#Restaurant Tables and Chairs for Sale | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gretavangroupie · 9 months ago

Text

Goldenrod

Word count: 8.1k

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x Female Reader

Warnings: Language, Alcohol, Angst, Toxic Themes and Behavior, Jealousy. Smut: Kissing, Touching, Oral M!Receiving, Fingering, Dirty Talk, Unprotected Sex, Fluff.

A/N: I blame Josh Kiszka, entirely.

It’s a nice place, with tea light candles and fresh flowers on every table. Tucked away on the West side of Nashville, far from the wide eyed tourists and the flashing city lights. It’s quaint, but always busy. A reservation here would cost you. A name or your checkbook, either one will do. You wonder how he managed it, who he knows or what he does. You’d been here only once before, strings pulled and names dropped no doubt.

The hostess led you to your table, smack dab in the center of the restaurant, commanding all the eyes and attention of the patrons around you. With a curt smile you tucked into your chair and waited for your date. You weren’t really sure why you agreed to this, but after several failed attempts on your own you finally caved. Cambry is a terrible influence and you knew better than to go on a date with a man of her choosing, but here you found yourself in a swanky restaurant at a table for two.

You didn’t put too much effort into your outfit, opting for a tight black dress and a pair of gold earrings. It showed off your figure without revealing too much. It was tasteful and sexy, everything you want on a first date.

You knew nothing of the man you were meeting apart from his name. Simon. Cambry assured you that he was perfect for you, claiming how similar the two of you were and citing you had similar taste in music. So, you agreed.

You couldn’t fault him too much for being late, the traffic absolutely horrendous as you made your way through Midtown. You perused the drink menu, placing your order for a dirty martini when the waiter stopped at your table. As you sipped at the briney drink you felt a presence behind you, and you knew Simon must have arrived.

A tall man, with long dirty blonde hair stepped up to the seat across from you, lifting his hand to shake yours.

“Hi, I’m Simon. Sorry I’m late, the traffic–”

“Was terrible, I know,” you laugh, shaking his hand. “Y/N.”

He takes his seat as his eyes dart around your face taking you in. “You got a drink I see, any recommendations? I’ve never been here before.”

“I was wondering how you were able to pull a reservation so last minute,” you answer, pushing the drink menu towards him.

“Ah, called up one of my buddies, works tickets down at Nissan Stadium. Was no trouble,” he boasts as if entry level ticket sales is something to be proud of.

You smile politely and nod your head, “I got a dirty martini, they are heavy handed on the vermouth so I order gin instead of vodka.”

“Dirty, huh?” he smirks, opening the drink menu.

You offer a clipped smile, already not liking this guy too much. His frat boy vibes are a little too strong for your liking, and quite frankly is the opposite of what you have ever been into. The waiter steps up a few seconds later, noticing that your date has arrived.

“What can I get for you sir?”

“I don’t know what all this fancy shit is, do you have Bud Light?” he asks, rapping his knuckles against the table.

“Um, no sir, I believe the only beer we have on tap is Thunder Ann from Jackalope,” he offers with a pleasant smile.

“Was that English?” Simon jokes, however, it is not well received by your waiter or yourself.

“I could bring you a sample if you’d like?”

He blows out a breath of defeat, “I’ll just have what she’s having, but make mine stronger.”

You raise an eyebrow at his demand, silently kicking yourself for ever agreeing to this.

The waiter nods and heads off and a sense of dread washes over you as you realize you are about to enter into forced conversation with this stranger.

“So how do you know Cambry?” he asks, leaning back in his chair like he's at his mothers house.

You swallow down the distaste and try to answer his question, “Cambry and I work together. She is my office suitemate.”

“Oh so you work at the little music place, too?” he asks, downplaying your career to boost his own ego.

“I don’t think Sony Music Publishing is a ‘little music place’ but I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion,” you jest.

“What do you do there?” he asks, accepting his drink from the waiter. He takes far too large of a sip before you can answer, shocking the both of you.

“I’m an account executive, so I do sales, client management, data reports, that kind of thing. How about you? What do you do?” you ask, genuinely curious about what he could possibly do that he would need to belittle your career.

“Oh well, right now I am kinda just playing the corporate field so to speak. I’ve got a few sweet options in my pocket, but uh, right now I am working down at AT&T. You know that Batman looking building. It’s pretty chill,” he says in an attempt to flaunt.

“Yeah, I know it well actually. What do you do there?” you ask.

“I’m a field sales representative,” he answers, his voice dropping a little. You feel your eyes practically bulge from their sockets.

“So, you don’t like, physically work in the building,” you confirm.

“I mean, I report there at the end of the day,” he replies, trying to blow smoke.

“So if you report there at the end of the day, where do you spend your day?” you ask.

“Kind of everywhere. I do a lot of driving around. I was able to secure a deal with a new Mexican restaurant over in Hendersonville. They want full fiber and phones. Pretty sweet, might even make a commission on it,” he says pridefully.

“Wow, a commission too? They are spoiling you,” you taunt.

“Yeah, I’m about to move up, gonna put me into commercial sales. More office time and less road time,” he says, folding up his menu. Your mind is positively racing at how Cambry thought you two would be a perfect match when he couldn’t be more different than you.

“So uh, what are you thinking you want to eat?” he asks.

“I think I might do the farmhouse pasta, the sun dried tomatoes sound good,” you answer, closing your menu as well.

“Yeah I’m gonna get a steak, I bet they are good here,” he says waving over the waiter. Your face blushes red as he makes a scene to grab his attention.

“Yes sir, we are ready to order,” Simon states, opening up his menu. “I’m gonna have the Porterhouse with mushrooms well done and can you bring a side of ketchup?”

You think that if your eyes rolled any harder you could see your brain, but alas you must keep your composure and make it through this trainwreck of a date.

“For you miss?”

“Yes, could I please do the farmhouse pasta? I will also do one more dirty martini,” you smile, hoping the waiter can sense the apology in your tone.

“Great, I will be back,” he says, stepping away with the gentle nod of his head.

The evening continues on as you listen to him tell you every uninteresting fact about himself while he dips his shoe leather of a steak in ketchup. You have a hard time finding your own meal appetizing as you watch him eat, a tiny dribble of ketchup at the corner of his lips. He barely gives you a chance to speak as he relives his fraternity glory days, telling you every close call he has ever had with the police and every famous person’s door he’s knocked on since he moved here from Mississippi.

You down your drink probably a little too fast, trying to decide if you will need another to make it through the last part of this date. You know you will never speak to this man again, and you know you will be giving Cambry a firm talking to come Monday morning.

The waiter steps up to the table with the check, placing it in front of Simon who sends him a puzzled look. “Oh, actually she’s getting the check tonight.”

“Am I?” you ask, a little confused yourself. You had no problem going dutch, but to be told you were taking the entire responsibility of the bill was a bit of a shock.

“I mean, yeah, Cambry said you wanted this date, so… I figured since it was your idea, you were paying. I didn’t bring my wallet.”

You feel your mouth go dry at the audacity of his assumption. “I have no problem going dutch,” you say.

“Yeah, it’s just I didn’t bring my wallet,” he counters, shrugging his shoulders. “I can Venmo you later or something.”

You bite your tongue as you reach for your purse, knowing there is an extremely high chance that this meal will drain his checking account.

“It’s fine, I can get it. No problem,” you say, pulling your wallet from your purse. Just as you unzip it you feel someone walk up behind you, and the sight of a hand on the waiter's arm. The person leans towards the waiter, saying something quietly in his ear as he slips a silver metal credit card into his hand.

As you look up you recognize the mass of curls and the crisp white linen. The smell of his cologne forever ingrained in your memory. Your eyes flash over to Simon who is just as confused as you are, watching the interaction. A few more words are spoken between the waiter and the man you now know is Josh. Your ex.

The waiter scurries off with Josh’s card just as he turns to face you with a shit eating grin. He then casts a lethal glance to Simon, who at this point is looking rather small.

“Don’t you know it's distasteful to make your date pay?” he asks, venom in his voice.

“And you are?” Simon snaps.

“Well, from my place at the bar I thought I was the competition, but now I’m fairly positive that is not the case. My name is Josh, and I would ask yours but quite frankly I don’t care to know.”

“Josh!” you yelp.

“What darling, you can’t deny the facts. I’ve been sitting at the bar since you arrived. Was quite the unexpected show, I must admit,” he pauses, “If I’ve misjudged your evening, which, I’m sure I haven’t based on your body language alone, please do feel free to correct me.”

“We’re actually on a date, man,” Simon speaks up, taking you and Josh both by surprise as you turn to stare at him.

Josh just snickers, shaking his head before turning to you. “Have you had enough, sweets?”

“What do you want, Joshua?” you ask, a little annoyed at his brazenness.

He cups your chin with his thumb and forefinger as he gives you a knowing look, “Is this what you want? You want me to go?”

You push his hand away and cross your arms over your chest, refusing to answer his question.

“Fuck this,” Simon spouts, pushing away from the table and storming out of the restaurant.

Josh quickly takes his seat, sitting across from you as he folds his hands on the table. “You’re welcome,” he taunts, accepting the check book back from the waiter.

“A pleasure Mr. Kiszka,” he nods, walking away.

“Mr. Kiszka? They know you by name here?” you groan, watching a sideways grin pull across his full lips. His eyes glance down to the plate of half eaten food in front of him.

“A well done steak with ketchup? My, my, darling have your standards dipped that low?” he asks, signing the receipt and closing the book. You roll your eyes and reach for your martini glass, however his hand snakes out to grab it first, tossing the rest of it back.

“What the hell,” you growl.

“You dumped me for a broke asshole?” he asks, sitting back in the chair.

“He might have been broke, but I bet he could fuck me more than once every three months,” you snap, pulling ammo from your failed past.

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head, “Now, now, retract the claws sweetness, be my good girl, yeah?”

“I’m not your anything, Josh, and I don’t know what you think is about to happen here, but I can promise you it’s not.”

He stabs at the olive in the martini glass, popping it between his lips. “You sure about that?”

“You completely derailed my date,” you bark.

“Oh, please Y/N. You were ready to go the moment he introduced himself, late, might I add. You were entirely repulsed through dinner, and you couldn't get a word in edgewise. It may have been a year or so since we called it quits, but I still know you like the back of my hand, darling.”

“You don’t know me like that anymore, Josh.”

He chews the olive as a hum rings through his chest, “Is that why your thighs are clenched together under the table right now, for the first time tonight? Why you can’t seem to sit still, squirming everytime I look at you? The pretty pink blush on your cheeks that happened to appear as soon as I stole his seat? Because I just don’t know you anymore?”

You shake your head and look away, pushing him out of your mind.

“Look at me, Y/N,” he demands, and instinctually you turn your head. “Own it.”

You meet his eyes and huff out an annoyed breath. “You can’t just walk up to me and think we are going to pick up where we left off. I left you for a reason, Josh.”

“Are you ready to go now that you’ve said your piece?” he asks, pushing his chair away from the table.

“I drove myself here, and I’ll drive myself home,” you quip.

“After two martinis, I don’t think so, sweetness. I’ll send for your car in the morning,” he insists.

“Send for my car? What are you, the Pope?”

“Only the one time if you remember correctly,” he jokes, offering his hand to help you stand from your chair. You take it begrudgingly, grabbing your purse and smoothing out your dress.

“Stunning as usual, love. You know I love that silhouette on you,” he says, ushering the two of you out the door and into the parking lot. He drives a different car now, which is probably why you didn't recognize it in the lot when you arrived.

“It wasn’t for you,” you gripe.

“But it was for him? Mister can’t even split the check?” he counters.

“Again, he may not be made of money, but he at least listened the few times I was able to get a word in,” you snap.

Josh sucks his teeth as he opens the passenger door, helping you climb inside. It’s spacious and smells of new leather. A string of beads hangs from the rearview mirror and a tiny crystal lays haphazardly in the center console. He joins you seconds later, starting the car and backing out of the parking space.

“Where are you taking me?” you question, although you’re fairly certain you know the answer.

“Home,” he snickers, taking a right out of the parking lot.

“You don’t know where I live, I moved,” you say, shifting your body in the seat.

“No, no. I said, I am taking you home.”

“What if I don’t want to go?” you ask, fully lying to yourself and to him and he knows it.

“I did always like it when you played hard to get,” he smiles, moving his hand to rest on your bare leg. “But your body gives you away everytime.”

“Where’d you find him?” he asks, letting his eyes flick over to yours for just a second.

“Cambry,” you answer, a twinge of defeat in your voice.

“Cambry? Come on, baby, you know she has the worst taste in men,” he groans, merging onto the freeway with ease.

“I didn’t really have a choice, and she oversold him, clearly,” you answer.

“So you’re still at Sony, then?”

“I am, though I’ve been considering a career change, maybe even a city change,” you lie.

“Had enough of Nashville?” he jests.

“The people that reside here,” you taunt.

“Fair enough,” he concedes.

His fingers trace circles into your skin, lighting little fires with every pass. “You stopped answering my calls,” he trails off.

“That is typical of a break up Josh…”

“Baby–”

“Don’t call me that,” you snap.

“What can I call you?” he asks.

“Nothing, you can take me home and send my car in the morning,” you answer.

His grip on your leg tightens, his thumb passing over your knee. You feel warm beneath his touch, a calmness washing over you. This is always how he got you.

“It was one fight, Y/N! I know I fucked up, but–” he shouts, losing his calm and cool composure for a millisecond.

“Josh…” you whine, not wanting to hash this out again.

As you pull up to a red light he turns to look at you, moving his hand from your leg and grabbing your hand instead.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. Just– come over for a little bit. Let’s talk. Catch up a little. Don’t let your night be a complete loss, you look too pretty. Let me appreciate you,” he says, squeezing your hand.

Your eyes meet his, sparkling and encased by his thick lashes. “Okay,” you murmur.

“Yeah?”

You roll your eyes and nod your head, “Yes, fine. Just to catch up.”

The light changes and you swear he did twenty over the speed limit the rest of the way to his house. He has a smirk on his lips that he can’t seem to shake, and his hand hasn't left yours.

“Why were you at the bar alone?” you ask, the gin making you feel a little more brave than usual.

“I like the food, and they make my drink the right way. You know I don’t like going into the city, too many people, and the guys were all busy tonight. I think I was right where I needed to be though. Got you out of that shitty date,” he laughs.

“It was pretty shitty,” you agree, flashing him a smile.

“Missed that,” he says, turning into his driveway. “That smile. Lights up a room.”

“Stop,” you say, playfully pushing his shoulder. “Don’t suck up now after you were all bossy and demanding at the restaurant.”

“Worked though,” he grins, shrugging his shoulders and shutting off the car.

“Did it?”

“You’re here…” he says, tipping his chin.

“To talk. To catch up,” you counter.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you,” he says, helping you out of the car and shutting the door behind you. He guides you up to the front door with his hand on the small of your back, shoving his key into the lock and opening the door.

You’re instantly transported back in time. A time when this was your safe place, when this was your landing pad of comfort. A home you shared together. Warm and welcoming. Until, it wasn’t. It was a big empty house with nothing but the echo of your own voice for months on end. The place you would listen to your calls ring out with no answer and texts would sit on delivered for days.

It was hard to leave him, your personal ray of light. The good times were the greatest, and the bad times were worse than the worst. You met your breaking point and all you could think of was starting over. Living a normal life with a normal job and a normal relationship.

You’d grown a little since that day, finding yourself and establishing your own roots in the city. You cut off contact completely. Josh never gave up though. He was persistent, you’d give him that. He tried to reconcile things, promised to fix it, promised to do better, but after so many failed attempts, you couldn’t do it anymore. You needed to see this through, for yourself.

It took almost a year but he did stop calling. Stopped checking in. Your heart ached for him. You wondered if you’d made a mistake. You knew you never really stopped loving him. How could you stop loving someone like him? He took your heart and cast it in gold, giving a piece of himself to you to carry when he was away, but still it wasn’t enough. You needed more than he could give you then.

“You redecorated,” you ponder.

“A bit. Just some new furniture, art and things I picked up on the road,” he says, tossing his keys on the table. “You like it?”

You nod your head, “Yeah, I do. It feels very… you.” you pause, “It feels warm.”

He walks into the kitchen, pulling two lowball glasses from the cabinet before reaching for the tequila on top of the fridge. He holds the bottle up towards you in question and you nod your head, knowing you aren’t leaving tonight.

