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justmeinadaze · 2 years ago

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I'm In Control Part 22 (Steddie X You)

A/N: I based readers dress off of this picture here.

Enjoy the feeeeeeeels *evil laughs*

Warnings: Daddy Steve/Sir Eddie and all that that implies ( I regret nothing!), another run in with Cassie, smut, fluff, and angst.

Word Count: 5306

TJ skids into your office excitedly, a huge grin plastered on his face.

“Dude, it’s totally ok to just walk into my office.”

Your boss playfully scowls at you before pointing at Eddie. “You, angel, have been spending too much time around him. Did you just call me dude?”

“I’m sorry, sir. How can I help you today?”

“Gross. Don’t call me that either.”

“What do you want, TJ?”, you laugh.

“Have you guys heard?” He sighs when everyone shakes their head. “You two have been nominated for an AVN award.”

“And that means…” Your boss glares at Steve as you smile at them.

“How have you two never heard of the Adult Video News awards? It’s like the Oscars of this industry.”

Their eyes shift to you as nod, affirming.

“Oh, cool.”

TJ growls as he turns towards you. “Please, after you take them to get fitted for suits, can you do something to make them more excited?”

“We have suits.”, Steve chuckles.

“Yes, but I can’t trust you two to actually wear them so I thought maybe if I bought you both one you will feel obligated to look nice for me. Obviously, there will be a lot of important people there. Don’t shame me.”

“Are you not coming?”, you ask.

“Nope. Luke is hosting the after party so I’m helping him out there. You, young lady, will be going but I beg you…” Your boss comes around to your side of the desk and gets down on his knees. “Please, don’t give Trisha Jameson any attitude.”

“I can’t promise you that.”

“Don’t worry, TJ. We’ll keep her in line.”, Eddie winks at you.

“And you two, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you leaving a shoot last week. We need to talk about that. Cassie Leigh’s agent was extremely upset.” You glanced at them as your boss leaned against your desk with his back to you. “What happened?”

“We, um, have a history with her. Not exactly a professional one.” You watched Steve as he shifted in his seat. You three knew he may ask questions and they both insisted on taking all the blame if it came up. At the time, they weren’t sure what they would even say so you were surprised when he answered honestly.

“Oh…Oh. Um, I mean… I make jokes about you guys being in a relationship with the same person but I didn’t realize…I mean, no judgements, of course! Did you know about this?” You quietly shake your head when he turns to you. “Now you know what I’m going to say. It’s not uncommon for exes to still do the job… unless there’s a reason.”

“Besides the fact that she’s a bitch?”

TJ rolls his eyes, chuckling as he rises and heads for the door. “I swear. You guys spend why too much time together.”

#################

“He said it was like the Oscars, not the actual Oscars. Why do we have to dress this nice?”

“Eddie, calm down. It’s a three-piece suit, not a tux for prom.”, you giggle.

“I didn’t even wear a tux to prom!”

“I did. That thing was a pain the ass to get off.”

“For you to get off, Steve? Or the date you brought?”

“Ah ha ha, little one. You’re so funny.” He smiles as he steps out of the changing room, giving you a 180. “What do you think?”

What did you think? Jesus, you didn’t have enough breath left in your lungs to answer him. Steve looked so handsome.

“Uh oh. Eds, tread carefully. We may be bordering the line here.”

“Huh? What line?” Eddie steps out of the opposite changing room, adjusting his cuffs. When his eyes met your glassy ones, he nodded in understanding. “Okay, come back, sweetheart because I need you to tell me if I did this right.”

Tossing your phone on the chair behind you, you go to him and run your hands down his chest as you smile.

“You put it on correctly, Mr. Munson. God, you both look amazing.”

“Wow, look at these two strapping gentlemen.” You pull yourself away as one of the workers rounds the corner and takes Steve’s hand to guide him on to the platform in front of a mirror.

“What did you wear to prom? I picture like something big and poofy.”, he laughs.

“Oh, I didn’t go to prom.” He looked at you through the mirror as Eddie came to sit beside you. “Again, not that shocking. I mean, you guys have seen Carrie, right?”

“I see. So you were afraid to go because you would kill everyone with your psychic powers?” You laughed at the metalhead as you hit his arm.

“No! The low-cut dresses, the music, the dancing…all of that was a no go. I mean I’m not sad about it or anything. From what I hear from other people, I didn’t miss much.”

They glance at each other before switching places and Steve sits beside you to take your hand. “You still should have gotten to experience that for yourself.”

#############

“Fuck me…”, Eddie exhaled as you opened the door to their knock.

“Wow. Honey…you look…” You blushed as Steve struggled to find the right words.

“Do you guys like it?”, you ask as you gesture at your dress. TJ gave you his card insisting you buy something stunning as well. After seeing how delicious they had looked in their suits, you wanted to make sure you found something equally as delectable.

It was an elegant, strapless dress but still showed off your body in all the right places, cutting off a little above the knee. The black color accentuated your hips and the matching shoes gave you an air of confidence that had the boys swooning.

“We love it.”, Eddie grins as he leans down to kiss your cheek. “I love this necklace to by the way. I don’t think I’ve seen you wear it.”

“Very good, Mr. Munson. I haven’t because I just bought it.” You beam up at them with a giddy grin. “These different colors here spell out something in morse code. Can you read it?”

When they shake their heads, you chuckle and hand them separate velvet boxes. Wide smiles stretch across their face as they pull out the leather-bound bracelets with “Daddy” and “Sir” engraved on the inside of the silver clasp.

“It says ‘Theirs’.” You watch with excitement as they immediately put the jewelry on their wrists. “I saw it online when I was researching something and I thought I just had to get it.”

“This is perfect. Thank you, baby.” Steve pulls you into his arms before Eddie does the same.

“We need to get a move on or we’re going to be late.”

Taking both their elbows, they guide you towards the awaiting limo.

###########

“Wow, there is an actual red carpet.”, Eddie muses as he looks out the window.

“They may separate us at some point but we are sitting together.”

“Um…is there a way that could not happen.” You glance at Steve who you notice seems more nervous than usual.

“Hey. Don’t forget. They are all here because of you. You both are amazing at what you do. Just be yourselves.” He leans forward giving you a quick peck on the lips and you turn your head to give Eddie one as well. “You’re going to be fine.”

The limo door abruptly opens as the three of you are practically pulled out into the chaos. A coordinator from the show guides you towards designated areas, giving you the play by play of the evening. She yanks you to the side and pushes the boys forward into flashing camera lenses as she continues to speak. Your eyes remain on them, barely listening to a word she says.

Reporters for websites split them apart to ask them questions and you see them stiffen at the action. If you can’t be next to them, at least they have each other but the further they move them the more you see the worry cloud over their confidence.

“How much longer do they have to do this?”

“Um, probably another five minutes and then we can go inside. If you want to wait in there, I can—”

“No, It’s ok. I can wait here.”

After what feels like hours, the three of you are finally able to go inside the venue with all the other guests.

“Jesus Christ. Ever wonder what it’s like to walk into a room full of people you’ve slept with?”, Eddie chuckles under his breath.

“You okay?”, you whisper.

“Yeah, just…this is weird.”

“Shit. Heads up, Munson. It’s about to get weirder.”, Steve growls.

“Hey boys.”, Cassie Leigh grins as she saunters towards your group. “And…Y/N, right?”

You nod as you politely smile in her direction. “I heard you two were nominated tonight. That’s amazing. My, uh, date over there is nominated for something as well.”

“Y/N!”

Your body visible cringes as you shudder. “Is this hell? Am I in hell right now?”

Trisha Jameson comes up to you, bending down to give you a big, obnoxious hug. “Wow, you three look fantastic! Congratulations, boys. It seems someone is looking out for you!”

“Yeah, um, Y/N is great at what she does.” Eddie compliments you and you can’t help but blush.

“You bet she is. Well, little one, I will see you in there! Good luck.”, she sings as she wraps her arm around her date and heads into the auditorium.

You start to angrily follow after her but Steve grins, grabbing your arm, and pulling you back. “I hate when she calls me that.”

The three of you notice Cassie is still standing there watching you with amusement.

“Is there something else we can do for you, Cassandra?”

Light shines through her eyes as she tilts her head. “Oh, I get it. This is the girl. The one you guys said you were in love with.”

Your eyes shift between them, watching them both shift from nervous to protective in the blink of an eye.

“No, I mean it makes sense. She’s beautiful, powerful, and from the one interaction we had can definitely handle herself. I imagine she’s fun to take apart. Right, Sir? Eddie always had a thing for brats. Daddy liked them to a point. I mean—”

“Cassie, I don’t care. I know what you’re doing and I promise you it won’t work. They aren’t the same men you left behind without so much as a fucking goodbye.”

“Oh? And what makes you think you know anything about what happened? You think men like them change?”, she scoffs.

“Then why are you here? Just go about your life and leave them be. You did it once you can do it again. Whether you like it or not they are mine. Now, my understanding is they both asked you nicely to stay away from them. I’m a little different but allow me to be as clear as I can. If I ever see your face again or they tell me that you tried popping up on another set or some bullshit like that… I will make it so you never get another acting job in this town again. Do you understand me?”

Her heels clicked against the tile as she brought her face to yours. “Are you threatening me?”

You matched her, taking one step forward. “Yes, I am.”

The boy’s shoulders connected as they stepped between you two, bumping Cassie backwards.

“If you hit her or cause a scene, Cassandra, I will help her follow through with that promise.” Steve glared down at her.

Her cheeks puffed out as she turned around and marched towards her date like a little girl being told to go to her room.

“Again, gentlemen. Just a charmer that one.” They both separated as Eddie reached out to push some hair behind your ear. “Was she about to hit me?”

“Uh huh. We saw that look many times.”

“Eddie… I don’t like that.” You reached forward, placing your palm his cheek.

“It wasn’t a big deal—”

“Steve don’t say that. She shouldn’t be putting her hands on you guys like that.”

“We’ve smacked each other.”, he chuckles as he places a comforting kiss on your forehead.

“Yeah, when we play. You would never really hurt me like that. Even after everything we’ve been through, I’ve never been afraid of you two physically and I hope you know I would never—”

“Honestly, I don’t think you’ve ever hurt us. Physically or emotionally.” Eddie sighs as you watch his brain through his eyes wonder through every tough experience they’ve put you through. “Jesus, you really are an angel.”

###########

The three of you giggled hysterically as you climbed back into the awaiting limo a few hours later, them clinging to their newly won awards. They completely froze when their names were called and adorably stumbled up to the stage to accept their prize.

“Wow. Um, I don’t even know what to say… we genuinely didn’t think we’d even win. Um, thank you for the honor and giving us a chance to work with you. To our agent, Y/N, and TJ, our lives completely changed when we signed with you guys. Thank you for everything.”, Steve smiled as he stepped back and Eddie quickly cut in.

“And to our girlfriend, thank you for being patient with us and just being you. We wouldn’t be here without you, sweetheart. Love you so much!”

“You know this means you’re going to be getting a lot more high-profile jobs now.”, you grin at them as they continue to stare at the words on the trophy.

“Wayne is going to trip when I send this to him.” Eddie laughs when he glances at you. “Baby, we don’t need two of the same statues in one house. They have both our names on it. We can keep Steve’s. Plus, my uncle will think it’s cool.”

“I’m so proud of both of you. Are you ready to go to the after party?”

“Actually, honey, TJ said we didn’t have to go. I mean, he heavily implied he would like us to go but he said it was our choice. That being said…”

Your startled when you feel the velvet blindfold being placed over your eyes. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“We have a surprise for you. We’re on the way so for the time being just sit back and relax.” Steve’s soft tone filled your ears and you did as he suggested, leaning into one of their chests as you sighed. “Why are you smiling like that, pretty girl?”

“Because even with a blindfold, it doesn’t take me long to figure out who’s near me. No matter how much cologne he puts on, I can still smell the cigarettes.”, you giggle as you keen into Eddie’s neck and kiss his skin.

“Look, I do what I can but I’ve been smoking for years!”

“No… I wasn’t saying it like it’s a bad thing!” Your hand blindly reaches up to find his hair, running your fingers through it. “It’s a part of you. I love the way you smell.”

“Munson…no!” Steve laughs as you smile, feeling a calloused palm trail along you knee. “It’s not fair. You can’t wind her up yet! We still have a whole thing planned.”

“Oh, come on! Like you never felt up your date in the back of a limo.”, the metalhead countered as he whines. “Stevie…she looks so gooooood. Plus, I’ve been turned on since she put Cassie in her place.”

“Patience is a virtue, Mr. Munson.”

“Yeah, Mr. Munson.”, Steve teases.

“Is this a Daddy and Sir venture?”

“No, princess. This is something you should have had a long time ago.” Eddie tenderly kisses your temple as you lean closer to him. Fingers mingle with your own and your head tilts slightly as a thought crosses your mind.

“What are you thinking about, Y/N?”

“How did it feel? Hearing Cassie refer to you both with your titles…” They both exhale heavily making you laugh. “That bad, huh?”

“It feels like… a violation. Remember when we started this and told you it was personal for us? She gave up the right to call us that a long time ago. The fact that she thinks she can just show up and fucking refer to us that way—”

Your hands search for Steve’s face when you hear the agitation in his voice.

“How did it make you feel?”, Eddie asked behind you.

“Angry…protective…a little bit possessive.” They chuckle at your answer. “Of them…not you two. I’m not worried about her seducing you away from me or anything but… they’re mine. You’re MY Daddy.” Your fingers gently caress Steve before reaching to touch Eddie. “You’re MY Master.”

“God damn, Harrington. You can’t tell me you don’t want to fuck her now.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to but we can’t. Not yet but I promise you one thing, little miss. When we get back home you definitely deserve a reward.

##############

“Alright, honey. Just a little further.”

When the limo finally stopped at its destination, they kept you blind while guiding you through a building. At least you assumed it was a building with the way your heels sounded against the floor. Wherever they had taken you it was dark as any lighting within the mask was now shaded over.

You felt them place you somewhere as one of them steps away from you. Eddie did a count down, removing the blindfold after one.

“Oh, wow.”

They had brought you to a ballroom that was decorated from head to toe with silver streamers and a disco ball hanging in the middle of an open dance floor. Along the wall behind a DJ booth was a banner that read “High School Prom”.

“Yeah, it helps the aesthetic when the nearby school just had their prom here. That being said, why a disco ball?”, Eddie laughs.

“Guys…” Your hand flew to your chest as you tried not cry. “Why…you…I don’t know what to say.”

Steve smiled as he reached for your wrist, sliding a pink corsage around it before bowing down to kiss the back of your hand. Eddie did the same, placing a black corsage around you as his hand caressed your skin.

“You deserve to have this experience. It’s one thing if you didn’t want to go. It’s another when they didn’t allow it. Now, we don’t have a photographer so everyone smile.” Steve held up his phone, taking a picture as you three struck a pose.

“Ok, should we do cheesy typical prom songs or? I guess we kind of have to depending on what’s up here.” Eddie browsed through the collection as he spoke. You wrapped your arms around his waist, grinning as you point to album.

“Really? Fiiiiine. I guess it would count has both cheesy and different. It’s your dance, princess.” He kisses your forehead before pulling out the record and climbing on the makeshift stage to get everything connected.

You saunter towards Steve reaching your arms out to him so you can tug him to the middle of the dance floor. Taylor Swift’s “Lover” begins to play through the speakers and you grin as he places one of his hands on your lower back while holding your other in the air as you both begin to sway.

“You know, if you had told me the cocky men I met in my office those many months ago would be the loves of my life I never would have believed you.”

“Hm. Now who’s being cliché?”

You giggle as he dips you in his arms before twirling you towards Eddie who places both his palms on your waist while you hold his shoulders.

“Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever? And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever) You're my, my, my, my Lover”

“Seriously though, I remember Steve was wearing his ‘I’m a dad on a Saturday’ look—”

“What does that even mean?”, the boy laughs.

“She’s talking about your shorts with the socks and douchebag flipflops.”

Your smile grows as you lean your forehead against his. “You were wearing all black in this California heat.”

“Forever my style, babe.” Eddie kisses your lips before spinning you back to Steve.

“Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? With every guitar string scar on my hand I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue All's well that ends well to end up with you.”

“You guys were so intimidating at first and that wasn’t just because you were my first clients ever. I was trying so hard to keep everything professional but looking back on it now…I knew. I knew I was yours the moment you sat across from my desk.”

Steve made a little huh sound as he leaned down to kiss your lips. “Ew. What was that?”, you giggled.

“I just think it’s cute.”

“What? That I liked you immediately?”

“That it took you that long.”, Eddie smiles. “We were into you from the moment you stepped into the lobby.”

Blushing, you hugged yourself tighter to Steve, pressing your face into his chest.

“Uh oh, Ed. We’re breaking her.”

“You’re too sweet to me.” After releasing him from your grip, you beam at them both. “So, what else does one do on prom night?”

#############

The entire ride back home was a blur of kisses and desperate touches. Eddie carries you in his arms through their front door as you leave heated kisses along his neck.

“Ok…ok…time out.”, he pants as he places you on your feet. “Jesus, I’m gonna cum before we even start.”

“Um, Ed. I love you and all but you forgot something.”

The metalhead looks around realizing you hadn’t followed him to the bedroom. They poked their head out to find you staring into the room that had once been occupied. You slowly step in and take in your surroundings. Against the wall was a desk like the one you had in your office with a comfy looking desk chair and a couch against the adjacent wall. Eddie’s band posters were still on the wall, knowing you enjoyed them as well and his guitar was still in the corner.

“I thought maybe I could keep you company in here while you worked; practice playing and things like that.”

They had been leaning in the doorway, watching you carefully as they tried to get a read on what you were feeling.

Upon closer inspection of your desk, you noticed there were two framed pictures. One was of you and Matthew making a goofy face on his motorcycle. The other was the one Steve had taken at the restaurant of you three when you surprised Eddie with his special day.

“We flipped a coin to see whose room we would keep. Mine would have been easier since it’s actually fucking clean.”, Steve chuckles as Eddie rolls his eyes. “But… do you like it? Of course, you can add anything you want. We just thought—”

You jumped into his arms cutting him off with your lips. “I love it. Thank you. Thank you both.”

The man carried you back to their bedroom, falling with you onto the mattress. They carefully undress you, knowing your dress was most likely expensive before gradually removing their own pricey garments. As Steve’s lips suck on your neck, Eddie’s fingers reach to graze your necklace.

“I really like this. It looks beautiful on you. To be fair, you look gorgeous in everything but…” He grins down at you as you blush. “We’ll have to find one of these for your bad days that say ‘brat’ on it.”

You playfully gasp at his remark. “Sir, I am always a good girl!”

Steve’s cheek brushed yours, his head falling beside you as he laughed. Eddie lightly gripped your jaw, holding you still as he kissed your lips.

“You’re something alright. Hey, Daddy.” The metalhead shook his friend’s shoulder. “Didn’t you say something about giving little miss here a reward?”

“Yes, Sir, I did.”

“Oh, guys. No. You’ve done a lot for me already tonight.”

They smile as their lips tandemly trail down your body.

“Ooo, Daddy. I don’t know about you but that sounds like talking back to me. Definitely brat behavior.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

“Not for long, honey.”, Steve chuckles as he situates himself between your legs. Eddie hovers by your waist just above him, opening your pussy lips with his fingers.

“Fuck, princess. So wet already.” You moan as he slowly rubs circles into your clit while Steve’s tongue inserts itself into your needy entrance. “Now, baby, you don’t have to ask to cum. Our mouths are going to be a bit preoccupied.” He winks at you and before you can respond his mouth envelopes your nub causing you to cry out in pleasure.

You had never felt anything like this in your life. Having both their tongues between your legs was pure ecstasy and you couldn’t get enough.

“Oh my god. That feels so fucking good.” Reaching down, you run your fingers through Eddie’s mess of hair, your hips grinding against them.

Steve groaned as you pussy fluttered around him, pushing his face further into your sex. You leaned up on your elbows to watch them, whimpering at the sight, not just because of what they were doing but because they were yours. These two handsome, sexy, sweet, funny, dorks were yours.

You threw your head back, moaning and begging as you came. Eddie chuckled when he felt you lightly pulling at him, smiling up at you as his mouth trailed feathery light kisses up your stomach to your neck.

“I want you, baby. Please. I need to feel you.”

His lips quickly peck yours before flipping on to his back and pulling you on top of him. You both groan as you guide his cock into you, grinding your hips against his. Eddie’s rough hands snake around the back of your neck, bringing your lips to his, hips jutting up to meet yours as you push yourself up and meet his beautiful brown eyes.

“Mine.”, you whisper.

“Fuck. Yeah, pretty girl. Yours.”

“Yours?”

He breathily laughs as his palms run along your sides. “Always, princess.”

“Show me, Sir. Please.”

Eddie’s arm wraps around your lower back, flipping you around and lifting your leg over his shoulder as he starts thrusting into you. His fingers dig into your thighs as his cock pushes deeper into you making you mewl at the feeling. You were so transfixed on him and the gleams of sweat shimmering of his gorgeous, tattooed chest, you hadn’t even heard Steve panting beside you as he stroked himself at the sounds you were making.

You reach out for him and his lips descended on yours for a moment before drifting down your body, stopping near your waist. Eddie opened your legs wider giving the other boy more access to you as mouth wrapped around your clit.

