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theholycakehole · 4 years ago

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Impulsive Decisions || Dream x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Pairing: Dream x GN! Reader

Warnings: None! Well its my first Dream fic and it hasn’t really been edited so maybe that should be a warning lol but mostly just fluff :) Also use of irl names, idk how Dream feels about that so please let me know if I should change it! :)

A/N: Heyyyy... Long time so see! Um... so here’s a dream fic! I am done my first year of uni now so if yall wanna start up some requests I can try and do that again? Probably will mostly be along the lines of the Dream SMP or maybe even other streamers since that’s what I’ve been interested in lately. My requests have never really closed, I’ve just been inactive, but I’ll try to start writing again!

It was a long night of shifting between games with friends and discord conversations. I combed my hair back as my eyes grew tired as the screen shifted to a victory for the imposters. I sighed leaning back in my chair seconds before I got the last kill of the game, earning Karl and me the win.

“Wow…” Rae spoke up as everyone began to unmute.

“S/N??” Sykkuno piped up from his side of the call. I let out a little tired laugh as I returned to the main lobby.

“I think that was LG for me guys,” I spoke out hearing a few pleas against it. “Sorry, I’ve been streaming for like…” I trailed off checking the time, 12:30, “6 hours now? I’m ready for bed, honestly.”

“I should probably do the same,” Dream spoke up, him being in the same timezone as me.

“You guys really should leave the east coast, PST is where it’s at.” Corpse mumbled as I opened back up my stream chat.

“I know, I know, but I can’t get myself to leave my hometown.” I laughed out as I skimmed over my chat reading the goodnight wishes and the thanks for streaming messages.

“Well, I live on the east coast and I’m fine to stay up.” Karl joked as I let out a yawn.

“Does anyone have any fills?” Toast asked. “If not we might have to end it here.”

“Toast aren’t you in the same time zone as me right now?” I asked out. “Go to bed.”

“I don’t need sleep, S/N.” He commented back.

“Ok fair.” I chuckled as my little character ran around the lobby before going to the computer and messing around with the skins and hats.

“Sorry guys, I think all my fills are done for the night.” Corpse explained to the lobby.

“Its no worries we can always play another time!” Rae reassured everyone. “Well, goodnight everyone!”

“Goodnight!” Everyone chimed before signing out of the call.

I muted myself and ended my stream, forgetting to leave the call. I thanked the donos and read chat, making tired comments. I answered a few questions I managed to catch in the chat before ending the stream. As I was about to leave discord I saw that Dream’s little icon was still in the call with me.

“Lurking much?” I joked as I unmuted my mic.

“I thought you were going to bed?” He remarked with a small laugh.

“Eventually, I just couldn’t use my brain anymore after that last game.”

“I don’t blame you, you played well, y/n.” Using my real name rather than my stream name clarified that he wasn’t streaming either. “If you’re not too tired, we can stay on the call if you want?”

“I’m down, honestly, I’m just winding down before bed.” I mentioned as I checked my phone, opening a few social media apps to catch up on what I missed since starting my stream.

“So, y/n when do you plan on visiting? Sap and I are still waiting for you to come down.” He questioned, causing me to look up from my phone, closing it before setting the device back down on my desk. His camera obviously was not on but I found my attention on his discord profile picture.

“Soon, Clay.” I laughed leaning back in my chair and tucking my legs up to my chest.

“You said that last time.” He laughed a little more tired this time.

“Flights can be expensive, especially so last minute.” I made an excuse as I looked over to my second monitor and found myself googling flights.

“I literally told you I’ll pay for your flight to Florida, y/n.” He teased as I hummed in response, my attention mostly on the travel website I was looking at.

“I’m a big girl Dreamwastaken, I can pay for my own flight.” I chuckled before closing the website.

“Y/n your classes are done now, you have all the time in the world, leave Canada and come visit, please?” I smiled at his question before letting out a yawn.

“Fuck it.”

“Wait really?” Clay piped up, shocked and excitement evident in his voice.

“You made a really convincing argument. When do you want me to visit?” I asked before re-opening the tab and looking at prices.

“Right now.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

“Thats not happening Clay.” I laughed before finding a date and hovering over the purchase button. “How about the weekend? It gives me time to pack and get some things sorted.”

“Yes! Perfect! This is so exciting y/n!” He smiled, his voice raising a little bit which caused me to laugh. We sorted out the details and eventually booked the tickets and talked about how excited we were for me to come to Florida.

I’ve known Dream for a couple of years now, mostly through streaming with friends. Obviously, I knew of him before because of the Dream SMP and how popular it got. But through the years we have grown close, this even confused fans. Shipping was natural and happened quite frequently, which we ignored in the beginning, but as time passed feelings began to grow. We never talked about it but the flirting and the comments we’d share both on stream and off-stream just felt so right.

We were both faceless content creators, and being this close was quite strange as we have never met or let alone seen each other in person. As I packed my clothes a couple of days later I felt the nerves settle in. I shook off the panic of what if he doesn’t like me or think I’m attractive enough. But it was hard to shake.

I found myself jittery as the plane began to descend. I peered out the window looking at the ground as it grew closer and closer. The nerves grew more and more intense as I knew Dream was the closest he’s been to me since we first met. I felt myself smiling through the panic as I reached to grab my backpack under the seat in front of me.

When we finally were able to disembark the plane I quickly texted Clay that I was here and told him that I was wearing a f/c hoodie so they could find me. I tried to find the baggage claim as I followed the people who were on the same flight as me. My phone buzzed in my pocket telling me that Clay responded.

‘Sap and I just pulled in, see you soon!’

I smiled at his text message and the nerves went crazy, but a huge smile was on my face at the same time. I opened Twitter and quickly started a new tweet to show my audience that I was on, in fact, a last-minute trip. I attached a picture I snuck as I disembarked the plane and made a quick caption before posting and pocketing my phone.

My phone began to buzz from notifications as I plugged in my earbuds and played my music while I tried to locate myself through the airport. As I finally found the baggage claim I stood by one of the conveyor belts and scanned over the luggage trying to find my own. A couple of minutes passed before I felt a hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned around, pulling out my earbuds to see the face of one of my streamer friends.

“Y/n?”

“Sapnap!” I smiled before pulling him in for a hug.

“Hey, how was the flight?” He asked as we pulled apart and stood waiting for my luggage.

“Long enough, I’m just excited I’m here now.” I smiled as I pocketed my phone after wrapping the wires from my earbuds around it.

“Trust me, so are we.” He smiled in return. I saw my suitcase and quickly went to grab it, Sapnap helping me as well. “Clay is in the car, we were struggling to find a parking spot so he pulled up and is waiting for us.” He informed me as he took my suitcase and helped me wheel it out. “He’s nervous.” He mentioned as we grew closer to the doors.

“Trust me, so am I. Other than people in my everyday life, you two are the first to see me in person, or even my face.” I said as I fidgetted with the strings of my hoodie.

“You’re in good hands, y/n, try not to worry.” He smiled softly at me.

We exited through the doors to see a vehicle parked up to the curb. I felt the nerves build up in my stomach as a head of ashy blonde hair exit the car door. A smile found its way onto my face as my eyes lit up. As the man walked around the car he stopped in his tracks and replicated the same, bright smile, green eyes lighting up. I stopped everything and bolted forward pulling Clay into a tight hug.

“You’re finally here.” He muttered into my h/c hair, pulling me in tighter.

“I’m finally here.” I smiled into his green sweatshirt, feeling at ease.

#dreamwastaken #dream x reader #dream mcyt #mcyt x reader #dreamwastaken x reader #mcyt #dream smp #dream x y/n #clay x reader

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lizzy-williams · 4 years ago

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𝐦𝐫. 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 (𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏)

((Howdy there, this is my first time writing on here, so I hope you enjoy!))

Masterlist

Summary: You accept a job as an assistant to the now world-famous Colson Baker, who shattered the charts with his album Tickets To My Downfall, and an Oscar winner for his success in the award-winning film titled Midnight in the Switchgrass, which also starred his ex, Megan Fox. But once you are accepted for the job, you seem to get closer than anticipated with Mr. Baker.

𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑯𝑨𝑫 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, you had never expected to be getting a job like this. Sure, you had heard about your employer. He had won an Oscar for christ’s sake. Not to mention a Grammy-winning album. You had to say that personally, you were a fan, which was one of the main reasons you interviewed for the job. But never in a million years did you think you would land it.

When you were employed, you were expected to start right after you had applied, which you obliged, even though his house was a thirty-minute drive away.

So now, there you were, sitting in your car, taking deep breaths. You had arrived several minutes early. You had pulled into the driveway, breathing in and out as you prepared yourself. You were excited but scared out of your mind.

“Come on, AJ, you got this, just go in there and try to not be a nuisance,” you spoke to yourself. With a deep breath, you exited the vehicle brushing yourself up, walking up the long, intimidating stairs.

You raised your hand up, taking hold of the lion-shaped knocker and knocked three times, the echos being heard even from the outside. The door was large and almost looming over you with its height. You took the waiting time to look around at the garden out front, trimmed to perfection and colorful pink roses littering the gravel. It was nothing less than stunning.

“Who’s there?” a voice asked, making you jump, your eyes shifting around.

You then realized the voice was a Ring doorbell system, and you mentally slapped yourself for not just using that. You leaned down slightly, trying to meet the camera’s eye, giving a warm smile.

“Um, I’m Adeline Williams, I’m the new assistant for Mr. Baker, I was instructed to start today,”

“Yeah, I’ll be right down.”

The voice was deeper then what you would think Mr. Baker would sound like, having seen plenty of interviews. Suddenly the door swung open, revealing a tall African-American male. He had to be at least six feet tall.

“What’s up, I’m Slim,” He held his hand out for a handshake, which you quickly took.

“Yeah, I’m Adeline, but you can just call me AJ,” you responded, “Where is Mr. Baker?”

