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#Shop Groom Wear
shaadiwish · 2 years
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Check Out These Amazing Places To Shop Or Rent Groom Wear In Delhi This Wedding Season! For More Such Trends And Ideas, Stay Tuned With ShaadiWish.
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samyakkdegital · 4 months
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Love stories often find their way into the realms of fairytales, where dreams are spun from threads of romance, and happily-ever-afters are whispered like magic spells. In the world of glitz and glamour that is Bollywood, the wedding of Surbhi Chandna and Karan Sharma was nothing short of a fairytale come to life. Let’s take a mesmerizing journey into their enchanting wedding, where love blossomed amidst the grandeur of tradition and the sparkle of stardom.
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The Haldi Ceremony: A Splash of Sunshine and Joy
In the midst of their wedding ceremony, Surbhi, the radiant bride, and Karan, the dashing groom, created magical moments with their enchanting presence. Surbhi and Karan’s haldi ceremony was a spectacular event that captivated the internet, marking a beautiful chapter in their celebrity wedding love story. Surbhi looked radiant in a beach-inspired wedding attire, featuring a halter-neck choli adorned with shells and pearls, paired with a purple-hued lehenga embellished with colored crystals and intricate beadwork. Her outfit, with its pink and white embellishments, exuded a joyous summer vibe. Dangling earrings added a touch of elegance, while her glam makeup and open tresses enhanced her look. Karan, looking equally dapper, donned a golden kurta with white pathani pants. The couple made a Bollywood-style entry, setting the tone for the festivities.
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The Mehendi Ceremony: Vibrant Hues and Celebrations
The Mehendi ceremony of Karan Sharma and Surbhi Chandna was a celebration of deep tones and happiness. Surbhi wore an olive-green lehenga paired with a multicolored blouse with tassels. Oversized earrings and a nath enhanced her beauty, while Karan chose a green bandhgala adorned with tropical embroidery. The sunlit courtyard of the palace provided the perfect backdrop for the couple to enjoy a gala time, as they frolicked and celebrated their love.
Engagement and Sufi Night: A Night of Dazzling Glamour
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The couple’s engagement and Sufi night were nothing short of magical. They made a grand entry holding Arabic lamps, setting a mystical tone for the evening. Karan, in a plain short kurta paired with Patiala pyjamas and a sequinned jacket, looked striking, while Surbhi complemented him in a co-ord black sequin set featuring a crop top, flared palazzo pants, and a shimmering long jacket. The night was filled with dancing and joy as the couple exchanged rings and celebrated with their loved ones.
Chooda Ceremony: A Modern Twist on Tradition
For her chooda ceremony, Surbhi opted for a modern look in a beautiful blush pink sharara set, embellished with silver details. She paired the flared sharara with a short kurta and semi-sheer dupatta, balancing the bling with polki jewellery, including a chic choker and matching earrings. Surbhi’s matte nude makeup look added a touch of contemporary elegance. Karan complemented her perfectly in an ivory kurta set with gold threadwork.
The Wedding: A Spectacle of Love and Elegance
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Surbhi’s wedding day was a testament to her unique style and personality. She chose a sea green bridal lehenga with pink embellishments, designed by Jigar and Nikita. The ensemble featured intricate zardosi and pearl detailing, taking 70 days to complete. Surbhi’s lehenga was paired with a corset-style choli and a pink dupatta with a long trail, tied to her hair to create a princess-like look. Her minimal makeup and open tresses added effortless charm, while statement jewellery, including a maangtika and choker, completed her bridal Outfit. Her golden kaleeras were crafted specially to reflect their love story, adding a personal touch to her attire.
Karan matched Surbhi’s elegance in a sea green wedding sherwani, paired with a jacket and turban. Together, their outfits created a harmonious and stunning look, drawing admiration from everyone present.
Tuxedo Night: Glamour, Glitz, and Romance
Breaking away from traditional wedding customs, Surbhi and Karan opted for a stylish tuxedo night instead of a Sangeet function. The event, themed ‘Glamour Glitz & Romance, It’s time for Tuxedo Dance,’ was the first celebration after their marriage. Surbhi looked stunning in a sequined one-shoulder dress with a dramatic train, accessorized with elegant gold danglers and black strappy sandals. Her hair was styled in loose waves with a middle parting, exuding sophistication and charm. Karan looked dashing in a white shirt, black pants, and a maroon blazer. Their post-wedding bliss was evident in every picture they shared, capturing the joy and excitement of their new life together.
FAQs-
Q1: What was unique about Surbhi Chandna’s wedding attire?
A: Surbhi wore a sea green lehenga with pink embellishments designed by Jigar and Nikita. The outfit featured intricate zardosi and pearl detailing and took 70 days to complete. Her ensemble included a corset-style choli and a pink dupatta with a long trail, complemented by minimal makeup and statement jewellery.
Q2: What did Karan Sharma wear for the wedding?
A: Karan wore a sea green sherwani paired with a jacket and turban, perfectly complementing Surbhi’s bridal attire.
Q3: How did Surbhi and Karan incorporate modern elements into their traditional wedding?
A: They blended traditional ceremonies with modern fashion choices. For instance, Surbhi’s chooda ceremony attire was a blush pink sharara set with silver embellishments, and they replaced the traditional Sangeet with a glamorous Tuxedo Night.
Q4: What was the theme of the Tuxedo Night?
A: The Tuxedo Night was themed ‘Glamour Glitz & Romance, It’s time for Tuxedo Dance’. It featured Surbhi in a sequined one-shoulder dress and Karan in a maroon blazer, focusing on post-wedding glamour and romance.
Q5: Who were the designers behind Surbhi Chandna’s wedding outfits?
A: Jigar and Nikita designed Surbhi’s wedding lehenga. The couple carefully selected designers and outfits that reflected their personalities and style preferences for each ceremony.
Q6: What kind of jewellery did Surbhi Chandna wear for her wedding?
A: Surbhi’s wedding jewellery included a maangtika, a choker, and a baby pink chooda. Her golden kaleeras were specially crafted to reflect their love story, adding a personal and meaningful touch to her bridal look.
Q7: How did the couple make their entry during the Engagement/Sufi Night?
A: Surbhi and Karan made a dashing entry holding Arabic lamps, setting a mystical and romantic tone for the evening. Their grand entrance was a highlight of the Sufi Night celebration.
Conclusion: A Bollywood Fairytale Come True
Surbhi Chandna and Karan Sharma’s wedding was a delightful fusion of tradition and modernity, exuding love and glamour at every turn. From the vibrant haldi ceremony to the graceful wedding affair and the chic tuxedo night, each event resonated with their unique personalities and their beautiful love story. The wedding decor was a seamless blend of traditional elements and contemporary aesthetics, creating an enchanting ambiance that captured the essence of their romance. Set against the backdrop of a stunning wedding venue, every detail was meticulously curated to reflect their love and style, making it a truly unforgettable celebration. Their wedding was a real-life fairytale, brimming with enchanting moments and unforgettable memories, promising a happily-ever-after reminiscent of timeless love stories.
For those seeking trendy wedding outfits or exquisite wedding lehengas for their special day, look no further than Samyakk. With its diverse collection blending traditional elegance with contemporary flair, Samyakk offers the perfect attire for any wedding celebration. From bridal lehengas online to wedding wear for men, including groom wedding attire and Indo-western sherwanis, Samyakk caters to every aspect of your magical moments, all while maintaining affordability with options like low cost wedding lehengas. Elevate your wedding ensemble with sophistication and style from Samyakk.
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classicmensuit · 8 months
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Retro Remix: Time-Traveling Through Classic Men’s Suit Styles with a Modern Twist
Introduction:
Fashion, like a timeless melody, echoes through eras, weaving tales of elegance and self-expression. In this exploration, we venture into the captivating realm of men’s fashion, embarking on a retro remix that transcends time. Picture the scene: classic tuxedos, versatile blazers, and regal Jodhpuri suits, each a chapter in the ever-evolving story of the well-dressed man. Join us as we navigate through the sartorial ages, blending the charm of bygone eras with a contemporary flair, creating a fashion fusion that stands as a testament to the enduring allure of classic men’s suit styles.
Exploring Classic Suit Styles
Classic suits are the silent narrators of a man’s style journey. Tuxedos, with their satin lapels and tailored perfection, exude an air of sophistication that transcends occasions. Blazers, on the other hand, offer versatility, effortlessly transitioning from formal settings to smart-casual affairs. And then there’s the Jodhpuri suit, a timeless classic originating from the sandy terrains of Jodhpur, India, where royalty met elegance. Each style bears a unique insignia, contributing to the symphony of classic men’s fashion.
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Time-Traveling Through Fashion Eras
To truly grasp the essence of classic men’s suits, we embark on a journey through the defining fashion eras. The Gatsby-inspired extravagance of the twenties, with its sleek lines and lavish fabrics, sets the stage for timeless elegance. Moving forward, the fifties bring forth the concept of the well-dressed man, emphasizing tailored fits and polished aesthetics. The rebellious sixties redefine the suit, introducing bold patterns and unconventional styles that challenge the status quo.
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Modern Twists on Classic Designs
In the ever-evolving landscape of men’s fashion, the magic lies in the delicate balance between classic designs and modern elements. Contemporary designers, like skilled alchemists, weave innovation into the very fabric of traditional suits. Whether it’s introducing unconventional materials, experimenting with patterns, or reimagining silhouettes, the result is a collection of suits that seamlessly bridge the gap between the past and the present.
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The Art of Suit Design
At the heart of every well-crafted suit lies the art of design. The cut of a lapel, the choice of fabric, and the meticulous attention to detail — all contribute to the creation of a masterpiece. Today’s designers draw inspiration from the rich tapestry of fashion history, infusing their creations with elements that resonate with the modern wearer.
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Embellishments: Adding Flair to Timeless Elegance
In the realm of classic men’s suits, embellishments play a crucial role in elevating the overall aesthetic. Imagine a black tuxedo adorned with intricate bead, zardozi, sequins, cutdana & Resham work along the lapels or a Jodhpuri suit featuring embroidered patterns that tell a story of cultural richness. These embellishments, whether subtle or bold, add flair and individuality to the ensemble.
Colors: The Palette of Expression
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Fabrics: Crafting Luxury and Comfort
The selection of fabrics is a defining factor in the art of suit-making. Classic suits traditionally favor wool for its luxurious feel and natural breathability. However, the modern man can explore a myriad of options, from lightweight linens for a casual elegance to velvets for a touch of opulence. The fabric becomes not just a textile but a tactile experience, enhancing both comfort and style.
Wedding Suits for Men
Navigating the landscape of wedding suits requires a discerning eye for style and a nod to tradition. The modern groom seeks a balance between timeless elegance and contemporary flair, and the choices are as varied as the love stories they celebrate. A classic black tuxedo remains a perennial favorite for formal affairs, exuding sophistication and refinement.
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Jodhpuri Suits: A Timeless Classic
Among the pantheon of classic suits, the Jodhpuri suit stands tall as a timeless classic. Originating from the princely city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India, this regal ensemble marries traditional aesthetics with a modern silhouette. The Jodhpuri suit typically features a longer coat, asymmetrical design, and intricate detailing, making it a symbol of sophistication and cultural richness.
The unique charm of the Jodhpuri suit lies in its versatility. While it has its roots in Indian royal attire, modern interpretations allow men to don this regal ensemble for various occasions. Whether it’s a traditional wedding, a festive celebration, or a formal event, the Jodhpuri suit adds an air of majesty to the wearer, making a statement that transcends cultural boundaries.
Black Tie Affairs: The Tuxedo Suit
Formal occasions demand a level of refinement that only a well-tailored tuxedo suit can provide. The black-tie affair, characterized by its elegance and sophistication, sets the stage for the man who understands the power of impeccable dressing. The tuxedo, with its satin lapels, crisp white shirt, and bowtie, remains the epitome of formalwear, a symbol of timeless style that has endured for generations.
While traditionally reserved for events with a strict black-tie dress code, modern interpretations of the tuxedo allow for more versatility. A velvet or colored jacket, paired with black trousers, introduces a contemporary twist to the classic tuxedo, making it suitable for semi-formal gatherings and even cocktail parties. The key lies in understanding the nuances of formal dressing and adapting them to suit the occasion.
Waistcoats for Men: Elevating the Look
In the symphony of classic men’s suits, the waistcoat plays a distinctive tune, elevating the entire ensemble. Also known as a vest, the waistcoat adds an extra layer of refinement, creating a polished look that transcends casual and formal boundaries. Historically, the waistcoat was an essential part of a man’s wardrobe, and its resurgence in modern fashion signifies a return to timeless style.
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Designer Suits for Men
The world of men’s fashion has witnessed a paradigm shift with the rise of designer suits. Beyond the confines of traditional tailoring, designers have become architects of style, creating bespoke ensembles that redefine the boundaries of classic men’s suits. From established fashion houses to independent designers, the landscape is diverse, offering a plethora of options for the discerning man.
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Retro Style Dhamaka
As we take a delightful detour into the past, the retro style dhamaka unfolds, revealing a tapestry of flamboyant patterns, bold colors, and daring fashion choices. The retro era, characterized by its audacious style and rebellious spirit, serves as a perennial source of inspiration for the modern man seeking to make a statement.
Picture the flamboyant patterns of the seventies — paisley prints, bold stripes, and geometric designs that echoed the free-spirited nature of the era. The disco fever of the eighties brought forth metallic fabrics, wide lapels, and extravagant accessories that defined a generation unafraid to break the mold. Each retro moment is a celebration of individuality, a reminder that fashion is a form of self-expression that transcends societal norms.
Fashion Icons: Mithun Chakraborty and Rajinikanth
In the pantheon of fashion icons, Mithun Chakraborty and Rajinikanth stand as timeless figures who have left an indelible mark on retro fashion. Mithun, with his disco-era style, brought a touch of glamour to the silver screen. The shimmering fabrics, wide collars, and bold accessories became synonymous with his on-screen persona, influencing a generation to embrace the audacious spirit of the seventies.
Rajinikanth, the superstar of Indian cinema, brought his distinctive style to the forefront. His on-screen characters, characterized by their larger-than-life presence, were often adorned in classic suits with a contemporary twist. Rajinikanth’s fashion choices, both on and off the screen, became a cultural phenomenon, inspiring millions to embrace the blend of traditional and modern elements in their personal style.
Blend of Old and New: Styling Tips
As we navigate the intricate web of classic men’s suit styles, it’s essential to understand the art of blending the old and the new seamlessly. Here are some practical tips for the modern gentleman looking to create a style fusion that transcends time:
1. Mix and Match: Experiment with combining classic suit elements with modern separates. Pair a traditional blazer with contemporary trousers or vice versa to create a look that bridges eras.
2. Accessorize Thoughtfully: Vintage-inspired accessories such as pocket squares, cufflinks, and classic watches can add a touch of old-world charm to a modern suit. Choose accessories that complement the color palette and style of your ensemble.
3. Bold Patterns and Colors: Embrace the bold patterns and colors reminiscent of retro fashion eras. Whether it’s a paisley pocket square or a striped shirt, infusing your outfit with a dash of audacity can elevate your style.
4. Custom Tailoring: Invest in bespoke tailoring to ensure your suits fit impeccably. Tailored suits not only enhance your silhouette but also allow for personalized details that reflect your unique style.
5. Layer with Waistcoats: Incorporate waistcoats into your wardrobe for a touch of traditional elegance. A well-fitted waistcoat can elevate the entire look, adding a layer of refinement to both formal and casual ensembles.
6. Experiment with Textures: Play with different fabric textures to add depth to your outfit. Velvet, tweed, and corduroy are timeless textures that can bring a vintage touch to your contemporary wardrobe.
7. Contemporary Color Palette: While embracing classic styles, experiment with a contemporary color palette. Neutral tones and muted hues can provide a modern backdrop for traditional suit elements.
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FAQs on Retro Remix Men’s Suits
Q1: Where can I find the latest retro-inspired men’s suits?
A: Specialized stores or online platforms that curate retro-inspired men’s suits, like Samyakk.com, are ideal starting points.
Q2: Can I wear a Jodhpuri suit for a non-traditional event?
A: Absolutely! Jodhpuri suits exude elegance and can be adapted for various occasions, not just traditional events.
Q3: Are tuxedo suits only for black-tie affairs?
A: While traditionally worn for formal events, modern interpretations allow for a more versatile use of tuxedo suits, even in semi-formal settings.
Q4: How can I personalize a designer suit to reflect my style?
A: Many designers offer customization options, allowing you to choose fabrics, colors, and specific design details to create a suit that reflects your unique style.
Q5: What accessories complement a retro-inspired suit?
A: Vintage-inspired accessories such as pocket squares, cufflinks, and classic watches can complement a retro-inspired suit beautifully.
Conclusion
In the vast landscape of men’s fashion, the retro remix is more than a trend; it’s a celebration of enduring style. Blending classic men’s suit styles with a modern twist creates a fashion statement that transcends time. As we traverse the realms of tuxedos, blazers, Jodhpuri suits, and more, let the journey inspire you to curate a wardrobe that pays homage to tradition while embracing the dynamism of the present.
The classic suit is not just an ensemble; it’s a canvas for self-expression, a reflection of your unique identity in a world of trends. Whether you opt for the regality of a Jodhpuri suit, the sophistication of a tuxedo, or the versatility of a well-tailored blazer, remember that fashion is an art, and you are the artist.
As we bid adieu to this exploration of retro remix men’s suits, may your style journey be filled with audacious choices, timeless elegance, and a harmonious blend of the old and the new. Fashion is an ever-evolving symphony, and you, dear reader, are the conductor of your style narrative.
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koolades-world · 1 year
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Exclusive Mc Privileges
Lucifer
Getting to wear his big coats and gloves when you’re cold or whenever you feel like it
Interrupting him working with no consequences no matter how silly the reason
Waking him up first thing in the morning like a kid on Christmas
Telling him how attractive he is when he’s mad
Helping him grooms his wings
Taking as many silly pictures together as they want as long as they don’t share them with anyone
Borrowing his pens
Helping yourself to his record collection
Staying out late
Comforting him in the middle of the night when he wakes up with a nightmare
Mammon
Being his passenger princess
Treating him like a princess whenever he feels inadequate
Borrowing his sunglasses at any time
Keeping him company when Lucifer hangs him upside down
Taking the blame for anything bad you did even if it means losing money
Driving his car
Using his money
Calling him you first and cutest demon
Dressing in matching outfits even if they are bright pink
Levi
Joining him to any and all conventions
Making cosplays with him
Borrowing anything from his manga collection
Touching or seeing his tail in a domestic setting since he’s insecure about
Polishing his scales for him before parties!
Feeding him while he’s gaming
Letting you play any game you want on game nights together
Doing his makeup whenever you feel like it
Caring for Henry
Satan
Organizing his books
Sharing his tea collection with him
Baking cookies together from his favorite book series
Going to exclusive events as his partner
Using his influence to get you whatever you want
Spending late night reading time with him
Going on morning walks with him
Scrubbing his hair in the shower <3
Borrowing his notes from class if you were sick or just forgot to take some that day
Asmo
Sharing his morning routine with him since he wants you to look fabulous too
Getting lots of gifts from him since everything he sees reminds him of you
Borrowing anything you want in his closet
Using his Devilgram
Matching jewelry!
Making jewelry together to have it matching which is better than buying it
Attending meet and greet events with him as moral and emotional support
Him cooking cute recipes he found online for you
Being his personal model for new looks
Beel
Cooking for and with him
Stopping him from eating the ingredients while cooking
Picking out his change of clothes after the gym
Going on dates to new restaurants
Stealing his shirts to fashion into outfits or lounging around in
Piggy back rides!
Flexing his arms for you so you can touch them
Admiring his wings
Teaching you everything he knows about various Devildom dishes
Belphie
Sleepy kisses :)
Hiding in the attic to get away for a while and nap
Pillow shopping together
Going camping in the middle of nowhere to admire the stars and each others company
Sneaking off together at parties
Karaoke together since he knows how much you love his voice
Attempting to wake each other up but falling back asleep together each time
Surprising you at RAD with random gifts of flowers
Making cupcakes together and ending in a flour war
11K notes · View notes
honeytonedhottie · 11 days
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cultivating a high maintenance lifestyle⋆.ೃ࿔*:・👛🐩
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INVEST IN YOURSELF ;
the definition of investment is an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result. some ways that u can invest in urself include ->
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♡ making sure that u sleep on time -> and wake up early
♡ investing time into ur education and taking advantage of resources
♡ paying for courses or classes on things that you're passionate about in order to gain more knowledge
BE MORE SELECTIVE ;
take a look at the people that u surround urself with. are they making efforts to better themselves and their futures? are they good people? make sure that u surround urself with people that u can learn from and people that u wanna be like.
if no one has told you this, you are allowed to be picky and selective with who u choose to invite into your life and your circle. its YOUR life so use ur good judgement to make decisions about who you want to be present for your life, and who u want to have access to ur energy and ur time and you in general.
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QUALITY OVER QUANTITY ;
invest in quality clothes because quality is better than quantity. that way u can build a wardrobe thats timeless and that u can continuously wear, as opposed to having a lot of clothes that are cheap and fall apart when u put them to wash. things to take note of when shopping for quality clothes are ->
♡ the material/texture
♡ the brand
ask yourself before u buy something, how many ways can i wear this piece? you should be able to style the piece in multiple different ways unless it's a statement piece. and even then. actually visualize urself wearing it and how you would wear it before u commit to it and actually purchase it…💬🎀
DO THINGS BY YOURSELF ;
take yourself out on dates! coffee shop dates, take yourself shopping, book appointments at the spa/salon, read good books, learn to cook your favorite dishes. ROMANTICIZE ur life and learn to appreciate spending time with yourself. literally become ur own favorite person. treat urself to nice things on a daily basis. it doesn't even have to break the bank. some nice things that u can do for urself on a daily basis include ->
♡ making your favorite breakfast food and treating urself to breakfast in bed
♡ buy yourself your favorite bouquet of flowers
♡ buy yourself some nice lingerie
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♡ book weekends at a nice spa
ITS ALL IN THE DETAILS ;
♡ groomed, manicured nails (FRENCH TIPS)
♡ silk and satin robes
♡ fresh flowers and bouquets weekly
♡ form fitting dresses
CULTIVATE YOUR TASTE ;
go to restaurants and cultivate ur tastebuds. try new foods. go to art gallery's and try to educate urself on various forms of art to just enrich yourself. read LOTS of books. literally anything u can do to make urself more refined DO IT.
