#actually i’ll probably only get part one done this morning but yeah

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

alright nerds

rivoluzione/nostalgia time!!!

(aka la monnaie de munt’s current verdi pastiche, available for free on operavision)

[cxrdycxps]

And They Were Room Mates • Abby Anderson

☢️ Owen and Mel bashing • pwp basically • reader really enjoys giving Abby head • pussy worship babyyyy • swearing • talking about masturbation ☢️

Main Masterlist • Abby Anderson Masterlist

Your bedroom door opened and Abby slammed it shut behind her, stalking forward to collapse on your bed. You pushed your headphones off and put the lid back on your highlighter. “Hi Abby, how are you? Would you like to come into my room, Abby? Make yourself comfortable.”

Abby grabbed your soft pillow and shoved her face into it and screamed. You stared at her in horror when she took a deep breath and screamed again. “Should I call a priest? Do we need an excorcist?”

“You need to stop humping your fucking pillows. I can smell your cunt on this one.” You stared at Abby when she tossed your pillow away and turned over to stare at your ceiling.

“Firstly, it’s my pillow. I’ll do what I want with it. Secondly, how the fuck do you know what any part of me smells like?” You snapped at her, mortified by her comments. “Get the fuck out and scream into your own pillows.”

“Mel is pregnant.” You stared at her, still off balance from her earlier comments. You weren’t sure why her best friend being pregnant was such a scream worthy event. Or why it resulted in her coming in to bully you in your own room. “It’s Owen’s.”

“Oh fuck.” You couldn’t stop yourself. You covered your mouth once the words were out but Abby was already staring at you, nodding her head.

“Yeah. He fucked her on our three day break.” Abby laughed bitterly and you stood from your desk to sit on the edge of the bed, taking one of her large hands in yours to console her. “Well, he fucked her for our three day break. Then decided he missed me.”

“To be fair, Mel’s a whiny bitch. I wouldn’t have chosen her over you either.” You told her honestly and she rolled her eyes at you. “And it may be personal opinion but you are hotter than her.”

You lived with Abby in shared accommodation just off campus. She had lived here with her friend Manny last year but he had graduated so she had posted the listing. You had been desperate to escape on campus accommodation and jumped at the chance to live in an apartment with your own bedroom and bathroom.

Neither of you crossed paths often, usually coming and going at complete opposite times. She woke early to go to the gym, you worked late at a bar down town. You both had classes all day and she spent a lot of time in Owen’s apartment.

You had moments like this. Pockets of overlap where you found time to get to know each other. You had met her friend group in passing, she had met yours. You had met Owen, she had accidentally met one or two of the girls you had hooked up with in the past while they left the next morning.

You had accidentally propositioned her while drunk once. It was a long running joke at this point.

“You only want me for my body.” Abby sighed and you shrugged, laying back beside her so you were both staring at the ceiling. “My best fucking friend.”

“You should probably get a new one of those. I’ll be your best friend. I’m pretty cool.” You assured her, nudging her shoulder with yours. “I can be your best fucking friend, too. You just have to take me up on my offer.”

“What do you- oh. Best fucking friend. I get it. Smart.” She huffed a dry laugh while you giggled at yourself. “They barely ever even talked!”

“Maybe for good reason?” You asked and she turned so she was looking at you. You copied her and your faces were only a couple of inches apart. “Maybe he wanted to dick her down since day one.”

“You’re not helping.” Abby turned back to stare at the ceiling and you shrugged.

“If I’m being honest, I get why you’re mad or whatever. I just think it’s a waste of your energy. Mel has the personality of the contents of the bottom of the sink after the dishes have been done. Owen micromanaged you and you let him. What are you actually loosing?” Abby probably didn’t want you to be honest but you didn’t typically have another session. “The sex didn’t even sound good.”

“Better than your pillow.” Abby quipped back and you laughed.

“My pillow made me cum every time. Can you say the same for Owen?” You asked her and she grunted in answer which made you laugh, the bed shaking with your movements. “What were you actually getting out of the relationship?”

“He was there for me. When my dad died.” Abby told you and you sighed heavily, clasping her hand in yours. “He got me through that.”

“So he’s not a complete waste of space. People outgrow each other, Abs.” You told her quietly. “You outgrew him a long time ago.”

“I’ve been with him since I was fourteen. How do I let go of seven years?” She asked with a sigh and you shrugged. In truth, you had no clue.

“Go out and fuck someone else. Get a new hobby? Maybe egg his house. Or her house. Or just egg something.” Abby laughed wetly. You didn’t look at her, not closely. She needed a moment so you let her have it. “You can borrow my pillow?”

///

“Got someone looking for you out front.” You were stood in the kitchen, attempting to eat quickly while chatting to the grouchy head chef. Joel didn’t really say much but you knew he had a soft spot for you. He had even tried to set you up with his daughter once. He always made sure to set something aside for you to eat.

“Tell ‘em to fuck off.” You snapped and Joel coughed to disguise his laugh. Dina, Joel’s daughter’s current girlfriend, threw her hands up.

“Do I look like a fucking messenger girl? Get back out on the bar anyway, Jesse is drowning out there.” Jesse, Dina’s ex boyfriend, worked the bar with you most nights. He was a shit bartended though and you ended up doing double the work.

“You ever think about how incestuous this restaurant staff is?” You asked Joel, shoving the last few fries into your mouth. Tess, the line cook, laughed at you and you narrowed your eyes at her. “I know you two have been fucking in the store room.”

Joel barked your name when Tess ducked her head and you skipped out of the kitchen, returning to the bar to find it was three deep. You sighed, tying your apron and pasting on a smile.

“You should fucking quit.” You elbowed Jesse who only shrugged at you, pouring drinks. You waved at people to start shouting orders at you, checking ID along with starting tabs.

By the time the rush had moved off you found your caller sitting at the end of the bar. Abby was nursing a beer, two shots of tequila next to her with all the fixings.

“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” You asked her with a grin. She looked up from her phone and blinked at you before gesturing to the shots. “For me?”

“It’s sad doing them alone and I need some courage.” She told you honestly and you tilted your head. “Time to get back out there, right?”

It had been two months since she came to your room to scream and you had been worried about how well she was handling everything. This was a good sign.

You licked the back of your hand and sprinkled the salt over the wet patch. Abby copied you and you held up your shot to her. “To you getting your pussy ate.”

She didn’t repeat the cheers, rolling her eyes. She did drink though and you took that as a good sign while sucking on the wedge of lime. You looked up when your name was called and found Maria, the manager on tonight, glaring at you. “She bought it for me. It’s good customer service, Maria.”

“Get back to work.” You gestured around to remind her that you were in fact behind the bar, no current customers in sight. She narrowed her eyes at you and moved off to complain about you to the servers. Dina would agree cause she didn’t like that you had fucked Ellie, Joel’s daughter, before she had. She also was Maria’s favorite because she was Ellie’s aunt.

The whole system made your head hurt and you swigged from Abby’s beer to chase the flavor of the tequila on your tongue. “Don’t fucking backwash.”

“Come on, Abby. Admit it, you wanna swap bodily fluids with me.” You leaned forward on the bar and her eyes dipped to look down your blouse. You always left it one button too low to increase tips. “Abby Anderson, are you looking at my tits?”

“You know I am. Hard not to when they’re as good as in my face.” Abby sighed and you grinned, delighted with her honesty. “Don’t worry, I’ll tip well.”

“You know what, Anderson?” You asked her. You looked up when a customer shouted an order at you and you took the lid off the beer sliding it over to him. “If you strike out tonight, I’ll eat your pussy myself.”

You left Abby to consider your words when the next wave began and you dove into the fray to serve them. When you looked back she was gone, a signed receipt and a tip tucked under her beer mat. You laughed and cleared her bottle and pocketed the tip.

///

When you got back to the apartment you were surprised to find Abby still up, sitting on the sofa. With the television playing. You kicked off your shoes and swung by the kitchen, grabbing yourself and her a beer.

“You cleared out early.” You remarked, tossing yourself down next to her on the cushions. You held both beers out and scrunched your eyes shut when she opened them with her teeth. “Strike out?”

“Got a better offer.” She answered and you let your head fall to the side so you could look at her. “Why would I hang around when you already made me a promise?”

“What promise was that, Abby?” You asked her with a sly smile. Abby rarely swore unless she was really worked up and you wanted to set her on edge.

“You know what you promised.” Abby huffed, cheeks pink. You stared at her and brought your bottle up to your lips, taking a long drink. You didn’t speak and she began to fidget. “If you weren’t serious then-”

“Abby, I’ve wanted a taste of you since like thirty seconds after signing the lease.” You laughed and she turned a darker red in her cheeks. The color was creeping down towards her neck. “I’ve literally dreamed about having your thighs either side of my head.”

“You’re such a fucking-” Abby shook her head but you only grinned at her frustration. She hadn’t been with women before, you knew that much. She had realized she was interested in them when she started college but she had loved Owen.

You rolled your eyes and handed her your bottle. You stretched your arms up in the air and shook off the exhaustion of your late shift before standing and moving kneel between Abby’s spread legs. “Time to let me see what’s under these cargos and by the way, if it looks like I’m suffocating? Leave me there. Death by your pussy is such a good way to go.”

Abby was laughing now, too used to your humor to be embarrassed anymore. You helped unbutton her trousers and pull them down. You paused and swallowed, wondering why the simple boxers under her cargos made your own pussy pulse in arousal. Why did her thick thighs look so much hotter than any other woman you had ever been with?

“Later, once you recover from the orgasm I’m about to give you, I’m riding your thigh. I don’t even care if this is a one time thing. I need to experience that.” You babbled, pulling on the hem of her boxer shorts and finally exposing her to you.

“Oh fuck.” You breathed, closing your eyes for a moment. Abby Anderson ticked all your boxes but right now it was like she had read every deep thought you’d ever had. You were the first to advocate for people grooming themselves however they deemed fit but the patch of coarse curls that you had just uncovered made you groan.

Abby had a fat cunt, something you could bury your face in. You spread her thighs with your palms and leaned forward, licking up her slit to find her clit. It was swollen with arousal but when you pulled back you could see the raw abuse on it. “You’ve been playing with yourself.”

Abby groaned, her head back against the couch. Some of her embarrassment was returning as she arched her hips upwards to you. “Tell me you were playing with your clit while thinking of me.”

“Obviously,” Abby grunted and you rewarded her with a firm suck to the sensitive bundle of nerve endings. She moaned and you were proud to note you’d never heard that noise coming from her room when her and Owen had fucked. Quiet as they had tried to be. “Had to take the edge off after watching you in the bar. You’re so fucking competent, bouncing around with your tits out.”

You didn’t speak, choosing instead to spit against her clit and listened to her moans to let you know what she enjoyed. You pulled her thighs and she shuffled out to the edge of the sofa, her fingers grasping at your hair.

It was when you were licking into her, your nose against her clit, that the door opened. The pair of you froze, directly in the sight line of Owen who stood at the door. “Abby, what the fuck?”

It seemed like a private conversation so you looked away, nudging your nose against her clit again. She moaned, her head back against the sofa. “Leave the key.”

You hummed against her hole and her fingers tightened against you. Owen tossed the keys on the entry way table and retreated. You pulled away to call out to him. “If you wait a minute or so you can hear what it sounds like when Abby actually cums.” He slammed the door and Abby’s hoarse laugh was cut off when you returned your attention to her clit.

You used your tongue to push back the clitoral hood and pay special attention to the most sensitive part of her. The almost red skin contracted when you licked at it firmly and Abby lost all pretenses, an actual scream falling from her mouth when she came.

You kind of hoped he was still listening.

[holllandtrash]

6 to 1 | lando norris (part 4)

pariring: lando norris x leclerc!reader part 4 in the 6 to 1 series (read part 3 here)

you and lando have gotten so used to each other in such a short amount of time that a few days apart feels unnatural. there are still lines you're scared to cross, but lando will do anything to prove he's not going anywhere

word count: 6.2k tags/warnings: social media au aspects, alcohol consumption

You jumped when you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders as you stood outside the hotel lobby doors. Usually it was Carlos finding any reason to scare you, but when you didn’t hear his laughter following your panicked inhale, you turned around and came face to face with Lando.

“Morning,” he smiled, eyeing the suitcase at your feet. “What time’s your flight?”

You were a little surprised he didn’t call you out for leaving without saying goodbye, but you both knew you didn’t owe him that. Whatever happened last night, the kiss you shared, it wasn’t supposed to turn into anything bigger.

You glanced at your phone, “In a few hours, I’m just waiting for the uber.”

“You’re not flying with Charles?”

The question confused you, but then you remembered that Lando was probably expecting you to attend all of the races. You had only missed a few since the start of the season and Lando had gotten used to your presence over the weekends.

“I’m going to London,” you told him. “I’m not going to the next race.”

Lando’s smile dropped, his eyes widened and was in resemblance to a puppy as we waited for you to make a joke and tell him you were only kidding.

But you were being serious and when neither of you said anything for a few seconds, it sunk in for Lando that he wouldn’t see you at all this week. 

“Why?” He swallowed. “I mean, at the risk of sounding needy, can I ask why?”

Lando thought he had done something. 

Seeing you standing with your luggage, Lando drew his own conclusion that he had done something wrong last night. Maybe he shouldn’t have kissed you, maybe he shouldn’t have asked about why you didn’t date drivers, maybe he shouldn’t have put you in the position you now found yourself in. 

You needed to ease his nerves, and the second you reached for his face, lightly brushing your thumb over his cheek, Lando started to think that maybe he was overreacting. 

“My friend is getting married,” you answered. “Her hen party is this weekend. The wedding takes place next. And then I’m probably just going to stay in London until Silverstone because it’s the weekend after anyway.”

Lando nodded and you could see him working through the dates in his mind, wondering when he’d get to see you next. It would be almost three weeks. 

But it wasn’t like he had a say in the matter. He would miss you, just like you would find yourself missing him, but you didn’t have any sort of commitment to him or the races. Lando almost felt as though he didn’t have the right to tell you that he wanted you to be there. 

“Where are you staying?” He asked, instead of saying what he really wanted to say. “In London?”

“Oh I don’t know yet,” your phone chimed, letting you know the uber was nearby. “I’ll call one of my friends when I land or I’ll get an airbnb. I’ll figure it out.”

Lando was taken aback by how unprepared you were, but if you were being honest, most of your travel plans were usually booked by someone else. Charles’ assistant made sure you had a room booked and transportation sorted out when you attended the races. If you ever travelled for modelling jobs, the agency would plan ahead. This was one of the few times when you were in charge of your own trip.

And clearly, that stressed Lando out a bit.

“You’re just going to land in Heathrow and hope that someone has a spare room for you?” Lando repeated back what you had told him, but making it sound more preposterous than it actually was. 

You shrugged, “I mean, yeah. Someone’s bound to. Or I’ll get an airbnb.”

“A last minute rental in the heart of London?” Again, he was wording it in a way that was making you second guess your decision. “That’s available for the next three weeks?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

Lando rolled his eyes, rubbing his hand over his face. He was in very visible distress and when his sigh was loud enough for people nearby to turn and look at what was going on, you pushed on his shoulder.

“Lando, I’ll be fine,” you assured him with a laugh. 

But he only shook his head and pulled out his phone, “I know somewhere you can stay. I’ll send you the address and key code and everything.”

“In London?”

“Redcliffe Square,” he clarified. You didn’t spend a lot of time in London, but you were familiar with that borough, nestled between Kensington and Chelsea, two of the most expensive areas in the entire city.

“Who’s place is it?” You asked. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“You won’t, don’t worry.”

“But whose place is it?” You asked again. Your phone vibrated in your hands and you glanced at the screen to see that Lando had sent you all of the information you needed to access the flat. 

“A friend’s,” he glanced over your shoulder when a black SUV pulled up along the curb. “He isn’t even in London. You can use the place for the next few weeks, okay?”

You weren’t fully sold on the idea, but with your uber arriving, there wasn’t much time to argue. The look you gave Lando told him you’d think about it and that’s all he could ask for. He took the luggage from you and wheeled it to the trunk of the car. 

Lando, for whatever reason, was determined to help you in any way he could. And you weren’t someone who ever needed help, but Lando did little things here and there that you hadn’t stopped to think about until now.

Like how he opened the door for you whenever he could. Taking your suitcase from you so you didn’t have to lift it. Sorting out your temporary living situation so you didn’t have to worry about it. Lando liked being able to take care of you, as much as he was allowed given the fact that you two weren’t actually together.

He shut the trunk again and returned to you, shoulders slummed as he took in a heavy breath. He looked at you as if he was trying to remember every detail of your face, seeing as he wouldn’t be able to just wait outside the Ferrari motorhome to see you or even show up outside your flat. 

Lando would be heading straight to Austria, in fact he had to finish packing because he too needed to go to the airport soon. 

“How am I supposed to move up your driver ranking if you’re not even watching the race?” He asked. 

“That’s on you to figure out.”

“Who’s next on your list?”

“Danny Ric.”

Lando’s eye roll could not have been bigger. It didn’t help that you were also wearing an oversized shirt from Daniels’ 2022 Ric Rodeo collection, finding it to be comfortable enough for an overseas flight. 

“Danny’s not even driving!” Lando exclaimed. “And the next race is at the Red Bull Ring. He’s going to be there!”

As a Daniel Ricciardo fan, you were looking forward to all of the content that would be coming up in preparation for the race. You were also looking forward to seeing what Lando had in mind to pass the reserve driver. With surpassing in points out of the question, Lando had to get creative.

“You’re smart, you’ll think of something.”

“You can’t just call me an oyster and then call me smart, it doesn’t work like that.”

“Fine, I’ll stick with oyster.”

“You little-” he clenched his teeth, cutting his words off. You could see him actively trying to mask his smile as his lips pressed together tightly. 

“I have a flight to catch,” you said, taking a moment to reach for his hand. You gave his fingers a squeeze, it was supposed to be a friendly gesture but one that held more meaning than just saying goodbye. 

And then Lando didn’t allow you to let go. The second he felt you pulling away, his grip tightened and he pulled you closer. Your heart started to race when his other hand moved to your chin, tilting your face up to his.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t use my last 12 seconds right now?” He whispered.

You had an answer. You had about three answers, three good reasons why he shouldn’t kiss you outside the doors of the hotel. For starters, there were people that you both knew in the lobby right now and if they just looked outside they would be left with questions neither of you could answer.

Neither of you could trust employees, within Formula 1 or at the hotel, to not say anything and you didn’t need this getting back to your brothers. 

But most importantly, you didn’t want to share these moments with the world. 

If Lando kissed you again, you wanted to be able to get lost in it. You didn’t want to worry about prying eyes or being interrupted or the media finding out and spinning a story into something that it’s not. 

“Save them,” you said quietly, feeling your heart sink deeper into your chest when he nodded and dropped his arm back to his side. He let go of your hand and reached for the door to the backseat to pull it open for you. 

Lando leaned against the frame of the door, watching as you made sure you had everything that you needed for a full day of airline travel. You opened the belt bag around your waist to confirm your passport, charger and wallet was safely in there. He chuckled when it took you an extra second to find your airpods, but even if you were panicked about missing something, the way Lando looked at you was enough to ease your nerves, momentarily. 

“No daisies?” He asked, referring to the bouquet he had gotten for you last night.

“I can’t bring flowers on a plane, Lando.”

He wasn’t content with that response, “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” you retorted. “I guess you’ll just have to get me some more when I see you in SIlverstone.”

“Shouldn’t you be bringing me flowers? I’m the one who got a podium.” 

Lando was stalling now, he didn’t want to watch you drive off. He didn’t want to go these next few weeks knowing you weren’t anywhere nearby. You would be in two completely different countries.

“Do it again and I’ll think about it,” you flashed him a smile, the last one he’d see from you in a while, before he reluctantly shut the car door. 

You fought the urge to look out the back window and wave at him, just like he fought the urge to send you a text saying ‘have a safe flight’. Those little meaningful actions weren’t something either of you did and you knew that the second one of you crossed that line, it would be so much harder to return to where you were before. 

——————

Two flights, three naps and eight hours of podcasts later, you landed in London. You were exhausted, starving and making a mental note to call Lando and thank him for hooking you up with a place to stay because the absolute last thing you wanted to do right now was to find somewhere to sleep.

You texted Thea, your friend who was getting married and told her you landed. She responded almost immediately asking if you wanted to grab drinks but you were ready to call it a night and assured her you’d call her tomorrow. 

You were half asleep in the uber, not even caring to look out the window to make sure you were headed in the right direction. You confirmed the address that Lando sent you and closed your eyes until the driver quietly woke you up when he stopped in front of the white period building. 

The flat was stunning, you could tell that much when you stepped outside. Even with the night sky casting over it, this home was elegant and not something you could ever afford. 

Rolling your suitcase up to the front steps, you pulled your phone out to double check the numbers that Lando had sent you. You typed in a six-digit code and waited only a second for the mechanism to unlock. You pushed the door open and jumped when an alarm started going off.

It took you a moment to get your bearings and find the next text that shared the code to disarm the system, but when the house finally quieted down and you were certain there were no other codes you needed to enter, you let yourself relax.

The flat had high ceilings with period features throughout, including a beautiful marble fireplace in the living room, large windows that led out to a stunning garden view and a huge semi-open kitchen floor plan that you couldn’t wait to use when you weren’t tired.

You left the suitcase at the end of the hallway and flipped a light switch on. It wasn’t that you were trying to pry, but you scanned the general area for any photos or memorabilia that would hint at whose place this was.

Unfortunately for you, nothing stood out.

Except for the vase of daisies in the middle of the dining room table. 

You walked over to the table, thinking that they were fake and for decor only, but the second you reached for one of the stems, you knew instantly they were real, and freshly cut.

Which meant someone had been here before you showed up.

Curiosity getting the better of you, you headed towards the fridge, thinking that if someone was staying here, there would be groceries put away. You yanked the door open and found your assumptions to be correct. There was food in there.

And by the looks of a lot of the expiry dates, this food was purchased today.

You needed answers and you needed to know if Lando was incorrect about the homeowner being away.

You wiped your eyes as you scrolled to find Lando’s contact name in your phone. There was a really good chance you were delusional and there was in fact no food in the fridge and you were hallucinating the flowers because of how exhausted you were, but it all seemed real.

Lando answered on the first ring. 

“Hey,” his voice chimed through the receiver, you could practically hear his smile. “How was your flight?”

“Yeah, good,” but when your 'good' 'was cut off by a very audible yawn, you heard Lando chuckle into the phone.

“Tired?”

“Very,” you laughed as well, leaning against the counter as you eyed the flowers again. “Hey, are you sure there’s no one staying here?”

“At the flat?” You heard a bit of shuffling on his end, like he was moving to a different location to talk to you. “No, no ones there. Just you.”

“So why am I staring at a vase of freshly picked daisies and why is the fridge stocked?”

He laughed again, what you would have given to actually be with him and hear it. You weren’t even sure what country he was currently in, or if he was somewhere in an airport waiting for a layover, but you knew you would have much rather preferred he was with you in London.

Not because you had feelings for him or whatever, it was just easier to talk face to face than over the phone.

“Well,” Lando took a breath. “Daisies are your favourite flower and you need to food to survive so-”

“You did this?” 

“You sound surprised.”

“I just-” you opened the fridge again. “When did you-” you picked up a head of lettuce and then opened up the drawer filled with an assortment of meat and cheese. “How did you-”

“I asked a friend to pick up some things,” Lando finally cleared things up. “Ria lives in the area, she went grocery shopping and picked up the flowers. I just didn’t want you to walk into an empty flat.”

“You’re so sweet,” you tucked the phone between your cheek and shoulder as you walked back over to the flowers. Another yawn passed through your lips and Lando laughed yet again, but you didn’t want your fatigue to be the reason why you had to hang up. “I’m going to get used to seeing the flowers, you know?”

“I know,” Lando agreed. “I’ll just have to keep buying them for you.”

“Or just plant your own,” you suggested. “Have a nice shrub of them in your yard. I’m sure they can grow in Monaco.”

“I’ll think about that- oh, hang on a second, yeah?” 

Before you could answer, Lando muted himself on his end. You wouldn’t have blamed him if when he came back he abruptly needed to go, he had a long travel day as well. 

While you waited for his return, you grabbed your suitcase and wheeled it down the hall, on the search for a bedroom. The first door on the right was a bathroom, the one across from it was an office and it wasn’t until you reached the last door on the left did you find the master bedroom.

