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feathersandfoxtails · 3 years ago

Text

Lost

Pairing: Piraguero/Reader Rating: Explicit (NO MINORS) Warnings: sexy sex, swearing, temperature play, strangers

Words: 3.6K

Summary: On a sweltering NYC day, a piragua seller offers to cool you down, but things heat up instead.

[hi I'm reposting my AO3 fic!]

“Are you lost, Babygirl?”

You aren’t, but in that moment you decide to be.

“A little,” you say.

He lowers his book and eyes you up and down over his reading glasses. “Well, I can help you out.” A half smile crosses his lips and you already know it’s going to be an interesting afternoon.

The piragüero tucks his book into the green cart next to him. Though the air is sweltering, the street is fairly vacant and you wonder why he’s on this corner instead of near one of the many parks in the neighborhood—certainly he’d get more business there.

After he hikes up his cargo shorts, he removes his reading glasses. Held by the neck strap, they fall against his blue striped shirt. “So, where is a pretty girl like you heading today?”

His brown eyes hold you in place for a moment before you respond. “Just trying to stay cool; my office is on the top floor and I just couldn’t stay there any longer.”

He nods. “Que calor. This will help for now, at least.” He starts shaving ice on top of the cart. You watch the muscles in his upper arms flex as he moves and feel new parts of you heating up.

As he puts the shaved ice into a cup, he flashes that playful half smile at you again. “Now, what flavor?”

You raise one eyebrow. “You tell me.”

His eyebrow matches yours. “Hmm… coco, perhaps? Or guava for a sweet girl?” He places a hand on his fanny pack as he peruses his flavor bottles. “Maybe you’re a little tamarindo or limón? Wait… I know…” He reaches for a far bottle. “Parcha.” He pours the syrup from a height you think it impossible for him not to spill everywhere, but every drop lands in the cup.

When he holds out the cup to you, you let your fingers rest around his. His hand stays there as you stare at each other. You say, “My Spanish isn’t great; what’s parcha?”

He licks his lips and lets go of the cup. “Taste it first.”

You bring the pyramid shaped treat near your mouth and slowly let your tongue touch it. Then you put the tip into your lips and suck, all while holding the piragüero’s gaze. As he watches you, his lips are slightly parted and you can hear his breathing speed up. When the syrup meets your taste buds, it’s a delightful mix of sweet and tangy. You close your eyes a moment to savor it, the slightest moan coming from you.

“Passion fruit,” he whispers.

“Just what I needed today.” You take another mouthful.

“I’m good at my job, Babygirl.” He takes a step towards you. “And many other things.”

As you slowly eat your piragua, he leans back and watches you. Just as you let him take in the sight of you, you let your eyes roam over him. You have a thing for dad bods.

“Cooling down now?” he asks as you finish.

“Hmm…. Only a little.”

His eyes follow as a drop of sweat meanders down from your temple to your jaw line. Then he turns and scrapes a little ice from the large block. “Turn around.”

You have no idea what he’s up to, but you obey. After a few seconds you feel a shock of cold on the back of your neck and gasp. He’s holding a handful of ice against you; it quickly starts melting against your skin.

“How about now?” he whispers into your ear.

“Mmm… better.” As the last of the ice melts, he gently swirls the water around the tops of your shoulders, your spaghetti straps soaked now.

When he steps away you turn to him. “You know what I really need? To get out of this sun for a few minutes.”

“Once again, I am here to fulfill your wishes.” He throws a towel over his shoulder and turns his cart around. “Follow me.”

As he pushes the cart down the sidewalk, you walk behind him so you can witness the swaying of his hips as he moves. He keeps looking back at you with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

In a few blocks he stops near an apartment building. “Wait here,” he says and then disappears around the corner with his cart. He quickly returns without it and unlocks the front door, gesturing for you to enter first.

You step into the entryway and wait for him to open the inner door. He sidles up next to you and grins, so you hook your fingers into the belt loops of his shorts and slowly pull him towards you. “Is your apartment air conditioned?”

“No, but I have other ways to cool down.” He lets the tip of his nose touch yours and you part your lips, waiting for a kiss. Instead, he frustratingly pulls away and unlocks the door. Once again he stretches out his hand, gesturing for you to go in first. As you walk past him you spin and grab his hand, pulling him inside. Your hips bump together and he immediately moves his other hand to your waist. Following his lead, you move into a few salsa steps.

“You dance well.” He pushes you away into a spin, then brings you quickly back to him. You fall against his chest, nose to nose again.

“With the right partner I do everything well, “ you say, letting your hand come to his face, slowly raking your fingers through his beard.

“I’m sure you do,” he growls.

“But right now I am so very… hot.”

“I’ll take care of you, Babygirl.” He takes your hand and leads you to the stairs. After two flights he turns a corner and unlocks an apartment door, pulling you in after him.

He closes the door and all you want him to do is grab you and kiss you, but he removes his hat and then leans back against the door instead. You wait and he leers at your body. Enjoying the attention, you rub the sides of your neck. “It’s even hotter up here.”

He nods. “Bedroom is behind you. Go lie down.”

His commanding tone is making you wetter and you turn around, shaking your ass a little for him as you walk to the bedroom. You wonder if he wants you to remove your clothes, but the thought of him tearing them off you is too enticing. So you only remove your sandals and lie on your back on top of the sheets.

From the direction you came from you can hear him rummaging around. You lift your head and try to peer out, but then you hear the fridge door slam and his footsteps come your way. You lie your head back down, stare at the ceiling, and wait.

You hear him stop in the doorway. “Close your eyes,” he instructs. You do, and he enters the room. Listening, you hear him cross to the other side of the bed and set something down. The bed shifts as he lets his weight onto it. You’re holding your breath.

You feel his fingers near your waistband, then he slowly lifts the hem of your shirt up, stopping just below your breasts. He trails a fingertip down your middle, stopping below your navel. “Mmmm…. Your skin feels on fire, Babygirl.”

Removing his finger, you hear him grab something beside him. Suddenly you feel something frozen on your belly and gasp, your eyelids popping open. Letting out a breathy laugh, he lets the ice cube swirl around on your stomach. His gaze alternates from the ice to your face. “How does that feel?”

“Cold!”

That laugh again. “Better than hot?” He looks down at your navel, where melted ice has pooled. He lowers his face and rests his lips around your belly button, slowly sucking up the water. Then his tongue makes slow circles around it and you let out a moan. Putting the ice cube between his lips, he grabs your sides and lets the ice glide around your middle. Eventually he swings a leg over and hovers above you.

He lifts his head and looks at you, the ice gone now. Happy you wore a cute bra today, you start pulling your tank top further up. He reaches up and helps you lift it over your head, tossing it on the floor. Then you sit up just enough to reach behind and unhook your bra. When you lie back down he puts his hands on your forearms to stop you from moving your bra off of you. You like the pressure of his arms on you and are delighted when he finally sits, letting his weight rest on your thighs. He’s pinning you down and you just stare up at him with the sexiest bedroom eyes you can manage.

Finally he moves his hands to the edges of your bra and gently removes it, revealing your breasts. He lets the bra slide to the floor and a small sounds escapes from him as he stares at your chest. “Preciosa,” he whispers.

He brings his hand up to touch you, but stops just shy of your skin, his hand hovering in the air. Instead, he reaches over and grabs another ice cube from the container on the nightstand. You gasp again when he brings it to your nipple, the skin instantly hardening. After swirling the ice for a few seconds, he removes it and replaces it with his mouth. As he sucks your nipple, the warmth from his mouth mingles with the chill left from the ice. The sensation is almost overwhelming and you squirm beneath him. He brings the ice to your other nipple and then sucks that one. As he does, you increase your squirming, trying to get the right angle to rub against his bulge with your hips. When you find it, he releases your nipple and moans, letting his forehead fall between your breasts. Both of his hands cup your tits and gently knead them while you continue grinding against him.

Abruptly he shifts his weight, unable to take it any longer, and moves his hands down your body until he finds the waistband of your shorts. He pulls them down roughly and you lift your hips to assist. He kisses you just above your panty line, which makes you shiver. Slightly less roughly now, he peels your underwear from you. Kneeling near your ankles, he stares at you and you are keenly aware of how naked you are and how fully clothed he still is. He seems to realize this, too, and slowly undoes the second button on his shirt. He grins at you.

“Not fair,” you say.

“I never said I was gonna be fair.” He pauses. “But I’ll give you a little more, because you look so damn good right now.” You smile as he removes the blue shirt. His white tank top underneath is sweat splotched and you stretch your hands towards it. He grabs your wrists. “Not yet.”

“But you must be so warm in those clothes…”

He chuckles. “Soon, Babygirl.” He lifts one of your hands to his mouth and kisses your palm. Then he lets his tongue trace your arm to your shoulder, leaning over you again. As he kisses your neck, you moan, his hands still encasing your wrists. You turn your head towards him, longing for his mouth on yours, but he pulls away. You let out a sound of frustration and in response he lifts your arms above your head, holding your wrists against the bed with one hand. “Paciencia…” he chides.

Still holding you down, he takes out another ice cube. He follows the line of your collarbone with it, then up your neck and along your jaw line. It feels amazing on your still burning skin. Eventually he lets it touch your lips and you part them, holding the now small cube in place. He releases your wrists and finally your mouths come together. First he pushes the ice inside your mouth and your tongues dance together around the cube. You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him close. You pass the ice back and forth until it completely melts.

When it’s gone you move your hands along his arms, relishing the feel of his biceps. Slipping your hands under the front of his tank top, you run your fingers down the small line of hair you find there. Then up again, finding his chest. You push the fabric up and gently bite one of his dark nipples. Hearing him inhale sharply, you make circles with your tongue around it before moving to the other one and doing the same thing. When you stop he removes his tank top. You savor the view of his caramel skin, letting your hands roam his chest and stomach. A low hum comes out of him as you do, his eyes closed.

You go for his mouth again, urgently pressing against him. He kisses you back with the same energy, his hands finding your breasts. After a minute one of his hands snakes down your middle until it finds your most sensitive spot. You moan as he just gently circles it, then moves to find your folds.

“Damn, Babygirl—are you so wet for me?”

“Yes, Papi.”

His fingers are already slick with you as he gently explores. After giving you a long kiss, he pulls back and takes another cube in his other hand. He moves down so his face is finally near your pussy. He opens your folds slightly and touches the ice against your clit. Your gasp stutters this time and you clench the sheet with both fists. So softly he rocks the cube against your nub for a bit. When he removes it he immediately replaces it with his tongue and presses harder. Your mouth agape, you make animal noises as he alternates licking and sucking. Then the ice returns and the varying temperatures make your nerve endings go wild. He keeps the ice on you until it melts away, then uses his mouth again.

With his face still between your legs, he blindly reaches for the ice bucket. His hand dips into it and he holds it there for as long as he can stand to. Then two of his wet fingers enter you smoothly. Again the coldness is a shock to your system, especially inside of you now. But the shock is also a pleasure and you rock against his fingers. Still licking your clit, he matches your tempo and slides his fingers in and out of you.

He removes his fingers and dips them in the bucket again. While he lets them sit in there, he rubs his other thumb against you. When he can’t hold his fingers in the freezing water any longer, he pushes them inside you once more. The cold is delightful. He curls his fingers, petting the roof of your cavern. You feel yourself already reaching your crest and start panting.

“Are you going to come for me, Babygirl?”

“Yes… yes…”

“Call me ‘Papi’ again.”

“Yes, Papi! Don’t stop…”

He increases his speed a little and reaches up to your breast with his opposite hand, squeezing your hard nipple.

You tip over the edge and arch your back. “Papi… yes!” Waves of pleasure roll through you and you lose all sense of time and place. As you come down, his fingers slide out of you. You open your eyes to find his, which are filled with hunger.

You sit up and reach for the buttons on his shorts. “Take these off,” you tell him.

He grabs your wrists. “I’m the one who gives the orders.”

You let out a breath of irritation and glare at him.

Still holding your wrists, he pulls you to the edge of the bed. “Kneel.” You slide off the bed and go to your knees, thankful for the rug underneath. As he looks down at you while sitting on the edge of the bed, he leisurely unbuttons his shorts and brings down his zipper.

You ask, “Can I help you take them off?”

He nods and you grip the shorts cuffs and pull down. You can clearly see his dick outlined in his boxer briefs and your mouth waters.

“Are you ready for my cock?”

“Yes, Papi.”

He hooks his thumbs into the waistband and pulls his underwear down, his hard cock popping out. As he finishes getting his underwear off his ankles, you reach up and grab an ice cube without him noticing. As he sits fully again, you gingerly wrap your hand around his shaft. He hums again and closes his eyes.

That’s when you bring the ice to the underside of his member. With a gasp he lifts his hips off the bed, but you lean forward and take his tip in your mouth to keep him in place. As he settles you lightly run the ice along his shaft, your tongue twirling around his tip the entire time.

He shivers and moans, “Oh, fuck…”

When the ice has melted a little, you put it in your mouth. Then you wrap your lips around his cock. Taking your time, you move up and down his length, your tongue weaving around it. The ice moves around your mouth, quickly melting away.

His breath is heavy now and he brings a hand to the back of your head, guiding your speed. He lets out a long moan and you can’t help bringing your hand to your clit and rubbing yourself.

Abruptly he pulls out of your mouth and grabs your arms, sloppily pulling you onto his lap so your legs are wrapped around him. He kisses you hungrily and you tangle your fingers into his black hair. His cock is under your folds and you gently move your hips so you can rub against it. He grabs your ass and helps you glide against him.

You break your lips from his and go for his earlobe, nipping and sucking at it. He growls low in response. Then you whisper, “Fuck me, Papi. Please.”

In an instant his hand moves to his cock so he can position it. You lean back as he guides it inside you. When you sit back up completely, he fills you, every part of you craving him. You seize his shoulders and pitch your hips into his. The two of you find a slow rhythm at first and your forehead falls against his.

He pulls you tight against him and kisses you softly. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”

You kiss him back, wanting your tongue inside his mouth while his cock moves inside you. Gradually you both increase your speed and you can feel the heat rising through your insides, getting ready to erupt again.

Then he stops and pulls out of you. You whimper, but he says, “Shhh… turn over.” So you go on all fours, lifting your ass in the air, begging for him to enter you again. He does, ever so slowly. As he moves in and out of you, you arch your back and put your chin in the air, moaning.

You hear him grab from the ice bucket again. Expecting it this time, the cold on your back feels exquisite. He runs the ice up and down your spine slowly while still moving inside you. When most of the ice is melted, he leans forward and licks the water from your skin. Then one of his hands finds your clit and taps out a quick rhythm against it. You move your hips faster into him, the triple sensations of his cock, hand, and tongue almost too much too handle. You almost scream when you come and you can’t hold yourself up any longer, your front half falling onto the bed. But he keeps your back half lifted up as he pounds harder, seconds behind you in his own waves of pleasure. You’re elated at the noises coming out of him as he empties himself into you.

After a few final thrusts, he collapses next to you, pulling you with him. He wraps his arms and legs around you as if to keep you in bed with him forever. And you’d like nothing more in this moment. After a few minutes, he shifts away from you to grab some tissues from the nightstand. As he wipes himself, you stand up and search for your clothes. He’s sitting up and staring at you, so you give him one last look at your ass as you bend over to pick up your underwear from the floor, pausing at the bottom. When you straighten, you peek over your shoulder and relish the stupid grin on his face.

“This not at all how I expected to spend my afternoon,” you tell him.

“Me, either.”

“We should do this again sometime,” you say as you step into your underwear.

He stands. “I have to tell you… I’m married.”

You don’t turn around. “Is that so?”

“Yes, and she is the most amazing and sexy woman on the planet.” He brings his hands around your waist.

“I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Just you, mi amor.” Your husband kisses the back of your neck and you snuggle against him.

“Hmmm…. I’ll have to skip out of work more often.”

“Anytime, Babygirl. Anytime. You know where to find me.”

#fanfiction #in the heights #piraguero #piragua guy #reader insert #fic #in the heights fic #lin-manuel miranda #piraguero x reader #piragua guy x reader #piraguero x you #piragua guy x you #fanfic

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demisexualemmaswan · 4 years ago

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till the summer comes again

Summary: “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.”- Lewis Carroll Emma has been dating Killian for two years, and since then their family unit has only gotten closer. But that could change with the arrival of Eloise Gardner, Killian’s ex. Oh, and has Emma mentioned she’s pregnant? Not exactly. A sequel to six impossible things before breakfast.

[Read on Ao3] A/N: It is 10:40pmEST on my posting date for @csjanuaryjoy and here I am getting this right under the wire. I did not intend to be posting this late, nor did I necessarily intend to write a sequel for a fic that I wrote two years ago and quite frankly had no intention of continuing. But here we are. At any rate: enjoy this CS January Joy fic! --

Pregnant.

Emma stared at it for what felt like a minute, and then looked at the other one just to be sure.

Pregnant.

And then she picked up the third one just to be safe.

Pregnant.

A veritable tempest of very conflicting emotions all swirled within her. Joy. Excitement. Nervousness. Dread. Fear.

She nearly grabbed her phone to text Killian to tell him right away, but a wave of nausea was stronger than all of it and she put her head in the toilet. “Seriously?” she complained, her hand curling protectively over her stomach. “Your brother Henry wasn’t like this, you know,” she admonished softly.

“Emma?” A hesitant knock sounded at the door, and the timid voice of Alice, Killian’s daughter, wafted in gently. “Emma, are you sure you’re okay? I’m sure Papa wouldn’t mind just bringing some Granny’s home if you wanted to stay in. I could make you some tea while we wait.”

Emma closed her eyes and considered her options as she kept her head pressed against the cool porcelain. On the one hand, staying at home sounded nice. On the other, Henry and Alice cherished family dinner night at Granny’s. They would certainly be flexible if Alice’s concern was anything to go by. But Emma knew that with the teen years on the horizon, they would only get so many more of these together.

“Emma?” Alice repeated.

“Mom?” Henry’s voice joined Alice’s.

“There is no need to get the Spanish inquisition together,” she told them, sitting up. “Something’s not sitting right with me, but I’ll get some soup at the diner and it’ll be fine.”

“Why don’t we go to the diner, make the order to go and then bring it back?” Henry suggested. “That way Mom doesn’t have to sit so long but we can still go!”

“I’ll text Papa!” Alice said excitedly, and Emma heard the thump of her footsteps as she sprinted away from the bathroom door.

Emma just smiled affectionately, even though neither of her kids could see her. She had to stop that thought for a moment, reflecting on how much had changed in the past two years. Ever since that fateful incident with the bullies, she and Killian had worked and built a relationship and a life together.

They’d bought a bigger apartment together, although with two almost teenagers and now a baby on the way she’d have to reconsider her whole living situation and maybe they’d have to buy a house.

She loved the life that she and Killian built so far. He was attentive, caring, and so good with Henry. And she’d come to love Alice’s tender heart, her creativity, and her sweet tooth. Though she hadn’t articulated this to Alice or Killian yet, admittedly too afraid to break the contentment she finally experienced for the first time in her life.

Emma knew, logically, that both Alice and Killian’s hearts were big enough that this would only strengthen things and not break them, but the little lost girl that lived in Emma’s brain loved to remind her of Neal at every opportune moment and stop her from feeling secure in her relationship.

She was working on this. With Archie every week. Sometimes Killian was there and sometimes she was alone. But she was working on it every day. And she wasn’t alone and her relationship baggage. Killian had told her about Milah, who was not Alice’s mom but had been sleeping with him while she was married and that ended poorly. She could see it in the way Killian’s jaw clenched whenever Alice’s mom came up in conversation.

Alice had stopped asking after a while, but the weight of her mother and the unanswered questions sometimes hung in her interactions with Emma.

“Emma?” Alice had returned to the door.

“Mom, are you dead?” Henry asked worriedly, jiggling the doorknob.

“I’m okay,” Emma called back. “I just…needed a minute.” She quickly cleaned up the mess up so the kids wouldn’t stumble upon the pregnancy tests by accident. She opened the door and soon had her arms full of two twelve-year olds, who she squeezed close to her. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll still have family dinner, just like always,” she hummed. She leaned over and kissed the top of their heads. “Now go get your shoes.”

Henry dashed away to go get his shoes, but Alice stayed curled in close to Emma for a moment longer.

“You okay, star?” Emma asked softly. Alice smiled a little bit against Emma’s side. The one time Emma had called her “starfish”, Alice had made it abundantly clear that she was only her father’s starfish. So Emma had compromised and asked how she felt about star. So Emma’s star she became.

“Mhmm. Just glad you are too,” Alice said softly, gently squeezing her.

Emma’s nausea greatly protested at the action, but she wouldn’t dare let it show on her face. Alice clearly needed reassurance, which Emma was more than happy to give. “C’mon, let’s go get see your Dad, hmm?”

Alice beamed up at her and raced off into the other room. Emma couldn’t help but smile, knowing that in her heart of hearts that Henry and Alice would be incredible older siblings.

But first she had to tell them.

As per their usual tradition, Alice and Henry went scampering off to the jukebox to play some songs, but Killian said that since they were only picking up food to go that they needed to compromise on the song choice rather than switching the two.

Over her shoulder, she could see the two kids having like a good natured argument as they flipped through the song choices. Warmed in thought, she swiveled on the counter stool to look at Killian.

“Are you sure you’re feeling all right, love?” Killian asked worriedly, his hand gently cupping her face.

Two years ago, she certainly would have no idea how integral Killian would become to her well-being. And it wasn’t bad before when she lived alone. She could take care of herself fairly easily and her son.

But to have a true and equal partner, who she could depend on and support, fall back on and push up when they needed meant more than she could say. For the first time in a long time, with Killian, nothing ever truly felt like that much of a struggle. Sure there were arguments and tension sometimes, but with Killian…she didn’t feel like she was white knuckling her grip through life.

Except for the fact that she was white knuckling a napkin in her hand right now, but that was more from nerves because she wanted to keep things the way they were. They’d never talked about kids, though they were both fairly young parents.

Another child wouldn’t be completely unreasonable.

“Love?” Killian’s voice brought her back out of her head. “Is everything okay?”

Looking into his eyes, Emma was warmed by the love and support she saw there. “Yeah, uh…” she started shyly. Her heart began to pick up faster and faster in her chest. “There’s just…something I need to tell you?”

“You know you can tell me anything,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. She smiled and dropped her head, smiling at her lap.

“Yeah, I know,” Emma laughed softly. “It’s just…” She picked her head back up, only for her smile to fade. Killian’s jaw was clenched tightly and his eyes blazed as he looked beyond her. “Killian?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Killian snarled, jumping off his stool and striding toward a woman who was now standing near Henry and Alice.

“Hello, Killian.” The woman’s voice seemed pleasant enough, but it struck a chord with Emma in a way she did not enjoy. She leaped off her chair and ushered the children in close to her. The woman narrowed her eyes at Emma. “Who is this? And why is she near my daughter?”

“Your daughter?” Emma repeated, dumbfounded.

“You lost every right to call her that over a decade ago, Eloise,” Killian growled, effectively putting himself between Eloise and Emma. “She’s my daughter. How did you even find us?”

“I was interested in getting to know my daughter a little bit better,” Eloise replied, that too pleasant voice still grating on Emma’s last nerve. “I’ll certainly be seeing you all very soon.”

Emma felt Alice’s quivering against her side, and she held the girl a little bit closer. “It’s okay,” she whispered, watching Eloise’s retreating form. “You’re okay…”

“Papa?” Alice asked gently, gingerly peeking her head around Emma. “Papa, is she really my mother?”

Killian sighed, running a hand through his hair, clearly taking in the confused and devastated look from his daughter. His gaze met Emma’s, looking for a courage or absolution, she wasn’t sure quite which. But she was more than happy to grant it to him.

She certainly was no stranger to shitty exes.

