#but i feel like hearing that someone drew that in front of your house is gonna be scary either way

[ittibittium]

.

[sylusjinwoon]

{ 109 }

you don't know my name.

mike schmidt x fem.reader warnings: unedited; completely fluffy and safe; story takes place after the events of the movie.

{ doing more than i've ever done for anyone's attention | take notice of what's in front of you, 'cause did i mention? | you're about to miss a good thing. }

there was a cute guy that caught your eye during your morning shift at sparky's diner.

he seems tired, you mused to yourself while wiping down one of the tables. every so often, your eyes would stray to him, taking in his strands of curly, brown hair and eyes the color of milk coffee. you noticed the way those dark circles remain prominent beneath his eyelids, and how slouched his posture was.

it seemed as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, yet somehow, something about him drew you to him. as your perky and all too eager co-worker, ness, was about to speak to the tired young man, you stop him in his tracks. "wait, ness, if it's okay with you...could we...switch duties for a moment?"

"switch? whatever for?" ness asks you, ready to hear your explanation when a sudden, knowing smile graces his features. "ah, i get it. so you've got a crush on mike schmidt?"

"oh, his name's mike- i-i mean! no, don't be silly, ness! i-i do not have a crush on him! it's just-" you trail off while looking at the table where he- where mike was. "he looks tired, like maybe he could use a little pick-me-up, and someone who's willing to listen to him."

ness playfully rolls his eyes at you, but ultimately takes a hold of your rag and proceeds to wipe down the tables, silently jutting his head over towards the table where mike sat. mouthing a quiet thank you to him, you take out your pad and pen and walk over to his table.

"good morning and welcome to sparky's diner! what can i get for you?" your voice was dripping with sincerity and a bit of enthusiasm, waiting for mike to speak. his gaze was faraway, yet when you called out to him was when he finally looked at you. you watch as his gaze meets with your own, feeling your heart jump into the confines of your throat as it began to race. butterflies were felt erupting all across your abdomen, and you realized that he was kind of cute- really cute up close. you saw his mouth move, mouthing something, yet you were so distracted that you had to shake your head and ask him to repeat his order, an admission that made the heat settle against your cheeks as you could feel the blood rushing beneath your skin. "it's okay, i just said a regular coffee with cream and sugar is fine." "r-right, coffee with cream and sugar, got it! can i get you anything else?" feeling playful, you lean down a bit closer to him, whispering almost in hushed tones, "secret between you and me, but our cinnamon rolls are to die for." your words succeed in making mike smile, earning the tiniest chuckle from him as he shakes his head. "i'm sure they are, but maybe next time. i'm good with just some coffee." "comin' right up!" your heart was fluttering within your chest now, and you could not stop the smile that threatened to paint your features. something about mike stood out to you as being lonely, and you wanted to see him smile again. so, you tell the cooks that you could take care of this simple order, making mike's coffee while putting vanilla creamer and some sugar in it. with his cup of coffee set aside, you got a plate and placed a warm cinnamon roll with a light sheen of frosting on it. with his treat in hand, you head over to the table and deliver mike's order. "here you go." mike sees the cinnamon roll and was about to protest. "oh, sorry, but i didn't order-"

"it's on the house." you wink at him, ignoring the slight pounding of your heart before walking away from mike, giving him some space to enjoy his morning treat. as you made your way back to the counter, ness was giving you an almost smug expression. "so...when's the wedding again?"

his teasing question makes you roll your eyes at him, but deep down, it made your heart skip beats in a way that you've never felt before- but you certainly didn't hate this feeling. { ... } mike schmidt became somewhat of a regular after that first morning. despite how tired he seemed, he always made sure to come to the diner around 7am. from the short conversations you had with him, you knew that he had a bit of a rough childhood and was taking odd end jobs to help with raising his little sister, abby, with his current job being a night shift security guard at the medical center nearby. each time he came, you would serve his usual coffee. your boss always told you to use regular milk for anyone who orders coffee and to save the vanilla creamer for regulars who tipped well, but you didn't care. mike was special to you, so you always added the vanilla creamer to his coffee along with a sweet treat.

it didn't matter that your special treatment pertaining to mike schmidt docked a little bit of your paycheck every two weeks, to you, it was worth seeing his smile and the bit of exhaustion slip away from his features. you wanted to know more about him, and whether he was happy. you wanted desperately for him to open up to you. yet, something seemed to shift. today, when he came in, he changed his order from a single cup of coffee to two. his sudden change in order made your heart sank, wondering if his order for two cups of coffee was for that pretty blonde girl who you saw him with a few weeks ago. she didn't enter the diner with him, rather, they shared a brief conversation before embracing each other. you recall that day where you cheerfully asked him if she was his girlfriend and why she didn't come in with him, hiding the strange hurt you felt behind a too wide smile. yet the moment he vehemently shook his head while clarifying that she was just a friend and needed to get back to work, you all but forgot about it. maybe it's different now after all. you chew on your bottom lip while making mike's two cups of coffee, adding the vanilla creamer in both as you wondered if it was too late for you to ask him out. ever since the first day that you met him, he has been all that you've thought about, and your crush on him was slowly morphing into something that was much deeper.

with the two coffees in hand, you shakily deliver them to mike's table, mustering a shaky enjoy before attempting to walk away. yet, it was mike that stopped you from leaving when he says your name out loud. "wait, don't go." you face him, confusion written all across your face as mike looks away from you. he says nothing, just keeping his furrowed brow on the two cups of coffee settled on the table. "what's wrong, mike?" your voice comes out patient and soft, waiting for him to tell you what was on his mind. you watch as his fingertips trace the rim of the coffee cup, hearing him clear his throat before continuing. "sorry, i'm really not good at any of this, at all, but abby told me i should make a move." abby? his sister?

you were given no chance to dwell on his words when he gestures at the second cup of coffee. "this one's for you, and i'm wondering if you'd like to...sit down and share a cup with me?" with a purse of your lips, your eyes scan the diner, seeing only a few customers enjoying their breakfast with ness organizing all of the condiments on the table. letting out a sigh, you give mike a nod and sit across the table from him.

a strange sense of relief was felt coursing through your veins now that you were across from mike. taking the cup of coffee (where now you knew was meant for you this whole time) you take a sip while trying to taste the subtle sweetness of the coffee mixed in with vanilla creamer-

yet all you could focus on was the smile mike held on his face. "i can't tell you how much...better i've been feeling lately." mike begins to tell you, looking down at his coffee with a fondness in his gaze. "it's just, these days...i really find myself looking forward to seeing you."

his words were so achingly sweet that you felt your heart melt, swearing that you were close to turning into putty. not realizing the change in your demeanor, mike leans forward to take a hold of your hand within his. "so, i was wondering..."

"could i...could i pick you up later tonight after your shift and invite you over for dinner? i've got the day off, and i feel like i need to return the favor for all the free treats you've been giving me these past couple of months." you would be a fool not to accept, so of course-

you said yes to his offer.

{...}

you were able to go home an hour early thanks to ness' urging. when you told your co-worker about mike inviting you to dinner, he became the best wingman a girl could ever ask for and told you that he could take over the closing shift. he teases you, of course, begging you to invite him to the wedding as you brushed off his words when you finally clocked out and met with mike. he was standing close to his sedan, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans with a pair of sneakers. upon seeing your figure walking out of the diner, mike smiles at you, opening the passenger side of his door.

the moment you were in the car, you saw a girl with curly locks of dark brown hair coloring in her sketchbook. seeing the similarities between her and mike, you were quick to assume that this little girl was abby, mike's sister.

"hello, you must be abby. it's nice to meet you, i'm-"

abby then says your name, interrupting your introduction while still coloring in her sketchbook. "i know who you are. my brother talks about you all the time."

a mischievous smile was seen on abby's face, yet you felt flustered upon hearing her words. when mike enters the car, his hands were on the steering wheel as he looks back between you and abby. he seems to notice the change in your expression when he asks, "what happened? did i miss something?" "n-no! you didn't miss anything at all!" you reassure him with a smile on your face, yet was all too aware of abby's giggles from the back of the car. you hear something ripping from behind you as abby leans toward you, beckoning you to take the drawing from her hand. "mike's really shy, but i know he really likes you." "abby don't just-" the siblings begin to bicker back and forth, yet you couldn't hear them the moment you laid your eyes on the drawing in your hand. in it, the picture depicted you and mike holding hands in front of your diner with a big heart settled in between both of your figures. you smile to yourself and knew that this drawing was going to be your most beloved treasure. {...} the ride home was quick and uneventful, with mike telling abby to put her seatbelt back on as he drove home.

the moment you set foot within mike and abby's home, you were hit with the comforting scent of homemade meatloaf with mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. the three of you shared heaping portions of food, making small talk about abby's school life and how she was doing so far. she faces mike while asking him, "can we take her to meet my friends later?" her question seems to make mike stiffen in response, with him taking a big swig of his class of water. "no, not now. maybe some other time, okay?" "but, i'm sure they'd really love her." "i'm sure they would too, but, not now, okay abby?"

"okay." there was a strange, melancholic expression that falls across her face, and you wondered just who her friends were. the rest of dinner became a little tense afterwards. when everyone had finished their meal, mike told abby to play in her room. "i'll clean up, so you go ahead and play as a reward for doing so well at school today." "okay!" abby gives you a knowing smile and a wink, before quickly darting off to her room. you had to shake off the feeling that abby was trying to set you up with mike as well, clearing your throat as you collected all of the dirty plates and utensils. "and i'll help you clean, mike. after all, that was a delicious meatloaf you cooked up. i ate every bit of it." mike's expression became sheepish once more as he took the plates and began washing them, "i'm glad you think so. to be honest with you, i'm still learning how to cook without relying on boxed meals, so it means a lot to me."

there was a comfortable silence settled between the two of you. as mike finished washing the dishes, you began drying them with a towel before setting them on the rack. when every plate and utensil had been washed and dried, you were left gazing up at mike. no words were spoken, yet you could feel yourself inching ever so closer to him. his warmth ensnared you, captivating you in the best of ways as mike placed the palm of his hand on your cheek. he whispers your name, sliding his eyes closed as he meets with your lips in a sweet kiss. with a soft moan, you kiss him back, allowing his chapped lips to perfectly slot against yours. you feel his hands at the back of your head, tangling his fingertips within your hair as he drew you closer to him.

as your chest met with his, you continued to bask in his sweet kiss. wanting, needing, and desperate for more. his taste was addicting, and you found yourself falling for him so deeply.

"mike, what's taking you so long-" abby's voice cuts through you, making you pull away from mike as you stared at the girl with wide eyes. abby looks between you and her brother and starts to giggle, "sorry for interrupting, take as long as you need!" she runs away once more, making you fall against mike with a groan. he chuckles, wrapping his arms around you while tracing his nose against the strands of your hair. "maybe it was a good thing that abby interrupted us, or else i never would have asked." you let out your own laughter in response. "ask what?" he pulls away from you, framing your face with his two hands while allowing the pads of his thumb to caress at your face. "will you be my girlfriend?"

you could feel a smile forming when you lean upwards to press your lips against his in another kiss, all while whispering to him, "but of course; for i would want nothing more than to be yours, mike schmidt."

a.n. - the fnaf movie was actually so cute and so much fun to watch, i loved it a lot too! this was written because mike schmidt deserves to be happy 🥹 he's been through so much! i apologize for any errors or mistakes, and will fix any errors/mistakes after posting.

this whole story was inspired by alicia key's 'you don't know my name,' so do give it a listen ♡

major edit notes 10/29/23 @11:30pm, changed matthew / matt's name to "ness," his canon character name in the movie.

all stories are written by rei; reposts, translations, and plagiarism are not allowed.

[plussizeficchick]

Artist Boyfriend | Jungkook x Chubby!Reader

Summary; “He’s not my real boyfriend, he’s my artist boyfriend.” (Loosely based on the movie “Dinner in America”, and this edit.)

Warnings: Street Artist!Jungkook, public sex, P in V, panty sniffing, breeding kink, mildly jealous Jungkook, somewhat bad boy!jk? (He runs from the law).

Your heart nearly jumps out of your chest when you hear someone practically fall into your flower shop. You lean your head over the oak counter, looking to see who it was. 

He had dark hair, the curls slick with sweat making them more pronounced. He was breathing heavily, and you’d be lying if you said his labored breaths weren’t causing a heat to build in your lower stomach. 

Get it together (Y/N)!

“Hey, you need some help?” Jungkook’s head jolts in the direction of your voice. You hold up your hands in mock surrender, showing that you mean no harm. 

This was bad. Really bad. Pretty soon the cops would be rounding the corner looking for “him” but there was nowhere for him to hide besides the flower shop that he accidentally stumbled into. “Uh, I-” He was at a loss for words as his eyes ran over your plump figure. 

You were fucking beautiful.

You wore an off the shoulder sundress that hugged your stomach and tits quite nicely, if he says so himself. Your thick thighs were on display, making his mouth water slightly at the thought of possibly feeling those wrapped around his head. 

“Mister?” You furrow your brows, what’s up with this guy? “Hide me.” Your eyes nearly bulge out of your head. “Huh?!” He quickly shushes you, his warm eyes softening, almost pleading with you. “Please, hide me. I’ll explain after.” You don’t know what compels you, but you end up agreeing, hiding him behind your counter, just in time for the cops to rear their heads. 