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hischierhoney · 2 months
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Dog Days
dog dad!Nico Hischier x dog mom!reader
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masterlist
summary: a dog park meet cute with the potential to change your life. or: months ago, @theemporium & i went down a spiral ab that picture of Nico & the dog with the devil horns. this fic is what came out of it. 10.1k words
warnings: mentions of alcohol, doodle slander (adopt don’t shop)
There’s a guy in the dog park who’s staring at you. Really, you should be more nervous about it, because he’s a large man, and you don’t know him, and he keeps looking at you. But his dog- Bernie, you think he called her- is cute, and she’s getting along great with your dog, so you’re a bit inclined to let it slide. Besides, he’s not being creepy. He’s probably just checking to make sure you’re okay with your dogs playing together. He’s here often- you recognize him well, but it’s the first time the dogs have taken interest in each other.
You watch another dog join the fray, some sort of hypoallergenic doodle, if you had to guess. The type that costs thousands of dollars for no apparent reason. It’s wearing a Patagonia puffy jacket, which makes you laugh. You hide it behind your hand. You watch as the dog bows low between your dog and Staring Guy’s dog, and then the doodle rolls over in the mud, and-
“Excuse me!” Someone yells. “Excuse me- hey, you! Is that your dog?”
You turn and blink, realizing the woman is talking to you. She’s storming your way in her matching Patagonia coat, face red with anger. You stare, eyes wide. Staring Guy is looking, too, not even trying to hide it now.
“Um. Which one?” You ask.
She gestures wildly. “The- that black mutt,” she hisses. You frown. “The one who was in the mud with my Bessie.”
Staring Guy snorts from his spot twenty feet away. Your eyes flicker to his, and he’s holding back laughter. You chew on your lip to keep yourself from doing the same.
“Yeah, that’s Moose,” you say, turning to look over your shoulder. Moose and Bernie have abandoned Bessie in the mud, more interested in sticks. “Sorry, is something wrong?”
“Yes! My dog is covered in mud now!” The woman snaps, and you rear your head back. “I mean, honestly-“
“Oh, yeah, she really seemed to like that puddle,” you agree, nodding. “You know how dogs are.”
She shakes her head angrily. “Not my Bessie. She’d never do that. So.”
“So?”
“So are you going to pay for her grooming? And the dry cleaner for her coat, oh, that coat-“ the woman sighs. “She’d have never done this if she hadn’t been influenced-“
You turn to look over your shoulder, to where Bessie is still rolling in the mud. “I’m sorry. Are you trying to say my dog influenced yours to roll in the mud? And now you want me to pay for- you understand how ridiculous you sound, right?”
She huffs. “Bessie is a well behaved, purebred Bernedoodle. Yours is-“
She stammers, so you fill in the gap. “Moose is a rescue.”
“Right, so-“ she waves her hand. “You see what I mean.”
“No, I don’t.” You say, incredulously.
The woman is so angry, now, that her whole face has gone beet red. She lurches towards you, and you take a couple steps back. Her hands are in fists at her sides. You’re not exactly afraid of her, but you hadn’t been planning on getting into a fistfight in the dog park, and she’s making you feel a little uneasy.
“Hey,” a deep voice says. You turn and find Staring Guy, walking up with his hands in his pockets, brows furrowed. “Everything okay?”
You widen your eyes at him, praying he gets the message. He sends you a smile, turning up the corners of his mouth softly. He has a kind face, warm brown eyes, thick eyebrows that arch over them. The woman goes off on her tirade again, about her precious Bessie and your awful influence of a mutt, and how you hadn’t done anything to stop them from playing in the mud. Staring Guy’s dog comes trotting up as she goes on and on, and Moose isn’t far behind. He winds himself in front of your legs, and you reach down to fix one of his ears, the one that always gets flipped inside out. Bessie isn’t far behind. You chew on your cheek to stop yourself from laughing at the sight of her, soaked in mud.
“Oh, that’s probably Bernie’s fault, actually,” Staring Guy says, dark brows furrowed. “She really loves the mud. She’s the one who started it.”
The woman splutters. “Oh- but- well- I’m not sure-“
Staring Guy shakes his head. He takes a couple steps forward, effectively placing himself between you and her. Your heart melts just a little. Moose looks up at him, and his ear flips back inside out. You sigh at the sight of him- he is covered in mud, and it’s going to be a pain to get him cleaned up.
“I just think she should’ve tried to keep them out of the mud.” The woman says, though she’s calmed down a bit.
Staring Guy’s deep voice and large stature seem to have calmed her down a bit. If you’re being honest, he’s calmed you, too. He’d make a good mediator, you think. He’s soothing.
“It’s a dog park, not a doggy day care,” he says, voice a little bit more tense. “You’re responsible for your own dog. Says so on the sign.”
The woman huffs and looks between the two of you. She seems to realize she’s getting nowhere, and she marches off, leash in hand, headed for poor Bessie, who’s likely in for the bath of a lifetime. You and Staring Guy watch her go, staring as she stomps across the park, to the gate, and all the way out to her shiny car. She steps in a puddle on the way out and splatters mud up her jeans. You hunch over and start to giggle.
Staring Guy lets out a laugh, too. “That was fucking ridiculous,” he says.
You nod, unable to speak as the laughter takes over. Moose sits down on the grass and stares up at you. Bernie sits down next to him and does the same. They both look incredibly concerned. You wipe tears of laughter from your eyes and stand up.
“I mean, she’s probably right, Moose is definitely a bad influence,” you say, cooing down at your dog. “I mean, look at him.”
Staring Guy laughs and tilts his head. “His name’s Moose?”
“Basic, I know,” you shrug. “They were calling him that at the shelter. I felt bad changing it, so here we are.”
Staring Guy shakes his head. “No, I like it. It’s a good name. This is Bernie,” he says, nudging his dog with his knee. “And I’m Nico.”
He sticks out his hand to shake. You do so, and introduce yourself, too. He repeats your name back to you with a soft smile. Bernie seems to take this as a sign, and she walks up to you, sniffing the air, tail wagging wildly. You crouch down to pet her, running your hands through her thick, sandy fur. She pants happily.
“She’s adorable,” you say, looking up at Nico. “Golden retriever?”
He shrugs. “Mostly, I think. She’s a rescue. I thought about doing one of those dog DNA things, but…”
“It never feels important enough,” you fill in. He’s scratching Moose’s head, and he nods, grinning. “Moose is a rescue, too.”
“They’re the best kind of dogs,” he says, finding the spot behind Moose’s ear that makes his left leg thump against the ground. Nico laughs. “No Schnoodles or Whoodles for me.”
You laugh and stand up, wiping your hands on your jeans. Moose looks between you and Nico, tail wagging happily. Not for the first time, you wonder what he’s thinking. You wish you could read his mind.
“Well, we’ve got to go,” Nico says, toying with the dog leash. “But it was nice to meet you.”
“It was nice to meet you both,” you say, giving Bernie one last head pat. “Thanks for your help.”
He shrugs. “Not a problem.”
…..
Weeks slip by, and Nico stays a constant in them. Wednesdays and Fridays, you find him at the dog park in the mid afternoon, Bernie waiting eagerly for you to let moose off his leash. The two of you chat and watch your dogs play and then bid each other farewell to go back to your own lives. It’s nice. He’s nice.
“Are you busy?” Nico asks one afternoon, shoulder nearly touching yours.
Moose and Bernie are playing in a pile of leaves, a week post Bessie-mud incident. You watch as the wind picks one up, and Moose chases after it. Bernie chases after him. You turn to look at Nico, feeling slightly confused.
“Like, now?” You ask.
He nods. “Now, and for a little while? There’s this dog friendly coffee shop down the street. I was going to take Bernie there. Though maybe you’d want to come with me.”
Your heart jumps. He wants you to come with? He wants to see you outside of this dog park, outside of the primary meeting spot. He wants to see you.
You nod. “Yeah, sure, that sounds sweet. You’re not gonna murder me, right?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “No, I’m not. Has anyone ever said yes to that?”
“Nope,” you say. “And I’m still alive, so it’s working.”
The two of you gather up the dogs and head for the coffee shop. They walk together happily on their leashes- matching ones from the same brand. You and Nico chat about the leashes, and dog supplies in general, and your favorite pet stores. By the time you make it to the coffee shop, you’ve run out of dog topics and moved on to other ones. You talk about coffee and New Jersey and home- which is Switzerland, for Nico, which explains the accent. You order coffee and pastries and take a seat at one of the outdoor tables. The early afternoon sun is shining down. There’s an autumn chill in the air, but the sun takes the edge off.
Nico gets dodgy when you start talking about work. At first, you wonder if he’s some sort of politician- he has the face for it- or a business guy. He doesn’t seem like the type to work in the tall buildings in the city, crunching numbers and barking orders. You’re not sure what else would’ve brought him to the US from Switzerland, though.
“D’you watch hockey?” He asks, and you blink.
“Not really,” you shrug. “It was never my thing. A few of my friends are big fans, though.”
“Of the Devils?” He asks, nodding his head down the street, where, if you walked far enough, you’d find the Prudential Center, home of New Jersey hockey.
You nod and swallow a sip of your coffee. “Mhm. S’that what you do for work? You work for the Devils?”
He shrugs, then nods. “Basically.”
You let it go, then. Maybe he’s just trying to be careful- after all, he barely knows you. You’d done the same, been careful about not telling him where you work. He seems trustworthy enough, but you can never be too careful. The two of you move on to more important topics- which donuts are best, and what the best restaurants in town are. The afternoon slips away quickly and quietly, and you only realize you’re late when your friend calls you.
“Shit,” you mutter, standing up. “I know I said I wasn’t busy but- I have to meet my friends for drinks, and I’m probably going to be late-“
“It’s okay,” Nico says, softly. “I’ve gotta go too. But this was really nice.”
You smile softly. “It was. We should do it again sometime.”
You both wave goodbye and take off down the street in different directions- you, back towards your apartment to drop off Moose, and him towards his, you assume. You can’t wipe the smile off your face the whole way, and it’s still stuck there by the time you slip into the booth at the restaurant a half hour later.
“I’m so sorry,” you gush, as your friend Alyssa sends you a glare. “I was out at the dog park with Moose, and then I lost track of time, and-“
Your other friend Nora laughs. “Were you too busy staring at Dog Park Guy?”
Your face grows hot. “His name’s Nico.”
Both of them blink at you. “Did you actually talk to him?”
You let out a long sigh and launch into the story- Bessie and her bitchy owner, Nico’s rescue, the increased interactions, and the cafe today. Their eyes grow impossibly wider.
“Sounds like a meet cute,” Nora squeals.
“If he’s cute,” Alyssa adds.
You roll your eyes and ignore the looks they’re giving you. “We’re just friends. Because our dogs are friends.”
“Like I said,” Nora says. “Cute.”
Eventually they drop the subject. You have your drinks and catch up, and make plans to hang out again the next night. Alyssa wants to watch the hockey game. She’s the biggest Devils fan you know, could name every player and all of their stats. You and Nora agree to watch, as long as she provides the alcohol.
You show up just after the game starts the next afternoon, Moose in tow. You snag a plate and grab some snacks and join Alyssa on the couch.
“Can you grab me a beer?” You call out to Nora, who’s in the kitchen.
She returns with a bottle in hand, passing it off to you. You thank her and curl up further on the couch, turning to look at the TV. You wonder if Nico’s working, if he has to be at the games or if he does more of the behind the scenes stuff. Maybe he runs the charity branch. That would fit him. You take a sip of your beer, and then nearly spit it right back out.
You turn to Alyssa, who has the remote, and make a frantic gesture. “Rewind it.”
“What?” She asks, not looking away from the TV. “It’s a power play, I’m not gonna-“
“Rewind it,” you say again, reaching for the remote. “Lyss, just-“
“What’s wrong?” Nora asks, frowning at you. “You don’t care about hockey.”
“No, I know, I just- I thought I saw someone,” you say, staring at the screen.
“In the crowd?” Nora asks. You don’t answer, so she says your name. “Babe, what is going on?”
Before you can answer, Alyssa throws her hands up in the air and cheers. Goal. The puck is in the back of the net, and the camera zooms in on the player who scored- number 86, the name Hughes emblazoned on his back. One of his teammates comes skating towards him, nearly shoving him into the wall, and-
You gasp when the camera settles on his face. Number 13, Hischier. Nico Hischier, you would assume, unless Dog Park Nico has a doppleganger hanging around Newark. A doppleganger who also works for the Devils. You work for the Devils? Basically. Oh. Nora doesn’t seem to notice anything, but Alyssa turns to you slowly, eyes wide.
“Wait,” she says. “You wanted me to rewind it, to where?”
“It’s fine,” you mutter.
She’s staring at you, while you stare at the TV screen. “You said Dog Park Guy’s name was Nico,” she says, brows furrowed. “What’s his last name?”
You shrug. “Haven’t asked him yet.”
She blinks once, then twice, and when you see Nico on the screen again, you must react, because she leans over and grabs your face. She pulls you to look at her, then at the screen. She grabs the remote and pauses it, and Nico’s face fills up the whole picture. He’s grinning wide.
“What’s happening right now?” Nora asks. “Somebody fill me in.”
Alyssa points at the screen. “That man, right there, is the team captain. Hischier,” she says, pausing for dramatic effect. “Nico Hischier.”
Nora gasps. You shrink down into yourself. You can’t exactly tear your eyes from the screen. It’s definitely him. You’d know that face anywhere. You can see the smile, can picture it in the dog park as he pets your dog.
“Is that Dog Park Guy?” Nora asks. You nod, figuring there’s no point in lying now. “Oh my god, you didn’t mention he was hot.”
Alyssa groans. “I’ve never been more jealous of you in my life.”
“You’re engaged,” Nora reminds her.
“I know,” Alyssa sighs. “But god, he’s dreamy.”
Nora nods. You curl further in on yourself and reach for the remote to hit play. The game starts back up again, and you try to pretend you’re not watching for his number. Nora and Alyssa don’t let it go for the rest of the night. You have a feeling they won’t be letting it go for a while.
When you see him next Wednesday at the dog park, you greet him with, “Hiya, Cap.”
You’ve walked up to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Bernie and Moose are rolling around in fallen leaves. Nico smiles at you at first, and then, as if he’s realized what you said, he jolts. His brows furrow, and you grin.
“You work for the Devils, huh?” You tease, grinning widely.
His cheeks go red, and he laughs. “You said you didn’t care about hockey.”
“I don’t,” you admit. “But my friend Alyssa does, and she had the game on when I was at her place the other day, and imagine my surprise when I looked up at the screen and saw you on the ice.”
He smiles sheepishly and shakes his head. “Honestly, I didn’t tell you because I thought it’d come off as bragging.”
Moose barks, and you both turn to look, but he’s just playing with Bernie. The two of them have found a stick in the leaves, and they’re pulling back and forth. Bernie has a leaf stuck to her nose, and it makes you smile even more.
“It’s pretty cool, though, isn’t it?” You ask. “Lyss said you’re like. A rockstar. Team captain, first round draft pick-“
“Oh, she went way back,” he teases.
“She’s a Jersey girl,” you say with a shrug. “You’re lucky she’s already engaged or she’d be here, too.”
He laughs louder at that, and his shoulder bumps against yours. Across the grass, your dogs roll around on the ground, happy as can be. It makes you smile wider, makes your heart warm.
…..
Early fall turns into late fall, a change that brings with it colder weather, something you’re already regretting not noticing. Nico frowns when he sees you in the park. He makes his way over as Bernie runs to greet Moose, and he has his brows furrowed. He’s wearing a beanie and a thick hoodie, and you envy him.
“Almost didn’t recognize you,” he says, tugging at the hood of your thin sweatshirt, which you have pulled tightly over your head. “Where’s your coat? And a beanie, maybe?”
You shrug and bury your hands deeper in your pockets- you don’t want him to see you’re not wearing gloves either. “I live on the third floor. It looked warm out, and by the time I got outside, there was no way I was dragging him back upstairs.”
You shrink slightly under the disapproving look he gives you. He sighs heavily, and you smile at him, like that’ll make it better. You want nothing more than to bury your face in his chest, press yourself into his body and soak up some of the heat. You’re sure he’s warm. He just looks like he runs warm.
You don’t stay long at the park, because your hands are freezing and so is your face. Nico bids you farewell with a little wave, and you rush home to your warm apartment.
Two days later, when you show up to the dog park, Nico’s already there. Bernie’s running circles around him, barking happily. She skids to a stop when she spots Moose, and you let him off the leash to join her. Nico waves, a big grin on his face as the two dogs take off together.
“Still no beanie?” He teases, shaking his head.
“I thought the cold day was a fluke,” you mutter grumpily, hands shoved in your pockets. “I worked from home today. I didn’t know it was this cold.”
Nico continues to shake his head. His next move is so unexpected you don’t quite realize what he’s doing until it’s over- he pulls a beanie from his pocket and pulls it onto your head for you, adjusting it carefully with narrowed eyes. You can’t help the laugh that slips past your lips. Then he slips his jacket off his shoulders.
“Nico-“ you protest as he wraps it around you.
“I wore layers, and I’m warm,” he says, holding the jacket around your shoulders and waiting until you slip your arms through the sleeves reluctantly. “Better?”
His jacket is warm and cozy, and you smile and nod. “Much better.”
He grins back, eyes crinkling at the edges. His cheeks are flushed, and it makes your face feel warm, too. You shove your hands in your pockets- his pockets- and turn back to watch the dogs, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with him. The very first flakes of snow of the year begin to fall. Moose and Bernie don’t seem to notice. If Nico notices the way you lean close to him, trying to shelter yourself from the cold, he doesn’t say anything.
…..
The next time you see Nico, he’s stressed. He’s got his beanie off, running a hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. Bernie, as if she senses his distress, is sitting at his feet patiently, even though her leash is off. You let Moose run over. He sniffs at Bernie, then at Nico’s knee, and whines.
“You’re really bringing down the mood,” you call out.
Nico’s head whips up, bottom lip still tugged between his teeth. Something twists in your chest. You don’t like to see him upset like this, you realize. You’re growing far too attached. And yet. Here you are.
You cock your head questioningly. “You okay?”
He sighs. “Sorry. Yeah. Just- my usual dog sitter apparently moved and didn’t tell me until this morning, and I have to be out of town starting tomorrow, and so now I’m trying to find someone to watch her or somewhere to board her and-“
“I can take her,” you blurt out.
His rambling comes to a screeching halt, and he blinks at you. “I don’t want to inconvenience you, or…”
“Don’t be silly,” you say, shaking your head and smiling. “Her and Moose get along great, and I already know half of her routine. And I think she likes me alright, too. It wouldn’t be a hassle.”
Nico puffs out his cheeks, glancing up at the sky. “That would be… are you sure? Because. I mean-“
“Nico,” you say, softly. His gaze flickers back to yours. “I’d love to watch her. How long are you gonna be gone?”
He bites his lip again. “Friday through Sunday.”
You nod. “Easy peasy.”
You should probably be expecting it, just because it seems like something he would do, but you yelp a little when he hauls you against his chest. You hug him back, though, and laugh into his shoulder, and the dogs both bark at your feet. Then Bernie takes off running, as if she knows everything is fine now. Moose follows happily.
“Thank you,” he says, chest rumbling against you, and your breath catches.
“Anytime,” you respond. You mean it.
He drops Bernie off the next morning before you start work for the day. He texts you from the lobby of your apartment building to let you know they’re headed up, which is sweet. You hear Bernie before he knocks on the door, and when you open it, Moose perks up from his dog bed. He’s up within seconds, tail wagging, searching through his pile of toys for one to bring Bernie.
“Look at them,” you coo, watching the two dogs greet each other happily. “We’re gonna have such a fun weekend, aren’t we, Bernie?”
Nico’s smiling, too, when you look up and meet his gaze. He has a dog bed tucked under one arm, and a bag of other supplies in the other. You let the dogs play while he unpacks the stuff on your kitchen counter and tells you what little you don’t know about Bernie’s routine. When she eats, what toys are her favorites, and so on.
“Normally I tell people about the dog park,” he says, smiling sheepishly. “But you already know that.”
You nod eagerly. In the living room, Bernie is sniffing Moose’s dog bed.
“Oh, um. Sometimes for the first bit she won’t want to eat,” he says. “I got her when she was young, and it was during the lockdown, so. She wasn’t used to being away from me. She’s gotten better about it, but… if she goes too long, you can put a little cheese on her food and that usually helps.”
You nod in understanding. “Moose was the same the first time I left him. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her.”
Nico laughs. “I think this is actually the least worried I’ve been about leaving her, ever.”
You set up Bernie’s dog bed in the living room, a little ways away from Moose’s to give them each their space. Nico lays out her favorite toys for her, and a threadbare red hoodie that you’d bet used to be his. He wavers in the doorway between the living room and kitchen, watching as Bernie inspects her stuff. It makes your chest ache a little bit. He seems reluctant to leave.
“D’you have time to sit for a little bit?” You ask. “I have plenty of coffee.”
He turns over his shoulder and grins. “Coffee would be great.”
It should probably feel strange, to have Dog Park Guy sitting at your kitchen table, sipping coffee out of a big mug that looks small in his hands, but it doesn’t. It feels almost natural. Like this was always how this was going to go. He tells you about the away game he’s going to play, about their odds and the other team and how he’s stuck sharing a hotel room with Jack, who he loves but who also talks in his sleep loudly and denies it. You laugh and commiserate & complain to him about your work day, which is full of meetings. By the time the coffee is gone, he doesn’t really seem to want to leave, but he tells you he has to finish packing and get to the rink, and you’ve got a meeting anyways, so. You walk him to the door. He crouches down to pet Bernie one more time, and lets out a big sigh.
“I’ll see you all soon,” he says, smiling. “Have a good weekend.”
Bernie sits down and stares at him. You see his smile waver, so you step forward and pat the top of her head gently, then scratch behind her ears the way you’ve seen Nico do so often.
“Be safe,” you tell him. “We’ll be here waiting.”
Bernie does get a little sad just after he leaves. You feel for her, because you’re strangely sad about him being gone, too. You take most of your work meetings from the couch so she can curl up with her head on your lap. Moose keeps bringing over his favorite toys and dropping them off for her, but she doesn’t take much interest. Nico texts around lunchtime, just before he’s getting on a plane, and asks how it’s going. You send back a picture of her head in your lap, your work meeting in the background.
she seems very interested in Carol’s progress report.
Nico sends back a little laughing emoji, and then She looks cozy. Thank you again!
After work, you leash up both dogs and walk down to the dog park. You want to keep Bernie’s routine as consistent as possible. The two of them do so well together, walking happily, never tugging on the leashes. You snap a pic of them, and send that to Nico, too. He probably won’t see it for a while.
