#and my friend coming over to give him a cheese sample after I pointed him out

[babygirlspurgeon]

not me making eye contact with his wife while double taking to see if eric staal was really standing in front of me fjfjjdkdjd

[auspicious-lilana]

Two Cats, One Heart (Chat Noir x Reader)

Summary: Y/n Ross and Adrian Agreste are childhood best friends, they’ve been through thick and thin, including losing their mom, and dad. Since then Y/n's mom made her live with Adrian at his mansion and forever leaving her life. Watch as their lives Change as they become the new heroes of Paris alongside Ladybug and see how Romance sprouts between the two models. 

Part 1 |  Part 2 |  Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7  | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

here's the long-awaited (and overdue) chapter! Enjoy! 

"Yes, I'm busy. I was right in the middle of something very important. What do you want?" Gabriel spoke on his phone as he was standing by a painting of his wife, holding the book containing records of the miraculous holders.

Adrian and Y/n who were about to head out overheard the phone call and decided to snoop on the man, watching him as he placed the book in a safe. 

" What?! This is unacceptable! The sample garment doesn't match at all! All you had to do was follow a pattern. . . Imbeciles! What am I supposed to do? The show is in three days!" He closed the painting, noticing it was one of Adrien's mom. " No, don't use him, he's completely useless. Call my assistant, She'll give you some other names." 

"He hides stuff behind the painting of mom?" Adrian whispered to Y/n. As his father left the room, their Kawamis peeked out to watch with them. 

"I love dirty secrets!" Plagg exclaimed as they walked over to the painting. 

"Right?" Alpha nodded. "adds spice to life." Adrien opened the painting to see the safe that was hidden behind it. 

"Ooh! Go on! Open it! Open it!" The two kawamis urged on. 

" I can't do it. My dad wouldn't like me going through his stuff. Besides, I don't even know the code, and my fencing class is about to start." 

"Not to mention how much trouble we'll be in if we got caught." Y/n agreed. 

"You're such a party pooper," Plagg said as the two phased through the safe door. 

"Plagg/Alpha, No!" The teens exclaimed. 

" My, my, what have we got here?" Plagg's muffled voice was heard. 

"A book on Tibet, an old flyer from a hotel, a load of junk," Alpha was heard after. 

"Come on! Where's the good stuff?" The safe door was cracked open as the two glanced at each other before opening it to see the two kawamis looking through a paper before knocking over a book, Adrien quickly catching it as they looked at the cover.

"I've seen this book somewhere before," Plagg said. "But who cares? I'm famished! I need Camembert!" 

"Why is my dad keeping this locked in a safe?" Adrien questioned, flipping through before stopping at a page with Hawkmoth on it. "Hawkmoth? What's this monster doing in a book about superheroes?" 

"We aren't sure if it's the Kawami's fault for the user's evildoings though," Y/n said. 

"Cheese!" Plagg interrupted. "Didn't you hear me?" The two gasped at the sounds of footsteps and Adrian stuffed the book in his bag as Y/n closed the picture just as Natalie and their bodyguard entered the room. 

"Adrien? Y/n? You're going to be late." Natalie scolded. 

"We were. . . looking for my homework." Adrien nervously chuckled, Y/n quickly nodding with the lie. 

"Gosh, I keep telling you to stop misplacing it so much." Y/n laughed along. 

***

"Can you believe Lila knows Prince Ali?" Rose exclaimed, Marinette passing by at Juleka and her conversation before looking at Chloé make her next tantrum as she passed her. 

"Why did Jagged Stone write a song about Lila when he could've written about me?" She grumbled, walking off with Sabrina trailing behind her with both their things in her arms. 

Nino soon passed by her talking to a few people from class, "Lila knows all of the Hollywood directors. She promised she'd mention me to Steven Basielberg himself!" 

"Lila?" Marinette asked, after catching up with Alya. 

"Yeah, she just started at our school." Alya pointed to Lila, who was on the second floor with Adrian. "She even gave me an exclusive interview for the Ladybug 'cause Ladybug saved her life once! Watch!" She showed Marinette the video of Lila in her blog. 

"She also said she's been friends with Lady Wolf too," Maya said, overhearing them and joining their side. "She offered to try and get an interview of Lady Wolf for me, how cool is she?" 

"Why is she with Adrien alone? I thought Y/n usually walks with him to class?" Marinette questioned. 

"Y/n was just with me, she had to go to talk with her biology teacher before class." 

Alya and Maya soon walked off to talk about some future collaboration as Marinette stood in suspicion, watching Adrien and Lila go in somewhere alone. 

"What's going on? I mean has this Lila girl hypnotized everyone or something? What if she's trying to steal Y/n's boyfriend now!" 

Marinette ran after the two to be led inside the library to see Adrian sitting alone at a table as she headed behind a nearby bookshelf. 

"Where is she?" She mumbled. Adrien took the book from his dad's safe out of his bag and Tikki gasps and left Marinette's purse. 

"Marinette, Adrien's book! I need to get a closer look at it." 

"Why are you so concerned about his book?" Marinette stopped talking to see Lila head to the table. "Hide, Tikki!" Tikki flew over to a bookcase right next to Adrian. 

"Now were can get going on our history homework. it's so much more fun doing it together, don't you think?" Lila noticed Adrien's book and grabs it under the book he was using to hide it. "What's that?" 

"Uh, nothing! Just stories about superheroes." Lila then put her hand on Adrien's. 

"I love superheroes!" 

Marinette gasps, "I knew it, she is trying to steal Y/n's boyfriend—   " She accidentally bumped into a book cart, pushing it by accident. Tikki watches Lila as she flips through the book turning to the page on Lady Wolf. 

"Lady Wolf!" 

"She's amazing." Adrien smiled, thinking back to their last date night.

"A girl doesn't need to wear a costume to be amazing, you know." She said, scooting her seat closer to Adrien who broke out of his daydreams from the sudden uncomfortable feelings. 

"Uh, I don't know—I mean, I— " 

"So you got a little soft spot for the wolf, huh?" 

"Me? I mean she's great, but no-no-no." 

"You know I happen to be very close friends with Lady Wolf." 

"Really?" Adrien asked, slightly confused. He'd have to ask Y/n about this later. 

"We can chat about it if you want. Not here though. Why don't we meet up at the park after school and I'll tell you everything." 

Adrian soon got an alert on his phone, "I gotta go! I've got a lesson in 58 seconds." Amid his rush, Lila caused him to drop his bag. 

"So the park?" Lila asked, pushing the book on superheroes away from Adrien's bag with her foot. 

"Uh, Sure!" He ran out before another word could be said as Lila picked up the book, opening it to a page on a fox-related heroine. 

"A vixen superheroine? Hmmm, interesting. . . " She left the library with a scheme in mind. 

"Marinette!" Tikki ran back to her. 

"I know. I gotta talk to Adrien before he meets up with Lila in the park. He has to know that she's a total thief." 

"No! You can't say anything to Adrien. I need a chance to check out the book first. If it's the one I think it is we have to get out hands on it!" 

"I don't get it? Exactly why would we need it?" 

"I'll explain to you once I know for sure. Please, we mustn't let Lila out of our sight."

***

"Lady Wolf and me?"  Lila grinned, Marinette watching the latest video on the Wolf Blog Maya hosts. "We're like this." 

"I bet she's lying about that."  Marinette huffed, "Does Lady Wolf even know about this?"  

"Lady Wolf know about what?"  Marinette let out an 'ah!' and jumped to the side frightened by the sudden arrival of her dear friend Y/n who was peeking over her shoulder.  

"Y/n! hey!"  

"Well. . .?"  

"What's Lady Wolf got to know?"  

"You haven't seen the video yet?"  

"Video? Oh, you mean Maya's blog. I saw the notification but I hadn't seen it yet."  Marinette handed over her phone to Y/n, playing back 10 seconds. ". . .wow."  

"She's been lying all over the place!"  Marinette let out her fusterations. "Do you actually  think she's like this?"  Marinette crossed her fingers. "With Lady Wolf?"  

{Y/n's POV} 

I haven't even met this girl as Y/n. How would Lady Wolf know her? This I gotta investigate. Marinette started looking back nervously as I glanced, realizing she must be following her. 

"oh wow I'm real late, I uh, gotta go."  Marinette sheepishly smiled pointing forward. "See you tomorrow!"  

"Wai- " She ran off before I could stop. I sighed as Alpha peeked out from my bag. 

"Didn't know you had a new BFF. Who's gonna tell Ladybug you're already cheating on her?" 

"Oh, hush. Nobody's cheating. What I'm more curious about, is why she wants to lie about this?"  

"Humans do things for popularity. That's something that hasn't changed about humans for centuries. Like that one time in the 9th century in Europe, there was this one criminal who had- " I stuffed a brownie in his tiny mouth before he can go on a long 2-hour rant about who knows what. 

"Let's just go find a place to transform."  I ran to the nearby park and went straight toward the portable bathrooms. 

"Oh c'mon, isn't this a tad dramatic? I mean there isn't even an Akuma. This is just an abuse of pow- " 

"Alpha tails out!" 

I peeked out the door in case anyone was there before sprinting out and climbing up a nearby building and bringing out my baton. If I could remember  Marinette was headed to the park, so that girl must be here too. The top of my baton slid open to reveal a screen as I used the telescoping feature to zoom in and look around the small park to see Adrien walking toward the girl. What's he doing there? I looked closer at the girl to see her through away- isn't that the miraculous book? They chatted for a while before she showed a necklace that looked awfully like the one that one superheroine had in the book. Does she plan to fake an identity? Or. . .is that real? 

Not much longer Ladybug swooped in, surprising me further. Whatever Ladybug went on about left Lila in tears before Ladybug left. I closed my baton and leaped after her. 

"Ladybug!" I called out, making her stop in confusion. 

"Lady Wolf? What are you doing out here?- Did you come out because of that blog video?" 

"Yeah, but you seemed to have handled it, a bit harshly too,"  

"I don't put up with lies." Ladybug frowned. 

"Yeah but, you left her crying. I don't think she deserved to be stomped on like that. You could have gone softer. After all. Aren't we supposed to preserve positivity in Paris? With Hawkmoth out there, a broken heart is dangerous." 

". . You're right."  Ladybug sighed. "I have to go now. See you next time." 

"Try to soften things up next time you have a run-in,"  I suggested as she swung off. I watched her before turning around to head home myself. Right before I could reach my room a meteor suddenly came in, closing in. "A meteor!?"  I exclaimed. Quickly made my way towards it only to see a flash of orange go by, a girl grabbing the meteor and sending it back out of the atmosphere. What strength. . . 

"I am Volpina!" The girl in a fox suit proclaimed out to the crowd. "The only superhero Paris needs!" 

"Volpina?" Ladybug questioned, landing next to me. 

"Looks like we've got a new partner."  Chat said, dropping on my other side. 

"Don't you think it's weird this superhero just appeared out of nowhere?"  

"Well, at least she got the job done." 

"I could have easily stopped that meteorite myself." Ladybug crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Chat. 

"Volpina is giving me very. . . odd vibes. She doesn't seem like a team player either." 

"Hey, guys." Volpina suddenly intruded, standing before us. "Glad you dropped in. I need a hand. Come on."  She suddenly ran ahead, the three of us exchanging confused looks before following after her. Only to lead us to a shock. 

"I can't believe it." Chat Noir stared amazed. "It's Hawkmoth, in the flesh." 

"He never shows up. Something big is going on." Ladybug said. 

"We can take him down, but it'll take all of us."  Volpina encouraged. This whole thing seems a bit rushed to me. a meteorite suddenly almost crashes, Hawkmoth is standing right there! Something tells me this little fox has something to do with it. "We better make the most of our individual talents."  

"Count on us." Chat nodded, I love him. I do. But he's too trusting. 

"Very nice to meet you, Chat Noir." Volpina suddenly got close to him, ticking me. "Cool outfit."  

"Why thanks." Chat rubbed his head bashfully. "You too." 

"Why thanks, you too."  I quietly mocked under my breath, Ladybug gagging in response. 

"First the meteorite, now Hawkmoth appearing." Ladybug listed out. "Both on the same day? Isn't that unusual?" 

"That's what I was thinking."  I agreed. 

"Why would you say that?" Volpina chortled. 

"I was asking my partners." 

"I'm finding you unusual today, everything okay?" Chat Noir asked. 

"I don't know kitty." I stepped by Ladybug's side. "Everything seems a little suspicious." Especially how that girl should be akumatized, she was crying. Hawkmoth wouldn't give up that prime chance.

"I'm fine." Ladybug reassured, before going up on Volpina. "Say Volpina, what's your miraculous?" 

"My necklace,"  Volpina answered. 

"What power does it give you?" 

"Flight and super-strength." Volpina looked over our shoulder and gasped. "He's getting away!"  Volpina flew after Hawkmoth, us catching up to see him on top of the Mayor's mansion. "Ladybug go left. Chat Noir goes right. Lady Wolf keep an eye on Hawkmoth from here, I'll come from behind." 

"No! I'll go right." Ladybug corrected. "Chat Noir and Lady Wolf from behind, and you. . . go left." 

"Fine." Volpina smiled. "No difference to me." 

"Good." Volpina leaped off to engage from the left. 

"Can you chill out?" Chat asked. "She's one of us." He left, I offered an apologetic smile before following after him. We snuck up from the right only for him not to be there. "Where did he go?" 

"There,"  I whispered, pointing to the building across from where he was. 

"I'll take him."  Chat extended his baton to go after him. 

"Wait- ugh."  I jumped after him, both of us chasing Hawkmoth. Suddenly Ladybug rang us, and we both answered into a three-way facetime. 

"Is Volpina with you guys?"  Ladybug asked. 

"No, we can't find Hawkmoth either."  Chat answered. 

"Forget him, he was never there in the first place."

"What? But we saw him?" 

"Unless it was an illusion,"  I answered. "It makes sense. The meteorite starts crashing, miss hero swoops in, and then suddenly Hawkmoth shows his face? It's too good to be true."  

"That's right. Volpina creates illusions. The Hawkmoth you saw wasn't real." 

"What are you saying?" Chat Noir looked confused. 

"She's not a real superhero, she was akumatised by Hawkmoth." We both clarified at the same time.  

"I don't get it. Why?" 

"I think it's my fault." Ladybug looked away guilty. "I humiliated her in front of a guy she liked."  

"Lila?"  

"Like?"  I raised an eyebrow, side glancing at Chat Noir who swung his arm as if trying to express he could explain. 

"She is going to his house." Ladybug cut in. "I'll send the address, meet me there."  

"You got it." Chat said as I nodded. 

"So you were spending time with a girl who likes you?" I questioned as we started heading over to the Agreste Mansion. 

"I swear I didn't know! I mean yeah I thought it was a bit weird she was getting a little close and stuff- " 

"A bit?" 

"Okay, a lot. but you know I only have eyes for you."  I sighed, I can't blame him. He's too trusting after all. 

"I'll overlook it, this time." 

We jumped into the open window in Adrien's bathroom as he changed back. 

"Wouldn't Chat Noir be more useful in this situation?" Plagg questioned. 

"If Volpina's got a thing for me, I can make her see sense."  He reasoned. 

"What, you going to do true love kiss or something," I mumbled. 

"Aw, jealous?"  Adrien started petting my ears, my tail starting to swag before I swat his hand, embarrassed. "I'm just gonna try to talk her out of it, nothing past that. Promise." 

"You really think you can take down Volpina without your powers?" Plagg doubted, "Without me?"  

"Hide, Plagg. She's coming." Adrien opened his unbuttoned shirt to let Plagg hide inside. "You too, mon chéri." I felt my cheeks start to warm at the nickname before going to hide in the bathroom to overhear and come out if I had to. 

"Adrien!" Volpina exclaimed. 

"Hey,"  Adrien awkwardly waved. "Who are you?"

"Do you remember this necklace?" Volpina lifted the pendant. I didn't know how to tell you the truth but at least this way you can see for yourself that I'm not lying. I am a superhero." 

"Lila!?" Adrien faked his surprise. 

"You can call me Volpina." 

"I'm sorry about the scene in the park earlier. Ladybug's jealous because she's not as powerful as me."  I continued to listen before my baton started to ring from my waist I hastily went to answer it before it gave me away. I moved far from the door. 

"Yeah?" I whispered. 

"Where's Chat? He's not answering?"  

"Oh um. I don't know. He disappeared on me. He'll show up soon probably." 

"Well, I'm going in the Agreste Mansion and Volpina is in here, get here now." 

"Well, actually I'm already- " Ladybug already cut off before I heard her voice in the room. 

"See what I mean?" Volpina glared. "She's jealous of me, of you, of us!" I irked at the obvious flirtation in her words. Doesn't she know he's taken? I left through the bathroom window and circled to the open window to join Ladybug. "But this time you won't ruin our date, Ladybug. And neither are you, Lady Wolf!" 

"Excuse me but it wasn't really a date. . ."  Adrien tried to correct, noticing my visible annoyance. Adrian got more nervous when Volpina turned to him. "I mean what I meant was you know I have a girlfriend and not a cheater, no need to get angry we all have miscommunications right?" Adrien finished his nervous rambles trying to keep her from pointing her staff at him. 

"Excuse us," Ladybug interrupted. "We need a chat with Super-Liar."  With Volpina distracted Adrien ran into the bathroom. "You! Stop thinking your illusions are reality!" 

"Being a homewrecker is frowned upon you know?"  I retorted. Ladybug swung her yoyo at her as Volpina jumped out of the way, sliding down Adrian's skateboard ramp. 

"Sorry, I'm late." Chat was heard behind us as he jumped in. "I had trouble finding the place." Volpina played her flute before making multiple illusions of herself. Ladybug swung her yoyo to realize they were all fake. 

"Illusions." Chat awed, seeing it first hand. 

"Chat Noir, she's taken, Adrian!" Ladybug pointed to the window. 

"That's an illusion too." Chat and I said. 

"How are you so sure?"  

"Uh, My feline sixth sense." Chat made up. "It's legendary."  

"Canine instinct, we're emotionally intelligent. Can sniff out a lie from a mile."  

"Really? You don't say."  Ladybug threw sarcasm as she opened the bathroom door. "Adrian's gone!" Ladybug rushed out as Chat sagged his shoulders with a defeated look. 

"I'm not gonna try to get outta this." 

"At least I believe you." I comforted, patting his back before going to follow after Ladybug. We found Volpina on top of the Eiffel tower, holding 'Adrien' with one hand, ready to let him fall to his doom. 

"Give me your Miraculous now, or I will."  Volpina swung up around as 'Adrien' yelled out of fright. 

"I thought you loved him!" Ladybug questioned. 

"Not as much as seeing you three defeated. No hard feelings, right?" 

"You're bluffing." Chat shouted. "It's another illusion."  

"You wanna bet on that?"  Volpina slowly let go of two fingers as Ladybug shouted, 

"NO!"  

It almost felt like an over-dramatic soap drama with how fake everything was. Not to mention the comedic point that the Adrien she thinks she has is right here as Chat Noir. And yet Ladybug was the only one agonizing over this whole ordeal. 

"Don't do it!" I shouted, stopping her before she can take off her miraculous. Chat threw his baton, making the illusion of Adrien disappear. 

"There she is!" Ladybug pointed. We climbed up to the top of the tower after her as she blew her flute, making more illusions of herself. "Lucky Charm!" A chocolate ice lolly fell into her hands, she unwrapped it wincing at the brightness of the silver inner wrap. "I've got an idea to take down Volpina."  

"With a chocolate ice lolly?" 

"Trust me." Ladybug said, she nodded at Chat. 

"Cataclysm!"  He shouted, jumping up to touch some parts of the metal tower as Ladybug lifted the wrapper open for one of the Volpina to wince, enough time to trap her in the deteriorated metal pieces. 

"Trapped, like a fox." Ladybug taunted as I grabbed the pendant from Volpina. 

"The honors?" I held it out for her. 

"Thank you."  She took it and smashed it on the ground. "Your days are over, Akuma." I stepped back to watch Ladybug open the yoyo to do her thing with a grin. "Time to de-evilise!" She captured the Akuma. "Gotcha! Bye-bye, little butterfly." We watched the pure butterfly fly away. "Miraculous Ladybug!"  Everything turned back to how it was before. 

I gestured towards the recovered Lila, letting Ladybug take the hint as she nodded. 

"Lila?" She called out. 

"Ladybug?"  

"I totally overreacted." Ladybug kneeled, touching Lila's shoulder. "And never should have spoken to you like that, I'm sorry." 

"Forget it Ladybug, you were right. We'll never be friends."  Lila shoved her hand away and picked up the repaired pendant, leaving. 

"Ouch."  Chat frowned.

"There's one problem we still have to solve." Ladybug said. "Where's Adrien?"  

"Ehh, everything's been put back to normal, so he must be back at home!" Chat tried to explain. 

"I should check to make sure!"  

"Uh no!"  I stepped in. "You both are about to change back soon, I still have time. I'll check on him and let you know."  I offered. 

". . . Okay." Ladybug sighed as her earring gave a warning beep. "I trust you."  She swung off in a different direction as the two relaxed. 

"Let's get home before you change back."  I said, "Hate to have to carry you home."  

"I don't know, I might like that." 

"And smell like rotting cheese? Please."  I extended my baton to leap off the tower, heading home. 

"It's not me, it's Plagg!" 

*** {Third POV}*** 

"I'm not going to be returning this, am I?" Marinette sighed, the book opened on her lap as Tikki looked through it. 

"I'm really sorry, Marinette. But its information is invaluable."  Tikki apologized. 

"Information? But it's all written in code."  

"Someone's been looking for it for a long time. He knows how to decipher the codes." 

"So what exactly is so special about this book?"  

"It contains all the secrets of the Miraculous powers. Sacred, and extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. He needs it back." 

"I don't get it, Tikki. Tell me what's going on. Who is he?" 

"The Great Guardian. And I think the time has come for you to finally meet him."  

***

"Did you take my father's book, Plagg?" Adrien turned to Plagg who was enjoying the mountain of cheese on the coach. While Adrien on the other hand was dumping out his bag. 

"Of course not."  

"If he finds out it's missing, we'll have a lot worse than Hawkmoth to deal with."  

"I'm sure we'll find it,"  Y/n reassured, helping him look around. Mostly because they'd both be in trouble. They did break in together after all. She was about to keep searching before it hit her. "Wait, I think Lila threw it in the trash back at the park." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah."  

"How do you know for sure?"

"Miss girly was getting all jealous about your date and decided to spy on you from afar!" Alpha replied from the armchair as he gobbled down another brownie. 

