#I was just thinking last week about the $20 bill in my wallet he gave me about 6 years ago for my birthday that I haven't spent yet

[raeloganthesonic06fangirl]

Mom got me an immortal pumpkin

Well, crafting pumpkin, but still, it's unrottable. I'm very pleased. I might knit it a cap just for it, that sounds fun. 🙂

[dollslayer]

Sweeter Endings

Sugar Daddy!Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Still reeling from the financial realities of losing your mother you turn to a lucrative website for help and get more than you could have bargained for.

W/C: 5,325

Warnings: Smut (no minors 18+ only), light D/S dynamics, brief mentions of alcohol consumption, unprotected sex, swearing

A/N: NO MINORS, I wrote this for @donutloverxo 's Sugary 4k Challenge (Congrats!!) I love sugar daddy AUs so I was really excited to write this!! If you like it then please like/reblog/comment I'm all ears! Also maybe check out my other stuff if you want! Cheers!

Main Masterlist

____

The saying ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ was truer than you’d ever imagined and you found out the hard way. Life had hit you hard last year. You had watched your mother succumb very quickly to cancer. A cold that just wouldn’t go away turned into a doctor’s visit turned into three months left to live. Having no one else in her life, the cost of her funeral and medical bills fell to you. The bills outweighing the inheritance you had no choice but to drop out of school.

One year later you were hanging on by threads to keep yourself off the streets without turning to a loan shark or selling yourself. Stocking shelves at a bougie grocery store in Soho by day and bartending in Tribeca by night had you working six days a week. What free time you had you were too exhausted to do anything with. Something had to give or you were going to collapse from the stress, you just didn’t know what.

A couple weeks ago you had been casually venting about how broke you were with a coworker when she jokingly suggested signing up for one of those Sugar Daddy sites. You laughed along with her but it sounded better than getting a third job. You had quietly asked one of your roommates to borrow their laptop saying you needed to look at job postings only half a lie, really and locked yourself in your room.

You were just gonna check out the website, maybe sign up and poke around, it didn’t mean you were committing to anything, just looking. You remembered first looking at the website once your shitty wifi loaded it, promising ‘beautiful and successful people making mutually beneficial connections’. You balked after reading that but you couldn’t look at any profiles without making one yourself so you had set to work.

After making your profile you hadn’t gotten any hits in about a week so you shrugged it off. You couldn’t keep hogging your roommate’s computer anyways so you set off back to work. Your days at the store wore on into endless nights at the bar and you wondered what other options you really had when you had no degree and no experience in any relevant field.

___

6 o’clock on a Thursday night, the typical after work crowd begins to roll in. The bar you work in is upscale, classy. Definitely trying to lure in the businessmen that worked in the area and their wallets. It annoyed you to deal with the same type of customers you did at the store all over again but with the high end crowd came good tips so you couldn't complain too much.

It was busier than usual when a group of men in suits walked in together asking for a booth. You saw a lot of business meetings take place over whiskey sours in this place so you didn’t think much of it. You tried your best to keep tending to your regulars when a pair from the group came over.

One of the men had deep brown eyes and a sly grin that when split gave you the perfect view of the gap between his teeth. He was confident but he had a kind look to him. His friend had dirty blond hair and a beard that clung to his perfect jawline and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t snuck a second look. You turned your back and continued filling orders to distract yourself when one of them cleared their throat behind you.

As you turned to face them you found it was the blond calling after you. His face held a hint of surprise but it was quickly replaced by a look of amusement as he smirked and one brow lifted, like he knew something you didn’t. He was like any other typical customer for you, professional and handsome, probably over-confident in himself. You returned his smirk and prepared your best charming banter. Time to earn those tips.

“Something to drink for you, gentleman?” You offered.

“We’d like a round of scotch for the table over there. You don’t mind bringing it over, do you sweetheart?” the brown-eyed man asked.

“Of course not” you answered. Pricks.

“Good girl” the blond said with a wink. Creep. A hot creep but still. Before you could ask he took his card out of his wallet and put it on the counter for the tab.

____

A round had come and passed, soon they’d asked for another but this time it was just the blond that approached you. You lifted your eyebrows in anticipation of an order.

“You here often?” he asked. Ugh, not even a good pick up line.

“Am I here at my job often?” You retorted with a playful smile.

The man’s shoulders shook as he chuckled. “Sorry you just uh, you look familiar that’s all. What’s your name?”

You supplied him with it and asked him if he wanted another round of scotch. He nodded.

“Smart girl, I’m Steve by the way.” He laid down his business card which you picked up with a look of challenging curiosity. Steve Rogers, CEO of Shield inc.

Oh. You didn’t recognize the name but you definitely knew the company. It felt like a quarter of their employees stopped in for a drink throughout the week and it was prominent enough of a company that you read about it weekly. Play it cool, these types want to feel like an every-man at the bar but still wanna feel important.

You raised your eyebrows again in recognition. “Nice to meet you, Steve, I’ll have your round right out.”

“Good Girl” he winked again at you. Okay so it’s hot, but he’s a total stranger and you don’t even know him. Stay on your game.

___

10 o’clock came around and things were thinning out slightly, regulars made their way out, awkward Tinder dates and rowdy young 20-somethings made their way in. The party of businessmen was still around but they were hopefully wrapping up after the 2 more rounds they’d had. Steve approached the bar once more and you preemptively picked up the bottle of scotch.

“Whoa, easy, girl! I’m here to pick up the tab” He said, taking out his wallet.

“What’s the name on the tab?” You decided to play dumb but based off the grin on his face he knew you were playing with him.

“Steve. Rogers.” He replied, his tone was stern but his eyes told you he was in on the joke.

You cashed him out and left him to sign his receipt so you could make more drinks. You saw him move in your peripheral and turned your head to see his face.

“Have a good night, sweetheart. I’ll be seein’ ya” he promised.

“Take care!” You smiled back.

A few minutes later you circled back to collect his receipt and found three $100 bills staring back at you. You blinked dumbly in disbelief, who the hell leaves a 200% tip? Looking around to see if Steve was still here he was nowhere to be found. You had no choice but to pocket the money.

____

Another week went by and left you wondering how much energy and concentration it would take for you to just evaporate, since that seemed easier than going to work today. Sadly still in solid form, you punched in at the store and stowed your things in your locker.

Your upscale customer base was a mostly pretentious and successful group of yuppies so even though you were grateful to not be on the streets you were constantly reminded of the professional success you couldn’t help but feel that you were missing out on. Stuck instead to listen to incessant whining ‘is this organic? I won’t eat it unless it’s organic’.

The upside of this job was that the time went by quickly because you always had so much to do. Plus with how monotonous the work was it was easy enough to zone out. So much so that you hadn’t heard someone calling your name and approaching you. A hand softly touching your shoulder snapped you into the present.

You looked up, startled to find a pair of blue eyes staring back into yours. You took a step back and processed who it was. “CEO guy?” Steve?

“‘CEO guy?’ I thought I recognized you, ‘barmaid’ or should I say… ‘stock girl?’” He joked using his fingers to make quotations.

Now that you thought about it, the store isn’t that far at all from the bar, it would make sense if he’s in the area. You smiled and tapped your nametag in response.

“I just came in on my lunch to grab a few groceries” looking down at his basket it held some protein powder, some eggs, and one lonely banana. “Clearly, I’m single. But you’d know that already, wouldn’t you?”

Your brows twinged together in confusion. What is that supposed to mean?

“Excuse me?”

He edged a little closer to you and lowered his voice “SeekingConnection.com?”

Your eyes widened in shock. The fucking Sugar Daddy site! I forgot about that! Surprise was quickly replaced with humiliation. You looked down and away as you felt your cheeks heat up.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you” Steve placated, “But I gotta say, I’m pretty hurt you never responded to me. I sent that message weeks ago and let’s just say I’m not used to rejection.” He kept his tone light, letting you know he wasn’t mad.

“I-I um, I’m sorry, I don’t have a computer and they don’t have an app, I was using my roommates’ computer and I guess I forgot about it…” You admitted.

Steve nodded in acknowledgement. Please say something to salvage this conversation. Please.

“Well,” Steve rummaged in his pocket for another business card. “You got a pen on you?”

You dug around in your apron and came up with one. Handing it to him you watched as he wrote on the back of the card. He held the card and the pen out to you.

“That’s my number, I’d ask for yours but I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, you already look like you wanna sink through the floor” Not helping, but I do. You took them from him and tucked them away in the pocket of your apron.

“You do have a phone right?” You only glared at him in response. “Well, if you check your profile, you would’ve seen I asked you out to lunch, offer still stands. Just text me when you’re free”

Should I even say yes? I mean, the winking the other night was weird but he’s good looking and at least somewhat considerate. I mean, it’s not like I had any other intention when I signed up for that site. What the hell. right?

“I… usually work mid shifts so I don’t know if lunch is doable, they only give me half an hour but, maybe we could do coffee? I’ve got tomorrow off from the bar I could meet you” you suggested.

If Steve felt pity for you he hid it well behind the wide smile he made when you offered coffee instead.

“There’s a place around the corner from here, just up a block, you know it? I’m off tomorrow at 6, why don’t you meet me there?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He winked at you again and started walking away. What the hell just happened?

____

You did end up borrowing your roommate’s computer once again when you got home to look up Steve’s DM. Sure enough, there he had been in all his internet glory. ‘Steve, 33, CEO. likes: art, conversation, whiskey. Digging around further on his profile you found that he owned several houses here and in Europe, he had a dog that was cuter than he was, and that he was ‘Seeking deeper connection’. All of these things piqued your interest.

‘Hey, Doll. Saw your profile and I had to ask, what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this? Kidding, of course. But maybe you’d care to tell me your story over lunch? Your profile says we’re both in New York. - Steve’ Sent three weeks ago. Fuck.

You had texted him earlier to confirm, which is how you found yourself walking up the sidewalk towards the shop with a mind running rampant with nervous thoughts. What if he just wants to feel big about himself in comparison to me? What would I even really have to offer the relationship? A college dropout working two dead-end jobs with no social life. You needed to snap yourself out of it. You were just meeting for coffee doesn’t mean anything.

Pushing open the door you found Steve waving at you from a quiet corner. He was still in a suit, presumably coming from work himself. Even the buttons on his shirt looked expensive. You were wearing dirty jeans and a worn pair of work boots paired with a flannel. You couldn’t have looked more different if you tried.

“I waited for you to order,” He said. You smiled up at him, only now realizing how tall he was in comparison to you. He ushered you both towards the counter where you both placed your orders. You moved to take your wallet from your purse but he had already beat you there.

“Really? As if I’d let the lady pay, and on the first date no less?” He said playfully.

“Oh, so this is a date now, is it?” You kidded.

Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and gave you that boyish grin and a shrug. The pair of you made your way back to the table and waited for your drinks to be brought over.

“How was work?” You asked, “What exactly is it that your company does?”

“We offer security and surveillance software domestically as well as international. Stadiums, airports, other government buildings. Things of that nature. And work was fine, thank you for asking” Steve said with a genuine smile. “How was your day, doll?”

“Oh, my day was fine, more of the same but y’know,” You answered half-heartedly.

“You know, you never answered me, what’s a funny, pretty gal like you doing on a site like that?”

Embarrassment hit you again, this time maybe accompanied with a hint of shame. You were saved momentarily by your drinks being delivered. He seemed truly interested and since he was paying you supposed you owed him an answer.

“I was going to Columbia and I had a pretty good internship when my mom got diagnosed with cancer. She died three months later and since it was only always just the two of us I ended up footing the bill. I was on partial scholarship but between the hospital and the funeral I can’t really afford the rest of tuition on top of working for free so here I am” you explained, “Oh my god, I’m sorry I’m totally oversharing aren’t I? You probably don’t wanna hear about a bummer like this, sorry”

You tried to laugh to ease the tension you thought you’d created. Braving a look at Steve, he looked thoughtful and only a little bit like he pitied you. You could live with that.

“I’m really sorry about your mom, mine also got really sick before she died, I know it must’ve been hard. What were you in school for?”

___

You and Steve talked for hours, trading anecdotes of childhood and talking about each other’s interests. You had a similar sense in humour so you got on swimmingly. The evening seemed to be coming to a close as the night sky sent in through the window.

Being with Steve was probably the most relaxed you’d felt since before your mom was diagnosed. It became difficult to focus on anything but your financial situation and even though that’s what brought you here in the first place you had managed to forget all about it.

“So look, us getting together wasn’t exactly the most conventional on meet-cutes but to put it bluntly,” He said, “The CEO life makes it hard to meet real people and it gets kinda lonely, I mean, you saw my grocery basket” You both laughed at that. “You need money and I need company, I feel like we could help each other out. Whad’ya say? Think you could put up with me?”

You knew what this was but hearing it put so plainly was a little surprising. At least he was to the point.

“So if I said yes what does that mean, exactly?” you inquired.

“Well,” he started, “We take care of each other. Let me cover some of your bills at the very least, make it so you’d be comfortable quitting at least one of your jobs. And you’d keep me company, we go on dates, maybe you could come over, there’s the occasional work event or charity gala I’d need you on my arm for. Thoughts?”

God I can’t even imagine what it’s like to work only one job anymore. Maybe I could even save up and go back to school. He’s cute and he seems sensible, why not?

“Could we maybe take things slow? What you describe is something I’m down for but I don’t want to make myself completely dependent on you. But I’d love to be there for you, and I have to admit, the thought of only working one full time job is pretty crazy to me” You laughed.

Steve swallowed and placed one of his large, warm hands over yours.

“I can do things the old fashioned way, if that’s what you’d feel good with. I gotta say though, with looks like that it’s not gonna be easy” he jested.

You smiled shyly and looked away. You both stood to leave and he held the door open for you.

“I’ve already got your number from when you texted me earlier but I’ll talk to my assistant about my schedule and maybe I could take you out to dinner this weekend?”

“I um, I’d really like that. It’s a date” You stated.

“Oh, so you think this is a date now?” He jested.

You lightly punched him in the arm and he took the opportunity to pull you closer to him. You looked up to find his face inches from yours. You could smell his aftershave and his deep voice gave you goosebumps when he spoke next.

“I kinda want to kiss you goodnight, would that be okay?”

You could only nod as he shut his eyes and closed in. Your lips met in one perfect, chaste kiss. You sighed and leaned into his hand as it briefly cupped your face.

You broke apart and made promises to see each other soon. You felt like you could’ve floated home as you boarded the subway, caught up in the swarm of newly forming feelings.

_____

You sat in the break room when your phone buzzed to life, ‘Saturday at 7?’

You were about to type out a yes when you forgot you worked closing at the bar. Your thumbs moved quickly to tap out the reply ‘Working, sorry :/ the pitfalls of bartending. Sunday at 7?’

You were nervous telling him no and asking to change plans. You hated not being able to make things work but you only just met the man and the weekend tips were killer, it’s not like you could turn the shift down.

‘Ah yes, almost forgot. Sunday works too, I’ll text you the details. What’s your address? I’ll pick you up’

Oh, God. Steve can’t see my building! His cufflinks probably cost more than my rent!

‘I’ll just meet you there, don’t worry about it’

‘Not a chance, doll. Just tell me where and I’ll come get you’

You let out a worried sigh but knew you had to let it go. You sent him your address and went back to work.

____

Saturday was maybe the longest day in your entire week, in fact you loathed it. Mornings at the store followed by running immediately to the bar. Last call in New York was 4am so it’s a good thing you didn’t try to make brunch plans with Steve for Sunday. But ultimately both your shifts passed without major incident and now it was Sunday and you tried to ready yourself the best you could.

The place Steve mentioned was fancy, you knew that much from a quick search. Panicking instantly upon realizing you don’t really have any nice clothes you turned to your most fashionable roommate for help. She loaned you a cocktail dress that was revealing enough to draw interest without giving everything away. You just hoped Steve would like it.

‘Downstairs, doll. Silver BMW’ you exhaled. Hoo boy, here we go.

____

Steve handed his keys to the valet and rushed around to open your door for you. You held his hand and you clambered onto the sidewalk in your heels. His warm hand on the small of your back as he steered you towards the doors was a comforting weight.

Dinner has been lovely so far, he chose a place that wasn’t completely white-glove but was upscale enough to make you feel only a little underdressed.

You joked back and forth with him over the course of the meal, talked about your lives, and even found out you both have a guilty pleasure for cheesy rom-coms. It wasn’t until dessert and your third glass of wine came that you realized how much time had passed. You frowned slightly thinking of the early morning ahead of you followed by a long night at the bar.

“What’s wrong, doll?”

“Oh, nothing I just didn’t realize how late it was, I’ve got both jobs tomorrow it’ll just be a long day that’s all” you tried to wave it off but Steve frowned in response.

“Quit the bar” he stated.

“What?”

“Quit the bar. This is your card, I’ve already loaded $3000 on there. Put me in touch with your landlord and I’ll get you taken care of.” He slid the card across the table to you. Your name printed on the front. This got real very quickly.

“Steve, that’s.” You were in shock, a loss for words almost “that’s too much, I don’t know what to say.” You felt embarrassed taking the money. You knew that was the essence of your arrangement but actually taking his money had you feeling uneasy.

“Honey, this is what I’m here for. Let me take care of you. Give up your late nights. I wanna take you out on the weekends and you’ll need to be available for events. You can stay at the store if you want but quit the bar, you don’t need it.”

You took a deep sigh. He did say he wanted you to be comfortable quitting one of your jobs; it's just making the change that scares you. But something about Steve felt safe so you nodded and looked up to him.

“I’ll put in my two weeks”

“Good girl” he patted your knee and you involuntarily clenched your thighs. He smirked at that but let it go.

____

A few months had come and gone since that night and your time with Steve had been great. Only working the one job gave you so much more free time. You'd spent a good chunk of it just trying to form a normal sleep schedule but all the time you spent with Steve made it difficult. Not that you minded especially since your allowance was monthly but he’d showered you with gifts here and there.

They started off small, perfume, chocolates and flowers, or a simple pair of white gold hoops that reminded him of you. They gradually became pricier and more elaborate. You’d felt guilty accepting it all at first but he was insistent you deserve the best. He had even mentioned you moving out maybe finding a better place but you reminded him you needed to go slow.

He’d also been nothing short of a gentleman. Out in public at least, you’d learned the hard way that he was an absolute animal in bed. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep your hands off of him.

Something you had appreciated about Steve is that he never made you feel bad or less than for being broke. Never held his money over your head like leverage. You’d felt equal to him in all aspects, understanding you had just as much say as he did.

Still, there was a small nagging voice in the back of your head that reminded you Steve is not your boyfriend. This isn't a relationship and he's looking to get something out of just like you are. But if you were being honest you were catching feelings, it was hard not to when the man was giving you the fantasy. You decided to push that voice aside whenever it came up and let yourself be swept away. Maybe that would bite you in the ass but for now you were happy.

____

You were buzzed into Steve’s building and on the elevator ride up to his penthouse your phone buzzed. ‘I have to make a quick call- I’ve got a present waiting for you in the living room.’ You couldn’t help but feel giddy.

The doors opened and Steve was nowhere in sight but as you entered the living room a bag from Chanel and the Apple Store sat on the table. Oh god, what this time? I swear this man is too much.

You opened the smaller bag from Chanel first and found a beautiful black and white evening bag. It was sleek and simple, very much to your tastes. You were nervous to open the Apple bag, Steve always went overboard. Shakily removing the paper you pulled out the slim case in disbelief. A MacBook Air and a pair of AirPod Pros. The man well and truly spoiled you.

“You said you didn’t have a computer.” His voice came from behind you and startled you.

“Steve, this is too much. You’re too much.” You swung your arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Nothin’s too much for you, doll.” He kissed the top of your head.

“Think you could take a couple days off of work? I just got off the phone and confirmed plans for my house in Nice.”

A trip? France?? Oh my god. How is this my life? You felt so overwhelmed that you grabbed Steve by the collar and brought his face down to meet you in a kiss. His tongue swiped your lips and you granted him entrance. Moaning into his mouth your hands traveled up into his hair, pulling softly and coaxing a groan out of him.

He guided you to sit on the couch and brought you down into his lap. You ground down onto him and felt his hard-on through his slacks. Your hand moved slowly to undo the buttons of his shirt as he kissed down your jaw towards your neck. You sighed softly when he found your sweet spot and started sucking.

He helped you take off his shirt while you got started on his belt and undid his pants. He lifted himself off the couch slightly to move them down to his knees, taking his briefs with them. His cock stood proud and an angry red, leaking at the tip.

“I wanna ride you, I can’t wait.” You pouted as you writhed against him in need.

Steve tutted at you “that’s no way to get what you want. Ask me nicely, baby. Beg to ride my cock,”

You ground down even harder and whined. “Please, sir, please let me ride your cock. I need to feel you, I can’t wait any longer please.”

“Good Girl” Steve's hands flipped up your skirt and found your panties, ripping them to shreds. They were La Perla and had cost a pretty penny but he didn’t care.

He lined himself up and brought you down harshly gripping your hips. You moaned loudly in surprise and satisfaction and wasted no time moving back and forth. Steve made you feel so close and connected to him whenever he fucked you but he still made you feel sordid and dirty. You couldn’t get enough of the feeling, you’d gladly chase it.

His eyes were hooded as watched you chase your own pleasure and giving him some in return. His hands kneaded your ass and smacked it just to get a gasp out of you. He grabbed the back of your head and brought you in for a searing kiss that was all teeth and tongue. He’d nip at you and lick the pain away.

His hips met yours, finding your rhythm and speeding you both up when he gripped your hips.

“Can’t wait to have me, you had to fuck me on the couch huh?” Steve panted, “my dirty girl. So fuckin’ gorgeous.”

You put your forehead against his and went harder, pushing your clit to grind against the muscles of his abs.

“Only yours, sir.” Your orgasm was building. Steve was a pretty relaxed dom but you still needed permission.

“Sir, please let me cum I can’t wait any longer” you tried your best to slow your movements a bit.

“I think you can hold it baby, I wanna enjoy you a little longer”.

You could only whine in response and tried to slow your pace but his grip on your hips and his own movements pushed you further and further towards the edge. You tried to squirm out of his grasp but his hands only tightened. It felt like forever until Steve finally gave you permission.

“Go on baby, cum for me you earned it. Fuck your self on my cock and cum all over me”

Your movements were frantic, desperate to chase your orgasm when finally the perfect angle of his cock inside you and your clit against him set you free. You cried out above him and dug your nails in deep.

Steve held you firmly in place and started slamming into you from below, finally letting himself think about cumming. All you could do was hold on for mercy. Moments later he brought you down onto him one final slam as he came inside of you with a cry.

