#Morning tea distribution | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lightseoul · 2 years ago

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prove it

synopsis. bakugou katsuki starts acting differently after your last conversation. you finally arrive at an agreement. (part 1) (part 2)

cw. fem!reader, worker!reader, prohero!katsuki, aged-up (~24 yrs old), lots of cussing

word count. 3.6k words

a/n. the last part of the series! thanks so much for all the love on the first two parts, everyone! i had such fun writing this <3 again, reblogs, tags, and comments will be highly appreciated!

You barely slept a wink that night.

After that exchange with Bakugou, you immediately left his office, not even bothering to greet his secretary (partly because you couldn’t bear the possibility of her overhearing), and headed straight to your desk.

A feeble attempt at going back to work was made, but you’d be lying to yourself if you said you actually got something done.

Even as you commuted your way home and got ready for bed, your brain wouldn’t stop replaying the conversation, lingering especially on his loaded confession.

He still loves you.

What now?

Sadly, just because you're marred by sleep deficit and boy problems doesn't mean you get to miss out on work. You now walk down the hallway of your floor on the way to the break room, desperate to inject some caffeine into your system to get you through the day.

And to help you focus and get your mind off of Bakugou fucking Katsuki, thank you very much.

You’re one foot into the room when it suddenly dawns on you how you consumed the last pod of your favorite brew yesterday (before all the shit went down), which means that you’re now out and caffeine-less.

Fuck.

“Well, don’t you look like shit.”

Mikuri hums from her favorite spot on the sofa, a cup of what you think is green tea in her hands.

“Thanks?” you mumble begrudgingly as you plop yourself across from her, mood growing sourer by the minute.

“What’s up with you?” she sounds amused, a brow quirked in question.

You sigh, smoothing the wrinkle on your blazer you didn’t have the energy to iron out that morning. “Am sleep-deprived and out of coffee. Not everyone can be chipper like you on this fine day, I guess.”

“No, you’re not?”

You sit up, eyes narrowing, “You mean to say I look like shit normally and not just because I didn’t get enough sleep?”

She frowns, “You know that’s not what I mean. What I meant is that no, you’re not out of coffee.”

“Look,” she gestures to the beverage area with her free hand.

Your brows shoot up in response as you take in the freshly stocked shelf.

Weird, you think to yourself.

You were normally the one to restock on that specific flavor, being the only one on your floor who is partial to it.

Unless…

You shake your head to rid yourself of the unwelcome thoughts, willing to crush the butterflies erupting in your stomach.

Mikuri doesn’t get the chance to comment on your unusual behavior because the Performance Management head of your HR team pops in through the door, a grin adorning his face.

“Good morning, boss! See you in 15.”

Yamakawa, the Recruitment head, rifles through her documents before standing up to distribute them to you and the other sub-department leads.

She goes around the room to hand you what seems to be a substantial amount of pages, “Here’s the status report on Bakugou’s new sidekick.”

“Already?” you splutter, gaining the attention of your direct subordinates. You straighten up, slightly embarrassed. “I thought they’re just starting today?”

“Yeah, well. We figured you’d want to hear it,” Yamakawa says as she gets seated and goes through her copy.

“Get this,” she continues, “he’s way more cooperative than we predicted him to be. Moriyama-san, or Water Jet Hero: Aqua Girl, is already in his office, discussing—” she glances at the report, “—battle strategies and joint training schedules as we speak.”

The others hum in acknowledgment as you sit there, still struggling to wrap your head around what was just said.

“And no one coerced him to do this?” Tanaka, the Performance Management head, pipes in. You whip to look at Yamakawa, anticipating her answer.

“Apparently, he emailed Moriyama-san yesterday himself to set the meeting.”

Delighted noises erupt across the room as you stare at the Recruitment head in disbelief.

“This is great news, right?” the Socialization head exclaims. “If we’re talking long-term, Bakugou’s workload will definitely lessen with a good sidekick around, meaning we’ll get fewer angry outbursts and a more decent-to-be-around boss!”

You know they’re making sense, and that this is supposed to be amazing news to hear as the HR department head, but you can’t help the tinge of anticipatory dread rising in your gut.

“Why don’t you seem happy?” Tanaka asks you, before turning to the others. “Hey, why isn’t Y/N happy?”

The unusual events don’t end after that.

To your surprise, Bakugou starts to attend meetings that concern him, instead of the usual—letting Kirishima do all the coordinating with you and your department. He’s even offered to help you with your analysis report on his new sidekick (quite awkwardly, at that), which you so quickly and frantically declined in front of everyone.

You suspect your subordinates are starting to deem you as weird, too.

If they only knew.

Regardless, with each passing day, you seem to be seeing more and more of him around the office, and needless to say, it’s messing with your head.

The always-stocked shelf of coffee isn’t helping either.

It’s gotten to the point where it’s starting to affect your sleep as well, with how much you overthink these sudden changes in his behavior.

In an attempt to get your mind off him and the confusing mix of hope and dread circling your stomach, you start to drown yourself in work.

Ah, your ever-trusty friend: avoidance.

You stand by the coffee machine as it does its magic, your foot tapping against the floor impatiently. You glance at the wall clock, which reads 8:01 PM.

You sigh, grabbing the freshly brewed beverage not even a second after the machine dings.

It’s been two weeks since that heated conversation with Bakugou, and one since your self-mandated oath to bury yourself with work, at least until your thoughts get a little bit less muddled and Bakugou stops acting differently.

“You’re still here?”

You startle from your absentminded stirring and look toward the source of the voice.

Speak of the devil.

Seeming as though he’s fresh from a shower, you stare at Bakugou as he stands by the doorway of the break room.

You eye the duffel bag that’s slung over his shoulder.

“You’re leaving already?”

Fuck, you think to yourself. Now you feel like a creep for knowing that Bakugou leaving two hours after his shift is considered early in his dictionary.

And now you feel stupid for answering his question with another question.

What’s gotten into you?

“Yeah,” he answers curtly, not offering much of an explanation. “What’re you doing working overtime?”

You place the mug on the marble countertop and cringe when it makes a loud, clashing noise.

You turn back to face him. “Have to work on the biannual report.” You shrug, as nonchalantly as you can, “It’s due soon.”

Bakugou grunts in acknowledgment, shifting on his feet.

“Well, thank you for your hard work,” he offers. “And for—uh—helping me choose my sidekick.”

Your stomach whirls in delight despite yourself.

You clear your throat, “Again, I was just doing my job.”

At that, he deflates ever so minutely, so you follow it up with: “But you’re welcome. I heard you’re thinking of hiring another one?”

“Yeah, just to help with the workload,” he nods. “I met him yesterday.”

“...You’re right, by the way,” Bakugou adds after a few seconds pass without you saying anything.

“Huh?”

He looks away, breaking eye contact. “I don’t like how similar we are. But he’s good.”

You have no idea how he knew you said that.

Scratch that—it was probably Kirishima.

Damn that meddler.

You clear your throat again in an attempt to change the subject and drop the conversation in its entirety.

“Well, I hope you have a good rest of your night.”

Bakugou meets your eye again, and for a moment he looks like he’s about to say something, then hesitates.

He opens his mouth ever so slightly before closing it again, eyes still fixed on you, before simply saying: “You too.”

At that, he turns on his heel and trudges towards the elevators.

Once you’re sure he’s out of sight and earshot, you bring your hand up to clutch at your heart, which is going at an alarmingly fast rate.

“Shit.”

You can’t still be in love with him?

“What?!” Mina hops on her feet, almost knocking your glass of iced tea off the table.

“Dude, you’ve got to stop doing that,” you seethe, looking around your go-to café. It’s unusually barren on a Saturday afternoon.

You look back at her, “People stare, you know. And besides, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL?!” she parrots incredulously.

“Just—” you scramble for words, “please sit back down?”

At your pleading tone, Mina finally gets seated, but her pinched eyebrows tell you she’s far from being done with the conversation.

“Fine,” she relents, “but you’ve got some explaining to do, missy.”

You sigh, “Okay. What do I have to explain to you?”

“Wha—” she starts, aghast, “I mean—first of all, why the fuck are you asking me to contact your blind date when three weeks ago, you were practically disgusted with the idea of going on one?”

“We talked,” you shift your eyes away from her. “Bakugou and I.”

Mina snorts.

“Let me guess. You realized you still love him?”

Your head whips to look at her, “Mina!”

“What?” she spits back. “Don’t use that accusatory tone on me.”

“I have the right to use this accusatory tone on you. I have a feeling a certain someone broke her promise about not saying anything about our last conversation with Bakugou.”

At that, Mina visibly cringes.

“In my defense,” she starts, voice raised, “it was only because that cemented how you’re both still into each other!”

You scoff.

“Aren’t you?” she presses, shooting you a pointed look, “Still into him?”

“I—I don’t know okay,” you raise your voice, inadvertently catching a few café-goers’ attention. You sink back into your seat in embarrassment.

“All I know is that the circumstances between us still haven’t changed. And that this shit is confusing—he’s confusing.”

You wave your hand around vaguely, “He’s been acting all weird and stuff.”

“How so?”

“Well, for starters…”

“Hmmm…”

“What do you mean, hmmm?” you ask, exasperated.

She rolls her eyes at you, “Hasn’t it ever occurred to you that he’s trying to prove you something?”

At that, your heart leaps in your throat. You push it down, though, as best as you can. Crossing your arms across your chest, you huff.

“If he thinks restocking my coffee for me is proving something, he’s got another thing coming for him.”

Mina guffaws, and you can’t help the smile that creeps on your face. Once the laughter has died down, though, she eyes you for a moment before sighing in resignation.

She picks up her phone and thumbs out something on her keyboard.

“Well, you’re in luck,” she starts, “Daichi-san is still interested in meeting you.”

You don’t know whether to be annoyed at Mina for ignoring your earlier request to cancel or be grateful for indulging you on your current one.

Not wanting to change her mind, you merely opt for mumbling a quick ‘thank you’, glancing at your phone as it dings with a message from her containing the engineer’s number.

You look around the interior of the restaurant, past the windows of the private room you’re in where a beautiful traditional garden lies, illuminated by the dim orange outdoor lighting.

You chance a peek at Daichi, who is already looking at you when your eyes meet.

Embarrassed, you look down at your ridiculously elaborate main course, finding yourself grateful that you opted for the fancier of your two dresses earlier this evening.

“So,” he breaks the silence as he pours you a glass of wine whose name you can’t even begin to pronounce. “Ashido-san told me you work at the Ground Riot agency?”

“Yes,” you smile gratefully as you bring your glass to your lips and take a sip. “I’ve been working there for a year now.”

“Must be exciting, huh?” he adds pleasantly, “working for top Pro Heroes?”

Man.

You purse your lips together, not wanting to seem stilted by the question. “It is. It can get quite hectic, though.”

He hums in agreement, “I get that.”

Daichi then proceeds to talk about the agency where he works, and normally you’d be kind enough to actively listen and throw in some follow-up questions, but your mind is now drifting towards Bakugou and your last encounter at the mention of the Pro Hero.

What did he want to say to you?

“L/N-san?”

“Huh?”

Daichi chuckles awkwardly, “I was just asking if you wanted some spice on your salmon."

Spice.

Bakugou would’ve wanted some.

Bakugou, you think to yourself.

Bakugou.

“Bakugou?”

You gape at the figure looming over your dining table.

The very man is standing there in his regular clothes that would’ve disguised his identity if it weren’t for his distinct blonde hair and hulking figure.

“What are you doing here?!”

“I need to talk to you.”

You nervously glance at your date, who seems to be starstruck by the Pro Hero in front of him.

“I’m kind of in the middle of something?” you whisper-shout.

Bakugou barely pays him any attention—gaze remaining on you. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think an unspoken ‘please’ lies at the tip of his tongue.

You shake your head in bewilderment, or in an attempt to shake off these thoughts—you don’t know.

“Don’t you have the night shift? And how’d you know I was here?”

He exhales heavily, jaw tensing.

“I had Kirishima cover for me. And…” He looks away for a brief moment, before turning back and fixing his gaze on yours. “I asked Mina, and she told me you’d be here.”

You don’t know what comes over you, but at that, you stand up on your feet and stare him down.

“You can stop now, Katsuki,” you hush, wary of your date eavesdropping on your conversation. “Quit wasting your time on me just to prove a point and go back to the agency. You’ve done enough.”

His eyebrows furrow in what you’ve grown to identify as defiance, but he doesn’t make a move to fight back or leave.

Instead, he says through gritted teeth: “I’m not just trying to prove a fucking point, Y/N.”

“Then what are—”

“Excuse me?”

You both whip your heads in the direction of the voice, only to see Daichi sporting a sheepish look on his face as his eyes dart between the two of you.

A pang of guilt courses through you at the sight.

He clears his throat, “Do you guys need a minute alone?”

“No, we’re just—”

“Yes.”

You turn back to look at Bakugou in angry confusion. To your astoundment, he leans in ever slightly, mouth nearing your ear. From how close you are, you see how his Adam’s apple bobs as he gulps before speaking.

His voice is barely above a whisper when he says: “I can’t pretend that this isn’t bothering me.”

You jerk away at the sensation and take a step back, flustered. Before you can even gather your bearing, Daichi speaks up again, albeit quite hesitantly.

“I know I’m supposed to be the one leaving here, but if you want some privacy, this restaurant has a private patio right to your left.”

“I can’t believe you interrupted us like that,” you spew as you step out into the restaurant’s patio, which is fortunately empty except for the two of you.

Bakugou follows behind you, trying to catch up as you speak.

“I just needed to talk to you.”

At that, you spin around to face him, and he halts in his step in front of you.

Incredulous, you stare at him for a few seconds.

“Talk,” you finally command.

His eyes widen in surprise, and you can tell he didn’t expect this conversation to arrive at this point so soon.

A moment passes, but not a single word is uttered. Bakugou’s mouth opens and closes, opens and closes, as he attempts to get a word out but to no avail.

“What, now you don’t have anything to say?” you ask pointedly, irritation bubbling in you by the second.

You wait for a few more, excruciatingly quiet seconds before huffing in defeat. And disappointment—you finally admit to yourself.

“If you’ll excuse me,” you turn on your heel, “I have a poor date to return to.”

You start to head for the restaurant’s back door when Bakugou makes a grab for your hand, spinning you around to face him.

“Just—wait.”

His voice is pleading now, frustration and desperation evident in his tone. You’re itching to yank your hand back, which is getting alarmingly clammier by the second, but you fight the urge.

The pained look on Bakugou’s face is enough to freeze you solid.

This time around, you patiently wait for him to gather his words with his hand still wrapped around yours and your heart betraying you, beating at an abnormally fast pace.

What feels like an hour goes by before he finally manages to speak.

And what comes out of his mouth throws you right off.

“I strengthened our coordination with the other agencies around the district.”

“...What?”

You absentmindedly touch your face with your free hand.

You can’t be having a stroke right now.

Bakugou shifts on his feet, a nervous tic you’ve noticed developed over the years.

Okay, if you’re coherent enough to observe that, maybe you’re not having a stroke.

“I mean—” he scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. “—Shitty Hair and I, we clarified jurisdictions around the area so that the two of us won’t be the go-to contact every time there’s a villain around.”

“I’m still not following, Katsuki.”

He ignores your comment, choosing to continue on his tangent instead.

“And I started seeing my therapist again. That damned hag went on telling me she was glad I’m getting help again like she was my mother.”

You blink at him as the gears start turning in your head.

Jurisdiction.

Less overtime.

More sidekicks.

Therapy.

Communication.

Suddenly, everything clicks.

“Maybe I am trying to prove a point,” Bakugou mumbles, more to himself than you.

“But it’s not just that,” he continues, looking back at you and not letting you get a word in.

“I’m here to tell you that I can’t promise that I’ll be perfect. Despite all the adjustments I’ve made, there are still gonna be days when I have no choice but to prioritize my duties as a hero over you.”

He looks down at your joint hands and squeezes, “Over us.”

“But I’m trying my best,” he declares with such certainty it knocks the wind off your lungs. “And I’ll keep doing so, if you’ll give me a chance to prove to you that I can do it.”

A million questions race through your mind. Why couldn’t he have done this for you the first time around? How is this time going to be any different? Are the changes going to be enough?

But he’s staring at you with such longing and hope and determination that the only thing you can think of is: How can you not?

Dizzy from the revelation and robbed of all words, all you can do is nod in affirmation as the tears you didn’t even notice were there start falling down your cheek.

A sigh of relief wracks Bakugou’s body as he scoops you in his arms, engulfing you in an embrace that has you sobbing even more on his shoulder.

The wet sensation spreading on your bare shoulders tells you he’s crying, too.

After what feels like an eternity of shedding tears and being wrapped in each other’s arms, Bakugou finally moves to unwrap his limbs around you, now holding you at an arm’s length.

Now not in spite of yourself, your hand shoots up to wipe off the tear streaks on his face, which he leans into.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” he whispers after a moment.

Your hand freezes in its track. “For what?”

“For not being able to immediately answer back when you asked me if you loving me changed anything.”

He looks down at his feet, uncertain. “I think—I just—” he stutters, “Fuck.”

You can’t help but chuckle in response, and he looks up at your face at the sound. He’s trying to playfully pout, but you can tell by the look on his face that he’s feeling the farthest from playful.

Flashing him what you hope is a reassuring smile, you reach for the hand on your shoulder and squeeze it. “Go on, Katsuki.”

He sighs for the nth time at your coaxing, the slightest bit of relief flashing across his features.

“At that moment,” he finally continues, voice raspy, “I guess I was just scared shitless. I was paralyzed with doubt—in myself, in my capability to not mess up the second time around.”

He huffs, eyeing you, “Didn’t occur to me how stupid that was until I was walking home later that night.”

You’re about to reassure him when he snorts. “The fuck am I saying—I’m still scared.”

At that, you audibly laugh, running your fingers through his hair in an attempt to soothe him. He visibly softens at the gesture, lids fluttering shut for a moment. When he opens them, you then look him straight in the eye—the laughter long gone, now replaced with a palpable seriousness.

“I’m scared, too,” you say, voice quiet. “But we’ll try and make things work. Right, Katsuki?”

He nods vigorously, hand clenching yours and his crimson orbs filled with nothing but sincerity that all the apprehensions floating in your mind suddenly disappear.

“We will.”

tagging. @katsukis1wife @rinalou @bakugouswh0r3 @poemzcheng @lovra974 @jasmixs @xoneaboveallx @bontensh0e @kooromin @sirenmoi @buzzbuzz-hm @xzsanaa @baddecisionsworld @iam-thevillain-of-thisstory @i-simp-to-much @goldenglow149 @fixed211 @zenxvii @roses-arerosies @tiredjuniper @curbstompedrice @loverboyrin @brunnetteiwik @bkgnotsuma @6423btw @kaeremin @ghastly-san @jasmixs @javochqaa @nnubee @just-ambxrr @idk-sam @dream-walker-cat @kitthepurplepotato @endlessfreaky @myrunawaysweets @bxbyyyjocelyn @smolbeannnn @seabass17 @serendipitous-fernweh @the-weeping-author

#bakugou x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou imagines #bnha imagines #mha imagines #bnha scenarios #mha scenarios #mha x reader #bnha x reader #bakugou x you #bakugou imagine #bakugou hurt/comfort #bakugo x reader #bakugo x y/n #AND IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!!#WOOOOOH #sorry i did not proofread this AT ALL

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electricwhims · 2 months ago

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Morning Tea Pose Pack

(EDIT: Fixed an issue with the all-in-one file!! Please redownload!)

Here we have a pose pack that I absolutely LOVE!! We have a sim who is just waking up and is offered a cup of tea with an unpleasant conversation following!! I really hope this one can be useful!

If you have any issues, please let me know!

Includes: -2 Single poses, 8 Couple Poses, Plus All In Ones!

What You Need: -Andrew’s Pose Player -Teleport Any Sim, This teacup by @natalia-auditore

TOU: -Do not reupload -Do not put these poses behind a paywall -Do not edit my poses. You may add extra poses to the pack for personal use ONLY, but do NOT distribute them without asking. IF THESE TOUs ARE VIOLATED I WILL BLOCK YOU ON ALL PLATFORMS

@ts4-poses

If you use them, please tag me on here or on Instagram @electric.whims Not a requirement, but I do want to see! !