So she nodded and gave him a small smile, doing her best to communicate with him that it was okay, that they would work through this new trial together.

Killian exhaled calmly, and a little smile crossed his face as well.

When they got home, Alice and Killian went to Alice’s room to talk privately.

“Shouldn’t this be a family conversation?” Henry asked worriedly. “What if she comes back when Alice and I are at school or something?”

“It is not our place to demand to be a part of that conversation,” Emma said patiently. “If Neal came back, do you think you’d want Alice to know right away or would you rather talk to me first?”

“I’d definitely want to talk just us first,” Henry admitted. “But I’d still want to tell Alice.”

“I think she will,” Emma laughed softly, kissing his head. “Just give her some time. It’s…it’s hard for her.”

“So what can I do, Mom?” Henry asked, his gaze flickering to Alice’s closed door. “Alice is my best friend, she’s practically my sister. I don’t want her to feel like she has to do this by yourself.”

She proudly smiled at her son, her heart near fit to burst. Henry’s acceptance of Killian only reaffirmed that he would make a fantastic older brother to his new brother or sister when the time came. “They really are our family, aren’t they?” she asked softly.

Henry nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “Nice of you to catch up,” he teased, his hazel eyes sparkling with mirth. The joy faded for a moment when he added, “But seriously, Mom? How am I supposed to help her?”

Emma reached across the table to hold her son’s hand. “I think you just ask her how you can best support her and follow her lead. She’ll tell you whatever she’s ready to tell. And if she doesn’t want to talk about it and not want to think about it, then you can distract her and make her feel better.”

Henry thought over this advice before hugging her again. “I love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, kid,” Emma said softly, kissing his head as she cupped the back of it. “You know you’ll always be number one in my life?” she asked him.

“Yeah,” Henry said. “But I can make room for some other people if need be.”

“Good,” Killian replied softly. “The Jones are quite so lucky to be loved by the Swans.”

She was so focused in giving Henry advice that she didn’t even see Killian enter the room until Henry got up to hug him tightly. Killian squeezed him before adding roughly, “Alice is playing Smash Brothers if you want to go play with her.”

Henry dashed off, leaving the two adults in the room alone.

Killian was quiet for a moment before he gently pulled Emma into his arms. “I don’t think I tell you what a good job you’ve done with him on your own,” he told her softly against her hair. “He’s an incredible young lad and his heart is so big…he’s really become such an incredible man without the presence of Neal…”

“He’s so lucky to have men like David and you in his life,” Emma murmured, wrapping her arms around him to give him all the comfort he could want. She held him for a moment longer before asking, “So, how can I best support you, Killian?” He took in a shuddering breath and she squeezed him.

“Whatever your history with that woman is, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Emma promised softly against his skin. “You know I’m always going to see the best in you.”

“And I you,” Killian promised, kissing the top of her hair. “Can we…can we go to the couch?” he asked and she nodded, gently pulling him along to the living room. She sat, and looked back at Killian and tilted her head as he watched her appraisingly. “Are you feeling better? The kids were saying you were poorly.”

“If we’re gonna do some sharing, I can share after,” Emma said, her heartbeat picking up again as she thought about telling him about her pregnancy.

Killian sat across the couch from her and gently took his hand in hers. “I…I was young. Just broken up with Milah and just…not wanting to deal with the pain of losing her. So I was a bit…promiscuous, thinking it would just make it stop hurting.”

“I’m sure you never ran in short supply,” Emma teased lightly, just wanting to see the smile back in his eyes.

He huffed a laugh and gave her a small but cheeky smile. “Aye, my partners certainly never complained except if they were telling me not to stop.” She smiled and gently squeezed his hand again. “And one night I met Eloise at the bar.”

He stopped, looking down again. Her thumb gently dragged across his knuckles and she waited for him to speak again. She didn’t say anything, just kept the drag of her thumb across his knuckles consistent.

“I didn’t…I wasn’t…” Killian sighed. “I thought I’d made it clear that I didn’t want anything beyond a one night stand. But she kept coming to the bar. Or my coffee shop and…and she was a distraction. We didn’t do much talking. And it felt good…”

“But she kept pushing your boundaries and you were so hurt, and she made you forget that you hurt that it didn’t seem important to reinforce them,” Emma blurted out, guessing the story. His eyebrow raised a little and he pulled her into his lap with a strained laugh. “Trust me, babe,” she replied. “How do you think I ended up with Neal?”

Killian nuzzled her shoulder for a moment, as if to soothe the sting of the past. “It gets worse,” he admitted quietly. “She…she kept seeking me out to get pregnant on purpose. So she could trap me with her.”

“Oh my god,” Emma breathed in deeply, looking over her shoulder quickly to make sure Alice didn’t hear that part. “How did you get out with Alice?”

“A few weeks after Alice was born, I came home and she was just…gone. She left a note saying she wouldn’t be bound any longer and good luck,” Killian said wryly. “Little did she know that she gave me the greatest blessing of my life and it led me to the second greatest blessing of my life.”

“Granny’s?” Emma teased weakly, resting her head against his.

“Aye,” he laughed, kissing her shoulder. “Granny’s.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and her entire body seemed to relax in his hold. Even her nausea seemed to settle, knowing that he was here and holding her. “Is there something you wanted to tell me, love?”

Suddenly Emma’s whole world crashed down her ears, and her old wounds came kicking and screaming to the surface. She couldn’t possibly tell him right on the heels of that. What if he really wouldn’t be happy about having another baby? What if he thought she was trapping him just like Eloise did with him?

“Just that, um, I might take a personal day tomorrow so if you wanted to take Alice out of school, she and I can have a girl’s day,” Emma said softly, curling into him, hating how her nausea had returned full force.

Killian stilled, eying her again. After a moment, he seemed satisfied with what she’s said and relaxed as he held her close to his chest. “I love you, Emma,” he murmured softly. “So much.”

“Yeah,” Emma replied hollowly. “I love you too.”

Emma made sure to make Alice’s favorite breakfast—sunny side up eggs with a side of scrambled toast and orange marmalade—before the girl woke. She even made a plate for herself, delighted that her future child would give her something to eat.

When Alice walked into the room, her eyes lit up at the breakfast. “Is this for me?” she asked excitedly.

Emma laughed. “Of course. I figured you’d like your favorite breakfast on your day off,” she said, pushing the plate toward Alice.

“Your stomach seems to enjoy the marmalade,” Alice giggled. “I told you marmalade is great!”

“When you’re right, you’re right,” Emma said fondly. “Well, today is your day and we can do whatever you want?”

“Whatever?” Alice asked hopefully, her blue eyes sparkling with joy. “Anything I want?”

“Yeah, it’s a self-care day!” Emma laughed. “So you tell me what you want to do today and we’ll do it!”

“Can we go to the library?” Alice seemed to get more excited by the minute. “And then the bakery?”

“You got it, star,” Emma said softly, grinning fondly. “And if you wanna talk, that’s okay. And if you don’t want to talk, we don’t have to do that either.”

The use of her nickname made Alice pause, picking nervously at her crust. “Emma?” she asked softly. “If…if Eloise becomes part of my life…am I still your star?”

“Of course,” Emma replied without any hesitation. “You’re my star, and yo—I mean Eloise can’t take that away from us. And just because she gave birth to you doesn’t mean she has to be part of your life if you don’t want her to be.”

“Will you get jealous if I do?” Alice asked quietly, still picking at the crust of her toast.

“I mean, I’ll miss you if you choose to spend more time with her,” Emma said honestly. “I like hanging out with you. Video game nights with you and Henry are my favorite. But also…if this is what’s going to make you happy, then of course I’m going to support you.” She leaned over and tapped Alice’s nose. “Besides…you have your father’s heart. I know you have plenty of love in your heart.”

Alice looked at her, the same way Killian had the night before. And then she gently leaned over to hug Emma tightly. “I love you, Emma,” the girl promised.

Emma would definitely blame the pregnancy hormones for the way she teared up and held Alice even closer to her. “I love you too,” she whispered. “And I can’t wait to spend the day with you, star. Should we go to the library first?”

“Yeah!” Alice said excitedly and bounded out of the room with unbridled enthusiasm.

Emma worked on getting dressed, pausing only once to run her hand over her bump, before heading out with Alice. She was relieved to see Alice’s viviacious spirit returned as Alice talked about all the books she wanted to read, what books she’d been waiting for, and what books the girls in her class were reading.

They were only a few blocks away when Emma had the strangest feeling something was wrong. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Eloise following them, but Emma made sure that she kept Alice close.

She wasn’t entirely sure why Eloise was so close, and she hoped it was a coincidence. The lack of formal channels or communications made her nervous and Emma was worried about making a wrong move.

“Emma, can we go to the second floor first?” Alice asked, gently tugging on her hand. “That’s where are the old books are!”

“Lead the way,” Emma chuckled warmly. She made sure to duck around some shelves when they entered to see if Eloise was still following them. When Emma didn’t see her on the second floor, she let out quick sigh of relief, and watched Alice scamper down the aisle.

And then something collided with the back of her head and everything went black.

Emma had the faintest memory of weakly calling for Alice, for her daughter, faces swimming around her while her hand stayed firmly around Alice’s and then everything went dark again.

But she knew she was in a hospital bed now, she recognized the beep of the machines anywhere.

“Of course I want to bloody press charges!” Killian’s voice was a little too loud, but she was thankful that he was there. If he was with her, it meant Alice and Henry were safe. “She hurt Emma! She was going to kidnap Alice!”

He sighed, deflating a little bit at whatever response David gave him. “Yes, I can bring her down tomorrow to be interviewed. Emma is gonna need some rest…your detectives will have to come here, as Emma’s under observation for another day or too…”

Emma forced her eyes open and gently squeezed his hand. Killian’s head snapped toward her and his eyes filled with tears. “She’s waking up. Tell Alice and Henry that we love them so much and it’s all going to be just fine. Yeah. I’ll speak to your later Dave.” Emma couldn’t even get a breath in edgewise before Killian frantically pressed his lips to hers. “Hey,” she rasped softly. “I’m okay.”

“Aye, I know,” Killian choked out. “Eloise is my…but I still…and then the doctor told me that you…” His eyes searched hers and he realized. “That’s what you wanted to tell me yesterday, wasn’t it? That’s why you were ill…”

“I’m sorry,” Emma said quietly. “I was so scared that after seeing Eloise you’d think I was trying to trap you in a life with me.”

“Emma,” Killian whispered softly, crushing his forehead against hers. “How could you possibly think that I’d be trapped in any kind of life with you? I love you more than anything besides our children.”

“Old wounds,” she replied softly. “Between the first time I did this alone and Eloise making an untimely reappearance I just…my fear got the best of me. I figured I could wait until things settled down before telling you…I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

He laughed wetly, gently pebbling her face with kisses. “Emma…you are such an extraordinary woman. My ex attacks you, and you’re still apologizing to me.”

“You do deserve an apology,” Emma said tiredly. “I hurt you but in a different way…”

“You didn’t hurt me,” Killian promised. “You were trying to protect yourself from being hurt, and I’ll be honest…if you told me last night, I would’ve had a meltdown.” He nudged his nose gently to hers before kissing her cheek. “But if it means that much…you’re forgiven, love. I’m just so happy you and the babe are safe.”

“How are the kids?” Emma asked weakly. “How did Alice get away?”

“She started screaming bloody murder when she saw it happen,” he explained, his fingers dancing gently across Emma’s skin with the utmost love and reverence, and maybe to reassure himself she was still there. “And the librarian knew you were her mother, rather than Eloise who tried to tell the police that her daughter was having a psychotic break.”

Emma sat up abruptly, torn between the desire to find her daughter and comfort her and find Eloise and just start swinging. Killian seemed to read her mind and gently placed his hand on her shoulder so she’d rest again.

“So just to make sure…you’re okay with having a baby with me?” Emma asked.

“As if flowers mind the summer sun,” Killian replied tenderly.

“Well, technically too much sun tries up the flowers and—” He silenced her with a kiss that had her smiling against his lips. “Point taken.”

“Should we start thinking of names?”

But it was Alice and Henry who had named their little sister when she came into the world seven months later. They named her after the thing that they always got from being with one another: Hope.

#csjj #csjj2021 #blaire's writing

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midnightartemis · 4 years ago

Text

One Night, Last Night

Chapter One

Explicit- See AO3 For Full Warnings

Out of all the months of the year, Rey hated August the most. The lines to the food truck always grew exponentially longer, the truck’s AC was long past the point of heat and humidity that the old beast could handle, and Hux and Rose always got into screaming matches this late in the season.

At least the nights were cool. The Free Movie Series in the park always brought a crowd, so service was constant with only a few short pauses in orders. The movie played in the background while Rose chatted with customers and barked orders and all Rey had to do was prep and handoff. It was second nature to her after years of working at Cantina Pho Sho.

Spanish-Vietnamese Fusion. It’s surprisingly damn delicious and all thanks to a drunken college night with Rose and Poe. Three years later, it’s still going strong.

No thanks to the arseholes in the truck beside them.

Though Rey was pretty sure the rivalry between the Cantina truck and the First Order truck was what kept both of them in business. Over the years there had been a bet for who could get the most Instagram followers (Rose won). Then who could serve the most specials in one night (Hux). Then there was the daily race to the best spots downtown for the lunch and post-lunch rushes. Rey was extremely surprised one of them hadn’t crashed yet, especially after bearing witness to Rose’s driving over the years.

She wouldn’t give it up for anything. Even if she was sweating profusely and had already soaked through three towels. The rush had her slaving over the grill for a solid three hours non-stop, but it was slowing up now that the movie had started. They had already sold out of one of their specials- Spicy Seafood Paella with a side of spring rolls, topped with Rose’s homemade sweet and sour sauce. Fried deliciousness. The other special was more Americanized, just to piss off the First Order boys. It was a burger topped with their pickled Bánh mì veggies, swiss cheese, chilies, and cilantro.

It was inevitable that at some point either Hux or Ben would come stomping over to the truck and make wild accusations that they were stealing their business. Even though their line was just as long. Rey swore that it was just so that Hux would have the excuse to talk to Rose, but Rose swore it was so that Ben could talk to Rey.

Which was a ridiculous idea.

Ben had never shown anything but utter contempt for either of them. And it had become something of a game to her find the best ways to piss him off.

Hence the Bahn mi burger.

“Rey!”

Rey jolted out of her reverie at the sound of Rose’s voice. The short Vietnamese woman was perched on the box that let her see outside the window. She was wearing that expression that she always wore when Rey got distracted on the job.

It’s not her fault- Rey couldn’t help if cooking was like meditation to her.

“Yeah?”

Rose sighed, though there was a little smile on her face as if she knew exactly what, or who, Rey had been thinking about. “How many burgers left?”

Rey made quick stock of their dwindling supplies. “Only five. Push the spring rolls and the empanadas.”

They had a large menu in reality, but since they operated only out of the truck, the menu rotated weekly and Rose and Poe were always coming up with new ideas and trying out new recipes. They hadn’t expected to sell out tonight, which meant that she’d spend most of tomorrow gathering and preparing supplies. She wasn’t complaining one bit as long as Rose and Poe were the ones that handled the finances (She was decent at math, but accounting made her brain hurt).

Not twenty minutes later, they had sold off the last of their specials and Rose had struck them off of their chalkboard menu. Distantly, she could hear the opening credits of Mama Mia! Rey could only wonder how long ABBA would be stuck in her head.

Orders slowed to their horchata chè drink and churros as people moved from dinner to desserts. Rey wrapped up the last order before there was a pause in the line and had only just stripped her gloves and wiped her hands when there was a rapid banging on the back door.

“Hey!” Bang, bang, bang. “Hey!”

Rey sighed and rolled her eyes at Rose, though they both had smirks on their faces. Rey stripped off her apron and towels. “I’ll handle him.”

“Oh, handle him?” Rose wriggled her brows suggestively and Rey threw her dirty towel at the woman. “Take a break while you’re at it.”

“Okay, mom.” Rey laughed and plucked a freshly fried churro from the pile of them. She jumped as there were three more bangs on the back door. She pushed it open quickly, forcing the man behind them to jump back.

Ben crossed his arms and scowled at the sight of her.

“What do you want?” Rey jumped down from the truck and closed the door behind her.

“What do you mean what do I want? I want you to stop stealing our food.” Ben stood a good foot taller than her. His long dark hair had been braided back in three rows to form a bun on top of his head. Rey had never been a fan of man buns, but…

“We are not stealing anything. Stealing would imply that you have something worth taking.”

Oh, that got him. It satisfied Rey to no end to watch Ben Solo get riled up. She’d never met anyone as intense about food as he was. She took a bite out of her churro and started moving to the back of their truck. It faced away from the crowd towards the park’s pond, which was fairly dark and isolated.

“At least we don’t ruin them with whatever shit you put on them.” Ben hissed as he followed her around the truck’s corner.

“At least we don’t give people heart attacks on purpose.”

“Heart attacks are the American way. You know it and that’s why you’re stealing our burgers.”

“Hmm… Did you sell out tonight?” Rey raised her brows.

“We would have if you weren’t stealing our business!”

“We aren’t stealing your- You know what you are?”

“What?”

“You’re a difficult man, that’s what. You don’t own burgers, you know that right?” Churro forgotten, Rey put her hands on her hips, trying to match the giant man before her. It wasn’t fair that on top of being tall he was also ridiculously fit. She knew just by looking at him that he could pick her up and pin her against- she was getting off-topic.

“I’m a difficult- I’m difficult? You’re difficult. Maybe I wouldn’t be so “difficult” if you weren’t always taking our customers and stealing our food.”

“Oh my god, seriously? Are you mental? Are you really telling me that you think that someone who wanted bacon and eggs and cheese with a side of heart attack on their slab of frozen cow meat you dare call a burger would be so easily swayed from the dark side to have a gourmet burger with pickled veggies?”

“Our meat is fresh and you know it.”

“Fresh from where? McDonald’s?”

Ben’s jaw dropped. He looked almost as if Rey had just slapped him in the face or kicked his puppy. “Are you calling my burgers flat?”

“No, just wondering why you’re trying to murder your regulars.”

Ben looked capable of murder at that moment. The tips of his ears had gone beet red, his lips were pressed into a tight line and there was something dangerous in his eyes. So why the fuck did that completely turn her on?

“At least I don’t give my regulars food poisoning.”

“That was one time with a new cook and you fucking know it.” Rey stepped forward to jab her finger in his chest. “Maybe the reason everyone comes to our truck is because we’re not a bunch of arseholes.”

He huffed a laugh at that as he looked down at her. Gods he was so tall. Her heart raced when she realized how close together they were standing. He was close enough she could reach out and touch those muscular arms or run her fingers through his dark hair to pull out that ridiculous bun.

“You know what I think?”

Her heart stopped at the low rumble in his voice. She could feel herself getting wet and hated it. Her mouth went dry and she licked her lips with only made his eyes drop to them and everything worse. He looked back up at her with that stupid smirk on his face and Rey snarled. “What?”

“I think you like this.”

“If you think I like anything to do with you you’re sorely mistaken.” Lies. Big bloody lies.

His eyes dipped down to her lips as he stepped forward, forcing Rey to take a step back. “I think you sit around all day coming up with ways to piss me off. Just so you can see me.”

Another step forward. Another step back. Rey’s heart was beating so hard she could swear it was leaping out of her chest. He was close enough she could smell him- sweat and charcoal and fire and something heady, musty.

“You know I can take whatever I want.” His eyes flicked up to meet hers, dark and dilated. She’d forgotten how to speak.

Her back hit the truck jarring her enough to remember to be angry. “Fuck. You.”

He grinned and slowly leaned into her, bracing his hands on either side of her head. She was frozen beneath him, refusing to look at his bloody kissable lips. Refusing to acknowledge the heat between her thighs and the want in her gut. He held her eyes for a moment, heavy and hooded. He seemed to be trying to make a decision as he searched her face. He leaned in closer and her breath hitched, shaking at his nearing. His lips brushed against her cheek. “If I’m right…. I’ll be waiting for you.”

“And if you’re wrong?” She wasn’t sure how she found the words. Her voice shook as she said them.

Ben pulled back and grinned. His eyes slowly caressed over her lips to her eyes. “I’m not wrong, sweetheart.”

“We’ll see about that.” Rey pushed away from the truck and slipped out under his arm. He let her go, but she could feel him watching. Legs shaking, Rey broke into a half run towards the park bathrooms after she rounded the corner.

Fuck him.

That arsehole.

That complete pretentious prick.

Who the fuck did he think he was?

Who the fuck-

Rey ran cold water over her wrists and splashed her face. When she looked in the mirror all she saw was frizzy, greasy, sweaty hair peeking out from under her green bandanna, red hot cheeks, and sweaty skin. She sniffed her armpits and gagged. At least she had taken the time to shave yesterday.

At least?!?

No.

She was not going to meet him after work. She was not going to give that arsehole the time of the fucking day, no matter how good he smelled. No matter how wet just his voice made her. No matter that she had fantasized about those hands for months.

Fucker.

Rey dried her face off and left the bathroom. There was no line that she could see in front of her truck, so she took her time walking back, pausing to watch Donna, Rosie, and Tanya reunite. It had been years since she watched Mamma Mia.

Eventually hurried past the First Order trunk and jumped back into the back of Cantina Pho Sho food truck.

Rose looked utterly bored at the counter. “What’d he say?”

Rey froze before remembering that she wasn’t talking about Ben’s proposition. “He was pissed about the burger.” Rey rolled her eyes and tried to wave away any suspicion. “He literally said we were stealing his food.”

Rose snorted. “You can’t steal a burger.”

“That’s what I said! He’s such an arse.”

“He’s got a nice arse.” Rose winked. “They both do.”

“I can’t believe you think Hux is hot.” Rey grabbed her inventory sheets as she tried to steer the conversation away from Ben. If Rose ever found out what had actually happened behind the truck, the woman would never let it go.

“It’s just… something about gingers.” Rose stared wistfully out the window. “I could climb him like a tree.”

With Rose off in La La Land thinking about Hux, Rey settled into taking stock of all the items she’d need to get tomorrow.

The rest of the night went slowly with only a few people coming up during the movie to drinks or dessert. They usually left a little half-way through the movie to beat the crowds leaving. After fifteen minutes of no new customers, Rose shut the ordering windows and helped Rey pack up.

She wasn’t going to meet him.

She wasn’t.

She was going to walk straight to her car.

Rey closed up the back door of the truck and waved Rose off.

She knew Ben drove. She had seen him drive in. The First Order truck had already taken off.

She walked towards the park's parking lot and spied him instantly. It wasn’t hard to spot him leaning against his old Chevy impala, arms crossed, with a scowl on his face. He was looking over at the large movie screen, not at her. She could still make it to her car and take off.

So why did her feet turn towards him? Rey scowled at herself and cursed her vagina brain. Just because it wanted to get dicked down so bad, didn’t mean that she wanted to.

Okay. She wanted to.

Just not with the arsehole who would hold it over her head for as long as he could. No matter how much chemistry they may or may not have. No matter that it was always him in her fantasies.

Rey groaned inwardly as she walked through the parking lot towards him. His eyes were still on the movie. She could still turn around. She smelled. She’d have to somehow get from wherever he lived back to her car. And there’d be a walk of shame. Rose would wonder where she was when she’d got back to their apartment and Rey wasn’t there already. If she thought Ben would never let it go, Rose would never ever let it go.

Rey sighed and Ben finally looked away from the movie to see her standing at his car. His lips parted as confusion swept quickly over his features. He hadn’t expected her to actually show up.

To be fair, Rey hadn’t expected it either.

She kept her scowl on her face and walked to his passenger side door. He scrambled to unlock the car and it took everything in her to not smile at the little heart attack she had given him. So she wasn’t the only one affected. Good to know.

Rey climbed into the passenger seat and Ben into the driver's. He looked over at her like he couldn’t believe she was really there. Rey stared ahead. “Not a word.”

