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sweetprfct · 10 months ago

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Under The Summer Heat

Joseph Quinn x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Joe had agreed to keep your relationship under wraps for a while now. During your work company's summer BBQ, you couldn't help but feel alone because Joe was in London, while you were across the ocean. You felt alone until... you weren't.

Author's Note: This was based off of a dream I had last week, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to write it down. I hope you all enjoy! :)

Wordcount: 5K

It was a secret.

Supposed to be.

It had been.

Now, you weren’t sure anymore.

It only has been a few months since your relationship started and due to the fact that you weren’t really someone special, you both decided to keep this under wraps for now. Just you and him knew about it, and your sister, Camille, since she was there to witness the beginning of all of it. The three of you had been keeping this secret really well, and you were actually handling it well even if there were times where you just wanted to tell your best friends all about it.

It was too risky.

You told yourself, so you kept your mouth shut.

So, here you were. You found yourself standing in front of your mirror, fixing the belt of the mini flowy summer dress that you were wearing. It was a Friday, and your work company was holding the annual summer BBQ picnic at a lake park. You and your sister, who also worked together from the same company, were sort of dreading it because it was hot, and you two weren’t really sure if you really wanted to spend your Friday afternoon hanging out with your colleagues that you basically see everyday.

However, your team was already expecting the both of you to come, so you two decided to give in and maybe just stay for an hour. Carpooling together, Camille drove the both of you towards the lake park and saw the rest of the company employees arriving at the same time. Exiting out of the car, you were greeted by the California summer heat. It felt heavy, and you hated the feeling of it.

Music blasted around the park, and there were activities getting set up. The BBQ catering company that they rented were already grilling the burgers and hotdogs, while the rest of the volunteers were finishing up with the bouncy houses for the kids. It was a company party where you could bring a friend or family as a plus one. Of course, everyone had their children, husbands, boyfriends, or girlfriends with them.

You and your sister were just there. You both sort of felt left out. Not that everyone brought a plus one. But it seemed like everyone might as well, right?

“Let’s go find the team.” Camille murmured.

Nodding your head, you walked down the park and said hi to some colleagues that you passed by. They had big smiles on their faces and complimented you with how cute you looked in your dress. Just right by the empty tables, you found Maya and Adeline, who were part of your team.

“Where’s everyone?” You asked.

Maya shrugged her shoulders, adjusting her glasses and scanning the park to see if she could recognize anyone from your team. Sitting down next to them, you let out a sigh and watched everyone else talk amongst themselves. You didn’t know what it was, but you didn’t really know what to do. Awkward silence blanketed the four of you as you all sat and waited for the rest of your department to show up. You all always felt like an outcast from the rest of the company. You all had your own little group, and you all enjoyed each other’s company rather than when you all would talk to other members from a different department.

When the rest of your department finally showed up, you could feel the atmosphere suddenly shift. The rowdy chaotic team that you had suddenly were now all talkative and spitting jokes around with each other. You couldn’t help but smile and join the conversations until they had announced that lunch was ready.

“It’s the same food every year.” You heard one of your colleagues from another department complain.

You were in line getting the food and somehow, some employees in this company were already half drunk. The party literally just started and lunch was just being served. It was barely noon.

“Honestly, it’s good.” One of the women chimed in as she picked up a piece of hotdog.

“They can’t afford anything else but the same catering every year.” Another joked as they all laughed together.

Shaking your head, you ignored the little jokes they made and continued on through the line. You hated the negativity of others all the time, and it just really pissed you off sometimes when you heard conversations like that. It was almost like if they weren’t grateful, then why were they here? They could have just gone home instead.

“Hey! Stop it!” One of your team members, Eden, laughed at the end of the line.

You smiled as you watched your team teased each other. That was what made all of you different from the other departments. You all knew how to work as a team and wouldn’t speak so negatively even if things were difficult sometimes.

“That’s ten dollars for each piece of hotdog, Eden!” Maya teased him.

“And the hamburgers are twenty.” Adeline added.

You passed by and walked up behind them and said, “Yeah, and I’ll collect the money.”

“No, no.” Eden argued, shaking his head. “This is free! This is a company party, dammit!”

You all laughed together as Eden groaned when he dropped his hotdog from his plate.

“Ooo!” You all exclaimed in unison, teasing him even more.

“Eden, you’re wasting food!” Adeline accused him.

“Shush!” Eden shook his head as he picked up another hotdog.

You all laughed together as you walked back towards the tables, finding your seat back at the benches and joined the rest of your team. Everyone talked amongst themselves as you ate your food and listened to them. You didn’t know why you were sort of having a low energy at the moment, which wasn’t you at all. You usually were bubbly and happy. You couldn’t help but blame the California heat for making you feel heavy.

Other colleagues that you knew from other departments would pass by and say hello to all of you. Some would come by and give you a hug and compliment you with your dress. Some of the employees here in the company seemed nice, and you could tell who were the ones that were stuck up. For some reason, every time there was a party, you could always see everyone’s fake façades disappearing.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Camille cursed under her breath, sitting next to you. “She’s here.”

“Who?” You looked around the park.

“Sophia!” Your sister whisper-yelled.

“Oh.”

Sophia was your sister’s work crush, and they have been talking to each other lately. However, Camille has been feeling as if whatever it was between them wasn’t going anywhere. It was one of the reasons why she was dreading coming to the picnic because she was afraid Sophia would show up. She was certainly even more terrified that maybe today was going to be the day she would find out that maybe Sophia had a boyfriend all this time.

You furrowed your brows and scanned your eyes around the park, but you couldn’t seem to find her.

“Was she alone?” You asked.

“Yes.” Camille tilted her head. “Actually, I don’t know. I saw her walking alone.”

“Okay, then go!” You pushed her off the bench.

“No!” Camille argued, sitting back next to you. “Maybe her boyfriend is parking the car or something!”

“Oh, there you guys are!”

The both of you were interrupted by Bea. She was you and Camille’s work mom. Her husband, Ethan, used to be your department manager until he decided to retire. You both saw him as your work dad also. Next to the both of them was Marley. She was their daughter and also your “sister” since both her parents basically had become your “adopted” parents at this point. Marley also just started at the company.

“Hi!” You greeted Marley, getting up from your seat and pulling her into a hug.

You and Marley were about the same age. You both got along better because you both liked the same things more than her and Camille. You figured maybe because Camille was a couple years older than the both of you.

“You look cute! I love this dress!” Marley smiled.

“Well, you look cute too!” You grinned happily. “Did you guys just get here?”

“Yeah, I had to drag their asses because they were taking forever to get ready.” Marley rolled her eyes at her parents.

“We’re gonna go get food. We’ll be back.” Bea said.

You waved at them and then, you heard a familiar voice calling out Camille’s name and immediately, she hitched her breath and turned to see Sophia walking over to where you all were. You smirked at your sister before sitting back on your seat and letting them talk alone for a while. It didn’t take long for Marley and her parents to come back with a plate of their food and join the rest of you. Everyone started talking to each other again, and you couldn’t help but keep looking back at your sister, who was still talking to Sophia.

“Don’t you think that guy is cute?” Marley leaned in, whispering.

You followed where her eyes were looking and found a man with blond hair and blue eyes, talking to one of his colleagues from his department. You knew him, but you never really talked to him before. Usually, you would talk with Marley about men and dating but then, you realized that none of the people here knew about your current—secret— relationship. Marley didn’t know that you weren’t single anymore. So, you decided you had to play the part.

“Um… he’s okay.” You elongated the word ‘okay.’

“I think his name is Jake? I never really talk to him besides saying hello if we passed by each other.”

“Okay, but what about you?” Marley nudged you on your arm with her elbow. “Do you find anyone here cute?”

“No.” You shook your head, answering her question too quickly. “I mean… Not really. I’ve been working here for three years, and I never found any of the men attractive.”

“Really?” Marley’s eyes widened in shock.

“Hey, Marley.” Bea called.

Both of you turned your attention to Bea, who was pointing at the bouncy houses.

“You guys should go and play there.” Bea teased.

“Okay, but you have to join us, mom!” Marley replied.

“Oh no. I want to see all three of my daughters over there having fun.”

You laughed with Marley as Marley whispered, “The woman is fucking crazy, I swear to God.” as you laughed with her.

Walking around the park later that day, your eyes studied everyone drinking, talking and playing games on the grass. Some were sitting on the folding chairs or on the picnic blanket they all brought in. You couldn’t help but think about Joe and wished that he was here. Sure, you were having fun with your friends, but it felt like something was missing. You wished you were able to show and introduce him to your friends.

“Hi, sir.” You smiled when you saw the Director of your department, Keith.

He was standing by the bouncy houses, watching the kids play.

“Hello, how are you?” Keith smiled.

“Good. How are you, sir?”

“Oh, you know. Enjoying the fun.” He shrugged.

You all stood in a circle as Keith greeted Ethan and asked how he was. Ethan was one of Keith’s favorites when he used to work at the company, and they both had a good relationship. Then, two of your other friends, Brandon and Bree, from the other department had joined you and started talking to you.

“Hey, Brandon brought his infamous baked ziti.” Bree said.

“You cooked?” Your eyes widened.

“Yeah,” Brandon shrugged. “I just wanted to bring in some for the team, but I had some extras, so I was wondering if you all wanted some.”

“I’m good.” You shook your head. “I’m full from lunch, but thank you though.”

“Hey,” Bree nudged you on your arm. “Did you see the new trailer for A Quiet Place?”

You cleared your throat, giving her a smile as you nodded your head. Bree was a big fan of Stranger Things. She always talked about it at work and how much she loved Eddie Munson.

If only she knew.

You scratched the back of your head as you felt your cheeks flushed from the thought of Joe. You were trying so hard to act like you didn’t know anything. This was hard for you because you weren’t an actor for fuck’s sake!

That was Joe!

“Um… yea.” You nodded your head.

“Girl, I’m so freaking excited!”

You gave her a grin and nodded your head, agreeing with her. You were excited for Joe’s new movie, but you didn’t really know how to act. You didn’t know what reaction to put on, and you were failing terribly at it. Your cheeks were getting tired from fake smiling as Bree continued to talk to you and Brandon about the movie. You were also getting a headache, and you just wanted to get out of this conversation.

“Dad! Dad!”

Your conversation was interrupted when you heard Keith’s two daughters run towards him with their phones in their hands. An excited smile plastered on their faces, and they were practically bouncing on their feet.

“We just got a picture with Eddie Munson from Stranger Things!” His younger daughter exclaimed.

“Who?!” You snapped your head towards them, your eyes widened in shock.

The whole conversation in the circle suddenly went dead silent. You could already see the astounded look on Bree’s face from the corner of your eye. You could feel your heart beating out of your chest, and you could barely feel anything at the moment.

Did you hear that right?!

“I’m sorry.” You apologized to Keith for your sudden reaction. “But did you girls just say Eddie Munson?”

“Who’s Eddie?” Keith turned to look at his two daughters.

“Dad!” His older daughter rolled her eyes, “Remember the metal guy from the show Stranger Things? We made you watch that with us!”

“Oh.”

“Hi, darling.”

You were frozen. You couldn’t move.

You were scared to turn around. You were wondering if the heat was getting in your head because you did not just hear Joe’s voice coming from behind you. Although, from the way Bree’s expression was looking right now, you knew you weren’t hallucinating this whole thing.

You knew he was right behind you.

Slowly turning around, you saw Joe with a smile on his face. You still weren’t used to his buzzed cut hair, but he looked so good standing there in front of you with his collared shirt and black pants. You missed him so much, and you couldn’t believe he was here.

Wait, why was he here anyway?

Wasn’t he supposed to be in London filming right now?

“Ohmygod.” Bree muttered under her breath.

Feeling your cheeks flushed even more, as if the heat wasn’t already making you look all red, you set your palms on his chest as you looked over your shoulder. You saw everyone’s surprised reactions as they all just stared at the both of you.

What was happening right now?

“E… Excuse us.” You let out an awkward laugh as you slid one hand with Joe’s and pulled him away from the group.

Immediately, you heard whisperings and murmurs from your friends, and you could feel their eyes on you.

“What are you doing here?” You whispered, eyes big and wide. “I thought you’re in London filming?”

“I wanted to surprise you.” Joe shrugged, a big grin plastered on his face.

Surprise you?

But you both had agreed that this relationship was a secret, remember? Now, he was here in public with you. He was here in front of your friends with you.

Ohmygod. He was here in front of your boss with you.

“But… I thought you wanted this to be a secret?”

Joe saw the worry lines on your face as he cupped your face between his hands. His chocolate button eyes were staring right into yours, and you could practically feel everyone’s eyes burning on the back of your head.

“I talked to my team.” Joe continued. “I don’t want to hide you, love. I want to be with you. I want to join you at parties like this, and I want you to join me in my events.”

Biting your lower lip, you gave him a small smile. A jar of butterflies opened up in your stomach and invaded your veins. You could still feel everyone’s eyes on you but for some reason, Joe saying all of that to you, didn’t seem too concerning now. The worry faded, and you felt free and happy.

“Are you sure?” You asked, brows all knitted together.

