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companionjones · 1 year ago

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Copenhagen

Pairing: Luca x Fem!Berzatto!Reader

Fandom: The Bear (Hulu)

Summary: You go to Copenhagen with Marcus, and meet Luca.

Warnings: SMUT, Cursing

*******

“I don’t know why you’re coming with me,” Marcus stated in the airport. “You know I can do this by myself.”

“I do know you can do this by yourself,” you agreed, “But I can’t explain it. I have to watch you do this by yourself...and going to Copenhagen is pretty great, too.”

Marcus smiled. “Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes.

You were a Berzatto, Bear and Sugar’s little sister. It was Carmy’s idea to open a new restaurant when you all found Mikey’s money, and you and Nat were just helping out where you could. You threw yourself into this new project, though. A lot of it was to honor your late brother, but there was something else involved. You couldn’t put your finger on it, no matter how hard you tried. For some reason, you were as driven to open up the Bear as Carmy was, and you weren’t even involved in the kitchen.

Copenhagen was a beautiful city. Honestly, you loved anywhere that wasn’t America, but Chicago was your home.

“Who are you?” a British voice called out as you entered the pastry section of the kitchen.

You caught the eye of the man wondering who you were and quickly answered, “My name is Y/n Berzatto, are you Luca?”

He nodded, “That’s correct. You’re here to ask me questions?”

“About Marcus and your time together today, yes,” you confirmed.

Before you could get your first question in, Luca had a query of his own. “Why didn’t you come in with Marcus today?”

“We’re opening a restaurant back in Chicago. There’s a lot of stuff I have to do,” you smiled.

Luca smiled as well. “Alright. Fire away.”

You had a few questions to as Luca regarding Marcus and the craft, and that took you about ten minutes. “Thank you,” you bid genuinely when you were done.

“No problem,” Luca was still smiling at you. “Can I ask, why did you come all the way to another country when you could have sent those questions in an email?”

There was that same line of questioning Marcus had been asking you as you got on the plane over there. “Because...I just want everything to go right for this restaurant. I can’t explain it...but...”

“You care about everything, more than anything,” he finished for you.

That was the best you had heard your reasoning be explained, and you weren’t even the one that explained it. “Yeah,” you smiled at him in return.

“Yeah.” Luca went on, “Do you cook?”

“No, no,” you laughed off. “That’s my brothers’ thing. My-my sister and I stick to the paperwork side of things.”

“I find that surprising,” Luca revealed, “Carmen is the best chef I’ve ever worked with.”

You laughed again. “Yeah, I get that all the time.”

“Do you want to help me out with something?” Luca offered.

Daring forward, you peaked at his work. “What is it?”

“It’s called a compote. I could teach you how to make it, if you’d like.”

“Haven’t you done enough teaching for today?” You referenced Marcus.

Luca just smiled at you. “I don’t consider this work. Especially involving someone as beautiful as you.”

You felt your cheeks heat up. “Well, how could I say no to that invitation?”

Making it was easy enough. It involved boiling mixed berries, sugar, and honey...and that’s about it. You knew he went extra easy on you.

“Do you make this dessert for all the girls who wander into your kitchen?” you teased as you and Luca shared the compote.

He was quick to quietly respond. “No. Only you.”

A chill ran down your spine. You decided to remind him. “I’m only in Copenhagen for a week.”

“Darling, I’ve been wanting to do this since you walked in here.”

Without another thought, you leaned in and kissed him.

Almost everything about him was soft. His hands as they caressed your face, his lips as they danced with yours, everything was soft except for his chest as you racked your hands down it, aiming for his belt. His chest was hard as hell. You could feel his muscles flex as your hands came in contact with him.

Luca stopped you as you reached his belt. “Not yet,” he told you before standing and lifting you up onto the counter with little effort, “Can I take these pants off, darling?”

You lifted your hips as he slid the clothing down your legs. He planted a few kisses on them as he rose back up to meet your lips again.

Luca stood between your legs and slid his fingers up your folds as he kissed you. He held the two fingers up between you. “All this for me?”

“You weren’t the only one who wanted this to happen as soon as I walked in,” you revealed.

Luca put his two fingers in his mouth and sucked, all while keeping his eyes on you. “Now this is the best thing I can remember tasting in a long time...you ready?”

“Please,” you nodded.

Luca kissed you again before inserting his two fingers inside you.

You whined against his lips, and grabbed onto his shoulders.

Slowly, he started pumping them in and out of you with you rocking your hips along with him. Luca made out with you as he did that. You could barely keep up with his tongue. Soon, he brought in three fingers, and suddenly, you couldn’t keep up at all. You decided to wrap your legs around Luca and to just sit there and let it happen to you.

You felt your orgasm rising in your stomach. You were almost there when Luca pulled his fingers out of you.

“Fuck, darling. Can’t take it anymore,” was all he could say. He pulled his pants down enough to free his sizeable dick before shoving it inside you.

You let out a yelp, but Luca cut you off by covering your lips with his again.

Luca immediately started thrusting in and out of you. “That’s more like it,” he said when he broke away from kissing you. At a certain point, he just held you close as he, almost violently, made love to you.

“Luc--!” Your voice broke off as you came.

“That’s it. Squeeze me just like that--Good girl,” Luca emphasized as he came inside you with one final thrust. He brought his forehead back to yours before holding you in another kiss.

When that kiss broke, you asked Luca, “Can I have my pants back, please?”

“Of course.” He broke away from you with a laugh as he quickly readjusted his pants and belt and found your clothes lying on the floor.

You took the last bite of the compote as you waited.

With everyone’s clothes back on, Luca extended, “You’re more than welcome to come back any time you’d like, and not just for...that. Though, I wouldn’t be opposed.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed, either,” you returned, mocking his accent.

Luca cracked a smile as he looked at you. He slowly leaned back in for another kiss.

When you returned it, Luca leaned you against the counter.

The kiss eventually ended and you bid, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Luca.”

“See you tomorrow, Y/n.”

Two of your hands touched as you walked away, only breaking contact when you were too far to keep it.

You left Luca alone in his kitchen.

Sequel! Chicago

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, I have more stories over on my page, you should check it out. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you!

#luca #luca the bear #luca the bear x reader #will poulter x reader #luca smut #luca the bear smut #luca the bear x reader smut #will poulter x reader smut #the bear #the bear hulu #the bear smut #will poulter #companion jones #copenhagen

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silly-of-the-str1ng · 6 days ago

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Dream come True?

A/N: this is the first fic i've written in little over a year so feel free to lmk what you think with a comment or two! also some word/spelling errors, i made this while sick at 11pm 😭🙏

warning: none :3

word count: 1.1k

summary: your dream of going to Billie's show suddenly becomes a reality

part 2

------------------------<3----------------------------

You had been listening to Billie’s new album ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ ever since it had been released, over and over and over, and well you get the point.

And when you heard Billie was going on tour?- you nearly cried, well no- you did cry, a lot at that.. but as usual the universe wasn't on your side.

“No- No, No, No, NO!-” you practically screamed as you scrolled down to the New York shows, desperately refreshing the page as if the big bold letters “SOLD OUT” would disappear. You had never even had a chance to try and even go to any of her shows even once, you were pretty tight on money due to New york’s crazy prices for just about everything and the moment you had saved up enough money to buy a show ticket? of course you wouldn't be quick enough to get one or even try.

You slammed your head down on your mattress, whining pretty pathetically as your best friend, Amber awkwardly sat next to you, looking up from her phone where she was texting her boyfriend. She sighed softly and shook her head as she tilted down to meet your sad eyes, “all sold out already?”

“yes…” you grumbled, shoving your face into your comforter. “You should at least expect it somewhat, I mean she's Billie Eilish for goodness sake….” Amber hummed as she went back to messaging Lucas.

You sat up slightly, resting your chin on your palm, “I know!” you groaned as you rubbed at your eyes clean of your stupid tears, it felt so stupid to cry over someone who didn't know you at all and you'd never have the chance of meeting, but here you were-

“I just!- She coming to New York three times, Amber! THREE!! and every single show is sold out in under the first day it seems like!” you wailed as you shoved your face back into your blanket.

Amber sighed softly, setting down her phone and gently placing her hand on your back, rubbing soft circles over it- “You know, maybe it's for the best… I mean you'd probably explode if you even had a chance to see Billie in person-” Amber offered, making you scoff harshly.

You wanted nothing more, you'd sell your soul if you had to- or your car…

—-

That was a few weeks ago now, you were still mourning the loss of course but you still had to go to work- so here you were clocking in to your mom's bakery for the oh so convenient shift of 4AM… like anyone was actually up at this time but you had to start making the pastries for the day.

You kneaded at the dough, softly grunting as you rolled it out and cut the dough, shaping it into croissants and setting it on the tray. Though the soft ringing of the front entry door opening and closing caught your attention.

“Seriously…?” you sourly muttered to yourself, who the hell is up at 4:28 in the morning getting breakfast?!- you walked out from the back, sighing excessively as you spoke in a pretty harsh tone-

“Sorry if your here for any pastries you'll have to wait another two hours or so-” though when you met the eyes of the woman who walked in you were shocked-

Billie

fucking

Eilish.

“Oh, no worries- I can wait, I don't have to be anywhere today thankfully,” she shrugged confidently as she met your eyes, those bright blue eyes staring back into yours. You felt your face naturally go red from embarrassment.

You stood there awkwardly before letting out a forced chuckle, “I-I don't want to having to wait in here all by yourself while I make stuff- that'd be kind of rude considering your, well-”

“Billie Eilish?” she finished with a soft smile.

“...yeah…” you mumbled in an almost embarrassed way, well no- it WAS in an embarrassed way, 100 percent.

Though she just simply sat down in one of the booths, crossing her legs, “I may be a singer but that doesn't mean i'm not human enough to not really care-” she chuckled softly, making your heart jump.

“Right- sorry-” You quickly replied.

“I, take it you're a fan?” she asked, not prying but just genuinely looking to see what she was to you in a way. “Uh yeah!-” you awkwardly smiled, “I tried to get a ticket to any of the shows your having here but you know-” you died off at the end, rubbing the back of your neck with the hand that was still completely covered in flour.

“Oh- for real? Do you want one or something? I can just get you set up.” she offered, making you do a double take.

“A-Are you serious?-”

“Yeah, it's easy, I can get you up front too, if you want, I know that some people are sensitive to the bass.” she hummed, pulling out her phone to do god knows what. Then she met your eyes again, tilting her head to the side slightly as if you were just as regular as a friend to her. “So?”

You were star struck, you didn't even know what to say. On the more obvious hand, this was Billie Eilish offering you a completely free ticket to one of her shows, you had to yes. But on the more annoying hand that wanted to have some sort of confidence for some version- you wanted to say no.

“uhhh… i don't think so- I mean it's asking a lot from you really-”

“Nah it's fine, i'll just get you a VIP pass, just tell someone in security to go get me, I know they probably won't listen but if I hear about someone being annoying i'll assume it's probably you-” Billie chuckled.

“...u-uh- okay…”

There was an awkward silence, your shoes squeaking against the floor before Billie spoke up again, “on second thought- i'll just have someone come pick it up… You've got a nice place here but I'd rather not sit down in silence by myself today…” and this time you let out a small genuine laugh, “I hear you.”

Billie stood up and walked over to the counter where you stood behind, “Nice meeting you by the way, most fans I meet are kinda crazy about seeing me,” She chuckled. “Oh believe me i'm going crazy inside.” You scoffed, making her smile. “Well, I'm gonna dip, maybe see you round…?” she shrugged. “Yeah, maybe…” you repeated as she walked over to the front door and opened it. though she looked back- “oh I didn't catch your name.”

“oh- it's Y/N.”

“Y/N… Nice name,” Billie hummed before she walked out, the bell ringing softly of her exit. you stood there in silence before quickly picking up your phone and speed dialing Amber's number.

“Amber-HOLY SHIT YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED-”

#billie eilish #Billie #Fanfic #billie eilish x reader #reader #female reader #uhhhhh #i suck at tags

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one-vivid-judgment · 8 months ago

Note

Hello! I love your writing!

Could I request some headcanons of Ichiban, Zhao, Tomizawa, Seonhee, Yamai and Eiji with an S/O that tends to overwork, get way too stressed and burned out, and how they help them relax? Both SFW and NSFW?

Thank you! 🖤💜

Transitioning into a bit of a spicier mood after all the fluff lately, you guys are welcome 😌😌

Ichiban Kasuga

Ichiban really respects people as hardworking as you are! Thing is, you are not just hardworking—most times, you come home looking exhausted, and even though he always asks if you are feeling okay and you say yes, he knows that you’re not, deep down. He always says you can tell him whatever is bothering you, but considering how much of a busy-bee you are, you probably won’t do it anyway. So, he starts devising a little plan to help you relax.

An absolute ray of sunshine. He welcomes you home with his biggest smile and a bear hug, then tells you to sit down on the couch. You try to tell him you have some more work to finish, but he won’t listen: you are sitting down, he is bringing you some sweets and hot tea he’s just prepared. Only one thing: working tonight is strictly forbidden, doctor’s (Ichi’s) orders!

Once you are done with the tea and pastries (though yeah, Ichi did steal one or two; don’t blame him, they just looked too good!), he’s going to convince you, one way or another, to tell him about everything that’s been on your mind lately. Ichi has mastered the art of puppy dog eyes, and refusing those is hard. You can try, sure, but you both know you are eventually going to fold. Let it be known that Ichiban Kasuga usually doesn’t use the puppy look to get his way, but in this case... he’ll make an exception.

It doesn’t matter how long your story is, he will listen. Listen attentively. He can’t do anything to change that one deadline that’s been stressing you out, or that one co-worker’s behavior that’s been pissing you off more than usual lately, but he is one hell of a good listener and always willing to lend you an ear.

What he can do though, is help take the stress away. Tea and sweets and talking sure help, but you need to unwind some other ways sometimes too, don’t you? Don’t worry, Ichi gets that. Again, an absolute ray of sunshine, always willing to help—and if sex is the way then... Well, he’ll do it no questions asked.

He’ll do pretty much anything you ask in bed, because he knows you need it. His favorite thing to do though? Dropping to his knees and eating you out. Ichi is already super eager to please in the regular, but on times like these? He’ll stay between your legs and work his tongue on you for hours if you need him to. His beard kinda tickles, but that hair? He’s got perfect hair to pull, and he likes it when you do it.

Zhao Tianyou

He can pick up on your stress without you even saying a word. He’ll start doing little things to make your workload a little lighter—doing all the housework, cooking all the meals (though he already does that, pretty much), saving you some extra of your favorite dessert from the You Tian menu...