“Yeah, he’s still asleep. His manager made you a binder for your duties and other stuff. It’s good to meet you though, just feel free to come in and grab your stuff in the kitchen.” He stated, stepping aside and motioning for you to enter.

You walked in, taking in the entryway. The walls were littered with gold record plaques for collabs he had done with other artists. Paintings of him were scattered around, some furniture almost automatically spotted that looked more expensive than your entire apartment. The ceiling was high-up, light fixtures illuminating the space, giving off a warm feel to the area.

You slipped off your flats, Slim already slipping away into the maze of the house, leaving you to find the kitchen by yourself. Your sock-clad feet patted across the hard floor, your eyes wandering around, trying to find the kitchen in the stupidly large house.

You walked down a hallway, reaching another large room, but now the walls were covered in posters and guitars, a drum set in the corner, recording systems, speakers, and even a Monster Energy Drink sponsored mini fridge which was fully stocked, drawings and art above it, the window next to it letting a fair amount of light in, the curtains drawn. You walked over to the drum set, running your hand on one of the symbols, which had sadly had a light coat of dust on it. Come to think of it, so did most of the other instruments.

“You could play them if you want,” another voice said behind you, making you jump and whip around, your eyes instantly meeting the eyes of your employer.

He was tall, six foot four according to Google, his exposed chest littered with so many tattoos, you couldn’t possibly count them all. His bleach-blond hair was long and shaggy on top of his head, meaning he had probably just woken up, grey sweatpants covering his bottom half, the hem of his boxers peeking over the waistband of the grey material, making you blush and meet his eyes again.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry, I don’t play,” you then mentally slapped yourself once again, “Sorry, what am I saying. I’m Adeline - Um, Williams, I’m here as your new assistant.”

He looked you up and down, taking in you attire, a slight sneer appearing on his face, only for a second. You guessed by his reaction that you were over-dressed.

“You look like a kindergarten teacher.” he laughed.

“Uhm, noted, do you... want me to take off my sweater or something?” you asked.

He scoffed, biting his lip and turning away, holding back from saying something that you were guessing would piss you off.

You sighed, slipping off your sweater and messing with your hands, “Would you mind showing me to your kitchen? Your friend, Slim told me that your manager had had something in there for me,”

“Yeah, follow me,” he muttered, turning on his heel and walking away, your own small feet scuttering across the floor, following him.

And of course, the kitchen was as stunning at the rest of the house, the size, making it look like a gourmet kitchen. And there on one of the granite countertops was a .5 inch pale white binder. Colson walked over to his coffee machine, starting it up and watching you walk over, opening it up.

It listed normal duties like setting up venues for tours, making appointments with the production company, merchandise shipment, and payment, normal duties for Colson himself, (Making iced coffee, booking flights, rides for Casie, his daughter, for school, etc.), and traveling with him to the recording studio for sessions, along with renting time for the studio itself.

“So, what do ya think. The list gonna scare you off?” he asked, a sly smile on his face.

“Well, seems easy enough. It just seems like a lot of booking things.” you smiled, “But it shouldn’t be a problem at all, Mr. Baker.”

He grimaced, “Yikes, just call me Colson. You make me sound like an old man. And if I’m going to be seeing you every day, we kinda need to be on a first-name basis.” he said, opening one of the hundreds of cabinets on the wall, pulling out a mug, “What’s your name again?”

“Adeline. But you can just call me AJ.” you looked back down at the papers, turning to a page to all the numbers needed for your position.

“What’s the J?”

“Huh?” you asked, not looking away from the page.

“Well, in AJ I already know what the A is, so what’s the J?” He smirked, pouring the coffee grounds into the coffee maker, pressing start.

“Oh, um, Jane.” you shrugged off.

“Adeline Jane Williams,” he repeated to himself out loud.

Your heart unintentionally fluttered. Never in a million years did you think that Colson Baker, Machine Gun Kelly, would ever say your full name.

The day went by smoothly, your brain soon catching onto the rhythm of things, you and Colson making small talk as you typed away, sending emails to the publishing companies, his agent, manager, and PR team. Colson would occasionally text you to make him a drink, which you did, always getting right back to work afterward. People came in and out, paying you no mind. The only one you honestly recognized was Rook, his drummer, who only came in to grab a beer from the fridge. Soon enough, the time reached 5 o’clock.

“So, what do you wanna eat?” he suddenly asked, walking into the kitchen area, leaning over the counter you were working at.

The sound of the TV played as you heard the laughter of a group of people in the other room.

“Oh, I honestly have no preference,” you answered honestly, looking up from your Chromebook.

“You sure? Me and the guys were gonna Postmate some stuff, but they can’t decide either.”

“Ummm, I heard there’s a really good restaurant downtown called Beau Jo's. Hear they have a mean menu of Cajun food.” you perked up,

“Alright, Beau Jo’s it is.” He responded, picking up his phone and walking away.

Even though you two had small talk, you still felt like he was so cold to you. Like he didn’t like you, or he didn’t trust you. But you really needed this job. After you finished with your work, you walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

There, you were greeted with glancing eyes of 20 or more people, who were scattered throughout the space.

A man walked up to you, looking eccentric as ever. You only knew him because you knew he dated Bella Thorne, but you would never tell him that.

“Heyyyy, you must be the new assistant. Welcome to the best years of your life!” he greeted, slinging an arm around your shoulders, a cola in his other hand. The smell of expensive cologne.

“Modern Sunshine, I presume?” I asked in a snobby British accent, making him laugh.

“Yo Kells! I like this chick!” he called out to Colson, who was across the room talking to some blond broad in short shorts and a crop top.

“Why don’t you come meet the rest of the guys.”

Well, you knew it was coming. It was the end of the night and everyone had gone home, and it was your job to order Ubers for everyone who wasn’t fit to drive. (Which was close to half the people there).

You gathered up your things, sighing as you grabbed your kindergarten teacher sweater, packing it in your bag along with your computer and everything else. Finally, you tucked the binder into the back pocket.

“You heading out?” Colson asked from behind you, his hand on your shoulder.

Your arms formed goosebumps as you looked back smiling, “Yeah, I think it’s that time.”

“Cool. Well, have a good night.” he said while you slipped on your flats, “Oh, and one more thing before you go.”

You turned your head to look into his eyes.

“Tomorrow wear something more... spicy,”

#machine gun kelly #mgk #mgk smut #mgk imagine #tickets to my downfall #hotel diablo #megan fox #rookxx #slimxx #colson #colson baker #mgk x reader #colson baker x reader #love #romance #imagine #fanfiction #alpha omega #lace up

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smolbeandrabbles · 6 years ago

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Gluttony: Sugar - Nolan Sorrento x Reader (Ready Player One)

Author’s Note: 🙌🙌🙌 I want to personally thank @alotofrandomfangirling for finally. FINALLY making Nolan Sorrento produce something from my brain...

Well, okay I guess this idea came from YOUR brain, but here we ARE!

You also mentioned his office (Oh. You just knew EXACTLY what to say...!) So I’ma introduce you guys to that Head Canon of mine for those damn wine bottles now...!! 😍😍😍

I also want to thank Maroon 5 and Maren Morris for having songs titled exactly the same to the point where I COULDN’T. COULDN’T choose one. It was also completely by accident. This was all Maren’s until I didn’t specify it was her lyrics I wanted to look up...

So THIS is a 2-song fic. Happy days! It’s kinda cool though cuz we also get some POV Male/Female stuff going on with both so...

Did I take the “Sugar Daddy” thing too far... Yes?? Do I care. NO.

Disclaimer: As usj I don’t own anything but the writing that came from my head. Characters not mine. Plot not really mine either! #Requests Premise (As Requested): Nolan Sorrento: where he likes to spoil the reader and always ends up buying tons of delicious and expensive food for the both of them. I think since Sorrento is very rich, he wouldn't mind spending lots of money on fancy food and he would probably buy anything that makes the reader happy (i really didn't want to say the words "sugar daddy", but i guess it's really close to it 😂😂) and maybe he can bring food to his office! We both know we have a thing for his office lol Words: 5559

Warnings: Sexual Pre-Amble (it’s not overly smutty but... SINS!) / total over indulgence / If anyone has a problem with the whole Sugar Daddy/Sugar Baby thing you probably shouldn’t read this...? / Maybe a tinsy bit of angst..?

Boy I’ve been cooking up one hell of a crush I’ve got you on my mind the minute I wake up You make the morning glow... get my juices flowing You know I got the spice but it ain’t enough Baby would you be my sugar, sugar? Make my heart race, even on a good day You make the world taste better, better Good on anything, want you on everything Just a little bit is all it takes Like a Coca-Cola on a Christmas Day You’re what I crave babe, what can I say? Would you, would you, Would you be my sugar, sugar? Tried the fake shit but it ain’t the same A girl just knows when it’s the real thing Yeah I’m a cup of tea with a touch of cream but something’s missing So I’m gonna put this nice and sweet -- I'm hurting, baby, I'm broken down I need your loving, loving, I need it now... You got me begging, Begging, I'm on my knees... And I gotta get one little taste Your sugar, Yes, please Won't you come and put it down on me I'm right here, 'cause I need Little love and little sympathy Yeah you show me good loving, Make it alright Need a little sweetness in my life... ...Don't leave me hanging, hanging, Come give me some When I'm without ya, I'm so insecure You are the one thing, The one thing, I'm living for I want that red velvet, I want that sugar sweet Don't let nobody touch it, Unless that somebody's me I gotta be a man, There ain't no other way 'Cause girl you're hotter than southern California Bay... --- noun 1. habitual greed or excess in eating.

You couldn’t believe how nervous you were. Maybe you were just excited? That was probably it. The way your heart hammered in your chest as the sleek black car drove you through Columbus towards IOI Plaza. Seeing Nolan was usual. But Nolan calling you all the way from his apartment to his office? You’d never been to his office before.