“I don’t think I would fly all the way from London for the weekend if I wasn’t.” Joe laughed softly.

You chuckled softly at his point, leaning your forehead against his lips as he pressed a soft kiss on it. His hands found your waist as he pulled you close to him.

“You do realize that I will be introducing you to everyone, right?” You gazed up at him, an excited big grin plastered on his face.

“And I can’t wait to meet all of them.” Joe replied.

“Are they looking at us?” You whispered, afraid to turn around.

Joe’s eyes shifted towards your group of friends from behind you. They were still staring at the two of you, whispering to each other and nudging Camille to give them answers.

“Yea, they are.” Joe nodded his head.

Slowly looking over your shoulder, you saw all of them with their brows raised. They all looked like they were waiting for an explanation from you, which they all probably were. Camille was the only one who was standing there with a neutral expression on her face since she already knew about the secret. Looking back at Joe, you smiled at him and intertwined your fingers with his.

“Okay, c’mon.” You said and dragged him back to the group.

“Hi.” You smiled at everyone. “So, this is Joe.”

You chuckled softly as you introduced him to everyone in the group. Suddenly, you saw everyone’s faces lit up in happiness as Joe started interacting with everyone.

“I thought it was a secret?” Camille whispered to you as Joe talked to Keith.

“Not anymore.” You grinned at her.

Camille gave you a proud smile and said, “Okay, he gets points from me.”

“And what happened with Sophia?” You whispered back.

“Tell you later.” She gave you an excited smile.

You laughed softly, nodding your head at her before turning your attention back to everyone else. Keith was complimenting Joe about Stranger Things and how his two daughters forced him to watch it with them, but he did feel bad for Eddie. Your eyes shifted towards Marley, who had her eyes widened in surprise.

“What the fuck?” She mouthed at you, grinning widely.

“Later.” You mouthed back at her as she nodded her head.

“You should let him go eat.” Camille whispered at you.

Squeezing Joe’s hand, you cleared your throat and interrupted the conversation.

“Are you hungry?” You asked.

Joe turned towards you and said, “Sort of.”

“Okay, we’ll be back. We’ll let him eat lunch for a moment.”

“Okay, yeah. That’s a good idea.” Bea agreed, seeing how everyone started throwing questions at Joe.

Gazing up at Joe and smiling at him, Joe excused himself in front of everyone before the both of you walked away from the group. You could feel some of the eyes of the other employees on both of you as you walked across the park. You gave them a shy smile and tried your best to ignore it. Being in the spotlight definitely wasn’t something you intended this afternoon.

Grabbing a paper plate for Joe, you handed it to him and walked over to where the food was.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.” You said as soon as you two sat on one of the empty tables.

Joe grinned proudly and took a bite of his burger.

“When did you arrive?”

“Last night.” Joe turned to you. “I remembered the picture you sent me about the summer BBQ picnic that your work was having and the address was on it, so I thought I would surprise you.”

You chuckled softly, shaking your head. Joe turned his body towards you, his fingers softly brushing your hair away from your shoulder. You stared into his eyes, smiling as he leaned in and kissed you softly. You missed him so much. You didn’t expect your afternoon to turn out like this, but you weren’t complaining. You were happy, and you were glad that Joe was able to join this part of your life.

It was something you have been thinking of, and it was finally happening.

You were overjoyed.

“I’ve missed you.” Joe murmured, parting from the kiss.

“I’ve missed you too.” You grinned, giving him another chaste kiss.

Rubbing his back softly, you tried to enjoy the summer breeze that was blowing through your hair. The heat was still uncomfortable, and you were thankful for the breeze because it was making it bearable at least. Then, you saw beads of sweat started to cover Joe’s forehead as he continued to eat his lunch. The poor thing must be uncomfortable with the California heat also.

“I’ll be back.” You said, getting up from your seat and grabbed Joe a can of beer from the cooler and handed it to him.

“Hm… c’mere.” Joe murmured, pulling you on his lap.

He grazed his nose over your cheek, grinning happily before planting a soft kiss on it. He breathed you in for a moment and caressed your arm softly.

“Do you wanna go back with the others?” You asked, running your palm against his buzzed cut head.

“Sure.” Joe smiled, pressing a soft kiss on your lips before the both of you got up from the seat. Throwing his empty plate away, he grabbed the can of beer and drank it as he held your hand in his.

Walking back to the other side of the park, one of the leaders announced that the game of the annual kickball was about to begin and all volunteers should start gathering into the field. You squeezed Joe’s hand and a playful smile tugged on your lips.

“Do you want to play?” You teased Joe, nudging him on his side.

“No, I don’t think I brought the right shoes for that, love.” Joe chuckled.

Looking down at his feet, he saw that he was wearing his black boots. He was wearing boots in the middle of the summer with black pants!

This man was insane.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at it. It just made him look more adorable in your eyes.

“Come! Come!” Marley came running towards the both of you, grabbing you by the wrist.

“Wait, where are we going?” You pulled her back, your brows all furrowed.

“The kids are busy with the ice cream machine right now!” Marley said excitedly. “We have the bouncy house all to ourselves.”

“Marley, we’re like 28.” You laughed.

“I don’t care!” Marley dragged you away from Joe as he laughed softly at you.

Looking over your shoulder, you mouthed, “Help me” to Joe as he laughed, shaking his head at you. He was already pulling out his phone from his back pocket as he followed behind you and Marley. He joined the group again as you watched Ethan and Bea talk to Joe, and your department supervisor, Mario, had joined them.

“These girls are not blood related, but I know their souls are connected.” Bea told Joe, shaking her head as she watched you, Camille and Marley climbed onto the bouncy house.

“I can tell.” Joe replied. “She talks to me about Marley all the time. Told me she was her only girl friend here.”

“Yeah, well, don’t put them together for too long because they both are way too loud and chaotic.” Bea laughed softly.

Then, Joe turned to Bea, who was carefully studying him for a moment.

“I never saw her glow like this before.” Bea continued. “She’s always a happy and bubbly girl, but she was never this happy until I saw you with her today.”

Joe couldn’t help but smile and turned to where you were. Marley was laughing with you and Camille. She had found an inflatable ball and the three of you started throwing it back and forth. Ethan kept taking pictures of the three of you, chuckling and enjoying the show. Joe couldn’t help but do the same thing. Pulling out his phone, he started recording a video and took pictures, making him laugh at how silly the three of you were until Mario came up to him. You couldn’t help but turn your attention to them and wondered about the conversation they were having.

Mario, even if he was your supervisor, had a close relationship with you. He was the one you go to when you needed to cry or vent about work. He always had a soft heart, so he always had heart to heart conversations with you. Biting your lower lip, you kept wondering what they were talking about since it looked so serious and important.

“Marley!” You heard Camille’s voice.

You snapped out of your thoughts and turned to your sister, who was now laying on the grass. Her feet were still on the edge of the bouncy house. She was basically hanging out from it.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Marley laughed, jumping off the bouncy house.

“What happened?” You jumped out of the bouncy house as Joe and Ethan helped Camille up.

“My bad, buttercup.” Marley chuckled, a playful smile on her face. “I told you to catch it.”

You saw the inflatable ball that she was holding in her hands, and you figured she probably had thrown it at Camille, and she ended up getting knocked out by the big thing.

“Well, you’re gonna pay for it.” Your sister went over towards the bin full of water balloons.

Instantly, your eyes widened as you quickly put on your sandals and walked over behind Joe. There was no way you were about to get wet in front of everyone here.

“Oh no.” You whispered, shaking your head.

You watched as Camille threw the water balloon at Marley, making her squeal from the cold water that splashed her. You laughed as you watched the both of them throw water balloons at each other. You couldn’t help but record it on your phone, knowing Camille was going to love watching this later.

Then, you didn’t even realize Joe had disappeared next to you until you felt a stinging pain on your back and water splashing all over your dress. You gasped in surprise and turned to see a devious grin plastered on Joe’s face.

“Oh, okay.” You pursed your lips, walking over to the bin. “That’s what you wanna do?”

You grabbed a couple of water balloons and started throwing it at Joe as the four of you chased each other on the grass. Laughter echoed through the park. It almost felt like you all were children again, and you couldn’t help but enjoy this moment.

After a few minutes, Bea and Ethan had to stop the four of you because you all were literally soaking wet. Your makeup was melting off your face and so was Marley’s as Keith handed the four of you a towel to dry off.

“Not gonna lie, the water felt nice.” You chuckled at Joe.

He had wrapped the towel around your shoulders, rubbing both of your arms softly before using his towel to gently wipe off your face makeup that had melted.

“Okay, well, time for me to head home.” Camille announced.

“I’ll just ride with Joe.” You told her as she said her goodbyes to everyone.

“Do you wanna go too?” Joe pulled you in his arms.

“Yea, sort of.”

Joe nodded his head as you both walked over to your friends and said your goodbyes. All of them kept letting Joe know that they were happy to meet him even if it was unexpected. You waved at them one last time and told them you’ll see them on Monday before completely walking away with Joe towards the parking lot.

“Well, that was fun.” Joe grinned happily, his arm wrapping around your shoulders.

“I’m really happy you were able to join.” You smiled. “I saw you talking to Mario. You two seemed to be in a serious conversation.”

Stopping his tracks next to the car, Joe leaned you against the driver’s door and cupped your face between his hands.

“Yea, we were.” He stared into your eyes as he caressed your cheek softly with his thumb.

“What was it?” You asked, smiling.

“I love you.” Joe said, his voice full of emotion.

You stood there frozen as you stared at him. You were trying to figure out if you actually heard that right. Joe smiled, pulling you close to him when he realized you hadn't said anything for about a minute.

“Darling?” He smirked, brushing a strand of wet hair from your forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Y…You love me?”

Joe grinned, nodding his head and slowly said, “I love you.”

You knew you only started dating for a couple of months, but you saw all the emotion in his eyes. You knew he was genuine about it. You knew he meant every word he just told you.

“I love you too, Joe.” You smiled, curling your hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

Smiling through the kiss, Joe kissed you deeper. His hands sliding on your waist and curling behind you. Under the summer heat, you felt overjoyed. Joe showed up for you, and he loved you and you loved him.

Under the summer heat, you didn’t care about anything else right now but this moment with him.

The End.

*******

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jabberwocky-warrior · 2 years ago

Text

Random dating headcanons for every NRC Student

Featuring all NRC students [[Platonic Ortho]]

All headcanons are based on you dating the characters. Only pronoun used is "you". Can be read as Prefect/OC/Selfinsert I think

Tags: Fluff, random dating HCs, Platonic Ortho,

TW // Food mentioned in multiple, these are dating headcanons,

A/N I strongly believe in Leona's. I didn't word it perfectly but i love these.

734 words | Not proofread at all |

Leona waits for you to start eating first. Eating first is a big deal in a lot of animal behaviors and in royal etiquette, the monarch eats first but for you, he’ll always make an exception.

Kalim plans for your trip to his home ahead of time. IT’s not even like in an itinerary way but a safety. All guard/servants are informed before your arrival. He makes sure their is a list of who will be cooking food for you. He even asks jamil for insider knowledge on which servants to watch out for.

Malleus really really really wants to see you in traditional Briar valley garments. Like REally Really Really badly wants to see you in them. Especially ones that match with his own.

Lilia wants to take you to a classic Fae revelry. To dance all night with you. Dont worry about the dangers of having your name taken. A simple fix really. Let him take your last name and replace it with his.

Azul took one of his old quills that were worn out and turned it into a necklace for you. He’s also turned his other old quills into other trinkets like bookmarks, pins, etc.

[[Platonic]] Ortho loves playing 20 questions with you about random human things.

Deuce sends his mom selfies of you two on dates all the time. She loves seeing him so happy with you. His mom will send a selfie back with the snapchat dog filter. One time it started a Selfie war.

Sebek loves when you lay your head on his lap and vice-versa. His favorite thing is you laying on his chest while he reads a book. If you ask, he’ll read it out loud to you.

Vil sews your initials into his dorm uniform. He’ll add his initials into your clothes if you’ll let him.

Epel loves walking hand in hand with you through the woods on campus. It reminds him of home and having you here makes it even better.

Cater created a private magicam account just to post candid photos of you two together. Its private so No one can see them but him. He regularly checks it when hes feeling down.

Ace loves when you have cuddle dates. He doesn’t even care if you fall asleep early. He just loves the company. Sleep comes to him quickly with you by his side.

Silver asked his dad to secretly follow yall on your first date and wake him up every time he fell asleep. You date was a picnic surrounded by trees just to make sure Lilia had ample space to hide from your sight.

Riddle he convinced you to have a big study date for a big exam coming up. When you arrived at heartslabyul though, he lead you to the garden where he had a romantic dinner set up.

Rook carves your name into his bow. It’s in obnoxious cursive and he adds poetry in french next to it.

Jack brings you to his family BBQs. He loves watching you play with his siblings and seeing how perfecting you fit in with his family.

Ruggie reverse pickpockets you. He leaves you favorite candy/snacks in your bag. If you text him complaining that your hungry but cant get a snack, he just tells you where to check in your bag.

Jade will try any food concoction you make as long as you’ll try his. If you hate mushrooms he will willingly leave them out of the dish.

