#beam block dining table

[willqraharn]

Kitchen Dining Dining Room in San Francisco

Kitchen/dining room combo - large industrial kitchen/dining room combo idea

[arbullock]

Kitchen Dining Dining Room Combination kitchen and dining room - large industrial kitchen/dining room idea

[redheadspark]

hey!!! i wanted to ask for the prompt #7 where it’s mainly azriel x reader but includes the whole IC too? the rest is up to you, but please remember to take all the time you need or want!! thank u <3

A/N - I do like this for Azriel. It's short but cute, I hope you like it! Thanks for the request!

Shockingly Sweet

Summary - Your recent news shocks the Inner Circle, especially Azriel. But in the sweetest way possible.

Warnings - Just fluff

“So whose idea was this?”

“I didn’t think of it,”

“No one would peg you as the candidate, Cassian. Given your track record,”

Cassian flipped off Rhsyand as the rest of the Inner Circle was standing in front of the massive dining room of The House of Wind.  Perched on the top of the tale were assortments of treats and confectionary items, all assorted on plates and display bowls from one end of the table to the other.  Their eyes were wide in amazement at that assortment in front of them: massive cookies the size of hands and heads, small bons bons assembled in pyramids.  Even wine glasses are already poured out and ready, the wine bottle out and already opened.  

Everyone was in shock, even the Spymaster himself didn’t know what to say as someone finally appeared from the kitchen to the right.  It was you, Azriel’s girlfriend who was beaming at the group and looking rather nervous in your smock worn over your dress.  Elaine floated out right after you, almost bouncing on the tip of her toes with a huge grin on her gorgeous face.  The Inner Circle looked over to the pair as you finally found your voice, still nervous in your stance.

“Thank you all for coming on short notice,” You started to explain, your voice soft but laced with hesitance and uncertainty, “I know you are all busy with your lives and, you know, running Night Court…”

“You make it sound like a big deal,” Cassian teased you, Nesta swatted his chest in retaliation as she gave you a reassuring smile.

“I wanted to plan something for you all, as a way of thanking you for accepting me into your lives and homes when I needed it,” You explained, shifting on your feet with some nerves along your skin.  Azriel saw it, instantly walking over to block you from the view of the others and look at you in concern.

“You don’t have to—“ he started to explain, thinking that this might be best for you since you hated being in the spotlight altogether.  In fact, it was one of the main reasons he was attracted to you, your gentleness and quietness.  He loved that about you, you not needing to be loud to be certain of attention.  You looked at him and shook your head.

“I’m okay, trust me,” You hummed at him, seeing him search your eyes in confusion as you looked past him at the rest of the Inner Circle, all of whom were waiting patiently for what you were going to say, “You all know that I work at the local candy shop, the one near the harbor?”

“Great shop…not a huge fan of the owner though,” Cassian joked, Rhsyand rolling his eyes as Feyre eyed him.

“You are not helping,” She advised him calmly, to which Cassian laughed and shrugged as Feyre looked back at you, “Go on.  What about the shop?”

Being on your own for so long, having to be in survival mode and going day by day with barely any food in your belly or a roof over your head.  It was something you were used to for the longest time, not having another person to lean on and or someone to take care of you.

Then you stumbled on Verlaris, and your luck changed for the better.

Agatha, the owner of the candy shop, took you into both to give you a place to sleep and to work for her.  She had a kind heart, though her old age would not show it from time to time when she would be snippy with the children who would touch her displays or vendors who tried to take advantage of her.  But in the end, her shop was insanely popular, and there was a spare room in the back of the shop where you would sleep.  Months came and went, you sang every coin you were given and were able to have enough to find your own little apartment which was a 10-minute walk from the shop.  You stayed at the shop, working rather well and learning the business trade from Agatha, and considering you the only family you had.

Until High Lady Feyre and High Lord Rhysand came into your shop, their own toddler son Nyx on Feyre’s hip.  Once again, your life changed.  

“The owner, Agatha, recently just announced her retirement. She is walking away from the business altogether,” You explained to the High Lady, and everyone looked at you in shock from the news, “She’s been working there and running the shop for centuries,”

“I do remember walking into the shop a few times a year for her chocolates, they are really good,” More commented with a snort, “So, who’s the lucky fae taking over the shop?”

“Someone a bit younger and better with customer service I hope,” Rhysand joked with a grin. You tilted your chin up in confidence.  

“I’m taking over,”

Those three words rang in the room as everyone looked at you in shock and amazement.  You stood still, seeing all the pairs of eyes on you and how you were shyly smiling.  It felt like you were jumping off a cliff into the unknown, though you already signed the documents and got the keys earlier that morning.  Making the choice, although it took a month to finally say “yes” to it, was one of the best and yet scary things that you have ever done, but it was all for the better.

The day Rhsyand and Feyre met you in that shop was the day you were once again feeling a change in your life.  They were interested in the new display of chocolates that you helped create with Agatha, both praising you for how good it was and wishing to find more treats to indulge you.  You were simply riding on a high with having the High Lord and High Lady of Night Court in the still, talking to you with kindness and sincerity.  After them were Cassian and Nesta, who seemed such opposites but were instantly in love with one another. 

Then lastly, was More with Azriel  The Spymaster who flipped your work upside down.

“You…you own the shop now?” Nesta asked in genuine shock as you nodded your head, fiddling with your hands in front of you.  Cassian was beaming, like a young child during Winter Solstice.

“That…is the best job ever!  I’m jealous!” He exclaimed, “I would rather work in a candy shop than be the Illryian Army Commander….no offense Rhys,”

“No…not that’s fair,” Rhysand hummed while you looked from the group over to Azriel.  He was still in shock from the news, his wide hazel eyes were almost reflecting off the lights in the room but they were still on you.  At first, you thought he would hate the notion since he would try and take care of you in all aspects of your new and fresh relationship.  He knew of your hard past and the hardships you went through, thinking it was his duty to properly care for you.  Of course, it seemed silly to you, but then again it was his way to show that he cared about you and loved you.  He was a gift giver and a provider so to speak, and the last thing he wanted was for the fae he was falling in love with still attempt to survive.

He helped you move into a bigger apartment from the small one you lived in, he would escort you to and from work whenever he had the chance, even loving to both take you out to eat or make something to eat at your place.  

You never felt this kind of love with anyone else in your life.

“So that means you are in charge of all of the treats in the shop, all of it?” Mor asked, sounding more excited than before as you looked away from Azriel and at the group.  They were all smiling, looking rather pleased with the news.  It made you look over at Elaine and gesture your head in her direction, seeing her on the arm bouncing up and down in the hair from all the excitement that was in her veins.

“It does, and thanks to Elaine and her help, I wanted to show you all the new line of candy that I created and I’m thinking of launching within a month,” You explained, the rest of the group now looking over at the dining room table again that was covered in all the candy and treats you and Elaine created for the past few days.  You wanted to ask her since she was an expert baker and knew her way around treats.  She was more than willing to help you and make everything with you, insanely excited throughout the whole process.  After a few failed attempts, everything that was made looked perfect and beyond tempting to show the Inner Circle.  

“I want you all to be the first ones to taste the candy and to give me your honest opinion on how it is.  It won’t be released to the public for a while, but I wanted you all to try them first since you’ve been supportive of me,” You reasoned, not wishing to be sappy about that statement.  But you were telling the truth: every single person in the Inner Circle was insanely supportive of you.  They each took care of you in one moment in time and gave you all the support you needed to be where you were currently.  You were grateful for this newfound family that found you.  

Especially the Illyrian who was at your side and holding your hand in such a loving manner.

“You’ve come so far, and letting us do this for you, means the world,” Feyre said to you with her beautiful smile and bright eyes twinkling.  Rhysand winked at you from behind his mate, Nesta smirking and nodding in agreement as Cassian showed you his smirk.  Mor tilted your head at you in affection, which left Azriel to lean over and kiss the side of your head lovingly.  

“Thank you for letting us try your creations,” Mor thanked you wholeheartedly, “And you want us to try…all of them?”

“However much you want, and let me know which ones work and which don’t,” You reassured them, Cassian rubbing his hands together and looking at the dining room table like he won some kind of prize.

“Guys come on, let’s take advantage of this!  We can have fun, and plus you can't go wrong with candy!” He encouraged the rest of the group, and with them all coming to say their thanks, they all dived into the treats.  You watched in earnest and in interest as the looks of happiness and joy were on their faces.  They were all enjoying each bite, talking to each other wildly at the tastes they were experiencing.  

Yet the one person you were wishing to hear from the most was still next to you, making you look up at him and searching his bright eyes. This time he was smiling, a proud smile that he would share with you a handful of times.  You could see it in his eyes, the pride he had that you were safely on your feet.

“Az?” You asked sheepishly, seeing him lean down to hug you closely in his arms.  He hummed, hugging you in such a way that it made you smile and almost shed tears at the same time. You loved it when he hugged you, he would pour his affection into each hug he would give and show you through that gesture that he cared for you more than words, more than gestures. 

“Darling girl,” he cooed into your ear, pulling away slightly to frame your face in his scarred hands, “You never cease to amaze me with how incredible you are.  This is amazing, my love,”

You smiled widely as he kissed you, his lips would be far sweeter than any candy you would ever create.  

The End

July Prompt Session

[waterfae]

Kill My Lord Husband [Part 2]

Summary: Your father has decided to marry you off – and to a Blackwood no less! But you want nothing to do with the famously known Bloody Ben, not when your heart already belongs to another. Your solution? Kill your lord husband.

Pairings: Benjicot “Davos” Blackwood x Reader, Aeron Bracken x Reader

Warnings: canon-typical violence, adult language, slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, arranged marriage, house-neutral fem!reader, no use of Y/N, absolute nonsense, no beta

Word Count: 1.9+ K

Part: 1 | 2 | 3

Benjicot continued to quietly observe you, even as Atlanna marched up to pluck you from his arms and steer you towards the rest of the family where you were greeted by Lady Blackwood and Lady Alysanne. Now and then, you would do the same, catching his eyes several more times before quickly looking away after each occurrence, heat rising to your cheeks. A familiar feeling. A cursed feeling. The persistent fluttering within your stomach only further made you feel as though you were burning up from the inside – from sinful hellfire, you decided.

Atlanna caught the flushed look on your features and whispered with a knowing smile, “At least he is pleasing to look upon.”

“It is not a good thing.” You whined in reply, although it was a lie. Who wouldn’t want to have a husband that was delightful to look at and he was indeed a handsome one, but he was not Aeron; you didn’t want him to be pleasing.

His gaze lingered. You could feel the heat of it as you were led towards the castle and ushered into the dining hall for dinner. It lingered still after Atlanna left you to be seated while the servants brought out various dishes to set onto the table. With great effort, you ignored his attentions and withheld your own. It had taken you by surprise, the initial reaction to your betrothed as he held you in his arms. You had felt that jolt only once before; for only one man before. It was jarring. It disgusted you – made you sick with guilt. You pushed the feelings away, just as you pushed the boiled potatoes about your plate. You wanted to hate this man. You needed to hate this man.

“She looks even more like her mother than the last I saw her.” Lady Blackwood’s comment pulled you out from the swarming thoughts of your husband-to-be. You looked up from your plate and smiled politely at the compliment; one you were frequently given.

“Indeed, she does.” Your father said beaming at you as he patted your hand lovingly, “My late wife would have been so proud – so happy to see our families united.”

“You are blessed by the gods.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed at Lord Blackwood’s latest remark, unable to control the impulse and catching your actions too late; you hoped no one had noticed. “Fuck the gods.” Was your following thought. You hadn’t believed in the gods since your mother died six years ago; not really – just enough to still have anger towards them. And considering your current predicament, you most certainly believed in them a sufficient amount to be just as – if not more – resentful.

As the evening wore on, bellies grew full and people shifted their seats in favor of conversations. Lord and Lady Blackwood continued to discuss with your father about the upcoming nuptials. Ser Willem and Lady Alysanne bickered over the superiority between his sword and her arrows with Benjicot cutting in as it became more heated to claim his own caliber to be greater than that of his aunt and uncle. Eventually, you found yourself leaving yours to wander over to the balcony, finding no common subject matter to insert yourself.

The clouds above were just as thick as when you arrived, blocking out most of the light from the moon, yet still from where you stood, regardless of the dimly-lit night, you were able to make out the ancient weirwood you had only ever heard stories about; colossal in its size with hundreds of ravens perched against its branches.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Came a voice suddenly from behind. It startled and urged you to search for the speaker. You found Benjicot slowly making his way forward until he was beside you, leaning against the balustrade. “Despite it not having shown a single leaf for nearly a thousand years.” His eyes stayed fixed on the giant, “Poisoned by House Bracken.”

“It certainly is a wonder.” You replied shakily, your heart wrenching at the mention of the Brackens.

“We shall be wed there. Before the old gods.” He said, finally straightening himself to face you, “But you do not seem to believe in the gods.” Benjicot stated it rather than asked.

Your eyebrows raised at his statement. It appeared your reaction earlier at dinner had not gone unnoticed. Had he really still been watching you at that moment? You wondered. His attention span was remarkable, “It’s not that I don’t believe, because I do.” You paused to heave a sigh, “Enough for them to anger me.”

He let out a low laugh, “Do they?” He took a step towards you, “You don’t seem angry.” He scanned your face, searching for what, you weren’t sure, but the look on his was one that hinted at nostalgia, “Annoyed, perhaps, but angry? No.” He shook his head with feigned disappointment, then suddenly smirked, “I’ve seen you angry.”

You sent him a questioning glance.

Before you could voice the query, he explained, “Years ago, I participated in a tourney held by Lord Tully for his nameday. You and your father were there. It was the first time I heard mother and father bring up a marriage between our houses, but your mother had just passed and your father too distraught. Out of friendship and respect, they didn’t pursue the issue further.”

You were taken aback, shocked that as early as then there had already been plans to attempt a match between the two of you; there was never any mention of it before.

“Such a pretty thing, even then.” He added softly, your mouth went dry and gulped as he took another step forward, towering over you, “Prettier all the more when you knocked that Bracken off his feet.” He flashed an amused smile, “Such rage.”

Your jaw fell open as Benjicot continued to speak of it, the memory of that particular time rushing back to the forefront of your mind and it clicked; you knew the exact event he was referring too. That had been the day you first met Aeron – right after you lunged at one of his cousins and struck him over the head with his own helm; retaliation for a remark made about you being half an orphan. Aeron had been the one to pull you off of him and restrain you.

You scrunched up your eyebrows and slowly asked, unsure if you were understanding correctly, “I somehow gained your favor because I was...pretty...and angry?”

He chuckled, “Not so much your anger, but your spirit.” His stormy eyes found yours again and you couldn’t look away, “There was a fire in your eyes and it told me that if my parents wishes were to be fulfilled then you would make an exceptional addition to our house; you were meant to be a Blackwood.”

“You wanted this union?” You breathed as realization hit you.

“I wasn’t against it.”

You suddenly became very aware of how close Benjicot was. Too close. You could feel the warmth of his breath on your face and it caused your heart to beat rapidly. You quickly tore your gaze away from his and took a step back, chest heaving, your lungs screaming for air. How long had you been holding your breath?

“I am sorry to inform you, but I am not that girl. Not anymore.” You said in a rush and hoped your words would make him think twice of his opinion of you, “I was young. Still growing, still learning. I’ve matured since then and have become a proper lady.” Distance, you thought as you took another step back, you needed more distance. “I was also grieving for my mother. Not in the right mind. That girl wasn’t – isn’t me. I no longer participate in such uncouth behavior.”

‘I was also not yet in love with Aeron.’ You kept that declaration silently to yourself.

Benjicot tilted his head, studying you for several moments before finally heaving a sigh, “That’s rather unfortunate. For such a flame to burn out.” You noticed him bite his lip before going further, “Mayhaps, overtime, we can reignite it.”

There was something in the way he said it that made your stomach lurch and your head dizzy; you had not even taken another step, yet it still made you stumble. He made a move to try and catch you, but you were able to steady yourself with a nearby pillar, one arm outstretched signaling him to stop and keep the space between you.

“I should retire to my chambers!” You blurted out in a panic.

He blinked at your sudden outburst, “Are you alright, my lady? Have I done something to offend you?”

“I am tired.” You replied while steadying yourself and straightening your skirts, “It has been a very long day.”

“Shall I escort you –”

You cut him off, frantically waving him off with your hands, “No. It’s fine.” You turned on your heel, ready to get as far away from him as possible, “I am capable of finding my own way.”

You weren’t. As soon as you left him on that balcony and bid your father and the Blackwoods good night, you immediately turned the wrong corner exiting the dining hall and had gotten lost. You mentally kicked yourself while you walked around aimlessly for gods know how long, regretful of turning down Benjicot’s offer to escort you to your chambers. You buried your face in your hands at the thought and stomped your foot like a petulant child. As helpful as it might have been to have him, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to withstand another minute. The emotional turbulence, the way your body reacted to his proximity, the things he said and did...it wasn’t love by any means, but it was overwhelming all the same.

“What in the seven hells is wrong with me?!” You asked aloud to no one in particular. In your turmoil, you almost didn’t noticed the brisk footsteps echoing down the hall.

“My lady!” You looked up to find Atlanna scurrying towards you, “There you are!”

Relief washed over you, glad to have been found and not left to wander the halls all night. She stopped in front of you, pausing to catch her breath; she must have been running and searching for you for a long while to be in such a state. You questioned it.

“I was waiting for you in your chambers – unpacking more of your belongings and to help you get ready for bed – when this arrived.” Atlanna held up a piece of parchment, “When you still hadn’t come, I went looking for you. It seemed important.” She scanned the corridor, making sure the two of you were truly alone before whispering, “I think it’s from him.”

For a moment, it felt as though your heart had stopped. You eyed the little scroll in both excitement and fear of what its message may contain. With much hesitation, you accepted and unrolled it. You immediately recognized the handwriting scrawled upon it and a rush of different emotions came to hit you all at once. There was not much to it – the message was very short with simple instructions. You read over his words repeatedly, until you were overcome. You burst into tears without any sort of warning and began to sob violently, shocking Atlanna in the process.

“It’s from Aeron.” You stated the obvious as the tears you held onto for so long finally streamed down your face. Atlanna caught you just as your knees gave way. Unable to carry your weight, she instead guided you to the stone floor. She held tightly onto your trembling form, rocked you from side to side while rubbing your back to soothe you, your cries muffled as you buried your face into her bosom and Aeron’s message crumpled in your tight grip.

a/n: This chapter was getting too long, editing was killing me, and I became too impatient to update. So I broke it up. I made you guys wait too long and simply wanted to serve something. I'm hoping to get the next part out very soon, since it's technically already written. I'm just polishing it up at this point. Likes, comments, and reblogs are always greatly appreciated and my askbox is always open. ♡

I accidentally made myself cry. Woopsies! Aeron will actually show up next chapter. Shenanigans will be had.

taglist: @pantheonofbeauty @cregansfourthwife @spicyteaandcrumpets @accidentpronedork @cococrazy18

@witch-moon-babe @a-romantic-twst @flusteredmoonn @nixtape-foryou @flowerprincezz

@trouble-sistar @username199945 @claire-loves-music @lady-dragon-rider @spider-stark

@moonnicole @hardkiddonut

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

A Hold On You 1

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, bullying, depression, controlling and abusive behaviour, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: you try to look on the bright side of life but a man comes along to blot out the sun.

