the whereabouts of the moral side.

“Good evening Roman” Deceit greets, Roman smiles with his teeth, Deceit groans. “What do you need?” He offers

“Would you happen to know where Patton is?” He asks for what seems like the millionth time. Deceit nods, and finally Romans quest leads to something.

“He checked in on everyone, and when I asked him where he was going he told me-” Deceit coughs “I'm going to be in the imagination for a little bit if you need me” Deceit mimics in perfect tune, had Romans eyes been closed he would've thought it was Patton.

“Aha! Finally! Thank you! You are officially my favorite!” Roman exclaims, rushing a smushed kiss on Deceits cheek, striding away without a second thought. Deceit rolls his eyes, using his glove to wipe away the remains.

“And suddenly, I miss being hated” Deceit states, obviously joking but maybe not.

Roman reaches the end of the hall, standing triumphantly in front of the entrance to what they label the ‘Imagination’. Roman has to wonder what Patton is doing. He looks to his left, a star studded door with his own name plastered across. The sides had agreed to put the twins next to the land of wonderment, seeing as they would use it the most. Patton and Virgil were next and then Logan and Deceit, who doesn't seem to need it as much.

Opening the door could be easy or very hard, depending on whos on the other side and what they were doing. For example, when Roman and Remus use the space for training or storytelling they tend to keep it shut to protect the others from danger. Surprisingly, Roman found it quite easy to pry open. Thankfully, ruling out any danger the moral side might be experiencing. However, that thought left his mind quickly as something else wafted through.

A heavily intoxicating smell, dripping with ambrosial sweetness, blessed Romans nostrils. You know those cartoons where the character will smell something and float to it, absolutely head over heels for the source? That's how Roman felt and he isn't even past the door. Taking another step he notices how different it looked, instead of a vast field of trees and mysterious towers, it was enclosed. A cozy atmosphere, warmth and comfort engulfing Roman as he walked further into the room. The wooden floors, padded with hazel walls, lined with shelves on shelves of candy.

“Hello?” Roman calls out, grasping to whatever realism he had left. The candies were labeled, each container filled perfectly to the top. Some knocking and tripping around turned Romans attention. “Patton?” He hopes. After a moment, the moral side appears, his goofy trademarked smile plastered on his face. Roman first notices the container he holds in his hand, then slowly everything else. The apron full of stains and marks clearly sprouting from his candy fun, his hair is practically three different colors, and his glasses aren't even covering his eyes.

“Ro!” He identifies, readjusting a container before making his way to Roman. “What's up buttercup?” He asks, Roman fixes his crooked glasses. “Thanks” He grins.

“What is all of this?” Roman marvels, his eyes landing on a container labeled caramel.

“Candy!” Patton states quite obviously, Roman turns to him raising an eyebrow. “You knew that...got it” He claps his hands together, flour (Presumably, could be a plethora of candy making ingredients) puffs into the air. “Would you like a tour?” He offers, his sweet smile.

“Oh one hundred percent!” Roman agrees, Patton squeals taking the creative’s side hand, the chalky warmth grounding Roman. They begin walking around, starting at the front, Patton leads him through the kitchen. Multiple stations are set up, representing all the different kinds of sweet treats. Before they continue, Roman tugs slightly at Patton stopping in his tracks. “But...why? Pat...what is all this for?” He questions, hoping he doesn't sound negative.

“It's fun! And not to toot my horn, but I’m good at it!” Patton compliments, rare for the moral side. Roman looks at what used to be a battlefield of adventure “Oh! I promise Ill clean up, I know you and Remus have a fun adventure tomorrow. Logan wants to browse the library soon, and Virgil wants to try his hand at a haunted house and Dee-” Roman, struggling to keep up, stops him.

“Pat, take a breather” Roman suggests, Patton smiles apologetically. “Do you have all of our schedules memorized?” Roman checks, Patton nods quickly. The sweet smell, turning grim as it hits Roman. “And you take care of the mind palace, and our rooms, and the food and oh my god…” He trails off, growing increasingly guilty. Patton frowns, following Romans own sad expression. “You don't have time during the day, so you do it at night...when do you sleep?” Roman waits, fearing the answer.

“No no! Don't worry, I only do this every once and awhile” Patton assures, he snaps, the scene shifts. Roman and Patton sit across from one another, the space is more open but Roman can see the factory and storage in the back. “Would you like to try some candy?” Roman nods unsure, the room is bustling but there's no one there. It's just the two of them. “I added some soft noise in the back so it would feel a little less...creepy” He admits “Alone, in a factory, at night-

“Horror movie recipe” They recite in unison, laughing it off after. Patton smiles, inducing more to appear. A cart with multiple plates all labeled with candy atop appear, candles and three different beverages take their place on the table.

“Bon appetit!” Patton places two plates in front of them, Roman practically bouncing out of his chair takes a bite, slowly the evening continues until the pair find themselves huddled around the fire, blankets and fresh hot cocoa.

“This was...really nice” Roman compliments, licking the marshmallow mustache away. “You're a pretty good chef Pat” Patton looks away, hoping the amber sparks from the fire cover his ever growing blush.

