#N naturally I got the 40% on the first area
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Honestly despite being f2p player I honestly just thinking fuck the 300 primos I'm not that desperate for it actually
#Tbh I do typically do everything to get those free primos#N naturally I got the 40% on the first area#N yeah maybe it my fault for leaving everything to last min so now I'm scrambling n so everything is pissing me off#N honestly if that how it feels to play a game? Idk I rather not play actually#I'm having like rlly bad server issues despite my internet being decent? The creature gameplay being Jacky so it also pissing me off#Tbh making me feel like I'm force to play lest I loose out on rewards? Yeah idk#It making me not want to play ig? Cuz with every other region till natlan I was like rlly good at doing the#Archon AND world quest that I typically never have quests in my logs that some ppl were like wtf @ me#N there was no rewards for doing that but alas they start rewarding u for natlan n Low n behold im uninterested#Ig it also the fact of how much I despise the mechanics in this region that making me not want to explore the region naturally#Tbh even w the natlan character story I only did mualani despite getting rewards for that too#Anyways I was just thinking staying up to do 3 world quest n explore to 80% without a compass?#Yeah no I'm not torturing myself like that especially when I don't have mavuika she least make everything less painful I rather loose what?#3 or 4? Extra pulls? Yeah fuck that actually#There apart of me where I wish I hadn't left it so last min but actually playing again in the region n getting pissed again cuz of that#But I know I would have felt piss even earlier n honestly yeah no rip to my wanting to complete everything to get the rewards self but I#Rather have some fun so rip to those rewards cuz I rather wait till I get mavuika the all terrain girly
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Howdy!
(First of all, I'm a massive fan of your art and headcanons. I'm krueger girl any day of the week, and your art just makes me want to gnaw on him.)
I've been obsessed with drawing military gear for a few years now, and I love how your art style depicts everything. I was just wondering how you went about developing that ridiculously cool style? How much do you think about real anatomy and actual references of gear while still retaining the stylistic look? I always tend to struggle with overdetailing in certain areas, especially on plate carriers and guns.
Do you have any tips for someone wanting to improve in this specific area? (Other than heaps and heaps of practice, of course, haha)
Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Hello! Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm glad that you like my take on Krueger that much as fan, means a lot! 😊♥
Also, this is very high praise. In a lot of ways I think it's also important to remember that my artstyle tends to be very forgiving as my lines are naturally super loose. My anatomy isn't objectively good, but it works because I have a general idea of how body parts are linked together. i think.
My reply got super long (SORRY..) so it goes under the cut:
What made me develop my style was... gaining confidence. Over the course of the past 5 years, 90% of my drawings were the same 4 characters, over and over.
I got comfortable with the layout of their gear -> the more comfortable you are with something, the more you simplify it �� the more effortless it looks → the more "daring" you get with it. I think it particularly applies to gear art.
Regarding specifically what you mentioned, here's my advice (this is personal advice from my experience, again, I lack actual solid basics and I only draw lined works, so this might not apply to painting!!!) :
Overdetailing: DRAW UNZOOMED!!! literally my n°1 advice. When I over-detail (you can see it in some of my posted pieces) it's exclusively when I wanted to correct smth and stayed zoomed in. Unzoom as much as you are comfortable with - I advise seeing at least 40-50% of your drawing at all times. Having a general view will help you not to "linger" on any part, and consider your drawing as a whole instead of separate parts.
References: use them, but don't get trapped by them. Basically: don't try to stick to them too hard. This is personal advice, but in my case, when I focus too much on a reference and try to replicate exactly what it shows (the exact angle an arm bends, every detail on a piece of gear, etc), my drawing ends up being very stiff and/or overdetailed. Try to draw your reference your way, with your proportions, while retaining the general idea of the ref - whether it is an entire pose, a body part, a plate carrier or a gun. It'll be less frustrating, and will get you to develop your own style quicker while making you improve.
I'll be honest - I lack actual, good anatomy basics and practice, which hinders me *a lot* when I draw or attempt drawing more elaborate stuff. It might not show because I find workarounds in my style.
My point is that.. despite this, you guys like what I do, and for the most part (I can't believe I'm saying this now) I'm confident with my artstyle 🥺 ... so, ultimately, it's about finding some sort of balance. Again, thank you for your words. I hope amidst my rambles you could find something useful. I'm rooting for you! 😤
#I feel very shy abt art questions but I'll always try my best to give you advice based on my experience. I hope this can help you even a bit#ask#major-richard-sharpe
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Cobbleswarm
Image © Paizo Publishing, accessed at Archives of Nethys here
[The cobbleswarm first appeared in the Agents of Edgewatch AP, one of the first adventure paths for PF2e. They got reprinted in Bestiary 3, and were the low level version compared to the sturzstormer as a high level counterpart. The sturzstormer first appeared in PF1e as a genuine elemental, and I think I like that better. Still, I love cobble mites and cobbleswarms; they’re a weird bit of worldbuilding that makes Golarion seem more magical, and can come into play for low level groups.]
Cobbleswarm CR 2 N Aberration What appeared to be a mass of irregular cobblestones begins to move by rolling and shifting. Each of the little masses has a mouth, lined with crystalline teeth.
A cobbleswarm is an accumulation of tiny living rocks called cobble mites. Individually, they are basically harmless—they live inside of caves, eating guano, gravel and insects. In large numbers, they can be dangerous, as they work together to overwhelm prey like a swarm of army ants. Their name comes from their association with cobblestone roads. Cobble mites sleep very soundly following a large meal, and their even size and shape may encourage them to be collected and used to make a road. These cobble mites are usually content to feed on scraps of dropped food and manure, but may be startled into emerging by an explosion (such as fireworks), or get up and find food if they’re in an abandoned neighborhood.
A cobbleswarm senses its surroundings by sound, vibration and even a simple sense of smell, but are totally blind. They tend to freeze to protect themselves from larger vibrations (such as horses or wagons), but move towards smaller ones, especially if hungry or frightened. Creatures overcome by a cobbleswarm find their movement impeded by hundreds of shifting rocks, and those that are not strong enough are pulled to the ground and devoured.
A single cobble mite can be encouraged to live as a pet if well fed—they are considered cute by many, especially those with an affinity for earth and stone. A cobble mite can even be taken as a familiar. Treat a cobble mite familiar as a giant isopod with the aberration type, the earth subtype instead of the aquatic subtype, a burrow speed instead of a swim speed and the senses of a cobbleswarm. A cobble mite familiar grants its owner a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves.
Cobbleswarm CR 2 XP 600 N Tiny aberration (earth, swarm) Init +6; Senses blind, blindsight 40 ft., Perception +5, tremorsense 80 ft. Defense AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+2 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural) hp 19 (3d8+6) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5 Immune gaze attacks, visual spells and effects Defensive Abilities half damage from slashing and piercing, swarm traits; Weakness vulnerable to area of effects Offense Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft. Melee swarm (1d6+1 plus grasping bites and distraction) Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft. Special Attacks distraction (DC 13), shifting stones Statistics Str 12, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 7 Base Atk +2; CMB -; CMD 13 Feats Ability Focus (grasping bites), Improved Initiative Skills Climb +5, Perception +5, Stealth +13 (+21 on stone); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in stony environments Languages Terran (cannot speak) Ecology Environment underground or urban Organization solitary or mine (2-5) Treasure none Special Abilities Grasping Bites (Ex) A creature that takes damage from a cobbleswarm must succeed a DC 14 Reflex save or fall prone and take 1d6 points of damage. The save DC is Strength based. Shifting Stones (Ex) A cobbleswarm’s area is treated as difficult terrain.
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I was gonna go to bed but I think I came up with a soulmate au perfect for Matt n Gil 7:48 AM · Apr 20, 2020
so it goes like this: when you touch somebody, their mark appears in your palm. there's several placements you can have, like for family bonds (mother's will generally always be the first bond a person has), friendship, love, probably hatred idk
over time, when a person dies or the bond fades, the mark scars, becoming the abstract background for new relationships you make
so Matt n Gil are pretty much immortal in canon. not so much Gil anymore, but he's been around a long time, so his palms are probably scared to fuck with marks —
everywhere but the love area. sure, some friendships skittered around the area, but while he might hate soulmates with his old age, he's stupid ab the idea of true love.
it's kinda fucked him up a bit in the modern era lmao. been alive so long and yet here he is
so canon au would have Matt touch Gilbert first. he doesn't know who owns this mark, bc he doesn't pay attention, so he thinks it's some mortal and he's kinda sad ab it, bc it's big, at the very centre of his palm and those are like, Best Kind, but c'est la vie
(while Gilbert has been having the opposite problem, mortals finding their love in him lmao)
while Matt and Gil have no idea the other exists (well ish. Francis probably goes off ab the other to them all the time), Matt discovers love in mortals to patch up the horrid fact he never even got to meet The One. a couple marks scar a ring around his centre mark
until one day in like, the 60s, he notices "yo this never scarred. it's always been solid" and goes maniac with glee and relief and a weird sense of wasted mourning
Al finds it funny that no one picked up on that fact all this time. bc their family all has solid centre marks and their friend family marks are still pretty solid
some of Matt's lovers picked up on it, but he dismissed it as "I don't know who they are" and it's dismissed and they better make the best of what they have
Francis tells Gilbert ab the delightful news "oh Matieu never lost his soulmate after all!! he's immortal!" and Gilbert is like pained smile grumble "oh good for him!" while painfully recalling every conversation Francis had ab Matt's current so
he figures it makes sense but good god
they can't figure out who the fuck out of their entire group is Matt's so. Francis wants to hold an event bc he's dying to know, but Matt's like, "I thought they were dead for 500 years, I'm cool to find out naturally."
Arthur casts a divination after and he n Francis go nuts once they learn the truth of the matter. Francis drinks so much he needs his stomach pumped. Gilbert calls him, and just hearing his voice, Francis gets into a giggle fit, they don't talk for like, 4 years
over the next 40 years, Matt n Gil will Wonder ab the whole soulmate thing. Matt bc he can't imagine who it could be, and Gil bc he's like, sad he himself doesn't even have that clue that they're even out there
they properly meet in 2009, the whole pancake and maple syrup thing, but no one touches. they form a bond of course, mutual understanding of loneliness, turns out they're like two peas in a pod
Francis has no idea they even became friends until 2016. he peaks at the palms of their hands, and is delighted to see Gilbert's centre is finally marked
and it's not for another ten years that they realise they're each other's soul mate 😔 7:48 AM · Apr 20, 2020
actually that's a dumb ending, bc I was falling asleep 5:09 PM · Apr 20, 2020
new ending: Gilbert always touches the ppl he likes. pulls them in for hugs, slaps on the back, drags them off to do things. the first time he crashes at Matt's bc he thinks they're best buds, he slaps Matt across the back for being a goof
he is of course surprised by how solid Matt is, and wow his hand actually hurts, so he rubs at it and notices the mark. he short circuits.
Matt is like "dude you didn't break your hand did you? sorry oh my god lemme go get the first aid kit for a splint til we get to the hospital ah fuck"
and Gil is like "no no no I'm fine! don't worry about it! hah hah hah I'm gonna go nap I'm actually pretty tired, jet lag"
Matt thinks it's weird bc he was just do animated a moment ago, but shrugs it off, can't be too bad right?
only Gilbert doesn't pop up for dinner. doesn't come out of his room at all. matt's like "damn he must have been real tired," leaves him a note saying he's got leftovers in the fridge
but Gilbert is just going insane. the note didn't help bc it implies smth surely.
what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck. so the dude Matt thought was dead for the last 500 years was him??? if they interacted back then, why didn't Gil touch him??? what the fuck Happened
Gil frantically texts everyone he knows. Liz, Antonio, Al, they all just congratulate him. His brother gives him a five paragraph lecture on being nice. Feli sends him a bunch of cute ideas on how to tell Matt. Roderick has him blocked.
Francis. Francis grins like a loon the moment he sees the text and calls Matt "mon garçon," he starts, "your heart is closer than you think" and Matt, tired of this old man's cryptic romantic bullshit hangs up sighing heavily
Al visits too. now he knows and he wants to play wingman. that's his brother damn it. so starts the most horrible wingman stunt. everyone is so uncomfortable. when it doesn't work, Al goes to sulk in his guest bedroom
"that was weird even for him" Matt laments. Gilbert, knowing full well what brought it on just cringes. how the fuck did ppl do this whole thing??
Matthew isn't like. bothered? at first he was curious to know if Gil got a mark for him, but after seeing he didn't get any new ones, he was resigned to their friendship not meaning anything. sure he had hoped but ugh, best not to think about it
and Gilbert is freaking out like "why isn't he questioning if they have each other's marks??" he knows ppl do that, he's done it himself! god knows they've been stuck to each other's hip this last month so why?!
so he decides to just ask. "hey did you get my mark?" "oh no, I never got it." and he fuckinh blanks.
then Matt brings up his hand, showing Gil his palm, and there in the dead centre is Gil's mark surrounded by a ring of love. "see," Matt says, "it's the same as when we first met."
Gil had seen Matt's palms a couple times before the revelation. he didn't think seeing it now would affect him much but boy, he's gone brain dead
Gilbert raises his own palm, "mine isn't," and he knows Matt knows he's never had a mark in the dead centre. but there's one now.
"oh," Matt goes, thinking ab all the ppl he and Gil have met over the month, "congratulations, I suppose we'll have to find out who it is…"
which makes Gil go crazy, "no, no, no, how did you—no, Matthew it's you." Matt stares at him like "are you off your rocker?" and Gil recounts the event that gave him the mark, and telling everyone asking for help and how Francis was no help at all
and Matt's like "Yo! Francis called me that evening, saying how my heart was closer than I thought. I thought that he was just drunk, but if…. Tabarnak!" pacing around the room suddenly speaking quick french
there are tears suddenly but he's not wailing, instead smiling wildly, "I thought you were dead!" and Gilbert grins back "I thought you didn't even exist!"
(and idk ab you but this last bit gets me grinning wildly bc Gilbert Will Die, and Matt is usually forgotten to the point he can go ghost. he he he)
so they like. just exist with each other being stupid ab how stupid it all is 8:05 PM · Apr 20, 2020
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Scratched the Surface | Part 2
The first part was posted on my other blog which you can find here and on AO3 here
Now, on with the show.
***
Echelons
Boss Bark
@Todd @Varen I need you two to swing by quick. I gotta mission for ya two.
Icicle
Yes sir
Ember
It’ll be a few minutes, currently finishing up covering a shift at Cauldron’s. Any deets ya can send my way in the meantime?
Boss Bark
No problem. Just get the info from Todd when you’re done.
Ember
10-4 Boss. Be done and there in 35-40!
Rock ‘n Rebuttal
Must be big if the two hands are on it
Boss Bark
Don’t think too hard on it Kendrix. They’re the best for the job
Rock ‘n Rebuttal
I abstain XD
Todd smiled at the phone from his seat at the bar before waving the bartender over and placing two $40’s on the bar. “I’m heading out. Use what you have to and keep the rest.” The girl nodded before saying goodbye as Todd walked out the front door and down the street.
The little diner that the group called their base of operations was a small building run by two of the members' mother. Nadia was a kind woman who had looked after the founding members of the crew since before the boss came to power a few years ago, and had stayed the mother of the group throughout the duration of her children's tenure. To be honest Todd had no doubt she would look after the Viper members till the day she died. Giving the woman a nod he made his way to the stairs going to the lower levels where the real work was done.
Coming into the clearing at the bottom of the stairs Todd moved forward towards the conference room at the end of the hall where Kara was waiting.
Kara sat in a rolling chair in front of a computer with statistics pulled up for schools, looking over to the white-haired boy in amusement as he stared at the intruder that decided his seat was the best place to sit.
“Really, Arrow, you got your own chair here and you have to sit in mine?”
Kara scoffed “What are you gonna do, move her?”
Todd glanced over to the woman before continuing his stare-down with her, incredibly smug, companion “Female gray wolves, when healthy, only get to about a buck twenty. We both know I can lift that no problem.” The wolf yawned as slow as she possibly could before casually getting off and hopping onto her usual perch next to Kara.
“Now that you’re done annoying each other for the day,” The girl said with amusement lacing every word “ I would like to get to the matter at hand If I could.” After a second of pause she continued. “As you already know, Elementals are one of the rarest supernaturals out there, only falling behind the likes of the Phoenix due to their being only one of every element at a time in the world.”
Todd grunted. “Yeah due to their having to be balance between the elements there can only be one representative of each element at a time, otherwise the possibility of larger scale disagreements become a worry. Said disagreements could total areas just as fast if not faster than commonplace natural disasters. Why talk about something you told me when you first met me?”
“Correct. As for bringing it up again I gave you and the others some incorrect information when I went over this during my first days with you. I said that Elementals were at the top of the food chain when it came to supernaturals and there was no equivalent when it came to power. This is not true.” Todd tilted his head. “Where we are indeed the most powerful when it comes to the element in question, we are more spokespeople for the creatures that call the element their heart that can’t really speak up for themselves.”
The girl went silent as Todd connected the new thread of information given. “So what’s the new player, and do we need to be worried?”
“We don’t need to be worried as of yet.” Kara began “More like we need to play the part of teacher.”
“Play teacher to what?” Turning to the door the two find the second person called in, a girl with longer black hair pulled up in a ponytail.
“That took far less time than you thought it was.” Todd said, leaning onto the table as Varen shrugged.
“Eh, Aradia caught a look at my phone over my shoulder and saw I was summoned. She all but shoved me out the door.”
Kara smiled. “Well, to answer your question, I’m sending you and Todd here to advise a boy with power quite comparable to us.”
“So we’re going in to make sure it doesn’t turn on us?” Varen questioned, gaining a ‘so-so’ response from the leader.
“That’s one way to look at it. Where this kid could, indeed, cause us harm I sincerely doubt it from what I’ve seen.” Kara clicked a button and the screen behind her lit up to reveal a younger teenage boy.
“Meet Izuku Midoriya, a 13, almost 14, year old middle schooler in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan. If I said that wrong you can butcher it for me later as I didn’t exactly study geography in the very little schooling I got.” The two subordinates chuckled.
“So what’s his deal that we’re suddenly interested in another person in Japan?” Varen stated, sitting down next to Todd.
“Izuku is a supernatural known to the denizens as an alchemist.”
Todd spoke up. “Answers why we’re interested. A person who can combine elements to gain something of equal value is definitely not one we want to have make a turn for the wrong side of things. If having elementals fighting could destroy things without trying I don’t wanna know what an alchemist could do, especially against the former.”
“Precisely why I am sending the two of you to teach him our world's ways.” Kara continued, “Supernatural creatures are considered fiction to the outside world, and if he continues to believe that there could be a lot of trouble down the line. I’d be more worried about the world as a whole but from what I’ve gathered, even with the deck he was handed, this kid is an absolute sweetheart. He’ll listen to you guys.”