That seemed to snap him back to the arsehole she knew. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”

This was the part she hated. The awkward part of going to the apartment. The weird limbo phase where no one knew what to say but knew exactly what was going to happen. Granted, she hadn’t hooked up with anyone in a while. The last time had been a disaster, just like her last relationship had been a disaster.

Luckily his condo wasn’t far from the park, but it was in a nice area. New developments and little boutiques and coffee shops. It was a far cry from her and Rose’s slightly shitty, slightly sketchy apartment complex near downtown.

Not just an asshole but a wealthy asshole at that. How the hell did he afford this place working at a food truck? She and Rose did well, but they still barely made enough to get through the slow winter months.

Ben hadn’t said a word since they started driving, but he kept glancing over at her like she wouldn’t notice. Part of her wondered if this was a horrible idea. The other part was looking at his grip on the steering wheel.

They turned into underground parking and Ben parked in the assigned parking spot closest to the elevator because of course, he had that. The car engine turned off and neither of them moved.

Ben looked over at her and she at him and the first thing out of her mouth was, “Can I use your shower?”

Ben gave her a strange look.

“I just- I’ve been sweating all day and I smell like a donkey’s arse. Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like you’re any better, but at least I don’t smell like a big mac.”

“At least I don’t smell like pickled cabbage.” Ben grinned. “You can use my shower if you tell me I was right.”

Oh, fuck off.

Rey stared him down trying to find the guts to admit it, but not wanting to give the arsehole the satisfaction. She bit her lip as she tried to figure a way out of it, watching as Ben’s eyes dipped to her lips as she did. She scoffed. “You’re one to make ultimatums. I think you like that I piss you off.”

A grin curled at his lips and Rey felt his satisfaction in her core. His eyes traveled slowly down her body then back up again. “I like the challenge. Now say it.”

Fuck.

Rey’s breath caught and the smirk he gave her at that only pissed her off more. She turned away from him, crossed her arms over her chest like a petulant, angry child, and grumbled, “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Ben turned away and pulled the keys from the ignition. “You can shower, sweetheart.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

“And after you shower I’m going to eat you out until you’re begging for me to fuck you.”

He said it so casually that Rey almost couldn’t process it. He unfolded himself from the driver’s seat. Rey stayed frozen in hers until the door slammed shut and jolted her out of her shock. She stepped out of the car, surprised that her legs were still stable enough to follow him to the elevator.

She was really doing this.

Fuck.

She really was.

Ben pressed the button for the top floor with a shit-eating grin on his face. He was enjoying this. The fucker. He raised a brow as he looked down at her and saw her glaring.“Is there a problem, princess?”

“No.” She said it a little too quickly, her face reddening.

The elevator doors slid open and Ben led her down the hall to an end unit. The door opened with a small fob on his keychain and Rey tried not to roll her eyes at how incredibly extra it was.

The door swung open and Ben turned on the lights as he stepped in. Rey followed, her mouth dropping as she took in the apartment. It looked like something out of a magazine. Two walls of windows looked out over the shopping and recreation area. There was a massive TV and a leather sectional couch in the giant living area. But the real jewel was the giant kitchen and a stove with one of those water taps over the stove for filling pots. Excessive and unnecessary and miles away from the tiny galley kitchen that she and Rose shared. Everything was dark and natural-toned in blues and blacks and dark browns and charcoal grey.

There was a small whine from the corner and Rey looked over to see a rather large blanket-covered kennel.

“Oh, that’s Kylo. He’s not great with strangers.” Ben had that little lost look on his face again. “I’m just going to take him out to the park for a bit. Ah… the shower is down the hall to the left.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

Ben ran a hand over his braids as they stood awkwardly together. “Rey-”

“I should go shower. I’ll go do that now.” She took a step towards the hall. Something in his voice terrified her. The way he said her name… It wasn’t like when he called her ‘sweetheart’ or ‘princess’. It was all too real.

“Wait.” Ben reached for her and caught her hand, stalling her. Rey stared down at the place where their hands connected. She’d never touched him before. He waited until she was looking back up at him to continue. “We don’t have to do anything. I can take you back to your car or call you a cab or call Rose. If that’s what you want, at any time, just say the word and it will be done.”

He said it so earnestly that words were knocked out of her. In all of her flings and relationships, no one had ever said that to her. Rey nodded and Ben let go of her hand.

“I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Remember what I said.”

The dark, dangerous look in his eye had returned. It took everything in her body not to flee to the bathroom. She shut and locked the door behind her, breathing hard as she took in the bathroom that was, no surprise, just as bougie as the rest of the condo. Marble tile flowed into a walk-in shower. There was a giant tub big enough for two people overlooking a window. The only signs of life she had seen so far in his place were the grooming products on the double vanity and the bottles of product in the shower. Rey stripped quickly and turned on the shower, waiting only a few seconds for the water to reach scalding temperatures and jumping in. Gods, the water pressure was amazing, too.

She soaked under the rain head for a while, letting the water take away the stress of the day and attempt to relax the knots in her shoulders. Surprisingly, the shower was full of products. There wasn’t a 4-in-1 bottle to be seen anywhere. She had never even heard of or seen most of the brands, so it took a while for her to find body wash and shampoo and conditioner. All three smelled like heaven. Like she was soaking in him.

And after you shower I’m going to eat you out until you’re begging for me to fuck you.

Rey gasped and dropped the conditioner bottle with a curse. She picked it up and put it back. Curiously she reached between her thighs and gaped at the slippery wetness she found there. She cleaned the area thoroughly with water and a little bit of unscented soap she had discovered. Each touch sent a jolt through her system as she pictured him between her thighs. The touch of his hands against her skin. Sheer torture.

And he was waiting for her right outside.

Rey shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She found a cabinet full of huge, fluffy, white towels and wrapped one around herself, and used another to towel dry her hair. Her sad pile of clothes sat on the counter, but the last thing she wanted to do was put her grease-stained t-shirt and sweaty jean shorts back on. Could she just walk out there with the towel on? It might help speed things up. Cut to the chase, as Rose liked to say.

Fuck, Rose.

Rey found her phone in her pile of clothes and sent off a quick text with a little white lie about Kaydel and drinks and not to wait up. She was definitely going to hell for this one.

Nerves curled in her stomach to make a nest there and Rey took a deep breath. If he wasn’t back, she could sneak into his room and grab one of his t-shirts or something. And if he was back, the towel would do. It wasn’t like she was going to hide anything from him tonight.

Rey left her clothes in the bathroom and stepped out into the hall. Her heart raced as a rustle in the kitchen told Rey that Ben was back already. His back was turned to her as she appeared. He had a glass of whiskey in one hand and was looking through a liquor cabinet with the other. “Do you want a drink?”

She didn’t want a drink, she decided. She wanted him to make due on his promise. She wanted to be fucked six ways to Sunday. Rey let her towel fall to the floor.

Ben turned at the sound to see her. “Fuck.”

“That’s the idea.” She quipped. “I seem to remember you making a promise earlier.”

He downed the glass in one sip and set the glass on the counter. A cheeky smirk tugged at the corner of his full lips. His eyes unabashedly roamed over her skin and Rey fought against the urge to cover herself from his unadulterated gaze. “I did, didn’t I. Come here.”

She rolled her eyes at his command but stepped forward gingerly. The apartment’s AC chilled her skin as she moved and forced her nipples into hard points. “Are you always this demanding?”

Ben chuckled and the deep sound went straight to her cunt. All the wetness she had wiped away in the shower was back in full force. “You don’t know the half of it, sweetheart.”

He leaned back against the kitchen counter, watching as she slowly stepped closer. His intense gaze was taking every inch of her in. She looked away when it became too much for her, snapping, “Are we going to do this, or are you just going to stand there like an arse and-”

Ben’s lips crashed into hers, taking Rey by surprise. She was in his hands in seconds as he pushed her back against the kitchen island. His lips were warm and soft and salty and demanding against her own. When her brain finally kicked into gear, she kissed him back, letting him in when his tongue demanded entrance. His hands pulled her flush against him and wound through her hair to tip her head back.

He pulled away, leaving her gasping. “You drive me so fucking insane.”

Lips and teeth attacked her neck, leaving her breathless and unable to answer with anything except the little moans that escaped her lips. His fingers brushed against her nipple and she whimpered beneath him. She let her hands roam over his back and sides, feeling the strength beneath her fingertips. He was still completely dressed and she was completely naked and it wasn’t fair. Rey tugged at his shirt and he broke away from her with a smile.

“For someone who thinks I’m an asshole, you’re sure eager.”

Rey scowled. “Will you just shut up and fuck me.”

“Ask nicely and I might.”

Rey pressed her lips together, but Ben only grinned. “That’s okay. I’ll get it out of you eventually. I’m a patient man.”

He had her trapped between the counter and himself. Every time she took in a breath, her chest rose to touch him. She pressed her thighs together, trying to gain some sort of relief from the growing pressure between her legs. Ben leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear and sending a shiver down her spine. “Have you ever sat on someone’s face?”

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck.

She was so fucked. Rey shook her head.

“Use your words, sweetheart.”

“No.”

“Would you like to?”

She was trembling beneath his touch. Her whole body was on fire and drawn like a magnet into him. “Yes.”

“Yes…?”

“Yes, please.”

Ben nibbled at her ear, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her. “Good girl.”

Rey whimpered as his words went straight to her core.

He stepped away from her and Rey felt the loss of his body immediately. He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen and down the hall to the door on the right. She didn’t get to see much of his bedroom before he was pulling her back to him, his mouth devouring her hungrily as he took complete control of the situation and she handed it to him willingly.

This man. This man could do whatever he wanted to her. Gods, it had been so long since someone touched her. She couldn’t remember anyone ever touching her like this.

Two massive hands scooped under her thighs and suddenly she was in the air. Rey clung onto him, exploring his mouth with her tongue as he crossed the room and carried her into bed. He tossed her gently down and his mouth moved over her neck to her breasts to her stomach to-

Rey gasped as he knelt at the edge of the bed and pulled her swiftly towards him. His hot tongue traced lines against her thighs. Ben’s eyes locked with hers as he leaned forward and licked a soft line over her clit. Rey gasped loudly and let her head fall back as Ben buried his face between her legs. He was a quick learner and Rey wasn’t bashful about her wanton moans. A thick finger prodded at her entrance and Rey arched to accept it. A jolt raced through her body as Ben’s finger slowly moved inside her, hooking to gently caress over her G spot. His pace was bordering on torturous, but she was so close.

Rey came with a cry and Ben followed her through it. He pulled off of her with an embarrassingly wet pop. “Gods, you’re so fucking wet for me. You’re so fucking perfect, sweetheart. Such a good girl, coming for me.”

Rey whimpered as Ben buried his face into her again, licking and sucking at her clit until she was coming again. He came up to meet her this time, his mouth still wet with her and a soft smile on his face. He kissed her and she tasted herself on her lips and an aftershock exploded across her skin. He pressed his hips between her legs. She could feel him through his jeans, realizing with a moan that he was massive. His hips twitched, pressing his length harder against her. “Do you have something to say, sweetheart?”

Rey whimpered as he slowly ground against her with just enough friction to drive her insane. “Just fuck me.”

Ben chuckled. “I’m afraid that’s not quite what I’m looking for. Let’s try again. On your knees, grab the headboard.”

Rey raised her brow at his command.

“Now, Rey.” With a huff, she flipped over and crawled up the massive king-sized bed to grip the headboard. “Keep your eyes forward.”

Rey stared at the wall in front of her, trying to ignore how much her thighs were shaking from coming twice. She’d never done that before with someone. Her breath caught as she heard a zipper and the sound of clothes coming off. Part of her wanted to turn around to catch a glimpse, but there was another part of her, one she hadn’t really known that she had, that wanted to obey. That wanted him to call her a good girl again.

Rey took a deep steadying breath as the bed sank behind her with Ben’s weight. He moved closer and it took everything in her not to look back in curiosity. Her questions were answered when she felt him slowly shimmy between her thighs. Wordlessly, he gripped her thighs with massive hands and brought her down onto his face. Rey moaned at the new angle and control, She was scared for a moment until Ben pulled her down further to bury himself in her. A hand fell to his hair and her fingers tangled in his braids, pulling them loose as she rode him.

She came with a loud moan, her thighs quivering and struggling to stay up. But when she tried to pull away, Ben’s hands locked around her thighs. He didn’t let go until she was cumming again. He let go and Rey collapsed into the bed. Her thighs were unable to support her any longer. She was half in it, half in a daze as her cunt clenched around nothing. She wanted nothing more than to feel him in her. To take what he wanted from her. “Please.”

Ben appeared at the edges of her vision, blurry and ethereal. His hands gently moved her until he was hovering over top of her. A grin on his face. His bare chest was right there and Rey reached out to drag her fingers over it. He shuddered under her touch before catching her hands and bringing them to his lips. She watched in fascination as he sucked two of her fingers into his mouth. His beautiful, perfect, amazing, fuckable mouth. He released them with a pop. “Please, what, princess?”

Rey whined and arched beneath him, not wanting to say the words aloud. Frustrated that he had not had her yet.

“Use your words. What do you want?”

Gods, he was such an asshole. Rey groaned. His hand snuck between her thighs and swirled around her clit, causing another oversensitive shockwave to pass through her. “What do you want, Princess?”

He took one of her breasts in his mouth and sucked gently, rolling the nipple with her tongue. It was a slow, torturous movement. He wouldn't give in, not until she gave him what he wanted.

“Please… please, fuck me, Ben.” Rey arched beneath him, trying to pull him into her and find some relief. Ben cursed softly.

“You’re so perfect. So wet.” Ben sat back on his haunches and Rey got her first full view of him in the soft golden light of the room. His hair was utterly debauched by her fingertips. Black and wavy and messy and falling gently over his eyes. He ran his hands through it as he looked down at her with hungry eyes. Rey drank in his broad chest and the light flex of his abs down to- fuck. Rey’s eyes widened. Ben caught her surprise and grinned like the cocky asshole he was. “Don’t worry sweetheart, you’ll make it fit, I know you will.”

She hated him. She really did. Of course, she would. Of course, she would do anything to hear his gravelly praise that had her soaking his sheets.

Ben chuckled darkly as Rey rolled her eyes. He leaned over to pull a condom from his bedside table. In seconds he had it over his length and he was on her again nibbling and sucking over her collar bone, two fingers gently spreading her apart. She was so wet and warm and ready for him that she barely felt one finger, then two, stretching her. Rey whimpered under his slow and methodical touch. “Please. Please, d-”

Ben pulled away and Rey cursed her stupid brain. A slow grin spread across his lips. “What was that, sweetheart?”

Rey looked away, embarrassment creeping in. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” An eyebrow raise, a crook of his fingers, a thumb grazing over her sensitive clit. Rey gasped as a wave of pain and pleasure rolled through her.

“Stop playing with me, please. Please fuck me. Please.” She was reduced to this, completely under his control but still fighting against it. She clawed at his skin, trying to pull him into her.

“Say it, princess.”

The finger on her clit sped up, making it nearly impossible to speak as her body tensed and chased a deep, rolling orgasm. It hit her like a freight train and her body tried to pull away from his fingers. He held on to her, finger fucking her through it.

“Please! Please, daddy.” Was she crying? She might be crying.

“Fuck.” Ben gasped and paused, taking a deep breath. His fingers slid from her and Rey gave a choking gasp. Her body had turned to jelly under his hands and tongue. His hands brushed away her hair from her face and Rey whimpered. “If you want me to stop, say red, okay sweetheart?”

Rey shook her head ‘no’. “M-mmm. Don’t stop.”

He was a hazy golden figure over her. His smile was enough to send shivers through her. “I’m going to fuck you now, princess. You’re going to take me so well. So warm and wet and ready for me.”

His head pressed against her entrance and slowly pushed in. His groan matched her own as Rey sank her nails into his back. Utter bliss washed over her as he lowered himself over her, slowly pressing in and stretching.

“So good. Such a good girl. Taking me so well.”

He was ruining her for anyone else. She would never be able to let go after this.

Ben bottomed out in her with a grunt. She squirmed beneath him, so full. So complete. If he didn’t start moving soon she was going to scream. She couldn’t hear herself anymore, only a steady roar in her ears and his words and moans echoing over her. Her lips moved and babbled and cursed until they found purchase against the soft skin of his neck.

He pulled out of her and sank back in and Rey cried out, already halfway to another orgasm. His slow pace steadily increased. His breath whispered sweet affirmations in her ear as she trembled and came beneath him. He pulled her close to him, his face buried in her neck as his hips snapped into her building to a brutal pace. She came again as his hips stuttered and he came with her.

He trailed gentle kisses over her skin as he pulled out of her. He left her, stepping out of the bed and tossing the used condom in the trash. Rey whimpered at the sudden loss of contact. Ben brushed the hair from her face. “I'll be back in a second, sweetheart.”

He left the room and an overwhelming feeling of loneliness and sadness crashed over her. By the time he came back she was curled up in his sheets, crying.

“Fuck, sweetheart.” Ben set something down on the nightstand and took her in his warm hands. “Is something wrong?”

Rey shook her head.

“Just a lot?”

She nodded frantically.

It was exactly what she needed. A huge release that she was coming down from. Ben wiped the tears gently from her eyes and pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’s okay to cry, sweetheart. Here, let me help you up. Drink some water.”

She let him help her sit up and took the water from him. The cool liquid brought here back closer to reality. Ben’s fingers drew soft circles against her thighs. He reached for a cloth and pressed it against her thighs gently cleaning her with the warm damp cloth. She watched him over the rim of her glass as he took care of her. Her own feelings were a jumbled compliant mess as she tried to merge the asshole she knew and the man before her into one. Sleep was slowly about to take over her. She’d never stayed the night before. She had never wanted to.

She almost felt high from his touch.

Ben set the cloth to the side and came back with a handful of hard pretzels. Rey giggled as he pressed one to her lips before opening her mouth and taking it from him.

“What are you doing?” She whispered.

Ben grinned softly. “Taking care of you.”

“No one's ever done this before.”

Ben pressed another pretzel to her lips and she took it dutifully. “They should.”

Something foreign and terrifying flipped in her chest. Rey swallowed it down and looked away from him. “I should use the restroom.”

Ben nodded and let her get out of bed. She made her way to the bathroom on shaky legs, peed, and looked at her clothes on the counter. Should she stay? She was falling asleep as she peed.

She should go.

Rey grabbed her clothes and waddled back to the bedroom.

Fuck him. She was going to be sore tomorrow.

Ben stood from the bed when she came back. He’d thrown on boxers and was checking through his phone. He looked up with that cheeky grin on his face. “My turn.”

He kissed her as he passed her. A moment later, she heard the shower water start. Rey set her clothes on the bed and popped a pretzel in her mouth. She found one of Ben’s black t-shirts in the closet and pulled it on. She felt like she was floating still. Maybe that’s why she laid down in the bed and curled up in his sheets. She would just close her eyes for a minute. Just a minute.

Just one minute.

Chapters 1-10 Up Now on AO3!

#reylo #reylo au #reylo fanfiction #reylo fanfic #rey x ben #rey x ben solo #reylo ao3 #ao3

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crewhonk · 5 years ago

Text

Only Happy Accidents (8)

Warnings: fluff. Holy shit so much fluff. happy Steeb and YN. Nursery decoration.

Songs: “Better Man”-- James Morrison

AN: lol, a short chapter and I wrote this a while ago so rip. Octobers chilled out from here on out (three midterms and two reports are out of the way) so I'm not promising more frequent updates but keep ur eyes peeled!

Masterlist

_________________________

March 27, 20th Week

Life was good, Steve thought, as he woke up on YN’s chest, her hands scratching his scalp absently as they both woke up. His hair was getting longer, and his beard was growing thicker and his abs were disappearing slightly and there was no rush to change any of it since YN made worshipping his incoming dad body a part of her daily second-trimester-hormone routine.

He and YN had gone to another appointment yesterday, and the pictures f the baby’s face were getting more and more clear— the baby definitely did have her chin, and he definitely had his nose and despite him being so squished, Steve thought his kid was going to be the prettiest thing on the world.

“Morning, Sweetheart.” He murmured softly as he breathed in deep, eyes opening finally and looking up at his girl.

“Morning, handsome. How you feeling?” She asked. They’d gotten carried away the night before and knew they would both be sore for a handful of days after. It was true— his thighs and hips were sore and judging by the look of the red swollen marks on her breasts and neck, she would be sore too.

“‘M perfect.” He replied, kissing her softly and making her sigh.

“Yeah you are.” She chuckled and he closed his eyes again.

“What’s the plan today, Ma?” He asked, and she hummed.

“Well, we have the cake testing, the flower picking and the centre piece arrangements to finalize and then I wanted to get started on the nursery cause all the furniture is supposed to arrive today.” She hashed out and he crooned, kissing her chest and up to her neck.

“What times are the appointments?” He asked, making his way up to kiss her jaw and cheek and chin.

“Nine.” She whispered, scratching his scalp harder and making him grunt. He looked over to the clock and smirked, he had plenty of time before she’d want to leave at eight. So, he pulled the covers over them and kissed her soundly— in this temple made of sheets, he would make his best girl pray.

_________________________

“You’re glowing. Really you are—are you sure you’re not the one that’s pregnant?” Sam asked, laughing as he slammed Steve hard into the mat and knocking the air out of his lungs. Things at the Rogers-YLN house were really, really great and it showed in the way Steve walked, and spoke, and fought and breathed. If Sam, Bucky and Natasha weren’t so damn happy for him, they’d want him one million miles away, and even then it wouldn’t be enough to get out of the glow that surrounded Steve.

“Nah, he’s just finally bucked up and made his fiancee have an orgasm for the first time in five months.” Natasha called out, making Bucky choke on his water and Sam drop his grip on Steve as he tried to help him up.

“Wait, what?” Bucky choked, and Steve flushed red.

“Yeah, he and YN hadn’t had sex since Halloween and I finally convinced him he wouldn’t hurt the baby or YN if he got his dick wet.” Natasha jested and rubbed Bucky’s back who was still trying to clear his windpipe of water. Sam only laughed harder, falling onto the mat beside Steve.

“You’re so stupid, holy shit.” Sam crowed and didn’t even protest when Steve shoved him two feet across the floor.

“You know what?” Steve said, smiling despite his friends making relentless fun of him. “I have a beautiful girlfriend at home who is pregnant with my child and hyped up on pregnancy hormones. I don’t have to put up with this.” He laughed and swiped his towel from the floor beside the benches. Natasha joined Sam in his giggles and Bucky snorted.

“You’re like a catholic rabbit, Jesus Christ.” Bucky chuckled, watching as Steve’s cheeks deepened in colour and as he held his water bottle in front of his groin. “You’re nasty.”

Steve’s eyes flickered over to Natasha who was snorting at his expense and raised his eyebrows at the couple. “You’re both no better— Sam tells me everything, especially about the noises you two make on a daily basis.” He pointed his finger accusingly at his life partners and Sam only laughed harder as Bucky and Natasha avoided eye contact with each other. Steve, on the hunt for blood, turned to Sam who was still on the floor and kicked him lightly in the ribs.

“And at least me and those two are getting some.” Steve grinned down sneakily at Sam as his face warped into something that resembled offence. Steve clapped his hands and pulled his sweater over his head.

“Now, I’m going to go home and help my baby mama start setting the nursery up.” And with a salute, Steve left the gym, awed silence in his wake and a skip in his step.

___________________________

“Ma? I’m home! Where are you?” Steve asked, walking through the foyer and into the living room, stopping short at the sight of countless boxes that had arrived yesterday and were now destroyed. There was wrapping across the room and it looked as if a tornado had swept through the apartment.

