#all dreams of starting the day with a nice warm breakfast are out the window

[housedyke]

Lads I'm reaching that point of house-sitting where I'm over it and there's still half a week left

[talkbycolor]

me and my husband

A/N; wholesome old fashioned marriage in 1950, ITS 5AM I DIDNT SEELP ALL NITH

Pairing; "Mychael" x AFAB!Reader

CW; fluff / this is a what if MC stayed willingly on the forest, forgetting about the cat, his job and everything / reader is called wife and wears dresses but that doesnt mean its a woman (to my transmasc fellas (probably only me)) / this made me feel like inside a disney old movie / mawar, sansuyu and primrose are kinda like their babies / cute implied sex

The morning was as beautiful and warm as your heart, the sun's rays came through the windows while you combed your hair in front of the mirror, you could hear the morning song of the birds echoing from outside, the aroma of the forest was fresh, like a delicious mint tea in the morning, ready to brighten your day.

"Honey, Mychael, are you awake?" You asked as you looked at the green-tinted body next to you, the non-human boy only letting out a few muffled sounds, trying to sweep the dream away from himself.

"Good morning, firefly" Mychael said in a lazy tone, he opened two of his four eyes before leaning down to kiss your lips, morning breath was not a problem when it came to showing how much he loved you.

"I'm going to make breakfast, can you feed the girls?" Even though it was a question you were already standing up to put on a coat and head to the kitchen.

Mychael imitated you by standing up and putting on a coat, it would soon be winter and the weather was already starting to change, but that was okay! It meant you could be the little spoon when giving yourself nightly cuddles with your husband.

Ah, husband, that word sounded so nice.

Not long ago you told Mychael about what marriage was and the emotional meaning it carried, how that made you "officially" a family, so to speak.

Your wedding was in the garden, Marmar, Sunny and Rosie were present of course, Mychael walked you back to the city to get a beautiful white suit and veil, you looked so beautiful that day, Mychael made sure to repeat it every second and make you feel like the most esteemed jewel in the world.

You could still remember how your mother told you things about maturity, how sweet life would be once you found your loved one and shared a life together until death do you part.

Mychael was that, your loved one, a boy with a heart of gold who only loved you.

And to his three girls, of course, Mawar, Sansuyu and Primrose, since that day, every moment has felt so fresh and pure, like tasting paradise, swimming in clouds, sobbing stars.

And Michael? Oh, it was so adorable to see how he did anything for your comfort, you were his beloved pearl, his old-fashioned lover who loved naps by the fireplace and telling stories about his life.

If chickens could talk, they would say that you look at Mychael with radiant love in your eyes and he does the same.

While you were washing the vegetables for breakfast you heard Mychael entering back into the cabin after feeding the chickens and checking the crops. He approached humming a song, the same one he played for you for the first time on his kalimba, his hands wandering. over his hips and moved playfully from side to side, inviting you to dance with him.

"Come on sweetie, don't you want to dance with your husband for a moment?" He whispered in your ear, his hands took yours to force you to stop working and turn to look at him.

Yes, he didn't look human but that doesn't mean he wasn't attractive.

Your hand went up to caress the strange mushroom-patterned horn on his head, causing your husband to purr, it was so cute to see him so comfortable next to you, with you, with the life they had.

You left your job behind, his old home, but you wouldn't change anything you have now, a quiet and domestic life was all you needed.

Both bodies moved through the kitchen, spinning to the rhythm of Mychael's humming, the home was so cozy that the cold seemed nonexistent.

Despite still being a little numb from just waking up, you interrupted his humming to sing, it's not like you had the best voice and it was actually kind of embarrassing, but when you're in love, who doesn't do the cheesiest things? You laughed a little at how happy it made you to dance alongside your husband.

"Hey, hey, hey, lover… you don't have to be a star, hey, hey, hey, lover… I love you just the way you are" Your cheeks burned with grief but that didn't stop you from smiling, Mychael leaned in to gather his forehead with yours as he enjoyed the moment with you.

Being with you made him the happiest man in the world.

"My wife is so sweet, you make me so happy, firefly" he whispered as one pair of eyes watched you, the other pair was closed as he savored the dance with you, he pulled your hips to cling to his body even more. "My beautiful wife, my beloved is so alluring, so charming, so wonderful, stunning, breathtaking" Receiving compliments from your man was always so pleasant, if you could purr like him you surely would.

"You look so alluring wearing that flowery apron" He commented with a mischievous smile, Mychael was a bit cocky by nature and loved to tease you.

He knew you liked that.

You both cooed at each other for a long time until your stomach growled, demanding food, you couldn't ignore the routine anymore so you both got to work on breakfast.

It was such a complete love, such a full life, such a happy heart.

After having breakfast you made sure to take good care of Marmar, Sunny and Rosie, that the field was in perfect condition, and clean the cabin. Mychael had gone out to bring a few things that were missing from the home, such as more firewood, meat for dinner and some pipes to install the drainage system in the bathroom, it was almost ready.

Not every day was the same, sometimes they had time to spare and they would settle down together in front of the fireplace, go for a walk through the most relaxing areas of the forest, or cuddle the chickens.

"Honey, wifey" Your husband's voice rang, he was knitting new wool sweaters since it would soon be winter. You walked over to your husband to snuggle up next to him, the atmosphere making your eyes feel heavy.

"Tired, firefly?" Mychael asked, just watching you pout and bat your eyelashes was enough to have the green-skinned boy carrying you bridal style to the bedroom, it always worked so you didn't help but let out a malicious giggle.

Things in bed were also fun, you were both passionate and loved each other intensely.

"I love you so much, Mychael, I want you to lull me, drown me, crush me…" You asked him in a whisper despite being the only ones in the cabin, the warm atmosphere of the home protected them, You were in the dark, the sounds of the forest setting their act of love. "My husband is so good, he knows how to make me feel so good, so desired" You confessed to him with a blush on your cheeks, saying what you felt so openly (maybe even a little bold) was still something that made you nervous.

"Thank you for coming into my life, dear" The seriousness with which he said those words carried so much feeling, he gave you a sad smile, you knew that Mychael was alone before he met you… very, very alone. "You always fill my heart with so much joy, knowing that you are mine... I feel so loved and… I want to make you feel loved, I am completely devoted to you, firefly, your wishes are my commands"

You were both sighing under the sheets, exhausted by their recent act, bodies so close together that they seemed to melt into each other as they enjoyed the other's heat.

"I love you"

"I love you"

You both laughed, sharing a loving kiss before falling asleep.

♡

[neoplatinum]

to love and to cherish - epilogue | minatozaki sana

summary: the aftermath of that day has left more than physical scars on your family

pairing: heiress!sana x reader

themes: blood, murder, gore, knives, kidnapping, assassins, katanas, arranged marriage au, fluff, angst, tension, lots of elitism, conglomerate power-hungry side characters, implied sex, misamo!

wc: 4.0k

(series masterlist)

you stare at your shoulder, the scar from the stabbing in a lighter color. you lightly graze over the scar, watching the way it contorts under the pressure of your finger. a faint pain coming back just from the mention. you barely survived that attack from the abes. the injuries from your fight leaving imprints not only physically, but mentally.

some days you wake up crying, tears already staining the pillowcase. it’s either sana or the kids dying in front of you, the evil smile of the brothers causing you to toss and turn. sana’s always there next to you.

always next to you.

you tend to go quiet those mornings, letting yourself be vulnerable in her arms. constantly living with the images of the brothers killing your family.

today seems to be one of those days.

you’ve been having the same dream for the past couple of days. in this dream, sana is the one who rushed in, chasing down the brothers herself. intending to make them pay for their crimes. to tear them to pieces, instead they kill haruto and hanako with their laughs filling up the empty room. 

sana letting herself fall to the ground, sobs let loose as she lets them kill her, no longer willing to live. and you stand in the corner, pounding at an invisible boundary, screaming to save them all. 

in every dream, you are powerless, unable to protect the family that you’ve grown to love.

you watch yourself in the mirror, the injuries of the fight still evident across your body. some cuts deeper than others; a testament that you survived according to sana.

you let out a deep breath, as you wash your hands, trying to rid the thoughts from your head. a distorted version of the reality that you now live. the abe’s are dead and your kids are safe. even momo and mina are recovering quickly, momo’s back to her old muscly self.

turning off the faucet, and wiping your hands on a small towel as you walk back into the bedroom. sana’s still sleeping, her head lolled to the side, the comforter wrapped around her snuggly. 

smiling, you lightly adjust her head back, so she wont wake up with a neck cramp. her head continues to chase after your hand even as you step back.

you lean down to kiss her forehead before exiting the room. and outside your room is both haruto and hanako. his big eyes staring at you, rushing to hug your legs. you bend down, pressing a kiss to both of their temples before wrapping them in a deep hug.

haruto’s been more clingy with you, he doesn’t tell you what he’s seen that day. but you have an inkling it’s more than you intended him to see. maybe the bloodshed has made him more worried for you. he always clung to sana before, but these days, you find him wanting to sit on your lap at dinner, or begging you to read him to sleep. 

all of which you will happily oblige to, doing anything to keep his childhood a happy one. hanako doesn’t seem bothered, a warm smile always on her face, she’s grown to cling to sana.

you stand back up, picking hanako up in your good arm. letting haruto hold onto your fingers as you descend down the stairs, the family portrait fixed against the wall again. rounding the hallway and down to the kitchen.

sitting hanako into a high-seat while haruto clambers up a step-stool. hands against the ledge, watching you intently. you start making a simple japanese breakfast for everyone. spooning warm hot rice into bowls, and plating tamagoyaki on long rectangular plates. the distant chirping still heard through long panes of windows.

it’s a nice sunday, with your family until sana’s mother’s birthday. sending staff to the minatozaki estate to help set up.

haruto watches as you continue to stir the miso soup, pouring it into bowls, giving it to him to place on the dining table. a chore that he’s found himself enjoying. the heavy steps of his little feet against the hard wooden planks. his little hummings as he continues to walk back and forth. hanako’s just happy to be there with her little toy in hand as she tries to bite it. the rest of the breakfast gets served when sana walks into the dining room. 

you walk up to her, feeding her a piece of steamed egg, to which she happily melts into your arms after. “good?”

“the best.” you pull her towards her chair, scooting the chair in, and leaving the dining room to wash the dishes. haruto’s already going on about how excited he is to see grandma, while you can hear hanako’s toys shaking. grateful beyond belief that your family is safe and happy.

--

the drive to the main estate is quiet, other than hanako’s toys shaking in her hands. the sounds of light music playing through the radio speakers, haruto’s happily sat in your lap, hands on the car door as he watches the scenery outside. it’s nice to see him so happy, wonder-filled eyes observing the world around him. brushing through his hair, and teaching him the different things that he sees out the window.

the calming hum of the car, coupled with light coughs from the chauffeur makes you lose track of time. unaware that you have rolled into the main estate. gazing upon the beautiful trees branching down towards the people, like a giant canopy over the mingling guests.

that familiar crest on the wall, now in a golden pin on your breast pocket. a dignified gift from sana’s mother. a valued heirloom of the minatozaki clan, one you had to officially sign that was yours to own when she handed it to you. hanako continues to shake her rattle, clanging the wooden pieces against each other. you grab haruto in your arms as you step out the car. rounding around the back and opening the door for sana. a hand outstretched as you take it, letting her stand up. placing haruto on the ground for him to run behind sana’s legs. peering at the crowd of people out front. 

you place hanako on your hip, taking sana’s hand in yours. walking towards large doors, the sounds of gasps filling your ears, the feeling of being stared down from afar. continuing to walk in as the crowd parts at the sight. you pay it no mind as you walk down the familiar stone slabs. hearing the trickle of water and the sounds of the wind chimes nearby. 

immediately the security team is bowing to a perfect right angle. head straight down as you pass. little haruto hiding behind sana’s legs as he watches the people strangely. once you enter through the main doors, immediately you’re hit with the sight of dignitaries everyone. a far too familiar scene, you’ve started to dread these events. they always put you in a sense of unease. crowded spaces with limited exits has made you more hyper aware, constantly darting your eyes for exits and counts of people.

heads are turning at the sight of your family, the familiar lewd glances from the men and curiosity or disdain at the sight of you. rolling your eyes at the familiar looks. seems that even months away from prying eyes has made the people more nosy. you pull sana a little closer to you, her eyebrow slighted up at the motion. you just offer her cheek a kiss and continue to move forward.

its clear why sana feels like a zoo animal at these events, you’re feeling the exact same. 

you can’t blame them though, this is the first sighting of your family out in public in months since the showdown with the abe’s. it’s made friends and foes more curious of you. 

you even took a temporary leave from work, spending more time recovering and finding peace with the events that unfolded. the death of the abes led to an uproar in the japanese underground network, more people vying for the dissolved power that was once there. 

not many people know that kaito was killed by kenji, instead it was leaked that you killed them both. causing unease in the people, a sign of power being shifted in your direction. more and more of the minatozaki council is recognizing your power in the family. a sign that you could become the next capable leader. 

you can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing anymore.

you spot momo and mina afar, their eyes already scanning the scenery. a clear sign that they didn’t want to be here, resorting to their military training to distract themselves. you smile as haruto runs up to mina. shaking on her pant leg as she picks him up.

“hi momo, how have you been?” you ask, letting her coo at hanako, your daughter continues to shake the rattle in momo’s face. nearly hitting her with it. momo dodges it easily, and just pokes her cheeks lightly.

“always doing better than you.” she says, smiling wildly as she tickles hanako, her squirming in your arms. you pass her to momo, watching the way she tosses her in the air. your heart nearly dropping to your stomach, but then she catches her and hanako cheers. 

mina gives an approving nod before going back to people watching, sharp eyes looking for anything out of place.

sana pulls you into her, a content smile as she watches her kids play with her cousins. a reminder that this life wasn’t always going to be this way. had she been married to kaito, she doubts momo and mina would be willing to interact with her kids. but knowing that you are her partner, it’s obvious how willing they are to be intertwined in your life. 

the sound of a gong taking you out of your little bubble, the sight of sana’s mother taking center stage. a mic in hand as she welcomes the guests to her birthday ball. a bright smile on her face, as she continues to share the sentiments of how happy she is for the life that she now has. short anecdotes about how she started and how far she has come, even taking the time to pan to you and sana. giving a quick bow to the clapping guests as their eyes fall on your family.

she gives a graceful deep bow before exiting the stage. you grab hanako from momo’s arm and make your way over, letting her coo at her granddaughter. the other women in her circle fawning over the young girl, hanako absorbing all the attention. 

you’re starting to think that you’re raising a mini sana. one that showers in attention and wants to be treated like a little princess. sana’s mother smiles and picks her up. 

you step away from the group of woman, walking back to the trio. haruto begging to be held when he sees you, his eyes happy as he wraps his arms around your neck. a sign that he’s feeling safe.

you and sana make your rounds with other guests, kindly greeting them all. worried over the injuries that you’ve sustained. a trained smile as they express their empathy with greedy eyes. you keep your hand on sana’s back as you continue to move around the floor. taking time to appreciate the dragon tattoo that peeks out from the dress, fingers softly moving across her back through long conversations. 

her tattoo is a gorgeous sight you will never get tired of seeing. you continue to stare at it until she turns towards you, hair covering the tattoo as she caught you again. a warm blush spread across her face, a knowing grin sent your way. sana only smiles before coyly walking away, off to mingle with her mother’s friends. all of them fawning over her and her daughter. haruto peeks his head over, asking you to bring him towards his grandmother.

you drop him to the ground as he stands in between his grandmother’s legs. eyes peering at the older women in the circle, awws and compliments filling his ears. you take the time to glance around, more and more eyes on you than ever before. 

before abe blood was spilled, no one bothered to look at you. seeing you as another lap dog for the minatozakis, conditioned to become a pawn for their bidding. but since the events, it seems people are paying attention. the rumors of the death of both brothers at your hands spreading like a forest fire. causing hushed whispers and fear in those that know nothing of your background. 

you’re brought out of your thoughts when sana places a hand on your lower back, gently bringing you back to the present. giving her a kiss as you offer your hand for a dance. pulling her onto the dancefloor, weaving past on-lookers and those already dancing across the waxed murals floor. finding an empty space towards the middle. bringing your hand around her waist and intertwining your other hand with hers, giving her a nod as you both start dancing. you twirl her with your hand, watching the way her hand flows along with her. you don’t know it but couples around you have left the dance floor, instead watching her elegance with every step. instead you’re focused on her satisfied smile as you continue to keep in time with her steps. letting her dance around you, pulling her back in for a quick dip of her body. applause from all directions hitting your ears. you smile widely as you pull her back up. taking a deep bow with her, clapping still filling the dance floor.

she looks radiant like this, face shining under the lights, a genuine smile as she takes in the applause, even doing a quick spin for the theatrics. you laugh before offering your hand once more, walking away from the dancefloor. the couples that once were dancing finding their places once more.

“you never asked me to dance when we were kids. i didn’t know you could dance like that.” she says handing you a drink from one of the circulating waiters. 

“didn’t want to ask you then.” you explain, continuing to down the smooth amber liquid, the strength of the liquid hitting your senses. “thought you were stuck up.” immediately she hits your arm, the one holding the cup, you watch the liquid slosh up the sides, nearly spilling over. 

moving it away from your body as she stares at you, jaw hanging at the words. “you did not just say that.” she says, folding her arms over the other, staring you down.

“i never tell lies sweetheart.” you grin downing the rest of your drink before she could slap the cup out of your hand. laughing lightly as you just offer her a forehead kiss instead. 

“i was not stuck up.”

you just laugh, placing the cup onto a tray, giving a small thank you to the waiter before focusing on your wife once more.

“sana, you’re the heiress to the biggest japanese conglomerate family, and you want to convince me you’re not stuck up?” you challenge her, amusement dripping through the words.

“even if i was, you can’t say that i am. i’m your wife so that means that i’m always right.” she says with finality. you don’t have it in you to argue with her, reassuring her that it was all a big joke. her arms still folded as you try and hug her. you continue to pester her until you feel a tap on your shoulder. immediately turning around and keeping sana behind you, a hand keeping her away from whoever tapped you.

in front of you is a man and a woman. both their face stoic and strange tattoos along the side of their face. relaxed posture and open hands, dark purple kimonos, a fan in the woman’s hand. their crest upon the fan. you step backwards.

“hello.” you offer. the woman continues to stare at you, eyeing your outfit and particularly focused on the minatozaki pin you have on. stopping her fanning before starting up again. sana stands next to you, staring at the pair in front of you instead.

“it’s nice to finally put a face to all the rumors.” the man’s deep voice hitting your ear it’s raspy like a smoker’s and rumbly. he looks away from you towards sana. “sana minatozaki, it’s been a while.” he offers his hand, sana’s outstretched as he presses a soft kiss to her hand.

“yukio ito. it’s been a while.” she pulls her hand away from his hand, his eyes glancing up, a small grin as he continues to stay bending down. the woman stops her fanning, closing it quickly.

“i’ve missed you sana-chan.” the woman says, her eyes lighting up in that feigned smile, offering a hug to sana, watching the way she lightly touches sana. you feel your hair standing up. 

“yuri, it’s been a while.” sana offers, more bite to her words than you expected. yukio fixes himself back up while yuri starts fanning herself again. 

this feels like meeting the abe brothers all over again.

“taking down the abe brothers yourself and you married sana? what can’t you do?” he laughs out, grabbing a cigar from his pocket, lighting it in front of you. the scarring of his hand apparent, running zig zag lines all over. you watch the line of smoke floating up.

“i’m flattered you think that.” you say returning back to his face. 

sana steps closer to you, slipping her fingers in between yours, standing toe to toe against the ito siblings. he takes another cigar out of his pocket, offering it to you. 

“i apologize, but i don’t smoke.” you return it back to him, watching the way he stuffs it back into his pocket. 

“how proper, can kill two men with your hands but doesn’t smoke.” he laughs with his sister. you just nod and let them laugh away. “i like that, come have a drink with us sometime.” he says before turning away with his sister. 

watching them disappear into the crowd. letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as sana squeezes your hand.

“never thought i’d see her again.” sana mumbles to herself.

“why?”

“she disappeared to thailand years ago, way before we got married. said she was going to elope with this model that she found there. never heard from her since.” sana explains, pulling you towards her mother and her kids.

