#*straightforward* SHE IS LIKE HELLO YOU GO GIRL BOSS

[scarameownya]

tags ran out so im continuing it here JAJSJSDJJD

on a second thought i should have tagged this as nsfw before the tags ran out 💀

#GRANDMA LOST HER SON AND DAUGHTER IN LAW... STOP IT STOP I DONT WANNA GET EMOTIONAL JAIL JAIL FOR YOU

#"grandma filled the roles so well even if his heart bled, not too much blood spilled out" thats its im stealing your brain this is actually insane writing and wording IM IN LOVE

#NO NO NOT HIM REGRETTING NOT BEING TO HELP HER AS A CHILD NOBONONOON

#AND HER DEATH HELLO ?!?!?! ok and ik u didnt intended for it to be but id like to think him brushing off people's remarks

#are somewhat in a way him grieving cause hes knows all of it and in a way because he knows his child self could not reciprocate all of it

#DO NOT TORTURE ME MORE WITH HIM READING HIS PARENTS LETTER AND FUCKING CRYING RIV I WILL KILL YOU HELLO IM ?!?@?@?@?#?@#*×*

#ALSO AUAGAHAHAHA I LOVE THEIR BANTER SO MUCH OMFGGGGGGGG THE FACT THAT HE HAS SOMEONE TO SHARE AND CALL A HOME WITH AUGAHSHSHD

#als his thought process during the smut scene... :[[ poor lil brain boy.. he's literally so happy at how you are so perfect for him

#and just how whole you made him feel... wahhh :"[[[[ riv should get her device taken away signing a petition rn //lh

#THE LETTER AT THE END ?!?!?! OMFG HAITHAM YOU CHEESY ASS //POS ALL POS HES JUST SO ?!?!?! SO ?!?@@??!

#seeing haitham this gentle is insane omfg riv i love love LOVE your version of him so much-- lowkey got me blushing at it like-- STOP

#ALL IN ALL HELLO ?!?!?! THIS IS INCREDIBLE IM LITERALLY SO HOOKED IN EVERY WORDS AND THEYRE ALL SO WELL WRITTEN

#eating your brain i need that nutrients PLS I JUST ?!?!?! I JUST LOVE THIS SO MUCH OMFG UAHSUAHDHSDHDHFHDH

#what if i die for just liking this too much-- IM SORRY BUT JUST ?!?!? EVERYTHING FLOW SO SMOOTHLY AND AND ITS SO NATURAL AND I JUST LOVE SEEING IT PLAYED OUT FROM START TO FINISH

#whens the wedding this should be at 28 ill be waiting //lh

like a lotus in spring, you are mine to bloom — ft. alhaitham

synopsis: at twenty one, you’re just a girl he meets as he trains for the role of scribe. at twenty four, you’ve become everything he loves in this world. after three years of knowing you and nearly two and a half decades of life, alhaitham finally realizes why his father left letters for his mother instead of just saying the words outloud

❤︎ word count: 7.7k words — we find ourselves here in the same old situation again, i see LOL pls give it a chance though!! plssss

❤︎ before you read: female reader ; 18+ content — not suitable for minors ; not proof read ; strangers to friends to lovers ; mutual pining but not at the same time for a bit (he falls first <3) ; jealous alhaitham ; hinted drunk sex ; getting together + love confessions ; alhaitham character story spoilers + references to his grandmother and parents ; semi-clothed unprotected sex ; no prep ; some nipple play ; creampie ; the cringiest love letter at the end LOL

❤︎ comments: guys every time i write alhaitham it’s so corny and cheesy but . he is my fav genshin guy of all time i deserve to be allowed this okay

TWENTY ONE. 

You’re still a student when you first meet Alhaitham. (Not a student for much longer, but a student all the same. With a little luck on your side and good graces from your darshan’s sage on your thesis, you’re expected to graduate in just a few short months.)

You don’t have the best first meet. In fact, your impression of Alhaitham starts off entirely on the wrong foot. 

He’s newly graduated, just freshly rewarded a degree for his (impressive) efforts, and is now well on his way to training for the role of scribe—you heard he was offered far more prestigious roles, but for some reason, a genius like him settled for a role like that. You try not to judge. People have their passions, after all, and if that’s what he wants to do, well…who are you to make comments? (But amongst a school that only houses the brilliant, Alhaitham is, very undoubtedly, a standout. It’s hard to stand out in a school filled with only the best minds, but he manages to do so with ease. Sometimes, you’re almost jealous. You can’t help but wonder why he doesn’t aim a little higher than he does.)

He trains in the house of Daena. His first order of training is to fact-check ordinance drafts using books so he can better get the hang of drafting them himself in the future. You’re also in the House of Daena to find the last book for your thesis—after weeks of begging, you’re finally granted access to the restricted section to find it. 

And you do. Except your palm meets warm skin instead of the cold leather cover of a book. You pause, glancing up as sharp, teal eyes meet your gaze, staring at you expectantly as if you should be the one letting go. But you need this book. It’s the final research element to finish your thesis, and you’d like to be done with it. End of story. No matter how devastatingly handsome the man (because he is handsome, you’ll admit at least that much), you will not be handing over the last, final key to your academic freedom.

“Um, excuse me,” you say politely, “I was kind of reaching for that.”

“As was I,” he says, staring at you with a bored, almost uncaring expression. Your eyes narrow. “Now, if you’d please kindly take your hand off of mine.”

“I believe it should be you taking your hand off of mine,” you correct, huffing as you add stubbornly, “I reached for it first.”

He blinks at you, bland and a little irritated, as he points out, “Your hand is on top of mine, which means I reached the book first.”

Well.

Maybe if you were feeling particularly patient, you’d be inclined to admit that, yes, he does have a point. But stubbornness, combined with pure exhaustion, has you at your wit's end, and if you have to play the role of a difficult student, then so be it. You’re pretty sure you need it more, and you’re probably a much speedier reader anyway. You’ll have it done and returned in no time.

This guy, on the other hand…he doesn’t look too bright. You’re not willing to take your chances and let him walk off with a book that you might never see again.

“I started reaching for it first,” you scowl, “you just sped up your hand once you saw me. I should get it.”

“Unlikely,” he scoffs, “I didn’t even see you. Although,” he gives you a once over with his eyes, making you feel uncomfortably seen under his judging gaze, “I suppose you were a bit easy to miss.”

You gape at him. “Just what does that mean?”

“It means,” he smirks, taking the opportunity to grab the book as you stand in shock, “that I got here first.”

“Hey!” You glare at him, seeing red for a moment. What a perfectly good waste of a perfectly handsome face—and such an awful attitude coupled with his ridiculously smug grin couldn’t make for a worse combination. But, before you can even say anything, the book is being pressed back into your hands.

“You seem like you want it more than I do, though,” he hums, “I suppose I can let you have it. It’s a bit outdated for this ordinance, anyway.” With that, he saunters off. You push down the soft flutter in your heart for a moment and force yourself to hope you’ll never see him again. (Faintly, you hope your wishes don’t come true—but you refuse to admit it to yourself.)

Unfortunately (and fortunately at the same time) for you, you do see him again. Many, many times, in fact. When he works in the House of Daena as often as he does, and you like to spend all your free time there to study if you can, you’re both bound to run into each other often. Very often. 

And sometimes, it’s quite literally running into him. 

“Oof,” you hiss, staggering backward and hitting your head against the bookshelf behind you as you bump into a sturdy figure. You drop the books in your hand, blinking before reaching to rub your read as you start to apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t see you—oh. It’s you.”

“It’s me,” he says, looking mildly entertained. Alhaitham is everywhere. Everywhere. You can’t escape him if you try, and now, you can’t even avoid him in your own personal space. “Although, I think I should be the one apologizing this time. I was too busy reading to pay attention. This section is usually empty at this time.”

“How often are you in here to know what section is empty at what time?” You raise a brow. 

“Too often to be considered good for my well-being,” he says dryly, sighing in misery. You crack a smile at that. Oddly enough, so does he—you don’t think you’ve ever heard someone say they’ve seen Alhaitham smile. It must be a rare sight that only you, and perhaps a very few others, can say they’ve witnessed. “I was just about to take a break to buy a coffee—I’ll bring one back for you, too, to make up for the cranial damage I’ve supplied.”

“A most wonderful idea,” you perk up instantly, “I love when I get to drain the wallet of a man.”

He gives you an amused look at that. And somehow, bringing you a coffee along with his own during his breaks is a habit that seems to stick for a long, long while after that. 

────────────────────────

TWENTY TWO.

Alhaitham’s feelings are hurt. Not a lot of words tend to do that—he’s been blessed with thick skin and an unbothered attitude to a fault, sometimes. But something about today, for some odd reason, hurts his feelings. 

Your words to the waiter who took your order keep ringing in his head. 

Oh goodness, no, we are definitely not dating!

Most people mistake you and Alhaitham for a pair of lovers rather than a pair of friends. It’s just the way things go when a man and a woman are seen together for extended periods of time over and over. It doesn’t help that Alhaitham doesn’t really have any friends. He had one before you, but…well, things are complicated now. Far too complicated to think about it more than necessary. He has you, and that’s enough. But the matter still stands that most people tend to assume that something blossoms between the two of you that isn’t just friendly. 

He was starting to think it was true himself, too. He knows it’s true from his end, at least. But you say those words with such a sure, definitive tone that it almost sounds like you’re offended by the notion of being seen as his girlfriend. And sure, he would be disappointed—he’s no liar—if you didn’t feel romantically for him, but he’d understand. It’s not something you can help. But you brush off the idea like it’s an anomaly of sorts in the universe for someone like you and someone like Alhaitham to be a couple. It hurts his feelings. More than it should. 

(He knows deep down, in the depths of his heart, that you don’t mean it that way. You never would. But irrationality is but one of many feelings that bloom when it comes to romance.)

Alhaitham knows from a young age he’s different than most kids his age. This fact doesn’t change as he gets older. He’s brighter than most of his peers—which is certainly saying something because Sumeru is a nation filled with enough sharp minds, it’s as though brilliance were the average trait. People don’t typically like Alhaitham (which is fine by him, he doesn’t like most of them, either. They mostly don’t meet his standards). The kids don’t play with him in the parks that Grandmother would leave him at while she shopped around at the market, and they don’t sit with him on his one and only day at the Akademiya when he is but an elementary scholar. It never bothered him. He preferred reading under the trees and self-learning at home, anyway. When he’s older and enrolled in the Akademiya full-time, they don’t prefer to partner with him for projects for any other reason than simply being guaranteed a good grade, and they don’t spare him a glance when they all converse in groups outside of class. He never cared for freeloaders, anyway—he only trusts himself for projects, and he is at the Akademiya to learn, not make friends. 

It’s not until he meets Kaveh does he consider the idea that friendships are meaningful enough to spare some effort into. But the end result of that only solidifies that he is best when in solitude. 

But then he meets you. Some part of Alhaitham knows very early on that you would never be just a friend to him. If it was friendship that he craved, he would have looked for it elsewhere before running into you. Something about you from the very beginning makes him yearn for things much deeper than that. Things that remind him of his parents. 

Friendship is fleeting. People at the Akademiya go their separate ways and meet new people. They fall out and have arguments. They grow up and grow apart and become different. But love blooms like the Kalpalata lotuses on a vine, timeless as time itself. It starts and never ends, one root stemming into more and more vines until they never stop growing.

Alhaitham has fallen in love with you. Logic tells him it’s only a recent development, but his heart has known this outcome would be brought about for a long, long time. And, in all truthfulness, your words have hurt his feelings. 

And yet, he still loves you through it. He thinks that even if you crushed his feelings with a cold, indifferent smile, he would still love you through it. 

A hand waves in front of his face, pulling him from his thoughts as you take a sip from your coffee. Puspa Cafe is not as busy at this hour, most people are in the middle of a work day, but Alhaitham is allowed to pick his lunch hour, and yours happens to be earlier than most.

“Sorry, I just have to ask—are…are you upset?” you ask gently, making him pause. 

Yes.

“No,” he says simply, “why would I be?”

“You seem upset.”

“I’m not.”

“You were fine up until…I don’t know, a few minutes ago. Is something on your mind?”

You know him so well, he thinks. How could you not see how perfect the two of you are together?

“I’m simply concerned about your sugar intake is all,” he eyes the cold, iced drink in your hands with more syrups than he deems necessary. You always have a penchant for choosing the sweetest drink off the menu, and Alhaitham will never understand how your teeth don’t rot.

“Well, that’s very funny,” you roll your eyes, “because I was just thinking about how low on vitamin D you must be—do you ever leave your study to see the sun?”

He spares you a soft chuckle at that, shaking his head before taking a sip of his own coffee—hot and black and with two spoons of sugar. Simple, like how he prefers. You make a face at his drink as he sets it down. 

“Have you ever thought about what you look for in a partner?” he asks suddenly, making you blink in shock for a moment. He flinches at his own forwardness just a tad. 

“Umm, I suppose a little here and there…why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he shrugs, “just curious what your type was, that’s all. You’re painfully single, so I figured your taste was rather distinct.”

“Rude,” you scoff, rolling your eyes enough that he thinks it’s safe to assume you’re not suspicious. “Are you here just to poke fun at my choices today?”

Alhaitham should not be asking you this. Not when the answer so clearly is going to hurt his already very bruised feelings. Of course, your type won’t be him. And, of course, he is going to mourn your answer the second you give it, which is his own fault considering he’s the one who asked. (He has to wonder, for a moment, if this constitutes as an undiscovered hidden kink of his and whether or not he really just gets off on some unnecessary pain. Why else would he willingly subject himself to this?)

But, he’s caught off guard when you shrug and simply say, “I suppose someone who’s intelligent. I’d appreciate some good discussions. And…and maybe someone who’s kind, y’know? I would be rather sad if they were mean,” you pretend to sniffle dramatically.

“That’s…that’s it?” He tilts his head in equal parts shock and equal parts confusion. 

“What did you expect me to look for in a partner?” You snort, “A three-story mansion? A rock-solid, chiseled chest to lay on?” 

“Well, no,” he rolls his eyes, “Maybe something a bit less generic to narrow down your pool, I suppose, but if that’s your bar, so be it. There are far too many men who are intelligent and kind, you know.”

“Yes, but none of them show me any signs of interest,” you pout, “I must be undesirable or something.”

I desire you, he wants to say. He can’t quite find the courage to get the words out, though—and as if the universe has it completely out for him, the same waiter from earlier who is responsible for asking you the question that kills Alhaitham’s mood for the day comes back with the bill. And something else, too. 

Something that kills his mood for the week. 

His jaw clenches a tad when you flush at the note scribbled on a napkin for you, eyeing your flustered reaction while you read over the words: I get off at eight if you’d like to find me. You stare for a moment before you murmur, “Well, look at that. A sign of interest—it must be the Dendro Archon’s divine power.”

“The Divine have no say over who you fall for,” he insists.

“You don’t know that,” you hum thoughtfully, “The God of Wisdom knows her people better than anyone else, you know. I’d like to think she knows when love is bound for two people.”

You fold the napkin carefully and keep it in your pocket, and Alhaitham fishes out his mora pouch with stiff fingers. He leaves a very shoddy tip on the table before he exits after you. 

────────────────────────

TWENTY THREE.

You wake up in his bed. 

It’s a foggy memory, but you know you fucked Alhaitham after more sips of wine than you can count and one flirty comment too many. It happened in a blur last night, and you can’t say you’re surprised that it finally happened at all. Alhaitham is a man just like any other, and mingling pleasure with friendship is a normal thing to do. Falling under him on his mattress is not something you never had daydreams of—but the truth of the matter is that your daydreams don’t just stop with the bed.

They end with a toothbrush beside his in the bathroom. A mug next to his in the kitchen. Your shoes kicked off along with his at the entrance of a home. Your laughter and his bouncing off of the walls. A ring, maybe. One on your hand and one on his. 

In your imagination, it starts with pleasure, but it ends with love.

Falling in love with Alhaitham is a peaceful ordeal. He’s dependable and inherently kind. Strong and impressively capable. Intelligent and objectively handsome. You’d bring him home to your mother and father, and they’d thank Lord Kusanali for smiling down upon their humble little family and their darling little daughter by sending such a divine man your way. 

You don’t think you can pinpoint when exactly it is you started to love this boy, but you know loving him became as simple as breathing. You never thought about it. Never learned to do it. Never questioned it, even. You inhale the scent of his spicy, woody cologne and exhale the warm breath of your affections stored in your lungs. He lives somewhere nestled so deep in your ribcage that you think you’d have to crack each of them one after the other before you could pry him out.

You love Alhaitham. You think you know everything there is to know about loving him. You think you’d do it right—better than anyone else. 

He only drinks his coffee when it’s piping hot, and his wine can never be one degree less than iced. He has dry hands, but he hates the feeling of lotion. He doesn’t like raw onions but he doesn’t mind them cooked. When the sun is in his eyes, he’s in a foul mood, but he enjoys napping under the warm rays, much like a cat. He laughs surprisingly boyishly from his belly if you manage to deliver a dry yet clever enough joke, and he clears his throat and gets a bit shy once he’s realized he’s let it out. He twirls his pen in his hand when he’s bored, and he only uses the kind with gel ink because they write smoother. 

You love Alhaitham. For you, it’s always been him. 

When you wake up to his bare, warm body next to yours, breathing peacefully with an arm thrown over your waist, you can’t help but selfishly wish he’d stay asleep all day. Just for a day. Just for the amount of time you get in between the sun’s departure and the moon’s arrival. Just so you can watch him exist in this moment where it’s you, him, and the liminal space between friends and lovers. Just so you can admire how beautiful he is without worrying about his eyes opening and the inevitable conversation of what you’re both doing is brought up. 

People (like Kaveh, or Dehya, or Tighnari, or…anyone) tend to insist that Alhaitham loves you. It’s obvious, they say, just as obvious as your love for him. You never believe it. It’s not because he’s bad at love or because you’re bad for him. You think he’d make a good lover—contrary to popular belief, you don’t think Alhaitham is uninterested in intimacy or affection. And you think you’d make a good girlfriend—unlike other people, you understand him and like what you see. 

But he doesn’t love you. That much is a fact you’ve long accepted. It’s not because you’re bad for him or because he’s incapable of feeling—but rather, it’s just that bitter, soul-crushing reality that you can’t help who you love and who you don’t. Alhaitham doesn’t love you—it’s not something either of you can really change. Because if he did, he’d waste no time. He’d get to the heart of the matter and quit dancing around the issue. 

It’s just the kind of guy that he is. 

So, because this is your first and likely last time seeing him this way, you slowly reach over and brush a few strands of messy, unruly bedhead from his forehead before cupping his cheek in your hand. His skin is soft and warm under your palm, much more delicate to the touch than you anticipated from how chiseled his features are. Your thumb gently brushes along the slant of his cheekbone, eyes softening at how he lets out a puff of air as he sleeps. 

“Morning,” he says hoarsely, eyes still closed and making you jolt in surprise. He lets out a quiet, sleepy chuckle that would make you melt if not for the way your heart still pounds from the shock. 

“You’re awake?”

“Mhm,” he hums, nodding before finally cracking an eye open. “For a while now.”

“Why pretend to sleep then, you creep?” You scoff, glaring at him as he sits up slightly and glances at you with a teasing glint in his eyes. No part of him seems to be shocked about you being nude in his bed. Or the fact that you’re even in his bed at all, nude or not. 

“You’re the creep if we’re being technical here. It’s undoubtedly a little on the creepy side to study someone with such careful touches while they sleep.”

“That’s your main concern…?” You stare at him—and for lack of better words, you’re dumbfounded. You and Alhaitham have been friends for two years and counting. You’ve never once crossed the line or even toed at it to step beyond the border of anything more. And, yet, here you are. In his bed. Completely nude. He was lying there and felt your delicate touch along his skin, felt you act like a lover and not a friend on a quiet, intimate morning when in fact, you both should be shamefully avoiding each other’s eyes in a moment that’s anything but intimate as you leave. 

He makes no move to ask you to leave or even question why you’re still here. You make no move to really leave—it’s not like you want to. 

“What should my main concern be, then?” he looks at you expectantly, like he really doesn’t know.

“Oh, I don’t know, Alhaitham—shouldn’t you be a little more panicked by the idea that I’ve trespassed into your bed and seen you…bare?”

“Well, to be fair, you didn’t trespass. I let you in—and also, to be fair, I saw the same for you, too, so we’re even.”

“You’re oddly calm about this,” you hiss. “This doesn’t bother you even a little? That things might change?”

He looks at you funny—like you’ve just told him a joke that hardly makes sense but makes him want to laugh anyway. “You’re too brilliant to be this dense,” he murmurs. “Maybe I’m quite open to the idea of change.”

You take offense to the first part enough to completely miss the second part of his statement. 

“I am not dense,” you huff, “I’m incredibly bright. I’ll have to send you my thesis sometime.”

“No need,” he responds through a low hum. He pulls you closer, flush against his chest. Bare skin on skin. Intimate skin, at that. You shiver for a moment as his warm, large hand wanders lower and lower before stopping just at the small of your back, rubbing slow circles at the dimple where your spine ends. “I’ve read it plenty of times. It was very insightful.”

“Well, in that case, you should know not to insult my intelligence—”

“If you don’t notice my affection for you, I’m afraid you might not be as observant as I initially thought.”

You pause. Your heart flutters. Then it feels like it decays. Your eyes widen a fraction. Then they feel like they need to be squeezed shut for fear of tears. You feel your fingers twitch to reach for him. And yet they stiffen in distrust. 

“I don’t know what you’re saying,” you whisper. Because you don’t.

You really fucking don’t. You thought you knew. His feelings and how to read them. His thoughts and how his mind works. Every little quirk of his and how he approaches every damn thing in this world. You thought you knew.

Now you feel like you don’t know much of anything, especially not what he means right in this moment. 

“You don’t?” He whispers, hand moving to grab your wrist and bring it to his cheek so his lips can brush along the delicate lines of your palm prints. (If he was brave, he’d tell you that his destiny and yours are written in those very lines. Maybe someday he’ll build the courage.)

“No,” you say through a shaky whisper. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you. Just like you love me.” He says it so plainly, that you almost feel like it's a dry, cruel joke. (You know him a little better than that, though, to know he’d never.)

“How do you know I love you?” you challenge just because it’s all you have left to cling to—easy, instant denial. 

He laughs. Soft. Quiet. Melodic. So fucking sweet. “I’m too smart to act dense,” Alhaitham teases. And then, for a moment, his eyes soften enough that they almost look vulnerable. “And only someone who loves me could deal with my… peculiarities. Though, I will admit, it took me quite a while to reach this conclusion. You made me work for it.”

“If you’ve known all along—” 

“Not all along,” he corrects, “like I said, it took me a while to come to this conclusion. But once I did, it was rather obvious.”

You scowl with a finger prodding into his chest, eyes misty with relief and the faintest traces of agitation, “Well, regardless, why haven’t you said something all this time? Obviously, I wasn’t as aware as you seem to be, so the least you could have done is spared me the pining and heartbreak of wondering if you’d ever look at me—”

“I wanted to make sure I could offer you a peaceful life first,” he says gently. You blink. He smiles, eyeing something in the distance—you don’t quite catch it, but you think it might be the old, worn-out stack of envelopes sitting on his desk. 

“What?”

“When you’re with me,” he whispers, leaning in so that his lips brush over yours, “I can lead a peaceful life. I wanted to make sure I could give you the same.”

“And what does that consist of?” you raise a brow. 

“Well,” he murmurs, pecking the corner of your mouth, “A stable job with a generous income, which I now have. A fixed schedule, which I have also negotiated. A proper home to house the both of us, which you are comfortably laying in. And…” he grabs your hand, bringing it to his chest where his heart is beating erratically, “A rock-solid, chiseled chest to lay on, which I have dedicatedly worked to add to my physique for you.”

“Haitham!” you squeal, shoving him away with a horrified shriek as he laughs with a wide grin. You don’t even know why he still remembers that comment to poke fun at it, but you suppose that is the tragedy of falling for a prodigious scholar. His mind is sharp. And so is his memory. “Enough!”

“Okay, okay,” he grins smugly. “I want us to lead a peaceful life.”

“There’s not a lot of peace I am counting on with you.”

“I will elect to ignore that statement,” he says dryly, “But that’s why I waited this long,” he buries his face into your neck, nose pressing into the skin as he inhales, “I’m afraid I can’t wait any longer, though. Won’t you accept my frugal attempt at a serene life with you?”

“Perhaps I can make do,” you fight back a stupid grin.

He smiles into your neck. You can feel it. You can practically see it. You hope you’ll grow old with it, too. 

“Then I suppose I’m forever indebted to your graciousness, my love.”

────────────────────────

TWENTY FOUR.

When Alhaitham was eight, Grandmother told him the story of how his parents had fallen in love. It was a typical love story, he thought at the time—nothing overly special or unique. A simple, sweet bond between two people who became friends and something more along the way.

What stood out were the letters. Not very much at first, but with time, he’d realized how special they were. 

Grandmother handed him the letters with a soft, melancholy look in her eyes that made him realize he hadn’t just lost his father and mother. She had lost her son and daughter-in-law. Alhaitham felt the absence of his parents often. It was hard not to at that age—he didn’t have a father to throw a ball to or tag along with to the market. He didn’t have a mother to hum him a melody or make his favorite dish for dinner. But Grandmother filled the gaps in those places well enough that even if his heart bled, not too much blood spilled between the cracks.

But he was no son. Not a proper one for her at her age, anyway. She raised him like he was her own, but she grew older every day, and he didn’t grow fast enough to keep up. He couldn’t take care of her in her old age the way his father would have. He couldn’t do much besides bring the vegetables for her to cut or set the table while she cooked. He couldn’t offer her the mora when she went to the market or carry too many of the heavy bags while they walked home. He couldn’t let her rest in her old age too much because, regardless of how mature and bright he was for his age, Alhaitham was just a child. Her child, nonetheless—Grandmother didn’t let him forget that fact. But a child.

When she died, he arranged the funeral alone. He didn’t cry throughout the whole ordeal. Her old colleagues from way back in her Akademiya days came, as did some of his parents’ old acquaintances. No one he knew too familiarly, though—no one who really mattered when they clasped his shoulder and told him to hang in there.

She was a good woman. He knew that already.

She was very intelligent. A very obvious fact.

She was exceptionally kind. A rather unsurprising observation.

She loved very deeply. Well. That one stung—as true as it might have been.

He remembers it so vividly still. How he had walked home alone after it all. How he had taken off his tie (a very poorly tied tie, at that—Grandmother had always helped him before) and silently entered his room.

It wasn’t until he had eyed his desk that finally, it all sank in. The notes—the ones his father had so carefully written his mother while they were still just starting to fall in love, sat there as if waiting for him. He read them one by one, just like he had so many times before. He didn’t realize he’d started crying until a rivulet of his sorrow landed from his cheek to the page, staining the paper a darker shade of heartache. 

Alone. 

That’s all Alhaitham had ever been since the tender age of four. At least, that’s what people had always thought—but he’d never felt the sorrow people tended to feel for him. Not having a father and mother was okay. Hard at times, but okay. Grandmother had been everything he needed. More than what he needed, in fact. 

Grandmother was everything. And she had left him just the same way his parents had. He’d cried that night—alone in a house that was nothing more than just a house. Not a home, not a place where he could return to and look forward to it. Not a place where love was waiting for him to shelter him as soon as he came back from the cruel, outside world.

Grandmother was gone. Mother and father had left so long ago. But they all had each other—in whatever world they’d crossed to, they’d had each other. 

He remembers it all so vividly still. How he’d read his father’s words, and for the first time in all his life, he’d craved it. What his parents had. 

To my love, my soul, my heart. I am yours, always. 

He wondered that night, through teary and blurry eyes, if love like that would ever find him. If he’d one day be able to call someone his love, soul, and heart.

He thinks now, as you laugh with your head tilted forward and a tweezer in hand while sitting on his lap, that he can. 

“Hold still, you,” comes your teasing remark, “you said this would be nothing. Now look at you.”

“You’re being too harsh,” he grumbles, pouting slightly. With a smile, you bend your neck down and press a soft kiss to his jutted lips, humming before pressing an extra one to the corner of his mouth for good measure. (And yes, the grand sage—acting, you can almost hear him correct in your own head—can pout. He is rather frequent at curling those lips of his in your presence when he wants something, in fact. Or when he is teased too much. Something about you brings about a side of him that is much less stoic and far more dramatized.)

“You can just admit it hurts, you know,” you say through an amused snort.

“It won’t hurt if you just do it right.”

“I’m an expert at tweezing eyebrows,” you huff, “I do mine all the time. And I would know that it hurts.”

“It can’t be that painful,” he clicks his teeth, “just be gentle.”

“I cannot gently pull out a hair from your follicle, Haitham—I don’t know what you want me to—hey!”

He grabs the tweezers from your hand and pulls you close, hugging you tight enough that his nose digs into your skin a bit as he buries it into your neck. It’s Saturday. His first out of two days off for the week—standard scribe work weeks are nine to five on weekdays, and he very much appreciates his weekends away from the bustling, lively Akademiya nonsense. 

Saturday happens to be your day off, too. 

“Where is Kaveh?” you ask quietly, playing with the hem of his shirt. He raises a brow, eyeing the suspicious movement of your fingers.

“Working with a client in Aaru Village. He won’t be back until tomorrow evening. Why am I not enough company for you?”

“Oh, be quiet,” you roll your eyes, and this time, your hands wander under his shirt, palms slowly dragging along his chiseled, planed abdomen while he shivers slightly under your touch. “I was just asking if…”

“If…?” he urges you to continue.

You know he knows. But, for the sake of indulging his smug, teasing little game, you huff and push his shirt up to expose his chest before murmuring, “If we would be interrupted or not. I don’t fancy such awkward run-ins with your roommate.”

“Our roommate,” he corrects, “this is your home, too.”

“Yes,” you smile, brushing your palms over his pectorals, watching as he stiffens when you graze along his nipples, “I suppose it is.”

“Well, he’s not here. And he won’t be, so kiss me,” he demands through a breathy whisper. You do. You kiss him instantly—because kissing Alhaitham is what you do best. When he’s happy, sad, angry, distressed, or just plain tired, kissing him is how you know him the most. When your breaths exchange and your life force and his mingle to become one, singular unit. 

You sigh into his mouth, letting his hands cradle your jaw and tilt your head to better meet his mouth, all while your hands still explore his upper half. He moans under your touch, cock springing to life slowly below you through his pants. You angle your hips forward, inching higher up his lap to drag your crotch along his and help the erection grow against the friction. 

“Fuck,” he hisses, hard and heavy between his legs in no time. 

“Haitham,” you breathe, feeling that familiar ache build between your own thighs. 

You kiss him like that for a bit. Messy, deep, sloppy, and so, so slow. With all the time in the world. Languid strokes of your tongue against his as he rolls his hips up from underneath you, dragging his clothed, bulging cock against your dripping cunt. The fabric separates you, rudely so, and it’s not long until you both grow tired of it. 

“Off,” you whine, tugging at his pants, “off, off, off!”

“So demanding,” he chuckles, pecking your nose sweetly before he lifts his hips, letting you slide off his sweatpants. “Satisfied?” 

“Yes,” you beam, “You always give me what I want. It’s my favorite thing about you.”

His gaze darkens at that—not for any other reason than it makes him so incredibly filled with lust when you speak to him like that. So spoiled and happy about it because it’s him. Him. You’re happy that it’s him. And he’s happy that it’s you. 

You don’t even bother undressing yourselves fully—he pulls down your own pants just enough to expose your pretty, leaking folds, and his hands wander under your shirt, where he almost short-circuits for a moment. Braless. Because you just love to drive him mad, he thinks. This much easy access to your soft, delicate breasts and the pert nipples that decorate them is enough to make him curse under his breath as his thumbs tease over them. 

“You’re a tease.”

“For simply existing?” you gasp, making him crack a small grin. 

“Yes,” he hums, “Your existence on its own teases me at all times. I’m afraid it drives me mad.”

