#because I can just print a picture of her out and sigh longingly at it

[soundofcomets]

I'm so fucking unwell about this fucking combination of pixels and the figment of at least two peoples imagination. I just. THEASTRRGGRRGGGGFFEAARRARRRGGG. And oh my gods the fact that she's played by The Creator of Lesbians, Maggie Robertson?????????? I'm going to fucking explode

[copper-wasp]

Prompto x Reader: Kisses (Part 11/?)

Title: Glasses (Alt. Version)

Rating: T

Words: 1,733

Posted to AO3!

You perked up as soon as you saw Prompto coming towards you. You had already purchased his favorite boba, mango, and you had pushed it over to him as he plopped down on the bench next to you, setting his laptop on the table.

You hadn’t gotten a proper look at him, but once he sat down with sigh, you glanced over, having to do a double take when you saw he was wearing glasses. Tortoiseshell frames, cute rounded rectangles that fit his face perfectly, and you watched with rapt attention as Prompto raised his pointer finger to push them up his nose. You shook your head to clear away the glasses-induced fog, tapping the lid of his drink with the end of your pen.

“Good morning, sunshine,” you said, chewing on a tapioca pearl. “Rough day already? You know it’s only 10 am, right?” you joked, seeing him crack a smile at you.

“Yeah... I know,” he replied, opening the lid to his computer and jiggling his fingertips on the trackpad to wake it up. He took a big drag on the straw of his drink, mouth curving into a smile at the taste. “Thanks for that,” he remarked, looking at you full on for the first time.

You couldn’t get over him wearing glasses. You knew he wore contacts normally, but you’d just never even thought about what he looked like with glasses on instead.

You felt heat rush into your face, and you cleared your throat, trying to focus on the passage you were reading, highlighter poised over the printed text.

“You okay?” Prom asked, raising his eyebrows at you.

“Yeah, I’m super entirely fine,” you replied with a grin. He matched yours, and the combination of his killer smile and those glasses of his was almost enough to knock you out cold with cuteness.

He groaned, pulling up the syllabus to one of his courses. “I never thought taking a photo class would require so much writing,” he lamented, resting his head on his hand.

“Well, they can’t let you have too much fun, right?” you replied, dragging a fluorescent pink line across your textbook. He snorted, popping the lens cover off his camera.

“Hey, look over here for a sec?” he said, but you didn’t budge.

“No way, Prom, find a more willing model,” you commented, turning the page.

“Ahhh come on, please? You’re my favorite model,” he whined, lining up the shot anyway.

You rolled your eyes, closing the book around your highlighter to keep your page. “Fine, but only if I get to take one of you next.”

“That’s a deal I’m willing to make,” he replied cheerfully.

You turned your head to look at him, letting him frame the shot. He gave you a couple directions, tilt your head this way, eyes over there, pull your hair out from behind your ear, and you followed them all. After a minute or so, you heard the click of the shutter, and Prom pulled the picture up on the screen on the back of the camera. “Looks good, don’t you think?” he asked, showing you the photo. You thought you looked like a potato, per usual, but Prompto seemed pleased, so you nodded, giving him a smile.

“My turn, right?” you reminded him, and he handed over the camera. “Okay, first close your laptop. Now put your elbow on the table and make a fist. Other elbow, silly,” you said with a laugh. Prompto moved to take off his glasses, but you stopped him.

“No, Prom, leave those on!” you said, lowering the camera to look at him.

“How come?”

“Because... you look really... cute with them on,” you said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. He gave you a crooked smile and pushed the frames back up his nose.

“I dunno, I think I look like a nerd,” he replied.

“Oh, no way, Prom,” you said a little too enthusiastically, clearing your throat to try to distract from your red cheeks. “Okay, okay, now rest your cheek on your hand,” you quickly diverted, setting him up the way you wanted for the photo. “Hmm, I want to try something.... Don’t look at the camera until I say, okay? And even though it pains me to say it, don’t smile either,” you added, trying not to grin yourself.

“Okay, I got it,” he replied, looking longingly at his melting boba. You were being a little excessive, but you wanted to get the perfect shot of your blonde friend.

“Okay, on three. One... two...” you pulled the viewfinder up to your eye, manually focusing. “Three!” Prompto looked up as you had instructed, blue eyes bright and lovely in the morning sun. You frowned at the photo when you brought it up, but not because it was bad, rather because of how good the subject looked in it. Prompto was disturbingly cute, his freckles sticking out like confetti on his cheeks, shock of blonde hair stirred perfectly by the gentle breeze, the little glare on his lenses not detracting at all from his ocean-colored eyes, practically staring into your soul through the camera screen.

You turned it to show him when he scooted closer to you. He gave you a smile, pleased with the photo. “Maybe you should be the photography major,” he joked, placing the camera on the table.

“Nah, I’ll stick to my books and research papers,” you replied. Checking your watch, you had just about ten minutes to get to your next class, so you packed up your things. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, see you!” he replied, saluting you with his boba. He bit his lip to hide his smile after you had left. “Did she really...? Say I was cute?” he mumbled to himself, pulling up the picture he had taken of you. There was just a hint of a smile on your lips, eyes looking just past the camera, and he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to kiss those lips, and have your eyes trained only on him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Noctis looked concernedly at his friend over the pizza they were sharing.

“Prompto?” he asked, dropping his crust onto his plate.

“Yeah?” Prom replied, trying to wrangle the clump of cheese that was falling off of his slice.

“You’ve been wearing your glasses for like, a week straight. Did you run out of contacts or something?” Noctis asked, pulling another slice in his direction.

Prompto looked at him guiltily, shoving his pizza in his mouth. After a long moment of chewing, and seeing that Noct was still looking at him expectantly, he sighed. “Well... um, [Y/N] may have said that... she, uh, thinks I look cute with them on,” he explained sheepishly, not looking at him.

Noctis was trying not to be an ass, but the smirk on his face betrayed his intentions. “Oh, so the girl you’ve had a crush on for months says you look good, and you don’t ask her out, you just keep wearing your glasses?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” the blonde replied with a hopeless lilt.

“Just ask her out, she’s obviously into you,” Noct said, pulling all the cheese off of his slice to shove into his mouth.

“You forget that I’m a train wreck around girls.”

Noctis scoffed, "You are not. You just let your nerves get to you."

Prompto shrugged in response, opening and closing his mouth a few times, any rebuttal refusing to come.

"Well," Noctis continued, pausing to swallow a large bite of pizza, "If you won't ask her out, maybe I will. She's cute, and I can get some of those non-prescription glasses to wear...."

Prompto's head whipped around to glare at his friend. Noctis was refusing to look at him, just giving bedroom eyes to his slice, hoping this would give his friend the little push he needed.

"Don't even think about it," Prompto finally replied, angrily tearing another slice from the pie.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Would you... maybe want to go for a walk?” Prompto asked you the next afternoon, closing the book he was pretending to read.

You nodded with a relieved sigh. “I was hoping you’d distract me,” you replied, closing the lid on your laptop and sliding it into your backpack. “Where do you wanna go?”

Prom smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Maybe the park on 14th?”

“Sounds good!”

You started walking towards the park, but Prompto was getting a lot of attention on the way.

“Hey Prom, nice glasses!” Noctis yelled as he skated by on his longboard.

“Uh... th-thanks?!” he replied as his dark haired friend laughed.

A block later and the two of you ran into Gladio - you hadn’t spent much time with him, but he pulled you into a bear hug nonetheless, picking you about 6 inches off the ground in the process.

“Hey short stuff, look at how cute you look with those,” he teased, poking at the frame with his meaty fingertips.

“Hey, cut it out!” Prompto said, swatting his hand away, and you couldn’t stifle your laugh. Prom’s cheeks were a brilliant red, and you really wanted to reach out and touch them.

You kept walking, Prom’s face slowly regaining its normal color, when you spotted Ignis standing on a corner, furiously scribbling in a notebook.

“Hey, Iggy,” you greeted, peering over to try to get a glance at what he was writing. He snapped his book shut, not letting you see.

“Sorry, it’s a secret for now,” he said, tucking it into his backpack. He glanced over at Prompto, who gave a pathetic wave. “Hmm... Noctis was right, those are cute on you,” he added with a sly smile, adjusting his own glasses.

Prom gave a withering look, grabbing your hand and pulling you past Iggy. You gave him a wave goodbye as Prompto dragged you towards the park, pink sitting high on his cheekbones once again.

“Hey, Prom, stop! Hold on a minute,” you said, dragging your feet to get him to slow down as you entered the park.

He didn’t seem to want to look at you, but he was still holding your hand. You gave it a gentle squeeze, Prom finally tilting his head to catch your eye. “They were just joking, right?” you said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah... I know, I just-“ he paused, turning to face you. He took a deep breath, a little tinge of embarrassment in his ocean eyes. “Well, you said you liked how I looked with my glasses and I kind of haven’t taken them off since then and they’ve been on my case about me not asking you... um,” he paused, grabbing your other hand.

You smiled at him reassuringly, taking a step closer to him. “It’s okay, Prom. I think I know what you want to ask.” Now it was your turn to be nervous, and you swallowed hard, trying to keep your voice from shaking. “I’d really like to go on a date with you,” you said quietly. “And you do look so cute with those glasses on.”

He gave you a winning smile, his embarrassment melting away, and you pressed yourself against him in an embrace. You tried to pull away, but he kept you close, giving you a serious look.

He nuzzled his nose against yours and your lips parted in surprise. He bit his bottom lip, and you felt his grip on your waist tighten. Your eyes fluttered shut when you felt his lips touch yours, giving you a sweet, soft kiss.

You laughed against his lips, “I think we’re supposed to go on the date first, Prom.”

“Ah, sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” he replied, biting his lip. He was silent for a few minutes, eyes flicking up and down from your own to your lips. "Would you mind if I did it again?" he asked with a shy smile, and you shook your head. He kissed you again, a little more heated this time, like he was memorizing the feel of your lips on his.

You playfully pushed him away, grabbing his hand again and lacing your fingers with his. “Well, come on, stud, you promised me a walk in the park,” you teased, pulling him along behind you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you for reading!!

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Twitter: copper_wasp_

[maevefiction]

Your Light in the Mist - One Shot, Been Shopping

As we munched our Kung Po chicken (Chinese food was a Thursday tradition at the office, I was informed by Gavin, whose face was bright red and sweating from the intensely spicy concoction) I remembered I’d yet to inquire as to what I was expected to turn up in for Phaedra’s event at the Cube Gallery the following evening. Simon’s chopsticks fell from his fingers, mouth agape.