The only sound in the room was both of you trying to catch your breath. You sighed again and collapsed against him, nuzzling your face into his neck. He kissed the side of your face and let you make yourself at home while he caressed your back.

____

One shower and two more orgasms later you were both clean and made your way to the kitchen. Steve was gathering the ingredients for dinner when you hugged him from behind. Your head resting against his back. Steve twisted around and hugged you in full. You both stayed like that for a moment until you looked up at him.

You were so content. Moments like this where you were just domestic were some of the best between you. It wasn’t about money or material, it was just the two of you making dinner and enjoying each other, no barriers.

“Are you really going to take me to France?” Your voice came out muffled against his chest.

“Of course, doll. After dinner I want you to use your new laptop to buy some outfits for the trip. I left my card in your new purse.”

You lifted onto your tiptoes and kissed his nose.

“You really do think of everything, don’t you?”

“What can I say? I’m a planner” he retorted.

You didn’t know it yet but Steve was going to ask you to become official while you were there. He wasn’t worried in the slightest. In fact he’d never been so sure about something in his life.

[quicksilverownsmysoul]

Coffee of the Week

Summary: So watched Mare of Easttown and it’s so good! And Evan peters character is so cute I just had to write something for him!! So in the second episode he said that he gets coffee every morning so I was thinking like what if he goes to the same shop everyday, cause the reader works there and he has a crush on her! But he’s too shy to admit it, but she makes the first move and he’s like a mess

Word Count: 2343

Easttown was a very small knit community, everyone knew everyone, there wasn’t a face you couldn’t recognize. So it created quite the talk when everyone heard that a new detective from out of town was coming down. You worked at the local coffee shop, there were a few others, chain stores, but most people in town preferred the comfort of your locally owned one. You had heard all about this new detective from the high school girls that came in after school. They gushed about how good looking he was, and how charming he was, even some of the older women that came in seemed to be infatuated with him.

You had yet to meet him but he was still on your mind as you drove to your shop. There wasn’t much drama in Easttown so of course a handsome detective piqued your interest. You hadn’t even turned on the lights when you saw someone standing outside the shop peering in. You gave him a curious gaze, he gave you a wide smile, waving at you.

You made your way over to the door and unlocked it, peeking your head out. It was dark out so you couldn’t really make out his features. “Sorry we don’t open until 7.”

“Aw, I was hoping to get a quick coffee before work. I heard this was the best shop in town.” You chucked at his comment.

“Okay come in, I’ll make you one real quick.”

“Really?” He asked excitedly.

“Yeah come in.” You opened the door wider and he stepped through. You made your way back over to the counter and flipped on the lights. “What do you want?”

He looked over your menu, scanning each of the drinks briefly. He glanced over at the chalk board that had coffee of the week scribbled at the top. He nodded his head towards it. “What’s the deal of the week?”

“Nothing yet, I usually come up with something around now but I had a little interruption this morning.” You joked, side eyeing him.

“Sorry.”

“I’m just messing with you.” He smiled at your words. “So what do you wanna drink this morning?” You asked again.

“Surprise me.” You laughed and rolled your eyes. You got to work and made small talk with him in between. “Haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Yeah I’m new, I came down to help Mare out with a case.”

You looked at him over your shoulder giving him a sly smirk. “Ohhh so you’re the devilishly handsome detective everyone’s been gossiping about.”

He blushed at your words, rubbing the nape of his neck in embarrassment. “Well I wouldn’t say that.”

“Oh I would.” You teased as you finished up his drink. “You’re the talk of the town. All the women are raving about you.” You popped the lid on his drink and made your way back over to the counter. You looked him over from head to toe. He was very cute, in his long blue coat, and his perfectly combed hair. “And now that I’ve finally met you I can say that I agree with them.”

He turned into a blushing mess at your words. “I-I well, thank you.” He stuttered out. You handed him his coffee, your fingers brushing against his. He took it with a gracious smile and set down his drink to take out his wallet. “What do I owe you?”

“It’s on the house.”

“No really I-“

“It’s in the house, don’t try and fight me on it you’ll never win.” You said leaning back on the counter arms crossed. He laughed, face crinkling up, dimples showing, you felt yourself turn a little red at the sight.

“Thanks.” He said making his way to the door, he looked at you, silently asking your name.

“I’m (y/n), (y/n (y/l/n).”

“Thank you (y/n).” He said gesturing towards the cup.

“I hope to see you around detective...”

“Colin, Colin Zabel.” He said, mimicking your introduction. You waved at him as he exited your shop. You suddenly had an idea for the coffee of the week. 

The next day Colin was back at exactly the same time. Right when you got to work, before you even turned the lights on, and before you even opened. He watched as you moved around the shop before coming over to unlock the door for him. He smiled at you and you returned it. He looked around the shop while you finished setting up.

It was cute, very old fashioned, it had that hometown feel like everything did in Easttown. There were these watercolor paintings hanging on the walls, of flowers and landscapes. He wondered if you were the one who had painted them. He glanced back at the chalkboard and noticed there was a special written down today. It read Coffee of the Week, The Colin Zabel. He felt his face heat up at reading the name. He cleared his throat and leaned forward on the counter. “You named the coffee of the week after me?”

“Yeah.” You admitted with a soft laugh. “It’s the best selling one so far. All the women and girls that have come in have bought it and absolutely love the way it tastes.”  He blushed even more at your words. But he didn’t read into what you were saying, he figured you named it after him because the coffee you had made for him was so good. It was a regular coffee, with two sugars, a splash of milk, a hazelnut creamer and a load of whip cream. You had even stirred in some honey.

While he was lost in thought you had finished up his drink and placed it in front of him. “Here you go, one Colin Zabel on the house. And a scone!” 

“I can’t-” He tried protesting again. 

“Yes you can.” You smiled warmly at him. “The drink you inspired has been bringing in tons of business lately.” 

Colin took out his wallet anyway and placed a $20 bill into your tip jar. You went to fish it out and hand it back to him but he placed his hand over yours, stopping you. “Please take it.” He shyly smiled at you, gently removing his hand from your own. You sighed and nodded your head. His face broke out in a smile. “See you tomorrow!” 

“I’m guessing you mean before I open?” He just winked at you and left. 

For the rest of the day he was grinning ear to ear. When Mare came in she narrowed her eyes at his cheery demeanor. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” 

“Nothing.” Colin said, trying his best to replace his smile with a serious face. Mare gestured to the coffee that was sitting on the corner of his desk along with his half eaten scone. 

“Is that for me?”

“What?” 

“You said you get coffee every morning and said you’d bring me one today.” Mare said as she dropped the stack of papers she was holding onto her desk. 

Colin grimaced, he had totally forgotten he had promised Mare a coffee today. ‘No sorry, I forgot.” 

Mare sighed. “It’s okay, you can just bring me one tomorrow.”

“Or we can go now.”  

“You already have a coffee, why would we go now?” 

“Cause I said I’d get you one.” He said while smiling, hoping Mare wouldn't see his hidden motive of wanting to see you again. Mare just watched him with narrowed eyes trying to figure out what he was after. “Come on.” Colin grabbed his coat that was hanging on the back chair and picked up the keys, jingling them. “I’ll drive.” 

*******************************************************

“You seem way too eager to be here.” Mare said suspiciously as they parked outside your coffee shop. Colin got out holding the door of your shop open for Mare. She just looked at him. 

“That’s okay I’ll go in first.”

‘You do that.” Mare followed Colin into the shop. It was busy, a stark contrast to the empty place Colin was used to when he came in every morning. You were standing at the counter making orders as your employees shouted them out to you. You finished a couple and called out the names of the people who ordered them, You gave them a sweet smile and looked up to see Mare. 

“Hey Lady Hawk!” She just rolled her eyes, but the small smile on her lips showed that she wasn’t annoyed with you. You made your way around the counter and over to her. “What an honor it is to have you in my humble establishment.”

“Oh shut up.” You laughed at her response. “I always come here.”

You scoffed at her blatant lie. “You never come here. You always make your own coffee.” You raised an eyebrow at her, “So why are you here?”

“He made me come.” Mare said, jutting her thumb back towards Colin. He had been awkwardly standing to the side watching you guys talk. 

“Hey.”

“Hey Colin. What brings you back here?’

“Back here?” Mare said, turning to look at him. “You’ve already been here today?”

“Well yeah.” He admitted, eyes darting between your curious ones and Mare’s judgmental ones. “But I promised you a coffee.” He finished quickly with a smile. 

Mare looked between you two, noticing the way that Colin nervously fiddled with the car keys. “Oh okay I get it.” She said, head slightly nodding. “I’m going to go wait in the car. I’ll take a coffee with two creams and no sugar.” 

“You got it Mare.” He tossed her the keys, she caught them and was half way out the door when she stopped. She turned back to face him. 

“Colin.” 

“Hm?” 

“Just ask her out already.” 

You felt your face heat up, but it was nothing compared to Colin. His whole face was flushed red, as he tried to dismiss Mare’s comment. “I- she, um.” He let out a nervous laugh. “She’s just messing with me. A little joke between colleagues.” 

“Ah okay.” You said with a little giggle. “Good to know. I’ll get Mare’s coffee, do you want anything?” 

“Actually yeah I was actually wondering if you -'' You looked at him with wide eyes, he felt his heart beating out of his chest. At the last second he abandoned ship and decided against asking you out. “If I can get the special of the week. But only if I can pay for it.” You just nodded and got to work making their coffees, in no time they were done. You passed them to him and he gratefully took them.  The entire time he was internally kicking himself.

“So I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, unless you plan on coming back again today?”

Colin let out an airy laugh. “Nope. Just the two times today for me.” He said in an embarrassed voice. 

“Gotcha.” 

Colin made his way back to the car and gestured for Mare to unlock the door, he handed her her coffee as he slid back into the driver's seat. ”Why do you have two coffees?” He didn’t answer as he put his seatbelt on. “Did you seriously buy another coffee? You didn't even finish the first one.” 

He sighed, “I know.” 

 “So,” She paused, taking a sip of her coffee. “Did you ask her out?”

“No. I didn’t” He said resting his head down on the steering wheel. “I just panicked and ordered another coffee.” Mare snickered at him. She picked up his coffee cup examining it. 

“Well it looks like they took the first step for you.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“She wrote her number on the cup.” Colin yanked the cup form Mare, sure enough there was your phone number scribbled in sharpie on the side of his cup. His face split in a wide smile. Mare watched him glance back at your number and his phone the entire ride back to the station, as if willing it to ring, even though you didn't even have his number. 

It had been an hour or so since they had gotten back to the station. Mare looked at Colin over the top of her report. “You should call them.” 

“I will.” 

“Oh yeah, like you said you were going to ask them out.” Mare snorted from her desk. 

“I never said I was going to ask them out, you said I should.” Mare just shrugged. 

Colin spent the rest of the work day just staring at your number and going to pick up his phone before deciding against it and looking through more of his work papers. By the end of the day Mare had had enough. She pushed her chair over to his and yanked his phone off his desk. 

“What are you doing?”

“Shhh!” She hushed him and she quickly dialed a number and pressed the phone to her ear, waiting for the ringing to stop. “Hey (Y/n). His eyes widened, he tried to get his phone back from Mare, but she just pushed off his desk and wheeled back to her desk. “Yeah, yeah I’m calling from Colin’s phone.” He quickly stood up and made his way over to her desk, she kept pushing him off as he continued to reach for the phone. “He would like to know if you would like to go out with him this weekend. Mhmmm, hm, sounds good.” Mare covered the phone. “She said yes, you can pick her up at eight Friday night.” 

“Give me that!” 

You did your best to hide your laughter, you could hear them quietly arguing over the phone in hushed whispers. “Hello?” You finally heard Colin’s voice, you figured he had won the phone back from Mare. 

“Hey. So are we on for Friday at eight?”

“Of course.”

“Okay then, see you soon Detective.” 

“Okay bye!” Colin hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, smiling up at the ceiling. Mare glanced over at him, hiding her own small smile. 

“You’re welcome.” He just glared at her and she let out a laugh at his expense.

[hiddlestonsbabygirl]

Care For Me (Steve Rogers au) SugarDaddy!Steve

•prologue•

An alternative universe where Steve isn’t an Avenger, but rather a CEO of one of the biggest companies in the US. His best friend and business partner Bucky secretly made him an account in an online dating site for sugar daddies and sugar babies, setting Steve up on a date with the only suitable sugar baby he thought was best for his best friend among the million others in his inbox.

It’s you. You’re the sugar baby.

Or,

Where reader is a med student who is badly in need of financial support and resorted to desperate measures by signing up to an online dating site with a little help from reader’s best friend, Nat.

•••

You ran up the staircase, not bothering to apologize as you bumped into strangers along the way. Your heart hammered against your chest as sweat outlined your forehead, thoughts running through your mind as you wondered what could have happened to your apartment. You just got a call from your good neighbor Mrs. Sally that the landlord stormed into your hallway followed by two men in white muttering angry words as he unlocked your door with his duplicate key. You knew instantly why he was there. You were getting kicked out of your own apartment since you weren’t able to pay for your rent in six months. The landlord had warned you beforehand to pay sooner, but it was getting harder and harder each day. You were already broke, all your savings spent on your medical school. You didn’t want to stop your studies—you were already on your third year and ever since you graduated college your goal was straight; finish med school, pass the licensure exams and become a doctor. You couldn’t even last a week on your countless part-time jobs because of your coming in late due to knee-deep work you have to face every single day in school.

Your financial status was making it hard for you to finish your goal. Very hard.

You reached your floor, and, as expected, all your things were outside your door in boxes. Your heart sank as you stared at the mess, your clothes and books thrown aggressively into the containers as if they meant nothing but pieces of trash.

You rushed inside and your landlord was standing by your small kitchen, barking orders at his two men, without even noticing that you entered.

“Please, sir,” you cried as you neared him. “Please give me one more chance. I’ll pay by the end of the month, I promise!”

He scowled at you. “I’ve given you too many chances, (Y/N). You’re too much.”

He turned his back at you and proceeded to march into your bedroom, calling out one of his men to follow him inside.

“No!” You yelled angrily this time. You couldn’t believe him. You may haven’t paid your debt owed to this man but that didn’t give him the right to intrude into your privacy.

You ran past them and stood in front of them before they could get any closer to the door, your cheeks flushed and eyes filled with angry tears.

“You can’t just walk into someone’s bedroom and take everything away!” You cried. “I can pack up myself! I don’t need your filthy hands on my belongings!”

Your landlord looked furious. “Then throw your damn things out of my apartment in the next hour or I’ll fucking rip this room apart by myself!”

You flinched at the loudness and anger of his voice before he turned around and left without another word, his men following close behind. Once you heard the main door slam shut you bawled your eyes out, sinking to the floor as you struggled to think of places where you could find refuge without having to pay. All you had in your wallet was a 20-dollar bill, and you didn’t have any extra cash in your bank account. You considered searching for very cheap rooms in the vicinity without having to ride because riding meant paying. But you couldn’t walk on the streets while struggling to hold boxes of your things. They were even too many for only two small hands.

You sobbed. At this point you felt so hopeless already. You almost convinced yourself that you were going to throw your unnecessary things away and sleep on the streets, while asking for spare change. You’d have to give up your med school since you couldn’t shoulder all the expenses anymore and just look for a job where it pays just enough for food and shelter. You didn’t have a family anymore to back you up. Your addictive mother left you for a stranger, and your father’s been gone even before you were born. You didn’t have any siblings, nor uncles or aunts or extended family members where you could go to for help. You had no one. It was only you.

You wiped away your tears, swallowing your pride as you took out your old, worn-out phone from your pocket and dialed your best friend’s number.

Natasha.

She’s been your best friend since high school, and you both shared the same passion in life. You both wanted to become a doctor. You both have so much in common, and you both agree to almost everything. You’ve been there for each other through the ups and downs, and Natasha has helped you through your own struggles financially. But asking for this big favor from her was just too much for you. You didn’t want to add a burden to your best friend—med school is already hard enough as it is.

But you were already desperate. You didn’t have any more options. This was the only one.

“Hello?”

You felt a sudden wave of relief hearing a voice so soothing in the midst of the chaos. “Nat, hi.”

“(Y/N), have you been crying? What happened??”

You hiccuped. “I-I’m fine, Nat. C-Could you come over? I k-kind of need your help.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

As promised, a knock came from your door and you stood up to open it, revealing a worried Natasha standing over your disarrayed valuables.

You couldn’t help yourself. Fresh tears welled up in your eyes as she pulled you in for a tight hug and you sobbed into her shoulder.

“We’ll pack up your things and go to my house. You’re staying there for as long as you like. My home is always open for you, (Y/N). And you know that.”

...

“So? How did it go with Katherine?” Bucky spoke up as he stabbed his medium-rare meat with his fork, clearly playing with his food rather than eating it. It was lunch break and Bucky and Steve were in their usual go-to for lunch, Redbird.

“Despite the fact that we called it a night early? It was okay.” Steve replied with a scoff, bringing a spoonful of rice to his mouth and watched as Bucky gave his best friend a deadpanned look.

“And you were the one who ended things early, not her, right?”

Steve nodded. He was slowly getting tired of Bucky setting him up with several women, whom he doesn’t even take interest in. He always has the need to pair Steve with someone because “you always look so bleak and somber,” as Bucky would put it.

“Buck, I really appreciate you doing these stuff for me, being my wingman and all, but I really don’t feel like dating right now.”

“Oh, yeah?” He retorted. “Then why do you always look so depressed? You can’t fucking tell me your wealth and fame is making you distressed. That’s some absurd bullshit right there.”

“Language.” Steve glared at him. He always hated when people cussed. For him it was indecent and dirty.

Except, of course, cussing in bed. He can only tolerate profanity under the sheets. But not often, though. That would be too much to listen to.

“Seriously??”

“And yes, James. Wealth and fame does not automatically make you happy and unproblematic. Do you know how many rich and famous people died because they took their own life? Because they hide their problems. The only image the public sees is the happy and successful façade they show.”

Silence. Steve was almost convinced he had won over their little argument.

“That shit deep, man.” Bucky only chuckled to which his best friend exhaled an exasperated sigh. Steve couldn’t even bother to point out that Bucky said a bad language word again.

“But you’ve got friends. Your family loves and supports you, you make time for sports and leisure...what could possibly make you so sad??”

Steve breathed out. “I told you, I’m not depressed, I’m not sad. I just don’t feel like dating as of the moment.”

“Will you feel like dating again tomorrow?”

“Haha, very funny.”

Bucky only stared at his best friend as he took a sip of his drink, studying him with confusion and amusement. Very formal man, always has a steely look on his face, very dominant demeanor, couldn’t even stand hearing curse words! What could his best friend possibly like in a woman?? Were his calculations wrong? Did he expect differently? Was he looking at it in a wrong angle?

Is Steve gay??

“Barnes, quit staring at me like that. You’re making me uncomfortable.” Steve brought him back to his senses.

And then it hit him.

“Hey, Steve, I think I need to go.” Bucky announced as he stood up and gathered his phone and wallet lying around on the table.

“Oh? Why the sudden hurry?” The blond-haired man asked as his eyes watched his best friend suddenly look distracted.

“It’s nothing. I just forgot to feed my pet dragon.” He then proceeded to pace towards the exit, leaving Steve confused and asked himself how he was acquainted with a weird and funny man like James Buchanan Barnes.

Little did Steve know that his best friend was up to a very stupid but brilliant idea. He knew he was going to get in trouble if Steve found out about it, but it was worth a shot. And his plan involved an online dating site and younger girls.

........................... ........................... ...........................

A/N: New series! Yay!!! Tags are also open, just hit me up! Next part coming soon ❤️

[petersasteria]

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧? - 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

Pairing: Manservant!Haz Osterfield x CEO!Single mom!Reader

HO Masterlist || Ultimate Masterlist || Inspired by the Disney request from a while back

DISCLAIMER: *This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either products or the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.*

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After being unsuccessful in getting acting jobs, Harrison looks for a job to pay his bills. You’re a spoiled rich kid who abruptly becomes the CEO of your family’s company after your parents decided to retire early.

Special thanks to @fancyxholland​​ for the banner 🤍

2,323 words

“Haz, what’re you doing?” Tom, Harrison’s best friend asked him. Tom Holland has been best friends with Harrison since they were 15. Both of them were aspiring actors, but they’re both struggling to get the parts that they want. Eventually, Harrison decided to find a real job. Thus, looking through the ad section on the newspaper.

“I’m looking for a job.” He shrugged. It wasn’t a big deal, really. He just wants to help his mum in paying the bills and since his acting career is dormant, he figured it’d be best to pursue something realistic and something quick.

Tom looked at him dumbfounded. He was in shock. Tom never thought Harrison, his best mate, would actually look for a job. “Um.. why? You have an audition to prepare for.” Tom pointed out.

“So?” Harrison said, not looking up from the newspaper.

“So?” Tom mocked and rolled his eyes. “It means you have no time to look for a job. You have to run your lines, memorize them, and internalize. Maybe get into character like a method actor or something, I don’t know! So, you can’t look for a job.”

“Joke’s on you because I just found one!” Harrison smiled and took off the cap of the marker with his teeth. He encircled the ad for working at a restobar as a waiter. He covered the marker again and put it on the table. He stood up from his seat and quickly went to his room to prepare his resume.

Tom quickly followed him and asked, “Aren’t you going to tell me what job you’re planning to apply for?”

“A waiter.” Harrison said simply as he typed away on his laptop.

Tom raised his eyebrows and nodded, “Okay. Well, good luck.”

“You should find a job too, Tom. We’re 20 for fuck’s sake. We’ve been auditioning for roles since we were 15 and nothing seems to be happening. Let’s just get a job, mate.” Harrison sighed in defeat. 

“Fine.” Tom said, crossing his arms. “But let me just get through this audition I have tomorrow and then I’ll look for a job straight after that. I’m starting to go broke anyway and I’ll honestly panic if butterflies come out of my wallet instead of money.”

“Same.” Harrison laughed.

-

Harrison got the job. The restobar was desperate for people, so Harrison convinced Tom to apply there too and Tom got in as well. Now, they’re both working there.

The restobar was always busy and the customers tipped generously. It was great for Harrison and Tom. The restobar was more packed in the evening and during the day, families would have lunch there. The food was delicious and the staff is very accommodating. The restobar only had two floors and at the back, was the outdoor area where people could eat and have a cigarette. It was also there that jamming sessions would happen every night. It was awesome.