Flipping on the light, an abstract painting of a vintage car hanging above the bed took you by surprise. It was a bright blue painting and it stood out, not in a good way, amongst a lot of the neutral decor. 

But again, there were no personal mementos. 

You checked out the ensuite, making sure the hot water actually worked, before heading to the closet. The racks were lined with a variety of jackets and jumpers, you assumed belonging to a guy given the size and styles. 

You really shouldn’t have been snooping, this wasn’t your flat, you were simply a guest, but the light blue hoodie called to you and you tugged on the sleeve to check out the design on the front.

“Sorry about that, had another call,” Lando’s voice made you flinch, not expecting him to come back so soon.

But your attention wasn’t on the phone call. It was on the jumper with a white logo in the top right corner, a logo that held the initials LN.

You tugged down the collar to confirm that this was in fact one of Lando’s merch items and not just fan made. LN4 was printed on the dark tag.

You cleared your throat, “Lando.”

“Yes?”

“Who’s flat am I in right now?”

A bit of silence followed by a faint hum, “Why?”

“Answer the question.”

“A friend’s.”

“Whose friend?”

Another pause and then a very hesitant and uncertain, “Yours?”

You let go of the sleeve and walked back into the bedroom, “Do you live here? Is this your flat?”

His silence was enough of an answer. You scoffed and you knew that Lando could hear your eye roll through the phone.

“I didn’t think you’d agree to stay there if I told you it was my place,” you quickly explained, his voice raising with humour before you could think about arguing with him. “I just thought the offer would scare you off because, I mean- it’s a little weird.”

“It’s very weird,” you corrected, eyes darting all over the room. He lived here. “Lando I can’t sleep in your bed.”

“I haven’t had sex in it with anyone, if you’re wondering.”

“Well I wasn’t, but thank you for clearing that up.”

Lando laughed, “Come on, Y/N. It’s better than a hotel or an airbnb or crashing on someone’s couch.”

But you still weren’t sure how you felt now that you knew this was Lando’s place. He might not have lived here full time, you were fully aware of his home in Monaco, but this was his flat. He handed over the keys to one of his homes like it was nothing, like the thought of you staying anywhere else was absurd. 

You had visited Milan dozens of times and Pierre never once suggested that you stay at his place. Carlos was the same, never thinking of offering up his home if he knew you were travelling to Madrid. 

You were friends with both of those guys, Pierre was on thin ice, but regardless, you considered them to be the two drivers you knew the most, that you were the closest to.

And Lando texted you his address in seconds, not giving you any other option.

You sat down on the edge of the bed, the palm of your hand curving over the luxurious duvet. If you closed your eyes and fell backwards on top of the mattress, you’d be out in seconds. 

“Hey,” Lando’s tone grew quiet, knowing he had lost you for a moment as you got sucked into your own thoughts. “Have I dropped down the driver ranking again?”

“No, you idiot,” you rubbed the corner of your eye. “I’m just thinking about how this is definitely a bit weird, but also really sweet and if Charles knew where I was staying right now, he’d run you off the track next race.”

“I can handle Charles,” there was a false arrogance to him. Driver Charles was a lot different compared to Older Brother Charles. “Just enjoy these next few weeks, okay? I know it’ll be a little boring without me there to annoy you, but try, yeah?”

“I’m going to rack up your electricity bill,” you decided, a devious sort of smile playing on your lips. You glanced towards his closet, “I’m also going to burn all of your merch.”

Lando sighed loudly, “You know what, I’ll pick my battles. This isn’t one of them.”

“So you don’t care if I set all of your LN4 hoodies to flames?”

“Well you don’t wear them anywhere so you might as well.”

“You’ve never asked me to,” you pointed out, but then couldn’t remember if that was actually true or not. There might have been a time when he offered you a hoodie or a shirt and you probably rolled your eyes at the mere thought of putting it on because that would mean you couldn’t rep DR3. 

“I shouldn’t have to ask,” Lando scoffed. “You wear Danny’s merch.”

“Well yeah I love him.”

Lando grumbled quietly into the receiver, something about Daniel not even driving, followed by a few more seconds of loud rustling. He started saying something else but his voice was muffled so you only assumed he had pulled the phone away from his face to talk to someone nearby.

This time when he came back, his tone shifted. 

“Hey, so I-”

“Have to catch your flight?” You asked, trying not to let the disappointment seep through into your words. 

“Yeah it appears so,” Lando sounded just about as annoyed as you felt.

You didn’t want to draw out this goodbye, “Good luck this weekend.”

“Thank you, I’ll, uh- I’ll talk to you later, I guess?” He sounded unsure. “I mean, I won’t call you because you’ll be asleep but yeah I’ll text you or you can text me if you want, but you don’t-”

“Lando,” you cut off his nonsensical rambling. He hummed and you could just picture his wide eyes and boyish features in your mind. “I’ll talk to you later. Have a safe flight."

ynleclerc

liked by landonorris, charles_leclerc and 14,302 others

ynleclerc thea's getting married and we're about to make it everyone's problem

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theaa_coleman i love you !!!

carlossainz55 when are you getting married

ynleclerc is this a proposal? carlossainz55 you wish

userrnorris i would give anything to see lando or carlos as her date to the wedding PLEASE

smooth_operator55 wait this explains why she wasn't at the race this weekend!!

paddockgf oh phew i thought it was bc charles banned her from hanging around w the drivers💀💀

You told Lando you’d talk to him later but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. 

You didn’t text him when you woke up, being bombarded with calls from your friends and he didn’t call you when he landed, exhausted himself from his travel days.

And then the week went on. 

The Hen party for Thea was chaotic. You were drunk for nearly 48 hours and hungover for the next 24. You didn’t leave Lando’s flat for a few days, needing to recuperate and it wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon did you finally feel like yourself again. 

You wanted to watch the races live, but your weekend was packed so you weren’t able to actually see what happened until days later when you curled up on the couch and turned on F1TV. 

Just like you expected, a lot of Daniel Ricciardo content at the Red Bull Ring, but even his presence wasn’t enough to distract you from a certain McLaren driver. 

Lando ended up qualifying eighth, not his best but also not his worst. If you had watched live there would have been a sort of obligation to text him saying ‘good job’ but you also weren’t sure if that was something you could do. It wasn’t as though you wanted to text Carlos and congratulate him on his P4 starting position. 

The race, for better or for worse, was a pretty dull one. No major incidents, nothing that caused you any concern. Charles started from fifth and worked his way up to a third place podium. Carlos started fourth and stayed there. And somewhere during those 71 laps, Lando dropped back through the grid and finished eleventh, unable to claim any points for that weekend.

Again, if you had watched it live you might have even called him. You might have said he still had a good weekend and that it could have been worse, but you were watching it two, almost three, days later. 

The worst part was you had been so disconnected from the outside world these last few days that you weren’t even aware of the driver standings until right now. You had stayed off Instagram except to share a few photos and aside from that, your phone died a lot throughout the chaos that was this weekend. 

You didn’t see anything. You didn’t see Lando’s race results. You didn’t see his post-race interviews where he sounded defeated over the lack of pace from the McLaren. You didn’t see the tweets from fans saying that Lando was missing his good luck charm (you). 

There was a lot you missed, but there was also a lot you were completely oblivious to.

You didn’t know that Lando thought about calling you after the race because he knew that hearing your voice would make his day a little better after that run. You weren’t aware that Lando paced back and forth in his hotel room, asking himself if you really were his good luck charm. And you didn’t know he changed his flights so he could leave Austria early and head to the next country the race was being hosted in.

Which just so happened to be England. 

He told his team it was because he wanted to visit some family before the race weekend. There was a decent sized gap between the Austrian Grand Prix and Silverstone, so no one thought anything of it, and it wasn’t necessarily a lie, he would go see his family, but it just wasn’t the whole truth.

So he landed in London Wednesday night.

It had been over a week now since you two last talked and it wasn’t that you were ignoring him, you just didn’t know what to say.

Days had passed since the race and you just assumed it was too late to say anything about it. Would he have even wanted a pity ‘hey I still think you did pretty good’ sort of text? He knew you weren’t planning on watching the race live, so that kind of message held the risk of sounding insincere. 

And Lando hadn’t reached out either, assuming you were enjoying your time with your friends, which you were. But you missed his voice, you missed his laugh, you missed talking to him. 

But there would be no calls or texts exchanged for the rest of the week. 

Again, you didn’t know what to say and then all of a sudden it was Saturday, Thea’s wedding and then you really weren’t on your phone. You were at the brides’ beck and call since dawn, you needed to be there to take the champagne away when she tried to pour another glass before noon. 

If you had been on your phone, you would have noticed Lando posted a handful of photos on his story and on his photography account, showcasing that he was in London. After spending the last few days with friends and family in nearby towns, he arrived in the city.

And he wanted you to know it. 

He didn’t want to come across as needy or annoying and come straight out tell you he was in London, so he teased the city on his social media, hoping that you’d see it and call or text him. It was an immature move, but Lando wasn’t sure where the two of you stood so it was all he could come up with.

But of course you had no idea what Lando’s whereabouts were. Your priority was the bride and then after the wedding, your priority was getting drunk with your friends at the reception. 

Lando was the last thing on your mind. 

Until he grew impatient that you hadn't reached out, so he was left with no choice but to leave a comment on your most recent instagram post.

ynleclerc

liked by carlossainz55, charles_leclerc and 18,204 others

ynleclerc need my friends to stop getting married, im tired of crying in pretty dresses (so much love for you 2 tho)

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theaa_coleman i love you i love you thank you for holding my tissues all day

charles_leclerc congrats to the happy couple !!

arthur_leclerc always the bridesmaid never the bride?

yn/leclerc im 21 leave me alone

landonorris orange suits you

Orange suits you. 

Was that him telling you that you looked good in orange or was he being sly and using orange as a euphemism and he was in fact saying that he suited you? Or maybe this was him hinting at wanting to see you in the McLaren garage or maybe Lando didn’t think before leaving that comment and it was unintentionally causing you to spin out. 

It didn’t help that you were drunk and to you, the room seemed to quite literally be spinning. Was it actually? You could be easily convinced it was.

As you sat on the bench outside of the hall, your heeled foot tapped against the carpeted floor. God your feet were killing you. This dress had rough seams that made your skin feel like it was on fire. Your earrings kept getting stuck on your hair but none of that was bothering you as much as Lando’s comment was.

What the fuck did it mean?

You don’t talk for a week and a half and that’s the first thing he says? 

You blinked a few times as you focused on his name on the app, clicking it to lead to his own profile and then clicking his photo to see what he had been up to within the last 24 hours.

It took you a second to piece together the photos you were looking at, but that fucker was in London. 

He was in London and he didn’t tell you? You’re staying at his flat. What was going to happen? You’d go back there after the wedding ended and run into him just sitting on the couch? 

Next thing you knew, you were calling him. 

You lost count of how many rings you heard before he finally answered. 

“Hey,” he sounded arrogant, like he was expecting your call. Or maybe you were just reading into it because you didn’t know what was going on and you had one too many shots with the bridal party and Lando said that orange suited you.

“Orange.”

He laughed, “Excuse me?”

You didn’t mean to say that out loud. Your intention was to call and ask if he was in London but for some reason you couldn’t get his comment out of your mind, so you rolled with it. 

“You think orange suits me?”

He paused. Or maybe he didn’t. The seconds were blurring together and you didn’t have a good concept of time.

“You’re drunk.”

Did you sound drunk? You didn’t think you sounded drunk. You diverted the conversation.

“You’re in London.”

“Are we just stating the obvious?”

“Why did you-” you hiccuped, you definitely sounded a little drunk now. A breath passed your lips as you regained a coherent thought. “You think orange suits me?”

“I do,” there was no hesitancy on his part. “I think you look beautiful in anything, but orange is definitely your colour.”

That’s all it took. A few words, a simple compliment, his smile that could be heard through the phone, and your heart was sinking into your chest. You missed him, you missed his voice. A week and a half wasn’t even that long but it was also driving you insane. 

“I didn’t-” you inhaled a breath as your words jumbled together. 

You wanted to tell him that you didn’t watch the race live and you also wanted to apologise for not saying good job and you were still stuck on the fact that he was in London so the next sentence out your mouth wasn’t understandable in the slightest. 

“I didn’t mean to say sorry, in the-” you dragged your hand over your face, trying to think of a word. “In the race, you were- you did last weekend.”

Lando’s laughter was music to your fucking ears. When something was really funny he always inhaled as he laughed and with it came a sort of squeal that was terribly contagious and you found yourself wanting to laugh along, even if you didn’t know what was funny.

Like right now, you didn’t know why he was laughing but you were laughing with him. Was it something you said? You couldn’t even remember what you said. 

When you both finally caught your breath after a minute, you couldn’t stop yourself from saying what was on the forefront of your mind.

“I think I miss you.”

“You think?” Lando repeated. “I know I miss you.”

He missed you.

“Where are you tonight?”

The question wasn’t properly worded, but Lando pieced together what you were asking. Him being able to understand drunk you was weirdly attractive. You didn’t want it to be a recurring thing, but you loved that he wasn’t asking you to repeat yourself or making you feel bad for not making any sense. 

“I’m staying at a friend's place, I didn’t want to bother you at the flat.”

“What if I want you to bother me?”

Lando cleared his throat, “Then I’d get in my car right now.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” you said quietly. “Get in your car…” you sat up a bit straighter, glancing towards the room where the reception was taking place. You had spent all day with everyone in there and now there was only one person you wanted to see, “...and come pick me up.”

You could hear the sound of car keys being thrown and caught, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing. 

“Send me your location.”

And you did, accidentally hanging up on him in the process. Lando sent a string of laughing emojis before telling you he’d be there in about fifteen minutes. 

That was enough time for you to chug a few glasses of water and find the bridge and groom to say goodbye. Thea tried to pour another shot down your throat but if anymore alcohol entered your system, you’d start making some really questionable decisions. 

She was content with a hug when you lied and said you would puke on her dress. You wished them well and told them to be safe on their honeymoon. Next you found a few other members of the wedding party and said bye to them before grabbing your clutch and making your way to the front doors of the venue. 

Just in time for Lando to pull up in a sleek black McLaren.

You were so captivated by him just getting out of the car that you froze in place, your heels scraping against the cobblestone beneath you. He wasn’t in a Quadrant sweater, surprisingly, instead opting for a white t-shirt and a pair of dark grey sweats. 

There was already something about a man in grey sweats that had you, and many people, forgetting how to breathe. But Lando in that attire was otherworldly. He looked so good but it was well past midnight so you didn’t how know it was possible for someone to look that good. 

You weren’t even sure how you looked. There was a strong chance your eye makeup was smudged and your face was oily after having product seep into your pores all day. One of the straps of the dress slipped from your shoulder and you quickly adjusted it as Lando approached you, taking in your appearance like he was breathing in fresh air for the first time in months.

“Hi,” you whispered. 

“Hi,” he smiled. He raised his eyebrows when your knee buckled slightly, an indicator that you were in fact drunk but you played it off like nothing happened. “Did you have fun?”

You nodded, looking very uncharacteristically childlike, “I want to go home.”

You didn’t mean for the word home to slip out. You knew Lando’s place wasn’t home, you were only staying there for a few weeks and then you’d be travelling again. 

But even without him there, you felt so comfortable in that flat. You loved cozying up in the bed, you liked having the open kitchen to experiment with, you liked knowing that Lando wanted you there.

So no, it wasn’t home, but it was close enough for the time being and that wasn’t something you could often say, especially with your schedule consisting of trip after trip, hotel after hotel.

Lando reached for your hand. Hearing you refer to his flat as home, even in your drunken state, had his heart skipping a beat. He knew you didn’t mean it, he knew you just wanted to leave the party, but it meant more to him than you’d ever realise. This was something he would hold onto for as long as you’d allow him to. 

“Okay Little Leclerc, let's get you home.”

masterlist here

taglist: @moneymasnn@thotd-f1 @masonspulisic @mcmuppet@f1-futurewag-16-3-4-63 @alilstressyandlotdepressy @themisric @happydazzz123 @moonxblossom @norrisleclercf1 @scarlettisconfused @sbgal @e-lisa-bettan @harrysdimple05 @ophcelia if i missed someone im so sorry

[daceydeath]

Cigarettes and Cliche's (Part 10)

Pairings: Bad Boy Felix x Reader Word Count: 5.5K Genre: Collage AU, Slow Burn Romance Warnings: 18+, MDNI, Swearing, Alcohol, Smoking

He was the most impractical guy for you to be interested in the incredibly handsome cliché bad boy who collected girls like trophies. As hard as you wanted to stay away you couldn't even if it might cost you everything and leave you heartbroken you couldn't ignore him.

You felt lighter now that Seungmin and Jeongin knew but you knew they were still going to be protective of you and once they got used to it would start taking the piss out of you. What you didn’t expect though was the kid glove treatment that you got the following morning when they decided to join you at the table while you savored your coffee.

“What are you doing today?” Seungmin asked after swallowing a mouthful of cereal.

“I’m working later but not much” you smiled, noticing they both had bowls so that meant no smoke alarms for burnt toast at least.

“Are you going to see Felix?” Jeongin questioned not looking up at you.

“Is there a reason we are playing twenty questions?” you mused looking at each of them pointedly as flush crept up their ears.

“No, I just am curious,” he blinked owlishly.

“I don’t know what I’m doing today. I could study a bit and I think Changbin and Han wanted to grab dinner at some point so I’m not sure” you shrugged feeling satisfied that they were only being sweet.

“There is a party tonight if you want to come, after work of course, your boyfriend will probably be there” Seungmin smirked which made you roll your eyes.

“Maybe it depends on my shift” you sighed feigning indifference even though a spike of nervousness shot through you“I assume you will be spying on him to make sure he behaves himself?”.

“No…well yeah” Jeongin grinned shamelessly.

“To be honest I don't know how people will react if they see us together so soon after the Nali thing” you chewed the inside of your cheek and frowned. Part of you didn't care what people thought you wanted to be with Felix and you were happy but another part of you was scared that people would think you were a liar and that maybe Nali was right about you even though you had proved at the time she wasn't.

“You don't have to worry about that, I swear no one will say anything” Seungmin interjected sympathetically, his hand reaching out to squeeze your forearm. Besides, do you really think that Felix won't punch on if someone insults you? Shit I'll join in too”.

“I would prefer that there were no fights” you rolled your eyes remembering the first time you had met Felix had been due to Seungmin losing a fight.

“Well I won't be getting in any fights, blood would ruin my outfit” Jeongin smirked, not reassuring you at all as he got up to put his cup in the sink.

“Boys.” you sighed heavily, your sarcasm obvious while trying not to smile as you too moved to put your dishes in the sink. “I’ll be in my room if you need me”.

Retreating to your room you sat at your small desk and woke up your laptop, you really should get a little bit more studying in before the final weekend of the break actually hit you and you would need to figure out which tests you could show to your parents without them realizing you had over exaggerated now much work you needed to get done before the starting week of the new semester. An hour passed before you stopped to stare at the screen, your grades were high, your scores were damn good and your lowest grade would be an A- even if you missed a few of the graded minor papers that would be required in the next 10 weeks but you knew that would not be enough for them. 

Lix, Do you really think I could change my degree? Would the university inform anyone if I did?

You typed quickly, still not totally comfortable to just call in case he was still sleeping. When you went back to the University portal and left your academic outcomes you clicked on the link giving you information about changing majors, degrees or doctorates scanning the pages for what the most negative outcome would be for you. With the grades you had in the mathematical side you would be pretty much level in that aspect of the change but you would have to add a whole extra year to be able to achieve the design grades for you to be able to graduate. 

You want to change to architecture? That’s great baby I’m so proud of you x

The uni wouldn’t tell anyone unless it fucked up your scholarship. But I will help you figure it out, my super smart baby.

Your stomach dropped, your scholarship, how could you forget something so important the only reason you could attend was that scholarship and if it jeopardized that there was no way you could even afford to attend university anymore let alone add a year to change your career. Taking a couple of deep breaths you picked up your phone and dialed Felix if he answered he was awake at least. It only rang once before his deep albeit croaky voice filled your ear.

“Morning baby” he answered, sounding slightly groggy.

“Did I wake you Lix? I’m sorry” you pouted apologetically, your cursor hovering over the button leading to the contact of the administration about how they could help you.

“Nah I’ve been awake for a while, just had a late night “you could hear the smile in his voice “you want to change your degree? That’s a huge deal baby I’m proud of you”.

“I want to, I want to be able to do what I want in my life” you admitted the heat climbing up your neck as he snickered quietly.

“Do what you want hey? Like sneaking off and getting a boyfriend?” you could almost see the smug face you knew he was pulling. “Going on dates and partying?”.

“Something like that” you mumbled feeling shy “but only if it doesn’t mess up my scholarship”.

“We can sort that out if it comes to it but it might not” Felix reassured you, the sound of fabric moving was distracting you slightly.

“What are you doing? I can hear all this moving” you asked trying to distract Felix from provoking you any further.

“I’m still in bed baby, just looking at the view, wishing you were here and as half dressed as I am” he teased huskily, making the blood rush not only to your face in embarrassment but also far lower on your anatomy.

“I’m hanging up now” you groaned, placing your other hand on your cheek to cool it down.

“No baby don’t go I’m just playing I promise” he protested sincerely “There is a party tonight do you want to come with me? Did you want to come over here since they guys will be going and we could hang out”.

“I have work this afternoon so If you want to go you should I can text you if I’m going and we can decide then. I don’t want to pull you away from all your fun to have a boring night with me” you smiled honestly not minding at all Felix had proved you could trust him after all.

“I would rather have fun with you than go to a party and spend the night thinking about you” Felix admitted, clearing his throat softly as soon as the words left his mouth, his words making you feel warm all over. 

“Alright Lix, I’ll talk to you later” you whispered, turning your attention back to your screen to click on the email template for making an appointment to change up your degree.

“You will baby” Felix answered making a small kiss noise before hanging up leaving you feeling flustered all over again. Giggling breathily you had to admit he was a massive flirt when he wanted to be and he flustered you so easily it was almost pathetic.

Filling out all your details and your questions about changing from accounting to architecture and whether that would affect your finances and scholarship you hit send and hoped that you would get an answer before the start of classes. Checking the time you got yourself ready for work, when you finally emerged from your solitude you found Seungmin and Jeongin booting up the game console in the lounge so they could play something while you went to get a snack.

“Guys I’m thinking about doing something drastic and I want your opinion” you announced flopping onto the other couch to watch them play.

“Is it drastically stupid like sleeping with Felix? Or is it drastic like quitting your job?” Seungim asked jokingly, not looking at you.

“I’m thinking of changing my degree” you confessed, making Jeongin drop his controller and Seungmin hit pause immediately so they could both gawk at you.

“You're dropping out of accounting?” Jeongin blinked at you confused.

“Well I’d change from accounting to something I would rather do, since being an accountant is what my parents wanted me to be” you explained carefully.

“What would you change it to?” Seungmin asked, perplexed that you were going to give up a degree you were working so hard on.

“Architecture, that’s what I wanted to do” you continued the corners of your lips turning upward as you watched their confusion melt away into encouraging smiles.

“You should do it, shouldn’t she Seung? You should follow the career you want” Jeongin nodded excitedly, elbowing Seungmin.

“Fuck yeah you should” Seungmin grinned “If it will make you happy then do it you would be incredible at it”.

“Even if it means I would have to move back into the dorms because I couldn’t pay to live here anymore? Even if it means a whole extra year added to my studies? Even if it means my scholarship might be in jeopardy?” you stressed each question falling as rapidly as gunfire from your lips.

“Yes” Seungmin nodded earnestly “Absolutely”.

“Your so smart and have such good grades you could probably get another scholarship or even a full ride one so you wouldn’t have to worry about your parents anymore at all” Jeongin’s eyes lit up as he thought up ideas for how to work around any obstacles “You wouldn’t need to move we could totally cover your rent for a while anyway until you either got a better job than the coffee shop or you started getting Study Aid payments”.

“You couldn’t do that Innie! I wouldn’t let you” you insisted back gently not wanting to sound ungrateful for his support but also not willing to take advantage of him.

“We could and we would” Seungmin shrugged “But that is getting way ahead of ourselves anyway”. Easily dismissing the idea before it could become a proper issue between you all “We would only need to worry about that if it came to it”.

“So I guess don’t think it's a stupid idea then?” you sighed feeling like it mustn’t be that far fetched if the smartest of your friends thought it wasn’t dumb.