“i’m assuming you were close?” you say, continuing to walk next to her.

“my best friend actually, well before she disappeared.” she says, and you both arrive in front of her mother. haruto and hanako are dancing in the circle. wild movements and swinging arms everywhere as they enjoy the music.

“do you miss her?” you whisper to sana. continuing to watch your kids playfully dance with cheers from the older women. 

“not at all, one of my exes cheated on me with her for months. i only found out because mina caught them together.” she explains. you nod and go back to watching your kids. “that and she also stole money from me.”

“sorry to hear that, dear.” you say, patting your shoulder for her.

“it’s okay, it’s in the past.” you nod, letting her lay her head on your shoulder. watching the children fondly. 

sana’s mother admires the safety that you bring to her daughter.  a comfort in her heart finally easing in, knowing that she made the right decision approaching you all those years ago.

 then she turns on her heels rounding towards the stage. and immediately the music goes quiet, turning heads towards the platform. 

“thank you all for joining me tonight,” quick claps of applause before she moves along the stage. circulating across the platform, the lights shifting as she moves around. “i’d like to propose a toast!”

she grabs a drink from the tray behind her.

“to the future of the minatozakis!” she turns her head towards you, pointing the glass tipped your way. a light being shown on you and sana. you pull yourself closer to sana, pointing your glass towards the older woman.

everyone grabs their glass, and you cheers your in the air towards her. a loud harmonious cheer of ‘to the minatozakis!’ can be being heard as everyone takes a drink. loud claps following as she exits off the stage once more. 

sana kisses your cheek, intertwining your fingers once more. handing you her glass. you place the cups down on the table, taking sana’s too.

“i wanted to ask you something.” sana says, taking your hands in hers as she pulls you away from the main hall, taking one more glance at haruto and hanako still by their grandmother.

“what is it, honey?” she continues to lead you away from the main hall, there’s a few people lingering outside the doors but other than that’s its quiet. you continue down the hall with sana’s heels hitting the floor as she guides you to a meeting room. closing the door behind her and returning back to your side.

“do you want to have another kid?” your eyes immediately widen, thinking back to how scared your kids were in that room. that dreaded room, you hope to never see those crying eyes again.

“i do, but i’m scared sana.” you explain. there’s nothing more that you want but knowing the horrors that could have been inflicted on your family, you’re scared to bring another life into this family.

“scared of what?” she whispers gently, tucking your hair behind your ear. watching the way your eyes are so unfocused and lost in your thoughts.

all you can see is your hands covered in blood from then, your own children’s wails filling the air as you stare at a dead kaito abe. blooding spilling from his own shirt onto the ground. the dreams of everyone around you dying, without you being able to save them. stuck behind a barrier from those you care more than anything about.

“i’m scared i won’t be able to save them.” you exhale, dropping into a chair. “won’t be able to save the kids, won’t be able to save you.”

she shakes her head, dropping to her knees, watching the ways your shoulders sag as you lean back. concern filled eyes searching for yours, “but you did, you saved us. you saved the kids, you saved my own life.” she says dropping into your lap.

“you saved me, more than you could ever know.” she says kissing you softly, bringing you out from your vortex of thoughts. 

“but what if i can’t save them?” you counter, worried about the new threats that now exist just because the abes are dead. there’s newer powers to worry about. 

“you will, because i know you. you would save them even if you were on your last breath” she says confidently. you don’t challenge her on it, even if you were on your last leg you would still fight with everything in you to protect this family, to protect this marriage and your kids.

“i would do anything to save them, i just have dreams that i can’t save them.” you explain, letting her understand the night terrors that you’ve been experiencing since that day. she nods, she never step foot into the room, but she knows enough to be glad she never was there. 

“you can save them, i know it.” she says. and you nod, pulling her into a kiss as well. everything that’s been taken from you in your life, you have grown from it. learning to adapt to the circumstances that have been dealt. you can grow from this too, not letting the potential fear that festers in your brain stopping you from achieving the next step in life. 

“so another kid?” you say in a teasing voice.

“yes?”

“let’s have another kid then.” tickling her lightly as she erupts into giggles.

there’s no one else you’d rather live this life with. having sana by your side every day is a dream you didn’t know you had until now. to love and to cherish sana minatozaki with everything in you.

--

a/n: and it's finisheddd!!!! thank you to everyone who read this series frfr. and a special thank you to @cry4mina for always listening to me talk about my troubles with writing and giving me ideas. i hope this epilogue was a nice fluffy finish to such a dramatic story LOL. and for @d3viant0n3 this one's for you. stay safe and stay healthy everyone!

[moonlightspencie]

lost in it

Description: The aftermath of falling down a rabbit hole!

Pairing: Spencer Reid x gn!Reader

Warnings: angst, some fluffies

Word Count: 1.9k

spotify playlist link!

A/N: gender neutral reader! (no use of pronouns or ‘y/n’)

SPENCER POV

‘Love,

What’s wrong with me? I think something terribly wrong has happened to my brain, and I don’t know how to fix it. I think you might be the only person who could begin to understand how to, but for obvious reasons, I can’t ask you to do that. I thought time would change things and that I’d start feeling normal again, but every morning I wake up and it feels like my only excuse for getting out of bed is that if I don’t, you’re all I’d dream about.

I still don’t understand how something so perfect could have gone so terribly wrong. Maybe there was too much fire, and because didn’t get a handle on it, we let it burn down everything instead of letting it keep us warm. I don’t know. I hate not knowing. I’m supposed to understand things. But then, you’ve always been an enigma of sorts. Like a beautiful puzzle that I loved to try and piece together, even though I could never get it quite right.

Though, while you still occupy my mind endlessly, I can at least feel like I can breathe again. I found someone new, and she’s great. Not you, but still great. She tells me I look healthier now than when we first met, and she takes the credit for it. I don’t think I believe that she’s the culprit, but I’ll let her believe it. It makes me laugh, at least, and she does, too. I like when she laughs. She reminds me a little bit of you when she does. It’s curious, I think, that she can make me so happy on her own, but that I still cling to every time she acts like you. I feel guilty about it most days. She probably doesn’t deserve it.

But, I can’t help that I still think of you and try to find you in everything. You’re like a ghost haunting me. I’ve always been a skeptic of the supernatural, but you seem to have made me a believer. I wonder if you ever feel the same about me. That somehow you’re searching for that same rainbow of colors I saw when we were together, or that mayb’

“Spencer?”

I dropped my pen, my hand coming down to rest on the piece of paper on my desk as if she could see what I was writing from her vantage point. I looked up at the girl on my couch as she had just woken from a nap. She stared back a me curiously.

“Everything okay?” she inquired.

I nodded quickly. “Fine. Why?”

“You just looked really… In your head.”

“I usually am,” I offered with a tight-lipped smile.

She snorted a laugh, nodding along as she sat up fully. She rested her head on her arms as she looked over the back of the couch at me.

“Well, we have dinner reservations soon. You could probably use a shower.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I nodded, standing from my desk.

She followed suit, standing and disappearing into my bedroom to get ready. I looked down at the letter on my desk, picking it up and observing my own writing for a few moments. My handwriting was a little messy. I let out a deep sigh, crumpling the letter into a ball and tossing it into the fireplace.

I thought back frequently on how it all ended.

We were sitting on my couch one afternoon. I still remember light in my eyes from the afternoon sun. At my love’s suggestion, we kept the curtains open all day, and the windows open every time the weather allowed it. It was nice. The fresh air coming in always made everything feel good somehow. The smell of the wind coming in was always welcomed. Especially on days like that one, in mid-spring as temperatures rose and the air was crisp and the sun always seemed to peak through the clouds. I always felt that way when we were together. It’s how I knew something was wrong that morning.

Our biggest argument started not long after breakfast. I didn’t want to talk about it when tensions started rising, but I should have known that that was a big part of the problem. I never wanted to talk about the hard things. Why would I? Things felt so good when we were together. Why bring up anything negative when we could bask in the sunshine together? It seemed silly.

Though, to be fair, everyone is a fool in love. I thought I’d be immune to it. I wasn’t usually stupid. But those eyes looking at me, and those hands touching me… It was no surprise I couldn’t think straight. I could have been the dullest man on earth, and I wouldn’t have cared.

So, we sat on my couch. Basking in the afterglow of an argument. Our fire had grown out of control, and there I was without any water. Foolish.

I turned when I heard a sigh next to me, and part of my heart broke when I saw tears glistening in that afternoon sunlight. But I didn’t offer comfort. I didn’t even find myself speaking for once in my life. Foolish.

I didn’t move from the couch until it got dark. I didn’t get up when I heard the rustling of clothes getting tossed into a bag. I didn’t even turn around when I heard footsteps going towards the door. I didn’t know what to do, so I did nothing. Foolish.

I guess part of me thought we just needed a little bit of space. I was certain we’d find our way back together within a week. Surely, we couldn’t stay apart for long. That was a ridiculous notion. Everyone knew we would end up growing old together. One fight couldn’t possibly be the reason for our downfall. But it wasn’t one fight that did it.

It was every time I refused to talk. It was every time one of us was too stubborn to back down from an argument. It was everything that led up to that fight that did us in for good.

The last time we spoke was to make sure I wasn’t holding onto anything in the apartment that wasn’t mine. I wished I could have. Pretending I wasn’t alone was easier when the apartment was still full of memories that weren’t just mine.

But weeks of not talking after that turned into months. The only updates I got came from mutual friends, and they didn’t exactly want to talk to me about my ex every time we got together. I can’t say that I would have minded it, though. I wished endlessly I could still remember the smell on my pillow that disappeared long ago, but my memory faded.

And, eventually, someone else’s head laid there instead.

READER POV

I thought back frequently on how it all started.

I didn’t usually agree to blind dates. I thought they were bizarre. Why agree to meet a perfect stranger when I was more than content on my own? Sometimes part of me wishes I’d never agreed in the first place. But, then, I don’t know who I’d be now if I hadn’t met Spencer. He had shifted the entire world on its axis with nothing but a shy smile and shaggy hair falling in his face as he greeted me the first time.

He expressed quickly that also wasn’t usually one for blind dates, but that a coworker of his practically made him go for it. At the time I thought it sounded pushy, but shortly after meeting Derek it all started to make sense.

“So we finally meet,” he said, flashing me a million dollar smile.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” I mentioned with a smile as I reached to shake his hand.

He took my hand, chuckling slightly as he gave Spencer a glance and a look I couldn’t quite decipher.

“I’m sure I’ve heard just as much about you. I’ve never seen pretty boy so infatuated.”

Spencer blushed hard. I merely reached for his hand, interlocking our fingers with a smile.

Though, as much as Derek made sense, a lot of other things didn’t. Our relationship didn’t quite seem like a good fit, for example. I didn’t think we’d last. He was seemingly so mild-mannered at first, but together it was like a whirlwind that would sweep us off our feet. I couldn’t envision it going well for more than a week, but he convinced me easily with that same sweet smile. He was always easy to give into.

“I just don’t know—”

“Please,” he said, cutting me off.

I looked into those big, pretty eyes of his. How could I deny him?

“Are you sure about this?”

He nodded. “I’ve never been more sure about anything.”

That was the spark, and soon we were tumbling down into something magical at breakneck speeds. Wondrous and stupid and beautiful and thrilling and irresponsible. Expiration dates be damned.

The touch of his hand alone could give me a buzz that no other substance could manage, and I know that my influence was the same on him. It showed every time he looked at me as if I hung the stars while my fingertips traced patterns against his chest. Every time he gave me a soft smile after a particularly passionate kiss when he got home from a case. Every time I brushed the hair out of his face as he rested his head against my chest.

We were utterly in love and too wrapped up in each other to see that it was doomed from the start.

‘Spencer,

It’s been a while, I know. I’m sorry to do this to you out of the blue, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Mostly about you. It’s ridiculous, really.

I know you found someone else, and I’m happy for you. Really. I’ve got to admit, though, that it sucks to see you doing so well with another girl. I’ve worked through a lot of those feelings, but some of them still linger. I hate thinking about anyone else having you. Lucky for me, Penelope has stuck around after the breakup, and she’s a wonderful listener. Gosh, I say that like you don’t already know. Anyway, I don’t want to cause problems, so if you don’t reply to this I wont take any offense. I know you have different priorities now. It sucks things had to end how they did. And that’s putting it really lightly.

I still dream about you sometimes. I thought it would end at some point, but it just isn’t right now. It’s weird. I’ve never had someone effect me like this before, and I’m not sure what to do about it. It feels like phantom limb syndrome. Part of me is missing, and I know it’s gone, but it still feels like it’s there somehow. I don’t know. I guess I’m just reaching out because’

I stopped typing at that. Because…?

Because what? Why am I doing this? Really?

I swallowed, looking at all I’d written so far. It was all truthful, that’s for certain. But why send it to him? What would that accomplish?

I hovered my thumb over the button for a moment, then pressed down. I didn’t let up until the whole text was erased. I looked at the empty text box, and the last messages that were sent months ago. Plans for when I was going to retrieve my things from his apartment.

I closed out of the app a moment later, tossing the device on my coffee table. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to a world where he was still around.

[dira333]

Stargazing at the Beach with Bokuto

Hello my friend, long time no hear! As you didn't specify if you wanted established relationship or not, I picked it myself. I hope you like it!

Tonight's as lovely as a dream - Bokuto Kotarou x Reader

It’s almost lunchtime by the time you climb out of bed. The sand from outside has followed you in, tickling your bare feet as you move through the beach house. 

You open all the windows first, let the wind lick at your face. He’s a desperate lover, tasting of salt, trying to grasp at your hair every chance he gets.

But there’s still nothing better than having the first cup of coffee looking at the wide stretch of water. The sky’s a marvelous blue today to the point you can’t see where the sea ends and the sky begins. 

Seagulls are screaming their hello’s from above as you take a sip and sigh. If only all days could be like this.

-

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Kotarou’s voice carries far. He’s waving both arms as he approaches, no less energetic even after a long run through the heavy sand.

“You’re up earlier today,” he grins, face flushed from exertion. He looks like he’s glittering, glistening in the sun, as he leans into your space and presses breathless openmouthed kisses against every inch he can reach.

You’re giggling, too used to him not to love this. Too in love with him not to be used to this.

-

You make breakfast while he showers, feet entangled under the table. 

“Here comes the airplane,” Kotarou jokes, fork moving through the air. You open your mouth to accept the bite of fresh fruit and pancake, not surprised when he follows up with a kiss.

“I meet some guys while jogging today,” he explains as you do the dishes together. “They’re here with their girlfriend and wive, the two of them. Said there’s a village closeby that has a cute market, if you want to go. Or we can stay here, relax, take a swim when we feel like it.”

“You wanna go shopping,” you guess, leaning into him. He’s tall and warm and sturdy, arm immediately coming to pull you closer.

“Only if you want too,” he murmurs into your hair.

“Sure,” you agree easily. You don’t mind. 

-

It’s nice. The market has everything you could wish for, from the beautiful dresses Kotarou insists you buy one to the dainty jewelry you love but can never really choose - you pretend not to notice him going back for it - and the day passes by lazily.

Soon it’s time for dinner.

Kotarou’s new friends join you for a bonfire, the guys departing for a little to play an impromptu game of volleyball that ends with the sunset.

“Look,” Kotarou whispers, pulling you close. He’s not missed one sunset since your vacation started. He might not be superstitious but he firmly believes that hugging at sunset brings good luck.

“There,” you point out the first star. Then the next.

Eventually, your companions are forgotten over the sound of the fire and the beauty of all those stars, twinkling like diamonds in the sky.

-

You don’t know how late it is, but night has fallen all around, the ocean lapping softly at your feet.

“Come,” Kotarou says, pulling you up. “I’ve got something to show you.”

He waves at the two other couples lying by the fire, looking up and up and up, in the endless sea that’s called the sky.

“Where are we going?” You ask, rubbing your arms against the wind. Kotarou’s arm soon pulls you in, his warmth a shield against the cold.

“You’ll see,” he promises, excitement coating his voice.

It’s not a long trek, just up a sandy hill not far from your beachhouse. 

“Here,” he points to a little bench, unpacks a bag he must have brought up while jogging in the morning. “Don’t want you getting cold.”

You recognize the blanket as one of your own, the scent so familiar and so much him that you stick your nose into it and inhale.

“Here,” you sniff, all too familiar with that scent.

“Hot chocolate?” You ask, smiling.

“For you? Always.” He presses the mug into your hands. “Now, close your eyes.”

You giggle as you do so, hear him mumbling and quietly cursing until he steps close again.

Even with your eyes closed you can tell that he’s vibrating with excitement.

“Can I look now?” You ask, blinking when he agrees.

-

There’s a telescope in front of you, not too small and not too big.

“Where did you get that?” You gasp, reaching for it with gentle hands.

“Brought it with me,” Kotarou proudly explains, “Though I had to look for a good place to hide for the day. Do you wanna set it up properly with me?”

“Boy, do I ever!” You laugh with him, eager to try and get a better look at the twinkling mess above you.

And although it takes some time and a little frustration, you figure it out together. 

-

You’re giggling as you walk into the beachhouse, Kotarou leaning heavily into you, his nose in your hair, his hand wrapped around you.

You bring sand with you, just like you did last night and the night before, like you will do tomorrow and they day after, but you can’t care right now.

Not with his eyes so warm and his laugh so free and his lips stretching into the smile you fell in love with.

“Tired?” You ask when he yawns so loud his jaw cracks.

“Never,” he disagrees, nuzzling into your neck in the bathroom instead of brushing his teeth.

Tomorrow, he’ll wake up way too early for your liking, go jogging while you sleep in. Tomorrow, he’ll offer to stay and relax at the beach but you know him better, will watch him play Beach Volleyball with some guys he’s just met before the sun’s setting.

Tomorrow, he’ll rush to your side as soon as the sun starts dipping into the ocean for the night.

Tomorrow- oh, but why think about tomorrow when tonight’s as lovely as a dream?

[blakelysco-pilot]

I couldn’t let November 8th go by without acknowledging Val’s birthday. So with that said, I wrote a little something for The Gal on her special day. I hope you all enjoy it! 💗

“Is she still sleeping?”

“Yes, and by the looks of it, not planning on joining the land of the living any time soon.”

“Shh, be quiet or he’s going to startle and she’s going to be pissed.”

Crowded onto one bed, Olive, Helen and Tattie sat watching as Val continued to snooze peacefully. Curled up on her own bed with Meatball tucked up against her side, the three women waited patiently for her to wake up. Murmuring softly, Val snuggled closer to the Husky, a soft sigh escaping her as she continued to dream.

“Oh Ev, that’s nice…”

Unable to hold in her laughter at that, Olive let go of a cackle that echoed through their hut, her eyes wide as Tattie slapped a hand over her mouth. It was no use; the sound had startled Val awake, and caused Meatball to huff indignantly before jumping from the bed and trotting over to Tattie’s to curl back up on. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Val stopped when she saw all three of her friends watching her with smiles on their faces.

“Uhm… Why are you three watching me? Was I drooling?”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

“Oh Jesus, shush!” Val winced, their shouting and the lack of coffee too much for her first thing in the morning.

“Nooo, no,” Olive shook her head, coming to pull Val from the warmth of her bunk. “Today’s your birthday Chicken! Time to get up!”

“But it’s warm under my blankets!”

“There’s a handsome pilot waiting to walk you to breakfast.” Helen sing songed, coming to help Olive pull her from the bed.

“What about-”

“Not today,” Tattie smiled. “Today, you have a nice breakfast with Blakely. We can handle the truck, no one’s going up today.”

“You’re giving me a day off, Tat?”

“He asked nicely, what can I say?” She grinned, watching as Helen and Olive successfully pulled her from the bed.

Stumbling to the bathroom, Val made quick work of washing up before coming back out to put on her makeup and take out her rollers from the night before. Checking her watch, she knew she had about fifteen minutes before Ev would knock on the door of their hut, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She methodically pinned her hair before applying her lipstick and rouge, catching sight of Helen in the mirror laying out her dress uniform instead of her regular jumpsuit.

“Thanks Hel.” she smiled at her in the mirror, the brunette beaming back at her.

“You’re welcome. Hey, do you always dream about Ev when you’re cuddling the dog?”

“You know,” Val heaved a sigh as she stood to get dressed. “When I asked if I was drooling, you three conveniently left that part out.”