Once you’re at the dog park, you let them off leash to run around. They take off together, barking happily, kicking up piles of dead leaves like the always do. You sit on a bench and fight the urge to text Nico.
It’s just that in the couple of months since you finally spoke to him, you’ve found yourself really looking forward to your dog park chats. Venting about your days or catching up or telling fun stories about your dogs. It’s not the first time he’s been gone, but it’s the first time it’s hit you like this. It’s odd.
You take them both home eventually, calling them over and clipping on the leashes. Back in your apartment, it’s dinnertime- you heat up leftovers for yourself and give the dogs their food. You try not to watch Bernie like a hawk. Nico had said she might not want to eat at first. But when you do sneak a peek, they’re both eating happily. You breathe a sigh of relief- she must feel comfortable enough.
They wander off into the living room before you do, and what you find makes you stop in your tracks. Bernie’s got her dog bed in her mouth, dragging it over next to Moose’s. He sits on his bed happily, wagging his tail at you. Bernie drops the bed and immediately curls up on it, letting out one of her signature big sighs, the ones that Nico always copies. You let out a matching sigh, and she wags her tail.
You snap a picture of the two of them curled up next to each other and send it off to Nico.
He replies just before you roll over to go to sleep. Did she move her bed??
Yup, you answer. Ate all her dinner, too
He takes a while to type his response.
Adorable. Thank you. Again.
…..
You’re not a hockey fan. You know this about yourself. You’ve watched games enough times to know this. But when Saturday rolls around, you turn on the game anyway. Bernie should watch the game, after all. She should watch her dad play.
You cuddle up on the couch with both dogs, who are definitely paying less attention to the screen than you are. They both fall asleep halfway through the first period, and you roll your eyes. You could turn it off, but you find that you don’t want to. It’s suddenly different when you have a reason to be invested. Nico’s on the ice, at least for some of the time.
When he scores, you cheer so loudly you startle both dogs awake. They look around, bewildered. You snap a pic of the two of them with the tv in the background and send it to him.
Bernie & Moose say good job!!
He doesn’t answer until you’re in bed for the night, again. Time differences and media responsibilities and all that. He heart reacts to the photo, and then you watch him type for a couple moments, the little dots bouncing at the bottom of the screen.
How’d you like the game? He asks.
You waffle a bit on what to say back. You wonder if he’s paying enough attention to notice you’re taking a while to answer, or if he’s moved on.
You settle for sending back, it’s a lot more fun to watch when i’m cheering for you
He’s typing back nearly immediately. My good luck charm!
You laugh and lock the phone, setting it down on the nightstand. Bernie and Moose are curled up in bed with you, snoring away. You’re not sure why you feel so happy, but you hope it brings you good dreams.
Nico gets back into town late Sunday afternoon.
There’s a knock on your apartment door. From the couch, you call out “Come in!”
You hear him kick off his shoes in the entryway as he calls out a greeting. He pads towards the living room, and you lean up slightly to see him as he walks in.
“You should really lock your door, you know,” he says. “I could’ve been anyone.”
“But you’re you,” you lilt as he rounds the corner of the couch. “Besides, I’ve got my guard dogs.”
He eyes you skeptically. The dogs are in their same spots as the picture you sent him yesterday. Moose is curled against your chest, while Bernie is laid out over your legs. You’re tucked under a blanket, smiling up at him. Neither of the dogs have moved a muscle, from the knock on the door until now.
“Great guard dogs,” Nico teases.
“Well, they know you. Bernie, look who’s here,” you say. His dog lifts her head, wagging her tail slightly. You shrug. “Guess she likes me more.”
“Can’t blame her,” Nico says, stretching his arms above his head. “You guys look cozy.”
“And you look tired.”
You’re not trying to be mean, but he does. There are purple shadows beneath his eyes, his hair is a mess. The scrubs along his jaw looks to be at least a day old, by your guess.
He snorts. “Thanks. I am.”
You pout. “You could join us, if you want.”
You shift your feet slightly to open up a space for him on the other end of the couch. He eyes the spot with a tired gaze, scrubbing his hand against his jaw. You’re trying to ask casually, to pretend like it won’t make a difference to you one way or the other if he stays or not, but you really do hope he sits down. You’ve missed him- it’s almost embarrassing how much you’ve missed him.
“If I do that I’m definitely gonna pass out,” he warns, voice quieter. “Probably for an extended period of time.”
You nod. “I’d expect nothing less.”
He huffs and drops his car keys on the coffee table. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
You laugh when he climbs his way onto the couch. He sits down at the opposite end, his legs side by side with yours. The dogs move to accommodate him, though not without their own grumbling about it. Bernie finally gives in and gets excited to see him, fumbling her way onto his lap. He wraps his arms around his dog and snuggles in, all while you watch, unable to pull your gaze away, heart pounding in your chest. He’s here, in your apartment, on your couch. He looks so soft.
When he falls asleep in no more than ten minutes, it makes you feel even warmer. He trusts you enough to fall asleep here. Bernie is curled against his chest, also falling asleep, reunited at last. You find yourself dozing off, too, brought on by how comfortable it all feels.
You wake up to Bernie pacing back and forth on the living room floor, and Moose standing on the couch, his nose in Nico’s face. You scramble to push the dog away with muffled words and limited success. Nico sniffles and raises his head, scrunching his eyes shut in the face of the sun coming in through your window.
“Sorry,” you whisper, fighting the urge to brush strands of his hair from his eyes. “They're getting antsy.”
He’s adorable when he’s just woken up, eyes barely open, cheeks flushed. He rubs at his eyes with the heel of his hand and pets Moose with the other. You get up and start to gather the dogs’ things while he continues to wake up. By the time you’ve got them both leashed up, he’s sitting up on the couch, brighter eyes than before.
“Best nap of my life,” he says.
You think of how much you wanted to cuddle up on his chest, and you wonder if that would take the winning spot.
Nico puts on his jacket at the door, taps his foot impatiently until you roll your eyes and pull on a jacket of your own, and then the two of you head out, dogs in tow. You keep your hands shoved in your pockets, but when you get to the dog park he hands you a pair of gloves, glaring playfully at you. You put them on, feeling warm and fuzzy, and not just from the fabric around your hands. You let the dogs off the leashes in the fenced in area, and you watch them run off through the light snow.
You bump your elbow against his. “You okay? You’re quiet.”
He nods, leans towards you until you’re shoulder to shoulder. “Yeah. M’good. Just tired.”
You nod in understanding. “C’mon, let’s sit.”
You head over to a nearby bench and sink down. He follows suit. And. It’s cold, so really, that’s probably why he sits so close, his thigh against yours, his side pressed to your side. But then he shifts slightly, and his arm falls to the top of the bench behind you. You try not to hold your breath. Across the park, Bernie and Moose bark happily. You lean your head against Nico’s shoulder, and he sighs happily, resting his head against yours.
He sighs. “Wake me up when they’ve worn themselves out.”
He’s joking- he doesn’t fall asleep, you’d be able to tell. You can feel his breaths, can feel him shift every so often, and he laughs when the dogs tackle each other in the snow. But he stays right there, curled against you, warmer than any jacket or pair of gloves could ever be.
…..
When people say it takes a village, you’re pretty sure it could be said about having dogs, too. You’re amazed at how much easier things are when you have Nico to help out. He’s insistent that he owes you one for watching Bernie, but it really turns into the two of you just trading dog duties.
You get held over at the office on one of the rare days you have to be in person, and he picks up Moose and takes him along to the park with Bernie. Nico gets stuck in traffic on the way home from a game in New York City, and you do the same, leaving a container of leftovers in the fridge for him, too. The dog park meetups and coffee shop hangouts keep happening, much to your benefit. You like spending time with him. Probably a bit more than is healthy, really, but you can’t exactly help it. He’s sweet, and funny, and handsome, too, to top it all off.
When you call him early on a Tuesday evening, you know he’ll pick up, because he’s done with practice for the day. He probably assumes you’re checking what time he’s going to be at the dog park, or letting him know you and Moose won’t be there. He gets nervous, now, if you don’t show up. Texts to make sure you’re alright. It’s endearing.
“Hello,” he says. “Don’t tell me you’re going to break Bernie’s heart and miss out on the dog park tonight.”
“Hi, no- my… my power’s out,” you say, sounding as frantic as you feel. “And like. It’s fine, I’ll survive, but it’s already cold in here, and Moose is giving me evil eyes. But I can’t find any dog friendly hotels, so I was wondering if maybe you could take him for the night-“
Nico laughs on the other end. “Come stay with us. Both of you.”
You pause your digging through the cupboards. “Oh, you don’t have to- that’s okay, Nico-“
“I mean it,” he says, firmly. “I’ve got a spare bedroom. And I just ordered way too much pizza, actually. Come over, bring Moose. Bernie’s bored, anyways.”
“I don’t want to be a burden,” you tell him.
“You could never,” he says. “If you’re not here within a half hour, I’m driving over there to pick you up.”
He hangs up before you can protest again, and you turn to Moose with a sigh. Then you start packing for both of you. 20 minutes later, you’re in the elevator up to Nico’s place, trying not to freak out about all of it.
He lets you in before you even have a chance to knock. Maybe it’s just the fact that your place was cold, but when he ushers you inside, it feels like he’s cranked the heat up a few degrees. Bernie comes racing to the entryway, whining excitedly at the sight of Moose, and you grin down at the two dogs. Then you look up at Nico and find him smiling, too.
“I’ll show you to the guest room,” he offers, nodding his head towards the rest of the apartment. “Pizza should be here any minute.”
It all feels oddly domestic, staying with him. You eat dinner together and watch the news- a habit he picked up from a roommate back in his days playing hockey in Canada, he tells you. Moose and Bernie cuddle up in the middle between the two of you, which you sort of hate. You want an excuse to lean into his side.
You get one when you get up to go to the bathroom. You come back, and both dogs have moved into your spot. Nico smiles up at you and shrugs, patting the spot right next to him. You take a seat without protesting, settling into the soft sofa. He moves the blanket he’s been using so it falls over your lap and rests his arm on the back of the couch behind your head. It probably means nothing, but being so close to him feels nice. Comforting.
When you start to doze off, he nudges you awake and towards the guest room. You fight the urge to lean up and kiss his cheek when he says goodnight. Moose follows you into the room, and you shut the door behind you.
You want to kiss Nico. This is becoming a problem.
It’s just. He’s nice. He’s sweet. He’s a good friend, he helps you take care of your dog, he’s letting you stay with him. But he’s an athlete, and they usually date other famous people, not their dog park friends. You’ve got no chance, probably.
You would roll over and scream into the pillow, but you’re afraid he’d hear it anyways.
…..
You’re standing in his kitchen early the next morning when the front door creaks open. You freeze in surprise- you’d assumed from the fan running in Nico’s bedroom, and the quiet of the apartment, that he’d still been asleep. Maybe he’d gone out for a run already, or had gone to take Bernie for a walk. Footsteps echo in the entryway, and you hear someone trip over a pair of shoes. The muttered swear word is definitely not said in Nico’s voice, and panic bites at your chest. You reach for one of the knives on the counter and hold it at your side. Moose, seeming to sense your anxiety, steps in front of your legs. Your phone sits too far away on the counter, and you swallow. You could yell for Nico, but then whoever is in his apartment would hear you, too.
The footsteps fall closer. The man appears in the doorway to the kitchen, and he jumps nearly a foot in the air at the sight of you, hand pressed to his chest. He looks familiar, with his almost shoulder length hair tucked behind his ears- one of Nico’s teammates. There’s a photo of the two of them hanging on the wall in the living room. You drop the knife on the counter discreetly when he isn’t looking.
“You’re not Nico,” he says, leaning on the counter.
“Neither are you,” you state, heart still racing.
He laughs at that and eyes the dog in front of you. “And that’s not Bernie, huh?”
He leans towards the dog, and Moose presses against your legs and growls. You gasp. Apparently, he hasn’t quite gotten the memo that whoever this guy is, he isn’t a threat. You reach for his collar.
“Moose,” you say in a scolding tone.
“Oh,” the man says, drawing out the noise, a look of understanding washing over his face. “Cool wolf. Is he gonna bite me? I have hockey practice later.”
There’s a flurry of noise before you can respond, and Bernie comes loping into the kitchen. She beelines for the guy, and at that, Moose lets his guard down, his tail wagging happily again. You roll your eyes. A great guard dog until his friend likes the guy, then all bets are off. Nico appears in the kitchen, scratching his head, and his eyes go wide when he spots his teammate.
“Jack,” he says, and the man turns to look at him. “What are you doing here?”
The man rubs his face sheepishly. Your dog scurries over to Nico, sniffing at his ankles excitedly. Your gaze bounces back and forth between the two men.
“You’re Jack,” you say, looking at the early morning intruder.
He nods.
You laugh. “I hear you talk in your sleep.”
Nico sighs while Jack tries desperately to deny it.
Ten minutes later, once Nico’s explained the whole situation, they head off on a run. They take Bernie and Moose with them, on Nico’s suggestion, because both dogs could use a bit of exercise, and, in his words, Jack could use a bit of motivation. While they’re out, you take a moment to tidy up your stuff, and you do the dishes from the night before. Nico had insisted you were welcome to any of the food in the house, so you whip up a light breakfast of cut fruit and yogurt, making sure to save some for him.
He returns a while later, both dogs in tow, minus Jack. He gives you a sheepish smile, sweaty locks of hair falling over his forehead. His t-shirt is clinging to his skin, damp with sweat despite the chill outside. You chew on a piece of strawberry and try not to stare at him.
“Sorry about him,” he says, waving a hand dismissively. “I forgot he was coming over. He called, but I had my phone turned down and I slept through it.”
You shrug. “Nico, it’s fine, it’s your apartment,” you say. “Though I did have a knife ready, so he’s lucky he didn’t get stabbed.”
Nico laughs and takes a couple steps into the kitchen, leaning on his hands on the counter. “The Devils hockey organization thanks you for your hesitation.”
You laugh and nod. “I have breakfast, if you want some.”
When he squeezes your shoulder as he walks by, you try not to let it show how nice it feels.
“Thanks, schatz,” he says.
You don’t know much German, but you’re pretty sure that doesn’t mean friend.
…..
Nico goes to practice a bit later and then comes back. The power at your place stays out for the rest of the day. You keep checking, trying to make sure. Realistically, now, you could call Alyssa or Nora and ask to stay with them, instead, but when you offer, Nico looks offended at the suggestion.
He’s laying on the floor with Bernie and Moose both sprawled over him. “I mean. If you want to go, you can, obviously.”
“I just don’t want to overstay my welcome,” you tell him.
He shakes his head and lets it drop back to the floor. Moose shoves his nose under Nico’s chin. “You’re not.”
That’s pretty much the end of the discussion. The two of you take the dogs out to a nearby cafe for a late lunch, a place Nico tells you is dog friendly. He makes sure you’re both bundled up adequately for the chilly walk there and back. In the afternoon, you get some work done on your laptop, Bernie’s head on your lap, while Nico scrolls aimlessly on his phone and plays tug of war with Moose. The routine feels scarily easy to settle into. You make dinner together, pasta and chicken and broccoli. You move around one another with ease, like moons in each other’s orbits. The dogs wait patiently in the living room while you cook. Nico gives them pieces of chicken for their good behavior, and then you dish out dog food while he refills their water bowls. It’s nice. It’s so nice. You’re trying desperately not to get attached to this, to him.
You wake up the next morning to Moose and Bernie in your bed, a text from Nico saying he took them on their morning walk before he left for morning skate, and an alert from your apartment complex that the power is back on. You sigh, kiss the top of Bernie’s head, and roll back over in bed.
He’s gone for most of the day, today, between practices and media requirements and meetings with the team that he’d complained about to you the night before. You could pack up and leave before he gets back, but then you’d be leaving Bernie alone, and it feels weird to not say goodbye to Nico after he let you stay here. So you spend the day how you were planning to, and gather up your things bit by bit.
Nico comes home in the afternoon when you’re halfway packed, and he stands in the doorway of the guest room, seemingly hesitant. He’s frowning. Your heart lurches.
“My power’s back on,” you say quietly.
“Oh,” he responds. “Right. That’s, uh, that’s good.”
You nod. “Just realized I’ll probably have to clean out my fridge, and get new groceries, but yeah. I’ll be out of your hair.”
He frowns, nose wrinkling. “You weren’t in my hair.”
You blink at him. “I just meant… you can have your own space back. You must be sick of us by now.”
Nico wavers, shifting back and forth on his feet. You’re holding one of your t-shirts, and you pull it close to your chest. There’s something hanging in the air.
“I don’t think I’d ever get sick of you,” he says. A spark runs down your spine. “I liked having you here.”
You blink, unsure what to do with yourself suddenly. “I, uh, liked being here. You’re a great host, you know.”
He shrugs, then nods. He opens his mouth, closes it, repeats the motion. Then he releases his grip on the doorframe and takes a couple steps into the room. You’re sitting on the edge of the bed, and you try to keep your breathing steady as he walks towards you.
“You sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” He asks, looking hopeful.
You blink up at him, the corner of your lips tugging upwards. “Guess it depends on what we’re having.”
You’re trying to be brave about this. Trying to go with the flow, be casual. Maybe he’s just got a meal planned for two, maybe he needs your help to make it. You don’t want to read into it, even as he comes so close that you could reach out and touch him, that you can smell his shampoo and cologne. One of the dogs barks in the living room. You both ignore it, unable to tear your eyes away from each other. The air feels electric.
His hand comes up to touch your cheek, fingertips featherlight. You swallow. Your heart is pounding in your chest. He’s grinning, like he knows it. So sure of whatever he’s about to say.
“I thought maybe we could go out,” he says, casually. “Just me and you, somewhere nice. Let the dogs hang out here and keep each other company.”
You blink, take a breath, nod. “Okay. I can stay for dinner.”
“Cool,” he says, trying to be nonchalant about it. His wide grin gives him away. “Then it’s a date.”
Your breath catches in your chest, but you nod. “It’s a date.”
When he leans down and kisses your cheek, you swear the world stops spinning. When he pulls away it spins faster than it ever has before. You watch him walk away, dumbfounded, heart racing, skin burning.
All that worrying about it all, and it was that easy?
…..
At dinner, you both come to terms with the fact that you can’t really call this your first date. The two of you are too comfortable already, too at ease with each other. Nico claims the real first date was the coffee shop, months ago. You claim it was the day he came to pick up Bernie and took a nap on your couch.
“So I was asleep for half of our first date?” He says, nose wrinkled. “No thank you.”
“Well if it was the coffee shop, then I didn’t get your number for weeks after,” you retort. “So that would be weird.”
Eventually the two of you decide to agree to disagree. Maybe it happened somewhere in the middle without you even realizing. But now it feels official and real, over seafood and wine and warm bread. Nico’s face is lit by the candles on the table, and he holds your hand half the night.
Hours later, you stumble out of the restaurant, wine tipsy and giggling as you lean against his arm. He’s laughing, too, until he’s not, until he’s holding you by your hips on an empty sidewalk, waiting for a cab to roll by. You stare up at him, the dark night sky and city lights behind his head.
“Can I kiss you?” He asks, quietly.
“Thought you’d never ask,” you reply.
Nico kisses exactly the way you’d imagined- soft and sweet, at first, in a way that makes you feel everything. And then his tongue slips past your lips and his grip on your hips tightens and you wrap your arms around his neck and hold on for dear life. It’s a bit all consuming, threatens to leave you breathless, sends shocks across your skin.
He gets you into a cab and gives his address, and then he leans against you, his lips against your temple, his hand intertwined with yours. He speaks quietly against your skin.
“I’ll follow your lead here,” he says, quietly. “If you wanna take Moose and head home, I completely understand.”
You smile and lean into his touch. “Okay,” you say, deciding to leave him hanging. He laughs against your skin like he knows what you’re doing.
When the car pulls up in front of Nico’s apartment building, you step outside while he pays the fare. He grabs your hand again to lead you inside, through the lobby, and towards the elevator. He’s watching your every move, you can feel it- he’s trying to read you. You think he probably sees right through your little game, but that’s okay.
When the elevator doors slide closed, you turn to him, threading your hand through his hair at the nape of his neck.
“You should ask me to stay over,” you whisper, leaning up to brush your lips against his ear.
He groans softly, his hand falling to rest on your hip. “Yeah?”
You nod.
He swallows. “You want to stay over?” He asks, voice breathy. His stubble scrapes against your cheek as he brushes a kiss there.
You lean in to kiss him again. You think that’s answer enough.
The two of you tumble into his apartment a few minutes later, hands wrapped tightly in each other’s. You muffle your giggles with your other hand, and Nico does the same with his own. The dogs are curled up on their dog beds in the living room, snoring away. You take off your shoes carefully, and the two of you tiptoe through the apartment. If you wake Moose, he’ll be needy, begging for attention. Bernie will be the same with Nico.
You make it to the bedroom, and within seconds, Nico’s on you, pressed up against the closed bedroom door. He latches his lips onto your neck, and you sigh happily. His hands are already roaming everywhere, and your whole body is on fire.
“You’re sure about this?” He asks, between kisses, and you melt.
“Positive,” you say, already gasping for air. “Please, Nico.”
He groans into your skin, and you both start to fall apart.
Later, you lay in bed, your cheek against his bare chest. His hand sweeps up and down your back smoothly. You can hear his heart beating, feel the soft rise and fall of his breaths. There’s a lot of things you want to say, but they all feel far too intimate for a first time on a maybe third date, so you keep your mouth shut. You settle for drawing shapes on his skin until he shivers and laughs.
Seconds later, there’s a dog scratching at the door. Moose whines. Then, so does Bernie. You groan into Nico’s chest.
“They’re so needy,” you grumble.
“Sounds like someone else I know,” he responds.
He pulls away before you can retaliate, reaching for his t-shirt and tossing it to you. You pull it on as he tugs on a pair of shorts. Then he opens the door. Two fur covered, heat seeking missiles come shooting onto the bed, barreling into you, making themselves comfortable atop the covers. Nico crawls back into bed before he loses his spot, nudging Bernie out of the way so he can pull you back into his arms.
Moose rests his head against your side. You rub behind his ears as Nico does the same with Bernie. Something about this moment just feels right. The way the four of you all curl up together, around each other, held tight and warm and safe.
Nico kisses your forehead. “Goodnight.”
You kiss his shoulder. “G’night, Nico.”
In the dark, Bernie whines.
“And goodnight to you too, Berns,” you laugh, reaching over to pat her head.