"I was not spying! I was just. . . concerned."  

"Let's just hope it's still there."  Adrien groaned.

***

Marinette stood at a door nervously, holding the book tightly to her chest before opening the door to see an old man, wearing a red Hawaiian shirt, a man she recognized to be the one she helped all that time ago.

"Hello, Ladybug."   

A/n: 

and that concludes the first season of the show! This one took some time for me to bring out due to unforeseen circumstances. But I haven't given up on you all yet! You must have noticed I skipped episodes here and there. I plan to cut off parts that aren't important to the main plot of this book. 

Now that the main couple is together. They have new problems to face. I have been coming up with plans and such, and I'm excited to introduce Luka and build into the other superheroes that appear in the future seasons. 

What would be your favorite moment thus far and why? How do you all feel about Alpha? And what are something you look forward to in this book? I love hearing from you all. 

TAGLIST: (crossed out if the tag wasn't working, please let me know.)

@laic2299 , @oddobbessionbutotay

[beomglocks]

what soobin is like as a boyfriend

warnings & other: none i just love him but let’s be honest who doesn’t, this gets cheesy in some parts bc he just gives off stereotypical kdrama bf vibes but guys he’s the one

w/c: round to 1k

ok first off 

sorry if i rant soobin is my baby so ofc i think he’s the perfect boyfriend

he’s so

ugh

ok when you meet him he’s a shy boy

like really won’t wanna look you in the eye

ok like super fucking awkward

like painfully and you’re like “hahah ok that’s cute”

that only applies if you look intimidating tho

if you’re one of those people who’s blessed with not having resting bitch face he’ll be flirty

well you know..

he has his own methods of being flirty

he’s charming in his own way

probably does what yeonjun does but more subtle

stares

will stare at you

and when you make eye contact he smiles and rubs his lip with his finger DJSJSKDK PLZ

alternatively: looks away, purses his lips with a smile, ears get red, looks back up to you already looking at him then he waves

youre left like

“omg he’s so fucking cute”

ok but actually like he will reel you in without you even knowing

next thing you know you’re laughing at his lame ass jokes

god forbid you think he’s funny

“you think I’m funny? well we should date” :)

wait im pretty sure he said he doesnt go after someone unless he knows they like him back

tbh he’d probably wait until you make the first move

or wait until you show interest or else he’ll just hide his feelings

you have to bring him out of his shell

once you do...oh boy

100% never leaving you alone

always telling you how much he loves you

he’s the sweetest

teeth rotting sweet

i feel like he would slowly open up to you during the relationship

he’s not like automatically into it if that makes sense

shy to initiate things at first

such as kissing and touching

asks you if it’s ok first

we love consent

free samples kind of guy

dont take him to an ice cream shop or shops in general

he will devour the free samples

next thing you know you’re leaving with goat cheese and the newest ice cream flavour

he gives hopeless romantic vibes

would want to bake with you in the kitchen

and i know this sounds cliche but

flour fight

he’s cute with it at first

just rubs some flour on your nose then next thing you know

“we turned our dog white”

he’s a simple man

however

he probably spoils you

but not like expensive item type of spoiling he isn’t extravagant

god forbid the price range of any of the items he buys you exceeds his actual paycheck

cute gifts that you’ll actually use and cherish

i dont see many fights happening with him tbh

maybe if you question his leadership choices then i can see a fight happening

for example if you think he couldve handled a situation better in a certain way and you point that out to him he’ll get all defensive

“im the leader of my group dont tell me what you think is best for my group”

then you’re just like “well shit fuck you too i was just tryna help”

i can see him distancing himself after a fight if you’re also feeling a bit aggitated

doesn’t talk to you until it’s literally 2am and neither of you are sleeping bc yall always cuddle and you’re not cuddling him

:(

he’s always the first one to say sorry

my god he makes fun of you so much

not on a beomgyu level though

more of a “if you say something silly i will make you feel so dumb for the rest of the day” kind of clowning

wow jealousy

i feel like he’s not super jealous unless he feels threatened

everything was fine until the fire nation attacked

once he sees you getting a little too buddy buddy with someone else he’s like nah i gotta shut this shit down

he’s humble but once he’s jealous he’s all braggy to make himself seem above who ever was trying to get at you

“yeah i think we ALL-”

boy do you have to comfort this big baby

he’s sensitive :(

hold him and rub his head on his off days

tell him he’s the best boy and it doesnt matter what anyone else thinks screw them

he laughs like 

“shouldnt i be comforting you?” 

soooooooooo sappy

cliche asf boyfriend

buys you flowers

if he could he would be doing the whole radio outside your window thing (side note: yeonjun would too be he’s whipped asf)

college bf (we saw it coming)

see also: college bf who helps you in what he can and tells you to screw math bc you don’t need it anyways

shows up at your school or job after his practice

everyone loves him

everyone

you gotta be on guard 24/7

i wouldnt say you’d be insecure per se but soobin definietly lacks awareness when it comes to being flirted with

he recognizes others advances but laughs awkwardly, forgetting to tell the person he already has a partner

~cue mild argument~

at the end of it all he’s like “dont worry i only like you jeez”

if he’s working on a song he asks for your input

or rather how would you interpret a certain emotion that he isn’t able to convey

just to joke around, if he has to write a song about heartbreak but neither of you have been through that he’ll be like

“well there’s a first for everything :)”

soobin 100% takes the time to learn about your culture

he’s invested what can i say

introducing you to the other members isn’t THAT bad

but they definitely clown soobin

txt: “how come your partner is cooler than our own leader”

“maybe they should lead us instead” (joke)

soobin’s like fuck yall i can be cool :(

always send you cute selfies

with messages along the lines of

“i miss you :((((”

“bring ice cream on your way back!”

“be safe tho xxx”

he gives embarassing dad vibes

you can’t introduce him to your friends !

since he has you around he isn’t too shy and once he engages in conversation you better pack your bags

he’s trying to be funny (keyword: trying) but really it’s just your friends laughing to not make the hot idol bf not feel bad

you help him with his script for music bank

speaking of music bank

yes, yes, you are clowning him like the rest of txt and he comes home like

“not you too :(((((((”

hueningkai

my goodness hueningkai

yall tussle over soobin’s attention

sometimes it feels like youre sharing soobin with kai

you love them both but youre like “kai sweetie it’s cold and i wanna be the one to cuddle my bf so please”

speaking of cuddles 

best cuddles

ones where he’s wearing a really comfortable sweater that’s actually nice material and your face gets buried in his chest 

his limbs will be tangled in yours no doubt

but wow he’s so warm you almost never wanna let go

they don’t call him “home” for nothing

tall boy

makes fun of you if you’re shorter than him

yes he does tease you by placing items on higher-than-you-can-reach shelves

kick his shins he’ll give in

you: ”hows the weather up there”

him: “nice actually but you wouldnt know now would you :)”

tell him your problems, tell him anything

he will listen

and i mean let-you-ramble-for-hours kind of listen

but at the end of it his input is always valuable and he isn’t judgemental

he’s a good listener and gives good advice!!!

he’s not the leader for no reason put some damn trust in him!

[amajikilvr]

warm aromas - tamaki amajiki

word count 1.9k

reader type filipino , gender-neutral

premise tamaki gets a taste of your cultural during a first date

For the record, you weren’t terribly nervous about this date. At least not any type of uneasiness worth noting. It was a fluttery kind of anticipation that shot your butterfly-filled stomach into your chest, all the way up your throat, and then finally falling back down before repeating and repeating. More than anything else, you were excited.

It was just Amajiki, after all. Well, he wasn’t just anything. Amajiki was a beautiful kaleidoscope of oddities that you had yet to have the pleasure of discovering. For now, you simply knew him as the tender boy in your class with immense talent and heart.

You considered him a great friend and had been willing to take a leap of faith in an effort to pursue something more. And it seemed like your bravery was paying off so far.

Walking into the warmly lit restaurant, you took a deep breath of the aromatic atmosphere and felt your heart jump and shake as Amajiki’s sweet face came to mind. You couldn’t see yourself ever forgetting the way his complexion had brightly glowed like the surface of a fresh cherry when you asked him out after class.

The familiar older woman working at the front waved and greeted you by name and you did the same with a notable extra twirl in your step. She raised an eyebrow at you, aged forehead wrinkling in amusement.

Needless to say, not even a sudden run-in with your worst enemy would’ve been able to take your good mood down a single notch.

And there he was, already sitting at a back booth that was tucked away and hidden from the majority of fellow patrons, which didn’t surprise you in the slightest.

You grinned and held back a squeal as you plopped down in the seat across from him. “Hi! Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.”

Amajiki immediately shook his head, indigo tufts of hair bouncing comically. You wanted to just reach out and ruffle them.

“Y/L/N! You didn’t! I was just early, sorry. I was so worried about making you wait for me. Sorry.”

“Aw, that was sweet of you, Tamaki.” You watched his cheeks flush at the use of his given name. Hesitantly, you let your hand hover over his. “Can I?”

“O-oh, yeah.” His face went pale before gradually going an even darker shade of red crimson.

You leaned forward and gently grabbed his hand, a little shocked to feel it trembling. “I’m really happy to be here, you know. Especially since it’s with you.”

Amajiki gulped before taking a long steady breath. His lips curved into a small smile as he made tentative eye contact with you for the first time.

“Me too… Y/N.”

“So, have you ever tried Filipino food before?” You asked after a moment of comfortable silence between you two, still relishing the feeling of his hand in yours. “Hado-san told me you were an adventurous eater…”

“I guess I am. My quirk kinda relies on a diet with plenty of variety. I’ve grown to really enjoy trying different kinds of food, practicality aside.” He paused, clearing his throat, and glancing away. “No Filipino food yet, though.”

“Well,” You gave his hand an experimental squeeze. Amajiki’s breathing went shaky in response, but he squeezed back. “I think you’re really going to like it.”

You’d discovered this restaurant after searching the Internet for somewhere in this city that served authentic Filipino cuisine. Finally, you found this nice family-owned place with delicious food, albeit you still preferred your mother’s cooking, but that was a given.

“Then I’m excited.” Amajiki gave you another wobbly smile. “Not that I wasn’t excited before. I was up all night thinking a… Oh, that’s embarrassing…”

You laughed softly, not at him, but hoping to reassure him. “No, that’s actually cute.”

Tamaki’s eyes went wide and instead of the blush returning, he went as white as a bedsheet. “Oh god… I’m sorry, I’m just so embarrassed. Y/N… Sorry…”

He covered his face with his free hand which was shaking significantly more by now. You were slightly concerned he might get up and run for the nearest corner.

“Tamaki, it’s okay.” You wanted to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but you settled for squeezing his hand some more in hopes of not further overwhelming him. “It’s all good, don’t worry. I really like you.”

He opened his mouth as if to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter who you had already grown quite friendly with over the years. You made a bit of small talk before ordering several classic dishes for Amajiki and you to sample together.

“Y/N,” Amajiki spoke up once you two were alone again. Thankfully, he had time to recover while you ordered and color had returned to his face as a result. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What is it about me that you like?” The last part was practically whispered and you had to guess whether you heard him correctly. “I just didn’t expect any of this is all…”

You tilted your head, smiling at Amajiki as you looked over his face carefully. He was beautiful on the outside too. His jawline was sharp and prominent, skin clear and soft-looking, and his eyes were sparkling and expressive. You could never get over the color, a startlingly deep shade that was only missing a background of stars and planets.

“Well, firstly, I think you’re very attractive.” You watched Amajiki choke on the sip of water he’d taken. He coughed a few times before silently blinking at you and you took it as a sign to continue. “You’re just so vibrant. When you’re using your quirk, you light up the whole room. You do without it too. And watching you work so hard and improve this year has been amazing. You inspire me without even trying and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.”

Amajiki made a small gasping noise, borderline a squeak, before squeezing his pretty eyes shut. He took a couple of deep breaths before sighing heavily. “T-that’s… Wow… Y/N, thank you. Thank you so much.”

He kept his eyes closed as he finished, blushing immensely again. “I think you’re beautiful… And smart. And kind. And… Oh my god, sorry, I might need a minute to just-”

“Tamaki.” You nervously brought your hand to his face and cupped his cheek. It was incredibly warm. “Is this okay?”

The response was shockingly quick. “Y-yes.”

You took another huge risk and just hoped it would pay off in the end. “Can I kiss you?”

A pregnant pause this time. Your heart was working overtime and you swore you could hear it pounding from inside your chest. Amajiki was quivering ever so slightly under your touch. You shouldn’t have asked, it was probably too much happening too fast.

“It’s okay if you don’t-”

Amajiki cut you off almost frantically. “No! I mean, yes, you can. Please…”

You gathered yourself and leaned even further across the table. First, you planted a chaste and sweet kiss on his other cheek. Going for his lips took more courage, but you did it. This kiss was longer than the other, but not by much. You didn’t care. As it turns out, Amajiki’s lips were as soft as they looked.

“Was that fine?” You asked, concerned when he still wasn’t opening his eyes. You felt a bit jittery yourself from that kiss.

They flew open at your voice. “It was great, I just need to go…”

He made a weak outward gesture and you gave him a comforting smile. You understood without him having to say it. He just needed a moment to himself after all of that.

“The washroom’s over there.”

Amajiki stood up, his hand coming loose from yours and your other hand falling from his hot face. “Thank you. I really did enjoy that, I just need a minute. Sorry, this is so rude of me…”

You shook your head sharply. “I don’t think that. Go ahead, take your time. I get it. I really do.”

“All that matters is that you feel comfortable.”

“Okay. Thank you.” He seemed relieved as he stared at you, actually gazing into your eyes, before rushing off towards the door you had pointed out to him.

Now alone, you smiled to yourself and placed a finger to your lips, still shell-shocked by the turn of events. You had actually kissed Amajiki and it was everything you’d imagined and more. Things couldn’t be going better and you two hadn’t even ate yet!

It wasn’t too long before your order arrived and Amajiki returned nearly back-to-back.

“Perfect timing,” You greeted him and took note of how he was no longer shaking like a leaf. “I might’ve gone overboard… don’t know if we’ll be able to finish all of this ourselves.”

“You’d be surprised by the size of the meals at Fat’s agency.” Amajiki chuckled as he took in the plates of steaming food laid out before you two. “What should I try first?”

You feigned being deep in thought before grinning. “Hm, just pick whatever.”

He reached for the platter of puto and you followed suit. They looked delicious, extra fluffy and topped off gooey cheese. Amajiki watched as you popped the entire thing in your mouth with zero reservation.

“They’re little steamed rice cakes.” You explained after swallowing.

Amajiki took a bite out of his and finished it soon after before grabbing another. “Mm, they’re very light. Do they always have cheese?”

“Depends, but a lot of the time, yeah.” You answered while helping yourself to a second of your own. “Hey, What could you manifest out of this?”

A mischievous twinkle flashed in Amajiki’s eyes as he raised a finger in a “wait a minute” fashion. You wanted to giggle at how his face scrunched up in concentration, but held back for his sake. After a short moment, a pair of small pale horns shot out from his purple hair.

You let out your laugh, nearly choking on puto in the process. “Nice!”

His cheeks were rosy as he scratched at the back of his neck. He looked focused once again before the horns seemed to be gone in the blink of an eye.

“Dairy products are always fun.” Amajiki stated while sipping his water. “I could’ve given myself two stomachs but I thought that was kinda gross…”

“Just a bit.” You agreed, laughing softly. “But also kinda cool.”

Next came the lumpia, a dish comparable to egg rolls. Amajiki seemed especially pleased as he took several bites out of one.

“Really good.” He confirmed with a nod. “Pork inside?”

“Yup.” You kicked him playfully under the table. “Think you could manifest one of those curly pigtails? Like in the cartoons?”

Amajiki froze like a statue midchew.

“Just kidding.” You reached over and gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Glad you like it.”

“I-I think I like you more, Y/N.”

The lunch date continued on. It was a quiet moment while you two were enjoying a hearty noodle dish when you were struck with a wave of warmth that filled you from head to toe. You felt so at home, sharing this piece of your culture with probably your favorite person ever.

Amajiki appeared utterly relaxed as he ate, cheeks tinted with a very soft pink. You noticed both of his pointy ears twitch a number of times and were puzzled before you remembered something Togata had said to you once.

“He’s done it ever since we were kids. When he’s really happy, his ears will do this twitch-thingy, but try not to point it out. He gets really embarrassed.”

It might have been the cutest sight you’d ever seen.

[descendantofthesparrow]

Encore - POYW - Harry Hook x reader - part 23 - finishing touches

=

You hummed around your fork as the creamy buttercream hit your tongue, looking down at your lap that held your aunt's tablet as you looked over the concept art your aunt had made for your wedding cake.

They ranged from sheet cakes with black and red swirling designs to four-tiered cakes with black and silver designs with red roses decorating the top and bottom tiers.

“these are all so pretty, I have no clue which one to choose” you sighed, setting down the fork next to the crumbs of your once existing sample cake, you and Harry had decided on the flavors a bit ago, chocolate raspberry truffle cake with raspberry glaze and chocolate buttercream and angel food with light vanilla buttercream.

Tonks, your aunt, laughed and held her hand out for the tablet, you leaning over with it and placing it in her hand “that’s no problem if you can't decide right now, there's no rush since your wedding isn’t till…have you decided when you’ll get married?” you paused at her question and shrugged, you honestly didn’t remember if you and Harry had decided on a date, almost everything was ready and set.

The place, the décor, the flowers, the bridesmaids, groomsmen, junior bridesmaids, and groomsmen all chosen, their clothes and accessories ready to be of use. the flower girls were chosen and their clothes ready, the place where you would have the reception at was chosen, the food at the reception was chosen, who was going to marry you and Harry (FG offered to marry the two of you, being the one to originally separate you she wanted to officially bind you together as an apology), who was going to give you away (your aunt), the archway you were going to be married under was designed, Evie said your dress and Harrys suit was ready, the guest list was long since completed, all that was left to do was chose the cake design and decide the time and day to get married really.

“not sure yet, I’ll ask Harry the next time we talk about wedding stuff” you smiled as Tonks gave you a grin and flipped through her cake designs again.

“im sure you’ll pick the best day, now pick a cake” she slid the tablet back over to you. You picked it up and scrolled through the designs again.

You finally decided on the four-tiered cake with white fondant and silver piping designs, with black borders and red roses swirling from the top to the bottom. “great choice, now I think you have a final dress fitting to get to~” Tonks teased, standing to give you a hug and waving you off as you walked into the back to go through a portal to the descendant's universe.

You stuck your key into the storage room door lock and turned it, the portal opening behind the closed door. You swung it open and stepped into the shimmering light portal.

A moment later you stepped out into Evie's starter castle, calling out to her to let her know you were there “Evie!! Im here!” you heard her call back to you from the greenhouse turned office and you made your way over to her. “so I heard that my dress is ready?” Evie spun in her chair, facing away from the light purple dress she was working on, and nodded with a bright grin.

“All ready! Harry's suit is done too but I’ll have him come by later, try it on!” she dashed over to one of her movable dress wracks and plucked a gorgeous white dress with billowy sheen sleeves, a plunging sweetheart neckline, and a long sheer train that flowed from the back. “here you go! Now go go! I want to see the finished product on you!” she squealed, jumping in excitement as you took the dress and went to go change behind the changing screen Evie had installed a while ago for her costumers that came personally to her office.

It took a minute or two to get into the dress, with all the fabric but it was pretty easy to figure out how to put it on. Finally, you zipped up the back and picked up the skirt, and stepped out from behind the changing screen.

Evie gasped and clapped erratically “O M G it's perfect~!!! You look so amazing!!!” you let out a small laugh and let Evie lead you to her standing mirror, gasping at your reflection.

(yes im showing the design again im so damn proud of this dress i want it for my own wedding if i ever have one)

It was exactly the way you had designed it, from the small gems decorating your neckline to the white sapphire waist overlay “Evie, it's perfect” your voice cracked, pure happiness overwhelming you “it’s exactly what I wanted, and dreamed of”

“thank you so much for trusting me with it (y/n), and it's beautiful because you designed it too, you have an amazing eye for fashion” Evie giggled, holding onto your shoulders and smiling at you in the reflection of the mirror. “you are going to take Harry's breath away on your wedding day”

You laughed again, wiping the tears from your eyes and turning, wrapping your arms around Evie and hugging her tightly “thank you so much Evie” she hummed and hugged you back.

“you’re welcome (y/n), it’s the least I could do for all I've done” you raised your brow and leaned back, about to ask her what she meant before you remembered she had helped Mal kidnap you to have FG transport you back to your world.

“Still, thank you” you patted her arm, twirling back around and admiring the dress again. “I love it so much.”

“im glad” Evie sang, walking back over to her desk and continuing on the dress she had paused working on when you walked “so is everything almost done?”

“yep” you chirped, spinning and grinning to yourself as the skirt and train flared around you. “it’s all done actually, all that’s left is for Harry to try on his suit and for us to pick a day and time”

“oh, the archway is finished?” Evie asked, looking over her shoulder at you. The archway that you and Harry would be married under would be installed on your new ship for your wedding, but you and Harry had gone through a billion designs before finding the perfect one, and it had just been finished building and all it needed were its white and red roses decorating the main top boards.

“yep, Harry and I approved the final work two nights ago, we’re basically ready to get married at any point now” you turned and walked back over to the changing screen, unzipping the dress and letting it fall down your arms. “again, just need to pick a day”

Evie clapped her hands in glee “oooh I so excited, honestly, I think im more excited for this than I am Mal and Ben's wedding” you laughed loudly at that.

“Really?” you tilted your head out of the screen, raising your brow at Evie “why?”

“I don’t know” Evie sighed “something about it being more…private? And it’s really just going to be personal friends and family with some extra people, right? it just feels a bit more intimate than their wedding which is going to be broadcasted across Auradon”

You hummed, yeah you were glad you didn’t have to deal with all that for your wedding, and your wedding, hopefully, also would have Carlos actually there, he had mentioned that the day of Mal and Bens wedding was the day of his very important-you can't miss it or you’ll fail the entire year-finals test for veterinary school.

Ben and Mal had tried to reschedule their wedding so Carlos could attend but unfortunately, everything was all set and both were unable to move the date. They promised they would have either Jay or Doug record everything for him so he could at least see the wedding “personally” instead of on the news, he would be there for the reception but he would be missing the ceremony.

“what month are you thinking for it?” Evie wondered aloud, the hum of her sewing machine overpowering her voice a bit.