“It’s a great idea, you should talk to Han about it. He changed his degree after only half a semester when he first started because he realized he hated what he had chosen” Jeongin added, picking up his controller again.

“I’ll even say dating a man whore isn’t a dumb idea if he gets you to make decisions about doing things that you want to do for your life instead of living for your parents” Seungmin waggled his eyebrows at you.

“Seung fuck off” you grumbled thowing a cushion at him and going to make a coffee “I could have way stupider ideas like telling my parents I want to change career options…. Or dating Minho”.

You had been at work for a little over an hour when you noticed Changbin and Chan wander in, each giving you a little wave before grabbing a seat in the back corner of the cafe still deep in their own conversation. From your spot behind the coffee machine you could see that it seemed to be a serious chat between the two of them with Changbin looking slightly annoyed at whatever Chan was saying but your attention instantly turned to the register when you heard Han’s voice ordering their drinks. He moved over towards the end of the counter where you were working leaning casually against the wood countertop.

“Hey, you still up for dinner with the three of us tomorrow?” He greeted you energetically while watching you steam another jug of milk.

“Of course, unless you have more exciting plans” you giggled watching him start bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

“Nope, getting to hang out with you without Seung and Innie is a treat we will not pass up” Han informed you with an overly dramatic wink.

“I’ll bring your drinks over to you. I'm due my first break by then” you smiled gesturing him to go and sit down, which he did joining back into their conversation. You made the four drinks Han had ordered, confused about the fourth but still, but took them over all the same after slipping off your apron and grabbing your phone. One of your other coworkers had already delivered the food that Han had ordered and they were already picking at a basket of fries by the time you got to the table

“The last ones for you before you ask” Han interrupted your thoughts making you huff out a small laugh on your way to put the tray back on the counter before joining them again.

“So where are we going for dinner and what time?” you asked, looking between them for answers. 

“The new fancy burger place a few blocks from here and what time do you finish?” Changbin replied, taking his first sip of coffee and closing his eyes to enjoy it “God I needed coffee”.

“Happy to provide it” you nodded and I’ll be finished at 7 tomorrow” you smiled.

“Oh we will meet you here then if you like, you don’t need to get changed, it's just a burger place” Chan stated easily “unless you want to go home and change, in which case I’ll pick you up from the apartment if that’s better for you?”.

“I’m not making you drive to my place and get me since it’s the opposite direction Chan” you sighed “but I will go home and change. I'm too clumsy to stay perfectly clean for a whole shift”.

“Easy We will pick you up at 7:45 then” Chan grinned, making Han laugh and you roll your eyes.

“None of us are letting you walk that far after it's gotten dark” Changbin smirked, “just let him win”.

“Fine you win! 7:45 at the apartment then” you groaned playfully while drinking the iced coffee Han had so generously ordered for you.  

“There is a party that the others are all heading to that we were thinking about hitting tonight” Han added meeting your eyes “It will be larger than the last one but we will look after you, even get the manwhores in on it inbetween their slutty behaviors”.

“I’ll think about it” you relented knowing that you would end up going because you were feeling that it was greedy to steal Felix away from his friends constantly. “Oh! Changbin I forgot Hana asked me to give you her number if you were remotely interested” you looked at him happily to change the topic of conversation.

“Hana? Do I know a Hana?” Changbin narrowed his eyes and poked the tip of his tongue out between his lips as he thought hard about who this mystery girl was.

“She’s the coworker who thought you were cute the other day” you giggled making him relax as Han and Chan chuckled at him.

“Oh yeah you said that, sure” he shrugged, opening his phone for you to add her details.

“It’s only if you want though I didn’t promise her anything” you added as you saved her number and slid his phone back to him.

“Changbin has had his eye on someone but I think he may have figured out it’s one-sided” Han teased mercilessly, picking up several fries and shoving them in his mouth as Changbin glared at him.

“Not like he did anything about it so how would she even have known?” Chan added snickering as the flush that was forming on Changbin’s cheeks deepened.

“Don’t listen to them if she knows but doesn’t act on it she is dumb” you smiled sweetly at Changbin hoping to make him feel better “But if she doesn’t know that’s on you big guy because I’m sure you’re a catch”.

“Yeah I was slow on it and she’s interested in someone else I’m pretty sure, but Hana was pretty but I’m not sure if she’s your friend you have shown you have poor taste” Changbin retorted but smiled at you regardless.

“Wow. I mean sure blame me for the fact that the man whore’s caused problems” you spluttered jokingly. “Especially since pretty much all my friends are your friends too. What does that say about you?”. 

“So are any of you going to tell me who the girl was or am I going to have to guess?” you smirked remembering that Seungmin had flippantly told you that Changbin would be crushed by the news of your dating status change.

“Umm… that isn’t important but I have heard a strange rumor from Minho” Han butted in, raising his eyebrows at you.

“Oh yeah and what would that be?” you tried sounding sarcastic but it instead sounded flat, you knew that Minho must have already started dropping hints to the others hoping to catch you out.

“Apparently that hoodie you wore to our place wasn’t yours, apparently it belongs to a guy” he smirked, taking a sip of his coffee and looking straight at you.

“So this juicy rumor is that I borrowed a hoodie?” you replied dryly, pursing your lips to contain the laugh that was trying to escape you.

“When you say it like that it doesn’t sound as suspicious” Han whined admitting his defeat by shoving some more fries in his mouth and grumbling around them.

“But ok then I admit it, it wasn’t my hoodie” you chuckled watching him sulk as Chan raised his eyebrows ready to question you again but you cut him off by standing up and grabbing your almost finished drink. “My break is over, I'll see you later”. 

Going back behind the counter and putting your apron back on you quickly let Felix know what you were doing, he could be the one to decide how public your dating would be and you would just go with it.

Lix I think I want to go to the party tonight xx

Not waiting for an answer you began making more coffees for the orders that had come in during the changeover between your break and your co workers. Hoping the rest of the shift wouldn’t drag on too much and that Chan didn’t come over to ask you any more questions.

I’ll pick you up baby. 

Fuck I’ve missed you I hope you don’t mind if I can’t keep my hands off you.

Unless you don’t want me too ;)

Blood rushed to your cheeks as his messages came in one after the other making you feel almost dizzy, you mentally slapped yourself and tried desperately to concentrate on work.

You rushed home after your shift to give you time to get ready, Seungmin was showering when you got in so you passed his room completely before knocking on Jeongin's door.

"What's up?" he questioned, opening the door for you but going instantly back to his bed where he was putting together possible outfits for the night.

"Innie you have a far better fashion sense than me. Can I get some advice?" you grimaced knowing he was going to either tease you or complain about your entire wardrobe.

"Are you coming with us tonight?" his eyes widened excitedly. “Do you need my help to make you look hot for your new boyfriend?”.

"I was going to go with you but if you’re going to tease me all night I won’t. I thought I should ask you for help because maybe I should look at least a little bit nicer. Especially since it will be the first time I'm at a frat party with Felix, and I don't actually know IF he's even going to acknowledge that we are together in public yet. But I don't want him to be disappointed that I didn't make an effort to look nice and not embarrass him" you rambled until you almost ran out of breath leaving Jeongin looking at you like you were unintentionally hilarious but that he understood your concerns so he was trying really hard not to laugh at you.

"Felix doesn’t care how you dress, obviously, and I’m sure he would never be embarrassed by you either'' Jeongin shook his head letting a small giggle escape his throat.

“Thank you Innie” you sighed heavily, chewing on your lip as he looked you over. 

"Come on let's see what I can do with your terrible closet" he sighed dramatically walking out of his room and towards yours while you huffed and followed him dragging your feet. Jeongin basically emptied your entire wardrobe looking at everything you owned frowning, sighing, rolling his eyes and then frowning again.

"We are going shopping after this" he grumbled putting his hand up towards you without even looking at you "that is a statement not a request your clothes are tragic".

"I'm not going to be taking up partying Innie" you sulked instantly realizing how much of your savings he would insist you blow on clothes that were unimportant anyway since you might not be able to afford them later.

"Stop thinking so hard" Seungmin smirked from the doorway no doubt hearing the conversation while he was getting dressed. "He won't let you pay for it so you might as well make it easier for yourself".

"So do I have anything worthy of wearing or should I just stay home so I don't cause you a lifetime of shame for being seen with me?" you whined as Jeongin held out his hands with a large black lump of fabric in it.

"This skirt and top with a pair of tights, black preferably but your lace once would work too, with your boots and I will lend you a jacket if you promise not to get it filthy" he smiled pleased with his decision.

"Alright if you are sure'' you nodded, smiling relieved as you were not sure if you would regret this but at least Jeongin deemed this to be enough to not embarrass yourself in public. Jeongin left your room shoving Seungmin playfully as he passed, letting the door swing shut behind him. Pondering your decision one last time you pulled your shirt over your head and started undoing your jeans.

"Wear a nice bra too, would you" Jeongin yelled through the door making you jump.

"Innie!" you screamed feeling both panicked and annoyed at his audacity, you heard him laugh again as you begrudgingly followed his instructions and found a nicer bra to put on instead of the plain pale blue one you had on. You were annoyed when you looked at yourself in the mirror and realized he had been right, even down to the bra, you did look considerably better than you usually looked even when you tried to look pretty but you were never going to admit that. The black top clung to you in a flattering way and the skirt fell just past your mid thigh. Your black tights gave you a little more cover and you knew your boots would make it look casual enough to not look overdressed. Scrunching up your face you went into the bathroom to touch up your makeup and finish getting ready.

Going back into the lounge you were not expecting to find both of your roommates waiting for you to show them your outfit but both nodded approvingly as you carried your combat boots out with you.

“I would say I have excelled given how boring your clothes are” Jeongin poked fun at you again while motioning for you to turn around so he could see the full outfit.

“Pretty” Seungmin smiled before looking down at his phone “Should we grab something on the way or order in?”.

“Order in” you suggested going into the kitchen to look what there may have been in the fridge to snack on.

“Easy, did you want a lift with us? Is Felix coming to get you?” Seungmin continued tapping away on his phone ordering whatever it was he wanted.

“He said he would pick me up” you called your head still in the fridge frowning because you were sure it had only been a few days since Jeongin had been shopping and there was hardly any food left. You could hear them bickering about how how much tteokbokki to order on the side so when the buzzer for the lobby doors sounded you knew you would need to answer it, pressing the button you couldn’t help the smile that graced your lips when you saw Felix, who blew you a kiss, in the video screen. 

“I’ve ordered” Seungmin called down the hall going back to whatever he was doing before you left your room. A soft knock drew your attention straight back to the door which you tried not to wrench open too quickly.

“Shit baby” Felix whistled looking you up and down before stepping inside and pulling you into his arms to kiss you gently “you look too good”. You shyly buried your head into his shoulder, slapping him softly on his shoulder.

“Come in we're just waiting on some food so the boys don’t get annihilated again” you took his hand and led him down the hallway only to stop as soon as you entered the lounge room unsure if you should be holding Felix’s hand or if that was considered too childish.

“Hey Felix” Seungmin nodded, grabbing his game controller. “Want a match before we leave?” 

 “You mean you want me to beat you before we go out? Odd form of foreplay but whatever” Felix smirked, stepping around you and going over to the couch where Seungmin was already loading whatever game he wanted to play.

“Here I said I would give you a jacket” Jeongin smiled, handing you a black and white leather varsity jacket. You just smiled gratefully placing it on the dining table beside your purse not noticing that Felix kept sneaking glances at you or that Seungmin was fully taking advantage of that to take out Felix’s character earning a loud shout from him.

After eating the four of you left for the party your nerves start to wreak havoc with your thoughts as you squeeze into the back of the Uber between Jeongin and Felix, the latter wrapping his arm around your shoulders to keep you tucked against him. Pulling up to the house you could see just how many people were milling around in the front yard and on the porch you subconsciously wrapped Jeongin’s jacket around yourself tighter as you stepped from the car. You had been told by several of the guys that it was going to be a far larger party than the last one but you hadn’t really registered how much bigger until Felix wrapped his arms around you from behind kissing your ear.

“I’m with you, nothing will happen” the feeling of his warm breath on your sensitive skin made you shiver letting him take your hand and interlace your fingers to lead you inside to find your mutual friends.

“Finally Lix! Minho has already fucked off and I need a wingman for that set of twins I met last week” Hyunjin called over the thumping bass.

“Yeah Nah” Felix laughed, making it through the last line of people and moving you in front of him, his arms around your waist again.

“Fuck me you’re at another party! Minho owes me” Hyunjin cackled, not even looking disappointed that Felix turned him down.

“Woah, woah, woah. What the fuck is this?” Han spat a mouthful of beer out barely missing covering Changbin with a mist of beer.

“Hi guys” you waved, not sure if your voice was loud enough to be heard over the music. At Felix’s urging you moved between the guys and the coffee table to the couch that sat at the back of the room, Felix sat pulling you into his lap letting you get comfortable so you could see everyone, his hands finding their place on your hips.

“So this is new” Chan blinked, returning with another armful of beers from somewhere.

“Um yeah, it is” you smiled unsure of how to answer Chan since although you were together you hadn’t really announced anything.

“Felix” Changbin warned, sounding annoyed but also wary.

“Her roomies know and they are ok with it, so don’t start” Felix groaned.

“I can make my own decisions guys” you interrupted “and I am literally right here” you rolled your eyes as Seungmin returned with a plastic cup handing it to you.

“It’s lemonade and I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?” he grinned looking back towards some girl you assumed before disappearing into the crowd again.

“Congratulations are in order then” Han smiled tilting his bottle towards you.

Talking turned into taking the piss and the drunker the guys all got the funnier they were, Seungmin had slinked back to join you all looking far more disheveled than he needed to be with a fresh hickey on his neck and a deep blush that flared up as soon as Changbin mentioned it. Hyunjin disappeared and didn’t return because you assume he had managed to convince the twins to give him a shot without help and Minho finally appeared looking like the cat that got the cream. 

“You know” Minho started a conspiratorial smirk plastered on his face “I think if one of you knocked on the last bedroom door upstairs Hyunjin might need a hand” he put his hands up as though it was an innocent suggestion. “Just saying”. You could feel the rumble of laughter that rumbled through Felix’s ribcage into your back from where you sat on his lap as Han lept from the couch and took off with a tipsy crooked run that it was either going to be a good night for him or an utter disaster. 

You felt more and more comfortable the longer you sat listening to them talk and watching people come and go, you could still feel eyes burning into you now and then as though people couldn’t believe that you were sitting in Felix’s lap for so long with him seemingly completely happy with it. Finally you needed to move so you could pee, making your way through the throngs of drunk people you made your way upstairs to the bathroom avoiding as many couples hooking up in the hallways and behind closed doors as possible. Waiting behind a group of girls to use the bathroom you heard them gossiping. You tried to tune them out, frowning as one of them blew smoke all over you not even noticing you were there, you rolled your eyes as you watched them share a horrible neon pink drink that looked like it would glow in the dark, you still didn’t like parties.  When you returned downstairs to where you had left the guys you found there was only Jeongin still sitting and waiting for you looking a little worse for wear.

“Aw Innie, do I need to get you home?” you giggled patting his hair before he got up swaying slightly under the influence of the alcohol.

“Maybe” he laughed, grabbing your jacket and pulling you along until you were on the back porch almost causing the two of you to fall over the threshold. “I found her” he sang, holding your arm up like a prize. 

“Here I thought Seungmin was the puppy” Changbin roared laughing as Seungmin tried to kick his shins and failed miserably.

“Baby, did you want to go?” Felix asked, an unlit cigarette dangling from his fingers. 

“I think Innie needs to go home and by the looks of it Seung too” you sighed as Seungmin frowned, still pointing at Changbin. “You can stay, it's fine”.

“Nah if you leave I leave simple as that” Felix grinned tucking the cigarette behind Minho’s ear as he stepped around Chan to get to you, his fingertips sliding under the seam of your top. “Besides I’ll get us a cab”.

“Are you sure?” you pushed gently as he tucked his phone away “I don’t want to ruin your fun”.

“You will never ruin my fun baby” he smirked, pulling you against him and kissing you deeply to the cheers of the guys around you which only made you hide your face in his chest.

A/N: I'm sorry that it was a fairly slow chapter but thanks for sticking with me all the same I will try to update this more frequently but I'll have to see how I go. Love you all to bits xxx

Taglist (open): @christopher-bangnaldoskzz @armystay89 @damnyouficc @roamingpolar @bakedlilgoonie @shiy @is2cb97 @beautifulixr @skyhold-tara @army-stay-noel @skizzel-reblogs @facelesswrittes @animehideout @mrsseals16 @honey-pop @fawnpeaks @leeknowinggg @uno7 @seungminluv3 @obeythemasters @tanzen-ist-gold @thicccurls @juskz @3rachasninja @reiheis @partyparty-yah @leeknowyah @warren-thedarkangel @highlydestiny

[obihoebikenobi]

Poolverine Series: to gain true love, one must first lose their wolvirginity, i don't make the rules

By: obihoebikenobi, 23.6K as of September 13th, 2024

It's a love story baby just get fucked. Logan and Wade's love story, written in somewhat disconnected parts.

I descended into Poolverine hell and wrote a 20K and counting series about these two fuckers. Featuring: softness, migraines, love confessions, domesticity, and fucking. All that good shit.

See summaries, relevant tags, ratings, and links to all fics on ao3 below.

PART 1: i wanna hold your hand (and colossal dick, eventually), 3.5K

Rating: M

Tags: alcohol withdrawl, vomiting, literally sharing a bed, bathing/washing

“Fuck you, Wade.” “If only,” Wade said, trailing a finger over a seam on the quilt with feigned yearning, “I long for the day you allow me the pleasure of ravishing your raw skin-saber, maybe with a side of penetration–” “The only thing I’ll be penetrating is your eye sockets with these,” Logan flashed his claws, “If you so much as speak to me while we are still in this bed tomorrow morning.” “Joke's on you, I will gladly and enthusiastically take any form of penetration, in existing or fresh new holes, as long as it’s from you, Peanut.” Logan’s head pounded, but he wasn’t sure if it was from Wade’s persistent blabbering, or the fact that the last of the alcohol was wearing off. “Go the fuck to sleep.” Logan downed the last sip of vodka and willed his body to cooperate. Withdrawal was a bitch. (one pull-out couch, two bitches, vomiting, and the works, now with fucking in part two!)

PART 2: a little bit more than hand holding, 2.7K

Rating: E

Tags: wade is obsessed with dicks, bottom wade, little bit of praise kink, logan just wants a kissi

“Oh so that’s your horny face then? Watery eyes, clenched teeth? Nothing hotter than a tortured poet with a heart of gold who cries during sex.” “Wade–” “If that’s horny I’d love to see your O-face–” Wade threw an arm over his forehead, gasping. “Can you just shut the fuck up for one goddamn second, asshole?” Logan dared a sharp glance in Wade’s direction, finding him sitting perfectly still with a pleasant smile painted across his face. The smug piece of shit knew Logan wanted him. Logan cleared his throat, “Now that I have your attention,” he started, earning a snort from Wade, “So we’re clear, the more words that come out of your mouth, the more likely I’m going to sleep early and no one's getting fucked.”   (wade loses his wolvirginity)

PART 3: lesser of two evils, right?, 7.5K

Rating: E

Tags: sub logan (kinda), crying during sex, soft, rimming, angst, praise kink

“When you’re done being a bitter little bitch, I’m offering you a massage, of the non-dick variety. Because I am a nice person.” It was, indeed, surprisingly nice. Logan stared at him, hating himself for actually wanting the fucking massage, because he sure as shit shouldn’t have wanted it. “I’m going to take that blank, lifeless stare as a hell yeah. So take off your shirt and come with daddy,” Wade pointed toward the bedroom expectantly, lips drawn into a wide smile. “Don’t call yourself that again. Ever.” What a little shit. (logan gets migraines, but also gets a massage, and an orgasm. it's a lot.)

PART 4: holding hands (gone sexual), 5.3K

Rating: E

Tags: discussion of consent and logan's past issues, insecure logan, bottom logan, domestic fluff, love confessions, praise kink

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” Oh for fuck’s sake. Logan probably shouldn’t have stopped considering throwing himself in a meat grinder– “Have I died in my sleep? Is this yet another whimsical dream where I have a house husband to take care of my every need and whim whilst I labor away every fucking single day, with so little appreciation, just to feed our child–” “Shut the fuck up,” Logan muttered, feeling the stain of red warmth over his cheeks. “I don’t know what I have done to deserve this, Peanut, but I am so fucking turned on right now. I might come in my pants. That happens when people are nice to me.” “Wade, it’s waffles–” “Don’t be a kink-shamer, baby girl. Benevolence and breakfast foods get me going. Don’t even get me started on sausages.” (logan explores his feelings with wade, makes waffles for wade, gets fucked by wade, falls in love...with wade)

PART 5: and they were boyfriends (and roomates), 4.4K

Rating: E

Tags: love confessions, insecure logan, drinking to cope, angst and hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort

“I’m good.” For whatever reason, Wade apparently took that as an invitation to sit down next to him, and Logan growled, moving over so they weren’t touching. Wade shivered, scoffing at him, and kicking Logan’s foot. “Clearly not, Peanut. You’ve smoked a week’s wage of cigs in three hours and I’m fairly certain you’re still not unfucked up from all that cheap-ass donkey piss you call whiskey.” Logan was seconds, maybe milliseconds, from punching him in the fucking face–with claws–but he held back, knowing Wade only thrived on retaliation. “What’s it matter to you?” The words felt sour on his tongue and he practically spat them in Wade’s direction. “Well,” Wade took a deep breath, “I’m probably the reason–scratch that–I’m definitely the reason you’re clearly not good.” (wade takes a mid love-confession job, logan drinks about it. cue angst. subsequently, boyfriendship.)

[jujumin-translates]

Event | 7th Anniversary: All Actors Aboard! | Chapter 4: VELUDO STATION MEMORY ✕ Itaru Chigasaki

Itaru: …Oh, I’m so done for.

Chikage: In what sense?

Itaru: Probably in all senses.

Chikage: Good work. Company presentation or something?

Itaru: Bingo. It’s been a while since I’ve brought something like this home with me, but I didn’t think it’d be this much of a pain in the ass…

Itaru: And tomorrow’s meeting is first thing in the morning. Agh and it’s already this late… I wonder how many hours of sleep I’ll be able to get.

Chikage: Haven’t you spent countless sleepless nights up gaming?

Itaru: Apples and oranges.

Chikage: If you’re too sleepy, maybe you should take the train instead of driving.

Itaru: Can’t you just drive me, Senpai?

Chikage: Unfortunately, I have to go straight to a client.

Itaru: You’ve got to be kidding me… ughh…

Itaru: Guess there’s no avoiding it, I’ll take the train. I’ll actually end up in an accident in this condition.

Chikage: Then you’d better get going early. It was pretty rough this morning because there was another delay today.

Itaru: Huh. You took the train this morning, Senpai? Why bother with something like that?

Chikage: I knew the train was going to be delayed, so I called a cab before things got too crowded.

Itaru: What a cheat code…

Chikage: It’s not a cheat code, you’d know that if you gathered some real-time information.

Itaru: Well, yeah, that works too, I guess.

Itaru: (That reminds me, Senpai’s helped me out like this before…)

*Flashback*

Itaru: (Today’s the one day that the parking lot at the client’s office isn’t available.)

Itaru: (Well, it’s not that far from Veludo Town, so I guess taking the train isn’t so bad sometimes.)

Itaru: (Umm, transfers… damn, that’s complicated. Who knew there’d be so many different ways to get there.)

Itaru: (I’ve been part of MANKAI Company for a while now, and the only thing I’m still not used to is transferring trains.)

Itaru: (It’d be best to take the most straightforward route rather than the one with a bunch of odd transfers.)

Itaru: …Huh.

Itaru: (The train wouldn’t arrive on time. Are they running late?)

*Footsteps*

Itaru: ?

Chikage: Hey, what a coincidence to run into you here.

Itaru: ! Senpai?

Itaru: (Why is he here… maybe he lives around here or something.)

Itaru: Good morning.

Chikage: Good morning. How odd. I thought you said you always drive to work.

Itaru: I have a client to visit. Taking the train was much more convenient.

Chikage: Oh, I see.

Chikage: By the way, you’re part of a theater company around you, aren’t you, Chigasaki?