Characters: Bucky Barnes

Note: Thank you all for feeding into this.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

It’s a nice day to get out. One of the last sunny days of autumn. You can smell the soil and leaves and hear the call of pumpkin spice. Maybe on your way back. 

You can’t spend another day inside. Not after the week you’ve had. Besides, once the winter hits, you’ll have more than enough reason not to go past your front door. You’re going to make the most of your day off. More so, you’re going to keep your mind busy so it doesn’t fall back into the pit. 

It feels good to move around. Between hunching at your cubicle desk and squinting over your dining room table, that crick in your neck needs to be ironed out. You have to remind yourself to stand up straight as the muscles tug between your shoulder blades. 

You stop and turn to face the record shop. As you do, you’re nearly bowled over by another pedestrian. You hadn’t realised they were so close behind you. You back up and apologise but the man doesn’t even look at you as he veers toward the front door. The bell jingle as he enters with a huff, the back of his dark jacket a vague splotch in your vision. 

Oop. You’re in the way. Again. You do your best not to do that. You never want to stir the waters or be a bump in the road but somehow you always find a way to do that. No good comes from wallowing in it. As stressful as it can be to brave the public and its unpredictability, a smile keeps you from falling apart. 

You approach the shop and swing open the door. Oof, it’s much heavier than that man made it look. You greet the associate behind the counter with a beaming morning and ‘hello?’ He asks how you are and you give the easy answer; ‘good, how are you?’ He responds with the same empty courtesy. 

You look around the covers and the little signs that delineate every genre. Before you can get into all that, you need the most important piece of all. A record player. For as long as you’ve been waiting to set foot in the shop, you’ve been saving up for the player. 

You near the table stacked with varying shades of suitcase players. You read up on each brand and style. It will be best to tuck away when you’re not using it. Your small apartment is already too cluttered. 

You pick a lilac player with little white roses stamped over the cover. It’s on sale. A sign above proclaims that you can get twenty percent off three or more records when you by a player. Well, how about that? It isn’t all doom and gloom. 

You hug the player under your arm and near the shelves mounted to the walls. You peruse the titles intently. Something new? Something you know? You definitely don’t want to get just one genre.  

As you sidle along, the corner of the box knocks against something. You look back and another ‘sorry’ bubbles from your lips. It’s that man again. He’s browsing the end cap behind you and growls at your apology. You stare at him for a moment, he seems at home in a place like this. 

“Um, excuse me, sir,” you say, “do you have any recommendations?” 

He grumbles and puts the album back in its slot. He looks over his shoulder with detest curled into his lip. The stone chiseled into his jaw makes you gulp. 

“What?” He scowls. 

“Sorry, I didn’t... I was only... curious. Have a good day, sir.” 

“Good? What’s good about it?” He hisses. You wince and move to the next section. Not far enough as he sighs, “you know, you wouldn’t like my taste anyway. Stick to your girly pop.” 

You resist a frown. You’re not going to let someone like that bring you down. You can tell that he looks for the worst in everything and everyone. You wouldn’t judge someone by their appearance but his demeanour says as much as his words. You won’t add to his cynicism but bothering him further. 

You pick out an Etta James album that you recognise. Your grandmother had the same one. You think your mother snatched it up after she passed. You didn’t get much from the inheritance. As it is, you’d rather have your grandma back. Someone to talk to. 

You move on to the rock section. There’s hair metal and classic rock and grunge and all sorts. You’re not unfamiliar with the genre but you don’t want to be too obvious.  

A scuff startles you and you glance over at the man in the dark jacket. He seems familiar. His short brown hair, his stubbly jaw, and his intensity trigger something in your head. You definitely don’t know him. Everyone you know is too busy for you. 

“Probably don’t even know how to use the damn thing,” he snips under his breath as he gets closer. 

You realise he’s talking about you. It’s no good arguing. You’ve met his kind before. Back when your friends had the time of day for you, you met that type at their parties. You avoided them. 

You leave the aisle. You don’t want to be in his way, though it seems no matter what you do, you are. You find yourself exactly where he predicted. Well, who cares? It’s all a matter of brain chemistry, right? You don’t get to choose what you like, you just like it. It makes your brain happy and heaven knows you need more of that. 

You pick out another favourite then head over to new release. You’ve never heard Sabrina Carpenter. You’ll give it a try. 

You approach the counter and as you do, another sigh storms through the shop. The man’s behind you. Oh no, had you cut him off? 

“You want to go ahead of me?” You ask as you keep your haul in your arms. 

He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, a single record in his hand; The Boswell Sisters. You’ve never heard of them but it really doesn’t look like heavy metal. You turn back to the cashier and smile, “hello, um, this is it.” 

You put your things up as the man returns your smile. He asks if you want a bag and you say, ‘yes, please’. Things might not be perfect but it doesn’t mean you can’t try to make them better. And if a smile and manners can brighten someone else’s day, that alone makes yours a little sunnier. 

🪢

The box for the player has a little plastic handle. You’re happy for that as it makes your journey to cafe a little easier. You stand in line with your paper bag and bulky box and move along until it’s your turn. You order the pumpkin spice but think better of double up with the pumpkin cream muffin; you instead opt for the apple cinnamon with the chunks you can see through the top. 

Patiently, you stand by the wall until your order comes up. You crinkle around the other customers and claim it, balancing it all delicately toward an empty table. You tuck the box underneath and lean the bag against it. 

You tear apart the muffin, dividing the bottom from the top. You peel back the liner and eat the former first, pinching morsels between your fingers. You don’t know why you do it that way, you just always have.  

You taste the pumpkin spice. It’s good. Not too spicy at all. It tastes like real pumpkin. Considering the place is local, it might very well be. You pop the lid off to reveal the mostly melted cream and have another sip. 

You wipe the dairy mustache from your upper lip with a napkin and your eyes flick up to meet another pair. Not far from you, that man stands with his hands in his pockets. He’s waiting by the order window for his own delight. Well, that’s great. Maybe it will cheer him up. 

He glowers until you look through the window. Or not. The baristas call out a black coffee as you chew on the brim of the paper cup. You stare out into New York traffic and feel yourself getting smaller. It’s easy to feel lost in the city. 

As you watch through the window, a dark figure passes before it. You lift your gaze and again find yourself at the mercy of that man’s grim snarl. You quickly turn back to your latte. He must’ve had that black coffee. He might do with a bit of sugar. 

You try not to think about it. You don’t know him. You don’t know his problems. Just like anyone else. People don’t know that you feel heavy when you wake up or that you spend your hours keeping your hands busy so you don’t have to think. They only know the woman with the smile and the chipper voice and just as swiftly forget about her. 

You pick away at the muffin, savouring in each bite. You’re thankful for that. For that moment. You have coffee and a nice dessert and you got your record player. It's best not to think about all the existential stuff you can’t change. It will come back later when you’re alone. It can wait until then. 

🪢

Your walk home sees the sun hiding behind the clouds. The downpour begins a block away from your building and soaks you through. You keep your head down against the sheets of rain and hurry up the walk as the front door comes in sight. 

The elevator is out of order. Again. You climb the stairs in your squeaky soles and finally reach your apartment. You push inside and kick off your sodden shoes and peel away your jacket. The turtleneck beneath is just as drenched. 

You don’t strip down right away. You’re more concerned with your prizes. The records are fine, the covers just a bit damp, and the player doesn’t seem to have taken too much water. You leave it all on the counter and go to change into your favourite fuzzy pajamas. 

You come back out to the front room and stop to admire the slake of rain pelleting against the large windows. It might be dreary but it’s beautiful in its own way. You let the tempo lull you as you unpack the player and set it up on the book shelf.  

You slide the Etta James record from its sleeve and lay it on the player, moving the needle into place. You let it play as you back up, the boisterous tones of the legend melding perfectly with the raindrops. You smile; not the put-upon smile you wear for strangers but a smile of nostalgia and calm. You miss your grandma terribly but the music doesn’t make you sad. 

You go to the table, still messy from last night’s work. It never is clear. You always have scraps and bits littered over it, your sewing machine a permanent fixture on the worn wood. You sit and pick up the felt clump and go back to needling it to a discernible shape. 

Your brows nearly meet in the middle for your focus and it isn’t until the record begins to skip that you sit up. That damn kink is back. Your own fault. Can’t be mad at anyone but yourself. 

You flip the record and let it play out. When it’s over, you shut off the player. You eat the leftovers you’ve been parsing out for the week and settle in for your favourite romcom. It’s cheesy and a little lame but you only have to keep yourself happy. Or try to. 

You leave your plate on the coffee table and hunker down to finish the movie. You’re tired when it’s over but know you won’t sleep. So you go back to the table and work as the rain slows to a lazy rhythm. Your eyelids droop, your shoulders too, but you persist. 

The windows grow dark and there is only the distant shine of streetlights and few windows in the neighbouring buildings. You stare out at the blurring haze and it fades to a deep grey. You wake leaning back in the chair, your head hanging off your neck. You groan as you sit up and curse your carelessness. 

It won’t make work any less intolerable. You check the time ticking away on the clock that came with the apartment. You can get another hour or two. You get up and trod off to bed, not bothering to shut off the lights. You don’t sleep well in the pitch black. 

You fall into bed and just as quickly find yourself unbearable awake. All those little doubts and fears rise up to the surface and have you drowning just below. This is why you end up sleeping upright or folded over. Trying never works for you. Not at anything. 

[rabbitblackx]

Brahms,bubba,nubbins and chop-top reactions to s/o reader pulling a Rick grimes and biting into someone neck and ripping out their carotid artery 💀

Warning: Violence

Slashers when Reader bites out someone’s jugular

Includes: Nubbins, Bubba, Chop-Top and Brahms

Nubbins Sawyer💖

A victim had gotten loose from her seat at the dinner table. She leaped from the chair and bolted for the door. You stood up from next to Nubbins, attempting to block her way. The girl tackled you to the ground, eyes blazing with fear and adrenaline

Drayton ordered Bubba to grab his saw, while Nubbins ran to your aid. But before he could even pull out his knife, you lifted your mouth up to the girl’s neck and bit down. The victim screamed, desperately trying to claw at your face as you tore out her jugular with your teeth

The young woman fell off of you, gurgling and trembling on the floor. You shakily rose to your feet, blood smeared all around your lips. Nubbins laughed gleefully, kneeling down by the dying girl

“Look what you did!” He giggled, looking back at you excitedly. “You got that bitch good!”

The victim fell still, clutching her gaping throat. Nubbins lifted her up and roughly threw her back onto the chair, her wide eyes staring blankly at you from across the room. Bubba and Drayton came back, glad they didn’t have to do any work

Much to Drayton’s dismay though, Nubbins came in close to you and hungrily licked at the fresh blood on your lips

“That was so hot, baby.” Nubbins giggled in your ear, clinging to you like his life depended on it

He hooked an arm around your waist and pushed you flush against him. He slammed his lips onto yours in a big wet kiss, licking at the inside of your bloody mouth

Bubba Sawyer💖

You were trying to tie a victim to a dining chair, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. He screamed in your face, squirming and kicking like a brat. The man was strong, and managed to break out of your hold. He tackled you to the floor, wrapping his hands around your throat

“Bubba, get yer saw! Get yer saw—!” You wheezed

Bubba bolted to the other room to grab his chainsaw, squealing in fear. You were going to just wait for him, but your vision began to blur. As the man tightened his grip around your neck, his own grew all the more tasty looking…

You shot your head up, teeth bearing as you drove them into his throat. Your victim gasped in pain, choking on his own blood as you bit down hard. He yanked himself off you, a chunk of his throat in your mouth

Bubba ran into the room with his chainsaw, but paused. The man hit the floor with a thud, blood pooling from his throat. Your masked boyfriend watched in awe as you spat out the bloody jugular, wiping your mouth with your arm

Bubba carelessly dumped the saw by the man’s body, rushing over to grab the sides of your face. He sputtered out some frightened gibberish, trying to ask if you were okay

“I’m fine, Bubba.” You giggled, beaming a big red smile

Bubba smeared the blood along your cheek with his thumb, before letting it travel to your lips. You obediently parted them for him, gazing lovingly at the man as he slid it over your wet tongue

Chop-Top Sawyer💖

Chop-Top and Bubba held a screaming girl down by the bucket, letting grandpa give her a good whack with the hammer. You and Drayton stood back unimpressed, just waiting for it to be over. Grandpa weakly lifted the hammer over his head, throwing it down but missing her head. Chop-Top let go of the girl to grab it, and that was when she broke free

You and Drayton were blocking one of the exits, so she shoved him away. Before she could do the same to you, you gripped her wrist and dig your nails into her flesh. The girl screamed profanities, pouncing on you and pulling at your hair. As your back hit the floor, you heard Chop-Top shouting at her to get off you

Before any of the boys could help you, you shot up and bit down hard into the girl’s neck. You shook your teeth a little, tearing up her jugular. Your victim bashed at your shoulders weakly, her blood spilling from the both of your lips. Just as she went limp on top of you, she was forcefully torn off by Chop-Top

“Baby! You okay?” He exclaimed

You turned your head and spat out the bloody jugular on your tongue. You gazed back up at him, blood all over you

“Yeah, I’m—mmm!”

Chop-Top interrupted your sentence with a passionate kiss, kneeling over you with a fistful of you shirt. He slid his tongue into your mouth, lapping up any blood he could get

Brahms Heelshire💖

You sat up in bed one night when you heard a sound from downstairs. You looked down at Brahms sleeping beside you, then back at the door. Thinking it was probably just a rat in the trap or something, you headed down to investigate

As you turned on the kitchen lights, you noticed the rat cage sat empty by the fridge. You turned to head back to bed, but was met with the sturdy chest of a hooded man. You went to scream, but his gloved hand wrapped around your throat. You wheezed and gagged, bashing at his shoulder as he strangled you

The intruder backed you into the breakfast table, slamming you onto it. As your vision began to blur, adrenaline hit you like a truck. You suddenly grabbed either side of his head, and pulled him down to your teeth. The man’s hand immediately let go of your throat, as your mouth latched around his own

You couldn’t believe yourself when his jugular was torn off, and landed right on your tongue. The intruder fell back onto the kitchen floor, gurgling in pain and clutching his gaping wound. You spat out his flesh, and watched in horror as he slowly died before you. Brahms finally rushed in, disheveled and stressed

“What happened?” He gasped

Seeing your bloody face, he completely ignored the dead man and raced over. You stared at him wide eyed, trying to form broken sentences. Brahms cupped your cheek, meeting your eyes in a fierce stare

“What happened?” He repeated sternly

Tears fell from your face, mixing in with the man’s blood. You bowed your head as your shoulders were wracked with sobs

“He… he tried to kill me. I—I didn’t mean to.” You cried uncontrollably

Brahms’ expression under his mask softened, and he pulled you into a hug. “It’s okay, dear.” He whispered, stroking your hair tenderly. “I’m proud of you…”

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This lovely 1928 Spanish villa in New Castle, IN looks in need of repair on the exterior, but the interior is beautiful. 5bds, 4ba, $779k.

Isn't this amazing? It's bringing the outdoors in, b/c it looks like a outside courtyard.

This is so beautiful, I wonder if they would leave the big plants. Look at the stairs and balcony. Love the arches, too. And, look at the wood & lattice leaded glass doorway on the left. The architecture is wonderful.

The ceiling is glass, so to block out too much sun and give it a real outdoorsy look, they've installed a canvas canopy with delightful yellow & white stripes.

The wood doorway opens to this living room with a fireplace and tall ceiling with wood beams.

The fireplace is stunning.

Very large dining room- it has 2 tables. The room has a lovely wall of wood accents and a matching wood ceiling.

Here's a wrought iron rail that blocks a steep step. The home has so many pretty touches. The floors are typically terra cotta in color, but a fancier style.

The kitchen is smallish, but there's a double stove and lots of cabinets.

Part of it is galley style and it's unique. Look at the scrolled wood door.

The mezzanine is beautiful with it's railings and arches.

The bedrooms are all large, but this is the primary. Look at the crown light fixtures.

This bedroom has a pitched wooden ceiling with a built-in desk.

Cute vintage bath.

Upstairs sitting room.

A larger vintage bath. This house has wonderful bathrooms. I hope the new owner doesn't renovate them.

One of the smaller bedrooms is an average size.

Look at the tile in this bath.

They use this basement room for storage, but there's a great stone fireplace down here.

Wow, this is a large wine cellar. It could use a little decor.

And, there's also a workshop down here. Looks like kitchen cabinets. I wonder if there was kitchenette.

There's a very large brick patio with a privacy wall.