“Babe?” Steve asked, throwing his keys and wallet onto the counter. YN’s head poked up shortly, and a wide smile appeared across her face when she saw him. With little difficulty, YN heaved herself off the floor and stumbled over boxes to Steve. Steve only had a few seconds to take in her maternity overalls and baggy sweater (both of which showed off her stomach) before he wrapped his arm around her waist, cupped her neck, and kissed her sweetly.

“I forgot how hard it is to build Ikea furniture.” YN smiled, excitement radiating off of her person. She pulled him over to her mess (organized chaos, she said) and began pointing at things.

“This is the diaper station— that only took two hours and then now, I’m working on the crib, which I had to already take apart once because I tried to do it in Spanish but I forgot most of the Spanish I learned in university so— woo!” She yelped as Steve spun her around and pulled her to straddle his lap on the couch.

“Hi.” He smiled up at her and she seemingly melted into his lap, hands coming to scratch his scalp the way that made him purr. He tilted his chin up and pursed his lips, hinting for a kiss when she snorted at and leaned in, meeting her lips with his and sighing happily. Her hormones today were less of an issue, but that didn’t mean they didn’t wake up like a dormant beast whenever she caught a whiff of Steve’s musky post-training smell.

“I need to get off of you because if I don’t we won’t get anything done ever.” She hummed, pecking his lips twice and once more for good luck before stumbling off of him and returning to her place in front of what would be the place his son would sleep. Before his heart could flutter and his knees could go weak at the idea, YN looked up at him.

“Your paints came in if you want to get started on the walls— I know that’s something you wanted to do, and I think I’d actually kill you if you tried to help me build all this.” She smiled and he jumped up and walked over to her and crouched down, pulling her into an elated kiss, making her giggle against his mouth.

“I love you. Thank you.” He murmured, kissing her again and standing, walking back to the hallway.

“Hey, Steve?” She piped up and he turned to look back at her. “You gonna tell me what you’re doing in there?”

“Nope!” He replied, smiling at her scoff.

“No guns or American flags, Captain!” She called out and despite himself, he threw his head back and laughed, closing the door to his used-to-be-office and opening the window. There were paints there already, in all colours and new paintbrushes he’d ordered online, and a record player he’d put there last night along with his favourite records. Today was a good day.

This was a good life.

_____________________

The two spent a few hours doing their own tasks, reconvening in the kitchen for brief snacks and glasses of water and stolen kisses on countertops. Then, after one of the two managed to pull away from the other, there would be a tap on the bum accompanied with a quick smirk and farewell before disappearing in a pile of paints or boxes.

YN shut the door behind her, leaning against it and catching her breath. The elevator was down for maintenance, and knowing Steve would probably lecture her on it, had brought down all the boxes and packaging to the dumpster by herself. It had only taken three trips, but she was well and truly tired now and ready to just crawl into bed with her boyfriend and sleep for years.

Speaking of which, she hadn’t seen him in a while. She walked through her neat rows of white baby furniture lining the hallway and came up to the closed door. She pressed her ear to the door and smiled softly to herself at the sounds she heard. There was the scratching sound of Steve’s record along with the cool-far away sounds of the city outside of their small paradise of warmth.

And Steve’s voice.

It was a little flat, a little off tune, but perfect all the same as he sang softly to the song playing on the record. Somehow, his voice sounded like a perfect pair with the crooning, warbling sound of Billie Holiday— an everlasting, classic sound that made YN’s heart flutter in her chest. In only a few months time, she could be hearing this same scenario— just opening the door this time to see Steve in all of his hulking self curled around the smallest baby girl and cooing soft songs and poems to her as if she was his whole damn world.

The back of her knuckles rapped against the heavy oak of the door and his singing stopped immediately.

“‘Lo?” He called.

“You almost done, baby? ‘M goin’ to bed soon.” She called back and she could hear Steve place his brushes into the jar and shove some garbage into a bag before the door opened just enough for his face to poke through.

“Close your eyes.” He whispered, and she giggled before doing so, feeling the breeze of Steve opening the door and stepping around her, covering her eyes with his hot hands and leading her into the room. It seemed they were walking forever before they stopped, and YN could have vibrated with the excitement she felt. She could smell the scent of acrylic and oil and gouache.

“Steve can I look?” She whispered eagerly and he kissed the crook of her neck before stepping back. She could hear him move slightly behind her, but she kept her eyes closed obediently.

“In three, two, one, open your eyes, Ma.” He said, a nervous shake in his voice.

What YN saw made her heart stop in all its entirety. The room was no longer the pale grey of his office, but was now filled to the brim with vibrant colours of the jungle. Detailed trees crowded the walls and seemed to somehow make the room three times bigger. There were animals in and around the trees, and she walked forward to look at them closer, a hand covering her mouth in awe. There were small rodents hiding around the frame of the window, large eyes looking as if they would blink at her if she stared too long. Curled at the base of a tree, there was a brightly coloured tiger with individual hairs and eyes that made a chill go up YN’s spine. Her hand fell to her belly as she continued to walk around the room, staring only at the walls. There was an elephant against the adjacent wall, and a monkey in the top corner— on the other side of the room, there was a gorilla with a baby strapped to her back, and Yn sniffed and wiped her eyes, turning to Steve who was still standing behind her.

Except he wasn’t standing at all.

He was on one knee, a small velvet box in his hand and an impossibly nervous look in his eye.

“Steven Grant.” YN whispered, shaking from head to toe, rooted to the spot several feet away from him.

“YN, I know we’re already technically engaged, but please. Hear me out.” He waited for her to make any form of protest and when she didn’t, he sucked in a nervous breath and began to talk.

“On Halloween when I had taken you home, I’d never expected for any of this to happen. I never expected to end up with a family. I never expected my life would feel so full and I never expected I would ever be this happy. Most of all, I never expected that I would love you as much as I do.” He started, and YN walked a few steps closer as he opened the box. The ring was simple— a single gold band with one single diamond on it— classic, beautiful.

“But I do love you more than I ever thought I could and that love grows more and more each passing day. You make me a better man— the man my mom would have always wanted me to be. You make me a man who I’m proud to be. You, in all your glory and kindness and sass and unbent beauty make me a better man, and I want to be a better man for you for the rest of my life if you’ll let me.” He sniffed, tears flowing freely from his eyes. YN whimpered, hand on her belly and over her mouth to stop the sobs boiling in her chest and ruining his speech.

“YN YLN, I know we’re already engaged, but I want you to have this ring. I want to genuinely marry you because I’ve fallen so, helplessly, unfalteringly, unabashedly in love with you and I want to marry you, so, I guess I should ask, huh?” He cried, wiping his face with his sleeve and looking up at her. She nodded eagerly, bouncing eagerly from one ball of her foot to the next like an over-excited puppy.

“Will you do me the honour of marrying this old man?” He asked and YN stood, eyes glued to the ring in his hands, frozen.

“YN?” He breathed nervously at her lack of response.

“Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you— I mean I was already gonna marry you but yes.” She cried, falling to her knees in front of him. They wrapped their arms around each other, and cried. She pressed her mouth to his in a desperate kiss and he swallowed her sobs, replacing them with his own.

“I love you, baby.” He sobbed, pulling back and grabbing her hand. He took her still-bare ring finger and slipped the ring on like it was always meant to be there. It glittered softly under the lighting of the Jungle Room they were kneeling in the middle of and she pulled his face closer to her, kissing him again softly.

“I love you more, Steve Rogers. How did I ever come to deserve someone as good as you, huh?” She whispered, wiping her tears with the tips of her fingers and wrapping her fists in the soft grey fabric of his t-shirt.

“Well I was just about to ask out he same question.” He smiled brightly. Steve Rogers was getting married to the love of his life. Getting married to his Persephone, his Eurydice, his Jane Eyre, his Elizabeth Bennett.

His YN YLN.

And as he coasted her around the room in his arms, their faces tucked into each other, Steve Rogers swore he never existed before this moment.

____________________

Tag List (send me an ask, ONLY. must interact with the fic more than a like): yesfanficsaremylife / notyourtypicalrose / laurxn-robinson / disaster-rose / lille-kattunge / wwecrazed2010 / vxidnik / chewingoffmyfoot/ vitamingrant / captainamericasbeard / chrisgalore / songforhema / mmyepic / multifandommandy / tommyhoe / lostdarksoul6 / crist1216 / taeeemin / jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory / feelmyroarrrr / teller258316 / mrsdeanwinchester19 / qrangr / mariswritingforfun / nerdypinupcrystal / kittycatlover18 / laucontrerasv / printedpeterparker / @dumblani / @captainomad / eversonaive / rainbowkisses31 / i-think-i-am-adorable / rainbowkisses31 / smalltintedgorl /

#steve rogers x reader #rogers #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers au #steve rogers smut #steve rogers soulmate #steve rogers series #Steve Rogers smut #Steve Rogers drabble #steve rogers fic #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x you #Dad!Steve #dad!steve rogers

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bibliothesoph · 4 years ago

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despondency

Henry shakes his head, trying to push the tears back down. If he stays strong, everything will be okay. They always told him to remain calm in these sorts of situations. They said it would make everything better––fear can kill. So he’s trying to be calm and be the voice of reason here. He’s doing everything they told him to when they prepared him for this sort of thing. Clearly, they didn’t prepare him well enough because he thinks he’s losing his fucking mind. It’s easier when you’re the one on the ground, isn’t it? All his life, he never thought he’d be in this position––the position where he has to bite his lip to keep himself from sobbing as he does everything he can to keep him alive or, at least, alive enough until someone finds them and gets him proper medical attention.

“Attention,” Alex says, his voice loud and probably supposed to be demanding. “The car is here and if you’re not out there in with me in two minutes, I’m leaving your ass here.”

Henry laughs and kisses him, rolling his eyes as he starts to drag his suitcase out of the house.

It’s a clear, cloudless morning in New York. There’s a bit of wind, but it’s not too bad. New York has seen colder springtimes than this one, and it’s due to clear up in a day or two, anyway. Alex and Henry won’t be here to see it, though, since they’re currently on their way to vacation in Mexico for a week. It’s taken quite a bit of schedule wrangling and annoying phone calls with their respective PPO teams to get this arranged, but it’s all finally worked out down to the last detail. A whole week in Mexico with absolutely nothing to do but tan by the sea and go to all of the places Alex has written down to show Henry. Alex may think that this is some sort of compromise––that Henry is only going to Mexico because Alex asked for it––but Henry might be more excited about this than Alex is, honestly. It’ll be a way for Henry to see the world through Alex’s eyes––to see everything Alex loves about it from his perspective. And Henry could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity.

As soon as they’re both in the car and driving to the airstrip, Henry feels a hand in his own, squeezing it.

There’s a hand upon his own, squeezing it. As if Henry’s the one that needs the reassurance right now, not the other way around. He shakes his head again because it’s all too much for him right now––the blood and the thoughts racing through his head. It’s all getting managed up and twisted inside of him and he fears that soon and without warning, he might explode with all of the emotions he’s feeling right now. He should have insisted that Cash or Shaan come along. He shouldn’t have let this happen. He shouldn’t have suggested a walk to the café around the corner for a cup of coffee like it was something they could just do like normal people.

“People are going to stare at us, aren’t they,” Henry says in the air.

Alex rolls his eyes. “Don’t they always?”

“Yes, but…I don’t know. Do you think it’ll be better or worse in another country? You know, one that our families aren’t in charge of?”

Alex shrugs and cozies up next to him, his socked feet landing on top of Henry’s. “Hard to say,” he sighs. “But I do know that if anyone’s staring at you, it’ll be because you look so fucking good in a swimsuit.”

Henry smiles, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Mm, is that so? Even when I inevitably burn myself to a crisp?”

“Mm, you won’t burn. I mean, isn’t sunscreen just an excuse for me to touch you in public?”

Henry laughs and kisses Alex’s cheek before pulling out his book––some beach read that June gave him.

The flight isn’t long compared to some of the other journeys they’ve had together, so when they touch down in sunny Mexico, they feel ready to drop their things at the hotel and start exploring. They’ve got two hotels planned out for the week. The first one, the one they’ll be staying in now, is in Mexico City. The second is on an island off the coast––something secluded and secretive and made for people like them. Though Henry is, of course, excited for the practically private island and all of the amenities it has to offer, he’s more excited about the first part of their vacation in Mexico City. He knows how dear this place is to Alex––how he has so many fond memories here. The idea of Alex playing tour guide is, for some reason, absolutely thrilling to him. Maybe he’ll get him a hat or something. Make him wear a uniform. When he thinks about it, it sounds nice. Would Alex be into that sort of thing?

“You’re thinking too hard,” Alex hums, slinking an arm around his waist as they stand in their hotel room.

“You’re…thinking,” Alex tells him, “too hard.”

Henry tries to laugh but he’s incapable right now. Alex is, as he usually is, right about this. Henry is thinking too much. “I’m not,” he tries to assure him.

Alex, even in this state, doesn’t buy it for even a moment. Instead, he reached up and smooths the lines of worry between Henry’s eyebrows with the pad of his thumb. Henry doesn’t even think about the blood he might be leaving there––it’s not important right now. “Henry, I wan––”

Henry shakes his head again and sniffs the tears away, pushing them down to be dealt with later. He puts more pressure on the bleeding wound even though he knows it’ll do no good. “No,” he says, voice shaking. “None of that.”

Alex’s pale, sweaty face smiles slightly up at him, the corner of his mouth rising slightly. “Plea––”

“You’re going to be fine,” Henry says, cutting him off again. “Do you hear me? Fine.”

“Fine,” Henry groans, rolling his eyes. It’s seven in the morning on their second day in Mexico and, for some reason, they’re both awake. Alex wants coffee though, given how much he’s fidgeting, Henry doesn’t think he really needs it.

“There’s a cool place on the corner,” Alex tells him as they get dressed. “I can call Shaan––”

“What if we didn’t? What if we…snuck out?”

Alex raises an eyebrow at him, clearly intrigued. “Oh? You mean to tell me that you want to sneak out without the chaperones? How scandalous! What would the Queen say?”

Henry lovingly rolls his eyes. “It’s just a coffee. We’ll be gone for, what? Twenty minutes? I’m sure we can manage walking down the street. Plus, hardly anyone’s even looked our way upon arriving here.”

Henry starts to leave but Alex tugs him back, slipping something into his hand. “Almost forgot this,” Alex tells him. Henry looks and sees that Alex has just handed him his phone.

“I suppose even vacation can’t really let us get away entirely, can it?”

Alex hums and reaches up to kiss him softly, wrapping his arms around his waist. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Mm, will I? And why’s that?”

“Because you love me,” he says with a smile, “and if you don’t, you won’t get to see me in the special suit I picked out just for you. First you gotta admit that I'm the smart one, though.”

Henry kisses him again with a smile on his face. “I never said you weren't smart. Even when you're being a complete tease and a menace, you're still one of the smartest people I know.”

Alex is smart, though. Always has been. He knows that Henry can’t know that for certain. “Stop it,” Alex groans as Henry presses down more.

Afraid that he’s hurting him, Henry pulls away.

“I meant stop shutting…me up,” Alex says. He chuckles which turns into a cough which morphs into a bit of blood staining his lips.

Henry closes his eyes for a moment, unable to stand the sight of it. He wipes the blood away with his fingers so Alex doesn’t have to feel it anymore. Or maybe so Henry doesn’t have to see it. There’s already so much––his once white shirt is completely red with it. “I just don’t want you to be a pessimist.”

Alex scoffs. “A pessimist? Henry, I’m dying.”

“Henry,” Alex groans, “I’m dying. You’ve embarrassed me to the point of no return.”

Henry rolls his eyes. “Come on, it wasn’t all that bad.”

“You said you were learning Spanish!”

“I am learning Spanish, Alex. I just…I messed up my words!”

Alex nearly doubles over in laughter. “How? Seriously, tell me how you confused the two? They sound completely different!”

Henry opens his mouth but closes it again, not really knowing how to win this battle. “Maybe I should give up entirely. Clearly all that tutoring isn’t very helpful.”

Alex rolls his eyes, nudging him with his shoulder. “Oh, come on. Don’t be such a pessimist.”

“I’m not being a pessimist,” Henry huffs. “I’m just––I’m acknowledging that it’s hopeless.”

Alex shakes his head and reaches up, kissing the underside of his jaw. “Sweetheart, that’s exactly what a pessimist would say.”

“That’s exactly what a pessimist would say,” Henry argues. He picks up his phone again, texting Shaan. He asks how far they are––how much longer does he have to keep this up? He’s losing his mind; he’s certain of it. All he can see is Alex and the blood. All he can feel is this numbing fear that there’s not a thing he can do to help him right now and that the agents won’t get here in time. If Alex dies now, in his fucking arms, how will he be able to live with himself? They were supposed to have won the battle––they were supposed to have a long, happy life together. Alex has survived a lot of terrible things, and this should be no different. It should take more than some random drunk guy with a gun to kill him.

“Henry, if I…say something…” Alex says, his words getting slurred together, “can you just…l-listen?”

“Can you just listen?” Henry begs, trying to hold Alex back.

There’s a man across the street, completely drunk. This part of the city is completely quiet and dead save for him and his stumbling mess of incoherent Spanish that Henry can’t make out. It sounds threatening, though.

Alex’s face pales as soon as he listens to him. “Shit, Henry, we need to go.”

He starts pulling Henry away, but Henry stands his ground for a moment. “Why? What’s he saying?”

“He’s––shit, he’s coming over here. Just––don’t move, okay? He’s––fuck, H, he’s got a gun just––“

Terrified, he squeezes Alex’s hand and nods.

Henry nods and brushes the tears off of Alex’s cheeks. He leans down and kisses them away for good measure. “Yes. I promise.”

Alex smiles weakly. “I’m sorry,” he begins. “And I know…we didn’t p-plan this…but it’s…it’s okay.”

Henry is trying his fucking hardest to keep the tears from falling down his cheeks. His lip quivers.

“I love you. So…fucking much. More…than you could…know.”

“I do know,” Henry promises him, his tears still threatening to spill over. He holds Alex’s face in his free hand, rubbing his thumb over the skin there. “I know and I love you more than anything. You’re not going to die, you hear me? We’re––you’ll get through this, love. You have to. I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

Alex’s eyes start to roll back but Henry shakes him, trying to keep him awake. “No, no,” Henry begs, “don’t fall asleep. Just––keep talking to me, yeah? Insult me. I know you’re good at that.”

Normally, Alex would laugh. He would find it amusing. Now, all he does is look up at Henry. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t say a word.

This is when the fear really takes a hold of Henry. It bubbles up inside of him––everything he’s been trying to push down comes up to the surface. He’s alone, he’s terrified, and it doesn’t look like Alex is breathing anymore. There’s blood on his lips. His eyes are dull and glossed over.

“Alex,” Henry says, shaking him. “Alex!”

But Alex doesn’t respond.

Henry feels Alex’s stillness in every cell in his body. It’s the worst kind of pain––there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He screams and doubles over, collapsing on top of Alex with his head on Alex’s chest.

He can’t––he can’t just lose Alex. Alex can’t just leave. It’s not what they agreed on––it’s not something that should happen. He’s so angry that he feels like he’s being set on fire. It pulses in his fingertips, making his fists clench uncontrollably. The tears escape his eyes, flowing freely and violently down his face. He tastes them in his mouth. How is this possible? How can Alex be––

He won’t survive this. There’s no way he’ll survive this. Alex has his heart completely. And now that Alex is gone…what is he supposed to do? How is he supposed to get through this? He’s lost two of the most important people in his life now––he can’t…

There’s a hand on his shoulder.

Alex puts his hand on his shoulder before launching himself in front of Henry, taking the bullet shooting out of the man’s gun. The man sees Alex fall to the ground, drops the gun, and runs away. Somehow sober now.

Henry sinks to his knees––the world is falling apart around him.

His world is falling into pieces around him.

It’s Shaan. He’s saying something that Henry can’t hear. Maybe he doesn’t want to hear it. He can't bring himself to hear any voice that isn’t Alex’s. Alex told him––he said everything would be okay, didn’t he? That this would be fun. That nothing would happen. It was just a short walk––the corner and back again. This wasn’t…this isn’t right.

Someone––Zahra, he thinks––pulls Henry off of him, physically restraining him as he fights them to make his way back to Alex. Everything’s muted. There’s a ringing in his ear. He watches as Shaan and Cash huddle around Alex’s body, doing something.

“Don’t touch him!” Henry screams. “Get away from him!”

“They’re helping, Henry,” Zahra says behind him.

Suddenly, there’s a gasp and a rush of movement. Shaan and Cash move away, rushing to both sides of Alex’s body and propping it up. Through his tears, Henry tries to see what’s going on.

“Told you I wasn’t being a fucking pessimist,” Alex croaks with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Henry frees himself from Zahra’s grasp and rushes over, pulling Alex into a hug. He pulls back a moment later, knowing that he’s probably just hurting him.

“I love you,” Alex mumbles into Henry’s hair.

Henry laughs wetly and kisses him. “If you ever do that to me again…”

“What?” Alex challenges. “You’ll kill me?”

Henry shakes his head as more tears spill over, kissing Alex again. It’s only been a few minutes, but God did he miss these lips.

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #prince henry of wales #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #fanfiction #prompt #angst #happy ending #FirstPrince

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cupcakemolotov · 5 years ago

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A Wild Ride

Klaroline AU Week: Day Three (October 9th - Wednesday): All Human

This is totally a bit rushed and I will probably have to do sneaky edits later, but I managed to get this done. I’ll take it.

The carriage wheels bounced painful over a screaming Damon Salvatore. For a single heartbeat, Caroline considered regretting her impulsive choice of shoving him out the door. But he had been bleeding and she refused to let him ruin this dress after everything else he’d left in shambles in her life. Thankfully, her companion had realized her intention and his firm grip kept her from tumbling out of the carriage with Damon.

Glancing across the carriage once the door was firmly shut, Caroline righted herself and glared at her remaining companion. “Your brother is a menace.”

Sir Klaus Mikaelson’s brow lifted as his gaze swept her disheveled figure, and Caroline arranged her skirts, pointedly ignoring the heat in his eyes. “You’ll find no disagreement from me, love. Still, I cannot imagine even he thought you’d reduce Salvatore to carrion pickings in such a dramatic fashion when we are driving at such… speed.”

She scoffed, refusing to let his words, the glint of admiration in his gaze, affect her. The hint of dimple in his cheek said he might have seen something anyway. “Should I have waited for you to deal with the situation? Difficult, with one arm.”

His mouth tightened in displeasure at the reminder of his injury. Since he’d received the stab wound unnecessarily defending her only a few weeks ago, she supposed she could stop needling him about it. Particularly when their acquaintance had become quite profitable. Or it would, as long as they’d stayed just out of the reach of the local Sheriff.

Damon being the last bit of a plot that had taken them the better part of a month to execute. But now their last enemy was dead, and all their plans had all come to fruition. Caroline wiggled back against the hard bench, and tried not to wince at another hard bounce of the carriage.

While her numerous skirts added a layer of cushion, but Kol was driving at breakneck speeds. And while she approved of putting a fair amount of distance between them and the body they’d left behind, she hardly wished for a broken bone to go along with their escape. It would be weeks before a Marshall was brought in to hunt them, and they would all be long gone by then.

The tight set to Klaus’ jaw said the jolts also hurt his arm, but she’d learned he’d only allow so much fussing, as he rudely insisted on calling her concern. Since she’d already pointed out his limitations once and preferred to fight with him when she wasn’t in danger of losing teeth, she supposed she could keep from mentioning his injury. Again.

“Besides,” she dared after a moment. “He deserved a far more ignoble death. It’s a pity we couldn’t provide one.”

A tip of his head, as Klaus agreed with her. She’d been quite clear about her reasons for wanting Damon’s death. His murder had been a very firm requirement in her bargain. Thankfully, the Mikaelson brothers were far from squeamish.