He pours the tequila into the glasses, topping them with sparkling water and a handful of ice as you walk over to join him. He slides the glass to you and holds his up to tap against yours.

“Glad you’re here, baby,” he breathes.

“Josh…”

“Sorry, old habit,” he blushes, taking a sip of his drink.

You join him, taking a long pull from the glass letting the bubbles slip down your throat. He made it perfect, just how you like it.

“Shall we?” he asks, pushing off the counter top and making his way into the living room. You follow behind him taking the seat next to him on the couch. You settle into the leather cushions as he shoots up again.

“Wait, hold on,” he says, walking across the room. He struts across the wood floors carrying himself in a way much different than you have ever seen him. He looks confident and seems to be floating. He grabs a small remote and turns down the lights, casting the room in a much dimmer light.

“Do you always walk around like that?” you ask, sipping from the rim of your glass.

“Like what?” he asks, returning to his place next to you.

“Like…like you’re made of gold,” you giggle, letting the tequila warm your blood.

“What if I am?” he challenges.

“What, made of gold?”

“Mhmm,” he hums.

“Kinda seems like it sometimes,” you confess.

“Yeah?”

“You kinda glow,” you answer.

“Optical illusion, sweets,” he grins.

“I don’t know, you’ve always kinda been that way. Glowy…” you offer, feeling a little hazy.

“You flirting with me now?” he asks, his lips turning up into a grin.

“No,” you growl, “Can I not give you a compliment?”

“Absolutely. Please do continue, I’m quite enjoying it,” he laughs, throwing his arm across the back of the couch. His fingertips brush your shoulder and you shudder at the contact.

“Has it been that long, darling?”

“What?” you question, turning to meet his eyes. His fingers graze against your skin again, goosebumps rising to the surface.

“Oh, say it isn’t so, baby. Break my heart,” he whines.

“What, Josh?”

“You’re touch starved aren’t you sweetness,” he says, his eyes searching yours.

“No, I’m fine,” you lie. You look away, knowing he was always able to read you like a book.

“Look at me, Y/N,” he snaps. You turn your head and meet his eyes again. “Don’t lie to me again. You know that never went well for you.”

You bite your lips together as your cheeks grow red hot. Part of you wants to push him a little more, force him to make good on his threat. The other part of you knows you should leave before he sucks you in.

“Tell me how long,” he says, resting his hand on the curve of your neck.

You blow out a breath and shake your head, “It’s not important,” you answer.

“Is to me, always important to me,” he urges.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I want to know that you were being taken care of,” he pauses, “I don’t think that’s a crime.”

“It’s been… a minute,” you confess.

“Baby,” he breathes.

“It’s fine, Josh. Really.”

“It’s not,” he snaps. “How long, love? You can tell me. It’s just me.”

“God! Since we split! Okay?! Is that what you want to hear?! That I haven’t fucked anyone since you?!” you shout, burying your head in your hands. You feel his hand rest on your back, warm and firm.

“Oh, my love. No wonder you’re so feisty. Wound up tighter than a two dollar watch. My girl needs a little relief, doesn’t she,” he asks.

You turn your head in your hands to look at him, his face serious and dripping with lust. You push yourself up off of the couch, pacing around the living room.

“I don’t want your pity, Josh.”

“It’s not pity darling, you’d know if it was,” he retorts.

“Well whatever it is, I don’t want it,” you snap.

He blows out a deep breath and clears his throat, “I’ve had just about enough of your mouth tonight,” he growls. “Why don’t you come back over here and try again, yeah?”

You stare at him from across the room, arms crossed over your chest in an effort to conceal your nipples that have grown hard just from the demanding quality of his voice.

“You can drop the act, I know you want me just as bad as I want you. If you want me to beg, crawl on my hands and knees for you, you know I’ll do it, but I think your body is begging for me harder than I ever could.”

You roll your eyes, and look away.

“Am I wrong? Tell me I’m wrong.”

You huff out a breath, “No,” you whisper.

“What’s that?”

“I said no,” you answer.

A smirk pulls across his lips, “No, what?”

You feel your chest grow warm and you swallow thickly, “No, sir.”

He clicks his tongue, “Don’t call me sir, that's my brother. Try again, love.”

“No, baby,” you breathe.

“That’s better. Much better. Come back over here,” he says, motioning you over with two fingers.

He reaches for your hand as you approach him, pulling you down onto his lap. Your legs fall to either side of his hips as you straddle him, the position feeling familiar and comforting.

“There’s my girl,” he growls, leaning forward to place his drink on the coffee table. His hands move to grip at your hips, holding you in place as he sinks a little further beneath you. It would be a lie if you said you weren’t enjoying this, feeling his hands on you and the evidence of his want as it grew beneath you.

“Not yours, Josh,” you say, letting your hands land on his chest.

“Liar,” he breathes, rolling his hips into you, eliciting a whine from your chest. You hear him laugh, “Your body says otherwise.”

“My body has never been able to say no to you,” you admit.

“And that's what I love about it, baby. Mine even when you aren’t.”

A sigh falls from your lips as his thumb drags over your lips, “Kiss me, Josh,” you beg.

A grin pulls across his lips as he pulls you by the back of your neck towards him. His soft, warm lips brush yours just slightly, enough to pull a whine from your chest.

“Now who’s begging?” he murmurs. Your eyes meet his, dark and lust filled before he crashes his lips to yours. His hands grip at your head as if he’s afraid you might fly away, his fingers twisting into your hair.

His tongue slides against yours, the taste of him so sweet and familiar. There would never be anyone that tasted better, you were sure of it. His hands slid down your face and over your shoulders, reaching for your hands as they sat on his chest. He wrapped his hands around yours, linking his fingers with yours the best he could, just holding you in a way you’ve desperately missed over the last year without him.

“Josh…” you breathe.

His lips break away from yours, his cheeks pink and his lips glossy, “Yeah, baby?”

You hesitate asking your question, momentarily debating whether you truly want to know or not, but you know if this night is going to continue, you have to know.

“How long…” you pause, “How long for you?” It comes out breathless, his warm hands in yours as his lips hover over yours.

He pulls back a touch, licking his lips and swallowing harshly, “A month or two,” he answers honestly.

Your traitorous eyes fill with tears and you do your best to blink them away. You drop your head in an effort to conceal your emotions, knowing this is all entirely your fault to begin with. His hand releases yours and grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him.

“They were never you. Not a single one of them could ever be you.”

You nod your head and swallow the lump in your throat, “Then why?”

“It’s been a year, baby. I never thought I’d have you again,” he confesses.

“But you want me?” you ask, just wanting to hear him say it.

“Is that not clear? Of course I want you. I never stopped wanting you. You stopped wanting me.”

You shake your head, “I didn’t. I swear I didn’t, I just– It was too hard, I couldn’t do it anymore. It hurt too much.”

He grabs your face in his hands again, holding eye contact with you. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I know I messed up. I’ve thought of it every single day since you left. I’m so sorry.”

You can see it in his eyes that he means it this time. The urgency in his voice and the trembling of his hands against your face prove it. You decide at that moment to cast the memories of the past to the wind and fall headfirst into him, the way you’ve dreamt of for months.

You press your lips to his, smiling, “Tequila always did make you all mushy, baby.”

A smile pulls across his lips as he stands from the couch, wrapping his arms around your thighs as he makes his way to the stairs. His lips connect to your jaw, peppering kisses up and down your neck with every step he takes.

It’s seconds before you’re tossed onto the bed. The bed you’ve missed so terribly. The bed that smells of him and his linen sheets. You melt into the comforter, your body relaxing almost immediately. Your eyes close and all you can hear is the shedding of clothes across the room, and the tinkling of beads as Josh places his necklace on the dresser.

You feel his hand as it comes to rest on your foot, sliding up the length of your body and stopping just as it reaches the hem of your dress. You sit up on your elbows to look at him, standing at the end of the bed in his boxers.

His gaze is fixed upon you, devouring your every inch.

“Joshy?” you breathe.

He drops his head for a second before looking back at you, “God I haven’t heard that in so long,” he whines. “What sweetness?”

“Come lay down with me,” you ask.

He licks his lips and crawls onto the bed, laying down next to you and resting his hand on your hip. “Hi beautiful.”

“Hi baby,” you whisper, rolling towards him. You lay your head on his shoulder, listening to his heart as it pounds erratically in his chest.

“I missed this bed,” you whisper against his skin.

“I missed you in this bed,” he pauses, “Terribly lonely without you.”

“Not too lonely it sounds like,” you tease, sitting up and stepping off of the bed.

“Baby, I–”

“I’m kidding, Josh. I don’t mind. Well, not completely anyway.”

You pull the zipper on the back of your dress, letting it fall to the floor and instinctively kicking it to the chair at the side of the bed like you'd done a thousand times before.

“So you care a little?” he smirks, taking in the sight of your matching lingerie. “Jesus, was that for him?”

“If all went well,” you answer cheekily, crawling back onto the bed.

“Over my dead body,” he growls, grabbing your arm and pulling you to lay on top of him.

“It was for me. I needed a little confidence boost.”

“Baby, what? Why? You were always so confident and cool,” he asks, furrowing his brow.

“Not lately… A few failed dates will do that to you I guess,” you admit.

“No, no no no no. Don’t let a few pricks dull your glow, sweetness. You’re everything. They’d be lucky to have you.”

You push up off of him, crawling backwards down the bed as you place a few errant kisses across his stomach. Your eyes never leave his as you stop above his waistband, sliding your nails against the elastic.

“What if I never wanted them,” you ask.

He sucks in a breath as your finger dips beneath the band, slightly tugging at the fabric.

“What do you want?” he asks, his eyes searching yours.

You pull his boxers over his hips watching his cock spring free to slap against his groin. You take him in your hand, watching as his face twists up in pleasure.

“Tell me,” he growls through gritted teeth.

Instead of answering him you let your tongue lick a hot stripe from his base to his tip, tasting the bitter sweetness of his precum on your tongue. His core tightens as you take him into your mouth, swirling your tongue against his length, feeling every vein and the rapid pulse pounding through him.

His hand finds the side of your face, tucking your hair behind your ear as he watches you take him down so easily, remembering exactly how he likes it. You grip his base as you work him, hollowing your cheeks as you eyes meet his. His lips are parted, a heavy breath leaving his chest as his grip on your hair tightens. You take him farther, swallowing around his tip as he nudges the back of your throat, sending him spiraling in his own bliss.

“Fuck, baby, please…” he begs.

You pop off of him, a string of saliva connecting your lips to his length. “Please what?”

“Please let me fuck you,” he asnwers, panting as he desperately awaits your mouths return to him.

“I’m kind of enjoying myself here,” you tease, taking him into your throat again.

“Fucking hell, you’re so goddamn sexy. I fucking– I–” he stammers, groaning as you swallow around him again.

“You think of this, baby? You miss sucking my cock? My good fucking girl,” he asks, jerking his hips up off of the bed. “You think of me like I think of you?”

You groan as your tongue swirls at his tip, letting your eyes meet his.

“Answer me,” he demands.

You pull off of him quickly, a spit covered mess, “Yes, yes baby,” you whine.

“Missed your mouth, your perfect fucking mouth. Your lips, your tongue, everything,” he growls, a moan leaving his chest as you suction your mouth around him. “Pull off baby, not yet. Not ready yet.”

You do as you're told, pulling off of him and wiping your lips on the back of your hand. He grabs your chin and pulls you toward him, his wet cock laying against your panties. His lips meet yours, swollen and pink and still glistening with your spit. He’s desperate to taste you, to devour you completely. You feel his hands slide over your waist and up to your bra, unclasping the hooks and pulling the straps from your arms. He pulls it from between you in one move, before turning you to your back to take in the sight of you.

His eyes practically bulge from his head as he looks at you. “You– You pierced your nipples? When did you? Wha– Fucking Christ.”

A smile spreads across your face. It's not very often you can catch Josh off guard like this, so you’re taking this small victory.

“About seven months ago, on a whim,” you answer.

“Anything else I should know about before I have a stroke?” he laughs.

“Why don’t you just find out?” you say playfully, just wanting to see his reaction.

He pulls the elastic of your panties over your hips, tossing the lacy garment to the floor. His tongue darts out over his lips as he looks at you, as if deciding where he wants to start. Though, you knew Josh, and he would forever be a victim to his own fascination with shiny objects.

His lips wrap around your nipple, his tongue gently flicking over the golden barbell. You lace your fingers into his curls, scratching at his roots as his teeth graze the sensitive bud in his mouth.

“Josh,” you whine, arching your back beneath him.

“Mhmm,” he whines, not letting his lips detach from you.

“Missed your touch,” you answer.

He pulls off of your right breast and kisses his way to your left, treating your left nipple with the same reverence as the previous. You grab his hand and pull his fingers to your lips, sucking his first two digits into your mouth and letting your tongue twist against them.

You hear him groan against you, the sensation becoming a little too overwhelming for him.

“You okay, baby?”

He pulls off of you, still staring down at the shiny gold bars adorning your nipples.

“No, fuck no, I’m never gonna stop thinking about these,” he says through a pant.

A laugh bubbles up from your chest as his hand meets your chest, sliding down your stomach and stopping at your hip.

“You gonna let me in, sweetness?” he asks, biting at his bottom lip.

A smirk pulls at your lips as you look at him, nodding gently. His hand slides down further, his fingers dusting across your folds. Your body quivers at his gentle touch, a small grin of satisfaction on his lips.

“You want it?”

“Stop teasing, Josh,” you whine.

“I’m sorry, baby. I know you need it. I’ll give you what you want. You know that, right?”

You nod furiously, just wanting him to touch you. Needing it more than anything. “Yes, yes, I know. Please…”

He bends forward and presses a kiss to your stomach, two fingers sinking into your wetness. You jerk towards him as his fingertips press to your clit, a whine escaping your lips before you can stop it. He hums as his fingers start to circle through your wetness, his lip bitten firmly between his teeth. His eyes are dark as they stare into yours, watching your every move and memorizing every expression.

“You feel so good, baby. Missed this so bad,” he breathes, teasing your entrance.

“You could have had anyone,” you whisper.

“I didn’t want anyone. Just you.”

His fingers dip into you, finding the place they once knew so well. Your hand moves to rest on his bicep, stronger now than they once were, the muscle rounded and defined. In fact, all of him is that way. Lean and fit, stronger and more chiseled. The thought alone makes you clench around his fingers.

“Yeah?”

“You feel so– so different. Stronger,” you say.

“Needed something to fill the time,” he smiles, curling his fingers inside of you. You cry out in bliss as your stomach starts to tighten.

“So good, baby,” you cry.

“Yeah, you gonna come for me? You gonna come right on my fingers, so needy and sweet,” he urges. His fingers are moving rapidly, working you toward your release better than you could have imagined.

“Ease into it, baby. Don’t rush it. I’m right here, not going anywhere. I’m yours,” he says, his voice soft and comforting.

Your eyes meet his, desperate and lust filled, “Mine?”

He nods his head quickly, “Yours,” he pauses, “If you want, I just– I’m here, okay? Take your time, feel it. Breathe it in, savor it. I’m here.”

“I want it,” you plead.

“Have it, have me,” he breathes.

His fingers move at a relentless pace, fingertips massaging into you with such precision it’s like a year never passed. Your chest grows hot and your stomach tightens as his eyes meet yours, both of you knowing you’re on the edge of release.

“Do it. Take it baby,” he growls.

“Josh,” you whine, reaching for his hand and twisting your fingers with his. His grip is tight on you, grounding you the way you need him to.

With another flick of his thumb across your clit, you’re sent spiraling into your release. You’d never been able to replicate the way it feels when it's by his hand, and you were sure no other man could. His hand slows as your eyes open, finding his full of desire as they stare back at you.

He grins as he presses a kiss to your mound, slowly pulling his fingers from inside you. Your body is shaking with adrenaline, the want for him coursing through you like never before. You need him. You need him now.

“Josh, now,” you pant, your chest still heaving as you catch your breath.

He doesn’t hesitate. There are no witty remarks, no jokes, no playful banter at all. Just the need the two of you share for each other taking center stage. He pushes up and crawls up towards you, falling into the space between your legs. He pushes them further apart with his knees, fisting at his base as he stares at you. You swear you can see his heart pounding in his chest, and you know he needs this as badly as you do.

He lowers himself down to you, brushing his tip through your folds. Your hands come up to his face, cradling his cheeks as you press your lips to his. It's different this time, a little less desperate, more intentional. He lets himself slowly sink inside of you as his lips dance with yours, filling you so fully and so completely, the way he always had.