The property is 2.90 acres, so there's a lot of land.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/800-Hawthorn-Rd-New-Castle-IN-47362/85350243_zpid/

[sp4ceboo]

Stray: Lee Dokyeom x Cat Hybrid!Reader

A/N: so there are a lot of hybrid AUs out there where the members are the hybrids but it got me thinking about dk with cat hybrid reader (i heard dk was allergic but dw i got it covered)

tw: 18+ because of eventual smut, swearing, hybrids are not treated well by society, a bit of trauma from reader being treated badly, reader doesn't have a home or food at the beginning, reader is extremely emotionally repressed whoops, mentions of death + starving, not really slow burn it's just long and has weird pacing because i refuse to cut out some bits, dk is a huge ball of sunshine, it starts off waffly but gets sm better i promise, cheating and breakup (not dk and reader),

wc: 11.7k (oops)

you'd had your dealings with humans, and most weren't pleasant

as a hybrid, you didn't fully belong with cats or humans

the latter often thought you were inferior, and treated you as much

you find your fully cat form is much more agreeable to your human form with ears - it feels less obvious that way, even though normal cats can smell that you're a hybrid

still, the world isn't kind, and you don't have a home

you'd stood up for yourself at your last job - a secretary in a huge office block - pointing out that you got a much lower salary than the comparable human employees, and had been promptly fired

briefly, a human couple had taken you in, but once they realised you were a hybrid, they kicked you out

which leaves you where you are now, wishing that you were just one or the other and not both

the winter is especially harsh this year, and your soft coat, matted from too many days on the streets, doesn't do much to keep out the cold

the wind is cutting, and you find yourself slinking through the back gardens of some low rise flats, wondering if anyone will spot you and think you're just a stray cat

you can't believe you're stooping this low, but you'd rather this than death by frostbite

like hell you're just going to give up now

it's not like you'd stay permanently without the home owners knowing you're a hybrid, anyway - you know how that ended last time

the muffled sound of laughter floats towards you, and you scale a fence, following the noises until you make your way into a rather overgrown garden

warm light spills through the glass doors, and you curl up on the patio, at the edge of the beam cast by the full kitchen

by full, you mean full

there must be over ten guys in there, all crammed shoulder to shoulder around the dining table, laughing raucously

they're all human, from what you can tell

you can feel a bit of the warmth seeping out from the miniature crack under the door, but before you dare inch forward, further into the light, one of them turns around

he's got a sweet face, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he laughs at one of his friend's jokes

the hackles on your back rise as you feel his gaze on you

you've learnt that when humans smile it doesn't always mean they're good people

retreating quickly, you find yourself thankful for the crowded garden, slinking behind a bush to get out of sight

you immediately feel the lack of warmth, the laughter more muffled from here

for some reason, an empty feeling wells up inside you, like you lost something

like you strayed from the path of your destiny

but deep inside you, the survival instincts tug you away from the warm kitchen and the warm smiles

those instincts haven't failed you yet, so why would they fail you now?

however, despite your so called survival instincts, you find yourself in the same garden a week later

again

you'd visited a few times, but they didn't really count, because all you did was peer furtively over the fence, ears swivelling vigilantly

you'd caught sight of the guy who spotted you before, peering outside and frowning

you assume he's the one who owns the bottom floor flat

you hope he was wondering if he should get his garden in order, because if he was, you whole heartedly agree - you almost poked yourself on the brambles a few times

right now, the Guy is washing up, his sleeves rolled up and his hair a bit of a mess, elbow deep in the soapy sink water

his glasses keep falling down his nose

the kitchen lights are on - it's almost dark, and the night's chill is creeping further into your bones

it's been so long since you've been inside that you find indoor lights kind of... mesmerising

it might seem strange, but you almost crave the fake yellow light the light bulbs give off

the Guy suddenly stops washing up and you almost fall off the back fence that you're perched on, thinking he's seen you

then he bobs his head in time to a beat you can't hear while busting out some quite respectable dance moves, and you realise he's just listening to music

it must be some pretty good music - now he's singing, and you can hear it faintly

wow, he's good

he also looks pretty engrossed

that's your queue; you jump down from the back fence, your paws pattering against the frosty patio as you approach

there's something that always draws you back here

and it's not just because of the warm air radiating from his badly insulated flat

still, you're wary - he might seem friendly, and you might feel a certain pull towards him, but that doesn't mean anything

lots of things have felt right that weren't

you're not making any mistakes this time

you're tired of being mistreated because you're a hybrid, and tired of being seen as a pet and not a person

never mind if this ends with the Guy feeding you caviar some cats could only dream of, if he looks at you funny, you're not going to even set foot in his mess of a garden again

with that thought, you curl up beside the glass door, happy to bask in the lingering warmth from the kitchen and enjoy the artificial light

turning your head, you peer at the Guy over the lip of the door

his shoulders are turned in your general direction, but he's looking studiously at the dishes in the sink, shimmying his shoulders and tapping his foot along to the rhythm of the music, so you decide to stay a little longer

that's when the grey clouds coalescing above you decide to start snowing

you feel the fur on your sides fluff up in response, and you wrap your tail around your paws, edging an inch closer to the door

the air is bitingly cold, and you wonder if you'll make it through the night if the snow settles

you haven't eaten a real meal in ages, and you're suddenly aware that it means your poor little cat body has even less insulation

you're certain that if you don't find shelter soon, tonight will be your last

but do you really want to seek help from some random human?

it's ended badly before, but you know it could have ended worse

you won't let that happen again

abruptly, you stand up, tail lashing in irritation at yourself - like hell you're going to come crawling into some human's home, ears pinned back like you need their help

it's not your fault you were born a fucking hybrid

you're halfway down the patio when a warm gust of air blasts down your spine

you wonder if hallucinating heat is an early symptom of hypothermia but continue resolutely making your way towards the back fence

'hey,'

you whip around, a snarl half forming on your face in shock, but it's just the Guy

he leans in the doorway, a smile on his face and his eyes sparkling

'you can come in, if you want.'

the warmth coming from inside his flat is absolute bliss

you're a metre away from the open door, but you can feel your bones defrosting, and you know however hard you try, you can't leave now

not now that he's offered

not when his kind smile triggers not zero, but minus one alarm bells in your head

you approach but hesitate, knowing you're being too quick to give in - he doesn't know you're a hybrid, and you don't know if he's secretly evil and plans to skin you as soon as you step through the door

just to be safe, you stop just out of kicking distance, staring up at him quizzically

surely, he wouldn't voluntarily let a hybrid into his house - you're much more expensive to look after than pets, because you'd basically be another human in the house who can't earn enough to pay bills

you're considering backing out, even with that delicious heat emnating from his kitchen, when he moves to the side so you have a clear path in

your eyes widen a little

you feel like he's being too nice

he laughs a little at your indecision, squatting down so he looks smaller and less intimidating

'come on. i know it must be way too cold out there. i'll let you out whenever you want to leave, if that's what you want.'

that's the final straw

you step over the threshold and bolt

you're not even sure where you're going, but you swerve away from a room where there are clothes strewn over a chair and the desk filled with clutter - that's definitely his bedroom

the only other room that isn't the bathroom or the kitchen is a dusty room full of cardboard boxes and a bed with no sheets on it

a guest room, you assume

flattening yourself against the floor, you crawl under the bed

quickly, you tuck yourself behind one of the boxes which had been artfully stuffed underneath the bed

once you're settled, it occurs to you that that was frankly rude of you

the Guy let you into his flat, and the first thing you do is sprint past him and invade his guest room

but then again, he probably thinks you're just some feral cat who he saved from becoming a feline icicle, so your behaviour would make sense

you tense when you hear footsteps pass the door, but he doesn't come in, just walks into what you assume is the bathroom

a few minutes later, you hear the shower turn on, and you relax a little more

maybe he'll let you be for now

curling your tail over your nose to stop yourself from snorting in the ridiculous amounts of dust under the bed, you wedge yourself further behind the box and close your eyes

it's amazingly warm in the Guy's flat, you'll give him that

warm enough that despite the hunger that's been gnawing at your stomach for the past week, you find yourself falling into a sleep deeper than you've been able to reach for ages

you'll get to sorting out the details of your little invasion of his flat in the morning

for now, you're happy to sleep

when you wake up, he's gone

understandably, though - he must work pretty hard to afford a nice-ish flat like this, and it is also twelve noon

unfortunately, he doesn't appear to have any cat flaps, so that means you'll have to momentarily shift into your very naked human form to let yourself out the back door

you wonder if you should check in his fridge if he's got anything to eat, but then you decide against it - he's already given you a place to stay for the night, no need to eat his food as well

ignoring the call of the fridge and the shower, you pad over to the back door, pausing when you see something propped against the glass

it's a little whiteboard, and as you approach, you make out the writing

it's got 'hi, i'm dokyeom, dk for short :D' written across the top, with a little flow chart beneath

it starts with two options: 'are you a hybrid' with a box for ticking under 'yes' and 'no'

under the option for 'no', it says 'i'll buy cat food' and under 'yes', it says 'there are spare clothes in the guest room and towels in the bathroom (both clean, don't worry), help yourself to anything in the fridge'

you sit down on your haunches, shocked

so he did consider that you could be a hybrid?

and he's alright with it?

plus, he managed to leave clothes in the room you were sleeping in, and you didn't wake up?

maybe your instincts aren't as good as you thought

or maybe your body thought you were safe last night - safe enough to not wake you up when the Guy (dokyeom, you've learnt from the mini whiteboard) came in

you cock your head, staring at the whiteboard for a few moments longer before making your decision

honestly, it's not hard to choose

you make your way to the bathroom, already eagerly anticipating a shower

sure enough, he's left a towel on the rail, and you're quick to hop into the shower, shifting into your human form and turning up the heat high

it's strange to be out of your cat form, your body suddenly seeming too large and ungainly, your senses immediately dulled

but in a way, it's also freeing - you haven't been able to be like this in ages, as clothes unfortunately don't shift with you from cat to human form

you feel more real this way

that's the problem: you can't exist as just one or another, both animal and human are part of your soul, your essence - you can't just pretend that one half of you doesn't exist

eventually, you drag yourself out of the shower

you're aware that he might have limited hot water, and what kind of guest would you be if you used it up before he even got a chance to get home?

wrapping the towel around you, you slip into the guest room to put on the clothes he'd left there

it's a pair of black tracksuit bottoms, a large white t-shirt and a grey hoodie, all obviously his

even in your human form, you can smell the mixed scents on his clothes

there's the fresh smell of clean laundry, a hint of aftershave, and his own unique scent: you can't quite put your finger on it, but it feels... cosy

it's a smell that's all over his house, actually

barefoot, you enter the kitchen again, scooping the whiteboard off the floor so you can write on it

you tick the box under 'yes'

underneath that, you write a quick note:

'thanks for letting me stay. i'll be out of your hair in no time, i just needed somewhere for the night. you're very kind, dk. thank you so much :))'

signing your name and setting the whiteboard down on the counter on the way to the fridge, you rummage around, wondering what you can cook

you're pleasantly surprised - the contents of his fridge aren't awful, and although they could be organised a little better, it's thankfully not full of expired ready meals or anything like that

feeling better than you've felt in ages, you wander around his kitchen until you find his rice cooker, and then you get cooking

you're absolutely ravenous, but you make sure to make enough for him too - he's been unnecessarily kind to you, this is the best you can do for him

you're just finished washing up your dishes when your instincts prickle

it's a sensation that happens a lot when you're in your human form - it means that your cat form would be picking up something that your human senses are too dull to detect

rushing back to the bedroom, you slip out of the clothes he laid out for you, hastily folding them before shifting back to your cat form

logically, you have no reason to fear

he's been nothing but kind to you, but he's still a human

and humans aren't always as nice as they seem

you feel so much more secure in your cat form - smaller, faster, better at avoiding sticky situations, better at surviving

your ears twitch as you hear a key scrape in the lock

that must be him - dk

you stand indecisively in the middle of the guest room, your claws sinking unconsciously into the carpet before you hastily retract them

by then, he's toed his shoes off and is in the kitchen

you hear a soft 'oh'

he's probably found the whiteboard on the counter, moved from where he left it, and the dinner you cooked for him

he calls your name then, and you almost jump out of your skin before you remember you wrote it on the whiteboard

feeling far too nervous, you trot out into the corridor, nudging the kitchen door open before entering

he's right there, leaning against the counter, his smiling eyes bright as he looks down at you

this is the first time you've really seen him, really realised you let your guard down and allowed some random guy to let you into his house

he looks absolutely huge

like, he could crush your cat form in his bare hands if he wanted to you, although you realise that's not that great of a feat considering your small stature

he would also tower over your human form, but then again, that's not much of an achievment

still, it makes you take a small step back

humans have unquestioned power over hybrids - you're pretty sure if he killed you right here and now, no one would know or care

and if someone did know, the case would be as likely to make it to court as you are likely to become a billionare next week

your hackles begin to rise, and you mentally run through your escape options

unfortunately, none avoid you shifting into your naked human form, even if it's just for a few seconds

you're beginning to panic

a lot

but then, he crouches down, just like last night

slowly, keeping his movements predictable, he reaches his hand out towards you

'i won't hurt you,'

you relax just a tiny bit, ears twitching, waiting to see what he'll say next

'promise.'

of their own accord, your hackles lower, and you find yourself inching towards his outstretched hand

'you don't have to leave, you know. it would be nice to have some company. plus, i don't want to make assumptions, but i'd rather not let you go if you have nowhere else to stay.'

part of your brain wonders why he's being so nice

the other part, the part that you've shoved down for so long, surfaces like a long lost ache, reminding you how lonely you are, reminding you how much you miss simple human interaction

dipping your head forward, you sniff at his broad palm, before lightly licking his fingertips

he chuckles, albeit a little nervously, as if he's scared you're going to bolt at any second (to be fair, if you were him, you wouldn't write off that option either)

his other hand comes up to rub behind your ears, and your eyes close at the feeling

the beginnings of a purr start to form in your chest, and you know that's when your fate is sealed

the permanence of that thought unsettles you

pulling away, you head towards the radiator, settling close to it, glad that your cat form means that you don't have to talk to him

he grins brightly at you, picking up the plate you left on the counter and putting it in the microwave for warming up

'thanks for the dinner, but you know you don't owe me anything, right?'

you blink up at him from your spot on the floor

he's literally the kindest human you've ever met

then again, you haven't met very many kind humans

that night you sleep curled up on the sofa - it's much more comfortable than wedged underneath a bed, and his cushions smell nice

in the morning, you hear dk get up, but he tip toes around quietly

cracking an eye open, you yawn, eyes blinking into focus as you watch him quickly scribble on the whiteboard, his brow furrowed in concentration

he glances your way, and for some reason, it shoots a bolt of panic through you, and you duck your head back down, closing your eyes

it's not that he's threatening - quite the opposite

it's just that you're not used to this; not used to being in such close proximity with another being for prolonged periods of time, not used to interaction with humans after avoiding them for your own sake for so long

you hear some shuffling, the sound of the fridge door, and then his footsteps approach

as he walks past, he brushes a hand lightly down the soft fur of your back, as if in greeting

you almost twitch at the feeling

you wonder how long it's been since you've let anyone come that close

not daring to move a hair, you wait until you hear him ease the front door shut

the second he's gone, you jump up, eager to see what he wrote on the whiteboard

it's on the counter, so you shift into your human form and put on some clothes - you're not sure what his rules about paws on tables are

there's a fresh t-shirt on the guest room bed, but you opt to wear the one you wore yesterday

a smile plays on your lips as you read what he wrote

it's a short but sweet message extolling the virtues of your cooking and telling you to help yourself to the fridge again, followed by a question asking if what food you would like and whether you prefer cat food

still grinning, you write your reply, explaining how you can eat both human and cat food and how you love tuna in either form, adding a short shopping list of ingredients and asking how his day was

once you're done, you decide to explore his flat properly

it consists of two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a tiny room with a washing machine and various bits and bobs crammed inside, and the kitchen which sort of melds with the living room (if you could call the couch and TV in one corner a living room)

you spend most of your time snooping around his bedroom, just to sate your curiosity

it's not neat, but it's not messy either, and the smell of him is strongest in there

you're sure his desk should be buckling under the combined weight of his pc and the impressive amount of paraphanalia that's collected upon it

it's not that it's dirty - it's actually pretty orderly, there's just... a lot of stuff

there's a mug full of pens which says 'dude kisser' on it (you're not going to question that one), a haphazard stack of books - the top one of which has a fuzzy bookmark sticking out, a pile of mismatching keycaps, a group photo of dk and twelve other guys with moustaches and other flattering things lovingly drawn on, and tons more stuff you couldn't explain even if you tried

the chair has a lot of clothes draped over it: nice, comfy clothes, like the ones he's lended you

you're tempted to explore further into his room, but you feel kind of rude so you scuttle back to the kitchen/living room to make the happy discovery that he owns a nintendo switch

that means he probably has some more complicated games lurking around but you're happy to settle with mario kart for now

it's not something you've played before, although you've heard some of your human ex-colleagues talking about it

by the time dk returns, though, you're a pro

well, maybe not a pro, but not inept, either

by then you've made dinner and left it out for him like yesterday - you feel kind of weird doing nothing but playing video games while he goes to work, and at least cooking for him makes you feel a little useful and not like some awful parasite taking advantage of him

he tells you about his day as he eats at the dinner table while you sit in cat form on the chair next to him

he smiles the whole time, and you find yourself relaxed and content, infected by his happy virus

once he's done with his debrief, he unthinkingly asks how your day was

you look at him and give him your best deadpan meow

he laughs and you find it a bit dazzling - he hands away smiles as if they're free, and honestly it kind of restores your faith in humanity

'what if you blink twice for yes and once for no? how about that?'

you blink twice at him

dk grins, his eyes lighting up; he's so excited you can almost imagine him clapping his hands and kicking his legs like an enthusiastic little kid

'do you like pineapple on pizza? is it wrong to wear socks and sandals? how about socks in bed? are tomatoes a fruit? is it right to have toilet paper over? or do you like it under?'

he bombards you with random yes or no questions, each one getting weirder than the last, but you find his delight in your answers is more than enough to let him continue

after about half an hour, he either runs out of questions or decides to spare you, asking instead whether you want to watch a movie

that's how you end up curled up on the sofa beside him

he'd insisted on a horror movie, even though you'd said no, very clearly blinking only once

you would leave but you think it's kind of entertaining how bad the makeup and plot are and how violent his reactions are (they consist of a lot of flailing and terrified squeaks)

despite your reluctance to watch a horror movie, he's actually more scared than you are

the poor thing is tense as anything, his mouth hanging half open as he stares wide eyed at the tv, transfixed

you're actually too busy watching him that when the jump scare pops up on screen, you jump about a foot high, landing hissing on his lap with your tail all fluffed up

your claws accidentally come out and prick him through his jeans and he yelps

'ouch - shit - ow - '

you hop off his lap and watch him dramatically curse and pretend to be wounded, both of you distracted from the movie now

eventually he calms down and goes back to watching, but not before he picks you up and plops you back on his lap, one hand anxiously smoothing down your back as you both wait for the next jump scare

after a while he goes so far as to pick you up and hold you to his chest, hiding his face in your fur every time the music warningly crescendos, whispering to you how utterly terrified he is

even still, his grip stays loose enough for you to move away at any time if you want

you'd think that after your previous experiences with humans, you'd hate him anywhere near you, but you don't

you don't mind it at all

it's kind of ridiculous actually, the way you feel safer than you have in months when he clutches you to him while watching a literal horror movie

you don't think much of it though

he's just a guy who's letting you stay for a bit

you don't plan to stick around

a week later, you find yourself writing an apology on the whiteboard that you'd been putting off since watching the movie

dk is welcoming and warm and friendly but you're sure he must be wondering why you haven't shifted into your human form yet

sometimes, you wonder that yourself - there's something in his eyes that instantly puts you at ease

the day before yesterday, you'd planned it, changing into your clothes - his clothes, and sitting on the sofa, ready to greet him, but the moment you heard his footsteps up to the front door, you just couldn't

your cat form still feels so much safer, even though you have nothing to fear

well, apart from all the explaining you'd have to do once you shift into a form with a tongue that can talk

you don't want to see the pity that would spring into his eyes, or worse, disgust

you're scared of the change it will bring

you're scared to let your walls down

you're scared to bare the soft, vulnerable part of your heart

clenching your teeth, you force yourself to relax, the marker in your hand shaking from how hard your fingers had been clenching around it

you lean against the counter for a while, writing messages then rubbing them out, needing to tell him why but also terrified of what he'll say

solitude has been your only companion for so long, you find that you don't have the words to express what you feel

you don't know how to tell him how you hadn't realised how lonely you were until he let you in

you don't know how to articulate the warm feeling inside you when he smiles at you, as if he doesn't care whether you're a human or a hybrid - because he doesn't

you don't know how to say how eternally grateful you are to him for finding something soft and gentle and innocent within you that you thought you lost years ago

in the end, you decide to keep it short, an apology that feels more like an excuse, but it's the best you can give him

sure, you don't plan to stay here with him forever, but you owe it to him anyway

your restless for the remainder of the day, pacing around the flat and the garden for a little too, tail lashing agitatedly

you've almost convinced yourself to go and rub out your message completely when you hear the front door open and dk comes in, calling out that he's home

peeking around the corner, you see him down the hallway but he doesn't spot you

he's got a strange look on his face, one you can't decipher yet, and there's a flowery scent on him that you've smelled only one time before

you wait just out of sight, not wanting to see his face as he reads

slowly, you venture out, feeling far more nervous than you should be

he sits down on the floor opposite you as soon as he spots you, signalling for you to do the same by patting the spot in front of him

you sink down on your haunches and curl your tail over your feet, nerves a tight ball in your chest