Underneath them, the carriage finally slowed a hair and they were no longer in quite so much danger of being tossed about. Relaxing now that she no longer needed to brace herself so firmly, Caroline glanced out the window, wondering what lay before them.

She hadn’t expected to feel so… disappointed once the adventure had ended. Oh, they still had a far but to go before they went their separate ways. Klaus had been dropping unsubtle hints about escorting her as far as Boston should she wish it. Kol has minutes far to many innuendos, but she had long since learned how to tune him out.

Sir Klaus and Sir Kol Mikaelson has been an unexpected addition to her life. The night they'd interceded when they’d thought she’d needed their help, they’d claimed they were looking for their brother. A Duke who had left the family in dire straights with his abandonment. They’d apparently done a fine job of faking his death in good old England, but wanted to confirm the job done.

She’d been quite surprised when it turned out that the brother was a Duke in truth, off plotting the downfall of his family with his American mistress. Somehow she allowed them to tangle her in their schemes, and in turn they’d provided the aid in hunting she’d been lacking.

Not quite a month later, and Finn lay cooling in his grave. Damon Salvatore would be a meal to whatever creature found him first. And as an added bonus, the gold they had stored beneath their benches would make them quite wealthy.

“An unfortunate ending,” Klaus said finally into the growing silence between them. “but an ending nonetheless. But tell me, Caroline. With our scheme coming to an end, what are your plans?”

She turned and frowned. “What do you mean?”

Klaus’ brow tilted, amusement in his eyes. “You’ve been rather quiet about your intentions now that you’ve had your revenge, love. Surely a quiet life back East doesn’t appeal to you after you’ve tasted so much freedom.”

Caroline studied him with narrowed eyes. She did not believe that Klaus intended to betray her now. Not after everything else this past month. Their uneasy alliance hadn’t truly developed into something like trust, but she saw where it could become a partnership. If she wanted it too.

“Perhaps,” she agreed easily enough. “Home would be a bit… sedate. But far less likely that my brand new wealth will lead to bloodshed or my neck in a noose.”

His mouth tightened. “It is unlikely anyone left alive could give a good description of you.”

She laughed. “I am hardly the only pretty blonde, though my sudden blessing of money could be a bit difficult to explain. Though a dead husband is something many wives have in common with me so far west. And you? Back to the chill of your English Hills?”

“There is unfinished business yet,” Klaus agreed. “A few more promises to keep.”

She nodded. “And then back to the boring life of a gentleman, I imagine.”

He made a low noise. “I doubt Elijah would allow either of us to be so underfoot. And neither Kol nor myself are likely to settle. While we should perhaps make ourselves scarce from your most charming of continents for some time, there are other fortunes in different cities to find.”

It was a strain to keep her jealousy off her face at his words. She spoke a smattering of French, had gleaned a fair bit of Spanish during her hunt for Damon. But the life he spoke of, moving from city to city and plundering what they found, that was far more difficult for her. There would be no cover of a mail order bride to aid her as she moved about once she left the west.

Though being a supposed widow would help.

Klaus’ lips curved, something tempting and coaxing about his gaze. “You could come with us.”

Her brows rose as she didn’t try to hide her surprise. “Why on earth would you want that?”

“Your clever,” he said immediately. “Quick on your feet and mean, when the mood takes you. I’d much rather have you on my side than find myself working against you one day.”

“Have you thought this through?” Caroline asked in exasperation. “The West is a bit more… lax, about certain matters, but there is no good reason for a single woman to be traveling with two brothers. Whatever would we tell people?”

A lift of his good shoulder. “That’s easily fixed with a minister, love.”

Her expression turned scandalized. “You want to pretend to be married? We already tried that and it was a full disaster.”

Caroline was extremely particular about her space and having Klaus invade it had been… daunting. Twice, they’d been forced to share a room and it’d been an experience. She’d never been so close to a man before. Waking to Klaus, sleep-warm and long limbed, the firmness of his body taking up most of the space on a mattress that hadn’t been nearly large enough…

Keeping to herself had been far more difficult than she have through. The temptation to touch him, to see what the steady strength of him, injured or not, had felt like beneath her fingers had been heady. That he was deviously clever had been a delightful bonus.

Klaus’ laugh was deep chested, but the gleam behind his eyes was intent. “I didn't plan on it being fake.”

Her spine stiffened. “And this is your idea of a proposal?”

The crease of his dimple deepened. “So it is the manner of my asking that offends you, but not the offer?”

Caroline glared at him. “Why would I marry you? I haven’t even decided if I like you yet.”

“Now, Caroline. We know that isn’t entirely true.”

She refused to blush at the dip in his voice. The reminder of those moments where the air between them had grown warm and filled with tension she’d had no words for. Not wanting to discuss any of it just then, she lifted her chin.

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“Why would you marry me?” Klaus repeated. The curve of his smile turned wicked. “I can think of a number of reasons. But to start, it gives you a way off this continent.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t need you for that. I’m certain I’d find a way on my own, eventually.”

Loud laughter from the front of the carriage told her that Kol was avidly listening. She was amazed he hadn’t butted in with his two cents. Kol enjoyed little more than needling everyone.

“That,” she said in exasperation and with mostly false irritation while she glanced towards where Kol would sitting. “Is quite the detriment.”

“You know you adore me!”

Caroline rolled her eyes and leaned back. Klaus wore the familiar expression of exasperation and the low simmer of his temper. It was a look she knew he wore most frequently around Kol. But for all of her exaggerated complaining, the younger of the two had become something like a friend. Albeit a very annoying one.

Still.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to let this go. Running her teeth along her lip, she made an impulsive decision. Damon was dead, her mother’s ghost put to rest. For once, her future was about her.

And maybe that could include Sir Klaus Mikaelson.

“You have until we reach Boston.”

Klaus’ brows creased with a hint of confusion. “To do what, love?”

“To convince me that I want to marry you.” She narrowed her eyes in warning. “And to plan a far better proposal than your last attempt.”

The sound of Kol’s uproarious laughter did nothing to stop the rising flush in her cheeks at the sudden glean behind Klays’ gaze. The way his gaze dipped to trace her mouth before returning to her wide eyes.

“With pleasure, Caroline.”

#kcauweek2019 #my fic #klaroline #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline drabble

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writingamongtheroses-archive · 5 years ago

Text

Showtime- Chapter 4

@andiwriteunderthemoon, @the-starlight-chills

The Strings

Liza ran through the halls of the restaurant. Her small body, too small to be hers, hurt with every step. She didn't want to be caught! Her hopes soared when she saw the door. She prepared to open it and escape into the cool night...

It slammed shut.

"No!"

She struggled with it furiously, staring at the tall figure outside. Even though their face was cast in shadow, she could see his smile. "Help me!" she screamed, blinking the blood that started to roll down her face out of her eyes. But he didn't move.

Paws grabbed her and yanked her back. Liza turned to see who it was.

The thing from the present was staring down at her. It held a controller in its hands, the strings connected to her. The controller disappeared, but the strings didn't. The thing floated closer...until something dropped over her head.

She let out a cry, trying vainly to pull it off. But her hands wouldn't move!

Xlnv orggov lmv...

"There. That's better."

-_-

Liza awoke with a gasp and the distinct feeling of being watched. Oh no, what time was it-

A hand sealed itself over her mouth, stalling her gasps for air. "Hush, Liza, you must be quiet." a voice said from above her. "We don't want to draw attention." It sounded like a young girl. But...she looked up.

The first thing she noticed was that there was a teenage girl, just sitting next to her. The second and third thing she noticed was that she wasn't sitting and she was translucent. The blonde girl was scanning the room. "I don't think they've moved yet..." She looked down and they met eyes. There was a long moment where they stared at each other before she opened her mouth. "Can you see me?"

Liza managed to nod without screaming. The girl- el fantasma- stared a moment longer before she let out a squeal. She managed to catch(?) the girl when she dove onto her, hugging Liza. "You can see me!"

The woman blinked. "Um...do I know you?"

"Nope, I died before you were born, but I've been with you for a while..." Well, that confirmed the ghost part.

"Ahem."

Liza glanced over. This time, she did scream at the sight of the present thing, just staring at her. She managed to catch her breath. "I- You're real."

"Yes, and so are you." The voice was soft and very matter-of-fact about it. It had a tinge of a Spanish accent to a voice that kinda sounded like the inside of a grandfather clock. Instead of the red chin and blue streaks, the face was painted to look more like a Calavera skull. Liza let out a yelp, jumping back. It gave a surprised jerk before leaning forward, raising a hand.

"Calm down." the ghost girl whispered in her ear. "Puppet just wants to help."

"Listen to your friend." The 'Puppet' gave her another look over. "And please, Night Guard, do refrain from shouting. You do not want to give yourself a migraine."

"I, what-" Liza sat back down, staring at the Puppet. The hard cement grounded her into reality. She wasn't dead, talking to some type of puppet in a present box, and there was a ghost girl that looked vaguely familiar. Okay. She took in a breath.

"On your tenth birthday, you suffered an accident that damaged your brain. Your brain managed to be stitched back together, but you suffer from migraines, headaches, and mood swings from the brain damage." It rattled off the info like it was reading from a book. "You take a cocktail of drugs to deal with the damage, but you are annoyed by it and try your best to ignore the damage. Foolish, but very interesting."

She stared. "I've lost my mind." Puppet and Ghost Girl exchanged looks as she managed a shaky laugh. "Yep. I've finally lost it." It gave her a rather cold look and moved to retreat into the box. "Wha- Hey!" To her surprise, it did pause. "You...you fixed my arm." Liza groaned, trying to remember everything. It would help make this entire thing less creepy. "Why?"

"You are the Night Guard."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"For now, it will do. I will aid you. Good night, Night Guard." Without another word, the Puppet disappeared into the box. The music box clicked to a stop- Liza wasn't even aware it had been playing. She stared at it.

"I think that's all you're gonna get." Ghost Girl whispered.

She nodded, checking her watch. 11:50.

It was time for her third shift.

-_-

"So...here's the office, I guess."

It had taken a bit of maneuvering to get the present box and the music box both. Liza set the present on the floor with a satisfied huff and no idea what to do next. Ghost Girl was poking around, looking at everything. "They've changed it since I was last here," she said finally, settling on a cabinet.

"And that was...?" Liza tried. After a moment of thought, she picked up the box and set it on what little space there was on the desk. She collapsed into her chair with a sigh, glancing at the box. It had been an instinct to grab the present and the music box. She still had questions for the Puppet.

"Oh, fifteen years ago."

"Huh. Alright." Liza stared at the present on the cramped desk. Who needed that many TVs? Tomorrow night, she could come in early and try to get some order out of the mess. "So, do you have a name?" She didn’t want to keep calling her Ghost Girl- it sounded rude.

"You can call me Doll."

Midnight came.

On cue, her phone rang. It was her actual phone, which made her startle. She pulled it out- 5 missing messages and one voicemail. She prayed that none were from her tio or, she shuddered at the thought, Lynn. Then she wouldn't have to worry about the animatronics.

Thankfully, none of it was from Rafael or Lynn. They were all from Mr. Calworth- why was he calling her? She played the voicemail. "Um...Miss Dorado, I just wanted to check in on you. The morning cleaning crew arrived this morning and said you were missing. Y-Your car was still parked outside. If you called for a ride, that's fine, but please inform us...give me a call when you can! Bye!" He sounded nothing like the confident man that had hired her.

"Oh my god," Liza said after a moment of silent gaping. "That cabrón thought I died!" This wasn't to check in on her, this was to cover the restaurant's ass! She immediately saved the message. By leaving the message, the restaurant was clearing any incrimination of them knowing what the hell was going on. It was like a setup. But more a 'just in case set-up' than anything else. This stroked the flames of annoyance in her- crap, had she taken her medicine?

Her thoughts immediately derailed from her expensive meds to stay alive when she checked the tablet and saw everyone had immediately left the stage. "Think they remember last night?" she asked Doll and the present. Neither answered. "That's what I thought," she said with a little nod.

It was hardly a minute later before Liza had to throw herself across the office to grab the remote and slam the east hall door on Rex. She let out a sigh of relief. "Too close." she sighed.

Of course, that was when the night decided to turn itself on its head.

"CLOSE! I'll show you close, stupid meat sack!" The voice was electronic and male and very annoyed. None of the character was taken away by its muffled tone. "Open up!" Liza gaped through the door window at Rex, the remote clattering out of her hand. "You're not playing fair!" he yelled.

"And you're not supposed to TALK!" She screeched, immediately backing up. Rex cocked his head in confusion at the answer, white and neon green fur moving with it, instead of the usual screaming. Liza backpedaled quickly, bumping into something. She nearly shot back into the office but was stopped by an lavender and orange hand. It was very large and very frightening. She bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming and drawing everyone else in the office.

"Kitty!" Rex whined. "Open the door on my side!" He whined until Kitty-Cat could grab the remote and open the door. It took some maneuvering but she managed, yanking Liza out of the seat and into her arms.

"Better, Rex?" she said sweetly.

"Much better!" He swaggered into the office, grinning at the squirming and screechy Liza.

Until she kicked out during her squirming, hitting him right in the chin. Rex let out a rather dog-like yelp, stumbling back and holding his chin as if he was in pain. Liza had a brief moment of satisfaction until the world turned upside down and her glasses fell off, Kitty now holding her by an ankle. "Are you okay?!" the cat asked, ignoring the human's pleas to be put down.

"Oh, you are so gonna get it-"

"Bajame-!"

"Ye didn't check Treasure Cove, landlubber, now you must-"

"Dios mío," Liza said into her hands. "Es una fiesta."

Captain Bun screeched to a stop at the sight of the group. "Aw, ye got her already!" Her ears flattened against her head. "Shame. I wanted the honors meself." She cocked her head when she noticed Rex still rubbing his jaw. "What's with ye?"

"She kicked me." he groaned, sounding very much like a grumpy teenager.

"She did, so Rex deserves the honors!" Kitty said. "Anyway, it's finders stuffers."

"Finders keepers," Liza said in English, deciding to save her energy as she dangled. "It's finders keepers."

"It's the same thing," Kitty said with a too-human shrug. Rex sniggered.

"Dios mío," Liza repeated, burying her face back in her hands. Sure, it was childish, but she deserved it, maldita sea. Heck, she would probably blow a raspberry at these cabróns before being stuffed. Because of her state of bemoaning her fate, she didn't notice Bun notice the present box.

"...Hold yer fire there, Kitpup."

"Why?!"

"What's wrong, Bun?"

Liza looked up from her hands when she felt Kitty's grip loosen. The pirate was pointing to the present box. Despite the eyes staring at it, it looked nothing more than a gift. It looked like taking it with her was a good idea.

"What? Wait, she found it?!" Kitty's voice was a tad bit higher as she dropped Liza. She let out a grunt when her head hit the floor. She grabbed her fallen glasses, shoving them on as she scrambled into her chair. She couldn't get past them to escape, so she settled for gripping the back of the chair and keeping it between her and these characters.

"It's probably a mistake like last time!" Rex said, reaching for Liza. "We'll just deal with her now and save Puppet the trouble-" He froze when the music box started to play. It was still twinkling, but the notes were sharp and warning. The dog drew back, properly chastised.

"Well..." Bun said, examining Liza with her eyes. "Ted isn't going to like this."

#heartbeat #heartbeat series #wip #writblr #writeblr

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sp4c3-0ddity · 6 years ago

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25, “I want an answer, goddammit.” For plance??? :)

so uh…remember that old Disney Channel show “Phil of the Future”?? this was definitely very much inspired by its concept (though tbh i only watched a tiny bit of it and don’t remember very much) so this is not nearly as angsty as that prompt implies. and no knowledge of the show required to know what’s going on here!! but anyway, ~3000 words, and i hope you like at least some of them!!

(25) “I want an answer, dammit.”

“What do you think this thing is anyway?” Lance pokesthe corner - or the cut-off corner - of the small pyramid-looking…gadget. Thesurface is smooth under his hand aside from narrow grooves on each side, andsomething almost glows inside the metal.

If Lance doesn’t know anybetter, he’d think it popped right out of one of those crazy science fictionmovies Hunk likes poking holes in.

“A toy, probably,”Hunk surmises. He holds his hand out, but Lance cradles the thing protectivelyagainst his chest. “Really? You don’t even want me to get a better look atit?”

Lance shakes his head, holdingthe object tighter, never mind that the sharp edge digs into his arm. “Mymystery to solve.”

Hunk raises an eyebrow beforerolling his eyes and returning his attention to the calculus textbook lyingopen on the table before him. “Where did you even get that?”

Heat rushes to Lance’s face,his eyes widening as he tries to think up a believable lie that won’t embarrasshim as much as Pidge left it behind inthe robotics classroom.

(That fact isn’t especially humiliating so much as the suggestionthat Lance might’ve still been at school after the robotics club met. He has areputation to maintain, and part of that is cooland uncaring student and a “cool and uncaring student” wouldn’tbe caught dead at school after classes.)

“Uh…Pidge left it in thecafeteria after lunch and I haven’t seen her again yet since,” Lance says.He flashes Hunk a smile and prays he won’t question him.

No one answers his prayer.

“Really?” Hunk frownsat the pyramid-looking thing in Lance’s arms. “That seems like an oddthing for her to carry around.”

“Well, Pidge is a little…”

“Weird?” Hunksuggests.

Lance gasps, jaw dropping as hestares at him. “Hunk, don’t be mean!”

He absently taps his pencil againsthis notebook. “I’m just saying what you were thinking,” he pointsout. “And, hey, she’s still great! I don’t blame you for having a littlecrush on her, even though I never figured her as your type, so—”

Lance’s brain struggles tocatch up with the words spilling out of Hunk’s mouth so that he blurts,“Wait, what?” His heart skips a beat, the gadget nearly tumbling fromhis grip until he scrambles to retrieve it, and he retorts, “I do not have a crush on Pidge!”

Hunk’s eyes narrow.“Right,” he says in a tone dripping sarcasm, “and I failed thecooking unit from home—”

“It’s just that sheflat-out rejected me when I invited her to eat lunch with us!” Lancewhines. He drops his forehead onto his own open textbook, the memory of herfrown and downcast eyes before she mumbled something about needing to study foran exam still stinging days later. “It’s like one day she’s complaining tome about what a waste of time P.E. is, and the next she’s avoiding me!”

Which was fine! Jenny Shaybonoffered him her pudding cup that lunch period, so really, Pidge was the real loser!

“But there is something odd about Pidge,”Lance muses. He sets the pyramid thing on his book - who cares about RRAM orthe trapezoid rule or whatever anyway? - and stares at it, hard. He’s never seen anything like it - though he never claims tobe an expert in technology or art - and besides, some things about Pidge justdon’t add up.

She and her brother justenrolled in the middle of the school year a few months ago. Pidge says strangethings and contradicts their physics and computer science teachers a lot - Lance can’t help being on hisguard in that class after Mr. Haxus’ last death glare - and complains aboutschool being a complete waste of time for her though for all intents andpurposes she’s a huge nerd.

(It’s why he asked her ratherthan Hunk to help him in calculus…or so he insists.)

“Just because she cansometimes resist your charms doesn’tmean she’s odd,” Hunk says, rolling his eyes.

“You’re the one who saidshe’s weird first!” Lance argues.

“Sure,” Hunk agreeswith a shrug. “I’ve never seen anyone else dip turkey bacon in peanutbutter, for one.”

Lance barely hears him, toobusy staring into some distant recess of the library. “You ever notice howcagey she gets when I ask her about her hobbies or where she’s from? You thinkshe likes video games?” He frowns, tapping his chin and considering how hecan get through to Pidge, entice from her one of those fond smiles that makessomething warm bloom in his chest…or even a boast.

“Yeah, but maybe she justdoesn’t want to talk about personal stuff,” Hunk says. “I mean, herfamily’s from Canada, right? I’d be embarrassed to be from Canada too.”

“But where from Canada?” Lance wonders with a wide, sweepinggesture. “When she said Canada,I tried to joke that she must like the cold, and she looked at me all confused! And she quotes, I kid you not,Canada is cold?”

“Maybe she’s from areality where climate change already did a number on Canada,” Hunk jokes,his lips curving in a smirk.

“How are you not curious,man?” Lance demands. He leans over the table to prod his shoulder andadds, “You’re the same guy who snuck a peek at Jenny Shaybon’s diary whenI wasn’t sure if she liked me!”

Hunk shudders. “Neveragain,” he says. “I found some sordid details in there I wish I couldforget.”

“Like—”

“Never. Again.”

Lance laughs, more amused thanoffended, before emphasizing, “Look, it’s almost like Pidge isn’t who shesays she is.” His eyes widen, heart jumping into his throat because damn does that make some kind of sensethe longer he thinks about it. With his heart racing in excitement, he grins,continuing, “It’s like she’s an undercover cop who can’t get her storystraight or a—what if she’s in Witness Protection and hasn’t learned her coverstory yet?”

Hunk stares at him, obviouslyincredulous. “You got all that just from that pyramid thing and the factthat she knew how to derive the fundamental theorem of calculus before Dr.Montgomery taught it to us?”

Lance points at him, hardlydeterred when Hunk shoves his hand away from his face, and says, “Nowyou’re getting it! And if she’s in danger—oh, God, what if she’s in danger?” Horror grips him, a vividimage of a crazed contract assassin crashing through the school’s main entrancescreaming for blood playing through his head.

“Yeah, I don’tthink—”

“She’ll need someone towatch her back.” Lance’s gaze drops to the pyramid, an idea taking rootwhile a sly smile pushes at his lips. “And I know just how to get her toagree.”

***

Lance isn’t above blackmail asany one of his siblings can attest.

(But not Hunk; he’s spotlessand the one time Lance tried to hold a failed batch of empanadas over his head,he shrugged and said, Even I screw up inthe kitchen sometimes.)

Now he gets to attempt histechnique on a new victim.

Pidge is on edge the second sheenters their first class over ten minutes late. Her hands wring the hem of herover-sized sweatshirt, her gaze fixed straight ahead on the chalkboard whiletheir physics teacher lectures - and Lance knowsshe’s off when she doesn’t raise her hand even once to question her.

“So…” Lance prodscarefully at the end of the period when they’re supposed to get a head start ontheir homework. He glances sideways at her, watches her cap and uncap her penwith a soft click over and over again. “When do I use kinetic frictioninstead of static?”

“When you…what?”Pidge’s head snaps around, wide eyes fixing on him. “Can you repeatthat?”

“Uh…what’s thedifference between elastic and inelastic collisions?” Lance wonders,thinking of a new question just because he can.

“Both momentum and kineticenergy are conserved in an elastic collision,” Pidge explains. “Onlymomentum is conserved for inelastic.”

Lance jots down a random formula- F = ma - and nods along, just tomake it look like that’s what he’s really interested in. “Thanks,” hetells her, flashing her a smile he hopes will set her at ease.

It does not. Instead sheprogresses even more slowly through her homework than he does, barely startingthe first problem by the time the bell rings.

She tries to race ahead ofeveryone else, ducking past students that tower over her and heading in thedirection that Lance knows must bethe robotics classroom, so he follows, his heavier than usual bag bouncingagainst his back, never mind that his next class is in the opposite direction.

(It’s Spanish, the one classhe’s acing since he’s almost fluent.)

This part of the school isrelatively quiet even during the day, with more specialized elective classesheld here. But Pidge still pauses outside the robotics class, gaze darting upand down the hall furtively - but missing Lance in his hiding spot just aroundthe corner - before she easily picks thelock and darts inside.

His jaw drops. Pidge knows howto pick locks? Then why hadn’t she tried that before he was forced to ask ajanitor to open his locker when he forgot the combination?

Well, no use in thinking aboutthe past when Lance has a Pidge to confront.

He slips through the crack inthe slowly closing door on silent feet in time to see her peeking under a deskand mumbling, “Where are you,Rover? I could’ve sworn I turned you off…”

“It has a name?”Lance blurts before he can stop himself.