You hum, reaching forward to gently take his hard, leaking cock into your hand and give a light, teasing squeeze. “Maybe my goal is to turn you completely into a lost cause.”

“Then,” he groans, throwing his head back against the couch cushions while he breathes harshly, “then you’re definitely succeeding. Is that what you wished to hear?”

“Yes,” you whisper, kissing his jaw, “It is, actually.”

It doesn’t take long at all before Alhaitham has tossed you back against the couch, laughing as you shriek at the sudden change of position. You glare at him, fighting back your own chorus of giggles as he moves to hover over you, kissing and biting playfully along your cheeks. 

“I love you,” he mumbles.

“Aw, so sweet,” you coo, “say that again.”

He rolls his eyes. His lips curl into the brightest grin at the same time. My love, my soul, my heart—the words are ingrained in his memory always. “I love you.”

“And I love you,” you whisper.

He leans in for a soft, slow kiss as the tip of his leaking cock slides against your folds, tapping against your clit before rubbing along your entrance. You gasp, shuddering against him, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him closer. 

“You know,” he murmurs, “I could get used to this.”

“Sex on the couch? We can do that any time—”

“A weekend with just the two of us,” he groans, dropping his head to your neck as you laugh loudly. Bright. Airy. A sound the wind carries to him in his subconscious. He hears you even when you’re not there—even when you aren’t around, he searches for you. 

“Oh,” you say playfully, “Yeah, I guess that’s nice too, isn’t it?”

“I’ll show you just how nice it’s about to be,” he hums. The tip of his thick, blunt head is pressed against your folds—you’re leaking just as much as he is. You slick, and his pre cum mix for a messy collision of arousal as he presses into you slowly, so carefully, you feel like you could break at any second with how he handles you. 

He’s patient. When Alhaitham fucks you, he’s patient enough that you feel like his other half and not his means of pleasure. Like he fucks you for you and not for himself. 

“More,” you insist, impatient as you add, “I can take it.”

“Patience is a virtue,” he clicks his teeth, “I want to take my time feeling you.”

And he does. He rolls his hips slowly. So slowly, you feel delirious. It’s a painful, gradual build-up of pleasure that has you trying to roll your hips into him to meet him halfway, a pathetic attempt when he’s on top of you to press his weight down on you to keep you in place. 

“Please, Haitham,” you whine, sweat shining across your sweet, pleasure-hazed face as he stares down at you, “Please more. I need it—need you. Need all of you.”

“You have all of me,” he groans, feeling the tight walls of your cunt squeeze around him, the squelching noise of his thick girth bullying into your folds in and out, in and out, in and out, driving him to the brink of insanity. “You’ve always had every piece of me.”

“I want more,” you hiss. 

He lets out a breathy laugh that turns into a soft moan. “If that’s what you want.”

The next thing you know, two strong, muscled arms are grabbing your thighs and bringing them around his torso to wrap around him, and his large hands grab your hips and pull, practically manhandling you deeper onto his cock. You shudder, letting out a shrill, high-pitched gasp as he intrudes further into your cunt, nudging the head of his cock against your sweetest of spots and making your body tremble. 

“Haitham,” you gasp, “Haitham, fuck—fuck, you feel so good. So deep—love when you fuck me like this.”

“Yeah?” he murmurs, kissing in between your pretty little scrunched-up eyebrows, “I love fucking you like this, too. When you take me so well, squeeze so tight, and let me feel you like the good girl you are.”

His words make your folds squeeze around him, and fuck—he’s close. So fucking close, the pad of his rough, callused thumb meets your clit as he rubs circles, trying to bring you to the edge before he goes plummeting himself. 

“‘M close—almost…almost there,” you pant.

“Me too, baby,” he groans. He slams into you, skin slapping against skin and the glistening sheen of it mixing your sweat together. His mouth parts with pretty, low sounds of his pleasure, and your face twists with the devastating rush of yours. 

Once. Twice. A third time, and you fall apart as he thrusts into you and presses the tip of his thick length against the spongey spot in the back of your walls. 

“Haitham,” you gasp, legs tightening around him as your nails press crescent shapes into his back. “Fuck, I’m c-cumming…oh, Gods.”

“Good,” he gasps, and with one last roll of his desperate hips, he spills into you, too. A thick, sticky, familiar rush of heat fills your cunt, topes of cum painting you white within with every twitch of his aching cock. “Fuck—you feel so good. So perfect—you were made for me. Me.”

“You,” you whisper, breathless. 

You let him shudder over you, fingers running through his hair as he finishes releasing his load into you before he slumps his wait over your body. It’s a small couch—decorative more than functional. (All thanks to Kaveh, of course.) But you don’t particularly care when you’re under him. It feels right all the same. 

“We have the house to ourselves this weekend,” he reminds you after some time of catching your breaths. “So…so we can do this all you want.”

You giggle, rolling your eyes as you poke his forehead. “You’re obscene.”

“I’m romantic,” he corrects, “I just want to be with you and nothing else. Can’t blame a man when he’s been gifted such a beautiful sight before him.”

“And cheesy, too,” you huff. 

He smiles. My love, my soul, my heart. 

——————————

You wake up Monday morning to Alhaitham already gone—it’s rare that he’s ever up before you. He leaves the house just in time to make it to work exactly on the dot and not a moment sooner or a moment later. But, as is with any Akademiya position, there are quarterly meetings that even the scribe can’t avoid. You giggle at the image in your head of a grumpy Alhaitham carefully tiptoeing around the room as he miserably gets ready for an early morning of extra work, all while making sure he doesn’t wake you. 

You yawn, sitting up to start your morning for your own day of work ahead—but it catches your eye before you can fully rise from bed, making you pause. 

A note? No, you realize almost instantly. Not just a note—a letter. 

To my love, my soul, my heart: Kalpalata lotuses will bloom soon. I forget how beautiful the world is sometimes, and I suppose it’s because I am always distracted by your beauty alone. Will you laugh as you read this? I suppose you might because even I must admit, it is a rather cliche thing to say. I can just picture your smile now, and I am certain I will have it memorized until my last breath. It’s easy to remember it so well when it’s all I see in my dreams. Have I told you how often I see you in them? It’s difficult to think that there was once a time in Sumeru when we did not dream. It seems like sleeping beside your body is no longer enough—your presence is required even in my slumber for me to truly be at peace.  Perhaps when the lotuses bloom, we can take a trip to the deeper parts of the rainforest to catch a glimpse of a few. They say the vines are blessed by The Lord herself. I was never one to seek out the divine, but perhaps with a gift as sacred as you, I should take the time to thank Lady Kusanali for granting such brilliance to take bloom in my presence. Only, the difference is that here with you, there are no cliffs to climb or seasons to await. You are mine to bloom, always—my precious, beautiful lotus.  Forever yours,  Haitham ♡

ITS DONE. HAPPY LATE BDAY TO MY FIRST AND LONGEST LOVE. YOU MEAN EVERYTHING AND MORE TO MEEEEE

[cult-of-a-buttercup]

Hey. Have you ever wondered what each boss fight OST could mean for each bishop? No? Well too bad!!! This is all about that!!!!! (Links to the songs are on the names :] )

Leshy’s theme

Leshy’s boss fight is usually the first one you go through- though you can defeat whatever boss you want first, he would be the most common option since Darkwood is the first zone you unlock.

His theme is very simple when compared to the others? The whole song feels very magical, in a similar way like a fantasy world- it reminds me of medieval bards probably because of the string instruments. And the whole magic thing is blame of the chorus that shit goes hard

The lack of complexity of Leshy’s song could show that this is a bit of a first- he hasn’t fought much in his eldritch form before, so he does as best he knows with little thought. Him being the “first” boss also makes him a somewhat easier opponent, so it only adds on to this. Also the ending of the song really makes it seem like something surprising has happened- again because of the chorus. Very probably because. You know. First bishop who EVER got killed. Bit of a shocker. Things are going to change from now on you feel me.

Heket’s theme

Heket’s theme goes HARD. It’s probably my favorite one

The the first few seconds of the intro SCREAM destruction. This girl is there to demolish you and to make sure the One who Waits stays chained FOREVER. It’s very fast paced and it keeps going fast for a while before a chorus kicks in and holy SHIT I don’t know why but the melody it follows just. Makes me think of sorrow. Of how sad all of this prophecy really is and how this has affected Heket for CENTURIES now.

AAAND this is BACKED UP by dialog!!! If you go to Anura without killing Leshy she says this:

“The Bishops… my family. Have they not suffered enough? Have I not suffered enough?”

“We fought, pathetic vessel. We bled. We grieved. And yet the Red Crown wants more. No more.”

HELLO??? LIKE SHE’S SO SAD AND IT SHOOOWSSS IN HER FUCKING OST i love this game:;;:; the fact that she remarks that they GRIEVED the loss of her brother too- this poor girl has to every reason to never miss or think about her brother but how can she?? He was one of her older brothers, one of her mentors. Of course she misses him and probably still hurts because of his betrayal- both emotionally and literally because of her injuries. But you think she’s going to let her “feelings” get in the way???? NO. She’s going to kill you. That’ll make her feel better (eternal denial)

Kallamar’s theme

The build up of Kallamar’s theme genuinely just reminds me of royalty and. Mermaids. This squid is out here to show just how GOOD he is at killing lambs. KING of lamb slaughter you could say. LORD of murder. The chorus it has and the instruments really make it look like he’s a force to be reckoned with and that his fight will be filled with power!! With the grace only a king and a god could have!!! But even so it still has a few parts near the middle where it like slows down and shows maaybe a bit of insecurity. Knowing Kallamar wanted to avoid this fight at all costs it wouldn’t surprise me that his confidence in fight comes and goes in flashes, much like the parts with flutes and singing after the “greatness” introduction. My poor man is having a crisis out here someone help him

Shamura’s theme

Something that really catches my attention is that unlike the rest of the boss themes, this song has no initial build up or intro. It’s pretty straightforward. And honestly??? (WARNING: SHAMURA PROPAGANDA) it just shows how important they are. They need no introduction, they’re the bishop of war and knowledge! The one and only, Shamura!!! You already know who it is, they don’t have to make it clear with an introduction. It’s either that or a reflection of how used they are to war and combat, so they don’t make it as much of a big deal as their siblings. OR since they already knew it was going to happen, it simply isn’t big news and they’ve been waiting for this to happen for too long to care.

It’s also really quick paced and goes very well with their boss fight, considering how aggressive it is compared to Leshy’s or Heket’s. Even so, like the others it has a part in the middle where it slows down a little and has a smaaaall little chorus in the back before building back up to a quicker pace. Could be that they’re analyzing what’s going on or that their injuries are acting up again so they need a breather- it also gives it this slightly sorrowful feeling to it AUGH.

The ending of the song is also different, like Leshy’s. Though the ending of Shamura’s theme really make it sound like something big happened- not because it has never been seen before but because its over. There’s no more bishops, the Old Faith is fucking gone. If you beat them last, that is JWRBIFDNB

Narinder’s theme + The One who Waits’ theme

Hooooly shit these two songs go hard. Also two of my favorites.

The introduction makes it SO clear that something has unleashed like you don’t have to be playing to know something BIG is happening. This one has only a voice and the bass- it makes it feel very majestic and divine in a way I can’t really explain, if you get it you get it. Honestly I have no comments. It’s mystical, it shows that you are fighting a GOD and that is IT.

The fact that it’s two separate songs also makes me think a lot about how Narinder was part of the Old Faith, but The One who Waits is NOT. Basically when comparing osts Narinder’s theme sounds a lot more like what we’ve seen with the other bishops while toww is a LOT more aggressive and just overall heavy handed?? It makes me think that like he’s DONE playing around.

Other things I noticed:

All mini-boss themes are similar to a small sample of their respective bishop

Other locations like Sozo’s cult or Midas’ cave also have similarities to the bishop’s themes or rather their areas

Baal’s theme is longer than Aym’s. Could mean many things, like Baal is older or that his fight takes a bit longer. Most people know Aym is the weakest link since he falls coughing after some attacks he makes, so it only makes sense

Narinder’s theme is more similar to Aym’s and The One who Waits’ is more similar to Baal’s

Shamura’s theme is the longest between all bishops with 2:35 minutes

WOW this took a minute but yeah. I hope everyone likes it!

I’d love to see what all of you think!! Maybe you think I’m absolutely wrong or want to add on- either way I will read everything with them big old eyes ❤️

[toxickehlani]

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆

║ ꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ･* – 𝖲𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌

║ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ･* – 𝖤𝗋𝗂𝗄𝖺 𝗆𝖾𝖾𝗍𝗌 𝗎𝗉 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗆𝗂𝗅𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗀𝗈 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗉𝗉𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗐𝖾𝖽𝖽𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌𝖾𝗌.

║ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ･* – 𝟥,𝟪𝟫𝟨

║ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ･* – 𝖺𝖽𝗎𝗅𝗍 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗀𝖾, 𝗇𝗌𝖿𝗐, 𝗉𝗎𝗌𝗌𝗒 𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗀𝗁 𝗌𝖾𝗑, 𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗄𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝗉𝗂𝖾.

║ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ/ᴘᴀʀᴛ･* – 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖷𝖷𝖨𝖨𝖨💔: 𝖸𝖾𝗌 𝖳𝗈 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖣𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌

ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ .༺ ♥︎ ༻ ࣭ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ

ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

Erika's POV

𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗜 𝗜𝗡𝗩𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 my friends and family to go wedding dress shopping with me. I left the house, got inside my car, and drove to the dress store, where I met Destini, Za'Niyah, and my family. As I am going, my phone starts ringing. I glance down and see my cousin Sapphire calling me.

Hello?

Sapphire💗🤩👃 - Hey, where are you?

I'm on my way. Are you already there?

Sapphire💗🤩👃 - Yea, India and I just got here with your mom.

Okay, about ten minutes away.

Sapphire💗🤩👃 - All right, see you when you get here.

Okay bye.

After I hung up with my cousin, I played music on my phone.

Arriving at the dress shop, I parked, got out, and walked inside, where an employee greeted me.

"Welcome to Bridal Magic. Are you browsing, or do you have an appointment?" She questioned, smiling at me.

"I have an appointment under Erika," I answered, and she nodded.

"Okay, you're checked in. I hope you find what you're looking for." She smiled at me before I walked away.

I found my group looking at dresses and smacked Destini on her ass, making her turn around, ready to cuss someone out.

"Girl, I thought you were somebody else. I was about to cuss you the fuck out." Destini said, rolling her eyes.

"What colors are we wearing?" My cousin Sapphire asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Royal blue," I answered, searching through dresses.

"What the fuck? Is he a crip?" My other cousin India asked, laughing.

"No, he likes the color blue," I responded, shaking my head.

"Yeah, fucking right. Leo's a gang banger." My cousin scoffed, laughing.

"No, he's not, but his dad is a former gang member for Artistas Asesinos. His dad worked for the Cartel." I explained lowly but loud enough for my group to hear.

"You're fucking lying." My cousin India gasped, shocked.

"Nope." I shook my head.

"How did he get out? Most people who want out gangs and cartels have to get jumped out or killed." India inquired, shock evident on her face.

"Well, his dad told me he had to sit down with the boss and lay it out there. Good thing the cartel boss was understanding." I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

"Damn, talk about a movie, huh?" Sapphire questioned, laughing.

"My question is, does Leo have any siblings or cousins that look like him because I'm tryna find me a forever bae?" India questioned.

"Period, pooh." Sapphire nodded, egging India on.

"A man with his own business and source of income," India added.

"And one that can pipe me down and spoil me." Sapphire laughs, smacking me on my ass.

Rolling my eyes, a black female bridal consultant walks up to me with a smile on her face. "Hi, you must be the bride-to-be, Erika?"

"That's me." I nodded.

"What kind of dress are you looking for today?" The woman whose name tag read Kendra smiled, lacing her fingers together.

"Something with lace and sexy. I want a dress that will make the groom say forget this wedding; we're starting the honeymoon now." I explained, and the woman nodded.

"Lord, this girl." I hear my mother sigh.

"How do you expect to have grandchildren?" I asked my mother, turning to look at her.

"Chile, what am I going to do with you?" My mother questioned, shaking her head.

"Love me unconditionally." I smiled, kissing her cheek.

"Well, that's straightforward." The bridal consultant laughed. "Is there a budget range you're going for?"

"No. Not really." I replied, shaking my head.

The bridal consultant looked shocked by my answer. "Okay, well, let's go browse some dresses."

Like a kid, I clapped my hands together excitedly as I followed the consultant to the different variety of dresses. This place's gowns were gorgeous and were what I was aiming for style-wise.

"I like this one." I smiled, rubbing my fingers over the lace detail.

"Let's go try this on then, shall we?" Kendra, my bridal consultant, smiled, leading me to the fitting room.

Stripping out of my clothes to my strapless bra and panties, the consultant helped me put on the gown. In my opinion, the dress fits nicely, but it wasn't what I was looking for.

"Let's go get their opinions," I said in the mirror.

Kendra held the back of my dress up as it flowed behind me. I walked to the waiting area where my family sat and stood in front of the mirrors.

"Okay, this is our high neck 3D lace mermaid with sweep train, cap sleeves, and button detail on the back." My dress consultant explains, listing off the details of the dress.

"I like it, but I don't like the neck." Destini truthfully spoke, nodding her head. "It's gorgeous nonetheless."

"I agree with Des. I feel like it's a little too much." Za'Niyah replied, nodding her head.

"Right, I know you, and you're not going to enjoy the lace on your neck. You'll be irritated all night." My mother explained honesty.

"Okay, what do you think of the dress Erika?" My bridal consultant asked me.

"I agree with my mother. The dress is gorgeous, but I do not like the neck." I honestly replied, nodding my head.

"Okay, let's go try on the second dress." The consultant nodded her head.

I followed her to the room, and she helped me out of the first dress. The second gown was a bit of a struggle, but I got it on my body.

"Okay, this is cute." I nodded, looking in the mirror.

"I agree you look beautiful in this one." My consultant nodded, smiling at me.

"All right, let's go see what they think." I let out a laugh nodding my head.

Following my bridal consultant, I walked in front of the mirror and did a cute little spin for my family.

"Aww, you look so cute," Za'Niyah said, smiling at me.

"This dress is our spaghetti strap, backless with a v-neck, lace mermaid gown." The consultant spoke, eyeing those who stared at me.

"I like this one." My mother nodded, smiling at me.

"Nah, I don't like this dress. It looks too simple." Sapphire disagreed, shaking her head.

"Yea, I agree with her." India nodded.

"Same here," Destini replied, also nodding her head.

"Fine, I'll go try on the last dress," I replied, returning to the fitting room.

Closing the door, my consultant helped me with the previous dress and assisted me inside the final gown. Slipping the sleeves on my shoulders, I looked at myself in the mirror and fell in love. It fit me perfectly and was the exact look I wanted. From the lace to how it pushed my breasts up, I nodded in approval.

"It seems like you found the one," Kendra said, smiling at me.

"I think I did," I replied, admiring myself longer in the mirror.

Walking out to where my family and friends were, I stood in front of them and heard all of them gasp in shock.

"THAT'S IT!" They yell in unison.

"Screw marrying Leo, can I wife you?" Sapphire jokingly questioned, clapping.

"So, are you saying yes to the dress?" My bridal consultant asked me.

"Yes." I beamed happily, nodding my head.

My family cheered, making me laugh at them. Looking at myself in the mirror, I pictured myself walking down that aisle and becoming Mrs. Erika Peralta.

"Let's go get something to eat at the Emerald Lounge," India suggested as she opened my mother's car door.

"That sounds good. I'll meet you guys there." I replied, getting inside my vehicle.

Starting it up, I fastened my seatbelt and followed behind Destini's car. As I pulled up to a red light, an incoming call from Leo appeared on my radio screen.

Hello papa.

Hubby🔐❤️ - Are you still dress shopping?

No, we're going to get something to eat now.

Hubby🔐❤️ - Did you find a dress this time?

Yes, and it's so pretty. I know you're going to love it.

Hubby🔐❤️ - From the sounds of it.

Is it weird that I'm excited to be your wife?

Hubby🔐❤️ - To me, no, because I know you're a person that gets excited over little things.

Getting married to you is not little! I'm making a commitment to you for life.

Hubby🔐❤️ - You would've been with me for life even if I didn't propose to you.

Wow, you sound so fucked up.

Hubby🔐❤️ - It's true, but I love you, though.

I love you too, papa. I'll talk to you later.

Hubby🔐❤️ - Okay, bye.

   Ending the call, I couldn't help but smile at my conversation with Leo. We may talk shit to each other and say fucked up things, but ultimately we love one another. When I pulled up to the Emerald Lounge, I parked next to Destini and stepped out of the car. Being the clingy best friend that I am, I grabbed Destini's hand and laced our fingers together because she's my bitch, and I love her.

"Hello, welcome to Emerald Lounge. How many are at your party?" A young hostess asked, politely smiling at us.

"Okay, if you ladies follow me." The hostess nodded, leading us to a table.

"Seven," I replied, leaning on Destini's shoulder.

"Thank you." I smiled, opening my menu.

As the hostess walked away, I scanned my menu and loved everything I was looking at. One thing that stood out to me was the ribeye steak—some time passed before a waiter came over to our table with a smile.

"Hello, welcome to The Emerald Lounge. Can I start you, ladies, off with drinks?" The waiter politely asked, pulling out his notepad, ready to write our orders.

"Bring us water for the table and give me a lemonade, please," I replied, smiling at the young man.

"You got it." He nodded before writing everyone else's drink orders down on his notepad.

   The waiter left the table, allowing us a few more minutes to review the menu to decide what we wanted to eat. Once he returned, I made up my mind about what I wanted to order. Everyone at the table told the young man what they wanted from the menu. When said waiter left, the six of us girls started talking about my wedding.

"I think I'm having the ceremony in Hawaii and the honeymoon in Bora Bora," I announced after some time.

"Why honeymoon in Bora Bora?" Mama Lina questioned, sipping her lemonade.

"Your son has been saying he wants to vacation there, so I'm like, why not have our honeymoon there and the ceremony in Hawaii," I explained, shrugging my shoulders. "It's a win for the both of us."

"Yea, that makes sense." She replied, nodding in agreement.

"Have you searched for honeymoon spots out there?" My mother asked, looking up from her phone.

"Yes. I already have it booked." I answered, pulling out my phone and showing her the pictures of my reserved bungalow.

"Oh, that's nice, and look at that water. It's so beautiful." My mother swooned, showing the pictures to Mama Lina.

"That is beautiful. Now I want to convince Saul to take me on vacation." Mama Lina laughed, looking at me.

"So far, there are great reviews on it," I replied, scrolling through the photos more. "We might have to take a second honeymoon there."

Laughter erupted at the table as we continued discussing the wedding. After a while, our waiter returned with our food. As I looked at my plate, my stomach instantly growled.

The seven of us chatted around the table, telling tales of old times. Mama Lina told us a funny embarrassing story about Leo that had me wanting to ask him about it later.

Unlocking the car door, I waved bye to my family and got in my vehicle. I started it up and headed to my house. When I arrived home, I saw Leo was still there. I thought he went to hang out with Marcos Kai. Maybe he decided to stay.

As I parked, I grabbed my food bag from the passenger seat and headed inside. The sound of music blaring throughout the house made my assumptions answered. Inside the living room, my fiancé sat on the couch playing his XBOX 360, blasting music. I sat my purse on the kitchen counter, snuck behind Leo, and kissed his cheek, making him jump to look at me.

"What the fuck, Erika? Don't sneak up on me and shit." My fiancé retorted, staring at me.

"Well, you shouldn't have music blaring off the walls," I replied, smiling at him. "So you've been playing the game since I left?"

"Yea, I didn't feel like doing anything today," Leo responded, returning to his game. "I just wanted to relax today."

"There's nothing wrong with that," I said, wrapping my right arm around his neck.

   I laid my head on Leo's shoulder, playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. His scent captivated me like always, sending shivers down my spine. I'd be lying if I said my pussy wasn't throbbing because I'm sure my panties are wet. Leo's mind was preoccupied with his game and didn't notice me peppering kisses down his neck. Or so I thought.

"Erika, stop." I hear Leo groan, trying to hold his composure.

"Oh, come on. You don't want to play with me?" I questioned innocently, staring up at him. I could tell Leo was thinking about it.

   Resting my chin on his shoulder, I grinned as I played with his bottom lip. Leo was shirtless, so I wrapped my arms around his midsection and shifted to straddle his lap. He couldn't see the tv and tried to look around me since I was in his sights. I huffed, grabbing Leo's face and making him look into my eyes.

"What do you want, Erika?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"I want you to take me upstairs and fuck me." I said, running my hand up his naked chest.

"Hmm, I thought I was on cookie strike." Leo said, taking off his headphones.

"I'm giving you a free pass here." I whined, throwing my head back.

"Only when it's convenient for you." He remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, you're off." I groaned, giving my fiancé the answer I knew he wanted to hear.

"For how long?" He questioned, staring at me with lust clouding his chocolate brown eyes.

"For good unless you piss me off again," I replied, poking my bottom lip out.

   As my fiancé and I had a stare-down, I could see the wheels spinning in his head. Suddenly Leo tossed me over his left shoulder as he carried me upstairs to our bedroom. I felt my body hit the mattress, making me giggle. He wasted no time pulling my jeans and panties off, exposing my wet sex. Glancing into my lust-filled eyes, Leo stuck his thick tongue out and teasingly swirled it around my clit.

I wasn't in a teasing mood, but this fucker decided to play games with me. Leo's devious tongue swiped through my slippery folds, making me moan. My hand held the back of Leo's head, pushing his mouth deeper between my legs while grinding my sweet pussy on his skilled tongue.

"Fuck, Daddy! Yes!" I moaned out as my fiancé sucked on my sensitive clit.

My back arched, my toes curled, and my chest heaved as Leo worked me over and over with his mouth and had my pussy dripping on the bed. Feeling his deep baritone groans vibrate through my body had my insides clenching. My body felt on fire, and my thighs started shaking, signaling I was on the verge of a powerful orgasm. The intense ringing in my ears grew louder, making my head spin. Leo kept going at it, sucking and licking on my honey pot as my loud cries bounced off the walls as I came undone.

My orgasm hit me so hard that my thighs snapped shut around Leo's head. He continues sucking overstimulating me causing my body to shake. Leo's strong hands caressed my hips as he pried my legs open, groping my breasts through my top. His fingers trailed underneath my top and pinched my sensitive nipples. The next to come off was my shirt and my fiancé wasted no time attacking my hard pebbles.

My soon-to-be husband's mouth leaves scorching hot kisses in their wake as he hovers over my lips.

"You taste so fucking good, mamí," Leo said, against my lips, hovering over mine teasingly. His eyes were low and heated, as he stared into my eyes. "But I hope you're ready for what I'm about to do to you."

Leo's POV

Smiling Erika smashed her lips to mine in a heated kiss, our tongues clashing together. I pulled away, tapping my fiancé on her thigh signaling her to turn over on her stomach. While she flipped on her knees, lifting her ass high in the air I took off my sweatpants and boxers. The sight before me was every man's dream. A tight wet pussy ready for the taking.

As I situated behind Erika I rubbed my hands all over her juicy ass. It looked incredible–delectable if you like to say. Ever since we got together in middle school I watched it grow and get fatter. I couldn't believe I had the sexiest fiancé and soon-to-be wife in the world. No one and I mean no one could come between the two of us.

Erika arched her back deeper pushing back against me. She started shaking her ass on me and I could help myself in reaching out and smacking each cheek.

"Mm, you love to rile me up huh?" I questioned, biting my lip as I watched her pussy lips spread apart. I brought my hand down on her ass cheek again admiring the way it had a ripple effect.

"Maybe." Erika purred, glancing at me over her shoulder.

Nodding my head I smirked as I stroked my hard dick. I lined it up with her soaking cunt and slammed into her when she least expected it. The sound that came out of Erika's mouth fueled me. Her pretty pussy stretched open to fit me inside of it as I filled her to the hilt. My hands gripped her hips and I started clapping my fiancé's beautiful ass.

Erika's ass rippled with every stroke I gave her. All she could do was moan as she reached back to get me to slow down or stop, but I wasn't. "Remember you asked for this."

"Oh shit! Yes! Fuck me, Daddy!" Erika cried out, clawing at the sheets.

Her pussy felt so good clenching around me, juices making my dick glisten. Reaching down I placed my hand on the back of Erika's neck and pushed her down to the mattress. My fiancé's ass slapped against my pelvis sounding like gunshots going off.

"Fuck I love it when you take this dick, mami." I groaned, watching her pussy cream around me.

I swear on everything I loved that Erika had some extraordinary pussy that had me ready to get on my fucking knees and meow like a cat. No one on this earth could come between me and her. I'd die before ANYONE takes her away from me. I'm glad that I could call her my soon-to-be wife and marry her.

Lifting my leg on the bed, I wrapped my hand around Erika's throat and fucked her like a little slut. Like I knew she wanted. She choked on her moans as I gave her every inch of me.

"I'm cuming Daddy! F-Fuck right there." Erika cried out as her tight pussy gushed around me.

My fiancé's honey pot squirted like a fountain pushing me out of her. I laughed taking my fingers and rubbing her sensitive clit causing her to gush more, soaking the bed beneath us.

"That's it, baby." I laughed as her body shook.

Her thighs trembled as she moved on her side trying to catch her breath. I smirked thinking that she thought she was finished but I had another thing for her. Grabbing Erika by her ankle, I pulled her to the edge of the bed making her squeal and spread her legs open. I rubbed the tip through Erika's tight wet lips and reveled in her whimper as I eased myself inside her. She let out a broken moan as I buried my dick deep inside her pussy.

Erika let out a broken sob as I pressed against her cervix. I rested my forehead against hers as I tried controlling my breathing. It didn't help that she clenched around me tight.

"Shit ma you gon' snatch my shit off," I grunted, hooking her legs on my forearms and pinning my hands by her head.

"You're so deep Daddy! So fucking deep." Erika gasped, staring into my eyes as lust clouded hers. "It feels so good."

I thrust in and out of Erika, splitting her tight pussy in half. She felt so good, and her body against mine had me ready to bust already. Although we've been together for a while I would've never gotten over how good she felt. After having sex with her after a date back in high school I was hooked.

"Mmh fuck, baby." I moaned, feeling her walls clench around me. Her nails scratching down my back added fuel to my stamina as I pounded inside of her.

Reaching between us I rubbed her clit making her gasp. "Oh my god, you're making me cum again!"

Her tight walls spasm around me as her orgasm hits her making me groan. "Shit ma I'm so ready to bust inside you."

"F-Fuck please!" She begged as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Feeling that coil inside me begging to unravel I gripped my fiancé by the throat and pounded her out. All she could do was lay there and take it like a good slut.

"Shit, you feel so good around me!" I breathlessly moaned, feeling her thighs beginning to shake as the tip of my dick abused her cervix repeatedly.

With the way, Erika kept clenching around me and that coil within me snapped I nutted inside of her, painting her walls with my seed. I stayed nestled inside of her to make sure my cum reached her cervix. When I slowly pulled out of her some of it leaked out making me smirk.

"Okay get off of me," Erika remarked, gently pushing me.

"I hope you know I'm not finished with you yet," I replied, looking at her as she held a surprised look. "In five minutes I'll be ready to empty another load again."

"I can't stand you," Erika stated, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, you asked for it," I replied, walking into the bathroom and running us a shower.

"I'M NOT EVEN OVULATING!" I hear Erika yell from the bed.

Walking to the room I grabbed Erika by her ankle and housed her over my shoulders. "Oh well." I laughed as she kicked her feet like a child.

Deep down I know for a fact that Erika wants a baby as much as I do. I was glad that eventually, I would share that experience with her and ONLY her.

[bucky-barnes-diaries]

The Office

Pairing; CEO+Dad’s Best Friend!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Summary; You and Bucky fuck for the very first time in his office at the company’s building.

Word Count; 4574

Warnings; NSFW, 18+, Minors DNI, undefined age-gap, “cheating”, language, cursing, Sir!kink, dirty talk, pet names, slight degradation, hair pulling, oral (male receiving), face-fucking, spitting, fingering, teasing, orgasm denial, unprotected sex, creampie, mention of bodily fluids.