“im thinking either late spring or early summer? So May or June. I don’t want it to be cold as all hell but I don’t want it to be so warm everyone's sweating?” you shrugged on your shirt and zipped up your boots, stepping back out into the main area of Evie’s office with your dress in your arms “honestly I dunno, I’ll talk to Harry tonight about it, we're having dinner at my place.”

Evie nodded at that and stood, taking your dress and hanging it back up on her rack. “awesome, welp, we’re all done here! So” she waved her hands at you as if casting a spell “why don’t you get back to…whatever you were doing or needed to do after you were done with this” you laughed and nodded, spinning on your heel and walking out of Evie's office, waving her goodbye as you stepped out into her kitchen.

“kay, bye Evie!”

“bye!”

-

A couple of hours later and you were in your kitchen stirring up the mashed potatoes as Harry checked on the tri-tip. “think it's ready yet?” Harry turned to you, nodding his head at the oven.

“just check it with the meat thermometer, if it's 145 degrees it's ready” Harry nodded, putting on some oven mitts and taking out the tri-tip, sticking the meat thermometer in, and grinning.

“145, we’re ready” you nodded and turned off the heat for the gravy, and uncovered the cheese biscuits.

“Okay, ill cut it up and you can take the veggies out of the microwave and pour ‘em in the bowl thing”

You grabbed a carving knife and a large fork, transferring the tri-tip to a cutting board and slicing it up. You worked in comfortable silence to finish your prep for dinner, the only heard was your knife against the meat and cutting board and the soft music playing on Harry’s Bluetooth.

“ready!” Harry called, getting out two plates and setting them on the counter, walking over to you and kissing your cheek “thank yeh for helping me make this darling”

“you’re welcome Harry” you hummed, setting down the knife and fork and walking around Harry to get to the plates “plate up! And let's eat!”

After filling your plates with tri-tip, mashed potatoes and gravy, cheese biscuits, and corn, your dinner was ready to eat. You and Harry sat down at the counter/kitchen window and clinked your sodas before digging in, Harry dancing in his seat a bit as he bit into his food.

“good?” Harry just hummed happily, and nodded, picking up his biscuit and bobbing his head as he bit into it. “good.” You laughed slightly and dug into your own food, humming as you bit into the tri-tip “good job on the tri-tip, it’s fucking bomb” Harry grinned and his ears turned red.

“Thank yeh, Uma taught me how ta season steak a bit after the barrier came down.” You laughed again and pulled out your phone to text Uma.

“well she's a damn good teacher, it’s fucking bomb” you sent a quick text to Uma telling her that she needed to teach harry more cooking stuff and she sent back a wink and a thumbs up.

“soooo” you and Harry spoke in unison, stopping to look at each other and laughing “okay okay” you waved your hands around “me first” Harry laughed a bit and nodded, leaning on his fist and watching you “so, twice today I've been asked when we’re getting married and-I realized I don’t remember if we talked about it, like, at all” Harry snorted.

“aye, Evie, Uma, an’ CJ asked meh the same thing, and yeah we’ve…never talked about when we want ta get married” you and Harry shared an ‘oh shit’ smile and you shook your head.

“well, when Evie asked me about it the first thought that came to my head was early summer or late spring, so like, May or June?” harry hummed and tapped the counter with his fingers.

“huh, May actually sounds good, um, weekend or weekday?” you lifted your feet and rested them on the sideways beams of Harry's stool.

“mmm, weekend? Mostly everyone will be free on the weekends” Harry nodded, and took another bite of mashed potatoes “maybe a Saturday?”

“sounds good” Harry mumbled through his food, swallowing it and taking out his phone, opening his calendar and scrolling up to May “um, so we have the 1st, 8th, 15th,22nd, and the 29th for Saturday’s”

You leaned closer to Harry and set your chin on his shoulder, examining the calendar on his phone “how bout the 22nd? That way it’s not too soon for anyone's schedule and not the direct end of the month” Harry smiled and nodded in agreement.

“that’s perfect, May 22nd it is, that’s when we'll get married” Harry pressed a kiss to your forehead “I can't wait for that day, my love”

“I can't wait either, I tried on my finished dress today and I just wanted to show you immediately, it's so dang pretty~!” you squealed, grinning as Harry chuckled at your enthusiasm.

“and I can't wait ta see you wearing it, I can’t wait ta see yeh walk down the aisle towards me and I can't wait ta call yeh meh wife” you forced down the burning in your nose and eyes and wrapped your arms around Harry, burying your face in his shoulder. “and I can't wait to call you my husband, and love you for the rest of my life” Harry hugged you back tightly, pulling you into his lap and pressing his cheek to the side of your head.

“I love you so much (y/n)”

“I love you too Harry”

-

“finally! I was wondering when you two were going to pick a date, I've kept my calendar open just in case you two decided to say ‘fuck it’ and get married on a whim.” Uma waved her hands about as she ranted, and you hid your smile behind your glass and took a sip of your (drink)

“Yeah, guess we can also finally print those invitations now too” Uma hummed at that and set her cup down, tilting her head at you.

“well, the guest list is all done, right? So it won't be that much to do” you shook your head and took another sip of your (drink).

“Nope, just the design, and then printing, and everything will be ready to go, Harry and I already called Ben about using his private docks for the wedding because that’s where our ship is and he’s all for it” Uma nodded, moving forward on the table and resting her chin in her palm.

“so, next month, you and Harry get married~” you giggled in excitement and danced in your seat a bit.

“yep, hard to believe it's been almost a year since we got engaged, I feel like it's only been a month” you wished wistfully, a dreamy smile on your face “when I arrived on the isle, I never thought that Harry and I would even meet, then all of a sudden I was a part of your crew.” You and Uma shared a reminiscent smile, it had happened oh so long ago, all the way back in 2017 after D2 had released, and now it was 2021 and you were engaged to Harry freaking Hook, Uma was one of your best friends, Gil the other best friend, and you could travel from your world to the descendant's world.

It was like a dream come true, and if it was just a dream?

You hoped you would never wake up.

-end of part 23-

I know these wedding planning parts are lowkey kinda boring but really im just trying to set up the wedding part(s) (if it seems like im dragging everything out pls tell me, I don’t want to bore yall)XD which is soon! It'll probably be posted on May 22nd and considering I've been posting like, once a month (im sorry lol), the next chapter may possibly be the wedding chapter but IDK~!!! But anyway thank you all for reading my dumb Harry Hook x reader that I started back in 2018 so it been like, more than two years since I posted the first part and for some reason yall liked it and asked for more??? Which like, my writing fucking sucked back then, so why the fuck did yall like it? XD

Anyway, just saying again that I will be making rewrites of part of your world and reprise, encore I’ll leave alone since I think it has okay writing, I might re-edit the first couple parts if I cringe enough at em but otherwise, encore will be left alone while the first two parts of the series will get rewritten. I will leave the original versions up but again, new versions coming after I finish encore.

Thank you! - R.Sparrow

(oh! also I designed the invitations~

pretty~ okay im done!)

permtaglist

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@musicarose @random-thoughts-003

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@thecaptainsgingersnap​ @imtryingthisout​ @rintheemolion​ 

@jatp-rules-my-life​

[sif-the-tsunami]

Hello friends,

This is a small sample of the fantasy series I’ve been working on for a few years. I would love to get some kind of feedback. Positive, negative. Lay it on me. I want to know what you think.

This is a rough draft, barely edited. 

Summary: A young warrior starts the path to her destiny. 

Rated: PG-13, this will probably read like YA but there wont be any sexy times. Just talks about violence and death (this doesn’t mean that people under 18 can start interacting with my blog. I mostly post smut.)

The attack on Dawnforge came without warning. Raiders, dozens of them, descended upon the small community surrounding a rural temple. The invaders poured violently out of the woods. In the cool shade of the temple’s grove, Ellisif Thrace’s mossy green eyes shot open from her late afternoon nap when she heard the Keepers sound the alarm. The war horns had only been blown ceremonially for as long as she could remember. The second blast echoed off the stone walls and summoned her to action. The young woman sat strait up, and listened for another moment to see if she could find out what direction the alarm was coming from.  She thought she could hear the Keepers shouting towards the east although she couldn’t make out what they were saying just yet. Always eager to be of assistance, Ellisif picked up her belongings and started running towards the commotion. Ellie, as she preferred to be addressed, had been learning defense and fighting techniques since she was strong enough to pick up a sword. Her father had been a knight errant and thought it was important that his children should know how to keep themselves safe.

Another blast of the horn let her know she was running in the right direction. Soon she heard the sound of weapons being thrown and bashed into the thick wooden gate. The Keepers were directing the villagers to leave the area, a man that Ellisif thought was named Erik told her to go home. He couldn’t have been much older than she was, his skin was sun kissed, with a little pink on his temples and cheekbones. Erik looked scared, brushing his reddish blond hair out of his face.

“I’m here to help, give me a sword!” She shouted.

“Little Sister, you need to go somewhere safe.” Erik ordered. As he was saying this, the Commander put his hand on her shoulder.

“Erik, Ellie is to join the Order at the Feast of Lyria. Let her pick up a shield, if they make it through our defenses, she knows how to handle herself.” The older man told Erik. He handed their recruit a wooden shield with metal studs, “Ellisif, make your father proud.”

Erik rolled his eyes as the Commander went to go hand out more tools. “They are going to break through in a matter of minutes. Take an ax. If they make it past us, cut the fuckers down. And don’t you dare get killed.”

Ellie pulled the cord she had on her wrist to tie her hair back. Her thick dark chocolate brown curls were pulled back out of her face and she said a small prayer to her favorite Goddess. I don’t want to have to kill anyone, but if I do, please let me do it quickly. Her heart pounded in her throat, her trepidation rose with every new crack emerging from the gate. The wood finally gave way, and she watched the horde of mismatched heathens break into her town. The Keepers had set up as much of a barricade as they could. Carts where pushed on their sides trying to create a funnel and direct the invaders to the villages best fighters and war priests. The Archers were doing what they could to thin out the herd. Ellisif inched closer to the battle, she tightened her grip on the handle of her ax just in time for a raider to jump over the stack of crates that had been near where she was standing. She raised her shield to the long sword he was swinging at her and it became stuck in the hard wood. Then it was as if her brain shut off and her body took over.

The warrior would never truly be able to recall everything that happened that afternoon. The surviving Keepers would tell her that she was brave, surgical with her actions and moved like she had been doing this all her life. In her state of shock, she would just say she had really good teachers. They would congratulate her for surviving her first battle. They thanked her for saving lives that day. Not a single invader made it past where she stood her ground.

Ellie looked up at the white stone buildings that were beginning to glow pink with the setting of the sun. What would they do with the bodies, she wondered vaguely. She leaned against the warm stone wall and slid down. What should I be doing? She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to make the sickness in her stomach go away.

“Where is she? Where is my sister, where is my Ellie?” a familiar voice was shouting. A couple of the Keepers pointed towards where she sat with her knees tucked to against her chest, her head resting on the wall behind her. Sarah thought she look more pale than normal.

“I’m right here.” Ellie croaked. Her throat was so dry. The healers had looked at her briefly, said she would be fine but to be prepared that she would probably have some pretty bad bruising on her forearms.

“Oh my Gods, why are you covered in blood? We’ve been so worried! Mama is going to skin you alive. Are you hurt? What were you thinking?” The thin woman stammered together as she fretted over her younger sister.

“I’m fine, the blood’s not mine. At least I don’t think so.” Ellie said, “What was I thinking? I was thinking that this is what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to run toward the fight. Do you have your water on you? I need a drink...”

The Commander strutted over like the fine peacock he was and pressed a bottle of ale into Ellie’s open hand and said something about how proud he was. She didn’t care. Ellie just wanted to be able to swallow without her throat feeling like sandpaper. The strawberry ale was sweet and warm, it made swallowing a little easier but after the third mouthful it became clear that the ale was doing nothing for her nausea. There might have been something said to her about how he was looking forward to seeing her take her oath, he chuckled and walked off. Sarah started trying to clean the viscera from her sister’s face but before she got too much grime off of her face, Ellisif turned her head and wretched.  She groaned, “Let’s go home.”

They walked home, arms wrapped around each other. It wouldn’t be until they reached their little home that Ellisif would start talking. The words slipped out of the young woman, still dazed. She looked down at the ax she was still holding onto with white knuckles and whispered “The one who gave this to me, Erik… I don’t know. He was killed. I killed someone today, Sarah. I killed several someones…”

Sarah, as gently as she could, wiped the tears off of her sister’s face, “You did what Daddy taught us to do. You helped keep our family safe, you kept or town safe. Lyria would be proud. She would be thrilled to know you will be defending her temple. Daddy would be so proud too.”

The older sister took her partner in crime into their house, and tucked the battle wary woman into her bed. The ax fell to the ground with a sickening thunk, and Ellie rolled over and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Sarah went to the kitchen and put a kettle on to brew some tea. Their mother, Kyra, had gone to the temple to help bandage up wounds of the Keepers and anyone else who took up arms. She eventually grabbing the heel of the loaf of bread from the pantry and slather it in homemade butter, pulling out her book of herbs. If Ellisif was more athletically inclined, her sister was definitely more well read. Sarah propped the book up and began plaiting her silky hair as she read the well loved tome. The front door opened quietly, the family’s matriarch came back after a long night of bandaging up injured young people and comforting the loved ones of those they lost.

“The Pale Mother now has a few more attendants now,” Kyra sighed, she and Sarah’s looks were similar, though she had more silver in her hair now. They both had dark brown eyes, almost black.  “Those poor souls. The Council and the High Priestess has asked that we all gather tomorrow at the Temple. They found their leader and they are interrogating him. He seemed to not understand that the forge our town was named after has been closed for generations, thought he could arm his merry band of miscreants. I heard Ellisif did her duty. How’s our girl doing?”

“She might have gone into emotional shock. I put her in bed, she’s going to need something strong in the morning. I was just reading up on something that will sooth her nerves, she was covered, and I mean covered, in blood. Evidently none of it was hers, which is good. Daddy taught her well. The Keepers were saying she showed a lot of potential.”

“Your father was the best knight I have ever seen wield a sword, I can only imagine what he taught her. The Temple will have never been safer if she is half as good as he was.” Kyra grabbed another hunk of bread and helped herself to some cheese. “I wish you could have seen him. I’ve never seen anyone burn with righteous fury like he could. When he would swing his sword in the tourneys he fought in, I swear that it looked like it was on fire. It was beautiful and absolutely terrifying. Ells has that same spark. When she was little, I saw it in her too.”

“I told her daddy would be proud.”

“He would be. He would also be profoundly sad for her. Sweetheart, you should go get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be very long.”

Ellisif slept until nightfall the next day. Siggy and Kyra left her to her mild unconsciousness to attend the meeting at noon. The temple slowly filled with the mourning villagers. More than a dozen Keepers had died that afternoon, it had been a decade since there had been any attacks on Dawnforge like this. It would be weeks before the damage the raiders did to the town could be repaired. The surviving raiders were told they could bury their dead on the other side of the ravine outside of the walls and then to assist the town in its repairs to try to make amends. The Thrace women where given the instruction on how they could help by the High Priestess. As soon as they where able to, Sarah and her sister would be going to the schoolhouse. They thought that having a couple extra adults around the kids would help make them feel safer.

Most of the school age kids knew Ellie. Two years ago she had won the combat tournament on the Feast of Seraphina, the Scarlet Mother. Usually the winners give the bouquet of fire Lilies to their significant other, she instead pulled out individual flowers and gave one to every little one who was around the ring that day. Her father had done the same thing the last time he had won the tournament. She enjoyed being their hero that afternoon, Sarah remembered as she and their mom walked home with their orders. The night of the feast, Ellie was asked attend the dance that was be held in the town square. Sarah had never seen her sister so happy as when she came home giggling, barefoot and a little in love.

When they made it to their home again, they saw evidence that Ellie had been up and moving but she was no where to be seen. Kyra suggested that they leave her be for the time being, they were kind in letting the young woman try to recover at her own pace. After a few days of her sleeping more heavily than she ever had, Ellisif needed to be in the forest behind the temple. She wanted to feel the presence of the Green Mother and ask her for guidance. There was a small clearing there, where a large stone acts as an alter for Lyria. It was a large piece of granite that always seemed to be covered with moss in all the directions, not just north. On the morning of Lyria’s feast day, the sun would align itself with this slab perfectly, and that is where she would be taking her vows to join the ranks of the Keepers. They were originally called the Temple Keepers, as the community grew, the area they kept safe grew with it. Once Ellie joined, she would be binding herself to the fate of the town. She could get married and have a family if she chose, but traveling would be almost impossible. If the Empire of Oril ever declared war on any of the other kingdoms, they were almost always the ones that were conscripted.  

While Ellie had wanted to become a Keeper for as long as she could remember, as of this morning, the idea of joining gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her mother had always talked about how even masters of their craft could have their confidence shaken if the seeds of doubt had taken root in their minds. Was this a seed a doubt she had been warned about?

“Lyria, divine mother, I come here to beg you for forgiveness. I never wanted take someone’s life. I thought they would yield if they got hurt. How could I have been so stupid...” and for the first time since the attack, Ellisif’s strength gave out. There she spent the rest of the day sobbing and trying to figure out what she needed to do. Her body shook violently as the waves of emotions crashed over her. In the back of her mind, a small notion crawled its way forward, seeping into her thoughts likes a strong tea in hot water. Devoting herself to the temple may not be the right choice. Ellie cleaned her face of the mess that the sobbing caused. The moon had risen, her family would be worried.

She made it into her home moments before they would begin searching for their missing member. There were hugs and more tears. They remained silent as Ellie made her way to her bed, she prepared herself for the night.

[melaninkpopimagines]

Crave

Daddy Woo x Reader 

Word Count: 4442

Warning: Smut 

Author: Admin Jae 

“These are the last papers to sign," the owner said. 

“Thank you. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

“Of course when you start making money” he slyly said. 

“And I will" you guaranteed. 

“Thank you for your time," he said. You happily shook his hand. 

You looked around the entire place envisioning everyone enjoying themselves with food, chefs hard at work, hosting various themed events and gaining celebrity attention. You smelled the fresh cool air of the new rental space that will turn into your very own soul food restaurant. 

3 Weeks Later. 

“Dang it where is everyone at?” you scoffed to yourself. “Am I doing something wrong?” 

“No, you're still doing a good job as always.” Chel said. Chel is one of your closest friends. You two met in college as roommates and were inseparable ever since. You wouldn't trade her for the world. She was your first investor to your restaurant. You promised to pay her back in full. She flew out to Korea to see you and help run the business with you. 

“Thanks Chel.” you smiled. “I couldn't have done this without you.” 

“Girl, it’s no problem at all. I would do anything for you.” Chel said. 

You stood at the front entrance with your arms folded, you were worried. 

“We're near one of the most populated areas in Seoul and no one hasn't come in” you stressed. 

“Here have a glass of wine.” Chel tried to hand it to you. 

“Chel, I love you but this is not the time nor the place to drink while the restaurant is opened!” you scolded. 

“What?! you worry too much. I'm just trying to help.” Chel said drinking the glass herself. 

You continue to stare out the window with people steadily walking past. 

“Where is everyone?” Minhyuk peeped his head out the kitchen door. Minhyuk has been with you two since the business opened. He walked in asking to be your cook after seeing your ad online. 

“I don't know," you said.

Minhyuk came from behind the door teasing “What did you do? Scare everyone off?”

“Maybe your food was terrible" you teased back. Minhyuk made a playful sad face then laughed. 

“I wish it was that easy, then I must be really ugly.” you chuckled. 

“Far from it” Minhyuk complimented. 

You smiled. “Your food is terrific by the way. I just wished people would COME in so they could see for themselves.” 

“I’ve got an idea.” you said. 

“What?” Chel asked, pouring another glass of wine. 

“What if we gave people flyers of the restaurant?” you suggested. 

“I'm down with that.” she agreed. 

You head to the office to create festive flyers. You came out feeling proud of yourself. 

You handed out a handful. 

“Are you sure it'll work?” Minhyuk said. 

“It has to.” you insisted. “I'm running out of options.” An idea sparked again. “Or better yet…. what if we gave out samples of items on our menu?” 

“Let's do it," Chel supported. “People will know how good our food is.” 

“Exactly” you agreed. “It's worth a shoot.”

“What kind of samples should we make?” you mumbled flipping through the entire menu. You scanned the menu in seconds, analyzing what would be a popular item. “Any ideas?” Minhyuk questioned. 

“Yeah, a few" you mumbled. “Ok, here's what we're going to do.” 

Everyone stood at attention. 

“We are going to create appetizer samples of fried chicken poppers as well as a small cup of homemade mac and cheese.” 

“Alright, on it!” Minhyuk heads to the kitchen to get started. 

“You think we can pull this off. Rent is due at the end of the week.” Chel asked. 

“Hey, I thought I was the one that was supposed to be worried.” you corrected.

“You're right.” Chel smiled heading to the kitchen with Minhyuk. 

“I hope you're not too drunk to help out.” you called out. 

“Of course not.” Chel giggled. 

You flipped the sign to the front door ‘CLOSED’ it wouldn't make much difference since no one came in. 

“So exactly how many samples do you want to make?” Minhyuk started to cook. 

“At least a hundred samples maybe” you speculated. 

“A hundred sounds good," Chel nodded, handing you an apron. 

You three spent the next hour and half fixing samples for the locals. You covered the food in wrapping paper. You rolled out a little food cart with an umbrella attached to the top. You guys walked over to a crowded shopping area with a small one way road cars slowly passed through. 

You three reached an intersection. “Should we get started?” Minhyuk asked. 

“Yep.” you said as you finished the final touches to the stand. 

Minhyuk began randomly walking up to people handing out samples and flyers on his tray. He even went out his way pointing in the general direction of the restaurant. 

You and Chel did the same. 

You had people reject your offer, they were in a rush to their next destination. Luckily, you guys ran into some tourists. You hoped they would stop by eventually while they were in Korea. 

After giving away samples and flyers, Chel and Minhyuk took the remaining samples and headed back. You stayed behind cleaning the cart off. You heard a motorcycle in the distance, but you didn't pay it any mind. 

You reached a small intersection around the corner from the restaurant. The motorcycle became louder. You looked both ways in the crosswalk. You saw a guy on the motorcycle, he was far back, so you figured you'll have ample time to cross. As you walked, one of the wheels got caught in the small pothole in the street. 

You looked up at the motorcycle coming closer and closer. You tried your hardest to push the cart but it wouldn't budge. Your heart was racing, you were about to panic. The motorcycle sped closer. 

This is it. I'm going to die. 