Jamil loves when you come to watch his basketball. It’s one of the only times he can go all out. He cant help but smile seeing you in the crowd cheering for him.

Trey will scheme his way into being partnered with you as often as he can. He’s not above calling in a favor but normally promising sweets is enough.

Floyd got you a giant eel plushy. It the size of a pregnancy pillow and is the shape. When he comes over to your room he will hug it until you get into bed with him.

Idia will pull for characters that remind him of you. Whether its just their hair or their personality, it doesn’t matter. You know when someone builds a character that isnt meta and isnt that great and they turn them into a DPS GOD. Yeah he does that with those characters.

I love them all your honor.

I hope you enjoy this post. Feel free to send in asks/requests.

If you notice any mistakes please let me know!!

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raytorosaurus · 2 years ago

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I hope it’s okay to ask you but you seem to know everything about MCR so you might know. But I read recently that they were the designated bbq band on their first Warped in 2004 so they had to cook for everyone. Have you ever heard of that being the case? It just feels like a weird thing, with Ray apparently being a hermit in the bus and Frank being vegetarian and Gerard being blackout the whole time. I can’t imagine Mikey or Matt Pelissier holding down the fort.

haha yeah apparently so! warped tour was designed to be as efficient to run as possible because its primary purpose was to book up-and-coming bands and put them out there. it had a lot of weird components as a result - e.g. the sheer number of bands and locations, cheap tickets and free tickets for parents, and a constantly changing lineup schedule so attendees couldn't plan their day in advance around specific artists (so the artists were on a more ~equal footing and to encourage ppl to show up when the gates opened and stay all day). it was also notoriously gruelling and uncomfortable for the bands - really demanding schedule, no showers, etc etc.

so one of the things it did (along with showcasing local acts at each location) was invite a "bbq band" to join the tour for free and play every day if they helped run the nightly bbq that fed all the musicians. according to this podcast (around 17 mins in, but the whole episode is a short and really interesting listen, i recommend it!), mcr were that band in 2004 (they were only on the first half of the tour tho, june 25-july 18,24). i'm not sure exactly what his source is but he seems to know his stuff, and i'm almost positive i've heard gerard refer to it in an interview at some stage, though i can't remember when 😭. anyway, that doesn't mean they fully ran the bbq and were the only staff - they were just helpers! warped had a catering company and served a truly enormous amount of food every day, and apparently the artist's bbq was something like 300 hot dogs, 300 burgers, and 100 veggie burgers a night (all from that podcast). mcr definitely wouldn't have been doing that on their own, they were probably just helping out hahaha.

anyway, this was all in 2004, when the lineup included thursday, the used, tbs, coheed and cambria, the bouncing souls, etc. so revenge had only been out for like a month and they didn't have their own bus yet - i'm like 80% sure they stayed on senses fail's bus that tour, but i can't remember which one of them said that or where haha (they definitely shared a bus directly afterwards as they toured back towards nj).

after that is when they went to japan, came back, fired otter, and filmed inok, and went back on tour with bob and face to face all in the space of 2 weeks. that tour is when their van finally broke down for good and they got on their first own tour bus at the end of it.

the more ~famous mcr warped tour is 2005, which is the one with fob etc. i haven't seen lotms in a while but i actually assumed the bit where ray said he'd been a total hermit in the back of the bus was from that 05 tour, because that's the one they had the bus studio where he spent a lot of time writing parade demos. either way, he might not have been partying and socialising a whole lot, but i'm sure he would've sown up to bbq duty anyway! it was their free ticket, after all.

#sorry this is. wayyyy too much information i had to stop myself there bc i was about to keep going SJDKGLJSDLGDS #2004 was crazy man. the bus breakdown timeline is wild i wanna make a proper post about that bc. and i hate that i know this.#cortez got the details wrong HAHAHAHA #anyway yes it's okay to ask me this stuff my favourite thing is collecting facts and trivia and dates <3 sjfkldjsl #answered #mcr history #revenge #warped 04 #**#if anyone knows the interviews i'm talking about plssss lmk 😭

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chloeangelic · 2 years ago

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The Barbecue

This takes place a while after the mm!Joel group bang

Summary: Chloe and Lincoln!Joel host an orgy disguised as a BBQ, and all their friends & enemies are invited.

Pairing: @gracieispunk x @toxicanonymity x Chloe Angelic x @pascalisbaby x Maintenance man!Joel x Father Joel x Lincoln!Joel x Slasher!Joel x Husband’s best friend!Joel x Line cook!Joel x Bodyguard!Joel

Warnings: Cringe, badly written satire smut, blasphemy, orgy, alcohol, probably some sort of dubcon but this whole thing is insane so who’s counting, fist fight, jealousy.

A/N: Line cook Joel's outfit and Husband's best friend Joel's outfit

Word count: 2.1k Rating: 18+

Chloe and Lincoln are hosting a BBQ and have invited all of their closest friends for what they said is a barbecue but wink wink is actually an orgy. Chloe wants to fuck Slasher and has been looking for an excuse to do this, so she figures that giving Lincoln an opportunity to mess around will make it less likely that the two Joels end up in some sort of possessive death match. She has hired the best chef around from a catering company called Meat & Flames, Line cook Joel, and he shows up early. Chloe goes out to the backyard and chats him up. She asks if he’s single, to which he says “Yes, I just started working at a restaurant so I haven’t yet met a waitress I’d like to impregnate, so I am indeed single”. Chloe nods, she thinks Line cook is gonna love some of the guests.

Gracie arrives with Toxic, holding several packs of sausages and buns. “We’ve got the meats!” they say, and slam them all down on the table, then rip off their clothes to reveal matching black bikinis. They want all of their clothes to be easy to take off. Chloe also rips off her clothes and is wearing a pink bikini, but she is also wearing pink 8 inch Pleaser heels because there is also a pole at her house and she’s gonna give everyone a show later.

After them, Bodyguard and Husband’s best friend arrive, who reluctantly Uber pooled and realized they were going to the same house very far away from the rest of civilization. Husband’s best friend is wearing a shirt that says “TWO SEATER” with one arrow pointing up and another pointing down, as well as cutoff jean shorts. He looks like a little slut, desperate to get laid.

Father Joel arrives, and Chloe rolls her eyes when she opens the door. “Not you again, Father Joel,” she says, “I forgot I invited you. Gracie wants to invite maintenance man, and he’s gonna be so pathetic about your huge cock”. He goes and sits on the couch with Gracie and Toxic, he feels like Hugh Heffner.

Gracie is standing next to the fully functional grill where Line cook is flipping burgers, and fishes her phone out of her pocket to call Maintenance man. She says “Hi Joel, I’m at a barbecue and the grill isn’t working, can you please help? I’m not wearing panties”. He hangs up on her. “He always does that” she says and rolls her eyes, then Father Joel comes up and says “There’s someone else calling you, Gracie. It’s God, he’s calling upon you to suck my cock”. They go back to the couch.

Maintenance man shows up with Slasher, it is unclear how they know each other but it seems like they met on the way to the BBQ. Maintenance man spots Father Joel on the couch and rolls his eyes, especially when he sees Gracie next to him, palming the massive bulge in his pants as he has his arms stretched out on the back of the couch. “Not this fucking huge cocked priest again. Gracie, you and I need to talk about this” he says, and Toxic gets up and says “You know what? I’m taking this matter into my own hands”. She goes up to Maintenance man and drags him to the other room where she first jerks him off until he almost cums and then she lets him fuck her however he wants with his above average sized cock.

Slasher comes out from the hallway, saying “I left my wire on the shoe rack, is that okay?” and Chloe is very happy to see him. She has wanted to hook up with him to see if it’s worth getting a divorce. Lincoln is very much not happy to see Slasher because he thinks he’s very messy and runs his mouth and needs to be more subtle about his business.

Slasher sees maintenance man’s tool belt lying on the floor, and he says “Wow, look at these tools”. Then he takes out a hammer, grabs Husband’s best friend by the neck and pretends to hit him over the head. Husband’s best friend makes a comical choking noise and sticks his tongue out. The vibe is great and everyone is happy except for Lincoln and Maintenance man. Slasher goes and sits on the couch. He daps up Father Joel, it looks like they might have met before.

Kim announces her arrival. She’s wearing a red bikini and is holding a bottle of wine. “I’m so anxious and horny” she says, biting her lip as she walks in. She sees Slasher and immediately sits on his lap. “Hey papi” she says, and he slaps her ass and says “Nice”. Lincoln side eyes Slasher. Lincoln thinks Kim is a little fox and is annoyed that she went right up to that twerp instead of himself. He was hoping for a threesome with Chloe and Kim tonight, which Chloe has been promising him as a trade off for him to stop interrupting their facetime sessions. He thinks Slasher has no class and no redeeming qualities. Kim asks Slasher “Can I also get a name tag?”. Lincoln rolls his eyes.

It’s time for Chloe’s strip show. All of the Joels sit together on the large couch and watch as Chloe pole dances, while Toxic, Kim and Gracie have a threesome on the floor next to her. Father Joel says it is the devil’s dance, so Lincoln slaps him. Now they are all naked, and all of the Joels are one by one taking out their cocks and jerking off. Bodyguard comes in right as the action is starting, and he’s wearing black pants and a black turtleneck. He takes off his sunglasses and puts them on the kitchen counter, takes a seat on the couch and whips his cock out.

Husband’s best friend is asking Lincoln for advice on doing just the tip. He asks “Have you ever stuck just your tip in someone’s ass?”. Lincoln doesn’t answer, he’s too busy eyeing Slasher who is throwing dollar bills at Chloe. Then Husband’s best friend says something very out of pocket. He says "Chloe looks like she could take one in the ass". Lincoln looks at him angrily and says, "That’s my wife you're talking about". Chloe and Toxic start taking bets on who is gonna end up in a fight tonight.

Then Father Joel renews Chloe and Lincoln’s vows, while Kim goes up to Bodyguard and sits on his dick. Slasher doesn't like it. Gracie starts touching herself in front of and then sucking off Father Joel and Toxic starts sucking off Line cook Joel. But this is just the beginning, because Chloe has sent out a survey ahead of the event and asked who all wants to fuck each other. She takes out her clipboard and starts directing while she gives Lincoln a handjob.

Toxic joins Gracie and Father Joel so they have a threesome. Toxic says she is afraid of Father Joel’s massive cock and Maintenance man is looking at the time, wondering when he can get out of here until Chloe starts making out with him. Kim gets off Bodyguard’s lap and goes up to Line cook, saying “Enough sausage, it’s time for you to get some pussy” and they start fucking. Slasher is now open, so Gracie goes over and fucks him now.

Toxic says “Hey, when am I getting some more action? A brothel owner can’t get any dick around here?. Then Bodyguard fucks her while she sucks Maintenance man’s cock. She’s having a great time. Then she says, “Wait a minute. Lincoln, come here”. She sucks his cock for one second, then shoos him off and continues to suck off Maintenance man. Gracie goes over to Lincoln and starts to suck him off, then Kim joins and he licks her while he starts fucking Gracie. It’s all making sense logistically.

Husband’s best friend is furiously jerking off and licking his lips, looking like a little pervert, wondering who will want to have anal tonight. He announces it. “Anyone want to have anal tonight?” he says, nodding and looking very pleased with himself. Chloe mutters “Not with you”, but Kim says “Yes, ok”. She also says “Father Joel can you fuck my pussy?” and he says “Thou shall not curse… But yes get your pussy out”. He sticks it in her pussy and now it’s finally Husband’s best friend’s turn to get some anal action, so he sticks it in her butt and she is now double penetrated. Husband’s best friend is a moron, he doesn’t realize that this is his last stop for the night because he is in an ass, so he has to sit in the cuck chair after blowing his load. Gracie comes up and kisses Kim during this DP sequence, then Kim starts doing down on Gracie.

Father Joel then fucks Toxic for a long time and also crosses her while tossing Gracie a few communion crackers, saying “This is the Cock of Christ”. Then he takes his rosary beads and sticks them in Gracie’s ass. Chloe starts fucking Bodyguard and it’s kind of romantic. They even kiss. Then she waves Line cook over and she gets him to fuck her pussy while Bodyguard fucks her ass and she is now also double penetrated. Unfortunately, Bodyguard would have to go to the cuck chair after this but he has some self respect so he leaves instead. Slasher fucks Gracie on the floor. After that, Slasher is in the mood for some extra pussy, so he bends Chloe over the couch and fucks her. Lincoln side eyes Chloe and Slasher. He thinks that Slasher is gonna pay for this.

Kim is almost in tears as she says “Mommy what the hell I thought we were gonna fuck”. Chloe says “Yes baby come here”. Then they have a treesome with Slasher and Kim calls him Papi again. Now everyone is finally sucking and riding and moaning and fucking except for Husband’s best friend in the cuck chair.

Now everyone is cummed out and naked, so Father Joel goes and grabs the bottle of red wine brought by Kim. He says “This is the Blood of Christ” and takes a massive gulp, then starts to send it around the room. However, the first stop is to Lincoln who smacks it out of his hand and it covers Father Joel who is still wearing his clerical collar. Father Joel is pissed off and gasps. Slasher says “Yo man, I got some extra clothes”.