Itaru: Um, well, sort of. The company’s dormitory is around here, so I came from there.

Chikage: I see…

Itaru: And you, Senpai?

Chikage: I just happened to be getting off for a transfer. I had some business to take care of in this area too.

Itaru: (So both of us have got it rough, huh.)

Announcement: “The train is arriving.”

Itaru: Ah, finally. Well then…

Chikage: Chigasaki.

Itaru: Yes?

Chikage: It’s a bit out of the way, but you should get off at the station two stops ahead and then transfer.

Chikage: If you transfer at the station before that, you’ll be flooded with delays and transfers.

Itaru: Huh?

Announcement: “The doors are closing.”

Chikage: …

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Itaru: (Senpai’s smiling and waving.)

Itaru: (There’s no way that delay information was available yet in the transfer search.)

Announcement: “The train service is currently experiencing a delay of approximately ten minutes. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Announcement: “We will inform you of any transfers ahead.”

Itaru: (Damn. …Guess I’ll have to contact Senpai and thank him for the help.)

*Flashback end*

Itaru: (At the time, I was really grateful for the help, but at the same time, I wanted to know how he knew so much about the state of the trains in and around Veludo Station.)

Itaru: (But now that I think about it, it must’ve been because Senpai was trying to get information about MANKAI Company out of me--.)

Chikage: …What is it?

Itaru: No, it’s nothing.

Itaru: (Figures, I could never ask him that.)

Itaru: Ughh… I’m getting depressed just thinking about work tomorrow.

Chikage: Everything going okay with the other thing?

Itaru: What other thing?

Chikage: The article for the web edition of “VELUDO”.

Itaru: Oh, that. Didn’t even get a chance to start thinking about it. My head’s been full of nothing but company documents lately.

Itaru: (But maybe the memory I was just thinking about could be a good source of content, even if I’ve gotta leave out some parts.)

Itaru: It’s okay. I’ve decided on something.

Chikage: That was fast. At least for you, Chigasaki.

Itaru: Nah, it was nothing. Even I can do this sorta thing right, can’t I?

Chikage: Right, right, I suppose.

Itaru: But I only just came up with the idea. So I’m gonna need a little more time to work out the details.

Chikage: Oh?

Itaru: By the way, make sure to read it when the article is published in “VELUDO”.

Chikage: If I feel like it.

Itaru: (Well, figures he’d say that.)

Itaru: Mnngh… haah… Let’s see if I can do my best tomorrow~...

Chikage: …What time are you done tomorrow?

Itaru: I plan to come home on time. I’m going to bed. …Actually, lemme event grind a bit and collect some login bonuses.

Chikage: Good luck with that.

Chikage: And I can pick you up on my way home.

Itaru: Huh!? But I thought you were going to a client’s office, Senpai--.

Chikage: It’s nothing, I never said I was taking the train, did I?

Itaru: Senpai… my lord and savior?

Chikage: You owe me one, though.

Itaru: Grrhg… a price to pay, as always…

Itaru: (But Senpai’s lending me a hand again. And this time it wasn’t for the sake of trying to get info, it’s just Chikage-san’s kindness.)

Itaru: (And this time, I’m going to take advantage of the never-upfront-about-his-feelings Senpai’s kindness.)

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Dating Tangerine Would Include

You would meet in between jobs. Probably out at a bar. 

Tangerine would be relieving some stress. 

And he’d spot you almost immediately.

He’d come up to you. All suave and charming. 

And you would not buy into it.

‘Is that supposed to impress me?’ ‘Well…yeah.’ ‘Well, you need to try harder.’ ‘Is that so?’  

But he’s always one for a challenge. 

And after a few drinks [all paid for by him] you’d actually quite like him. 

It didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes.

Your first kiss would be outside the bar as he put you in a taxi home.

And he’d text you the next day. He didn’t know why. And he’d convince himself that once he got his leg over he’d be done with you.

But he found that he liked speaking to you. A lot. 

And when you finally went on that first date he wanted to impress you.

He’d buy rob you a bouquet. He’d pay for dinner. 

But he’d respect you when you ended the date with little more than a kiss. 

And on the second date the same. 

Then you’d invite him to have a dinner date at your house. But you wouldn't get very far with dinner. 

He’d know what he was doing. 

You’d end up eating pizza in bed and talking about everything.

And in the morning he wouldn't want to leave. And he didn't know why. 

You’d spend most of your time together. 

He’d become a permanent fixture at your house.

Eventually, he’d have to leave. And that would bum you both out. 

‘I’ll call you as soon as we get there.’ ‘Promise?’ ‘Yes darlin’ I promise.’ ‘Atta boy.’ 

He calls you every night from the road. 

And as soon as they’re done he’s booked a flight home and he’s all over you like a rash. 

You’d know a little about his lifestyle. But not everything. 

He wanted to save you the horrors. 

And what you did know you would worry about. 

But you’d definitely chastise him for stealing. 

‘You better have paid for that.’ ‘I did….what?! I did I swear.’ 

After a while together he’d let you and Lemon meet. 

You were the most important people in his life and he was worried the pair of you wouldn't get along. 

But of course you do. 

Because you both love winding him up. 

When that vein in his neck’s popping you know you’ve succeeded. 

Pretty soon they’re both around your house all the time. 

You love your weekends together. Cooking for them, watching the football together, and movie nights.

There’s a stark contrast between the life he’s living. 

And that scares the hell out of him. 

And seeing him broken and bruised scares the hell out of you. 

‘It’s worse than it looks.’ ‘It looks like you got pummelled by ten men….wait-’ ‘It wasn’t that many.’ ‘For fucks sake.’

He doesn't want to lose you. But he doesn't know how he can continue on this path. 

So he tentatively broaches Lemon about leaving the game.

He’s shocked but he understands. 

And they agree that it’s time to slow down at least if not get out completely. 

And he’d ask you to marry him. 

You’d agree right away. 

A small do because he doesn’t have a lot of friends and Lemon’s his only family. 

Except you are now too. And that’s something he loves.

THIS IS PART OF MY CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE. I’LL BE POSTING AN IMAGINE EVERDAY FROM 1ST - 25TH DECEMBER. THIS AND ALL IMAGINES WILL BE UPLOADED IN THE LINK POSTED DAY BY DAY.

ADVENT CALENDAR OF IMAGINES

[rainbowsandwhumperflies]

The Winged Servant - 5

cws: multiple whumpers mentioned (only one doing actual whumping here), winged whumpee, electrocution by shock collar, royal whumper, mentions of restricting food, accidental self-harm, let me know if I missed anything!

masterlist

“Honestly, I feel like just letting you skip dinner would be a better fitting punishment.” I did my best to keep my wings from shaking while Prince Ryan tightened the collar by one notch. “You were late giving her food, so your food is restricted. Natural consequences and all that. But you know how she is about corporal punishment. And since she’s the one you messed up in front of, she gets to decide.”

He fiddled with the remote, presumably changing the settings so that it would hurt more. I would not shake. I needed to be able to stay composed.

“You’re getting three shocks. One for each minute you were late. Does that seem fair?”

“I will accept whatever punishment you see as fit, Your Highness.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I know you will.”

The first shock wasn’t bad. I arched my back and gasped a little, but it was almost the same as the shocks that woke me up every morning.

The second shock would be worse. That was how it worked—the shock was a bit stronger every time. The worst part wasn’t the actual shock, though. No, the worst part was waiting for the next one and not being sure when it would come. I closed my eyes so that I couldn’t stare at the remote, waiting for the shock to hit. I took a slow breath, and-

Fuck.

A strangled noise escaped my throat, and I bit down on my fist to keep any more sound from getting out. I bit until I tasted blood, trying not to sway, before I finally dropped my hand back to my side. “Sorry, I- My apologies. Your Highness.”

“You’re good. You can make noise if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Mm. You wanna sit down for the third one? Your legs already look pretty shaky, and the last one is always the worst."

Had they always been this bad? Before I’d been properly trained, I’d had to sit through ten, getting worse at every level, and here I was with shaky legs at the second level.

“I need an answer, Onyx. It’s not like I electrocuted you enough to kill your vocal chords.”

“My apologies, Your Highness. I’ll- yeah, I’ll sit down. Thank you for offering.”

Her Majesty liked it when I was graceful. Prince Ryan wasn’t as particular, which was good, because I wasn’t sure how much gracefulness I had left in me as I collapsed to my knees. Tears pricked at the edges of my eyes, and I took a slow breath. Crying wouldn’t help me right now. Crying would probably make everything worse, because I’d already been told not to. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe-

Fuck fuck fuck that fucking hurts fuck.

It took a moment for my eyes to focus on Prince Ryan’s face in front of me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d kept my eyes closed or if the shock had been bad enough to mess with my eyesight, but it didn’t really matter.

“Breathe,” Prince Ryan told me, pulling the collar off. “You’ve done this before. You’re okay.” I nodded, trying to stay focused, and he tilted my chin up, making sure there wasn’t any damage that would last. “You did such a good job.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” My voice was slightly raspy. Had I screamed during the last shock? I didn’t remember screaming, but that didn’t mean much.

“It’s been awhile since you’ve had this particular punishment, hasn’t it?” Prince Ryan wondered, but he didn’t look like he really wanted a response. “A year at least. I suppose whatever tolerance you’d had for the higher levels has left.” His fingers ghosted over where I’d bit into my hand, but didn’t quite make contact. “I’m not going to clean that. It’s small. It’ll be fine as long as you don’t pick at the scab, but please don’t do that again.”

“Do what, Your Highness?”

“Bite yourself. You didn’t mean to, did you?”

“No, Your Highness. My apologies.”

“You’re fine for today, but I can’t have you hurting yourself while I’m trying to punish you for specific things, alright? It’ll mess with your conditioning. If you get back into that habit I'm going to start muzzling you for punishments again. No one wants that.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” I did not want that. I would take whatever the royal family gave me during punishments, of course, because good servants did not have wants, but the texture of the bit in the muzzle always made me feel weird.

“Good. Okay. Tell me what you did wrong.”

“My sincerest apologies, Your Highness. I shouldn’t have been late taking Her Majesty's breakfast to her. It won’t happen again. Thank you for punishing me so that I remember not to repeat my mistakes.”

“Good boy,” he murmured, running fingers through my hair, and I let myself lean into his touch. That was always the phrase that meant we were done. I had done well enough. I wouldn’t be punished any more.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Do you need a second? You’ve got about twelve minutes until Jayden needs your help serving dinner, and as long as you’re there on time, I don’t care if you take a break for now.”

“I, um.” I blinked hard. “Servants exist to please the crown, Your Highness. I don’t need-”

“I’m offering a break to you, Onyx. If you’d rather make sure dinner is all prepared, you can do that, but I won’t object if you’d like a few minutes to recover. We’re going to be… leaving for a bit tonight, and I don’t want you all pitiful and anxious like you were earlier. Okay?”

Prince Cardan was the only one who ever tried to trick me into things, but this felt like a trap. Prince Ryan looked serious, and like he wasn’t making fun of me, and wouldn’t it be rude to refuse a gift offered to me? “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Make sure to turn the light off when you leave the room.”

I didn’t cry when he left, because I was down to probably eleven minutes and that almost certainly wasn’t enough time to cry. It’d have to be enough time to pull myself together, though. If I could do it in the three minutes I had before the punishment, I could do it in the eleven minutes after.

Breathe in, breathe out. I could do this, I knew how. Crying served no purpose and I didn’t need to do it.

Nine minutes left, I estimated.

Nine would have to do.

~

taglist: @kaleidoscope-of-thoughts @toyybox @rainydaywhump

[svechnikovvv]

complicated (2)

pairing: frat!jack hughes x fem!reader

warnings: profanity

summary: maybe things weren’t so complicated after all

a/n: part 1 here

masterlist: here

when jack finally fell asleep, i made my way downstairs and pretty much everyone was gone, except a couple of people.

“you guys need an extra hand?” they all look up at me and some of them looks confused.

“sorry, but party ended thirty minutes ago.”

“cole, don’t worry.” alex says “this is y/n, jack’s…?” i shrug my shoulders

“he says i’m his, but i don’t know.” they nod

“we could use an extra hand,” he tosses me a trash bag and i take it, opening it up.

“could you start in the kitchen?” i nod and make my way over there. the counter is littered with red solo cups and i swipe them all into the trash bag. i continue to clean and when i’m done, you can see the counter again. i tie the trash bag closed and set it at the back door.

a bunch of cleaning later, cole, alex and i are sitting on the couch.

“how’d you and jack meet?” cole asks me and i awkwardly laugh

“i love this story,” alex says, making himself comfortable.

“okay, so, it was at a party actually. jack was drunk and dancing on a table to single ladies.” cole let’s out a howl of laughter. “and he lost his footing i guess, and he fell and i caught him. i mean, he more so fell on top of me, but i caught him. he then got up and helped me up and the first thing he said was, ‘that’s how hard i fell for you.’” all three of us are laughing and cole shakes his head.

“sounds like jack,” i nod.

“and then he started to ghost me. he’d only message me when convenient. which is why i’m here tonight, actually. i told myself i’d stop messing around with him because i was only hurting myself, but it’s saturday and i have nothing else to do. so i showed up and he drunkenly confessed to me like, thirty minutes ago how he wants me to ‘officially be his.’ and how he just didn’t want to mess anything up with me.”

“when did you two start seeing each other?” cole asks and i take a minute to think about it.

“i want to say six months ago?”

“so the time he stopped bringing people home.” cole whispers to himself, connecting the dots.

“so you’re saying these past six months, he hasn’t brought anyone over?” cole nods

“oh yeah. i knew there was something going on, just didn’t know he settled down.” my heartbeat picks up because hello???

“he’d always be smiling at his phone and we’d ask him what it is and he’d say it was nothing. nice to meet you nothing.” i laugh at cole’s joke.

“i had no idea. i don’t mean to make assumptions, but given his record, i thought he might’ve been cheating on me, y’know? like, i know how easy it is for him to go out there and find someone better.”

“y/n, you’re easily the best person jack’s been with.” alex says reassuringly

“and the longest one. i mean that as a compliment. you just… ground him. make him a better person.” cole adds on and i give him a sincere smile.

“well, it’s getting late. i should probably head home.”

“no no, please, you can stay here. there’s a spare room and it happens to be by jack’s.” cole smirks and i roll my eyes.

“fine, i’ll take the guest room.” he cheers and i tell them both goodnight, heading up to the guest room. good thing i showed up in sweatpants and a big t-shirt. i get under the covers and close my eyes, falling asleep. in the morning, i wake up to the smell of something good. i get up and make my way downstairs. i let out a yawn and sit on a barstool.

at the table sat alex, cole, a couple other guys. the brunette guy standing by the stove looks at me.

“you want one or two pancakes?”

“two.” he nods and sets them on a plate, placing it in front of me alongside some bacon.

“thank you,” he nods and i take a bite out of my food.

“who’s that?” i hear one of them say and i go to speak, but then feel someone’s arms wrap themselves around me.

“didn’t know you stayed over.” jack sleepily mumbles and i hum.

“that answers my question,” the guy says again and someone gasps.

“is this who jack has been hiding from us?”

“yes trevor,” cole says and i can hear jack quietly laugh.

“you hungry?” i whisper and jack nods. he then takes a seat beside me and i slide my plate in front of him and he eats my other pancake.

“bacon is off-limits,” i point a finger at him and he pouts.

“uh uh. that isn’t always going to work on me.” he accepts his defeat and i’m suddenly aware of how quiet it went. i look over at the guys at the table and they’re all looking at jack and i.

“so, do you have a name?” one of them asks

“guys, leave my girl alone.”

“someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” one of them mumbles.

“don’t pay any attention to them,” jack says and i laugh.

“it’s okay, j. just eat your pancake.”

“he’s fucking whipped.”

“shut it, zegras.” cole says

“what? i’m just saying.”

“let the happy couple be happy.”

“what do you know about happy couples, caufield?”

“can you two please be quiet? my hangover is already bad enough,” jack says, rubbing his temples.

“he started it.” cole says

“y/n, run while you can.” alex says

“no, she’s not going anywhere.” jack says, pulling me into him.

tags: @goldenbrokenheart @liquidflyer @alhanna05 @woodruff-edwards @i-padfootblack-things @fanboysfangirl @hughesx3 @austinbutlerscaresme @theywantedplayer @jackhues @marauderzkinnie @jackhughesily @tpwkam3lia @babydollmarauders

a/n: 🤭

[senashenta]

Coffee Break

Title: Coffee Break

Pairing: Hijack

Rating: NSFW

Warnings: Smut, language.

Summary: North has to leave the house to actually go in to work and studying get tedious and boring, so Jack and Hiccup take a break for a cup of coffee. What happens from there? Well, teenaged boys will be teenaged boys, after all, and Jack’s Dad IS out of the house…

Notes: I’ve been so buried in my SPN fic lately that taking a break to work on Snowflakes And Dragons was actually REALLY NICE? Kind of cleared my head. So, I wrote this fic as well, since I was so into the last one. I’ll be going back to SPN fic now, but I’m going to try to make more regular forays into the Hijack stuff again, I’ve been neglecting it for too long. (I have the next chapters of Marked and Chemistry open in Word as I type this!) So, more Hijack to come!

Except not in November. November is the NaNo and I am DETERMINED to beat it this year. >|

Also available to read on AO3. <3

COFFEE BREAK A Biology Side-Fic By Senashenta

It was May and it was already starting to get unbearably hot out, which didn’t bode well for the summer. Luckily, Jack’s house had central air, and they were able to just switch that on for days like this, so that made it much more livable. That also meant that he and Hiccup did a lot more hanging out at his house instead of the punk’s, but that was, in general, fine with both of them. (It was actually probably better, since Hiccup’s Dad still didn’t know about their relationship.)

Today was a Sunday, and Hiccup had arrived early, showing up at ten in the morning hauling a backpack full of textbooks, notebooks, pens and pencils. Jack had just barely been up and dressed when he got there and was yawning into a bowl of oatmeal at the kitchen table when North answered the door and let Hiccup inside.

The older boy came straight in, dropped his backpack by the doorway, and headed over to place his hands on Jack’s shoulders and press a kiss by his temple. “Mornin’.”

Jack hummed and smiled, perking up considerably. “Good morning. You’re here early.”

“And you look like you just woke up.” Hiccup’s chin came down on the top of Jack’s head and he gave an amused chuckle, “you know we could’ve met up later. Not that I’m complainin’, the A/C in here is the fuckin’ best. My room is like a Goddamn sauna right now.”

Jack could believe it. Hiccup’s house was warm at the best of times because his father liked it that way, and the other boy had his bedroom in the attic—the hottest part of the house, with only two small windows for ventilation. It could get stifling. Jack knew for a fact that Hiccup was riding out the heatwave in basically just his boxers, sometimes less, when he was at home. Jack had joined him on occasion when they were hanging out at his house on particularly hot days.

“Mmm… yeah but we have tons of stuff to go over.” Jack picked up his spoon and started eating his oatmeal instead of just staring at it sleepily. It didn’t take long for him to finish it off and soon he was pushing his chair back, jostling Hiccup away in the process, to go and take his bowl to the sink. “Sorry.”

“You’re not even.” Hiccup accused, sounding amused. “Want me to just take my shit up to your room?”

The white-haired boy nodded and glanced over his shoulder, already rinsing the bowl to put it in the dishwasher. “Yeah, I’ll be up in a minute. Dad wants to talk to me when I’m done in here.”

“Right.” Hiccup didn’t particularly want to be around for one of North’s Talks, so he headed off, grabbing his backpack on the way past and disappearing upstairs while Jack tucked his dishes into the dishwasher and finished tidying up the kitchen from breakfast.

Then Jack headed out of the kitchen, through the living room and toward North’s study, where he knocked lightly before cracking the door open and peering inside. His Dad was working on a project at his desk, probably some new toy design, and glanced up when Jack cleared his throat and asked, “you wanted to talk to me?”

North glanced back at him and lifted a hand, motioning for him to come inside. When Jack stepped in, he offered a smile and spun his chair around to face him. “Jack, I have to go into the shop today.” He informed his son; “it’s fine that Hiccup is over, and I know the rule is for you to keep your door open when he’s here, however…”

He seemed to hesitate, there. He glanced away briefly before looking back at Jack again. “I am not stupid. If something… happens, while I’m gone. Please close your door. I do not want to get home and walk in on the two of you—”

“I GET THE IDEA, DAD.” Jack interrupted, face bright red. He had his hands held out in front of himself almost defensively, and he was already edging backward to flee. “Thank you for letting me know!”

North coughed and glanced down, then simply swung his chair back around and went back to work, obviously embarrassed, himself. Jack took that as a cue to leave and practically bolted out the door and up the stairs to his bedroom—this time closing the door firmly behind himself.

Hiccup was seated on his bed, pulling books out of his backpack, and looked up in surprise when Jack next thing to slammed the door closed. Green eyes blinked once, then twice, and finally he said slowly, “uh. Jack. I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to stay open. Your Dad will fucking murder me.”

Jack just shook his head, red all the way back to his ears, and replied, “no, not today. He, um… he’s going out and doesn’t want to walk in on anything when he comes home.”

That prompted a boisterous laugh from Hiccup. “Your Dad is totally giving us permission to screw!”

An even darker blush from Jack, but he admitted, “…basically.”

Not that North had had any real problem with them sleeping together, not since the very beginning, not even the very first time when he had cornered them the morning after to give them the Safe Sex talk. Sure, he’d had a problem with their relationship, to begin with, but once he had moved on from that, he had proved to be very accepting about most everything since then. He just didn’t normally talk about it.

Now, Jack rubbed the heels of his palms against his eyes for a moment before crossing the room and dropping down onto the bed next to Hiccup, his cheeks still flushed red all the way back to his ears. Hiccup just shuffled over to wrap an arm around him, an amused grin on his face. Jack buried his face in Hiccup’s shoulder with a mortified noise.

“It was so embarrassing.”

“Pretty fuckin’ funny, though.”

“Hiccup.”

“Sorry, sorry.” The punk snickered but ducked down to press a placating kiss against Jack’s hair. When Jack lifted his head again to look up at him, Hiccup leaned down once more to kiss him properly. Then he offered; “c’mon Frostbite, I’m here to study, so let’s study.”

Jack made a soft agreeing noise and extracted himself from Hiccup’s hold to go over and get his books from his desk, a hand up and rubbing at one cheek absently. “Math or biology first?”

“Ugh, math, I guess? I fuckin’ hate math. Let’s just get it over with.”

They had actually gotten together today because they had tests in two of their shared classes in the week coming up, math and biology. There was no test coming up in their third shared class, chemistry, thankfully, but either way they needed to study, and they both figured they might as well study together.

Remarkably, they usually did pretty well with studying together. They could stay (mostly) on task and get things done, and anything that one of them was stymied by the other seemed to know. The few times they were both stumped there was always the Internet. It was why Jack’s Dad didn’t mind him doing so much studying with Hiccup, nowadays, because when they said they were studying, he could trust them to actually study.

Well. Most of the time, anyway. There were some days when they were waylaid by less… scholarly pursuits. Hence North’s warning about the door today, he knew full well what could—and likely would—happen with him out of the house. They were teenaged boys, after all.

“Math it is.” Jack dragged his math textbook and notebook over to his bed and together the two of them settled in together to study for the rest of the day, or most of the rest of the day. There would of course be breaks for drinks or snacks or just to get their heads out of the books. Possibly make out a little.

Two hours later, it was lunch time and Jack’s brain was so crammed with numbers there was no room for anything else. He still continued working, though, until a few minutes later when Hiccup next thing to face planted into his textbook and uttered a low, frustrated groan.

Jack patted his shoulder gently and then closed his own book before shifting around to scoot to the edge of the bed and climb off. Once he was standing, he turned back around and ducked to kiss against his boyfriend’s hair with a smile. “Come on, time for some food.”

Hiccup grumbled, grouchy, but climbed up after him, and the two of them made their way downstairs to the kitchen, where Jack pulled out a frozen pizza (Hiccup made a face at that but allowed it) and stuck it in the oven. A few minutes later they were eating the cardboard-crusted monstrosity while Jack started up a pot of coffee, feeling the need for caffeine. Once they were finished with the pizza they cleaned up the box and set about getting their coffee ready.

It was probably ironic that Jack drank his coffee black, while Hiccup needed cream and sugar in his. The punk defiantly claimed that he had taste buds, thank you very much, while the nerd more quietly proclaimed that so did he. It was one of the things they agreed to disagree on.