DOWNLOADS: PATREON | SIMFILESHARE (Absolutely no adfly and completely free!)

#sims4poses #ts4poses #ts4 #notsoberry #ts4cc #sims4 #friendly #coupleposes

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xinamie · 9 months ago

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🍵 — part of my design.

pairing: bi-han / sub zero x gn! reader

summary: not everyone understands him and he's aware of that, but he's silently thankful for those who try at least. ♡

tags: more of a short study of him, no dialogue, platonic or more if you want!

The Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei was truly a formidable and intimidating force, harnessing his birth right to lead along with his cryomancy. He aimed for grand heights, wanting to be more than mere defenders of the realm. His clan's best interest was always on the forefront of his mind, believing they deserved a higher standing than being shackled and seen as pawns. They were warriors trained for battle, yet that glory he sought out had hindered communication and connections.

Many great consequences had passed; his brothers were no longer by his side, and the Lin Kuei were deemed to have abandoned their intended purpose. He knew this, of course, but he was not one to give up. Any time he would cross paths with his family, he would ask them to join him, though his choice of words may not be what they wish to hear.

One day, the Lin Kuei would get the recognition and status they should have been given. There were some positive outcomes throughout this whole ordeal, however. Cyrax and Sektor were still around, aiding in his efforts and dealing with special projects.

Then, there was you.

Contrary to popular belief, the man had not wronged you in any way. There were times he criticized your forms during training, but was that not his job? His warriors had to be in top shape in order for success! If one couldn't handle being called incompetent from time to time, they would definitely not survive out on the merciless fields.

You were praised for your loyalty and diligence, and in return, you received his respect. Not that he never did before, after all, he was an educated and formal man. He held himself well and even with his rare outbursts due to frustration, he had never cursed loudly. Instead, it was always a rather chilling tone, authority seeping through and making even the best warriors tense up.

Today was a good day by all means.

Training had gone well, meals were warm and fulfilling, and pristine uniforms had been cleaned, pressed and distributed as usual.

You were able to catch a glimpse of the Grandmaster when the sun was about to succumb to the moon. He was in his usual attire, fitting to his form and proper by all standards. The only trait that seemed out of place were the strands that escaped his bun, resting across his forehead naturally. It made you wonder if that was a choice too; does he purposefully style his hair like that every morning or was it due to the activities he busied himself with?

Regardless, it was a nice touch compared to the rest of his composure.

He had been pouring a cup of tea, Pu'er to be exact as it was one of his favorites, when you noticed he had been staring right back at you. His eyes shifted to the low table before him where his cup and an additional one were seated.

An invitation.

The gesture was subtle, but you would be a fool not to accept it. You made your way over to him, carefully folding your legs against the mat. He offered you the spare cup, only partially filled with the brew.

That simple notion was another aspect to consider as a tea cup filled to the brim held a particular meaning. The fact that it was not the case meant he most likely wanted you to stay longer and enjoy the tea with him.

No words were exchanged as the two of you allowed the warmth to take over, and one thing was for certain.

Despite what others may say, your Grandmaster was an honorable man.

#mk1 x reader #sub zero x reader #bi han x reader #bi-han x reader #mk1 sub zero x reader #mk1 bi han x reader #mk1 bi-han x reader #mortal kombat 1 x reader #mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat sub zero x reader #mortal kombat bi han x reader #mortal kombat bi-han x reader #xinamie writes

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enigma-im · 1 year ago

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Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Alien x F!Human Warnings: alien sex, space force, weird alien sex, sex cocoon, zero gravity sex

Word Count: 5,599

Brother works at Space Force, so it's not uncommon for aliens to stop by. Though this one is a bit cute.

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I can only stare at the tall dark figure hiding in my kitchen. It seems that's all the figure can do as well. Trapped in a standoff. My heart races a mile a minute, never expecting to have company so late at night. I slowly reach for the light switch, careful with any sudden movements. As the room becomes clear I finally see what's standing on the other side of the kitchen island.

"Oh," I gawk. Before me is an incredibly tall alien, equipped with long lanky limbs, odd head-shape, and spikes barely visible behind their back. An honest-to-God alien is standing in my kitchen. "I'll take it you are looking for my brother," I ask as I casually walk over to the fridge.

It's the alien's turn to gawk," Uh, yes. Is he here?"

I look through the fridge for the pitcher of sweet tea, spotting it on the top shelf. "No, he is on his way back from his friend's place though. Should be in within the hour if you wanted to wait around. Up to you."

I set the pitcher on the table and then reach for a cup on the hook. I look up to the alien as I pour, hinting at him to answer.

He stumbles," Right, if that's ok with you. I'd hate to impose."

I wave him off," No worries. It's part of the gig living here. You aren't the first or the last alien I'll see around here. Though you are here very late." I sip from my cup, lounging against the counter.

"So sorry, It was very important. Otherwise, I would have waited until morning. I know how long humans sleep but I believe I got the math a bit wrong. Do you always sleep at night or every other day," He rambles. I smile into my cup, he's cute.

"Every night, though it's a give and take on what time of the night," I shrug," ten at night is one of those give and take times. I was actually heading to bed now."

He startles at the answer," Oh then I am so sorry! Please, don't let me keep you. I know how important sleep is for your kind."

I snicker," Don't be sorry. You will never find me passing up an opportunity to speak with an alien while in my PJs." He leans over and looks me from head to toe, eyes wide and mouth parted. Am I being checked out right now? I poke a foot forward to show off my slippers.

"Well you look professional enough for me," He shrugs," you wouldn't mind keeping me company then?"

"It would truly be my pleasure," I hang at the end waiting for a name. He doesn't pick up on it. "I'm Liya, by the way," I prompt instead.

"Hello, Liya," he practically purrs," My name is Pavo L'tun'ku, 2nd in command of human relations aboard S.L. Quain."

"Oh, I didn't know we were doing all that," I half tease. I straight up, setting my cup down," I am Liya Woodard, in charge of the distribution of goods across the entirety of the USA." I relax and reach for my cup with a smirk," How was that?"

He leans onto his forearms," Little too formal but I appreciate the effort."

"Oh hush, I was just coping you," I joke back.

We get to chatting for a bit before my brother makes his way home. Pavo goes regal at his entrance, as does my brother. It's like watching someone talk to the president. I could almost see the red tape go up for appropriate interspecies conversation that aligns with government protocol.

"Woodard," Pavo greets," Excuse this interruption but your expertise is needed. There is an issue regarding a certain rebel group at one of our events."

"Very well," Thomas answers all professional, it almost makes me laugh, " give me just a moment to change and we will leave post haste."

Thomas scoots past and quickly bolts up the steps. I look over to Pavo who has relaxed a little.

"Excuse this interruption but your expertise is needed," I mock Pavo, even standing the way he did. He glares over at me half-heartedly.

"Shut up," He smiles. I laugh.

Thomas is quick, already downstairs before I can chat with Pavo a little more. To my dismay. Thomas grabs his keys from the hook and looks back at me.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Uh," He looks around," Be good?"

"Be good? You be good," I scoff. He rolls his eyes before heading for the door. Pavo looks around and then points at me.

"Be good," he mimics Thomas.

"See you around, Pavo," I tiredly wave. He gives me a big ole alien smile full of teeth before heading out. I smile to myself, feeling a little giddy. I head to bed, not before thinking back.

He really was cute.

It's a while before I hear anything of Pavo. It's surprising when I do hear about him through my brother. We are sitting in for dinner, which is rare, and we are discussing our day when he pauses and glares at me.

Pointing his fork at me he says," You ruined my professional relationship!"

I gawk, pointing at myself in question.

"Yes, you," he chuckles," Pavo won't shut up about you."

I jokingly twirl my hair as I lean forward on the table, "Do you, like, think that he, like, likes me?" I say in my best high schooler voice.

"ew,," he cringes, reaching over and stealing from my plate," For making me hear that."

"rude," I answer, missing stealing back my food by a hair," So what's up with Pavo, why is he bugging you?"

He sighs," It's every day. He thinks he is being casual about it but the man is super obvious. I don't know what voodoo you put on him but the guy is smitten. Before I tell him anything I wanted to make sure you are cool with meeting him again."

I snicker," is big brother setting me up on a date?"

He fake gags," Disgusting. Horrific, downright awful. Consider it this way, I'm trying to keep Pavo out of my office so I can work."

"and keep him in my pants, got it," I nod. He pretends to vomit, though it looks very convincing.

"Nope, conversation over," He stacks up his dishes and heads to the kitchen," This never happened!"

I bite back a laugh," I appreciate you butting into my love life but I'd appreciate if you didn't"

"Well keep your love life out of my office," He yells back. He comes back into the dining room, holding the doorframe. "He is coming over tomorrow for a meeting, and he may have some extra time because he is getting here an hour early because I may or may not have given him the wrong time. I'm not saying I did, but you do owe me two tickets for my movie date next week with Rebecca."

I sigh," Send me the info and I'll get it to you." I want to argue but the idea of seeing Pavo again is too grand.

"Nice, you have dishes right," He runs off before I can answer," Thank you!"

Such a putz, but I can't focus on that. It seems I have a mini-date tomorrow.

I dress midway between casual and date night. It was a very hard combo to pull off but I'm working with the 'hot but cool' angle. However, none of this could matter because he is an alien who hasn't a clue what is considered "trying to look cute" flirting is. Ugh, this is hard.

I wait in the living room, trying to seem as relaxed as possible. I even practice little greetings in my head like an idiot. Thomas comes down the stairs in his service uniform, looking proper. It is interesting to think this wild teenager could grow up to be this proper young man, helping lead the charge in cross-universe communication with alien life.

"Hey, dipshit, he will be over in 10, stop looking so tense," He leans over the back of the couch and boops my nose.

Well, almost a proper young man.

The doorbell rings shortly after, and Thomas answers. I can hear Pavo from the living room and I can't help but get all giddy. I scold myself for the reaction, I had one conversation with the guy! Relax!

As I hear their voices near I stand from the couch, regretting the choice immediately. Stand when guests are over? It's not even technically my guest, but I guess it's polite.

Pavo rounds the corner and is now in sight. In the daylight, I can tell his body isn't black but a very dark purple. He doesn't have skin but a carapace, a hard shell protecting his body. He is very bug-like though he lacks any pinchers or antennae. His face is human-ish, his eyes are large, and his wide mouth. Spikes go along the back of his body, coming from his head and back. They are short but some stretch out long enough to bend and crick in different ways. It's almost like branches.

When Pavo sees me he pauses, eyes wide and a smile up his cheeks. He looks me over and with a jolt his spikes elongate, nearly catching Thomas in the face.

"Whoa," Thomas yelps.

"Hello again, Liya," Pavo greets, ignoring Thomas.

"Hello Pavo," I answer back," Long time no see."

"Long time indeed, I see you have upgraded from professional sleepwear," He teases.

"This old thing," I shrug," I think my oversized t-shirt works a bit better but I was told I may be entertaining guests today."

"you wouldn't mean me, would you," He asks, leaning against the couch. Behind him, I can see my brother miming choking, then pretending to stab himself with a knife. The drama queen.

"I'm going to set up," Thomas interjects into our conversation," Feel free to anything you want in the kitchen, just ask my sister here."

Pavo straightens," Oh, yes, thank you."

Thomas leaves us to our own devices, it feels like our chaperone left. I look Pavo over, watching the sun gleam off his shell. His uniform is interesting, bright white.

"Would you care for a drink," I break the silence.

"Yes please," He steps closer. I lead the way into the kitchen.

"Anything you want? I really don't know what would be edible for you," I ask, cringing a bit at the delivery.

"I was incredibly curious about the drink you had the other night, it smelled sweet," He answers, pointing to the fridge.

"Sweet tea," I ask, though it's pointless. How would he know the answer? "Let me grab you a little sample. Though a fair warning, it's incredibly sweet. Practically icing."

"Oh, even better," he takes a seat at the island as I grab a drink," I've been lured in with your human sugar. It's been incredible. I had those, umm, what's the name? The small brown bars with a wafer inside."

"Kit-kat or Twix," I ask as I pour a small glass. ," I ask

He clicks deep in his throat," Yes, that's it! The Kit bar." He grabs the glass I push to him, taking a small gulp timidly. In a moment he shoots back the whole thing. Setting the glass down he closes his eyes and savors the sweet syrup.

"Like it," I ask.

"Love it," He grins. Slowly opening his eyes he nudges the glass forward, "More, please?"

We chat a little between cups of tea, him chugging the rest of my full pitcher. He tells me about his home that he hasn't seen in years. I tell him about my life at college before I got my job. It's pleasant. If I didn't know any better though, I'd say his spikes we growing. About an hour later they had grown a few inches, making him look large and intimidating. Like some sort of tree monster outside my childhood window. Though that one was just an old oak while this one is a charming alien.

Thomas steals him away, not before Pavo extends an invite to his ship sometime. Invited onto an alien's ship, that sounds like a great start to some interspecies relations.

Thomas had managed to set up communication between Pavo and me. We chat on some app Thomas downloaded onto my phone. It's wonky and not the best but what's a girl to do? Pavo and I flirt a bit, though it never goes any deeper. Despite my best attempts, he just doesn't get into anything more sexual. I could be pushing too hard or their species just doesn't work that way. Maybe he doesn't even have sex?

Today though is the day to finally get on his ship. All the approval has been submitted- thank you, Thomas- and we begin a tour of his home away from home.

We meet at the airlock between his ship and the Space Hub for Earth. I'm escorted by some officers and we all greet each other on the bridge. When I see Pavo we both light up. His back branches are stretched out, looking truly like a tree now. He jerks a little as his spikes snap outwards tearing some of his uniform in the process. The officer next to me winces at the crack sound that comes softly from him. Almost like the quiet sound of someone popping their fingers.

"Hello, Liya," Pavo greets, grabbing my hand and giving a firm shake," I believe this is correct."

I shake his hand back," Little formal for friends but it works for now."

"Friends," he asks," are we friends?"

"For the time being," I hint. He smiles before greeting the two flanking me.

With that out of the way, I'm free to venture into the unknown. I feel like a pioneer, one of the few to venture into an alien's ship. I'm sure sometime in the future there will be museums for this sort of thing. 'Explore space right from earth' sign over a decommissioned spaceship. I chuckle to myself.

Pavo eagerly shows me around, explaining how this was his own personal ship that only a few of the higher-ups get. It attaches comfortably to the main HQ but can detach for personal exploration, pretty much an RV for space. A really spacious RV.

He shows me the dining room, the living space, the exercise room, and we pass by his bedroom. We don't look in as it's casually mentioned.

As we walk down the halls I slow back to catch a look at his back, all the spikey branches protruding out. I feel tempted to reach out and touch but worry about being taboo.

"Hey," I say instead," what's with the spikes?"

He pauses, glancing over his shoulder at me and then at his branches," Oh theses? It's kind of hard to explain."

"They aren't like, some puberty thing, right," I tease.

"No, nothing like that. It's normal given the circumstances," He answers.

"Well puberty is completely normal," I joke. He shakes his head at me, beginning to walk again.

"Come, I want to show you something." I follow him down the winding halls to a room we haven't seen yet. He enters a command and the doors open. I walk inside, eager to explore this new space. Though I'm let down. I look this way and that, seeing nothing of interest. Really nothing of anything. It's just a large open room. There is a large window that stretches from the floor past the ceiling. It's gorgeous, being able to see Earth just coming into view.

"Oh wow," I whisper. I walk ahead, completely enamored with the view. The stars are so plentiful, Earth is so big. I can see the swirls of clouds over the continents, the white of the Arctic, the blue of the sea. It's all so humbling, I feel so small.

I hear some clicks behind me, and before I can investigate I feel my stomach drop. Weightlessness overtakes me, my feet slowly rising above the ground. I twist to look over at Pavo who is also floating.

"Zero gravity room, though the whole ship could be zero gravity. This room is made specifically for that," Pavo answers. He twists to push off the wall and launch towards me. I can't stop the giggle bubbling out of me as he gets closer. Before he can reach me I push up towards the ceiling. He thuds against the window, growling playfully.

"why does someone need a zero gravity room," I ask as we continue our game of chase. He jumps up to me and I quickly pick a direction and throw myself to it. I bang against the door oh so gracefully.

"It's for health and pleasure," He answers," we spend some time in water, our body is used to a certain level of weightlessness. Though space has way less gravity than water, it still feels similar. So in an easier way of explaining it, it feels like home."

Pavo scrambles to get to where I am, scratching against the wall to stop his momentum when I high-tail it in the other direction.

"Homesick room, how cute," I tease. I get trapped in the corner of the room, the only way out is up. As I spring upwards, Pavo catches me. I'm held tightly against his hard body, laughing with him as we float to the ceiling.

"Got you," He smiles triumphantly.

"that is true, but the real question is...what are you going to do with me," I flirt. He purrs at the insinuation, leaning down to brush his head against mine. I close my eyes and take a leap, kissing him ever so softly. He pauses, confused but excited. He makes his own attempt at a kiss, pressing his mouth to mine stiffly.

"Is that correct," He asks.

"relax a little," I advise. Wrapping my arms around his neck, nestling them around his branches, I kiss him like I mean it. He kisses less stiffly than before, though he can't help being so hard. His arms fall from my back to around the back of my thighs. He squeezes and massages my thick legs, pulling me closer.

"you're so soft," he groans into my mouth," so pliant."

"Don't make it sound so bad," I joke. His chest rumbles, his back spikes pop, a low clicking sound emits from his mouth. He reaches behind me and anchors us to the wall before he attacks my mouth again. I give him a little treat, sliding my tongue on to lick him. He stumbles a bit, recovering quickly to nearly choke me with his tongue. I have to lean back to catch my breath, though the thrumming in my body proves how much I enjoyed that.

No longer having access to the new toy called my mouth he begins attacking my neck. I can hardly keep my eyes open as I'm seduced by this big alien. I scratch at his back, gripping onto his branch. He responds by biting me, a little harder than needed. I grab the spike from his head to yank him back.

"Soft skin, remember," I scold. He looks drunk, his eyes lidded and mouth open. He looks me over, squeezing my legs again.

"By the heavens, I want to devour you," he whines. A zap goes down my spine in fear and pleasure.

"Not literally, right," I ask just in case. He doesn't answer, instead flopping his head down to bite up my neck. He sneaks a hand between us to stretch my shirt. I hear the thread snap as he stretches the collar over my shoulder. His entire mouth slobbers over me, sucking and licking every bit of skin. I glance behind him, seeing the branches have stretched out into the room. The few close to the wall have begun to take root, spreading out around the wall like vines.

Well, that's interesting.

Pavo bites a bit hard again to my dismay, I can feel a few of his teeth pierce my skin. With a yelp, I tear him back to properly scold him. He looks debauched, utterly drunk and horny.

"whoa," I gasp," you ok?"

His head tilts to the side in answer, "Get your clothes off."

I hesitate," But are you ok?"

He growls," I will be when you get your clothes off."

"Geez," I begin taking my shirt off," so pushy."

He scoffs," so slow." He begins to unbutton his clothes, finding it hard to do as his body is anchored to the wall. He yanks, detaching the vines from the metal. As he yanks his shirt, tearing it completely off his back, the branches begin reaching out to the wall again, gluing themselves once more.

I'm working my pants off when he grabs me, my jeans barely hanging onto one ankle. His torn shirt drifts upwards past us. I look down between us, his pants mostly torn. His cock surprises me, not prepared to see him in all his glory. Holding himself I can't help admire.

There is no way else to say it, his dick is a tentacle. It seems like a few spiraled around each other like yarn to present as one single mass. It's pink and purple, a kind of spray paint space vibe. He squeezes himself, fluid leaking from between each tentacle. It coats his hand, drops drifting off in the zero Gs.

"whoa," I whisper, reaching out to him. He proudly presents, his chest rumbling and mouth clicking. I gently graze my fingers over him, letting a few floating drops land on my outstretched hand. He jerks a little at the feather touch, grabbing my hand and forcing me to hold him. My stomach does flips, he is so soft and squishy. It's like touching a thick cord of fabric, soft but just firm enough to hold shape. I squeeze, wringing out more drops as I pull to the tip. He purrs, his back branches reaching out more and making his body jerk.