“Do you always wait until the very last moment for this sort of thing, Maude? I thought New York was just a fluke because you had no idea you were going to Daniel…is this a pattern? I am tres disappointed.”

Using my entire hand, fingers spread, I pointed at the worn Lord of the Rings T-shirt I’d thrown on that morning. “Dude, does it LOOK like I put a shitload of thought into what I wear most of the time?”

He peeked under the table. “You wore those shorts Tuesday, didn’t you?”

I nodded emphatically, brows raised. “NOW you’re getting it.”

Shrugging, he swallowed another bit of chicken. “No, I’m not. Because you weren’t a total slob in HAWAII.” I kicked him under the table. “OW. Bitch. I meant that whenever we went out you looked beautiful…”

Leaning back in my chair, eyes closed, I took a deep breath, then spoke, softly at first, my voice rising as I made my point. “That’s why I’m ASKING. So I can make a valiant attempt at looking DECENT. And since it’s so LAST MINUTE, can you just maybe please, oh, I don’t know, TELL ME WHAT THE DRESS CODE IS ALREADY?”

Luke was smirking, looking back and forth between us as if he was watching a rousing tennis match. “Suit and tie, Maude. With plenty of leeway for artistic expression. My mother’s friends are…interesting.”

“Thank you, Luke. I’m sure I brought something with me that’ll work.”

Simon pushed himself up off the cushioned bench seat and reached out his hand to me. “Come on.” I remained motionless, looking up at him as if he was an alien creature about to attack. His head tipped back, eyes rolling. “We are going up to your flat. I will peer into your closet. I will determine if any of it ‘works’.”

I shot Luke a ‘what the fuck’ look, his half smile and shrug clearly indicating that my life would be simpler if I just went with it. I stood, reluctantly, gazing longingly at the remains of my lunch.

“Fine. But I just thought of the perfect dress…”

He crossed his arms. “That brown galaxy print?” I nodded, my turn to gape. Simon shook his head. “Yeah, no.”

“Why not? And what the hell, Simon? This is starting to piss me off…”

Both of his hands found my shoulders and settled there. “You already WORE that one. Maude? You do realize that this is a widely publicized event? And that somehow, someone…” He whipped his head around to the other staff table. “SOMEONE mentioned online that one Mr. Hiddleston would be in attendance.”

My head tilted to the side. Simon sighed. “Maude. This is, like, your LONDON DEBUT as a COUPLE. There will be press. There will be paps. There will be fans.”

“OOOHHHHHH. So you’re going all PR on my ass is what’s happening here.” I grinned. “Well, I’m glad someone’s paying attention. Tom’s woefully inadequate Social Media Director didn’t even notice it circulating on them there interwebs.”

Luke chuckled. “She’s not woefully inadequate.”

I sighed. “I can’t chastise you because you’re my boss. But I’m certain you sense my displeasure.”

We all laughed, and Luke stood. “I’m sure that after our conversation yesterday afternoon your mind is focused on other things.”

“Do you mean the quadrupled workload I managed to dump into my own lap because I had an idea? No. I’m not obsessing over that at all. Wait. You said focused. I’m not focusing on that at all.”

Simon took my hand and pointed at Luke. “Sorry, boss man. I’m kidnapping her for the rest of the afternoon.”

My head shook vehemently. “No you are not. I have SO many phone calls to make and hopefully interviews to arrange and why I am I suddenly not capable of dressing myself?”

“Maude, honey, you’re in a strange city. Our customs are unfamiliar to you. Let’s skip the closet part and just GO SHOPPING.” His brows rose as he finished his sentence, face leaning in towards mine and I realized he probably had an ulterior motive.

“Fine, Simon. FINE. Shopping.” I turned to Luke. “Is this really okay with you?”

He laughed. “I have to live with the man. A-okay.”

As we walked up the stairs Simon whispered in my ear. “Sorry, love. I saw an opportunity and went for it. Glad you finally caught on there at the end.”

I snorted. “I have no idea what the fuck I caught on to, but you SHOULD be glad because I was ready to kick your ass for insulting my fashion sense. Do I like to bum around when I can? Absofuckingloutely. When the occasion demands do I clean up well? Also absofuckingloutely.”

He shushed me as we reached the door to the main level. I grabbed my bag from my office, pulling my phone out as we walked passed a confused Lyssa. Simon went all Monty Python and yelled ‘You been shopping? No, I been shopping!’ as we headed through the door.

As I rang Tom’s phone he rolled his eyes. “God, do you have to tell him EVERYTHING?”

I smacked his arm. “Shut the fuck up.” Tom, of course, picked up just as the words came out of my mouth. “Shit. Hi. That was for Simon, not you. So. Hey. How are you?”

His throaty chuckle at my awkwardness made me blush. Stupid schoolgirl Maude strikes again. “Hi to you too. What’s up?”

“You know, I’m not really sure but it would appear that Simon is dragging me out shopping so I can find a dress for tomorrow night. At least that’s what he told Luke…”

Simon grabbed the phone away from my ear via my wrist, walking me away from the office door, stopping near the stairs closest to Tom’s and my flat and speaking as it remained in my hand. “Thomas. I believe have found the perfect dress for my maid of honor and I am taking her to try it on. DO NOT, under any circumstances, tell Luke. I want every little detail to be in place before he sees ANY of what I’m planning.”

I frowned. “So…I’m NOT getting a dress for tomorrow night?”

“Yes, yes, we’re going to find a dress for you. And some coffee because you are like…DUH.”

Wriggling away from him I pressed the phone back to my ear. “So there you have it. We are now participants in a wedding conspiracy. Apparently. I don’t suppose you want to come with us?”

I could picture his head shaking back and forth slowly as he spoke. “No, no…the two of you go have some fun. I’ll just stay…here…enjoying the peace…and the quiet…”

“How rude. So, shall I send you some pics…”

“Dressing room pics? God yes. Please.” A sharp inhale. “I don’t suppose you have five minutes to spare before you leave? Maybe Simon needs to put more gel in his hair or something?”

Simon shouted ‘I heard that you bloody bastard’ as I bit into my bottom lip. “I meant pictures of the prospective dresses for tomorrow. Just so you know.” The air in the lobby seemed stiflingly hot. “Fuck, is the air conditioning not working in here or something?”

Tom snorted. “Funny, I was wondering the same thing. One particular part of me is decidedly warmer than the rest, though…”

“Okay. On that note, we should get going. Because…”

He uttered a delicate groan. “Oh my, it got all HARD when I touched it…”

“Nuh-uh. Going now. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Simon made gagging noises and pretended to vomit on the carpet as I put my phone away, and I hoped beyond hope he’d ACTUALLY vomit all over his two-tone striped grey John Varvatos Mykanos Venetian loafers. Paired with white to-the-knee shorts and a grey polo that matched the darker stripe of the shoes perfectly, he looked as if he’d just stepped off his yacht and was in search of the nearest appropriately upscale men’s club. As I looked down at my own clothes, I came to terms with the fact that even if he’d used it as a ruse to sneak around behind Luke’s back, the man had a point about my attire. Just like Veronica had in New York. Shaking my head, I muttered something along the lines of needing to find some less fashion-forward friends who wouldn’t be so focused on my clothing choices and thus I’d be allowed to live a normal life wherein wearing the same shorts twice in week wasn’t a scandal.

“MAUDE, I heard that!”

“Good. Have you ever, you know, thought of dressing DOWN?”

He gasped. “And break rule number sixty four under section eight of the Exceedingly Handsome Homosexual Male’s Handbook? NEVER.”

My eyes narrowed as I suppressed a huge grin. “Well played, Mr. Ahlberg. Well played.”

He reached for my hand, squeezing it gently, his own baby-soft and warm with an underlying strength that somehow surprised me. “Come on, gimpy. You can make it to the parking garage, can’t you?”

“Yes, asshat. Let’s motor.”

We walked down the street hand in hand, our arms swing as he sang a little song about having me all to himself for an entire afternoon. I spotted Tom’s Jaguar, and totally lost my shit when Simon’s key fob disarmed a Fiat 500 L two cars down from it, its paint an eye-assaulting robin’s egg blue.

“Simon. My god. That’s…fuck…it’s so…YOU it’s not even funny.”

He opened the passenger door for me, one hand on his hip. “So why are you laughing?”

Which of course made me laugh even harder, and he finally had to come get me and practically stuff me in the vehicle, rolling his eyes the entire time.

We sat until I assured him I wasn’t going to pee my pants, then he put the Fiat in gear and exited the garage. Once on the road, he turned on the stereo and Alice in Chains began blaring…Grind, one of my favorites.

“Holy shit, Alice in Chains! Color me impressed, Simon.”

“Yes, my musical tastes expand beyond Rick Astley and Gloria Gaynor.”

I chuckled. “What’s the handbook say about THAT?”

“God. Why don’t you shut up and sing with me?”

It was shocking how well our voices harmonized, and as the song ended with both said in unison ‘oh my god, duet’ and discussed what might be appropriate for Emma’s HeForShe talent show until Simon drove past a huge building bearing the name ‘Vogue House’, then parked one street down.

I felt my body go cold and twisted around to face him. “Um, Simon? That Vogue bit…that’s not, like, VOGUE vogue, is it?”

A fiendish grin spread across his face. “If you mean Conde Nast publications Vogue magazine, then yes. Big giant fucking YES. But we’re actually going to see someone at Glamour, an old friend from college. Elaine Casemuir. We’re really just casual acquaintances at this point, but she used to come in to the Dorchester and I’d make sure she always had a great table, so this is payback. This dress…it’s just…perfect. I managed to score the Gherkin for the ceremony and reception…there may have been some blackmail involved, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. Here, look.”

He handed me his phone, and my reaction as I scrolled the photos went from oh, nice to fuck me that is the coolest place EVER. According to their website, weddings and receptions were held on the top two floors of the most incredible steel and glass, phallic building I’d ever laid eyes on. I hazarded a guess that the Gherkin was a pickle reference, which was probably what most non-horny 24/7 people saw when they looked at. 360 degree panoramic views of the London cityscape, totally modern interior…glorious.

“Simon. Blackmail. WORTH IT. Not gonna ask, because…probably better not to know. And…”

“Oh please. You SO want to know. The guy who books events hangs around with us in clubs on occasion. He’s also sleeping with one of the waiters there who’s barely out of high school. His wife would NOT be amused if she knew about either of those things.”