Pidge’s head strikes the deskwith a harsh thunk when she jumps.

He winces and reaches acrossthe desk to touch her shoulder. “Sorry! Are you okay?”

She mutters something too lowfor him to hear before straightening, her eyes wide and face red and whole bodystiff and looking very much like she wants to bolt. “Lance? What’re youdoing here?”

Of course she completelyignores his question.

“Uh…I have roboticslater, obviously,” Lance lies with a grin that feels strained. “Justhad a bit of last-minute homework to finish first about like…Turing and daVinci and—”

“Oh, just stop whileyou’re ahead,” Pidge cuts him off, rolling her eyes, though the corner ofher mouth ticking up slightly validates his rambling. “I know you’re notin robotics.”

“And class is not insession here right now.” Lance rests his hands on the desk between themand leans towards her. “What’re youdoing here?”

Pidge’s eyes drift away,wandering around the classroom. “I lost something here yesterday,”she says. “I came by to look for it.”

“Lost what?” Lancewonders despite knowing exactly - well, kindof exactly - what. He shrugs off his backpack and drops it onto the desk,waiting for the right moment to unveil his discovery.

“Somethingimportant.” Pidge runs her fingers through her untidy hair and groans.“Matt was right; I never should’ve brought it to school, but I thought itwould be helpful for—”

Lance unzips his bag and pullsout the pyramid-shaped thing.

Pidge’s jaw drops, her handsshooting out. "You found Rover!” She makes to grab it, but Lanceholds it just out of her reach. She glares at him and practically growls,“Lance, that’s mine.”

“What is it?” Lancewonders, running a fingertip along a sharp edge. “And why were you talkingabout it as if it can move on its own?”

“It’s a…virtual realityprototype,” Pidge says. Her hands curl into fists at her sides, likelymaking some effort to be patient rather than just launching herself over thedesk to wrestle her possession away from him.

(Which…Lance isn’t entirelysure he’d be opposed to.)

“Is it?” Lance raisesan eyebrow; cool as virtual reality would be, something in her words ringsuntrue. “Can I try it out? I swear I won’t tell anyone about it if you’retrying to keep it a secret.”

“No, you can’t.”Pidge crosses her arms. “It’s veryunrefined; the images aren’t…detailed enough yet, and there are all thesebugs in the code I’m trying to fix and—”

“So who did you see getmurdered?” Lance asks. Might as well cut to the chase if she still insistson lying, right?

Pidge stares at him. “Whodid I…what? No one!”

“Wrong answer,Pidge,” Lance accuses, prodding her in the shoulder, “if that’s evenyour real name!”

Her jaw flaps, eyes wide andstunned till she admits, “It’s not.”

Lance grins and pumps his fist,a flush of triumph filling him. "Aha, I knew it!”

“Pidge is just a dumbnickname my brother gave me,” she says, shrugging. “My real name isKatie.”

Really? Such a cute, femininename belongs to the girl in the baggy sweatshirt and untidy hair? But that’snot important, not when his alarm spikes and he waves his hand in her face andsays, “Hey, why are you telling me this?” He glances over hisshoulder at the door, half-expecting someone - maybe the robotics class teacheris a spy? - to be standing there andeavesdropping. “What if someone that wants to kill you finds out?”

Pidge slams her hands onto thedesk, a deep frown on her face, and demands, “Lance, what the quiznak areyou going on about? No one’s ever tried to kill me, and I never intentionally hid my real name!”

Lance flails his arms,agitated. “Aren’t you in Witness—wait, what the hell is a ‘quiznak’?”

Pidge’s eyes widen as sherecoils from him and mutters, “Quiznak, it’s a…curse word from a book Iread.” She smiles, but Lance knows a fake one when he sees it.

He crosses his arms and smirks,knowing he’s caught her. “Nice try, Katie,”he says. “Who are you and where are you from really?” He pats the pyramid thing - Rover - on its flatcornered top and adds, “I want an answer, and you’re not getting this backuntil you explain.”

Her eyes narrow while shescowls, mistrust obvious in every twitch of her face.

And maybe blackmail was aterrible idea to get Pidge to talk - to confide in him - because that distrust hurts.

But Lance stands his ground andholds her gaze. “You know Canada’s cold, right?” he says in a low voice,not quite willing to disrupt the tense cloud hanging over them.

“I do know,” Pidgegrumbles. “Where I’m from, Canada doesn’t even technically exist anymore,and political and climate histories have never been my strong suits.Technological history, on the other hand—”

“Where you’re from?”Lance prompts. His heart pounds, excitement gripping him, for he senses Pidgeis on the verge of giving him answers.

“Well, more like when I’m from,” she admits with asigh. She props her elbows on the table, leaning slightly towards him with hergaze on Rover. “My family was on vacation when the machine broke down, sowe got stranded here.”

Lance, even more confused thanhe was before Pidge started talking, rests his hands on his hips and raises aneyebrow. “Can’t you just take your car to a shop if it broke down? Hey, Ibet Hunk would be willing—”

“Not a car,” Pidgeinterrupts, eyes darting up to his before flitting away again. “A…timemachine.”

At first, Lance doubts he heardher right, but then he laughs and nudge her in the shoulder. “Good one,Pidge,” he says. “You really had me going for a second.”

Pidge frowns. “I’m notjoking, Lance.”

“Really? Timemachine?” Lance smirks. “You have a pretty good imagination; thatshould be what your virtual reality game is about!”

Her frown turns into anirritated scowl. “I tell you the truth like you asked, and this is how you react?”

“Don’t worry,” Lancesays, raising his hands and trying (but failing) to dampen his grin. “Ipromise I won’t tell anyone; your secret is safe with—”

Pidge taps one of Rover’scorners, and wires running through its sides embedded in the metal burst withcolor, flashing red before fading into blue. Lance’s jaw drops, heart jumpinginto his throat, as the thing - is it a robot?And way more advanced and cooler thananything the robotics club can hope to build in this century - rises, hoveringin place with a green indicator light blinking at him before turning towardsher.

Pidge smiles and greets it,“Good morning, Rover. Did the mean, scary boy kidnap you?”

Lance doesn’t recover fastenough to get more than mildly annoyed that she called him “mean” and“scary”, not when a damn robot beeping like R2D2 hovers in front ofhim.

(He wonders if its“language” is as filthy as R2D2’s.)

“Believe me now?”Pidge wonders with a glare.

Lance’s jaw snaps shut with aclick as he recovers from his shock. He nods frantically and reassures her,“Yes, you’re from the future but we’ll say you’re from Canada!”

Pidge’s expression relaxes asRover hovers over her shoulder. “Good,” she says, and she rounds thedesk and approaches him.

His heart races and heat rushesto his face when she grabs him by the front of his jacket and tugs him down toher level, so close to her face hecan see every distinct shade of brown in her eyes. “And I don’t care howcute you are,” she hisses. “If you breathe one word of this to anyone- even Hunk - I’ll show you what we do to blabbermouths in my time.”

Lance’s mouth dries, a flutterlow in his abdomen, as he swallows, just a little afraid of this tiny girl withthe flashy robot and a death grip on his jacket, and manages to promise,“I won’t tell anyone.”

Pidge grins, though there’s amenacing edge to it. “Good.” She lets go and lightly smacks hischeek. “Guess there’s no harm in us being friends now.”

Lance straightens and exhales,forcing the tension from his body. He smiles - at least he likes the outcome,and he won’t learn what exactlyPidge’s threat entails if he can help it - and agrees, “Yeah, I’dlike—” His eyes widen so much he worries they’ll pop out of his skull.“Wait, did you just call me cute?”

Pidge’s reddening face is allthe answer he needs to know that hisfuture will be…interesting.

#plance #pidgance #lidge #flirtyrobot #finally some feel-good plance!!#tbh i dislike high school aus so of course #if i ever write any #they have to have something a little extra or weird #...this is mostly crack tbh #lance makes some weird leaps of logic #also barely proofread #voltron #reem writes fic #qna #Anonymous

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crosbysierra95 · 4 years ago

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Last Longer In Spanish Jaw-Dropping Cool Ideas

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eyesopen2019 · 5 years ago

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Chickenpox in Cunit

We got the train from Seville to Barcelona on 23rd June which was very comfortable and an easy trip. Our apartment was basically across the road from the train station in Seville which was handy. When we got on the train we had the usual arguments about who was sitting where………. Aiden always wants the window seat, Lani and Leon always want to sit with me, no-one ever wants to sit with Aiden so it is always a bit of a fight until usually I have to step in and tell everyone where to sit! Leon had to sit next to Aiden on this train so wasn’t very happy to start with, but eventually got over it.

While waiting to board the train I noticed Kai was breaking out in red spots. We had a few mosquitos in Seville and initially I thought he’d been bitten, but over the course of the journey he got more and more spots coming up until he was almost covered in itchy blisters…..chickenpox. Leon and Lani had a few spots the previous week and some headaches but I’d thought they were tired and had mosquito bites, so I now think they’d all had chickenpox – except Aiden. Poor Kai was covered in spots by the time we got off the train. Luckily, he didn’t feel too bad – just itchy.

We arrived in Barcelona Sants at 9.30pm and had to get a regional train to Cunit which is where we were staying for the next 2 weeks. We decided to stay out of the city due to cost and also we needed to stay somewhere for a bit longer so we could apply for our visa to China.

Cunit is a beachside holiday town for Spanish tourists approximately 45mins by train south of Barcelona. Our apartment is across the road from the beach and a short walk to the train station and supermarket. There is not much to do in Cunit besides the beach, but they do have a few good cafes in town with great coffee and a very friendly and relaxed feel to the town.

The night we arrived in Cunit we got off the train into the pitch black and found fireworks and firecrackers exploding all around the train station and town. The streets were filled with the smoke of crackers going off everywhere and the sound was constant and very loud. We had no idea what was happening or why this was all going on. We walked about 20 minutes through the streets trying to avoid being hit by stray fireworks. It was a bit scary as we had no idea what sort of place we had ended up. Looking around the streets they were filled with old and young people as well as young children with their families which made me feel better. The beach was filled with people setting off fireworks and sitting around fires. When we arrived at our unit to be greeted by our host and her DIL on the phone she explained that it was the celebration for the summer solstice all throughout Spain. After we settled into the unit and watched the fireworks from our balcony. They continued until well into the early hours and sporadically for the next few days. It was good to see families out enjoying themselves well into the night with no intoxicated people causing trouble.

Our first few days in Cunit were spent trying to sort out our China visa. We had great difficulty getting information about what documents we needed for visa application. We were unable to call or email and get a response from the visa centre in Barcelona, so we decided to visit in person where they answered all our questions. For the next 2 days we managed to get everything together and all forms filed in and documents printed and collated (90 pages!). I made an appointment to apply for the visa and Kai and I went to the visa centre. While we sat there waiting for our turn, I noticed that not many people had their applications and passports taken off them during their turn and that they were sent away for corrections or more paperwork. When it was my turn, I handed the consulate staff my 6 forms and passports and she was a bit surprised there were so many. I explained that we were unable to apply in Australia as we’d been travelling since February and really need to apply today so we could get the visas back before leaving for France on the 8th July. She was very friendly and helpful, and we spent the next 4, yes 4, hours filling and refilling in forms and paperwork so it was all correct to submit. It was a very tiring and difficult process before we finally had it all right and she took all 6 applications off me. I then went to pay at the cashier and my card was declined!!!! So, Kai and I had to run to the ATM to get cash before they closed their doors 10 minutes later. We made it back and paid the money and I was so happy to get out of there. I felt a great stress relief once it was submitted and now we just wait 8 working days to go back and pick them up. Fingers crossed……..

To get out of the heat one day we went to the Port Adventura water park which is a bit like Wet’n’Wild at home. We all enjoyed the rides with Leon and Lani going and going all day long. Kai loved the lazy river and Hung tried some of the waterslides, but he got pretty sick so napped most of the afternoon. Leon was the most adventurous and went on the King Khajuna which was 31m high with a near vertical drop and he survived. We were all really tired the next day from being out in the sun all day and had a resting day at home.

We noticed there were heaps of mosquitos in Cunit and we struggled with the heat at night and lack of aircon in our unit. We cranked up the fans and Hung rigged up some temporary flyscreens with mosquito netting which helped. We were up at the beach most mornings before it is too hot. The beach is very calm with crystal clear water. Lani loves to sit and play on the beach for hours, digging holes and building castles. Everyone has been swimming, except Aiden, and enjoyed cooling off in the water. On the weekends the beach is packed with extended Spanish families with their umbrellas, coolers and chairs where they will spend most of the day.

I spent a few days out in Barcelona with Aiden watching a couple of movies (we saw Rocketman which was my choice and John Wick 3 which was Aiden’s choice) in the heat of the day and then visiting the Gothic Quarter, La Rambla and some of Gaudi’s famous buildings. There are endless gorgeous alleyways filled with little shops and different foods to explore. He had his hair cut and rebleached one night while I waited in a nearby café which was very relaxing just having a wine and watching the passing traffic. After that we wandered around for a few hours until we jumped on the train home. Hung and Aiden went into the city one night and went vintage shopping. Aiden picked out a shirt for Hung which Aiden really liked. Aiden bought himself some beige pants and a jacket in a particular style he’d been looking for since Japan.

We spent some time near the Barcelona Cathedral and Leon and Lani enjoyed watching the various people on the street trying to scam tourists out of money by giving their kids balloons or jumping into people’s photos. They couldn’t believe it when the clown snatched the balloon back from the child when their parent wouldn’t give them any money or demanded the photo be deleted from the tourist’s phone. We visited La Sagrada Familia and learnt about Gaudi and his obsession with the building. It is a Roman Catholic Church inspired by faith and nature and has been under construction since 1882 and continues today. All the kids enjoyed looking at the building and admiring the wonderful decorative exterior. We also wandered down Passeig de Gracia to see Casa Batllo (House of Bones) redesigned by Gaudi in 1904 where Leon and Lani were more fascinated by a nearby tree…..

Hung and I celebrated our 19 year wedding anniversary in Cunit and spent an evening out at the Picasso Museum with the kids and had a lovely dinner together when on our last night in Barcelona.

The Picasso Museum was interesting, and the kids were interested to learn Picasso started painting so young but were unsure why he was so famous when they thought they could do his paintings also. Leon and Lani both were keen to try a cubism drawing in their journals the next day.

Hung and Lani rented an electric bike one day and spent the day cruising around together. They came home with a fish and some anchovies that they bought and fried them up for lunch. It was funny to watch Lani pull the jaw off the fish and scoop out the eyballs then eat the rest – she really is Hung’s daughter! Lani out of all the kids enjoyed the beach and the water the most and could spend all day there if able. She’d much prefer that than walking around a city looking at buildings…….

On June 7th we caught the train from Cunit back to Barcelona where we were due to collect our passports the following day. Hung and I went out for a dinner at a local Spanish restaurant and had a delicious seafood paella and tapas dishes. We shared a bottle of Spanish red wine which we thoroughly enjoyed as we did the ice cream on the way home. We got up early the next morning and Leon and I headed to the Chinese Visa Centre to collect our passports with hopefully our visa inside. I was pleased that we just were able to head to the counter and collect our passports straight away with no problems. I breathed a big sigh of relief when I had the passports in my hand and all the details were correct.

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nevermindthewind · 7 years ago

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eight days a week, i love you

Or, eight obscure times Amy Santiago fell in love with Jake Peralta all over again.

Amy heard the music before she even reached the apartment door.

It was upbeat, sugary. If she had to guess she’d say Taylor Swift, in either her Speak Now or Red era.

On top of the music was a male voice (albeit not a very good one) singing right along with Taylor at the top of his lungs.

A smile crept onto her face as she reached the door, not even bothering to knock. He’d have never heard it anyway.

“Babe?” Amy called as she opened the door, only to be greeted by Mine (album version, obviously) blasting through Jake’s way-too-fancy speakers. She didn’t know if she should be proud or embarrassed that she knew the exact TSwift song he was playing. She chose to be proud.

Stepping out of her shoes, Amy rounded the corner only to find Jake alone in the kitchen, holding a wooden spoon up to his mouth as he screamed along with the song.

“Do you remember we were sitting there on the water...”

He was turned away from her, jumping up and down and shaking his butt from side to side with each word. It was quite possibly the most adorable thing Amy had ever seen.

“You put your arm around me...FOR THE FIRST TIME…”

Her hand came up to her mouth, unable to contain her giggles any longer.

“...You made a rebel of a careful man’s careful daughter…”

Amy slid off her purse and coat, setting them on the floor with a thud. The sound caused Jake to finally turn around. His eyes lit up, but he didn’t stop dancing or singing. Instead, he jumped over to the counter, grabbed a rogue ladle and handed it to Amy. She gladly accepted the makeshift microphone as he pulled her to the center of the kitchen and spun her around the room.

“You are the best thing that’s ever been MINEEEEE.”

If you had asked Amy what she and Jake would be doing for their six month anniversary, it would most definitely not have included her being blindfolded in the back of a town car.

“Jake, where are you taking me?” she asked for what felt like the millionth time.

“You’ll find out soooon!” Jake sang out to her left.

Amy to let out a frustrated groan.

“I swear to god Peralta if you don’t take this blindfold off of me…”

“‘I swear to god Peralta if you don’t take this blindfold off of me’ title of our sex tape,” Jake interjected, earning him a punch to the shoulder.

“Okay, okay,” he said with a laugh. “But seriously, we’re like thirty seconds away.”

And sure enough, Amy felt the car begin to slow before coming to complete stop.

“Can I get out now?”

“Patience, young Padawan.”

She heard the click of his seatbelt, followed by his door opening and shutting. Amy began to feel around for her own door handle, wanting to take matters into her own hands, but before she could get very far the door was opened for her, causing her to practically fall out the side of the car.

“Easy there, Ames,” said Jake as he took her hand and guided her out the door. Once she was out, he let go of her hand and began to untie the blindfold. “Ready?”

Amy nodded, and Jake pulled the blindfold away to reveal the front of the New York Public Library.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “The library?” Amy asked. “But it’s closed now.”

“To most people, yes,” Jake said. “But tonight, we are not most people.”

“What do you mean?”

Jake smiled as he slipped his hand back into hers.

“I mean tonight, we are Library VIPs who get to spend the night sleeping amongst the finest literary masterpieces the world has to offer.”

Amy’s jaw dropped.

“Shut up,” she exclaimed. “SHUT UP!”

“I will not,” Jake replied, his smile widening at Amy’s response.

Amy was practically vibrating with excitement. “This is AMAZING. Oh my god, we really get to sleep in one of the five most important libraries in the country? Sixteen-year-old Amy would be peeing herself right now! Thirty-three-year-old Amy is pretty close herself.”

“Thirty-three-year-old Amy is also a giant nerd,” said Jake, but he was laughing.

“Yeah she is,” Amy agreed. “But she still managed to find the best boyfriend ever!”

She gave Jake a quick kiss before dragging him up the stairs and into the library, where they spent the night running through the hallowed halls and looking at every artifact and book Amy could get her hands on.

III

Amy woke up from a cramp-induced nap one Saturday to a string of texts from a very distressed Jake.

6:12pm

Help I’m in the tampon aisle and I have no idea what to buy.

6:13pm

Ames. SOS.

6:16pm

Ammmyyyyyyyyyy

6:17pm

Ok people are looking at me. They must think I’m a giant weirdo.

6:18pm

There’s super, light, cardboard, plastic, non-applicator...HOW ARE THERE SO MANY CHOICES?!

6:20pm

If you don’t respond in the next two minutes I’m buying them all.

6:22pm

THESE ARE SO EXPENSIVE OH MY GOD.

6:22pm

This makes zero sense. You literally need them?? Why do you have to pay so much for something that half the population needs?! I don’t understand.

6:23pm

Ah HA there’s a multipack. I’m getting that. If it doesn’t have what you need I’ll return them. Can you return tampons?

6:27pm

I got mint chocolate chip ice cream too. The good kind with brownie bits. Be home in 15. Xoxo

Amy had just finished up her last piece of paperwork and was getting ready slip her coat on and head home.

“Babe, you ready?” she asked Jake, who was playing on his phone with his headphones in.

“Huh?” he said, looking up in surprise. He pulled out one of the earbuds. “What’d you say?”

“I asked if you were ready to go,” Amy repeated. She stood up swiftly and went to look at Jake’s phone. “Whatcha playing?”

But rather than showing her the screen, Jake yanked the phone out away from her.

“Nothing,” he said quickly.

Amy raised her eyebrows. “For being a detective you sure are a crappy liar. Show me the screen.”

She lunged for the phone, but Jake once again moved it out of her reach.

“No can do,” said Jake, dangling the phone above Amy’s head.

“Come on, Peralta. Show it to me!”

“Nope.”

He stood up, holding the phone even higher out of her reach.

“Ha HA!” You’ll never get it now,” he said with a cackle.

“That’s what you think,” Amy said as she lunged for his sides and squeezed. Jake let out a very high pitched scream and immediately dropped the phone into Amy’s outreached hand.

“HA!” she cried triumphantly. “Now let’s see what you were --”

Amy’s voice trailed off the moment she clicked open the phone. On the screen were a variety of household objects each with the matching Spanish word underneath them. She looked up to see Jake with hand on his head, clearly embarrassed.

“What is this?” Amy asked, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smile.

“It’s a language app,” he explained. “Rosa told me about it a couple of weeks ago.”

“I see that,” she said as she looked through the app. “Why do you have it?”

“Because,” Jake said with a shrug. “You speak Spanish. And I know how much you miss speaking it when you’re not at home. I figured I might as well learn a bit. I was kinda going to surprise you on our anniversary,” he added with a sheepish grin.

“Jake…” she started. Her smile widened as she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Sure I did,” he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. “It’s important to you so it’s important to me, too.”

“You’re amazing,” she sighed, her heart swelling as she gave him a gentle kiss. “Can I hear some of it?”

“Ah…” Jake gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not very good yet.”

“That’s okay!” Amy gave him an encouraging smile. “I won’t judge.”

Jake thought for a moment before returning her smile.

“Te quiero tanto.”

Amy’s heart swelled at his effort, at the sound of her first language tumbling out of his mouth. It was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard.

“Te quiero tanto también.”

“Her kid saw the whole thing. We’re waiting for a social worker to come get him, but until then we’ve got him set up over there.”

The beat cop nodded to a corner of the apartment-turned-crime scene.

Amy’s heart broke at the sight of the little boy huddled against the wall, his body covered in a standard issue medical blanket that absolutely dwarfed him. There were tear tracks running down his dirt covered cheeks, and he had a smaller threadbare blanket clutched in the crook of his elbow.

“Has he told you anything?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the boy. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jake bring a hand up to his face.

The cop shook his head.

“Nothing. We were hoping one of you would have better luck.”

Amy tore her eyes off the boy long enough to look up at Jake. His eyebrows were furrowed, his eyes hardened with a mix of concern and a deep-rooted anger Amy knew he harbored for any parent who hurt their kid.

“You want me to talk to him?” she asked quietly.

“No,” he replied with a small shake of the head. “I’ve got this.”

His eyes softened as he slowly made his way to where the child sat with his knees pulled up to his chest. Amy watched as Jake crouched down to the boy’s level, being careful not to make any sudden movements.

“Hey buddy,” Jake said kindly. “Mind if I sit down?”

The boy just stared at him. Jake carefully leaned back against the wall and sat down, crossing his legs.

“That’s a cool blanket. You must really like dinosaurs, huh?”

If Amy hadn’t been looking right at him, she’d have thought it was a trick of the light. But no, the child had, in fact, given Jake a tiny nod. Jake smiled.

“So do I. My favorite was always the T-Rex. In fact, when I was five I told my friend Gina I wanted to be a T-Rex when I grow up.”

One corner of the boy’s mouth flicked up, almost into a smile.

“My name’s Jake,” he told the boy. “I’m here to help you, okay?”