Authors Note; I can’t get enough of CEO+DBF!Bucky so this will be the first of many fics like this! I hope people will like it and be interested in more! Jesus I need to bathe in holy water now. Hope you all enjoy <3

Main Masterlist || CEO+DBF Bucky Barnes Masterlist

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Bucky had begun texting you while sitting in a meeting with your dad and some of the company's other employees. You weren't doing anything important, just at home reading a book, so you were more than happy to text back and forth with him. The meeting was relatively standard and straightforward, it wasn't too much of an importance, so it allowed Bucky to talk with you without feeling guilty while the rest of them sorted out the details. Once in a while, he would chime in with his views and opinions. The text messages were pretty innocent, to begin with. The standard “hello” and “what you are up to” was exchanged between the two of you before more of the dirtier stuff ensued.

You thought about it for a second before you sent him an answer. You and Bucky had started fucking around a few weeks ago. You had met him when your parents had friends and colleagues over for a grand party like they had most of the time. You had just moved back home after living on your own in another city for three years, so this was your first time seeing Bucky in person. You had heard a lot about him and seen pictures when he started working with your dad, and they had formed a tight friendship, but you had never met him in person. He was even more handsome than what the pictures could show when you got introduced to him, and you had started to take a liking to him instantly. He had done as well because not even a week after you met, you and he had started a relationship. To begin with, it was only fucking around, but as the weeks went by, you felt like there may be more to it; sparks were felt between the two of you. None of you had done anything about it yet, mainly because it wouldn’t be received well by the public, your family most likely would disapprove and because of his wife Natalie and her whole family.

Which you didn’t find wrong at all that he was “cheating” on her with you. They both hated each other’s guts and would more than anything like getting a divorce. Bucky had told you that she had cheated on him multiple times, and he had done as well with her, but they played the happy couple when they were out in public because of their families. They got married at a very young age because their families are rich and powerful and wanted their kids to get together, so they are now stuck in this toxic relationship together. But soon, you and Bucky would have to decide where the next step of the relationship would go. Would you continue to sneak around, or would you form a proper relationship and come out for the whole wide world? It was only a matter of time before you needed to decide.

You and he would primarily meet up on neutral grounds. In his car or a hotel but on a few occasions, you had fucked in his or your parent's house in your room. This would be the first time you had done it where he worked; you assumed it would be in his office. It would be risky, but the thought about him taking you hard against every surface had your thighs clenching in need of him.

A soft whimper escaped your parted lips at his promise to fuck your brains out. He was never afraid to be direct with you about his needs and feelings. He always meant what he said, and that was one of your favorite things about him. You could always trust that he would be true to his words.

It would take you about 30 minutes to get over there, so you needed to leave right now. You did a quick freshen up before you called a taxi to get you over to the company’s building. Being in the car gave you time to think this through. You weren't sure how you and he would pull this off. Everyone would see if you entered his office and then wonder what was taking so long and what in the hell you guys were doing in there. In their eyes, you and Bucky weren't even friends. You barely spoke with one another when other people were around, as not to raise any suspicion. For them, you were the boss's daughter while Bucky was his partner, and nothing was going on between you two; besides, Bucky had his “loving” wife, Natalie.

The building stood tall as you arrived. Clouds were teasing rain, and it was a bit cold. The skirt you were wearing made your body chilly, but you kept it on for Bucky's sake. You looked up at the structure before you went through the main entrance. The security guards and the workers at the reception greeted you as everyone was well aware of who you were. You all greeted them with a smile as you walked towards the elevators. Entering the elevator, you became impatient as it took its time to travel up the floors to the main offices in the building. Your legs were uneasy as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other. A thin layer of sweat formed on your hairline as you came up with scenarios with how you and Bucky could get caught. You shook your head, trying to get those thoughts down. You trusted Bucky, and besides, this was something you wanted to try out.

When you arrived at the floor, and the door slid open, you saw your dad, Bucky, and some of the employees coming out of one of the conference rooms. The meeting must have just finished. As you walked over, you tried to put on a smile to mask your nervousness. None of them had seen you yet, except for Bucky. He had you in his sight out of the corner of his eye, a slight smirk on his face as he saw you strutting over. You came to stand between him and your dad.

Bucky couldn’t have been more subtle with staring you up and down; your dad was standing right there after all. His tongue darting out between his lips to wet them, clearly having an image on his head about you bent over at his mercy.

“Hi, dad! Mr. Barnes, it's nice to see you again.”

Bucky gave you a simple nod of his head, acting like he isn't just about to have his way with you in his office with your dad not having a clue about what a whore his sweet and innocent daughter is, “pleasure seeing you again.”

“Sweetheart,” your dad gave you a one-arm hug as he had a smile on his face at his daughter visiting him at work, “what are you doing here?”

“I was in the area and thought I could drop by before moving on with my day.”

“Aw, honey. I wish I could spend some time with you, but we have a meeting again in 30 minutes.”

“It's alright, dad. I'm on my way out again anyways. Have some errands to run,” you lied.

“Excuse me, sweetheart.” He turned to say something to the others. While everyone had their attention on your dad, you turned slightly towards Bucky to give him a “chill out” look. The outfit you were wearing had him on edge and excited to have you in his office as soon as possible. Since the crowd was paying attention to your dad, it allowed Bucky to give you some instructions. He leaned in a little closer to you, but not too close in case someone saw.

“Here,” he slipped you his card, the card for the private elevator he had that went from the parking lot and up to his office, “take the elevator. No one is going to see you. Also, I want you to have your panties off before you come upstairs. You got it?”

You swallowed down the lump in your throat. Your body felt hot and warm. The palms of your hands had a thin layer of sweat on them as you took the card from him. Your heart was hammering against your chest. This was really about to happen.

“Y-yes, Sir.”

“Good girl.”

Like clockwork, your dad turned around towards you again just as Bucky leaned away from your body. “Well, I'll see you when I get home later, sweetheart.” He went to hug you again, and you returned the action.

“Bye, dad. Bye, Mr. Barnes, I'll see you around.”

Everyone said their goodbyes to you before you left. You went out of the building and around it to where the cars went down into the parking lot. Once down there, you made sure that no one was around to see you before you scanned the card for the elevator. The journey up to his office gave you the opportunity to take your panties off. You held them in your hand as you almost bounced up and down in fear and excitement for what was in store for you when you reached his floor.

When the elevator reached the office, and the doors opened, you saw that Bucky was waiting for you, his back facing you. He was staring out the big windows that decorated almost his entire office room.

“Did you take your panties off as I told you to do?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He turned around so he could be met with you. His tongue wetting his lips as he beckoned with his finger for you to come over to him, “get over here now.” Not even thinking for another second, you were quick to stand by his side by the window, waiting for further instructions he had to give you.

“Give them to me,” the palm of his hand was held out for you to hand them over to him. With shaking hands, you handed them over, and he opened his suit jacket to put them in the inside pocket so he could keep a hold of them.

“Is someone going to come in?”

“Shh,” his hand came to caress the side of your face—his thumb stroking your cheek. The simple action had you relax a tiny bit. “Don't worry. I locked the door, and besides, I told them not to disturb me. Do you trust me?”

“I do, Bucky. With my life.”

“Well then,” his finger pointed down to the floor, and you knew immediately what he was getting at, “get down on your knees for me.”

In front of the window of all things?! For everyone to see? But frankly, you didn't care. Let them see it all. You would give them all a good show. Besides, they wouldn't be able to know that it's you because the next building over was some distance away. All you cared about was to have his dick in your mouth right now and nothing else.

Like second nature, you quickly sank on your knees where you had spent more than once worshiping his cock, and this wouldn't be the last one either. He looked down at you, his eyes dark with desire at you being so easily submissive to him. His tongue peeked out from his mouth at you on your knees for him.

His thumb traced your lips as his other hand was palming the bulge in his pants. You granted him access into your mouth as you sucked and swirled your tongue on his digit.

“I can't wait to have your lips wrapped around me, kitten. Do you want me to fuck your mouth?”

You nodded your head and released his thumb from your mouth, “please, Bucky, I want it so bad.”

Your eyes followed his hands, your lips parted, as he undid his belt and pulled down his suit pants along with his underwear. Coming face to face with his dick, ready to be sucked by you. You wrapped your hand around his shaft and looked up at him through your lashes, waiting so that he could give your permission at proceeding, knowing how much he loved it when you waited for him to provide you with a green light.

“Suck it, baby girl.”

You opened your mouth to swirl your tongue around his head before you wrapped your lips around him so you could suck on his mushroom tip, your tongue teasing him. You could see that he was becoming impatient, so you engulfed him halfway through while massaging his balls in your hand. The action had his hand fist in your hair, making a gasp being sounded against him by you, as an exhale of satisfaction escaped him.

He needed more, so with the help of his hand in your hair, he pushed his dick further into your mouth till the tip of him reached the back of your throat, making you gag around him. The vibrations from your mouth had him shiver all over. Your eyes were watering as saliva started coming out the side of your mouth. Looking directly up into his eyes as you took whatever was left of him the best you could and bobbed your head on him, watching as his eyes struggled to stay open to watch how good you were taking him down your throat.

“F-fuck. That's so good, baby. You love sucking my cock don't you, pretty girl, hm? Such a good girl for me, aren't you?”

His dirty talk turned you on, and all you wanted to do was touch yourself at his words. You released him from your hold. Saliva was hanging from your mouth, and his dick was glistening all in it. Your hand jerked him off so you could answer his question, your voice almost like honey as you spoke. The wetness from you made it easy to glide your hand effortlessly on him.

“Yes, Sir.”

A deep groan was sounded from within his chest at the nickname he loved to be called by you. You on your knees so pretty and messy for him had his dick twitch in your grasp.

“Good, baby. Look at you. Such a beautiful mess for me, kitten.”

“Only for you, Sir.”

His head leaned back some as you took him in your mouth again. Your mouth is an expert at taking the whole of him. “Fuck, I'm gonna cum. Do you want me to cum in your mouth, baby girl?” He asked while slowly thrusting his length in and out of it. All you could do was moan, letting him know that you wanted to taste him.

He picked up his speed and fucked your mouth, making you gag around him each time his tip tickled the back of your throat, and you loved every second of it. His hands came at the side of your face so he could hold you steady as he used your warm and wet hole as he pleased. The sloppy sounds of your mouth, your gags, and moans around him only enticed him even more to reach his end.

His thrusts became uneven, and not a second later, he came deep in your throat. Sounds of pleasure dissolved in the office space as your mouth took all that he had to offer. You swallowed around him, milking him for all that he was worth, as you moaned at his delicious taste. You didn't pull away from him until he had spilled every drop in you.

“Show me your mouth.”

Pulling away from him, you opened it to show him all of the cum. He learned down till his face was inches from you and proceeded to spit in your opening. The action had your desperate clit pulsating.

“Can you swallow all of that for me?”

Closing your mouth, you swallowed all of him, his cum and spit, and opened up once more to show him what a good girl you had been at drinking all that he gave you. His hand was petting your hair as a sign of appreciation for you being so amazing for him.

“Such a dirty girl. Was that good? You love the taste of me, don't you, doll?”

“Mhm, yes,” you responded while licking your lips. Your hand was jerking him off again as you couldn't get enough of the feel of him. Your words and actions had him lean back some.

“You've been such a good girl, and I want to give you a treat. Do you want it?”

His words went directly to your tingling clit, and you needed to push your thighs together to get some form of friction down there.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Get on all fours on the couch, with your ass facing the desk.”

You got up and walked over the few meters to the couch, taking off your skirt and sweater until you were only in your bra, and then got in the position as he had wanted from you. He went over to his desk to have a better view of you—leaning on it as his hands held the edge of it. You supported yourself on your elbows as you pushed your ass up and out, earning a groan from Bucky.

“Like this?”

“Just like that. Now touch yourself for me.”

Pushing two of your fingers inside your mouth to get them wet before your hand went underneath you to circle your aching and needy clit, letting out a sigh of relief at being able to feel something finally. You pushed the two fingers inside of you, letting out a low moan and they stretched and penetrated your tightness, closing your legs some at the feeling. It was nothing like Bucky's fingers or dick, but it would have to do for now. You started to move them in and out of your tight pussy, going at a slow pace, to begin with.

Bucky hadn't said anything yet, so he must be enjoying the show you were putting on for him. He let out a moan just as you turned your head to find him pumping his shaft while watching you intensely as you pleasured yourself. Your teeth captured your bottom lip at the sight of him.

“Fuck, kitten.”

You pulled your fingers out and started circling your clit again, whimpering as you were close to your orgasm. The two of you held eye contact as you watched each other.

“So good, Bucky.”

“You're such a good girl, baby. Showing me how you touch yourself. Is this how you look when you're in your room late at night? Touching yourself like this while thinking of me?”

“Mhm, yes.” His words made your fingers move rapidly into your tightness again, wanting to get to that sweet release you were craving desperately.

“Fuck, I'm gonna cum; please can I cum, Sir?” You pleaded, needing to get some form of relief. Tears were teasing to spill out of your eyes if you didn't get your way soon.

“No! Stop!” He didn't want you to cum just yet. Whining at his words but complying anyway, you knew you needed to listen to him, so you brought your fingers out of your hole and into your mouth to suck your juices off. You tried as best as possible to hold eye contact with him as you sucked and swirled your tongue around your digits, moaning at your own taste, as you swayed your ass from side to side for him.

“Fuck me, Sir, please.” He didn't hesitate for one second in getting behind your bent-down form at the speed of lightning. One of his hands caressed and grabbed one of your ass cheeks before it landed on your hip to hold a tight grip on it while the other held his shaft as he teased your fold with the tip of him.

“Please, Bucky, don't tease.”

“I'll give you what you want, doll.”

He slowly pushed himself in your warmth, wanting you to feel all of him. The feeling of fullness almost had you cumming right then and there. He filled you up to the brim, wanting you to feel all that he had to give, and you weren't one bit disappointed. He pulled out till only his tip was inside you before he slowly pushed himself into you again, doing this a few times to get you familiar with the feeling. He just wanted to cum right then and there at the tightness of your walls clenching around his throbbing dick.

“Bucky, please go faster. Fuck me, please,” you whimpered out, wanting him to fuck you completely senseless.

His thrusts were hard and fast as he fucked you into the couch, hips slapping against your backside, making you jolt forwards with each move of him. Your mouth hung open as silent screams came out of it.

“This pussy feels so incredible. Fuck, so tight.”

His hands held your sides while his fingernails dug in your skin, creating dents. He moaned out as he watched his dick disappear into your hole with every move of his hips. Your head was buzzing, and your face was buried deep in the cushions at the intense pleasure Bucky was giving you. “Oh god, please don't stop, babe,” you pleaded of him.

Bucky took a fistful of your hair, pulling your head back, making your back arch. You bit your lip at his rough and dominants actions. The hand in your hair and his abusive thrusts was too much and so intense, but you loved it to the fullest. Tears came out of your eyes as he was taking you so good from behind.

“You like this? Don't you, baby? You like when I fuck your tight and pretty pussy?” Take what belongs to me? Hm? Letting me fuck you like a whore while your dad is just down the hall?”

Your head was foggy from the incredible fucking he was giving you. The lack of answer from you had him unsatisfied, so he smacked your ass cheek hard, making you squeal out at the pain.

“Answer me!”

“Y-yes… I love your cock fucking my tight little pussy. Please don't stop, baby.”

“Such a good whore for me. I'm not gonna stop, kitten, I promise.”

The thought that your dad and everyone else that worked in the building was just out the door, not having a clue as to what was going on in Buckys office, was so intoxicating—not knowing that Bucky was having at it with the boss's daughter.

You turned your head, at the best of your abilities, to look at him. His eyes were shut tight, and his face in pure concentration as he moved his body against yours. He met your gaze, both of you looking at each other as you neared your orgasm. One of your hands grabbed onto his forearm that had a tight grip on your hip. His other went underneath you to play and tease your clit.

“Please, Bucky, I need to cum. I need you to fill me up, please.” The pathetic pleas for him to fill up your pussy was what brought forward his release and made him finish deep inside of you.

His seed filling you up was what brought forth your own release. The way your walls became tighter around him had his hips snap rapidly against you as he gave you all of his cum. Moans and soft whimpers on a loop by the both of you as the pleasure overtook all your senses. Bucky thrust through both of your orgasms, not stopping until you were both satisfied.

Your face was in the cushions as you tried to slow down your breathing. Bucky caressed your sides and peppered kisses all over your lower back. Praises being given to you for being such a good girl to him.

“You're so good to me, beautiful.”

He pulled out of your hole. The two of you hissing out as you both felt overly sensitive. Bucky helped to clean both of you up with a few wipes he kept on his desk. He made sure you were ok before he went over to the windows to grab his underwear and pants, pulling them on where he stood.

You put your skirt and sweater on and fixed yourself up as you sat and watched him get ready. God, he looked so handsome that it had your stomach burst out in butterflies. Now all you wanted was for him to hoist you up on his desk and take you hard against it. But you saw him have a look at his watch, his eyebrows furrowed together.

“The meetings in five.”

He came over to you just as you were getting up. You hissed out as your body felt sore and spent up, but good regardless.

“Are you ok? Did I do too much?”

That was Bucky for you. Always worried that he had gone overboard, but you always reassured him that you had enjoyed yourself.

His hands came to rest at the side of your face, looking you up and down to make sure you were all good. Your own hands went over his ones.

“Hey, I'm alright. Just a little sore, but you know I loved it, and I can handle it, Bucky.”

“I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“I'm all good, babe, I swear.”

You took his face in your hands now as his ones traveled down to the small of your back so he could pull you flush against his body. His face leaned down some so he could capture your lips with his, giving you one of his sweetest kisses. His face moved down to suck and lick at the side of your neck in the most loving way.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he reached into the pocket of his jacket to retrieve your panties, ”I believe these belong to you.” That cocky smile of his decorated his face as the panties dangled from his finger. Right. You had almost forgotten about those. “Thanks.” You took them and slid them up your legs.

“I wish you could stay longer. There are more surfaces in this office I would love to take you against.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck as he held you close. You would love nothing more than to stay here and let him have his way with you, but you knew that he needed to attend the meeting because if not, people would come knocking on his door, wondering where he is.

“I know, me too, but you know my dad is going to come knocking on the door and wonder where you are if you don't show up.”

“Yeah, I know. C'mon, I'll walk you out,”

He followed you to the elevator so he could say goodbye to you. A kiss and a hug were shared amongst you before the elevator dinged that it had arrived.

“We can meet later tonight if you want? Natalie is going out; God knows where, so we can stay at my place this time.” He asked you. “Whatever you want, just let me know, ok?” “I would like that, Bucky. I’ll let you know when.”

You stepped inside of it and pressed the button to go down. A smile on both of your faces as you gazed at each other the few seconds you had before the doors slid shut.

“I’ll miss you, doll.”

“I'll miss you more, Sir.”

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[whispering-about-loki]

A Little theory regarding the Loki series

Warning! Image-heavy!

I am going to preface this by saying that this won’t happen. Well, maybe it won’t. Most of it won’t. Maybe some of it will. So SPOILER warning, in case it does. 

I’ll put some of my thought process in a note at the end.

---------

After Loki is arrested and brought before court to be charged for his part in certain time crimes, Mobius M. Mobius takes him “somewhere to talk”. He shows Loki snippets of how his life would have gone if he hadn’t skipped out with the Tesseract, then he tells him that he needs his help. Someone has been causing changes throughout history, making a myriad of variant timelines. Mobius believes that someone is taking advantage of their position in the TVA to cause this chaos; but his superiors refuse to believe that any of their ranks would behave in such a manner. So Mobius figures that if you want to handle chaos, you need to embrace chaos, and without consulting his superiors about it, he offers the God of Mischief a deal: help him find and bring back the rogue agent, and Loki will get his freedom. 

It is, of course, against the rules; but Mobius is willing to bend the rules a bit, if it means ending the time incidents. Loki agrees, thinking he will be able to use the situation to escape. But Mobius understands Loki’s thought process and warns him that if he strays from his assignment, he will be brought right back to the TVA. Loki being Loki, though, does try to skip out; but after he is zipped right back to the TVA a couple times, he doesn’t try it again.

Loki then does what he agreed to, slipping through time with Mobius and looking for the cause of the chaos. Disconcertingly, though, Loki’s power and strength begin to diminish, to the point where simple attacks he should have been able to easily counter are enough to take him down. Mobius says he doesn’t know why it is happening.

After a while Mobius's superiors suspect he is up to something, so he begins sending Loki out on his own, staying behind at the TVA to keep the others off his trail. Loki still doesn't like being in someone's "servant", and he resents being kept on such a tight temporal leash; but he continues reporting back to Mobius. While on assignments, Loki occasionally ends up preventing disasters that the “Agent of Chaos” had set in motion; though he also can’t help but make some “small” changes to the timeline, himself.

Mobius tells him to be more careful, or he might cause unforeseen effects. When Loki scoffs at this, Mobius asks him if he wants to see the world where he “won” the battle of New York. Mobius doesn’t wait for Loki’s answer, but immediately ships Loki off to an apocalyptic-looking New York City. When Loki gets there, the air is cold to the point where he can see his own breath, and it is utterly silent. A result, it appears, of not only the Chitauri attack, but of the bomb that the Humans used to try to wipe out the invading army. Apparently, the only ones that got wiped out were the Humans -- Avengers and all.

Loki wanders around the desolation for a while, until he is at last found by a roving group of ragged men. They seem to recognize him and he is brought to the leader of the city, who happens to be himself. Boss-Loki has gone a bit around the bend, though. He has been stuck in this place for years since the attack, and has carved himself out a little “kingdom” in the ruins, based in an old arcade. Our Loki is shocked and almost disgusted to see how far he has fallen. When Boss-Loki’s men turn on him because of this other Loki’s presence, though, our Loki gets caught up in the fighting. He calls out to Mobius that he has made his point, and to get him out of there.

Loki goes on doing his “job” then, being more careful with time. At long last, he finds a strange object at the scene of one of the chaotic events, and he brings it back to Mobius, who recognizes it as something he had taken from one of the young agent recruits, a girl named Sylvie. Mobius explains that some of the agents in the TVA are clones (like himself), but that some are recruited at a young age by the TVA because they show special abilities. Sometimes these recruitments occur from outside the main timeline, which is where they found Sylvie. Not only was she a gifted individual, but the TVA records showed that she should not have existed in the first place; so they took her in to train her, and also so that her presence would not disrupt the flow of time. 

Mobius and Loki go to confront her in her room, but she is gone. Mobius feels responsible because it was he that “recruited” Sylvie. Additionally, he knew that she had a habit of slipping through time on “joy rides” and coming back with souvenirs, which was strictly against the rules. She always seemed innocent, though, so he went easy on her about it. Hidden in a drawer in her room, they find other “souvenirs”, and Loki notes that some of them have Asgardian runes on them. Mobius says that Sylvie is human, according to her genetic code, so he doesn’t understand what she is doing with the runes. 

As they ponder the meaning of this, an alarm sounds in the TVA headquarters, and they know something terrible is happening in some variant timeline. They leave Sylvie’s room to try to get to the portals to take them to the time-incident; but on the way, some TVA agents try to stop them. They claim that Loki is the rogue element that has been causing all of the chaos, and that he needs to be “erased” as soon as possible. 

Mobius pretends to be on the agents' side, then sets them off-guard so Loki can get to the scene of chaos. After fighting his way through the Minutemen that are guarding the portals, Loki arrives when/where Sylvie is--at a quarry mine--the moon is shattered and the fragments are falling to the Earth. 

Loki runs to get to safety, and the ground opens up as the mine before him collapses, blocking him off from the now-adult Sylvie, who is staring up at the falling moon. She turns and looks at him just as the ground completely falls out from underneath him.

Suddenly the world around him stills and he lands hard on the ground. He struggles to his feet and looks up to see that everything has frozen around him. As he is standing there, gaping in disbelief, he turns and sees Sylvie standing beside him. She is wearing clothing very similar to his old Asgardian outfit, and she is smiling at the destruction and chaos before them.

“Hello, Father,” she says. “Have I made you proud?”

-------

-------

Notes: 

SPOILERS below.

My main thought was that since Cailey Fleming is listed as playing “Young Sylvie”, that would imply the presence of an older Sylvie. Otherwise, she would have been listed as “Sylvie”. Sylvie Lushton being the girl that Loki, in the comics, empowered and/or created, and who later became a version of Enchantress. 

That is who I think Sophia Di Martino is playing as an adult, rather than Lady Loki, like I used to think. Her hair is the wrong color to be Loki, for one thing; and she has been shown filming in the same location as Tom Hiddleston, who was wearing an Agent outfit at the time. I’m not gonna put the set photos here, but you know the ones... the pictures where she is wearing just about the same outfit as Loki has in the past. And we know that this character is the one that is causing the chaos, because in those set photos she is wearing a certain pair of boots and fingerless gloves, both of which are freeze-frame bonusses on the “mystery figure” in the trailer (when she drops the lantern and lifts her hands to her hood).

I’d also like to point out that she is wearing what appears to be a sword on her hip:

Anyway, I figure it goes something like this: 

Sylvie exists because another version of Loki had adopted her when he discovered that she had talents close to his own. He had begun training her how to use magic; but he was not so good a teacher as Frigga was, and the training was complicated by her wily and independent nature. Loki in that timeline died, though, leaving Sylvie alone. 

The TVA (specifically, Mobius) took her in, but because of her abilities, she was naturally able to slip through time, create illusions, age herself up and down, etc. Eventually, she decided she would “make her father proud” by sowing chaos. The thing is, she has grown stronger and more chaotic since Loki showed up at the TVA, because she has been inadvertently drawing his power and life force from him -- basically depowering him to charge herself up (c’mon... he gets laid out by a Roomba...). In fact, the draining of his life-force was what killed her “father” in her own timeline, though she didn’t know it.

Additionally (and on another note), the Loki series is said to be a “crime thriller” with sci-fi aspects; so while Loki tracking down a rogue time-agent seems to be a pretty straightforward idea, it could be given a nice twist at the end by having the rogue element not be an agent, but someone of Loki’s own making. And it would be one hell of a cliffhanger for the next season.

And... that’s all I got for now.

[melancholyofeos]

Forever and Ever (Tsukishima Kei x Reader)

A/N: This might be triggering for some audience. Reader's discretion is advised.

Forever and Ever (Tsukishima Kei x Suicidal!Fem Reader)

Word Count: 2,652

Tsukishima's Point of View

The number you have dialed cannot be reached, please try again later.

Shit! Why is she not answering her phone?! My heart beating fast, I ran towards the parking lot of our building. I knew something was off! Why did I even go to work?!

I walked towards the car, slamming the door open frantically. The moment I sat in the driver's seat, I immediately put the key in the ignition. Not bothering to put my seat belt on, I drove fast out of the parking lot to get home.

I floored the acceleration pedal and drove off into the street. The sky glowing a faint orange color, the sun started to set. The darkness slowly enveloping the sky, my car drove thread through the busy street full of passersby.

I can't help but reminisce all the time Y/N and I have spent together. It might be out of character for me to say this but our past feels like once upon a time.

I sighed. I get that having a part-time job is hard but I didn't know it would be this hectic. Who the hell let all these people in, anyway? The coffee shop is packed today, probably because it's the week before the exam.

"Miss, can I sit here?" I heard a man said on the other side of the room. He was asking the girl who's sitting by the window.

"Oh... Uhm... I'm sorry but I don't want to." She thought long hard. It looks like she doesn't want to but also didn't want to offend the guy. "What a fucking bitch. It's not like I'm asking for anything else." The man raised his voice.

Some people prefer their space, and this guy is just plainly crossing the line. I don't want to do extra work but the sight is bothering me. I went over and approached them.

"Hey, no need to raise your voice. The lady said she doesn't want to, now back off." I said, glaring at the guy. "Is this what the employees in this coffee shop do? Let me talk to the manager."

I rolled my eyes at him and replied. "Is this what shitty customers do? Go ahead and call the manager since you're already talking to him." I smirked at him and crossed my arms.

The crowd inside the coffee shop gave him dirty looks and he looked humiliated. Out of defeat, he walked through the small coffee shop and headed outside.

The girl bowed herself slightly and muttered, "Thank you."

"It's nothing," I replied and went back to my work. After I got the orders of the people in line and delivered them on the back of the cashier and the others got to work.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I looked to my side and saw Daichi-san giving me a thumbs up. "You did great out there." He smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry for saying I was the manager. I just-"

"It's nothing, Tsukishima. I'm impressed. You would make a good manager." He said. Daichi-san is also a part-timer. He's older than me for two years and is graduating this year.

I gave him a firm nod and went to do other tasks like delivering the coffees to the customers' table. The girl who was harassed earlier sat quietly as she reads over her notes.

I can't help but look over her way as I pass through the tables of the coffee shop. Ugh, Kei, what are you doing?

The girl didn't leave, even when my shift's almost over. She's not the usual customers that we have here, the kind that orders one cup of coffee and stays for the whole day. She orders almost every hour, mostly snacks. But she is drinking a lot of coffee.

By the time my shift ended, she stood up and left.

Coincidentally, this happened every day. She would hang around the coffee shop for a whole day on weekends and a few hours on weekdays. Another coincidence is that she always goes home by the time my shift is over.

One day, I came in late and saw her already seated on her usual spot. This might be my imagination but her face lighted up when she saw my face. We made eye contact for a few seconds before she turned away and looked at her notes again.

This baffled me for the whole day. Was she interested in me? Or maybe my mind's just playing games? The whole day, we would lock gaze every time each one of us came into sight.

I'll be lying if I said I didn't feel nervous and my heart didn't beat faster.

By the time my shift ended that weekend, she stood up and fixed her things, and head over to the door. Before she could reach the door handle, I ran to her and caught her by the wrist.

She looked at me with her beautiful eyes. Curiously, she looked at my hand and her face grew hot. Feeling awkward, I let go and bowed.

"W-What is it?" She asked softly. I gazed at her and tried to form words but I was a stuttering mess. Kei, when did you become this way?

"I-I was thinking if maybe... we could hang out sometime?" Damn it! That's too straightforward! I should've been more civil. She might reject me because I asked this stupid question.

She looked at me with her (eye color) orbs and gave me a sweet smile.

"I would like that." And then she left.

And so we did. We hang out the day after. And then the day after, and then the day after. Being around her felt comfortable and somehow, familiar. She feels like home. I've never clicked with someone like this. The last time I found someone who felt right was when I befriended my best friend, Tadashi.

Two years later, I graduated from college. We were together for those two years. I'm older by a year and so, she's still in college. In our first year as a couple, we moved in together. It was rushed, but it felt right.

Now, I'm heading over to our apartment out of alarm because of the message she sent me a few minutes ago.

'I love you so much, Kei. I will always love you, you know that right?'

Her message felt odd. It's not a sweet letter. When I first read it, instead of sweetness, shivers went through my spine. I didn't even ask my boss if I could leave. I just straight up went to the parking lot and drove away.

I might get in trouble for this but I don't care.

Y/N felt odd today. She smiles and gives hugs and kisses just like usual but it doesn't feel right. Maybe I'm just overreacting.

I was having a hard time putting on my necktie when Y/N went over to me and took over.

"You know you were never good at this. Just ask for my help, okay?" She smiles as she fixed the mess I made. "Yes, ma'am," I replied.

"You should try smiling more. If I hadn't introduced you to our friends properly, they would've thought you're a snob." She joked and laughed lightly.

"Really? Do I look like that to you?" I asked her and glared at her.

"There, all done. Hmm... yes?" She said and ran her palms on my clothed chest. "But I can love a snob as long as he's you." She squeezed my cheek.

My face heated up. I didn't want to tell her that her teasing got through me but she knows me too well.

"S-Shut up." I muttered. She laughed loudly and smacked me in the chest. "You're such a Tsundere, Kei." I ignored her little comment.

"You should prepare now. You have classes later, right?" I asked.

"Mhmm. You should worry about yourself more. I can take care of myself." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I disregarded it, as I thought that maybe my eyes are just playing with me.