Varen opened her mouth, but Kara interrupted her by handing her one of two folders. “All the info you need on the kid is in these. Medical and school records, browsing history, purchases, you know the drill. Read up on them once you get situated.” Kara waved her hand, creating a void on the wall next to them. “I already placed some of your things there as always, and Wren made up a bunch of the linguist tincture for the two of you.”
The duo nodded before stepping through the portal, emerging in a rental house within Japan. The two placed their folders onto the dining room table.
“Explore for the day and start work tomorrow?” Varen suggested, receiving a nod from the boy.
“would probably help knowing where to get shit around here.” Todd walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing two of the small mason jars filled with golden liquid and handing one to Varen. “To learning a new language”
Varen laughed before clicking her shot to his and downing it. “Tastes like tea.”
“We are in Japan, the tincture does change depending on the language after all. Makes sense that it would taste like one of their most popular beverages.”
The girl nodded, placing the bottle on the counter before walking towards the door. “Heading out, see you tonight.”
Todd called out a goodbye before beginning his exploration of the house that the two would be calling home for a while, claiming a bedroom in the process. Once the house was mapped in his mind he too went out into the city to canvas the area.
--
Next Chapter
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276 of 2023
Are you between the ages of 30 & 40?
Yeah, I am.
What was your favorite Saturday morning cartoon growing up?
I don’t think we’ve ever had these.
What was your favorite toy as a child?
Legos and toy cars.
In High School did you wear acid washed jeans?
I don’t think so. I was always different.
How much was a gallon of gasoline when you first started driving?
We don’t use imperial units here.
What was your first car?
Never had a car on my own.
Who taught you how to drive?
I don’t have a licence.
What was your high school mascot?
We don’t practice it here.
Did you go to your Senior Prom?
No, I didn’t.
What did you do after graduation?
Got a job.
What was your first job?
Fruit picker as a teenager.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A soldier.
Any posters on your bedroom walls growing up?
A few, I guess. I don’t even remember of who.
Do you remember the first time you drank a beer?
Yeah, I was 12.
Did you ever try cigarettes?
No, never.
How did you spend your summers growing up?
At the beach or at my grandma’s.
If you could change anything from your teenage years, would you?
Sexual abuse, enough said.
Do you remember your first time?
I do. It was with the right person.
Ever look back and wish some things were still the same?
Yeah, some. I’d love to be healthy again.
After high school - straight to college or straight to work?
I had a gap year.
How much did you make per hour at your first job?
It wasn’t a hourly pay, I was 16 then.
Favorite home-cooked meal growing up?
Chicken, rice and veggies.
Favorite place to eat out growing up?
Any frietkotje in our area.
Did your parents live in a different country before you were born?
No, they didn’t.
Do you have a preferred coffee brand?
Yeah, Douwe Egberts.
Have you ever dated someone who was terrible with money?
No, but I know how it is because my mum is like that.
If so, how did it affect the relationship?
N/A.
How often do you paint your nails?
I’m not a woman.
Do you know anyone who’s related to a current or former world leader?
WTF is a “world leader”? Countries are sovereign.
What is something you don’t have any natural talent for?
Roll my tongue.
Did you watch this year’s Eurovision?
No, it’s a lame contest.
Have there been any periods in your life that could be described as being chaotic?
Yeah, there were. Basically all my teenage years.
What is something you frequently forget?
Everything lol.
If I looked in your fridge right now, what would I find?
Eggs, butter, smoked salmon, ham, cheese, yogurts and some microwave meals.
How do you feel about your body?
I’m not a big fan of it. Too many visible bones, but at the same time, not enough.
Who is someone you would like to get to know better?
J. and M.
If you had to move to a new city, where would you move?
Ghent or Kortrijk, probably. Beautiful cities.
Have you ever traveled on a double-decker train?
Man, half of our trains is double-decker and I even make such trains for living.
What’s your opinion on assisted suicide?
How does it differ from euthanasia? It’s legal here, but not that easy to obtain. I don’t havve an opinion. Whatever side you choose, there’s always “but”.
At what point do you consider a relationship to be ‘long-term?’
Two years plus?
What jobs did your parents have when you were growing up?
My dad was an Infrabel worker (railway works) and my mum worked in some kind of brewery.
Do they still have these jobs? Or different jobs? Or have they retired?
My dad is retired, my mum quit the job when I was a kid and she’s been unemployed since.
Do you own any winter sports equipment?
No, I don’t. I don’t hold any interest in winter sports.
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PART 1. A VERY WELL-DESERVED TIP
SUMMARY. Todoroki Shouto was a wealthy, young CEO who inherited his father’s enterprise. You were a barista at a local cafe who wouldn’t mind some extra cash. One day, Shouto came in during an early morning shift and tipped you such a large sum of money, you were certain it had to have been an accident. To your surprise and complete pleasure: It was not.
PAIRING. ceo!todoroki shouto x barista!reader
WORD COUNT. 2.0k
GENRE. ceo/barista au, fluff, eventual smut
WARNINGS. none in this chapter
A/N. my brief work as a barista is finally paying off. i suffered at sbux all to write this fic ✌︎('ω'✌︎ ) LMAOOO i frl had so much fun writing this and i’m very excited to share the next parts ;) i hope you enjoy this fic as much as i do!! xx sof
SERIES MASTERLIST
© myherowritings — all rights reserved. reposting, modifying, copying, or translating of any kind is not allowed. do not read my writing as asmr. do not plagiarize.
You were not looking forward to your new work schedule for the next month.
The employee who usually came in for opening shifts at four in the morning gave her two weeks notice...two weeks ago. And since you had your availability open (you knew you should’ve blocked it off and said you had morning class), your manager asked you to fill her place.
The night before your first—of many—morning shifts, you tried tricking yourself into thinking it was a good idea. And it almost worked! Sort of.
You told yourself waking up early when the sun rose worked with your body’s natural circadian rhythm and this experience may adjust your sleep schedule for a healthier one in the long run. Better health and wellbeing and lower risks of cardiovascular disease. Or something. You weren’t too sure exactly; you never paid much attention in biology but it sounded like something you’d find in a textbook, right?
When you arrived on your first day, the morning shift was just as hectic and chaotic as you expected. People in business suits with name brand bluetooth earphones in their ears and the latest new smartphone in their hand filled the shop and waited for their online order. It was as if they wanted the least amount of social interaction possible, which would be fine if being able to make connections with customers wasn’t the most interesting part about being a barista.
Although the cafe you worked at was a small business who actually (tried) to pay their employees fairly and wasn’t a purely money hungry franchise like the certain green siren, it surprisingly had gained enough traction in the area to rival one of those cheap, chain stores.
Good for the business, bad for sleepy workers who could barely function in the mornings.
But you enjoyed working here and the owners were kind, so you did your best to shove away the tiredness and put a bright and cheery smile on your face. The customers were grumpier than you were used to, but who wouldn’t be a little ill-mannered having to go to work at 5 a.m. and probably not leaving until 6 p.m. or later because of bosses who overworked them? Trying to get them their morning coffee with an amiable attitude to start off their day right was something you were more than happy to do.
It was too bad barely any of them gave you the time of day. They just wanted to get their caffeine and leave with as little human interaction as possible. It was understandable, of course, but it wasn’t the lively cafe environment you were used to during later shifts. You sighed, hoping the atmosphere would be friendlier when it wasn’t a major rush hour.
“Hi! I can help the next person in line,” you called for the twentieth time this hour. When they moved forward towards the cash register, you gave them a smile. “Good morning. I hope your day has been going well!”
“It’s been okay, thank you. And yours?”
Your eyes widened in surprise and you almost sputtered over thin air. Someone who actually replied back to what you said and asked about you in return? Even if the intent was a courtesy conversation that was meant to be quick and brief, the sentiment was there—the upholding of the values of common courtesy and human decency. Something too many people seemed to lack.
“I’m good as well! A little tired but what’s to be expected a quarter ‘til 6 a.m.?” you said with a laugh. “Thank you for asking.”
The customer gave a small smile in return and you internally celebrated for finally seeing your first pleasant expression this morning. “Must be even more tiring dealing with all these people. Doesn’t seem easy. I have to commend you for it.”
He was a tall, handsome man with a pretty face, soft-looking hair, and genuinely nice? There was no way this was real; you had to be dreaming.
You twiddled with the pen in your hands, taken aback and mildly embarrassed by the praise. “Just doing my job,” you said with a bashful look. “Thank you, though.” You cleared your throat, not wanting to hold the line up for too long, even if the customer was one you would rather keep talking to than the others. “Now, what can I get started for you today?”
“Right. Can I get a flat white in the medium size?”
“Of course.” You typed in his order into the register before asking, “And is there anything else I can get for you? Like a pastry? Today we have some freshly baked cheese danishes that are really yummy if you’d like to try!”
He thought for a while before shrugging. You weren’t sure if it was your eyes playing tricks on you or he actually had an amused look on his face. “Sure, I’ll take a couple dozen of those as well.”
“A couple dozen—?” your voice faltered. The suggestion of a fresh pastry was one you made to almost every customer, though most turned it down on the spot.
The cafe had a little weekly competition between workers to see who could sell the most pastries in the week and the one who sold most got...well, a free pastry and bragging rights. Admittedly, it wasn’t much, but nothing revved up sales like friendly rivalries. An order of a couple dozen was sure to land you in the top spot this week! Still, you had to make sure he meant it. You’d feel bad if he was just spending all his hard-earned office work money because he was trying to be courteous. (Or at least, you assumed he was some office employee.)
You cautiously asked, “Are you sure?”
Either your eyes were playing tricks on you yet again, or the look of amusement on his face grew even more than before as he said, “I’m sure. One medium flat white and, say, three dozen boxes of cheese danishes, please.”
“C-Coming right up!” you said, quickly entering his order and celebrating your free end-of-the-week pastry in advance. “That will be $42.81. Would that be card or cash?”
“Card.” He pulled out a sleek, black card with gold detailings on it and you never knew you could be sexually attracted to a credit card until now.
“Perfect! Go ahead and swipe, insert, or scan your card now. In the meantime, can I get a name for your order please?”
He scanned his card over the machine before looking back up at you. “It’s To— Ah, Shouto.”
“Shouto?” you asked in confirmation. You assumed it wasn’t ‘Toahshouto’. That sounded too much like the abbreviation used to remember how to find sine, cosine, and tangent.
“Yeah. Shouto.”
You smiled. “Well, Shouto, your order will be ready in a few minutes. Please wait over to your right to pick it up!”
He nodded.
“It was nice meeting you!” you called, waving goodbye. “I hope you have a good rest of your day.”
“Thank you,” he glanced at your nametag, “Y/N.”
Oh, how nice it felt to be treated like a human by a customer and have them actually address your name— And not to say it in a condescending way either.
“Do individual baristas get to keep the tips here?”
You blinked, feeling your face warm up slightly. “We do, actually.” One of your favorite parts of the job, you had to admit.
“Glad to hear.” Shouto pulled out some crisp-looking bills from his wallet and placed one in your hand that said ‘100’ to you. “Thank you for your kind service, Y/N.”
“Wha—” Your eyes widened. You were expecting something along the line of three dollars. Maybe five at most. But a hundred? By the time you had processed what had happened he was walking away from the cash register. “Wait— Shouto...sir! I think you accidentally gave me the wrong amount.”
He shook his head, only briefly turning back to face you. “Nope. It’s for you,” he said simply. “I’m looking forward to the cheese danishes.”
His words left you stunned, but the next customer in line tapped their foot impatiently, signaling it was now time for you to take their order. You hoped the line died down before Shouto left the cafe so you could return the tip, but seeing as how the queue almost extended out the door, you had the sinking feeling that wouldn’t be a possibility.
“Hello, I can take the next customer in line!” you recited cheerfully, mind still occupied by thoughts of your last encounter.
The next few orders went along uneventfully (though you did manage to sell two more cheese danishes) and by the time Shouto got his coffee and pastry boxes, you still had a handful more customers to get through.
“Pardon me real quick,” you said apologetically to the woman in front of you. “Please give me one moment?”
She graced you with a nod and you thanked the stars above for an understanding patron.
“Wait— Excuse me, sir!” You waved in Shouto’s direction before he could exit the cafe. He glanced at you curiously but walked over. In a hushed voice, you said, “I really appreciate the tip, but there’s no way I could accept this much money from you!”
For the first time today, you say the hints of a frown on his face. “You cannot?”
“No! $100 is a lot! You already bought $40 worth of cheese danish pastries— Are you sure you meant to give that big of a tip?”
“Of course.” He took a sip of his coffee with a satisfied hum. “You getting up at such an early hour to take people’s orders with a kind attitude isn’t easy. Plus, trying to build rapport with each of them all while keeping the interacting swift is a difficult task itself. And it’s probably worth more than your current pay, the $100 tip, and then some.”
You blinked, stunned by his words. This man kept surprising you so many times in just one morning.
“I find it ridiculous how certain occupations are paid an ungodly amount more than others, especially when a lot of it comes from privileges you were born into.” Shouto seemed to mumble the last bit to himself, but you were still able to understand what he said. “It’s bullshit.” Before you could respond, he recollected himself. “Eat the rich, right? All that to say, please accept the tip. You deserve it. And I promise it’s of no detriment to me, so please don’t feel bad.”
Seeing the determined look on his face, you couldn’t help but stare at him before nodding. He didn’t say anything you didn’t already believe yourself, and if someone really wanted to give you $100, you weren’t going to fight them on it. Think of all the dumplings you could buy, you told yourself.
“T-Thank you then.” You gingerly placed the folded bill back into your pants pocket. “I think that was really insightful of you and I’m very grateful.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled before glancing towards the exit. “I’m running a bit late for work now, so I should be going. Have a good day, Y/N.”
“You too, Shouto. And… Thank you again!”
With a glowing expression on your face, you walked back to the cash register ready to face the day and talk to more lovely customers!
“Hey, little barista!” a gruff voice called from the line, snapping you out of your stupor. “Hurry it up already before you force me to complain to your manager.”
You internally sighed. You understood they were in a rush, but they still had no right to be that rude.
“Can you even hear me? Or are you too incompetent?”
Cue another internal sigh.
Yeah, okay. Maybe you did deserve this $100 tip.
Regardless of the rude customers that may have come in, at least you had your thoughts of a cute, kind businessman who went by the name of Shouto to get you through your shift. And you could only hope you’d be able to see him again.
a/n: the end of part one folks!! oh what i’d give to have gotten a tip like this when i worked as a barista BAHAHA only in my dreams. i hope you enjoyed this little intro part and are excited for what’s to come !! :3
what to expect in the next part:
~maybe~ y/n will see shouto again and,,perhaps,,get more tips from him idk who knows
old lady imparts some...helpful(?) advice
we briefly get to see shouto’s pov! ;D
#bnha x reader#bnha#bnha imagines#bnha fanfiction#mha#mha x reader#mha imagines#mha fanfiction#boku no hero academia#my hero academia#todoroki shouto#todoroki x reader#shouto x reader#todoroki shouto x reader#todoroki shoto x reader#bnha fluff#bnha scenarios#mha scenarios#todoroki imagines#bnha x you#bnha x y/n#todoroki x y/n#shoto todoroki x reader#shoto todoroki#bnha todoroki
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Burn The Witch 6 - The First Date [Bucky Barnes x Reader]
A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s a surprise chapter to celebrate TFATWS starting, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤
Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.
Summary: First dates can end in strange ways.
Series Masterlist
Every agent in your division knew the Winter Soldier, the unstoppable assassin, the infamous ghost story, the man who had been fighting for over 80 years. He was a legend, and meeting him was something you were all taught to avoid ever since the espionage world had found out about his existence.
The last time, a whole team of heavily armed soldiers were sent to take him down and he had managed to disarm every single one of them without even needing a weapon. So theoretically if you were to send an agent to meet him, you would probably make sure that agent carried about a thousand weapons and preferably went there in a bulletproof vehicle.
Instead, you were told to wear a cute dress for the first date.
Lovely.
“How come I can’t wear any of my clothes?” you asked, pressing the phone to your ear as you took a look at all the dresses lying on your bed.
“Not that your sniper outfits aren’t hot, but wearing them to your first date with the Winter Soldier might not be the brightest idea.”
You heaved a sigh, “I still can’t believe you changed my whole wardrobe when I was outside, Chloe. What was wrong with my usual clothes?”
“They’re not what your cover would wear.”
“Uh huh.”
“Pick the one with those small flowers on it,” Chloe said, “Mini dress, chiffon. Cream colored.”
You hummed and grabbed the hanger, then held it over your body.
“Are we sure?”
“Trust me. Perfect for the first date.”
“Did mini dresses exist back in his time?” Keith’s voice reached you, making you frown, “Or was he born in those times with those giant dresses?”
“Excuse me, why am I on speaker?” you asked, “Also Keith, what are you doing in the headquarters? I need you and the team ready to interfere anytime.”
“I’m not in the headquarters, I was grabbing coffee and Chloe wanted to come with me. No worries though, we’re around your area.”
“Are you insane?” you snapped, “You brought her to the field?”
“We’re just getting coffee—“
“Chloe, get back to the headquarters,” you insisted, “Now.”
“No! You have a date, Keith gets to relax at this new café, and three of us can barely spend time together nowadays!” Chloe said, “It’s always you guys who have the fun.”
“Honey I’m on a date with the Winter Soldier so that I can gather intel, Keith is going to be at that café because he and the team needs to be nearby in case my cover is blown,” you said patiently, getting into the dress, “It’s not like we’re hanging out without you.”
“Detail.”
“It’s not just a detail-“
“No I mean the security detail is ready.” Chloe cut you off, “I got my laptop with me, I hacked into the café’s wifi.”
You pinched the bridge of your nose, “You did what?”
“Yeah I figured I could use a change of scenery and Keith said yes.”
“Keith, I need you to listen to me carefully,” you said, “I’m going to kill you.”
“Y/N!”
“You can’t kill me.”
“Can’t I though?”
“Yeah you have a date, remember?”
You checked your wristwatch and cussed under your breath, rushing to put your shoes on.
“I put a small gadget into your wristwatch,” Chloe said, “I figured he’d recognize the ring if he saw it again. If you press the button there, the team will be called to your location shortly.”
“And if things get exciting, make sure to take the watch off,” Keith let out a laugh, “You don’t want us to interrupt your fun over an accident.”
“It’s just the first date, idiot.”
“Yeah and I’m—I’m sure there’s a rule against killing on the first date.” Chloe said, “Right?”
“Nah I killed a target on the first date before,” you mumbled, “But I wasn’t told to get into a relationship back then so… It’ll be different this time.”
“Try not to give the guy whiplash though, will you?” Keith said and you frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means dating etiquette changed since 1940s.”
“Oh don’t worry, I got that covered,” you said but your head shot up when you heard the doorbell ring. “I have to go.”
“Okay, but—“
“No time Keith,” you murmured, walking to the door. Your heart was pacing against your chest for some reason as if it was a real first date, and you swung the door open to reveal Bucky waiting for you at your doorstep. He put his hands into his leather jacket, taking in your appearance.
“You know what to do if you get in trouble.” Keith said and you hung up quickly to push your phone into your purse, smiling wide at Bucky.