He bottoms out inside of you, sliding his arm beneath your hips to pull you in close. His eyes meet yours in question and you nod, letting him know you need more. He begins to slowly move his hips, rolling into you at a fairly gentle pace, soaking in every inch of you and savoring every sound that falls from your lips.

Your hands wrap around his waist, pulling him in tighter, desperate for all of him. He groans as your chest presses against his, the coolness of the metal bars against his warm, dewy skin pulling a groan from his chest.

“Baby,” he whines, snapping his hips into you a little harder.

“Josh,” you answer, more of a moan.

“I need this,” he says, moving his hand to cradle your jaw. “I need you.”

“I know, baby,” you cry out, “I know. I need you, too. I fucking need you.”

He groans as he drops his head, letting his lips connect with your neck. His hot tongue slides against your skin before he sucks the skin into a fresh pink bite. His pace quickens, his skin slick with sweat as he pounds into you.

“Tell me that you think someone could fuck you better than this,” he growls.

“Fuck, no. No one. No one but you, Josh. I only want you,” you answer, gripping your fingers into his ass.

His demeanor changes, he’s grown animalistic, grunts and groans falling from his lips as he nears the peak of his release.

“Tell me that you don’t love me anymore,” he demands.

“Josh, I–”

“Say it,” he barks.

“I do! I do love you! You know I still fucking love you!” you cry, feeling the coil tighten in your groin.

A cry falls from his chest, echoing around the room as his lips crash to yours. It's rough and desperate, and you know you just told him everything he’s been waiting to hear.

“I fucking love you, Y/N,” he pants, “Don’t you ever fucking leave me again.”

You nod your head desperately, needing to feel his lips on yours again. His strokes start to quicken, hitting you long and deep as you both teeter on the edge of your orgasm. The wet sounds dancing through the air are deafening, and the heat of his breath on your face has you dizzy.

“Josh, baby,” you whine, knowing you won't last much longer.

“Yeah? Yeah you gonna come again? Bloom like a pretty flower just for me?” he urges, knowing the sound of his voice will push you over the edge. He nods his head, and bites his bottom lip as he watches you, squirming and panting beneath him as his cock hits you right where it belongs.

“Come on sweetness, be my pretty flower, come for me,” he whispers against your lips.

His hand cups at your breast as his fingers brush your piercing, letting his thumb and forefinger pinch at your nipple. The sensation is enough to bring you to the brink, letting you dive headfirst into your release. You cry out beneath him, his name falling from your lips in succession.

“Just like that, my love. I’m here, I’ve got you,” he says, pulling you closer to him as his hips continue to work you through it. “I’m there sweetheart, tell me where.”

“You know where, I’m yours,” you plead.

He snaps his hips into you again, holding you in place as he spills inside of you, the most beautiful noises falling from his lips. He comes down, loosening his grip on your hips as he falls slack on top of you. Your arms wrap around him, your hand drifting up into his sweaty curls as he catches his breath.

“I mean it,” he breathes, “I do love you.” He props his head up on your chest, letting his eyes meet yours.

“You know I love you, Josh.”

He cranes his neck forward and kisses you again, and you can almost feel the smile on his lips. “Does this mean you’ll come home? Let me love you again?”

“Is that you asking me?” you tease.

“I’ll call the movers right now,” he taunts.

“You forgive me for leaving you in the first place?” you ask, a hint of nervousness in your voice.

“I deserved it. I know what I lost.”

“I keep my apartment,” you counter.

“But you’ll be with me when I’m here?” he asks with questioning eyes.

“If that’s what you want,” you answer.

“No more dates with assholes who don’t deserve you?” he smirks.

“No more dates, just you,” you nod.

“I’ll do it right this time, give you everything. I promise.”

His lips press to yours, soft and sweet and barely there, sealing his promise and setting your heart aflame. He rolls off of you, laying next to you as close as he can get.

“You said I’m your flower,” you pause, “What kind?”

He pulls you into his side, hitching your leg up over his waist. “Hmm, a poppy perhaps? A bright red one, maybe orange.”

You giggle at the fact he has picked such an outlandish flower. “Why’s that?”

He turns his head to look at you and raises his eyebrow playfully, “The seeds are an opiate and can provide intense pleasure to the consumer, and you, my sweets, are certainly a drug to me.”

You roll your eyes and shove at his chest, feeling him pull you in tighter. He kisses your head and lets out a sigh.

“What about me, am I a flower, darling?”

“Of course you are,” you pause, looking at him. “Too easy, you’re Goldenrod.”

“Isn’t that a weed?” he laughs, running his fingertips against your bare thigh.

“Technically, but it’s beautiful. It’s wild and free and vibrant. Thrives in the warm sunshine and sways in the breeze. They’re made of gold, just like you,” you smile, flashing him a wink.

“Although, it is poisonous,” you add.

He rolls to face you completely, cupping your face in his hand as he smiles, “You know what they say…”

“What’s that,” you question.

“The worst poison always tastes the sweetest.”

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bratphilia · 1 year ago

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note ✧.*‎ welcome to my descent into madness aka my first attempt at actually writing something with plot (there will be porn i promise you sickos). anyways this started out as a total daydream bla bla bla yall heard me say this many times before. anyways this chapter is just lore, setup, and foreshadowing for the rest of the story. no mike or william in this chapter bc its really just a flashback.

pairing ✧.*‎ steve raglan / william afton x reader, mike schmidt x reader

cw ✧.*‎ kidnapping, drug use, basically child abandonment, paralysis, manic episode

taglist ✧.*‎ @dilfity @iikyutee @kissingrhi @jen-parker @kathxstuff @papyrus-the-poet @lowballbread @cecelovesbooks @bluebearieally @cybunii @van-van @iamunabletothinkofablogname @1ncidentdropout @ice-echo26 @officially-a-simp13 @all4kura @el-sol-sale-de-nuevo @littlexstarlightx @samlow23 @iikyutee

chapter synopsis ✧.*‎ you're fourteen when fate pushes you over the edge, and fifteen when it gets even worse.

lovelace by hoshikoe ⟶ prologue

you're fourteen when fate pushes you over the edge. freddy fazbear’s pizza, a rinky-dink restaurant geared towards kids, is where you’re forced to occupy one day in july. you’re not here for yourself — far from it — you’re here for your little sister, emmy. she isn’t the type of kid to run up to the creepy, uncanny looking animatronics while they robotically sing and dance, only to be apprehended by a tired employee, but she does love them. she loves them to the point where at least one day, maybe two, is spent at freddy’s over the summer. and guess who has to babysit her since mom and dad can’t make it everyday? that’s right, you!

anyways, back to the present. your eyes burn to stay open. the lack of air conditioning in the restaurant provides for a makeshift blanket. “em,” you say to your sister. her eyes are glued on the stage, humming along to the song the animatronics are “singing” while kicking her feet. she ignores you. “em, if i fall asleep, you need to stay right here.”

“mhm,” she murmurs back, continuing her humming. you roll your eyes. there was a part of you that knew you shouldn’t have trusted her. it was screaming at you internally as loud as it could, but the gripes of tiredness overpowered it with ease.

your eyes open for a second, in complete haze. as they open in the direction of where emmy sat, the chair is vacant. it doesn't immediately raise alarm — you're still halfway asleep — but another glance towards the hallway, the one where the employees seem to be coming from, there's the familiar back of a head walking next to a bright, golden colored character. when you finally wake up, you realize you weren't dreaming. your sister is gone. panicking, you rise up from the table and head off the only direction you can think of: down the hall. you aggressively brush pass other employees, ignoring their remarks, telling you that you can't be back there.

finally, a man forcefully stops you by grabbing your shoulders. "you can't be back here. what are you doing?"

"my sister," you say, not noticing how breathless you are until you start speaking. "my sister — she went back here. i have to find her."

the man raises an eyebrow at you. he's wearing a suit and tie, he must be an owner or something. "no one is back here except for employees, but i can help you find her if you say you saw her go back here." you nod, feeling somewhat assured. you know you saw her back here; she has to be somewhere. the man, who introduces himself to you as henry, tells you to wait back at your table. you do as he says, anxiously anticipating him to come out with your sister.

a flurry of things you would say to her flows through your head, each one more scathing the last. how she shouldn't have run off without telling you, going to a place that was obviously closed off to the public. when henry eventually returned, it was just about closing time. the restaurant was empty of patrons. an employee had asked you to leave, but you explained you were waiting for the owner to return something to you. the sunset cast an orange hue that shone through the windows.

"i'm so sorry," henry had said kindly. "i don't know where she is. i couldn't find her."

your face drops and your heart sinks. your lip trembles. "b-but i can't leave without her."

henry looks at you sympathetically. "let's call up your folks, yeah? don't want you to leave here empty handed, and i'm sure i could help alleviate the situation." you nod, tears forming in your eyes at the thought of your parents finding out about your negligence. you give henry your house phone number and lay your head down at the table. you stare at the abandoned bonnie plushie that sits on emmy's chair. you try to focus on it, its purple fur and red bowtie, instead of thinking about your parents' reaction and emmy's disappearance.

it was your dad that came. he didn't spare you a glance at first, just demanded where his daughter was. it wasn't until a sob escaped your lips that he turned to you. you'll never forget the look on his face, that look of disappointment, resentment even. he grabbed you with a tight grip on your arm and dragged you to the car. the car ride home was silent, your dad's jaw was clenched, white knuckles gripping the steering wheel.

"you useless thing," mom had snarled at you when you got home. "you ruined everything. you wanted this to happen, didn't you?"

you slammed the door and flopped onto your bed. on your side, your eyes were trained on the door to your room. you were waiting for emmy to come bursting through your door any minute now, ready to annoy you about anything she could come up with. but she never came. you stared blankly around your room that night, not sleeping, watching the shadows change and light slowly cast and darken over your room.

you started high school that year. freshman year wasn't anything that special. you actually managed to make it into a popular friend group. it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, though. it wasn't like your friends weren't nice, they were, it's just you felt so detached from reality at times that it was hard to enjoy what they were enjoying. you felt like an outsider looking in your own group. always wondering what the hype was about, wondering what other people could find so funny in the moment.

alicia, who seemed to be the head of the group, asked you what was bothering you so much. she didn't demand it out of you, and she didn't put you on the spot. something about it still put you off. "it's some shit with my family," you had told her, "don't worry about it, i'm fine. really." she looked like she didn't quite believe you, but she left it alone anyways. after that, the group treated you a little differently. you had guessed alicia told them what you said. it's not like they were distant, they seemed to be looking out for you more than usual, actually.

it wasn't until another girl in your friend group, kat, had pulled you aside, that you found a coping mechanism. you followed her into the bathroom. "i'm going to help you feel better," she declared. she pulled you into the larger bathroom stall and reached her hand out after searching for something in her bag. she held out a white tablet in the palm of her hand.

you furrowed your brow, unsure. "what is it?"

"vicodin," she told you, and again, "it will make you feel better."

you spared her a glanced and then took it, dry swallowing it. she smiled. "let's go to class, we have first period together."

it didn't kick in until about when class was over. a woozy, unsteady feeling washed over you. your head felt numb, and suddenly all thoughts about your parents and emmy were gone. that day was the most fun you had in years. you sat with your friends at lunch, completely immersed in their presence for once. you did stupid things to make them laugh, such as asking out a shy boy in your class. you wanted to feel like this everyday. you wanted to hold onto this feeling forever.

it didn't last forever, of course, and it wasn't an everyday thing. which is why you stood in the open doorway of your parents bedroom, age fifteen, in the middle of the night. they had a bathroom inside their bedroom that you planned to sneak into. you knew for a fact your mom had a container of vicodin in her medicine cabinet.

the only thing you could hear as you slipped past their bed, their sleeping bodies, is slight ruffle of your feet against the carpet and the beating of your heart. when you successfully made it to the bathroom, you carefully opened the medicine cabinet, disguised as a mirror, and used a mini-flashlight to search the labels until you eventually found a bottle labeled "hydrocodone." you were slow to take it, not wanting the pills inside to rattle and make a noise, then tiptoed back to your room.

you noticed how breathless you were. your mind raced with "what-if" scenarios. what if your parents caught you with the bottle in your hands? what would they do to you? you could only imagine your mother's harsh words, your dad's look of resentment, and suddenly you're thinking about emmy's disappearance again, and—

you freeze — no — you're frozen. you can't move any part of you. your grip on the pill bottle loosens and it tumbles on the ground. you want to reach out to grab it but you just can't seem to move. it's terrifying. your body horribly leans to the side, too. and then it stops.

you're still out of breath and wondering what the fuck had just happened to you. you abandon the pills, hiding them under your bed, you just can't do this right now. you lay down and stare at the ceiling, that moment replaying in your head over and over. you don't get any sleep that night. in fact, it's a night like the past couple nights, where instead of sleeping, you're ruminating in every little thing, every awkward moment, every mistake.

morning comes sooner than later. you're getting ready for school with your mind still racing. not just about the events of the previous night, or your fault in emmy's disappearance, but about every little thing. it's like your brain is on autopilot, though. you're doing things, putting your clothes on, fuck, even putting makeup on — something that was rare for you. reaching under the bed, you felt giddy. you couldn't wait to go to school today.

before you know it, you're at school, heart racing. you gathered your friends in the bathroom, it's cramped with the five of you in there. it was a little hard for you to get them together, you couldn't necessarily get the words out. it wasn't like you were shy or anything, it's like your mouth tumbled out all the wrong words. your friends look at you expectantly and you present them with the bottle of vicodin. only kat seems to be pleased.

"are you... okay?" alicia asked, a look of concern growing on her face.

you frowned. "i thought w-we could do this together. y'know? have some fun."

"i don't really do that sort of thing," was her response. she prompted the rest of your friends, even kat, out of the bathroom, leaving you there alone. you sunk against the wall, sliding to sit down on the floor. what just happened? you felt embarrassed, but like it was against your will, you popped two pills, and moved on.

it was as fun as you hoped it was. you were elated, actually. and you made a very important decision. randomly, you had decided you were going to go to freddy's and look for emmy yourself. she had to be there right? if no one had found her? there were big, obvious holes in your logic, but that didn't seem clear to you then in that moment. what mattered most to you was getting your sister back, getting your family back together.

you impulsively decided to carry out this plan in the middle of english class, asking your teacher if you can go to the bathroom. you catch alicia's eye as you leave. she offers you a strange look. as you walk out to the gate, someone calls your name. you turn and it's the guidance counselor on your trail.

"what are you doing?" she asked. "nevermind, come with me."

she leads you to the main office, close by the gate. she has you sit down in the waiting room while she dials your home number and calls your dad to pick you up. you barely pay attention to what she's saying until the phrase, "needs to go to the hospital, as soon as possible."

and that's how you ended up in the hospital, monitored by either a nurse or a tech. it's hard to tell, but at least two days go by in the blink of an eye. you refuse to eat, chewing desperately only at your finger nails and peeling off the dry skin from your lip; two anxiety habits you've always had, worsened by your current state of mind.

it's not until you wake up from a three hour nap, the most sleep you've gotten in at least a week, to the voices of your parents talking to a psychiatrist in the room. "...we think it's bipolar disorder. she's showing most symptoms of a manic episode."

"oh great, another thing for us to take care of," your mom says sarcastically. your dad is rubbing his eyes, looking pained. they barely even notice the fact that you're awake.

#fnaf #fnaf x reader #five nights at freddy's

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lawsend · 1 year ago

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Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 4

Series: Law’s End

Episode 1: Murder at Vista Heights

Fandom: The Royal Romance (loosely, there’s not much canon in here).

Pairings: None yet

Word Count: 3,070

Rating: MA

Warnings for series: adult themes, any given chapter may contain murder, violence, language, drinking, drug use, etc.

My other stuff can be found on my main blog @angelasscribbles here is the Master List.

The Italian Lighthouse restaurant wasn’t crowded yet and they were seated almost immediately.

“Thank you so much for meeting with us, Mrs. Haltom,” Riely greeted the older woman as they followed the hostess to their table.

“Oh, please, call me Stella!”

“Stella?” Riley slid a mirthful glance at Max, “Is that short for Estelle by chance?”

Stella lit up, “It is! How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” She raised her eyebrows at Max.

Max shook his head, his cheeks pinkening a little as he pulled the older woman’s chair out, “I think Estelle is a lovely name.”