Again the boy nodded.

“Me and my friend Amy,” Jake pointed at Amy, who waved and gave him a kind smile, “We want to help you, but to do that we need to know your name. Can you tell me your name?”

“Charlie,” the boy whispered. His voice was tiny, petrified.

“Thank you so much,” Jake said, his eyes not leaving the boy’s gaze. “Now Charlie, can you tell me how old you are?”

“Four.”

“Great, Charlie. You’re doing great,” Jake repeated. He gave the boy another warm grin.

An hour later Charlie was asleep in Jake’s lap, one hand clutching the dinosaur blanket while the other clung to Jake’s shirt.

Amy offered to take over so he could stand and stretch, but Jake shook his head.

“I’m fine right here.”

“AMY!”

Amy woke with a start, immediately on high alert at the sound of panic in Jake’s voice.

“What is it?” she asked. Terror filled every part of her body, as she looked around the room to find the source of Jake’s fear. Figgis was supposed to be in jail. They’d made sure of that. So what was going on?

She couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything other than Jake’s continued screams.

It wasn’t until he accidentally hit her leg that Amy realized Jake was still in bed beside her, dead asleep but having a nightmare that was very real to him.

“No, not Amy!” Jake shouted again, tossing from side to side. “Leave her alone!”

At once her heart rate began to decrease, the adrenaline receding as she slid back into bed.

“Jake?” she said softly. “Jake, I’m right here. I’m okay.”

Somewhere deep inside Jake must have heard her, because the thrashing stopped almost immediately.

“Amy! Where are you?” he yelled. Amy could feel tears threatening to form as she slowly reached out and rubbed his shoulder.

“I’m right here, babe. We’re safe, okay? I’m right here and I love you so much.”

“Amy?” he asked, his voice bordering on a whimper.

“Yeah, Jake, it’s me,” she replied, scooting closer so her body was just inches away from his. “I’m okay. You’re okay. Just go to sleep.”

She continued to talk to him in low, hushed tones, repeating the same words over and over until he was no longer talking at all, until his body was calm enough for her to wrap him in her arms and hold him as tight as she could.

Until he knew he was safe.

VII

Jake and Amy were spending Christmas with the entire Santiago clan. Over the span of 48 hours, Jake had met all seven brothers, their wives, and the twenty nieces and nephews they’d bought gifts for. He had to be overwhelmed, but if he was he didn’t show it.

Christmas morning was spent at the family home, with everyone crowded into the living room sitting on every surface that wasn’t taken up by presents. Amy and Jake, for instance, were seated on the floor, their backs up against the coffee table for a bit of added support. In Amy’s lap sat Manny, her two year old nephew who was not in the mood to wait to open his presents. To pass the time, Amy and Manny were playing a little game.

“Manny, what’s my name?” Amy asked, pointing to herself. “What’s my name?”

“Ti Amy,” he said, poking Amy in the chest to emphasize his point.

“Good job!” she exclaimed. She pointed at her niece who was sitting to her left.

“Who’s this?”

“Nessa!”

“Yep, that’s Vanessa,” Amy replied with a smile. Next she pointed to Jake.

“How ‘bout this guy? Who’s this, Manny?”

Manny stared blankly back at her.

“Manny, who am I?” Jake asked, pointing at himself.

Still nothing.

“Silly Manny,” piped up Vanessa. “That’s Tio Jake! Can you say Tio Jake?”

“Tio Ake,” repeated Manny. Amy saw Jake’s eyes light up. They’d never called him Tio before.

“That’s me,” he replied. He looked over at Amy and gave her a giant smile. “Tio Jake.”

Amy’s heart melted.

VIII

The morning after he proposed Jake had purposefully gotten both of them the day off. So rather than waking up to their usual three alarms, Amy woke up on her own to the sun coming in through their bedroom window. For a brief moment it felt like any other morning, until she brought her hand up and saw the ring sparkle in the morning light. A smile immediately formed on her face, just as it had the night before. She couldn’t help it; she’d never been this happy, this content in her entire life.

She pulled her arm fully out of the covers and held it out in front of her, admiring how each slight turn of the hand brought out a different element of the ring.

Amy was so captivated by her hand that she didn’t notice how Jake had taken resident in the doorway and was now watching her with an equally giant smile.

“Good morning, fiancé,” he said, snapping Amy out of her trance.

“Hi fiancé,” she said, dropping her hand and peering up at him with a sheepish grin. “What are you doing up so early?”

Jake took an exaggerated step towards her, keeping his hands behind his back.

“I’ve got something for you,” he replied.

“You know you just got me a ring, right?” Amy asked, giving him a look. “I think you’ve done your share of gift giving for a while.”

“Yeah but I think you’ll like this,” Jake said as he approached the bed. “I actually made it myself.”

“You made it?” she asked tentatively. Jake wasn’t exactly known for his crafting ability.

“Mhmm,” he nodded. “Close your eyes.”

Amy narrowed her eyes.

“Come on, trust me,” Jake said, prodding her along. Amy rolled her eyes but obeyed.

“Okay, now hold out your hands.”

Amy obliged, placing her arms out in front of her. She felt Jake’s weight on the bed as he sat beside her and set something large and rectangular in her hands. It was light, but sturdy, made of some sort of stiff plastic. The material was familiar, like something she’d felt a thousand times before. Actually it kind of felt like…

“Is this a binder?” she asked, excitement seeping into her voice.

“Open your eyes and find out.”

Amy did as she was told and immediately felt her jaw drop.

It was in fact, a binder, but it was clearly so much more than that. It was two inches, maybe two and a half, and bright white. Inserted in the front cover was paper (the nice kind from her favorite craft store) decorated with at least a hundred wedding-themed stickers that included a tuxedo, champagne glasses, and multiple flower bouquets. Mixed in with the stickers were also pictures of the two of them from various stages in their relationship, including a picture they had just taken the night before. At the center of the paper was the title in Jake’s lopsided cursive: Jake, Amy, and the Best Wedding Ever.

“Oh my god…” Amy whispered. She ran her hand over the cover before finally looking up to see Jake watching her, his eyes full of nerves.

“You like it?” he asked her. “I thought you could use it to plan the wedding. Originally I was going to put some tabs or dividers inside, but I didn’t know which kinds you would want. And if you want a bigger size I can get that, or a different color, but white usually goes with weddings, right? So --”

“Jake,” she said, cutting him off.

“What?”

She grinned, bringing a hand up to wipe the tears that had formed in her eyes.

“It’s absolutely perfect.”

#peraltiago #peraltiago fanfiction #peraltiago fic #jake x amy #jake peralta #amy santiago #b99 #brooklyn nine nine #brooklyn 99

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leonarsfrey1991 · 4 years ago

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How To Grow Grapes At Home In Malayalam Jaw-Dropping Ideas

Also history records that the water to grow your vineyard affect the whole grape in their backyard.I understand it is truly needed because the goal is to grow grape vines can simply eat the grapes.Going through different resources, you will notice that they are found in hundreds of cultivars.This will be able to utilize your garden that will fit accordingly to obtain best outcomes.

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Grape Growing Regions

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Grape Growing Soil Requirements

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#How To Grow Grapes At Home In Malayalam Jaw-Dropping Ideas #Where To Grow Grapes For Wine

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bolbianddolanhouse · 5 years ago

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BNHA self insert AU [Book 2]

Lost and confused? Read this post to catch you up!

Chapter 5: STOP! I Could’ve Dropped my Croissant!

It’s Monday, day of training camp, and my parents are on full panic mode. It’s not the fact that I’m going away for a week, but the flashbacks of what happened to my parent’s 1st year at UA was making them overly-cautious. I can say that there’s no threat now but what do I know?! I’ve only started caring about hero stuff since my internship!

“You have everything? Costume? Shoes?” Dad was panic checking my stuff.

“I have everything!” I growled as my classmates were looking at my parents freaking out “everything is going to be fine!”

“I don’t know sweetheart, Mineta is your first line of defense” mom threw shade within earshot “did I ever tell you the time he peed his pants the moment they got thrown into the campground?!”

“I HEARD THAT!” yelled Mineta sensei “I’M CAPABLE OF PROTECTING MY STUDENTS!”

“Shut it diaper boy” mom levitated sensei from the underwear and hung him on the bus sign “but please be careful Lili!” she put her hand on my shoulder “OH! Don’t forget to put on your puffy jacket!”

I look at the white jacket “Mom, it’s summertime” I fixed my glasses with stress “I’m not entering mountain ranges!”

“Oye, ponte la pinche chamarra o vas a ver cuando te enfermas!” mom threatened in Spanish as she tossed me the jacket.

“She said it in Spanish Lili” dad chimed in “just take the jacket, you’ll never know.”

I rolled my eyes, I hate it when they do this shit “FINE! I wear the jacket!” I put it on and grabbed my things “well I’m off! See you guys in a week!”

They hugged her “Take care and don’t hesitate to fight!”

I trotted over to put my things in the under-storage of the bus and sat at a window seat. I saw that Hoshi was waving somebody that wasn’t his family off before sitting next to me.

“Who was that?” I asked.

“Oh that’s my family friend Tamaki” he responded cheerfully “whenever my dad can’t take me somewhere or care for me and my brothers, he steps in and cares for us along with his other friend Nejire.”

“Oh hey my uncle Jin is just like that!” I chimed in.

“Wait, he’s not your real uncle?”

“No, he’s my mom’s friend” I chuckled “Tensei is my bio uncle on my dad’s side, my bio family on my mom’s side are all in America and I don’t see them very often.”

“Then why call them uncle?” the jolt of the bus moving startled us.

“My mom is very close to her two friends Mimi and Jin, they’d tell me stories of their misadventures and school days” I looked out to see the school before it slipped out of view “they were always together and started their company together, when my mom got married, they planned the whole thing! When my mom got pregnant with me, they were so excited that they called themselves uncle and aunty before I was born!” I laughed and sighed “they don’t have family of their own so they just called each other family and that was enough.”

“Wow, that’s so cool! Friends since the UA days?!” he was star struck by the idea “do you think we’ll be friends for that long?”

“Of course! Will you plan my wedding when the time comes?”

“I’ll plan right down to the music played! Will you plan mine?”

“I’ll even make your suit!”

Everything was so nice on the bus...until we stopped.

“Okay everyone out!” sensei announced.

When I looked around, I saw that we were on a cliffside view on the side of the road. “Wait just a diddly darn minute! This isn’t the campsite!” I was getting sus.

“That’s right!” cried out someone as they jumped into view “Welcome to training camp with half of the Wild PussyCats!” two heroes in matching cat costumes strike a pose.

“Hi PixieBob!” I waved to the blonde one in blue.

“Oh goodness! It’s Lili!” PixieBob cried out to hug her “you’re growing up too fast! The hero apple doesn’t fall far from the tree huh?!” she turned to the class “Lili here babysits my youngest every other Sunday.”

“Wow Iida-san, you have so many hero connections!” said a classmate “seems like anybody we come across with, you know them or their family!”

“Oh it’s just because of my parents!” I broke the hug “I grew up with their friend’s kids and babysit the younger ones.”

“Okay! Back to business!” clapped the other PussyCat “This is the first part of training, you have to trek your way to the campsite, a good hour away on foot.”

Everyone groaned but complied and jumped into it. We watch the bus pull away and we start our trek.

“This blows! Why do we have to suffer first?!” cried out a classmate.

“It’s just an hour! How hard can that be?” responded another before we hear a tree crash down and a roar “never mind, we’re going to die out here.”

We fight these terraformed monsters and we make progress. Our snag was at the river, it was too fast and strong to swim across safely.

“Now what?! We’re stuck!” panicked a classmate “if only we had our support items!”

That gave me an idea, I untied the puffy jacket from my waist and took off my hair ribbons. “I have one trick up my sleeve but I’m going to need everyone’s help” everyone gathers around me “I’m going to make a hot air balloon to get us off the ground and hopefully get us closer to the campsite. But I’m going to need everyone to give me their socks, undershirts, hair ribbons, anything cloth you can spare so I can make it big enough.”

“You heard her, give her your extra cloth items!” said Hoshi as he took off his socks and everyone followed suite.

“I can make a basket with all this tree material!” chimed in a female classmate.

“I can scout to see which way and how far we from the campsite!” said another classmate.

As I made the balloon part, Hoshi was helping with the basket and carrying other heavy items. It was a struggle but I made one barely big enough for all of us.

“Everyone in the basket?” I called out as I fastened the last part of the balloon to the basket “I’m going to need a wind boost to lift off.”

“I got you!” perked up on of my classmates as he created a controlled whirlwind that inflated the balloon.

“Thanks! Hold on tight everyone!” I said as I held on to my harness to help control the direction of the balloon with my rocket feet. We floated up and we cheered that it was actually working. With the help of everyone, we propelled just fine to the campsite. We even landed safely in front of the place! “Well that went better than planned!”

“What in the world?!” sensei had his jaw on the ground “No fair! When I had to do this, we had to fight for our lives for hours! Nobody had the skills to make things easier for the group!”

“Well if my mom was in that group, she would’ve figured it out” I turned to the group “my mom had survival camp 2nd year and she did all sorts of things to ensure group safety! She even tamed a bear!”

“I can vouch that she in fact, tamed a wild bear” sensei added “that girl was full of surprises and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“Wow, you all floated in at one hour and 27 minutes” gasped PixieBob “that has to be a record! And the hot air balloon was a creative choice! Nice work everyone!”

We got settled in and Hoshi was feeling uneasy about it. We met up before lights out to stargaze.

“Lili, I’m not entirely comfortable here” Hoshi sighed.

“Me either” I sighed “everyone is nice now but I’m scared on whats going to happen next!”

“What are you scared of?” he asked confused.

“I’m afraid of being so far away from my family” I stretched my hand out “I’m never more than a city away from them. And at first I thought I was ready to be farther away for school but I’m scared that something happened to my parents or siblings and I wasn’t there to help.” I made a fist “It’s happened before and I was too young to do anything but stay put! It feels awful and I don’t want my family to go through that again if I can do something about it.”

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about” he responded “You have two very powerful and loving parents plus Iwa has a good grasp of their ability. Your uncle Jin is next door and your aunty is not that far off either” he turned to look at her “I’m worried about my brothers too, my dad isn’t the best and we band together to fight his control over us. But I’m reassured by their strength to never abandon one another to be fine without me there for a while. Same with your family, together they’ll see it through when you aren’t there.” he put his hand over my fist “lets get stronger, together.”

“Thanks” I weakly croaked as I was tearing up “I really needed that.”

“What are friends for?” he chuckled “you already know my fear but I’m feeling a little more comforted by being around you, it’s what makes things a bearable.”

We look at the stars a little while longer, his hand still around my fist. I didn’t dare get snuggly, even though I really wanted to! I walked him to the boys room to make sure he wasn’t getting picked on, then I walked to the girls room and everyone was staring at me.

“What? Did I miss something?” I asked curiously.

“No but it seems like we’re missing on something” said one of girls “we saw you sneaking to the roof with Hoshi!”

“Yea and? He’s my friend and it’s our thing to stargaze” I crossed my arms “so what?”

“I saw you two holding hands” said another girl, causing the room to gasp and chitter “just say you two are dating, we support it, we ship it.”

“What? NO! We’re just friends!” I was so hardheaded on this that I started hand chopping “I don’t have any sort of romantic feelings for him, he held my fist because I was going through it!”

“Uh huh, sure you are” rolled another girl onto her side, hand propping her head up “just how you two have combo moves together, eat lunch together on the patio, always sit next to each other on the bus, how you brush his hair after training OH and how he looks at you when you do anything.”

I almost argued back but that last part threw me off “Wait, what?”

“Oh it’s so cute! She doesn’t know!” spoke up the usually quiet girl in class “he always looks at you when we train, in class he looks at you like he’s daydreaming and when you do your combo moves, he just stares at you as you float through the air with the biggest smile on his face.”

“He does?” I feel myself turn pink.

“He’s practically flirting with you!” cried out the whole room “are you that dense Iida-san?!”

Eventually we all settled to sleep and the idea that Hoshi looks at me when I’m not looking was kind of sweet. If only they knew his secret, then our attachment would make more sense.

-Day 3 of camp-

“I want to see you launching higher Miss Iida!”

I was getting extra picked on today because Tiger caught me pulling a prank on sensei. So I have to work on my rocket propelling extra hard. It was mega whack!

“It’s almost time to turn in” annouced PixieBob “Tiger, can you-”

“Oh right! I can as soon as she floats down” he points to Lili in the air.

“Wow she’s basically in the clouds!” said a classmate in awe “she’s so cool! No way she wouldn’t be a famous hero!”

Suddenly the wind picked up and swept me away as I was making my careful decent.

“OH McFUCK! AHHHHHH!” I screamed as I couldn’t control my parachute.

“LILI! HOLD ON!” Hoshi cried out and ran toward me. Now, Hoshi doesn’t have super speed or anything of the sort. His quirk is the perfected version of his dad’s, Perfect Phase. Instead of losing clothing or being unable to breathe while permeating, he can do so plus make anything permeable by touching it. Everything else still applies. He phases into the ground before popping up to grab me mid-air “HOLD ON TIGHT!”

I felt my body go weightless, like all the mass in my body just vanished and Hoshi and I were one entity. I wasn’t scared though, he held me tightly in his arms and I did the same, because I trusted him enough to do his thing. I felt whoosh of popping out of the ground and landing on top of him.

“Is it normal to feel like throwing up after that?” I panted as I just laid on his chest.

“Yea, you’ll get used to it” he panted and put his hand on the back of my head “you alright? Thought you were a goner!”

“I’m fine” I lifted my head to get up and saw that his training clothes were all ripped up “Oh jeez your clothes.”

He sat up and looked at his top “Shit, those dang tree branches!”

“Hold still, I can fix your top real quick” I tried moving my legs but they felt like lead “ugh! I’ve exhausted my engines, I can’t move my legs.”

“Forget the top, Let’s get you to the campsite” he got up “I didn’t see anyone chase after me and we’re a bit into the forest here.”

He picked me up “No! It’s fine! Just let me rest for a hot minute!” I protested “I can fix the rips in the meantime.”

“Lili, it’s going to get dark soon if we don’t get a move on” he insisted “I don’t care about a few rips” he started walking forward “I just want you safe.”

I was getting fussy “Put me down!” I started to wiggle out of his hold “I don’t like getting carried! I’m not a child!”

“Well you’re acting like one!” he tightened his hold “fine, if you don’t like this” he hoisted me over his shoulder “then I’ll just carry you like this.”

“Hoshi!” I whined and huffed as he kept walking “No carry! I’m angy!” I pouted “you can’t see but I’m pouting.”

“I heard you and I don’t care” he sassed back at me “bet you real cute when you’re angy and pouty, but you’re injured and I’m carrying you back and that’s final!”

I couldn’t believe I was being scolded by my best friend, but I was very thankful they came to my rescue. We were silent for a while and I broke it with my dumb shit.

“What are you doin’ with all this ass Hoshi!” I blurted “you’re double cheeked up on a Thursday afternoon, the sun is still out!”

“Wha- are you saying my ass fat?!” Hoshi responded “first of all, it’s Wednesday and it’s not afternoon, secondly, WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT MY BUTT?!”

“There’s nothing else to look at!” I retorted “literally, your ass is so thick that it obscures the ground!”

“It’s not that thick!”

“Boy you thicker than a bowl of oatmeal!”

“Well I guess all those power squatting during training are paying off” he laughed “now stop looking at my butt! I haven’t looked at yours and your right ass-cheek is pressed up to my ear.”

“Do you hear the soft clapping of cheeks” I said without thinking.

Hoshi sputtered a laugh “What the hell?! Oh Lili!” he was wheezing so hard he stopped “I love that we could just say dumb things” he wiped his tears “I never know when the next funny thing is going to come out of your mouth!”

I was cringing a little at what I said but seeing how he enjoyed it made me less embarrassed. We heard hard footsteps come toward us, it was Tiger.

“Are you two alright?” he asked us “that was some rescue, reckless for someone so reserved!”

“I know sir, sorry for just running off” he put Lili down “it just that it’s my first instinct to swoop in for the save, especially if it’s somebody I know.”

“And you Miss Iida? Are you injured?”

“I’m fine now, Hoshi here was carrying me as my engines cooled enough for me to move my legs” I took a few wobbly steps “I’m getting there but I’m not hurt.” I remembered Hoshi’s top “oh let me take care of this first.”

Tiger watched as I fixed Hoshi’s clothes and caught sight of his binder “My! Are you transgender my boy?” Hoshi gave a small nod and Tigress smiled “I had no idea! I transitioned long ago but that’s amazing! Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you sir!” Hoshi teared up “it means a lot to be accepted by another that understands. My dad doesn’t accept me but my brothers, Lili’s family and my dad’s friends do” he put his hand on my shoulder “Lili has been guardian of my secret here and I’m scared to know what will happen if everyone knew.”

“If anyone gives you trouble for that, come to me and I’ll take care of it” Tiger put a hand on Hoshi’s head “you have my word.”

We walked back to the campsite and Tigress was telling us on how he transitioned. It was amazing to hear about it since hero society doesn’t really mention things of the sort. At dinner, we sat a bit isolated from the others, mainly because we were kinda over everybody getting in our business. Makes you think how dorming is going to happen. Nothing eventful happened the rest of the week, just training and fun evening activities.

We sat in our usual seats on the bus “I can’t wait to go home and sleep in my own bed!” I cried out.

“I just can’t wait to see my brothers” Hoshi sighed “I miss them.”

“Are you going to do your packing for the dorms too?” I asked “my mom offered to take us.”

“Oh right, I forgot we’re going to be home for a few days” Hoshi pondered “I don’t have much to pack but I’ll take up on your offer.”

-Fast Forward 2 days before dorm move in-

It’s my 17th birthday! I’m not a party person, so birthdays consist of family and a nice dinner. Now that Hoshi and I are friends, he came too. I did the usual opening the big package grandma and grandpa sent me from America. Mom tells me that they sent her a big package right after New years when she was in high school over here as a lump care package that covered back to school, her birthday and Christmas. They did the same for me and my siblings because they saw it as a tradition since they can’t always travel overseas. I love the sentiment behind it plus they always give the best gifts!

“Open mine next Lili” my mom pointed at her gift.

I carefully opened it “Oh! it’s a storage ottoman! I love the pink fur texture!”

“And here’s something from grandpa Hakamada” mom levitated a bigger box “he dropped it off while you were away at camp.”

“You have 3 grandpa’s Lili?” Hoshi asked confused.

I laughed “The one that sent me this is my honorary grandpa, he considers my mom as his daughter” I open the box and it unfurled to reveal a wood mannequin “He didn’t! I love it!” I start geeking out “I’m gonna cry.”

“Are you going to take it to the dorms?” asked Hoshi.

“Yes, it’ll go great with my fabric wall!”

I open everyone else’s gift and had a great time. As my uncle and aunty left and just Iwa’s friend remained to get picked up, Hoshi and I went outside to stargaze.

“Oh I almost forgot to give you my gift” Hoshi said as he pulled out a small, flat box from his pocket “happy birthday Lili.”

“Thanks! You didn’t have to get me anything” I smiled as I opened the box “Hm? What are these?”

“They’re specialty hair ties” he explained “I noticed that when we train, your hair ties always snap off and the ribbons don’t keep their hold like you want them too. So I asked my dad’s friend what hair ties she uses in her hero work and she told me these ones retain their hold and never break.”

“That’s so sweet of you” I pounced on them for a hug “thank you Hoshi!”

“You like them? I felt kind of shy giving them to you after what your honorary grandpa gave you.”

“Both of these gifts have a special sentiment behind them” I relaxed myself on his chest “you carefully thought about what I could use and found it and put in the extra effort to wrap it.”