“Hi!” you said, “Shall we?”
***
Now to think of it, the last time you had been on a date without carrying any weapons had to be ten years ago if not more. But you had clear orders for this one, your superiors were convinced that carrying any kind of gun or a dagger would alert him, even if you thought it was invisible to outsider eye.
After all, he was an assassin and looking for weapons on a person from miles away was second nature for assassins.
You would know.
“So you moved here a month ago and you just know one place?” he asked as you waited for the barista to prepare your coffee, “A coffee shop? That’s it?”
“I know a milkshake shop too.”
He tilted his head, “You mean where you work?”
“That still counts,” you defended yourself “But if you insist, I might let you show me around next time.”
“Please do,” he said, “Just a heads up though, there’s a huge possibility that most of the places I know has been closed down years ago.”
“Oh that’s okay,” you told him as the barista put your coffees in front of you. “We can explore the new sights together then.”
A smile graced his lips while he led you to the table furthest from the window facing the door and you had to suppress your grin.
You weren’t the only one who was scanning the cafe for possible emergency exits and safest spots after all. Sitting by the window was a civilian mistake because in case of a shooting, you’d be in the clear sight for the shooter.
You had a feeling not many people considered that possibility on a first date.
“That sounds good,” he pulled your chair for you and you paused only for a moment before taking your seat.
Right. Born in a different era.
He took off his leather jacket and your gaze wandered off to his vibranium arm before snapping back to his eyes. He was watching you with his brows slightly raised, as if waiting to see your reaction.
“Sorry!” You said quickly, “I’m sorry, I just…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Bucky—“
“Really,” he assured you, “Don’t worry.”
You took a deep breath, pushing your behind your ear.
“So, it’s good to meet in a place that looks like it belongs to 21st century isn’t it?”
He hissed in a breath, a mischievous light glimmering in his blue eyes “Do you want me to be honest?”
“Brutally honest.”
“I would be lying if I said I don’t miss the uniform.”
Your jaw dropped before a smile spread over your lips, “Look at that,” you said, “Told you you weren’t rusty.”
He chuckled, “I’d hope not.”
“And hey, if you miss how it was back then, some things aren’t that different than 40s,” you said, cradling the warm cup in your hands. He tilted his head.
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
“Like what?”
“You know, I’m glad you asked because I actually did research in case it came up.”
He lowered his cup, “You did what?”
“Um… do you promise not to be intimidated if I am brutally honest?”
He leaned in, eyes locked to yours, “Cross my heart.”
“I did research,” you nodded, making him let out a small laugh. “No wait, listen— I just… I didn’t google you or stalk you over Instagram so I had to prepare myself in a different way.”
“I know some of those words,” he pointed out and you took a deep breath.
“It means I didn’t look you up.” you said, “When I was sixteen, I promised myself I wouldn’t look anyone up before the first date but that rule doesn’t extend to doing general research.”
“You didn’t look me up?” he asked and you shook your head.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I like getting to know people on my own,” you said, “I’m not really interested in people’s pasts, does that make sense?”
He stared at you for a couple of seconds, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Maybe not,” you admitted, “But I’ll do it anyway. Trusting people is kind of my thing, past or not. I’d rather be mistaken than prejudiced.”
A silence fell upon him as if he was astounded and you rested your chin on your fist, keeping your eyes on him.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said after a beat, “Nothing at all.”
“So—anyways, some things aren’t that different,” you said, leaning back, “Some details, that is. People still— we still go to movie theatres, that was a big thing back then too right?”
“Oh absolutely,” he said, “For first dates too.”
“We still wear hats sometimes,” you counted with your fingers, “Some people still prefer to call their partners daddy—in a different context, don’t google that— and we still have jello.”
“I heard about that,” he mused, a playful smile on his lips, “The jello, that is.”
You grinned, scrunching up your nose.
“So yeah. There’s your crash course.”
“I appreciate it,” he said with a chuckle, “And hey, if it makes you feel any better I didn’t google you either.”
“Because you don’t know how?”
“Because I don’t know how,” he admitted, “I should probably start making a list, I keep asking Sam about some pretty common information.”
“Really?”
“Yeah I mean—for example, I don’t know if it’s still acceptable to bring a gal-a girl,” he corrected himself and cleared his throat, “Flowers for the first date.”
“You were going to bring me flowers?”
“Yeah! Yeah . I was going to actually, then Sam said it was old fashioned. Sharon said it was a good idea, but…”
You furrowed your brows, “Okay let me get this straight, you listened to your friend who’s a guy and not your other friend who’s a girl. About what girls like on the first date.”
A look of realization dawned on his face, “That might not have been the brightest idea now that you mentioned it.”
“No disrespect to Captain America but he might need to work on his romance skills,” you pointed out and took a sip of your coffee.
“How about you?” he asked, “What’s your story?”
I was recruited at the age of 16, just last year I took down a whole team of bad guys all by myself, I could probably kill someone in 5 different ways using this coffee cup and spoon alone.
Or not.
You had been over this. You had a full file back at home filled with details of your new identity, designed to look unsuspicious.
“There’s not much to tell I’m afraid,” you muttered, “I grew up in a small town. Everyone knew each other, and I thought it was nice, until my grandmother passed away. Then there were way too many people asking me if I was okay. In the grocery store, on my way to work… I just wanted to get away.”
“I know the feeling,” he said softly and you nodded.
Of course he did. This whole identity was fabricated for him after all.
“So I figured I could move away,” you said, “There was nothing to keep me there after all. I lost my parents when I was little, that was the reason why my grandmother took me in.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh don’t be,” you said quickly, “Really. They just….”
My mom died in a car crash when I was 5, and one day I came home from school and my father was nowhere to be found.
Neither was his suitcase.
You had to give it to him, he had bothered to write you a note. If you could call that a note.
The infamous genius scientist had nothing to say other than he was sorry. You had burned that note that night, along with every picture in the family album.
“There was a car accident,” you tried to smile, ignoring the bitter taste at the back of your throat, “Drunk driver, came out of nowhere. They both died on impact, that’s what everyone says. I don’t remember them much.”
A silence fell upon you for a moment and you took a deep breath.
“Anyways,” you managed to say, “Enough about me. What about you?”
He paused before turning the cup between his hands, “That’s kind of a long story,” he said, making you arch a brow to shoot him a look.
“Well as it happens, my milkshake making schedule just cleared out.” you stated, making him smile, “We have unlimited coffee and time. Bring it on.”
***
Well, you didn’t know what you had expected but it wasn’t this. Considering he was under the impression that you were a civilian, of course he didn’t tell you any gory or top secret details but he didn’t try to make himself look innocent either, or any different than he was.
He was as sincere as an ex-assassin could be.
Cover or not, this was probably the best date you had ever been. In fact, after the first half an hour you almost forgot that it was fake, that you were supposed to dig for information instead of enjoying yourself.
You were still playing your part but it didn’t exactly feel like work.
“So no to motorcycles?” Bucky asked as you turned around to look at him better while you walked backwards.
“No to motorcycles!” you exclaimed, “Those things are deathtraps.”
“So when you said you couldn’t get on it because of your dress….”
“It wasn’t a complete lie,” you motioned at your dress, “Half because of the dress, half because I don’t want to die.”
“Do you seriously believe I’d let that happen?”
“Maybe.”
“Mmm and what was it you said earlier?” he taunted you, “About trusting people?”
“I trust people,” you insisted, “I don’t trust death machines, there’s a difference.”
Well, he didn’t need to know you had a motorcycle in Chloe’s garage.
“Here we are,” you pointed at the building standing a couple of feet away from you, “My apartment. See, I told you it was close. No reason for putting our lives in danger when we can just walk.”
“Does that mean I can’t show you around the city the next time?”
“On a motorcycle?”
“Mm hm.”
“I don’t—that’s a terrible….” You heaved a dramatic sigh, “Hypothetically speaking, what would I get in return?”
His smile was calm, almost amused, “What do you want to get in return?”
You crossed your arms, looking up at the sky as if you were deep in thought, completely aware of his gaze on you.
“Flowers,” you said after a beat, “I didn’t even know they were an option but now that I know, I want flowers.”
“Is that it?” he asked, “It’s ‘a death machine’, but flowers are enough to convince you?”
“Depends,” you mused silkily, a complete opposite of the wide-eyed look in your eyes as you batted your lashes, “What else do you want me to want?”
A shadow moved behind his gaze only for a moment before it disappeared again but it was more than enough time for you to see it, and that was when you realized that there was a reason why Chloe had sent you that file.
Bucky Barnes wasn’t completely a stammering love-struck puppy when it came to flirting. While it was true that he could be a little rusty –you didn’t know how he was back in the 40s-, he also knew when to stop talking to see how far you would go in this game.
He was letting you play and think you were in control before making his move.
Patience of a sniper.
“Um- thank- thank you for tonight,” you said, averting your glances as if you were embarrassed under his gaze, playing it coy, “I had so much fun.”
“Me too,” he said, “The next one will include flowers, I promise.”
You let out a nervous giggle and stepped closer to him before you stood on your tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his cheek. He inhaled your scent deeply, probably not even aware of what he was doing but you tried to hide your smile.
It was on the file Chloe had prepared about him. Bucky Barnes liked the scent of vanilla.
“Be careful riding that death machine,” you told him, biting on your lip before you made your way to the building. You hopped on the stairs to push the exterior door to get into the building, and pressed a hand on your chest, closing your eyes.
Why were you so giddy all of a sudden?
You threw your shoulders back and got into the elevator to press on the button to your floor. As soon as the elevator started to move, your reflection in the mirror caught your attention and you tilted your head.
Chloe had a point, it was a nice dress.
The elevator made a small noise and the doors slid open for you to pass, but when you entered the hall you stopped dead on your tracks. There were four agents waiting on your doorstep and before you could question what was happening, one of the doors in the hallways opened and Keith stepped out.
“Be careful riding that death machine?” he asked, “I could tell you the same thing but you didn’t invite him up here.”
“I wasn’t wearing a wire, how did you-?”
“We had a car around the corner just in case,” he said “You’d be surprised how far we can hear with these new gadgets.”
“I told everyone we can’t—“ you stopped yourself, taking a deep breath. “What are you doing here and why are there agents at my doorstep?”
He grinned at you, “How do you feel about being neighbors?”
“I feel fuck no about it, and why are there agents—“
“General is waiting for you in your apartment.”
Your heart dropped to your stomach, “What?” you asked as you walked past him and opened the door to your apartment, then stepped in.
“General?” you rasped out as you walked into the living room to find him there, sitting by himself.
“Shrike,” he greeted you, “Good evening.”
You tried to smile, “Good evening sir.”
“I wanted to see how the mission was going,” he said, “Your team says it’s been very successful so far.”
“It’s going according to plan sir, yes.”
“This was what, your first date?”
You licked your dry lips, commanding yourself to be calm. “Yes.”
He hummed and stood up, running a hand over his gray beard, his eyes darting around the room.
“Y/N,” he murmured, making your head shot up at hearing your name instead of your alias. “It’s possible that the last time we talked face to face about your mission, I came across a little…uncaring. I want you to know that it’s not easy for me either.”
You stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
“You’re like a daughter to me,” he said, “For me, putting you on this mission was no different than sending Chloe into Barnes’s bed. Granted you have an edge and proper training for field missions like these unlike her, but…”
Right. Manipulation of Enemy.
A.k.a the seduction class.
Your superior had almost failed you in that class.
“But all your superiors in the division is aware of your success so far,” he said, “There has been no hiccups, nothing to alert him which is a surprise. You’re playing your role well, and we will keep that in mind after this mission is over. You’re at the top of our list for possible handlers.”
For the first time in your life, that didn’t make you fill with excitement for some reason. You frowned at yourself and plastered a smile on your face.
“Thank you sir.”
“Anything you would like to report so far?”
“I’m going slowly in order to make sure I gain his trust,” you said, “But sir, there’s a reason why I didn’t even wear my earpiece tonight. Barnes is a pro, anything could make him suspicious and putting agents in cars to listen to us… That could go wrong.”
“You want to be completely alone on this mission?”
“I still want to have my team, but I want them to be completely invisible. I already have a tracker and an emergency signal on my wristwatch, but unless I specifically call for them, they need to be away. I can’t risk anyone compromising my cover, even if it’s unintentional by my team.”
He thought for a moment, “I see,” he said, “You make a good point. I’ll make the necessary adjustments.”
“Thank you General.”
He squeezed your upper arm as if trying to assure you and walked to the door, then turned around.
“Shrike?”
“Yes sir?”
“You’ve heard what happened to Marco, right?” he asked, “He was one of our best agents but got too involved in his seduction mission.”
You swallowed thickly, “I heard he’s missing.”
A small smile pulled at his lips, “That’s right. He was removed from his mission, then went missing.”
Killed.
He was killed by the agency when he fell for his target and both of you knew that.
“That’s unfortunate,” you managed to say and he nodded.
“It is,” he said, “Don’t make the same mistake. Actions have consequences.”
With that, he left your apartment and you let out a breath as you fell back to sit on the couch, your hands shaking.
“Yeah,” you muttered to yourself, “Yeah they do.”
Chapter 7
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x reader#tfatws#the falcon and the winter soldier#falcon and the winter soldier#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes imagines#bucky barnes x you#bucky x you#bucky x reader#the winter soldier#the winter soldier x reader
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Background: Vikkstar and Lazarbeam are perhaps the MOST simple, humble, fortunate and MOST unfortunate of the inhabitants of the land. They met, became BFFS, had a life together and after leaving the civilized area to distance themselves from the government, Dream and Punz used them as guinea pigs to experiment with the Revival Book. After having been killed many times over, Dream give them their final rest, or so he thought. Their souls traveled into the Limbo in shambles and hey had no rest even after that. Filled with bitterness and despair, they were about to become something terrifying. However, something or someone felt their ply and succeeded at taking a hold on their souls. It took time, but Both of them woke up in different bodies. “Wake up my amazing creations.” Said a voice from the dark. Vikk and Lazar were both scared for they could not move or speak but were there, alive, somehow. “Do not worry, i just saw your predicament and decided to help you in exchange for a favor, that is. Bring me the man that killed you so many times to me.” Both of them soon shifted their anger toward the image of Dream, their new bodies screaming for vengeance. “Yes, that’s the spirit! All I ask is simple: Bring it to me alive. You can keep the new bodies i gave you. Do we have a deal?” Both of them saw a HUGE opportunity they could not refuse: pound Dream before bringing to him, kill Punz along the way AND have a new life. That was the beast thing they could hope for. They were made stood up as their new bodies got activated, magic, metal and gingerbread churned in their bodies and saw themselves inside something unbelievable, a large robot(?) body. “I also took a little precaution: since there might be a risk of having you killed again, i made an anchor for you here. No matter how many times you get destroyed, your soul will com back here where i can upgrade you to turn the life of your victim into a nightmare. You will have no need for sleep, rest, food or water to give them no rest. You are welcome. Now go, and give him a reason not to sleep at night!” They soon reached a corridor where they crossed a familiar face, the green warden Awsamdude. “Wait, Vikk? Lazar? Is that you?” Sam was genuinely surprised to find them in the same structure he spawned in. “I guess we have a lot to catch up. And a Green Man to hunt. But first, let’s set you with a voice module, yes?” They both clenched their fists with trepidation.
Vikkstar123 AKA “Vickey” Vikk Big V CR17
Unique Variant Magnetite golem (Lifespark Construct, Advanced, Cleric Creature)
N Large construct Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +26
DEFENSE
AC 31, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (+0 Dex, +22 natural, –1 size) hp 132 (19d10+30) Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +15 DR 10/adamantine and bludgeoning; Immune construct traits, magic
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft. Melee 2 slams +45 (2d10+15 plus cursed wound), Integrated Defensive Polarity hammer+49/+49 2d6+19/2d6+19.
Ranged +20 Integrated Iron bands of binding. Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks Inescapable Grip, Magnetic Disarm
STATISTICS
Str 40, Dex 10, Con —, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 16 Base Atk +19; CMB +36; CMD 52
Feats: Great fortitude, Iron will, Lighting reflexes, Improved initiative, Power attack, Track, Multiattack, Snatch, Quicken spell-like ability(2).
Skills: Craft(Armors and weapons) +20, Knowledge (Religion)+13, (Planes)+13, Linguistics+3, Perception+26, Sense motive+20, Spellcraft+12.
Languages: Common, Orc, Aquan, Hallit, Draconic.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Immunity to magic (Ex)
A clay golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
Any spell that deals fire damage instead disables the magnetite golem’s inescapable grip, magnetic disarm, and magnetic field for 1d4 rounds, with no saving throw.
Any magical attack that deals electricity damage heals 1 point of damage for every 3 point of damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal HP, it gains excess temporary HP. A magnetite golem receives no saving throw against electricity effects.
Inescapable Grip (Ex) Whenever a magnetite golem hits a metallic creature or a creature wearing metal armor with its slam attack, it attempts to grapple the creature as a free action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. If a magnetite golem successfully grapples such a creature, it partially adheres to the golem’s body, and the golem needs only one arm to maintain the grapple. In these instances, a magnetite golem may still make a single slam attack on its turn with its remaining arm.
Magnetic Disarm (Su) Whenever a magnetite golem hits a creature wielding a metal weapon with its slam attack, it attempts to disarm the weapon as a free action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. If the golem successfully disarms a metal weapon, the weapon sticks to the golem’s magnetic body rather than dropping to the ground. The golem is considered to have possession of the weapon, and the weapon must be retrieved using a disarm combat maneuver.
Magnetic Field (Su) A magnetite golem is surrounded by a magnetic field, which pulls all metallic creatures and objects toward it. At the start of a magnetite golem’s turn, as a free action that doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, the golem attempts a combat maneuver check against every creature within 30 feet that is connected to a piece of metal. Affected creatures include (but are not limited to) metallic creatures, creatures wearing metal armor, and creatures wielding metal weapons. If the golem succeeds at its combat maneuver against a creature, the affected creature is pulled 10 feet closer to the golem, and can’t move away from the golem during its next round. The magnetic field is stronger than gravity, and can pull creatures off the ground. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Unattended Large or smaller metal objects automatically travel toward magnetite golem at a rate of 10 feet per round. This magnetism is supernatural in nature and affects all metal objects.
Lifespark construct traits
Self repair 37 rounds/day 5HP/round.
SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES CL19th (Concentration +24)
Channel energy (Lv17th Cleric 6/day)
Cleric spells Dc15 Cl19th 2/4/3/3/3/3/2/1
CL19th 2/day overland flight 10/day Grease (Both quickened)
Combat gear: Integrated Large Defensive Polarity hammer +4/+4, 2 Integrated Iron bands of binding.
Lazarbeam AKA “Lannah” the Melon Gingerboy CR17
Unique Variant Clay golem (Lifespark Construct, Advanced, Cleric Creature)
N Large construct Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +25
DEFENSE
AC 31, touch 8, flat-footed 24 (+0 Dex, +22 natural, –1 size) hp 101 (21d10+40) Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +11 DR 10/adamantine and bludgeoning; Immune construct traits, magic
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft. Melee 2 slams +19 (2d10+7 plus cursed wound), +20 Integrated Iron bands of binding.