“It is a lovely name,” Riley chuckled as she sent a quick text. And an old woman’s name told ya!

Max was staring down at his phone as Stella introduced her granddaughter, Miranda, “We call her Mandy for short!”

“Ohhh,” Riley cooed, “Max and Mandy, I like it!”

“That’s-“ Max fumbled his phone onto the tabletop.

“Oh, no…we….we just met!” Mandy objected.

“Give him a chance, dear, he seems like a nice boy!” Stella patted her granddaughter’s hand as she leaned closer and stage whispered, “And he has a good job!”

Mandy’s eyes met Max’s with a long-suffering sigh, she mouthed, “Sorry!”

Max leaned back in his seat as he gave her a reassuring smile.

Once they had given their orders to the waiter, Riley started questioning Stella about what she had seen and heard, “Did you see anyone else with him today or yesterday?”

“Oh yes, dear!” Stella lowered her voice and in a disapproving tone told her, “That man always had a woman coming or going!”

“So, someone else was there today?”

“I can’t be sure about this morning, I left early to help organize the church rummage sale and then I had brunch with a few friends, but there was a young lady there last night.” Stella nodded as if she’d just delivered a great revelation.

“One you’ve seen before?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you know her name?”

“Not that I can recall. Mr. Hayes wasn’t very social with the neighbors,” Stella sounded deeply offended by this.

“Is this the woman?” Riley pushed her phone across the table to the other woman, open to a recent photo of Katie Sloan.

“No,” Stella shook her head, “That’s not her.”

“Oh! Well, can you describe this other woman?”

Stella launched into every detail she had ever noticed about the woman from her nail polish to her footwear as Riley furiously scribbled notes.

Meanwhile, across the table, Max and Mandy were conspiring in hushed tones on the best way to diffuse the situation with Stella.

“I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice man,” Mandy whispered, “but I’m already in a relationship.”

“You are?” Max yipped in surprise, his eyes flying to Stella before lowering his voice again, “Then why don’t you just tell her-“

“I’m in a relationship with another woman and I just haven’t figured out how to come out to her just yet. She can be a little….judgy….”

Max lifted his eyes again to take in Stella as she finished giving Riley the rundown of the woman’s attire and her opinion on it.

“I can see that,” he smirked, “So shall we just tell her we have a date next weekend then later you can tell her I was a total jerk or that I stood you up or something?”

“Oh, I like the way your mind works!” Mandy laughed.

Both conversations continued until the food arrived.

“…did you tell any of this to the police?” Riley asked as the waiter set a plate of manicotti in front of her.

“Oh dearie, no,” Stella gestured dismissively, “They only asked about the man shouting threats. No one ever asked me about the parade of young women that came and went.”

“Would you be willing to come down to the station and talk to the sketch artist again?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Stella agreed happily as she watched her granddaughter getting along with that delightful boy from the paper. Maybe if that didn’t work out, one of those friendly detectives was single.

Back at the seventh precinct, Leo sauntered into the room like he hadn’t a care in the world, “Hey little, bro. What’s up?”

“Take a seat please,” Liam gestured to the chair across from him then beckoned his partner over, “Flynn and I have a few questions for you.”

The smile on his face never wavered, “Ohhh, sounds serious!”

“It is serious, Leo! Could you please treat it that way?” Liam leaned across the desk and hissed, “I’m trying to help you!”

“What do I need help with?” Leo asked as he dropped into the chair and kicked his feet up on the edge of Liam’s desk.

Flynn knocked Leo’s feet off the desk as he walked by, “Trenton Hayes was found dead in his apartment earlier today.”

Leo locked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair, “So?”

Flynn stood with his arms crossed glaring down at the blond man, “So witnesses overheard you telling him you were going to kill him just hours prior.”

“Oh, yeah,” Leo’s blue eyes twinkled with humor as he laughed, “I meant that shit too!”

“Leo!” Liam slammed a fist down on his desk, “You’re not helping yourself here!”

“So, you admit to threatening him?” Flynn pressed.

“I admit to threatening him,” Leo agreed.

“Jesus!” Liam exploded, “How can you be so cavalier about this?”

Leo’s eyes shifted from Flynn’s face to Liam’s, “Because I didn’t actually kill him. I only threatened to! Which you already know. Lying about it would make me look guilty, which I’m not! My DNA will be at the crime scene, but I’ve already admitted to being there, hours earlier! If I were going to kill him, why wouldn’t I have just done it then? If you have the murder weapon, my prints won’t be on it. If he was shot, which is the most common method of murder, the ballistics won’t come back to me.”

“Nice speech. Now back to the questioning,” Flynn checked his notes, “You told him to back off. What did you want him to back off of, exactly?”

“That’s between me and Trent….I mean, it was!”

“Well, he’s dead now, Leo,” Liam flipped a crime scene photo across the desk, “So you can see how that makes you our prime suspect…”

Leo shrugged expansively, “Yeah, Li, I know how it works. I was a cop, remember?”

“A corrupt cop, Rys,” Flynn gritted, “doesn’t exactly help your case.”

The smile faltered for the first time as Leo sprang to his feet and jabbed a finger at his brother’s partner, “Fuck you, O’Malley! You have no fucking idea what it’s like to be undercover in vice for two fucking years! I did what I had to do to survive!”

Flynn shoved him, “Your actions lead to a good cop getting killed!”

Liam bolted around the desk getting between them before things could escalate any further.

Leo tried to surge around his brother as he yelled, “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about dickweed!”

Flynn scoffed, “I know the two big rules are don’t use the drugs and don’t sleep with the target and you did both!”

“She wasn’t the target!”

“No, she was the target’s wife! You think that’s better?”

“Heather had nothing to do with-“

Bertrand’s voice boomed across the room, “What the hell is going on in here?”

“Nothing!” Liam shoved Leo away from Flynn and lowered his voice, “Stop!”

Leo threw both hands up in the air as he took a step backward, “I’m cool, talk to your fucking partner, he started that shit!”

Bertrand barreled down on them, the mayor right behind him, her white-blonde hair swept into an elaborate updo, a jade green dress hugging her curves, and her Louboutin heels echoing like gunshots as she easily matched his stride.

Leo’s face broke out in a wide-open grin when he saw her, “Hey there, Mads!”

Madeleine Amaranth colored from the top of her head to the tips of her toes at the all too familiar voice that both grated on her nerves and still, infuriatingly, sent shivers of desire down her spine.

She managed to control her face as she clipped frostily, “Leo.”

“That’s it? Leo?” He spread his arms wide, “No hug for your favorite ex-fiancée?”

“You’re not my favorite anything, Leo. Not anymore. You gave that right up when you went rogue.”

“Yeah, right, I remember. Your public image and political career over my little squabble with the CCPD concerning their false allegations and my wrongful termination.”

Madeleine shook her head, “I don’t have time for this. Bert, can we discuss the case in your office?”

“Certainly, right this way,” He glared back over his shoulder as they left, “I want an update in ten minutes!”

“Hey Flynn,” Liam gave him a pointed look, “Why don’t you go check with forensics and see if they’ve made any progress?”

Flynn’s gaze darted to Leo then back to Liam before nodding his head, “All right.”

Leo watched Flynn walk away, “Sorry, Li. I just don’t like that guy. He’s a dick.”

“He’s a good detective, Leo and he’s just doing his job. I had to beg to stay on this case. Everyone thinks you did it. I know you’re not a killer though so please help me prove it! I’m trying to help you, Leo! Give me something!”

Leo slumped in his chair with a resigned sigh, “What do you want to know?”

“What were you arguing with Trent about this morning? Were you fighting over Katie?”

“Not exactly…”

“Are you sleeping with her again?”

“What? No! Listen,” Leo ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, “She isn’t sleeping with me, and she wasn’t sleeping with Trent. He was blackmailing her…that’s what I was threatening him about! I wasn’t actually going to kill him; I just wanted him to back off!”

“What was he blackmailing her with and how did you find out about it? And why insert yourself in the middle of it in the first place?”

“I found out because she told me.”

“Katie told you she was being blackmailed?”

“Yeah, she came to me for help, and I wanted to help her out. You know, for old time's sake.”

Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, “Why do you always let your dick get you in trouble, huh?”

“Hey!” Leo protested, “Katie and I are friends now!”

“Friends, right. What was he blackmailing her with?”

“Okay, so she was cheating on her husband…just not with me. Trent somehow found out about it and was using it to blackmail her. She paid him at first, but he kept demanding more and more. She was worried it was never going to stop.”

“So she came to you.”

“So she came to me.”

“She came to you because she knew you’d do anything for her,” Liam shook his head as he tried to control the inner turmoil seething inside him.

His half-brother came across as a self-entitled prick most of the time. It was a misconception that he actively fostered for some reason. The Rys money conveyed privilege and opened doors, but the Rys name, which had once commanded respect, had become synonymous with corruption, entitlement, and misconduct thanks to their father’s thirty-four-year stint as the most corrupt Sherriff in Lantano County history. For some reason, Leo tended to lean into that image.

Liam knew that his brother was actually soft-hearted, generous, and loyal to a fault. If he cared about someone, he would go to any lengths to protect them, and Katie Sloan had used that to her advantage.

“Listen, Li. I know you never liked Katie, but she’s not a killer! She didn’t do this anymore than I did!”

They were interrupted by Flynn’s return. He dropped a file in front of Liam as he perched on the edge of his desk, “Money transfers, big ones, into his account from one Katie Sloan.”

Liam picked up the manilla folder and flipped it open as he asked, “How many?”

“Four of them over the last few months.”

“That tracks with what Leo just told me about Trent blackmailing Katie.”

“Yeah?” Flynn raised an eyebrow, “Over?”

“She wasn’t cheating with him,” Liam said, “but she was cheating with someone, and Trent knew it.”

“Who was she cheating with?” Flynn asked.

“I don’t know,” Leo answered, “She never said, and I never asked.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed. He was lying. Turning his attention back to his partner he asked, “Did you find out who Maxwell Beaumont is doing work for other than The Ledger?”

“Looks like he has cashed a couple of checks from Walker and Sons Investigations,” Flynn answered.

Turning back to Leo, Liam said, “We can pull Drake or Jackson in for questioning, or you could just tell us who she’s sleeping with.”

Leo shrugged, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A lab-coated man with warm terra-cotta skin, black hair, and deep oak eyes approached the trio, “I was told I needed to test a suspect for gunshot residue, and I have the ballistics report.” He handed a sheaf of papers to Flynn and turned toward Leo, “Wait…you’re the suspect?”

“Hey Rashad, what’s up?” Leo grinned as he extended his hands, “Yep. These idiots think I killed somebody.”

“The test will help exonerate you, Leo,” Liam said tersely.

“Right,” Leo’s eyes went to Flynn, “Because O’Malley is so interested in proving my innocence.”

“I’m interested in the truth,” Flynn told him as he passed the test results to Liam.

Leo scoffed, “You and I both know that if I did it, I��d have had ample time to wash my hands.”

“True,” Flynn agreed, “But I wouldn’t be much of a detective if I didn’t test my prime suspect for gunshot residue, now would I?”

Leo ignored him, focusing instead on the man carefully swabbing his hands, “How did you end up at the seventh precinct?”

“Transferred last year,” Rashad answered as he added the swab, and several drops of diphenylamine to a test tube.

“To be closer to your mom?” Leo guessed.

Rashad nodded as he held the test tube up to watch for any color change.

Leo’s attention moved back to Liam, “So what does the ballistic report say?”

“Nothing we didn’t already suspect. Nine millimeter matches the gun found at the scene. Registered to the vic.”

“The idiot was killed with his own gun?” Leo snorted.

“Yes,” Flynn replied, “And the gun was wiped clean so we couldn’t lift any prints. Something a former cop would know to do.”

Leo rolled his eyes, “Something any idiot who ever watched one episode of any crime show ever would know to do.”

“No gunshot residue,” Rashad announced, “Do you need me for anything else?”

“No, you can go. Thanks,” Flynn waved him off.

“Told you,” Leo smirked.

“Doesn’t prove you didn’t kill him, Rys.”

“Sure doesn’t prove I did!”

Bertrand’s voice cut through the argument, “Rys! O’Malley! I need that update now!”

“Coming, sir!” Flynn yelled across the room. Jerking his head toward Leo he asked, “What about him?”

“We have to cut him loose, Flynn, we have no real evidence and I’m vouching for him. He’s not going to leave town,” cutting his eyes to his brother he demanded, “Are you?”

“Nope,” Leo used his index finger to draw an x over his heart, “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Fine,” Flynn grunted, “But see to it you don’t.”

Leo took to his feet and stretched, “Well boys, it’s been fun but-“

“Sorry to interrupt-“

All three men turned to find Riley striding toward the desk.

Liam was visibly startled, “Riley! What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to let you know that Mrs. Haltom saw a woman with Trent last night and it wasn’t…” she trailed off as her eyes landed on Leo, “the suspect we discussed earlier.”

A smile crept across Leo’s face, “Wow, the homicide detectives are much better looking at the seventh precinct!”

“Not a homicide detective,” Riley extended her hand, “Riley Brooks, investigative journalist.”

“You’re a reporter?” Leo’s grin broadened as he took her hand.

Liam audibly groaned, “No, do not make friends with her!”

Leo’s eyes tracked back and forth between Liam and Riley in amusement, “My brother talks to reporters now?”

“I do not talk to reporters!”

“You’re the brother?”

“You’ve heard of me?” Leo sounded pleased.

“A little. And don’t let him lie,” she leaned in and lowered her voice, “He talks to me.”

“I’ll bet he does.”

Riley shifted her attention back to Liam, “Any updates about the case?”

“If there were, I couldn’t tell you and you know that.”

“I, on the other hand, am free to discuss whatever the fuck I want. One of the benefits of being a civilian.” Leo interjected.

Riley’s head snapped back to him with renewed interest, “You have details about the case?”

“Leo!” Liam warned.

Bertrand’s office door opened again, “Flynn! Liam! I said now not next week!”

“Shit!” Liam pointed at Leo then Riley, “I mean it. No discussing the case!”

Riley watched as Liam and Flynn retreated to Bertrand’s office before turning back to Leo, “So…you have information about the case?”

“I do. And I’ll give it to you if you tell me what’s going on with you and my brother.”

“What makes you think anything is going on between me and your brother?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that flustered before.”

“All right. I was on my way to The Beat. It’s a bar where all the cops hang out.”

“I know what it is. Share a cab?”

“No need. My ride is outside circling the block. We couldn’t find a parking spot.”

Inside Bertrand’s office, Flynn answered the mayor’s questions as Liam glanced over his shoulder through the office window. His jaw clenched as he watched Leo drop an arm across Riley's shoulder as he ushered her out of the office.

He still had her number, didn’t he? He’d call her after the meeting was over. To find out what Leo had told her and to ask about the woman the witness had seen. Not because he was worried about his brother flirting with her. Not because Leo had a way of getting every woman he smiled at into bed.

He didn’t care about that at all. Right?

#trr au #trr au fanfic #writeblr #crime drama #angelasscribbles #Law's End #laws end #cordonia city #maxwell beaumont #liam rys #drake walker #riley brooks #trr fandom #trr fanfic #the royal romance #no canon #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

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i-am-baechu · 2 years ago

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Genre: Head chef! Seokjin, Head baker! Y/N, strangers to lovers!, Ex- Namjoon!, Yoongi is their number one shipper, Jin is very obvious, fluff, romance, little angst, comedy, and smut

Summary: Seokjin is the head chef and owner of Empathy in the heart of Seoul. Everything was perfect until his head baker retired leaving him to scramble. His head waiter, Yoongi, brings in his friend for the position and Jin hires her on the spot. After her desserts become a sell-out on the first night, Jin becomes interested in the girl. Everyone needs a little spice in their lives....

Warnings: Namjoon is an asshole!

Authors note: Very fun to write!

“Spicy beef bone soup with extra rice for table 6!”

Kim Seokjin hit the bell as quickly as he could and went back to his pan to saute his onions. It was a busy Saturday and everyone was at Empathy for dinner. Nothing new to him. He felt blessed that in his late thirties he achieved his childhood dream, well his second dream. The first dream was to get married and so far, that hasn’t happened yet. He wasn’t looking for anyone. If it happens then it happens was his mindset.

He placed the onions on the plate with the ribs and he looked up towards his head baker, Levi Cooner, “Levi, did you finish the black forest cake for table 20!?”

“Placing the cherry on now, chef.”

“Alright, is the carrot cake about done for table 2?”