Too fascinated with him I don't even notice when he moves his hand into my underwear. His other hand fondling my breast, though they don't keep his attention much as the slickness below. He investigates, poking and prodding as I investigate him. Everything is so different for us both, it's all so tantalizing.

"you're so warm," he groans, reaching in to shove a finger inside. I shudder.

"you're so soft," I squeeze him, relishing in the sounds he makes. I can't help but reach for a kiss, just basking in all the sensations and sounds. His fingers squelch as he puts two into me.

"you're going to take me so well," he nearly whispers," I couldn't imagine someone more perfect."

I kiss him again," you flirt." I squeeze his cock. His fingers stretch and glide, making the coil in my belly tighten and twitch. If only he would touch me where I need him. I buck my hips into him, whimpering against his lips. I forget he isn't a human man, someone who could potentially get the hint. Instead, I reach down and grab his hand. He freezes. I slide his fingers out of me, another shudder going up my back, and guide one of his fingers up. He barely grazes me and it's like lightning.

"What's this," He asks, abandoning my mouth to look between us. I squeeze him in defiance, he grunts.

"Touch me there," I whimper," please."

He needs no more instructions, stroking me timidly before gaining confidence. He is a changed man now, watching me whine and moan as he gets me off. He is enraptured with me, watching and waiting. I can't focus as my inside feels like electricity, like sparks coming from his hand. More. More. More. I'm almost there. I hold onto him, using him as an anchor as he keeps playing me like a fiddle. My legs wrap around his, like snakes intertwined. Just a little more. His cold carapace against my feet, his rumbling purr and clicks, the way he just wants to make me cum. It's all so much.

"Pavo," I yelp," oh, fuck."

I'm gone. I fall into bliss, debauched as he was a moment ago. I scratch at his body, not worried about hurting him. I curl into him, reaching between us to stop his ministration as they become too much. I bang my head into his shoulder, holding him for dear life. He grabs my hair, pulling me back just to watch.

"Beautiful," He grins so wide. I give a half-hearted smile, still lost to the wind. I don't notice when he adjusts me to himself, but I definitely notice when he is poking at my entrance. I sober, looking down as his cock unfurrows. The little appendages search around, grabbing at my thighs and poking at my lips. I take a courageous breath, a little terrified of what's about to happen. He twists back into one, the ends still split to make their way into me.

I choke as he stuffs me, his cock twisting and curling, pulsing within me. I'm having sex with an alien, the thought hits me like a ton of bricks. I look from the display that has disappeared inside me to the creature I've decided to lay with. He looks so beautiful. He can't focus, his mouth opening and closing as the clicking sounds more like pops. He damn near gurgles as his eyes close. He snaps his hips, both of us stuttering on a breath. I twine my arms around him and he wastes no time pressing me close. He cradles the back of my head, his other arm securely around my lower back.

Without a starting pistol, he is off. Completely secure in place he pounds into me like a desperate man, angling my hips with his arm on my back. I can do nothing but hold on, groaning in his ear. I get to watch the branches on his back snap and jolt outwards. Every single one finds purchase on the walls. They take root, running up and around the walls until they meet each other, making a beautiful lattice on the walls.

"Wow," I gasp between moans. He answers with a pained grunt, burying his head into my neck. His mouth opens to attempt to bite but he thinks better of it, instead sucking on my neck. I appreciate the forethought. He whimpers and whines, every most the lost whore beside my ear. It's a pleasure in itself to have someone so lost in you, so pleasured by your body. I hold him tighter

"Agh," he gurgles. He begins to speak in tongues, the words ever lost to me but the meaning coming through. He is fucked, coming to his end, and only at the mercy of his whims now. Oh, I want him to cum, I wanna feel it.

I snuggle into the side of his neck, the plates shifting as he twists his head away. I find a soft area just below his jaw, right below his ear. I find purchase and bite as hard as I can. He screams, the branches on his back bucking as they dramatically grow. I worry I've hurt him, I was only returning the favor. I pull away, feeling sorry for myself. He growls in answer, punishing me with a hard slam onto his cock. He pushes me back to his neck.

"Harder," he growls through clenched teeth," make it hurt."

Oh my.

I cozy up to him again, finding the same teeth indent I left before, and chomp down. He shouts again, more words I can't interpret. I bite hard, I bite until I hear his plates crack and my teeth sink into the soft part of his skin. He shudders, curling around me and pumping into me in quick bursts.

"Yes," he says like a prayer. Before I know it I feel him shake and sputter, gurgling again as he snaps into me one more time. It's warm and plentiful, I'm sure it's a mess below. Zero gravity surely making it look like a spectacle. Pavo holds me so dear, so spent.

I slowly pry my teeth from his neck, spitting out a few little bits of carapace. Ew. I lean back to look into my new lover's eyes. He barely moves, looking like he passed out. I grab the short spikes on his head, lifting him to look at me.

"Pavo," I panic," is this normal? I haven't a single clue."

He answers with a gurgle. Not helpful. I try to wiggle away from him but I can't move. I look around and see we are cocooned in a growing ball of branches.

"What," I ask as I look around. I try to wiggle out of his arms but he holds on. Tight for someone who is basically asleep. I panic, fighting hard against his grip. Only succeeding in moving up him a few inches.

"Pavo," I snap," let me out."

He groans, happy to just float in this weird ball of his own making.

"Pavo," I shout. His face pinches.

"Hush," he finally speaks," be still."

"Be still? How do you expect me to do that right now? I'm covered in cum, and my sweat is bubbling off of me. I'd like to experience gravity again," I snap. He finally opens his eyes, glaring at me. I glare back. He relents, shifting his arms with great effort. I wiggle away from him, floating up. I navigate around his branches, finding my way to the door. I pause at the controls.

"Press the orange one," Pavo says helpfully. I press the orange button. I fall to my feet, my legs giving out. Then there is a loud sound of cracking like a tree falling. I look up to see Pavo falling from his fort. All the branches snap and break apart from the weight of themselves. He falls onto his back, the ball crashing around him though the fall isn't so loud. More like Styrofoam hitting the floor.

"Ow, "Pavo deadpans. I can't help but laugh. I get to my feet and walk over to him, picking up my pants along the way. Sliding them on I crouch beside him, picking up one of the branches. It's surprisingly light.

"What are these," I ask, turning it every which way. It's porous, with little holes that are barely noticeable.

"My anchors," he answers," it's a whole thing."

"Is it for what we just did," I ask. He shrugs.

" mostly. Though it's not exclusively. Just makes a lot of things easier in the water," he answers.

"Like sex?"

He grins to himself, "Yes, like sex."

I clear a space beside him, lying down to look at the portion of the window that covers the ceiling.

"I have some more questions," I say as I clasp my hands on my stomach. He lazily raises a hand and flourishes to make me continue. "Explain the branches, please."

He sighs," It's mostly a sex thing. When we first met I was immediately enamored. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Then I saw you and I couldn't stop myself. I wanted you. So my spikes got ready. My species loves the spikes, it's a whole fertility thing. I was showing them off, looking all big for you."

"You were flirting with the tree branches coming out your back," I joke.

"Sure," he laughs," I knew I had to have you. I never knew it would be like that! I made a nest for you and everything. I wish someone told me it would be so...everything"

"Talking like a virgin," I poke. He doesn't laugh. I look over and he is serious. I sit up," are- were you a virgin?"

He winces," define virgin."

I bolt up, standing and pacing the room. "Oh my god, I took your virginity! I took an ALIEN'S virginity?"

Pavo sits up, stopping me with a hand on my ankle. "Why are you so freaked out?"

"Freaked out? I'm just surprised and I totally did you dirty. If I knew it was your first time I would have made it more romantic. I mean who would guess you were a virgin," I drop my head in my hands, shaking from side to side.

"Well it's to be expected," he shrugs," we only have one person we do it with."

My heart stops, "what?"

"My kind mates for life, I mean most aliens do. It's a survival thing. Doesn't your kind," he asks.

"No," I basically screech, " we do not do that! If we did, definitely not after like 2 dates!"

He stumbles on his thoughts, his face pinching inquisitively.

"I could have sworn you guys mated for life," he collapses on his back," what would you like to do now?"

I ponder that for a moment. What is there to do? He just committed himself to me forever. I have the option to leave but that just screws him over. Also, I still like the idiot.

I groan, walking over and lying down beside him.

"You better pray this will just be a funny story we tell people when we get old," I grumble.

"Don't be so dramatic, everything will be fine," he tugs me closer.

"It better," I cozy into his side," all that's left is telling my brother."

Pavo barks a laugh," I can't imagine the paperwork he has for this!"

----------------------------------

Hello! Hope you enjoyed the 2nd October story. After this month I will be on a hiatus once again.

Check out my Archive | Masterlist | Main Blog| Ko-Fi

#exophilia #enigma-im #monster boyfriend #fluff #monster lover #alien x human #alien boyfriend #space force

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munson-blurbs · 1 year ago

Text

Mailman!Eddie x Reader

Here she is, folks...the mailman!Eddie fic my weird lil brain conjured up. Big thanks to @eddiemunsonsmum for giving me the idea to turn this into an actual story.

Summary: Your mailman keeps delivering love letters to you. You're determined to find out who could be behind such a mean prank, but Eddie doesn't make it easy.

WC: 1.1k

If someone told you that you’d be waiting for the mailman to deliver a love letter from a secret admirer, you probably would have laughed in their face. If they told you that you’d be waiting to confront the mailman about these love letters, you would have dismissed the notion completely, perhaps with a slight flick of your middle finger.

And, yet, here you are.

“Morning!” Eddie chirps, holding out a stack of envelopes as he climbs the three stairs up your porch. His navy shorts hit right above his knees, leaving his lower legs and their dusting of brown curls exposed. He adjusts the mail sack so the weight is more evenly distributed across his back. You place your glass of iced tea on the snack table in front of you, wiping the condensation from your palms. He has a smile on his face, as he always does when he sees you, but it falters when he notices the frown on yours. “What’s going on? Something wrong?”

You bite back a scoff, taking the mail from his grasp. Sure enough, there’s another one, smack dab in the middle of bills and junk mail. “Yeah, something’s wrong,” you hold up the envelope, unable to mask your irritation. “You keep handing me these stupid notes, and I need to know who’s sending them.”

Eddie blanches, cheeks flushing a deeper pink that can’t solely be attributed to exposure to the summer sun. “Wh-I just deliver the mail,” he stammers, taking a small step back. “I don’t know who—”

“Save it, Eddie,” you snap, feeling the heat of anger blooming in your cheeks. “There’s no return address; there’s no stamp. Which means that someone is giving you these to bring me, and it’s not funny anymore.”

“Funny?”

You sigh impatiently and roll your eyes at what must be feigned incompetence. “Look, it’s obviously a prank. Who’s going to send love letters to me?”

The hurt and anger in your voice catches him off-guard, and he nearly slips off of the step as he starts backwards. “I, um, I don’t know, okay? They’re just in the pile and I-I gotta finish my route.”

The remainder of Eddie’s shift is filled with him silently chastising himself.

Way to go, Munson. You try doing something romantic and she thinks it’s a prank. Just tell her how you feel. Stop being a coward and ask her out already. She’s been nothing but nice to you, not like the rest of the people in this town.

You’re not home in the afternoon again until the following Saturday, and you’re in the same position you were before: standing on the porch, anxiously awaiting the mail. Well, anxiously awaiting the mailman. You hadn’t received any of those fake love notes since you’d last spoken to Eddie, but you couldn’t stop thinking about them. Who would be so cruel to tease you like that? It was middle school behavior; something you’re far too old to be dealing with.

Eddie ducks his head as he hands you the mail, wanting nothing more but to hide behind the curtain of curls that he has to keep tied back on hot days like today. If he could just escape without having to–

“Are you gonna tell me who’s slipping you those notes now?”

Shit.

He peers up at you, barely able to make eye contact as shame settles into his cheeks. “No one’s slipping them to me,” he mumbles, tucking his lower lip between his teeth.

You throw your hands up in the air before resting them on your hips in complete exasperation. “Seriously?” you balk. “How many times do I–”

“No one’s slipping them to me because…” he pauses, massaging the back of his neck with trembling fingers. “...because I'm the one writing them.”

The information crushes you like a boulder on your chest. Eddie was behind the prank this whole time? Was this some sort of sick joke between him and his mail carrier buddies? “You?” you choke out, eyes stinging with tears. “Why would you do that? I thought we were friends, Eddie!”

“We are!” he tries to reassure you, but you shake your head in disbelief. Small towns always had an overabundance of small-minded people, but you’d never thought that Eddie was part of that group.

“Well, friends don’t screw with each other’s feelings and write fake love letters for entertainment.” You cringe at the way he’d probably seen your face alight with excitement the first few times you’d gotten a letter, thinking that maybe someone actually harbored romantic feelings for you. But when months went by with no prospects in sight, your outlook became increasingly cynical.

Eddie’s jaw drops at your accusation. “They’re not fake,” he tells you, keeping his tone soft but insistent. “I like you…a lot…but I was too afraid to admit it.” He exhales, grateful to have confessed his feelings but terrified to see your reaction. “I thought the letters would make you happy, but it looks like I royally fucked that up.”

His words ring in your ears. I like you…a lot. Eddie Munson likes you a lot. Likes you enough to write you letters about how he thinks you’re beautiful, that your smile brightens his whole day, that he could listen to you tell stories about damn near anything for hours on end and never get bored. The man with the chocolate-hued eyes who gave you butterflies every time he was in your vicinity–flutters that you’d tried your best to ignore, because how could someone so handsome and sweet ever be into someone like you?

You let your gaze lock onto his, though your vision is still a bit blurred from your earlier surge of emotion. “Almost royally fucked it up,” you gently correct him, taking a few steps forward to meet him where your walkway met the porch stairs.

Eddie barely chokes out a “Wha–” when you pull him closer by the strap of his mail bag, pressing your lips to his and kissing him like he’s only dreamt of being kissed. Your fingertips of your other hand tangle in the locks of hair that have already slipped from the ponytail; his land on the small of your back as though they’ve always resided there. You two melt into each other, only breaking apart when you realize that Eddie still has a job to do–one that doesn’t involve making out in front of your house.

You’re at work on Monday when Eddie delivers the mail, still thinking about the taste of your mouth on his. When he opens the mailbox to place the stack of envelopes inside, a bright yellow handmade card catches his eye.

Two can play this love letter game. Picnic at Skull Rock after your shift?

#eddie munson #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x f!reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things fanfic #eddie stranger things #fanfic #stranger things

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wntrs0ldier · 2 years ago

Text

An Offer · part 04

pairing: mob!bucky x reader words: 4,2k warnings: typical mafia (dark themes, language, violence, etc.)

<previous part | next part> | series masterlist

series summary: When your father dies, the only thing you can do for your family and the empire he built, is to marry a powerful man.

chapter sneak peek: “Bucky…” You hesitated, taking a little more time to sort out what you should really say. “Helps me with some business.” You reached for the glass of wine standing in front of you and took a sip.

“Always helpful,” Rebecca sneered. You noticed that she has been passionately ignoring her brother, but until now you were convinced that this was just a mistaken impression. “And, of course, he wants the best for you, doesn't he?” She faked a smile.

The encounter with Bucky, which took place a few days ago, turned out to be a new source of worry, leaving you even more confused. Guided by common sense, you tried not to dwell on it, but every time you lost your guard and let your thoughts wander, you found yourself reliving that moment. And each time you asked yourself the same question, Why did an accidental contact lead to such a strong reaction? It wasn't that the two of you had started pawing each other; Bucky accidentally leaned against you. And then he looked at your lips to see if your body was thinking the same thing as his…

You drifted off again, and were made aware of it by the boiling kettle. The flashback of the touch immediately popped into your head like the words of a stupid song you couldn't stop humming. And although you lost your appetite for tea, you filled the cup with hot water.

Michael walked into the kitchen with a newspaper in his hands – the kind he used to bring your father every morning. With a heavy sigh, he put it down on the kitchen counter. When you peeked at him to figure out if that sigh meant he was in a bad mood, you met his gaze. Suddenly you felt uncomfortable.

“What..?”

“Stark is becoming impatient,” Michael began. “Since your father's death, no one really controls the distribution of Stark Industries products. If this outage continues, Stark will quit doing business with us,” he said. Having taken off his glasses, he massaged his closed eyelids. Working with Tony Stark was bringing in a huge amount of money for your Family. As such, you understood Michael's nervousness – you couldn't afford to dissolve your partnership. “In view of this, we have less and less time.”

Biting your lower lip, you ran your eyes nervously over the surface of the countertop. “What about Brock?” You didn't want to consider the possibility that Brock might have turned out to be your last resort, but you knew you should be prepared for it. “Any word from Rumlows?”

Michael shook his head. “I was approached by someone else,” he added. Your first instinct was to feel uneasy, but in the end you decided to give it a chance. It dawned on you that you had to stop being picky, even though it had seemed perfectly reasonable to you up to that point. You had the right to demand to be treated right by any person you were to marry. “John Walker would like to speak to you. Without me or any third parties present.”

This was exactly what you had feared – John Walker joining in. And while he didn't seem as harmful as Brock, you didn't see him as the ideal candidate. But for all intents and purposes, you didn't see an ideal candidate in any man around.

You swallowed hard. “Did he say anything else?”

“That he will reach you to discuss the details of the meeting.”

The conversation with Michael was still looming in your head, effectively hindering your preparations for dinner at the Barnes house. All you could do was turn up there and look good, and even that was difficult to achieve.

A long, warm bath has improved the state of your skin somewhat – until now it was a little too dry and ashen as a result of the stresses of recent weeks. However, it regained some of its softness. You dried and brushed your hair, moisturised your face and did your makeup a little more carefully than usual, trying to cover up every little imperfection – these, too, have intensified since the burden of serious decisions fell on you. You generally tried not to complain about your appearance, but lately you haven't felt particularly comfortable in your own skin. Still, you saw the positive side in worrying about your looks – it took your mind off the rest of your problems.

The day was inexorably turning into evening, but the weather had not changed much – the temperature outside remained pleasantly warm, perfectly reflecting the deep spring. So you decided to put on a white dress with tiny flowers; it had short, buff sleeves and reached past your knees. The hard part came when you had to deal with the tie at the back; it went in a zigzag from mid-shoulders to lower back.

You breathed a sigh of relief when you heard a quiet knock on the door – Suzie appeared just in time.

“I was just about to-” You looked back over the shoulder and felt a sudden wave of heat when you spotted Bucky instead of your sister. Although he'd announced to you that he was coming – this time he'd done it by text, not by standing outside your window – you hadn't expected him this early. And as much as you tried to push the memories of your last contact into some dark, forgotten corner of your mind, these blossomed with vivid colours. “I thought it was my sister.”

“I wanted to wait in the car, but she sent me here,” Bucky said, scratching the back of his head. “Need help with the dress?”

Staring at him blankly, you nodded after a while.

“May I..?”

“Sure.”

Bucky came closer to you, so you turned again to let him work.

“Try to straighten the string, okay?” you added quietly. You wanted it to be as perfect as possible.

Bucky let out a heavy breath and you felt a cool blow on your half-naked back; this in turn made you shiver, much more gently than last time. His fingers slid under the string, and so involuntarily brushed your skin. You felt him hesitate for a moment, but then his fingers moved along the underside of the string, complying with your request and straightening it out. Soon he grabbed both ends and pulled them so that the front of the dress clung to your chest.

“Too tight?” he asked, presumably having heard your sharp sigh. You couldn't tell what it was the result of – the squeezing fabric or Bucky's closeness.

“It’s okay,” you croaked and you almost immediately scolded yourself for how weak and pathetic you sounded.

Bucky tied the ends of the string in a double bow, probably as a precaution; in case it would come undone at the least appropriate moment. He did it in silence, and although this seemed perfectly natural for such an activity, you got the impression that an awkwardness had crept in between you, which you had managed to avoid at the very beginning of your relationship.

“Done,” Bucky said, and you turned around carefully. Just as carefully, you lifted your gaze to his face. He was surveying you, possibly even more intensely than usual. For a brief moment you wondered if he too was tormented by the same thoughts as you, and judging by the slightly pained look on his face, expressing some kind of longing, you could guess that he was indeed.