Ranged+23 Integrated Limning cannon 6d8+4
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks berserk, haste
STATISTICS
Str 32, Dex 10, Con —, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 14 Base Atk +19; CMB +30; CMD 37
Feats: Great fortitude, Iron will, Lighting reflexes, Improved initiative, Power attack, Track, Multiattack, Snatch, Quicken spell-like ability(2).
Skills: Craft(Sculpture) +24, Knowledge (Religion)+14, (Planes)+14, Linguistics+3, Perception+25, Sense motive+25, Spellcraft+22.
Languages: Common, Orc, Aquan, Hallit, Draconic.
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Berserk (Ex)
When a clay golem enters combat, there is a cumulative 1% chance each round that its elemental spirit breaks free and the golem goes berserk. This chance resets to 0% after one minute of inactivity. A berserk golem attacks the nearest living creature or smashes some object smaller than itself if no creature is within reach. Once it goes berserk, no known method can reestablish control.
Cursed Wound (Ex)
The damage a clay golem deals doesn’t heal naturally and resists magical healing. A character attempting to use magical healing on a creature damaged by a clay golem must succeed on a DC 29 caster level check, or the healing has no effect on the injured creature.
Haste (Su)
After it has engaged in at least 1 round of combat, a clay golem can haste itself once per day as a free action. The effect lasts 3 rounds and is otherwise the same as the spell.
Immunity to Magic (Ex)
A clay golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
A move earth spell drives the golem back 120 feet and deals 3d12 points of damage to it (no save).
A disintegrate spell slows the golem (as the slow spell) for 1d6 rounds and deals 1d12 points of damage (no save).
An earthquake spell cast directly at a clay golem stops it from moving on its next turn and deals 5d10 points of damage (no save).
Any magical attack against a clay golem that deals acid damage heals 1 point of damage for every 3 points of damage it would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the golem to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points. A clay golem gets no saving throw against magical attacks that deal acid damage.
Lifespark construct traits (Ex)
Gingerbread body (Ex)
Self repair (Ex) 37 rounds/day 5HP/round.
SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES CL19th (Concentration +24)
Channel energy (Lv17th Cleric 6/day)
Cleric spells Dc15 Cl19th 2/4/3/3/3/3/2/1
CL19th 2/day overland flight 10/day Grease (Both quickened)
Combat gear: Integrated Limning Cannon+4, 50+4 Sticky Cannon balls, Integrated Bag of holding, 2 Integrated Iron bands of binding, 50 bags of flour.
Link for the image: https://youtu.be/spvaHR0H5LA
#dream smp#lazarbeam#vikkstar123#pathifnder#Pathfinder Roleplaying Game#minecraft#minecraft golem#golem
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i wish you would
choi yeonjun x gender neutral! reader
exes to ??? || 2.3k
I’ve started this new thing where I put all of taylor swift’s songs on shuffle and write a fic based off the first one that comes on (let's see how long this lasts lmao) - this is the first one uwu
summary: after impulsively breaking up with yeonjun, you realize that was the stupidest decision you’ve ever made and spend the rest of your week wishing you could have him back (idk just go listen to the song)
“I can’t do this anymore.” Your voice is so quiet, you aren’t even sure Yeonjun can hear it through the phone.
“Is this because of last night?” He asks. “I’m sorry y/n, I know you’re busy with school. I didn’t think you’d want to come.”
“No.” You don’t mind that he went to a party without you. He’s right, you would have said no anyway. “I heard you were getting a little too friendly with some people.”
“Are you jealous?” He sounds shocked. “We’ve been together for 2 years, you know I would never cheat on you.”
“I know,” you reassure him. “I’m just worried.”
“Worried about what?” His voice is softer now.
You wish you were having this conversation in person so you could see his facial expressions, but you’re so upset. You had to talk to him as soon as your friend called you. You’d already been insecure about your relationship these past few weeks. When you heard that your boyfriend was flirting with her, your anxiety got even worse.
“I know you love me,” you say slowly, sitting down on your bed. “But we haven’t seen each other in a week, Yeonjun. Maybe you don’t miss me as much as I miss you.”
“I can’t believe you would even think that. I don’t want anyone but you.”
“I’m sorry,” you tell him. “I just miss you.”
“I know baby,” he sounds just as upset as you. “I’m sorry too.”
“What do we do?” You grab the plushie on your bed. He won it for you at some carnival you went to ages ago. You’ve been sleeping with it ever since.
“What do you want to do?” Yeonjun asks. “In my head, I know you’re right. I can’t see you as often as I used to, but I don’t want to leave you.”
The thought of more nights like these makes you want to cry. Just a few months ago, you were spending all your time at his house. Staying up until 2am talking about everything was your normal. Then all of a sudden work and school and countless other things popped up and now everything’s fallen apart. Yeonjun’s been a constant in your life for the past two years, even longer, but the two of you can’t keep up with it anymore.
Not being a part of his day breaks your heart. Hearing about what he’s up to from other people hurts even more. You don’t know if you can handle that. You’ve already drifted apart. Staying together might just make things worse.
“I think we should break up.”
“y/n no,” he whispers. “Please don’t.”
“I can’t-”
“Can I see you? Right now?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Yeonjun only lives a few streets over. It would take him less than 5 minutes to get to your house.
“Why not?” He asks.
“I’ll cry.” Your voice gets even smaller. You hug your plushie tighter, trying to ignore the fact that it smells like him.
“y/n, I just want to give you a hug.”
“No,” you tell him, surprised at how firm you sound. “No,” you say again, softer. “I can’t handle that right now, I might change my mind.”
“I want you to change your mind.”
“Yeonjun, come on,” you sigh. This would be so much easier if he agreed with you. “I don’t want to drag this on any longer than necessary.” He stays quiet for a few seconds.
“Okay,” he says, finally. “If you want to split up, that’s okay.”
“Are you sure?” You ask. Part of you hopes he’ll fight with you and tell you he’s not leaving. Another part of you is relieved.
“No,” he admits. “Are you?”
“No.” That’s when the tears start to fall. You have no idea if you’re doing the right thing. The two of you have had conversations like this before, but none of them have been this serious. You’ve always been able to quickly resolve your issues, but you don’t think that’s possible this time. “But it’s for the best.”
“Sure, y/n.”
“Thanks.” You don’t know what to say. Yeonjun’s your first boyfriend, and this is your first breakup. You hope he can’t hear you crying through the phone.
“I’ll come pick up my things later,” he sounds like he might cry too. “I’ll text you.”
You nod, then realize he can’t see you.
“Okay.”
“I guess there’s nothing else to say then.”
“No, not from me.”
“Me too.”
“Bye Yeonjun.” You don’t even try to hide your sniffles at this point.
“Bye y/n,” he replies. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
You hang up before he can say anything else.
===
You’re sitting on the floor with Yeonjun’s sweater wrapped around you. It’s been a week since you spoke to him. He hasn’t picked his things up yet, which you’re grateful for. That’s when the breakup will be real. You wish it wasn’t. If you could go back in time, you never would have hung up the phone that night.
You’ve been up at 2am countless times, thinking about Yeonjun, being with Yeonjun, but here you are, missing him instead. Every time you see headlights through your window, you pray it’s him. When your phone lights up, you hope you’ll pick up and hear his voice.
You would call him yourself, but you have a strong feeling he hates you. Ending your relationship was a stupid decision. You shouldn’t have done it in the heat of the moment. The two of you have been through so much together, surely you could make it through this rough patch. That’s what you tell yourself.
You can’t help but wonder if he’s thinking the same thing.
===
Yeonjun hasn’t been himself since you broke up. After that phone call, he locks himself in his room for days, refusing to speak to anyone. He ignores all his friends’ messages, unable to bring himself to talk to anyone. The only person he wants to speak to is you.
There are so many things he wishes he had done differently. He should’ve been more affectionate. He should’ve told you he loved you more often. He should’ve tried harder and been better. And he definitely shouldn’t have flirted with everyone. He knows it upset you but it’s just in his nature. He didn’t mean to push your buttons like that. No wonder it’s what broke you.
He contemplates showing up at your door every day, every hour even. But he’s scared you won’t answer, or that you’ll slam the door in his face. Maybe you’d yell and cuss him out for bothering you. He doesn’t know if it’s smarter to try and win you back or to just move on and forget you.
Yeonjun can’t sleep tonight, too consumed with all the memories of you. Earlier, he found a birthday card you wrote him early on in your relationship. You signed it with “love, y/n.” Although he’d never admit it, it made him cry then. It makes him cry even more now.
All he knows is that he needs fresh air. He runs downstairs, grabs his car keys and leaves. He doesn’t know where he’s going, he just needs to get out.
Now it’s 2am and he’s driving past your house.
He’s spent countless days there, in your room, falling in love with you over and over again. Since you split up, he’s been driving by your house every day. He doesn’t have the courage to walk up to your door. He can’t even find it in himself to call you.
He puts his foot down, speeding up to get past your house quicker. He’s going 70 in a 40 but he doesn’t care. This is the last time he’ll do this, he tells himself.
But as Yeonjun pulls onto his own driveway, he hesitates. Maybe it was the card, he’s not sure. He can’t get your smile out of his head.
Something makes him put the car into reverse.
===
You know it’s late, but you need fresh air. Whenever you felt this way before, Yeonjun would take you for a walk around the block. He said it would help clear your head. He was right.
All the reminders of him are still in your room. You don’t have the energy to put everything away. It scares you to imagine life without him. But sitting alone with those memories feels just as terrible.
Stuffing your phone in your pocket, you sneak down the stairs and outside, hoping no one will hear you.
It’s weird being out here without him. You miss holding his hand and making him laugh. If you’re being honest, you miss everything about him. He’s everywhere you look, constantly in your mind.
While you think, a car comes speeding by, making you jump. Your immediate thought is to call Yeonjun. Whenever you were out by yourself, he would always come pick you up right away. You wish he would do that now. You felt so safe with him. Now, you just feel alone.
Checking your phone, you see it’s 2:15. You pull your sweater tighter around you. Yeonjun will probably come get it soon. It’s one of his favourites.
As you turn around and start walking back to your house, your phone rings. You glance at it, expecting it to be a random number.
When you see Yeonjun’s name, you almost drop your phone. Once you answer, you don’t even know what to say.
“y/n.” You almost start crying. It’s only been a week, but it feels like a lifetime since you’ve heard his voice. “Why are you out so late?”
“What do you mean?” You stop walking, wondering how he knows you’re out.
“I can see you by the stop sign.” Your head whips around, scanning the area, looking for him. “I’m on your left.”
You spot him, a few metres away, standing right by his car. When he notices you looking, he starts walking in your direction. You can’t move. Part of you thinks this might just be a dream.
Once he’s in front of you, it takes all your strength not to throw yourself into his arms. You end the call, putting your phone back in your pocket.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he says.
“Hm?” You can’t form a coherent though, you’re just so shocked to see him again.
“Why are you out right now?”
“Why are you out?” He laughs at how you avoid the question.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
You have to kiss him. Right now. The second your lips are on his, his arms wrap around you, pulling you closer. You missed this. You missed him.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you either,” you whisper when you pull away. Yeonjun’s still holding you tight.
“It’s been a terrible week,” you admit.
“I know, right?” He kisses you again. “I’m sorry, y/n.”
“Why are you sorry? I should be apologizing.” He shakes his head.
“I’m such a terrible boyfriend, I should have-”
“You came back.” You cut him off right away. “I pushed you away, but you came back.”
“I did.”
“Thank you,” you say quietly.
“I missed you too much.” You nod, agreeing with him.
Another car speeds past as the two of you stand there, in each other’s arms. That’s when you remember how late it is.
“What do we do now?”
“Let me take you home.” He unwraps himself from you, taking your hand instead. Once your fingers are interlaced, you give him a squeeze. He smiles.
“y/n, promise me something,” Yeonjun says as you walk over to his car.
“Sure.”
“Never leave me again.” You roll your eyes as he opens the passenger side door for you, but you still give him a kiss.
“Don’t worry,” you tell him. “I won’t.”
He holds your hand the entire way back to your house. Normally you would scold him, telling him how unsafe that is, even if it is a short trip. You don’t mind it today.
When he drops you off on your porch, you beg him to come inside. He laughs and tells you no.
“I’ll see you tomorrow y/n.”
“For sure?” He holds out his pinky so you do the same. Once he pinky swears, you smile.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that-”
“Don’t make me break up with you again.” His eyes go wide. “What?”
“So we’re back together then?”
“Um,” you hesitate. “Yes?”
“Good.” He kisses your cheek. “That’s what I wanted.” You smile up at him, glad to have him back. You really meant it when you said you wouldn’t leave him again.
“Me too.”
#txt#tomorrow x together#tomorrow by together#yeonjun#yeonjun scenario#yeonjun imagine#txt scenario#txt imagine#kpop#fluff#yeonjun scenarios#yeonjun imagines#txt scenarios#txt imagines#choi yeonjun#besties help me I can't stop writing#that probably explains why this ending is SHIT but it be like that sometimes I guess#anyway stan txt and stan taylor#idk if anyone reads my tags BUT if you do and if you want to you should send me a song and an idol#I want ideas#I say that like I don't have a thousand wips to finish smh#I am: dumb
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Through a Golden Lens (pt 1)
⤷ pairing - hawks x (fem) reader
⤷ fandom - bnha
⤷ warnings - some language, hawks flirting, reader’s cynicism
⤷ summary - reader is a bitter, overworked photographer at a hero press agency with little patience for her newly assigned muse- hawks
⤷ word count - 4.5k+
⤷ notes - i have lots of ideas so this is probably going to be a multi-part series. also new to tumblr so this might not be the best
⤷ pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4, pt 5, pt 6
“Mr. Hawks! Please look this way!” his heavy lidded eyes rolled to the side as another blinding flash burned through his vision.
“You look perfect, thank you!” it was hard to smile for their benefit, but he managed. Hawks had attended countless of these events for the press. It had been exhilarating at first, with the rush of adrenaline from the cameras and the lights and the endless stream of compliments solidifying his place in the public eye.
Nowadays, it was less thrilling. After a while, they all seemed the same- each one blurring into a senseless flare of cameras and hollow accolades.
He was bored, to say the least.
“Mr Hawks, would you like to come and see? I’d love to hear your opinion on this set!” with a practiced, easy smirk he nodded. It was easier to pander to the artist than to criticise their work.
He looked good, but when did he not? The shoots were easy to glide through. All he had to do was pull a boyish grin, ‘make love to the camera’ as the photographers always liked to spout. It didn’t really matter what he did: the public would eat up anything with his face slapped on to the front. They all looked the same to him, anyway.
“Looks good,” he wondered why people were so easily satiated by shallow praises, but as he stared at the younger lady’s blush, he couldn’t help but realise that maybe it was him who had something to do with it.
Hawks couldn’t help his gaze from drifting to the door. His skin prickled in the humidity of all the moving bodies in one enclosed space and he longed to take a step outside and stretch his wings in a way that wasn’t to pose for a magazine.
For a moment, he felt like his prayers had been answered when the door opened, letting in a stream of natural light to breach the artificiality of the modelling room.
”(L/N)! You were supposed to be here over three hours ago!” the woman in front of him exclaimed, ripping the camera away from his view and marching to the figure that appeared in the light. He blinked in surprise: this entire shoot he hadn’t heard her raise her voice above anything but a low mumble when conversing with him, and now she was positively fuming.
You stared down at your co-worker through honey-tinted shades, expression unamused.
“Yeah, and I was also supposed to be out of this job three years ago. We don’t all do what we’re supposed to, cupcake.”
For a moment, Hawks thought you were a model. Tasteful cream turtleneck tucked into heavily creased mocha skirt, caramel beret perched on your head. There were a few metal, classy looking rings wrapped around your fingers, but as far as he could see, no wedding ring. It was pretty standard style for those who worked in the arts, but somehow you wore it so well.
Your hair was a little dishevelled, and the dark circles under your eyes combined with the coffee cup in your hand were obvious signs of a rough night. His eyes locked on to the loopy black handwriting on the brown band around the cup.
(L/N) (Y/N)
You were no model, but Hawks couldn’t see the difference.
His wings beat lightly behind his back as he glided over, weaving through the other photographers and models scattered around the area.
“Hey there, I’m Hawks,” he said smoothly, voice saccharine as he spoke to you. Your attention turned to him as you glanced at him from above the frames of your sunglasses, seemingly unimpressed.
“This the new boytoy, Mizuki?” you asked, eyes raking up and down his figure. Hawks was never one to shy away from the gaze of others, but the way you were inspecting him made him feel so exposed.
“Show some respect,” Mizuki muttered, voice lowered at Hawks’ presence but glare still piercing. You sighed, sparing one last glance at Hawks before snatching the camera out of Mizuki’s hands, leaving her scrambling for the device as you walked away.
“Lemme see what you’ve got already,” Mizuki’s face grew red, half from anger towards you, and half because of the embarrassment of being diminished in front of Hawks.
“(L/N) y-you can’t just come in three hours late and take over! I’ve already done the shoot and Hawks has already expressed that he is pleased with the outcome,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes and shooting the shorter woman a glare over your shoulder.
“There’s no way you’re gonna force me to come into work and make me sit here doing nothing,” you sneered, waving the camera around almost teasingly, “you wanted someone actually skilled to do this shoot, and here I am. Let me do my thing,” without waiting for a response, you left, thumb fumbling with the dial that allowed you to scroll through the photos.
Hawks was impressed. You hadn’t bat an eye when you saw him, and while you were very clearly very late, you were confident in your skills and obviously took your job seriously.
“Who was that?” he questioned, wings spreading slightly as his eyes chased after you. Mizuki bowed her head, remorse filling her expression.
“I apologise for her impertinence. That’s (L/N), she was who your original photographer was supposed to be today, but when she didn’t show up I had to take over,” she huffed, “she’s been like this for about a year now, and the boss is prepared to fire her if she keeps it up. So you’d think she’d be able to pull her at together for you, Mr. Hawks...”
After a while, Hawks tuned out her whining, eyes curiously trained on you, surveying your furrowed brows and expression pinched with annoyance as you studied the photos. Although they looked good enough to him, it appeared that you didn’t share the same sentiment.
Hawks didn’t have time to avert his eyes when you turned your head, gaze locking on to his. You raised a slightly suspicious brow, but otherwise didn’t entertain his actions.
“Mizuki, why would you use cool lighting?” you called over your shoulder, not even sparing the decency to turn around and face the person you were addressing. Mizuki frowned, moving to your side. Like a magnet, Hawks did the same, peering over your other shoulder. You eyed him from the corner of your vision for a second before tapping the screen.
“What do you mean?” you sighed at your co-workers words, evidently frustrated.
“Considering you have bird boy over here in dark academia, accented in warmer yellows, using cool lights will bring out too much of a contrast. We need to match the accent colours with warmer lighting, or use a overlay,” you muttered, seemingly addressing yourself more than the two of them. Mizuki just shook her head.