“SIMON.”

“What?”

“You are so…so…WICKED. I’m impressed.” I patted his shoulder. “Luke is a very lucky man.”

He sniffled. “No, I’m the one who’s lucky. I want to make this so special, because it means so, so much to both of us…damn you, making me cry. Now my skin’s going to be all blotchy when we see Elaine and she’ll be all oh, Simon, your skin is horrid, darling and I’ll have to slap her. She’s a writer, by the way, and she also does a ton of photoshoot arranging. Which means access to designer lines. I saw the dress a week and a half ago and had her track it down that day, it’s a Valentino from the 2015 Spring/Summer collection…matches my color scheme of black and white and silver PERFECTLY…”

I raised a brow as I removed my hand from his shoulder. “Um, you ARE aware that I’m a double-D cup who barely fits in a size twelve, yes?”

Pinching my nose, he giggled before speaking. “I am indeed. It’s from the Ready-to-Wear line. And it’s a twelve. As for your boobs fitting…that’s why god made duct tape.”

“Oh, fuck that…I’m still recovering from body glue trauma…”

“AH AH AH, NO. Come on. Let’s go in.” He got out and came around to open my door, extending a hand to help me up and out.

I stood and closed the door behind me. “Yeah, yeah.  Wait…you only asked me to be your maid of honor last Friday…”

He stared at the ground, toeing one foot across the pavement, then glanced up at me sheepishly. “Correct. I would have been heartbroken if you’d said no.”

Wrapping my arms around him, I kissed his cheek. “Aw. Simon.”

“Mainly because the dress was a fucking small fortune.”

“Whatever. Let’s go before I kill you.”

****************************************

Elaine’s office was at the rear of the building, within the main Glamour office itself. She squealed when she saw Simon, throwing herself at him, her stick-thin arms wrapping around him and pulling his head to her chest. Clad in a red micro-mini and white button down shirt, her straight black hair was impossibly shiny and just brushed her shoulders, the white patent leather heels she wore causing her to tower over Simon by at least three inches. Her gaze turned to me and though her face remained happy-happy I swore I could smell her disappointment as she took in my state of dress. When she spoke, I was stunned to hear an American accent.

“Hello there, Maude. Nice to meet you. I’m Elaine Casemuir” She thrust her hand out, and I shook it, hesitant to grab too tightly lest I break a bone on her.

“Nice to meet you as well, Elaine.”

Simon clapped excitedly. “Dress, Elaine. SHOW HER THE DRESS.”

She rolled her eyes and released my hand. “Simon, you have no chill. Follow me.”

We walked out of the office and down the rest of the hallway to a light blue metal door. She unlocked it, entered the room and indicated that we should join her inside. It was vast, racks upon racks of clothing and all sorts of accessories strewn about. She teetered on her heels three racks down, turned left, grunted several times, then shouted ‘victory’. When she rounded the corner and held up what she’d found, I immediately turned to Simon, grabbed his bicep and spoke using my terribly inappropriate for this particular setting outdoor voice.

“I. FUCKING. LOVE. IT.”

It was floor length, a filmy light grey, very transparent with appliquéd silver stars of varying size, a combination of some resembling starfish and others the traditional five point star formation covering both the lightly pleated, flowing skirt and form-fitting bodice. And my lord, that bodice…the sleeves were short and just the teensiest bit puffy with a little ruffle ring at the bottoms, and the neck was…a V. A V that extended to just an inch above the two-inch wide waistband, and unlike the skirt, there was no underlayment whatsoever and no way to wear a bra so it was totally HELLO NIPPLES.

He grinned widely. “I knew you’d love it. You have no shame.”

I pointed my index finger in his face. “Mmm hmm. Let’s remember this is for your WEDDING. What are YOU wearing? Assless chaps?”

“Don’t think it didn’t cross my mind, Maude. My ass is spectacular and deserves accolades. But our mothers will be there, so…no.”

“Your mother will be there? I’m…shit, I’m shocked, actually.”

He sighed. “We can’t all be lucky enough to have them check out on us early, honey.” He paused, taking stock of what he’d just said, then frowning. “Damn. Too soon?”

My head shook as I bit back a roar of laughter, suddenly conscious of Elaine’s presence. She cleared her throat and pointed left, handing off the dress to Simon.

“Changing area is that way, and my assistant Diandra will help pin you up once you’re in it if it needs altering. If it does, just leave it and I’ll call when it’s ready. If not, take it with. I’ve got a conference call in ten, so I probably won’t see you. Lovely meeting you, Maude. Simon, you better invite me to this shindig or I’m going to feature you in the fashion don’ts column online.”

His hand flew to his chest in mock horror. Or at least I thought it was mock. “You wouldn’t dare.”

She smirked. “Try me.”

Eyes rolling, he draped the dress over his right arm and put his left hand on his hip, pouting. “Fine, you’ll get an invite. But bring someone interesting. You know, not your USUAL date type.”

“Simon, baby…it’s New Years Eve. I’m flying solo and finding someone at the reception to lock lips with at the stroke of midnight. Gay wedding, lots of straight friends, I’m bi…statistically, I can’t lose.”

She waved goodbye and tottered back toward her office, and Simon and I made our way down to the changing area. Though all the way at the rear of the left side of the room, it was wide open to the rest of the space. There were built in wooden benches littered with shoes and gloves and scarves, and the entire back wall was mirrored. We were greeted by a gorgeous woman with dark brown, luminous skin, huge hazel eyes and a smile that rivaled Tom’s mega-watt one. She was wearing a chevron print tank dress in varying shades of chartreuse, shoes that matched the darkest chevrons, and her hair was piled neatly on top of her head and wound with a silk light green scarf. She greeted us first, her Caribbean accent melodic, making even the simplest of words seem important and joyful.

“Hello you two…make yourselves at home, and if you need anything, I’ll be playing in the stacks. Such beautiful clothes…fashion paradise, right here and now!” She laughed, then began searching and sorting. I shimmied out of my shorts and yanked my T-shirt up over my head without fanfare, catching Simon side-eyeing me in the mirror.

“Problem, Simon?”

He snickered. “Oh no, no problem. Just admiring your speed and technique. You could use a little more finesse, though. I had to take points off for that.”

I reached around my back to unhook my bra. “Well, if you don’t want a good, long look at my tits you should probably turn around. Or close your eyes. Something.”

He turned around, then looked down as he passed me the dress when I was ready to attempt to wriggle into it. “You know, you could have left the bra ON. I was joking about the no shame bit.”

“No, I couldn’t have. I’m not going to be able to wear one with it later, so I need to know how it fits without. I see silver star shaped pasties in my future, though. Or maybe nude ones would be better…forgot about the parent factor.”

“Roland’s going to be in the wedding party, too. He’s Luke’s best man. I think he’d probably like the star pasties better, but I suppose I need to exercise some parental moral responsibility at some point, so nude is probably the right choice. Of course I thought of none of this when I saw the dress initially. I was captivated by the shiny.”

Laughing as I lifted the gathered fabric over my head, I had to pause to stop myself from turning around to talk to him. “You? Captivated by shiny? Nope, not possible.” I worked my hand through the armholes and dropped the dress into place. Or tried to. It got stuck on my boobs. “And did you say Roland is Luke’s best man? That is…the sweetest thing ever.”

Simon’s voice was thick with emotion when he replied, as it usually was whenever he mentioned anything Luke and love related. “It is. Totally Luke’s idea, too. I wanted him to be my best man, but Luke thought it would make him feel more…accepted, I guess, if it was the other way around. Worked, too. He was over the moon. They get along so well…it’s just…”

I swiveled my head around when I heard him sniffing. “Simon, don’t you dare cry because then I’ll cry and THE DRESS, dude, THE DRESS.” Carefully, every so carefully, I pulled and slid and tugged until the waist was where it belonged, reached behind me to zip it up, then tucked the girls into place before I looked in the mirror. Though a bit snug in the chest, it was essentially a perfect fit. I didn’t even think it would need hemming if I wore a two inch heel. A nice, chunky heel. Preferably boots with heels. I stared at my reflection, feeling like a princess from some sort of fractured fairytale for I don’t know how long, finally interrupted by the click of a phone camera. Looking up, I saw Simon behind me, taking shot after shot.

“SIMON.” I spun around to face him, any modesty, which had been purely for his benefit because I really DID have no shame, cast completely aside since he’d already seen my nipples, even if it was only technically a reflection of them. “The fuck are you doing?”

He grinned. “Just sending some pictures to your boyfriend. No biggie. You’ll thank me later.”

“You know Simon, I HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS ALREADY …” My phone dinged, and I bent over to rummage through my shorts pockets to find it. Text from Tom. Of course.

WOMAN, YOU NEED TO COME HOME RIGHT NOW. – T

Another arrived right after, before I had time to reply.

Okay. I counted backwards from ten and some of the blood that was elsewhere returned to my brain. You look so, SO beautiful. My lord. Just…a vision of loveliness. All that, plus intelligence, humor, everything…my Maude. I am a lucky, lucky man.  – T

Thomas, you’re making me blush. And Simon is SO going to bust my balls for it. :P –M

Fucking hell I just zoomed and…nipples…we’re now back to WOMAN, YOU NEED TO COME HOME RIGHT NOW. – T

They will be covered on the night of the wedding, I assure you. :P – M

Well that’s disappointing. :P So, when ARE you coming home? LOL –T

Still have to get dress for tomorrow. Probably two hours, maybe? I need to get this one off because for SOME reason I’m, like, all hot and starting to SWEAT. –M

If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go recite the Serenity Prayer a thousand times now. – T

Actually, though, I thought I’d go to the market and get what we need for the weekend. Mum and Emma can’t make dinner tomorrow, so they’ll just meet us here and then we’ll all head to the gallery, then come back after to talk and such. Anything in particular you want or need while I’m out? – T

Ice cream. Chips and dip. Onion dip, preferably. And is there somewhere you can stop and pick me up an ankle support? I think it’s time to start leaving the boot off as much as I can tolerate…putting weight on the ankle helps it heal faster. Or so they say. Thanks. – M

Will do. Love you. – T

Love you too. I’ll try to stop Simon from sending more pics so you don’t get a stiffy in public. :P –M

Don’t need pics for that, love. All I have to do is think of you and…whoomp, there it is. :P –T

Now that fucking song is going to be stuck in my head. Thanks for that. –M

J You’re welcome. See you soon. –T

Simon was tapping his foot, patience wearing thin. “Christ. Remind me not to do THAT again. So. Get that off. We need to get to Anna and Browns before they close.”