“Have you heard?” You spoke after a bit longer silence.

“About what?” Bucky didn't even for a split second seem interested in the answer that might lie beneath your question.

“John Walker asked me on a date,” you said calmly, moreover, you were almost tempted to smile – you didn't want to give the situation unnecessary tragedy.

A corner of his mouth lifted, but that gesture had not even a hint of enthusiasm in it. He didn't look surprised or angry. You figured the news had traveled fast, but even if Bucky hadn't been aware of John's offer until now, he predicted it – he told you about it at the very beginning.

“You look really nice,” Bucky’s voice sounded so soft that your face flushed. You wanted to check if he was telling the truth, but you were unable to take your eyes off his.

“Thank you.” You smiled slightly. “I’ll grab a few things and we can go,” you added. You had the irresistible feeling that if you didn't say it – didn’t say something – the mutual gazing at each other would get out of hand again.

“I’ll be in the car.”

You left the house with Suzie. Because of your hands being occupied with a cardboard box, she closed the door behind you, then you both headed to the gate.

Bucky stood with his back up against his car. Your knowledge of vehicles ended with the identification of brands, but even if that skill was even more limited, you would have easily recognised this one – mainly because of the distinctive wild horse logo. A thought unknowingly popped into your head that the black, vintage Mustang suited its owner.

Pulling away from the car, Bucky pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. He opened the passenger door and put the seat down, allowing Suzie to get into the back. As your sister slipped inside and the front seat returned to its place, you also got in. Bucky walked around the front of the car and sat behind the wheel, his gaze immediately falling on the box you were holding.

“I made a carrot cake,” you explained.

He raised his eyebrows with astonishment.

“Barnes don’t eat cakes?”

“We do,” Bucky differed. You glanced at the way his hand landed on the stick and put it in the right gear. He threw his arm over your headrest to look at the back window, and you felt butterflies in your stomach again. “It’s just… Baking is so…”

“Yeah..?”

“I don’t know, wifely?”

You watched the profile of Bucky's face as he focused on the road. “Is there anything else wifely in me?”

Bucky smirked under his nose. When the car stopped at the first traffic light, he leered at you. “In you? I'd have to check.” He shrugged. “But those nightgowns you wear…” He pressed his lips together, shaking his head slowly. “Fuck,” he said almost soundlessly, as if he didn't want Suzie to hear it.

You rolled your eyes and smacked his arm, and he snorted a quiet laugh.

For the rest of the way, you didn’t really talk. You were worried that Suzie might feel uncomfortable, or worse, pick up something she wasn't supposed to hear. She was nearly an adult, besides, she had grown up in the same environment as you, nevertheless, you preferred to spare her the awkwardness.

Not long after you had left the city behind, the car turned into a road along which big old trees were growing; their interlocking tops formed a kind of tunnel. At its exit was a large, green plot of land, and you couldn't really tell where it ended. The house on it – tall, with a surrounding porch and walls covered with ivy in places – was probably as old as the trees.

Absorbed in the views behind the window, you didn't even notice that the car had stopped. You only became aware of it when Bucky opened the door for you. You got out, still scanning the surroundings with your eyes, and Bucky freed your sister.

“This place…” You began, and only after a moment glanced at Bucky. He stood next to you and tilted his head slightly to the side. “It’s beautiful here.”

Bucky gave you a half-smile, and this time you could see an undeniable softness and happiness on his face. You were able to tell that he had positive feelings about his family home.

The front door – solid, heavy, with a colourful, floral stained glass window – swung almost wide open. And although you had never really met her, you recognised Winnifred Barnes in the woman who stepped out onto the porch. At first glance, you saw a striking resemblance between her and Bucky – he had her whole face; her big blue eyes, straight nose and strong jaw.

“Y/N, Suzanne,” Mrs. Barnes beamed warmly at you and your sister. “I’m glad you could make it. Come inside.”

“Thank you for inviting us.” You handed Winnifred the package. “It’s just a cake,” you rushed to clarify, seeing the premature delight on the woman's face.

“That is so sweet of you, Y/N. Jamie,” she turned to Bucky. “Take our guests to the dining room, please.”

Having climbed the few steps leading up to the porch, Bucky joined you.

“Jamie?” you repeated, your mouth curved into a smile.

Bucky chuckled. “Yeah.” He scratched his neck.

You got to the dining room, and although the number of people there exceeded your expectations, you didn't feel overwhelmed by the company. You recognised Timothy first, since you had seen him relatively recently, then Steve Rogers, as he also figured quite vividly in your consciousness. As for the rest, you weren't as sure.

You guessed that one of the young women sitting at the table, who was an almost perfect, and certainly the most faithful copy of Winnifred, was Rebecca Barnes. There was an infant on her lap, banging a spoon on the table top and bursting into laughter after every sound. Rebecca, most likely used to this kind of noise, didn't pay much attention to it; she was busy talking to the person sitting right next to her. This time you assumed it was Josephine Barnes. In fact, you were even sure of it, mainly because of the similarity she shared with Winnifred, Bucky and Rebecca. She only had slightly softer facial features and a not-so-piercing gaze; you also noticed the visible tan.

You almost missed the last one – with her nose in a book she was the least conspicuous. Mary, you guessed. You recalled that she was not much younger than your own sister.

“You okay?” Bucky asked quietly, and it wasn't his voice that revived you, but his fingers hooked on your elbow. You felt electricity radiating from that spot.

Before you had time to reply, something crashed into your legs and embraced them tightly. You looked down, where you spotted a little girl with a grin that missed a few teeth.

“Hi!” She exclaimed.

“Hi.” You couldn’t help but smile, too.

“Oh, Daisy,” Rebecca groaned, clearly embarrassed by the child's behaviour. You therefore concluded that Daisy was her daughter. “Stop that.”

“It’s all right,” you declared immediately.

Still, Bucky crouched down and pulled the child away from your legs, and this little fuss threw you into the spotlight. Everyone at the table stopped whatever they were just doing and focused on you.

“Jamie brought home a girl?” Josephine asked with surprise and a kind of hope. “How long have you been together?”

“Is that your girlfriend?” Mary joined the conversation. “Oh, she’s pretty.”

You pressed your lips together in a slight smile; you hoped to avoid becoming the main attraction, on the other hand, you could breathe a sigh of relief – your efforts to make your appearance tolerable had paid off.

“Alright, that's enough.” Bucky gave his sisters a threatening glare.

“They are not a couple,” Timothy, sitting at the head of the table, spoke, drawing everyone's attention. “As far as I know,” he added, raising his eyebrows. “Y/N,” he said to you, his friendly smile didn't match the mysterious expression on the rest of his face. “Sit next to Steve. I insist.”

You led your eyes in that direction. Indeed, there were two empty chairs between Mary and Steve – probably for you and Suzie. “Of course.” You nodded politely and made your way to that seat, peeking at your sister to check on her. Steve rose and pulled back a chair for you, and once you had taken your seat, you glanced at Bucky confused; Timothy's request seemed more than a little odd to you.

Bucky clenched his jaw. Previous experience allowed you to recognise when he wasn’t pleased, and that was exactly what he looked like at the moment.

Winnifred also appeared in the dining room. As the lady of the house, she sat at the other end of the table. Soon after, the first dishes were served and the room filled with sounds of conversation. The men were talking about baseball, then boxing, and although Bucky was actively involved in the discussion, he seemed a little distracted. Whenever you glimpsed in his direction, you caught him staring at you – you could see that he was a bit disappointed, perhaps even resentful, and there was something dark in his eyes; as if the sea in his irises was hit by a storm. Especially when Steve included you in a conversation, smiled or laughed at something you said.

Winnifred asked about your gallery, the upcoming exhibition, and about Suzie's school. She praised your cake. In exchange you learned that Mary was studying for her biology exam even at dinner, Rebecca had expanded little George's diet – the baby previously sitting on her lap – with more fruit, and Josephine had returned to New York on a short break from her college.

You were worried that you would feel uncomfortable here, especially as Timothy separated you from the only person you knew, but the atmosphere in the Barnes home was like a warm, safe hug. Even Suzie found common ground with Mary, so you didn't have to be concerned about her comfort.

“How did you two meet?” Josephine asked, and when you looked at her without understanding, she nodded discreetly at Bucky.

“Oh, but we-”

“Yeah, I know.” Josephine waved her hand dismissively. “But I'm interested in every detail. I can't remember the last time Jamie brought someone home.”

You plastered a slight smile on your face, knowing that it wasn't Bucky who invited you here, but his mum. “Actually, we met through your uncle,” you answered. You didn't want to spoil the mood with the subject of a funeral or an arranged marriage. “Bucky…” You hesitated, taking a little more time to sort out what you should really say. “Helps me with some business.” You reached for the glass of wine standing in front of you and took a sip.

“Rebecca, honey-” Winnifred interjected softly, and when she did, the table fell silent.

“No, mom.” She shook her head, as if that would prevent Mrs. Barnes from getting a word in edgewise. “It's not fair that some random girl can sit here with us and the father of my children can't.” Tears of anger shone in Rebecca's eyes. “Excuse me,” she said, then got up and left the room.

You felt guilty. Not because you may have actually taken an undeserved seat at the table, but instead of shame or anxiety, you were intrigued by this unexpected burst. You took another sip of wine.

“What happened to mommy?” Daisy asked.

“Nothing, baby,” Winnifred told her gently. “She’ll get better.”

With suspicion, Daisy turned her head at Bucky. “Is that true?”

He pressed his lips together in a pale smile. “Of course, Junebug. Cross my heart.” Bucky put his hand on his chest. “How about we watch ‘Finn and Jake’?” He suggested with theatrical excitement, which Daisy shared immediately – she nodded eagerly. “Yeah?” Bucky grinned again, more relaxed this time.

Daisy ran up to him, grabbed the hand he had held out and dragged him out of the dining room. Bucky glimpsed at you, giving you an apologetic look.

Josephine leaned out and laid her eyes on you. “I’m going for a smoke, wanna join?”

Josephine led you to a gazebo in the garden. As she said, she offered you a cigarette, and you both leaned against the railing. The evening gloom was dispelled by the lamps on the lawn and the lighting inside the gazebo; it was getting unpleasantly cold outside, but you preferred the low temperature outside to the tense atmosphere at the table.

“I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I don't want you to think that my sister is some spoiled bitch,” Josephine began, and you looked at her rather blankly. You didn't want to show too much that she made you curious. “His name was Robbie. The father of her children, as she called him,” she said with distaste. “He was part of the Family. Jamie recruited him, so the whole thing still bothers him. And Robbie was a fucking asshole from the beginning. He spent late nights in bars, gambled all their money away, hung out with other girls. When Daisy was born, it only got worse. He complained that Becca was neglecting him. Didn't help with the baby, disappeared from the house more often and for much longer…” She continued. “Rebecca's only problem is that she has a soft heart. She never said a bad word about Robbie, but everyone knew what was going on. She thought another baby would change him, that it would fix their relationship, but…” Josephine shrugged. She took a puff, and for a brief moment said nothing, staring into nowhere. “So Jamie got rid of him.”

Your brows drew together involuntarily. “What do you mean..?”

“No one knows what really happened to Robbie. He vanished into thin air and never contacted Becca again.”

You felt like a child who had just heard a blood-curdling ghost story. Actually, you only felt that way partly – on the other hand, you were even more fascinated by Bucky. “Well…” You sighed, shaking the excess ash off the end of your cigarette. “He did what he thought was right,” you commented. This time, too, you preferred to be careful, thus not claiming out loud that Bucky had done the right thing.

“Not according to Becca. She's better than she was at the beginning, but it's still a touchy subject for her.”

You finished your cigarettes in silence, and that silence helped you to sink into your own thoughts; to see Bucky in a slightly different light.

“Are you sure there's nothing between you and Jamie?” Josephine spoke, a teasing smirk on her face. “I saw the way he looked at you the whole dinner. I know my brother, and if I were Steve I would keep my distance from you,” she giggled.

Your lips twitched in a slight smile. You noticed it too, and although you weren't the only people at the table, you secretly hoped you were the only ones aware of what was going on.

You could have talked to Josephine about it; told her that Bucky had no right to be jealous. You were strictly focused on marrying someone and Bucky excluded himself at his own request. You could have shared all this with Josephine, thereby taking some of the weight off your shoulders. But you didn't want to involve her.

“I’m sure,” you said. “It's strictly business between him and me.”

“Speak of the devil.”

Following Josephine's gaze, you peeked over your shoulder. Bucky was heading to the gazebo. Having caught your eyes, he smirked softly. You struggled to take your eyes off his face and lowered them to his hands – he was holding a piece of cloth that you couldn't identify in the darkness. Only when Bucky got under the roof of the gazebo did you notice that he had brought a sweatshirt. Moreover, he put it gently over your shoulders.

“Thanks,” you murmured, surprised at the gesture, and glanced at Josephine. From the expression on her face, you were convinced that she wanted to say, So there's nothing between you two, right?

“You sneak out to smoke?” Bucky addressed his sister, his forehead creased. “What are you? Sixteen?”

“Oh, fuck off.” Josephine rolled her eyes.

Bucky reached out his hand, so she handed him the packet and the lighter. With a cigarette between his lips, he looked stunningly – more rough and intimidating.

“I'll leave you two alone,” Josephine suggested, grinning. She pushed herself away from the railing, and you two watched her leave.

You slipped your arms into the sleeves of the sweatshirt and wrapped yourself in it, discreetly inhaling the familiar scent. You looked at Bucky, and he again gave you a gentle smile; it reached his eyes as well. However, it faded soon after.

“I’m sorry about before. Becca-”

“I had this conversation with Josephine,” you stopped him. “I know what happened and I get it. I don't blame her for reacting the way she did. Anyway, she was right. I’m some random girl who-”

“You are not,” he protested immediately. His mouth set in a hard line as he was staring at you. “I-... I like you, Y/N.”

Taking a sharp breath, you looked away. You shook your head in disbelief, tried to ignore the fact that your heart was beating harder than you would have wished. “I like you too, Bucky, but I can’t fall for you. I don’t want to.”

Bucky took his eyes off you only to put out his cigarette. Then he moved a step closer to you and hesitantly reached for your hand. You closed your eyes, then fixed them on his fingers – he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb, and you didn't protest.

“I know,” he rasped. “But I just need to protect you. So please, let me protect you. Okay? Because I feel like everything is getting out of my control. And I’m fucking tired of it.”

You raised your gaze to his eyes. He glared into them pleadingly and with some kind of fear, as if your rejection would shatter him into a million pieces. You nodded slightly, unsure if you really did; if you really agreed to fall under his protection.

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#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #mob!bucky #mob!bucky x reader #mob!bucky x y/n #mob bucky #mafia!bucky #mafia bucky #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #mob boss!bucky #mob boss!bucky x reader

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1-800-papaya · 5 months ago

Text

Southern Charm

Jay Halstead x Baker!Reader Warnings: None

Two weeks had passed since Jay’s first visit to Lemon Drops. Since then, it had become a regular stop in his morning routine. Volunteering for coffee runs when the one in the break room was conveniently broken, even finding himself out front of the cozy little shop on his day off. The more he visited, the more he saw his time in Y/N’s company as the highlight of his day, a ray of sunshine in the clouded sky of his mind. The warm environment of the cafe had quickly become his sanctuary, a place where he could unwind and enjoy a sense of normalcy away from the pressures of cases.

So when Adam sulked out of the break room and mumbled that the coffee machine was on the fritz, Jay practically jumped out of his chair. The case that had occupied the unit’s time for the past few hours was tricky and complicated; to say it was stressful was an understatement. After the others shouted their order, Jay bounced the three blocks to Lemon Drops. His phone buzzed in his hand as the familiar twinkle of the bell announced his arrival.

‘Don’t forget the Caramel Raspberry Kolache.’ Hailey.

The bakery’s cozy interior felt like a warm hug, welcoming him in from the Chicago winter. Jay’s eyes surveyed the crowded cafe, a habit he developed from being a ranger and cop. The mid-afternoon crowd was thin but still filled most of the room. A few students were huddled in the corner, blank screens probably filling a few with dread. The rest of the cafe was filled with elderly couples sharing tea and cakes. Jay waved slightly to Chelsea, who was standing at the register. Chelsea was one of the few college students that Y/N hired; Jay had become so much of a regular that he’d learnt their names. Chelsea and the other employees who helped with mid-day crowds learnt quickly that Y/N would handle Jay’s order.

After finishing a customer’s order, Chelsea poked her head through the kitchen door and called out to Y/N. With a bright smile, Y/N returned with a tray full of strawberry and cream cupcakes.

“Good morning, Jay! The usual?” she asked, her southern drawl as charming as ever.

“Morning, Y/N. Yeah, the usual. And Hailey is insistent on trying your Caramel Raspberry Pazcki’s,” Jay replied, leaning against the counter. Y/N chuckled as she moved behind the counter, seamlessly interacting with Chelsea. Y/N’s cabinets were consistently filled with brownies, cupcakes and her favorite treats from home. Recently, Jay noticed that more Chicago favorite treats with her own twist had found their way into the mix. Over the last few weeks, Jay had also become aware of just how close Hailey and the young Texan baker were, practically being badgered by Hailey for a treat from Y/N that he’d never seen in her cabinets.

“So, how’s your week been?” Y/N asked, her eyes locked on Jay but her hands working away, making the coffees. Jay smiled; his favorite part of his visit was the causal conversation that flowed between them.

“Busy, but nothing out of the ordinary. You? Business seems to be good”

“Yeah, it’s been good. Lots of new faces coming in,” Y/N said, a hint of pride in her voice. Jay chuckled.

“Well, you make the best coffee and treats in town.” Y/N blushed slightly and handed over the coffee and the usual box of treats, with Hailey’s in a separate bag.

“You’re too kind, Jay. But I’m glad you think so.”

“I’ll let you get back to work. Thanks for the coffee and Pazcki’s.”

“Anytime, Jay. Stay safe out there,” Y/N said, giving him a warm smile. Jay nodded and headed out, the tray balanced carefully in his hands, opening the door for an elderly couple as he left. As he dragged his feet the three blocks, He couldn’t shake the feeling that these brief moments with Y/N were becoming more than just a part of his routine.

***

Back at the precinct, Jay distributed the coffees to his teammates. Hailey gleefully took hers and the strawberry and cream Pazcki’s. A teasing smirk played on her lips as Jay sat at his desk.

“You’re in a good mood,” she remarked.

“Just needed the fresh air,” Jay said with a shrug, trying to play it cool.

“Uh-huh,” Hailey said, clearly not buying it. “So, how’s Y/N?”

“She’s good,” Jay replied, unable to hide his smile. “The bakery is doing well, though I regret telling Will and Kelly about it. ”

Hailey smirked. “You know, you should ask her out sometime. It’s clear you like her.” Jay felt his face heat up.

“It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Hailey said, sipping her coffee. “But you should think about it. Life’s too short not to take chances.”

“What’s this about taking chances?” Kevin spoke up from his place,e leaning on Hailey’s desk.

“Jay’s got a crush on the bakery owner,” Hailey said with a grin.

Atwater raised an eyebrow. “Oh? The one that makes all these delicious treats you’ve brought in every day this week.”

“To Jay and his bakery lady. May your pastries be sweet and your dates sweeter.” Kevin toasted, a devious smile directed at her partner.

“Knock it off,” Jay spoke, stifling a laugh, “It’s just coffee.”

“What’s going on?” Kim questioned as she and Adam trudged up the steps.

“Jay’s got a thing for the girl at Lemon Drops,” Kevin explained.

Kim’s eyes lit up. “Y/N? She’s so nice! You should ask her out, Jay.” Jay sighed, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the attention.

“Alright, alright. I’ll think about it.”

***

The sun had long since set by the time Jay found his feet carrying him to his truck. He had spent most of the afternoon lost in his thoughts. His co-worker’s words whirled around. Perhaps he should bite the metaphorical bullet or take that leap of faith. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear Kevin’s invite for drinks at Molly’s; instead, he found himself parked in front of Lemon Drops Cafe and Bakery. The neon sign glaring mockingly at him. He’d helped her install it a week ago. A chuckle filled the cab of his truck. Hailey would tease him relentlessly if she found out this was his second time visiting the unit’s new favorite establishment.