“I like to bake when Im sad” Patton admits, stirring away the adorable cat mallow he created.

“But you're always baking” Roman notes, a solemn look as he watches the reflection of fire ablaze in Patton's glasses.

“I just like to bake, not just when I'm sad...I promise!” Patton assures, Roman nods a soft sigh. He moves himself closer, connecting their blankets. “Ro?”

“Do something for me?” Roman hopes, Patton hums sweetly. “Come to me? Instead of disappearing, come find me ok?” Patton yawns allowing Roman to meet his hand. “Promise? We can bake together” Roman jokes, a proposition Pattons not opposed to. “Everything's better with a partner”

“A partner…” Patton marvels, he leans his head on Romans shoulder nodding as his eyes blink their way into the dark. “I promise” He finalizes, Roman smirks relieved, cuddling closer to the moral side. His arm wraps around Patton, a soft kiss on his forehead. “I...promise” As Roman fiddles with Patton's careful fingers in his own he thinks to himself, a satisfactory ending to the perfect night.

#ITS SO BAD LMAO #sanders sides #roman sanders #patton sanders #royality #writing #romance #my writing #ao3 #archive of our own #fluff #cute #youtube

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the-cookie-of-doom · 5 years ago

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Peter knew it was a risk, keeping both Stilinski’s under the same roof. Keeping Stiles locked in the basement was one thing, where neither of them would be able to hear the other. But Peter’s bedroom wasn’t soundproofed. He was relying entirely on Stiles’ desire to behave and avoid further punishment to keep him from calling out to his father, if he heard John speak. That shouldn’t pose too much of a risk, considering the house was large, and Peter’s bedroom was at the far end, nowhere near where John may find himself for any legitimate reason.

Just to make sure Stiles wouldn’t get curious and go wandering, Peter locked the door. He was confident that Stiles would behave himself, at least for now, the memory of his punishment still so fresh in his mind, but he didn’t want to risk Stiles’ curiosity overcoming his self-preservation.

Satisfied that Stiles was adequately confined to the bedroom, Peter left to the living room, settling in with a book and waiting for John to return to from the sheriff’s station.

The man walked through the door an hour later, just as Peter was thinking about getting up to start on lunch, figuring he’d made Stiles wait long enough.

“You look like you need a stiff drink,” Peter said, setting his book aside when John came into the living room, looking haggard.

“That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.” Peter got up and walked over to the little table holding a row of crystal decanters and cut glasses. He poured two fingers of brandy for himself, and three for John. He had a feeling the man would need it. “How did it go with the FBI?” Peter asked when he returned, handing John his glass before sitting down.

“In all honesty, I don’t know. They have a few theories, and some leads they’re going to follow up on, but… It wasn’t the kind of news I was hoping for. The whole situation just seems worse, now.”

“In what way?” John sighed, swirling the brandy. It was a new one Peter had recently gotten his hands on; the exact shade of Stiles’ eyes. He wondered in John noticed.

“Last week, there was a woman. She called the police when she thought she saw Stiles. She must have tried to physically intervene, because when the cops got there, she was dead on the ground, neck snapped like a bird. So one of the theories, now, is that we shouldn’t be looking for my son, we should… we should be looking for a body. They think whoever took him may have killed him, and we just… haven’t found the body yet.”

“John, whoever took Stiles took him for a reason. You said he was taken shortly after I left town? Well if he was seen only a week ago, than whoever kidnapped him clearly wants him alive. I don’t think you should give up hope just yet.”

“I know that, but part of me thinks that might be worse. I can’t stop thinking about what that psycho might be doing to him, if he is still alive, and--” John cut himself off, knocking back his glass of brandy. Peter wordlessly got up to refill it, deciding to just bring the whole decanter back with him, setting it on the coffee table within John’s reach.

“You shouldn’t torture yourself like that, John. You have no way of knowing what Stiles is going through. Trying to imagine his situation is only going to put you through unnecessary hell.”

“I’ve been at this job a long time. I’ve seen a lot of kids go missing. So few of them ever get brought back home. I never thought that I would ever have to be on the receiving end of this tragedy. I really don’t want to bring my son home in a body bag.”

“You won’t have to,” Peter said. “I’m sure that with the FBIs help, you’ll be able to bring Stiles home alive, if not unscathed. And believe me when I say that everything heals with time.”

***

As promised, Peter returned to Stiles with lunch. He didn’t have to worry about making any excuses about why he would be eating in his bedroom; John was passed out on the couch after Peter subtly encouraged him to keep drinking more and more, continuing to refill his glass.

When he pushed open the door, he was pleased to see that Stiles was still in bed, curled up on his side with his hands tucked up under his chin, looking soft and sweet. Peter almost didn’t want to wake Stiles, would rather admire his sleeping form. Instead he settled for setting the plates on the table and taking a few pictures of Stiles with his phone, before going to pull open the curtains. Stiles turned his face away from the sudden light, snuffling into the pillow endearingly.

“Stiles, darling,” Peter cooed, sitting on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand through Stiles�� sleep-mussed hair, slowly coaxing him awake.