“Yes, chef. In about ten minutes.”

Jin nodded and picked up the plate of ribs and hit the bell. He smiled when he saw Yoongi making his way to the plate, “Still busy, Yoon?”

“Yeah, too many people...it’s annoying.”

Jin let out a small laugh and shook his head, “You work at a restaurant, there’s going to be people no matter what.”

“Yeah, that’s the annoying part, chef boy.”

He grabbed the plate and left the kitchen with Jin seeing the tall silver doors flapping away. He let out a quick sigh and turned towards his workers with a smile, “We’re doing great this dinner rush! Let’s keep it up!”

“Yes chef!”

Jin went inside his office to check out the financial part for the day so far. He hated numbers but he didn’t want to call Jungkook for help. He always acted so smug towards him because it was clear he was good with numbers. He would hope he was good at numbers, he’s a banker afterall. He turned on his computer and went into his program with his radio playing in the background. He liked listening to the gossip in the restaurant world, it made him laugh during his down time, “And what is your name?”

“Umm...my name is L/N Y/N...”

“How do you feel about the famous pastry chef Isaac calling it quits?”

“Eh? He didn’t quit, he’s literally my mentor.”

Jin raised his eyebrow and glanced at the radio, “chef Isaac...Isaac...Oh, Isaac Kristiansen. There’s no way he would retire, he’s a teacher? That’s funny.” Jin leaned forward and turned the radio up and leaned back into his chair.

“But the rumors-”

“I mean I wished the rumors were true. He made me make these chocolate figures at five in the morning but sadly no, he’s not quitting.”

“Is this an official statement, Mrs. L/N?”

“Official statement? I just wanted to get coffee...I guess it's a statement. An official statement though, I’m not the president or the queen so no. Have a good day.~”

“Wait, Mrs. L/N!”

Jin let out a small laugh and shut off the radio. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced back to his computer, the numbers were doing good but the desserts were lacking in sales. It was the fourth week in a row that he saw the decrease in it. He sighed and heard a knock on the door, “Come in.”

The door opened to reveal to his Executive chef, his brother with a small smile, “Why are you in here?”

“Just checking on the sales.”

Seok Joong raised his eyebrow and let out a low laugh, “Didn’t I tell you to stop doing that. You’re needed out here, worry about the numbers later.”

“But hyung-”

“No buts. Go cook.”

Jin pouted and nodded his head. He put his computer to sleep and walked away from his desk. He looked at Seok Joong with a raised eyebrow, “Wait, why are you here? You have a newborn.”

“Wanted to check on you, little bro. Also my wife wanted cheesecake and started crying for it, so...here I am.”

“Ah, okay. Hurry up and get it so you can go back to her.”

Seok Joong nodded his head and ruffled his brother's hair, “You go cook, that’s where your heart is. Not on numbers. You failed math.”

Jin glared at him and slapped his hand away, “I failed twice...that’s it. Go get your damn cheesecake.”

Later that night, everything was closed and Jin was in his office. Going through all the reports for that day. The light above him turned on and he jumped in his chair to see Yoongi leaning against the door frame with a lit cigarette in his mouth. Jin glared at him and looked back at his computer, “What did I say about smoking in my office?”

“I’m outside of it. Jimin and Taehyung are going to the bar, are you going?”

“No, I have to finish this report? Is Hoseok and Jungkook going?”

“Yeah, they are.”

“What about you?”

Yoongi let out a puff of smoke and shook his head, “No, I have to pick up my friend. She just got back from Norway.”

Jin raised his eyebrow and looked at Yoongi over his monitor, “You knew someone who went to Norway?”

“She was training there to be a pastry chef and shit. It’s been about...five years since I last saw her.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

Yoongi choked on his smoke and glared at Jin, “No, don’t ever say that. She’s my best friend. Anyways, see you later.”

“See you tomorrow, Yoon!”

Jin waved towards Yoongi while Yoongi nodded his head at him. He watched Yoongi leave and looked down at this keyboard with a curious look, “Best friend...I never heard of her before...”

Yoongi parked his car in the parking lot of the park he used to play when he was younger. He got out of his car and shut the door, making sure it was all locked up. With his hands in his pocket he made his way into the park. He scanned the park and his eyes landed on the person he had to pick up. He rolled his eyes and made his way towards her, “Why the fuck am I picking you up here? You look homeless.”

She looked up and pouted at him. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, “This is where we first met, I thought it would be special if we met here again.”

“Chessy.”

“Oh but you love that.” She sat up and opened her arms wide to the man, “Give me a hug Yoongi!”

“Y/N shut up it’s night time.”

“Just admit you missed me...”

“Shut up.”

∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘

The morning sun burned Jin’s eyes, it was too early to be bright. He unlocked Empathy’s door and stretched his body. He quickly closed the door and headed to his office trying to wipe the tiredness from his eyes. He put his bags on the floor and turned his computer to go through emails. He couldn’t get any sleep last night, he was curious about Yoongi’s best friend. He didn’t have many friends so it caused him to be curious. He went through his facebook and instagram to see if there was anything about her but nothing. Yoongi was a private person and he barely posted on his accounts. He just wanted to know who she was and he didn’t really care if he looked crazy. How the hell did Yoongi have a best friend?

He shook his head and took out his water bottle from his bag, “I wonder if she's like Yoongi...oh god, having two Yoongi’s. I can barely handle one.”

Yoongi entered the restaurant as he let out a small cough. Jin immediately stood up from his seat and headed towards him. Yoongi wiped off the dust on his jacket and looked back up to see Jin looking at him with curious eyes. He raised his eyebrow at him, “Can I help you?”

“Who is she?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“How could you have a best friend?” Yoongi glared at him and walked past him as Jin went after him, “It’s just...you hate people.”

“She’s been my friend since I was in diapers, if anything she’s my sister. An annoying sister.”

Jin nodded his head and watched Yoongi place his things in his locker. He leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling, “Is she older than me?”

“No, she's the same age.”

“Aww, so she’s your big sister.”

Yoongi felt his eyes twitch and looked at Jin with an annoyed look, “Why are you so curious about her?”

Jin shrugged his shoulders and looked at him, “I’m just shocked you knew someone outside our friend group...I was curious and then you said best friend, I had to know more.”

“She’s my best friend and she might come by today. I don't know though, she wanted to look at the local cafes, saying she needed to see the cakes.”

“Where is she staying?”

“With me.”

“Are you sure she’s not your girlfriend?”

“Jin, if you don’t move I will kick you in your nuts.”

The morning was slow but that’s how it always is. Lunch was when it almost always started to pick up. Jin was in the kitchen working on a sandwich when his phone started to buzz in his pocket. He sighed and hurried up to finish the sandwich, hitting the bell. He walked towards his office and picked up the phone, “Hello?”

“Ah, Jin.”

Jin raised his eyebrow and leaned against the wall, “Hyung, why are you calling me?”

“I’m just reminding you that next week, we’re having a family dinner. Eomma wants to celebrate Nora’s birth.”

“Eomma told you to do this, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, we all know how busy you’ve been. Anyways, see you later.”

“Bye.”

Jin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck roughly, “I forgot...shit.”

Y/N entered the busy atmosphere and her eyes widened to see Yoongi talking in a soft voice to customers. It was cute and it was rare for him to use that voice. She let out a small laugh and continued to stare at him with a teasing look. It wasn’t until Yoongi glanced at her and glared at her that she stopped staring and walked back outside. Yoongi quickly told one of the waiters what the table wanted and headed outside to see Y/N leaning against the wall.

“I’m shocked to see you.”

She tilted her head at him and raised her eyebrow, “I told you I would visit.”

“You said that you were going to look at the cakes, there’s no way in hell you saw all the cakes already.”

She let out a low chuckle and nodded her head, “You're right on that...I saw Namjoon.”

Yoongi's face softened and gently grabbed her hand, “Are you okay?”

“He didn’t see me but I saw him. He was with Eunah.”

“The fact he can walk around and feel-”

“Min-Min...”

Yoongi looked at her sad eyes and nodded his head, she hated talking about her ex, “I’m sorry. I just hate what he did to you.”

“He seems happy.”

“Y/N he doesn’t deserve happiness after what he did to you. Stop being your kind self and be spiteful for once.”

She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Yoongi’s waist as he gently rubbed her back, “It’s not fair that he gets a happy ending...while I’m still affected by him.”

“Do you still love him?”

“Oh hell no. It just hurts, that’s all. It’s not because of love it's because, how could you do that to someone, does that make sense?”

“No it does...I can always call Jungkook to beat him up.”

She let out a small laugh and shook her head. She let go of Yoongi and stared up at the sky, “I need to see him. I missed my little bun.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes at the nickname (a habit that you’ve had since you were a kid), “He missed you too, trust me. Go see him, he’s probably at his apartment playing games with Jimin.”

“Bun and chicky...Okay, I’ll go see them. I’ll see you tonight at dinner? Taehyung wanted to plan it.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tonight. Text me when you get to Jungkook’s.”

“Yes, sir.”

He watched her go back to her car and let out a small laugh. She was annoying but he sadly loved it. He walked back into the restaurant heading to the kitchen to get a quick sip of water. Jin put his noodles in the boiling water and went to Yoongi, “Where did you go?”

“I was talking to someone...”

“She was here!! And I missed her!!”

Jin went to go into the dinner room but Yoongi grabbed the back of his chef jacket, “She’s not there. She went to Jungkook’s to say hi.”

“Wait, she knows Jungkook!?”

“Yeah, she babysat him when we were younger. Jimin also loves her.”

“What the hell!? Does the whole group know her!?”

Yoongi shrugged his shoulders and placed his bottle back into his locker, “You and Hoseok are the only ones that haven’t met her.”

“That’s not fair, Yah! Yoongi stop walking away from me!”

∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘

Jin sat in his office a couple of days later, with a stressed out look. Levi, dropped a bomb on him last night. He was retiring and it was his last night. Jin was stressed (so stressed that he started cooking Italian food, something he only does when he's stressed). Today was Friday, meaning that it was going to be busy at dinner which also means, people want desserts. Guess what he doesn’t have, a fucking pastry chef or even a head baker. He now understood why Yoongi smokes.

He took a sip of his coffee and roughly ran his fingers through his hair when a knock on his door. Speaking of Yoongi, “Yoon, I can’t handle your sarcasm right now.”

Yoongi raised his eyebrow and leaned against the doorframe, “Why, what’s wrong?”

“Levi, retired.”

“Oh...that sucks.”

Jin let out a laugh and looked up at Yoongi, “Yeah it does suck. Thanks for reminding me of that.”

“I can ask my friend to come over and help.”

Jin stood up from his chair and looked at Yoongi with wide eyes, “Y-YOU WOULD DO THAT FOR ME!”

Yoongi flinched at his loudness and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Lower your voice.”

“Sorry, you would do that for me, Yoon?”

“Yeah, I can just text her right now. She’s just at my apartment playing with Holly.”

Jin smiled and walked up to Yoongi as the younger man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Jin went down to his knees and wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s waist, “Thank you Yoon!”

“I will report this to HR in five seconds.”

Y/N entered the empty restaurant and looked around for her friend. She entered the kitchen and looked around the fancy kitchen. Everything was shiny, Isaac’s kitchen was old but damn did it cook shit good. She continued to walk further into the kitchen until she ran into a hard chest. She felt herself getting flushed and looked up to see a handsome man with warm brown eyes, “I-I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking, I was looking for Min Yoongi.”

“Oh, are you his friend?”

“Yes, I’m L/N Y/N.”

Jin eyebrow raised and tilted his head at her, she was so tiny compared to him. Her hair looked soft with the way she styled it and her eyes captured him completely. She was really fucking pretty. He let out a small cough and nodded his head as he rubbed his neck, “Yoon-Yoongi is near the lockers. Let me show you.”

“Oh thank you...what’s your name?”

“Kim Seokjin but you can call me Jin or chef.”

“Chef Jin...I like Jinnie.”

His face felt red and he quickly turned around so she couldn’t see the blush on his face, “Follow me.”

“Okay Jinnie.”

Jinnie, how can she call me that with a straight face? Jin shook his head and glanced over his shoulder to see her looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He quickly let out a loud cough and started walking causing her to laugh a bit. They walked towards the front and turned a corner where she saw Yoongi drinking from his bottle. She ran past Jin and went to Yoongi.

“Min-Min, you woke me up! Since I’m the baker for you tonight, are you going to try my stuff now?”

Yoongi raised his eyebrow and put his bottle back inside his locker, “As long as it’s not burnt, then yes.”

“I burned one cake, I was ten!”

“It was still burnt.”

Jin tilted his head at the scene before him. It was weird to see Yoongi like this. He was still his hard-headed self but he was somehow softer? The woman before him can make Yoongi softer, she has to be a witch. Jin let out a small cough and she turned to look at him, “I’ll show you the menu. Its-”

“Oh...I made my own menu.”

“Eh? Can I see the menu?”

She nodded her head and opened her purse with excitement. She took out a piece of paper and handed it to the chef, “I made it as soon as Yoongi called me. I just got so excited to come and bake.”

Jin smiled at her and looked at the paper; (Queen’s Garden) Apple tart, tart crust that has rose syrup glazed around the rims. Apples in the shape of roses in the middle with honey, lemon, and a pinch of rose. To finish it off, the plate will have rose petals on the side of the plate.

(Cloud 9) Souffle Pancakes with red bean paste; two souffle pancakes stacked on each other with maple syrup barely coating the top with a dollop of homemade honey butter. To finish it off, whip cream with two sesame seed tuile in the cream and edible flowers. Extra honey butter on the side.

(Tangy Tang) Lemon semifreddo with a raspberry curd; the first layer; pralines, the second layer (ice cream layer) meringue and heavy cream, the third layer; genoise, and the fourth layer raspberry curd. To finish it off, zest from a lemon and dried lemon slices.

(Checkmate) Vanilla and chocolate checkerboard cake; chocolate and vanilla sponge cake, chocolate ganache, and a vanilla bean whip cream. To finish it off, a chocolate rose

Jin glanced at the paper and then back at Y/N, “Isn’t this difficult?”

“It’s basically the same thing I did for chef Issac when he was my mentor.”

His eyes widened and looked at her, “CHEF ISSAC WAS YOUR MENTOR! YOU'RE HIRED”

She blinked her eyes and slowly nodded her head, “That’s why I was in Norway.”

He blinked his eyes and looked between the paper and her, “Y-Your amazing!”

She let out a small laugh as she wasn’t used to being flattered by a handsome guy, “Thank you, I do try my best.”

Yoongi glanced at Jin and let out a small laugh. He shook his head, shut his locker and started to walk away from them, “Y/N, follow me so I can show you my station.”

“Okay, Min-Min.”

Jin watched her leave and she turned back to give him a quick wave. He felt his heart beat faster at her smile. He quickly turned away and slapped his cheeks lightly, “You just met her...stop it.”

Yoongi showed her the workspace and looked at her with a small smile, “So, what do you think of my boss?”

“He’s very animated. That’s fun.”

He let out a small chuckle and nodded his head, “I guess you can say that. Is that a good thing?”

“It’s good, I like it. It’s the opposite of you.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes and looked down at her menu, “I want to try cloud 9.”

“Really? Awww, Yoongi, you want to try my food~.”

“Shut up...yes I do.”

The morning quickly turned into night and that means the dinner rush is coming. Jin was extremely nervous about this one because Y/N was here. He did not doubt her ability, it was just her being her that made him nervous. All day she was giving him bits and pieces of her dessert and they were the best thing he has ever tasted. The way it just melted in his mouth and exploded with flavor, it was amazing. The thing that made him nervous was her smile. The way she would call him Jinnie, it was fucking cute. She was cute and he couldn’t focus. So, he moved her station to be behind him instead of being in front of him.

He was cutting his chicken in the midst of the rush when Yoongi came in with a smile. Jin raised his eyebrow at him, “What’s going on?”

“I got so many orders for Y/N’s desserts.”

“What!? There have barely been orders for dinner.”

“Aren’t you happy that people want the desserts? You kept telling me it wasn’t selling and now look.”

Jin nodded his head and glanced over his shoulders to see Y/N whistling to herself while whipping cream and mixing her curd. It’s been a while since the desserts were a hit with everyone, even the staff liked them.

“Jin? Did you hear me?”

He stopped looking at Y/N and looked at Yoongi who had a small smirk, “What did you say?”

“I said, how about you tell Y/N her desserts are doing good. I have to go back outside.”