By now, the evening regulars had long since gone home, leaving Y/N with the first responders trickling in and out. Chelsea had gone home, something that Jay never quite felt okay with. The neighborhood surrounding where the cafe was situated was safe, but the thought of Y/N closing on her own late at night never felt right.

“I’ll be with you in a second,” Y/N’s voice called from the kitchen. Jay felt a slight sense of Deja-vu. When she finally appeared, she looked just the same as the first time Jay had stepped foot into her business. Chocolate brown curly hair was haphazardly thrown into a bun. Her white shirt was a stark white compared to the pale yellow apron she always wore; it must be new, thought Jay. Her apron was once again covered in white dashes of flour and smudges of frosting and chocolate. A flash of pleasant surprise crossed her soft features when she looked up to greet him.

“Oh Jay, Back so soon? Couldn’t stay away, huh?”

Jay chuckled. “I guess so. Got any more of those Pazcki’s.”

“Always,” Y/N said, already reaching for one. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Jay said, taking the sweat treat. As always, Jay stayed chatting with Y/N as she cleaned and prepped cookies and cupcake batter for the next day. The pair discussed many things as usual, from the recent chilly weather to Y/N’s two tabby cats. Before long, he found himself standing in between his truck and Y/N’s vintage yellow Bronco, watching as she locked the door.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight then, Detective.” He hesitated for a moment, then decided to take Hailey’s advice.

“Hey, Y/N, I was wondering… would you like to grab dinner sometime? Maybe this weekend?” Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise, and then her face broke into a bright smile.

“I’d love to, Jay. That sounds great.”

“Great,” Jay said, feeling relief and excitement. “Saturday at seven?”

“It’s a date,” Y/N said, her smile warm and inviting.

Tag list

@smoothdogsgirl

#jay halstead #jay halstead x reader #chicago pd #one chicago #bakery #fluff

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murdrdocs · 1 year ago

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no like actually i loooove pretty boy canal boat Hobie like i just know the local ducks love him 2 and they share the (detested) morning together and that he feeds them peas and other veggies whilst he’s still half asleep over the boat railing

MHMMM

he’s out in a pair of boxers and slippers, soaking in the morning dew as he distributes the ducks the bag of now thawed peas that he used to ice his bruises last night.

he makes a cup of coffee (maybe tea idk man), watching the birds and the nature around him, and then he terrorizes the passerby’s by shredding over his speaker system sometimes, which is his version of a wake up call (but he doesn’t really wake up until like noon so it’s just annoying rlly).

plus i can see him just fixing up the boat with stolen parts when he’s bored or a little stressed and he just needs to think things over. working on his boat is a practiced, mechanical task that lets him get lost in the action while also being able to effectively figure things out if needed.

#thinkin abt peaceful nights on the boat #and mornings #ik the walk of shame hits too #hobiesworld!#hobie brown x reader #hobie brown x you

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candywife333 · 1 year ago

Text

You Can Have Him

Summary: I am having Jungkook's baby. That's right bitches, you heard me right. We had a one night stand and now I am going to make him pay in cash and chocolate doughnuts-- currency of the gods. No emotions, just mucho dinero. That's the motto for today. There's no way he can fall in love with a virtual freeloader right? Let's all pray that he doesn't for my sake and yours.

chubby reader x idol (loaded) jungkook

Disclaimer: This character of Jungkook is not a representation of the real life Jungkook. Keep in mind this is all fiction.

Mini- series

(haven't decided on how many parts. I guess however many it takes me to get my thoughts across)

PART 2 of Only Here for Food

You know when your bladder just can't hold in the piss and it has to empty itself under just about any circumstance? Well that was me right now, as I sauntered into HYBE. I used the wonderful bathroom on the first floor and with a jolly grin on my face went to the cafe. Their desserts were simply exquisite. "One new york classic cheese cake with a boba tea please". I clapped my hands , giggling in glee as I saw all the other options I couldn't wait to try every time I visited the HYBE building.

I took my aesthetic picture of the desserts as the employee who handed me the food smiled at me. Happiness is contagious, just like the plague and that is the best part about it. Trudging over to the BTS waiting room , I saw my favorite super squishy couch and sat on it, ready to eat my dessert and some bibimbap with pork belly I had made for lunch today.

I kept all my food on the table, having brought an abundant amount for the guys as well. They may like it, and if they didn't I had so many neighbors I could just distribute the food to. I dove into the bibimbap, moaning as the flavors hit my tastebuds. This is truly what I lived for, fatty oily sweet and savory rice loaded with greasy meat, spiced vegetables, and fried egg. Taehyung walked in, clearly surprised at what I had brought and my presence. "Hey Y/N , what are you doing here? Jungkook is in the recording room".

I smiled, "Oh, I didn't come for Jungkook necessarily. I was just going to give him papers that my lawyer drew up in case I saw him around the building. I actually just came here to eat and brought some food with me in case you guys wanted to try any. Made it all early this morning after my mommy pilates class". I chewed loudly with fervor, "Why don't you also try some food? I made bibimbap, japchae with tiger shrimp, fish cake stew with sausages, and kimbap. It's all home made".

Taehyung reluctantly took his first bite, and then it was game over. He sat there eating the food with me as I showed him reruns of different series I was watching. I showed him how I was midway through death note and my plans to dress up as a Shinigami this halloween. I was also knitting a shinigami inspired scarf with apples laced all throughout. He chuckled and laughed with me.

The rest of the guys filtered in, behooved to see Taehyung get along so well with Y/N. They saw the abundance of food, and Jin was the first to serve himself a plate, exclaiming and gesticulating ,"So good Y/N, so good, you are truly a goddess. I was just missing home made food so much". The rest of the guys also decided to chow down, trying to steal the cheesecake from Y/n as she was slowly eating it, attempting to prolong the experience.

Jungkook walked in, sweaty and tired from recording his new track for a feature when he saw Y/n. His face contorted into disgust. What the hell was this girl doing here again? Wasn't setting up a child support plan after his unfortunately positive paternity test enough for her?

He loudly stomped in the room, slapping his doc martens against the ground. Y/N heard the noise and looked up to see him. "Hi JK, want to try some food? I just made it this morning. Took me two hours, but I wanted to bring a treat for all of you just in case. Was supposed to go on a picnic today with my boy toys but I thought I would feed you guys instead". Jungkook nodded his head with pure defiance and rage, till a singular word filtered through his brain, boy toys?!?!! He shrieked in a fury, "What the hell do you mean by boy toy women? What type of males are you frolicking with? Are you getting run through by every damn male out there?"

Y/N weakly smiled, "I mean, I wish I had the braveness to cavort with every handsome man I met. But I am just too scared of STDs you know. Trust me on this though JK, if STDs never existed, I would fuck my way through an entire fraternity. I have the stamina of a stallion". She proceeded to imitate a neighing of a horse, as the boys all tried not to choke, aspirate, and die on their food.

Y/n continued, "I just came here to talk to you about honoring the part of our agreement that talks about baby time twice a week. Twice a week I will be here so we can have our baby interaction time , so as a dad you can be close to the baby". Jungkook was ready to rip all his hair out of his head. What the hell was she talking about? Then he remembered the part of the contract which stipulated that he was supposed to meet her twice a week to interact with the baby as it was in the womb and for one year post partum.

"Just let me know once you are ready, and we will go into a private room so you can touch the baby directly-- you know skin to skin contact and all". The boys tried to not laugh openly at Jungkook as he stared at y/N horrified of her request. They all filtered out immediately. Namjoon stated somberly, "Jungkook you can use this room with Y/N, I will close the door so you and her can have private time with the Baby".

Jungkook timidly walked over to Y/n and sat next to her. She emanated the scent of fresh laundry and coconuts, very appealing and nothing that he had ever smelled on any of the girls he usually bedded. Y/n lifted up her dress and Jungkook was shell shocked to see red lacy panties stretched down due to a surprisingly round baby bump the size of a small melon. Her thighs were thick and glistening with moisture . He almost had the urge to bite her thighs. Wait, what the fuck, where was this thought coming from?!

Y/N lifted one eyebrow, "Aren't you going to touch the baby? Don't be scared by my pussy, don't worry, it won't bite. It will maintain its distance, it is well trained and domesticated". Jungkook's hands slightly trembled as he placed both of them on either side of her stomach. He felt the warmth of her silky skin radiating through his hands, as an unwarranted image of Y/N with his cum stuffed up her pussy and his cum sprayed all over her pregnant stomach ambushed him. He jolted away, hands moving away due to the sudden unbidden thought invading his mind, infiltrating his brain.

He asked softly with concern, "Is this normal for your stomach to be this big for two months?" Y/N cooly replied, "They are actually twins. I am preparing cribs and clothes for them. Double the work actually, but I can't wait". She giggled, nose scrunching up and mirth in her eyes. Jungkook saw how beautiful she was, for the first time since he consciously met her.

Y/N squealed out, "Ok now Mr Jungkook. Hands off the goodies. Visitation hours are over". She flipped down her dress as Jungkook now couldn't get the image of her ripe swollen stomach and panties out of his mind. She clouded his thoughts so quickly, no wonder he got her pregnant he mused to himself.

The members came back in as Y/N stared at her phone, watching death note on youtube with Jimin who snuggled up next to her. Jungkook felt a flash of envy thunder through his body as he saw the mother of his kids so close to Jimin. He shouldn't feel this way, but he did. A model named Jin Hee, from one of their previous photo shoots came over to Jungkook and sidled up to him.

Jin Hee held on to Jungkook's arm and started talking to him, flirting with him, as Y/N watched the scene unravel from the corner of her eye. She had great peripheral vision, took her vitamin A and carrot intake very seriously, thank you very much. As Jungkook sat down now, Jin Hee sat so close to him, she might as well be on his lap. Jin Hee was clearly trying to prod Y/N to breaking since the news had spread quickly about Jungkook's baby momma. Everybody knew who Y/N was in the HYBE building.

Jin Hee, a stereotypically thin model had been vying for Jungkook's attention for the longest time. She did not want to lose to a fat pregnant non celebrity baby momma. Y/N calmly put her phone down next to her, to the confusion of Jimin. In a calm voice that could slice a human's flesh with its sharpness, she drawled out firmly, eyes facing Jin Hee, "You can have him you know. I don't fight over community dick. If you want him, you can have him. You clinging to him like a baby koala is making you look desperate. I am not jealous of you in the least. My eyes are on a different prize, and Jungkook is not it. I eat leftovers usually, but if Jungkook was a left over, I would throw him in the trash".

#eventual smut #bts x reader #smut #angst #chubby reader #bts x plus size reader #jungkook x reader #curvy reader #eventual romance #chubby reader x jungkook #curvy reader x jungkook #plus size reader x jungkook #comedy #fanfic #bts #bts fanfic #bts x curvy reader #bts x chubby reader

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blueberrypancakesworld · 7 months ago

Text

Coffee, bread and a kiss

Marc Schrader x girlfriend!reader

warning : fluff, kiss, flirting

Summary : Marc starts his morning on the ward at the computer and the best moment is when the secretary comes in, his fairy godmother, his lover and girlfriend who always brought coffee, bread rolls and something sweeter for him.

Info : Another little story for Marc as the last one was so well received thanks for that and have fun with this one I'm glad you like it so much ;) Ps : I just realized that I always spelled Minks wrong sorry with k and not x ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Another Monday morning in Berlin, a morning that was cool, foggy and without any sun. An uncomfortable morning as Marc and his girlfriend found out when they both woke up and shivered because they had left the window tilted. ,,No, it should be warm,” she grumbled and looked out onto the street, which was now filled with people, cars and work, and she sipped her tea, which at least provided some warmth.

The warming blanket they had both wrapped themselves in had evaporated after the shrill wake-up call they had given themselves so as not to miss work as they were not morning people and liked to go back to sleep, which had led to one or two conflicts.

A warning look from Minks Marc's boss and her superior station manager who followed them every step of the way.

As if they both had nothing better to do, but in the end it was the police you always had to be careful no matter what. ,,Well, you're warming me,” she suddenly heard his voice and a hand on her hip as Marc snuggled up to her from behind and put his head on her shoulder.

She could feel his fingers making little circles and playing with the waistband of her sleep shorts. ,,And you make my day,” she replied, turning around and giving him a kiss, which he returned before she broke away when she heard the pling of her cell phone, telling her that the new documents had arrived, which in turn meant that she had to leave.

Detaching herself from him with a wink, she finished her tea and disappeared into the bathroom before letting Marc in a few minutes later and fetching the car from the underground garage to wait for him. However, she could still see his tiredness and the slight dark circles under his bright eyes that looked at her as if he was still dreaming.

She ran her hand over his brown hair and tidied it up a little, as much as he was a sweetie in the morning, the energy was quickly gone again. But she appreciated his attempts to stay awake, even though he looked like a cute bear who had woken up from his winter sleep.

,,Don't worry, my sleepyhead, we'll be right there,” she assured him and patted him on the cheek before driving the slightly longer distance towards the city center, as they lived in the slightly outer area where they could still afford something.

Turning onto the road to the police station and headquarters, she drove into the parking lot designated for employees and parked in her assigned spot.

She could hear Marc sighing as he ran his hands over his face, but still gave her a smile when they both knew they had to get up. ,,Better now than getting fired,” he said, winking at her and she saw his non-existent enthusiasm, which she shared as the young couple made their way to the entrance.

She greeted the nice woman at the entrance as usual with a ,,Guten Morgen und einen schönen Tag" and turned into the elevator where she felt his hand on hers, one last little touch before she got out or him and he had to go to the floor above her.

Arriving on her floor, she could already hear the sound of paperwork, so she took the small trolley and got the coffee, rolls and file ready, which she distributed to everyone to get the system up and running.

,,And don't forget anything!” she heard her supervisor call out and she almost winced again, which she answered with a ,,Of course not” before getting into the elevator, glad that she hadn't wasted any more of the coffee. Working her way up the lower floors, she was glad when she arrived at Marc's floor and hurried to his room.

,,The dear coffee elf, my pretty savior,” he said and took the files from her, placing the pile of bright paper carelessly on a free spot on his desk before he almost wanted to take the coffee, but she pulled it back.

,,Well, what's the magic word?” she asked with a cheeky grin and saw his smile instantly grow bigger and bigger as he rose from his chair and his hands slowly wrapped around her.

,,As always, my love, hot as coffee,” he joked and pulled her into an intimate kiss, his hands wandering along her body until he finally took the coffee from her as cheeky as he could be in the morning and she held out a bread bun to him with a giggle.

,,Hot, intimate and a total sweet sleepyhead,” she added mischievously and threw him an air kiss which he caught and gave the imaginary heart another kiss and stroked it.

Before she disappeared out of his door to continue her work. He heard the giggles from the room and knew that he would enjoy his coffee before he took the roll with jam.

,,I'll see you at lunch darling!” she heard him call and could swear she felt his kiss on her lips again, his hands on hers and a word of praise at her ear, and a kiss that would move from her lips to her cheeks and then to the back of her hand when he got bored and wanted her attention.

The two of them were a little strange in the otherwise so monotonous and austere institution, but they always conjured up a smile and a kiss on each other's face to get through the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@common-people-rep , @allloudontheeasternfront , @nn-nnenov ,@pinksodaaa , @hanslandasstrudel , @oceansrose2002

#tattoo movie #tattoo 2002 #august diehl #tatto marc schrader #marc schrader #marc schrader x reader

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ghelgheli · 7 months ago

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Near the end of many of our weekly conversations, I ask Yashayaie variations of the same question: How can one hold revolutionary idealism, the belief that collective action can lead to the betterment of society, to such lofty concepts as “equality” and “justice,” when the movement’s romanticism has long fizzled out? As he listens he holds a sugar cube between his teeth and sips tea loudly, a talent unique to men of the old teahouses.

“God created the world in six days, supposedly, and we are still trying to make it better,” he replied once, before taking down the Book of Genesis from his library and reading its depiction of the Fall. “Because man is inherently flawed—and will always be seeking change,” he proclaimed, his head of thick, wavy white hair as smooth and resilient as freshly piled snow on a rooftop. Every generation can find a place to seek improvement over the status quo, he insists. “The question is the decisions you will make if and when you find yourself in that place.” (...)

What remains of Jewish life in Oudlajan today—a number of synagogues and a public bath adorned with rich wall carvings and intricate mirror work—exists mostly as destinations for walking tours. Yashayaie and a group of a dozen Jewish men who were born in the neighborhood still drive there every Shabbat morning to worship. Journalists and tour guides often ask Yashayaie whether they can see a Shabbat service, and when I make the same request he sticks to the script and invites me to Ezra Yaghoub Synagogue, the oldest that still survives in Oudlajan.

Muslims and Zoroastrians also lived in the Oudlajan of Haroun Yashayaie’s childhood, known as a Jewish neighborhood. Relationships were mostly cordial, defined by distance and respect, he says. On Shabbat, Muslim neighbors would turn on the lights of the synagogue. His brother helped Muslim neighbors cook nazri—food made for public distribution during Ashura, when the Shi’a mourn the death of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

#text #a worthwhile read #thx azad for showinf this to me last year <3 #reading #vatan #deen

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deeptrashwitch · 6 months ago

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A Haunting Past (pt.5)

Tw: This chapter doesn't have any trigger warning, please correct me if you find any that should be added ^^

Taglist: @alypink @snootlestheangel @mctvsh @stuffireadandenjoy @islandtarochips

@justasmolbard @tapioca-milktea1978 @midnight193 @mutantthedark @welldonekhushi

Alicia was in the kitchen, looking outside in silence as her tea cup got colder, but her mind was remembering. The times when she was a Sergeant inside Camp Lejeune, before she became a Captain and even before she met Edward, when she ran beside the new soldiers for the 267 during the training basically screaming some cadences to keep the pace. Now those times were long gone, those days were now blurry memories that brought a sour feeling back.

"It's two in the morning, Alicia" Wraith murmured as she walked inside the kitchen "you should be sleeping"

"I tried. Didn't work" she said without looking at her

"That's odd, usually you don't have this many bad nights in a row"

"All this made them worse, I can't sleep and even if I use medicine...it doesn't works either"

"...And what are you thinking about now?"

"How to rescue my cousin" she half lied with a sigh "I heard from the team who had this location about how it was distributed"

"And?"

"It's apparently the same"

"Oh, that won't be something good" Wraith murmured before sitting as well "Alicia, I have some things to tell you"

"I'm all ears"

"Watcher called me reluctantly, I'm sure you heard about all that has been happening, right?"

"The attack to the plane was the last thing I heard"

"From there they found some things about Makarov, apparently White Tiger gave that bastard some missiles and he used it against a Russian base" Dominique explained pinching her nose bridge "it all has been a chaos with them as well, but they found some intel about a safe house and most important...the route of a convoy that apparently will transport Makarov himself"

"You don't think he's there, do you?"

"Mmm, at this point I'm not sure, but it has to be someone important to be so well scorted. And the 141 asked for our help to ambush the convoy"

"...When and where?"

"Siberia, two days from today. But, you need to give this one to Luke, I need you for something else"

"Oh?"

"I have something on the Broken Statue matter, it's something smaller than I would like, but it's our best shot right now"

"Tell me"

"The one who did it surely is someone of a higher rank, and I know that it doesn't exactly narrows our suspects since it was a conjoined mission...but I found something on that archive that might give us something" she said, leaving a copy of a note inside the lost archive over the table "it's just a brief mention, but they apparently went after the old Captain as well, the retired William McAllister"

"After Artemis? I mean, he hasn't been in scene since...he put Oliver on charge" Alicia murmured with a frown "why appearing now? And mostly under this kind of conditions"

"No one knew this, but Artemis was one of the people that was consulted during the planning of Firewall with other superiors from the branches. He suggested two teams, SEAL 3 and your Task Force"

"William was involved then? That changes some things..." she murmured before sighing heavily "SEAL 3 and Morocco, how much does Jackson knows? And Edward?"

"You knew about their involvement?"