“Fuck me! Oh my god.”

“Jesus Christ…”, the metalhead grunts as your pussy clings to him like a vice. “Cum, baby, please. I…I’m not going to last much longer here if you… fucking keep gripping me like that.”

Steve flicks his tongue faster against your nub helping you get there as you cum hard. Eddie soon follows, lifting your hips as he fills you up.

He pulls out, collapsing beside you as Steve takes his place between your legs with his body flat against your own.

“You ok, little miss? Do you think you can handle me to?”, he whispers as his lips gently kiss your neck toward your ear. “It’s ok if you can’t, honey. Be honest.”

Your hands circle around to his shoulders as your legs capture his waist. “Please, Daddy. Show me like he did.” Steve lifts his head, hovering his mouth over yours. “Show me I’m yours.”

His lips part, eyes squeezing shut as he easily slides into you and bottoms out almost instantly. He moves at a steady pace, trying not to overwhelm you or himself.

“Fuck, baby girl. You’re so… Jesus…”

“Tell me, Daddy.”

Eddie’s fingers grabbed your cheeks as he turned you to passionately kiss your lips. As his tongue mingled with your own, your whimpered as your cunt gripped Steve, dragging along his cock.

“God damn it.” His head fell beside yours as you continued to kiss the metalhead. “I’m…I’m not going to last long—mmm—either. Fuck, this IS my prom night.” He smiled when he felt you softly giggle. “You’re so tight. You—mmm—you have no idea how fucking…amazing you feel. Shit…Ed, help me. I don’t think…”

Eddie’s forehead remains pressed to yours as you watch him lick the pads of his fingers before bringing them to your swollen bundle of nerves. You turn to face Steve, your eyes locking on his as cum. His own roll back as he falls against you, grinding his hips roughly into yours until he sputters and you feel him release inside of you.

As he gradually pulls out of you, you hiss at the feeling.

“What’s wrong, honey? Are you ok?”

“Yeah…sore.”

Eddie chuckles beside you as you both turn to look at him. “No, sorry. I’m not laughing at her pain. Just the fact that she’s still not using full sentences.”

“It’s not my fault you both take my breath away.”

“Well, that was fucking cute.” Steve grins as he kisses your forehead.

###########

“Hey TJ. Oooo, are you alright? You look upset.”

Your boss called you into his office that following Monday morning and you assumed it was about them winning their award but something about his face made you realize whatever was going on it was serious.

“Yeah, angel, I am a little bit. I, um, I was going through the photos they took at the AVN ceremony. I thought maybe I could put a few on our website, you know.”

TJ turns his computer screen to show you some images causing your stomach to drop. You felt him watch your face as he scrolled through pictures of you caressing Eddie’s face and Steve kissing your forehead.

“Now, I know you and I know you can be a bit touchy feely but… Y/N, it would explain some things.” He sighs as your eyes meet his. “Ok…”

##############

“I’m not going to lie, I expected TJ to like tackle us when we came in.”, Eddie grinned as they both entered your office.

“For real. Is he upset we didn’t go to the—” Steve paused when he noticed you weren’t at your desk like you normally were but on the couch further away with your face in your palms. “Honey?”

When you placed your hands in your lap and they saw your tear-streaked face, they immediately dropped into that protective mode.

“Y/N, what happened?”, Eddie asked as he kneeled in front of you while Steve took the spot beside you, his fingers pulling your hair out of your face.

“Um… so a photographer at the event the other night took some photos and, uh, TJ saw them. Photos of the three of us…after the thing with Cassie…”

“Baby…”

“Technically, I’m not fired. I’m, uh, suspended until TJ figures out what he wants to do… so someone else in the company will look after you and Avery…” You broke then, no longer able to keep it together as you cried.

Eddie laid his head on your lap, hugging his arms around your legs as Steve wrapped his around your shoulders bringing your head to his chest.

##################

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genshingorlsrevengeance · 1 year ago

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(GFL Crack Fic) "The Firefight before Christmas"

Alternative Title: "What your average retail worker goes through during the holiday season"

Right before Christmas, the Commander asked Angelia and the rest of DEFY to guard everyone's presents. Deciding she had nothing better to do for the holiday, Angelia agreed and moved to oversee the defense of a bunch of toys. If she had known what was going to transpire, she would have brought more guns. Word Count: 3.8k

Date: December 23rd, 206X

Through a heavily secured door contained a relatively spacious and shiny black floored room. It was home to Griffin's Commander, well his second home anyway.

It was just his office, albeit a more empty one. The room only had two desks for work, a couple of decorations in the shelves behind him, and large amounts of data servers and file cabinets lined up along the walls.

Angelia sat in the desk next to the Commander, both of them performing the mundane task of filling out paperwork. G36 was also present, but she was in the middle of organizing their files before their day off on Christmas. None of the three said anything while the radio blasted a cheery Christmas tune.

"Rockin' around the Christmas tree At the Christmas party hop!"-

Normally, neither of human officers would have anything playing due to the same annoying songs playing ad nauseam. However, it was at the insistence of a certain adjutant that it be played to 'keep them in spirit'.

(Kalina) "Commander, Ange~!"

Kalina almost skipped happily through the door that slid open, bringing much needed coffee for the both of them.

(Commander) "Ah, thanks Kalina."

(Angelia) "Make mine the way I like it?"

(Kalina) "Yup! One sludge coming up..."

Kalina made sure that she had muttered that under her breath, turning back to the Commander and G36.

(Kalina) "Commander, we got the presents secure, right?"

(Commander) "Well, they should be unloading in the cargo bay under the disguise of our usual supplies. But as for actually guarding it...-"

G36 stopped what she was doing and her shoulders slumped, thinking in fear about what measures they put into place.

(G36) "Master, you and Kalina did not have Persica construct another machine, did you?"

(Kalina) "Wha-Psh, no! We wouldn't do that!...Well, without a few hundred extra precautions, anyway."

(Angelia) "You what now?"

(Commander) "Long story, basically on Halloween, G36 and Springfield stopped a rogue bot that stole the T-Dolls' candy."

Angelia exhaled through her nose in amusement, crossing her arms.

(Angelia) "So if you don't have a kill droid this time around, what's your plan on protecting these presents?"

The Commander leaned back into his chair, thinking on the answer to that question.

(Commander) "Well, I need T-Dolls that I can trust to guard it."

(Kalina) "There's some of the Sangvis Dolls we could ask."

G36 shook her head and her eyes squinted further in thought.

(G36) "As much as I have faith that they could protect it, I fear for their safety if some of our T-Dolls learn Sangvis of all people are assigned to do so."

The Commander nodded, raising a finger as he counted the amount of problems with that solution.

(Commander) "Plus, there's Architect who'd probably get way too eager and open the presents herself. Or Destroyer, like during Valentines. Or Alchemist, for the hell of it."

(Angelia) "...So that's a no go."

(Kalina) "Hm, Squad 404?...No, UMP9..."

Kalina crossed her arms, shaking her head in frustration.

(Commander) "And there's not a force in this world that could stop SOPMOD if she learned our presents arrived early."

(G36) "Master, perhaps you could leave it to Springfield and I once more? I could have some of my sisters and Lee-Enfield join as well."

(Kalina) "What? But we don't want you to work yourselves during another holiday again!"

(Angelia) "...Tell you what, Commander."

Everyone in the room turned to Angelia.

(Angelia) "How about you leave it to DEFY and I on Christmas?"

(Commander) "You'd seriously assign the girls to do that?"

(Angelia) "They listen to me, no questions asked. Consider it my present to you this year, Commander. Peace of mind."

The Commander sighed in relief as he leaned back into his chair, smiling as he adjusted his red uniform.

(Commander) "That'd be a huge relief, Ange. I guess I should mention you and DEFY have some presents in there too."

(Kalina) "Yeah, make sure you don't open them before, or you'll be put on the naughty list!"

Angelia scoffed as she crossed her arms.

(Angelia) "Think all of us humans are on there, already."

Date: December 24th, 206X Time: 22:30

Angelia adjusted her coat as she sat in a large empty warehouse, staring at the absolutely massive mountain of presents stocked up for every T-Doll and Human personnel in Griffin.

Despite the haphazard way they were organized, they were all lovingly wrapped. It was clear no machine did the wrapping, much to her horror. She would hate to be the one doing all that for every single being in this base.

She brought a chair along with her, casually resting in it as she heard the door slide open, revealing the rest of her squad. AK-12 gave a light hearted salute, though the respect was still clearly there.

(AK-12) "DEFY, reporting as ordered, Ange."

(Angelia) "At ease, everyone. This giant pile of cardboard waste behind me is our objective to defend for tonight."

AK-15 looked up at the presents, obviously confused about the objective.

(AK-15) "Christmas presents, ma'am?"

(Angelia) "Yup. Our dear Commander requested that we make sure no one gets their hands on them early."

(RPK-16) "Well, this is certainly one of the more interesting operations we've been a part of."

RPK-16 commented, crossing her arms as her lips curled into vague amusement.

(AN-94) "Should we sweep the perimeter, ma'am?"

Angelia shook her head, motioning for the squad to get comfortable.

(Angelia) "No need, 94. We'll be able to hear anyone coming a mile away. Besides, no one knows their presents are even here."

AK-12 put a gentle hand on AN-94's shoulder and gestured her head forward, making her relax.

AK-15 simply leaned against the wall, her rifle slung on her side.

RPK-16 walked towards the presents and investigated it with her scanners, quickly finding DEFY's gifts.

They were all wrapped in black paper, with a white ribbon enclosing the boxes.

(RPK-16) "Aw, that's cute."

Angelia raised her head and chuckled along with RPK-16.

(AK-12) "Think the Commander had that special ordered for us?"

(Angelia) "Probably. Either he or Kalina did."

AK-12 laid on the floor, one leg simply resting on the other while AN-94 stood awkwardly at attention, staring straight at the door as if she was anticipating an attack.

(Angelia) "...Oh right, forgot to say this. Merry Christmas, girls."

(AK-15) "You as well, ma'am."

(AN-94) "Should I play Christmas music to keep the festive spirit up for the night, ma'am?"

(Angelia) "Do that, and I'm throwing a lump of coal at your head. I've had enough of those damn songs. How the hell are those songs still enduring after a near century, anyway?"

(RPK-16) "Humans do love their Christmas music, Ange. That won't ever change, evidently."

(AK-12) "At least it's not blaring on our systems 24/7."

...

A few hours passed and DEFY were casually chatting with one another. It was the first in a very long time that they had time to simply decompress.

Granted, the tension between AK-12 and AK-15 was ever present, but it was dimmed down given the lax nature of the operation.

Even AN-94 was talking a bit more than usual, much to Angelia's surprise.

Seeing her squad get to relax for once was honestly refreshing. Maybe she should ask the Commander if they can do this every year.

(AN-94) "It is hard to imagine what gifts the Commander would have gotten us."

(AK-12) "Maybe it's Vodka?"

AK-15's eyes were closed, but the tone of her voice suggested that she found the idea humorous.

(AK-15) "For you and 16, maybe. I don't require anything other than a trustworthy officer to lead us."

(RPK-16) "But you're not against the idea of a gift, are you?"

(AK-15) "It would be pointless, given we are androids."

(Angelia) "But you still didn't say no."

The girls quietly chuckled before AK-15's eyes shot open, turning towards the door.

AK-15's normally shut eyes did the same, while AN-94 and RPK-16 suddenly adopted a combat stance.

Angelia knew that they would not have reached for weapons if it were just a Griffin Doll approaching. Was there actually an enemy coming close, thinking this was something valuable?

Regardless, she would not let anyone lay a damn finger on one of these boxes.

(Angelia) "12? What are you scanning?"

Everyone held onto their guns, ready to move out the door while AK-12's pink irises adjusted their focus.

(AK-12) "Motion trackers are picking up something a hundred meters from here. Multiple contacts, it looks like-"

Suddenly, there was distant gunfire, and the distinct sound of an explosion.

Angelia loaded the magazine into her own rifle and immediately began giving out the commands.

(Angelia) "AK-12, AN-94. Investigate the area. AK-15, RPK-16, seal the entrances to this place besides the front door. I'm contacting the Commander."

Everyone nodded and attended to their tasks given. Angelia moved to grab her radio before realizing it was being jammed. Only static was coming through.

(Angelia) "Shit."

(Distant Voice) "H-Ho, Ho HEEEELP!"

Suddenly, everyone stopped what they were doing and all turned to towards the door, looking extremely confused on what they had just heard.

(RPK-16) "Wow, the lungs on that human."

(AK-12) "...I'm not detecting any human in the AO."

(Angelia) "...Then what exactly are you picking up? T-Dolls?"

AK-12 frowned. That alone was enough to send alarms ringing through everyone's heads.

(AK-12) "Unknown, Ange. All I'm seeing is movement...Wait, it's getting closer!"

All of the DEFY T-Dolls put on their masks and aimed their guns at the target moving closer to the warehouse, and it was approaching rapidly.

AK-15 immediately had Angelia stand behind her, still aiming her gun at the door. Angelia knelt alongside RPK-16, who mounted her machine gun onto the floor for better stability.

AK-12 and AN-94 hopped behind several crates, aiming at the door, watching as the target came closer.

And without warning, a massive red sleigh burst through the walls, and several reindeer tumbled and fell onto the gray floor, the snow from the outside trickling in as DEFY watched in utter confusion of what they were witnessing.

The reindeer closest to DEFY had a glowing red nose, staring right at AN-94.

(AN-94) "...What?"

Everyones weapons pointed right back at the sudden movement coming out of the sleigh, and it revealed a large red coated man with a long white beard.

(???) "Ho, ho, ho my GOD! Thank goodness you all are here!"

The large man stepped forward before everyone's guns trained on his head.

(AK-15) "Move a step closer and we open fire."

The man did not appear to be intimidated. In fact, he was more offended than anything.

(???) "Hmph! And here I was, considering on putting you on the Nice List this year, AK-15!"

The mention of her name made everyone tense up.

(Angelia) "Alright, enough with the Santa bullshit, just who the hell are you?"

His steely gaze turned to Angelia, adjusting his tiny glasses as he stepped forward.

(???) "And such naughty words, Anna! What happened to the festive cheer you had a moment ago?"

Immediately, Angelia pulled the trigger at his feet, a gunshot echoing throughout the warehouse. This person's intel was better than she thought if they knew her real name.

(Angelia) "The festive cheer is going right between your eyes if you call me that again."

But once again, he seemed more offended.

(???) "Why, I never!...Hm, no. Considering your lives, I should not judge so harshly. After all, I am here to deliver presents to Griffin as well!"

(AK-12) "So, are you going to introduce yourself?"

The man puffed out his belly in pride.

(???) "Santa Claus!"

(Everyone) "..."

(AN-94) "Santa does not exist. Are you a T-Doll?"

(Santa) "Miss AN-94, do you not find it strange that none of you can detect me, or my reindeer here?"

DEFY looked at the lifelike Reindeer, then back to the sleigh, and finally the man calling himself Santa.

(AK-12) "What, did Sangvis suddenly gain a sense of humor?"

(Santa) "Young AK-12, I am not an automaton, I am the flesh and blood Santa Claus himself! And I am here to make a delivery to everyone, yourselves included!"

Angelia scoffed.

(Angelia) "What, are we getting coal this year?"

(Santa) "If you keep this nonsense up, yes!-"

Santa was suddenly cut off as a stray bullet almost hit him, making him leap for cover and forcing the rest of DEFY to shift their attention. The rest of the Reindeer looked at each other and ducked for cover as well.

(Santa) "ACK! They're here!"

(RPK-16) "For being such a large man, you move very quick-"

(Santa) "That is rich, coming from a Machine-Gun T-Doll!"

It was RPK-16's turn to look offended. Did Santa just call her fat?

(AN-94) "Santa, what is attacking you?"

Santa turned to AN-94, somewhat relieved that someone was taking him seriously. Or at least giving him the benefit of the doubt.

(Santa) "Snow-Dolls, and yes I am being serious!"

While Angelia and RPK-16 had their weapons on "Santa", AK-15 moved towards the hole in the wall, carefully peeking out.

(AK-15) "Impossible, there is no such thing as Santa, and there are-"

AK-15's eyes widened in shock, seeing beyond the horizon an approaching army of moving snowmen.

All armed with guns made of snow.

One of their button faces turned into a frown as soon as they saw her, and a bullet made of snow almost took her mask off as she leaned back behind the wall.

(Angelia) "15, report!"

(AK-15) "Multiple targets are...indeed, Snowmen. All armed, and intent on killing us."

Angelia sighed and turned to "Santa", motioning for everyone to take up positions.

(Angelia) "If you're lying to us, I will hang you with your own fucking hat."

(Santa) "All I ask is for enough time for me to escape, I am on a tight schedule! I will have to unload your presents here, then I will be on my way! I promise!"

(Angelia) "This is not how I imagined my Christmas Eve would be...DEFY, take offensive formation!"

AK-15 nodded and punched out a large slab of the concrete wall that vaguely resembled a roadblock, using it as a makeshift portable cover, advancing out towards the open.

AN-94 and Angelia rushed behind her, taking cover and opening fire on the incoming snowmen, forcing them to scatter and rush behind the trees. Well, slide behind cover, to be precise.

AK-12 attempted to begin her electronic warfare programs, but found there was nothing to hack. She was not being countered, and there was nothing jamming her.

(AK-12) "...Are these actually killer snowmen?!"

Santa hopped behind his sleigh and started rapidly throwing presents from a massive brown sack towards the Commander's pile. All of which were somehow landing perfectly next to RPK-16, in an organized fashion.

(Santa) "Let's see: Suomi, C96, M4A1, MP40-!"

Santa began listing off a dizzying amount of T-Doll's names, as RPK-16 looked at the pile one last time before joining AK-12 and mounting her machine gun towards the newly created half-cover next to the sleigh.

(RPK-16) "Beginning cover fire."

She calmly stated, pulling the trigger and watching as a hail of bullets flew out and hit the snowmen who were being distracted by AK-15's group.

AK-15 held onto the concrete as the snow bullets tore the corners off, AN-94 and Angelia rapidly firing concentrated shots and making the snowmens' heads explode into a white flurry.

AK-15 slammed the wall into the ground, making sure it would not tip over as she rushed the nearest snowman. With one punch she knocked off its head with relative ease, ignoring the ice bullets failing to pierce through her and instead engaging in close combat with the ones closest to her.

The buttons on their faces remained in a permanent frown as they slowly approached the warehouse. Their numbers were beyond counting.

AK-12 closed her eyes, realizing that they were truly magical beings and not something she could hack. Pulling the trigger, her gun began to pick off out of position snowmen that weren't hiding behind trees already.

RPK-16 looked at AK-12 as she reloaded calmly, giving her assurance.

(RPK-16) "I'll cover you, go!"

AK-12 nodded and vaulted over the wall, rushing towards cover as the ever approaching horde continued to pin down AN-94 and Angelia's location. RPK-16 made the snowmen pay with their...lives? As she gunned them down with ease.

Although DEFY was tearing through them with ease, when they killed one, ten more seemed to take their place.

Angelia clenched her teeth as an ice bullet hit her in the shoulder, making her crouch down and reach for the stinging pain.

(AN-94) "Ange has been hit!"

AN-94 immediately knelt down to start applying pressure on the wound, making Angelia cringe in slight pain as she reloaded her rifle with one hand.

(Angelia) "I can't believe that a bunch of goddamn snowmen are giving Sangvis a run for their money in the swarm tactics!"

AK-12's mask hid what emotion she was making, but Angelia could tell there was a wry smirk behind it as she tossed a grenade overhead, dirt and snow flying above them from the explosion.

(AK-12) "At least you made the right call having DEFY be here. I'm not sure even the Commander could defend this warehouse from homicidal snowmen."

(AN-94) "RPK-16, what is Santa's status?"

AN-94 asked before returning fire on the snowmen getting dangerously close to their makeshift barricade.

RPK-16 turned around as she reloaded, her mouth slightly dropping in sheer awe.

Santa had created a beautifully organized pile of presents, all organized by squad. The Commander's pile looked downright insulting just existing next to it.

(Santa) "Ah, I am done here! Now, get your friends back here if you would, I'm about to leave these snowmen a very very nasty lump of coal, if you catch my drift!"

RPK-16 didn't, but she also didn't care.

(RPK-16) "Santa is done, retreat back to the warehouse!"

AN-94 and AK-12 nodded before grabbing Angelia and rushing back at their full speed. AK-15 was right behind them as she roared out in anger, one hand wielding her knife and tearing through them as she tore the stick arms off others approaching them.

Her armor was covered in frost and bullet marks, with bits of artificial blood dropping from her head.

The bits of armor from the rest of DEFY were beginning to chip off as well due to the frost damage, everyone except RPK-16 who was still trying to fend off the never ending horde.

She moved to reload, but her waist was devoid of any remaining magazines.

(RPK-16) "Out of ammo!"

Everyone else checked their magazine count after hiding behind the wall, gaining a small reprieve from the cold.

(AK-12) "One left."

(AK-15) "Out."

(AN-94) "Two left."

(Angelia) "Tch, one."

Any prolonged fighting would have their ammunition run dry. They weren't expecting a fight to break out like this at all, their lack of preparation coming to bite them in the ass.