Father Joel realizes he has never fucked Chloe, not in the pussy or ass, and he is not happy about it. He starts to say Lincoln has married a sinner and a dirty slut whore who shows her behind to every man, woman and original fictional character around here. Lincoln swings at him, saying “That’s my wife you’re talking about”, and before they know it they are having a full on fist fight on the floor. Lincoln is naked and Father Joel is still wearing nothing but his clerical collar. Toxic is taking bets on who will win, Gracie is hollering and telling them to fight, Kim is crying and Chloe is fucking Slasher in peace, trying to decide if the dick is worth the divorce. At the same time, she is also flattered that Lincoln would fight for her, so she gets up and says “Lincoln, I choose you because I think we have more of a future together”.

He’s too busy fighting to hear anything, but now Line cook is pulling Father Joel back and Maintenance man is pulling Lincoln back. Maintenance man secretly wanted to see Father Joel get his shit rocked, he thinks he deserves it. Toxic collects everyone’s money and shoves it in her panties, she really won big tonight. She thinks that maybe she will upgrade the TV at the brothel, but also is annoyed because she knows that some of the residents will ask why they weren’t invited. She thinks Stepdad will probably ask how much cum there was, and she will have to tell them that there was a sufficient amount of cum and anything more would be excessive and potentially a health hazard.

Maintenance man has had a bad feeling about Slasher this entire time, and pulls Gracie aside to tell her to call the police. He thinks the wire is a little sus. When they come back, everyone hears a siren and Chloe says “Woop woop, it’s the sound of da police”. Slasher jumps out of the couch, picks Kim up and throws her over his shoulder before he starts running. “Take me away, papi!”, Kim yells as they disappear out the door, “Chain me up in your dirty trailer!”.

Everyone finally eats and small talks about the weather, and how Lincoln and Chloe have such great taste in interior design.

Then Husband's best friend joins Toxic, Gracie and Maintenance man in their Uber pool back to the brothel. Line cook packs up and thinks maybe he'll also visit the brothel to see what all the fuss is about. Father Joel gets in the pope mobile and drives back to the rectory.

It was a great barbecue.

#satire smut

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matchagator · 25 days ago

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Hustlers Cruisin': Day 5 - Chips n' Dip

Belize offers some playful escapades while the evening brings some unexpected camaraderie as our hustlers get back to their roots.

*Every day this week, we will post a new day of the cruise so make sure to check for an update daily!😊*

{Main Pairings:} Jeon Jungkook/Original Female Character, Park Jimin/Original Female Character, Kim Taehyung/Original Female Character(s)

{Rating:} 18+

{Genre:} Alternate Universe - Hustlers/ Con Artists

{Warning} Mild Sexual Content, References to Stealing, Mature Language, Manipulation, Angst, Sexual Harassment, Drowning, Alcohol, Smut, Emotional damage

The ship anchored to their next port of call in Belize. Jade and Emmy were particularly excited about the activities in store for the day as they ventured off the large vessel to the buses waiting outside the ship’s terminal.

The girls found themselves on a relatively crowded bus as they packed into the only transportation that would take them up towards the mountains for their cave tubing adventure. Jade decided to sit by the window, peering out toward the other two buses ready to transport the cruisegoers to their excursion. Since cave tubing was the most popular choice of activity, the company needed to provide multiple buses to fit all of its customers.

Emmy sat in the seat in front of Jade, enjoying the sights from the window as well while Ruby buried her head against Emmy’s shoulder, ready to take a nap first thing in the morning as she hid her eyes beneath a pair of shades.

The bus ride to the sight of their excursion was one of the longest they had encountered this trip, taking almost an hour to ascend away from the shore inland to find the cavernous land formations. This was the first of their planned activities that seemed to start with a more relaxing environment, the girls no longer being surrounded by the trio of men eager to push their buttons.

The buses eventually pulled into a large field, guiding the girls to disembark before getting into a different bus that would take them up a large steep hill further into the tropical forest. It was there that they found a large campground with pavilions ready to accommodate their tourists. From gift shops and equipment rentals to outdoor BBQ catering available with their packages, they were ready to tackle it all.

Emmy was the first to step off of the bus, her fair skin covered in a long-sleeved rashguard swimsuit with a pair of jean shorts to complete the look. Her brunette locks flowed in the breeze as she pulled down her sunglasses to protect her bright blue hues from the harsh rays of the Caribbean sun. Jade followed behind in a more revealing one-piece, desperately trying to soak up some sun to even out her tan. Ruby was the last to exit, her ruffle-sleeved Bikini complimenting her golden complexion as her hair was wrapped up in a bandana.

“This is exciting!” Jade beamed as she quickly ventured toward the buildings, eager for the chance to go cave tubing in such a beautiful place. Emmy simply smiled as the eldest of their trio skipped ahead of them, pausing to glance back at Ruby who was still waking up from the nap she took on the bus ride here.

“There better not be any alligators in this river.” Ruby groaned, not as excited to get in the water as the other two girls.

Ruby jumped in surprise when she heard a voice from behind her, practically breathing in her ear. “No alligators, but definitely piranhas,” Taehyung smirked mischievously as Ruby whipped around to face him. To her surprise, Jimin and Jungkook weren’t far behind, stepping off from one of the other buses.

“Just when I thought we were rid of you.” Ruby’s tone was laced with annoyance as she glanced back toward the girls, Jade having turned around to rejoin them at the entrance. “There aren’t any piranhas.” She mentioned with a sarcastic smile, refusing to let his comment frighten her. Unfortunately for her, that’s when her mind began swirling with doubt, wondering if there could be such fish in these rivers. They were much closer to South America than back home in Vegas. “There aren’t any piranhas, right?” She questioned, looking to Jade for some insight.

Jade was currently looking at Jimin, feeling the tension of the previous evening as she recalled their moment of weakness. She also remembered how quickly Jimin went back to his cabin after his drunken state began to wear off. “They probably only like little shrimp dicks, so look out.” She finally responded once shifting her eyes onto Taehyung who was all too happy to see Ruby squirm from his comment. His cocky grin on his lips instantly pressed into a firm line as he tried not to let Jade’s comment bruise his ego.

Jimin and Jungkook held back their laughter as Taehyung shot them an unamused glare. He narrowed back at Jade, refusing to let his masculinity be degraded. “Oh, It’s anything but small, sweetheart. Wanna find out?” He moved closer to Jade, towering over her as she shriveled under his fierce stare.

Jimin tightened his jaw as a sudden jealousy sparked deep in his core, hating how close Taehyung and Jade’s proximity had become. He felt protective of the women he slept with the night prior, hating himself for suddenly caring so much about someone who should be their rival. He placed his hand on Taehyung’s shoulder, pulling him away slightly from Jade as he watched the youngest of the females smack her lips from behind Jade.

Emmy rolled her eyes at the exchange, grabbing Jade and Ruby’s arms before moving toward the buildings to begin collecting their equipment for the excursion. “Come on, fuck 'em,” Emmy stated, her eyes finding Jungkook’s as she offered him a quick flirtatious glare before leaving with her girls.

Jungkook simply watched her hips sway with each step, admiring her ass as Jimin smacked his hand across Taehyung’s chest. “Let’s go, dumbass.” Jimin’s tone was less than enthusiastic as Jungkok was just as annoyed with Taehyung’s suggestive remark. He was just glad it was directed at anyone but his klepto Barbie.

The next half hour was spent with each trio keeping their distance from one another, grabbing their life vests and head lamps for their guided tour through the rivers' vast caves and tunnels. Jade and Ruby were currently sitting near the picnic tables while Emmy ventured off to the gift shop to purchase some bug spray given the rainforest was filled with mosquitoes eager to feast on the group of tourists.

Emmy plucked her card from a small waterproof case in her backpack, paying for the item before making her way back toward her friends. As she walked out of the building, Jungkook emerged from the corner behind the door, clearly waiting for a moment alone with her. He grabbed her arm gently, guiding her to a small inlet tucked away between the few buildings.

She felt her back press against the wall as Jungkook caged her in, pressing the palm of his hand against the surface directly beside her head. “Miss me?” He grinned confidently, enjoying the bright expression of surprise as her blue hues stared back at him. He watched her expression go from innocent surprise to an enticing glare.

“Not really.” She lied, knowing deep down she was glad for the moment alone with him. She was beginning to feel far too comfortable around her male counterpart, however, the distraction was much welcomed versus the trauma she was reliving from her near-death experience.

Jungkook’s jaw tightened at her denial, pressing his tongue against his cheek as he leaned in closer to her, hovering his lips not too far from her own. “It’s a shame this is so concealing…” Jungkook began, bringing his free hand up to the zipper of her rashguard. “I’ve been getting used to the sight of these.” He added, testing the waters as he pinched the metal of the zipper, watching Emmy carefully for any queues of her feeling uncomfortable.

Thankfully for him, Emmy welcomed his touch, glancing down at his fingers as Jungkook gently tugged the zipper down, allowing for a salacious view of her breasts between the fabric of her attire. Emmy smirked as Jungkook’s eyes widened with arousal, the zipper trailing just over her belly button as she brought her hand up to push him away, allowing him one more glance before swiftly pulling the zipper back up. “Don’t get too used to it.” She hummed, pushing off of the wall to start walking back toward the girls. “What makes you think you’ll see them again?”

Jungkook followed after her as if he was captivated under her spell, practically drooling at the thought of witnessing her flesh once again. “Don’t tempt me, baby girl.” His voice dropped an octave as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso as he pulled her back against him. “I love a challenge.”

Emmy gasped slightly from the feeling of her backend pressing against Jungkook’s waist, a familiar bulge haunting her as Jungkook moved his hips gently as if trying to tempt her. Emmy bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she should tease him back. She took in a deep breath, pushing her ass back against him before peeling away from his hold. “Don’t hold your breath.”

Jungkook groaned as her warmth slipped away from him, watching her disappear around the corner as she approached Jade and Ruby with the can of bug spray still clutched between her fingers. Jungkook paused for a moment, letting his erection simmer back down before he stepped back out himself in search of Jimin and Taehyung. As he walked, his eyes found Emmy’s, grinning mischievously as he muttered under his breath, “Challenge accepted.”

It wasn’t much longer until the tour guides prepared groups to bring into the forest so they could trek up to the starting point of the large caves. One of the tour guides came up to Jade gesturing toward her and the girls. “Is there three in your party?”

Jade smiled brightly, nodding her head before watching the tour guide glance up at the collection of tourists gathered by the common area. “Is there another group of three?” Each tour guide was permitted to guide six guests through the caverns, making their trio the perfect target for awaiting troublemakers.

“We’re three!” Taehyung hollered happily from across the way, eager to get closer to the girls and get back at them for degrading his manhood. Jimin and Jungkook simply looked at each other, half expecting this outcome the minute they heard the tour guide looking for another group of three.

Jade’s eyes flickered over to the guys, feeling herself dread more encounters with them, especially since Jimin’s awkwardness when leaving her suite the night before. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Ruby was about done having them close during every excursion, feeling even more agitated since she was already on edge about what could possibly be lurking in the river. “I’m gonna fucking kill them.” She hissed, throwing her head back in exasperation. “I swear, the first chance I get, I’m drowning that man.” She threatened as she shot a glare over at Taehyung, hating herself even more for falling into bed with him at the beginning of their cruise.

Emmy couldn’t help but giggle at Ruby’s comment as they stood from their spots, following the tour guide as they noticed a bunch of inner tubes piled beside a large trail. The girls each grabbed one, quickly followed by the guys as they were led by the guide, eager for the adventure to begin. The tour guide handed each of them a headlamp, instructing them to use it in the caves for a better view of the natural formations.

The group proceeded to hike up a long path winding through the forest as they trekked up an incline to get to the launching point of the river. The girls stayed close to the guide, flirting and teasing him as the boys fell behind, watching the girls ignore them for the local.

Taehyung held onto his tube, increasing his pace as he tried to keep up with Jimin and Jungkook whose energy seemed unfazed by the cardio needed to ascend. “Damn, it’s a good thing we have such a great view, or else I'd be turning back right about now.” Taehyung groaned, referring to the salacious view of the girl’s backsides as they marched ahead of them.

Jimin’s attention suddenly fell upon Jade’s ass, causing him to turn away from the sight as flashes of their heated exchange coursed through his mind. He cursed under his breath as he slowed down, smacking his free hand against the back of Taehyung’s head as the second eldest protested from the sudden battery. “What?!”

“Hurry and keep up.” Jimin offered him a glare as Jungkook simply laughed at his friends, shaking his head as he quickly ran forward.

After a decent hike up to the tubing launch, the guide finally led them down a wooden staircase that would bring them to the infamous river at the mouth of a large cave in the mountains. Jade looked up with awe and excitement, eager to explore the dark cavern as Ruby fought her nerves of what might be lurking in the water within the cave.

Thankfully the launch had the clear waters of the river flowing over a bed of stones, allowing them easy access to hop onto their tubes. Emmy was the first to step into the river, gracefully laying herself out on the tube as the guide slid a rope through one of the handles. Jade followed, her tube being connected to Emmy’s through the rope as Kia followed suit.