You’d been in IOI plaza before. In loyalty. Only, Nolan Sorrento thought you were far too pretty to be in loyalty. So he’d offered you two choices. Either you could work for him as a Sixer. Or you could do this. What he didn’t know was that by offering you this he was also offering you your wildest dreams. You weren’t from the stacks, but, you certainly weren’t from his world either. Caught somewhere in the inbetween… The pocket of people who were not corporate material, but also… weren’t the poverty-stricken limits of Columbus those in corporate liked to pretend didn’t exist. But that also made you pretty invisible, being neither one nor the other. That ignored middle ground – unless you got yourself thrown in a loyalty centre. Then Nolan Sorrento hadn’t ignored you. You knew exactly who he was; the steel grey, steel blue, tailored suit, lean, smooth voiced smart mouth who usually popped up on service boards around the globe promoting something for IOI. And made you feel things you didn’t think you’d ever felt for a man of his age. And you revelled in his attention. As he did in yours you supposed; such was the nature of your relationship. But you weren’t supposed to act like you craved his attention, only like you wanted to be there. Oh and you wanted to be there alright… Walking into the IOI offices you recognised immediately why you’d been called here. The board that hovered about everyone in the OASIS as a constant reminder that no one had actually got the First Key in 5 years was also present here. Only, now there was one name on it. And it wasn’t his. You bit your lip – you weren’t sure you were going to like Sorrento if he was having a bad day… Did you even know what that was like yet? You knew what he was like when he was frustrated and he came back to his apartment. Because he would hand you his card and have you go out and buy whatever you wanted. Or he would sit you down and you would both choose things for you. Because seeing you happy made him happy – apparently. But that was just work frustrations. This… Was something entirely different. Your escort, one of his many assistants, left you at the bottom of a set of stairs with a smile – which you returned. Taking a deep breath you glided up the steps to his office in your heels, still watching the board curiously. Who was Parzival? No. Maybe that wasn’t the correct first question to ask. You knocked to a soft hum and “Come in!”, so you entered. “Heyyyy…!” The smile on his face couldn’t be bigger “Just the person… I needed to see.” You bit your lips together and let the door go, trying to suppress your smile for just a second. You needed to see him too… He stood, rounding his desk and crossed to you; “Did you have a good day?” You nodded “Good enough.” “Good…” He stopped in front of you, but he didn’t touch you. This relationship had boundaries of its own. And he had to get clearance from you to do so. That was torture enough in itself. You didn’t think it was appropriate to ask him the same question; “…May I ask why you called me here?” What couldn’t wait until he was back home? He shrugged; “I could be working late. I didn’t think it was good for me to get lonely… Please… Darling… Sit…” He indicated to plush chairs arranged neatly around a black glass coffee table. As he did so, his hand ever so slightly brushed your back. It was enough to give you a small shiver of delight. “You could just have sent me shopping?” There was a reason he wanted you here. “Is that what you want, Darling?” He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, making you instantly shake your head. “Not particularly… Not today, anyway.” Nolan was smiling again, you weren’t sure what it was about buying you things that he liked so much. Maybe he thought he was buying your attention…? Or your love..? You were sure he’d suggested the idea because he wanted you; that he wasn’t convinced you could ever want him. Part of you wanted to tell him he didn’t need to… Part of you took enjoyment out of the fact that he did. You’d never been in a situation where you could have exactly what you wanted when you wanted it. Money wasn’t supposed to buy happiness, and you always had to force yourself to remember that, but… gratuitously… You thought it could get damn close sometimes. “Good. Because I thought perhaps I could treat you to dinner?” He was asking it as a ‘would you mind if I showed you off at dinner’ question. You were glad you’d opted to wear a nice dress. Mind you, you always wanted to look nice when you saw Nolan anyway… “Of course you may. Where are we going?” You had to check “Is this okay?” He sat opposite you, crossing one leg over the other “Darling, you always look fabulous. No one else in that room is going to compare to you.” But then he steepled his hands together, like he was about to make a business proposal “But. No… I… meant here.” Dinner here?! How did that work. “Oh!” You knew you looked surprised “Okay…” He smiled again “Everyone should be leaving work soon, if you wouldn’t mind waiting here. I shall be right back.” He stood “Are you sure you don’t want this…?” He pulled his card out of his wallet and indicated to the tablet sitting on his desk; “Not even for your avatar?” You stood, taking the card from him and studied it for a minute, before giving him a teasing smile and sliding it into his shirt pocket. Tapping it gently “No. It sounds like you have ideas of your own.” He walked over to his coat stand and pulled down his heavy navy overcoat. The collar stood out in black and it hugged him nicely. You bit your lip; he always had to shrug out of his suit jacket to put it on. As he was doing right now. The muscles in his back strained gently across the quality of the fabric of his blue-grey shirt. Boy oh boy did he have no idea what he did to you. He slipped the coat on and there it was again; that fit across his shoulders. You could hardly stop yourself smirking. He retrieved his car keys from his desk and continued talking without facing you, “Alright... I shouldn’t be too long gorgeous. Sit tight okay?” “I will...” He smiled at his desk and locked his desktop. You took a breath. The temptation was too great to resist “You always look sexy in that coat.” He froze, with one hand on the door to his office and his gaze swept to you, finally.

His face read a multitude of things. He looked halfway to a blush... except his eyes; they had this wicked glint about them that told you that you’d taken a well calculated risk. “Thank you.” Was what Nolan’s voice said, almost level. But there was hints that he was quite perplexed. Technically he paid you for your affection. But he didn’t pay you for compliments. You snuck them in, rather than showered him in them, to make sure he recognised that you meant every word. But, you always meant every word.

Your mobile buzzed gently in your lap and you smiled knowing, looking to the screen of the IOI technology. ‘Sorrento: Call Me’ He could have called you but he always liked you calling him, mostly so he could leave his phone in the most conspicuous place possible and have your picture flash up and everyone ask the same question; “Who is she?” But he was in the car. So... that wasn’t the problem. Maybe it just gave him an ego boost seeing your name appear... You appeased him anyway; “Hello?” “Hello… Darling… I should have asked before I left, I’m sorry…” You heard the smile in his voice, and you could see it as clearly as if he was still here. “I wanted to ask you want you want… I’ve got a few ideas but, it’s only polite that I ask you. As I asked you to dinner…” Dinner was really the last thing on your mind, and you almost smirked… You honeyed your voice, with just the right smile to make sure that he could see yours too; “Sweet things, Sugar.” You rolled your tongue over your lips to leave just the right length of pause “Right now I’m craving something… sweet.” It was right there in his response, how it made him feel. How your use of Sugar held far more than just one significance. “Okay.”

Back in his car this time Nolan Sorrento did flush bright red, and loosened his tie, letting the window down just a little. Oh my god... he couldn’t help but wonder if that voice was filled with promises? Or just you teasing him again... he liked it when you did that. It was playful. But it was also always affectionate. He knew you meant it, when you looked at him with those eyes of yours, that little smile on your face. How behind the tease in your voice was the honest clarity that you hoped he would catch... He was observant, so he did. Nolan bit his lip gently and took a deep breath – eyes flicking to his navigation system “…I know just the place…” *

When Sorrento returned to his office you were sitting in his rig, legs swinging lazily over the side, your dress pooled in your lap, showing them gracefully off. Your heels were in your right hand, dangled off the edge of the seat. You had a touch of class that he liked. He was carrying a stack of boxes piled according to size and many done up in multicoloured ribbons, in his other hand a carrier like the kind you’d find in a luxury fashion brand store when you purchased something. And you knew a lot about those now.

Across the side in script was “Token of My Confections” It piqued your interest. That sounded like he’d picked it on purpose. So you smiled. But to him you lit up his office. "…So. Sweet can still get healthy. But I didn't go for a complete sugar rush cuz... Y’know... Balance." Then he smiled across to you as he set everything down, "annnd the calories? On me... Eh...." He gave a sharp intake of breath, "my metabolism isn't what it used to be." Nolan’s idea of exercise and yours were at least similar. And from time to time you would also see him in a track suit walking around his apartment. The Same NS IOI stamped across it as featured so often on his ties. Yet, there was no real exercises equipment around, so you wondered exactly what he did. You didn’t ask, and he was never that bothered in telling you. However... it was a lot easier to unzip a tracksuit jacket and take a shirt and tracks off than it was undo a tie and all those damn buttons...

Still, either way, you liked a challenge. He got half way through shrugging his coat off before you sat up, swivelling in his rig you crossed to him to help him do the rest. Allowing you to run your hands across his chest and down his arms. He afforded you a gentle groan for your efforts that you would keep for yourself. “Thank you.” Nolan tilted his head and watched you run back to his coat stand to hang it up; “You didn’t have to do that” “But I wanted to...” You walked yourself back to him. One foot then the other. Almost cat like. And he watched you, virtually expressionless. But you saw the change in his breathing. The way his lips parted. "Do you want some help?" "No... It’s okay darling, please sit." He indicated again to the plush leather seats, as he had when you'd first walked in. "Let me do this for you."

You didn't protest, but you mirrored the smile he was giving you. As sweet as what you hoped was in those boxes. You couldn't help it. Sometimes he was borderline adorable. You wondered how many people knew the ruthless CEO of IOI like you did... Nolan'd stated a bunch of times he'd do anything to win Halliday’s contest but... Whenever he was away from the office... You wondered if anything, he could have more limitations than he would ever let on. Was that ruthlessness fabrication…?

You opted to lounge yourself on the couch, so then he could sit next to you, rather than across from you. You knew by the look on his face he was thinking the same thing, as he pulled gently at the box ribbons. He never took those steel blue eyes from yours. If you could dream it, he’d probably bought it. And when Sorrento said ‘healthy’ what he really meant was Fruit was included. There was just one box he left unopened; “Nolan, you can’t expect me not to ask what’s in that.” “Never you mind. That’s for later.” “Later?” You questioned as he relaxed himself into the seat next to you; “Yeah. Dessert.” Your face clearly read amused; “Dessert?” Your eyes flicked from what already seemed to be beyond dessert and back, to him. But Nolan couldn’t hide his own joke from you and pretty soon the smile on his face became a full laugh. “Okay. So. Second dessert. Whatever…” He pointed to the box, “Point is, last.”