“Peter?” Stiles mumbled around a yawn, rubbing one of his eyes.

“Hello, beautiful. Did you sleep well?” Stiles nodded, smiling lazily as he stretched out over the bed, taking up more space.

“Yeah. I like you bed. I’s soft.”

“Yes, it is,” Peter said, chuckling. “Here, sit up. I brought lunch.”

“What you make me?” Stiles asked with interest, peering past Peter as he sat up. The blanket fell to pool at his waist, and Stiles didn’t bother trying to cover himself. He had a one track mind, focusing on the possibility of food in his near future.

“A sandwich,” Peter said, continuing when he saw the flicker of disappointment on Stiles’ face., even though he knew the boy wasn’t likely to complain. “Smoked turkey with pickled peppers, swiss, and lettuce on flatbread, with a homemade cream cheese spread to keep it all together.”

“Fancy.” Stiles grinned, making grabby hands at Peter when he reached over to pick up the plates. He held Stiles’ just out of reach, giving him a stern look.

“Eat slowly, or you’ll make yourself sick,” he warned.

“Yes sir. Now please feed me before I actually die.”

“Bon appetit.”

“Do you know French?” Stiles asked around a mouthful of sandwich, looking up at Peter with bright eyes.

“A little. Enough to impress pretty doe-eyed boys like you,” Peter teased, making Stiles blush. His boy really was so sweet and responsive, much better than anyone else Peter has brought home. He was more than worth keeping around, despite his troublesome nature. Maybe Peter would keep him around for as long as a year.

“So, who’s your friend?” Stiles asked, to change the subject.

“Oh, just a friend from home. He’s going to be staying in town for a few days, and I offered to let him stay with me, rather than rent a hotel.”

“Anyone I would know?”

“Perhaps. He’s with the Beacon Hills sheriff’s department.” Peter smiled, watching the way Stiles froze. Stiles put his half-eaten sandwich back on his place, looking like he might be sick. He refused to meet Peter’s eyes, staring instead at the scant space between them. “You understand now why I can’t allow you to leave this room? I would hate to have a repeat of the supermarket.”

“Y-yeah…”

“Because if you did do something reckless, I might have to kill him. And I don’t know if I could forgive you for something like that; I might just have to kill you too.”

“I-I won’t. I’ll be good, Peter. I promise.”

“I know you will, Stiles. Now finish your sandwich, you need to regain your strength. You’re too thin.” Stiles did as he was told, eating the rest of the sandwich mechanically, as if on autopilot. He did the same with the bottle of water Peter handed him, sipping slowly until it was empty. “Would you like to get some more sleep, darling?”

“Yes, please.”

“Alright, I’ll let you stay. Remember; if you don’t behave yourself, it’s back to the cage. And I may not let you out again.”

“I will.”

Peter gave Stiles a soft kiss on the cheek before gathering their dishes and leaving the room, stopping briefly at the door to watch the way Stiles stared down at his hands, like he was frozen in place. Poor thing was likely having trouble coming to terms with the fact that help was just outside of that door. Peter couldn’t wait to tell him it wasn’t just one of the deputies, but his father. It wasn’t time for that, though. If Stiles found out too soon, he would do everything in his power to escape, consequences be damned.

#cookie writes #steter #stiles stilinski #peter hale #this is a later part in Resilient btw #Peter is a Bad Bad Man #v manipulative and EvilTM #human AU with a serial killer flare

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elgringo300 · 4 years ago

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The Reaper

Found on the person of the late Dr. Jonathan Scott:

Wednesday:

My years of geography in college have finally paid off! Today, I begin my new job - explorer. A rich gentleman has hired a group of individuals to explore the unmapped forests west. His name is written on the contract I left with my father for safekeeping, but to be honest, I couldn't care less. I am finally doing what I have always dreamed of!

My exact profession is cartographer and artifact analyst. This is apparently synonymous with “civilized”, given that I am the only member of the group who seems to have any proper education. The rest of the team is composed of Alexander Kelley, chef, who being in charge of the group's rations, you'd think would prioritize our well-being over his stomach; Nichole Dixon, huntress, who seems to know more about hunting men than hunting food; Hannah Stanley, herbalist, an antisocial viper constantly attacking with her sharp tongue; and Chief Osvald Whitten, muscular head of the expedition with a tendency to ignore all advice but Nichole's. More than the flaws I have mentioned, none have any family worth noting, nor a pound of money to their name.

I will be writing in this personal journal whenever an event occurs worth reporting. My public journal will bear the official records and my maps, so most of my time will be dedicated to that, but here will lie my innermost thoughts and opinions.

Tuesday:

We have been traveling for 6 days, and despite the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I have found myself in, I'm not sure how much more I can bear. Let me begin with the good news. After 5 days of constant travel, pausing only to rest at night, my time has been entirely dedicated to my profession, which brings a joy I cannot describe. We have found two separate ruins. I could not identify the markings, which I have sketched in the official records, so we have packed a sample from each site. The first was found on a hilltop, only one day into the expedition.