Before Jin could say anything, Yoongi walked out to the floor. Jin sighed to himself and rubbed the back of his neck. He slowly turned around and saw Y/N trying some whipped cream. He was at a standstill. The way he licked her lips as the white cream coated her lips, was a sight to see. He let out a small cough and walked up to her making her look at him with a smile, “Hey Jinnie.”

“H-Hey. Your desserts are doing good, people ordering your stuff more than my own food. Good job.”

“That’s good, I’m glad people like my desserts. Did you like them too?”

He let out a small laugh and nodded his head, “My favorite is Tangy Tang. I like the bitterness and sweetness, it’s a well-balanced dessert.”

“Thank you, it means a lot hearing it from you.”

Jin smiled at this and leaned against the counter. He nervously scratched his forehead and looked at the whipped cream, “I was wondering...next week I have a party with my family. Would...I mean can you...no, can you please make the desserts for the party?”

“A family party? Is it for an engagement? That’s the only time my family gets together.”

“My brother just had a daughter, Nora.”

She placed the dried lemon slices on top of the semifreddo and smiled to herself, “Aww, a baby. I’ll make some cupcakes for you guys.”

“Well, I was wondering if you could...if you could stay for the party with me?”

She glanced up at him and gave him a teasing smile, “Like a date?”

“I-I mean if you want...I’m not-”

“I would love to, Jinnie.”

“Really!? I mean, that’s cool. Alright, I’ll go to my side to make some chicken or whatever I need to make.”

He turned around and whispered to himself a small yes. He went back to his station and glanced over his shoulder to see Y/N already looking at him. She gave him a small wave and went back to what she was doing. Yoongi leaned against the wall and smiled to himself, at his planned work.

∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘

Y/N sat in Taehyung’s living room as she watched Jungkook and Jimin play their game. She wasn’t sure what they were playing but it was more entertaining to watch them argue than the screen. It was the third night that she worked at Empathy and everything was going well. Well, somewhat good. It wasn’t until Yoongi rushed to his locker and told her that he saw Namjoon with Eunah. She asked for the night off and Jin was nice enough to let her.

She sighed and took a sip of her water with a frown. She hated Namjoon but there was a time that she loved him. She was with him for seven years and was engaged for two. He was her college sweetheart and everything was perfect. They were even planning their wedding but it wasn’t until Yoongi walked in on a conversation between Namjoon and at the time her best friend Eunah talking about taking the money from the wedding and running away. She let Yoongi and Jungkook punch him and after that, she left for Norway.

Seeing him still made her angry but she wasn’t in love with him anymore. In the first two years of being away, she finally came to that conclusion. Taehyung placed the plate of chicken on his coffee table and looked at Y/N with a concerned look, “Are you alright?”

“I’m...thinking.”

“That’s good, especially for you.”

Taehyung sent a small glare to Jungkook and looked back at Y/N, “About what?”

“Namjoon.”

Things got quiet in the room and the game was long forgotten. Everyone looked at her with concerned looks as she looked at the water drops going down her glass, “Noona, you shouldn’t think of him.”

“I know, I just...I don't know what to do. I want to hit and scream at him but that wouldn’t do anything for me. I really want to slap Eunah though.”

Jimin let out a small chuckle and nodded his head, “That makes sense. I think we would let you do that.”

“Noona we should go out.”

She raised her eyebrow at Jungkook and tilted her head, “Where?”

“Let’s go to the bar like how we used to!”

“You guys know I don’t really drink.”

“Jin-hyung has this low-key bar we can go to.”

Y/N turned her head towards Jimin with wide eyes, “Jinnie owns a bar?”

“It’s a small bar...Also, Jinnie.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and looked at the wall, “Yes, I already gave him a nickname...would he be there?”

“I can always text Yoongi to bring him to the bar-”

“NO DON’T DO THAT!”

“I can say that Y/N specifically wanted him to be there.”

“Don’t-”

“Already did it.”

She whipped her head and looked at Taehyung with her mouth open, “You betrayed me...”

“You need dick.”

“I DO NOT!”

The group moved to the bar with Y/N sitting at the edge of the table with a nervous look. Why would she be nervous? It’s just seeing her boss in a bar, that’s a problem. If she liked her boss then this can raise concerns with HR. Hopefully this is just a dumb crush that can be easily washed away. Jin was handsome and charismatic, he was also funny. All the traits you would want in a person. It’s only been three days and he made her feel nervous but she knew how to hide that. Hopefully Yoongi didn’t notice her actions.

“Sorry we were late.”

She looked up and she stared at Jin who was already looking at her with a smile. He was wearing a suit and it made him look more mature, something she thought was hot. He even had glasses on, how could he be so hot under this bar lighting. She shook her head and stood up to give Yoongi a hug, “I missed you...”

“Are you alright? Jimin told me you were thinking.”

She let out a low laugh and nodded her head. She glanced at Jin who was talking to Jungkook, “I’m fine now.”

Yoongi followed her eyes and smiled to himself, “He missed your desserts today.”

“Who?”

“Jin. Go talk to him, since you wanted him here so bad.”

“Shut up.”

She walked past Yoongi and he let out a laugh when Taehyung came up to him, “She’s clueless.”

“Yeah, she is.”

She walked up to him and Jungkook immediately walked away so they could have alone time. Jin smiled at her and took a sip of his beer. She smiled at him and leaned against the wall, “How was today?”

“It was busy but people were sad that there was no dessert today.”

She bit her lip and nodded her head, “I’m sorry about that...”

“No, no. It’s fine. I was just wondering if you were okay.”

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just me giving people too much power.”

Jin raised his eyebrow and put his glass down, “Is it an ex?”

“Oh, an ex and an ex best friend.”

“Together, that’s even worse. I’m sorry Y/N.”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at his glass, “I’ve moved on...trust me, I have.”

He smiled to himself and glanced down at the table with a flustered look, “T-That’s good.”

The rest of the guys looked at them with smirks on their faces. Jimin looked at Taehyung with a mischievous look, “I bet you 50 dollars that they would be together by the end of the month.”

“I think three months and they won’t be together, just going on dates. Y/N likes to be courted, right, Yoongi?”

“Jimin, you're going to lose money but go ahead.”

∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘

Jin stood in his family home staring at himself in the mirror with a nervous look. He wanted to look good, Y/N was coming to head out her cupcakes and she was his date. He didn’t tell anyone that she was his date, he knew his family would make this a big deal and he didn’t want them to scare her away. He fixed his black shirt and walked downstairs to see his brother holding Nora. He smiled at the baby and opened his arms towards the baby, “Nora, want to come to uncle.”

Nora let out a small gurgling noise and showed off her gums. Jin’s brother smiled and handed the baby to him. Jin kissed her cheek and Seok Joong gave him a small smirk, “So, when is Y/N coming?”

Jin choked on his spit and looked at him with wide eyes, “How do you know about that!?”

“You do realize I have Yoongi’s number right.”

“That bas-”

“Don’t finish that sentence Jin.”

Jin turned his head to see his mother glaring at him and he felt sweat forming on his forehead. His mother took Nora out of his arms and gave the little girl a kiss on the forehead, “Dawon wants to see her baby, behave boys.”

Seok Joong let out a small laugh and watched their mother leave. He leaned forward with a small smirk, “So, how do we feel about Y/N?”

“S-She’s cute.”

“Yoongi told me you tried helping her with her cakes. You hate baking.”

Jin rolled his eyes, “I never said I hated baking.”

“Jin, you burn everything when you bake.”

“Yah! Stop it.”

Seok Joong frowned and pointed his finger at him, “If you're serious about her, you need to figure out her position in the restaurant. She’s your employee, remember that.”

Jin sighed and nodded his head, “I know hyung, it’s just a crush. I swear, it will go away.”

“Even if it doesn’t, just make sure you handle it before it gets worse.”

“It won’t get worse, hyung.” He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he quickly took it out to see that it was Y/N telling him that she was there. Jin smiled but he quickly wiped it off when his brother gave him that knowing look, “It won’t get worse.”

Seok Joong watched Jin rush out of the room and shook his head, “It's gonna get worse, that boy is head over heels for her already.”

Jin opened his front door and smiled when he saw Y/N getting out of the car with boxes in her hand. He felt his chest get heavy when he saw her outfit, she looked beautiful. She was wearing a light pink cami dress with butterflies scattered around on the dress. Her hair was pinned back showing off her silver butterflies hoops and matching necklace. She looked up and waved at him, “Jinnie, can you help me?”

Jinnie shook his head and nodded his head. She looked beautiful but I can’t focus on that. She's much more than her beauty. He walked up to her and grabbed the boxes with ease, “You have so many boxes Y/N.”

“I didn’t know how many cupcakes you needed, so I made five boxes worth.”

“I appreciate this, Y/N. Thank you so much.”

She smiled and grabbed a colorful box, “No problem Jinnie. I get to spend time with you.”

He let out a nervous laugh and looked down at the colorful box with a raised eyebrow, “What's that?”

“I got Nora a plushie. It can be a weighted or warm plushie. I thought it could help your brother through the night.”

“Actually that could help, thank you. What kind of plushie is it?”

“It’s a teddy bear with a flower in its hand, I thought it was so cute.”

The two walked in the house and Y/N eyes met with an older woman's eyes. She looked at her with wide eyes and pointed at Jin, “You didn’t tell me you had a date.”

“Eomma-”

Jin’s mother came right up to Y/N and looked her up and down, scanning her. Y/N stood still and tilted her head at her, “Hello, Mrs. Kim, my name is L/N Y/N.”

“Oh, you're the baker that Seok Joong told me about. Very talented.”

“Thank you for thinking I’m talented, I appreciate it.”

Jin’s mother glanced at the boxes in Jin’s arms and then back at Y/N, “What’s all that?”

“Jin asked me to make cupcakes for the party and-”

“YAH! SEOKJIN! YOU MADE YOUR DATE DO WORK!”

Jin’s face turned red and shook his head, “Eomma, please don’t yell. It echoes.”

She shook her head at him and then back Y/N with an apologetic look, “I’m so sorry that my son is an idiot. Thank you for making the cupcakes, Seok Joong and Dawon will appreciate it. I see you have a gift in your hands, you're such an angel.”

Jin wanted die in that moment but Y/N let out a small giggle at her, “Thank you Mrs-”

“Call me eomma.”

“Thank you eomma.”

She clapped her hands and turned around to glance at the backyard. She looked back at Y/N with an excited look, “Let me introduce you to everyone. Yah, Jin, put those in the kitchen. We’ll pass them out after we introduce your date to everyone.”

Before Jin could say anything, they were out of his sight. He stood there blinking his eyes and sighed, “How the hell can she move that fast?”

Jin took the boxes and placed them on the counter like his mother told him. He glanced outside the window and he couldn’t help a smile appear on his face. Y/N was talking to his father while his mother was taking pictures of her. It was a cute sight to see. Seok Joong and Dawon glanced from their hiding spot and then they glanced at each other. Dawon smiled, “I think it's cute.”

“It’s cute...want to make a bet on them?”

“Of course, love.”

∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘

It’s been two months and Jin was in trouble. He liked Y/N even more, something he didn’t want to happen. He was her boss and this was inappropriate on so many levels. HR would kill him if they found out his feelings. He was having an inner battle, he wanted to date Y/N but he knew it was wrong. He was disappointed with himself because he took his business seriously and he didn’t want it to have a downfall because of his selfishness. It would ruin so many lives.

Jin sat in his car, running his fingers through his hair roughly. He couldn’t let this turn into something more, he was her boss. Also there was no way that Y/N liked him. It wouldn’t make sense. Tonight, Yoongi invited him to a club and he accepted without thinking because he heard that Y/N was going. He was annoyed that he accepted because he needed to stop being around Y/N outside of work but he couldn’t help it. She was just so addicting.

He sighed to himself and got out of his car with confidence. He entered the club and headed up to the VIP room. Hoseok always hooked them up at his clubs and this was no different. He went up the stairs and his eyes landed right on her. She was wearing a glitter bodycon dress with her hair in a ponytail, she looked hot. Jin wiped his hands on his jeans and walked up to them. The first one to notice was Hoseok, “Jin!”

The whole group turned towards them and gave him wide grins, the biggest was Y/N. Hoseok came over and gave him a bro hug, “Sorry I was late.”

“No worries, you're here now.”

He waved at his friends and sat next to Y/N who gave him a smile, “Hey Jinnie.”

“H-Hey Y/N. How long were you here?”

“Only twenty minutes, you're not that late. Want to come with me to get a drink?”

“Umm, I’m actually driving so I’ll just get a red bull or something.”

“No worries, I just wanted lemonade.”

The two left the group and headed downstairs to get their drinks. There was so many people dancing and Jin was sure some of them were fucking on the dance floor. They made their way to the bar and they sat there waiting for their drinks. Jin glanced down at his shoes, not wanting to make eye contact with her, “Jin, are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Just have things on my mind.”

Y/N placed her hand on top of his, causing him to whip his head towards her, “You can always come to me, Jin.”

I can’t tell you why, “Thank you Y/N.”

“Y/N is that you?”

She froze for a second and then she took a look. Jin glanced over her shoulder and saw a tall handsome guy with blonde hair. He was dressed in expensive clothing and it was clear he had an ego, “Hey, Namjoon.”

“I haven’t seen you since-”

“Since you tried taking my money and cheated on me. Yeah, that’s what happens when you're a piece of shit.”

Jin glanced between them with an awkward look. Namjoon let out a deep chuckle and leaned forward towards Y/N, making her lean back into Jin’s chest, “You can’t let that go? It happened years ago, are you that obsessed with me?”

Y/N scoffed at this and she wanted to spit in his face but she held back, “Obsessed? I’m not Eunah.”

“So you remember my wife.”

“You're married? I guess you two truly belonged with each other. Two pieces of shit.”

Jin let out a snicker causing Namjoon to glance at him, “And who's this?”

Without a beat Jin wrapped his arm around Y/N’s waist and brought her closer, “I’m her boyfriend.”

Namjoon scoffed and shook his head, “I doubt it. She can’t get another boyfriend after me.”

“And why is that? Cheater.”

“She was in love with me, there’s no way she could move on.”

Jin wanted to punch him but he ignored that feeling. His hand rested on her hips and spun her around to have her face him. They looked into each other's eyes and the music in the club went silent. It was just them in the room with the lights dimmed. Y/N glanced down at his lips and he did the same, the two knew what they wanted. They slowly leaned in and Jin didn’t know who leaned in first but he didn’t care. Their lips connected and she cupped his cheeks as she turned her head to make the kiss deeper. His hands roamed down her back letting his hands touch her lower back. When they leaned away, they both looked into each other's eyes and she gave him a small smile.

A small cough brought them back and Jin looked at Namjoon with a smug look, “What?”

“That was inappropriate to do in front of someone.”

“Dude, you have a wife. Go to her instead of bothering my girlfriend, you look pathetic.”

Namjoon glared at him and scoffed at them both before leaving. Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, “Thank you...you know I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me.”

He looked down at her with wide eyes, “Wait what?”

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me or I don’t know, ask me on another date.”

“Y-Your serious?”

“Very...”

Shit, “Are you saying...that you like me?”

“Yes, Jin. I do like you.”

“I-I...fuck. Y/N we can’t be together.”

Her eyes widened and let go of him by taking a step back, “You're not interested in me?”

“No! I mean no it's not that. I’m very interested in you. The problem is, I’m your boss. It would be bad for the restaurant, bad for business in general.”

“I understand...”

He wanted to grab her hand but he knew he couldn’t after his speech. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be sorry. I understand. HR would hate us. I’m going to head back upstairs, okay.”

Before he could say anything she basically ran from him. He glanced down at the counter and felt worse because she didn’t even take her drink. He cursed under his breath and took a sip of his red bull, “Fuck.”

Jin felt like shit. He felt like fresh dog shit before someone stepped on it. Y/N acted completely professional with him and he hated that. It’s been a couple of days since their talk and things were sad, well for him it was. Y/N was acting the same with everyone else but him. She would become stiff and call him chef or Seokjin, he fucking hated it but this is what had to happened. If he wanted to be selfish, the restaurant could’ve been shut down and everyone working there would struggle.

He was at his office typing away his reports when his door slammed open. He jumped in his seat and glared at the person, “Yoongi, what the hell?”

“I should be the one saying that, chef.”

Yoongi leaned against the door frame and let out a puff of smoke. Jin sighed and looked back at his computer screen, “What do you want and why do you seem angry with me?”