You decided that sitting like this with him so close to you was just a shade boring. Probably not for him; but he was patient and a good man, Sorrento wouldn’t touch you without asking. And certainly not without you letting him. Most of the time he would let you initiate contact, but, you usually let him take it as far as he wanted to. Right now, Nolan was content to have catch-up conversation. He considered every question you asked him carefully, and gave your every word his undivided attention. You offered him the same, always. You were here because that was what he wanted. Someone who actually cared about him. Someone who would keep him company and actually listen to him when he had days like this. He paid you to do that. Sometimes you wished he didn’t. Sometimes you wished this was more real – but then, it struck you that this must have been real. Because you knew how you really felt about him… And were you not certain that he might feel that way about you too? But you were paying off a debt being here; if you told him what you really wanted, what would he do with what you still owed IOI…? “…What about the competition…?” Eventually you had to voice your observation of the leader board. “Oh. No. That’s okay. There are 3 challenges… Not the one, and this guy isn’t clanned up. It’s fine. We can still do this.” “You’re not upset?” “It’s disappointing.” Sorrento gave a shrug “But, no…” he chuckled “I’m sure the board will have other ideas. But… Sitting here right now that’s hardly a concern of mine… When was the last time you were in the OASIS anyway…? What gets you so concerned about Halliday’s challenge?” “… You …” It was sincere and it struck his heart too, the worry in your eyes. “Me?!” he chuckled again and then his face almost fell; “Oh-! Oh you… Do you think that’s why I called you here-!?” You didn’t want to say yes or no. You did, but it was clear that if you said ‘yes’ he’d be hurt. Nolan was already trying not to show hurt on his face – but it translated very well to his eyes; “No, no, no, my darling, I would never do that… I just… wanted to see you…” “I know.” Did you? “…I didn’t mean to insinuate that you would…” That allowed you to make a move though, leaning your body into his you wrapped your arms around him and rested your head on his shoulder. He settled into your embrace with a smile; cuddling you into him further Sorrento let out a gentle sigh as you kissed his neck. Oh… okay…! It felt good, he had to be honest, after a long day that you would ask him about it… that you would do this for him at all… He always made the same encouraging noises whenever you touched him like this. As if he was subtly asking you to never let him go. You wondered if it was because he could never ask you out loud. If, just like with this competition, that would show something in him he never wanted anyone to know. But you saw right through him – Nolan Sorrento was vulnerable. Asking you something like that, or losing this game would show weakness. But you didn’t understand why he found that so bad? Because he was the CEO of the second biggest company in the world? Because the board expected him to be so ruthless? That only made you dislike his company – if Nolan Sorrento wasn’t the man on all those billboards, why did they allow him to be? Why did he force himself to be…?

You pondered this as you nuzzled yourself further into his body; entwining your legs with one of his, you snuggled into his chest. The subtle encouragement from you was for him to wind his arms further around you, to continue to pull you closer to him – and of course he did; because he wanted that. Tangling his fingers into your hair. “Hold up-! I don’t want to get crumbs everywhere…!” Nolan finished the sweet in two quick bites and swallowed, and then his fingertips were brushing your skin – and you let out a different kind of sigh than he had. Than the sigh his made as you ran your fingers into his hair. Every touch you afforded him was sheer bliss. And too often you wondered why he kept himself from that… Sat on him (lets be honest, now on him.) like this you suddenly found yourself facing his extensive collection of wine bottles. Sat behind a glass case, well back lit. You knelt up on him in an attempt to read the labels you were squinting at. Why would he keep wine bottles in his office? Displayed in such a way? Were they for clients? Were they to celebrate the successes of IOI? “What?” He asked gently, hands now respectfully on your waist rather than your thighs. He swivelled his head to follow your line of sight; “Oh. Yeah.” You were tipping your head to try and read the names, still to no avail, he pushed gently; “Go on darling… Go pick one.” “Huh?!” You looked down to him, to that small smile he was giving you “Oh-! No, I -! Just wanted to know what they were.” “- For special occasions. So…” He smiled again “Go pick one.” You couldn’t keep yourself from leaning down; “Special occasions?” “I think so.” You couldn’t help the small laugh, before you kissed him; it was tender and seemed to hit you with a sugar rush that you were fairly certain you were already on. The way Nolan groaned gently into it, again, and let you take his hands in yours. You broke it far too quickly, but you were intrigued by what was so special about them, and hopped from his lap.

He sat up to watch you run over, analysing them all eagerly; “…What is so special…” You were trying to make any kind of connection between them… The dates… The places? Campania was a word that came up again and again… Aside from that, you could guess that the bottle marked 1999 was his birth year. He didn’t exactly keep his age a hidden secret. You turned to him, “What is Campania?” “ Campania.” He repeated it with an Italian flare you couldn’t hope to replicate, but that also sent a delightful shiver up your spine “It’s the region in Italy that the fair city of Sorrento is located in. Pretty great for wine.” He also added the flair to Sorrento and saying his own name like that almost made you let out something a little more vocal. You had no doubt then that this man was fluent. You had to turn back to the wall of bottles to hide your smirk – hell, wasn’t Italian one of the Romantic languages? Why hadn’t the name ‘Sorrento’ made that click for you!? “…And the dates?” “Important years.” “I guessed ‘99.” “Aha-!” His laughed was slightly embarrassed. “…The year I joined IOI… The year I became CEO… It’s all up there.” “So... Which one am I supposed to pick?” “Darling, the choice is yours.” You pulled a bottle down, “It’s gonna leave a space?” “I’ll get another. I’m not worried about that either. I want to share one with you.” You smiled and walked over to him. 1999, Sorrento, Campania. Red. “Age is just a number.” You put the bottle down, “Glasses…?” This time he stood, with a slight smirk; “I got this.” You pushed yourself onto your toes to brush your lips to his teasingly; sinking back with a raised eyebrow coupled with a smile; “Oh. I have no doubt.”

You moved across his office in stages, (making sure not to leave a trail of crumbs as you did so!) as you made your way through both everything he had bought and a bottle of wine. Which was beyond good. It wasn’t like he was picking just any bottle with the year 1999 stuck on it. It demanded to be sipped, not drunk. You started back on the sofa; but you moved to the rig if only because his data pad pinged and he needed to fire off a couple of emails. But Nolan still held you close, and then started scrolling through a website to show you these bottles for himself. You sat and tousled his hair as he did this; loving the feel of it through your fingertips – at the way he laughed but never asked you to stop. He was clearly something of a wine connoisseur… But he wasn’t overly obnoxious, as he sipped his glass, he kept telling you what you were supposed to be tasting – but there was nothing pretentious to it. More like he was giving you a whole history about a region of Italy you could only dream of, but presumably where his family’s ancestry could be traced back to. And there was not a thing he mentioned that you couldn’t taste. You noted as he made a purchase to replenish the shelf, how damn EXPENSIVE the bottles were. You looked back and counted them again, wincing at how much money was sitting around waiting to be drunk. You knew he spent on you, that maybe that was his way of trying to show you affection… But you knew he could love… Maybe he thought he wasn’t any good at it. Maybe everything he loved left? You glanced back to Nolan as he excused his attention from you to write another email. That would change a person… Maybe his heart had been so broken, that buying love kept him safe? You shook your head to yourself; you would change that. You would show him that he could love. And he could love you.

Now you were sitting back on his desk, and he was relaxed in his office chair. And finally he’d opened that last box “OH MY GOD!” “See, best for last!” “That’s red velvet cake.” “Yeahhhh… Cuz you only go on and on about it…” You nudged him gently; “It my favourite.” “I know darling. I know…”

He’d neglected and subsequently silenced his work. But it had been nearing 5pm when you had arrived, and although you hadn’t looked at a clock since then, you knew that it must have been getting well on into the evening. You were glad he was allowing himself respite. He deserved it. Nolan Sorrento worked hard and played hard. And was playful with you even now, the way he let you almost feed him a piece of cake before you would lure him into a kiss. That would last for just about an appropriate amount of time. And he let you do it again and again before he chuckled; “You know I am actually gonna want a piece of that at some point this evening.” “Aren’t you full!?” “No.” He sat back and tipped his head, with another smirk that threatened to un-calm your heart. “…Are you?” You shook your head, devouring another forkful and turned back to the box; he made you feel slightly bad about it. So you cut him a piece and handed him the plate. “Oh? A whole slice. I should be so honoured!” He took it with a grateful smile, that extended to his blue eyes. “Well, I feel if you’re sharing your special occasions wine with me…” He chuckled and took a forkful for himself – “True…! Oh. Mm-! Gorgeous!” Though he made sure he wasn’t looking at the cake as he said this, but you. That only made you blush, and you were sure about it. Shaking your head as if to forget it. Nolan was now repeatedly tracing his fingers over your legs, as your feet rested in his lap, with his free hand. And each mouthful of cake was thoughtful. You took a breath to match the relaxed feeling, but you had an idea you needed to voice; “You know, what we really need is ice cream...” “Ice cream... really?” His voice edged teasing and he gifted you with another cocky little smirk. Your eyes widened in genuine excitement “You have some?!” He gave a shrug, toying with you, as you had him “Maybe…” He sighed, “I couldn’t possibly say!” “Nolan-!” He held his hands up to calm you down, but looked amused as he walked over to another cupboard in his office. Just like a mini bar at a hotel, this was built into the rest of the furniture. You were almost in disbelief that this was actually happening; “You actually have ice cream.” You watched the way his gorgeous blue eyes flicked from shelf to shelf, illuminated by the harsh light; “Yeah; what flavour though… This is kinda limited…” “Vanilla.” Otherwise the ice cream would threaten to overpower the cake. And that would be no good. “Vanilla…?” He let the question linger for a second “That seems a bit tame.” You didn’t notice it at first; “It’s the only one that’s gon-” You paused. Did he just-? Had he just-?! He noticed you’d noticed at the way he was smirking at his fridge; blatantly refusing to turn back to you. You folded your arms and opened your mouth; but you weren’t sure there would be any words to do the moment justice. What was he saying…? There was something niggling you about that sentence. He was telling you you could stop it if you wanted. You could say something and put a stop to it right now. You didn’t want to.