It’s Zhao, so of course the teasing won’t ever stop, but he will go a little easier on you. Even when he asks how you are feeling, it will be with a smirk on his face. Something along the lines of ‘So, when were you gonna tell me work’s been fucking you over harder than me, hm?’ He’s clearly trying to make you laugh with the utter absurdity, and he does. You haven’t been smiling as much lately, always fretting over one thing or another, and he really just wanted to make you smile again.

Oh, you’re getting one hell of a feast for dinner the day after you tell him in thorough detail what has been running through your mind lately. All of your favorite dishes? He makes them. Your favorite inciense smell? He bought it to burn just for the occasion. You want him to feed you strawberries with whipped cream afterwards? He’ll chuckle, then comply.

You need a good fuck to de-stress? He is your man. What, you thought he only dropped the ‘work’s fucking you over harder than me’ line to get a smile out of you? Of course not! What kind of man would he be if he didn’t deliver? So yeah, ask for sex whenever you need to let out some stress. Just maybe not in You Tian—his former Liumang boys still swing by every so often, and even if they know about your relationship (to be fair, it was pretty obvious), Zhao is not into exhibitionism like that.

You can try to take control all you want, but Zhao is gonna call the shots on this one. The best way to relax is to exhaust yourself, turn your brain to mush until you can’t overthink anymore. He won’t shove your head in the pillow though, unless you explicitly ask for it. He loves the ‘hard-yet-intimate’ type of fucking: just lying you on your side, throw one of your legs over his hip and thrust hard. Making out is way easier like this, too.

Eric Tomizawa

He’s been there himself, actually. Even when he was with Marie, when she left her job he started working extra hard, extra long shifts to get enough money to support them both plus their child who was on the way. He knows what burnout feels like, believe him. He knows it fucking sucks, and even if you don’t say anything, he can tell just by looking you in the eye that you are hanging on by a thread.

He’ll bring it up casually if you don’t—You’ll be spending your Friday night in, watching a movie, cuddling on the couch (and he insisted that you rest your head on his chest so he could play with your hair, though he didn’t say that last part out loud), and he’ll say “So, work sucked, huh?,” something along those lines.

Will try to give a super cool, motivational chat to help you feel a little better. ‘Try’ because he doesn’t really have anything prepared beforehand, so results may vary. He does a pretty decent job though—turns out he sounds way cooler when he doesn’t have a pre-fabricated answer. Figures.

He won’t give you any cliché bullshit of ‘don’t worry, it’s okay, everything will be alright’. It’s a very ‘Tomizawa’ pep talk. Yeah, burnout fucking sucks, doesn’t it? He has experienced it too, though he’s pretty sure your situations are very different in nature. We all have our own circumstances and different ways to help us unwind. So, whatever it is that helps you, tell him. So long as it’s something he can feasibly do, he will do everything in his power to help.

If sex is the way you want to unwind? Then oh boy, is he not complaining at all! He gets to help you out and he gets sex to boot? Listen, it’s not that he is happy you’re stressed and need his help, but he has this goofy grin on his face when you ask him to wait for you in the bedroom.

He is already a switch leaning to the subby side, but something about the way you just use him to get off and let out stress? Now that turns him on. He tries to keep up with you, but you are always ahead somehow. And honestly? He is not opposed to it. Hell, push him into the mattress, keep him down with both hands on his chest, ride him until he doesn’t remember his own name, he is into it.

Seonhee

She knows the face of stress. She knows because she is there on the regular, Queen of the Geomijul and all. And because she knows, she has a few tricks up her sleeve that help her relax when she feels like she might burst at the seams. Stress-cooking is her go-to though.

Will make you try out stress-cooking at least once to see if it works for you, too. As it turns out, it doesn’t work like she had expected. You just make stupid mistakes you normally wouldn’t make because your head is somewhere else (probably worrying), and the more mistakes you make, the more irritated you get and the worse the gyoza come out. Seonhee quickly learns that she shouldn’t allow you in the kitchen when you are like this. At least not unsupervised.

She has many mechanisms to cope with stress though, not just cooking, so she will jump to another one just as quick. And when cooking doesn’t work for her, what she does is take a walk down at Hamakita Park for fresh air, drop by Eomeoni’s Vow for some comfort food, then come back home for a warm bath, maybe do her nails if they look chipped. That’s what she will try on you next, and what would you know? It worked.

Korean food may not bring back memories for you like it does for her, but it is so freaking tasty. Seems like all you needed to turn your brain off for a while was a spicy dish of kimchi and rice or dakgalbi—but don’t pass out on her just now! You still have a nailcare session to get to when you arrive home, and Seonhee just bought brand new nail polish colors for you.

Honestly, she is probably the one who suggests sex to try and unwind. Seonhee is not one to mince words, she will just get straight to the point: well, you are stressed. Sex is supposed to help with that. So... wanna go to the bedroom?

She is a dom all the way through, so expect her to go hard on you as she fucks the stress out of you. She won’t stop at just one orgasm either: you are coming on her fingers, on her mouth and on her strap-on. If you can still talk after all that, then you can put that mouth to good use and eat her out. You can tell her to stop all you want, but unless she hears the safeword, she will keep going until you are too boneless to keep worrying.

Yutaka Yamai

Let’s be honest, his way to relieve stress before you came into the picture was probably going to hostess clubs and strip clubs. Not that you can’t do that, sure, but he would rather you didn’t since... you know, you are dating him and all.

He is more the type to enjoy nights out, but if what you need is a quiet night in with some comfort food, a movie and a blanket, that’s what you will do. He is giving you his jacket instead of a blanket though—and let it be known that for Yamai to give you his jacket is a big sign of trust and commitment. He’ll just have to turn up the heater a little.

He will listen to you rant about work as much as you need to, saying very little himself. Just the way he holds you and wraps his jacket around your shoulders is enough. Only times he will speak is if you started crying out of stress. His voice gets surprisingly soft, and even though his fingers feel cold on your scalp, they are cold in a comforting kind of way.

One thing about Yamai that only you know? He’s a cuddler. With how cold he is and how warm you are? It’s a no-brainer. He is a bit stiff the first few times, but he’s gotten a lot better. So you bet he is there for support when you need him, especially when you are feeling burnt out. Words may not be his forte, but he shows he cares through actions.

Let’s be honest again: his first suggestion was probably ‘so let’s fuck the stress away.’ He says it so matter-of-factly you would think he is being sarcastic, but he is not. He already very rarely says no to sex, but hey, if you are getting something out of it (aside from an orgasm, of course) too, then... Two birds, one stone as they say.

You are either going to be tied up or be forced to sit on his cock and not move. Pick your poison, you won’t be able to do anything anyway because he doesn’t want you to. He is taking the lead and not letting you worry about a thing. If you try to act all feisty, he is shoving you back down on the mattress. Behave and he will praise you though; ‘So you can stay still after all. That’s real good of you—stay put a little longer, will you? You’ll get a big reward if you do.’

Eiji Mitamura

Before his life went to hell? He was a bit... rough around the edges. He would just say ‘Damn, that must suck,’ but wouldn’t really do anything about it. You solve your problems on your own. After he hit rock bottom though? Things do a one-eighty. He is trying to be a better person with Kasuga’s help, and that includes being a better boyfriend for you.

He is still a newbie at this, but if he sees you are coming back from work looking all dejected, of course he will ask if you’re feeling okay. Poor guy sounds a little awkward, not used to asking those questions out loud. Not long ago, he only cared about three people: ‘me, myself and I’. Changing takes effort, and that’s exactly what he is putting in.

He will ask you to sit down in front of him and give you a massage as you talk about what’s on your mind. Unlike Yamai though, he will comment. He’s never been good at keeping his opinions to himself: if your co-worker was an asshole to you, Eiji will say it; if you could have acted better in a certain situation, he will let you know, too (albeit somehow more gently though).

He is not about to say no to having sex to de-stress, if that’s what you want. Truth be told, he considered asking if you wanted that, but he decided against it in the end—not about to act like back then, when he mostly just wanted sex out of you and that’s it. He is dedicated to changing, thank you very much. You’ll have to bring up the topic yourself if you need a good orgasm to blow your mind.

There are two ways things could go: he asks you to use him until you are totally relaxed, or you ask him to fuck you until you can’t remember your name. Man is a total switch, so it all depends on how he is feeling that day. He used to be way rougher back then, but he has mellowed down severely, and most days he is in a rather subby mood; ride and praise him and you will break him, he loves that shit. Even when he is the one fucking you stupid, one simple ‘yeah, like that, that’s my good boy,’ and his hips will stutter, his breath will hitch and you might even make him come embarrassingly fast. Don’t think he’ll be done with just that though; if there is still too much in your head, he is going down on you and making you come again.

#ryu ga gotoku #like a dragon infinite wealth #lad infinite wealth #yakuza like a dragon #ichiban kasuga #zhao tianyou #seonhee #eric tomizawa #yutaka yamai #eiji mitamura #.txt #yakuza headcanons #yakuza imagines #nsft headcanon #ask response

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who1ssheesh · 8 months ago

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Fluff Xanxus promts

From prompt list by @novelbear

Notes: I love his so much I wanted to cry while writing this. He is OOC and I’m not sorry, I truly believe big scary characters have the softest souls.

Warnings: OOC, not proofread at all, English is still not my native language (maybe one day idk I way told you gotta drink a potion for that), sweating as always, a droplet of sadness

⋆ Always giving the other the first bite of their food

You think Xanxus is bitching again. Maybe it’s all about an almost shoe cook for the reason your man himself couldn’t explain, but who could be sure. He is creaking the plate with a fork messing his untouched meal, and you swear to god are trying to be patient.

You mutter under your nose and get back to your phone, leaving Xanxus alone with his mood swings.

Until you feel something touch you cheek - too hot and too good smelling to be his lips or tongue.

“The hell are you doing?”, with a confused gaze you look at Xanxus holding out some steak piece on a fork.

“Shut the fuck up and eat”, he doesn’t sound irritated as usual though, more like…passive. Even calm you could say, but Xanxus is never calm, right?

“Is my man pampering me?”, you cannot help but smile, especially pointing out those words he oh so much likes, and shake your head coquettishly.

“Just making sure my food isn’t poisoned, brat”, Xanxus answers with a slight smirk that doesn’t go past your eyes.

⋆ Keeping a few of their favorite snacks in the house for when they visit

Xanxus is not domestic at all. A bit whiny cat that comes by your house from time time for the longest time. At least that’s what he thinks, after some times you notice ок is around your apartment more times than he is absent, which allows you to find out some of his habits. Sleeping on a specific side for example. The way Xanxus keeps bumping your leg when he wants you attention or…him having the sweetest tooth in the world.

It started with a cheesecake. You didn’t pay much attention, because eating everything in your house and leaving is pretty Xanxus, to be honest here. But then you see that only certain sweets disappear, it feels as if a very big scary bulky mafioso visits you just to steal candies. He, it seems, enjoys something on a lighter side, not too sweet - cakes with fruits for their little sourness, bitter coffee flavored chocolates. He does indeed enjoy pastry and “fancy” patisserie goods but hates caramel, to this day you wonder why.

You have to admit, getting cakes almost on a daily for Xanxus does bite your wallet - just imagine, this almost two meter high thick man eats twice as much, if not trice, as you.

“You like lemon cheesecakes, huh?”, he occasionally asks while passing by. “You ass gonna become fat”, he threatens you with his finger, and you smirk at his humor despite him having a deadpan usual face - you just feel when he is in a frisky mood.

“You like thick ass, don’t you?”

Xanxus barks a laugh in return

“I think I want to try a matcha cake roll from the new bakery nearby”, you nonchalantly add, smugly looking at his broad back.

“I think you want a rosemary lemon one.”

“What makes you think so?”

“Cause you like the taste, idiot”.

You look at Xanxus checking his gun and getting ready to leave and can’t help but smile way too fondly for your liking.

“Yeah, I think you are right”

Xanxus used to have caramels as a child - very rarely, and his poor mother surely tried her best despite her condition to find at least a couple of them hoping to make her son happy just a little. She used to hide them all around their place, and Xanxus didn’t even realize it was her, being proud with his detective work and annoyingly sniffing around. It didn’t feel the same with Nono, maybe the blood and tears spoiling the taste despite the unthinkable about of money his father could and would throw his way. But it’s…funnier with you. Because Xanxus can again play a smiffing all around detective and find a delicious prize there. You are not dumb and certainly catch something with your foxy witty eyes and mischievous smile and jokes here and there but keep playing along. This small game puts Xanxus” torn soul…at ease.

But you shouldn’t know any of that, he will selfishly keep memories of his dear mother to himself the same way he did with those caramels, and sometimes he can feel pouty because you will never understand how much this small gesture from you means to him.

He doesn’t eat caramels though. Brings back bitter memories.

⋆ Kisses. on. the. tip. of. the. nose.

⋆ Zipping or buttoning their jacket for them

Xanxus is already a pain in every place possible and he makes sure he is the biggest one all the time. It’s not easier in the slightest when he is injured and getting angry because of his lack of autonomy.

You look at his swearing - which is feting louder every second - and thin your lips, not sure what to do. Yes, he has said some rude words to you. Yes, you know that your feelings matter, but realizing where Xanxus has his mood come from softens you.

You sigh in defeat, looking at his pathetic attempts to button up his shirt while having one of his arms is broken - even putting in on was a sight to see, to be fair. You don’t say a word and don’t even look up at your partner, buttoning his shirt with a frown but being so delicate, as if you can hurt one of he most dangerous people around.

Xanxus doesn’t object a bit, patiently - which is an achievement for him - waiting for you to finish, and here you both are just silently standing here and not moving anywhere.

You look up at Xanxus and he rolls his eyes in return as if not to look at you on purpose.

Your heart sings just by looking in his eyes and you cannot help but stand on your tiptoes and cup his face. Kissing the tip of his nose, you smile at his wincing face and leave one more kiss. And more. And more. Until you finally leave your butterfly touch on his lips.

⋆ Waiting until they safely reach the front of the door or get inside before driving off

Xanxus has been trying to show he’s serious, starting with driving you himself instead of sending a chauffeur, and you are glad he sis this. Both of you feel comfort in a shared silence, his hand rubbing your hip or even nipping sometimes so you don’t fall asleep, is so hot to the touch it almost burns your skin. Xanxus doesn’t like when you get to your house, because he doesn’t want to let you go, and he doesn’t give a shit you have certain needs…like sleeping at night.

Every time you walk out of the car, he does so too, and you never understand why since he’s not the one to give a hug as a goodbye - making out in the car is pretty much enough.

“Why are you keep standing there when I go home?”, you ask one day.

“Smoking.”

“Okay.”

You get out of the car, and Xanxus does so too again. He puts his hands in his pockets, no cigarettes visible anywhere and knowing his shitty humour you are certain that was one of those dumb jokes.

You go to the building and turn around before entering and you see Xanxus drilling a hole in your back with an intense gaze.