…..
Nico stops in the parking lot, his arm around the back of your seat. You continue staring out the windshield. In the backseat, Bernie and Moose wag their tails happily. You hope he can’t see where you’re holding onto the seat tightly with your right hand.
“Hey,” he says. His hand brushes against your shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.”
“What if they all hate me?” You ask.
Nico scoffs. “Then they’re all stupid.”
“Nico…”
“Baby,” he murmurs, leaning over, pressing his lips to your temple. “You met Jack, scared the shit out of him, and he still asks about you all the time. And you’ll have the dogs. That’ll win them over immediately.”
You sigh and wipe your sweaty hands on your pants. “You’re their captain. What if I don’t live up to the… I don’t know, Nico-“
He cups your face in his hand and turns your head towards his. There’s a soft, kind smile on his face. You bite your lip.
“You don’t need to live up to anything,” he says, firmly. “I want you there, that’s enough. And if you want to leave, you just tell me. We’ve got the dogs as an excuse.”
You nod. He pinches your cheek lightly, and you laugh. When he climbs out of the car, you follow suit. Moose and Bernie are itching to get out of the backseat- you each unbuckle one dog and get them ready to go inside.
In the stadium, he stops and helps you get the dogs ready- winter coats for them to wear, little shoes to protect their feet that you’ve been getting them used to for months now. Moose still glares at you a bit when you first put them on, but he gets over it quickly.
Nico laces up his own skates and helps you, too, and then it’s out onto the rink, under the lights, staring up at the big empty stadium. The dogs stay close at first, getting used to the slippery surface.
Everyone is here- his teammates, their families, their friends. When he’d invited you, you’d nearly broken down into tears- you know how much it means to him, how much he loves this team and this sport. You’re honored he wants to share it with you. You were the one who suggested bringing the dogs, too. Now, out on the ice, you’re thrilled it all ended up like this.
“Cool wolf,” Jack says, as he skates by. “Hey, Luke- you know what his name is?”
Luke shakes his head.
“Moose,” Jack says, and Luke sighs. “Which one of you is the cuter one, huh?”
“Definitely the dog,” Nico says, squeezing your hand.
“You all suck,” Luke says. He turns to you and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry. Not you. You seem great.”
Nico hooks his elbow in yours and nudges you gently. “Wanna do a lap?”
You smile and nod, and he starts to pull you around on the ice. The dogs follow happily, having found their footing. Across the ice, some of the kids point at them excitedly. You think back to the dog park, so long ago, now, and the lady and her dog Bessie. If she’d never gotten angry with you, would you and Nico have ever spoken? Or would you have just stared at each other from across the park forever? You’re not sure you want to know. You’re just happy it ended up the way it did.
“I love you,” you tell him, leaning up to kiss his cheek.
He blushes and grinned, dimple popping up on his face. “I love you too, schatz.”
He kisses you on the lips, then, a quick peck that still somehow makes your heart skip a beat. At your feet, Moose whines, and Bernie follows suit. You and Nico sigh.
“And we love you two, too,” you say, shaking your head at the dogs.
“So needy,” Nico says.
“Sounds like someone else I know,” you tease, elbowing him.
He grins impossibly wider. You feel warm enough to melt the ice beneath your feet. He tends to have that affect on you, and you don’t think it’ll ever grow old.
thanks for reading!!
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rheya28 · 11 months
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Darlington Castle [ Wedding Venue ] ♥ The Sims 4: Speed Build // CC
Welcome to Darlington Castle, a beautiful wedding venue located on the Island of Windenburg. This one of a kind venue is known for not only its iconic architecture and stunning views but also for its timeless elegance and romantic atmosphere, making a popular destination to hold weddings and other occasions.  Whether you’re planning an intimate ceremony or a grand celebration, Darlington Castle is the perfect setting for your sims dream wedding.
Programming includes an indoor and outdoor ceremonial space, an indoor and outdoor reception hall, suites for both the bride's and the groom's bridal party. Additionally, this venue also include a kitchen and multiple private bedrooms for the newly weds and their wedding entourage.
NOTE: The exterior of this venue was based on Villa Erba
As I'm posting this, I realize there's so much more I wanna add, so maybe I'll do a part 2
♥ Please make sure to turn bb.moveobjects on! ♥ Please DO NOT reupload or claim as your own. ♥ Feel free to tag me if you are using it, I love seeing my build in other peoples save file ♥ Feel free to edit/tweak my builds, but please make sure to credit me as the original creator! ♥ Thank you to all CC Creators ♥ Please let me know if there's any problem with the build!
♥ SPEED BUILD VIDEO 00:00 Beginning 00:02 Intro 1:11 Speed Build 25:26Photos
♥ LOT DETAILS Lot Name: Darlington Castle Lot type: Wedding Venue Lot size: 64x64 Location: Windenburg Island
♥ MODS: TOOL MOD by TwistedMexi
♥ CC LIST:
Note: I reuse a lot of the same cc in all my builds, specifically cc's from felixandre, HeyHarrie, and Pierisim so if you're interested in downloading past, present, future build from me i suggest getting all their cc sets to make life a little easier! other creators include Sooky, Charlypancakes, Sixam, Thecluttercat, Myshunosun, awingedllama.
Joyceisfox: Simple Live (Bathroom, Blooming plant) S- Imagination: Rutland Kitchen Felixandre: Colonial (all), Chateau (all), Fayun, Berlin pt (1), Florence (all), Georgian, Gothic Revival, Grove (all), Kyoto pt (2), London exterior & interior, Paris (all), Jardane, Shop the look, SOHO, Tudor Sooky: Horizontal oil Painting (Landscape, Still life), Vertical oil paintings (landscape, still life, portrait) Awingedllama: Nostaligia Living Felixandre x Harrie: Baysic, Harluxe, Livin Rum, Orjanic (all) Bbygyal123: Minimal Prints Charlypancakes: Chalk, Lavish, Miscellanea, Smoll, Telly Harrie: Heritage, Brownstone Collection, Brutalist, Coastal (all), Shop the look 2, Spoons Madame Ria: Back to basic floor Myshunosun: Midsummer Eve Arsbotanica: Peonies bouquet Pierisim: Auntie Vera, Coldbrew (all), Domain du clos (all), MCM pt (2)(3), Oak house (all), Winter garden pt (1), Woodland ranch (all) Charlypancakes x Pierisim: Precious Promises Simplistic: Magnolia Cottage Rugs, Rug Holland Sixam: Stylistwood Nursery Simten: Playable Harp (mod) thecluttercat: Sunnysundae pt (3), Dandy Diary Syboulette: Nothing to wear Taurus Design: Eliza walk in closet Other CC Cowbuild: Family Kitchen (sink flowers only), Blooming Garden cafe (Hanging wisteria only) [ I think these are locked behind paywall, but you dont really need to download as they are not too important. howeber, If you do wanna dl it....iykyk]
♥Tray File: x ♥Origin ID: Applez ♥Twitter: Rheya28__ ♥Tiktok: Rheya28__ ♥Patreon: Rheya28 ♥Youtube: Rheya28__
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echantedtoon · 4 months
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YANDERE DEMONS AND BRIDES
Been thinking about this for a while now and I don't know if it counts as yandere but it is how the demons take a bride (or husband for the lady demons unless you also want to imagine that it's a lady.)Yeah. I know old trope but I really like this trope and I wanted to make headcannons for the Upper Moons. I think they'd all have a certain main element fueling that desire for their specific Bride(or Groom for the ladies).
When it comes to the lady demons like Nakime I'll leave Y/n's gender up in the air for anyone to interpret if the ladies also get a wife or if you prefer them to get a husband.
Warnings for yandere-ish (???) themes, kidnapping mentions, possibly death mentioned, mentioned wounds and scars, mentioned illness, mentioned bad vision, etc.
If any of these warnings upset you pls don't read. I will be including Daki/Ume in the line up as part of Gyutaro's part but she will be strictly PLATONIC yandere!! Absolutely NO romance between her and reader!! And her parts will be minor.
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KOKUSHIBO:
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HARBORMENT
-You have to be a very specific kind of person to attract this man's attention. I think it'd most likely be one of two things that guarantee his bold interest. 1. you are a reincarnation of his wife or 2. you remind him of someone he used to love long ago but never could have especially if you were close to/was with Yoriichi. But whatever the case he finds himself taken by your familiar being.
-He doesn't even know why he bothers with it. But he can't help but watch you from afar. The old feelings resurfacing. He tells himself that it doesn't matter anymore. Most likely you wouldn't remember him even if you were a past lover, and even if you did you'd most likely believe him dead by now or want nothing to do with him.
-He is perfectly content with just watching you live out your life. He's learnt so much about you through just secretly watching. He learns your favorite tea, you love long walks at morning, you work just around the corner at a tailor shop.
-He's content until it no longer becomes enough. He starts to wonder. Do you still smile the way you used to? Do you still wear the same sweet perfume you did back then? He walks into your work one day in disguise. You weren't there being so late, but he ends up buying a Jacket you personally tailored.
-Muzan definitely knows about you. He knew the exact moment Kokushibo saw you. He just doesn't care and sorta lets Kokushibo get away with it being his most loyal demon. He doesn't allow his obsession to interfere with his missions and in turn Muzan is idgaf.
-He is a very traditional man and believes in courting a woman before marriage. In his mind you both are still married/together, he just needs to make you aware of it again. So he starts leaving small gifts for you when you're not around.
-At first you're confused but you think it's just a harmlessly sweet gesture from a secret crush. A few flowers on your doorstep every other night, maybe a small gift of a necklace or hair pin, however your quickly get freaked out when the gifts get TOO personal.
-You came to work one day and was freaked out when your boss handed you a decorative vase an 'admirer' left you for you after he overheard you mentioning it. (You only ever mentioned it once to you boss in private with no one else around.) Your boss is also slightly confused since they also hadn't mentioned that to anyone.
-You freak out more than ever when you come home and find a pair of wedding rings and a shiromuku(wedding kimono) laid out perfectly on your bed.
-Kokushibo sees nothing wrong with his behavior. As in his mind you both are still together, you are still his woman, and he's going to reclaim what is his own. This is just letting you know what he expects. He can't comprehend you'd be against this.
-He's not allowing you to go, especially after he lost you last time to his brother's affections. Whether these affections were platonic friendship or romantic lovers is up to you, but his internalized inferiority, jealousy, obsession, and greed won't allow him to let you go.
-You shriek when you first see him reveal himself. He doesn't understand why you're reacting like this. Don't you recognize your husband? You can't get away. He's holding you to him in an embrace as you freak out.
"Death may have stolen you from me..but I will deny the reaper of his claim to you once again."
DOUMA:
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EMOTIONS
-Again you have to be very specific for these men to even consider taking you as a bride. For Douma, it'd be because of the way you make him actually feel things.
-However this ends up happening or when it does is entirely a thing all of its own but for the sake of not making this a mountain of a post, we'll leave that part up to whatever you interpret for now.
-The problem is that he has legit NO idea of what he's even feeling. He's never felt adoration, anger, happiness, etc so how is he supposed to know what this fluttery strange feeling in his chest is?
-So for a long while even he's not aware of his growing obsession with you. He just knows these feelings are not bad. He knows these feelings are coming from you. So somehow he deduced that you are the problem for his new predicaments.
-For this reason he has you looked over by the cults resident healer in case you're using some kind of sickness or chemistry stuff on him. Gets more confused when you are perfectly fine. Nevermind that demons couldn't get sick.
-You become weirded out by how clingy and stalkerish he's suddenly become overnight. He's not even aware he's doing it and if he is he doesn't care really. He just knows you're the cause of the fuzzy warmth in his chest and he's starting to like it.
-The only chance for you to escape is now while he's still confused on what he's feeling. Afterwards it's too late.
-EVERYONE notices his behavior and there's a mixed reaction to it all. Some congratulate you which you're so confused on and some express their happiness to their founder. Douma is just even more confused at it all. Eventually someone notices his confusion and asks him about it, then proceeds to explain what's he's feeling because he's not so sure himself.
-This revolution is mind blowing to him. He's literally the shocked Pikachu meme.
-In his mind as he thinks about it, technically he's been already courting you for nearly a year now. Showering you in affection and gifts and treating you like the goddess you were. So the next logical step would be marriage and that thought actually has him giddy at the thought of you in a shiromuku.
-You've been giving him subtle hints that you're uncomfortable the entire time but he either flat out ignores it or it just flies over his head.
-He randomly wakes you up in the middle of the night and asks if you're not busy the next day.
You blink at the shadowy creepily happy smiling figure too tired to comprehend the gravity of the situation. "I think?"
"Alright." He's silent for a moment. "I made us an appointment with a local priest."
You mumble a nothing response, still on the brink of sleep.
"Just remember to take the day off," he presses. "Hello? Are you there?"
"Uh huh." Your eyes won't even stay open.
"It's settled then. We'll get married tomorrow." He claps happily as he makes his leave. "Go back to sleep now, Lotus blossom."
He leaves and you breathe a sigh of relief as you snuggle into your bed again-
You jolt up. Did he say married?
AKAZA:
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FAMILIARITY
-Akaza has never, has not, and never will harm a woman. He himself is unsure of his past where this stems from but he feels a familiarity to something deep but distant when he first meets you.
-You either are dealing with a similar illness Koyuki experienced, or you're a demon slayer whom had to retire due to injuries. Let's go with the second option for this one.
-Akaza had randomly heard recently that a demon slayer had to retire and was currently in the area he was in. He's always looking for a good fight so it's not a no brainer he'd seek you out. What he doesn't know was that this particular retired slayer was a woman. He doesn't realize this even when he first sees you until you horrified and scared seeing a demon in your home confirms that you are indeed the person he's looking for.
-Akaza is shocked. Not at the fact that there's a lady slayer (he's seen plenty of strong lady slayers) but at how you look. He's never seen a woman covered in so many wounds and scars even amongst other slayers. He's so stunned he asks you about it. You're more confused on why he doesn't outright end you, but you answer his question to avoid provoking him. An entire gang of demons has ganged up on you and if it weren't for a Haishira you'd be dead. However your current state left you unable to continue.
-He's angry. About a lot of things. How dare those lowlifes! HE'S obviously not gonna be getting a fight here. There's no way to release this anger- You're stunned as the angry demon just leaves without another word, but he takes it out on some rocks some miles away.
-Akaza ends up swinging by much to your growing horror and worry. He never comes close or makes threatening actions towards you, but you've seen him multiple times staring into your window or you'd see him in the distance barely visible through the darkness. It always freaks you out.
-Akaza doesn't mean to scare you, he just can't help but be curious about you. He finds himself thinking about you and your poor condition a lot. For some reason it pangs his heart seeing you limp about knowing it's permanent to your walking pattern or get angry when he sees people stare at you funny. He even ended a man who insulted your beauty by calling your battle scars unattractive not that you had any idea. He just..feels an odd need to give you care. It feels so... familiar. Second nature.
-He's just so entranced by you. Your smile, your gently nature, your kindness- Despite your losses and bad treatment you still treat everyone so gently. It makes his heart race with something so familiar yet so foreign.
-Reality shatters for him when he hears of your arranged marriage. After returning you had to move back with family who were all horrified to your condition. Their logic was that you needed to get married like a sensible woman and you should be grateful someone was willing to put up with you as a wife.
-In Akaza's view no one would ever treat you like you deserved. He knew he could care for you like he did for-... Someone that makes his head fog. HE CAN'T LET HIM TAINT HER SMILE. If you needed a husband to provide for you then he's happy to step in. Don't be surprised when you wake up to him carrying you out the window.
"Anything that is gold is often buried beneath where everyone's minds skim over without a second thought. You won't have your gold tainted to rust by another."
GYUTARO(+PLATONIC UME/DAKI):
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EQUALITY
-Let's be fair. Gyutaro (and Ume/Daki) were never treated as an equal. He was always treated like a piece of garbage (and Ume a pretty doll) so he's gotten used to the fact that he's just destined for that.
-So he's surprised when his sister just starts yapping about another girl in her workplace. It's not out of the ordinary for her to talk about other girls mostly complaining about them or demanding he do something about it. But he's surprised that she's not complaining but gushing about how she made a friend....What?
-Gyutaro.wav is confused af
-She proceeds to proudly gush to her brother about how this girl 'actually knows her place' and 'knows how beautiful Daki is without even needing to know her.'
-Gyutaro.exe is VERY confused af
-She notices his blank stare and scoffs in annoyance. "She's visually impaired you dolt! Honestly it wouldn't be much of a difference if she was actually blind." Oh. Well now he's less confused. Turns out you're new to the house Daki is currently working in and she had originally planned on eating you outta jealousy, however changed her mind when you complimented her voice.
-Daki.wav is now confused. She was used to being complimented on everything from her beauty to her hair to her walking even but her voice? It was then she learnt you weren't blind but you might as well be with how bad your vision actually was seeing everything in colorful blurs. This confuses her. Confused her enough to spare you that night and instead you both just sorta awkwardly talked casually. You politely asked her what it was like to be a famous oiran and if she had any tips for make up as you couldn't see well enough to tell if yours was good.
-You had spoken to her without fear, or condensending, or even any flat out adoration. It was just as if she was another person on the street and not a cannibalistic monster. Honestly it was ..nice. Hella confusing but actually nice for once being treated like another. She decides she will not eat you. After all it wouldn't harm anyone if you couldn't see the red flags in front of you, and you believe her anyways when she said she's beautiful.
-She decides you are her default friend and you now listen to all her problems and tantrums whenever she wants. You gently listen awkwardly sometimes with a frown after you hear she had punished another worker. However there's very little people here nice to you and her reputation alone has kept troublemakers away from you so you decide her friendship is worth more than the cons of not having it.
-She's very territorial over her one friendship. Almost toxically so. If you want something you had BETTER get it within the day or there's hell to pay! If there's a customer you don't particularly like he had BETTER find another girl. No is not an option. Even the house master is scared of her so all complies.
-Gyutaro has legit no idea of what to think of this but his logic is whatever his precious baby sister wants she gets so if you make her happy being her friend then he'll leave you alone and leave her too it. He hasn't met you yet tho. Most of the time he's either out hunting or asleep dormant in Daki's body. Sometimes he heard you two talking but tuned it out as it was mostly boring or his sister complaining to you again. You two completely meet by accident.
-One day he came back from hunting, the two had to split as it'd look suspicious if she suddenly disappeared, so as usual he went to go clean up the mess. The two were just talking when the door suddenly opens and they both freeze as you stand there smiling. Turns out you had just come to say good night to Daki and didn't even see the demon in front of you. However you are barely able to make out a second blurry figure in the darkness. It prompts you to apologize for interrupting her and her customer to which both relax from their tense posture remembering you couldn't actually tell there was a six foot something demon in front of you.
-Daki is prompted to scoff and explain that it wasn't a customer but her brother visiting. In turn Gyutaro is stunned as you genuinely smile his way and greet him like he was another friend. It quickly becomes awkward as he just stares. His brain can't compute a girl(a pretty girl at that) was smiling and talking to him normally. He answers in grunts and quickly leaves the awkward scene.
-Is later shocked weeks later when his sister informs him that you sometimes ask her how her brother is doing. He's not used to having anyone think of him so nicely even as a second thought. The way he reacts gives Daki the idea of making her brother come out to again meet you. (She forces him out and doesn't let him merge until he meets you again.) He's shocked at how you still genuinely are kind to him offering him tea and asking if he'd like to hear you play the shamisen.
-Man becomes fastly smitten by you. With so much touch starvation and affection denial he has it was inevitable. You suspect he might like you by the stutters of his floundering voice but out of respect to your friend you remain casual and never bring it up to either of them when they visit you.
-You've got two demons utterly obsessed with you for both two different reasons. Daki is unwilling to lose her only friend. In her mind NO ONE is allowed to be friends with you! She's the best! So she's your best and only friend! She's very possessive over things she sees as hers and you're no exception. She even was jealous of Gyutaro's affections for you at first but quickly realized it would be easier to share her big brother with you. They share practically everything else anyways. She still gets annoyed when he takes your attention for too long tho. You were her friend first!
-Gyutaro is obsessed with the way you treat him. The way you don't back away from him when he gets close. The way you smile at him. The way you don't treat him like the scum of the earth. He's a very possessive man, even more than his sister. Any visiting customers you have are never seen again. Any present or past he finds out about are quickly taken as his dinner for daring to touch what's his.
-If he doesn't get them then Daki will. She eliminates any threat within the house. Any servant who stares at you with disdain or someone who gets too friendly is swiftly delt with.
-You're hella confused when the house master says he is cursed with many runaway workers.
-Both absolutely FREAK when they return to the house and You're not there anymore. Daki realizes this first when she goes to see you and finds you GONE! All of your belongings are gone and your room is empty. Practically tears the house apart looking for you and calling your name. Her panic wakes up her brother concerned she's in danger but also freaks out when she informs him you're GONE! She goes to the house master after not finding you anywhere else and DEMANDS they tell her where you are with murder in her eyes.
-Turns out a man had bought your marriage contract after watching a show of yours playing the shamisen and singing. You were relieved to be leaving and had left with him after waiting for an hour to say goodbye but your friend never showed up.
-Both are HORRIFIED and ENRAGED!
-Daki ends the house master in a rage as her brother appears. It's not too hard to find you being lead by your soon-to-be husband leading you towards the train station. Had they been ten minutes late then you would've been completely out of the E-District.
-Instead you're quickly absorbed into Daki's belt as her brother violently rips the man apart in a blind rage. You aren't going to leave your best friend behind and he wasn't going to let another man have your hand.
"I'm your friend! Don't you get that?!"
"I'll cut down anyone who tries to hurt my precious sister or take you from me. You're mine."
KAIGAKU:
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GREED
-This man and Kokushibo are similar. Both have inferiority issues against younger brothers(Ik technically Zenitsu n him aren't brothers but bare with me) being better than them in swordsmanship one way or another. With Yoriichi and Kokushibo it was more complicated. Between Kaigaku and Zenitsu it was that ONE Thunder Breathing technique he never conquered.
-His inferiority and greed has caused him to make so many bad decisions (if you've read the manga or read his wiki then you know what I mean). He's not one to want to be out done even if he has to resort to underhanded tactics.
-You both met when he was still human and training under Master Jigoro. You were a simple healer often just helping patch him and Zenitsu up after training. He's annoyed and often doesn't give you a second thought that is until Zenitsu starts running his mouth obviously. He asks you to marry him ten minutes after you both just met.