Now, they stood together in the kitchen, Hiccup doctoring his coffee to make it palatable and Jack already sipping at his, a little amused smile on his face. His father had already left, and if he was going to the shop he wouldn’t be back for a while. Possibly not even for dinner. Jack wasn’t entirely displeased with the idea, though he never would have admitted that out loud.

“Hey… Hiccup?” Blue eyes watched Hiccup move around the kitchen for a moment and he hesitated briefly before swallowing and asking, “um… I’ve been wondering…”

“Hm?” Hiccup finished doctoring his coffee and dropped the spoon in the sink, replacing the sugar and cream where they belonged before coming over to lean against the table next to where Jack was standing. “What, Jack?”

And this was… awkward. What he wanted to ask about. Jack’s face was already turning red, and he hadn’t even said anything yet. Hiccup took a sip of his coffee and looked at him, eyebrows raising in question. Finally, Jack cleared his throat and asked hesitantly, “you’ve… been with people before me. I know that. I was just wondering…”

Hiccup’s lips quirked and he offered, “two girls, three other guys. The girls just ‘cause I was tryin’ to figure myself out, I guess. Never been as close to anyone as I am with you, though, Frosty.”

“Really, never?” Jack asked softly, halfway to a sip of his own coffee and eyes searching Hiccup’s.

“Jack…” Hiccup reached to set his cup on the table, then carefully took Jack’s from his hands and set it aside as well. Then he brought his hands up to grab at either side of Jack’s face and leaned in to kiss him gently. “I love you,” He murmured finally, and nipped at Jack’s lower lip just lightly. “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you. I’m so in love with you it fuckin’ hurts.”

Jack blinked at him, eyes a little wide—and then leaned in for another kiss. “I feel the same way, you know.”

“Anyone before you was just… a pastime, I guess. Just someone to screw around with. They didn’t matter.” The punk offered him a little smile, just soft and fond, and Jack returned it in kind. “You matter.”

“So do you.” Jack told him in a quiet whisper, a fond smile on his face.

“Great,” Hiccup kissed him again, then handed him back his cup and told him; “so now that we’ve established that we’re both head-over-heels for each other, finish up your coffee so we can go back upstairs, and I can fuck you absolutely senseless.”

Jack was halfway to a drink of his coffee—and paused, flushing red and coughing lightly before agreeing, “yeah. That—that definitely sounds like a plan.”

The coffee break part of their lunch only lasted twenty minutes, and that included the time to brew the coffee, have their little talk, and drink the coffee once it was ready and doctored up, in Hiccup’s case. It lasted that short amount of time because both of them practically gulped their drinks down in their haste to get upstairs and shut the door behind them again. They even left their coffee mugs on the table, something Jack made a mental note to tidy up later.

Then they were back in his room and Hiccup had him pinned to the back of the door and they were kissing as if their lives depended on it, until they could barely breathe and needed to break off for air or risk passing out. Jack leaned heavily back on the door, his hands fisted in the front of Hiccup’s shirt, holding him close, and took shuddering breaths until Hiccup pulled him away and over to push him down onto the bed, shoving their books aside and sinking down over him a moment later.

Jack wrapped his arms around his punk’s neck and drew him down into another kiss, this one slower and deeper, full of longing and passion and, yes, lust. Hiccup just returned the kiss in kind, rubbing a knee up between Jack’s legs and grinding against his already half-hard cock through his pants. Jack muffled a moan against Hiccup’s mouth and rocked upward into the friction lightly.

“Hey,” Hiccup asked as he drew back slightly, licking his lips and then ducking in for another quick kiss, his knee still grinding, “you ever wonder what it might be like to switch?”

Letting his head fall back, Jack took a shuddering breath and asked weakly, “switch?”

“Yeah,” The brunet began trailing hot, messy kisses down Jack’s neck to nip at the crook where it met his shoulder. “Like if you were fucking me, instead of me doing the fucking. Switch.”

Jack froze, eyes opening quickly, and swallowed hard as he looked down at Hiccup, breathing coming almost panicked, abruptly. “I—I don’t think—”

“Relax, Jack, I didn’t mean today.” Hiccup chuckled against his neck, and lifted up to look at him properly, an amused smile on his face and a twinkle in his green eyes, “it’s just something to think about for the future.”

“Have you…?”

“I’ve bottomed before, once or twice. It’s pretty great. But then you know that.”

“Yeah.”

“I have to trust a person a fuckin’ lot to let them do that with me. I guess it’s probably the same with you.” Hiccup leaned down for another kiss, and Jack kissed back almost automatically, his thoughts whirling, “and I trust you that much, so I was just thinking… maybe some day, right? If you wanted to.”

Jack looked up at him for a long moment before finally nodding his head briefly. He licked his lips and tugged the older boy down for another kiss; “not today, but… yeah. Maybe some day.”

That was good enough for Hiccup. Even if it was something he was thinking about, would like to do some day, he would never push the issue with Jack, not if it made him uncomfortable, and it clearly did. He dropped an apologetic kiss against Jack’s lips—then just kissed him again, and again, deep and slow, relaxing kisses meant to break the tension that was admittedly his own fault.

Slowly, Jack began to unwind again, until a few minutes later when he was completely relaxed under Hiccup again, kissing back easily and muffling little groans when the punk ground his knee into his still-hard dick.

And yeah, maybe the idea of being the one to top between the two of them made him nervous, but it wasn’t a terrible idea, really, it was something to think about—and Jack knew something he could do right now that Hiccup would definitely like immensely. So, after another few minutes of making out heatedly, hands wandering and rutting against each other through their clothes—Jack brought his own hands around to shove at the older boy’s chest, pushing him back and off to the side.

When Hiccup made a soft protesting noise, Jack just gave a little quirk of a smile and pulled him to sit up, then over to the edge of the bed.

Jack wasn’t normally a huge fan of giving Hiccup blowjobs, mostly because he was afraid of hurting his boyfriend with his braces, and that seemed a particularly awkward way for things to go when they were supposed to be being intimate with each other. He would, however, do it once in a while, on occasions like this, when they had the house to themselves, and he could take his time and be particularly careful about the act. Hiccup always seemed to appreciate it when he did do it, and today would be no exception.

For now, Jack just slid down off the bed and onto his knees, shuffling around to settle between Hiccup’s legs, and reached to pull at the waistband of his jeans, pulling him closer to the edge of the mattress. Hiccup went along willingly as it clearly clicked in his head where Jack was going with this, licking his lips slightly even as Jack began making quick work of undoing his pants and tugging them down slightly—Hiccup lifted his hips to make that part easier, and Jack flashed him an embarrassed little smile.

Then it was the simple task of pushing his boxers aside and reaching to pull his cock out—and Jack swallowed thickly because Hiccup was already hard and throbbing in his hand, just from their making out and rubbing against each other. Belatedly, he lifted his free hand to take his glasses off and reached to set them on the nightstand, making Hiccup chuckle lowly.

“Shut up, I’m just worried they’ll fall off my face.”

“I get you. Ah, fuck, I definitely get you. You’re just cute when you do this, that’s all.”

Jack’s face burned and he ignored that comment, instead focusing on stroking his hand up and down Hiccup’s swollen dick until the punk was shifting restlessly and cursing above him… and then Jack leaned in to lick up the underside of his boyfriend’s cock and across the sensitive head, being on-so-careful to keep his teeth, and braces, out of the equation.

“Shit, Jack...”

More swearing from Hiccup, but Jack ignored it, ducking his head to carefully take the other boy’s cock into his mouth, sucking and tonguing at the head before easing deeper. He was still a little awkward at this. Hadn’t had much practice, really. But he put his everything into it and Hiccup seemed to appreciate that.

Now, the older boy brought one hand up to tangle in Jack’s snowy hair, kneading there restlessly while the other clenched tightly in the blankets by his side—and Jack continued to suck him off, all hot and slick and fucking perfect, even if he was holding his mouth at an odd angle because he was afraid of his Goddamned braces. It still felt amazing—and after a couple of minutes Hiccup gently pushed down on Jack’s head, urging him to go deeper.

“Gn.” Jack made a muffled surprised sound but didn’t protest, instead just doing what Hiccup wanted, pushing deeper to swallow around him, then starting to bob his head, a little awkward but it worked—Hiccup’s head fell forward, and he gave a soft little groan, his breath coming harder, harsher now.

“You can… close your jaw more, Jack, ah fuck… you’re not gonna hurt me…”

Blue eyes had been mostly closed, but they opened properly on those words, and Jack pulled off the punk’s dick with a quiet wet noise. “Are you sure? I really don’t want—”

“Yes, I’m fucking sure.” Hiccup moaned out, the hand in Jack’s hair tightening slightly—and then loosening again. “I swear, I’ll be fine. Just—” A little strangled noise and his hips bucked just once; “I’m so Goddamn close…!”

Oh. Well. In that case. Jack just nodded and ducked back down, taking him into his mouth again, sliding deep and beginning to suck and bob his head, making a point of closing his jaw a little more this time—more contact, more friction, he supposed—and pouring his everything into sucking Hiccup off until the other boy was breathless and moaning, his hips twitching as he fought the urge to thrust up into Jack’s perfect fucking mouth.

It didn’t really take long after that before Hiccup was tensing up, the hand in Jack’s hair tightening again, holding him in place as he spilled himself down Jack’s throat. And Jack just swallowed everything down easily, eyes closed and lashes fluttering, because actually? That was his favorite part about giving Hiccup a blowjob. It made him feel even closer to the punk than they already were, somehow.

When Hiccup’s hand loosened again a moment later, fingers carding through Jack’s hair gently now, Jack pulled off his softening cock, swallowing and licking his lips, to look up at him and ask, “it was good?”

Hiccup gave him an incredulous look, followed by a grin, and then flopped onto his back with a laugh. “Was it good. Was it good? Jack, it was fucking fantastic, your mouth is just… shit, man, Goddamn perfection.” He huffed a still slightly breathless sigh and lifted his head to look down at Jack, still grinning; “you really don’t have to worry so much about your braces, though.”

Jack pushed off the floor and crawled up to settle next to Hiccup on the mattress. “I just worry.” He said, which, obviously; “sometimes my braces catch my own lips, and it stings, I don’t even want to think about how it would feel on your… ah.”

“Cock. The word is cock.”

“Yeah. That.”

“You can suck and swallow, but you can’t even say the word?” Hiccup chuckled and leaned over to kiss by Jack’s ear. “You’re so fuckin’ adorable, I can’t even with you.” He was currently working on getting his dick tucked back into his pants and his jeans done up properly again… and then shuffled around until he could swing one leg over Jack, straddling his thighs. Then he was leaning down over the younger boy and grinning down at him. “How ‘bout I return the favor, then, Frostbite?”

Not that Jack would have said no, but Hiccup was already undoing his pants anyway.

THE END

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

Court Of Public Opinion - Andy Barber x Reader (Part 3)

A/N: This is the sequel series to Memory Served and will contain major spoilers for that series so go read that one first if you haven’t already!

Summary: You continue to try and act like everything was normal but its easier said than done with nosy neighbours and niggling doubts

Word Count: 7.2k

Warnings: Language! Angst! Talk of Abduction! SMUT! 18+ ONLY!

Dividers by me!

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 3

Today had been a good day, Andy had been riding on a high ever since he left the courthouse. They were at a crucial point in the case and when Andy presented the best piece of evidence in the drug trial he had actually seen the defendant begin to nervously sweat. When court was adjourned for the day he’d seen the defence lawyers scrambling with despondent looks on their faces. Come Monday morning Andy wouldn’t have been surprised if the plea had been changed to guilty.

As soon as Andy got home he made his way upstairs to start packing his weekend bag so that come morning he could get straight on the road and back to you. He was in such a good mood he was even whistling as packed, he even considered driving up to Vermont tonight.

He was just walking into the closet to grab the ring from the drawer when he heard his phone ringing. Walking back out he grabbed it from his bedside table, frowning slightly when he saw it was your mom calling him.

“Hello?” Andy answers.

“Andy, is Y/N home with you?” Your mom asks barely waiting for the line to connect.

“No, she left this morning, why? Is she on her way back or something?” Andy says frowning in confusion.

“Andy she never turned up” your mom tells him.

Andy’s heart stops for a moment “What do you mean?” He mutters, trying to stop his mind from thinking the worse.

“She should have been here hours ago, we gave it a couple of hours because we know she likes to stop at the pancake place in New Hampshire but she still should have been here by now” your mom explains as Andy began to pace back and forth.

“Have you called her?” Andy questions.

“Yeah but her phone is off or out of battery or something, it just keeps going straight to voicemail” your mom sighs, “we thought she might have changed her mind and gone to see you in court today and just forgot to tell us”

“No, no she didn’t” Andy mutters running his hand down his face “Look it’s probably nothing and she’s probably fine, maybe she just broke down somewhere and is waiting for her phone to charge in a garage but…” Andy sighs really wishing he didn’t have to say the next part “But you should probably call the police just in case”

“O-okay” your mom mutters her voice shaking.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Y/N is sensible there’s probably a reasonable explanation for all of it,” Andy says trying to reassure himself and your mom “But what I’ll do is I’ll call that pancake house see if they’ve seen her and that’ll help narrow down where she might be and I’ll drive the route see if I can find anything”

“Good idea we’ll do the same here” your mom agrees.

“One of your stay home though just in case she turns up” Andy tells her.

“Of course, thank you Andy hopefully I’ll talk to you soon with good news” your mom sighs.

“I hope so too” he mutters before hanging up.

After he called the pancake house and found out you hadn’t made it there, he first passed that on to your parents before grabbing his coat and making his way out to the car. The front door slamming shut behind him.

Andy woke with a start, his eyes screwing shut as he tried to forget the dream he’d just had. But it was impossible, he knew the day you disappeared would haunt him forever. He lets out a deep sigh as he opened his eyes and glanced over to your side of the bed empty.

His heart stopped as he leapt up from the bed. Beginning to panic when he couldn’t find you in the bathroom. Had this all been one cruel nightmare, were you still missing? He practically ran down the stairs only stopping to breathe when he found you curled up in your reading chair.

You were startled as he rushed into the living room, eyes wide as you looked over at him. Your eyes searched his face for a moment before your lips parted.

“Sorry, I woke up early so thought I’d come down and read” you apologise quietly.

Andy shook his head gently as he walked over to you “No, no it's okay, no need to apologise” he says bending down to kiss the top of your head “Are you hungry for breakfast? I- I can make some pancakes?” He offers forcing a small smile.

“Yeah sounds lovely, I’ve brewed a pot of coffee already,” you say nodding in the direction of the kitchen.

“Great, thank you honey” he smiles nodding his head quickly before walking into the kitchen.

After he grabbed a mug from the cupboard he took a moment, bracing himself against the counter as he tried to calm himself down. His heart still thundering in his chest from the fear he felt that you were gone again. It had been a few days since you had been found but still Andy found it hard to believe you were home. Often finding himself just watching you, scared that you’d disappear if he took his eyes off of you.

“Do you want a hand making the batter?” You asked pulling Andy from his thoughts.

He quickly filled his cup with coffee taking a sip as he turned around to face you “I’m good, unless you want to help? I could cook up some crispy bacon to go with it?”

A smile tugs at your lips as you nod your head “Yeah that sounds lovely, cooking breakfast together” you say as you walk over, tucking yourself into his side.

Andy smiles wrapping his arm around you, pulling you closer into his side and kissing the top of your head “Sounds perfect honey”

You smile up at him before stepping out of his embrace to open the fridge and grab everything you needed, passing Andy the pack of bacon. Andy smiles as he grabs the pan to start frying up the bacon, watching as you easily walk around the kitchen grabbing a bowl and whisk to make the batter.

The morning carried on peacefully, you chuckling when Andy got syrup in his beard. Andy smiled to himself as you saved the leftover batter and he washed up all the dishes.

Once everything was cleared up and both you and Andy were dressed for the day you settled down on the couch together, Andy grabbing the TV remote before wrapping his arm around you.

“We have a couple of hours before your parents stop by before they head on home, wanna watch a movie or something?” Andy suggests.

“I don’t mind, you pick something,” you say shuffling closer to him, head resting on his chest.

“Okay, super boring documentary it is” Andy smirks as he turns on the TV.

You laugh slapping his chest gently, but your laughter dies out when the news starts and you disappear was the main story. Andy looked down at you to see you nervously swallow.

“I’ll turn it over” Andy says reaching for the remote.

“No… it's okay” you mutter quietly, shaking your head.

Andy nods shifting in his seat so he could hold you closer as the news anchor introduced the story.

“Newton town police were pleased to announce missing women Y/N Y/L/N was found safe and sound, this is what the lead detective had to say,” the Anchor says before the shot changes to Lieutenant Elliot walking out for a press conference.

“Thank you all for coming” he greets nodding to the crowd of journalists “As many may be aware we have been working tirelessly the past four months to find Y/N Y/L/N and bring her home safe, we can now announce that we managed to accomplish that and she is now home safe with her parents and partner Andy Barber,” Elliot says periodically glancing up from his sheet of paper “we can also confirm the cause of her disappearance was abduction and false imprisonment and we have already arrested and charged her kidnapper” he continues taking a moment to pause as the journalist clamber for more information “as investigations are still ongoing that is all the information we can release at this time, we ask that press and members of the public respect Miss Y/L/N and her loved one’s privacy as we continue to investigate and bring justice” Elliot finishes before walking away before the press could ask any questions.

Andy finally turned the channel over when the piece was over, running his hand up and down your back in a soothing manner “You alright?” He asked quietly.

“Yeah…” you mutter nodding your head “Just wish they hadn’t mentioned the whole abduction thing” you sigh looking up at him.

“They have to” Andy explains with a sigh “It’ll stop speculation and other wild theories to run wild that might affect a court case”

You nod your head in understanding “Guess that makes sense” you hum before looking up at him “I’m glad I have you Andy… to help make sense of it all”

A small smile tugs at Andy’s lips as he leans in to kiss your forehead “Anything for you” he whispers.

Andy rested his head on top of yours as you settled back down into his side. Taking a deep breath as he tried to focus his mind on the here and now. You were back with him. You were safe. It was just a regular old day, one where you could both just relax and watch old sitcoms.

It was barely 15 minutes later there was a knock on the front door. Andy muttered he’d be right back as he went to go see who it was. He was expecting and maybe hoping it would be the police with a decent update. However, when he opened the door he was greeted with Mrs Ethelridge, the elderly lady who lived down the street.

“Oh um hi, is everything okay?” Andy asks, pulling the door closed slightly when he caught her glancing inside.

“Yes I just saw the news and just wanted to say how happy I am that Y/N is home safe and sound” Mrs Ethelridge says clapping her hands together.

Andy forces a small smile nodding his head “Yeah we all are too” he says.

“How is she? God what a horrible thing to go through” She mutters shaking her head.

“She’s fine” Andy states, wanting the conversation to be over as quickly as possible so he could get back to you.

“I just don’t understand it all, Y/N’s a smart girl I don’t see how someone could take her, how did it even happen?” She continues.

“Like the police said on the news the investigation is still ongoing” Andy gritted through his teeth, Mrs Ethelridge was just trying to get some good gossip to spread around the neighbourhood.

“But surely she knows,” she says with a light scoff and condescending smile

Andy lets out a deep and irritated sigh, his irritation doubling when he noticed passersby looking over and watching. The street was far busier than its ever been before, all of them desperate for information. Mrs Ethelridge was just the first with the balls to knock on the door.

“The investigation is still ongoing” Andy repeats trying to keep his voice level “Is there anything else you need? I should be getting back inside”

“Oh no I-“ she starts but Andy doesn’t wait any longer, he had his answer, shutting the door to end the conversation once and for all.

His fists clench as he takes a couple of deep calming breaths. As he walks back into the living room he glances out of the window to make sure no one was trying to peer in.

“Who was at the door?” You ask making him turn towards you.

“Oh, it was uh-“ he started before pausing, you wanted normal, nosy neighbours were not normal. If he told you that it was Mrs Ethelridge at the door you would know exactly why she had popped around and Andy didn’t want you to have that added stress “delivery guy, got the wrong address, zipcode was wrong or something so I was just giving him directions” he explains as he walks back over and sits down on the couch.

“Oh okay that’s good” you hum shifting so you were curled up beside him.

“Yeah” Andy sighs wrapping his arm around you “nothing to worry about”

Your parents arrived for lunch just after 12, walking up the path of the house just as another neighbour was stepping away from the front door. Andy watched from the door as the neighbour greeted your parents, giving the same spiel that they’d just given him. Your parents gave them the same tight-lipped smile that Andy gave them.

“I guess they’re not the first you’ve had today,” your dad said to Andy quietly as they stepped inside the house.

Andy sighs shaking his head “It’s been fairly consistent since the news broke” he admits “We’ve already been given 3 lasagnas”

“Well I’m glad we didn’t bring lunch” your dad jokes lightly, earning a small chuckle from Andy.

The two men linger by the door as your mom goes into the living room to be with you “How is she doing? With you know?” Your dad asks quietly nodding towards the door.

Andy lets out a long sigh resting his hand on his hips as he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head “I dunno, fine I think” he admits “I didn’t tell her about Mrs Ethelridge’s visit”

“The OAP TMZ?” Your dad says pulling a laugh from Andy.

“That’s the one, I was hoping she’d be the only one but more have been turning up so I couldn’t hide it” Andy sighs shaking his head “I just didn’t want her to worry about that right now, the other’s have been fine but I know they’re just desperate for information” Andy explains.

Your dad nods his head in understanding “Yeah, our phones have been blowing up” he says pulling out his phone to show Andy the screen full of notifications.

“I can turn those off if you want” Andy offers.

Your dad gives him a grateful smile “Thanks Andy, I have both phones” he says passing Andy both his and your mom’s phone.

“It’s alright, I do it all the time for work,” Andy says gently shaking his head as he quickly turns off notifications on both your parent's phones, making sure they’d only get the important ones they’d want.

“Thank you Andy,” your dad says as Andy passes the phones back to him “And how are you?”

Andy lets out a long sigh, resting his hands on his hips “Honestly… I’m okay, just trying to do whatever is the right way thing I’m just… part of me is still working on believing this is all happening, I keep worrying that if look away she’ll go again” he admits with a small shake of his head.

“I know we feel the same way too” your dad reassures him, resting a hand on his shoulder “And I know you’re worried but I can promise you that you’re doing the right thing, just being here is the right thing”

Andy lets out a shaky breath, nodding his head “Thank you” he says gratefully.

“It’s nothing, now let's go join our ladies” your dad smiles nodding his head in the direction of the living room.

For the next few of hours, everyone just relaxed, Andy put in one of the many pasta dishes your neighbours has brought over. Your parents took it in turns answering the door, giving Andy a bit of a break from it.

Much sooner than you wanted, your parents had to get on the road home. Your parents gave you a long hug goodbye making you promise to call whenever you needed. Andy stood beside you, hand on the small of your back as you waved goodbye to your parents with a sad smile on your face. When Andy heard you try and stop a shaky breath he wrapped his arm around you pulling you closer and pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“We’ll see them soon, we can try and get up to visit them for a long weekend” Andy suggests as he rubs your back soothingly.

“Yeah… yeah that would be nice” you sniffle nodding your head as you turned into him more and buried your head in his chest.

You then pulled away and started walking back into the living room. Andy not missing you trying to slyly wipe away your tears as you went. Andy let out a small sigh before following after you, spotting you already curled up in your reading chair book in hand.

Andy wanted to go over and just curl up with you, hold you for just another moment. But you clearly needed some space, if you wanted him you would have sat on the couch or somewhere that he could join you.

“I’m just gonna tidy up the kitchen, do you want anything?” Andy asks breaking the silence.

You hum glancing up from your book “Oh no I’m fine thank you” you say with a gentle shake of your head, already returning your attention back to your book.

Andy mumbled a “sure” as he turns and walks back into the kitchen.

There wasn’t really that much to clear up, just putting the plates in the dishwasher and clearing out the dish the pasta bake came in ready to be returned. Not that Andy remembered who to give it to, so many had stopped by that they all blended together.

Andy still took his time though, maybe he needed a bit of space too, he wasn’t sure. He should just add it to the growing list of unknowns. He didn’t know how to help, didn’t know all this happened, he didn’t know a lot of things and he hated it. He liked to be in control, have two hands on the steering wheel. But right now it felt like he was just being dragged along blindly for the ride.