I stripped and put my clothes back on while Simon requested a garment bag from Diandra, and she insisted on zipping it up herself once the dress was in place to ensure nothing snagged. When we reached the car, he carefully laid the bag across the backseat before coming around to open my door. I commented on his backwards priorities, and he told me to shut my pretty mouth and with that, it was off to Anna, which Simon said was in the opposite direction but closed earlier so that was where we need to go first.

Located nearly right across from Regent’s Park, Anna was a two story boutique featuring unique designer clothing…their words, not mine. Simon refused help from a stylist, opting instead to let me browse around like a cow grazing in an open field. Most of the stock was entirely not my taste, but I did manage to find a funky grey tie-dyed pattern long-sleeve T-shirt style dress, and Simon brought me a white sweater dress with black horizontal stripes. There was no way I was ever wearing it in public, but I agreed to try it on. Both wound up being meh at best, so we wrote them off, cut our losses and drove to Browns.

The Browns Flagship store was vast, taking up five repurposed interconnecting townhouses, offering all styles and types of designer fashions as well as accessories. Simon had to drag me away from the first shoe display we came across and into the racks…and there were so many racks. SO. MANY. After narrowing it down to three dresses, we traversed to the fitting room, where Simon waited outside for me after the counter girl cleared her throat when he attempted to follow me inside.

First I tried on a Givenchey short sleeve wrap-style dress, black satin, and as soon as I saw how the bunched material made my boobs look lopsided as all get out, off it came. Next was a Christopher Kane sleeveless bandage dress, totally funky, the dress medium grey, horizontal piping of the same color, with a black and white zipper running up the entire length of its front. The hem reached to four or five inches above my knee, and it was…tight. But in a good way, though I questioned if it made my ass look huge. Simon’s reaction shot down that theory when I walked out of the fitting room.

“That’s the one. That’s it. Turn. Your tushie looks fantastic. Woo! Now you just need shoes…”

“Hold on, cowboy. There’s one more to try on and it’s my favorite.”

He sighed. “But this one is perfect.”

I flipped him off and went back into my cubicle, hung the bandage dress back on its hanger, then tried on the Balenciaga black leather and silk dress that had screamed BUY ME from the second I saw it. The structured bodice was spaghetti-strap halter style, leather, with a sweetheart neckline and a silver zipper that ran from the top to the waist of the dress. The skirt was silk, airy, and lightly pleated, creating a gentle wave effect at the hemline. It was a bitch to get into, and I yet again had to remove my bra, but once I zipped it and adjusted the décolletage was unbelievably impressive. The skirt brushed the very top of my shins, just below my knee, and it felt like…ME. Though after San Diego I thought I’d never consider wearing them again, I knew it would look amazing with my Diva Darcies. I marched out to meet Simon, though it was really only half marching/half something awkward and strange because of the boot, and he gasped.

“Holy fuckamoley, you look like…like…I don’t know. Goth biker chick? Bad ass motherfucker? Dominatrix? All of that? I still think the bandage dress is better for tomorrow, but you NEED to buy this one too. It screams ‘dance all night long with Simon at Studio 338’. When you CAN dance again, we are SO going.” He frowned. “When’s that heinous ankle contraption coming off, anyway? It’s not adding anything to either dress, if you know what I mean.”

I rolled my eyes. “I am AWARE. And I have it covered, I think. It’s much better than it was, surprisingly so since it’s only been a week. Way I figure, if I can find a nice sturdy pair of boots to wear and combine it with the ankle support Tom’s picking up for me, maybe, just MAYBE I can get away without it tomorrow night. But…buy both? This one’s seventeen hundred bucks, the other is eleven hundred. How do I justify spending that on…two dresses? That’s insane.”

He tilted his head and pointed at me. “Um, honey, your man is famous. Wait until it’s red carpet time.”

Raising a brow, I shifted my hips back and forth, regaling in the feel of the silk against my legs. “Simon. Bullshit. Have you forgotten what I’ve done for a living? I’m not a total newb. Those are usually LOANERS.”

“Fine. I was just trying to make you feel justified. SO unappreciative, Maude.”

I snorted, then returned to the fitting room to change back into my street clothes. Simon was my dress donkey for this mission, snarking on the occasional pair of shoes as I perused the available selection.

“Yuck. Open toe, yet not open toe.” He held up a pair of peek-a-boo sandals. “MAKE A CHOICE, PEOPLE.”

All the boots were ordinary, leather, fold over cuffs, zippers…nothing caught my eye. Around the corner was another display, and I finally saw a pair that got me all ‘grabby hands shut up and take my money’. They were black, moderately shiny, semi-slouchy with eleven black metal round rivet-like buttons up the outer sides, zippers on the inside for easy on and off. The brand was Miz Mooz, the style Bloom. The clerk located my size within the space of five minutes, and when I tried the left one on I was pleased to see that they came all the way up to my knees. Simon nodded his approval, I took of the ped I’d been given, put my sandal back on and three thousand dollars later we were out the door and headed home. Simon insisted on stopping for coffee at Kaffeine, and though it was against my better judgement I ordered an espresso to put an end to his incessant whining about how I was so much less fun that he’d thought. When he chided me for putting sugar in it, I responded by adding more. It hit me just as we pulled into his spot in the parking garage, and by the time we got to our floor he was quite contented to pass off all the bags to Tom and run for his own flat as he yelled ‘good luck with her, honey’.

Tom placed the dresses on the back of the couch and the boot box on the floor as I followed him like a puppy, trying to skip but failing miserably. He turned to me, arms crossed.

“What did he mean by that?”

I speed shrugged. “Well, could be he’s fed up with shopping because I don’t really like what he likes, though the maid of honor dress, that’s, wow, but, like he picked out this stripey thing and I felt like Sailor Moon when I put it on but wait, she wears a pinafore or something so maybe it’s Twiggy, the model, yeah, it was really late sixties and though wow I’m SO not Twiggy at all but you know what I mean OR it could have something to do with…the espresso. Probably the espresso. Espresso.”

He smirked as he uncrossed his arms and closed the distance between us. “What on earth possessed him to let you drink espresso?”

Speed shrugging again, I reached out and began fiddling with the waistband of his jeans, untucking his white T-shirt from them. “I don’t KNOW. I told him already like three times that coffee and I are like NO, NOT COMPATIBLE, yet he was all ESPRESSO, you have to have some because if you don’t, so BORING and then he made fun of me for putting sugar in it but fucking A it was bitter and WHY do people drink it like that it’s NASTY…” I’d unbuttoned his jeans and had begun to unzip them when his hands covered mine. I looked up at him. “Wow, how did THAT happen? Seriously, I have no idea it’s just you’re there and that white T-shirt and do you want to fuck me because I really need you to fuck me, like, right now because all day long I’ve been thinking about you touching yourself and…”

His lips met mine, and I responded aggressively, biting down on his lip, then searching for his tongue and sucking on it vigorously, pulling away to stare at him. “Thomas. I love your mouth. The way you taste. Your lips, your tongue, what they do to me…” I dove back in, and his own response was first a gasp, then a moan, followed by his lip sucking trick that made me come instantly every single time, this one no exception.

“Wow, oh my god, Tom, I so wasn’t ready for that yet but I guess I WAS ready, ha, right? Will you do it again? Do it again.”

Three of my orgasms later, he was shaking with his own pent up desire, looking over his shoulder at the couch, then over mine into the kitchen. He turned me around, propelling me past the dining table with his hands on my shoulders while growling in my ear.

“I’m going to fuck you on the counter. Is that all right? Fucking you on the counter?”

I tilted my head to the left. “Fucking me on the counter. Yes. Yes please. I would like you to fuck me on the counter. SO totally all right. Totally.”

As soon as we rounded the corner he yanked my shorts and underwear down, and I kicked them to the side as he lifted me up and plopped me on the cold stone, my back to the living room, one hand on my jaw to keep me focused on his face, my eyes locked on his.

“Now. I have to run upstairs for just one very brief moment. You’ll stay right here and wait for me, won’t you?”

Nodding six times, I began swinging my legs back and forth as he bolted from the kitchen. “I’m still right here, Tom. But my poor, poor pussy…she’s very lonely, soaking wet, all excited but there’s no one to play with her…”

There was a loud crash from upstairs, followed by a litany of fucks and shits, then his rapid footfalls as he raced down the stairs, appearing in front of me with the ankle brace I’d requested and a chair from the dining room. He sat in the chair and began unbuckling the walking boot, slipping it off carefully as he met my gaze.

“Sorry, love. Your pussy is a meal that demands to be savored, and I can’t very well have that boot digging into my shoulders while I enjoy my feast, can I?”

“Well I was under the impression that you’d be fucking me, like really, really HARD and right NOW but…” I reached down and grabbed his head with both hands, pushing it towards my crotch. He pulled away, smirking.

“Ah ah ah, we’ve got to put the brace on first.” He pulled it over my foot, and as my ankle rolled sideways I felt a stab of fire within the joint that made me suck in a quick breath. “Sorry, love. Almost there.”

Both my hands gripped the edge of the countertop. “It’s fine. Totally fine. Do it. Just do it. Worth the pain. Worth it. Make it worth it.”

He tugged it into place, pulled the chair in closer, situated himself precisely, then placed my feet on his shoulders. His head was as the perfect height, face still visible to me yet strategically placed for…going down. As his hands pulled my ass closer to the edge and spread me open, his long, pink tongue unfurling, I realized that from my own angle, I’d be able to see…everything. He began at my taint, running his tongue up the middle, it dipping into my entrance just enough to make me push down on his shoulders with my feet and thrust my hips forward, then abandoning that particular ship in order to circle my clit, which he took between his teeth, then sucked into his mouth, staring at me the entire time.

“Tom. Tom. TOM. Mygodmygodmygod. Suck harder. Come on. Harder.” He ignored me at first, but I kept repeating it louder and louder until he complied, and I could tell by his eyes that he was extremely entertained by my insistence. I was not entertained when he stopped abruptly, though before I could protest I watched him stiffen his tongue and ease it inside me and suddenly, I forgot about everything else as my brain tried to process the visual of it moving in and out of me in conjunction with the way it made me FEEL. The moment his thumb touched my clit I began humping his face, him rubbing and thrusting furiously at the same time, and as the index finger of his other hand slid inside my ass I came, loudly chanting for him to fuck my ass harder and get that tongue DEEPER. It seemed I closed my eyes only for a second when I felt my legs moving upward, feet dangling over something until the backs of my knees hit solidity, hands on my shoulder blades and arms against my ribcage.