“‘Scuse us ma’am, have you seen a young man running in this direction? Black ski mask, dark clothes, the like.” You do your best to be convincing, “Yeah! Saw him run down that way, though it looked like he hopped on a bus.” You shrug. The police turn their heads just in time to see a bus leaving the stop. One tosses his hat to the ground, visibly upset, “Damn it! We had that little shit! We were so close!” You’re a bit startled at the display, eyes shifting to the fugitive that you’ve essentially housed. “Calm down, Han before you scare the poor girl.” He gestures towards you. “We’ll get him next time. Thank you for your help, miss.” You bid them farewell, and when you’re sure that they won’t be returning, you lock your door, turning over the Out For Lunch sign.

“Explain.” You say, arms folded over your chest. You may not have meant to, but the action causes your breast to accentuate, the fat practically spilling over the top. Oh to feel the sweet softness, to feel them squeezed in the palm of his hands. To fuck his dick in the middle of the soft mounds of flesh. “Hello!” You wave your hand in front of his face. Maybe this was a bad idea? “What? Oh right- sorry. Well you see I did some graffiti and let’s just say, they didn’t take too kindly to me “defacing public property” or whatever.” He brushes off, hands resting in his black jean pocket.

He was attractive, in a sort of endearingly punk sort of way. He was dressed in majority black, with pops of color from the various wristbands that he had on each wrist. Said wristbands drew attention to his hands, the few veins that ran along them and his surprisingly long fingers. What you wouldn’t give to feel them inside you. Curling up and finding that delicious spot inside you. “Hey, miss?” He snaps his fingers in front of your face, was this what he was like? It was quite… amusing.

You snap out of your reverie, an adorable pout making its way to your lips, “Don’t call me “miss”, makes me feel old.” You mutter, and Jungkook wants nothing more than to kiss your puckered lips. “Well, sorryyy,” he drags out the word as he looks down to read your nametag, “(Y/N), anyway, apparently my art is “illegal” so I kind of had to cut loose.” He clicks his tongue to emphasize his point. You size him up, “What type of graffiti?” You ask. He balks at you, it’s rare for him to find a girl interested in that kind of thing. “Huh?” “I’m pretty familiar with the scene around here, so what kind of work do you do? Tag? Blockbuster?” You prompt, and Jungkook feels himself falling for you already. 

“I- Freestyle. I freestyle, really.” He says, fumbling over his words. You run your eyes over his figure before you settle on his eyes. Cute. “You’ll have to show me your work sometime.” You tease, moving to tend to your flowers. Jungkook follows close behind, your scent of warm vanilla and lilies drawing him in. “Maybe.” He flirts back. “Say, how do you know so much about this kind of stuff anyway?” He asks, eyeing a bouquet of white roses that’d look very nice in your possession. You jolt your head to look at him, an incredulous look on your face, “What? I don’t look like I know that kind of thing?” You sass. Jungkook nearly chokes on his spit, “W-what? No! No, that’s not w-” He’s cut off by the sound of your melodic laugh, “I’m just kidding, chill out.” You say, pulling a small chuckle from him. “Ha-ha very funny.” He deadpans. You smile brightly up at him, your chubby cheeks lifting at the action. “To answer your question, Mister fugitive-” “You know if you want my name, you can just ask.” He winks. “Anyway, I’ve been in the street art scene for a while. I’m not really good at doing it, but I do have my favorite artists.” You shrug. 

Jungkook’s intrigued, eager to hear more. “Really?” Who’s your favorite?” He asks, and you’d be lying if his excitement wasn’t infectious. You giggle at his eagerness, “Well, there’s not much known about him and no one has seen him yet. According to a lot of people, he never signs his work.” “And I take it that you don’t agree.” He says. You shake your head, “There’s this group that thinks his signature is in his work and I agree. The most common letters seen in his work is JK. With the type of art he does, there’s no way that you don’t want your signature on something like that. But I also understand him not wanting to take away from the art. So why not try to find a way to sign it, while also making it part of the art?” You say, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. Jungkook feels himself nodding before he realizes, “That actually makes a lot of sense. I’ll have to see this guy’s work. I mean, if I’m going to be the top artist in your life.” He smirks. You feel your cheeks heat up, a smile unconsciously making its way to your face. “And what makes you think you’ll be my favorite?” You say, tapping a finger against your chin. Jungkook plucks one of the many white roses he was eyeing, extending it towards you. “I know so.”

— —

It didn’t take long for Jungkook to come by your flower shop regularly, always sure to buy and leave a flower with you each time he came. And it took even less time for you to start dating, the tension between the both of you too palpable to ignore.

It was an accident really. You had decided that you wanted to show your closest friend one of the most recent works of your favorite graffiti artist, practically dragging him to the mural. “Hurry uppp, slowpoke. I wanna show you my boyfriend’s work.” You suddenly feel Jungkook come to an abrupt halt. “Boyfriend? I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.” He says, an adorable pout making its way to his plump, pink lips. 

So cute you just want to kiss it off.

“Not my real boyfriend, silly.” You giggle at the confused, almost puppy dog look he gives you. “He’s not my actual boyfriend, he’s my artist boyfriend. I wouldn’t actually date him.” You scoff playfully, turning around to guide him into the direction you were going.

When you both finally reach your favorite artist’s work and after a while of admiring it, you notice Jungkook shifting uncomfortably next to you. “Are you okay? We don’t have to stay.” You reassure him. You barely have time to register him grabbing your hand and practically dragging you away from the other street artists.

He pulls you into an alley, far from prying ears and eyes and before you get the chance to ask him what happened, he presses his lips firmly against yours. “I’m JK.” He says when he finally pulls away from you. Your eyes widen to the size of saucers, all types of questions on your tongue. “I had to come with you to make sure that it was me that you were talking about and now that I know I can’t keep that part of myself away from you. Especially since I’m your “artist boyfriend”.” He says, nervously gnawing on his lip ring.

How? When did he find the time? Could he kiss you like that again?

You hadn't even realized you asked the last question aloud until you hear the slight chuckle that you’ve come to fall in love with. “Sure, but are you gonna keep my secret for me?” He asks, that sinister smirk making its way to his lips. 

Before you know it you're nodding your head, eager to feel his soft lips against yours as he runs his hands along your soft body. Fuck he never gets tired of feeling you against him. The sharp contrast of hard to soft, the way you practically melt into him.

It’s just too fucking delectable to pass up.

The tension between you both builds, the kiss gradually heating up and becoming more intense as the seconds pass. You wrap your arms around his neck just as he lifts up one of your legs to wrap around him. You both groan at the glorious friction, his clothed cock grinding against your puffy pussy making slick pool in your already sticky panties. “Please,” You mewl against his lips, the chill of his lip ring feeling tantalizing against your lips. “Please what, pretty? You gotta tell me what you want.” He breathes against your lips, the smell of his mint gum and cologne pulling you in. You whine, threats of a tantrum rearing it’s head. “Kookie, please don’t tease.” Jungkook chuckles, before slightly pulling away from you.

You reach out for him, chubby arms holding onto him for dear life, “Kook, please. Fuck me. Touch me. I need something.” You groan against him as you practically dry hump him. Jungkook decides to take pity on you and all but rips the flimsy thong you’re wearing off of you. You barely had time to register before he was shoving the piece of cloth against his nose, your scent washing over his senses. 

He quickly pockets the piece of fabric. You’re on borrowed time, it’s only a matter of time before another couple comes along for their own salacious activities and as adventurous as Jungkook is, you’re his to look at. 

He just manages to tug down his zipper and pull his semi hard cock out, before he uses your slick to coat his cock, running his dick along your wet cunt. “Fuck me, Jungkook. Fill me up. Wanna be full.” You moan into his ear. The sound of your breathy voice in his ear does something to Jungkook and without warning, he slams himself inside you to the hilt. You groan at the intrusion, never truly having got used to his size as yet. “Fuck! Yes, baby. That’s it. Give me that pussy.” Jungkook groans into your neck. He’s sucking hickies and leaving small, wet kisses along your throat and the exposed skin on your chest. You moan at the feeling, reaching up to bring his lips to yours. 

He reaches one hand up to palm at one of your tits, squeezing and molding the flesh to fit his large hand. You whimper when you feel him squeeze your nipple under your dress, causing your pussy to squeeze around him involuntarily. You both moan into each other's mouths, your pussy clenching and unclenching around the thickness of his cock each time he punches the soft, gummy spot inside you. “Cum for me.” He grunts, cock throbbing as it aches to empty itself in your womb. “Soak my fucking dick, baby. Get me nice and wet, pretty. Cause I’m gonna fill you up. Stuff you to the fucking brim.” You cry out as your orgasm washes over you, your pussy squelching as you milk his orgasm for everything it’s worth. “Cum in me. Fill me up, baby. Wanna be so full it leaks out.” You moan into his mouth, eyes locked together. It doesn’t take long, a few more thrusts and he’s spilling into you, the warmth of his seed settling deep inside your stomach.

You both take a few seconds for your highs to come down and before long, you start to giggle. “Were you jealous, Kookie?” Jungkook pulls away slightly to pout at you, lips all pretty and kiss-swollen.

“Was not.”

— —

Taglist: @xogabbiexo @kinq-sleazee @dabilovesme @blkchxrryblyss @tenyaiidasslut @cherries-c0la @bookwormsenpai @bl--ankhaeji @thicksimpx @namjoonswifeyy @nasty-quillz @musicisme333 @unsatisfiedanddisappointed @celi-xxmoon @c0pkiller

[rafeysbafey]

hey! i love your fics and was wondering if you could do a fic based on mitskis song ‘my love mine all mine’ ( mostly the part “nothing i do belongs to me”)

I was thinking maybe reader thinks rafe is using her for s-x and maybe she thinks that rafe doesn’t love her and becomes distant?

if you can’t it’s totally okay! 🩷🎅🏻

LOWKEY dont know how to feel abt this fic i feel like i went off track im so sorry in advance

you sat in silence with the comforter pulled up to your chest as your eyes trailed after rafe, watching as he left to start a shower.

no aftercare, no checking to see if you were okay.

‘cause my love is mine, all mine

you and rafe were never dating, is what you had to constantly remind yourself.

but even with the whole ‘friends with benefits’ deal, he would still treat you like his girlfriend.

“coffee for you, m’lady,” he bowed, sticking out his hand to give you an iced latte.

you took it with a funny look, teasing him as you spoke, “is it poisoned?”

he gasped at your response, faking offense with sad eyes.

or when the two of you would lay in comfortable silence after sex, your body fitting perfectly next to his as he drew shapes across your skin.

“you hungry?” he asked, paying attention to how your stomach growled softly.

“only if you are.”

“ill take that as a yes,” he chuckled before grabbing his phone and typing in your favorite take-out restaurant.

but here you were, sitting in his bed by yourself as you listened to the water hit the tiled floor.

i love mine, mine, mine

deciding you weren’t going to wait for him, you slide out the bed and grabbed your clothes that were carelessly thrown across the room.

you didn’t hear much from him the day you left, but when it was close to midnight the next night, your phone pinged.

‘rafeeeeeee’

want 2 come ovr

?

you decided to ignore his text, not caring to respond as you tossed your phone to the side and continued to watch your show on Netflix.

the weekend went by with you ignoring rafe, leaving the boy confused as he left voicemails asking what was wrong.

it was cheesy, but you guys really didn’t spend even a day apart, always hanging out or sleeping over at each others houses.

you were getting ready for school when you heard a car honk outside, your brows furrowing together before realizing who it was.

rafe always picked you up for school, you just forgot to tell him not to today.

sighing, you answered the front door but froze when you came face to face with the boy, an iced latte in his hand and a frown covering his features.

“you’ve been ignoring me,” he automatically said, hurt laced in his voice as you stood there in silence.

“can we not do this right now?” you asked, voice quiet as if someone else were listening to the conversation.

“i just want to know why my girl hasn’t been responding to my texts or calls.”

your body flinched ever so slightly at the words ‘my girl,’ catching you off guard as you looked at him in shock.

“im not ‘your girl,’ rafe,” you stated, although the quiver in your voice seemed to give it away.

“you’re always my girl-”

“then why have you been treating me so different lately?”

nothing in the world belongs to me

it was his turn to freeze in place, mouth opening to speak but nothing coming out.

“I just-” he cut himself off before running his free hand through his hair, “i just got scared, okay?”

“scared of what?”

“falling in love with you!”

your eyes widened at his confession, rafe’s mouth immediately snapping shut at the realization.

“I shouldn’t have said that- i shouldn’t have said anything.”

“rafe,” you mumbled, eyes searching in his for any sign of regret or bluff.

“you shouldn’t be afraid, i think- no i know,” you corrected, “i know im falling for you.”

his shoulders fell in relief at your response, eyes lighting up as a small blush painted his face.

“really? you’re not just saying that, right?”

you let out a small laugh before shaking your head, “im not.”

“well, will you take this iced latte and make me the happiest man on earth, and be my girlfriend?” he stuck out the cup as he got on one knee.

“rafe you’re making this weird!” you laughed, grabbing both his shoulders and yanking him up.

“but yes, i would love an iced latte.”

“and?” he asked, brow raising as he pretended to get impatient.

“oh, yes i will be your girlfriend.”

but my love mine, all mine, all mine

[mr-spotatohead]

-Inseparable.-

Welcome Home & Child!Reader Platonic.