-Kaigaku has known you for a few years longer than Zenitsu because he's older and came to train here before Zenitsu but you both have never been close before. He's short with you when you talk otherwise he's usually quiet. You talk to him anyways even if he never answers back. You're used to it.
-He hates how you just patiently laugh off any and all attempts Zenitsu makes to you. Why are you tolerating that idiot?!(Nevermind you also tolerate him and his stupid attitude.) He gets jealous of your interactions and how Zenitsu is just finding over you before he meets Nezuko. He barely sees you after his final selection and becoming a slayer but his furious mind boils over at the thought of you spending more time ALONE with Zenitsu before he too goes to his Final selection.
-With both Zenitsu and Kaigaku gone, and Jigoro insisting he can take care of himself, you're reassigned to a different residence where multiple slayers pass through. Ironically it's where Kaigaku is. All good and bad feelings punch him at once seeing your smiling face again as you stitch up his most recent wound.
-He likes you so much and how you treat him, but he's internally enraged when you share that kindness with anyone outside of him. Hearing you speaking to him about Zenitsu and your other patients only enrages that boiling point. However it only reaches that point when you inform the ever silent man about your own slayer fiance you met through your patients.
-You're sad when one day Kaigaku stops showing up for a long while. News of his betrayal and Jigoro's death really hadn't reached a lot of people with all the Haishira and slayers training for the final fight in the Infinity Castle. Your slayer fiance included.
-You do however receive news of your fiance's mysterious gruesome death at the hands of a demon. You're more heartbroken when you also hear of Jigoro's death. Devastated and crying your heart out over your loss. However those sobs turn to screams when you're face to face with blackened eyes of death as a sinister smile.
"What are you crying for? It's his own fault."
NAKIME:
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SHARED INTEREST
-(Ok. Bare with me. Ive never written for her before and even researching her backstory this is probably not going to be very long and ooc. Take as platonic or romantic.) Let me start by saying that she does not get out much. Like at all. So you two really don't meet face to face.
-She discovers you by accident when she opened a door in a busy street and happened to see you sitting on the side of the road also playing a biwa for money.
-She hasn't seen another fellow biwa player for a while and decided to keep the doorway open for a while to listen.
-You are not very good with the biwa. Your playing isn't bad it's just not the best. Nakime knows this but considering she's never met another person or heard another instrument for a long time she can't help but get interested. Learns quickly that you are a lot better playing the shamisen than the biwa and always opens a small window or doorway on nights she knows you're gonna be sitting on your corner playing.
-She starts to think about teaching you how to play the biwa and doing a duet as you play your shamisen next to her biwa. Starts to really like the idea of permanently having your company in the castle.
-She doesn't really abduct you until after a show a drunk patron steals your instrument and smashes it on the ground laughing at your crying face.
-A loud strum of a biwa is heard as both you AND the drunk man is teleported. You're shocked to suddenly find yourself on a platform with a woman sitting right across from you. The drunk man was also teleported. She teleported him to where she knew a gang of newly turned hungry demons were.
"Apologies for the sudden introductions however it seems you need a change of residence."
GYOKKO:
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CREATIVITY
-(I don't like him too much but ik there's a lot of people who do and can't find content for him same as those who like Nakime so I'll include him too for all you Gyokko fans.) Mans is a baby. Very sensitive to his projects being insulted even if they deserve to be called that, most either are 'too dumb to notice his great skills' or always insult him. When in reality his art is so gruesome that people can't help but he horrified by it or insult him. The only one who seems to get him is Douma which is why he gifted him the pot but they aren't really friends.
-He meets you by complete accident. He was out too late and ended up deciding to hide in a pottery worker's shop. He likes to sneak around and spy on other artists anyways. His pot was sun proof and all he had to do was duck inside and wait until night again. However he wasn't counting on being bought.
-You had come in looking for a new vase to decorate your table after your old one accidentally broke. You happened to spot Gyokko's and completely fell in love with how pretty it was! The purest white you've ever seen with beautifully perfectly painted flowers and leafy vines. The pottery worker doesn't even remember making this piece but a paying customer was a paying customer so he sold you Gyokko's vase.
-Gyokko is absolutely offended by the pottery worker claiming his vase as his own and plans to end him later...But he also is very intrigued by the bold compliments you gave so he decides not to end you yet.
-When night comes he sneaks out to find quite a sight. Turns out you are also an artist sorta. You make custom jewelry and clothing for people, and baskets on the side. He's intrigued and extends his body around to look closely at all of the fabrics laid about, and written patterns, and little pieces of jewels ready to be put together for a simple but pretty piece to wear.
-He ends up going from the back of your shop to the front finding a lot of finished pieces of yours displayed and ready for sale. He's very intrigued by the kimonos. All of the patterns are individually sewn on. Cherry blossoms, storks, flowers- All are sewn on thread after thread by hand. It's like a canvas but made of fabric with thread as the paint. He's seen a LOT of kimonos but the attention to detail and precision to the likeness of the real thing was truly remarkable. For a woman.
-He decides since you really hadn't been a nuisance and complimented his work then he'll not end you for taking his pot. Instead of taking his pot with him, he leaves it and teleports to a different pot that way he can still sneak into your home without a problem.
-This goes on for two years. He'll pop in every so while when you sleep and look around for an hour or two before leaving. There was always different dresses displayed with different beautiful scenes sewed into them or he'd see one you were working on on your workshop bench. The needle paused in sewing the stripes of a tiger or the veins of a leaf.
-One day he comes back but hides in the pot because you're working late and tending to a customer who needed a dress for a ceremony. As you both talk the customer compliments 'your pot' and asks why you never put flowers in it. You answer- "I don't want to damage it by filling it with water or having rose thorns scratch it's inside. Besides it's beautiful enough by itself."
-As if this man didn't have enough of a big ego- This happens around the start of the second year and he ends up fond of this fellow artist. He gets the idea of gifting you another case to gage your reaction. This time you find a deep blue pot with waves painted onto it. You're unsure of where it came from but you might up moving it by the first vase mumbling to yourself about how pretty it was! Man's ego skyrockets.
-You are confused when you thank your friends for the pretty gifts only to be told they didn't make any of the ones you have. You get more confused when you start finding pots left on your doorstep two or three times a month. You never see who leaves them but you're so taken by how each one is so pretty that you never complain. Just assuming it was a secret admirer. Gyokko's ego boosts higher when he sees you had gotten two big shelves and placed them up to be displayed. He loves seeing you light up when you look at them excited for when the next one arrives.
-You're happiness seems to be improving your work too as Gyokko ends up find you making full on landscapes on your dresses. He notices you've suddenly become happier and giddier lately and blushing even but he doesn't think it's anything other than your adoration for his craft.
-Confused when one day he finds no new dresses being made except for an absolutely beautiful shiromuku in the process of being made. He assumes you've been paid to make a bride her ceremonial dress. He has absolutely no idea of the real reason behind this behavior until he comes back earlier one night and is shocked to find YOU wearing the dress to try it out as another friend of yours does your makeup testing out what colors would look best with you in the dress.
-Seeing you in your own homemade bridal piece and your face dolled up is like he's looking upon living artwork. He's in awe as you both giddily talk about your wedding-..Wait. Wot? You're telling your friend all about how the pottery maker you had originally bought your first vase from had fallen for you and came forward to be your secret admirer leaving all of the vases as gifts.
W H A T?!
-Gyokko is ENRAGED!! How dare that lowlife claim his precious skills as his own!? More so how dare he use it to trick this beloved artist into letting him marry you?! He was claiming all his hard work!! He's becomes more enraged when you mentioned that your fiance wanted you to retire from your craft and be a stay at home wife after you marry. A mantra of "Oh over his dead body" is repeated over in his head as he temporarily disappears to take care of a problem.
-Soon after your friend leaves you're smiling at yourself in a mirror only to freeze in horror and shriek out as something monstrous comes clawing out of the first ever face you've ever gotten. People are horrified and shocked when they find your fiance dead and you no where to be found.
"Art is a beauty in of itself. However there are few people who can truly appreciate you as such."
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Hoo boy that was a lot. I'm gonna do a part 2 with Hantengu since that guy needs to be tackled along with clones on his own post and a part 3 with the lower moons. Hope you all enjoyed this.
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mbbmz · 1 month
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NSFW alphabet : Shinichiro Sano
(A-Z) Afab!reader
Nsfw under the cut
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Aftercare (How they’re like after sex)
I honestly think he’s clueless at first. Needs a bit of time to catch his breath, will get you things you ask him like a glass of water or a damp towel. Will eventually learn to do it without you asking. He then proceeds to wrap his arms around you, whispering ‘I love you’s.
Body part : (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)
His favorite body part of his is probably his hands. A bit classic but his fingers are quite long and he love using them on you <3
His favorite body part must be your tits. Big, small, average, with stretch marks or not, he will suck on those pretty tits at any time (probably runs in the Sano genes)
Cum (anything to do with cum)
Loves to cum inside of you. Doesn’t matter which hole or if he’s wearing a condom or not, he loves to cum buried inside of you, it feels warm.
If you give him a blowjob and swallow it, his mind would short circuit for a short while and he would blush furiously, asking you if you’re truly okay with this. He then admits to you he thought that was hot.
Dirty secret
You probably caught him one time jerking off while saying your name. Since you started dating he can’t cum with anything else but your name on his pretty lips <3
Experience (How experienced are they?)
We all know, he was a virgin when you started dating. He probably was embarrassed about and didn’t say it before you started taking off your clothes, blurting it out with a light blush on his cheeks. He’s a quick learner however, and will take any advices you give to him about how to pleasure you
Favorite position
The classic missionary suits him best I think. He loves looking at you while he’s sheathed deep inside your walls.
He also loves when you ride him so he can feel your pretty tits bounce on his face
Goofy (are they more serious in the moment or humorous?)
I think the nervousness of his inexperience makes him crack a joke or two at first. Bad jokes. But when he’s more confident, he gets more serious, focused on you and on making you feel good
Hair (How well-groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)
Imma be honest here, first time you saw it it was a bush down there. Well, it’s not like he really had any reasons to trim it until you met him-
Will start trimming it when you start getting intimate, will even shave it if you ask him to.
Carpet matches the drapes ofc
Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect)
He’s so sweet I swear. He loves praising you and tell you how pretty you are. He won’t shut up about how good you look so you’ll have to shut him up yourself <3
Jack off (Masturbation headcanon)
Does it a lot I think. I feel like he wouldn’t bother you every time he’s needy. However, if you have a high sex drive that helps him a lot, and he won’t do it a lot since you’re here to take care of it.
Kink (one or more of their kinks)
Probably pretty vanilla, but I think he wouldn’t mind you taking control from time to time. Something about seeing you take care of him makes him so hard.
Location (Favorite places to do it)
Best place for him is the comfort of your bed, or just anywhere in the house (when you two are alone ofc)
I could see him doing some quickies in his shop when the day is slow.
Motivation (what gets them started and going)
Loves, loves, LOVES seeing your skin. Wear short or slightly revealing clothes and it will get him hard in no time. Poor baby is all embarrassed when you ask him what’s wrong. He also loves when you initiate, climbing on his lap will get him started immediately, like a switch button
You’re pretty moans are what gets him going. Whether it’d be small whimpers, quiets grunts or loud moans, any vocal display of pleasure from you is a huge turn on, especially if he’s the cause of it.
NO (something they wouldn’t do/turn offs)
Slaps on the face are a big no for him. Strong slaps anywhere too. He’ll probably indulge you if you ask for a small smack on your thighs or your ass but he will never slap you in the face. He just has troubles seeing it as a sexual gesture and not a violent display.
Oral (Giving/receiving preferences, skills..)
Loves receiving blowjobs. Don’t get me wrong, he also loves eating you out, but something about the sight of his dick disappearing between your pretty lips just makes him wild. He probably likes it a little messy too.
As I said, he also love eating you out. He struggled a bit at first, pretty normal seen his inexperience, but with the right indications, I guarantee you he can do real good
Pace (are they more fast and rough or slow and sensual)
He really, really wants to be slow and sensual with you, taking his time pleasuring you and himself. But sometimes he just can’t help it. His hips would slam into yours rapidly, kissing your neck and chest through ragged breath as he holds your waist, stuttering praises.
Quickie (Do they enjoy it quick?)
Enjoys a quickie from time to time, mostly in his shop when no one is here and it’s slow. He’d take you to the back room and start unbuckling his pants. At this point, it’s up to you what you want to do him <3
Risk (are they up to experiment, do they take risks etc…)
I mean, doing it in his shop is pretty much a risk in itself. But besides that, I think he would pretty much be open to try the things you bring up, as long as it doesn’t cross the boundaries I mentioned above.
Stamina (How many rounds can they go)
He’d go one round, two max. By the time you get to the second round, he can barely form sentences, constantly interrupted by his own ragged breaths. He’s sensitive, so two rounds is the maximum you’ll get from him. Although he’s always happy to help you with his fingers or his mouth if you’re not satisfied.
Toy (Do they own toys? Using them on a partner or themselves?)
Doesn’t own one for himself or you. He doesn’t really understand the appeal at first, I mean, you have him, don’t you?
However, if he catch you using a vibrator on day, he will be so entranced by your moans it will actually make him curious. He’ll shyly bring it up, and once he tries, you can be sure he won’t stop until you got off. Might overstimulate a bit, not even on purpose.
Unfair (How much do they like to tease)
He would never tease you, he loves you too much to not give you what you want <3
Doesn’t really like to be teased either, doesn’t really see the point. If you both want something, why not just do it?
Volume (How loud are they?)
I don’t think he would be really loud. Most you’d hear are small grunts, but you maybe be able to catch a small moan if you praise him. Tell him he’s doing a good job, please.
Wild card (random headcanon)
Ain’t gonna lie, probably struggled to find your clit the first time he tried touching you. You actually had to part your pussy lips yourself and point it yourself.
X ray (Let’s see what going on under those clothes…)
We might be on a good 6,5 inches (approximately between 16 and 17cm)
Probably a bit thin with a slight curve. Give him enough time and he’ll know how to use it.
Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)
High sex drive. Bro went all those years without feeling a woman’s touch, now that he experienced it, he just can’t get enough! It’s okay if you can’t keep up with him though, he can take care of it himself. Although nothing will feel as good as you
ZZZ (How fast do they fall asleep afterwards)
Once you’re settled in his arms, it’s only a matter of minutes before he falls asleep. Like I said, he’s pretty sensitive, so he’ll get tired pretty easily. Still forces himself to stay awake to get you things you need though.
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shaadiwish · 2 years
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Pernia’s Pop-Up Studio. Men Has Luxury Menswear From Various Top-End Designers Under One Roof. Stay Tuned With ShaadiWish For More Details.
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michelle-is-writing · 6 months
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Wedding Mornings, Spencer Reid
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Word Count: 2.2k~
As a child, I always wondered if I would ever find the right person for me. Having no luck to find such a person as a teenager, I ended up wondering if I would even find a husband, better yet, my soul mate. In years to come, I would start to believe that I would be alone forever.
However, once I moved to Washington DC and found a job at the Melvin Gelvin library, I soon befriended a man that visited there a lot. I had seen him in the research section before, but he never came up to my desk for help. I thought he was cute, in all honesty, but I didn't want to come off as too confident and go up to him to see if he needed help when I never did that with anyone else in the library.
So, the one day he did come up to me and ask me where to find a book I had seen him take out many times, I smiled and nodded before helping him find the book. He was nervous asking me his question, and I couldn't help but be a little nervous as well. Although, once we found the encyclopedia for Philosophy, he introduced himself as Spencer Reid, and I couldn't help but rejoice as my name fell from my lips in return. Finally, I got to learn the name of the man who I had shared glances with so many times, yet, we never interacted - up until then.
After that, it felt like a free-game. Anytime Spencer came into the library, he was asking me for books that I knew very well he was aware of where they would be. In spite of this, I always helped him, and after he checked out the third book I had seen him read many times before, Spencer finally asked me out for coffee.
Unfortunately, our date kept getting postponed because of Spencer's job. At first, I thought he was backing out in regret since it had already taken him so long to ask me out in first place. However, once we did go on that date, I discovered that that wasn't even a tiny fraction as to why he kept rescheduling. As soon as I found out that Spencer held such a huge responsibility with a job that relied on him to capture mass murderers and kidnappers, I found myself in complete admiration for him. Not to mention the fact that all of the science books he had been checking out weren't for class or education - he already earned his degrees in those fields beforehand.
Now that I have a dazzling ring on my finger, I'm even happier that I was patient in waiting for Spencer to finally make it to our date. I knew how long I waited for that coffee shop date he promised - six-whole-weeks. However, I never knew how long I was waiting for a man like Spencer to make his way into my life until I found out how much I truly loved him. Through saying those three words that are often said too much, I discovered that I had waited my entire life to find Spencer, and when he proposed to me in Rossi's garden one late night, I found out that Spencer truly felt the same way.
Soon enough, the months before our wedding slowly passed until the brightest week of our lives came up, and once that started, it was like everything was going at twice the speed it should have been going. All of my bridesmaids (JJ, Emily, (f/n), and Penelope) ran around like chickens with their heads cut off while Spencer's groomsmen (Derek, Aaron, and Rossi) did the same. Even during the morning of my wedding, everyone was running around to get things done while I just stayed in my bride's quarter's kitchen and did the same thing I did every other morning.
"I'm just saying," Penelope starts, watching as I pour freshly made coffee into a mug for Spencer. "It's bad luck for a groom to see the bride before the wedding!" She reminds me, causing me to smile.
"I thought that was only if the bride was wearing her dress," I point out, adding more sugar than actual coffee into the mug. "And, besides," I add, giving the coffee one last stir before placing the spoon down on the counter. I have no idea how Spencer can drink this stuff with nearly half of the mug filled with sugar.
Turning toward Penelope with the steaming mug in hand, my eyes quickly catch onto the expertly made bouquet in her hands, every flower I wanted beautifully bundled together with a gorgeous (f/c) bow wrapped around the stems. How is she so good at any creative thing she does?
"I've made Spencer his coffee every morning since our first day living together, Pen," I tell her, smiling as I think about the fond memory. Sometimes he'll make me a cup too if I haven't done so myself. "I don't want to miss a day because of some old, wise tale that's probably been taken out of its original context," I add, slightly smirking as I know that's the truth. Once the words leave my mouth, Penelope can't resist the smile the makes it's way onto her lips as she shakes her head.
"Well, I don't think anything I say is going to stop you," She notes, earning a head nod back from me. She's right. Nothing is going to make me halt in my actions of bringing Spencer his coffee - not even a silly little fairytale.
Heading out of the hotel room in only my silk pajamas that match the rest of the girls' clothes, I find myself walking across the hall with my heart pounding in my chest. It's strange to just now realize that today is the official start of my forever. It's a fantastic feeling, but at the same time, it's giving me a high that I feel like I can't come down from. It's a dangerous, yet blissful thing.
Just as I round the corner to walk to the other end of the hall, my eyes quickly catch onto a familiar figure leaving his hotel room. There's no way I could ever forget those brunet curls or the slender body of the man I love. Although, what is a bit odd is that he's currently carrying a coffee mug of his own. I guess he didn't think that I'd stick to what we've always done.
"Good morning, handsome," I greet Spencer, causing him to lightly jump before turning around and seeing me. Once his eyes land on my pajama covered figure, he visibly calms down with a small sigh and smile.
"I wanted to go and see you, but the guys wouldn't let me. So, I had to sneak out," Spencer explains with a shake of his head, making me laugh. Just as I do that, Spencer's whole demeanor changes as if he's softening up. His tense shoulders loosen while his posture relaxes a bit, another sigh leaving his slightly smiling lips as he does so. He looks calmer than any other time I can remember.
"You... you look amazing," he compliments me, causing me to blush with a wide smile. My hair is an absolute mess right now, a majority of it up in a clip as I haven't brushed it yet. Not to mention my face doesn't even have a touch of makeup on it and I'm still in pajamas - there's nothing about me that says "amazing" right now. I don't know how Spencer can say such things.
"Thank you, baby," I tell him, taking a few steps forward before planting a kiss to his cheek. Despite today being the day of our wedding, Spencer's cheeks turn to light pink in response to my lips touching them as they always do, and I can't help but smile as I see the rose color take over his skin. Despite what some people say, I truly believe there's a good chance it will always be this way.
"I made you coffee for this morning," I tell him, gesturing to the steaming mug in my hand. "But I didn't know you made your own already," I further add, watching as the corner of Spencer's lip quirks up. Is he surprised that I would do this?
"Actually," he starts, holding the cup out to me. "I made this for you - that's why I was heading out of the room so I could go and give it to you," Spencer explains, trading mugs with me as a bright smile takes over his face. "I'm glad that we both had the same idea."
Smiling back, I nod before taking a sip from the cup of coffee Spencer made me, Spencer following in suit with the cup that I made him. We both let out a small, satisfied groan as the taste of coffee reaches our lips.
"You always manage to make my coffee perfect," Spencer points out, making my heart clench. He's so adorable, and he doesn't even realize it.
"And I'll never forget it, love, not for a long time," I tell him, leaning closer to kiss his cheek. However, before I can do so, Spencer takes the chance to wrap his free arm around me and pull me against him. Now satisfied, Spencer gives off a small hum before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine. In his arms, I feel the happiest I've felt this morning, and with the events of today being added in, I am more than ecstatic right now. Making coffee for Spencer every morning for the rest of my life is only a small fraction of what our marriage is going to be, and I can't help but look forward to doing it.
"I'm so glad we're doing this," Spencer confesses, pulling away from my lips to rest his nose against mine. Smiling, I gently sigh as I feel his hand on my waist sliding underneath my pajama top and onto my skin. His touch is so gentle that I could almost mistake it for a cloud touching me. "I've waited so long for this."
"I wish we would've done it sooner," I admit, nuzzling the side of my face into Spencer's soft sleep shirt. "Then I could've been Mrs. Reid for a long time now," I point out, turning my eyes up to the smiling man holding me.
"I do like the sound of that," Spencer murmurs, smirking as he leans farther down to press his lips to my neck. "Misses Reid," He slowly says my new title, each syllable rolling off his tongue smoothly. Even before we were engaged, he would jokingly call me that, but now that I'm actually Mrs. Reid, my love for the name has only grown.
With that, Spencer and I connect our lips in another sweet kiss while holding each other close. In his arms, I feel the warmest and happiest I have ever been. Nothing could ruin this moment between us. It's simply too perfect.
"Stop making out in the hallway! You'll be doing enough of that later!" A stern voice interrupts us, causing Spencer and me to look over to the hotel room door he stepped out of a few seconds ago. Hanging out of the empty doorway is Derek who's smirking with an accusing eyebrow. "Isn't it bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony?"