I opened them to find his eyes inches from mine, wild, pupils blown wide, my juices coating his countenance and dripping down his chin, his lips glossy with it. He grinned, the salaciousness of it making me shiver, and settled the head of his cock at my entrance.

“Now, Maude. NOW I’m going to fuck you. Really, really hard.”

His hips thrust forward as he sheathed himself fully, then began bucking frenziedly. I hung like a rag doll in his grasp, still limp from orgasm, allowing his pounding to move me until he froze, asking me to hold myself up for a moment as he first removed his shirt, then my own, as well as my bra. My legs still over his shoulders, he leaned forward, bending me almost completely in half in order to press his chest to mine, arms behind me and holding me up once again. His thrusting resumed and grew ever desperate, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel myself nearing the top of another peak, the tension in my belly becoming too powerful to ignore, and I clamped down on him.

His eyes closed for a second, then opened as he fought to keep himself from coming. “Is your pussy still lonely, Maude?”

I shook my head, my hands reaching up to touch his face, his cheekbones under my fingertips, then his jaw, and his still moist lips. “No. Nope. Not. Happy. Full. She’s very, very full…but there’s still a little bit of room in there if you have, you know, a little something ELSE for her.” I released, then squeezed again, and again. His balls slapped against me noisily as he resumed his onslaught, grunting and groaning and gasping.

“Oh, I have some…some…something…for…ohgodohgod…fuck me, I’m coming, I’m COMING and COMING…”

I came as well as his warmth coated my shuddering walls, and he was so lost in pleasure that he let go of me, and I found myself looking at an upside-down dining table as my head and neck sprawled backward over the countertop. I could hear his usual post-orgasm noises, tiny gasps and chirps and moans, and as the blood rushed to my head I thought perhaps I should mention my precarious position but he took notice before I was able to form the words.

“Oh, fuck, Maude, my god, I’m SO sorry are you all right?” He put one arm around my upper shoulders, bracing me as he pulled out and eased my legs off his shoulders, then peered behind me to see if I’d hurt myself on the edge of the counter. “Christ, what a tit I am…are you okay?” He felt around with his fingers, and when I didn’t flinch he pulled me up so I was sitting, dribbling cum all over the orange surface beneath me.

“I. Am. Fine. Fine. And I think…I think the espresso might be wearing off. I’m actually a little…tired.” I snickered. “Could just be the blood draining back into my body, though.”

His head hung down, shaking back and forth, then lifted to pepper my face with kisses. “I’m so, so sorry about that. I just…I came so hard I couldn’t…I couldn’t see, really.” It was his turn to snicker. “Thanks for that. Maude Gallagher, supplier of orgasms so powerful that she jeopardizes her own personal safety in the process.”

I kissed him, tasting myself on his lips. “I blame the espresso. And Simon.” He laughed, and I paused, reviewing my vocalizations. “I was loud, wasn’t I?” He nodded. “I hope they heard me. That’ll teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.”

Tom chuckled. “Love, I’m afraid the neighbors two houses down may have heard you. And anyone walking by on the street. And people in their cars with the windows up…”

“Yeah. Well. They should probably, you know, get used to it.”

He initiated the kiss this time, his tongue thrusting in to massage mine. “They’d better. Because I love making you scream. Maybe more than Shakespeare, even.”

“Thomas. Be serious.”

He grinned. “I AM being serious. And I’ve decided that I do, in fact, love it more than Shakespeare. Without a doubt.”

I sat, motionless and wordless, for a few moments. “How am I supposed to respond to that kind of compliment?”

He licked me, tongue starting at my clavicle, moving up my neck, across my jaw and up to my temple. “Let me make you scream again?”

My head tilted as I looked up at the ceiling, pretending to ponder. “You know what? That totally works for me.”

[mackenzie-wolf]

You've got a lot to learn p.2/3?

Request from Anon

Becca x Older Woman (O/C)

Nsfw as it goes on...

------

As becca arrived home, still caught up in her own thoughts, she took a minute to compose herself before opening the front door. Already she could hear her housemates inside, talking and laughing amongst themselves. She walked through the open door and all eyes quickly landed on her. Chris was leaning back on one of the beanbags, Zack was drawing at the dining table and Kaitlyn was sprawled out on the couch with Milly's head resting on her chest. With a sigh, becca turned towards the stairs, trying to escape the oncoming conversation.

"Woah... Oh no you don't!" Zack called, pushing away his sketch pad and rushing over to becca. "We're all waiting to hear about your first real day at work!"

"Hell yea! I'm dying to know what a working day is like for the legendary Miss Davenport" kaitlyn grinned, earning her a slap on the shoulder from Milly.

"For real becca, how was it?" Milly asked, chris glanced over at becca expectantly and with an optimistic smile. Becca took a moment to think of where to start and what to share.

"It was ok. I wasn't working with joaquin today which was kind of a bonus..."

"So, who were you working with? They didn't just leave you on your own did they?" Chris asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"No. I got put on... someone else's team. It was... it was fine."

"I think someone is holding out on us..." kaitlyn said almost mockingly.

"Urgh! I was put on a team with Robynn, my new team leader. We assembled furniture all day." Becca said as she shrugged off her jacket to hang up. "Am I free to go now?"

"Uhh, sure..." Chris responded.

With that, becca walked up the stairs to her room. Once the door was closed, she let out the breath that she hadn't realised she was holding. Quickly getting herself settled, becca changed into her pyjamas and started wiping away her makeup. She climbed in to bed and started scrolling through her phone. In a state of curiosity, she typed Robynn's full name into the search bar on her social media app. The picture that came up was of robynn, taken from the top of the cliff she was abseiling down. Even in the picture, becca could see the definition of her muscles and the sheen of swear that made her upper lip glisten. Her mind started to wander, thinking of the firm hands that gripped her shoulder earlier that day, how soft the touch really felt underneath the strength that it carried.

As her thoughts took her deeper in to remembering all the characteristics that made up Robynn, Becca's door suddenly knocked. She quickly locked her phone and readjusted her pyjamas that had become creased as she lay in bed.

"Yes?"

"Becca, can I come in?" Chris' voice called from the other side of her bedroom door.

"Of course" she said, trying her best to pull herself away from her thoughts and back in to the room. Chris entered, looking a little concerned. He gave a smile and sat at her desk chair while she sat up on the bed, swinging her legs over the side.

"Becca. Are you ok? You didn't seem like you wanted to talk about work. Did something happen?"

Becca almost felt herself blush as she realised how she avoided giving anyone any real details. "No, nothing bad happened. It was just... different. Im still learning."

"Your new team leader isn't pushing you too hard? I know how it can be when you're trying to impress someone and..."

"WHO SAID I'M TRYING TO IMPRESS ROBYNN?!" Becca snapped back at him before he could finish his sentence.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." Chris began sheepishly.

"No. Its fine, sorry. Just trying to wrap my head around something." Becca said with a sigh.

"Well, maybe we can talk about it?" Chris asked, trying to sound inviting.

"Its just... I don't know. I tried working hard because I want to be good at this job. I want to be able to make my own way in the world but..." she sighed again. This time sounding more exhausted. "... I think I was only trying so hard to impress Robynn."

"I could guess that..." Chris laughed. "...He's literally all you mentioned about your day at work."

Becca decided not to correct the pronoun. She hadn't told anyone yet about her attraction to females and now didn't seem like the right time. Not when she was so confused herself.

"Well, Robynn made it a lot of fun... not just because they're fun to look at."

"Wow, so this already sounds kind of deep, right?" Chris asked calmly, ignoring the slight tinge of jelousy he felt in his chest.

"Don't get me wrong, Robynn is fun to look at too. Such amazing eyes and teeth that pretty much 'ping' with light. And those arms!" She trailed off.

"Ohhh he sounds hot!" Zack called from across the hall, where his bedroom door was open a few inches.

"Damn it Zack!" Becca screamed before throwing her head down on to her pillow.

"Becca, I'll leave you for the night. But if you ever want to talk... just call me ok?"

"Thank you Chris" she said earnestly. "I mean it." With a smile and slight nod, chris left the room and becca lay back on her bed. Her thoughts began circling her head. Knowing she was clearly attracted to robynn was one thing, but now working along side her most days would be difficult. She thought back over the times she caught her looking for an imperceptible second before looking away. The times that a wink or bright smile had made her heart flip. 'Was she flirting with me? Or did I just want her to be? She didn't have to ask me to work with her directly...'

Becca's mind flew back to watching her lift the different pieces of furniture. The way her arms swelled with tension, the definition of them. The way her abs looked in the tight vest that hugged her curves. Becca let out a weak sigh as she drifted further in to her thoughts. The idea of Robynn's arms flexed around her, those deep, burning green eyes staring at her longingly. She found herself dreaming of brushing her fingers, lightly down the hardness of her abdomen.

Gripping her sheets with one hand, becca let out a slow breath as her other moved lazily from her stomach, downwards. All at once, images were flashing in her mind, some from what she remembered, others that she put together herself. Before long, becca could almost feel robynn there with her. Her fingers moved underneath the waist of her pyjama bottoms, then lower. A gasp escaped her lips as her fingers went to work, pushing a small amount of pressure where she needed them most.

Biting her lips to try to hold in any sound became pointless as her fingers moved faster against her. Every thought of robynn touching her, kissing her, using her strength to hold her down when her hips tried to buck. It brought her closer to the edge, where she held herself for a few minutes before giving in to the sensation. Dreaming of Robynn between her legs, tasting her, made becca come undone. Her legs bent and her toes curled down as she felt the sensation pulse inside of her like electricity. Becca lay on her side bringing her knees up, with her hand still between her thighs as she caught her breath. With one last movement of her fingers, she gasped, trying to hold in a small laugh at how quickly she had given in to thinking about her boss this way.

Becca had cleaned herself up and settled back in to bed. Checking the time on her phone, she noticed she was still on her social media app, on Robynn's profile. Almost blushing after what she had just done at the thought of the woman in the display picture, becca closed the app. Moments later, she had drifted to sleep, filled with dreams that matched her fantasies perfectly.