Words: 3,470.

|Contains: Swearing. Slight Horror.|

Synopsis: You draw a lot, and you want attention from your mother, but she doesn't give you the attention you need. Until she puts on a show for you that caught your eye. And the main character gives you the attention you deserve.

You ran your hand across the white paper containing a green crayon. Your small, untrained hands made you pick up the crayon with your closed fist, scribbling on the paper with your grass-colored crayon. You were on your knees on the floor, with your toys and painting materials scattered around. You had your tongue out, concentrating hard on the work of art you were going to make.

"Uhum, yes, yes, I've checked that before." Your mother said in the background, her footsteps rushing, the sound of her shoes with a heel clicked against the floor. You continued drawing content to show the end result to your extremely busy mother. The cheap TV played in the background, it was something that didn't catch your attention.

You finished the drawing and got up awkwardly, happy to find your mother in the house, which was easy since she was right behind the couch. She was on the phone, her purse already in her arms, you approached her talking to her but she didn't hear you because she was already talking to someone else. She walked straight past you and made her way to the kitchen table, grabbing her car keys. You puffed out your cheeks. After being ignored, again. You walked back to the floor in front of the television. Your mother soon came close to you and bent down, placing a kiss on your head. "Sorry honey, mommy has to go out now. How about a cartoon for you to watch?" Your mother suggested already changing the channel, just watching the first thing that looked childish was enough. It was a cartoon. That was enough. You didn't even have time to show her your drawing because your mother already closed and locked the door. And left you alone again. Not that you cared, you're old enough to take care of yourself, and you are proud of it. But still, it was very disappointing not to have your mother's attention, all your drawings, all your work, your mother didn't have time, at least not anymore. You sulked now, you looked at your toys on the floor, you didn't feel like playing. Until an animated song started playing on the TV. Making you look at the screen. Your curious eyes observed how bad the quality of the show on your TV was. But that didn't matter to you. What caught your attention was the funny colors of the show. You watched the animation of the show go on like a normal day, showing a few houses in a colorful neighborhood, the camera moving closer to a greener place, focusing on a character. A man with blue hair. You kept looking at the screen, seeing that the character was concentrating on painting a picture, and when he finished, the character noticed the presence of the audience and commented. "Oh, hello, neighbor! You've finally arrived." The character smiled at the audience and that caught your attention. He moved to the side and put his equipment aside. Focusing on the audience. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? How are you?" The character asked turning his head to the side. You, not taking your eyes off the screen, decided to sit on the floor. Curiosity on your face.

There was a silence after the question, and you wondered if the television had frozen as it sometimes does. But you could hear music in the background, so you decided to answer happily. "I'm fine! I just drew a picture, so I'm happy." "Oh, that's wonderful. When you're happy, I'm happy." The character smiled closing his eyes, with his hands together. You crossed your legs and let your hands rest in the space between them. A silly smile rose to your face. You genuinely liked that the character was paying attention to you. You, being a child with a creative mind, genuinely thought that the character was talking to you. Not noticing the generic lines that he responded to after you spoke. This character, that you just met, you don't know his name so far, but he asks you questions! He asks things of you. And that was exactly the kind of attention you wanted. And you were loving it!

"How many apples are in that tree?" "Four!" "Perfect! Four apples, one for Julie, one for Barnaby, one for me, and one for you, neighbor!" Wally was smiling and looking at you with such enthusiasm, you were jumping in place, even though you knew there was no way you could eat the apple. "Woah, time passes when you're having fun, doesn't it?" Wally said after the episode was coming to an end, at least you learned this character's name. "Well, we better get some rest, see you tomorrow, neighbor!" Wally said with a smile on his face, a little wave of the hand and then the credits rolled, you, still not satisfied, wanted more of that show. You just loved everything and everyone! Luckily, you saw the intro and the same song start playing again. You smiled contentedly, expecting more from the program. . . . This is the second day you've been watching Welcome Home, all afternoon you've been marathon watching the show, learning more about the characters, 'talking' to Wally and watching the comedy episodes. Today you were already in the living room waiting for the program to start, excited to watch them all again. Your mother noticed that you were absent in running around the house, she walked around the house, not being late this time. She noticed you in the living room, sitting on the floor watching TV. Your mother came over and when she went to ask you something, the show music started up and you excitedly hummed along. Seeing Wally already leaving his house, you smiled contently and spoke his name aloud. "Wally! Hi!!!" The puppet started with the identical opening line, which you didn't even realize was all from the show's script. But you were still happy to see the puppet answer you with the same "Oh, hello, neighbor! You've finally arrived."

You answered each question happily. Your mother looked at you with soft eyes. She saw how innocent you were to answer the TV. It was something simple and cute, that made you excited, so your mother let this channel play more often. . . .

This was the third day you were in the living room, waiting to watch your new favorite show. Your face was freshly wet, because what had happened earlier had made you very anxious. Your mother argued loudly on the phone, swearing, she even locked herself in another room so you couldn't hear, but it was difficult. So you tried to overcome this on your own, so you were lying on the floor drawing Wally, being soothed by drawing him. Your mother had to leave early today, but she would be back early too. So you were alone, waiting for the program to start. And when the music started, you excitedly sniffed and looked at the TV with sparkling eyes. Waiting for entertainment after waking up in an unpleasant way. Wally then appeared again, you were on the floor and quickly got up and sat down, grabbed your blankets and wrapped yourself up, since it was cold. Your favorite character came out of his house and started with his same normal question. "Oh, hello, neighbor! You've finally arrive-"

Suddenly, he stopped, in the middle of the sentence. You notice that the eyes of the puppet on the screen widened a little, as he noticed... something? Maybe. You curiously frowned slightly, wondering what had gotten into Wally? This is different. The pause that was taken left you confused, and then he continued, but his posture was different. "Uh- It's a beautiful day and…"

"How, uh. How are you?…" You watched the puppet in front of you with a more droopy posture, it didn't look like he was confident like all the other times. You shook your head, not thinking much. "I'm fine, how are you?" You asked just to ask, because you knew Wally would answer that anyway. But what you didn't expect was that the silence returned. The figure of Wally standing there, looking at you. Then you heard a low: "Are you sure?..."

You raised your eyebrows. Oh, he really answered you this time. You ran your hands over your face, feeling your hands get a little wet after wiping some of the liquid off your face. You looked down at your drawing and then looked into the puppet's eyes. "Hhm, I'm fine, Wally." You hummed affirming what you said earlier. But that didn't seem to have much effect, as the puppet in front of you stared at you with a silence in the background that seemed like forever before something happened.

And it wasn't what you expected. Because the image of Wally looking at you was soon replaced by the continuation of the episode. The view was of a clearing and a butterfly fluttered across the screen. You were surprised by Wally's strange behavior, but you ignored it.

The episode continued as usual, although Wally didn't appear for a few minutes. The characters are in a situation and need help, it was in this part that Wally would ask for your help in this situation. But he wasn't there. You questioned for a few seconds until the screen started to crash, the voices of some characters in the background still talking, but the screen was a mess, there were two scenes trying to appear on the screen, the colors were all mixed up and this made even the voices of the characters stop. Sitting in the dark with the screen all glitched made you a little worried, you remember that the last time the television was like this was on a rainy day. But it wasn't raining now. It made you get out of your blankets and look at the TV still frozen, occasionally making sounds. Suddenly an idea popped into your head. Your mother once hit the TV hard because she said it would fix it, you saw her do it, and it worked, maybe you could try it. Getting close to the TV you raised your small hand and slapped it lightly. Looking at the TV, it didn't work. Maybe you need more strength? You made your hand into a fist and when you went to lift it you were startled by the screen behaving more aggressively with colors and a loud, not pleasant, sound was made. "DO NOT" It was written illegibly on the screen, but you were able to read it despite the mess of glitches. "FIX IT." It appeared at the bottom of the screen, along with the other words. You stopped moving your hand and observed what was happening on the screen. Suddenly. Statics. The television became pure static, no music, no show, nothing. And then only two words appeared. The font was better, despite the random color streaks being made on the screen. "Let me." After a few seconds. The TV went black and a song started. You realized it was the intro of the show, without much doubt, the show started again, the animation of the houses in the neighborhood, the title 'Welcome Home', everything was normal again. You sighed, glad that it was working again, and then you saw him. Wally had his back to you, with a white canvas in front of him, he wasn't painting anything. And then he noticed you. He turned and smiled looking at you. "Oh, hello again neighbor." Wally said putting his brush aside. "Sorry about that, something happened. An... inconvenience." The man in blue said with a smile and his eyes closed, looking even a little forced. "But now! No interruptions. Let's talk, shall we?" Wally put his hands together and smiled broadly, looking at you again. You looked surprised at the screen. Talk? About what? You frowned and turned your head away. "Aren't we going to help your friends? Earlier they seemed to need help with who took their-"

Suddenly the screen changed and some characters from before appeared with a big smile on their faces. "Wowie! Thanks for finding my stuffed animal Wally and neighbor!" Sally said hugging the little toy. Julie nodded in agreement happy that they had found what was missing. And then the screen crashed and went back to the same greenish corner with Wally standing there smiling.

"See, they already found it, everyone is happy." Wally explained trying to convince you that there was no need to 'end the episode'. You frowned slightly, clearly not convinced. Wally quickly began.

"Although…" In a slightly lower voice, you looked at the screen curious by your favorite character's change of mood. "I'm out of ideas of what to paint." Wally let you look at the blank canvas with nothing on it. You happily jumped in place, taking interest. "Oh! I can help you!" You said enthusiastically, the puppet looked at you and a smile formed on his face, he put his hands on his own face, with the same kind of enthusiasm. "Perfect!"

Time passed and you two talked for hours. While Wally was painting what you suggested, you yourself decided to draw another picture, the atmosphere was fun and comfortable. You were loving this session of talking and painting.

"So, (Name)." Wally started, you hummed paying attention, not taking your eyes off your drawing. It was nice to hear Wally say your name instead of just neighbor, you told him at the beginning of your long conversation. "Why were you crying before? If it's okay to ask." Wally asked a bit monotonously, you scrabbled a bit at the colors abstractly and hummend thoughtfully. "Hmm, well…"

Wally is your friend, right? It's okay to tell him about you, he also tells you all about himself, so fair enough. "My mommy is very busy. She ignores all my drawings!" You said with your cheeks puffy. "Ah, but that's just not very nice of her, hm?" Wally commented, and you aggressively nodded several times. "But that has nothing to do with your crying, does it?"

You stopped swinging your legs and looked at the TV screen and just watched the back of Wally, who continued to paint the picture. You sighed and continued. "Yeah… Today my mom had an argument on the phone…. And she's very short-tempered, you know? She'll blow up at anything. She gets aggressive."

Your last line was probably what made Wally stop moving the brush across the canvas, as you were looking at the canvas, you saw Wally glance at you, his eyes were a tad sinister.

"With you?…"

You looked at Wally a little innocently and shook your head, "No, not with me, she locks herself in her room and breaks things right there. And I don't like it when she gets like that. That's why I was sad." As if your words were air, the puppet on the TV sighed, and turned his back again and continued painting.

"I'm done!" You smiled excitedly, the puppet looked back and watched you. "Already? That was quite fast." You laughed at Wally's comment and then got down on your knees, bringing your drawing to the screen, trying to show your drawing to the screen. "Look, look, what do you think?!" You smiled and looked at your drawing, expecting some kind of comment from Wally, but it was so quiet that you had to put your drawing down and look at him.

Wally was staring at you the whole time you got close to the screen, and the puppet raised one hand and coughed falsely. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can't see the drawing if you don't look into my eyes." Wally explained this and you were confused, the puppet explained to you how he can't see anything if someone doesn't look into his eyes. You thought that was strange but you held up the drawing while looking at Wally. And then he finally reacted, taking his eyes off you and looked at the drawing in your hands. He smiled big when he saw your little work of art, complimenting you in every way, watching your smile grow wider and wider with his company. You spent the whole afternoon talking and having fun, your mother came home a little exhausted. She greeted you from afar and went to make herself a cup of coffee. You didn't, however, do the usual thing of running after her after she arrived. You kept your conversation with Wally happy and content. Your mother noticed the change in your behavior. Like every day, you stopped interacting so much with her and started to stay more in front of the TV. Maybe this was a consequence of her actions in leaving you alone so much that now you didn't worry about bothering her. But one night. That's what changed things. You were so annoyed by your mother's neglect that you decided to turn on the TV on your own at night and talk to the only friend who made you feel good.

After the intro passed, you couldn't even keep your crying face long, after you knew that you would be happy with your friend's presence. You didn't even wait for Wally to arrive right on the scene and you quickly began to talk and talk, making the puppet in front of you look surprised by your state. You tried to wipe your full tears on your sleeves, along with your snot. "Shh, shh…" Wally tried to calm you down, you were so close to the screen, it was a bad feeling to see you in that state. The puppet managed to cheer you back up with sweet comments. Your face was red with a huge smile now. Although you started to cry in your room when you realized that your mother was ignoring you while she fiddled with her laptop, you ran into the living room in a loud, clearly sad voice. Your mother noticed her actions at that moment. And she tried to tidy things up a bit. She went into the living room, where she heard where you were talking.

What was strange, were you watching that program again? It looked like you were complaining about her to the TV. She walked silently into the living room and saw you standing near the TV, talking to it.