'you don't have to shift if you don't want to.'

the words immediately give you space to breathe, and you feel kind of silly for being so worked up about it all day

'i know hybrids aren't treated well at all, and i'm okay with whatever form you feel most comfortable in, you know? you can shift when you're ready, and whether that's tomorrow or in a decade or never, that's fine. you don't owe me anything.'

your chest feels tight at the earnesty of his words, and you know that if you were in your human form right now, tears would be welling up in your eyes

getting up, you close the gap between the two of you and rest your shoulder against his knee, needing to show your gratitude, needing to be closer to him

he rests his wide palm on your back, a silent assurance

'it's nice to have you here. i used to share with a bunch of my friends - the ones coming over tonight that i told you about this morning, actually - and sometimes it gets lonely in a flat all by myself. i like talking with you.'

you meow, nuzzling against his other hand as he lifts it to stroke the silky spot between your ears

it's amazing, how simple his words are but how he can use them so well, articulating how he feels so boldly

he smiles down at you and you look back up at him, leaning against his hand before he gets up, groaning and cracking his back

his friends will be here soon

he'd warned you this morning, informing you they were noisy but harmless and that if you didn't want to see them, you could hole up in the guest room

they're the first people he's had over since your first night in his flat, and you feel kind of nervous about so many humans, but dk will be there, and you're determined to at least attempt to meet them

anyways, if they're all anywhere close to him, you'll have no problems

still, you stay in the guest room, ears twitching with each arrival

they laugh and chat, their voices carrying through the flat as they jokingly rib each other

occasionally, they have a little karaoke break where they all stop talking to sing along to the song playing on dk's speaker

then there'll be peals of laughter that follow, usually after an exaggerated falsetto note or a scuffling noise which you assume is dancing

it's after their laughter dies down a little when you finally whip up the courage to approach

poking your head into the kitchen, you peer in

there's twelve of them, not including dk, all sitting around the dining table, an array of soju bottles and mainly empty takeaway boxes arranged around them

you're pretty sure they're the same group that you saw the first time you found yourself in dk's garden

one of them spots you in the doorway, and he grins, leaning with his elbows on his knees and opening his palms to you

cautiously, you trot over to him, and he scoops you up, tickling your chin

one of dk's friends across the table gapes at you - he's a bit more drunk than the others (or he holds his liquor less well), and the guy you're sitting on chuckles at his expression

'dk, you got a cat?'

that's the drunk one speaking, his speech a little slurred as his eyes well up with tears

he's a sad drunk, it seems

'dk, you're a dad - '

dk scratches the back of his neck, watching his friend sniffle

'well, hoshi, not a dad, but - '

the guy still holding you adjusts you in his grasp, letting you catch the thoughtful frown on his face

'why didn't you tell us? i thought you were al - '

he's cut off by a sassy looking guy

'jun, just because you want to have a baby shower for a cat doesn't mean all the rest of us do.'

this causes absolute chaos, and the one holding you - jun - lets you down on the floor so he can stand up in order to argue with the sassy guy about the benefits of cat baby shower

navigating your way through the mess of legs under the table, you make your way over to dk

he grins and rubs the spot behind your ears, and you lick his palm before someone grabs you around the middle and cuddles you

you hear dk telling the boys to be careful and it warms your heart a little that he's still looking out for you

he doesn't need to be worried, though

dk's friends are as sweet as he is

you sit with the boys for the rest of the evening

they all leave eventually, trickling out in ones and twos

the last one left is the one they call cheol - he seems to be the protector of the group, and he makes sure dk is alright and helps him clear up a little before he leaves too

once he's out of the door, dk crouches down in front of you

'you okay?'

you blink twice and he grins

'they can be pretty overwhelming and noisy at first, but they're my best friends.'

there's pride shining in his eyes, and you can't help but agree with him - despite their banter, you could tell that they care so much for each other, and for him

'i didn't know whether you wanted them to know you were a hybrid or not, i hope you don't mind that,'

you blink twice again, meowing and padding forward to rub against his shins

you're not quite sure what makes you do that, what primal part of you tells you to put your scent on him, but he chuckles, smile as bright as the sun as always

he scratches at the spot behind your ear and you purr, leaning your head into his touch

'oh - '

you look up, the wonder on his face making it seem like he just made you sprout wings and flash neon

it's cute that he's so proud that he's made you purr

it's been a few months since you first started staying with dk, long enough for the two of you to have a little routine

you cook and clean and generally try to make yourself as helpful as you can around his house while he's at work

he'll write a message for you on the whiteboard every morning, and you'll write your reply during the day

you always come out to greet him at the front door, no matter what

then he'll eat the dinner you made and answer your whiteboard message

from then on, you'll watch a movie with him or just chat

your communication has become easier - sometimes, he'll get his laptop out and you'll type what you're saying, but recently he's gotten scarily good at reading your body language

and no, you still have not worked up the courage to shift into human form yet

you're studiously ignoring the fact that the longer you leave it, the harder it gets

you're also ignoring your previously stated intentions of not staying

you know that this can't go on forever, and even if dk can understand you to an extent, that's not enough and you cost him extra water bills and food

you know he's too kind to bring it up but it eats away at you inside

you're happy to remain blind to the fact that you can't have a proper conversation with him until you shift into human form for now

you tell yourself that you'll deal with it later, whenever later is

another thing that you refuse to acknowledge is your feelings

your fear that you won't be good enough if or when you show him your human form, your fear that you're a dead weight, and worst of all, the growing realisation that he's stupidly fucking handsome

you'd realised but you hadn't realised until one day, after he got back from the gym

his skin had been covered in a light sheen of sweat, and he told you he was going to shower before eating

you'd kind of just blinked at him, too entranced by the amount of skin his tank top was showing

like, what does this guy not have?

he took a little longer than normal in the shower - you heard him absolutely belting out the lyrics to some ballad you'd never heard before, so you trotted down the hallway to listen more closely

and then the door to the bathroom popped open, along with a billow of steam and a delicious lee dokyeom

there was a towel around his hips, low enough to make your stomach twist, and the water rolled down the planes of his chest in a way that made you want to shift into your human form right then and there, just to wrestle that towel off him and kiss him until you ran out of breath

instead, you yowled and jumped about a foot in the air

he just laughed, running a hand through his wet hair to push it out of his eyes before crouching down, telling you he didn't mean to scare you

you meowed and kept your eyes on his face, not on the gap that had opened in the towel due to his bent knees, and definitely not on the wonderful sliver of tanned thigh that showed

the image of dk, damp and glorious under the tinny light of his bathroom, cloaked in steam, often circles around your mind to this day

and it's not just that either - he's also funny and kind and sweet and you feel yourself drowning in his eyes when you look at him too long

just as a reminder: cats do not like water

let alone drowning

the sound of footsteps on the pavement outside dk's front door shake you from your thoughts

there's clearly two people, and you hear dk's voice as the key scrapes in the lock

he's speaking in a tone you've never heard before, low and emotionally charged, like he's angry

you peek into the hallway as the front door opens

dk steps in, followed by a girl you've never seen before, but her scent matches that flowery scent you've smelt on dk a few times before

something sinks inside you

you didn't think he had a girlfriend, which now, in hindsight, seems like a really, really stupid assumption

he's handsome and kind and considerate with a smile brighter than the sun

but then you notice something else - the obvious frown on dk's face

there's a sort of tension in the air, crackling and heavy, like a storm's brewing and there are dark clouds swarming above

she ignores it, instead spotting you and immediately crouching and patting her thighs to try and entice you over as dk shucks off his shoes, face like thunder

she says something to him in an airy voice about him not telling her he had a cat

he shrugs, not mentioning that you're a hybrid and staying silent, which kind of alarms you, because the dk you know is friendly, warm - even when he's angry, it's always firey, nothing like the frigid detachedness in his eyes right now

cautiously, you approach, not really sure what to expect - you're sure she's his girlfriend; now you think about it, you did hear dk's friends discuss it briefly, you just didn't understand at the time

she reaches out to stroke your back, but it brings the cuff of her oversized leather coat near your face

you get a smothering whiff of heavy, masculine cologne that you know is not hers and is definitely not dk's

there's no hint of aftershave, no smell of fresh laundry, and not even a trace of that scent on him that makes you feel warm and comfy

and if this isn't her coat, and it's not dk's, then who's is it?

cheater

hissing, you recoil, your hackles up as you swipe at her hand with your claws out before she can lay a finger on you

you're kind of taken aback by the violence of your own reaction - the tension in the air must be getting to you, too

'oh. it doesn't like me much, you're sure it's not one of those hybrids, right?'

dk's frown deepens into a scowl you've never even seen a hint of on his face, his eyes flashing, filled with something absolutely livid

'let's talk in the kitchen.'

he doesn't even look at her when he says it, and as he turns to go, you can see how hard he's clenching his jaw

you head to the guest room to give them privacy while dk's girlfriend slinks after him

even across the apartment, you can hear too well

it's partly your enhanced cat hearing and partly that new timbre in dk's voice - he's not yelling, nowhere close, but his words carry through the walls

it's the angriest you've ever heard him

you've seen him angry before; frustrated, annoyed, down right incensed, but it always passes quickly, the sun breaking through the clouds with ease - dk doesn't hold grudges

you catch 'cheating' from his sentence, and then suddenly, his girlfriend raises her voice, like she's the one who should be angry, screaming that she doesn't get why he's so worked up over this

that's the exact moment where you want to march into the kitchen and fucking injure her, somehow

punching her in human form would be preferable but you'd be down to claw her eyes out in cat form too

who is she, to cheat on dk, the kindest man alive, then tell him it's nothing? tell him she doesn't know why he's worried?

she doesn't know what she's taking for granted, and she's a fool for that

plus, from what you can hear, he's being half as angry as he really deserves to be, anyway

you sit there in a tense, seething ball of rage, protective and furious on dk's behalf until he puts his foot down

his voice is quieter, more subdued, but he's moved to the kitchen door and you hear him clearly

'get out.'

mentally, you pump your fist in triumph - he should have kicked her out the moment she had the audacity to tell him he shouldn't be getting so worked up about her cheating

in fact, he should have never have let her in in the first place

you hear her screech something over her shoulder about breaking up, as if that wasn't already obvious

honestly, you're kind of embarrassed on her behalf

she should be winning awards for how far her head is up her own ass

dk shuts the door behind her

he doesn't even slam it, just eases it closed like he always does and plods to his room

you hear the rustle of the blankets as he slumps down on the bed, hear the shaky sigh he lets out, and then the heavy silence

you get up and go to his room - the door is ajar, so you peek in

you don't go in; he has every reason to want to be alone, so you hover in the doorway

he lifts his head up and gives you a valiant smile

he looks exhausted

you hop up onto the bed and wait, not wanting to crowd him if he doesn't want contact, but he picks you up and sets you on his chest

you can tell he's fighting with his words as he formulates something to say to you

he stares up at the ceiling, avoiding your eyes until he covers his own with his arm, hiding the upper half of his face in the crook of his elbow

'i found out she was cheating this morning, but i'd suspected it for a while before. i wanted to talk it through with her, give her a chance, you know?'

he squirms and you realise your claws are coming out and poking his chest so you withdraw them and attempt to relax

'she told me i was overreacting, and... yeah. i guess i should have listened to my mum. she's always right.'

he laughs, but it's a loose, raw sound that echoes weakly around the room, and he still won't look at you or uncover his eyes

there's a moment of silence, thick and suffocating with heartache

a sob wrenches from his chest

it's a sharp, painful sound, like he's been holding it in for hours

the floodgates open

dk covers his face with trembling hands, tears leaking out from under his palms

you never thought seeing someone else cry would hurt this much

nudging his hand with your nose, you let him hold you close, rubbing your cheek against his and gently lapping the tears off his face, even as they soak your fur

you feel helpless, like the pieces of his heart are in your hands and you don't know how to fit them back together

he just clings to you, eyes tight shut as his sobs begin to subside

you stay there with him, wishing you could do more as he hides his face in your fur and hugs you close to him

you don't know what that girl was thinking when she decided to cheat on dk

actually, she probably wasn't thinking at all

you kind of want to tell him he's too kind and trusting for his own good, but you know that even if dk was capable of not being like that, he would choose to be the way he is

his hand strokes down your back, and you watch him from where you rest your head on his collarbone

he's staring at the ceiling, and although his eyes are red and a bit puffy and he's sniffling, his crying has subsided a little

dk props himself up on his elbows and gives you a sad smile

'sorry about that. and thanks, too, i - i needed that.'

you huff, tail flicking and smacking against his abdomen - as if he needs to be sorry

nuzzling into the hand he brings up to rub your head, you lick his palm, nudging it with your nose

then you hop off the bed and wait for him to follow you into the kitchen so he eats his dinner

you don't take your eyes off him, not even when he goes to sleep

you curl up in the corner, happy to sleep on the carpet, but he pats the mattress next to him and you can't refuse

it's nice, to sleep beside dk, his body warm and near as he reaches across the bed to run his hand down the fur of your spine and beckon you closer

over the next months, you watch dk heal

you help him heal, too

at least, you hope you do

you make sure to stick close to him

you've slept curled up at the foot of his bed every night since the day of the break up

he calls his mum the day after, and a few of his friends too

he stays strong and determinedly brave in front of the boys, not shedding a tear, but he cries on the phone to his mum

he also cries over a few emotionally fraught kdramas during the first week before you sit on the remote and refuse to move until he chooses another genre

truth be told, you were getting kind of sick of the same plot with different characters, and the pile of tissues on the coffee table in front of the sofa was growing frighteningly large

exactly a month has passed since the break up when, over his dinner, dk announces to you that he's finally installing cat flaps for you

he also mentions that he wants to introduce you to his friends properly, as who you are

the latter comment kind of makes you nervous

his friends are some of the most welcoming, commendable men you've ever interacted with, but a niggling part of your brain wonders if they'll be more sceptical than dk

what if they tell him you're taking advantage of him?

or that you're just a hybrid and don't deserve the kindness he's giving you?

because after all these months with dk, you realised you're not just staying for the roof over your head or the warm meals

you're staying because of dk

you care about him

a lot

not just because you're sort of a little bit hopelessly in love with him, but also because he's kind of... your best friend

he's so sweet and silly and and considerate and funny it makes you want to punch a wall sometimes

you'd protect him with your life

you don't really know how to say it to him, though

there's nothing more you can do in the house, and the words don't seem right on the whiteboard

you wait out the hours until he gets back from work, doing chores around the house or out exploring the neighbourhood through the newly installed cat flap in the back door

or singing in the shower, like you are now

dk's bathroom has very good acoustics

it means you can belt your heart out, happily knowing that dk won't be home for another few hours

you're singing one of the songs dk's friends had been singing the other night

it's kind of sad but also kind of a hoe anthem and the chorus has something about not understanding something - you don't remember the rest of the lyrics

it has a good tune, though, and your own singing combined with the splashing of the shower seals you off from the outside world

which means that when dk gets home early, you don't hear

originally, the only explanation for a female voice coming from his bathroom that he can think of is his ex, but that's dumb because she never had a key in the first place

also, her voice can't even compare to yours

because it is you, he realises

it's you in the shower right now, oblivious to the fact he's home early and is hearing your voice for the first time ever

a little bolt of nervous energy shoots through him, and he panics

what's he supposed to do? should he shout that he's home?

he decides he doesn't want to scare you just in case you panic, so he approaches slowly, hoping to knock on the door and let you know

he soaks up the sound of your voice, a smile playing on his lips, because of course you sound amazing

he's about to knock on the door when the handle turns

wait is all he gets out before suddenly, there you are, right in front of him, wrapped in a towel, cat ears peaking out from your hair that's dripping onto the tiled floor

his brain freezes

shit, you're pretty

you gape at dk

you didn't even hear him come in, let alone him walking down the hallway

this is probably karma from that one time you saw him fresh out of the shower

you'd known that it was inevitable for him to see you in human form at some point, whether it was intentional or not

you just didn't expect it to be so soon, and definitely not like this

oh no

he didn't hear your singing, did he?

instinctively, your hand comes up to make sure the towel around your chest is secure

you're seconds away from shifting and running, but you're rooted to the spot, paralysed by his eyes on you

he blinks a little, as if he's coming to his senses

'...hey,'

that's all he says, his voice soft and wondrous, his eyes sparkling the way they always do, sweet and inviting as the smile pulling at his lips

'hi,'

unfortunately for you, it comes out half strangled and breathy, but a grin immediately appears on his face, his eyes scrunching with happiness

he hasn't looked away once, gaze roving over your face as if he's committing you to memory, and you feel a hot blush begin to creep over you

'i, uh, let me go change.'

you scurry back into the bathroom, almost tripping over the bathmat as you shuck on a shirt and trousers, small tremors going through your hands

you tell yourself it's fine

because it is fine - you're not scared of dk, you trust him, it' just... you should have shifted for him ages ago

placing your hand on the door handle, you take a deep breath

turning back to the mirror, you hastily fix your hair before biting the bullet and opening the door

dk waits outside, leaning against the wall, still smiling

when you peek out, half hiding behind the door, his grin widens, and he opens his arms

you barely need to think, your body just moves, and then he's got you tight in his embrace, your nose pressed into his chest: just like that, any semblance of unease or self consciousness you were feeling evaporates like the space between you

slowly, you breathe in, then out

he smells like he always does - laundry, aftershave, and the scent that you've begun to associate with home

you sigh, resting your forehead on his chest so you don't have to look at him when you speak

'well, that wasn't so hard for me, was it?'

he laughs, eyes dancing, and with that, everything is back to normal

it doesn't matter which form you're in, it's still dk, and it's still you

you talk to him for ages - first over dinner, and then the two of you move to the couch, losing track of time as you fill him in, answering every question he fires your way

his sincerity makes your heart flutter: he clings onto your every word as if it's precious

in the end, you wind up telling him how you got to the situation you were in before

you lay yourself bare, letting your walls down for him to see the scars on your soul

you're not sure when the tears pricking at your eyes spill over, but dk wipes them away gently, spreading his arms for the second time tonight, letting you soak the front of his hoodie with your tears

he tucks your head against his shoulder, his hand rubbing up and down your back the way he always does

his heartbeat is comforting under your ear

you fall asleep like that, held safely in dk's embrace

things continue as normal, even with your human form revealed

you realise how stupid you were for worrying so much about things changing when you shifted into your human form

you talked to dk about how you feel like a burden, how although he doesn't mind, you don't like relying on him to pay the bills, and how you want to get a job

he reassured you that it was fine but after seeing the look of determination on your face, he realised there was no point in opposing you

so he pulls some strings (more like cheol pulls some strings) to get you a part time job in the local library

it's just three days a week, but the important thing is that you get paid and treated the same as any human would

your boss is a little old lady with very thick reading glasses

she bakes you cakes sometimes, and once she's fed you a slice or two, she forces you to take the rest home

it's not anything like your old job, but neither would you want it to be

it doesn't pay your bills either, but it's a happy compromise

dk claims that coming home every day to a meal that you cooked is worth the money of those bills a hundred times over, anyway

you also officially meet his friends

they're sweet, a bit noisy and chaotic at first, but they make sure to keep you included in the conversation despite all the private jokes that they seem to have

they act a bit like a huge family unit (they bicker like brothers)

despite their closeness with each other, it doesn't push you away

they didn't even care that you were a hybrid

you caught a knowing look pass between the one called joshua and the one called jeonghan when dk introduced you, but you're not really sure what it could have been about

you were probably just imagining it, to be honest

anyways, aside from occasionally attending their boys nights (on demand, they always clamour for you to join them), the little routine you and dk made is still very much the same

you still cook for him, except now you wait and eat dinner with him

there's never a dull moment with dk, and he makes you laugh until you can't breathe

he's made it his personal goal over dinner to make you laugh so hard you snort food up your nose again

you talk about everything and anything to him

he'll tell you about a funny thing at work and you'll tell him about a customer at the library and somehow that will bring you to a debate on hogwarts houses

today he sits across from you, the food on his plate already all long gone and eaten while you're just finishing up with yours

'you know, i'm allergic to cats.'

you gape

because he's what now?