“Oops!” She giggled as Val narrowed her eyes, the top of a crush cap went past the windows above their beds. “Better hurry and get dressed, birthday girl, your man is here.”

And so the day had started with loud declarations of wishes from her three best friends before she was whisked away to the Officers Mess for breakfast with Everett. She hadn’t griped about the powdered eggs that morning. She was working on accepting that she was the one having coffee poured for her. It was something that was not lost on Ev as the kind gentleman who served in the Officers Mess approached them, a small pot in hand. Her eyes had gone wide when he asked her if she wanted another cup, and Ev had nodded encouragingly before she had replied yes, please. They had chatted quietly over toast; of birthdays past and traditions back home. If you wiped away the setting around them, they were just a man and a woman having a quaint breakfast, celebrating a special day that wasn’t tainted by the war. And when Everett pulled the keys to a jeep from his pocket, childlike glee on his face as he held his hand out to her, she knew that he was just one more birthday tradition she would get to enjoy as the years went on.

He had spent the day walking through town with her, indulging her every time she pulled him into a shop. He stood back and watched as she browsed the small makeup counter in the general store, encouraging her to pick something she liked so that he could treat her for her birthday. He had simply smiled as he handed a few notes to the woman working the counter before handing the package to Val, who tucked it into her purse with a smile. She had balked when he pulled her into the bakery, insisting on splitting something since he couldn’t get her a birthday cake. And by the time dusk had fallen, they were seated at a table in the pub for dinner. The owner of the Half Moon Pub grinned when he spotted them, pointing over to the corner of the room where Val was expecting a table for her and Everett, but stopped in her tracks when she found that all of their friends were already there waiting for them.

“Hey, there she is!”

“It’s the birthday girl!”

“About time, I was getting hungry!”

The pair squeezed into two empty seats, Olive and Doug on one side, Helen and Rosie on her right. Tattie and Jack sat across from her, with the rest of Rosie’s crew and Croz filling in the gaps. She was missing so many people around this table, and yet, the ones who did fill the seats made it their mission to remind her of how loved she was, and how much she did have in her life despite the missing pieces. And so they ate, and drank, and drank some more, the conversation never ending even as the pub grew louder around them. So loud that she didn’t notice Doug whispering something to Ollive, who nudged Tattie, while she was laughing at something Pappy was saying. She didn’t recognize the distraction of Croz telling her all about what Jean was getting up to back home, until the person who had been playing the piano in the pub began playing Happy Birthday, and Tattie was placing three very familiar looking donuts stacked onto a plate in front of her. Dougie’s zippo was alight in her hand, and the entire pub was singing to her.

“Nooo, come on you guys!”

“Happy birthday dear Vaaaaal! Happy Birthday to youuuuu!”

“Oh my god, this is way too much!”

“Oh, blow out the lighter and make a wish, Chicken!” Olive had crowed from her seat next to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into a hug.

“Fine, okay, okay…” with a deep breath, she closed her eyes and made her wish, though she was sure everyone at the table knew what she was wishing for. “Thank you, I mean it, this has been such a nice day.”

“You deserve it.” Tattie grinned, tossing the lighter back to Doug.

“Yeah, we all love you, DiRosano.”

“Is that sentiment I see in your eye, Jack?” She had narrowed her own eyes at him, unable to stop from laughing when he rolled his eyes, Tattie placating him with a pat on the back.

“Yes it is, now, enjoy it while it lasts. Tomorrow I go back to being the Wicked Air Exec of the Control Tower.”

“Does that make the boys your flying monkeys?” Helen sniggered, causing Croz to choke on his drink as the rest of the table around them laughed.

Everyone fell into easy conversation, the donuts picked over by the group as the drinks continued to flow and music continued to play. The other girls had broken off to dance with the respective fellas, Rosie and Croz each taking Helen for a spin so that she wouldn’t feel left out. Val just caught Ev standing, offering her his hand so that he too, could take a turn on the dance floor with her.

“You know,” she murmured, lips pressed to his ear as he gently swayed them. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

“I know I didn’t have to,” he replied. “But, I wanted to.”

“I would have been perfectly content with dinner in the mess hall and dancing in the Officers Club.”

“I know that too.”

“Hey Ev?”

“Yea sweetheart?”

“Thank you,” pulling her face from where she was nuzzled against him, she was beaming as he caught her gaze, and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her full on the mouth, with everyone around them. “I love you…”

“Not nearly as much as I love you, pretty.”

After two more songs, she caught him passing the keys to the jeep they had come to town in over to Dougie, who pocketed them and gave him a wink.

“Can I give you your present now?”

“My- what? You did so much today, that was my present wasn’t it?”

“It was, but I have one more thing for you.”

“Everett!”

“So?”

“Yes,” she conceded with a smile. “But I’m telling you now, it’s too much,”

“Come with me.” He grinned, taking her hand and leading her towards the back of the pub, away from their friends and the crowd, towards the stairs that led upstairs to the rooms.

Letting her go first, she climbed the stairs carefully, waiting for him to join her and explain what they were doing up there. Turning, she caught his gaze as he joined her at the top of the stairs, pulling a key from his breast pocket and moving to one of the doors.

“Are we… did you?”

“Are we staying here? Yes we are.”

“Are you crazy! You spent more than enough money on me today!”

“Would you stop, please, and let me spoil you just a little bit?” He opened the door and ushered her in ahead of him before he closed it behind them, locking it so they wouldn’t be interrupted.

“This is way more than spoiling me, Everett!”

“Just you wait till the war is over and we get home, then we’ll see about really spoiling you.”

“That’s my purse,” she spotted her bag sitting on the small desk in the corner. “And your jacket.”

“Very good,” he teased. “You’d make a great spy.”

“Olive and Doug…”

“Yes, now, get comfy, because we have the whole night to ourselves, and if it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to spend it curled up with you.”

“Oh, that is not too much to ask at all, Major.”

And so they found themselves under the patchwork blanket that covered the double bed, the mattress just soft enough that it was like sleeping on a cloud compared to what Thorpe Abbotts was passing off as mattresses. The window was cracked, letting in just the right amount of a breeze, and the small lamp on the night table was the only light in the room. Their soft breaths were the only sound that filled the gaps between light conversation. Just two people wrapped in each other's arms with the promise of the future, and a birthday wish that Val hoped would come true.

“Your present is still waiting to be unwrapped.”

“Don’t need it.”

“But…”

“Tomorrow…” she murmured happily, face pressed against his chest, the soft smattering of hair just under her cheek. “Right now, I’ve got everything I need right here in this bed.”

“Okay baby, if that’s what you want.”

Just as she was beginning to doze, sleep tugging at her gently, Val couldn’t help the contented sigh that passed from her lips, shuffling down under the blankets and holding on to Everett just a little bit tighter.

“So much better than the dog…”

Tag List: @winniemaywebber @sagesolsticewrites @bobparkhurst @rosiesriveter @victoryrollsandredlips @bcolfanfic @major-mads @footprintsinthesxnd @roosevelt-stalin-cocacola @justheretoreadthxxs @claireelizabeth85 @hephaestn @ktredshoes @peachessndreamss @hellfirequinnie @spinteresting @prettyinlimegreenboots @manonsmanicmind @therealslimshakespeare @beingalive1 @ptvstvrrr @lestweforget5

[blacksmokebarbarians]

How about Sammy getting all excited because you’re giving him a special gift you’ve been hiding from him? 🥰

yes. yes. YES. its his birthday, we've got to do this one.

Preparation had begun many weeks ago, when you first wrote out the plan for how you wanted Sammy's birthday night to go. Fairy lights, dinner on the porch, and of course, his birthday gift! The whole shebang. While you had begun becoming rather reserved and secretive as the days inched closer to his special day, Sam grew more and more anxious to know what was going on.

"Oh, come on, Doll, Can't you just tell me what's going on?" He begged, leaning against the kitchen counter as you made breakfast one day. It was the week before his birthday, and he had been growing rather anxious to know what you were up to.

"You can wait a week." You giggled, flipping the pancakes that sizzled on the skillet.

Well before his actual birthday, you treated him like a prince. In all honestly, you couldn't help yourself. He was always so sweet to you, it was in your natural nature to give him special treatment, even if it was a week before his big day. You made him breakfast, took him out on little day trips, and made sure to cuddle up close to him when the night came.

He groaned gently, his brows furrowed as he crossed his arms. "Could I at least get a piece of bacon for the troubles?"

You shook your head with a laugh, handing him one of the prepared slices that you had already finished cooking. Ever since you had pledge to go vegan with Sam, you had been practicing all of his favorite recipes. You found that cooking rice paper with certain seasonings and syrups grew to taste like your favorite piece of breakfast cuisine.

Once you finished up breakfast, the two of you sat and ate, listening to the record that ran in the next room over. "Is it.. a surprise party with the boys?"

"Nope."

"A camping trip?"

"Nope"

"Is it a--"

"Samuel. Hush."

"Finee." He grumbled, finishing off his orange juice. You admired him as the sun from the window shined down on his tanned skin. How did you get so damn lucky? He was like a dream come true, and you had the pleasure of spoiling him when they time finally came.

April 3rd.

It was finally time. The day started off just as any other day had-- the two of you tangled in each other's arms, a nice warm breakfast, cuddling on the couch. When the afternoon finally neared, you sent Sam out to get some wine of his choice from the store to get a chance to set up. The second he had left the house, you were stringing up the fairy lights, finishing off dinner, and setting up a nice candlelit table for the two of you. You had slipped on your dress just before he had arrived. As you heard the jingling of his keys just outside the door, you stood, readily awaiting his entrance.

As the door finally creaked open, he stopped, looking around in awe. You could hardly tell if the look on his face was confusion or absolute shock. "Happy Birthday, Darling.."

Sammy shut the door behind him, his lips curving into a gentle smile. He could hardly get a word out as he looked around, holding the bottle of wine to his chest, "Baby.." He finally got out. His eyes finally met with yours as he stepped forward. "This is beautiful.. Thank you.." He said gently, his open hand wrapping around your waist, leaning down to kiss you gently.

As you slowly pulled away, you took his hand in yours, guiding him to the dining table which was elegantly set. "Anything for the birthday boy!" You grinned, sitting down opposite of him.

"Seriously, honey, thank you." He smiled, admiring you as you began to pour each of you a glass of wine.

The two of you began to dig in to dinner-- Sam leaning back in his chair out of pure delight. "This is wonderful.." He hummed gently, savoring each bite of his meal. "I'm glad that you like it. I've had this all planned out for nearly a month now.." You explained, taking a sip from your glass.

Finally, as the two of you finished off your supper, you stood, Sam's eyes following you intently. You went to the nearby shelf that held all of his favorite records, pulling one down before setting it on the turn-table. "Music and dinner?" He asked curiously, perking up as he watched you place the needle. "You bet." You hummed, walking over to the table, holding a hand out to him. "Come on, Birthday Boy.." He looked up to you for a moment before taking your hand, following as you led him to the livingroom. You began to sway with him gently to the beat of the music.

"This is nice.." He whirred, placing his hands on your hips gently, following your lead. As the two of you swayed together, you rested your head against his shoulder, smiling wide. He left a gentle kiss against the top of your head, humming along to the tune.

"I love you, Sammy.."

"I love you, darling." He murmured, holding you close. You listened as he began to softly sing along to the lyrics of the James Taylor album. His soft voice vibrated against you as he rested his cheek against the top of your head. As the song slowly came to an end, you looked up to him. "This isn't the last of your celebration." You teased gently. His eyes widened as he whined, "I knew this wasn't it! You've been too sneaky lately.."

You slowly shifted away, gesturing for him to sit on the couch. "What is it?" He asked curiously. You could tell that he was attempting to be contained, but his excitement was about to burst. "Oh, come on! Just tell me already!" He begged. You walked upstairs for a moment, leaving him drenched in suspense. Finally, you came back to the living room, carrying a large box with you. Setting the wrapped box down in front of him, he raised a brow. "You are so devious." He chuckled.

"Go ahead, darling. Open it."

Without any hesitation, Sam tore the wrapping paper from the rectangular box, throwing it off to the side. As he ripped back the paper, a large logo was revealed that read 'Fender'. His eyes lit up as he looked up to you. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Keep going!!" You encouraged, watching as he opened up the cardboard. Once the box was open, he took the foam exterior off, exposing the new tan jazz bass beneath. The gleam of excitement twinkled in his eyes as he picked it up, admiring the new instrument.

"Baby, this is amazing! I've been looking at this one for months now!" He practically squealed, looking over to you. "Thank you so much.. For all of this, Really. I couldn't ask for a better birthday." He assured.

You leaned over, pulling him into a gentle kiss before he escaped away to test out his new bass.

[missglittersmiles]

Noble To The Core- CH. 5

Descendants × Fem! Reader Summary: The week is filled with tests, tests, and test. Then even more tests.

Prev Chapter

 •| ⊱ Test Week ⊰ |•

When y/n woke up, she didn’t immediately get out of bed. She just laid there. Her mind was blank and fuzzy. Light fluttered through the curtains, and birds happily chirped outside. It felt like a dream, but her mind could never come up with something so nice and peaceful. It was strange waking up and not hearing the lunacy ensuing outside her bedroom. Or hearing the clanging of pots and pans downstairs.

It was nice but off-putting as well. Then y/n shot up from her bed, looking at the clock before she suddenly relaxed. She still had time to get ready. Looking around the room, she noticed something on her nightstand and that Frida's bed was empty. Sitting on her nightstand were a muffin and a cup of juice with a note beside it.

You didn’t eat dinner.

At least eat this.

You need energy for the day.

- Frida

y/n’s stomach rumbled and she took a bite into the muffin without any hesitation. The muffin was easier to eat than the pudding in some ways. It was just the outer layer that made it hard to eat. It wasn’t sweet like the rest of it, and it actually tasted really bad. It was like eating paper.

Regardless of the weird bottom half layer, y/n ate it. She chugged the juice down before hopping into the shower. She reveled in the nice warm water a little longer than she should and then got out.

Since Auradon was colder than she expected, she put on long pants and a turtleneck sweater. Her outfit had seen better days. Her green sweater had a few holes and was frayed at the edge. Glancing at the clock, she knew she had time to go down the cafeteria to drop off the cup. y/n wasn’t sure how to thank Frida for last night and breakfast. But she figured taking care of her dishes would be a start.

It took her longer than she’d liked to admit for her to gather the courage to leave her room. When she did, she regretted it almost immediately. The moment she left, she could feel eyes on her. Seeing the looks on everyone’s faces made the air tense.

Walking down the hall, most of the students discreetly backed away from her as if she had a contagious disease. Some of them looked at her with curiosity, fear, or disgust. This was a far cry from the welcome she got yesterday. Nonetheless, she tried her best to ignore the stares and remind herself that this isn’t the worst thing.

She’s been kicked, punched, and scratched. This was nothing. She could handle this. There was no point in denying that being stared at like she was a zoo animal was comfortable. Admitting that she felt conscious didn’t undermine her.

‘I can do this. It’ll be hard, but it's not impossible.’ y/n told herself. Once she dropped off her dishes, she walked to the room where she’d be taking the tests. Feeling their staring intensifying, she picked up the speed of her walking.

When she made it to the door of the classroom, she could hear whispers. Peaking through the door window, she saw that everyone was there except for Fairy Godmother. The four Island kids were huddled together talking about something.

y/n normally doesn’t snoop into things. Minding your own business and keeping your head down had been her rule. Though Uma, Harry, and Gil did make her bend and twist that rule many times. y/n couldn’t ignore how suspicious the four looked.

She glanced down both ends of the hall before putting her ear against the door. For once in their lives, they were too quiet. She hears them murmuring something, but it was all unintelligible.

Then she mentally slapped herself for this behavior. Eavesdropping on others' conversations? This wasn’t the Isle. She didn’t need to stay on guard and wait for the next big fight to happen. Even though those four didn’t like Uma and her group, that didn’t mean they were after y/n. Why even bother trying anything when they were at the mercy of Auradon?

‘I’m so stupid. Getting worked up over nothing. They’re probably just talking about... I don’t know what they talk about. Don’t worry about them. Just focus on yourself. You can get through today. I know you can do this!’

After giving herself a pep talk, she opened the door. Hearing the door open, the four went quiet and looked at her. “I’m surprised that I'm the last one here.” y/n said with a chuckle as she took a seat in the front row. Everyone followed her example and sat down. Mal clicked her tongue, “Don’t worry. We won’t be taking your title of teacher’s pet.”

‘Geez, Mal, it’s only morning, and I already wish Evie would sew your mouth shut.’ y/n thought to herself before turning to Mal with a smile. “Don’t worry about me. If I were you, I'd be more worried if I could actually read the questions on the test. Skipping so many days of school probably hasn’t done you any favors. I'd be surprised if you could even spell your own name.”

Then y/n turned her back on Mal and kept her eyes forward. There was a slight pang of pride when she didn’t hear Mal instantly snapback. ‘I think I kind of said something mean. I could have said something worse, but I did say something back.’ y/n slightly smiled to herself. ‘Uma would be proud of me.’ The mere thought of that turquoise girl dampened her mood.

‘Dad always said it was better to ignore petty insults. Maybe I should apologize? It was a bit uncalled for as well.’ y/n wasn’t allowed to dwell on that thought as Fairy Godmother busted through the door. “Good morning!” The woman slightly sung her words.

Everyone slightly jumped in their seats at the woman’s energetic entrance. The woman was radiating with joyous positivity that made everyone slightly grimace. Even y/n winced at her loud appearance.

Once Fairy Godmother got behind the desk that was stationed in front of the class, she looked at all of them. She quickly had them change seats, as most of them were huddled in the back. She had them space out to make sure they weren't peeking at each other's answers before explaining how the tests would be taken.

Everyone would be given six hours for each subject. There were five tests they'd have to take. Language arts, math, social studies, and science. They were allowed to choose the order of how they would take them. Everyone could use the bathroom, but only one at a time.

To say that this was going to be a grueling process was an understatement. Not even an hour in y/n was struggling to answer most of the questions. She chose to take math first because it was her weakest subject. It was just better to get over that hurdle, but she couldn't even understand most of the questions. Back home, she was one of the top students, maybe even the only one considering how most stop going after a certain age.

Auradon's education system was more than humbling her. It was completely humiliating her. It could have been karma for that backhanded comment towards Mal.

The only thing that would be heard in that room was the occasional page flip and their pencils scratching the paper. It was horribly boring. Mal was mostly doodling on the edge of her papers. Jay was tapping his shoe on the floor, almost like he was trying to annoy everyone. Carlos would often get bored and start playing with his hands. Playing rock, paper, scissors, shoot with himself. Evie was curling her hair with one finger as she looked at the paper.

Once the bell rang for lunch, the Isle kids practically ran out of the room. All thankful to be stretching their legs out and getting out of those wooden chairs. y/n would try to catch up to Mal. Though it seemed like Mal would start taking longer steps. Before walking a little faster if she got too close.

y/n was nothing if not annoyingly persistent. Mal swore that y/n's sole reason to exist is to annoy her. y/n spoke up. "Hey, Mal." The purple haired girl didn't even spare y/n a glance, her eyes staying forward. "What do you want?" She spoke with a curt tone that had a hidden venom to it. That was just how she was. Venomous.

Carlos watched the two interact with worry. Mal's vitriol towards y/n in particular wasn't a secret. While Jay and Evie were mildly interested for a moment, they didn't care enough to listen and carried on with a conversation of their own.

"I just wanted to say sorry. It wasn't right for me to insult your intelligence." Mal suddenly stopped and y/n continued. "Here in Auradon, we should try to work together, not against each other. I hope you can forgive me for saying that."

Mal snapped her head towards y/n. She snared and gave y/n a dirty look like she just spat on her. There was some anxiety rising in y/n, yet she didn't let herself run away. There was no one she could run to, and it was best to apologize for something trivial. Even if the person you're apologizing to is the most petty being alive.

"That's not going to get you to sit with us."

"What?"

Mal snickered at the girl's ignorant expression. y/n had always been a slippery snake to Mal. Always running away to hide behind others backs. The girl was a backstabber, but worse of all was that she was a coward. Mal took a step towards y/n. "No one here's to protect you, and that scares you, doesn't it?"

y/n didn't allow herself to be scared by Mal. There was no way Mal could physically harm her. They were in the middle of the hallway. Even if there wasn't anyone walking down it, Fairy Godmother wasn't far away. That's when a thought came to her.