But who the hell would be ready for an assault by magical snowmen armed with snow guns?!

Santa whistled at the Reindeer as he hopped onto the sleigh, looking at the rest of DEFY with a warm smile.

(Santa) "You have saved my hide, and Christmas for the rest of the world! These darn Snow-Dolls have been pursuing me ever since...-"

Suddenly concentrated fire was aimed at the sleigh, cutting Santa off as he nodded at them.

(Santa) "Bah, hambug! Doesn't matter, Thank you, DEFY! Good night to all, and to all-"

(Angelia) "JUST GET YOUR ASS MOVING ALREADY, I'M BLEEDING HERE!"

Santa jumped back in his seat and immediately yanked the straps back, forcing his reindeer to float up and out of the warehouse, the gunshots all attempting to hit him as he circled around the battlefield.

DEFY watched as Santa doubled back towards the snowmen, dropping several christmas ornaments onto them, before they exploded into a fiery inferno that melted the snow from the sheer heat, making everyone duck behind cover.

Looking back up, the squad saw nothing remained of the snowmen, in fact there was no trace of them at all now.

Other than the concrete wall in the middle of the snow, alongside Ange's blood, bullet casings littering the grass, and explosion marks from grenades, it looked like any regular aftermath of a battlefield.

The squad then looked back at the presents, and saw how beautifully colored they were, each one with a name tag of a T-Doll or human of a Griffin member.

Then finally, the Commander's voice came through Angelia's radio.

(Commander) "Merry Christmas, Ange! You and DEFY have a silent night?"

(AN-94) "...I wish for these Christmas puns to end."

(Angelia) "Shut the hell up. By the way send a medic."

(Commander) "Hah, good one...W-Wait, what?!"

...

Apparently, no one had heard the insanity of DEFY's firefight during the early morning of Christmas Day.

In fact, no one even saw the explosions or the snowmen outside the base windows.

There was a perimeter scan and it was triple checked by the Anti-Rain Team, and Squad 404. There were no signs of hostile activity whatsoever.

After DEFY was sent in for repairs and Angelia's shoulder was patched up, they were ordered to take the day off and enjoy themselves with the rest of Griffin.

But first they headed back towards the dorm to rest up before the presents were to be handed out. Right now it was only eight in the morning.

(AK-15) "I still cannot believe everything we have just witnessed."

(AK-12) "Santa being real is...quite contradictory to everything we've learned. Does that mean other fictional stories are true as well?"

(Angelia) "This is a rabbit hole I don't want to open up right now, ladies."

(RPK-16) "Do you think Alice in Wonderland is true too?"

(AN-94) "I am sure it was just a fabrication, or some advanced technology we are not privy to yet."

(Angelia) "Get some rest until present time. I'll be in my room."

DEFY saluted Angelia as she walked off to her room alone.

When she opened the door, she noticed a plate of cookies and milk on the plate. She reached for her pistol, looking slowly around for who could have entered.

Seeing the note on the table, she frowned as she read it, but quickly faded.

Thanks for all your hard work, as always Ange! Save some for the rest of the girls, okay? - Signed, Commander, Kalina, G36

Angelia smiled, examining the cookie and making sure it wasn't poisoned. However, there were a couple signs on the cookie itself that revealed it was made from Springfield's café. The way the treat looked too perfectly circular, and cooked to almost perfection.

Realizing the threat was nonexistent, Angelia bit into it before pouring the milk out near her sink, and replacing the drink with Vodka.

(Angelia) "...Next Christmas, I'm not doing this shit again."

Suddenly, the radio turned on next to her.

"Last Christmas I gave you my heart But the very next day you gave it away~-"

Angelia immediately smashed the radio with her metal arm, eye twitching.

(Angelia) "And I'm having Kalina turn those goddamn songs off."

=====

a/n: This is totally 100% canon to the lore of Girls' Frontline. Source: trust me bro.

Anyways I have nothing else to add besides a nice picture of DEFY for your enjoyment.

Their smiles are precious. okay that's it, byeeeeeeeeeeeee

#girls' frontline imagines #girls' frontline headcanons #girls' frontline crack fic #angelia gfl #an 94 gfl #ak 12 gfl #ak 15 gfl #rpk 16 gfl #kalina gfl #g36 gfl #crack fic

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storiesforallfandoms · 2 years ago

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your gift ~ pete davidson

word count: 1211

request?: yes!

“Could I request an imagine where you and pete are spending christmas together and you come im just wrapped in wrapping paper like you’re his gift and he just bursts out laughing because he’s awkward like that?”

description: for their first christmas together, she decides to give him an extra special gift

pairing: pete davidson x female!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

It had been many years since I had spent Christmas with a romantic partner. I didn’t expect too much for my first Christmas with Pete. We had only been dating for a few months, so I figured at most we might go see some Christmas lights and drink some hot chocolate. Imagine my surprise when he asked me if I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with him.

“If you didn’t already have plans with your family that is,” he said. “I know Christmas is supposed to be, like, a family thing.”

“I was going to ask you the same thing. You don’t want to spend it with your mom?”

He waved away my comment. “Please, she is basically insisting I spend it with you. Anything to get me out of the house.”

So, we agreed that he would stay to my place on Christmas Eve before we went to spend time with our respective families. From the moment Pete asked, I found that I was very excited for this Christmas.

We did way more of the cutesy couples Christmas stuff than I anticipated. We went to look at the Christmas lights around my neighborhood, got candy cane hot chocolate, got matching Christmas pajamas (well, I got the set, Pete just got the pajama bottoms). He even insisted on us decorating my Christmas tree together.

With every memory we made, the happier my heart became. It was probably the best Christmas I had ever had.

The night of Christmas Eve, Pete and I were curled up on the couch eating pizza we had ordered and watching some classic Christmas movies. I had a warm blanket thrown across my lap and that, plus the heat from Pete’s body, was enough to feel like I was going to be lulled to sleep. I closed my eyes and was close to drifting off until I felt Pete move under me.

“You’re not falling asleep already, are you? It’s not even 9pm,” he said.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him, sheepishly. “Can you blame me? I’m just so comfy, I could fall asleep right here.”

“You can’t fall asleep before presents.”

This sparked me enough for my eyes to open wide and to sit me upright on the couch. “Presents, you say?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you ever opened at least one present on Christmas Eve?”

“Not since I was a kid.”

“Well, if you don’t want to we don’t have to exchange gifts yet.”

“Now, I didn’t say that.”

Pete chuckled and stood from the couch. I watched him go, nearly bouncing with excitement. When he came back, he had both hands behind his back.

“I tossed it in a gift bag because my wrapping skills suck, so it won’t be that fun to open,” he said.

“All presents are fun to open. Just gimme,” I said, extending my arms and doing the grabby hands at him.

He laughed and pulled the bag from behind his back. I took it and ripped the paper out to reveal a stuffed bear inside. When I took the bear out and squeezed it, Pete’s voice came out of it saying, “Merry Christmas, baby.”

I looked up at Pete, who was smiling brightly at me.

“It’s from Build-A-Bear,” he said. “They had a Christmas line of bear clothes or whatever, and the workers there said that people usually recorded voice messages for whoever they were gifting to. Do you like it?”

It was a sweet brown teddy bear with a red and green Christmas sweater and little images of candy canes on its feet. I hugged him close, Pete’s voice repeating the earlier phrase.

“I love it,” I said.

“I thought you might. Just in case, though I did get you something else with the bear.”

I held the bear out to see a golden locket around its neck. When I opened the locket, there was a picture inside. It was one of the first pictures Pete and I took when we started dating.

I stood from the couch and wrapped my arms around Pete. “Thank you so much. I love them both, Pete.”

“I’m glad you do, honey.”

Now was the part where I had to make up some reason why I didn’t have Pete’s gift.

I had meant to tell him when he came over. I had gone to my sister’s place to wrap presents and left them there so she could bring him over to our parent’s place. I realized only after getting home that Pete’s gift was left there, too. I was planning to give it to him on the day after Christmas after spending time with family.

And now, after he had given me the best gift I could’ve ever received, I had to tell him I didn’t have one to give back to him.

Unless...

I pulled away from our embrace to look at Pete. “I have to go get your gift. Stay here.”

“Okay.”

I went to my bedroom and dug wrapping paper out from the back of the closet. I unrolled a very long strip and ripped it from the roll. I managed to wrap it around my torso and legs, taping a few pieces down so it stuck to me. I grabbed a red bow as well and stuck it to my forehead for effect.

“Okay, make sure you close your eyes!”

I heard him laugh but got no further response.

“Are they closed?” I asked.

“Yes (Y/N)!”

I quickly shuffled out form the room, trying not to rustle the paper too much. Pete was sat back down on the couch, his eyes closed and the bear he had given me sat on his lap as they both waited. I positioned myself in front of him, making sure the wrapping paper would stay up and the bow stayed on, before saying, “Okay, you can open your eyes.”

The minute he looked at me, Pete burst out into laughter. I started laughing with him, knowing how ridiculous I looked.

“I think I already have this gift,” he said, standing from the couch again. “Did you keep the receipt? I may have to return it.”

“Nope. You’re stuck with it.”

“Oh well, I like it enough.”

I giggled as Pete leaned down to kiss my lips.

“I do have an actual gift for you,” I assured him. “I just left it at my sister’s. I meant to tell you and totally ended up forgetting. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I don’t mind waiting to get it. And besides, this gift is the best thing you could’ve ever gotten me.”

Oh, how he makes my heart flutter.

He kissed my again, the crinkling of the wrapping paper reminding us that I was still “wrapped up”. Pete looked down at me and started laughing again, shaking his head at me.

“Can I unwrap more than just this paper?” he asked.

“Well, we do have all night.”

Pete made quick work of ripping the paper from around my body and tossing it to the floor, along with the red bow on my head. He picked me up in his arms and carried me back to my bedroom, our pizza, the movie, and my new stuffed friend forgotten on the couch.

#pete davidson #pete davidson imagine #pete davidson x reader #imagine #one shot #request #christmas #christmas imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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threadandlace · 1 year ago

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Always with Me- Seamstress for the Band series, part seven (10.0k)

✵ ✵ ✵ Mature themes, minors DNI ✵ ✵ ✵

Masterlist- to start from the beginning

The bus had pulled up right to the doors of the arena. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Emily appeared, clipboard and walkie talkie in hand. “So, we need to get you guys in quickly. Everything is fine, we have just had some issues with people getting places they aren’t supposed to be and this venue is seriously lacking security,” she said quietly. She appeared calm, but flustered. Everyone nodded and started gathering their stuff. Two workers from the venue walked through the hallway to help you grab the clothes. They went ahead of you once they’d gathered everything, walking carefully. You grabbed the box of shoes and waited for the group to start walking off, following behind them.

You gave Albert a warm smile. He was sitting back in his chair, eating what looked like another peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As soon as you stepped off of the bus and started ascending the ramp to one of the back doors of the venue, you felt something was off. You turned to look over your shoulder and were hit by something cold and hard. It hit your shoulder and bounced onto the ground, exploding and spewing liquid on impact. You dropped the box in your hands as you were hit by something else. You felt an arm wrap around your shoulder and pull you forward, but you couldn’t see anything due to whatever liquid was spraying directly into your eyes.

You felt the coarse fabric of a towel being pressed into your hands as someone wiped at your face with another towel. You were still blinded and now very wet, cold and sore. “Those fuckers threw beer at her!” you heard Sam yell. “Well, are you guys going to do something or just stand here? That’s clearly assault!” he continued, his voice raised as he chewed someone, likely staff from the venue, out.

People were talking in hushed tones and you finally opened your eyes to assess the damage and figure out exactly where you were. Danny stood in front of you, holding out a towel and giving you a pained look. Jake was next to Sam, talking to venue security and trying to figure out what was going on. You looked to your right and saw Josh mirroring your movements as he attempted to dry himself off. He was clearly pissed, his face uncharacteristically hard and his lips pressed into a tight line. Emily pushed through the door and you heard screams from outside. Emily was holding the box of shoes, the cardboard now completely soaked. She handed Danny the box and looked up at you and Josh before turning to security and tearing into them.

“This is completely unacceptable. There should NEVER be anyone outside of venue staff anywhere near my staff or talent! Ever! We will be pressing charges, so I’m going to need you to call the police and get someone here if there isn’t already.” Emily continued to dig into the staff, their faces falling as they realized how badly they had fucked up.

Josh gently put his arm through yours like he tended to do, leading you forward and away from the commotion. “I think we both need showers before sound check, huh?” he quietly joked. Danny walked alongside you, Jake and Sam still hashing things out alongside Emily.

You found the dressing rooms fairly easily, Josh pulling you into his. He left you in the main room before he quickly went to check the bathroom. “Perfect, they already have everything in there, our roadies truly are the best,” he said as he walked back to you. “You go shower first, okay? We will find you a change of clothes,” Josh insisted, pushing you towards the bathroom. “No, you go! You guys have sound check soon!” you tried to refuse, but he shook his head. “You’re covered head to toe, love. I just have a little on my shirt, it’s fine.” You nodded and let him close the door behind you. Love?

You started the shower and stripped out of your soaked clothes, shivering as the air hit your damp body. He was right- they’d soaked you completely. Even your shoes were drenched. You stepped into the shower and let the water warm your skin, the warmth slowly making its way to the cold core of your body.

You showered quickly and removed as much water as you could from your hair before tying it up and wrapping a towel around you. Gently easing the door open, you made eye contact with Jake first, who looked away but pointed. Danny rushed forward from around the corner and handed you a stack of clothes. You could tell he was fighting a battle not to look at you, but was sorely losing.

You unfolded the shirt and realized the clothes were from your suitcase. Whoever had grabbed your clothes luckily had thought to grab you another pair of underwear, a new bra as well as a pair of chaco sandals. You threw your towel in the hamper and straightened the bathroom quickly before opening the door.

Josh was sitting on the couch facing you, now shirtless. He stood and held a plastic bag out to you. “The venue will do the laundry for us. I already have my shirt in here, add your clothes and then you can put it in the hall and someone will come by for it later,” he explained as he gave you a slight smile. You followed his directions, putting the bag into the hallway. It was uncharacteristically quiet and still in the halls, nobody within sight.

“Where is everyone?” you asked as you went to sit in Josh’s spot he’d abandoned for his turn in the shower. “No idea. Probably getting their asses handed to them,” Sam grumbled. He stood and walked towards the bar cart in the corner. “Drink anyone?” he asked. Jake and Danny both nodded. “Don’t worry, Danny boy, I’ll make yours weak,” Sam said, giving Danny a wink. “And for the lady?” he asked. “I’ll take anything but a beer,” you requested and the group laughed in response.

The four of you sat quietly, sipping on your drinks when Emily returned. “So, we have lunch in the hall and the two girls that threw the beers are getting charged with,” she took a breath as she thought, “trespassing, assault and something else.” She smiled. “We got Italian. Jake, I know you’ll be happy.” Everyone stood and headed into the hall, which remained quiet.

Everyone made their plates and returned to their spots in Josh’s dressing room, making it the chosen gathering area. Jake had made Josh a plate and sat it on the end of the coffee table. Josh emerged from the bathroom, shaking his head and letting wet beads from his hair spray the group. “Hey now!” Jake reprimanded and Josh laughed before taking a seat on the floor and starting to eat from the plate Jake had made for him. “How’d you even know that was yours?” you dug, giving him a sly smile. “I just know. Because I know things,” Josh replied, giving you an equally sly smile.

Everyone ate and enjoyed a few more minutes of peace before they were called for sound check. Time seemed to move slowly until you remembered the shoes. You opened the cardboard box which had been placed in a corner of the room. Both pairs of shoes remained relatively unscathed, despite the box being ruined. I’ll be using plastic totes from now on, even if cardboard breathes.

You busied yourself with moving outfits to each room, ensuring everything was perfect. By the time you’d finished, the group had returned.

“Are we allowed to go get on our bus? I need a nap,” Sam asked, slumping into the large chair in the corner. “I doubt it. But,” Josh started, “I’m sure there’s a really nice couch in your dressing room that you can use.” Sam rolled his eyes but stood and headed towards the door. “Please make sure to wake me. We all remember Germany,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows as he left.

“What happened in Germany?” you asked and Jake laughed before filling you in. “Sam fell asleep in this back room and we couldn’t find him until like, what, two minutes before we needed to go on? That was back in the old days, so we didn’t have fancy dressing rooms or anything. Anywhere you could sleep, you did.” You chuckled at the thought. “Do you think I could go out to the bus? Surely there aren’t too many other people wanting to throw beers at me,” you joked.

“I wouldn’t. I’d hate for you to run into any more assholes. You can use the couch- everyone else can use their own couch in their own rooms if they have any issues,” Josh said, giving Jake, who was sitting on the couch, a look. “I’m gone,” he said as he stood, chuckling to himself as he headed out.

Josh stood and went to get his journal and pens out of his bag before returning to his spot on the floor. “Why are you always on the floor?” you asked. “It’s grounding,” was his only answer as he opened the journal to a new page and began working on something. You looked at Danny, who just shrugged before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

“I really should be double-checking things for Kentucky,” you said, shifting in your seat. “Well, you can’t go out to the bus, and that’s where all your stuff is, right?” Josh replied, not looking up from his project. “Right,” you repeated. “So,” Josh said, pausing to look up at you through his still damp hair, “you should just take a nap. Relax. Enjoy the moment. It’s already been a crazy enough day.” You couldn’t fight his logic, so you moved to the couch and curled up, instantly falling asleep.

You woke for a moment as you felt something touch your body. You slowly opened your left eye and saw Josh gently putting a blanket over you, moving slowly so as not to wake you. You closed your eye before he finished and heard him shuffle back to his spot on the floor, the furious scribbling of pencils on paper resuming. Danny was breathing heavily from the other side of the room, clearly asleep. If they need me, they’ll wake me.

The next time you woke up, it was to a hand gently rubbing up and down your arm. Danny was standing over you, smiling. “Hey. We are about to get ready to go on and figured you may want to see everything all finished,” he said gently. You instantly sat up, folding up the blanket that had been laid over you and putting it over the back of the couch. Josh turned to face you, holding out his arms as he showed off his outfit. The black jumpsuit was striking, the orange accents and crystals catching the light and to give off a radiant glow. You smiled, nodding your approval.

You turned to take in Danny’s entire ensemble, the gold chain details on his shirt and sheer fabric leaving just enough to the imagination. The burnt orange pants kept him on theme with the color of the show.

Sam and Jake entered the room and both showed you their completed looks. Jake’s suit was fairly straightforward and more plain, but still stuck to the color theme as the black fabric was embellished with dark orange lace elements. Sam’s jacket was the opposite- completely adorned with jewels and embellishments covering the rust-colored fabric.

“You guys look great. You wanted flashy and a bit outlandish for this show, and I think we delivered,” you beamed as you clapped your hands together. They examined each other and nodded in agreement. “Let’s go guys,” Emily said as she poked her head in the door. “Wow. Orange is the color of the night, huh?” she commented, clearly impressed with the difference in this wardrobe. You waved the group off and watched as they disappeared down the hallway, towards the stage.

I need a pretzel. And a beer. Preferably to drink, not wear. You figured the fans would be busy with the show and that now would be the perfect time to go grab a snack. You grabbed a staff pass from a table by the dressing rooms and ensured you had your id and the company card in the back of your phone case. You headed towards what you guessed would be the side of the arena, hoping to find a way out. “Is this the way to the main part of the venue?” you asked a man standing near a pair of double doors. He nodded and let you out. You thanked him and continued on your journey in search of a snack.

You found the concession stand easily and ordered a Corona and a soft pretzel. “Oh, you guys have the pretzel bites too? Could I get those as well please?” you asked, the man taking your order nodding before adding them to the bill. He looked down at your badge, which you wore around your neck. “You work for the band?” he asked casually. You nodded as he handed you your order. “Yes, I do their wardrobe.” He gave you an impressed look before popping the top off of your bottle of beer and handing it to you. You thanked him and headed back the direction you’d come.

As you walked back, you enjoyed the music now coming from the stage. You peeked your head around a wall and caught sight of the stage. You saw Josh working the crowd, his presence making you smile, even from yards away. They went into another song, Josh’s voice ringing out across the arena as people sang along. You couldn’t help but be drawn into the magic that was Josh Kiszka- something about him clearly resonating with every single person in the audience. It was crazy to think that this was the same man that had gently laid a blanket over you earlier and who liked to sit on the floor and journal. You shook your head and took a sip of your beer before continuing your journey backstage.

You approached the doors you’d come through originally and knocked. The man you’d seen earlier opened the door and looked you up and down. You smiled at him, sure he recognized you, although he clearly didn’t given his frown. “I just came through here. I’m with wardrobe,” you explained, moving your hands to show him the badge hanging from your neck. He shook his head and started to close the door before you shot your foot out, holding the door open. “Hey! I need to get back,” you exclaimed, your patience wearing thin. “I’ve heard that before,” he replied as he rolled his eyes. “Wait!” you yelled as he started to close the door again. He gave you a look. “Do you have a radio? Call for Emily, their manager,” you begged and he gave you an annoyed look before following your request. “Calling for Emily, I have someone here saying they need to get backstage. They’re from wardrobe. Calling to confirm,” he said over the radio. Emily responded over the radio, saying your name. He gave you a questioning look and you nodded. “That’s me. Here,” you said as you shuffled the items in your hands to produce your ID. He checked it and let you in. “Thanks,” you huffed as you headed back to the safety of the dressing rooms.