It’s late in the afternoon and Harrison was wiping a table clean after clearing the dishes. Tom was currently sitting on the bar stool at the bar counter while watching the news. At this hour, the restobar was low on customers and that gave the whole staff time to relax a bit.

Tom rubbed the drowsiness from his eyes and blinked when he saw the news about you; Y/N Y/L/N. Tom read the headline and his eyes widened. He turned to Charles, the bartender, and said, “Hey mate, could you turn it up a bit? Thank you.”

Charles turned up the volume a little causing all of the staff to pay attention to the news. Harrison, who just finished cleaning the table, was carrying the plastic box they put the plates in when he joined in to watch the news. He stood next to where Tom was sitting as the reporter rambled about you being the newest CEO of Y/L/N Inc.

Tom snorted, “Was it just last week that Y/N was found blackout drunk somewhere?”

“Yeah.” Charles laughed. “One of my mates told me that they saw her smoking weed once.”

Harrison looked at the two of them and shook his head, “That’s not very CEO-like, innit?”

“Sounds like a spoiled rich kid to me.” Jessica, the hostess, said. “If you Google her name, you’ll find endless articles about her lavish vacations and she’s profligate.”

“What does profligate even mean?” Tom asked as he turned to Jessica.

“It means she’s extravagant; she spends her money a lot on useless things.” Chazia explained and Tom nodded, satisfied with the answer.

“She’s filthy rich, though. She recently bought a small house in the Hamptons as a birthday gift for herself.” Elouise chimed in as she scrolled through her phone after Googling Y/N.

“These rich people will never learn, I swear. They think stuff is just handed to them because they’re rich. They’re all the same.” Hritz shook her head in annoyance.

“She’d never marry a poor bloke that’s for sure.” Luke said with a chuckle. “What a shame, though. She’s hot.”

“True.” Charles nodded in agreement.

“I mean, we shouldn’t judge her. What Elouise is seeing on Google right now are assumptions and one side of the story which means everything the tabloids say about her are just the side of the people who make those articles. We don’t know her story. For all we know, she doesn’t want to be a CEO. And while I agree that she’s spoiled, we should keep in mind that she was born into a rich family and she had no choice to be born into that family. With that being said, we should just let her be.” Harrison said before going to the kitchen to drop off the box of dirty plates.

“What’s up with him?” Charles asked Tom.

Tom shrugged and got out of the bar stool to check on Harrison. Tom entered the kitchen just as Harrison was about to go back out in the main area.

“Are you okay?” Tom asked and Harrison nodded. “Then what was all that rant about? Are you secretly Y/N?” He joked causing Harrison to break into a smile and chuckle.

“Nah. If I were Y/N, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Harrison said. “I’m okay, though. I really am. It’s just that I feel kind of bad for her, y’know? Everyone’s always watching her every move and judging her for it. She’s young too; she’s our age! She’s 20 and she’s a CEO already. I personally think that the reason why she’s being so reckless and extravagant is because she knew about her fate. She knew that she’ll be a CEO and that’s why she’s already living her life to the extreme. Because she knows that when she’s a CEO already, she won’t have time for anything else, not even herself.”

“I guess you’re right.” Tom trailed off.

“Of course I am. When was I ever wrong?” Harrison asked.

“When you dated Lea Berry. You were wrong about her.” Tom laughed and Harrison rolled his eyes at the mention of his ex.

“Yeah, fuck off.” Harrison shook his head and left the kitchen as Tom followed while laughing his ass off.

-

Being born into a rich family was definitely a blessing. You were an only child and growing up, you got everything you wanted. As you grew, you realized that it was rather lonely living in a mansion. Your only best friend was your personal maid, Angela and she was as old as your mum. Angela played with you everyday and she took care of you. While your parents loved you very much, they were never really around often. You were like Richie Rich basically. Maybe that’s why you loved that movie so much.

Your education was very… fancy. You studied at an international school for your whole life and you decided that you didn’t want to go to university because you didn’t know what you wanted to do. Your parents supported your decision and because of that, they’ve decided to retire early and leave the company to you. Now, you’re the youngest CEO.

In terms of your love life, you only had flings. Relationships weren’t your thing. In fact, your relationship with your first boyfriend only lasted for two months. After that, you had endless flings here and there. You also do one night stands because it was easy. You kept safe, though. Protection is always important.

Your friends were really nice people. They weren’t snobs and you adored that about them. You loved the fact that you were associated with people like them. They would give to charities often and they would do outreach programs in third world countries. Sometimes, you’d tag along if your parents aren’t dragging you to a boring fancy event.

You and your friends would go to different countries just to get drunk and forget about your rich kid lives. All of you loved running away from what society expected of you. Like every normal person, you loved letting loose. That’s why it pisses you off when people call you out for going out a lot because you’re a normal person like them.

“Y/N, darling, I hope you’re ready to take over.” Your mum told you. She was excited for you to replace your father in the business. She’s been waiting for it ever since you were born. Your father was kind of bittersweet because he wasn’t ready to step down yet, but at the same time he knew he had to let go at some point.

“Just promise me you’ll take care of the business.” You dad smiled sadly. You eagerly nodded and said, “I won’t let you down, dad. I’ll do my best.”

“I trust you, sweetheart.” Your dad hugged you and kissed the top of your head. He pulled away and you bid your parents goodbye. You looked around your dad’s old office as you watched your maids pick up box after box of your dad’s stuff. One maid grabbed the picture frame on your dad’s desk and you were able to catch a glimpse of the photo. It was a family picture.

“You can leave that here.” You told the maid and she put back the photo before packing up the last box and leaving you all alone.

You took a deep breath and sat down on your dad’s chair. You exhaled through your mouth and grabbed the picture frame. It was an old photo of you and your parents. You could remember that day like it was yesterday.

You and your parents were in New York for your dad’s business trip. You were only seven years old and it was your first time abroad. Of course, you didn’t want to stay in the office at all. You wanted to explore. So, you and your mum walked around the city and you arrived at Central Park.

Your mum bought you a hotdog and for some reason that made you really happy. About thirty minutes later, your dad joined both of you. All three of you played tag and somehow your dad ended up giving you a piggyback ride whilst your mum stood beside your dad, throwing her head back in laughter.

A college student who was studying photography was nearby and captured the moment. They approached the three of you and instead of getting angry for taking your picture without permission, your dad bought it from them. Now, that picture stays in his office.

It’s been years and your dad didn’t have the heart to replace the wholesome family picture. To him, he’ll always remember you as his little girl who loved adventure and meeting new people.

You rummaged through the drawers and saw an unopened envelope that had your name on it. You brows furrowed in confusion as you grabbed and opened it.

To my little girl,

The time has come for you to replace me and I can’t believe that time came early. I have to remind myself that you’re not little anymore, but I know you’re still the same girl I raised and darling, I raised you right. Your mother and I raised you right.

I won’t lie… this job is hard and tiring, but I know you’ll be able to push through. You’re strong and smart and tough. I trust that you’ll make the right decisions and I’m confident that our company is in good hands. One day there’ll come a time when you’ll step down and pass it on to your child and I’ll be gone by then. Just know that when the time comes, you did an excellent job.

My father wasn’t there for me when I needed him because he passed on and I had no one because my mother was busy taking care of my younger siblings. What I’m trying to say is that I’m here for you whenever you need me. Call me anytime.

Love, dad

Your heart warmed at your dad’s letter as you put it on top of your desk. You shook off your nerves, got up from your seat and walked out of your office. You stood outside your office and watched the staff as they did their job. You cleared your throat and said, “Excuse me? May I have your attention please?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at you. You gave them a nervous smile and said, “Hi everyone! As you may know, my father has decided to retire early. I’m his daughter, Y/N, and I will be replacing him. I’m not like my father and I know all of you loved him, but I’ll do my best and hopefully, we can all get along.”

Everyone just stared at you until one person spoke up, “You have some big shoes to fill in, sweetheart. Big shoes.”

You nodded and coughed awkwardly, “Alright, back to work people.”

This was going to be harder than you thought.

* * * *

After I post this, I’m removing everyone on my taglist and I’m making a new one. It’s 2021 and I gotta renew that shit. New year, new taglist.

𝐇𝐀𝐙 𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @abrielleholland​ @silencetheslaves​ @imeanlifesabitshit​ @joyleenl​ @hjoficrecs​ @blueleatherbag​ @poguesholland​ @harryismysunflower​ @lonikje​ @lizzyosterfield​ @turtoix​ @badreputationlove​ @starlight-starks​ @swiftmind​ @sovereignparker​ @pearce14 @justanamesstuff​ @chewymoustachio​ @cocoamoonmalfoy​ @hotforharrison​ @euphorichxlland​ @givebuckyhisplumsnow​

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓:  @justasmisunderstoodasloki​ @allyz​ @miraclesoflove​ @god-knows-what-am-i-doing​ @drie-the-derp @hollands-weasley @itstaskeen​ @call-me-baby-gir1​ @the-panwitch​ @iamaunicorn4704​ @geminiparkers​ @holland-styles​ @calltothewild​ @herbatkazmiloscia @whatthefuckimbisexual​ @theonly1outof-a-billion​ @piscesparker​ @unsaidholland​ @musicalkeys​ @lost-in-the-stars03​ @hufflepuffprincess24​ @hollanddolanfangirl​ @parkerpeter24​ @bellelittleoff​ @agentnataliahofferson​ @aqiise @lexirv​ @blairscott​ @pearly-pisces​ @u-rrose​ @speedymaximoff​ @theliterarymess​ @beequeen8020  @justafangirlduh​ @sarcasticallywitty15​

[flying-nightwing]

Sparks Must Fly to Start a Fire (2/2)

Hellooooo again people. This is the second part as promised! It concludes the small serie, for a grand total of 12.5k words, which is higher than my average if I’m honest 😂 I had so much fun writing this, thanks anon! I hope it was up to your expectations! Enjoy part 2 xx

Masterlist in bio // pinned

Pairing: Jason Todd x reader

Word count: 7106

Warnings: violence, language, a bit of trauma

Day 9

“... There is no development in the case, all search parties came up with nothing. The GCPD now believes the disappearance of the young woman has a direct link to the major leak of incriminating documents that were shared to the DA’s office. The investigation, conducted by commissioner Gordon, might sound the fall of an empire of organized crime in Gotham if it goes through trial…”

“I was supposed to marry Vitto, today” You spoke up with mild boredom over yet another news story about you. You hadn’t realized time had flown this fast ever since you betrayed your family.

“Oh, oh wow” Jason hadn’t expected that. “Why would anyone do that?”

In the last days you had gotten into a semi-comfortable routine. The bickering was still very much present, but the snark had considerably deescalated. You had now tasted every snack he told you regular people ate, even those energy drinks he seemed to like to consume during long drives. You had even taken a cautious liking to the canned soups, which remained the only thing you knew how to make on a stove. Still, you didn’t escape Jason’s mockery everytime you didn’t know how to do something “simple”. You didn’t think you’d ever escape it, no matter what.

“It’s not like I had a choice” You said as a matter of fact, leaning back on the headrest of the car. “Women in my world are either trophies or mothers, depending on whether or not they’re still in their prime”

“Let me guess, you were to be Vitto’s trophy?”

“Bingo” 

“How old is he, like 50?” He snorted.

“46” You corrected. “Not that it makes any difference”

Jason gagged. “Guess you dodged a serious bullet there”

“God, marrying that manwhore plagued my nightmares for weeks” You chuckled, looking up at the roof of the car. “Hope he rots in jail once this is over”

“Arranged marriage, uh?” He said, sending you a quick uncomfortable glance. Something akin to remorse flashed very briefly across his face, but it was gone as soon as it came. You only nodded. “Sorry about that”

“Don’t be” You brushed off. “That was essentially their downfall in the end. Half of the reasons why I leaked the documents was to prove to my family I am not a chew toy to throw to the dogs. A power grab was out of the question, especially after one of my distant cousins, Alaina, tried and got gunned down. I thought if I was to get killed, I’d go down trying to be better”

Your words were followed by silence, and you realized you had said too much. You didn’t want or need his pity. You cleared your throat and looked away. Soon enough, Jason pulled into a shady looking motel and stopped the car. You glanced in disgust at the overall state of the motel, thinking about how it was definitely the worst one you had stayed in so far, even if you hadn’t stepped foot in yet. The vacancy sign was flashing against the sunset in the distance, and it gave you serious serial killer vibes. 

You grabbed your travel bag from the backseat and followed Jason in. The neons inside were barely functioning, casting a harsh glow on the lobby, if anyone could call it a lobby. The man behind the counter looked up at the sound of the little bell above the door and stood up slowly, showing off the grease stains on his yellowed wife-beater. He gave the impression of being just as crooked as his motel, especially with the creepy grin he gave the both of you, but especially to you. Jason walked up to the counter, unbothered by the general mood of the place.

“Good evening” The clerk greeted with a smoke clouded voice, glancing in between you two. “For an hour or two?”

You grimaced while Jason blinked slowly. Then, he smiled one of his smiles that looked normal, but hid something dangerous when you looked close. You had found yourself on the other end of those more times than not ever since he became your unofficial bodyguard. “Got anything for the night?”

The clerk laughed while you wanted to hit him. Hit them both, actually. 

“I like your style, kid” He wrote something on his clipboard before turning around and grabbing a key from the wall. “That’ll be 60”

Jason took out three 20$ bills from his wallet and handed them in exchange for the keys. Jason however leaned further on the counter. “How thick are the walls in there?”

“You sly dog” He chortled, and Jason joined. “Don’t worry, if your girl ain’t much of a screamer nobody will know what you be doing. Here, take that, if you want some more fun”

“Perfect” His lips curled up as he accepted the flyer handed to him. You caught a glimpse of the bright green paper, announcing some kind of escort service. “Thanks”

“Aight kid, room 141. Have fun”

You forced yourself to ignore the lusty eyes he sent your way and snatched the keys from Jason’s hand, hurrying to the room. “What was that?” You hissed under your breath.

“You’re in a place full of suspicious people” He hissed back. “You gotta act suspicious with them or they’ll single you out” 

“Did you really have to make it seem like I was a prostitute?” You said as you unlocked the door and pushed it open. You stepped in and let him in, before locking again the door behind him.

“There’s nothing wrong with being…” He trailed off as he halted his steps. His frame blocked the sight of the room for you, so you didn’t know what he was talking about. Was it dirty? Were there rodents? “Oh you must be fucking kidding me”

You finally peeked around him, to see only one bed rather than the two queens he usually asked. He had forgotten this time to ask, and the clerk had naturally insinuated you’d want to be together. How could he have not?

“At least it’s a King bed this time” You sniggered. “More space”

“I’m gonna get it changed” He turned around to go back to the reception desk.

“Wasn’t it you who said not to act suspicious?” You raised a challenging eyebrow. “If you go back there and ask for two beds, won’t that ruin all that acting you did over there?”

He spun around once again, facing you with narrowed eyes. He obviously didn’t like you using his logic against him. “Right.” He then side stepped you and went straight to the windows. He closed the blinds and proceeded to check the walls for… Whatever. He looked strange doing it. 

“And right now you’re…” You trailed off, trying to find why he was all but caressing the dirty walls. 

“Checking for cameras” He finished, looking inside a lamp. “Those motels sometimes have hidden cameras and the owners resell the tapes on porn sites”

“Oh god” You reacted, horrified. And he had the audacity to paint you off as a criminal, when those kinds of people existed. You thought you would be sick. He paused, sending you what you thought was a concerned glance--but it couldn’t be--before he returned to his examination.

“That’s why I’m making sure there’s none here” He mumbled.

You nodded, then carefully made your way to the bed. Despite the overwhelming scent of cigarettes latched onto the fabric, the sheet seemed relatively clean, at least for the general quality of the establishment. You dropped your bag in front of the dresser beside you and sat on the edge of the bed as Jason finished his inspection.

“All clear” He announced before taking out his gun from his belt and putting it on the nightstand. “You should rest, we won’t stay here too long. Also, if you can avoid the shower, I’d recommend you wait until we are somewhere else”

“I hate it here” 

“Yeah well, our disastrous stop to Target has kind of tied our hands, princess” He shrugged, like it was your fault you had been found. “So we gotta settle for even less if you don’t want a redo”

“Will you ever stop calling me that?” You glared at him.

“What, princess?” He asked rhetorically, then paused and pretended to think. “No, no I don’t think so”

“You’re insufferable” You scoffed, climbing up further on the bed.

“I wouldn’t get under the covers either” He warned as you were about to pull back the comforter, totally ignoring your comment on his general attitude. “I doubt they’re washing them real good”

You shuddered in disgust as you instead opted for bringing your knees to your chest, hoping the room wouldn’t get too cold during the night.

Day 10

You didn’t if it was your state still clouded by sleep, or the shock that made you see the scene happen in slow motion. 

Jason was waking up, sitting in the bed at a reasonable distance from you as your eyes cracked open. Still, you saw the sequence clearly. His back tensed and his head snapped to the window, then his eyes widened. He reacted in a fraction of second, grabbing his gun on the fly and diving on your side. You had barely the time to register his body colliding with yours that the first machine gun went off. You hit the ground hard, but you didn’t feel anything in the spike of adrenaline and paralyzing fear that surged through you. You could only close your eyes as bullets rained over you, and yet you weren’t even touched by the wood and cotton flying everywhere as his body caged yours in protection. His string of curse was audible above the commotion, which let you know he wasn’t gravely wounded yet. Yet. 

There was a pause in the shooting, but your eyes were still ringing so loud you didn’t hear him call your name at first. You opened your eyes, disoriented.

“Hey, hey stay with me” He hurried his words, glancing over his shoulders. “Roll under the bed, don’t come out until I come and get you, and if they try to get you, hit them with anything you find, aim for the head”

You could only nod as he helped you get under the bed, and for one you couldn’t even be bothered to notice how filthy it was under there. You were terrified for you, but also for Jason who would face those people with a handgun only. You just hoped his skills hadn’t been exaggerated, or else it would be bad news for everyone. 

There was chatter in between the gun fires, but you couldn’t decipher the voices. You counted there were at least six different tones of shout. However, judging by the familiar smugness of the exchange, you could have sworn it was Jason mocking them and not the other way around. It made you wonder exactly what kind of security he had done if he was taking the time to be smug in a one against five fight. Still, you were glad to have him on your side rather than against you.

“Hey”

You jumped and screamed at the sudden face appearing to your left, but let out a breath of relief when you saw it was Jason. He helped you out from under the bed, his glance shifty in between the door and windows. The room was a mess, he was covered in blood you doubted was his, and he was still on guards.

“So, we need to leave now” He said, already picking up his bag and yours. You noticed a second gun now strapped on his thigh and various new weapons in a utility belt. Where he got that was a mystery, but you didn’t question it. He gently pressed you along the bodies dropped at the threshold of the room and in the hallway until you reached the reception desk. You counted seven bodies. The same creepy clerk was cowering behind his desk, a darker stain on the crotch of his pants. Jason gave him an overall look and sighed, shaking his head. Still, he paused in front of him and dropped the bags.

“You son of a bitch” He chuckled lowly, menacingly. “You sold us out, didn’t you?”

He whined in response, confirming Jason’s suspicion.

“How much did you cash on the tip? 3k? 4k?” He taunted further, tsking in disapproval. “Can’t trust anyone these days”

“Please, I needed the money--”

Jason shot two bullets in his head. “Don’t care”

He turned on his heels and grabbed the bags again, bringing you along as gently as he could. You went outside, but he gestured for you to wait at a good distance from the car. He went over and inspected it, taking two devices off from two different places. Bombs, you figured. He threw the first one through the windows of the reception, then the other, he shot while in the air. An explosion went off, shaking your stance on the ground as the motel’s central area went up in flames. 

“Oops, gas leak” He said blandly. “Come on, let’s get out of here”

You climbed in the passenger seat, clutching your now all dusted up bag for support. You needed to hold onto something while you came to terms with the repeated attempts on your life in the last fifteen minutes. Jason drove off, leaving the smoking building off to burn. 

“Sorry you had to see that back in the lobby” He spoke when you were far enough.

“It’s fine” You shook your head. “He deserved it”

He blinked, a tiny bit stunned. “Hey are you okay?”

“Should I not be?” It came out weaker than intended. “I’m way in over my head with this”

“No, no, you did the right thing” He tried to reassure you, or that’s what you thought he was trying to do. Either way, it went right over your mental downward spiralling.

“I should have stayed in my lane” You kept mumbling, flexing your fingers on your bag. “I’d still be doing my thing, away from literal murder attempts in crappy motel rooms”

“Hey hey hey” He lifted a hand up. “May I remind you that you’d be married to Vitto fucking Maroni right now if you didn’t go rogue? That thought alone should give you relief”

You let out an uncontrolled laugh. What has your life become?

“Truth is I don’t know what I’m doing” You admitted, your voice cracking. “All I’ve achieved it to piss everyone off”

“Yeah you did piss everyone off, but so do I on a daily basis” He replied, making your frown in confusion. “Sometimes pissing everyone else is the only way to get things going, y’know?”

You blinked a couple of times. “I literally don’t”

He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it immediately. He then took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. “All I’m saying is, doing the right thing is an ugly job. It’s hard and messy and fucks with you, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try and do it anyway. I know this is all new for you, and this is a rather harsh welcome party, but you gotta fight through it”

You nodded, casting your eyes on him at last. His skin was reddened by the drying blood on his face and hair, and his clothes were dirty and torn. Amidst the cooling blood, you noticed a steady flow of brighter red coming off a hole in the sleeve of his t-shirt, widening the already big stain around it. 

“You’re bleeding”

He looked down at his side, unfazed. “Oh right, a bullet got me on the initial wave”

“We need to get it out and close the wound” Your eyes found his for a brief second, before his glance returned to the road.

“It can wait” He downplayed it, probably by a force of habit. 

“It looks like it’s bleeding a lot” You insisted.

“I’ll be fine--”

“It’s my fault you’re hurt” You interrupted him. You felt like you had at least to do something for him, especially since he just saved your life twice. Besides, you needed to focus on something else than what had just gone down. “Let me help”

He took a deep breath, then gave a little nod. He pulled over at the next gas station and parked the car, then went to his trunk, picking his first aid kit while you went to ask for the bathroom key. You joined him at the car and went to find the bathroom in the back of the building, locking the door behind you for privacy. You stood beside him as he rummaged through it, handing you a pair of pliers and disinfecting gauzes. You waited for him to take off his jacket, laying your supplies on the counter, then carefully rolled the sleeve of his t-shirt. You grabbed a clean gauze to stop the bleeding, gently pressing on the wound.

“Have you done this before?”