"Wally, can you be my best friend?" You asked, a few tears escaping and you wiped them away with your sleeves again. Your mother frowned at seeing you in this state, and just as she was about to step in to comfort you she noticed something that was probably not normal. "Of course, (Name). Best friends forever?" Wally asked smiling with half open eyes, he put his hand on the TV screen and you nodded aggressively with approval. "Forever!" Placing your hand on the TV screen where his was. Wally smiled contentedly, and since you were looking at him, he could see everything. He even managed to notice your mother in the back of the room, watching the interaction. The puppet's eyes widened a bit and he looked at you a little worried. Your mother then arrived frightened. And clearly with her heart in her hand. "(Name)." Your mother said firmly. You looked back and saw your mother's hand outstretched. "Come here." She said breathlessly. Staring at the puppet on the screen in fear. You denied it, however, and frowned. "No. I'm having fun with Wally." The nominee softened his gaze at looking at you, but soon intensified at looking at your mother. She approached you and pulled you up, quickly moving away from the TV. "(Name). Go to your room, it's not safe here." Suddenly the TV made a loud bang on the screen, two hands were there now, Wally's eyes fixed strongly on your mother, clearly not liking that you were being forced to leave him. "Stay the FUCK AWAY from them!" Your mother shouted at the TV, clearly frightened. You began to tear up again. Your mother was arguing with your best friend, that wasn't fair! "N-No, don't fight please…" You looked at Wally and he was looking at you, there was no emotion on his face except for that stare. But you still saw him as your friend. Your best friend! "Wally!" You held out your hand as if it would help you, and the TV once again made a loud bang. Your mother in panic quickly ran to her room and left you there, you still crying tried to open the door, but it was too late after you saw, your mother had unplugged the TV.

She still looked panicked and started to drag the TV away to throw it away. That night was the last time you saw your best friend.

. . . Was it?

-OO I was holding myself to not make a long one shot, I kinda see this as a rushed thing, but hey ho, I still liked writing this one :D-

[carmyberzattosjournal]

Entry 21: A Crowbar Called Love

GIF Credit: @carmen-berzattos

Bearblr Promptober Day 21: Drunk Confession

Summary: Carmy's girlfriend (who he calls Darling) drunkenly confesses something that sends him into a tizzy; that she wants to have his kids.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of trauma, self-doubt, evolving Dad!Carmy, maybe the start of a breeding kink(?), fem reader/generic lass who is a trauma surgeon, she/her pronouns. (822 words)

Notes: All journal entries will be titled as such and tagged with #cb journal.

Thank you for reading. Thank you to @carmenberzattosgf for putting together this prompt list. Sideblog for commentary and yapping: @m-z-shoroi

Also, if random letters or words are black/white instead of the colors they should be, that's Tumblr being dumb, I've been fighting it for days.

21 Oct 2024

She said she wants to have my babies, and I honestly don't know what in the fuck to do with myself.

How did I get here?

What the fuck did I do to earn that?

What?

How?

I'm a fucking disaster, why the fuck would anyone think I'd make a not-shitty dad?

And she said it in front of Richie and Nat. That asshole is never gonna let me hear the end of it. This is what I get for taking my eyes off the cider for five minutes. Richie probably didn’t even fucking measure before spiking it.

Fuck. My. Life.

I have no business having kids, I'm just gonna end up like ma! No! No! Abso-fucking-lutely not!

Okay, yes, they'd be cute, but this is a terrible idea!

I can’t stop fucking thinking about this. The adoration in her eyes, the way she whispered it into my mouth, the way she pulled my hair and repeated it—whined it—until my brain checked into reality in a confused state. Carmen, I wanna start a family with you. I love you so much. I want babies. Carmy… Carmy, please? Please, can we talk about kids?

It’s the next morning, and I woke up an hour before my alarm, invaded, besieged, strangled by thoughts of cradling her belly, of feeling little kicks against my palm through her soft, supple skin. The thought of baby shoes while I stared at my own, hand trembling as I dragged it through my hair and tried to recompress so I could make it through a workday. What was more was that I couldn’t stop fucking thinking about how wonderful of a mother she’d make. She’d be sweet, kind, understanding, protective, a great advocate, teacher, counselor. I thought of being home with a kid in my arms. Nat’s daughter is so precious, so innocent, so pure. I could have one. A few. And I could do better than ma or dad did.

I wanted to do better than ma and dad did.

I wandered back into the bedroom, leaned against the doorframe and just watched Darling snuggled up in bed, her face buried in my t-shirt, a cute little croissant under the covers. There existed in my mind, sometime before then—couldn’t figure out exactly when it changed—this looming understanding of this arrangement being temporary. This relationship was a ticking clock, a sword dangling over my head by a horsehair, and in all likelihood, I was going to fuck up, and she was going to leave. It seemed like an inevitability. But permanence, comfort, routine, it crept up on me. Could I imagine an existence without Darling? Did a future without her even exist? Did I allow myself to love her so completely, so deeply, that my forever was staked in the ground with her?

Two kids. And a dog. Our own house. It’d be nice if one of them liked cooking, but I wasn’t going to be upset if they wanted to try something else. I’d support them trying new things. I’d reduce my hours at The Bear, too, so I could be around to hug them and read them bedtime stories. My vision abruptly blurred. Droplet of warmth fell from my eyelashes and drew a streak down my face.

Of course, I was fucking crying again.

Ever love someone so much that it hurt? That the love embedded itself so deep into you that it burrowed roots in the same places that all your fucking trauma lived? That it crumbled and frayed the armor of bitterness, apathy, hatred, and anger you’d been using to hold yourself together against the assault of being alive and being so many things the world didn’t like—short, sensitive, warm, caring, quiet, shy? For your curly hair, for your features, for your weird fucking quirks and habits? The world stabbed you in the fucking kidneys for daring to exist, and you walled off yourself behind protective mechanisms to stop the knives going any deeper than they already had, from piercing the softest parts of you; and out of nowhere, this little thing called love shows up as a crowbar and jams under that armor with no ceremony and certainly no warning. It fucking hurts at first. It hurts like you can’t fucking believe or imagine, and it scares the shit out of you because if that armor comes off, you feel like you’ll die, but eventually? Eventually, the armor starts crumbling away, and you feel the saccharine mercy of love in all the places that the armor hurt. Yeah, you thought your trauma was the thing that inflicted agony all these years? Your fucking armor wore chasms in you all the same.

This wasn’t a contest, baby girl, but you win. I surrender. I love you. I love you so much that it hurts, and I can’t get enough of it. So, yeah. Yeah, we can talk about kids.

[kctsukii]

cw : child!satoru, fluff, he's so soft towards mc, female reader

Satoru already taken away since young age because of the power he possess. Training, study and understanding the Six eyes alone without guide just from an old book, made him craving for company. Kid at his age should be playing, running around catching a frog or climbing tree until he fall. There's a rare moment when he could sneak away from his training. It's not like he's planning to slacking off, he just feel suffocated with the same intense schedule everyday and he crave for something else.

That's when his Six eyes power could see you from far away. Playing alone under big tree near the playground when childrens with the age same like you playing together. He wonder, does he looks like that when people having fun and he need to fulfill his duty? Without having second thoughts he approaching you, curious why you're alone. Do you have a power like him too? But Six eyes will tell him if you do.

Your head looking up when there's a shadow covering your doodles at the ground and your eyes starring at his pretty blue eyes with confused stare. "Do you need something...?" You ask since it's surprise you.

"Why you're alone?" He blurt out.

Now that make your eyes go wide then your cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I am not fit to their gang because I like bunny.." She mumble softly with lips pouting. "They like dragon and bunny can't fight," you continue.

Ah so that's why you're alone, beside the children you were talked about just bunch of snort boys. Far different from what he has been through. "Bunny can fight if you train them." Satoru said as he kneeling beside you and looking at the bunny that you drew with stick.

Your innocent eyes blink with curiosity. "How? Do you have a bunny that can fight?"

"No, but you might be the first person to do that if you want." Satoru picking up the stick then he drawing near yours.

You giggles hearing his answer. "I need to study how to train bunny to fight," you draw bow on your bunny.

Satoru spending his two hours with you under that tree and drawing a lot of animals he could think of (although most of them are your drawing about bunny), he occasionally said a cold response from your question but that doesn't bother you.

"Your eyes so pretty, like the color of the summer sky," you said with smile. Satoru always heard that compliment behind his back, no one brave enough to tell him that in front of him, maybe out of respect? Fear?

"Thanks," he said as he thinking what he should complimenting you back. Your clothes? Your hair? Your eyes? Or your poor drawing skill?

Just before he's about to talk you interrupted him with question. "Will you come here to play again with me?"

Satoru blink his eyes as he thinking for the answer. It's hard actually to sneaking from the training and his house, he can't promise anything to you and you just a kid he decided to talk today.

"I don't know," come his honest answer.

You pout hearing his reply then looking at him. "Then, I'll wait here everyday, if you not coming tomorrow, maybe the next day you will!" Your optimism is not Satoru couldn't understand. His Six eyes is useless to see you, to understanding you, why you want to wait for someone like him.

However, he feels like he can't make you more sad than before so he just nods his head and finishing his drawing of betamon.

[footygirl114]

Cervecería (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Hi friends, this is a bit late (but better late than never?) The one I was inspired to write post that champions league win with Alexia beelining it to someone in the crowd. It’s definitely not the best thing I have written but I know if i keep editing it I’ll scrap it so this is as good as it’ll get 

The need to not live through another Canadian winter was the biggest draw that made you start a second business in Spain. Having started a successful craft brewery in Toronto, you knew exactly what you needed to do, when you brought the craft beer craze to Barcelona. 

You had been in the city for 7 months, your restaurant had only opened a month ago but you were happy with how it was going. It was a process to get it open, but once you realised you needed to find someone who spoke both Spanish and Catalan and was familiar with the restaurant business it became a lot smoother. 

You had found a spot near to the downtown without being ridiculously priced, you wanted to draw tourists but you also didn’t want to scare away any locals. The starting days were slow but as more advertising and more interest in different craft beers gre you started to get busier. Fridays and Saturdays were busy enough you had to hire extra staff, but during the week you liked to be the one behind the bar. 

The whole reason you got into the brewery business in the first place, was because you loved to connect with people and share your love of beer with them. The best way you were able to do that was to be the one serving it, plus it was helping with learning Spanish. 

You also drew in a unique crowd on game days, you had all the subscriptions from back home which meant you were able to play many American sports. You also always had at least one TV dedicated to women games. 

About 6 weeks after you opened you were tending the bar on a slow Wednesday night, the crowd had died off after the Barca Femini game was completed, but you still had a few stragglers around. Movement caught your eye where you cleaning tables and you watched a slim female with her hair pulled in a pony tail, black hat and hoodie on walk in and settle at the end of the bar. 

Moving back behind the bar she looked up and met your eyes and immediately you were drawn in to her expressive eyes. You moved toward her and said “Hola, can I get you anything?” 

She smiled at you and said “Agua?” 

You raise an eyebrow at her and ask “You come into a brewery sit at the bar and order water?” 

She chuckles and shrugs and asks “should I sit somewhere else then?” 

“no no no but let me make you a deal” you smile wanting to hear her laugh again.

She raises an eye brow as she asks “What’s the deal?” 

You smirk and step back moving to pour her a glass of water, and a small taster pint of your favourite beer. You place both glasses in front of her as you tell her “I will keep pouring you the finest water all night, IF you try this small glass of my favourite beer” 

She chuckles shaking her head and smiles at you as she holds out her hand and says “deal.” 

You laugh and place your hand in hers, immediately feeling a tingling run up your arm, you tell her “I’m Y/N by the way.” 

“Alexia” she says and releases your hand and grabs the beer glass. She slowly raises it to her lips meeting your eyes over the glass. She holds your gaze as she takes a sip. 

You keep your eyes on her as she places it down and you ask “well?” 

“I can see why its your favourite” she says with a smile. 

Before you can say anything else another customer draws  your attention away. You have to deal with an issue in the kitchen and one with the supply closets. Its almost half an hour later when you make it back behind the bar. When you get back she is standing up looking around for you. 

Smiling you walk up asking her “leaving so soon?” 

She chuckles and says “si, just needed some fresh air. I can grab my bill though” 

You shake your head and say “it’s on the house” 

“Won’t your boss be upset” she asks with a smile. 

You chuckle and say “I think they’ll be okay.”

“well thank you” she says with another smile. Your name is called by another server and you turn toward them as she says “I’ll get out of your hair Y/N” 

You chuckle out a bye before turning and tending to your team.The rest of the night is spent thinking about the Beautiful girl who sat at your bar. You have a feeling you recognise her but are unsure how you would. Until you are closing up and you see her face on the TV, chuckling you can’t help but think how you just embarrassed yourself in front of the queen of football. 

**

You spend the next week elbow deep in testing a new batch of beer. It consumes you when you have an idea and you cannot put it into the taste correctly. Working late one night the bar is pretty quiet apart from a few regulars, you have taken over a table near the far side of the bar which is slightly hidden. Your notes are spread out all over the table and you are completely consumed in them until you hear your name at the bar. 

You had told your staff to act like you are not here, but when you recognise the voice ask for a water you smile to your self and look up and see Alexia sitting at your bar. As you get up to walk towards her you recall that you had seen the Barca team had played earlier in the evening away. 

“looking for me” you ask her as you step beside her at the bar. 

Alexia and your bartender, Sam, turns towards you with their own expressions. Alexia looks happy to see you, and you bartender is giving you the raised eyebrow as she thought you didn’t want to be disturbed. 