“Hey, are you okay?” Emily stopped you as you walked back into Josh’s room. “Yeah, I just went to get a snack and this guy was being a bit of a hardass even though he was the one who had let me out,” you replied, rolling your eyes. She pointed to the pass around your neck, “even with a pass?” You nodded. “So their security is lax when we need it, strict when we don’t. Go figure,” she rolled her eyes. “The backlot is cleared if you need anything from the bus. Or just want out of here,” Emily said with a wink. You nodded, “I should go finish up some of the stuff for tomorrow. Will you let me know when they come off?” Emily nodded and you headed for the bus.

The backlot was quiet, but you remained on edge after the afternoon’s event. You were happy to see Albert’s smiling face as you boarded the bus. “Hey sweet girl. How goes it?” he asked. You filled him in on the craziness from the afternoon, his eyebrows raised for the entirety of your stories. “Geez, some of those people sure are crazy,” he commented, shaking his head. “I’ve been driving buses for years and have seen some craziness, but that?” He paused. “Plain mean behavior.” You nodded in agreement and listened to a few of Albert’s stories, the one about a band sneaking a monkey onto the bus being your favorite. “The little fella was a menace! He ate my sandwich and, afterwards, he ripped off my cap!” he said as he gestured to one of the many hats he always seemed to be wearing. You laughed at his animation while telling the story and the thought of a monkey terrorizing the older gentleman. “Say, I’m about to walk down the street to get myself a sandwich and a cuppa coffee. You want anything?” Albert asked as he stood, taking a moment to stretch his back. “I’m okay for now. You be safe, okay? I hear people are throwing beer out there,” you joked and he laughed. “For some reason, I have an inkling that I’ll fare okay. Lock the door behind me, will ya?” he asked before heading down the stairs. You locked the door as he had requested and watched him disappear around the side of the venue, clearly on a mission.

You had just finished applying the lace applique to the pair of shoes for Danny when you heard the bus door open. You were instantly alert and slightly nervous, although you knew that only crew had the code to the door. Albert smiled and waved at you and you were able to relax and return to your project. A few minutes later, you received a text from Emily that they were wrapping up the show, but that you needed to stay put and she’d get help bringing the clothes back to the bus.

You: You sure? I can come help!

Emily: Nope, do not get off the bus. See you soon.

The finishing touches were being placed on Sam’s jacket about an hour later when Josh climbed onboard. He sat down hard on the bench, his wet hair hitting the wall as he leaned back. You looked up at him from your hunched position at the desk. His eyes were closed so you decided to just let him sit and decompress. Emily and a few assistants boarded next, following your instructions as you ensured the clothes were put in the correct place.

You were double-checking everything when Sam climbed on board, carrying a few beers with him. “We are partying on this bus,” he said, handing you another bottle of corona. He produced a bottle opener from his pocket and held it out for you. You took it and opened your bottle before leaning and popping open a bottle of Stella that he was holding out for you to open. “Josh, I brought you a corona too. They didn’t have limes, damn them, but it’ll still be good,” Sam said as he produced another bottle for you to open. Josh held his hand up, refusing it. “What’s up with you?” Jake asked as he made his way back to sit next to Josh. Josh had his hand over his face and was rubbing his temples with his thumb and middle finger.

“Do you have a headache?” you asked as you walked over to Josh, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. His eyes opened slightly and he looked at you, nodding slightly. He pointed to his ear. “I ruptured an ear drum a while ago and even though it’s healed, it causes me grief sometimes and gives me a wicked headache,” he explained. “I have some Tylenol, do you want some? You can take my bunk too if you want to sleep,” you offered. He nodded and you fished in your bag for the bottle of pain relievers you always kept handy.

You grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before walking to the rear of the bus where you found Josh already in your bunk with the curtains still open, his eyes closed. He held his hand out and you shook two of the pills into it. He popped them into his mouth before reaching for the water, taking it gently from you. He took a sip, but most of the water went down onto his shirt. Josh took a deep breath, clearly annoyed and now cold and wet from the water.

“Just take it off Josh, I don’t care,” you promised. He opened his eyes slightly and checked your face for sincerity before realizing you were serious. Josh pulled the shirt over his head and threw it down onto the floor before rolling over. “Thanks,” he whispered. “You’re welcome,” you whispered back as you watched his back rise and fall with each breath he took. You closed the curtains and flipped off the light before heading back to the workspace.

The drive from West Virginia to Kentucky was only about four hours and it went quickly. Sam had kept the drinks flowing and Danny had produced a few bags of chips he’d found stashed in his dressing room. You all sat around the table, snacking, drinking and laughing as you made your way to the next town. You’d worked on cleaning the clothes from the night as the guys talked about plans for their day off.

“Where do you want to go?” Danny asked you. “I’ll be happy just to be able to finish things up for the next few shows and sleep in a real bed,” you answered. “You are going to come out with us, right?” Jake asked, his brows raised as he waited for your answer. “I don’t want to impose.” Danny waved you off. “Stop saying that. Trust me, we want you to come along,” Danny started before following up, “I mean, you gel with us, you know? May as well have some fun while we are all together 24/7.” Jake nodded in agreement. “Besides, you’ll be without us for what, 72 hours? You need to get your fix before our break,” Sam joked. “Alright, twist my arm, why don’t you? You guys need to come up with a plan though if you expect me to go anywhere with you,” you shot back with a laugh.

“What does google say?” Sam asked, pointing his beer bottle at Jake. “Why do I have to look things up?” Jake asked. “Because you’re so good at it dear brother,” Sam replied, giving him a sly grin. Danny had pulled out his phone while they bantered. “What city are we gonna be in?” Danny asked. They all looked at one another, yet none of them knew. You chuckled before answering, “Louisville.” “Ahhhh yes,” Sam shook his head in agreement, although you knew he had no idea whether that was right or not.

“Okay so…” Danny started as he scrolled, “we can go to the horse races, or the zoo or a mega cavern? Whatever the hell that is.”

“No zoo, I want to do that in Atlanta. They have pandas at that one,” Sam said matter-of-factly. Jake gave him an odd look and shook his head before taking another sip of his beer. “Shit, Kentucky is known for whiskey and bourbon, right? Why don’t we tour a distillery? Add it to the list?” Jake offered. Sam’s eyes lit up. “Perfect idea! We should see if we could tour the Jim Beam distillery. They make that Basil Hayden’s whiskey. That shit is,” he paused as he gave two thumbs up. Danny nodded. “The distillery is like, thirty minutes from our hotel. Sounds like we have our plans. We’ll have to appeal to Josh, but he’s always down to learn about stuff. You in?” Danny asked you. “Bourbon isn’t usually my drink of choice, but I’d love to see the process!” you responded, Sam’s excitement rubbing off on you. “I’ll text Emily and see if she can figure out who all wants to go and get a reservation. They have a restaurant. Maybe we can do a tour and then have lunch?” Jake suggested as he read through the website.

“Perfect,” Sam stated as he finished his beer and pulled his ukulele from his bag before strumming it loudly. “Hush, Sam,” Jake scolded, “Josh will actually kill you.” Sam nodded and took the volume way down before continuing.”I don’t get how you can still want to play,” you said, finally finishing up Sam’s jacket, “don’t your fingers hurt?”

Sam shook his head and Jake chuckled before pointing to your hands which were unconsciously finishing the stitch you were on. “Do yours?” Jake asked. “Oh, definitely. But I have a deadline. And I’m somewhat used to it after doing it for so long,” you answered and Jake nodded, “same thing for us. Music isn’t a chore though, it isn’t a job to us.” Danny held up a hand, “that’s not entirely true. Whenever we are recording it definitely feels like a job.” Sam and Jake agreed. “I guess that’s like actually creating a piece. It’s fun but stressful. Sketching is more like what you’re doing now- a free-flowing, creative process that’s relaxing” you replied thoughtfully. Sam nodded. “Exactly,” Danny added, giving you a smile.

You were able to finish cleaning the outfits from the night’s show and double check everything for the Kentucky show before the bus pulled into the hotel parking lot. Emily boarded the bus and handed everyone their keys. She was clearly exhausted, the past few days taking their toll. “I’ll call the distillery in the morning and set something up. I’ll text you guys the details. The hotel restaurant is open until 3 am so,” she checked her watch, “you guys have a little over an hour to call in for something. I will see you all in the morning,” Emily said before heading back off the bus, likely ready to head right to bed.

Everyone grabbed their stuff and headed off the bus. You told Albert goodnight and he gave you a tired smile. The group had almost made it into the lobby before you stopped. “Josh!” you exclaimed, suddenly remembering the one missing out of the merry band of four. Jake and Sam didn’t hear you and continued on to the elevator. You turned to Danny, “I’ll go get him. Will you text me their room number?” Danny nodded and you headed back to the bus.

Albert had just locked up and was headed into the hotel when he saw you. “We forgot Josh!” you said in passing and he watched you head back onto the bus before chuckling and resuming his trek. The bus was dark, so you flipped on a few lights as you made your way back to the bunks.

You pushed the curtains back gently and sat down on the bunk, leaning to gently place your hand on Josh’s shoulder. You squeezed lightly. “Josh? We are here,” you whispered. He groaned and flipped over, wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling your hips down, inching you closer to him. He kept his grip on you, not budging. “Josh,” you tried again, trying to move free from his grasp. You weren’t really trying though- he was so warm pressed against you, his rhythmic breathing lulling you into a relaxed state. You rolled and leaned back, propped against a few pillows placed against the headboard, Josh’s arm still slung across your waist. I’ll just give him a minute to wake up and then he’ll let go of me.

___________________________________________

Something moved against you and you were instantly awake. You shot up, recognizing that the warmth pressed against you was abnormal. You turned to see Josh laid in the bunk next to you, giving you an equally surprised and wide-eyed look.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice raising with panic. “No, I… you just scared me. I didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep, I’m sorry,” you said as you started to push yourself out of the bunk. Josh’s hand wrapped gently around your arm. “Don’t be sorry, it’s your bunk,” he soothed. “No, Josh, you were sleeping and I just had come to wake you up but you grabbed me and I guess I just fell asleep and…” you trailed off. “Shit, sorry about that. Next time you can just slap me in the face, I promise, it’ll wake me right up,” he joked.

Sensing your discomfort, Josh stopped. “Hey, we just slept, right?” he asked. You turned to give him a horrified look. He laughed. “No, I know we just slept and that was it. I meant that it’s no big deal? No different than me falling asleep on the bench out there while you work or you sleeping on the couch next to me yesterday.”

You thought for a second and nodded, “you’re right. I just figured I may have crossed a boundary that I didn’t mean to.” He shook his head and ran his fingers carefully through his loose curls. “Boundaries don’t really exist. They’re social constructs.” You rolled your eyes as you finally stood. “Whatever you say, philosopher Josh.” He chuckled as he rolled out behind you, nudging you with his shoulder as he turned to make the bed. Your eyes shifted up and you made eye contact with Danny, who had a look of shock, nervousness and dismay written on his face. He was holding two coffees, his mouth slightly open.

“Oh, Danny boy! Good morning!” Josh said, ignoring the tension. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was interrupting anything,” Danny uttered as he started to turn. Josh laughed “you interrupted me realizing I don’t know where my luggage is, that’s about it. Did Jake take my stuff up?” Danny shook his head and pointed in the direction of the main part of the bus. Josh saw his backpack and suitcase and clapped his hands before scooting past Danny. He pointed to one of the coffees Danny had been holding. “Did you bring me tea, dear Danny?” he joked. Danny swallowed and shook his head, “actually it's for her.” Josh laughed as he rummaged through his stuff, “figures.” Josh headed into the bathroom carrying his toiletry bag and shut the door behind him.

You turned to face Danny. “Good morning,” you said, trying your best to fein normalcy. He held a cup out to you and you took it, giving him a smile. “Thank you.” He nodded before taking a step back. “I came back on and couldn’t get him up and ended up falling asleep. It’s been a crazy couple of days,” you said as nonchalantly as possible, hoping Danny wouldn’t read into it. He was looking at you, searching your face. “What?” you asked, taking a sip of the coffee. Josh came out of the bathroom and looked at you and Danny, now aware of the awkwardness. “Oh!” Josh exclaimed. He pointed to the bunks and then back at you. “Danny we did NOT have sex.” he said matter-of-factly, putting a hand on his hip as he gestured at Danny with his toiletry bag.

“Who had sex?” Jake asked as he took a seat on the bench, raising his eyebrows at Josh. “Probably you, given you had a room to yourself because you left me here,” Josh spat, feigning anger. Jake threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah right. More like I knew better than to wake the beast,” Jake replied.

Sam showed up last and took a seat next to Jake, chewing on the last few bites of a bagel. Sam, oblivious to the drama, turned to Josh. “Dude, did you even change since last night?” He looked at you too, “did you pull another all-nighter?” You shook your head. “No, I just fell asleep here last night.” Sam slowly nodded, looking from you to Josh.

“Jesus, you guys are insufferable,” Josh exclaimed, “we did NOT sleep together. Well we did, but not in a sexual way. More of a ‘we are exhausted and fell asleep where we landed kind of way.’ Okay? Okay.” Jake rolled his eyes in response while Sam made a face and Danny just slowly nodded, still far away.

“So,” you cleared your throat, “what’s the plan for today?” “Well, we are going to take a bus to the distillery in about twenty minutes. There’s a couple of roadies that wanted to go so we figured a bus would be easier. And then we have a tour and tasting followed by lunch,” Jake filled you in. You nodded, “I guess I need to get changed then. This should be a lot of fun!”

You listened to the group speak in hushed tones while you brushed your teeth and changed in the small bus bathroom. “Josh, you didn’t… did you?” Jake asked quietly. “What? Have sex with her? No. She apparently came to wake me up and then I grabbed onto her like I do and didn’t let go, so she just fell asleep. It’s really not a big deal.” he replied. “Do you guys seriously not believe him? The man hasn’t hooked up with anyone since… who knows when” you heard Sam shoot back. You could see the gesture Josh was likely making in your mind. They continued to talk below the register of your auditory perception, so you tried to ignore it as you finished getting ready for the day.

When you emerged from the bathroom, you noticed that Josh had on a new shirt. The group was sitting along the benches and turned to look at you as you stepped out. They were quiet, probably wondering how much of their conversation you’d heard.

“Well, you look lovely,” Danny broke the silence as he handed you the cup of coffee he’d brought you that you’d left on the table. “Are we okay to take your bus to the distillery? I think you have more seating on here,” Jake asked you. You chuckled, “it’s still your bus. It’s totally fine!” Jake nodded before standing. “I’ll make sure everyone knows to meet up here. Olivia, Ava, Jack, Damion and Emily will be joining us. We will see if Albert wants to join us for lunch too. He offered to drive and give Dean the day off.” You all nodded and watched as Jake headed back outside.

A short while later, everyone was loaded and you were headed towards the distillery. Everyone chatted and got to know each other better. Damion, another tour manager, took a huge interest in the wardrobe and asked you tons of questions as you looked through the different looks hanging in the closet.

“I still can’t believe you make all this by hand. Completely from scratch,” Ava, a sweet, petite redhead in charge of the group’s marketing, had said as she peeked around Damion as you explained various elements on one of Jake’s suits. “It’s almost easier to go from nothing. They,” you pointed to the group, “have some amazing ideas. For the suits, I do the same base pieces based on their measurements, and Josh’s jumpsuits are the same base mostly, but Danny’s shirts are all unique. Each has a different cut. I use a mix of new fabric and thrifted stuff to make everything. Just to add a little more sustainability.”

You continued to answer questions, Damion and Ava listening intently. You glanced over at the group to see Jack and Jake in a discussion while Emily, Olivia, Danny and Sam talked about something Olivia had pulled up on her phone. Josh sat at the end of the bench, half listening to Olivia, who was explaining something about social media, but watching you as you talked. You gave him a smile and he seemed to realize he was watching you, pausing for a second before returning your smile and turning back towards Olivia.

You grabbed your purse from the desk as the bus pulled into the parking lot of the distillery. Danny came up beside you and whispered, “I’m going to need to be drunk if Olivia keeps talking to me about social media.” You stifled a laugh, but subtly nodded. Everyone headed off of the bus and you paused to check in with Albert before descending the steps. “Will you join us for lunch Albert?” you asked. “Oh, no, I have my lunch right here,” he said, patting the little cooler he almost always had next to his chair. “You sure?” you checked. He nodded, “positive. Have a great time!”

You joined the group and headed to get checked in, Emily rushing forward and taking care of all the details. Everyone had their ID’s checked and received a wristband. The group milled about the entrance, which was covered in artifacts and pictures. You were looking at a picture of a family, the parents holding squirming toddlers and grinning widely, when you felt someone come up next to you.

“That’s cute,” Josh said, pointing to the picture. He noted the date on the bottom corner and smiled. “I bet they had no idea what was to come. How things would change,” he reflected. “I can’t get over that sweet face,” you replied, pointing to the toddler the mom was holding, his chubby face full of glee and excitement. “You like babies?” Josh asked casually. “Oh, definitely. My sister has 2 kids and they’re the absolute best. A lot of work, but so worth it,” you answered honestly.

“Do you want kids?” Josh asked. You swallowed. He’s just making conversation. “Definitely. One day. When things slow down,” you said, turning to him, “what about you?” He grinned, his eyes shining as he thought about it. “Definitely. Just have to find the right person. Parenting is such a life-altering journey, I want to do it with a solid partnership, ya know?” You nodded, completely in agreement.

Josh changed the subject, whispering slightly, “I honestly hate bourbon. Why we couldn’t have gone to a vodka factory, I don’t know. Bourbon, whiskey, whatever. It tastes like lighter fluid.” You laughed in response, covering your mouth so as not to draw too much attention. He chuckled along with you, your laughter contagious. “I hate bourbon too. And whiskey. But, I think it’ll be interesting nonetheless. The history and process and such. How, though, do you know what lighter fluid tastes like?” you asked.

Josh thought for a moment before replying. “I have 2 brothers and we lived in nowhere, Michigan. We had a lot of free time. And my dear brother Jacob is a pyromaniac,” he said, raising his voice slightly at the end so Jake, who had wandered over towards you, could hear. Jake scoffed, “I’m hardly the pyromaniac twin, I’ll tell you that much.”

A tour guide called the group over and began the tour. You hung out in the back with Josh and Sam, pointing out various things to each other and joking as you listened as your tour guide, also named Josh, educated you. Olivia had attached herself to Danny, following him around like a lost puppy. Danny threw Sam panicked looks when she got too close to him, touching him more than was socially acceptable. Olivia only peeled herself away for a few moments to get some content for social media, taking a few videos and pictures as the group toured. “I have a feeling Danny will be the main feature of whatever Olivia is up to,” Josh whispered and you chuckled.

The tour progressed and you all listened to the guide, who Sam was referring to “Bourbon Josh,” discuss the aging process. “Is this why it tastes like shit? Because it just sits in fucking barrels?” Josh whispered and you chuckled before shrugging. Josh went over to one of the barrels and knocked on it. He gestured for you to come over to him and you did, Sam following. “It’s empty!” Josh whisper-yelled, knocking on the barrel again, beaming like he’d found out some giant secret. “No shit Josh, they won’t just have a full barrel of,” Sam leaned back to check the side, “whiskey out here in the walkway.” Josh gave him a face and you followed behind the group.

You walked along the bottling line, watching as the bottles filed in to get filled. Josh was grimacing at the noise, a hand over his left ear. You both walked past the bottling viewing area and through a set of doors into a quieter area of the factory. He shook his head, running a hand over his ear absentmindedly. “You okay?” you asked and he nodded. “Damn eardrum. It’s more sensitive since we have been on tour because of the constant noise,” he explained. “That really sucks. I’m sorry you have to deal with that Josh,” you replied quietly. He gave you a soft smile. “Thanks. It’s luckily manageable.”

You both milled about the room you’d entered as you waited for the group, reading the different plaques and laughing about various things. It was nice to just enjoy each other’s company in the quiet, whispering things back and forth as you walked around. It felt natural, Josh’s presence comforting.

The group caught up to you, Danny coming to be by your side. “You gotta help me out,” he said as you all walked into the tasting area. “What’s up?” you whispered back as Sam came over, wanting in on whatever was happening. “I gotta get away from Olivia. She’s handsy already and I don’t think alcohol is going to help,” he whispered back and Sam laughed before going to Danny’s other side, linking arms with him. You nodded, letting Danny put his arm over your shoulder as you moved in closer to him, watching as Olivia walked towards you. She shot you a look, but you smiled and pointed at the list of alcohols hanging on a sign.

“Olivia, do you like bourbon?” you asked, trying to shift her attention. She turned to look at the sign and you shot Danny and Sam a glance. “I don’t know, what do you guys like?” she asked, turning back to ask mostly Danny the question. “I like bourbon. Whiskey’s good too. Sam’s more of the connoisseur though,” Danny replied, nudging Sam. “Oh, yeah, I love a good bourbon. I’ve tried a lot of local bourbons, but Basil Hayden is probably one of my favorites,” Sam replied, watching the bartender pour flights for everyone to try. The group moved forward to taste the different alcohols, Danny’s arm remaining around your shoulder.