From the foot of the hill below, we believed it to be a mere hut. Upon approaching, however, we found that it gave access to a deep hole in the ground. We measured this to be exactly five by five feet. Alas, while examining some exotic plants on the hill, our toxic herbalist Hannah slipped and fell in! Hitting her head on the side, she was knocked unconscious, silencing her scream. After a full minute with no audible impact, we left. Of course, we have no way of knowing if the bottom consists of some dampening material, producing no noise to be heard. But that does not prevent the event from being both unnerving and incredibly exciting. From this location we also took a strange tool that hung from the roof of the structure. It looks like an oddly curved stick with two prongs at one end, and a blade on the other. I am making history!

The second site is located beside a river, two days after the first, and is easily identifiable as a water mill for grinding grain. Before seeing the structure, we first heard the tremendous noise it created. The markings match those of the first building. Upon finding nothing else of note, we packed with us a clay pottery jar from inside the home. Despite its apparent lack of features, it is incredible that the savages of this jungle reached this level of technology.

Aside from the unfortunate death of the herbalist, the journey so far has been far from flawless. Uncomfortable as camping and hiking is, these were not the worst elements of my tale. Every night, as each of us lay in our individual sleeping bags, our fearless Chief Whitten and the huntress Dixon insisted on sharing one, and made audible their love to all the camp. Before her death, Stanley the herbalist would tell the twosome exactly what she thought of their nightly activities every morning, sparing no vulgarity in doing so, and would threaten them with poison if they didn’t stop. I’ll never know if she was kidding or not. Chef Kelley laughed too much, and certainly did not seem fit enough to hike anywhere, let alone the dangerous jungle. Aside from that, he was bearable.

After the discovery of the mill, we followed the river upstream. My maps illustrate our paths perfectly. After a couple of days (and noisy nights, thanks to the lovebirds), the next tragic event took place. In the Mill River, as I have dubbed it, there is a certain species of fish, certainly not found anywhere else in the world. It is larger than you would think a river-dweller should be, about the length of a man’s torso. During our trek northwest, as the river leads us, the chef began to chat to anyone who would listen, about all the different ways he could cook these Mill fish. He could fry them in oil, or in butter, after decorating them with garlic and salt and pepper and all other sorts of nameless spices. He would let it fry until each side was a crispy brown, and could be smelled from the room next over. Then when serving, he would cut the fish into thin slices using a special knife dedicated to such a task. Laying a few slices on a single plate, he’d decorate the meal with various leaves, and sprinkle the whole meal with lemon juice. “Bon appetit!” he’d say then. You see, I can remember the very recipe, he quoted it so often.

On the second day after we passed the Water Mill, we had all grown used to the presence of the river, and desensitized to the danger of Mill fish. This is my only explanation for the tragedy that occured. During our lunch break, I was behind some trees relieving myself when suddenly, I heard a commotion from the campsite. Running over, I could see Kelley’s body flailing as he floated down the stream, being attacked from all sides by the carnivorous Mill fish.

Today, the 6th day since the start of the journey, Whitten decided it was time to establish a more permanent camp. At this point, the party consists of only me, Whitten, and Dixon, the huntress. Leaving the river, we soon found a clearing in the woods that was suitable for a campsite. We set up our tents, and Whitten and Dixon have initiated the nightly ritual. When will I be free of their vices?

Wednesday:

What a horrible night I have passed! My last two friends lie dead beside me, with the murder weapon still lodged within their ribcages. It was a native that did it, lacking any clothes, and more stealthy than a cat. The weapon bears much resemblance to the ornamental tool we found on the hill. I hesitate to stay too long, for fear the the assassin might return. I have packed essentials to last me the rest of my journey.

Saturday:

Alas, alas! My poor planning is the end of me. The food I brought lasted scarce two days, and it is now three since I departed the cursed grave of Whitten and Dixon. Even now my hand trembles with hunger. With my death imminent, I will unburden my conscience.

Four deaths have occurred in the past week and a half; four, and not one of them accidental. How so sure, Jonathan? Who was the perpetrator of these horrid crimes? Why, the reaper is none other than myself. I gave Hannah Stanley the slight nudge that sent her tumbling to her death. It was her own venomous insults that revealed to me the terrible power all men wield. It was I who shoved Alexander Kelley while the others backs were turned. He who salivated so ardently for the fish can rest with his favorite meal. I stabbed two lovebirds with one tool, the same ritual object found on the hill, so that they can rest together forever.

The horror of my sins weigh heavy, yet I cannot honestly say that I could do differently while still in ignorance of the peril I now find myself in. If any find these notes, know that these woods were discovered, named, and will be forever haunted by your dear grim reaper, Jonathan Scott.

#horror #fiction #unreliable narrator #TalesFromGringolandia

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andypridee · 4 years ago

Text

A River’s Current | Challenge #1

here it is. i bring to you Andromeda Pride. well, andy preferably. I’m so sorry this is up sooo late but writing this was kind of a whirlwind. Please ignore any mistakes, i was writing this like a thousand miles per hour. Thank you sooo much to @arin-schreave and @itssara-oc for the rps i hope i wasn’t such a mess. so i leave you with andy. i hope you reading her as much as i enjoyed creating her.

bon appetit!