It was about half an hour later and Andy was just wiping down the sides when he heard a knock on the door. Putting the cloth back in the sink he made his way to the door. As he went he spotted you getting up to also answer the door but he held out his hand to stop you.

“I’ve got it” he tells you as he continues to the door.

He expected it to be more nosy neighbours but he was surprised to find Lieutenant Elliot and Detective Wagner and a third man who seemed familiar but Andy couldn’t recall a name.

“Who’s this?” Andy asks pointing to the well-dressed man behind the detectives.

“Well explain inside, we have an update” Elliot explains glancing over his shoulder at the other man.

“Of course, come inside” Andy says stepping aside to let the three of them in.

As the final man passes by Andy he glances around before smiling over at Andy “lovely home” the deep southern accent catching Andy by surprise.

Andy clears his throat and nods “Thank you, uh right this way” Andy says directing them into the living room.

As they walked in, Andy saw you sit to attention, slamming your book shut. You cast a worried glance over towards Andy who gives you a reassuring look in return.

“They have an update on the case” Andy explains walking over, resting his hand on your shoulder.

“And who’s this?” You ask quietly nodding over to the third man.

“This is Inspector Blanc, he’s going to be joining us on this case?” Elliot explains as he and Wagner sit down on the couch.

Blanc remains standing though, one hand resting in his pocket as he studied the room around him. His eyes finally settle on you and Andy feels you squirm slightly in your seat. Andy moves to perch on the arm of your chair, wrapping his arm around your shoulders to calm you. The action makes Blanc’s focus move to Andy, his lips twitching upwards as you leaned into Andy’s touch.

“Why?” Andy questioned, recognising the man now, he was a famous private investigator who worked all over the world. It didn’t make sense to Andy why he’d be taking on this case.

“Well, I have been in this state the past couple of months investigating corruption in the emergency services, while doing so I came across your name” Blanc explains pointing over at you.

“M-m-my name” you stutter in shock.

“No, no, not your name,” Blanc says waving his hand before pointing at you again” The name Drysdale gave you, Dorothy” he explains and Andy feels you tense hearing that name again “That name caught my attention as there were little to no records attached to the name, those that did exists were a phoney as cheese from a can, I looked into it further and discovered every nurse and doctor you came across had considerable dirt against their name making them prime for blackmail” he continues.

“Are you saying the doctors were blackmailed into letting her go with him?” Andy frowns.

“We believe so yes, and the police officers who originally investigated the crash, which is why we didn’t originally link the two incidents together its also why Blanc is taking the lead on this case to reassure you no corruption will affect it” Elliot explains.

Andy let out a long sigh as he nodded his head, his blood was close to boiling finding out that corruption had played a part in your abduction. Police officers were supposed to serve and protect not turn a blind eye. At least with Blanc, they could be reassured that it wouldn’t affect the case anymore.

“Do you have any more updates on the case?” Andy questions.

“Yes” Elliot nods before shifting his gaze to you “The reason we couldn’t connect the crash you had to your disappearance was because the number plate on the car involved in the crash did match the one registered to you” he explains “instead the car we found in Sudbury containing all your belongings had your registered number plate”

“But how? I didn’t drive anywhere near Sudbury?” You ask, shaking your head in confusion.

“We believe Drysdale organised the car crash, swapped the plates over with the identical car and stole any personal belongings placing those in the car we found in Sudbury” Detective Wagner explains.

Andy’s eyebrows raise in shock “Didn’t anyone think to check the VIN numbers?” Andy asks agitated.

“They were, however, the officers reported them incorrectly something we only realised when we rechecked the VIN number and number plate on the car dumped in Sudbury, we’ve already identified the uniformed officers who were present at both scenes and they’ve been suspended pending further investigation” Elliot reassures.

Andy lets out a small scoff, he’s worked alongside for years. He couldn’t believe that they’d screwed up this investigation and aided Drysdale.

“And you’re certain there will be no more interference with this investigation because I swear to god if Drysdale doesn’t go down for this” Andy says nearly growling in anger.

“Don’t you worry about foul play” Blanc says calmly, holding a hand out towards Andy “I may not be Batman but justice will be served, my success rate is unmatched”

“We believe that if we can get him to confess to causing the accident or find evidence to prove it, he’ll have no choice but to pleas guilty” Elliot adds.

“And have where are you with that?” Andy questions.

“He’s maintaining his innocence” Elliot answered with a long sigh.

“Fuck sake” Andy curses harshly, his fist clenching in anger to the point he might draw blood.

“Andy” you chastise softly, hand reaching out to rest on his arm.

As soon as he felt your touch he felt all the anger drain from his body. His shoulders slumped as he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

“Sorry,” he croaked as he opened his eyes and looked down at you. Your hand slipped down into his and squeezed it, wordlessly accepting his apology.

“We understand how frustrating this all must be and I can only apologise on behalf of the police force for how this case has been handled so far, but I can assure you that we are confident that you will have your justice” Elliot says nodding his head apologetically.

“Thank you, Lieutenant, we appreciate your efforts,” you say small reassuring smile before looking over to Blanc “And its reassuring to know we have someone of your calibre in our corner”

“It’s my pleasure miss, the detectives have already brought me up to speed so I won’t ask you to relive it all again, but I’ll be in touch if I have any follow-up questions” Blanc nods.

“Thank you we really appreciate that” Andy sighs with a small nod of his head, his temper much more under control thanks to you.

“We’ve got a lot of leads to chase thanks to Blanc and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with any more developments, the only thing left to ask is how you’re doing?” Elliot says clasping his hands together.

“Okay, lots of neighbours have been calling in to check in which has been…. Nice” you say shifting uncomfortably in your seat.

Elliots nods, glancing over his shoulder towards the window that looked out onto the street “Of course, do let us know if the attention gets too much, we can organise temporary accommodation if needed or station an officer outside to disperse crowds” he offers.

“We will, thankfully it hasn’t been too bad so far, just lots of pasta dishes” Andy says a small smirk growing on his face.

“Yeah, you are more than welcome to a couple, we have more than we can possibly eat now” you offer gesturing towards the kitchen.

Andy saw Elliot open his mouth to protest but Blanc interrupted before he got the chance “That would be lovely miss” he smiles warmly.

A short while later the Detectives made their way out each with a pasta dish, Blanc taking two for himself. When Andy walked back into the living room he found you standing beside the window staring out, using the curtains to shield you from those looking in.

“Hey, you okay?” Even though he asked softly you were still startled.

You blinked a couple of times your hand rubbed the base of your neck as you nodded “Yeah I just can’t believe the corruption and the lengths he went to… I- I just don’t get it” you mutter shaking your head.

Andy lets out a small sigh as he nods his head “Me neither honey” he admits as he wraps his arms around you pulling you closer and kissing the top of your head “But you’re safe, we have some amazing detectives on the case so he will go down for this I promise, you’ll get your justice”

A couple of days had passed since the detective's visit, you had let Andy update your parents since you didn’t think you could. They tried to hide their anger and hurt at the situation but you could still hear it in their voices making you feel guilty. You had managed to tell Carrie though when she visited yesterday, whenever she voiced her frustrations about the handling of the case it didn’t seem to hurt you. Maybe because she was a bit more removed from it all.

The evening was drawing in as you lay in a bath Andy had drawn for you, he had put in all the stops, bubbles, oils. It should have felt relaxing but it just wasn’t, you’ve never found baths to be particularly cleansing but now you just hated them. It felt like you were in a pool of filth. You only agreed because you didn’t want him to worry and he had gone to all this effort for you.

You preferred showers so much more, you wanted to wash away the dirt. You enjoyed lathering up with soap, sometimes doing it multiple times just to make sure it was all gone. They had become moments of reprieve from it all, a short period of time when everything just went away and you felt a moment of peace.

After what felt like a long enough period of time you began to drain the bath, using the shower attachment to get the last of the suds and oils from your skin and around the basin. Wrapping yourself in a warm fluffy towel you refused to look down at your leg and the nasty cut that remained.

Once you were dried off you changed into a fresh set of comfy clothes and began to make your way downstairs. You were caught by surprise when you walked into the kitchen and found Andy lighting some candles on the dining table which was beautifully laid.

“Oh, hey” Andy straightens when he spots you by the door “You’re down sooner than I expected”

“I-uh didn’t want to wait until it got cold” you lied picking a bit of fluff off your sleeve “What is all this?”

A smile tugs at Andy’s lips as he closes the distance between you “It’s Wednesday so it’s date night” he grins.

“Oh” you mutter, it had been so long and so much had happened that you hadn’t even thought of date night.

Andy’s smile falters for a second as he glances over his shoulder at the table. He clears his throat as he quickly turns and grabs a bouquet of flowers from the side “For you” he smiles.

A smile grows on your face when you saw it was a bouquet of daisies, your favourite kind of flowers. They were simple but that’s why you liked them, you didn’t need anything fancier like roses. You brought the daisies up to breathe in their scent, as you do so you notice Andy watching you warily. Your brows furrow as you look back up at him trying to work out what he was thinking, was he forcing himself to do this because he felt like he should, did he even want to do this?

“Back to normal right?” he offers.

You guessed that answered that question “Back to normal” you agree forcing a smile of your own as you moved to put the daisies in some water.

“I cooked some Mexican, I thought you might want something different after all those pasta dishes,” Andy says as he pulls a dish of enchiladas out of the oven and sets it on the table.

“It looks lovely thank you Andy, I’m sorry I didn’t dress up” you joke gesturing down to your sweats.

The most genuine smile you’ve seen tonight breaks out on Andy’s face as he walks back over to you “You look beautiful, always do, always will do” he smiles as he leans down to press a kiss to your cheek.

That was all it took to reassure you, if Andy held any resentment towards you for what happened with Ransom he wouldn’t be doing all this. Resentment could fester and grow without the person realising it, so you were determined to cling onto him for as long as you could. He was pulling away when you wrapped your arms around his waist. He froze for a second before wrapping his arms around you, his hand running up and down your back soothingly as he pressed kisses to the top of your head.

“Thank you Andy, this is all that I needed” you smile up at him.

He smiles warmly back at you before nodding his head towards the food “C’mon before it gets cold”

He rests his hand on your back as he guides you back towards the table, pulling out your seat for you. He sits down opposite you and grabs the bottle of wine he’d set out, he offers you some but you shake your head. He gives you a reassuring nod as he pours himself a glass before pouring out some water for you.

“Happy date night” Andy smirks lifting his glass.

You chuckle as you lift your glass to meet his “happy date night”

Andy began to serve out the food and asked you how the book you were reading was going. You felt your shoulders loosen as you began to tell him all about it, lines you had loved and where you thought the story was going. It felt like a normal evening dinner, even though there was less to talk about because neither of you were working or getting out much, the conversation never died out or felt forced.

When you were done you insisted on washing up since Andy had cooked, he tried to argue and help out but you weren’t having any of it. You only got him to give in when you suggested that he went and set up a movie upstairs.

A playful smile appeared on his lips “You might regret that when I pick a boring old movie” he warns as he makes his way upstairs.

Once you had cleared up and all the plates, you wiped down the sides and washed your hands making sure they were thoroughly clean before making your way upstairs. Walking into the bedroom you found Andy reclined back in bed, one arm outstretched behind his head, his other hand holding the remote.

“I found a movie on the History of the Button” he smirks when he spots you.

You couldn’t help the snort of laughter as you walked over “How long is it?” You ask as you climb into bed beside him.

“3 hours long” he smirks.

“No movie should be 3 hours long” you mutter as you get comfortable.

“You had no issues with the superhero movie being 3 hours long” Andy points out with a lopsided smile.

“That’s because it was superheroes, many of which are nice to look at for 3 hours, buttons and dusty historians are not fun” you argue making Andy laugh.

“I’m only joking, I found a romcom that I think you’d like, it came out a couple of months ago,” Andy says as he presses a couple of buttons on the remote, pulling up the movie.

“Oh…” you mutter when you recognise it, it was one of the movies you had watched while unknowingly trapped by Ransom “Yeah it's a good movie,” you say picking at your clothes.

Andy’s brows furrow in confusion for a second before realisation passes over his face, he shifts almost uncomfortably next to you “Oh right okay well we can find something else, um what about this? Only came out last week” he says finding a different movie.

“Yeah that looks good” you say forcing a small smile before moving to get more comfortable.

You shifted closer to him, resting your head on his chest as you tucked yourself into his side. You hear him swallow and blow out a small breath before the arm that was tucked behind his head moved to wrap around you. His fingers lazily running up and down your side.

You glance up at him to see him already looking down at you, his lips pursed for a moment before his gaze dropped as he said “I love you” quietly.

You could feel your heart hammering in your chest, it was all you wanted to hear from him and for a moment it shut up that voice in your head that had you doubting everything.

You let out a shaky breath “I love you too” you whispered.

A smile tugs at his lips as he leans in to press a kiss to your forehead before relaxing back and hitting play on the movie. You continued to watch him for a couple of minutes, studying every inch of him trying to commit it all to memory. His blue eyes with the smallest flecks of green, the gentle slope of his nose, the plush pink lips that poked through the thick beard that had the smallest tinges of red in some areas. You had already forgotten this face before, you never wanted it to happen again.

As the movie played and you watched the two protagonists fall in love you felt a strange feeling blossoming in your chest. It took you a moment to realise it was longing. Even as you lay in Andy’s arms you longed for that kind of ease and connection the characters had, the kind of connection that had felt stilted between you and Andy. you wanted that connection again, you needed that connection again.

Looking up at Andy you gently ran your hand over his chest to get his attention, when his gaze met yours you reached up to cup his cheek your fingers scratching through his beard. Andy blinked a couple of times in surprise before his lips twitched upwards, his hand moving to meet yours, fingers wrapping around yours as he gently kissed your palm.

The movie was forgotten as his attention shifted solely to you, his hand gently cupping your cheek as he leaned down and kissed you softly. The kiss was barely there to begin with, his lips just ghosting over yours. But when you responded so did he, the kiss becoming more eager and firm.

You let out a hum of content when he rolled you onto your back, his knee pushing up between your thighs. You heard him let out a small growl when you ran your nails through his beard, the sound made heat blossom in your core, you needed this, needed him.

It was when you wrapped your arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer that he froze and pulled back.

“Wait. Are-are you sure?” He questions his eyes darting over your face.

“Yeah, I- I want this” you admit but when your gaze meets his you saw the hesitation and realised maybe he didn’t “Uh-unless you don’t want to” you stutter pushing back slightly to give him space.

Andy quickly shook his head and you saw him swallow “Of course I want to I just…” he starts before sighing “It’s not been long since you… got home”

You give him a shaky nod, your hand running down from his shoulder to his chest “I know” you admit, you really did but you also knew that you wanted him, you wanted, needed to feel normal “I want this Andy, I-I need- Please?” You managed to say.

Andy didn’t say anything for long enough that you were beginning to get worried, his eyes just scanning your face and you hated that you couldn’t tell what he was thinking. You were about to push yourself away and tell him not to worry when his eyes flashed with something you didn’t recognise and he ducked down to kiss you deeply.

It wasn’t long until clothes were on the floor and his lips were exploring your body. You clung onto him tightly as he did so, you didn’t want an inch of space between you. Your back arched as his hands found your core, you felt his groan against your neck when he felt how aroused you were.

“Andy- please I- I need you” you whimpered.

Andy pulled back enough to look down at you, his gaze searched yours for a long moment before he nodded “Okay, okay” he whispered.

He leaned down to kiss you softly as he positioned himself between your legs. He seemed to pause for a moment before he slowly pressed into you. Your chest heaved as he filled you up and you felt his heavy breathing against the crook of your neck.

This was what you had been missing for so long without even realising it. This connection as your bodies become one, the unspoken love. It was perfect and it made sense. All the times you laid with Ransom it felt like something was missing, something was wrong, and being with Andy again made it all so clear. You had been missing him.

The way Andy moved was perfect, he knew your body in a way nobody ever did. He knew what you needed and what you wanted without you having to say a word. It had been a completely different story with Ransom, even when you told him what you wanted it always felt like he did what he needed, what he wanted.

When Andy moaned in your ear you snapped out of your thoughts. Your screwed your eyes shut and shook your head trying to shake the thought and image of Ransom from your mind. You took a couple of deep breaths centring yourself, getting yourself out of your head and just enjoying this moment with Andy. The man you loved, the only man you loved.

When you opened your eyes you found Andy already looking down at you. Your lips twitched upwards as you looked into his brilliant blue eyes, you cupped his cheeks and guided his lips down to yours hoping to translate the feeling of love you felt for him through it. He seemed to understand as he kissed you back fiercely.

It wasn’t long until you both found your highs, Andy collapsing back onto the bed beside you. He gave you a lazy smile as he leaned over to press a languid kiss to your lips. He then grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, the both of you too tired to watch anymore.

He let out a long yawn as he lay back down, he wrapped his arm around you and mumbled a tired I love you before settling down for the night. You shifted closer to him, laying your head back on his chest whispering that you loved him back but he was already asleep.

You weren’t sure how long you were laying there awake for, but it was long enough that your mind began to wander and replay the night. It had been sweet what Andy had done for you tonight but your mind then reminded you of all the times he seemed to hesitate and why that might have been.

Had he been picturing you laying with Ransom, did he find the image of that repulsive? Did he see you as tainted? Did he find you repulsive?

The more your mind ran away from you the more uncomfortable you felt. You suddenly felt dirty, like there was a layer of grime covering your skin. You shot out of bed, Andy stirring in response.

“Wha- where you?” he mumbled as he lifted his head from the pillow.

“I’m just getting a drink, I’ll be right back” you lie, he hums in response his head already falling back onto the pillow.

You silently crept into the bathroom, not daring to turn on the lights as you grabbed a washcloth from the side and began to wipe away the grime. The grime that Ransom left of you, the grime that repulsed Andy. You bit your lip as you felt tears beginning to build up, only letting silent sobs breakthrough as you repeatedly scrubbed your skin.

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[whiskey-tango-matcha]

Downfall (pt 2/2)

See? I didn’t lie, part 2 is here and it’s only...11:00PM Sunday night lol. Wow guys, this part got long (like 3.5k words long. Oops.) and *sappy*. But, you know what I love about snz fic? We always give the people what they want. You see a smoking gun in act 1 you best believe it’s going off in act 3. Lmao. Also, I’m sorry if there’s continuity/grammar/spelling errors, I’ll read it through again in the morning and fix them I just can’t do it tonight haha.

Anyway! Hope you guys like the second part.

cw: Male, colds, contagion, mess, there is a passing-out moment in here as well. Shit gets wild lol. This part is heavily inspired by 3 prompts in my inbox, so if you sent a prompt it’s probably featured here!

Downfall - Pt 2

When Elijah opened his eyes Friday morning, he nearly cried in relief; after three full days of feeling like death, he finally, finally felt like he was on the other side of this shit.

The past two days had been a nightmare. After Greyson had called him Tuesday night and told him that not one but two other managers had gone down, Elijah had to mentally prepare himself for a full week of work with one of the worst colds he’d ever endured. He’d walked into the kitchen Wednesday morning stuffed to the gills with dayquil, cough syrup, and ibuprofen; a combination he was sure was actively taking years off of his life. Greyson was already hard at work, despite the fact that Elijah knew he’d been at the restaurant until well after midnight the night before.

“He lives!” Greyson said, throwing his arms up as though Elijah had just scored the winning goal for their nonexistent soccer team. “You look god-awful, and I’m so glad you’re here!”

Elijah coughed out a laugh, and Greyson lead them both into the office. “So, here’s the deal,” Greyson said as they both sat. “I told both Matt and Mark to stay home til Saturday – just to make sure they don’t infect anyone else. I closed the books at 50 covers tonight and tomorrow – and I know, it’s barely enough to cover labor, but we’re in survival mode here, so don’t give me that look. I got in at six, most of my prep for the evening is done, so I figured when we open I can throw on a button down and help on the floor while you expo back here during the rush. Does that all work for you?”

The GM blinked, blindsided. He knew Greyson was good in a shit situation, but damn; the kid should’ve been a fighter pilot or an ER doctor. “Yeah,” Elijah said, “sounds great, Grey.”

So that’s what they’d done. Both Wednesday and Thursday. Elijah had holed up in the office until the servers needed him for preshift, and Greyson had prepared his cooks for two weird nights of Elijah expoing. Service had been moderately slow both evenings, which would’ve been great, if it hadn’t allowed Elijah to hyper-focus on his lingering symptoms and Greyson to flit and fret over him every time he stepped into the kitchen.

“Do you need anything, Lij? Water? Tea? Meds?” The constant stream of mother-henning had eventually worn on everyone, and even Greyson’s cooks had finally said, “Chef, he’s fine.”

But they had gotten through it. Elijah had sneezed and coughed and cursed his way through garnishing dishes, and Greyson had awkwardly talked to tables until finally the week was nearly over. And now it was Friday, one day til the big wedding, and Elijah was finally, finally feeling better.

Elijah walked in at 9AM to a thankfully-empty kitchen; he’d told Greyson the night before to sleep in, prepare himself for the weekend, take some Emergen-C and be absolutely sure he wasn’t going to succumb to the rot Elijah had brought in, but he was surprised that the chef had actually listened to him. The GM placed his things down in their empty office and took a breath; it was going to be okay. Mark and Matt would be back for the wedding, they would be relatively slow tonight, and Saturday would be perfect. Manifest it, Lij, he said to himself, sitting at the desk and turning the computer on. Manifest it.

After an hour or so of paperwork, Elijah heard the back doors open as Greyson let himself in. The GM pushed away from the computer and cracked his neck, anticipating the usual barrage of word vomit Greyson was wont to spew out the moment he walked into the restaurant. “Morning, Chef,” he called out before even seeing Greyson, marveling at how much clearer his voice was today. Fuck that fucking cold.

Greyson stepped into the office and silently saluted his boss, a Starbucks cup adorning each of his hands. “Hey, boss,” he said, placing one in front of Elijah and one next to his own computer. The chef didn’t sit down; instead, he took off his hoodie, grabbed a clean coat from the back of his chair, and buttoned it up before snagging his drink and heading into the kitchen. Elijah swung himself around in his chair, dumbstruck.

“That’s it?” he asked, watching Greyson unpack his knives a few feet away. “‘Hey, boss’? No big gameplan? No huddle to discuss the week’s insanity? No bombardment of questions regarding my health?” Greyson huffed out a laugh, but Elijah wasn’t having it. “You didn’t even tell me what you got me to drink,” he said, holding up the mystery cup.

Greyson raised an eyebrow at his boss and bit back a smile. “It’s a chai,” he said, bemused. Elijah threw his hands up, flustered.

“The amount that that doesn’t address 90% of my questions is truly amazing,” he said, taking a long sip of his drink, which – certainly wasn’t a chai. The hell was that?

“I don’t know what second-rate Starbucks you stopped at, Chef, but this is definitely not a chai,” Elijah said, pushing the cup towards the door. “What is that? It’s like...something lemon.”

Greyson colored a bit and picked up his own cup to look at the sticker. “Ah, fuck,” he mumbled, striding back into the office and switching their cups. “Sorry ’bout that. I switched the cups.”

“What is it?” Elijah asked, his face seemingly stuck in a mask of disgust. “So that I can remember to never order it.”

Greyson rolled his eyes. “Have you ever ordered something from Starbucks that wasn’t a chai?” he asked, sipping his drink. Elijah shrugged and turned towards that computer again.

“Fair enough,” he said, waking the screen by shaking the mouse. He turned to Greyson again when the floorplan popped up on his screen. “Can we take a quick look at tonight together? Since Matt and Mark are still out? Do you think we should cut the covers off now, or go to 75?” Elijah squinted, his face nearly touching the screen in concentration. After a few moments of silence, he peeled himself away from the monitor to glance at the chef, who was – the fuck was he doing?

“The fuck are you doing?” Elijah asked, snapping Greyson out of his trance. The chef had been turned almost all the way around, facing the kitchen. Clearly he hadn’t heard a word Elijah said.

“Huh? Shit, sorry boss. Lost in thought,” Greyson said, turning back toward the GM. “Uhh… 75. Yeah, that looks good,” he finished, lamely. Elijah raised his eyebrows.

“What’s your problem today?” he asked, though not with malice. Greyson chuckled.

“Just got a lot on my mind, boss,” he said. “Big weekend. Week’s been long. I need to get back to prep, if that’s okay.” Elijah gave Greyson another look, but nodded after a moment and shooed him out. Greyson smiled at his boss, held his cup out in a false ‘cheers’. “I’ll be prepping in the back kitchen if you need me,” he said, and disappeared past the line into the back.