The motorcycle made a sudden stop and swerved in front of you and managed to reach a stopping point on the sidewalk. 

A guy stepped off the motorcycle. His dark was slicked back with a fade on each side. His entire outfit was black with just a sliver chain hanging from his jeans. He had the most intimidating look on his face and to add his height made you feel smaller. 

“What the hell is your problem?” he spoke in a rough deep voice that stirred you up. 

“What the hell is yours? You could have hit me” you retaliated. 

“Couldn't you have waited until I passed?” he asked. 

“I thought I would make it in time until one of the wheels on the cart got caught in the pothole, so if you'll excuse me” you continued struggling. 

He looked underneath the cart to see for himself. 

“Let me help.” he said. You both grabbed each side of the cart pushed as hard as you could. The wheel broke free. 

“Thank you.” you said. 

“No problem.” he said, smirking “What do you sell?” 

“I wasn't selling anything. I was giving samples away.” you answered while pushing the cart away onto the sidewalk. 

“Samples of what? Hair products, make-up, facial masks….” he guessed. 

“For your information, it was food. I own a restaurant nearby.” you corrected him. 

“Let me push it for you.” he offered. 

“No, I'm fine.” you denied. “But thank you, I'm not far from here.” you continued walking. 

“Umm….who's watching your motorcycle?” you cautioned hoping he would leave.

“No one's going to touch it.” he replied and continued to walk beside you. He kept his eyes on you, studying you. You couldn't clearly look him in the face without feeling embarrassed yet you felt completely comfortable. You were smitten. 

“Again thank you for your help!” you said

“No problem, maybe I can give you a ride sometime,” he asked. You froze in place. 

“You never rode a motorcycle before?” he asked. 

“No.” you shyly laughed. 

“Maybe, I can change that,” he smirked. Your eyes slightly widen, thinking eroticly. 

“Mmm. I'll think about it.” you said as you both stepped in front of the restaurant. “Well, here I am.” 

“This is your restaurant?” he asked. You spotted Chel and Minhyuk spying on you. 

He looked up and noticed something. “I like how you played with the words,” he remarked. As you pushed the cart into the restaurant. You noticed he was looking up at the title. Se(ou)l Food. 

“Thanks, I hope to one day bring a little soul into Seoul” you winked at him. Omg, did I just wink at him. Christ. 

“That's a plus. I could use a little soul myself. “ he winked back smiling at you . You shyly smiled. 

“Yep. I just opened about three weeks ago.” you answered. “ Listen, well thank you for not killing me, how could I ever repay you?” you spoke in a mockingly girly voice. 

“A ride" he answered. You nearly choked to his request. “A what?” you gasped. “Take a ride with me on my motorcycle". He smirked. “What did you think I mean?”

“Uhhhh...mmm” you hesitated. “Listen I'll see you around.” He winked before walking off. 

You stumbled back in the restaurant, flustered. “Girl, who was that?” Chel asked. 

“Someone who could have hit me” you answered. 

“I guess he didn’t hit it hard enough,” Chel suggested. “CHEL NO!” you shrieked. “What? We both know you could use some. You’re so tense. ” Chel smiled.

“Omg, not now. I have a business to run and I’m praying we can make some progress and actually get customers in here soon” you sighed.  

Within the next week, business started to come along and business picked up on Friday nights. Koreans and Tourists alike. Customers really enjoyed your food and posted their reviews on social media. 

As business continues, you never thought you’d see him again. 

………

Distracted, “What can I get you?” you stared down at the notepad ready for an order. A familiar voice spoke, “I guess those samples really did pay off, Uh?”  

“Oh God” you mumbled to yourself. You took your eyes off your notepad to see him smiling at you. “What are you doing here?” you seethed. 

“What else am I here for?” he replied. 

“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” you insisted. 

“Relax, Baby Girl, I’m here to eat with my friend here. You looked across the table to see a gentleman politely wave. “Hi, you must be the girl, Woo was talking about.” 

“Oh, so you’ve been talking about me?” you raised an eyebrow. 

“I mean what can I say” he smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“Well if it’s any consolation, I’m happy you came to see how good the food is yourself” you smiled. 

“No problem” he skimmed the menu. “Let me have a cheeseburger, fries, and a beer. He slowly closed the menu and looked at his friend to say his order. “Yeah, let me have fried chicken, with a side of mac and cheese and collard greens”. 

“Sure, not a problem, I’ll get those orders for you”. You smiled while collecting their menus. You felt him staring at you as you walked away. You walked quickly into the kitchen so he wouldn’t see your reaction. 

“Girl, did you see a ghost?” Chel asked as she was preparing to hand plates of food out the door. 

You swallowed and spoke, “I’m fine, but he’s here”. Chel eyes widen in excitement. “He came back” Chel peeped through the kitchen double doors and saw him sitting with his friend. “Omg, girl, yeah he likes you. He wants to see you”. 

“Now is not the time for all of this, we need to focus and provide everyone with a good experience” you remained calm. 

“Minhyuk, I have another order for you for booth 3” you placed the ticket on tab grabber. “Got it,” he shouted. “Let me know when you need a break, I’ll jump in and cook” you shouted back. I’m taking a break in about 5 minutes, so if you can take over then” he mentioned as he dumped a new batch of chicken into the fryer and placed french fries into another fryer. “I gotcha” you said. 

“Chel, if you can remain a waitress for me while I cook” you asked. “No problem girl, I got it” she left the kitchen to tend to the table. 

You didn’t know which was hotter, seeing him or being in the kitchen cooking. You grabbed the hamburger from the massive fridge and placed it on the grill and continued to monitor the chicken frying. One thing you knew: collard greens and mac and cheese were popular side dishes, each day you keep these pots filled with hot food.  You started to create side dishes. You cooked both sides of the burger perfectly and placed a slice of cheese, it slowly started to melt. You hurried and grabbed two brioche buns and buttered them and placed on the grill for one minute. The chicken and fries finished cooking, you placed them both in individual racks to drain. You created his plate and lightly seasoned his fries with sea salt, created his cheeseburger with every topping. It was massive. I hope he’ll be able to eat all of this. You created his friend’s dish, you prepared to give him a thigh, leg and wing with collards and mac and cheese served in individual stone bowls. You also included a small basket of hush puppies. Chel burst through the doors, you jumped so hard. “Another order”. Minhyuk came back prepared to work again. “Thank you for covering me,” he said. 

“No problem” you said. “Hey Chel, take these orders out to booth 3 for me, I didn’t realize how much time passed” you remarked. 

You noticed every time you cooked, you were always in a daze, time always slipped away from you. 

"Minhyuk, Chel came back with another order" you said. 

"No problem" he said as you walked out the kitchen doors. You and Chel continued to wait tables. Each moment, you could get you glanced over at him eating. He was holding a piece of the burger with a fork. He was almost done with his food. Each bite he took, he savored. He licked his lips. 

You went over to his table. "How's everything?" you asked. 

"So far, it's really good," he said as he wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin. His friend nodded in agreement. 

"I'm Woo by the way" he introduced himself. "This is my friend Tres." 

"Hi, nice to meet you" you smiled. "I'll take your plates if you're finished" stacking their plates together. 

"Thank you". You smiled and hurried to the kitchen. 

You staked the plates in the dishwasher. You looked down at your watch only to see an hour and half left in time till closing. 

You stepped out of the kitchen to say good-bye to him. 

He was gone. 

You stepped to his table to see he left a $50 dollar tip. Tips aren't necessary in Korea. You continued to collect the remaining dishes on the table and wiped the tables and seats for more customers to be seated.

The next hour and half flew by. After Chel escorted the last customers out. You, Chel and Minhyuk collapsed into the chairs. Exhausted, you went back into the kitchen and gave Minhyuk and Chel a bottle of water to cool down. 

"Well, you guys we did it!" you exclaimed. "It was successful for sure" 

"Alright let's clean up a bit, you guys go home and get some rest" you said. 

Minkyuk and Chel took care of the kitchen while you took care of the dining area. You started stacking the chairs onto the tables. And began swiping the floor. 

You went to the register and started counting the money and creating the deposit. You took what was left and paid Chel and Minhyuk. Agreement was met with them being paid on the weekly basis. 

"We're done with the kitchen, the food is set in the fridge, we cleaned the fryers, and everything else" Minkyuk reported. 

"Thank you, I appreciate it," you said. 

"Should we wait for you?" Chel asked. 

"No, you two go ahead. I need to mop the floor" you said. "I'll see y'all tomorrow" you smiled. 

Minhyuk and Chel waved good-bye and left. 

You locked the doors behind them. 

You went back into the kitchen and grabbed the mop bucket cart and began to mop the floors. You were almost finished mopping the floor near the entrance. 

Lost in thought, you didn't care for the slight knock at the door. The sign says closed. 

The knock continues. 

"We're closed!" you shouted. The knock continues. You finally look up to see him standing at the door. 

You walked to the entrance to unlock the door, he's smiling at you. 

You opened, "Can I help you?" 

"Can I come in?" he asked. 

"For what?" you asked. 

"To talk," he replied. 

You sighed and let him in. 

As you walked towards the mop bucket, you advised him. "Watch your step, I just mopped the floor. So don't fall". 

He stepped carefully into the restaurant, you motioned him to follow you into the kitchen. You placed the mop bucket into the back room and came out. He was standing there observing the kitchen and the set up. "This is nice," he said. 

"Thank you" you smiled. 

"You left in quite a hurry earlier" you remembered. 

"Yeah, I did. I had all the more reason to come back" he responded. 

"Why?" you asked. 

"Because I didn't even ask you for your name," he answered. He stepped closer to you. His presence was overwhelming you. 

"It's ummm…. Y/N" you swallowed. The cologne he was wearing, heightened your senses. Damn, he smells good. 

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked. 

"No why?" 

"I have a tendency to make people feel intimidated”. You were a little nervous. However, you definitely didn't want him to notice. You kept calm. 

"I was at first when you were about to hit me with your motorcycle" you smirked. 

"I told you I wasn't going to hit you, honest to God" he chuckled. 

"If you say so" you reckoned. 

"So why are you here exactly?" you asked. "I know you didn't come all this way just for my name" you folded your arms. 

"No, not just for your name. How about that ride?" he asked. 

"Not today, I had a long day as you saw. Tell you what let's postpone it for another time, deal?" you proposed.

"Deal" he said. "You know the face you made when I said ride when we first met?" he asked. 

Shit, he saw. 

"I...don't know what you're talking about" you denied. 

"I believe you do," he stepped closer. 

You were backed against the kitchen counter. You felt his aura engulfing yours. You started breathing slightly heavier. 

“I know you wanted to see me too,” he whispered. “That’s why I came back, to be alone with you”. He continued "…..let me taste you". He stared into your eyes. 

You closed your eyes and you both leaned in for a kiss. His plump lips were soft and smooth. You pulled yourself closer to him. His arms wrapped around you, you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer for more. You felt yourself become lighter and pulled away to breathe. 

You both looked at each other. It was clear, you both wanted more than a kiss. 

You both dove in for another kiss. This time, he picked you up in his arms and sat you down on the kitchen counter. He was all over you. You wanted it that way. 

You both frivolously removed every layer of clothing. His arms and lower torso were covered in tattoos. His kisses were becoming more passionate and intense. You moaned in his mouth. He kissed your neck, working his way down. He was so warm. 

You slowly parted your legs open. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes" 

“I may not go easy” 

“Neither will I,” you smirked. 

He stroked his swollen girth, while licking his lips. He wants to tear you apart. He leaned for another kiss as he slowly slid inside your pulsing warmth. You immersed yourself fully into his presence as he stretched you. 

He groaned in your ear. “Fuck baby girl.” 

You gasped as he pulled you closer to him, you felt all of him. He steadily snapped his hips into you. You felt yourself becoming more wet with each tug and pull to your tight pink walls. 

His pace increased with each passing moment. You tilted your head back savoring every moment. 

“Hold on to me,” he said. He scooped you in his arms, holding onto him he lifted you off the kitchen counter, he held your legs in place and proceeded to plummet into you, your juices spilled out of you. You started to whimper out loud. “I love how well you take this dick,” he whispered. You hung onto him tightly, you scratched his back. You were drowning in his sex. He kissed you harder as bounced on his dick, you moaned into his mouth. “Woo”. You felt yourself losing control, your body was his. He made sure it was. 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head. He placed you back on the kitchen counter, he lifted your legs over his shoulders.“I’m not going anywhere” he whispered, softly kissing you, his pace became deep and sensual. “Cum all over this dick,” he groaned. 

He started deep into your eyes, as he kept his pace. He wanted to see your reaction as he quickened. Your face said it all. All he needed was confirmation, you were enjoying yourself, you were enjoying him. Your core began to tighten, you were ready to release, shivers ran throughout your body. You were barely able to hang on at this point. Woo saw you were about to reach your max. He gripped your sides to hold you in place as he rapidly tore you to pieces. He was becoming too much, you tried to push him off but you were too weak. 

“I can’t hold it any longer!” you moaned loudly. He immediately felt your warm liquids squirted out your stretched pussy. He pulled away, as you climaxed in front of him. You trembled in place until your orgasm  stopped. You saw him staring at you. You wanted to hide, you were embarrassed. 

Still stroking his hardened member, he rubbed it against your sensitive pussy wanting to see more juices sprinkle out. 

Your eyes widened in astonishment as you cried out in pleasure, more juices came out of you. You felt your body being numb. You didn’t know how much more you would take from him. You realized he wasn’t finished with you yet. You slowly assumed into position, with your feet touching the floor, your legs widened for him again. Your breast touched the warm surface of the kitchen counter where your back was on. He approached from behind, slid his dick inside once more. Your back arched for him to touch the most vulnerable parts of your wet dripping pussy. He gazed in awe as he tapped your ass from behind. Your skin collided with his, clapping in unison as he took control again. You continuously moaned his name out loud as you felt yourself slipping in a daze. He landed heavy slaps on both of your cheeks, making his hand print on your skin. 

He grabbed a handful of your hair and pulled your head back a little as he kept his pace. You turned to face him, he kissed you. He placed his hand on your right breast, rubbing your nipple. 

“Fuck” he groaned. “You feel amazing Y/N” 

“So do you” you whispered. He pounded and pounded and pounded into you until his thrusts started to become more sloppy, he was reaching his max. “Woo, it’s alright” you said. You figured he knew what you meant. 

He slipped out of consciousness as he came inside of you. His length released more cum than you had anticipated. He held onto you. He was breathing deeply. He remained inside of you for a few more minutes before pulling out. His thick cum seeped out of you. He hurried and grabbed a towel to clean up both of your messes. 

He walked up to you and kissed you some more. He held you in your arms. “Are you ok? Did I hurt you?” he asked. 

“No, I’m fine” you smiled. “It’s just been a while”  

You looked down at your watch. It’s getting late. 

As you both began to get dressed. “Let me take you home,” he offered. “I know it’s late, the trains don’t run at this time. Taxi Drivers aren’t the best at this time either”. He had a point. 

You nodded your head. “Sure, thank you.” 

You wondered if that would be it between the two of you. Just a one night stand. 

You cleaned the kitchen counter off and turned all the lights off. Woo followed you out as you locked the door. 

His car was parked right outside the restaurant. “What happened to your motorcycle?” you asked. 

“Nothing, I figured to bring my car” he said as he opened the door for you. You got inside the passenger seat. “Where to?” he asked. 

“I live in Gangnam” you said “I’ll tell you where to go” you instructed him to your apartment when needed. 

However, the ride was awkward, you didn’t know what to say to him. You twiddle your thumbs. 

He found your apartment, placed the car into park. You both sat there silently for a couple minutes. “Listen, thank you for tonight”. 

“Anytime” he smiled. “Listen, Y/N, I know we barely know each other, I wanted to ask you if you would like to go out on a date with me?” he asked. 

You smiled. “I would love to” 

“Good, it’s a date then” 

You both exchanged phone numbers. “I’ll text you later today,” he promised. 

You both looked at each other again. You couldn’t stop staring at him. He placed his hand on your cheek and pulled you in for a gentle kiss. You both smiled and pulled away. You bit your bottom lip. 

“I guess I’ll see you later then” you said exiting his car. 

“You will” he smiled as he rolled down the window. He waited for you to enter the building before pulling off. 

You entered the elevator to your apartment excited about the beginning of a new chapter in your life.

I hope you guys enjoyed this. I’ve been writing this for a long time. I guess you can say I’m back. I miss you guys, I hope everyone is doing well and being safe. 

~Admin Jae 

[sheerfreesia007]

Fallin’ All In You (Pt. 59)

Title: Fallin’ All In You (Pt. 59)

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x Reader

Author: @sheerfreesia007​​

Words: 2,549

Warnings: Fluff

Tags: @synystersilenceinblacknwhite​, @two-unbeatable-beaters​, @randomness501​, @sevvysaurus​, @paryl​, @talesfromtheguild​, @secretsihideinside​, @agingerindenial​, @mrschiltoncat​

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711​, @fioccodineveautunnale​

Author Notes: I apparently like writing about cake? I googled these combos so please don’t rage at me for this, I’m not a cake person. Just a cute little piece. The next few parts are going to be more Tequila geared as we move forward towards the wedding! I don’t know about this one. Feedback is always appreciated!

Gif Credit: Pinterest

         “So Tequila is going to meet us there at the bakery?” Jack asked from the driver’s seat of the Bronco. You smiled softly as you nodded to him before reaching over and taking his right hand in your left. Your thumb ghosted over the top of his hand and you sighed softly. It had been a hectic couple of weeks; Jack had been assigned more and more missions while you were busy in the lab. Not to mention you any free time you had to yourself was used up with phone calls, emails and video calls to Tequila. Who had completely stepped up as your Man of Honor, and you couldn’t be more grateful for all of his help.

         Since the wedding was going to be in Kentucky and you were stationed in New York you had asked Tequila to be your go between with the caterer, baker, DJ, and others. And Tequila had shined in this new role you had stuck him in. The last video call you had with he had shown you the wedding binder he had put together so that he could keep track of all of things that needed to be handled. Suffice it to say you were thoroughly impressed.

         “Yeah, he had to finish up with some trainees this morning before the appointment.” You explained softly with a warm smile. Your frowned then and looked over to Jack again. “You’re okay with him being there right? I didn’t even think to ask you that.” You said guiltily.

         “Darlin’, I’m okay with whatever you want. He’s your point of contact with all of the wedding stuff so he should be there. Besides I can’t really imagine this happening without him there anyway.” Jack said warmly as he chuckled to himself. You grinned nodding your head in agreement. It did feel like this was how it was always supposed to be. With both of the guys who meant the world to you at your side every step of the way.

         The baker you and Jack had decided on was local and one of your favorites. You remembered when you had first introduced Jack to the delicious pastries and cakes that the small bakery produced. It had been back when you had been a brand new field agent and Tequila was celebrating his birthday. You had offered to go out and buy him a chocolate on chocolate birthday cake from the bakery that you enjoyed in town. Jack had been there at the little birthday celebration in the office and when you had presented the cake and cut him a piece he had come back over to you asking you what bakery you had used because he thought the cake was delicious.

         Just as the two of you pulled into the parking lot for the bakery you saw Tequila leaning against the side of his own truck. Smiling you leaned over and pressed a kiss to Jack’s cheek with excitement making him chuckle at your antics. You then threw open your door and slipped out of the Bronco grinning over to Tequila who chuckled over at you as he shook his head.

         “She’s in rare form ain’t she?” Tequila asked teasingly as Jack walked around the truck to the two of you.

         “She’s exited for cake.” Jack said knowingly and you laughed softly as you slipped your arm around his.

         “He ain’t wrong.” You said with a smirk making the two men laugh at you. You watched as Tequila pulled a binder from his truck and slipped it under his arm as you all began walking to the front entrance of the bakery.

         “There’s the future Mr. and Mrs. Daniels!” called out a happy voice and your grin split your face wide. The excitement was bubbling up inside of you as you looked over to Shanna the owner. “How are y’all doin’?” she asked kindly as she nodded her head to you while she walked around the counter wiping her hands on her apron.

         “We’re doing just fine Shanna.” You said as you moved to give her a warm hug. “This is my fiancé Jack. And my best friend Tequila.” You introduced the men to Shanna.

         “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you two. She’s told me all about you.” Shanna said with a smirk as she shook first Jack’s hand and then Tequila’s.

         “Hopefully only the good bits.” Tequila groused softly making everyone laugh softly and he narrowed his eyes over to you teasingly.

         “Of course, of course. Well let’s get you all settled in the back and I’ll bring out the samples for you to try. How’s that sound?” she explained and you nodded along with her as your excitement began to build again.

         “Sounds just fine.” Jack said warmly as he wrapped an arm low around your back his hand coming around your hip to grasp it tight. He pressed a kiss to your temple and began to usher you behind Shanna to the back room.

         “So after our talk over the phone I’ve got five samples for you to try. And we can make it look however you want it to this is just to figure out the flavors and whether or not you’d like to do a traditional cake, cupcakes or both.” Shanna was explaining as the four of you came and sat around a rectangular metal table. You sat in between Jack and Tequila on one side and Shanna was on the other side where five small cakes were laid out on display. Tequila pulled out the binder he had brought in with him and you smiled softly at his attentiveness as he also pulled out a pen to begin writing things down.

         “You’re really taking this whole Man of Honor thing seriously, huh?” Jack asked in an awed voice as he looked over at Tequila and his binder.

         “Well yeah it’s you guys’ wedding and I’m supposed to be helping. This just makes it easier to keep track of everything.” Tequila explained easily. Jack nodded understanding Tequila’s job all too well. “Plus Cur works well when it’s all organized.” Tequila said knowingly as he smirks over at you.

         “Oh don’t I know that.” Jack admitted perceptively with a shared smirk between the two men.

         “Hey! There is nothing wrong with being organized.” You defended yourself easily scowling softly at both men.

         “Yeah but Cur, you take it to the extreme.” Tequila teased back easily and you scoffed at him before turning back to Shanna.

         “So what did you need to know Shanna?” you asked pointedly ignoring the men on either side of you.

         “Well I’ve already got most of your wedding information. I’d like to know more about the look or theme of the wedding so that I can start getting some ideas on how to decorate the cake.” She said easily as she pulled out her own pad and pen. “But we can talk about that as we go through each cake.”

         You watched as she slid over a chocolate covered cake and smiled nodding your head. She took out three plates and cut out three small pieces of cake for you, Jack and Tequila before handing out each plate.