“I thought you weren’t here tonight boss” your bartender asks. 

“boss?” Alexia echos.

You chuckle at them both and you say “I’m not here tonight Sam” to your bartender who gets the hint with a chuckle turning away. 

“Boss?” Alexia asks you again. 

Chuckling you move behind the bar and grab a small pint glasses as you tell her “I own the place.” 

She looks at you and with a low whistle she says “Impressive” 

“thank you” you say as you move and pour a glass of another one of your beers. You place it in front of her and say “If our deal still stands this is another one of my favourite beers” 

She grabs it and asks “if you brew them all do you have a least favourite?” 

You chuckle and say “not really, well just the one I cant figure out right now”

“Can I help?” she asks and takes a sip of the beer with a low moan. “sorry that one is really good” she says with a blush. 

You chuckle and say “its cute” and then immediately blush and say “I just cant get what is in my head to translate into the beer. I have this taste I can imagine but I cannot find the right combination of hops and flavours to get it right” you ramble on. 

“What’s the flavour?” she asks with a smile.

You blush almost forgetting she was there during your ramble and say “I am sorry you don’t want to hear me nerd out about beer” 

She shakes her head and reaches across to grab your hand as she says “I kinda want to know everything you’ll share” 

Before you can respond her phone buzzes and she reaches down looking at the screen and then gets up reaching for her wallet. You place your hand on her wallet and say “This one is on the house in exchange for the ramble” 

“You know I can afford to pay for my beers” she says. 

Immediately you shake your head and say “I know you can La reina, but I do really hope this makes you keep coming back” finishing with a wink.

She blushes at the nickname and leans across the bar and presses a kiss to your cheek as she whispers into your ear “You will make me come back.” She then turns and walks towards the door turning at the door with a wink she disappears. 

You continue staring at the door when you hear Sam walk back behind you and say “Nice work boss, I thought you’d lose her with the beer talk” 

You chuckle and whip your towel at her say “get back to work.”

**

The following two weeks you see Alexia 3 more times at your bar, always on days the Barca team plays. You looked her up after the last time and know she’s not playing yet but is very close to being back. You both have flirted but nothing else other than the one cheek kiss has happened. You both just keeping things light and flirty. She has slowly worked her way through some of your staple beers. 

When the next Barca game happens and she doesn’t show up to the bar that night you have to admit that you were very disappointed. You knew that it was all just a fantasy and flirting but it definitely hurt that she decided you weren’t worth it. 

You were deep in the back room tonight still trying to perfect your beer. You kept one small cask in the back room where you used it to experiment with your brews, this time being no different. Your desk back here was covered in notes and you had a white board with formulas and flavours all over it. During the day the back part of the brewery was a hive of activity keeping up with the demand of brewing beers, but at night it was quiet which is when you loved to use the time to work on your own stuff. 

Tonight was no different, you were still a bit hurt and disappointed in your self for being hurt about Alexia so thats why you were staying hidden in the back not out front tonight. The staff knew you were here and knew not to bug you when you were back here. 

So when you heard the door open you didn’t even look back when you said “Sam I thought I told you not to interrupt me tonight” 

You hear the steps falter and someone take a deep breath as they ask “I was just looking for a glass of Aqua”

Immediately you turn and can feel your cheeks blush as you say “Alexia, what are you doing here?” 

She still doesn’t come any closer as she says “I wanted to tell you something, and then if you want me to not interrupt you I will go”

You nod at her and lean back against the desk behind you.

She slowly steps towards you and says “I know you know who I am, and you should know then that I have been injured and not playing for awhile?” 

You nod and smile saying softly “I do know that” 

She keeps slowly stepping closer as she continues “Well that first time I walked in here, was after one of the teams away games. I still wasn’t travelling with the team and I watched them almost lose and knew that I let them down. So I needed some air and went for a walk, I saw the sign on your bar and decided to come in and have some water and then leave.” 

“But you didn’t” you tell her softly as she stops in front of you.

“No I didn’t” she says. “for the first time in a very long time I forgot who I was letting down, I was able to just be me Alexia, not me the captain who let her team down. That was because of you, something about you just drew me in and I kept coming back any time we played so I could be that person again.” 

You smile softly at her and say “I am glad to help.” 

“Last night was my first game back Y/N” She smiles at you. 

You smile back and say “I am proud of you Ale” 

She steps another step closer so she is right in front of you and grabs your hands softly as she says “The only reason I was able to be back last night and not let the team down was because I kept picturing your voice in my head talking about beer. It helped to ground me and remind me that I am Alexia as well as the captain” 

You close the gap even more and move your hand to her cheek as you say “I am glad that you have that then Ale. I am honoured to be able to do that for you” 

She steps closer and looks down at your lips looking back up meeting your eyes you nod slightly and lean in slowly. You feel her breathe on your lips when the door slams open again and Sam walks in as she says “Sorry boss, need to change the keg.”

Immediately Alexia has sprung back from you and you both turn slightly away from each other. “It’s okay Sam come in.”

“I should go” Alexia says “I have training early tomorrow” 

“You don't have to go” you say at the same time Sam says “did I interrupt?” 

“No you didn’t Sam, I was just leaving” Alexia says as she flees the back room. 

“sorry boss?” Sam says with a smirk. 

“Sam?”

“Yeah boss?”

“how did she get back here?” you ask her. 

She shrugs and grabs the keg and says “I may have told her to come back here at her own risk”

“But you still interrupted?” you ask. 

She laughs and says “honestly I forgot, and needed a keg badly. I really didn’t think you would been that position though boss” 

You blush and move to help her as you say “me either”

**

That moment was burned in your brain, every free moment you had your brain was immediately back in the store room. You watched her sit on the bench in the following champions league game, but you at least now knew why she didn’t come in to the bar on that day. You waited the rest of the week for her to show again, she didn’t. 

It was just before bar opening on the day of the second leg of the champions league. You knew that it was home game and you knew that you wouldn’t see her today. You were hoping she would show tomorrow but you can only hope. 

You were sat at the bar, with your note book open and three samples of your newest beer in front of you trying to decide which one would be the closest to the taste you want. You hear the door open and turn and to greet who you would think is one of your servers since you aren’t open and instead you are shocked and say “Alexia! I didn’t expect to see you today.” 

She is dressed in her pre game outfit when she walks closer to you and says “I needed to see you before I go to play today.”

You look at her with a questioning look and ask “you did?” 

She stops right in front of you and says “I cant get you out of my head Y/N” 

“You can’t?”

She turns you and spins you towards her on your stool. She steps right in between your legs and says “I keep thinking about kissing you Y/N, and I know I should be able to focus on football, but I just keep thinking about you” 

“Thats not good than Ale, what are you going to do?” you ask with a smirk. 

She smiles and says “I know what I want to do but I do not have the time for that.” 

You chuckle and move your hands to her hips and you ask “want to make a deal?” 

Smirking she nods and says “what’s the deal?” 

“You go out and with the champions league and you can kiss me as much as you want” you say with a smirk moving your hand to her cheek. 

She laughs and holds out her hand between you and asks “Only if I can take you out on a date too?” 

“deal” and you put your hand in hers shaking it softly. 

“I have to go” she says softly

You nod and whisper “good luck Ale” before turning and grabbing your pen and writing your number down on a piece of paper. You hand it to her with a smirk saying “I hope this will help you focus now”

She smiles and presses a kiss to your cheek saying “I have an objective now I will be fully focused on completing it.” as she backs away slowly. 

You chuckle watching her and say “Good luck la reina” 

**

The month in between the day the deal was made and the champions league final was a tense one, in the best way possible. Anytime you both texted, which was any free time between her trainings and games and your bar, the flirting was relentless. You only saw her twice in the month but she confessed to you that she couldn’t see you or else she would have to, in her words, “press you against the wall and make you see stars.” 

You knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off her either but you wanted to hear her voice, which lead to phone calls every single night. No matter how late you were at the bar she would sleepy wake up just to ask you about your day. 

The day of the final she called you as she was about to leave in a bit of panic. She needed to hear your voice to remind her that she is Alexia too and not just the captain. All of the media and build up of her return was getting into her head and you knew she just needed to be grounded. You happily helped and reminded her of your deal and you couldn’t wait to taste her. 

The bar threw a watch party and it was packed. The mood was sombre at halftime with Barca being down 2-0. You nervously paced waiting for the second half. When it started and Alexia came on at the start of half you couldn’t help but smile.

It was like the team changed with her and when immediately it sparked the team to score 2 quick goals the bar was electric cheering. When the 85th minute rolled around you were nervous, but you knew that once you saw Alexia gather a crappy clearance from the wolfsburg back line this was it. She cut in once around a defender just above the top of the 18 where she lined up and put a screamer in the top left corner. 

That was it, they held on and the bar was electric and the party lasted all night. You snuck away to speak to Alexia briefly on the phone, but she couldn’t talk as she was pulled away. You turned the excitement you had and finally got the mixture right on your beer. You immediately had given samples out to have a second opinion and it was a hit. 

She inspired you just like you did to her. When the parade for the team was organised and you knew they would be coming out side your bar you kept an eye out. Once it was the time for them to come this way, you pushed your way to the front of the crowd. 

When the team came around the corner you hoped that you would be able to catch her. It was like when she came around the corner she could sense you, as she immediately met your eyes and her smile lit up her whole face. 

You watched as she turned and almost sprinted to you, when she reached you she had placed her hands on your hips pulling you in. You placed your hand around her neck with a smile as she says “A deal is a deal Y/N”

You nod and say “You won it all Ale, time for my end of the deal” and you lean and press your lips to hers hard. She immediately presses back and you lose yourself in her forgetting about the crowd around you. You just feel the sparks only she has been able to give you. 

When the need to breathe comes to much you both pull back and you slowly hear the crowd around you again, where you pull back slightly and whisper “wow.” 

She smiles and says “I gotta go finish this thing” with a jerk of her thumb over her shoulder.

Nodding you say “come by after and you can finally taste my favourite beer I just finished” 

She smiles wide “you finished it?” 

“I did” 

“Then I cannot wait, but only if it comes with the finest aqua you have” she says with a smile and you cant help but laugh and press your lips to hers one more time. 

[cha-melodius]

Fic Fest!!

You know it’s gonna be FirstPrince … and I need that Kennedy Garden AU!

Congrats on your 100th work!! You’re an incredible writer and person and I feel quite fortunate to know you.

(Thank you for this lovely prompt Sam!! I'm sorry this took forever, but I hope you enjoy this AU!)

Flowers Only Grow Where There Are Seeds

(T, 4k, read it below or on AO3)

“Are you watching that guy like a weirdo creep again?” June asks, too close to his ear, and Alex jumps a fucking mile.

“I’m not being a weirdo creep,” he huffs, folding his arms over his chest as he steps away from the window overlooking the Kennedy Gardens.

June gives him a look. “But you are watching him.”

“I was just— I was walking by and I happened to notice him, and—”

“You should go talk to him,” June interrupts blithely, already sauntering away.

“What? No,” Alex scoffs.

“Why not? He’d probably be flattered he caught the attention of the First Son.”

“He’s working, June,” Alex says. “He doesn’t want to be bothered.”

June shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

~~~~~

Alex doesn’t know exactly what about the gardener first caught his attention. Maybe it was the fact that he was younger than a lot of the other people who were employed to work on the landscaping at the White House—Alex’s age, or thereabouts. Maybe it was the way he was always still somehow so pale after working in the sun all day. Maybe it was the fact that he could have been a model, with his long legs and swooping cheekbones and full lips, and yet he was spending his days clipping bushes and digging up bulbs.

Actually, all of that’s a lie: Alex knows exactly when the gardener caught his attention.

It had been an abnormally warm early spring day, and he’d been pacing in front of a bank of windows as he tried to wrestle his ideas into something that might resemble a coherent essay for one of his classes. He wasn’t even looking out at the gardens, not really, but a flash of movement caught his eye and drew him over to the glass. A hose had failed somehow, leaving the man who’d been working with it looking like he was re-enacting Mr. Darcy emerging from the lake (what? June has those movies on all the time, it’s not like it’s his fault if he gets caught up in them sometimes). The gardener had plucked at his thin white shirt as it clung to his torso, revealing a truly breathtaking collection of muscles sculpted by regular manual labor, before he’d finally peeled the whole thing off, taking his dingy ball cap with it.

That was when Alex discovered that they were currently employing what might very well be the most gorgeous man on the planet.

That was also when Alex realized he might be something less than 100% straight. Ok, it had taken some more time after that, and more than a few instances of catching sight of the beautiful gardener again, before he started to understand what he was feeling. He still isn’t really sure if he’s actually bi or just lonely and horny, but that was definitely the start.

He’s well aware of how weird it would be to go hit on the man, for many, many reasons, so he just… appreciates from a distance. It’s fine. In a few months it will be winter again, and Alex probably won’t see him around anymore. He’ll get over his stupid little infatuation on someone he’s never even spoken to, and that will be that.

~~~~~

It’s one of those days, when there’s too much going on and he can’t get Cash to go with him on a run outside of the White House grounds, so Alex just ends up looping endlessly around in little circles on the path around the South Lawn, trying to get out some of the excess energy that’s thrumming in his veins. Eventually, he manages to tire himself out enough and ends up sprawled out on his back behind some bushes in the Children’s Garden, staring up as the clouds drift past. He doesn’t know how long he lies there, only that he still hasn’t quite come back to earth when he hears the sound of footsteps on the nearby path. Probably he should get up, but he can’t really bring himself to care who sees him like this.

