#also I have rose in like nearly every part of my phone I go crazy for her so 😭😭
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thetorturedlovergirl · 2 months ago
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I think it’s crazy how little I talk about Rose Tyler when I’m actually in so much love with her I start giggling and screaming when she appears on my screen
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siempre-bucky · 2 years ago
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your pilot roommate confessing his feelings headcanons | pt. 2
Summary: how the tgm pilots would confess their feelings to their roommate.
in part two: Bob, Coyote, Payback | pt. 1
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BOB 
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"That's the last of them," Bob panted as he brought in the last plant from the patio 
Bob is a plant guy, he thought the greenery brought life to your shared place 
you thought they would've been fine in the rain storm, but it turned into being the worst storm of the year and Bob was adamant about bringing the delicate plants inside 
he looked so beautiful with his short hair slightly damp, dark green shirt littered with raindrops
you took the opportunity and eyed him up and down while he took off his glasses to clean them with the hem of his shirt
the two of you sat on opposite sides of the open window, breathing in the glorious smell of the rain and watching the lightning show outside beyond the blowing trees 
Bob was on his fourth beer while you were on your third 
he managed to sneak loving glances while you watched the storm, biting back his tipsy giggled 
after his fifth drink, he let out a giggle followed by a hiccup
you looked amused as he leaned back against the wall and covered his mouth with his hand 
"You good, Robby?" You giggled 
he shook his head and moved his hand 
"It's crazy," he marveled, looking out at the storm 
"The rain?" You were beyond confused at this point, Bob was always so put together 
"No!" He laughed, slapping his knee
you pressed your side to the wall and crossed your arms, watching 'drunk Bob' giggle like a mad man
"It's crazy that we've lived together for a year and I never told you
" 
you managed to get a couple of words in through his cackles "Tell me what?" 
His cackles died down to soft giggles, his breathing trying to regulate 
"That I've been in love with you since flight school." 
your stomach flipped and your heart damn near stopped
"Do you really mean that?" You asked cautiously as you moved to be closer to him 
he nodded, a red tint appearing on his cheeks 
Bob thinned his lips while he nodded and looked down at the blanket pooling in his lap, "liquid courage," he smiled shyly, motioning towards the empty bottles
you rose on your knees and sat directly in front of him
"I didn't think someone as perfect as you could love me too," you said with a tiny laugh in your tone
his head shot up to meet your loving gaze, his glasses low on the tip of his nose 
"Can I kiss you, Robby?" 
"Please," he whimpered before your lips covered his 
Coyote
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You didn't know that when you gained a roommate, you also gained a private chef 
you and Hangman had the luxury of a gourmet meal every evening by Javy 
saved on eating out every month
 
"You look happy," you chucked from the couch 
Javy emerged from the kitchen with a wide smile, clutching his phone and a piece of paper 
"My mom finally let me have my great grandpa's gumbo recipe," he beamed, waving the paper in the air 
"I can't wait to make it for you." 
for you
he always included Jake's name when he mentioned dinner plans
but he didn't this time 
you slumped in your seat and bit your lower lip to prevent the girlish squeal from coming out 
you were looking forward to it all week, and then you got the crushing text that their training was going to be late and you were better off buying dinner 
Javy bought all the ingredients and did the prep work
.and he just so happened to leave the coveted recipe on the fridge
you were on the phone with his mom the entire time, getting her advice and making sure you didn’t mess up 
you could see where he got it from, the same passion when Javy talked about cooking exuded from his mom 
after it was all said and done she laughed in her motherly tone and told you “You know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” 
you nearly dropped your phone into the boiling pot at her knowing words 
his mom taunted the two of you every time she visited, she knew about your feelings even before you did 
“What is that smell?” Javy gasped as he threw his duffle bag on the floor and nearly ran into the kitchen 
You were quick to shove a bowl to his chest, his proud brown eyes looking down at it 
“Is this?” 
you nodded and anxiously waited for him to try the meal you spent hours with his mother cooking 
at first, you couldn't get a read on him, his face remained stoic as he ate
then all of a sudden, his expression softened 
“I love you so much,” he whispered 
“What was that?” you asked 
“The gumbo, I love it so much,” he recovered quickly
“Oh,” you remarked, trying to hide your disappointment 
Jake entered the room just in time to soothe the awkwardness, praising the food and making conversation. 
you stayed quiet as you all stood in the kitchen, listening to Jake enthusiastically tell you the successes of the day's training. Javy barely looked at you, his eyes were trained on his food and you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him 
“I told her I loved her,” Javy mentioned to Jake while they cleaned
Jake grinned and slapped his friend on the shoulder, “When’s the wedding?” he beamed 
“I, uh, then said I was talking to the food.” 
he hit him harder, “Fix it. Now.” 
“I already fucked it up.” 
“No you didn’t,” you said suddenly, sliding in between the two men and placing your empty bowl in the sink
Javy grinned, looking to the floor bashfully, “Could we talk over dessert?” 
after midnight, you and Javy sat on the counter with a tub of ice cream between you, staring at the kitchen light you desperately needed to replace 
“I love you,” he said, breaking the silence, “you, not the ice cream.” 
he playfully nudged your shoulder 
you laughed and nudged him back, “I love you so much Javy. This ice cream is a close second though.” 
Javy scoffed and dotted your nose with the cold dessert 
Payback 
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“My living room’s a war zone,” you gasped as you came back to your apartment to see the living room filled with cardboard boxes, bubblewrap scattered across the  
Ruben just grinned as he filled his mile-high bookshelf with his record collection 
“Got the last of them shipped, they’re gonna good so good right here,” he marveled at his work 
you simply rolled your eyes and looked into one of the boxes, smiling fondly you took out a carefully wrapped record, “Remember this one?” you asked, getting his attention
he looked over and took the record in his hands, “This one’s my favorite,” he admitted softly, “you got this for me when we graduated high school
I wanted it for years.” 
Ruben walked to the record player and put it on, the soft jazz bringing a smile to his face 
he opened his arms and wiggled his hips, “Dance with me,” he chuckled 
sending him a laugh in return you put one of your hands in his while the other rested on his bicep 
“This reminds me of prom, still can’t believe no one asked us,” you scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes 
Ruben looked down bashfully
you instantly took notice of the sudden change, “What’s wrong?” 
“Nothing, I just—I just wish I would have asked you properly. I wanted you to be my real date and not because of some silly agreement we had.” 
heat ran up your neck, your breath hitching in your throat 
you leaned forward and put your head on his chest 
“Can I admit something?” 
“Y-yeah?” Ruben replied in the form of a question
“I was jealous when you asked Carrie to your Navy Ball
 I wanted it to be me.” 
“I wanted it to be you too,” he replied instantly, “I was afraid if I asked, you would’ve figured out that I liked you. I wasn’t ready for you to know yet.” 
you pulled away and took a step back, fighting off a giddy smile
“While we were dancing,” he started, walking to the shelf and replacing the record, “all I could think about was dancing with you to this song
not her. I’ve been in love with you for a long time.” 
Ruben came closer and put his arms around your waist, your arms around his neck 
he swayed you side to side, your foreheads connected 
“I’m in love with you too, Ruben. I always have been.”
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dreamerstreamer · 4 years ago
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Sleepy Streams
Pairing: Sapnap x gn!reader
Summary: Sapnap isn’t the only one getting sleepy watching Dream speedrun for hours at a time.
Word Count: 1.2k
A/N: requested by a very, very kind anon! thanks for all the creative liberty you let me take with this one. i hope you like it! (i wrote this while making pasta lol) this story was inspired by this video and this video.
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“Oh, what? No way!” Sapnap gasped, his eyes widening at the sight on his screen. “You spawned in the middle of the fortress? That’s wild!”
Dream’s giddy voice echoed through his headphones. “I know, I know!!”
He leaned back in his chair, his lips curling upward eagerly. “First a Looting III sword, and now this? All in less than eight minutes? Dude, you’re so lucky today.”
Another voice came softly from his left. “Maybe this run will set a record.”
Sapnap turned, his gaze flickering to the chair beside him. His chest grew warm at the sight of you sitting with your legs crossed, your knee poking into his thigh as you scrolled through your phone absentmindedly. Your hair was a mess atop your head and you were wearing one of his shirts—the white one with the flame. He remembered how wide you had smiled when he gave it to you.
“It’s your shirt and it’s also your merch,” you had said. “It’s like... Sapnap squared!”
He chuckled at the memory of your shining eyes as you held the shirt close to your chest. Cute. You were so, so cute, even without trying, and you didn’t even know it.
He turned again, looking back at his screen just in time for Dream to locate the blaze spawner. “I’m telling you,” Dream said, the clicking of his keyboard accompanying his voice, “this seed actually just might be it.”
“I—“ Sapnap cut himself when he out an abrupt yawn, quickly regaining his composure just a second later. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it is, honestly.” He pressed a hand to his eye, gently rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes.
“Tired?” Dream prompted, blocking yet another fireball from a blaze.
Sapnap laughed. “Yeah, it’s like—“ His eyes darted to the corner of his screen. “—it’s like four in the morning. You’ve been speedrunning for nearly four hours, now.”
There came a laugh. “Well, you know. You gotta do what you gotta do.”
A comfortable silence fell between them as Dream continued to fight blaze. A muffled yawn came from beside him. Sapnap twisted his chair slightly, glancing over at you once again. You were still scrolling mindlessly through your phone, your lips twitching every once in a while. You were probably looking at some memes, or maybe just browsing through Twitter. He had tried to convince you go to sleep a few hours prior, but you had just shook your head at him.
“I like spending time with you.” He remembered you leaning up to press a kiss to his check. “Being quiet together in the same room makes me happy.”
A fond smile crossed his face. You always managed to make him smile. Just then, you felt his eyes on you and looked up, your eyes meeting his. You smiled at him, sending him a sleepy thumbs up. He smiled back, butterflies filling his stomach. The two of you had been dating for months now, and you still have him butterflies. It was crazy how much of an effect you had on him. Just how lucky was he to have you in his life?
“Alright, I have seven rods. Out of the Nether we go.” Dream’s voice pulled Sapnap out of his thoughts, and he turned to stare at his monitor screen once more.
“Let’s gooo!” he hooted, instinctively throwing a hand in the air in excitement. “You’re killing it, Dream.”
“I mean, I still have to kill a bunch of Endermen before we can say that for sure. Plus, I still have to find the stronghold, which is going to take forever, and—“ He sighed, uncertainty lacing his voice. “Maybe I’ll just quit.”
Sapnap frowned. “Dude, don’t say that. You’ve still got plenty of time. You just need to kill some Enderman on the way over to the stronghold, okay? Don’t sweat it. You’ve got this in the bag.”
Dream let out a soft chuckle. “Fingers crossed that’s how it goes.”
The next few minutes passed in silence, with Dream chasing after some Endermen and Sapnap letting out the occasional words of encouragement here and there. As much attention as he was paying to Dream’s current speedrun, his mind couldn’t help but drift back to the thought of you—you, who were so kind and warm. You, who made him laugh with hardly any effort on your behalf. You, who made loving and being loved feel so easy.
You, who had fallen asleep.
Slumped against his side, your head rolled onto his shoulder, your phone lying abandoned on your lap. Sapnap froze, inhaling sharply but immediately melting at the sight of your sleeping face. Your rosy lips were parted and your chest rose and fell with each breath you took. Your eyelashes cast a spiderweb of shadows across your cheek from the glow of his screen, and your cheek was smushed cutely where it met his shoulder.
He took back what he thought earlier. You weren’t just cute—you were adorable. 
“Hey, uh, Dream,” he said, careful to be quiet so as not to wake you up, “I think I’m gonna go to sleep. It’s getting really late.”
Dream made a frustrated noise. “Still no pearls—oh, heading to bed?” He could hear the smile in his voice. “Let me guess, you have school tomorrow.”
Sapnap’s gaze darted to your sleeping figure. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Well,” Dream laughed, “you have fun in class tomorrow, then. This run is probably my last one for the night. It’s probably scuffed or whatever, but I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Sapnap smiled. “Alright, thanks.” He moved his cursor to hover over the ‘end call’ button. “Goodnight, Dream.”
“Night, Sapnap. Sleep well.”
He clicked his mouse, finally exiting the call after a good three hours and fifty-two minutes. He then shifted his attention to you, your hair tickling his cheek. Oh so carefully, he wrapped one arm around your back and slid the other under your legs, hoisting you into his arms so that your head laid on his chest. Nudging his chair back, he made his way to the other side of his room. For once, Sapnap was grateful that he didn’t make his bed, if only so he could gently lay you under the covers without having to fumble for the sheets.
He was slow to slide himself into the space next to you, his eyes tracing ever edge of your delicate face as he tucked the both of you in. Raising a hand, he brushed back a stray piece of hair from your fluttering eyelids using the back of his finger, smiling when you unconsciously leaned into his touch. Suddenly, your lips moved.
“...Sapnap,” you mumbled, so quietly he almost didn’t hear it. “...love you.”
His heart leapt into his throat. Goddamnit. He swore it must be illegal to be this cute. It just had to be.
“I love you too, angel,” he murmured in your ear. He slipped his arm around you, holding you close to his chest and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead as he dozed off into a warm, hazy dream.
He wouldn’t mind spending every night like this with you—maybe for the rest of his life.
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(A few minutes later, Sapnap’s phone lit up from a very, very excited notification from Dream.)
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bestiesenpai · 4 years ago
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Inamorata - Sukuna
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You have no idea how much I like this idea lol ya know the meme ‘i got a boyfriend, yeah he kills people he’s crazy’ this is exactly what went through my head with this. Femme reader, I went for a...Sukuna is his own person and not attached to Itadori kind of thing? Like just a stand-alone demon. I had probably way too much fun writing this and would be down to write more for this concept
Content warnings: killing/murder/homicide choose your preferred noun, a little yandere?, size difference and Sukuna is in his four armed form, uhmm there’s a knife(main use to cut open readers palm in the beginning) and also licking blood from said wound, violence/gore at the end
Apparently there was a demon on the loose. From what you’d read on online forums and heard through the whispers of older people on the train, there was a foreboding presence terrorizing the city, preying on the weak and helpless and hoping to take over the world.
There were blurry photos and horrible sketches of what the creature supposedly looked like and the form it took, but none of them seemed to match up. The tattoos on the face and body were always off, the amount of muscle and the stature of the creature were all different depending on who you went to.
Which is why you decided, against all better judgement, to go looking for him. All the stories you’d heard about the demon, the kind of creature it was centuries ago in its prime, had intrigued you. With the mystique and terror surrounding this demon, you’d be a fool not to try and get a peek for yourself.
At first you’d tried a summoning circle, clearing a large space in your bedroom and drawing intricate patterns on the floor in hopes of his arrival. That method quickly turned futile as no demon ever came - but now you probably had a few ghosts watching you sleep at night.
The second method was to try and make a pact with the devil himself, slicing open your palm and dripping blood onto the pages of old scriptures. Attempting to sell your soul had worked even less than the first method and all you had to show for it was a bandage around your hand for two weeks.
“I’ll definitely see him now.” You mumbled to yourself, walking straight to where the demon was seen most: the red light district. Walking past bright neon signs and nearly naked women in shop windows, you took a peek into every alleyway you came across.
“Hey pretty lady, what’re you looking for?” A rough, scratchy voice sounded behind you as you walked past the umpteenth alleyway of the night.
“What do you think?” Not looking over your shoulder, you kept walking. The voice, while sounding absolutely disgusting, didn’t belong to a demon and therefore not worth your time.
“I think you’re looking for trouble.” Curling his fingers around your arm, the man you were trying to ignore snatched you back, making you stumble and fall into his chest. The nasty scent of body odor and cigarettes was wafting off the man, making you worry that his stench would cling to you for days.
“Not the kind you’re talking about.” Pushing away from him, you furiously wiped off your clothes. Looking this man in the face irritated you, he was wasting his time and you knew exactly what his intentions were.
“Don’t play so hard to get!” Forcing a less than charming smile on his face, the man made the move to grab you again.
“Don’t touch me!” Slapping his hands away, you took generous steps back from him. “You’re getting in the way of my search.”
“Search?” Quirking a brow at you, the man took a moment to think before his brows rose in surprise. “You’re looking for Sukuna, aren’t you?”
“That’s his name?” You’d never heard his name before, only seeing some people refer to him as a four armed creature from hell.
“Yup, and I’ve seen him a couple times.” Crossing his arms over his chest, the man smirked triumphantly. “You could say he and I have a kind of friendly relationship.”
“Do you now?” Your eyes trailed up from the man to the dark alleyway behind him where two glowing red eyes emerged.
“Oh yeah, Sukuna’s a great guy! Even offered to give me a position in his little army.” The more he spoke the brighter the eyes got and the fuzzy outline of a gigantic body was starting to take shape.
“His little army?” Slowly taking steps back as the figure came forward, you barely had time to react before the man was snatched up by two giant hands and yanked backwards. Lifting him into the air, it wasn’t long before a mouth with gleaming sharp teeth opened up and swallowed him whole.
As the eyes drew their attention back to you, a nervous laugh left your chest that you couldn’t force to stop. Every step you took back was now accompanied by a step forward from the creature until it fully left the alleyway and you saw exactly what you were dealing with.
Right in front of you, in full form and glory, was the demon you’d been searching for. The scrawling black tattoos along his entire body, the four arms, pink hair, second set of eyes and his impossibly muscular physique - all of it was exactly like you’d been hoping for.
“Hello, pretty little thing.” His voice boomed despite being relatively quiet, a slight echo to the deep timbre. It was almost melodic in a way, somehow soothing your racing heart just slightly.
“S-sukuna?” You squeaked out, back meeting the brick wall of a building.
“That would be me.” Chuckling as he stopped a few feet from you, Sukuna crossed his secondary arms and looked down upon you. The sheer height and width of his body easily dwarfed yours, your head only barely reaching his ribcage.
Your eyes couldn’t stay in one place as you looked at Sukuna. There was too much to take in and you could feel yourself quickly becoming overwhelmed trying to commit every detail to memory.
“You’re
” Licking your lips nervously, you could only meet his eyes for a moment before settling on the mark on his forehead. “You’re wearing womens clothes.” Tied around his waist and hanging off his legs was indeed a womens kimono, a surprising pristine white shade.
“That’s what you decide to say at our first meeting?” An echoing laugh bellowed from him and Sukuna shook his head, running one hand through his hair.
“I-I’m sorry it’s just...they never mentioned it online.” It felt a little silly to be explaining yourself to him when at any moment Sukuna could eat you like he did that man and you would have no way of stopping him.
“Little thing, I have a question for you.” Fixing you with a suddenly sharp stare, Sukuna lowered his brow and bent down, placing two arms above your head and two at your side, trapping you in against the wall with no possible outs.
“Yes?” Pinching your eyes closed, you held your breath as you waited for the inevitable bite of his teeth around.
“Are you scared?” Sukuna whispered, his breath fanning out over the top of your head.
“Yes.” It would be a lie to say no and you had nothing to lose by telling the truth. Sukuna’s eyes bore into you, the weight of his stare physically making your back bow.
“What did you think of me eating that man just now? Was that terrifying for you?”
“No.” Sukuna took a pause at your answer and although you couldn’t see it, his brow furrowed for a fraction of a second.
“What did you feel then? Surely you must have thought it was horrible.”
“N-not really.” Slowly cracking one eye open, you looked up at Sukuna, almost breaking your neck from having to stare directly above you. “I was actually quite happy you did that. He was getting on my nerves.”
The barking laugh that left Sukuna’s mouth made you flinch and throw your hands in the air. It was so loud it seemed to vibrate your entire body and a few windows on the building behind you shook from the force.
“You’re telling me you liked me killing that guy?” Grabbing you by the collar of your shirt, Sukuna held you up in the air, eye level to him. You nodded, pitifully kicking your legs out to try and get back to solid ground. “Aren’t you a messed up little thing?” Still laughing, Sukuna took a proper once over of your body. “Pretty, but messed up.”
“P-please let me go!” You whimpered, hands desperately clutching Sukuna’s to try and not fall out of your clothes and onto the ground.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like how I hold you?” Shaking you for good effect, Sukuna smirked wildly at your scared little squeaks. “Tell me your name.”
“It’s (Y/N)!” Shouting into the air, you felt relief flood into you as Sukuna finally lowered you back to the ground and his hands released you.
“(Y/N)?” Sounding it out on his tongue, Sukuna shrugged to himself. “I like ‘little thing’ better.”
“I’m only little compared to you.” Fixing your clothes, you tried to regain your breath and stop your body from shaking so violently.
“So, what’s a creature like you doing out so late at night here? It’s not safe for a human like you to roam around these parts.”
“I was looking for you.”
“Me? You were looking for me?” Sukuna snorted, waving his hand dismissively at you. “A human like you looking for me? I’ve really seen it all.”
“It’s true!” Pulling out your phone, you quickly showed him all the data you’d compiled on him. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Sukuna! I did a summoning circle, I’ve looked in hundreds of online forums - I even tried to make a deal with the devil!” Showing him the mark that was still healing on your palm, the fear that was in your body was slowly trickling out and being replaced with- hope? Excitement? It was hard to say, but as Sukuna grasped your hand between two fingers and looked at your palm, it would be wrong to say it was a negative emotion you felt.
“You really did all that for me?” His voice was much softer now but it still sounded like he was mocking you. Smoothing the pad of one finger across your palm, he felt the ridges of your palm and the wound.
“I did. I find you really fascinating and I- I just wanted to learn more about you.” You faltered when he looked at you, a fierce heat overtaking your cheeks at admitting out loud that you’d been looking for a demon because you found him interesting.
“Are you perhaps interested in me?” A smirk tugged one side of Sukuna’s lip up and he chuckled when your expression only grew more flustered. “Oh little thing, you’re more messed up than I thought.”
“Will you tell me more about yourself? Please?” The words tumbled out of your mouth desperately as you let Sukuna stretch out your arm and grasp your hand more firmly. He didn’t answer you or even acknowledge that you’d spoken, instead grazing the tip of one long sharp nail along the line of the cut.
“I find myself liking you more and more, why is that?” Sukuna’s tone sounded like he was addressing himself as he spoke aloud, turning your hand every which way as he kept scraping his nail against your palm. “Were you my lover in the past, back when I reigned as the ruler of this whole land?”
Racking your brain to try and remember any information on Sukuna potentially having a lover, you were ripped back to reality when Sukuna dug his nail into your skin, reopening the cut and making blood flow freely.
“Ow!” You couldn’t yank your arm out of his grasp and you watched in mild horror as Sukuna lowered himself to your hand, letting his tongue hang out of his mouth and drag across your skin. His tongue quickly became coated in dark red blood, his saliva starting to mingle with your blood.
“You taste so familiar, you must have been mine.” Lapping up your blood now, Sukuna didn’t stop until he could tell you were starting to get weak from blood loss. The lower half of his face was now covered in red, smeared across his skin like paint.
“Sukuna, that’s gross.” The mumble slipped from your delirious mind, making him laugh as he waved a hand over the cut and made it go away. Slipping your hand from his grasp it was like there had never been a mark there in the first place.
“A human telling me what’s gross?” Licking his face clean, Sukuna grinned down at you. The longer he looked at you the longer memories of a past you returned to his mind. The irresistible draw he felt to come to you tonight had been the same one that called to him centuries ago, making you the center of his otherwise cruel and empty world.
Placing two hands on the wall behind you, Sukuna leaned over you once more, this time grasping your chin and turning your face up to him. The saliva that had mixed with your blood had also given you new memories of the past as well, and as you looked at Sukuna you remembered all the things the two of you had done together.
“So, my pet, what shall we do first?”
Sukuna ended up carrying you home, having you tucked inside his kimono as he leaped on rooftops across the city. Opening your bedroom window, Sukuna shoved his body through, having to make himself slightly smaller to fit inside the house.
“Are you uh, hungry?” Standing awkwardly in the middle of your bedroom as Sukuna sat on your bed, you weren’t quite sure what to do now.
“I could eat.” Laying fully back on your bed, it creaked and groaned as Sukuna rested his weight on it. The thought of offering to take him to the kitchen came and went quickly in your head; just getting him into your room was a hard enough task.
Fixing him and yourself a quick meal, as soon as you were done eating Sukuna picked you up and rested you on his abdomen. Even after shrinking himself down your legs were still stretched as wide as possible in hopes of wrapping around his waist.
“As the memories of you return, I realize how much I’ve missed you, my pretty little thing.” Petting down your back, Sukuna looked at you fondly. Propped up on two of his arms, he could stare directly at your tiny body sitting atop him.
“What kind of memories do you have?” So far, the only thing you could seem to recall were memories of a more sexual nature. One’s of you and Sukuna wrapped up in each other's arms, both of his cocks stuffed inside you as you begged to cum.
“I remember giving you the world, whatever you wanted was yours for the taking.” The look in Sukunas eyes was surprisingly soft and you could feel the love coming out from him.
“Whatever I wanted?” Repeating the words, your mouth hung open slightly at all the possible things you could get.
“The world may exist to serve me, but I exist to serve you.” Fully sitting up, Sukuna held you against him as he leaned down, lips grazing your forehead. “What do you want, (Y/N)? I can get you anything in the world, I can do anything in the world.”
“Kill for me.” The whisper that left your lips was almost too quiet for even yourself to hear. But Sukuna nodded, having heard you perfectly. Your words made his body thrum with excitement and his nerves were on edge.
“Kill for you?” He repeated, kissing you on the forehead. The fingers that held you closely dug into your sides and if Sukuna wasn’t careful he could crush you completely.
“You love me, don’t you?” There was just the slightest hint of worry in your voice. What if you were overestimating your power over Sukuna? He could say no or even kill you himself.
“You have no idea what the things my love for you will do.”
Although it pained him to do so, Sukuna left you once the sun began to rise. He had other things to attend to, temples that worshipped him as a god to visit. Promising to see you once dusk began to settle over the sky, Sukuna leapt from your window and into the horizon.
“You came back.” Even though he swore up and down he’d come back, it still shocked you to see him back on your bed once it hit a certain time of night.
“Of course I did.” Sukuna almost seemed hurt you would question him. Holding out a hand, as soon as you grasped one of his fingers he pulled you to him and nestled your body into his side. “Did you do what I asked?”
“The list is in my pocket.” Before leaving, Sukuna had told you to make a list of all the people you wanted him to kill for you. The list had started out short, just a few people that had hurt you that you couldn’t let go of, and then it grew to others, politicians and corrupt people in the media.
“Quite impressive, little thing.” Reading over the list, Sukuna stood up. “Shall we go then?”
“Go whe-” As Sukuna threw open your bedroom window you were met with a strong gust of wind. “Sukuna, where are we going?” You asked him over the wind in your ears. Putting his upper arms into the sleeves of his kimono, he made sure you were nestled safely inside.
“We’re going to take care of the first person on your list.” Wrapping an arm around you, Sukuna jumped out of the window. Though this wasn’t your first time in this position, you hadn’t been fully cognizant when Sukuna took you home last night. Now, with a head clear and no lack of blood to distract you, you could see the lights of the city clearly as they whipped past you.
“It’s beautiful.” Carefully leaning forward, you gazed at the downtown area with all the flashing lights and swerving cars.
“If you say so.” Patting your hip, Sukuna pulled you back, resting your weight fully on his arm and clothes. He wouldn’t admit it, and despite knowing he would catch you in a millisecond, Sukuna didn’t want you to fall out and fall to the ground.
Coming upon the first persons house, he settled you on the ground outside. You were in a tightly knit residential area standing directly under a streetlight, with rows of houses that all looked similar. In a flash, Sukuna had broken into the house and grabbed the person you were after.
“This them?” With a tight grip on their ankle, Sukuna shook them side to side.
“Mhmm.” You didn’t need to look to know he’d gotten the right person, just the feeling you had around them was enough to confirm it.
“W-what’s going on here?!” They screamed, blood pooling in their head the longer they hung upside down.
“Don’t speak.” Sukuna barked, shaking them once again. “You don’t speak to her, or at all.” The person screamed again, a high pitched sound that quickly got shut off as Sukuna swung their body and smacked them against the ground. “I thought I told you to be quiet.”
For a moment you thought they’d died from how hard Sukuna hit them against the ground, but a small whimper and breathless gasps sounded from where their face was crushed against the pavement.
“Do you know why I’m here?” You whispered, standing over their motionless body. Rolling over onto their back, they shook their head and started to stammer. “If you can’t answer my question I don’t want you to make a sound.” Pressing your foot onto their throat, you flinched when their hands came up to try and claw you away.
“Don’t touch her.” Instantly pinning their arms down, Sukuna glowered. “How would you like me to do it?”
“Let me think.” Staring down into their glassy eyes, a million options went through your mind. Sukuna’s power was limitless, there was nothing he couldn’t do. If you asked him to throw their body into outer space, he would do it in a heartbeat. “Rip them limb from limb. You can eat them if you’d like.”
“As you wish.” A sick grin curled Sukuna’s lip and he drug their body across the ground until they were directly underneath him.
“(Y/N) wait! W-wait please!” Their shrill cries fell on deaf ears, and the sound of the first limb being torn off their body was something you could get used to. “Oh- oh my god, my leg!”
“God I wish you’d shut up.” You kept your eyes on the person's face, refusing to look at where blood squirted generously from their now missing extremity.
“Allow me.” With the swipe of one claw Sukuna gouged out their throat. Hot, bright red blood spilled out onto the pavement, pooling and almost making it to where you stood. Throwing one leg into his mouth, Sukuna used a non-bloody hand to lift you up and place you onto a brick wall.
“Thank you.” Giving him a gentle smile, you now had a front row seat to Sukuna ripping apart this person's body and slowly devouring them. There was a mess of blood coating Sukuna’s skin, far more blood than when he had drunk yours.
As you watched Sukuna eat this person, a sense of satisfaction washed over you. It felt good to get justice in your own way for how this person wronged you. After being told to let it go, try and move and let time heal the wound, you could finally get closure the way you wanted.
“All done?” You asked once the last piece of their body was consumed. Standing up to his full height, Sukuna still looked down at you. The blood on his skin began to sizzle off, evaporating into the air and leaving the pungent smile of iron behind.
“Have I made you happy?” He responded, cupping your face and lightly squishing your cheeks. Smiling proudly, a warm flush washed over your face the longer you and Sukuna looked at each other.
“Yes, very.” Nuzzling into his palm and kissing it, you let out a breathless laugh as Sukuna did the same.
“I’m happy to please you.” Kissing you on the top of the head, Sukuna pulled out the list and crossed out the first name. “Shall we go to the others now?”
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gothhisoka · 3 years ago
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𝑹 đ‘”đ’Šđ’ˆđ’‰đ’• 𝒊𝒏 đ’€đ’đ’“đ’Œđ‘”đ’†đ’˜
100 follower special!! Thank you everyone <3
Pairing: Chrollo x fem!reader
Tags: College AU, rich Chrollo, Gossip Girl vibes, this is my first draft so sorry about the errors
Word count: 4.8k
Summary: The infamous October party is all the talk at YorkNew University. It takes place at a huge penthouse in the heart of the city, owned by a mysterious man that few know the true identity of.
You attend the party just having entered your freshman year. There, you meet all sorts of people. But one, in particular, intrigues you the most. His name is Chrollo Lucilfer. He is an expensive suit-wearing, whisky-smelling, suspiciously rich graduate student.
And you are going to try to get him to dance.
Warnings: MINORS DNI, 18+, Do not drink underage. You should not use any of the actions displayed in the following story as examples for your own life.
Playlist: click here to listen while reading
Ao3: click here to read on ao3
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Chapter 1/?
As you walked through the streets of YorkNew City you felt gusts of wind push past you so strongly that they nearly knocked you over. It was already miserable to be outside, and it was only October. The sky was growing dark, the city growing brighter. Fall decorations adorned the buildings you passed. The Southernpiece Auction House looked the most magnificent of them all– with bright colored lights trailing the pathway and walls.
No time to wonder at your surroundings, you thought. You would have four more years to gawk at the city. You pulled your scarf tighter around you as you walked faster. Although you looked cute in your tights, it was definitely not the appropriate clothing choice for this weather.
Your decision to go to YNU seemed perfect in every way. It was one of the top schools in YorkNew and was in the heart of the city. Unfortunately, you failed to realize that the wind would be whipping for three-quarters of the year.
While it wasn’t the biggest “party school,” there was a single big party in October held by one of the fraternities. That party was the one you happened to be heading to right now. Everyone knew of it and talked about it non-stop. You were reluctant to attend. You hadn’t had many real party experiences at high school. For the most part, they consisted of sitting around drinking cheap beer while your classmates humiliated themselves. Your friends had high hopes for this one, though.
For one, it appeared to be in the penthouse of a high-rise building. You checked your phone to see if the location matched the one on your map. This wasn’t the frat house you had been expecting. Although your and the system’s arrows matched, you really couldn’t trust your directional skills, anyway.
Your hands were near frozen, but you managed to press the call button on your friends’ contact.
“Hey Canary?” you don’t hear her reply as music floods through your phone speaker. Seconds later, it becomes quieter, signaling she moved into another room.
“Hey, it’s absolutely crazy up here, sorry.”
You ask her about the address, and she confirms it. She tells you her location at the party so you can find her later. She hangs up before you can say bye or express more of your listless anxieties. Why were you so worried? You had Canary and Amane and
 well, you didn’t know many others. And of course Canary and Amane would be all over each other so really you had no one. That was a valid source of anxiety, was it not?
Either way, you needed to step into the building to escape the cold. Perhaps after you warmed up you could make your escape. I knew this was a bad idea.
The entryway was already magnificent, with tall arches and marble floors. A fire blazed near a seating area on the opposite wall. You rushed over to find it unoccupied, thank goodness. You sat as close as safely possible and felt the warmth creep back into your body.
Your head cleared a bit, thoughts straightening out into coherency. You were at your first party. Your friends were all up there already, so you wouldn’t need to wait for them awkwardly. Everything would go smoothly as long as–
Just then, a group of around six people entered the hall. You couldn’t help but stare. One was over six feet tall, another shorter than five. And some were unbelievably gorgeous. One of them particularly caught your eye. He was wearing all black, styled in an expensive coat and dress shirt. His hair was black as well, hanging loose around his pale face. Dark eyes looked towards a man at his right. He walked with such an intimidating stride that you nearly hid behind the sofa. Luckily, they didn’t appear to be heading in your direction.
They probably were all college students, why else would they be dressed up at a random apartment on this specific day? The thought sent butterflies to your stomach. If the group really was full of college students, maybe you should be going to that party.
Not to gawk at them or anything. Based on their looks, you could tell that they were the rich YorkNew city elite-type students, not the federal loan international-type student as you were. In other words, they had power and you did not. It was best to avoid these types of people. You knew that much just from living in the city for a couple of months.
The group was still waiting outside of the elevators. You made possibly the stupidest decision that you could’ve at that moment. You rose from your seat and flattened your hair. You then proceeded to trot right over to the elevator, behind the group. You had to go upstairs somehow, and reaching the top floor through the stairs didn’t seem like the ideal choice.
Clearly still distracted by the image of that man’s face that was now tattoed onto your brain, you didn’t even notice when the elevator doors opened. A voice sounded from inside that snapped you out of your daydream.
“There’s enough room if you want to come in
” it was the same man that you noticed from before.
An amused expression shone on his face– it was as if he was trying to hide a smirk. He placed his hand on the elevator door so it wouldn’t close. You noticed thick silver rings on a couple of his fingers. It was clear from his appearance that he was wealthy. Not to mention, his mannerisms had an undertone of superiority. Despite yourself, this only enticed you more. Who was this man?
Apparently, you were about to find out.
A blush rose on your face as you quickly gave him your thanks and scrambled inside the elevator. He stood directly next to you, with his friends on the sides. The sudden closeness made your stomach flip.
“What floor?” he asked, hand hovering above the numbers on the elevator wall.
You checked the keypad although you already knew that you would all be headed to the same place.
You tried not to look at him as you responded. “Same as you.”
“Oh,” he replied simply.
The rest of the ride was accompanied by a rising tension. The girls behind you made the only conversation, talking in low voices to one another. You were grateful when the elevator finally stopped on the top floor. You quickly walked out and made your way to anywhere but where that group was. On a second glance, you could see that the rest of them also had that air of wealth and superiority that the man had. That was definitely not the crowd you wanted to get acquainted with tonight.
Besides the music thumping through the walls and people waiting around the entrance, the hall outside of the elevator looked like it could be in any other apartment building. There was a large rack full of coats and hangers to your right. As you walked through the long hall you took off your coat and scarf, happy to get rid of the bulky clothes.
Going into the party was still nerve-wracking, but your outfit gave you a bit of courage. You chose a black silk minidress that accentuated your curves perfectly. You wore fishnet tights and combat boots to complete the look. You did your makeup to near perfection, with a bold red lip and your signature eyeliner. Needless to say, you were feeling good.
You almost forgot that the group that was still in the hall until you felt their eyes bearing into you. In your peripheral vision, you saw them take off their coats just as you finished hanging yours. Without another moment of hesitation, you walked quickly to the door.
The music grew louder and you grew slightly nauseous. This night has already been far too much. Is it really the best idea to continue on? It was too late to turn back, as you would be turning to face those who you wished to avoid.
So, you opened the door. You were immediately flooded with lights and sounds and people. The interior was huge. You guessed that this single apartment took up the majority of the floor, and apparently the one above it too. A staircase on the right side led to a balcony overlooking the main room. Couches and furniture lined the walls, pushed away to form a space in the middle. From what you could see, the entire back wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city below. If you hadn’t felt so dizzy, you would’ve noticed that the room stunning and grand, unlike any you have seen before.
Students were everywhere, crowding on the couches and the dance floor. You couldn’t make out many faces as the neon lights were dim. You guessed that there were at least seventy people in this room alone.
The music thumped in your bones. You tried to focus on the lines of the song playing instead of your rising panic. “Oh god can you make my heart stop
 killshot baby.”
After assessing your surroundings, you made a quick beeline to the kitchen, where Canary said she would be when you called her earlier. The walk was only quick in theory. It took you around five minutes to make your way across the room. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience, weaving through drunk bodies dancing with fervor. You smelt the sweet smell of vape smoke mixed in with the sweat. Heads turned to look at you but you did not look back. Nothing interested you more than finding your friends. Meeting other people could come after you were settled.
You bitterly realized that it had been a bad idea not to come with Canary and Amane an hour earlier. You thought as little time as possible spent there would be ideal, as it was your first time at a college party. Little did you know that arriving late would mean a frantic search for your friends amidst the chaos.
At last, you came upon an opening in the wall that seemed to lead to the kitchen. There were neon lights in there as well, lining the counters and cabinets. White marble countertops glinted underneath bottles of alcohol.
There were significantly fewer people crowded into this tiny space. About fifteen people stood around, drinking and talking with one another over the music. Without thinking, you grab a bottle of beer as you pass by the counter on your way to the other side of the room. There was an empty corner that was calling your name. From there you could observe the faces of the people around you. And possibly get a bit drunk while you were at it. You figured it was the only way you could survive the rest of the night.
As you scanned the faces your heart sank. You didn’t see your friends anywhere. Maybe they already moved to the dancefloor. You take another swig of the beer and pull out your phone.
The dial tone for Canary sounded just as you spotted a familiar face. He was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room with his arms crossed, talking to an attractive red-haired man standing next to him. Your mind was slowly growing hazier, but that didn’t mean you forgot about the man from before.
You quickly averted your eyes. Canary didn’t pick up your call so you decided to text her. All the while you felt your heart begin to thrum. Did that man intimidate you? Or was it just because you thought he was incredibly hot?
You couldn’t say for sure, as you have never felt this way about a person before. He looked older than you, a graduate student perhaps. Anyway, he was far out of your reach in terms of people you could talk to. So, you decided right there and then to stop thinking about him.
You wait a few more minutes for Canary’s response. She doesn’t reply to your text. You grit your teeth and pick up another bottle of beer from the counter. Unfortunately, the bottle opener was nowhere to be seen. Just my luck, you thought. Rather than going without the beer, you pulled out your keys and tried to pry the lid off with your sheer force. But your hand kept slipping and you were beginning to feel a bit embarrassed. You cursed yourself under your breath and looked around to see if anyone noticed your clumsiness.
Accidentally peering towards the wall where the man was before, you notice that he was no longer there. You didn’t know why you cared so much about the opinion of a stranger.
You were about to put the bottle down when you sensed someone next to you. A voice that smelt of whisky and cigarettes spoke, “Need some help there?”
You retracted at the sound and sensation until you noticed who spoke. It was him. You froze, unsure of what to do next. Slowly, your eyes trailed up to his face.
You tried not to stare as you took him in full, now that you were finally face to face. The low neon lights highlighted his strong nose and sharp jawline. His black hair was messily swept from his face, displaying a cross tattoo on his forehead that you hadn’t noticed before. He wore small silver hoops in both ears. Shadows formed across his deep-set eyes as he regarded you, emotionless and still.
He asked you again, pointing to the unopened bottle, “The beer?”
You gave him a nervous laugh, “Oh, yes. I don’t know where the bottle opener went
”
He still stood unusually close to you. Obviously, it was only so that you could hear him better over the loud music. Still, it made your heart flutter. You averted your eyes from his only to see the sleeves of his black dress shirt rolled up, displaying strong arms and hands.
You tried to tell yourself that he was just being nice. And you were making a fool of yourself, just as you were before at the elevator. You knew you had no chance with him, even though a party was a more relaxed environment than most. He would want nothing to do with you after he helped you again. These intimidating upperclassmen were the same.
The man said nothing as he placed the edge of the bottle on the counter, with the cap at the edge. Those beautiful, white marble countertops. Surely he isn’t going to