You shivered and made a face after tasting whatever had been handed to you. “Not good?” Danny asked with a chuckle. “Not my kind of thing, that’s for sure,” you replied, setting the paper cup, still containing some amber liquid, down. You watched Josh make a face similar to the one you had just made, swallowing quickly. Sam drank the rest of the bourbon in your cup before the next type was handed out. You smelled it and instantly handed it to Sam. You caught Josh’s eye and mouthed ‘fire starter’ to which he almost spit out the water he had been sipping.

The group finished the tasting and headed over to the restaurant. You remained by Danny’s side, ensuring he was between you and Sam as you took your seats. Josh was on your other side and you sat across from Emily.

You looked over the menu, searching for a drink that would not taste strongly of bourbon or whiskey. You gestured to the menu and whispered to Josh, who leaned in. “What here won’t taste like fire starter?” He shrugged, reading the options. Danny leaned over and pointed to a drink listed on the menu. “You guys would probably like this one,” he said before he pointed at a second one, “or this one.” He gave you a wink before returning to his own menu. When the waitress came around for drink orders, Josh ordered one and you ordered the other, knowing you’d both try the other’s.

Everyone engaged in small talk while waiting for your drinks. “There’s a winery down the road, do you guys want to go there next?” Emily had asked, pulling up the info on her phone. The answer was a resounding yes and she nodded, getting up to go call the winery and check their availability.

A few servers brought out everyone’s drinks as well as the appetizers that had been ordered for the table. You tried your drink before sliding it towards Josh, letting him taste it. He nodded before tasting his, making a face before sliding it to you to try. “Yours is really good, Josh,” you said after you’d tried it. He made a face. “You didn’t like it?” you asked, taking another sip. He shook his head. “I’m not a huge ginger fan and that is pretty ginger-y.” You pointed to the drink you’d ordered. “Do you want to switch?” He nodded and you swapped drinks, chuckling as you did so.

Danny asked to try your drink and you let him, watching as he took a drink from the side versus the straw. “Mmm, that’s good,” he replied as he wiped his mouth. He raised his glass of bourbon towards you. “Do you want some?” he asked, his eyes glistening. “Definitely not, but I appreciate the gesture. Totally in good will, I know,” you joked and he laughed. You glanced over at Oliva, who’d gotten the same type of bourbon as Danny and was trying to make conversation with him across the table. She’s trying so hard it’s nearly comical.

The drinks and conversation flowed as the group ate, enjoying each other’s company. After you’d all finished, Emily took care of the bill and you all headed to the bus, ready for the next stop.

You pulled up to the winery and everyone exited the bus. Albert gave you a salute as you headed down the stairs behind Sam, Danny right behind you. You all filed into the tasting room and had a seat at the counter, Jake on your left, Josh on your right. You all looked over the menu, making your selections for your flights while the barista checked everyone’s ID’s.

You were slightly buzzed from the tasting earlier followed by three strong drinks. You and Josh giggled over some of the names of the wines. You made your selections and the barista started pouring samples for everyone. You enjoyed this tasting much more, the fruity and sweet notes of the wine taking preference over the more harsh taste of the bourbons and whiskeys.

The group continued to chat and you ordered one of their wine slushies. “I kinda want to walk around their little gardens,” you said as you waited for your drink. Josh had ordered one too, interested in the concept although he was scared he wasn’t going to like it. “I’ll go with you,” Josh offered and you nodded after the barista handed you both your drinks. You both headed outside, Sam, Ava and Danny following behind.

Everyone strolled around the gardens, Sam pointed out different plants and trees as you all walked. Ava threw in random facts alongside Sam, clearly a match for him in what Danny referred to as “fauna knowledge.” You strolled alongside Josh who was quiet. His face was slightly flush from the alcohol, his movements ever so slightly slowed from the buzz. He had reached out to squeeze your hand as you walked, Danny, Sam and Ava a little ways ahead. You turned to face him.

“You good?” you asked him and he gave you a smile and nod. You were both standing closer than you’d realized, his hand still gripping onto yours. He smelled sweet, like the frozen wine concoction he’d been sipping on, his lips red from the deep color of the slushy and the cold. You searched his eyes for a moment, noticing the slight tint of gold that laid within the dark brown of his iris. “You guys gotta see this little frog guy!” you heard Sam call from up ahead, breaking the moment as Josh let go of your hand. You both headed down the path, inspecting the figurine Sam had found.

Everyone finished their drinks, a couple people opting to buy a few bottles of wine on the way out. You all headed back onto the bus and you made sure to greet Albert on your way back. You sat at your desk and listened to the conversations going on around you, pleasantly buzzed and warm from the company.

Everyone split up when you got back to the hotel. “I need a nap,” you’d said, stifling a yawn as you caught the elevator up to the sixth floor with the guys. “I second that,” Sam replied, everyone else agreeing with you two. “I guess we can reconvene for dinner?” Jake asked, checking his phone. Everyone agreed before separating. You barely got your shoes off before you collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep quickly.

___________________________________________

A knock at the door woke you up. You grumbled as you rolled out of bed, making your way to the door. A quick glance through your peephole confirmed it was Danny and Sam, so you opened your door. Jake and Josh appeared from out of sight as everyone walked in, Jake and Danny taking a seat at the table in the corner while Josh and Sam sat on your unmade bed. “We figured you were asleep, but that you’d probably want dinner,” Jake said, gesturing to the clock. Four hours had passed and it was now 8:30 pm. “Damn, I did not mean to sleep that long!” you exclaimed and Danny laughed. “Don’t be too alarmed- Sam just woke up too.” Sam shot him a middle finger before laying back on your bed.

“So there’s a restaurant that has, like, a bunch of outdoor games and stuff? Do you guys want to go there?” Jake offered, pulling up information on his phone to show Danny. Everyone agreed and Jake called up an Uber. You all waited for confirmation before heading down to the lobby.

A couple of fans had asked for a picture when you’d passed through the lobby, something the group gladly agreed to. After taking a few photos and exchanging hugs and small talk, you all headed out and climbed into the uber for the short drive across the bridge to the restaurant.

The hostess took your names and gave the group a pager, letting you know it’d be a twenty minute wait. Everyone ambled up to the bar, deciding to order a drink and play some of the games that were sitting out in a large outdoor area. You ordered a spiked lemonade with an extra shot, figuring you were sober enough now for it. Josh kept score as you and Jake went against Sam and Danny at cornhole. You and Jake were winning when the pager went off, signaling that your table was ready.

Everyone ordered before heading to the turf area beside your table to play a game of giant beer pong. Jake kept score this time and you teamed up with Josh. Both of you were terrible at the game, missing the bright orange trash cans each time it was your turn to throw. Sam and Danny beat you easily, but you were having so much fun you hardly even noticed. Your waitress brought you all another round of drinks and you switched out with Jake, hoping the twins would be able to have some sort of luck against their younger brothers.

Sam and Danny had a good lead on Jake and Josh when the food arrived, everyone forfeiting the game. You were on your third lemonade, each one seeming stronger than the last. You and Sam had gotten impossible burgers after a passionate talk about how much you both loved them, yet the constant struggle you both faced with people not knowing how to correctly cook them. You were both satisfied with the way this restaurant had made the burgers, Sam promising he’d actually leave a good review.

“Sam is a review fiend,” Jake joked, Danny and Josh nodding in agreement. “What does that even mean?” you questioned and Sam held up a finger as he swallowed. “I have like, 500 yelp reviews that I’ve done,” Sam said, grinning as he pulled his phone out to show you. “He does one for everywhere we eat or stay,” Danny finished explaining. “And he is a harsh critic,” Josh added with a chuckle. “Hey, I am fair, but honest, okay?” Sam defended. “Show her the one for that one place we ate in New York. Now THAT was harsh,” Jake said, gesturing to Sam’s phone. Sam shook his head, “I actually deleted that one. I didn’t even want the place associated with me.” Danny and Jake erupted in fits of laughter as Josh leaned towards you, filling you in on a drunken search for a slice of pizza gone wrong.

“So the rat… just took an entire piece of pizza from right in front of you? From the display? And nobody did anything?” you questioned, Jake confirming as he rocked back, tears forming as he laughed. You chuckled, realizing it definitely had to be one of those instances where you just HAD to be there to get it. Josh gave you a look and rolled his eyes, clearly not as amused as his three bandmates.

Everyone finished their meals and a waiter brought the check as the restaurant started to close down. “Damn, only 10 pm and you guys are already closing for the night?” Jake said to the waiter, who agreed that it was early. “There’s a bar down the street that’s open until 3. They have an interesting vibe and the drinks are good,” the waiter replied, pointing down the street.

“To the bar?” Jake asked and everyone agreed. Josh put his arm through yours and swung his legs wide, bumping into you as you strolled down the street. You laughed, the buzz you were feeling made the situation hilarious. Danny moved to the outside of the two of you to keep you both from side-stepping into the street, laughing as he watched you two. You giggled before grabbing onto him and pulling him along with you as you and Josh took comically large and swinging steps.

You all made your way to the bar and everyone ordered another drink. You and Josh each chose a drink from the menu of hilarious names, the other three opting for beers. Once you’d received your drinks, everyone ambled out to the outdoor area that had some games scattered about. It was quiet, but then again, it was a Thursday.

You played connect-four with Sam while Danny and Jake played a few rounds of corn hole. Josh sat at the table next to you, paying attention to both games. Everyone was able to relax and enjoy the quieter atmosphere and a waitress or bartender brought out another round of drinks. Things were starting to get very loose, your face warm as you continued to giggle at almost anything and everything.

It was around 1 am when the group decided to head back to the hotel. Danny paid the tab, leaving a large tip for the bartenders, while Jake called up an Uber. You stood up from the picnic table, stumbling back slightly as your foot got caught. You slumped into Josh who laughed as he helped straighten you. “You’ve had a bit, huh?” he asked, giggling at his question because he was also clearly gone. “No, I can hold my own,” you said as you faked being more sober, starting to walk towards the gate. Josh was the first to erupt in a fit of laughter at your charade, linking his arms in yours as you all headed towards the street to wait for the Uber.

The ride back consisted of you and Josh cracking up the entire time, the other three finding your shenanigans equally as comical as whatever you and Josh were laughing at. Getting out of the Uber, your phone clattered to the ground and Josh grabbed it as you headed inside the lobby, Danny shushing you both. Y

ou all made it up to your rooms, Danny reminding you all that you needed to be up around 10 in order to make it to sound check by 11:30. “Why so early?” Sam said with a huff, “we don’t actually perform until like… what? 8?” Jake shrugged, “you take that up with Emily, why don’t you? Tomorrow.” Everyone said their goodnights and headed separate ways. Danny and Sam walked you to your door, ensuring you got in. “You good?” Danny asked as you opened the door. “Just peachy. I’ll see you two in the morning!” you said before closing the door behind you.

You had just pulled off your shoes when you heard a knock on your door. A quick check through the peephole revealed that Josh was standing outside your door. You opened the door and he stumbled in, his arm still pressed against the door as you opened it. You both stumbled back as you laughed at his mistake, him pressed against the wall beside you. He held your phone out to you and you took it, your hand brushing against his as you took it. “You forgot something. Kind of important,” he chuckled, looking up from your phone to you. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the alcohol, his pupils wide. You both stared at each other for a moment in complete silence.

Josh slowly moved closer to you, testing the waters as he brought a hand to your face and moved a stray piece of hair out of your eyes. You glanced from his lips back to his eyes and he understood, leaning in to press his lips to yours.

The world felt like it was spinning- something about the alcohol, the way Josh smelled and tasted and the exhaustion made your head fuzzy. The kiss you and Josh shared deepened quickly, both of you running your hands over each other’s bodies. He pressed you back against the wall with his body as you gently tugged at his shirt. He quickly took it off, throwing it onto the floor as he leaned back in to kiss you, his hands grabbing at you.

You quickly lifted your shirt over your head and he kissed down your neck, lightly nibbling at your collarbone. Your hands found their way to his waistband and you slid your hands underneath it as you went to undo the button. He stiffened and you instantly stopped. “What?” you slurred as he pulled away slightly, removing your hands from his pants and holding them in his.

“I feel like we… probably shouldn’t do this… you know, because we are drunk. Because… professionalism and all that,” he said softly as he exhaled and leaned back into the wall opposite of you. You both took a few deep breaths, steadying yourselves.

“No, you’re right. Definitely,” you agreed, although every fiber of your being begged you to continue. You could tell he was struggling too, an erection straining against the fabric of his pants, a light layer of sweat on his forehead. He ran a hand over his face and you bent to pick up his shirt, handing it to him. You both shuddered when your hands met as you handed him the shirt. He quickly pulled the shirt back over his head and nodded as he headed towards the door. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said with a slight smile before heading out the door, gently closing it behind him.

You collapsed onto the bed, your mind traveling at lightspeed. Was that just a drunken mishap? Did he REALLY want to have sex with me? Would he have had sex with me? Obviously it was a mistake… You fell asleep thinking about the what if’s, your thoughts swirling in your head.

Taglist: @eyelinerjake @radmads-gvf @gretavansara @everyglowinthetwilightknows @joshs-jonch @fwzco

#seamstressfortheband #greta van fleet #greta van fic #gvf #josh gvf #josh kiszka #jake gvf #jake kiszka #danny gvf #danny wagner #sam gvf #sam kiszka #sammy gvf #sammy kiszka #gvf fic

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labyrinthofsphinx · 7 months ago

Text

Statistical Outliers

Part 9 ish of drabble. I had to cut this part from the other because it was just too long. I think. It seemed long. Some hints into my headcanons for Vox's backstory too.

“Velvette, the kid is going to stay with me today.”

She gave him a look in the reflection of her mirror. He caught her in the middle of putting on what she would call ‘her face’. To be honest, he always thought she looked just fine without the makeup. She was a natural beauty, not an artificial one. But, she insisted, and he was never going to tell her that her efforts were a waste. It was an artform, he’d suppose. Back when he was alive, he’d only ever used the barest amount of makeup right before filming, enough to make his face look, universally, one color. It was a bit of a pain to work around when TV switched to color, but you got to keep moving forward, as they say.

As she lined her lips, a shadow of suspicious snuck into her eyes.

“Why?”

His chest hurt from the breath he was holding. When he let it go, it shook his body down to his shoes.

“You know why.”

He knows that Vel had probably also been trying to get the kid to sign the dotted line. Her methods usually involved some bullying, some sarcastic remarks, then switching it up to something that sounded sweet. She played both good cop and bad cop in her negotiations. ‘Oh, look how terrible you are, see how people dislike you’ and ‘But I like you. Here, let me help make other people see what I see. Let’s show them the real you’ are common phrases of hers. Clearly, it hasn’t been effective in this particular case. Not that anything Vox has done has been any better, but, well, he’s glad someone else tried at least.

“What do you plan to do?” She asked, pressing her lips together and making a pop sound.

“Feed him to the wolves, I suppose. Threats didn’t do much. I tried the honey after.”

“We could always make him to watch Val break your screen until he agrees.” She joked.

The worst part was, he had a sneaking suspicion that that might’ve actually worked if Vox wasn’t completely against the idea of Val beating the crap out of him. Besides, Val was indisposed today. His moth girls kept fluttering about the lounge tending to him. He’s pretty sure one of them already got her wings pulled this morning.

“Already filled my quota for broken screens this week, but thanks for the advice.” He said a little bitterly.

“Got it fixed in record time though.” She mentioned as she moved on to double checking her eyelashes. “He’s quite the little handyman.”

Ah, well, then she knows.

“He fix something of yours?”

“Yeah, my stupid co-worker.” She teased. Then, she ran a quick finger through her hair and turned around. “Look good?”

“Always.” He acknowledged.

Had she not just finished fixing her lipstick, he might’ve just got another kiss on the side of his face.

“Vee?”

“Yeah, Vel?”

“Don’t hurt yourself, yeah? With this whole…thing. I know you and Val are kinda stuck on getting it in writing, but there’s always something else we could do.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. An electrical collar or something. Just don’t beat yourself up too, ‘kay?”

First Val was being introspective, now Velvette. Was Hell freezing over?

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She turned about, the waves in her skirt shifting when she moved. She readjusted her leather vest, then blew him a kiss as she stepped out.

“Kisses, darling.”

He pretended to catch it and put it in his coat pocket.

He took a moment to collect himself, then stepped back out. He was not prepared, at all, for the kid to leap over the furniture towards him.

“Velvette said we were hanging out today. Is that for real?”

Okay, Vox. You can do this. You’re on air! Smile for the camera!

“Yeah, you’re my problem today.” The kid’s tail swished behind him, just barley containing joy. “I’ve got some work to do this morning, and a conference around noon. I want you to come with me.”

“What’s the conference about?” He asked.

“A company concern that needs to be addressed. With any hope it will be a short meeting.”

“Are there going to be a lot of others there? I don’t need to get dressed up do I?” He says, as if he wasn’t already in top of the line fashion via Vel. Everything from the cut of his pants to the lining of his shirt was custom. It wouldn’t be good enough for her feed otherwise.

“You’re fine as is.” He answered, using his phone to distract himself from those peering, curious eyes.

“Do you want me to get coffee for you and, uh, your presenters?” He said, obviously not sure what Vox had in mind. He can only imagine that he was thinking of every other conference meeting from every movie about a dad who doesn’t spend enough time with their kids around the holidays. It was always a bunch of old men discussing numbers, profits, and something that sounded too greedy for the message of the movie.

“That won’t necessary. Either way, we…have some time. I’ve got some broadcasts to do. It’s not something you can really help with so-”

“You mean when you plug yourself into your chair setup?” He asked.

“…yes?”

“Do you mind if I tag along? It gets boring sitting down all by myself.”

He had planned on just keeping him here, or maybe even his room, until the time came for the…conference. Problem was, he really didn’t need the kid catching on. And he didn’t have an excuse for why he couldn’t be in the monitor room that didn’t sound like an excuse, not after having him by his side all morning just the day before.

“Alright, but same rules as last time. No bothering me when I’m in the middle of something. Got it?”

“Yes!” The kid clasped his hand in a silent fist pump.

He took only a few steps forward, just enough to enter the lift, when a hand reached up and grabbed his own. The kid backed up away from the outer circle. He knew where the line ends now and where the actual lift began. That didn’t seem to make him any more confident that he wouldn’t trip and go falling down the chute.

Come on, Vox. You’re not his friend, remember?

He pulled his hand away, bringing it instead to cross across his chest. Crossed arms were not a good look. It always seemed defensive, and Vox has made a point of avoiding that particular posture for a long time now. If he was going front of media, he’d never allow himself to be filmed like that. As they were just going to the monitor room, it didn’t matter. Still, the kid knew something was up. Nervous as he was about the lift though, he didn’t fight Vox for his hand back. Instead, he grabbed onto his coattails. He better not rip them, he thought.

The lift dropped them off right where they needed to be. His sharks swam over a little eagerly. Vox’s presence in the morning always signaled breakfast, and today was no different. A quick wave and the electronic dispenser dropped down their usual chum. No special, living treats today…at least for now. Anyone could piss him off and end up as a side snack. His patience was already trying on himself.

“Hi, Anchor! Hi, Barge!” The kid greeted them as he walked by where they swam. Weirdly enough, Vox could swear they responded to the names, turning for a moment to focus their beady eyes on the kid. They were probably sizing him up, to see if Vox would finally be tossing him their way but…for a second, it almost looked like…whatever the shark equivalent was for tolerance.

“What did I say about touching the tank?” He made himself groan.

“But I didn’t touch the tank.”

“Yeah, well, don’t stand so close either. Your spit fogs up the view.” He was trying to pick an argument. Give him something to be mad at the kid for until noon, anything to make the time more tolerable. Instead of giving him a fight though, the kid sighed, shrugged, then joined Vox by the monitors.

Fine then! He can just drown himself in his work, a proven method of distraction. The cables snapped in, sparks dancing around his head, before he was suddenly pulled across the city. Millions upon millions of smaller consciousness ripped apart from the main stem and sent spiraling down wires, across phones, and popping up in TV sets across the ring.

So far so good. He kept his gaze out, to his empire and his enslaved viewership. ‘Trust us’ echoed back to him like a never-ending tunnel of voices. He could just stay here if he wanted, where physical things mattered little and his kingdom of stolen time lasted forever. He could get himself lost down winding threads of random topics: what new places popped up, what’s the latest trend, what’s the biggest gossip. The internet was a clusterfuck of thoughts all screaming into the void a bunch of nonsense with the hope that someone else out there would respond with something intelligent. It was a bunch of questions asked that have been asked before and by millions of others. It was a collection of knowledge; it was a dumpster fire of idiocy.

It was a great, mind-numbing distraction.

But his physical body felt something tapping against his chair. A series of taps, a code he’d memorized so long ago in the past that he remembered more from the muscle memory of writing it a hundred times than recognizing it from a glance.

It was a transmission. At least it would be, if hooked up to a transmitter.

Loxley to Foulfellow. Airways open. Ready to receive transmission.