“Hey, my house could be very dangerous too, you never know”, you start, and he lifts his brow. “Maybe you just start staying overnight?”

Xanxus grins.

⋆ Doing their makeup for them

Sleepy Xanxus is a sight to behold. His dve is still wet from the water - he hasn’t even used a towel after washing his face and even cuter you find him unable to even open his eyes, wrinkling his nose and muttering some curses with a hoarse voice.

You cant help but smile and squish his cheeks - non-existent basically because he has pronounced masculine cheekbones but you are she with the amount of candies he is going to get those eventually - and Xanxus growls.

“I will murder your family.”

“Love you too, babe.”

With a loud growl Xanxus buries his nose in your neck while you try to understand how his feather accessory is supposed to be attached to his hair.

You are not sure, but by the time you finish you think he has fallen asleep again. You just kiss the back of his head and entwine your hands around his shoulders.

Before shaking him violently with all the strength you have.

#khr headcanons #khr imagines #khr x reader #varia x reader #xanxus x reader #katekyo hitman reborn

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cloudy-em · 5 months ago

Note

Neeeeeeeeeeed Cam Girl p2!!!!!!

of course!!

a few people requested to be tagged in this one lol:

@arieltwvdtohamflash @writergiih @som-iserem @flowercrowns-goodvibes

MINORS DNI!

﹒⪩⪨﹒

Over the next month, Luca found himself getting addicted to Y/N's videos and streams. He loved watching her play with her pussy, her cute lingerie pushed to the side so she could use whatever toy she wanted.

He felt less shameful over time, as well. Yes, she was his coworker and she could never know he enjoyed her content so much, but her content was also on the internet for the world to see. "If she didn't want to run the risk of me seeing it, she wouldn't have posted it in the first place," he reasoned.

The day came that Luca fucked up.

He and Y/N were working late, the only ones left in the restaurant. She was piping cream on some pastries, and he was garnishing them with perfectly placed berries. They made a good team.

Luca was distracted, though. He could smell her vanilla shampoo, and all he could think about was burying his face in her hair while he fucked her senseless. He was interrupted from his thoughts with Y/N clearing her throat.

"Would you mind passing that extra piping bag, please?" she asked politely.

"Only if you behave," Luca responded before his eyes went wide. "I'm so sorry, that was a joke I-" he began to apologize.

"What the hell?" Y/N asked, confused. She glanced down to see his semi-hard cock straining in his pants, thought back to how he had looked at her the past couple of days, and suddenly this comment made sense.

"You're attracted to me?" She asked. Luca looked down in response.

"Very much so, yes," he replied. "Which I know is inappropriate, but you're very pretty and god, your streams-" she cut him off, blushing.

"You know about those?"

He hesitated. "Yeah," he said. "They're hot."

"Oh," she started. "I'm glad you think so. You know, since you're so attracted to me, do you think you'd like to make some content with me?" she asked.

Luca was in shock. "Um, yeah, yeah I'd love to."

So, they rushed to finish up the last of their pastries for the evening, and walked from the restaurant to Y/N's apartment.

﹒⪩⪨﹒

"So," Luca began as he watched Y/N finish setting up her camera on its tripod. "What do I do?"

She shrugged. "Just what you'd normally do. You can fuck me however you want, and I'll just leave the camera running. Then I can edit out what I need to and post it."

Luca nodded.

"You ready?" Y/N asked.

"Yes," Luca practically moaned as he watched Y/N strip off her top, revealing her tits covered by her bra. She walked towards him, breasts bouncing slightly, and kissed him roughly. He placed his big hands around her waist, moving her to straddle him.

The kissing grew needier by the second, Luca shoving his tongue into Y/N's mouth. He pulled away, Y/N whining.

"You gonna be a good girl for daddy?" he asked her, eyes staring into hers.

Y/N moaned, "Yes, daddy, I'll be your good girl."

"Good," Luca said, flipping them over. He pulled off his shirt, then proceeded to pull down her pants and panties in one movement. He looked up at her as he slowly moved his face towards her pussy, watching her facial expression grow desperate.

He licked a fat stripe up her cunt, flicking his tongue against her clit. She groaned and felt him smirk into her mound, moving his lips to kiss her hole.

"What a pretty pussy you have," he said and moved his large fingers to gently rub her slit, getting them wet. He pushed his fingers into her, sliding slowly into her. She moaned at the stretch.

He thrusted his fingers a few times before curling them up to hit her g-spot, tickling her pussy gently with his breath before he began licking her clit again. He moaned against it, sending vibrations through her body. She shuddered in response.

"Daddy, please," she moaned out, desperate for more.

"Hmm?" Luca hummed, his focus on eating her cunt.

"I want your cock please," Y/N begged.

And who was Luca to deny what his good girl wanted?

He pulled down his pants and boxers, his large cock slapping against his stomach and dripping precum. He kissed the top of her cunt one more time before kissing Y/N's cheek and rubbing his tip through her wetness.

Her nails dug into his back as he slowly pushed into her, stretching her pussy and filling it to the brim with his cock. He knew that's what she wanted; all good girls want to be full of their daddy's cock.

"Mmm, daddy," she moaned as he began slowly thrusting, her pussy gushing around him.

"That's it, moan for daddy," Luca ordered. So Y/N did as she was told and moaned for him again. Luca grunted in response and sped up his thrusts.

He was fucking her so fast, so hard, that she was seeing white. It felt so good. It had been so long since she'd had a real cock in her, and Luca's was everything she ever needed and more.

"'m not gonna last long," he warned. "You're so tight."

So Y/N clenched her pussy in response, milking him. All she wanted was his cum inside her.

"Cum inside me, please," she begged. "Breed me."

At those words, Luca lost control, fucking her as fast as he could, hitting as deep as he could. He felt her legs shaking as she came around him, which triggered his own orgasm, shooting thick ropes into her.

"That was so good," he said as he rolled over next to her, his breathing heavy.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Plus it'll make us some damn good money."

﹒⪩⪨﹒

as always, thank you for reading!

please send in some fluffy requests as well! i love writing smut but 100% of my inbox is currently smut requests and i'm not always in the mood for it :)

#fanfic #writing #smut #the bear fanfiction #the bear hulu #the bear fx #luca smut #luca the bear #chef luca smut #chef luca x reader #luca x reader #chef luca #pastry chef luca

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lounaticm · 7 months ago

Note

Went to go to the ask box and hit unfollow instead *slaps forehead* two college semesters have reaaaally done me in 😂

Anyway, I'm here to beg ask if you have some soft Darkiplier headcanons for a starving simp? I have been craving soft Dark content for a long time, and I figure what better way to celebrate the end of the semester than with a request?💙

I'm sorry this has taken me this long to get to, I've been wracking my brain for what to put, having no further direction to play off of, and well… a lot of the soft stuff I have for Dark is also kinda angsty… 😅 and/or derives specifically from his time before WKM. But, I figure you probably won't mind either way, so. lol, I figured that was probably the case when I got that notification. And believe me, I've accidentally done that before. But hey! Congrats on two semesters down! 🎉

But anyways, here's what I've come up with as far as some random 'soft' HCs for Dark~

His favorite flower is honeysuckle, having an association of the flower with the DA, and he's always had plenty of honeysuckles - and roses - planted around his home, making him always smell ever-so-slightly of them.

His favorite color is actually pink - though black is a close second - and has been since long before the events of WKM. It's partially the reason why Wilford is all pink (the other reason being that pink is a derivative of red, which was Celine's favorite color… and Mark's).

He almost always wears black suits, only putting on white for particularly special occasions. Though he can easily be convinced to wear white more often.

Dating back to pre-WKM, he loves to bake - but hasn't been in an emotionally and mentally 'okay' mindset to even want to for a long time. But, once events occur to make him happy again, one would be hard-pressed not to find him baking often, or find the evidence of such in the plethora of pastries and sweets he's made, sitting out or put away in the fridge. And he's damn good at it. It's the best damn baking you will ever encounter. The happier he is, the more he bakes, and more often, too.

And on that token, he's got one hell of a sweet tooth - greater than Will's, in some aspects. He loves caramel and cinnamon and vanilla and cream, yes, but his absolute favorite is chocolate. And - so far as he's been able to find thus-far - his most favorite dessert is Devil's Food Cake, especially when the recipe uses coffee. (He's not as fond of more sour or bitter sweets, such as those that include berries, but he doesn't dislike them. Yes, I've had many thoughts about the WKM cast and what sweets they like lol)

His body temperature runs a lot colder than the average human's (a result of the events of WKM) and in moments where he's feeling playful, he will touch the back or side of your neck with his fingers just for the reaction to the sudden cold he'd get. Did I mention that he's a bit of a mischievous sort? Yeah. :) (He and the DA got up to quite a number of shenanigans back in their university days~)

That's all I've got for the moment. 😅 Sorry it's so short.

@kiwibubbles5

#lou's writing #voices from the abyss #markiplier #markiplier egos #darkiplier #mayor damien #wkm damien #wkm #iswm #beloved void man 🖤#beloved mayor 💙🖤

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sayitdido · 1 year ago

Text

lovesick pt.2 ● txt

genre: hurt comfort, alternate ending

synopsis: txt apologizing after the this events

warnings: none, they might be still toxic

yeonjun

you expected to see yeonjun on your door several days later so seeing him right in front of you when you opened the door was no surprise for you. but you are still intrigued to hear what he has to say.

you invite him inside and he shows gratitude. "i am sorry for not making time for you. i see your point now. it took me long to see. sorry" he says with his head down and hands on his knees. "i am not expecting you to take me back but can you at least try to forgive me?" he looks at your face finally. "i don't know, junnie. can i? is the thing you did forgivable?" he smiles with the nickname and sarcastic tone of your voice. this basically means you forgive him and invite him back to your close circle. the only thing left is to get you back.

soobin

having to see him everyday after your breakup has been a torture. trying to act nonchalant even though it hurts like hell.

and when he says "we need to talk" you feel anxious. fearing to repeat the last time.

"i know i might have been too cruel. no, not might. i had been cruel. and apologizing probably is not enough but i am genuinely sorry. it was definitely an overreaction." you feel tearing up again so you try to hide your face since the last time he saw you cry, he said it was to guilt trip him.

"yeah no biggie." you say even though your heart keeps aching. yet soobin seeing a path to take you back.

beomgyu

you are sitting on a bench in the park you like minding your own business and not paying attention to your soroundings when you suddenly hear a guitar starting to play. you raise your head to see where it is coming from. it is to your shock to see beomgyu as the source of the melody you are hearing.

he soon starts to sing too. when you realize the song is actually about your breakup and his apologizing. you cringe at the idea a little bit but the sweet lyrics and melody make it up to you.

as soon as he finishes his song, you go up to him and hug. "so does that means we are back together?" he asks.

taehyun

a text message appears on your notification bar.

tyunnie: can we talk?

you become unable to shallow as you read the text and who it come from.

tyunnie: i was so wrong when i said, i don't have any feelings anymore. turns out i do.

tyunnie: i don't wanna be the annoying ex who textes out of nowhere but we need to talk.

you: okay. at - at -

when you meet up, it doesn't even take 5 minutes for him to take you back as you didn't want to breakup in the first place. and you are glad that it took him very short to realize his feelings before you both moved on

huening kai

bumping into him, the love of your life that broke your heart, was not definitely something you needed yet you did nothing to stop him from convincing you to talk to him.

leading you to your favorite place. "they have great pastry. i missed them." he says. as you enter he goes to register while he tells you to sit at your usual place.

as he comes back with your favorite orders, you know he is up to apologizing. as you feel no choice but to forgive him and take him back even though with his 3rd grade excuse of "that day my phone was not on me. i wasn't the one who seen those messages. when i saw, i freaked out but i couldn't reach you, y/n."

a/n: this was requested and it took so long for me to come up with ideas so sorry anon. i am not sure about how the story progresses so i want to act like only things in the first part happened and this is an alternate ending.

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jasmyluv · 2 years ago

Text

028. To "study"

(wc: 0.6k)

As you walk inside the building you’ve always admired, you see Scaramouche on his phone, doing whatnot. There were many instances where you passed by Komore Teahouse and saw so many people chatting and laughing while drinking their pastries and tea. This time, it was dead empty.

“Scara.” You call.

“Hey, [Name].” He greets you, putting his phone down.

“So, how do you plan on studying?” You ask him.

“Active recall. Kazuha gave me a list of expected words to see in the competition. Here.” He gives you your own copy. Now looking at the list, it was what you’re studying before by yourself.

“Seems pretty easy. Though, I think it’s also safe to study words that might be on there. This school just loves giving surprises.” You say, setting down your paper.

“Alright, I’ll ask you to spell some words and you do the same, ok?” He says, scanning the paper full of words uncommon to see in a normal sentence.

“Sure sure.” He takes both your paper and his and puts it on the side. You both have decent memory, you’ll be able to name quite a few.

“Ok, spell controversy.” Easy.

“C-o-n-t-r-o-v-e-r-s-y.” You say with such ease present in your voice.

“Alright, Scara. Spell manoeuvre.” Is this child’s play?

“M-a-n-o-e-u-v-r-e for the British spelling, m-a-n-e-u-v-e-r for the American spelling.” His cockiness only fuels his ego, as if his isn’t already high enough.

“Hm, So we’re doing this now, Kunikuzushi?” To say that he was caught off-guard was an understatement. Nevertheless, he pays no mind.

“[Name], spell autochthonous.”

“You just give me the easiest words to spell, no? A-u-t-o-c-h-t-h-o-n-o-u-s.” You tilt your head ever so slightly, smiling teasingly, almost smirking.

“So what if I do, [Name]?”

“I need a challenge. That competition is no joke. Spell, hmm. Chiaroscurist.” (for those who don’t know how to pronounce it, “ki-ya-ros-kyu-rist”!)

“Oh, uhm.” He was unfamiliar with that word, but he doesn’t want to be the first one who gets a word wrong. Sound it out, maybe?

“K-”

“Haha, wrong!” You rejoice in victory after hearing that single letter. It feels like you’ve been wanting for him to get it wrong.

“I’m sure you’re not that perfect. Spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

“You really show no mercy, huh? S-u-p-e-r-c-a-l-i-f-r-a-g-i-l-i-s-t-i-c-e-x-p-i-a-l-i-d-o-c-i-o-u-s. Unlucky for you, I know almost every word in the English vocabulary.” Right, your mom made you read the dictionary. At this point, he’s so close to giving up. Isn’t this supposed to be a study session, not an unofficial competition?

“Though, I’m sure they’re not going to put the longest word in the world. Well, maybe one, but towards the end.” You say, staring out the window of the sunny day.

“Huh? Towards the end? How does the spelling bee work?” He asks, obviously confused.