The brawn of the group lost her footing against the stones, having a more difficult time getting into her inner tube as she fiddled with the inflated plastic. Taehyung and Jungkook couldn’t contain their laughter at her expense, receiving a few threatening glares as she finally managed to settle herself.

“Nice job, klutz,” Taehyung muttered beneath his laughter as the boys entered the cold river, getting into their tubes to join the girls. The way the guide strung them all together had Emmy and Jade beside each other, Ruby strung to Emmy and Jimin beside her, unfortunately, attached to the one person he was trying not to think too much about. Jungkook and Taehyung were the last to be attached at the end, creating a two-by-three raft that the guide could easily maneuver through the caves.

As the guide began walking toward the cave, he tugged against the tube, connecting his own to Emmy and Jade as he used the current to his advantage. Emmy turned on her headlamp as the bright lighting of the sun slowly seeped away the deeper they ventured into the cave.

Jade hung her head back, looking up at the crevices that were naturally formed in the stone. “If you look carefully, you might be able to see bats nesting inside.” The guide instructed as more of the outside lighting began disappearing.

Taehyung leaned into Ruby who was directly in front of him, flashing her a mischievous smirk. “Ooo, so scary.” His voice was mocking as he wiggled his fingers, creating a noise that resembled that of a ghost. He looked down into the water, snaking his hand down and pinching the cheek of her ass as Ruby jumped up in surprise. “Look out for those piranhas.”

Ruby yelped at the touch, her eyes piercing into Taehyung’s as she smacked him across the cheek. “Touch me one more time and I’ll drown your ass.” She seethed as Taehyung grabbed his jaw, swinging it from side to side as he shook off the sting of her assault.

“Damn, sweetheart. Relax.” Taehyung groaned as Jungkook chuckled from beside him, kicking Taehyung with his foot as he glanced over at Ruby.

“I’ll help you.” Jungkook grinned mischievously as Taehyung’s eyes shot in his direction, widening in surprise at his betrayal.

Ruby seemed to lighten up at Jungkook’s comment, turning her attention away from Taehyung and back to the girls, trying to enjoy the sights without thinking too much of how deep the river ran just beneath them.

The two trios enjoyed all of the sights the cave had to offer, from naturally formed stalagmites and columns to aquifers, there was little to be missed as the guide pulled them through the currents. As they approached the center of the cave, the water became shallow, allowing the tubes to barely glide over the river stones as they tried to venture forward.

After interesting facts and exploration, they finally reached the end of the large cave, the river floor plummeting as it suddenly became quite deep as daylight began creeping into the darkness. “If you want to hop out and swim, go ahead.” The tour guide beamed as he continued to move their connected tubes with the current.

Taehyung didn’t waste a single second as he took the guide's invitation to jump in, shimming off his tube as he plopped into the chilly water. “You little fucker.” Ruby groaned as the cold water splashed against her, causing her hair to become damp.

Jungkook laughed as he constricted his body, bringing his legs to his chest as his body slid through the hole of his inner tube, equally taking the opportunity to enjoy the free swim. Jade was the only one of the three girls to take the invitation, twisting her body until she was met with the refreshing splash of the river.

Jade caught Jimin’s eye as he watched her jump into the water, enjoying the way she broke the surface, flipping her hair back so that it was out of her face. Jimin felt something instinctual stir in him, finding himself observing her features carefully. It wasn’t until her eyes met his that he broke away from her, feeling his heart pounding in his chest from such a brief moment of transparency.

“Come on, wimps!” Taehyung called out to Jimin, Emmy, and Ruby, trying to coax them into coming into the water. Ruby shifted herself to peer down into the water, the light of her headlamp beaming through the liquid with failure to see any bottom.

“Nah, I’m not swimming in that.” She protested, gripping onto the inner tube as Taehyung tried to shake her off. “Fuck off, peabrain.” She hissed at him, crossing her legs to better help her stability.

Taehyung frowned at her stubbornness, his focus shifting to Emmy. “Fine.” He smirked as he disappeared under the water. Emmy was completely unsuspecting as she felt a large thud underneath her causing her inner tube to rock and practically flip over. Her body weight failed to keep her nestled inside as she tumbled into the water, feeling the cool liquid hit her skin.

She gasped from the sensation, the cold texture instantly reminding her of being plunged into the frozen lake back in Canada. Her body stiffened from the haunting memory, her mind becoming trapped in a momentary panic as her body sunk beneath the surface. Her fear seemed to paralyze her just as the drug did, causing her to simply float around until the air in her lungs became fleeting.

Reality suddenly crashed into her as she thrashed her body, thankful to have movement of her limbs as she felt strong arms wrap around her. While in her panic, she failed to notice that Jungkook swam over to her, quickly collecting her in his arms as she gripped his body for stability.

She gasped once her head was out of the water, her eyes frantically looking around only to be met by Jungkook’s concerned glare and tense jaw. “I’m here.” He whispered, stroking a hand against her hair as he pulled her into him. “I’ve got you.”

It took a moment for her to process everything, finally feeling her body relax at the realization that Jungkook was holding her, preventing anything from happening again. She breathed a sigh of relief as she focused on the sight of him, soothing herself before she felt comfortable enough to push away from him.

“Why the fuck did you do that, idiot?” Jungkook hissed, turning toward Taehyung before hitting him against his shoulder. Taehyung seemed oblivious to Jungkook’s sudden outburst, causing the youngest male to give him a serious glare before motioning toward Emmy with his head. Jungkook brought his hand up underneath the water to rest against Emmy’s back, feeling protective of her as she moved away from him to float on her own.

“He’s definitely not the brains of your group,” Ruby added, offering him a sarcastic grin as they approached the edge of the river where they would be getting out.

Jimin chuckled under his breath. “You can say that again.”

—

Ruby sunk into the comfort of the lounge chair after taking a generous sip of her Kahlua, basking in the waning sun that slowly drifted into the depths of the horizon. “This is just what I needed,” She exhaled as her muscles released the tension from dealing with Taehyung and his dynamic duo practically all day. “Peace and quiet.”

Emmy chuckled to herself as she continued to rest her eyes under the barrier of her sunglasses. While she didn’t mind the company of Jungkook following her throughout their trip, she had to admit having the trios together could be exhausting with their constant quips and banter.

“What should we do tonight?” Jade broke the silence.

Ruby groaned as she craned her head up to look over Emmy and meet the curious eyes of their eldest friend. “I don’t know about you, but I’m drinking and staying in our room for the rest of the night.”

Emmy noticed the small “Oh,” that slipped from Jade’s lips and turned her head in her direction, looking at her slumped figure. She pulled her glasses down, peeking out from the top of the frame. “What do you want to do?”

Jade blinked, “I don’t know, but we only have a few more days left so I think we should do something.” She wasn’t sure when they would get another chance to go on a trip like this and she wanted to make sure it was one to remember.

Emmy turned in the other direction, pouting her lips as she looked at Ruby. “Yeah, we should do something together.” The youngest of the gems knew Jade was trying to find things for them to do as a group, but in their downtime, the three women had very different interests.

Ruby groaned, taking another drink of the sweet and creamy beverage resting beside her. “I’ll think about it.” Ruby savored the delicious warmth seeping through her limbs and craved to soak up the last of the sunlight until the girls would ultimately drag her away from her bed. Emmy faced the sun again, pleased with her efforts to sway Ruby until later.

Jade smiled as she settled along the lounge chair, thinking of an activity that would appease all their interests. She closed her eyes, diving into her imagination as she visualized the different options available to them. The warmth of the sun’s gentle rays wrapped around her body, tangling with her limbs until they were violently ripped away by a dark mass.

She opened her eyes and noticed their male counterparts standing in the way of the sunlight. The disruption startled Emmy and Ruby from their comforts as well, causing Ruby to lash out. “What the fuck do you want now?”

Jungkook could barely contain the smug smile on his lips from the grief he was receiving from Ruby while Emmy was clearly racking over his figure. However, before he could speak Taehyung made sure his presence was known. “It’s nice to see you too.” Jungkook could only imagine the wink he directed towards Ruby and had to fight the urge to slap the back of his head.

Jungkook decided to move forward, grabbing the girl's attention once again. “Actually, the boys and I were thinking of going to the casino…” He paused when Jimin swiftly pinched Taehyung behind his back, causing the incorrigible flirt to yell out in pain. Jungkook snapped his head at both of them, silently demanding they get their shit together before turning back to the girls. “We wanted to know if you’d join us?”

Ruby laughed in her throat, bringing her Kahlua back to her lips to muffle the sound of her obvious rejection as Emmy and Jade shared a hesitant look of accepting the offer. Jungkook could see the opportunity was being ignored and decided to elaborate on their plans. “We’re gonna work the tables and the gamblers until we come out on top so are you in?”

Emmy bit her lip, wondering if this was another one of their ploys to throw the girls off and that seemed to be a shared concern amongst her friends. “Yeah, I’m not in the mood to compete tonight.” Jade expressed, flicking her gaze in Jimin’s direction, slightly thrown off that the boys seemed to be challenging them.

“We’re not trying to play against you,” Jungkook acknowledged, making sure it was clear that their intentions were not to screw the girls over. He could see that Emmy and Jade were curious now as Ruby narrowed her eyes in his direction. “I just figured you’d want in on the hustle, leave with some money in your pockets, so to speak.” He flicked across the length of Emmy’s body, his eyes leaving a trail of heat in their wake as she realized he was admiring the view.

Jade glanced at Emmy, gauging her reaction, and was not prepared to find her locked onto Jungkook. Ruby sat up from her lounge, fixing her glare on Emmy. “Don’t tell me you’re considering it?” Emmy was unbothered by the tone of disbelief in Ruby’s voice.

She finally broke her gaze from Jungkook to look between her partners in crime. “Well, we were looking for something to do, right?” She shrugged her shoulders. “This might be fun.” She had to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep the smile from stretching across her lips. She could only imagine her friends would be far from enthused to spending another evening with the boys, but she hoped that the promise of some extra cash would entice them.

Jimin could see their offer was still being left on the table and made a final deal to sweeten the pot. “We’ll spilt everything we take.”

The girl’s eyes simultaneously popped open as they were unprepared for the proposal. “Everything?” Jade clarified, stunned that they would make such a promise.

“Mhmm, and so that no one decides to slack off, whichever team steals the most value gets to choose a punishment for the losers.” Jungkook crossed his arms over his chest, feeling confident that they would come out on top just like they did before.

Emmy smirked up at him, her eyes becoming seductive as she pulled her shades down. “I thought we were working together?” Her lips were pouting as she fluttered her eyelashes dramatically, playing the coy little vixen that Jungkook knew and loved.

He moved forward, leaning over her as he crawled up the lounge until they were nose and nose. “It’s just some friendly competition,” He hovered close to her lips, entranced by the playful demeanor exuding from her every fiber. “So what do you say?”

“Fuck it, I’m in.” Everyone was shocked to see Ruby downing her drink after boldly agreeing to their terms. Her tongue swept across the rim to collect the last drops of sweet alcohol from her glass before placing it back down on the small table beside her. “Let’s get some money.”

The hustlers were on the move when one of their first players, Jade, made her way through the abundance of slot machines and game tables. The atmosphere was loud with excitement as people shamelessly gambled, sitting at the edge of their seats with every bid. The dim lighting throughout the casino dulled the vibrant carpets, polished chrome, and wood surfaces surrounding her. She sighed as she sunk into her natural element, feeling like they were back home in Las Vegas.

She strolled towards a Roulette table, noticing a small group of individuals huddled around as the wheel turned and the ball rolled from the momentum. She slowly placed herself on a stool, tucking her short navy patterned dress properly beneath her while the split at the bottom rode up her thigh. She was startled as the people around her bellowed out in jubilation as they collected their winnings.

“I’d like to buy in…” Jade managed to communicate with the dealer to start her bidding and collect a distinct chip color for her duration at the table. She smiled to herself when a stack of green chips were placed down in front of her to play with. “Must be my lucky night.”

Across the casino, Jimin adjusted the collar of his white button-down as he made sure the collar popped out from beneath his suit jacket. He felt a light draft against his clavicle with the first few buttons being undone and he had to admit, he was feeling confident. He could easily rig up any number of machines and win jackpot after jackpot, but he had every intention of playing his way through the games, winning through chance and strategy. He was fortunate that Jade seemed to share his sentiment and decided to team up with her in the game of odds. With more players on the board, their chances of winning were higher.

His jaw tightened as he glanced around the space, searching for the brunette that captivated his attention. Once he caught sight of her, he quickly had to remind himself that tonight would not, could not, end the same way as the night before. It was simply one evening of old-fashioned fun that would be remembered but never relived.

He breathed in deeply, letting the air vacate from between his lips again as he walked to the opposite end of the table from where she was settled. Jimin inhaled sharply as he caught a glimpse of her ensemble from the front, her cleavage framed wonderfully by the sizeable keyhole cutoff. He cleared his throat, grabbing the dealer's attention as he choked out a request to join the table. Maybe teaming up with the woman he drunkenly slept with wasn’t the brightest idea.