He walked back and set the tub on his desk; “Now we just have to wait for it to melt appropriately.” The way his eyes remained locked on yours let you know he was doing it again. He was waiting for you to say stop. For you to guide his prompt. Subtle or not. “…What so we can actually use a spoon on it?” You decided if you enquired innocently enough, he might pick up on something else “…In which case I feel you could turn the fridge down. OR heat the spoon but that would mean leaving your office which would obviously be bad…” You pulled him closer to you by his tie so that he had to place his hands on either side of your hips; “…I mean this is for the cake, right?” Your feigned innocence wasn’t fooling him in the slightest; “Oh?! Is that what you asked for it for…? No. I was thinking of the optimum temperature to melt it all over you…” There it was. What you wanted to hear. And you were pretty sure he knew that. You pulled at his tie to unfurl the knot – making it clear to Nolan you weren’t messing around. And a spark went off in those clever blue eyes. “Is that okay?” “Yes.”

His lips were on yours before you even got most of the word out, winding your legs around his as he pushed yours further apart to fit between them. He was quicker to find the straps of your dress than you were his shirt buttons, and you only managed one before he was pushing you back onto his desk. Releasing your lips. Nolan continued to work your dress down your body; but he wasn’t removing it completely just yet. Short enough to have also ridden up at his hungrier kisses, you were now almost completely exposed to him. Tracing his fingers gently up your thighs again he let out a gently huffed laugh; Sorrento bit his lip as his eyes trailed your body. You touched his hand but you didn’t stop him – it was more reassurance. Even though you’d said yes. He wanted you to touch him, as much as you wanted him to touch you. And hell, you knew he needed it more than you did.

Nolan’s hand left you for a moment and he picked up the ice cream – you watched as his face became satisfied. You guessed it was melted enough. He loaded his spoon up and ate it for himself. Well, that wasn’t fair! The satisfaction then moved to his voice; “MMMMh-!” He licked the spoon and then his lips as his eyes looked back to you; “That’s really good…” You opened your mouth in protest but he barely gave you any time to react; “It’s gonna taste better on you.” You couldn’t help the shocked breath that emanated from your chest. Oh. He smirked again. Leaning in for one final kiss; you could taste the vanilla on his tongue… He was right – it was delicious. You wondered if by the end of the night he’d let you melt it over him too… Otherwise this would just be greedy on his part-! He straightened and went for the spoon again “This is probably going to be quite cold. You’re still okay?” You gave a nod. To be honest, you weren’t sure you would care what it was, you just wanted that sinful tongue he was currently rolling over his lips running all over you instead. “Okay… Good.” He dipped the spoon back into the tub. His office wasn’t incredibly hot, but his body heat as he held it his hands allowed the ice cream to melt even faster. And pretty soon it was liquified enough in places for him to drip it over you. It was slow going, but the second the first drip hit your skin your body gave a lurch. Colder than you expected for melted ice cream. Oh God-! He would have paused only the rate it was running off the spoon wouldn’t allow him to. The drips were sporadic from your hips to your chest and when he finally put the spoon down to stand back and admire his handy work your eyes were incredibly dark. “Oh…. Y/N… My darling girl…” Sorrento’s signature smirk was spreading across his face at the sight of you “…I think you might enjoy this as much as me…” You weren’t sure you could tell him otherwise, as you reached out to pull him back to your lips by his shirt. Probably, was about your only coherent thought, as your fingers ran for his buttons again, he pulled away from you just as you managed to get to the last one. Nolan shook his head with a gentle growl; “Don’t let this think it’s going to distract me…” He left one last kiss on your lips before kissing down your neck your chest and then finally his tongue hit that first drip of ice cream. And you couldn’t help your moan. Nolan---! You raked your nails through his hair as he continued his trail down your body. Nolan-! NOLAN-! God, why was this so sexy!? This WAS so sexy though. And then his name was spilling from your lips. And he smirked against your skin. He raised his head so that his eyes met yours. “Oh-! Y/N…” He took that spoon back in his hand; voice purring “…Don’t you dare stop now…” --- Which is probably what you just yelled at the screen, amirite? 😉❤ Thank You For Requesting! 💕😘💕 4 Sins Down! @happyskywhale @dennismitchell Sorry! I know one of you has already seen this-! I’ll get better at tagging!!

#Nolan Sorrento #Nolan Sorrento x Reader #Ready Player One #Ben Mendelsohn #There will never be enough Nolan Sorrento on my blog #I remember when I wanted to title my Phil thing Sex & Math #Well this is Sex & Ice Cream #Oh look another 3134045126 talking point turned fic idea.#NOT that phil ever went sex & math... but he has the potential #Anyway enough on that!#Linzi Writes #Linzi Writes Requests #7DS #7 Deadly Sins #Gluttony #46

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bxcketbarnes · 6 years ago

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The Planning - Part Two // Mini Wedding Series

Gif credit goes to @tothemoonmikey :)

Pairing: Ashton Irwin/Reader

Words: 4223

Author’s Note: Heyyyy! It’s finally here, guys! It’s taken me so goddamn long to write this and I’m sorry it’s so long. I got a little out of hand. I hope you all like it and look out for the third part of The Planning! xoxo

I plop onto Ash and I’s bed, letting out a small breath of relief, glad to finally be home. Ashton’s footsteps became louder as he steps into the bedroom.

“It's so good to finally be home,” Ash breathes, setting my bag and his suitcase down by the dresser before laying down next to me.

I nod my head, humming in reply as I scoot closer to him, resting my head against his chest. “It is. I don't know how you guys go on tour for so long,” I tell him, dipping my fingers under his t-shirt, dragging my fingernails up and down his torso.

“It can get a bit tiring after a while, but the fans keep us going. I also have a countdown to when I'd see you again,” he confesses and I glance up at him, seeing a light blush on his cheeks.

A small laugh leaves my lips, scooting up a bit to press a kiss to his lips. “I love you so much, Ashton. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing right now if you weren't in my life. You support me on everything. I just… you're incredible,” I tell him as his fingers toy with mine.

He grins, pressing a short kiss to my forehead. “You're literally my world, Y/N. I will support you for both good and bad decisions you make,” Ash states and I slap his arm playfully, “hey! We both know you made some bad decisions in the past ten years,” he laughs, wrapping an arm over my shoulders.

I nod, laughing as I lean my head against his. “Okay, I have but so have you, mister!”

“Maybe those bad decisions made us realize how good we are together,” Ashton smiles before removing his arm, getting off the bed to grab his laptop. I cross my legs, fiddling with the blanket as Ash sat back down beside me. “So, did you want to get married here in California or somewhere else?”

I chew my bottom lip for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. “Will you be upset if I said no?” I ask, looking up at him through my lashes.

Ashton furrows his brows, shaking his head lightly. “No, of course not. Can I take a guess as to why you don't?” He questions and I nod my head for him to continue. “You think paparazzi will find out and manage to get into the venue and ruin our day.”

I couldn't help but scoff a bit, shaking my head. “Wow you're good at this game,” I chuckle a bit before biting my lip again, resting my hand on his chest. “But, yeah. I just want my rockstar of a man to myself for a day and not share him with the media,” I smirk and Ash rolls his eyes.

“I'm not a rockstar, babe.”

“Oh, I highly disagree,” I cut him off, placing a finger to his pink lips. “You are such an amazing drummer. Every show my eyes always gravitate to you behind your drum kit, smashing them drums like there's no tomorrow.”

Ashton smiles down at me, feeling his lips curl up against my finger. “Jesus, you're adorable.”

I shrug, grinning ear to ear as I lean up to press a kiss to his cheek. “I like to think so.”

Thanksgiving…

Ashton and I pull into my grandparent's driveway in Topsfield, Massachusetts. I grab Ash’s 5SOS III hoodie from the backseat, throwing it over my head as I let out a brrr noise. “Well, I should've known better that it’d be cold here,” I laugh as Ashton turns the rental car off, laughing a bit.

“I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so,” he laughs and I punch his arm lightly, getting out of the car.

“Shut up! You were the one who was supposed to check the weather,” I exclaim while grabbing our bags from the trunk as Ashton grabs the desserts we bought on the way here.

The two of us step up to the cute house, knocking on the door a few times before heading in. My mom walked around the corner, her lips forming a large smile. “Ma! Y/N and Ashton are here,” she calls out into the kitchen as I smile, setting the bags near the stairs before making my way towards her.

Grandma L/N walks over to the three of us, grinning widely as she opened her arms. “My sweet child. It's so good to see you,” she gave me a hug before moving to Ash. “Ashton, sweetheart! How are you?!”

The hazel-eyed man smiles, hugging my grandmother. “It's good to see you too, Anne-”

“Please. You can call me grandma,” she smiles softly as did I, happy about how they treat him as part of the family. “So, can I see the ring?”

I chuckle, nodding my head as I stuck my hand out in front of me. Ashton places a small kiss on my shoulder before heading toward the kitchen to drop off the deserts.

“When's the wedding?” My aunt Claire asks as we sit on the sofa in the living room.

“It's gonna be October 19, 2019. Next year,” I tell them, grinning as I fiddled with the ring. “I can't wait to marry my best friend,” I mumble, glancing towards Ashton who was chatting with my uncles and step-father.

My mom pats my knee, smiling at me. “I'm so happy you found someone who makes you really happy. It's a plus that he's a childhood friend,” she informs me and I nod my head, feeling my heart flutter.