Mal could throw in a punch or even start a fight with y/n. When Fairy Godmother or anyone comes to see what the ruckus is about, Mal and the others could turn the tables on her. Say that she was the one who started the fight. That Mal was only defending herself from y/n. It'd be too risky to do such a thing, but it's not like it wasn't possible.

Seeing that the gears in y/n's head were turning, Mal asked. Looking her dead in the eyes. "Where is it?" The three behind them had stopped their chatter long ago. All of them were looking at y/n. Watching and taking note of any slight reaction she had to the question.

There wasn't any hesitation in her puzzled face. "Where is what?" Mal gritted her teeth and put her hand in y/n's pockets. "Hey! What the hell!?" She checked both of y/n's pockets and came up empty-handed. "I don't think it's small enough to be there." Jay commented, already convinced that y/n didn't have what they were looking for. Carlos was thankful Jay said exactly what he thought. He was too afraid to say it aloud.

y/n backed away from Mal. "I don't know what you're looking for, but I don't have it." Her civil tone was gone. Replaced by flustered confusion. Mal's eyebrows furrowed and gave y/n a threatening look. "I know you have it, and when I get it back, you'll wish you never met me."

This ridiculous situation was getting to y/n. All she wanted to do was apologize for her mean words, and now Mal was accusing her of stealing something. "You don't have to do much on that front; I've regretted coming across your ugly face long ago." y/n didn't allow herself to feel bad for saying that. She quickly turned on her shoes and began walking down to the cafeteria. "I just wanted to apologize." She mumbled.

The group watched y/n disappear behind the corner. Once she was gone, Mal spoke up. "Do any of you know where her room is?" Everyone seemed a little shocked. Most of the group silently agreed that y/n probably didn’t have it. Even if she reacted a bit out of character, actually biting back and not being pushed down. It could be because she knew everyone would be on their best behavior here and was probably using that to get in a verbal jab here and there.

Jay shrugged his shoulders. Carlos' silence meant no. "If you really think she has it, do you think she'd hide it in her room?" Evie asked. Jay thought about the question and nodded. "I didn't see her during dinner. I didn't see her after lunch either."

Evie added, "Then she was probably looking for a hiding place for it. That's if she does have it." The blue haired girl looked at Mal. Waiting for any further comments. After a moment of thinking, Mal would explain that it's better to be safer than sorry, and searching y/n's room wouldn't take a long time. Everyone would agree. Mal would notice Carlos' lack of response.

"Anything else to add?"

He shook his head. "No, but we should do it another time. Running around the dorms trying to find her room will look suspicious." Jay agreed with Carlos. They'd be wasting time by running around like headless chickens. Mal was strongly against the idea. "We need to get it back now, and this is the perfect time. Everyone is having lunch, and we can sneak in and out without too many witnesses."

Jay would argue that it was safer if they didn't act on impulse. If they were going to break into another student's room, it'd be best to think this through.

"What if we have someone follow y/n around for the day? She could lead us to the hiding spot, and if not, then we could find out where her room is. Since we need it back soon, then we could sneak into her room in the middle of the night." Everyone thought over Evie's idea. Mal seemed satisfied enough with the plan. If Mal likes it, then that means everyone likes it.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

"It just makes me uncomfortable seeing you so..." y/n struggled to find a word that didn't sound too negative. Something that didn't blow the situation out of proportion. So she tiptoed around it by saying, "Close to them." y/n shifted her weight to one foot as she spoke. She kept her eyes away from Harry and chose to gaze off into the distance.

He'd laughed at her face. It always looked funny seeing her angry. She'd always slightly pout with furrowed eyebrows. It made her look like a child that was told no by their parents. y/n would slightly groan in frustration. "Harry." He had a hard time taking her seriously. It seemed like everyone did. "You're overreacting again."

Overreacting. She slightly winced at that word. It wasn't the first time she was told that and it probably wouldn't be the last. Yet that didn't invalidate her emotions. Crying and being upset wasn't an overreaction. Her emotions and trying to explain her feelings wasn't what he'd always make it out to be.

A conversation with her mom made her realize there wasn't anything wrong with how she felt. In fact, there wasn't anything wrong with what anyone felt. Frustration, sorrow, joy, and everything that came with being human. There wasn't anything wrong with that. Remembering what her mom said, "It's okay to feel. No matter what anyone tells you, it's just you being human."

y/n wasn't wrong to feel jealous. It was okay for her to be annoyed or even irritated with others. As long as she tried to keep things respectful.

Harry came up close to her face and gave her a peck on the cheek. That's usually all he had to do to make her let him off the hook. Often sprinkling in embellished words that came out of his mouth too easily. It was like he never gave a second thought to what he said. Which was probably true. y/n has been nicely wrapped around his fingers. Everyone knew that.

Seeing that his gesture hadn't made her flustered and smile like the lovestruck fool she was, he'd step up his approach. He shoved his hook into his coat before cradling her face and turning her head towards him. Her [skin tone] skin was always so soft despite living here. It was a personal mystery for him. One that he'd never bothered to investigate because speculating was so much more fun. Thinking that she was part mermaid or even an angel were a few of them.

"Doll, there's no reason to pout like that. There'd be no one else who could make me smile like you do. I don't think I'd find someone who could even if I tried."

Harry looked into her eyes, smiling. y/n wanted to believe what he said. His face and his words made it sound like it was true. That she was irreplaceable to him. Not irreplaceable to anyone else. Irreplaceable to him.

She had to ask. "Do you even..." Love. She wanted to say love, but everything was slowly being pieced together as they spoke. They weren't anywhere near being in love with each other. She wasn't like him. She couldn't bring herself to spout out affectionate words without meaning them. This was nothing more than a childish crush. A game where she'd run to keep up with him because she knew long ago she couldn't catch him. All she could do was try to keep up, but even that was wearing her out.

"Do you even like me?"

He didn't seem surprised. They have had this same dance a number of times before, so this was foreseen. Still, he couldn't help himself from chuckling at her question.

"After everything we've been through, you still ask that?" He was being honest in a way, yet his teasing smile overshadowed it.

"Do you?"

Harry slightly threw his head back and laughed. She had always been there. Not just for him, but for his crew. The crew weren't soft and nowhere near as well-mannered as her. Still, there was no denying that she was one of them. Maybe not rough and tumble, but that made y/n, y/n. No matter how disgustingly virtuous she could be.

"Of course. If I didn't, I don't think we'd be here right now."

"Then can you please stop being so flirtatious with every person that walks by?" Her tone was surprisingly firm. At least for her.

"Like I said, there's no reason to be jealous. I'm not leaving you for anyone else."

For the first time, Harry didn't tell y/n the right words. Her eyes hardened, and she shook his hands off her face. "That doesn't make it any better." He raised his eyebrows at this sudden backbone. His surprise was swiftly replaced by amusement and cat-like curiosity. "What do you want me to do? Not talk to anyone? Maybe learn sign language?"

Their relationship foundation was cracking each time he opened his mouth. "I'm being serious, Harry." He'd mockingly put his hands up in the air. "Hey! I am too. I'm being serious about learning sign language." This whole time, he had been just teasing her. Taking everything as a joke.

"Do you like me?" She'd ask again. Trying her best to not sound and look as though she was grasping at straws.

He gave her a smile. "You're sounding like a broken record there, doll."

y/n found herself wondering for a moment if it was her fault. That she was overreacting. No one has ever pointed out Harry's flirty ways. No one ever tried to stop him. It's not like he was cheating per se. He only played around because that's just how he was. Maybe this was normal. She didn't want to throw away something she had worked on for so long. Something that they nurtured together. Even when it sometimes felt one-sided. Petty jealousy shouldn't be this relationship's downfall.

But y/n reminded herself that there was no need to put herself down. Her feelings were valid. Her experiences were valid. "Well, it doesn't feel like I have a boyfriend." y/n spat out. "I wouldn't have to ask that question over and over again if you didn't ogling at everyone. Or start flirting with anything that was alive."

As y/n felt her frustration building up and getting ready to be fired at Harry. It'd suddenly be stopped by his laughter. "I guess you're starting to get a backbone. I'm sure Uma will be happy to hear that." Her face was drained of any color. All she could feel now was her heart thumping in her chest. Everything else felt numb, like she was going into shock.

Even when no one else would, Harry should at least be the one to take her seriously. Everyone could laugh at her to the point of tears as long as he wiped her tears away. He could have been a lot of things, but he wasn't. He wasn't this perfect person that she believed him to be. He was no blessing in disguise. She was just lonely, and he wanted to play a long game of tag. She could never win against him.

All he had been was a silly boy that wanted to play. That's all he ever could be.

"We should break up."

Even now he doesn't acknowledge the weight of this moment. The only one who laughed and smiled right now was him. As she walked away, he acted as if the breakup had never happened. Brushing her off and heading back to the crew. Not without telling her goodnight, of course, but she didn't say it back. She kept walking away from the dock. Not looking over her shoulder with a smile or waving goodbye like she always did.

That was the last time Harry saw y/n for a few weeks.

It seemed like the whole Isle gathered to see the five be set free from this prison. Harry and Gil trailed behind Uma since she wanted to watch as well. Everyone was there for different reasons. Some wanted to get a glimpse of what wonders came from a world that could be described as paradise. While others thought of ways to take advantage of the barrier being slightly opened.

Uma wasn't dumb enough to take the risk of trying anything. There were guards everywhere. This wasn't the first time the barrier would be opened, but it was the first time someone would be taken out. She ordered her crew that no one was to do anything. It was best for them to observe.

Of course. She also wanted to yell some profanities at Mal and wish y/n off.

Harry would watch as y/n tightly hugged her mom, dad, and younger brother. Her mom whispering something into her ear and her dad giving her a pat on the back. Her younger brother seemed to look bored by the whole affair, but if one looked close enough, they could see him blink away tears. The whole time y/n held up a small smile. She wasn't being as loud as the others. They cheered and yelled their goodbyes to the whole Isle.

She'd depart from her family and make her way to the carriage. Mal and her little group would shortly discuss their seating arrangements. Without much hesitation, Mal would suggest that y/n be seated in the carriage that carried their luggage. y/n wasn't opposed to the idea and practically jumped into the carriage. Probably wanting to stay away from those four and get out of everyone's prying eyes.

As she took the step to enter the carriage, Uma yelled out to her. "Don't let those moneybags pull one up on you! Give them hell! You hear that, y/n!?" y/n froze for a moment before looking over her shoulder. She only looked Uma in the eyes before smiling, then turning around to get into the carriage.

"Yeah! Good luck, y/n!" Gil cheered.

As the carriage door was shut by one of the guards, Uma elbowed Harry. She gave him a look. She wanted him to yell something encouraging to y/n, but he's been silent as a church mouse. "Come on, say something to her." Uma hissed quietly. Harry scoffed at his captain. "Like what?" Uma clicked her tongue in annoyance. He's been brooding for the past few days now. "Maybe sorry for being the biggest lubber? Or better yet, that you'll be waiting for her."

Wait for her?

"Come on, say something while she's still here."

His captain would keep pestering him to say something. He'd open his mouth a few times, yet nothing would come out. He wasn't sure if he couldn't find the words or if he didn't have the strength to say something. The moment the carriage started moving, Uma urged him to hurry up. But there wasn't anything he could say that hadn't been said before. Anything that came out of his mouth would have sounded cheap and overused. It might have been better to stay silent.

"—And don't worry, y/n! Harry will be here waiting for you! Like the dog he is!" Gil yelled out. There were a few chuckles at the blonde boy's statement.

"Ack! You moron! Don't say that!" Harry hissed while Uma patted Gil on the back with a smirk. The two had planned on doing that from the start.

Once the little event was over, the crowd slowly disappeared. Only a few stayed behind to watch as five of their own reached freedom. Uma had no interest in sticking around any longer. So as they walked back to Ursula's, his two friends were ragging on him about how red his face was. Was it out of anger or embarrassment? He didn't know; maybe it was both.

Every time the crew would get into a skirmish, y/n would ask why they resorted to violence for every problem. There were a wide variety of answers from Uma's crew and the main three. Each time she asked, it seemed like she was directing it towards Harry by how she looked at him. No matter what condition he was in. He'd respond to that question with a smile.

"Because it's fun." She'd hide her mild disappointment. Turning her head away from him to focus on bandaging up another crewmate.

She was never one for anything more than playful roughhousing. Sword fighting was fun until it became life or death. She took pleasure in the boring things. Compared to them, she had always been levelheaded. Which was ironic considering she'd always try to wuss out and called a crybaby. Maybe she was meant for better things. Still, she was refined as a person.

Uma absent-mindedly spoke. "She's too good for you." Harry didn't disagree. She put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. "She's going to make out it there. I know it."

"Yeah. She will."

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The next week was mostly spent in that classroom. Writing on paper until their hands cramped up. Their eyes were strained from reading lines of text and equations. The Isle kids dreaded each day. There'd be a new test that felt as though it was written in another language. They'd spend hours decoding it, and even then they couldn't understand what was said. It felt like Friday would never come.

y/n has tried her best to keep her distance from those four. After their exchange on Tuesday. Right after that moment, she grabbed lunch while feeling others staring at her. As she waited in line, she realized that they weren't giving her odd looks because of where she came from or that she was a new face. That was a large part of it, but one of the major factors was her clothes. It made her stick out like a sore thumb.

Everyone around her wore such beautiful clothing. Each one looked even more lavish than the last. It was like each stitch and weave was methodically thought out. While all her clothes were worn out over the years. It felt humiliating having people look and snicker at something you didn't have.

She wanted to tell them to stop staring or just to mind their own business, but she didn't want to make a scene. Once she grabbed some food, she quickly made her way out of the cafeteria. She had seen that there were picnic tables near the garden. Seeing that it wasn't a bad day out, she figured that she'd eat outside. Silently hoping that there wouldn't be at least too many people.

When she made it to the picnic tables. There was almost no one there. Just an alone girl picking at her food with her fork. The girl looked bored and sad, like there was a rain cloud hovering over her. Taking a deep breath, y/n put on her best smile and walked over to the girl. "Hi! I was wondering if I could sit with you."

The moment y/n spoke up and came into view, the girl nearly jumped out of her skin. Her eyes widened in fear. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The girl didn't respond. Only staring at her like a poor deer that was about to be hit by an arrow. "I'll just find somewhere else to sit." y/n tried to keep up her smile and not look dejected. She wouldn't want to make the poor girl any more uncomfortable, so she decided that she wouldn't sit at the picnic tables.

She'd find a tree to sit at. Leaning against it with her back. She hadn't grabbed a lot since she was too busy trying to hide away, but everything was delicious. Even a simple apple was more savory than anything she had eaten back home. Just as she got done eating, a lanky boy popped out from the side of the tree.

"Hey! This is my spot!" Getting a good look at the boy's face, y/n quickly recognized him. It was the boy from yesterday. The one that threw water balloons with paint at her and the others. His hair looked a lot messier from when she first saw him. "You have to pay the toll now." He was going to continue speaking until he was cut off by another boy.

"Percy, shut up. We aren't here to extort money." Percy huffed and said that he was no fun under his breath. The other boy gave y/n a charming smile. He looked nice enough, but she wasn't sure if she liked the look in his eyes. Looking as if he knew something that she didn't. The scar on his lip didn't make him look any less intimidating. "Sorry, I couldn't meet you when you first came here. I was busy." He held out his hand.

Something felt off about him. Still, y/n wasn't going to brush off someone who wasn't treating her like a criminal. So she shook his hand. They both seemed surprised by the texture of one another's hand. y/n thought his hand would have been soft like Frida. Not callous. She had predetermined that no one here would have soft skin. Simply because softness was associated with wealth and power. He was mildly surprised that her hands weren't rough. After the handshake, he put his hand into his pocket.

"So are some forms of magic able to be cast even with the barrier up?" The moment he asked that, y/n became confused. Taking note that she hadn't taken his very vague hint. He would swiftly add. "Because I don't believe someone as pretty as you could exist without some sort of magic. Right, Percy?" y/n's face went red, and Percy gave his friend a puzzled look.

"Why are you flirting with her? Aren't we here to- OW!" The boy kicked Percy's shin to keep him from leaking out any information. "Ignore him. He was dropped on his head as a baby and can't say the ABCs." Percy gasped at his words. "You promised to not tell anyone!" He paid no attention to Percy's betrayed cry.

"I'm Gallagher, Gallagher Ivanov."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure you already know, but I'm y/n Vainira."

Gallagher wanted to make a joke. Though seeing that she didn't have a reaction to his last name made him think she probably wouldn't get it. Then again, the joke would have come off as more insensitive than humorous. He wasn't looking to make enemies just yet. He put his arm over Percy's shoulder. "Well, it's nice to see a pretty face from time to time. We'd love to stay around longer, but we better get going. Right?"

He sent Percy a look. He was still confused by the whole ordeal. They had come here looking for information. Not for Gallagher to make flirty remarks at the girl. Still, Gallagher was their mastermind in a sense and went along. "Yeah, we got stuff to do, like... stuff." Gallagher rolled his eyes at Percy's words.

"Again, he was dropped as a baby. Anyway, I hope to see that pretty face more. Bye, Miss. Vainira."

"I hope to see more of you too, Mr. Ivanov."

y/n would hear Percy mumble to his friend as they walked away. "I didn't come here to watch you and a girl make moves on each other." Once he said that she could see Gallagher pinch his arm. Making the boy let out a yelp in pain.

'Make moves on each other? Did I flirt back?' y/n couldn't help herself from blushing slightly. 'Yeah, I guess I was kind of flirting at the end. But I should step up my game if that was the best I could do.' Her thoughts made her shudder. 'One cute boy flirts with you while you're single and you're already thinking about dating him. Get yourself together, y/n.'

Next Chapter

Noble To The Core Masterlist

Thanks for reading. I'm grateful for the support. Love you all!

Taglist: @nobl3sse @remiechu

[anchoviiies]

Can I request a nice domestic Zolusan fic? Where they're all married and just having the best life ever? Bonus points if they adopt a kid. Bonus bonus points if the kid is a girl.

tw. fluff, fluff, fluff.

domestic zolusan, with a daughter. ❤️

⭐️🍎⭐️

Quiet life.

In the morning, the first to wake up is Sanji.

He looks out of the kitchen window and lets the sun chase away the sleep from his eyelids, he holds a cup of coffee in his hands and the first cigarette of the day between his lips.

The sun lazily rises through the tree branches, and the grass surrounding the house is still wet with dew, just like the slide and the swing attached to the peach tree.

Calling it a swing is even too flattering for Sanji: it's a wooden plank held up by two ropes, and he wonders how Lilie manages not to get splinters every time she uses it.

But it's a gift from Usopp, and Lilie adores it.

Luffy does too, and that's enough for Sanji.

But he grumbled to Zoro that it’ll become firewood, at the first scratch.

Shortly after, Luffy joins him, stumbling over the leg of the table as he tries to sit down.

Sanji can’t help but laughs, while he asks what's for breakfast as his stomach rumbles.

Zoro and Lilie are the last to wake up, when the house is already filled with the scent of pancakes and melted chocolate. Luffy has honey-sticky fingers, and the kiss he leaves on Lilie's cheek tastes like sugar and warm milk.

Then Zoro clears the table, Luffy rushes out of the house to do who knows what, and Lilie reaches out for Sanji, letting herself be picked up.

In her room, he arranges her red hair, helping her choose the day's dress: blue, with plenty of frills, folds, and lace. The skirt is so extravagant it makes her feel like a princess, and Lilie loves it.

She loves feeling like a princess, with also a plastic tiara and a magic wand, of course.

Zoro shakes his head gently when he sees her return to the kitchen all dressed up.

"How can she play dressed like that? She's just going to get dirty, and washing that is a hassle."

“She has elegant taste, unlike someone else," Sanji retorts. Zoro rolls his eyes but is smiling.

Sanji's favorite mornings are the ones that start slowly, with the alarm clock still ringing in the quiet house because Zoro doesn't hear it, and Luffy can't be bothered to reach for the bedside table to turn it off. He enjoys peering into the little girl's room, watching her sleep for a few moments under the colorful blankets, with her hair scattered on the pillow, a faint smile on her lips, wondering if she’s dreaming and what, she's dreaming about.