Y/N has always been open to me. She tells me everything, even what she's feeling. I'm the one who doesn't open up. But she figured that out already.

I left and went to work.

I shouldn't have.

I almost got into an accident because of my overspeeding but I managed to get home safely. I ran to the lobby and caught the closing elevator doors. My foot tapped impatiently as I wait for it to get onto my floor.

The moment the doors opened, I dashed out and ran. I ran, my heart beating in my ears. The adrenaline course through my body, as If I'm fighting life and death.

I swiped my card and opened the door frantically.

I was greeted by silence. I ran through the whole apartment and saw her nowhere. She isn't here.

While I was contemplating where Y/N might've been, my phone rang loudly.

It's Tadashi.

"Hello?" I asked.

"K-Kei! Did you get a message from Y/N?! She's-" He asked, panicked.

My blood ran cold. Why does it feel like there's something bad that might happen?

"What happened?! Just spit it out, Tadashi!" I asked again, scared of what he might reply.

"I... I don't know how to say this. Maybe... you should come over to the roof."

W...What's happening?

Before I can even decide to come to the roof, my feet already took over. Tadashi greeted me with tears in his eyes. He hugged me tightly, for some reason I didn't know about.

Eventually, he released me as he let out loud sobs. His eyes drifted on the other side of the roof and tears rolled down my cheek.

My Y/N.

She hanged herself.

She's lying on the ground with a coat supporting her head, probably Tadashi's. Her neck has these marks, and there's a white rope lying beside her head. I broke down, right there in front of Tadashi even though I did not want to.

My knees felt wobbly, and I fell to the ground. Tadashi was quick to assist me, as he leaned down and tried to help me up.

Why?

Why did you do it?

Realizing that I'm over here being a fucking pussy, I ran to her side and hugged her upper body.

"Call the fucking ambulance! What the hell are you doing, standing there?!" I shouted at him. Tears fell in his eyes as he replied.

"I already did. They're already coming this way but when I checked her pulse... she's... cold. There's no sign of life, Kei..."

"No! You're lying! You're such a fucking liar!" I looked down at my Y/N, her face pale. She looks peaceful.

"How... could you be at peace when you just left me? Does this make you happy, Y/N?" I asked. Tadashi put his hand on my shoulder, trying to calm me down.

"Fuck! If I stayed here with you the whole day, then maybe you're still alive! No, because if I did stay here, you would definitely be alive."

"It's not your fault, Kei..." Tadashi comforted. But his words don't get through to me. They sounded stupid.

"Tell me this is just some lame-ass joke, Y/N! You better open your eyes now and tell me this is all a prank!" I shouted. I waited but she wouldn't open her eyes.

The loud sound of the wind howled in my ear. I felt a presence envelop me by the shoulder. I should be cold, but I'm not. It's almost as if... it's comforting me.

"Is that you, Y/N? Why do you have to comfort me now when you should've stayed by my side forever..."

The faint sound of sirens can be heard all the way here in the roof. After a few more minutes, the medics came to check out what happened. One medic took my Y/N away from my embrace and I really wanted to kill them but I had to let go.

If I wanted her to live... I should let go.

She was long gone before she could even reach the hospital. Tadashi was right. It's been a few hours now but it still hasn't sunk in my mind. What's her reason?

What could possibly be the reason that she wanted to die? Did I do anything wrong? Was I the reason?

They say she would stay in the hospital morgue and there's no point with me staying back. So I went home.

As I opened the door, her scent got through me. Her perfume... it's all over the place. Tears started to prickle in my eyes but I went ahead and walked inside the room.

I plopped down in our bed.

Ugh. What a day.

I looked at her side of the bed and realized that there's a letter resting on her bedside table. I hurriedly took it but was gentle enough to not destroy the envelope.

Fuck.

"Dear Kei, I'm sorry I did this. I know this is a shock to you. I know what you're thinking, 'who the hell wouldn't get shocked by this?' and I know that. I left you alone. But please hear me out, if you will. You are the best thing that ever happened in my life. That day when you rescued me in the cafe, I was thinking of killing myself. I was so stressed, I thought I might fail. By that time, dad already left us to live with her mistress. Mom said it was my fault for dad leaving because of my college tuition. It's not good for your parents to work hard for money, only for you to fail, right? But I saw you there. You were working hard, and I thought I should too. You gave me the inspiration to work harder and be the best daughter my parents ever had. Meeting you changed my life, Kei. You are so gentle, so kind. You don't like showing your emotions but I already know what goes through your mind. Again, I know what you might be thinking right now. If you made me so happy, why did I left? No, it's not your fault Kei. I felt so depressed, and I just wanted to end it. Dad tried to come back to our life, and I should be happy. But somehow, that hollow feeling inside of me never changed, even when we were together. But at least I knew how it felt like to fall in love. I figured that you would be better off with someone who isn't like me. And if I break up with you, for this reason, you wouldn't let me go. I just want to rest, Kei. Forever. God knows how much I love seeing you next to me every time I wake up but the stress from college and family gets through to me. I'm so sorry for being this weak, you deserved better. I don't know where I might end up, but I promise you we'll meet each other on the other side. I will make sure of it.

I love you so much, my beautiful Kei. Promise me you'll find another girl that you will cherish the way you cherished me. Be happy, have a wife and a family. I wish you all the best in the world. But I had to go. I put all my letters to our friends in my drawer, can you distribute them? Don't cry, okay? I would always be with you. By the way, I have other recorded messages. Play one every time your birthday comes. Visit me at least every day, okay? I want you to speak for me at the funeral. I want to show everyone how beautiful my boyfriend is.

I'm yours, eternally.

Love, Y/N"

I would never forget you, my Y/N.

I'm also yours... eternally.

Wait for me...

I'll see you on the other side.

[jelzorz]

57b

a continuation of the pet store meet cute from ia57 (57a). now a series called The Shadow emPawrium bc this fandom’s in dire need of some fluff.

It’s three weeks before Callum receives a phone call. 

He’s not been, like, counting, or anything, just to be clear. Ezran’s just been waiting on that Glow Tonic for a while. He’s been holding off on moving Bait into his brand new home because he wants the transition to be as smooth as possible, which is a little extra, admittedly, but Callum does think it’s sweet. Not everyone’s that considerate of their pets, and he supposes it’s kinda weird, but it’s not any weirder than, say, waiting for a phone call from a pet shop out of state for a bottle of Glow Tonic they could have just as easily ordered online, which he hasn’t been doing, by the way, but anyway--

It’s three weeks, and Callum’s in the campus library, and his phone buzzes so loudly against the desk that the kid in the next study pod over peers past the divider with a scowl. Callum snatches at it, apologetic grimace on his lips, and waits until the kid slinks back into his own cubicle before he even looks at the screen.

The number is unfamiliar. The area code is definitely not Katolis state. Honestly, it could be anyone--it could be a scam call from Eborius, or a telemarketer from the Independent Isles, for all he knows--but there’s a rather big part of him that hopes it’s the one he’s (not) been waiting for.

“Hello?” he whispers.

“Oh, sorry,” says the voice on the other end. It’s accented and familiar, and Callum’s heart leaps into his throat at the sound of it. “Is this a bad time?”

“Uh. No! No, it’s--um--it’s fine.” He takes a breath. Be cool, he thinks, willing his heart to slow down. Is it uncool to know it’s her just from the sound of her voice? Is that weird? He coughs. “What--what can I do for you?” 

“Sorry,” says the voice again. “I just needed to talk to Callum about some stuff his brother ordered?”

“That’s me!” says Callum, perhaps a bit too loudly. The kid in the next study pod scowls at him again, and Callum remembers, too late, that he’s in a library and he probably should make an effort to sound less like an excited puppy. “Is that--um--Rayla?” 

“Yeah!” says Rayla. “You remembered!”

“‘Course I did, how could I forget someone so--uh--” Pretty was what he originally had in mind, but he thinks maybe that’s a little too forward too soon. He scrambles for words. Memorable? No. Personable? No. “--Punctual!” 

There’s a pause. “Punctual, huh?” says Rayla after a moment. There’s a smirk in her voice and Callum can practically feel the pink creeping into his cheeks. “Does that work on all the girls you meet at pet stores?” 

Callum flinches. Suddenly it’s far too hot and the air is far too dry and he thinks his face might actually be on fire. Punctual. God. “I--uh—”

Rayla laughs. It’s that same tinkling sound that made his heart flutter the first time. It’s nice to know it’s just as effective over the phone. “It’s fine,” she chuckles, hardly sounding put off at all. If anything, she sounds kind of endeared. “I would have gone with something a little bolder. You could try daring next time. I’ve been told I’m quite daring.”

“By… other customers?”

“Just my boss,” she snorts. “Other customers say my customer service is great but I’m keeping punctual. That’s a new one for sure.” 

The grin in her voice is infectious, and all embarrassment aside, Callum feels his own lips tug upwards too. Maybe he’s just feeling a bit daring himself, but the next sentence slips from his lips before he has the chance to think about it. “I mean, I was gonna say pretty but I didn’t know if that was--uh—” He falters. “Appropriate.”

But Rayla only laughs some more, flattered, and even a little flirty, if Callum does say so himself. “Well, I can’t say many customers have called me that,” she says with an almost giggle. “Anyway, I was just calling to let you know that your Glow Tonic’s arrived.”

“Oh, really?” 

“Yeppers. You can come by and get it whenever you want.”

Callum pauses. The math is pretty straightforward: his last class today finishes at three, and it’s a four hour round trip to Silvergrove in light traffic--five during rush hour. It’s a lot of trouble for a bottle of Glow Tonic--but then, it’s not really about the Glow Tonic, is it? He takes a breath and steels his nerve before he loses it. “Will you guys still be open at five?”

“Mm. Technically, no,” says Rayla. “But I can wait for you.”

Callum feels the flush return in full force. “Oh, no, don’t do that--I’ll just come by some other time--”

But Rayla cuts him off. “Don’t worry about it,” she says. “We’ll just say you owe me.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” she says. And then, a little shyly, “Dinner or something some time. How about it?”

Callum’s face splits into a grin. “I can get you a pizza on the way over? Or do you want to go out to dinner dinner?”

“You decide,” chuckles Rayla. “See you at five?”

Callum lets out a laugh. Whether it’s out of relief or giddiness, he’s not so certain, but his heart feels light and his cheeks ache from the wideness of his smile. “Sure,” he says, “See you at five.” He hangs up feeling a weird sort of excited for someone about to go on a two hour road trip out of state just for a bottle of Glow Tonic (for a toad that’s not even his!), but what the heck, it’s an adventure, right? He grins fondly, if a bit stupidly, at the screen, and when he looks up again a moment later, the kid from the other pod is glaring at him once again. 

“You know this is a library, right?” he grumbles. “Flirt somewhere else.”

Callum has the decency to flush at that.

[duskypinkbow]

Shitty weather II Jeff Wittek

summary: You meet Jeff again after a long period of time.

word count: 3,4k (upsy daisy)

note: This is my first fic ever so pls bear with me! :)

A veery very big shoutout to my lil angle @geoffwittek for proofreading and correcting my mistakes! Love u gurl u r the best 🎀

“The house could be packed“ Natalie took the time to warn you. You waved her off while putting your bag between your legs „that’s totally fine“.

As you two drove through LA traffic you looked out at the sky and noticed the clouds are getting grey. „it might rain today..“ you determined, while the two of you continued your conversation. Finally, you pulled up at her house, or to be more specific, David’s house she happened to be living in. Nat parked the car in front of the gate due to the fact that the entrance was already blocked by other cars. Your friend looked at her phone „yeeep“ she said as the scrolled through her messages „there is definitely something going on here…“ - „oh, well I can always leave right away if it gets too much“ you promised while unbuckling your seatbelt and making your way to the house.

„Daaaaavid!“ she screamed, falling to the ground in fear. „You can’t do that to me!“ she complained as her hands rested over her heart. The brown-haired boy giggled, his phone still recording in his hands. After putting it back in his pocket he helped Natalie stand up again. „That’s my idiot roommate..“ Natalie explained to you. „aaaaand boss“ he added smugly, smiling from ear to ear. He stuck his hand out towards you. „David“ he said - „y/n“ you introduced yourself in return.

Once the introductions were done, you observed a big living room further down the hallway. „Come with me…“ Natalie instructed “I’m gonna show you my closet“. You followed her steps through the living room, which was indeed packed with people. Some of them sitting on the big white couch while others were leaning on the kitchen island. Natalie greeted them with a shouted hello, while you just waved shyly in an attempt to symbolise a well meant greeting to all of them.

In the bedroom, your best friend showed you her very well organised closet filled with dresses and fancy skirts alike. „What size shoes are you?“ she asked. “umm.. y/s/s..“ you answered while looking through the endless hangers. „damn, so I can’t give you those fanc-„ before she could even finish her sentence a loud „Naaataaalieee“ came from the hallway. „ugh“ she groaned, reluctantly setting the pair of high heels down. “I’ll be right back..“ you softly nodded and continued to look through her closet.

After some time had passed you still couldn’t decide between three of her alluring dresses. You put the hanger of one of them above your head so that it was hanging clearly in front of your body. „Oh you would look so cute in that one!“ Natalie said as she was re-entering her room. You smiled at your reflection in the big mirror. „Don’t you think it’s a bit too much for a wedding?“ you asked, still a little uncertain. „Absolutely not!“ she denied your worries. „When is the wedding anyways?“ - „in like three month..“ you answered, still glancing in the mirror while posing a little for yourself in assessment. „Then just take this one and the other two… you can decide closer to the day.“ you looked up, in slight disbelief at her offer.  „I mean it..“ she asserted „I won’t need them…at least not in the next couple of months“ her words reassuring you.

With the dresses in your arms, you made your way to the hall in order to leave the big house again. You waved your goodbyes to the people still sitting and chatting in the living room.

As you made a turn in the hallway your head collided with a solid chest, your body almost falling down at the sudden loss of balance. Instead, two hands rested on your shoulders, effectively preventing the fall. „sorry i didn’t see-“ you said while looking up to be met with a pair of brown eyes. Your mouth remained slightly open, the rest of the apology stuck in your throat. It’s been almost six years since you last saw him.

~ 

You met on a rainy day in late autumn. Your clothes soaking wet as you stepped through the door of the studio. „shitty weather out there huh?“ first words he ever spoke to you. „tell me about it“ you nodded, focused on trying to wring out your soaked hair. „I don’t think that will help“ he chuckled lightly. The first time you heard his laugh, the handsome boy looked at you with a little smirk. „heey..can we get a hairdryer or somethin’ for her?“ he requested the man who was passing through the room, his right hand pointing in your direction. „Yeah I can grab one, you guys here for the shoot?“ the employee asked. Both of you nodded simultaneously „Perfect. Could you get ready in here?“ he instructed you on where to go and promised someone would bring the hairdryer.

It was silent on your way in before he decided to end the quiet by asking: „Sooo..is this your first job?“ - „umm, second“ you answered shyly, a bit intimidated by his hight, especially next to your smaller figure. „Is it that obvious?“ you asked, now a little embarrassed, questioning if you already did something wrong. He chuckled again „not at all“ he reassured, holding the correct door open for you „Jus’ wanted to start a conversation “ you smiled, feeling your cheeks flush at his straightforwardness.

„Yeah, I actually have another job in like two weeks“ you said while on the phone, a little after you two began to take some photos for the launching clothing line. „No…- I guess.. - no I need to find a new place for that time.. - yeah.. - worst case scenario I will just go to a hostel or rent a cheap hotel room…- i mean I’m just sleeping there right? - no yeah...i understand.. - i should really get going now.. - i’ll call you back okay? okay.. bye“ you end the call and return next to the tall stranger you just met, waiting for instructions on what’s next in the shoot.

„uhmm“ he begins shyly, still looking to the cameraman who was adjusting his camera. „not to be nosey..but did i hear that right? You need a place to live or something?“ you looked at his side profile, explaining your current situation. „Alright, so about that..“ he interrupts, glancing between you and photographer. „A friend of mine has a spare room going in his apartment. He’s actually already looking for a new roommate, but that could be postponed. If you want to I could call him up and ask if it would be okay for you to stay there?” - „wait.. deadass?“ you ask, his generous offer shocking you. „well, I mean only if you want to?“  He looked down to observe your reaction. „I- yeah..- i mean your friend won’t murder me right?“ you joke, looking up and into his warm. He’s the first to break the eye contact, glancing at the cameraman again. „He’s one of the nicest guys I know out there…“ he assures with a small smile present. „He is so fucking nice, wouldn’t even kill a fly…“ his words of comfort continue. „Well, then yes, please I am totally willing to take you up on that offer“ is your enthusiastic response, his full attention back on you & a genuine smile decorating the handsome features. „Alright...I will ask him after the shoot is over then..“ - „Thank you so much!… it really means a lot -...umm?“ you begin, hopeful of catching his name „Oh shit yeah, guess I never introduced myself right?“ the man realised. „..My name is Jeff“ he said, reaching out for your hand „Yeah right“ you chuckle, not about to fall for his joke. „No, really..“ the smirk is back on his face. „Oh, so you are an undercover police officer just like me?“ you whisper, hoping he might catch the 21 Jumpstreet reference. „damn..“ he mutters while searching in his back pocket „this fuckin’ movie really ruined my life..“ his hand emerges with a wallet, the ID in it soon handed to you. „Jeffery Wittek..“ you read aloud „the one and only..“ he confirms still smiling softly at you.

After the shoot was over Jeff called up his friend, confirming it would be alright if you stayed with him. The very next day he helped you take all of your stuff over to his friend’s apartment.

In the weeks that followed, the two of you grew inevitably close. Although both busy with work & other responsibilities on some days, you still managed to spend at least a few hours each day together.

Sometimes he just checked in on you, making sure to ask if everything was alright. On other occasions, he visited his friend and stayed the whole day to do nothing but spending time together.

You showed him pictures of places you have been to, in return, he would share his childhood memories. You even told him about your plans for the future, while Jeff opened up about his past. It became your favourite pass time to make jokes about his inability to read properly, to which he would only tease about your short height.

Throughout your stay, the pair of you talked almost every night, about everything, just because it came so easily between you two. Always enjoying every second of valuable time together, not wanting it to end.

One of those nights, you finally built enough courage to admit that you were moving out of the country to live in Italy with your boyfriend. In reply, Jeff confessed his plans to move out to LA cause he met a girl.

Your friendship started innocently. Neither of you would have thought that it could ever build into such an intense and deep connection within the short amount of time. You were strangers only days ago, now openly sharing secrets usually too afraid to tell even the closest of friends. Maybe it was because both of you understood the reflected lack of ulterior motives in honesty. After all, you made sure to just keep things friendly, flirting carefully avoided. Or because you knew both of you were leaving, that alone reason enough not be dishonest with each other. Whatever it was, it started to become a little dangerous with time, you all too aware that the two of you were playing with the fire.

Time continued to pass, you could feel yourself begin to like the familiar boy more and more. Your heart would beat faster any time you saw him, breathing stopping for a second every time his skin touched yours. It continued on: you would get lost in his beautiful eyes whenever he looked at you, asking yourself if he could feel the same way you were. If there could ever be more. You did your best to stop those thoughts immediately, reminding your mind how you were about to leave the country for your boyfriend, whom you loved and didn’t want to betray. Besides, Jeff started to see that girl.

One night, Jeff's friend decided to hold a little get together with some of his friends, your stay in the apartment effectively forcing you to take part. Everyone had their fun, all chatting & playing drinking games on a cheerful night.

After a while, some of you somehow ended up on the rooftop of the building. Most of the people out there just wanting to get a bit of fresh air or have a cigarette, but you went up solely to enjoy the view. You loved going up to the roof just to see the shining lights of the city that doesn’t sleep.

„So your stay here is coming to an end huh?“ Jeff was the one to interrupt your admiring, walking up to you, while you looked out to the lights. You nodded „yeah“ the word spat out sadly before taking another sip of your drink. „I never thought three weeks could be over with so quickly..“ his words carried a sad undertone. „Me neither..“ you acknowledged, „i think i did and saw more in those three weeks with you than ever before“ he chuckled at the true words. „yeah.. we experienced quite a lot of New York together“ he made sure to exaggerate with his accent, sight remaining locked on you.

When you finally looked up at him, you couldn’t help but tease „So.. Is the tough Wittek gonna miss me?“ you asked jokingly while running your hand through his wind tousled hair. „Of course i will.“ he admitted. „Haven’t had so much fun in a long time..“. A smile sneaked its way across your face „oh your gonna have fun again when you are reunited with your special lady.“ you rebutted, oblivious to how his smile faded a little. Of course he would have fun again he thought. But the girl he was seeing right now wasn’t you. She was funny, but her humour couldn’t compare to yours. She was beautiful but she didn’t have those cute little dimples, which only showed when you laughed aloud. She had a promising career in front of her, but she just wasn’t you. „I guess…“ he eventually replied, still deep in thought about the girl who couldn’t compare.

You took another sip of your drink and gazed away into the distance before finally glancing at the man who had your heart.  „I think you- ..you have a little eyelash on your cheek“ Jeff said, abandoning his drink in favour of stepping a little closer and moving his hands up to your face.

One of them rested gently on your cheek, to give your head some balance as he titled it upwards, the other grazing right under your eye to get the fallen lash. His fingers lightly brushed over your skin, grasp so gentle on your face as if it was something precious. As if it could break if he put too much pressure on your little cheek. It was the very first time you really let yourself look him in the eyes tonight. Not that you haven’t looked into the brown pools before, but this time, in the light of the city, just inches away from your face, you really saw the artistic strokes of the different shades of brown melting together. You saw how the dark parts covered up the few light spots,  saw his kindness and how much he truly cared about you, all by simply looking into his beautiful brown eyes.

His hand stayed on your cheek, despite the lash being long gone. You breathed out audibly, lost in the present moment. The scent of his cologne travelling up and into your nose in the proximity you two shared right now. „we should-..probably get back to the party…“ he whispers slowly, involuntarily glancing at your lips while his palm moved from its hold on your cheek to the back of your neck. „mhmm“ you could only hum lightly in response, feeling your heart starting to beat faster, slowly rising to your tippy toes. Your face is slowly inching closer to his &  then you can feel his breath on your lips, eyes starting to close on their own accord, the two of you so close and right before your lips could touch - „Paarty time!“ one of Jeff's friend accidentally interrupts, tipsy shouting entering the rooftop. The two of you pull back immediately, not wanting him or anyone else to witness the kiss you almost shared. The friend walks obliviously towards Jeff. „man we thought you’ve left already!“ his word stuttered drunkenly. „No, I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye“ he chuckles away as if  the moment you two just had never happened.

You had three more days in New York after that slip up before you finally left for Europe. Neither Jeff nor you mentioned the moment you two had together. After that night, and after you both finally sobered up, you convinced yourself that Jeff was too drunk to even remember what could have happened. His own thoughts were similar. Both of you far too scared to say something and ruin the time left. You were too embarrassed because Jeff had already started to date that girl he thought he liked, not to forget you were in a relationship with a boy you thought you were in love with . Both too cowardly to admit that there is indeed a spark there.

As your last day has come Jeff and his friend escorted you to the airport. „Man it will be so weird not having you around anymore y/n“ Jeffs friend said while driving through New York traffic. You looked out of the window in the backseat of the car. „I’m really gonna miss this..“ you stated, now slyly looking at Jeff, sitting in the passenger seat without returning your longing glances. In reality, what you would really miss..is him. You would miss his high pitched laugh, dark sense of humour and dry jokes, his warm and caring hugs and especially, his presence in your life. Not knowing if you would ever see him again or if you will ever come back to America again.

Jeff and his friend lead you to your gate, saying their goodbyes, promising to visit you in Italy someday, assuring that you’ll always be welcome if you decide to return. You hugged your new friend, who allowed you to stay in his apartment so graciously  before looking up at Jeff. „Come here..“ he says, opening his arms for your embrace. Your arms wrapped around his waist, his head resting atop of yours. You breathed in heavily, trying to hold back the inevitable tears. He stroked your back in comfort „I’m really gonna  miss you y/n/n..“ he conceded in a whisper. „me too..“ you admitted as well. „Promise me we will see each other again?“ Jeff asked, now looking down at you, while your own gaze travelled up to his eyes. You smiled sadly „I promise..“ you nodded with watery eyes. He hugged you again, saying your last goodbyes before you left to get your flight.

~

Jeff’s hair was slightly wet from the rain outside, a similar expression of shock on his face.„wow..uh, what?“ you let out, first to break the silence between you. „wow…“ he repeated dumbfounded. His hands were still resting holding onto your upper arms before he eventually raised them to his head in an act of disbelief. He shook his head, not sure if this was really happening right now, if it was really you in front of him. „I-„ you started again, but before you could keep talking he quickly forced you into a tight embrace.

His hands went back to your shoulders, still unsure if it was really you „This is insane..“  He muttered eventually, „it is..“ you confirmed. „How long has it been?“ Jeff was quick to ask while you still struggled to grasp the situation. „Almost 6 years..“ you uttered lightly.

„How’s Vince?“ he couldn’t help but ask with interest. „Oh...we uh, we broke up a while ago..“ you admitted, remembering your days in Italy. „oh I’m so sorry.“ the reply was sympathetic. „Yeah..how is Cierra?“ you asked in return, curious about the girl he started to see when you guys just met. Jeff glanced over into the living room, suddenly aware of all who were witnessing your reunion. „we also broke up a while ago..“. The information delivered with no emotions. You nodded lightly, unsure on how exactly to react or respond.

You checked your phone to look at what time it was, „I should probably go now..“ you mentioned, breaking the short moment of silence between you two. „Yeah..“ Jeff nodded, freeing your way to the exit. As made your very first step towards the door he stopped you by saying „Listen, before you go, can i get your num-“ before he could even end his sentence you interrupted „-just ask Natalie for it“ you informed him, „‚cause if you won’t, i’ll promise you that i will..“ you stepped closer to the door while teasing. „I’m not gonna lose touch with you again Wittek..“ you reveal and he chuckles.

Just when you were reaching for the front door again Jeff stopped you „y/n..“ you turn to look back at him, seeing that his stretched out hand held an umbrella „Here, take this..“ he demands softly „S’shitty weather out there..“ he adds with a little knowing smirk.

[labyrinth-runner]

Trust in Me

Part of the A Garden in Gotham Series, Roman Sionis x Reader

Read the rest here.

@misselsbells06​

Not my gif

Every week was a new adventure with Roman as the two of you got closer. After two months of dating, you felt like you were truly getting to know each other. You were comfortable together. It was easy almost, and that thought was enough to give you pause. Surely your doubts from when you’d first started dating couldn’t have been that unfounded? You’d caught dangerous glimpses of temper every now and then underneath the shifting mask of his face. They were quickly squelched, but that didn’t make you notice them any less. Those instances usually were whenever he was around Zsasz, though. When it was just the two of you... he seemed more at ease. A different Roman emerged then. A softer Roman, like a flower that only bloomed under a perfect storm of conditions. His delicate temperament had come as a bit of a shock, especially in contrast to the hard persona he projected with his business. Yet, things were progressing smoothly between the two of you. 

That was... until you were offered a lucrative opportunity courtesy of Bruce Wayne. He had been so impressed with your work at his charity ball that he wanted to see what your vision would be with a new community garden that he wanted to build in the heart of Gotham. You’d jumped at the chance to work with some of the city’s best architects to design what would truly be your version of an Eden in such a hell as Gotham. A place where people could escape to the beauty of a world of your design when the world outside had gotten too dark. You were thrilled. The only downside to the project was how much time it consumed. You found yourself working longer days and nights between running the shop and working on the garden. This meant less time that you had to spend with Roman. 

Roman had taken to spending time in his apartment, surrounded by his various vases of drying flowers when he missed you. That worked well enough to placate him for the first week that you were too busy to see him outside of the shop. After all, he still stopped by every morning. But, then you were given the permit to start planting and then you were at the shop less and less. He’d sent you text messages when you were on lunch, and sometimes he’d have someone bring you dinner if he knew you were working late.

Zsasz was pleased at this development. 

“Boss, if she can’t make time for you, then maybe she’s seeing someone else?” he said one day, leaning over the edge of the booth that Roman was sitting in.

“Nonsense, Zsasz. If she had lost interest, she would have told me. She’s very straightforward in that regard. Besides... we have a connection,” Roman murmured.

“Connections fade, boss,” Zsasz sighed, patting him on the shoulder. 

“Maybe.... maybe it wouldn’t hurt to make sure?” Roman asked.

Zsasz grinned. “No, I think that’s what I would do if my girl stopped spending time with me. I’d have to make sure that there wasn’t some other dude.”

Roman sighed, resolve settling in. Maybe Zsasz was right. Besides, he didn’t think he’d find anything, so what could the harm be? He nodded to Zsasz. “Tomorrow we’ll tail her.”

“I’ll let the driver know.”

The next day, you were meeting with Bruce Wayne for lunch. It felt surreal, but he wanted to know how the garden was progressing, and to go over some changes to the budget. He invited you to a swanky restaurant uptown that you felt very underdressed for, but he didn’t seem to mind. What you didn’t see, was Roman’s car parked across the street. He was watching you intently, hands tightening when your hands brushed over Mr. Wayne’s as you went to take the budget sheet. When lunch was over, Mr. Wayne escorted you to the car, driving with you to the garden. 

Once at the site, you walked him through your vision, showing the little progress that you and Piero, your architect, had made. Mr. Wayne was impressed, and that made you smile. Your dreams were all coming true. You couldn’t wait to tell Roman about your day when you saw him later. You had worked out your schedule to take the night off since you were so far ahead of the game. It was going to be a surprise. Just a quiet night in, the two of you, his favorite pizza, and a movie. The thought was the only thing that had gotten you through the week.

When Mr. Wayne left, Piero picked you up in excitement and spun you around.

“We did it, ma chérie!” he grinned, placing you back down. “I’ll finish installing the fairy lights tonight so that you can show your love all the progress you’ve made next week when the roses come in.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” you smiled, wrapping your arm around his waist as the two of you looked out over the space. You could see it in your head, and it was magnificent. You saw something weird, though. Roman’s car. He was parked across the street, and he was watching you through the window of the car.

“Excuse me,” you murmured, the smile dripping from your face. You made your way across the street, sneaking up behind the car and knocking on the window.

Roman jumped, eyes flicking up to yours. “O-oh! Hello, darling.”

“Roman, what are you doing here?” you asked in confusion.

“Oh, I was just in the area...” he trailed off.

“You could’ve come to say hi,” you replied.

“You seemed busy,” he said in disgust.

It clicked for you in that moment. Roman Sionis was jealous. 

“There’s nothing between me and Piero,” you said adamantly.

“Oh, so that’s his name? What about Wayne? The two of you seemed fairly chummy at lunch,” he shot back.

Lunch? How did he know about lunch? Your eyes widened in shock. “You followed me?” you gasped. You were hurt. 

“Well, of course I followed you. I haven’t seen you in so long. I had to know,” he replied, not seeing the problem.

“You’re unbelievable, Roman!” You shouted. “I bet you’re not even sorry about it,” you replied in disgust. You shook your head and started to walk away.

“Of course I’m not sorry!” he shouted back. “Why would I be? I was making sure you weren’t doing anything behind my back.”

You stiffened in the middle of the sidewalk and turned back to him. “ ‘Why would I be?’” you repeated in anger. “Roman, you betrayed my trust! If you trusted me, then you would know that i would never do anything behind your back that would hurt you.”

“I do trust you,” Roman replied, getting out of the car to walk towards you.

“No, Roman, you don’t. If you trusted me, then you wouldn’t have followed me around,” you replied sadly. 

He reached out for you. “Darling...”

“No,” you murmured, stepping back from him. “Roman, I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me.”

“What are you saying?” he asked.

“I’m saying... I think we should take a break,” you said, trying to keep your voice from wavering.

“Darling, you can’t really mean that.”

“Good bye, Roman,” you replied, returning back to work. You had a garden to build.