“You broke her heart.”

Jin stiffened at this but it was only for a second. He hoped Yoongi didn’t notice but he knew otherwise. He sighed and looked back at Yoongi, “I can’t go forward with her Yoongi. She’s my worker, it's wrong.”

Yoongi let out another puff of smoke and glared at him, “So, you were just leading her on?”

“NO! I would never do that...I just remember my position in power and how wrong it is. I really do like her Yoongi but it’s wrong.”

Yoongi nodded his head at this and sighed, “So...if she didn't work for you..you would date her?”

“I-I mean that would solve the problem...but yes I would date her. I doubt she would do that, she loves her job here and I’m not going to force her to do that. It’s wrong on my end to expect her to do that.”

“Okay...I’ll see you later.”

Jin blinked his eyes and watched Yoongi leave his office. He stood up from his chair and ran out, “Th-That’s it?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jin stood there in confusion and let out a deep sigh when Yoongi closed the front door. Jin rubbed his temples roughly, “Fucking hate my life.”

∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘∘₊✧────✧₊∘

It was strange not to see Y/N at work. It felt like something was happening and everyone knew it but Jin. He didn’t want to ask Yoongi where Y/N was because that would be inappropriate especially since he knew his feelings towards her. He continued his routine but he couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder to look at her empty station. Jin was closing the restaurant and was heading to his car when he heard a soft voice. He whipped his head and saw her, “Y/N?”

She smiled and clapped her hands, “Hi Jinnie.”

“Y-Your calling me that again?”

She let out a small laugh and nodded her head, “Of course I am...I can’t call you chef anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t work for you anymore.”

Jin dropped his keys and his bag. He looked at her with wide eyes and mouth, “What are you talking about?”

“I gave my resignation to your brother and it became official today.”

“No, I won’t let this happen. You had a job-”

“Jin, I already started working at this bakery.”

Jin looked at her with shock, “What bakery?”

“Songbird.”

Jin's eyes sparkled and he ran up to her wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing her into a tight hug, “I’m so proud of you. That’s for elites.”

“I guess your girlfriend is elite.”

He backed away and looked at her with hope in his eyes, “You want to be with me still?”

“Of course I do...that’s why I left. I want to start something with you, Jinnie.”

Hearing her say this made Jin snap. He grabbed all the items on the floor and took her wrist. He ran to the restaurant unlocking it with his key and headed towards his office. Y/N let out a small giggle when Jin tossed his stuff on the floor of the kitchen as he kicked his door open. The giggle quickly turned into a whimper as her back hit the back of the door, “Do you really want to be with me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t just leave my job for nothing. I think you should consider yourself lucky.”

“You're lucky you're cute.” He pulled her into him by her hips and bent down to place his forehead against hers, “Would you be my girlfriend?”

“Yes but we should act like we're not dating in front of the guys because I overheard them making a bet on us.”

“Deal.”

He backed her up slowly to his couch until the back of her knees touched the soft fabric. He gently laid her down on the couch and he was glad he bought that extra large couch now. He hovered over her and smiled, “My girlfriend.”

He stared down at her with his dark brown eyes as she looked at him with a smile. He brought his hand up to gently cradle her face and Y/N gently nuzzled her head into his hand. He bent down and gave her that long awaited kiss. He moved down to her neck and gently nipped at her skin, leaving little marks. Her hands went straight to his broad shoulders, gripping on them like her life depended on it, “Can I take this off?”

“Might as well, I have nothing else to do.” He let out a small chuckle and threw the shirt across the room. His hands went down her skirt and looked up at her, waiting for permission. She smiled at this and sat up to palace a kiss on his forehead, “Yes, Jin. I really want to fuck you.”

He tossed the skirt somewhere and looked at her with a soft look, “You're so beautiful.”

His fingers barely touched the laced bra and she felt herself getting flustered. He leaned forward, pushing them both onto the couch. He placed kisses on her breasts and lightly licked her nipple through the fabric. She let out a small moan and gripped his hair gently. His fingertips touched her covered clit and she let out a small whimper, “Does that feel good?”

He pressed a little harder and she closed her eyes at the feeling, “Y-Yes.”

His large hands guided her underwear down her legs as she felt the cold air hit her skin. He kissed the inside of her thigh and up to her core before pressing his fingers on the outside of her pussy. He entered two fingers into her entrance and she let out a small whimper. He glanced up to her making sure she was okay and she gave him a sheepish look, “I-It’s been awhile.”

“Sorry I’ll be gentle.”

“No, just be yourself right now. You can be gentle another time.”

He nodded his head and started thrusting his fingers. She gripped the soft fabric as he continued his speed, “You look really hot, Y/N.”

He rubbed his thumb on her clit, pushing her to the edge but right before she could come, he moved his hand away. She let out a frustrated sigh and looked down at him, “You can’t play like that.”

“Sorry I just want to feel you around me.”

He stood up and took off his shirt and Y/N tilted her head at his body. She wasn’t expecting him to be so fit, I mean she shouldn’t be shocked she loved looking at his arms. He looked back at her with a smudged look, “You like what you see?”

“I do, I’m mad that you’ve been hiding this from me. You're sexy.” His face turned red and looked away from her, causing her to laugh. He took off his pants and underwear as Y/N watched with a small smirk on her face. She glanced down at his member and let out a low whistle, “Nice.”

“Yah! Don’t do that!”

He bent down kissing her again and at the same time unhooking her bra. He tossed the bra on top of his pants and spread her legs for him, “You know...You look hot like this.”

“Like what?”

“Under me.”

“That's good because I’m going to be under you a lot.” He rolled his eyes and lowered himself to give her small kisses on her neck. She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in, chest to chest. He felt how wet she was and let out a low goan as she rubbed his erection between herself, “Hurry up, chef.”

He entered her slowly, not wanting to hurt her. She threw her head back a bit and gripped his shoulders when he finally bottomed out, “You okay, Y/N.”

“Yeah...you're lucky I have that IUD.”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry Y/N-”

“Hey, just fuck me.”

Jin kissed her jawline and let out a groan when he started to thrusting. She closed her eyes as the pleasure took over, “Fuck, you’re so big.”

He thrusted in and out faster making her clench around him. She moved her head and gave him a deep kiss as she moaned into his mouth. He hovered over her and looked down to see her thighs jiggle around him and the sweat forming on her body. He looked back up and his hand traveled up her neck. His fingers went around her neck and he applied a light pressure. He continued to fuck her with the light pressure around her neck, “Fuck I’m almost there.”

“J-Jin, m-me too...”

She let out a loud cry as she came around him and feeling her walls clench around him caused him to come as well. He collapsed onto top of her as he kissed the side of her neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Jin let out a small chuckle, “Fuck.”

“Yeah, fuck is right.”

He looked up at her and kissed the tip of her nose as she let out a small laugh, “My girlfriend.”

“My boyfriend~.”

#bts reactions #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts jungkook #bts namjoon #bts seokjin #bts taehyung #bts jimin #bts yoongi #bts x reader #bts hosoek #Bts #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #seokjin #kim seokjin #seokjin x reader #bts seokjin x reader

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enchantingqueenzombie · 1 month ago

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inspiredwriter · 1 year ago

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Leonardo :*parado en el restaurante*(pensamientos💭) vamos Leo este día de San Valentín deber ser especial para Stefany 😊😁💖💘💞💗*mira su reloj* ya pronto será a las ocho Espero que llegue😄🥰⌚💕💝❣️

Stefany :*se acerca a Leo* hola tortuguita me arregle bien para nuestra cita el día de San Valentín🥰😊👗🩷💞💘💖

Leonardo :*mirá a Stefany y se sonroja* ¡Wooaah!~😳😍💓💘💝💞 te ves muy hermosa como siempre gatita 😏🥰💖💕❣️

Stefany :*se sonroja* jajaja pues gracias Leo tú también eres hermoso 😄😃💗💞💓💘* besa a Leo en la mejilla* Muah~😚💋💕💝❣️¿Qué hiciste para nuestro día especial? 😄🤭💓💕💘

Leonardo :*abraza a Stefany en la cintura* bueno reserve una cena en el restaurante de sushi para nosotros 😏😘🍣🥂🏪💖💞❣️es el lugar más romántico de la ciudad 😊😉🌃💝💕💘💗

Stefany : Oh que dulce de tu parte Lee 🥰😍💖🩷💕💝* abraza el brazo de Leo*(pensamientos💭) Espero que entremos quiero darle tu regalo especial para ti ☺️😀🎁💝💞❣️💕

***

Miguel Angel :*se detiene en el apartamento de Anastasia*(pensamientos💭) me alegra Donnie me prestó su auto para llegar a mi princesa a un lindo paseo por la ciudad 😏😁🚗🏙️💕❣️💞💖*toca la bosina*¡Ooooh nena tu príncipe está aquí~! 😄😉💗💘💕

Anastasia :*sale del apartamento* ahora mi príncipe estoy lista Para nuestras citas de San Valentín 🥰😃💘💖💕💞

Miguel Angel :*se sonroja con la boca abierta* ¡¡Oh concha~!!😳😍🌋💘💖💞💗 tú no eres Anastasia eres una diosa del amor que ha caído en el cielo por mi 😍😇💕💓💝

Anastasia : Gracias mi apuesto apuesto príncipe 🤭🥰💗💞💓💘*se sube el auto* bien amor A dónde nos vamos? ☺️😀💖💕❣️💗

Miguel Angel :*acaricia la pierna de Stefany* bueno nena vamos a dar un lindo paseo por toda la ciudad😏😘🚗🌃💕💖💝 susurra e Anastasia del oído*luego vamos lugar privado para hacer el amor en el auto 😈☺️🚙💓💘💞💖

Anastasia : Sin palabras cariño vamos😃😍💘💖💕💗* acaricia a Mikey en la mejilla* cuando lleguemos tengo un regalo que te gustará pero no puedo decírtelo🤭😉🎁💝💞❣️💓💕

@inspiredwriter

*At the evening*

*In a restaurant*

Stefany: My God, Leo, it's magnificent that we're having a romantic dinner on the roof😃😍🍣🥂💖🩷💘💞 *Sits down at the table*

Leonardo: *Pushes the chair* All the best only for you, my love😘🥰💓💖❣️💕 *Kisses Stefany on the cheek* Muah~😚💗💝💞 *Sits down at the table*

Stefany: *Wipes fork with napkin* Bon appetit to you, hunny😄😋🍣💗🩷💕 *Eats sushi*

Leonardo: Same to you, kitty😄🥰🍾🥂💘🩷💞 *Pours champagne into two glasses* (Thoughts💭) She doesn’t know yet that I booked a separate hotel room for us🤫😈🏩💘💓❣️💞

*In the forest*

Michelangelo: *Drives up on the hill and stops the car* Well, we have arrived at our destination, my love😄🥰💗🩷💖💕 Here we will admire the stars, eat party cake and..~😁😏💓💘💞 *Caresses Anastasia's booty* Do fun things~😈🥰💖💓❣️💕

Anastasia: *Blushes* Ah, Mikey, this is wonderful😳😍💗💝💞 How did you find such a beautiful place?😄💓🩷💖💕

Michelangelo: Well, when my brothers and I were on patrol in the forest, I found this hill and thought it would be a great place for a date with my beloved girlfriend😗🥰💘❣️💗💕 *caresses Anastasia's back*

Anastasia: *Snuggles up to Mikey's chest* Mikey, you're the best🥰🤗💖🩷💝💞 *Kisses Mikey on the lips* Mmmmuah~😚💋💓💘💞 Let's get out of the car and admire the starry sky😍😘💝💗❣️💕

*On the river*

Donatello: *Stands by the river* Where is my little mermaid?🤔🤨 I want this evening to be special for her😟🌌🌊✨

April: *Approaches the pier* Donnie, I'm here, my love😄🥰💖💝💘💞 *Takes Donnie's hands* Sorry for the delay, it took me a while to find the best outfit😅😘👗👡💗🩷💕

Donatello: *Blushes* Wow, darling, you look so brilliant that you just blind me with your beauty😃😍💓🩷💖💘✨ *Kisses April on the lips* Mmmmuah~😚💋💖❣️💝💕 Are you ready for a romantic boat ride?😏🌌🌊🚣‍♂️💗💝💓💞

April: Of course, sweetie😍🥰💖🩷❣️💕 *Holds Donnie's hand and gets into the boat*

Donatello: (Thoughts💭) I'll take her to the far shore, where there is a beautiful waterfall and we'll make love there😏😈🌅🌳🍃💗💘💕 *Unties the boat from the shore and takes the oars* We're setting sail, beauty~😁🥰🌊🚣‍♂️💖💓💞 *Sails away from the shore*

*At a rock concert*

Candy: *Jumps up with arms in the air* Woo, haha!🙌😙😃 Rock is alive!🤘😆🎸⚡ *Speaks to Raph in ear* Raphi, I think we have a slightly unusual date for Valentine's Day!😉😄💝💘💕

Raphael: *Hugs Candy's waist* It's not bad, the main thing is that you are happy my little pepper😏🥰💗💖💓💞 *Speaks to Candy in his ear* Besides, this is not the only surprise for tonight🤫😈💝🩷💕

@swagreecrow

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blookmallow · 5 months ago

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hello and welcome to the virtual tour of my castle settlement which i have put so many things into the game has blocked me from building any more. i have a whole tiny city going in here. could probably use some updating now that i have more add-ons and therefore more options, but

heres the main shops, everyone say hi nick

i put the vault tec sales guy in charge of the general store (hes slacking off in this picture but its fine) and he seems to be living his best life. he didn't think there was a place for a salesman in this world now and i was like hold on. i have the perfect job

little clinic (there are also science and medical magazines in here)

continue on for more. also let me know if y'all like these id be glad to do more of them but this is definitely my most elaborate settlement

my restaurant. looks really boring now that i look at it though maybe ill mess with it some more. i dont remember if there were remnants of a kitchen in here originally or if i just decided to put a restaurant there, but

the weapon and armor shops (say hi to nick again) (he kept getting in the way, )

i walled off most of these little alcoves and turned them into tiny houses. i gave each of them a color theme because i love a color theme. this one is white house. the vault tec sales guy lives there. it's my favorite one. i don't know why

here we have red house. it's the biggest one bc it's at the end of the hall

theres blue house. i think i have the ability to make blue chairs now but i think the green looks nice with the plants so maybe ill leave it

heres green house. it has a little patio area. i think curie lives in here. i didn't assign anyone to specific beds but i think they auto assign if you didn't set it? bc i always see the vault tec guy in the white house and curie's usually in here. i have no idea where preston sleeps but he lives at the castle when he's not with me too. anyway i need more things for the shelf

i made this one into a bathroom. im just pretending the plumbing works bc i dont want to think too much about the implications otherwise. water fountains work when you build them, so,

i think this was originally some kind of meeting room so i went with it and tried to build off that, it's also where i store extra weapons and grenades and stuff. the npcs love knocking over everything on the table. i never see them do it but it happens constantly

this one is a rec room/bunk house. i dont remember if i ever found a full set of pool balls for that table or not. i know the TVs don't do anything but i like that they can still turn on. maybe one day there'll be something to watch. presumably if video tapes still exist those might work??

the npcs knocked this over and ruined it almost immediately but look at my cute bullet checkers :')

i would Love to see y'alls settlements/stuff you've built/collections of things pls send me if you have them

#lucy plays fallout 4 #fallout #ill tag this one i guess

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gloryride · 1 year ago

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WIP WHENEVER

I was tagged by @alphanight-vp @chevvy-yates @just-a-cybercroissant @rosapexa thank youuuuuu !

I have things but not visuals, just ideas and talking.