The next day before leaving for work, becca took some extra time to apply her makeup and made sure that her hair was perfect. Putting on her work shirt made her effort seem pointless. It was difficult to imagine anyone looking attractive in it. At least Robynn's was just plain white with the stores logo printed on the chest. She picked up her keys and walked to the front door when her name was called.

"Becca..?"

Turning around, at the top of the stairs, Milly was making her way down, having obviously just woken up. "Good morning Emily"

"Good morning. You off to work?"

"Yep. Bright and early" she said trying not to deviate from the small talk.

"Cool, I hope you have a good day" Milly gave a bright smile before turning toward the kitchen.

"Emily... I..." Becca started. Milly stopped and turned to face her. "Can we talk? Just for a minute?"

"Yeah sure" she answered gleefully.

"So there's... this person..." Becca trailed off.

"At work?"

"Yeah. I think that maybe I..." she sighed. "Em... Milly, how did you come to terms with being attracted to women?"

"Ohhh..." Milly's eyebrows flew up in realisation. "...so you're.."

"Yeah. I've known for a while that I... like both, I guess, but it's been easy to ignore before. I like guys too so it just seemed easiest to be with them. People are less likely to ask questions, you know. As for my family, they're not big on anyone being different in any way, really. So I've never really considered being with another girl."

"But you don't want to do that anymore?"

"No... I want to... There's a girl that just, I don't know. She seems worth it."

"Well, if she's good enough to make you want to take a leap and finally see where this path goes; then I'd say go for it. She must be pretty special."

"Oh god, she is. Beautiful too, and she never stopped trying to help me. She was so thoughtful and sweet and..."

"And you're those things too becca, and more. She'd be lucky to have you. Anyone would." Without another word, becca wrapped milly in a brief but tight hug. As she let her go, becca pushed her emotion down and adopted her best stoic look.

"Thank you milly"

"You're welcome. Have a GREAT day at work" she winked prompting a sigh from becca. With that becca left for work, trying to hold back a smile the whole way there.

As she arrived, the staff were just finishing their coffees in the staff lounge. Becca's eyes scanned the room, looking for Robynn's impressive frame amongst them. When she didn't see her, becca poured herself a coffee and sat on one of the small (overused) couches.

The chatter in the room died down as more staff went on with their day. Becca's eyes closed as she tried to find the enthusiasm to get to work. Suddenly, she felt the couch shifting next to her and she let out a sigh.

"Could you not sit so clo..." she opened her eyes and saw two deep green pools looking back at her.

"Sorry. Guess I'm attracted to the smell of coffee" Robynn grinned before moving down the couch a couple of inches.

"No... its fine!" Becca stammered. "I thought you were... I don't know what I thought." She blushed.

"Yeah, I get that way in the morning too. Good thing this is just a work partnership. Could you imagine the two of us trying to cook a breakfast between us" Robynn laughed.

'Yes... Yes I definitely could. Straight after we built up our appetite in bed' Becca thought to herself, only throwing a small chuckle at Robynn's joke.

"So... shall we get to work?" Robynn asked, slapping her knees before pushing herself up from the couch. "I wanted to talk to you about something anyway..."

To be continued

[yutasbirthchin]

Hero - Epilogue

Group: Seventeen Member: Vernon Word Count: 2889 Genre: angst/fluff/tear jerking/idk

Prologue/Chapter1/Chapter2/Chapter3/Chapter4/Chapter5/Chapter6

a/n: Sorry it’s been like a month since the last update, I’ve had the worst case of writers block when it came to finishing this, I literally have like 4 other one shots brainstormed and half written that I wrote in the mean time because I really just couldn’t get this chapter right. But here it is finally! The last instalment! Thank y’all for sticking around and reading this whole story. Feel free to drop me an ask and share your opinions  :) 

“Here, Oppa, here! Isn’t it so pretty? It looks like it will serve the best coffee ever!”

Vernon’s eyes scanned the coffee shop. “It’s definitely…err…unique.”

“It’s unique, it stands out, that’s what all businesses should do, stand out from the crowd.”

“Can’t we just go to Starbucks?” He asked, really not trusting the pastel pink shop with ‘Sweet Treats’ printed along the top, it’s shop front decorated with hearts, polka dots and every other ‘cute’ thing under the sun.

“Is it so cute that it’s going to impede on your masculinity?” She fired back. “There’s nothing wrong with cute things.”

“I don’t have a problem with cute things, you’re cute and I tolerate you. But that shop… just for a coffee? I don’t know.”

She smiled. “Oh come on, I let you drag me into boring shops you want to go in. Besides, it’s our first time in America in ages, live a little.”

Before he could respond his she bounded into the shop. He looked longingly at the Starbucks across the road before following her in.

“Hello!” A very cheery man came rushing forward from behind the counter. “I’m Cole, thank you for visiting my lovely little abode, please have a seat.”

“I loooove your shop!” His companion squealed as he took a seat opposite her. “Who designed it?”

“That would be me, my father handed the shop down to me. He certainly was not pleased by my colour scheme or my decorating, he thinks it will drive customers away but I disagree. I mean, if it attracted a gorgeous girl such as yourself, it must be doing well!” He answered back with a wink. Vernon’s blood boiled as he stared at the shop manager, he was too flirtatious for his liking.

The two placed their orders and the man skipped behind the counter, presumably to start making their coffee.

“So where are you guys from?” Cole asked as he placed their drinks and food down.

“We’re from a little town in Korea.” The cute little girl answered. Cole glanced at the guy who didn’t seem to be in the brightest of moods.

“You’re a long way from home then, what brings you here?”

“We have family in America so we came to visit them, glad I did, there aren’t any gems like this where we live, right bro?” Vernon only nodded in response.

Cole laughed in response. “Thank you.” There was something oddly familiar about him, but the ringing of the bell signalling new customers dragged his thoughts away. “Give us a shout if you need anything.” He said with a wink before twisting on his heel.

Vernon couldn’t deny the coffee was good, and the pastries were the best he’d had in a long time. Sophia could tell this just by looking at him, she knew her brother well. “Still wanna go to Starbucks?” She teased.

“Oh shush.”

“This is why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

“That saying is overused.”

She smiled as she put the phone down. She’d never mentioned to Vernon where exactly in America she had ended up, not because she didn’t want him to know but because she didn’t see the point, he wasn’t in America… Except now he was. She of course wanted to tell him, she wanted to be able to see him again, to hold him, but she was also scared. What if somehow he’d changed? What if she’d changed so much he didn’t like her anymore? There were so many possibilities. Now he was actually in America she felt bad. She knew he had come to visit relatives, not her, but the fact that he didn’t know where she was made her worry. America isn’t a small country, what if they happened to be on complete opposite sides and wouldn’t be able to even meet once? It would be too disappointing for her to handle.

She looked back at her half-finished essay and scowled. Back to work I guess.

The small cafe had suddenly become fairly busy around 1pm, with only a few empty tables and a queue forming at the counter. When it got this busy, Cole didn’t bother seating customers and taking their orders from the tables, he let them come up to the counter as it was more efficient that way. It did, however, mean that there had to be at least two people serving the counter, and so Youngjin sighed making her way out front. She didn’t mind the job, she actually enjoyed herself. Sure, since Cole had taken over the décor had changed to one she had a love hate relationship with, but the job was just the same and she earned a decent wage to get by whilst in college. What she didn’t like, though, were the times in which she had so much school work to do that she had to bring her laptop into work and write essays when she wasn’t busy. It was too stressful.

When the end of her shift finally came she sat behind her laptop, typing furiously.

“Babe, you know you can’t claim overtime just because you’re still here, right?” Cole joked.

“I know, I just have to finish this paragraph and then I’ll be off.”

“You got any plans tonight? Anything fun?” He asked.

“Yes I have a lovely little date planned with my laptop.” She replied and Cole chuckled.

“I could never be a student, don’t know how on earth you survive. I mean, you rarely ever go out and party and never leave anything last minute yet somehow you’re still always bogged down with work. You need to live a little, we’ve got to get you a boyfriend.”

“I’m always busier because I was dumb enough to take extra classes.” She answered and Cole shook his head.

“You’re really hung up on that guy, aren’t you?”

For the first time since the conversation started, Youngjin looked up from her laptop. “What do you mean?”

“You completely glossed over the last sentence I said, so either you zoned out or ignored it, and judging by your desktop image, I’d guess the latter.” Youngjin acknowledged what he said, but chose not to reply. “Who is he? Your ex? From Korea?” It was a simple answer but for some reason she felt oddly defensive, as though Cole was slowly cracking her open so he could judge her.

The last few years had been tough for her, it’s not easy to forget a past you so desperately want to forget when there’s an aspect of it that you keep so dear to your heart. Vernon. She loved him, she knew she did. And she hadn’t let him go, they still messaged each other almost everyday, but she found it hard to talk about him to other people because it dug up elements of her past that she didn’t want to dig up. People were nosey and wouldn’t be satisfied with a ‘he’s my best friend that I’ve known since we were children’, and she was terrified that she would accidentally let something slip.

After she still hadn’t replied Cole sighed, realising that he had probably overstepped a boundary. “Forget it, babe. I’m sorry.” He didn’t wait for a reply before heading out.

Youngjin sighed and forced the thoughts away, she needed to finish this paragraph before she lost her flow. She was intent on finishing her essay that night. Especially as she had to cover her coworkers shift the next day.

“Hello, hello, annyeonghaseyo.” Cole greeted Vernon and Sophia as they walked in the next morning.

“Good morning!” Sophia beamed. “How did you learn to pronounce that so well?” She asked, pleased that he had remembered they were Korean. Vernon couldn’t really fault him on his customer service.

“Ah, we have a Korean girl who works here and I bugged her until she taught me something. She only taught me hello though, so I can’t converse any further.” He replied.

“How can she only teach you one thing!?”

“She’s not the most talkative, keeps to herself a lot, to be honest I’m surprised she even taught me that.” Cole replied with a laugh. “She’s also almost always doing college work. But anyways, what would you two like this morning?”

When Cole came back with their orders he watched Vernon carefully, he really couldn’t work out what about him was familiar. Vernon, sensing the eyes on him, looked up and narrowed his eyes at the barista. “Why are you staring at me?”

Cole, obviously not realising he had been staring, felt embarrassed. “Oh! No, I uhh.. You just look familiar, really familiar and I don’t know why.” Vernon was confused, he definitely had not seen Cole before this trip and couldn’t think where he could possibly know him from.

“Leonardo DiCaprio! He looks like Leonardo DiCaprio!” Sophia burst out, causing her brother to hide his face in embarrassment.