Roman watched dumbfounded as you left. No one ever walked away from Roman Sionis. He got in the car and drove back home. He looked at all the vases in his apartment. He wanted to smash them, but they were works of art. He couldn’t do that.

“Who does she think she is, Zsasz?” he asked angrily. “No one walks away from Roman Sionis! No one!”

His words were angry, but in truth he was just masking the hurt.

“No one does if they want to live,” Zsasz grinned.

He looked at Zsasz in horror. “I’m not going to kill her, Zsasz.”

“R-right, boss,” he replied. “Forget I said it.”

“I just... I don’t understand it. I do trust her. I wouldn’t date her if I didn’t. Yet, she threw the relationship back in my face,” he groaned in frustration. “I’m so tired of being rejected, Zsasz! I’m sick of it. She wants to know why I followed her? It’s because of this. It’s because when you let someone in, they can ruin you, so you have to make sure they don’t ruin you!”

He was in a rage now, throwing the pillows off his sofa. He wanted to destroy something like you had destroyed your relationship. But... no, you hadn’t destroyed anything. He had, and that thought was enough to drive him mad. 

“Boss,” Zsasz sighed, trying to calm him.

“Leave me, Zsasz. I want to be alone,” he muttered.

“Alright,” he replied through gritted teeth before leaving.

Roman looked around at all the flowers surrounding him. He thought back to when shrunken heads stood in their place. A smirk crossed his face as he thought about how much nicer the flowers were. Colorful. His smirk quickly slipped off his face as he realized that he wouldn’t have any more bouquets by you. He’d lose those colors. 

“Fuck. I’ve really fucking fucked up this time,” he groaned, throwing a pillow across the room. It knocked into the vase on the desk with your first bouquet in it. A pit of anxiety rose in him as he watched it teeter, but relief flooded him when it stabilized. He’d have to win you back somehow. 

He devised a plan. If he stopped by every day, you’d see how much he missed you. Except... he didn’t see you there. He’d see your assistants, and they’d tell him that they’d tell you that he’d stopped by. When that didn’t work, he tried to take his mind off things and move on, he threw himself into work at the club, but whenever he glimpsed someone that looked vaguely like you, he’d kick everyone out so that he could mope in his solitude.

Nothing was getting done. If anything, it was somehow worse than when he dated you. Zsasz was growing frustrated with him. He didn’t like you, but he wanted Roman to dump you, not for you to dump Roman. If Roman dumped you, then he wouldn’t be acting like this. He’d be acting like Roman Sionis, on top of his world, and not at the mercy of some bitch. Zsasz couldn’t believe what he was about to do.

“Boss, you have to get your shit together,” Zsasz sighed one morning.

“I have my shit together, Zsasz,” he replied absentmindedly.

“No, boss, ya don’t. If anything, you have your shits scattered in the wind and blowing around being pushed by a fan.”

“Ew.”

“Exactly.”

“Fine. What do you propose I do then?” he asked, humoring him.

“Win her back.”

“I tried that,” Roman sighed in frustration.

“You didn’t try hard enough.”

“I went to the shop, I tried to buy flowers,” Roman said in exasperation.

“You talked your language, boss. Maybe... you should try talking hers?”

“You mean... flowers?” 

Zsasz nodded.

“Zsasz, that’s not... that’s not a bad idea,” Roman murmured. He ran over to the computer and started to type in some searches. “Zsasz, order me some Freesias and an arbutus flower.”

“What the hell is an arbutus flower?”

“Just order them,” he barked. “I’m going to go clean myself up.”

Roman looked down at the pajamas he’d been wearing for two days in disgust. Shit scattered in the wind, indeed. He went to take a shower and get dressed while Zsasz picked up the flowers that Roman wanted. When he finished, he played around with the flowers to make them look pretty. Then, he tied them with a ribbon and went out the door.

“Do you want me to bring the car around?”

“No, Zsasz, I think I’m going to walk.”

Roman practiced his speech in his head on his way to the park.

You were standing in the middle of the garden, leaning on your shovel. Since you didn’t need to see Roman, you spent your nights gardening in the dark, illuminated by the fairy lights. It was to your liking, though, because you were able to see how the night blooming flowers were looking in the garden. Everyone else had gone home by now, and it was just you. You admired your work, listening to the soft bubbling of the water fountain that recycled water to water the plants. That was how he found you.

Roman’s heart leapt as he watched you bathed in the warm glow of the fairy lights. His eyes took in the garden and all the work you had put into the space. It was beautiful in his eyes. Almost as beautiful as you. He tucked the flowers behind his back.

“Darling, this looks incredible,” he replied.

You jumped, turning towards him. “Roman, I thought-”

“Please... let me say my piece?” 

You nodded, holding your hand up to gesture for him to continue.

“I was wrong to follow you,” he stated. “I should have trusted you, and I’m sorry. I’m just... I’m not used to you. You’re so different than anyone else I’ve met. You’re honest, loyal... Quite frankly, you’re so much more than I deserve and that fact isn’t lost on me. In fact, it makes me so terrified of losing you that I went to great lengths to hold onto you, and by doing that I pushed you away. I should have believed in you, and in us. Darling, I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me and take me back?”

Your shaky resolve started to crumble as you watched him there. He was vulnerable, showing up in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. You’d never seen him like this. Then, you noticed something hiding behind his back.

“Roman, what’s behind your back?” you asked curiously.

“A peace offering,” he said with a sheepish smile. He brandished the flowers shyly. The stems were all different lengths, but the colors were beautiful. You took them gently, running your hands over the soft petals.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” you asked hopefully as you looked down at the flowers.

“Perhaps,” he smiled, “Unless they say something bad, in which case I just thought they were pretty. I did have to use the internet.”

A smile grew on your face as you looked down at the bundle. “You trust me,” you smiled, touching the freesias. Then, your brow furrowed as you looked at the other, scanning through your memory. “Arbutus?” you asked him, a funny look on your face as you looked up at him.

“Yes,” he murmured.

Arbutus was a rare flower to find in a bouquet these days, which is why you wanted to make sure that it was deliberate. When he confirmed that it was, your resolve disappeared. You let go of the shovel and went over to him, taking his face in your hand to kiss him. His arms circled your waist, bringing you flush against him as he kissed you harder. After pulling back for air, you rested your foreheads together.

“Roman, I’ve missed you,” you murmured.

“I’ve missed you, too, darling. I promise you, I will never make the mistake of not trusting you again,” he said sincerely. “I’m so sorry that my own actions hurt you.”

“I forgive you, Roman,” you replied.

“You’re my star, darling. I should have know better than this,” he murmured.

“What do you mean?” you asked in amusement.

“You can’t always see the stars, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t there,” he clarified.

“Like a blossom in the night,” you smirked. “You can’t always see when they bloom, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t bloom.”

He kissed your forehead and held you tightly. “You’ll always be my blossom in the night.”

“Do you really like my garden?” you asked, resting your head against his chest.

“I do. A garden in Gotham. I think its wonderful,” he smiled.

[evabellasworld]

Storm of the Republic

Chapter 6

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Summary:  When Tup murdered General Tiplar during a battle, Anakin Skywalker and Captain Rex dispatched Ahsoka, Fives, and Yara to solve the mystery that was plaguing the Clone Army. Meanwhile, Senator Padme Amidala contacted Commander Fox, Commander Tori, Riyo Chuchi, and Dipper to help her continue investigating the death of Palpatine, suspecting that Dooku was behind the evil plot. But when Dooku send an ISB agent to stop them, the team had to race against time to search for the truth, which could alter the course of the galaxy.

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Arriving at the medical base, Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, Fives, Yara, and Tiplee entered the room where they were greeted by Kix, who was watching over Tup’s condition.

“Fives, Yara, what’s happening to me?” Yup asked, realising that he was strapped to his bed.

Fives and Yara exchanged a brief glance with each other as they focused on Tup. “You don’t remember?” the former raised his eyebrows.

“No,” he denied, unsure of what he meant.

“You murdered General Tiplar,” Yara told him the truth, much to his surprise.

“What? No, that’s not possible,” Tup shook his head, as he tried to wriggle free from his current position. “I would never, I could never…”

“Tup, you did,” Fives grabbed his hand, stopping him. He wished it never happened, but unfortunately, there was nothing he or Yara could do to change the past.

“I don’t, I don’t understand,” he expressed his agitation, prompting the medical droid to reach for a syringe beside him. “How could this happen? What’s happening to me, Fives?”

His body was jittering as the medical droid injected the syringe on the right side of his neck, causing him to scream for help three times until his pulse level decreased. Yara looked at her younger brother, crushed by his conditions.

She had never seen him like this before. Usually, Tup was shy and quiet, but he put on a brave face and fared well in battle. The closest thing Yara had seen to Tup’s fearful face was on Umbara, where he was struggling to execute her, along with Fives and Jessy.

Poor Tup, she pitied him. I’ve never seen him like this before.

“What do you think happened?” Rex raised the question to Anakin, who was rubbing the back of his head.

“I wish I knew,” Ahsoka hoped for answers.

He turned to Kix, who was holding a datapad. “Did you check all of his scans?”

“Well, all of his scans are clear,” Kix answered his general. “As far as I can tell, this is combat-related stress. It seems he’s had some sort of breakdown.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Yara slapped her forehead, hearing that from an experienced medic. “Combat-related stress? Is that what you came up with?”

Rex couldn’t believe it either. “Kix, you should know better. We were designed to withstand any stress.”

“I agree,” Fives chimed in, shifting his focus towards them. “He doesn’t seem to remember what happened. It’s like he’s sick, or drugged.”

“Well, it could be a virus, a toxin,” Kix shrugged, speculating about the potential cause of Tup’s odd behaviour. “I can’t be certain.”

Looking at Tup, who was dozed off, Anakin gestured to his team towards the exit. “Let’s talk outside.”

“Yes, master,” Ahsoka acknowledged, as they headed outside the medical bay. As Fives was the last to walk out of the room, the door hissed behind him, prompting Anakin to continue with what he wanted to say back then.

“You mean the enemy could have made him do this?”

“It’s a possibility,” Tiplee shrugged. “There have been rumors that the Empire has been trying to develop an anti-clone virus, biological warfare.”

“It could be possible,” Yara said. “That could explain why Tup killed Master Tiplar on the battlefield.”

“Listen,” Kix calmed them down. “We aren’t equipped for this type of situation. He’ll have to be taken back to Kamino. Only then, you will have your answers.”

Ahsoka shook her head in disagreement. “The Empire shut down the cloning facility on Kamino. Going there wouldn’t be the best idea.”

“I agree with Commander Tano,” Yara acknowledged. “For all we know, the Empire would ambush us there.”

Anakin groaned, figuring out a better solution for Tup. Both of them made a good point. Since he suspected the Empire was behind all of this, it would make perfect sense if they found an alternative treatment for his men instead.

As the Jedi pondered, he thought about Jedi Healer Cinta Kaarim back at base, who could treat her patient. Before that, she helped Commander Tori’s child, Frieda, with her speech therapy and also assisted Obi-Wan with a stomach bug as well. Master Kaarim is our only hope right now.

“I have an idea,” Anakin spoke. “And it’s a superb one.”

“It better be,” Ahsoka crossed her arms, knowing that her master’s plan worked half the time.

“Trust me, Snips, it’s a good idea this time,” he assured his Padawan, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We could send Tup back to base instead. Master Kaarim can handle it from there.”

She smiled at him. “I have to admit, that is a good idea. Besides, Master Kaarim is the only medical doctor we can trust right now.”

Kix nodded in unison with General Skywalker’s solution. “Alright, we’ll send Tup back to base and hopefully, we’ll get answers from there.”

“Can Yara and I come along?” Fives volunteered. “Tup is our friend, and right now, he needs someone to watch his back.”

Anakin and Ahsoka glanced at Rex, who then let out an exhale. “Alright, but everything must be done by the book,” Rex stated. “You both need to stay by his side at all times. I don’t want anymore slip-ups.”

“Yes, sir,” saluted Yara. “We won’t let you down.”

***

Marching through the base, Tori held Frieda as the little girl's eyes wandered around, looking at the Republic soldiers working around the base. Some of them were refuelling their ships for the next battle, while others were walking in and out of the base, reporting their status to their superiors.

“Mama, look,” the child pointed at the Jedi Cruiser hovering above them, making Tori’s lips curled upward.

“That’s a ship up there,” she described to her. “It’s protecting us from the bad guys.”

Hopefully, it’s protecting us, Tori fancied, not wanting Frieda to succumb to cynicism like her.

Tori never felt alone since the Battle of Coruscant. No matter how much she fought in every battle, the galaxy turned their backs on them. No one is coming to save the tide of the war. They had to rely on each other for support instead.

So far, with General Arin Sallis leading the 101st Battalion, their luck seemed to improve. Being an experienced soldier, Arin has proven herself to be an effective leader towards her troops. Despite her strictness, Arin has a soft spot for the clones and children, which shows in her attitude.

Odd Eye could also say the same towards her new general, Erina Almarez-Guttierez. Unlike Arin, however, Erina was temperate and calm, just like how Erhan was. Her partner, General Raul Antonio Gomez, who led the 197th Battalion, was supportive, which depicted the relationship between the two battalions.

The Coruscant Guard is entrusted under the care of Marshal Commander Fox himself, with supervision from General Nara Brinks, who worked for the Galactic Republic long before Palpatine was in office.

Though Nara was hard, Fox got along with his new boss well. She was straightforward with her command and cared about the clones under her wings. As he entered the main headquarters, the elderly Palliduvan woman greeted him with a grandmotherly smile on her face, making Fox feel at ease.

“How’s my favourite commander doing?” she asked him, giving him a hug. “I hope you have plenty of rest for yourself.”

”I’ve rested in an adequate amount, sir,” he said honestly. “Thank you very much.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Riyo spoke, much to Fox’s delight. “He tends to overwork himself too much.”

“You know what they say, old habits die hard,” he teased her, gazing at her with loving eyes. “But what’s this all about, anyway?”

“We intercepted a call from Coruscant,” Arin stepped out of the shadow, her hands guarded behind her. Tori straightened her posture and gave her a salute in respect.

“General Sallis, to what do I owe you for my pleasure?”

The red half-Twi’lek glanced at Frieda and shook her little hands. “Hello darling, how are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Frieda said, making her beam with joy.

“Anyway,” the general cleared her throat, shifting her focus towards Fox. “Senator Amidala had reached out to us through a secure line. It appears she had requested for Commander Fox’s help.”

Fox’s eyes widened when he heard Padmé’s name mentioned in the briefing, switching him into bodyguard mode. “Senator Amidala had tried to contact me? Is she alright, General? Is she safe?”

“She is, Fox,” Erina comforted him. “But it won’t be long before the Empire finds out. I will play the message for you.”

Gesturing to Arin and Nara, the hijabi woman played the message, though the Naboo senator’s face was not visible. “Commander Fox, if you’ve received this message, then my life is in danger,” Padmé relayed. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time in our hands. Ever since Count Dooku had taken control of the Senate, he had been restricting our rights to exercise as a citizen of the Galactic Empire, including the freedom of speech.”

“With the Chancellor gone, his death has been covered up by the current administration. He promised he will be transparent about the case, but so far, there was nothing mentioned about it so far. There are senators demanding answers on Palpatine’s death, but all Dooku did was to deprive them of their voices.”

“Commander Fox, as someone who was in charge of the case, I need you to return to Coruscant and help me find the murderer of Chancellor Palpatine. The clues that you have found would be useful to connect the dots. This investigation is the only way to defeat Dooku and end this war as soon as possible. Padmé, out.”

As the transmission ended, Fox blinked twice as he tried to process her speech. This is insane, he thought. I have to return to Coruscant to continue the investigation? This is suicide.

“Well, that was intense,” Tori expressed her opinion. “I mean, what are the odds that Foxy has to return to Coruscant undetected?”

“He won’t be alone,” Riyo said. “I’ll be accompanying him on his trip to Coruscant. He needs all the help he can get.”

“Riyo, you shouldn’t-”

“Padmé is my friend, and I’m willing to risk it to help her out. Besides, we can get her out of Coruscant. It’s safer here.”

Fox relented to her determination, knowing that there was nothing he could do to convince her otherwise.

“Tori and Dipper will also join you as well,” Arin disclosed, leaving Fox rolling his eyes in despair.”

“Is that really necessary? I can just take Thire and Hyewon with me instead.”

“They have proven themselves useful before,” Nara defended her choice. “Besides, I’m dispatching the rest of the Coruscant Guard on Hucora with the 212th, 197th, and 666th.”

”So that’s where we’re going,” Odd Eye spoke, crossing her arms.

“Mina, Cody, Raul, and General Kenobi will be here soon,” Erina noted. “They’re currently on an errand.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I guess I’ll tell Dipper everything after this,” Tori shrugged. “So, what’s the plan for getting there?”

“You will be disguised in your civilian attire,” Arin briefed them. “Once you arrive on Coruscant, any form of long-range communication will be cut off.”

“So we’re on our own?” Riyo raised her doubt.

“Unfortunately, yes, Senator, so you’ll have to stick together and make sure your presence isn’t known by Imperial authorities. If compromised, you’ll have to leave as soon as possible, with or without Senator Amidala. Am I understood?”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Fox replied.

“And don’t trust anyone,” Nara advised. “We don’t want any trouble for all of us.”

“I understand, generals,” Tori responded.

[hateswifi]

Rising from the Ashes: Of Titus and Twitter

So this is Part Four here is to my Master List and Part Three. Enjoy!!

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She’s blinded by the light as the portal closes, at least she came out in an alley much less conspicuous than teleporting in the open. She looks at her phone, one in the afternoon that’s enough time to figure out where she is and a place to stay for tonight. She spoke English well due to traveling with Uncle Jagged, hanging out with Clara, and working at Gabriel. 

She walks out of the alley after she detransforming, but still wears the glasses not wanting to put them away yet. She pulled out her phone and looked up ‘Hotels near me’ the closest hotel at a decent price was Hotel of Gotham. She quickly started walking there it only being one o’clock and it was only a three-mile walk. 

The walk was uneventful and by the time she gets there, it was one-forty-five. She bought a hotel room for ninety-five dollars a night. She dropped her stuff off and went to try and find a job. She brought her sketchbook and one of the dresses she had made when she had been hiding the previous week. 

She walked into a couple of boutiques and was immediately rejected already having a full staff. She does not lose hope though instead, she looks at the list of boutiques she had written and sighed, the last one. She finds it and by the time she gets there, it’s already six o’clock. She had been job hunting for around four hours. She looks up and sees the boutique called Lucky Spot. Marinette has a great feeling about this one she opens her purse and sees Tikki. 

“You’re going to be great!” She whispered. With restored confidence, Marinette heads into the boutique with her head held high. 

“Hello madame,” Marinette said after she walked to the front. “My name is Marinette and I was hoping to speak with your boss about maybe getting a job?”

“Well, here I’m the boss. What do you have to show to prove to me that you are worthy to work here?” The woman asked, looking Marinette up and down. 

“I have sketches and this dress I made by hand last week,” she said, setting her stuff on the counter. 

“Would you be able to wait till closing time? It’s only an hour away,” The woman asked, looking at her watch. 

“Of course where would you like me to wait, Madame,” Marinette asked, grabbing her things. 

“You can wait in the back, I’ll come to talk to once I’ve closed,” she answered, showing Marinette. 

Once she was alone she sighed in relief. She grabbed her phone and dialed Chloe’s number. Chloe had promised to stay with her friends tonight when she called. 

“Hey, guys!” She said, quietly. 

“Hey, where’d you end up?” Luka asked, looking at her.

“I’m in a city called Gotham. I don’t know much about. I’m at a boutique right now called Lucky Spot waiting to talk to the owner about a job. That pretty much sums up what I’ve done today,” Marinette told them. “I’m so tired.”

“Well, it is ten o’clock here. If I were you I would learn about the city,” Kagami said. 

“I will when I get back to the hotel. Tikki is such a great support system for me and always helping me. I don’t think I would be as alright as I am right now,” Marinette smiles, looking at her little companion. 

“Awww Marinette you’re strong by yourself! I only helped a bit,” Tikki cooed, looking at her chosen. 

“Tikki is right Mar. You’re stronger than you know,” Adrien comforts. 

“I know you’ll do big things in this world. Everyone will know your  name!” Chloe encourages. 

“Thank you, guys! Now don’t worry about me. Go to bed I know it’s late there,” Marinette said with a smile. 

“You’re never a burden,” Luka smiled. 

She looked up when she heard a knock. The woman, who would hopefully become her boss, walked in with a smile. 

“Bye guys! The owner is here. I’ll call you soon I promise. I’ll keep you updated on what happens. Love you all,” Marinette finished, hanging up as her friends said goodbye. 

“Who are they?” She smiled, softly. 

“My friends from France,” Marinette smiles at her friends happy she was able to talk to them. 

“Well, now can I take a peek at your work?” The woman said, sitting down on the other side of the table. 

“Yes and by the way I never caught your name,” Marinette said, passing her book s and dress across the table. 

“My name is Diana Prince. It’s nice to meet you Marinette,” Ms. Prince said, looking at the girl. She had felt something familiar about her since Marinette had walked in. Then she had heard Marinette on the phone with her friends and distinctly heard the name Tikki. She hadn’t heard Tikki’s names since she had been back home with her mother, a previous owner of the creation miraculous. 

Marinette sat there waiting it felt like ages but had only been thirteen minutes. 

“Ms. Marinette these are quite wonderful, but may I ask why you come to me with your talent when I’m sure any of the big businesses would hire you,” Ms. Prince asked. 

“I’m going to tell you this but not for sympathy. I lived in a bakery in Paris for my first eighteen years, but my parents died in a fire. I’m not liked very much by my old classmates because of a liar, who turned my friends and classmates against me, and my parents were my only family, so I decided to leave. My friends are supportive and I love them a lot, but I couldn’t have any attachments there so I’m only keeping contact with them,” Marinette started. “I was affiliated with Gabriel, Audrey Bourgeois, Jagged Stone, and Clara Nightingale, but I want to leave everything behind including my connections with them. I was unable to start from the bottom because Jagged found me as a middle schooler and decided my designs were ‘Rock and Roll’. He then recommended me to them, so I never actually started from the bottom.”

“That’s very noble of you, but I feel as though there is something you’re not telling me. I won’t push you, but if you need someone to confide in, I can help. You have the job, by the way, you may start this Wednesday at seven o’clock sharp if that works. I have a couple of clients I will need help with,” Ms. Prince explained, standing up and shaking Marinette’s hand. 

“Thank you, Ms. Prince, you have no idea how much this means to me. I had been searching for jobs since I got here at one,” Marinette said with a smile. “Is there anything I should know about the city?”

“Please call me Diana. But also you moved to Gotham without any research?” Diana asked, looking flabbergasted. 

“I let fate decide,” Marinette answered, vaguely. 

“Oh well, I recommend you look up Gotham’s heroes and villains when you get a chance,” Diana said, leading Marinette from the backroom to the main shop.  

“Maybe that’s why I’m here. After all, fate works in mysterious ways. It was a pleasure meeting you,” Marinette said, leaving the small shop with a smile.

The next day was Tuesday and she tried to sleep in late, but with Paris being six hours ahead she woke up at six. She decided to go to the closest park which happened to be Gotham Public Park which doubles as a dog park. 

She left Tikki to sleep and placed a plate of cookies out for her before she left. She took her sketchbook with her and sat on a bench and started sketching. After about half an hour she guesses she hears a dog bark. She ignores it at first until she’s tackled by said dog. 

“Titus! Get off the pretty girl!” A man, presumably Titus’ owner, screamed. The black Great Dane dropped a red ball by her feet which she picked up and threw while yelling fetch. 

“I’m so sorry miss, Titus rarely acts up like that,” Titus’ owner says, sitting down next to her. 

“It’s fine I wanted to have a dog since I was young, but lived in a bakery and wasn’t allowed to,” Marinette answered closing her sketchbook. 

“My name is Damian and this,” He said, pointing at Titus. “is my faithful companion Titus. I guess I just never taught him how to interact with an angel-like girl.”

“Well I’m Marinette,” she blushed, adorably. “I’m average though. I already forgave you and Titus you don’t have to compliment me.”

“Well truth be told, I never act like this. I’m quite shocked I’m even talking to you. Most people would be gone by now,” Damian confesses. ‘Shut up before she—‘

Marinette giggles at the sight of the flustered boy. He looks hurt so she quickly says. “I’m not laughing at you you’re just adorable when you’re, what I’m assuming, is nervousness.”

“I’m sorry if this is straightforward, but would you like to grab breakfast? I know a small cafe,” Damian said. “You know as an apology for Titus’ behavior.”

“That would be nice. I don’t know anything about the city, but do you think we could stop at my hotel? I want to drop off my book,” Marinette asked, standing. ‘and grab Tikki’. 

“Where are you staying?” He asks also standing. 

“Hotel of Gotham just a five or so minute walk,” Marinette answered. 

“Of course, would you like me to walk with you?” Damian asked. 

“That would be lovely. I haven’t quite learned my way around yet,” Marinette said, walking towards the park’s entrance with Damian by her side. 

She dropped off her sketchbook, told Tikki what happened and then left with Tikki in her purse. She sees Damian still in the lobby when she got back. 

“Hey Mari, you ready?” He asked, opening the door.

“Yes of course,” she said with a smile and they headed to the cafe. 

When they got there Damian ordered for both of them, Marinette not knowing what was good or not. He had decided on waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for her. He had ordered himself black coffee and an egg sandwich with cheese and bacon. 

“Have you seriously not had waffles before?” Damian asked as she took her first bite. 

“My mama and papa owned a bakery so we usually just ate pastries,” Marinette smiles. “But this is incredibly good.”

“So you said you’re just adjusting to Gotham where’d you live before this? What made you want to live in the most dangerous city in America?” Damian asked, sipping his coffee. 

“I lived in Paris up to yesterday. I’m currently staying in the hotel till I can find an apartment. And about moving to the most dangerous city in America. I let fate lead me,” Marinette said, taking another bite. 

“Fate? But isn’t that a big decision?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow while sipping his coffee. 

“Well I guess, but I didn’t have an idea of where to go, I felt lost and I ended up here, but I was able to get a job already so fate is watching over me. What about you?” Marinette asked, taking a sip of water. 

“My mother gave me to my father at the age of ten and he lived here and we just never moved. What job did you get?” Damian asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. 

“This nice woman, Diana, hired me to work in her boutique and she said I could start tomorrow. I’ve wanted to design since I was young,” Marinette sighs. 

“Well I’m happy for you,” Damian said as the waiter put the check on their table. Marinette tried to reach for it, but Damian grabbed it before she could grab it. 

“Nope. Remember this is an apology for Titus,” Damian said, looking down at his dog, who was sitting under the table quietly.

As they are leaving, Damian gets a call he looks down and sees Dick’s name flash across his screen. “I apologize Marinette, but I must get going. I hope I can see you again.”

Then he rushes off Titus following shortly behind. About a block and a half away he gets into a car with Dick and Alfred, who was driving.

“Good day, Young Master,” Alfred greeted as he closes the door. 

“To you as well Alfred. What do you want Grayson? I was busy,” Damian asked, glaring at his adopted brother. 

“You’re late for a mandatory meeting. Also,” Dick pauses, a smile forming on his face. “have you checked Twitter recently?”

“I knew about the meeting and I wasn’t going to be late,” Damian huffed, crossing his arms. “I haven’t checked Twitter today, why?”

“Someone posted a picture of you holding a door for a very beautiful bluenette. Jason reposted with the #DemonSpawn’sgirlfriend and now it’s trending,” Dick smirked. 

All color left Damian’s face and he whipped his phone then clicked on his Twitter. His face somehow got paler. There was a picture of him and Marinette, he was smiling at her as he held open the hotel door. 

@GothamOfficialNews

‘Who is this mysterious girl, who somehow caught Damian Waynes’ attention. He has previously been known as the ‘Ice Prince’, but is there someone out there able to melt his heart? Who is she? We need answers!’

@realJaSonToDd

‘Look it: Demon Spawn got a girlfriend. They grow up so fast *wipes tear*. She’s adorable when can we, @GraysontheDick @BruceWaynetheOffcailMan @TimDrakeConfirmed, meet her?’

@whyisthislife

‘how come it couldn’t have been me,  @realDamianWayne?’

@stresseyandmessy

‘She’s too precious for him. also how do we know they’re dating?’

@lifebevibing

‘@stressyandmessy did you read what posted @realJaSonTodD. he said gf. ‘

@stressyandmessy

‘@lifebevibing @realDamainWayne hasn’t said anything about his mystery girl.’

Damian felt like dying. He liked Marinette, a lot. She didn’t act weird around him, she had dreams, she didn’t throw herself at him, she likes Titus, and he hadn’t gotten her number. Wait... he hadn’t gotten her number. 

“Crap. I didn’t get her number,” he slouches in his seat. 

“Mystery girl’s?” Dick asked, looking shocked. “You spent all morning with her and you didn’t bother to get her number?”

“I didn’t think of it! I was going to ask before you called,” he puts his face in his hands. 

“Ya know you could do a Cinderella thing?” Dick suggests, scooting closer to Damian. 

“No. That would be so embarrassing. I only met her once,” he pauses, flushing as he thinks of her giggle and her deep blue eyes. “No, I couldn’t do that. She doesn’t know I’m one of Bruce Wayne’s sons. I would like to keep it that way. I don’t think she would change though.”

“Are you blushing? She must be some girl,” Dick teased. 

“Ughh you don’t need to remind me,” he sighs. 

“Well pull yourself together, we are about to arrive at the meeting,” Dick said, patting Damian’s shoulder.

-------------------------------------------

Tag list (Open):

@northernbluetongue @melhuney @ladysblackcat @sturchling @otaku4312 @g-arya @smolplantmum @bluefyoto94 @echpr @moonlightstar64@thesunanditsangel @cutechip @heaven428 @elmokingkong @kass-is-weird @niza13149 @urbanpineapplefarmer

[lockefanfic]

Business Trip - Part 8: Distractions

Mina lets out a short chuckle. “Don’t act like if I hadn’t interrupted you,” she says, “you wouldn’t be pounding away at Choa while she was bent over this desk. Or maybe you didn’t want to do all that work, and would’ve settled for having her suck your dick?”

Her tone remains businesslike, though she were discussing a legal matter instead of the sexual relationship you had with your executive assistant. Only the sly, fox-like smile on her lips betrays the content of her words.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she continues with that same smile, “I’m not judging. In fact, I think maybe you should bring her back in here so you’ll have a story to tell Momo tonight.”

You return her smile with an equally suggestive smirk of your own. You find yourself thanking whatever gods there were for what was about to happen - not even ten minutes ago you were in a gloomy state of mind, and now you were minutes away from sex, possibly with two gorgeous women. What did you do to deserve this?

You reach forward on your desk to your phone, and press the button for Choa’s line.

“...This is the authorization form from Legal giving Miyoui Mina and her team access to our legal records regarding the acquisition of Seolhyun’s company,” Park Choa says as she slides the sheet of official-looking paper in front of you. There is writing on the letter, but your eyes barely register the ink, looking only for the flat horizontal line where you scribble something that vaguely resembles your signature.

“This is the authorization form IT needs to set up Mina and her staff with workstations and provide them with network access,” she continues, retrieving the signed paper and replacing it with another one.

Another sheet, another line, another scribble.

“This is the authorization form Finance needs to pay for their flights over here, their accommodations, et cetera.”

Another sheet, another line, another scribble.

“This is the authorization form Security needs to set them up with passcards, assign them parking spots, et cetera.”

Another sheet, another line, another scribble.

“This is the authorization form authorizing your beautiful, kind, intelligent, and altogether flawless executive assistant, Park Choa, to buy herself whatever she wants using the company credit card, which, I might add, possesses no credit limit.”

Another sheet, another line, another-

“Wait, what?” you say, even as your pen is mid-signature. You look down and notice that the sheet you are signing happens to be a takeout menu from the downstairs coffee and sandwich shop.

Choa giggles as you finally realize what she has done. She snatches the menu from beneath your hand and makes a show of inspecting your signature.