With a slam of his palm, the cap came clear off.
“Here,” he said simply.
Why, you wondered, was that so attractive. You couldn’t possibly be getting turned on by the opening of a bottle. Maybe it was only due to the way he did it, displaying his strength so boldly.
He noticed your expression and laughed lightly. “It’s fine, I own the place.”
You couldn’t hide your surprise at his statement. If he was a graduate student, how could he possibly be making enough for this entire place? And you were told it was a frat house, not a single apartment?
A little bit of talking wouldn’t hurt, no matter his status. So you decide to allow the questions to flow. Perhaps the beer was finally loosening your lips and easing your anxiety. You really should’ve been searching for your friends, but it seemed that your body thought differently. Something about the man drew you in. Whether it was his flawless appearance or genuine kindness towards you, you weren’t sure.
“You own this place?” you questioned, leaning a hip on the counter with your beer in hand.
He gave you a small smile, clearly trying to appear humble. “Yes.”
All you managed to say was, “How?”
Was it genuine interest in his face that you saw? Or was he simply happy to boast about his tremendous earnings?
“My company. The dealings bring in solid money, so I decided to purchase this place.” He waved a hand, gesturing towards the general direction of his massive living area.
“Your company? Do you go to YNU?”
He couldn’t be that old to have established his own company. And if he was, surely you would’ve heard about it, as he would be famous. Perhaps he was like many of the other kids at this school, enjoying a trust fund to their name and claiming it all to be their sheer success.
He grabbed a beer from the table and opened it the same way as he did before. He seemed to almost be growing bored of the conversation, needing to drink to distract himself. He became more distant as the small talk continued.
“Yes. I’m in the first year of my graduate program. And you?”
God, those eyes. It was hard to maintain eye contact with him for too long. It felt as if he was simultaneously calculating you as if you were a complex math problem while trying to appear as emotionless as possible.
He was the one who needed calculating. His appearance was already bizarre, with the cross tattoo displayed so boldly on his forehead. But the fact that he was only in his first year of graduate school and already running his own company was too much to comprehend. All you wished for was to know more about this strangely alluring man.
You were about to reply when you heard your name being called from the crowd in the large room. Giggles followed the shout.
Canary and Amane were thrust out of the mass of bodies in the living area. Canary wore a minidress and Amane wore a dress shirt and pants, now significantly disheveled. They were smiling like mad.
Your heart jumped at the sight of them. Finally, you were safe. That was your immediate thought until you saw the stumble in their walks. They were drunk.
Canary slurred your name again. “We’ve missed you! Where were you?”
“I was here in the kitchen, where you told me to wait. Remember?”
Canary and Amane simply gave each other a knowing look and giggled. You had almost forgotten the man who still stood behind you.
“We’ll leave you to it then,” Amane said, making it obvious that she was referencing him.
They were about to leave when you called out. “Wait!”
It wasn’t that you weren’t absolutely entranced by the man and wouldn’t give everything to talk to him for even one more minute, it was just that your friends needed you.
You turned to see the man now farther down the counter, talking to the red-haired man again. He noticed your apologetic look and walked towards you.
“Sorry I have to–”
Your sentence trails off as he looks down on you with a slight smile, arms crossed. You almost want to take a step back, his look too penetrating and revealing.
“What is your name?”
You widened your eyes. He wants to know your name. What were you supposed to make of that?
You give him your name.
“I’m Chrollo,” he replies, sticking his hand out for you to shake as if you were making a business deal. You try to hide your laugh.
He simply smirks back at you as you take his hand. The cold metal of his rings contrasted with the warmth the both of you were emitting. The front of his hand was smooth, with light veins running towards his knuckles. A sign of strength. Moreover, his palm rough. His grip was firm and confident as if he had something he wanted to convey with this handshake. What that was, though, you couldn’t be sure.
You felt a tap on your soldier and knew it was time to go with your friends. You just couldn’t manage to turn away. You already began to think, what if I never see him again? What if he doesn’t want to see me again anyway?
“Nice to meet you, Chrollo,” you said before finally turning your back. You felt his eyes bearing into your back as you left. At least, you hoped it was your back. You weren’t used to the tightness of your dresses’ material and the looks that coupled it.
You silently praise yourself for your unusual boldness toward Chrollo. Maybe you were bold enough to make an impression. An impression was really all you could hope for, at this point. That man was impossible to read.
Before you left the kitchen, Amane held out a small cup for you containing a clear liquid. You hardly hear what she says it is before you knock it back. The taste burns your throat. You figured you would need whatever it was before heading out to the dance floor. Amane and Canary do the same as you (as if they needed it, as drunk as they were).
As Canary grabbed your hand, Chrollo’s name echoed in your mind. Where have you heard it before? You probably could remember if you hadn’t drunk that last shot.
“Who the fuck was that?!” Amane nearly screamed into your ear. You were nearing the main dance floor. The sound was deafening and you felt the thump of music in your bones.
“Chrollo. He owns this place, apparently,” your voice gets lost in the noise.
“WHAT?” Canary yells. You were deep into the mass of people so talking was virtually impossible. There was space to move once you reached the center. It was far enough from the speakers that you could hear fragments of speech from the other people beside you. The sound still bounced off of the tall ceilings, echoing through the large room.
A new song started to play and you began to dance. You, Canary, and Amane danced stupidly, movements sluggish yet wild from the alcohol. It was the most fun you had in a long while. Maybe going to the party wasn’t such a bad idea after all. At that point, the anxiety all but left your body.
After a couple more songs, you decided to try to find your way out of the crowd to take a break. Your body ached with all the movement and sensation. Amane and Canary remained on the floor, although they insisted on following you. It was a slower song, anyway. You couldn’t be caught on the floor with no partner.
At last, after much shoving, you found a wall you could rest against. It just happened to be the wall with the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was far less crowded here. The cold glass felt incredible after the mass of sweat that was the dance floor.
The city lights reflected in the glass
You were close enough to the kitchen to peer through the entrance. When you did so, you couldn’t see Chrollo or his friend. Rather, they were talking to one another next to the kitchen, along the plane of windows.
Suddenly, the glass didn’t feel so cold anymore. You began to heat up just at the sight of him. It was too late by the time you looked away, they had noticed your gaze. Chrollo caught your eyes and your heart skipped a beat. But it wasn’t Chrollo who came over to you. It was his friend. You looked towards the red-haired man with apprehension. This wasn’t middle school, was it? Was Chrollo getting his friend to act as their in-between? No , you told yourself. This sly-looking man is clearly here for something else.
“Hello there,” he said in a sultry tone. He leaned against the window just as you did the same.
His red hair hung loosely around his yellow eyes. He wore a loose dark purple dress shirt and black pants.
Your patience was running out. “Who are you?” And why are you not Chrollo?
“Hisoka. And you must be y/n, right?”
Your eyebrows rose as you nodded. Had Chrollo already mentioned you to Hisoka? What made you worth mentioning? Well, apparently you were about to find out.
“I was wondering, dear, would you dance with me?”
That was unexpected. You turned to face him to observe his expression and the one of the man behind him. Chrollo’s face was bank but his eyes looked stormy as if to issue a warning to Hisoka. Something in Chrollo’s look made you want to accept Hisoka’s offer, just to see his reaction. The slight changes in his expression were endlessly entertaining. If doing something as reckless as dancing with a man you had just met would warrant a change, you would happily oblige.
Hisoka’s smirk vanished as you replied, “Sure.”
Now it was your turn to look smug. Chrollo’s eyes widened slightly but he still remained silent, several feet away with his back against the window. If Hisoka was anyone else, say a person who didn’t radiate his dangerously sexual appetite, perhaps Chrollo would’ve been less surprised.
Although you assuredly gave him your answer, you knew you couldn’t trust this man. His sly expression persisted as he snaked a slender hand across your waist. You didn’t turn to see Chrollo’s expression but you could feel a pair of eyes on your back as you walked away. How unfair it was, that Chrollo always got the last look.
Hisoka led you to an opening on the dance floor that was situated near the staircase. He immediately pulled you to his chest. You gasped at the sudden closeness. You felt his torso with your own, his hardened with muscle. He moved his hands tighter against your waist and you nearly melted into the touch.
You were drunk. He wasn’t who you wanted. But you could easily pretend he was.
You tried to peer back to the spot where Chrollo was standing. It was far too dense and dark to make out any faces besides the one of the man before you.
He wasn’t Chrollo, but he was unquestionably attractive. His sharp features were riddled with confidence. He carried himself as a king would, so self-assured that he was borderline unaware.
The slow song had since ended and a faster one began to sound. You began to feel the rhythm and danced along, Hisoka pulling you closer all the while. Although you were significantly intimidated by Hisoka, it was still fun. You couldn’t tell if either of you was dancing well or making a fool of yourselves. All you knew was sound, movement, and the touch of his body to yours.
After another song or two suddenly Hisoka pulled apart. He wore a malicious expression.
“I have to go,” he said, simply.
He didn’t give you a chance to reply. He waltzed up the stairs to the balcony that you were dancing near. You trailed your eyes to where he stood, hands on the railing talking to the person beside him. It was the blond woman you saw earlier, the one who was with Chrollo’s group

And next to her was Chrollo. He was holding onto the railing for dear life as if he would fall to his death if he let go. A fear of heights? No, you didn’t think so. Based on his facial expression, he looked almost bitter. You didn’t deem that possible based on his mild mannerism so far. And what reason would he have to be angry?
An idea sparked in your mind. A stupid one, undoubtedly. But Chrollo and his group were far too interesting to ignore for the rest of the night.
It was probably too dark for them to see you amongst the crowd, but you crouched as you moved away anyway. You sensed the tension in their conversation all the way from the floor below. You would wait until Chrollo cooled off a bit and then make your move.
You head back to the kitchen to have another drink. You go for something stronger, a shot of a pale liquid that you didn’t know the name of. Or rather, you were too distracted to care.
You made the perilous journey back to the balcony, dodging limbs and drunken stupors. It was nearing midnight at this point and the crowd was sufficiently rowdy. You think you spot Canary dancing near the back wall, but you couldn’t be sure. You will let her have her own fun tonight since you already found yours.
From below, you could see that Chrollo, Hisoka, and the woman were still leaning against the balcony railing. As you dizzily mounted the steps, you realized that Chrollo looked as perfect and intact as when you first saw him, all those hours ago. He must’ve not danced the whole night, even though it was his own party. How strange. Well, you were about to try and change that.
“Hey,” you said as you waltzed up to Chrollo. There was a bit of a stumble in your step so you quickly made use of the railing.
Chrollo no longer had a death-grip on the bar. He looked at you with a blank face.
“Hello,” he replied.
His friends glared at you so hard that you nearly turned back around. You seem to have interrupted an important conversation.
You lazily move closer to Chrollo and speak under your breath, so that his friends don’t hear, “Want to dance?”
126 notes · View notes
whatifyoulivelikethat · 4 years ago
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le deux, m | jjk
pairing(s): jungkook x reader
summary: One rebel from the waist down plus Jeon Jungkook in a sleeveless tee equals two in the back of a car, fucking like animals as Jungkook takes pictures of it all on your phone. Per your request, of course.
warnings: rated M (18+) for language; smut (fem reader, semi-public (car) sex, photography/filming of sex, m-receiving oral, cowgirl); non-idol!BTS; reader has a dimple and Jungkook’s inner monologue is basically in love with it; PWP? you decide happy jungkook day! :D 2021.01.09
–
Jeon Jungkook thought he knew what he was getting into, but he sure as hell didn’t.
When he stepped through the gate, he thought, damn, it’s awesome that so many girls decided to wear such skimpy clothes to a rock concert. He figured he’d see some bouncing titty, flashes of ass, maybe the loss of some underwear because the lead singer was hot as hell. Dude was ripped and tattooed like nobody’s business. Dream body for Jungkook, to be honest.
If only his mom would let him get that many tattoos.
The right sleeve was already pushing it though. He’d have to ease her into it slowly.
Jungkook had gone alone, because his friends weren’t really into rock the way he was, but that was fine with him. He liked being able to enjoy himself without thinking too much about other’s opinions, even if they were his friends. Got to wear a sleeveless band shirt, tight black jeans, left his long black hair in a half-ponytail, and decorated his wrists with silver bracelets. He would have been more covered up if he was with his friends – didn’t want to make them jealous with all the stares he was getting with his tattooed right arm, after all.
And my body in general, he thought amusedly.
If he was younger, Jungkook would have been shyer about leaving himself so exposed like this, but he wasn’t, so instead he merely gave the stares a cocky smirk.
What was the point of working out if he couldn’t show it off a little?
He spied his seat and noticed there wasn’t anyone sitting right next to him yet. Odd. He had purchased relatively close seat and the concert was sold out. Hm. Well, maybe he should get some beer before it started.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her.
She was dressed like every other girl at the concert; smokey eyes, dark lips, black choker, shredded black crop top with an equally short fishnet shirt under it, pleated black miniskirt with silver buttons. A black strap over her chest. Knee-high black boots with buckles running all the way up her calf. Bare thighs and naked waist on display. Nice.
But that wasn’t why he paused.
He paused because she had a tattoo.
A single tattoo of black script around her waist. Her body was facing him, tilting her head at her phone, then looking down at the floor, at the seat row numbers. The tattoo was in English and Jungkook could read, a rebel.  She turned, facing her left, and looked up, counting the stairs. He realized the black strap connected to a clear waist bag that she was wearing on her back. She twisted a little so he got a good view of her back, the part where it trimmed down to the curve of her round, perky ass.
from the waist down.
Holy shit.
She had a rebel from the waist down tattooed around her midriff.
His eyebrows rose so far up into his forehead in shock that he didn’t even realize she was crawling over the people to her seat. She had black, pointed nails and silver chains draped over the back of her hands. A charming smirk, dimple flashing as she apologized for bumping into people. None of them seemed to mind, probably because her skirt was flipping up and revealing the strappy black velvet panties she was wearing. She seemed not to notice.
She plopped herself into her seat and grinned, checking her phone again. She had a black case with a nine-pointed star on it. Held her phone up and took a selfie with that killer smile, her tongue between her lips.
With a start, Jungkook realized she was sitting in his seat.
-
“Hey, you’re sitting in my seat.”
She sat up and looked around, counting down the row. “Aw shit, you’re right. Sorry.”
She got up and flopped into the seat next to him. Jungkook sat down, careful with his beer and water bottle. The chair was still warm from her body heat. That would have bothered him if he wasn’t staring at her open legs. She sat unapologetically, man-spreading in her seat, thighs laid out like a five-star buffet.
If she asked, Jungkook would gladly partake in said buffet.
Her hands were holding her phone and she tucked her tongue in between her teeth as she typed furiously, nails clacking against the glass, lowering the phone to her lap. A long text exchange was visible on the screen.
“Argument?” Jungkook pondered out loud.
She chuckled darkly. “More like, ‘I ain’t sitting on your dick for any amount of money, you piece of shit, leave me alone.’ You think men could get the fucking hint.”
Jungkook raised an eyebrow even though she wasn’t looking at him. “Block him?”
She scratched her chin, sending the message. “I would, but if I do, my parents are going to have a fit. They’re trying to set me up with him.”
The show was almost starting. He could hear the instruments warming up.
“What are you gonna do about it?”
She raised her head and grinned at him. Her right dimple winked at him with her smirk. Damn. Jungkook loved dimples.
“Me? The same thing as I always do. Find someone to fuck and send him pictures.”
-
So that’s why Jeon Jungkook was in the back of this random woman’s car, gasping as he was getting the best head of his life.
And struggling to take a picture of it.
“Holy shit,” he hissed, one of his hands hitting the glass of the car window as she took him deeper, tongue running underneath the length, hips swaying, her waist tattoo clearly in his vision. a rebel from the waist down. She had told him her name earlier, maybe when they were making out in the concert seats halfway through the show, maybe when they were practically dry humping each other by the end of the concert. Not the way Jungkook thought he was ending this particular event and he would probably buy another ticket so he could actually listen to the songs properly.
The head of his cock was jammed in the back of her throat, continually being squeezed by her tight, wet vice.
Jungkook wasn’t complaining though, if you get his drift.
Her eyes flickered up and she smirked around his cock, right dimple appearing as her tongue slid out from her plump lips and curled around the base.
Jungkook snapped a photo.
“Fuck, that’s sexy,” he mumbled, turning the screen around to show her. She chuckled low in her throat, vibrating the head of his cock. Rutted him a few more times, making him moan at the euphoric sensation.
She removed her mouth and he almost whimpered, but she was speaking and he was listening, staring at her dimple and glistening pink lips.
“You’re good at taking pictures, Jungkook,” she murmured. “Get one of me on your balls.”
She lowered her head, lifting his cock. Black nails, silver chains, and long fingers wrapping around his stiff length, lifting his wet cock and placing her tongue onto his balls. His eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. Fuck, he had never felt a better tongue, swiping back and forth, getting the full expanse of his balls as her other hand came up to smush them against her lips. He sucked in a breath and spread his thighs more, seeing saliva drip down, hitting the black towel she had spread out in her backseat.
Evidently, she had planned this shit.
Jungkook lifted her phone and pressed the circular button.
Her eyes flickered up at him again, smirk on display, tongue fully extended and smacking his balls back and forth, jiggling them with the wet pink tip. Hand firmly gripping his cock. The moans coming out of him could rival the best porn out there. His chest was shuddering, his sleeveless shirt forgotten and crumpled in her front passenger’s seat – he couldn’t really remember how it got there to be honest – and his pants were balled up around his knees, making this somewhat uncomfortable but also hot as hell.
Jungkook snuck a glance at her phone and realized he was taking a fucking video the entire time instead of a photo. Shit. He furrowed his brows and stopped it, switching back to photo mode, and took a picture the second she swallowed one of his balls in her mouth.
“Fuck!”
He nearly dropped the phone on her face as she sucked, eyes sparkling with mirth, doing some kind of crazy figure-eight maneuver with her tongue as he lowered his hand, gasping for breath as she pulled her head back and forth, jerking him slowly at the same time.
“I
 might have taken a video,” Jungkook panted out, head tipping back and staring at the ceiling of her car as she switched sides, sucking harder and tonguing more intensely, back and forth, up and down, so wet he was losing his mind.
She hummed onto his fucking nuts and he almost exploded into her hand.
His hips rose involuntarily and the base of his cock smacked her in the nose. She had the audacity to laugh, releasing his balls, spit dripping down her chin. She cleaned it off with her forearm, also letting go of his cock.
“Let me see,” she chuckled, wiping her hand on the towel before grabbing her phone from him. Replayed the video. His own moans filled the car, far too fucking loud. Jungkook’s cheeks heated with embarrassment as she planted her warm, clothed pussy onto his naked thigh, bouncing on it as she gleefully watched herself making out with his balls.
“Nice. I like it,” she chuckled.
“You’re crazy,” Jungkook snickered. And she was, but this was also fun too.
The dimple came back. “Want me to sit on your cock?”
Fuck yeah, he did. “Least you can do for me, since I provided such excellent service.”
She lifted her hips from his thigh and handed him her phone back. Took the two sides of her strappy velvet panties and pulled down. His eyes widened seeing the long string of juices from the black velvet to her crotch, snapping against her thigh, the strong scent of arousal so apparent it suddenly dominated all others.
“Someone is gonna see you,” he breathed, seeing the reflection of her ass clearly in the window, in view of the vehicles around them. People were in their cars, waiting to leave. Maybe some of them were watching this crazy woman jumping on his dick. The thought made him smirk.
She reached over to the center of the car and pulled out a condom from the cup holder.
This woman was definitely insane and Jungkook was loving it.
She grinned back at him, ripping it open right in front of his face. Lowered her hands and rolled it down on his throbbing cock. He exhaled in satisfaction, watching her ass lower and slide her pussy to him, lifting her skirt so he could see. Clean shaven. Probably for the pictures. Damn. That was a pretty pussy, and she was soaking wet.
“You like me that much?” Jungkook teased.
She pressed the head against her glistening slit and placed her tongue in between her teeth, dimple reappearing.
“Fuck yeah. You’re hot as hell.”
He didn’t expect her to say that. His ears burned and his cock pulsed with need. He also didn’t expect her to shove his cock into her that roughly either, jerking her hips into his and pressing down. She chuckled at his breathless gasp, settling her thighs against his waist.
“Take a picture for me,” she purred. “Gonna show him how deep I can take your big cock, Jungkook.”
Did he have a big dick? He knew he was bigger than average for sure, but it wasn’t like he measured and compared sizes on the daily. Also, he tended to get bigger and harder the hornier he was and right now he was maximum aroused because her pussy was clenching around his dick, burying it all the way up to the tightest, deepest parts of her wet hole.
“You’re choking him,” Jungkook chuckled as she gave him a particularly tight squeeze. His cock throbbed in delight.
“Death by pussy can’t be that bad,” she teased. Her chain covered hand nudged his hand holding her phone. “Come on.”
He lifted the phone and she raised her skirt once again, letting him see. God, it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen in his life.
“Should I take off my shirt?” she asked.
Jungkook made his dick jerk inside her and she moaned deliciously.
“Nah, he doesn’t deserve titties.”
She leaned back, pulling her skirt high and Jungkook took the shot of their joined thighs, her viscous juices shiny and smeared all over his crotch. Man, it had been a great idea to work out until he got that v-line. Matched perfectly with hers.
He turned it around and she bit her lip, grinning wide, dimple indented in her right cheek. Jungkook was beginning to become a fucking sucker for that dimple. He wanted to cause all kinds of trouble just to see it over and over.
“A rebel from the waist down, eh?”
The dimple stayed as she laughed.
“It’s a little bit of a lie,” she said mischievously as she began to roll her hips into his. “Because I’m definitely a rebel from the waist up too.” Her tongue extended, long, so fucking long and wet, almost touching past the midpoint of her chin.
Goddamn, Jungkook was glad he attended this concert.
She put it back into her mouth and began to fuck him hard, putting her back into it and smacking their hips together loudly, rocking the car a little, but at this point Jungkook was ready to go to jail for indecent exposure, head thrown back in her backseat, groaning as he felt her squeeze him with every descent, so wet that he felt like he was going to slip out while also feeling every contour of her pussy clamping down on him. He placed her phone on the seat and grabbed her thighs, sinking his fingers into her softness, drunk on the feeling, moaning her name as she used him like her favorite dildo.
“Ah, Jungkook,” she panted, smirk still on her lips. “You have a great cock. Glad I picked you.”
His eyes lowered, watching her through his lashes, seeing her smug expression. “I’m honored.”
She snickered. “Pretty face, hot body. Down to fuck.” That dimple. “I got lucky.”
Me too, he thought.
She placed her hands on his, sliding them up to her waist.
“Can you fuck me from below? Bet you’re great at it.”
He grinned and slammed his hips into her dripping heat. She moaned wantonly, grabbing his shoulders as he pounded her from below, feeling her clench and squirm, her walls spasming and juices leaking down his balls.
“A-ah, fuck,” he gasped, closing his eyes as he felt it. She must have orgasmed, but was too breathless to say as her nails dug into his shoulders, pushing her hips down as he jerked them up, meeting his thrusts over and over.
“Fuck, you’re so strong,” she breathed, pussy clenching again, splattering more onto his thighs, whole body shivering in his hands as she threw her head back, moaning his name. It sounded positively sinful from her lips and he loved it. The towel under them was soaked with bodily fluids and most of it was hers.
“Ugh, you feel so good,” Jungkook panted. “So fucking good when you cum for me, fuck, I thought girls couldn’t orgasm that easily on dick.”
She chuckled deep in her throat, bringing her head back and looking down at him, hair falling all around her shoulders, plump lower lip in her teeth. Fuck, her face was so fucking pretty.
Pretty fucking naughty too.
“Can’t speak for other girls, but I do love getting railed by a hot guy with a big cock,” she purred, licking her lips. “And you’re so hot you could spark a match.”
Was it possible to get harder because of a damn compliment? Because that was happening to Jeon Jungkook right now, his jaw clenching as he grinned, fucking her harder, deeper, bouncing her on his dick unashamedly, definitely catching someone’s attention out there because of how deliciously she was moaning for him, telling him how good it felt as her pussy violently massaged his entire length.
“Yes, yes, ah, Jungkook, your cock is so fucking good
”
It was getting to his head, shooting down to his spine, coiling tighter and tighter, smashing his hips into her tight, wet hole, every muscle on fire and vibrating with pleasure, her name falling from his lips repeatedly, feeling so good doing something so bad, pleasure so intense he barely heard someone honk their car horn cheerfully at their fucking.
“Fuck, I’m going to cum, fuck!”
He shot into the condom with a fierce jerk, filling it completely as she gasped, pussy tightening and throbbing around him as his crotch was soaked again, exhaling hotly into his face as she came with a shudder of his name, big smile on her lips.
Absolutely the best car sex Jungkook had ever had in his entire life.
She collapsed against him, pressing her hot cheek against his.
“I think someone honked at us,” she laughed, a little raspy from moaning so much.
Jungkook wrapped his hands around her waist, kneading it. “Cheering for me and my dick, I bet.”
She reached down and felt for her phone.
“You really gonna send him those pics?” Jungkook asked, panting from exertion.
“Do you not want me to?” Her tone had a hint of concern. “You’re in them too, so I won’t if you’re not down.”
He chuckled. “Just send him the one of you holding my dick and licking my balls.”
She held the condom down as she got off him, laughing. “Damn, how cruel. Showing off your big dick like that. You’re trouble, Jungkook.”
Jungkook looked over to his left. She sat down next to him, pressing her body close to his. Thigh against thigh, shoulder against shoulder. Dimple clearly visible because of her mischievous smirk. He leaned over and kissed it. He just had to. Her eyebrow raised, smirk turning into a pleased smile.
He grinned.
“That makes the two of us, doesn’t it?”
Her eyes darted around the rapidly vacating parking lot. Then they came back to his face, her lips curving into a grin to match his.
“Damn, I’m so lucky to have met you, Jeon Jungkook.”
--
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batsandbugs · 4 years ago
Text
The Great IKEA Game
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Chapter 1 - Meet the Players
Marinette originally came to the IKEA an hour outside of Gotham to buy twinkle lights for her new living room. She eventually extended her trip into obtaining new dishes since all she had right now was empty takeout containers she kept rewashing. She would have been very content getting what she needed and being on her way, (no, she wasn't lonely Plagg, she had two dozen mini-gods to keep her company, shut up) but halfway between the bedding and lights sections, Marinette’s life changed forever. 
For the better, if she was being honest. 
She never would have realized it if she hadn’t ducked into a showroom to test out a couch. She settled against the fluffy folds, knowing it would be destroyed within minutes if she ever brought it home when she noticed him. A boy, no man, about her age, hiding behind a desk looking for all the world as if he were plotting world domination or someone’s demise. 
They looked at each other in shock for a moment. 
“Are
 are you ok-”
“Shhh!” his green eyes narrowed, and boy, Marinette had been on the receiving end of death glares before, but this one had to take the cake. 
“Sorry,” she whispered. 
He rolled his eyes. “Do you see a group of dark-haired obnoxious idiots out there?” he asked. 
The request was an odd one, but Marinette rose from the couch and glanced around outside of the showroom. She didn’t see anyone fitting his description. She shook her head. 
He smirked. “My idiot older brothers dragged me along for a “family bonding experience”." He made the little quotation marks, and Marinette never thought anyone could look cool doing that, but somehow this person nailed it. "Tt. I’ve successfully avoided them for an hour. Didn’t know when the coast would be clear though.” He rose gracefully from the ground, looking all the more like a prince, rather than a crazy person hiding from his family. 
It was absurd. 
Marinette found herself instantly amused. 
“I have friends exactly like that, I totally get it,” she said, thinking how Adrian would be beside himself when she told him the story later. The pang of loneliness that had been present since she’d left her friends in Paris, for college in America re-emerged. She shook her head of the maudlin thoughts. 
The Kwamis would have had a field day with this idea too, thankfully she had left them in her severely under-furnished apartment for the day in order to avoid the squabbling that came with only taking a few of them out of the house.  
Marinette looked back out at the hallway again, wondering if the man's brothers would soon appear, finding herself invested in what would happen. “What are you going to do now?” 
“Well, Drake has the keys, and those idiots will be at their shenanigans till the store closes, so
” he shrugged. 
“Are they like
 furnishing a whole house?” Marinette didn’t know how you could spend an entire day here. Sure, it was big, but
 