'you're what now?'

'well, not to you, i guess. maybe you're hypoallergenic?'

now you think of it, you do remember one of his friends almost saying something about that the first time you ever saw them

it might have been jun, you can't quite remember

'you know, when you first sat next to me on the sofa, i was panicking because i didn't know what to do with cats.'

you snort

you address him as you get up, dumping your plate in the sink before proceeding to dive onto the sofa

'you didn't know what to do with cats? you just stroke us, dk.'

he follows suit, and you're propelled upwards due to the force that he lands on the sofa cushions with

'yeah, but it's different from how you stroke dogs. it doesn't matter, anyways, because i still got you to purr.'

he crosses his arms and smiles smugly

you throw back your head and laugh, realising why he looked so proud when he found the spot behind your ear

actually, you laugh so hard your stomach hurts, and it's only egged on by the small indignant noise that leaves him at your reaction

eventually, you need to catch your breath, and as you wipe the tears from your eyes, you glance over at dk

your heart lurches

he's staring

there's this look on his face, in his eyes, that burns

his lips are slightly parted, and suddenly the air between the two of you is charged in a way that makes your heartbeat pound loud in your ears

his gaze flicks down from your eyes, down to your mouth, then back up, and all of a sudden, you can't breathe

you can't even think as he leans closer, his breath ghosting over your lips

your head spins, fear and elation fighting for control

is he... is he going to kiss you?

his hand comes up to cup your cheek, his slender fingers warm and so undoubtedly right

like it's meant to be

'can i kiss you?'

his words come out so softly that you could almost believe you imagined them, if not for that look in his eyes

it's deep and immense, full of want, full of longing

it sweeps you up in its arms, promising you the love you only dare to dream of

it's beautiful

it's everything

also, it's fucking terrifying

panic grips your swelling heart and crushes it

he can't want you, he shouldn't - you're a hybrid, he's a human, it will never work, you'll just get hurt when he realises you're not good enough, when he realises how much harder it is to be associated with your kind, you can't disappoint him -

leaping off the sofa, you shift into cat form and sprint for the back door

you shoot right through the cat flap and run, legging it to the end of the garden and launching yourself over the fence

despite your speed, you still spare dk a backward glance

he sits, frozen on the sofa, his head turned towards you, eyes wide and bewildered

they're brimming with regret and what you'd like to imagine is sorrow

you never thought the ache of yearning in your chest would be returned, so you let it carve out a space for him in your heart

you didn't think he'd try to fill it, you didn't think he'd be dumb enough to want a hybrid like you

that night, you try to leave

you try to walk down the road, away from dk's house, away from dk and his comforting scent and warm hands

you can't

your soul seems tethered to his, and you can't bring yourself to cut the strings

you spend the night sitting in the garden next to his, tail curled around your paws, bathed in the glow of his kitchen lights that don't turn off until around three am in the morning

you shiver in the dark, fighting with yourself until you decide to go back, to talk it out with him because that's what he deserves

you hate to slink back to him after being such a coward, but you need him to know that you do want him, that if you were a human, if you were good enough for him, you would have kissed him in a heartbeat

quietly, you slip through the cat flap make your way into the guest room

it's changed so much since the first night you spent in it - dk moved most of the boxes out of it, making it your room, even though you sleep in his most of the time

there's a selfie of you and dk, wrapped up in blankets for movie night, and a group photo of you and the boys halfway through the most chaotic game of cards you've ever participated in

you're determined not to lose this, lose them

you're determined not to fuck this up more than you already have

quickly, you shift and change into your clothes, just to stand in the middle of the room, not entirely sure what to do with yourself

you remain there, silently fretting, until there's a soft tap on the door

your breath catches in your throat but you manage to wheeze out a somewhat convincing 'come in'

dk peeks in and leaves the door open - you're aware that he's left it that way to give you a clear escape route

he chews on his lip, running a hand through his hair, and you notice that he looks tired, as if he hasn't slept all night

'i heard you come in, and i just wanted to say that i... i'm sorry. i didn't mean to overstep the boundaries. i just - you're... i'm sorry i messed up. asking to, um, you know, wasn't a good idea on my part, i don't - i didn't know what i was doing, i kind of just...'

he sighs, looking at you sheepishly once he realises he was rambling

'please don't go?'

that's the moment you give in

you let go of it, of everything, and let yourself fly into freefall

stepping forward, you hook an arm around his neck, sinking your other hand into his hair, bringing his face down to yours to fit your lips to his

he makes a soft, awed noise, his fingers curling around your waist to press you closer to him

he tastes divine, like heaven, like the best kind of destiny

the feel of his lips against yours becomes everything you'll ever need

hesitantly, you begin to pull away, words already forming on your tongue, but then he darts forward to steal another sweet, sweet kiss from you, and then you're drowning in him again

he tangles his hands in your hair, his fingertips brushing over your ears, tracing their shape as if to show you that he doesn't care what you are

when he eventually breaks the kiss off, he presses a finger to your lips before you can draw a breath

'don't tell me i don't know what i'm getting into. i thought i lost you, i thought you were leaving, and i couldn't... please, just let me love you.'

he immediately cringes at his own words, and you let your head fall forward until your forehead rests against his chest, huffing out a laugh

'i'm sorry i freaked out before, i - i got scared. then i didn't know what to do so i just kind of ran. i didn't mean to scare you.'

he pouts cutely, in a way that makes you want to poke his cheeks

'well, you did. i - '

you cut him off with a kiss, just to taste him again if not to shut him up

his hands find your hips, drawing you closer to him

'i think i love you.'

the confession slips out of you, mumbled onto his lips before you can stop it, but all he does is smile into the kiss

'i think i love you too.'

when the boys find out, they tease dk mercilessly while somehow also hyping him up

seungcheol, jeonghan and hoshi all claim to have known about it from the start, although everyone knows hoshi is just saying that

jeonghan purposefully sits next to you just to quietly tell you about how he managed to get dk drunk enough one time for him to confess that he was in love with a cat

dk gets pouty about it later, so you kiss his face all over until he smiles again

in fact, he pretends to sulk a lot to get kisses from you

sometimes, you'll catch him just staring at you with a huge grin on his face

he makes a point to hold your hand in public, telling you that he's proud of having you

his sweet words make it easy for you to brush off the stares of the people on the bus, easy for you to ignore the way they whisper

sometimes dk kisses you and loudly calls you disgustingly sappy pet names in front of them, just out of spite

you realise now that they don't really bother you, not when dk doesn't care about them and not when he loves you the way he does - unconditionally

he shows it in the way he hangs onto your every word, in the way he cooks your favourite dishes for you, in the way he holds you, in the way he kisses you as if you're the most precious thing in the universe

you take every opportunity to show him how much you love him, too

hence why you're up early, cooking breakfast for dk

it's a saturday, and the sun leaking through the curtains woke you, even though it didn't even affect dk - he remained snoring beside you, his legs tangled with yours and his arms locked around your waist

you'd eased your way out of his grip and replaced yourself with a pillow, pressing a light kiss onto his forehead before shifting into your human form and pulling one of his t-shirts over your head

most nights, you sleep in your human form, but he'd been hogging the blankets so you'd shifted into your cat form in a desperate effort to make it easier for you to squirm into his blanket burrito

'what're you smiling about, huh?'

you almost drop the pancake you were transferring to a plate already heaped high and steaming with others

his arms wrap around your waist, and you sigh as he kisses your neck

'actually, i was thinking about how rude it was of you to steal the blankets last night, you sneaky little bastard.'

'hmm, my bad.'

he nips at your neck before his tongue flicks out to brush over the same spot

his hands wrap around your hips, and you sigh noncommittally as he sneaks his fingers under the hem of your - his - t-shirt

'babe, the pancakes will get cold - '

'don't care.'

you don't even try to shake him off as he continues to kiss at your neck from behind, nudging the collar of your shirt to the side so he can suck a hickey onto your shoulder

the air of the kitchen is cold on your bare legs, but he's nice and warm and solid, and you lean back into him, eyes closing as he laves his tongue over your skin

a low purr emnates from deep in your chest, and you feel him pause at your back

'that's never happened before,'

'and?'

'it was kind of hot.'

you huff out a laugh, but it's cut off as he spins you around, gripping your chin so he can kiss you

dk kisses you passionately, like he woke up with the one desire to taste every inch of your mouth, his teeth grazing dizzyingly over your lower lip

he grins against you when you moan at the feel of his tongue against yours

hooking your arms over his shoulders, you draw him closer

picking you up, he deposits you on the island, not breaking the kiss

he slots himself between your legs, his fingers skimming over the tops of your thighs, pushing the hem of your shirt a little higher

hooking an ankle around his hip, you nestle your heel in the small of his back, nudging him closer

something in your stomach pulls wonderfully tight when you feel the grind of his hardening cock against your clothed cunt

he chuckles at the involuntary noise that leaves you, one of his hands coming up to cup your breasts as he leans down, palms dragging down the length of your thighs as he hooks them over his shoulders

he helps you shimmy out of your underwear, chucking them carelessly over his shoulder

and then, just like that, he's got his mouth between your legs, spreading your pussy with his fingers, his eyes disarmingly guileless

his tongue is divinely velvet as he sweeps it through your folds

he tastes you as if your essence is the nectar of the gods, teasing the pleasure out of your body, holding your trembling thighs up with his big hands

as you come, convulsing around his tongue, he looks up at you with stars in his eyes, as if you're a goddess

it's ridiculous, the way he can make your heart flutter while fucking eating you out like a man starved

he straightens, kisses you with honey drenched lips that bear a virtuous smile, and lifts you up in his arms so he can make love to you on the sofa

he makes your eyes roll, makes your toes curl, makes you cry his name, sets you alight with his touch

and when he sends you over the edge, coming with you, when he scoops you up in his arms, sets you on the bathroom sink to clean you up, when he kisses you in the shower, you know one thing

you are willingly trapped in his gravity; you orbit him as if he is the star at the centre of the universe, yet somehow he looks at you with a light in his eyes, like you are the sun, the warmth on his skin, the reason for life

you love this man, irrevocably so, and somehow, miraculously, he loves you back

[where-dreamers-go]

"Cheesy" Part One - Leon Kennedy x Reader

(A/N: What if you were set up on a blind date with Leon Kennedy? This is extremely self indulgent. You could picture any age of Leon, I guess. Also, Reader works at a school in this.

Warnings: awkward/nervous interactions, use of (Y/N), (mx), and (Y/L/N) for your names, pizza topping preference for cheese, language, and mentions of Leon’s arms.

Word Count: 4,087 words)

~~~

~~~

Your friend knew people, could network like no other.

But set you up on a blind date?

You were anxious. Curious, but nervous at the thought of going on a first date with someone you had never met.

Your friend knew you well enough. Knew some of your preferences in a partner. A good amount.

You hoped.

They had gotten your permission to try finding someone.

“Stop giving me that look.” Your friend laughed. “I’ve only heard good things.” They sipped from their cup of coffee.

“Only good things?” You asked.

They crossed their arms. Staring at you from the other side of the table.

“Well, I mean…like what? What’s his name? What’s he look like? Does he know my name?”

They laughed and nodded. “He knows your name.”

“And?” You leaned over your lunch.

“He has a steady job, his name is Leon, he’s interested, and you’ll like what you’ll see. That’s all I’m saying.”

“But is he nice? Clean?”

“Yes and listen, I basically asked fifty questions before fully considering this guy. And he had agreed to the pizza place you suggested.”

“Oh. Okay, cool.”

“Everything’s set for Saturday.” They beamed.

You exhaled hoping to calm yourself from the news.

Maybe this’ll be fun.

. . .

Saturday afternoon and the lunch rush was on its way.

Thankfully, you managed to arrive early. You could not think of arriving to your destination any later.

Nerves and excited curiosity filled you.

The pizza place was one of your favorites. Kind staff, good food, and a chill atmosphere. A nice small restaurant for a date. Nothing fancy and you would be able to hear your own conversation.

At least I picked a Saturday, you thought, Friday evenings are wild. Especially right after school.

Entering through the front door, you did a quick glance around the small waiting area. The smell of fresh pizza was a welcome delight.

Definitely not them, you thought as you watched two families trying to shush their children. Probably waiting on someone.

Squeezing by, you walked up to the server station. The little podium looking thing no one was standing behind.

You waited a moment.

And breathe. This isn’t a job interview or anything.

Running your hands over your clothes, you were still happy with your choice of outfit. A flattering soft of casual.

“Hi. Welcome,” a young woman rushed up to stand behind the station. “Sorry for the wait. How many today?”

“Two,” you said. “I’m meeting someone.”

A flicker of thought shown in her eyes and she asked, “Are you (Y/N)?”

“Oh. Uh, yeah.” You answered, clearly surprised.

“Is your date’s name Leon?” A small smile peaked the corners of her lips.

“Yeah…”

I thought they didn’t do reservations.

She walked around the station and gestured toward the dining room. “Right this way, please.”

Wait. Can I pick for a booth or somewhere not by the restrooms? Who would make the reservation? You thought as you followed her.

A good amount of the tables had hungry guests chewing between conversations. None too obnoxious.

Still, the woman led you forward, blocking some of your view.

You were starting to get the feeling you weren’t early enough.

Coming to a stop by a booth, the young woman turned enough to speak to you and a man who stood up upon your arrival.

“Here we are. Do you know what you two would like to drink or should I give you a minute?”

Locking gazes with the man, you swallowed.

You really wished your friend would had told you how handsome your date was.

You blinked and answered, “Ice water.”

“Uh, water, please.” He said and cleared his throat.

You caught the server’s smirk.

“All right. I’ll give you some time to look over the menu and I’ll be back.” She left with her notepad.

The last window along the wall illuminated the man’s brown hair and expressive blue eyes.

“I’m Leon,” he said and offered a small smile, “hi.”

“Hi, I’m (Y/N). It’s nice to meet you.” You gave a smile of your own and a small wave you wished you hadn’t.

“Yeah—uh. I’m glad we could do this.” Leon glanced over to the booth and gestured quickly.

The both of you took your seats across from each other. Two menus lay on the table between.

Maybe he’s nervous too.

“So,” Leon tapped the menu, “I have to ask… What’s your favorite topping?”

“Not pineapple.”

“Oh, good,” he chuckled, exhaling some tension. “I wasn’t sure if we were going to have a debate on our hands.”

“I hope not. I’ve always preferred extra cheese. You?”

“I’m not too picky. I like pepperoni. We could—”

“One water and one ice water.” The server placed each glass on its own paper coaster. “Do you know what you’d like to order?”

Crap. You thought and eyed the menu.

“Would you like to share a pizza?” Leon asked. “Half cheese half pepperoni?” His blue eyes holding a soft kindness within.

Here come the butterflies. You took a steady breath and nodded.

“What size?” She asked, holding her tiny notepad.

“Medium?” You looked to Leon.

“Medium.” He agreed while glancing over to the server’s notepad.

“Alright.” She tapped her pen.

“Thank you.” You said as the server left again and took the menus.

That was fast.

Taking a long sip of the water, you were grateful for the coolness. A nice refresh to ease you and cool you down.

Because your date was hot. Simple as that and yet you were still taking time to process the fact: you were on a date.

No weird vibes. That’s good. You thought as you set the glass down. And he got here before me! Peering up, you saw your date glancing around the dining room.

When he caught you looking, Leon smiled. “This place is nice. Do you come here often?”

His words made you crack a smile. “A little bit. Not as often as I used to.” You lowered your voice and added, “I usually make my own pizza now.”

Lighting up with interest, Leon leaned his arms on the table. Quite muscular arms shown well with his button-up shirt.

“You make your own pizza? It’s better than any takeout, huh?”

“Not gonna lie,” you sat a little taller, “the dough’s a lot better and no grease on top.”

“Sauce preference?”

“Family recipe. Homemade.”

Leon grinned. Clearly you were making an impression.

The butterflies in your stomach returned tenfold.

“Favorite cheese?”

You crossed your arms over the table and thought on it. “My favorite cheese…is whatever I have at home.”