The guys made their way to the living room, sitting down beside their spouses and Ashton sits down beside me. His arm drapes over the back of the couch, slender fingers brushing against my clothed shoulder.

“Have you two figured out where the wedding is going to be held?” My stepfather asks and I let out an awkward chuckle before shaking my head no.

I look up to Ash, grinning a bit. “I guess we should do all that stuff soon, huh?” I laugh as he nods his head, scratching his scruffy chin.

“I think I want it close to home,” I mumble, glancing towards my grandmother. “Do they have any wedding venues here in Topsfield?” I ask, feeling Ashton remove his hand from behind me before lacing our fingers together.

She looks to be in thought and I take out my phone, making a note to look into it later on. “There might be. I'm not too sure, sweetie.”

Christmas

I woke up to Ashton’s lips on my neck, his fingers gently kneading into my hips. I let out a soft groan before turning over to face him.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” he mumbles, pecking my lips and I grin, stretching a bit.

“Merry Christmas, Ash,” I whisper while shifting a little, pressing a short kiss in return.

He shifts away from me, grabbing an envelope and I raise my eyebrows in curiosity. “I got you something and can’t wait to give it to you with all the other gifts,” Ashton tells me and I give him a look.

“You didn’t need to get me anything,” I playfully scold while taking the envelope from his hands.

“And you don't need to buy me things, yet did you?” He asks and I press my lips together before nodding, a giggle escaping my lips. “Exactly. Now open it!”

I let out a yawn while opening the envelope, pulling out a check made for two thousand dollars. My lips part, snapping my head towards Ash as he had a stupid grin on his pink lips. “W-What is this for?!” I ask, flabbergast by the amount.

Ashton didn't answer right away, just staring down at me before pressing a short kiss to my cheek. “It's for your wedding dress, beautiful. I crunched up the numbers a few weeks ago and decided that'd be a good amount,” he while his fingers tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Baby, I don't need this much for a dress,” I try to explain but he cuts me off by placing a finger to my lips.

“This is our wedding, lovely. If you happen to find a dress that you fall in love with and you happen to think it's too expensive... don't. I know you won't use the entire two grand, but I'm giving you the option too.”

New Years

Ashton and I were hosting this year's New Years party and we just finished setting up… two hours before said party. Honestly, we got a bit carried away on our kitchen island earlier… it's clean now don't worry. I wrap an arm around Ash’s waist as the two of us admired our decorated house, seeing the table of buzzers, hats, and glasses. “We did good, Irwin,” I tell him, patting his back as he nods his head.

“Yeah, we did.”

It was about half an hour to midnight and all our friends were hanging out in our backyard, drinks in hands. My eyes drift towards Ash as he was conversing with Luke. A grin came to my lips as I noticed how happy he always looks when with his friends.

“Hey, Mrs. Irwin,” Calum’s voice chimes and I turn my head to face him.

I roll my eyes, my fingers fumbling with the engagement ring as I let out a chuckle. “Technically I'm still Ms. L/N,” I laugh, grinning ear to ear.

“Yeah, well, close enough. Have you guys planned anything yet?” He asks, taking a sip of his drink. I shake my head, turning back towards Ashton to see his eyes on us. “You should probably get a move on. The wedding is in ten months.”

“I know, I know. Well, you guys are taking a small break from the tour so Ash and I will finally be able to sit down and figure it out. Don't worry, Cal!” I pat his shoulder, giving him a small smile before heading towards Ash who's now standing alone.

The cute hazel-eyed man gave me a grin as he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into his body. “Hi, baby. What were you two talkin’ bout?”

I chuckle, knowing Ashton’s feeling good at the moment as I rest a hand on his chest, threading my fingers through his exposed chest hair. “Wedding stuff. He called me Mrs. Irwin,” I smirk, my other hand traveling up his back before combing my fingers through his hair.

“Mm. Mrs. Irwin. I can't wait to officially call you that,” Ashton hums, his fingers trailing under my shirt. “I can't wait to marry you. I'm so glad you walked into my life, Y/N.”

My cheeks blush, feeling my heart flutter in my chest as I saw the passion and love in his beautiful eyes. I could hear our friends counting down as the ball dropped on the television in the living room, the sounds of it flowing outside. “I love you so much, Mr. Irwin,” I whisper, the hand on his chest moving up to his shoulder.

3…

2… “I love you too, soon to be Mrs. Irwin.”

1… “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Everyone shouts as Ash dips his head down, capturing his lips with mine. I stand on my toes, gripping his hair gently as I return the kiss, his hand cupping my cheek softly.

I click on the YouTube app on our smart TV as I sit down on our couch, computer in hand. Markiplier’s video of Welcome to the Game began to play, chuckling at his goofiness as I turn on my laptop.

The Kleinfeld's website began to fill my computer screen as I aimlessly began looking at their dresses. I tap against my chin before combing my fingers through my hair and let out a sigh.

“Look at you, babe. My gaming nerd has claimed the TV,” Ashton jokes, pressing a kiss to the back of my head, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Whatcha doin’? Oh,” he drags out upon seeing the website.

I lean my head back, looking up at the handsome drummer. “I'm trying to decide if I wanna go to Kleinfeld's or somewhere else. I love what they have, but I don't know how far they are from Grams. Plus, if I want my girls to go they'd have to get plane tickets and-,”

“Hey, breathe,” Ashton started, Markiplier’s voice fading out a bit as my fianceé sat down beside me. “I'm sure the girls will do anything in their power to go with you. It's your big day and last I heard from the guys, they're pretty excited. Don't stress yourself out, alright? Go to Kleinfelds, find the perfect dress for our wedding. I love anything and everything on you, so I'm gonna love it either way.”

I take a deep, nodding my head as Ash wraps his arms around me. I rest my head on his chest, taking in his scent. Vanilla, my favorite. “I seriously love you. I know I say it all the time, but you are my rock and I couldn't ask for anyone better,” I mumble into his chest, feeling his large hand rub up and down my upper back.

Ashton presses a kiss to my forehead, humming quietly as he kept rubbing my back. “I love you, Y/N.”

Steff, Mariah, Payton, and I walk into Kleinfeld's together. My eyes widen a bit, taking in the beauty of the place. “Wow. It's more gorgeous than it looks on television,” I mumble while my fingers tangle together, feeling the nerves begin.

The four of us step up to the front counter and I give the girl behind it a small smile. “Hi! Do you have an appointment?” She asks, grinning widely and I nod my head.

“Yeah, um, my name's Y/N L/N,” I provide her and she nods her head, typing it up on the computer before returning her gaze to me.

“Alright, Y/N. If you guys could just sit over there,” she motioned towards the waiting area and the girls already made their way to the couches, “someone will be with you shortly.”

I smile softly, fiddling with the engagement ring. “Thank you so much,” I tell her. I walk towards the girls, seeing each of them looking at the wedding dresses across the room. “I can't believe we're here,” I mumble to them, my eyes looking all around the place.

Steff’s lips moved to say something when my phone rings loudly. I widen my eyes, quickly pulling it out of my purse seeing Ashton’s name and picture on the screen. I mouth sorry to her before answering it, pressing the device to my ear.

“Hey, Ash,” I answer as a smile came to my lips.

“Hey, baby girl. Are you there, yet?” He asks and I nod my head.

“Yeah, we're just waiting for a consultant to come get us,” I say, crossing my ankles. “Did you have fun with the guys last night?” I ask, leaning back in my chair before looking to my friends, seeing them making lovey-dovey faces at me. I chuckle, rolling my eyes.

“I did. We got a couple drinks at the bar near Cal’s place then we all came back here to play Fortnite,” Ashton laughs and I join in.

“Michael force you guys to play or?” I ask, twirling my hair around my finger, gaining Steff’s attention at the sound of her boyfriend's name.

“What about Mikey?” She asks and I wave my hand, motioning that I’d tell her after.

“Eh, no. Honestly, he and Luke played while Calum and I watched. So, you're gonna show me what dress you get, right?” He questions and I scoff, combing my fingers through my hair.

“Did you really think that'd work or?” I laugh, sitting up before resting my elbows on my knees. “You know it's bad luck to see the dress before the wedding, silly,” I tell him before letting out a small sigh, the smile dropping from my lips.

“What's wrong?”

“I just… honestly, I'm pretty nervous that I'm not gonna find one that I'll love,” I confess, the girls beside me frowning as Mariah rubs my back reassuringly.

“Baby, keep an open mind when trying them on. Don't let the girls tell you what you look good in. Trust your heart and gut, okay?” Ashton tells me and I smile softly.

“Okay, I will. Thanks, handsome.”

A tall brunette walks over to us, a smile on her lips as she holds a clipboard. “Which one of us is the bride?” She asks and I quickly raise my hand.

“Hey, babe. I gotta go. I'll call you later,” I tell him, gathering my things before standing up.

“Alright. I love you. Have fun.”

“I love you, too,” I mumble before hanging up the phone, tossing it into my purse. “Sorry about that.”

The consultant shakes her head, leading us towards a couch and a small chair beside it. Seeing Yes to the Dress enough times, I sit down in the chair as my girls sit on the couch. “That's quite alright. So, what's your name and who did you bring?”

“Well, I'm Y/N and I brought my maid of honor, Mariah, and my two bridesmaids Steff and Payton,” I introduce, grinning as I set my hands back in my lap.

“Nice to meet you guys,” she comments, shaking each of our hands before standing next to me once again. “Well I'm Nicole and I'll be your consultant for the day. What's your budget?” Nicole asks me.

“Uh, two thousand,” I tell her.

She nods her head before looking towards my girlfriends. “Is there anything specific you guys would like to see her in?” Nicole asks them and they shake their head, small smiles on their faces. “Okay! Y/N, if you could follow me we’ll get you into a dressing room!”