“No. We’re engaged in a no holds barred game of hide-and-seek.” Marinette’s mouth dropped open. “If one of them catches me I become the seeker.” 
“Why?” 
He smirked, “Because I’ve held out the longest.” 
"No, I mean, why are you playing hide-and-seek?" It seemed an odd choice for a bunch of adults. Well, Marinette and her friends would do it. But they also willing became superheroes at the age of fourteen so their judgment was already in question.   
He shrugged. "My oldest brother thought it would be fun, and our father is... out of town at the moment," he said with a bit of hesitation. 
“So, you’re just going to hide in this showroom till the store closes?” 
A devious smile spread across the man’s handsome features. “No. I intend to troll them. If Grayson wants my participation, I'm going to make him regret it.” 
It was at that moment she crossed the point of no return, not that Marinette knew it yet.
Throwing away any idea of finishing her shopping today she returned his smirk. “Any chance I could join you in your crusade?” 
The guy looked her over suspiciously. “Why should I allow a stranger to join me and potentially ruin my chances at victory?” 
Marinette thought for a moment. “Well, your brothers know you well?” He nodded. “Then they likely know what you’ll do to avoid and troll them. You need a fresh perspective. Plus, I can operate out in the open, I’m not officially a part of the game.” 
“Hmm...” his face was impassive; Marinette couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “You make some good points, but I’m not fully convinced.” 
Marinette huffed, “I also grew up in Paris without being akumatized.” 
He looked at her oddly. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Paris had a terrorist for five years that turned people into monsterized versions of themselves if they felt negative feelings. They were called Akuamas. Everyone in my class had it happen to them at least once. More for some particularly loose cannons.” 
The guy looked bewildered. “Why didn’t anyone hear about this?” 
Marinette shrugged, trying to play off her knowledge as what a normal civilian would know. “Combination of corrupt politicians, social media blackouts, and magic. People died during these attacks, but everything was put to rights at the end of every fight due to the superheroes powers.” 
His mouth dropped, but he recovered quickly looking contemplative. “I want to know more about this at a later time, but if what you say is true you can control yourself better than the average peon. But my brothers and I are a combination of street orphans, circus brats, gymnastics freaks, and geniuses - are you sure you can keep up?” 
Marinette nearly laughed at his description but managed to keep a straight face. “Positive.” 
“Alright, I'll do whatever it takes to win.” He offered her his hand. “I’m Damian.” 
She took it, feeling a slight shock as her fingers touched his. “I’m Marinette, nice to meet you, Damian.” 
“You won’t be saying that soon enough,” he said with a slight smirk. He looked over her shoulder. “Shit.” He dove beneath the desk he’d been hiding behind earlier. “Tall guy with the white streak in his hair.” Marinette turned to look. “Don’t make it too obvious,” he hissed. 
Marinette grabbed her phone and leaned against the desk. With small side glances, she saw a man probably mid to late twenties with two-toned hair. He wore a leather jacket and seemed to be searching for something, or someone. 
“Who’s that?” she asked quietly. 
“Second oldest brother, Jason Todd - arguably the most and least dangerous.” 
“Why both?” 
“He did not want to participate initially, so he’s reluctant, but at the same time, he hates losing.  He’ll hang on to the bitter end. More resourceful than the other two, and more violent, although less sophisticated.” 
Jason moved closer to their showroom. 
“Hush, he’s headed this way,” she whispered. Damian remained quiet and Marinette tried to make herself look busy. 
“Quick question miss?” Marinette glanced up from her phone. Jason stood at the entrance to the showroom. 
“Oh, uh, oui? Non, non, I mean yes?” Marinette said in an exaggerated accent, playing into the oblivious tourist stereotype always came in handy. 
“Oh French, shit, haven’t spoken that in a while,” he muttered. “Um...” 
“Non, it iz okay, I speak English well. Can I help you?” She batted her eyes just a bit. Marinette had long since grown from the days of not using all her advantages - courtesy of forced confidence from Chole. A friendship no one had seen coming but had grown quick and strong once they reached an understanding. 
“Oh, I’m looking for my little brother, about yay high, black hair, green eyes, permanent scowl. Have you seen him?” 
Marinette pretended to think for a second. “Non... I do not theenk so, perhaps help desk at zee front?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jason said, Marinette could see he had already written her off as useless. “Thanks, anyway.” He walked away quickly. 
There was a minute of silence. “Coast is clear,” said Marinette once Jason was out of sight. 
Damian popped up, a gleam in his eyes. “Your lying skills are adequate; we may just win this yet.” 
“I’m glad to meet such high approval, monsieur. Let’s get going.” 
Chapter 2 
Chapter 3 
Chapter 4
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ipuckwithhockey · 4 years ago
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History Repeats Itself- B. Boeser
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a/n: This somehow ended up being around 11k words, so I hope y’all enjoy it! Also, I only did a quick scan for grammar and spelling so sorry if there are errors!
summary: You and Brock met once back in college when you were still committed to your high school boyfriend. Years later you’re single and older and just starting a new job in Vancouver. The only question now is whether or not you will take the opportunity to rewrite your own history.
warnings: None that I can think of
“So, are you in or no?” Y/N’s roommate asks her as they walk out of the library and toward their dorm. 
“I don’t think so Mags, I actually have some studying to catch up on.” You reply unconvincingly. Midterms of your first semester at the University of North Dakota just came to a close, and your excuse of having homework on a Friday night wasn’t convincing anyone. 
“Y/N, seriously? You aced all of your midterms and we just spent three hours in the fucking library! Live a little! The hockey team is having a huge party, and the guys are really fun AND super hot! You deserve this!” Maggie tries to convince you to come out to a party that the UND Hockey team is having tonight, and you tell yourself not to give in. 
“Maggie, I have a boyfriend. And you know they don’t let guys who aren’t on the team into their parties. God, it’s basically a frat.” You scoff at the idea of a frat party, but there’s still a small part of you that wants to experience the chaos of a real college party. That’s probably why it ends up being so easy for Maggie to convince you to slip into a pair of skinny jeans and a cute top before embarking on a night out.  
“Y/N, this is Nick and Brock. They’re both in my econ class. Nick is a sophomore, but Brock here is a freshman like us!” Maggie happily introduces you to the two tall boys as you enter an old musty house, full to the brim with college kids. The air smells like stale alcohol and you take note that your shoes are somehow already sticky. You’re not sure if it’s from something you stepped in or if it’s just the floor in general. 
“Hey, nice to meet you.” You shake Brock’s hand that he’s extended for you and you can’t help but stare a little too long, taking in his blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes. 
You had to admit though, Katie was right, these guys are super hot. You can already tell your roommate has her eye on this Nick guy, and it actually looks like he might be interested in her too. He’s just her type— He’s hot and he knows it, and his dark hair and striking features draw the eyes of nearly every girl in the room. The blonde boy who stands across from you is quite honestly the opposite of Nick. Brock is also undeniably good-looking, but he’s shy and his light hair and soft smile make him seem less intimidating than his friend. 
Nick finds you and Katie some drinks and some other girls you’ve become friends with show up to the party a little later. The boys come and go as they mingle with other people and their teammates, but Nick tends to stay close by to Maggie and you catch glimpses of Brock occasionally. Apparently his shyness doesn’t apply to his teammates. You can’t help but chuckle as you watch him and his friends dance together to some shitty remix of a song you used to blast on your way to school. You’re actually having a great time, but you can’t hear your phone ringing over the music that’s blaring through the house you’re in. Later, Nick offers to walk you and Maggie home after a few hours of living like a real college kid, and Brock ends up tagging along since he apparently lives in the same building. 
“So, how come we haven’t met you before tonight? This one talks about you all the time.” The four of you are walking across campus and Nick has Maggie under his arm as he asks why you never seem to be with your roommate. 
“She has a boyfriend. And I’m pretty sure he’s allergic to having fun.” Maggie quips as some of the alcohol she’s consumed tonight gives her the courage to openly criticize your relationship. 
“Maggie.” You say in a warning tone. “He’s just not a big partier, and usually I’m not either.” You shove at her shoulder lightly. Maggie was nice and you liked being her roommate, but when you first met and told her you had followed your high school boyfriend across the country to attend a university in “North fucking Dakota” she immediately expressed how crazy she thought you were. In her eyes there was no way that a couple who started dating when they were fifteen would last forever. You disagreed, which is why you turned down your scholarship to an ivy league and followed your boyfriend to North Fucking Dakota. His family was from North Dakota, and for some reason everyone in their family had to go to school there too. At the time, you didn’t see it as giving something up, you saw it as you and your boyfriend starting a life together outside the confines of your hometown. 
“So, what floor do you live on, Brock?” Maggie asks as the four of you make your way up to your building. 
“I’m on 4— Room 405. What about you guys?” Brock asks back. 
“We’re 219.” You say back before you’re startled as you hear another voice you’re not exactly expecting.  
“Y/N! Where the hell have you been?” The group you’re with is almost to the doors of your dorm building when a perturbed voice yells for you.  
“Uh- Owen. What are you doing here?” You’re surprised to see your boyfriend standing in front of you, looking like he’s seeing red. You weren’t even supposed to be seeing him at all tonight. He had told you he was going to be occupied for the evening while he was studying for his physics exam. You hadn’t told him you were going to the party, but at the time you didn’t think it was important. Owen preferred that you didn’t bother him while he was studying, so you decided against calling him before your night out. 
“I’ve been calling you for like two hours— God have you been drinking?” The rest of the group you were with tonight looks uncomfortable to say the least, and you can’t blame them. Owen wasn’t the best at saving face, especially when he felt like someone hadn’t upheld the standards that he had set out for them. Now he just looked like a dad reprimanding their child, and a wave of embarrassment quickly washed over you.
“I just- We went to a party. I didn’t think you’d mind. You were supposed to be studying all night,” You say sheepishly, as you begin to regret letting Maggie convince you to go out. Before Owen can clap back again, Maggie nudges you and tells you that the three of them are going to go, not wanting to invade on your private life any longer. 
When they’re gone, Owen starts again, “This just isn’t like you. I’m so disappointed.” You feel bad now, you know you haven’t done anything wrong, but Owen’s words make you feel like you have, so you tuck your tail between your legs as follow him back to his dorm and apologize for what you did. 
That was almost five years ago. You dated Owen for longer than you’d like to admit but eventually you removed your rose-colored glasses and broke up with him. You graduated from UND and got a second chance at your Ivy League dreams when went to graduate school. Now, you’ve completed your masters and have been offered a promotion at you job. The only catch was that the new position required you to move to the west coast
 of Canada. 
You moved almost two months ago, and your raise was enough to allow you to move into a nice building downtown. Work takes up most of your time now, so you haven’t been able to explore the city as much as you would like, but you can already tell your decision to make Vancouver your new home was a good one. The laid back and easy feeling you get from this city is completely different from the big east coast metropolis you had been living in before, and even though you’re working more than ever, you feel like you can actually breathe here. 
Since your breakup with Owen your senior year at UND, you’ve taken time to take back your life. You try your best not to ponder on the past anymore, and you focus on your own future. It can’t be denied that at first it was hard not to remain bitter at the idea that you had so willingly given up many things in your life, for a boy who took them too eagerly. You worked through it though and took back your life by focusing on your own goals and working on furthering your own career. The past is the past now, and you were ready to start this new life in Vancouver. 
*
“I actually can’t believe you’re wearing that.” Elias mocks at Brock as they step out of the elevator and into the lobby of Brock’s apartment building. Brock is sporting a bucket hat, and even though he knows Elias is joking, he wonders if he shouldn’t have just left the hat sitting on his kitchen counter. The two of them are bickering back and forth about their fashion choices, and Brock almost misses you as you walk past him. Almost. He recognizes you immediately even though your hair is longer, and your face doesn’t look so much like a kid’s anymore. 
“Hey, nice to meet you.” Brock extends his hand, hoping he doesn’t seem too nervous to the pretty girl he has just been introduced to. He’s a freshman, and a star on the UND hockey team, which kind of makes him North Dakotan royalty. Since starting college, he’s learned what to say and how to say it, to get a girl’s attention, but he’s not the overly confident guy that his friend, Nick is. Nick lays it on thick and loves the attention he gets. Brock likes it, it’s fun, but he’s more laid back, and not as worried about getting the girl. He just likes to have a good time with his friends and doesn’t really need all of the extra attention. 
He would however like to have your attention. He makes some friendly conversation with you over the course of the night, but you stick close to your girlfriends, and he can’t tell if you’re not interested or if you just aren’t catching what he’s putting down. 
Later that night, when Nick tells Brock that he is going to walk you and your roommate home, he’s quick to tag along. Even though he lives in the same building, he probably would have stayed at the party a little longer if you hadn’t been going with them. On the walk across campus, the four of you make some small talk, and Brock knows that Nick definitely thinks he’s getting laid tonight. 
Brock can’t help but hope that Nick getting laid will mean you will need a hideout for a couple hours while your roommate occupies your shared room. Even though he’d happily accept it, he doesn’t think he’ll be getting laid. Brock just hopes that he’ll have some time to get to know you a little bit better, maybe get your number, and then eventually ask you out. It’s right then that Nick asks why they’ve never met you. 
“She has a boyfriend. And I’m pretty sure he’s allergic to having fun.”  Maggie replies, and Brock can’t help but be disappointed. You had a boyfriend. So it wasn’t that you weren’t interested, well it was, but it was only because you were already taken. Maybe you had even caught on to his light flirting, and he can’t help but think how embarrassing that is.  
This embarrassment honestly wasn’t as bad as what was to come next. Brock isn’t sure if his secondhand embarrassment is worse than the embarrassment that you’re probably feeling as the guy, who is presumably your boyfriend, yells at you for going to a party. He can tell that you’re trying to play it cool, you’re definitely uncomfortable with scene that is unfolding. Brock isn’t sure what to do, and him and Nick exchange a few quick glances as to say, “what the fuck?” And next, he’s incredibly thankful that Maggie steps in to tell you that they’re going to head into the building. 
“What the fuck was that?” Nick asks as the three of them get out of earshot from you and Owen.  
“Meet Owen, the illustrious high school boyfriend.” Maggie’s sarcasm is clear, and Brock is surprised that someone who seems so sweet could be dating a guy like that. 
That hockey party his first semester at UND was the last time Brock spoke to you. He left after his sophomore year when he signed with the Canucks and before he left, when he would see you on campus, you were usually with the jerk he only briefly encountered that first night. When you would pass him in the hallway of your dorm or even around campus you would usually avoid meeting his eye or offer one of those awkward tight-lipped smiles. Brock would always smile back, and he would wonder if you were actually happy with that guy, and occasionally he would tell himself that he could make you happier. 
You felt bad as you essentially avoided him for the first few weeks after that party, but it got easier as time went on. The two of you barely knew each other, but for some reason every time that you did pass him, you were still enamored by his kind eyes and generous smile that only made you feel worse for avoiding him. Over time your friends, like Maggie, would eventually fall to the waste side too as your boyfriend continued to control your life. Maggie stopped asking you to hang out and when you moved in with Owen after your freshman year, you basically lost all connection with her. Everyone probably thought that you were a massive bitch because they perceived your actions as you choosing your boyfriend over them. They weren’t wrong, but you didn’t know at the time, that your priorities were extremely misguided. 
Brock’s little crush was soon forgotten when he dove headfirst into the NHL. He was busy trying to establish himself in the league, and he found himself in a few lackluster relationships that usually ended in a mutual agreement that it just wasn’t working. He was a good guy, and even though he wasn’t a saint, he preferred to get to know a girl and take her to dinner before anything else. The girls he dated usually fell pretty hard for him. He’s unmistakably attractive and his endearing personality make him incredibly charming. They knew that they couldn’t hold on to him forever and that he didn’t want to hurt them, so they let him go and hoped that they would find another guy that was half as good.
Seeing you now is like a breath of fresh air for Brock; his little crush immediately rising to the surface after being buried away for so long. 
“Y/N?” Brock lightly touches you on your arm to get your attention. You’re lost in the email you’re replying to on your phone, and you’re more than surprised when you turn to see the same light blue eyes that you met your freshman year of college. 
“Brock?” It’s the only thing that your brain can formulate right now. Brock Boeser is probably the only person you know in Vancouver and yet he’s standing in front of you right now. You haven’t seen or spoken to him in years, and you can’t believe that he even remembers you. 
“Hey, I thought that was you.” Brock says, as Elias notices the big smile that’s plastered across his friend’s face. “What are you doing in Vancouver?” Brock asks, wondering how a girl from the east coast who went to school in North Dakota, somehow ended up in Vancouver. 
“I um- I live here. I just moved for my job a couple months ago,” You tell him.
“Oh, no way! Vancouver’s great, I’m sure you’ll love it here.” He replies, still taking in the fact that you’re standing in front of him. 
“Yeah, I like it so far,” you say. “Do you live here? – Or I guess, in the building?” You ask. You know that he lives in Vancouver, you’re aware of his hockey career, but you’ve lived here for a couple months and have never seen him around. 
“Yeah, I’ve been back in Minnesota for most of the summer, so I just got back a couple days ago.” He tells you. You never really put much thought into where athletes go after their season ends, but it makes sense that they would go back to wherever they call home. 
Elias nudges Brock to remind him that he’s still standing awkwardly beside him. “Oh, this is Petey,” Brock turns to introduce you to his friend that you already recognize, “It’s Elias, nice to meet you.” Elias says as he offers his hand to you. 
“Yeah, I know.” You let out a light laugh and think about all of the Vancouver Canucks posters you’ve seen him on throughout the city. You’ve seen posters of Brock too, but you barely even know the guy, so it’s never really struck you as anything out of the ordinary. 
“Are you a Canucks fan?” Elias asks.  
You laugh a little, “Oh, no. I don’t follow hockey or really any sports, but everyone at work does, so I’ve been trying to learn a bit about it to keep up with the water cooler conversations.” You laugh again because it’s true. You’ve never really been tuned into sports, but your new office is basically all men, and they’re all huge Canucks fans, so your google searches of the team’s stats and roster have helped you become familiar with the team before their season starts. 
“Well, you’ll have to come to a game some time.” Brock tells you. 
“Um yeah. Maybe.” You offer back, mentally debating on if that would ever actually happen, but knowing that he’s only being polite. “I um- I’ve actually got to go, but it was great running into you.” You smile, and say goodbye to the two blonde boys and make your way up to your apartment. 
Brock Boeser lives in your building. Again. You laugh, thinking about how funny it is that history is repeating itself. He’s just as cute as he was the first time you met, but the truth is you barely know each other, and you’re sure he remembers that you were probably a massive bitch in college who avoided him at all costs. You don’t let the thought of him linger too long and push it to the side to get on the realities of your life instead of continuing to mull over the past.  
*
Over the next month or so, you continue to run into Brock in the elevator or in the lobby of your building. He always says hi and greets you with the same sweet smile. You make polite conversation and he’s so charming sometimes that it makes you blush. It starts off with awkward hellos and goodbyes, then you start to make small talk, and soon enough conversation between the two of you becomes pretty effortless. His little jokes are usually so dumb, but they make you laugh and you truly appreciate that he’s always so nice. You start to open up a bit more and aren’t as hesitant when he asks you innocent questions about your life. 
You got to meet Coolie and Milo the other day, and Brock says that they are particularly fond of you. They both seem to be the sweetest dogs in the world, so you’re sure they’re just as good for everyone else. You see them ever so often when Brock takes them on walks around town, and he loves the way your eyes light up when you see his furry kids.
Brock usually asks you how work is going, even though your advanced corporate job goes way over his head, and you ask him about hockey, which you also have little to no knowledge of. You both usually give short and uninteresting answers like “great” or “it’s going.” Then, just as Brock is trying to find more ways to get to know you, you tell him that you’ve been trying to educate yourself more on hockey. You explain that you primarily work with men, and these men happen to be very keyed in on the sport and particularly on the Vancouver Canucks. Now, every time he sees you, he asks you what you’ve learned. 
Your conversations are still fairly short, but you tell him when you’ve finally learned all of the NHL team names, and understand each of the hockey positions. You explain some of the penalties and you’re pretty proud of yourself when your explanation of offsides gets an approval. When he asks you who you’ve decided your favorite player is, you tell him you like “that Boeser kid,” but not as much as you like Elias Pettersson. This gets a big laugh from him, and he tells you he doesn’t disagree with your analysis. This is a turning point for the two of you. Brock can tell that you’re becoming more comfortable with him, and he likes seeing this lighter side of you. 
One day when you pass him in the parking lot, he’s on his way to a game, dressed in suit, but with a beanie on his head. You’ve seen him like this a number of times before, and you really don’t understand why he insists on covering up his beautiful hair with various hats. You also don’t mind admiring how good he looks in his game day apparel. He’s good looking, and it’s not a crime to admire that. 
As you walk toward each other in the parking lot he calls out to you, “Hey, you learn anything new this week?” You laugh, because he usually starts the conversation like this, asking if you’ve studied up or done your homework. 
“Actually, I have a question for you.” You tell him as you come up, stopping before you would pass each other. 
“Okay, shoot.” He says. 
“Well, that’s actually your job, but my question has to do with goalie interference. I just don’t really understand it. I was trying to find videos of calls during games, but all of the calls seem kind of inconsistent.” You tell him, and he laughs at your shooting joke, leaving you feeling proud for a moment. He’s also laughing because you’re right. No one fucking knows what goalie interference is. 
“Yeah, I’m not even sure what goalie interference is half the time. But if you figure it out let me know!” He answers. You laugh, and the two of you begin to part ways. 
Before he makes it to his car you shout back, “Oh, Good luck tonight!” 
He smiles and thanks you before opening his car door and on his way to the rink he thinks about all of the little conversations the two of you have had over the course of last couple of months. His crush has only continued to grow, and Elias keeps nagging him to ask you out, but he’s not even sure if you’re single. With his luck, you’re probably married to that asshole from college, although he hasn’t noticed you with anyone and he hasn’t seen a ring on your finger. 
After that night Brock decided he needed to figure out if you were single or not, so that he could move on from his infatuation with you instead of wasting his time pining over a girl who was already taken. You’re always polite, and more recently you’ve become more and more comfortable joking and bantering with him, but sometimes you give him a look like you’re not sure what to say. 
That look is the look you get when you contemplate how you got here. Years ago, you couldn’t have fathomed having a simple conversation with Brock, but now you see him on a regular basis and make conversation like you’ve been friends for years. You appreciate his willingness to talk with you, and you enjoy your interactions more and more every day.
Brock knows that on Sunday morning you usually go for a walk down to the coffee shop on the corner, so today he grabs Coolie and Milo and heads for the door, hoping he’ll be lucky enough to run into you. He makes it all the way to the coffee shop without seeing you and he’s praying that when he opens the door to the store that you’ll be waiting inside. 
No such luck. 
When he doesn’t see you standing inside, he decides he should at least buy a coffee instead of awkwardly walking out. After he picks up his drink he walks across the street to the park so that Coolie and Milo can get some exercise. For some reason, the gods are on his side today, and a few minutes into his walk he sees you sitting on a bench under a tree, reading a book. 
He doesn’t get to secretly admire how pretty you look sitting there, with the sun streaming down through the limbs of the trees, because Milo and Coolie have spotted you and are actively dragging him in your direction. You’re stirred from your reading and when you look up you see two big fur balls running toward you, their owner not far behind them. 
“Hey! Sorry about them.” Brock apologizes as he tries to calm the dogs down. You’re laughing and smiling because Coolie has jumped up on the bench beside you. Brock tells them to get down as they continue to try and jump for your attention, and they eventually settle at his side. 
“It’s fine, I don’t mind at all. I feel the same way when I see them,” you say, and it gets a light chuckle from Brock. He loves that you get so excited to see them and he cherishes the way your eyes light up when you reach down to pet them. He’s not sure what to say now, and before the silence gets too awkward you ask him if he wants to sit while motioning to the spot next to you. He gladly accepts your offer, and he sits down next to you.
“What are you reading?” He asks, attempting to facilitate some conversation. 
You turn over the book in your hand so that he can see the cover, “It’s called Normal People.” You say before giving him a brief description. You also tell him it’s a series on Hulu and he says he’ll opt to watch that instead of reading the book, earning another laugh from you. 
“So, did you leave the boyfriend behind or did you bring him with you?” He asks referring to some of the plot points of the book you had described to him. The question surprises you because one, there wasn’t a boyfriend, and two, why would Brock think there was a boyfriend? Your mind works fast enough to figure he might think that you’re still with Owen, but over the last couple months you don’t think you’ve given him any reason to think you would still be with him. 
“Neither I guess. I didn’t have a boyfriend to leave or bring.” You answer, looking over at Brock. You’re sure you almost hear what sounds like a sigh of relief from him, but it happened too quickly to tell. 
“I guess you and that guy from college didn’t work out?” Brock asks cautiously. He’s trying not to seem too eager, but he’s dying to know what ever happened between you and that jerk. 
You let out a light laugh as you think back to your previous relationship, “No, it definitely didn’t work out.” You say back. “We were obviously super young; we started dating when we were fifteen,” you sigh. “Anyway, I think it just took some time to realize I wasn’t going to marry a guy I thought was cute in my 9th grade biology class. We just didn’t have anything in common anymore. And he turned out to be a total jerk.” It feels surprisingly easy talking to Brock about this. You’ve felt so much shame and embarrassment for staying with this guy from high school for so long, but Brock’s eyes don’t convey any judgement or reason to feel ashamed. 
After that you gracefully shift the conversation to Brock’s love life. It was only fair, and when you asked him if he had a special lady- or man in his life, his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. It isn’t because you asked him if he was perhaps seeing a man, but because he was just so flustered by you and your questioning of his love life at all. 
“Nope. No ladies... Or men for that matter.” He says with a little laugh. 
“Really? A star hockey player like you doesn’t have girls lined up waiting for their chance to be with you?” You tease, as you can see, he’s still blushing a bit. You don’t think much of it, other than that he’s probably just shy about those things, but you don’t really feel too bad about teasing him.  He continues to convince you that there aren’t any other ladies in his life, and eventually the topic of conversation is forgotten. 
Brock walks back to the apartment building with you, and when you get in the elevator you remember that you’re going to be attending a Canucks game next week, “I almost forgot! I’m going to the Preds game next week!” You tell him, and his expression lights up hearing you say that you’ll be attending one of his games. “Some of the guys from work invited me to go with them. I think I’ve really won them over with my new hockey knowledge,” You tell him proudly. 
Some of the guys from work who are particularly invested in the hockey team invited you to come with them to a game, and you happily accepted the invitation. You had proven yourself to them as a colleague and now as a hockey fan too. 
“I guess we’ll have to get a win for you guys.” Brock replies confidently. The Canucks have had a great record lately and it looks like their winning streak is just getting started. “You better!” You say before the elevator stops on your floor and you tell him you’ll see him later, leaving Brock to think about everything he’s learned about you that morning. 
*
It’s Thursday, and this week has been hell. 
Sadly, you’re used to dedicating most of your time to work, but this week has been a total shit show, for lack of better words. A big account you’ve been working on decided at the last minute that they wanted something completely different, causing you and your team to have to work some crazy hours this week. By Thursday you’re practically a zombie due to your lack of sleep. The hours you have spent at home have been minimal, as you’ve gotten home past ten almost every night this week, and you leave in the morning again before 7. 
The guys on your team have all been working crazy hours too, but you’ve been taking the lead on this campaign, so you’ve made sure to be there early and late every single day. They can tell you’re just about out of gas, and they send you home early, telling you to rest up for the big presentation tomorrow. You try to argue, but they’re right, you need a break. You surrender and head home after stopping to get some takeout, knowing that your fridge at home is starkly empty. 
“Ms.Y/L/N, I’ve got a package for you.” Paul, the concierge of your building tells you as you pass him on your way to the elevators. You haven’t made any online purchases as of late, and you don’t remember anyone telling you they were sending you anything. Still, you wait patiently as he goes to the back room to grab it. When Paul returns he’s holding a decent sized shopping bag. You’re not sure what it could be, but you take the bag and thank him, too focused on getting up to your apartment and out of your work pants. 
As soon as the door to your apartment is closed behind you, you drop your bags onto the kitchen counter and slip out of your dress pants. Your bra follows shortly, and you settle into your couch with your take out. The rest of your evening is spent lounging on the couch, catching up on your shitty reality tv shows and taking a break from work. When you look down at your phone and see that it’s only 8:30 you tell yourself it’s too early to go to bed, but you’re exhausted and you bed is calling to you. As you gather your dishes and clean up your kitchen you’re reminded of the package you picked up on your way in. 
The bag is still sitting on the counter where you left it a few hours ago. You take a minute to think about what it could be or who it could be from, but nothing comes to mind. When you open the bag all you see is some blue fabric. It feels like clothes, so you dump it over on to your counter and come to find that the bag is full of what looks like Vancouver Canucks gear. You’re in surprised to say the least. There are multiple pieces of clothing laying in front of you, and you’re sure it’s at least a few hundred dollars worth of apparel. There’s a note too, but you choose to look through the other contents first. 
First off, there’s a navy blue hoodie with the classic Cancuks logo. There are two t-shirts, one has the Canucks throwback logo on it and the other has the pride logo printed on the front. You smile at that, knowing that he obviously knew you would like that one. Next, is a Canucks beanie with a pompom on the top. Finally, you unfold a royal blue jersey. You’re expecting to see a number six on the back but instead your eyes land on the number 40. You can’t help but feel a little sad for a minute, knowing he didn’t get you a jersey with his number on it. 
Alas, you unfold the piece of paper that was sitting in the bottom of the bag and it reads:
I figured you might need some gear for the game Saturday. I hope everything fits okay. 
If you ever need anything I’m Apt. 859, *his phone number* 
-Brock
P.S. Petey insisted that I include his jersey since he’s “your favorite.”
You don’t feel as bad about it not being a Boeser jersey now, and you use a magnet to hang the note up on your fridge before folding your new gear and heading to bed, grinning ear to ear. 
Your presentation goes off without a hitch the next day and you and your coworkers are ready to let loose a bit for the Cancuks game the following evening. You meet up with them at a bar that’s not far from the arena, and you grab a round of drinks before you head into the game. The four co-workers you meet up with take note of your Pettersson jersey, and you smile, satisfied with their praises. A couple of them are sporting jerseys too, one with Horvat and the other with a Boeser. You don’t mention that you know the guy who actually wears number 6, and when he scores the game winning goal you cheer just as loud as everyone else, but secretly you’d like to think it was because he knew you were there in the stands. 
When you get home after the game you shoot Brock a quick text.
You: nice goal tonight! i think this pettersson jersey is lucky! (10:54pm)
You: this is y/n btw (10:54pm)
You’re not sure if he’ll reply so you set your phone down and start to go through your nightly routine. A few minutes later you hear your phone buzz from your night stand. 
Brock: petey didn’t even score tonight and you’re still talking about him? maybe i’ll just take that jersey back (11:01pm)
You: hey, no take backs. but it was a very nice goal!  (11:03pm)
Brock: how was your first game? (11:07pm)
You: my second favorite player scored, my team won, and my co-workers were impressed with my vast hockey knowledge so i’d say it went pretty well! (11:13pm)
You spend some time debating on how to word your message, not wanting to send a reply too fast, and not wanting to seem to flirty, but you still let yourself tease him a little bit more before hitting send. 
Brock: HAHA. very funny. (11:14pm)
Brock: i’m glad you had a good time. (11:14pm)
Brock: we’ll have to get you to more games. it looks like you might be good luck. (11:15pm)
*
Sunday morning is your time to relax. You try not to do any work and opt to take some time for yourself. This can take many forms, like lounging around the house or even reorganizing your bathroom. Today you opt for baking. You bake a couple dozen brownies and place them in a container before slipping on some shoes to head up a few floors. 
You hadn’t given it much thought until you were standing outside of his apartment door, but the two really only interact in the hallways or elevator and you’ve never been to each other’s apartments. The brownies in your hand are probably getting colder by the minute, and you know they taste the best when they’re still warm so you convince yourself to bring your knuckles to the door. 
The person who answers the door isn’t Brock. The boy who answers is shorter and has dark hair. You recognize him as Quinn Hughes. Brock told you once that they call him huggy bear, but you’re not totally sure you know why. 
“Uh-“ There aren’t words coming out of his mouth, it’s more like an awkward sound that you think it is meant to convey some sort of confusion. 
“Um, Is Brock here?” You ask, offering a smile to the boy in front of you. 
“Oh, yeah. Um, come on in.” Quinn doesn’t really know if he should be letting someone into his friends apartment, but Brock made him answer the door so he didn’t feel so bad about inviting a stranger in. 
You walk through the door and take in Brock’s home. It’s similar to yours, but slightly bigger. He lives on a different side of the building so the windows are slightly different too. You follow Quinn into the living room where you see Elias and Brock and Jake Virtanen sitting on the couch playing video games. The dogs notice you first as you walk in and Quinn nudges Brock telling him someone is here for him before he turns around to see you. 
“Y/N! To what do we owe the pleasure?” He asks as he stands from the couch. 
“I uh, I just wanted to bring you these. I figured it’s the least I could do since you got me that lucky Pettersson jersey.” He lets out a solid laugh at that. You liked it when he laughed like that. He lets his head hang back and his hand rests on his stomach. 
“Well thank you. You really didn’t have to do that.” He says as you hand him the box of brownies. He walks over to the kitchen counter and pulls the lid off.  The smell of freshly baked brownies starts to fill the room, and the other boys are at the counter before you know it. 
“Oh shit. Those look good.” Jake says as he eyes the baked goods.
The boys are quiet for the next couple minutes except for some humming and “yum” sounds that escape between bites.  A couple dozen brownies is apparently no match for four hockey players. You swear half the box vanishes in front of your eyes as they compliment you on your baking abilities. You mentally thank your mom for the perfected family recipe that you practically have memorized. They make friendly conversation, besides Quinn who has remained rather quiet, except for offering a few side comments or sounds of agreement. Eventually Elias asks you more about how your first game hockey game went. 
Elias is observant and incredibly well spoken, and he’s making what could have been an awkward situation a very pleasant one. He guides most of the conversation as Brock becomes more comfortable with the dynamic of you being there with his other friends. It’s cute how close Brock and Elias are. Even just standing in the kitchen you can tell the two of them have a bond that’s different than the ones between the other boys. Brock is sometimes shy and blushy when the two of you talk, but with his friends he’s more bold and sure of himself. 
The small talk is getting thin, and you’re about to politely end the conversation and tell them you should go when Jake asks how you and Brock know each other. You don’t know why you hesitate, but you do, and you look at Brock who is standing next to you. Before you can decide how to answer Brock replies simply, “We went to UND together back in the day.”
“I guess we don’t really know each other very well, but we had some mutual friends.” You try to add and clarify.  
“Oh cool,” Jake replies, not really giving it much thought. “So are you liking the city so far?” he asks. 
“I like it a lot , I just haven’t had a lot of free time outside of work to explore. But, my co-workers finally like me since I know all about hockey now, and the one girl in our office is my best and only friend!” You laugh at yourself a bit, because you know it sounds a little sad that you’re a young twenty-something with zero signs of a social life. It earns some laughs from the guys too. 
“You should come out with us next weekend, you gotta experience Vancouver’s night life! Plus, we’re celebrating my dog’s birthday!” Jake exclaims, and you can see Elias rolling his eyes and Brock and Quinn are both laughing while shaking their heads. 
You look between the boys, a bit confused, “Your what? Your dog’s birthday?” 
Jake laughs too when you seem so confused about it, “It seemed like a good excuse to go out. Gotta keep it loose, ya know?” He seems serious about this and you can’t help but laugh. The guys explain that they don’t get out too often during the season, and some of them don’t even like going out, but sometimes it’s good to just let loose with the boys. Jake is one who particularly enjoys a good night out, and so occasionally when the boys haven’t frequented a bar in a while, he comes up with “reasons to celebrate.” Elias sounds like a dad when he says that they all just go along with it to make Jake happy, and Jake looks like a little kid when he rolls his eyes at them. He’s also quick to make the point that they always end up having a good time. 
“You obviously don’t have to come, but I think it’ll be fun, and you should bring your friend. Her name’s Jade, right?” You’ve talked to Brock about Jade a couple times in the past, but you didn’t really think he would have listened that intently or that he would remember your co-workers name. It’s nice knowing that he does. 
“Yeah, it’s Jade. I guess I could ask her if she’s free and let you know.” You tell him, still contemplating if you even want to go out to some busy club on a Saturday night. 
*
“So, uh— What are you doing this weekend?” You ask Jade, your co-worker as you walk into her office. She’s the only other girl in your office, and you’ve become good friends over the last few months. Her dark hair and dark features match her bold and strong personality. Jade constantly bugs you to get out more, especially on the weekends, but you usually curb her requests saying that you’re still getting settled into the new city. This excuse was wearing thin since you’ve been here almost four months now, and you knew you would have to give in to her requests soon. Instead, you’ve opted to invite her to go out with Brock and his friends this weekend. Or rather, pray she would go with you because there was no way you were going alone. 
“I don’t know, probably nothing because my friend is a loner who doesn’t ever leave her house.” Jade looks over at you with a knowing expression causing you to roll your eyes. 
“Your loner friend actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out this weekend.” You say mimicking her cadence.  “That guy from college who lives in my building is celebrating his friend’s dog’s birthday, so him and some of their friends are all going out.” When you explain why Brock’s friends are going out you realize again just how ridiculous it sounds, and you know it’s not really why they’re going to a bar to get hammered, but you relay the information anyway. 
You told Jade about “the guy from college” that you had run into in your apartment building, but you didn’t tell her that the guy was Brock Boeser. You were sure she knew who he was, even if she wasn’t shy with her discontent with sports. She’s just not a sports person, but anyone in Vancouver would immediately recognize the name of one of their biggest players. All you told her was that you had gone to UND together and that you had never really been friends, just that you had mutual friends. 
She never asked more about who he was, but she did ask if he was cute. You couldn’t lie, it would be sinful to do so about a man who was as good looking as Brock, so you told her the truth. You also told her how good of a guy he was and that he never hesitates to start a conversation with you. Since then, she has asked for regular updates on your interactions together. Even though you withheld some crucial information, you still told her about how he liked talking about hockey and that he had gotten you some Canucks gear to wear to the game. When you told her about that she insisted that he liked you, and part of you wanted to believe that, but another part of you knew that you and Brock still barely knew each other. 
He seems really sweet, but you can’t help but feel like he still has plenty of girls vying for his attention. Girls who are prettier and smarter and nicer than you. When you think back to those brief interactions with him it still gives you a feeling of anxiety. It’s the kind of anxiety that you get when you remember something embarrassing you did as a kid or when you’re trying to fall asleep and you remember that you said “you too” to the barista who said “come again!” Either way, you weren’t convinced that your limited interactions warranted any feelings on either of your parts, so you continued to try to suppress your growing feelings for him.
Luckily, Jade was happy to oblige your request of going out. She asked if your friend had any cute single friends, and while you weren’t quite sure if they were single, you said yes figuring that one of them had to be.
“Y/N, It’s me!” You hear Jade come in through your apartment door that you had left unlocked for her. It’s Saturday night and you’re getting ready to go out with Brock and his teammates. You still haven’t told Jade who he is, and you’re hoping she doesn’t freak out when she finds out. 
“I’m in my closet!” You shout back to Jade as she makes her way through your apartment. She finds you sitting inside your walk-in closet, trying to decide what to wear, “I’m having a crisis. I have no idea what I should wear.” You look over at her precisely curated outfit that’s perfect for a night out. She looks hot and it’s just enough to not be overdone. He hair is flawlessly sleek and her make up looks like an artist painted it on. 
“Stop moping. You’re just nervous because he’s cute and you like him. Go make us some drinks and I’ll pick out your outfit.” You don’t put up a fight, knowing that she’ll probably be able to piece together a great ensemble that you never would have thought of. Your strengths were probably better suited for making cocktails anyway, so you go to the kitchen and whip up a couple of drinks. 
On your way back to your room you turn on your “going out” playlist that hasn’t been touched in ages, and when the first drop of alcohol touches your tongue you automatically feel less anxious. She’s right, you totally have a crush on this guy, and you’re super nervous about going out with him and his friends. What’s worse, is that this was pretty much a pity invite, and him and his friends feel bad that you don’t know anyone else in the city.  
Brock’s night was going somewhat similarly to yours. When Elias got to his apartment for the pregame he found Brock standing in only his boxers with a pile of clothes covering his closet floor. Elias couldn’t help but laugh at him. He hasn’t seen Brock act this way about a girl in a long time. Come to think of it, he’s not even sure if he’s ever seen Brock act like this. Brock was sensitive, but he wasn’t anxious like this. He wouldn’t get tied up in things like what to wear or what to say to a girl. He did however, have the issue of falling way too hard way too fast, ending up in situations where girls left him after they got what they wanted. Over the years he’s learned how to guard his heart a bit better, and his friends, Elias especially, were always there to protect him. 
Elias likes you. He liked you the minute he met you. He was intuitive and was a good judge of character, which made him and Brock a good pair. Brock has a tendency to trust a little too much, but now Elias is there to help guide him toward the right people. When Brock introduced you to Elias, he could immediately tell that you were a good person. He could see it in your eyes, and in your genuine appreciation that Brock would recognize and say hello to you. Elias liked that you were sprightly enough to make a joke about knowing who he was. Most of all, he liked how Brock talked about you. Elias immediately recognizes when Brock has had a conversation with you before practice or a game. He comes in with a little pep in his step, that causes some of the guys to question if he got laid the night before, but now Elias recognizes that he must have seen you on his way to work. Brock gushes about your interactions and about how cute you are when you explain the hockey things you learn.  The day that you told him Elias was your favorite player Brock was so excited to tell him. He wasn’t even mad, he just loved how light hearted willing to joke around you were. 
Brock occasionally thinks back on the times he saw you after that first night at UND. He thinks about what would have happened if your boyfriend hadn’t been waiting for you outside of your dorm. It’s not that he thinks he would have gotten lucky or that you would have cheated on your boyfriend with him, it’s just that maybe if you had had a bit more time to get to know each other you could have at least become friends.  And maybe that friendship could have grown into something more and you would have broken up with that asshole to be with him. Brock thinks about what could have been, but he also knows that hindsight is 20/20. He doesn’t consider himself a superstitious guy, but he can’t help but think that you came to Vancouver for a reason. 
When your wardrobe crisis has been averted, you’re fully dressed in skinny jeans and a cute top that’s revealing enough but doesn’t exactly come right out and say “I want to have your babies right now.” (That’s how Jade described it, anyway.) The two of you have had a round of drinks and you decide that it’s probably an appropriate time to head up to Brock’s. You didn’t want to get there too early and be the only ones there, so you made Jade wait it out in your apartment until it was at least thirty minutes after the time he had said to come. 
Brock texted you letting you know the door was unlocked, and when you get out of the elevator you can already hear music playing from behind his door. “I can already feel it. This is going to be fun!” Jade tells you excitedly as you reach out for the doorknob. You laugh thinking about how she has no idea she’s about to be drinking with a bunch of professional hockey players for the night. 
When you open the door you see some of the guys you’ve met mulling about, most of them with drinks in their hands. Brock comes up to you almost immediately. Without even thinking he wraps you in a hug, and it feels so natural even though you’ve never had any sort of physical interaction with him. Your suspicions were right, he gives the best hugs, and you wish that you could stand there in his warm arms forever, but it only lasts a second before he’s pulling away and turning his attention to your friend who looks likes she’s surprised to see Brock Boeser hugging her coworker and Elias Pettersson coming up behind him to say hello. 
“Okay, you didn’t tell me that “your friend” was Brock fucking Boeser.” She doesn’t even try to whisper it, and it’s kind of what you love about her. She just expresses herself freely, and it’s honestly so funny when she says it.  It has Brock’s head falling back as he lets out a laugh. 
Brock and Elias introduce you and Jade to the other guys who are in the apartment. There are a couple girlfriends among them and even though they all look like they just walked out of an instagram ad, they all seem genuinely nice and aren’t nearly as intimidating as you thought they would be. You don’t get too much time to mingle before Jake informs the group that the “birthday party” is ready to move to the bars, followed by packing into various Ubers. 
When you’re all at the bar, a few other guys show up, some single and definitely ready to mingle, but to your surprise some have even brought their wives. The drinks are flowing and you’re actually having fun. You notice that Jade and Jake have spent a lot of time talking, and he offers to get her a drink before they head off to the bar. You laugh, and shake your head as she turns back to give you wink before heading off with the hockey player. 
You turn your attention back to the guys standing around the table, when one of them asks you, “So, how do you two know each other? I feel like somebody said you went to UND?” It’s Brandon Sutter, you didn’t recognize him when Brock first introduced you, seeing as most of the photos you’ve seen of him include a hockey helmet covering most of his face. It’s probably the alcohol— no, it’s definitely the alcohol that has you responding to his question, “Yeah, we went to UND together, but we didn’t really hang out or anything, I think everyone just thought I was massive bitch.” You laugh, but you can see some confusion setting in on Brock’s expression. Brandon laughs too, not thinking much of what you said. 
“What do you mean?” Brock asks. He never thought of you that way back in college. He knew that guy you dated was jerk. He dimmed your light, and that wasn’t your fault. 
“I don’t know, I just figured you guys all thought I was kind of a bitch because I just hung out with my boyfriend all the time.” You don’t really know what else to say, thinking back to those days where you would follow Owen around like a lost puppy. 
“I don’t think anybody thought that, we just thought your boyfriend was dick.” He says, and before you can say anything else he adds, “No offense. He just didn’t seem like he treated you very well. That night he yelled at you in front of the dorm when he found out you went to our party left a pretty bitter taste in my mouth.” 
“Sounds like a dick, to me.” Quinn says matter-of-factly. You’re sure it’s the alcohol for him too, he’s been more talkative in the last hour than he has been in the two other times you’ve seen him. 
“Yeah, he was.” You answer back.
“So I guess you’re not still dating this guy, are you?” Brandon asks. You can feel sets of eyes all resting on you now, like you’re about to reveal a big secret. 
“No no, we broke up right before senior year of college. I dated a little in grad school, but when I found out I was moving to Canada I didn’t really bother with trying to find boyfriend.” You tell them, as they nod in response.
The rest of the night isn’t as serious. Jade and Jake tear up the dance floor, and when she nudges you to signal she’s leaving with him you tell her to wrap before she taps it, earning a laugh and wave goodbye. Brock stays by your side the entire night, neither of you wanting to join the others dancing. His arm stays perched on the back of the booth you’re in, while you listen to JT tell some elaborate story from their recent road trip. 
When Brock sees you yawn for the third time in a row he asks if you’re ready to head home. “Yeah, I’m tired. I’ll probably just head home soon.” You think he might offer to go back with you, but you don’t want to assume. Instead of yelling over the loud music he just nods and pulls out his phone. He tells the boys that you’re both heading out and they all say goodbye before Brock nudges you out of the booth. 
On the car ride home he asks you what you thought of the boys, laughing when your first response is that there are just so many of them. “It’s like trying to keep track of puppies. They’re there one second and then they’re off doing something else the next,” You laugh at yourself thinking about how many of them probably have undiagnosed ADHD, or maybe some of them are diagnosed. “But it’s cute, you guys are like a little family.” This earns one of those genuine Brock Boeser smiles. He’s proud of his little family. He loves them all, and he’s glad that you like them because he can tell they like you too. 
That night out leads to a few more texts back and forth, and eventually to full on conversations that go one for days at a time. One night he asked what you were doing and you told him you were going to watch the Battle of Alberta game. You had heard a lot about this rivalry since you embarked on your hockey education, and you figured you should see what all the hype was about. To your surprise, Brock asked if he could join you, and the two you spent the night watching hockey from your couch. 
You hadn’t watched a game this intense before, and when Matthew Tkachuk drops his gloves to fight Zack Kassian, Brock can tell you’re on edge. You knew there were fights in hockey, and you had watched a few clips on youtube, but it seemed more real watching it in realtime. You wondered what it would be like to see something like that in person. As the two players are ushered off the ice, you can’t help but wonder if Brock would ever find himself in a situation like that, and when you ask him if he ever fights during games he chuckles a bit before he answers, “No, I’m not really the fighting type. I think it’s better for everyone if I leave that up to guys like Zack and Jordie.” 
You’re not totally convinced by this, and you don’t like that the thought of Brock in a fight makes you feel so sick. He can sense your hesitation and he wants to try to ease your mind, “When fights like that break out, it’s usually because both players have agreed to it. You can see that they’re talking right before, they’re asking each other if they want to do it.” He narrates as the fight replays on your TV. “Occasionally someone will still throw a punch even if the other guy says no, but that’s not common. It’s kind of an unspoken rule that you have to stand up for your team, so most guys who are asked will fight, but I’m not usually the guy in that position. I haven’t fought once in the NHL, and I plan to keep it that way. I’d get rag-dolled by both of those guys.” He says pointing back to where the players now sit in their respective boxes.
It’s nice to know that Brock hasn’t fought anyone before, but you still worry about him getting hurt. What if he was the one who got caught by a bad hit? You can’t keep thinking about things you can’t control, so you try your best to shift your attention back to the game. 
You and Brock find yourselves in each others apartments more often after that. The two of you will make dinner and watch a game, or just watch TV for the night. Occasionally you walk down to the coffee shop on the corner together or walk over to the park with Coolie and Milo. You’ve started to become friends, and you feel like Brock is letting you get to know him more and more everyday. The conversation is easier, and the flirting is probably more noticeable than either of you thinks it is. Your positions on the couch have drifted from opposite sides of the couch to having your thighs touching while his arm sits, resting behind you across the back of the couch. He always greets you with a big hug, and lately you’ve noticed his arms lingering around your body a little bit longer than the time before
He hasn’t made a move yet, and you haven’t either. You think that maybe he just isn’t interested in getting closer, and you’re admittedly too self-conscious to try to make a move yourself. Tonight os just like any other night that the two of you spend together but you don’t notice that Brock is pretty far gone in his thoughts. That may be because you’re lost in your own as well. A few minutes later his voice brings you back to reality, “Are you okay?” You look up from where you’ve been staring down at the wine glass in your hand. You’re sitting at his kitchen counter, and he’s standing on the other side of the island looking back at you. You tell him you’re fine but you can see that he doesn’t buy it for a second. 
“You know you’re like a really good guy, right?” You ask him, after taking another sip of wine. 
He smiles back at you with a bit questioning in his eye, “I mean I’d like to think that I’m not too bad.” He says back. 
“No, Brock. You’re like really good. You help old ladies at the grocery store, and you talk about your nephew like he’s your own kid, and you’re nice to me when you really don’t have to be.”  You try to tell him just how genuinely good he is. You wish you could explain it more eloquently and you wish you could show him how good of heart he has. 
“That just sounds like normal people stuff,” he replies with a slight shrug of his shoulders.
He would say something like that, and think that normal people were just as nice as he is, and maybe they were, but the people that you’ve met throughout your life have somewhat tainted that idea for you.
“I think maybe you don’t realize how good you are.” He says back, looking you directly in the eyes. “You’re a good person, and just because I knew you back when you dated some jerk in college, doesn’t mean that it has any impact on how I feel about you now.” He’s so serious in this moment, and not at all like the usual lighthearted guy you’re used to. Somehow he knew just where your insecurities laid. He’s so genuine and honest sometimes that it hurts and the butterflies you feel in your stomach are getting harder and harder to ignore. 
The two of you don’t talk much for the rest of the night, and instead settle in a comfortable silence while Brock catches up on the episodes of Gossip Girl that Elias watched without him. Brock isn’t paying attention to what is happening on his TV. His mind is way too busy thinking of what he’s going to do next. The guys have all been pestering him to get a move on, saying that he’ll miss his window of opportunity with you, and he knows that they’re right. If he’s lucky he hasn’t missed his opportunity yet, but if not, he might just be screwed. 
He doesn’t even notice when his eyes shift away from the screen and move to rest on you. He’s taking his time, studying every feature, taking in every soft curve of your face. He loves the subtle crinkles on the sides of your eyes that deepen when you smile, and it’s even better when it happens because of something he said or did. If he could, he would make sure that smile stayed on your face for every second of the day. Your hair flows naturally without being fixed and he knows that you often let strands fall in front of your eyes when you’re too concentrated on your work or like now, when you’re invested in the show that you’re watching. 
Without a thought, and on instinct alone, Brock slowly moves his hand up toward your face and softly tucks the strand of hair behind your ear. You’re a bit caught off guard at first, but you remain still as you feel his fingers linger on the side of your neck. Eventually you let your eyes meet his and you realize just how close you are to him. The two of you stay like that for a minute, staring at each other, taking each other in. It’s too easy to get lost in Brock’s ocean-like eyes, and you swear you hear the enchanting sound of waves crashing on a beach.  
You’ve been staring at each other for what feels like too long, and you’re about to pull away when you feel Brock’s hand on the side of your face again. He’s slowly inching toward you and his eyes are still glued to yours. He’s searching for any source of panic or concern in your eyes, but he doesn’t find any. Your heart has taken over at this point and you can’t keep yourself away any longer, before you lean in and your lips finally meet his. 
Kissing Brock feels like everything good in the world. It’s feels like the first time you road a bike or the first time you tasted ice cream. It’s new and invigorating and yet you feel totally safe and secure. Before you know it, you’re deepening the kiss and Brock lets you lead him to where you’re comfortable. It just so happens that you find comfort when you reposition yourself so that your legs are straddling his and his hands are resting on your hips. It’s only when your hips shift on top of him and he can’t help but let out a deep moan that also he makes himself pull away from you. It’s then when you start to panic, and think that maybe this was a mistake, maybe he’s realizing that now. 
“I don’t want you to think that I just want this.” He says as he motions to the small space separating your bodies. “I don’t want this to just be a one-time thing
” he mutters out, like he’s a bit embarrassed, and nervous that you won’t want the same thing. 
“Brock, the only reason I wouldn’t want this is if you didn’t want it. But if you do, then I do too.” You say steadily. Brock smiles and it’s one of those big toothy smiles he only shares when he’s truly happy. You can’t say anything because you’re just as elated, so instead you lean down to kiss him again. 
*
It’s only been a short six months since that night on Brock’s couch, but now you get to call his bed your own, and when you come home to your shared apartment you’re greeted by your beautiful blond boyfriend and your two dogs. Brock insists that you’re their adoptive mom now, and to make it official he bought the two of you matching hats that say “Dog Mom AF” and “Dog Dad AF.” You both wear them when you walk your fury kids together and even though you tell him you think they’re cheesy he knows that you love them.
Brock is somehow everything you need him to be. He’s strong when you’re not and he makes you laugh when you’re sad, but most of all he’s your steady companion. It’s crazy now, thinking back to when you met him. You were just a kid, barely out of high school, and you really hadn’t had the chance to think about what you actually wanted for your life. 
Then you graduated, went to graduate school, and started to find out who you were without a boy to dictate the ins and outs of your life. When you were given the opportunity to move to Vancouver you saw it as a new beginning, but you didn’t realize that it was going to be a gift to more than one part of your life. Your work life and your career goals were finally falling into place and that just left one more thing—your love life. You had stopped worrying so much about finding a boyfriend along the way as you focused on yourself, but when Brock Boeser reentered your life you couldn’t ignore it. 
Brock’s reemergence was a surprise to say the least, but now you both see that it was a gift of a second chance. When you first met, neither of you were ready for the kind of commitment you now share with each other, and you know now more than ever that those years with Owen and the years you spent alone were all worth it, because when history repeats itself you have the power to change the narrative. 
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whereisten · 4 years ago
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Dinner for Two
A Yuta fic that’s part of our Halloween Series!
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Summary: A dinner at the high-end Osaka Moon leads you to the head chef and owner, Nakamoto Yuta.
Pairing: Chef! Yuta x female reader
Genre: romance, angst, smut, fluff, mystery, suspense, drama, crime, HORROR
Word Count: 7.8k 
Warnings: Mentions of alcohol/drug abuse, verbal abuse, mention of sexual assault, infidelity mention, deaths, and big, uncomfortable twist (the ending is not for the faint of heart, I’m warning you).
(A/N): Hiya! Well, this is probably the most disturbing thing I’ve ever written. Hope you enjoy! Haha actually, this story was inspired by Yuta’s iconic tweet: “I will eat you”. Well, if that’s not a spoiler...Thank you so much for waiting. I apologize for the delay! Please come back later tonight for another spooky tale...Also, my apologies, I didn’t get a chance to proofread. I appreciate your patience. :D 
_______
Life had dealt you some harsh blows but you found happiness wherever you could. Your management position at the vinyl store Neo Records gave you prime access to the best music in the world. Even if the employee discount was trash. You’d worked at the records store for a few months now. This followed you having moved out of your mom’s place. You’d lived with her and your beloved stepfather while you attended college but you’d had enough.
Your mom was a drug addict and her husband Scott only enabled her to continue her abuse. You couldn’t say anything to them because you were the child and they were the adults.
And, as they had always thrown in your face, they paid for a good amount of your tuition because financial aid and scholarships could only do so much for you.
Well, you’re twenty four now and still a child in their eyes. You couldn’t take your mother’s mood swings and Scott’s goading for her to thrash around and party all the time. If your mother wasn’t going to get therapy and refused your help, then you decided to leave.
You had a really good relationship with your dad. You’d wished you had gone to live with him but during your college years, he’d only made enough to send you some funds for your tuition. You appreciated what he could do for you.
However, now he was more financially stable and he wanted to support you so you could move out of your mother’s house. You’d live in an apartment not too far from your dad’s place so you could visit him as much as you’d like. It drove your mom crazy. She always tried to contact you and convince you that she was going to get help. It was a tale as old as time. She said she would get help but never did anything about it. Once she had you under her finger, she reverted back to her ways: skipping work shifts, neglecting household chores, and verbally abusing you. You simply texted her you were busy with work.
Your boyfriend Johnny has been a source of comfort for you over the past year. You’d met him at a club one night with your friends. You told him you didn’t want to go home that night and asked him if you could stay over. Looking back on it, you had been too trusting but Johnny had treated you kindly: he let you take his bed while he slept on the couch. He made you breakfast in the morning: banana pancakes and scrambled eggs. You had sex with him the morning after and you’d been inseparable ever since.
These past few weeks, Johnny had been busier at his new job at a marketing firm. You two were supposed to have a date night tonight but he cancelled two hours before you were to meet at Hal’s Pizzeria for dinner. After that, you were supposed to go to the movies together. You were always a big fan of the dinner and movie date.
You sat on the couch in your living room, feeling a little blue that Johnny was working overtime. So you scrolled through your phone while you watched episodes of an English-dubbed anime about volleyball.
You texted your best friend Carla about how Johnny cancelled at the last minute and she replied: Since you don’t have plans, then I have an opportunity for you.
You texted back, What’s up?
She replied, I had a reservation at Osaka Moon for tonight but I got called in for work. Wanna go? The owner is supposed to be hot as fuck.
You replied, Okay, want me to get his number for you?
She texted, Unnecessary. Thanks, y/n. We’ll go together next time.
_______
Osaka Moon was a high-end restaurant all your friends told you about. You decided to go on your own to the restaurant and have a date night with yourself. Being alone could be tranquil, you assured yourself. And you didn’t have to worry about looking so graceful as you ate so this could be great.
You dolled yourself up in a pale pink dress and some white wedges. It was an understated but elegant look. It was an expensive restaurant so you decided to go all out. You entered the Japanese restaurant and gave the hostess your friend’s name. She immediately sat you down at a table that overlooked the bay. It was a spectacular view. No wonder Carla didn’t want this reservation to go to waste.
It was a shame Johnny couldn’t be here with you right now. This place was so romantic. There were indoor fountains with koi fish swimming around. The ceiling was painted in shades of the sunset with birds flying through the clouds. The aroma of grilled meat and vegetables made you salivate.
A waiter took your order and you took out your phone to take pictures of the restaurant and the view. You wondered if you would catch a glimpse of the chef your friend had mentioned.
As you move your camera around the restaurant to get a wider shot of the place, you recognize someone through your phone. Johnny’s hair was slicked back and he was wearing your favorite suit of his: navy blue with a ruby red colored tie. His height made him stick out like a sore thumb. The sight before you made you wish he’d be a little taller so his head could hit the ceiling. For the sight left a bitter taste in your mouth.
Johnny had arrived at Osaka Moon with another woman. She was generically pretty and you hated her even more. She looked like the mean blonde girl of every early 2000s romantic comedy. She wore a revealing dress that exposed her cleavage very nicely. Why were you paying so much attention to her cleavage? Because of the necklace around her neck: a necklace that looked identical to the one Johnny gifted you last year. It was a rose gold pendant with a rose at the center. Johnny kissed the woman’s lips as he sat her down at the table. She placed her hands against his slimy face.
Son of a-
Hot tears started rushing down your face. You were sure your mascara was running. You gripped your glass of wine tightly. You were surprised you didn’t break the glass then and there.
First off, you went to the restroom and checked your makeup. A little mascara had run down your cheeks. You fixed your makeup and took a few deep breaths. You looked at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes were red. What were you going to do now? There was a chance he’d see you and you didn’t want to see the stupid look on his face when he realized he’d been found out.
And you didn’t want to imagine what other reaction he could have. All of this happening in such an extravagant place made you seethe.
Johnny made a fool out of you and his infidelity carved a hole so deeply into your heart, you wanted to scream. So you took a few more minutes to collect yourself. You imagined your entree would be out soon enough anyway. You quickly realized what you needed to do.
You made a beeline for the entrance of the restaurant and approached the first staff member you saw. He was a slender and striking young man. His long brown hair was tied up in a bun. His chiseled face made everyone’s heads turn. His heart shaped lips were perfect. And