That earned you a snicker from your date.

“Have you made pizza before?” You tried your hand at a question.

Food was an easy topic it seemed. Pizza mostly.

Hair shielded some of his face as he tilted his head, Leon squinted his face and admitted, “I’ve made pizza orders.”

“So, no?”

“No.” He affirmed. “I should.”

“Maybe one day.”

He nodded softly.

So far, Leon was easy to talk to. Your date thus far would rank less awkward than talks you’ve had with overly curious neighbors. You were more than grateful for that.

And he has a really cute smile. You thought as silence filled the table.

“How are you?”

“What?” Leon perked up as if the question caught him completely off guard.

Perhaps it did.

“How are you?” You asked again, trying to put all of your honesty into your tone.

Exhaling, he turned his sights out the window, but only for a moment. “Better than I expected.” His blue eyes held your gaze. “I’ve never been convinced to go on a blind date before.”

You were surprised with how relieved you were with his answer.

“This is your first blind date too?” You whispered.

Both of you took a moment to read the other. Making sure and double checking. Learning through observation.

Once Leon nodded, you sat back with a relieved exhale.

“Oh, thank goodness. I thought it was just me. My friend wouldn’t even answer all my questions.” You laughed lightly at yourself. “I’ve been making myself nervous.”

“Is that a rule?” Leon asked. “My friends refused to tell me shit.”

Covering your mouth, you muffled some of your laughter. Mostly, anyway.

Sitting back against the seat with a light affectionate smile, Leon managed to look twice as handsome and twice as comfortable. It made you start to wonder why he didn’t already have a partner.

Then again, he was probably having a similar question.

“What questions did you ask? No judgement.”

“No judgement.” He repeated, thinking.

Bring it on. We need to know more about each other. More than just pizza anyway, you thought while drinking more water and waiting for the pizza.

“Yah know, I asked what you’re like first. It’s a good start.”

“Good question.” You said, partially stalling as you thought to answer. “I’m…a hard worker, creative, uh…,” you trailed off. “I sound like my résumé.”

He smiled and said, “I won’t ask for references. Promise.”

“I’m really honest and empathic. I make a lot of movie references. My friends say I’m funny, but that’s really based on preference…and timing.”

“I believe them.”

“Thank you.” You wiped your hands on your attire, out of sight. “So what were your other questions?”

“What do you do for a living?”

You perked up. Glad to have an easy question. “I work at a school.”

His eyebrows rose a fraction.

“I’m essentially in charge of the media center—all the books, book faire, and some tech. It’s not what I planned, but I like it.”

“Do you like to read?”

“Yeah. My reading list keeps growing though. Not that I mind.” You said, noticing how his hair framed his face, a balance of soft and sharp. “What about you?”

Blue eyes flickered away. “Not really. Work takes up a lot of time.” Leon seemed to be drifting away, mind elsewhere.

“What do you do for a living?” You asked softly, just in case.

Tension in his jaw fully took away his smile.

Is this a touchy subject?

Leon’s voice was hushed and somehow almost distant. “I work for the government.”

“Oh.”

Returning his gaze to you, Leon gauged your reaction.

“Sounds like a lot of e-mails.” You tried lightening the mood.

I don’t think he likes his ‘steady job’.

The corner of his lips lifted.

Okay cool. He doesn’t think what I said was stupid. Cool.

“Well, um,” you swallowed and hoped you weren’t being too awkward, “as long as your co-workers treat you like a person and not tech support.”

Multiple emotions ran across Leon’s face, none of which you could read fast enough. What you could discern was how the tension left his muscles. A mystery really, your date.

“I’m not the first one they’d call to help with a computer.”

“Maybe for good company?” You offered.

In midst of leaning closer, Leon’s attention veered over to movement at the far end of the dining room.

Walking into the room with a pan in one hand and a tray under her other arm, your server returned with another employee. Steam rose from the pizza more clear as she reached the booth.

“Here we are.” She announced happily.

Before either you or Leon could offer help, the young woman set up the tray beside the table in a swift motion.

“Be careful. It’s hot.” She set the pizza pan on the tray.

The other employee placed a pair of plates on the table along with a pizza server and a pile of napkins.

A couple of ‘thank you’s later and you were both left alone with a delicious smelling pizza. Seriously, the two of you were eyeing the pie with hungry intent.

“That smells good.” Leon grabbed the pizza server and reached over to the pizza. “One cheese pizza slice comin’ up.” A playful side shone through easily.

“Thank you,” you said as he plated a slice.

Oh, no. He’s cute, you thought, glad he didn’t see whatever silly grin was plastered on your face.

Out of habit or restaurant routine, you grabbed the shaker of cheese. You took a second to make sure the lid was secure. Then, despite the hot cheese all over the wonderful slice, you shook a generous amount of parmesan on top and a dash more.

You hadn’t lied about favoring cheese.

And apparently you and your date were equally craving a taste of pizza. By bite number two your eyes met for a second.

Trying to hide a smile while chewing was an oddly clumsy human act. Awkward during a date, but humble none the less.

Behind you and out of view, children spoke animatedly entering the dining room. Kid drama and discussing characters. Common conversations held even in school. You had heard plenty from students. Some more entertaining than others.

You took another bite of the pizza.

“(mx). (Y/L/N),” a young voice came from close by.

Quickly swallowing, you glanced over to a familiar face.

“Hi,” the little girl waved, perched backwards in a chair.

You gave a friendly wave with your free hand. A movement watched by the child and her two tables’ worth of family members.

So was the life of working at an elementary school.

The girl pointed and asked, “Is he your friend?” Curious eyes on your date.

Behind the girl, a woman looked at the girl with wide eyes and glanced to you with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry.” She said. “Lottie, turn around please.”

“I finished the book.”

“That’s great,” you replied earnestly. “I hope you liked it.”

“Kinda.”

“Oh,” you chuckled lightly. “Well, I hope you like your food more.”

Grinning, Lottie, sat properly in her seat. All attention reverting to whatever was just passed her nose; her family included.

“Sorry about that.” You turned to see your date with an amused expression.

“No need. Thought she was going to give you review.”

“Same here.” You reached for your pizza slice again. “I think hers was about cats or kittens. Something.”

“Are there any books you’d recommend to someone who doesn’t read much?”

Now that was a question you liked to hear.

“Are you more into fiction or non-fiction books?”

“Fiction.” He took a sip from his water.

“Hmm.” You were left with more questions of his preferences. “I think I need to know a bit more about you first before I can recommend one just yet.”

“Fair enough. Ask away.” Leon finished off a slice and grabbed himself another.

“Okay. Are you an outdoor person?”

“Some days more than others.”

You took another bite of pizza.

“Some times I just want to stay inside. Don’t have to worry about weather or animals.”

“Are you an animal person? I mean—do you like animals?” You shut yourself up with another bite.

“I do. They just live their lives. Unless some…someone leaves a trap out.” A seriousness made his gaze on the table firm.

“Some people are real jerks.”

“Yeah.” He took a quick bite.

“Morning person or night owl?”

“Night owl. When I don’t have to be up early.”

“Sunrises are pretty, but sleep is really nice.”

“You a night owl?”

“Yup. Forced to wake up super early for work. Then go, go, go. No wonder so many people drink coffee.”

“Do you drink coffee?”

“I prefer not to make it a necessity to staying awake. I see people drinking it throughout the day. I can’t imagine doing that. There’s other ways to get energy.”

“Food.”

“Exactly.”

“Want another slice?” Leon asked, pizza server in hand.

“Sure, thank you.”

“Can’t let someone as hard-working and cute as you go hungry.”

He plated the slice onto your plate as you felt heat start at your neck.

“Thank you.” Your voice almost hushed in sound.

Small smile on his lips, Leon handed you the shaker full of cheese. The tips of his fingers brushed yours before retreating to his pizza.

Crap. What were we talking about? You swallowed and added more cheese to your new pizza slice.

“So, uh… How would you describe yourself?”

Leon thought on it for a moment or two, eating pizza. Dark eyebrows pinching together as he considered an answer.

Honestly, you deeply needed to know what Leon was like. To know if he was friend material and more.

Shifting in his seat, Leon answered, “Loyal to ones I care about. A little too hard-working.”

“Dedicated?”

“Yeah.” He ripped off a piece of the pizza crust. “Helpful, protective… This is a hard question.”

“It is.”

“I try to be optimistic.” He added.

“That’s good. Some times it’s really hard. Even on what’s suppose to be a good day. It’s a part of life. Some days suck and others surprise you in a good way.”

A silent exchange of understanding passed between the pair of you, deep and dense.

Slices of pizza slowly disappeared from the pan as the date continued more strongly. Less awkward and more fun. Bouncing questions back and forth while being a little too honest with answers. Laughter really was contagious.

Time passed well into the lunch rush and the two of you remained in the booth. Sharing and reminiscing taste in music and movies continued longer than some people’s stay in the dining room.

A conversation of one specific movie had you two in a passionate exchange of words. Both leaning close and speaking animatedly.

“And people probably think we’re only looking at the decorations to call it a Christmas movie.”

“They’re not use to action in Christmas movies,” Leon added.

“Only the family drama.”

“Yeah.”

“But that’s a part of why it’s a Christmas movie. They’re apart in the beginning, they work through their problems, and—bam—they’re together in the end with better understandings of each other.”

“And it ends with Christmas music. It’s great.”

“She also punched the reporter guy.”

“He had it coming.”

“Kind of satisfying. Not gonna lie.”

Leon chuckled.

“Okay,” you spoke up. “Random question.”

He nodded.

“Can you speak more than one language?”

“Sí.”

“Bueno.” You smirked along with him.

Eyes roaming the sight in front of you, you tried not to be distracted by what of Leon’s muscles you could see defined from his nice shirt. It wasn’t even tight fitting. Plus it was a nice color on him.

Does he have to workout for his job? Or is he the best looking in the building by chance? You thought as you reached for your glass of water, condensation cool against your fingertips.

Until it wasn’t.

“No.”

The glass fumbled from your grasp and the last of the melted ice water spilled onto your thigh.

“Whoa.” Leon already had napkins in his hand as he leaned over the table. “You okay?”

“It’s cold.” You placed the glass down on the table firmly.

“I bet.” He replied sincerely.

Gratefully, you took the napkins and pressed them onto your leg as well as the seat to absorb as much moisture as possible. They worked as well as thin paper could. Fabric was just too absorbent.

“It’s mostly the side of my thigh. So it’s not too bad.”

“Glad you didn’t get a refill, huh?”

You looked up at him. “Definitely.”

Behind his blue eyes, a flash of disappointment emerged and he said, “You probably want to get going and be dry.” It almost sounded like a question.

“Probably.” Your words didn’t sound too convincing.

A small raise of his hand and Leon signaled over your server. “Hey, can we have two boxes to-go?”

“Sure.”

If you hadn’t been watching you would had missed him handing her the slim black bill folder. He must had slipped a card or cash in there when you weren’t paying attention. Leon was quick, you could give him that.

After the server walked away, you rose an eyebrow at him.

“What? Did you want the pepperoni too?”

“No…”

Shuffling in his seat slightly, he asked, “Do you mind that I paid?”

“More so that you didn’t say anything. I don’t want you thinking it’s what I expect or something. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah. And it’s well noted for next time.”

“Next time?” You perked up. “Are you…wanting a second date?”

“I am.” Leon smiled confidently, hiding most of his nerves.

Your heart beat picked up in your chest.

He likes me? You thought in glee.

“Here we go.” The young woman returned with two descent sized containers. “Is there anything else I can help you two with?” She slid Leon a receipt folded around a card.

“No. I think we’re good.”

“Thank you.” He pocketed his wallet.

“No problem. Have a good day.”

“You too.” You replied to her retreating form.

The pair of you packaged the remaining slices into the containers. Each of you taking one.

Leon grabbed his jacket off of the booth. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” You scooted out from the seat, suddenly more aware of the large wet patch on your thigh.

“Here.” Leon whispered from close behind you. He handed you his jacket. “Hold that there and no one will notice”

“Thank you.”

Grateful and a little flustered, you led the way out of the dining room with your date’s jacket draped over your arm. A shield in hiding your water accident. And that was not even a start of mentioning the man walking behind you. He wasn’t in your space, keeping a respectful distance. Yet you could sense his proximity.

Was it too much for you to consider him even an ounce protective? You weren’t sure.

Two steps away from the exit, Leon deftly slid by you to open the door and hold it for you.

“Thank you.” You stepped out onto the sidewalk and out of the way of the door.

How long were we in there? You wondered at the sight of a full parking lot.

Leon came up beside you. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”

“True. Cheesy, but true.” You smiled and handed him back his jacket.

“From what I’ve seen, you like extra cheese.”

“Yeah, okay.” You walked further down the sidewalk.

Chuckling happily, Leon went alongside you.

Why did it feel like the date was too short for you?

There were so many more things you wanted to say.

“If it wasn’t for me being a klutz, I’d treat you to either the soft serve ice cream or the place with gelato in town.”

“A gelato and more time with you. That is a treat.” Leon flirted openly.

“So…about a second date.”

Stopping at the edge of the sidewalk, you looked to him with a flutter in your stomach. Luckily, you still had a good grip on your pizza box.

“You’re cute, you know that?”

You ducked your head as a smile immediately appeared.

“Can I have your number so I can call you some time?”

“Only if I can have yours.” You pulled out your cell phone.

“Twist my arm,” he teased sarcastically.

After he fished his phone from his pocket, you both exchanged numbers. Immediately double checking afterwards.

“And I’m not weird with how long or how soon to contact the other person,” you stated. “That’s too complicated for me to keep up with.”

Stepping into the parking lot, you headed towards your vehicle with Leon, not far from the building.

“Good to know.”

“And I really had a good time. So thank you.”

The features of his face softened. A twinkle in his eyes revealing his genuine relief and hope. Your words meant something to him.

“Thank you.” He shifted the jacket in his hold. “I wasn’t sure about any of this…until you showed up. I’m glad I came.” Shoulders raising, he made eye contact with you again. “I’d really like to see you again.”

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

“You can call me later. That way I can check my work-school calendar.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll call you later.” He glanced at your vehicle. “Drive safe, (Y/N).”

“You too.”

He took a step back.

“And Leon?”

He paused, attentive.

“I’m really glad I came too.”

Fully grinning, Leon made his way to his own vehicle. Peeking over to you as he did so.

Why’d I have to be a klutz today?

Even if you had to shorten your time with your date, you were more than happy with how everything turned out. You couldn’t wait to see Leon again. Then, perhaps, you could recommend him a book too.

~~~

(If you love my writings and want to support me, I have a Ko-Fi where you can buy me a coffee. I would be eternally grateful.

coffee

Best wishes and happy reading.)

~~~~~

DreamerDragon Tags: @cubedtriangle

Leon Scott Kennedy Tags: @

**Let me know if you would like to be tagged in insert readers, either through replies, ask, or message.**

[hum-suffer]

I'm Yours 5

Ishan curses the moment he has sober thoughts back in his head, that is, the next morning. He slept through his alarm and has less than half an hour to get ready and not be late to college so he stores any and all thoughts away as he carefully puts down the gajra from his wrist and onto the dining table before running around his house like a headless chicken.

His day proves to be even more trying, as news reaches the college that the university is going to host an organisation for cultural events and as the manager, Ishan is supposed to coordinate at least the engineering department. He couldn't have had a weirder week.

He almost snaps at a student when they ask him for important questions but at the last moment manages to hold his tongue and instead give them a later date for such a discussion. He has a lot on his plate already, and them asking for important questions almost a month before the exam is literally not helping him.

____________________________________________________

It happens when Ishan enters Virat's office, to borrow his copy of Rashmirathi. Virat bhaiya seems to be talking to someone on his phone, a video call.

He beams when he sees Ishan. "Arre, Ishan! I was just talking about you. You should take more holidays too, baba, you look so rested."

It's the effect of mind numbing alcohol after my stalker became a cock block, he wants to say. Instead, he snorts,"Wow, call me out on all my dark circles, why don't you?"

Virat bhaiya shakes his head fondly. He beckons Ishan on the other side of the table and almost shoves his phone in Ishan's hand. He's been talking to Shubhman.

Shubhman seems to be just as surprises to see him and freezes. Ishan freezes as well, but for something else entirely.

He has a fucking hickey on his chin.

His heart thuds uncomfortably in his chest as he smiles,"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good," he absolutely doesn't sound good with the way his eyes are widening,"Just wanted to show Virat bhaiya the toys I bought for Vamika yesterday." Almost as if he's relieved, he turns the phone camera to some soft toys, piled up messily. Ishan smiles, spotting the Pikachu plushie that Vamika is sure to love.

"That's very sweet of you, Shubhman." He looks at Virat bhaiya and back at Shubhman. "I'm very sorry to cut this short but I need to borrow Virat bhaiya's copy of Rashmirathi instantly before my next class."

"Of course, totally understandable! It was nice talking to you!" He seems like he is hesitant in adding anything else.

Even as he knew it could probably be the worst choice of his life, Ishan smiles at him at graciously. "Fir milenge."

____________________________________________________

Shubhman is waiting on the steps of his porch when Ishan returns home. He looks like a kicked puppy.

He keeps stealing glances at Ishan, as he walks across the veranda. He stands up when Ishan reaches him and Ishan gestures at the door, unlocking his house and letting his guest enter first, as courtesy dictates.

"Ishan. Can we talk?"

Ishan nods, removing his jacket and throwing it over the arm of the sofa. "We can. But before that, I need tea to survive that conversation. Do you want some?"

"Please, thank you."

The pass the time in silence, unlike last time when they'd been yapping on and on about one thing or the other.

As the tea is boiling, Ishan sneaks a glance at Shubhman, who is staring at the bunch of gajras that Ishan has now started to group at the corner of the dining table. Before Ishan can take his eyes away from Shubhman, the man turns and Ishan wants to bury himself somewhere because Shubhman looks so fucking beautiful.

"I'm not sorry for meeting you, for falling for you or for wanting to date you," Shubhman says. His voice is shaking. "But I am sorry if I was a nuisance to you or if I scared you. I only ever wanted to, I don't know, just let you know how my world revolves around you."

Ishan doesn't know what to say, so he remains silent. Shubhman continues, softer, more vulnerable. "The day I saw you, I wanted to completely drown in you. Possess and be possessed. You seemed so full of life, love and enthusiasm. And I was never even remotely like that. I've never had a shred of peace or enthusiasm. You're so beautiful, so lively. I wanted you to myself."

"You could have asked me on date, Shubhman." He says, pouring the tea in teacups that he bought last year— only because they looked cute to him. White, covered all over by cute emojis. Shubhman gets the one with sparkle emojis.