         “So for the first cake we’ve got dark chocolate cake with raspberry spread and a dark chocolate icing.” She explained as you all dug into the delicious tasting cake. The rich mixture of raspberry and dark chocolate burst onto your tongue and you hummed softly as you chewed. You weren’t much of a fan of dark chocolate but Shanna was a genius baker and you were thinking she might sway you over to love dark chocolate. “We can make these into cupcakes as well by doing a raspberry filling if that’s the route you’d like to go. Or just have it as a small wedding cake for you and Jack.”

         “Remember though darlin’ my family has some allergies to chocolate and almonds.” Jack reminded you as he continued to eat his piece of cake. “This is delicious though.” He said nodding to Shanna.

         “Why thank you. If you’re worried about allergies we could always do a mix of each different flavor combination as cupcakes.” Shanna said easily.

         “I like the idea of a small wedding cake for Jack and I. And then cupcakes for the guests.” You said easily. “And that way if we like more than one cake we could have a mix of cupcakes. So that if anyone does have allergies they could have other options.” You reasoned softly as you set your fork aside feeling like you’d had enough of the dark chocolate cake. Jack looked over to you smiling tenderly with a kind look in his eye.

         “You’re always thinking about others aren’t ya?” he asked softly and you blushed as his eyes turned a darker shade as he continued to gaze at you.

         “Right well Shanna, why don’t we move on to the next cake before these two horn dogs go at each other.” Tequila said nodding over to Shanna. At his words you were quickly looking away from Jack with a bright blush on your cheeks and his low chuckle fluttered into your ears making you blush even more.

         “So the next one is a lemon flavored cake with a cream cheese frosting. I wanted to know was what is your color theme for the wedding. Maybe we’d be able to work in some of the colors into the frosting or decorations on the cake.” Shanna said in explanation as dished up three more pieces of cake for you.

         “The colors are navy blue, light gray and sunflower yellow.” You responded easily as you bit into the lemon cake. You tilted your head slightly before taking another bite. You didn’t think you’d like the lemon cake was oddly enough the combination of lemon and cream cheese worked really well together.

         “And she’s going to have sunflowers as the table decorations.” Tequila supplied as he turned the binder over to show Shanna a picture of the flower arrangement that you had already picked out for the table bouquets.

         “You know I think Memaw would like this one alright.” Jack said softly into your ear as he leaned close to you and continued eating his cake. You turned to look at him and thought about it silently.

         “I think you’re right. It reminds me of her lemon poppy seed cake she makes.” You said agreeing with him. “So I think we should get this one as one of the cupcake options, what do you think?” you asked him softly.

         “That sounds like a good idea darlin’. That way the guests can try each one and figure out which one they’d like.” He said nodding his head again as he finished his slice of cake. “I do enjoy that one though it’s really good.”

         “Ok so this next one is a vanilla cake with a strawberry spread and a buttercream strawberry icing.” Shanna explained as she dished out the third cake.

         “Oh I’m gonna enjoy this one.” Tequila said while he wiggled his eyebrows and you chuckled softly shaking your head.

         “Didn’t pick you as a strawberry person.” Jack said thoughtfully as he took a bite of his cake and scrunched his nose up a little before setting his fork down.

         “Oh yeah my parents used to have a huge strawberry garden in the backyard growing up. Would eat them off the plant before mom could come and pick them.” Tequila explained with a soft laugh. You grinned over to him as you watched him finish his whole plate.

         “Ok so for the fourth option we’ve made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.” Shanna explained as she continued to dish out the cake.

         “So Shanna we’re having an outdoor wedding and evening reception on Jack’s property. Will that be a probably for the cake and cupcakes?” you asked curiously as you began to eat the red velvet cake.

         “Not at all what we’ll do is about an hour before the reception we’ll drive to Jack’s place and store all of the cupcakes and cake at his ranch. We would just need to find some room in the fridge to keep them in.” Shanna explained easily.

         “That’s not a problem. I’ve got a few game fridges that I can clean out before the wedding so that we have plenty of room.” Jack said easily with a shrug.

         “Oh? What type of game do you store?” Shanna asked curiously.

         “Mostly deer but every once in a while my dad and grandpa like to go Turkey hunting too.” Jack explained and Shanna nodded her head.

         “My dad and brother like to go deer hunting too. They’ve been talking about going Moose hunting up in Canada one of these years but never manage to light a fire under their asses enough to actually get up there.” She said laughing softly. Once the three of you had finished your red velvet cakes she then took your plates and dished out the last cake to all of you. “So for the last cake we have an almond cake with an amaretto frosting.”

         When you bit in the cake in front of you flavor burst on your tongue and tried to bite down the moan that crawled up your throat. Closing your eyes softly you silently savored the cake. The almond cake and amaretto frosting paired well with each other and made a delicious combination inside your mouth.

         “So this is your favorite huh?” Jack asked softly in your ear as he leaned over to you and you smiled as you opened your eyes to look over to him.

         “Oh yeah. This is delicious.” You gushed out and nodded your head eagerly. Shanna’s soft laughter rang through the room and she smiled proudly over at you. “What do you think of getting just a small 2 tier cake for us in the almond and amaretto. And then the lemon, strawberry and chocolate as cupcakes for the guests?” you asked Jack as you turned to watch his reaction to your proposal.

         “I think that would be a good idea.” He said easily as he nodded his head at your words.

         “Is that doable Shanna?” you asked turning back over to her and watched as she wrote down your choices and nodded her head.

         “Of course and I’ve got your guest numbers so we’ll make it so they could have one of each if they wanted.” She said easily as she continued to write down on her pad of paper. You turned your head to look over at Tequila and saw that he was also writing down your choices in the binder. “Ok so I’ll get this all in writing in the contract and I’ll send it over to you and Tequila so that he’s got a copy. I would just need you to look it over and send me back a signed copy.” She said explained easily. You nodded your head and wrapped your arm around Jack’s arm and snuggled into his shoulder grinning.

         “I can’t believe we just picked out our wedding cake.” You whispered happily to him and he looked over his shoulder at you before pressing a tender kiss to your lips.

         “Better believe darlin’.” He said warmly.

[novadust86]

The Best Laid Plans CH2

Chapter 2: Confessions of a teenage cat girl

Hermione was just finishing unpacking her trunk, and was working through what she needed to do: shelving her books; sorting her clothes, putting the clean ones away and putting the dirty ones, that the magic of Hogwarts haven't cleaned yet, in the hamper; and setting her photos of her parents and other nick nacks in their proper places.

The drive home had been filled with Hermione asking her parents how their year had been. Now that they were home she was expecting to be called downstairs for what she jokingly thought of as her interrogation. It had become a sort of tradition; on her first evening home from Hogwarts, Her parents would pick up a take-away* that broke all their rules about healthy eating and sugary drinks. Then, over the distractingly enticing dinner they would talk about what had happened while she was away at school.

It wasn't long before she heard her mum call for her. Hermione made her way to the dining room to find her parents at the table, ready with pizza and fried chicken, all steaming hot waiting for her. Hermione sat and served herself, savouring the unhealthy food that was a rare treat at home. In fact, now that she thought about it, it had been almost a year since she had last eaten pizza. It wasn't in the Hogwarts meal rotation that tended to favor classic British food, and she hadn't left Hogwarts at all this year.

“So, Kitten”, her father then winced at his phrasing. He had used the old nickname on reflex and immediately regretted it, worried how his daughter would take it. Hermione, however, was laughing at his reaction to his own perceived faux pas*. After getting herself under control she grinned back at him, “it’s ok dad, you can still call me kitten. You have been doing it for as long as I can remember…I’d miss it if you stopped.”

“Ok, then...kitten”, he seemed decidedly uncomfortable with using the nickname now, “in the letters we received from you and McGonagall, who says she’s your Head of House, we were expecting to see cat ears and a tail, but I don't, so did they find a cure...or did your teachers hide them for you?”

Hermione finished chewing her bite of pizza; the toppings were a favorite she shared with her mum, which were ham, mushrooms, pineapple and prawns. “They are hidden, but it was Harry who found a way to hide them. Not one of the teachers. He gave me this hair band today, the spells on it give me somewhere to put the ears. There is also a similar item for my tail.” She hesitated a second, then, checking that the curtains were closed and seeing that it was safe as they were alone, Hermione removed the hair band, revealing the brown and blond tabby cat ears for her parents to see.

Hermione sat there, waiting to hear what her parents would say. They sat in silence for what was probably only about thirty seconds, but they were the longest seconds of her life. Waiting for them to pass judgment on her. Would they think her a freak? Would they disown the monster she had become? Would they insist that she stop coming home from school at Christmas and Easter? Just do their job until they could kick her out once she finished school?

The anxiety-driven thoughts were driven from her head just as quickly when her mum spoke up finally, “Your ears look lovely dear”, with just those five words, Hermione relaxed immensely, feeling a tension she hadn't known she carried slip away, “Is your tail the same colour?”

Hermione's head bounced up and down, “Yes, I would show you, but taking the bag off my tail is difficult in this skirt”, it would also have been embarrassing, the high waist meant that the only way her tail could go was down. This was fine most of the time, but if she got happy or angry her tail tended to shoot up, and that was the last thing she wanted while in a skirt. 

“Did you say bag, Honey?” Her mother seemed a bit confused. Hermione slipped into her lecture mode as she explained to her parents about the three bags and how two of them were concealed in the hair band and how each of the bags had an undetectable expansion charm on them, that created extradimensional space inside the bags. Her parents caught on quickly and soon the whole family were having fun making Doctor who references.

“So, Hermione, you mentioned a few other changes in your letters. I think me and your mum need to hear them all”, the joking was over and they were back to the main topic. “Well...you know about the ears and tail. The ears give me better hearing. It's not magic, it's just that the ears are so big compared to normal ears. My taste in food changed a little, I like fish, chicken, milk and cheese more now”, her parents nodded along; the cheese part was new to them but Hermione had already mentioned in her letters about how her taste in food had changed. Mr Granger had already added a few tins* of different types of fish to the shopping when he picked up the groceries a few days ago. “I also understand cats better. I just seem to know what they are trying to tell me”, Hermione hesitated for a second, thinking about something else, before saying, “that's it.”

Her parents looked at each other, silently debating whether to push. One of the letters they had gotten from Hermione's Head of House had mentioned their daughter was now taking a potion once a month to manage some other aspect of her transformation. Her mother, who had a suspicion about it just what was about, suggested waiting when her husband spoke up, “Hermione we know there's more. Your Professor mentioned a potion you now need to take. Now tell us everything”, he usually wasn’t this harsh, but he was concerned for his daughter and to help her, he needed to know what was the problem.

Hermione sat in her seat fidgeting nervously. It wasn't that she was keeping it from her parents, just that she didn't want to talk about such things with her dad. It had been bad enough when Harry had asked about the potion, but she could tell Harry to drop it and he would listen. She knew that he was still worried about her, but he had relaxed a lot when she promised him it was nothing dangerous.

And it really wasn't, but how do you tell your new twelve-year-old boyfriend that the potion you are taking is to stop you from losing control and jumping him every month?

She definitely wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Harry and she didn’t think Harry was ready for it either. And Hermione really wasn’t ready to talk to her dad about it, “Um…dad, it’s...“, Hermione was trying to work out a way to phrase things when her mother came to her rescue, “Hermione honey, is this a mother-daughter discussion?” Hermione blushed, nodded and suddenly found a bit of lint in her lap very interesting, so interesting that she missed that her father was just as suddenly interested in one of the pictures on the wall. Her mother smiled at two of them; they were so alike at times.

The discussion moved on swiftly; the talk about the potion postponed until later, when the two Granger women could talk alone. They asked about Hermione's classes and how she thought she had done on her end of year tests. The two of them had found it odd that the Headmaster had canceled the end of year tests; they knew that some of them were rather important, the magical equivalent of O and A levels, so surely they couldn't just be canceled? Hermione thought that the people sitting their O.W.Ls and their N.E.W.Ts would have to do them over the summer., but agreed it sounded like a lot of hassle.

The dinner continued for a while longer; the three of them just enjoying being back together as a family, if only for the summer holidays.

---ϟϟϟ---

Hermione had just finished getting ready for bed and was about to go brush her teeth (she may have skipped the odd day here and there while she was at Hogwarts but she knew that she wouldn't get away with that at home) when her mum came in to her room, surprisingly carrying two large bowls of what looked to be chocolate caramel-swirl ice-cream. “Got time for a girly chat?” Hermione eyed the bowls of her own personal ice-cream nirvana suspiciously, her mother didn’t usually indulge in such unhealthy treats, “I think I could maybe find some time”.

The two of them sat cross-legged on Hermione's bed, each holding a bowl but the older of the two still holding on to the spoons, “So...fun questions first. It's boyfriend Harry now, not best friend Harry. what's the story there?” Her mum asked, grinning as she handed over Hermione's spoon. A smile came over Hermione's face as she remembered that happy moment, “it was in the hospital wing after Christmas. Ron and I had had a falling out over his legendary lack of tact. So at that point, it was only Harry coming to see me regularly. Lav and Pav popped in occasionally but Harry was there every day right up until curfew. Classes had started back up and Harry was helping me keep on top of everything, since I was unable to make it to classes.”

Hermione stopped talking for a bit to sample the ice-cream and gave a slight moan of pleasure. “Then Madam Pomfrey asked me to make a decision on something. She asked if I wanted to keep the cat eyes or change them back to normal. I chose to change them back; dad always said my eyes are like grandad's so I wanted to keep them. Anyway, to change them back I needed to take a potion every morning for six days. That was fine as I was already taking a lot of potions, so what was one more? Only...this one had a noticeable side effect.

While my eyes were changing my vision was blurry. I could see well enough to know if someone was there, or to walk to the bathroom and back, but I couldn't read, which you know would’ve been a problem for me. I was a little upset about that particular thing, and then Harry turns up about an hour later. It was a Saturday. And, he was with some of my favorite books. I told him that I couldn't read them because my eyes where being fixed, and that he may as well take them away. He looked at me for a few seconds and I couldn't see the look on his face, but I just know he had that smirk of his on his face, then he just sat down in the chair next to me and pulled out my copy of 'The Hobbit’ and started reading it out loud to me.”

Hermione paused to take another mouthful of ice-cream and her mother jumped in, “So let me get this straight; you were stuck without your books for a week and Harry just started reading them to you”, Hermione nodded slowly, her mouth still full of ice-cream,“Oh god, the poor boy is doomed. Only you would find love through reading, kitten.” Hermione giggled, then continued on after swallowing her bite, “well after about five hours in that chair I realized Harry had to be uncomfortable...so”, she paused for a second wondering how her mother would take it, “I-I moved him up onto the bed with me.” Seeing her mother beginning to smirk, she powered on with her tale;

“Before you say anything, the beds are adult-sized so the two of us fit quite comfortably. He came back every day to keep reading the books to me. Unlike some of the others I showed my muggle books, he was completely fine with them. I guess it was cause he grew up a muggle like me. We were two-thirds of the way through 'Return of the King’ before I was able to see normally again, but Harry hates to leave a job unfinished, and he kept reading to me till he finished.

Over the six days, I wasn't used to things being a bit different from my accident. Apparently, the cat hair I used in the potion came from an adult cat, well, Kneazle. Which is a type of magical cat which is why I couldn't be changed back all the way. The Kneazle magic, portion magic and my magic all got mixed up in a knot and won't come undone”, She took a deep breath, “And I am so glad it was a girl cat, that could have lead to problems I don't even want to think about.” Her mother's face went a little green as she thought of the possibilities. At this point, Hermione began blushing profusely, “But anyway...as the cat was an adult, it...well...I guess you could say I'm more ‘interested’ in boys than I normally should be...” Hermione was burning so hot by now that she was surprised she hadn't melted the ice-cream in her lap.

“So Harry was next to me, and after a few days, it just felt natural to snuggle up next to him. And too easy to dismiss it as a cat thing to cuddle up to something warm. One thing just sort of led to the next, and before I left the hospital wing we were a couple-” Her mother abruptly interrupted Hermione and asked cautiously, “and just what exactly did it lead to?” Her tone was conspiratorial, like two girlfriends gossiping. She didn't want Hermione to close her off, but inside she was of course a worrying mum. Just how far had her thirteen-year-old daughter gone with her boyfriend? 

“Well, let’s just say Harry is a good kisser. A really good kisser...” Mrs Granger relaxed immensely; while she still felt her daughter was a bit young, it sounded as though they had kept their clothes on at the very least. But there was more, “But, that kiss is what lead to Madam Pomfrey putting me on the potion dad asked about.” That sparked her mother’s interest, she had been intending to ask about that after hearing about Harry, but it seemed that they had reached the topic naturally.

“She felt that it was out of character for me to be kissing Harry quite so quickly and did some checking she hadn't thought about till then.” Hermione was now in a constant state of embarrassment, her blush reaching shades her mother hadn't seen since she had talked to her about being prepared for her monthly ‘visitor’. “It turns out I now go into heat like a cat and because the cat was an adult I have been thrown in at the deep end. The potion tones down the feelings I would have without it and lets me act more normally.”

Emma didn't know what to say; her daughter was embarrassed and obviously dealing with some real issues. She’d gone from being a budding teen girl less than six months from her first monthly visit to having to deal with a full-blown sex drive practically overnight. She set the two half-finished bowls of ice-cream on Hermione's writing desk and crawled over to her daughter, pulling her into a hug. “It's Ok honey, we can cope with this. It's going to be fine. aAnyway, you love Harry anyway, right?” Hermione nodded numbly in her mother’s arms and started crying, the last of the tension she had been holding for weeks finally finding an outlet.

They stayed like that for a while; the two replaying a scene as old as humanity, a Mother comforting her daughter on the cusp of leaving behind her childhood. After that, the two sat there talking for a good hour and a half, the Mother asking questions and doing the groundwork to help her Daughter cope with the new challenges that were waiting for her.

chapters 1-45 are avalable on https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13294547/1/The-Best-Laid-Plans and https://archiveofourown.org/works/18862810/chapters/44770174

[sweetcatmintea]

Ms Myrtle’s Garden

Hello hello! I’m back after a million years ^u^ It’s @flashfictionfridayofficial‘s 50th promptiversary today so I really wanted to try and participate. Writing has been less than stella lately but I finally had an opportunity to explore an idea I’ve had for a while. It’s more of an atmospheric piece than an actual story but I hope you enjoy nonetheless! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜

Prompts: Smoke and Mirrors | Unusual Concoction | Shattered Sunshine Words: 1140

---

Dearest Olivia,

Though the distance between us is great, the moments between my thoughts of you dwindle by the day.

How was that, pretty Pride and the Prejudice right? I’m only messing with you Ollie. Theatrics aside, I miss you so much! I can’t wait until we see each other again. If nothing else, at least this “studying abroad” thing has allowed us to realise our lifelong dreams of writing long winded letters with homoromantic subtext and sending them across the ocean to an eagerly awaiting recipient. (Yes, I know all of the good opportunities the pamphlet listed; I’m being dramatic!) Just kidding about the subtext though. (Or am I ou<~*)

I’m still reeling from your last letter! There’s no way you really bunked with a ghost! That’s terrifying. You may laugh and play it off as nothing, but I would have jumped ship and swam home if that was me. Though, you always have been the braver of us so I’m sure you’ll indulge me and forgive my reaction. Just say the word and I’ll jump on the first plane and come rescue you! A la a redeemed antagonist proving their worth.

Honestly, it hasn’t been too exciting over here in my little corner of the world. I paid Ms Myrtle a visit yesterday, so I’ll tell you about that. (Ms Myrtle says hi!) I’ve been working on restocking new blends for the store and figured it would be nice to take some over for Ms Myrtle to sample. I feel kind of bad for her, y’know? She doesn’t get many visitors these days. I think the children are all too scared of her.

It was cold, oddly so for this time of year, when I arrived. Her front yard is as immaculate as ever, though I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen anyone tend to it. Maybe it’s just the perfect level of overgrown that everything looks nice simply because the plants are healthy? I don’t know, I digress. It took a few minutes of shivering and waiting for her to answer once I’d knocked on the door, but soon enough, she greeted me with a warm smile and welcomed me in.

“Oh, hello dearie! It’s so lovely to see you again.” The way she talks is so cute.

Camembert, like the stinky cheese he is, took one disinterested look at me and trotted off on whatever cat business he had planned. Probably off to eat someone’s beloved pet. I’m not sure there’s a single person in the block who doesn’t have a personal vendetta against him. It’s practically a childhood right of passage. I know your dad still hasn’t forgiven him for Captain Bubbles’ murder. Still, we could be friends if he’d just let me love him.

Right, staying on topic.

The incense hit me as soon as I passed the threshold, thin plumes of smoke wrapping themselves through the air of the living room, following as we passed through to the kitchen. It wasn’t unpleasant. It never is. But it certainly gives her home a particular presence. A nostalgia rattle. She still keeps the house dim, like even the lamps know they are in an old person’s home and want to be as stereotypical as possible. She led me into the kitchen, flicking on the kettle with shaky carefulness.

“What wonderful concoction have you brought me today, sweetheart?”

I laughed, awkwardly playing off the compliment like it doesn’t absolutely make me blush every time. Because it doesn’t. Don’t smirk, I can feel it from here.

“Nothing too unusual today, Ms Myrtle,” I said, passing her the box, “It’s a rose-almond blend. Black tea base so it should be pretty forgiving for beginners. I was wondering what you thought of the flavour? I think something’s missing but can’t place it. Although, any excuse to visit you is always a good one.”

“Oh ho ho, you flatterer.” She set the mix to brew, smiling airily all the while. “Everything you do is so clever! I’m sure the tea is just wonderful.” Beckoning me to follow, she ambled to the back door. “It’s rather nippy in here, let’s enjoy this outside. Maybe we will be lucky enough to catch the afternoon sun.”

If the front yard is homey and inviting, the back garden is whimsically sweet to the point of toothache. Thick, lush foliage, a thousand flowers blooming no matter the season, windchimes that were little more than mirrored shards hanging from the trees and shattering sunshine across the grass in every colour imaginable. Her garden is so wonderful, I really wish I could enjoy it more. I never could get past the little bells though. There has to be hundreds of them by now. I don’t know, something about seeing all of those little strings poking out of the ground… You know what I mean.

We spent the afternoon sitting together, sipping tea, and chatting about this and that. I talked about the store and my ideas for future mixes. Ms Myrtle suggested adding vanilla to the rose blend. I think I’ll try that. She talked about how proud she was of me (and you) for growing into ‘such fine young ladies’, and that she’s been rather into baking lately and would be so happy if I’d take some rosemary bread home with me. I accepted of course. We spoke about her partner and the war they were in. More the dancing whenever they came home side of it than the fighting side. I still don’t know which war they served, but I don’t think anyone really does so what else is new.