Why were you thinking all of these things when you’d just been cheated on?
Wait a second

Why couldn’t you think this way? As of ten minutes ago, your relationship with Johnny was over.
The handsome man was talking to one of the hostesses. The hostess was biting her lips and making googly eyes at him. This was awkward but you were resolved to ask him for help.
You tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Excuse me.”
He turned around and eye contact with him nearly sent you into the stratosphere. His eyes were the deepest brown and when he looked at you, you felt like you were his world.
His eyes were that intense.
“How can I help you?” He smiled, his perfect set of teeth greeted you.
“Hi...Um, what’s your name?” You start, awkward at the start.
He smiled even wider, “Yuta, miss. And yours?”
“I’m y/n. Can I make a special request?”
You didn’t know it then but Yuta watched you enter the restaurant earlier. He was stunned by your beauty and your smile. You looked like a princess as you entered his castle. He saw the wonderstruck look on your face as you were led to your table. He’d never seen someone so happy to enter his restaurant. The young man before you was the owner of Osaka Moon: Nakamoto Yuta.
So for you to come up to him and ask him for a favor? He was more than happy to oblige.
Yuta noticed how red your eyes looked and was concerned. He wondered what transpired when he had to go check on the kitchen staff and couldn’t keep admiring you.
Although your eyes had been red, there was determination in them, he noted.
“Of course,” he said as you moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, making you both a little hot and bothered instantly. You both felt a spark from the moment you met eyes.
Snap out of it, you told yourself. He was very attractive, yes, but your heart had been ripped out of your chest. You wanted revenge. You had to remember why you were talking to this fine man in the first place.
_______
You sat back at your table, undetected by the clusterfuck of a man you used to call your boyfriend. You made sure to focus on your meal, which had been orgasmic. The dish was called Okonomiyaki, a pancake with sliced pork belly and cabbage. The okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and dried bonito shavings sealed this dish as one of the best meals you’d ever had. Your compliments to the chef, whoever they were.
You realized it was go-time when the handsome staff member brought the food out for Johnny and his date. All eyes were on the young man who said he would help you. You wondered why. Has your plan been found out?
The young man deposited the dishes to Johnny’s table. His radiant smile never slipped from his face. Incredible, you thought. After what you told him about Johnny, he looked like he was about to pounce on him right then. Even so, he looked attentively at you and accepted your request.
“Here you are,” Yuta said as he put down the plates of sushi in front of Johnny and Blondie. “And a special treat from our chef
”
Johnny and his date oohed and ahhed over their plates. Until the young man deposited a plate that had sauce spelling “Cheater, Liar, Bastard” on it.
“This dish is for you, sir. Have a pleasant evening with Girlfriend Number Two, you son of a bitch.” Yuta gritted his teeth at Johnny. The expression on Yuta’s face then both terrified and aroused you.
Humiliating your cheating boyfriend and standing up for you...It brought a smile to your face.
Even if you still wanted to cry.
Johnny glared up at Yuta, “What the hell is-” He then does what he never does and THINKS. He panics and scans the restaurant, looking for you. He finds you seated at your table. You raise your glass at him as you take a sip of your wine. You flip the bird at him in the process.
He stands up from his table and runs over to your table. “Y/n
”
The other woman is right behind Johnny and  simply laughs. “This is her? From the way you talked about her, I expected a real threat...but it’s nice to see that I have nothing to worry about.”
So she knew? She was in on this? You mimicked the blonde’s laugh. “Oh, fuck off...both of you
How long have been together?”
“Three months,” the blonde smirked.
That hurt. A lot. Johnny must’ve started seeing Blondie around the time you’d celebrated your one year anniversary with him.
You guessed one year was his expiration date for relationships.
“Go
” You started. “Have a nice blissful year together. In nine months or so, he’ll find someone shiny and new..”
Johnny was at a loss for words. “Y/n, I am so-”
“Are you sorry?” You rolled your eyes. “Go to hell, Johnny!” You couldn’t hold back anymore as the tears came out.
Yuta came up behind Johnny and his date. “I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“How dare you?” Blondie asked. “I want to speak to your manager-”
Yuta crossed his arms as his lips quirked up. “You’re looking at him.”
The three of you stared at him with your jaws to the floor. This was news to you. You’d ask the restaurant owner for a favor? The audacity you had

Your face heated up in embarrassment.
Yuta called over a few security guards to escort Johnny and his date out. Johnny couldn’t even look at you. A fucking coward. His other girl had more balls than he did.
Yuta put a hand on your shoulder and leaned down to speak to you. “Are you okay?” His anger dissipated at the sight of your tears.
You sniffled. “Yeah...Thank you...I-I’m so sorry for bothering you...I didn’t know you were the owner of this place
”
He squeezed your shoulder. “I was happy to help
”
You laughed. “You scared the crap out of me when you called him a son of a bitch.”
He played around with you. “Ah, you liked that? I’ve been working on my crime lord act...How do you think it’s coming along?”
You wiped your tears with your napkin. “Pretty good.”
You both laughed.
“Well, y/n...I hope you have a wonderful rest of the night.” He tipped his imaginary hat and walked away.
As you finished your meal, your waiter brought you a bowl of green tea mochi ice cream.
“Oh, I didn’t order this,” you started.
The waiter replied, “Courtesy of the boss, miss. Please let us know if there is anything else you would like. Your meal is on the house.”
“I’m sorry, what?” You asked in shock.
The waiter smiled. “Just following the boss’ orders.”
This night may have begun on a sour note but at least you could end it at this incredible place. And you were pretty sure you’d met a real life knight in shining armor tonight...
Before you left the restaurant, the hostess, annoyed, handed you an envelope. “Here.”
“What is it?” You furrowed your brows in confusion.
The hostess sighed. “The golden ticket. Have a good night, miss.” She returned to her stand with her coworkers.
You walked out the door and left Osaka Moon. You opened the envelope and found a handwritten letter.
y/n,
I’ll be upfront with you. I wanted to ask you out the minute you walked into Osaka Moon. But then I found out you had a boyfriend. And right after that, I found out he was a cheating piece of shit...So I’m at a crossroads here...Can I see you again? If yes, please call me at 555-127-1026.
Yours,
Yuta
P.S. The green tea mochi was good, wasn’t it?
_______
A week had passed. You and Yuta have been texting non-stop. He invited you to his restaurant to have dinner. The beef tenderloin he’d served you was out of this world. He made you laugh and shamelessly flirted with you the whole time. You told Yuta you weren’t ready to date so soon. You didn’t want him to be a rebound. You knew that once your heart mended a little more, you’d want to ask Yuta out. He was more than willing to wait for you.
You two had a lot in common: same taste in food, same taste in music, same sense of humor, and you both believed in astrology. No one was as unapologetic about being a Scorpio as Yuta was.
You and Yuta would share meals together frequently. Sometimes outside of his restaurant. And right after, you two would go to the movies like you wanted.
Two months have passed. Finally a couple, you and Yuta have just left the cinema. You’d just watched a midnight showing of Paranormal Activity 7.
“That was amazing,” you started.
Yuta snorted. “You are too easy to please, y/n. That movie was terrible.”
You slapped him in the chest. “You’re so full of it.”
Yuta chuckled. “Nothing beats horror movies from Japan. Just you wait
” He wrapped his arm around you.
You looked up at him. “Is that a promise?”
He kissed the crown of your head. “You bet it is.”
_______
“It is week nine into the investigation of Johnny Suh’s disappearance. Johnny Suh is a twenty four year old marketing consultant. He hails from Chicago, Illinois
” The news anchor says on the television screen.
You and Yuta are cuddled on his couch in his penthouse suite, watching the news. You were shocked when you first heard that Johnny had gone missing over two months ago. Even though you’d hated him with every fiber of your being, your heart ached for his family. You hoped he would be okay.
Yuta drove to you to work that morning and told you he would pick you up when your shift ended. He planned to surprise you with a backyard screening of “Ring”, one of the most popular Japanese horror films of all time. He’d set up a projector in his backyard so you two could watch the movie under the stars.
When Yuta arrived to pick you up, he saw you run out of the record shop and run away in tears. He ran out of his car to meet you.
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” Yuta asked as he cupped your face in his hands and wiped tears away.
You sniffled. “Let’s go...Pl-please.”
Yuta was hesitant but he accepted as you definitely wanted to get the hell out of there.
The question on Yuta’s mind was...Why?
As he drove away from Neo Records, he asked, more softly, “What happened, y/n?”
“I quit,” you said.
Yuta nearly stopped the car so he could look at you. However, he couldn’t because the traffic was quite unpredictable so he couldn’t turn to face you. “What? Why?”
“I...I don’t...He...Uh
” You hiccuped between your tears.
Yuta gripped the steering wheel at the sound of “he”. “Who? Y/n, did someone do something to you?”
You were worried about how Yuta might react when you told him about how your boss, Mr. Fox, groped you during your lunch break. Mr. Fox had always been too friendly with female staff but you never thought he would cross the line. Until today.
“Mr. Fox touched...me
” You managed to say. You shut your eyes, awaiting the wrath of the Scorpio beside you.
Yuta was about to rip the steering wheel out of the car. “He did what?”
“He touched me, Yuta...And I...I didn’t know what to do...I don’t have proof...So I quit. I can’t be in the same room as him anymore
”
Yuta was furious. To see the woman he loved broken and helpless. You were his everything and you deserve nothing but the best the world had to offer. And to see you get treated like this? He wanted to beat the shit out of Mr. Fox. He wanted to see him cry and beg for mercy.
He didn’t want to frighten you with his anger because you were already shaken up as is so he turned into a store plaza parking lot and put the car in park. He turned to you and asked you, “Can I hold you?”
You nodded, “Y-yes
”
Yuta backed the driver seat up so you could crawl into his arms. He held you as you cried. His heart ached for you and he wondered what he could do to get you justice.
You were so thankful to Yuta. You knew he would be so upset once you told him. Your heart felt so reassured to see how passionate he was about you. He made you feel like you were his world. And you felt much better knowing that you had him by your side.
_______
A week had passed by after you quit your job at Neo Records. You couldn’t afford to pay your half of the rent so Yuta offered for you to move in. You were thrilled at the idea. You and Yuta were living like blissful newlyweds.
You were washing the dishes after you two had eaten some imported steak that Yuta had wanted to try out. It was incredible. Everything Yuta prepared for you was literal sex in your mouth.
As you stretched your neck to the left, Yuta wrapped his arms around you and nibbled on your neck. “y/n, you smell like raspberries
”
You froze and dropped the dish you’d been scrubbing into the soapy water.
Yuta turned you around quickly and pulled your cleaning gloves off of your hands and tossed them aside. He picked you up and sat you on the kitchen island.
“I love that you’re here with me
” He whispered.
The hooded look in his eyes made your panties soak. He lifted the skirt of your dress up like nothing. He sunk his teeth into the fabric of your panties and pulled them down, never losing eye contact with you. You loved how primal he got with you. He always left you with love bites. He always seemed to find new places to leave them so you can find them during a random part of your day and think of him.
“I wonder if your pussy tastes like raspberries, y/n...Shall we find out?” Yuta asks as he looks up at you. He was on his knees, looking like he was praying to his goddess.
You nodded fervently as you pulled your dress off over your head, only in your bra now. “Yes
”
He unclasped your bra so your breasts were exposed to the cold air in the kitchen. Your nipples were already hard at Yuta’s initial touch. He got up off his knees and began sucking at one nipple and rubbing the others. He bit your nipple and you cried out.
You grabbed at his growing member and he grunted. You unbuttoned his pants so his aching member could be free. You squeezed it harder and began rubbing up and down. Traces of precum coated your fingers. You worked harder to get him riled up. When he felt himself build up, you stopped and he looked up at you through needy eyes.
You kept going until he climaxed onto your arm. You licked his cum off of your arm slowly and it made his cock harder. He met you halfway and lathered up his juices. He loved the taste of his seed on you.
Yuta catered to your pussy which ached for his touch. His hot breath greeted your entrance before he inserted two fingers inside you. He coated his fingers in your growing essence. You adorned him with kisses and love bites. You bit behind his ear and he moaned at your velvet touch.
He laid you down on top of the kitchen island, throwing everything off of the table with a quick swipe of his arm. He straddled himself on top of you. He proceeded to give your entrance some kitten licks, enjoying when he teased you most of all. You got all bratty and needy and it always drove him up a wall.
“Yuta...please hurry,” you begged.
He tsked. “Good things come to those who wait, darling.”
At the sound of “darling”, you got even wetter.
He chuckled as he licked your folds and played around with your sweet spot. Never quite making contact and making you delirious with need. You gripped his hair, trying to maneuver him to hit your sweet spot already.
“You better not cum until I say so, y/n...Or else I’m going to get very angry
” Yuta said with a mischievous smile on his face.
Yuta underestimated his touch, you thought. The man was literal sex on two feet. You came quickly at the contact he’d made with your pussy.
He frowned at you, “My dear little slut, you’ve disobeyed me.”
You sighed blissfully. “You make me want to break the rules, Yuta.”
He laughed. “So I’m to blame for your disobedience, huh?”
You grabbed his face and kissed him, your tongue playing around with his. You kissed his neck and left marks against his collarbone as he teased his cock against your entrance.
He entered you now and you felt close to completion. He thrusted against you and you joined him. The slapping of skin against skin and your moans echoed throughout the penthouse. You were thankful there were no next door neighbors. You liked the feeling of this floor being just the two of you.
Alone with Yuta, you felt like the center of his universe. You felt like a queen. That no one else mattered quite like you did. Yuta always made you feel like the most important person in the world.
You felt the need to climax come back quickly but just as you wished for your release against Yuta’s member, he removed himself and pecked your lips.
Between your thighs, he gave you a dark stare. “I don’t know if you should cum again, sweets.”
You drooled. “Please
”
Yuta teased. “What was that?”
“Please,” you full on begged as you started to touch yourself. “I need you or else I’m going to finish the job.”
He gasped and laughed. “You’re unbelievable.”
You coated your fingers in your essence and popped your index finger into Yuta’s mouth. He sucked hard.
“How do I taste?” You asked.
Yuta didn’t let go of your finger and bit lightly against it to tease you further.
You sighed. “Well, if you don’t want to fuck me properly, then I can’t force you. I’ll finish off in the shower.” You got up off the kitchen counter and nearly lost your balance. You were already weak in the knees.
Yuta fought back a laugh. “I’d like to see you make it to the shower, jello legs.”
You gave up and laid on the floor, giving him a nice angle of your naked body. You stretched out and started teasing your own entrance, imagining Yuta was building you up again. And having him watch from above on the kitchen counter, you felt yourself grow even hotter.
Yuta got up off of the counter and straddled you again. Without warning, he entered you and went hard. Tears streamed from your eyes as you climaxed quickly. Yuta continued you to thrust against your pelvis until he came quickly after.
Yuta took you into the shower where you would continue to fuck and he gave you new love bites. This time, they were on your ankles.
_______
A month had passed and you’d taken over as manager of Neo Records. Mr. Fox had fallen off the face of the earth and was reported missing. It was odd. Another man who attempted to ruin your life had disappeared. You thought it was karmic justice but deep down, it bothered you.
Your mother once again resurfaced after months of radio silence. She wanted to invite you and your new boyfriend (who she was very upset not to have heard about before) over for dinner. Scott and his kids from his previous marriage would be there. You hated them, too. They were a bunch of enabling brats that were after their daddy’s money.
You couldn’t say no to your mother, especially after she found out about Yuta from your dad. It wounded her pride that your dad knew something she didn’t. Your dad felt horrible for letting it slip in conversation with her. He couldn’t dodge her phone calls. He always tried to pacify her and talk to her when she called. So he couldn’t help but mention Yuta.
You didn’t want Yuta to know about your mother and her side of the family, for it brought about deep shame, regret, and painful memories.
But this time, you couldn’t run away.
You and Yuta went over to your mother’s lavish home, your old home for seven years. Scott married your mom when you were a senior in high school. Scott came from old money but he never worked a day in his life. The undeserving ass wipe, he was.
Your mother pretended to be the picture of domesticity as she cooked her once-in-a-decade dish of lasagna. You loved it, you hated to admit it now. You begged her to make it so many times when you were a kid. She always said she would but would always get distracted. Distracted with her new boyfriends or paying a debt. Sometimes you were truly on your own even if your mom had been physically beside you.
You and Yuta sat at the table with Scott and his kids. They prodded Yuta with questions about his ethnicity, his restaurant, his political beliefs, basically everything you can think of that would make anyone’s significant other runs for the hills.
Yuta took it like a champ. He answered them as politely as possible and whenever the question was too offensive to get an answer, Yuta masterfully deflected.
Your mom brought out the lasagna and served everyone. She gave an extra helping for Yuta. “I hope you like it, Yuta.”
Yuta nodded. “Thank you, Ms. y/l/n.” He took a bite of it. “It’s delicious.”
Your mom smiled brightly and gave you a look of encouragement.
You forced a smile.
Your mom could tell you were faking it and her smile faded. “You still hate me, don’t you, y/n?”
Oh no, you thought, not here