“Thank you. I will now take this legally binding document and treat myself to a brand new Lamborghini courtesy of my boss and the company. I think one in black will do nicely.”

The brightness of her smile pierces the dark cloud hanging over your head somewhat, but only for a second. Soon enough, the clouds close up, and the temporary relief provided by her teasing disappears. As your executive assistant you spent more time in contact with Choa during your work hours than anyone else - she had a keen sense of your moods, and she knew pretty much exactly how you felt at all times, sometimes perhaps a little better than you yourself did.

“You’ve been a mess since we got back from Seoul,” Choa says, her tone that of a concerned friend, “let me guess - things didn’t go well with Sana?”

She was right, although it pained you to admit it.

Two weeks have passed since that fateful night in your hotel room. The passing of time did little to lessen the sting Sana’s departure - or more precisely, her final words to you - left on your heart, and while you knew that it was probably for the best that you went your separate ways, that knowledge did little to ease your mind.

For her part, Momo was fully supportive of you, which you were thankful for. She insisted that everything that happened between you and Sana was for the best, and that it was good you both had one final night together to say goodbye. You left out the details of your final conversation with Sana, however, telling Momo that she had left before you both fell asleep, and that your parting was cordial - a necessary lie borne out of consideration for your new girlfriend, but still a lie nonetheless.

The next two weeks were a bit of a blur as you returned to the office and buried yourself in work to keep from thinking too much about the Japanese girl that was now thousands of miles away from you. But work could only do so much, and the gloom that you had pushed to the back of your mind finally found room to pervade the rest of your life.

“I’m sorry, Choa,” you say finally, “you’re right, I’ve been out of it the past couple of days. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“Understandable. It’s been a hectic month, what with this acquisition and all. You want me to grab you a coffee or something? Or maybe you should take the rest of the day off and grab some sleep…”

“Thanks,” you reply, thankful once again to have such a thoughtful colleague and friend, “but I’ll be okay.”

Choa nods, although you know her facial expressions well enough to know that she wasn’t satisfied with your explanation.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“What?”

“This little ‘rut’ of yours - is it because things didn’t go well with Sana?”

You sigh. Curse Choa, and her need to care for you. Damn her for being such a good friend.

“No, things didn’t go well,” you say, admitting defeat. A part of you realizes maybe it was best that you tell someone aside from Momo what happened that night. Perhaps it would help you get over it quicker.

“I’m all ears,” Choa says, dropping the stack of authorization papers she was cradling in one arm onto your desk and pulling up a seat in front of your desk.

“She came over, and one thing led to another,” you say as Choa nods in understanding, “when I woke up the next day, she was getting ready to leave.”

“And?”

“She… said some things that have kind of messed me up.”

“What kind of things?”

You sigh, your gaze wandering out the window at the city buildings, hoping to find some comfort amidst the concrete, glass and steel, but finding none.

“She said she was willing to move over here just to be with me, if I’d wanted her to. She said we would’ve been happy together.”

Choa nods her head a little more deeply as she starts to make sense of what happened.

“...and what she said has you re-thinking your decision to start a relationship with Momo,” she says, finishing your thought for you.

“Well, no,” you say, eager to ensure Choa understood you correctly, “I’m perfectly happy with Momo. What happened in Seoul really helped me understand she’s what I’ve wanted all along. It’s just…”

“...it’s just?”

“I don’t know, Choa. I don’t know why I’m feeling like this. Maybe it’s guilt over breaking this girl’s heart. I’m happy with Momo, but you’re right - maybe a part of me will always wonder what would’ve happened if-”

“There’s your fucking mistake.”

The profanity coming out of Choa’s mouth interrupts your thoughts as she continues, her round, cute face suddenly deadly serious.

“Never ask yourself ‘what if.’ It’s a pointless exercise. The point is, you chose who you chose. Nothing else matters. You can’t go back and ask yourself what would’ve happened if you’d chosen Sana, because you fucking didn’t. You need to get over it, and she does too, so she can move on with her life and you can concentrate on your new girlfriend without the spectre of some other girl hanging over your fucking relationship.”

There is a quiet pause.

“...excuse my French,” she says, an unnecessary apology for her language.

Despite yourself, and the straightforwardness of Choa’s statements, you find a smile appear on your lips. She was right. She always was. To ask yourself ‘what if’ was worse than useless - it was actually hurtful, both to your own mood and your relationship with Momo. What happened between you and Sana was done, and it was time to move on.

“You’re right,” you say softly, “You’re always right. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone.”

A look of smug satisfaction appears over Choa’s face, but you know she only wants the best for you; she always has. She takes a moment to herself and she tilts her head somewhat, as if she is considering something. After a second, she leans over the desk slightly and speaks, her voice soft and suddenly different in tone.

“Maybe we can… do something to ease your mind, sir?”

Choa’s offer brings a smile to your face, and you find yourself thanking whatever powers that be for the umpteenth time that she was in your life. Perhaps a short session with Choa could do well to ease your mind, if even for a little while.

“That sounds like a-”

A knock on your door interrupts your sentence, and Choa lets a disappointed sigh escape her lips as she rises from her seat to answer the door.

“We’ll continue this later, sir,” she says with a hand on the doorknob. She gives you a sly wink before opening the door.

In the doorway is Miyoui Mina, a bright smile upon her elegant features.

“Hello,” she says with a wave, greeting the older woman at the door with a smile. She gazes into the room to find you still at your desk, and she directs that bright, model-caliber smile at you. Choa returns her greeting and welcomes her into your office with her arm in a welcoming gesture, and Mina enters after giving Choa a short bow of thanks.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Mina says, “I just landed in town and figured I could get a head start on any administrative items in advance of the rest of my team arriving.”

“We were just taking care of that,” you answer, “Choa has just completed the paperwork.”

“Wonderful,” Mina says, that smile of hers still lighting up the room. You had spent a limited amount of time with Mina when you met in Seoul, but your first impression of her still held up. Everything about her was elegant, graceful, and princess-like, from the way she spoke to her every small movement. Other women were hot, or cute, but Mina was pretty in every sense of the word, her features delicate and well-sculpted. She looked like she belonged in a palace, wearing a flowing ballgown and a tiara.

“I’ll give you two some time to catch up,” Choa says with nods to the both of you, “I’ll be outside if you need anything.”

Mina returns Choa’s smile, and you notice her gaze linger on the older woman’s ass as she exits the room. You make sure to file that fact away for later.

“Mina, please, take a seat,” you say, gesturing to the chair Choa had just vacated.

“It’s good to see you again,” the young woman says as she sits down, “I hope you enjoyed your time in Seoul.”

“I did, thanks.”

Mina’s expression changes slightly.

“I hope everything went well with Sana.”

You are surprised by her forwardness, but you suppose at some point Momo had filled her in.

“It was difficult, but it’s over and done with now.”

Mina nods softly in understanding, a sad smile on her lips.

“Anyway,” you say, eager to change the subject, “I trust Momo has told you about me and her?”

“She has. And I’m happy for the both of you,” Mina says, her smile regaining some of its brightness, “she’s a wonderful girl.”

“She is. I trust that our relationship won’t have any impact on our professional relationship with you.”

“Of course not. We’re all adults here.”

“Good,” you answer, receiving a smile from the young woman in return. Mina seemed genuine in her insistence that her past with Momo wouldn’t affect things, and you were willing to take her at her word. You didn’t know her very well, but it seemed like beneath the proper and ladylike exterior was a genuinely nice person.

“You’re a lucky guy, spending time around all these beautiful women,” Mina says.

“I guess so. What can I say, I love my job.”

“Good thing Momo doesn’t mind that you’re surrounded by women. In fact, if I recall correctly from when we dated, I think she gets off on it.”

Mina’s forthrightness surprises you once again, and you are intrigued by what might lie beneath the princess’s ladylike shell.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I remember her getting pretty turned on by knowing I was sleeping with other people. She must love hearing all about the afternoon briefings you have with Choa.”

You let a smile appear on your lips. This woman was full of surprises; this was not at all where you had expected this conversation to lead. You decide to play dumb a little further, just to see how far she would take it.

“Afternoon briefings? I’m not sure I follow, Mina.”

Mina lets out a short chuckle. “Don’t act like if I hadn’t interrupted you,” she says, “you wouldn’t be pounding away at Choa while she was bent over this desk. Or maybe you didn’t want to do all that work, and would’ve settled for having her suck your dick?”

Her tone remains businesslike, though she were discussing a legal matter instead of the sexual relationship you had with your executive assistant. Only the sly, fox-like smile on her lips betrays the content of her words.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she continues with that same smile, “I’m not judging. In fact, I think maybe you should bring her back in here so you’ll have a story to tell Momo tonight.”

You return her smile with an equally suggestive smirk of your own. You find yourself thanking whatever gods there were for what was about to happen - not even ten minutes ago you were in a gloomy state of mind, and now you were minutes away from sex, possibly with two gorgeous women. What did you do to deserve this?

You reach forward on your desk to your phone, and press the button for Choa’s line.

“Choa, can you come in for a bit?”

“Be right there,” is the quick reply, and within seconds Choa has re-entered the office, closing the door behind her and approaching your desk with a bright, “ready to help in some business matter” look on her face.

“How can I help?”

You have your eyes locked on Mina, and she is returning your gaze, a look of mischief on her lips. She bites her lip with her upper teeth, and you struggle to maintain your composure. Even the way she bit her lip was sly, seductive, sultry - she found a way to make such a sexy action seem classy.

“Mina would like to… join our afternoon meeting.”

A look of surprise washes over Choa’s features, but she tries her best to maintain her composure, in case she has misunderstood anything.

“Is that… so,” she says, glancing at Mina. You find, much to your satisfaction, that Mina has turned her gaze upon Choa, eyeing her from toe to head, in much the same way a predator might gaze upon a piece of meat.

“As legal counsel for the upcoming acquisition, I think I’d like to observe this particular session, Choa,” she says, her tone slightly wavering and hinting at her arousal, “ to ensure compliance with all legal rules and regulations.”

“I’d be happy to… comply in whatever way is needed… ma’am.”

Mina rises from her seat and approaches Choa, her eyes finding and capturing the older woman’s gaze. Mina’s hand rises to Choa’s cheek, and she caresses the older woman’s cheek softly. Choa has turned bright red, her features flushed at this sudden turn of events. Not even one minute ago she was sitting at her desk, and now here she was, her face being caressed by one of the prettiest women she had ever met.

Wasting no more time, Mina brings the older woman in towards her, and their lips press together gently as Mina steps towards Choa, the hand on her cheek playing idly with the older woman’s hair as the two women engage in a passionate kiss. It is not necessarily a lustful kiss - just a passionate and slow one; Mina reminds you, almost, of a diner sampling a vintage of wine for the first time. Satisfying her desire for now, Mina breaks the kiss and stares intently into the blonde woman’s eyes.

“For starters, I don’t think your clothing is quite up to legal spec,” Mina says to her, delighting in the flushed, breathless look on the older woman’s face, “we should do something about it.”

Choa is wearing a loose blue dress with buttons on the upper half, cinched at the waist with a black string belt. With her index finger and thumb, Mina reaches for the first button of the top half of the dress - with delicate fingers she begins to undo the buttons, until the top half of the dress is hanging loosely around the older woman’s shoulders, the open top half providing a delicious glimpse into the pale skin between Choa’s breasts.

Mina wastes no time - with that sly, devious look still on her lips, she brings her hands to Choa’s shoulders and draws the top half of the dress down, leaving the older woman topless.

“No bra, Miss Park?” Mina asks, her tone businesslike.

“No, ma’am,” Choa answers, her face flushed a deep shade of red - you’re familiar with that look, and you knew she was just as turned on by this turn of events as you were.

“Why not?”

“I… want to facilitate my interactions with my boss during our meetings,” Choa says, tearing her eyes away from Mina’s penetrating gaze to glance at you. You admire Choa’s breasts for a few delicious seconds, and notice her nipples have hardened to stiff peaks atop her round, soft mounds.

Mina stands in front of the topless woman for a few long seconds, bringing her arm around her body and a finger to her lips as though she were contemplating a work of art in a museum instead of a topless woman. She taps her index finger on her mouth. She bites her lip again, the tiny gesture infinitely arousing.

The young lawyer takes a step towards Choa, and slides her right hand down Choa’s hip, her fingertip tracing a path to the front of Choa’s thigh and the hem of her dress. Then, slowly, she brings her index finger up the inside of Choa’s leg, until it is between her thighs. Choa lets a loud gasp escape her mouth, and her eyes roll back in her sockets as her eyelids shut, a look of sudden, unexpected pleasure washing over her.

“No panties either,” Mina says, turning that predatory gaze of hers onto you, her hand still trapped between Choa’s thighs; you notice the muscles of Mina’s forearms working, and assume she is sliding her index finger up and down Choa’s lips.

Choa’s mouth is a wide open “O”, and her eyes have shut tight as her breathing quickens. Involuntarily, Choa brings her hands to Mina’s upper arms in an attempt to stabilize herself. Whatever Mina was doing between her legs, it was working wonders on the blonde’s body.

For a long minute, Mina and Choa remain standing in front of you, Mina’s right hand working between Choa’s legs as the older woman’s gasps turn into soft, long moans of pleasure, her left hand tenderly caressing the blonde’s hair. At one point Mina twists her forearm, and Choa’s entire body shudders - you can only assume she has penetrated the older woman with a finger or two. Your shaft, long since hardened, strains against your pants, and it takes every fibre of control to keep from standing up and joining the two women in their erotic embrace.

As if reading your mind, Mina glances at you from over Choa’s shoulder, that ridiculously hot stare boring into your yours. Mina plants a soft kiss on Choa’s cheek, before bringing her mouth to her ear.

“I think your boss needs some attention too, Choa,” Mina whispers, her words barely loud enough for you to hear.

“Ye...Yes, ma’am,” Choa manages to say, letting out a long, sultry gasp as Mina finally withdraws her hand from between her legs. The office light glistens on Mina’s long, slender fingers, and you watch as she brings it to her mouth to lick it off, just another one of the effortlessly arousing actions she has done this afternoon. Sexiness came so naturally to the young woman, as though it were second nature, always lurking just beneath her classy, demure exterior.

“Unbutton his pants. Suck his dick.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Choa turns, her face drunk with lust and need, and within moments she is on her knees in front of you, her fingers working furiously to undo your belt, unzip your pants, and free your cock. Mina, meanwhile, has hopped onto your desk, crossing her long, slim legs as she continues to lick Choa’s juices from her fingers, looking more like a high-class diner sampling some equally high-class dessert.

You are still watching Mina as Choa’s warm, wet mouth engulfs your hard shaft and the eager woman between your legs begins to suck you in and out. Mina mirrors Choa’s action with her wet finger, sliding the long digit in and out of her tightly pursed lips. This woman knew what she was doing. She was dangerous.

You tear your gaze from the sultry young lawyer on your desk to focus on the woman bobbing her head between your legs, her blond hair moving slowly and carefully up and down as she takes you in and out of her mouth. Choa had had many months to find out exactly what you wanted when you were in her mouth, knew exactly where to slide her tongue and how hard, and you combined with Mina’s ridiculously hot display, the pleasure was building a little faster than you were used to.

You wouldn’t be content with just head. After all the sexual tension, not to mention all the emotional baggage you were carrying from Seoul, you needed to fuck Choa - you needed to be inside her, if only to find some release from all the stress on your shoulders.

“It’s time to… move to the next phase of this meeting, don’t you think, Mina?” you say.

A look of sly satisfaction appears on Mina’s face. Between your legs, your cock slips out from Choa’s lips, wet with her saliva.

“I agree. Choa, ride his dick. Take it from behind.”

“Yes ma’am,” Choa says, her tone obedient, her actions immediate, every fibre of her being held in lusty thrall to the demands of the two other people in the room. Before you know it, she has risen from between your legs and turned around, bringing both hands to the hem of her skirt and raising it, bending slightly so her naked, round ass is hovering above your shaft. Tucking the hem of her skirt into one armpit to keep it up, she braces herself on your knees as you grasp the base of your shaft, lining it up with her entrance. You can feel the heat coming from her pussy on the head of your cock, and it is intoxicating.

“Do it, Choa,” Mina says, her tone slightly more aroused now, her businesslike facade slipping ever so slightly, “take that cock into your tight little pussy.”

Choa obeys almost immediately, Mina’s orders finally giving her permission to find some relief for the need that has been building in her body since Mina’s first kiss. She drops her hips down onto your shaft, impaling herself on your cock. Both of your pairs of eyes close involuntarily at that wondrous feeling of first penetration, as your shaft spears into her wet, hot pussy.

There is a new energy, a new lust in Choa that you haven’t seen in awhile, and before you know it she is bouncing up and down on your cock, the presence of the other woman in the room giving her new energy as her thighs and calves work hard to drive her body over and over again on the thick meat between her legs, short, sharp gasps escaping her mouth with every bounce.

You savor the look of her slim shoulders and the toned muscles of her naked back as they flex with the movements of her lower body, and wish for a moment that she were turned around so you could watch her soft breasts bounce with every movement - not that you had much to complain about, given the pleasure you were both deriving from your current position.

You bring both hands to her slim waist, guiding her movements, driving her down slightly on every downward movement to ensure she was fully impaled as deeply as was possible given your position. She is so wet - Choa had always been amongst the wetter girls you regularly slept with, but she was on a whole new level today - you’d probably need to clean up a mess from your pants after this was over.

Mina has leaned forward slightly, an elbow resting on her crossed knees and holding her chin up, striking a pose that wouldn’t be out of place at a museum or art gallery. She is observing the lewd, sexual display in front of her with a certain detached amusement, as though she were watching a chef cook or an artist paint. Minutes pass as Choa bounces up and down on your cock, riding you passionately - but Mina’s expression changes only slightly; she may as well have been reading a book.

“Do you like this, Choa? Do you like being fucked by your boss? Do you like being a fucktoy?”

“Yes!” Choa answers, almost immediately, the word almost a shout, “I love it! I love when he uses me! I love being a fucktoy for him to fuck whenever and however he wants!!”

You grunt as Choa slams her body down especially hard on your cock, sending a spike of pleasure coursing through your spine. You let your head roll back, the pleasure erupting from your shaft as it impales her tight pussy over and over again.

Choa is nearing orgasm - you had fucked her almost every weekday in recent memory - you knew when she was close.

“Can I… can I cum sir?” she asks, as if confirming your thoughts.

“What do you think, Mina?... Should she… should Choa cum?” you say, each of the words broken up by the sound of wet flesh impacting against wet flesh.

Mina hops from your desk and bends slightly, so that her face is almost level with Choa’s. She brings her right hand to the older woman’s cheek as she bounces up and down on your lap, wiping away a bead of sweat there almost nonchalantly. Suddenly, she bends further and kisses the older woman, this kiss void of the softness of their first kiss - this kiss is lusty, passionate, their tongues almost immediately searching and finding each other. Mina’s hand runs through Choa’s now-messy hair, gripping the back of her skull and pressing it against hers as though she were trying to get her tongue as deep as possible inside the older woman’s mouth.

Eventually, Mina breaks the kiss. All this time, Choa has been pumping her lower body up and down on your shaft, and this, combined with watching the two women make out practically on your lap, has driven you close to the edge.

“I might… have to end this meeting early,” you admit, somewhat embarrassingly.

Mina smirks at you, before licking her lips clean of Choa’s saliva.

“I guess you better cum quick, Choa, before your boss does. Can you do that for us? Are you gonna cum for us, like a good little fucktoy?”

“Y-Yes! I…I’m gonna cum! So hard! I… I... I’m cumming!”

Choa’s body goes taut and rigid as she finally reaches orgasm, her body wracked into stiffness with pleasure as she cums on your shaft, somehow finding the energy to slam her body down one last time on your hips, burying your cock into her pussy as she cums. Being fully buried inside her, you are able to feel every inch of her pussy as it contracts tightly around you, her muscles rippling in pleasure around your shaft.

The pleasure is almost overbearing, but you somehow find the strength of will to hold on. Eventually, Choa winds down from orgasm, her head hanging down between her shoulders as fatigue finally begins to set in.

Mina catches her drooping head, however, holding up the older woman’s head with a finger on her chin until they are eye level once more.

“Uh-uh,” Mina says, that fox-like smile once again on her well-sculpted features, “You’re not allowed to rest just yet. Your boss still hasn’t cum. What kind of a fucktoy would you be, if you don’t make the person using you cum?”

“Of… of course, ma’am,” Choa manages to say despite her fatigue as she turns to look over her shoulder at you,  “Will you cum in me, please, sir?”

“You heard her,” Mina says, “cum in her. Fill that pussy with cum.”

As if on cue, Choa starts to move her lower body again, grinding deliciously against your groin at first before raising her hips and starting to drive your cock in and out of her body. She leans backward against you, holding herself up with her arms on the armrests of your chair. You take the opportunity to reach around her body to her soft, warm breasts, finally able to squeeze the full mounds and play with her hard, stiff nipples.

You were already on the brink - now, with Choa’s tight pussy drenched with her post-orgasm juices and still pulsating around your shaft, it didn’t take much longer.

“Cum in me, please, sir! Cum inside your fucktoy… Fill my pussy with your hot cum! Cum in me!!”

Choa’s voice throws you over the edge, as if you didn’t already have one foot over it. Your orgasm washes over your body, one of the strongest you’ve had recently, and your hips tremble as your cock sends stream after stream of hot, warm semen into the welcoming depths of Choa’s pussy.

Your mind erupts in white, and you fall willingly over the edge, allowing yourself, perhaps selfishly, to enjoy every wave and crest of pleasure, seeking, unconsciously, to forget your problems if even for a moment.

Eventually, the pleasure subsides and is replaced with a heavy fatigue, and you are dimly aware of Choa wiggling on your lap, seeking every last ounce of pleasure. After a minute or so she slowly raises herself off your softening shaft, and you watch with intense interest as a not insignificant stream of semen drips from her open pussy lips, as though your cockhead were a plug keeping it inside her body.

On shaky legs, Choa does her best to straighten up, slowly pulling the hem of her dress down for some semblance of decency.

“Fuck, that was amazing,” she says, and she half-shuffles, half-stumbles towards the office door. For the second time today, Mina’s eyes are glued to her ass as Choa makes her exit, and you find your gaze joining hers as Choa does her best to hide the thin stream of semen leaking from between her thighs as she heads towards the bathroom to clean up.

You rise, a little shakily yourself, from your office chair and do your best to clean yourself up with a handkerchief, before tucking away your weary shaft and zipping up your pants. As you are buckling up your belt, you notice that Mina has hopped off your desk and is making her own way to the office door.

“Maybe next time you’ll be a more… active participant, Miss Miyoui.”

Mina doesn’t turn around to face you, turning only her head as she replies.

“I much prefer women to men,” she says, her tone once again steady and businesslike, “but I guess I could make an exception for special guys.”

You smirk to yourself as Mina reaches the door.

“Make sure you tell Momo every little juicy detail,” she says, before making her way out of your office.

---

You say: Leaving the office now. Mina is back in town and came by the office. Had... an interesting meeting with her and Choa.

HiraiMomo says: Did she… enjoy your meetings the same way Choa does? :3

You say: No, she just wanted to watch Choa and I conduct a meeting. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.

HiraiMomo says: I better get it as good as Choa did. I’m keeping your bed warm and ready for you… and I might be getting myself ready too. Be ready to fuck when you get home ^^

You say: :D

As you hop into your car, the only thing on your mind is getting home and throwing yourself into Momo’s waiting arms.

What you didn’t know is that upon receiving your text, Momo downed the rest of her glass of wine and sighed heavily to herself, a worried expression on her features as she leaves the empty wine glass on your nightstand. Her eyes are sad as she lays her head on the pillow and tried to stop worrying about whether her boyfriend truly had feelings for her.

She tries to keep from glancing at it, but despite herself, she finds her eyes wandering towards your bookshelf, where the source of her doubt is lying: a battery pack, labelled with Minatozaki Sana’s name.

---

[deberiaestarescribiendo]

Saint Jude's Miracle: a Javier Peña x OFC (Isa) FanFic. Chapter III

Summary: After the operation at the border, Javier accepts a task to continue his new partnership with the DEA but that would may affect his marriage with Isa who sees how he’s getting farther and farther away from her.

WC: 4,5k (Ups sorry)

Warnings: angst and domestic Javi cos I like to hurt my feelings, light smut: very light descriptions of oral (female receiving) and p in v sex (I’m trying guys, not very used to write this things in English)

A/N: Hi! This third chapter is a little longer because I didn’t know where to cut without making it just feelings and angst, so I add a little bit of spice and plot. Again thank you so much to the ones that find this and read it, like it and reblog it. It means a lot. And lastly, as usual, this has not been beta’d and I’m sorry for any mistake and bad grammar you find.

Spanish in cursive with translations right after in parenthesis

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Stay

"Jav...what you found at the raid, what you did, my bosses are impressed. They are actually asking me if you’d be up to do this again, maybe they need your formal statement about those documents” Steve announces

“I’m doing whatever you need, Steve” he answers

“Really? Okay, they’re going to freak out once they know you’re back...kinda”

“Yeah...I wouldn’t be surprised if they think I switched sides or whatever and that’s how I got that intel” Javi jokes

“So, Javi Peña...you’re my informant now. I won’t treat you as kindly as you treated yours though” he mocks

“Fuck you, Steve”

“Yeah, that’s what you did with them and that’s exactly what I’m not going to do to you” he continues

Javi grins. He misses that, the bickering, talking to his friend.

“I’ll call you back, Javi. I let you know what they say” Steve says after Javier had been quite for a few minutes

“Anything, Steve”

A few calls back and forth and Javi’s heart is pounding on his chest, he doesn’t know if it’s excitement or fear or the two combined, but, anyway,this is the most alive he has felt in a long time.

Isa and Elvira sit on the garden, both of them on the grass drinking an ice cold cola. Javier is holding the exterior tubes of the air conditioner cursing like a sailor when the machine still doesn’t work, he has been trying to repair the thing for hours now, and the persistent calls interrupting him aren’t helping. Normally they call after dinner time. Javi locks himself in his office or in the living room if Elvi and Isa are already upstairs. They, whoever they are, are the ones guilty of her husband’s behavior lately. The ones that keep him up at night, they stress him and distract him. Get him farther and farther away from me she thinks. They’ve called at least four times already.

Isabel knows something is up. Every time Javi returns from one of those phone calls he grows more a more frustrated over the device.

“Fuck me” he mutters pressing violently every button.

“Are you alright, honey?” Isa laughs. She gives a gentle squeeze on his shoulder feeling the tense muscles underneath the shirt.

“We’re going to get a new one right now. Do you want to go to the mall?” He turns, his handsome face covered in sweat. Isa pulls his wet hair out of his forehead, with that brief distraction; Javi takes her cold drink from her hand really fast and gulps the whole thing in seconds.

“Hey, that was mine”

“What’s mine it’s yours, remember?” He winks “I really don’t know how to repair this shit” and he kicks the machine

“Javi, it’s going to cost a ton. I think my mum had an old one at the hair salon”

At the mention of her mother in law, her husband rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, I know” she tickles his belly, the white shirt glued to his skin “You just have to leave me there, we pick it up and then we leave. You don’t even have to talk to her”

Javi runs a hand through his dark wet hair “Well, fuck it, I can’t stand this hell anymore might as well go all the way down and say hi to the devil”

Isa snorts laughing and slaps him playfully “Javi, she’s not that bad”

“We hate each other, it’s fine” he shrugs “Anyway I have to go downtown. What if I drop both of you at your mother’s salon while I do some errands? Elvi likes to spend time with her”“That’s a good idea” she agrees, Isa is dying to know what “errands” he has to do, but she doesn’t ask.

­­­­­­­­­­“Pues se dejo la carrera a medio terminar, una gran decepción para su padre y para mi” (She didn’t finish her degree, it was such a disappointment for her father and me)

“Claro, mijita, es que una se espera hasta que ya termina los estudios y ya se casan y después tienen los muchachos” (Of course, love. You have to wait until you finish your studies and then you get married and have kids) Mrs Alvarez adds holding her hair in the towel while she waits for Carmen to start.

Isa is used to the bickering whenever she spends time at her mother’s salon. Her usual costumers know the entire story: First child to go to college in the family gets pregnant before getting married and then she had to drop out; a disgrace.

At the beginning of her pregnancy and her relationship with Javier, she blushed and tried to bury herself on the purple sofa where the clients waited when her mother and costumers started this conversation about her. But after years and years of the same discussion she just smiles boringly while she glances uninterested over the different magazines on the table and waits until they’re finished with her. Luckily she has her daughter now, who distracts the ladies with her funny comments, a song, or anything her bubbly self makes up. Elvira loves the salon; the ladies give her a few one dollar bills and candy whenever they have some.

“Tan linda, mi nieta. Ese es el consuelo que tengo” (My granddaughter is so lovely, that’s my only consolation) Carmen Alamos is a strong woman. Stern and straightforward, a good and god-fearing catholic that works hard to sustain her family and that has always kept a passion for knowledge. Isa remembers clearly when she was a teenager and she would clean up at the end of the day giving the chance for her mother to take a little time for herself that she usually spent reading her books and studying English so she could speak it and write it properly. She also kept studying other things out of curiosity and Carmen wanted her daughter to be someone, to really seize the opportunity to build a bright future for herself. Then shit happened. And Carmen sees only one culprit for that: Javier Peña.

After a few saddened sighs from the women, Carmen turns to her daughter.

“So what is it that you wanted?” she asks massaging Mrs Alvarez scalp.

“You still have the old Air conditioner from home right?” Isa tosses the magazines over the table and walks to the glass door. Javier is still somewhere in town.

“Yes, at the back office. Why do you need that?” she starts cutting the client’s hair with her swift and experienced hands.

“Ours broke down and it’s almost impossible to stay inside” Isa smiles seeing her daughter who looks mesmerized at her grandma’s skills.

“It’s so hot, abuelita, Mami had to sleep naked” Elvira says casually.

The three women at the salon gasp. Mrs Alvarez turns abruptly to face the little girl. Unfortunately for her hair, Carmen has chopped at the same time she turned and her hair is now uneven.

“Ay, Dios santo” Carmen quickly starts to solve what she’s done to the poor woman’s hair.

The sound of the car stopping breaks the uncomfortable moment. From the door, Isa sees Javier getting out the car. Tight jeans, black shirt and those aviator glasses she had gifted him on his birthday. He grins when he sees her and jumps the three steps towards the salon. The little bell rang when he opens the door while he takes off his glasses.

“Papi” Elvi runs and grabs him by his knees

“Hola, mi amor” (Hello, my love) he kisses her crown and hugs Isa with his other arm. “amores” ( my loves) he corrects

“Where were you?” Isa asks but he mutters later so she lets it go for the moment

“Señoras” (Ladies) he greets the ladies with a smile that rapidly disappears as he approaches his mother in law “Carmen, ¿cómo está?” (Carmen, how are you?)

“Hola, Javier. El aire está detrás.” (Hello, Javier. The Air conditioner is at the back) She answers dryly

“Gracias” Javi turns to Isa and rolls his eyes with a told you kind of expression.

“Por eso tu mama duerme desnuda, porque tiene a ese en la cama, ay pues no me extraña” (So that’s why your mum sleeps naked, she has him on her bed. It does not surprise me) Mrs Alvarez comments with a sly grin

Carmen jerks her harshly on the chair.

“Quédese quieta, señora Alvarez si no quiere que le haga un trasquilón” (Stay still, Mrs Alvarez if you don’t want a bad haircut)

Javier grunts carrying the heavy machine so Isa rushes to open the door for him and helps him get it to the car.

“We clearly agree in one thing, we hate each other’s guts” he leaves the device on the truck and dries the sweat on his forehead.

“Well you were the one that dishonored her little girl, what do you expect?” Isa hangs on him on her tip toes and kisses him softly. “Where were you?”

“Pardon?” He holds her by her hips and pushes her against his chest “If I recall correctly you were the one that seduced me” he ignores the second question

“You asked me out first”

“You approached me first” he smiles before lowering his touch to the end of her jeans shorts, but she slaps his hand away.