“That would just oversaturate the image,” you snorted, giving her the same patronising look an adult would give a child if they tried to outsmart them.
“Not necessarily. I could spot-reduce saturation in highlight areas during editing. Or, if you really want your contrast, I could neutralise the warmer shades by using a blue, or compliment them using a red,” Hawks didn’t miss the way you said ‘I’ instead of ‘we’. Mizuki looked agitated, her frown growing deeper.
“Even so, we only have white backdrops. That would be a jarring contrast. You’d need something darker or more clustered to make it work. If you wanted a backdrop change you probably should’ve come earlier,” she spoke with a formality that obviously stemmed from Hawks next to her, but you paid no mind. You were silent for a moment, and Hawks could see your eyes narrowing as you were thinking.
“I need a natural background, huh?” you mumbled, thumbing the buttons on the camera. With a shrug, “alright, bird boy, come on, we’re leaving,” Hawks blinked in surprise as you spun on your heel, a grin breaking onto his face. Finally, he got to leave.
“Whatever you say, boss,” you shot him an irritated look.
“Don’t call me that. I’m 22, not 40,” his feathers ruffled up. “Hey, I’m also 22! What a coincidence, right?” he grinned, winking at you. You just responded by rolling your eyes.
Mizuki spluttered, trying in vain to get either one of you to stop as Hawks trailed after you.
“L-Look, you can’t just leave-” you turned, shoving the camera back into her hands, a mirthless smile on your face.
“Watch me,” your voice was cold, goading her to try and stop you, “bird boy, out, now.” Hawks didn’t have to be told twice. Some of the others whispered and muttered as they realised what was going on, but they all fell quiet when you shot them a sharp glare.
He breathed in the fresh air with a content sigh, his chest feeling lighter now he was out the cramped room. The amber glow from the late afternoon sun kissed his tanned skin as he stretched his arms above his head, his forearms flexing slightly under his dark blazer. His eyes shut in bliss and head tilted back, exposing his sharp jawline.
You eyed him slightly, eyes trailing across his features. Now that you had actually left, you were a little lost on what your plan was. You didn’t regret storming out of there, though, nor did you even consider turning back to apologise.
You took your own camera out of the dark camera bag slung across your body, careful not to scratch it on the tripod, and focused the lens on Hawks. It was smaller, a little more compact than the ones Mizuki and the others were using, but you found that it was much better suited for portrait work.
The click of the camera shutter brought Hawks out of his stupor, eyes snapping open and immediately landing on you. Your attention had already been diverted to the screen, studying your work.
“The modelling room is stuffy, I’ll give you that,” you mumbled, zooming in on his face, “but you can stretch while we walk,” Hawks leaned over you, eyes sparkling at the shot.
“Aw, you make me look so good, I’m flattered!” you rolled your eyes.
“Don’t be,” you took a large sip of your coffee, moving down the pathway as you thought. Hawks scrambled after you, his wings puffing out when he reached your side. You couldn’t help but gaze at the bright red feathers as he unfurled his wings, a small, happy chirping noise rumbling at the back of his throat once they were fully spread behind your back. They were warm, you noticed, feeling the heat through your turtleneck.
Your vision was filled with a cheeky smirk painted on full lips, Hawks’ face appearing in front of your eyes. Your eyes narrowed as you sized him up.
“See something you like?” you rolled your eyes as he purred.
“Not in the slightest, bird brain,” his wings beat behind his back, hand clutching the fabric on his chest.
“Oh, how you wound me!” Hawks cried, and you couldn’t help but smile slightly, which you quickly covered with your coffee cup.
“I’m sure you’ll face a villain that will do greater damage than I could,” he hummed, angling his face towards the sun.
“So, where are we headed?” you chewed on your bottom lip, slinging your camera over your shoulder.
“It can’t be anywhere with lots of traffic, you attract a lot of attention, you know?” it was a rhetorical question, but Hawks’ chest still puffed out in pride at your words.
“Thanks, it’s because of my raging-”
“Shut up,” you cut him off, “either way, I have a pounding headache and I do not have enough shits to give to put up with your fan girls today,” with a sigh, you rubbed your temples. Hawks stared at your clenched teeth.
“Hey, why do you-” “I think I know where we can go,” he frowned.
“You know it’s not polite to interrupt people like that-”
“Sunflowers.” your tone dripped finality as you faced Hawks, a brazen determination in your eyes he hadn’t seen until now. It made his breath hitch in his throat.
Breathy chuckle escaping his lips, and eyebrows furrowed when you sped your pace, gulping down more of your coffee.
“Uh, what?” you waved a hand dismissively.
“There’s a sunflower field in Fukuroi City, I think it’s west from here,” the tiniest of grins etched onto your features, “it’s gonna be a lot more interesting than the rest of those blank background. Plus, the yellow will compliment your clothes, and with the sun low in the sky I’ll get my perfect warm lighting,” you explained. Hawks wasn’t sure exactly how much of a difference it would make, but the idea seemed charming, and it was more exciting than being perpetually flanked by a white screen.
“Sounds good,” he chirped, “although, to be honest, you could take me out anywhere and I wouldn’t mind,” you rolled your eyes.
“That’s a shame, because I don’t intend to hang around any more than I have to,” Hawks pouted, crossing his arms.
“Come on, I wanna know more about you!” you bristled.
“Good for you.” the two of you fell into a beat of silence before Hawks smiled, undaunted.
“I’m sure I can win you over somehow,” shaking your head in disbelief, you lifted the cup to your lips, before looking down disappointedly when you realised it was empty.
“I don’t have enough coffee for this,” you muttered. Hawks’ expression brightened.
“That’s an easy fix: your agency is around here so you must know there area pretty well,” he spoke nonchalantly, as if he was on a casual lunch date and not in the most expensive outfit you’d seen in your entire life, “what’s the best place to grab a coffee?” for a moment, you looked taken aback, before shaking your head.
“Best café in these parts is the Sunset Hour,” you said, rubbing the back of your neck, “but as much as I have no inhibitions regarding bunking off work, that’s a little too far away. I need to take this pictures before the end of the day or Mizuki’ll submit those crappy ones she took in the studio,” Hawks nodded in understanding, smile never faltering for a second.
“Well I gotta get you your caffeine fix somewhere, so what’s the second best?” your expression scrunched in thought for a moment, before you jutted a thumb over your shoulder.
“There’s a Starbucks across the road,” he snickered seeing your blank expression.
“Not exactly where I would want our first date, but I suppose it’ll do,” rolling your eyes, you shoved the empty cup to his chest, which he gripped almost instinctively.
“Good thing this isn’t a date, then,” Hawks grinned, sending your empty cup on a feather to the nearest bin before chasing after you as you crossed the road. You didn’t spare him a single glance when he appeared at your shoulder, nor when he reached over above your head to open the Starbucks door from behind you.
“So you’re saying we can have our first date somewhere else?” with a shallow sigh, you shook your head.
“What I’m saying is that there’s not gonna be a first date. Not between us,” his chest tightened. God, you were so mean. He’d be into that.
The inside of the Starbucks was a mix between modern, western architecture and traditional Japanese woodwork. The equipment was all cutting edge, and the tables and chairs were made with a sleek mahogany, but the windows were framed with bamboo shutters, and the backroom was separated with shoji sliding doors. It was an curious blend, one that you studied with an interest. The deep, earthy scent of roasted coffee beans heavily imbued the air, filling your nose with the aroma of something far more familiar.
Given it was the late afternoon, and most people tended not to drink caffeine after 2pm, the patrons were few and far in between. Good for you, at least. It meant you wouldn’t get- “Hawks? Sorry to bother you but can we get a picture?” your head turned at the voice that rung out.
Two high school girls stood to your left, hands clutched together in front of their chests and a dark pink coating their cheeks. With a small sigh, you took a step forward in the small queue. Hawks smiled with all the faux charm in the world, an obvious change in his demeanour as his pride spiked.
“Of course! And just as it happens, I have my personal photographer here who can make sure your photos look amazing as you two do!” it took you a moment to register what he had said through the excited squeals of the girls before he clutched your shoulders and pulled you forward, causing you to stumble slightly.
“Your what?” he sent you an audacious smirk, willing you to play along as one of the girls handed you her phone. Your first instinct was to decline, but as you met the eyes of the girls, so eager and bright, you couldn’t find it in you to disappoint them.
Taking a couple steps back, you lifted the phone, slightly angling it so the picture looked more natural, and not that of a celebrity and their fans (even if it was). You squinted angrily at the poor lighting, but tried to rectify it the best you could. The girls looked a little tense, but Hawks was a natural. A liberal smirk played on his lips and shoulders rolled back, relaxed. Even with the low lighting, the highlights on his cheekbone and jawline were indescribably perfect, and you weren’t sure if the credit should go to you or his god-like genes.
“Wow, that’s perfect!” one of the girls cried, her body appearing by your side. You hadn’t even noticed her moving, “thank you so much!” you just nodded, handing her back her phone and crossing your arms, eyes narrowing at Hawks.
“If that’s all, ladies, we best be ordering,” they nodded frantically at Hawks’ words, sharply bowing and spouting their thanks to the two of you countless times. They left the Starbucks, but even outside you could still hear them fawning over the picture. He faced you with a grin, but you couldn’t muster up a smile.
“Don’t go around telling people I’m your personal photographer,” you sneered. He pouted, looking genuinely disappointed for a second. “What, you don’t wanna be mine?” “Not in the slightest.”
“What will be your order, Miss?” the barista had directed the question at you, but it was clear his attention was elsewhere. You weren’t surprised, but a small swell of annoyance grew in your mind.
“Can I have a mocha with a double shot of expresso?” Hawks chuckled.
“Might as well have an expresso, you know. You’re basically just taking a shot of caffeine,” you shrugged.
“It’s my favourite drink. I like the chocolate taste,” he looked at you with round eyes, a small squeeze in his chest.
“And you, sir?”
“Oh, I’ll have the same, then,” he didn’t miss the way your eyes darted to him. The barista nodded, tapping for a couple seconds before turning back.
“That’ll be 660 yen,” “I’m paying,” Hawks blurted, even before you could offer. You were silent, a small nod in the affirmative rocking your head. As he handed over the bills, he chuckled. “You know, not that I mind, but usually couples would argue over who’s paying,” you rolled your eyes.
“We’re not a couple,” you watched the barista prepare your drinks, more of a way to occupy yourself rather than a genuine interest, “besides, you’re a lot richer than I am. I don’t mean to be impolite, but I’m sure you can lose 600 yen and still be good,” he hummed happily.
“No disagreements there.” “Are you two eating in or taking out?” the barista asked, in the midst of securing the plastic lids to the top of the cups. Hawks’ eyes sparkled as he turned to you with an excitement you assumed only appeared in children.
“Hey, we can-” “Take out,” you responded, giving a now deflated Hawks a challenging look, “I will leave you here if I have to.” the blonde grinned. “You wouldn’t. You need me for the pictures,” he sang, voice jovial.
“I don’t care about you that much. The sunflowers are probably less annoying subjects anyway,” oh. With no warning, his heart beat sped up, his wings puffing out slightly. Sure, he wouldn’t mind if you were a little nicer to him, but your insults were like a breath of fresh air. There was no doubt that Hawks loved the limelight, loved the popularity he got, but the relentless ass-kissing got old after a while. You kept him on his toes. Even if he was just constantly chasing after you every time you brushed him off, he didn’t care.
“Put those away, bird brain,” it was then he realised his wings had spread further than he intended, stretched out on either side of him. One was curled right around his face, and he almost felt himself blushing as he pulled them in. It was just animal instincts, he assured himself.
The rest of the journey was filled with a one-sided conversation of him talking and commenting on what was around you, with no response from you except the occasional witty retort or light-hearted jab at his expense, each one making his heart flutter. It wasn’t too long before you had arrived, the chain link fence around the plot stretching high above your head and corroded with orange rust.
Rows and rows of bright yellow sunflowers stretched to the horizon, an immense display of summer vitality. The fragrance was potent, a sort of cloying sweetness that you didn’t hate. And just as you were about to enter, you knew you had made a mistake.
“Oh.” Hawks stared at you incredulously, attention switching from your taken aback expression to the sign posted on the gate.
“You didn’t check to see it was open?” you looked up at him, allowing him to survey a tinge of remorse he hadn’t recognised until this point.
“Look, how was I supposed to know? This place has always been open at this time since I was a little kid,” you rubbed your arm, brows furrowed. Hawks sighed, rolling his shoulders back.
“Well, the sun’s too low to go anywhere else outside,” he shrugged, “it’s no biggie, I guess. Those other photos weren’t too bad. Hey, now that we’re free, do you want to- what are you doing?” your foot was halfway in the gaps in the gate, the wedges on your heels making it hard to climb.
“I’m not wasting my day for nothing,” you growled, fingers curling around the metal, “get climbing, bird boy,” with a soft sigh, smile gracing his lips and a warm feeling in his chest, Hawks spread his wings.
“I think you’re forgetting something that’ll make this a lot easier,” you felt a cool draft on your back as Hawks flapped his wings, the feeling being quickly replaced by the warmth of his chest as he pulled you in. A foreign emotion coiled in your stomach, but you convinced yourself that it was just the flight.
One arm wrapped around your shoulders, the other supporting your knees, and all Hawks was thinking that such a gentle flight never felt so calming.
Your feet tapped against the soft soil, sinking in to it slightly when the hero placed you down. You nodded your thanks.
“Let’s go over there, I want the sun coming in from the right,” Hawks nodded, content to just follow your orders. You pulled the tripod from your bag and set it up, adjusting it to your liking as Hawks looked around, trying to think of a pose.
Once everything was ready, you turned your attention to Hawks.
“I want to humanise you,” he grinned curiously as you walked over.
“What do you mean by that?” he nearly gasped when you grabbed his chin, angling his face to the side and slightly up, towards the sun. You took a step closer, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. He bit his lip, hands trembling as you tugged slightly, trying to mess it up a little.
“All the photos I’ve seen on you always put a huge emphasis on either your wings or your hero status, and I don’t really see why,” you mumbled, placing one hand on his jawline while the other fixed his hair to your liking, letting a few strands fall in front of his eyes, “I think that just creates a divide. If they wanted you to seem angelic they should play that up, not just have it the norm,” you huffed, “anyway, I wanna put the emphasis on you and not your wings. So ideally if you could tuck them behind your back that would be wonderful,”
Hawks nodded, disappointment filling him as you stepped away. He made sure not to move as he awkwardly folded his wings over each other and pulled them in, glancing at you with a look of apprehension. You just nodded in approval, leaning down to your camera.
You took plenty of shots, allowing him plenty more opportunities to feel your hands on him (and he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it).
“Hey, why were you so late today?” Hawks dared to question while you were analysing your photos. You were perched on a bench, appreciating your work. The late sun cast a golden sheen on his skin, the spattering of glimmering rays highlighting his face in all the right places.
“I was sleeping,” you responded, deleting an out of focus shot. His eyes narrowed.
“What?” “Just as it sounds. Figured if they were gonna make me work so I could only have three hours of sleep a night it was gonna be on their time, not mine,” he frowned, taking a seat next to you.
“They shouldn’t work you that hard,” you shrugged with a hollow laugh, blank gaze in your eyes.
“What am I gonna do? Have them fire me? As much as I hate this job it’s the only thing that pays for my coffee in the morning,” he was silent as you stood up, stretching your arms behind your bag before tucking everything back in your bag.
“Did you want to be a photographer?” he questioned, only to be met with a forlorn smile.
“Maybe at one point.” the two of you lapsed into silence before you sighed.
“Well, I’ve gotta submit these to Mizuki, and I’m sure you need-” Hawks caught your wrist, spinning you back around.
In the glow of the sunset, you looked almost ethereal. Your eyes gleamed, and cheeks warmed in the orange flare. Sunflowers framed your form, and the words caught in his throat, nearly stopping him from saying anything at all.
“Come work for me.” he blurted. You snorted.
“No.” all he could do was smile as you hopped back over the fence, not waiting up for him.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought you’d say.”
#hawks#takami#keigo#takami keigo#keigo takami#hawks x (y/n)#takami keigo x reader#keigo takami x reader#keigo x reader#takami x reader#takami keigo x y/n#hawks fanfiction#takami keigo fanfiction#bnha#mha#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#bnha x reader#mha x reader#my hero academia x reader#my hero#my hero x reader#boku no hero academia x reader#hawks bnha#hawks mha#hawks my hero academia#hawks my hero#hawks boku no hero academia
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Teacher, Teacher
an: this is the final post of the week and the first installment in the Happily Ever After series for Matt. I'm excited to share with y'all, this has been in the works for a while. Hope you enjoy!
words:1.2 k warnings:Divorce, custody battle,
summary: "The best things in life are unexpected-because there were no expectations." -Eli Khamarov
masterpost|taglist|have an idea
At 18, you thought that you wanted to practice law. So, you went ahead and started on that journey.
You got your bachelor's degree in English with a minor in psychology. After that, you went on to write the LSAT and scored 170. With that impressive score, you applied to multiple programs and decided on the path of getting your J.D. at Columbia Law School in New York with a focus on family law. It took you three years, and then you moved to Virginia. You applied to a prep class before taking the bar, and that's where you met Kristy. Although you were taking different paths, you became fast friends, keeping in contact throughout the years. You passed the bar on your first try. It was a lot of work, but to you, it was worth it.
After a few years of working in family law, you saw a really rough case. It was a custody dispute. The case had started off pretty straightforward and then spiralled at an impeccable speed. After that case, you decided to take a break. You resigned and went back to school instead of getting your Certified Childcare Professional credential. And then you opened up a day-care in your neighbourhood where childcare was scarce. It didn't take long for business to pick up and for you to be busy all the time. You had two co-workers who were a tremendous help with the workload and genuinely good people.
Being a day-care teacher was such a rewarding job, shaping your minds to wonder and question everything, but man, was it exhausting.
To start your day, you slept in past your alarm. Way past, like 40 minutes, your busy week must have caught up to you. You had called your co-workers as soon as you woke up to apologize for being late and to tell them that they would have to start the day without you. You hopped in the shower and got ready for the day, not even grabbing a snack before rushing out the door. You headed to the nearest drive-through for a hot coffee and something to eat. The drive-through line was long, which didn't help your stress about the fact you were late. The only thing that made the lousy morning a little bit better was the fact it was Friday.
The sunshine provided the opportunity for a lot of outdoor exploration and independent play. We spent the morning doing math and science—which was really nature exploration—before going back in for a snack. After snack time, we went back outside for art which was drawing with chalk and water-colour painting. After lunch, we focused primarily on the idea of independent play.
For having such an abrupt start to your day, the rest of your workday seemed to pass quite slowly. By 4, almost all children had been picked up, your co-workers had left—all the children except the Simmons kids. From what you understood—from the small amount Kristy had told you—reminding you of your previous career. She and her husband were going through a divorce with an ugly custody battle happening. To add to that, apparently, their dad worked an insane job with unpredictable hours.