That was just the kind of thing that would snap Vox from any distraction. The wires plugged into his head popped from the surge. His claws dug into his seat, creating a series of scars from the drag. Hot, seething rage forced his fans to overwork. All around, monitors sparked, accidentally catching them in the after current of his shock and anger. A piercing eye bore down on the little fox sitting next to him.

“Who are you contacting?” His voice filtered in from every single speaker about, making an odd feedback that contorted the message. It hardly sounded like a voice at all.

The kid seemed surprised by the sudden outburst. His head tilted to the side, innocent act already showing its face.

Oh, but he wasn’t going to fall for that again. And to think! He might’ve actually felt bad for what had to be done later. But it was always a trick. It was always a lie.

“Huh?”

He slammed his fist down, putting a dent in the metal armrest. The kid actually fell backwards from the impact and his own alarm.

“You think because you tapped in Morse that I didn’t understand? You think you could trick me? ME? That code is my mother tongue. I spent four fucking years of my life speaking only that code, and you thought you could slip that by me? Really?”

It was Alastor. He knew it in the pit of his heart, it was Alastor. Who else would he be contacting if not the fucking Radio demon himself.

“I wasn’t contacting anybody-”

“Don’t. You. Dare. Lie. To. Me.” He snapped, teeth ripping from the digital plane into the physical as he snarled.

“I’m not.” He said in a small voice. “Foulfellow is my grandpa.”

Vox pulled back, only slightly.

“…Explain.”

“My grandpa taught me morse when I was little, ‘cause I was too scared to talk when I was really young. I kinda tap things out of habit sometimes now when things are too quiet. His callsign was Foulfellow and my is Loxley.”

“Callsign?”

“Yeah, he was a pilot, you know? Back in World War II. His squad called him Foulfellow.”

His fans overcame the last of the heat, now just comfortably sitting at a cold, neutral temperature. Foulfellow? He felt like he’d heard the name before.

“Foulfellow…as in the ‘Flying Fox’ Foulfellow?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Why? Heard it before?”

Heard it? He watched it.

“He was one of the best, kid. Maybe the best. I don’t think they ever tracked his kills right.” He remembers it, clear as day. Assigned to get new footage to send home for the broadcasters. Show us something amazing, they said, something that was going to sell bonds. Well, he found it, filmed it, and set it home. Years later, he even played a role inspired by the man who terrorized the sky that day.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he was one of the meanest cats in the sky. I saw him scalp six in one day, then kept strafing the ground troops. Had them pinned until he finally had to go back for fuel. Did…did you not know your grandpa’s a war hero?”

“I mean, sort of. He didn’t talk about it too much. He always said killing people didn’t make you a hero, saving people did.” A glint caught in the kid’s eye. “Wait, did you know him?”

No, but he wishes he had. After the war, people made heroes into stars, real or imaginary. If you served, which nearly everyone did whether they wanted to or not, you had a much better shot of being America’s new headliner. He knows. It did wonders for his career. Before he’d been offered the role, he heard that the directors went to the man himself to play the character inspired by him. He was told he refused, said Hollywood wasn’t for him. Last he heard, the Flying Fox planted his feet in the ground someplace, started a family with that little army nurse he married.

And here was proof. Huh.

“Don’t ever tell anyone what you just told me.”

“But-”

“Listen. There’s a reason most everyone here doesn’t use their real names.” Unless you were a nobody in real life, like a certain red freak, then it didn’t matter as much. “Everyone’s got enemies. Scores to settle. If you’ve got a famous name, you’ve got a big target on your head.”

“…is that why you don’t see like…really famous evil people from history down here? They’re all hiding?”

“Trust me, kid. If they aren’t hiding, they’re dead and never coming back.” Hell didn’t tolerate rivals. If someone died and their large movement died with them, they are immediately targeted by overlords. Most didn’t last the week. Hell also had its own weird code. Similar to a prison, perhaps, where inmates decided that certain people were just not worth the breaths they were taking. That’s one of the reasons that Vox almost never saw anybody from the opposite side of the war. That, and he might kill them himself. There was never a bad time to burn one of them from the inside out.

“I always thought it was because of the deals, ‘cause you have to sign your real name for it to mean something.” He added.

That was another part of it. People have drawn the similarities between deals in Hell with deals in fairytales. As far as Vox knew, which was considerable judging from how many employees he had, dealmaking didn’t strip a person of their name entirely. Though, maybe it could, in a warped sense of the meaning. And, it was a road that seemed to go both ways. Say what you will, ‘Vox’ was a completely different person when he was above ground and still going by the name his father picked out.

On the subject of family members, he wondered what dear old dad was doing. It’s strange that he hasn’t come across him down here. Then again, maybe he has. He could’ve barbequed him a long time ago and just never known. Aside from personal experience, he wasn’t exactly memorable.

“Names have power here.” He conceded. “And so does knowledge. Keep yours close to your chest, got it?”

“Got it.” He nodded back. “So…you said you were speaking Morse for four years-”

He rolled his eyes.

“Kid, I am not going into my past.”

“Um, okay, but I just wanted to know what your callsign was.”

Oh. Um.

“…Bogie. They…the boys called me Bogie as a joke, after the actor.”

“Bogie? Like Humphrey Bogart?” He chirped.

He fought tooth and nail with his face to keep it the fuck together. Don’t you dare smile at that.

“How do you even know who that is?”

“How could I not?” He almost sounded offended, before winking. “‘Here’s looking at you, kid’.”

Okay, whoever it was that forced this child to watch the classics…well done. Bravo, truly. There was one of them left in the world with taste…until they killed him. See, this is why they can’t have nice things.

For just a moment, in the back of his head, he wondered if he could start up movie nights again. He tried so hard with Vel and Val, but he had to let them pick the films sometimes. Either it ended up with Val putting on something to seduce Vox, or Vel put on some recent flick she learned about through the grapevine, things hardly ever worth the hours wasted watching them. Then, she’d jump on her phone the whole time it was playing. Both of their attention spans were exactly zero for any movie with drama, charm, and dialogue that required there not to be explosions every two seconds. Look, he enjoyed a CGI action flick like anyone else, but if he ever wanted to watch a movie that was actually good, not just entertaining, then he had to watch it in his own time. And when did he ever have that?

“You know, for a kid that died in the 90s, you sure do watch a lot of old crap.”

“It’s not crap.” He defended immediately. “And ask Velvette. Certain things never go out of style.”

Oh great. He was quoting them now. The last thing he needed was for the kid to start sounding like any of them. If he ever quotes Val, he’d seriously consider a muzzle.

“Right, well, I’ve got to get back to work, so keep quiet and out of the way.”

“’Kay.” He proceeded to do exactly not that, walking up close to the tank again and encouraging his sharks over. His fingers played against the floor like piano keys. Vox’s eyes from every corner of the room caught the pattern, even if he couldn’t hear from softness of the taps.

Loxley hailing Bogie. Message received. Ending transmission until all clear. Over and out.

A series of blips peppered out from one of his speakers. It was so inconvenient how convenient it was to transfer his thoughts across the mainframe sometimes.

Bogie transmitting to Loxley. Read you loud and clear. Directions to be given shortly. Over and out.

The kid’s ears flicked back, and he lit up as Vox turned his attention back to work.

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

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin vox #vox #hazbin hotel fanfic #hazbin hotel fic #hazbin hotel ficlet #drabble #hazbin hotel oc #hazbin hotel velvette #hazbin hotel valentino #hazbin hotel the vees #the vees

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awkwardauthorwrites · 2 years ago

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End of the World - Part Two

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: swearing, fluff, like one line of angst. Previously on awkward-author

NOVEMBER 22ND 1984

THREE WEEKS UNTIL THE SNOW BALL

“…have a nice day!” Y/N smiled at the customer as they turned to leave and faced her co-worker at the opposite till. “Please tell me it’s home time,” she groaned and leant against the counter so that she could drop her head in her hands. “Are people being particularly stupid because its closer to Christmas? Or is it just me?”

“You did say you had a bad night,” Joyce Byers smiled at the younger girl and emptied some of the notes from her till. “Did the kids wear you out last night? I did warn Steve about what they’re like at the Arcade, and Johnathan was willing to go.”

“Nah, the kids were great,” Y/N shook her head and finally moved her hands away from her face. “Actually, I’m pretty sure if they hadn’t worn me out I wouldn’t have slept at all.”

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah,” she nodded awkwardly and avoided the older woman’s gaze as she tidied the leaflets around her till. “Does it get better?”

“It will,” Joyce spoke softly as another customer walked into the market. “Having Bob around helped me a lot the first time...I’m sure Steve would be more than willing if you let him in.”

“What?” Y/N’s eyes shot up to look at the woman in surprise. “Steve and I aren’t...did Will...?”

“And Jonathan,” Joyce chuckled as the girl groaned once more and slumped down to rest her head on the counter. Joyce couldn’t hear exactly what she was muttering to herself, but she definitely caught the words shithead kids and no respect for anyone’s privacy. “For the record, I think you two look good together – I always have. He’s always been so protective over you, even as kids. It was adorable to watch him take care of you on the playground.”

“Should I be jealous?” The easily recognisable voice of Steve Harrington drifted down the aisle, diverting both of the women’s attention. “Mrs Byers, you look as lovely as ever.”

“Hi Steve.” She looked like she wanted to roll her eyes at his behaviour, but instead excused herself and she caught sight of the top of her youngest son’s head.

“Hey, stranger,” Steve ran a hand through his hair casually and shot Y/N a charming grin as he leant forward to rest on the counter. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was behind him before he darted forward and pressed a kiss on her cheek.

“You literally dropped me off for work a few hours ago.” Y/N shook her head at his antics and hoped he didn’t catch the light blush that crossed her face (he did). “What are you doing here? I thought you were babysitting the kids?”

“I am.” She pretended not to notice as he snuck his fingers across the counter slowly while he spoke so that he could reach for her hand. “They insisted on needing more supplies for their game. Said something about how El would want Eggos?” He glanced over his shoulder once more to watch as Dustin and Lucas attempted to act like they weren’t eavesdropping as Joyce walked by them to stand behind her till again. “When do you get off?”

“Well,” Y/N shot him a wicked grin and rested her own forearms on the counter, narrowing the gap between them considerably. Steve was too distracted by the mischief sparkling in her eyes to notice the sinful smile that graced her lips. “That’s a bit of a loaded question, don’t you think?”

“What? Oh – oh! Not – I didn’t…oh, come on!” he pouted as she threw her head back and laughed at his embarrassment. Even though he honestly hadn’t meant to phrase his sentence that way (although, a very inappropriate thought did cross his mind) he was glad that his humiliation had given Y/N a chance to laugh freely. He knew that she had been struggling over the past few weeks, so every laugh or biting remark she shot his way was like a blessing to him.

“You’re too easy, Stevie,” she leant forward and pecked his cheek before pulling away as the kids neared the counter. She grinned as the kids teased him about his red cheeks while she scanned their items, and she could even hear Joyce mutter on the other side about how happy she was for them both. That comment earned her an exasperated sigh from the oldest male, but Y/N could see the almost shy smile playing on the corner of his mouth every time he caught her eye.

“Don’t be home too late,” Joyce kissed the top of Will’s head and looked up at Steve. “Are you sure you don’t mind bringing him home after the eclipse? I can easily pick him up.”

“Its alright Mrs Byers, honestly,” Steve sent her a reassuring smile. “I don’t mind doing it, Will will be safe.”

“Yeah, and if anything happens we have Y/N there to protect us!” Dustin spoke up and sent the girl a wide toothy smile. “Nothing is stupid enough to get in her way.” Steve looked mildly offended as all the children agreed, causing the young adult female to laugh and lean over to pinch her best friend’s cheeks.

“This is why I like the kids better than you Stevie. They’re smart enough to know I’m a badass who shouldn’t be trifled with.”

“I think I got the message when we were thirteen and you broke my arm, thanks,” Steve rolled his eyes at her and swatted her fingers away.

“I remember that,” Joyce nodded, a sly smile plying on the corner of her lips. “He screamed so loud when he hit the ground that we all thought he had been injured a lot worst than a broken bone.”

“What did you do?” Lucas blinked up at Y/N, an expression akin to awe on his features.

“Absolutely nothing,” she smirked. “I still maintain that Steve fell out of that tree through his own volition.”

“You pushed him out of a tree?” Max repeated, and looked between the pair before laughing with the boys. “I knew there was a reason you were my favourite, Y/N/N.”

“He fell, but thanks Mad Max,” she winked at the younger girl as Steve began to usher all the kids out of the shop.

“Five!” Joyce called out to him, catching his attention before he left. He whirled around the face her in confusion and took a few steps closer as the kids got resettled into his car.

“What was that?”

“Y/N finishes work at five today,” Joyce repeated, shooting the younger girl a coy smile. “It’s been slow all day, there’s no need for us both to stay on until closing time.”

“Are you sure?” Y/N shot the older woman a grateful smile. “I don’t mind staying.”

“Go have fun, I’ll be okay on my own.”

“Well, that’s settled then,” Steve walked up to Y/N’s till again and leant across to plant a loud kiss on her cheek. “Bye, beautiful.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Out.”

“Like a date?” she smiled wryly.

“Yes, like a date,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “Just like the last five we’ve been on.”

“Um, three? Babysitting your children does not count as a date.”

“Our children,” he winked at her and turned to finally leave the shop. “I’ll be here at five to take you home!”

“Do I get to know where we’re going?”

“Of course not,” he shook his head with a grin. “I’ll see you later, gorgeous.” Y/N watched as he walked out of the doors, and followed his figure until he got in the car, winked at her one last time, and drove away.

“...tell me again how there’s nothing happening there?” Joyce chuckled as Y/N’s face flamed.

“Shut up.”

True to his word, Steve was waiting outside at five to pick Y/N up from work. He greeted her with a tight hug after catching the disgruntled expression on her face and held the passenger door open for her to climb in. The drive back to her house was short, and filled with her complaints on asinine customers, and it wasn’t long before she was rushing out of her house in an attempt to escape her questioning parents.

“Looking good, Y/L/N,” Steve gave Y/N an appreciative glance as she slid into the car once more. She rolled her eyes at him playfully and leant forward to fiddle with the radio.

“Wish I could say the same to you, Harrington,” she shot back.

“Rude,” he pretended to look wounded, which only earned a laugh from her as he drove towards the junkyard so that they would meet up with the kids, who all greeted her with cheers when they saw the pair approaching. Steve rolled his eyes as El moved forward to hug the older girl and pushed his way through the crowd of pre-teens to grab a blanket from the small pile they had collected from all the houses. He settled down onto the makeshift bench of tires and a plank of wood and waited patiently until Y/N walked over to him, a flask of hot coffee in her hands.

“So, not that I’m complaining or anything,” Y/N wrapped her hands tightly around the thermos she was holding and pulled her knees to her chest for extra warmth. “But why aren’t we watching this eclipse from the comforts of a nice and warm house?”

“Well, I was going to have everyone round mine.” Steve shook out the thick blanket as he spoke and wrapped the material around both of their shoulders while placing an arm around Y/N. “But, I figured my parents wouldn’t really appreciate a bunch of middle school kids running around the house.” He shrugged and pulled her closer when he realised just how cold she was.

“Your parents are back?”

“They walked through the door when I was leaving to get you.”

“Why didn’t you stay at home with them? I would have understood.” Y/N knew, although he didn’t really like to admit it, that Steve loved to spend time with his mother when she was around. She adored and doted on him, and it was clear how much he cared about her in return. Mr Harrington, on the other hand, was a bit of a dick. Y/N didn’t have any direct issues with the man, but there were definitely a few things she didn’t particularly like about him, all of which revolved around the way he treated his son.

“They were tired,” he tried to play it off casually, but she could see that he was hiding some additional information from her.

“And?”

“And,” he paused to chuckle and bumped her shoulder gently. “They may or may not have pushed me out of the door when they heard I was taking you on a date.” He glanced down at her, his smile softening when he took note of how red her cheeks had gotten, and he half-hoped it wasn’t just from the cold. “They love you.”

“Of course they do,” Y/N laughed and took a sip of her drink. “They’ve known me for my whole life.”

“No, like, they actually love you. I’ve never seen my mom so happy about any other girl I’ve taken out. She was ecstatic and kept talking about wedding decorations.” They shared a brief glance at how completely characteristic that was for the older woman.

“And your dad?”

“Clapped me on the shoulder and said good luck if I end up hurting you because he sure as hell won’t stand in the way of your warpath.”

“Classic Mr H,” Y/N scoffed. “So heartfelt.” They both fell silent for a second before she turned her head up to watch him carefully. He was too absorbed in making sure the kids didn’t do anything stupid to notice her at first, although he soon caught on to her unwavering stare.

“What?”

“You told your parents about us.”

“Yeah…” he looked down at her curiously, wondering where she was going with her train of thought. “Have you not told yours?”

“Why?”

“Why, what?”

“Why did you tell them?”

“I mean, I figured while it would be fun not having to sneak you into my room it would be better to let them know about this thing that we have…” Steve trailed off as he caught a glance at the look on Y/N’s face. “Yeah, I said it, we’re a thing.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to being a thing,” she tapped on her chin thoughtfully. “Were you planning on letting me have a choice in this?”

“Blame the kids,” he waved his hand in the direction of the now-occupied children who were sat a little way away from them. “They said something about making an executive decision on wanting their parents to be together.”

“Huh.”

“…what now?” Steve pretended to groan, although there was a smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

“Nothing it’s just…are you saying if the kids didn’t make an executive decision then we wouldn’t be a thing?” Y/N was trying to bug Steve, and he knew it, which is why he rolled his eyes in response and pulled her closer.

“Don’t let them know,” he leant down to whisper in her ear, fully aware of how he was affecting her as she took in a shaky breath. “They think the decision was all theirs, and they seemed pretty glad about it, but I made the choice myself a while back. Although, I would definitely call what we have more than a thing.”

“Smooth,” Y/N let out a breathy laugh to play off her reaction to Steve’s sudden proximity and leant into his body to steal some of his warmth. The pair stayed silent for a little while, just watching the children and the stars before Y/N spoke up again quietly. “I told them.”

“Hm?” Steve titled his head down to look at her questioningly.

“My parents, I told them. My mom can’t seem to make her mind up on whether she’s happy or not and my dad played out his tough man act and said he doesn’t care that you’re like a son to him, he will shoot you if you hurt me in any way.”

“You didn’t tell your parents about any of the other guys you dated.”

“Yeah, well…” It was Y/N’s turn to try and shrug casually as she looked up at him with a shy smile. “The others weren’t…worth it.” She watched as several different emotions flickered across his face, before finally settling on slight awe as he looked down at her. After everything that had gone down with Nancy, Y/N knew that Steve didn’t think he was good enough. She had almost wanted to strangle him when he called himself a shitty boyfriend, and then she wanted to strangle Nancy for not disagreeing with him. Sure, he had messed up, especially in the beginnings of their relationship – she would never forget the look of absolute terror and regret on Steve’s face when she confronted him on how he had slut-shamed Nancy – but he was human, he made mistakes, and more importantly he had learned from them and bettered himself. Y/N couldn’t bring herself to say that she missed Carol and Tommy H. “So, we’re not at yours because your parents are home. That doesn’t explain why we’re here, in the junkyard.”

“I, uh, figured that the sky would be clear enough out here to watch the eclipse.” He stumbled over his words and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Y/N narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion and pinched his arm so he would stop avoiding her gaze.

“You’re not telling me something.”

“Says who?”

“Says me,” she flicked his reddening ear gently. “That’s not from the cold, Harrington. Spill it.”

“How do you know it’s not from the cold?” he shot her a charming smile in an attempt to disarm her, but unfortunately for him, she had seen it more times than she could bother to count. “I didn’t realise you were watching me that closely, Y/L/N.”

“You’re cute when you blush, what can I say?” she shot him a wicked grin, the same one that had all but knocked him off his feet and left him speechless a few hours ago. “Do I have to resort to bribing you like when we were kids? I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” He tried hard to imitate her impish smile, although he knew it was nowhere near as devious as hers. “Well, that’s a loaded offer, don’t you think?” he repeated her words from earlier, hoping it would throw her off course.

“I said anything, didn’t I, Harrington?” Y/N leant in slowly, her features contorted into a devilish mirth Steve had only seen once before. The look meant trouble, and he knew it, but he was enraptured nonetheless as her lips brushed against his ear as she spoke in hushed tones. “I promise to make it worth your while, Harrington. But first…” Her lips were curled into a smile at how easily she was affecting the boy by her side.

“First?” he muttered, his voice coming out a little hoarse.

“First…” she paused to press a gentle kiss to the corner of his jaw. “First, you gotta stop deflecting and tell me, you piece of shit.”

“I…” he let out a groan and pulled away from her half-heartedly. “You’re cruel.”

“You’d think you would be used to it by now,” Y/N laughed. “But it’s okay, you have a lifetime, considering you won’t let me out of getting married to you.”

“You’re off the hook. I don’t want to marry you anymore.”

“Nope, too late, Harrington. I made an executive decision. You’re stuck with me.”

“I’d rather face the demodogs again.”

“Now that’s just rude,” she pouted playfully, earning a laugh from Steve as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“You know I’m kidding,” he pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Y/L/N. You’re my best girl.”

“I know,” she hummed and laced her fingers through his slowly. “You’re alright too, I guess.”