“It works like all are in our own individual teams with buttons in front of us. If you know how to spell the word, you get 100 points, if you spell the word wrong, you lose 50 points. The scores will be tallied up and there will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Runner’s up will be an honorable mention, but no rewards will be given.” You explain how the competition works. So, there’s no teams, hm? He’s satisfied he doesn’t have to work with people.

“Any more questions?” You ask him, hoping to answer his inquiries.

“Yeah. You’re pretty, has anyone ever kissed you?”

“Ah! Uhm, no. Why?” You’re flustered. Why the hell would he ask that?

“Then… Let me be the first, hm?”

“What?-” You barely processed what he said before he leaned over from the other side of the table, smashing his lips into yours. Your eyes widen, what the fuck? You couldn't even do anything before he pulled away and immediately asks you. “[Name], spell anachronistic.”

“I- Uhm. A-...n-a-k? I think?” you’re too flustered to even think.

“Hm. Incorrect. What happened to “I know almost every word in the English vocabulary”?” It was his turn to smirk, cocky bastard.

“Hey, you did that on purpose!” You retort back.

“Hm, did I?” Scaramouche didn’t want to say, but he was also rather surprised at his actions. Impulsive or intrusive, you didn’t know.

previous :: MASTERLIST :: next

Of All People… - scaramouche x fem!reader smau

SYNOPSIS When you, a student who finds her best friend admits the terrors of high school. A best friend who’ve you’d hated ever since he left. Of all people, why was he the one to make you swoon, a person you swore to hate?

Fun facts!

Please don't mind the timestamps ahhhhh

no, i definitely didn't search up words on a spelling no nu-uh

[Name]'s mom made her read and memorize the whole dictionary

Scaramouche rich!?!!?!?!??!

Taglist;

@viridescent-ivy @sakiimeo @ttoshiiroz @lxry-chxn @stopandget-help @r0ttenhearts @h-8chi @thenightsflower @killuixz @linn-a-a @vodkistt @raideneiari @yuyan @layla240 @barbatosfavouritenun @plinkuro @taikabae @beriiov @ghostxrism @rifran @elakari @kairxse @belovedxiao @alwaysmentallyill @mellowknightcolorfarm @xingyunclouds @scooofyaei @nambii @scaraapologist @samyayaya @kunikuzushisbeloved @dee-zbignuts @kaekazuha04 @monochromaticelliot @erosdevil @wisteriarain @kaoyamamegami @dazaiswifenicole @phoenix-eclipses @vivinsoul @vuvulia @r4yyyyy @cinnamontimecrunch @whatamidoing89 @aludicpoet @cindywasneverhere @vvasant @st0pthatsgay @kxr0mi @divinechicha @sketcheeee @wonderful-worlds

Author's note:

Will be double updating today, last chapter of Act 2, how we feelin'?

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arlington-loverboy · 3 months ago

Text

The best Valentine's Day

➹Tadashi tastes the cake made by his crush.

♥ Couple: Tadashi Nakano x Scholar

➹Words: 1601

♥ Note: English is not my first language and this is my first time writing, I'm sorry if there are mistakes or it's too ooc.

━━━━━━━━

Tadashi gave a reluctant look to the cake in front of him, it was so deformed that even the cafeteria lady flinched when they both approached to borrow a pair of spoons. Scholar didn't notice it, Tadashi did not bring it to their attention either, he couldn't bear to break all the happiness and illusion that were shining in their eyes.

“I know it seems a bit screwed up. Want me to taste it first?” Scholar asked.

“What? No. It’s all right. It looks cute,” he said. “I-I will eat it now.”

Tadashi gulped as he took one of the spoons. He tried to convince himself that he was just being whimsical, he grew up eating fine pastry, so his speciations about baking were too high and unrealistic. Besides, it was a gift from Scholar, they had made it for him and him only. He only had to think about it to make his heart race. However, as soon as a spoonful of cake touched his tongue, he struggled not to spit it out. It tasted salty, spicy, bitter and cloyingly sweet all at the same time. The mix of flavor didn’t make any sense, and the texture didn't help at all.

Tadashi felt like he was about to puke, but then he met Scholar's big doe eyes. They awaited his reaction with a warm smile on their lips, looking more beautiful than ever.

“Well?” Scholar asked shyly. “Do you like it?”

Tadashi forced a smile and swallowed the cake that felt like sand on his tongue. “It's great. I love it.”

“I’m glad you like it! I have never baked anything before.”

“I can tell.” He responded without thinking, but regretted it as soon as Scholar's smile faltered a little. “I mean, it's a good cake for a beginner, the mixture is a bit stiff though.”

“Yeah, there was no guide, you know, the Wi-Fi went out. I just… I wanted to make something special for you so bad that I couldn’t wait.”

‘Oh, my love, you should have asked Claire to do it for you’ was the only thought Tadashi had while his taste buds suffered. And, in the past, he might have been able to say it out loud or give honest constructive criticism, but he simply couldn’t. Scholar flushed cheeks betrayed how happy and proud they were with the idea of him enjoying their gift, he couldn’t bear to ruin it for them.

Tadashi panicked when Scholar tried to reach the other spoon, so he took their hand on his and squeezed it softly. “Thank you.”

He wasn't going to let Scholar ruin it for themselves either!

“It's no big deal, you've probably eaten better things before,” they said.

“But you made this one. I-It’s better that any of those things”. Tadashi found himself blushing too. He wasn’t lying after all, that cake was the best gift he had been given, although it tasted burnt and raw at the same time.

Scholar let out a giggle that made him feel warm inside. They were so lovely. Pretty bad bakers, put still lovely.

“Oh my. What do we-” Tyler approached them with a playful smile that fade the moment he noticed the cake. “Wow, where did you get that? Looks like someone stepped on it.”

“It doesn't look like that at all. The icing is just a little crooked.” Tadashi retorted instantly as he let go Scholar hand. “Food don’t need to have a good presentation, the flavor is all that matter.”

Tyler was about to argue when the realization popped on his head. His gaze went from Tadashi to Scholar repeatedly until he laughed and said, “I was joking. Food is also an art, and it takes practice, Scholar did very well for a beginner.”

Tadashi sighed in relief.

“You don’t have to lie, Tyler, I know it looks ugly, but it tastes good, Tadashi liked it,” Scholar said. “And thanks for the ingredients, I owe you a big one.”

“Where the hell did you get those things?” Tadashi frowned.

“Why are you thinking about me when it’s Valentine’s Day and they’re right here?” Tyler gestured toward Scholar dramatically. “Relax and enjoy your cake, Tadman, live the moment. Let’s go, take another bite.”

Tadashi gave him a murderous glare for a second before turning to Scholar and smiling. The memory of the hideous taste invaded his mouth and send shivers through his body. Despite that, he took the spoon and tried to gather the necessary strength, it was all about making Scholar happy.

Before he could take a bite, Raquel entered the cafeteria and noticed them. “Hey! Shit, man, that cake is deflating? Are they selling spoi-?”

“Scholar made it,” Tadashi interrupted sharply.

“Oh, I should have noticed, Arlington don’t have this kind of delicacies,” she changed her concerned expression to a smile.

Tyler grinned. “Hey, Raquel, Tadashi said it tastes like heaven. Wouldn't it be great to try it out? It’s a lot of sugar for just one person, isn’t?”

“Really? If Dashi like it, it must be truly good.” Raquel looked the ugly cake with curiosity.

Worried about keeping Scholar happiness unharmed, Tadashi wanted to move the plate away from the others. However, Scholar turned to him expectantly.

“Do you want to share it?” They asked.

Scholar's kindness was in the second row of the Excel that Tadashi named ‘what I like about them’. And he liked it, absolutely like it, but never imagined it would be a double-edged sword.

“I don’t think he minds it, our president has always been a generous soul!” Tyler took the second spoon and gave Raquel a bite of cake.

Tadashi saw in horror how all the color disappeared from Raquel face. Drops of cold sweat appeared on her forehead as she forced the burn-flavored mixture, accompanied by the sugary raw egg icing, down her throat.

“It’s so tasty.” Raquel held back a retch. “Finally some gourmet shit in this school.”

Tyler didn't even laugh as he watched Raquel fight for her life.

“I told you, Scholar, you did great.” Tadashi ate another small piece of cake, this time feeling the uncooked flour sticking in his throat. He coughed to prevent himself from drowning and rubbed his arms. “It’s a little cold in this time of the year.”

Scholars stroked his back as if to warm him, but pulled their hands away when they remembered the presence of their friends. They tried to act normally. “Next time I will bake more for everyone.”

Tadashi's eyes widened when he heard them. As much as he loved them, he could recognize that he would not live long if he had to eat something like that again. It was better if Scholar stayed away from the ovens for a long time.

Still, he endured the sour taste in his mouth and smiled at Scholar. “I would love to try your baking again.”

“I will make cookies for you next time then! That should be easier, and hopefully the Wi-Fi will be working. It’s going to be much better.”

Tyler choked his laugh with his hand. Raquel didn’t even dare to say anything, she was busy wiping her tears after almost passing out.

“Well, I have some study to do. I will see you later, guys.” Scholar stood up from the chair. They gave Tadashi an awkward pat on the shoulders. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“I will see you later.” Tadashi said. “And seriously, thank you. I appreciate it a lot.”

They shared a smile before Scholar left the cafeteria. Tyler and Raquel waved goodbye and waited until they were out of sight to let out their laughs.

“If it wasn't obvious that they liked you, I would think it was an assassination attempt.” Raquel grabbed a napkin and tried to wipe her tongue. “That cake has to be poisonous.”

“Is not that bad. Just a little hard and dry… And sometimes strangely damp,” Tadashi argued. “Scholar did his best for me- I mean, for this to be good.”

“‘Not that bad’, man? It was spicy, and cakes aren’t supposed to be spicy. How did you put up with two bites of that?”

“Now you have my absolute respect. If you eat that whole monster, you can survive anything,” Tyler said.

“No way he’s gonna keep eating it.” Raquel looked at Tyler in disbelief.

Tadashi was too focused on the cake to pay attention to them. It sucked, yes, he couldn't deny it, but he didn't want to throw it away. To tell the truth, he didn't feel like eating it either because it was obvious that he might get sick, but every time he thought of Scholar taking the time to cook for him, he felt both happy and guilty. His crush liked him enough to make a cake that turned out to be the shittiest pastry he had ever tasted. However, it wasn’t just a cake, it was the first one Scholar made in his life, and it was for him. Tadashi he pushed the cake towards him, shielding it from the judgmental eyes with his arms.

Tyler pretended to pray. “Rest in peace. We will remember you as Arlington's greatest president.”

"No fucking way, Dashi, you’re stupidly and absolutely whipped," Raquel said.

Tadashi groaned, even though he knew she was right. Maybe he was a little too much into Scholar to the point of making a regretful choice, like keeping that ugly cake. And although he knew it, he couldn’t help himself. Love had to be an evolutionary disadvantage because that one felt like the best Valentine's Day of his life.

#sweet elite #sweetelite #se scholar #se tadashi #sweet elite tadashi #se tyler #se raquel

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wisteria-cherry · 1 year ago

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forty days and forty nights (day two!)

(so i’ve figured out that this is probably gonna be a decently long series? total slowburn. i’ll be writing oneshots by day, so like, every day he comes in i’ll be writing y’all’s interactions and we’ll see how it goes. happy reading :)

(read them all here!)

the same familiar jingle of the coffee shop door caused you to look up, somewhat more excitedly than usually, partly because it was a slow (the most exciting thing you’d done was brew a new pot of coffee about ten minutes ago), mundane sort of day at the coffee shop, and partly because you were secretly hoping dynamight would come back.

he did.

a familiar head of wild blond hair and a scowling face half-hidden by a scarf trudged up to the counter.

“medium black coffee.” he stated, not bothering to make it sound like a request.

“coming right up. for dynamight?” you question.

“yeah.”

“alright, it’ll just be a couple minutes.” you smile. dynamight didn’t reply, only plopped himself down on a barstool. was it the same one as yesterday, you wondered? given that he came in at the same time he did yesterday, you imagined it was likely. he seemed like the sort of guy who likes routine.

you slide dynamight his coffee with another sweet smile.

“another tiring day?” you ask, organizing the pastry display next to the countertop.

“yeah. fuckin’ sidekicks dunno how to do shit these days. one of ‘em’s slow as fuck, another one can’t do shit without getting told fifteen times...” the way he said it made him seem old. the internet told you he was your age, though.

“how’d they do back in your day?” you tease.

“tch! fuck off.” dynamight rolled his eyes. “you’re young, too. don’t act like you’re older than me.”

“i am older than you.” you retort. dynamight choked on his coffee and you instantly feel bad for saying that. “are you okay??”

“i’m fine.” dynamight coughed before calming down. “there’s no way in hell you’re older than me, that’s all.”

“only by a couple months.” you shrug.

“why do you know my birthday, you weird fuck?” dynamight nearly bared his teeth.

“well,” you begin, your cheeks heating up, already embarrassed to be admitting to your late night endeavors, “you seem surprised that i didn’t know who you were yesterday. so i searched you up.” you already knew your cheeks were splotched with pink as dynamight narrowed his eyes.

“so you’re pretty famous, then. it’s no wonder you were surprised i didn’t know who you are.” you attempt to make conversation that diverted his attention from your potentially creepy habits.

“yeah, i’m the number one hero in japan.” he grunted in reply, taking another sip of his coffee.

“that’s incredible. thank you for what you do.” another smile. your mouth would probably hurt by the time he was gone, but you didn’t mind.

“it’s nothin’.”

“it’s more than nothing. you’re the best out of hundreds, maybe thousands of heroes in japan. that’s no small feat.” you reply earnestly. “so why did you become a hero?” dynamight was silent for a moment, before answering.

“you know all might?”

“of course i do. who doesn’t?” dynamight seemed irked at this.

“i don’t know, maybe ‘cuz you live under a fuckin’ rock?” he snapped back.

“sorry,” you smile (again) apologetically. “but to be fair, we all grew up knowing all might as number one. you haven’t exactly been number one for as long as him.”

“yeah, whatever.” he spat. “i’m still the best. and i’ll be better than him.”

“is that why you’re a hero?” you ask curiously.

“yeah. i’m gonna beat all might and beat deku.”

“deku? the number two hero?” you tilt your head.

“yes, the number two hero.” dynamight grumbled.

“you have a rivalry with him or something, right?” you ask, trying to recall the particular interview where dynamight scowled at the mention of deku, similarly to what he was doing now.

“or something.” he muttered.

“that must be fun.” you laugh lightly. dynamight rolled his eyes.

“can’t stand him. just like i can’t stand any of those other extras.”

“extras?” you repeat. you’d heard him use the term before, in the interviews.

“yeah, extras.”

“why are they extras?” you ask curiously. dynamight scoffed.

“because they don’t matter.”