The windchimes quietly sang the entire time. Despite the vitality of the garden, there’s still this all-encompassing stillness about it. No bugs sitting on the rim of our teacups, no lizards basking, no rustling in the bushes. I can’t help but wonder, are the chimes a cover? Did Ms Myrtle notice? Does it distract her from the absence of birds?

Despite the twinkling and the dancing rainbows refracting around us, a muffling shadow crawled over us, a stiff breeze running shivers up my spine and agitating the chimes. Our visit was cut short by the ring of Camembert’s bell. In her polite and dottering way, Ms Myrtle ushered me out the door, depositing a loaf of bread into my arms and requesting I visit again soon. I can only imagine her cat caught another unfortunate creature. I watched as Ms Myrtle sighed, took up as trowel, and disappeared back towards the garden, smiling all the while. I left as Camembert’s bell was joined by those of the safety coffins.

That was that. Nothing too out of the ordinary. It may have only been yesterday but I demolished that bread. You’re really missing out haha! Anyway, write again soon!

Miss you, love ya,

Your bestie,

Wren.  

---

Tag list

@snobbysnekboi, @inkovert, @kainablue, @i-rove-rock-n-roll , and @goblin-writer

---

This is supposed to have an unsettling atmosphere. I’m not sure if it comes through or not. I’d love to know what you think!

[lady-divine-writes]

Concerning the End of the World ... Again ...

Summary: When Crowley shows up for his picnic with Aziraphale in serpent form and refuses to change into human, Aziraphale fears the worst. (1837 words)

Warnings: Some mild angst and anxiety, but mostly fluff :D

(AO3)

“Oh, there you are! I was wondering when you were planning to show,” Aziraphale says, greeting the long black serpent slithering onto his picnic blanket like it’s an old friend.

Namely, because it is.

His oldest and dearest friend.

And, as of recently, his husband.

“Where have you been? I was getting worried.” Aziraphale side-eyes the serpent, waiting for it to stealthily change into human form. But it doesn’t, winding carefully through the jars of jam and honey, the plates of bread and cheese he’d set out. “Uh … is there a reason you’ve chosen not to transform?” He waits for the snake to give him a sign of acknowledgement. When it doesn’t, Aziraphale chalks it up to his husband’s temperamental nature (he is a demon, after all), and continues the conversation alone. “Well, if you don’t, you’re going to miss out! I’ve gotten a few pears from a local vendor, apples, some fresh strawberries ... I took the liberty of sampling a few, and they’re all scrumptious!”

The serpent pauses momentarily, tilting its head as if struggling with a decision. Whatever the options, it chooses to tuck itself beneath Aziraphale’s knee. From beneath the shelter of the angel’s leg, it pokes its head out, tongue flicking to taste the air. A sensation of dread creeps into Aziraphale’s chest, latches on with hooks, and stays there.

“Wh-what … what’s going on, Crowley? What’s the matter?” He looks about, stretching his own mental feelers, searching for anything not quite right in the area. Of course, if someone was going to detect something not quite right, it would be Crowley, his serpent form the best way to keep tabs on it.

Months ago, they’d both been able to convince their ‘powers that be’ to leave them alone, but how long would that last? Aziraphale naively hoped forever, but Crowley is a cynic. If his assumptions are correct, their brief time of peace was a stop-gap - a calm before a storm of epic proportions.

Greater than Satan himself clawing out of the ground? Apparently.

“H-have you heard anything from … you know …?” Aziraphale subtly points down, but the serpent, eyes locked on a point in the distance, neither confirms nor denies. Aziraphale watches, breath held, overly wary of its cautious behavior. He finds himself suddenly dubious of everyone – the ice cream seller, an older married couple, a little girl riding her trike, a corgi rummaging through the bushes for a ball. It may seem ridiculous, but if the events of the Notpocalypse have taught him anything, it’s that their enemies could be hiding anywhere, could be anyone. “If you have, you’re right to remain hidden. Best to stay under the radar, as they say.”

Aziraphale is uncertain which would be less conspicuous – a distinguished man dressed as stylishly as he sharing an intimate picnic lunch with a man who looks like a rock star, or this right big snake?

Either way, it doesn’t matter to him. As long as they’re together.

Truth be told, Aziraphale is quite fond of Crowley’s serpent form.

Maybe he could try his hand at shapeshifting next time. But what would he become? A dove? Mmm, no. Aziraphale loved doves, but that seemed a bit too on the nose. A cat? A sleek, dignified, yet fluffy Persian? Or a Siamese – all cream coat and stunning blue eyes? Ooo, a Russian blue!

But he’s not sure Crowley fancies cats. Would he want one following him about, or perched on his shoulder, shedding fur onto his clothes?

Probably not.

A dog? Yes, Crowley might prefer a dog. A big, strong, strapping dog - something along the lines of a hellhound, Aziraphale assumes, but he can’t picture himself that way. Not as a menacing beast with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. But he’s sure he can get Crowley to compromise. Maybe he could be a feisty little Scottish terrier in a smart tartan coat, as long as he also agrees to wear something more Crowley-esque – like a spiky, leather collar. That would surely suit the both of them.

It was actually rather exciting now that he’d given it proper thought.

“I haven’t heard anything either,” Aziraphale affirms, though whether Crowley said he had or not, he doesn’t know. Aziraphale can’t speak to Crowley in his snake form. He can’t speak to snakes at all. Or any animal. Though he did feel a spiritual connection to an owl once back in the 16th century. Rupert, he called it. Regardless, he believes that what he and Crowley have is deeper – a connection that allows him to infer what his other half is thinking, even when those thoughts are wrapped inside the labyrinthine mind of a serpent.

“Honeymoon’s over, I guess, hmm?” Aziraphale says with a forlorn sigh, gazing at the world around him – the world he loves – with bittersweet affection. “I know you’ve had suspicions about a battle to come, I just … I didn’t think it would happen so soon. I thought we’d have more time.” He runs a hand gingerly down the neck of the snake, chuckling to himself. “Listen to me. More time. We’ve known one another for six thousand years! If the end is coming, I guess I should be grateful for the time we’ve had.” The snake rests its head on his thigh and seems to sigh as well – not in defeat, but more like sympathy. Knowing Crowley, he already has plans – escape to the stars, other planets, alternate dimensions. Crowley will know a way out of this. He’ll know what to do. And they’ll be fine, provided things work according to plan. But what about the world? Aziraphale wants to spend forever with Crowley, but something has never sat quite right with him about abandoning this world to do it. “We’ve been walking the middle ground for so long, Crowley. And I will admit, even if I didn’t show it, I always feared one day it would end. I don’t want that day to be now. Not now. Not yet.” He bends as best he can in an awkward position to lean close to the serpent, and the serpent rises to meet him. Aziraphale cups it under what he assumes is its ‘chin’ and rubs it’s snout with his nose. It’s scaly and cold, nothing like the warmth of his husband’s skin, but it’s comforting nonetheless. “But whatever happens, we’re in this together. You and I, till the day we …” The rest gathers at the back of the angel’s throat, huddled in a lump, refusing to come out “… well, you know. But I want you to know, I’m not leaving you without a fight. Not ever. Because … well, because I love you, Crowley. I do. I should have said it a million times – the very moment I knew. But I’m saying it now, every day, as a matter of fact. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love …”

“Aziraphale? What on Earth are you doing?”

Aziraphale stops talking. His eyes go wide. He stares questioningly at the snake in front of him. If he didn’t know better, he would swear it shrugs.

“Crowley?” He sits up, hand still cupping the serpent’s chin, and sees his husband – human form Crowley – standing before him. His jaw drops, the apples of his cheeks glowing a jasper red, brighter than twin stoplights, especially since the rest of his color has drained clear away. “Wha---?” Aziraphale looks at the black snake sitting beside him on the blanket, the one he’s been talking to for the past half hour, then back up at Crowley, who’s taken on a rather defensive stance – arms crossed, hip cocked, glaring behind his dark glasses at his angel’s offending hand. Aziraphale pulls his hand away and swallows hard.

“Th-this isn’t what it looks like.”

***

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,  That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;

“Ah, Shakespeare …” Aziraphale hugs the leather-bound book to his chest, gazing down the length of the sofa he’s on to the serpent lying by his socked feet, coiled against the cold. “In thousands of years, I’ve never had the pleasure of reading works by anyone who could do poetry such justice. Don’t you agree?”

The serpent raises its head, gives a little nod, then rests it on the angel’s ankle, exhaling in contentment.

“Hmm, I do agree. I do agree. So where were we? Ah …”

“Are you reading him sonnets?” Crowley snaps when he walks in and catches his husband curled up on the couch beside the creature he has affectionately begun calling his son.

“He listens,” Aziraphale replies, going back to the book and turning the page, “unlike some people.”

“You forget, I was there the first go round.” Crowley grabs a glass and a full bottle of wine from the desk nearby. “Wasn’t too impressed then, either. Why are you letting him stay here anyway?”

“He followed me home, Crowley! I can’t just put him out! That would be cruel! Besides, I don’t understand why you’re so upset! It’s not like I …” Aziraphale cuts himself short and looks up from his book. “Wait a minute …” A small smile dances at the corners of his mouth, not easily noticed by one unaccustomed to being teased by an angel. But Crowley’s seen it a thousand times “… you’re not still upset about …?”

“Yes! Yes, I am!” Crowley miracles the cork from the wine and drinks straight from the bottle, bypassing the glass clutched in his other hand. “I find it offensive that you can’t tell a common black snake from your own husband!”

“I’m sorry, my dear, but at first glance, you two do look strikingly similar.”

“Oi! Oi!” Crowley points at his angel, stuck for a comeback strong enough to express his displeasure.

“Also, it’s a large, black snake, Crowley! Those aren’t all that common in these parts! How was I supposed to know it wasn’t you? Do you know the odds? Really …”

“That doesn’t excuse the fact that you were getting all lovey-dovey with …!”

“… something that I thought was you!” Aziraphale closes his eyes in frustration and shakes his head. “But don’t worry,” he says, waving away his husband’s ire with a flick of his hand. “I promise not to fall into the same trouble I got into with the last snake that followed me home.”

“Is that so?” Crowley grumps, searching under the sofa and around the stacks of books for the offending bugger. “You have a whole harem of snakes hanging around here, do you?”

“Nope. Just the one.”

“Ah. So tell me, Aziraphale - what happened to him, eh?”

The angel and the serpent, thick as thieves at this point, look at a put-off Crowley, wearing matching smug smirks. “I married him.”

*** Notes: This was a sort of a culmination of different ideas I got from fanart on Tumblr. There's a consensus (I think) that when Crowley shows up in his snake form, Aziraphale automatically knows it's him. So I thought ... what if it doesn't work that way? XD

[monstersandmaw]

Male tiefling x male reader (nsfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

Here, for your delight and delectation, is Killygren the tiefling, another character from Starfall Springs! See this dashing rogue’s character art and bio info here in case you missed it.

His story has been up on Patreon for a little while, and now it’s time to put it up on here. There’s another Starfall Springs story that’s been up on there too, but you’ll have to wait for that one, featuring an orc.

Halfway through one of the hottest summers on record, you bought a bus ticket and rode it to the end of the line.  

Unconventional, unpredictable, and possibly unwise though the decision may have been, you simply snapped and needed a break.  

The city was stifling, the traffic overwhelming, and you needed green fields, perhaps some cool, breezy woodland, or the soft caress of an ocean breeze. Starfall Springs, you knew from an advertisement you’d seen on the Underground, had all three. And a huge number of non-human residents as well, which, you had to admit, made you curious.  

Your travelling companion on the bus was a very elderly harpy lady who saw that you were travelling alone and proceeded to talk your ear off about the local area as you drew near to the town. In fact you didn’t mind because she was actually quite interesting and very sweet.  

“That’s Jaime’s farm,” she said, nodding out of the dusty window at an old farmhouse in the distance, surrounded by open pasture. There was a round-pen for training horses, and a number of horses were standing in the shade of some huge beech trees beside a field of sheep and goats and another with a small herd of russet red cows. “He’s a sweetheart,” she said, but you had begun to tune the rest of it out by then. The lilting movements of the bus, and the warmth in the air, made you feel slightly sleepy, and it was hard to focus on her voice.  

Eventually, you helped her off the bus and inhaled deeply. Already the air was different here; fresher, sharper despite the haze of pollen in the air. She thanked you for being “Such a polite young man,” and made her way off along the banks of the fast-flowing river which carved through the centre of the old collection of buildings.

Alone once again, you decided to head off towards the wide, paved market square in front of you. Stall holders yelled and called jovially, selling everything from fresh fish and meat to summer produce, cakes, handmade goods, knives, and even little witchy charms. You caught sight of a palomino centaur selling cider and apple juice, apple jelly, apple compote, and even dried apple crisps, and beside her was an orc wearing an apron which bore the logo of a local dairy. His stall had the most amazing array of different cheeses, and you paused long enough to be offered a free sample.  

“Visitor?” he asked jovially.  

You nodded. “Yeah, just thought I’d make an escape from the city for the day. Maybe even for the weekend…”

“Well, if you need a place to stay, Killy’s inn - the Inglenook over there - is great,” he said, pointing towards an old timber-framed building on the far side of the market square. 

“Thanks,” you grinned.  

The orc smiled back at you, and you marvelled at how open and friendly everyone seemed here, unlike the city where the majority of inhabitants were human, and they seemed singularly morose and unfriendly.  

You wandered through the market for a while, your rucksack bashing uncomfortably against your back, until you came to the far side of the open plaza. Down the length of the main road out of the small town of Starfall Springs, you glimpsed the rolling countryside beyond. Gods, but it was idyllic.

The hills in the furthest distance were raked with lines of grapevines, the terracotta roofs of the vineyard buildings glowing in the heat of the summer sunshine, and a few miles away there looked to be a vast fruit orchard. Heat haze marred any real details, so you turned away and made your way back into the town, winding your way down cool, narrow, ancient streets where any number of little shops were tucked away, from antique stores to craft shops, some with pottery and ceramics made locally, to small greengrocers.  

You emerged at the other end of town near the duck pond and you paused a moment in the cool shade of the poplar trees and gazed into the murky depths. A bubbling near the far edge drew your attention, and you stared, astonished, as a horse’s head surfaced from the murky water. The horse heaved itself out of the water at the opposite edge of the pond, duckweed and little water flowers clinging to its greenish-black coat and studding its flowing black mane. It shook itself and you continued to stare openly as it trotted off towards the temple which stood not far away from this end of town, in the middle of an open meadow.  

“What the…?” you breathed, realising it must be some kind of water spirit, probably a kelpie. That just wasn’t the kind of thing you saw everyday in the city though; there were very few places left which were pure and unpolluted enough for creatures like that to survive. As if to drive home the point, a tiny, glowing fairy zipped past your face, laughing and trailing a wake of sparkling dust behind them that made you sneeze and take a step back. Wherever the dust hit, the plants turned a violent pink for a few seconds before fading and returning to their usual hues.  

As enchanting as the whole place was, eventually your stomach started to rumble, and you looked about for somewhere to eat. Perhaps you might even get a cheeky lunchtime pint while you were at it. It was a weekend after all.  

Back in the central marketplace, you saw the old, traditional pub sign of the Inglenook swinging slightly as a breeze sighed around the square. The orc’s recommendation from earlier floated back into your mind, and you decided that you’d pop in and see what it looked like at least. You didn’t have to commit yourself to staying there if you didn’t want to.  

The inside was tastefully decorated, with both traditional and modern features, though the bar at the far end was a very old fashioned, high pub bar, with a huge number of beers and ales on tap, and a vast array of spirits displayed on the wall behind.  

Tables dotted the bar area, and the place was packed. You sighed, thinking it’d take ages for you to be served, and were on the verge of turning round and finding a quiet cafe somewhere else when the shattering of a glass made you halt.

You glanced around, drawn by the noise, and saw a beautiful tiefling standing beside the bar, as if he’d been about to come around the end of it and go to a table with a drink. At his dark blue, cloven hooves lay the scattered remnants of a glass tankard, foam and beer spreading in a wide pool around him. And, improbably, his eyes were locked on you.  

Well, one eye was locked on you. The other was covered by an elegant sash of cloth. His long hair was a very dark blue-black, tied back in a low ponytail, and his skin - flawless save for a pale scar that bisected his mouth from upper lip to chin - was a dusty, cornflower blue. There was no white sclera to the visible eye, and the iris was an intense, fiery gold, with a slit, catlike pupil, while his left eye was covered by a sash of Tyrian purple silk with gold thread here and there, as if to accentuate the colour of his right eye.

After a second or two of staring dumbly at you as if you were some long-lost friend, the tall, slender tiefling shook his horned head, and seemed to come to his senses. A faun appeared from behind the bar with a cloth and a dustpan and brush and told him to step back while they swept up the mess.  

You turned to go, not wanting to linger, despite feeling there was something going on that you’d missed. A few patrons were looking from the tiefling to you and back again, but most had either ignored the incident or returned to their lunchtime chatter.  

You’d barely made it to the door before you felt a soft tap on your bicep and you glanced around to see that the tiefling had come over to you. This close up, you took in the beautiful horns that curled first backwards over his thin, tapering ears and then up towards his forehead again. The left horn ended in a gold tip and you saw tiny gold hoops flashing at his earlobes too. He was a bit taller than you, and you swallowed nervously. He was stunningly handsome, and apart from the fact that you’d never been with a non-human before, he was exactly your type.  

He smiled, showing sharp, white canines and a warm smile with little dimples in his chiselled cheeks. “Hi,” he said in a warm baritone. “I’m sorry about all that just now,” he went on, waving a hand and you caught the sparkle of silver on his fingers too. “Listen, to make up for being such an ass, how about I let you have some lunch and a drink on the house?” He had an airy, lyrical, lilting accent that reminded you, for absolutely no reason at all, of summer evenings and mayflies dancing over still water.  

“Really, you don’t have to do that,” you said, perplexed. “I mean…”

He smiled again and stretched out his hand in a more formal greeting. His were those beautiful kind of hands with everything in the right proportion, the dusky blue skin flecked with intriguing scars here and there, and the sight of it suddenly, strangely, made you ache to feel his touch. Things had become a bit lonely in the city, and you raised your own hand and shook his.  

The skin of his palm was smooth and callused, but warm, and he held you firmly for a moment and then grinned, “My name’s Killy. Well, Killygren, no one except my mother calls me that, and I’d thank you not to use it…” he chuckled. “It’s hot out there today - let’s get you a drink at the very least…”

“I don’t understand,” you murmured.  

He laughed again, a free, musical sound, and winked. “I was so struck by the sight of you, I dropped that one and made a fool of myself. We don’t get a lot of humans passing through Starfall Springs you know, and I know all of the regulars.” He jutted his sharp chin at a distant corner where an orc and a young woman were deep in conversation, their hands linked. “She was the last one to arrive. Inherited a run-down old farm not too far from town.”

“The way you speak makes it seem like the humans who do come tend to stay…”

He winked again and turned back towards the bar. He had a tail, you noted, and it hung elegantly behind him like a panther’s as he walked, hips swaying slightly, hooves clonking lightly on the wooden floorboards of the old pub. It was only then that you remembered the name that the orc had said, and realised that this must be his pub.  

Emboldened, you followed him to the bar and set your rucksack down at the foot of one of the worn old bar-stools, and clambered up onto it.  

“Will you let me guess your favourite?” he grinned from behind the bar.  

You frowned slightly, but then allowed a slow smile to creep across your lips. “Alright.”

The faun, who had finished clearing up the shattered glass, looked up and giggled. He had a nest of golden curls and the brightest blue eyes you’d ever seen, his cheekbones smattered with a myriad freckles. “Don’t encourage him,” he said, shaking his head and making his wavy hair toss this way and that. “He’s incorrigible, and he rarely gets it wrong… Must be that tiefling magic…”

Killy did not look away from your face for a while, and you thought you saw a faintly glowing light through the fabric of the sash covering his eye, but it was gone in a heartbeat, and you chalked it up to mild heat-stroke or dehydration or something.  

As if he’d read your mind, Killy said, “Well, first things first, a pint of water for the gentleman, but after that…” he made a show of stroking his chin with his long fingers.  

“Like you don’t already know,” the faun snickered. “Just serve it to him and stop flirting.”

Your cheeks heated slightly, but the reaction was welcome enough, as was the attention.

Killy clutched his heart and shook his head. “I’m hurt, Dizzy. I’m hurt.”

The faun, presumably named ‘Dizzy’, thwapped him round the backside with a damp tea towel and retreated to take another customer’s order.  

When Killy turned his attention back to you a few moments later, with, yes, what just so happened to be your favourite drink in his hand, he was still laughing softly. “I'm sorry about him,” he said, sliding your glass across the bar. “So, how’d I do?”

“The hype is well-founded, it seems.”

He fist-pumped playfully and turned back to the faun, sticking his tongue out at him - it was dark blue, you were surprised to see - and then turning back to you. “So, what brings you to Starfall Springs?”

“You can’t work that out as well?” you asked, somewhat acerbically, sipping the drink and trying not to show just how much you liked it.  

He made a slightly odd expression, somewhere between strained and embarrassed, and said, “I could, I’m sure, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

You snorted, but soon found yourself telling the tiefling everything. You felt stuck in your job, your social and sex life was stagnating, you’d not had a decent boyfriend in years, and that morning you’d felt like a change of scene would be a good thing. “So I bought a bus ticket, and here I am.”

“And here you are,” he murmured softly. Killy listened to the whole thing. He’d sunk quietly onto a stool on his side of the bar, leaned his elbows on the counter top, and had listened; really listened. You’d not had anyone do this for you since… well… not even your brief stint at the therapist had been this cathartic. You found your hand resting on the ancient, beer-stained wood of the bar, tracing idle circles with your fingertip, and you noticed how close his fingers were to yours.  

“Tell me something?” you asked bluntly after your third or fourth drink.  

“Anything for you, handsome,” he grinned back. Coming from anyone else, that line would have been nauseating, but the way he said it, with that flippant, light-heartedness just made it seem somehow astonishingly sincere.

“How’d you know this was my favourite?” you said. “And how’d you get so good at listening?”

“I know things,” he said with melodrama in his one visible eye.  

“No,” you countered, “No, that’s not…”

He chuckled and gripped your hand. The touch was so sudden, so unexpected that you let out a little moan that was way more sexual than you’d intended.  