"Actually, Derek, it's only bad luck if-" Spencer argues Derek just as another voice cuts in.
"What are you two doing?!" A shout sounds throughout the hall, the tone full of Penelope Garcia's typical sassiness. Immediately, both of our heads shoot toward the end of the hall where the spunky blonde stomps toward us. "What have you two been doing?!"
"Derek, help us," I beg, turning my head back to Spencer's best man. Instead of doing what I actually asked, Derek laughs and shakes his head while holding his hands up.
"Oh no," he starts, "I'm not suffering at the hands of the woman behind you."
"Yeah," Penelope states, matter-of-factly. "I would be scared too if I were you, missy," just as soon as the words leave her lips, Penelope puts her hand on my arm and practically drags me out of Spencer's arms while Derek does the same to Spencer, both mindful of the mugs in our hands.
"You can see your beautiful bride in a couple of hours," Derek assures my soon-to-be-husband while he gives me one last kiss. As soon as his lips touch mine, I realize this is the last kiss before the one kiss we get to share that marks our forever with each other. Plus, I have no doubt that our friends will be cheering and teasing us as we do so - just like Derek and Penelope do right now. Just at the single thought, I can hardly wait.
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vidavalor · 10 months
Text
You can leave your hat on
So Crowley comes up for a nightcap in The Blitz, Part 2 and takes off the wool overcoat the minisode introduced but leaves his hat on.
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If you then go backwards and look at what he had on and when in The Blitz, Parts 1 & 2, it gets even more amusingly Ineffable Husbands pretty quickly...
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When Crowley shows up in the church in The Blitz, Part 1 in his suit with the hat on, he's the last character to arrive in the scene but the clinch of a subtle commentary happening via the costuming by way of hats. Until the early 1960s, as you probably already know, a man didn't leave the house without a hat on, but they would take them off as a sign of respect in different places indoors-- churches and theatres among them. Women were not expected to do so, largely because the style of women's hats were often the kind that were pinned into their hair and to take it off was a whole damn thing that required more extensive grooming than is possible when just entering/exiting a place. As a result, the Nazis in the church scene are following social custom-- the male Nazis have their hats off because they're inside a church but Greta is not violating anything by having her (rather fabulous, ngl) hat on. Aziraphale, of course, took his hat off and has it in his hand for the duration of the scene.
Crowley kept his on and we're bemused more than anything because we know that while this is technically impolite, Crowley is far more of a good presently-man-shaped-being than these half-witted Nazi spies, right? Which is basically the point of the commentary-- that the rebels are often more morally sound than the conformers. Also goes without saying that Crowley shouldn't have the sunglasses on in church either (and that this is all set at night and during a blackout makes the fact that he does all the funnier) but Crowley can't take the glasses off around humans so... but then, after the rest of The Blitz, Part 1, we then hop into The Bentley with Crowley & Aziraphale at the start of The Blitz, Part 2 and find that Crowley has a new wardrobe addition:
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Crowley is now wearing a black wool dress overcoat over his suit. Yes, they're magical and can regulate their body temperatures without actually needing the clothes they wear but the clothes they wear are also part of blending in with the humans of their day and we're now reminded that the 1941 part of The Blitz was going on over the winter into the early spring, something we could forget about momentarily when everyone had their coats off in the church but for Aziraphale, who has just worn the same coat for awhile now. This then serves to show us that Crowley got out of The Bentley outside of the church to go rescue Aziraphale and stopped to take his winter coat off and leave it in the car before doing so, all while choosing to not leave his hat behind as well. Yeah, wearing your hat into a church as a demon could be-- or only be-- about being a demon but we're going to see pretty soon that it's not *just* about that. So, why take his coat off?
Because he wants his angel to see his suit.
Crowley wears a lot of black and he had to be careful not to be mistaken for SS, so he's added in some color. He has some angelic white in the form of a hankerchief and a shirt that's a shade of grey that makes it actually look blue-- wearing his Aziraphale colors, we see-- and a snazzy red tie. You can't see this very well if he has his overcoat on so he left the coat in the car, consciously wanting to look as dashing as possible when showing up to grand romantic gesture Aziraphale.
When they get to the Windmill Theatre, Crowley wears both the hat and coat into the theatre-- but he takes the hat off once they're inside. Churches can go pound sand but Mrs. H? Crowley wouldn't dare disrespect her or her theatre lol. Aziraphale also takes his hat off in the theatre and we see that he does in every place of reverence to him, as he also takes his hat off in the magic shop later on. Crowley then wears the hat and coat both back from the theatre to the bookshop and once he settles in there to help Aziraphale prepare for his magic show, he *settles in*, as we know, tossing his hat on an angel statue, hanging up his overcoat, and unbuttoning and opening up his suit jacket as he sits down. The jacket now open, the design on his tie is now visible for the first time. Aziraphale is amusingly invested in his magic but when he does get around to unburying his nose from his autographed Prof. Hoff magic book, he can look his full at Crowley's whole ensemble here, which Crowley has been alternately hiding and revealing in bits and pieces so far (like a certain show we know lol.)
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Crowley wears all of it on their date to the magic shop but keeps his overcoat open and takes his hat off again at The Windmill when he's in the audience and on stage with Aziraphale. However, after the performance, when Furfur confronts them, Crowley has the hat back on-- while he's lounging on the couch, alone with Aziraphale in the dressing room. They weren't exactly about to leave in that moment when Furfur showed up. Aziraphale is still in costume and they're still chatting about the performance. Crowley isn't standing by the door waiting for him to get his stuff so they can go and so already has his hat on. He's sitting on the couch. But the hat's back.
After Aziraphale manages to set Furfur up in this scene, we then next see them again in the bookshop, drinking Chateauneuf-du-Pape and talking about how Aziraphale saved the photo. Crowley's overcoat is nowhere to be seen, presumably hung up on the coat rack in the front part of the shop, but he's kept the hat on and, at this point, there's no other possible reason to not have taken it off but for that Aziraphale likes the hat. A lot.
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(And yes, before anyone messages me, I know that's Terry Pratchett's hat. In the context of GO, though, that's Crowley's 1941 hat.)
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tip-top-cloud-surfer · 7 months
Text
Never Have I Ever (Part 4) - Hangman
Pairing: Hangman / Civilian Contractor! Reader (Callsign: Dove)
Length: 3.9k
This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only
Warnings: Female Reader with a Callsign and Family, but no Physical Description or Name; Not Necessarily Healthy Decisions/Coping Mechanisms; Slow Burn; Coworkers to Friends to Lovers; Oblivious Idiots; Excessive Pining; Jealousy; Adult Situations
Summary: Phoenix takes Dove out for a girls' day. Jake proceeds to lose his shit.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Master List
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“You’re not doing anything with Dove today?” Coyote asked Jake as they jogged their normal route. 
“No, she said that Phoenix was taking her out.” 
“What’re they doing?” 
“I don’t know. Dove didn’t say,” Jake stated, shrugging his shoulders. 
~~~~~
# 44 - Gotten a Pedicure
“So, what are we doing next?” Dove asked Phoenix.
They sat side by side at a nail salon, getting a pedicure together. And Dove, even though salons usually gave her anxiety, was enjoying herself. It helped to have Phoenix with her. 
“I thought we’d start small and work our way up,” Phoenix replied, turning to Dove. 
“Like what?”
“We’ll just have a girls day. Do stuff that you wouldn’t do if Hangman was with you,” Phoenix stated, causing Dove to nod. “Maybe stuff that you’ve wanted to do for a while, but just never got around to doing.” 
“I can think of a few things.” 
~~~~~
# 45 - Bought Fishnet Stockings
“I don’t know what I’ll wear these with,” Dove admitted as she picked out a pair of fishnet stockings from the rack. “But I’ve always wanted a pair.” 
“And that’s why we’re doing this,” Phoenix stated, steering Dove towards the cashier. 
~~~~~
# 46 - Gone Wedding Dress Shopping 
“Nat, I feel bad,” Dove whispered to Phoenix as they looked through the racks of dresses. “There’s actual brides here.” 
“So what? Just pick some dresses. You’re not hurting anyone.”
As Dove continued to browse through the dresses, a consultant approached them. She greeted them kindly and Dove tried to not sweat when she was confronted with the fact that she was not engaged and she was here with a fake engagement ring and a made up fiance. 
“So, you’re the bride to be?” the consultant asked Dove, who smiled sheepishly.
“Yes, I am.” 
“When’s your wedding?”
“Next summer,” Dove stated noncommittally. 
“Oh, so you have time. Tell me what you’re looking for.” 
Dove listed off some details that she had considered for her actual wedding dress. With those details in mind, the consultant led Dove and Phoenix around the store, picking out some dresses and asking Dove about her fake wedding. Phoenix was calm beside her but Dove was not similarly relaxed. 
“So, tell me about your groom,” the consultant stated, causing Dove to sweat some more. “Do you have any pictures of the two of you?” 
“Uh, yeah, of course, I do,” Dove laughed nervously. 
Shooting Phoenix a look, Dove pulled out her phone. The photo of her and Jake from when they were stuck up on the ferris wheel together the night before popped up first and Dove showed it to the consultant to get it over with. 
“Oh, you two are adorable together.” 
“Thank you.” 
“What’s his name?”
“Jake,” Dove answered honestly. Because it was Jake in the photo.
“And how’d you two meet?” 
“We work together.” 
“And how long have you been together for?” 
“Eight months,” Dove lied easily. 
Dove had been at her position at NAS North Island for eight months. It had been eight months since she had been assigned to the Dagger Squad. 
“I know it seems rushed, but—” Dove started to over-explain. 
“—When you know, you know,” the consultant assured Dove, smiling kindly. She lifted up the wedding dresses that they had already picked out. “I’ll go put these in a dressing room. Come back after you’ve done your last look through.” 
“Thank you.” 
The consultant walked away, leaving Dove and Phoenix alone for a moment. Dove could feel Phoenix’s gaze on her, but didn’t meet her stare. 
“Freudian slip?” Phoenix suggested to Dove. 
“Shut up.” 
~~~~~
# 47 - Gone into a Lingerie Store
“I already hate this and we’re only in the parking lot,” Dove sighed, staring up at the store.
“Why?”
“Because the women who work in these stores are the most judgmental, aggressive, and condescending salespeople on the planet,” Dove huffed, turning to Phoenix with an annoyed expression. “Why do you think I stay away from these places?”
“If they act that way, we’re going to tell them to mind their business. Now, come on.” 
Dove sighed, but got out of the car anyway. She followed Phoenix into the store and was relieved to find that it was not overrun with judgy salespeople. Then again it was midday on a weekday and there appeared to only be two salespeople in the entire store. 
“You’ll be fine,” Phoenix repeated, before dragging Dove deeper into the store.
~~~~~
Jake sat around with the other Daggers—minus Phoenix—for a lazy afternoon, floating around ideas for that night. Jake, bored with the conversation already, pulled out his phone and looked at Dove’s list for any updates. 
Pedicure . . . fishnets . . . wedding dress . . . lingerie?
Quickly setting his phone back down, Jake turned back to the conversation, trying and failing at looking casual. And to not let his mind wander too far. 
~~~~~
# 48 - Bought Lingerie
“Buy for yourself, not for anyone else. Buy something that makes you feel good.” 
“I’m just looking for something that I can actually get into at this point,” Dove replied, grimacing as she picked up another set. “I mean, what is the point of all of these ribbons? I feel like I’m going to trip and slam my head into the wall trying to get into this thing.” 
“Just find something that works for you. Don’t worry about all of this extra crap.”
Dove looked through what felt like half a store’s worth of options before she settled on a simpler set. Nothing too crazy, but the lace pattern was appealing and it was surprisingly soft. And the look of the bra alone made her feel confident about herself. 
If only she had something or someone to wear it for.
~~~~~
# 49  - Gone to an Adult Shop
“Come on, it’s no big deal,” Phoenix stated, pulling Dove into the store. “You already bought lingerie. This is just another step in that process.” 
Dove winced when she saw some of the items that were up on the wall. She turned back to Phoenix, practically clutching her metaphorical pearls.
“Where the hell is that supposed to go?” Dove glanced down at her pelvis before turning back to Phoenix with a slightly terrified expression. “I don’t have space for that! No one has space for that. Where the hell are your organs supposed to go?” 
“We’re not going for anything crazy,” Phoenix stated reassuringly. “Just trying to introduce you to some stuff to, uh, help you out a little.” 
~~~~~
# 50 - Bought an Adult Toy
“This one has plenty of different settings, so you can play around with it and see what works for you and what doesn’t,” the attendant explained, causing Dove to nod. “Everyone is different, so there’s no shame in finding what works for you.” 
“Thank you.” 
“See that wasn’t so bad,” Phoenix stated, walking with Dove after she picked up a box.  
“No, it actually wasn’t.” 
Dove was about to turn for the register when she caught sight of some handcuffs. The dainty, fluffy pink fur didn’t spark any interest in her. But when she found a more industrial pair, Dove couldn’t help but pick up a pair to inspect. She completely missed the look on Phoenix’s face at her choice. 
“Well, I guess it’s on sale,” Dove reasoned to herself. 
After a few more moments of quiet deliberation, Dove shrugged her shoulders and walked towards the counter with the handcuffs in hand. Phoenix stood there for a moment, still shocked at Dove’s choice. 
“It’s always the quiet ones.” 
After Dove paid for her items, they made their way back out to the car. Looking down at what she had already purchased that day, Dove quietly had a discussion with herself before turning back to Phoenix. 
“I have an idea. For what to do next.” 
“Of course. What is it?”
~~~~~
# 51 - Gotten a Tattoo
Phoenix pulled her phone out as Dove laid on her side, talking casually with the tattoo artist. When she saw that Jake was calling her, Phoenix excused herself from Dove’s side. Walking out to the parking lot, Phoenix answered the call.
“Yes?” 
“What the hell are you doing, Trace!?” 
“Start over, Bagman,” Phoenix warned him. 
“You’re making her get a tattoo?” Jake rephrased, though the tension was clear in his tone.
“I didn’t make her get a tattoo. This was her idea.” 
“You think that I believe you?” 
“I don’t care what you believe. It’s the truth. She said that she’s floated the idea of getting one for a while and she decided to finally do it.” 
“And you let her?” 
“She is an adult. She can make her own choices about her own body. And no one has the right to tell her that she can’t,” Phoenix warned him. “Including you, Bagman.” 
“What if she regrets it?” 
“She can get it lasered off. And we all know that Dove doesn’t do anything without going through the consequences a thousand times.” Glancing back at the tattoo parlor, Phoenix added, “And when she tells you about it—and this goes for all of you idiots—you’re going to tell her that it’s great. Got it?” 
Dove stepped out into the light as Phoenix wrapped up her phone call. Phoenix spotted her and hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye.
“How do you feel?” 
“It stings,” Dove admitted honestly, pulling her shorts down a little to show Phoenix the bandage, “but I feel . . . I don’t know how to describe it. Just . . . free.” 
“You are,” Phoenix stated, smiling proudly. “You’re in charge of your life. No one else.” 
“Yeah, I am,” Dove agreed, nodding with a wide smile. 
~~~~~
# 52 - Sang Karaoke in Front of Strangers
“And girls! They wanna have fu-un! Oh, girls just wanna have—that’s all the really wa-ah-an-ah-an-ah-ant! Some fu-uh-uh-uh-un! When the working day is done, oh girls, they wanna have fun!” 
Phoenix and Dove shared a laugh as the song finished up. The bar where they were standing was pretty much empty, but the one bartender on duty clapped for them. Dove laughed and waved to them as she hopped off the small stage.
~~~~~
# 53 - Sunbathed Topless
“I need to get softer beach towels,” Dove commented, causing Phoenix to pick her head up and look over at her. 
“Are you planning on doing this more often?” 
The two of them were out in Penny’s backyard to sunbathe in the afternoon. Dove shrugged her shoulders as she laid on her stomach, calm and relaxed. 
“Maybe. If I find safe spots to do it.” 
~~~~~
# 54 - Dyed Your Hair
Putting a trash bag over Dove’s torso just in case, Phoenix started lightly spraying the dye onto her hair. Dove closed her eyes and just let Phoenix work, and missed Phoenix’s concerned look as she finished up the spray. 
“Alright, how does that look? I think I’ll open the window.” 
Dove stood up from the tub and walked over to the mirror to stare at her new reflection and instantly grimaced. The red hair color was fairly bright. It wasn’t quite a fire engine red, nor was it orange, it was some other odd reddish color that Dove was going to immediately wash out of her hair. 
“Well, that’s off the list. Forever.” 
~~~~~
# 55 - Drank Pickle Juice
“Do you normally do this?” Dove asked Phoenix, sitting at her kitchen table with an old towel wrapped around her freshly washed hair. 
The spray on hair dye had come out easily, but she was going to have to scrub her shower later. Phoenix placed a glass in front of her and Dove picked it up to inspect it. Taking a small sip, Dove wrinkled her nose and slowly set it back down. 
“I think I’ve had enough of the food challenges,” Dove admitted, slowly opening her eyes. 
“You’ll have to tell everyone else that. They want to go to a new bar tonight,” Phoenix stated, showing Dove her texts with Bob. 
“A cowboy bar?” Dove read, looking up at Phoenix. “They finally let Jake have his way?” 
“Apparently.” 
~~~~~
# 56 - Ridden a Mechanical Bull
Jake and Coyote walked into the cowboy bar together and started their search for the other Daggers, who had all apparently arrived before them. 
“Found ‘em,” Coyote stated, nudging Jake in the side. 
Jake turned his head and recognized the woman climbing up on the back of the mechanical bull. And even if he didn’t, the fact that Phoenix, Bob, and Rooster were standing around the area and cheering her on would have cleared it up.
Dove focused on the task at hand, locking her legs around the bull and prepared to move her body in time with the bull. Jake and Javy made their way over to the area as the mechanical bull started to move. 
“Yeah, Dove!” Phoenix cheered for her.
“She can really move her hips well,” Rooster commented, staring down Jake as he spoke. “Don’t you agree, Hangman?” 
Jake glared straight into Bradley’s soul before turning back to Dove. She managed to hold on for longer than anyone expected, but with a quiet giggle, Dove dropped onto the mat. Rolling onto her knees, Dove crawled to get off the mat. 
Jake offered her a hand and she took it without hesitation. Hopping down from the mat, she moved to pull her boots on again as Bob climbed up onto the mat to go next. Dove stood up slowly, offering him a smile that seemed to make time slow around them.
“Long time no see,” Dove stated teasingly. “Did you miss me?” 
“Well, my day was a lot less entertaining without you in it,” Jake commented, causing Dove to raise an eyebrow. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” 
“You make life . . . interesting,” Jake replied, missing the side eye that Coyote and Rooster shared behind him. 
“Interesting?” Dove repeated, causing Jake to wince. Laughing, she nudged him again. “I’m just teasing, Jake. Lighten up. Relax. Have a drink.” 
She walked past him, practically serene, and over to where Phoenix was standing, cheering on Bob, who was still hanging on. Coyote wrapped an arm around Jake’s shoulder and Jake promptly ignored his shit-eating grin.
“You know, of all the words you could have used to describe her, you chose ‘interesting’?” 
“Shut up, Javy.” 
“To think I took advice from you. No wonder I don’t have a girlfriend.” 
~~~~~
# 57 - Given a Fake Name
Dove stood at the bar with Phoenix, waiting to order another drink. The other Daggers were waiting at their table, which they could see from the bar. Folding her arms on the bar, Dove glanced to her right as a man took the spot next to her.
“Have you been waiting a while?” he asked, causing Dove and Phoenix to turn to him. 
“Yeah, but they’re clearly understaffed, so we don’t mind,” Dove returned politely. 
“Have you been here before?” the man continued. 
“No, it was recommended by one of our friends,” Dove explained calmly. She shared a look with Phoenix, who subtly shrugged her shoulders. 
“And what do you think about it so far?” 
“The mechanical bull is a unique touch.”  
“Have you been on it yet?” the man asked, leaning on the bar with a smile. 
“Yeah, earlier.” 
“How’d you do?” 
“I think they said nine seconds.” 
“That’s amazing for your first time up on one.” 
“Thank you.” 
“I’m Jared,” he introduced, offering his hand for her to shake. 
Dove quickly came up with a fake name and introduced herself back to him. Shaking his hand in return, she turned back to the bartender. She and Phoenix shared a side glance before Jared asked her another question. 
~~~~~
# 58 - Been Bought a Drink
Jake glared at the back of Jared’s head, watching the interaction between Dove and the stranger intently. It was a bar and Jared was a random man who walked up to Dove and Phoenix. Jake had every right to be concerned, he reasoned to himself. 
“I’m going up there,” Jake stated gruffly.
“Did he do something?” Payback asked, turning around to look at the bar. 
“He’s loitering.” 
“It looks like they’re just talking. Dove doesn’t even look anxious.” 
“No, he’s bad news,” Jake insisted. 
“Because he’s doing something wrong or because he’s flirting with Dove?” Coyote questioned, turning to his best friend. “Would you react the same way if he was showing more of an interest in Phoenix?” 
“I’m going up there,” Jake insisted, ignoring Javy’s question. 
Meanwhile, at the bar, Dove and Jared had finally waved over the bartender. Dove ordered her drink, but before she could hand over her card, Jared offered to put it on his tab. And even though Dove insisted that she could pay for her own drinks, Jared insisted. 
“My treat. And besides, it’s your first time here. I have to make sure that you have a good time, so you’ll come back again.” 
“Thank you,” Dove replied quietly, quickly moving into unfamiliar territory. 
While they waited for their drinks to be made, Jared continued to ask Dove perfectly normal surface level questions. Dove was analytical by nature and Jared didn’t seem to ask her anything that was a blatant red flag. But she was still cautious. The bartender handed over their drinks before Dove turned back to Jared. 
“Thank you for the drink, but we really should get back to our friends,” Dove stated politely, offering Jared a small smile. 
“Before you go,” Jared stated, causing Dove to pause, “do you think that I could get your number? Or maybe, at least, a dance?”
“Um,” Dove began, trying to find the right words. 
“She has a boyfriend,” Phoenix interjected, causing Jared’s face to fall. 
“Oh.” 
“Sorry, I was trying to tell you before you bought the drink,” Dove replied, half-lying, half-telling the truth. She did tell him that she wanted to pay for her own drink. 
“Do you guys need help?” Jake asked, appearing from the crowd. 