“I was waitressing, it was my job” Isa laughs “I’m going to say goodbye and take Elvi with me” she kisses him briefly one last time before climbing the stair to the salon.

Javi gets inside the car and watches as the little girl waves her goodbyes and Isa has annoyed expression. He knows her mother had some last comments about him as it is the usual thing with her. He can imagine perfectly how she’s complaining about him not giving her daughter a good life just because he couldn’t repair a damn air conditioner. He bites the inside of his cheek and leans on his seat, he knows the life he gives Isa and Elvi is about to be a little bit worse and it’s not because of a stupid machine.

It was too late to hide the papers he had on the dashboard: The documents that Steve had sent and his voyage plan to meet him in Mexico. He rushes to put everything inside the glove box, but Isa is already opening the door to the copilot seat. He pushes everything inside without much care.

“What was that?”

He was going to tell her but he has to find the perfect time so he can minimize the harm. He doesn’t want to seem too eager to leave, as he thinks that it is already the image his wife has of him. Javi Peña, always out the door.

“I had to pass by the office and grab some stupid documents. It’s nothing”

“I thought they’re closed for the summer…” Isa fastens her belt and turns to make sure Elvira has hers correctly locked.

“Yeah, but the doorman had a key and he opened it for me. Anyway, should we grab dinner somewhere? What do you say Elvi?” He smiles back to his daughter through the rearview mirror. Isa observes him with her arms crossed over her chest.

Javi starts the car, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on Isa’s thigh giving her gentle squeeze.

“Can we get ice-cream after?”

“Of course, baby. Anything for my girls”

He gets lost watching her do her little things: how she pulls her curls back to apply her night cream and the soft rose scent that it leaves on her face that he can smell when he buries his face on her neck; how lovely she looks in one of those big old t-shirts she uses as pajamas and how he’s dying to run his hands under it to find the familiar curves of her body. Without realizing it, he smiles lost in his daydreaming from the bathroom door. Her caramel eyes turn to him and a cheeky smile appears on her mouth.

“What?”

“Nothing”

“Okay…” she giggles “You can stop, you know? I’m not mad anymore”

“Stop what?”

“All these” she draws a circle in the air “Today. Eat out, ice-cream, now you look at me with those puppy eyes”

“I cannot take my family out? And look at my wife?” Javier comes closer and hugs her from behind, his large arms closing her tight against his chest. “That, by the way, looks quite gorgeous today” he says to her ear. He hums smelling the rose perfume, the one that has accompanied him every night of their marriage, the scent of home and making love in silence and sleepy kisses in the wake. He makes both of them swing in front of the mirror. I wish it was easier he thinks I wish I only wanted this

“Thanks” Isa caresses his strong forearms, following the veins and the freckles of his tanned skin.

When Javi opens his eyes he sees her reflection in the mirror; her eyes sparkle in the yellowish lights of the bathroom with tears struggling to be contained

“What’s wrong, baby?” Javi makes her turn and holds her with his arms on her lower back

“I…just…I feel like I’m becoming…” the tears finally roll out to her cheeks as she tries to swallow the lump on her throat

“What?” Javi puts his large hands on both sides of her head, wiping away the tears with his thumbs

“My mum…” she says eventually and crumbles to his chest in soft sobs

“God, what did she say?”

“That I’m becoming her… and I think, for once, I think she might be right” she whimpers and sniffs

“No, no. Mi amor…you’re not” he separates himself from her softly just so he can look at her face

“All my life I’ve seen her being like that…bitter, angry, asking question after question. I thought she was annoying. But now…well”

“I don’t get it”

“I think I understand. I don’t want to get to that point, but little by little we’re looking more and more like my parents marriage. I mean, you come home late and I get angry, I ask questions, and you get annoyed. I worry a lot and you’re getting bored of me” Isa fixes her gaze at some random point on the floor and she speaks faster and faster spitting every word until all that comes out from her mouth are soft whimpers

“Hold up, wait. I’m not bored of you” He pulls her chin up so he can look at her in the eye

“C’mon, Javi.” She bites her lip, trembling and tears now uncontrollably coming out of her eyes. “You hide things from me because you think that I’m gonna be mad and scream at you, which I do. And then you get inside your shell that I cannot get in” she points at the center of his chest.

Javi becomes silent and just cups her cheeks softly

“I don’t want to be that type of wife. I don’t want to scold you like if I were your mum. I want to be your friend, your confident, your lover”

“And you are, baby” He holds her again close to him and kisses her forehead “You are all of that”

“I don’t want just to be a housewife…I don’t want us to be a cliché”

“We are not that, babe”

“I’m exhausted, the house, Elvi and…”

“I don’t make things easier” Javi starts rocking their bodies softly side to side.

“No, you don’t. I wish you could just tell me what’s going on. It drives me crazy”

“Noth…” Isa shakes her head before he can finish

“Javi, please. The calls, the documents, the way you’re behaving” she counts

“Alright.” He sighs “They asked me to assist in a big operation. I’ve found something weird in one of the export’s companies that we manage at the office. So I called my old colleague and now I’m involved in this”

“Javi…” Isa murmurs

“I have to go to Mexico. Just for a week, meet him there and see what they got” The husband holds her by the arms, squeezing the skin as to alleviate the pressure he knows he is inflicting on her.

“When?” she says exhaling all the air in her lungs.

“In a week”

“Fuck…”

“I know, I didn’t tell because you would…”

“Be a pain in the ass?” she exits the bathroom and takes a seat on the right side of the bed.

“Worry” he completes. Javi turns off the lights and the two of them stay in the dim light of the nightstand lamp. The lamp she always leaves on when he’s away.

“Yeah” he crawls on the bed until he is kissing her nape “You’re never a pain in the ass by the way”

“I see how you react” she slightly turns her face, and Javier takes the opportunity to kiss her temple and the side of her mouth

“Nonsense” He circles her waist with both arms and pulls her against him. The softness of her skin and her warmth burn him with desire. He wants to take the pain away the only way he knows.

Isa responds with a moan at the feeling of his heat and the firmness of his chest. She lays her head back on his shoulder watching his hand roam around her body every touch of his fingers lighting a fire on her skin. He knows every corner, every touch that makes her tremble in pleasure and also how that ends conflicts right away.

“Javi” she pronounces his name like a plea. A plea for more, to make him stay with her and also to make her forget all her worries with his love.

His lips create a slow and unbearable path of kisses and bites where her skin more sensitive. His hands cup her breasts and the tender skin on her lower belly and hips.

“Te amo” (I love you) Isa says writhing, her whole body responding to his attention.

Javier looks at her, his deep brown eyes glowing, his breathing is now heavy. He pulls her in a swift movement to the end of the bed so he has access between her thighs. Isa laughs trying not to fall.

“Te vas a joder la espalda” (You’re going to hurt your back) she giggles

“Me estás diciendo viejo ¿o qué?” (You’re calling me old, or what?) he smirks and grabs her legs to open them

Isa smiles and covers her face with her forearm to hide her laughter.

“¿Ahora te ries?” (And now you’re laughing?) He’s standing on his knees between her thighs looking at her amused “Mala” (You’re mean) he gives a slap on her ass. When she uncovers her face, looking at him with her mouth open he mutters an apology.

“No, me gustó” (No, I liked it) she bites her lip and brushes her legs on his hip enticing him to come closer

He’s surprised for a second but then bends towards her, caging her against the mattress “Ah ¿sí?” (Ah, yeah?) Javi brushes his lips over her jaw pushing his hips towards her core

“No soy de las esposas que solo lo hacen en misionero un par de veces al mes, Javi” (I’m not the kind of wife that only does it missionary a couple of times a month, Javi) she grabs his hips and pushes him until his sex is against her. The wet friction of her damp panties sending shivers through her body.

“A mí me gusta el misionero” (I like missionary) He answers catching her lower lip with his, biting it gently

“You know what I mean” she rolls her eyes

“Yeah, I have a kinky wife” he slaps her again and swiftly grabs the waistband of her panties and rolls them to her feet. Isa rushes to take her over-sized t-shirt off and rests again laying on her back, legs wide open, exposed. “Mi amor” (my love) Javi moans watching her like that, squirming with desire and doesn’t waste time in adjusting his position so he can sink his face between her legs.

He tastes her and moans, words incomprehensible, and Isa closes her eyes while he drinks of her like she’s the first drop of water after a drought. His large hands hold her still and open when the pleasure it’s too much to handle. She begs, his name mixed with the name of God until she can control her trembles. Without giving her a moment to rest, Javi tops her and submerges himself in her holding a curse

“Mi amor” he repeats breathy on her ear. He thrusts into her slowly and deep at first but Isa’s legs wrap him even deeper, her nails scratch him and he starts going faster and harder. His forehead stays on hers watching how she closes her eyes and her mouth murmurs his name again and again. When he finally spills on her, she gives gentle kisses all over his face and hugs him impossibly tight.

“Te amo” she says again

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

She admires at his profile, the way his plum lips are parted, breathing peacefully, his bare chest going up and down while he dreams. He looks beautiful like this, relaxed, almost boyish in a way. His sharp features are soft when she reaches to his face and traces his nose, his eyes and his jaw line with her finger. She has asked herself many times what is inside his head; those parts she doesn’t know. Sometimes she wishes to know everything; but sometimes she thinks the truth would hurt too much.

She knows that his former job as a DEA agent had affected him enormously. Isa knows the horrors that the drug war had caused in Colombia mainly by the news reports she’s seen and the brief stories Javier had told her at the beginning of their relationship. That Javier is dead, the agent, the man after monsters is gone, at least that’s what he tells her and himself.

Isabel met a broken man, a greyer version of himself, half way between the tough DEA agent and the young man that left Laredo full of dreams to see the world. Sometimes he was open, sometimes he was deep in his regrets and memories, Javier would always stay in a limbo where Isabel could reach him just in a physical way but his heart and his mind, even after many years, were still a mystery.

Where was he when he was quite? Where was he when he disappeared in his memories? Was he thinking about others? She knows quite well that he was more experienced than her in matters of the heart and almost in every other aspect. Isa had a high school sweetheart and just the one brief and disappointing relationship in college. He, in the other hand, had travelled the world, fought drug lords and corrupt governments, and the very system that employed him. He is older than her, and that doesn’t bother her, but sometimes she finds herself lacking in many ways: Lacking in interesting things to tell, in adventures, in knowledge other than being a housewife.

She sees how Elvira jumps in excitement when Javier comes home, she idolizes him and even though Isa doesn’t want to admit it, she is jealous. Elvira and her little world is hers, it’s the only thing she has. Every now and then she finds that her conversations circle only around her: her school, the new things Elvi likes and the things she says, to the point that Isabel has disappeared and only the mother exists.

And in that, she fears that her husband will lose all interest in her. All those doubts from the past come back now that he’s accepting those jobs that force him to leave the house for weeks. Was he running away? Why? And that little insidious voice answers: He didn’t love you back then, he doesn’t love you now. You just got pregnant in the worse moment and he had to act as a responsible adult

Javier had been single before meeting her for a long time, having sporadic lovers when he needed one. He didn’t tell her much about his past lovers but she recognized the type of men he was. He is intoxicating, raises desiring looks everywhere and she had fallen for that without a chance. She had been one of those girls that he dated briefly, a relationship with an expiring date, but then she took the pregnancy test and it came positive.

All he said when she told him was that he would be there for her for everything and whatever decision she would make; and he said yes to meet his parents, and he said yes to keep the baby and never complained or blamed her; but she knew that he didn’t planned to stay together much longer before she had told Javi the bad news. But everything changed after a dinner night in the Alamos’s household

“When are you marrying then? It has to be soon or else people would notice your belly” Francisco Alamos, her father, welcomed Javier in his house with his hands holding tightly his belt, ready at any moment to throw those big hands to his face if he said the wrong thing.

Javier had looked confused at first, but in a second he got himself together and answered with a bright smile that would have melted anyone but the Alamos:

“Everything has been so unplanned and out of the blue that I wanted that to be a surprised and, well, a little bit more romantic. Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Alamos” he held Isa’s hand “Les pido la mano de su hija en matrimonio, si nos dan su bendición” (I ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage, with your blessing) he continued in Spanish

Isa nodded confused and didn’t say another word during dinner. When she escorted him to the door, she had asked if he was telling the truth, if he really wanted to marry her and form a family and he had agreed that it was for the better. And since then, Javier had acted the part and even if he had moments where his mind was elsewhere, he didn’t neglect his family in any way.

Isa dries a single tear that rolls down her cheek. The night is silent but the soft breathing of her husband and the air coming out the new Air conditioner; she cuddles his warm body, holding him tight against her chest; a futile gesture to bind him to her heart and the house.

“Stay” she whispers.

[abuskinswarrior]

tell me you love me

so at first i was just going to write a tiny thing about Emily giving you a piggy back ride after a long day or something, but it turned into this. this is unedited and I wrote this in the span of about an episode and a half of the many adventures of winnie the pooh. I might come back to this a edit it, but it’s 3AM and i’m tired.

Emily x fem!reader

Summary: Emily gives you piggyback ride back to your apartment.

Words: ~2211

Masterlist

You sat at the bar, feet dangling. Your date had been a total bust and so you decided to visit your favorite bar.  Already a few drinks in and your head was at a light buzz. You ordered another drink, playing with the mixer in your hands. You thought going out on this date would help you get over your feelings for a certain someone, but all you did was compare your date to her. Your date you would say was going well, but eventually all you could see was how much she wasn’t Emily. 

Emily. You smiled just thinking about her. You were childhood friends. Both your mothers being ambassadors, you spent a lot of time together. It wasn’t until high school, that you realized you had a crush on her. You always thought it would be over and it was just hormones, but it never went away and now here you were, still pining over your best friend, like a dud. 

You moved towards the dance floor, your mind finally freeing up. You danced with the random group girls that invited you into their group, offering you shots and pointing out cute men and women. You smiled and politely declined, just deciding to wallow in sadness. Heading outside to get some fresh air, you bumped into a tall man in a suit. 

“Oh, sorry,” You moved back and over, not bothering to look up, but when the man said your name, you looked up. “Hey, how- Aaron?”

You took another step back, looking up at Aaron Hotchner, Emily’s boss. He was looking down at you, confusion written all over his face.

“Are you here with anybody?” He looked concerned, looking around making sure no one was following you. You shook your head, to answer him, as well as to get the images of Emily out of your head. “Is the rest of your team here?” 

“Do you mean, is Emily here?” Aaron had a hint of a smile on his face as blood rushed to your cheeks.

“No, I don’t. I mean, if she was here, I don’t have,” You couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“Yes, the rest of the team, including Emily, is here.” Aaron placed a hand on your shoulder, turning you around. “Come on, you can come say hi.” 

“Oh, actually, I was going to go outside.” Your words were slurring, but you really didn’t want to see Emily right now. Your thoughts were finally not on her, but if she saw you now, you weren’t sure what you would do.

“You’re drunk and here by yourself. I’d feel more comfortable if you joined us. If you were just leaving, then I can drop you off at your place.” Aaron had used his ‘I’m in charge’, as you called it, voice and you just shrunk slightly. He led you past the bar, stopping to take three extra shots, deciding if anything was coming out of your mouth, you wanted to have the “I drank too much and don’t remember” excuse. 

“Look who I found!” Aaron announced to the group.

“Hey everyone,” You waved at the team, your eyes finding Emily’s immediately. Penelope reached out and gave you a tight hug.

“Hello, hello!” She squealed. You hugged her back, your eyes still on Emily. She gave you a small smile. There was something eating at her, but she hasn’t told you what it was yet. When you asked about it, she had to leave to go on a case, and you hadn’t brought it back up. You sat down across from Emily talking to the rest of the group. Words were slurred, you didn’t fully remember what was said. After a while, the rest of the group slowly dispersed, leaving just you and Emily.

“How have you been?” You were looking down, pressing the pads of your fingers together. 

Emily laughed at you, leaning forward in her seat. “What are you doing? We aren’t strangers.”

“Feels like it sometimes.” You mumbled, but looked up at her surprised at how close she actually was.

“Why are you here, by yourself I mean.”

“I just wanted to forget today I guess.” You were staring at her lips. She brought out her tongue, licking the corner of her bottom lip before she spoke.

“Really? What happened?”

 If I just leaned forward, I could- You shook your head, ridding the thoughts from your head. “It doesn’t matter, it was just a bad day and I’d like to forget it.” You grabbed the drink in front of you drinking from it.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Emily reached out to grab the glass from your hand, but you pulled it away, moving your head closer to her. Emily was almost matching your drink for drink since you came to the table and had also started influencing her moves.

Oh, have her eyes always looked so pretty. I could get lost in them. Her hand is so warm. I could just reach out,- “Kiss me.” The words left your mouth before your brain could register.

“What?” Emily looked shocked, but made no movement to move away.

“I’m trying to forget today, so if you kiss me, we can forget about it.” You shrugged your shoulders while your brain begged you to stop talking. “Cause, I’ve wanted to kiss you for a really long time and maybe if I kiss you once, then the feeling will go away and my subconscious will remember and-” 

Your eyes widened in shock as you felt Emily’s lips on yours. Her lips were softer than your thought. Her constant lip biting made you think they would be rough, but they were soft, oh so soft. She pulled away too fast for your liking.

“Wow,” You let out a small smile.

Emily looked at you, looking for something in your eyes, but you just kept replaying the kiss over and over again in your head.

“Will you forget about that?” She asked you in a small voice. You finally made eye contact with her. 

“No, I don’t think I will.”

Emily was about to speak, but was interrupted when Spencer came back to the table.

“I’m leaving.” He stood there awkwardly, his hands clasped behind his back. Emily looked up at him smiling, getting up from her seat. You followed suit, standing behind her.

“I’ll see you at work on Monday,” Emily gave Spencer a pat on his shoulder. “I should probably get her home before she passes out on me.”

Hey, I won’t do that.” Standing up made the room start spinning and you were leaning against her arm. “I’ll see you when I see you, Spencer.” You smiled at him, throwing up a peace sign.

Emily pulled you outside into the warm summer air and you opened your arms out, looking up at the clear sky.

“It’s almost a full moon.” Emily grabbed your arm, interlocking your fingers like she always did, pulling you down the street towards your apartment. 

“Yeah, it is.” She replied back to you. You kept your head up, staring at the different constellations Spencer taught you David had invited you to a dinner at his mansion. You looked forward, staring at the back of Emily’s head, then down to your entwined hands. You smiled, remembering the kiss the two of you shared earlier. The breeze came by throwing your hair into your face. You moved your head to the side and noticed the giant meadow. Your body started moving on its own accord, ignoring Emily’s protests.

“Come lay with me.” You closed your eyes, your feet flat, knees up, your hands by your sides. Emily huffed in protest, rolling her eyes, but laid down next to you anyway.

“What’s going on with you?” You asked Emily.

“What do you mean?” Emily was looking at you, her body turned to you, her hands tucked under her head, her knees bent towards you.

“Something’s been bugging you and you’ve been hiding it from me. I don’t want to pry, but you can tell me.” You opened your eyes, turning your head to look at her. “We just kissed, I think that entitles me to at least one of your thoughts.” You smiled at her, so she knew you were joking.

She smiled back at you. She moved one of her hands, grabbing yours and squeezing it. You moved your whole body so you were laying on your side, mirroring her. 

“Everything was so much easier when you’re a kid.” Emily started, she wasn’t looking at you, her head was tilted down, her hands playing with your fingers. “Problems, emotions, friendships. Everything was just so, straightforward, simple.”

You hummed, bringing your head down slightly, your nose in her hair.

“Life gets complicated, you just have to find someone that doesn’t make it feel that way.” 

She moved her head back to look at you. “When did you get so wise?” She laughed.

“Around the sixth shot of tequila.” You smiled back at her.

“We should probably get back. This is prime serial killer hours.” Emily moved, getting up, brushing off loose strands of grass.

“Em,”

“Yeah?”

“Can you carry me back? I don’t think I can stand anymore.” You looked up at her as she gave you the most “I’m so done with you” look.

“I can’t carry you.”

“Yes you can, Miss FBI.” You stood up, wobbling around. “You can give me a piggyback ride! Just like old times.” Emily went to protest, but you spoke up again. “Remember when we were fifteen and you sprained your ankle and I carried you all the way back home. You said I owe you one and I’m cashing that in!”

Emily sighed turning around. “Hop on” 

You let out a squeal as Emily braced for your weight. She set off, carrying you quite easily. You were mostly silent, reflecting on Emily’s words about childhood.

“Hey, Em?”

“Yeah?” Her voice sounded a bit tired, but the two of you had grown a lot since high school.

“When you said friendships were easier when you’re a kid, what did you mean?”

“Oh, uh, that’s it’s just simple. You’re either friends or not, there’s no thinking about if they like you, or if it’s more than liking you.”

“I like you.” You said, thinking Emily was questioning your friendship. “I’ve always liked you. You’re my best friend.”

“I know that, Y/n,” Emily sighed, reaching the front of your apartment. “I know that, but,”

“No buts allowed,” Emily walked into the elevator, pressing the button to your floor.

“What if,” Emily’s voice was just a whisper and you leaned in closer to hear her better. “What if I feel things more than just friends should?”

“You should tell them.” She opened your door, placing you down on the couch before turning to look at you. 

“Hypocrite.” She looked angry at you. Her hands were balled in fists.

“Wha-”

“I overheard on the phone.” You sat with your hands in between your legs, looking down at them. “I was coming back from the bathroom and you said you were finally going to tell me your true feelings for me.” 

“I didn’t know,” You started.

“I never told you,” Emily knelt down on her knees, placing her hands on your knees. 

“Why not?”

“Because you were going to tell and then you never did!” She looked up at you, her eyes filling with tears.

“I’m sorry.”

“Tell me,” Emily leaned closer to you. “Take your own advice and tell me.”

“I-” You started, your voice catching in your throat. “I love you. I’ve loved you since our junior year of high school. I’ve loved you since the moment you told me that I was stuck with you forever.”

Emily sighed, releasing all the tension from her shoulders, dropping her head into your lap. You moved your hands into her hair, running your fingers through it. 

“That wasn’t so hard was it.” Emily wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you off the couch and onto the floor.

“Uh,” You started getting nervous. “Is this the part where you tell you love me too, or you never want to see my face again?” You wrung your hands together. 

Emily looked up at you, cupping your face in her hands. “Of course I love you too! Stupid, you think I would give piggy back rides to just anybody? You think I would kiss just anybody?” 

“Actually, yes. You would just kiss anybody.” You both laughed softly before you leaned forward capturing her lips with your own. She opened her mouth, deepening the kiss further as you brought your hands into her hair. She moved her hands to your hips, pulling you onto her lap. She leaned back, resting against the coffee table. 

“I think we should stop.” Emily mumbled out as you pulled away.

“I think you’re right” You sighed, leaning your head on the cool coffee table, trying to regain your breath. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while now.” You blushed.

“Oh, have you?” Emily smirked. “Since high school?”

“Shut up,” You mumbled into her neck. 

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Dragon Dancer IV: Cornered

I sighed and tossed my cards on the table. “I fold.”

“This is your third time losing, Fengchu...” Zihang looked at me pityingly.

“I said I don’t know how to play poker! On top of the fact that all my hands are no good.” I grumbled.

“You shouldn’t call her Fengchu. It’s not a girl’s name.” Mingfei gathered everyone’s cards and shuffled the deck.

“It means ‘Young Phoenix’. The military adviser Pang Tong was named it after his uncle realized he showed great promise.” Zihang explained.

“That’s like naming her Alexander Hamilton!” Mingfei tossed out cards to Nono, then to me.

“Hamilton is awesome!” I said.

“It’s not a girl’s name!”

From a mobile phone on the table, Fingel’s voice shouted out. “Deal me in!”

“You don’t have any hands. Be quiet before I lower your volume.” Mingfei growled, tossing more cards to Zihang.

After EVA’s reprogramming, an alternative mini-EVA activated on Mingfei’s mobile phone, only instead of EVA’s voice, Fingel was installed. Whoever had made the program meant to protect Mingfei and I had considered the possibility that her primary directive might be altered and had this AI back up to continue to support us, just in case.

From the bed, Ru’Yi lifted her head up and squealed. 

“Yes, baby?” I asked, turning to her.

The door suddenly opened and in walked Crow. When he saw us all playing cards, he frowned. “Am I in the wrong room?” He tossed the food he had brought on the sofa. “I snuck into a charming little hotel, came into a room of two men and two women and opened the door to find them playing poker? Are you not aware that you’re wanted criminals?”

Crow marched directly over and scooped an eager Ru’Yi off the bed and gave her a raspberry into her cheeks.

“What are we supposed to do? Sit here and stare at each other?” Nono shrugged.

We had stayed in this love hotel for three days. Outside our windows, it was always raining. After doing nothing for a long time, we felt like we were starting to grow roots. Nono asked Mingfei to bring back some playing cards when he went out shopping.

“You could be entertaining the princess and not leaving her out here on her lonesome!” Crow said reproachfully, pulling a toy Hello Kitty from his pocket and gifting to her.

She threw it and it bounced off the TV. 

“And they left me out too!” The Fingel Phone lamented.

Mingfei snarled. “Keep talking and I’ll give you to the baby!”

“Anything but that! I’m serving such cruel masters...” Fingel’s voice whimpered.

Crow’s smile didn’t fit his next words. “You have to leave Tokyo as soon as possible.” 

-------------------------------------------------------

He tossed a folder on the bed and Nono turned to get it.

Nono opened it. She pressed her lips together.

“Susie, code named Thunder, is one of the strongest members of the new generation of Executioners in the Academy. Her partner is Lancelot, code-named the Watcher, and is a strategic expert. Under their command is a very elite team. The team are all your friends, people who understand your behavior.”

My shoulders sagged when I heard their names. “I just... have such a hard time believing...”

The last time I saw Lancelot, it was at Johann and my wedding. He carried my palanquin. I looked at Mingfei and his expression was equally grim.

“Of course,” Crow continued, “You two claim you’re not the same people everyone remembers, so its possible that they don’t really understand you. According to our intelligence, there was a cargo last night for medical supplies that was unloaded in the suburban airport. Lancelot and Shinnosuke Fujiwara picked up the goods.”

“Who is Fujiwara?” My ears perked up.

“He’s my assistant. A new agent from the Academy to Japan.”

My panic flared. “The Academy! That guy is spying on you!”

His fond smile at me seemed condescending but before I could continue, Crow said. “Don’t you think I know that? He showed up after the wanted order was sent out by EVA. After Hydra didn’t respond quick enough to their call to action. This whole act between you and me was to pull the wool over his eyes.”

“Was he the one who delivered that video to you? With the fruit?” I asked challenging his calm. “It used that clapper sound... only Herzog used that clapper! Who says that guy’s not really Herzog?”

“Herzog is dead, deader than dead. We sent divers to Tokyo Bay and recovered some of his remains.” Crow said, raising his eyebrows. “You think someone smashed to pieces can be resurrected somehow?”

“Who says he needs to resurrect?” I asked, my voice growing shrill. “Isn’t it true that mob bosses still conduct business behind bars?  Someone as driven as him might have found a way to conduct business from the grave!”

Crow looked surprised at my words.

"Answer my question. Did Fujiwara give you that recording?”

“Shinnosuke did. However, if you recall, Mingfei-Kun had no reaction when I first played it to Nono.” Crow stroked Ru’Yi’s hair. “It’s unlikely that Shinnosuke deliberately planted the ineffective video. Another video, higher-resolution, was sent to the broadcasting company direct. That was the one that had the clapper sound.”

“And where did that come from?” I asked.

“The Academy. And the video was sent to the Academy from the Gattuso family. They are sending an agent here too.”

Few names gripped me with as much fear as Gattuso. They’d been after me from day one at Cassell. The only reason they didn’t get ahold of my genes was because Herzog out bid them, but what if they didn’t outbid them? What if they funded him? I couldn’t help but think about what might have happened had I foolishly accepted Caesar’s offer to go to his mansion.

They might have experimented on me and Ru’Yi! Maybe even separated us!

“Fengchu?”

Zihang’s voice brought me out of my reverie. He looked at me with worry but I waved him off.

Nono spoke up. “The video was sent from the Gattuso family? With a video asking me to come home?”

“I only found that out after the fact.” Crow admitted.

Mingfei glanced up at her where she stood with the folder. “You think Caesar sent it?”

Nono tossed the folder in the garbage. “He would never use my father to send that message. He would come himself to get me. No... I don’t think Caesar is aware of this at all.” 

I looked at Nono with wide eyes. “All it took was for them to get one step ahead and look at how close they came to us!” I turned back to Crow. “Surely they know by now that you’re protecting us. What’s to say they’re not following you right now to put a bullet in your head!”

“That’s why I’m here! This is probably your last chance to escape! What they pulled from that wreckage was no medical equipment! It was strange things. Likely Alchemy weapons to be used against dragons and hybrids!”

“What’s more, Kaguya is mobilizing all her computing resources to stop EVA’s invasion, but it’s only a matter of time before she’s breached. Once Kaguya falls, all your actions in Japan will be exposed.”

“All they have to do is broadcast that clapper sound again and you’re done!” Crow sighed with regret.

“There’s another way they’re tracking us as well.” Nono thought aloud. “Remember the time in Mongolia? We were blocked by people from the Russian branch.”

Mingfei nodded, but I looked between them in confusion.

Nono continued. “It stands to reason that we passed through no man’s land during that time. EVA should not have been able to locate us, but the people from the Russian branch knew to intercept our route in advance.”

Fingel chimed from the table. “How can those bastards guess the way I was charting? They’re cheating I’m telling you! I just haven’t figured out how!”

“Tell your roommate to shut up...” Nono said in a cold voice.

Mingfei picked up the phone and lifted his thumb to press the power off button.

“Wait! Wait I have important information to provide!” Fingel added.

Nono gave Mingfei a wink.

“According to my speculation, we may be carrying some kind of transmitter. This transmitter is very small and a limited battery capacity. It can only send out a signal every once in a while. The college uses this signal to locate us, so they know we went to Mongolia and Tokyo! But because we keep moving, they can’t find our exact location!”

“Oh my god...” I whispered, covering my face with one hand. “You can’t be serious.”

“We got rid of all our belongings... we even dumped our clothes!” Lu Mingfei exclaimed.

“Then there must be a spy among you.” Crow concluded.

We all looked at each other. Finally, our eyes fell on the Fingel Phone.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Why are you looking at me like that? If it wasn’t for me to tell you a joke along the way, could you have had the strength to go on? If I want to betray you, I will just navigate you direct to the enemy!” The phone protested loudly. “I’m the youngest and the cutest of you. You can’t bully me like this!”

Crow huffed. “He’s may be the youngest but he’s not the cutest.” He looked down at tickled Ru’Yi’s ribs.

“Goddamn it, Mingfei shut him up.” Nono hissed.

This time Lu Mingfei firmly pressed the power off button. But he did have a point. Fingel Phone could have betrayed them a long time ago.

“Anyway, hiding won’t work much longer. If the transmitter really exists and we can’t find it, it will be picked up whereever you go. You just have to keep moving. Let those hounds chase you. As long as you’re fast enough, they can’t do anything to you.”

“That seems like a road to nowhere...” Mingfei mumbled.

“It’s really straightforward.” Crow sighed, rolling his eyes. “I must owe you a lot of money in a previous life.”

He cleared his throat. “Our opponent is a group of very experienced hunters. Among them are the finest tacticians and excellent Executioners, fully armed. They’re likely to know your location thanks to some sort of tracking system. But they are very quiet until now, why? Because it is not the time yet. They’re waiting for the most suitable opportunity! It is like a falcon flying in the sky, watching the prey running like mad. They want to catch you in one pounce!”

“So if we keep running, we’re sure to be caught.” Nono said.

“Yes, but in this hunt, although they are falcons, they are not completely reckless. You’ve proven yourselves capable of a good fight more than once!”

“What’s your plan?” She asked.

“Attack in our own defense! Before the wall is breached, strike them first and make good use of our home court advantage! It will be what they least expect!” He pounded his fist into his palm.