That’s before the hot gardener comes around the corner. His light blue button-down shirt is hanging open, thrown loosely over a white tank top that’s smudged with dirt and sweat-darkened at the neckline, and Alex might have fallen over if he wasn’t already on the ground.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was out here,” the gardener says. The accent is a surprise. An extremely sexy surprise. Fuck. “Do you need a hand?”

Alex could use a hand with something, all right. In his own tank top and the running shorts that June says are an inch away from a misdemeanor, he’s really not wearing enough clothing for this. Or maybe he’s wearing too much. Closing his eyes, he forces himself to get a fucking grip before he starts to push up off the ground. The gardener’s proffered hand appears in his line of vision, so he takes it because it would be more awkward not to. It’s warm and dry and rough with callouses that Alex feels no particular way about, and he lets the gardener’s strong grip tug him upward, until he gets his feet under him again.

It’s only then that the gardener seems to clock him. His eyes go wide as they track over Alex’s body and linger on his face. “Oh. You’re…”

Their hands are still clasped together, and Alex tightens his hold around Henry’s. “Alex.”

“Henry,” the gardener says in return as his lips part in a smile, which is devastating, actually.

“Nice to meet you, Henry,” Alex says. He might let a little of the southern drawl slip out, honey smooth. Sue him.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Henry replies, his rounded vowels dipping low, and ok, he’s a smooth motherfucker too. Alex is officially fucked.

“You’re British.”

Henry laughs, cocking an eyebrow at him. “An astute observation.”

“No I just mean—” Alex cuts himself off and shakes his head. “I didn’t expect it, but I guess it fits.”

“Why?” Henry asks, tipping his head as a little furrow appears between his brows.

Alex bites his lip. “Because everything about you is unexpected, Henry.”

~~~~~

Alex should leave him alone. He should listen to what he told June and not bother a White House employee when he’s working.

The thing about Henry, though, is that he’s ridiculously easy to talk to, and he always seems so pleased to see Alex. It’s impossible to stay away whenever Alex spots him working in the gardens, which is frequently these days. It’s the middle of summer, which means Henry is mostly working in the mornings and evenings when the heat isn’t quite so bad, but occasionally Alex finds him doing something ridiculous like digging a hole to plant a bush in the middle of the day.

As he’s now wont to do, Alex makes his way out to the gardens with a large glass of lemonade. Henry’s entire face lights up when he sees Alex coming, which Alex is sure is less because of him and more the promise of ice cold refreshment. The poor guy is absolutely drenched in sweat, which Alex absolutely is not thinking about licking off his collarbones. As Alex walks up to him, Henry sinks the shovel into the loose dirt and pulls his ball cap off, the muscles of his arms rippling when he pushes a hand through blond hair darkened with sweat. Alex narrowly avoids swallowing his tongue as he hands the glass off, and when their fingers brush, Alex feels the contact tingling in his fingertips long after Henry’s pulled away.

And that’s before Henry tips his head back and takes a long drink of the lemonade, the muscles of his throat working as he swallows. Thank fuck it’s hot outside, because Alex is sweating like he’s the one who’s been working in the sun for hours.

Somehow, he manages to regain his faculties for conversation by the time Henry’s finished the lemonade, and they fall into their usual easy banter as Henry works. (Alex once offered to help out, feeling bad for standing around while Henry was sweating his ass off, and Henry had laughed and laughed and told him that he’d be fired if he let the First Son do his job for him.) They talk about everything and nothing—about movies and music, about the best food trucks that frequent the area around the mall, about what Alex has been up to during the summer, about the many projects always going on in the gardens.

“How’d you end up working here, anyway?” Alex asks from where he’s reclining in the shade, plucking bits of grass out of the lawn and tearing them apart.

“It’s a long story,” Henry grunts as he shovels. “I moved to the US for a fresh start. The gardening, I sort of fell into. I needed a job, and I always liked working with my hands. I’m certain that my friend sent me this listing as a joke because I—” His voice fails as his eyes cut over to Alex, then drop quickly to the ground again. He clears his throat. “Well. It’s not important. But I decided to apply anyway. I think Rodolfo thought I was having him on when I showed up at the interview, but he must have seen something in me.” Henry huffs a laugh. “Or maybe I was the only one who passed all the frankly mental background checks that were required to work at the White House. And now, here I am.”

“You’re my age,” Alex says, squinting at him. “You didn’t go to college?”

“I dropped out of Oxford,” Henry replies simply.

Alex can’t help it; his jaw drops open. “You dropped out of Oxford? What happened? Did you not like it?”

He knows he shouldn’t pry, but he can’t help it. He wants to know everything about Henry.

“I loved it,” Henry says, and there’s a smile on his face but an unmistakably melancholic note in his voice. “I wanted to be a writer. But I couldn’t stay. Not with the pressure from my grandmother and the way she was insistent on ruling my life.” He stops speaking for a long moment, but never pauses in his digging. “Sometimes I think about going back to school eventually. For now, I’m happy with this. I like it. There’s a beautiful simplicity to my life.”

“Wow,” Alex breathes. For once, he doesn’t really know what to say. “I’m sorry that happened to you, Henry. But for what it’s worth… I’m glad you ended up here.”

Henry leans on the shovel, smiling at him. “Me, too.”

~~~~~

Alex is trying to make any kind of sense of a bill that the Republicans are going to try to push through the Senate—don’t ask how he got the draft—when Nora lets herself into his room without so much as a knock.

“Wow, entitled much,” Alex huffs, barely glancing up from his work. At least she brought burritos.

“You invited me here, dumbass,” Nora retorts as she flings herself onto his couch. “Remember? Bisexual awakening movie night? Don’t tell me you forgot about Rick and Evie.”

Alex groans, wiping a hand over his face. “No way it’s fucking Sunday.”

“You’re not serious.”

“I might be.”

“All the more reason you need a break,” Nora tells him firmly. “Your classes don’t start for another week. Why are you working?”

“Because I’m gonna be a senior next year and I have to have something lined up for afterward,” he grumbles.

“I’m sure your mom will give you a job on the campaign,” she says as she finds the remote to his TV and starts navigating through streaming services.

“Maybe I want options. Don’t want everyone to think I’m just a useless nepo baby.”

Nora snorts. “Because I’m sure no one will think your connections got you a job in Rafael Luna’s office.”

“Fuck off,” he groans, turning away from her again. “We’re not talking about this.”

“Ok,” she agrees, too easily. “You got a secret admirer or something? Who sent you those?”

“What?”

“Those,” Nora repeats, gesturing to the small vase full of multicolored roses that’s sitting in front of her on his coffee table. Red, lavender, orange, blue, and even these neat yellow ones tipped with red around the edge of the petals.

“Oh,” Alex says dismissively. “No one sent them. Henry brought them by.”

“Who the fuck is Henry?”

“He’s a gardener who works here.”

“Hold on, the gardener? Your gardener?” she says, sounding too delighted by half. Alex may have talked about him before, once or twice.

Alex huffs and sets his pencil down, turning back to glare at her. “He’s not my gardener. He’s an employee of the White House.”

Nora grins smugly. “He’s the one you’ve got a crush on, though.”

“I don’t—” He breaks off with a frustrated grunt. “We’re not having this conversation, either.”

“And he brought you flowers,” she continues, ignoring him.

“It doesn’t mean anything. He has to prune the roses so that they keep producing more blooms, and he brought me some extras because I said I liked them one day while I was out in the garden. That’s all.”

That’s what Henry told him when he showed up with the first ones, his face flushed red from being out in the sun. Alex’s heart had done something very fucking complicated in his chest, but he’d accepted them in the spirit with which they were given: as a friendly gesture, and nothing more. The haphazard arrangement is all Alex—Henry brings by a different color almost every day, and Alex adds them in the vase, which is getting rather full.

“That’s all,” Nora scoffs with obvious deep skepticism.

“What?”

“Alex, when a boy gives you roses, it always means something,” she says solemnly. “Did you look up the colors?”

“Huh?” he replies, becoming increasingly lost.

Nora shakes her head at him, like he’s the crazy one. “Different colored roses mean different things. Maybe he’s sending you secret messages.”

Alex snorts dismissively. “Pretty sure they’re just whatever’s blooming in the garden.”

“If you say so,” she says, sounding extremely unconvinced. “Can we watch the movie now?”

“Please.”

~~~~~

By the time November rolls around, the gardens are looking pretty dire. Alex never really took notice of what was going on before this year—the plants were just there, in the background, and sometimes it was more colorful than others. Now, though, he notices. Notices the autumn flowers as they come into bloom and die back, notices the trees dropping their leaves, notices the bushes getting thin and scraggly. Henry’s still been around, working in jackets and hoodies as the temperature dips, but between the lessened need for garden care and Alex’s punishing course load, they haven’t seen each other as much. Alex pretends like he doesn’t know that’s why he gets unaccountably grumpy sometimes.

Today he’s on a mission, though, and after confirming that Henry was on the work schedule, Alex scours the grounds until he finds Henry by the tennis court, trimming some bushes. There’s a biting chill in the air, and Henry is bundled up, his nose and cheeks red from the cold. He seems surprised but pleased to see Alex, and Alex bites down on a too-large grin as he holds out the envelope he’d brought with him.

“What’s this?” Henry asks, pulling off his work gloves before he takes it and carefully breaks the seal.

Alex shifts nervously and jams his hands in his pants pockets so he doesn’t fidget. “It’s an invitation. To our big New Year’s party? You’ve probably heard about it.”

“I’m familiar, yes,” Henry says dryly, smirking a little as he glances up from the embossed paper. “But I was under the impression seats were thousands of dollars and reserved for the who’s who of America’s hot young glitterati.”

“First off, you’re young and hot, and it doesn’t matter if you’re not rich,” Alex says, pretending that he didn’t just call Henry hot to his face. Whatever. It’s an objective truth. “We waive the seat cost when there’s someone we really want to come that can't afford it.”

“And you really want me to come,” Henry surmises, still looking vaguely amused by the situation.

Fuck it. “Yes,” Alex answers firmly.

Henry looks back down at the invitation, trailing a finger over the engraving. “I can afford it,” he mutters.

“What?”

“I said, I can afford it,” Henry repeats as he meets Alex’s eyes again. “I know I don’t look it most days, but I have a rather large inheritance that I’m delighted to spend on good causes.”

Alex blinks. He knew Henry’s family back in England was wealthy, but he kind of assumed that after Henry dropped out and moved across an ocean to work as a gardener, he wasn’t in the same boat. “Oh,” he breathes. “Well, you can certainly donate if you want.”

“I do,” Henry confirms. He taps on the invitation with a finger. “It says here I get a plus one.”

Alex’s heart plummets to somewhere near the Earth’s core. Of course Henry has someone. He’s young and hot and amazing, and it’s frankly ridiculous to think he wouldn’t already have a significant other. Or maybe there’s someone he wants to impress—an invite to the year’s biggest party would do wonders. Alex is just the guy that pesters him while he’s working. He never had a shot.

“Yeah,” he manages, cursing the way the word croaks out of his throat. “Of course. It’s, ah, standard, I guess, so if you want to bring someone…”

Henry just smiles at him. “Wonderful.”

~~~~~

Alex stares up at the stars, watching as the cloud of his breath briefly obscures them, making them twinkle before it dissipates. It’s freezing out here, especially after being in the heat generated by the crush of bodies at the party, but for once, Alex appreciates that. He takes another breath, letting the cold air flowing into his lungs numb the ache in his chest.

The crunch of footsteps on the frosted lawn draws his attention, and he looks over to see Henry hovering nearby, still nothing short of stunning in his clean black tux.

He’d arrived with an ostentatiously dressed man he introduced as his best mate Pez, which was a fucking trip because of course Alex had heard of Percy Okonjo. Pez was charming and handsome and immediately the life of the party, but Alex couldn’t tear his eyes away from Henry. Saying he cleaned up well would be a trite cliche, but fuck if it wasn’t true; he looked more like a prince or a movie star than the boy with dirt ground into the creases of his hands that Alex knows. Alex had been buoyed for a while by the fact that Henry had not brought a date with him, but as midnight crept closer, his spirits had started sinking again.

The Kennedy Gardens had seemed like a safe place to retreat. He should have known better. 

“I’m fairly certain the host isn’t supposed to hide from the party,” Henry teases gently, a tentative smile playing on his lips.

“I’m only one of three. June and Nora have it on lock,” Alex replies with a sigh. “Sorry for leaving you to the wolves though.”

“It’s fine,” Henry says, shaking his head as he walks a little closer. “Believe it or not, this isn’t my first time at this kind of soirée.”

Alex snorts at that. “Oh, a soirée. Aren’t you fancy?”

“Says the man in a velvet tuxedo.”

“Touché,” Alex returns. His smile falters a little as he stares back up at the stars. “I needed a break. Don’t get me wrong, I usually fucking thrive at these things, but sometimes being ‘on’ all the time starts to wear on you, you know?”

“Why do you think I’m a gardener?” Henry says wryly.

“Fair enough,” Alex says with a puff of laughter. “I just… needed a moment to myself, I guess.”

“I shouldn’t intrude, then,” Henry replies softly, already stepping backwards.

“No,” Alex blurts, probably too desperately, but he couldn’t care less about that if it means Henry won’t leave. “I mean, you don’t have to go. I don’t mind the company. When it’s you.”