Today was the first day he was supposed to pick them up since the split. Kristy had warned you that he probably wouldn't be on time. So, you had prepared. You had snacks and drinks and a movie playing on the screen. You were working away at the paperwork, and the boys were playing on the carpet while Beauty and the Beast was streaming on the screen. By the time that movie had finished, you finished all the paperwork you had to do, and the boys became tired of playing on the floor, deciding to just focus on the movie instead.
Standing up, you said, "Alright, before we watch another movie, let's clean up our toys."
They were pretty quick in getting up and cleaning up their toys. When all the toys were put away, markers were cleaned up, and paper neatly stacked where it was supposed to be, you got ready for the next movie. Bean bag chairs were brought to the carpet while the boys grabbed some snacks and juice boxes.
"Get comfy!" You said with a smile as the boys ran to the bean bags. Each picking their favourite colour. "Now, what movie are we watching now?"
"Up!" David said, and you looked at Jake before putting it on. He nodded so, you went ahead with the movie.
About halfway into the movie, you heard a multitude of footsteps coming down the hallway, accompanied by voices. As quiet as possible so as not to disturb the boys, you got up from your bean bag and walked to the door to see what the noise was. If it was an intruder, you wanted to at least try and protect the kids. When you got to the door, you swung it open. There stood a tall, model-like man with his hand raised, ready to knock on the door. Beside him, two darling little girls who were absolutely adorable and very obviously twins.
"Hello, can I help you sir?" You asked the man, using your body to block the doorway as best you could.
"I'm Matthew Simmons—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the two boys ran into his legs shouting;
"Daddy!"
You nodded to yourself in understanding. Once each of the boys latched onto a leg, he continued, "—and I'm here to pick up my sons."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N Y/L/N, their school teacher."
You lead him into the room.
"So Y/N, is there anything I need to do before I can take the boys home?"
"Matthew—"
"Please call me Matt,"
"—Matt, I need you to sign the sheet on my desk and the book by the door and then you can go."
Matt went over to your desk, signed the paper and, walked back over to the door and signed the book. Then he walked into the cubby area, kids trailing behind. You walked over and helped him pack his sons' things, he packed Jake's bag, and you packed David's. After the boys had put on their coats and outside shoes, you handed David his backpack. He swung it on, and Jake did the same.
As they walked out, Matt stopped in the doorway. Turning to look at you, he said;
"Bye Miss Y/L/N. See you Monday." And with a wink, he turned and walked away.
You stared after him, and then, you understood why Kristy never introduced you to her soon-to-be ex-husband. That dazzling smile and flirtatious demeanour were heart-stopping.
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It Takes A Man- Ray Diaz x Reader (2)
Pairing: Ray Diaz x Reader
Warning(s): Language, angsty feels, mentions of cheating, SMUT
Summary: In the aftermath of your night with Ray, you struggle to move on from the Diaz men, but find difficulty in forgetting the man in question. What happens when you reunite?
A/N: This will not be a full-length story, I think it’ll just be a fun little miniseries that I’ll work on between drabbles and oneshots, but so many of you loved the first part that I couldn’t help but post the sequel earlier than anticipated. Enjoy, my little deviants!
Part 1
You huffed, barely making it through your front door before the handfuls of grocery bags collapsed at your feet. You cringed, shaking your head upwards at the thought of how all the fresh fruit you just bought at the corner bodega was now bruised. Shuffling your feet, you prodded the cans of various sauces and whatnot out of your way, casually closing the front door with your foot and tossed your purse on the nearby sofa.
Your new apartment had finally been put together in your hasty move from the Diaz household. The drive was not so bad, it was long enough to put distance between Oscar and yourself so that you two could avoid any awkward/angry confrontations on the street. But you were relieved, as was Cesar, that it was no more than a 15-minute drive, 25-minute to half hour walk in case the youngest Diaz brother and his friends ever wished to stop by. The pang in your chest whenever your thoughts drifted towards Cesar was still an entirely fresh wound. The way he yelled and cried in your arms the night he came home still made your e/c eyes well up with tears. You would never forgive yourself for the role you played in the separation. Oscar was by no means innocent; his actions were unforgiveable. He cheated on you more times than you would ever care to admit. He made a fool out of the one person who held him down, the one constant in his life. And you would be lying if you said you weren’t still bitter.
Cesar knew the breakup was looming, in the months leading up to that fateful night you and Oscar had gone for each other’s throats. Initially he only left the house to take care of ‘’Santo business’’ but the smell of cheap perfume contradicted that immediately. Despite your valiant efforts, Cesar walked in on you once or twice just crying your eyes out until they became so painfully puffy. History certainly repeated itself in the Diaz house. The only difference was that you managed to get out in, mentally exhausted but physically fine, while his mother had overdosed not two years after Ray was locked up. Cesar partially felt betrayed by everyone involved. Oscar, Ray, and even you. But Oscar had been the real target of Cesar’s anger and hurt. Had Oscar not made Cesar join the Santos, Cesar would’ve had a normal life and possible ticket outside of Freeridge. Had Oscar not been a complete jerk to you, Cesar could’ve had some resemblance of a family left. He still had you, he still had Oscar. But it was never going to be the same.
That said, what you and Ray had done was anything but innocent. ‘’Fuck,’’ you huffed, tossing your keys in the dish by the entryway. As much as you probably should’ve forgotten all about that night. As much as you tried to dismiss the reminiscing, you found yourself in a losing battle. About the way Ray had felt filling you. The drag and pull movements of his manhood along your velvety walls. You involuntarily shivered and cursed yourself as your mind clouded over in a haze of lust.
‘’No. . .no, we aren’t going back there,’’ you chided, working to tidy up the place. ‘No matter how much I may long to. . .’ you mentally noted as your actions quickened in a pathetic attempt to block the mental image of Ray hovering over you, filling your tightness. The familiar pitter patter of butterflies in your abdomen alerted you of your arousal. The blush that steadily spread across your cheeks did the same.
Ray and you had seldom spoken in the nearly 40 days it took for you to find an apartment in a safe part of Freeridge (upon Oscar’s insistence, to your shock) and for you to gather your belongings and move out (thanks to the efforts of Sad Eyes and Tito, also upon Oscar’s insistence and your shock). When you had said a quick goodbye to your ex of five years and the boy you practically raised since he was a small fourth grader, the longing look in Ray’s eyes was not lost on you. Whereas Cesar walked you to your car, Oscar hung back on the porch trying his best to seem unbothered, Ray leaned against the side gate of the house. A cigarette hung loosely between his lips as he made sure to stay out of Oscar’s line of vision. You didn’t need to look up at him to know he was watching you. To know that look in his eyes. You had the same look as you drove way, only concealing it as to avoid another fist fight between Oscar and his father.
The apartment itself was nice and homey. Your job in real estate, selling mostly houses in Brentwood, made sure that you could afford nicer furniture, a stocked fridge, and lunch money for Cesar. He would alternate, opting to camp out on your charcoal gray couch while Oscar enjoyed the benefits of a newly single life back home. You feigned ignorance or uncaringness whenever Cesar showed up late at night with a sympathetic look in his deep brown eyes, but every time you thought about the girls drifting in and out of the only home you had truly known the past five years, your heart clenched in your throat.
Sad Eyes had been another figure who graced your doorstep every now and then. He insisted it was because of the friendship you and he had maintained since high school, but something told you he was keeping tabs on you. The one, single one night stand you had partaken in a few nights ago just so happened to be cut short (too short) when Sad Eyes conveniently began pounding on the door. The situation had Oscar’s hypocritical jealous antics written all over it. Nonetheless, Jose was a good friend of yours’ and he along with Tito and the other Santos were a big help in setting up the place to your liking.
As you drifted around the entertainment area, around the balcony, and around the kitchen watering your various plants, your brows furrowed. The one person who hadn’t really visited you, aside from Oscar of course, was the one man you couldn’t stop thinking about.
Your night with Ray was far too passionate, or so you thought, to be just a one-time thing. As sick and twisted it might be, as horrible of a person that made you, you couldn’t help but yearn to have another night with the Diaz patriarch. Subconsciously, your hand drifted to your collarbone, sighing through your nose as visions of his strong, rough hands exploring your flesh resonated within you. Part of you shrunk back into your shell, your subconscious telling you that Oscar had clearly taken after his father when it came to breaking hearts. That Ray probably hadn’t been with a woman since being released from prison. That you were just an easy fix, a convenience for him in the form of an insecure and emotionally exhausted hyna. He didn’t see you anything other than a tight hole to keep his dick warm. You bit your lip, hands clutching the kitchen counter until your knuckles turned nearly pale.
But the other part of you felt in your bones that it was not just an easy fix. That, yes lust fueled and spurred his actions, but there was something about the way he looked at you as you drove away from the house. Something that screamed ‘’more.’’ An enchanting, debauching look. Interest, maybe, but still more all the same. More.
Your fingers danced down the valley of your breasts, down your abdomen, until your fingertips made contact with the top of your leggings. Admittedly, you had forgone wearing underwear this particular day, out of laziness, but you were certainly not complaining as your fingers met the wetness of your tight folds. An airy sigh escaped your lips, eyes closed as those fingers danced along your sensitive folds like little ballerinas.
Your other hand began kneading your still clothed breasts, becoming rougher in an attempt to mirror the way Ray had done. Whether it was the forbidden, sinful nature of that night or not, no other man, not even Oscar had made you feel so erotic the way Ray Diaz had. Your eyelids fluttered shut as your moans steadily flowed past your lips like a gentle choir. The middle finger curled in the depths of your core, your index finger gently rolling the sensitive pearl above. The faster your digits worked, the easier it became to imagine Ray’s touch. The smell of his shampoo with the slight musk of his sweat from working out in the front lawn. The way he grunted every time he slammed into your core. The way his eyes went nearly black from pure lust and primal desire when he looked over your quivering form.
‘’R-Ray,’’ you whimpered to yourself, panting as your fingers worked diligently.
‘’Don’t stop, nena.’’
Your eyes flew wide open, your mouth following suit as the man of the hour stood in your front door, learning against the frame. That infamous, lopsided Diaz smirk left no room to question where his boys got it from.
‘’Don’t stop on my account,’’ he repeated, uncomfortably shifting his weight to his other leg, a very noticeable bulge catching your attention immediately. You gulped.
‘’How the f-fuc. . .wha. . .why?’’ you screeched, hand quickly retreating from your pulsing, needy pussy much to your discomfort. You were convinced that he could feel the heat of your blush from across the room.
‘’The front door was unlocked. I know it’s a safer neighborhood, but you still need to-‘’
‘’I meant why the hell are you here?’’ you didn’t mean to sound as bitchy as it had came out, but you were slightly jilted from the way he had ignored you the pas several weeks.
No calls. No texts. No surprise visits. Until now.
The smirk faded from his handsome face, becoming more serious although his eyes showed the slightest hint of a mix of shame and sorrow.
‘’Y/n,’’ he sighed, eyes turning to look down at the floor. It was amazing how, for a split second, the father of two and former Santos member had morphed into a nervous young man. You could almost pinpoint what he looked like younger.
You stilled, heart still racing violently in your chest. He had rarely called you by your name before. Even before you two had sex, it had always been ‘’nena’’ or ‘’mamacita.’’ In fact, you were sure he only used your name once. When he came inside you and sealed your fate. You suppressed a shiver, but Ray quickly caught the effect he still had on you. He regained some of his courage, standing up straight. Your eyes quickly surveyed the way his muscles automatically flexed as his arms folded up and crossed his chest. Damn him.
‘’I’m sorry I haven’t called or visited. . .I wasn’t sure if you wanted anything to do with me considering. . .,’’ his thoughts trailed off, not wanting to discuss the way Oscar had blown up after catching you. One thing you admired about Oscar, that despite his temper he never laid a hand on you. He would rage and toss some furniture in the opposite direction and yell like a madman. But his rage was mostly directed at Ray that night.
‘’We need to talk to you, hermano,’’ Oscar’s deep voice cut the silence as you resisted the urge to glare at the Santos’ leader.
‘’Okayyy?’’ Cesar offered an awkward smile, sitting at the dinner table. The same dinner table that just moments prior had been flung on its’ side as Oscar raged throughout the house. You had barely tossed the scattered food into the trash can before Cesar walked in.
Ray cleared his throat and retreated to the side door of the house, probably smoking a cigarette to calm his nerves as the ‘’adults’’ had their talk.
‘’Cesar,’’ you started, reaching across the table to gently grasp his hand. When had he gotten so big? You never once tried to be the mother he had lost to drugs as a five-year-old. You never took away the authority figure that was forcibly bestowed onto Oscar. You were just Y/n; his brother’s girlfriend. But you knew you were the closest thing Cesar ever had to a mother/motherly figure. And you had fucked it all up.
‘’What’s going on?’’ his thick brows knotted in confusion. You hesitantly glanced at Oscar, him biting back a glare towards you as he sighed.
‘’Y/n is moving out,’’ he mumbled and if you didn’t know Oscar any better, you could’ve sworn there was a hint of sadness in his voice.
‘’Wait.. . what?’’ it broke your heart hearing the confusion and panic in Cesar’s voice.
‘’Cesar, it’s ok. I’ll still be here whenever you need me. It’s just,’’ you trailed off, your own voice wavering as you tried to muster up the best way to explain things.
‘’No it’s not ‘ok.’ Why are you leaving us? Leaving me?’’ Cesar’s voice steadily rose, yanking his hand away from you. The gesture made you wince.
‘’Cesar,’’ Oscar’s tone slowly shifted to that of Spooky.
‘’No! Tell me why she’s leaving. Why is she really leaving!’’ Cesar stood up abruptly, nearly knocking the chair to the floor. Somewhere outside Ray coughed on a nicotine coated cloud. The room filled with uncomfortable silence.
‘’Cesar. Sometimes, people just fall out of love. Things happen. Life happens. Sometimes even adults make really shitty decisions and they change on each other,’’ your voice remained soft as you sadly looked up at the boy you helped raise. You resisted the urge to look at Oscar’s gutted expression, knowing that if you did you would surely lose it. It had been that exact moment you regretted not leaving the house as soon as Ray walked in just hours before.
Cesar’s gaze softened as he looked down at you, but once his chocolate brown hues fell upon his brother, they quickly hardened with anger.
‘’You did this. . .you fucking had to get your dick wet that bad that you didn’t even consider her! She did everything for us! For you! She was there for me when you weren’t! You were too busy being Spooky that you couldn’t be fucking bothered!’’ he snarled.
‘’Watch your fucking mouth, Lil Spooky,’’ Oscar steadily rose on his two feet, towering over Cesar. You stood as well, ready to jump into the lion’s den if necessary.
Cesar scoffed, a mocking smile on his lips before it quickly gave way to the coldest glare. He looked nearly identical to Oscar. ‘’You’ve given Ray so much shit for leaving us and abandoning his family. . .in reality you’re no better.’’
Oscar lunged forward, the two brothers tangled up as fists were flying.
‘’Oscar stop!’’ you screamed, throwing yourself into your ex, dodging fists left and right. Ray barged back into the house, getting a grip of Oscar as you shoved Cesar in the opposite way. The sound of Oscar’s fist coming into contact with Ray’s jaw echoed throughout the house.
‘’Get the fuck off of me! Get the fuck off of me!’’ Oscar snarled, desperately trying to shove his father off him to no avail. What Ray lacked in height when it came to Oscar, he made up with in strength. You could see Ray struggling to rein in his anger and maintain his grip on his son. Tears filled your eyes as well as Cesar’s as the two of you fell to the floor, watching the two men struggle.
‘’Had enough?’’ Ray grunted. He still smelled like you, and that more than anything broke Oscar.
Oscar managed to shove the Diaz patriarch off, falling back against the wall as he huffed, tears clouding his vision. His eyes fell on you and for once, he saw the damage his infidelities caused blow up in his face. His baby brother crying into your arms, begging it all to stop as you cried to yourself in the corner. Both of you looked so small, you looked so defeated. He had fucked up. You met his broken gaze, shaking your head as if you could will all of this to evaporate. You had fucked up. The next morning, you began looking around Freeridge for apartments. The next few weeks, Oscar helped you load up your car as you moved twenty-five minutes away from the only home you knew. The day after that? You gathered the rest of your belongings and bit back a sob as you held Cesar in a crushing hug. As you looked over his shoulder, you saw Oscar leaning against the porch’s structure, biting his lip as he looked down at you, fighting the urge to ask you to stay. To work through it. But he quickly realized that was what he had been asking of you throughout all of these years. And that is why he remained silent as you pulled out of the Diaz’s driveway. He didn’t move until your car was out of sight.
You shook your head, leaning against the island in the middle of your kitchen. Your hands rubbed and massaged at your temples, biting down on your bottom lip to prevent the tears from falling. ‘’That was on me,’’ you whispered, voice croaking with emotion. You jumped when you felt Ray’s strong hand on your shoulder. You gasped as a jolt of electricity passed through the two of you. Judging from the quick intake of breath, Ray felt it too.
‘’I’m so sorry,’’ he whispered. You straightened out, looking up at Ray despite still only reaching his collar bone. The inner struggle was clear as day in Ray’s eyes. He was undoubtfully attracted to you. But more than that, he admired you. The way you cared for his sons. The way you managed to handle the lifestyle of the Santos while still obtaining your classy demeanor. You were capable of holding down a family. And although you were insecure thanks to what his eldest son had put you through, Ray wanted nothing more than to reassure you of your worth.
You hesitated for just a moment, before lunging upwards and meeting Ray in a passionate kiss. A kiss that conveyed all the words you wished to say, but didn’t have the strength to voice. His hands clutched your hip and cradled the side of your neck as he returned the kiss tenfold. Whether it was lust, genuine interest, curiosity, or some weird concoction of all three you found it entirely all too easy to throw caution to the wind around this man.
You nipped at Ray’s bottom lip playfully, biting back a grin when you solicited a low moan from him. Pride be damned. Morals be damned. You had no obligation to Oscar anymore. Cesar didn’t need to know about this. It would just be a secret between the two of you.
The whimper that escaped your lips as he forcefully tugged off your top sent shivers down Ray’s spine. He grunted when his eyes feasted on the exposed skin. Without him even asking you, you unclasped your bra and stood topless in front of him. He dove down, expertly taking your nipple into his hot mouth and began twirling his tongue around your hardened bud. You moaned mewled, hands running through his short hair and roaming his broad, muscled back. Your eyes rested on the faded Santos cross on his arm, whimpering when he nipped at your sensitive skin.
‘’R-Ray,’’ you moaned lowly, mouth falling open when his hand made contact with your ass in a playful slap. You had no time to recover before he pulled away from you, gently turning you so that your front was pushed and pinned against the cool surface of the granite island. You hissed as your already hard, sensitive tits pressed against the freezing surface. You rested your cheek against the counter, shivering as Ray yanked down your leggings.
‘’Fuck,’’ he moaned, seeing your wet core fully exposed and presented to him.