Just a few paces away, Ruby was swaying her hips lightly to and fro as she perused the different options. The salacious silk of her red dress reflected her frame with every movement, captivating any man that dared to glance in her direction before getting lost on the journey along her tone legs.

She finally settled herself at a Blackjack table, keeping an air of confidence in her mannerisms despite the infuriating smirk plastered on the courtier’s lips. “And what’s your name, sweetheart?” She felt her skin crawl as Taehyung spoke to her, his flirtatious charm fairing well in his role for the evening.

Taehyung set the table up as a dealer, looking at Ruby expectantly for her to reveal her persona. “You don’t need to know my name, you just need to hand me my chips when I win.” She said cooly, keeping her flaring temper at bay as she had the misfortune of pairing off with Taehyung for their endeavor.

“Yes, ma’am.” Taehyung moved on to the rest of the table, schmoozing the guests as he distracted them with his humor and occasional card trick in between plays. He ran the table so smoothly, that no one had any idea that he was constantly switching out cards and testing the waters of communication between himself and Ruby.

“I’ll set you up and all you have to do is watch for my signal.” He had told her before they arrived at the casino. Ruby wasn’t sure the plan would work with him as her partner, but she had nothing to lose when the stakes were already stacked against her.

Ruby picked up on his signals immediately as he adopted slight mannerisms in his card handling. She waited to see what he recommended this time and when it was finally her turn she chose “Stay.” The cards were revealed and she beat out the others as well as the dealer in adding her values towards 21.

As Taehyung refreshed the table, he peered up at her through his eyelashes as a smirk returned to his lips. “We have a winner.” The people at the table were startled as a group of individuals rallied not too far from them, hollering over the results of their bets at the Craps table.

Jungkook had his arm securely around Emmy, the sheer mesh of her black dress leaving impressions on his skin as she flamboyantly exaggerated her reactions. “Oh honey, we lost!” She pouted, pushing her bottom lip out as she batted her eyelashes at Jungkook.

He tried his best to enjoy the obnoxious sugar baby she decided to play this evening, her persona clinging to him affectionately as she enhanced her natural dramatics. However, he had to admit if he wasn’t enjoying the attention, he would have found the whole charade ridiculous. “Don’t worry, baby girl. We’ll win soon.”

Emmy squealed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, reaching up on the tips of her toes with one leg kicked up. She smothered him in a deep kiss, moaning loudly against his lips as the metal of his piercing vibrated against her skin. Jungkook lightly tapped her ass, giving anyone looking quite the view since her short cocktail dress rode up to just beneath her cheeks.

She shamelessly giggled and turned back to the table as some of the people cleared the way from the discomfort of witnessing their intimate performance. She leaned across the table, exploiting her body as a distraction while Jungkook took a survey of those who were watching. Once she made her bet, she straightened her posture leaning into the nearest guy beside her.

Jungkook smirked as the guy couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off her and swiftly moved to stand on the other side of him. The shooter rolled the dice and Emmy hopped in place as she realized she won this round. From this vantage point, Jungkook could see the man between them was clearly checking out her bouncing breasts and the hustler nudged his elbow. “They’re nice, right?”

The man whipped around, startled by Jungkook’s question as he realized he was caught looking at the woman inappropriately. “I-I’m sorry-”

Jungkook laughed, clapping his hand against the guy's back. “I take it as a compliment since I paid for them.”

Emmy overheard the comment and turned to the two men, “Actually that was your ex wife, these are 100% real.” She cupped her breasts with her hands, showing off the natural jiggle of her motions. As she continued to do so, Jungkook quickly swiped the man’s wallet and took any bills within before replacing it back in his pocket.

Jungkook moved back towards Emmy and swiftly smacked her ass again, this time harder. “It must be that ass I paid for then.” He grinned as he glanced at the man before he took his earnings and quickly departed the table.

Emmy whipped her head around, glaring at him sharply before turning back to the table and letting her mask come back up. “Nope, all me.” She giggled as she set up another bet, letting the tops of her breasts tease the views of the others at the table as she leaned over.

As the game continued, Jungkook and Emmy made their way around to other targets switching tables when they’ve out worn their welcome. They would grab their attention and keep them distracted as they took turns stealing a variety of valuables such as expensive accessories, cash, and chips.

One man, in particular, seemed very open to Emmy’s overly flirtatious persona and was reciprocating the same sexual energy that she was exuding. She decided to have some fun with it as she dragged her fingers along his arm, walking her fingertips across the edge of the table just in front of his zipper. “Maybe you can come back to the cabin and we can play another game?”

Jungkook became tense as she whispered that in the man’s ear, hoping she wasn’t switching things up too much before discussing it with him. “What kind of game?” The man purred right back, making Jungkook nearly roll his eyes at his cheesy responses.

Emmy looked up at him through her eyelashes as she let her hands travel into his pockets and rub against his aroused member. “Anything you want.” She could see his mental capacity crumbling as she robbed him blind, taking advantage of his lustful haze.

He looked at Jungkook who was staring at him like he would burn a hole through their skulls if he could. “What about him?”

Emmy glanced back at Jungkook and then turned to the man, boldly pressing one of her hands against his groin through the front pocket. The man convulsed as he pulsed against her hand and she waited for him to breathe again before speaking. “Don’t worry about him, he likes to watch.”

“Shit.” She could tell she just unlocked a new kink for the guy as he twitched in his pants.

She teased him a little longer before leaning into his ear and whispering absolute filth to him, feeling him reach the point of no return as he became fully erect in the middle of the casino. She hummed with satisfaction as she pulled her hand back out of his pants pocket. “Why don’t you meet us in room 1345 in a few minutes and we can finish what we started?”

She pushed away from the table, pulling Jungkook along as they left for the exit. Jungkook looked back to see the guy struggling to keep his composure. “You’re evil and I love that about you.” He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist again and pulling her side flush against his own. “But next time, warn me if you're gonna touch someone else’s dick.”

Emmy hummed as she peered at him from the corner of her eye, “Ah, so you do like to watch.” A smirk graced her lips, but Jungkook quickly whipped her around so that she collided with his chest.

He cupped her cheeks in his hand, brushing the tip of his nose against hers. “No, I’ll just give you something else to touch instead.” He kissed her firmly, one of his hands securing around the small of her back to hold her in place as he savored her. He felt her reach up to assumingly hold him in a similar fashion and he quickly gripped her wrist that was pawing at another man's dressed erection only moments ago. “You should go wash your hands.”

—

Jimin walked casually up to the Sky Suite with his taking for the evening before knocking on the door. He waited only a moment before Ruby greeted him with her cold stare. “Where’s Jade?” She asked, looking over his shoulder just to make sure she wasn’t standing behind him.

Jimin curled a brow, now wondering the same thing since he figured Jade would have already been there. “I don’t know, we split up at the end to avoid looking suspicious.” Ruby narrowed her eyes at him briefly and then pulled the door open more so that he could step inside to join the others. He paused as he stood in the same room where he ravaged the woman in question several hours ago.

“Move.” Ruby hissed when he blocked her way from reaching the living area of the cabin.

Jimin quickly stepped forward as he met the gazes of his partners and Emmy. He noticed on the coffee table there was a large array of personal items strewn around stacks of cash that resembled his own. He dug the bills from his pocket to add to the pile. Jungkook quickly told him to keep his stack towards one side of the table so that it counted for their part of the wager.

Emmy noticed one of their teammates was missing and repeated the question, “Where’s Jade?” She looked around the room, hoping someone magically had a clue. She groaned as they looked at her, expecting her to know. She started for the door, “I’ll go find her.”

As she opened the door, there was Jade ready to use her keycard to get into the room with a bag hanging off her arm. “Sorry, I had some complications.” Emmy moved aside so that her friend could lift the heavy bag into the room, tilting her head as she wondered what was possibly in it.

The group watched as she plopped the bag onto the table and out from the top spilled loose bills. “Oh my god, there’s no way you played that well!” Jungkook accused feeling a mixture of excitement and dread as he realized there was no way the boys were winning the bet.

Jade grinned as she showed off her trusty little device that helped get her a large win on the slots just before she cashed in. “Oh, I think I played very well.”

Emmy and Ruby started cheering for their victory, a sense of revenge hitting deep from the first time they encountered the boys in Vegas. Emmy dragged Jade and Ruby into a side hug, tilting her head as she looked at the three men before them, now at their mercy. “So girls, what should their punishment be?”

#bts smut #jeon jungkook #park jimin #bts fanfic #jeon jungkook fanfic #park jimin fanfic #kim taehyung #kim taehyung smut #jeon jungkook smut #park jimin smut

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littlestpan · 2 months ago

Text

Service With a Smile

James Potter x Regulus Black (Slow Burn)

A/N: Hello lovelies, here's chapter four! You can also find fan fiction on AO3 if you want to read ahead.

Chapter 3 (here) | Chapter 4 (You're here) | Chapter 5 (here)

Chapter 4: The Arbitrary Rule

Regulus wouldn’t consider himself a religious man; however, his first two weeks of work had him praying for the weekend. At the end of every day, he would come home with aching feet and vow that he’d never return. And every day his alarm clock would ring, and he would find himself back in the Marauders’ kitchen.

The work in the kitchen is divided based on experience; each member has a few jobs they excel at. When it comes to boxing meals, deliveries, and events, the crew works together as a team.

Effie is in charge of all the scheduling, bookkeeping, and social networking. She ensures the Marauders crew always has a wide variety of interesting events to cater, which keeps things fun in the kitchen.

From a distance, Monty oversees the day-to-day function of the kitchen. He also skilfully translates the bookings Effie finds into physical menus. If there is ever a problem, Monty knows someone who can fix it.

James is wonderful at taking the lead in the kitchen; he delegates tasks and organises the Gryffindor game day meal, which consists of over seven hundred meals, including players, reserves, coaches, and volunteer staff.

Sirius is great with events; he is brilliant with people, often taking the lead when serving high-end banquets, fundraisers, and corporate events.

Remus is in charge of the hot food, and he expertly handles the two ovens with ease. As if it were second nature, everything Remus does is based on pure instinct. He knows exactly when to put one thing in and pull out another; his timing is incredible.

Peter focuses primarily on keeping the kitchen functioning from the dish pit. He oversees the ordering and stocking of cooler and dry storage; without Peter, the kitchen would have nothing to cook.

Marlene is in charge of smoking meats and cooking the larger briskets and roasts. From time to time she likes to compete in BBQ competitions and has earned the Marauders three first-place titles.

There are also a handful of part-time staff who come in to help during the busy season, one example being Lily. Regulus, however, isn’t quite sure where he fits into the kitchen's dynamic as a whole.

The prospect of starting his third week of work left him feeling less enthusiastic. Regulus didn’t hate the job; he rather enjoyed it. He took pleasure in sharing laughter with the crew, acquiring a fresh skill every day, and bonding with his brother. But the hours were long, and the work had an element of physical labour he didn’t anticipate. He dreaded coming to work; however, once there, he seemed to rather enjoy his time. In fact, over the last two weeks, Regulus has found himself warming up to the crew. To his surprise, seeing James every day also carried a certain allure, beyond just enjoying his pretty face. On some level, Regulus can tell that James also enjoys his company.

Arriving in the kitchen in the early mornings, Regulus is like a moody cat. He blames it on the chilly air circulating in the space. It seems that the majority of the staff are naturally warm-blooded, unlike Regulus, who is freezing in his short-sleeved shirt. Yet another reason to dread coming to work. However, it's easily remedied by their lenient rules surrounding the dress code. This is apparent in the creative liberties taken by each staff member with their uniform. The nicknames stitched on their chef coats, for example. Regulus has also taken a more lax approach, opting for a more baggy work shirt in order to fit a tight long-sleeve black shirt underneath for warmth.

Despite all the fun and excitement that come with working for Marauders Catering, it still comes with its drawbacks. Learning the ropes in the dish pit with Peter made Regulus painfully aware of how much he loathed cleaning dishes. Peter, however, seemed to handle the area with a level of command and finesse, which Regulus found rather impressive.

Peter is about four inches taller than Regulus with mousy blonde hair. It's clear to anyone who cares to notice: Peter is a bigger guy. Matched with a witty personality, his size makes Peter all that more attractive; he wears it well. Peter is funny; that's one of the first thoughts that crosses Regulus’ mind. He’s able to push Sirius’ buttons in a way that brings a wave of laughter over the kitchen. When he’s not goofing about, Peter is quietly minding his business in the dish pit.

Regulus detests working in the dish pit because of how his hands are in a constant state of being both wet and dry. By the end of the day, his shirt smelt strongly of dishwater, so strong that it felt as though it was seeping into his bones. The solution is the cologne he has started keeping in his work locker, a tiny bit of advice that was given to him by Peter. There is no way Regulus would ever willingly wander around smelling of dishes, especially when considering James' lack of awareness of other people's personal space.

Not to mention, like clockwork, the moment he has finished catching up with the teetering tower of dishes, James Potter would come brushing past with more dishes to be washed. Not even his pretty face and witty charm could save James from the seething frustration Regulus felt in those moments. A thought that seemed to take the edge off was that he knew that James didn’t seem the type to do such a thing on purpose. His brother, however, seemed to get some pleasure from making Regulus suffer only a little. A soup ladle or a sauce spoon dragged across the freshly cleaned dish pit seems to irritate Regulus to no end. Which only seemed to please his brother more.