Killy only smiled and reached both hands up to undo the sash around his face. His long, blue-black hair was tied back off his stupidly handsome face in a low ponytail, and as he dislodged it to untie the covering, you felt the urge to touch it and run your hands through it, maybe even grip it and tug it. Your fingers twitched, but you remained still as he revealed the other half of his face.  

“I don’t show just anyone this,” he said conspiratorially. “This eye was a special gift from someone who shall remain nameless at the moment, but it lets me see all sorts of things.”

You snorted, but then you looked at him anew.  

He just laughed and you stared openly at his now-revealed left eye. A perfect, black pentagram hung in the middle of a glowing, ice blue iris, ringed with two black outer circles. It was unusual to say the least.  

You leaned closer, fascinated. “That’s… kind of…”

“Gross?” he said. “Unnerving?”

“I was just gonna go with ‘cool’…” you finished rather lamely. “Why do you keep it covered?”

He shrugged and wrapped it up again. “I don’t always want to be poking into people’s business, you know? That way it helps reduce the ‘unexpected visions’ factor. Though when you walked in, I got an eyeful - quite literally - of you and me.”

“Wait… like…” you gestured vaguely and he laughed.  

Killy leaned across the bar and whispered right in your ear, his breath tingling, “I mean, I can give you specifics.”

“Go on then,” you said, feeling oddly bold.  

Without preamble, he murmured, “I saw me with my mouth around your cock…”

“Holy shit…”

He shrugged and drew back. “I’ve never had that with anyone, by the way. Must be something special about you.”

“You sure you don’t say that to all the boys?” you sneered.  

Something softened in his face and he leaned back. “It’s not set in stone, you know? You can still say no. But something must be keeping you here. You’ve been here all afternoon. It’s getting late, and the last bus back to the city leaves in half an hour.”

“Shit.”

“You can still catch it if you leave now.”

The moment hung heavily between you, but one look at the way his sharp Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed got you thinking about him swallowing your release, and you felt heat pool between your legs. “What the hell,” you said. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said with open bitterness in his voice, turning away from the bar. “You’ll have to wait til I’m done working though.”

“Fuck, that’s not what I meant,” you hastened to add. “Look, you know my whole life’s story now. You know this was a spur of the moment trip - something I’d never normally have done. It feels… I don’t know… right?”

The corner of Killy’s mouth, near the vertical scar, twitched, and he smiled. “Drink some water. I’ll be done in an hour.”

You watched him work from a quiet corner of the bar, and you definitely sobered up a fair bit in that time. Not that you’d been necessarily drunk, but something about the atmosphere had gone a long way to helping you release your inhibitions. With the water in your system, you started to note the way Killy behaved a bit more closely. He was attentive with his customers, quiet and patient, and you couldn’t help noticing from your new vantage point that he rested one hock slightly against the other whenever he paused to hear someone speak. His eyes constantly darted around, and he had a nervous habit of playing with his right earring when someone lingered too long or got too close.  

His trousers were loose linen, cuffed tight around his elegant, almost cervine ankles, and but from what you could see, his legs were hairless. He was not built like a faun, despite having the hooves.  

Eventually he washed his hands and swapped shifts with a huge minotaur who came in and high-fived him as he left. Killy glanced around the bar and then spotted where you had parked yourself, and he smiled.  

“You’re still here,” he said when he had drawn level with your table.  

Your mouth was still dry from watching the way he had dropped his shoulders in relief and the elegant way in which he had walked over to you, hips swaying softly as though he wore heels. You croaked. “Yeah.”

“Look, just because I saw one future possibility… I really mean it. You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“No strings attached, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ok.”

“Just like that?”

“No,” you said, shaking your head. “I’ve had a couple of pints of water and an hour to think it over. Why can’t I have something that’s still meaningful with a complete stranger?”

His lips twitched again. “Right. C’mon.”

He led you upstairs, his hooves clunking softly on the bare wooden tread of the staircase, and into a very humble bedroom at the top of the old pub. A double bed occupied one wall but the sloping ceiling took out practically half of the other side of the room. A little free-standing wardrobe stood against the far end, and a pair of low bookcases stood on either side of the bed, doubling as beside tables with little lamps. It was surprisingly spartan for such an apparently flashy tiefling.  

As you dumped your bag in the corner, you looked at him in surprise and he smiled softly, standing so close you could smell the soft scent of jasmine on his long hair. He had a freckle on his cheekbone. Your eyes drifted to the scars on his lip, and you wondered where he’d got them from. Before you could ask, he was kissing you. He began slowly, hesitantly, but something about the way he treated you made you ache for more.  

Blood pooled in your groin and you felt your cock stir as his hands took hold of your jaw and he groaned. He had a slight shadow along his own jaw and you relished the rasp of it against your skin. He pressed his body close, his hips rearing against yours, and you grunted softly as you felt the hardening line of his cock against your hips.  

Killy backed you against the closed door and as the air left your lungs with another softly articulated grunt, his fingers found their way to your waistband. He glanced at you and saw the acceptance in your face before continuing. He let your jeans fall to the floor and he freed your cock, stroking it slowly, apparently enjoying the feeling of wrapping his hand around it, getting to know the way you felt in his hand.  

He stroked you, working you slowly, luxuriantly, while your knees felt like they were going to turn to water. “Killy,” you hissed, and he caught your meaning.  

You stepped out of your jeans and abandoned them, allowing him to pull you over towards the bed and push you down onto it. The tent in his own soft trousers was obvious now, and you reached your hand for it, intending to palm him briefly and tease him, but he grabbed your wrist and placed it back on the bed as he tipped you expertly down onto your back.  

He took your shirt off and let his palms play over your torso. As much as you may have been underwhelmed by your own body, he seemed to relish the chance to touch it. He lingered on your collarbones and on your nipples, even lowering his lips to them and kissing you over and over while his hands painted slow circles over your lower torso and hips, down towards your thighs.  

“Fuck, Killy… please!” you grunted as your cock pulsed again, printing pre-come onto your skin. You felt like your skin was a size too small all over as he trailed a fingertip down the line between thigh and hips, dangerously close to your sensitive balls. “Fuck! Stop teasing me!”

He laughed and took you by surprise by lapping the tip of his dark tongue against the head of your cock, tasting you. His one visible eye rolled closed at the taste of you, and in one swift motion he licked his lips and took you all the way to the back of his throat.  

As your tip hit the silky soft flesh of his throat, you gasped and cursed.  

He closed his fingers around the base of your cock as he withdrew, keeping his cheeks hollowed, and he began to suck. The heat and slide of his mouth over your hard cock was incredible, and he clearly enjoyed the feeling too.  

He was as clever with his hands as he was with his lips and tongue. Killy worked your cock with his mouth, alternating between long, regular strokes and teasing sucks and licks around the head of your cock, just sliding you in and out of his lips before dipping his head and letting you hit the back of his throat again. Time slid by, but all too soon you were shuddering on the edge of release.  

“Killy…” you hissed. “I’m…”

White heat built rapidly and you knew you were very close.  

He sucked just a little harder, his fingertips tracing just behind your balls, and you came hard into his mouth. He swallowed you down without breaking eye contact with you.  

The intensity of your release had taken you somewhat by surprise.  

Sure, it had been a while since someone had blown you, but still, the way he’d lavished attention on you had been something else. He stayed there while your cock throbbed and leaked the last drops of your release onto his tongue, only drawing back and licking his lips when you had completely finished.  

“Did the vision live up to reality?” you finally rasped as you lay back, slightly dazed.  

He smiled. “You don’t want to know what else I just saw…”

“Something tells me I might enjoy it?” you hedged. “Just… gimme a minute…”

Killy lay down on his back, still fully clothed, and smiled, glancing sideways at you. “I’m yours for the night.”

************************************

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[zen3to5]

J/H 4-24: Eric’s False Alarm

Another partial re-write - the last one of Season 4, I promise. Context for all of these should be clear to anyone familiar with the episode, as these are more adjustments than wholesale rewrites.

FF.Net AO3

***

SHOW TITLE   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT - DAY   A quiet afternoon. HYDE in his chair and FEZ on the couch trade jabs with one another. “What’s Your Name” by Lynyrd Skynyrd plays on the radio.   JACKIE enters through the basement door, dressed for work at the Cheese Palace. She has a bag full of cheese cubes in her hand.   JACKIE: Okay, boys. I brought cheese samples from work.   HYDE: What’s wrong with ‘em?   JACKIE: Nothing. (beat) Well, they were in the trash.   Hyde and Fez share a look.   HYDE/FEZ: Cool./Bring it over.   Jackie hands them the bag, and they dig in as she sits.   KELSO enters, also through the door, and makes for the deep freeze.   KELSO: Hey. You know how my brother locks me in a closet with a pillowcase full of dead fish until the stink makes me cry? Well, while I was in there, I heard him make a phone call. And it seems that he’s got a little surprise for Donna tonight.   Popsicle in hand, he sits between Jackie and Fez on the couch.   KELSO (cont’d): The honeymoon suite at that French motel in Kenosha.   JACKIE: The Le Motel?   FEZ: Oh, no. It sounds like Donna and Casey are going to le do it.   KELSO: Yeah. Eric’s gonna freak out when we tell him.   HYDE: Then why would we tell him?   KELSO: To watch him freak out.   HYDE: Kelso, he’s gonna take it really hard, man. We just need to keep our mouths shut.   KELSO: Wow. That’s very considerate of Eric’s feelings. What the hell, man?   He scoffs, crosses to the record player.   HYDE: I just think that we all need to zip it. (to Fez) Especially you.   FEZ: Hey, I can keep a secret. I didn’t tell Kelso you took five bucks from his wallet.   KELSO: (gasps) Hyde!   Hyde shrugs, gives Fez a sour look.   JACKIE: None of you guys can keep a secret.   KELSO: Well, you sure can. Especially when it’s about you kissing other guys.   Jackie stands, crosses to him.   JACKIE: Michael, it was one guy from work. And I told you I’m sorry.   KELSO: Well, tell me again, and this time, maybe you should cry or give me money.   JACKIE: No, Michael. I’m not going to beg for forgiveness. I didn’t make you do that when you cheated with Pam Macy or Laurie.   HYDE: Don’t forget the Sacred Heart chick and Mrs. Ferguson.   Jackie nods, at Hyde and Kelso in turn.   KELSO: (sputtering) That is totally different. When guys cheat, it’s because they need some hot action. But when girls cheat, it’s way worse, ‘cause girls don’t even like sex.   JACKIE: We do too!   KELSO: Then why aren’t we doing it now?   JACKIE: Because I don’t want to do it right now.   KELSO: I do, point made! Thank you!   He nods triumphantly, Jackie throws her arms up and goes back to the couch, and Hyde shakes his head.

***   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT – EVENING   THE CIRCLE. ERIC stirs in his seat.   ERIC: Well, I called the Le Motel. Fez, you were right. Casey has a reservation for tonight.   Pan to Fez.   FEZ: And Hyde, you were right. I cannot keep a secret.   Pan to Kelso, a slip of paper with a phone number scribbled across it in his hand.   KELSO: Speaking of secrets, look what I found in Jackie’s cheese. Some guy Phil’s phone number. I can’t take this anymore. I just know it, Hyde. She’s cheating on me again!   Pan to Hyde.   HYDE: Well, whaddya know? Two more, and you two might be even. (to Eric) Forman, man, you gotta be cool about this Donna thing, or she’s gonna know you’re jealous.   Pan to Eric.   ERIC: Whoa. Hey, you guys, I’m not jealous. I’m just looking out for her. I mean, Donna’s practically a sister to me. A tall, shapely sister. Who I’ve done it with. About a million times.   Pan to Hyde.   HYDE: Look, maybe Donna and Casey won’t even do it tonight. I’d call it 50-50.   Pan to Eric.   ERIC: You would?   Pan to Hyde.   HYDE: Oh, I’d be wrong. But I’d call it that to keep you from doing something stupid.   Pan to Kelso.   KELSO: Forman, you gotta do something stupid. Sitting around feeling helpless all day – that isn’t healthy. That’s why I’m gonna stalk Jackie.   Pan to Fez, holding up a small slice of Swiss cheese.   FEZ: You know, I really love things with holes. Swiss cheese, donuts, inner tubes. I don’t know what it is about a hole, it just feels good.   He pops the slice into his mouth.   CUT TO:   INT. JACKIE’S ROOM – EVENING   Jackie sits on her bed, flipping through an edition of COSMO. “Sign, Sealed, Delivered” by Peter Frampton plays on the radio.   The bedside phone rings. Jackie picks it up. SPLIT SCREEN as Kelso, in the basement on the other line, holds up the slip of paper with Phil’s number.   JACKIE: Hello?   KELSO: Is Phil there?   JACKIE: Who?   KELSO: Phil, some guy you kissed! I found his number in your cheese!   JACKIE: Michael, Phil is the guy who delivers the sausage.   KELSO: You tramp!   JACKIE: No, idiot, he brings food to our store. He’s our sausage guy.   KELSO: (beat) Tramp! (notices the song) Who’s that singing? Who’s singing love songs to you?   JACKIE: Peter Frampton.   KELSO: Are you kissing him?   Jackie slams the phone down. SPLIT SCREEN ENDS. She has no sooner begun reading again than the phone rings. Scowling, she picks it up.   SPLIT SCREEN as Kelso is joined on the other line by Fez. Fez is on the phone, held up by Kelso as he listens in.   JACKIE: Hello?   FEZ: Hello, this is Norman. Shall we kiss?   On her end, Jackie rolls her eyes. On their end, Hyde appears behind Kelso and Fez. He frogs them both in the arm and takes the phone from Kelso.   HYDE: (into phone) Just leave it off the hook.   He hangs up. SPLIT SCREEN ENDS. Jackie leans back into her pillows and sighs.   ***   INT. FORMAN BASEMENT – NIGHT   The boys are hanging out. Hyde is in his chair, Fez snacks on cheese on the couch, and Kelso fidgets with incense in the lawn chair. “Count on Me” by Jefferson Starship plays on the radio.   FEZ: The red cheese is chewy.   HYDE: The red cheese is wax.   Fez dwells on that for a moment, but continues to eat.   Eric storms in through the basement door. He struggles to rip his jacket off and throw it to the floor.   ERIC: Oh. Hey, guess what, fellas? Turns out I still have feelings for Donna. Yeah. Deep feelings. Warm feelings. Tingly-in-the-pants feelings. And I can’t do anything about it, because she has those feelings for someone else.   KELSO: I think that admitting you still have feelings for Donna is an important step. Because it reopens the door for this. (mocking) Eric loves Donna! Eric loves Donna!   The guys get in a laugh.   ERIC: Look, you guys, I don’t love her. I just think that if she’s not with me, the fairest thing for everyone is if she’s alone and unhappy.   Kelso stands, crosses to Eric.   KELSO: No. That is a bad plan, man. ‘Cause if you leave a chick alone, the next thing you know, she’s licking the roof of another guy’s mouth. Like the cheese guy. I hate that guy!   HYDE: (to Kelso) God, will you give that a rest already?   KELSO: Oh, here we go! Man, we’re supposed to be friends, Hyde, but you take Jackie’s side whenever she and I fight, even when I didn’t do anything.   HYDE: “Didn’t do anything?” Kelso, Jackie took a kiss from her boss after you kept blowing her off. You slept with at least four women behind her back for months. What’s your excuse?   KELSO:  My excuse is that... I can’t think of one. But I will think about it, and I will find one on the way to the mall, where I’ll be stalking Jackie.   He turns up his nose and marches out the door, Fez in tow.   Eric flops down across the couch.   ERIC:  I just... I can’t believe Donna’s in a motel room with him right now.   HYDE: Man, I don’t like it either. But there is one thing you can do. I believe you have a stack of Playboys underneath your bed? Go use ‘em.   He pats Eric on the leg and heads out the door.   *** INT. MALL – NIGHT   The courtyard’s got a new attraction – a kiddie train track, led by an electric Thomas the Tank Engine, advertised by a sign for “ALL THIS WEEK!” A few kids ride in the cars, while the conductor keeps his cap pulled low over his head.   Around this space hog, Jackie walks the floor, offering cheese samples. A GOOD-LOOKING GUY approaches and takes a sample just as the train comes around to them. The conductor lifts his head up – it’s Kelso.   KELSO: (to the guy) Stay away from my girlfriend!   The guy hurries away. Kelso brings the train to a stop.   JACKIE: Michael, what are you doing? What, are you spying on me now?   KELSO: Well, you’re around strange guys all day, and apparently, every once in a while, you up and French one of them.   He starts the train back up. Jackie walks alongside it.   JACKIE: You have lost your mind!   KELSO: Yep, and I don’t miss it!   JACKIE: Michael, look at you! Riding around on a kiddie train so you can spy on me? I mean, do you not see how crazy this is?   Kelso thinks, brings the train to a halt. He stands, and he and Jackie move into the space inside the train track.   KELSO: Yeah. But I don’t know what to do. I want to believe you when you say you’re sorry, but I can’t, because you never seem like you mean it.   JACKIE: Well, I... you’re right. I don’t.   KELSO: What do you mean?   JACKIE: I mean, I’m not sorry, you idiot! I’m still angry at you for blowing me off the last couple of weeks, and I’m still hurt from all the times you cheated on me!   KELSO: Well, I’m – I’m angry too. And not just ‘cause of the kiss. You don’t support me! You didn’t want me to be a model, you always call me names like “idiot” and put me down, and it makes me feel bad about myself. I think that’s why I cheated!   As they argue, one of the kids climbs over the cars to get to the engine and starts the kiddie train up again.   KELSO (cont’d): Man, it’s... it’s like we’re in this loop, going around and around, just spinning our wheels and holding each other back!   JACKIE: Michael, what are you saying?   KELSO: I’m saying... I’m saying I don’t think I can be with you anymore. I want to break up.   Jackie drops her cheese tray. As the kiddie train goes around, kids reach out to pick up the spilled samples.   JACKIE: Wait, break up? No, no, Michael, please, let’s talk about this -   KELSO: No.   He throws his conductor’s hat aside and walks away.   JACKIE: Wait, but Michael!   She takes a few steps after him before she can’t go on anymore. Unfortunately for the kids, that means she’s standing on the train track. The KID DRIVER stops the train and leans his head out.   KID DRIVER: Clear the track!   The other kids chorus the thought, even as Jackie begins to cry.

[language-of-love]

autumnal equinox...

It looks as though the entire population of Schitt’s Creek has come out to this thing, as tends to happen in a small town when suddenly there’s something halfway exciting to do. Heather’s farm has taken on the early colors of fall, making it a perfect location for a farmers’ market on this first day of autumn. Rose Apothecary has a stall, of course, with Heather’s cheeses on full display as thanks for their prime location. Patrick smiles at George as he pays Patrick for some foot scrub, wondering who’s cooking back at the cafe if he’s here at this market, too? But with the whole town here, he guesses that they might have closed for the afternoon or maybe Twyla was trusted with the grill. That thought causes a slight shudder to creep down his spine.

He sees a familiar dark head of hair weaving amongst the crowd and he smiles, reaching down below the table for the two bottles of red he’d set aside. 

“Patrick, why are there so many people here,” Stevie says on a huff as she finally reaches their stall, dramatically dropping her shoulder bag to the ground behind the table.

“It was either this or Mrs. Rose’s pantomime workshop back at Town Hall to choose from for Saturday activities today, so…”

“Wait, I could be back at Town Hall not having to talk to anyone? I’m outta here.”

Her actions belie her words though as she’s leaning into David’s hip and grabbing a handful of cheese from the tasting tray.

Finally free from his customer, David looks over, the smile Patrick has learned is saved only for Stevie curving his lips. There might have been a time he’d have been jealous seeing their connection, but his relationship with David, it’s like nothing he’s ever experienced before. He knows it’s dangerous to think this, but they feel unbreakable. Like, finding each other just made them both stronger, more themselves, and he’s never felt more secure. 

“Trust me,” David says, “I’ve taken my mother’s pantomime class. There’s a surprising amount of talking, and screaming, involved. You’d want to kill yourself.”

“Fine, fine. Patrick?” Stevie’s hands are on her hips as she turns to look at him, nodding her head down towards her bag. Patrick just smiles and deposits the two bottles of wine he’s been holding inside before safely stowing the bag under the table.

“Thanks, Stevie. We’ll be back in a half hour, but call us if you get slammed.” 

Patrick steps out from behind the table into the slightly thinned crowd, waiting patiently for David as he straightens their display, finally throwing his hands in the air after Stevie knocks over the same bottle of toner three times just to drive him crazy. His hands are tugging at the hem of his black sweatshirt as he joins Patrick, one of Patrick’s favorites as he knows how soft the inside of it is from pulling it off of David more than once. 

As they begin to walk together to browse the other stalls, a couple ahead catches his eye, a young man and woman with slightly varied shades of brown hair and mismatched flannel. The woman is leaning into the man’s side, arms pressed tight from shoulder to hand, with their fingers tangled together to keep them close. He’s surprised to find that he’s feeling a bit of envy at the sight, being reminded that hand holding just isn’t something that he and David tend to do. He’s not sure why that is, as they’ve never spoken about it, and that’s probably not a good thing. If this is something Patrick wants, he should express it and see what David’s reaction will be.

David has wandered a few steps ahead to one of their vendor’s stalls and he’s talking animatedly, his long, perfectly manicured fingers gesturing at a rack of kaftans. Patrick slides up behind him, pressing in closer to his back than they’d normally stand in public, but he can just blame it on the crowd. David doesn’t seem to mind though, briefly turning his head to give Patrick a soft smile before turning back to finish his conversation. Patrick, he’s content with waiting, with his chin resting lightly on David’s shoulder and his hands innocently perched on David’s hips. Yeah, he’d be happy to stay here forever. 

He gets so lost in his own head that he falters a bit when David moves, earning him a chuckle from their vendor who’s just smiling fondly at the two of them as they move away from her stall. 

“She’s going to give us a deal on a few of those kaftans. I’m not sure if there’s an actual market for them, so it will be a trial run,” David is saying, eyes scanning the next group of stalls for anything of interest. 

Patrick decides to take a chance. Stepping up to match David’s stride, he reaches over, feeling a rush of anticipation as his fingers brush David’s as he maneuvers his hand just so. David’s head turns just as Patrick aligns their fingers, slowly threading his through David’s as he watches his face for a reaction. It’s not the first time they’ve held hands, but it’s the first time they’ve done it such a public setting, with friends and business contacts surrounding them on all sides. David’s eyes widen and then fall to where their hands are joined, only to look back up at Patrick with an expression Patrick can’t quite read. But then, he’s squeezing Patrick’s fingers and a small smile is breaking through and Patrick lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.