‘’You’re going to be the death of me mami,’’ he whispered, pressing his bulge against your gaping hole. You bit your lip at the heat that emitted from his still clothed cock. You knew what was awaiting you and your insides coiled at the anticipation.
Each of his massive hands took a firm hold on the globes of your ass, gripping them and spreading you apart so that you were on full display under him. You let out a shaky breath between panting when his hot saliva met your tightness. His thumb spread it against your folds, teasing your clit before diving two fingers into your awaiting cunt. Ray all but growled at the way you gripped his digits. The delicious way you pulsed and clenched excitedly around his middle and index finger. He found himself constantly thinking, ‘I could get used to this.’
‘’Ray,’’ your needy voice broke him out of his thoughts as he folded over you, you feeling ever muscle of his chest against your bare back as he pressed light kisses against your shoulder before finally meeting your cheek and then your plump lips.
‘’I need you,’’ you whispered, leaning into his kisses and sighing when you heard him pull himself from his pants.
‘’You have me, princessa,’’ he grunted, working himself with one hand as the other tangled with yours’. ‘’You have me, all of me,’’ he groaned thrusting his hips forward and filling you with a brutal, singular thrust. You cried out, the burn of him stretching your tight canal was familiar and slightly painful, but divine all at once. His hand clenched yours, as if assuring you that you were ok, his lips still kissing the tears that threatened to escape the corners of your eyes.
‘’Fuck y/n,’’ he groaned, savoring the feel of his cock dragging within your tight pussy, pulling you back towards him as bit, only for you to bounce forward as he thrusted back into your core. He set a fast, brutal pace as the sounds of his thrusts echoed off the walls. You were grateful that your neighbors were at work, the wanton mewls and cries that escaped your lips would’ve surely caught their attention. As his hand held yours throughout the entire time he fucked into you, the other had a firm grip on your shoulder. Pinning you down so that you couldn’t slip from his cock and pulling you back to impale yourself on to his thickness.
You attempted to burn the sounds of his grunts and groans, as well as the squelching of your tight core every time his hips snapped against you from behind, but soon became overwhelmed. He was heavy and hot inside of you. You could feel exactly where he was every time he was seated inside of you. Your body bounced in tune with his movements, but the feeling of his heavy, throbbing manhood in your cunt was something you’d always savor.
Before you could even speak, waves of euphoria crashed within you as your release fell over his still hard cock. You could only cry out his name, panting it out as his hold on you tightened. He pressed fully against you, curling over your back as his cock throbbed and pulsed violently, painting your insides with his release.
His arms wrapped around your front, dragging you so that you rested against his chest, impaling you on his still solid dick. With awkward movements he led you past the kitchen, into your bedroom while every step you took resulted in another jolt as you practically balanced yourself on his cock.
Ray only pulled out briefly, laying you on your back on your mattress. He hovered over you, panting as his eyes glazed over at the sight of you. Your hair sprawled out like a crown around you, chest heaving with your labored breath and the post-orgasm tremors that shook you. What really caught his attention was the sight of your pretty pussy, still impossibly tight, dripping with his load onto your sky-blue comforter.
‘’Ray,’’ you whispered, reaching up for him. He laid over you, crashing his lips against your lips, seating himself back inside you. Your hands clawed at the white tank he still had on, only or him to pull away slightly and yank it off, tossing it carelessly into the corner of your room. His sweatpants were next along with any other article of clothing he had previously worn. All that was left was himself, bare and all.
Your leggings had been long abandoned in the kitchen and the moment his bare skin met yours, your fates were sealed. It was hot, passionate, deplorable, mind-blowing, wicked, otherworldly sex. Your nails embedded themselves into his back and shoulders, your legs wrapping around his hips as they crashed into you. Your moans mingled with one another, lips and teeth occasionally clashing against each other as he moved in you.
‘’It’s been too fucking long without this tight pussy, princessa. My pussy,’’ he growled, hammering into you as you struggled to keep up with his thrusts. Your clutched the comforter beneath you as that familiar coil began curling and tightening within you. He was reaching new depths, exploring new parts of you that you didn’t even know existed. And all you could do was lay there, moan out his name, and take it.
‘’Fuck, Ray, yes, fuck it feels so good,’’ you whined, throwing your head back as he began nipping and sucking on the column on your neck.
‘’Cum for me, mi reina,’’ he grunted, every muscle flexing as he moaned and panted above you. His hands were wrapped around your hips, dragging and pulling you upwards to meet his thrusts. The coil was impossibly tight, tears running down your cheeks and falling onto the bed below from the sensation of it all.
But came you did, violently around his manhood. You shook underneath him, mouth warped into an ‘’o’’ shape as you sighed and moaned under him. His thrusts sped up, to your shock, and it all came to a close the moment he pulled you to him, tucking his face into the base of your neck as his hot, thick load filled you once more.
As he pulsed within you, your pussy clenching and unclenching from the aftermath of two mind-blowing orgasms back to back, you simply laid there. You basked in the aftermath of it all, shivering when his load began dripping out of you and pooling onto the blanket, leaving a quarter-sized dark spot in its’ path. Once your breathing returned to normal, Ray met your eyes, a softness in them. His mouth met yours in a comforting, warm kiss. He was still inside you when you closed your eyes and fell into a satisfying, deep sleep.
When you had opened your eyes, it was visibly night-time. The orange glow of the streetlights illuminated your bedroom from your sheer curtains. Ray was knocked out beside you, one muscled arm thrown over your side in a protective manner. A small smile graced your lips, widening when you felt the strangely satisfying soreness between your legs.
You quietly got out of bed, maneuvering around the apartment to get a glass of water while trying not to disturb Ray. You had no idea where this was going to lead you. You weighed the possibilities. To date your ex-boyfriend’s father just seemed so ridiculous and wrong. No matter what Oscar had put you through with his infidelities, to go ahead and enter a relationship with his father just seemed cruel to you. And what would Cesar think if he were to catch you and Ray together? At the same time, you didn’t want to say goodbye to Ray. Aside from great sex, you felt a genuine connection with him. He was older, yes, but he made you feel things that nobody ever had. You huffed, sipping on your water as you felt the beginnings of a headache approaching. A sudden knock and turn of your front door startled you to the point you nearly dropped your glass onto the hardwood floor.
‘’Y/n,’’ Cesar’s voice was muffled, but clear as day through the door.
You gulped, body stiff with shock and fear. From your bedroom, the mattress creaked as Ray sat up, eyes groggy with sleep.
‘’Y/n?’’ he called out, getting up to check what the commotion was.
‘’Fuck me,’’ you sighed, mind racing and heart rising to your throat once more. You were so fucked.
#on my block#Ray Diaz#spooky diaz#cesar diaz#omb fic#ray x reader#freeridge#ray diaz x reader#Smut#on my block smut
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Forget me not | Hong Joshua
Genre: Angst
Pairing: Joshua x fem reader
Warnings: sick!reader, dementia
Words: 3k
A/N: Hey there! So here it is, my first angsty fic on here. I’m currently going through this myself but writing it down helped me cope with it a bit. Of course having to deal with this syndrome/disease is anything but romantic or nice but i tried to make it less bad if you know what i mean... anyways, i really hope you don’t have to deal with this in rl. Please be healthy!! Love you ♡
Tagged: @love-dreams @seokcalibur
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The first time Joshua knew that something was off was at your birthday party 5 years ago. When you talked too fast, often times you mixed up the names especially the similar ones. You nearly forgot the cake in the oven. Luckily your cousin noticed it. During the party, he thought you were just too excited or too stressed because you wanted it to be perfect. You’ve always been like this.
But when you were alone in the kitchen after everyone had left, you asked him about the special occasion of the party. You couldn’t remember it was your birthday.
He had laughed and thought it was a joke. But it wasn’t.
The questions increased, more and more random reactions happened until he couldn’t leave you alone anymore.
Once he was at a market with you. It was a lovely saturday afternoon. You two enjoyed those short getaways a lot. You would randomly choose a place up to 3 hours away from your home and would drive there, spent the day or even the whole weekend there and would go back happily as if you had a little vacation. That day you had decided to split up so he could secretly get the little bouquet of roses for you before joining you at the grocery store to help with the bags. The bouquet was placed securely on the backseat of your car when he stepped into the grocery store, looking for you. The store wasn’t too big so he was sure that it wouldn’t take long to find you. No sign of you at the fruit corner, the pastries, alcohol nor the snacks corner. He just couldn’t find you. He even asked the workers to call your name through the speakers because he started to get worried. 5 minutes passed. 10. 15. Still no sign. He didn’t want to bother the busy workers a second time so he made his way back to your rented apartment for the weekend. Maybe you wanted to start preparing dinner because you’ve been always like this. You never wanted to get help if it wasn’t really necessary. This was one of the reasons you two would get into an argument but those never lasted for long.
When Joshua got into the car and drove down the street in the direction of your apartment, he saw you sitting at the bus stop, crying. He immediately stopped the car and ran to you, he thought his heart had stopped beating the second he saw in what kind of state you were.
“Y/n, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” He tried his best to speak in a calming tone but it was very difficult. Joshua didn’t know what was wrong. What happened. What he missed out on. He was mad at himself that he left you alone, no matter what the reason for your tears was.
Your eyes lightened up a bit when you recognized him beside you on the bench, looking down at his hands which were holding yours, thumbs rubbing soothingly over your cold skin.
“I’m such a bad mother! I forgot to prepare dinner for our kids! I have to go back and cook. They must be hungry and waiting!”
It wasn’t what Joshua was expecting to hear.
Especially because your two children were already living in other cities for work and university. He didn’t understand right away. Again, he thought you made a joke but when his eyes met your glossy ones and he tried to find the right words.
“Love, they aren’t with us anymore. You don’t have to prepare dinner for them.”
This was the wrong choice of words. You started to cry uncontrollably, worse than before. Because you thought they had passed away.
Later on he learned that he had to “play along”. That this would resolve almost every situation with people who were suffering with this syndrome.
The other time you just wanted to throw away the trash. It was just right outside the apartment complex so he thought it would be okay. The big bins were just beside the entrance, in a separate place only residents could enter since the gatekeeper was always around. You didn’t have to go that far, it was still the same building. But what was a task for 10 minutes maximum under normal circumstances became a horrible memory for Joshua and probably you too.
Because you got lost somewhere between leaving and closing the apartment door and the moment Joshua found you. In the hospital.
Until now, he didn’t know what exactly happened on that day. But you got hit by a car when you crossed the street at a red light he was told. Even after asking the gatekeeper, he couldn’t help you because after seeing you, he got a call and didn’t pay attention where you were going after exchanging greetings.
Joshua’s fingers slightly touched your knee, the scars from the accident still evident. He was mad at himself. He thought moving to this place would help you recover and made you happier. In some aspects it did. Living on the 23rd floor with a breathtaking view over the Hangang river and all the nice lights once it got dark outside was something you two had always dreamt of. Being able to take a walk at the park next to the building and having some slice of nature around was exactly what you two wanted in this huge city. Always joked about growing old and admiring the view together.
He never thought it would become like this.
He didn’t know why God had chosen you.
He used to believe that everything happened for a reason. That you would only get good things if you do good.
He was raised to believe in God.
But after everything, it was difficult.
He even caught himself hating God for making you suffer like this.
He just couldn’t help it.
“It’s cold.” Your words pulled Joshua back to reality and he quickly got up to get your favorite blanket. The fuzzy fabric that you fell in love with when you were at an amusement park together a month before you got married. You always took great care to everything and everyone around you so it was no surprise to him that the blanket still looked exactly like it did when he won it for you. Although it hasn’t gotten the same care anymore after you weren’t able to do chores by yourself again. Joshua asked you what your secret was in maintaining it but as much as he tried, he just wasn’t as talented as you.
He wrapped you in your blanket and made sure that you felt warm and cozy before walking over to the open kitchen area to prepare tea. Your favorite organic herbal infusion.
While he was waiting for the water to boil, is eyes traveled to the side and to the wall which was decorated by different photos. Every single one holding a deep meaning.
A selfie taken on a ferries wheel. The moment he confessed his feelings for you. He planned everything to the smallest detail and wanted it to be romantic. Throughout the evening you asked him several times why he was carrying a bigger backpack. The reason was a bouquet of red roses. That day he wasn’t fully himself because he was too nervous but it still worked out. He succeeded. Joshua smiled at the memory.
Beside that was a photo from your wedding. The beautiful dress that you wore was something he had never seen. He was speechless and had to swallow down the tears. He couldn’t believe that he was the lucky guy marrying this ethereal woman in front of him. In this photo your eyes were a little puffy and nose slightly red because you couldn’t help but to cry through half of the ceremony. He could still hear your whines when his best friend asked for a photo. The smile remained on Joshua’s lips while remembering the moment.
Then photos of your children. The first born, then your second 3 years later. Time really passed by too fast because now they weren’t living with you anymore. In fact, your first born would become a father himself in a couple of months.
Joshua looked over to you, the smile changing to a painful expression. He wasn’t sure if you would understand who it is when your son would come over with his baby.
Once the tea was ready, he put everything on a small tray with some fruits and walked back to you.
You were still at your favorite spot. At the table in the dining room which was right in front of a huge window, allowing you to have a beautiful view on the Hangang river and the Paldang bridge. Joshua would catch you smile from time to time, sometimes even getting an answer from you why you were smiling. When there wasn't a smile on your lips, your eyes would be watery as if you had remembered something sad. Every time he would ask you and often times he would be surprised what the cause was. The fact he would randomly learn new things about your past even after knowing you for over 40 years now was surprising to him. But the doctor once told him that those things could also be dreams or wishes that you would mix up with reality. Sadly it was common.
He helped you with the tea, blew over it and held the cup while you took a sip. Every time you would thank him but without saying his name. It was painful but he tried to hold his smile.
“They look like the flowers we have in our garden. They are so beautiful. My mother loves them. Me too.”
Joshua turned around to a painting on the wall. A painting of small flowers, little blue petals with white and yellow centers. Forget-me-nots.
You painted it after getting the diagnosis. At that time, it wasn’t this severe. You were still able to do everything by yourself although you stopped from time to time because you weren’t able to remember what you wanted or why you were doing something. But the both of you were scared of the future.
It wouldn’t just go away after some time like a flu. There was nothing you could do, no antidote. Just medication which would temporarily improve the symptoms, distracting you from the real process. You knew that one day it would become so bad that you may hurt him.
The reason you painted the flowers was because you wanted to break up with him. You wanted a divorce. Not because you stopped loving him, it was because you loved him. You hated to ask for help. You hated to bother people, especially him. People who meant the world to you. You wanted him to live his life without you as a burden because dementia meant you would need help until the very end.
You wanted to give him the painting as a gift, like a symbol of your time together. That you were thankful for everything and hoped he would keep all the good memories in his heart. You didn’t want him to hate you and you really hoped he would understand. If not now, then later. The divorce would give him the freedom he deserved. He shouldn’t see you miserably and take care of you when you can’t recognize him anymore.
That was the biggest fight you two had.
Joshua was more than hurt of the decision you had made alone. But he wasn’t the only one in pain and he saw it in the way you were shaking as you tried to explain everything. He knew that something was wrong with you some weeks prior to your fight where the bomb dropped. You didn’t eat normally, you denied his ideas for a night out, you didn’t smile as much as you used to. You just avoided his love and wanted to be alone more and more.
In the end he convinced you to stay. Joshua told you that he swore to care for you until his last breath. To be there for you in good but also in bad times. He would be understanding if the syndrome would mess with your brain or body again. It was his purpose to be there for you. He loved you. Just as much as you needed him, he needed you as well. Even if that meant to be in the situation he was in right now.
"You really sing so beautifully. You should become a singer!"
That's what you would say every day after he played the guitar or sang his favorite song for you. And his reply would be the same as well, every day.
"Believe me or not but I was a famous singer once.”
And you would always giggle and think that he made a joke. But it wasn’t.
Joshua was 2 years older than you but then again, healthy. Unlike you who was suffering from dementia.
He knew you didn't do it on purpose but it always hurt him so much, he had no word to describe the pain. Knowing you weren't able to remember all the happy moments you two went through made his heart ache. No matter how often he told you about your adventures, your experiences and life lessons, you would forget about it right after. But he still did it again and again. At least he had a lot to tell you about and somehow it was a way of not forgetting it himself. Some kind of therapy for himself. But often times he struggled because he couldn't remember it clearly and it was always a lonely feeling as you couldn't help or correct him.
Joshua checked the secure on the wheels of your wheelchair, making sure it wouldn’t move. He slowly got up to his feet to turn on the heater on the other side of the room. It was getting cold inside and the tea was gone already.
When he first heard about dementia, he thought it was losing memory only. But as he educated himself more and more, he learned that it could also mean the loss of mobility and the loss of speech.
Luckily the latter hasn’t happened yet and he prayed it would stay that way.
That was one of the reasons he believed in God again.
He felt selfish but he had nowhere to go. No place to let everything out.
When he prayed to God again, he felt bad and pathetic at first but it gave him the strength he needed.
He prayed that you wouldn’t be in too much pain.
He mentioned his gratitude for still being with you.
He was thankful for the chance to be a good husband to you.
Absentmindedly, his fingers found his cross necklace. You weren’t in a good state and of course everything could be better without dementia but being there for each other must be the life lesson here. Even without a marriage, being with the person you love and supporting each other was one of the most important things in life. He didn’t know how it would be, if the tables were switched between the two of you. Maybe that was why Joshua understood your idea of the divorce although he decided against it. If he would have to choose again, his decision would be the same.
He didn’t want a life without you.
After turning on the heater, he joined you again.
He was watching you smile with tears in your eyes.
He asked you what was wrong but you didn't react, instead your gaze was fixated on something outside the window. He wanted to help. He wanted to turn back time but he couldn't. His wish was impossible to become true.
Joshua reached forward, grabbing two clementines from the tray he had brought earlier and started peeling them for you. You two used to do it for the other when everything was still okay. Before the drastic change had started. Now you've never done it for him again but it would never stop him from doing it for you.
Carefully taking your hand and placing the peeled fruits in it, you made a surprised noise, giving him a soft smile.
"How do you know I like them? Say, what's your name?"
He tried to smile back. The same question he would hear every day.
Leaning forward, he gently rubbed your arm through the blanket. "My name is Joshua." ...and I'm your husband, he added in his thoughts.
You pulled out your arm from under the blanket and carefully touched his hair, letting the fingertips graze his cheeks until he grabbed your hand and kept your hand like this, leaning in your palm and closing his eyes for a second before placing your hand back down in your lap. You still wore his bracelet. The one he made for you with pastel colored beads.
Every day you would ask where you got it from but Joshua made sure to tell you about it every time he heard this question. At least you two would always have topics to talk about, he always told himself.
“You are so kind to me.”
Your soft voice made him look up to you and then he saw it in your eyes. He saw that deep down you haven't completely forgotten about him and that was all he needed. That was what kept him going, day after day. You were and will always be the love of his life after all.
And that would never change. Never.