You didn’t see his question come, but you answered nonetheless. “Yes, a few times” You said. “On my older brothers. That’s something we learn, just in case we are the ones to patch up our husbands”

“Is this really how you were treated?” He asked, his voice surprisingly soft compared to what you had gotten so far. “Like a service wife in training?”

“Pretty much” You nodded with a weak scoff. You carefully checked the wound, and the bleeding had almost stopped. You grabbed the alcohol gauze and tore the pack open. “There isn’t much choice but to obey”

He didn’t even flinch when you cleaned the wound. “When I pulled the gun on you the first day we met, you said it wasn’t the first time somebody did that to you” He began, recalling the events from ten days ago. “What happened the other times?”

You put the bloodied gauzes aside and grabbed the pliers, disinfecting them with a smaller alcohol wipe before going for the bullet. “Would you believe me if I said something along the lines of wildly opposing my union to the Maroni family?” 

His lips curled up slightly, but his teeth were clenched as you tried to grab the bullet well lodged in his flesh. You managed to get a good grip on it and slowly pulled it out. You immediately covered the wound again with clean gauze and dropped the bullet in the trash pile. 

“Bullet’s intact, you should be fine” You said, holding the gauze with one hand and searching for a needle and a stitching thread with the other. 

“How old were you when it happened?” 

You paused, staring at his arm. How old were you back then, when your father announced you’d be part of a two-way deal with the Maroni family? Not very old, that was for sure. You pulled the gauze away and sanitized the needle, then passed the thread in the loop. “17, I think”

“You were just a child” It came out more like a statement than a question. You shrugged before beginning the stitches. He still wasn’t flinching as the needle came in and out of his skin,making it easier for you to do a clean job. You finally tied the thread and cut it with the scissors he handed you. 

“I’m sorry I pulled you into this mess” You apologized as you wrapped the wound with yet some other clean gauze and bandaged it. “I… I didn’t plan this through at all. I felt the doors close on me and I acted without even thinking of the real consequences. I thought I would be strong enough to go with it, turns out I’m not”

You had been all bark and no bite, you could see that now. You came in strong, acting like nothing could get to you, like the threat was just an imaginary bound to keep you in place. You made a bold move to cross it, and now you could clearly see how dangerous the waters you were threading in actually were. It wasn’t child’s play anymore, it was real, and you caved under the pressure on your first real trial.  

He turned around as he pulled his sleeve down, facing you. He was in your space, but it didn’t feel like all the other times. His presence wasn’t threatening. “You don't have to apologize” There was something genuine in his eyes. “And to pull off what you did needs strength, even if you don’t realize it yet. Your reaction to almost being killed doesn’t change that fact”

“It certainly doesn’t feel that way”

“Trust me, princess” His little teasing smile returned. “Someone who can hold her own against me like you did is not weak”

“I was just mean” You blinked in surprise, letting out a small chuckle. “I think that’s different”

“See, still arguing” His smile widened. You had known him for ten days, but you had gotten used to him being a certain way. This light and sincere attitude he had now was, to say the least, unusual for you. When he wasn’t constantly sneering, you noticed his features better. His blue eyes carried a kind spark, the type you found in a natural caretaker. The harsh angles of his jaw and cheekbones shaped a handsome face, decorated by little silver scars blending with his freckles. He was like a fallen angel shining through a broken halo, dangerous and protective, but only if you took the time to look past the burned wings. The unflattering white light of the bathroom made him look worn out, but it didn’t change anything to the raw beauty of his face. His bloody knuckles came in soft contact with your cheek, like a feather gliding on a cloud in the sky. His eyes never left yours, and even if they did, you felt like you’d follow them whichever direction they went. 

He was tall, considerably so. He hovered over you like a safety blanket, your own shield from the dangers stalking you outside the door. At that moment, you had trouble understanding how his proximity had once filled you with so much unease you felt like hiding away, because all you could feel now was an all consuming calm. There was however a pulse that was alive, one that was begging you to get closer. He seemed to have felt it too; his movement was slow, letting you more than enough time to back off. As his lips slowly got closer to yours, you know you didn’t want to move away. You filled the distance separating you from him and met him there in a gentle kiss to test the water first. 

It didn’t take long for you to lose control. All the emotion of the last days that had bottled up were let to run wild in between you two like an electric current, surrendering your every sense to him. Your hands went to the back of his neck for support, because god knew you needed it. His arms sneaked behind your back as he pushed further into you, quickening the pace of the kiss and clouding your mind. Tongues battled in a war that was already won, knowing in one way or another he’d be the victor. You could feel all the tension, all the frustration, all the anger and all the guilt coming in strong before burning like dry wood in a bonfire. Were there any versions of this that didn’t end where you were? It seemed impossible. 

You didn’t want to open your eyes just yet when he pulled away, reluctant to even let go. He captured your lips in a couple of kisses before fully letting you catch your breath.

“Well” His voice was barely over a whisper over the panting. “That might be one way to settle an argument”

“Then I might pick more arguments” Your lips lifted in a small grin.

“And I might not object to that” His eyes were bright with amusement. “Besides, I might have gotten around to like that smart mouth of yours”

“Oh, have you now?”

“Might” He corrected.

“Sure” For the first time in what felt like forever, you actually smiled. You slowly retracted your arms from his neck, letting him stand straight again. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here and put as much distance as we can from this motel” He said, but it lacked the patronizing tone it once contained. It was even like he didn’t actually want to leave just yet, but had to, or both of your safety. You shared the sentiment.

You packed the first aid kit and burned the bloody gauzes in the sink, then killed the fire and returned the key to the counter. You drove away shortly after, confident things might just be alright this time.

Day 16

You had circled back to the first place you had stayed in, the little cabin so far in the woods you were almost sure nobody would find you, or at least not yet. 

Jason had told you he had installed security devices on the dirt road to make sure he was aware of anybody driving up, as well as the traps he had set in the woods. Once again, it reinforced your idea that his job experience might not have been a traditional one. You frankly didn’t mind, as you were in no position to judge a potential criminal past. Besides, you believed anything he did couldn’t be worse than what your family or the Maronis did on a daily basis. 

You had woken up when the sun was already high in the sky, and to your surprise Jason had still been there, on his back and staring at the ceiling. When you had turned around on your side, he had mimicked you to come face to face with you, not talking at all. His wound on his arm had stopped bleeding during the night, for which you were thankful for. It eased your guilt to see it was healing well. You had stayed there for what seemed like hours, but it was comfortable. 

“I meant to ask,” He began, his voice soft and husky from the morning. “Why did you go to Bruce with the leak?”

You blinked slowly, tilting your head slightly to the side. “Well, I couldn’t go to the police, it was out of the question. I couldn’t trust any of them to pursuit this case”

“But what made you trust Bruce in particular?”

“I… I like to listen when people talk. Before, it gave me the impression I was part of the family business and not just an accessory, and that way I got to hear bits and parts of the discussions conducted behind closed doors” You began. “More times than not I would hear how Wayne Enterprises projects got in the way of their plans, and how Bruce Wayne would always do something to undermine them legally. So after I stole the intel, there was really one way I was certain would yield results, one person I was certain would have all the interests in the world to see this trial happen”

“That’s…” He trailed off, an impressed expression on his face. “That’s surprisingly smart”

“Surprisingly?” You raised an eyebrow.

“For someone who had no idea how to use a can opener, that is” 

You slapped his chest as he let out a laugh; he was so proud of his joke. “Hey, I learned!”

“I know, I know” He chuckled, reaching his hand and brushing a rogue hair strand away from your face. You had noticed as the days passed that he seemed to favor the little touches and the unspoken rather than obvious and obnoxious displays. You knew he was more of the quiet type when he wasn’t arguing with you, always working in his corner and doing his stuff. It hadn’t really changed ever since the gas station moment, but this time he would steal little glances, brush his hand against yours when he’d change gears in the car, or make sure he took out a bowl for you as well when you made your canned soup. “You adapted better than I thought you would, considering the entire lifestyle change you had to go through in the last two weeks”

“I didn’t have much choice, did I?” You grinned. 

“Nope, not at all, princess” He pushed himself on his elbows and leaned down to kiss you. You smiled onto his lips, welcoming the slow movements of him against you. However, you gently pushed him back after a moment, knowing if he had it his way, you’d stay there for hours. 

“Jason” You said his name when he was visibly trying to distract you again with butterfly kisses on your jaw, only pausing to give you wide, innocent eyes. Insufferable. “I have to go take a shower”

“I’ll come with” He shrugged.

“What?”

“Yeah” He nodded. “Listen. You hired me to protect you, so that’s what I’m going to do”

“From what?” You laughed at his serious tone.

“Water’s cold”

“So NOW you want to protect me from the cold water?” You raised an eyebrow. “That surely wasn’t the discourse you held two weeks ago”

“People change, princess” He sighed exaggeratedly before getting up and walking to your side of the bed. “Come on, you said it yourself, you’ve got a shower to take”

You rolled your eyes, but nonetheless accepted the hand he held out for you. You went to the bathroom and undressed, then managed to get into the relatively small shower, your back to Jason. He was so tall he actually shielded you from the water from the showerhead when he turned the shower on, getting all the burning cold on his back instead. 

“See?” He chuckled. “No cold water”

“But how will I wash myself if the water doesn’t get to me?” You asked, looking at him over your shoulder. He stared blankly at you, like he didn’t think of that.

“Let me worry about it” He dismissed, making you laugh. 

“Alright, alright”

He began slowly rubbing your skin with his wet hands, spreading water indirectly. His fingertips were still cold, but you knew for a fact it was slightly better than the direct flow from the tap. Goosebumps erupted all over your arms and back, both from the sudden change of temperature and his touch. You closed your eyes, enjoying the contrast in between the water and his still warm chest. He wet your hair, combing it with his hands, before he put the shampoo in and made it lather. Immediately, you recognized the smell.

“Is this your shampoo?” You asked, your eyes opening.

“Mhh”

“I thought you didn’t like when people used your stuff” 

“Technically, I’m using it”

“Still!” You replied. “You practically threatened me last time I dared wear your shampoo”

“Truth is” He leaned in, his lips almost pressed against your ear. “It kinda drove me hog fucking wild to have you prancing around smelling like me”

Your eyes widened and the back of your neck heated enough for you to warm the water dripping down your back. You gulped, unable to answer that as it came as a shock for you that you have had another effect on him aside from pissing him off. He chuckled at your lack of comeback, his hot breath fanning your jaw. He slowly rinsed the soap out of your hair, then began washing your skin. His hands massaged your muscles as they went, making you sigh in contentment. At this point, you had backed so much into him you were just as much subject to the direct contact of the water as him, but you didn’t care. 

He trailed small kisses from behind your ears down to your shoulder before pausing there, as if he was hesitant. He lifted his head slightly, and you could see his stare right on you from your peripheral vision. 

“I need to tell you something”

You were surprised by the sudden seriousness of his words, but you tilted your head to show him you were listening.

“I’m the Red Hood”

You blinked slowly, registering his words. Well, that certainly explained things. You even wondered how you didn’t see it sooner, but now that he mentioned it, it had been rather obvious. “... Congratulations?”

You could feel he wasn’t expecting this reaction. “That’s… That’s all?” He stuttered. “You’re okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” You turned your head to look at him properly. “You saved my life so many times, I am not about to complain how you did it”

“But I did a lot of bad too,” He argued. “Some things that might change your opinion”

“You’re seriously asking me, who comes from a crime family, if I’m okay with you doing crimes?” You deadpanned. His face changed, as if he was reevaluating his entire argument.

“When you put it like this…” He trailed off, nodding. You could however see the relief in his eyes at your acceptance of his double identity. Especially with the kind of job he was doing here with you, you could only imagine how blurred the line in between the two personas must have been at times. 

“Why did you tell me?” It was a gentle question, full of wonder as to what pushed him to reveal to you such an important, personal detail about himself. Your hand sneaked up and covered his still on your forearm.

“I thought you should know” He muttered back, his voice barely rising over the noise of the water hitting the shower’s floor. “You never asked what I did before, or how I took care of seven hired guns at the motel. I wasn’t sure if you just avoided it, or…”

“Don’t worry” You interrupted him softly. “Moral compasses are no issues with me”

His lips reached yours under a freezing rain, your bodies numb to anything but each other.

Day 25

A few days ago Jason received a call from Bruce.

The arrests had been made and the trial date had been set. As you had predicted, they tried to keep the relative information about it under wraps so you wouldn’t be aware it was happening. But fortunately, with Bruce’s quiet oversight of the process, he had managed to relay the details on time. You hadn’t been very far from Gotham when the news dropped, but you were still thankful for the heads up. It had given you time to plan your safe return into the boundaries of the city, staying hidden in another one of Jason’s safehouses until the day came for you to be a witness in the trial.

It was now in progress, it had just started some minutes ago. You were staying in an adjacent room that was guarded by people under Bruce’s paycheck, with Jason laying on a couch behind you, looking at his phone while you were getting ready. You were thankful that you had brought a second designer outfit with you, because you weren’t sure your gray t-shirt from Target with the oversized men’s pants you inherited on your first day with Jason would have looked very professional or credible. You did your makeup carefully with the basic products you had, then took a look at yourself in the mirror. You smothered the creases in your blouse and made sure the belt wasn’t twisted in the loops of your slacks, and sighed. 

Jason stood up from the couch and walked to you, stopping behind you and sneaking an arm around your waist. He snuggled his nose in the crook of your neck and placed a small kiss there. “Am I an asshole for thinking you look better in a 30 bucks outfit?”

You laughed despite your nervous state. He was trying to distract you and you welcomed it. “Not more than usual, no”

He gasped at your rebuttal, but you could see the amusement in his eyes. “Is that what you really think of me?” He asked. “I’m hurt”

“Aw, come here” You pouted, turning your chin over your shoulder. You raised your arm to rest your hand on his cheek and gently pulled him down into a kiss. Your eyes fluttered close when his lips met yours, letting your relish in his comforting presence. You felt your heartbeat slow down as you sighed against his lips, wishing to remain there with him for another hour or so. Alas, the moment was broken shortly after when the door opened. 

“They will soon be--oh” 

You pulled back from the kiss, but Jason didn’t move away at the sound of Bruce’s voice behind you. You could feel he was annoyed at his adoptive father ruining the mood, but at least he wasn’t pissed like you had seen he could be on day one. That in itself was a relief. 

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No, not at all” Jason replied in a clearly sarcastic tone. You stifled back a laugh at the grimace he was doing to mock Bruce. “Perfect timing as usual”

Bruce didn’t answer that. He only closed the door behind him and headed for the desk, leaning back on it. Jason followed his movements in the mirror like a hawk. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you aren’t at each other’s throat anymore” He began, a cryptic smile on his lips. “But I hadn’t expected… Whatever this is”

It was Jason’s turn to sigh as he reluctantly parted away from you. He didn’t go far, however. He stayed by your side like another threat on your life could pop up at any moment. “Shocker”

“As I was saying” Bruce reprised, ignoring Jason’s side comment. “They will call you to the stand soon. I just wanted to check up on you and see if you had any questions or concerns before you go out”

“How solid is the case built?” You asked.

“It should hold” He nodded. “From what I’ve seen, it’s solid in front of a jury. Your testimony will have to be conclusive if we want to catch some Maroni members in the lot, but I’m confident you’ll be stellar”

You gave him a small smile. You knew your father would be there, glaring at you like you were the devil itself, but you repeated to yourself you could go through this. There was no way he would be as intimidating as Jason in the first few days, and you came out on the other side unscathered. He couldn’t hurt you anymore, and soon he would reap what he sowed. 

“How secure will the witness booth be?” It was Jason who spoke this time, his eyes straight on Bruce like he was challenging him to give an answer that wouldn’t be good enough.

“The two guards in front of this room will accompany her in the courtroom” Bruce replied calmly. “There will also be one more guarding the door, and I supposed you won’t be far as well”

He only hummed in answer, but he seemed satisfied with this plan. Bruce checked his watch and stood up, hands in his pocket. 

“It’s time” 

You nodded, exhaling a shaky breath. You exited the room with Jason at your side and the guards behind you. You walked down a few hallways before you stopped in front of the witness booth door. You forced yourself to take deep breaths and visualize the end result. You could do this, you could do this.

“Keep your head high, stay confident” Jason muttered in your ear as the door opened in front of you. “You got this, princess”

With his last words of encouragement, you were brought into the courtroom.

Day 101

“... The sentence of the twelve convicted has dropped this morning on the order of judge Monroe, a little less than three months after the devastating trial that landed a blow on organized crime in Gotham. The twelve men will each serve a sentence ranging from twenty to forty years in a maximum security facility, on counts of attempted murders, first degree homicide, money laundering, drug trafficking and tax fraud. Amongst the convicted is Vitto Maroni, a notable figure in Gotham’s public life…”

You jumped when a loud pop dragged your attention away from the TV. 

Jason was standing there with a proud grin, pouring foaming sparkling grape juice in two champagne flutes. You laughed as he handed you one, plopping next to you on the couch and clinking his glass on yours.

“Cheers to a victory,” He declared. “that wouldn’t have been possible without you”

“Don’t flatter me too much, give yourself some credit” You matched his grin. “You’re at least 20% responsible for this”

“Ah yes, my 20% contribution” He nodded thoughtfully. “Eighteen percent bullets shot, two percent bullets received I recall”

You laughed with him, drinking the fizzy beverage. He lifted his arm, and you crawled under it to snuggle on his side, careful not to spill anything. It had become a habit for you to end up one way or another in his arms, even after the trial ended. He had offered you to move in with him shortly after, when you had tried to give him the ten thousand dollars you had promised him after the trial. Not only had he refused to even look at it, but he gave you back the 5k you had already given him beforehand. He had insisted for you to keep it and invest in whatever you wanted to turn your life around like you wished. 

He had been excited for you when you announced you would enroll in law school, saying your argumentative side would definitely come handy as an attorney.

“I’m proud of you” 

You looked up at him to see a fond glint in his eyes, one that made your heart melt. For all of his rough edges, he was certainly very soft inside. All he wanted was for you to be safe and happy, and you couldn’t ask for someone better to start your new life with. You snuggled further into him as he kissed the top of your head and tightened his arm around you.

“Thank you for being there for me” You mumbled through his clothes. “It means a lot”

“I couldn’t walk away from you even if I wanted to, princess” He smiled against your hair. “You are so stuck with me”

“Good thing I’m not going anywhere, then”

You changed the channel to a movie and spent the rest of the night cuddling on the couch, you wearing his t-shirt and shampoo and him holding you like a treasure. 

[eerythingisshaka]

Wish Granted Pt. 2

[Yahya Abdul Mateen II x Black OC]

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N:  I decided to make this a series and instead of reader, it is an original character. Strap in!

( Read Part 1 here)

That morning, Yahya and Corrine bask in the glow of the new morning sun, sharing a table by the front window enjoying eggs benedict, toast, with a stack of pancakes to share.  Corrine dipped some of her bacon into the leftover egg and sauce along her plate, chasing it with the remaining orange juice in her glass.  She goes to grab for more from the pitcher when Yahya’s hand surrounds hers.

“I have a flight tonight at 6,”  he says.

Corrine nods slowly.  “Ok.”

He looks sorry as he continues, “It got changed last minute.”

“Sure...can I ...pour my juice now?” Corrine asks, making Yahya awkwardly rest his hands on the table to allow you access to the pitcher.

“And with traffic, I should probably start getting ready to go now.”

Corrine sips her drink, wiping her mouth gingerly with the cloth napkin and sets it down.  “I gave you back that ring, right?”

Yahya nods.  “And your scarf is in your room at the hotel.”

“It’s not mine but...thanks.”  Corrine says quietly.  She pushes her fork around in the remnants of her plate, squeaking every so often against the porcelain.

Yahya leans forward.  “I still want to stay in contact.  Just because I live out of town doesn’t mean we can’t not see each other, you know?”

Corrine smiles with wide eyes like he just said something offensive.  “If that’s what you think, that is fine.  But honestly how would that work?  I couldn’t keep a guy to get a proposal and I spent at least half of my 20s hanging with him.  Don’t you think this is a bit much?”

Yahya sits back, looking out the window for distraction.

“I mean I am fine with a one night stand.  Thank you for being what I needed at the time, it was definitely a night I will never forget but let’s not make this weird.”

Yahya sighs, looking around for presumably the waitress and pulls out his wallet.  “I can’t believe you’re flipping like this.”

“It’s not a flip, just...this happens.  Like, come on Yahya, we don’t know each other.  Can you seriously say you want to try and make this a long term thing base don our track records?”

Yahya puts some bills on the table.  “I thought you hadn’t done this before?”

Corrine shrugs.  “Ok, truthfully, not since college had I done this before.  Before...him,” she says with a cringe.

Yahya folds his arms across his chest looking at her with amazement.  “So you really used me?  I am your rebound and now you’re backing out?  Or is it because I am not conveniently at your beck and call now that you’re scared to try something new?”

Corrine scoffs.  “I don’t need to explain it, I made it clear.  Long distance will not work.  That’s it!”

“I disagree.  And I want you to see that I am right and you’re wrong.”

“Yahya…”

“Corrine….”  Yahya says, biting his lip playfully.

Corrine rolls her eyes, pulling out her purse to rifle through it.  Not able to find a piece of paper, she takes an unused napkin and scribbles on the front with her dying pen.

“Look, I will give you my number.  Do with it what you want, I’m not holding you to it though,”

She hands it to a confused look Yahya.  “I could just give you my phone to put it in?”

“I’m old school.  Plus, watch you accidentally use it and mess up the ink or ball it up thinking it’s trash.  I wanna know you can be responsible with an important document such as that napkin with my number on it.”

Yahya looks at it, puts it down and grabs a five off of the stack of bills he had set on the table.

“Let me borrow that pen,”  he asks, scribbling his number across the front of Lincoln’s face.

“Whoa!  What are you doing?”  Corrine asks, leaning to get a glimpse for herself before Yahya gives her the defaced bill.

“And here is my number.  If your theory checks out, it shouldn’t be hard to keep up with or lose, unless you accidentally spend it on some shoes or a new purse, right?”

Corrine glares at him.  “Ha Ha.  Here, let me at least put some money back on this since you probably just took the girl’s tip money for this.”

Yahya waves her off.  “Please, it’s still 20% without it, we good.”

Corrine folds the five up in a side pocket in her bag.  “Then that’s it right?”

Yahya stares through the table, nodding blankly.  When he looks at Corrine he fights a smirk.

“I really had a good time.”

“I did too.”