Shubhman raises his eyebrows, still uncertain. "And you wouldn't have turned out to be homophobic? Or just token straight? Or even committed?" He blows lightly on his tea and the smell of mint calms Ishan somehow. "I realise I was wrong, but wanted to protect myself. I found out everything about you there is to find— I wanted to be cautious. I'm one of the youngest names in the industry, I'm unused to the attention and my success makes me a target for jealousy. I am nothing if not careful."

"And so humble, too." Ishan marks with a wry grin.

Shubhman looks down, almost shy. He continues after a moment,"I started searching you up and then when I was sure that you're all around a good person, I couldn't hide the urge to text you. After the first day, it became kind of addicting. Talking to you was the highlight of my day."

"You can break into my house to give me gajras and not ask me on a date?" Ishan raises an eyebrow. Shubhman shuffles adorably. Ishan is reminded how young and hence naive the man is, and something certainly unethical flares inside him.

Stop, he tells himself. For the sake of a peaceful death, stop.

Shubhman gives him a hesitant half grin. "I'm not even sorry."

And that was the truth. While Shubhman may feel sorry about spooking Ishan, but he won't feel sorry about pursuing him— in any way.

Ishan realises abruptly that his tea is empty when Shubhman lifts his cup up, taking his mug as well and putting them both in the sink. Ishan doesn't even have the coherence to stop his guest from doing chores because— what the fuck. What the fuck. His stalker is washing their cups of tea.

"No, wait!" Shubhman looks at him, surprised,"What are you doing, you're my guest! My mother will kill me if she finds out! Stop!"

Shubhman laughs and throws some water at Ishan almost unthinkingly before he freezes. Ishan swats him on the bicep.

There's something dangerous bubbling in his chest and it's not necessarily illicit but it is so so tempting and rattling.

Shubhman smiles at him and Ishan wants to keep the smile tattooed over his throat and feel him every time he takes a deep breath.

____________________________________________________

It's a miracle but ishan somehow manages to blink himself back to reality when Shubhman starts speaking. It's breath of fresh air to see the boy standing awkwardly in his kitchen, but Ishan has better manners than that. He leads Shubhman back to the living room. They cannot sit apart, won't, and Ishan feels so awkward that he might as well have met him at the club again.

"So," Ishan stretches out the syllable,"last night? What was...that?"

Shubhman blushes and looks down. For all purposes, he looks like he is here to give an interview or proposition a marriage.Ishan knows which one he prefers.

(No. Stop. Bad Ishan. BAD.)

"As you know, I've already hacked into your phone." Ishan raises an eyebrow and Shubhman shrugs with a wince. "I promise I didn't find you through that. I was in the club to drink myself in misery since the whole spooking you in the bathroom thing. It was out of line and I am very sorry about that. But yeah. I saw you with the guy and...I couldn't just watch. I wanted to be one whom you laugh with, whom you dance with. I knew all the dance hook steps you seemed to be enjoying and I wanted you to look at me like you're proud.

"I got the lights cut off for a while. I only planned to come near you and just bask in the fact that you're touching me. Things... escalated. And well. I can't claim to regret anything." His hand hovers over the hickey at his chin and his eyes look at the biege shirt Ishan is wearing, the one that conceals his own set of hickeys just barely. He'd had to wear a tie today to hide the one at his throat.

Ishan knows something is wrong with him because he definitely doesn't regret that either. He thinks that he'd love it anyway, if it was Shubhman or the stalker. The only reason that he didn't recognise the voice was because Shubhman appeared to have a mild cold, which deepened his voice.

Shubhman purses his lips and it's only when Ishan sees the look on his face that he realises that he's fingering the hickey at his throat. Shubhman's jaw tightens but he stays where he is.

Ishan gulps and looks away, at the gajras at the dining table.

"So," Shubhman copies Ishan. "Something like a girlfriend, huh?"

"You leave me flowers, worry about my well being and steal my shirts. I'm not even wrong," Ishan says with a grin. Shubhman grins back but Ishan knows that he wants a real answer and that makes him look away. "Since my childhood, I've had issues with, um, sharing. Thinking that someone solely wanted me, that someone is completely mine in a sense that is undecipherable, it may be wrong but I was flattered. I liked being the sole attention."

Shubhman looks at him hesitantly. "My attention is only ever going to be on you, Ishan, should you allow it. There's nothing I want more than I want you to be my partner, my companion."

"And you're not a murdering psychopath who stalks people, makes them fall for him and then kills them?" Ishan asks, just to be sure. He's late in the question and he's also aware that an actual psychopath wouldn't say the truth, because plausible deniability, who?

Shubhman grins at him. Ishan wants to curse how beautiful he is. No fucking wonder he's on so many magazine covers. He would have ended the world of modelling if he didn't choose academics.

"And you're asking me this question after I've broken into your house more than three times and you've invited me for tea twice?"

Ishan shrugs. Shubhman laughs.

"No." The intensity of the word comes as a bit of a shocker. "There's never going to be anyone but you. And you'll never get hurt by my hand intentionally, I swear it. You're everything, Ishan." Shubhman smiles, softer and quieter. He turns and his knee bumps with Ishan's thigh. "I don't become a stalker for just anyone, Ishan."

Ishan feels heat rush to his cheeks and ears. He unnecessarily clears his throat. "It's a good thing too. How would I take you to the best date ever if you're in jail?"

Shubhman blinks owlishly. Ishan panics. He definitely shouldn't have asked. Maybe Shubhman wanted to take it slow. Maybe he didn't want a relationship. Maybe he was busy. Maybe he found out he didn't like Ishan all that much—

"You still want me? After... everything?"

Ishan breathes a sigh of relief. One of his hand goes to Shubhman's knee unbidden and the other goes to cup his face.

"I've wanted you since the very moment I heard about you, baby. Of course, of course, I want you."

____________________________________________________

Tagging: @mayakimayahai @onthecloudseven @kyayaarkiraa @k-h-watari @ek-ladki-bheegi-bhagi-si @khwxbeeda @fortunatelycrazyyouth @theseventhhoax @ms-potato @athena-swords (bless you and your comments, ily)

[jasontoddsdarling]

snow angels

— casts: jason todd x reader, aurora todd (my kid oc)

— words: 1,515

— tags: fluff, winter, family fic, family fluff, kid fic

— summary: It's Aurora Todd first winter and you two decide she should experience the ultimate first time under the snow: building some snowmen and one or two castles. And apparently also snow angels along the way.

Heavy snowfall from yesterday—that kept everyone inside the house all day long—resulted in a thick layer of snow in the backyard. You, Jason, and your fourteen months old daughter, Aurora, included. You two even built her a blanket fortress from the pile of her soft baby blankets. She was very fond of it.

Today, Jason and you decide to bring her outside. 

It's her first winter, thus the first time she will experience the snowfall that blanketed the city like icing sugar dusted on a beignet.

Earlier, Jason had shoveled the snow that piled up in front of the front and back door. Thankfully, it wasn't blocking the doors that bad or else you'd feel bad about not helping him—even though he had insisted on doing it himself because she was cranky waking up and you'd have to feed her.

Now, though, your daughter is so awake and definitely not cranky anymore.

Jason has put his shovel back to the garage and changed his clothes to newer one—he had managed to sweat and drenched his sweater, and he's currently sporting a new sweater that matches the ones that you and your daughter wear.

“Papa.”

You put Aurora on her colorful foam puzzle mat. Jason, who is just getting out of your bedroom, smiling when he spots her.

“Who's going to play with snow today?”

Jason sits down on the edge of the mat and he beckons his daughter to his lap.

Aurora enthusiastically walks toward him—with her brand new baby boots that you just put on her, a big smile with her four small teeth showing.

“Nou.”

She perches her little legs on one of his thighs. You gasp and cannot help but grin. Did she just say a new word just now? Nou. Snow.

Jason beams. You can see his eyes shine with proudness.

“Yeah, snow. Snow! You, Mama, and Papa will go outside and we can build some snow castles and snowmen. Now, you need to wear these warm mittens first, okay?”

You observe the two loves of your life while packing a little thermos of jasmine tea to drink outside. These two always without fail put a smile on your face.

And oh, Jason is wearing gloves with the same color theme too because, of course, he would not want to be excluded in the matching outfits shenanigans of you and your daughter. We've to match as a cute little family, Jason had said so almost a year ago—after for the third time you and Aurora had matching outfits and he was being excluded; which in your defense, most husbands don't really care about matching outfits with their baby daughter, but you learnt it wasn't the case with Jason.

Jason tugs Aurora's mittens to make sure it's right before holding her in his arms and standing up, walking towards you who stands beside the dining table.

“Come on, Mama.” He squishes his cheek on Aurora's, whispering to pretend as if it's your daughter who’s saying that.

Aurora giggles. “Mama, mama.”

You bend down a little to kiss her rosy cheeks—and Jason steals a kiss from you when you stand straight after that—and the three of you are ready to mess with snow.

Jason has finished building one snow castle just now. It's a cool snow castle, in your opinion—considering he's only using some plastic snow toys for kids that you got for Aurora.

The kid in question sits on your lap, and is currently playing with the scallop shell plastic mold and making her nth crooked shell shaped snows with so much interest, completely oblivious to what her dad has been doing.

“Rora, look!” You pat her tiny leg gently. “Look. Papa has built you a little snow castle!”

You point your finger at the 1 meter tall snow figure. When Aurora looks up from her stuff, her eyes brighten and she moves her arms and legs excitedly, wiggling and trying to stand up from your lap.

You help her stand on her own little feet, her tiny boots scrunch the snow.

“Papa. Nou.”

Jason—who just put a twig on the center of the castle as a fake flag—grins. He waved his hands, beckoning her to walk towards him and the snow castle.

“Papa, papa.”

Aurora walks giddily.

You walk at a snail's pace to ensure that she steps safely, because you know sometimes babies and toddlers can be quite clumsy, and your daughter is no exception.

Aurora is two meters before landing herself in his dad's arm when, instead, she's landing backwards on a pile of fluffy snow with a very dull thud.

“Rora!”

Jason and you immediately shout at the same time and in less than two seconds both of you are in front of her.

Aurora is silent for a second, that you are almost panicking, but then she bursts into a fit of giggles. She moves her arms and legs in ups and downs motion, unknowingly making herself a snow angel.

“Mama, Papa.”

Aurora waves her mittens clad tiny hands. She wants you two to do what she's doing.

“Well, I guess we're making snow angels too.” 

“I know. I am just glad she isn't crying.”

You release your breath you know you were holding.

You lie down beside your daughter on one side and Jason on her other side and you two proceed to make your own snow angels.

After it is quite deep, Jason gets up from where he's lying down and takes some photos of you and Aurora with his phone and instant camera he hides inside his deep coat pockets.

“One, two, three. Smile!”

And so, the next ten minutes, Jason takes a lot of photos of you and Aurora in front of the snow castle.

“These are so cute.”

It's 8:30 pm. You and Jason just put Aurora to sleep in her room, you're lying on bed with your head propped on a pillow and Jason's shoulder.

You scroll on Jason's gallery, currently landing on the selfie of you, Jason, and little Aurora in front of the snow castle and the two snowmen on each side of the castle—snowmen that later the three of you built after snow angels' antics. The snowmen are guards, Jason had said.

Jason's shuffling and looking at the printed photos he (and you) took with the instant camera, while occasionally brushing your raven black hair that fans the pillow.

“Lovely snow angels.” Jason mutters.

You laugh. You immediately scroll towards one picture of the three of you as snow angels. “Yeah, that one was cute too. It's fortunate that you brought your tripod outside so we could take a photo with the three of us as snow angels.”

“I meant this.”

Jason shows you one printed photo from the instant camera.

“Oh.”

It is a photo of you and Aurora as snow angels, the sunlight reflecting on the snow and bouncing a very faint light on your smiling faces.

“That’s…” You almost can't say a thing. “So beautiful.”

“I know.”

“You're very talented, Jason.” You look up and give him a soft smile.

“It's not as much talent as what's the subject of the photography.”

“Hey.” You can't help but chide him.

“It's true.”

“It's not.”

“It is.” Jason says with a finality. He puts all—the photos except the one on your hand—on the nightstand beside him.

“Both of you are just the loveliest snow angels. My literal angels.”

“Oh, Jason…”

“My only angels. You and Aurora.”

That's it.

You drag his face towards you with one of your hands behind his neck. You kiss him deeply and slowly. You can feel his pulse beneath your fingers and run your hand up and down his nape.

Jason shudders and he kisses you deeper, if it's possible, and you let out a small moan.

Jason shudders and he kisses you deeper, if it's possible, and you let out a small moan.

At last, you separate your faces from each other to inhale some air.

“Jason, I love you so much.” You caress his jawline, looking at his perfect shade of viridian eyes.

“I love you more.” He looks at you as fondly. Sometimes it's hard to breathe everytime he does that.

“I love you more and more.”

“I love you–”

And that's where you two hear a cry from Aurora's room. She's awake.

“I think trying to tell us she's agreed that I love you more.” Jason snickers.

You huff, moving your body to get up from the bed. “She's trying to tell us she wants to co-sleep with us again tonight.”

“That's fair too. Still, I love you more and more and more, though.”

“It’s me, actually, but I will let you win.”

You almost land your feet on the floor when Jason immediately stands up.

“Let me get her or I love you more and more and more.”

You can't believe your husband's antics but you smile ear to ear nonetheless.

“Fair. Go get her, Papabear.”

“On it, Mamabear.”

Jason shouts I love you more and more and more when he's in another room with Aurora's “Papa” accompanying it.

mariea's note: guess who decide to go all in and repost the fic from my ao3 here? anyway here's the og appearance of my jason todd's kid oc aurora "rora" todd 🤍

[lanadelreyscokewhor3]

THE DINNER - M.MURDOCK

Pairing:  Best Friend! Matt x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 840

Summary: after teasing you all night at a valentine's day dinner, matt requests some alone time with you, his best friend, to "talk".

Warnings: fingering, dry humping, daddy kink, size kink, swearing, petnames, praise kink, slight degradation kink, matt being a tease, alcohol mentioned, huge possession kink, choking, slight hint of breeding kink

notes: i whipped this up as a gift last night, because i love you all soooo much! happy valentines day lovies<3 mwah

“I don’t know about this Matty.” you giggled, beaming from ear to ear as his arms caged you in against the wall, locking your tipsy gaze on his soft lips as they moved.

“You don’t have to know silly girl. Don't you trust me?” he cooed, to which you nodded. Your heart hammered a steady rhythm against your ribs, and you need he could note its increasing tempo the closer his skin was against yours, the lower his voice got, huskness lacing his words like sweet venom

“Course I trust you! But what if they notice we’re gone?”

“They know we’re gone. I told them we had to talk.” he shrugged, a cheeky grin on his face as his other hand slipped down, locking the bathroom door beside the pair of you against the cool tile wall.

The night had started a few hours ago, a nice, candlelit dinner followed up with little rose vases and champagne during the Valentine's dinner you were at with so many other friends. They had hardly noticed the way his hand slipping under the white, crisp tablecloth in the dimly lit dining room, stroking up and down your thigh. Had hardly noticed how flustered you became whenever he had purred out your name, speaking on your behalf.

Oh Y/N will have this. She loves that. Isn't that right bun? It drove you insane. So of course, when he had escorted you from the table, they thought nothing of it- two friends talking. Taking a walk.

But here you were, panties in a twist as you peered up at him, chest rapidly rising and falling as you felt your reasoning falter. “Talk about what Matty?”

“Talk about the fact I could feel Frank's eyes on you the whole night when you're mine.” The possession was evident in his voice as he growled, causing your core to throb, thighs shifting together as an attempt to hide the fact you were dripping.

No use. He knew it, he could sniff you out like a hound on the prowl, his fists clenching in agony at the fact he couldn't breed you like a bitch in heat at this very second.

“B-but we aren't dating silly!” you chirped out, champagne causing you to hiccup as your hands slipped up to trail up his abs, playing with this stark black tie you loved so much.

“Mhmm I know. Just friends, yea?”

“The bestest of friends.” you smiled, eyes widening as his smirk widened, hand sliding up to cup around your throat comfortably, the other lifting up your hips up so your legs wrapped around his waist.

It was now you realized how much bigger he was then you, all large and beefy.

You wanted to bite him. That's the champagne. Champagne does silly things. But he looked so yummy in that suit…

“The bestest of friends hmm? The kind of friends who do this?” he murmured, squeezing just a bit tighter around your airways, a moan ripping through your vocal cords.

“Yea atta girl. You know how much I love those pretty noises you make angel. So eager for daddy hm?” You began to rut your hips against him at his words, savoring the way his words felt whispered against your ear, caressing your skin.

“M’so needy for you Daddy.” you whined gently, scared of being heard over the soft ambient piano music that streamed under the door from the main room. But you knew Matt wouldn't care. If anything, he’d want the entire block to know it was him making you feel this way, it was him who had you folding in seconds whenever you were together for too long.

“I know sweet girl, I could feel you pulsing all night. You've been so good, waiting. You know that?” he coaxed, hand slipping from your throat to tug at the crimson red fabric that was draped over your curves, dress now rumbled from your movements.

“Y-you were teasing me.”

“Was I? I didn’t notice.” he teased, slipping past your panties. “You take what you need from Daddy sweetheart. I know it's been so, so hard for you hm?”

You melted under his touch, turning into sand that slipped through his fingers as he cupped your mound, palm bumping your clit as you bucked.

“Need inside Daddy. Please!” you begged, clenching onto his suit for dear life as he clucked his tongue. Your lips parted as you clenched around his digit, now covered in your juices as he pumped his finger.

"S’tight angel. Just a lil thing, only able to take a few fingers yea?” he mocked, licking his lower lip at the sounds of the slick, your little pants and moans as you craved more than you could manage.

“S’okay baby, you've done it before, you can do it again. Make me so proud.”

“Please..” you breathed, shoulder straps slipping down your shoulders, breasts jiggling with each roll of your hips.

“Do whatever you need angel, because after we need to talk. And by talk, I mean have it my way.”

[sstormyskyess]

hi everyone enjoy some single dad!soap as i try to recover from writer's block! warning for hurt/comfort [i made myself sad writing this so take that as you will]

You listen to Abigail talking about what happened in her class earlier in the day while she doodled, brows furrowed from her focus on getting everything in her drawing just right. They were doing basic arithmetics, something she apparently had a distaste for. But she makes sure to tell you that your nephew had helped her with most of the math problems, which brings a smile to your face.

A ping on your phone draws your attention away from her stories. You check the notification and see it’s a text from John letting you know he was on his way home and it draws a small, relieved sigh out of you. It was starting to get late, and you were worried about him not making it back before you had to get the girls tucked in for bed.

Abigail hated going to bed without seeing her dad first; you didn’t really know why, but it was simply a quirk of her mannerisms. It doesn’t happen frequently, but every now and then he’s caught up with work on base and you’ve stayed up with Abigail until he got home with her clinging to your side as you laid on the couch.