#caratwritersclub#Seventeen#seventeen fanfic#seventeen au#seventeen imagines#seventeen scenarios#seventeen joshua#Svt#svt au#svt imagines#svt joshua#hong joshua#joshua hong#seventeen angst#svt angst#svt ff#seventeen ff#reader x joshua#kpop fanfic#kpop ff#kpop#kpop imagines#kpop angst#carat#17#ff
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A greedy panda is back for more.
May I please beg for some 40 post-nightmare hug Trissifer? And just, fingers in hair and just gentle gentle gentle, please and thank you <3<3<3
CW: canon typical violence and blood, nightmares, hurt/comfort
_
Sodden had taken its toll on the two sorceresses from Aretuza. Despite being incredibly powerful and very capable in battle, they weren’t soldiers. They weren’t warriors. Yes, Yennefer could break a man’s neck without even blinking, and Triss could fell an army as she bended nature to her will, but that didn’t mean they wanted to. Yennefer’s drive for power had never been about killing people or destruction. There was no power in death.
The real power was in living. She’d learnt that lesson on her very first night at Aretuza, possibly the most important thing that Tissaia had ever taught her. To die was to give up, to live meant defeating all of those who stand against you, even if it is your own mind.
And poor, darling Triss, she was a healer. Her knowledge of plants and their properties had stemmed from a desire to help people, to love, to heal. Triss, who treasured every living thing, and even apologised to the pitiful bugs and insects that were needed in their potions and enchantments, the healer who had been forced to kill a hundred men. Men with families, wives, husbands, children, fighting for a ruthless monster who saw them as pawns, fodder to be destroyed in a bloody battle.
A battle that had nearly killed them both.
Yennefer’s hands were still scarred from the inferno she’d let rip through the forest, and Triss still struggled to sit up, her body still healing from the blade that had buried deep into her gut, but they were alive, and they had each other for when life seemed to get too much. So, Yennefer didn’t regret her decision to help Tissaia in the slightest. For once, it felt like she had done something meaningful, something powerful, something more than running round the Continent on a wild goose chase in search of what she had lost.
“Yen…” Triss murmured from the bed, her rich chestnut curls falling in front of her freckled face. “Yenna, n-no…”
A nightmare.
Yennefer probed at Triss’s mind, just enough to see a fireball surrounding herself. She looked wild, ferocious… beautiful. That made her smile despite the fear clutching at her heart. Triss always saw her as beautiful, no matter what. With a soft sigh, Yennefer crawled into the bed next to Triss, gently pulling her into her arms, Triss’s head resting in her lap. She closed her eyes, keeping close contact with Triss’s mind, as she ran her fingers through the soft curls, filling Triss’s mind with happier thoughts and memories.
The day they spent in the cornfields together before Triss had been stationed in Temeria. Flower crowns conjured from thin air, sweet smelling and fresh, a picnic of the finest food laid out in front of them, just two dearest friends enjoying the day.
The day spent at elven ruins, a field trip from Aretuza in Yennefer’s later years, Triss had been in her first year at the school, young and timid and afraid. They’d been thick as thieves, mocking the Ban-Ard boys as they got far too excited over shit in the dirt. Yennefer had pulled Triss to one side, sneaking around the ruins until they found a patch of feainnewedd, the chaos rippling around them. As the more experienced mage, Yennefer had delighted in showing off, creating fireworks in her hands that resembled the pretty blue flowers. Triss had been so excited, reciting all the properties of feainnewedd, chattering away until it was dark and they’d been left behind. Yennefer had portalled them back to Aretuza to face a very angry Tissaia de Vries, but it had been worth it.
Triss had been worth it.
The whimpering settled down into steady breathing, and Triss stopped wriggling in Yennefer’s arms. The raging torrent of fire in her mind melting away to reveal a beautiful wooded area, the giggles of fae child echoing from the treetops. So, Yennefer opened her eyes, gazing down at her friend, fingers still carding through her hair, and she smiled warmly when she saw the serene expression on Triss’s face.
The nightmare was over… for now.
#the witcher#yennefer of vengerberg#triss merigold#trissefer#trissifer#yennefer x triss#wolfie’s witcher writing
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Only Fan(s) - A Thriller
Genre: Thriller
Pairing: Modern Ivar/OC
Warning: Language, sex, stalking, obsession, kidnapping, sexual assault
Rating: MA+18
Summary: Sometimes OnlyFans subscribers want a little more than internet pictures. Sometimes they want to be your ONLY fan…
Header by: @flowers-in-your-hayr
Thanks to @xbellaxcarolinax for being my beta.
Disclaimer: This story will deal with some topics that might be a little uncomfortable for some people. As always, I’ll try to tackle the hard stuff as tactfully as possible.
a/n: I know it’s been a minute. I’m always thinking about these stories because I want to finish them, just can’t seem to focus on writing at the moment. Anyway, hope you enjoy.
Part iv - Date with Destiny
Finding Ivar Lothbrok should have been easy. Between the two of them, he was the stable one. He was the one with the iron-clad schedule that consisted of drinking, smoking, and partying. Torren’s schedule was a bit more... fluid. She tended to go wherever the wind, or whatever car she acquired, would take her. Naturally, Ivar had the occasional meet-and-greet, red carpet, and/or Comic-con engagement that he had to attend, still, he was pretty easy to keep tabs on. All one had to do was look at (stalk) his social media accounts, and his whereabouts were posted for everyone to see.
Knowing where he’d be and finding out where he lived were a different story. Torren had done her due diligence when it came to locating the town in which Little Kattegat was located. It only took about two days and a few Google image searches of the background of a few of the photos and she had it narrowed down to a general area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
From what she could tell, the closest town to where he lived was pretty small, and there were only a few large estates hidden in the woods. How hard could it be to find? She was willing to drive to every single house and knock on the door to find him if she had to. But it would just be easier if there was loud music and a bunch of cars in the driveway. That way she could tag along inside with the rest of the guests to get to her man.
Her shirt landed in the pile of dirty clothes in the center of the bed, as she reached around to unhook her bra. “I really need to tell Baby Boo to stop putting all of his business out in these streets,” her brows furrowed as she shook her head, “What if some crazy, psycho bitch started stalking him, or some shit? Then I’d have to kill a bitch.” Torren’s head whipped around and she narrowed her eyes at his picture, still stuck on her wall, “Is that what you want? Huh? You want me to cut a bitch to prove to you how much I love you? I will, Bae! You know I would do anything for you. I’m your Ride or Die...”
And being his Ride or Die meant that she needed to keep better tabs on him if she was going to protect him from someone crazier than her, God forbid. She was only able to do so much on this prepaid phone, and going to the library to get online was becoming a pain in the ass.
She’d considered stealing a laptop or iPad from the library but was still on the fence about the idea. Of course, the alternative meant going to stupid ass libraries and threatening little kids to get off the fucking computers, and that completely sucked ass.
She always felt rushed when she logged onto her Bae’s Only Fans page from the public library. Without fail one of those little bastard kids would get the library Nazis to kick her off the computer, or bar her from the library altogether for watching porn.
Ivar’s page wasn’t porn! It was art. It was sexy. It was love...his love for her. Stupid bitches.
She had encountered far worse things than getting kicked out of the library, but some of these small towns usually only had one or two within their county limits. If she got banned, how was she supposed to check up on Ivar? In the time it took to log in until she got kicked out, she'd be lucky if she could check 2 of his accounts. What if he had some important information on another platform that she hadn’t checked yet? What was she supposed to do then?
Her relationship with Ivar was hanging in the balance, and she'd be damned if some snot-nosed kid or fucking uptight librarian would fuck that up. She needed a computer. But, on the flip side, when she finally got her man back, she wouldn't need one anymore. She could ask him directly what their plans were.
There was a lot to consider and that took time; time that she didn't have right now.
The thick layer of Nair shaving cream she had applied to her already hairless crotch, was just starting to tingle, signaling she had about 5 minutes left before the sweat-inducing, burning sensation would kick in alerting her to wash the cream off. Until then, she had time to consider an outfit for the night.
She knew Ivar well enough to know that he would want her to be sexy for him, but not so much to distract him from work. She could have gone for something slutty, like those skanky bitches he partied with. She could have gone for more demur, but then she would remind him too much of his bitch ex-wife and completely turn him off. The last thing she wanted on their first night back together was for him to be thinking about that bitch. She could have gone for a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but Torren never did simple.
No, Ivar would want her to be herself. That's what he loved about her. That's what attracted him to her in the first place. She would be sexy without being skanky; she would be demure without being a prude.
Fuck! It was already 7:33 p.m. How in the hell did she miss the beginning of his Live? Now she was running late.
She was supposed to be dressed and ready by the time his Live came on that way she could be out the door as soon as he finished. If she was going to make it to be on his Only Fans live stream tonight, she needed to get to his house before he got too distracted. Now, she’d have to watch his Live, while her cooch burst into flames before she had a chance to take a shower and finish picking out her outfit.
If there was one thing Torren was, it was punctual. It was bad enough that she was about 40 minutes outside of his town, but it could take her up to 2 or more hours to find his house. She only hoped that he didn’t plan on starting any real freaky shit on his Only Fans page until around midnight, cause it looked like she wouldn’t be getting there before then, anyway.
With the smile still plastered on her face, Torren turned on the hot water for a shower, forgetting that the water didn’t get hot. She didn't mind, much, especially since the cold water gave her a break from the heat in her room.
Phone in hand, she watched him, as she planted herself on the dirty bathtub floor, cross-legged, and started to get herself ready. Starting with her toes, she shaved each one, just below the knuckle, followed by her fingers, arms, pits, and each leg, from groin to ankle, three times. When the burning from her nether regions was so intense that she couldn’t tell her tears from the shower water dripping on her face, she quickly washed off the cream.
All she could do was hope that she hadn’t broken the skin this time. The last time she had let that damn Nair stay on, just past burning, the skin broke and she bled. She was not having a bloody hoo-ha tonight.
With that taken care of, she gently used the razor to remove any other pubes closer to the inside that needed to be removed. Then shaved her backside. When she had more time, she was going to get the internal hairs bleached, but she needed to find out what Ivar preferred.
Shaving ate up so much of her time that she only had a few seconds to rub some body-wash that she had stolen from a drug store over her body and hoped it got rid of the smell of the summer heat. Her hair? Fuck it...she’d wash it another day, for now, this cold water would have to be enough. She’d spritz some perfume and hair spray in it and it would smell fine.
Torren finished her shower, and walked out of the bathroom dripping wet, only using a towel to wrap around her hair. She was glad it was so hot in her room that her hair would air-dry quickly. She finger-combed her damp tresses to complete that ‘just got out of bed, but it's styled’ appearance. She knew how much he loved when her hair looked like that. It would remind him of freshly fucked hair.
She spent extra time applying her makeup, even using an extra dark, thick application of eyeliner. She usually went for more subtle warm colors. They matched her tan skin tone better. But, tonight, she had bold, dark makeup, complete with varying shades of purple and blue eye shadows, and dark purple lipstick.
Torren was glad that she decided to match Ivar’s clothes this evening. The swim trunks and smoking jacket he wore would compliment her beautifully. She wanted everyone to know that they dressed alike, the way real couples do. If he was going for less is more, so would she.
She settled on black leather chaps that tied up on the sides, and tight blue boy shorts that left the bottom half of her ass cheeks exposed. The blue shorts brought out the blue swirls in his trunks; she knew he'd appreciate that touch. Her top was a blue bandanna that she wore as a halter with a short black leather jacket with tassels on the sleeves.
They screamed “couple” in her eyes.
Completely satisfied with how she looked, Torren locked the door to her motel room and started down the hall. She deliberately stopped by the window and peered through the partially opened blinds of the people staying next door to her. She knocked on the window to get the attention of the young couple inside. Judging from their appearance, they were too strung out to know who she was, or that it was her music that they constantly banged on the wall about. She didn’t care. She still flipped them off before making her way to the stairs.
Reaching her hand through the busted window of the blue Ford Taurus to unlock the door from the inside. Torren slid into the driver's seat and leaned over to find the two cords that she had pulled out from under the steering column when she stole the car. Flicking the cords together, she listened as the engine reluctantly turned over.
She put the car in reverse, looked in the rear-view mirror at her makeup, then pulled out of the spot. As she turned onto the road leading to the highway, she listened to the knocks, bumps, and hisses that her car made. There wasn't time to do much about it now; not when she was on her way to get her man. But, she made a mental note to do something about it later in the week. The only thing she could do was turn the music up louder to drown out the car noise.
Truthfully, she should have stolen a better car than the piece of shit Taurus that she found in the parking lot of the Quickie Mart while driving through Tulsa, Oklahoma. There were plenty of better cars there to choose from but no one would have wanted to take this one. It was so sad looking that she took pity on it. She had been doing the owner of this crap car a favor, by taking it off of their hands.
The car was truly fucked. The oil light stayed on, and it drank gas like her mother drank liquor. The car had protested every inch of the ride across the three states that she traveled through in one day. She knew that it would only be a matter of time before that piece of shit breathed its last breath.
She needed to get gas again, but fuck that car. She had already refueled four times since she stole it. Gas wasn't cheap and she wasn't putting another dime in that gas guzzler. Speaking of money, she made a mental note to steal another credit card. It would only be a matter of time before the owner of the one that was tucked snugly between her left breast and strapless bra, would eventually realize that it had been lifted from the table in the diner, and canceled.
Laptop, butt bleaching, car, credit card, and more eyeliner from Walgreen's…her To-Do list was growing. She really needed to take some time off and take care of the necessities. Not tonight, though. She had other things to do. She couldn't do anything else, right now, but get to her man. Besides, once Lothbrok was by her side, he would help her remember all the things she needed to do.
As she came off of the highway exit smoke started billowing out from the engine. It backed up through the exhaust system, and came through the vents, inside the cabin. It was ironic – the air-conditioning vents in the car didn't work, but they seemed to work well enough to clog the inside of the car up with thick white smoke. She drove a few more miles before the smoke was so thick that she could no longer see. As she pulled the car over to the graveled shoulder of the road, the car knocked and shook, before it finally cut off.
Just her fucking luck.
She reached under the dash to flick the cords against each other again, trying to force the ignition to catch again, but it wouldn't. The engine had nothing left to give her. "Fuck Murphy and fuck his fucking law," she said calmly as she pulled the hood release.
She opened the car door, taking care to place both black, platform boots on the ground before lifting her backside from the seat. Placing her sunglasses on her eyes, she walked with one foot in front of the other to the front of the Taurus and placed her hand on the hood. It was hot, but not so hot that she couldn't feel under the front of the lever.
As she lifted the heavy metal hood and placed the rod in the slot to hold it in place, Torren let the smoke from the engine engulf her. It was quite a head rush breathing in the thick engine smoke through her nose, and exhaling it from her mouth. She patiently waited for the smoke to thin out before she bent, at the waist, over the engine. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she knew that someone would see her looking over the engine and stop to help her.
Now, if only someone would actually come down this dark stretch of road, she could be back on her way to Ivar.
It didn't take long before a pair of headlights rounded the bend of the road, just off to her right. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she accentuated the leather, chaps against her hips, and lifted her ass higher in the air, to catch the driver's attention. She couldn't help but smirk when she heard the tires of a large vehicle turn onto the graveled pavement in front of where she broke down. She didn't turn to face the car or the driver. She didn't care who they were or what they looked like. She had an appointment to keep and this pit stop was fucking up her timetable.
"You need some help?" A deep voice asked as its owner approached her.
Torren took a moment to peer around the hood, noticing that there were no other cars around. "Broke down," she answered, continuing to bear her weight from one hip to the other. She placed her hands on the metal frame of the car, arched her back, and looked at the man over her shoulder. "You know something about cars?"
"Yeah," he replied, moving around to her side, looking at her, and not the smoky engine.
She gave him half a smile, as she noticed him notice her. "You a mechanic or something?" She asked standing up. She rubbed her hands together to remove some of the visible engine soot while considering the guy in front of her. He was about 6 feet tall with a moderate build. He was dressed in blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and Timberland boots. He didn't look like he was more than 25 years old. Judging from the way he was looking at her and from the ring on his left hand, he wasn't too worried about her car, or his wife, for that matter.
"Nah, not a mechanic, but I work on my own car... in my spare time." He smiled when she did. She was gorgeous, in that slutty kind of way. She wouldn't be dressed like that and leaning over the hood of a car if she wasn't looking to have some fun. "Lemme take a look at it."
Did he work on his car? Hopefully, that meant that his ran better than hers did.
Torren moved over to the side and let him take the position under the hood. "I'll be right back," he explained before walking over to the bed of his F150.
Grabbing a flashlight from the trunk, he took a second to admire the view of her, from behind. If he could get her car moving again, she would hopefully follow him to this cheap motel he knew that was just up the highway.
He leaned in close, taking a whiff of her hair, "You overheated…want to check the coolant level."
She had heard him say something else but she had stopped listening; she was too busy watching the street. "You want me to try to start it?" she asked, removing her sunglasses before making her way to the driver's door. She wasn't sure if he answered or not. She had no intention of driving the Taurus again, even if he could get it started. She just needed to get something out of the car.
She slid into the seat and reached down on the floor. She found the hard metal object on the floor of the passenger's side and gripped it tightly. As she walked back around to the front of the car, she heard him talking, presumably about the car, or maybe he was asking her out. Who the fuck knows? She was on a tight schedule and all of his chatting was holding her up. She stood by the side of the hood, looking at the angle he was leaning over the hood. Quickly, she lifted her arm, and with one powerful blow, she struck him in the head with the crowbar that she used to procure her now-defunct car.
Torren stood over his body, looking at him intensely. God, it felt good. The rush of knowing that one minute this dude was towering over her, and the next he was on the ground. She had dropped his ass. She was the one with the power.
"Thanks," she said, digging her hand in his pocket to retrieve his cash, credit card, and the keys to his truck. She wiped the blood on the crowbar on his shirt before walking to her new mode of transportation.
Torren sat in the truck's driver's seat and turned on the engine. She had managed to cross two things off of her To-Do list without even planning to.
Thank God the truck had air conditioning. All this heat and humidity was bound to make her hair frizzy. She cranked the AC up as high as it would go and sat still for a moment enjoying the cool air. After a minute, she adjusted the seat and tilted the rearview mirror to look at herself. She was starting to sweat and her eyeliner was starting to run just a bit at the corners of her eyes. She dabbed at the black liner to even out the lines, and then pushed the mirror back to where she could see. Giving the area another once-over, she made sure that no one else had seen her interaction with that guy on the ground, before pulling out from the gravel and onto the paved street.
"Ugh!" Torren yelled. Chester Bradley, the printed name on the credit card, had shitty taste in music. She pushed the stereo button on the steering wheel to do a scan of the radio. Anything was better than country music. Once she found some trap music on the XM radio, she turned up the volume and pulled back onto the highway.
Part iii/
Tags: @ideagarden-blog1 @youbloodymadgenius @xbellaxcarolinax @a-mess-of-fandoms @didiintheblog @conaionaru @peachyboneless @flowers-in-your-hayr @heavenly1927 @zuxiezendler @waiting4inspiration @saldelys @revolution-starter
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