Yahya and Corrine step out of the restaurant, parting with one last hug as his car arrives to pick him.  Corrine holds him close, smelling the fresh soap from the morning shower he took just a couple hours ago.  His shoulders and back solid under her hands, she imagines if she lifts her feet, he wouldn’t bend or fold even slightly.

His hands spread along her back before sliding slowly around her waist, kissing a spot behind her ear that makes her curl back and chuckle.

“I’ll call you,”  Yahya says inches from Corrine’s face as she nods.  “You gonna call me?”

“When you call me, I will,”  she says, putting her hand to the side of his face, trying to memorize every feature and feeling it gave her.  One last kiss would make her fly in the cab with him, so she backs off, waving goodbye.

A month goes by and Corrine has finally packed up all of James’s things in two boxes.  She sits on the couch staring at them sat next to her front door.  His life with her fit in just two boxes?  They weren’t officially living together yet but he spent so much time with her that it seemed like there would be more things.  Most of it is laundry that needs washing and DVDs he brought over because he refused to buy them on digital again.

Corrine scrolls through her phone absentmindedly as she waits.  A message pops up that makes her jump out of the blue.

Hey, how’s your morning beautiful?

It’s fine for now.  Still waiting on him.

Don’t let him bother you.  Just tell him to the left and leave!

Of course girl.  Why mess with a beyonce blueprint?

Works every time!  Also, don’t forget to meet us for our lunch date after.

Sounds good.

Corrine gets up to check out of her patio door and sees his car park outside.  James strolls across the grass, which instinctively makes her cringe.  She always told him to watch doing that so he doesn’t end up walking in dog shit.  

She waits for his knock patiently, not wanting him to know she saw him already.  Her phone chimes again.

Outside, it reads.

Corrine groans at the rude tone of his one word text.  As she opens the door he’s leaning on the frame in a way that reminds you of one of Danny Zuko’s boys from Grease.  Leather jacket on even though it's 85 degrees out, distressed blue jeans that fit snug around his lean legs with some schmegular all white Adidas.  

“I already packed your stuff,”  she says, walking backwards to point to the left as practiced.  James takes one step in with his hands in his pockets and looks to his right at the boxes.

“I could’ve done that,”  he says in a bored tone, looking back at her as if she is visiting him without notice,

“I asked you every week for the past month to come get it.  You think I’m going to wait for you to poke around here and find every little thing of yours on your own?  I don’t think so.”

His fingers find their way around a curl of hair in his high top fade.  “What’s all this energy about though?  I thought we could be cool about it?”

“Why would I be cool about anything with you  after you left me by myself in the city when we were supposed to be celebrating your promotion, right?  But you recall what happened instead?  After 5 and a half years together?”

“I wanted to talk to you in person-”

“You hadn’t done that either for a month, have you?”

James’ jaw flies open.  “Because the only thing you got to say is about picking up my stuff!  You never asked to talk and you didn’t answer my calls!”

“I shouldn’t have to ask to talk!  I’m not the one that said I can’t do this no more!”

“Are you sure Corrine?  Cuz you never acted interested in shit with what I got to do.  You don’t listen to nothing I got to say.”

Corrine scoffs loudly as James kneels to look through the boxes. 

“I never helped YOU?  I got you into a respectable corporate job that paid BILLS for the first time in you life when your cooking career wasn’t pulling weight like you hoped it would!  Now you can earn some capital so you can open your business steadily and not fall flat on your ass!  I gave you so much more mercy than you ever did for me!”

James sucks his teeth and comes to a standing, towering over Corrine.  “I stood by you while you worked to do this lawyer shit you got goin on.  Long nights studying in the living room, out to the library, hell week after hell week to pass your bar.  I barely got a kiss from you at your celebration party.  You always doin the most!”

Corrine grips her temples, completely taken back.  “I can’t believe you’re saying my ambition is a reason to leave me.  I can’t succeed while you’re down and out or you feel less of a man?  Is that it?”

James picks up his boxes in both arms.  “Shut up.”  He walks out the door heading for the steps.

“No, now I got it!  You want me to just stay quiet and patient while you figure things out but I couldn’t carry our relationship for you!  I needed your support too, whether I am studying for hours on end or you’re taking a month long business trip, only to come back unemployed!”

James was out the door about halfway down when he looks back at her.

“You think I wouldn’t know?  I got you that gig, how would I not check into it?  They said you never showed up.  Why?”

James looked off, sighing deeply like a load was taken off even though he was carrying two very heavy boxes.

“You had to get away for a month?  What were you doing for that long that you didn’t tell me?”

James continued to not look at Corrine.  His mind battling with what to say and what not to say was killing her as she looked for him to speak. 

“I won’t take you back James, I just want a good excuse so I can hate you less.  I thought you were going to marry me when you booked that room for us at that fancy spot.  But you broke my heart so bad.”

James continued to walk down the steps without a word.  Corrine watched him pack his car and turn on the engine to peel out.  

--

“Girl, and that’s what he did?”  Simone exclaimed over her half eaten salad.  Her pressed hair pulled back in a bun already gave her a naturally alert look, but Corrine’s turmoil made it that much more apparent.

Corrine pushed around a meatball in her spaghetti.  “That is all he did.  I have no closure to it.”

Bria pats you back gingerly.  “You’ll be fine and he’ll be fine.  It’s just because the break up is still fresh that y’all couldn’t come to an understanding.”

Corrine sits back and shrugs.  “Maybe?  But that’s a big ass lie he dropped on me.  He was gone for a month.  He could have a whole family in another state for all I know.”

Simone points at Corrine, big brown eyes bucking.  “That’s why I told you he look like Cousin Skeeter if he were a real man.  He is just as goofy too.  Nobody should leave for a MONTH without saying anything.”

Bria nods, adjusting her tortoise shell frames.  “He is not worth a thought but you take all the time you need to get past it.  Just move on.  You gave him chance after chance up until the last moment.  It’s time you got to breathe on your own.”

“And speaking of,”  Simone lowers her voice.  “You hear from our hotel daddy yet?”

“Oh God, don’t bring that up now,”  Corrine whines.

“Simone!”  Bria hisses.  “She hasn’t heard from him yet, and honestly by now, there would be some explaining to do instead of dating.”

Corrine lays her head on the table.  “Why is life so hard?  I can’t have a good time with nobody!”

Simone and Bria offer pats as her tears are absorbed by the tablecloth.

“Hey, you know what?  You do still have his number…”

“Simone, no.  I can’t.”

“But!  Instead of cutesy whats up and stuff, you can tell him off maybe?  Give him the lashing every wrong you’ve received deserves.  It might not be constructive but a quick shot of feel good sounds pretty good, right?”

Corrine sits up, dabbing her eyes and feeling the avalanche of snot coming to her nose.  Her cries put all ugly cries to shame.

“I just...it was...he said...he’d call!”  Corrine squeaks out between sobs.

One month turned into two, and so on until Corrine forgot about that night at the hotel.  Busying herself with work was the best thing she could do in order to keep herself feeling good from day to day.  That and happy hours with her girls who vigorously scoped men out for her as her wingwomen.  

Sometimes when she is turning in for the evening, she picks up the base of her little desk mirror to find the $5 bill under it that Yahya scrawled his number on.  The more she looked at it, she wasn’t sure if it ended in a four or a nine, so it’s probably best she kept from calling in order to not look foolish on someone’s phone.

James and her never got back with each other either.  But Corrine is more ok with that.  She figures whatever skeletons he has are bigger than she can manage and she deserves a break.  But Yahya seemed so good and promising, she couldn’t believe she got bamboozled that hard.  He could’ve left that morning, allowing her to sleep away the future but he gave her hope instead and that got snatched away.

So Corrine filled her days digging into practicing law and running errands and not much in between.  But she was ok.  Without the extra baggage of men in her life she felt as if she might’ve unlocked a new level in life.

---

“As you all know, the construction on the new building is being negotiated with several architects in order to get a broad scope of what design would fit the future of our practice the best for years to come.  Let me remind you all that if it weren’t for your dedication to your work around here that we would not be one of the most sought after and winningest law office in the state.”

Applause fills the conference room for Hogel of Garrett, Hogel & Truman as Corrine takes notes on the meetings main points.  Most of the meetings are supplied with a bullet list of the main topics, but she does not enjoy just sitting and staring or she is liable to daydream.

When the meeting comes to a close, it is close enough to the evening and the weekend that she hopes will allow her to get off early and head straight for bed.  Her feet kill her in the stiff three inch pumps she wears for ten hours straight, and her local Chinese spot was calling her name for some springfield chicken.

When she makes it back to her desk, her heart flips with joy as she sees no new files to review and archive, and since she got ahead of her projects for the week, it seems the weekend has finally begun.

She kicks off her heels to slide into her worn in athletic shoes, feeling her feet melt into the dips that the insole has created to mold to her feet.  Her heart beats in the bottoms of her foot from being released from their patent leather binding which is both uncomfortable and satisfying.  But even if they were chopped off at the shin, these feet would lead her to her car and get her to her home paradise.  

Corrine walks down the hall to the elevators, hearing noises from people as she gets close.  She feels a little anxious, preferring an empty elevator at her departure time but is willing to deal so that the exit is quicker.

As the group of voices rounds a corner leading away from her, she sees a man standing head above the whites that surround him.  A navy blue suit fitting tailored to wide set shoulder funneling down to a slim but sturdy waist, made her knees buckle a moment, causing her to slow her pace forward.  He walks away, laughing one of those polite laughs one gives to company they want to impress.  He hits the elevator button, listening to one of the partners speak until his gaze travels over them and spots her.

She feels her brain black out and her heart fall out of her ass and flight took over in her fight or flight response.  

“Corinne!”  he calls after her, but she pays him no attention rounding the corner.  Stairs would have to work, no matter how much her feet her from the day, anything would do over having to see him make up whatever excuse he had to not call her.  And what the hell is he doing at her job?  Is he a lawyer?  Is he looking for counsel?  What if he is a fraud that manipulates women and sues them for some old timey bullshit laws like alienation of affection.

She thanked God that coincidence didn’t find him in the parking garage as Corrine finally made it home but settled on some leftovers she had in the fridge instead of her beloved Chinese food.  At this point she still hadn’t calmed down from earlier.  What if he is at the Chinese place?  Where the hell does he live anyway?  To be in the same area as her work, he couldn’t be far.  She couldn’t remember where he said he was from, if they even covered that much information but she was not going to entertain his presence, he is a ghost to her.  

In her bedroom she takes the five and slips it in her purse to make sure she spends the bill, like it's the reason he is back.  She will have to treat him like a ghost.  He won’t know she ever waited for him or thought about him after that night. 

[trashforgubler]

My Cell

Word Count: 1.7k

Summary: Spencer falls in love with the reader, who is the owner of a bookstore

Extra Info: Titled after “My Cell” by the Lumineers, which is one of my favorite songs ever, 11/10 should listen. Also the book I mention in here is one of my all time favs if you’re looking for a recommendation 

Requests: Open

masterpost

Spencer had a thing for books. At least, that’s what he told himself as he was walking into Bastet Books for the third time this week. Even though this bookstore was on the other side of town, and there were exactly three other book stores that were considerably closer to his apartment. He told himself this bookstore was better, even though the other ones had far greater selections (and lower prices). He told himself that he liked the white cat with one blue eye and one green eye that greeted him at the door every time he came in, and it had nothing to do with you thank you very much. 

 Of course, he had noticed that you were… attractive. But attraction is nothing but science. Anyone would be attracted to someone as beautiful as you were. The way your hands gently cradled the books in your arms as you restocked them on the shelf. The way your eyebrow furrowed slightly as you read, making you look lost in another world. Anyone would notice the smell of lavender and Old Spice as you walked by, excusing yourself with a soft voice and a shy smile, your bright eyes darting theirs as they moved past. This is what Spencer used to explain the butterflies that flew around in his stomach every time he saw you at the cash register. 

He did not have a crush on you, he was just observant.

 And as Spencer walked out of the bookstore with an armful of true crime and a copy of Twilight (in Russian of course, as he doesn’t read fiction in English, but still takes his friend’s recommendations), he realized he was going to have to think of some more reasons why he drives the extra 20 minutes to this bookstore, because the persistent itch in his eyes and nose were telling him he may be allergic to cats. 

 Three days later Spencer was back at the bookstore. The same bookstore that was an inconvenient distance away and had an animal that he was definitely allergic to. He told himself he got allergy medicine because there may be other times where it might come in handy and going into the bookstore was a good way to test it out anyway.

 The bell on the door welcomed him in. As always, he immediately looked to the cash register, secretly hoping to see you. No, I’m not hoping anything Spencer assured himself. Although his own mind contradicted this thought as he found himself disappointed when he laid eyes on not you, but an older man with a scraggly beard behind the counter. Funny, he thought for sure you worked on Thursdays. But he began browsing the shelves anyway because he was certainly here to buy books and that did not change based on who was working.

 He made his way to a section he hasn’t been down before: Historical Fiction. Usually, he preferred to keep historical and fiction books separate from each other, as he found the inaccuracies to be outraging when the two were mixed together. But he had already read all of the historical books in the store by now, and as he found last time, he was not a fan of complete fiction. Even in Russian.

 His long fingers traced the dusty spines on the shelves as he read each title to himself. The quiet music echoing down the empty aisle made him smile slightly, another reason he loved this store. The others were boring and dead silent. Stepping into them felt like walking around a prestigious museum more than a bookstore. Not here. Here, there was the strum of acoustic music that made everything feel alive. Small conversations could be heard from other aisles, and he liked how they stacked the books here. Not just on the shelves, but on top of them, and on coffee tables placed sporadically throughout the room. There were even books on the windowsills, as if the store were so bursting with words and stories they couldn’t be confined to a single space. 

 Spencer picked up a book from the top of the shelf: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It was clearly used; the cover was bent at the corner and the spine was broken in several places. It was even starting to rip at the bottom. These were his favorite books. Ones that were read by so many people it was starting to fall apart but seemed to stay together just for him.

 “That’s a great book.”

 Spencer turned to the voice, but he knew he didn’t need to. He would recognize the softness of the words and the smell of lavender anywhere. You were standing near him, a box of newly shipped books in your arms, ready to shelve. Except the box was marked Contemporary, not Historical Fiction. Maybe it was this minute detail, the one that meant you had walked into the aisle he was in just to see what he was reading that gave him the courage to respond.

 “Yeah, it looks good. I think I’m gonna buy it.”

 He pretended to study the cover again. He wanted to keep talking, he really did, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. 

 “You’re Spencer, right?”

 Spencer looked up again and nodded, trying to keep his face and body language casual, even though he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. 

 “You’re in here a lot, aren’t you?”

 Spencer nodded again. Say something, he scolded himself. 

 “Yeah, I uh, really like to read.”

 He mentally slapped himself. Could he have picked something more stupid to say?

 “I can tell,” you said with a smile. God, you had such a beautiful smile. “I’m Y/N by the way.” You shifted the box of books into one arm and extended your hand to him. He shook it without thinking about all the germs that might be on it. For the first time in years, the thought never crossed his mind. Maybe it was because you were different than other people. Other people were germy and even the thought of touching their hands revolted him enough to spit statistics at them, lectures on how he would rather kiss a stranger on the lips than shake their hand if given the choice. The touch of your hand made him want to melt.

You stood in silence for a few seconds, smiling at each other politely. Spencer began to rock on the balls of his feet slightly, usure of what else to do. He should not be feeling nervous, but he was

 “Well, let me know if you need anything,” you said finally and leave the aisle.

 As soon as you were out of sight, Spencer rubbed furiously at his eyes. What was that? He interviews serial killers for a living but can’t have a coherent conversation with someone he likes? No, I don’t like them, he assured himself. Liking someone means going on dates and doing other things with them, and Spencer does not do that. He ignores the persistent voice in his head telling he would actually very much enjoy doing those things with you.

 A small purring object presses against the bottom of his pant leg, tickling his ankles. He looks down and sees the cat, rubbing his body against him. Spencer bends down and pets the top of his head, absently wondering if you had noticed that his hands had been shaking during the 30-second interaction. He looks back down at the cat and sees that they’re wearing a collar, Bastet it reads. Spencer smiled to himself. There seemed to be something unignorably adorable about naming a bookstore after your cat, and naming your cat after the Egyptian god of cats. Spencer liked the idea that there was someone just as nerdy as him.

 He gave Bastet a quick kiss on the top of the head and left the aisle. He turned right to go to the cash register but stopped when he saw who it was. Scraggly beard guy was gone, and instead, you were chatting with a customer as you bagged their items. Immediately, Spencer’s heartbeat picked up once again, and the butterflies returned to his stomach. Stop. He told himself. I will not let you get nervous over someone you don’t even like. When it was his turn, he put The Secret History on the counter and pulled the bills out of his wallet. 

 “Spencer, long time no see.” you joked. You scanned his book and took the bills from his hand. He would be lying if he said his heart didn’t jump when your soft fingers grazed his.

 Spencer forced himself to return the laugh even though he felt like throwing up. Why did he feel like throwing up? He avoided eye contact by shuffling the bills around his wallet until you returned the book to him. You opened your mouth to say something, but Spencer cut you off with a hasty, “Have a nice day!” before speed walking out of the store. He told himself it was because he didn’t want to hold up the line with another conversation, but he knew deep down if he looked at you for one second longer he would say things that were not rational, and Spencer was always rational. 

---

That night when Spencer tucked himself into bed and opened up the book, his receipt fell out of the first page and onto his chest. Only the receipt had something written on it in neat blue ink. 

 Spencer,

I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll let someone better at words than I am say it instead (I’m a reader and not a writer for a reason). Read the poem "A Stranger" by Lang Leav. It’s one of my favorites and every time I read it, I find myself thinking of you. 

-         Y/N

 But Spencer didn’t have to read the poem, because he’s read it many times before. And every time he did, he found himself thinking of you. He smiled as he finally welcomed the butterflies and racing heart wholly at the thought of your name. And before he drifted off to sleep, he recited the poem in his head, and with every line he thought, a new butterfly appeared.

 There is a love I reminisce,

Like a seed

I've never sown.

 Or lips that I am yet to kiss,

and eyes

not met my own.

 Hands that wrap around my wrists,

and arms

that feel like home.

 I wonder how it is I miss,

these things

I've never known.

 Maybe falling in love, was not so scary after all. 

[yamithediaperdork]

Des checks in but she can’t check out (OC story staring my buddy sparkle)

Des Checks in, but she can't check out

Malcore stared at his sister in a mixture of shock and amusement, as they sat at his place having supper. It was a few days before Des's 18th birthday and since Malcore had to work the night of her birthday, he'd invited her over to his small one bedroom apartment for a few drinks and a birthday dinner. in fact they were on their 3rd glass of rye and coke when Des had told Malcore what it was she wanted for her birthday. shaking his head, he just reached over and took her drink away. "Ok, clearly I was wrong, you can't handle the good stuff and your cut off." he laughed. "malcorrrrre!" Des whined. "I'm not drunk!" "I think you are. Otherwise you wouldn't of asked me to commit you to a mental asylum for a week so you could be treated like a baby." Malcore said, sipping his own drink. "Stop being a butt head about this!I know what I want!" Des whined again and pouted. "And you told me I could have whatever I wanted! and this is what I want!" Malcore rolled his eyes, but let her have her glass back and finished off the last of his steak, thinking. "Ok Des, let's say I do decide to help you with this. first and foremost..you living with mom and dad still. I think their gonna notice you missing for a week." Malcore pointed out. "They actually won a cruise and so their gonna be gone for a whole month. they're gonna trust me to stay by myself at home...so they'll never know." Des said and smiled. "..So your rewarding their trust by...Ok ok..never mind. Secondly, How exactly am i suppose to get you locked up in the loony bin, and treated like a baby? I'm not exactly made of money you know." Malcore pointed out, gesturing to his tiny place. "Ooook sooo I found a place that does more.. temp placements and hold patients while the family gets things ready at home. it's not free but I got the money to cover for it! I've been saving up all year for this." Des said proudly, flashing her toothy grin. "..Ok, who's gonna look after Mom and dad's place while your in the nut house drooling on yourself in a strait jacket?" "A duh, YOU! You job is actually closer to their place AND they have AC and a satellite dish. all the channels you could want and you just have to mow the grass. Plus their fridge is stocked." "..I'll THINK about it, but one's thing for sure Des.." malcore said, smirking and taking a drink. "whats that?" She asked. "Either way you SHOULD be in the nut house. your bonkers." he teased.

two days after Des's birthday, Her and malcore saw they're parents off on their cruise and malcore promised to look after Des and make sure she stayed out of trouble. He still hadn't given her his answer yet but as they walked to their parents car he made her sit in the back seat 'where little babies belonged.' Pulling out of the parking lot she was a little disappointed as they started on the route back to the house. "Sooo uh.. guessing thats a no on my gift..huh?" she asked, sounding a little disappointed. "Des did you really think I'd just drive you up to the nut house and take you in like this and get you put in there for a week?" Malcore asked, looking in the rear view mirror and seeing her pout. "I..I dunno." she huffed. "Think about it Des..if you want them to believe you think your a big baby damage to yourself we have to dress you for the part first." malcore said and smirked. "Then..then you're gonna do it?!" Des squealed, and went to lunge forward to hug him and got caught by her seat belt. "Pffft, DORK! and yeah, but we're gonna have to sell it..so I hope you have some babyish outfits at home..and lots of diapers." "heh, you bet your butt I do!"