“Thanks,” he let out a sarcastic sounding chuckle, which died down when she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You can’t do shit like that.”

“Like what?” she grinned and pecked him once more.

“Be all cute when I’m not supposed to kiss you yet.”

“Are you trying to say you still want to kiss me, Harrington?”

“You do realise that I like you, right?” he glanced down at Y/N, a shy smile playing on the corners of his mouth. “Was I not making that obvious enough? Do I need to try harder?”

“All this has been you trying?” Y/N asked sarcastically and flicked the back of his hand. “I wasn’t aware.”

“Cute,” he flicked her hand in retaliation and quickly retracted his when she tried to pinch him.

“I try,” she stuck her tongue out at him and laughed as he tugged her closer and poked her side. He grinned when she tried to pry herself out of his grasp, and tightened his arms around her as she struggled playfully against him. Y/N tilted her head to look up at him, a biting remark on the tip of her tongue that soon died down as her as she realised just how close her face was to his. Steve’s gaze dropped lower, glancing quickly at her lips before looking back up to her eyes. Every nerve in his body was begging him to close the gap between them and kiss her, regardless of the month not being over yet. He watched as she leant in towards him slowly, her eyes darting across his face nervously as they both narrowed the gap between them at a torturously slow pace.

“Are they going to kiss or not?” Dustin huffed, quite loudly. The rest of the children shushed him and the small yelp that followed let Y/N and Steve know that one of them had smacked the boy for interrupting their moment. Y/N’s money was on Max. Steve hid the frustration and disappointed on his face, but shot the kid a glare that Y/N missed as she dropped her forehead to rest on his shoulder in mild embarrassment.

“Two more weeks,” Steve muttered to himself, his grip tightening slightly around Y/N’s shoulders. She didn’t think she was meant to hear him, but repeated his words nonetheless as they looked up to watch the beginnings of the eclipse.

“Two more weeks.”

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington #end of the world #end of the world part two #stranger things 2 #stranger things fic #awkwardauthormasterlist #awkwardauthorwrites #awkwardauthor

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icedteaandoldlace · 2 years ago

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rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to ao3. if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

Thank you, @coolestjoy30! Some of these are kinda long. 😅

1: The Longest Distance Between Two Points Is Arm's Length (The Flash)

It was another quiet night at the Ramon house. Lately it seemed as though quiet nights were the only kind they had anymore, and while one might think that, after two years of being an empty nester, Yesenia would be used to it by now, she still found the silence stifling.

2: For Times of Adversity (Gossip Girl)

It was by far the worst kiss Eric had ever had. Not because it had left him so frazzled he could barely focus in class afterward, or because it had been out in the cold and the air had smelled strongly of car exhaust, or even because he’d felt that Asher didn’t care what he had to say, and had only done it to shut him up. It wasn’t the kiss itself that was so awful, but the fact that someone had seen it.

3: Head Games (Gossip Girl)

Eric stood on the sidewalk just outside the grounds of St. Jude’s, his back against the wall and his arms crossed in front of him. He was cold, and the wind stung his eyes, but he couldn’t go inside. Not yet.

4: As Frightened As You (Glee)

Kurt could hear the sound of fireworks popping off in the distance as people throughout the city continued to ring in the New Year. Midnight had come and gone a little while ago, and, surprisingly, it didn’t seem as though the police had busted anyone for their private firework shows yet—not that Kurt was complaining; taking out his keys to unlock his front door, Kurt mused that it was a good thing so many people were enjoying themselves tonight. At least someone was.

5: Alive Again (Glee)

“Is there somewhere you need to be?”

Kurt looked up from his watch, and he smiled, feeling more content than he had in a long time. “No,” he lied. Then, making up his mind as he spoke, he added, “I’m free all day.”

6: Baby, We Keep On Smilin' (The Flash)

Iris strode swiftly down the S.T.A.R. Labs hallway toward Cisco’s workshop, the click of her heels on the concrete floor echoing with every step. She hoped he hadn’t already clocked out and gone home for the day—not that there was much danger of that; it was only four in the afternoon, and given that he was now the sole remaining worker keeping the lab running while also moonlighting as a superhero, Cisco had been pulling longer shifts lately. He had a tendency to stay at the lab even after everyone else had gone home, so he could catch up on the projects he didn’t have as much time to work on between training and working in the field, though Iris suspected that that wasn’t his only reason for staying late. She didn’t blame him.

7: A Little Help From Your Friends (The Flash)

Movie night at Cisco’s was always better than a movie night anywhere else. Part of the reason for this was because Cisco insisted on having movie-watching snacks, and more than just popcorn; he always made sure to have a diverse assortment of candies and other snack foods on hand, so there was never any worry of getting hungry in the middle of the movie, and having to get up to find something to eat. Another reason was because Cisco lived for behind the scenes trivia, and would pepper in fun facts throughout the evening that Barry had never heard before. But perhaps the best part of watching movies with Cisco was the pure enjoyment of witnessing how deeply he got sucked into the worlds onscreen. Scary movies made him jump, and action movies had him cheering the heroes on and heckling the villains as though they could hear him (or vice versa, depending on who was cooler). Comedies became even funnier with the addition of his personal commentary, provoking Barry into quipping back and forth with him until they both made themselves sore from laughing too hard, and poignant scenes were sweeter knowing Cisco was sitting quietly beside him in rapt awe and mouthing the dialogue along with the characters.

8: Maybe Our Real Soulmates Were The... (The Flash)

Felicity knew from the moment she looked into Barry’s eyes that he was her soulmate. The jade green of his eyes, while not the same shade as the mark on her wrist, was close enough for her to give the cute CSI a second look and try to catch his attention.

9: Flying Free (or Free Kurt - Emma Pillsbury Style) (Glee)

“Is there another option?”

Kurt was only half-joking, but that seemed to be the only half that his father heard.

Burt chuckled, looking at Kurt with the same amused fatherly affection that he had often looked at him with during his childhood, whenever he had come up with a clever excuse for staying up past his bedtime or trying to have his dessert before dinner. It was a look Kurt knew well, and he knew it meant the same thing now that it had then: nice try, kiddo.

10: Heartless (Glee)

“Will, we have a problem.”

Will Schuester looked up from the Spanish papers he was hunched over. He had just spent the majority of the evening hosting a one-day-late Thanksgiving party for all the members of the glee club, past and present, who were spending their break in Lima, and now he was working on finishing grading so he could get all his students’ papers back to them when school started up again on Monday.

Across the table from him was his wife, who was standing stiff as a board and repeatedly clenching and unclenching her hands, her eyes wide and frantic.

And I am tagging @thequeenofshebasays @frosty-the-killer-doll @chocoholicannanymous @starstruckpurpledragon @elledelajoie @shrinkthisviolet @vcg73 @daftydraw @queer-cheer

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pro-whimsy-agenda · 6 months ago

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take me on a date in Bikini Bottom and I'll psychoanalyze you (for free!)

The Rock Bottom Bus Stop

This could go a few different ways. If this is our first date and you intentionally took me to a remote bus stop with a limited time table, sketchy clientele, and ominous lighting - I do have multiple friends already tracking my location and they will come rescue me if they don't hear from me in an hour. Freak.

On the other hand, if we already know each other - we've vetted the vibes and don't fear that one of us is on the verge of a violent psychotic break - this place has the energy of a beautiful, emotionally bonding night.

Imagine we grab a few vending machine snacks and sit on the ground cross-legged butt-to-butt. Perhaps we laugh, cry, and share our deepest, most repressed childhood memories with one another. Some of the best bonding experiences I have ever had have been on creepy park benches in the middle of the night, stuck somewhere we didn't intend to be, just crying together.

Let's do that.

The Prom

You had someone else in mind for tonight who either cancelled on you or declined the offer, and I know that. It's alright. I can be your long, tan, and handsome tonight. I can be whoever you need me to be, whatever you want.

Just know that I will never be him.

Bar Hopping

You're probably not as much of a partier as the person you're pretending to be at the start of this date. You're nervous and a drink or two will help you loosen up. We can probably get into the Salty Spitoon, not based off our looks but because we both ask nicely and treat the bouncer with respect. We are on a first name basis with him before we leave for the night, but after one drink we both admit that we're both honestly craving a sundae and perhaps a ween at Jrs. We head out early and promise to visit Reg again soon.

The Kuddly Krab

You text me a few hours before we had planned to meet-up to let me know that you got us reservations at this exclusive pop-up you know the manager at.

It's a themed, retro inspired place with a young hotshot creative behind the vegan omakase menu. You insist that it's absolutely to die for, you've been watching their Insta reels for days and can't wait. You just can't imagine going there without a beautiful girl like me by your side (smooth).

Our lunch is cool and the restaurant is interesting, but I have a tough time understanding what exactly it is that you do for a living, you're really vague about your actual role but very clear about your earnings. And the company you work for. It's definitely big tech.

The Workers' Uprising

One with the people, you are an advocate for worker's rights, let's spend our afternoon sticking it to the man (Mr. Krabs) and talking about our mutual disdain for capitalism. You already know half the people at this protest from previous picket lines - what a social butterfly you are! You also brought a blunt to share with the class.

This is where you are truly at your hottest and you know it.

Inside a box

Well, well, well... show me what you have in mind! ;) I love a date out in nature, totally free of charge - with this option, the world is truly our oyster. Let's bring our own picnic, eat inside the box, we can go anywhere, be anyone, provide our own soundtrack and be the main characters to our own movie.

I like your whimsy, would you care to join my cult?

#essay #spongebob squarepants #spongebob #my writing #humor #writing blog #date ideas

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tarnishedxknight · 10 months ago

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Ashelia was actually thankful that the books were taken from her, to be put back by the librarian. She wasn't even fully sure she would be able to put them back herself, remembering where each had been taken from in such a massive library. "Oh, um... Thank you!" she called after the person as they left with the stack of books. Free of that task, she went off in search of sustenance.

She... followed her nose. And the other people around her, who seemed to know what they were doing and where they ought to go. A bit wide-eyed as she wandered around, she was relieved when she came upon... a large room full of all sorts of people eating together? People of all classes? Judges! Ashe all but ducked behind a pillar, not necessarily out of fear of them, but just because they were there and she was not used to being around them. It was an uncomfortable feeling, to be sure. Steadying herself, she stood in silent observance for a time, noticing that there was a line leading to... stations of food? What even is this? she wondered, having never been to a mess hall in her life.

Unsure if she was even allowed to be in here, she got on line and fussed with her hands nervously as she waited her turn. But when it came time for her to say something, she had no idea what to say. "Hello... I'm hungry, but I do not have any money. How does this work? I am not from here..." she asked with no short amount of obliviousness.

The two workers nearest her looked at each other and then at her. One of them grabbed a slip of parchment from a nearby stack. "Right, then. Whot's your name, poppet?" the man asked, ready to write it down.

"Poppet...?" Ashe repeated under her breath, a bit affronted. She quickly cast it aside in favor of acquiring food. "Ashelia Dalmasca."

"Could you spell that?" he asked, but when she did and he'd written it down, he eyed it sideways. "Isn't that a country somewhere? Dalmasca?"

"Yes, it is. My own. My father is the king," Ashelia said proudly.

The man smirked at his fellow lunch line worker. "Oy. This one's Dalmascan royalty, she says," he joked.

"Aye, an' I'm His Excellency 'imself," the second worker said, and they both had a good laugh about it.

"No you aren't. I've met Emperor Gramis. He's much older than you are..." Ashe said, bewildered.

They continued to laugh. "Sharp as a bent nail, this one is!" one of them said.

Ashelia huffed. "There's no need for rudeness."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Shouldn't be 'avin' a go at those wif mental impairments. My 'pologies," the worker admitted.

"Mental impairments?!" Ashelia said, now fully insulted.

"Here you are, love. You just give this card t'your father an' 'ave 'im pay the bill for ya," the man said, handing her a card with her information written on it.

"I can't give this to my father. He's in Dalmasca," Ashe insisted.

"I'm sure you've got a guardian wif you. Somebody," he said, shrugging.

"They arrested him..." Ashe said sadly.

"Was 'e impersonatin' royalty too?" the second man asked. "Oy, 's that an arrestable offense?" he asked his co-worker.

"Pretty sure it is," said the first, nodding.

"If you please..." Ashe interjected with annoyance.

"Right. What d'you want, then?" the first worker asked.

"Oh. Um... I-I don't know any of this food..." she said, peering at it.

"Alright, the sampler's special it is," he said, putting a little bit of everything on a plate and passing it down the line for the next worker to do the same.

By the time the plate reached her hands at the end of the line, she had several things piled on it that were unrecognizable to her. And a hunk of some sort of bread. "Thank you," she said graciously, despite that she felt the workers were extremely rude to her.

Next was the drinks station. Peering curiously at it, Ashe was met by a smiling woman who clearly thought she was out of place but was trying to be polite. "Can I help you, miss?"

"Um... do you have tea?" Ashe asked.

"Sure do! What kind d'you want?" the woman asked.

"There are different kinds?" Ashe had always just had "tea." She didn't know there were different types...

The woman came over with a box of different ground teas with various spices and things in them and let Ashe smell them. After Ashe had chosen one, she showed her how to work the little infuser to make her own cup of tea. "Now, then... d'you want honey, milk, or lemon?"

Ashelia felt her cheeks flush as she began to get flustered. "I-I..."

Once again, the woman let her smell each of them, and Ashe chose the honey. By the end of this process, she was smiling. "Thank you very much for your assistance," she said, but now she had the daunting task of finding a place to sit.

She definitely wasn't about to sit next to any Judges, but she didn't know anyone else here either. Seeing a long table that was only half full, Ashe slowly went to the empty side of it and sat down cautiously, half expecting someone to yell at her that she was sitting in their spot or something. Nobody cared, and so she stayed.

Some of the food really didn't look that appetizing, but oh... did it smell good! After trying a little of each thing on her plate, she decided that there wasn't anything on it she didn't like. She would have preferred a bit more heat in the spices, but other than that, it was delicious.

Princess, Interrupted || closed with tarnishedxjudgement

@tarnishedxjudgement

“Because… if you are going to sell me to the enemy, then you should at least grant me the comfort of a friend whilst I’m there, father,” Ashelia said firmly, staring the old king down.

“Ashelia… Sir Ronsenburg is needed here and at war’s front,” Raminas said wearily. He was already dealing with immense guilt over the arrangement for his daughter to be held in Archadia’s capital to ensure Dalmascan loyalty, and Ashe’s resistance to it was not helping.

#tarnishedxjudgement #side muse: ashelia #{ princess of dalmasca } ᵖʳᵒˡᵒᵍᵘᵉ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ #{ the darker corners of ivalice } ᵐᵃⁱⁿ ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ ⁻ ᵈᵃʳᵏ ᵉᵈⁱᵗⁱᵒⁿ

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cassoart · 11 months ago

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(1) Body/Spaces: The stomach

I wish our bodies could become blooming miracles, but it feels like our bodies don’t bloom, they just unfurl into shorn sheets. At times it seems our stomachs are portals full of liquid, blistering into a rolling boil whenever our minds get ahead of us or we accidentally slam into the past. In this boiling, they churn in time with every situation streaming through our minds’ eyes: the physical portion of an impossible transport, a journey that continues like a fractal zooming in forever. This is a synchronized system. We were both pressured – cooked throughout childhood – and instead of making diamonds we taught our fleshy parts to work in tandem like this. Taking after us, our bodies have been good students, practiced every day.

I'd like to crack open my stomach lining to see what lies inside. 50/50 chances, there's some treasure in there or a little creature – either a new gem, worth so much that global governments would compete to dissect me for more of it, or a small fellow working his day job, who’d be very upset with me for cracking open his office. If it were the latter, sure, I'd apologize, but I'd also insist, I must have a tour of the place, my good sir. And you know what? I think he'd give me one, even if he were scowling the entire time. I’d hope to see a garden inside because with so much going on in there, it must get dank and gloomy. Plants would make for good company. Green leaves and flowers would keep things fresh. They’d keep up his energy so that he can maintain the smooth operations of my body.

Maybe we both have little men working away in our stomachs. Maybe your man is some extraordinary mess, so your stomach is in complete chaos and that’s why you've been getting sicker lately. That’d be the most exciting excuse you’ve been given. A little man – I’m sure he’s in there. It’s actually been a rough couple of months for him, so he’s been letting out his stress on the lining of your stomach. Of course you wouldn’t be able to eat with someone scratching up your insides. People just don't realize that their co-workers are people too, you know? So, they act with no thought of the consequences. They’re just here to work, then leave, so who cares if you scratch up the paint?

There are some other possibilities however: maybe you’ve got a feral animal in there, some big-fanged wolf-dog that’s scared your little caretaker into the next organ over, leaving behind this disarray. Feral canines are really a scourge. But if we can get some fences installed while it's out hunting, spray some No Bite! all around, and buy some sweets (a big box of well glazed Timbits) for your little office worker, we can coax him back into his place. Then he’d get back to his regular schedule and you’d finally feel better. You could keep on your feet for an entire day without waves of sudden weakness. There’d be no need for you to adjust to this sickness, no new bodily experience defined by some extreme illness. We’d sort it all out for you and you’d be back to good health. You’d get to go back to being yourself. For once, you wouldn’t have to trudge through another sudden ailment.

#flash fiction #short story #Canadian writing #Canadian author #original story #prose #canadian writers #original writing

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mistressofthecubicle · 2 years ago

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Which Kind of Witch?

"Mr. Lundie: They were indeed horrible destructive women. I dinna suppose you have such women in your country?

Tommy Albright: Witches?

Jeff Douglas: Oh we have 'em. We pronounce it differently." Brigadoon 1954

Katie with the red hair and Katy with the blonde hair were the best of friends. They did practically everything together. They lived in the same apartment complex and spent all their free time together. The pair even worked in the same office.

Katie Red and Katy Blonde, that's how they were distinguished by their co-workers, unless of course they referred to them by their other moniker, but it was always in hushed tones. Katie and Katy thrived on drama, sought out trauma and created monstrous amounts of havoc in the office.

They'd gotten even more out of hand when the new manager Mr. Leopold, forty-ish, non-descript, non-confrontational and unassuming, had been put in place. An hour wouldn't go by without someone bringing to his attention something that one of the K's had said or done.

He was at his wit's end on how to deal with them, but he didn't want to go to Mr. Feinmeister, the owner of the company. He couldn't afford that black mark on his managerial history. So, he tried, and worked and negotiated and pleaded with Katie Red and Katy Blonde, but to no avail. They were happy in their domination of the entire office and relished the sense of power that derived from the chaos they created.

Their co-workers were in dreadful awe of the pair, occasionally one of them would attempt to dethrone the troublesome duo, however if they were honest in their attempts and pleadings, the pair would simply double down and insist upon their own superior innocence and would then call down additional turmoil and drama onto the vocal ones, the ones who had dared to challenge them.

All employees knew that the pair were terrible, awful human beings who would exact revenge if they felt their power threatened by any attempts at reason and compromise. Lord help the person who even contemplated walking up to them and calling it like they saw it; "Hey Katie Red, Katy Blonde; you two are real bitches!" It's like they had a sense for anyone fomenting rebellion.

So Katie and Katy were allowed to continue with their hostile takeover of the office. Until one day when the sad and oppressed employees went above Mr. Leopold's balding head and complained to Mr. Feinmeister, summarily informing him through phone calls that; "Here be bitches."

Mr. Feinmeister was an old man, from the old world of Germany, people whispered rumors that perhaps he'd seen both world wars. He was that ancient. He appeared in the office one day, soon after the appeal had been made and a hushed, and reverent silence spread through the office. One of baited breath and a glimmer of hope. Mr. Feinmeister is here...at last, an end to the reign of terror!

Mr. Leopold had not expected to see Mr. Feinmeister and was shocked, yet he did his duty and scurried over to assist him. Mr. Feinmeister was bent nearly double with age and topped with white hair and beard, like an ancient St. Nicolas stepped out from children's nursery stories.

Though old and frail, he was not a patient man, and to be disturbed by the rumors was trying to his thin, stretched out single nerve that he still possessed and guarded jealously as a young man with a one-of-a kind top-of-the line, fast as lightning sports car.

Mr. Feinmeister was hard of hearing, honestly nearly deaf as a doorpost, but he chose not to recognize it as a liability. He expected and demanded that all others cede the floor, or explain slowly and repeatedly to him as if they were speaking a foreign language to him and he was asking them to communicate in his native tongue.

He shuffled into Mr. Leopold's office leaning heavily on his hand carved cane and gestured for Mr. Leopold to close the door behind him. He positioned himself behind Mr. Leopold's desk but remained on his feet, opting not to denigrate himself by sitting at someone else's desk. No sooner than it was shut, Mr. Feinmeister began his rant; "How is it I'm hearing tales of witches invading my company? I'll not stand for it! I want you to chase them out immediately!"

Mr. Leopold nearly choked on surprise and laughter but knew of Mr. Feinmeister's hearing troubles and hurried to correct him; "No, there are no witches. There are two employees who are behaving terribly and...ahem...a lot like bitches."

"That's what I said, witches. We have to destroy them!" Mr. Feinmeister insisted, lifting his cane and smacking it against the top of Mr. Leopold's desk, causing Mr. Leopold to jump slightly.