Silence flooded the room entirely. The day that just happened had been a whirlwind of things that made me completely uncomfortable. "Oh my God," I thought "This is going to continue for who knows how long" This was clearly the best time to understand the magnitude of my actions. Normally, I didn't think much before acting, but the consequences were not so huge. "Okay Andy, you're already here and there is no escape. Breathe. "

The huge room that had touched me was like a dream. A huge soft bed, a wardrobe that was a work of art in itself, a movie ceiling. "I guess this is it. The selection." A contest to win the prince's hand. Not even that. A contest to win what remains of the prince's heart, if it remains, to be able to one day be the queen of this country, although, in reality, it would only be an accessory for the king and his baby factory because obviously you have to follow the lineage And that's what women are for.

It was incredible that I could be and live, even for a short time, in a room as full of luxuries as that. Yes, my childhood had been privileged, I was aware of that, but this was just another level. He had seen, known and connected to so many places that not even in his deepest dreams could they have dreamed of something like this. And there were people who had so much power and money that this kind of room was simply a "guest room." It was increasingly difficult for me to think that solutions for millions of people were in the hands of a few who should actually provide solutions for those people.

How I wish Sierra had been there.

Anger and helplessness began to grow within me. The air didn't flow to my lungs and I had suddenly started hyperventilating. I went out on my balcony and saw around me. Everything looked so serene from afar. So uniform and so peaceful. I wanted to dive into it, keep walking until I got away from that huge and pretentious place. The edge of the balcony felt like a wall of bars to me. I was not made to live observing. And I didn't even know what I was doing here. I had no princess spirit, much less a queen. I needed to get out, talk, be able to experiment and especially help. Not standing still, looking pretty, saying the things that everyone wants to hear but being hopeful enough for those people who have almost nothing. Everything methodical, everything calculated. All coldly experienced, knowing that even if you want to do something and help, that would not make everyone happy, especially the most important ones. Living not in a home, but in an institution.

I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed. I saw a valley covered by the moon. Miles and miles spread before me, ready to be explored, ready for the unexpected. The cold air brushed my cheeks and I smiled. Then came the sea, with its smell of salt and freedom. The sun caressed my skin and comforted me. In the distance, seagulls were observed in mid-flight. This was what made me get up every morning. The possibility of a new, just, and caring world. A world wherein every place that the sea touched you could feel airs of hope and happiness.

I slowly opened my eyes and took another deep breath. I guess I couldn't do anything about my current situation anymore but I could take advantage of it.

I went to sleep with that image of the sea in my mind and I didn't wake up again until the morning rays touched my skin.

When I opened my eyes the day had already started without me. My maids, Audrey, Kate and Elaine, were fixing my room for a new day. Although I did not really understand why since everything looked extremely resplendent. The bathroom apparently was ready to tell from the condensation on the mirror and my outfit for the day hung neatly from the closet.

I closed my eyes once more wanting to be in my room in Zuni, or even in Waverly's bedrooms. Or anywhere outside of there. I opened my eyes again with the slightest hope that my wishes would come true. Obviously, they didn't, so I sighed and walked into the bathroom, ready to have at least 15 minutes of relaxation and privacy. That was, of course, until my maids started helping me.

"Um, ladies? I don't really know what to call them. Girls? Um well, I can do this alone if you don't mind. ”I tried to speak kindly to them.

"But, miss, we must help you in everything," Audrey replied in a concerned tone.

"I'm sure it doesn't refer to everything," I said, pointing to my body in the process.

"It is our duty, Miss Andromeda," Audrey replied politely.

I sighed “Okay, you can continue to do whatever other crazy duty you are dictated here but please just call me Andy. It is the only thing I ask of you. ” I said almost pleading.

"Okay, Lady Andy," Audrey answered again, who, apparently, was the one in charge of the three.

"Andy, Audrey. Andy. " I looked at her and tried to smile slightly.

"Okay La- Andy," she replied uncomfortably, but she had fulfilled what she had asked and that was an advance for me in the little that I had taken that morning, so I left it like that and I decided to violate what I considered privacy as too many levels.

OK. I was not a girl in dresses. And that was clearly inconvenient now. Looking at me in the mirror, I looked like a cupcake. Literally. It smelled of vanilla and everything. The dress itself was beautiful, white with gold accents and such a neat chest. Truly a work of art. But I was not wearing dresses. I felt uncomfortable and constricted, I could hardly breathe, and my arms could not rise more than 10 cm.

And now she was supposed to have breakfast in front of the queen and the royal family like that. Fantastic.

"Miss, you must go to your lesson," Elaine warned me before leaving.

"Lesson? Are we not supposed to have breakfast? ” I asked, starting to feel like my stomach was roaring under the tight corset of my cupcake dress.

"Before having breakfast in front of the royal family you must take an etiquette lesson." answered.

"They think we don't know how to eat? It can't be that different. Finally, it is the same process, you eat and drink. There is not much science. ”

"It is a requirement for all the selected ones," Elaine replied, trying not to get too agitated.

"So now I am that. One "selected". " I said, this time to myself. "Okay, I'll be down soon," I replied, a little more disappointed.