It wasn’t Elijah’s fault, he reasoned with himself later, that he hadn’t seen through the ruse. He’d just barely gotten over a monster of a cold; he was himself busy and stressed; it was early and he hadn’t had enough caffeine. He couldn’t be expected to decode what was wrong with Greyson every time the kid acted weird. However, he couldn’t help but kick himself when he finally realized – thirty minutes before service – what the weird-tasting drink the chef had gotten himself was. Aptly named, of course, and something Elijah himself had only had once before, courtesy of Greyson himself.

A medicine ball. Greyson had gotten himself a medicine ball.

***

He wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep this up, but it certainly wasn’t going to be through tomorrow’s wedding.

Greyson sat down, fully clothed, on the toilet and put his head in his hands for the third time that day. The fact that Elijah hadn’t noticed at this point was a mix of pure dumb luck and more sudafed than a human person should ever in their life consume. He assumed the former would begin to run out soon, as the latter had hours ago.

“Huhh...HNGSTH! NTSH! ITZSH! Fuck – HNGTSZHUE! Goddamn it.”

Greyson pulled a length of toilet paper from the roll and blew his nose until it made him cough. He checked his watch as he threw the toilet paper into the trashcan next to him – 9:15PM. When he’d stepped into this bathroom, dodging Elijah as he locked the door, all but one of the tables had left. He’d go back to the line, he’d tell Leo, his grill cook who’d been there nearly as long as he had, to check that everyone had cleaned thoroughly, and he’d sneak out the back before Elijah could question him.

And then what? Greyson asked himself as he stood and washed his hands. You somehow make a miraculous recovery between now and tomorrow morning? Have you seen how this shit took down Elijah, Mark, and Matt?

Greyson ignored the voice in his head and dried his hands. He assumed Elijah hadn’t noticed because they were both wildly busy before service, and once service had started, they were both worn thin being the only managers in their departments for the third day in a row. Greyson had managed to keep the congestion out of his voice with the aforementioned sudafed, and he had taken his happy ass to the bathroom or out back to ‘smoke’ when he really needed to sneeze or cough all night. Elijah had definitely given him some looks through the evening, but nothing Greyson couldn’t brush off by pulling a ticket distractedly and not making eye contact.

Tomorrow, though? When Matt and Mark were both going to be back, and they were all going to be prepping their asses off for the wedding? He genuinely had no idea what he was going to do to keep them from noticing.

Greyson exited the bathroom, stealthily managing to avoid his boss as he slipped into the kitchen. He gathered his things, put Leo in charge, and was nearly out the door, nearly safe, when -

“Chef!” Elijah called behind him, making him freeze in his tracks just outside the back door. Fuck.

“Yeah, boss?” Greyson asked, turning to face Elijah and hoping he didn’t look like the garbage fire he felt. Elijah crossed his arms over his chest in the cold of the alleyway and motioned to Greyson’s entire being.

“You leaving?” he asked tapping his foot. Greyson managed a smile and lifted his backpack and knife bag a little for inspection.

“Is it obvious?” he asked, quietly clearing his throat to mask the gravel of his voice. Elijah didn’t say anything for a few moments.

“Leo shutting down the line?” he asked. Greyson nodded, swallowing around a throat on fire.

“Yeah,” he said. “Did you uh…ndeed something from mbe?” Fuck.

Elijah gave Greyson a pointed look. “Grey,” he said, voice low. “If you’re sick, you need to tell me. Now.”

Greyson felt his cheeks redden, but he immediately shook his head. “I’mb good,” he said, cursing once again the congestion that had sneaked into his voice. “Promise. I gotta go, I’mb gonna mbiss mby train.” Without missing a beat, the chef turned around and headed towards the street, hoping his boss couldn’t see him stifle nearly ten sneezes into his fist as he walked.

This was not going to end well.

***

It was worse than Elijah could have even imagined.

When Elijah walked into the restaurant that morning, the first thing he did was text Greyson.

9:01AM

Hey. I’m here, is there anything you want me to pull out/start on before you get in?

9:01AM

Also, how are you feeling?

Normally, he’d get a response in moments; when Greyson wasn’t at work, the man was glued to his phone, playing some stupid game or messaging one of his fifty Bumble suitors he kept on the line at all times. I get bored, he often said to Elijah. One starts annoying me, BOOM! Onto the next.

Today, though, nearly twenty minutes passed before Elijah’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out immediately and couldn’t help but wince at the text the chef sent.

9:18AM

great. no. ill be there in 20.

Anyone who texted with Greyson more than once in their life knew that if he wasn’t being his multi-exclamation-point, constant-joke-and-lol self over text, he was probably close to death. Elijah typed out an ‘ok’ to the chef, before making a thread with Matt and Mark.

9:31AM

Elijah

Hey, guys. Just making sure you’re both on your way in. Greyson’s gonna be down bad. Need all hands on deck asap.

9:32AM

Mark

???? is he ok??? down bad in what way?

9:33AM

Matt

ya, coming now. figured chef would’ve gone down by now. should I bring anything?

9:34AM

Elijah

Just your stamina. Gonna be a long day. Thx.

9:34AM

Mark

no one answered my ?

im so confused

oh

OH

shit, I knew I got greyson sick. fuuuuuuuuck. sorry, boss :(

9:35AM

Elijah

All good. Inevitable. Let’s just get this day done.

Elijah clicked his phone off and sighed. He could go for a whiskey, or even just a long, drawn out scream about now, but a cigarette and a prayer would have to do him. Twelve hours until the wedding was over.

***

How Greyson managed to make it to work was anyone’s guess, him included.

The chef pushed through the back doors and before he could even get past the prep kitchen he was doubled over, sneezing into the sleeve of his hoodie.

“HhhIGSTZH-ue! HuhESHHH-ue! HRRTSCHZUE! NGTSHZUE! Christ, fuck,” Greyson muttered, wiping his nose on his sleeve for what he could only wish he could say was the first time that morning. He cleared his throat, which was for naught since he could barely speak, and continued his trudge into the main kitchen.

When Greyson had made it home last night, he told himself he’d be able to continue to hide his burgeoning illness. He thought maybe more medicine, some Vick’s, and a good night’s sleep would give him the upper hand against it. He’d told himself he was stronger than his coworkers, that his immune system wouldn’t fail him on one of the most important days of his career.

Oh, how the mighty will fall.

“HhNGTSHHZUE! ITSZH-uhh! Fuuuuck,” Greyson moaned, stumbling into the thankfully-empty office and yanking a handful of tissues from the box on the desk. He wiped his nose, unwilling to unleash the volley of sneezes he knew would be behind a nose blow, and pressed his palms into his eyes to try and relieve some of the pressure. Who the fuck gets a cold this fucking bad, Elijah, he wondered silently.

As if conjured, Greyson felt his phone buzz with a text from his boss.

10:07AM

Bless. That sounds fucking awful.

Could a guy not get a moment’s peace in this fucking place?

10:08AM

i should call the cdc’s biohazard unit on u for unleashing this shit onto us.

An admission, but what else was he supposed to do? Elijah could hear him in the dining room. The game was over. Greyson put his head back into his hands until he heard his boss’s footsteps click into the kitchen.

“...chef?” Elijah asked, and Greyson wearily lifted his head.

“Mornding,” Greyson croaked, before turning to the side to cough, crackly and painful-sounding, into his sleeve. He felt something get placed on the desk next to him, and when he finally was able to compose himself he saw it was a Starbucks cup. Greyson smiled, weary.

“Chai?” he asked, picking up the cup. Elijah huffed out a laugh.

“Something like that,” he said, moving to sit next to Greyson. “Now, hear me out. I think I have a gameplan.”

***

At five o’clock, Elijah finally went to rouse the man of the hour with a knock on the office door.

“Chef,” he said, trying to wake Greyson as gently as possible. “Grey. We need you for plate-up.” Greyson nodded blearily and, with the help of both Matt and Elijah, managed to get to his feet.

It had been an interesting day for sure. Elijah’s plan had been for Greyson to try and help with some of the more intricate parts of prep in the morning, and then lay down from noon until it was go time, but that had proved nearly impossible.

Greyson had managed to prep for about three minutes at a time before dissolving into nasty coughing fits that lasted minutes at a time, or absolutely relentless bouts of -

“HTSHH-ue! HRSHH-ue! Hhuhh…NGTSHZUE! ITSZHUE! Huhh-ETSHZCH-oo!”

“Christ, boss,” Matt said, attempting a laugh after a particularly intense fit of sneezes, “When you go down you really go – oh, fuck.” In teasing his boss, Matt nearly missed Greyson’s eyes rolling back into his head and his knees buckling as he lost consciousness for a moment. “ELIJAH!” Matt called, catching his boss and lowering him to the ground as gracefully as possible.

Once they’d managed to get Greyson back to a standing position, Elijah had decided it was too risky to let him continue to be...vertical. Greyson had laid out for Matt exactly what he needed him to do to finish preparing the food, and retreated to the blanket fort they had all heavily utilized this week for a sleep that more closely resembled a coma than anything restorative.

Matt, Elijah, and even Mark had managed to finish the prep Greyson had worked so hard on that week by four PM. Once they felt ready, the three of them gathered in front of the office to stare at the racked-out chef.

“Should we… ask him if everything looks okay?” Mark had asked, ringing his hands. Matt and Elijah exchanged a look before Elijah shook his head.

“I think… I think he’ll be okay with just about anything at this point,” Elijah said. The other two nodded, unwilling to take this precious moment of sleep away from the chef.

When the guests were all seated and ready for first courses, it was, of course, Elijah’s job to wake the sleeping bear. Greyson, ever the trooper, took his place at the pass and regarded the three of them with all the pride he could muster.

“Thangk you guys. Really,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “Ndow. Let’s get this shit over w – HGSTHH-ue! Snrf. Guhh,” Greyson held tight to the granite counter top and pulled himself back to his full height.

“Let’s get this done,” he said, pulling out his tweezers. “And whend it’s over, I’mb ndot answering mby phone for a fuckigg week.”

They all managed a laugh. They all assumed their positions for plating and running food. This certainly wasn’t the glamorous job it was portrayed in the movies, but they did have something all that media never seemed to truly capture; they had each other, and this place that all of them thought of as not a second, but a true home.

Greyson cleared his throat as the first of the servers came through the doors, bearing labeled sheets with seat numbers. “Order in!” he called, and they all put their heads down and began their work.

[angel-inrealtime]

November F1c Prompts Day 26

Day 26 - Taste (Salty)

A/N: Yeah so I got stuck like 2 parts after this and it lowkey broke my brain. Whoops.

“I can say no to any other food,” you start, around a mouthful of fries, “But there is something about fried potato.”

Daniel laughs, automatically swiping next to your mouth with his thumb. “You had sauce.”

You kiss the digit when it lingers, and it puts the silly little grin on his face that you love the most.

You’ve biked away half of the sunny morning already, making the most of the lingering European summer sun. You bump his foot with yours. “You look more relaxed.” You start, keeping your voice light.

Daniel chuckles, mostly to himself, but his face is honest when he looks at you and shrugs. “That’s the next stage, or whatever, right? Acceptance.”

You give him the little laugh you know he’s looking for in response. “I’m...” You start, still looking at him carefully. It’s hard to know, sometimes, how he’s going to take things, or if he’s putting on the Daniel Ricciardo school of fake it till you make it smile. “I’m really proud of you, you know? For doing what you need to for you, even though it must feel so...the opposite of what you’ve always done.”

You’re not sure if it’s blush on his cheeks or they’re tinged pink from the sun (you won’t point it out either way). He nudges your foot back with his own. “I can think of way worse ways to spend a year, that aren’t travelling and hanging out with you, bub. I’m...” He shakes his head again, like he’s trying not to let the shitty thoughts win, determined to only keep the good ones. “I’m...weirdly looking forward to it, actually.” He gives you a little smile.

You grin back at him. “I am too. It’ll be fun.”

It’s like he relaxes, shoulders settling a little lower. “You won’t get sick of me?” He looks at you through the curls falling over his forehead and tries to make it seem like he’s joking. “I’ll probably get super annoying after like...a week.”

The nudge to his shin is erring closer towards a kick, this time. “You aren’t annoying, babe. Or like...” You grin at him. “if you are, we’re the same kind of annoying. Cancels out.”

He starts laughing. “Well that’s just mathematically correct, then.”

“Not just a pretty face, me.” You say over your shoulder as you stand up and move towards the bikes.

Daniel slings his arms over your shoulders, kisses the back of your head and lingers there a moment. “Nah, you’re...” His breath stirs the hair in front of his mouth. “You’re pretty fuckin’ fantastic, y’know?”

You squeeze his forearms over your chest. “Can I get that in writing?”

“It’ll cost ya.”

“Oh yeah?” You turn in his hold and poke him in the chest. “Name your price, Ricciardo.”

(The uncomplicated, huge smile on his face makes you want to melt)

“Hmm.” He makes a big show of thinking. “A kiss, I think.”

“Jeez, you drive a hard bargain.” You sigh, faux put upon. But you put your hands on either side of his face and kiss him soundly. “What a hardship.”

He giggles, a little wild.

[gh0stsp1d3r]

Tangerines and deer- Part 12

Once again this isn’t the last chapter!!

Taglist: @local-fanfic-addict @slut-f0r-u @wee-little-mouse

Mentions of sex (no actual sex sadly)

After a few months, your now boyfriend did indeed move to America. He lived about 20 minutes away, which was better than hours away.

You and ladybug sat on the couch, eating popcorn while waiting for the directions on a new mission from Maria.

“Jesus Christ, it’s been hours. Is she ever gonna be here?” He sighed, eyelids getting heavier by the minute.

“Probably not..” you muttered, and looked at the clock. It was 4 am.

“I think I’m just gonna go to sleep. I’m tired. Wake me up if she gets here.” He said, walking to your guest bedroom. He knew where it was because he practically lived there. He was always there, and you two were usually together.

“Yeah, good night.” You said, not tired at all unlike him.

“Good night.” He said, and closed the bedroom door.

You always had trouble sleeping, whether it was because your job or maybe even something else. You didn’t exactly know.

A few minutes later, while you still watched the tv screen, someone knocked on your door.

You got up and opened the door without thought.

“Jesus Christ, Maria, finally-“

But it wasn’t Maria.

“I think you got the wrong person, love.”

“Aaron? What are you doing here?” You ushered him in and looked around outside.

(I’m just calling him Aaron because his actor but you can call him whatever you think his name is.)

“Can’t sleep.” He shrugged it off, and took off his shoes.

“Yeah, me neither.” You sighed and laid back down on the couch.

He sat next to you, he hasn’t been to your house too much. You both were sometimes busy. You put your feet in his lap, which he didn’t mind.

He looked at you, and all of a sudden you were knocked out.

He smiled to himself, it was a small smile but he rarely smiled.

He decided to not let you sleep on the couch after a while, and instead he slowly and carefully picked you up. He brought you to your room and put you in your bed.

You mumbled something when he put you underneath the covers.

“Sorry?”

“Stay.” You said quietly, eyes still closed.

He smiled again, and got underneath the covers with you. He put his arm around you, and you adjusted yourself comfortably.

“Good night, I love you.” You mumbled quietly, he wasn’t sure he heard it right. But before he could ask you were sleeping again.

That’s the first time you’ve told him you loved him. It’s the first time he’s heard it from anyone.

He froze, it’s only been months. Was it too soon? Was it a lie?

All these thoughts ran through his head, but then he looked at you sleeping peacefully again.

He loved you too, but he didn’t know when to say it.

So he decided to just go to sleep, which was easier said than done.

❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎❤︎︎

When you woke up, you were slightly confused. Then you remembered that you were waiting for Maria, Aaron knocked on the door, and now you’re sleeping with him.

You groaned as you picked up your phone, reading the texts Maria sent.

“Next time, STAY UP AND WAIT.”

“Hello?! Are you awake? Open the damn door.”

You got up and stood up, looking outside. And there they were. Your father figure and your handler talking on your couch.

“Look who decided to wake up.” Maria said when she saw you.

“How long- How-“

“Well, someone actually woke up and let me in. Unlike you.”

“Dude! This is my house!” You said, looking at ladybug. The name ladybug was funny, and it stuck.

“Sorry.” He shrugged, and you didn’t notice Aaron behind you who also woke up.

“Well, good morning to you guys too.” He muttered and wiped his eyes.

“Oh my god- did you guys-“

“No!” You said, embarrassed.

“Then what’s he doing in your room?” Ladybug asked, taking a sip from his coffee that was in his hand.

“I would really appreciate if you didn’t ask about my love life.”

He crossed his legs as if he was some sort of dad, and just stared at you.

“It’s an important question.” He shrugged, you sat down on the couch.

Aaron just stood in your room, not to sure whether to leave or not.

“Im just gonna… leave. See you later maybe?”

“I’ll text you.” You said, with a smile and he gave you a small smile back.

“Yeah. See you.” He said and left.

“Oh, you two totally fucked-“

“Shut up! We didn’t!”

“Can I please get on with explaining the mission?” Maria said, annoyed of the argument. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry.” He said, you both turned to her.

“Finally. Okay, so you both will be heading to Japan-“

“Again?”

“Yes, again. Can I continue?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

She continued on with the mission details, you pretty much ignored it.

“Okay, that’s it. You leave tomorrow.”

“Great.” You mumbled sarcastically.

[shenglingyuan]

title: words of wisdom and whatnots (ao3) pairing: togame jo/sakura haruka summary: sakura asks advice about his new bf from a certain senpai. his friends also tease him a lot (and tried to give him advice) if you were following my previous two togasaku fics, this happens in between them ;3;

The recent days have been quite a revelation for Sakura.

Even more so than friendship, dating someone is a completely new realm for him. Not that things have drastically changed between him and Togame ever since the festival. Instead, every single interaction they share now makes Sakura feel even more fuzzy all over. He can’t quite put a word on it, but it is a good feeling.

“Remember the bread Umemiya gave last time? It’s really good.” Togame’s leisurely pace in talking is a perfect company for walking. “I’m planning to go to your side of town later so I can buy a freshly baked version.”

He figured out early on that the guy isn’t too big on messages, which honestly is something he agrees with. Their phone calls even got more frequent, especially in the mornings when Sakura walks to school. It’s a welcome addition to his daily routine.

“Do it after my class, I’ll go with you. Call me when you’re on the way.”

“Afraid I’ll get lost?”

“The bakery’s literally along the same street as the entrance to the pub street.”

“You don’t have to come with me, then. I should be fine.”

“People will get worried if they see someone new roaming around in a different team’s jacket. I’ll go with you so you they know you’re not a troublemaker.”

“Almost thought you were worried for my safety.”

“Hah! As if someone here can actually endanger you.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that date. It is a date, yeah?”

“‘Course it is!” The words almost effortlessly come out from Sakura’s mouth, except that his cheeks started to warm up and his lips twisted into a pout, probably jumbling up his syllables. “What else would it be?”

Togame chuckles on the other end of the phone. “Can’t wait for it. Well, Choji’s calling for me. I’ll talk to you later, Sakura.”

The call drops just as Sakura turned to the street that directly leads to Furin. He’s learned from Togame that not everyone in Shishitoren actually goes to school. In fact, only a minority does, and Togame isn’t a part of that minority.

Must be nice to not have any extra responsibilities. He personally feels like Bofurin can still protect the town without having to attend school, but then most people would probably lose a reason to join Bofurin if they didn’t have to go.

Maybe he can afford to skip school one day and check how Shishitoren go about their daily life? Of course, it’s not just an excuse to see Togame. If he wants to be on Bofurin’s top one day, learning about other teams seems like an invaluable piece of knowledge. Right?

Togame Jo…how should he even treat him differently now that they’re actually dating?

With his mind circling back to Togame, he recalls their moment underneath the fireworks and the warmth of his hand as it tightly held his own, and the heat on his cheeks raises a degree warmer.

“—ning, Sakura-san!”

“AAH!” Sakura instinctively jumps a few steps back with a loud yelp. It’s Suo and Nirei, waiting for him by the gates of Furin. “How are you two always creeping up on me?!”

“We weren’t,” Nirei looks particularly offended, “We saw you from afar so we decided to wait for you here.”

“Ugh. Let’s go.” Sakura briskly walks ahead of them, slightly aware of his burning ears.

“What are you smiling about, though?” Suo asks as he catches up with Sakura’s steps. Of course, he’d be quick to notice and tease him about it.

“I ain’t smiling.”

“It’s actually a rather wide smile, Sakura-kun.”

“If it’s making you that happy, I don’t know why you have to hide it,” Nirei unhelpfully adds.

Sakura decides to ignore them until they finally reach the classroom and settle down on their chairs.

“You’re always like this, Sakura-kun.” Yet Suo is still not done pestering him. “I remember you were also like this last time after Umemiya-san talked with you about our fight with Shishitoren.”

“Oh yeah, we were calling you so many times across the street but you didn’t notice us until we were right in front of your face.”

“Sakura-kun blushing and feeling happy…by any chance, have you started dating someone?”

“Huh?! Who told you that?”

His outburst overpowers the buzzing noise in their classroom, resulting in a sudden silence all around them. Some even throw pointed quizzical stares towards their direction. Eventually, everybody returns to their own conversations, a bit used to Sakura yelling at the most random things.

“Nire-kun, he did not deny it.” Suo quietly notes when the attention on them finally dissipates.

“Whoa, you’re actually right.” Nirei is already pulling up his notebook to record this one-of-a-kind scoop on Sakura.

“Don’t write that! It’s none of your business.”

“Aha! So, you really are seeing someone. How impressive.”

“But, Sakura-san, you’re always blushing whenever there’s anything remotely romantic within your sight. I can’t imagine you being functional in a romantic situation yourself.”

“Is that a dig on me?” Sakura forms a fist in front of his face, his eyes throwing daggers towards Nirei’s direction, “Fight me outside, you little punk.”

“Let me guess who, Sakura-kun,” Suo smiles at him leisurely, carefully putting his raised fist down as Nirei uses his back to shield himself, “If I don’t get it right on the third try, I’ll grant you one fight where I go all out.”

“And what if you guess it right?”

“Hm, well, knowing this kind of information is prize enough. I’m not so cruel that I’d ask for more out of this.”

Now this is a deal that’s worth his while. Suo has always been avoiding a fight with him, not even for a sparring. He leans forward in excitement, a smug grin forming on his lips. “You have a deal.”

“Great!” Suo clasps his hand together, “Then, my first guess…”

He can’t wait to beat the shit out of Suo for all the times he teased him.

“…is Togame-san.”

…What the hell!

“You knew!”

“Oh? I was right?” Suo looks sincerely shocked, and behind him, Nirei looks like he has forgotten how to breathe. “I was just guessing, especially after he helped us a lot. You could have denied it, you know. But well, you’re still too young to know trade secrets. I told you gathering information is my specialty.”

“You—!” Got him played for a fool!

Just as he’s about to give Suo a beating right there and then, the teacher finally arrives, foiling his plan of revenge.

By break time, Sakura immediately escapes from further interrogation by running out of their classroom before Suo could make another remark. He contemplates skipping the rest of his class for the day, but Tamon 1-1 has patrol duty after class and he probably wouldn’t hear the end of it from Hiiragi if he missed that.

With nothing to do in the next thirty minutes, he finds himself heading down to the second year floor. There’s a lingering question in his mind which he knows that asking either Nirei or Suo about will lead him nowhere, they’re probably just as inexperienced. And besides, even if he does ask Takanashi who always talks about his girlfriend, his relationship with Togame will probably spread like wildfire if he talked about it to someone outside his closest circle.

Not that he wants to hide it, it’s just that he has enough teasing from Suo already. He can imagine that the whole class will pile on him if they knew and it will definitely bring him endless teasing. His classmates can be so rowdy, after all.

He arrives in front of the 2-1 classroom and peeks through their door. Kusumi sees him and understands at once, getting Kaji’s attention.

In the end, Sakura decides he should go to someone who seems wise enough to give him insight but will not tattle about the matter just to anybody.

That certain someone steps out of the classroom as he pulls down his headphones to his neck, “What is it?”

“Can I talk to you about something?”

“Is it gonna take a while?”

“Not really, but...” He looks behind him where Kaji’s classmates just noticed that their treasured grade captain has been called for again.