“Sophia, please.” He whined but the other two just laughed.

“You really do look familiar though, are you sure you haven’t been around here before?”

Vernon shook his head. “No, I really haven-” he was cut off by the sound of the door opening and Cole exclaiming.

“Holy shit.”

“What?” The three other people in the cafe questioned.

Youngjin stared at Cole confused, waiting for an explanation but he stayed silent, not knowing what to say. He’d worked out why the boy looked so familiar, but didn’t know whether or not this would go well, considering Youngjin never wanted to talk about him.

Vernon, who was the only person who couldn’t see the girl who’d just entered, turned in his seat to see if he could work out what was going on. His eyes widened as they locked with those of his old friends.

“Youn- ah shit.” He said as he proceeded to drop his coffee, pouring it all over himself. This seemed to shatter the illusion and everyone jumped to help him clean himself up.

Cole watched the two as Youngjin mopped up the floor and Vernon attempted to clean himself up with the help of his sister. There was no denying that this was the guy pictured as Youngjin’s desktop image, but their interactions weren’t giving anything away. He sighed, deciding to dig; he might get an actual answer seeing as Vernon was there. “So, do I finally get to know what the story is with you two?” He prompted.

Vernon looked up at Cole, clearly confused. “How did you know we know each other?”

“Probably your dramatic scene.” Youngjin teased, gesturing to the area of the floor she had just finished mopping.

“Hey, it was an accident! Who said it had anything to do with you?”

“Wait, you two know each other? How?” Sophia asked.

“Well, if they don’t know each other, Youngjin definitely has some explaining to do. It’s not common to have random strangers as your desktop image.” Cole said and Youngjin’s cheeks immediately flushed.

Vernon looked at her, amused. “I’m your desktop image?”

“Cole! Why woul-”

“Did you miss me that much, Youngjin? So cute!” Vernon teased.

“I swear I could kil-” Youngjin started but stopped herself. “I’m not the one who tried searching for you for ten years because I missed you!” She shot back, and this time Vernon’s cheeks flushed.

“Ten years? Wait! Is this the same noona you had a crush on from elementary school?” Sophia asked, clearly not worried about embarrassing her older brother. Youngjin didn’t say anything, but looked at Vernon with an eyebrow raised.

As embarrassed as he was right now, Vernon wouldn’t change a thing… Well, maybe he would change the coffee stain down his shirt, but other than that he wouldn’t change a thing. He’d noticed a slight change in his best friend over the last two years, but this was the first time seeing the new confident, sassy Youngjin in person and he loved it. He turned to Cole. “We’ve been best friends for nearly thirteen years.”

“Friends, huh?” Cole questioned with an eyebrow raised. “How friendly are we talking?”

Youngjin chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Why ask if the answer is blatantly obvious?” She was about to continue when Sophia spoke instead, sending a cold chill down her spine.

“I thought her name was Younghee or something?”

Vernon watched the panic set in on his Noona’s face. “Younghee, Youngjin.” He said, surprising himself with how quickly and naturally the lie came. “I got the names confused.”

“Wow, you guys made it sound like you had some really cute hidden love story but it turns out he couldn’t even remember your name.” Cole laughed.

“In my defence I hadn’t seen her in ten years, and I was only seven when I last saw her.” Vernon replied.

“I’m sorry about Sophia.” Vernon said breaking their silence.

Youngjin rested her head on Vernon’s shoulder and looked out across the lake. “Thank you, you saved me back there.”

He reached for her hand, gripping it in his. “You shouldn’t worry yourself so much.”

“But that’s literally my biggest fear. If someone asks about me and I give too much away, or they get suspicions, or I can’t answer a question because I don’t want to give anything away, or-”

Vernon pulled back from her slightly, forcing her to sit up and look at him. “I think you’re doing more damage to yourself worrying about it than you would actually do if you just let it go and spoke freely. You don’t even really have to lie. Why can you speak so many languages? Because you had a lot of free time when you were younger and you got bored. Why did you have so much free time? Because your dad was really protective over you and didn’t trust the world… And because you dropped out of school after you dad died. How are you so good at martial arts? Your dad taught you. Why did you move to America? Because you wanted a fresh start and to get away from the bad memories you had in Korea. It’s really not as hard as you think it is.”

“But what if they ask me about Younghee or Ong?”

“There’s no reason for them to ask about that. Also, you’re in America, no one here would even know about that story. There’s nothing linking you to them.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You’re the link, what if they ask about you?”

“I’m your childhood friend, we’ve known each other for ages, et cetera et cetera.”

“Am I really just overthinking everything?”

“Yeah.” He replied, bringing his free hand up to her cheek and cupping it. “I get it, you just want to live your life and you’re worried about your past, but there’s literally no reason for anyone to probe so far that they find anything out. Stop letting your past rule your life.”

Youngjin stayed silent for a minute, staring off into space, but then she laughed to herself before meeting his eyes again. “I’m your Noona but why does it always feel like you’re the older one?”

“Jinnie I literally spilt my coffee all over me when I saw you.” He said with a laugh. “I can talk you out of your worries but I’m definitely no more mature or composed as you.”

She blushed at the nickname, hearing it for the first time in person. And then she surprised herself. “I love you, Vernon.”

Now it was his turn to blush, as she had well and truly caught him off guard. He couldn’t have controlled the smile that appeared on his face if he tried.

Vernon leant forward and pressed his lips against hers in a sweet gentle kiss. They both jumped at the loud bang and turned to look across the lake at the firework that had just interrupted them.

“And here I was thinking the whole firework thing was just an expression.” Youngjin joked. “Why are they even letting of fireworks? It’s not the 4th of July.”

Vernon watched the way the light from the fireworks shone against Youngjin’s face and smiled to himself. “I love you too.” He said, drawing her attention back to him before he kissed her again.

“Hey, Vernon?” Youngjin started as they pulled away.

“Yeah?”

“I really wish you didn’t have to go back to Korea.” She said, a slight frown playing on her features. Vernon smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he turned to face the lake once again. Youngjin narrowed her eyes at him. “What?”

“You really love me that much, huh?” He teased.

“Oh come on, don’t tease me! I’m actually sad thinking about you leaving.”

“It’s only fair isn’t it? You left me twice.”

“I take it back, I don’t love you, I hate you.”

Vernon let out a loud laugh. “You can’t lie to me, Jinnie.” He laughed louder when he looked at the expression on her face. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“Then how much longer are you here for, Vernon?”

“Well, Sophia and my parents are flying back next Sunday.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You aren’t going with them?”

He shook his head in response. “This was a goodbye trip.”

“What do you mean?”

“You dummy.” He laughed as he pressed a light kiss to her forehead. “I only brought a one way ticket.”

[purplemaple-xoxo]

Dog vs. Dog Chapter 1

A series of one-shot’s detailing the shenanigans that Amestris’ top dogs get into. Roy Mustang and Black Hayate compete for Riza’s affections, creating a world of shenanigan’s for the Lieutenant.

Thanks to @allisontherumorhargreeves for being my beta!

Also posted on FF.net

“Come on Hayate, I’m not going to hurt you. I just need you to come with me.” Roy’s tone was calm as he slowly approached the dog, a towel draped between his outstretched arms. He avoided using the dreaded ‘B’ word.

Riza’s words repeated in his head like a mantra.

“Remember to keep a tight hold on his leash, he gets excited when he sees mud. And he’s stronger than he looks.”

Roy mostly remembered scoffing at the idea. Hayate was only a few weeks old, he couldn’t be that strong.

Oh, how wrong he’d been.

“Hayate, it’s just water. Don’t you want to be nice and clean when your mom gets back?”

Hayate sat calmly, his head tilted to the side at the mention of his master. His dark eyes barely distinguishable against the mud embedded deeply into his thick fur, he stuck his tongue out in doggy glee.

“I should jump him now while he’s calm. 1.. 2.. 3!”

Roy quickly lunged at the dog…only to land flat on his stomach. Hayate was already on the other side of Riza’s small apartment.

“Why did Fuery pick today of all days to be sick?!” Roy groaned as he slowly got up on his knees and crossed his arms, eyeing Hayate as he did so.

“You know your mom isn’t going to like that you got dirty and messed up her apartment.”

That seemed to get Hayate’s attention as his ears flattened against his head as he bowed forward.

“You’ve shown your hand, my dear friend.”

“I know you’re upset about Hawkeye being gone, but Catalina has dragged her out shopping. And I know I’m not as fun as Fuery but I know your mom wouldn’t be happy to know you didn’t listen to me.”

Roy tried to hide his satisfied smirk as Hayate ducked his head further in doggy guilt.

“Now come here Black Hayate so I can wash you up.”

Hayate slowly got up and walked over to him.

“That’s a good boy,” Roy spoke with pride as he went to scoop up Hayate “now let’s give you a bath.”

As soon as he spoke, he knew he messed up. Hayate quickly darted away when he realized what going with the Colonel meant.

Roy was able to grab Hayate around the chest but quickly let go when the dog gave a loud yip, afraid he had hurt the poor puppy. He watched as Hayate darted away, he laid down fully on the ground in defeat.

After a while, Hayate came out of his hiding spot and crept into the small living room. He noticed the dark-haired man was lying face down on the floor. He didn’t appear to be moving. He slowly approached and took a chance by sniffing his head. Yup, still alive. Hayate proceeded to sniff around the man before he was abruptly lifted off the ground and was quickly thrown in the bathtub, the psychotic man soon joining him.

Roy quickly turned on the water as Hayate tried desperately to grasp the edge of the tub to make his escape. He quickly grabbed some of Hayate’s soap and began lathering it into the frantic pups fur.

“Cut me some slack here Hayate! Let me prove to Hawkeye that I can do this!”

Hayate continued to scramble around the porcelain tub.

“That’s an order Second Lieutenant! I command you to sit!”

That got Hayate’s attention, and the pup immediately sat down. Roy let out a sigh of relief as he could now calmly wash the mud from his fur. Even though his shirt and trousers were soaked, he relished in the calm and actually took the moment to study the pup.

He could clearly see why Fuery had taken the pup in during the rainstorm. Those brown eyes were irresistible, much like his owners. Roy quickly shook his head of THAT thought, now wasn’t the time or place, and he returned himself to his task. Even through the dirt, Hayate’s fur was still incredibly soft, and who could resist those little ears?!

Once the runoff from Hayate’s fur was no longer brown Roy reached over for the towel he hastily discarded when he first charged through.