Going down that huge staircase I could see the other girls. All dressed in extremely precious dresses. Splendid walk. Perfect complexion. Hair like silk. And I, holding on tightly to the stair railing, afraid of losing my balance and hitting the living room on the floor. What a contrast.

I entered a large room, where tables were set up with their respective chairs. Several selected ones were already arranged in their places, so I looked for mine in that sea of linen tablecloths and flowers with artificial smells.

Lady Andromeda

Thanks, mom and dad. They seriously couldn't choose another name.

I took a seat and turned the side of the card with my name face down. Then I smoothed down my dress and waited for something to happen, though I wasn't really sure what that would look like.

Finally, Princess Safiya entered the room and addressed us. She exuded airs of elegance and neatness. Almost like her brother but she seemed under control and ready to take charge of any situation.

"Good morning. I'm sure you're all ... eager to start seeing as you're meeting my brother shortly, so I'll try to keep this brief. ”

Eager? Really? Rather terrified of having to meet the prince. Oh, my God. Prince. Know him. Friend, if you want you can have me there all morning because we could say that the prince was not my favourite person in the royal family.

“Today I will begin to instruct you on conduct and protocol, a process that will continue for the duration of your stay. Please know that I will be reporting any missteps on your part to the royal family. ”

This was the most outrageous thing anyone could have said to me. Conduct and protocol? Who I am? A doll? What were the behaviour and protocol? To silence your mouth only and that everything is calm and courteous. Crap.

"I know it sounds harsh, but this isn't a game to be taken lightly. Someone in this room will be the next princess of Illéa. It is no small task. You must endeavour to elevate yourselves, no matter your previous station. You will become ladies from the ground up. And this very morning, you will receive your first lesson. ”

That was exasperating me, that situation they have to change their way of being because we do not consider it highly appropriate. She understood that they were the royal family but they were also ordinary humans. She didn't understand the need to be stiff and perfect all the time, much less at breakfast. It was quite a facade, because, let's be honest, who dresses like that to go to breakfast?

Suddenly, a very elegant brunette woman entered the room. It was Felicity Graham, the prince's ex-fiancée. She saw herself as a powerful woman, even on her own and without any ties to royalty or politics. She was the first person to impress me in the background since I got there.

He approached Princess Safiya and muttered something to her, and so they had an exchange of murmurs and increased the discomfort in the room by 87%.

Neither of us knew what was happening and I personally felt out of place and worse yet, too hungry to have a good attitude. We were there in front of them and they didn't even bother to make excuses.

I was about to get up and go get my well-deserved breakfast without any consideration of what might happen because I honestly didn't care. The faster I got out of there, the better. Safiya said something softly to Felicity but I didn't really bother to understand. Were they really taking away even more time?

“Table manners are very important, and before you can eat in front of the royal family, you must be aware of certain etiquette. The faster we get through this little lesson, the sooner you get to have your breakfasts, so faces forward, please. ”

Against my own will, I followed the instructions and continued the etiquette lesson, ridiculous as that sounds, albeit with some difficulty thanks to my dress. In the end, it was what was going to get me out of here and give me my breakfast without having to disrespect the princess in her face. Despite everything, I had always admired Princess Safiya for her tenacity and intelligence and she was frank, a quality that I will always respect people.

When mentioning the very retrograde etiquette instructions, there were one to two times that I almost laughed out loud. Not speak unless they spoke to us first? Really? She did not know that modernity and feminine emancipation had not reached the court of Illea. Even more so when our president was a woman like the queen.

"If you follow this one, I’ll be disappointed," Safiya added.

Well, one less person to disappoint, and at least the princess agrees with me on that ridiculous rule.

After something akin to a courtesy practice, although it seemed more like a classy torture session, and Princess Safiya completely reproved me with her eyes, we were free. My stomach at this moment was a huge furious mass and when my eyes looked at that oasis called buffet I swear that the angels sang. I'm not fully aware but I think I approached the buffet unusual and not very elegantly, filling my plate with delicacies.

I found my seat and got ready to ... eat. Actually, at first, it seemed like I was stuffed but I hadn't eaten anything since I woke up and that was going to be like two hours! But after the first three or four bites, I tried to keep my composure. Not because they had pointed it out to me but because I wanted to show them that we were perfectly fit people to eat without making a mess.

As soon as the guard who was going to escort me to that small room where the girls came and went came, my back stiffened. Usually, it was good under pressure and I wasn't nervous but this time we were talking about the prince, the actual price. I think the usual was not suitable for those occasions.

I got up from my chair with all the grace that can emanate and accompanied the guard to that little room. The first thing I glimpsed upon entering was the cameras. They were everywhere, pointing at different angles to a chair in the middle of everything. And there was Prince Arin waiting for me, standing a little too straight, a little too stiff, very rehearsed. I approached dubiously, looking back a moment but looking back at the prince, who gave me a small bow.

"Good morning, Lady ..." Her eyes searched for my little tag with my name on it. I guess learning 35 names overnight was difficult. "Andromeda." I almost winced when he said my name. Today had been a perfect day to call me Andromeda. "Please have a seat," he said as he gestured toward the sofa.