Phoenix rolled her eyes at the subtle territorial display—or not so subtle, depending on who you asked—that Jake put on. Jared, quickly assessing the fact that Jake was built enough to kick his ass if he really wanted to—and Jake looked like he wanted to—slipped away, leaving Dove and Phoenix at the bar with Jake. 
“Are you alright?” Jake asked Dove, who nodded in return.
“Yeah, he seemed harmless. We’re fine.” 
“You’re sure?” 
“I’m fine, Jake.” 
“I’ll take a tequila shot,” Phoenix told the bartender, who nodded and moved to pour one for her. 
~~~~~
# 59 - Danced with Someone at a Bar
“I love this song!” Phoenix yelled, getting to her feet. 
The Dagger Squad had settled around their table, enjoying their drinks and catching up, but Phoenix was itching to move. Phoenix reached over and grabbed Bob’s arm, practically pulling him straight out of his seat. 
“Let’s go dance!”
Jake watched Phoenix drag Bob off her before turning to look at Dove, who was already staring back at him. Turning so that his whole body was facing her, Jake leaned in closer to her so that he didn’t need to scream over the music.
“Do you want to dance too?” 
“Do you want me to make your night more interesting?” Dove quipped back, though she looked unsure of herself. “You know that I have two left feet, Jake.” 
“I’ll lead.” 
“If I fall on my face—” 
“—I won’t let you fall,” Jake promised, causing Dove to pause as her cheeks warmed.
“Alright.” 
Jake and Dove left the Dagger table and walked out onto the crowded dance floor. Dove reached out and kept a tight hold on Jake’s hand, worried about losing him in the swarm. Jake managed to find a space for them before turning back to Dove. She released his hand and smiled anxiously.
“Just follow me,” Jake called over the music. 
Dove nodded and just sort of swayed to the music. The crowd shifted around them and pushed them closer together. Jake put his hands on Dove’s waist to keep her steady on her feet. And Dove, either subconsciously or consciously leaned against him too, letting Jake wrap an arm around her. 
They swayed together to the music as Jake reached for Dove’s hand. Twirling her around gently, Jake wasn’t aware that he was giving her the most genuinely joyful smile and that his eyes never once deviated from her. 
From the way that her nose crinkled as she laughed to the soft look in her eye as she turned back around, he was entirely and completely captivated by her. 
Dove spun around again and laughed as she leaned against Jake, still a bit clumsy. Jake wrapped an arm around her waist, not just to steady her this time. But to unabashedly keep her close to him. And Dove didn’t push away from him.
From across the room, Coyote, Rooster, and Payback sat together, all quietly watching the interaction between Jake and Dove. Coyote appeared tired, not from the night or the alcohol. But from watching Hangman and Dove continue to tiptoe around each other. 
“Have we tried just pushing their heads together yet?” Payback asked, taking a sip of his beer.
“I’m really considering it,” Coyote replied, shaking his head.
“I can flirt with Dove some more,” Rooster offered, causing Payback and Coyote to turn to him. 
“I’m honestly worried he’ll rip your head off at this point,” Coyote stated, turning to Rooster. “He turns almost feral.” 
“I know. But I’m really enjoying pissing him off.”
~~~~~
# 60 - Shown Someone Else Your Tattoo
Standing outside the bar beside Jake’s truck, Dove turned around. She had to unbutton her jean shorts to do it, but she pulled the waistband of her shorts and her underwear down a little to show Jake her tattoo. She had placed a protective clear patch over it for her shower and just decided to wear it to the bar as well. 
“It’s not very large, but I’ve wanted it for a while,” she explained, causing Jake to nod. 
“What made you pick that one?” 
“I was always drawing stars when I was anxious when I was in college,” Dove admitted, glancing back at her tattoo. “And this was just a group of them.”  
“It looks good,” Jake complimented Dove, causing her to smile. 
“Thank you. I’m really glad that I got it, actually.” 
“It suits you.” 
Pulling her shorts up and buttoning them once again, Dove turned around to face Jake. She leaned back against his truck, folding her hands behind her back.
“Are you excited for the team trip?” 
“I guess.” 
“You’re the one who voted for the lake house,” Dove reminded him.
“I just didn’t want to go to Vegas.” Shifting his weight on his feet, Jake met Dove’s gaze once again. “But I was thinking . . .” 
“Yeah?” Dove asked softly.
“Did you want to leave maybe two days before everyone else? There’s a few more things I think that we can knock off the list if we do.” 
“Just the two of us?” 
“I mean . . . yeah.” 
“I’m just teasing you, Jake,” Dove mused, pushing off of his truck. “Just tell me when I need to be ready to leave, and I’ll be ready.” Offering him a soft smile and letting her touch on his arm linger, Dove added, “Goodnight, Jake.” 
“Night, Dove.” 
Jake turned and watched Dove walk over to her car. He stood there until Dove got into her car and drove home, trying to keep his mind focused. But that was becoming more and more difficult around Dove these days.
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thechaoticdruid · 10 months
Text
[The Spawn Vs The Ascendant]
Astarion(s) x Tav
Plot: I made a post a while back about Ascended Astarion meeting Spawn Astarion via multiversal timeline shenanigans and legit maybe one person shared a fic with a similar premise.
So basically I was like *puts on infinity gauntlet* “Fine, I'll do it myself.”
Content Warning// 18+ for Sexual humor and suggestive themes. I legit have not been in the fanfiction business in years so go easy on me. 
Characters might be ooc. Spelling/Grammar mistakes may be present. A wee bit of blood and violence. Gale is made fun of. Tav is based heavily off my human druid Tav, Winnie and uses She/Her pronouns.//
Possible Triggers: Ascended Astarion, kidnapping, mentioned character death, possessiveness, obsession, AA touches Tav without her consent (not sexually tho), Galeshaming. 
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Ah, the Elfsong. There was really no better place to unwind after a long day of adventuring. And there was really nothing better to help one unwind than a favorite snack, a cold drink and lovely company. Unfortunately for Tav she'd have to wait up on the company as her beloved was currently preoccupied with his nightly grooming. Gods only know how long that man will take doing his hair. The human female rolled her eyes and brought her wine bottle to her lips taking a few swigs before biting into some cheese she'd been nibbling on prior.  Tav lounged about on their shared bed wearing nothing but a black tank and red boxers. Despite the peace and relaxation she was getting pretty bored without her love to snuggle and gossip with. Tav finished off the last few bites of cheese before she pulled out the private journal she'd been keeping since this whole adventure began. Little doodles of her partner decorated the pages along with her chicken scratch handwriting. 
She had documented details of their adventure whenever she had the chance and also took the time to add various doodles of her companions and any monsters they encountered. (Some of her favorite drawings included herself opening a bottle and releasing a spectator. And of course a lovely little drawing of her and Astarion kicking the shit out of Cazador.)
As she waited Tav began to entertain herself by writing down a to-do list.  
“Ah lets see…Yep definitely gonna have to have a chat with that pompous prick who was threatening a kid the other day. Maybe I can invite him back to the tavern later? I'm sure Star wouldn't mind having a snack.” Tav hummed, scribbling down everything she had planned out as of late.
Shit I need to do:
‘Feed rich tit to boyfriend.’ 
‘Teach Shadowheart to swim.’
‘Buy Clive a best friend.’ 
‘Murder baddies.’
‘Wildshape into a pigeon and shit on Gortash's head.’
‘Buy boyfriend cute clothes.’
‘Take Gale shopping for wizardy stuff.’
‘Look into real estate in the Underdark.’
‘Take Scratch for a walk.’
‘Kill more bad people.’
‘Contemplate licking dead spider.’
‘Be screamed at by Gale for licking dead spider.’
‘Buy flowers for Karlach and Shadowheart.’
‘Buy boyfriend more cute clothes.’
‘Study wizard stuff.’
‘Help Moon Lesbians plan wedding.’
‘Research ring of the sunwalker.’
‘Piss off the Gods……Again…’
‘Remember to take Astarion on romantic beach date before fighting the Elder Brain.’
‘Unalive people of not goodness.’
‘Shave Gale’s beard while he sleeps.’
‘Continue writing smutty novel series so I can keep buying boyfriend cute clothes.’
“Tav, a word please.” Gale appeared from around the corner. Tav groaned, annoyed by the prospect of having to get up. Especially since Gale looked like he was going to scold her for something. Begrudgingly she hopped off the bed, leaving the comfort of her room to see what in the hells that damn wizard wanted. 
“What do you need, Gale? I'm kinda in the middle of writing down my to-do list.”
“Am I inclined to believe that you've been writing erotic novels that feature Astarion and I?” The wizard inquired.
“Pfft! What in the hells gave you that idea!” Tav laughed, her eyes staring off to the side nervously as she twiddled her thumbs. Gale pulled out a red leather bound book titled ‘Blood-Mage’. It was a ridiculously smutty novel about a young handsome sorcerer named Garrett Delarous who is reluctantly forced to team up with a dastardly, but world endingly beautiful Vampire Lord in order to save the world or some shit. (The book mostly focused more on smut than plot.) Amazingly the novel had made a killing after Tav had peddled it at Sharess's Caress. It seemed nearly everyone wanted a copy.  (Tav was also pretty sure she noticed Halsin was reading the book as well.)
“My series is about a renowned sorcerer and a Vampire Lord. There's a difference, Gale.” Tav crossed her arms with a huff. 
“You can't just profit off of other people's likenesses Tav! You at least need to pay them royalties!” 
“I always give half the money I earn to Astarion.” 
“I’m talking about me!”
“I think my beloved ‘gloves of power’ were more than enough payment for you.” Tav huffed before looking off to the side with a sad look.
I miss those gloves so much.
Gale sighed in annoyance, pinching the bride of his nose. He was used to Tav’s shenanigans at this point but this was just ridiculous. Not to mention while skimming through Tav's scandalous work he noticed the sorcerer was always on the bottom during intimate scenes. The audacity!
“Besides I use the money I make from this for not only myself and Astarion, but the rest of the camp as well. Adventuring ain't cheap ya know?” 
“You can at least give me a small percentage of the profits. Say thirty percent?” 
“Ten percent.” Tav said flatly.
“Twenty percent?”
“Ten percent.” Tav repeated.
“Fine.” Gale gives in, causing the shorter of the two to smirk triumphantly. Tav watched smugly as the wizard slumped off in defeat before quickly adding another note to her to-do list.
‘Give 10% of book money to the stinky wizard.’
Tav finished off her list as she felt a pair of cool arms wrap around her form from behind, her cheeks tinting light pink. “Do you really need to take five hours in the bath?”  She hummed, turning her head to meet her partner’s crimson gaze. His hair was dry and looked rather soft and silky and he was dressed in this eccentric red silk robe with fluffy black trim.
“You can't rush art, darling.” Astarion purred before nuzzling his cheek against hers. “You know if you were getting impatient you could have joined me in the tub. I would have loved the company.” He murmured huskily.
“In these tiny ass bathtubs? I'd have to sit on your lap and even then I doubt we'd have enough room to really do anything.” Tav replied, nuzzling back against him. 
“We could still try.~” The vampire cooed.
“Tempting, but the others have whined enough about our night time activities. Apparently we're noisy.” 
“Then perhaps next time I shall have to gag you won't I?” 
“Alright! I'm ending this conversation here!” Tav said quickly, face burning up at his teasing. 
“Besides, I’ll need some sleep for tomorrow. Gortash won't kill himself, unfortunately.” Tav said with a yawn.
“Really? Now? I was hoping you'd at least cuddle with me before bed.” Astarion pouted.
“Oh you poor thing. Fine, we can cuddle till I fall asleep. Cutie.” The human female smiled sweetly before planting a kiss on her lover's cheek, receiving a content hum in response. Tav turned to pull away from the elf's embrace before suddenly feeling herself be scooped up and tossed over his shoulder.
“Hey! What did I say about picking me up!?” She whined, squirming a bit as she hung over his shoulder. “I don't like being manhandled!”
“But you're so adorable like this.~” Astarion teased, his hand gripping her ass as he carried over to the bed. Despite Tav’s complaints she did little else in protest besides pout and blush as she was whisked away. The two of them soon settled on the bed, Tav immediately nuzzling into Astarion's chest and relaxing. Astarion’s clawed fingernails found their way into her messy locks, caressing and running through them as the two snuggled together. His skin was cold to the touch, but honestly Tav actually liked it. It kinda reminded her of the cool side of her pillow. Even though there was the constant threat of death around every corner the two of them were still able to cherish their time together, and hopefully now that Astarion had been freed of his master they would continue to do so.
 There was still the tiny issue of an evil alien brain thing that could turn them into soulless squid monsters, but they'd be able to take care of that sooner or later. A part of Tav wanted to put it off as selfish and dangerous as it could be. Because as soon as they destroyed the brain, they'd destroy the only protection Astarion had against the sun. Tav wasn't about to give up on finding a way for her love to enjoy the sun, but for now she'd at least make the time he has left in it special. 
“Star….” Tav murmured aloud, her head tilting upwards to meet her partner's eyes.
“Yes dear?” He hummed.
“You know there's actually something I've been meaning to talk to you about. We've been together for a while now and well…we haven't actually had a real date….I mean I guess it's understandable considering we have to save the world and shit, but I was thinking maybe if there's time we could do something together....”  Tav bit down on her lip as she sat up on the bed. She felt nervous all of a sudden, not used to asking for stuff like this. Astarion had always been the one to initiate most of their romantic activities. The best Tav could do was a kiss on the cheek or a hug and even that had taken a while for her to get comfortable with. 
“What about all our little late night trysts? Do those not count as dates?” Astarion raised an eyebrow though his tone was playful.
“Ehh…well…rolling around in the dirt in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly what I'd call a date.” Tav said awkwardly, earning a chuckle from her vampire. 
“I suppose you're right. We've never really had any bonding time without you being pinned underneath me.” He joked before quickly clearing his throat and finally trying to be serious. “What do you have in mind, darling?”
“I just want to take you out somewhere…We could go out to eat or just walk in the park….” The human female twiddled her thumbs as she trailed off, feeling butterflies in her stomach. “I'd be up for anything really as long as I'm with you.” 
“I…would like that very much, my love.” Astarion cupped her cheek, his eyes soft and full of affection.  He pulled her into a sweet chaste kiss, allowing her to return it before she pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.
Thudd!
Tav quickly pulled back from Astarion's embrace as she heard a noise. She looked around frantically for the sound.
“Tav? Is something wrong?” Astarion asked.
“I just heard something…” She said before suddenly her eyes landed at the window near their bed.  On the opposite side of the window seat a small white bat could be seen looking through the glass. Its little red eyes stared at the human with an intense gaze. “It's a bat.” Tav pointed towards the window. Astarion looked over at the little creature before internally groaning.
 No. She better not even think about it!  
The bat blinked, looking at Tav a few times before curling its left wing against its body. 
“I think its wing is injured!” Tav exclaimed with concern.
“Ugh leave it! We've taken in enough stray beasts!” Astarion scoffed, but Tav immediately ignored him, rushing over to the window. 
“Tav! Don't! It probably has some horrible disease or something!”
Tav quickly opened the window, her eyes going soft as she looked down at the small animal. She moved to scoop it up into her arms but before she could the bat simply fell back. 
“Shit!” She shouted. 
“Thank the gods, it's dead. Now come back to bed, darling.” Astarion said, patting the spot besides him. Tav just glared at him silently before suddenly she wildshaped into a raven and flew out the window.
~•~•~•~•~
While Tav didn't preach about nature 24/7 like Halsin did she was still just as much of a druid as he was and couldn't bear to stay by while an injured animal was in need. (Much to her lover's dismay.)  She'd flown out the window of their room and circled around looking for the little bat. 
There was no sign of the winged beast anywhere near the elfsong, but at least that was a sign it likely hadn't fallen to its death. Tav kept searching, eventually straying further from the tavern until she was forced to land and give her wings a breather, returning back to her human form.  
“Dammit it's so dark I can't tell where I am. Everything looks different at night.” Her eyes strained as she struggled to make out any familiarity. Despite having lived in Baldur's Gate for about ten years Tav had always made it a point not to roam about at night. Her lack of dark vision made night time prowling even more dangerous, especially in this city.
She decided to reserve her strength instead of wild-shaping again. From what she could make out in the dark she'd found herself in one of the back alleys. Tav kept stumbling around in the dark for a while until at last she began to consider heading back. The bat likely wasn't dead since she had seen no hair or hide of it and she really wasn't in the mood to find herself in trouble. It constantly seemed to follow Tav these days it seemed. Last time she wandered around the city by herself she got into a fist fight with some stuck up noble lady who had referred to her as ‘a fat ugly little boy’. (The others were not happy about sneaking her out of prison that day.)
Just as Tav was about to assume the form of a beast fit for the night she noticed some light up ahead. The graveyard had been illuminated by a couple of lanterns. Tav approached hoping it would help her map out her way back if she just remembered how to get to the Elfsong from there. However as soon as she got close to the light someone was waiting for her. 
“Astarion?” Tav called out as her silver haired lover stepped out of the darkness. She expected nagging, and complaining about having to come out here looking for her, but instead Astarion just stared at her intensely as if studying every detail of her face. “Are you okay?” She asked with concern. Something was very strange about this. Astarion being quiet for long was never a good sign. Tav scanned him over, almost immediately noting his elegant attire. A black and red suit with silver bats embroidered on it. Odd. Tav had never seen him wear this outfit before. And he was always quick to show off any new clothes to her, seeking her praise. Astarion moved towards her quickly and out of nowhere pulled her into a crushing hug. 
“Yes of course. I was just worried about you, my sweet.” His grip on her was almost uncomfortably tight, as if he was holding onto her for dear life. 
“I haven't been gone that long….” Tav stiffened. There was an abnormal warmth to his body. Sure he was able to raise his temperature after feeding, but there was hardly a decent supply of beasties for him to nibble on in this city, not to mention he would have had to have found one pretty damn fast before seeking her out.  
“You’ve always been such a brave little thing, haven't you?” He let out a chuckle, his grip on her didn’t falter. His tone didn't seem threatening, but one thing for sure set off an alarm in her.
Thump-thump. 
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Tav immediately ripped herself away from him and took a few steps back, her eyes glaring daggers.  “Who the hells are you?” She snapped. 
“Whatever, ever do you mean, pet?” His voice was full of false innocence, it reminded her a lot of how Astarion would often speak whenever accusations were hurled at him, but this person was definitely not her lover. 
Tav’s first instinct was to assume he'd probably been one of the shape-changers they'd been attacked by in the past, but there was this gnawing gut feeling that this time was different. 
“Drop the act. I've already met enough shit heads running around wearing someone else's face. Who are you really?”
“I’m Astarion. Really dear, I'm disappointed you have so little faith in me that you'd think I'd allow some lowly shape-changers near you.” He took a few steps forward. 
“Stay away from me…” Tav growled out through gritted teeth. Damnit. She didn't have any weapons and was literally in her sleepwear. 
“You seem tired, love. Perhaps we should head back so you can get some rest?” He extended his hand towards her.  Tav was about to say something else before suddenly an arrow came out of nowhere, nearly hitting the Astarion look alike in the shoulder. He was able to dodge just in the nick of time.  Tav gasped in surprise before quickly turning back to see another…. Astarion?
The two looked identical aside from their clothing. The imposter was wearing his elegant suit and the other one (whom Tav hoped to the gods was actually him) was wearing a familiar red and black doublet. 
“Hells teeth.” Astarion spoke up as he looked over at the two.  Tav immediately sniffed air around the second Astarion. The tiniest whiff of death hit her senses and immediately she ran over to him. 
“Star!” Tav was by his side in an instant. His arm quickly looped around her hip protectively before he scanned over her face. 
“Are you alright?” He asked, receiving a nod in response.  Astarion then looked over towards his look alike. “My, aren't you just beautiful? I must admit I'm quite flattered you chose to imitate me.” 
“Is that what you think of me? I'm hurt.” The other vampire laughed. “I am no mere imitation. I am you…..well a better you.” 
“You're not making any sense!” Tav hissed, her jaw clenching as she suppressed the urge to let out an animal-like growl.  
“Allow me to shed some light on it then. I come from a reality where instead of choosing to remain weak and pathetic we became who we always wanted to be.”  Tav's eyes widened at the revelation, though she was still debating whether or not to believe all this madness. Of course she'd been to hells, the shadowfell and even fought a god so maybe this wasn't too far fetched.
“The Vampire Ascendant.”
“If you're telling the truth then why are you here? You have everything you want don't you?” The vampire spawn quirked an eyebrow. Meanwhile the Ascendant’s face suddenly turned cold. He almost looked sad. 
“I did. Wealth, power, pleasure, everything I could ever dream of. I was on the cusp of dominating the entirety of the sword coast. Everything was mine. But none of it mattered without the one thing I cherished most. My beloved consort. My Tav.” His eyes suddenly locked into the human female. She felt small, cornered, like a rat caught between a cat’s paws. “He was taken from me…” 
Tav stiffened, taking a step back. She really did not like where this was going. Her lover kept a gentle hold on her, staying between her and the other vampire.
“And now you're here to take my Tav I presume?” Astarion scoffed, “you obviously didn't care very much about yours then if you're already looking for a replacement.” 
“HE WAS EVERYTHING TO ME!” Before Tav could think her lover was knocked off his feet. A punch had come at him faster than he could react. The Ascendant stood over him, shaking with anger. Tav moved over towards the vampire spawn as quickly as she could, checking him out. He seemed alright, albeit a little winded, possibly bruised. Astarion huffed, getting back to his feet. Tav was quick to cast cure wounds on him to help perk him back up.  
The Ascendant took in a breath, regaining his composure. While the spawn swiftly tossed Tav a spare dagger from his pack. A fight was likely inevitable now. 
“I’ve searched across thousands of timelines. None of these pathetic excuses for adventurers came even close to my beloved. That is…until I found you of course…” The vampire lord pointed a clawed finger at the druid.  “You're the only one who resembles him in the slightest, albeit you are a bit more…voluptuous than he was.” He chuckled a bit. 
“Okay hold on a minute! You can't just come here and take someone else’s Tav because you lost yours!” Tav pointed her dagger shakily towards him.
“My dear, I don't think you understand. I am the Vampire Ascendant. I can take whatever I want!”
“I don't care if you're the fucking god of gnomes I'm not going anywhere with you. I have my own Astarion.” Tav gripped the blade tightly while her free hand prepared to cast a spell.
“I had hoped you'd come quietly, but it seems we'll have to do this the hard way.” With a flash of pink light Tav was hit with a sleeping spell and fell to the ground unconscious. Her dagger dropped to the ground with a clatter. The spawn was quick to move in front of Tav taking out his rapier and aiming a swipe at the other vampire. 