Henry halts in his tracks, his eyes going wide. “Oh.”

Thankfully, he stops trying to leave and instead comes closer, until he’s right next to Alex, a few bare, aching inches separating their shoulders. For a moment they both just stand there staring up at the sky, until the champagne soaking Alex’s brain gets the better of him.

“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t so excited to count down to the New Year.”

Henry shifts a little to face him more directly. “No?”

Alex shrugs. “The winter’s one thing when you’ve got the holidays to look forward to, but after tonight, it’s nothing but cold and gray. Everything’s dead and brown, and it’ll be months until things are growing again, and you won’t be around…”

He trails off slightly too late to save himself. Whatever. He’s allowed to say he’s going to miss seeing a friend. He stares fixedly up at the sky, resolutely refusing to look at whatever Henry’s face is doing, but then Henry moves to stand in front of him, and he has little choice but to meet those gorgeous blue eyes. They’re crinkled slightly in amusement, but not unkindly.

Fond, he thinks distantly. Henry looks fond.

“Let me make sure I have this right,” Henry says carefully. “You’re out here pouting tonight because you think this is the last time you’re going to see me until spring?”

Alex huffs out a laugh and looks down, feeling his face heat. “I mean, I don’t know if I’d put it that way.”

“You’re wrong about some things, love,” Henry replies, inching closer. Moving slowly, he reaches out to slide a hand onto Alex’s waist, the mere pressure of it lighting a fire under Alex’s skin even as Alex trembles involuntarily under his touch. Then he looks out at the gardens. “They’re not dead. A bit dormant, perhaps, but still in need of care. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re not?” Alex asks breathlessly.

Henry shakes his head. “There’s plenty to do over the winter. Planning, cleaning, prepping the beds… Rodolfo has plenty to keep us busy. I’ll admit, I was intending on taking some time off, but you certainly won’t get rid of me that easily.”

Alex feels like he’s fucking flying, or would be if Henry’s steady presence wasn’t tethering him to the ground. He’s shifted even closer now, nearly pressing Alex back against the tree, and Alex lifts his arms to loop loosely over Henry’s shoulders as he lets a pleased grin curl onto his lips. “There aren’t any roses, though.”

“I’ll buy you roses, you absolute menace,” Henry huffs, but he’s smiling too broadly to sell being put out about it.

“I have another confession,” Alex breathes into the rapidly vanishing space between their lips. “I also ran away because I wanted to kiss you at midnight, but I couldn’t.”

Henry pauses, pulling back a little, though he thankfully doesn’t let go. “Ah. I understand if you can’t afford the questions—”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t care who knows. I mean, I should probably make a plan for officially coming out, but that’s not why,” Alex jumps in before he can get anything else out, because it’s important that Henry knows.

Alex isn’t ashamed and he doesn’t want to hide but, like so many things in his life, it’s not that simple. He takes a deep breath, forcing his jumbled thoughts into something that makes sense, which is no mean feat when he’s tipsy and his arms are full of a very handsome gardener who he’d much rather be kissing.

“It’s a lot, being in the public eye the way I am, and I couldn’t ask that of you,” Alex says as he stares fixedly at Henry’s tie. It’s got little yellow roses on it, and he can’t resist dropping a hand down to run a finger down the silk. “You like your quiet life.”

“I like it,” Henry murmurs. He lifts a hand to Alex’s chin, his fingers icy cold on Alex’s overheated skin, and nudges Alex’s face up so that their eyes meet. “I like you more.”

“Oh,” Alex breathes.

“Now, about that New Year’s kiss…”

Henry is biting his lip, looking hopeful and coy all at once as he stares down at Alex through pale lashes, and Alex… can’t believe this is his life, actually. He’s going to enjoy it while it lasts, though—just them, in the garden that brought them together, and a kiss that holds as much endless potential as the plants around them. Not fragile but resilient, perennial, ready to grow and bloom into something truly incredible.

[wol-fica]

-𝕊𝕙𝕖 ℙ𝔸ℝ𝕋 𝟚-

parings - jennaortega x fem!reader

summary - before jenna ortega became a huge actress and held the world in her hand, she only had you

warnings - angst, high schoolers lol, all characters are 18 and up :)

an - hi :) [DISCLAIMER: This story is not affiliated with @/tonyspanks ‘SHE’ series. Two different stories, same title]

—————————

The school day flew by for you, all because you couldn't stop thinking about the sweet girl who invited you over for studying. Every class you were scolded for zoning out, but you couldn't help thinking of what events could occur at the certain latina’s house.

You had never been invited over before; yes you have been by the house to drop off Jenna’s younger twins because she was to sick to pick them up from school, but you had never been inside. 

But unfortunately, all your excitement was diminished when you spotted Jenna standing at her locker, with Houston Moores, the star football player of the highschool team. He was leaning up against the wall, standing over her with a playful smile on his face, and as you drew closer, you could hear Jenna giggling.

Not wanting an interaction with the two, you went straight for your locker and started gathering your things to head home. Jenna turned around from the noise and instantly smiled she saw you, her eyes lighting up like a christmas tree.

"Y/N!" She cheesed, giving the you a swift hug.

Butterflies erupted in your stomach, startling you so much that you jolted backwards at the abrupt gesture. Jenna looked at you with concern, her eyes softening at your startled state.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She said, fixing the wrinkles in your shirt.

You shook your head, the few strands of hair that hung at the front of your face came undone, so you subtly tucked them back behind your ear. Jenna found that action one of the most adorable things you do, along with the way your nose crinkles when you laugh, and how your eyebrows knit together when you are focused.

"It's fine Jenna, I'm good." You replied with a small smile..

Jenna returned the smile before someone behind them coughed harshly. Your y/e/c eyes met Houston’s coffee brown ones, which happened to be filled with confusion and jealousy. Jenna seemed to have someone flick a switch inside her, and she straightened her self up immediately.

"Hey, I'm sorry but I don't think you can come over today." Jenna said to you, giving you an apologetic frown.

You raised an eyebrow, but refrained from speaking. Something that you learned from being constantly picked on, is to keep silent, you found out that if you don't give a reaction, the latter will leave you alone.

"I'm sorry." Jenna repeated, watching your every

move.

"It's fine, I think I had some stuff to do anyways." You lied, giving a fake smile that only Jenna could recognize.

"Are you sure?" She asked, taking a small step towards you.

You scoffed, shoving the last of your belongings into your book bag. You slung it over your shoulder, turning to face the girl you were so obsessed with.

"I'm sure, most don't get angry with their friends canceling on them repeatedly." You sneered, sarcasm laced in your voice.

You stared down Jenna’s beautiful brown eyes before turning on your heel and hurrying off to your car outside. Yes, you felt somewhat bad for yelling at her, but at the same time you didn't regret what you said. Jenna had canceled on you constantly in the past, creating a repetitive nature of the two of you making plans but not ever meeting up. It ended causing you to never want to even try to make plans, because Jenna would inevitably drop out at the last minute.

'It's whatever, she doesn't even care half the time' You thought bitterly.

Little did you know, she was watching you run off, a sinking feeling in her chest telling her that she definitely did care.

———————————

After your mini tantrum in front of Jenna, you proceeded to head to a drunk Halloween themed party the next day. You wanted to get your mind off of the rose smelling sweetheart by drinking off your sorrows with tons and tons of vodka.

Sounds great!

Currently you were getting ready, putting the final touches on your costume. You decided to go as 'Lara Croft' from 'Tomb Raider', but as things were expensive and you weren’t gonna try to make a red carpet worthy outfit, you settled for a more watered down version. In your opinion, all you had to do was wear a tank top, shorts, and combat boots, roll in dirt, then have a bow and arrow on your back.

"I can't believe my sister is going to a cheesy Halloween party!" Theo said dramatically, taking photos of you while you finished up your makeup.

"I'm not six Theo, I'm allowed to go to parties." You replied, putting your mascara away.

"You are missing my point! Y/N Y/L/N, a lesbian, is gonna hang with a bunch of low ledge straights!"

You snorted, shaking out your hair that hung loosely around your shoulders. You decided to let it loose, seeing that now was a perfect time to 'fuck up the normal'. After you finished cleaning your vanity, you turned to see your brother shaking his head at you.

"Cmon Theo, if you are so concerned just come with me." You suggested, grabbing your bag.

"I don't have a costume dingus, I can't just show up."

Theo responded while using your red lipstick.

You rolled your eyes as you packed your bag with the necessary things you relies on, including your epipen, your inhaler, and an extra sweater because fashion changes are vital. Most of the time you wouldn't have to use your medical devices, but you still needed them in the case an emergency happened. It would be bad to go into shock at a drunk party anyways. 

"Theo, you look like a drag queen half the time, if you show up like how you do know no one will care." You said, throwing your bag over your shoulder.

Theo gave you a glare, paused in thought, then slumped his shoulders and walked past you.

"Fine, but if you get laid don't come running to me for a ride home." He snipped, grabbing his keys.

"Who the hell would want to have sex with me Theo?"

"Oh I dunno, Jenna Ortega?"

You froze in your tracks, slowly turning to face your brother. He had a triumphant smirk on his face, and his eyes showed gleams of curiosity.

"Y/N/N, I'm not stupid. I see the way you gawk at her." Theo said, getting into the drivers side.

You slowly followed suit, sliding slowly into the passenger seat next to him. He stared at you , cocking his head to the side.

"Y/N..." He started.

"What." You snapped, your arms crossed over your chest.

Theo sighed and squinted at the road ahead of him, aware of the cars passing by.

"Listen, I wasn't trying to be mean."

You were silent, watching the trees whizzing by in the background, your mind feeling melted.

"Y/N/N, I understand how you-."

"No, you don't!" You hissed, glaring at your half-brother.

See, you and Theo used to not get along; your relationship as half-siblings was exceedingly complicated and torn, as your father decided to ditch both of your moms and left you all to fend for yourselves for years until he came back on his hands and knees begging to be let back in. All he wanted was the money, but your mom never saw that and still hasn’t to this day.

Theo took on the role as a father figure to you, even though you both are the same age, but along with that he gained the trait of strictness and the indescribable obsession to make sure he always knew where you were. Those traits were lost when your family moved last summer, but that doesn't mean you forgot.

"You don't understand at all! You don't know what it's like to fall in love with someone who won't ever

consider you, who is happily living her dream and doesn't even like girls!" You yelled, slamming your hands down on top of the glove box. 

You gripped the cheap plastic, feeling it crack under you fingertips before you spoke, “She doesn’t even like me.”

You slumped backwards again, leaning to look back out the window. Everything you said was true, and unfortunately your feelings had grown subsequently for Jenna, but it seemed to you that you would never be able to have what you dreamt of.

"I'm sorry." Theo whispered.

"It's okay." You whispered back, keeping your gaze on the word outside.

Theo sighed but pressed the gas pedal down, driving down the wet road to the raging Halloween party.

——————————

taglist: @cartierdreamx@tundra1029@red1culous@vorsdany@andsoigotabutterfly@theafterofnevermore@yomomisgay@house-of-lovin@slvt4lanadelrey@thenextdawn@nepobaby08@dunohilly@somekindofpoet@alexkolax@cinffy23@pedrosprincess@amberfreemansburntface@myfturn

[ghostlypainterslimeclod]

Mike Schmidt x Male reader

1/2

Mike is such a little meow meow boy and as such I've declared him a bottom (my opinion means nothing) my first actual fic

Mild NSFW

It's late around 6 pm, your lazeing on your couch in nothing but your boxers and sweater, when you hear a knock on your door, reluctantly you get out of your comfortable spot in front of your TV to get it. Peaking through your peep hole you see your perpetually tired and pretty neighbor, Mike and suddenly you feel like maybe you should have made the extra stop to put on pants. But you're here now so you open the door, "Hello," you say nervously hiding half way behind your door hoping he doesn't notice the Minecraft boxers wrapped around your waist " what brings you over?" He looks anxious now that you've opened the door a little drop of sweat forming on his brow , "um I'm sorry to intrude and all but um..." He shifted nervously from foot to foot then said "Can you watch my little sister I have to go to work and my usual sitter is M.I.A." You think for a second then ask "What do I get out of it?" You knew he was struggling so you didn't expect money you just wanted to make the brown eyed boy squirm. "Anything." He half sighed "Anything?" You repeat questioningly "Anything" he said looking at you with his big brown eyes, how could anyone say no to him with eyes like that you thought before stating "ok I'm holding you to that."

You quickly go back inside and put on a pair of sweatpants and shut down your house before following him across the street to his place it was a carbon copy of your house just a few things were different. He leads you inside where he tells you what your responsibilities and such are like his sister's name is Abby and she spends most her time drawing and that she already ate dinner so u just gotta make sure the house doesn't burn down while he's gone, well that's what you got between checking him out and his anxious chatter. Then after that little speech he says bye to his sister to her protest as she doesn't want to be separated from her big brother, then once he separates from her he says a polite "bye" and heads out the door. Which leaves you alone with a kid you only met once before when you first moved in. Honestly you had no idea why he trusted you to watch his sister but you got to know the pretty neighbor boy better so that's a plus.

You slowly make your way to Abby's room knocking lightly, "hey can I come in?" You ask and the door is opened by the small girl. "So you're who's watching me now?" She asked unimpressed. You just nod, man kids are rude then what she said next gave you a bit of a shock, " I don't get why he talks about you so much, anyway do you like drawing," you chuckle lightly "of course, I love drawing." So you drew with the kid until she fell asleep at her desk. She is a cute kid you thought to yourself as you tucked her into bed. You then went and sat on his couch and fell asleep watching his TV.