“I make this nice dinner for you and your perfect boyfriend...Who is clearly way out of your league...And you’re moping around like a sad, pathetic little bitch.”
“Mom, please stop-”
“You don’t tell me what to do! I am the parent. You are the child. Get that through your thick head. God knows what poison your father has been feeding you about me but he’s wrong. I’ve never been better,” she says as she downs her third glass of beer in the past thirty minute.  
She was already this inebriated so you imagined she drank before you arrived and drank more while she was cooking the lasagna.
You looked down at your lap and Yuta grabbed your hand. He squeezed it.
“Your mother has been coming with me to church, y/n,” Scott began, “She’s been conversing with the Lord and she’s been on the mend. Why can’t you see that?”
Your other hand that wasn’t holding Yuta’s had balled up into a fist.
Scott’s oldest daughter added, “Your mom’s amazing, y/n. She’s more of a mother to me than my actual mother is.”
That’s rich
.Your mom always acted so sweetly with Scott’s kids to get on his good side. It was sickening. And to hear this bullshit come out of their mouth...You were about to reach your breaking point.
“Yuta, let’s go,” you said.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Scott asked.
“Anywhere but here,” you said, “Excuse us.”
“Y/n, if you leave, I will never talk to you again!” Your mom wailed as she gripped her glass tightly.
You snapped, “Well, mom, that just might be the nicest thing would ever do for me.”
Yuta started. “Y/n-”
“Go to hell!” Your mom yelled.
“I’ll meet you there!” You yelled back as you stormed with Yuta right behind you.
Back at your place, you hid in your bedroom while Yuta ordered some takeout. You laid your face down on Yuta’s pillow and smelled the scent of his shampoo mixed with his cologne on it. It gave you great comfort.
Yuta joined you and sat beside you on the bed. “The food will be here in half an hour.”
“Thank you,” you mumbled against the pillow.
Yuta sighed as he laid down next to you. “How are you?”
“Humiliated,” you answered.
“Y/n...I am so sorry
”
“Are you kidding? I’m sorry I took you with me in the first place...I...I could’ve kept you from all of that
”
“Your mother insisted, y/n. We had no choice.”
“Yup, that’s how it always is with her and fucking Scott. I fucking hate him. If it weren’t for his money and her obsession with him, she wouldn’t have gotten to this point, Yuta
”
Yuta rubbed your arm. “I know, y/n
”
You sighed. “I know there’s nothing I can do...It just sucks. I try not to let it get to me...Since it’s something I can’t control...But seeing my mom like that...It’s really fucking unfair.” You sob into your pillow.
In between your sobs, you said, “I wish Scott would go away...Somehow
”
Yuta hugged you as you cried. He wanted nothing more than to take your pain and suffering away.
_______
A month had passed since the disastrous dinner. Your mom was good with her word. She hadn’t contacted you or your dad. You’d told him about the falling out and he consoled you. He understood your pain more than anyone. He encouraged you to keep living your life and being happy with Yuta and so you did.
Yuta’s birthday was coming up so you wanted to surprise him. He told you he was meeting a client downtown so you got to work.
You wanted to take Yuta to all of his favorite places over town and you wanted to make scavenger hunt out of it. The clues would take Yuta to places that had to do with your relationship. It was a way of celebrating how much of an amazing boyfriend he’d been to you. The ultimate prize of the hunt would be a key...a hotel room key to the Lotus Hotel.
As you shopped for art supplies for your scavenger hunt one night, you’d noticed Yuta on his way somewhere. He had a couple of shopping bags with him.
You decided to follow him and catch him by surprise. However, Yuta was headed to a more abandoned part of town, where there were only warehouses.
You got behind a bunch of abandoned cars and watched Yuta make his way into a warehouse, where his car had already been parked. Half an hour passes and Yuta comes out of the door with bags stained red with blood.
You furrowed your brows in confusion. What the hell were those?
You noticed the shifty look in Yuta’s eyes and quickly, you grew scared. Terrified of being caught.
Calm down, you told yourself, it was probably meat for his restaurant. What else could it be? You felt incredibly stupid for spying on him like this. In fact, you felt ashamed.
You waited for Yuta to leave in his car. You crept into the warehouse and tried looking through the windows. You saw nothing but butchers’ paper and a basket of random items.
Except one thing stuck out to you. A gold Rolex. It was obnoxiously large that you could never forget about it.
It was Scott’s. It was one of a kind. He had it custom-made to be the only one in existence. And now it was just sitting there in a random warehouse

But why? What was it doing in this warehouse that Yuta came out of?
Your stomach lurched at the uncertainty of it all. You needed to get the hell out of here so you ran off.
Not realizing you’d forgotten something.
_______
Yuta made you spaghetti and meatballs after work the next day. You’d been awfully quiet and he wanted to know why.
“Something bothering you, sweets?” He asked.
You played with your food and took a bite of one of the meatballs. Damn, it tasted good, you thought. It was savory and not like any other kind of beef you’ve tasted. You had to ask Yuta where he imported his meat from because there was nothing quite like it.
Still, you couldn’t look Yuta in the eyes.
“Y/n, look at me, please
” He started.
You forced yourself to look at him and just as you were about to speak, your phone rang.
You were shocked to see that it was your mom. You dreaded answering it but if it could deflect from the confrontation you were about to have with Yuta

You answered, “Hello?”
“Y/n!” Your mom sobbed. “Scott is missing!”
Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest. “What?”
Your mom wailed. “I don’t know what to do, y/n! Have you seen him at all since you came to visit?”
Your mind immediately went to the gold Rolex at the warehouse. “No, mom, I haven’t seen him.”
Yuta watched you with curious eyes. You averted your gaze and got up from the table. “Mom, please calm down...The police will find him. That’s what they’re supposed to do.”
Your mom laughed. “When has the police ever done what they’re supposed to do?”
You sighed. “Mom, I’m so sorry...If there’s anything I can do
” You felt awkward for saying this because you absolutely hated Scott and part of you wanted to say good riddance...But you couldn’t. You couldn’t add salt to your mother’s wound.
You mom replied, “If you see or hear anything about Scott, call me. Please.”
“Okay,” you said, “Bye mom.”
Your mother hung up.
You turned back to Yuta, who watched you carefully from the table.
“Your food’s getting cold, y/n
” Yuta mused aloud.
“Right
” You said as you sat back down. You took another bite of the spaghetti and meatballs.
“What was that about?” Yuta asked, concerned.
“My mom called. Scott is missing
” You said as you looked down at your food.
“Oh? Well, that’s terrible,” Yuta said. He looked upset enough.
But you knew him. You sighed, “Yuta, you’re hiding something from me.”
His eyes widened. “Finally, I was waiting for you to say something. It’s been driving me crazy.”
“What?” You asked.
He pulled something out of his pants pocket and it was your charm bracelet. His birthday gift to you from last month...You’d completely forgotten about it. “You dropped this on the way home.”
Your mouth opened in shock.
“How long were you watching me for, y/n? It must’ve been troublesome to be hiding in the rubble across the street
”
You lost your appetite completely. “You knew?”
“I knew you were tailing me yesterday
” He said as he picked at your plate and took a bite of your food.
You started pathetically, “I wanted to surprise you
”
Yuta nodded. “But instead I surprised you
”
“Yuta, what was in those bags?” You asked. “And what were you doing with Scott’s watch?”
Yuta bit his lip and rubbed the back of his head. “Well...Since we’re this deep into the relationship, I think I should be completely honest with you, y/n.”
The look in Yuta’s eyes was something you didn’t recognize. It wasn’t playful. It was more...evil.
“Do you remember our first meal together, y/n? How savory it was? How it was unlike anything you’d ever tasted?”
You didn’t know where this was going but you responded anyway, “Y-yeah
”
“Did you ever stop to think if it was really beef tenderloin?” Yuta asked.
Your eyes widened. “N-no
”
“Come on, y/n. It’s me...You can be honest
”
“Was it veal?” You asked, grasping at straws.
Yuta shook his head and a smile was fighting to come onto his face. “Nope...I grounded him up real nicely for our first meal together
” He muttered that last part.
“Him?” You asked.
“But who else, y/n? Think.”
You and Yuta ate together for the first time after...Your breakup with Johnny.
“Yuta...What are you
” You began.
“I think I’ve made myself pretty clear.”
You laughed skeptically. “Yuta, I know you love to tease but be serious for a second
”
Yuta’s face darkened. “I am serious, y/n.”
You shook your head. “You mean to tell me...Y-you killed Johnny?”
Yuta nodded. “Why, yes...Slit the bastard’s tire before he left the restaurant. Followed him home. Made sure Girlfriend Number Two was going up to her apartment and I got him right where I wanted him
”
“Yuta
” You couldn’t believe what he was saying. This had to be some cruel joke. And the fact that he was being so specific with these details meant that he wasn’t lying.
“So, yes, y/n, I killed Johnny and I ground him up. No evidence of that bastard’s existence is left now
And do you want to know why?”
You cried. “Yuta, stop it.”
Yuta wiped the tears from your eyes. “Because we ate him. You and me, y/n
”
You gasped in horror. You sobbed as you backed away from Yuta. “You’re a fucking liar, Yuta. Stop it!”
Yuta sighed. “Why should I stop there? That scumbag, Mr. Fox? Remember the day we made the sweetest love in the kitchen? And we had ‘steak’?”
“Yuta, no!” You fell to the floor. “Stop it! I am begging you.”
“You need to know the truth, y/n
”
You shook your head. “You killed them...And you killed Scott.”
“Ding ding! We have a winner!” Yuta rejoiced.
“You’re crazy
” You cried out.
Yuta’s smile faded as quickly as it came. “Y/n, you don’t mean that. You love me. Just as I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment we met
”
You cried harder. “Yuta
”
Yuta got onto the floor with you. “I did it all for you, y/n. So you could be free from them all.”
You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Yuta was a murderer and...you couldn’t even think the word...
And you...you ate their remains...Johnny’s...Mr. Fox’s...and

You looked up at the plate of spaghetti and meatballs and came to another realization. You ran into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.
You gagged and coughed as you held your hair back.
You’d just eaten Scott’s remains.
Your world was crashing down on you. Yuta, the love of your life, killed three people. And that was only accounting for the people you knew. You had no idea what his past was really like. Yuta cut them up, ground them up, did everything a butcher would do with their body parts. Yuta fed them to you. He ate them knowingly and unapologetically.
And the worst part?
You enjoyed every morsel

And you craved more.
Yuta entered the bathroom and held your hair back for you as he caressed your back. “There, there
”
Tears from vomiting ran down your cheeks. “Yuta...You really shouldn’t have done those things
”
“Do you really mean that, y/n? Johnny made a fool out of you and lied to you. He humiliated you and he didn’t stop his new girlfriend from insulting you. He was scum. Mr. Fox was the most vile of them all. He touched you without consent. Rapists should perish from the moment they think of touching someone...At least, give me that much, sweets
”
As disturbing as everything Yuta had said sounded, you couldn’t help but agree with him.
“And Scott...You wished to make him go away...And your wish is my command, my angel.”
You got up from the toilet and flushed the contents down. You went to the sink and brushed your teeth. All the while, Yuta watched you.
“Y/n...The consumption of human flesh has been a custom in my family for generations...These days, we can’t just pick and choose our victims. We must have an honorable reason to kill them. You gave me three victims. A feast. It’s what sustains me, y/n
”
You spat the toothpaste out of your mouth and swished your mouth with some mouthwash. “You...you’re serious?”
“I need to consume human flesh at least once a year or I will die, y/n...Why do you think my parents died so young?”
You thought about it. “They gave up on human flesh?”
Yuta nodded somberly. “I don’t want to die, y/n. Now that I’ve met you, I can’t afford to
”
“But why did you feed them to me?” You asked.
“To absorb their power. To move on,” he said, “It’s my family’s belief that once you ingest the meat of your enemy that you will overcome the barrier that they’ve created for you.”
You stood there, silent. You were afraid of what he would probably bring up next.
“You enjoyed it, didn’t you?” He asked, finally.
You averted your gaze and stared at the sink. “I...did.”
Yuta met your eyes through the mirror. “I know, y/n...And there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Not with me.”
Tears escaped your eyes. Yuta was right. It’d felt...amazing. Empowering. And each of them were the best meals you’d ever had

“Yuta?” You started.
“Yes, darling?”
“Never keep anything from me again,” you commanded.
_______
It had been a year since the news broke out over Scott’s disappearance. Johnny and Mr. Fox’s missing person cases had gone cold.
Since Scott was out of the picture, your mom had a mental break and was admitted into a rehabilitation facility. She is continually seeking treatment and is turning away visitors. She wrote you a letter, reflecting on her past mistakes and how she’d failed you as a mother. She apologized profusely and promised you that she would try to be sober.
And that’s all you’d ever hoped for from her. You knew that it would be a difficult journey. But the desire for change was the first step in the right direction. And you had a feeling your mom was going to succeed.
You married Yuta. Your father gave you away at the wedding. You were happy. You and Yuta traveled the world together. You had adopted two rescue dogs. To your friends and family, you and Yuta were the dream.
When you’d returned from your honeymoon, Yuta had bought a house for you two to start a family together. The first night in your new house, Yuta bred you.
You two laid in bed together. Yuta hugged you and asked, “So, has anyone screwed you over recently?”
You laughed. “Nope. Sucks for you, doesn’t it?”
He rolled his eyes and nipped at your ear. “A Nakamoto man’s gotta eat, y/n...Any ideas?”
You nuzzled into his neck. “You can always eat me.”
Yuta got a hard on at those words. “You’re too sweet for me to eat. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, y/n
”
You traced your fingers down his happy trail and asked. “Well, we can go hunting this week. I’m sure there’s some privileged college fuckboy that is beyond redemption
”
“You know what, y/n? There’s so many things I love about you but it’s your optimism that gets me hot.”
“Oh yeah?” You teased as you kissed him.
“I love you,” Yuta said between kisses.
“I love you, too,” you replied.
[Fin]
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fvrxdrm · 4 years ago
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Last Night (Leon Kennedy x Reader)
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Pairing: Infinite Darkness!Leon x GN!Reader
Warning(s): Implied sex
This is about a dream I had a few nights ago. I added a few things at the end bc the ending in my dream didn’t make sense but I’ll explain it later at the end notes.
*****
“Ugh! She’s a fucking headache!”
The coolness of the air conditioning in the briefing room dried up the remaining sweat on your back and forehead and your hands went disgustingly sticky with the clamminess clinging into your palm. Fatigued and dozy you were, you were sure you were going to pass out right there in your seat.
You, along with your partner, Leon, were tasked to save Ashley Graham again, this time in a more urban part of Italy. When the president told you about her getting kidnapped again, you legit rolled your eyes and Leon nudged your side when he saw the subtle gesture you displayed. Had Leon had the audacity to disrespect people who had higher power than him in his line of work, he would’ve flipped the president off and took the both of you to a nearby bar. He wasn’t like that though, much to your dismay. He still had that “mama’s boy” attitude in him even when he left some of it during his “rookie day” or night or something.
You were close to rioting that time. They were going to send you to that fucking mission again with only the two of you and hand you both shitty-ass pistols with ten fucking bullets. Who the fuck does that? Wouldn’t you send the whole team if you, the president of the United fucking States, had a daughter that’s been kidnapped? Also, why the fuck didn’t they enhance the fucking security level? Hello? Parenting 101?
Leon crashed onto the couch beside you, making you bounce a bit, before shaking his hair from the grease and dampness his locks held. “Agreed. I might’ve lost my ears right there
again,” he grunted as he stretched his arms above his head and managed to pop a few joints in the process. “Wanna grab a few drinks after this?”
With your head leaned against the back of the couch, you turned to look at your friend with jaded eyes and a lazy smile. You nodded in response and slapped a hand on his thigh. “Sure.”
*****
You may or may not have had one too many drinks and danced around like a fucking worm on crack. Leon had one of his arms wrapped around your waist and a glass of whiskey in his free hand as he ground against your skirt-clad ass while you responded back with the same enthusiasm as him. Both of you were drunk, that’s for sure. Not only with pure intoxication, but also with a sinful desire; something you two unknowingly shared on nights where fingers worked their magic to bring you both to a blissful high. You knew they weren’t enough to satisfy your wants, but they were enough to calm your racing thoughts temporarily instead of committing to a one-time thing and bringing awkwardness in the atmosphere, at least you thought it would’ve been a one-time thing.
Leon whispered naughty things into your ear, things he wouldn’t have said had he been conscious enough to stop himself from making a move, and boldly dipped a finger in your skirt and rubbed your pussy through your underwear. He was going to make love to you, he said, and he would make sure that you would be his. You bit your lip as you moaned at his words. He was hot and you would gladly let him fuck you anytime, anywhere. And so, you agreed.
*****
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The provoking sound of your phone pulled you away from your dream. Your fantasy was so close to getting to the good part. Leon was about to fucking kiss you and then somebody decided to fucking wake you up! You sighed. If somebody woke you up this early then you guessed it was really important. So, despite being piqued and groggy from the sudden sound, you picked your phone up from the night stand beside your bed, not even thinking about how different your room looked, and checked the time before answering the call. “Hello?” You spoke, your voice raspy and your throat feeling like a thousand knives were stabbed into it. You also took note of how your head felt like you were banging it against the wall with so much speed and vigor and attempted to ease it down with a simple massage but to no avail.
“Morning, Y/N!”, the voice from the other line boomed, causing your agonizing condition to aggravate even more.
Ashley
You groaned at the contrasting enthusiasm the girl had and you had to slam the phone on the mattress to ground yourself and keep you from dying. “Can you keep your voice down? I have a headache right now and it would be much appreciated if you could calm down,” you said after bringing your device back to your ear.
“Oh, sorry. I was just going to ask if you could meet me in the church later? I wanted to talk to you about something while we get everything set for my wedding tomorrow. I tried calling Leon, but he wouldn’t answer. Can you do me a favor of telling him about it too?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call him.”
“Thanks, Y/N! I’ll see you later,” she said. The call ended with a series of beeps and you slammed your phone on the bed again with your eyes shut tight in irritation.
I cannot deal with that girl again. Especially now that I’m hungover
 But who am I to deny the president’s fucking daughter
?
You sighed.
Welp, time to call Leon.
You raised your phone up parallel to your face and was about to press Leon’s saved contact name when you suddenly felt an arm wrap around your torso. Your heart pounded. With eyes opened wide and brain waking up from its slumber in an instant, you slowly turned your head towards your left and almost screamed at what you saw
or rather who you saw.
Leon.
His chest was exposed to the warmth of the morning air, hair strands clamped together by oil and sweat that was starting to form on his skin. He was still deep in his slumber and you noticed how the round bulge tucked in his eyelids moved around as if he was exploring something in his dream.
Never had you and Leon shared a bed together. Those times where he would come over to your place for a drink? He would always insist that he could just crash into your couch in order to avoid invading your privacy.
You panicked at the situation you were in. You grabbed the hem of your blanket and yanked it up to check if anything did happen, and surprise, surprise; something did. You were both naked and you felt something drying up down there. You also started taking notice of how your vagina felt sore from probably getting pounded and fucked silly last night-
Oh, right! Last night.
You vaguely remembered how Leon touched your body while you two were getting drunk. You two were getting a bit too flirty and began groping each other here and there, getting more and more suggestive as minutes passed, pie-eyed and unconscious with how you were treating each other as more than friends.
Every corner and every wall your eyes passed was becoming a void of something dark, something you became anxious of. What happened would forever change your friendship and your relationship with him for sure. Hell, you weren’t even sure if he was going to stay by your side starting from when he wakes up in a few minutes. And as much as you wanted to go back and prevent that from happening, you couldn’t, and you had to face the music whether you liked or not.
*****
Sure enough, when you woke Leon up, everything was awkward. No words were exchange from when you prepared for the day, breakfast, and until Leon drove you both to the location Ashley had told you to go to. The silence rose hysteria in both of your minds. You were going fucking crazy. You were fidgety when you sat beside Leon in the passenger seat and the man would bounce his leg up and down when you hit a red light. You both were trying to avoid taking a glance at each other, but those inevitable moments that you did, you would forcefully smile at each other and then gaze back out the window again. That was the cycle you lived on for a few hours and you decided to let it stay like that until one of you broke the atmosphere.
You waited inside the church as you were told. It was only the two of you inside but you acted like a handful of people were sitting beside you with the amount of space that was left unfilled between you. You were biting your lip and focusing on the pillars and stones that made up the building until you couldn’t process anything that was happening anymore and stood up, studying the interior as you roamed. “Hey,” you heard somebody whisper behind you. You looked down to your wrist when you felt something warm and saw a fairly large hand loosely gripping onto it before looking up to see Leon’s eyes gazing into yours. You nearly got lost in them but thankfully, he spoke before you got stuck into your own stupor. “I just wanna say
 I’m sorry. I-it’s not gonna change everything that happened but I don’t want to break what we have. I value you and our friendship too much for me to let it go. I don’t think we can forget about last night but if it makes you feel better
I-I-“
“Can we talk about this outside? I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to talk about it here,” you chuckled. Leon nodded in agreement before leading you out to where a garden caught your attention. “Listen Leon, I know we can’t just pretend nothing happened but
 I don’t wanna let go of this either. I value this as much as you do and it would be crazy stupid for me just to just hate you for something we weren’t even conscious about or something,” you said. You both laughed in relief as the weight on your shoulders dissipated into thin air before you placed a gentle palm on his cheek. Again, no words were shared but this time, no anxiety was present. Instead, you felt like this was an intimate moment only the two of you shared. Something was being written in the stars and you saw every word the gods wrote in the eyes of the person in front of you both.
As cheesy as it sounded, you two felt like magnets were pulling you towards each other, physically and mentally, and in a matter of seconds, you found your lips being pressed against Leon’s.
It was like you were recreating what happened last night without even knowing the details, except this was slower, more sensual, and certainly more emotional, and you couldn’t help the tears that flowed freely against your cheeks.
“Come on, let’s ditch Ashley. Maybe we could relive what happened last night?”
*****
Okay, so in my dream, Ashley’s not getting married and she didn’t call me. Instead, what happened was after the bar scene, Leon and I got teleported in front of the altar and just fucking talked. And then we walked outside and what happened in the end of this fic happened in my dream. Lol.
I rushed this bc I’m tired.
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searchingwardrobes · 3 years ago
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Ivory Runs Red: 5/6
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First off, massive thanks to the @cssns​, my beta @demisexualemmaswan​, and my artist @cocohook38​. Cocohook created this amazing cover art, and she is working on something else too to go with this story. The rough sketch made my jaw drop, so I can’t wait for ya’ll to see it!
This part  is going to be a little long, but I need to address something that I got multiple comments about. Just bear with me; this is the only way I can think to clear things up. I was really surprised to see that some people were angry at David and Mary Margaret for not doing anything to find Emma and/or "allowing" her relationship with Neal. Others simply expressed things along the lines of "I hope you explain what David and Mary Margaret did about all this." The reason this reaction surprised me so much is because I thought it was clear that they HAD done something. Why would the Golds need to get rid of police files if the Swans never reported Emma missing? Why would issues of the newspaper be missing from the library if Emma's disappearance wasn't reported on? Obviously, David and Mary Margaret did something! As for Neal, they had no idea Emma was seeing him. If you'll recall, in a previous chapter, Emma told Killian she had to sneak out at night to meet Neal. So that wasn't Snowing's fault either. Also, how would any of these characters know what David and Mary Margaret did or didn't do for their daughter? This is almost a hundred years later, and Emma's memories are dulled from being a ghost for so long. The only way I could spell out clearly how Snowing handled their daughter's disappearance would be some sort of convoluted info-dump, and I didn't want to destroy the tone and mood of the story to do that. But just so everyone knows: Yes, Emma's parents were devastated. They did everything in their power to find her, never giving up hope (which is so in character for them!). They died still believing she was either still out there or that crimes against her had gone unpunished. It broke their hearts. The Golds spread rumors that Emma was some kind of slut who ran away with a guy, and the people of Storybrooke overall thought the Swans had gone crazy. So there it is, that's the back story that I just couldn't figure out how to fit in the story, lol.
I'm not mad at the questions, to be clear. I was just surprised by them. I guess I blame the show for ruining these two as parents the last couple of seasons. Maybe that's why everyone jumped on them so fast. I was also honestly worried that ya'll would be upset with me for not addressing the topic, hence this long explanation! No one was rude by any means, so don't go trying to defend me from nonexistent trolls, lol! My feelings have NOT been hurt. I simply wanted to address the questions that were asked and the misplaced anger toward Snowing. (Not anger towards me - but fictional characters!)
Okay, now that I've cleared all THAT up, let's get on with the next chapter, shall we? And I'll go ahead and warn you: this is gonna hurt . . .
Summary: When ebony flashes gold, blood runs cold. When ivory runs red, you’ll be dead. Killian Jones had heard the old rhyme his entire life. Every child did in Storybrooke, Maine. They heard it whispered in the dark at sleepovers as children; taunted as a challenge as teenagers. Killian never believed it was actually true. Until that fateful night 