“oh, i see.” although you’re tempted to get into a debate about morals, personal philosophy, etc, you were technically still working, so, no arguments.

not that you would have time for one, anyway, because dynamight stood up and set his mug down, finished. he gave a brief nod of acknowledgement.

“later.” he grunted before lumbering out, the little bell still chiming merrily.

“it’s more than nothing. you’re the best out of hundreds, maybe thousands of heroes in japan. that’s no small feat.”

<- previous next->

(feel free to comment + leave ur thoughts :)

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feverinfeveroutfic · 1 month ago

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Tijuana sunrise | kinktober 2024 | day xxix.: “lilac treehouse”

pairing: rob cavestany x oc

prompt: graveyard sex

word count: 3471

song: “a room with a view” by death angel

happy birthday rob!

I was in disbelief that I wasn’t going to be able to see my little Danish pastry again after he had taken me back to his place to check out the Basquiat that he had had on hand. He had brought me back home to Carson City after I had spent a couple of days with him over in the Bay Area, and almost immediately of him having dropped me off, I began to miss him and his little body.

The city was alive that night, with all the people about the sidewalks near the heart of downtown, from Heidi’s down to Cactus Jack’s and the old Ormsby House. But I paid more attention to the fact that he and I had bonded with one another near the historic part of town, the site of the museums and all of the old houses from around the turn of the century. I was still completely beside myself at that the fact the painting that I had made of him right on the spot had all but disappeared into thin air. I could go and look for it myself, but then again, I really had nowhere to look around for it.

I needed to let him go. And I needed to let him live. If you love someone, let it be free.

I walked about the sidewalks with my hands in my pockets and the cool breeze at my back so my hair drifted over my shoulders. It was cool enough to give me a full round of shivers, but not cool enough to warrant a jacket of any sort. I stood at the corner across from the Golden Nugget and next to the one museum with the smaller version of the Liberty Bell out in front: the evening sun washed over the crown of the bell so it seemed a little more golden than usual. Halloween was upon us: the feeling hung in the air and everything about Carson City just had that feeling come the first of October.

I spotted him on the other side of the street, tinted sunglasses over his squarish face, long inky black hair down to his shoulders, and a tall wiry body wrapped in a black tank top. If no one else was going to wear something against the cool winds, then why not show off those sinewy arms and that smooth deep chest; he had smooth skin tinged olive from the sun, but then I looked in closer to his eyes from behind those sunglasses, and I noticed that he had a smooth almond shape to them. His lips were full and tender, and there was a big part of my mind that jumped to kissing them at some point.

I showed him a smile as he crossed the street by himself and came on closer to the curb before me.

“Sometimes it’s hard to catch the light just right,” he declared once he came within earshot of me.

“I’ve done it before, though,” I assured him.

“I envy anyone who does it, too, if I’m being completely honest,” he said, and he showed me a big smile filled with big shiny teeth and a slight crinkling to his eyes which emerged from behind his sunglasses. “It’s pretty easy to do in the Bay Area, but it’s a totally different game over here and down in Vegas, too.”

“Oh, yeah, Vegas, you have to work your way around the tourists and the hookers,” I told him. “You pretty much have to run like hell, and sometimes it just gets so hot out. Sometimes it’s not worth it at all.” He reached the curb and stood next to me: the crest of his shoulder remained right over my head. The sun on his face showed me those eyes from behind the tinted lenses. Even with the rich, dark tone to his skin, there was something rather ghostly about him. His skin seemed to glow and his hair was a bit too much on the smooth side, he was taller than other guy whom I had ever known before and his arms were long and lanky as if made of wood; he looked as if he had come straight out of a toy maker’s closet.

“Maybe you can show me a way around Vegas where I can be away from the tourists and all of the cheap sex,” he suggested. I showed him a little smile, and I could see him checking out my hair as well as my chest and my legs. He brought his gaze back to my face.

The light still hadn’t turned green yet, which meant I could keep going with this over the noise of the traffic next to us.

“I love the way you said ‘cheap sex’,” I confessed.

“Because if I’m honest, I don’t really like the idea of having it so cheap,” he replied, and he lifted his sunglasses a bit so I could see into his eyes.

“I don’t, either,” I promised him with a shake of my head.

“I mean… even if it’s just for a night, I want it to mean something,” he continued, and then I ran my tongue over the top row of my teeth. I should have seen it coming, and I hoped that I wouldn’t ever say to it to my Danish pastry once I saw him again.

“Are you looking for a good time?” I teased him. He hooded those smooth eyelids at me, to which he followed it up with a curling of the corners of his full cherry lips into a playful little smile.

“Actually, yes,” he said in a low voice that reminded me of velvet. I nibbled on my bottom lip, and I glanced down at his wiry, sleek, slender little body. He wasn’t like my little Danish boy, but he would definitely give me a good feeling.

“Do you want something to eat first or should we just go straight into it all headfirst?” I offered him, and I pressed one hand to my hip and my other hand up onto the side of the light pole right over the crown of my head. He dropped his gaze to my body, and then he somewhat bumped out his chest for me. Indeed, I did want to touch his chest, that smooth skin underneath the smooth fabric of his shirt.

“What do you feel like doing?” he asked me.

“Well, I’ve just been taking a walk,” I told him. “Went from Heidi’s all the way down here, and I’m thinking of going down to the Ormsby House. But I also like this way.” I gestured to the street off to the right of us, the one that led into those historic neighborhoods as well as an old cemetery which dated back to the very end of the Civil War era.

“Let me come along with you,” he suggested, and he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, which made him look like a painting with the breeze blowing all around us.

I gestured for him to follow me down the street, away from the crosswalk and the stoplight, especially as the light finally turned green and the traffic rolled on ahead, right past us. He walked alongside me, and he shielded his eyes with his hand, away from the sun, even though it was going to be dark soon and the cottonwoods around us provided enough shade for the time being.

“This is a really lovely neighborhood,” he remarked.

“It’s all historic,” I told him. “Every last part of this is historic.”

“Even the trees?” he asked me.

“Yes, as a matter of fact!”

“Really?”

“Nah, I’m just grasping at straws there,” I replied, and he chuckled at that.

We passed a tall, neatly trimmed hedge which lined the left side of the sidewalk, and he moved his arm away from the stray branches the jutted out from the hedge itself. There was another hedge on my side, one at the base of the cottonwoods and along the side of a wrought iron fence. Behind the fence and the trees stood a big white Victorian mansion with pitch-dark windows; he craned his neck for a look over the hedge. I followed his gaze to behold the tapestry over one of the big bay windows on the second floor.

“This looks like one of those old plantation style houses you’d find in New Orleans,” he remarked. “You’d see it in the heart of a swamp and there’d be these little ghost lights all around the rooftop.”

“Have you been to New Orleans?” I asked him.

“Oh, yeah, a few times. The first time I went there, a hurricane was about to hit so it was really hot and muggy. I remember wearing this shirt here and sitting still in the French Quarter with my glass of hurricane before me. I wasn’t even moving and I could feel the sweat running down the side of my face and neck.”

“A glass of hurricane just before a hurricane hit,” I noted.

“And yes, the glass was sweating like crazy, too,” he added with a smirk.

“As for this house here, all I know is that it dates back to the Civil War era and it might be haunted,” I explained. “In fact, most of these houses around here are haunted.”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yes. In fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He turned his full attention to me, and we stood before the iron gates before the white Victorian style house right behind us. The breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees all around us: the sea of color over our heads, the chill in the air, it was all absolutely perfect when I thought about it.

“I’ve spent a few nights in a few of them,” I told him.

“You’ve spent a few nights in a few haunted houses? What was it like?”

“Interesting,” I replied. “The first one gave me insomnia for a week. The second one gave me a headache. The third one gave me a scar and I don’t remember how, either. All I remember is there was raining blood and I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.”

His eyes widened and he shivered at that.

“And how did you get to that point, too?” he added.

“They’re all a very long story,” I told him with the shake of my head. I walked on up the street some more, and he followed up right behind me. He walked alongside me past the gates and the next row of a hedge; the temperature seemed to drop a bit as we walked further along the street.

“Were you alone?” he asked me.

“The first two, I was definitely alone,” I replied as I tucked my hands into my pockets. He did the same, at least for a moment; we reached a full patch of shadow courtesy of the cottonwoods, and he took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the neckline of his shirt. “The third one, I brought one of my guy friends with me. I remember squeezing him so tight from the fear of it all. Eve though he was just a friend, I remember thinking there was something kind of sexy about it. Being in a terrifying setting like that with another warm body next to you. The fear pulling you closer together.”

“Fear is our most primal emotion,” he pointed out. “Fear, and also love.”

We reached the next property, a small brick house that had been boarded up and left to become a part of the greenery right behind it, and then we reached the street corner. I shivered again, even though the sun had still broken through the trees right before us. We were standing in complete sunlight against a breeze mild enough for us to walk around in short sleeves, and yet I was there shivering. Indeed, I noticed that he was shivering as well, especially when I looked on at the hunch of his shoulders.

“I think this cold feeling all of a sudden would make a great deal of sense given there’s a cemetery right up here.” He pointed right across the street; past the trees and the bushes, past the next batch of houses, stood the graveyard in question. I noticed the tallest of the sprawling tombstones behind the spindly black iron fence, the crosses with a few angel faces, the placards rested upon the aging cold stone, and the fact the two of us could in fact have a moment alone together in there if he wanted to do so. The place was haunted, more haunted than the plantation looking house right behind us.

It may have seemed obvious, especially when the dead rested over there, but nothing could deny the feeling at all.

“It’s funny, I’ve been to the graveyard up in Reno and it’s never given me this feeling at all,” I confessed to him. He then turned his attention back to me, those smooth almond-shaped eyes riddled with utmost concern.

“There’s some interesting tales about ghosts in Filipino lore,” he explained, “like they’re radically different compared to us still living. Some people contain multiple spirits within them, depending on where they come from. And traditionally speaking, we see ghosts as protectors or as guides. We generally don’t see them as demonic or malevolent.”

I looked on at him right as a bit of a breeze billowed his hair back from his shoulders: a stray lock of hair swept over his forehead.

“We do have some tales, though,” he continued. “Our own white lady, or a woman who died in a car accident in Quezon City haunts the street there. Headless ghosts and ghostly hitchhikers on highways.”

I returned my attention to the graveyard ahead of us. Most ghosts were good and nothing to be afraid of. With that in mind, I inched closer to the curb, and I let the breeze sweep over me. It was there when I felt the warmth of the sun on my face again. I turned to him, with my hand outstretched to him. I could see the fear in his eyes.

The primeval look in his eyes and upon his face.

“Come with me,” I coaxed him. “Come with me to the graveyard.”

He shifted his weight. I could see that he was thinking it.

“Come with me,” I coaxed him some more, that time in a breath of a voice. “It’ll be romantic. We’ll have a good time together. I promise.”

He swallowed, and gingerly, he took me by the hand and we walked across the pavement together to the sidewalk on the other side. We left the sunlight, only to be met with the cold again, all courtesy of the shadows all around us.

The cold picked up until the point the hair on my arms and on the back of my neck all stood up on end; the gates squeaked open a little bit against the breeze. He reached out to the gate before us, and it creaked open with the taste of rust.

Tombstones sprawled all around us in one great big tessellation, including the large Latin cross in the dead center of the entire lot. I could feel the ghosts welcoming us, the ones still living all to be protected against their own kind ready to take us under.

“What do you think we should do?” he asked me in a low voice, even though we were the only ones there.

“Well… seeing as we’re alone, and I promised a good time,” I started again, and I locked fingers with him. I led him to the large granite cross in the center of it all, to the bed of slightly overgrown emerald green grass right underneath it. The cold surrounded us, and I could feel my nipples tightening up inside of my bra cups.

He held there next to the pillar of stone, right as the sun cast through the trees on the other side of the street. His hair looked as though he had some golden threads embedded within. His skin was smooth and rich, like a warm cup of fresh espresso. A small pocket of warmth against a lake of cold, just like that night in the third haunted house.

I focused on him and only him.

I guided him down to the grass, but I hesitated with my free hand pressed against the base of the stone itself.

“Lay down first,” I beckoned him in a low voice. The breeze fell away, and all we were left with was the cold of silence all around us.

“So, I just lay down on the bed of the grave like this?” he asked me in a soft voice.

“Yes,” I beckoned him some more. He lay down on the grass before me, and I followed suit right next to him. He lay on his side while I lingered right over him. I glanced down at him and my hair cascaded down over him like a curtain.

“There is in fact something romantic about this,” he remarked in a near whisper.

I lay a hand on his hip. He was slender and slim, but I was able to feel the side of his hip and his thigh with nothing more than a single swipe of the hand.

We locked eyes. It was then that I knew we had something.

He rolled over onto his back, and I sank down over him. I cupped my hands on either side of his face and I slipped my tongue deep into his mouth: he tasted of rice and purple sweet potatoes. He opened his legs for me to better get on top of him. He ran his fingers through my hair, from the roots out to the ends.

Though I was the one who came onto him, he kissed me so hard and deep, with such firmness and strength, like he meant it. My little Danish pastry may have given me the pleasure and warmth, but this boy gave me the thrill. The thrill and the rush of death all around us.

“I don’t have any protection,” he whispered right into my ear.

“Not a problem,” I promised him, and I reached down inside of his jeans to feel him. I kept myself somewhat suspended over him with one arm down by his side, and thus, I had to lean over a bit to see him for myself. My fingers did the work in peeling back the denim, and I exposed him to the cold all around us. My fingers slid up the side of his shaft towards the head; his skin was lightly kissed brown and so smooth, like I was touching water.

“Let me try you next,” he whispered to me.

“Reach under my shirt and feel my breasts from the nipple outward,” I told him, also in a whisper. With a lick of his lips, he put one hand up inside of my shirt, right under my bra wire. My arm gave out, and I lay down next to him: this made it easier for him to feel me and switch positions with me. His black hair drifted down towards my face in the manner of filmy feathers. His eyes never left my gaze.

He lifted up my shirt all the way to feel my breasts. I watched him move the tips of his fingers all around my nipples in unison. He moved out from the tips, and that alone was enough to get me going, much less the cold all around us.

He lowered his head to my chest to kiss me right in between my breasts, and that was when I tilted my head back and let out a low yelp against the silence. Not loud enough to wake the dead, but enough to make him giggle. He kissed me again, and that time, I closed my eyes and grinned from the feeling instead.

He then stopped right in his tracks. I opened my eyes to find him looking over his shoulder at something.

“What’s the matter?” I asked him.

“Let’s get out of here, I think I heard something,” he suggested.

I tugged down my shirt, and he helped me to my feet. We scurried on out of there, back out to the street, right as the sun disappeared behind the trees and twilight was beginning to set in over us.