"When I first heard about Jackson, I guessed it, and about Eddie...I heard it from the 101st"

"I see. Well, Blackwell is just aware of his part of the mission and that there was a rescue"

"Continue"

"And Jackson...he knows that something bad happened, but isn't sure of what was it. None of them knows about Lebanon or Angola"

"Keep it that way for now"

"Alicia"

"I know, just...let me rescue my cousin and have proofs about this traitor, then I'll tell them myself"

"Fine, but if you don't, I will. They need to know before it happens again"

Alicia nodded and sighed tiredly, but chugged the cold tea in a second before standing up. While she left the room, she threw the old dog tags towards Wraith, who grabbed them. Dominique got pale when she noticed the number in it, then looked at Alicia, she had lifeless eyes...the same of that day.

"And even if I don't tell them, they'll figure it out. Right now they know that something is off and Jackson has the original medical record, unfortunately, it's just a matter of time" she said as she pointed at the tags "Broken Statue will have to be desclasified sooner than any of us would like if we continue like this"

Two days later, Alicia was looking at how Luke, Noah, Elijah and Francis were packing up to go to Siberia as back up. Once again she saw Nikolai, to whom she nodded as they exchanged looks, taking her boys towards the place where they should reunite with Price and the 141. For a second the line remained silent, but soon she heard how the four of them started to report themselves as confirmation, then she used her own radio to comunicate with them before letting them go.

"Origin to Harlem, Cobalto, Delta and Viper" she called with a little smile "you copy, boys?"

"We do, Origin, loud and clear" Luke answered with a low chuckle

"Good, then I just wanted to wish you luck and tell you that this will be alright, I trust that you'll make it back. See you around, boys, take care and show that son of a bitch that he made his worst mistake"

"Will do"

"Now go"

"...Take care you too, tell Doc if you need any help" the Lieutenant told her, really worried

"I will, over and out"

Like that, she stared at the helicopter until she didn't see it anymore, then went to talk with Jackson and Edward. She left them as the ones in charge until she came back, trying to disimulate her nervousness and worries, promising that she just would be out for a day as much. And once they were preparing everything for the daily duties after confirming her, Alicia went towards Wraith, who was already waiting for her with a different car by her side.

They didn't say anything to each other, and just drove off, arriving some hours later to the place shere they needed to be. It was a beautiful house on the suburbs, that was the McAllister house and now Alicia was a bit nervous, has been a long time since the last time she talked with Artemis in person. When they knocked, an old woman opened the door, gasping surprised of watching the two woman.

"Mrs. Diana McAllister?" Wraith asked with a raised eyebrow

"That would be me" the old lady said before looking at the Captain "aren't you the lil' Sergeant that was under my Will's command at first?"

"Yes, that's me, Mrs. McAllister...has passed a long time" Alicia murmured with a little smile "how have you been?"

"Oh dear, come on in, come on in, let's talk inside! It's so good to see you again!"

They got inside the house, looking at some pictures of Artemis and his wife, even some of them with their kids. It wasn't long before they were sit in front of the old lady, who started to talk happily as both of them hear calmly. Soon they noticed that there was no trace of Artemis over there, but Alicia didn't want to ask, she had a bad feeling about it.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but perhaps you can call your husband? We need to talk with him" Wraith asked sofly, just for Diana to get sadder

"It seems like you didn't know"

"Know what?"

"My William died, in 2017, he died. It was so sudden" the old woman said, looking down "he went to do his usual things and just...died, it was a clogged arthery"

"I see, I'm sorry Diana" Alicia muttered, with wide eyes because of the surprise "I...didn't know"

"I know, Will asked in his will not to tell you, he said you'd be on a bad place" she said before sighing, smiling softly "actually he left something for you as well, want me to bring it here?"

"Yes please, that would be great"

When the old lady walked away, Alicia left the cup over the table, sighing as she put a hand over her face. Wraith looked at her, but waited for a second before the Captain spoke again.

"Artemis didn't die from natural causes" Alicia said with darkened eyes

"What? But his wife said..."

"I heard what she said, but he never had any cholesterol issues and was always really worried about it during and after his service with us"

"Maybe it changed after a decade of not seeing"

"We saw each other in 2015 for the last time, it's difficult that someone like Artemis has that kind of slope" she explained with a grimace "he always was in good health and even if he was having that...it would've been much time later"

"So you think...?"

"It's a suspicion, I'm not sure yet"

"I'll look into it, for now let's see what Cpt. McAllister left you"

Soon the old woman arrived with a sealed box, that Alicia opened after making sure it didn't have any kind of artifact attached, looking inside. It was a bunch of books, more than a hundred, all of them first editions, except for seventeen that were old and worn out journals. Alicia hold her breath for a second and closed the box again, then looking at the old woman with surprise, who only smiled quietly.

"It has been a long time..."

"He was really insistent about it, to keep it until you came here"

"I understand, thank you, Diana" she said, standing up and kissing the old lady's forehead "sorry for taking your time with this"

"Don't worry, my dear" the lady said with a chuckle "if you need help, my daugther will be happy to help you"

"I...will think about it"

Soon, the two of them walked outside the house with the box, and remained silent until they were far from there.

"Care to explain?"

"William used to write everything on journals that he always kept, all these...are his diaries since he arrived to the MC" Alicia explained while she took out all of them and start to read some pages "the last three, they probably talk about Firewall, his suspicions and more...oh shit"

"What?"

"All this is encrypted"

"That's why..."

"Yes, that explain why he left this and why his wife kept it for so long. She was an FBI agent before marrying Artemis, perhaps she knows that William's death wasn't natural"

"Oh, what a curriculum, huh? But why she mentioned her daugther? And why you looked so awkward?"

"Have you heard of Maddison McAllister?"

"Wait, the anthropology eminence?"

"She's their daugther, especialized on encrypted old texts...so probably there's a code in this"

"You...you know a lot about this family, why?"

Alicia looked away with awkwardness, and in a second Wraith joined the points, choking with laughter.

"Before or after you met Alejandro?"

"After, during the time where we broke up" she answered with some shame and a sigh "he had someone in Las Almas too, I was a Sergeant and Artemis basically put us together"

"Why did you broke up?"

"We didn't worked well together, our personalities clashed a lot...and I didn't get over Alejandro by that time"

"You never did"

"Not the fucking point!"

"Ha! Well, whatever, you're lucky we have our own code expert in Black Tomb" Wraith said with a mocking smile "let's talk with Nicholas first before recurring to your ex from all the people"

"I hate you"

"Nah, not true"

"I can identify some patterns" Nicholas murmured once they went to talked with him, looking into his notebook "there are some soviet well known codes, but also an american encryption. I can decrypt it, but the rest are some I haven't seen ever"

"So we have to go and see her" Wraith said with a mocking smile while Alicia sighed heavily

"Nicholas, pack up, we're going to New York" Alicia said pinching her nose bridge "and no, not you, Dominique, you stay here"

"Fine, fine, anyway I have other things to do" Wraith answered with a smile "good luck"

"Hmm, yes ma'am...?" Nicholas muttered a bit confused

And like that, the next day they were in New York, going to the university where they would find Maddison. While they walked towards the campus, Alicia had a headache, that would be an awkward reunion to have now. Whatever the case, she was smiling a bit as she saw how Nicholas was looking around with curiosity, just in silence.

"Are you good, Nicholas?" she asked with a side smile "are you curious?"

"A lot, but I guess that half of this is above my paycheck" he answered with a chuckle, just to sigh quietly "but I wonder how you feel, you seemed really stressed and tired. So I'm kinda worried"

"I've been...okay, sorry if I worry you, it's just something that keeps me thinking"

"If you say so, but I hope everything ends up well. We're all worried about you"

Alicia scoffed with a smile, but just ruffled Nicholas' hair as they walked to the faculty building, where everyone was filled with excitment. They had to open some path for them with pushes, arriving to a empty spot of the hall, then Alicia sighed.

"What's going on?"

"A professor is giving a lecture today" Nicholas said, pointing at a classroom "aparently a famous one, hmm, Charles Moore"

"Ah, I heard of him, I studied his books when I was preparing to became an officer" she said with a sigh, taking out one of the books she brought as bait "brilliant man, but isn't my favorite author"

"Huh, who would've said" he said with a raised eyebrow "well, maybe one day I should read those books"

"Yeah, maybe" Alicia murmured, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the picture of the professor "oh, oh shit"

"What is it?"

"Ah, nothing. Just something I remembered"

They walked towards professor McAllister's office, while the Captain wondered if she had other option, but then they knocked. Nicholas walked inside first, looking at the woman behind the desk, who smiled at him with politeness. And then Alicia walked inside as well, erasing her smile and changing it for a frown, and the environment became tense.

"Maddison" the Captain said calmly with a raised eyebrow

"Alicia" the Professor answered, coldly and frowning "so you're the one that my mother told me about, what do you want? Maybe talk about us?"

"Keep it as business, nothing else"

"Business, it always is like that with you"

"Ugh, listen, I was never cold with you, was I?" Alicia said pinching her nose bridge "the reason I'm here it's different, I'm not gonna fight with you"

"Hah, then what is it?"

"Your father's journals, my comms expert already decrypted part of it, but some other part is more on your field of expertise" she said as she put the three last journals over Maddison's desk "so your mother told me you could help"

"Of course my mom said that, and huh, you finally went for all the things my father left you" she hissed as she took the journals "but why should I help?"

"I leave that reason for you, all I need is that you decrypt it, nothing else" Alicia said shrugging her shoulders quietly

"I don't see until what point your people decrypted it"

"Here, I had it 'til this point" Nicholas intervened with a cough, leaving his notebook over the desk "I wasn't able to go foward from this point"

"...I'll wait outside, doesn't seem like I'll be useful here" Alicia said with a raised eyebrow, staring at Maddison before sighing "come talk to me when you finish, Nicholas"

"Yes Captain"

Alicia walked outside in silence, waiting on the hall as she texted to Wraith, at the same time learning about what was happening with Luke's mission. She raised an eyebrow when she learned about the package, it was the fucking General Shepherd, and right now they were in the middle of a trial. In a second, the military started to watch the transmission with her earphones, frowning when she noticed Graves as she wondered what his reaction would be.

During Shepherd's declaration in the court, her anger boiled, hearing how he tried to justify himself and his actions in Las Almas and in the Middle East. But she had to admit, to herself and maybe to Wraith, that she snickered when she heard Graves throwing the fault into Shepherd without a blink. It was true that he was a son of a bitch too, but he was better than Shepherd in some aspects, so well...she can lead with it for now.

"Huh, long time since I laughed like this" she murmured with a sad smile, then looked at her phone

She wanted to call Alejandro, talk with him and maybe ask for advice or just to hear from him, with all the stress she couldn't speak with him as much as she would like. In silence she stared at their chat, just to type a quick message and sending it before she regreted it, just waiting as she stared at the hall. It was a second, but he answered and they started to talk, at the same time a bit of the stress was lifted from her.

Alicia smiled when she read his messages, feeling a bit better, then leaving aside her phone after a while. Soon she looked at the other journals she brought with her, reading slightly one of the middle journals she inherited, staying in silence when she saw a picture. It was an old photo from her Sergeant days, where William and Oliver were beside her, all of them smiling proudly with the emblem of the 267 in front of the hangar they had in Camp Lejeune.

Then Alicia's head turned and torned the image, now one of them was dead, and Oliver blamed her, at first she was rageous...but now she thought that maybe he was right. It was her decision to accept their participation on Firewall, they died because of her, and for her.

"Captain?" Nicholas asked, startling her "are you okay? You're crying..."

"I...I'm fine" Alicia said, touching her tears with a sigh "just old memories"

"Here" he muttered giving her a handckerchief "I have the codes, if you can give me some days, then I can decrypt the diaries"

"Thanks boy, let's go. The faster we finish this, the faster everything goes back to the normal"

"Yes ma'am"

Alicia put back the diaries and everything inside the bag, then walked away with a tired sigh, followed by Nicholas. She saw two messages in her phone, and just turned it off with a sad look, work was awaiting.

'Are you okay? Even your boys have called me...they are worried for you, amor' Alejandro wrote

'Licia? You good? Luke told me you were being weird, what is it?' Nicolás wrote as well

"We can finally start the rescue mission..."

#ocs #call of duty #oc #cod oc #cod mw2 #call of duty modern warfare #team charlie #cod mwii

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androgynousblackbox · 8 months ago

Text

How I Met Your Father. 4 [Appleradio, Radioapple]

A03 link

Alastor woke up to a most lovely view: Lucifer with his wings out, floating above the floor as he casually examined his bookcase, his pants barely reaching the floor. He almost looked like a ghost without his feet showing. Alastor was perfectly content with keep watching when suddenly his nose turned up to a tray left on his bedside table.

"Did you go to the kitchen?" By yourself?, was the implied question.

Lucifer turned around and smiled, flying up to the bed and bringing the tray with magic to float between the two.

"I portalled home to get it. Didn't want to wake you up for that. Coffee?"

"Yes, thank you" Lucifer took the favorite mug of Alastor and hold it between his hands for a bit, warming it up with his magic. By the end it was almost boiling, exactly how he liked it in the morning. Alastor let out a sigh when the burn reached his whole chest. "Very much appreciated."

"You are most welcome" Lucifer started dumping sugar cubes into his tea. Alastor thought he was lucky to be who he was or he would have lose his teeth a long time ago. "What do you have planned for today?"

"Well, I have my broadcast and after that will go with Rosie for some meat. We are running low on that. Then I have a meeting with the overlords of the area. I don't know what Carmilla wants, but it has to be something to require all of us at once."

"Probably something to do with the extermination coming up" commented Lucifer, looking between all the things he brought until he found the apple mermelade for his toast.

"More than likely" Alastor could not imagine that going well if the idea was to present any kind of unified front. Overlords didn't come to their position by being team players, unless they had something to gain. If the gain was to keep themselves alive, they could do that on their own already.

"Do you want me to go with you? I could be a mouse on your shoulder."

Lucifer offered it up like it was no big deal, but Alastor squinted his eyes. The last time that Lucifer had seen him fight with overlords it had been… ugly to say the least, so it's not like he could be surprised by the concern. It was the part that implied he couldn't take care of himself that bothered him.

"It won't be necessary. Most of them are old school. They are above petty fighting. If Carmilla asked for a peaceful meeting they will respect that."

"Most of them is not all" Lucifer munched on his toast, pensative. "Isn't that TV guy that has a crush on you going to be there?"

Alastor didn't bother to point out that years of rivalry wasn't "a crush." Mostly because he also had no idea if that is what it was. He just found it funny poking at the bear until the bear electrocuted himself. Who wouldn't?

"I can handle Vox, darling. Why? Are you perhaps jelous?" teased lightly. He could always use a bit of an ego boost if that was the case. "You know you can just tell me."

Lucifer frowned, grabbing the pillow closest to him and hitting his side with it. It didn't hurt at all.

“Ouch. Domestic violence so early in the morning?”

"Idiot. I am serious."

"Me too, love" Alastor chuckled, going over the tray to kiss his lips. The sweet taste never seemed too bad when it was second hand like that. "Nothing bad is going to happen. It's probably going to be too boring anyway. Certain doom does bring out that on people."

Lucifer looked down his lap. For him and Charlie they were going to be fine, but Alastor was out of his deal with heaven and that weighed on him during each extermination.

"Still, just…" He sighed. "Just keep me updated."

"Of course, dear" Alastor patted the leg of the king covered by his pant, conciliatory. They continued on with their breakfast. "What is on your schedule for today? Are you maybe going to stay with Charlie on the hotel?"

"I wish. I have this stupid thing with Asmodeus to renovate the permits of distribution for his sex toys across all the rings and I am dying of boredom just thinking about it. He also wants me to authorize the creation of another of his stone thingies as requested by one of the Goetia, so that is more paperwork to go through" Lucifer groaned, rubbing his face. "Forget divine punishment. Burocracy is the true hell."

Alastor hummed softly, bringing up the king closer to him until he was sitting between his legs, his arms wrapped around the other's waist. Alastor nuzzled the top of Lucifer's head, that he still haven't brushed back so it lay messily around his head.

"My poor responsible king" said gently, kissing his crown and smiling as he lowered his voice. "You know you could also just deny them everything. Let them beg for it on their knees. Maybe ask for a good enough sacrificial prize. The Goetias have plenty of members, they can spare one for the chopping block."

"And that is why I stopped bringing you to the meetings" Lucifer lifted his head up, looking at his husband with a much less that impressed expression. The devil to the devil's shoulder, who would have consumed the entirety of hell in perpetual chaos if given the chance. Alastor smiled before coming down to kiss him again and Lucifer relaxed, turning around without separating as he wrapped his arms around the demon's neck. He scratched the nape of his husband with his claws, enjoying the sensation of the buzzed part under his bob. Soon he would have to shave it again. "It's fine. I will try to finish that thing and just stay home. Join me for lunch?"

Alastor nodded, humming appreciately at the attention, like a satisfied cat. Lucifer smiled. If only deer could purr, he would never get over causing that on his husband.

"I will cook" offered up first, kissing his nose before sitting down again.

They enjoyed the rest of their breakfast until they cleaned up the whole tray. Alastor could have eaten a lot more, he always could, but he could get something else to sink his teeth into at Rosie's place. Lucifer texted Charlie to tell her that he was going back to the palace now, while Alastor changed and dressed up for the day. Neither of them was surprised when their daughter knocked at their door minutes after. Charlie quickly closed the door behind her as soon she was given the come in.

"Are you sure you can't stay, papa?"

"I have king things to take care of, duckling. Another time."

"Extremely boring stuff. A little bit of slaughtering would have come a long way, but alas!" sighed Alastor cheery, picking up his pocket watch before going to pet the head of their daughter. "I am also retiring, my dear. Overlord matters for once."

"Oh, okay. Ah, but dad!" said Charlie, caughting the hand of the man before he went to the door. "I actually wanted to ask you a teeny tiny small little favor, if you don't mind."

Alastor's smile froze in his face. He knew that tone. It was never a small favor when Charlie had that tone.

"Anything for my little fawn."

Luckily, he could handle almost about everything.

"And after all of that, she just gave the eggies back to the snake man?" asked Lucifer, serving a big portion of the roasted beef he had made onto the plate of Alastor.

Alastor nodded as he extended a napkin over his lap.

"The fallen angel just changed her mind like that."

"Vaggie."

"I was just starting to get used to them too" continued on Alastor dramatically, ignoring the correction. "Once they actually learned to shut up, they were almost tolerable."

"Oh wow. That is some high praise coming from you" commented Lucifer, grinning.

"Indeed. But anyway, the meeting itself was a total bust, like I imagined it would be. The only thing I took from it is that Carmilla killed one of the exorcist and one of the Vees found it's head."

Lucifer chocked on the wine he was drinking. Alastor was hoping for a reaction for that, that is why he waited until he was drinking something to drop it.

"WHAT" coughed up Lucifer and patted his own chest until he could finally talk again. "One of the overlords took down an exorcist?! And you didn't bother to tell me that before!?"

"I am telling you now, darling."

"You should have told me right away!" Lucifer's face then through irritated to horrified as his head was slowly connecting the dots, grabbing onto his hat. "Oh. That's why those fuckers are rushing the extermination now! They think we want to kill them so they are going to kill everyone first! Why the fuck did Carmilla do that?! I thought you said they were old school?!"

"Apparently she was protecting her own children" Or at least that is what he thought the eggboy had said. "I can't say I don't understand that."

Lucifer bite his lip down, making a small strangled noise.

"Okay, fine! That still doesn't mean this isn't fucked up."

"One of the Vees was bragging about wanting a war and fighting back now that we know the exorcist can be killed."

"Which is total bullshit, obviously! They just want everyone else to go fight and die so they can take their turfs and souls!"

"It's not a bad idea" Alastor would have done the same if he had been the one to find the head. That he had to aknowledge to that Vee. Whatever her name was.

He knew already that angels could be killed. Being married to a fallen angel gave him that kind of insight that none of the overlords would have. But he was never interested in using that piece of information in that way because there was not enough garantee of any benefit for him. With a real tangible body to show for it could have been a different story, he imagined.

"It is if you are going to piss off heaven into total anhilation!" The moment Lucifer started to hiperventilate, that is when Alastor stand up from his chair and conjured up a paper bag for him to breath into, rubbing his shoulder. "This is bad, this is bad, this is so fucking bad."