By far the most irksome drawback of the kitchen is that Regulus swears that everything was designed for giants. The kitchen tools above every station, the tall storage shelves in the dry storage, and the ones in the walk-in coolers. Even the tables of their workstations fall around waist height. It shouldn’t surprise Regulus as much as it does simply because every member of the staff is taller than him. With the exception of his own brother, who would argue his massive mere two inches of height he has on Regulus are worth mentioning.

Yet, the Black brothers shared solidarity when it came to their short stature. Knowing he was no help, Regulus would often empathetically watch his brother struggle to reach something off one of the high shelves. Only for Remus to come to his rescue, helping the shorter man with whatever was out of his grasp. It was obvious to any onlooker that there was something more waiting to be discovered between the pair. Whereas, with Regulus and Remus, the gesture was a sharp contrast between him and his brother. Towards Regulus, the action was one of kindness, Remus' intention purely compassionate to his shortcomings; for his brother, the gesture held something more.

Nevertheless, Regulus would occasionally find himself helplessly waiting when something was out of reach. He would just quietly stare at whatever it was because he was too prideful to ask for assistance. Waiting patiently for one of the taller men to notice and come to his aid.

The one and only time Regulus attempted to crawl onto the counter to retrieve what he needed on his own, he could hear Peter and James laughing across the kitchen. Embarrassed, he flipped the pair off before hopping down and going back to his work, his face hot.

Regulus found himself wondering what Sirius ever did before Remus; the man was a tall blessing, that was for certain. That query was quickly answered with James stepping into his space.

At around 6’2”, James stood almost a foot taller than Regulus, his athletic chest pressing into Regulus' shoulder. James reaches over Regulus' head to retrieve a cutting board from over his station. The taller man’s pretty mouth curls into a smile as he places it in front of Regulus; he asks, “Was that what you wanted?”

A soft blush dusting his cheeks, Regulus mutters a quiet, “Thank you, James.”

“There’s no need to thank me, Reg,” James brushes a hand over Regulus’ back before sidestepping to his own workstation. Although he would never say it out loud, he likes that James has started to call him by the nickname, 'Reg.'. It rolls so nicely off of James’ tongue.

With the warm feeling of James’ hand lingering on his skin, he watches James move until he sees Lily Evans pop out of nowhere. She invades the space between James and Regulus, pulling at the sleeve of James’ chef coat.

Lily is petite in comparison to Effie yet taller than Regulus. Her ginger curls are pulled into a loose bun at the base of her neck. Her eyes are a deep emerald colour, and her cheeks are dusted with freckles. Lily has a green cardigan pulled over her work shirt; she often fiddles with a loose thread on the sleeve as she listens. Regulus has only worked a handful of shifts with Lily. Nevertheless, he can tell she’s smart as a whip, with equal parts kind and charismatic.

“James,” she starts, stretching his name sweetly. “I need your help with something in the back,” she finishes with a smile. James drops what he’s doing once again, turning his attention to Lily, “Yeah, sure. What do you need?” He asks, smiling down at her. Regulus watches the interaction intently with a sour taste in his mouth.

A moment later, Marlene rounds the corner from the dining hall. “Did you find Prongs, Lils?” She enquires, poking her head around the doorframe.

Marlene has sharp blue eyes and freckles, her shaggy blond hair tied into a half ponytail, the longer bits falling on her shoulders. She has the short sleeves of her Marauders work shirt rolled over her shoulders. Regulus has realised over the last few weeks they’ve worked together that she’s confident with a carefree nature. It makes sense why she and James get along so well; both are clearly good with people.

“Well, technically we need your help. Come on,” Lily corrects herself before she ushers James out the door towards Marlene.

He wants to like Lily; he’s really trying his best, but he can’t help but dislike her for some reason. A more intelligent man than Regulus would discern that it must have something to do with the closeness between her and James. The way she calls his name in a light, playful tone when they joke around. The witty banter between the pair makes Regulus’ skin crawl. It shouldn’t bother him as much as it does, because Lily is sweet, and obviously James is too cocky for someone like her. They don’t make a good fit, Regulus tells himself. Regulus watches the pair exit the kitchen, and when he turns his attention back to his work, he catches a knowing yet sympathetic glance from Remus before they both return to their work.