“By the way, I never caught your name,” he confessed with a shake of his head.

“Little too late for that, you already made out with me,” I pointed out, and he let out a big laugh, one loud enough to possibly wake the dead.

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waywardxrhea · 8 months ago

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Chapter 5 - Black Butterflies and Deja Vu

What happens when you lie to the Devil? How long can one woman keep a lifetime of secrets from the Devil of Hell's Kitchen? The answer may surprise you...

installment list

pairing: Matt Murdock x enhanced!fem!OC

series content: coffee shop AU, fluff, humor, friends to lovers, pining, language, canon typical violence, angst, drinking, implied smut, medical emergencies, mental health disorders (PTSD, panic disorder).

"i lose my voice when i look at you, can't make a noise though i'm trying to tell you all the right words, waiting on the right words. just another lovesick afternoon, black butterflies and deja vu. hoping for the right words, waiting for the right words." - black butterflies and deja vu, the maine

word count: 5.3k

Flirting. That's the chapter. With some angst thrown in but sweet Matty is there for our girl.

a/n: so obviously this story is written third person limited in Crystal's POV most of the time so we don't know what Matt is thinking or sensing, so I try throughout this series to write Matt's reaction to Crystal in a way that isn't almost table topping (for lack of a better word we are using D&D terms now whoops) and having Crystal almost "know" that he can tell more of what's going on. in this chapter we get our first glance of Matt's senses really coming in handy when it comes to being in tune sympathizing with Crystal, I hope y'all enjoy and look forward to the future of Matt's reactions to her because they are so fun to write!

A couple more weeks passed at the shop with business going as usual. One morning Crystal was hanging up the last of the Valentine’s day decorations around the pastry case and singing quietly to the music playing over the speakers. When the bell above the door rang signaling the door opening, she automatically greeted the person with, “Good morning, welcome to Stardust, I’ll be right with you!” As she rounded the counter to get behind the register, she saw Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson and said, “You chaps are earlier than usual, it’s nice to see you two!”

“Well we’ve got an early morning at the courthouse today,” Matt informed her with a shrug.

“Awe, well, if you have time to wait, there’s about two minutes left on some strawberry mini tarts that are in the oven,” she said.

“Are they shaped like hearts?” Foggy asked as he looked around at all of the decor hanging in the shop. He laughed as he added, “Just assuming because it is very pink in here.”

“Just comes with the holiday I guess,” she replied with a quiet laugh. “What can I get you two today?”

“Want your usual Fog? I can get it today, go find a table for us, yeah?” Matt asked his friend.

“You got it, I’ll be at the third table on the right, buddy,” Foggy replied before relieving Matt of his briefcase and heading off to the table.

Once he left, Matt turned his attention back to Crystal and said with a charming smile, “We’ll have our usuals and two of those tarts you mentioned.”

“Of course,” Crystal replied as she tapped away at the computer to get the order in.

As she made change for the bill Matt gave her, she could hear the slight smirk in his voice as he told her, “You know, if you’re as beautiful as your singing voice is, that sign out on the sidewalk is wrong.”

Heat instantly ignited in her cheeks at the flirtatious comment and she was so grateful that he wasn’t able to see the flush on her cheeks and the shock on her face. Her hands began to tremble a bit as she handed him back his change, mumbling, “Oh, I, uh, I- You’re too kind, Matt…”

“I’m just telling it how it is,” Matt replied back, his warm touch lingering on hers for a few more seconds than usual before he felt around for the tip jar to place the change in.

When he walked away, Crystal barely heard the timer for the tarts going off due to the roaring in her ears. She snapped out of her trance though and went to get them out of the oven just as Raeyes turned the corner coming from the office with her clipboard in hand. “You okay…?” she asked in concern, the panic was apparently clearly written all over Crystal’s face.

“Yeah, just fine,” she replied faintly as she pulled on the oven mitts to get the pastries out.

Even after Matt and Foggy left for the day, Crystal’s mind kept running through the scene in her head over and over again to the point where when got off she missed having her afternoon tea because of the preoccupation. When Raeyes pointed it out as they got back to the flat for the day was when she finally admitted what happened.

“He said what?!” she shouted excitedly as they put their purses in their proper places near the door.

“I guess Foggy read him the sign like he usually does and he told me, and I quote, ‘If you’re as beautiful as your singing voice is, that sign out on the sidewalk is wrong.’” Crystal told her, sitting down on the loveseat and throwing her head backward over the headrest exasperatedly.

“And what did you say back?!” Raeyes asked as she joined her on the loveseat, practically bouncing with excitement.

Crystal covered her face with her hands as she groaned in embarrassment, replying, “I said that was kind of him to say…”

“Crystal! The hottest lawyer in New York said one of the smoothest lines of all time and that’s what you said back?!”

“I didn’t know what to say! I haven’t exactly flirted with anyone in nearly four years!” Crystal retaliated, an unexpected laugh escaping her lips.

Raeyes sat deep in thought for a few moments before saying, “Okay, well, all hope is not lost yet! This is good actually! This shows that he likes you! We can work with that!”

“Rae,” Crystal said wearily, unsure of how she wanted to navigate this developing situation.

“Crystal! Please! Just give it a chance!” Raeyes pleaded.

“I want to, God I want to. There’s a part of me that is desperate for change but…” she trailed off for a few moments to gather her words. She took a breath before finishing with, “But there’s also a part of me that still loves Kit and it feels… almost wrong to have feelings for someone else…”

“Oh Crys…” Raeyes said quietly before leaning over to give her a brief hug. She sighed before saying, “I know part of you is always going to love him, that’s only natural. This isn’t like normal relationships where he hurt you and therefore you don’t love him anymore. He freakin’ died and that’s the worst way for something like what you had to end. But you can’t let that keep you from living your life. I know I didn’t know him, but from what you tell me about Kit, he would want you to be happy. Why deny yourself that?”

“The change is just scary is all…” Crystal admitted quietly.

“Adulting is scary, but sometimes we just have to do things that scare us in order to know that we’re still alive. What’s life without a little risk?”

“You and your Potter references,” Crystal said, huffing out a quiet laugh as she wiped away a tear from her eye.

“I’m full of ‘em!” Raeyes said as she got up and went to the cabinet to grab a couple glasses for water. As she filled them up, she told Crystal, “You don’t have to do it now, but just…think of ways you can do a little more than ‘that was nice’ next time Murdock flirts with you.”

“You got it,” Crystal replied, although she was still doing mental gymnastics to try and navigate the situation...

The day of February 28th rolled around and Crystal, as she expected, was a mess. She was a mess because today was Kit’s birthday. His first one not here on Earth. She woke up that morning with a pit in her stomach and felt like a dark cloud was constantly hovering over her as she readied herself for work. As she walked through the door of the shop and greeted the other openers for the day though, she forced a smile onto her lips and tried to pretend she wasn’t breaking down inside.

The cloud stuck around all day and a little voice in the back of her head kept nagging her to use the VPN she installed on her phone to check Kit’s social media page. Against her better judgment, she did when she sat down on one of the couches in the corner of the shop for her break. What she saw when she opened the page shook her to the core. It was a post from his mother that read:

Today we should be celebrating my son’s birthday with him, but instead we grieved at the grave where he shouldn’t be in the first place. As many of you know Kit was killed a few months ago and I will never forgive the person I believe to be responsible. You know who you are. He should be here with me eating his favorite meal but tonight my husband and I sit at the dining table alone while the food grows cold on our plates. Happy heavenly birthday son, until we meet again.

A numbness filled Crystal’s body as she read the post and almost as if someone else was making her move, she felt herself get up off of the couch and head toward the restroom to be out of the public eye. She barely heard Karen compliment her on the lunch the shop served as she made her way there, offering back an off-handed acceptance of the comment before locking herself in the restroom.

Once she locked the door, Crystal turned her back to it and slid down to the floor, covering her mouth with her hands as a choked sob escaped her mouth. Before she could even try to ground herself, Crystal found herself in the midst of a panic attack, giving the only bit of concentration she had to keeping her sobs quiet as she cried.

She cried because she knew that she was the reason his mother wasn’t able to celebrate with him today. She cried because of how much she missed him. But she panicked because of the implication of one line of the message: "you know who you are." To her panicking mind, this meant that it wasn’t made public that she had died at the hands of the O’Hares. That to London at large she was still alive and well, stuck at home with her father and brother presumably still grieving over the loss of her mother and boyfriend. That perhaps they knew she wasn’t actually dead.

After a few minutes of just trying to slow down her breathing and heart rate before she went into a WPW episode, Crystal finally got herself out of the panic attack. She stood up on shaking legs and steadied herself on the sink before washing the tears from her cheeks and redoing the messy bun atop her head.

She shook her head as she looked in the mirror once more, telling herself that her thoughts had to be wrong. There was no way her father knew she was still alive. If it wasn’t made public it was probably because it would implicate both the O’Hares and Porters in illegal activity which would be bad for both of their operations. Or maybe it was simply a lapse in judgment on Kit’s mother’s part… Whatever the reason for it, there was no way it was because they thought she was still alive… They just couldn’t.

When she finally emerged from the restroom well after her allotted break time, Crystal quickly got to work clearing off tables that needed it. When she neared the table where Karen, Matt, and Foggy sat, she flashed a quick smile before asking, “Anything else I can get you lot today?”

Karen gave her a soft smile before telling her, “We’re just about to head out, thank you though.”

“Everything was perfect today, as usual,” Matt complimented as they all began gathering their belongings. Karen and Foggy began to walk toward the door slightly ahead of Matt while he unfolded his cane at the table that Crystal began to clear off in their departure. As Matt reached for the handle of his briefcase, his fingers brushed across Crystal’s hand and he told her softly, “Take it easy and have a great rest of your shift, Crystal. Thank you again.”

The first genuine smile of the day made its way onto Crystal’s lips at his words and she couldn’t help the butterflies that erupted in her stomach in reaction. Before he could walk away, Crystal told him, “Thank you Matt. You just made my day loads better, you have no idea…”

He gave her a smile and small wave before beginning to navigate toward the door where his friends stood waiting for him. As Crystal finished out her shift, the thoughts of panic associated with Kit’s mother’s post started to fade into the background. Her mind instead flirted with the possibilities of what Matt’s actions could imply, and while guilt occasionally seeped into those thoughts, she kept what Raeyes told her in mind to try and feel better about the situation as a whole.

One evening a few days later after an extremely long shift at Stardust, Crystal trudged into her flat with one thing on her mind: curling up in her bed and not getting up until mid-morning. She was so determined to get there that she missed the bright pink post-it note stuck to the outside of the door to her flat. She took two steps into the apartment before silently making her way out, cringing at her mistake of not seeing the post-it.

Wishing to forget what she heard within the walls of her and Raeyes’s shared flat, she wandered into the first bar she came across, one with a sign out front saying, Josie’s. The bar was small and poorly lit with classic rock playing from the speakers and was filled with patrons from all walks of life.

Sitting down at the far end of the bar, Crystal ordered a double shot of the house special before pulling out her phone to browse social media while she waited out her time away from the flat. She was lost in thought for a little while, sipping on her drink, when she heard a familiar voice asking, “Hey, isn’t that the barista from the coffee shop?”

“She’s got a name you know,” Crystal heard a female voice reply before calling out for some beers from the bartender.

Not wanting to intrude, Crystal pretended she didn’t hear the conversation while taking a drag from her glass. As she placed her near empty glass on the bar, she jumped a little when she realized that the ever-handsome Matt Murdock was standing nearby with a charming smile on his face. She couldn’t help the flutter her heart gave upon seeing that smile and his sleeves rolled up, showing off his surprisingly buff forearms. “Fancy seeing you here,” she told him once the shock wore off.

“You know, I would say the same, but,” he said, his smile growing at the comment. Crystal bit the inside of her cheek, but stopped when Matt added, “You can laugh at that.”

And so she did, asking him with a laugh, “You think you’ve got a wicked sense of humor, don’t you?”

“Yes, yes I do,” he said, a light chuckle rumbling out of his chest. “Judging by the lack of any other comments, I’m assuming you’re here alone?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, uh, yeah, actually. I’m not really needed nor welcome in my flat right now,” she replied.

“Problems with your roommate?” Matt asked.

“I mean if you count an active dating life and getting shagged as a problem, then yes.”

A loud laugh escaped Matt’s lips at the statement and Crystal couldn’t help but laugh along. “You Brits and your slang for sex,” he said, this time with a quieter chuckle. There was a moment of silence before Matt offered, “Why don’t you come and hang out with me and the others? Help get your mind off of all…that.”

“Oh I wouldn’t want to intrude,” she said reluctantly.

“I insist. If it helps I’ll even buy your next drink,” he told her before calling out to the bartender to get her another drink.

“I appreciate that because I really don’t want to remember tonight,” she said before she drank the rest of her first cocktail down. Her eyes went wide upon realizing what she said and heat crept onto her cheeks as she instantly began stuttering out, “I didn’t mean- I meant- Not wanting to forget hanging out with you lot, I’m sure that part is going to be lovely, it’s just…”

“Walking in on your roommate having sex wasn’t on your agenda tonight?” Matt asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Not exactly,” she replied before taking a sip from the new drink Josie sat in front of her.

“You guys better watch out for her, those are doubles, Murdock,” the bartender warned.

“Will do, Josie, thank you,” Matt replied. He turned back to where Crystal sat on the barstool and asked, “Do you mind leading me to where Fog and the others are?”

“I don’t mind at all,” she replied as she gingerly hopped off the chair and held out her arm for Matt to grab. When his large hand grabbed hold of her bicep, Crystal couldn’t help but feel heat rising to her cheeks again, but tried to blame it on the liquor starting to take effect.

As they walked over, Matt began telling her, “So you know Karen and Foggy, but we’ve also got Marci here with us tonight. She and Foggy are dating.”

“Got it,” she said as they approached the table.

She placed her drink on the table before helping Matt to his chair as Foggy said cheerfully, “Well if it isn’t our favorite baker and barista! Crystal, this is my girlfriend, Marci! Marci, this is the barista we’ve told you about!”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Crystal said with a cordial smile.

“You too! Foggy Bear never shuts up about your scones when you make them at the shop. If you end up being around more often you’ll have to share your recipe,” Marci told her.

“So what brings you to Josie’s? I don’t think we’ve seen you around here before,” Karen said.

Matt, seemingly unable to help the teasing tone in his voice, told her, “Her roommate is...how’d you say it? Shagging someone?”

Crystal laughed quietly before saying, “Yep, and I’ve still got about…” she checked the time on her phone before finishing with, “An hour and a half before I can go back to the flat.”

Foggy choked on his beer before asking, “Who has sex for that long?”

“Some people like foreplay, Foggy Bear,” Marci told him with a nudge of her elbow.