“This okay?” he asks, voice quiet as they slowly begin to walk again, together.

“Definitely okay,” David answers, his spine visibly straightening with each step they take amidst the crowd. By the time they’ve reached the next stall, David looks like a proud peacock, with his chin lifted and smile bright and god, Patrick is enthralled. He’s well aware of David’s reaction to praise, but never imagined the impact an outward show of affection like this would mean to him. Would mean to them both.

They make it to a few more tables, with David only dropping Patrick’s hand to grab food samples or run his fingers along some wool socks and hats. Each time he reaches back out, they share a smile, the warmth of their skin when they come back together like the sun peeking out from an errant cloud. Patrick spies a big oak tree off the path and coaxes David to follow, laughing as David whines about the chocolate display he sees up ahead. As they reach the tree, Patrick pulls David behind it, squeezing David’s fingers tight before letting go so he can gently push his back up against the trunk. 

Patrick silences the protest from David’s lips, shivering slightly as the chilly tip of David’s nose presses into his cheek as he slants his mouth to kiss David thoroughly. Lifting his hand, he curves his fingers around the back of David’s neck, groaning into David’s mouth as David’s hands are suddenly dragging Patrick’s hips to slot between his open legs. He tastes of the cinnamon rugelach he’d sampled at the last stall, sweet and spicy and so delicious Patrick wants to lose himself, spend the rest of the day right here lost in the sensation of kissing the man he loves. But he knows they can’t, so he reluctantly ramps down the passion behind his kiss, threading his fingers into the back of David’s hair as he moves his lips to David’s cheek, pressing a kiss to the soft skin there before pulling back far enough to see David’s face. 

He looks a bit dazed, a perfect mirror to how Patrick feels. 

“We should do that more often,” David breathes, eyes slowly opening as he drops one of his hands from Patrick’s hip to grab for his wrist. At first, Patrick thinks David is referring to the kiss, but then he feels David’s fingers move down his wrist to tangle back with Patrick’s fingers and he catches David’s true meaning.

“I’m fully on board with this plan,” Patrick agrees, squeezing David’s fingers tight as he takes a deep breath in preparation to head back into the crowd. They only have about five more minutes before they need to relieve Stevie and he isn’t about to deprive David of his chocolate. 

When they eventually make it back to their stall, Patrick sees Stevie notice their joined hands. And he knows she’d never admit it he were to point it out, but she definitely smiles. And she doesn’t complain as much as Patrick had expected for them being late. But she does claim a block of brie on her way out as what she declares as “overtime pay”.

“You know, we probably lost money on this little arrangement,” David mumbles as Stevie wanders off with her loot. 

Hooking his pointer finger around David’s, Patrick gives him a gentle tug until he sees David’s lips turn up into his adorably crooked smile. 

“Worth every penny.”

[shipping-receiving]

Fictober 2019 Day 16: “Listen. No, really listen.”

Rating: T | Word Count: 2607 Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones Relationship: Jaime Lannister / Brienne of Tarth Tags: Alternate Universe – Office Notes: Part 1 – Tumblr / AO3 | Part 2 – Tumblr / AO3

(read on AO3)

//////

This is a mistake, Brienne thinks for the hundredth time since she woke up this morning, as she waits for Jaime at the ferry terminal. Why the hells is she bringing him to Tarth? It’s too soon. She still has no clue what exactly is happening between them that would make this too soon, but she just knows it’s too soon.

Fine, so it’s the fourth straight weekend she’s been showing him around the Stormlands. She’d started off with Storm’s End, of course. Brienne isn’t that much of an expert on the castle’s history, beyond what they had to learn in high school, but Renly was a distant descendant of House Baratheon—not that the Great Houses still existed, or held castles—and he had told her a few good stories that had been passed down through generations.

“You’re close to Renly, then,” Jaime had commented, when she told him about her source.

“Oh, I guess so. But we’re just friends.” And then she had winced, because why the fuck did that last part matter?

Jaime just smiled at her appreciatively, like it actually did matter. “Good to know,” he had said. Again with that phrase. But he didn’t say much else after that on the subject. That first weekend, she found that Jaime was talkative, even funny, when he wasn’t just greeting her with her name at her cubicle. But he was also talkative in a way that seemed as if he was trying to avoid having to talk. Really talk. Not that Brienne expected them to really talk this first weekend, even if they had been doing that dance in the office for weeks. In real terms, she was still just his employee.

There were a handful of other great castles left standing around the Stormlands that were all worth visiting, but for the second weekend Brienne had thought it was best to shift gears. She drove them to a charming small town about an hour out of the city, thinking it would be a nice place to spend the day, and it was, mostly. When they found themselves walking through a farmers’ market, however, it had suddenly felt far too domestic. It’s just the second weekend of sightseeing, Gods, not even a second date. They hadn’t even had a first date. Storm’s End didn’t count if there was no written or verbal agreement between both parties on its date-ness. Nothing had even changed, in the office. The dance continued, that was all. Fine, so they were texting more often, and Brienne was extremely glad that she sat with her back to Margaery. That woman had an eagle eye for people who smiled at their phones too much.

Brienne might have brisk walked through that farmers’ market a little too quickly as she thought these thoughts. Jaime was in no such hurry, though, and seemed keen to indulge some kind of latent obsession he had with sampling cheese. At least, she had assumed it was just about sampling cheese. By the time he had reached her at the end of the market, he was carrying six different blocks of cheese in his arms.

The third weekend, Brienne thought she should pick something safe. Safe and undomestic. They could go to the art museum. Art museums are safe. Art museums are educational. Art museums are sometimes even puzzling, but they had interesting objects in them, and they’d be spending all their time looking at those interesting objects, and reading words that described those interesting objects. Except it just so happened that Jaime quite likes art, in a way that Brienne found refreshing. He could speak reverently about sculptures she thought were quite confusing, and even, frankly, hideous. But he also had no qualms about making fun of serious old paintings, especially the ones with more anatomically questionable depictions of the Seven.

Art museums are not safe, Brienne decided. Jaime was opening her mind and making her laugh and Brienne was starting to really feel things inside her. They weren’t even on a date. There was no written or verbal agreement between both parties.

Then, at the end of that afternoon, Jaime had asked her if they could do something different next weekend, experience more of the region’s unspoiled nature, maybe. “Oh, let’s go to Tarth!” she had said, without even thinking. “We can take the first ferry out in the morning, and the last ferry back at night. It’ll be a long day, but doable, I think.”

“Your father still lives on Tarth, doesn’t he?” was Jaime’s first question, and Brienne progressed to a full-blown blush in record time. She hadn’t really thought about that—Jaime said ‘nature’ and she just immediately thought ‘Tarth’—but there was something in Jaime’s voice that told her he was amused at her suggestion.

“... He does,” she replied. “But he’s busy next weekend.” He wasn’t. “And I just saw him last month.” She sees him almost every month, actually, so she was due for another visit. “We don’t have to see him.” That was just making it weirder than it had to be.

“Of course,” Jaime said, and he wasn’t just sounding amused, he was also looking amused. “I was just asking. I’d love to go to Tarth.”

And so they are going to Tarth. Jaime shows up at the ferry terminal just a few minutes past their agreed time. It’s a clear day in the Stormlands, rare even for this time of year, so they sit on the upper deck of the ferry, and can’t speak much above the strong winds of Shipbreaker Bay. Brienne tries her hardest not to formulate any opinions on how the wind is having its way with Jaime’s loose white button-up shirt, although he seems to have forgotten that those first three buttons aren’t just for decoration. He’s rolled his sleeves up past his elbows, and she tries her hardest not to formulate any opinions on his forearms, either.

As they disembark the ferry, they walk past a signboard that says, grandly, WELCOME TO TARTH, and in cursive script below, The Sapphire Isle. Jaime points at it and remarks, “They’ve been calling it that for centuries, haven’t they?”

“Yeah. Maybe even for millennia. It’s for the blue of its waters.”

“It’s not a reference to the eyes, then.”

Brienne looks at him quizzically. “What eyes?”

“Your eyes.” He lifts a finger pointlessly in the direction of her face. “The Tarth eyes. I assume it’s a family trait. They’re very blue.”

“Oh. Um. Thank you?” Why did she thank him? He was just stating a fact. She does have very blue eyes, and they are a Tarth trait. The one trait she’s always been glad she inherited.

“You’re welcome,” Jaime says, anyway, with that half-smile of his.

They spend the rest of the day on the western coast, mostly, where the ruins of Evenfall Hall still stand. The island isn’t particularly big, and it’s easy enough to take the bus along the main roads, and explore the island from there. Her childhood home, where her father still lives, is on the eastern coast, so she can sidestep the intimacy of showing Jaime that part of her life. Her father did turn out to be busy this weekend, anyway, so she doesn’t have to feel so guilty about coming to the island without telling him.

In the late afternoon, Brienne brings Jaime to a secluded meadow in the northwest. It’s close enough to the sea, and they’ll be able to watch the sunset in an hour or so, too. She used to go there as a kid, she tells Jaime, when she wanted to be alone. She doesn’t tell him that it was to get away from the cruelty of the other kids.

They lie in the grass, and look up at the sky. There is an intimacy in this, though it’s not the same intimacy of him seeing her childhood home, of meeting her father. Brienne pushes away the thought that this might be even more intimate than those things.

“Listen, Jaime,” she tells him. It’s what she used to do when she came here as a child. Just close her eyes and listen to everything except her own thoughts.

He does, for a while. “It’s nice,” he says eventually. “It’s quiet.”

Well, those are certainly adjectives. She shouldn’t have expected more from a man who spent most of his life in the city of King’s Landing, with all the noises of the urban environment that people there learn to ignore. “No, really listen,” Brienne urges. “Close your eyes and listen.”

Jaime stays silent for a long time. Finally, he speaks again. “I can hear the grass rustling in the wind. Birds, talking to each other in the trees back there. The waves, that’s distant, but I can hear it, I think. And your breathing.” Brienne’s eyes fly open at the last one, but Jaime just continues. “No traffic. No fingers typing away on keyboards, or pens scratching on paper, or the whirring of copy machines. And coffee machines, I suppose.” She hears the smile in his voice, at that little rhyme.

“No arguments,” he says, the smile disappearing. “No expectations.”

Brienne turns over to lie on her side, facing him. Somehow, those words give her the courage to ask the question that’s been on her mind since the stairwell incident. She’s going to hope he talks. Really talks. She wants him to talk to her. She wants to listen.

“You were supposed to go back to King’s Landing, weren’t you? Why did you decide to stay?”

“Long story,” he says to the sky. “My family—it’s complicated. My father wants me to take over the company, some day, even though my brother is much better at all of this.” Tyrion, if Brienne remembers correctly. Nicknamed the Imp as much for his quick wit as for his height. “My sister isn’t too happy about my father’s decision, not that she wants my brother in the running at all. Just her and her new husband.” Jaime says this bitterly, and Brienne is reminded of that strange intensity she heard in his phone call with Cersei. “She was pushing me for it, at first. She’s my twin, you know, and we used to do everything together. She thought that she’d be able to gain control through me, if my father won’t give it to her.”

He turns toward her now. “I don’t want any of it, Brienne. I’m good at my job—I don’t enjoy it, but I’m good at it, and I’m not sure what else I could do, anyway. But I don’t want control of the entire company.” He picks at the grass between them. “Cersei finally got that in her head. So she went and found someone with more ambition. But my father doesn’t want her husband to inherit the business, even though the man even offered to take the Lannister name.”

Jaime sighs, and he seems to be somewhere quite far away. “It’s a mess, back in King’s Landing, Brienne. I don’t even know how long I can stay in the Stormlands, before my father finds a way to force me back.”

He lies there for a while, still facing her. Then, all of a sudden, he sits up. “I’m sorry,” he says, without looking back. “You probably didn’t want to hear all of that.”

Brienne shifts herself so she’s sitting beside him. “I don’t know if I can give you any advice at all, Jaime. But I’m happy to listen, whenever you need to talk.” She nudges him with her elbow. “I’m not just a tour guide, you know.”

He smiles that half-smile again. “Hey. Can I ask you a question, too?”

“Of course.”

“How did that whole thing get started? About you thinking I look average?”

Not this again. “Why are you so obsessed with that?” Brienne laughs.

“I’m just interested in the backstory, that’s all.” Jaime’s whole demeanour is shifting. Brienne can see the familiar self-confidence return, a bit of that arrogance he saves for the office, though she’s realising now that it might just be something for him to hide behind. “I was surprised to hear it. I happen to think I’m quite good-looking.”

Okay, she was feeling quite sorry for him a minute ago, but now she can’t help but roll her eyes. “Who are you? Who even says that about themselves?”

“Answer the question, Brienne,” he grins.

“Everyone was talking about it, okay?” she groans. “Your looks. All day, every day. It was too much. I was just really annoyed one morning, because of…” She doesn’t really want to get into the details of that morning, actually. “Bottom line, I just didn’t want to hear it anymore. So I said it to shut people up. Then it got out of hand.”

“Because of…?” he probes.

Alright, fine. “I don’t have a chauffeur to get me to work, Jaime. I take a bus, then a train, then the shuttle. I missed all three of those that morning. And then I was all sweaty and gross and I passed you in the hallway and you gave me a look—”

Oh fuck. Brienne had said too much. She hadn’t wanted to talk about the look.

“Oh.” There’s a glimmer of recognition in Jaime’s eye. “I remember that.”

He does? “You do?”

“Yeah. I think so. You were all flustered, I remember, and your hair was a mess.”

Oh great, that’s why he remembers. “Thanks a lot for that.” Brienne hides her head in her knees. “I don’t really need the recap, Jaime.”

“Don’t interrupt while I’m reminiscing, Bridget,” he teases. “I remember it because it was the first time I thought, ‘She has nice eyes.’”

Brienne just starts laughing into her knees out of shock.

“I’m serious!” Jaime insists.

“That was your takeaway?” She lifts her head. “I looked like a disaster, Jaime. I distinctly remember going to the bathroom right after and thinking that I looked like a disaster.”

“As I recall, you were wearing that blue blouse that matches your eyes. They were all wide, and your cheeks were all flushed and it just, I don’t know, made them stand out. I guess that’s why I gave you a look.”

He can’t possibly mean what he’s saying. “You basically said I was ugly at the office party, Jaime,” Brienne reminds him. Or perhaps it’s more of a reminder to herself.

Jaime holds both his hands up in surrender. “Again, I’m very sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” she says, lightly, and nudges him again. “I punched you already.”

“I was drunk, anyway, not that it’s an excuse.” He lies back down on the grass. “Pissed off about my family as usual. And, I think, a little hurt that the tall one with the nice blue eyes thought I only looked average.”

There’s something in those words that makes Brienne want to fly into a panic, even after all the dancing, even after the past four weekends. No, she refuses to jump to any conclusions. It’s a much better option to just—stand up abruptly.

“Where are you going?” Jaime asks from the grass. “Can’t we stay here a while longer?”

Brienne looks at the sky, and sees the sun making its way towards the horizon. She thanks it silently for giving her a reason to walk away from this place, this small patch of meadow where Jaime’s spilled one too many truths for today. She doesn’t want to think of them as truths, really. Not that last part. Not yet.

“Get up, Jaime,” and she offers him her hand. “Or we’re going to miss the sunset.”

[theawkwardterrier]

things left behind and the things that are ahead, ch. 35

AO3 link here

“That goddamn asshole again!”

Peggy leans up and peers at him over the back of the sofa as he slams the door to the apartment. Her hair is slightly squashed on one side, and she has the sort of marks on her cheek that indicate either that her book is so engaging that she hasn’t moved since he left or so dull that it’s lulled her to sleep.

“Well, this is a bit of a different frame of mind than when you left earlier,” she says calmly. He had gone to church that morning for the first time in a year; it’s the anniversary of his mother’s death and he knows that she’d have liked him to light a candle at least for that. His heart had been settled and a little sad as he thought how strange it was that his mother wouldn’t be even sixty years old had she lived but she has been gone from him now for circular decades. “I assume this means that you’ve seen the neighborhood menace once again?”

Steve strips off his suit jacket with more violence than he normally would: not so he tears the seams, but enough that his elbow gets stuck and he has to slow down to extricate himself more deliberately. He collapses into the armchair, fabric crumpling between his clenching fists.

“He nearly ran over Iris. While she was pushing the baby,” Steve says, voice low. “And she was on the sidewalk. Everyone walks in the street around here.”

She sits up properly. “Did Officer Miles see this time?”

“Cigarette break. As usual.” The fury is becoming something molten within him, boiling itself over uselessly. “Waste of a badge. If I was still—If I could just—”

“Steve,” she interrupts with sharp intent. “If you can’t do some good simply because you don’t have a badge in hand, then I’m not certain I know you.”

“Right,” Steve says, because she is. “Right.” And he goes to change out of his suit.

People in their neighborhood don’t have much call for cars of their own. Sure, there are some around, but for the majority, buses and streetcars can take them the places they need to go, and where would everyone park them if they did have them?

The car they saw come through most often, or perhaps only noticed most often, was driven by a man everyone had started calling That Devil.

That Devil was perhaps thirty, with a rounded face and slicked-back blond hair. Instead of seeming cherubic, there was an animal squint to his eyes which changed your consideration of him on sight.

That Devil’s car was a green roadster, nearly new except for the wear which he had put on it, because That Devil drove the city streets not as if he were being chased but as if he was the one doing the chasing. The problem wasn’t even so much his disregard of traffic laws as it was his disdain for laws of common sense and humanity: he screeched his way around corners on a diagonal, came close to the edges of sidewalks if not actually atop them, seemed not to see pedestrians no matter how colorfully they dressed or how loudly they shouted. His speed, his recklessness, did not seem pointed or purposefully malicious but instead the product of a lack of care for those around him, as if he simply couldn’t be bothered with the people in his way.

Regardless of his reasons or lack thereof, he was a menace. He was making Steve’s neighbors unsafe. Steve wouldn’t stand for it anymore.

The following Wednesday, Peggy is coming home from work when she hears someone call her name. Mabel, who owns the butcher shop with her husband Frankie and her sister Marceline and Marceline's husband George, waves her down. She comes out wrapped in a heavy sweater against the evening drop in temperature and holding a full brown paper bag on her hip.

“Your man was in here an hour ago,” she starts, watching Peggy with keen eyes. Mabel always knows everything that is going on with everyone around, or tries to. “George was wrapping up his stew meat and I was finishing with him at the register and all of a sudden we hear the sound of That Devil starting down the street. And your Grant asks me to hold his meat and keep the rest of his shopping behind the counter - and he certainly is polite, mind you - but then he just takes off down the street after That Devil.” Peggy looks mildly back at her without comment, so Mabel continues, more pointedly, “I’ve never seen someone run so fast.”

And I suspect that you haven’t even seen the most that you could have, Peggy thinks, but aloud she says casually, “Yes, he’s something of an athlete,” and holds out her arms for the grocery bag.

She’s been quite exhausted lately - apparently building an international espionage organization is not for the faint of heart - so after she’s put the food away, she lies down for a brief nap. When she wakes up and comes out to the kitchen, Steve is standing by the counter, roughly chopping a red pepper. He scrapes the pieces onto a tray of already cut tomatoes and onions and slides it into the oven (she liked the roasted tomato soup recipe he tried last week so much that she’d asked him to make it again) and smiles over his shoulder at her.

“Did you catch him up?” she asks from the doorway.

“I did.” Even with his back turned as he reaches a saucepan and frying pan from the cabinet, she can hear the satisfaction in his voice. “He lives in Georgetown. Nice house. Rich parents. We had a talk.”

“And he won’t be coming around here again?”

Steve sets the cookware on the stovetop, leaning against it as he turns to face her. “He did try to give me the ‘I know every cop in town, my dad’s friends with J. Edgar, they won’t lift a finger’ line, but I think he understands now that if he keeps acting the way that he has been, in this city or anywhere else, it won’t be a matter of bringing in authorities. Unless he’s more of a fool than I’d pegged him for, he should be much less dangerous to himself and others from now on.”

She watches him with care as he speaks. How different he is from when she first knew him, slightly lined now, with more of a solidity to his shoulders and jaw, the set of his feet, a settledness in his eyes that speaks of other lives seen and sampled and put intentionally aside. How similar he is, going on an unplanned chase because those who did wrong should not escape justice.

At least he was - presumably - wearing shoes this time around. And appropriately sized clothes.

“You realize that had you simply caught a glimpse of the registration plate, I could have found the address without you putting one of your less explicable talents on display in front of everyone,” she points out.

Steve nods his head, conceding the point. He does not make excuses about not having thought of that, or not wanting to involve or trouble her. Instead he says thoughtfully, “I think I needed to do something like this. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to make something right, and I guess I wanted to show myself that I still could. No orders, no tech, no supernatural crisis, no world hanging in the balance, just a chance to help things get a little bit better, a little bit safer.” He folds his arms against himself. “Bucky’s still out there - I know we’re waiting on intel to fill in the blanks of what I remembered but it’s taking longer than I would have hoped - and we still have Hydra to handle, and all the business with the USSR, but today I was able to do this.”

“And tomorrow you’ll carry Iris’s bags while she pushes the baby, and help Mr. Hancock reorganize his high shelves so he doesn’t have to get on the ladder at his age, and sit with me to work out our next steps. And I have faith that you will continue to do all of that and more.” She gives a small and true smile. “My faith in you has rarely been misplaced.”

“Rarely?”

“The preparations appear to have stalled although I was promised supper at some point tonight.”

He laughs. “And you’ll get it, even if the timeline’s a little off.” He indicates a chair and goes to get out butter and milk, ham and cheese. “You’ve heard about my day. Come tell me about yours.”

“Well, I wasn’t involved in any footchases,” she says, coming completely into the warmth, “so I don’t know that it was as exciting as yours.” (She’s found herself surprised by how little she misses fieldwork, how much her current role fulfils her even as overwhelming as it is. And it helps that she can assign herself something more hands-on if she chooses to.)

“Then again—” She takes a seat and puts her feet up, watching him squint at the scrap of paper with the scrawled-down directions for croque monsieur which Dernier had included in his last letter, trying to convince her that it was easy enough for even Peggy to attempt. “I work adjacent to the government, so I deal with devils of a sort nearly every day and usually can’t simply threaten them into behaving better. Though,” she adds with mock thoughtfulness, “it is quite satisfying when I can.”

He laughs, shoulders shaking a bit as he starts grating cheese, and she smiles for it, settling in for another evening of conversation and food and joy with him.

More chapters here