>> VP

I have anything to show, the last big project was the CP Birthday and took all my energy. I cleaned up my vp idea and i have ... 72 lines XD If you want an idea (sorry it's in french) :

>> WRITING

I'm in mood for writing, but it's chaotic, i have many MANY drafts on my phone and pc with some paragraph, just idea, a dialog, nothing full. But i can show you one of them

So, just another snippet of Virgile/Eve fic, i really need to finish this chapter, but translation takes lot of time (i can't full write in english)

"You never asked me what's my job." He coughed several times under the glare of the other disdainful customers before catching his breath, avoiding her look. This must have made him suspicious in the eyes of the woman in front of him; he always looked like a child caught at fault when confronted with moments like this. Virgile remained silent and Evelyn resumed, resting her elbows on the table, not giving up. "Because you're not interested? Or you know and you don't want to talk about it?" More than red, he was turning crimson. His gaze was on the restaurant's décor, the sleek modern style, the chrome accents to underline the white walls where hideous gaudy pictures were hung to make it look like art … everywhere but on her. Unable to escape, trapped by his chair and his lunch, he finally took a breath, and whispered, "I already know". She didn't seem offended, quite the opposite. "Thanks to NetWatch or…?" He cut her off with a firm gesture, finally turning his gaze towards her. "I would never use my job to get information on someone. We're adults, we can… talk." He sighed, his leg trembling and his hands twisting as if he were telling a shameful secret. "Because I've been to Clouds before and met you there." He thought he'd never have this conversation, Evelyn talked little about her private life and he'd hoped she'd continue to do so without having to justify anything. His heart raced and his hand caressing the back of his neck betrayed his nervousness. For her part, she continued to smile, almost amused, then took on an air of conspiracy as she moved a little further forward. "And you're ashamed of something?" Her steady voice sought information, perhaps she was imagining what they might have done. Virgile had difficulty swallowing before answering, his gaze shifting. "I don't know," he replied. "Is it wrong to take advantage of someone's unconsciousness to get rid of problems?" "By get rid of your problems, do you mean … sex?" Virgile's face froze and he opened his eyes wide. With a sudden movement, he almost spilt his drink. "What? No! No ! " He saw her laugh as he tried to calm down. "I never wanted to… with a doll."

>> MODS

I have ... 5 XL mods waiting to finish XD 2 old mods i port in XL, 2 clothes and 1 thing. I don't like to talk more about it bc they're not finish, not much pics And now i'm done with npv commissions until february, i can mod for myself. So i need to :

update NPVanessa (new tattoos, new clothes, new hair)

update NPV Oscar (new clothes - young version)

redo NPVirgile (with his style i created for him)

redo NPV Isao (i borked him and now he has a wardrobe)

redo NPValentin (new body with Gymfiend, new clothes)

finish NPV Mieko

Would like to finish Enzo's scars on his hands too, and so update his npv too. I also want to finish my custom npcs for Eve for example (maybe release it ? idk) i want to learn to do props, i failed for CP bday, i found a plan B I want to learn to port clothes, i bought some because they were on sale but that's it I want to learn custom poses bc i have ... 3 sets in mind ! ... i will never have time until february XD

tagging (no pressure of course !) : @breezypunk @medtech-mara @cybervesna @nananarc @mhbcaps and anyone who wants !

#wip wednesday #wip whenever #many things but nothing finish ><

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autumnbrambleagain · 2 years ago

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Yhelm p14 - readmore for full

"We can never tell Afternoon Sale," Latti said firmly and in all seriousness.

The five of them were not gathered in Afternoon Sale's cafe. The absolute scandal of it had Yhelm, Latti, and Madrigal, her regulars, on edge. What punishment awaited them when the god of coffee discovered their infidelity?

But this was for Bodo and his boyfriend, Latyzell, so it made sense to have this in their home territory.

Which was a very nice sit-down restaurant-cafe in Upper Retlayn style. This meant no chairs, all thick sitting-pillows and low tables covered in dark-patterned cloth, beneath high vaulted ceilings that felt SO much more far away all the way down here on the ground. All the lighting was dimmed lanterns hanging from walls done in night-blue mosaics. It almost felt like being outside in nighttime.

It was a good aesthetic, Yhelm felt, settling into her pillow-seat. She'd forgotten how much more extra everything was in-city.

"It does me glad to welcome you here today," Latyzell said. He was maybe sixteen, seventeen, around Bodo's age, but tall and lanky to Bodo's short and stubby. Where Bodo was dressed in his universal lawclerk uniform, Latyzell's dress was distinctly ethnic, dark-patterned layers of mantles and skirts that made him look draped in carved stone. Where Bodo looked uneasy, defensive, on guard, Latyzell was absolutely delighted.

"Well!" Latti said, and she was dressed in her best too, lacey and tight-stitched, "it's wonderful to meet you, Lat--Latyzell?" She stumbled over the name just a little bit. "I'm Latti, I'm Bodo's oldest sister."

"Han," Latyzell agreed happily.

Oh, were they doing introductions? They were doing introductions. "Al mat myr svitch darit," Yhelm said, because she wasn't NOT going to Style over everyone and keep from using the Retlayn she'd learned in college. "We met outside the courthouse, I'm his other sister. Yhelm."

"Han," Latyzell nodded seriously. "You have very good Retlayn!" He looked down to Bodo, smiling. "She has very good Retlayn! You need to catch up!"

Bodo's face was caught in a terrible mixture of conflicted emotions that Yhelm wasn't even going to try to start figuring out right now.

"I'm Madrigal," Maddie said, with a little wave. "I'm Yhelm's partner."

"Han, it gives me delight of it," Latyzell said.

Bodo finally said something. "Look, none of you can tell mom and dad, okay?"

"Obviously," Yhelm agreed.

Latti looked between her siblings, having gotten somewhat lost between them. "Why not?"

The incredulous, grumpy little stare on Bodo's face sent Latti spiraling even further away from the page Bodo and Yhelm were sharing.

"W--what?" she asked.

"You remember when I started dating Maddie?" Yhelm said. "How excited mom was about that."

"Oh!" went Latti, with a little purse of her lips. "Well, that was because Madrigal is a phanteasel. She was still angry even after--you know--after Maddie became--I suppose became any gender they want? Is that the way to say it? She wasn't angry that you were both girls then, so, why should it matter if Bodo and Latyzell are both boys?"

"Yeah she was upset Maddie was a phanteasel because that meant I couldn't give her grandkids. Well no she was upset I wouldn't be punished with motherhood like she felt like she was, but hey you know same diff."

Bodo nodded along seriously. "If she finds out I'm in a relationship that won't--go anywhere--I don't like saying it like that but that's how she'll say it."

"Yeah," Yhelm said, "and it isn't like you're in a hurry to give her grandkids either, Latti, so, you know. She finds out about this and it's all, oh I'm being betrayed, oh nooo, you know how she gets. Hey Bodo look at us on the same team isn't this weird?"

All Bodo gave her for that was an annoyed sigh, from way deep in the lungs. You know what she'd take it.

Food came out, in the wounded downtime of conversation. In proper Retlayn fashion there were no menus to pick this-or-that from. Food came in endless plates, a dozen varieties, in spicy curries and cream-thick pastes and teardrop shaped rice and crunchy flatbreads waiting to have all of the above piled on them. It was delicious. Afternoon Sale forgive them for taking family time somewhere else today.

"So how did you meet?" Latti asked the all-important question.

"Ah--as it becomes," Latyzell said. "I was troubled by immigration paperwork at the courthouse. Bodo helped me fill it out!"

"I was just doing my job," Bodo said. "Someone needed help. It was just." He said it with this little mixture of self-depreciation and embarassment. It was adorable. Look at Yhelm's little brother, the stupid little nerd.

Madrigal asked, "How long ago was that?" before sealing their lips shut with a particularly sticky mass of rice.

"Autumn?" Latyzell asked.

"Almost a year ago," Bodo agreed.

"Wow! Congrats!" were the words Maddie was probably trying to say over the food gluing their mouth shut.

Bodo's face flirted with appreciation but decided to turn the other way and go into a grumpy little frown. Well, that wasn't surprising. This was the first time Bodo'd interacted with either Maddie or Yhelm without shouting five minutes into things. This was impressive, honestly. If this was a sample of the influence Latyzell was going to have on her little brother, well, no worries there, then, huh?

"What brought you to the City of Love?" Yhelm asked.

"Ah! Family all came over from Upper Retlay. My mother and father are both now at an Argent temple employed."

"What do they do?" Latti asked.

"They are priests. I am a priest, too."

Woops some hunk of food caught in Yhelm's throat at that. She had to rush some spiced fruit drink down her mouth to clear it out, and Latti beat her to asking, "Oh! An actual propitiant?"

"Of which interpretation?" Yhelm managed to add.

"Mercy. By the Night-Eye's grace we are honored to heal the sick and harmed."

"Dang. Impressive." Yhelm pinged Maddie over their Love connection. ♥Imagine mom finding out Bodo is dating an actual holy-doctor only for him to be the wrong gender.♥

♥Your mother would find something wrong with him anyway,♥ Maddie sent back.

"I have a great love for Argent," Latyzell continued. "She has accepted such a, a burden, to be so many things to people. There are many gods to worship, but of all, Ardent-Argent become visible daily. No one does not know her, and so she must contain so much patience and understanding for every interpretation. Ato, so many do not even think of her, she does so much but it is, it is, inherited freely?" He looked between Bodo and Yhelm for help with the idiom.

"Fraitif absolt?" Yhelm asked. "Uh, taken for granted."

Bodo's face darkened again. "Where did you even learn Retlayn?"

"I told you, in the Cazirizahd." Bodo kept staring so Yhelm kept talking. "Upper Retlay has a really strong magic culture. There were a few foreign language courses they offered and Retlayn magic theory was the one I hated the least, so I thought, well, might as well go with that. It's dialectally not super diverged from dead-point pupil, either, there's been a lot of idiomatic usurpations but outside of that most of the basic vocabulary shares the same etymology. Grammar's mostly the same too, but the structure's more specific where you can put the verb and it declines by case like, half the time and knowing when is annoying but still."

"Also you were dating someone from Retlay there," Madrigal added.

"Right, I was also dating someone from Retlay, so it was an easy cheat."

Latyzell's ears were all perked up curiously behind his fuzzy antlers. "Magic? Are you a wizard?"

"I'm a licensed academage," Yhelm said.

"She's a criminal," Bodo said.

Ah, there it was. There it went. Now the mood of the table died. Latti paused, flatbread dripping golden curry-slime onto the plate below, mouth half-open, breath held. Madrigal was shaking their head and on a neck as long as theirs it really stood out as a point too. Yhelm just crossed her arms, the leather of her jacket squeaking in the newly born silence.

"What?" Bodo asked. "Do you think I'm not going to tell him? Do you think I'm going to just forget? What happened to that gaitsbird you were taking away the last time we saw you?"

"I'm not talking Guild business here."

Bodo snuffed, with a little angry nod of his head, as if to say, well, there you go! to Latyzell. "The Guilds are professional criminal organizations. They've been around for millenia like a bad mold no one can get rid of. And my sister and her partner work for them. They're criminals."

"Ah yes!" Latyzell agreed happily. "I did not want to perform assumptions but I saw your religious dress."

"Oh?" Yhelm said. There was a definite dissonance between Latyzell's excitement and Bodo's glowering and Yhelm was not going to make any guesses as to what it was about just yet.

"Do you worship Bad Boy?" Latyzell asked.

Yhelm choked a laugh that tried to squeeze its way out of her throat, but she caught it, gave it a good throttling and sent it right back down into her stomach. "I'm the only adversary in a family of freepeople. So, yeah."

Latyzell nodded in a good red satisfaction. "I thought so I thought so. The leather jacket is the religious dress of Bad Boy, ato you said you were a greenlight. You are both! Very exciting!"

If Yhelm was a heartless monster she might have relished the delicious look on Bodo's face, that ear-fold of near betrayal he had going on right this moment. "Lotter, she's a criminal, though. She does--she does crimes! Probably bad ones! My parents spent so much money on her education and instead of doing anything she--she became a criminal!"

Latyzell's smile lost its excitement but remained in place with a gentler understanding. "Ah, yes, yes. But when the Heirs made the world, they decreed, everyone should have a place. This city is oversaw by the Heir of Love and Indulgence, so what is better place? The gods provide a space for everyone to be themselves. Farit, those without a place, Bad Boy and Blessed Fiddle said, let things be soft, that those with the will can their own place make, where they can find none already existing. Those words were in the first spoken into the world as it awoke."

Bodo snorted, that sort of angry stag snort inherited from the beginning of the world, and he looked down at his food and pouted.

Yhelm sent a nudge to Maddie. ♥Haha, I mean, I really like this kid but I hope they don't break up right here at the table over me.♥

♥I don't think it's likely,♥ Maddie sent back.

♥Why not?♥

♥They aren't talking, but look at the mood of the table. Look at Latti. She looks stuck in the awkward silence, but you and I, we're talking non-verbally. Now look at Bodo and Latyzell.♥

Yhelm did risk a long look, and oh, oh no. Neither was talking but the silent shifts of weight, the inconsistant eye-contact, the rare bite of food, oh no.

♥They're talking right now aren't they?♥ Yhelm sent. ♥They're doing what we're doing.♥

♥Which means their relationship is strong enough they can communicate along the Love element,♥ Maddie sent. ♥I mean, I could be wrong and this might be the breaking point, but…♥

♥… but you don't get to talk in someone else's head unless the relationship's strong on both ends, yeah. Wow. It's weird to see my little brother like this, you know?♥

♥Growing up?♥

♥Who said he gets to be grown up he's my little brother. Shoot, hey, Maddie if he's becoming an adult then what am I? Am I old? Please tell me I'm not old.♥

♥You're younger than Lils, aren't you?♥

♥Fuck now that Belham's on-board with plan 'Get Lils Out Of The House' I gotta actually introduce you don't I?♥

♥I'd love to see Afternoon Sale figure out a coffee a half-dead can enjoy.♥

♥She'd DO it, too, don't even mess with her.♥

♥She can never know we came to this restaurant.♥

♥Meadoe preserve it.♥

"Yhelm," Bodo said. He was looking up at Yhelm, now, and Latyzell was, too, and they were doing it together, with this sense of Together, and even if he was a little shit sometimes it made Yhelm's heart swell to see the dumb kid had someone he could make a team with, you know? "Have you ever killed anyone."

The immediate adversary instinct was to give a dismissive, cheeky answer, but no, this was a serious moment, wasn't it? Bodo and Latyzell had come to some kind of conclusion in their heads, hadn't they? "I haven't killed anyone, Bodo."

"Have you ever--raped--"

"Apat-in-Flyhh, seriously?" Yhelm said, maybe a tad too loudly.

"And," Bodo kept on going, Latyzell was probably feeding him the lines, encouraging him on, Yhelm thought, "have you ever mugged anyone or stolen anything?"

Shit. "Guild actually takes exception to mugging," she said, diplomatically. "It is literally my job to beat the shit out of people who go around mugging tourists in our territory." Guild-sanctioned pick-pockets were a different story she wasn't going to mention. "If you're asking if I break into people's houses to steal their life savings, no, I don't steal shit either. If you're asking me--as family only, and not as a lawclerk? Under redlight that this isn't under redlight? If I've ever stolen anything?" Yhelm tapped a chunk of flatbread on the table. Tappa tappa tappa. "There are situations where appropriation of possessions are sanctioned Guild responses to those recalcitrant of Guild Laws."

"So you've--"

"Yes if some idiot is ignoring Guild rules and not listening to warnings I'll take their shit, the same as you do in the courthouse. Look if someone's under Guild Law then they're under Guild Law, it's a Law element it's not even an Authority issue we have actual rules--" she stopped because Bodo had that distracted look that meant Latyzell was probably talking to him in his head.

Bodo sighed. It was the most reluctant, pouty sigh Yhelm had ever heard but it was a sigh. "I'm never going to be proud of your career but I can let it go as long as you don't become a villain."

"Not gonna do anything Bad Boy wouldn't approve of," Yhelm offered.

Bodo took a long moment of thought, or maybe silent conversation with Latyzell. "Deal."

"Deal!" She gave Bodo a little thumbs-up, and shared it around with Latyzell and Latti too. Latti looked like she'd been holding her breath this entire time and just now finally relaxed enough to take another.

"… haven't you been dating Madrigal for over a decade?" Bodo asked sullenly, and with a sense of 'I just remembered one last thing' even though it was too late, they already said deal on it, they already said it!

"Yeah?"

"So were you cheating on them when you were dating a Retlayn in college--"

Yhelm couldn't stop this laugh, no this one made it all the way out and all over the table.

"It was pretty hot," Madrigal said, over her laughter. "When you two develop your relationship more, you'll be able to share senses too."

Bodo squeezed his ears and groaned. "Aaah! No, no thank you ew nevermind!"

Latti risked a smile. "Well, welcome to the family, then, Latyzell. This is what it is."

"I am very glad," Latyzell said, smiling again.

#autumn draws things #autumn writes things #series tag yhelm #yhelm 14 #fiction #fantasy writing #how do you tag shit on tumblr

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