Rated M for graphic depictions of violence, abusive relationships, and major character death (I mean, it’s a ghost story ya’ll, people are dead. BUT I promise, there is a happy ending. Trust me? *peeks from around a corner*)
Length: 6 chapters, complete, updated every Friday
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four
Also on Ao3
Tagging the usuals: @snowbellewells​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @kmomof4​ @xhookswenchx​ @let-it-raines​ @bethacaciakay​ @tiganasummertree​ @shireness-says​ @stahlop​ @scientificapricot​ @spartanguard​ @welllpthisishappening​ @resident-of-storybrooke​ @thislassishooked​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @kday426​ @ekr032-blog-blog​ @lfh1226-linda​ @ultraluckycatnd​ @nikkiemms @optomisticgirl​ @profdanglaisstuff​ @ohmakemeahercules​ @carpedzem​ @branlovestowrite​ @superchocovian​ @hollyethecurious​ @vvbooklady1256​ @winterbaby89​ @delirious-latenight-laughs​ @jennjenn615​ @snidgetsafan​ @itsfabianadocarmo​ @lassluna​ @distant-rose​ @courtorderedcake​ @winterbythesea​ @thesschesthair​ @killian-whump​ @thisonesatellite​ @batana54​ @it-meant-something​ @xsajx​ @therooksshiningknight​ @gingerchangeling​​
Chapter Five: Run
“You’ve got to tell them what you saw - what you’ve learned,” Killian pleaded. 
Graham shook his head, his curly hair falling in his eyes as he stared at the slender hands he clasped in his. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw sported far more facial hair than it normally did, and Killian didn’t have to ask if he’d slept in the past forty-eight hours. 
“They won’t believe me.”
Killian’s jaw clenched in frustration. “But if I saw Emma, and you saw her, then maybe they’ll believe -”
“That Belle saw a ghost push Mike Gaston off the troll bridge? They’ll believe that? Really?” Graham let out a sarcastic, bitter laugh. “You really are just a naive kid if that’s what you're thinking.”
“But you’re a cop!”
“I’m still only nineteen! They’ll think we’re just over-imaginative teenagers.” Graham paused, reaching up with one hand to trace the curve of Belle’s cheek as she slept in her drug-induced prison. “That will land us in rooms just down the hall with our own IV full of an antipsychotic cocktail. How will I help her then?”
“You’ve fallen in love with her.” It wasn’t a question. 
Graham sighed. “How could I not? And how could he -” He broke off, his blue eyes flashing. “I’m not sorry he’s dead. If I’d been there and saw him hurt her -”
“Shh, I wouldn’t say things like that. Not here.”
Killian’s gaze fell to the bruises around Belle’s neck, and he didn’t blame Graham at all. It terrified him to think what could have happened if Emma hadn’t shown up.
“History repeats itself,” he murmured under his breath. 
*************************************************
Killian had scarcely arrived at the bridge when headlights blinded him. He turned away, blinking, stumbling, refusing to be stopped. 
“Emma! Emma!” he shouted. He tripped and dropped his flashlight. It broke as it hit the ground, rolling to the edge of the bridge. Now all he could see was ebony before him and radiant luminescence behind him. 
His palms scraped against the asphalt as Liam hauled him to his feet. His brother gripped his upper arms so tightly it was almost painful, and he gave him a brief shake. 
“You’ve got to stop this!”
Killian fought him. “I have to see her!”
Liam had always been broader than Killian with an unfair advantage in all their childhood tussles. Even now, Killian was no match for him as he lifted him bodily with one arm and hauled him over to his car. 
“You need help!” Liam literally tossed him into the backseat. 
“I’m not going home!” Killian tried to scramble out, but Liam just shoved him back inside. 
“Good, because I’m not taking you home.”
*******************************************************
“Why won’t you be straight with us, kid?”
Killian glared at the detective with a cynical sneer. The psychiatrist on the cop’s left frowned at Killian’s attitude. The choice of words was cruel considering he was in a literal straightjacket. His vision of the two men was obscured by the long strands of dark hair before his eyes. Haircuts were apparently seen as a luxury on the psych ward. 
“I’ve answered all your questions,” Killian finally told them wearily, “you just don’t like what I had to say.”
“Because we want the truth,” the psychiatrist, Dr. Archie Hopper, said gently. He was clearly playing the part of “good cop.” Or “good doctor.” Whatever.
“I told you the truth.”
“There’s no such thing as ghosts.”
Killian snorted a laugh. “Tell that to Mike Gaston.”
The detective’s voice took on a harsh, warning tone. “Mike Gaston was the victim of murder.”
“The victim!” Killian cried, his voice snapping up. “What about the bruises he put on Belle? Or the fact that I nearly died when he tied me to that bridge!”
The detective’s lips curled up in a lewd sneer as he lit a cigarette. “If some horny teenager likes it a bit rough, that’s none of my business.”
Killian fought his bonds, his jaw clenching at the detective’s insinuation. He was as bad as Neal Gold, maybe worse. He had to be pushing fifty at least, and a pot belly strained at his button up shirt. His eyes widened as Killian raged.
“Bothers you though, I see.” He leaned forward. “Nobody blames you for wanting her, kid. Nobody blames you for being jealous. But murder? That’s a different story.”
“I told you I had nothing to do with that!”
The detective glanced at Dr. Hopper, and the soft spoken psychiatrist took over. “Killian, start at the beginning for us. What did Belle say when she called you that night?”
“I’m telling you, she didn’t call me, she didn’t come to my house. I saw her early that afternoon at the library. That was it. Then my brother got a phone call that there had been an accident, and we came to the hospital.”
“You and Belle were at the library together a lot,” Hopper said softly, “what did you two do there?”
Killian rolled his eyes. He hated the patronizing way the man asked the question. “We studied. Did our homework. We were friends.”
The detective snorted again, and Killian wanted to scream. “Drop the act, kid. You really expect us to believe that you spent all that time with her, all that time with a hot chick, and you never fucked her?”
Dr. Hopper recoiled at the foul language, and Killian thought his own jaw might actually break. 
“You’re just as much a misogynistic, narrow-minded, neanderthal as Mike Gaston.”
The detective grinned and slapped Dr. Hopper on the knee. “You were right, shrink, this kid’s smart.” He took another puff of his cigarette as he eyed Killian. “Smart enough to plan an elaborate murder with your knocked-up girlfriend?”
“That’s the most ridiculous - wait - did you say knocked up?”
“Hm,” the detective mused, leaning back in his chair and rubbing at his five o’clock shadow. “You didn’t know?”
Killian was horrified when a laugh slipped past his lips. Another bitter laugh followed, then another, until before he knew it, he was shaking with them. He was laughing hysterically while wearing a straightjacket. That thought made him laugh even more, and if he didn’t seem like a lunatic before, he sure as hell did now. 
“What the hell is so funny?” thundered the detective.
Killian’s laughter stopped abruptly and he leveled the man with an intense stare. “History repeating itself. That’s what’s so funny.”
A smile that he knew bordered on manic curled his lips. Yes, history had repeated itself, and this time, Emma Swan had won. 
************************************************************
They didn’t have enough to charge him, or Belle, or anyone else really with Gaston’s murder. It was officially declared an accident, and theoretically, Belle French and Killian Jones were free to move on. 
Killian wouldn’t say it was easy for Belle. She had severe trauma from that terrifying night, and she ended up losing the baby because of it. Nevertheless, she had Dr. Hopper’s patient help, her father’s support, and Graham’s unwavering devotion. Soon, though it would be a long time before she was truly healed, she was able to go home. 
Killian, on the other hand, didn’t really want to go home. For one, he, unlike Belle and Graham, refused to stop talking about Emma - refused to lie and say he made it up. He didn’t fault his friends for it; didn’t take it as a betrayal. He even understood their reasoning when they begged him to do the same and just play along, damn it. He simply couldn’t do it. Emma was too real, too precious. He knew her in a way they never would. He knew the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips. He wouldn’t - couldn’t - let that go.
The psych ward wasn’t so bad. The drugs numbed him to the point that he sailed on a sea of oblivion half the time. He’d stopped fighting, so there was no more straight jacket, no more bed straps. 
And she came to him. Sometimes the drugs meant he wasn’t lucid enough to really carry on a conversation. On those nights, she curled up next to him on the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his cheeks. She pressed kisses to his lips, and sometimes he could respond in kind. 
Other times, though admittedly rare, they would talk. About everything and nothing at all. One night, they talked about their dreams for later, after high school, and suddenly Emma began to weep. 
“I know,” he soothed, brushing her forehead with a kiss, “you fear you can never have that. But maybe we can figure it out. If we somehow get the truth out. About your murder -”
Emma silenced him with a finger to his lips. “That isn’t it, Killian. It’s you. I have no more tomorrows but you can.”
His brow furrowed, and she sighed and soothed the lines away with the pad of her thumb. 
“But not if you keep holding onto me.”
His arms instinctively pulled her closer. “I’ll never let you go.”
She sighed, and sadness filled her eyes. She slipped out of his embrace and rose from the bed. Her skin grew white, her gown floated in an ethereal way at her feet. He frowned and scrambled to a sitting position. 
“I have to say goodbye,” she told him. She said it with an edge of discovery in her voice. Her lips turned up in a soft smile even as a tear slipped down her cheek. 
He shook his head and tried to reach for her, to leave the bed, but he had just enough drugs in his system to make his movements sluggish and ineffectual. 
“I won’t let you see me again.”
“No, Emma, please! I love you!”
“And I love you. That’s why I have to do this.” 
She was already fading away. Killian made a fist and slammed it into his thigh. Tears stung his eyes. 
“Be happy,” she told him, “for me.”
Then she was gone.
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super-unpredictable98 · 3 years ago
Text
Exposure Therapy (The Road Within AU)
Chapter 2: Not So Normal
Warning: Strong language, depiction of mental illness (including tics), mention of death and disordered eating.
(Exposure Therapy Masterlist)
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"FUCKING CUNT WHORE!" Vincent's shout made me go from half asleep to very much awake.
"Good morning to you too," I joked as I came down the stairs.
"Hey, Ramona," he twitched violently spluttered while drinking some juice. By now I was so used to the twitching and the spasms that I barely noticed them at all.
The last couple of days I've been trying to gather the courage to ask him to use my nickname. My full name reminds me of my mom, but I didn't wanna seem nasty.
"You can call me Mona, I'm not a huge fan of my name."
"Alright, Mona, are you hungry?"
"Not really, this fucking medication," I nearly gagged just thinking about it. "It makes me feel sick all day, plus my antidepressant has tiny little spheres inside the capsule and every time I swallow I hear this horrible rattling noise in my throat that just makes me... Argh! I'll eat at dinner."
"Dinner?" Vince furrowed his brows as he pushed his chin up with the heel of his hand.
"Apparently this OCD pill is also a good appetite suppressant. I gained some weight after... Some stuff happened back home."
"Oh, no, that can't be good, you should talk to Dr. Rose about it... Not eating isn't good for you, believe me," his expression darkened completely. I'm not usually the best at reading people's faces, but even I saw that change.
"I will, I'm just trying to gather the nerve to talk on the phone."
"You don't talk on the phone?"
"Not really, when I used to sing I could use the excuse that I couldn't strain my voice, but now I just have to admit it's because of my anxiety."
"I could help you if you want, I could call and then you explain to her," he shut his eyes abruptly. "Fuck off, weird cunt- I'm sorry..."
I knew he didn't mean it, but part of me started to think that maybe that's how he felt. Everyone else certainly did.
He was very nice, but he probably thought I was crazy and who could blame him? I did just say that the rattling of my medication in my throat makes me lose my mind.
"Where's Alex?" I tried to push those thoughts away.
"He went grocery shopping, he doesn't trust me to do it. He likes to check the expiration date himself and make sure every container is in pristine condition."
"I understand his worries, I need to check the date at least twice before eating, but you seem pretty trustworthy."
"Thanks," Vince chuckled. "Are you sure you don't wanna eat anything? Do you like eggs?"
"Only scrambled, I tolerate cheese or onions, never both."
"I guess it's your lucky day," he lowered his eyes to the half-eaten scrambled eggs with cheese on the plate. "I don't mind sharing."
I tried to fight a grin as Vincent handed me his fork. Usually I don't do this, I don't eat with someone else's fork or drink from someone else's cup. This sounds absolutely disgusting and it would send me into a terrible anxiety attack, but not this time.
It felt like an act of intimacy when I took a bite, that piece of metal had touched his lips, his beautiful, plump... NO! Why do I do this to myself?
Fuck, I hate being the way I am, someone gives me the slightest bit of attention and I'm already head over heels! But it did feel pretty good to use his fork, maybe I should face that as a behavioral exercise instead, I'm confronting my germophobia.
"Did you like it?" Vincent asked before making a pop noise with his palm against his mouth.
I simply hummed in response, not realizing that the fork was still in my mouth, resting on my tongue. He nodded in encouragement with a smile.
"Do you want some more?"
"Oh!" I pulled the fork out. "Yeah, I guess..."
I took another bite and tried to fight that nausea the medication was causing, that moment was too good to be ruined. Even if it was only happening in my head.
"Great, just a little bit more, baby steps."
——————————————————
"Or even worse he could be very nice, have lovely eyes, and make me laugh, come out of hiding. What do I do with that? Oh, God, what if when he sees me I like him and he knows it? What if he opens up a door and I can't close it? What happens then? If when he holds me, my heart is set in motion-"
"That is so pretty," Vincent stood by the door as I played the ukelele.
"Oh, shit!" I almost had a heart attack when I realized he's been listening. "Thanks."
"Sorry, I didn't wanna scare you, I just finished my online school stuff and I heard you singing..."
"It's alright," I shook my head, avoiding looking into his eyes.
"What's the name of that FUCK song?"
"It's When He Sees Me, from Waitress."
"Can you continue?"
Very hesitantly I got my ukelele back in position and restarted from where I stopped. I was beyond embarrassed, but I didn't want him to think I stopped because of him or because I was singing about him, or because I don't know the rest.
"If when he holds me, my heart is set in motion. I'm not prepared for that, I'm scared of breaking open, but still I can't help from hoping to find someone to talk to... Who likes the way I am. Someone who when he sees me, wants to again."
"That was beautiful, Mona," I couldn't tell if he was being honest or if he was mocking me.
"Thank you," I chose to believe he was being honest, even though if he wasn't I would end up looking stupid.
"I wanted to ask..." he started ticking more violently. "Would you wanna- cunt, go to the beach with me?"
My eyes probably grew wide trying to process the question. Vincent was traditionally attractive, yeah, he was probably insecure about his tics, but he could get any girl he wanted, why would he be asking me?
UNLESS... He was asking me as a friend and I'm being stupid again. Damn it, I had to answer quickly before he realizes I thought it was a date, before he gives up, before he thinks I hate him!
"Yes," I nearly whispered.
"C-cool, why don't you get ready and meet me downstairs?"
"Sure," I grimaced, already regretting accepting the invitation.
I'm pale as can be, so the sun would probably burn me. I can't swim, so that would be awkward. Beaches are disgusting, all that sand sticking to my skin... Not to mention how the sea is filthy and basically filled with disease.
Of course there was also the issue of the swimsuit... My mom had bought me a couple of new ones, since the old ones don't fit anymore. They were all one-piece, all black, one with little stars and moons and the other with small aliens. She said Black is slimming.
I grabbed a beach dress, a towel, and my sunscreen. It was almost five, so the sun was not that dangerous anymore, but I would probably need to reapply anyway. So I went downstairs and Vince was anxiously waiting by the door.
"Are you ready?" he smiled.
"Where are you two going?" Alex came in holding two huge bags of groceries.
"To the beach," I muttered.
"Oh," he seemed surprised? Admired? Upset? I wasn't sure. "Have fun then."
——————————————————
"Is this spot good for you?" Vincent asked.
"Yeah, it's fine."
It wasn't fine, it was a bit too close to the water and if we stayed long enough the tide would get to us and I would have an anxiety attack, but I wasn't gonna tell him that. The whole point of this exposure therapy was to make me uncomfortable, so I could get comfortable in the future, right?
I sat down on the blanket he brought, he quickly joined me while a particularly bad string of tics took over him.
"CUNT CUNT FUCK!" Some people around us were staring, but I didn't really mind.
"Looks like these assholes have never seen a person with Tourette's before."
"They probably haven't," he laughed. "It's not that common."
"Well, fuck them for staring," I felt truly bad that this is what he has to go through every time he goes out in public.
"Yeah, but you have anxiety and I just..."
"I don't care about that, I used to do theater, I'm used to being watched."
"Used to? Why don't you do it anymore?" he was finally starting to calm down.
"My grandpa died, he was an actor. He was the only father figure I ever had. Now that he's gone it doesn't feel right being on stage anymore and I ended up getting fat anyway, so it doesn't really matter."
"Ha, landwhale," he squealed. "Sorry."
"It's fine," I tugged at the sleeves of my dress to cover my arms a bit more and folded them in front of my stomach. It was just a tic, but somehow that one really hurt.
"That wasn't a tic!" he shouted and covered his mouth immediately, mortified. "Yes it was, it was a tic!"
"Did you just tic saying that wasn't a tic?"
"Yeah, that's a dangerous one... I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry, Vincent."
"No, I really am, I-"
"You didn't mean it," I covered my eyes before any tears could come out, I didn't want to make him feel bad about it.
"Yeah," he frowned. "I get how you feel, you know? My mom died a couple of years ago, she was my best friend. It sucks, I know, but don't you think your grandpa would be proud of seeing you carrying his legacy or something?"
"Maybe," I cursed the second I said yes to that stupid beach date. "But I need to find the strength to step on stage without crying first."
"You know, I really am sorry about what I said."
"Why are you still talking about it?"
"I can see you got upset," I looked at him, his curls danced in the wind, covering his eyes a little bit, he looked more beautiful than ever.
"Nah, I'm fine," I looked the other way once again.
"Hey," Vince brought my gaze back to him with his hand on my cheek. "I didn't mean it."
"I know, trust me, I know..."
"You're beautiful, Mona! Don't ever think that you need to be a certain size to look good, that is a deadly path."
"You're saying that because you're worried I'll go down the same road as Marie?"
"Well, it's really painful to watch someone you like going through that..."
"Do you still like her?"
"FUCKING BITCH," he screamed and whistled right after. "As a friend, but just that."
"I'm sorry for asking, I probably shouldn't."
"It's fine," he stared into the horizon. "She needs someone who can take care of her, I can't do that. I can take care of a girl like a normal boyfriend would, but I can't have the responsibility of her entire life on my back. She is a nice person, but can be very toxic sometimes, it's like she doesn't want people to love her."
"Why did you say yes to Dr. Rose if you don't wanna care for people?" I don't think I've ever felt so inadequate in my entire life. If that was a date, that was probably the worst first date in history... But it wasn't.
"You don't need to be taken care of, you just need someone who listens to you and is willing to understand the way you feel."
"But earlier-"
"Earlier you were having a hard time, but when I handed you the fork, you didn't fight it. I didn't have to insist for you to eat or else you might die. I know you think you're an inconvenience to us, but you're not," contradicting his words, he flipped me off, but I just laughed.
"I just have this constant feeling that even though people might like me, they would like me more if I was different, neurotypical."
"Do you like me?"
"Yeah," I admitted before my brain could stop me.
"Would you like me more if I didn't tic?" he raised his eyebrows.
"No, of course not," I scoffed, what sort of question was that?
"There's your answer," he shrugged. "Do you wanna go for a swim?"
"I can't swim."
"That's fine, we'll stay in the shallow, and if you're scared I'll hold your hand. If anything happens, I'll pull you back."
"Don't you think the sea is a little too dirty?" I chuckled.
"I don't know, but what I do know is that ever since I moved here I've been in there hundreds of times and nothing bad ever happened. You can always shower when you get home," Vincent ripped his shirt off and offered me his hand. "Wanna give it a try?"
I didn't wanna go in, I didn't wanna take my dress off, but I did wanna hold his hand and he did look very nice with his shirt off.
Sometimes, there are these wonderful moments in which your desire to do something is stronger than your fear. Like that one time when someone got sick at the stage door of the Winter Garden Theater, but I really wanted an autograph from Leslie Kritzner on my Playbill.
Those are the moments when you realize your real strength, when you finally realize you can and you will take that opportunity to be happy. I timidly shed my dress and took his hand. The surprised (or was it admired?) look he gave me was probably the best part, I don't think he expected it to work.
"If anything happens to me, I'll haunt you forever," I joked.
"You have my permission, but I think the worst that can happen is you having a great time."
I honestly couldn't believe that was my life. I was actually running towards the sea under the beautiful pink-orange sunset in California, holding hands with this cute guy (given he didn't like me that way, it's still nice to dream), and I didn't even need Lexotan for this one.
As soon as my feet touched the water, I thought I was gonna gag, but I felt great.
"See? Alive and well," Vincent smacked his own chest a few times. "How do you feel?"
"Alive and well!" I shouted.
"Isn't it amazing?"
"Yes!"
Every time the waves hit my legs, I felt like I was gonna fall, but I never did. Most of the things in my life were like this, a little voice in my head always telling me what would go wrong, but none of those things ever actually happened. It was just a voice, no face, no power, no nothing.
My fantasy was broken, though, when I tripped over an unexpected bump in the sand. Hearing my desperate yelp, Vincent placed his other hand on my back to stabilize me, holding me firmly.
We stared at each other for a little while, my heart was about to jump out my mouth and I had to look away, but just as my eyes found something else to stare at, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.
Tag List: @elliethesuperfruitlover @firstpersonnarrator @spanishmossmagnolia @a-ghoulish-tale @seanfalco @badsext
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unmaskedagain · 5 years ago
Text
You had a Friend in Me
           I’M BACK!! Oh god its been two weeks since I posted a story. I missed you guys like crazy. Hopefully you like my newest piece. I went a... Unique direction. Enjoy!
 She didn’t stumble, fall, and break like they expected her to. There was no big meltdown or confrontation. No apologies. Or promises to do better. No, when nearly everyone in class made it clear they weren’t friends with Marinette anymore; nothing happened. They had accused her of being mean to Lila and a bully as the reasons they couldn’t be friends anymore and had expected the girl to defend herself at the very least.
           Marinette just shrugged, and that was it.
           Even when they asked her to resign from being class president, she easily stood up and said she quit.
           Most of the class, Alya, in particular wanted to be angry at her lack of reaction; shout and scream at the bluenette for seeming not to care about the severance of their friendships. But how could they?
           They knew it was their choice. They were mature enough to know that everyone reacted differently to things. And yelling at Marinette for not being emotional enough at the fact that they weren’t friends anymore just showed their own immaturity. And that would be like telling Marinette she won; and that wasn’t worth it.
           Besides, It was only September, they were sure Marinette would come crawling back to them soon.




           Marinette never did.


           On the outside, it didn’t look like much had changed with the class. While the class weren’t friends with Marinette, they still chose to be cordial. They still did assigned group projects with. Everyone doing their part. However, no one went out of their way to speak with the Bluenette. And she did the same and seemed content.
           Despite appearances, things had definitely changed in class. And it didn’t take long for everyone to realize it.
           The first was Alix’s birthday. Everyone had been so excited. Birthdays were always the best for Bustier’s class. The entire classroom would be decorated. There would be cake and balloons; a wonderful and thoughtful perfectly wrapped present.
           However, when the kids arrived that morning, it was too the same ordinary classroom as the day before.
           It was disappointing to say the least. The kids scrambled to try to throw something, anything together before Alix arrived. However, it was too late. Alix arrived not long after them, and seeing the smile fall from her face broke their hearts.
           No one knew what to say. Or how to explain why nothing was decorated. Why there was no cake and or gift. They sat awkwardly at their desks.
           It was only after Marinette arrived, just a few minutes before the bell rang, that they all got their answer.
           Marinette. Marinette had been the class president. The class president was responsible for any class birthday, trip, or fundraiser. She had always gone above and beyond. Unlike, Chloe, the previous class president, who only ever put in their bare minimum (and she made Sabrina do that); a cupcake, a balloon tied to their desk, and a card signed by the entire class.
           Marinette had been their friend so she always made sure to do her very best to celebrate. But she wasn’t class president anymore. And she wasn’t their friend. She wasn’t obligated to do anything.
           So she didn’t.
           And while the class had been meaning to, they never got around to electing a new class president to replace the one their forced out of office.
           It burned a little.
           Particularly, when the class realized they were hard pressed to find volunteer to assume the role. No one had that much time on their hands. No one wanted to be responsible for anything going wrong. Or not living up to expectations.
           Friend or not, they could admit Marinette was a hard act to follow.
           Unfortunately, to prevent Chloe from taking the job again, Alya was forced to step up.
           It didn’t take long to realize that planning for fundraisers and dances and parties was equivalent to the work of seven people. She didn’t know how Marinette handled it so well.
           School trips, once amazing and carefully planned to the last detail, now were boring and hastily put together; the best one was a trip to the museum, mostly because they got to have ice cream after.
           Fresh baked sweets on big tests days were gone too. It had become a tradition that on days of major, study hard and cram for weeks prior, tests that treats were brought in the morning. It lightened the tension of the day, and just made everyone feel better.
           The morning of a huge math test that had caused a few kids to hyperventilate the day before and of; delicious goods were nowhere to be found.
           When the bell rang, Kim had quickly asked Bustier where the food was.
           To which the teacher replied, “Marinette always asked me if she could bring them in for her friends.”
           And that was all they needed to know.
           It sucked but it was something they could live without.
           Favors were the next thing they realized were gone.
           Before whenever they needed something; they would automatically go to Marinette for help. A babysitter, sweets, costumes, dresses, set design.
           Alya and Nino found themselves spending their date nights watching their young siblings together. Most of their friends refused to babysit. And the few that were willing were far too busy.
           Mylene found that the school play’s custom designed costumes were a thing of the past. So were the artfully decorated set designs.
           Alix had to make her own banners. So did Kim.
           Rose couldn’t just run to Marinette when she need a new fabulous dress. Marinette had always made it clear that she was willing to help out a friend whenever they asked her about costs.
           Then the favors they never realized they even got were gone.
           Discounts at the bakery were only for friends and family. Unfortunately that also meant the discount for their families were gone as well.
           Ladybug suddenly stopped giving Alya interviews. And when Alya asked why, the hero said she only did it because the reporter was Marinette’s friend. It hurt the Ladyblog badly.
           Someone coming to defend them whenever Chloe threw a tantrum and managing to calm the blond down. Even Alya found she wasn’t as much of match as thought, when the spoiled rotten girl was on rampage.
           This effect class morale dramatically. And it wasn’t before long that the class shifted to what it was like before Alya or Adrien came to school, with Chloe trying to declare dominance every other second. But this time, the other students were cowed like they used to be. No, they had seen Marinette standing up for herself and them for years. If she could do it, so could they. Sadly, they weren’t enough. With just the right amount of effort, Chloe could intimidate anyone.
           Adrien who was soon confused about why the friend safe haven had suddenly turned hostile
           Marinette just shook her head. Chloe asked (ordered) Marinette to come to her penthouse one October morning. The blonde had realized the dynamic in class had changed dramatically and wanted to seize the opportunity with an iron first; and she knew she couldn’t do that if Dupain-Cheng was still her number one enemy.
Chloe proceeded to lay down an offer of truce. Chloe and Marinette would leave each other alone, would stay out of each other’s way, and didn’t interfere with anything the other did unless it was school related so they absolutely had to. There would be no threats, stealing, lies, or intimidation from Chloe towards Marinette. In return, Marinette would let Chloe do her thing without trying to defend or save anyone.
As long as both did that, there would be peace.
Marinette agreed.
Thus Chloe’s reign for her symbolic iron throne began. The queen bee had no illusions of who was who. Marinette was a Stark. Chloe: a Lannister.  But Chloe was a smart lion. She had no problems letting the North be independent away from the rest of the kingdom. Chloe’s kingdom.
And much like show, there was no win or lose. When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. And Chloe would win.
Lila was the first to feel to the effects. Chloe refused to have competition for Queen Bee. And the Italian girl became took Marinette’s place as her new number one target.
Lila soon learned that dealing with Marinette was one thing, dealing with Chloe was a whole different animal.  While Marinette fought for peace, Chloe was more than willing to rage war. And unlike Marinette, Chloe didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Lila could scream to the world about how much of a bully Chloe was but what did it matter. Everyone in class knew that already.
She couldn’t threaten Chloe like she did Marinette. In fact, the Chloe regularly threatened her. In front of the other students, and Bustier.
She couldn’t try to get Chloe expelled as Damocles was quick to bend to the blonde’s will.
Chloe regularly “Accidently” tripped Lila, ruined her homework, stole any projects she had, destroyed her phone one time, verbally ripped her to shreds in front of everyone and even worse in private. Chloe would play mean and outright nasty pranks that would leave Lila in tears. More than a few sets of clothes were destroyed. To make everything worse, the blond brat routinely made her look like a fool in front of Adrien. She even got her mother to mock the Agreste brand about their use of a lackluster model to the point where Gabriel fired her.
Nearly everything Lila had accused Marinette of doing, she found herself actually having to face from Chloe. Who would’ve thought the bluenette was doing her a favor by being all moral and self-righteous that it would draw the attention of the evil that was Chloe Bourgeois.
The truce happened one grey October Morning, Chloe officially ruled the class again by November. Lila was seriously considering changing schools.
No one had the time to fawn over her. And she certainly didn’t have time to amaze anyone with her stories. No she was too busy fending off Chloe’s attacks. And wondering why the brat kept referring to her as a Tyrell. Or Alya and Nino as Karstarks. And the rest of the class as Freys’.
One by one, each student realized they had lost something else. Something they actually really missed.
When the class picture was taken, Juleka had been just late and no one realized it. Rose had comforted her again. But no one was able to get the photographer to take another picture. At the end of the day, Juleka still felt really bad about it and had to fight the urge to call Marinette that night. Marinette was always willing to just listen no matter the time.
And it wasn’t long where the other students found themselves in similar situations that all ended with them really wanting to talk to Marinette.
Alya after a fight with her sister.
Rose after Prince Ali wrote to her that he would be ending communication.
Nino after a gig went terribly.
Kim after he lost one of his games.
Alix after she broke her watch
. Again.
Mylene after a fight with Ivan.
Ivan after he failed a math test.
Nathaniel after Marc decided to end their partnership.
Sure, they went to their other friends for comfort. But Marinette was different. When one of them went to any of the other students with a problem; it felt just like that. Them complaining about their problems and the others doing their best to cheer them up and offer solutions. At the end, they still felt like they were on their own; like it was still just their problem. With Marinette

She always made them feel like they were on the same team. She cared like they were her problems too. And wasn’t going to stop until they were fixed. Marinette was someone they could just talk to without judgement or getting harsh opinions; no criticism. With her, they never felt like they were being judged; even when pointed out that it might, in fact, be their own fault.
They missed Marinette when they afraid or nervous. She’d always manage to calm them down, assure them, be their biggest supporter if need be. And her just being them made them feel better; like they stood more of a chance. She take their mind of things, get them to relax, smile, and by the time whatever it was that made them so terrified came up, they had already completely forgotten why they were anxious.
The strangest part was they even missed her when things were happy as well.
           When anything good happened, one of their first instincts was to call Marinette; scream their excitement. And listen to Marinette scream back just as happy as they were, despite that she was in no way affected.
           No; on the outside the class hadn’t changed much. Everyone still did their own thing. Homework was done. Tests were dealt with. Sure class trips weren’t as wonderful as they used to be. Birthdays only with store bought cupcakes and maybe some balloons. Everyone who started out as friends were still friends by the end of the years. It was just like anyone other class in the world.


           Except they were never like all other classes. They had always felt like they were special. Most kids hadn’t looked forward to school day but the students of Bustier’s class had. There had always been something new and wonderful to talk about; some adventure to go on. Now there was nothing. There was still life in the classroom; still laughter and fun. But it was like something took the spark that made it come alive.
           And it was hard to pretend otherwise.
           And they couldn’t really figure out why.
           One or Two (Rose and Nino) could admit, whenever they found themselves alone with their thoughts in class and looked around, that were was a hollowness to the classroom that had never existed before. It didn’t make sense. Everyone (minus Chloe) was still friendly with one another. They all still cared about each other. They were all still really good friends. Good but not as good as they used to be.


           They’d never be as good as they used to be again.


           The class for their end of year party had gone to the pool. They all had a blast. On their way home, they walked by the park and heard music and laughter. It didn’t take long to realize that there was a party happening.
“Happy Birthday, Marinette!” Caught their attention.
           From where they stood, just outside the party, the students and ex friends of Marinette could make out other students from different classes from their school.
           Aurore the creator of the new blog BugOut. There was Marc, Claude, Mireille, Ondine, Bridgette, the Ice King that was Felix Culpa, and a bunch of other students they never knew Marinette was friends with. Even Luka was there.
“I didn’t know it was Marinette’s birthday,” Adrien frowned.
           So did Alya. Mostly because it was her job to remember as class president. Partly because it was the first time she ever forgot her former (best) friend’s birthday. “It wasn’t on the list,” She gave a weak excuse.
“It looks like fun,” Juleka whispered.
           And it did. There was a live band, a feast of food, people laughing and dancing; it all looked so
 Alive.
           Alix stuffed her hands in her pockets. Her throat clenched at the sight of the laughing bluenette who didn’t look like she had a care in the world. “Who knew Marinette had so many friends?”
           Nino glanced down, “She looks happy.”
           And Marinette did.
           She looked like the happiest girl in the world.
           But she always did.
           Even after they ended their friendships with her.
           It didn’t seem to both the bluenette. She kept being her positive and cheerful self, except they couldn’t bask in her sunlight anymore.
           They watched when Luka got on their makeshift stage with his guitar, “Marinette you are the most special person I’ve ever met. You’re kind, sweet, and way too thoughtful for your own good. Which is why we all wanted you to know
” he started playing his guitar. A familiar tune filled the air, all the party goers starts to sings.
“You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me”
           The song left a bad taste of Irony on their tongues.
           They thought they had left Marinette behind, somehow it had ended up being the opposite.