Hoshi put his arms around me “If you put it like that, then I guess I did a good job”. We just laid in the grass in each other’s arms, oh no I’m falling in love with my best friend and this is how confessions start!

“Hey, um, can I tell you something?” Hoshi said a little serious.

“Sure, anything!” I said in response but I was internally freaking out that he was confessing to me.

“It’s that, um, it’s a little hard for me to say this but” he exhaled and my heart started pounding “but something happened at home and I got kicked out.”

My heart stopped and dropped in my stomach, this was not what I was expecting and my big sister senses went up “Wait what do you mean? Like your dad just told you to get out of his house?!” I saw him nod and divert his gaze from me like he was hurt, I got mad “what an asshole! Just because you’re trans?!”

“No, my older brother ran away from home 2 days ago. And I know where he is and why he ran, he told me that he was going to find work and housing so that when he’s stable enough, he can house my other brother and I away from our dad” he was holding back tears “my dad snapped and got angry that we didn’t tell him he ran off, I played it cool like I didn’t know he ran but he didn’t believe me and he told so many hurtful things and kicked me out of the house.” his tears fell “my other brother managed to put together a backpack of clothing and some other essentials for me while my dad was at work so I can stay safe. But I didn’t know who to turn to and I didn’t want to ruin your birthday but I need help.”

“We need to tell my mom” I got up to see if Iwa’s friend left “lets wait a bit longer, but she’ll know what to do, don’t worry!”

“Thank you Lili, I don’t know what I’d do without you” he got up and wiped his eyes “I’m such a mess!”

“You’re not a mess” I turned to him “we’re just young and figuring it out together.”

We waited until my mom was in the kitchen to wash dishes. She was furious to say the least.

“That piece of shit! Mirio would have the audacity to do this!” Mom fumed but then took a pause to breathe “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. Hoshi you can stay here until the dorm move in, I’ll call up my reinforcements and then call your dad so you can get the rest of your things.”

“I can stay? I won’t be a bother?” Hoshi meekly asked.

“Of course you’re not a bother, there’s plenty of room for you here” Mom hugged him “I’ll handle things, don’t you worry.”

“Thank you!” He hugged her back tightly.

“Lili, why don’t you fix up the guest room for Hoshi” she asked me “and I’ll get things started.”

Hoshi and I walked to the guest room, there wasn’t much talking. I hopped in the shower after he settled in for the night and I didn’t feel like leaving him alone, even if we were in the same house. I crept into the guest room.

“Hey you awake?” I whispered

“Yea, I can’t really shut my eyes” he whispered back

I closed the door behind me and got into bed with him “I didn’t want to leave you alone, mind if I lay here with you?”

“Sure, this is a big enough bed” He faced me and sighed “do you think my dad will comply?”

“I think so, my mom always finds a way” I put my hand on his loose fist “let’s go through this together, okay?”

“Okay” he smiled before closing his eyes “Good night Lili.”

“Good night Hoshi.”

I knocked out pretty quickly and like a brick because I didn’t move at all. Hoshi woke up first and told me I snore. Our hands didn’t move either, it was kind of cute. At breakfast, mom told us that she go a hold of Hoshi’s dad and they agreed to let Hoshi get the rest of their things for dorm move in.

“Okay, everyone buckled in?” Mom chimed.

“Yup” I chimed back

“I am, but quick question” Hoshi spoke up “why are your friends also in the car?”

“We’re the muscle in this operation!” Mimi said, pounding her fist into her open palm “we kicked your daddy’s ass when we were first years and we’ll beat his ass again if he acts up!”

“Nobody messes with our crew” Jin did his signature hand motions “on Ru Paul we’ll show him that we’re deadass!”

“You kicked my dad’s ass in the UA days?” Hoshi was star-struck “he told me about the one time he lost an important exam fight but never told me who or what happened.”

“I’ll show you the video when we get back home” Mom said as she had her eyes on the road “it was so iconic, I don’t think the school ever stopped talking about it!”

“Were you guys popular?” curiously asked Hoshi.

“Miss America here was” teased Mimi “but we were a very powerful trio in the intel program, nobody could match our level of chemistry or power! On or off the field, we were a team.”

“And we still are! It’s been 26 years and going strong” Jin recalled “I will never regret the day I met them.”

“That’s so cool! You guys just stuck together through everything” Hoshi praised “were there times where things got rough?”

“Yes but not in terms of friendship but more in the sense of personal problems becoming a group problem” Mom said as she made a turn.

“Like you dating the boy that ghosted you for years” Mimi listed.

“Or like the time you needed to be escorted out of the club because you said something dumb.” Jin slid in.

“Oh my god SHUT UP!” Mom groaned “if it wasn’t for that embarrassing moment at the club, I wouldn’t have dated that boy!” I saw her roll her eyes and laugh “for context, the boy we’re talking about is your dad Lili. These two never clicked with him until a year and a half after we started dating.”

“Wait if you’ve known Mr Iida since 1st year, why didn’t you date in high school?”

“Well, he was a very studious person and mainly focused on school work. I was very rowdy and rebellious, but of course I reserved my feelings” Mom pulled into a neighborhood “I didn’t dare ruin my friendship with him, I kept those thoughts and feelings to myself and dated somebody else. Little did I know that he felt the same way and was too coward to say anything! But if he asked me back in those days, I would’ve said yes without hesitation.”

“Are you kidding me?! Those two were always holding hands, baby talking, eating lunch in the patio, she invited him to all the intel parties, they were always running off somewhere to hang out” Jin listed out “oh and the way he’d bend the rules for you! That shit was so obvious that he was in love with you!”

“Aww that’s so sweet! Dad had a soft spot for mom back then!” I was filled with those warm fuzzy feelings “what happened when you finally confessed?”

“I cried because I was in a weird place emotionally and it felt so liberating to finally say it and not be scared he was going to reject me” she parked the car “he asked me to be his girlfriend, I said yes and he was so happy he pounced on me and we finally had that kiss. I never held back what I was feeling since then.” She turned off the car “we’re here.”

I looked out the window and saw his dad waiting outside their house. I put my hand on Hoshi’s to reassure him of my promise. We step out the car.

“Well! If it isn’t Miss CEO and her posse” Mirio greeted my mom “sorry if my kid has been causing you problems.”

“Oh he’s no problem” Mom responded “such a nice and wonderful boy” she turned to us “go ahead and get your things.”

“May I offer you some tea?” Mirio asked my mom, grabbing her hand “you came all this way for something trivial, let me make it worthwhile.”

I saw my mom pull her hand away forcefully “No offense, but I am doing something worthwhile. Drinking tea is trivial.”

I help Hoshi with all this pre-packed boxes and saw how sad the inside of the house looked. No pictures, no houseplants, backyard full of equipment and Hoshi’s room was a pink color. It confused me at first but then it clicked that this was their room from before the transition. I felt uneasy thinking how Hoshi has been treated under his dad’s care. I met his brother and he seemed like a good person with manners.

“Hoshi, don’t worry about me” said his brother “I’ll be fine. You’re safer away from here.”

“But what if he kicks you out too?”

“He won’t, he’s going to need somebody to help around the house when he’s at work” he hugged Hoshi “take care, you’ll do great out there.”

Hoshi was fighting back tears “Be strong, big bro will come back for you hopefully soon.”

“I’m looking forward to it” he smiled “go, before dad angers those three.”

Hoshi and I walk out with the last box and load it in the back of the car.

“Aren’t going to stay bye to your old man Hime?” said Mirio bluntly.

“Who’s Hime?” I whispered to myself as I was confused.

“Good bye father” Hoshi responded in a monotone voice.

“No hug or smile huh? Too cool for emotions Hime?” a smug look spread on Mirio’s face “please, just one for daddy?”

“They don’t have to do anything if they don’t want too!” Mom stepped in and came up to Hoshi and put her hand on his face “get in the car, you don’t have to respond to him.” As we got in the car, mom turned to Mirio “Well, we’ll be going now. If you have a change of heart, please let me know first.”

“And if you have a change of heart and decide to leave that nobody of a husband, I’ll gladly take your hand” flirtatiously responded Mirio “you know we’re meant to be, so stop teasing me love~”

I saw my mom stop dead in her tracks, eyes wide like something in her head snapped. Mimi and Jin looked at each other with open jaws like they couldn’t believe their ears. Mom blinked and gave that scary neutral face she gives when she’s about end somebody’s whole career. The three turned around in formation to face him.

“You have some nerve!” Mom does her telekinetic death grip “it’s like you want me to beat your ass again! You know how much your advances on me piss me off but you really done did it!”

“What kind of father doesn’t love their child for living their truth?!” cried out Mimi as she tensed up her arms.

“For someone that’s out numbered and under powered” Jin got in fighting stance “you sure do run your mouth!”

“Take back what you said and we won’t beat you ass a third time” Mom compromised “I’ll put you down and we’ll go our ways in peace.”

“I’m not! I’m serious. What do you say, Love?”

I watched as the three charged at him with nothing but their fists. It was amazing to see their chemistry in action and how they don’t need quirks to get the job done. Not going to lie, the mans deserved it. They calmly got in the car after giving him an atomic wedgie on the porch and drove off in silence.

“Hey not to be that person but what the fuck was that?” I spoke up when we got on the main road.

“That was a good ol’ fashion ass beating” Mimi responded “you can’t rely on your quirk all the time.”

“That’s what makes us so powerful” Jin rubbed his knuckles to soothe the redness “we work on everything to fight through the worst. If quirks fail, weapons break BUT the mind and body remain until the bitter end. Remember that! It’ll come in handy out there.”

I thought about those words until we got back to the house. Mind and body, quirks failing... makes you think about what situation you’ll get into that will get you in that state. Guess I have a lot of growing up to do, wack.

-Chapter 5, End-

#bnha #mha #self insert au #not canon #book 2 chapter 5 #will update regularly #ask me anything #//Palma-sama Speaks #I know yall missed the trio kicking ass...so they're back to kicking transphobic ass #yay camp arc! sort of lmao...this is more of camp/pre-dorm arc (it's a little more Hoshi centric)#next is a near parallel of book 1's dorm arc..it's cute I swear!#also I hear yall out and yes I am safe and healthy! with the given state of things irl I know everyone's checking in on eachother #thank you for all the check-in asks and messages :3 I read all of them and respond! So don't be shy to send me something!

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gillywulf · 8 years ago

Text

we're electric

Because I heard this song multiple times at work with nothing to distract me.

AO3

Summary: When you become a Power Ranger, your possible romantic partners become limited.

~~~

“Hear me out” Trini’s pen stilled mid-word over her English homework. Whenever Kimberly used that sentence, trouble was usually not far behind. She had expected a generally low-key study date at her friend’s house since her own was not ideal.

“Okay, I’m hearing” She carefully lowered her pen to give the pink Ranger her full attention.

“We can’t really date people right now, can we? I mean, since one of our only rules is that we can’t tell people about what we do, we couldn’t tell any significant others, and there won’t be many people who are cool with you racing out of date night for the third time that week, especially when you can’t give a good explanation”

“Who goes on three dates a week?”

“Trini”

“I’m just saying”

“Are you listening?” Kim rolled her eyes.

“Yes and I’m confused why this conversation is happening with me” A beat of heavy silence.

“Look,” Kim sighed as she slapped her textbook closed and leaned against her headboard, “before all of...this,” she gestured almost wildly and Trini had to assume she meant before everything changed, before even the Rangers, “I was having sex on the reg and the fact that I can’t now means that of course I’m hornier than ever. I can’t go to any of the guys for this, which just leaves you” Trini finally set down her pen.

“Ignoring the fact that I’m your last choice, am I correct in understanding that you are propositioning me?” she clarified. Again, Kim rolled her eyes.

“Friends with benefits, but yes. There’s no pressure. If one of us decides we don’t work or everything dies down and you find someone-” she shrugged nonchalantly “-then we can break it off. No questions asked. And we’re friends, we should be able to talk about whatever” For a long time after she finished speaking, there was silence. Never in her life did Trini think that the girl she’d definitely fantasized about (on numerous occasions) would ask her to be friends with benefits. Strange world. To be fair, she and said girl were superheroes, so maybe this was the most normal conversation she’d had in the past three months. Keeping her face as neutral and unreadable as possible, she answered slowly.

“Okay” Kim’s eyebrows rose into her hairline.

“‘Okay’?”

“Yeah,” Trini forced herself to shrug as casually as Kim had, “no pressure, right?”

“None” The smile mixed with blatant disbelief on the other girl’s face was luminescent. Frankly, Trini thought she could stare all day. “Can I kiss you?” Kim asked, that stupidly beautiful look still on her face. Trini’s heart stopped in her chest. How was this real? She decided to stall.

“When I finish my homework” She exaggerated putting her pen to the paper, but only managed a few words before she glanced at Kim from the corner of her eye. The magical look was gone, replaced by exasperation and a different kind of disbelief.

“Really?”

“No, come here” She watched Kimberly hesitate before leaning across the space between them. Her hand found purchase against Trini’s jaw and sat there to soak in the feel of her skin. The callouses on her fingers threw the moment into stark relief. Everything had a sharpness to it that wasn’t there before; the noise from house across the street as construction resumed on the front walk, the plushness of the blankets beneath her, Kim’s scent as it filled her lungs, forcing those day dreams to resurface and immediately find themselves lacking. This was better.

And then they were kissing.

Trini had missed the moment Kim had closed the distance, but she figured it was fine since she was completely present for what came after. Of the few kisses she’d had in in her life, Trini could easily declare the current one as the slowest and yet most sensual. It was focused on exploring, on testing the waters, and seeing what the other liked. Kim seemed to like when Trini scraped her teeth against her lip and Trini definitely liked the feel of Kim’s tongue meeting hers.

She slowly became aware of the hand on her thigh, exerting a gentle pressure, but never once moving from its spot. She could appreciate that. One of her own hands had found itself buried in Kim’s hair. Billy had mentioned that the day they’d all met and become more, Kimberly had shown up to detention with her long hair (Trini remembered staring at it in English last year, wondering if it was as smooth as it looked), only to take a bathroom break and return with it six inches shorter. She could imagine the stir it must have caused. She became aware of the thigh-hand again and carefully slowed the kiss to a halt. Kim was breathless and so was she.

“Am I still your last choice?”

The next three weeks were a mixture of the best and the most torturous times of her life. She and Kim took every available opportunity to make out, on every available wall, in every available nook, or cranny. While Kim’s room saw most of the action, the pit, the quarry, and the ship were no strangers to the two girls crowding one anothers’ space.

With each kiss, Trini found her hands wandering more. She would touch Kimberly’s waist, her hips, her thighs. On one particularly heated day, they even found a home on her bottom. Kim’s dark eyes didn’t stray far from her for the rest of the day.

It was good. It was really good. But they both felt the need for more. Even the boys were beginning to notice. After a session in the pit where Kimberly was definitely too close for too long, Zack grabbed Trini’s elbow on their way back to the ship.

“Yo, crazy girl, what was that? That was almost more than Billy could handle” he teased, nudging her ribs with a teasing elbow. Trini scoffed and gave him a shove back.

“It was not, you’re being dumb” She forced herself to keep her eyes from the swaying of Kim’s hips just ahead of them.

“Mhmm” Zack’s grin was too smug and she frowned.

“What?”

“Nothing”

“Just say it”

“Say what?”

“Whatever it is you’re so smug about” He let them walk in silence for a few yards and Trini almost thought he was going to drop it.

“You and Kim are into each other”

“And what makes you think that? she asked, trying to downplay her body’s reaction to knock her friend unconscious and run.

“You’re always looking at each other or touching when there’s legit no reason to be. The two of you spend way more time alone together than the rest of us do, and she laughs at your dumb jokes which is like, sign numero uno” He mimicked a sign with his hands. They were fast approaching the mouth of the cave and Trini did not want Kim to hear him. “I’ve been coming up with some couple names. I personally think ‘Pink Lemonade’ is the best but-”

“If you value your life, you will shut up now, chismoso” she warned. Zack’s eyes lit up.

“Ooh, breaking out the Spanish”

“I’ll break out a lot more than that if you don’t shut up. There’s nothing going on, you’re seeing things, move on”

“Trini, Zack, you okay?” The two whipped around at the sound of Jason’s voice to find the other three Rangers watching them with concern.

“Great!” Zack grinned.

“Just fine” Trini marched away from him, not wanting to deal with him any longer. Everyone seemed to drop it in favor of getting into the water and back up the cliff for home. Trini thought it was a better idea not to say anything until she and Kim were back in the pink Ranger’s room. Kimberly crowded her against the door and took her face in her hands, kissing her gently.

“What were you and Zack talking about? You looked upset” she asked between kisses.

“He was asking if there’s something between us. Apparently we’re not subtle and he wants to call us ‘Pink Lemonade’“ Trini’s hands slipped under Kim’s shirt to take in the warm, soft skin, still slightly damp from their swim. The girl in her grip laughed.

“’Pink Lemonade’, huh? I’ll bring some for everyone at school tomorrow”

“Kimberly”

“It’ll be funny” Trini didn’t want to think about it, so she pushed until they crossed the room and fell over the bed. She silenced her with a longer, deeper kiss and a faint tug on the hem of Kim’s shirt.

“You’re sure?”

“Have been”

It was so easy. Every part of it. Trini fell into Kimberly emotionally and physically and Kim did the same with her. Kissing, touching, and sex were casual and relaxed, even fun most of the time. Trini realized one night while lying in bed with the other girl that she’d laughed more with Kim than she had any other girl she’d been with. The thought made her purse her lips and stare. Kimberly wasn’t perfect, not by anyone’s standards, but that didn’t stop Trini from feeling like her heart grew ten times from the sight of her smiling alone.

Her fingers ghosted up Kim’s bare back, admiring the way the moonlight darkened the bruises from training. They were getting better, but that didn’t mean the putties didn’t get a few good shots in and Trini made sure to kiss each one earlier. She could never forget the way Kim sighed with satisfaction.

“You woke me up” Kimberly mumbled with a sleep-thick voice. Trini adjusted to rest her head in her hand.

“Whoops. My bad. How rude of me” she deadpanned. It earned a laugh that she could feel through her hand.

“So rude. Are you having trouble sleeping?” More than once, Trini had violently woken them both up with dreams of Rita in her room. She’d felt violated. And even though they had all collectively decided to take the blame for what happened to Billy, she was the one that led them there, they one Rita had guaranteed to live. It was one thing to know she wasn’t at fault, it was another to really believe it.

“Yeah, but not for any real reason. I just feel kind of hyped up” she explained, stroking her thumb over skin.

“You’d tell me, right? If you weren’t completely okay?” Kim asked. The concern in her eyes spread to the rest of her face and Trini felt her heart again.

“Yeah, definitely” The concern melted into relief and she leaned down to kiss her, because really, what else could she do?

“Oh, cool, Trini’s here, you saved us a trip” The two jolted apart, their hands instinctively snapping to pull sheets over themselves. Zack straddled the window and continued on like two of his best friends weren’t currently in bed together. “There’s some putties in town we gotta take care of. Jason’s got his shit-mobile, so if we want to be sure we’ll get there in time you need to hurry up”

“Zack, get out now” Kim ordered.

“Do any of you use doors anymore?!” Trini grasped around under the sheets for her underwear. She hadn’t thrown it, had she?

“I use doors in my trailer all the time. Billy! You were right!” Zack slipped out of her room and the two scrambled out of bed and around the room for clothes.

“If the monsters don’t kill him, I’ll do it myself” Throwing on her shirt, Trini quickly tossed Kim a pink hoodie lying on a chair and followed Zack out of the room. Jason’s near-totaled truck was parked on the curb, he and Billy sitting inside while Zack preferred the bed. Billy grinned as they ripped the doors open to slide in.

“Trini, thank you for saving us time! Now we can get there faster and do less damage”

“Yeah,” Jason sniggered, “’saving us time’” Kim punched him in the shoulder.

“Drive”

“So. How long has this been going on?” Jason asked conversationally two hours later. Up to that moment, the truck had been silent with the Rangers’ exhaustion. It’d been late to begin with, but fighting a whole bunch of monsters on top of that had completely wiped them out. It was legitimately that last thing either Kimberly of Trini wanted to talk about.

“Do we have to talk about it?” Kim grumbled as she lay her head on Trini’s shoulder. How did Jason have the energy for this at three in the morning?

“No, but I figure you might want to at least be straight with us - or, you know, not straight. Zack literally caught you in the act, he’s not going to let it go” Trini rolled her eyes. Unfortunately he was right and since Kim had definitely managed to fall asleep in the time Jason talked, it was up to her.

“We’re friends and we’re benefiting from it. That’s it. Move on” Jason’s eyes met hers in the rear view mirror.

“Is it?” he challenged.

“What are you talking about?” She didn’t want to get into this. Not now.

“He means that you and Kimberly are very affectionate with one another. More than with any of us and he thinks it means ‘there are feelings involved’” Billy sleepily raised his hands to air-quote and then let them flop back into his lap. Honestly, she loved Billy with a slightly larger 1/5th of her heart than everyone else on the team, but she could have done without him speaking at that moment. Jason grinned at the boy.

“Thanks Billy”

“You're welcome Jason” His head slumped against the window.

“Are there feelings? It’s cool if there are, really. You guys are two of my best friends, I couldn’t be happier if you got together, I just want everyone to be upfront and on the same page. If you like each other, there’s no reason to play around” he pulled to a stop outside of Zack’s and they watched as he rolled out of the bed of the truck and offered a tired wave.

“We’re friends” Trini defended stubbornly. Jason shrugged and began driving.

“Okay”

Naturally, the conversation stayed with Trini. She thought about it at training. She thought about it at school. She thought about it every time Kimberly so much as looked at her from the corner of her eye. She thought about it at lunch sitting with the guys when she spotted her striding across the cafeteria to sit with them, a grin on her face and her eyes on Trini.

“Oh fuck. I’m in love with her” She only dimly caught the sound of Zack’s cackling laughter.

“You think? That’s been the danger since day one, crazy girl”

“I’m in so much trouble” Trini mumbled into her lunch.

For the first time in maybe a month, Trini didn’t go back to Kim’s house after training. She’d been acting weird since lunch and she was quiet as they sparred together. She might have even been avoiding Kim. It made her nervous. She tried to put it out of her mind and start her homework. Her parents were finally home anyway for the night, so maybe it was good that Trini wasn’t there. Calculus was hard enough without trying to keep it in her pants.

Around 7, the sound of the doorbell startled her out of focus. She listened intently as her mother answered the door. The visitor’s voice was quiet and indistinct, preventing her from getting any information on who it was. They were probably Mormons, but she still wanted to know.

“Kimberly? You’ve got a visitor” her mother called up the steps. She froze. Who was it? Literally no one she knew would ring the doorbell, much less use the front door. Slowly and cautiously, she descended the steps. There, in the doorway, looking more awkward than Kim had ever seen, was Trini. The girl was dressed in nice pants and a really nice yellow blouse. Her hair, still braided on one side, looked like it actually had product in it to stay looking nice. And of course there were flowers in her hands.

“Hi” she greeted. If not for her mother, Kim would have kissed her, no question.

“Hey. What’s all this?” Something told her not to make any sudden movements. She needed to be slow and let Trini do what she was going to. A door closing just sharply enough for her to hear announced that her mother had made herself scarce. Trini took a steadying breath before setting her shoulders and taking on the most determined look Kim had ever seen outside of Ranger work.

“Hear me out. I don’t want to be your last choice anymore. I kind of really like you and I think we should at least go on a date that I’m almost positive will go really well,” the determination slipped for a moment, “is that...okay?” Kimberly didn’t stop herself. She launched herself forward - probably, no definitely - crushing the flowers and kissed Trini.

“I know I said this was all as friends but I’ve been so into you for months”

“Well shit. Here I thought I was being romantic and taking a chance”

“C’mon Yellow, romance me”

“After you, Pink”

#power rangers #fanfiction #mine #trimberly

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