Mr. Leopold didn't want to correct Mr. Feinmeister again, and figured that whether he really got the concept or not was not inherently the most important part. What Mr. Leopold was more interested in was the possibility of a resolution.

Now that Mr. Feinmeister was here, and Mr. Leopold was no longer able to hide his inability to manage the troublesome pair, he was not personally offended. He'd spent the last few weeks fighting a battle that he couldn't win, and instead of worrying over a black mark on his record, he was ready and willing to accept Mr. Feinmeister's intervention and an imperfect record was a very small price to pay.

He gushed his gratitude, happy to unburden himself; "I'm so happy you're here. I've been trying, but I'm at my wit's end on how to handle these two."

Mr. Feinmeister replied; "Summon them. You should've called me much sooner. Witches are a tricky lot and are very hard to get rid of." Mr. Leopold smiled ironically at what he perceived was Mr. Feinmeister's odd, yet somewhat hilarious misunderstanding of the situation.

He hustled to call Katie Red and Katy Blonde into the office. The two had been waiting impatiently, and they flounced in, brushing past Mr. Leopold as if he were a non-entity. Katie Red lifted an eyebrow and smirked at Mr. Leopold as she arranged herself on one of the chairs opposite Mr. Feinmeister who had remained standing like a gargoyle behind Mr. Leopold's desk. It was a "You are going to get it now!" kind of look, and Mr. Leopold was more than happy to close the door and wait in the hall.

This was not a battle he wanted to watch, though he already knew the outcome. The K's may be strong and powerful, but Mr. Feinmeister would not yield and they would hopefully be out on their rear ends by the end of the day.

Katie Red began her diatribe, oblivious to the pointed stare of anger that Mr. Feinmeister directed at her. Katy Blonde's attention was focused on her friend, so she missed his telling glare as well.

"Mr. Feinmeister, we are so glad you're here, Mr. Leopold is very tiring and we can't stand the way...

"Did you curse him?" Mr. Feinmeister demanded slamming his cane on the top of the bureau again, the sound echoed and reverberated around the room, and Katie Red turned crimson with embarassment.

"No?" Katy Blonde replied with hesitation, "We didn't curse him. Why would you say such a silly thing. We simply disagree with his management style and we were hoping that you would see fit to reprimand him or replace him if need be." Katie Red nodded her head in agreement and smiled in a cheshire-like way.

"Do you have anything else to say in your defense?" Mr. Feinmeister demanded. The two stared at each other; "Um... I guess not." they both confirmed. They'd heard strange and bizarre things about Mr. Feinmeister but assumed that he was simply testing them. They glanced sidelong at each other, buoying each other up, or rather they intended to but they rolled their eyes at each other, communicating that they both thought the old man crazy and that they would most likely not get any satisfaction from him.

Mr. Feinmeister's sharp steel blue eyes picked up their less-than-subtle communication; "What kind of sorcery is that?" He shouted, lifting his cane and setting it counter to his now horizontal arm, in effect he'd made a cross that he was holding up as defense against the pair.

"We didn't mean anything by that look." Katie Red stated, her face flushed cherry bright. Katy Blonde nodded her head apologetically and the two slunk out of the office.

"LEOPOLD!" Mr. Feinmeister's belted out. Mr. Leopold shot back into the room, he'd heard enough of the interaction to know that the K's were going to be ousted and quickly, he only needed Mr. Feinmeister's blessing and a specific path to follow.

"What's it to be? Thirty day probation? Verbal or written warning? Do I need to cut them a final paycheck and hand them their pink slips?" Mr. Leopold spit out as many scenarios as he could think of, hoping that where he'd failed in the first instance of his managerial role, he could make up for it by apt resolution in the second instance.

Mr. Feinmeister lowered his arm and the cane, dissolving his impromptu cross. He shrugged and grasped his cane in both hands, placing it firmly on the ground in front of him. A statue of resolve and monolithic immovability;

"Fire!"

"Okay," Mr. Leopold smiled giddily, "I'll get right on that, and have H.R. to draw up the paperwork to get them fired."

Mr. Feinmeister shook his head in irritation, as a bull with a fly hovering around his head, distracting and infuriating him. "No, you misunderstand me. Fire! Burn them! They need to die!"

"But..." Mr. Leopold gulped. "You can't possibly mean that." The whites of his eyes wide as an ocean.

"Don't I?" Mr. Feinmeister queried, his voice dark and calm. "Let me be succinct. It is my determination that they are in fact witches. And what do you do with witches?" He spoke to Mr. Leopold in the same tone of voice that you would use with a wayward child that you're trying to teach a lesson to.

"You burn them?" Mr. Leopold's face was a pale shade of ashy gray. He gulped, nearly choking on his next statement; "And how, exactly do you want me to go about this?"

Mr. Feinmeister collected himself; "That would be your job. You're the office manager after all. I expect you to handle this, and if you can't then I will unfortunately have to let you go." Mr. Feinmeister gathered himself to leave and had already shuffled out of the door of Mr. Leopold's office when he turned back briefly to relate his final piece of advice; "And next time, Leopold, it would be best if you didn't hire any more witches, and we can avoid all of these unpleasant conversations."

Mr. Leopold felt it useless to mention the fact that he'd not hired the bitches in the first place, they'd simply come with the job.

Mr. Leopold slumped into his chair, unlocked his computer and typed "How to burn a Witch." into the search engine and sighed at the amount of results it spit out. "I'd better get overtime for this!" he sighed and plunged into plan making.

#my writing

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kachuuyaa · 2 years ago

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Hii!! Can I request fem Iguro Obanai!reader with Dazai???

It's okay if you don't want to 😊😊

Stay healthy and happy 💗💗

a/n: i hate relationships and i hate romance yet i write these. Duality yet i love it. ALSO THANK UUUU ANON STAY SAFE N HAPPY!!

1 yr link

IGURO OBANAI!READER X DAZAI

You were a lone swordsman with a troubled past and a questionable attitude. You had always expected the best despite the best being shown to you, and upon dealing with a client your unforgiving and stern persona was shown, leading you to be disliked among the clients of the ADA, while Kunikida insists you stop showing up if a client appears. You berated him harshly, even going as far as insulting his ideals which you found ridiculous. He responded with just as stern ferocity, and you simply strutted out of the room, seemingly unbothered at his words. Despite your unsympathetic attitude, you were shown to have displayed mass amounts of respect for the president, while displaying a much more annoying aura towards your fellow co-workers. Although, most times, you have shown evident worry over their well-being, and honestly, it couldn’t get any worse once Dazai noticed. You knew he was an incredibly observant employee, yet you knew, once he asked you for your hand in a double suicide, did that make you loathe him more than you initially thought.

Dazai was mostly the target for your harsh words, yet he tunes you out by listening to his walkman, leading you to smack his head in fury, causing his headphones to fly off. As he whips his head behind him and is greeted by a heavenly sight, your eyes blazing with fury as your snake hissed venemously at him, and he scrambled to his feet to flash a beaming smile at you. This has always happened between the both of you, which made Ranpo send you two on missions together to amuse himself, yet, of course, he knew that you would be a great match for one another. (for missions, obviously. What else?) After such missions that Ranpo had assigned to you was when Dazai had grown curious of you. Mostly due to your ability, which he realized that your ability was much more than a simple sword, as he thought you followed after Fukuzawa. It was only fair. From then on, the brunette would trail after you, lingering you beside staff meetings, an unwanted tension hanging in the atmosphere as you made no move to usher him away. He won’t, and you know it. It just seems like the snake on your side never respected his presence, as the ceaseless hisses from your snake upon detecting him would prove it so. You had simply stared at him as he coils himself around your neck even tighter, as if showing a stance of protection. Although, as much as Dazai would want to revel in your presence, the death glare you never fail to send him makes him think otherwise. Dazai would chuckle at your antics, finding delight at certain reactions to his gestures. He took the initiative to introduce Atsushi to you, as none of them ever volunteered to, making the albino inwardly wince at this. It could only mean that you were either incredibly strict and terrifying, or have the behavior of Dazai, and if you do, he had to applaud Kunikida for dealing with such people.

Nope. You were terrifying. Incredibly terrifying. He felt as if he wanted to run away at your judgemental eyes and your chilling aura-- wait, is that a snake around your neck? He shrieked and hid behind Dazai, who looked at him with amusement. He introduced you, as you started spewing insults towards the albino, until he commented on how straightforward yet harsh you were. This led you to widen your eyes and retract your finger, sending you into a spiral of concealed insecurity. You were told to be daunting, malignant, and insensitive to those you meet, yet as Atsushi uttered those words to Dazai, you cannot feign your confidence. You huffed and spat relentless words towards him, criticizing his choice for his line of work and adding a comment of his inability to improve. This comment seemed to have struck Atsushi, and Dazai, seeing this exchange, cleared his throat and cheerfully made his plan of intervening clear.

Atsushi observed that you were uninterested in mostly everything but missions and the President, whom he realized you held incredible respect for. He learned not to set you off, which means cutting off all contact with you. The only people you favor, he noticed, were Dazai and Fukuzawa. He recalls the harsh words you threw at Dazai, the latter only laughing and apologizing profusely while gazing at your furious face. Your expression didn’t falter, however, it had upon Dazai requesting for your hand. It made you snarl and whip your head around, walking away from him. You weren’t ready, and to accept his proposition of going out alone. Together, even. You weren’t one for romance, although the rapid palpitations of your heart upon gazing towards Dazai would prove otherwise, you sincerely had thought different. You were certain that you disguised such self-loathing quite well, that he wouldn’t notice a simple slip-up from you. It was unnoticeable to others, yet it was incredibly clear to Dazai, and it left you baffled. Was it out of pity? It enraged you, yet you never allowed yourself to confront him. It was only a matter of time that he would approach you with that coy smile you grew to favor, allowing your own esteem to fade as soon as your eyes landed on his form. Dazai was a mysterious, mystifying person, an enigma presented with the appearance of a devil. You knew better, how falling in love with a man involved in crime, a man shrouded in mystery, a man whose persona is all you know about him. Despite that, he had captivated you, akin to a moth to a flame. A love burning so bright that it made you bear your attraction a bit longer. Such realizations came easy for the bandaged man, drifting to you for attention at work. Your determination and your courage never wavered, even in the toughest of battles, with injuries delivered towards every crevice of your body, you did not halt, even for a second. Perhaps, it was simply you who captivated a man shrouded in darkness and in blood so poignant, a sinner like him would simply brush over it.

He thinks it should have been the other way around. Him, with flaws circling his body and the blood of many tainted on his fingertips, the screams of agony singing to him, a hymn of tormenting memories in his head like a vice, a man of Dazai’s caliber, despite your outward appearance and the words so spiteful it felt like blades grazing his skin, each statement sharper than the last, he felt that it was a sin to love you, you who had captured the heart of a walking prodigy tainted with bloody records and had committed such atrocities even you would seethe with rage to. But you chose him, and even though he did not deserve it, even though his selfishness had already inflated with his confidence, he accepted you, and he knew that the love in your eyes concealed with hatred and ferocity would fade upon sensing Dazai near you. It was funny, how quickly your aura shifts when he enters the room, the face you make when he appreciates the gifts you bought him, and with all this sincerity, it made you think about his knack for suicide, and that you’d gladly die with him for as long as the love lingers in the Yokohama soil, telling the tale of two tarnished beings, elemental yet sardonic in each other’s arms. Either way, you would not admit it, but your heart, hard as stone and as cold as the glaciers of Antarctica, shifted into something incredibly humane with the love and the serenity Dazai had provided you. Whatever that feeling was.

#黄昏のBAY CITY — EVENT #obanai reader #bsd x reader #bsd x you #bsd headcanons #bsd angst #bsd fluff #bsd drabbles #bsd fics #dazai x reader #dazai x you #dazai drabbles #dazai fics #daza headcanons #dazai angst #dazai fluff #not rlly proud of this since i wrote this while watching i want to eat ur pancreas so

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sagegreenizuku · 3 years ago

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Hi I see that you did my request. Thank you so much, it was so good? Can you do a part 2 to a pervert taking a panty shot with Tendo, Daichi and Tsukishima.

what they do when they catch a perv looking up your skirt

ft. tendou satori, daichi sawamura, and tsukishima kei

content: feminine!reader, unconsensual inappropriate photo taking, swearing, angst

a/n: i’m glad you liked my first one! i appreciate you making another request. hope this one is just as good!!

tendou satori

the two of you had gone out to a local farmers market for no other reason than to pass time

there were stands lined up along either side of centre street, barricades on the end of the roads to stop any traffic from entering

many people were out today

older folks were standing in the shade, talking about the new gossip in town

plenty of children were running around, chasing one another

"man i wish i had that much energy right now" tendou says as he observes the children's bursts of energy

his arm was lazily slung around you, his arm heavy on your shoulders

it was far too hot out but you insisted the two of you went out since you two spent the last week hanging out in your air conditioned home

"it feels like the heat is sucking me dry"

before you could tease him about what he said, he cuts you off

"don't even. i know what you're thinking"

you two continue your leisure stroll, stopping occasionally to see some items that peaked either of your interests

you bought a few small things here and there for either of you

"y/n look! an ice cream shop!" tendou practically drags you over

"satori, you know you can't just pull me along like that. one of your steps is like five of mine. be considerate of my lil legs please and thanks"

"sorry" he lightly ruffles your hair before turning his attention to the menu of flavours in front of him, "you want your usual?"

you nod, smiling up at him

he always remembers what you order from all the different restaurants you two go to

"could i get two scoops of (your favourite flavour) and two scoops of tiger tail?"

tendou hands a bill over to the cashier

the cashier rings in your order and hands the change back to him

as he grabs it from them, a nickel slips between his fingers and falls onto the ground

you bend down and attempt to grab the coin, but it kept slipping when you tried to lift it

the flash of a camera suddenly goes off, startling you

you immediately stand up straight and turn on your heels to see the man behind you in line had taken a photo of you bent over

tendou had noticed what happened as well

his tall figure suddenly looms over you

"man that's gotta be real fucking embarrassing for you," his tone was cold

the man's face had become a vibrant shade of red

he held his phone behind his back, attempting to hide it from the both of you

tendou begins to spit insults at the man, destroying any ounce of self-confidence he had

the man stood there in shame, taking each word to heart

tendou leans towards the man, "i want to watch you delete her photo"

tendou's eyes shift to the man's arm that was hiding the phone

the man realizes he has no way out of the situation so he obliges

he reveals his phone and shows his camera roll

he shows himself deleting the photo completely off his phone forever

"i-i'm so sorry" the man bows in shame to tendou

"don't apologize to me. apologize to her" he nods his head in your direction

you stare at the man with a blank stare, not letting your emotions get the best of you

he gives you a sincere apology

you accept it without forgiving him

he didn't deserve any forgiveness for his actions

who knows who else he's done it to/plans to do it to

you just wanted him to be dealt with

"alright now fuck off"

the man bows one last time while spitting out apologies before scurrying out the shop

the workers in the shop check on you and refund you for your ice creams as an apology for what had happened

the two of you thank them for their kindness and continued on with your day out, trash talking the man for well over an hour

daichi sawamura

it was the first day of the training camp for the boys

you had gone along with them since you were their #1 supporter and were a massive help when it came to practice

karasuno was about to play against ubugawa

all of the boys were standing on their half of the court, ready to stretch

“y/n!” daichi calls for you while motioning for you to join them

you jog over

it was then you realized you were wearing a skirt

how’re you supposed to lead their stretches while in a skirt??

whatever you’ll manage

“alright let’s stretch our arms first” you begin to do an array of stretches, ensuring all the boys are warmed up and not about to risk any injuries

after a little while, you finally got to the stretch you were hesitant on demonstrating

if you do it fast enough no one will notice

plus it’s the other team that can see your back and they’re busy warming up so no one will see anything

“okay now bend at the waist and reach towards the ground” you swiftly bend over and press your hands to the floor for a few seconds before you straighten out, “you guys hold that”

you look out at all of the guys holding the stretch

a few of them make comments about the position they’re in

it was then you heard two unfamiliar voices talking about you

they were talking about your underwear

you turn to glare at them and were about to speak up before daichi appears outta nowhere

he also heard what they said and stood up so damn fast

his sudden movements caught the attention from the rest of the team

“you two are absolutely disgusting. how dare you violate y/n’s privacy like that” he walks over to them, standing face to face

his expression was serious

you’d never seen him like this before

his demeanour had completely changed

daichi was pissed

both teams were now fully aware of the situation

a few members from ubugawa ran over and forced the boys to apologize to you before removing them from the gym at once

the coach of ubugawa informs you that he will be dealing a heavy punishment to those two

the punishment entails both of them being kicked off the team and some other things that involved their academics

you thank the coach for dealing with them appropriately

as you return to the karasuno boys, they all begin to ask if you were okay at once

noya and tanaka vow to beat their asses if they ever cross paths again

a few of the other boys agree with the two

their concern was absolutely heartwarming

knowing this group of idiots truly cared for you and would do anything for you was so reassuring

but what was even nicer was how daichi took care of you after the training

he managed to get his hands on your favourite desserts

probably by talking to the managers and persuading them to buy a few things on his behalf

anyways, he had set up a small picnic out in the field with your desserts and a large blanket

it was dark out and the stars were twinkling brighter than ever

the two of you spent hours under the night sky, enjoying one another’s presence

throughout the night, daichi would shower you in soft kisses and kind affirmations

he feels absolutely terrible about what had happened and he wanted to do anything to make you feel better

he vowed he would never let something like this happen ever again

he even asked if you wanted to talk about it and vent to him

he was ready to do anything to make you feel better

but what he did on his own was honestly enough

his sweet gestures made your heart flutter and chest fill with warmth

he made you forget all about what had happened

tsukishima kei

the two of you made a lil ritual of going to your favourite music shop every month to treat yourselves

you two would sift through hundreds of CDs

you’d entertain one another with commentary about the cover art, band names, and bizarre song titles

“you think that’s her real boob?” you ask as you hold up halsey’s most recent album

tsukki doesn't even bother to look over

“how do you manage to always find the weird album covers?”

“it’s not weird”

he looks over at you and tilts his head, giving you a deadpanned look

“she’s holding her baby. it has a maternal vibe yanno”

“hm okay” he shakes his head at you and turns back to the CDs he was looking through

you caught the small smile that adorned his face though

the two of you continue to search through the albums

tsukki would hold up an album to show you it’s cover art knowing you’d have something funny to say

after you both picked out a few CDs you wanted to buy, you thought of a idea

“why don't we pick out an album for one another? it’ll be cute” you know damn well he wouldn’t pick out a cute one for you, but he’ll pull through with something that’d entertain you

“that’s lame”

“please kei”

he places his stack of CDs on the till before turning to you, “fine”

you give him a bright smile before putting your CDs next to his and scurrying off to the other side of the store to find something for him

when you’d sneak glances over at him to see what he was contemplating, he'd be focussed in on a album, reading through the songs on the back

you decided to stop looking over and really focus on your search

an album finally sticks out to you

just as you leant forward to grab it from the back of the display, you felt someone walk behind you

the click of a photo being taken fills the room

you immediately drop the album back into the display and whip around to see a man frantically speed walk away from you

“hey!” you yell at the man, “did you just take a picture of my underwear?”

you begin to run after him in a rage

tsukishima dropped what he was doing the second he heard your outburst

he marched right up to the man and grabbed his shoulder with a tight grip to keep him from leaving

you run up behind tsukki and the man

you were about to go off on the man, but tsukki beat you to it

“you must live one sad life if you have to go around taking pictures of unsuspecting girls to get off”

the man tries to shake tsukishima off, but his grips simply tightens

his knuckles turned white from how strong his grip was

he turns the man towards him by pulling on his shoulder

tsukki holds out his free hand, “i'll give you a choice. either you unlock that phone and hand it to me or i will report you to the police”

the colour drains from the man’s face once tsukki brought up the police

knowing his choices, the man chooses to give tsukki his phone

“good choice”

tsukki goes through the man’s phone and deletes the photo forever

he then quickly opens the man’s contacts and gets his name

tsukki closes up the apps and drops the phone back into the man’s hand

“now get out of my face. i never want to see you again” tsukki shoves the man away from the two of you

the strange man takes no time before running out the store and down the street

tsukki sighs deeply before he turns to face you

though he isn’t one to initiate any sort of pda, he pulls you into a tight hug, his face in the crook of your neck

“i'm sorry i couldn’t keep that dick from taking that picture of you” he pulls away from the hug to look into your eyes

his eyes were filled with sadness

he truly felt bad

“don’t blame yourself tsukki,” you give him a reassuring smile, “why don’t we just buy those CDs we put aside and head home?”

“wait,” he lets go of you and goes back to the display he was looking at previously

he returns to you with an album you weren’t familiar with

“this one’s for you. it has that song we always listen to” he turns the CD around to show you the tracklist

in the middle of all the songs you didn’t recognize, you saw the one song you would always put on for the two of you to jam out to

a fuzzy and warm feeling fills your heart as you look between tsukki and the album in his hand

“this is perfect. thank you so much kei,” you pull him down to your height and give him a quick peck on the cheek before internally gushing over how cute his choice was

a red hue covers his face

tsukishima buys all the CDs for the two of you

the two of you left hand in hand, sharing a pair of earbuds as you walk back to his place

also tsukki reported the man to the police the minute you two got home

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