I fiddle with my ring as I stand up, glancing back towards the girls mouthing wish me luck as I follow Nicole towards the back. We pass some other brides in dresses, making small comments in my head on how beautiful they look.

“So,” Nicole begins as we get into the room and I sit down on the chair, “what's your fianceé like?” She asks while grinning, clasping her hands together.

I let out a small laugh, my heart fluttering as I comb my fingers through my hair. “Oh man, where do I start? Well, his name is Ashton. We're childhood friends. I had part ways from him after he left the country to start his band and we had run into each other again at a concert me and a few friends went too. Even though we hadn't seen each other in about two years he looked the same except his hair was curlier. Anyway, in 2014 he asked me out for the first time and I said yes since I've basically been in love with him since we were preteens. Six years later we're still together, going strong and getting married.” I finish explaining, feeling my cheeks heat up.

“That is so adorable! I'm so happy for you two. Do you have a venue yet?” She asks and I shake my head.

“Unfortunately, no. Work’s been a hassle for the both of us, but I know I want it in Massachusetts,” I tell her, crossing my legs.

“Massachusetts is a beautiful place. When's your wedding day?”

“October 19th,” I smile, getting a bit anxious at how close it's getting.

Nicole claps her hands together, looking down at her clipboard. “Alright, well we should get started! Is there a certain style of dress you love the most?”

“Ball Gown,” I answer immediately. “And I'm not afraid of having a bit of color in my dress. I find the white and blush dresses to be gorgeous.”

The consultant nods, getting up from her chair before opening the door. “Okay! I'll be right back with a few dresses.”

I walk out to the main room where my friends were sitting, clutching the skirt of the dress in my hands. “Guys, I cannot believe I'm in a wedding dress right now,” I laugh, stepping up onto the small circle-like stage. I smooth over the fabric as Nicole lays out the train.

It was a pretty dress. Sweetheart neckline, a beaded bodice that stopped at my waist before flowing out to be a simple plain skirt. I press my lips together, looking at myself in the mirror.

“What are you thinking?” Nicole asks, a hand on her hips as she looks up at me.

I let out a small sigh, continuing to rub my hands over the fabric. “It's a pretty dress, but I'm just not feeling it, you know?” I glance down at her and she nods, telling me to turn around to show the girls.

I carefully maneuver myself, not wanting to tear the dress as I face my friends. “What do you girls think?”

Steff shakes her head first as the other three follow, giving me apologetic smiles.

“I think it's too simple,” Payton mentions and I nod, kind of agreeing with her.

“Alright! Onto the next!” Nicole mentions, helping me off the stage before heading back towards the dressing room.

Three dresses later and we still haven't found one that I'm completely in love with. I sit in the dressing room as Nicole went out to find some more. I bite my nails while bouncing my leg rapidly, getting a bit nervous. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when the door opens, Nicole and Randy coming into the room with large smiles on their faces.

“So, I've brought a friend with me,” Nicole grins.

“Hi, beautiful!” Randy calls out, setting the two dresses on the hooks as I stand up. “Do any of these catch your eye?”

I look over the dresses, seeing a couple blush ones in the mix as my eyes were drawn to one of them. A smile came to my lips as I pointed to the one on the far left. “This one! It's so gorgeous,” I mumble and Nicole nods, grabbing it off the hook as Randy steps out while wishing us luck.

After getting into it, feeling her clip up the back as I ran my hands over the tool skirt. “It's so gorgeous, oh my god,” I tell her, feeling good about this one.

“Yeah?! Wanna show everyone?” She asks and I nod. The two of us step out of the room, making our way back toward where my girls are sitting.

As soon as they see me they began to whoop and holler. I blush a bit, stepping onto the pedestal before Nicole lays out the large poofy skirt. “Honestly I love this dress,” I tell everyone, seeing Randy standing beside my consultant through the mirror. I could see the tears in my friend's eyes as I begin to shake my head. “No! Don't cry ’cause then I'll start crying.”

“Can I add some finishing touches?” Randy asks, stepping up to me with a veil in his hands. I nod my head, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. Tears well up in my eyes as he finishes, stepping away while I look at myself in the mirror.

“Oh my god,” I mutter, sniffling a bit as a couple tears slip from my eyes. “I'm getting married to the love of my life.” I cry, laughing a bit as I wipe the tears away. I turn to face my friends, Randy and Nicole helping with the skirt.

Mariah wipes her face, a large smile on her lips. “You look beautiful, Y/N. Ashton doesn't know what's gonna hit him,” she giggles as well as the other girls.

“So, Y/N?” Nicole grabs my attention, grinning ear to ear.

“Are you saying yes to the dress?” Both she and Randy ask and I keep quiet for a moment before I nod my head.

“I'm saying yes to this dress!” I excitingly call out, bouncing a bit.

The three girls were down in the hotel restaurant, waiting for me as I pace in my our hotel room while my phone was pressed to my ear.

“Hello?!” Ashton answers sounding a bit out of breath and I chuckle quietly.

“Hey, handsome,” I smile, sitting down on the edge of mine and Payton’s bed.

“Oh, hey you. How did everything go?” He asks, hearing the smile in his voice and I twirl my hair around my finger.

I lay back, letting out a huff of breath. “It went well. We had gone through like four dresses before I found the one. Tears were shed,” I tell him, laughing a bit and Ashton’s gorgeous giggle came through the phone.

“Man, I bet you looked beautiful though,” he mentions and butterflies soar through my stomach.

“I can't wait for you to see on our wedding day. I love you so much and I can't wait to marry you,” I mumble, the tears building up again.

“I love you, too. Sometimes I can't believe I get to marry the love of my life,” Ashton comments and I nod my head even though he can't see me.

“I feel the same way, baby. Forever and always.”

“Forever and always…”

Taglist: @gotta-try-something-new @twilightparker @ashs-cheergirl @dashlilymark @lukeskisses @morningfears @h0tsos @kinglyhood @crownedbyluke @thebookamongmen @shower-me-with-roses

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dwarven-beard-spores · 8 years ago

Text

Rained In

Heyyyy, so @booksaresacredspew sent in several prompts right around new years and I’ve FINALLY finished one! So here’s Howl, Megan, and Mari for the prompt “when it rains/snows/storms”.

Wound up longer than anticipated, and I really hope I got Howl and Megan’s dynamic right. There’s a LOT going on between them (I’ll probably make use of another story to explore it further) and I’m trying to tease it out as well as I can.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy :)

Howl Pendragon opened the door to his castle black-side down and stepped through a sea of nothingness into Wales.

Instantly he was drenched.

Rain was coming down in buckets and bathtubs and small lakes, soaking right through his clothes (which were still in the misty state halfway between his nicest suit and a sweatshirt and jeans), and utterly ruining his hair. Thunder rumbled somewhere nearby, and with it came a great gust of wind, and Howl very much thought that he should turn tail and go back to Ingary, where (in Market Chipping at least) it was a pleasant day. Sophie had taken Morgan outside for a walk in the sun, and Calcifer was cheery because the air was dry and no one thought of asking him to stay in the hearth and keep the castle warm.

Howl was about to open the door again and go back to Ingary, send his apologies later, but someone on the Wales side opened the door first.

"Uncle Howell!" Mari cried, and Howl found himself being dragged into the house where it was blissfully warm and dry. "I thought that was you out there," Mari chattered on. "Mum said you weren't coming, not when it started raining, or even before, but I knew you'd be here."

She started pulling him all the way into the house, and Howl followed. He got only a few steps when he was interrupted by a very pointed "ahem" and stopped in his tracks.

"Hello Megan," Howl said, brushing sopping hair out of his face so he could see her properly.

She did not look pleased to see him. "Shoes off," she said, crossing her arms. "I won't have you tracking all of Wales through my living room, thank you very much."

This was very clearly a battle that was not worth winning. Howl stepped backwards until he was standing on the mat and looked at his shoes, which had formerly been boots. Ironically were the least damp part of him, and not muddy in the slightest. "A pleasure to see you too," he said. "You'll recall Mari and I had plans for today."

"Uncle Howell is going to play rugby with me!" Mari said, beaming.

Megan sighed through her nose. "Yes, I know all about your plans. Funny, isn't it, how the one day you decide to follow through with something is the day we get hit by the worst gale of the year. I can't imagine you think you'll still be able to run about outside in this." As if to prove her point, another tremendous roll of thunder filled the room and the lights flickered.

"Well," Howl began, and then stopped, because he didn't really have a good answer. It would have helped if he'd looked out the Wales-side window this morning, but he hadn't, and it was no good telling Megan that he'd only just learned about the storm a minute ago.

"And don't even think about leaving now," Megan said severely. "Walking, you'd catch cold, and driving you'd be certain to crash, and then what would the neighbors think." And that, Howl decided, was the closest Megan was ever going to come to an invitation.

"Yes yes yes, stay!" Mari cheered, and Howl couldn't help smiling. At least someone appreciated him.

"You really could have called," Megan said as Howl took off his shoes. "Set another date instead of showing up out of the storm like this, scaring us half to death," she added as Howl took off his sweatshirt and hung it on the door handle. The shirt he had on underneath was rather damp too, as were his jeans. He could have dried them quite easily with magic, but instead he waited, half listening, as Megan went on about one thing or another. Finally, when she stopped for breath, he took his chance.

"You wouldn't happen to have any dry clothes, would you?"

It turned out that she did have clothes, some of Gareth's. They didn't fit Howl exactly, and the material wasn't as nice as he would've liked, but they were dry. In the time it took to fetch them out of the closet, Megan had managed to criticize his own style of dress for being at once too slovenly and too expensive, the fact that he didn't seem to own an umbrella (even though he did), the fact that his car was still in the garage, and the way he was going to teach Mari such a rough sport at such a young age.

The walls seemed to lean in on him, like they tended to do in this house. If Sophie wondered why he spent so much time running away, well, this was it.