"You worry too much, dear" Alastor soften up his voice, having one of his shadow to move his chair closer so he could still be at eye level with the king. "We have survived thus far just fine. Heaven tried to take you down once and they couldn't. Why it would be now any different?"

"It's not me I am worried about!" Lucifer's big eyes stared at him. The bag pressed against his face was inflating and deflating like a lung would. "What if they catch you? What if they go after Charlie next?"

"This again?" Alastor sighed, taking out his pocket watch that shined silver against the light, perfect like it had just come out the shop despite being years that Alastor got it. "I carry this with me everywhere precisely so you don't get worried about me. Charlie is hellborn. They won't touch her. I won't let them."

"They might if she goes too far" Lucifer breathed in and breathed out as he shook his head. "I knew this redemption thing of hers was a bad idea."

"What would you have prefered to instead? For her to be a doll that just did our will?"

"You know that I don't."

"Do I? Because what I hear is a lot of doubt over the path our daughter is freely choosing for herself."

"Oh, that is rich coming from you" Lucifer glared at him, finally separating the bag from his face. At least an angry Lucifer wasn't a panicking Lucifer. "You don't believe on any of that nonsense either!"

"I don't. I think our daughter is hopelessly naive and will go nowhere with this project. But she won't see the end of this dream until it crash and burn in her face. Until that day comes, as her father is my duty to be there for her. That is the only thing we can do so when she sees the truth, it won't destroy her little heart."

Lucifer squeezed the bag on his hand and then burn it, burying his head between his arms against the table. Alastor let his hand go up and down the back of the king. A few moments passed until Lucifer talked again.

"I hate it when you are right."

"I know" Alastor snickered. "What a common experience that must be for you."

Lucifer grunted as a response. Alastor let him gather himself up. After a while his husband took a deep breath and came out from his arm cacoon, eyes closed.

"Alright" Lucifer brushed his hair back. "So Heaven knows that we can kill them and that got them trigger happy. Who else knows about this?"

"Nobody outside of Carmilla's inner circle and now us" Alastor didn't bother counting Frank. Even if that thing spoke, nobody would believe him. "That Vee girl is suspicious but has no actual confirmation. If it's of any consolation, for what I could perceive none of the other overlords fell for her bait and probably will prefer to stay out of trouble too."

"That is something at least" Lucifer looked up to the ceiling, as if trying to imagine the next move of Heaven. "I assume suggesting that you and Charlie spend the extermination here is pointless, isn't it?"

"I am afraid so. She won't want to leave either her new friends or the hotel behind."

Lucifer sighed again, squeezing his hands against his eyes and rubbing them as he let his claw pinch against his white skin. When he saw the grab becoming more fierce, Alastor sighed as he stand up and took the hands off, gently closing them on his.

"Everything will be alright" It was the only thing he could promise as he kissed his hand and then caressed his cheek, not minding the tears that were starting to drop. "I will take care of her."

"I just feel so useless."

"You can't interfere either. It was part of the deal."

"I fucking know that already" Lucifer pulled out one of his hands to whipe his face quickly, getting frustrated when he realized he couldn't stop crying now.

"It's okay" Alastor used his tentacles to lift Lucifer up from his chair into his lap, his arms grabbing to his sides as strongly he could.

Lucifer could handled it. Lucifer could handle a lot of things, including this. He just needed some time and Alastor was willing to give it to him.

He caressed the back of his head soothingly when the full blow sobbing started. From somewhere inside his own chest, he let out the static resound through his body. The white noise usually did wonders to calm him down.

"The food went cold" pointed out Lucifer when he did just that. Alastor could almost see the physical effort to not apologize for his response. Alastor didn't need it and it only made Lucifer feel worse about himself. "I will reheat it."

Lucifer didn't move from his lap as he extended his magic over the food, getting it warm and inviting on a moment. Alastor was about to reach for his fork when Lucifer's first appeared in front of him, with a piece of the meat.

"You are one huge dick for waiting so long to tell me" said Lucifer with a face that looked to be struggling to keep up his pout. Alastor had to agree. He was expecting a funny reation and he had clearly miscalculated by a lot. "But thank you. For still listening."

"Whenever you want, dear" He did accept the food offered to him, because it was his husband giving it to him.

Lucifer feed him plenty and then himself, resting comfortably against the chest of Alastor as he drank from his glass.

"Do you have anything else to do today? Can't you stay and tell me the story? The real one?"

Alastor was planning to have a stroll by the city, but he could do that any other day. If Charlie needed him she knew already how to contact him.

"Of course" Lucifer kissed his jaw, resting his cheek against his neck as if he enjoyed the warm there. "You are not going to eat anymore?" He felt a negative shake. "Can I finish?" A positive sound, like a low grumbling. The hands of Lucifer hold his back from the sides without squeezing. "Thank you."

Alastor cleaned up his plate with one hand, holding his husband with the other, until he was fully satisfied. He teleported everything back to the kitchen to take care of it later. Lucifer decided to stand up and lead him by one hand to their living room, where the chimney woke up with a warm blue fire with a gesture of Lucifer's graceful fingers.

"Come here" Alastor sat on the biggest couch as he was being instructed and Lucifer laid on it, resting his head over his lap. Now he seemed much more relaxed than before and that was a relief. "Okay, I am ready."

Alastor hummed approvingly and let his hand to rest against Lucifer's crown, gently petting with his thumb as he thought about this words carefully.

"The whole truth, love? Are you sure?"

"Mmm, yes. This is just for us, babe, so you can go all out."

"As you wish.

"Since I was very young, I learned a simple truth about the world. Either you take control of your own life or someone will take it from you. Always play your cards right, never reveal your hand unless you can gain a stronger card, cheat if you have to. All of that became even more important to never forget about when I woke up here.

In a way, it was a blessing. I wouldn't have fit in any other place. Back on earth I had a reputation to keep in order to keep doing what I loved. Here, nobody cared! A neighbor that had killed at least once was nothing else but the norm. I would never have to hide anymore. I would never have to play by anyone's else rules but my own.

I will admit it, my love. My first few years I went a little trigger happy, as you would say. I was like a starving man that was finally let inside the biggest buffet on all of creation and told that I could eat as much as I wanted to without ever getting sick or full. Gluttony became my one true religion, the only one I ever willingly bothered to follow in fact. And hell was full of so many little dishes ready for the taking.

Death didn't make people any more wise. They were all indulging themselves on their own depravity just the same as me, making it all the more easy for me to use their vices against them. I didn't even know that other people were doing something similar until someone called me by my new title. Overlord. Unknowingly I had become part of the hierarchy of power here in hell. I learned that even though the souls that I consumed made me stronger, there would always be beings above myself. Creatures who were never human and were far older than I could even imagine.

I hated that in principle, of course. I finally found the place where I belonged only to find out that I was still at risk of someone else power. The fact that these "rulers" were pretty relaxed and there was essentially no law served as little comfort. Since I couldn't go up the ladder, I found a cure for my dissapointment by eliminating all the overlords on my path I could get my hands on. My power was growing the more hands I shook and the more souls I devoured.

I had no idea that by taking those overlords, all of their contracts were directly transfered to my control. Once again, completely by chance, just doing what I pleased, was I doing exactly what I should have. It's funny how fate can work sometimes like that, isn't it? Although I can understand why that wasn't a fact that was so freely advertised. Lesser demons would feel threatened knowing that the more souls they take, the bigger the target on their back, the more desirable their heads on a platter become.

To me, that was only the more reason to advertise my victories through my beloved radio. Why would you bother to be the best if you aren't going to tell everyone that you are? After a while, I didn't had to keep looking for new dishes anymore. They just came running directly into my mouth, either thinking that they could get some form of protection or to try to prove themselves.

One night, I took a little snack. It was just a new soul that had just come to hell and was desperate to find a friend. So easy to disuade. Truth be told, I had no reason to do it. I could have get ride of him or tell him to get lost just as easily. But I felt peckish and sometimes an easy prey can be just enough. He had quite a lovely scream, the type that you call earth shattering, heartbreaking. His little heart pop up between my fingers like a delicious ripe grape. When I finished to add him to the voice of the other damned, every hair on my body stand out. I felt that foreign magic around me, I knew I couldn't do anything to fight it, before I was teleported to another place I couldn't recognize.

It what the place that later I would call my home. But back then it wasn't and I couldn't understand what I was doing there, who had brought me. It was only when I turned around that I saw what looked to me like just another demon entering through the hallway, dressed up on a comfy rub and eating a bowl of ice cream. The moment we both saw each other other I felt a tingling on my hand and I saw a perfect golden ring manifest around my finger, just as the other demon was.

Well, well, I said, thinking this definitely meant that that demon was the responsible for bringing me there. More than anything because he was the onlying living thing I could see. What do we have here? A kidnapper? Or a challenger? The demon looked horrified, but curiously enough I got the sense that it wasn't specifically because of me. The ring on my finger was all he could focus on.

And what did you say then, love?”

“By any chance, how many souls have you taken?”

“That was my first clue something was wrong here. Someone had summoned me and that was their first concern? I said a few, because I certainly wasn't keeping any score either. Why would I need to do that?

The tiny demon then raised his hand, glowing in red, and did something. I don't know what it was, but I felt suddenly exposed in a way not even now I could describe, but there was no way to cover up. It lasted merely a moment, enough for him to find out whatever it was that he wanted to see, and then I launched myself to him as I reevaluated myself. I wasn't hurt, my staff was intact, my suit was complete. But something had happened and that was enough reason for my hand to close off around that beautiful, pristine neck, squeezing tight so I could strangle some answer out of him.

My next clue that something was wrong was when the demon looked at me without surprise or fear. Just mortified, as if I had caught him on his underwear.

Okay, look, listen, he said while he stood there, not at all affected by my fist. I lifted him up in the air and put against the closest wall, but not even then he was intimidated. I was starting to get pissed off when he said I think I know what happened, but I need to call someone to confirm. Can you just wait a bit?

I asked what could he tell me right now. If he didn't speak, then I would take that as a enthusiastic permission to disembowl him all over that pretty carpet on the living room.

He… pouted. This tiny demon just pouted like I was somehow the unreasonable one and frustating him! Did he had no sense of self preservation at all? Just how stupid could he be? Since he insisted in that we could sort all of this out if I let him make a call, I took a deep breath and let him go. He wasn't even coughing, casually just saying a thank you before going to a phone on his wall, giving me his back with zero concern at all about what I could do. No doubt about it, this demon was a complete nutcase. Clinically insane surely.

I found myself fascinated by it. What followed were easily the most awkward pass of time I had to endure. By that I mean that the tiny demon irradiated pure awkwardness as he sat on his couch, twidling his thumbs and actively looking at everything before myself or his own hands. I may have also contributed to it staring at nothing else but him and waiting for him to say the first word. I can have infinite patience when it comes to anything I find interesting enough, and at that moment, that was contemplating this deranged tiny demon struggling to pretend I wasn't there. He wasn't interested on making any conversation and I didn't care to help him either.

At last, I could hear a portal opening close by and a giant blue demon came in. That was Asmodeus. I could recognize him instantly from advertisement about his products that were all over hell. So you can imagine my surprise when the embodiment of lust himself looked at me and then at the other demon. His eyes quickly found our rings. Lucifer, he asked, is that the guy?

Suddenly it all made sense. Why this tiny man was completely unaffected by my usual tactics. I was just now realizing I could never hurt him physically in any way that mattered because that was one of the creatures that were placed above me on the hierarchy. The very head of the whole pyramide in fact.

Our king whose face had confined himself to the interior of his own palace since before I landed in hell, now reveled to me. I don't know what I was expecting, but I can certainly tell you it wasn't that. He was, and still is, so tiny. You would never know the kind of power that body hold.

After some more back and forth between the two sins, I finally asked what was happening. If nobody was looking to fight me or kill me, I couldn't imagine what they could want out of me. I was never made aware of any law that I could have broken or that the sins themselves, the king on top of that, would even care if I did.

You still didn't want to talk to me, so Asmodeus took the reign and the story he told me took my head for a spin.

Apparently, many, many years ago, when hell was still young, Asmodeus tried to set up his king on another blind date so he could potentially find a worthy partner to rule hell with. The other sins had tried as well, to no avail. Lucifer didn't seem to "connect" with anyone. They were always too powerhungry, money hungry or hungry for something else that Lucifer wasn't interested on being the foundation of a whole relationship. It's not like his majesty had spend all those years in complete celibacy either, but whatever is that he was looking on a partner he couldn't find it. And he was getting so tired of trying that he decided to get drunk, as one does to try to forget what is unpleasant.

A drunk Lucifer is a blast at first, according to Asmodeus. Dancing with the sin of gluttony all night, creating elaborate musical numbers out of thin air about how good the single life was and how he didn't need a partner anyway, because he was the king of hell! He could do and say and fuck whoever he wanted whenever he wanted! Why would he ever need anything else? He declared, right there and then, that he wasn't going to keep looking anymore at all! No, instead his new partner would come to him! Write this down and make it official, he insisted, slurring over his words, insisting on it until he saw the embodiment of lust pulling up writing utensils to do so. If a sinner ever came to posses 666 souls at once, not any more or any less, just that exact amount, then that was going to be his perfect partner.

Because clearly, someone that was such a pure embodiment of evil to do that had to be only perfect for the creator of evil in humanity. Flawless logic! You see, that was the real issue. That everyone was too good for him or not evil enough for the task of being at his side. Just right there, that would make it official, write that down. No need for an actual wedding or anything trivial like asking that hypothetical sinner if they wanted to get married in the first place, nope. He was the king and so his word was law enough, and therefore nobody else would have to bother to set him up for another failure ever again.

I will let you guess what my little snack meant for my own numbers. That is what Lucifer was verifying with his own magic when I felt exposed. When he saw that 666 marked across my own soul, he knew what it meant. Ah, but that is not the best part of this lovely tale, my darling listener.

No, the best part of all was that Lucifer had completely forgotten about it. As in, it wasn't even a thought. For thousands of years, that night remained as a vague memory that never really came up again. Asmodeus, very understandingly so, assumed that Lucifer was just going to keep put and wait for that sinner. He thought that surely some part of the king had meant those words and therefore would take them to heart. The king got drunk so rarely and never to the point to completely forget about everything the next day, so no doubt this wasn’t going to be any different now. In order to respect that desire, for as bizarre as it was, he didn't try to set him up with more partners and neither did the rest of the sins. After all, if he didn't truly meant it, he was free to undo it anytime he wanted to.

Meanwhile, Lucifer spend years living his life as a single king without any worry about how this little curse he had imposed on all of hell could ever play out for him.

My dear beloved husband, my new husband, was a certified idiot. There was no rock under which I could hide from the secondhand embarrasment when I heard about it.

Similar to how you seem to be wanting to do right now, my dear, indeedy! Remember you said all of the truth, my love. Want me to continue? Yes?

Alright.

So after the two sins realized the misunderstanding that happened, the next issue was adressing me. The king immediately assured me that I didn't had to do anything, that I wasn't being forced to stay and he was so terribly sorry. He understood that was a stupid decision he made in a moment he was being particularly stupid and it was his fault, not mine or even Asmodeus's to deal with. The embodiment of lust was just trying to be a good friend. He could undo it, of course, there was no need to worry about that. The ring would naturally dissolve the moment he erased the condition and our marriage would cease to be. Once he did that, I could get back to my evil doing like nothing happened.

Asmodeus was the only one who didn't seem in any rush to do that. You know, he is not that bad looking, he said considering me. As he looked at me, I thought on the utter absurdity of a giant like that one being less powerful than the tiny man in front of me. I just couldn't get over how small he was. You could have gotten someone a lot worse, remarked Asmodeus and I felt a tinsy bit offended to be honest. I came here for being the worst already, thank you very much. But I understood he meant it in the look apartment anyway.

And he is here already so, continued on, why not give it a try?

Until he said that, maybe because of how small our king was, I hadn't fully realized what this whole ordeal meant. The fact that I was suddenly married was nothing compared with the question of who that was with. I had become the spouse of the devil, through sheer turn of events that only tangentially were my own creation. I could be the most powerful being in all of hell already, make the rules. I could get the total control I so desperately wanted and nobody, ever, would be above me. All I had to do was being at the side of this creature and play my role accordingly. How easy could that be?

My husband also considered me for a second, but he clearly was still more embarrassed by the whole situation to be swift off his feet by my charming smile. I would have to fix that.

That doesn't sound like a bad idea, I said as if it was a brilliant one. I haven't had much luck on dating either, added, without saying that was entirely because I was never interested in dating before. Why would I want to make myself vulnerable and defenseless in front of anyone else, someone who could take advantage of that? What kind of idiot does that?

But I kept going. I apologized for my earlier treatment of his Majesty. I was just confused and surely he could understand how walking on the side of caution was necesary down here. I thought that someone had brought me there wanting to cause me harm, but if it was a exploration for a union then that was a entirely different story. I didn't find the king repellent either, I said, looking at his blonde hair and his face that I now could see being part of Heaven. But also noticing the black fingers that could surely pop my own heart in my chest if I made the wrong move. I am not going to deny there was already a form of excitement attached to that notion. Here in hell I have been living so comfortably I had forgotten how entertaining can be living on the edge too. But I kept that for myself.

This was an unusual start for any relationship, sure, but all relationships have their quirks, don't they?, continued as if I had any idea. I looked at the king hoping he would see the sincerity that I could fake so well when it suit me. If your Majesty would be willing to have me, I am willing to give this a try too.”

“I knew you were full of shit” Lucifer took the hand that was resting over his chest and played with the fingers, reminiscing too. “I have seen enough charmers to recognize one. I was the original charmer. I knew you didn't give a shit.”

“Then why did you accepted to have me there instead of nulling the marriage, love?” Alastor knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it straight from the source.

Lucifer also knew it, but he let a moment pass before he spoke again.

“It was the first time in decades I was talking to someone that wasn't the other sins” confessed, curling up in Alastor’s lap, not letting go of his hand. “Even if you were a piece of shit, I thought you at least could be fun to talk to. If I nullified the marriage right there, you would have no reason to stick around.”

Alastor made a soft croon sound, brushing the hair of Lucifer with his fingers. He didn't say he was wrong. He wasn't.

“I am glad you didn't” did say because that was also true.

Lucifer nodded his head, bringing the hand of his husband against his chest. Alastor could feel the warmth of his skin through the shirt on his fingers and the soft beating of his heart.

“And so that is how we started living together. I was given my own room where I was told I could do anything I wanted to and I was free to get out to do whatever is that I wanted. The only thing that was expected from me was to not talk to anyone about my new marital status for the moment, something I had no issue at all to comply with, and to share at least one meal with his Majesty everyday. You don't have to, told me the king, not looking me in the eyes, so I knew that was the bare minimum I could do if I wanted any of this to last. I had no issue with that either. Otherwise I could roam through the palace freely the rest of the time. If I needed something that could be bought, I just had to ask.

We were just like roommates for a while. Probably better than most roommates with Lucifer being willing and able to provide for me if needed, but not more than that. My plan to get the ultimate control over hell had one glaring issue I somehow didn't realize before.

I had no idea what to do to seduce someone. I could convince someone to give me their soul by playing what I knew they wanted to hear and I knew how to come across as a friend in order to being able to do that. I had a clear objective and a way to go about it. Given my total lack of experience when it came to interpersonal relationships of this nature, I was quite literally lost as to what to do. Make the king fall in love with me so he would allow me to have his power was just as vague of a plan as it could have been. How do people even fall in love with in the first place? What combinations of words or gestures do they need for that? I had no clue.

My new husband didn't made things easier for me. Besides our meals together, he wasn't really after my presence. He wasn't avoiding me by any means, and if we end up being at the same space at the same time, we usually could spend that time fine enough. Even then, the king usually left first to his own study, door always close. He seemed satisfied with just having someone around his house to have a brief conversation with, but surely that couldn't be enough to keep a whole marriage alive?

Although what does keep a marriage going was another question I certainly did not had an answer to either. My own parents were not the best examples to pull from, to say the least. I appreciate that Lucifer wasn't demanding things from me that I wouldn't be comfortable with, that was the bare minimum he could do after all, but I had no idea how long we could keep this up before he decided to kick me out, declaring this whole experiment another failure.