“Are you out of your mind?” I asked, “That seems like its asking them to come down on us harder!”

“Then why haven’t they already?” Crow asked me, a sly smile on his face.

I shut my mouth. Yes, why such a small team of personal friends? Why not bring down everyone they had? Even on the street of Tokyo, they had only sent one helicopter against Mingfei.

“Two possibilities. One, they haven’t shown all their cards and two their goal is not to hunt you at all, but to watch you and wait for reinforcements to arrive. If there are more reinforcements coming, they have no choice but to sit and wait.”

“But it doesn’t matter what their plan is if we take the initiative and force them to act outside their plans! Then you can leave Japan while they regroup. By the time the reinforcements arrive, you’ll be long gone!”

“Who can control Susie and Lancelot?” Asked Nono.

“Leave those two to me. Just pack your luggage. I will send the Crane team to handle them. They’re well trained and reliable.”

Mingfei looked doubtful. “Those are from the Japan Branch Executive Department. They’re not your personal soldiers. If you call them, it is the Hydra acting against the Academy!”

“I’ll act as scapegoat!” He pressed his thumb to his chest. “This will have nothing to do with Hydra! I will take the blame and resign and then be locked up by the Academy on a small island in the Pacific. They can’t keep me there forever...”

“Or they can kill you and make it look like an accident...” I said, looking away.

Crow’s voice held a gentle note I hadn’t heard before. “The party’s rule is not to kill except for dragons, Death Servitors, or out of control hybrids.”

“I no longer trust the Academy. Not without Anjou.” I pressed my lips together. “And there are fates worse than death.”

I looked back at him, unable to control the worry in my eyes. “Ru’Yi knows you now. But if you die now... she won’t remember you when she grows up.”

Crow settled Ru’Yi back on the bed, stood up, and walked toward the door.

“After you leave Japan, I will just run away. I’m not a patriarch, but just a second-rate character with limited ability. I’ve planned your escape route already. I just need to implement it and give you instructions.”

Mingfei took one look at my face and stood up from the table. “I’ll walk you out.”

[beatricethecat2]

if/then (v2.0) - 23

Hello everyone out there, I hope you're surviving social distancing! It's been quite a while since I managed an update for this, but here we go. It's on the longish side but there's lots of dialog, so I think it goes fast. Also lot of fluff in here. (Links to previous chapters in the comments) Typos are all mine, I will fix them eventually! (edited 5/2/20)

///////////////////

“Ow!“ Myka mouths as she steps into the mini-bus, a stray soccer ball bouncing off her knee. The cabin’s filled with girls yapping blissfully, while two, no, three girls wrestle over the backs of their seats.

"Girls, settle down,” Helena shouts from her spot behind the driver. She’s standing, but facing away from Myka.

Conversation slows, and the wrestling ceases. All eyes fall on Myka.

"Who's the lady, Coach Harry?" one girl asks.

"This is Myka," Helena says, glancing over her shoulder at Myka. "Our good luck charm from America."

"Hello," Myka says, smiling, in what hopefully is a friendly way, adding a tiny wave for good measure.

The girls whisper amongst themselves, the word "American" floating throughout.

"Hello," Myka says, smiling, in what hopefully is a friendly way, adding a tiny wave for good measure.

The girls whisper amongst themselves, the word "American" floating throughout.

"Girls, manners," Helena chides. "Please welcome our guest."

A chorus of "hellos" rises in the bus, a mish-mash of comically pronounced "Mykas" tacked on.

"Sit," Helena says, turning and tipping her head towards the empty spot next to her.

Myka studies Helena's face as she settles into the seat. The bandaid on her forehead makes sense, covering the gash from yesterday, but the sunglasses are a mystery.

“Onward, please," Helena says to the driver, grabbing hold of the seat as the bus lurches into action. She turns back towards the bus's occupants. "In approximately a half an hour, we'll face our toughest opponents yet. I suggest you reserve your energy for the game rather than waste it on tomfoolery. Owen, please assist the young ladies in the back, and place the balls back into their bags." Helena looks towards Owen, who has already jumped up from his seat and is on his way.

"Aye coach!"

"Did you sleep well?" Helena asks as she turns and sits down.

"What's up with these?" Myka says, reaching out to grab Helena's glasses.

Helena places her hands on the sides, blocking Myka's grab. She slides them down then back up again, revealing a swollen lid and slightly red eye.

"That can't be from yesterday. What happened?" Myka scoots closer and yanks the glasses off . She cups Helena's chin and tips her face up, moving it from side to side to view the damage.

"A ladder mishap—"

"Mom, Gwen says she's going to be sick," Christina says, poking her head over the seat.

"But we've only just left!"

"I know. I think she's nervous."

"Alright," Helens huffs. "Sit with Myka while I sort this out." She snatches the glasses from Myka's hand and slides them over her eyes. "Pardon me," she quips, with a hint of provocation, as she shimmies past Myka and into the aisle. Before making her way to the rear of the bus, she whispers something into Christina's ear. Christina then scrambles over the seat and fills Helena's former spot by the window.

"Did you see your mom's eye?" Myka asks.

"Did you see her shoulder? It's purple!"

"What?" Myka looks toward Helena, visibly wincing as she crouches down to speak with what must be Gwen. Did a thug rough her up to get information? And if so, does Christina know? "She said she fell off a ladder."

"Yeah, she does that sometimes. Especially when she can't sleep and she's working on the house. And she's always working on the house. You'll see."

Of course, Helena's remodeling their house. And, of course, she has trouble sleeping. "Shouldn't she see a doctor?"

"Probably, but she never does," Christina says, seemingly offhand but with underlying concern. She scoots closer to Myka and lowers her voice. "Mom said we're being watched. Someone came by about the painting."

Helena smooshes Myka over as she slides onto the seat. "Crisis averted. For the moment. Let's hope there's no rough road ahead."

"What happened last night?" Myka asks, turning slightly to face Helena, constrained in the middle. She wriggles an arm free and pushes Helena's jacket collar back, first on the left, then the right, searching for the bruise.

"I cooperated fully."

Myka hooks her fingers under Helena's hoodie and stretches the fabric gently to the side. She touches a finger to Helena's collar bone, the inflammation evident without much pressure. "You should ice this."

"I'll get an ice pack," Christina says, clamoring over the seat and out into the aisle.

"I'll see the medic at the pitch," Helena says, placing her hand over Myka's. She lifts it up and off, then lays them together on her lap. "It's only a bruise."

"I don't like you being hurt."

"Nor do I wish to be. But I assure you, this was my folly." Helena squeezes Myka's hand, eyes focused on Myka's lips as she leans forward and speaks in low tones into her ear.

"They're ringing later with details. Though it suffices to say, I'll be taken to Leeds imminently. But there's something off about all this, things are not as straightforward they're meant to seem."

"McPherson's not behind this?"

"Not singularly. I'd wager, were one to peel back the layers, someone else is pulling the strings."

"Great," Myka says, meeting Helena's concerned gaze, eyes flicking down to Helena's lips, mere inches away from her own. She aches to kiss them, though she knows this is neither the time nor the place.

"Mom, here." Christina returns, her fist beating an ice pack into submission.

"Scoot in," Helena says to Myka, and they shift to accommodate Christina. She takes the ice pack and slips it under her collar. "Let's inform Myka of the backstory we concocted."

Christina's smile is a carbon copy of Helena's, their conspiratorial glee almost too much to bear.

*

"Freezing your tits off yet?" Sondra says as she approaches Myka at the top of the bleachers.

"Um…yes?" Myka hadn't realized just how huddled she'd become waiting for the game to begin. Her muscles ache in protest as she straightens.

"Sun's made an appearance today, but the damp's set in." Sondra holds out an army green jacket, which Myka readily accepts. "Harry said you wasn't prepared for all this."

"Definitely not." Myka sheds her soiled trench coat and slips on the fluffy parka. The warmth it offers is instant; she wants disappear inside this coat for the rest of her stay. "Thanks."

"Not a bad fit, is it? It's David's, you know. You're a mite taller than me and Harry."

"True." She'd noticed Sondra was several inches shorter than Helena last night when they said their goodbyes. "Won't he mind?"

"Nah. He's on tour. Bethan's gutted he's not here."

"There's always next week," Myka says, folding her trenchcoat and sliding it under her posterior for extra warmth.

"Between you and me, I doubt we'll qualify," Sondra says, taking the seat next to her. "No offense to Coach Harry."

"I'll take your word on that." Myka zips the parka up and flips the hood halfway over her head. "Thank you so much for this," she says. "I only have work clothes."

"Harry said that." Sondra reaches into her bag and pulls out a thermos. "Cuppa?"

"Sure."

Sonrda unscrews the lid and hands it to Myka, then pulls a second cup out of her bag. She hands to the cup Myka then unscrews the stopper and pours steaming liquid into both. She then screws the stopper back in and sets the thermos on the bleacher.

"Harry also said you two used to knock boots." Sondra plucks the second cup from Myka's hand.

"Used to what?"

“Knock boots."

"Kick each other?" Myka takes a sip from her cup.

Sondra snorts a short laugh. "Mind you, Harry might wind you up enough for that. But nah. Mollock about."

"Mollock?"

"Shag, love."

"Oh, that. Yes. Yes, we did." Myka sips her tea again, burying her gaze in the clear brown liquid, the heat of embarrassment creeping up her neck.

"Star-crossed lovers, she said. Long-distance. Then she up and disappeared."

“All true," Myka says, her disappointment ringing clear. Their actual story, in that sense, somewhat mirroring the one Helena dreamed up. But the rest of it, not so much: Helena latched onto Christina's multiple city idea but turned her nose up at the dating app. Instead, she concocted a near fairy-tale level, met-across-a-crowded-room scenario, one which she likes better than the actual circumstances under which they met.

Sondra tops up Myka's tea without prompting, the jolt of warmth radiating pleasantly through the metal cup into her fingers.

"You know why she's here then?" Sondra asks.

"Not exactly. Do you?"

"Heard she saw a murder."

"What?" Myka spits out her tea. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Village talk. What'd you hear?"

"Money laundering. Her boss."

"Better that than the other," Sondra says. She looks out onto the field, waving as she catches her daughter's eye. "Here to warn her, are you?"

"Am I?"

"You, turning up out of thin air? Something's not right."

Myka stares out into the field, mimicking Sondra's action. Christina hops up and down, waving as Myka sees her.

"The village can help, you know. Make them disappear like they never were here. Lots of places to hide in the mountains leftover from the war."

"I-I'll let her know. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

"Sondra! Get down here, they're starting!" a woman shouts from the bottom of the bleachers.

"Alright, in a minute!" Sondra yells back. "Join us lot for the event of the season?" she asks Myka.

Myka surveys the group of parents, many she recognizes from last night. And just like last night, she should be able to disappear in their midst, which works for her. "Sure." As she stands, Sondra looks down at her flats.

"Oh, bugger me," Sondra says. "Not got my head on straight, do I? There's socks and boots for you in the car."

"Really? That's awesome," Myka says, genuinely excited to have more appropriate footwear. She follows Sondra down the bleachers and out into the parking lot.

"Harry's lucky to have you, Sondra. You're a really good friend," Myka says as Sondra opens the back of her SUV.

"I do my best." Sondra pulls out out a pair of lightly worn work boots. "David's, again. Maybe a little rough for your taste."

"I'll take anything." Myka snags the boots and plunks down on the tailgate, fishing a sock out of a shoe.

Sondra leans on the fender next to her. "While you're here, if you're up for it…well, Harry, she's a bit, all on her own, if you know what I mean. Maybe you two could…."

Myka's lips curl up as she tugs on a lace. She certainly does know and certainly hopes they do. "That's not up to me."

"She's still mad for you, she said."

"That's sweet."

A whistle blows from the field.

"Game's on. Let's go!" Sondra shoos Myka off the tailgate and throws it closed in record time.

*

The game was lackluster at first, but by the end, Myka was cheering like a pro. In a suspenseful twist, a tie was broken in overtime by a penalty kick from Christina's team. High spirits followed, leading to an overly social lunch. Congratulatory pats on the back and constant recaps squashed any hopes of chatting with Helena alone.

But at least she's understanding conversations better, following the lilt of the words rather than hear them as an indecipherable mash. It seems the Welsh add syllables generously, such as the word "roll" strung out into "ro-ew-ell." And H's often sound like Y's: "here" as "year," "heard" as "yurd."

"So, I promised ice creams for the team," Helena says after their sausage rolls and chips are depleted. "Will you help me distribute them?"

“Sure,” Myka says.

"Charlotte, you and Bethan gather the team."

"Ok, mom!"

Christina and Bethan scurry off while Myka and Helena join the line at the ice cream truck. Helena looks down at Myka's boots and gives them a tap with her sneaker.

"I see Sondra's clothed you as David. But the parka suits you. Perhaps you might keep it for your stay."

"Sondra said I could."

Helena smiles and inches closer, slipping her hands into Myka's pockets and tugging her towards her. But the line moves all too soon, and as they shuffle forward, Helena's phone buzzes. "I have to take this," she says, frowning as she looks at the screen.

"Is that 'the' call?"

"I believe so. Here." Helena fishes her wallet out of her pocket and hands it to Myka. "Flakes for all of them."

"Flakes? What's a Flake?" Myka asks, but Helena continues walking, already absorbed in the call.

The line moves forward. Christina and Bethan return.

"What can I get you, miss?" the man behind the counter asks.

"How many do we need?" Myka asks Christina.

"Twelve. Vicky didn't want one, and we couldn't find Tessa and Harpreet."

"Ok, twelve, um, 'Flakes' please?" Myka says to the server.

Bethan giggles at Myka's shaky ordering skills. "Do you not have Flakes in America?" she asks.

"No, we don't."

"It's just an ice cream with a chocolate bar in it."

"And a very pointy ice cream at that," Myka says as the man hands her a cone. She nearly passes it on, but instead, holds it up and studies it. “Oh! The Outer Hebrides—"

"Miss?" The server holds out a second cone.

"The outer what?" Christina asks as Myka passes both cones over.

"There's an island shaped like these cones way up in Scotland."

"Cool! How'd you know that?" Christina asks.

"I, um…I thought you and your mom might…" Myka thinks twice about finishing her sentence as she passes the next cones to an expectant Bethan. "You two better deliver those before they melt. And hurry back! He's doling them out fast."

The man hands her another cone. "Can I pay for these while we wait? How much is it?"

"Fourteen pounds."

She balances the cone and Helena's wallet in one hand and draws out a twenty with the other. As she waits for change, she slips out Helena's driver's license. Helena's hair is even shorter and freshly bleached, and again, she's hardly recognizable as herself. Angharad Haf Llewellyn lives on the very non-descript Mill Road, one of probably hundreds of others in Wales alone.

"Your change," the man says as Myka slips the card back in. He hands Myka a note and a coin, which she tries to stuff in the wallet, but the cone drips down her wrist, and the wallet tumbles to the ground.

"Allow me," Helena says, plucking the cone from Myka's hand. She licks the drip, slowly and deliberately, keeping eye contact with Myka. Myka watches, transfixed, as Helena's tongue drags up the soft-serve, leaving a deep groove in its wake before playfully nipping the pointy top off.

"Would you like some?" Helena says, brandishing a haughty smile as she moves the cone closer to Myka's mouth.

“Sure?" Myka holds Helena's gaze as she licks off another drip, aroused but puzzled by this shift back to flirting. There's something she should ask, something Helena's deflecting… “ hat happened on the phone—"

"Ma'am, your cones," the server says.

"Oh, sorry." Myka turns and takes both cones.

"I'm pleased to see your curls are regaining their integrity. The wave they've taken on is quite flattering," Helena reaches out to finger a lock.

Myka raises a brow, high. That's a non-sequitur if there ever was one.

"Here's mom's wallet stuff," Christina says, having returned unknowingly and scooped up its contents. She holds the cards and cash out towards Myka.

"Here, I, um…" Myka hands a cone to Christina and Christina passes the wallet contents to Myka. Myka grips the items tightly while handing over the other cone.

"Miss," the ice cream man says and Myka looks toward him. He's holding two more cones.

"I'll manage this," Helena says just as Bethan reappears.

Myka steps to the side and shoves the bills back in the wallet, but as she does so, notices a sliver of paper sticking out of a seam. She gently pries the seam open and slips the paper free. It's crinkled and faded, but instantly recognizable: it's the photo of Helena's family that once occupied her locket. Something Helena, or rather Harry, should not have on her person.

She glances at Helena, dutifully passing cones on to the girls, and blinks back tears welling up behind her eyes. She was isolated in LA, but she was at least, mostly, able to be herself. Helena and Christina had to be other people, vigilantly, with different names and backstories, acclimating to a foreign culture, with no access to their past.

Whatever this next trial is, it better be quick and painless, as this charade needs to end now.

*

"Tonight. Or tomorrow," Helena says, finally alone in the Rover, in response to Myka's question of when she'll be taken to Leeds.

"It better be tomorrow," Myka grumbles as Helena navigates out of the school parking lot. "If they know where it is, why do you have to be there?"

"Morgana and I both must be present to open the vault. She's on her way there now."

Helena slows at a junction and glances at Christina, wilted and spread out, covering the entire backseat.

"Perhaps she should stay with you tonight at the inn."

"No, we're staying with you." Myka pokes Helena's bruised shoulder, lightly, but hard enough it elicits a wince. "And you're putting that sling on the medic gave you." She looks toward Christina, who has one eye popped open.

"Mom..." Christina drawls, the implication clear without further clarification.

"Alright," Helena says, huffing out a small, defeated sigh. "We'll pick up Myka's bags and head home."

*

"It seems our only option is pasta," Helena says, poking her nose in the pantry. "Saturdays offerings can be quite slim as Sunday's our big shop."

"Pasta's fine," Myka says, looking around their galley kitchen while dragging a finger along a pristine marble countertop. White cobblestone walls and exposed timber beams ooze country charm, while everything else seems lifted from a high-end lifestyle magazine. "You did all this?"

"Most of it. With licensed builders when necessary. The house was a shambles when we arrived, as you'll see from other rooms. I'm told parts of it date from the eighteenth century, but it's been heavily modified. When it's light out, you'll glean that from the roofline."

The drive from the school was less than fifteen minutes, but it was dark by the time they arrived. And a portion of that was spent navigating their claustrophobic driveway. When they emerged from the hedgerows, the lights from the house glowed like a portal to another dimension. Stars glittered in the sky, so far removed were they from light pollution.

"How'd you find this place?"

"Morgana did, years ago."

"Years?"

"This exercise was pre-planned, in anticipation of just an event." Helena reaches into a cabinet under the countertop and pulls out a medium-sized dutch oven pot.

"That...makes sense." It's irksome this wasn't as seat-of-the-pants as Myka thought, as it reminds her of how little she really knows about what's going on. "When did you learn to fix cars?"

"Giselle's cousins. Several are mechanics. They taught me the basics. We ran with the idea once Morgana found the house."

Myka frowns as she watches Helena fill the pot with water. Morgana, Giselle, both good people, both more helpful than she's been.

Helena sets the pot on the stove and lights the burner. "Allow me to show you our humble home," she says. "This is the kitchen, of course."

"Which is amazing," Myka says.

"Christina deserves it, after all I've put her through. We even added a small wood-fired oven, which may or may not have been present in the original kitchen." She points to a brick arch in the space where the fireplace is.

"I'm sure she loves it."

"She'll regale you with our trials and tribulations if you ask. Though she might even if not prompted." Helena guides Myka beyond the kitchen towards the back of the house. When they stop, Helena motions towards a closed door.

"The bath is just here, in the extension. Fully renovated as well. Nothing like our old apartment. It might even rival Claudia's."

Myka lifts a skeptical brow.

"Our water pressure's not as hearty, but serviceable. I'd say we could peek in, but Christina's grown quite accustomed to her privacy. Perhaps it's best to circle back after she's finished showering."

"She is ten now. I guess she's grown in lots of ways," Myka says with a chuckle.

"More than you can imagine." Helena swings back through the kitchen towards the living room. "Once the novelty of being here wore off, there were some difficult times."

"She seems settled now."

"Her happiness has been hard won." Helena stands by an enormous fireplace with a heavy wooden mantle, the flip side of the kitchen hearth. "We'll build a fire here after dinner, and the entire house will warm."

"It's pretty warm right now, but that would be nice." Myka's sure Helena turned up the heating already just for her. But it's been years since she's been anywhere with a real fireplace, the last time a ski trip to Vermont with Abigail and some friends in grad school.

Helena guides Myka up a narrow set of winding stairs to the second floor. "Mind the plastic."

"You fell down these?"

"Yes. The water damage I've been wrestling with is just there." Helena points to a spot where the hallway ceiling meets the slope of the stairway. "We need a new roof."

"That's a big investment."

"Indeed. The longer we're here, the more it needs doing. I've been patching it for now."

"That's ok, right? You won't be here forever."

"Myka," Helena says, the plastic crinkling as she steps forward and takes hold of her hand. "Even if this were over tomorrow, I'd still be deported. And my involvement with this case won't look favorably towards shortening my sentence. If I'm ever allowed into America again."

"T-They can't…you didn't do anything wrong! Interpol can fix it. They have to!"

"They'll try, but there are no guarantees."

"But…no," Myka says, voice softening, looking Helena directly in the eye, waiting for a flicker of hope but seeing only apologetic resolve. "Would you stay here if you couldn't come back?"

"I'd rather Christina not be moved again unless it's to Claudia's. But it's not entirely my decision. There may be other factors. Let's remain optimistic, please." Helena squeezes Myka's hand.

Helena's "please" tugs on Myka's heartstrings. She nods in response, afraid her voice might crack if she spoke. And again, there are so many things factoring into this she's not privy to. She should know better; nothing these days is ever set in stone.

Helena clears her throat. "Christina's room's just there." She tugs Myka's hand, guiding her down the hall.

Myka pushes the door open and peeks in. The room is bigger than she thought, being that the house seems small, but it must extend over yet another extension. She walks in and steps up to a wall filled with drawings made with markers, pens, pencils, and even pastels. The image of a tuxedo rabbit is repeated throughout; this must be Mr. Bubbles, his coloring similar to Dewey's.

Myka turns toward Helena. "These are really good."

"Her sketchbooks are brimming. She's dying to show you."

"Maybe after dinner?"

"Which we should get to making. After one final stop." Helena takes Myka's hand and leads her down the hall into her bedroom. "I've only shored up the crumbling walls in here. This is what the house was like when we arrived."

The water damage is evident, as is the questionable taste of the former occupants. Overly-floral wallpaper covers half of the room, the other half ripped-off to reveal bubbling plaster.

"But you decorated. And it looks like you really live here." A four-poster bed fills the far corner, while a matching dresser sits on the opposite wall. There's a deep-set window with a seat underneath, perfect for reading or napping, but currently covered in folded laundry.

"That was our mandate," Helena says, walking toward the mantle, fidgeting with a wooden knick-knack of a cat. "I channeled my mother's antique leanings but added a modern flare. Homemaking was never my strong suit, but the task required it. And Christina deserved a home she could boast about to her new friends."

"This feels very…settled."

"I wish it to be equated as such. I believe Christina feels safe here, which is the most important thing in the world to me." Helena walks towards the bed and sits on its edge.

"What about you? How do you feel?" Myka sits next to Helena lays a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm …all right," Helena says, the pause clearly indicating a censure of honest feeling. "But, I do have a confession."

"Ok." Myka withdraws her hand and turns slightly to give Helena full attention. She wants to know everything, but a confession? That doesn't sound good.

"A few months ago, in a moment of weakness, I stalked you on the internet. Not here...during some downtime on a job in Cardiff."

"Oh." Myka's relief is palpable. "Do you think that's how they found you?"

"I was certain I was careful. But now...I'm questioning that theory." Helena looks down at her hands, balling them into fists to stop their fidgeting.

"What did you find about me?"

A smile tugs at Helena’s lips. "I found an extraordinary woman willfully moving forward, making connections wherever she traveled, working tirelessly for a museum, continuing to exhibit her art."

"The job part is right, but the rest...I had to project a certain lifestyle, just like you."

"There was an article in the New York Times about your show in LA—"

"Group show. And not just that one, other shows in LA, too."

“—with a beauteous photo of yourself standing next to an attractive, dark-haired woman with a beguiling smile."

"T-They made us stand that close. The photographer did," Myka blurts.

Helena raises a brow.

"She's a friend, one I met at that residency, in LA. She got me into the show." Calm down, Myka. You do not want to have this conversation right now, if ever. "That show got really good reviews. I'm lucky."

"I'm so pleased with all your successes," Helena says, taking hold of Myka's hand and threading their fingers together. "I wish I were there to support you."

"You're there in spirit, always." Myka scoots closer and leans in to kiss Helena, to remove any doubts floating in her mind.

Helena turns to align their lips, but grimaces and pulls back. She circles her shoulder and rubs her neck, groaning as she hits a tender spot.

"Here, let me," Myka says, pushing back onto the bed and laying her hands on Helena's shoulders. "You really should wear that sling. And take a bath to loosen up your muscles, help them heal."

Helena groans even louder as Myka presses her thumbs into her trapezius muscles. Myka's stomach flutters at the sound and the memories it conjures.

"Do you remember the first massage I ever gave you?” Myka asks.

“How could I ever forget? The one where it took every ounce of my being to not turn and ravish you."

"Uh-huh." Myka maneuvers so that she's entirely on the bed, her legs stranding Helena's hips from behind.

"I was madly in love with you already." Helena turns her head toward Myka as far as it will go.

"So was I." Myka twists her body to meet Helena's gaze. She brushes her fingers over Helena's blackening eye then trails them down, cupping her jaw, guiding Helena's mouth toward hers until their lips meet.

"Mom, water's boiling!" Christina yells.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Helena yells back, lips quickly returning to cover Myka's. "If I'd made better choices earlier on," she says between soft but heated kisses, "perhaps we'd not be in this predicament."

"Ravishing me then wouldn't have changed this." Myka's hand tangles in Helena's short mane.

"Had I read you in earlier, you might at least be here with us now."

Helena's kisses trail along Myka's jaw, then down, towards the crook of her neck. Myka moans as Helena's nose digs into the well above her collarbone.

"You didn't know me well enough to trust me. And you couldn't have predicted any of this—"

"MOM! The water's boiling away!"

"Alright! Add the pasta."

"The whole box?"

"Yes. And remember to stir it."

"I don't forget. You do."

"Yes, but I'm reminding you." The end of Helena's sentence is buried in Myka's neck, as she returns to kissing her way across.

"Is there sauce?" Christina shouts.

Myka barks a laugh as Helena sighs into her shoulder. "In the freezer, leftover from the last batch we made." She rests her head on Myka's chest as they wait for Christina's answer. Myka hugs Helena close, combing her fingers through Helena's locks, which are still, thankfully, just as silky smooth as ever.

"I can't find any."

"Then we're out. Butter and garlic it is," Helena declares. "Wait a moment, and I'll come and help." Then to Myka, "Barebones supper, I'm afraid. I hope you don't mind."

Myka tips Helena's head up and kisses her as if she'd said they'd be eating a five-star meal. "Any dinner with you two? Best. Dinner. Ever."

*

They eat in the kitchen at the thick, wooden table, its cloth napkins and lit candles making it almost a formal affair.

"The candlesticks came from an estate sale. Christina has her grandmother's eye for decor." Helena smiles at Christina, a proud twinkle in her eye.

Christina beams at the compliment and launches into other finds, such as the wooden bread bowl on the counter and a cuckoo clock above a sideboard.

"I haven't heard it cuckoo," Myka says of the clock.

"It's yet to be fixed, but it's on our list," Helena laments.

"Aunt Claudia could fix it," Christina adds.

"She sure could," Myka agrees.

Helena doesn't comment.

The table quiets. Forks scrape and ice cubes clank as everyone tucks into their food. Speaking freely about the past is clearly a contestable issue.

Helena glances at the clock, then at Christina. “Your Aunt Claudia would add tech to make the bird sing."

"Or talk. Sing and talk," Myka adds.

"And you could control it from your phone," Christina says.

"That must be a thing already. We should look it up." Myka slips her phone out of her pocket.

"No phones at the table." Helena gives a disapproving look.

"But yours is right there." Myka points with her eyes to Helena's phone, next to her plate.

"Extenuating circumstances."

“Oh...right." The normalcy of their meal lulled Myka into a sense of false security. This wasn't merely a pleasant ritual, they were waiting for the call that could potentially change everything.

"We'll add 'make cuckoo sing' to our list of summer projects," Helena says, swaying the conversation back to trivialities.

"Will we still be here?" Christina says.

"I believe so."

"Can Aunt Claudia visit us now, since Myka's here?"

"Perhaps. But I can't make any promises. The next few days will be telling."

Christina lays her fork down, her plate three-quarters cleared. "I'm done."

"At least finish your toast," Helena says.

Christina stuffs what’s left of her garlic bread into her mouth all at once.

Helena purses her lips in disapproval. "During your foray into the freezer, did you spy any ice cream?”

"No, but there's cake."

"The Genoise or Chiffon?"

"Genoise, with the strawberry frosting. It's really yummy!" Christina says to Myka.

"It's quite a delight. One of our more successful forays into baking."

"I believe you," Myka says.

"Why don't you pull some out and we'll have it later."

"Ok!" Christina pushes her chair back and makes a beeline towards the fridge.

"Why wouldn't you be here in the summer? She knows you're still deported, right?"

"Yes. But she also knows, since our location has been compromised, we may need to disappear again."

"You didn't say that earlier. You said if you cooperated, everything would be fine!"

"I also said certain decisions were not up to me. I didn't want to sound alarmist."

"If you go, I'm coming with you. You can't do that to me again."

Christina lays a plate on the table containing two pieces of frozen cake and looks at Myka expectantly.

"Wow, those look great!" Myka says, a little too emphatically, changing her tone on a dime. She turns the plate for a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view. Fluffy layers of yellow cake sandwich pink icing with strawberries and even more strawberries line the top.

"Fancy a spot of tele after the washing up?" Helena says to Christina.

"There's a new Bake Off! Have you been watching?" Christina asks Myka.

"I haven't."

"I'll catch you up."

"Shall I light the fire, or you?" Helena asks Christina.

"I'll do it!" Christina scurries into the living room.

"Well. That's sorted." Helena stands and moves towards the kitchen.

"Hey." Myka touches Helena's forearm, her fingers sliding down as Helena continues moving away. She cuffs Helena's wrist, and Helena flinches, her arm stretching, the pressure straining her sore shoulder. Her wrist slips free as Myka’s grip loosens, but Myka hooks their fingers together before Helena disengages entirely.

"Where's that sling the medic gave you? You should put it on."

"I believe it's in the car."

"Go get it. I'll clean up."

"I'll clean up. It would please Christina to no end if you'd assist her with the fire."

"Sure, but—"

"You're our guest."

"Guest? Since when am I a guest?" Myka stands and squeezes Helena's hand.

Helena closes her eyes and lowers her head, letting out a deep, weighted sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"You're cross with me."

"No. I'm just…hey, look at me." Myka tips Helena's chin up.

Helena's eyes flick up to meet Myka's.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. But it's frustrating, being in the dark about everything."

"Were there time, I'd explain."

"I know." Myka cups Helena's cheek and brushes her thumb over her brow. Helena's physical state is bad enough, but hurting her emotionally? Not ok.

"We can talk later." Helena says, leaning into Myka's touch.

"Talking is not what we're doing later. Or not much of it."

Helena’s eyes light up. "I like the way you think.”

"Mm-hmm." Myka leans in and presses a soft kiss to Helena's upturned lips.

"Mom, do you know where the long matches are?" Christina shouts from the living room.

Helena pulls back and rolls her eyes. "They're in here, love."

"I'll bring them in. I want to see this fire being made!" Myka answers. "Come with me," she says to Helena. “Leave the cleanup for later." She laces their fingers together, on Helena's good arm, and gently tugs.

Helena looks towards the dishes then back at Myka. “Quite the genius tonight, aren’t you?"

“I know.” Myka grins. “Grab those matches, and let's go."

-TBC-