You shoot a quick reply back to him and tune back in when Abigail asks you if you could hand her one of her blue colored pencils. She beams at you happily and says thank you when you pass her the blue pencil that you remember to be her favorite.

You’re about to continue spacing out until you feel a tiny tug on your pant leg. Ashley babbles at you from the floor where she was crawling and you pick her up, resting her on your leg. She looks up at you expectantly with her bright blue eyes—ones she got right from her father—and you hold her little hands. “Are you hungry, Ash?” You ask and she continues to mumble incoherently. “What about you, Abby?” Abigail nods excitedly, hopping down from her chair at the dining room table, dashing into the kitchen. You chuckle quietly, standing up with Ashley on your hip.

You’re in the process of cleaning up Ashley’s face when the front door unlocks and the broad stature of her father makes itself present in the doorway. He ruffles Abigail’s hair when she dashes up to him and hugs his legs, grinning up at him giddily. “Papa, come look at my drawing!” She bounces up and down and he lets her drag him over to the table covered with her doodles.

You laugh under your breath, going back to what you were doing before. You jump when John’s arm wraps around your shoulders and he pulls you close to his side. “Gotta talk to you about something later,” he mumbles to you, squeezing you tighter. You glance up at him and give him a confused look, but he just takes Ashley out of her high chair and holds her to his chest, smiling at the way her eyes drooped sleepily after her meal.

“You’re getting called in?” You look at him sadly, a frown tugging your lips downward. “I thought you had another month or so.”

He shrugs and sighs, climbing in bed next to you. “Things happen, bonnie.” His frown mirrors yours and his voice is audibly dejected. He doesn’t like being away from his girls for any amount of time. Now, he has you to come back to as well, only adding to his distaste for leaving.

He pulls the sheets over both of you and lays back against the headboard. You take comfort in his warm presence at your side and shuffle closer to him as subtly as possible. You’re not as slick as you think you are, though. He ends up noticing and taking the initiative to wrap an arm around your waist and pull you into his side.

Your face heats up to your ears because of the close proximity. He’s shirtless, as he usually is when he’s going to bed, meaning you were mere inches away from his bare, muscular chest. “I’ll miss you," he murmurs, resting his head on yours.

You blink, surprised by his words. You're quiet for a moment before a small smile comes to your face. "I'll miss you, too," you respond, just as quietly, almost as though you're trying to hide your words from the outside world.

His hand trembles a bit where it rests on your hip. He sighs, running his hand up your side and back down to your hip to soothe himself. "What are you doin' to me, bonnie?" He mutters, turning his head to bury his face into the top of your head. "Can never stop thinkin' about you and the girls. You're drivin' me crazy," he says, his accent thicker than usual because of how tired he is. "Just wanna be with you all the time."

You wrap your arm around his waist and rest the side of your face on his chest. You can barely think of anything to say. His words muddled your mind, filling your thoughts with all the time you've spent with him. It's been almost a year since you met him and things have become so different. Things have been good. Better than they have been for many years.

“Would you be willing to watch the girls while I’m gone?” He pulls away just enough to look at you. You look up at him and meet his icy blue eyes, taking note of the pink shade his cheeks had become.

You have to think about his question for a moment, despite your desire to immediately jump on the prospect of being Abigail and Ashley’s caretaker for such an extended period of time. It would be a lot; they were already a handful just for the short spans of time you take care of them throughout the week. But as you weigh your options, you always come back around to accepting his proposal. You smile when you look up at him and nod, sealing the deal.

He looks back at you, the corners of his eyes crinkling from how wide his grin was. “Thank you, love.”

Your eyes are dry as you stare up at the ceiling. It was the middle of the night; you should be sleeping because you have work tomorrow, but you keep thinking about him. John had left for the airport about a month ago, maybe a few weeks more than a month. You’ve not been keeping track perfectly, but it was somewhere around that time frame.

You were missing him. It’s not as though he hasn’t been deployed while you’ve known him. He’s been deployed for a month or so at a time on multiple occasions, but it felt like the time was dragging on so much longer than it usually did. Something about being surrounded by all the little traces of him was making it much harder to handle his absence. The sheets still smelled like his body wash and the faintest hint of gunpowder that never seemed to wash clean from his clothes after his missions.

The light from the hallway peeking into John’s room wakes you out of your restless sleep and your eyes open slowly, adjusting to the sudden brightness in your eyes. You sit up quickly at the sound of Abigail’s choked up voice calling your name from where she was standing at the bedroom door.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” You ask gently while you get out of bed, walking over to her where she was sniffling and rubbing tears out of her eyes. She slowly and quietly wraps her arms around your hips, burying her face in your shirt. “Had a—a bad dream…” She ekes out past the hoarseness in her voice. Your heart breaks immediately and you bend down to her level, letting her wrap her arms around your neck in a tight, clingy hug.

You pick her up and take her to John’s bed, sitting with her in your lap. “You wanna tell me about it?” You ask, looking down at her. She shakes her head, nestling herself further into your arms. “Alright, that’s okay, honey.” You shush her softly and let her cry into your shirt.

She eventually goes silent after a while, her shaky sobs reduced to quiet sniffles and choppy breaths. You lay down with her on your chest, your hands running up and down her back comfortingly. You perk up when she says your name to get your attention. You open your eyes back up and look down at her with a hum of acknowledgement.

“When's Papa gonna come home?”

Her tone is so bleak compared to the cheery giggles and bright smiles she’s usually sporting. You think on the question, trying to navigate what the best response would be. It was a question you've been asking yourself over the past month and a half, and you haven’t even been able to come up with a satisfying answer for your own worries. You sigh after a moment and pet the back of her head, taming her messy bedhead.

“Soon. He’ll be home soon, okay?” You muster up a smile to accompany your words. “He’s never broken a promise before, has he?”

She shakes her head, her hazel eyes darkened in the low light of the bedroom. “That’s right. You just have to trust him.” Your smile widens when she nods. “Okay,” she mumbles, going back to hiding her face in your chest.

You both end up sound asleep soon enough, with your arms holding her to your chest and her tiny hands clinging to your shirt.

more single dad!soap on my masterlist [reblogs > likes!!]

[flyingwargle]

suna is in a good mood.

"look at you, beaming like the sun has finally shone in your favor," komori drawls, nudging him in the locker room. "did one of your shitposts finally become viral on twitter?"

"that happened already," washio reminds him from across the bench. "remember that edit he made with miya?"

"you can have more than one shitpost go viral. well?" komori prompts.

suna pulls his t-shirt off for another. "it's nothing. looking forward to going home, that's all."

"i would too, if it weren't for the giant pile of bills that i ignored over the last month. what, is something special happening?"

"no."

"so elusive. come on, tell me!"

"if you look at the calendar," washio says, "i think you'll know."

"why do you also..." komori trails off as he does what he's told, breaking into a grin and giving suna another nudge. "you're so whipped, lover boy."

he shrugs him off, throwing his shorts into his gym bag and pulling on his jeans. with a last survey of his locker and bench, he zips his gym bag and swings it over his shoulder. "i'll see you guys next week."

"looking forward to the onigiri!" komori calls out after him. suna rolls his eyes, but he doesn't suppress his smile.

once a month for a week, osamu travels from hyogo to shizuoka to spend time with him, taking a break from the chaotic day-to-day restaurant work to experiment with new recipes, do administrative work, and generally unwind. although practice takes up most of suna's time, they relish in whatever domesticity they can afford, even if it's small moments like these once a month.

his apartment is half an hour away by train without any transfers, the building itself only a block away from the station. he texts osamu the entire time, who should be at home, unless he went out to buy groceries. another perk of his location is that it’s close to the supermarket, which makes grocery runs or preparing for board game night at his place convenient.

suna gets off at his stop and makes the short walk home. osamu still hasn't replied to him – is he that engrossed in whatever he's doing to not check his phone? oh, well, it'll be interesting to see what he's up to. suna enters his building, takes the elevator up, and unlocks the front door. "i'm back."

silence. not even the kitchen fan is whirring, which is a constant whenever osamu visits. with a raised eyebrow, he kicks his shoes off, treads down the hallway. "'samu?"

a pot simmers on the stove at low heat. the counters are filled with various bowls and pans, stained but otherwise empty. osamu is at the dining table, uncovered bowl of sushi rice left out, smaller dishes of fillings surrounding him. his head is lowered over the surface, cap pulled low. suna reaches over to lift it, realizes that he's asleep.

he has his phone out in an instant. he snaps a few pictures, smiling at his boyfriend's peaceful expression, the faintest snores rumbling at the back of his throat, his chest rising and falling in a languid rhythm. suna clears the rest of the table, moves a chair to sit beside him, and rests his head to face him.

it’s reminiscent of high school. osamu would nap after eating lunch, and suna would sit beside him, shake him awake when class resumes. once, though, he mirrored him, admired the way his eyes were curved, lips slightly parted, hair falling lightly over his eyes. he had brushed it away, noticed his natural dark hair color beneath the dyed gray, the messy bangs that sweep toward the right to distinguish him from his twin.

now, years later, his hair has returned to his natural color. there are darker shadows beneath his eyes, bangs still messy. suna reaches forward to brush them away. in the past, his touch never lingered; now, his fingers remain threaded through his hair, giving him a full view of his boyfriend’s face. affection floods him, and he leans forward to plant a kiss on his forehead. as he pulls away, osamu begins to stir, and a bleary eye opens at him. “rin?” he slurs.

“hey. didn’t mean to wake ya.”

osamu opens the other eye, slowly moving upright, wincing as he stretches his arms over his head. he looks around, blinks at the pot on the stove, the dishes left over the counters, then at him. “how long was i out for?”

“you were already asleep by the time i came home.”

“oh.” he blinks, realization sinking in a moment later. “oh.”

“you said that already.”

“welcome home.”

suna blinks, caught by surprise. he smiles. “thanks. happy to be home.”

they stand and survey the kitchen. “i was workin’ on a stew for dinner and new fillings for onigiri,” osamu says, gesturing at the dirty dishes, “but i guess i fell asleep while waitin’. hope it’s still salvageable.”

“you can save any food disaster.” suna takes his jacket off and heads for the sink. “i’ll clean, and you do whatever you were doing?”

“what did i do to bag a man who washes dishes?”

“you make me dinner.”

osamu chuckles. “ain’t that the fairest trade ya ever heard of?”

the stew is, fortunately, salvageable, and the dishes are washed and stacked on the dish rack. they sit across from each other, chatting about their days, then make onigiri to eat later. curled on the couch, they watch cooking videos for recipes that osamu wants to try to make. the night ends with a late snack, sleep descending on them in their shared bed, limbs tangled together, blanket thrown over their heads.

it’s a simple life, but it’s a life that suna is more than happy to have.

[simstorian-blog]

Sandtrap Flat

(CC List + Links)

World Map: Oasis Springs

Area: Bedford Strait

Lot Size:  30 x 20

Gallery ID: Simstorian-ish

Packs Needed

Expansion Packs

Cats & Dogs

For Rent

Get Famous

Get Together

High School Years

Game Packs

Dream Home Decorator

Parenthood

Strangerville

Kits

Desert Luxe Kit

Build Mode

Felixandre

Soho Pt. 2 (Light Switch Medium, Metal Door Medium)

Harlix

Orjanic Pt.1 (Glass Roof 2)

Harrie

Klean Pt. 2

Klean Pt. 3

Kwatei Pt. 1 (Double Arch Short, Front Door Glass- Medium, Front Door Solid – Short)

Peacemaker

Rustic Siding

Pierisim

Tilable (Plaster)

Woodland Ranch (Wooden Ceiling)

Sundays

Juniper Terrazzo Floor C

Buy Mode

Anniee-sims

Lilah Prints (Mesh Needed)

Anye

Prio (Duvet)

Townhouse (Loopchair)

Awingedllama

Boho Living (Wooden Arch Floor Mirror)

BlueTeas

Curtains

Jasmine Teenage Bedroom (Pendant Lamp)

Allen Seating (Walt Ottoman V2)

CharlyPancakes

Lavish (Clothing Only)

ClutterCat

Baby Boo (Coloring Book, Pouf, Tulip Vase)

BubbleGum (Calendar, Color Candle I Big)

Busy Bee (Glass Jars, Pen Holder, Pencil Case)

Cozy Cocina

Fairylicious (Cushion Pile, Kids Art)

Sunny Sundae Pt. 1 (Candle Small)

Sunny Sundae Pt. 3 (Alarm Clock, Open Book, Vanity Mirror)

CowBuild

Minotti Ottoman I

Felixandre

Berlin Pt. 3 (Desktop)

Kyoto Pt. 3 (Bath Tray)

Shop The Look S1 (Magazine Stand, Tassel Rug)

Shop The Look S3

Soho Pt. 1 (Sideboard, Woven Rug)

Soho Pt. 4 (Ficus Planter, Stool)

Harlix

Baysic

Baysic Bathroom

Harluxe (AC Control, Book w Sunglasses, Light Switch, Makeup Tray, Mini Bar)

Jardane (Counter, Grill, Sink – Deep)

Kichen (Bowls, Glasses, Plates)

Livin’ Rum (Bookstand, Coffee Table Book, Frame Tv, Stacking Box)

Orjanic Pt. 2 (Foxglove Vase)

Harrie

Brownstone Pt. 1 (Sink, Shelves)

Brutalist Bathroom (Bathtub, Block Vanity – Centre/Curved Left & Right, Frame Mirror – Large, Rectangular Sink, Shower, Tiled Decorative Shelf)

Coastal Pt. 7 (Mirror)

Country (Bed Vase)

Halcyon Kitchen

Shop The Look (Wooden Bowl)

Shop The Look 3 (Coffee Tables, Cushions, End Table)

JoyceIsFox

Simple Live #7 (Cooking Utensils, Double Chopping Board)

KiwiSims4

Blockhouse Dining (Pendants)

Piha Living (Chandeliers)

KKB

Citrus Room (Samsung the Serif Ver1)

Ledger Atelier

Mohan Living Pt. 3 (Sofa)

Nordheim Bathroom Pt. 1 (Bathrobe)

LittleDica

Delicious Kitchen (Paper Towel)

LorySims

2021 Ford Bronco

MyCupofCC

Bathroom Collection (Woven Bath Mat)

Nordica Sims

Art Poster 01

No Style x Woodland

Annika Meabh Sofa

Peacemaker

Creta Kitchen (Bar Fridge, Short Lineal Light Beam)

Ellipse (Ottoman)

Kitayama Bedroom (Half Moon Headboard)

Kassova Sectional

Matilda (Backpack, Jacket, Knit)

Pierisim

David’s Apartment Pt. 1 (Books 3 & 4)

David’s Apartment Pt. 2 (Nightstand, Open Book, Pile of Jumpers 2, Pile of Trousers 1 & 2, Shoes, Wooden Side Table)

MCM Pt. 3 (Metal Sconce 2, Narrow Rug Long, Narrow Rug Short, Wall Mounter Accent Table)

MCM Pt. 5 (Hair Dryer, Hair Straightener, Wigs)

Winter Garden (Olive Tree)

Pilar

Osaka Lamp Oval Large

Plush Pixels

Calm Sofa

Ravasheen

Knit Happens Clutter

Procrafination

RusticSims

Kind of Modular (Books, Deco Jar)

Loft Pt. 1 (Lampara de Pie Petrea)

Sooky88

Justina Blakeney x Loloi Area Rug

Mixed Modern Square Rug

Sundays

Canggu Pt. 3 (Pillows I)

Kediri Pt. 1 (Throw Pillow – Solids)

Swell Pt. 1 (Bolster Pillow)

TaurusDesigns

Eliza Walk-in Closet (Clothing Only)

Tuds

CRIB (Pendants – Small/Medium)

Winner9

Yokeda Wall Lamp Triple

DO NOT REUPLOAD MY LOTS.

DO NOT CLAIM THEM AS YOUR OWN.

DO NOT PLACE BEHIND A PAYWALL.

Tray Files: DOWNLOAD

[littlesheeneffect]

She's My Husband! (Part 1)❤️

Miles Maitland x Y/N (AFAB Genderfluid)

I love Miles, and always did. And somehow, I knew he loved me- despite me being AFAB. I am genderfluid, so that bridged everything, "like the superpower it is", as he says. So, let me begin.

.............

We met on a dull rainy day that anyone in Britian is used to. Except me, as I'm not from the British isles. So, I gravitated to the nearest building, which so happened to be a open dining arena as well. As I stood shivering, removing my outer brown tweed coat, my eyes grazed across the room.

Suddenly, I realized that a most attractive man was staring at me with a surprised expression. Quickly he reverted his gaze to his paper, as his round shaded glasses slightly slipped down his nose a bit.

Just then, someone he obviously knew, passed the opposite side of his table and muttered something to him- to which, he tisked loudly and then smiled back, " No she's a he and he's a she- get with it."

'Oh goodness!' My heart raced, 'They're talking about me, darn- I should've left the coat on. Oh great!' I blushed darkly, and nervously slid the wet coat back on.

With a near hurt pain, I undecided decided to return to the wet landscape, but the stairs I'd used to enter was blocked by a serving cart. Quickly scanning the room, I seen the closest. Which so happened to be just passed the man with the paper.

My feet made there way over, though a butler-like server moved, and bumped me. Stumbling, I nearly fell right on top of the man's table. Knocking over his glass, and spilling water all over it.

He looked at me, without even as much as a flinch and batted his eyes as he shook his head with rapture. "Oh my dear- that was the most beautiful intro!"

"Huh-huh-huh", I forced a laugh, though my face was red and I was extremely obviously embarrassed, 'Um, Hi." "Hello, my names Miles. Miles Maitland", he grinned with glee as I removed myself from the table and took his hand.

"I'm y/f/n y/l/n, but you can call me....whatever you'd like" I shrugged off, realizing he probably would catch the female name didn't go with the current male appearance. Or at least attempted male appearance. "Mmmmm", he soft of hum-growled, with a ferver that made me blush once more before he continued- "You are so intriguing y/n! Please, feel free to take a chair. Goodness knows it'll draw attention just stating there! Please, please, come sit", he beamed. And I seated myself in the chair at my side, smoothing my wet vest down as I did so. Darn that clumsyness!

"So", he whispered, "praytell-" with that he softly pointed up and down at me, with with his opposite index finger, and a mischieveious curiousoity painted in his aura. Another blush escaped me, and I broke a smile. "Oh, yeah... Well, I'm, I am something called genderfluid. It, it means, I am able to change my gender to whatever I'd like, we'll sort of, not physically though.... As you seen. You know what I mean? This, I, I sound crazy!" "No, no, no, no! My dear- you are amazing. You have a superpower. Oh, my- how wonderful!" He beamed.

..... To Be Continued.......