Kaji nods in understanding, “Alright. To the rooftop we go.”

They both leave before Kaji’s classmates could even begin to horde around them like before. Upon arriving at the rooftop, Kaji raises an arm to stop him. “Wait here, let me check.”

He quickly surveys the vicinity, and upon seeing that the coast is clear, waves for Sakura to follow him. “Lock the door behind you. Don’t want anybody eavesdropping on us again.”

Then they settled right under the cherry blossom tree with the view of the city before them. The summer wind blows steadily, much warmer compared to the last time they talked on this rooftop. The matter back then was more serious, of course.

“Well, what is it that you wanted to talk about? Got a problem in class again?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Now that Sakura’s in this position, he suddenly feels that it’s too silly to ask Kaji something so personal. “I wanted to ask if…if you were newly dating someone, how would you treat them?”

“Ha? Why are you asking me that kind of question?”

“You seemed the type to know.”

“Relationships aren’t part of grade captain duties; I don’t understand how you came to think that I can advise you on this.” Kaji bites at the last of his lollipop, feeling a bit annoyed to have been brought up here for such trivial matters.

“It’s not just because we’re grade captains.”

Kaji pauses at these words.

So, Sakura seems to see him as a senior, after all. Not only for matters related to Bofurin, but also in general aspects of his life. Sakura could have gone to the third years for advice as they seem to be more attached to Sakura compared to him, but Sakura chose to seek his advice.

Not that he’s any good but, being recognized like this, who wouldn’t feel a bit moved? He knows that Sakura has been alone for almost all of his life before coming to Furin. He’s also aware that Furin itself has reliable seniors from whom everyone, even he himself, rely on. But now, the role of a reliable senior is being placed onto him.

Last time, he had Hiiragi’s wisdom to share. This time around, he is on his own.

“Kimura from our class has a girlfriend, he’s always talking about picking her up after school and walking home together. Asami had one before, I know he loved cooking for his ex before they broke up. I don’t have personal experience, so I can only share what I know from others,” He scratches the tip of his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed for what he is about to say, but he reckons making it more personal will give his words meaning. “But if it was me, I’d spend a lot of time with that special person. Doesn’t matter what we’re doing. Being in the same space would already mean a lot to me.”

“But…they don’t go to school with me. And I’m still bad at cooking.”

“You don’t have to do that same things that I mentioned. What I’m trying to say is, each person will have a different way to express their affection, and their own way to receive affection, as well. You just have to figure it out on your own, just like with everything else.”

Sakura cranes his neck, confusion still on his face.

“You fought with the deputy leadership of Shishitoren, didn’t you?”

“H-huh? Yeah. Why?” For some reason, Sakura suddenly looks flustered, a touch of pink shading his cheeks. What doesn’t fluster this guy, really?

“I’m sure the seniors told you something about having the desire to know your opponent and wanting to know more about them. Umemiya-san loves that piece a lot. I guess relationships are just like that: get to know the other person, let the other person know you. But this time, the other person is not an opponent.”

Finally, some semblance of clarity settles on Sakura’s face. Kaji realizes he should have framed his dilemma in the context of fighting from the get-go. This guy is too simple-minded, in the end.

“Well, make sure your dating woes don’t get in the way of your duties.” Kaji opens up another lollipop and turns on his heel, “But since that person is now important to you, then they’re important to Bofurin, as well. If you need help, make sure to let us know.”

His talk with Kaji was surprisingly productive. It’s just amusing how Kaji implied he can ask Bofurin’s help to protect his important person. Togame’s the last person who needs protection.

But if I grow even stronger, then I can be someone who protects him? Seems like a sound plan for Sakura.

The rest of the day ends without a hitch, what with exams coming up and their teachers trying their best to get the whole class be able to receive at least a passing mark. Unfortunately, they still had after-school patrol duties.

He can’t avoid Suo and Nirei forever. And for some reason who must definitely be Suo, Kiryu and Tsugeura found out about him dating someone and have been pestering him about it all the time they are doing their patrol at the other end of town.

“But the most important thing is,” Tsugeura hooks an arm around his shoulder and pulls him close, spectacularly failing to whisper his next question, “Have you kissed yet, though?”

“K-k-k-what!” Sakura sputters, the image of himself kissing Togame forming inside his mind and the tips of his ears burning up. He shoves Tsugeura away from him. “Of course not!”

“Why not?” Kiryu asks with an almost disappointed tone.

“Have you kissed anybody yourself?” Sakura says defensively.

“Well, I would have, but I really haven’t gotten a girlfriend. A gentleman’s lips are only for his beloved, you know.”

“Oh, Kiryu-kun that’s so romantic of you.” Tsugeura says with an enthusiastic nod, “That’s a great virtue.”

“Of course~ Ladies love romantics.”

On the side, Nirei writes everything down in his handy notebook. “Never been kissed. A true romantic.”

“It’s not like it’s important,” Sakura finally says when he has felt the warmth from his cheeks finally dissipate, “We just started going out.”

“Well, it’s expected of our Sakura-kun. He’s a very pure boy, after all,” Suo smiles innocently at them.

“You’re really asking for a beating, aren’t you?”

“Since when have you been going out, Sakura-san?”

“…Since the summer festiv— Don’t write that down!”

“A festival confession!” Kiryu claps his hand in delight, “Wowee, Sakura-chan, you’re even cooler than expected. Then, I’ll teach you something important. If you’re too shy to go for an actual kiss, you can try an indirect kiss.”

“W-what’s that?”

“It’s when you drink from the same cup or bottle that your girlfriend is drinking from, so technically, your lips indirectly touched each other because you drank from the same spot. It’s very common in romantic media, but I guess you don’t watch many of those, Sakura-chan.”

“It’s not…,” Sakura speaks up, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Despite his reservations, he’s determined to clear up the confusion. “Not a girl.”

“Oh,” Kiryu gasps, but there’s no judgment nor malice behind it at all. “Sorry for assuming. Should have realized someone of Sakura-chan’s charms would attract attention from everyone.”

“Is he from Furin?” Tsugeura, on his part, is suddenly even more curious. “It’s probably not anybody from our class, so is it our senior? Didn’t think your type would be someone older.”

To their credit, Suo and Nirei remain mum about what they knew…which is kind of inconvenient for Sakura because now, the decision to disclose this information relies solely on him. They usually handle information-related tasks as vice captains. But for Sakura’s personal matters…Kiryu and Tsugeura look at him expectantly.

“Sakura-kun, you don’t have to tell it to them if you’re not comfortable, you know,” Suo suddenly says, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.

“No, it’s not like I want to hide it,” Sakura scratches the back of his neck and looks away, “I just…didn’t think it’d be this soon.”

“Then it’s okay. You don’t have to tell us who it is now.” Kiryu smiles, then turns to Tsugeura, “Right, Tsuge-chan?”

“Of course! Forcing information out of a friend is not one of my virtues. You can tell us when you finally want to share.” Tsugeura adds with a thumbs-up.

Sakura finally relaxes, thankful that the two other guys aren’t as sharp or as forceful as Suo when it comes to extracting information.

The rest of their patrol was filled with unsolicited words of advice from four inexperienced first years to an even more inexperienced classmate. If someone was listening on to their conversations, they’d definitely think that they are a bunch of hopeless romantics. Sakura thinks of running away from them from being overloaded with “dating” tips, it’s too much. Just too much.

As he is one advice away from actually bolting away, he sees a familiar set of monk’s clothes heading towards their direction.

It’s Togame, walking casually along the shopping street with his orange Shishitoren jacket hanging folded on the crook of his arm. He raises a hand when he saw that Sakura has noticed him. The other four notice him at the same time.

“Isn’t that Togame Jo of Shishitoren?” Tsugeura asks, “What’s he doing here?”

“Oh, Sakura-san, didn’t you have some matters to discuss with him?” Nirei suddenly says, an overly bright and obviously nervous smile painted on his face.

“Yeah, we should go ahead,” Suo interjects before Sakura can reply. “We’re almost done with our patrol anyway.”

It takes Sakura a moment to realize that his vice captains are helping in dragging Kiryu and Tsugeura away so he can go to Togame in peace. Turns out, the two of them knowing the truth early on can come in handy like this.

“Then I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

With a final farewell, Sakura parts ways with the rest of his group and strides towards Togame’s direction.

“I told you to call me when you’re on the way.”

“Was going to but I saw you from far away with your friends. You’re so easy to spot, you know.” Togame smiles as he ruffles Sakura’s hair. “Did I disturb your time with them?”

“Nah, just finished up patrol duty. Why aren’t you wearing your jacket?”

“You did tell me it will cause people to worry if I did. I don’t look like a troublemaker now, do I?”

Sakura shakes his head, smiling despite himself. Over three months ago, he had no one. Now, he has trustworthy friends and reliable seniors. There’s even someone he can call his special person. And yet, nothing feels out of place. He realizes that he has been worrying for nothing.

Just a moment with Togame and he knows, everything after will come naturally.

“You still do, but I’ll keep you in check.”

“Right. To the bakery, then?”

“Let’s go.”

[rainbow-flavoured-skittles]

Hey Mom, Dead Mom

Chapter 2: No more playing daddy’s game, I’ll go insane if things don’t change

I suffered for this chapter. it was fighting me every single step of the way but it’s finally finished. I can rest now. this isn’t as dark as the last chapter but Cole is running away in this, so it’s still not very happy. also I did indeed make a couple of random ocs because how else was I supposed to advance the plot? they’re not returning any time soon. as always, this is cross posted to ao3

~

Cole got on the plane to MOSPA at exactly eleven in the morning on a Sunday. He traveled alone — Dad was unable to come with him. Other people at the airport gave strange looks to the unaccompanied twelve-year-old, reminding him of the looks he got after Mom died. “Oh, why is that little boy all alone? So strange,” and then they’d go about their day, not giving him a second thought.

The flight attendant in front of him right now was doing just that. “No parents?” She asked, face mildly concerned. 

Cole shook his head. “I’m going to visit my grandma, but Dad couldn’t come,” he lied. Cole was good at lying. He’d done it a lot these past few years; you couldn’t take care of yourself the way Cole had without at least some lying.

The attendant gave him a small smile. Maddy, her name tag read. “Well, if you need anything, just call.”

“Okay, thanks, Ms.”

Maddy nodded and continued walking, greeting the other passengers. Cole fidgeted in his seat. The fabric covering it was itchy and the seatbelt was too tight. The man sitting next to him scrolled through his phone, music blaring loudly, and the old lady behind him was snoring. Not even off the ground yet and this flight was already torture. Cole resisted the urge to groan.

It was only a two hour flight, Cole could do this. But he hated planes so much — always had. Not being on the ground made him feel ill, and every bit of turbulence was terrifying. At least he had the window seat, though that didn’t do much to soothe his nerves. Being able to see how high up he was might make Cole feel worse. 

The crackling of a speaker interrupted his panicking. The sounds it made were loud and screechy. “Please fasten your seatbelts and put all devices on airplane mode. We will be taking off shortly,” the announcements said. 

Finally. Cole dug through his backpack and found his book. Fish in a Tree, the title read. He’d found it at the school book sale but had never gotten around to reading it. Now was his chance.

He’d barely gotten past the first chapter before they took off. Cole actually felt it when they did — it was like getting severed from a part of him. He felt sick, though throwing up wouldn’t achieve anything. It would probably make him feel worse. Cole settled for putting the book down and staring blankly at the seat in front of him instead. He wouldn’t be able to focus on the book, or anything at all, not when his stomach was lurching so badly.

Just two hours, he told himself. Then I can collapse on a bed and sleep. He repeated those words over and over like a mantra. 

~

As it turned out, Cole was not able to immediately sleep once he arrived at MOSPA, because he had to check in. Check in, as if the school was a hotel. Or maybe a prison, which would be much more accurate.

“It’s great that you’re here, Nicholas,” the secretary smiled cheerily as she typed on her computer. “I’m sure you’ll love this school. We’re all one big family.”

Yeah, right. Every time a school said that they didn’t mean anything by it. In fact, it meant there was probably all sorts of bullying that went ignored. “It’s just Cole, not Nicholas. Nobody calls me that,” Cole said. He hated his full name — who agreed to let his grandfather pick it out? ‘Nicholas’ was an old-person name from at least a hundred years ago.

“Okay, then, Cole. I’ve got your dorm number and schedule here,” the secretary printed out a sheet of paper. “Do you need a map of the school?”

Cole shook his head. He had spent some of the flight looking at the floor plans and they were seared into his brain at this point. “I’ll be fine, thank you,” he hurried out before she could offer to have someone show him around. He didn’t want that kind of forced social interaction.

The dormitories were not hard to find, not with the giant sign that pointed to where they were. Cole opened the door, cursing when it was stuck, and shoved everything to the side before closing it again. He didn’t see a roommate anywhere, but it was a weekend, so everyone was probably out. That was good, it meant he had a couple hours alone; he could use the time to unpack and explore the school.

Cole shoved all his clothes into the closet and shoes under the bed. MOSPA had a strict uniform policy, so he wouldn’t be able to wear any casual clothing, nor his combat boots. That was a shame — he really liked those boots. They had served well when he got into fights. And they added another sorely needed three inches to his height, another advantage.

Any books that he’d brought were put onto the desk. Items such as stationery and notebooks were placed in drawers. Miscellaneous trinkets were placed in a box under the bed and his toiletries in another box. Cole pushed the suitcases into the corner. There wasn’t anywhere else to put them, but he’d figure it out later. Right now he wanted to take a nap and not wake up for a month. Screw exploring the school, he could do that tomorrow.

Cole closed the curtains, pulled the covers over his head, and went to sleep. 

~

MOSPA, as Cole found out in the span of a month, was its own special brand of hell. The students there hated Cole for always messing up and acting strange, as if grieving for a loved one was something to make fun of. The teachers hated him for not talking or making eye contact and always zoning out. Everybody seemed to agree that he was the weird kid who should be avoided at all costs. His roommate, a kid named John, disliked him enough that he asked to be put in a different dorm.

“Thanks for messing up again, Brookstone,” one of his classmates sneered. Brant Green, yet another asshole who existed to make Cole miserable. “You ruined the whole performance.”

It hadn’t been Cole’s fault. Another student had purposefully tripped him, causing him to fall and knock over several people. “Yeah, I did. What’s your point?” He tried not to flip off Brant. That would just cause more trouble, trouble he couldn’t risk. The teachers hated him enough already.

“How’d you even get into this school? I thought you needed to have talent to get in,” Brant spat. 

“Do I look like I want to be here? I hate this place,” Cole stood up and glared at the taller boy. Brant was a good head taller than him, unfortunately.

Brant didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Perhaps he’d thought Cole was going here willingly, though how he’d come to that conclusion was a mystery. He gave Cole another sneer and walked away.

Cole rolled his eyes and went back to his lunch. For all its faults, at least this school had good food. The chicken salad was pretty tasty.

A large group chattered next to him. One of them gave him the side eye. “That’s the Brookstone kid,” she said, loud enough for Cole to hear. “His dad’s a Royal Blacksmith. Isn’t it weird how he didn’t get any of the family talent?”

Cole scowled and looked down at the table. He stabbed his lunch with more force than was needed.

“Nicholas Brookstone to the office, Nicholas Brookstone to the office,” a speaker sounded. All eyes turned to him. Cole looked down at the floor and wondered if he could just die right there in the cafeteria. It would save everyone a lot of trouble.

A kid coughed from the table in front of him. Awkward, Cole thought. What had he done this time? There wasn’t anything recent he’d done to warrant this.

It took five minutes for the school to realise he wasn’t moving any time soon. They all went back to their conversations, and Cole snuck out the side entrance. He had always been good at going unnoticed.

Cole walked through the halls briskly and knocked on the office door. He was let in by the guidance counsellor, a lady in her forties with platinum blonde hair. “Nicholas, we need to talk about your behaviour,” she said as they sat down.

“I haven’t been in any more fights,” Cole said. It was true.

“Your teachers say that you don’t pay any attention in class and that you’re not following instructions. It has nothing to do with your peers.”

“I’m trying my best, okay?” Cole snapped. Why couldn’t anyone just listen for once? He was trying, he’d been trying for ages.

“Then how come your grades are so low? This is one of the top arts schools in Ninjago, Nicholas. We expect better.” The counsellor had a mask of false concern on. Cole kind of wanted to punch it off. 

“It’s not Nicholas, it’s Cole. And I am trying,” Cole gritted out. 

“Your grades are barely scraping fifty percent.”

“So?”

The counsellor frowned. “If you don’t start doing better, you may get expelled.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Cole said under his breath. Then to the counsellor, “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.” She might be suspicious of the sudden change of pace, but Cole couldn’t care less. He just wanted to get out of the office.

The counsellor nodded and fixed her glasses. “That’s all for today, Nicholas. You can go to class now.”

She didn’t even bother to get his name right. “Thanks,” Cole marched out the door.

~

Cole stared down at his exam results and wondered if he was dreaming. Forty percent average, the paper said. A fail. He’d managed to do so badly that his average wasn’t even fifty.

Dad’s going to kill me, he thought. Dad expected at least nineties, and this definitely wasn’t it. He’d be grounded until his thirtieth birthday, if he lived that long.

The only subject that had above sixty was visual arts. The teacher for that class was nice — he understood Cole’s struggles and gave him all the time he needed. It wouldn’t make Dad overlook all the other failures, though.

The paper crinkled under his grip. Cole blinked the tears out of his eyes and shoved the paper into his folder. His classmates were conversing all around him, comparing grades and bragging about what they’d gotten. The teacher sat at her desk on the computer. Nobody would notice if he went to the washroom and never returned, hopefully.

Cole got up and walked to the front. “Ms. Jackson, may I please go to the washroom?”

The teacher nodded distractedly and waved her hand. “Yes.”

Cole grabbed his belongings and slipped out the door. He hadn’t taken a hall pass, not when the teacher would notice it missing. She wouldn’t know he was gone, but she would notice the hall pass. The teachers here were strange like that.

He opened the door to his dorm and collapsed on the ground. How was he going to explain his grades to his dad, much less the teachers? He could already hear the lecture. “Your mother would be so disappointed in you, Cole. What happened to all that potential?”

Then again, Dad didn’t pay attention to him. Cole doubted he even remembered that he existed; Dad was too busy partying. Maybe he could burn the report card and pretend it didn’t exist.

Or… Cole’s thoughts drifted to a snide comment Brant had made a few months ago. “Why don’t you just run away? Nobody would miss you — we’d be happy to see you gone.”

Cole had ignored him at the time. It was just another uncreative insult from the stereotypical bully. But it wasn’t exactly a bad idea. As strict as the school was, Cole knew all the weak spots in its system. It was easy to sneak out and never return. And he’d been thinking about leaving and never coming back for ages. This was just the final straw.

“All right, then. Guess Brant gets his wish,” Cole said. No one responded, of course — he was all alone. But talking to himself was a habit. Cole got up and went to the closet, finding the duffel bag he used to use for camping. He blew the dust off and packed anything that seemed useful. A flashlight, multiple sets of clothes, a reusable water bottle, that box of granola bars he’d bought a month ago, all the cash he had.

More food would need to be picked up from the school cafeteria, he decided. And he’d need to find a sleeping bag somehow. But everything else was ready. Cole could leave during the night — he refused to call it running away, he wasn’t running from anything — it was easier that way. This was the best option, he told himself.

Cole snuck out as soon as it was dark. He didn’t need to avoid any roommates, thankfully — anyone who’d been placed with him had moved out. It took a few minutes for him to write a letter to Jay. His best friend didn’t deserve to have him disappearing without warning, though they hadn’t been best friends since before Mom’s death. He put it in the outgoing mail on the way out, sealed with a blue sticker. Jay would know what that meant.

He took the back exit and walked down the road to the bus stop. The city’s streets were dimly lit, people rushing past him to get home. A couple looked at him curiously but didn’t stop him. A drunk man sat down next to him on the bench as they waited. Dogs barked in the distance and a truck drove past. It was peaceful, Cole thought. The most peaceful he’d been in a while.

The bus arrived just after midnight. Cole got on and paid for a ticket to the next town over. He could find a sleeping bag and extra clothes there, and the further away he got the better. He was finally leaving MOSPA and his dad behind, and he wouldn’t be stopped by something as simple as not having basic supplies.

~

Running away wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. All the books made it seem easy — there was no mention of sleeping in alleys, or trying not to get mugged, or having to do odd jobs to get money. Thank goodness for Ninjago’s lax law enforcement; nobody would have hired a thirteen-year-old if the police were good at their job. Especially a thirteen-year-old who may or may not be on the missing persons list. Cole still wasn’t sure if anyone had noticed him missing.

Cole shouldered his backpack as he walked away from Jamanakai Village. He’d managed to find work at a local restaurant a few weeks prior and had finally saved up enough money to get somewhere else. He wasn’t quite sure where his next destination would be, but for now he planned to go back to the mountain range near Ninjago City. He deserved a break, and climbing was therapeutic. The city having a lot of people to pickpocket was just a bonus.

Jamanakai was isolated, unfortunately. It would be an entire day before Cole could get to a more urban area and find a bus stop. He knew there wasn’t a lot of point in travelling so often, of course, but Cole couldn’t shake the feeling that if he didn’t keep moving, someone would find him and bring him back to MOSPA. He couldn’t let that happen. And it kept his mind off of Mom and Dad. Nope, not thinking of that today, Cole thought. It was a good day and he wasn’t going to ruin it.

“Probably enough money for a ticket to Ninjago City,” Cole muttered. “Then it’s just some hitchhiking.”

Not a difficult journey, really. Cole continued on.

~

The mountain was tall. And windy. And probably dangerous to climb without proper gear. Cole tried not to think of that as he pulled himself up the next ledge. He’d already had a close calls today, almost fell off before he found a foothold. Cole thanked Wojira that he hadn’t fallen to his death. If he was going to die, he wanted it to at least be dignified.

Only a bit more to the top of the mountain and then he could rest. Cole planned to camp there for the night and then go back down, hopefully without any major injuries. The broken ankle  still ached, and it had been months. He hadn’t been able to walk for two weeks the last time, and Cole wasn’t eager to have a repeat.

Huffing and sweaty, Cole reached the top. He climbed over the last few rocks and stopped, feeling pretty proud of himself, when he noticed the man sitting in front of him.

“Hello there,” the man said. He looked ancient, with deep set wrinkles and a long white beard. He took a sip of his drink and smiled.

Okay, that’s creepy, Cole thought. He had thought he was the only one climbing. How had he not noticed this guy?

“Wha— who are you?” The words exited Cole’s mouth without permission. He really should work on his brain-to-mouth filter at some point.

“Maybe that is a question you should ask, but first: why do you climb the mountain?” The old man looked at Cole with something like curiosity. Curiosity about what?

“Because it’s a good way to get exercise?”

“You can tell me the truth, Cole. I don’t judge.”

“How do you know my name? I never introduced myself,” Cole took a step back. Was this man some sort of stalker? Nobody knew where he was. If he got kidnapped, or murdered, no one would be able to find him. 

“Because I know you, Cole. I was there when you were born.”

“You know my Dad? Are you going to bring me back to him? Give me another lecture on how I’m a disappointment? I don’t need to hear it,” Cole crossed his arms and prepared to make a run for it. It would be suicidal to jump off the mountain, but he was a fast climber. The old man wouldn’t be able to catch up with him.

“I knew your mother. She was one of my students,” the old man stood and held up his hands in the ‘I surrender’ gesture. 

“Student?”

“I taught her to be a hero. Did you think that all the stories she told you were made up?”

Cole hadn’t thought about his mom’s stories in years. She used to tell him about great heroes who could control the very elements themselves, who tamed dragons and fought against evil. He’d loved those stories.

“You’re telling me that all those stories about ninja and dragons were real? Yeah, and I’m a giant purple unicorn,” Cole glared at the old man. This guy had to be crazy, spouting nonsense about real-life superheroes and monsters. Mom had told him those stories for entertainment and bonding, nothing more.

“You are stubborn. Also like your mother, I suppose. I can prove to you that all the old legends are real. You just have to trust me,” the man held out his hand. His face was a mixture of hope and worry and maybe a little bit of fear. Fear of what, Cole didn’t know.

Cole hesitated for a moment. There was nothing left for him back at home, if he still had one, and no one cared if he went missing. The only people he cared about were either dead or better off without him. His life truly couldn’t get any worse, and if this man had known his mom he couldn’t be too bad. Cole took the hand.