I did not know what to answer. My mind had gone blank. She only knew that she was in front of the prince, the heir of Illea. It was as if my conscious part had come out of my body and I was making a fool of myself. I bowed very badly and approached him. Safiya would certainly be disappointed in me, I thought.

"Hello! ... um... Good morning, Your Highness" I answered and took a seat on the sofa. "What the hell are you doing Andy? How old are you? Twelve? Act like a fully capable young lady and stop being silly. ” I said to myself as I tried to get comfortable on the sofa. Glancing back at Arin, I tried to smile slightly, concealing my disagreement.

He had settled next to me, turning his body so he could see me properly. There was something about his actions like they were too methodical and too rehearsed. He didn't seem like a natural person.

"How is your morning going?" he asked in a calm but neat tone of voice. How many times had she done this? He was probably not even paying attention anymore, just following a script and waiting for the morning to pass without any complications.

I, on the other hand, was a disaster. And the most irritating thing was that that wasn't me. I looked him in the eye and I got myself back together. "It's just someone else, there's no reason to be intimidated."

“Well let's say waking up inside a golden palace is a whole other way to start my morning, so pretty good so far. I must say, that breakfast of yours is going to spoil my appetite ”I said, while shaking my head, amused. I wasn't going to tell lies, that breakfast had been the best part of my morning.

He simply nodded and continued.

That’s good to hear. So you slept well then? ”

Again that studied tone. Breathe Although she wanted to explode, I continued the conversation, trying to cheer her up a bit. If he didn't want to have a good time, it was his problem.

"Like a dream, but you must know. I was a bit shocked at first when I got to my bedroom but then I calmed down. ” yes .. that little crisis.

"I'm glad to hear you were able to calm down." He looked for a moment at the cameras. Was that necessary? It was silly to ask, considering my experience with the bathroom that morning. "Which province are you from?"

I instinctively turned my gaze to the cameras for a second, uncomfortable with the situation. A mouse in a laboratory would have felt more comfortable than me. For a moment I felt my dress tighter, my hair straighter, my shoes smaller. I turned my gaze to Arin and replied. He continued to ask me questions and I answered them for a while. The weird thing was that he didn't comment on it like he wasn't even listening to me. I was trying to keep my composure but I was already exhausted. I wanted, first of all, to put on a good pair of pants and a shirt. Sleep all day and in the morning embark anywhere. Probably a remote island, accompanied only by Clifford and a coconut called René.

As the conversation progressed, I became more interested in it. A feeling of relief flooded my body and when I realized I was actually enjoying the conversation.

"It sounds like you enjoy it," he comments as he nods slightly.

"I do ... I think it’s a powerful way to tell the world’s history." I replied, a little excited.

"Do you plan on returning to journalism?"

"I have not abandoned journalism, it's just that I work for an NGO so that keeps me busy"

"What do you do there?"

"Well, I'm practically a wildcard. I've taught English and Maths to kids in Vietnam, I've helped to bring food to war-displaced communities, I've aided to build houses for a community made up of women, victims of family abuse, there's everything where you can help. "

Talking about my job was something I loved, but I didn't want to sound pretentious or anything like that, so I was glad when she continued to genuinely be interested in the conversation, or so it seemed.

He nodded, impressed and continued. That certainly sounds like a lot. I'm sure your family must be proud. ”

It was annoying that his only reaction to everything was to nod but he was so wrapped up in the conversation that I barely noticed. At the mention of my family, I gave a little laugh, funny.

Well, I don’t know. I'm sure my family thinks they contribute a lot to society as well. For my parents especially, it's just a complicated way to help when you can just donate a bunch of money and leave. ”

"Oh well, I'd be proud if I were them. It’s important to contribute to the ways you can. ”

"It is. It absolutely is. I believe that making change happen is the labour of everyone. Grain by grain great things can be built. ”

She nodded, again, and glanced at her watch, then turned to look at me.

"Thank you for speaking with me this morning, Lady Andromeda. It’s been a pleasure. ” She got up from the sofa, saying goodbye. "Please enjoy the rest of your stay."

"I'm sure that my stay he meant two hours while he finished with the rest of the girls," I thought.

But I tried to hide my true thoughts, so I got up and smiled confidently. Whatever happened, I think it would be fine.

“It has been surprisingly a pleasure. And please, call me Andy. My parents have been a little extra since ancient times. ” I joked, trying to make the stiff prince smile for the last time.

And fulfilling my goal, Arin smiled at me and nodded again. "This man and his head," I thought. But I did not care, I got him to show some emotion and that already progressed for me.

"Have a good rest of your morning, Andy."

“My parents thought so too but believe me, growing up as Andromeda was pretty tired. "I shrugged." Well, I don't believe so, for now, you are my only friend” me briefly, joking, as I usually did, about my name “the food here is the most heavenly thing ”

She was an extremely sweet and funny girl. I think it was a relief to be able to talk to someone without being afraid of being judged in the background, something very rare to find in the social circles that my parents made me frequent.