           They felt like forgotten toys.
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ladyblogger-margie · 4 years ago
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Permit Pending - Part 1
Pairing: Will Miller (Triple Frontier) x F!Reader
Summary: All Will Miller wanted was a park permit for a VA fundraiser, what he got instead was an unscheduled afternoon exploring different parks with F!Reader.
Word Count:  3890
Rating: G (smut to come in chapter 2!)
Warnings: Course language. Eventual smut in future chapters. 
a/n: My first time writing reader insert and for Will Miller AND for Triple Frontier, so any feedback at all is appreciated. No Y/N. 
Series Master List
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3-2-1, Will Miller counted down to the ring of his morning alarm clock. Just like every single day his phone blared a monotonous alarm sound at exactly 05:42 and Will shut it off. He spent the next three minutes practicing mindful breathing and preparing for the day ahead. At 05:45 he rose and changed into his gym clothes. 
He shook together a protein shake as he rode the elevator down to the surprisingly decent gym in his building where he did exactly 30 minutes of cardio followed by an hour of weight training. Today was back and chest day – his favorite – so of course he decided to listen to a podcast instead of a playlist of high tempo motivational music. It was easier to be motivated for something you already wanted to do after all. The podcast today was about finding a balance between order and relaxation, something his therapist had recommended he do before his insurance ran out on therapy sessions and he opted out of continuing the process.
After the gym he returned to his apartment and started the coffee maker. After a quick shower and some facial hair maintenance, he dressed in one of his branded polo shirts and drank his coffee with his breakfast. He had two talks scheduled for the day before lunch, then an errand to run after lunch. Later that evening he would meet up with Benny for fight training. Today could not be any more normal for him - exactly the same as the day before, and the day before that. 
Or so he thought. 
You woke up groaning when your alarm went off at 7:15am. You snoozed it. You also snoozed your 7:22am, 7:31am, and 7:40am alarms. You finally rolled yourself out of bed at 7:50am in time for your quick 30 minute yoga routine before you got ready for work. 
You breezed into the parks and recreation office at City Hall at exactly 8:57am. You grabbed a cup of coffee from the office machine knowing that if you got up at 7:15am as planned you would’ve had time to stop at Starbucks on your way into the office. 
You spent your morning as you usually did - catching up on your passion projects which were the youth sport organizations. You ensured all the public teams had access to the necessary fields and confirmed with the greens team that they were all in working order. You loved your mornings at work even though you weren’t necessarily a morning person. 
After lunch was another story. After a series of poorly timed budget cuts, your department was forced to cancel the internship program. That meant you were drafted into working the permit desks in the afternoons. You knew that it wasn’t actually the worst thing in the world, it was just so boring. The applications were longer than they had any right to be and filled with confusing language. This meant nearly every single application required a specific follow up that never fit one of the many form responses you’d been accumulating in the hopes of streamlining the process. 
Of course you wanted your community to take advantage of the awesome parks in your town, but apparently the legal department didn’t. It put you in a difficult spot where sometimes you were forced to give the park permits to corporations instead of individuals and it drove you crazy to do so. It also locked you to a desk unless a specific permit issue arose that required an in-person follow up which never happened. Which is why after lunch you went off campus to get yourself your favourite Starbucks order because the permit desk on a Monday required the heavy artillery to survive. 
Or so you thought. 
After a few hours of pouring over pages and pages of documents, the most handsome man you had ever seen walked into the office. He had blonde hair and soft eyes which you noticed right away but immediately after you were drawn to his strong chest tightly wrapped in a blue polo with some logo you didn’t recognize over one of his firm pecs. 
“My name is William Miller, and I’m hoping you can help me with a park permit,” the man said, holding out his hand to you. 
You composed yourself as quickly as you could and introduced yourself in return, shaking his hand. “I’d be happy to help you with that,” you said as you let go. His hands were firm and from the callouses you could tell he worked out, though his general physique already gave that away. 
He smiled at you and you felt something stir inside you that was not exactly professional, “Did you have a specific location in mind?”
“No, actually I was hoping to get your opinion. I’m helping to put together a community fundraiser, a BBQ actually, to help support the local VA, but I’m not exactly sure where would be the best place to set something like that up,” he replied. 
You knew exactly where to send him. There was a perfect location you often recommended for huge family reunions, outdoor wedding receptions, and concerts. But as you looked down at the desk for the correct application form you saw the huge pile of pages still left unread taunting you and you got an idea, “Why don’t I give you a tour of a few different locations to help you make your decision?” 
“That’s a service you offer here?”
“We aim to please” you said, desperate for an excuse to get out of the office. 
Will hesitated as he fiddled with his keys for a moment. 
“I could drive if you like,” he offered.
You smiled as professionally as you could, trying to contain your glee. 
“Thank you, let me just check out with my boss and I’ll be right back” you darted away before you could blow your composure. 
You stuck your head into your boss’ office. “Hey, I’m stepping away from the desk. Some guy is insisting I help him pick a park location for his permit request. I’m on my cell if there’s an emergency” you said, not stopping to hear their response before darting off. 
You grabbed your coffee off the desk and landed in front of Will. “Ready,” you said as he smiled warmly at you. He held the door open for you as you left the office, and your boring afternoon, behind.
He led you to his truck in the parking lot and held open the passenger door for you which made your heart flutter though you tried to control it and you reminded yourself that this was a professional outing, not a date. 
He climbed into the cab beside you and started the truck before he turned to you and asked, “Where to?”
You gave him directions to a park you know wouldn’t work, but it did have a couple of soccer fields, and you wanted to check the nets there for holes and figured you could push your luck a bit more today. 
He pulled into the park parking lot and looked around with a slight purse of his lips and a furrow in his brow. He cleared his throat before asking, “I did explain it was a BBQ, right? I don’t really see a place for that,”. 
You suddenly felt guilty, thinking he probably had somewhere else to be today and you derailed him for your own selfish reasons. “I’m sorry, I’m keeping you. I just had to get out of the office, and I took advantage of you. If you’ve got somewhere to be, leave me here with your information and I’ll get everything arranged for you at the perfect place,” you said, avoiding eye contact.
To your surprise he smiled at you, “You should’ve said, I’ve got nothing going on this afternoon, I can help you play hooky.” 
You smiled back at him, relieved that he was on board with your scheme. 
Will watched as you inspected the soccer nets for tears and he felt a warmth in his chest he hadn’t since his fiancee, who had left him after the incident at the Publix. You were really nice and he could tell you were passionate about your job, at least parts of it, especially hearing you explain exactly what your job was while he drove you both to this destination. Plus there was no denying that he found you incredibly attractive. 
You returned to his side at the edge of the field after completing your inspection. “Thanks for waiting, there’s a middle-school tournament here starting tomorrow and I wanted to make sure everything was set,” you said to him and he knew he was in trouble. 
“Ready for park number two?” you asked. 
He nodded and led you back to the truck. 
When you arrived at park number two, Will realized this had to be the place you intended for the permit and he was a bit disappointed. He had been hoping to stretch out his afternoon with you a little longer. Before he could ask if you needed a ride back to City Hall he heard you let go a soft, sad sigh. He looked at you but you were gazing out the front window at the park. 
“Is something wrong?” He asked. 
“I’m going to kill the guys in City Planning,” you muttered upset. 
Will tried to figure out what it was you were looking at, but he couldn’t see anything wrong with the park. It looked like the perfect place for a fundraising BBQ. 
You turned to Will hopeful, “Do you have tools in this truck, or is it just for show?”
He smiled at your joke, “I’ve got a box in the back. What’s the problem?”
You gestured to a park bench, “City Planning keeps installing anti-homeless architecture in my parks and I’m not going to let them get away with it,” you said with a sly smile. 
Will knows for sure now that he definitely has a crush on you. He gets out of the truck and grabs his modest tool box from the bed and follows you over to the bench. He sees a metal arm rest in the middle of the bench, obviously installed to ensure no one lays across it. He checks the back to see how it’s attached and scoffs at the simple way it’s been bolted in and opens his tool kit. 
“Am I going to get arrested for this?” He jokes as he gets to work. 
You laugh, “You’re with me, I’ll protect you”. 
You smile at this; you could get used to the idea of having his back. He gets the bar free and you take it from him. He gestures to another bench a few steps away and he gets to work on liberating that bench too. You happily follow him as you ask, “So, you work for the VA?”
“Yeah, I mostly just run my mouth though,” he grunted as he loosened the much tighter bolt on the second bench. 
“Were you military?”
“Yeah,” He rolls up his sleeve and shows you a tattoo on his forearm, “Delta Force”. 
“But you’re retired now?”
“Something like that,”.
“Aren’t you a bit young to be retired?”
He paused and handed you the second detached metal arm. 
You felt self conscious, maybe you were being rude? “Sorry, it’s none of my business,” You said nervously. 
He shook his head, “You’re fine. It’s just not something I’m necessarily proud of though”. 
“You don’t have to explain, it’s none of my business,” You said, as you led the way to the third bench. 
“I had some trouble, and I was told my services were no longer needed in the field,” he explained getting to work on the third arm, “But I found a way to be useful, stay involved”. 
You nodded, “That couldn’t have been easy,”.
He shook his head, “There are good days, and bad days,” and he handed you the third arm. 
He looked around and didn’t see any more pieces of hostile architecture so he turned to you, “Do you need a ride back to City Hall?”
You looked at him and felt bold. “This is obviously the best park for your event, but if you’ve got nowhere to be, did you want to make one more stop and see my favorite park?”
He smiled at you and nodded his head. You led the way back to his truck where he put his tools away and took the arms from you and dumped them in the bed. 
“I can’t wait to drop those off at the City Planning office tomorrow,” you giggled triumphantly. 
You and Will loaded up into the truck and you directed him out of the parking lot. 
Park number 3 was your favorite place in the entire world, though to be fair you hadn’t actually travelled much so you couldn’t really compare it to anywhere else, but still. To you the lakeside beach next to the tree covered green grass was a slice of heaven. You’d go there on the weekends with a podcast lined up or an old book and spend the whole afternoon on a bench with a coffee and some fresh air. 
When Will pulled into the parking lot, you suddenly got nervous. You had lost some of your earlier boldness that suggested you open yourself up like this to a man you just met. But there was something about him, a warmth and a vulnerability that made you want him to know you, and you to know him. 
You both got out of the truck and the sun was starting to get low in the sky as you walked him to a bench that bordered the beach and the grass. You took a seat and he sat next to you, your thighs gently brushing. The contact sent a shiver down your spine that had nothing to do with the cool breeze that brushed through the leaves above your head. 
Will looked out across the lake and around the park. He felt the warmth of your leg against his and the urge to lean over and brush your cheek with his thumb nearly overwhelmed him. You were so close, it would be so easily for him to just kiss you. But he wasn’t sure you’d want that. You wanted to play hooky from work, and share your love of the parks. He couldn’t let himself think that your enthusiasm for the day had anything to do with him. Instead of holding you under his arm and against his chest, he folded in on himself and looked at you.
He was about to ask what you were thinking about when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and noticed Benny’s name on the caller ID and cursed under his breath. “I’m so sorry,” he said to you as he answered, “I’ve got to take this.”
He stands and walks a few paces away and you watch him leave, disappointed. You thought maybe he was about to ask you on a date, and tried not to let yourself be too upset that he didn’t. You watch as he rubbed his forehead and shook his head as he talked on the phone to someone you couldn’t hear and didn’t know. 
He hung up the phone and turned to look at you, and you turned away, a little embarrassed to have been caught staring at him. He walks back to you on the bench but doesn’t sit down again. 
“Thank you for showing me this place, it’s beautiful,” he said softly and his sweet voice drew your gaze to his lips as he spoke. You felt the electricity surge between you all the way through to the tips of your fingers and your toes. “I hadn’t realized how late it’s gotten, I’m supposed to be at the gym, training my brother,” he explained. 
You nodded and stood up next to him, so close you had to look up to meet his eyes. “That’s fine, I can call an Uber or something back to City Hall” and you pulled out your phone. 
He put his hand on your arm, “Don’t be silly, I’ll take you back. Plus gotta make sure those city planning guys get their gift.”
Your breath hitched when he touched you and you couldn’t contain your smile as you nodded. “Are you sure? I’ve already taken so much of your time” you said, unable to tear your eyes from his. 
“I want to”.
He walks you back to the truck and opens your door for you again and you hop in both flustered and excited. 
The drive back to City Hall is more quiet than you’ve been all day. Your previous trips were full of chit chat about sports and books and random small talk. Now all that existed in the truck was the electricity and tension between you. You wondered if he felt it too, or if the surprising infatuation was a one-sided affair. 
Will gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white. He had spent most the afternoon with you and he failed to buck up the courage to ask you out. You took him to your favorite place and basically hand wrapped a romantic moment, and he blew it. He didn’t know if you noticed the potential romance of the location, or if you intended to entice him so completely, but you had. And he blew his shot. 
Back at City Hall he handed you the metal arms from your adventure and you stayed by the truck. You were hoping he’d ask you out before he left. 
“Thanks for the ride, and the impromptu bench liberation, and the excuse to get out of the office,” you said with a smile, lingering longer than you needed to. 
He smiled back, maybe he could ask you now and he could still pull off the romantic gesture. “I had a great day, which I hadn’t actually expected when I went in earlier looking to fill out boring paperwork,” he said leaning unconsciously closer to you. 
He took a deep breath, ready to ask - when his cell phone rang again. He silenced it and tried again, “Hey-“ and the phone rang again and he answered it. “I’m on my way, asshole. Start with cardio,” he said, frustrated, “you don’t need me for that”.
He hung up and looked at you embarrassed by his outburst, absolutely believing that he had blown it for sure now. But you just looked at him amused, not annoyed. 
“Friend of yours?” you asked, stifling a laugh. 
“My baby brother. He’s a fighter and I’m his trainer, which I do for free by the way, but he loves to act like he’s my boss”, he explained. 
“Sounds like a character.”
“He is something that’s for sure. He’s also really special, really talented. He deserves a better lot than what he’s got”, Will's voice trailed off as he thought bitterly about how Benny left service when he did and the guilt he carried, unspoken, about that ever since. 
Will leaned back, “Do you need a walk to your car?”
“I’m alright, thank you. I better head back up to the office first anyway. Thanks again for today. Maybe I’ll see you around”, you forced a smile, abandoning all hope of a date and retreating into the building. 
Will kicked himself mentally all the way to the gym. When he got there he was in a bad mood. 
“Finally!” Benny shouted at him when he walked in.
“I have a life outside of you, you know that right?” Will spit towards Benny.
“Fuck’s wrong with you?” Benny asked.
“I told you I was on my way, what was so important that you had to call me again and nag me?” Will asked.
“You’re never late, I was worried,” Benny admitted. 
Will paused. He hasn’t thought of it like that. He was never late, it was so unlike him. It was actually kinda nice Benny worried, even if he was an ass about it.
“Well I’m here now, let’s get to it”, Will shrugged and he climbed into the ring opposite Benny. 
After training they grabbed some food together. After scarfing down most of his meal without breathing, Benny asked Will, “Why were you late? You didn’t say.”
Will cleared his throat, “I was trying to get a park permit for the VA BBQ”.
“I thought you did that right after lunch?”
“It took longer than expected,” Will said vaguely. 
Benny squinted his eyes at his older brother until the metaphorical lightbulb went off. “Oh shit!” he said, “You were with a girl! Fuck, I never would’ve called you away if I knew, you’ve been alone for so long!” 
Will threw his used napkin at his taunting brother, “Fuck off.”
“Seriously,” Benny said, not laughing anymore, “I hope I didn’t blow it for you, I want you to be happy.”
Will sighed, “I didn’t get her number, and I didn’t ask her out.”
Benny gave him a sympathetic smile, “At least you got the permit for the event.”
Will pinched the bridge of his nose, “Fuck, I completely forgot to actually get the permit.”
Benny smirked at him. “You know what that means, right?”
“No,” Will groaned. 
“You gotta go back and see her tomorrow.”
Will leaned back in his chair, his mood dramatically improved. 
The next morning you dragged yourself out of bed after your third alarm and skipped yoga, just not in the mood. You hoped stopping at Starbucks would get you out of your funk, but even your favorite coffee didn’t have its usual effect. You felt so stupid for feeling like this today. You literally knew Will Miller for all of one afternoon, it shouldn’t ruin your whole week that he didn’t ask you out. 
You walked into the office ready to be grumpy for the rest of the day when you noticed Will stand up from the chair in which he was sitting. 
Will had been waiting for you since the office opened. He was there long enough to wonder if what he was doing was creepy or sweet. The longer he waited, the worse he felt about his plan. Though once he saw you, his resolve formed and he stood to greet you. Any insecurity he had melted away when he saw how you smiled at him when you noticed him there. 
“Hey,” he started, finding his voice. 
“Hey,” you replied, breathless. 
“I never did fill out a permit yesterday, I got distracted by someone way more interesting than paperwork,” he said, unable to contain a grin. 
You felt something deep in your center as you too failed to contain a beaming smile. 
“I can help you with that,” you walked behind the permit desk and he met you on the other side. 
You handed him the paperwork and helped him fill everything out. The entire time neither of you could contain your ear splitting smiles. When he finished you stamped his form and returned his copy. 
“You’re all set, Mr. Miller,” you said, “Will there be anything else?”
He looked you the eye, “Are you free Friday night? I’d love to take you out.”
You nodded eagerly, “I’d like that.”
PART 2 
83 notes · View notes
mimiplaysgames · 4 years ago
Text
Terraqua Week Day 6 (Free Day)
Summary: Terra and Aqua are getting married—and Ven is the Bridezilla. || Word Count: 9,058
Read on AO3
A/N: @terraquaweek​ I could have never written this without my dear friend @localcryptideli​. We talked about this wedding years ago, and I promised to write it. It’s here, three years later, blending their headcanons with mine and I couldn’t be more proud of it. <3
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
the threads that tie hearts together
Terra never once considered in his entire life that his wedding preparations would include the perk of mice squeaking in his earïżœïżœbut he here is, in the tailor’s studio, getting re-fitted for his tuxedo, with Princess Cinderella’s team of seamstress mice on his shoulders, measuring the length of his arms. His muscles were too big for the previous suit. 
Ven refuses to hire a proper tailor, and instead rents out the parlor so the mice could do their work in private.
Lea sits on a nearby bench by the shoe shelves, the top button of his shirt open, jabbing at his Gummiphone. He’s quite popular today, pinged every two minutes. Isa and Roxas share a mirror, trying to get the mechanics of their bow ties right. 
Terra is getting married. 
The thought. Married. Soon. Yes. Damn. He can’t cry right now.
Terra stands in front of a mirror and bends his elbows to see how the fabric moves. The mice are tiny, three of them in skirts. They’ve developed an efficient obstacle course of threads all down his entire body, a network so the mice on the floor can deliver them supplies—spools, sewing needles, thumbtacks, measuring tape—in a jiffy. 
Lea groans, squeezing his Gummiphone. “This twerp is going to turn me into a serial killer.” He yawns, possibly for the fortieth time.
“Not an ill-fitting job, all things considered,” Isa says from across the room.
“I do appreciate your sarcasm.”
“Who’s bothering you?” Terra asks, lifting his collar so the mouse on his left could thread through it with a sewing needle.
Lea snorts, slaps his knee and leans forward. “Did you not know your buddy is a monster?”
“Ven?”
“Oh, he’s a joy.” Lea holds his Gummiphone up as if he’s about to make a speech. “Come help me pick out Aqua’s flowers. Now. If you could.” He glances at Terra, then back at the phone. “He writes that in all-caps.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t mean to be so pushy.”
“The other day, he called me to model the bride’s dress because Miss Aqua couldn’t be bothered to come to the fitting herself.”
“Master Aqua was away on a mission,” Isa explains.
“Isa took photos of me in it—” Lea scrolls through his phone, but stops. “Oh, I can’t show you before...” He clicks his tongue. “It’s very nice. Very bridal.”
Terra is sure that’s true, but the image of Ven hanging his head so much on someone else’s wedding is worrisome. Last night, he fell asleep at dinner. “I think Ven is taking on too much stress.”
“Lea,” Roxas says, snorting a chuckle and giving up on his bow tie, “you should show him the texts.” 
“Gladly.” Lea stands to shove the Gummiphone into Terra’s face. Out of the history, a couple of messages stand out.
Ventus
I got 500 cake flavors come taste them with me
Ventus
Which cologne do you think terra should wear
COME SMELL 
i need a second opinion
Ventus
Do you have aqua’s flowers yet?
remember 
we want orange roses and bluestars
Ventus
Aqua isnt here im freaking out
Youre closest to her body type
HELP
After all that, Terra feels as though he’s being watched by several microscopic eyes. One of the mice squeaks with urgency, and he straightens one of his arms. “I don’t know what to say... Why doesn’t he talk to me directly?”
Lea purses his lips as though this is a secret not worth sharing. Roxas is the one to step forward, a knowing grimace plastered on his face.
“He told me that he doesn’t want to bother you with anything.”
That doesn’t sound entirely false but not true either.
“That’s ridiculous.” Terra tests the bend of the elbow to fiddle with his bow tie. It’s already done but something about it doesn’t sit right. “He could come to me for anything,” he says with a low voice, wondering if there’s something he’s missing. Terra has also been a mess. He’s getting married. Holy stars. 
Isa huffs out of frustration, turning away from the mirror, his bow tie undone. He studies Terra’s suit. “I don’t like it.”
His straightforwardness is well appreciated. Aqua would probably smirk at the sight of it and stare at his neck the entire ceremony. “I don’t either,” Terra says.
“Smart man.” Isa smirks, and tugs Terra’s bow tie to undo it. “Let’s change it.”
Lea snorts. “You might want to ask permission from he-who-shall-be-slapped.”
“It’s my wedding,” Terra says.
“So you think.”
He-who-may-be-slapped enters the tailor’s parlor through the front entrance, announced by the bell of the ring. He’s perfectly dressed in his ringbearer’s/best man’s/maid of honor’s suit, vest fitted, bow tie sublime, sleeves coiffed. He sees what Isa is doing. He gapes.
“Hey guys,” Ven asks with a frustratingly shaky voice. “What are we doing?”
“They are unbecoming,” Isa answers, wrapping a traditional tie around Terra’s neck.
“Oh.” 
Sometimes, speaking to Isa is like getting clocked in the stomach. By the looks of Lea’s expression, chewing on the edge of his Gummiphone, it’s well deserved.
“Okay,” Ven says, with a tight smile. He takes the tie from Isa’s hands. “Do they match?”
“A hello would be less rude,” Terra says. “Hi, Ven. Can we talk?”
Ven glances up. “Later. There’s lots to do.”
Lea inhales sharply. “Hey, Ven. Here’s an idea. Did you know you could tame cicadas to sing in harmony on command?”
Ven whips his head around. “You can?”
Isa brings a hand up to hide a smirk and Lea passes him a subtle wink.
“Picture it.” Lea opens his arms. “From nine until eleven at night, they gather in the bushes. They mutter, a light dusting of atmosphere on a peaceful summer night.”
Ven’s eyes grow wide with obsession. 
Roxas comes near. “You can also make them glow.”
“Like stars in the bushes,” Ven whispers to himself.
“Come on, guys,” Terra says, unimpressed. “Leave him alone. We’ve got better things to do.”
Ven snaps himself out of it, but not before pulling out a notepad and writing notes. He eyes Terra over, nudging him to open his arms and pinching the sides of the suit. Ven draws them in by the measure of a finger and pulls pins out of his pocket, like he’s been expecting to use them, and marks their places. “Jaq Jaq,” he calls, “where’s Suzy? We need to make sure these ties look right. Oh, and we need two extras—we have to ship some to Riku and Sora.”
Some mouse squeaks in reply.
“I can help her carry things.” Ven gives a flash of a smile and then hurries off.
Out of earshot, Lea gives Terra a look. “Anyone able to talk to mice is a crazy person in my book.”
Terra glares back and quotes, “‘You could tame cicadas to sing on command?’”
“He needs something to obsess over. How else am I going to get peace?”
“This is going to bite you in the ass,” Roxas says, wrapping his new tie over the neck and having a much easier time.
“Ventus may very well task you with hunting and gathering the cicadas,” Isa says, a tie already in place, immaculate. 
Lea groans and Terra feels it’s well deserved. 
Well deserved
 the suit may be. The future wife, maybe not. The suit is a glove for every finger with no excess. It makes him a good-looking groom, a nice addition to the closet for any special occasion. The bride is beautiful, no matter what she wears. She is loyal, patient, strong, intelligent, loving, funny when she’s stern, too good for him, a divine gift he didn’t earn and he still can’t understand how she said yes.
“I hope you’re laughing at the face of my misery,” Lea says.
Terra knows that’s sarcasm. Weddings are headaches, emotions are terrifying and Terra needs Aqua like a sip of medicinal tea to calm down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The others squeal when they walk into Le Grand Bistro. It’s sunset, the city lights already ignited and giving it the glow of evening fairies welcoming the moon. They’ve just discussed dresses—Xion requests a pantsuit instead, which looks stellar—and they can choose their own styles so long as they all wear the color of night. Simple, elegant. That’s the kind of effect Aqua prefers. Thank goodness they’re almost done. Aqua couldn’t handle more hands in her hair and she rejected the flower crown that would have come down on one side to compensate for the lack of length. 
She fiddles with the ring—a thin, intricate design weaved around a small, blue stone—as a waiter escorts them to the kitchen. On days when she doesn’t have missions, she wears it.
Aqua is getting married. Some part of her wonders about the surreality of it, like it’s a dream or a picture she created in her mind when she was a child, at the altar with a faceless person next to her. Sometimes, it feels like she is already married. Terra has always been with her. Every day in class. Every day strolling through the woods. Every day sparring, sharing meals, bickering and laughing. Her best friend, her confidant, her rock.
There is something about nearly dying that challenges perspective. When they both thought they’d never see each other again, it made them realize there’s more to it and there’s been more to it for years. The emotional intimacy that strengthened after the fact. The physicality of it, when he takes her to bed. They argue differently, they laugh the same. Terra has always been with her, so what is the difference between being with him and being married to him? A part of her is eager to find out. The other is already at peace, a kind of joy Aqua has always wanted.
Ven is in the kitchen, talking with Remy (responding to Remy, who is naturally unintelligible). Plates of cake pieces sprawl out on the table, eliciting oohs and aahs from the others, all patient like they’re waiting for Aqua’s permission to take a small bite.
Aqua reads through the description of flavors—strawberry, fudge, angel food cake with blueberries, red velvet, even coffee. “The one we requested isn’t here.”
“You mean
” Ven pulls out his notepad and looks through his notes. Remy climbs onto Ven’s head, squeaking and pointing to a bowl of flour and eggs, unmixed. “Dark chocolate and rum?”
“That would be correct.”
“A spicy cake? Are you insane?” At his shock and at Aqua’s denial, Kairi helps herself to a spoonful of vanilla. “This is a wedding, not a club!”
“My wedding, Ven.” Aqua isn’t annoyed, but amused. Ven has such strong opinions about for some reason. 
“Try this one.” He holds up a plate of a decorated piece that honestly looks delicious. “Triple chocolate, with the rarest berries found in the woods, matured at thirty-five degrees Celsius for a week.” 
“Burnt cake?” Kairi asks with a smirk.
“Not the cake, the berries.” 
“Oh,” Xion gasps, with need in her eyes. It takes a nod from Aqua to grab a fork and have at it. She approaches each piece with so much excitement— Aqua wonders if there are flavors here she’s never tried before in her short life. 
“What will the final cake look like?” NaminĂ© asks, the only one not to dive forward. She’s so gentle, so serene. When they were trying out dresses, everyone was saying what a beautiful bride she’ll be one day if she chooses. 
“Perfect,” Ven says, like it’s the most obvious thing. “It has to be perfect so it will look beautiful. Painted like a night sky, with stars everywhere. You got that, Remy?”
Remy glares at Ven.
“I want,” Aqua starts, and when Ven frowns, she smirks. Sometimes, for the sake of maintaining control, she has to play dirty. “Rosewater and cardamom.” 
Ven sticks his tongue out in disgust.
“Terra needs something to enjoy,” Aqua insists. “These are all too sweet for him.”
“Terra is the bane of my existence.”
“By the way, I don’t know if I want King Mickey and Queen Minnie to officiate.”
“You are way more difficult to deal with.”
Aqua and Ven have a staring contest as the others talk about their favorite flavors. Ven, a glare, a challenge to outwit her. Aqua, a calm knowing that she’s going to win. Ven relents.
“Fine,” he stresses. “Remy, change of plans. We’ll need some damage control. Let’s add some”—he writes into his notepad—“fruit pastries, sweet cheese with chocolate—”
“Triple chocolate,” Kairi adds.
“Custard and kiwi,” Xion says.
“All good choices.” Ven writes them down.
“Sea salt ice cream?” NaminĂ© says, lifting a shoulder. “Everyone else eats them, I hope to try some.”
“Ven.” Kairi slams a hand on the table. “You need to add marshmallows covered in hazelnut and chocolate.”
“We need all the chocolate,” Ven agrees. “Call it revenge on this nasty cake.”
Kairi cackles, but it’s nothing malicious. They’re young and excited about the wedding, their suggestions a way of helping. Aqua takes it all in stride. The small details don’t matter, only the intent, and letting friends have fun deciding makes the entire process easier. What’s bothering her is Ven. He’s exhausted from taking it all too seriously. Aqua assumes the best intentions, but she doesn’t get it.
“You know what would be really cute?” Xion says. “Little petit fours shaped in your symbols.”
Ven blinks. “What symbols?”
“Oh, the Keyblade Master symbols.” NaminĂ© claps her hands. “That would be so lovely.”
“In different colors,” Xion says.
“Each a different flavor,” NaminĂ© adds. “Maybe the same colors as your Wayfinders?”
“You two are geniuses.” Ven taps his notepad. “Remy, we gotta get to work.”
Remy stomps a paw and squeaks vigorously.
“No worries. You’ll get paid.” Though it seems that’s the last thing on Remy’s mind.
“Ven,” Aqua says softly, pulling him aside as the others brainstorm ideas. “I don’t think we can afford all this.”
“Sure you can,” he says too confidently, though she and Terra were the ones to save up their munny. “Don’t worry,” he stresses when she’s not convinced, giving her a squeeze on the arm. “You asked me to bookkeep your finances” 
“Reminder that I did not ask you to take full responsibility. Remy can’t do all of this alone, he’s going to need you.”
“I’ve got plenty of time, and we’ve got plenty of budget.”
Aqua does not know how that is possible. After the dresses, the refitting of Terra’s tux, the decorations
 sure, since they’re using the ballroom in the Land of Departure, they saved on not having to rent out a venue, but the original plan was to have a small, intimate wedding in the woods, something private with just the three of them, minimal decorations necessary, all plucked from nature. 
All of this is out of their price range.
Ven goes back to the table, back to the stovetop and oven where he follows Remy’s instructions and mixes the flour in the bowl with some milk. He doesn’t assuage her at all, like he knows something she doesn’t.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Home should be a solace but not when it’s the wedding rehearsal. 
Ven has ushered in movers from different worlds to carry in artifacts, all decorations, all star-themed. Terra has yet to see the ballroom, but the amount of people rushing through the hallways makes him nervous. 
Ever since Terra called Riku in the dead of night (in a panic, needing someone to talk to, alone in the kitchen with a cracked mug of tea), blabbing about tripping on the way to the altar, or cutting the cake clean through the table, or stepping on linen and ripping the curtains, or dropping his plate of food, or looking like an idiot on the dance floor, or worse—forgetting his vows—he hasn’t lived a moment of peace. Sora won’t let him. 
Terra finds it hard to breathe. What if he chokes on his vows and accidentally offends everyone?
He stays far away from the workers—it’s for the best. No one needs a huge bull stampeding in a china shop, destroying everything.
Lea crosses the hallway on his sixth trip and enters one of two entrances to the ballroom, vases of flowers in his hands. Terra peeks. From the looks of it, Ven did a fantastic job. 
The ballroom, once gold, now looks like the set of night. The ceiling is covered in blue with twinkling lights. The table linens are also dark, with napkins and silverware sets a solid gold. Glass windows that take up one entire side to the ballroom are bare of curtains—the wedding is planned for after sunset so they’d be declaring their vows under the stars. Two navy blue carpets come in through both entrances of the ballroom, meeting in the middle and then straight to the altar at the far end. The point is for him and Aqua to enter together, like equals. With her in a bridal dress, she’ll look like a light in the darkness.
Through the doorway, Terra can see Riku and Sora, the latter making motions with his arms as if he’s flapping like a bird. Terra lets the door close so they don’t notice him. 
There are fears he’s never voiced.
What if she realizes she doesn’t want to get married to him after all? At the altar no less?
Oh stars, what if he makes a terrible husband? 
What if he neglects her?
What if, years down the road, she realizes after a slowly oncoming epiphany that she isn’t happy and regrets it?
Tonight is the party, tomorrow is the wedding, and Terra still has no vows. He pinches his nose hard enough to distract him from crying. He’s already cried five times in the arc of three hours.
Footsteps—light, brisque, confident, hers—approach him, and Terra embraces her in his arms, taking her in with a needy kiss. She smells like home, she lets him breathe again. 
“You look like you’re about to fall apart,” she says, stroking a thumb on his cheek.
“Not if you’re my glue.”
She snorts, smacking him on the bicep. “What did I say about the puns?”
“Shower you with them.”
He kisses her before she can roll her eyes—
—and gets interrupted the moment Ven peeks out of one door. 
“What’s with the hold-up?” he says.
Terra breaks from the kiss, casually noticing how Aqua is patting his shoulder, as if to warn him. “What’s with your attitude?”
Ven pouts like he’s about to choke and slaps the notepad to his forehead. “No one listens to me. I said baby blue and champagne on the napkins, all shaped to form the constellation of Juno
 and they gave me yellow. I am gonna complain so much.”
“There are worse things?” Terra says and Aqua shakes his shoulder as another warning. 
Ven snaps his eyes open. “Get into position, we’re starting.”
Aqua stands behind one door and Terra goes to the other, waiting for the cue to enter. On the other side, Ven is speaking out loud, organizing people and where they should stand. Grooms and bridesmaids will enter the altar from behind and gather together, leaving the carpet only for the star couple (no pun intended). He interrupts himself, raising his voice about vases that match too much and Terra can imagine him pointing across the room.
“I have to tell you something,” Aqua loudly whispers from the other side of the hall. 
Terra runs to her and wraps an arm around her waist. Touching her is a panacea. Despite knowing there is still a possibility she’ll rethink this entire relationship, it seems unreal, like a nightmare.
“It’s about Ven,” she continues, keeping her voice low even though they’re the only ones in the hall.
“Lea threatened to slap him.”
She frowns.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Don’t you think it’s too expensive?”
“I don’t know. Ven doesn’t tell me how much anything costs.”
“It’s way more than we have saved up.”
Terra gapes. “Then how—?”
Aqua stammers, fiddling with her fingers. “I looked into his books.”
Terra melts into a breath-heavy laugh, careful to keep his voice out of it. “Reading people’s diaries? Aqua, I thought I knew you better.”
She blushes. “I didn’t mean to, but I was worried.” Now Terra is worried. Her expression is too serious. “Ven has been doing side-missions and hustles for months just to earn enough to hire the best chefs and tailors, to buy linens and all these flowers and carpets—” 
“He wouldn’t.”
“He did.”
“Why?” 
“I think it’s because he wants us to be happy.”
“We are.” Terra doesn’t appreciate how he doesn’t sound confident, scared he’s assuming too much on her behalf. “How could he just
”
“We were stuck in darkness for so long and he couldn’t help us.”
“But that’s not his fault.”
“He feels he is the weakest and wants to compensate.” Aqua grimaces and she blinks back tears. 
“I feel so guilty.”
“I feel worse.”
“Why?”
Aqua bites her lip. “I’m still attached to the idea of a small, intimate ceremony in the woods. Just the three of us. Does that make me a horrible person?”
“No. Our wedding has become a spectacle. Maybe pointing that out makes me terrible, too.”
She groans. “I found a book. I left it in your room. It’s very last minute, but there are some ancient rituals in there that I found so beautiful
 the exchanging of rings is beautiful, too, but modern and there are some lost traditions from our Keyblade history that I’d love to do instead... if you could take a look?” 
The way she smiles, stars. Ancient, modern, he’d do anything for her. “Sure. I’ll read it tonight.”
Aqua winces. “He’ll be so angry with us.”
Terra squeezes her hand. “He wants us to be happy. Think about that.”
One of the doors burst open, and Lea sticks his head out. “Kindly stop being an ass and don’t keep your guests waiting anymore?”
They start: Terra at one entrance, Aqua on the other, entering the ballroom at the same time, where guests will watch them approach one another, like the shadow of the moon to a star. They meet at the point where their lanes merge into one. 
Terra offers his arm—
“Nonono,” Ven warns, running up to them. “You can’t meet her like this. You must bow at a forty-degree angle.” Ven scans the room frantically. “Here, I have a ruler.”
After that hiccup, Aqua finally takes Terra’s arm, walking down the single aisle, where guests can ogle at them. Their groomsmen and bridesmaids take pictures with their Gummiphones for their arrival at a wall of flowers. 
Sora has his hands behind his head and snickers when they reach the end. “I made sure the carpet is ironed out so she doesn’t fall with you.”
“I’m going to kick you in the shins,” Terra says.
He snorts and wipes his nose. “I’ll kick you back.”
At the altar, Ven is too excited to stop rambling. “We have to make sure that you arrive here, at this spot, at exactly nine-thirty so we can finish the vows at ten because...” He frames the windows with his hands. “We’ve got a perfect spot for star sighting so we need to be on time.”
“Do you mean, right after the wedding ceremony?” Aqua asks. 
“Before the reception, yup. We’re walking out to the balcony, we’ll watch the meteor shower where a new world will be born, then we’ll come back in for supper and dancing.” When he notices their stupefied faces, he continues, “I spent three weeks finding the right angulations so you can witness a unique astronomical event, and we’ve got a miracle of a spot right here so we can’t be late.”
“It’s a wonderful thought, Ven,” Aqua says, her voice shaky.
“Okay, now you get into position and face each other.” He points and they follow. “Next, Mickey and Minnie will talk some stuff, you know, all official, and then you say your vows.”
Terra freezes up. “Our vows.”
“Yeah. That’s what I said. You ready?”
Terra hesitates and Aqua speaks for him. “We’re keeping those a secret until tomorrow.”
Ven pauses, then shrugs. “Fair enough.”
Aqua doesn’t let Terra have another thought, leaning forward to kiss him in front of everyone (aahs and awws elicited), and ending the rehearsal.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“How do you get your skin so clear?” Kairi asks, though the warm glow of the fire makes for spectacular lighting. 
They’re camping in the woods near the waterfall, equipped with warm blankets and pillows, a bowl of cookies, and toasted marshmallows on sticks; Aqua’s vision of a bachelorette party. No gifts necessary.
“Mountain spring water does wonders for you,” Aqua says.
“I’ve read in a magazine,” Xion says, crawling out of her sleeping bag, “that some people like to put mud on their faces to get clean skin.”
“Why?” NaminĂ© asks, chewing on a marshmallow.
“Something about the properties. Lots of good minerals.” She walks over to the creek, digging her hands into the dirt and smashing it into her face against the shocks and cries of the other girls. “If mountain water is good for you, then that must mean this mud is magical.” 
“Is that true?” Kairi says, though she’s asking no one. She hurries over and joins in on the mud-mashing, running fingers over Xion’s face in places she’s missed.
With globs of mud in their hands, they bring over the excess to the camp. 
Xion offers it to Aqua. “For beautiful skin on your special day?”
“It’s our job to pamper,” Kairi says with her hands out so that NaminĂ© can scoop up the mud on her own. 
Aqua tries not to chuckle too loudly. It’s adorable. “Okay,” she says, and Xion gets to work, massaging it into her skin. It smells unpleasant, earthy and mukky. She closes her eyes and tries to relax regardless.
“I think we’re supposed to keep it on our faces for at least a half hour,” Xion says, rubbing more on Aqua’s nose. 
“This will make us prettier?” NaminĂ© asks.
“Cleaner,” Kairi says. 
NaminĂ© blinks, already covered in the mud and hesitating to put on more. “But we look dirty,” she says quietly.
“Can I request something, Miss Aqua?” Xion says, patting her fingers onto Aqua’s forehead.
“Certainly.”
“Can you tell us the story of how Terra proposed?”
Kairi jumps and squeals, and NaminĂ© claps her hands, both of them chattering please, please, we’re dying to know.
“We’re around a fire,” Kairi says, as if that’s a convincing argument. “We’re supposed to tell stories.” 
“I feel bad for asking,” NaminĂ© says. “You’re very private, and I don’t want to intrude
”
Aqua reads her face. “But you’re curious.”
NaminĂ© pouts. Xion’s eyes go wide, and Kairi nods excitedly. Everyone is guilty as charged.
“It’s a simple story, I guess,” Aqua says, crossing her legs and watching the fire. It’s not often that she talks so openly about the details of her relationship. The two of them together is something people know, but never knowing where they come from and why, except for Ven—even then, there’s so much he never pries to. Watching their reactions is a little overwhelming. She rubs the stone on her ring. “Terra made the engagement ring with his own hands, but he took months to propose.”
“I remember that,” Xion says, sitting on her chair and smiling. “It annoyed Lea so much that he offered to set you both up just to get it over with.”
Aqua laughs. “I’m grateful we had it to ourselves.”
“Was it romantic?” Kairi asks.
“Not at all. I
 knew he was up to something. I know him.” She lifts a shoulder. “He was burning breakfast too often, he couldn’t look me directly in the eye, and he left on his own to do more missions than usual. I took that as though he had done something wrong. The last time he was that clumsy and avoidant, it was because he accidentally cast Firaga in the library and was trying to hide it. Or when he broke the oven. Or when he offered to do my laundry but didn’t know how to treat my fabric and ruined my clothes.”
“He sounds like a clumsy oaf,” Kairi says.
That makes Aqua smile. She loves that oaf. “He is. The general rule of thumb is that a clumsy, avoidant Terra is usually hiding something.”
“So how did the proposal happen?” NaminĂ© asks.
“I cornered him—”
Kairi snorts.
“—and he blurted it out.”
They giggle, Kairi acting out how that may have looked and Naminé holding her hands over her heart in a show of genuine affection. 
Aqua smiles to herself, a finger to her lips. It might be her favorite memory, her standing her ground and demanding to know what was going on. 
Terra, looking all around the terrace except for her face, guilty, guilty, guilty, pulling a box out of his pocket and stammering for a cohesive sentence. Well, I don’t know what to say, he had said, like a child getting grounded. I-I’m sorry. I’m dumb, I’m a big lump of a human being. He paused, his cheeks rounding up like he was about to vomit. Will
will you marry me, anyway?
It felt like racing in a train and pulling all the stops, crashing. He got red in the face, tears welling in his eyes and she realized he took her silence as rejection. Aqua had to hold his forearms, and all she could utter was a soft, I genuinely thought you burned down a building.
Terra’s eyes went wide. Do you mean you’re not mad?
Of course not. Why would I be?
So
 He licked his lips, reaching for her but not touching her, forgetting that he had the box with the ring inside. What do you say? I mean, you don’t have to give me an answer straight away. I mean, I just thought you would
 you know
 because
 He sighed. Yeah.
Aqua finally laughed, and kissed him on the cheek. Of course I will marry you, you beautiful dork.
The laughter quiets around the fire. They’re waiting for Aqua to continue her story.
“Then he drops the ring.”
They howl, melting into a blissful exchange of cheers and gossip, a vibrant hearth brighter than the one keeping them warm. 
“I had hoped to propose first, actually,” Aqua continues. She shrugs. “The end.”
“That was beautiful,” NaminĂ© says, wiping her eyes.
“If Sora hears about this, he’ll never leave Terra alone,” Kairi says, grinning something mischievous. 
“I don’t know what love is supposed to look like,” Xion says thoughtfully, gazing at the sky. “But it sounds sweet.”
In Aqua’s opinion, the proposal was perfect, him scattered on the ground frantically searching for the ring, her on her knees helping him. How he slipped it on her finger, how they kissed for an hour in the dirt, unaware that they were dusty, unaware that anyone else existed in the world. 
Aqua nods, mostly to herself. It aches to be away from Terra tonight but it burns her insides to see him tomorrow and finally do this. Aqua wants to sleep and get this night over with but she doesn’t want to sleep so she could see the sunrise, knowing he’d be up early watching the same thing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bachelor parties aren’t fun.
Sora is whooping about a cannonball, the water splashing when he makes contact. Ven and Roxas race to the lake, testing who will be the first to dive, the first to swim across and come back. Considering the expanse of the surface area, they’ll be gone for a while and the barbecue will get cold, but maybe it’s for the best. It’s not the right time to talk to Ven right now, not when all of them have a moment of fun (except for Terra, the only one here thinking about tomorrow). Lea and Isa prefer to relax, sipping drinks on their chairs by the lanterns erected onto the sand, speaking quietly about memories, about chores, about home and what ifs. 
Terra sits by himself, the thin booklet Aqua gave him on his lap, tucked under layers of parchment. It’s titled The Way, no author. She was right: old Keyblade rituals are interesting, almost possessive, their focus on the literal binding of hearts. They’re from the Age of Fairytales, and Terra realizes as he reads through it that ancient Keyblade wielders were for some reason obsessed with the loss of memory and the prevention of it. The rituals sound painful, too—maybe Aqua has developed a mild taste of macabre from her time in the Realm of Darkness. 
All Terra has left to do are his vows. His stupid, dorky-sounding vows. He should have accepted the simple, “I do.” He shouldn’t have waited until the last minute.
He’s tried dramatic.
You are my other half, my heart, my breath of life, my sky, my angel, can we keep our souls together? 
He’s tried poetic.
The mountain will thirst if not for the water— 
He’s tried being honest.
I don’t know why you love me, but I’ll do my best to make it up to you.
All dumb.
Terra groans into his hands, eyes wide in existential blunder. 
“Keep doing that,” Riku says, setting a chair next to him and sitting down, “and you won’t be able to blink again.”
“I’m not finished.”
“But if you don’t sleep, then you’re more likely to have accidents.”
Terra gapes and almost whacks Riku on the side of the head from the sight of his constricted smirk. “You’re so mean. I called you one time.”
“In a huge panic talking about causing mass destruction of a wedding the worlds have never seen.” Riku shrugs nonchalantly. That’s his state of being—too cool for anything, too sensitive for everything. It’s refreshing. “It was the funniest phone conversation I’ve ever had.”
“I’ll never call you again.”
“Not in the middle of the night, please no.” Riku bites a forkful of steak. “Is it clichĂ© to tell you to speak from the heart?”
“This entire conversation is clichĂ©, but here I am, living it out.” Terra stares at his messy pages, where he pressed the pen so hard that it left ink blots.
“You could do the very committal thing and tell her you love her fifty times.”
“All the guests would leave by the time I reach twenty-five.”
“More like fifteen.”
“Ten.”
“Disaster.”
Terra grimaces, not entirely comforted, but not entirely anxious anymore, either. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“It is a big deal, I’ll give you that,” Riku says, more serious. “I don’t have any advice.”
“None of it makes sense. Be honest, but not too honest. Be loving, but don’t make it cheesy. Express yourself, but hold back on certain things. Do make it personal. Don’t expose personal details. How am I supposed to know how to do it right?” 
It would be easier if there are no witnesses. If it’s just Ven, if Aqua is the only person he’s talking to, if he could simply say, You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I know I’ve fucked up. For as long as I live, I’ll never do that again. I will never take your forgiveness for granted.
And if she doesn’t want to be with him anymore, there’d be nothing he could say to make her stay.
“I think if Aqua was the kind of person who expected you to do it right,” Riku says, looking out to the lake where Ven and Roxas are swimming back to their shore, “you wouldn’t be marrying her.”
Terra bends the pages, exposing the cover of the thin, leather bound booklet. There are no vows he could use in there, except for the officiator declaring their hearts intertwined. “Thank you,” he mumbles.
“Sorry I can’t be of more help.” 
Riku pats him on the shoulder and leaves him alone to take a walk, Sora begging him to enter the water. Terra flips to a page where he’s repeated I love you, I love you all over, each in different calligraphy, like doodling, like losing his mind and procrastinating the night away, hoping that any moment, inspiration would drop bricks on him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It’s time.
The strangest part of the day is waiting it out in her bedroom until it’s her turn to show herself. Over the years, her bedroom has been a reflection of her personality. The cleanliness, the artifacts from her home world long ago, the size of the bed, the furniture—they all stayed the same. What’s come and gone were the paint colors, the bedsheets, the art on the wall, the smaller vanity mirror. Her bedroom is her old life, and she sits in front of the mirror in her bride’s dress, about to start a new one. For now, they both collide, as though her childhood doesn’t know her.
The cape dress is simple, plain white with the neck scooped across the collarbone. The sleeves slit at the shoulders, draping over to the floor with the rest of the train. Aqua couldn’t have asked for something better. She completes the look with the ring, a jeweled hair pin on one side, and an armored choker. Makeup is minimal. 
Aqua is surprisingly calm and the sun is going down. 
Her Gummiphone buzzes with a text message.
Terra
Let’s do it
Aqua sighs, not texting back immediately.
Aqua
I don’t want to break Ven’s heart
Terra
I’ll talk to him
We can both get what we want
I already stole some flowers from the wall
Don’t think he notices
She chuckles, moving a hair strand behind her ear. She hasn’t noticed that her stomach has been a knot, from excitement, from nerves, from anticipation. The sun takes so long to set. Terra is the warmth of a tight blanket.
Aqua
Will this label me as a runaway bride?
Terra takes a long time to answer, giving her the impression that he must have been distracted and forgot to reply. 
It buzzes.
Terra
The shame
Aqua
What will they think when they find out the groom seduced her to it
Terra
The scandal 
when they hear how she met him secretly at the creek 
an hour before the ceremony
It sounds like an action plan. Aqua picks up her bouquet of orange roses and bluestars from her vanity table, heading out the door.
Aqua
I want Ven there
Terra
Definitely
I love you
Aqua
I love you too
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Terra finds Ven in the dining room, taking inventory of an indulgement of sweets and a feast of meats, fritters, and rice. The wedding cake is as tall as his body, a dark blue with smacks of gold glitter in the shapes of galaxies, large stars framing each layer, and topped with two halos. Ven is mostly dressed in his vest and tie, the suit missing. By comparison, Terra is overdressed, a groom ready for his encore.
Ven sighs when he sneaks a cookie the shape of the Keyblade Master symbol into his mouth, as though Terra’s presence reminds him of disappointment. 
“I couldn’t tame the cicadas,” he says morosely, like he’s apologizing, and for a moment Terra second-guesses what he’s about to do. Ven eyes the white rope curled around Terra’s shoulder. “What’s that for?”
“This may either cheer you up or piss you off,” Terra says, dropping The Way on the counter.
“I don’t like how you said that.” As Ven flips through pages, he frowns, chewing on the side of his lip. “Are you... not happy with the wedding preparations?”
Terra inhales, caught off guard. “Of course I am. Happy, I mean. It’s
 huge. It’s a giant ordeal.”
“And you don’t like that,” Ven says quietly, stroking one of the pages with his thumb.
“I think there are things we’ve always wanted to have privately.” Terra sits on a stool, but Ven won’t look him in the eye. “And we want you to be there. We can do it now. We’ll be back in time for our guests.”
The booklet shakes in his hands. “I messed up.”
“From my point of view, I’ll be eating very well tonight. There’s nothing to compensate for.”
Ven closes the book. “I just wanted to do a good job.”
“If you allow Lea to slap you, he’ll forgive you.” Terra smiles, but Ven doesn’t join him. “We’re still doing your grand ceremony—that, we could never pull off on our own. But we also want something tiny and ours, and we won’t do this without you.” Terra takes Ven’s hand and squeezes it, before glancing at the cake. “I hope it’s delicious.”
“It’s disgusting so you’ll definitely like it.”
“See, I can always count on you.” Terra stands up. “Now come on. You wouldn’t want us to be late for the bride.”
Terra takes him to the creek, not far from where Aqua hosted her bachelorette camp, where the sound of rushing water is gentle and the creek splits into two directions, one that would drip off the side of a cliff and one that would join a massive river downstream. The trees huddle close in the clearing, a soft shadow from the fierceness of the setting sun, like a pocket of protective magic in the middle of the forest. 
Ven gasps. “You stole my flowers.”
“Please, you didn’t even notice.” Terra had built an easy wooden arbor before the crack of dawn that morning, an arch weaved with orange and blue flowers, spotted every so often with green lilies. He showered right after so no one would suspect.
“Let’s take it over there.” Ven points to a short boulder against a tree nearby, a good photo op. They pluck the arbor up from both sides and plant it in front of the boulder. Ven takes stock of the sight. “Not bad.”
“Thanks!”
“I take credit for the choice of flowers.” Ven rolls the rope into a tight circle, layering it on the boulder with each loop in equal circumference. He splays the book open and studies. “It’s kinda creepy,” he says though he gets no response and he doesn’t ask for one.
Terra shoves his hands into the pockets of his tuxedo and waits. Aqua isn’t here yet. The vest constricts his breathing, the thicket suddenly feels humid, and Terra wipes his cheek, realizing that his heart is beating fast. Time sped up to this moment and dropped him here without warning. Now it’s slowing down out of pure, unjustifiable spite to torture him in the final hour. 
“You okay, dude?” Ven asks.
Terra lifts his face to the sky to keep the tears in his eyes. “If I cry now, I think I’ll cry for the rest of the night.”
Ven snorts. “No one would be surprised, trust me.”
But it’s not working. He’s two seconds from sobbing. “I don’t know. I
” He scoffs. “I can’t believe it’s happening. I’m expecting her to never show up or brush me off last minute when she realizes what we’re doing—”
“No.” Ven approaches Terra like he’s about to punch him in the stomach to make a point. “Don’t think like that, she’d never do that.” 
Ven has good faith and better timing. Aqua approaches the other side of the clearing, the fabric of her dress gracefully making waves with every step, the foliage fluttering light and shadow on her figure. She holds her bouquet in one hand and a framed photograph tucked under the other.
It shocks Terra.
He can’t stop the flow of tears. He covers his shivering lips and the drip of his nose, his face twisting from the sight of her—brilliant, like she’s made of stars, a gift walking the earth.
“Terra, are you okay?” Aqua asks, rushing to him now, the train of her dress bouncing behind her. 
In the flash of an instinct, Terra runs to meet her, tripping over a branch and landing right into her arms. 
“You’re—” Terra sucks air in, his heart shoving itself up his esophagus. “Y-you’re s-so beautiful.”
Aqua uses her pinky to wipe his tears. “So are you.”
“Let me help you.” He takes the frame—a portrait of the Master, bordered with a white ribbon—and walks her to the arbor. Ven takes the portrait and places it on the boulder, their little family tied together, fractured in glued pieces, now and always. Before they start, Terra asks Aqua to pose under the arbor so he can take a picture of the trees and the flowers surrounding her. Beautiful.
“How do we do this?” Terra asks when he finds his voice again, still trembling. Aqua stands to the side to take her place. She’s beautiful.
Ven takes the book in his hands. The description of this ritual covers at most two pages. “Well, it’s archaic. It’s from the Age of Fairytales but it sounds like we will intertwine your hearts—but in an intense way, like we’re sewing them together.”
Aqua holds her bouquet to her chest. “Shall we start?”
Terra chuckles too hard, gasping for breath. “Simple as that.”
They wait for Ven’s cue, who also has no idea how to do anything. Ven clears his throat, shrugs his shoulders, and reads:
“We witness today the soldering of two hearts. To intertwine like the roots of a tree, the severance painful, the nourishment plentiful. A physical bond, a magical one, the merging of two sprites under the guidance of one truth. Two hearts, but one.” Terra watches the way Aqua watches him. There’s no one else in the world, Ven’s voice disconnected, like it floats on air. “Now it says to summon your Keyblades. Dig the tips into the ground, and offer your hilts to each other.”
Ends of the Earth is massive, taller than Ven. Stormfall looks delicate but it’s menacing, sharp, direct. They offer their hilts, the shafts crossed over each other, Stormfall light and airy in his hand, Ends of the Earth weighty and thick in hers. 
Terra finds it interesting that they’re using the hilt to connect each other’s hearts—the Keyblade should never be used against a person’s heart in traditional Mastery, because it’s such a dangerous weapon and it’s so violating. The blunt hilt, on the other hand, the physical manifestation of their hearts, is like exposure, an offer of vulnerability. 
Aqua’s feels like it’s thrumming, singing. She’s happy.
Ven steps forward with the rope and ties it over the hilts in loops. “This is just an image, the ties that bind, two Keyblades, but one. To intertwine a heart is to forge a chain, a friend, a companion, a memory. If missing then a void, a dream, a wish until reunion.” He steps back into position. “Before we go on, I think this would be a nice place to say your vows. Terra, you first.”
Terra stammers, looking into her eyes. “I-I couldn’t write one. I’m sorry.” 
“It’s okay,” Ven whispers, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I wrote some just in case.”
Terra doesn’t take it. He licks his lips. “It wouldn’t have been graceful. None of it—all of my thoughts—pale in comparison to you, Aqua.” He steadies himself with labored breathing, the squeeze on her Keyblade like a hold on her waist. “You’re so, so beautiful, and I’ve spent my days believing I don’t deserve you, because
 because I couldn’t make things right like I should have.” 
Aqua quivers, gently touching his arm with her free hand and motioning for him to breathe. 
He continues, “I’m sorry. I wish the Master was here. I wish I was smart enough to prevent it from happening.” He inhales, choking up from the mention of Eraqus. “I never thought you would marry me of all people, so
 I promise... I will be there every step of the way. I promise you, if you’re scared at night, I’ll be there to protect you. If you’re hurting in another world, I’ll come find you. If you’re confused, I’ll hold you close and help you make sense of it. I’ll brew you tea to help you sleep, I’ll step in the line of fire even if you wish to do the same for me, I’ll walk to the ends of the earth to make sure you are safe and healthy. I promise I’ll be with you.
“And I’ll mess up. I know me. I’ll fix it. If you want to clobber me, I’ll be patient. I’ll learn. I’ll do better. Every day you save me from myself. This is the least I can do. I’ve loved you since I was a kid. I’ll love you every day.”
Silence falls on all of them, Terra sniffing just to get some fresh air, Ven wiping his eyes, Aqua blinking too much. 
“Now you, Aqua,” Ven says. 
Despite being teared up, Aqua holds it together. She’s so good at that.
“Terra, I stand with you because I do want to be here. I do want to be by your side. I do want to laugh at your bad jokes.” She relieves a giggle. “I love you. I have for as long as I can remember, even if I didn’t know the words for it.” She studies his face. “I’m sure the Master is here with us, and he couldn’t be prouder of you. I’m proud of you.” Suddenly, she switches her tone, as if to lecture. “And if you even fathom taking a hit for me, remember that I’m faster than you. I’ll protect you first.” Then she softens. “I promise to be your shelter when the storm falls on us. I promise to sit on your bedside when you’re sick, to lift you up when you’re down about yourself, because you are sometimes. 
“You are my home, no matter how far your heart is from me. If you need a star to light your way back, I’ll give it to you.” She smiles widely, like she’s about to laugh. “If something between us breaks, I’ll mend it with you. I can’t imagine my life any other way.”
Their words are now spoken. Aqua suppresses a laugh and grins like a child. Terra holds his breath, just in case he screams from every emotion that he can’t name.  
“Well,” Ven says, rolling his sleeve up so he could wipe his nose on his forearm. “I guess it’s time. This bond is an oath you will remember each other until you close your eyes for the last time, for the tragedy to forget is to be alone forever. Do you accept this?”
“I do,” Terra says.
Aqua hums. “Yes, I do.”
Ven smiles. “You know what to do.”
With his free hand, Terra presses two fingers to his chest, over his heart, where he builds a golden glow. Twenty years living with her, ten years in darkness thinking about her, this vow is impossible to break—even if they can’t do this any longer, Terra could never forget her. Never. In his hand is now a piece of himself, a nugget of his heart, a memory of her in his bed that he never wants to lose.
He takes those fingers to her chest, two thick golden threads drawn out from his heart. She winces at the touch, quick to dissolve. Stormfall shifts in his hand, growing longer, its hilt thicker and darker, wrapping around like a weaved shield. A subtle change, a little piece of him.
Aqua does the same, fingers to her chest first to create the threads, bringing them to his chest. It does hurt, like a needle digging into his skin, sharp for the entire length until it’s suddenly gone. 
He feels full, as though his insides are creating space for something extra. Warm, frightening, whole, exciting. Her piece is a memory he can’t read but he doesn’t need to. Ends of the Earth opens way for an icy blade to cut through the middle as the hilt fans out like wings. A piece of her to take with him where he goes.
“Alright,” Ven chirps, snapping the booklet closed. “The book ends with the quote, Two hearts, only one, but I think this means I can call you husband and wife in secret. So kiss.”
Their Keyblades dissipate when they hold each other, tender but with appetite, unaware of their surroundings for several selfish moments. With sewn threads, it’s as though he breathes through her. Terra presses her onto him, feeling how her heart now beats in sync with his.
“I love you,” she whispers. They are married. 
He’ll never tire of hearing it. Stars, they are married. “I love you, too.”
Terra hears Ven sniff before a handkerchief is shoved into his face. “You need your face dry and clean before everyone sees you,” Ven says. 
The sunset now is deep, a fiery orange. Terra doesn’t want to let go.
“I’ll hold you again tonight,” Aqua says, patting his chest. “I want to see the meteor shower Ven promised.”
“It’ll be a good one,” Ven assures.
Terra kisses her. “Then we have to make a run for it.” He picks Ven up like a log, jogging through the thicket of the forest with Aqua close behind him, the Master in her arms. When they approach the castle, in the twilight, they hear chatter coming from the halls, as though ghosts are partying outside. 
Terra feels at peace despite that he now has to perform, balancing on a tightrope where he doesn’t care if he falls. He turns around and holds her neck to kiss her again, feeling her laughter in his mouth. “One more?” he asks when they break. 
Ven, still tucked in Terra’s arm, groans. “I never asked for a front seat to the kissing show. Is this my punishment?”
Aqua kisses him one more time, whispering to him I love you for what will be a string of I love you’s in the night to come. Friends will cheer, Terra will trip on the way to the altar, Sora will cry because Terra will cry, Xion will eat too much cake and get sick, Isa will laugh because he is drunk, Kairi will be the star of the dance, Aqua will be the star in his eyes. 
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annab-nana · 4 years ago
Text
One Love, Two Mouths - Sarah Cameron
Now that your close friends and family know, you had to keep up the lie that it was Scarlet you were after when really it was her best friend your eyes were on and being at a New Year’s Eve party with her there proved to be harder than you had anticipated.
A/N: This is the second part to Sweater Weather so make sure you have read that already if you haven’t :)
Warnings: some curse words; mentions of alcohol and drinking 
Word Count: 3.5k+
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<- Part 1
It would not be you and Rafe if you both hadn’t woken up in the middle of the afternoon after staying up way too late watching movies and joking around. When you felt something blowing in your face, you opened your eyes to see how seriously close Rafe’s face was to your own.
“Rafe,” you mumbled, shaking his body lightly with your hand on his shoulder. “Scoot the fuck back.” You would have moved him yourself, but he was much larger and if you pushed against him, you were sure you would end up pushing yourself off the bed considering how little room he had provided you.
“Whaaa?” he dragged out as he barely moved and kept his eyes closed. You went against your better judgment and tried to push him yourself, but you should’ve listened to yourself. He did not move an inch, but you overestimated the amount of space you had on your side of the bed and felt the mattress slip from beneath you. Your arms reached out to grab onto something, anything, but they caught nothing, and you landed on the ground with a thud.
“Ow,” you muttered before Rafe’s head shot up from the pillow he was just drooling on.
“Why are you on the floor?” he inquired as your eyes rolled at the boy.
“Because you are a bed hog and when you didn’t move when I asked, I tried to move you myself which got me here,” you told him while you two stared at each other for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles together.
“Are-are-are you okay?” he breathed through his laughs while he lent you a hand to help you out. You took his hand in yours and let him lift you up before you sat down on the side of the bed you just woke up from.
“Yes, just don’t sleep all crazy and we’ll be good,” you said as your laughter died down. When you looked over at him, you still noticed the saliva slipping down his face.
“You need to do something about that,” you told him, pointing towards the drool. His hand came up to his face, effectively wiping it away before he attempted to wipe it off on you. Your movements were quicker than his and you managed to grab his wrist before it met your skin.
“I don’t think so,” you warned while your other hand reached to grab a tissue from his bedside table and cleaned the slobber off with it. Rafe chuckled at you when he leaned back on the pillows while you tossed the tissue in the trash can.
“Are you getting ready here or at your place?” the Cameron boy questioned before he reached over to grab his phone and check the time, his practically bulging out of their sockets at the sight of it being nearly three in the afternoon. You laughed at his expression as you picked up your own cellular device.
“Probably my place. What about you and the other two dorks?” His face showed mock hurt, causing your giggles to increase.
“I don’t about Topper and Kelce, but I’ll probably get ready here because I have to help Sarah prepare for the party. You gonna get some chips, right?” the blond told you while he rubbed at his eyes a little and sat up again. Tonight was the New Year’s Eve party that Scarlet normally threw, but since her parents decided not to go on their annual ski trip and Ward and Rose were on a work trip, Sarah suggested they have it here. All it took was a little convincing to get Wheezie to spend the night with a friend and the house was free.
“Yep, I should probably get going anyway. I gotta shower and do other things as well,” you informed the boy as you rose from your spot next to him and slipped on your shoes. You saw yourself in the reflection of his mirror, wearing some pajama shorts, an oversized shirt that you had stolen from Kelce a few months ago, and your old beat-up converse. Your hair was a knotted mess from the particularly good sleep you had gotten, but at the moment you didn’t care. In your opinion, it completed the hot mess look you appeared to be going for.
“Okay well, be here at like nine to help me clean up and shit. Sarah is gonna be on my ass and I can’t handle her like you do. You have this like magic touch when it comes to her.” He did not know it, but his words caused your cheeks to heat up. You took pride in being able to read and understand his sister very well. Of course, it was because you basically studied the girl, you were in love with her.
“Hey, also Scarlet is coming tonight so we might can get you in with her,” Rafe shot you a wink after speaking. You rolled your eyes at him, knowing all three of them were going to be pushing you towards the girl. Scarlet was nice and all, but she was not Sarah.
“I don’t want to start the new year like that. I want to start like I do every year, with my boys, okay?” Rafe nodded with a grin that told you he heard you but would not be listening at all. “Rafe, I’m serious,” you warned in a low tone while stepping back towards the door.
“Me too, y/n. You need to get out there!” he shouted as you slammed the door shut behind you before leaning against it, a small chuckle falling past your lips.
“Get out there? Y/n, are you finally dumping those bozos and finding a real man?” the voice that made your knees weak and your heart stop asked from beside you. You gasped, the girl’s presence scaring you a bit.
“Jesus, Sarah,” you muttered when your hand flew to your chest. She giggled at you, the melodious sound flowing through your ears like angelic music. Everything about her, especially that cute smile of hers, had you so captivated by her. You needed to leave soon before you made a damn fool of yourself or worse, Rafe came out and found out that you were crushing on his sibling.
“Sorry, y/n,” she laughed, her hand clasping on your shoulder, “but seriously, are you getting out there tonight? Scarlet and I made sure to invite some pretty hot guys to the party.” You haven’t told her about your sexuality yet. The only people who knew were Rafe, Topper, Kelce, and your family. You were planning on telling her, but you didn’t know when.
“Um, that’s nice Sarah, but I kinda wanna lay low tonight and just drink with the guys,” you told her honestly as you had just told her older brother. You didn’t plan on having the two eldest Camerons pushing you to take a shot at someone tonight.
“Oh, come on y/n. Live a little,” she whined before shooting you a wink and backing away towards her room.
“I might,” you called out as she retreated past the doorway. Once she was gone, you let out a sigh and skipped down the steps to go out to your car.