Megan finished by asking him where he was working nowadays, and by then Howl was feeling so wrung out that he very nearly said "I've been doing odd jobs for a king." Sophie would have, he thought, and been completely unapologetic about leaving it at that, but Sophie wasn't there, and Howl was too much of a coward.

So instead he said "let's go, Mari!" and followed her lead as she ran excitedly out of the room and up the pink and green stairs. He tried to ignore the disapproving snort behind his back.

Mari's room was a shock of purple that Howl quite approved of. It was also full of dragons. Apparently, they had become her new favorite, and she wasted no time in telling him the names, birthdays, and favorite foods of every toy and statue in her room, switching arbitrarily between English and Welsh. Most of them looked fantastical and charming. A few looked uncomfortably close to what real dragons looked like, and Howl couldn't help but eye them nervously.

He also couldn't help but give her a few practical tips. No, dragons don't like baths, but they're also not nearly as fond of stealing princesses as the legends would tell you. He knew of one who had an affinity for fine needlepoint.

"Uncle Howell?" Mari asked, just after that fact. "Have you ever met a real dragon?"

Howl crossed his legs and leaned against Mari's bed. "Well, you see, dragons tend to be solitary creatures. And I'm no fool, you know, I stay very far away unless it's absolutely necessary."

"But there are real dragons," Mari pressed. Her eyes shone out of her round face with hope and wonder for the impossible. It was not unlike how Howl had seen himself every time he looked in a mirror during the first year he'd lived in Ingary.

"Of course there are," Howl said. He grabbed a stuffed dragon off the bed and swooped it towards Mari's face. "See? Raaaaaaaurg!"

Mari squealed in delight and, hopefully, distraction.

Meanwhile, the rain continued.

Howl and Mari moved on to rugby. They couldn't go out and run around in the yard like Howl had planned, but he settled for explaining the positions with dragons, and sharing some stories of his exploits back when he played on the university team. He exaggerated just a little bit, because Mari liked it, and besides, that's just how storytelling is done.

By the time Megan shouted up that dinner was ready, it was raining harder than ever. Howl had no choice but to stay and join them. Gareth hadn’t made it home yet, and Neil was apparently staying at a friend’s. The three had just sat down when suddenly there was the loudest roll of thunder yet and the all over the house lights flickered once and then snapped out.

Neil and Mari shrieked. Megan bit off a swear (though not one as loud or as fierce as Sophie would have used). "I suppose I’d better check the fuse box," she said, her voice just as sharp even when muffled by the darkness. "Unless Howell wants to make himself useful for once."

"Well I appreciate that," Howl said. He could have let it go there, but he was fed up, and he hated being fed up. He climbed up until he was standing on the chair and reached for the light above the table. It took him a few seconds of fumbling, but he soon held the bulb in his hands. It was warm with a different kind of energy than Howl was used to.

"What are you doing? Howell!" Megan snapped, but Howl ignored her.

He coaxed energy out of the air, the way one did when casting an on-the-spot spell. It was always a bit harder in Wales than in Ingary. Wales liked to hide its magic. It was there, weaving through buildings and curling up from the ground, but the people didn't use it for anything more than atmosphere, like a thick mist. In Ingary, magic was so close to the surface, so tied into the patterns of the world, that it was quite possible for a strong magic user to snap their fingers and accidentally set off a small explosion.

Still, Howl knew Wales, it was in his blood, and he knew how to call a spark of light out of the darkness and into the lightbulb. It wasn't electricity, no. Someone would still have to mess with the fuse box later. But a simple illumination spell, cast in the center of the bulb certainly did the trick.

"There," he said, with a charming smile down at the others. Mari whooped.

"What did you do?" Megan asked. She had a look of bewilderment on her face that Howl hadn't seen in quite a long time. It was a nice change.

"Just a temporary fix," Howl said. He hopped down onto the floor and added, a bit smugly, "want me to do the others?"

Megan narrowed her eyes, but stood up. "I'll go with you," she said.

Howl shrugged. "Suit yourself." He sauntered into the other room and left it up to Megan to follow.

Megan did. She followed him to the living room where he very nearly knocked over a lamp trying to find it, and the hallway, and the bathroom. She didn't say anything, which was a first.

"Upstairs too?" Howl asked.

Megan narrowed her eyes. "How are you doing this?"

"Just something I picked up." Howl patted the lightbulb fondly. "Not too hard, when you've got the hang of it."

Megan stared at him again. "You don't tell me anything about yourself, do you? You've got to be doing something all that time you spend away, but never a word to us. What am I supposed to tell the people who ask? You might be a bum for all I know. And you come back telling stories and doing impossible things with lightbulbs. Tell me Howell, what am I supposed to think?"

The words were the same as they always were but the tone was just a little bit more vulnerable. Howl began to suspect lighting the bulbs had been taking things a bit too far.

"It's not a permanent fix, of course," he said, patting the lightbulb and very neatly slithering out of the question. "But it should last all night, and probably until the power comes back on. No need to thank me," he went on, "you can simply chalk it up as payment for storing my car."

"Howell," Megan said, very stiffly, but Howl decided not to listen. He turned and ran upstairs, hoping against hope that she'd stay where she was. It was a good thing he knew the house so well. He and Megan had grown up here. His old room, the one the window in the castle originally belonged to, was still on the top floor, but he hadn't gone in for years. He was rather afraid to find out what Megan had done to the place.

"I don't know what you're playing at," Megan said, climbing the stairs in near darkness behind him. "but you need to stop. Why don't you ever think about anyone besides yourself?"

Howl lit the hall lamp, and immediately wished he hadn't. Megan's face was less severe than ever, and in it he could see fear and exhaustion and confusion. Howl felt a sick coldness in chis chest, the sort he felt when he stopped to think about how he'd left her behind to explore a new world by himself. He tried never to stop and do that. It was much easier to remember that his sister was frightening and overbearing and forget she was also worn down and unhappy. It was much easier to have adventures in Ingary and learn magic than to remember that once upon a time she had dreamed of the same thing.

"You wound me," he said, putting a hand on his chest. "I think a great many things of a great many people." And then he was off again, around the corner, into Mari's room. The family could absolutely get around by now, he could stop at any time, and perhaps he should. But it was something to do, and he was doing it.

"After all I've done for you," Megan continued, following him. "Fliers, every time I see a job posting. Numbers that you never call. I've spelled it out for you again and again. Get a job, get a place to live, find yourself some kind of stability. I can only think what your wife must think, you hopping place to place like you do. Mari says sometimes that she wants to write to you, but no forwarding address! Nothing! I can't imagine how anyone would get a hold of you if they did want to hire you for anything."

Howl turned on his heels to face her. There was an edge to that nagging that he recognized now. Sophie used it a lot when he went and did things she thought were stupid and dangerous. "Ah," he said. "You're worried about me."

"Well of course I am!" Megan snapped. "Anyone would be. You're throwing your life away and all for-"

"Then I assure you," Howl said, "you don't have to be. I'm doing quite well for myself actually. Sophie keeps me right." A very appropriate roll of thunder followed the name.

Megan crossed her arms. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely." Howl tried to flash a charming smile to reassure her, but found he was already smiling. Damn that Sophie.

The smile seemed to have worked, though, because Megan didn't protest when he moved to Mari's room.

There he found a new problem. As soon as the light flickered on, Megan gasped. A crack in the ceiling was dripping, no, drizzling, water onto Mari's nightstand. One stuffed dragon, a book, and a paper drawing were already practically ruined.

"Oh, damn this rain," Megan said. Her voice was tired now, without any of the usual bite. "I told Gareth, I said 'this needs fixing.' And did he do it? Hah. He's a good man, Gareth, but he's fairly useless at carpentry and the like." She gave Howl a look that rather implied he should be picking up the slack.

"Well then," Howl said. "Go downstairs and I'll patch this up. Learned a thing or two travelling, I'll have you know. I'll be able to fix this right as rain."

The thunder mocked him.

"How?" Megan demanded. "No tools? Nothing?"

"Trust me," Howl said. Those were very dangerous words, and he regretted them immediately. "Trust me for the next ten minutes," he amended. "I'll fix this up. Well certainly I can't make it worse than it already is," he said when Megan still looked dubious.

Megan shook her head. "I'll never understand a thing you do," she said, but she turned and left the room all the same.

"Probably not!" Howl called to her retreating back. He got no response.

The roof was a simple matter. A bit tricker than the lightbulbs, but without Megan's prying eyes he could do the spell properly. He used a crayon to sketch sigils around the leaking area, plucked a hair from his own head (with all the spells he put in it, it was guaranteed to give the magic an extra bit of power), and shook a bit of glitter off of an appealingly gaudy journal on Mari's bookshelf. Not what he'd normally use, but it would have to do.

A bit of mutter and quite a bit of wheedling with the magic proved to be good enough, and eventually the crack scabbed over with new plaster and healed, leaving a scar that would hold until Mari was out of her dragon phase. It was exhausting work, but Howl spared another minute to cast a simple drying spell on Mari's things which had gotten damaged.

And then it was time to go. No question about it. Howl was not going to stay and make small talk or be interrogated in that dining room. He was even less willing to stay if the unpleasant but familiar balance between himself and Megan had shifted. He slipped back into the master bedroom, changed out of his borrowed clothes, and then padded downstairs.

"All done!" he called from the front hall. "No need to get up. I'm just going now. Rain's cleared up and I really do need to get home. Lovely seeing you all!" Unfortunately, he had to put on his shoes.

“And just how do you think you’re going to get there?” Megan asked.

“I’ll manage,” Howl said.

“Come back soon!” Mari called.

Howl promised he would, and then, despite Megan calling “wait!” at his back, he yanked open the door and returned to the rain.

A simple incantation, and he reopened the door into the castle living room. Calcifer eyed him and his dripping clothes warily.

"Oh thank goodness!" Howl gasped. “It’s good to be home.”

#howl's moving castle #hmc #howell jenkins #howl pendragon #megan parry #mari parry #wales #diana wynne jones #fanfiction #my writings

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