She giggled and answered “I can imagine. It's a beautiful name but it's pretty long and I'm assuming people have mispronounced it before? ” Her eyes lit up at the mention of our possible friendship ”That sounds like a deal. I'm your friend and you are mine. Don't take backs. ” And continuing with our conversation he added “It is pretty good. Where are you from? ”

“So many times! plus it is pretty weird so you can imagine ”I shrugged. "Sounds like a deal!" I told her and reached out my hand to close the deal, she took it, laughing, and we shook hands with each other but “From Zuni, originally. What about you? ”

"I kind of get your pain. Not many people know how to pronounce my last name. I'm from Whites! ”

"Well, I sure hope I'm pronouncing it correctly." I giggled a bit, something slightly unusual for me. "Oh! that's a great contrast ”I commented when listening to her native province.

"Don't worry, you're actually doing pretty good." She beamed and continued “It is! So what did you do before… ”she pointed around us, referring to La Selección“ all of this. ”

I smiled nostalgic, thinking about the life I had left behind. That life that had been built by me and only by me, and which was now thousands of miles from my reach.

“Well, I study journalism in Waverly and I work for an NGO, helping in poor communities. what about you? ”

“I have been volunteering in the orphanage here and there. I want to keep volunteering but the career I have makes it hard. ” she pouted a bit, making me smile. Sara was the sweetest person I’ve ever known. Usually, my friends and I expressed love with jokes and sarcasm, so hanging out with Sara was actually pretty recomforting. "I am a manager in my dad's business."

We talk about our jobs and our family. The more time passed, the more relaxed I felt, forgetting everything that had happened in the morning and feeling much more myself. Sara was a very sweet, interesting and impressive person. Being a manager in her father's store and volunteering. It is completely true that appearances are deceiving. At first glance, Sara seemed a very elegant but somewhat reserved person. Turned out to be funny and energetic. With airs of princess everywhere and kindness of heart, I was glad that there were girls with possibilities of winning, like Sara and genuinely began to root for her. We ended up talking about my family, especially my sister, Sierra. My sister was one of the people I missed the most and it had only been a day. We usually parted for months but we were a phone call away. This was completely different and he needed her more than ever.

"I'm lucky to have her. I believe that without her I wouldn't be here right now, ”I smiled wistfully, trying to control my tears instead. “Alright, so topic change because I don’t want to have mascara all over my face and make a fool of myself the first day, mmm what do you like to do outside work?”

Sara smiles and said “You really are the sweetest aren't you…” she gave me a sympathetic look and answered my question. Alright. We can definitely do that another day! ” * joked, making me smile and improve my spirits. "I? Well, I enjoy to read and write. Bullet journaling. Geocaching! I would love to travel more often. I love to learn more about different places. How about you? ”

"Count me in! crying out loud is one of my favourite things ever ”I commented sarcastically. “I have tried to do bullet journaling, trust me, it did not go well. But geocaching? what’s that? ” I've never heard of anything like that but I was truly curious "I LOVE-" had started screaming but then I remembered that morning's sermon and decided it was too early to start breaking the rules. "I love travelling!! it's my favourite thing to do in the whole world, I love to discover how diverse we can be in just one planet. I love photography as well, I have an album with all my trips, to see how a picture can tell a million words and a million emotions. ”

"I mean watching some sad movies can get you to cry out loud" Sara joked, continuing my joke. "Oh, I love it! Oh, geocaching is a bit of a weird hobby of mine. It's basically using GPS to find hidden treasures people have left behind. It's interesting for me. ” added with some regret. “I love travelling as well !! Are we possible soulmates? Long lost sisters? ” I smile with her eyes lit up. "Wow really? I would love to see it. Your album I mean. "

"Only if it's titanic" I joked. "But it sounds interesting like catching Pokémons or something like that, you have to invite me some time" I smiled, interested in my friend's hobby.

"I know! it's crazy!” I laughed and continued "where have you been?” And finally answered her request. “Well I could show it to you sometime, I secretly sneaked it in because my mother almost banned me from bringing it, ”I whispered.

"Obviously only titanic." she chuckled, joking. "It is! I have found several interesting things when I go geocaching. ” she grinned as I mentioned my interest in geocaching “Someday for sure!” she said, smiling widely. "It is! I hope to do that often. Travel I mean. I have been here and there but I barely had time to really immerse myself to each province. The farthest I've gone is New Asia. ” she leaned in when I started whispering “Oh really? I would love to see it. I'm glad you sneaked it in. ”

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The sun had begun to set over the city of Angeles and a beautiful yellow light sheltered the city. The day that just passed had been, honestly, an emotional roller coaster. I had survived my first day of the Selection and I still hadn't made a complete fool of myself. I didn't know if I was going to be there in 24 hours or if this was only going to be a one-day vacation but at that point, it didn't matter anymore. Despite all my opinions regarding the Selection and what was happening, I was beginning to realize that not everything was completely bad and that in reality if I could not change the course of the river, I could at least travel with the current. I was afraid that maybe I would lose myself in the process for, apparently, it was something I couldn't control. The only thing I could do was make sure that day after day when I looked in the mirror, I kept seeing the same girl who wanted to contribute to the change. No matter what happened.

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