Our media provided with no help. The usual means that included a tantalizing vision of my body was out of the question. I would very much like to keep my dignity through all of this if possible. On the other hand, I wasn't sure that trying to touch Lucifer and suddenly being all over his space wouldn't also mean a sudden divorce. Not to mention certain death or loss of members for me. I just had no idea of how to get a read on him to know what I could offer him.

Our conversations during meal time were light and I quickly noticed that Lucifer would prefer to talk about anything before himself. When I tried to get him to talk about his role or what he had done during the day, he kept saying it wasn't anything that interesting before turn it on me.

It was a month after our arrangement that I finally swallowed some of my pride and end up asking the only person whose insight I could respect in all of hell. Not to mention, I knew she would be discreet enough to not repeat a word of what I said to her.

To say that Rosie was shocked when she heard my predicament would be a understatement. Her mouth formed a perfect o when I told her, omitting as many details as necessary and already keeping a glove over the ring. I had just told her that there was a demon, a very powerful and fearsome one, that I wanted to get close to and form a bond with, but I didn't know how without putting myself at risk or lose all contact.

She knew this was new territory for me, so much she had assumed that I would never want to touch that kind of topic as far I existed. I couldn't really say that she was entirely wrong either. I don't think I would have ever cared if it wasn't for these special circumstances. I also kept for myself the portion about all of this being part of a plan to gain power myself. Her own moral code would have being against playing with someone's heart like that. Someone only had to ask whatever remained of her ex husband's to know that much. So I let her believe it came from my own desire to be closer to this demon and she excitedly was ready to help me out.

She told me that if this demon was so insistent on keeping up the distance between us, then I would have to be the one to close it. Show interest for his interests, find out about what made him happy and try to engage from that side.

That was when I became very curious to enter his study, the place where he spend up most of his day, supposedly working away on his royal duties. I was imagining piles and piles of papers signed with mortal blood, maybe books full with the whole knowledge of humanity contained on them, arcaics instruments and devices from civilizations long forgotten. Something incomprehensible and old and so mentally demanding that of course he would spend his hours on that alone.

When I finally asked if I could come and my king hesitantly told me yes, though, there was none of that at all. It was surprising, just as surprising as finding piles and piles of rubber duckies could be.

I didn't ask is this it? Is this all you do all day? Just being stuck with these yellow squeaky things? I could tell he wasn't proud of it either, waiting for my reaction. Instead I took a look around, noticing thankfully there was more than duckies as handmade wooden puppets hanging from the wall, an area full with painting supplies and sculpting tools. Some, if not all, of these duckies must have come from his own hands. An odd expression of creativity, but an expression nonetheless.

After a while letting the silence fill the air, I just needed to know why duckies. Just why. I could understand wolves, lions, maybe even cats if I had to guess, not duckies. I wasn't prepared at all for my husband suddenly going on a long tangent about how duckies were the best already, dumping on me a bunch of facts about them that I had no idea about, about their character, their feathers of which every liquid slide without leaving them wet, their beaks that had especial filters for when they ate on the water, about how their babies imprinted on anything they saw and not just on their own species. Everything said with the same enthusiasm as if they were the most impressive creatures in all of the universe. It was like a dam had just exploded in front of me. I could only imagine how many years he had been waiting for someone to ask that question.”

“Too long” aported Lucifer with a low giggle, blushing.

“I believe you” Alastor smiled indulgently. “I still had no idea what to do with that information. If it had been any of the things I was expecting, I could make a conversation out of that. But Lucifer had all of the words anyone could ever say about duckies and letting them fall on me like a whole avalanche. This was the most animated I had ever see him since I came to know him. Finally, as if suddenly realizing it had been ten minutes and I haven't said anything, mostly because he wasn't giving me an entry, my husband asked if he was boring me.

No, I said because I wasn't bored. The topic itself wasn't interesting to me, but the response that it brought from him was fascinating. I asked if he did those duckies himself and he started presenting them to me, with their own names, backstories, pointing out the details that made them unique and especial. It was in the middle of that I noticed a bookcase with duckies separate from the rest and I recognize one of them as representing Asmodeus. The other ones I could only imagine were about the other sins.

Do you want me to make one for you, suddenly offered my king, seeing what I was looking. I didn't know if I wanted one, I had no idea what I would do with it if anything, but refusing a gift was out of the question for my plan to work. So I said yes, of course.

Your face light up like even more that while talking about your beloved duckies, my dear. I had been given gifts before, of course, but I don't believe anyone was as excited about it as you were. You immediately took me to your drawing station and told me to sit as you started sketching, looking out to see what details to capture. For the first time he had no issue looking in my direction and it was for the sake of making a rubber duckie to my liking.

Nobody ever could say that my king wasn't full of surprises.

Do you do that for everyone, I asked.

Do what.

What you are you doing right now.

Only for friends.

Are we friends, Majesty? I asked before I realize what a stupid mistake was that. I blamed the whole being outside of my element to me not realizing that if that is what Lucifer already thought of our relationship, then that was all the more convenient for me.

You stopped sketching. I was already thinking some way to salvage the situation, insist that I was hoping in fact we could be more than that, when I noticed how smaller than usual you were as you moved on your own chair.

That bothered me more than I was willing to let on. You are a king. You are the sin of pride on solid form. You can't lose on a fight. You are the strongest being I have ever met. You could kill me. Why do you ever let yourself become like this?

I mean, kinda?, you said, fidgeting with the pencil. You don't think so?

I thought we were married, I said showing my hand with a bit of a playful teasing.

You blushed a soft gold. It was the first time I saw it and I was suddenly struck with the idea that your blood probably looked like apple juice. Fiting for the one who used an apple to condemn all of humanity. It would taste like it?

Right. Sure. But you know… it has been nice having you around. I am sorry if I am not around much, but still. It was nice. That is why I thought…

I didn't say I didn't want it still. As I said that, I stand out to look at what you have done. First there was a general sketch of me. I was honestly impressed with how quickly you had captures my features so, even though it wasn't too polished, there was no way to miss that was my face. Even my smile was on brand, my eyes giving nothing away. Then there was the drawing of a couple of possible duckies that I had interrupted.

You forgot my monocle, I said.

Oh, right. Sorry.

You should have my staff too. It could come out from the wing.

You smiled and added it in with a quick motion of the pencil, a confident one from a veteran artist as you looked over at my staff and it's design. You don't doubt when you create, you just do. I thought that was a much better look for you.

When the sketching process was done, with a duckie that we were both satisfied with, my husband closed the sketchbook and declared we should be going to get dinner. It just occurred to me that he had been the one cooking in all my time there. So I offered up to make dinner for tomorrow. When you started saying I didn't have to, you didn't mind, as I was expecting already, I insisted that it was a date and took off before you could argue any longer.

I wasn't about to present to you the wonder of cannibal meat just yet on our very first date. I knew enough about social etiquette to know that had to be a gradual entrance. That was a surprise for the third date at least. Just because our marriage was unexpected and quick, didn't mean that everything else had to be too. Veal it was then. I thought there was something especial about offering something that never reached full maturity in a plate, where all of it's infinite possibilities were finalized bite by bite. As if by eating something that had been cut far too quickly, we could regain the time it was stolen from it. But I kept my poetic explanation for myself. As long the flavor was appreciated that would be enough.

From that one interaction, something was already different between us. Lucifer was clearly more comfortable and engaged in conversation with a more light disposition. That is how I started getting an inkling that the job of a king was truly so much more boring than I ever expected. When Lucifer wasn't dedicating time to his hobby, eating with me or existing on my vecinity, he was drowning in paperwork or going to meetings with the royal member of hellish society with the hope of keep some semblance of order in hell. None of which I had seen because my husband had correctly assumed that I wouldn't be too interested on that side of his life. But I could still ask him about it and let him vent about it when he felt like it. That is what marriage is, isn't it?

During the dessert of our first date, my king gave me the duckie finalized. That could also do a little dance when you pressed its head, because Lucifer thought that would be fun. The tiny version of my staff made a full spin on the wing as the duckie turned around. It was no doubt the most unpractical and weird present I have been ever gifted to. When the dance stopped, I took it on my hand to see the detail. The markings of my shoes were under the flippers too, for my surprise. When did Lucifer ever noticed that? Something about that just struck me in a way I did not expect.

I knew that you were waiting for my response, but I frankly didn't know what to say. Instead of saying anything, I kissed the top of the head of duckie and saved it on my front pocket where it would poke out, little staff and all. Even my monocle was a perfect shade of glass red. I asked how do I look now with my new accesory, realizing you were blushing again. I didn't intend that to happen. Was that the start of you falling in love with me?”

“You looked so cute though, I couldn't help it” commented Lucifer, smiling. “Hey, now that I think about it, I haven't seen that duckie in a while. What happened to it?”

“Oh, I have it on my safe box. Charlie found it when she was little and played with it until the staff bended, so I thought I would keep it on a place where it would be fine.”

“I can just repair it if you want. Good as new.”

“Don't you dare” Alastor ruffled the blonde hair a bit to emphazise the warning. “I like it old. You of all people should know that already.”

“Is that supposed to poke at my age now?”

“Maybe” Alastor chuckled when Lucifer pouted. He also looked cute like that and he too couldn't help it. “May I continue?”

“Before I die of old age you mean? You may.”

“Thank you.

Lucifer being more comfortable to talk to me was undoubtly a good thing. It also meant that he was more comfortable arguing with me. If needed to I could be a very agreeable person…”

“Ha! Good one.”

“Shush. It turned out that living with another person who actually spend time with you brought it's own set of struggles. Little things that are just part of how you do things that they are annoying for them. Little say that they do that are just the wrong way that makes you want to tear your own hair out. We were very different people on so many different ways, and yet, we both could be just as stubborn.

One day, I was on my last strand of patience. A young overlord that was making their name known in the streets had managed to get under my skin by bragging about how nobody even had a radio now, so I was clearly an obsolete demon that soon was going to be out of commission. Movies, they insisted, movies were the real future of hell. It shouldn't have bothered me at all that the people were congregating outside of his new cinema with color and audio. And yet it did.

I don't remember what was the argument about, something trivial and stupid that it wasn't worth it. Did I mix my clothing with his on the laundry? Did I left the chimney turn on when it should be off? Did I forgot to clean my shoes before walking over the carpet? Who knows. It doesn't matter. You said something along the line "you are impossible to live with" and something in me exploded.

Oh? And you think you are a joy to live with? Stuck everyday in the same place, obssessing over the same useless stupid things? Who would want to spend their days around a king that can't get outside his own palace or walk through his own kingdom without losing his marbles like a pathetic weak little imp? I might be impossible, but by the god you betrayed, at least I am not an embarassment for both heaven and hell.

I should haven't said that. For more reasons than one. But above all else, for the way you looked at me. All the anger that took for me to spit those words out were erased in the air the moment you said I should go.

Just that. Not anger of your own, not even sadness. Just this vast empty dissapointment that stung so much worse than any insult ever could. That only made me angry again. How dare you to be dissapointed in me? Honestly, how stupid were you in the first place to ever believe in me? How is my fault that you missed the memo of what kind of man you married to? Who are you to judge me in the first place?

I left the palace grabbing whatever I could quickly. I don't know where Lucifer had dissapeared to, I assumed his study with his duckies, but I was out of the door. It didn't sink in just how much I had messed up until I reach my old apartment and it felt small and cramped compared with the palace.

A week passed in which I kept waiting to see the ring on my hand dissapear, but it didn't. It became a habit to look down and check. While I was walking, my finger would keep brushing against it over my glove and pressed it as if to test if it wasn't going to dissolve. It never did. Two weeks. Three. Rosie asked me how things had turned out with the big powerful demon and I had to shrugg, saying it didn't work out. It wasn't meant to be. She was so sorry for me, sincerely so. I tried to tell her that she didn't had to, that I didn't really care anyway.

She turned her head to the side and said, as gently as a cannibal overlord is capable of, that she didn't believe a word of that. Something was off about me, according to her. Last night, when we raided that meeting of a overlord that had pissed her off, apparently I had killed people way too quickly. I didn't enjoy any of their screams or chase them down when they started running. I just got done with devouring them like it was a job rather than the joy ride it was meant to be. She had only ever brought me along because she thought it could distract me from whatever I had in mind on the last few days. She was saying all of that while looking at the glove on my hand and for some reason, no matter how impossible it was, somehow I thought she could see through the fabric and the ring. I almost wanted her to. Someone else to really confirm that it was there still and it wasn't just my own delusion.

She was right, of course. She knew me far too well. What actually happened, she asked and I just spilled all over the tea overflowing my cup, as youngsters definitely do not say. As much as I could without actually saying too much, at least. When I was done, she looked at me like the answer had been obvious all along. And maybe it was, but I still didn't like it when she said that I owe you an apology, even if you still want me out. Closure was the word she used. I don't know about that.

I just wanted to see and ask why I still had the ring.

When I came home… the palace, I did not find Lucifer anywhere. Not on the livingroom, the kitchen, the garden or even his study, where his door was open. The piles of duckies have been turned into mountains. You couldn't enter without stomping into one of them. But no Lucifer anywhere. I was passing through the entry when I saw you at the door, holding a bunch of groceries in a bag. Seeing the king casually coming from outside stopped me in my tracks. I wanted to ask how was that possible. The last time I saw you trying to walk to the next block you teleported back, saying that was a bad idea and to never try it again.

You seemed… a lot less shocked to see me there though."

"You had forgotten your bowtie" said Lucifer, shrugging, as it should have been obvious. "I figured you would come back for it sooner or later. And if you did, maybe we could talk. It also didn't help that you didn't had a phone and you never told me where you used to live before, so I couldn't send it to you. I was… waiting for you to come pick it up."

"You told me you went to the store alone" Alastor waited for Lucifer to elaborate further or comment, but the fallen angel just remained silent, squeezing his hand. "You said you had been practicing for a while now to come out. You did teleported a big portion of the way and had to come back home three times, but you made it through the whole task completely on your own.

I should have tell you that was amazing for you, because it was. Instead I was just so confused as to why you weren't angry at me. I was prepared for you to shout at me or throw stuff at my head, not for you to keep walking to the kitchen without turning back. Somehow it reminded me to my first day there, when I thought you had to be a nutcase to give me your back so easily after I threatened you.

The bowtie thing was a lie, wasn't it? I did left it, but I could replace it easily. It wasn't that precious."

Lucifer didn't respond, but he didn't have to with the way his hand squeezed his. Alastor returned the gesture and sighed, coming down to kiss his temple.

"When I followed you behind, you were accomodating the groceries. I stood there, not understanding at all why you weren't more angry, why you weren't telling me to get out of the palace now. But instead of asking, because that wasn't what I came for, I struggled to get out the words out of my mouth."

"You looked in actual pain. It was a little bit funny in retrospective."

"I was. I never had to offer a sincere… apology to anyone for any reason. I was usually smarter than to need to do it. To admit I was wrong was to admit I had commited a easily avoidable mistake.

But it was a mistake all the same. I had no right to say any of that. I only remember those words at all even now because I so wish I could erase them entirely and smack my past self for even uttering them in the first place.

You asked if I still thought the same, so I said no. I thought you could be sometimes pathetic, annoying, clumsy, very frustrating and maybe a bit too obsessed with ducks, but it wasn't hell to live with you by any means. You sometimes could also make it so much easier than you had to for a complete stranger that literally just appeared on your living room. And maybe you were a dissapointment for heaven, but honestly that was only a plus on my own book so what did I care? Hell is a dissapointment already for anyone who know their action wouldn't catch up for them, so it was only fitting that it's king was just as unconventional. I only said that because you cared, because I wanted to poke where it hurt, not because I cared. That wasn't right of me.

You turned around and blinked with those big eyes of yours that told me nothing, but it wasn't out of indifference, but out of you don't wanting to let me see nothing yet. That was only fair, but it bother me all the same. You asked if I wanted to stay for dinner and I said yes.

You told me that you had gotten the papers ready for the nullification, but never got around to sign them. They laid on your desk all of those weeks while you kept making more and more duckies. They were comforting, while the papers were not, so you naturally avoided them. Haven't even realized the amount of days that have passed, concentrated instead on the amount of distance that you could put between yourself and the entrance, the amount of time you could tolerate outside before you had to come back.

You were proud of telling me it had been a full hour and a half, as you should. I much prefered the look on your face when I told you that it was amazing. I thought about taking your hand that night so much, but I wasn't sure how that was going to be taken. Instead kept watching your own ring. Something was different in the air that I couldn't quite place.

You told a stupid joke about gooses and laughed so hard you wheezed, like it was the funniest thing that anyone ever said. I think I started falling for you that night.

A week after I moved in, I asked if we could share the same bedroom."

"Oh boy."

Alastor arched an eyebrow at the blushing face of Lucifer.

"Oh? What is that, your Majesty? You don't want to hear too about the first time that you ravished me? Jumped on my bones? Fulfill your husbandly duties? Consumate our marriage? Attempted to create an heir with me by the traditional means? Multiples times, might I add?"

"Oh for me, can you shut up?" Lucifer laughed, straightened up to kiss his lips, wrapping his arms around his neck. Alastor's hand instinctively went to his waist as the king made a new throne out of his lap. "I was there for that one, I remember."

"You were there for everything and still asked me to tell you how it happened" Alastor grinned wider. "Which is the verdict by the way? Did it sound any better than our usual story?"

He had to know, of course. His pride as a locutor that relied on his eloquence was on the line. Lucifer's finger started twirling around the hair on his nape.

"You did make it sound more funny than awful, I will give you that."

"Thank you."

"Even so, I don't want Charlie to hear it" declared Lucifer, pulling a side of his mouth downward. Alastor kissed the gesture, turning it into a smile instantly. "She can keep the guard story. That one is nice enough."

"As you wish" Alastor kept kissing his cheek and down his neck. He lapped at the skin over pulsating vein with his tongue and pressed his mouth there just as Lucifer was pulling his head back, giving him more space to nibble. The lie of vulnerability was almost as enticing as the truth of danger. Knowing that he was the only being on all of hell that his king would show himself like this was no small part of his charm.

"The first days you did nothing" commented Lucifer suddenly and Alastor looked up, momentarily confused until his husband continued. "When we shared a bedroom for the first time. Did you thought I would smite you for trying to touch me or you just didn't know how to breach the gap?"

"Both" admitted Alastor, accommodating Lucifer on his arms as he pulled himself up with his tentacles. He started walking through the hallway to their room. "You seemed content enough with having me there and I was only more confused by that. You weren't like me, you liked that kind of stuff by themselves. One time you even asked me to return to my old room for the night so you could pleasure yourself. I would have helped you if you had asked, but I figured you would have offered if you wanted that. I don't know how useful my input would have been, though."

"We didn't kiss once at that time" Lucifer gave a short, throaty laugh as if he couldn't believe how stupid they were. "What kind of a mess is that? We both were agreeing to stay married, but couldn't decide to touch. For all I knew, you still had your own evil agenda and were biding your time."

"It could have been both." Alastor nuzzled his forehead. "My evil agenda on one side and take you to bed on the other."

"But more than anything else" said Lucifer, lifting a finger up to boop the nose of Alastor, "I didn't want you to do anything that you didn't want to do. If you never wanted to go further than sharing space, I was prepared to accept that. Being married to my friend is not the worst kind of fate I could have ended with."

"Agreed" He reached the door to their bedroom and opened up, laying Lucifer down on the bed to hold his chin up and trace the contorn of his lip with a red thumb. "But I didn't want to be friends either. It was driving me insane because I didn't know what you wanted or I wanted out of this. Did I want to reach because that is what people do and you would expect that or because I wanted to? You weren't giving me anything to work with."

"If only you simply had asked” The tone of Lucifer was slightly mocking as he bit softly on the thumb of Alastor. “I would have told you I was open for that as well.”

Alastor groaned. And risk coming off as insecure, as if he didn't have the most clear idea of everything that was happening at all times? Never.

Lucifer giggled, bringing him down to the bed by the front of his vest. The radio demon followed through the lead of his king.

In another place, Charlie was staring up to the ceiling of her room. After who knew les of how long trying to let the sleep come to her, without success, she slipped under a sleeping Vaggie to stand up. She made sure that her girlfriend still had a pillow as replacement before going to get dressed. If she wasn't going to get any sleep done, then all the more reason for her to start working on their current issue.

They were merely one month away from another extermination.

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