Regulus likes Remus, not in the same way his brother likes him, but he can understand why Sirius does. Remus has a calm and compassionate nature; he’s very intelligent and resourceful. He’s by far the tallest person in the kitchen, even taller than James and twice as pretty. Similar to James, Remus is also tanned. Remus’ complexion is more deep and rich like the harvest moon. The only major difference being the long scars that track diagonally across his face. His hands and lower arms are also covered in scars of varying lengths. A lighter shade on his skin, they look as though they had faded with time. Remus isn’t bothered by them; it’s very apparent in the way he carries himself and doesn’t shy away from stares. Although he has only been with the Marauders for a little under a year, he has at least four years of kitchen experience under his belt, and it shows.

~~~

It wasn’t until the middle of Regulus' third week working for the Potters that Sirius succeeded in getting his brother alone to talk. Since his first day, Regulus has managed to strategically evade his brother’s incessant need to seek out and fix every issue between them. He can tell his brother is plotting something.

The crew stood circled round the centre, sandwiched tables, discussing the game plan for making deliveries. Sirius, Remus, and Peter sit on Peter’s workstation. Marlene leans with her forearms folded on Sirius’ and Remus’ side of the workstation. Standing next to Marlene is Lily.

Effie and Monty stand shoulder to shoulder at the head of the tables. Worksheets are spread over the end of James' and Remus' stations. Each sheet has the information of every order, customer name, addresses, contact information, and a detailed list of the food requested.

“Alright,” Effie starts, pulling a pencil from her high ponytail. “I think it’s about time that we start taking Regulus on deliveries; it will be beneficial for you to learn how we do food drop-offs,” she finishes scanning the pages.

Regulus perks up to his name being mentioned, nodding along with a hint of excitement.

“Things are going to start picking up around here pretty fast. It’s best if you learn as much as you can before then,” Monty adds with a nod.

Over the past three weeks, he has watched the other staff members be sent out of the kitchen on what Sirius has dubbed “little adventures.” Every time the crew would circle the tables, Regulus hoped he’d hear his name and finally get the chance to tag along. And every time Regulus was left behind, a minor flurry of envy would spark inside him. He didn’t hate hanging back at the kitchen with Remus and Peter; even so, he was annoyed the rest of the crew got to leave.

Effie jots names down on the sheets before sliding them over to each person. “Mi corazón, can you take this one to the Ministry? I’m headed to St. Mungo's Hospital to deliver and meet with the head about that one thing." She tries to articulate the thought, but it disappears before she can.

“Yes, mi vida, I can handle the ministry. You’re thinking of the fundraiser,” Monty finishes, reaching for the paper. “Yes, of course. What would I do without you, Flea?” Effie looks up from the pages to place a quick peck on his cheek.

Regulus had never seen a couple as in love as Effie and Monty. Married for over thirty years and business partners for almost half that. Monty’s quiet, carefree nature complements Effie’s enthusiastic organisation. Two halves of a whole with more love and care in their pinkies and willing to share it with the world.

“To the stadium as usual, mi sol,” Effie slides the page in front of James. “It's a bigger delivery; you should take someone with you,” Monty interjects.

James turns his gaze to Regulus as he asks, “Regulus, do you want—” Then Sirius cuts him off before James can finish, “Effie, would it be alright if I took the food to the stadium this time?”

Effie looks up at Sirius, who is now making the sweetest puppy dog eyes Regulus has ever seen. Regulus is a little shocked his brother had it in him. With a sigh, Effie turns to James, “Would that be alright with you, mi sol?” James smiles at his mother, “Ok, mamá, no hay problema.” Regulus’ eyes are naturally drawn to James as he speaks. He has a look of mild disappointment crossing his face like a flash of lightning, almost too fast for Regulus to catch.

Monty interjects again. “No way, you troublemakers aren’t allowed on deliveries together, remember?” He chuckles.

Sirius responds in faux outrage, “What? I’m no such thing. Soy un ángel.” Sirius raises his hand to draw an invisible halo above his head with a smirk. That earns a laugh from the rest of the crew, and Regulus can tell there’s a story there. He makes a mental note to ask Sirius later.

After the laughter quiets, Regulus looks to his brother again; Sirius is giving him the look. A feeling twists in his chest then drops to his stomach as the wheels in his head begin to turn. The look on Sirius’ face: he knows all too well what awaits him; Sirius wants to talk.

Sirius hops off the table and then stretches himself over his station to pluck the page from in front of James. “You’ve nothing to worry about, Monty; I’m taking Reggie,” Sirius offers as he wanders back over to his spot between Remus and Peter.

“Slight problem there, Padfoot; the delivery is too big for your car,” Remus chimes in, leaning into Sirius’ space, resting with his palm behind them for support.

“Not you too; you’re meant to be on my side, Moony,” Sirius whines as he leans his head back onto Remus’ shoulder.

“I never said I wasn’t, Padfoot; Prongs’ truck is big enough to transport all the food in one trip,” Remus reasons with a chuckle. “Brilliant as always, Moony. We’ll take Prongs’ truck,” Sirius beams, whipping his head to look at James. “James,” Sirius pleads, making the puppy dog eyes once again.

“Alright, Padfoot, enough with the face,” James says; Regulus notices that he’s back to his cheery self. He reaches into the front pocket of his jeans and gently tosses his keys over to Sirius, “Catch.” Remus reacts faster than Sirius; he plucks the keys from the air in a swift movement. He opens his palm, face up, offering the keys to Sirius, who takes them grinning ear to ear.

Effie waits patiently for the crew to settle before she continues. “Marlene, you’re fine with your normal route?” She questions as she begins to slide the sheet across the metal surface of the table. “Mhmm, got it covered, Effie,” she confirms, sliding the paper the rest of the way towards herself.

“Lily, do you think you can deliver to the electric company?” Effie questions, looking up to speak with Lily. “Uh, yeah,” Lily says with an uneasy look. Effie begins to slide the sheet forward until Lily begins again, “Um, Effie, would I be able to bring someone with me as well?” She questions with a bit of hesitation. Regulus looks to James as though he already knows where this is going, feeling a hint of jealousy.

“It’s not a very big delivery.” Effie says, glancing at the sheet before she enquires, “Is there something the matter?” Then Marlene perks up, with a frustrated expression, “Is handsy Hank still giving you a hard time?” To which Lily nods. Regulus’ jealousy quickly shifts to a surge of empathy; Lily is very pretty; it’s unfortunate but comes as no surprise she’s forced to deal with unwanted advances. Regulus isn’t unfamiliar with the feeling of warding off creeps.

“Fuckin’ perv,” Marlene swears. “I gave him a right good talking to when we went last time, but it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Maybe you can send Prongs with Lils; some muscle might make a difference,” Marlene finishes, looking at Effie.

“Good idea. Mi sol, you and Lily can finish the electric company and these two,” Effie hands the sheets to James. She looks to Lily, “If you have any more issues, you don’t hesitate to call me; I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Effie turns to the three men still perched on Peter’s workstation. “Remus, Pete, are you alright finishing clean up round here? It’ll be a short day tomorrow, so I don’t have much for you either.” Remus nods, and Peter gives Effie a thumbs up. “Good, off you pop, everyone.” She dismisses the staff; they all make their way in a horde toward the staff locker room to retrieve their coats before congregating in the kitchen once again.

The crew works together moving cambro boxes from the raised pallets in the walk-in cooler. James and Sirius work perfectly in tandem, filling the back of Effie's SUV and then assisting Monty. In separate vehicles, Effie and Monty are the first to leave the compound with the furthest distances to travel.

Regulus does his best to be helpful in carrying a box to Marlene's vehicle. Once finished, Marlene is the next to drive out of the compound.

Regulus enters the building as his brother is going out with a Cambro box. “Not many left now,” Sirius calls after him. “Okay,” he calls back.

When Regulus rounds the corner into the kitchen, he can hear Lily and James laughing. Lily exits the walk-in cooler with a Cambro box and a smile.

Regulus can feel the jealousy begin to rise again as he tries to smile back. He walks into the cooler, and James greets him, smiling, “Hey Reg, excited to finally get to see what it’s like to head out on deliveries?” Regulus mutters, “Hi, yeah,” before he reaches for a Cambro box.

James reaches down to help Regulus lift the box. “Maybe next time you and I can head out on a little adventure together,” he offers. Regulus grows more frustrated as James lifts the box from his grasp. “I bet you’d have more fun with Lily on your ‘little adventure.’.” His tone hinted at his annoyance. “I’ve got it, James,” he finishes, pulling the box away aggressively. Regulus then pushes past James, then his brother, who is walking into the cooler.

Sirius enters with a confused expression as Regulus makes his way to James’ truck outside. Sirius looks to James, questioning, “What—what did you say to him, Prongs?” Looking equal parts confused and concerned, James confesses, “I didn’t say anything, Padfoot; I don’t know what I said wrong.”

After placing the box into the back of the truck, Regulus heads to the passenger side door, he opens it, and hops inside. He lets out a frustrated sigh. That was stupid; he didn’t mean to do that. Regulus wasn’t intentionally being a jerk to James. It kind of slipped out, and now he’s here sitting in James’ truck.

James has a very nice truck; it's big and red, it has a spacious backseat, and the truck bed has a cover. The interior is clean; it smells fresh with a hint of James’ cologne. In the side mirror, he watches Sirius and James approach; they’re talking as they pile the last of the boxes into the truck bed.

James waves as he heads over to Sirius’ car, where Lily waits, and Sirius climbs into the cab of the truck. “Reggie,” he greets as he moves the seat forward until his feet touch the pedals. “Siri,” he greets back, trying to sound less annoyed with himself.

Sirius clears his throat as he adjusts his mirrors and questions, “I’ve noticed you’ve been a little off since your first shift. Does that have anything to do with what just happened?” Sirius puts the key in the ignition and starts the truck. Regulus knew this conversation was bound to happen, but why did it have to happen now, especially after he was a jerk to James? “There’s nothing to tell,” Regulus tries to convince his brother as he watches James back out of his spot and out of the compound.

“Reggie,” Sirius says, knowing his brother too well. “Siri,” he deadpans back. Sirius gives Regulus a long look, then turns the truck off.

“Nope.”

“Siri, no.” Running his hands over his face, annoyed.

“Nope, you’re going to tell me what’s wrong, or we're not going anywhere,” Sirius folds his hands in his lap.

“Sirius, we're at work; we don’t have time for this,” Regulus tells his brother.

“Then you better start talking,” he responds, picking at his nail polish, unfazed. “Something has definitely been up with you, Reggie. If it's something I can help with, I need you to tell me,” Sirius assures.

“If I do, will you drive?” Regulus asks hoping Sirius will meet him halfway. “Yes,” he starts the truck again, putting it in reverse.

“James,” Regulus pauses.

Sirius backs out of the spot and starts towards the gate before he stops again. “Yeah, what did he say to you?”

“No, nothing. It was— Je me sens stupide. It was just me being… me. James is probably mad.” Regulus confesses, covering his face with his hands again.

“Oh Reggie, I don’t think you should beat yourself up about it. James is a big boy; you just need to talk to him. He’s very forgiving; maybe apologise and tell him what’s going on. He was very confused.” He rubs Regulus’ shoulder in a comforting motion before he pulls out of the compound. Regulus drops his hands and nods.

They’re quiet for a moment while Regulus collects his thoughts. “Can I ask you something I’ve been meaning to?”

Sirius watches the road as he drives. “Yeah, of course. What’s on your mind?”

Regulus blurts out, “What’s with the no-dating rule?” The question hangs in the air for a moment while Sirius thinks. “Mmm, I’m not sure how to approach this. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you’ve mentioned it before, and I was wondering if there’s an exception to the rule?” Regulus explains. “An exception? What do you mean?” He gives Regulus a confused look.

“James and Lily.” Sirius burst out laughing, “Prongs and Lils? Reggie, do you think Prongs and Lils are dating?”

“What’s so funny? Aren’t they a couple?” Regulus feels his heart rate rise and his stomach flip; he brushes it off as anxiety.

When Sirius’ laughter calms a little, he turns to his brother, “No, not even close. James and Lily have been friends since they were in nappies. But Prongs is the reason the rule exists in the first place.”

“James is the reason. What do you mean? I don’t understand.” Regulus gives his brother a confused look.

“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this because it’s not my place. Just to clarify, I’m only telling you because I know Prongs, and he’d be alright with it. But only because you’re important to me.” Sirius explains with a hard look.

“When we were about twenty-two, Prongs fell head over heels for a newly hired temp worker. Effie and Monty had hired them for the summer; the set term was three months. When Prongs falls for someone, he falls hard. At the end of the term, they moved on, and Prongs didn’t. It took us almost a year to get him back on his feet.”

Regulus isn’t too sure how to process the information. “Okay? But how did that turn into a no-dating rule?” Regulus questions again.

“Well, it caused a lot of problems for all of us in the kitchen. It threw the whole place into chaos without Prongs there. When they left, it tore the poor bloke to shreds. He needed time away from the kitchen, time to heal. He spent a lot of hours working at the stadium.” Sirius explains as they pull into the back of said stadium.

Sirius puts the truck in park as he continues, “It was my idea; it’s not an actual rule. You see, as his best mate, it was my job to make sure it never happens again. Thus, the no-dating-in-the-kitchen rule was born.” Regulus nods as though the pieces are falling into place.

“It didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time; I wanted to present a united front. I’ve always been… Well, you know—” “A Whore?” Regulus cuts in.

“Hey! I was going to say, generous with love.” Sirius tries to defend himself, and Regulus laughs as they exit the truck.

“You’re telling me the best thing you could come up with is some arbitrary rule about no dating in the kitchen and throwing yourself in there for solidarity?” Regulus clarifies as he opens the tailgate.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Sirius confirms as he pulls a hand trolley from out of the bed of the truck.

“You’ve essentially mucked up the whole situation, rendering yourself and James off-limits.” Regulus muses.

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds bad. Prongs is my best mate. What was I meant to do?” Sirius whines, lifting a box on the trolley.

“You’ve never been the type to follow the rules, Siri. Plus, Remus is a fit bloke. I think he’s worth breaking the rules for.” Regulus smirks, lifting another box onto the trolley.

“Regulus. Arcturus. Black. Don’t you even think about it.” Sirius tells his brother, swatting at his arm.

Regulus laughs, “I’m just saying. Am I wrong though? You’d climb that mountain of a man in a heartbeat given the chance.”

Sirius groans in response because he knows Regulus is not wrong. Remus is exactly his type, down to his deep brown eyes and fluffy hair. “Exactly,” Regulus responds.

“I’m right fucked, aren’t I?” Sirius questions in a tone that sounds as though he already knows the answer. “Deeply,” Regulus responds, smirking again.

The brothers pack the rest of the boxes onto the trolley. Before leaving, Sirius hops back into the cab of the truck, muttering something about “badges,” before slamming the door shut and joining Regulus in pulling the heavy trolley toward the stadium doors.

Once they reach the door, Sirius loops a lanyard with a badge on it around Regulus’ neck, then one around his own. Regulus looks down at the badge; it’s Gryffindor red with the team logo, and it has his name on it with a photo of his face smiling. He doesn’t question it. “It’s meant to be a surprise, but I know how much you hate surprises.” Sirius starts.

“James will be bringing you round here more often come the first week of April. You get to meet the team and feed the players lunch three times a week. Monty and I usually handle the breakfasts. Marlene was more than happy to offer up her spot. Don’t think she can handle another romantic proposition from those meatheads. Not the smartest lot if they can’t tell she fancies girls.” Sirius swipes his badge and opens the door.

Regulus drops the badge and pulls the trolley through the door. “Thanks for the heads up, Siri.”

Once inside the building, Sirius directs Regulus to an lift. He presses the call button; when the doors open, he steps inside with the trolley. They ride it down a few floors before it opens again. Sirius steps out first, pulling the trolley with one hand as he checks his phone. Regulus helps from behind, pushing.

“Looks like we're a little behind schedule, but the players normally are too,” Sirius says, popping his phone back in his pocket and wandering down the hall towards a double door. “This is the players' lounge; it’s where you’ll be feeding the players,” Sirius explains as he swipes his badge again. Pulling the door open, he holds it for Regulus to enter first.

The room is large and square; there's a half kitchen that’s spread along the main wall. It has cabinets, a double sink, a full-size fridge, two coffee makers, a countertop water cooler, and an ice machine. A full breakfast bar that could easily fit twenty grown men that separates the kitchen from the rest of the space. On the other side of the breakfast bar are several round tables with chairs. Behind the tables are multiple long couches that face a wall of TVs. Tucked in the corner next to the bathroom is a billiards table. There's a small staff area at the end of the kitchen with a pillar that hides it partly from view.

“Friendly blokes, most of them; a few prima donnas, but you’ve got experience with those,” Sirius says before striking a pose. Regulus laughs at his brother, “You’re not wrong about that one.”

Sirius laughs as he makes his way to the breakfast bar, “We stack the lunch boxes here. Normally it's a hot meal, full service with chafers, but they’ve got a busy day, so it's just boxes today.” He explains as he opens the Cambro boxes and starts placing boxed lunches in neat stacks. Regulus joins his brother making another neat stack next to Sirius’.

The brothers finish emptying the Cambro boxes on the table; around one hundred twenty boxes are stacked in neat stacks. Sirius loads the empty Cambro boxes back onto the trolley and parks it near the door they entered. “Come on, I’ve got something to show you,” he tells his brother, leading him back through the kitchen towards the door in the staff area. Sirius swipes his badge before opening the door and entering a long, tunnel-like hallway. “Siri, where are you taking me? This doesn’t look like somewhere we’re meant to be.” Regulus replies in a hushed tone.

Sirius grabs his brother’s wrist before dragging him along down the hallway. “Oh, stop your whining; it will be worth it. I promise.”

Without another word, Sirius brings Regulus to a larger hallway with massive metal doors. Sirius drops his brother’s arm to push the doors open. He walks out with Regulus lagging behind. “Siri, what is this place?” “Come see for yourself!” Sirius calls as he begins to jog down the hallway; there’s a bright light at the end.

Regulus rolls his eyes before he picks up his pace to follow his brother. Before he knows it, the hallway opens onto a rugby pitch. It’s one of the most amazing experiences; despite not being a rugby fan, Regulus likes the view of the wide-open field, the large stadium, and the smile on Sirius’ face as he watches Regulus.

Regulus is at a loss for words. “Siri, this is incredible.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and snaps a photo to send to the roommate group chat. Barty is going to be so jealous.

Sirius slings an arm over Regulus’ shoulder. “Quite brilliant, isn’t it? It's worth getting into a little trouble for, hey?” He shakes his brother a little.

A look of worry shifts in place of Regulus’ look of awe, “What do you mean trouble? Siri, are we not meant to be out here?”

Sirius chuckles before turning back to the hall and heading back inside. Regulus panics and follows, a quickness in his step. “Sirius! This isn’t funny; are we going to get in trouble?”

Sirius doesn’t respond until they’re back in the players' lounge. He stops in his tracks and reaches for Regulus’ badge before flipping it over. “Relax a little, Reggie; I was only joking. These are all access badges; we can go anywhere in the stadium, within reason.” Regulus makes an annoyed face as they make their way back to James’ truck.

Once the Cambros are packed away, Sirius hops into the cab, checking his phone. “Looks like we're done for the day; everyone has headed home. I can drop you round yours if you’d like.” “Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind,” Regulus replies as he pulls his seat belt on.

The ride to Regulus’ flat was less eventful than the one to the stadium. However, when Regulus opens the door to hop out, Sirius stops him.

“Hey Reggie, about the James thing from earlier? You should really talk to him; he’s very understanding, and he’s actually a good bloke. He’ll appreciate an apology, and you definitely owe him one.”

Regulus sighs, “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Thanks for the ride.” Regulus drops down from the tall truck and slams the door before his brother can say another word.

The truck drives off as Regulus makes his way to the front door. Barty is sitting on the front step with a lit cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. He greets Regulus, “Nice truck. Whose is that?”.

“James’,” Regulus responds flatly. Barty wolf whistles, the cigarette between his fingers now. “Wowie,” he drags the word out.

“That didn’t take you long, hey Reggie? Only three weeks in, and Mr. Dreamy but Totally Off-Limits is dropping you round your place.” Barty wiggles his eyebrows before taking a long drag and offering it to Regulus.

Regulus gives Barty an unamused look, taking the cigarette; he takes a drag. “James’ truck, but Sirius dropped me off,” he explains, handing the cigarette back to Barty.

“Lame,” Barty responds flatly, taking the cigarette back. He finishes it, then puts it out, flicking it onto the ground. “I was hoping to get a good look at him,” he explains as he and Regulus head inside the building toward the flat.

“The Marauders have social media; Effie runs it. I bet there are loads of photos of him there.” Regulus offers before he kicks off his shoes and then coat.

Regulus retreats to his room as he calls to Barty, “Stalk to your heart's content; you have my permission.” To which Barty laughs.

Once in his room, Regulus flops on his bed, pulling out his phone. He scrolls over to Instagram and types in “Marauders Catering and Services.”. Purely out of curiosity, no other reason, or so he tells himself.

He is met with a wide variety of photos and videos of food, events, and the staff. Regulus was correct; James is featured almost as much as his brother. Regulus stops on a photo of James smiling in his chef coat, tying an apron around himself. His brother’s words float through his mind: “It’s not an actual rule.”

Regulus groans. What is he meant to do with that information? If it were a rule put in place by Effie or Monty, Regulus would have no other option but to respect it. However, knowing it's a completely arbitrary rule his brother made up only makes him want to break it more. If Regulus isn’t a religious man and James isn’t forbidden fruit, what's the harm in having a little taste, he thinks.

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