Crystal laughed at the comment before telling them, “It’s just this rule she has in place for us living together. When the other has someone over like that, you put a post-it on the door with the time written on it. The other isn’t allowed back inside for two hours after the designated time. I made the mistake of being too exhausted from my shift at the shop to notice the note…”

“Are you saying you just got off of work?” Matt asked with concern in his voice. “Haven’t you been there since this morning?”

“Oh calm down counselor, I didn’t mind it,” she told him. “We had someone call in and when there’s only a handful of people on staff and no one else can come in, we do what we have to do. As I said, I don’t mind it, it’s not like I have much of a social life anyway. It’s…hard to meet people here if I’m honest,” she told him.

“You’re telling me,” Karen said, raising her beer bottle to Crystal. “Luckily for me Matt and Foggy came into my life when they did. They ended up taking me under their wing when I was in some trouble.” Upon prompting from Crystal, Karen recounted the story of how the three of them met and how their friendship had flourished since then. She smiled at Crystal before telling her, “So if you’re looking for a group to take you under their wing, I’m sure we can be that for you.”

The sentiment had tears pooling in the backs of her eyes, and Crystal was about to respond when Marci asked, “So what brings you to Hell’s Kitchen anyway? How does one go from London to here of all places?”

“Hey, don’t drag Hell’s Kitchen like that,” Matt defended. “Some people actually like it here.”

“Fine, fine, but even you have to admit, London’s got to be loads better than around here, Matt!” Marci said with a playful roll of her eyes. She rested her chin on her hand as she turned back to Crystal and prompted, “So…?”

“Oh, I, uh… I just needed a change. Life back home wasn’t always the best for me, so I seized the opportunity to get out of there the first chance I got,” Crystal told her vaguely.

“Well you know what they say, that America is the land of opportunity!” Foggy told her.

The group discussed the differences between life in the UK versus the US before Karen slyly asked, “What about the difference between the men here and there?”

Crystal canted her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows as she said, “I don’t follow.”

“Well you know what they say, English girls like sex,” Marci said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. She smirked before prompting, “So Miss London girl…?”

“I am certainly not drunk enough to be answering those questions right now,” Crystal replied with a laugh. She not so gracefully exited her chair and turned toward the bar, but not before adding, “And by the way I don’t have a comparison.”

Karen’s jaw dropped before she asked, “You’re telling me you’ve been in America for months and you haven’t been laid?”

“I plead the fifth! That’s how that saying goes right?” she asked before laughing as she headed toward the bar for another drink and something to snack on.

While she waited at the bar with her drink, getting lost in her thoughts, a figure approached her, standing rather close. She looked over and saw a young man standing there with a smile on his face, saying, “I couldn’t help but overhear your beautiful accent earlier, where are you from?”

“Oh, uh, London,” she replied, subtly stepping away.

“Sweet, I bet it’s almost as beautiful there as you are,” he said with a wink.

She cringed at the flirting, wishing it would stop as she replied awkwardly, “Oh...uh...thanks.”

He stepped closer, ignoring the growing space between them and placing his hand over hers on the bar, saying, “Why don’t you and me get out of here and-”

“Is everything all right, sweetheart?” came Matt’s voice from behind her.

He leaned his cane up against the bar and snaked his hand around Crystal’s waist, running it down her side before resting it on her hip. At the touch, Crystal felt her heart speed up and a jolt of pleasure went south, causing her to shiver slightly under his hold. Matt’s hand subtly squeezed her hip, causing her to come back to the moment, telling him, “Everything’s fine, love, thank you. Just waiting on my order.” She removed her hand from the young man’s and added, “I was just about to tell this gentleman that I was here with someone already.”

The young man’s eyes went wide seeing Matt holding onto Crystal, so he stuttered out, “Sorry man, I didn’t realize, I’ll let her be. Have a good one.”

Once he was out of earshot and back with his friends across the room, Crystal let out a sigh of relief, telling Matt breathlessly, “Thanks for the save.”

“Any time,” he told her before letting his hold on her go seemingly reluctantly. “Foggy said you looked uncomfortable so I decided to step in. Karen and Marci are mad at me about it, but,” he said with a quiet chuckle.

“They’re never going to let it go, huh?” Crystal asked as she took the basket of cheese sticks from Josie before guiding herself and Matt back to the table.

“Probably not, they’re persistent,” Matt told her. “Even so, being four shots deep isn’t the best state to be in for your first time here in the states. They should know that.”

By the end of the night she ended up being six shots deep plus a couple beers that Marci pushed her way. While hanging out with the little group, Crystal had found herself babbling on and on about baking, telling them how it’s always been her dream to go to culinary school but hasn’t found the opportunity to do so. She shared a few recipes with Marci before Matt began helping her back to her flat.

Once they got outside the door to her flat, Matt asked, “Post-it still there? Time hasn’t refreshed or anything has it?”

Crystal scanned the door and saw that the post-it was no longer there, so she said, “Nope, all clear,” followed by a giggle as she fished around her purse for her keys.

A smile was evident in Matt’s voice as he told her, “You know, you’re a really giggly drunk. It’s endearing.”

“And you’re extremely charming,” she told him, another giggle slipping out at her boldness.

Crystal began trying to get the key into the doorknob, but dropped them in the process. She bent down to pick them up, but nearly fell over when she straightened. Almost as if instinctively, Crystal felt Matt reach out to steady her, his hand once again landing on her hip as her body pressed back onto his. “Woah there,” he said, an audible smirk on his lips.

Matt put his hand over Crystal’s and helped her keep it steady as she slipped the key into the doorknob and turned it. The feeling of his hand over hers and their bodies so close together stirred something inside of Crystal, and images of what those hands were probably capable of began to flood her mind. Her breath hitched in her throat momentarily at the thoughts and she felt her blood begin to run south again. Matt’s grip on her hip once again tightened, but this time he shifted his body away from hers, saying, “I think it’s time for you to get inside. Thanks for letting me get you that drink tonight.”

With the alcohol dulling her brain to mouth filter, she once again giggled before telling him, “If there’s more nights like this in the future I wouldn’t mind. With or without alcohol.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her quietly before she opened the door and let herself in, a hand on the wall for support.

“Goodnight, Matt,” she said with a wave.

“‘Night, Crys,” he told her, that charming smile once again making its appearance, along with the butterflies in Crystal’s stomach at the sight. She closed the door before thinking to herself, This man is going to be the death of me…

A few days passed and Matt couldn’t get the night with Crystal at Josie’s out of his head. One evening after a stressful case, he, Foggy, and Karen decided to go out and Matt offered up Stardust, citing, “We haven’t been there at night and you like wine Karen, why not try something different?”

“He just wants to see Crystal again,” Foggy said under his breath to Karen.

“Let him be happy,” Karen chastised back with a light punch to his shoulder.

“You guys know I can hear you, right?” Matt called from his office across the room as he packed away his things into his briefcase for the day.

“We know!” they called back.

As they all walked out of the office, Foggy clapped Matt on the back and said, “You know, I think this is good for you, Matt. Getting out there again and all! Ever since Josie’s Marci’s been on and on about a double date. It’s actually kinda exhausting.”

“Make it a triple,” Karen said with a smile audible in her voice. “I met someone the other night on the way home from Josie’s. We hailed the same cab and figured out we were going to the same place. Turns out we actually have a lot in common and are planning a date for this weekend…”

“Karen Page, would you look at you!” Foggy said in light of the news.

“Good for you, Karen, I’m happy for you,” Matt told her as the three of them walked down the hallway to the exit of their building.

“And I’ll be happy for you when you finally man up and ask Crystal on a date,” Karen told him, a fake sternness in her tone.

“Okay, what’s with you two and the pushing for me and her to date all of a sudden?” Matt asked.

Foggy scoffed before replying, “Matt, buddy, come on.”

“What?”

“I guess love really is blind,” he joked before getting a playful punch on the shoulder from Matt in return.

“You’re ridiculous,” Matt said with a chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

While he and his friends ate their respective meals and drinks at Stardust, Matt couldn’t help but listen to Crystal quietly singing to the music playing over the shop’s speakers as she helped Raeyes put up decorations around the shop. She had been off today, but it was by incredible luck that she was there that evening. Foggy swore up and down that Matt had to have known, but he really didn’t.

Matt was taken out of his slight trance when there were suddenly fingers snapping right beside his ear, startling him back into reality. He shook his head before saying, “Sorry, I got distracted, what were you saying?”

He could hear the disbelief in his voice as Foggy said, “You’ve got it bad man!”

Tilting his head to the side a bit, Matt asked, “What do you mean?”

The sly tone of Karen’s voice came next, saying, “I know what’s got him so distracted.”

“Enlighten me,” Foggy said, a hint of mischief in his voice.

“He’s always listening to her sing when we’re here, so I assume that’s what he’s doing right now, and the song that’s playing, it’s…let’s say sexually charged.”

“Wait, wait I know this one, it’s Ready For It…? by Taylor Swift, Marci’s always listening to this album!” Foggy’s laugh filled Matt’s ears before he said incredulously, “Don’t tell me you’re picturing sex with the girl you’re too scared to even make a move on, Murdock!”

“He totally is,” Karen’s teasing voice said.

Foggy nudged Matt in the ribs before asking, “What, are you wishing it was you making her make that noise instead of a song? Can’t get there if you don’t make a move, bud!”

Matt shook his head before asking, “Can we talk about something else? What about what we’re going to do with all the potatoes Mrs. Aledes gave us after we settled her case?”

“No, I think this is something we need to discuss,” Karen said, her tone shifting to something softer now. She laughed lightly before adding, “Not the sex thing, but the subject in general. You’ve clearly had her on your radar for a while, why don’t you make a move?”

“Yeah, for real, since when has Matthew Murdock not pursued one of the many attractive women he somehow knows how to sniff out?” Foggy asked. “Probably literally.”

“Well I mean besides the obvious…other part of my life historically interfering with the safety of people I care about…” Matt started out with, ignoring the second comment. He sighed before admitting, “I guess I’m still trying to get a read on her. Her body gives me all the signs that she’s attracted to me, but…her heart tends to flutter when she’s talking to other men and women too.”

“People can be bisexual, Matt,” Foggy said matter-of-factly.

“I know that, you didn’t let me finish, Fog,” Matt said. “I’m not even sure she’s ready for a relationship right now, I’ve heard her turn away other people who have tried to give her their number.”

“Who’s to say she doesn’t want one with you and is just waiting for you to make a move? I’m just saying, this is clearly something you want and sitting here listening to her sing that song isn’t doing anything to help,” Karen said. Laughter burst out of her as she added, “Now think about making a move before I start requesting sex songs every time we come in here!”

Matt chuckled and shook his head as he said, “Please don’t.” What he added in his head after though was, I don’t know if I could hold myself back from her again if you do…

next chapter

#daredevil #daredevil x oc #matt murdock #matt murdock x oc #short fanfic #coffee shop au #romance #friends to lovers #fluff #flirting #marvel #fanfiction

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phantomdoofer · 14 days ago

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Tower Town, Chapter 28 - Amati

Peppino pushed open the doors to Noisette's Cafe. She'd finally settled on “Noisette's Sweeties” for the name. Appropriate, he thought.

He was a little surprised to see Noise there. He was in his yellow suit. Dressed for trouble, Peppino thought. The gremlin doesn't normally come in here when he's ‘on the clock.’ It was part of the agreement between Noise and Noisette - her cafe was “neutral ground,” just like Peppino's house and NTV.

Even so, Peppino expected him to cause trouble.

Noisette waved happily at him as he walked up to the counter. “Hiiii, Peppino! Congratulations on your new home!”

“Hey, Italian man,” Noise sneered. “Heard ya finally scraped enough together to get off yer couch.”

“Thank-a you, Noisette. And sì, I “finally scraped enough together,” Peppino said derisively, “thanks to Paolo.”

Noise crossed his arms and growled. He was the only one Paolo hadn't given some shares to.

“I think you're rich enough, Noise,” Paolo had said with a little smirk.

Peppino turned to Noisette. “Let me get-a a large coffee, extra sugar, and a dozen of those fruit-a-filled pastries.”

Noisette's eyes widened. “All right, Peppino. Are you buying for the whole pizzeria?”

Noise laughed and poked at Peppino's side. “Nah, hun, he's given up losin’ weight, can't ya tell? He's bigger alre-” he jabbed at the solid surface of the egg, and stopped. “What the hell?”

Peppino smirked and lifted his shirt up, revealing the egg. “This is why I closed the shop for a few days.” He explained what it was and how it worked.

Noisette's eyes were aglow. “Oh, Peppy, congratulations! I'm so happy for you!”

Peppino chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Honestly, I've-a lost twenty pounds in three days! Gus has-a lost fifteen!” He patted the egg. “This little guy is quite-a the glutton!”

Noisette giggled. “Well, he's a growing boy, after all! Speaking of - do you know what it'll be?”

Peppino shrugged, grinning. “We'll-a know in about four days.”

She hopped up and down, clapping. “I'm so excited!”

Noise grumbled. “Yeah, fat boy's so special, cause he's got a kid on the way…”

Without missing a beat, Noisette swatted Noise so hard his hat spun around, blinding him. “Ah, shaddap, Noise! You know I said I wanted a kid years ago, but you were worried about your career…”

Peppino blinked, grinning at Noise's discomfort, but also genuinely concerned. “You know, Noise, you're well in-a pocket right now. It's-a not like you couldn't afford a child. Why don't you try for one?”

Noise snarled his fang-toothed grimace. “Don't start lecturin’ me, fat ass! When I want kids, we'll have ‘em!”

Noisette crossed her arms, frowning. “Aight, tough guy, put your money where yer mouth is. I want a kid. What's to say we get started?”

For a split second, Noise looked more terrified than Peppino had ever seen him. Then he scoffed. “Well, hun, if ya insist.”

Noisette held her hands beside her head, grinning happily. “It's a date!” One of her workers brought her Peppino's order, and he paid her for it. “Congrats again, Peppy! Let me know when the little paisano arrives!”

He smiled and waved. “Ovviamente, Noisette. Ciao!”

As he walked out through the door, chewing on a pastry, he thought about how hectic his life was about to be. He'd been reading testimonials online from new parents… and it was a little daunting. Lack of sleep is nothing new to me, but… the rest…

He was glad Giuseppe had agreed to take the bambino during the day. It was proving to be a group effort to raise the child and run two businesses at once.