These leisurely mornings are followed by even slower days, that smell of melted butter on popcorn and baked apples, with a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top of them and a dollop of honey.

For Luffy, they smell like wheat, sweat, and fresh grass: the grass he lies on while Lilie sits beside him, engrossed in making a daisy crown or letting a snail crawl on her hands.

"If you touch their little horns, they hide them, look," Luffy says, extending a finger toward the snail, and Lilie watches with sparkling eyes.

Zoro rests his head on Sanji's shoulder and closes his eyes. The sun on his face makes him drowsy, and Sanji's clothes always smell of soap and cleanliness, which makes him even sleepier.

He's glad Sanji stopped using that cologne that made his nose itch and he thinks it's a good life, nevertheless.

The wind carries the scent of the sea and salt their way.

It's easy to feel nice.

[2qties]

Watch your back; Chapter one: A "productive" Day

Tumblr and I are gonna have sum problems if this shi continues to not let me post stuff.

anyways it's me, 🎀 and I'm posting this because I kinda missed Reo's birthday sooo...

Chapter 1:

Reo shot up from his position covered in sweat and panting like he ran a marathon. “.. What a strange dream that was..” He muttered to himself as he caught his breath. Today was the day he would move from his parents house. The Mikages’ residence was nice and all but  he couldn’t stay there forever. His parents had chosen the house (Of course they did…) , it was a very secure and quiet area in the countryside (They wanted him to suffer much more than he already does, he supposed.) and on top of that, it would be far away from his friends who lived in the city. Though, he would probably have to thank his parents for taking care of the rent and so on and so forth. He slowly stood up from his bed, the nightmare he had suddenly gone with the water trickling down the window. Great, it’s raining, not that he particularly dislikes it when it rains but it’s definitely preferred on days that aren’t like this one.  He silently walked to the bathroom. While brushing his teeth, he thought about what the house would be like. He wasn’t actually able to see what the house looked like but he heard from Ba Ya that she had added a garden so Reo could occasionally go out and pick the fruits she had planted. While washing his face he stole a glance and looked at himself in the mirror, He looked… different. Not that he wasn’t because he was a 19 year old college student but he couldn’t necessarily point out what the difference actually was. He had started to note the things that have changed during the past few years appearance-wise. His hair’s longer than how it was in high school, about 3-4 inches more; His features are sharper but also softer in a way, his eyes are a bit duller (Probably due to how boring life has been since he had started to listen to his fathers every command.) , his skin is clearer due to the expensive skin care and facial massages, his bangs  are longer too. He really didn’t pay much attention to his appearance to notice the changes before even when he made sure his hair was perfectly kept and he pampered his body to look like a sparkling diamond amongst the simple rocks. He took a step back and admired his figure a while more before tossing his clothes to the side to take a quick shower. 

_______________

He stepped down stairs and walked to the kitchen. His chef was there, cooking a meal for Reo already. He always had an exact time where he would wake up and do his routine, another boring part of life he thought. “Young master Reo, your breakfast is ready.” The chef announced as Reo sat in his comically expensive dining chair. The lady put the plate in front of him and he bowed his head in a way of saying thanks, he wasn’t in the mood to talk. She bowed and walked off. He ate in complete silence because did he really have a choice? Sitting at the dining table all alone didn’t leave many options available. He ate his food slowly ( “Don’t rush, it isn’t polite” , his father told him.) He very much was not in the mood to eat but he needed some form of nutrients to go on with the day. When he finished he went to the kitchen and left the dishes in the sink for the maid to wash. This morning was relatively uneventful and extremely monotonous, until it wasn’t. He had gotten a text message from the group chat he and his friends from university had shared. 

_________

How are we surviving uni??

Meguru: REO!! Reo youre moving today right?

 Reo: It’s You’re* and yes I am

Meguru: Whatevs (ﾟヮﾟ)  and also me and the others decided to get you a house warming gift!!! We’re at the Uni right now!!

Reo: Oh, That’s nice of you guys.

Hyoma: We were supposed to tell him together, bachira.

Meguru: Oops (｀ε´)

Yoichi: Oh well, it doesn’t matter. REO we’re gonna miss you!

Reo: Haha, thanks that makes me feel happy

Hyoma: Of course we’d miss you? You think we wouldn’t?

Reo: No, but I like the thought of you guys caring ig

Meguru: OF COURSE WE CARE!!

Reo: Ah! I have to go, Ba ya’s driving me to the house, ttyl!

________

Reo closed his phone and walked towards the front door. He stepped out and shaded his eyes from the sun. It had stopped raining while he texted his friends. He looked around and saw as the familiar white limo pulled up beside the sidewalk and an unforgettable face appeared in his vision. “Young Master Reo, the limo’s ready for you.” She said in her calm voice. He nodded as she opened the door for him to climb inside. He sat in the car silently as he watched the trees pass by before something clicked in his brain. He tapped at the black screen that separates the driver from the passenger. “Yes, Young master Reo?” She asked. “Can you drive me to the University? My friends have a gift for me. A house warming gift.” He added the last part for more context. With a nod, she started to drive to the University campus. After that quick exchange, the drive there was rather silent. Reo went back to staring out the window until he saw the usual place he goes to often. The car goes to a stop and he steps out of the car. “Thank you Ba ya, I’ll be quick.” After reassuring her he sped walk to the place on campus where the group commonly hung out at. At the wooden table he was met with the familiar idle chatter of his friends. “Ah! Reo, there you are!” Bachira ran up to him and gave him a tight hug which would most likely bruise his ribs later on. “Hi Bachira..” he said, almost winded. Isagi and Chigiri went up to him and gave him a wave. Isagi was able to pry Bachira off of Reo before he suffocated from how much air he lost. Chigiri had gone to go get the gift and placed it in his arms; a big white box wrapped beautifully with a violet ribbon and a note attached to the end with string. “..Aww, guys.. This is so sweet. Thanks so much!” He held the box close to his chest and then smiled at them warmly. “We’re gonna miss you but we could always plan a visit or a time to hang out, okay?” Isagi gave him a light pat on his shoulder and Chigiri nodded at Isagi’s statement. Chigiri was closest to Reo, he was one of Reo’s first real friends. They met in high school in their first years. “I have to go but we can call once I arrive at the house. Thanks  again for the gift!” He waved goodbye and ran back to his car. Ba ya stood outside, waiting for him to return. He gave her a wave, his mood suddenly much lighter than before when he woke up that morning. He sat in the limo smiling to himself the rest of the way. The drive was around 3 hours and it was 5 in the afternoon when they arrived. He stepped out of the car and looked at the house in front of him. Wow this is gonna be a blast… 

________

OKI!!! I listened to Mitski while writing this because the inner demons told me too. That's it for now, Happy late birthday my pookie wookie cutie patootie Reo!!!! 💜💜💜

[chronicalfangirl]

YOOO I HAD THE BEST DREAM EVER I JUST HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN

I was moved to an mental institution, i felt very scared and alone when suddenly a very beautiful girl comes up to me and just sits with me, she showed me some of her stuff and i watched her in silence. I no longer felt that lonely, with her by my side.

Later on, we went for a walk togheter, outside the institution. It was so nice, i’ve never felt more peaceful than this, with someone.

When we arrived back it was dinner time. We sat down next to eachother, waiting for the dinner to be served.

After dinner, the kids just lounged around the social area of the institution, so we two snuck away to sit outside on a bench to watch the sun set. We leaned on eachother and held hands. It felt like we had known eachother for an eternity.

The next morning i went to the kitchen of the institution to meet up for breakfast. I was looking for her, but i couldnt see her anywhere im the dining hall. Where was she?

I sat alone eating my food, wondering where she was. Had she left me? Why would she leave? I never saw her that entire day, i was worried sick because why would she have left without telling me why?

I didnt see her for two more days after that.

But on the fourth day of not having seen her, i finally saw her. She was sitting on a bench right outside the window, staring off into nothing. She didnt leave me..? With both exitement and the slight feeling of betrayal i went out to see her. I immediately asked where she had been. She looked up at me with red, tear stained eyes. I immediately sat down beside her and held her with my arm, allowing her to rest her head on my shoulder and let all her feelings out.

After sitting like this in silence for a while, she finally starts uttering words.

«I…I was locked in a room…after I had an outbreak….»

Thats where she had been…. It all makes sense now.

After we talked about everything that happened, we just quietly cuddled up in some corner of the lounge. It was so quiet and empty there, as if we were the only people that existed. She held on to my hand, never intending to let me go.

Suddenly, she starts to speak again. She tells me how she was locked up with multiple people that were nearly and utterly insane, they had probably been locked in there for a while already. They had been picking at her the entire time she had been locked in there, everything from pulling out her hair from just staring at her with hateful eyes.

No wonder her eyes were so bloodshot.

I swore to god i would haunt then down and make them go through hell for doing that to her. Thats when i realized how much she meant to me. I also realized i was gripping my hospital-like gown in anger.

She took my hand with her soft hands, making me snap out of my angry thoughts. I looked at her, the most beautiful person I have ever met.

She whispers into my ear, «lets get the fuck out of here, yeah?»

We separate into each our rooms to get ready to run away. I packed my backpack and changed into my own clothes. I will sacrifice everything to be with her, even my life.

We ran like it was a big lion behind us, like we were running for our lives. She laughed so happily while we were running from the asylum like institution. I watched her admiringly, happy to see her this happy for the first time.

After running a while we decided to camp under a bridge for the night. I stole some of the blankets, so i laid them out for us to lay on, and sat on them. She sat down next to me, quietly watching the lake.

I was stuck in my own thoughts, thinking about everything. My life. When she takes my hand, i snap out of the dark cloud of thoughts, and i look into her eyes. Her eyes were the most warm and comforting eyes i had ever seen. How could someone be this perfect?

As i sit there, lost in her eyes and her hand wrapped around mine, i feel her lean closer, and closer. Suddenly her lips touched mine. What was happening? Is she really kissing me? My eyes widened before i let it all happen and close my eyes, kissing back. I couldnt believe this, was this really happening, or was i just daydreaming?

I dont know, but either way, i was the happiest i have ever been.

[writer-darling]

Are You Ever Dreaming of Me?

Chapter 6: It’s Nice to Have a Friend | Read Chapter 5: Gorgeous!

I NEVER USE Y/N OR ANYTHING LIKE IT THANK YOU SO MUCH :) Rating: T - T ((for now, but there WILL BE explicit stuff later sooo (18+ MINORS DNI) Pairing: Ezra (Prospect, 2018) x F!Reader Warnings: Good old enemies-to-lovers trope. age gap (10 years). Nothing super descriptive for Reader but they are described as having hair. Tension, ofc, especially sexual tension out the wahzoo. Adult language. Alotta feelings and things of that nature. Banter. Flirting. It’s E-to-L, you know where this is going. Feral Ezra (he starts at a 77.5% but ends up at about a 80.3% in this chapter). Mentions/descriptions of food and alcohol. If there are any that I missed, please inbox me to let me know and I will add them in :) Word Count: 5.9k Summary!: Your friendship with Ezra is progressing. Through good conversations, card games, food and cider, you two are now becoming closer than ever before.

A/N: REWRITTEN AND REFORMATTED ON: 12/29/23

******

“Wanna hang out?" Yeah, sounds like fun

Video games, you pass me a note

Sleeping in tents, It's nice to have a friend,”

 You're still feeling giddy the next morning. Thankfully not hungover at all like you were dreading. You’re up earlier than usual and take the time to clean up your space, decluttering and organizing as you think back on your conversation with Ezra. He’d been so open, so sincere, so… endearing. It’s almost frightening how quickly your attitude about this entire situation has changed and you spend much too long trying to psychoanalyze it.

You hated - well, thought you hated - Ezra almost the entire time you’ve been here. And you figured he surely felt the same way! But now, after all his attempts to make nice… you’re starting to come around. And all because you seem to like him. If you were smart, you would set those feelings aside, you wouldn’t even bother giving him a shot. But, according to how things went last night, you’re as dumb as they come.

By the time you’re done, your tent is nearly spotless. It’s a good 20-square-foot setup with a cot on the far left and a “window” made of bendable plastic directly above it. You have the standard refresher/bathroom in the far right corner, then a basic kitchenette with a sink, cooler, and small burner setup directly across it. In the middle of the tent, in the pole to reinforce the structural integrity of the tent, while on the right - opposite to your cot - is a two-person table and a chair. You have pictures of home and maps of the planet on the walls, while your pack and all your belongings are settled in a small cubby near the refresher. Your cases of earnings are under your cot, stacked up tightly, and shoved to the very back.

 Even though you’re done fixing things up, your mind is as jumbled as ever Still, you decide you’ll circle back around to it at a later time. And your self-critiquing will surely only get worse.

 You shower and get suited up, checking your radio and changing the air filter on your suit. You grab the charger for your thrower, cranking it enough to have enough rounds for the day before making your way out into the daylight. It’s cloudy but warm out, and the suns will be at full heat by midday, but for once, you don’t mind it.

Ezra wakes early that same morning, finding himself feeling quite well-rested. He does a quick check of his equipment, ensuring that he's got the necessities for whatever the day may throw at him. He sets out soon afterward, and he seems to be in a better mood. The previous night has him feeling quite optimistic for the day, and he's hoping that things continue to look up.

 You make your way to the dining tent and go inside. You spot the two prospectors who messed with you last night but they take one look at you and quickly run in the other direction, clearly still scared of Ezra's protectiveness over you. You smile at that and get into the breakfast line, ignoring the other prospectors as they gossip about you and Ezra. You sit at your usual table, taking a sip of your coffee before you dig in just as Ezra walks into the tent himself.

 He can feel all eyes on him instantly. He keeps a stiff upper lip as he grabs a plate and begins to get himself some breakfast. He keeps his head down, focusing on getting his food before he can be accosted by the other prospectors. It's not long before he has his plate and coffee. He goes over to Denver’s table where he can sit down, and he takes a deep breath. "Greetin’s and salutations," he says, trying to be polite to the crew, "I hope everyone slept well last night. I certainly did."

 You see him and glance at him briefly with a knowing smile. The other prospectors act like nothing is up and instead bid him salutations and good mornings as well, nodding to his question.

 He’s happy that none of the others seem to be acting with any kind of awkwardness, and he's quickly done with his breakfast as he openly chats with Denver and the men around him. Denver’s eyes find you and he smiles, an appreciative look in his eyes. You return his smile with one of your own, nodding at him before going back to your meal

After a few minutes, Ezra stands up and gathers his plate and his tray, cleaning up after himself and heading for the door. "I'll be out in the field if anyone needs me," he says quickly, before heading out. He sighs in the warm morning air, and he can't help but smile to himself as he makes his way to the dig site. The memory of last night still feels like a dream to him, and the smile on his face reflects it.

 You hear him and watch him go. You debate with yourself before you stand up and make your way to the site with him. This will probably only fuel the rumors about you two but you don't care, though you know you absolutely should. You make your way to his area, a few yards west of your own. 

 "Ezra?" You ask with a smile on your face, knocking on the tree bark just beside him as if it were a door.

Ezra smiles as he hears the knock, and he's a bit surprised at your visit. “Good mornin,’" he says, turning in place just as he’s setting his pack and equipment down on the earth next to him. He smiles as he sees you and nods in your direction, motioning for you to come closer to him. "What did you need?" He asks once you’re close enough, his question coming with the utmost sincerity.

 You smile at him. "Morning… nothing, honestly I just um... wanted to check in. I wanted to walk over but you seemed pretty busy with breakfast and the rest of the guys. Did you sleep okay last night?" You ask him.

 Ezra's face lights up at your concern, and it seems to take over his whole face. He nods at you quickly as you ask about his sleep, and he can't help but smile at the kindness in your voice, and the sincerity. "Yeah, I... I slept really well. I've never felt so peaceful, so I couldn't be happier." There's a light twinkle in his eye as he looks back at you, his genuine joy obvious. "And you? How was your sleep?" He asks, turning his attention back to you.

 "It was good too." You say. "Whatever was in that cider must've been powerful stuff, I passed out almost as soon as I dropped onto my cot," you say with a soft laugh.

 Ezra laughs along with you at that, a small smile crossing his face. "Warned ya it was potent, didn’t I?" he teases, laughing again. "I've been meanin’ to ask you though..." He hesitates for a moment as if he's trying to figure out just exactly how to express what he's trying to say. "I... don't really know how you like to spend your free time here, but would you be interested in spendin’ some of it with me? Maybe playin’ some cards, or just... sittin’ and talkin’?" He asks, smiling warmly.

 You can't help it as you light up at the idea, the prospect of spending time with him actually seeming appealing to you. "Actually... yeah, I think I would like that." You say with a smile.

 Ezra smiles widely as you accept his offer, his happiness, and joy obvious to see. "Fantastic," he says, his voice filled with warmth and sincerity. "I was hopin’ you would say that because..." He pauses, his smile growing a little wider. "Well, I just... I really enjoyed our conversation last night. I don't want it to end there." He says this last part with a hint of sincerity, and you can't help but feel touched by what he’s saying.

 "I... I feel the same way," You say, your entire body turning warm as you realize you really mean it. "I had a really nice night and we promised that we would spend more time together, right?" You ask

 Ezra nods at your words with a smile, his whole face lighting up. "Yeah, that's definitely our agreement," he says with a warm, genuine smile. "So, if you're not too busy later today, I'm off-duty at noon. Do you wanna play some cards… with me?" He asks excitedly, his smile getting bigger with every word. He looks adorably sincere, and this time you’re actually trying to contain your swooning.

 "Absolutely." You say with a large smile of your own. "That sounds fun." You hear your alarms go off suddenly, and straighten up. Time for work. "Alright, I'll see you at noon? My tent?" You offer, heading for your area. You turn to look behind you and see the rest of the crew all coming out of the dining tent, gearing up.

 "Yeah," Ezra nods, the smile still plastered across his face, his eyes beaming with excitement. "See you at noon. I'll bring the cards." He says, his smile only getting bigger as he watches you go. If he could keep a smile on his face for the whole day he would, and he's finding it hard to keep himself from doing just that. Just as you're about to leave, he calls out again. "Have a good shift!" He shouts, his voice filled with optimism and untamed excitement.

 “You too, see you at noon!” You shout back over your shoulder before grabbing your helmet and putting it on, a wide smile on your face and butterflies in your stomach.

You can’t wait.

Ezra is practically giddy with excitement as he works, getting in a good morning shift. He's unable to focus on any other task for the rest of the morning as he goes over all the games he knows. He doesn't know how savvy you are with cards, but he’s hoping his own expertise helps. Truly, he wants to impress you. 

 He can't help but keep looking at his timer, watching the minutes tick away like an impatient child. Before he knows it, it's noon already, and he's more than ready to see you. He gets up and makes a mad dash for his tent, same as you. He gathers his card deck, it’s one he picked up at one of the kiosks on the Pugg long ago. He’s had it saved for a special occasion and this seems as good a time as any. He gathers his courage, makes sure he looks good, before he leaves his bunker to find you, and he's got a big, cheesy grin on his face as he walks over. "Hey!" He shouts as he finds you just getting to your tent, and waving. "You ready to play some cards with me?"

 You look up just as you’re stepping into your quarters, smiling.

 “Yeah, follow me.” You lead him inside.

 Ezra does an affirmative, a short nod of his head, and he follows along behind you. "What are we playin’, then? Can we play a game called ‘Speed and Spit’? That's a good card game." He asks, hoping to get a bit of a say in the matter.

 “I don’t think I’ve played that one.” You say, surprised. You know just about every card game under the sun. It was one of the only methods of entertainment out here. “Can you teach me?” You ask, not embarrassed to ask him for help for once

 Ezra smiles at your words. "Oh, definitely. It's one of my favorite games! I can teach you the rules and some different strategies for it. Trust me, it's a lot of fun." He says this with an energetic nod. "I'm sure we'll have a great time with it." He stops when he’s inside and gives you a wide smile. A sudden bashfulness overtakes you as you realize this is his first time seeing the inside of your tent since you joined the crew. Thank Kevva you cleaned up this morning.

"Well, this is quite an impressive space," he says as he looks around, taking in his surroundings with a pleasant surprise. "you really have it quite livable here, that's for sure." He says genuinely. You smile, feeling a bit of pride as he looks around, taking in all the little details.