Malcore hadn't been sure what to expect when Des pulled out her little suitcase of goodies out from under her bed, but he knew it was going to be a mixture of cute and funny. and he wasn't disappointed. thick white disposables diapers, Disney print ones, and even some cloth diapers with a pair of locking plastic panties, with ruffles on the butt. aside from the diapers she had a few different t-shirts with phases on them like 'mommies widdle stinker' and 'daddies girl' and 'caution: full load'. finishing off his sisters little collection of kink, was a matching light pink baby booties and baby mittens, both of them lockable. "well I think we know what your mostly gonna be wearing to prove your helpless and a big baby." Malcore joked, nodding at all the lockable stuff. "you got a preference on which t-shirt you wear in?" he asked, then noticed a bottle of mad lax in one of the pockets. "huh, I thought they stopped making this stuff after it kept being used in so many pranks and so many kids were crapping their pants." "Oh heh, I uh, got the last bottle before it was pulled. only used it once or twice, the stuff is WAY too powerful." Des said sheepishly. "I was crapping myself with like NO control for a day and..a..half.." She trailed off as she noted the look on Malcore's face. "Noooo no no no no no!" she said, waving her hands back and forth. "oh come on, you wanna be put in a strait jacket and left to poop yourself, but some mad lax is too much for you? don't be such a baby." Malcore laughed and winked. "..See when you put it like that.." She said, giggling a little. "Andddd I dunno.. what shirt do you think will work best?" "Caution, full load for sure. now go and get a shower in and uh.. shave..you know.." Malcore said, suddenly blushing and looking uncomfortable. "Huh? why?" "Because well, do you think we'd let a big baby have big girl hair? sides it'll give you one last chance to think about whether or not you really want this." malcore said. Des blew a raspberry but marched off. "..the shit I do to make my little sister happy." the 20 year old grumbled. "I HEARD THAT!"

all squeaky clean, Des practically skipped her way back into her room, on cloud nine and eager to get dressed like the big baby she knew she was. no being a dumb stinky big girl for a whole week, with the added benefits of being helpless and she was sure there would be at least some humiliation involved too.. it was everything a total diaper dork big baby like her could hope for! coming into the room she saw Malcore had gotten the diapers all ready for her as well as the rest of her soon to be attire and as a nice little bonus, had prepped a sippy cup for the big baby ('hehehehe thats me!' she thought) to drink. "Last chance to bail and just I dunno, waddle around the house and I'll tease you." Malcore said, smirking. "..wait, that was a option?" asked asked, putting a blank look on her face. "..Uh..yeah of cou-" "Kidding! I knew that dork. it won't be the same!" Des said and burst out laughing. "..Somebody wants a spanking before her butt goes back in diapers huh?" Malcore said dryly. "Threaten ME with a good time!" "andddd my kink limit has been hit. come on doofus, get over here so big brother can get you back in your diapie wipies." Des giggled and walked over, dropping her towel and planting her butt on the thick terry cloth diaper and grinned like a fool as malcore powdered her and then pinned them nice and snug. "where's your bank card so I can pay for this whole little trip back to baby land for you?" He asked, tugging the t-shirt on her then holding out the plastic panties for her to step into. "oh, I just have it all in cash, it's in my night stand." Des said, holding onto Malcore as she stepped into the plastic pants. "And I think you mighta gone too thick with the diapers, I don't think the plastic panties are gon- URK!" Des was cut off as Malcore yanked up with the panties, lifting her up off her feet for a second and letting her weight force them over the thick cloth diapers, making them bludge and puff out, then locked them tight. He also gave her the mother of all diaper wedgies as he let her plop down onto her pampered butt. "You were saying?"  he asked. "Son of a bisket eating weevil, that HURT you butt!" she huffed. "Aww widdle baby Des can handle spanking but not a widdle wedgie?" he asked in a mocking baby tone. Des glared at him but then he reached down and tapped a finger on the end of her nose. "boop!" this, much like it had when they were 3 and 5, made her break into helpless giggles.

with the mittens and booties clicked into place, and Des using both hands to hold the sippy cup in place as she chugged, malcore lead the way out to the car, which was parked back in the garage. sure it could of been cute to make her waddle into the driveway like this but since they hadn't been able to find a skirt, let alone pants that could of covered her massive diapered ass malcore was glad he had parked inside. 'That's all we need, noisy ms.Johnson from across the street seeing Des in all her diaper dork glory.' with Des strapped into the backseat, and Malcore having all her monies in his wallet, they drove off to go and commit Des to a week of babyhood, though before they even reached the end of the block Malcore was rolling down the windows and glaring at the rear view mirror at a blushing Des. "I-I told you this stuff works quick.." She whined.

The Nurse at the front desk for oaks mental placement ward had seen a lot of things in her 3 years on the job. People who thought they were kitties, a guy who insisted her was Bill Clinton..and even one man who turned to go super sayain has his parents had dragged him in. Today she smelled the newest arrival far before she saw her, and raised a eyebrow at the sight of a young man leading in a girl dressed like a big baby, and judging from the funk in the air the blond girl was living up to the disclaimer on her t-shirt. "Malllcorrrrre, I wanna go pway wiff da other babies at da park!" the blond girl was whining. "Just hang on Des, Big brother needs to talk with the nice lady." the Brown haired man was saying, Malcore the nurse assumed. "Excuse me, who do I talk to about admitting my sister for a week?" he asked. "Whattt? nu admitting! wanna stay with ou!" the blond girl whined and started to have a full on fit, slapping at malcore and looking like a big stinky toddler. the nurse was forced to call two orderlies out, and then lead Malcore to go and talk with her boss.

Des put up the best fight she could, not that she wanted to get away, but she wanted to make sure they felt the need to restrain her as tight as possible for her stay. She also nipped at fingers and was rewarded with a big fat pacifier gag being forced in her mouth and strapped around her head. she suckled on it and fussed, till a hard swat on her squishy rear made her knees wobble, then she was dumped into a large medical crib, too high for her to climb out of even if she hadn't of been in a massive diaper that had been loaded to the brim. Getting to her knees she held onto the bar's with her mitten hands and glared at the two missing link's that were the orderlies. "Sheesh, this ones gonna be a handful, I can already tell." "no shit Sherlock. I don't care WHAT her brother says, I'm getting a strait jacket for her." the other one said, rubbing his eye where Des had scored a lucky hit. "heh, think spanking will be part of her treatment?" the first one asked, shaking his hand where Des had bitten his fingers. "because I could go for tanning her bratty backside." '..This..this might of been a mistake.' Des was realizing for the first time as she whined and backed away from the two, landing on her mushy back side and letting out a loud wet sounding fart. "Ugh! Christ! what did she eat, road killed skunk!?!"

In the head office Malcore was just finishing up the last of the paper work, it had been stupid easy to get Des signed in..it almost seemed like the guy running the place KNEW what was really going on but didn't mind as long as malcore could pay for Baby Des's stay. it had taken the better part of a hour and in that time Malcore had given over the key and given permission for them to get Des changed, in more ways then one and also given them free reign to use whatever treatments they deemed needed to keep her safe from harming herself, and even allowed corporal punishment if they felt it was warranted. One small change though from the original plan, unknown to Des though she would soon find out..was that Malcore hadn't just paid for one week like the little dork wanted. As it turned out the place hadn't cost as much as Des had assumed, and so, being the -kind- and loving big brother he was.. Malcore had signed her up for three weeks. Of course he'd be lying if he said the temptation to enjoy his parents house hadn't played a role in this, but he also figured after three weeks in baby bondage land Des would either be cured of her need for this darker side of her fetish..or hug him like crazy and thank him for making it real. he was ready to flip that coin. "Well, i think that about does it." Dr. Altez said, shaking Malcore's hand. "Would you like to see your sister before taking off to supervise the constitution of her new nursery.?" "of course, though i don't think she's gonna be very happy with me. I did after tell her we were going to the park." Malcore chuckled, getting up and leaving with the good doctor. "heh, well we all do what we must." Walking down the hallway Malcore was lead into the nursery, where a series of cribs were set up and there was a changing table. the carpeting was nice and plush and there was a animal print on the walls and from the looks of it, a toy chest just filled with nice soft toys that Des would be able to play with, if she could earn good girl time. Sitting in a crib by the back of the room however was Des who was mumbling before her paci gag. She'd been changed from her soiled padding of course, and was now in a thick wet plastic diaper and a light pink straitjacket that had her arms trapped at her sides. her booties had been replaced and -snk-, her hair had been brushed and put into pig tails. the paci gag had a cute little pink mouth guard on it and she was wearing a little bib..mostly because with all the grumbling and muffled protests she was trying to do she had a stream of drool going down her chin. rocking back and forth and clearly trying to get her arms free, Des cried out around the gag and tried to get up only to fall on her face , though the mattress of the crib was soft enough she didn't hurt herself. "would you like a moment alone with her to say bye bye?" The good doctor asked. "Yes please." malcore said. Once they were alone, Malcore walked over and leaned over the crib bars, down at Des. "Well dork, having fun yet?" malcore asked. Des glared at him and started to shake her head no. "ah ah ah, beeee honest~" Malcore scolded, wagging a finger. She stopped, then closed her eyes and nodded. "Good, I'm glad you having fun, I know this might seem a little scary at times, but I'm sure you'll get used it before your first week is up." malcore said. That got her attention and Des's eyes went wide, and she gave him a questioning look. "oh yeah, I decided since it was cheaper then we thought, to give you -THREE- weeks in baby land. I didn't think you'd mind, but on the off chance you do..well.. No one will care. I've already given consent for the paci gag to stay in save for when you're being feed, which will be bottle feeding of formula, and I've okayed them spanking you if you get out of line. I ALSO.." and malcore gave a evil little grin. "Told them how much you loooove sitting in poopie diapers..so asked that they let you sit in everyone for at least half a hour." at this Malcore reached in and patted Des's head, as she glared and shook, going red in the face and trying to yell at him. "Aww, no need to thank me, your my BABY sister after all, i just want you to be happy. and who knows, Maybe mom and dad will decide to extend their cruise and I'll pay out of my own pocket for you to stay awhile longer." Des was whimpering and whining now, shaking her head. "Des calm down, we both know you're going to enjoy the hell out of this, this is exactly what you wanted. I'm just giving it to you for longer then you wanted. I promise I'll come and visit you every couple of days." Malcore said and patted her head. Des whined and trying to pull away, but the head pats apparently felt nice and she relaxed. Maybe she relaxed a little too much as a wet bubbly fart escaped and the back of her diaper started to puff out. "heh, and that's my cue to leave. Bye bye baby des. Have fun~" Malcore coo'ed and walked away, stopping at the door. "and remember, big brother loves you~" he said with a wink, then walked out as Des did the only thing she could. and finished loading her diapies.

The end

[honeyyu]

Sold | Nct - 002

Summary: Cho Miso lives a difficult life, she works full time jobs to take care of her sick mom. One of those jobs being an secretary to the most rich man of seoul. As she tries to take care of everyhing, she goes looking for her dad who had left them for almost 5 years now. Coming into the life of her dad she was caught up by formal parties and events, her dad finally identifying her as his daughter. And before she could even realize, she was bought by a group powerful rich men who called themselves NCT to be their new secretary.

Masterlist

Genre: Smut (+slight angst?) and a little bit fluff

Warnings: None (only one swear word)

Word count: 2.4K

Notes: This chapter doesn’t contain any smut. I try to make this kinda like a real story that why I don’t go straight into the smut. Im sorry!! I think maybe in 2/3 chapters there will be some. Im just trying to introduce the nct members slowly. I hope this isn’t disappointing :/ Last thing, I think its Kims not Kim’s but Kim’s looks cooler idk why lol

The rest of the work day went by faster then I thought. None of the 3 Kim’s found out about the accident luckily. I did tell Tiffany, one of the personal assistants. She is also the one i’m close friends with, the one who gave the flowers I totally ruined. She could only laugh when I told her,” I already made copies of the most of them. So don’t worry about them finding out. I will email you the copies and you can retype the ones who aren’t there!” I couldn’t tell her how grateful I was. The most I could do for now was give her a big hug.

It was already passed workhours for me but at home I didn’t have access to a laptop or computer so I had to finish everything here. In the email Tiffany send me most of the papers were there, I mean the copies. I went through the now dried papers and got rid of the ones Tifanny copied. Now there were around twenty papers left for me to retype, and copy immediately before something would happen again.

All of the papers were about interviews or letters who needed to be send to other important companies. Before starting I looked at the clock on the wall behind Tiffany’s desk, who was out to get coffee for our bosses. The other two were busy moving from meeting to meeting together with the two other Kim’s.

The time on the clock was 4 pm. My mind wandered off for a second, thinking about what kind of food I should buy for dinner tonight. This job made me earn a fair amount of money. But most of it went to the debts we had to pay. And the hospital bills for my mom. This week she would stay with me until I had enough money to buy the hospital bills again.

“Ah I should really work on those papers.” I snapped myself back to reality upon seeing the papers I had to write before 6 because I would always have dinner at 6 with my mom but I didn’t know if I would make it this time. I was hoping on finishing a little before 6 so I could do some grocery shopping on my way home. As those thoughts ran through my mind I started working.

—

My eyes stayed focused on the screen as I was busy writing the last words of the letter. A loud sigh left my mouth when I grabbed the paper off the desk. Again, it was a letter. “From Mr. Kim To Mr Ch-“ I immediately stopped my sentence seeing the name on the paper. Mr Cho. It could be another man but I couldn’t let this go so easily. Was there an adress on it?

“Yes!” I jumped out of my chair with the paper in my hand. It would be unprofessional to ran out of the building and go to the adress. Not to forget I could lose my job if I did that. Only two papers to finish. With that mindset I typed the last papers in not more than 20 minutes.

My hands moved faster than normal. Computer off, papers in bag, chair under my desk, jacket on and card out. I didn’t have to tell anyone I was going. The 3 Kim’s couldn’t care more and Tifanny plus the other two girls were not at the office anymore.

The elevator was slower than usual. Or it was slower because I was excited to maybe find my dad again after five years. I didn’t really know the reason behind my excitement. He was the one who left us and he’s the source of our problems. Maybe I thought that if I would tell him how everything is with mom and me he would feel quilty and help us. Or maybe I just wanted answers to questions I had since the day he left us. And I knew that a small part of me wanted his money. I was embarrassed that I had these kind of thoughts but the money I wanted wouldn’t be for me, but for my mom. Every day she woke up she would look closer to death. Not that money was gonna fix the fact that she was ill or not but he could at least pay the hospital bills.

While making my way outside I looked up the adress on my phone. I was hoping badly that it wasn’t going to be a long route. My feet already gave up by seeing how long the walk was. At least one hour it said. Well if i walk my own speed it will be around forty minutes but still way too long for me to walk in heels. Only two decisions I could make. One, go home to change shoes, forget about dinner and just walk there or get a taxi. Option two it is then because I really didn’t have the time to walk.

Lucky for me a taxi just pulled to the side to let someone out of the car. Taking my chance I speed walked towards it. I was about to grab the doors handle but another hand reached for it faster. It was a young man. “Excuse me,” He muttered to me.

“Sorry sir, I was about to get into the taxi actually.” I politely said, trying not to make a scene. He blankly looked me in the eyes,” I never take a taxi so it’s really important. Now if you will excuse me, I have more urgent things to do then chit chat.” A breath came out of my mouth, sounding like a scoff. I didn’t mean to do that but he was being selfish. Like I had nothing better to do then talk to him,” Well I have something urgent to do too.” I replied but he already stepped into the vehicle.

“We can share!” He looked at me unamused. It didn’t look like he would consider sharing so I looked around for another orange car. To my suprise he left the door open and shuffled to the left to make space for me. I made a ninety degrees bow to thank him before stepping in. “Thank you. My name is Cho Miso.” I thanked him once again. The reason why I introduced myself was also a question to me. Maybe I was trying to be social. He looked at me once I introduced myself. His lips parted like he wanted to say something but he closed them again and looked outside.

Feeling a little hit awkward I gave the taxi driver the adress by showing letter.” You work there?” He asked me while typing the adress into the device,” Not really. I have to talk to the CEO of the building.” His eyebrows furrowed. That must’ve sounded really weird. “Ah, I mean I have a meeting. I work in that building,” I explained him while pointing to the building right outside the window. He nodded and asked the man next to me where he was heading. “The NCT building.” Both heads of me and the driver turned to stare at him in shock. Did he work there?

“Now you say it. I saw you on the news today! You are Kim Dongyoung!” Kim Dongyoung? Is he one of the CEO’s? Now that the driver said that, he was wearing a very expensive suit I recognized from the other CEO’s I often see in the building. I could never really understand people who paid so much for a pair of cothing but if you have the money I guess.

I missed the reaction of the man next to me but the driver started driving. He probably just nodded or ignored like how he did with me. My eyes somehow stayed glued to him. He had black hair, by what I could see long legs, beautiful brown eyes, nice lips. By the last thought I shook my head and whipped my head away from him. God what has gotten into me.

All I did for the rest of the ride was look outside the window, too embarrassed to even look at him. He also, was staring outside. Slowly the car came to halt. That wasn’t a long ride at all. Expected since its a car of course. I laughed a little by my own thoughts but quickly stopped when I saw Kim Dongyoung looking at me.

“Here is your stop miss.” I opened the door saying thank you at the same time. About to walk away I stopped myself, I have to pay. The device showed the amount of won I had to pay so I gave the man half of the bills I had in my wallet, hoping it was enough because I had to get a ride home too. “Have a nice meeting!” He flashed me a smile. I happily smiled back and pushed the door closed. Fortunately I saved myself some drama for later.

A loud sigh left my mouth as I looked at the big building infront of me. How do I even get in without getting stopped by the security. Taking a big risk I walked in. I was wearing office clothing so that was a good thing but I didn’t have an card to access. How was I gonna do this?

As aspected a muscular man stopped me,” You can’t go in miss” Quick think of something Miso! Thats right, I had the letter that had to be delivered here,” I have a meeting with Mr Cho? The letter with all of the information didn’t arrive in time so I came here personally to explain it.” I explained trying not to stutter too much and stretched out my arm with the paper in it so he could see. His eyes went over the paper. He nodded, believing my lie. Then he stepped backwards for me to enter, at the same time bowing.

I bowed back automatically and made my way to the elevator. It looked similar to the ones we had in our building. Made from glass and the floor of gold making it look chic and luxury. If this was my dads company he was very rich. While waiting for the elevator to arrive I thought about how he would look. What do I say. Should I introduce myself or hug him? Nah, he definitely know its me when he sees me so no need to introduce.

Ding! The elevator behind me made a sound, signaling it was open. I nearly ran into it, eager to meet my dad if this was his building. The glass elevator was filled with people in suit, golden watches and expensive bags. I felt a little out of place but that wasn’t important right now. Not sure what floor I had to stop at I waited till I reached the top of the building. Most of the time the important people like the CEO were on the top floor.

And I was right. When I reached top floor it looked alsmost exactly like the floor I worked at in the 3 Kim’s building. A receptionist, waiting room, conference rooms and the CEO’s office I could see way back behind everything with the name Mr Cho on a again golden name plate attached in the door. After examining I walked up to the girl behind the reception.

“Good evening, I have something to discuss with Mr Cho?” I couldn’t tell her I had a meeting because she could search it up on her computer and I would get send away. “Im sorry miss but Mr Cho is in a meeting at the moment. Would you like to wait?” Oh a meeting? Meeting always take a long time but if I had the luck that it was indeed my dad I was gonna meet then it wouldn’t hurt for me to wait a little while. “Yes I will wait, thank you.” With that I walked up to the seats where you were supposed to wait.

—

I’ve been here, waiting, for almost thirty minutes now and I was losing my patient. I was even so close to losing it that I wanted to walk into that conference room and yell at him for being so slow. Of course I couldn’t do that so my only option was waiting.

Tired of sitting in a chair for the whole time, I got up to get something to drink. When I arrived here I saw a water tap almost next to the CEO’s office.

Filling my cup, I looked around once again. The office walls of Mr Cho were from glass making it easy for me to take a glance of it. There wasn’t much interesting though. His desk was placed by the wall on the left. Infront of the desk a couple couches with a coffee table in the middle. Just like regular CEO offices that I’ve seen in my life.

But something catched my eye. There were three framed pictures on his desk, facing the couches. I couldn’t see them clearly so I walked a couple steps closer to the office.

The cup almost fell out of my hand. It was my dad on the pictures but not only him. Next to him there was a woman, around my moms age maybe younger and two kids, one boy and one girl who looked atleast five years younger than me. This was his new family. Otherwise he wouldn’t have three pictures with them on his desk.

I couldn’t accept the fact that he moved on from his first family. Harshly I threw the cup of water into the garbage can nearby me and I left the building with my hands clenced into a fist. Tears threatened to fall but he wasn’t worth it. He was living a perfect life with a perfect new family and money enough to take care of thousands people like my mom and me. He was so fucking selfish!

I took a taxi back to my house. The whole ride I looked outside the window with a furious expression. Probably making the driver uncomfortable because he turned up the radio so it wouldn’t be all silence. Arriving at the house I gave him the rest of the money I had in my wallet and he drove off after.

Grabbing my keys to enter the house my phone rang. The number on the screen didn’t ring any bell but I still anwered thinking that it maybe was someone from work who needed me.“Hello?” I asked into the phone, waiting for an answer on the other side.

“I heard you’ve been looking for me.”

<- Previous | Next ->

[ahnsael]

I would send this article to our casino’s owner, but...he’s a casino owner who has his finger on the pulse of the industry, so I’m sure he’s already aware.

But this also explains a survey we were asked to (anonymously) answer last week about our likelihood of getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and any additional information we felt we needed to make an educated decision. And I’m GLAD that the new Gaming Board chair is taking the virus into account.

To be clear, ANY agent of the Gaming Control Board has the power to fire me. And I often have to inform new hires that the Board has the authority to fire THEM, as well (there’s a guy who used to run my casino, before I worked there, who went on to run a newer local casino -- but one day he left his machine keys (which open the machine and access the menus) in a machine and walked away, and a Gaming Control agent walked in and saw those keys dangling from a lock. He essentially gave any guest who came by access to the machine’s insides and to its menu.

Gaming fired him on the spot. That’s how serious some violations can be.

My own casino has paid at least six fines for mask noncompliance. That was enforced by Gaming. Two of the violations were employees (one of which was a manager). And there’s a current manager who likes to take their mask off to speak, and I keep having to tell them to put their mask back on or I won’t respond to what they said. WE are the ones, as managers, responsible for enforcing these mandates, but if we, as managers, aren’t even following them ourselves, what hope do we have of getting guests to follow rules that we aren’t following ourselves? It ticks me off that I constantly have to remind this manager to keep their mask on.

The one thing that struck me as odd was that he called some of the current regulations “antiquated.” As he mentions, we used to be a mob-run business, seemingly above the law, and skimming (stealing money and hiding that money in the books) used to be commonplace. And I agree that a lot of Nevada casino regulations were put in place with that in mind.

But I always say that, with our mafia past, we need to work extra hard now to ensure no appearance of impropriety, and that the mafia past is truly behind us. So I like those regulations.

I’m not above updating, I just want to make sure that those old rules stay in place, at least as far as avoiding the perception that it’s the “same old Vegas” (even though I’m in a rural area, not Vegas).

He also doesn’t believe that gaming establishments have been a cause of further spread of the virus, and I disagree. It’s not to the same level as private gatherings (full disclosure: we host private gatherings in a separate room, but the normal fire marshall mandated occupancy under normal circumstances is 90 in that room, under the 25% capacity restrictions in place, that means no more than 22 people in that room, with ZERO room for discussion if they want a 23rd person in there -- it just is not going to happen), but...we are definitely contributing to the spread to some degree as an industry.