“Now that is over with, let’s dry you off.” As he was about to wrap the pup up in the towel Hayate got a burst of energy and launched himself out of the tub and out the door that Roy forgot to close in his haste.

“Just my luck. Hayate! COME HERE!”

Roy tried desperately to not slip on the hardwood floor as he skidded after Hayate. Both having trouble nearly colliding with furniture. When Hayate booked it around the couch to fast he slipped in a puddle, but before he would crash into the floor he was swept up and smothered with a towel.

“Yes, victory is mine Black Hayate! Now to finally dry you off before Hawkeye gets home.”

“It’s a little late for that sir.”

Both Roy and Hayate froze and slowly turned to the front entrance to see Riza standing there with her arms full of bags.

“Hi Lieutenant, how was shopping with Catalina?” Roy spoke nervously as he gently placed Hayate on the ground so he could greet his master.

“Sir, is there a reason why both you and my living room floor are soaked? And why is Black Hayate wet as well?” Riza asked as she bent down to deposit her bags before scooping the small pup up.

Hayate knew that his master’s attention was fully on him and wagged his tail excitedly, once Riza had picked him up he nestled into her neck and closed his eyes contently. Much to the annoyance of the sopping wet Colonel.

“Care to answer my question Colonel?”

“Well, it all started when I decided to take Hayate for a walk…”

-/-/-

“Hayate heal! The park isn’t going anywhere!” Roy tried to pull Hayate back without hurting him. But Hayate was determined to get to the park as quickly as possible. Not caring if the Colonel was struggling to keep up with the small puppy’s questionably rapid pace.

Roy just rolled his eyes as he sped up his gait and let Hayate lead him to one of East Cities many parks. Both the Colonel and puppy slowed down when they finally entered the park.

Roy let Hayate sniff around a section of bushes as he looked around the park. It was Saturday so many families were enjoying the sunny afternoon. It had rained the previous night, and both Roy and others were trying their best to keep their dogs and children out of the muk.

“That’s a cute dog there mister. What’s its name?”

Roy snapped out of his trance and looked over to see a little girl standing beside him. Her large hazel eyes were glued to Hayate as he finished his business and trotted back over to meet the child.

“His name is Black Hayate.” Roy responded as he watched the small child reach out a hand to let Hayate sniff.

“May I pet your dog? My mommy says you have to ask before petting a stranger’s dog.”

“Yes, you can pet him.” Roy smiled at the little girl’s enthusiasm as she gave Hayate scratches behind the ear and chin.

“Mary! There you are! Don’t go running away from me like that!”

Roy and Mary both looked up to see a tall red-headed woman making her way over to the pair. A scowl etched on her face.

“I’m sorry mommy! But I wanted to see the dog! This man said I could pet him!”

“I’m terribly sorry about my daughter, Mister?”

“Mustang, Roy Mustang.” Roy spoke.

“Mustang… as in Colonel Roy Mustang?”

“I knew I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Yes, I am Colonel Roy Mustang.” The way her face brightened made him nervous.

“It’s such an honor to meet you, you hear all these stories.” He knew that look and forced himself to stop from rolling his eyes.

“I can assure you, the papers tend to exaggerate.” He tapped Hayate’s back leg with his foot. He was Riza’s dog and therefore a genius, right?

He was just like his owner though, sitting down and watching him try to get out of a jam without Riza’s help. If he didn’t know any better the pooch was entertained.

“Not some things, Mr. Mustang.” She gave him a long, approving up and down. “You’re much more handsome than the pictures they print you know.” She looked about ready to eat him alive and Roy cleared his throat, reaching for his watch and flipping it open.

“I’m late to get him back to my fiancée, apologies. She’ll be worried I let him run off.” He gave her a trademark Mustang smile, which while almost automatic, didn’t help his case.

“It was nice meeting you, ma’am.”

Roy quickly turned and lead Hayate away from the mother and daughter pair,  putting as much distance between them as possible.

“Well, that couldn’t have gotten any weirder. Don’t date Hayate.”

Roy looked down at his companion who didn’t really seem interested in the conversation, rather taking interest in the obscenely large mud puddles.

“Hayate no. Hawkeye said no mud for you. Now let’s go back home.”

Hayate stopped in the middle of the path, causing the Colonel to stop as well and stare at the puppy.

“Come on Hayate. Let’s go.”

But Hayate wouldn’t move an inch, he decided to sit instead.

“Hayate why are you doing this? I played tug of war with you, I fed you, I took you to the park. What more do you want?” Roy waited as Hayate seemed to contemplate the question before looking over at a puddle of mud.

“No way Hayate. Don’t you think for a second that I would let you NEAR that. We are heading straight home.”

Roy tried tugging on the leash to no success. Hayate wouldn’t budge, he just kept looking longingly over at the puddles.

“Don’t give me that look Hayate, I’m the one in charge here. I’m also your superior officer, therefore, I command you to return home.

Roy would later claim that the little dots above Hayate’s eyes lowered as if to challenge him. Roy raised his own eyebrows before Hayate was gone, the leash ripped from his hands and was halfway to the mud puddles.

“Hayate NO!” Roy yelled, but it was too late. Hayate was already rolling around in the mud, Roy could see it be smothered deeper and deeper into his fur. Turning the white of his fur a deep brown.

“Hawkeye is going to kill me.”

-/-/-

“That’s your story?”

“That’s my story.”

“So you think Hayate was being spiteful towards you because a woman was flirting with you? You shouldn’t let him take advantage of you Colonel. That’s how dogs develop bad habits.” Hawkeye spoke as she walked past the Colonel, Black Hayate still firmly nestled in her arms.

“He yanked his leash out of my hand! What was I supposed to do?!”

“Not let him. He is only a puppy, sir.”

“A freakishly strong puppy! Are you sure he’s not somehow related to the Armstrong family?”

Her laugh could light up the darkest of nights.

“Yes sir, I’m positive Buraha isn’t an Armstrong.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Roy watched as Hayate made direct eye contact with him as he enjoyed Riza’s affection. Making the Colonel scowl.

“Well, I better be going Lieutenant. I’m sorry for the state of your apartment.”

“That is quite alright sir. Thank you for watching Hayate for me.”

“It was my pleasure Lieutenant.” Roy spoke as he made his way to the door. Riza put Hayate down to escort the Colonel out.

“I’m sorry Hayate wasn’t well behaved.”

“He’s still a puppy Lieutenant. Besides, he seems to be quite taken with you.”

“Yes, I guess he has.” Riza spoke fondly as she turned back into the apartment to give the small dog a smile.

“Good night Lieutenant.”

“Good night Colonel.”

The smile she gave him before the door separated them stuck with him for the rest of the week.

[whatampsydoing]

Hmmm...

So my boyfriend and I never fight - except for that one time, but I sorta broke it off for like a couple weeks and then begged him back and yeah...

But other than that, we don’t really fight. We bicker a little sometimes over trivial shit, but when it’s something like my feelings being hurt because he didn’t jump on helping me pilot-test my survey, I basically examined my feels for a second, told him what was in my brain, and he immediately apologized and explained what was really going on, on his end, which completely fixed my hurt feelings.

That’s pretty much what happens every time.

I don’t know if this just means we’re both really good at communicating (which speaks volumes, because I always feel like I struggle with it), or if he’s WAY too tolerant and there’s an issue of holding back emotions.

I like to think he’d say something if he was bothered by something I said or did, but I don’t know. I know I intimidate people sometimes and I know he’s determined never to lose me again. But I mean, his condition for getting back together was “you have to talk to me. You have to tell me when something’s wrong,” and I’d like to think he sticks to the same promise after I said “I will if you do, too.” I just - I dunno if he’s too understanding, or if he just really is understanding, and just really is perfect for me. He absolutely has his flaws, don’t get me wrong, and I absolutely have mine, but... well, Deadpool said it best: “Your crazy fits my crazy.”

Also I just have to gush for a second because I so adore his entire family. Over memorial day his professional chef uncle made pasta with a red sauce, mussels, and clams (which I had admittedly never tried), and his dad made steak, and the bf, his mom, an aunt, their neighbors, and I all sat around talking and laughing and telling stories - his mom always tries to get me wine, but I’m laying off the alcohol because Crohn’s - but I had the best time just chilling with them all. Introduced myself to the neighbors and talked about what I was working on in school...

It’s funny, people have a hard time wrapping their heads around me being (almost) a second-year clinical psychology doctoral student. I look like a kid; I could pass for like a decade younger than I am. So I’ll often give examples of professional projects I’m headed toward, or a dissertation idea I’m refining...

Anyway, his family. He is so very much his father’s son - they argued for like an hour about how the new grill they got would work if you tried to use the rotisserie function, and his mom and aunt and I were just laughing. I adore his little sister and have told him I’m stealing her. When I walked in and said hi to her (she was hanging out with her friends and I didn’t wanna interrupt), I heard one of them ask who I was. She said I was her brother’s girlfriend, but added that I was really cool and kept talking about me quietly as I walked into the backyard. I wish I’d dragged my feet so I could hear what else she said. Lol.

So, boyfriend babble over,

*SIGH*...

It’s just 6:03 AM right now. If I can figure out how to switch tumblr accounts on my phone I may post a veritable bombardment of kitten pictures later. I put them pretty much everywhere but here, and you guys absolutely deserve to see the adorable.

Also I’m gazing longingly at my piano and kicking myself for not playing the last couple of days. I had planned to get sooo much more work done - but at least I started my presentation, and I’ve started that 9-13 page midterm paper due on the 15th... My survey IS ready to be put on-line (the link to my survey and a few others will be posted a few times), I just have to do it - I think I have the language bugs worked out at this point... I have to start putting together my presentation on the TAT, and see if I can find my assessments and/or interpretations from my Master’s program (and print off my best(?) MMPI-2 report from this class) for my interview tomorrow (Eee, tomorrow!)... I HAVE to start researching more about the PCL-R so I can start that paper; I need to start researching the pieces of my identity for that paper (first I have to pick wtf to represent me and how to design a project that encompasses it...omg). For my testing class, I’m really just waiting for feedback on my most recent report. I’ve been really lax about getting the reading done these last couple of weeks and it’s no good. Gotta tighten things up in mah brain...

I’ve been told the third semester of the second year (I think) is the hardest, in this program. I’m trying to convince myself I’ll get all this done. I mean I will. I just haven’t figured out how. I THINK having a running to-do list is helping?

Welcome to doc school. Wow.