 “Thanks, it’s not much but it’s home out here, right?” He glances over at you and nods. He looks around for a bit longer before he looks at your cot.

 “May I?” He asks. You nod, gesturing for him to have a seat. He grins and sits down. He notices how your scent immediately welcomes him as he sits and he tries not to make it obvious how much he enjoys that. Focus, Ezra. "Okay, well, the good news is this. This game does take a bit of intelligence to pick up," he admits as he begins shuffling the cards. "But it's not too different from games you've already played. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time."

 You nod back, setting your pack down at the foot of the bed before you remove your helmet with a ‘hiss’ from the dome, then set both it and your radio aside too. “Is the game ‘Speed and Spit’ good for hustling?” You ask teasingly with a small sly grin. His chuckle in response is low and amused.

 "Sure, any game is good for hustlin’... assumin’ you're smart enough to pull it off," he says with a smirk, shrugging one of his shoulders, his eyes focused on the cards. “Think you can handle that?” He asks, his eyes flicking up to meet yours for a moment. You smile.

 “What did I say about underestimating me?” You ask with a grin. He smirks and averts his eyes back to the cards, his cheeks going rosy, likely remembering.

 "How about this... how about we have a friendly game to start, and then try our hands at gamblin’ later?" He asks after a moment, hoping that the prospect of gambling will appeal to your competitive side. "That sound good to you?"

 You nod, your eyes twinkling at the challenge. You never could back down from besting him, even now that you were friends. “That sounds perfect.” You say, smiling.

 Ezra's eyes light up at your response and he begins to deal the deck between you two, getting in a little practice as you talk. "So then, if we're not going to bet, what's the stakes?" he asks, looking over at you with a warm, genuine smile. It's clear that he's as competitive as you, and he's hoping for an engaging and challenging game. 

 "Whoever loses cooks for the other? That sound fair?" You ask, genuinely interested in this idea.

 He raises an eyebrow, his interest clearly piqued by the idea. “Ooooh, I like that.” He says, feeling excitement as he finishes dealing the cards. "Alright, let's get started then, let's see who's a better cheater- I mean, better player." He laughs a bit at his own joke, and he smiles. "I hope you're ready to be taken down a peg or two." He says before leaning in and giving you a wink.

 “Oh, thank you for the warning, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any cheating, then!” You say with a soft laugh, flushing a little at his wink. “Speaking of which: do you know any other games?” You ask him. 

 He nods, smirking a bit. “Oh, yes, an exorbitant amount.” He says.

 “Like?” You ask, intrigued and curious to know if he knows the ones you’ve played. He thinks for a moment before answering. 

 “Cribbage, whist, Egyptian ratscrew-” You can’t help it as you laugh, cutting him short.

 “Ok, you’re just making up words now.” He laughs too and shakes his head.

 “Not at all! I swear to Kevva herself these are all real.” He says, holding a palm up for a moment. 

 “Mhm.” You say with obvious doubt in your voice. He chuckles a little, excited at the idea that you don’t seem to know these games, which means he’ll get to spend his time teaching you.

 "Alright, well then. Do you wanna play first or shall I?" He asks the question while looking over at you, the newly shuffled deck still in his hand. His whole tone of voice is calm, friendly, and warm, but you can see the competitiveness burning inside his eyes. He's not going to take it easy on you, that's for sure.

 “You go first, and I’ll do my best to keep up as you explain how it works.” He grins. His movements are quick, efficient, and practiced. He's obviously got a few tricks up his sleeve in the card games department, and it's going to be an absolute blast learning from him. 

 "Alright, the goal is pretty simple," he explains as he lays out the first few cards and makes sure to give you a detailed explanation of each. That way, you have a basic understanding of the game before the next hand. 

 You nod, your expression concentrated as you hang onto every word he says as he explains. He’s as detailed as possible, and he makes sure to even include a few beginner’s tips for you. He wants to compete, as you do, but he mostly wants to have fun. In the end, making sure you both enjoy yourselves is his top priority, and he’s nothing if not fair. You have to admit, he’s a good teacher. He’s patient, and he doesn’t mind re-explaining or revising his explanation if you get confused.

"Do ya get it?" He asks when he’s done, looking up at you with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

 “Yeah, I think I got this.” You say, and look up at him for a moment, your eyes glinting with a competitive streak as you realize this game seems relatively straightforward.

 Ezra watches intently at your reaction, and he finds himself grinning as he gets the answer he was hoping for. "Perfect, perfect!" he beams, "Alright then, show me what ya got!" he says with excitement. "Let's see who can out-cheat who." He chuckles, dealing out the next hand, and he seems just as excited as you are that the two of you are about to battle out this intellectual game.

 “Oh, you’re on.” You respond as you take a look at the hand you’ve got.

 “Can I ask you somethin’?” He asks as he also looks over his hand, already moving the cards he’s got. You smirk.

 “Is this your attempt to get in my head?” You ask, giving him a look of playful suspicion. He smirks back and meets your eyes, pouting a little as you give him that look.

 "Come now, indulge me. What's the other part of your story, hmm? The part of it we didn’t get to last night. Come, share but a single thread of it with me?" He asks, giving you his most sincere puppy-dog eyes.

 You smile and sigh, taking a deep breath. "Alright, fine. Well, like I mentioned earlier, I grew up on Amorna. A prospecting planet. My stepdad worked with various crews on the Fringe, but not as a prospector, a harvester. He was hired for all kinds of expeditions. From mercs to Karoclan. He was never away for long, he knew we missed him too much. But, whenever he came back he would always tell me about all his adventures and, I don't know, I suppose I just got too curious. Had to experience it all for myself, you know?" You say, meeting his eyes with a smile.

 "Ah, the call of the wild. I know it well." Ezra says, with a nod. "That itch to explore and discover, it's all so enticin’, intoxicatin’. And when you scratch it once, it only gets worse. A bit of a blessin’ and a curse, wouldn't you say?"

 You grin and nod. "Yeah, exactly. It took me a while since I didn't have the money saved up for the academy, that's why I'm barely a rookie." You say with a shrug. "But, I did it and now I'm here." You're proud of that, glad you stuck with what you've always wanted to do.

 "And you are all the more wonderful for it," Ezra says, with a warm smile, feeling as proud of you as you do at this moment. "To have followed that dream, against all odds, speaks volumes to what's inside you. And it's nothin’ but beautiful." He adds another little wink and you smile again.

 “What about you?” You ask, shifting gears as you play your next hand. “What brought you to prospecting?” 

 Ezra takes a moment to gather his thoughts. Once again, he seems to carefully take in your response before he forms his own. "Well, I...I have to confess I'm not entirely sure myself. Maybe I've always been drawn to the unknown, the unexplored. Maybe I was simply born with a floater’s heart." He says, with a smile. "And I suppose it also helps that the prospect of unlimited riches is a particularly powerful motivation." 

 "But, you're a vet, which isn't impossible but most people out here would've given up by now, even with the potential for getting rich. What else is in it for you?" You ask, curious to know his answer.

 "I must admit, I often wonder that myself," Ezra says with a laugh. "Maybe I'm just a bit mad. Or perhaps, a part of me hopes to find somethin' truly unique and remarkable. And if I don't? Well, then at least I get to live my life the way I'd always wanted. That's somethin’ I'm alright with." He says with a tone of pride and you smile, finding yourself more and more endeared by his honesty. You two move on to another topic soon after and the game goes on, both of you focusing on both the game and each other.

In the end, it's extremely close. You're just as skilled as he is, and you manage to pull off a last-second victory over him, much to his surprise. As soon as you do, he claps his hands together, the sound of his hands clapping filling the tent, and he looks up at you with an even grander smile than usual. "You're good," he marvels, "and this was just a trial run. I bet we could make a pretty penny playin’ cards with the other prospectors, huh?" He asks, his eyes lighting up as he smiles widely.

 You grin, almost not believing you’d pull it off. “I bet we could!” You say. “We should test it out tonight at the dining hall.” You say. “Oh wait, you’re cooking for me tonight, aren’t you?” You say with a smug grin.

 Ezra lets out a chuckle and rolls his eyes when you mention the fact that he's going to have to cook for you. "Yes, yes... fine, I'll cook for you. Good gracious, you're a ruthless gambler..." he says with a small sigh, but the smile never fades from his face and your competitive banter is exactly what he was hoping for when he agreed to the bet earlier. 

 “So what will you be whipping up for us?” You ask, unable to help your curiosity. 

 "Well," Ezra says, leaning in close. "I suppose you'll just have to wait and see. It will be a surprise!" He says, with a playful wink.

 “Tease.” You say, and your mouth is already watering at the look in his eye. Whatever he has planned, you can tell it's gonna be good. “Oh wait, shit I’m a terrible host, I didn’t even offer you anything.” You say and stand up, carefully so as not to disrupt the placement of the cards. You walk over to your cooler. “Do you want some? I’ve got a couple of water canteens, some hydration packs, and a few bundles of Asagi berries I picked yesterday?” You offer him as you open it up, grabbing a canteen for yourself.

 Ezra's eyes immediately light up at the idea of a nice, sweet bundle of berries. "Oh yes please, some asagies would be absolutely fantastic right now," he says excitedly, his smile returning to his face. You smile and hand him the bundle with the most fruit, which he appreciates. He thanks you and takes a handful of the pink berries, the crunch of them clear in the easy stillness of the room. He groans softly at how sweet the fruit is, a drop of juice running down the corner of his mouth. You unconsciously swallow at the sight of that and clear your throat a little, averting your eyes. He notices, a grin on his face as he wipes the juice away with the back of his thumb. But he spares you by not saying anything, instead shifting gears.

 “So, how did you like my demonstration of the game?” He asks, curious. He takes another few berries into his mouth as you answer.

 “It was fun.” You say, your bashfulness easing. “My stepdad taught me how to play a few other card games, but it’s been a while.” You admit. His eyes twinkle with excitement.

 “Which ones?” He asks eagerly.

 “Hmm… 21, Crazy Eights, Gin Rummy.” His head tilts a bit to the side as he hears that last one.

 “Gin Rummy?” He asks, his eyes wide and burning with interest now. You smile and join him on the cot as you take another swig from your canteen. You set it aside for a moment before you grab all of the cards and begin to shuffle.

 “Ok so…”

That night, you two skip out on dinner in the dining hall once again. You join him at his tent and he allows you inside with a grin. You realize it's your first time seeing the inside of his tent and you do the same as he did earlier in the day, taking a look around at the space. 

 "So, what are your thoughts on my humble abode?" Ezra asks, with a warm smile. "I know it isn't much, but it's served me well enough." You notice that much like the rest of Ezra's life, it's a bit chaotic here. It’s the mirror image of your tent, with his cot on the far right, and the layout of everything on the opposite ends of your tent (refresher to the left, kitchenette on the right, table, and cubby to the left.) There are piles of paperwork and research scattered across the floor, along with various tools and gadgets. His cases are all stacked up on top of his cooler. But despite the clutter, there's still a sense of order about it all. Like Ezra knows exactly where everything is, even if it doesn't appear that way to the naked eye.

 “It’s nice,” you say, smiling. “Messy but not dirty.” You meet his eyes with a playful grin. “Suits you.”

 Ezra smiles back, a hint of pride in his eyes. His gaze turns and he moves a little closer, making you eye him with trepidation. "Well… I’ve been known to be a little dirty... from time to time ." He says, his voice quieter. You snort softly at his joke, even as that statement makes butterflies erupt in your gut. He breaks his flirtatiousness with a laugh as he sees your reaction. "But, for better or worse, this is me in my purest, most unapologetically authentic form." He moves back, letting you breathe, and gestures around the space with open arms.

 You smile and nod, still taking it all in. “Well, I like it.” You say. “So gonna show me what this big surprise is all about yet?” You ask, curious as to what meal he has up his sleeve

 Ezra smiles and leads you over to his portable kitchen area, pulling out a few ingredients to work with. "Yes, I suppose the time has come." He says, getting right to work. "I must warn you though, this won't be anythin’ like the standard fare back at the dinin’ hall. In fact, this particular dish is somethin’ I've spent a lot of time researchin’ and experimentin’ with. You're about to be the very first person to ever taste it." He says, with a grin. “Please, sit.” He says and walks over to the small table, clearing it quickly and pulling out the chair for you.

 “Oh, am I?” You ask, grinning and taking the seat as you glance at him over your shoulder. “Well, lucky for both of us, I like to experiment.”

 Ezra smiles and his chuckle is low and honeyed in your ear. “Oh, I sure hope so.” His knuckles brush your shoulder blades as he pushes your chair in a bit, sending a jolt down your spine. If he picks up on it, he doesn’t say it but you notice his flirty smile has turned a little more smug as he walks back to the kitchenette. "I hope you don't mind if I give you a bit of a crash course on the history of this particular dish." He says as he cooks. "It may be a bit borin’, but I'm afraid its origins are too interestin’ to keep to myself." He says as he begins searching for what to begin cooking with. “Now, listen and watch closely.” He instructs.

 “Dinner and a show, huh?” You ask with another smile. “Ok, sure, tell me.”

 "Well, let's see. I suppose the best place to start is with its ingredients. The main thing you need is an animal called an ixax, which is native to this planet, actually." Ezra says, as he works, setting a pot down on the nearest burner. "They're really quite remarkable creatures, as they're able to survive by eatin’ minerals and rocks. It sounds completely wild, I know." He says. He pauses for a moment to grab the ingredients from his cooler. He continues on as he preps,  

 "Now, the other ingredients are a bit more familiar, if I'm honest. You'll find their counterparts on just about every planet. For this dish in particular, I need onions, potatoes, and garlic. All perfectly standard. The real kick comes from the spices, however." Ezra says, adding the onions to the pot. "You see, the ixax itself is not exactly the... tastiest creature. But with a bit of experimentation, I learned that if you cook it just right, and add the right touches, it actually becomes quite excellent." He says, with a grin.

 “And how do you cook it?” You ask.

 "Oh, that's a bit of a trade secret." He says, with a wink. "There might be a little bit of salt involved, at least. And a healthy dose of herbs and spices, to be sure." He adds. “Regardless, I am confident you will love it.”

  With that, he continues cooking and you grin, impressed by how at ease he seems. He moves as confidently as he does out in the digs. The aroma of the food fills the tent soon and your stomach is aching for dinner the entire time but you don’t voice it, instead wanting to wait until he’s finished. 

 As he’s doing so, he smiles as he looks over at you, waiting so patiently even as he can see the way you eye the food with clear hunger. "This seems almost perfect, but I want your opinion. Now, come over here, and taste your first-ever ixax dish," He says, gesturing towards the pot.

 You smile and stand up from your seat, walking over and taking a peek at it over his shoulder. “Well… it looks good. It smells good…” you say, a little hesitation in your voice.

 Ezra laughs. "Come on, I've given you my word that it's good. And you know I'm a man who loves to keep his word." He says, giving you an encouraging smile. "Besides, I see how hungry you are." He says, with a wink. “And all of this is just for you.”

 You grin and sigh, not commenting on how flirty that last phrase was. “I suppose you’re right.” You say with a smile. You lean forward and take a small taste from the spoon he offered you, letting it coat your tongue before your eyes widen in pleasant surprise.

 Ezra beams, watching with eager eyes. "See what I mean? I knew you'd love it. Whaddya think?" He asks, with a big grin. "Pretty unlike anythin’ you've ever tasted, ain’t it?" He says. "But I'm not done yet. Let me just add a little…” He grabs another spoon and uses it to take a taste of it for himself. His expression is pensive as he savors it before he turns back to the spices. “Mm...just a dash of this, a sprinkle of that.” You don’t know what he’s sprinkling into the pot, but you trust his taste. He gives one more stir before offering you the spoon again. “There we go. This is when it really gets delicious. Give it another taste, I promise you, it's to die for." He says.

 You smile and take the next spoonful he offers you, eating it without pause this time. You grin at him and nod as the taste is somehow even better than it was before. It’s tangy and a little sweet, and the salting is perfect.

 “Wow,” you say, leaning away, covering your mouth with your hand so you can lick the remnants of it from your lips. “That’s really good, Ezra.”

 Ezra smiles, delighted by your reaction. "It pleases me beyond words to see you enjoyin’ this. You truly are the only person worthy of such a delicious and unique creation." He says, with a grin. "Now, shall we sit down and eat properly? I promise I can make plates. Though, I'm afraid it won't be much of a presentation. You know, since it is, after all, a campin’ expedition." He says, a twinkle in his eye.

 You smile and tell him not to worry about it before you help him serve the food for you both. He even brings out two cans of the very same cider from last night. 

 Again, the food, cider, and conversation keep you two busy. This time you both stick to just two cans instead of the many you shared last night and by the time you’ve both finished, you’re full and giddy.

Ezra sighs, content and sated. He takes a sip of his cider and looks over at you with a warm glow in his eyes. "Another glorious meal," he says with a smile. "And now, it's time for us to relax and let this food sink in. Do you have any ideas as to how we can pass the time?" He asks.

 You grin. "Another round of cards?" You ask. He smirks in response, that competitive glint in his eye now that matches your own.

 "Oh, you've got yourself a deal. Another game it is." He says, taking another sip of his cider. "Though, I think it's only fair to warn you… I'm not plannin’ on goin’ easy on you this time around." He says as he stands up to grab his deck from his cot.

 “Sure hope not.” You respond with a smirk of your own as he sits and the game once again begins.

****** Ezra is a devil in the kitchen, I will die on this hill.  Anyway, that’s it, thanks a million, hope you all enjoyed, and see you in the next one!

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Read Chapter 7: Style!

[layenacreates]

Like Crazy

You breathed in the air of a new day in your new home. Sunlight beamed down through your window on to the floor, highlighting the messiness of the days before.

You had just moved into your new apartment a week before school started and it showed. Boxes littered the floor, each filled with items expressing your personality. You would have taken better care to organize but come on. Who has the time?

Time.

Scrambling through your sheets, you grabbed your phone to check the time.

8:07 am

Not bad.

Grumbling to yourself, you left the warm embrace of your bed and began your shuffle towards the bathroom. The rose gold covered walls patiently watched your movements. If they had a voice, they probably tell you to move faster. You need to get started on breakfast before your new roommate decided to get agitated with you again.

As you did your business, you recalled your first meeting with him.

Walking through the door of your new house, you placed your box filled with pictures of your friends and family down on the counter. The space was nicely furnished with blue couches and an expensive looking TV to the right. The coffee table seemed like a perfect place to rest your feet after a long day of standing and taking orders, as you would soon start your job at the coffee shop right off campus.

Smiling to yourself, your gaze quickly moved to the kitchen right behind the living room. Decorated with different appliances, you noticed that no matter what you wanted to cook, you would be set. It felt like a dream to be able to live in such a beautiful apartment and have all your expense paid for. Well, except for food.

That was the agreement you had entered with the owner of this apartment. Rent and utilities would be covered so long as you took care of the cleaning and cooking. Of course when you heard about this your mind instantly went to, “what psycho would agree to that?”

Turns out, you were that psycho. Only days before your college orientation did you realize you never had applied to housing at your new school. Unfortunately that meant that you had to find off-campus housing, which conveniently, was already booked up for the new school year.

Desperate, you searched the college’s reddit page and found the listing for the new apartment that you currently resided in. Was it risky? Maybe. Was it your only option? Yes.

You quickly exchanged numbers with the mysterious owner and had only contacted each other through text. He was direct and didn’t enjoy small talk from what you could tell. Since your first (and very warm) introduction message was received with what you interpreted as a cold shoulder.

“Hi! My name is y/n! I am new to the university and I am so happy that I was able to find your offer before anyone else. It’s nice to meet you and I have read through the contract and I agree to sign. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to fill out or help with!”

See? Warm. Welcoming. Respectful!

What did you get in return?

“Name’s Dabi. When can you move in?”

Okay, so not the welcoming party you were expecting but at least you have a name? From there you understood that he wasn't a very talkative person and stuck to important information. You adjusted yourself to this type of texting and even felt reassured at one point.

Sure he sounded cold but that didn’t mean serial killer cold, right?

Grabbing a towel from your hanger, you quickly ushered yourself into the shower and turned it on. Another plus was that the water allows came out warm so you didn’t need to wait for it.

Allowing the water to soak your body, your mind drifted back to your first meeting.

“Hello.”