But the one constant problem we have is social distancing. Friends stand right next to each other. Vague acquaintances move chairs together in order to sit down next to each other. But if we say something, they lie and say they live together so it’s okay (some of our guests apparently live with 20-30 other people).

I don’t know about his “cashless wagering” ideas. We’re a small-town casino, and people are used to feeding the machines manually (some of them still lament the ability to insert coins instead of bills). And many of them are senior citizens who would balk at “touchless payments.” It’s also a LOT easier to spend money when money isn’t actually physically leaving your wallet. I think, even in markets like Vegas where I could see it working, it would lead to more problem gambling (and we are required to have pamphlets available for anyone who realizes they have a problem and want to seek help).

I welcome positive change. And hopefully, that’s where this will lead. So I was glad when he ended with “I’m not going to turn this industry upside down, I can’t do that, it would be a dumb thing to do, but I’m going try to make it better and the only way to do that is to change some things. So expect some change.”

I can support that, as long as the changes make sense and don’t erase the rules meant to prevent mafia-like tactics. Be fair to the casinos, and more importantly be fair to the gamblers.

[ohblackdiamond]

little t&a (paul/gene, nc-17) (part 18 of 29)

part 1   part 2   part 3   part 4   part 5   part 6   part 7   part 8   part 9   part 10   part 11   part 12   part 13   part 14   part 15   part 16   part 17   part 18   part 19   part 20   part 21  part 22   part 23   part 24    part 25   part 26   part 27   part 28   part 29

Four weeks before KISS gets back on tour, Gene discovers that Paul’s been cursed by a groupie. For the sake of KISS’ finances, Paul’s comfort levels, and Gene’s libido, this crisis must be resolved. Sexswap fic.  In this chapter: Gene takes Paul home.

 Gene went through Paul’s closet and drawers, getting him out a shirt, jeans, boxers, and shoes as he waited on the limo, just in case Paul had been able to go through with it and end the curse. The more he thought about it, the more Gene hoped he hadn’t. Paul had barely specified anything—he doubted that Carol had, either—beyond it being over once he had sex. Would he have had any time to leave before he started changing back? Or would whoever he’d slept with end up watching the whole bizarre process? It was a gruesome train of thought, but better, maybe, than picturing what else could have happened to Paul. At least back in his own body, he could fend a guy off.

            Gene thought about the altercation on the front porch with Peter and Ace. He hadn’t really given it the consideration he should have. But both the guys had been holding back when Paul had first charged at them. Peter had screamed a lot, but he’d just held Paul off of Ace, for the most part. If Peter had wanted to, he could’ve really hurt him. But he hadn’t, and probably not just because Peter had thought he was Paul’s girlfriend, but because he was a girl. Paul wouldn’t have been afforded that kind of protection on his own at some bar.

            Gene realized, sickly, that he hadn’t thought things out much better than Paul had. Letting him leave had been the stupidest of his missteps, sure, but he’d mostly thought about Paul being a girl in terms of how it related to him. Not so much in terms of how it related to the way everyone else would treat him. He swallowed, bagging up the clothes as the limo pulled up.

            Gene spent the limo ride staring anxiously at his own watch, stomach churning, a dozen scenarios playing out at once in his head. CBGB had just been a guess, and a dim one at that. Paul had genuinely liked that little dump, a hell of a lot more than he’d liked Studio 54. Been fond of the acts there. But Paul knew his way around plenty of dumps. Gene wouldn’t have put it past him to have driven to the nearest juke joint, just for convenience and anonymity. And if he had, then Gene didn’t know if he would find him, or if Paul would be driving himself back home the next day, terrified, broken-down, or worse. Not even coming home at all. And he’d be responsible. He’d be responsible.

            He hadn’t taken care of Paul at all. Peter had known better. Peter would’ve made Paul stay inside even if it had meant barricading the doors to Paul’s own house. Gene rubbed his forehead as though that could ease the aching there. There’d been that killer last year around the Queens area; Gene didn’t know if they’d caught him. That guy that ran around murdering dark-haired girls out West. All sorts of shit. Just all sorts. If Paul had… if he’d…

            He ran out of the parking lot almost before the limo had even stopped, not waiting on the chauffeur to even hand him an umbrella for the rain. He’d… if he couldn’t find Paul now, here, he’d phone Bill Aucoin. Tell him everything. Have a manhunt. Bill could figure everything out, spin it any damn way he wanted. Make up another set of lies. Search the whole New York area for Paul in whatever shape he was in. If it destroyed KISS, let it. He didn’t care. He didn’t care as long as Paul was safe.

            In his hurry to CBGB, he didn’t even notice Paul’s car parked less than a dozen feet away from the limo.

            There might’ve been fifty people left in the club when he walked in, a lone bouncer smoking marijuana just inside. He glanced at Gene, seeming to recognize him from the night prior, then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

            “The Ramones already left, man.”

            “I’m not here for the band,” Gene said. “Look, the gu—the girl I was with last night, you remember? Is she here?”

            “The tall girl with the tits?” the bouncer said offhand, taking a drag. Gene stiffened, but the bouncer didn’t seem too concerned. “Yeah, she came in awhile ago.”

            “Is she still here?”

            “Didn’t see her leave. But we’re about to close.”

            That didn’t mean Paul hadn’t left. He could’ve taken that back exit he’d brought Gene through the other night. Gene didn’t bother thanking him, striding into the main area of the club. The band was long gone; the only sounds left were the jukebox and occasional guitar riffs from the few drunks left around the bar. No one seemed to be paying enough attention to recognize him; or maybe he was just putting people off from it, stalking through, looking for him. Every time he got near one of the few couples left in the place, he felt sick, searching the girl’s face, never finding Paul there.

            He made it to the bar after a few minutes, and caught a glimpse of red hair and a cheap jumpsuit. She was leaning over someone in a black jacket, someone slumped over a corner table.

            “Mary-Anne,” he called out, hurrying toward her. She turned. Relief seemed to smash into his guts as he got closer and realized who the girl at the table had to be, even though her face was pressed up against her arms. He’d only seen those same wild, dark curls for the last eight years.

            Gene crossed over to the table, reaching for Paul’s shoulder. Mary-Anne smacked at his hand.

            “It’s about time you showed up.”

            “Paul—”

            “You didn’t even do what I said. You just let her go off alone. What kind of asshole are you?”

            He didn’t answer her. There really wasn’t an answer to give. She was as right as Peter had been. Told Gene to be good to Paul and he’d done Paul even worse than a groupie.

            “Paul.” He leaned over him, Mary-Anne only grudgingly moving to the side to accommodate him. Paul made a couple murmuring sounds, but didn’t raise his head. Gene started rubbing his shoulder through the jacket, half to reassure himself that Paul was there, and solid, and safe, at least now. He turned to Mary-Anne. “What happened?”

            “Quaaludes. She keeps going in and out.”

            Oh, God. Paul didn’t use Quaaludes on his own. He’d sampled a lot of other shit, sure, but Gene had never seen him take Ace or Peter or the roadies up on that particular pill. Gene swallowed.

            “Is h—is she okay?”

            Mary-Anne gave him an irritated look.

            “You asking if anything happened? I don’t think so. She’d puked it up in the bathroom when I found her.”

            “You’ve stayed with her?”

            “Somebody had to.” She let out a snort. “You rockstars are all the same. I don’t know where you get off. That poor thing, she’s got no business out here by herself.”

            “You don’t even know who she is.”

            “Yeah, I do. She’s yours.”

            “What?”

            “You heard me. She’s been talking about you this whole time.” She reached over, and if she noticed Gene’s stare, she never reacted to it, tapping Paul’s arm. He stirred a little. “Did you ever find her?”

            “Find who?”

            “Carol Jensen.”

            “Yeah. Yeah, we did.”

            Mary-Anne shook her head.

            “She reminds me of Carol. Just pitiful.” Mary-Anne didn’t elaborate, massaging Paul’s arm until slowly, he raised his head. “Hey, honey, he’s taking you back.”

            “Gene?” Paul’s speech was sluggish. He looked like he was on the verge of nodding off, head bobbing a little with each word, but his eyes finally started to focus on Gene’s face. “Gene, I’m… I’m sorry…”

            “Don’t apologize. We’re going home.”

            “My car… can’t…”

            “Your car’s out here, right? Give me your keys.”

            Paul’s arm shifted. Again, he was feeling around for a pocket the dress he didn’t have. Gene reached over, digging in the pocket of Paul’s jacket, coming up with his keys and wallet. He stuck the wallet back.

            “But you dunno how to drive…”

            “I’ll send someone to take it back for you. My chauffeur’s here for us.” Gene took Paul’s arm. It was limp and warm. He squeezed it, briefly, before letting go. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

            Paul nodded dully. Mary-Anne shot Gene a disgusted look before Gene headed over to the nearest bouncer, who was more than happy to lead him personally to Hilly Kristal. Hilly looked tired but mildly flattered at the sight of him two nights in a row.

            “Is it the scenery you dig, or the music?”

            “Neither,” Gene said. “I need to use your phone.”

            Hilly waved a hand absentmindedly, ushering him into an office just as ratty as the rest of the club. The phone was the color of day-old French fries, and looked almost as greasy. He dug through his own wallet, finally coming up with one of the KISS corporation’s business cards, and dialed it, the receiver feeling like a deadweight in his hand.

            “Hey, this is Gene Simmons. I’m with Paul Stanley right now. Yeah. He’s gotten kind of loaded. His car’s out at CBGB. If you could have someone pick it up—no, no, just the car. Just take his car back, it’s fine. I’ll take care of him. No, that’s fine. I got it. The key’s with the club owner. Thanks.” He hung up the receiver. Hilly turned to him, puzzled.

            “Haven’t seen Paul Stanley this whole night.”

            “Yeah, you have.”

            Hilly’s lip twitched upwards.

            “That how it is? All right, all right.”

            Gene tugged Paul’s car key from the keyring and handed it to Hilly, who took it with a yawn.

            “Did you bring that girl again, or are you looking for someone else?”

            “Same girl.”

            “Gotcha.” Another bouncer was heading towards him, and he raised his hand. “I’ve got to go. Sorry I didn’t catch you when you came in. We were about to close up, to be honest. But if there’s anything you boys want, it’s yours. We’ll keep the place open as long as you’re around.”

            “I’m just leaving, but thanks.” Gene headed back to the corner table. Paul was sitting up a little bit, drooping head propped up by his arm. Mary-Anne was talking to him, but whatever their conversation, she stopped once Gene approached.

            “We’re going home now, Paul.”

            “’S… s’okay. I just really need to sleep…”

            “I know. You can sleep in the limo.” He reached over, taking Paul’s arm, the one he wasn’t steadying his head against. Paul seemed like he was moving in slow motion, other arm half-flopping off the table as he got to his feet, leaning up against Gene heavily. Mary-Anne didn’t help steady him, still sitting at the table with that same look of disgust.

            “Thanks for staying, Mary-Anne. I appreciate it.” Gene swallowed thickly. “Do you have an address?”

            “Sure. Why?”

            “So I can thank you properly.” He dug out his wallet. Of course, he didn’t have a pen, but he did have the business cards he’d thumbed through earlier. He pressed one into her hand. “This number right here is KISS’ management. Call, tell the woman on the line who you are, give her your address, and—” he hesitated. “I’d say you’d get free front-row tickets to whatever show you wanted, but—”

            “I don’t go for that anymore.”

            “Call and give her your address anyway. I’ll have a check sent.”

            “Forget it.” Mary-Anne let out a breath, pushing back her chair and getting up, turning away. She was headed back to the bar. “Just take the poor kid home.”

            Gene did, walking Paul out the back exit the way he’d been shown the night before. It was still raining hard. He hadn’t brought a jacket of his own. He tried to yank up Paul’s so at least Paul’s head and hair wouldn’t get too wet, but Paul was stumbling so much that he gave up after only a few attempts. They were both soaked by the time they got to the parking lot. His driver came out as soon as he spotted them, holding out an umbrella, really too late to be of any use. Gene took it anyway, listening to the droplets pound against the plastic for those few steps, before he had to close it to guide Paul into the car.

            He had an arm wrapped around Paul the whole way back, as if anyone else could even get hold of him now. Paul would stir off and on in the limo. He’d say things, ramble strangely, but for the most part he’d fall back asleep against Gene’s shoulder within a few minutes. Gene had seen chicks on Quaaludes before; hell, he’d seen Peter and Ace mix them with alcohol plenty for a stronger buzz. They’d end up both horny and flat on their asses. Gene didn’t invite girls to his room that didn’t at least seem sober, not wanting to court the possibility of them passing out or vomiting everywhere, so he didn’t know if Paul’s napping was normal or an indication of an overdose.

            “You want a doctor?” he asked once, while he was awake. Paul shook his head.

            “Paul, did anything happen? The girl said she didn’t think so, but—”

            “Uh-uh. Gene, just… I’m tired, I can’t concentrate.”

            Gene let him alone after that. The soft breaths against his shoulder smelled like vomit and alcohol. Paul drooled on him a few times, too, but he didn’t mind. By the time they pulled up to Paul’s place, Gene was able to maneuver him into getting out of the car, half-carrying, half-walking him up the front porch steps and into the house. The Quaaludes had left Paul in a weird state, out of it but frighteningly, basically pliable. It scared him to watch how slowly but how easily he was moved around. It scared him to think of what would have happened to him if Mary-Anne hadn’t found him. He must have had his drink spiked by whatever guy he’d been trying to hit on. Paul must’ve figured it out and tried to puke it up, or else, just thrown up as a side-effect.

            Gene took his shoes off for him before helping him into bed, still in the dress. He didn’t really want to take him out of it. There was some dried vomit in his hair. Gene got a towel from the master bathroom, soaked it in water, and used the towel to wipe it out of his hair. After a little more consideration, he soaked another washcloth in water and wiped Paul’s face off with it, getting rid of the last smudges of makeup and the crusted drool on his mouth. Then he tossed both towels in the hamper, stripped to his boxers, and crawled into bed beside him.

            Awhile later, he heard the bedsprings creak. Paul had scooted over in his sleep, his face pressed against Gene’s chest. Like a little kid, just worn out, that was all.

            She’s yours, that was what Mary-Anne had said. Yours. Gene didn’t think about it before he put an arm around him, pulling him in tighter, falling asleep to the rhythm of Paul’s breaths on his skin.

[bxcketbarnes]

Routine Dinner Turned First Date

photo isn't mine

Pairing: Dacre Montgomery x Reader (College AU)

Words: 1500+

Author's Note: I saw this picture and immediately wanted to write something on it and my lovely friend, @bumblebet-20, gave me this fluffy idea. Enjoy xox

"Hey, cutie. You wanna meet up at that cute Italian restaurant that's just down the road from your apartment after you get done class? x"

You smiled at your text from Dacre who you've been friends with since elementary school. You make a quick glance towards the front of the classroom, double-checking to see if the professor was distracted before texting him back.

Dacre sat on his couch, rubbing his sweaty hands against his jeans as he read your text. A smile comes to his lips before running a quick hand through his hair.

"Hey, handsome. I would absolutely love too. Classes have been rough this week and the idea sounds wonderful. I get let out in ten minutes then I'm going to go home and drop shit off. I'll meet you there?"

You pressed send, biting your lip as it said he read it and the three bubbles at the bottom notified you he was typing.

The sandy-brunette types his message before quickly deleting it, dipping his head down at he gathers the courage to just ask if it could be a date. He's had a crush on you for ages and for a while he didn't think you felt the same way until the past year.

"Just do it, Dacre," he talks himself up while closing his eyes. "You're ninety percent sure she feels the same as you, so you shouldn't be nervous." He looks back down at his phone, typing the message for the last time and presses send before he has time to pussy out again.

"Would it be possible for it to be our first date?"

You let out the tiniest gasp, covering your mouth quickly and looks up towards your teacher to try and make it seem your paying attention. The professor's eyes glance towards you for a few seconds before looking away.

"Okay, class, that's all the time we have for today. Enjoy the weekend and please don't forget your paper on Wrongful Convictions is due Tuesday!"

You pack up your things and rush out of the classroom. As you're walking towards your apartment you realize you haven't texted Dacre back. "Shit," you mumbled to yourself and grabs your phone from your jacket pocket.

"I'd love that, Dacre. x"

You bring your bottom lip into his mouth, not being able to contain your smile and you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. Is this actually happening?

Dacre hears his phone vibrate against the coffee table as he slips his shoes on, getting ready to head towards the restaurant to get a table by the window. Something you've always loved sitting near when going to restaurants if it was possible.

He picks it up and read it almost five times, not actually believing his eyes. "She said yes. Holy shit, she said yes."

The phone buzzes in your hand, signaling that he'd replied back and you look down at the device.

"Really? Oh, wow, I was a bit worried you'd say no by how long you took."

You frowned a bit, kicking yourself slightly as you quickly responded to him.

"I'm sorry. I sort of made a noise and didn't want to get caught by the professor. Then the class was over and I got a quarter way to my house when I realized I didn't text back. I'm sorry! But, I'm at my place. I'm going to dress up a bit and I'll be there in 15!"

You set your phone down on your vanity, taking a deep breath before heading towards my closet to find a cute outfit. You pulled out your denim skirt along with a red off-the-shoulder top. You quickly put your put it on, adjusting the skirt a bit before applying a minimal amount of makeup. You slip on your black Toms and grab your purse on your way out the door.

It takes you almost ten minutes to walk to the restaurant, getting a bit nervous knowing it's gonna be an official date. You rub your clammy hands together as you stepped up to the door of the Italian place and opened it, heading inside.

Dacre sat at the table for almost fifteen minutes, looking out the window as he tried not to get too nervous. His blue eyes glance down at his phone, seeing a text from one of his friends. He grabs his phone and texts him back as you stepped up to the table, a huge smile on your lips.

"Hey," your voice snapped him out of his concentration and picked his head up.

His lips parted slightly, taking note at how beautiful you look. "H-Hey, you look… you look gorgeous," he mutters and stands up from his seat.

You giggle and feel your cheeks heat up a bit. Dacre wraps his arms around your shoulders in a quick hug before he pressed a kiss to your cheek. You went to take a seat when he quickly pulled your chair out for you. "Thank you. You look mighty fine yourself," you tell him with a shy smile.

-

You giggled at the story he was telling you as you twirled the pasta around your fork. The date's been going on for almost an hour and it has been amazing. It's not much different from the other dinners you've been on with him which is great.

"So, he literally throws a balled-up piece of paper at the teacher but misses and hits the girl he's been into for a year and a half," Dacre chuckles and you let out a laugh after chewing your food, covering your mouth with your hand.

"Oh, no! What happened? Did he lose his chance with her?" You asked as you set your fork onto your empty plate, leaning back in the chair you're in.

"That's the thing! He's literally charming as fuck that he managed to get her to agree to a date with him," he shook his head and lets out a scoff. "If I were to do that to you, I doubt you'd go out with me afterward."

You shrug your shoulders, a playful smile on your lips. "I don't know, I might've. If we didn't know each other, I probably wouldn't consider it as much but I probably would've. You're cute," you confess to him and Dacre grins.

"Really? You think I'm cute?" He asked and you bite your lip softly, nodding your head.

"Of course I do. Have you seen yourself? You're like, a total babe," you mentioned and he reaches his hand out, gently grasping yours.

Dacre's eyes are set on your guys' hands and you look down as he slowly intertwined them together. "Well, you're also a total babe and what's special about you is your personality. You have such an amazing personality. It's the main reason why I fell so hard for you," he confessed to you and your heart pounds against your chest.

"Dacre… you're so adorable," you giggled and shook your head. "Your personality and sense of humor is the main reason I fell for you, too."

He grinned and looks like a kid on Christmas before the waiter brought over the bill. The sandy-brunette pulls out his wallet, handing the guy his card before the waiter walked away to process it.

"Do you wanna stay the night tonight?" You asked him and his blue eyes darts to you. "We could watch a movie? Play some games? Cuddle?"

Dacre holds up a finger as the waiter came back, giving him his card and receipt. He signs the piece of paper with his name before giving it back. The waiter bid you two a good night before walking away.

You and Dacre grab your things and head outside, not walking more than ten feet before he stops you. "I'd love to stay over tonight. It is a tradition, isn't it?" He grinned and you nodded your head. He strokes your cheek with his index finger, pushing some hair out of your face. "Can I kiss you?"

Your breath hitches in your throat as you look up at him through your lashes. Your heart's beating a million miles a minute as your hands found his waist, gripping his shirt a bit. "Y-Yeah, yeah you can," you whispered and he nodded slightly before dipping his head down.

His lips brushed against yours, your grip on his shirt tightening as he pressed his lips firmly against yours. Your eyes flutter shut, his hand moving to the back of your neck as his other moves to your hips.

A sigh leaves your nose, kissing him back as you tilted your head the other way while wrapping both your arms around his neck. The two of you get a little carried away and you realize you're in public still. You pull away from him, grinning like a fool and looked up at him.

"C'mon, Mr. Romantic, let's head back to my place."

"Alright, alright," Dacre grins down at you as you grab his hand and laces your fingers together as you begin to lead him back, both of your hearts fluttering wildly. You two look at each other as you walk side-by-side, his hand squeezing yours lightly and you smile widely while pressing your head against his arm.

-

Dacre Taglist: @daisyxbuckley @bumblebet-20 @thebookamongmen @lovefilledtragedy @sammi-rent @okaybutsteveharrington @makeupbychio @hlnicoleee @calculatingtax @hanoi15 @lightsonaaron @mcuvlxgs @harringtonsbaseballbat @tellmehows @fenderkeery @the-almond-dinger @l0ve-0f-my-life @serpentwithatardis @arewegonnagetsuedforthis @devilslittlebabygirl @omgdani17 @rozi3cheeks @galaxy-mindsxx @queenmissfit

[zombierocker17]

Forever, Harry Styles imagine. (Long)

Here it is. It took me two days to write this. And I hope everyone has got there tissues this is incredibly romantic. Please enjoy ❤️

You were at your shared home relaxing after a long hard week, it was a cold winter morning. You felt the soft cream colored crochet blanket that Anne, Harry’s mother had made for you last Christmas.  Mouse yours and Harry’s cat came to sit next to you, Harry named her mouse because when she ‘meows’ she sounds like a little mouse.  She nestled her small head into your arm, you pet her head and scratched behind her ears. Looking at your phone background of Harry you smiled. It was a picture of him sitting on the set of SNL smiling like the goofball he is.  Mouse meowed when she saw the picture, “I miss him too sweetie” you say petting her as you get up and head to the kitchen.