Peppino muttered to himself. “It-a takes a village…”

~~~~

Gustavo stopped and leaned on the counter, wiping sweat from his brow and trying not to pant. Though it hadn't changed in size, the egg seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. How do women do this for nine months?? Of course, being half-gnome, it might be different - humans took nine months, gnomes ten, Ogres eleven, and so on… John had warned them to temper their expectations. “Mingles can turn out very different than their parents,” he'd said.

Peppino gently touched his shoulder. “Hand it over, amico. You're worn out, you should-a eat.”

Panting, Gus lifted his shirt and gently lifted the egg out, handing it to Peppino, who placed it in his own rig. Instantly Peppino seemed to wilt. “Mio Dio, is he made of-a iron?”

Gus leaned back, his back cracking loudly. “Feels like it.” He'd lost thirty pounds in a week; Peppino had lost forty, despite both of them doubling or even tripling their food intake. It's a good thing these things only take a week, it'd kill us if it took much longer! They'd weighed the egg that morning - twelve pounds, heavy for a human newborn, light for a gnome. Where's it all going? The kid should be as big as me already, for all the weight we've lost…

Peppino sighed. “At-a least I finally lost that-a weight the doctor wanted me to lose,” he muttered. He patted the egg. “Should-a be today, sometime.”

Gustavo looked around - the pizzeria was empty. The roads were clear; the blazing summer sun had seen to that. “Maybe we could just close up for the rest of the day…”

Peppino shook his head. “No. I'm not-a gonna crumble at-a the finish line.” He squared his shoulders, and absent-mindedly downed a pastry in one gulp. “They'll be here when they're here.”

Gus nodded wearily. “I'll be in the back, Pep, if you need me. I need some coffee.”

As the double doors wobbled with the gnome's passage, the front door jingled, and Vigi oozed in.

Peppino smiled wanly. “Vigi, long-a time no see! What's the occasion?”

“Just passin’ through, Peppino,” Vigi said. Then he smirked. “Also heard about this kid o’ yours. Congratulations.” He held out a gloved hand, and Peppino shook it.

Vigi oozed up on a stool. “No disrespect, Peppino, but you look like hell.”

Peppino slouched on the counter, adjusting the harness to not dig into his shoulder. “Ay, sceriffo, these last couple of-a days have been rough. The child is like a vampire. And weighs about as-a much as a car.”

Vigi laughed. “Sounds like yer gettin’ as much of the full pregnancy treatment as a man can get. When are they due?”

“Today,” Peppino muttered. “We've-a got everything set up: crib in-a my bedroom, bottles, diapers, the works. We just-a need a bambino to go with-a them.”

“You got a name picked out?” Vigi said, grinning.

Peppino smiled and waggled a finger. “We do, but no one will know until we-a know what the little bambino turns out to be. And even then… there's-a nothing saying that might not-a change.”

Vigi nodded. “Fair enough.” He slid back down. “Well, I think I'm gonna skip over an’ get some coffee. No rest fer th’ wicked. Let me know, Peppino.”

“Ovviamente,” Peppino said, waving as the cheeseslime left. He leaned his chin on his hand. Never expected everyone to be so… interested.

He felt the egg stir against his chest, and his energy levels dropped tremendously.

Something had changed… and he was pretty sure he knew what.

“Gustavo! Gustavooo! I think it's starting!”

Almost instantly Gustavo burst through the doors, followed closely by Brick and Brando. Brick ran up and gently sniffed at the egg, then nodded. “She says you're right, Pep,” Gustavo said.

Peppino felt his energy drop even more. “T-take it, please, amico,” he said. “I'm about to fall over…”

Gustavo took it… and immediately almost dropped it. “Porca miseria! I can't handle it, either…”

Brick immediately took the egg… then squealed as she felt her own energy drop. Quickly, she handed it to Brando.

“Hold on, what do I do-” he gasped as he felt the same draining effect, falling to one knee. He held the egg over his head with both hands. “Guh!” He stood, slowly, holding the egg in front of him, then planted his elbows on the counter, gritting his teeth.

The rest of them watched in wonder as the egg seemed to unravel… revealing a small child, drifting in the air. They started crying…

Both Peppino and Gustavo felt a tug in their heads. They reached out to grab the child…

As soon as their hands made contact, the baby stopped crying, making grumbling sounds.

Peppino conceded and let Gustavo hold the child. “Blankets,” Peppino said quickly. Suddenly he was holding blankets, and the air spun, shrieking, at the speed of his passage. The double doors had slammed into the walls so hard they'd lodged.

As Gustavo wrapped the baby up, Peppino winced. “Cazzo, that's gonna cost to fix…”

Gus clicked his tongue. “Pino, watch your mouth.” He grinned.

Peppino laughed a little.

Fake appeared behind him - the clone had been sleeping downstairs, and it had all happened too fast to alert them. “What’s allll the-” Then they saw the child, and smiled wide. “Ah. So, the child has arrived, sì? Is it a boy? Girl?”

Peppino gently lifted the blankets. “Oh, sicuramente un maschio.”

Brando, Fake, and Brick all huddled around Peppino and Gustavo. Peppino looked at the gnome. “Amore Mio,” he whispered. “Look. He's here.”

Gustavo tickled the little nose, and the boy opened his eyes… to reveal brilliant, sky-blue irises.

Peppino blinked. “Well, he’s-a got my eyes,” he chuckled.

Gustavo fingered the thick mop of deep red hair on the child's head. “It's even darker than mine,” he said wonderingly. Then he looked up at Peppino, proferring the child. “We can't keep calling him ‘him’ forever. Would you like to do the honors, Pep?”

Peppino held the boy up, who looked at him curiously. He's so awake already, he thought in wonder. He locked eyes with his son. “I name-a you Antonio Fabiano Spaghetti, Mio figlio. Nice-a to meet you at last.”

The others applauded, and Gus pulled out his phone. “Time to contact the authorities,” he said. “Gotta get my son registered.” He paused, one finger held over the screen. He grinned from ear to ear. “My son. My son.” He laughed out loud, tears in his eyes. He turned and dialed, hiding his tears from the others.

Fake held out a droopy finger, and the baby took it without hesitation. “He is not afraid,” they said.

Brando looked at the enraptured Peppino. “‘Antonio Fabiano’?”

Peppino didn't look away. “Antonio is-a my middle name, and it was-a my Papa's, too. It's an old-a name in our famiglia, according to Mama. And Fabiano is a respelling of Gustavo's father's-a name, Fabian. So he's-a named for both his Nonni.” He pulled the baby towards his face, tickling his face with his nose and mustache, and the baby giggled.

Peppino laughed in tandem, trying not to cry.

Vigi and Noisette burst through the door at that moment. “I was still across the road, Pep,” Vigi said hurriedly. “Damn, you timed that right, didn't ya?”

Noisette was hoping from foot to foot, literal hearts in her eyes. “Oh pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease can I hold them, Peppino?” The woman looked beside herself.

Peppino grinned. “Va bene, Noisette. Just-a be gentle, he is a newborn.”

The rabbit woman gently took the baby in her arms, squealing quietly. “Oooh, they're such a cutie, Peppino, Gus! What's their name?”

“Antonio,” Gus said.

“Tony!” Noisette said at full voice. Tony looked up at her, a look of consternation on his little face.

Everyone froze. Noisette could be a lot to take in, even for people who knew her. Please don't start wailing… Peppino thought.

Then the little boy giggled and reached out, squeezing her nose.

She was so excited it activated her powers, and it made a comical HONK, which made the baby laugh even harder.

The entire crew breathed a sigh of relief.

Vigi hung up his phone. “All right, I've got the wheels turnin’, but someone's got to come down an’ fill out th’ necessary paperwork.”

Gustavo stepped forward. “I'll do it, Vigi.”

Peppino shook his head. “No-no, Gus, I should-a do it-”

Gustavo put a firm hand on his partner's leg. “Peppino, fermare. You should stay here. It's your place, after all.” He gently stroked the boy's hair. “We'll have plenty of time to bond later.”

~~~~

Peppino rocked the fussy little baby to sleep, sighing with a mixture of happiness and exasperation. The baby had been born early that afternoon, and now, at 5 PM, he'd just finished his third bottle. Mio Dio bambino, you're bottomless! He sat in his old recliner, one of the few pieces he'd kept after the move, gently rocking back and forth.

Gus was puttering around the house, trying to do as much as he could before leaving. “Are you sure you'll be Ok, just you and the bambino, Pep? It's a lot of work…”

Peppino waved a hand. “You still have to take care of your own life, amico. One-a day soon, we'll be together forever. I'll-a be fine.”

The sound of a car door closing outside signaled the arrival of their guests. Peppino stood and grinned. “And besides, help has arrived.”

Gustavo opened the door, and slowly Margherita tottered in, followed by Giuseppe and Anita. Giuseppe looked about to jump out of his skin with excitement, but he let Margherita approach first.

Peppino bent so she could reach, and she gently caressed the boy’s tousled hair. “Ooohhh, figlio, he's perfetta. May I hold him?”

“Ovviamente, Mama,” Peppino said with a radiant smile. Carefully he transferred the baby to her arms; Tony never stirred. Margherita looked down with misty eyes. “Il mio primo nipote… I'm so proud of you, Peppino. And you too, Gustavo,” she said, turning to the gnome, who blushed. “Thank you again for helping my boy produce this piccolo miracolo.”

Giuseppe and Anita huddled around Margherita’s shoulders, eyeing the baby closely as he woke up. “He definitely inherited the family eyes,” Giuseppe said.

“And your nose,” Anita said lightly. “He's got quite the schnoz on him.”

Gustavo chuckled. “Well, he's half me, after all,” tweaking his own bulbous nose, “he was doomed on that front.”

As everyone laughed, Margherita leaned over, tears in her eyes. “Oh, he reminds me so much of you two. And your Papa. If only he could be here to see it,” she said wistfully.

Giuseppe and Peppino exchanged glances. They'd discussed their mutual encounter with their father's spirit during their respective brushes with death at length. “He is, Mama,” Giuseppe said quietly. “He knows.”

Peppino felt his heart clench at the thought.

Margherita nodded. “Infatti, I miei figli.”

Tony looked around, curious at all the new faces. Then he locked onto Giuseppe's face, then turned and looked at Peppino, obviously confused.

Everyone laughed. “Not even a day old and he's already that sharp!” Anita crowed. “You two have the poor boy confused!”

“Well, John did say Mingles can develop differently. Maybe he's farther along,” Giuseppe said. He playfully tickled the end of the baby's nose, while Peppino leaned over as well.

Tony looked back and forth between them, obviously trying to figure out why there were two of his Papa.

Gustavo looked up at Anita. “So, any prospects of another one on the way?” He said, waggling his eyebrows.

Anita laughed and slapped the gnome's shoulder. “Gus! We're not even married!” She looked over at Giuseppe, who was totally focused on playing with his nephew.

Margherita looked over at the younger woman, a devilish look in her eyes. “And why should that stop you, ragazza?”

Anita jerked back, blushing. “We'll see,” she said. She harrumphed and turned to her partner. “You said you're going to stay the night, Sepp?”

Giuseppe nodded. “Just for tonight. If I'm going to watch him so much, it'll be good for him to get used to me.”

Margherita nodded. “Pino, have you and Gus eaten yet?”

Peppino and Gustavo looked at each other - in all the fuss, they'd forgotten. “No, ma'am,” Gus said. “Kind of got lost in the hubbub there…”

The old lady smiled. “Let us see what we can cook up, then.” She turned to Gustavo. “Would you mind assisting me, genero?”

Gus nodded - while part of him resented, just a little, her preemption of their kitchen, he also appreciated what she was doing. “All right, ma'am. I'll follow your lead.”

Margherita waved peremptorily at the others. “Into the living room with you, giovani. Go, bond with the bambino. We'll take care of things here.”

Peppino, Giuseppe, and Anita looked at each other and laughed, then saluted. “As you command, Signora,” Peppino chuckled.

~~~~

Peppino leaned back, patting his belly. “Ah, Mama, you haven't-a lot your touch.”

Giuseppe groaned across from him. “Keep feeding me like that and I'll be looking even more like Pino, Mama.”

Anita poked him in the arm. “Shush, you. It won't hurt you to have a good feed every so often.” She turned to Margherita and grinned. “Thank you, ma'am. Not often I get a nice home-cooked meal.”

Margherita scowled at Giuseppe. “Figlio, are you not feeding your fidanzata properly?”

Peppino, Gus, and Anita laughed as Giuseppe held up his hands defensively. “Mama! It's not like that!”

Anita waved a hand. “It's really not, Mrs. Spaghetti.” She laid a hand on Giuseppe's arm. “I'm not always home to be fed, in my line of work. He makes sure I'm taken care of… when I'm here.”

“In more ways than one, I bet,” Margherita quipped.

Giuseppe went beet-red with embarrassment. “MAMA!”

The others roared with laughter. “Oh, non preoccuparti, ragazzo mio. Your fidanzata and I have talked at length. She's quite content, from what I hear.” She grinned at Giuseppe's stare. “What, do you think you sprang into being fully formed, like Athena? Your Papa and I had many content nights together, after all.” She winked. “If he hadn't been taken so young, you probably wouldn't have been an only child.”

Peppino slapped his brother on the arm. “Ah, Mama, andateci piano con lui! He's been stuck in the service too-a long! He never got to experience that side of-a life before!”

Giuseppe scowled. “Rub it in, why don't you…”

Anita smirked. “He's making up for lost time, don't worry,” she said.

Gus bounced Tony in his arms; the boy was taking yet another bottle. “I don't think gnome babies eat this much, normally. Mama said I was pretty fastidious. Was Peppino this bad, Margherita?”

Margherita shrugged. “He was quite the eater, it's true, but…” she reached over and stroked the boy's hair, “but this one is exceptional. Must be his unusual upbringing.”

They chatted amiably for an unmeasured time, simply enjoying each other's company. Gus handed Tony off to Peppino, who looked at his brother. “Do you want to hold him, fratello?”

After a brief look of mild panic, Giuseppe nodded, and Peppino gently laid the newborn in his brother's arms. Tony yawned and immediately snuggled down, falling asleep.

Giuseppe looked almost entranced. “He just… fell asleep.”

Margherita chuckled. “Giuseppe, you may be a different person… but, remember, you and Peppino are still fundamentally the same. Even more than “natural” brothers, you're just like him.” She stroked the baby's hair again. “Babies are comforted by familiar scents and sounds. Your heartbeat, your scent, are more or less the same as Peppino's. As far as the bambino is concerned, his Papa is holding him, right now.”

Giuseppe sat perfectly still, and Peppino laughed. “Relax, fratello. He won't bite.”

Giuseppe looked panicked. “I don't want to startle him.”

Peppino sat down, smiling. “If you do, it's all right. He'll have lots of chances to be startled, and happy, and sad, and…” Peppino trailed off, considering the weight of what laid ahead of them. “It's-a daunting. Knowing were-a responsible for his entire life.”

Margherita nodded. “It's a huge responsibility, to be sure, i miei figli. But all you can do, is the best you can.” She nodded. “That's all we did. All people throughout history, have done: the best they can.”

The baby slept peacefully as his family watched.

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