Spinning on your heel, you came face to face to a tall, blue-eyed man. Dabi

You instantly recognized him. But how could you? You only texted the owner. Never saw a picture or heard his voice.

So, how did you suddenly know he was standing before you?

“I-hello!”

Your voice was too high, even for you. You internally cringed and tried again.

“Hi, I presume your Dabi,” you questioned. You realized that just because you felt safe and sure it was him, didn’t mean it was true.

A small hum was your only indication that you had guessed right.

You watched as his eyes raked over your form slowly, taking you in from your feet upwards. You watched him watch you. Desperately. Okay. Maybe. Just maybe a bit awkwardly.

It was painstakingly hard to wait until he reached your face. His blue-eyes found yours eventually but they held a slight spark in them that you couldn’t discern. Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on your but you thought you saw the corners of his lips lift, ever so slightly.

A hard knock on your door, snapped you to the present moment.

“You almost done in there, I’m starving!”

Your roommate, quite the gentlemen, reminded you of your obligations. The only reason he seemed to agree to let you stay here is because you didn’t annoy him. The same could not be said of himself on days like this.

His dad must have texted him, you mused. Over the course of the week you had stayed with Dabi, you learned quite a few things about his character.

Rule 1: Don’t ask about his family, especially his parents.

You reminisced your first meeting again as your turn offed the shower and reached for your towel.

A loud buzz from Dabi’s pocket made you snap your eyes back to his. Dabi reached towards his back pocket with a sigh. He seemed agitated which only grew into anger as his eyes glazed over the screen and the contact.

Dabi grumbled something with the only word you could figure out was “dad” and “always”.

You the ever so eager individual trying to make a good impression tried a tactic. That backfired. Epically.

“Parents,” you half-smiled, “am I right?” You shrugged to show your indifference and tried to match his annoyance.

Dabi side-eyed you as his only response. His aura seemed to grow angrier and angrier as you stood there. You could tell he was trying to maintain his composure but his demeanor was that of a house fire, only growing stronger and scarier as time passed by.

Luckily, you caught on quick and decided to give him some space.

“I’m going to put away some clothes,” you glanced towards your exit. Since his door was covered in black with blue flames covering the bottom, you assumed the door that was left bare was yours.

You stole a quick look to Dabi as your turned away. His posture was slightly less rigid but he eyes were still set ablaze. Silently burning a hole through his phone. Or maybe the person on the other end.

Squaring your shoulders, you willed your body to walk towards your room to begin the task you had placed on yourself. “It was nice meeting you,” you quietly uttered. The slam of your door was then heard as your entered the room and looked on your new space that you would inhabit.

The same space your crossed as your pranced around your room in nothing but a towel. Your first matter of business would have been to dress cute and do your makeup but with Mr. Piercings Galore out there, you settled with a simple blue crop top with some leggings to make breakfast.

Quickly brushing your hair, you glanced at your alarm clock to read the time.

8:29 am

Okay, not bad.

You still had an hour and a half until your first class. Stats. Not the worse subject, but from what your read up on the professor you didn’t want to be late.

Turning the doorknob, you entered into the share living space and made your way across to the fridge.

While walking, Dabi eyed you as you walked by. “Coffee.” The only things he seemed to slip passed his mouth were demands.

“Going,” you replied.

Rule #2: Dabi needs his coffee in the morning or he will be a menace. Well, more than he already is.

“That’s what your wearing,” Dabi stated plainly. Translation: That’s not your usual style. What’s up?

At least that’s how you imagine Dabi communicates. His words, although blunt, had an underlying message to them.

“You said you were hungry,” you replied, grabbing the milk and eggs,”it was the fastest thing I could grab.” Setting the ingredients from the fridge on top of the counter. You reached for the k-cups and placed one in the machine. Making sure you had enough water in the reservoir, you turned it on and then placed a Dabi’s favorite coffee mug underneath the machine.

You knew better than to try to start a conversation with Dabi before his morning coffee, so you stayed silent, allowing the coffee machine to whirl to life and fill the silence in the apartment.

While the machine poured coffee into his mug, you made your way to the cupboards and found the materials to get started. First, you added butter to a pan and let that heat up. Meanwhile, you prepped Dabi’s coffee, two spoons of sugar and a large amount of milk. Unlike his attitude, he liked his coffee sweet.

Setting in front of him his cup with a, “here you go”, you turned back around to add in the eggs into the pan. Both of you would take your eggs fried.

Your hands then went to work untangling the tie from the bag of bread and pulled out four pieces. You added each to the toaster and put the heat on medium.

Returning to your eggs, you made sure they were just right before flipping them and moving on to the finishing touches. You reached into the fridge once again and pulled out some strawberries and blueberries. Taking care to wash each piece, you then pulled out two plates and set an equal amount of each fruit on each.

When the timer rang on the toaster, you made your way over and deposited two pieces of bread on each of the plate. Then, with the spatula, you added one egg to each plate and then constructed a sandwich for each of you.

Yes, it was simple. But simple was good. Dabi liked simple and it was fast too. Picking up each plate, you turned around after making sure to turn off the stove, and placed a plate down in front of Dabi.

“Enjoy.” You sat at the far end of the table, allowing Dabi his space. “Alexa, play Morning Mix.”

Over the time you had spent with Dabi, you had found what kind of songs were to his liking. Of course, it was heavy metal but funnily enough, you found that he also enjoyed a variety of other music.

The sound of Park Jimin’s voice echoed throughout the space as “Like Crazy” began to play.

Bobbing your head to the music, you ate in silence apart from the music.

It was peaceful.

You know, I know.

You heard each sip Dabi took.

I’d rather be lost in the lights

The birds singing outside.

Lost in the lights

The warm breeze from the window.

I’m outta my mind

It all felt so domestic and serene.

Can you help me numb the pain?

Of course that’s when it all went to shit.

“So you got a boyfriend?”

Whipping your head to the adonis of a man that sat before you. You eyed him carefully before you responded. What kind of question is that?

Dabi seemed unamused, waiting for a response. He certainly doesn’t look teasing.

But that didn’t let you lower your guard down. “No,” you hastily responded, “I don’t.”

Side-eyeing the clock on the stove, you noticed that it had started to creep towards nine. Pushing down the ball in your throat, you forced the next words out of your mouth. “It’s almost nine, I have to go.”

Finishing the last of your meal, you dropped your plate into the sink and scrambled back into your room. Shutting the door to make sure you had some privacy, you let out a quick gush of air.

The memories started to come back to your mind in flashes.

Laughing. Kissing. Holding hands. Hugging. Smilin-

No.

That is as far as you let yourself remember.

Taking in a breathe. Letting it out. That is what you focused on. You needed to start your day and get ready. You had probably less than an hour left for class and you still needed to do so much.

Pulling yourself together, you walked towards your closet and began shuffling for the perfect first day outfit. A simple white spagetti strap shirt with a white cardigan over some blue jeans. Dressing yourself, you noticed that you still needed accessories so you grabbed some butterfly earrings and a white headband to complete your look. You moved on to makeup next and added a light layer of foundation and then went through the rest of your makeup rountine swiftly.

Before you knew it, it was nine-thirty.

I have to go.

Reaching for your planner and journal from your desk, you dumped all your materials inside your bag and made a run for your shoes.

I don’t even know the building that I am supposed to go to.

Luckily, you were right off campus, and right across from the bars too.

Making sure had everything, you took a quick look at yourself in the mirror (snapping a picture later for insta) and twisted the doornob to the living room.

Dabi had left. Thankfully, he had put his dishes in the sink.

Weirdly enough, you felt a pang of sadness from the lack of his presence. You wanted to at least tell him goodbye and wish him good luck.

Shrugging to yourself you made your way to the door and to the start of your new life at your new college.

Chapter 2

[pbandjesse]

It is actually warm in the apartment! It's like the heat kicked in all of a sudden and we actually had to crack a window. Even the studio isn't freezing. Amazing. I'm very glad.

I forgot to set my alarm last night. But I still woke up at 713. Good job body.

My arm hurts but it wasn't as bad as I expected. And I feel a lot better about all the tattoos today. I knew it would start to settle in and I would feel better. Even the cat face doesn't look as messed up as I thought it did. I still want to change it a bit but I'm feeling much better.

I got washed up and moisturized and got dressed. I didn't feel very nice about myself today. Which is so frustrating after feeling so nice yesterday. James said I was so pretty but I didn't feel right and I don't know why. At the end of the day I feel a lot better but it was a little tough today.

James left for work early so they could get breakfast. And I finished getting ready for the day. And then I was off.

I felt super tired. I made it to work but all I wanted to do was to lay my head on my desk. But before anything else I collected all my packages. Except the one because it was to heavy for me. But I got everything else in the car.

I had a little bit of time alone before Alexi came in. I drew for a little. I started working on my program writing. I was feeling a little better even if I was still sleepy tired.

When Alexi came in we ended up having a really lovely conversation about programing, but also her kids, and just having kids in general. How she thought she just was going to have boys but then she had two girls. And before she found out she was pregnant with her little boy, Kenny, she had a dream about having a little blonde boy with her husband eyes. And that's so sweet!

I also talked about me and James trying for kids but also it's not like an active trying. It's an active not trying not to? If that makes sense. But there is not time frame or time line. I am just feeling happy about where we are in our lives and wouldn't it be nice to bring a new person into the world. To bring up a good person who will do great things. Big or small. Alexi had to go jump into some meetings. And I got back to work on my programing. I would also print and staple a bunch of things. And Alexi had us go through some training manuals to pick out things we thought would be useful in the new one.

When I was working through the manuals I was using sticky notes to denote what I thought would be good but I also discovered if it used to many fonts I just straight up would not read it. And I think that is really something we will have to consider. How people will interact with the manual itself.

I would pass them off to Sarah so she could go through them too. And I would continue to work on programing and the schedule.

That was a big part of the day. I had a little meeting with Heather and we went through all of the schedule I had written. She had some feedback but also had some suggestions about color coding, but also we noticed a few mistakes. So after we did that I jumped back into the sorting the schedule and it was fun. It felt really productive.

Celia would come to camp today to work with the animals for a bit. And she would sit with me for most of the last hour I was there. Where we would look up very silly things in eBay and try to convince Elizabeth to buy us $40,000 worth of malachite. Or an indoor bungee jumping rig. She said that those are probably not in the budget. Even if it was a good deal.

Sarah helped me get the heavy box in the car. She actually carried it herself because she's so strong.

It was getting really foggy out as the rain made all the snow melt. And it was just about time to go.

Celia asked me to drive her to upper camp to where her car was parked. And I did just that. And then it was time for me to go.

I headed to our new house. James beat me by a few minutes and came out to help get boxes out of the car. I got a little confused with parking because I was struggling to not hit the curb and I don't even know why. But James fixed it and things were okay.

We had a busy evening. I built both medicine cabinets and the Kitty credenza. Which I'm really happy with. I love how they look. The credenza needs one more piece but I have to cut a piece of wood so that will have to come later. And me and James attempted to hang the medicine cabinets but we needed a hammer and we did not have that. We will get it done later.

James would also make another run home for some more boxes. While I built things. We also put down all the peel and stick tiles and I love how they look. We need to order more but so far so good! And I wasn't to far off on size. And for just guessing I think we did pretty good.

We were there for a few hours. We would take the tape down from the bedroom. I also hung the blinds back up. I was a little disappointed that the tape bled a little and there were some mistakes we will have to touch up on the grey wall. And I do not know how we will match the color. So I will just have to get a bunch of chips I guess. Which is frustrating but it's fine. Just one of those things.

Around 730 I decided I wanted a piece of pizza. So we went to the shopping center down the street and got a pizza to share. We talked and laughed and joked about being silly. I was feeling a little sad that I wasn't able to 100% finish anything in the house yet but James (and Jess through text) reminded me that this is a very long term project. And they are right. I am just really excited about moving and I have to wait and I am not good at waiting. I try but I just don't have to wait often.

After we ate James packed up the leftover so we can have lunch. And then we headed home.

James kept dropping their keys as we were going inside. But we made it in and everything was good. Except it was hot in here!

I tidied up a little. Put the boxes all together. James put more water in the fish tanks. I changed the kitty litter. I told Sweetp about how good and beautiful he is. And went to take a shower.

I am clean and in bed now. Feeling more like myself. An very ready for bed.

Tomorrow is Thursday and I don't have any big plans. But I hope it is a good day. It is supposed to be warmer and maybe all the snow will melt away. We will see what unfolds.

I hope you all have a great sleep tonight. Remember to set your alarms. Goodnight!

[strawberrychainsawz]

Part 2 of

Rainbow colored eyes Nervous eyes

Part 1 can be found right here!

Again I'm new to this so please be gentle lol

You woke to the warm sun bathing your face that slightly creeped through the window. Your head still very confused from your wedding night but also you felt very at ease as well. So many thoughts rushed through your head.

"Was he really trying to be a gentleman?"

"Is there something wrong with me? Maybe that's why he wouldn't take me last night"

You shook your head, trying to shake out all of these thoughts. You took a glance to left side of the bed only to see that your new husband wasn't even there. He had gotten up before you had. Which did make sense to you, he's a busy man afterall.

You stretched and yawned. Got up slowly from the bed before you heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" you said nervously.

An older female voice answers.

"My lady, may I come in? I've come to help you get ready for the morning and I've brought you breakfast"

"Ah. This must be one of the many handmaidens Douma has." You said to yourself.

"Yes, you may come in"

As she enters with a beautiful silver tray of food covered with a lotus shaped lid. She sets it down on a small table, lifts the lid off and immediately you see an amazing arrangement of food. Specifically fruit. Which is your favorite.

"And..all of this is for me? There's so much I don't even know where to start"

"Yes my lady! Douma overheard from your parents what your favorite foods were long before you had arrived so he made sure he had those for you."

A rosey blush slowly covered your face. He did this without even having to ask you. That made your heart skip a beat.

"Now sit, my lady! We have a busy day"

"Where..is he? Where is douma will he not be joining me for breakfast?"you asked.

"Ohhh I'm afraid he won't be able to join you. He is busy attended his followers. Besides he...has a special diet anyways.

She said this with a smirk.

"Oh. Well alright I suppose that's okay."

Actually no it wasn't okay, that made those nervous thoughts you had earlier stir even more.

"Does he not like me enough to even have a simple breakfast with me? Maybe those sweet words he told me last night were just lies. Maybe all of this is some big lie.

You finished your food, the maids bathed you, brushed your hair and got you dressed for the day in a beautiful dress Douma had one of his personal seamstress in the temple make for you.

You were guided by a different maid, into a huge room after you were all fixed up and pretty.

And there he was. Douma. Sitting in what resembled a giant bean bag chair. The part of this room was fairly dark although it was dimly lit by candles everywhere. But you could definitely make out those beautiful glassy pastel colored eyes of his anywhere.

"Ah! There you are my, sweet blossom. I was wondering when you'd get up!"

He jumps up to immediately walk over to you, placing his soft hand against the side of your face.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Y-yes. I did. Thank you." You said still shy in the presence of this man.

"I knew so aha. I like watching you sleep, it's calming to me, I wonder what you dream about?" he says in a playful way without trying to sound creepy but God he sounds a little creepy.

Before you could even say anything to that wild reply he grabs your hand and places his lips on your forhead"

"Come now, my followers shall be arriving soon. Seeing as how you're my wife, I'd like for you to be beside me at all times. I have a special seat beside me just for you."

Really? Was I really going to have to listen to all these people complaining about their lives, seeking guidance from Douma ALL DAY??

You nodded, heading over to your assigned spot he had for you.

Hours and hours roll by of people coming in and going out. Each story, question becoming more heavier than the last. But as these hours went by he didn't seem a bit tired or annoyed. He met each follower with such a kind face, such sweet and assuring words he spoke to each one. But something about it seemed almost fake.

"How does this man do all of this?" you thought.

As the sun became to set, you felt drained. Tired and hungry.

"So now you see what it is I have to do, right? Fun isn't it" douma said in a tone that sounded almost sarcastic but playful.

"Let's get you something to eat. I'm sure you're very hungry."

Of course you were hungry. You hadn't ate really much of anything since breakfast and few cups of tea during his followers being there.

"I am hungry, my lord"

"Lord? Blossom, there's no need to call me Lord. We are husband and wife."

He jokingly points to the ring on his finger.

"Well then, Douma. Yes. I'd like to eat."

He snaps his fingers, one of the hand maidens comes in and leads you to a room with your dinner. The one from this morning.

"He's..not joining me for dinner either?" You asked."

"I'm afraid not my lady, Douma has a few other things to attend to before bedtime."

"Whatever then" you puffed, trying not to sound upset. You finish your dinner, the handmaidens lead you to your room for the night. Dressing you in a silky midnight gown. You get into bed and lay down. Hours go by and you notice your husband isn't even in bed yet. Not like you could sleep anyways, you had always had trouble sleeping.

You get up to light up a lantern, maybe thinking a midnight stroll around the temple would put you at ease. The place is extremely dark now, no candles. But the quietness was calming. This place is so beautiful.

You roam around until you find a sliding door opened, revealing a beautiful garden. With all types of flowers. Ponds with koi fish.

"Seems like a good place to relax I suppose" you thought.

You lay down on the soft grass looking the at the sky, the moon, the stars. Reminding you of how in your childhood you'd sneak out of bed to do the same exact thing.

Until you quickly notice he's laying right beside you in the same exact position.

"How..how did he even get there I didn't even hear him??"

"Can't rest my sweet? Is there something troubling you? Is my sweet wife okay? We have plenty of healers, doctors here if you need-

Before he could even finish his sentence you say that you're just fine. Still shocked by how he got there.

"Are you sure?"

He places his hand on your forhead to see if you're warm.

"Hmm well you don't seem sick. Just checking!!"

You're both now looking at the stars. You point out different constellations and the myths behind them as he listens to you like a child being read a bedtime story, he is so fascinated by you.

"So about today. You saw what kind of stuff I have to do now right? For my followers"

"Yes..honestly it does sound tiring" you said.

"Ohhh it can be very tedious but i don't mind it a bit. I was born to help people." He says this with a tone that doesn't sound as cheerful..almost sad"

No, Douma. I mean like..doesn't anyone ever ask how YOU are doing? All of these people coming to you seeking shelter, light, guidance but what about you? Are you okay? What about you?

He changes his expression from cheery to a slow frown. It hit him. His glassy rainbow eyes looked as though they would water. You quickly notice this and try to apologize

"Oh..douma I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to offend"

Douma says, "no..you didn't do anything wrong my love. I just realized you're the first person who has ever EVER asked me how I was doing. It's..an emotion I've never felt before. It feels so strange.

You say "well then tell me about yourself, I want to know who you are. Everything there is to know about you."

You two spend hours talking but you let him take the lead. Just listening to him, learning about him. His childhood, his parents, his hobbies, the things he has seen, the places he wants to see. Everything.

As these hours go on, it's almost becoming sunrise. He notices you are softly falling asleep.

He presses his soft lips on your forhead, stroking your delicate sleeping face softly.

He whispers to you

"Thank you for listening to me, my flower"

He picks you up as you're asleep, trying not to wake you and carries you to bed. Tucking you in.

[nuagederose]

As the Seasons Grey | Chapter Nine: A&W

ao3 link

*actually putting up a trigger warning here

His face emerged to her through the darkness, and she was certain that he had found his way closer to her. He had asked around to find out where the lost souls had resided, and he found her there on the side of the room. She had no idea as to when or how they had wound up on the road together, but she knew that she had her hands on the rim of the steering wheel and her gaze fixed out on the windshield before them. He had brushed his black hair back behind his head until it was nice and smooth, albeit with a slight frizz at the ends, and his streak of gray at the crown of his head seemed to swish back from his forehead like a plume of smoke.

She flashed a glance over at him there in the passenger seat and those long, spindly fingers that snaked up into the overhead handle by the door’s frame. His deep eyes obscured by his sunglasses, and his prominent nose poked out, as if he was about to lead her on to a kiss there. Christine puckered her lips at him and then she returned her attention to the road. The sun remained behind a veil of hazy gray that covered the entire sky, and she drove them along that little backcountry road in a car of robin’s egg blue.

The two of them, like Bonnie and Clyde, ready to escape their old lives and head out west for the Pacific Ocean together,

It was like that split second moment during the thick of a car accident where time slowed down to a crawling pace, and she was left feeling infinitesimal at the thought of being there next to him.