Harry was off working on stuff for his second album, he was very busy and often wasn’t home for weeks. He was supposed to be home in a week, you understood his busy schedule.   You turned on the kettle to make some tea, prepping things for tea. You realized you actually pulled out two mugs and spoons as you normally would when making tea for you and Harry. You wiped a small tear away putting the other mug and spoon away again. You poured the steamy water into your mug with your preferred tea, and walked back into the living room. Sitting on the couch again with Mouse finding her way back to your side purring. You sipped on your warm tea feeling it warm you up.

You ended up falling asleep on the couch for a few hours, waking up to the sound of your laptop beeping at you. It was a Skype call.  ‘Sweet creature is requesting a video call’. You sat up and answered the call to see Harry in his car smiling at you.  “Hey Babe” he said adjusting the laptop on the dashboard of his car. He looked beautiful, the light on his face was pale and bright. He had his nails painted black and his favourite black sunglasses on his head. Hair tousled around the frames, light stubble on his jaw and upper lip, which you found absolutely attractive on him. He smiled at you admiring him through the screen. "Hello??? Y/n? Anyone home? " He said chuckling as you hadn't answered him yet .

You shook your head focusing on the conversation now. “Yes, I’m here sorry, got a little distracted. How are things going babe?” you say. He chuckles knowing his effect on you “Things are going amazing actually.” Harry says scratching his jaw.  Mouse hears his voice and meows, you show her Harry on the computer. “Look who misses you babes” you say, “Hi Mousey” he says using her nickname she meows. You giggle positioning the computer again so he can see you he smiles, “I miss my girls, I-“he gets cut off by his phone ringing “One sec babe” he says answering it.  He’s on the phone for about a minute before hanging up the phone. “I’m really sorry babe I have to go do something” he says with a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay , I’ll see you later this week, I’m going to probably order some pizza then watch a movie with Mousey then go to bed” you say a little upset but trying not to show it.  “Alright I love you, bye” he says ending the call. 

You hadn't seen Harry in a month, you missed him so much. You missed the way he would pull you closer to cuddle in bed, resting his head in your shoulder. You missed his scent a light mint and vanilla smell, was his favourite cologne. You would spray it on your favourite sweater which was actually Harry's but he didn't mind you wearing it. You missed the way he would make you laugh. When he's gone the house felt empty, no laughter, no romance, no Harry. You loved him so much. Thinking about him was all you did.

You sat there in that thought for about 20 minutes, until the doorbell rang.  You thought ‘did I already order the pizza?’  Pulling out your wallet you walked to the door, digging in your wallet for cash you opened the door without looking. Then you looked up and saw Harry there in a dark grey sparkly Gucci suit with a black dress shirt, the first few buttons undone showing the edges of his chest tattoos. He was a holding a bouquet of light pink and coral roses, and a large black box. Smiling at you “Surprise Y\N”.  You almost fainted seeing him, instead you wrapped your arms around his neck, also wrapping your legs around his waist kissing him.  “I thought you were going to be back next week? “ You asked tearing up a bit. “Change of plans, things got done a lot faster than I thought. So I get to come home.” He says. “Oh Harry I missed you so much” You say hugging him tight. He puts you down and walks into the house, He hands you the box and sets the roses on the table.  “Go put that on we have reservations for dinner” he said pushing you upstairs to the bedroom, he walks downstairs to put the roses into some water.

You open the box, it’s a dress. A dark grey long dress, the same color as his suit.  It has a sweetheart neckline with small black gemstones across the top. You quickly styled your hair into a sweet up do with little hairs hanging out. Light amount of makeup, and some black strappy heels.  You admired yourself in the mirror, the dress hugged all of your curves before flaring out below the knee. It made you feel like a goddess.

You walked down the stairs to see Harry’s back facing you, kneeled down petting Mouse. She meows looking at you, Harry turns to see you before saying. “For the first time in my life I know the difference between pretty and beautiful” you blush and he leads you outside towards a black sparkly limo. Harry greets the driver "Hello Altman ", "Hello Mr.Styles, and hello to your lovely lady" the driver says shaking your hand. He opens the limo door helping you in. Harry joins you in the limo after telling the driver where to go.

After driving for a while the limo stops in front of a small looking building, it had slate stone walls and large windows, it looked dark inside with very little light. Altman opens the door helping you out with Harry behind you. The restaurant had the name on a sign near the doors, the sign said Buried Beneath. Harry held the door open for you as you walked in like the gentleman he is. The entry room was small you wonderd how this was a resturant . Walking to the small check in table there was a tall very thin man with thin rimmed black glasses. "Welcome to Buried Beneath, what is your code word? " the man asked. You were confused, Harry simply said "Eroda ". The man nodded typing into the tablet " Mr.Styles?" Harry nodded " Right this way" the man lead you two down a short hallway to some stairs going down. Harry helped you down the stairs until you entered an area. A short thin woman around maybe 40 years old leads you two into the dining area.

The dining area was dark with beautiful high ceilings and red lights, dark furniture and decorations. It was a bit overwhelming, Harry saw that you were a bit nervous so he put an arm around your waist comforting you. You could smell the familiar cologne on him, you relaxed as the woman brought you to your table it was in the back of the room a more private section. Harry pulled out your chair letting you sit before he did. A waiter came for your drink orders, Harry orders a bottle of their house wine for you to share. You shared a platter of seafood and salads. (Or whatever you like to eat) Everything tasted incredible, the wine was rich in flavor. Harry was telling you about what he was working on for his new album. About the word Eroda and what it meant, he told you there was a song to go with it and that it was going to be released in a few days for the fans.

After the meal was finished Harry paid the bill with a very generous tip, he also purchased 3 bottles of the red wine. He really enjoyed it. You left the restaurant Harry helped you into to limo again. It was dark out now with thousands of stars in the sky, it gave you butterflies in your stomach. You returned home and Harry led you to he bathroom helping you out of your dress placing it on the dresser along with your shoes. He started to run a bath with candles burning and bubble bath. You stood naked in front of him, he admired your figure tracing your collarbones tracing up to your jaw. Lifting your chin to kiss him, it was a long passionate kiss.

Harry then stripped naked and climbed into the large steamy bath with You laying on his chest. You traced your fingers under the water against his lower abdomen vines tattoos. He chuckles " I adore you Y/N" he says "what?" You say as Harry grabs a small remote. He pushes on of the buttons at the small stereo speaker you had in the bathroom. A soft pop beat comes out a song you've never heard before.

Harry starts singing :

Walk in your rainbow paradise

Strawberry lipstick state of mind

I get so lost inside your eyes

Would you believe it?

You don't have to say you love me

You don't have to say nothing

You don't have to say you're mine

Honey

I'd walk through fire for you

Just let me adore you

Oh honey

I'd walk through fire for you

Just let me adore you

Like it's the only thing I'll ever do

Like it's the only thing I'll ever do

You look as his lips as he sings, like an angel the words effortlessly pour out of mouth. Every now and again he would gently give your side's a squeeze. He truly loved you through and through, and you knew it. When he finished singing, he wiped a small tear from your face. "What do you think?" He asks blushing. You got up so you were now straddling him " Harry that was beautiful, the fans will love It, I love you Harry " your about to kiss him when he stops you. He reaches out of the bath into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small ring box and places it on the ledge of the bath.

" Y/N , we've been together for 4 years and I've loved every minute of it. Your incredibly important to me. Your beauty is undeniable, your personality is flawless. Every time I look at you my heart beats faster. I can't explain your love, it's better than words. And if you love me as much as I love you I hope you will say yes." He opens the box to show a decent sized diamond engagement ring. " Y/N would your marry Me?" He asks holding the box in front of you "Yes I will Harry!" You say as he pulls you in for an even more passionate kiss than before.

You spend the evening cuddled on the couch with Mouse in your lap, underneath the cream crochet blanket. Harry by your side from now till forever.

This was fun. Let me know if you enjoyed it! ❤️-Briana

[ltjlily17]

Its hard to dance with the devil on your back

Was it a boy or a girl to text you last ? It was my husband. He was responding to a meme I sent him about Napoleons penis.

Name something you are doing tomorrow? Feeding the baby.

Do you sleep on your stomach? I used to. I wish I still could. Like my body wants to roll on my stomach, but it hurts my back and pelvis when I do it. I’m hoping that will change eventually.  

Where are you going to be at 4pm tomorrow? No idea. Probably hanging out on the couch.

Last time you saw fireworks, with whom & where? All the 4th of July celebrations were canceled around here this year, so people just bought fireworks and lit them off at their houses. For months, ha ha.  

Are you missing someone? Nah.  

Do you like horror or comedy? Both.

Who did you last share a taxi with? The first time I went to New York was before Uber existed, so we used taxis. It was my roommate, Lori

Dogs or cats? Both are pretty cool. 

What were you doing at 12 this afternoon? Sleeping. I sleep from 8a to 1pm these days. Completely normal, I know.

Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now? Yep.

What’s your favorite season? Fall. Although the fall is getting less and less fally here every year.  

When’s the last time you did something you knew was wrong? I’ve been taking what I assume are hospital bills and just putting them in a pile to be dealt with later. Dealing with all of that is just insane. I actually got a phone call the other day and the lady ledt me a voicemail saying I needed to call and make a payment plan to pay my $105,000 balance and I just don’t know how someone could even leave a voicemail like that. 

Do you hate being alone? Nah. I’m actually pretty good with whatever circumstances. I have a limit to maybe being too alone, but mostly I’m good.

Is there a girl that knows everything or mostly everything about you? Close-ish. I’ve had the same best friend for like 20 years.

What about a guy? The husband.

What color shirt are you wearing? Plain black. Second shirt of the day, first one was vomited on. 

What are you listening to right now? Spotify Daily Mix 1. Husband banging things around in the kitchen trying to cook, ha.  

If you won a lot of money on the lottery, what would you buy first? Hmmm, no idea. Maybe bedroom furniture? We painted and pulled up the carpet to reveal the hardwoods and got a new ceiling fan, but I still have the same dressers and nightstands that I had when I was 15 and I’m, just, tired of them. They’re in great shape but man, 21 years is a long time to look at the same dresser ha ha.

What was the last thing you bought? Target order online. The baby is on special preemie formula and we can only reliably get it at Target. 

What’s your greatest fear in life? Death.

Who was the last person to see you cry? Husband. The aftermath of having a baby and then just coping with life caused a lot of tears. Also, lack of sleep. 

Who was the last person you hugged? My husband. Hugging other people is still frowned upon due to the pandemic. 

Do you think you would be a good parent? Ha ha, hopefully, its a little too late to go back now. 

When was the last time you cried? I need one of those workplace accident style signs for this. 3 days since the last sobbing. 

Who was driving the last time you were in a car? I was. I dropped off some paperwork to a mailbox to get out of the house the other day. 

Does any part of your body hurt right now? My tailbone hurts when I’m sitting like all the time these days and I don’t know why or what to do about it. 

Who was the last person that text you and what did it say? I was chatting with a friend about one of my house plants earlier. A bunch of them were neglected when the baby and I were in the hospital for two months and I’m trying to nurse one back to life. 

What was the first thing you thought this morning? When my husbands alarm went off at 8, I thought oh good, I can finally sleep. 

How many times do you talk on the phone a day on average? Zed. 

Do you like your bed? No. I fucking hate it. The blankets and whatnot are great and we got one of those adjustible bases so we can sit up and read and stuff but our mattress is just so awful. My husband for some reason convinced himself he wanted a firm mattress- spoiler alert, he didn’t- and we ended up with this compromise memory foam thing that is so hot and uncomfortable. If it wasn’t so exensive I would’ve set it on fire by now.

Hey, that’s what I’ll do with my lottery winnings from above- new mattress.

Do you like your life? Zoomed out, yes. Day to day, questionable.  

When did you last talk to your brother or sister? I have neither. But I do have two friends that might as well be sisters and I’ve talked to one today and the other last night.

Do you ever wanna know who you are going to marry? I do know. Why did we have to spoil the surprise? Ha ha.  

How much cash do you have on you? Zed. There are some dollar coins in my wallet from having to put a $20 in a vending machine a couple of months ago.

Who are the 3rd and 7th texts in your phone from? One is some automated system thing from the vet I take the dog to that I never even opted in on, and the other is me sending my husband a door code that our contractor gave him over the phone so he wouldn’t forget. 

Are you tanned? Nope. Rarely am. This summer it was over 90 degrees and I was pregnant, so I didn’t spend a lot of time outside. 

Are you upset with anyone? Nah.

Did you get any compliments today? Ha ha, no. I only saw my husband and the baby.  

Have you ever gone to court? Once, because I got 3 speeding tickets within 6 months when I was 19.

Do you get jealous easily? I’m like low level jealous sometimes, but not like seething with it.

How good is your eyesight? I can see perfectly for about 14 inches. 

Would you ever want to swim with the sharks? Sure. I did this snorkel/scuba thing in St. Kitts and there were wild Manta Rays swimming around/below us and it was amazing.

What time did you wake up this morning? I was up pretty much all night and then went to sleep at like 9am and got up around 1pm. 

What are you doing Saturday? Same thing I do everyday. Being pregnant/having a newborn in quarantine is even more isolating than I thought it would be. We can’t have any one over to even give us a half hour to be human again.  

What is in your back pocket? I am wearing fuzzy penguin pj pants and they have no pockets unfortunately. 

What were you doing at 3am this morning? Reading. I’m on my 4th book this week. I finished two and got halfway through the third and just decided it was awful and to call it.  

If people see this- book recommendations please! I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction, but like most everything but smutty romance and fantasy. I’m also not reading scary stuff right now because I’m doing all my reading at like 4am and I don’t need to spook myself, ha.

What do you usually do first in the morning? Hope for more time to sleep.

What color is your room? Darkish green.

Are you any good at math? I am. I don’t particularaly like it but I can do a really good amount of math in my head easily.  

Any plans for Friday night? Pretending that weekends have any meaning to me whatsoever any more.

What did you do last weekend? Fed the baby. Ate some food. Didn’t really sleep. I think last weekend is when I finished putting most of the nursery together.  

Do you have a little crush on someone? Nope.  

How old is the last person you kissed? 35. 

Why did you last cry? Exhaustion. Change. Feeling like my body isn’t my own. 

Why did you kiss the person you last kissed? Unsure, other than like, we love each other and stuff.  

What's his name? Steven.  

How has this week been? Tiring.

[lunasxsol]

Despair

Bill Skarsgard x reader

Word Count: 1809

Trigger Warning: depression, self-despair?

A/N: This isn’t something I would usually write but this is how I’ve been feeling and I needed some sort of way to vent so here’s this... So if anyone else is feeling like this or just wants to vent please know that I am here and my inbox is open to anyone!

\\

Bill brought the last boxes of Y/N's stuff into his house. Bill had asked her to move in with him over a week ago, which she gladly said yes to.

"That's the last of the stuff." He set the boxes down, he walked over to her taking her hand in his and walking her to their bedroom. He motioned to the half-empty closet. "This is your side."

Y/N couldn't help but smile up at him. "Babe this closet is huge, I didn't need half."

"You're right, with all those boxes you might as well take the whole thing." She lightly shoved him. "Hey, couples do this all the time."

She shook her head before taking a step towards the huge bed that sat in the middle of the room. "Which is your side?"

"Bed is way too big to have a side. I usually take the middle." Thor jumped onto the bed laying right where Bill pointed to, "Guess not anymore." They both laughed as Thor snuggled onto Bills pillow.

\\

Everything was going well. Y/N had finally situated herself into the house. Y/N and Bill were living happily, it was almost perfect until that week, that dreadful week. He wasn't sure how to get around that.

Day 1

It was the night that they both had off, Bill decided to take Y/N to her favourite museum, then he took her to the new italian restaurant that she had been dying to try. He had noticed her mood was slowly changing that night. She went from being completely giggly and happy to tired and drained. He decided to end the night thinking maybe her period was around the corner.

The car ride home was quiet only the soft music from the radio could be heard. Bill put his car in park but before he could even shut his engine Y/N sprinted out of there. He locked his car and headed after her, but she had already locked herself in the bathroom. He waited on the bed with Thor, her dog.

After a good 20 minutes she emerged from the restroom fully changed into some comfy clothes and her makeup was washed off. "You okay?"

"Mhm just tired." She muttered tucking herself in bed, Thor left his side and cuddled up to Y/N. Bill stood up and gave Y/N a kiss on her forehead. "I love you." She stayed quiet, he didn't say anything after that, he just took his laptop and headed to the living room.

\\

Day 2 [silence]

Bill woke up early that morning, he had an interview. The time was now 6:49 and Y/N still wasn't up, he walked over to her and lightly shook her awake. "Babe it's late." She just stared at him with a blank stare. "Y/N?"

"I don't feel good."

He placed his hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever. "You gonna call your boss?" She shook her head. "I'll send him a text for you." She turned away from him and curled into her blankets more.

\\

When he made it back home he couldn't help but notice how quiet the house was. He made his way into their bedroom, there she laid cuddled with Thor as the tv silently played in the background. It was evident she wasn't paying any attention to it. "I'm back." Silence. "Have you ate anything?"

"M'not hungry."

"Y/N/N you have to eat something. It's almost seven." He motioned to his phone. "I'm gonna order some pizza, yeah?" She laid there not saying a word. He sighed in defeat, he made a quick call to their favorite pizza place.

He brought a plate over to her, "Here I have some work to finish." She didn't take it instead he set the plate on the nightstand hoping she would at least take a bite.

Y/N saw as Bill walked away for the eigth time that day. Her heart feeling much heavier now but she just couldn't bring herself to talk. So instead she laid there, blankly staring at the tv, just letting it play a random tv show.

\\

Day 3 [Anger]

Bill slowly opened his eyes letting them adjust to the morning light. He turned to look at Y/N but only found her side of the bed empty. He sprinted off the bed, "Y/N?" He heard clashing of dishes from downstairs. He ran down to see what she was doing this early in the morning.

She sat at the kitchen bar, a broken mug by her side. "Whats going on?"

"I can't get this fucking tea to taste right. "I can't balance out the fucking sweetness." She stirred the spoon in the other mug she had in her hands, she took a sip scrunching her face in disgust. She took the mug and set it down a little harshly into the sink causing it to shatter.

"Y/N, stop, I'll make you one just take a seat." She laughed, almost sounding maniacal. "You? You balance out my tea? You can't even balance out your work and your personal life, what makes you think you can balance out tea." She laughed at him, walking into her room and slamming the door shut.

Bill stayed in the kitchen to clean up her mess. He figured out why she had been acting out of the ordinary. She was having an episode, he wondered how long those lasted. He sent a quick text to Sebastian, Y/N's brother.

Ring. Ring.

Hey.

Is she having an episode?

I think so? Yesterday she was being super quiet and only uttered a word to me, didn't want to eat or anything. And not even 10 minutes ago she went off on me because she couldn't get the sweetness of her tea to balance out. She broke two mugs.

Just make sure to stay with her at ALL times. I'll be there in 10.

He was hesitant to open the door. He was scared of what she might say next or what she might do next. He sighed opening the door to their room, he found her laying on motionless on the bed with Thor by her side. Too afraid to how she would react if he sat next to her, he took a seat on the other side. They both sat in the room in pure silence, well until Sebastian called to tell him he was outside.

Bill went to open the door for him. "Hey."

"How is she doing?"

He closed the door behind Sebastian, "She calmed down I guess, she's in the room."

Sebastian motioned upstairs. "You mind?"

Bill shook head, "Nah man go ahead."

After about an hour Sebastian had emergered from their room upstairs. "Is she okay?"

"I calmed her down as much as possible. I gave her, her meds." He handed Bill the two orange bottles. "Make sure she takes these every four hours." Bill nodded taking the bottles, "Look man after this episode goes away you have to be there to reassure her. She told me she said some nasty things but its not her talking. You just have to understand. It can be frustrating but you just have to be there. And if this is too much for you then I suggest you start looking elsewhere because this is something she just has. Something that will pop up unexpectedly."

"If you need anything please don't hesitate to call me." Bill shut the front door and made his way to his bedroom. He could hear her soft snores from the door, he swept her hair away from her face giving her forehead a lingering kiss. "I love you Y/N. I hope you know that."

\\

Day 4 [Despair]

Today Y/N had woken up in a better mood than before. Bill sat on the edge of the bed talking softly to someone on the phone. He saw that she was finally awake, he quickly said goodbye to his brother and turned to her. "Morning."

She gave him a half smile, "Who was that?"

"Alex. He is hosting a dinner at his house for Valters birthday. He was asking if we were going but I figured we can stay in and watch a movie."

"You should go."

Bill shook his head, "I'll send him a gift."

"We should go," She got up from the bed, "I need to get out of this place anyways."

"You sure?"

She nodded, "Yes lets get ready so we can help set up." She grabbed her towel and headed to the shower. Bill thought that maybe the episode was finally over. He called Alex to let him know that they were going and if they needed anything. Alex sent him a small list of things he needed. Bill grabbed his wallet and headed to the store to grab the things for the dinner.

Y/N got out of the shower, she rolled her hair up in a towel to help it dry a bit. She went into her closet beginning to rummage through it to find a nice outfit. She tried on her entire closet before she found something she liked. It took her an hour and a half. Within that time Bill made it back home. He found her sitting on her vanity while her entire closet laid on the floor.

"She was wiping away at her face leaving it red. "I-I, This fucking thing just isn't working."

"What isn't working?"

"This fucking makeup, it's just not applying as it should. A-And this stupid outfit looks fucking hideous." She was in tears, "And this," she motioned between them. "isn't working either. I-I feel like I can't think straight and these emotions are getting so overwhelming." She pulled at her hair in frustration. "It gives me headache after headache and then I see you walk away each time a-"

Bill pulled her into a bear hug, he laid them both down onto the bed. He let her vent about how she had been feeling. Once he managed to calm her down he spoke up, "I'm here Y/N. I'm here and you can talk to me about how you're feeling. How all these emotions get overwhelming. You can vent to me about anything, anything at all. I promise to you I will always listen. I know how difficult these episodes can be but I want you to know that you are never alone, I will always be here for you because I love you, Y/N L/N."

"What if we stay in today hmm?" She nodded, "Lets go take a warm bath instead, yeah?" He pulled her towards the restroom, she got undressed as he drew the bath, he filled the tub with warm water and lavender scented bath bomb. He dimmed the lights and undressed himself. He got into the tub and sat in the warm water. Y/N got in after him taking a seat inbetween his legs, he wrapped his arms around her as she silently cried. "I love you." She whispered to him, he kissed her temple, "I love you too."