It did not feel like hours had passed since you were last at Tannyhill, but it had been. You had gone home, showered, got ready for the party, stopped at the store to get those chips Rafe asked you to pick up along with some other things that you knew he probably forgot to get that Sarah wanted him to get, and made it back to the Cameron estate in a rather good time frame. It was 8:30, thirty minutes before Rafe had asked you to be there and when he saw you walk in, his face flooded with relief.
“Y/n!” he shouted before rushing to you to help with the bags you were holding. His eyes dropped from yours for a moment to look you over, a smirk growing on his face. “You look good. Is this for Scarlet?” He couldn’t help but tease you.
“No this is for me, asshole,” you huffed while shoving his shoulder with your now free arm. He wasn’t lying though. You did look good. Your makeup and hair looked flawless. You wore your ripped jeans and a nice flowy tank, the colors complimenting your skin wonderfully. You looked amazing and there was no denying it. It wasn’t for Scarlet though. It was mainly for you and a little bit for Sarah, even though you were sure she wouldn’t spare you a glance.
“Y/n! You look beautiful!” Okay, maybe she’d glance at you, but it wasn’t the way you wanted her to look at you. The compliment coming from her made your heart soar to the sky and flutter like a butterfly. Your cheeks burned at her words as you nodded at her.
“Thank you, Sarah! You don’t look too bad yourself.” She only had her hair and makeup done, still wearing her t-shirt and shorts you saw her in earlier, but to you, she looked ethereal. She was an angel, a goddess, a princess in your eyes. Sarah blushed at your words before looking down at her feet.
“Thank you, y/n! You are way too nice to be friends with him,” she commented, earning a ‘hey!’ from Rafe as you two giggled at it.
“Let’s go take this to the kitchen,” Rafe reminded you and you nodded at him before waving at Sarah and following him to the counter where all the food and drinks sat.
“So, I got the chips you asked for and some more different kinds, then I got some drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and the stuff to make some dip and punch,” you informed him while unloading the bags.
“Jesus, y/n. I only asked for chips,” he chuckled while scratching at the back of his head.
“Yeah, I know, but Sarah asked you to get the drinks and I can see you didn’t,” you told him while you looked around for them, but they were nowhere in sight.
“I was gonna get Topper to get them before he came but now, I don’t have to,” he laughed at your preparedness.
“Then I know you three like that beefy cheese dip thing that I make, and I know Sarah likes punch, so I decided to get stuff to make them both.”
“Okay, do you need help with anything?” Rafe asked, feeling a little bad that you had to do his job.
“Not right now. Go ask Sarah if she needs help with anything because I’m sure she’s probably lost her mind planning this thing,” you offered. He nodded before leaving you in the kitchen to get to making stuff. Having basically grown up there, you knew where everything was, so you got to work on it all.
Around two hours later, people started arriving and the party commenced. Kelce hung out in the kitchen with you, and by hung out, he sat on the counter next to you and went to town on the dip that sat between you both. You were about to hop off to get yourself a refill, but you saw Topper and Rafe walk in and asked Topper to get you some more, which he gladly did.
“Thanks, Top,” you smiled at the boy when he handed you your beverage back. He gave you a nod before standing next to you as Rafe did the same next to Kelce.
“Pass me some chips, bro,” Topper asked Kelce while both Rafe and Kelce had a hand in the bag already.
“I got more over there,” you reminded the boys who left Kelce’s bag alone and went to get their own. Your eyes fell back on the girl you had been staring at all night. The way her brown eyes shined and her lips curved up into that gorgeous grin made you fall harder for her. You watched her throw her head back in laughter, you dying to be the one to make her laugh like that, but for now, you settled on just watching it from afar.
“You are staring at Scarlet,” Rafe teased you while dipping his chip into the bowl beside you. You rolled your eyes at him before Kelce spoke up.
“She’s been looking over there all night.” You looked back over to Sarah and Scarlet was in fact next to her. You had not noticed, your eyes obviously trained on someone else, but staring at Scarlet was a better cover story anyway.
“N-no,” you stuttered, a tell-tale sign that you were caught. The trio chorused in laughter, all knowing that you were lying. “Fine, I was looking over there a little.”
“More like a lot, y/n/n,” Topper grinned while looking over to the girl they thought your eyes were glued to.
“I told you, y/n. Just make a move tonight. Get your first girl. Do you know how exciting that will be?” Does he know how exciting it will be if you get the girl of your dreams? Not her best friend that they thought you were infatuated with.
“Rafe, I told you I want to spend New Year’s Eve with you guys, not pining over a girl who will probably never feel the same. No one else even knows I’m into girls besides you three and my family. That’s it and I don’t want to tell anyone else for now.” Your eyes found the girl again, but now she wasn’t with Scarlet at all. She was with some guy, probably one of the hot guys she mentioned inviting earlier, and he had his hand on her arm slowly sliding it down until he found her waist.
It shouldn’t have bothered you. You weren’t together. You weren’t even talking. To Sarah, you two weren’t even a possibility, but it hurt a little. It stung to see her with someone else. You felt your eyes begin to water but you blinked any tears that dared to show themselves away.
“Uh, I’m gonna go outside and get some fresh air,” you mumbled to the three that sat around you before hopping off the countertop and slipping through people until you found the back door and walked out of it. The three boys looked at each other in confusion, all of them clearly sensing that you were upset about something.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have teased her about the Scarlet thing?” Rafe spoke, now feeling incredibly guilty. You and him teased each other all the time, so he saw no harm in it, but now he felt like he had crossed a line with you.
“Or maybe Scarlet wasn’t the problem at all,” Kelce wondered out loud, the puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly in his head. Rafe and Topper unfortunately were not picking up what he was putting down, so the boy rolled his eyes before explaining. “She was looking at Sarah and Scarlet, right? Well, when Scarlet was gone and Sarah was over there alone with a guy, y/n got upset soïżœïżœâ€
“She likes Sarah,” Topper finished Kelce’s sentence. “She probably didn’t want to tell you because that’s your sister.”
“And your ex,” Rafe reminded him. Rafe did not care if you liked Sarah. He only cared that you were happy and if that meant you were with his sister, then that was fine. You were basically family already so might as well actually become it.
“Rafe, that was forever ago, and I don’t care if she likes Sarah,” Topper told him.
“I don’t either,” Rafe stated.
“Well, we should tell her it’s okay if she likes Sarah,” Topper suggested while Rafe nodded at him, them both setting their chip bags down and about to leave before Kelce stopped them.
“I think she’s beating you to it,” he said while nodding towards the blonde girl who walked out the door. “Let’s give them a moment.”
Sarah saw you walk out and having grown up around you and you being the only other girl she could really trust, she knew something was wrong with you. She assumed it was something the guys had said as a joke, but she knew you and she knew that you would shoot them right back with some sarcasm or a witty comeback when they did something like that. She knew that something had to really be bothering you for you to excuse yourself and it worried her.
Sarah saw you standing out by the water. You had taken your sandals off and held them in your hand as you stared out at the moon’s reflection on the water’s surface. The wind blew your hair to the side softly and the moonlight shone on your face perfectly. You glowed, looking as beautiful as ever and the sight caused a feeling in Sarah that she had never felt about you before and she liked it.
“Y/n?” she called out when she had gotten closer to you. You almost did not notice her. You originally thought the footsteps you heard were Rafe’s, but they were actually Sarah’s. You smiled at her when another gust of wind came your way, causing you to shiver. You mentally cursed yourself for wearing what you had chosen as it did not help you in the cold at all.
“Come here,” Sarah mumbled when she stood behind you. She wore a large cardigan, one you were quite envious of at the moment before grabbing your wrists when you turned to her. Your eyebrows drew together when she linked your hands together behind her back underneath the sweater material, but you already felt much warmer. She took the sides of the cardigan in her hands and brought them together at the small of your back so that you both were now wrapped up in the warmth of the cardigan and each other.
“Thanks, Sarah,” you sighed in relief while your head rested on her shoulder as did hers on yours.
“So, what’s got you so upset?”
“How did you know I was upset?” you questioned her before she laughed.
“Y/n, I know you. I could tell and you always come to look at the water when something’s bothering you so what is it?” she inquired when she pulled away to look at you. Now was the best time to tell her about it so you did.
“I’m bi,” you told her confidently. You felt wonderful telling her, but also a bit of nervousness came with the confession since she was the first female friend that you had told. All that nervousness disappeared in an instant though when you caught sight of that beautiful smile of hers.
“I’m glad you finally realized,” she chuckled a bit while your eyes widened. “What? You think I didn’t know. I used to see how you looked at Kie a few years ago.”
“I don’t like Kiara anymore,” you mumbled, “and I don’t like Scarlet either despite what the guys think so if you hear that, it’s false.”
“Well, who do you like?” You wanted to scream from the rooftops that it was her that you liked but you could not do that, could you? Her big brown eyes sparkled at you as she awaited your response. Tell her something, anything at this point.
“I- uh,” you stumbled with your words a bit as you heard the people inside begin counting down from ten. “It’s um, you. Damn it, it’s you that I like,” you started as you stepped back from her and her embrace, back into the unrelenting cold while the chanting of numbers rung from the house. “I’m sorry if this makes you feel weird or something,” five, “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” four,” I still want to be your friend,” three, “and hopefully you want to be mine,“ two, “I’ve messed everything up, haven’t I?” one.
“Shut up,” Sarah whispered before her hands cupped your face and pulled you closer to hers. The moment you had been dreaming of for quite some time now was happening. Your dream was coming true as you felt her lips connect with hers. Your eyes widened and you took in a sharp breath before you melted into her, your arms wrapping around her neck while hers fell to your waist. You heard the shouts coming from inside her home as everyone celebrated the new year, but in your mind, you were screaming in excitement about how you were starting your new year.
After some time, you both had to pull away for some air. Your eyes darted between her own before they glanced down at her swollen reddened lips and then came back up to her eyes.
“Sarah,” you sighed. It did not feel real. It felt real, but at the same time, it didn’t. Something was up. This couldn’t be true. The universe didn’t work like that. It normally gave you the shit end of the stick and now your dream was coming true.
“Y/n, I like you. I didn’t realize until just a few moments ago, but now I know, and I want to be with you,” she confessed to you. Your lips tugged upwards in a wide grin as you soaked in the moment.
“Really?” you asked, your mind still telling you this was all fake and would end soon. Sarah bit her bottom lip before nodding her head at you. “Then let’s be together.”
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