The next thing she knew, shards of glass spread across her face, albeit in utter silence. She turned her head for a look over at him and the look of sheer terror on his face. Confused, she returned to the wheel once again, that time to find that the front hood of the car was engulfed in flames. That beautiful rich blue, so classic and perfect for their getaway, now enshrined in hot flames.

Things became loud right then, and the next thing she knew, they were spinning in circles on the road until they finally reached a ditch on the side, and they rolled over into the cold earth. The flames were hot as they surrounded them both in a vortex all the way down to the bottom. No way out. No chance of escape.

He coughed and gagged. She tried to say his name but no sound came out. They both instead screamed at the top of their lungs.

Christine opened her eyes to find herself back in her bedroom in her apartment. She spread her hands down her chest and her stomach to find that her body was still very much intact. Her skin was as smooth and soft as ever, and her body was warm from the blankets. She closed her eyes and sighed.

It had been some time since she had had a horrifying nightmare like that, and every time she closed her eyes, she envisioned the flames once again. She opened her eyes, and she knew that she had to get up regardless of what she did. Aside from the ghastly nature of the dream, something about it shook her to her core. 

She had to do something before it was too late.

Without further hesitation, Christine climbed out of bed and stretched her arms over her head as she gazed out the window to the street, followed by the view of the New York skyline outside against the soft gray sky. Another rainy day in the Big Apple, and one that she knew she would have to undertake for that day when she rolled into school.

At least it was Friday again.

She took the bus to school, and with the hood of her green coat pulled up over her head and her coat over her book bag to protect the outside from the incessant rain, and all the while, she wondered if she could hitch a ride with Greg and Eric at some point over the course of the next week. A little change would do her good.

But she arrived at school with several minutes to spare, which thus gave her the chance to speak to Nelly before she headed off to class and before the kitchen staff had to start on breakfast for the day. She tugged her hood over her head as she made her way up to the door of the cafeteria, and she spotted Nelly right by the counter with a pair of water bottles in either hand and her feathery blonde hair merely tied back in a ponytail.

“You literally just missed him,” she told Christine as she came within earshot.

“Just missed him?”

“Yeah, he was in here not even a minute ago. He looked—frazzled, like he had just ran a couple of blocks.” Nelly set the bottles on the counter next to her, and then she turned to Christine right as she took the hood off her head.

“I have to tell Alex about you,” she said. Nelly gaped at her.

“What! Why?” She held onto Christine’s shoulders and tugged her back away from the counter so they would maintain their privacy while out there in the open.

“I just have this feeling that he’s curious,” she explained in a lower voice. “He has this look on his face like he wants to know why and how I’m coming up to these conclusions about him.”

“But he shouldn’t, though,” Nelly insisted. “That’s how rumors get started, and then it manifests into gossip.”

Christine fluttered her eyelids at that. “What are you saying? You can’t keep a secret?”

“No, I’ll take secrets to the grave with me if I have to,” Nelly vowed. “I’m more worried about him leaking the secret.”

“If he’s spent this much time keeping his relationship a secret from the rest of the world, then I’m sure he can keep a secret about you and me.”

“Besides, did you even ask him? Does he even know that we’re talking about him?”

“I don’t think he does,” Christine told her. “He’s never mentioned anything.”

“Then, why do that? Why make a mountain out of a molehill and betray his trust like that, and most of all, pull me into the crosshairs?”

“He has to know, Nelly,” Christine insisted, to which Nelly let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s also for my own good, too. You know. I’m pretty much doing this solo: those four girls behind me don’t know that I’m talking to him, no one knows. I worry about something happening to me and him and no one would know about it.”

Nelly pressed one hand to her hip and knitted her eyebrows together.

“As long as it’s merely the three of us, I’m okay with it,” she concluded. “But no one else knows about it, though. Not those four girls, not Eric and those two boys, and definitely not your parents.”

“It’ll be easy, Nelly, I promise,” she said. “Today’s Friday, so I’m going to ask him if I can spend the night at his place again tonight. Hope that he doesn’t have a date with her.”

“I hope so, too,” Nelly vowed with a wink, and then she patted her on the shoulder. “Anyway, I gotta get moving. Be careful with things tonight, okay?”

“Of course.”

Christine made her way to Mr. Hansen’s class, where Alex had gone, and thus, she wondered as to where he was substituting for the day. Among other things that she worried about with him was the fact that he still hadn’t landed anything permanent at the school: he was an adjunct as well as a substitute teacher. She looked to her left and saw the vacant desk next to her.

So unlike Eric to miss a day, especially since he had been present there since school started.

But there was something relieving about it, however: she could scout down Alex and ask him for another night at his apartment, especially since she knew where he lived now. She could take the bus back home, and then she could walk back into Brooklyn, to the street with all the trees and find him there.

It was easier said than done, given she had to walk through sheets of drizzle once she had been dropped off in front of her building: once she reached that line of trees, the outside of her green coat was drenched, but at least her bag was dry. She padded up his front steps and knocked on the door panel three times.

Silence.

Christine leaned over the railing for a look into the front window, but came out fruitless given thick ivory white curtains obscured her view.

“Can I help you?” His voice caught her ear right behind her, and she turned for a look back at him on the sidewalk. His face lit up when he recognized her,

“Oh, hi,” he greeted her.

“Is this a bad time?” she asked him as he made his way up the steps towards her. A car whizzed past them and sent a wall of spray up from the wheels: Alex bowed his head even though the spray came nowhere near him or his front step.

“No, no, I just… wasn’t expecting to find you here.” He showed her a smile as he skirted past her for the front door. He reached into his coat pocket for his keys, and Christine could see the droplets of rainwater on the outer rim of his glasses, as if it was barely raining at all. “Is there something you want?”

“I was just wondering if I could stay the night again,” she suggested with a shiver.

“Ooh, I don’t know about that,” he told her. “I have a gig with my trio tonight over in the East Village. We could do dinner, though, if you’d like.”

“I’d love some dinner!” He unlocked the door and held it open for her, and she ducked into his warm, dry apartment. Alex closed the door behind her and hung up his jacket on the hook next to the door: Christine did the same, and then she set her book bag down on the floor next to the couch.

“Smart of you to do that,” he told her.

“What, put my bag under my jacket?”

“Yeah.”

“A little trick I learned from when I was in middle school and I traded a backpack for an over-the-shoulder courier bag like this. I didn’t like how I would walk to school or the bus stop while it was raining or snowing, and the outside of my bag would get all wet, because then my stuff would get wet. I do it with my purse, too, especially when I’m walking around uptown.”

“Would you like me to make you something?” he suggested as he wiped off his glasses with the bottom of his shirt. “I just think how we had takeout last time, and I kind of want to mix it up a little.”

“I’d love to have something homemade,” she told him. “One of these days, you should come on over to my mom’s place, right across the hall from me. She’ll make us something delicious.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “What’d you have in mind?”

“Well, Rosh Hashanah has come and gone—and it takes a while to make matzo balls, too, and I don’t have any schmalz, either—and Hanukkah isn’t for a couple of months. I do have pasta and veggies and mozzarella cheese and a bottle of wine, though.”

“Sounds classy.” Christine then took her seat on his couch with her legs crossed and her right arm up on the top of the couch. She watched him move around the kitchen through that little doorway as if he was preparing something in a cozy restaurant somewhere there on Long Island rather than something personal for the two of them.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this, Alex,” she began as he filled a pot of water from the sink.

“Go ahead,” he called out once he switched off the water.

“I’m making you something in ceramics class.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you,” he told her. “You don’t have to do that.”

“But I want to, though,” she said.

“Well, you know—don’t tell me what it is. I want to be surprised, after all.” Her eyes directed to the rack of guitars next to the couch, specifically to the singular bass guitar at the very front.

“I think it’s so cool that you play bass, too,” she called out as she watched him walk to the fridge.

“You can thank my brother for that,” he told her as he took the cheese and some raw spinach out of the drawer and closed the door with his hip.

“By the way, I just realized you’re making something with veggies and cheese,” she remarked. “I don’t think I’ve ever had baked pasta with veggies, because my mom always makes it with sausage or chicken.”

“Welcome to the fun world of ‘kosher’, dear Christine. I actually do have some sausage in the freezer, but—meat and cheese shouldn’t touch each other.”

“It’s one or the other.”

“It’s one of the other, exactly.”

A knock on the door caught their attention, to which Christine’s heart skipped a few beats. Alex padded out of the kitchen with a dish towel over his shoulder and his plume of gray pushed back over the crown of his head.

“Who’s that, I wonder?” she asked him in a low voice, and he shook his head. He peeked through the peephole and then gasped.

“What is it?” she asked him in a near whisper, and he glanced back at her wet coat on the hook.

“Um—shit. Take your coat and hang it up in the bathroom so it’s not dripping everywhere.” She hastily took the coat and ran for the cozy little bathroom, and she slung the coat over the top of the curtain rung around the shower. She skidded back into the front room where he handed her the book bag.

“Go in my bedroom and hide in the closet,” he advised her in a low voice. “Do not make a sound.” She doubled back to his cozy bedroom, where she spotted the wicker door to her right. She tucked her book bag against the wall and stepped over the pile of clothes on the floor. She was about to close the door when the knock on the door became pounding.

“Alex!” a woman’s shrill voice caught her ear. “Let me in! I’m getting wet!”

“Just a second! I’m cooking!”

Christine slid the door shut and nestled down on the floor next to the pile of clothes, all of which smelled of him. She kept her feet by the door so she wouldn’t dampen his clothes. She closed her eyes and thought about Nelly, and it was right then she realized she forgot to tell him about her.

She could hear their voices right outside of the bedroom door, and she started to wonder if she had made a huge mistake by even coming there in the first place.

“Here, you want me to take you to my room and show it to you?” Alex was asking as he led her to the bedroom. Christine held still.

“I do,” the woman commanded. “Besides, I saw that you are using half a box of linguine. Why are you eating all that pasta?”

“Because I want to,” Alex replied, stern. “I’m starving—I’ve barely eaten anything all day.”

“All of that?” she demanded. “You’re going to eat all of that baked pasta? Aren’t you worried about your weight or your health?”

“Relax, it’s kosher,” he scoffed. “Like I said, I’m really hungry right now…” He rummaged through something that Christine couldn’t see for herself: she could only see the sliver of their bodies through the grated panel before her. She couldn’t even see her face.

“Why do you lie?” she demanded.

“Why on earth would I lie to you?” he asked her.

“I don’t know, maybe because you forgot about me and everything I have done for you.”

“How could I forget what you’ve done for me? You’ve done plenty for me. I gave you everything but you just wanted more. And you still want more from me, too.”

“And this is a bad thing?”

“If you keep getting on my case about it, it is—”

He was cut off by a loud slap. Christine gaped at that, but she put a hand over her mouth to ensure no sound came out. Alex brought a hand to his face to ease the pain, and her face softened at the sight of him.

“Don’t—you—dare,” the woman snarled at him: Christine could see her long finger pointed right into his face, right at the full tip of his nose.

“Don’t hit me,” he retorted, but she opened her hand again for another slap across his face. Christine held still: she didn’t move, she didn’t breathe. She could only see Alex’s stunned face through the gap in the wood.

“Give me the bracelet,” the woman ordered. There was a pause, and then he took something out of what sounded like his nightstand drawer and handed to her.

“I will see you tonight,” she commanded, and she jerked his head closer to her for an open-lipped kiss, to which Christine closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to witness it. The woman stormed out of the bedroom and back out to the living room. “By the way, tell Matt and Nate they can’t be ushers,” she called out.

“Why not?” Alex demanded, but she had already left the apartment, complete with a hard slamming of the door. “Don’t slam the door!” He let out a low whistle and knocked on the closet door panel. “Christine, you alright in there?”

“Yeah. I think so.” She opened her eyes to find his silhouette on the other side: she reached up and nudged open the door. He had taken off his glasses and bowed his head. She glanced down to find a bouquet of lilies laying on the floor, and she could only make assumptions right then. She picked herself off the floor of his closet and stood before him.

“I don’t know…” His voice trailed off.

“Alex. Listen. If you’re unhappy with her, then why keep doing this to yourself? Why keep it going when it’s obvious that the feelings are gone now?” Christine stooped down and picked up the bouquet: a few of the flowers had lost their petals, but she didn’t too much damage to them.

“I had those in the kitchen,” he explained in a low voice. “She walked in and I gave them to her. She started getting really combative with me, and… she followed me in here and threw them on the floor. It’s weird because it wasn’t that long ago, she’d take them and then kiss me.”

“Well, start from the top,” Christine coaxed him.

“We met through mutual friends. I still remember us walking and talking and going to get Chinese takeout together. I had struck out for years on women, and she just never found the right person. Things were actually pretty great when it first started, like the first few years were genuinely wonderful. I really don’t know what happened along the way there.”

“The honeymoon ended,” she said.

“The honeymoon ended, right. Over time, I started noticing little things. An offhand comment here, a bad morning there. Next thing I knew, I found myself being pushed to the edge some days, like I couldn’t keep up with her and her desires anymore.” He glanced down at the bouquet in Christine’s arms and showed her a small smile. “She pointed out how I never cook for her, and that’s how she got heated.”

She glanced past him to his nightstand, where he only had a lamp, a pad of paper, and a framed photograph of a couple that looked to be his parents.

“I also notice you have no pictures of her anywhere around here,” Christine remarked.

“Pictures of me and her are virtually nonexistent. She tells me she doesn’t like having her picture taken.”

Christine frowned. “What? I don’t like having my picture taken, either, but if someone wants to do that for me, I’ll oblige—especially if it’s with someone whom I’m interested in. Does she not want it taken with you specifically?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” he replied with a shrug. “I’ve photographed her alone before on a few occasions no problem.”

Christine shifted her weight there in her spot. Something about that gave her an odd, inexplicable feeling, as if there was something to that that never sat with her. The sound of the rain outside caught her ear, and it was right then she realized he had left the window open.

“Here—” He took off his glasses and held them before his face. He coaxed her to move in closer to him, and Christine lingered right before his face.

“I want you to kiss me,” she whispered to him.

“Kiss you?”

“Yeah. After what just happened? Yeah, you deserve a kiss.” He shifted his weight and bowed his head.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have the sexiest voice?” she asked him, and he raised those big deep eyes to her, big like marbles, as blue as the ocean.

“If I have the sexiest voice, then why did my girlfriend just hit me?” he asked her, and his voice returned to that husky silky tone that she had only heard once before.

“Because she doesn’t know how to kiss you—” Christine leaned in for his lips, but he moved away.

“You must! You must.” He closed his eyes. She could make out the pain in his face, the pain in his heart.

“You’re a man of lust and leisure, Alex,” she told him. “You deserve it.”

“Leisure, yes—I dunno about lust, though.” She tilted her head to the side as if to coax him. He ran his tongue along his bottom lip to make it redder in appearance. He then leaned in closer to her but pulled back yet again.

“I can’t,” he insisted.

“But… I need you, though. You need me, too.”

“I know, I just…” He closed his eyes again and pursed his lips.

“What?” she asked him in a near whisper.

“I don’t feel right about this.”

“Well, if… anyone asks, tell them we just got together for an evening,” she suggested.

“Men in relationships don’t get together with single women, they have affairs. Especially when there’s booze involved.”

“Then explain the bottle of wine in your kitchen,” she pointed out. “And explain why I’m here, too.”

He furrowed his brow with his free hand. “An affair… so taboo. So beyond me. So unlike me, too.”

“Could you at least kiss me, though? Just to—you know—get it out of your system.”

She reached forward and nudged his hair back from his shoulder. He tilted his head back and showed her his shapely neck for a second, and then he returned his gaze to her. Those eyes, so deep and haunting. She leaned in, and then he did as well.

Their lips met: his reminded her of little cherries at the fruit stand not too far from there, especially the Rainier ones all the way from the Pacific Northwest. She could feel a spark in there as well, a rush of blood to the head as she realized what she was doing. She rested her free hand on his chest to feel his hammering heartbeat inside there, and then she moved it down onto the full, round shape of his belly. She moved back for a glimpse into his face as well as the look of euphoria in his eyes.

“Phew…” He ran his fingers through the gray streak and bowed his head a bit, but she could see the blush in his face. But then she realized that it came from the slaps. She had slapped him in the same spot, and he was probably going to wake up with a bruise there in the morning. Her body wanted him, but she knew that he belonged to someone else, but that someone else was hurting him way too much to even bring love into consideration.

“I feel like such a whore,” Christine confessed, to which he raised an eyebrow.

“You?” he asked her, and he cracked her a crooked little smile in response. “I’m the one who committed the adultery, not you.”

“But I was the object of cheating, though,” she pointed out as she held the bouquet in her left arm.

He glanced down at her body with a sly smirk on his face, but then he shook his head again.

“I don’t know, Christine,” he confessed. “I really, really don’t know. There is some common ground here with you and me: neither of us know what we want really, truly out of life.”

“Except to kiss you?” she quipped.

“Except for a kiss, maybe.” He paused and then he peered past her. “I think the pasta’s ready.”

They headed back into the kitchen, and he whipped up the baked pasta for the two of them: all the while, he served her a glass of rich Bordeaux wine and a few pieces of bread to tithe her over. All the while, she could still taste him, and she could see in his eyes that he wanted another kiss from her somewhere down the line. She hoped that none of this would be seen at school come Monday.

The rain had cleared up once the sun had gone down, and as a result, she decided to walk on home.

“It’s only a few blocks,” she assured him as she slung her book bag over her shoulder, and then she put her coat on over it. “Besides, you’ve had a couple of glasses of wine, Alex. I don’t want you driving.”

“I really have,” he said with a slight hiccup. “I think—Matt’s going to be here like any second anyway.” He nudged his glasses up his nose again and showed her a sly little smile once more. “You should definitely come and see us sometime. Get you into the front row.”

“You know I would love to—”

The last thing she did before walking back out to the darkening street was put her arms around his full, stout waist. He was warm and relaxed, and she knew he would wake up feeling even warmer, especially since she made him forget about the slaps for a bit. She could feel her face growing warm as she picked up the lilies and then blew him a kiss before she headed out to the street.

Christine only just reached the tree right outside his door when she recognized feathery blonde hair over a black windbreaker.

“You’re not going to believe this,” she started.

“I do,” Nelly replied with a twinkle in her eye despite the incoming darkness. Christine stopped.

“What do you mean?”

“Heard the whole thing from next door.” She gestured back to the place right next door to his apartment.

“The whole thing!” Christine gaped at her.

“The whole entire damn thing,” Nelly said with a nod. “Heard every last part of it from the moment you walked in there last night to the moment she showed up to the apartment to the moment she came back to right now.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Christine demanded. “Why didn’t you come in and stop her because she quite literally slapped Alex, not once but twice?”

“Because I’m going to tell you this right now, Chris, especially since you just said that she hit him. He’s not just unhappy, he’s being abused. The first thing that gives it away is the fact you never see pictures of her around his apartment. Girls who love their man, genuinely love him, will want to be seen with him, and they will want to have that moment encased forever in a photograph. It’s all because they look good and they feel good. The fact there’s no pictures of them tells me that she refuses to be seen with him, which tells me she’s hiding something. I’m not saying he’s an angel at all because it’s obvious to me that he’s hiding something, too. It’s hard to say for sure who’s doing it to who, but the fact of the matter is, she refuses to be seen with him but claims to love him. That’s not love, Chris. That’s abuse.”

“And she hit him,” Christine added.

“And now, you caught her hitting him and playing foul, too.” Christine sighed and shuddered at the thought of Alex not only being with someone, but being with someone who hurt him. The warm, soft feeling that she had felt upon leaving had gone, and in its place was a feeling of nausea.

“You have to be strong, Chris,” Nelly advised her. “You must be strong. It’s for him.” Christine opened her eyes and gazed on at Nelly and the soft look on her face, soft despite the golden streetlights around them as well as the pair of headlights that rounded the corner up ahead. Something told her that was Matt from his trio.

“We should go,” Christine told her as she licked her lips. Even after the pasta, the wine, and the fresh bread, she could still taste him on her skin. She knew she would taste him for a while from thence forth.

“Come on, I’ll drive you,” Nelly offered, and she guided her up the street to her car parked right in front of Alex’s car. As far as Matt knew, they were two women just leaving for the evening, complete with that bouquet of lilies meant for that other woman.