The Ascendant stepped back just as the thin slender blade nicked a cut across his attire, just barely missing his flesh. The spawn took another swing at him, nicking his side and gaining a kick to the ribs in return. The spawn huffed, quickly recovering before moving in for another attack.
However the Ascendant’s clawed hand struck first, slashing through the armor surrounding the Astarion's shoulder and slicing his flesh. The spawn cried out and gripped his arm as his counterpart smirked smugly, bringing his finger up to his lips and basically tasting his own blood. 
“Mmm…Delicious.~” He purred. The Ascendant’s crimson eyes trailed over towards Tav before beginning to glow red. “To me, now.” He said as if issuing a command to unseen soldiers.
Within seconds two oddly familiar figures appeared out of mist. A sickly pale looking Halsin and Shadowheart, both with glowing red orbs for eyes.  
“Gods below. You've turned your own friends into spawn!?” Astarion gasped, his face full of disgust. 
“Eh…I wouldn't exactly call them friends…. Though they are much more compliant this way.” The vampire lord replied with a toothy grin. The spawn felt sick to his stomach. To think he could have ended up this way.  
“Take care of my inferior self, would you darlings? I have places to be…” The Ascendant gave a small wave before quickly scooping the unconscious Tav up in his arms. 
“Yes master.” The undead Shadowheart and Halsin replied, a bright red light shone around their bodies as they were compelled to attack. 
“Farewell beautiful.” The vampire lord gave his spawn self a wink before quickly vanishing into mist, taking Tav along with him.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
“Astarion….” Tav muttered tossing and turning in her sleep as she slowly began to come to. She shot up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding.
“Ugh…That was a terrible dream. Star you wouldn't believe…” Tav went silent as her eyes scanned her surroundings. It in fact was not a dream. 
“Oh gods damnit.” She huffed.
 Tav was in a large elegant looking bedroom, lying upon a purple queen size bed adorned with fine silk sheets. Maroon red walls surrounded her and were decorated nicely by paintings and other fine wall decor.  The first thing the druid noticed after taking in her surroundings was the pressure around her neck. Her hands quickly reached for her throat feeling what seemed like a tight choker of some kind. She quickly hopped off the bed and looked into the mirror of a nearby vanity that sat west of the bed. “Fucking hells.” She breathed out as her eyes laid upon a black and red collar adorning her neck. There was this unnerving glow surrounding the collar. Most likely some kind of magic was placed on it. Quickly she curled her fingers preparing to use a spell in order to tear this damn thing off of her, but nothing happened. 
This thing must be silencing my casting somehow.
Tav for a moment before forming an idea. She could probably wildshape into something small and squeeze out. Maybe. The druid sighed before getting on all fours preparing to transform into a rat. She let out a grunt, but nothing happened. 
“Oh fuck you!” She shouted before rolling and desperately trying to yank the collar off.
 Tav growled and pulled on the neck piece, yanking as hard as she could, resorting to gnawing on it. 
Knock knock.
The druid immediately ceased her actions at the sound of the door. A shiver went down her spine at the thought of it being that so-called ‘Vampire Ascendant’ again.  Her eyes flickered around the room before she took hold of a candle stick and stood next to the door, back pressed against the wall. 
The door creaked open and a small figure walked inside. Tav prepared herself to strike down whoever had entered, but froze upon seeing the person. It was a small blonde haired half-elf woman, dressed in a house keeper's attire. 
Tav quickly looked into her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as she noticed they were blue. She set the candlestick down on the vanity and looked at the half-elf curiously. “Who are you?” She asked.
“My name is Abigail, milady. The master sent me to help you get dressed and make sure you come see him.” The small woman piped up in a small soft voice.  Abigail was petite and quite short, probably about an inch or two shorter than Tav was, though the druid estimated the half elf was probably around the same age as she was…well physically anyway. With elves you could really never tell. 
“And exactly where am I?” Tav crossed her arms. 
“The Crimson palace milady. My lord has taken up residence here while he stays in your realm.” Abigail replied before scurrying across the room, towards a closet. “It'd be best not to keep him waiting, my lady.” The half-elf rummaged around through the closet before taking a couple of different outfits to choose from and spreading them out over the bed. “My apologies if you'd prefer a dress, but this is all we could bring with us from our world.” 
Tav blushed a bit in embarrassment as she realized she was still only wearing a tank and boxers. She looked over at the bed and took note of the three suits that laid out in front of her. 
“These belonged to Master Tav. Master Astarion said they'd likely fit you, my lady.” 
“Now hold on, I have questions! How did you all get here, and what is this thing!?” Tav demanded as she tugged on her collar once again.
“I'm sorry I can say no more. Please miss, just get dressed.” Abigail pleaded,a hint of fear was in her tone. Tav was hesitant, but begrudgingly she slipped off her tank before sliding into one of the suits, a red one that felt a little snug on her, but actually not by much. The only issue being that she couldn't get the top three buttons of the white undershirt that went with it to button.  It left her cleavage slightly exposed. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
“Okay, I'm ready.” She said, Abigail nodded and began to lead the druid out of the room. 
Perhaps this was her chance? She could make a break for it on their way out! Tav braced herself to bolt only to be met with a shockingly familiar face as she exited the room. Lae'zel.  Or well a vampire spawn that looked completely identical to her githyanki companion aside from a pair of glowing red. 
“Dear gods, Lae'zel, what happened to you? Did Astarion do this?” Tav gasped in shock. 
 “She's not your Lae'zel, milady.” Abigail spoke up.
“I was told to make sure the master’s new pet came quietly, not to answer questions.” Lae’zel simply replied.
“Come on, let's go.” Abigail took hold of Tav’s arm, giving her a gentle smile before tugging her along. Lae'zel quietly followed, a seemingly permanent scowl on her face as she watched Tav's every move, almost daring her to run for it.
The three walked down a long corridor for what seemed like hours. The sound of footsteps along with her own heartbeat seemed to be the only thing Tav could process as a gnawing anxiety set in. Her chest tightened, her throat felt dry and she could feel this nervous pain dancing across her spine. She wasn't sure why but something about this other Astarion scared her. This Vampire Ascendant.  She had never been afraid of her beloved spawn, hells she wasn't even afraid of Cazador or any other vampire she had come across on their journey, but something about her lover's counterpart made her skin crawl. 
“Well aren't you just precious?” A seductive pur tore Tav from her thoughts, forcing her to look up and realize she'd been dragged out into the ballroom. It definitely was a lot cleaner than the past time she'd been here. All the blood and wolf corpses had been dealt with.  Just how long has this other Astarion been here?  He couldn't have just started squatting here, found and kidnapped Tav, and had time to clean everything up on the same day!  The Vampire Ascendant sat upon Cazador’s old throne, looking down at Tav. His eyes trailing over her.
Tav took a deep breath before clearing her throat and trying to appear confident.
“Where is Astarion? And I mean my Astarion.” 
“You needn’t concern yourself with him any longer. You're mine now and I will give you so much more than he ever could.~” The Vampire Lord stood up and stepped towards Tav slowly. 
“I’m not your Tav. I can never be him.” The druid backed up a little, however with Lae’zel’s presence behind her she didn't have much room to retreat. She wasn't sure if reasoning with this alternate version of her lover was possible, but it was worth a shot if nothing else. However instead of listening he swiftly took her hands in his. 
“No need to be modest, my pet, you're practically like him in every way. You have his eyes, his face, the same little quirks and ticks. Granted, you're built a little different anatomically, but that's not something that ever deterred me.” Astarion moved in closer, briefly pressing his lips against her knuckles. “And now that I've found you, nothing will ever part us. Not again.” Before Tav could speak she was pulled in for another tight hug. She squirmed a bit, conflicted feelings of pity and fear were arguing back and forth in her mind as she felt him nuzzling his face into her neck. He was clearly dangerous, but he also seemed heartbroken.  He wanted anyway to have his lover back so badly he crossed time itself to see them again. Or at least someone who resembled them. 
But Tav knew deep down she wouldn't be enough to fill the void left by her counterpart. Gods, she hoped there would be a happy ending to all of this.
~•~•~•~•~•~
A little note from ChaoticDruid: I really hope it didn't suck! I haven't published a fanfic in so long >~<  This idea had just been swimming around in my brain forever I just had to get it out!  I got the idea from the PS5 launch party animation and seeing Launch Astarion and EA Astarion flirting just made me go okay but what if it was Ascended Astarion and Spawn Astarion?
I don't know if I will continue it. I have other things I wanna write and my ADD makes this stuff so freaking hard. But maybe maybe not 🤞🤞 
Part 2: LETS GOOOOOOO
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sophswritingthings · 9 months
Note
Omg imagine Mizus reaction to English!readers wedding dress like their cultures are so different and so beautiful in different ways aaa!!💕💕
pairing: mizu x fem!english!reader
warning(s): swearing
a/n: you having a beautiful ballgown wedding dress made for you with the patterns of flowers and cranes on it without mizu’s knowledge to combine your culture…. UGHHH
summary: it’s the day she’d been waiting; the day you were set to be her wife. she sees you in that stunning dress of yours; and she swears she feels her heart stop.
word count: 821 words / 4,420 characters
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“you promise me it’ll be done by the wedding?” you say the words, as if they were almost a plea. you were wearing glasses, much like mizu’s, and a hood over your head to conceal your face.
“it will be does, miss,” she glanced at you. “and you know you don’t have the wear those things around me; I won’t tell.”
she winked, smiling as she was fiddling with the sparkly tool.
“I am the one making you an english dress, aren’t I?” she cocked her head.
“I suppose you are,” you murmur, smiling a bit. “and I thank you for that. I just wanted something from home; since my parents won’t be here to see me married.”
“I understand that,” she smiled.
“thank you.” you sigh, “you really are great, you know?”
“I know,” she chuckled again. “am I ever going to get to meet the groom?”
“mmm.. well, he’s coming to find me after being out for a while—picking me up before we go home, I suppose,” you shrug. “if he decides not to be stubborn you may.”
“if who decides not to be stubborn?”
you whip your head up, seeing your fiancé standing there.
“you couldn’t possibly be talking about me,” mizu raised an eyebrow.
you giggle, walking over to mizu and standing on your tiptoes to kiss her cheek.
“couldn’t possibly be,” you whisper into her ear, feeling her twitch a little.
“as I thought.” she murmured.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” aiko smiled, bowing her head toward mizu.
“mm. you as well, miss,” she said in a low tone, trying to keep up her masculine appearance. “we best be going, then, yeah?”
you wrap your arm around hers, nodding to aiko, “yes, we best be. I’ll see you tomorrow then? to pick up the dress.”
mizu looks at you with a raised eyebrow. she hadn’t heard anything about a “dress”. she supposed you’d be wearing a white kimono, to.. blend in.
put the look on your face, combined with your words, told her you had other plans.
the couple slid out of the shop, smiling softly as the gentle snow fell onto the cobblestoned path. 
“so..” she whispers, “what’s this about a dress?”
you giggle, “I wanted something from home,” you murmur, your eyes fluttering as you attempted to clear them of the snow. “so.. I asked aiko to make me a traditional english dress. with a bit of a twist.”
she chuckled, “I see,” she mumbled. “you’ll look beautiful either way.”
you lean your head on her shoulder, “thank you.”
slowly rising out of bed, you snicker as you see mizu has already gone from bed. excited, was she?
well, it was the day of your wedding.
and though it may not be “legalized”, you didn’t care. just to call mizu your wife would be all you needed to keep yourself happy for the rest of your days.
ringo would conduct the ceremony—and you would only have a few people there. akemi, ringo, eiji, and a few of your friends you’d met along the way.
you didn’t need some big ceremony to be married. you just.. needed your love, and each other.
you had collected your dress, the weeks prior. you hadn’t let mizu see it, though, you wanted to surprise her. 
it was a beautifully constructed english dress, with the patterns of japanese cranes and flowers flowing down the rim of the skirt. it combined your cultures in all the good ways you could think of.
“I have never been so excited in my entire life,” you giggle, your accent seeping through your words as akemi does your hair. “I really haven’t.”
“well, good. you should be happy to be married,” akemi smiled softly, “especially to someone who really does love you.”
you blush a little, “I’m lucky.”
“you are,” she confirms. you knew what she’d been through, the ups and downs of her marriage status was a rollercoaster you never wished to ride.
“I know.” you whisper, “I love her.”
“hm, good,” she brushes a few strands of hair out of your face, tucking them behind your ears. “now, let’s get this makeup done so you can go and finally get your wife all to yourself.”
you stood at the alter, smiling as you waited for mizu to appear. 
and when she did, she looked absolutely stunned.
her eyes never left you. your beautiful complexion, the makeup that akemi had done suited you do well. and the way your hair was curled and pulled back..
and that dress.
a dress that was a beautiful blend of yours, and her, culture. the depictions of cranes and flowers scattered across the bottom of the dress, and the large silhouette she’d seen so many women wear—including you—back in england.
yet it seemed so different, the way the fabric shone against the sun.
she was so ready to call you her one and only.
her wife.
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talkfastromance4 · 1 year
Note
If you still accept titles for the made-up fic title thingy:
"I wanna be that somebody for you."
This is very long! My imagination got away from me and I would LOVE to continue this story if you and others are interested!
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Also couldn’t help myself and made a lil moodboard.
Enjoy!
***
You own a small flower shop inherited by your grandfather and you curated the floral arrangements for Penny and Maverick’s wedding. You were busy perfecting the bouquets and that’s when Jake saw you wearing a very pretty sundress with pink flowers on it. You even had a headband of flowers in your hair and he pictured you in a cottage with little woodland creatures surrounding you.
He admired your work ethic and the need for things to be exactly perfect with the arrangements.
“Excuse me,” he said approaching you, “could you help me with my boutonniere?”
You looked him over in his dress whites then glanced at the others behind him.
“Um, you don’t get them with your uniform.”
“Oh. I know,” he grinned, green eyes dancing.
“Then why would you ask–”
“I’m in another wedding. I’ll be wearing a regular civvy suit.”
“I see,” you nod gathering up the fallen stems and leaves from your work. “Shouldn’t the bride and groom be asking for those?”
“I’m the best man, they’ve entrusted me with it.”
“I see.”
He liked how curt you were with your responses.
“Well, I’d love to help but not while I’m in the middle of another wedding, sir.”
His eyebrows raised at the formality of ‘sir’ and only made his Cheshire grin widen.
“Wonderful, I’ll stop by tomorrow. When do you open?”
“Eight,” you sigh.
“I’ll see you at eight. And it’s Lieutenant, darlin’,” he winks then left you flabbergasted.
***
He’s already waiting outside the shop door by eight o’clock on the dot when you go to unlock them. He’s in his service khakis and you run through some options from most expensive to least. Then by category of flower and what season would be best for which flower. It wasn't until you pulled out a box of ribbon that he placed his hand over yours, you felt an electric current course through you.
He admits it was all a ploy.
“What? Why?” You ask then realization and anger clouds over your eyes. “So you can joke about it with your naval buddies? Get out of my store–”
“No, no, no, you misunderstand,” he holds up his hands in defense. “I have a proposition for you.”
“A proposition?”
“An arrangement,” he flashes a smile. “Come to dinner with me tonight and I’ll explain.”
“Like an arrangement of flowers?”
“No, sweetheart,” he shakes his head then slides his hands in his pockets. “I’ll have a car pick you up at seven. Wear something nice.”
He winks again then left.
Throughout the day you were thinking of the whole altercation. The smart, rational part of you knows you shouldn’t have dinner with him. But the curious part of you is intrigued by his cryptic meaning of ‘proposition’ and ‘arrangement’ and you wanted to know what it was.
It isn’t until your friend and coworker has come over with an armful of dresses for you to borrow that she jokingly suggests it might be a sex arrangement. You laugh along but the pit in your stomach and the warmth spreading in your ears signifies she might be right. You pick out a pretty black dress and the car arrives promptly at seven o’clock.
The Navy is prone to being good with time, you guessed.
A man named Reynolds opens the very sleek black SUV and asks what kind of music you’d like to listen to for the drive. Forty minutes later you’re in the Valley pulling up to the top five star restaurant in the state. A valet opens the door and gestures to you inside where a hostess greets you by name and leads you to the main room.
The Lieutenant is sitting at a white clothed table in a very nice suit. As soon as he saw you he stood up, eyes taking you and your dress in with a faint smile.
“Wow, as I live and breathe,” he drawls then pulls out your chair. He offers his hand for you to take as you sit down and he pushes you in a little bit. You murmur a thank you and take in the restaurant.
Men and women are wearing high-end clothes, luxury watches wink at you and diamonds sparkle amongst the candlelight. There’s a massive fireplace and chandeliers everywhere. When you look back at him, he’s already looking at you. You feel your cheeks warm.
“You look beautiful,” he compliments.
“Thank you. This is very…extravagant.”
He notices the nervous way you touch your hair and bite your lip. You take in how handsome he looks, his suit is crisp, his hair perfectly styled with a little bit of the bangs hanging over his forehead. There’s a start to a five o’clock shadow on his cheeks and chin but it looks anything but rough to the touch.
“Y/N?” he asks and you notice a waiter is next to you.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Red or white, madam?” the waiter asks.
“For what?” your brain is a little behind because of the circumstance.
“Wine,” the Lieutenant smiles patiently.
“Oh. Right. Um…white.”
“A bottle of your best white wine and I’ll also have a whisky. Neat.”
When the waiter is gone you lean in closer to the table.
“What is all this?”
“Dinner and drinks.”
“No. I mean…your proposition?”
“It’s not time to talk about that yet,” he shakes his head then hands you a menu.
The drinks arrive and you take a hearty sip to ease your nerves. You nearly choke on probably the best wine you’ve ever had when you notice the prices. Some of them are in the hundred dollar range.
“Lieutenant–”
“Please, call me Jake.”
“Jake. these are very pricey–”
“Don’t worry about the cost, y/n,” he shakes his head. “Anything that looks good, please order it. And don’t go for the cheapest one.”
You glance over the top of your menu to see him giving you a knowing look because that’s what you were honestly planning to do.
After you finally order and drink some more wine, he starts to ask many questions. Your birthday, where you grew up, schooling, your favorite classes, friends, family, siblings. So many questions about you. When dessert is finished you’re holding the mug of coffee between your palms.
“Why do you want to know all this?” you ask.
“Penny told me how caring and open-hearted you are, how much you do for others. And how you help your grandmother. She said no one has really taken care of you.”
His green eyes are smoldering in the candlelight.
“Okay…” that didn’t really answer your question.
“I wanna be that somebody for you.”
“Be what?”
“I want to take care of you. Anything you need. Pay off your house, expand your flower shop,a new car. Whatever you need.”
You stare at him blankly trying to absorb his words then it hits you.
“You want to be a sugar daddy?” You hiss and nearly spill your cup of coffee. “I’m very capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much. I get by. I don’t even have a house! And what, you’d want to pay for things in exchange for sex? I’m not a hooker and that’s illegal!”
“Shh!” he hushes placing his hand over yours. His eyes are wild as he looks at the other occupants but they were none the wiser of your accusations. “No. Of course not.”
“I won’t send you feet pics either–”
“Y/N, Y/N, stop,” he’s earnest. “This is not what that is, I promise.”
“Then explain yourself better.”
“What I’m suggesting is that, I help you with some financial things and in return–” he gives you a look when you gasp–”in return, I ask that you be a companion. A date to Navy balls, family gatherings. We can have dinner as frequently as you’d like, or coffee, or nothing at all unless it’s for a function where I need you.”
“So not a sugar daddy–you aren’t even that much older than me, by the way!”
“I’m aware,” he nods patiently while you visibly flip out on him.
“So, what then? A piece of arm candy? I’m not the greatest–”
“You are. From what I’ve heard you are exactly right for me.”
“How? Why do you need a companion? You can have any person you’d want.”
“I can’t disclose that with you right now unless you agree. I’ll have paperwork set up–”
“Paperwork! Wait,” you lower your voice, peeking at your neighbors to make sure they’re not listening when you ask, “is this like a…a Fifty Shades of Grey thing? Are you like a Christian Grey?”
“Of course not,” he snorts, “I’m not into that, I’m not going to ‘own’ you. You picture me as Christian Grey?”
“No! You’re way hotter than he–” you clap your hand over your mouth but he smiles. “So, no whips and chains or a play room?”
“No. Unless you’d want one,” he shrugs. “This is why I’m calling it an arrangement. You’re a good person who deserves to be taken care of.”
“You hardly know me, Jake. Or am I some kind of charity case? A means to a redemption arc you’re looking for? Have you murdered someone?”
“My, my, my, you certainly are entertaining,” he chuckles. “And quite the imagination.”
“I watch a lot of movies,” you sniff.
“You don’t have to make a decision right now, of course. But think about it. I have more than enough money and I give a good portion of it to charities I’m keen on. We can be as exclusive as you’d like or you can shoot a text and I’ll send money over for whatever it is you need.”
“And all you want back is for me to be a companion to you?”
“Yes.”
“Like a fake relationship?”
“I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”
You side eye him dubiously.
“Are you sure this isn’t some sort of sex thing? Is this a new kink I’ve never heard of?”
“Oh y/n, if it was I would have already pleasured you at your shop.”
“What?!” you squeak but he just smirks.
“That’s a discussion for another time, sweetheart. If you choose. I want you to know the ball is entirely in your court. I’ll have Reynolds drive you home but leave you with my card…” he pulls out his wallet and slides a business type looking card with his name on it and a number underneath.
Your mind is racing, your palms are sweaty and you feel warm all over because you never in a million years would have expected this type of predicament.
“It’s late, I know you need to be up early tomorrow,” he pulls away from the table and you stand automatically following him out the restaurant in a daze.
Reynolds opens the door but Jake grabs your elbow and turns you around to face him. He’s wearing a very fresh smelling cologne, it clears your nose and makes your head swim because it gives off the aura of sophistication and wealth. Your head doesn’t even come up to his chin so you really have to move your head up to look at him.
“Think it over. I’ll send over the papers so you can examine it. Call or text or email if you have any questions. I want to be that somebody you can rely on and call on whenever you need it. Okay?”
“Okay,” you gulp.
“Good. Have a good night, Y/N,” he bends down to kiss your cheek then helps you climb into the car. “Reynolds will also be your driver. He knows where to bring you to me when and if you’re ready.”
He closes the door and your head is still swimming going in a million different directions. Your cheek is tingling from the softness of his lips, the insides of your thighs are burning because you’re thinking of what he said earlier. How he could have pleasured you in your flower shop. The curious part of you was very curious about that.
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