You feel the couch dip as someone sits on it waking you, you look over to see mike then look at the clock its 10 am and you groggily say "sorry for falling asleep for so long." He looked over and apparently he didn't notice you woke up. "Sorry for waking you." He said in a whispered voice, God his voice is really nice. " So I've been thinking about what you can do to pay me." You say slyly. "Yeah," he said curiously "what?" You smirk " I'd except payment with a kiss." He instantly flushed and looked away a little bit of sweat beginning to form. You quickly say "it was just an idea you don't have to." You beginning to believe you read him wrong only for him to say "no it's ok," he turned to look at you "I was just caught off guard." He then grabbed your face giving you a small peck. Your hands going to rest on his hips as you kiss him, this one lasting longer. The kisses got more heated with each one before he pulled back, a little gasp coming from between his chapped lips. "Oh god." He groaned quietly, you gently pulled him onto your lap giving he plenty of time to pull away if he wished. His hands now rest on your shoulders, as you slowly kiss his neck his stubble scratching your face. He let out little whimpers and whines his hands going to pull on your hair. Then he jolted a little and began peeling himself away from your grasp. "hmmm..?" U look up at his questioningly "um I think um maybe we should stop, I'm really tired, and I gotta take care of Abby when she gets back." He looked nervous. it was cute his face was flushed, a tent in his worn blue jeans, and his brown eyes almost totally eclipsed by his pupils. Thought he did look like he was about to fall asleep on his feet "yeah you should get some rest." You stood up a tent in your pants as well. "Can u watch Abby again tonight?" he asked nervously "she seems to really like you." You smirk at him "you don't have to pretend you don't just want to see me again, and of course I'll come back if that's my payment." You give him one more kiss he whines into and then you go back to your place the house seems so empty compared to his. The warm lights seeming cold and the rooms look bare, but that's how it always is.

[arcane-vagabond]

Singing in the Sanctuary: Chapter One

Singing in the Sanctuary: Chapter One

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Reader

Summary: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw is a simple man. Well, as simple as one can be while living a life of crime. The notorious outlaw of the western territories has never been interested in settling down and having a family, but will that all change when he meets a shy, new teacher who just moved into town?

Warnings: Swearing, Bradley Bradshaw being a flirt, suggestive language. I think that’s all?

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: Here's Chapter One!! I hope you all enjoy. As always, validation of any form (reblogs, comments, and likes) are always appreciated. And if you want to swing by and leave me a message or ask, you are always free to do so! I love talking about my works. 18+ ONLY!! Find me on AO3 under arcane_vagabond where I will be posting these fics as well!

Series Masterlist || DGU Masterlist

Maverick had taken you home and let his wife, Penny, help you get settled in to your temporary home. Penny was a lovely woman, smile lines clear on her face. While she was easily one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen in your entire life, her easy confidence is what ultimately drew you to the older woman.

“It’s lovely to meet you,” you had gushed as Maverick led you into their home. It was a simple, white house close to the edge of town, and the interior gave a particularly cozy atmosphere that had you relaxing almost instantly.

“You as well, darlin’,” she smiled, green eyes twinkling. You went to shake her hand, but she pulled you into a tight hug instead. “No need to be so formal, sweetheart. You’ll be staying here until we can find something else for you, after all.”

“Of course,” you sighed. Penny pulled away and rested her hands on your shoulders. Peering over at her husband, the corners of her mouth dipped down in disapproval.

“Speaking of which, Pete, when are you going to get that school house built?” she griped. Maverick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and offered her a small smile.

“We’ll start it here soon, I reckon,” he murmured, causing Penny’s frown to turn into a full blown scowl.

“You’ve been saying that for months now!”

“And when I find the workers, we’ll get right on it,” he replied pointedly. “Besides, we just now got ourselves someone to teach all the little hellions.”

Penny rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath that you didn’t quite catch. She turned her attention back to you and smiled, guiding you towards the stairs. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s go get you situated. Mav’ll bring your things up in a little bit.”

You followed her dutifully up the stairs and down the hall until she stopped in front of the the last door on the left.

“This is you, sweetheart,” she said, opening the door. It was a simple room. A four poster bed was placed against the far wall and a wardrobe on the wall to your right beside the window. A small vanity sat at your left, and as you took it all in, you felt the excitement of the day wash over you.

“I love it,” you said quietly, grinning from ear to ear. Penny’s smile matched your own.

“I’m glad. I know it’s not much, but you’re free to do with it what you like until we get you your own place. It even has a view of the mountains.”

At her words, you moved over to the window, drawing back the curtains and leaning in to look out. There were no words to describe it. You had been a little worried to move out to the middle of the desert, knowing how much you’d miss your sprawling green landscapes. The mere thought had you feeling a mixture of guilt and homesickness. Your parents were probably beside themselves at that very moment, despite the note you had left them explaining where you were going. You could practically hear the wails of your mother from hundreds of miles away. But the view of the mountains before you almost made up for those awful feelings within you. It was like a painting you had seen once at the market. The blue sky popped against the muted oranges and brown that lay underneath, and the white clouds that floated by looked almost unreal.

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed quietly, and Penny chuckled.

“It is, isn’t it?” she began, coming over to stand next to you. “It’s even more beautiful at night when you can see all the stars in the sky.”

“I can imagine,” you said, already smiling at the thought. Penny straightened up and clapped her hands together.

“Right! Well, how about you and I go downstairs and get supper started? The butcher sold me a prime cut of beef today, and there’s a recipe I’ve been dying to try.”

You followed her out the door, the smile still plastered on your face. “I’d love to.”

Your dinner with Maverick and Penny had been full of conversation and laughter. Maverick told you about how he had come to found the town with his best friend, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who also happened to be the towns sitting sheriff.

“He’s a stubborn son of a gun,” Maverick had said with a hint of a smile, “but there’s no one I trust more.”

Penny had cocked an eyebrow at him at that, and Maverick chuckled, placing his hand on top of hers where it sat at the table. “No one else but you, of course darlin’.”

“Do you know when Bradley and the others are getting back into town?” she had asked him some time later. Maverick sighed, sitting back in his chair with a wistful look on his face.

“I don’t. You know how those boys are. Here one minute, gone the next. If I’ve told them once, I’ve told them a thousand times, ‘keep me posted so I know you’re still alive.’ Do they listen to me? No, I’m just an overly cautious, old man.”

“You’re not that old,” Penny smiled, causing the corners of Maverick’s mouth to twitch into a small, returning one. “You’ve still got a couple of years, I’d say.”

“How kind of you to say,” Maverick laughed. He stood up from the table, stretching. “That was a mighty fine meal you two girls cooked up. But, I have some things I need to tend to before the night is over. Y/n, you’ll be joining us at church in the morning, won’t you?”

“Oh, I wasn’t sure I was allowed to,” you said, setting your fork down sheepishly. Penny smiled at you warmly.

“Of course you are! You don’t need an invitation to attend service. The reverand will be happy to meet you, and I’m sure it’ll be a good opportunity to see where you’ll be teaching the young ones. When did you want to start? We can announce it while everyone is gathered tomorrow.”

“Oh,” you said, thinking. Much like every other decision you had made recently, you decided to dive head first into the opportunity. “I can begin on Monday. Let’s say, eight o’clock? I can start getting things ready tomorrow afternoon after the service, provided that’s alright with the reverend.”

“I don’t see why that would be a problem,” said Maverick. “I’ll let him know as soon as we get there tomorrow morning. Have a pleasent evening, ladies. Penny, I’ll probably be late, so don’t wait up.”

“That man never stays still for long,” Penny sighed, smiling fondly after her husband. Standing, she stacked the dishes in her hands and made her way to the kitchen. “You go on ahead to bed, sweetheart. I’ll get the dishes tonight.”

“Are you sure?” you asked, following after her, and she waved you off.

“‘Course! You’ve had a long day, and you’ve still got some unpacking to do. You can help me after breakfast in the morning.”

“Alright,” you relented, turning to head upstairs. “Goodnight, Penny.”

“Goodnight, darlin’.”

The following morning came quickly, and you found yourself excitedly walking into the sanctuary of the church in your Sunday best. A few people milled about you as they took their seats in the pews up and down the aisle. Some looked at you curiously, but you paid them no mind as you followed Maverick and Penny to the front of the church. You all sat down in the front pew and waited for the service to start.

“Did you hear?” said a girl to your left. “The Dagger Gang is back in town!”

“Really?” squealed her friend, earning looks from some of the older townfolk. “When did they arrive?”

“Just last night! Oh, that Jake is so handsome, isn’t he?” the first girl giggled. You heard someone snort, and turned to see a pretty girl a few rows back from you roll her eyes. She sat next to a handsome man who looked like he might be her brother and a pretty girl with dark hair and deep, brown eyes who smiled at him affectionately. The two girls continued, not paying any mind to the one who snorted.

“He is, but that Bradley isn’t so bad on the eyes either! It’s been horrible going this long without seeing all those handsome men walking around town,” said the second girl.

Her friend nodded enthusiastically. “You’re right. A month is simply too long.”

Before her friend could reply, the reverend made his way to the front to begin the service. The chatter died down as the reverend began to speak. It was a lovely service, and before you knew it, the hour had passed. The reverand gestured to Maverick, who stood up and turned to face the rest of the congregation.

“Mornin’, folks,” he said, earning a cacophony of “good mornings” from those around him. “You all know me, and you also know that we’ve been doin’ our best to get a school established here in Maverick. Well, I’m happy to announce that as of yesterday, our humble, little town finally has a new teacher!”

He gestured to you, and you stood up shyly, waving at the people surrounding you. Several people clapped and you could have sworn you heard a few people say “finally!” Maverick continued.

“Unfortunately, we still don’t have a schoolhouse built for our little critters, so for the foreseeable future, I’ll be looking for volunteers to help me build not only a schoolhouse, but a home for our wonderful new addition.”

“Thank you, Pete,” said the reverend as Maverick sat back down. “If anyone should have any questions for our new teacher, I believe she’ll be taking some time to get our sanctuary ready for school tomorrow morning. Eight o’clock, was it?”

“Yes,” you chirped. The reverend smiled.

“Eight o’clock tomorrow morning is when school will start. I hope to see many young, shining faces here on time ready to learn! That’s all I have for today. May God bless you all this fine Sunday.”

You sat back as the congregation began to file out of the sanctuary. Once everyone had left, you got up and walked up to the front. Behind the pulpit, you found the slate tablets that Penny had told you about earlier that morning. You grabbed a few of them and began to place them in the first few rows of the pews. You began to hum a little melody as you worked, allowing the sound to roll through you. Your mother had always been proud of your ability to sing.

“Like an angel here on earth,” she had said once. You had shied away from the compliment, but it never deterred you from enjoying the hobby.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,” you sang as you walked back up towards the pulpit to grab more slates. “That saved a wretch like me.”

Turning, you moved to the other side of the aisle, repeating the task from before.

“I once was lost, but now am found,” you continued, turning back to grab the last few remaining tablets. Gathering them up in your arms, you turned. “Was blind, but now I see.”

Your finished the last note, looking up towards the door and nearly dropping the slates in your arms as you jumped. Standing in the doorway was a devistatingly handsome man. His skin was golden like it had been kissed by the sun itself, and chestnut brown hair curled at his forehead. His mustache sat above his lips that were curled into a small smile as he watched you with deep, brown eyes.

“Hey, little songbird. Don’t stop on my account,” he drawled, leaning against the doorframe. You didn’t say anything, to nervous to speak. This only seemed to amuse him, and he pushed off from the doorframe and started walking over towards you.

“That’s a pretty voice you got there,” he continued, causing you to tighten your hold on the tablets. “Maybe I can get a private show here soon.”

“C-c-can I help you?” you asked, cursing yourself for stuttering. The man hummed, coming to a stop in front of you. He was so tall, that you had to crane your head back in order to meet his gaze. He looked at you thoughtfully, biting his bottom lip before leaning down so close that his breath fanned over your face.

“That depends,” he smirked. “What are you offering?”

“I don’t,” you started, but your sentence was cut off by a squeak as the man cornered you against the wall by the pulpit.

“You gonna let me have a taste, darlin’?” He asked huskily, sliding his hand down to grip your skirt.

“We’re in a church!” You gasped, your brain struggling to catch up with what was happening. You put a hand on his chest, trying to use the tablets to push him back. He chuckled, taking them out of your hand and tossing them to the floor.

“I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Your pulse skyrocketed and your breath caught in your throat as he leaned in closer, close enough for you to see the green in his eyes.

“Oh, Rooster,” called a voice in a sing-song tone. You glanced over to see another tall, handsome man. This one, however, was blond and just a breath shorter than the one currently caging you in.

“‘M busy,” the man—Rooster—grumbled, softly stroking your cheek. You felt the skin in where he touched you blaze, and you tried to suppress the shudder that ran up your spine. Rooster’s smirk returned as he pressed in closer to you.

“Rooster?”

Rooster continued to ignore the man, cupping your jaw. He leaned in so that his lips hovered over yours, and you let out an involuntary whimper, feeling your resolve weaken.

“Don’t worry,” he cooed softly. “I’ve got you.”

“Bradley.”

“What, Hangman?” Snapped Rooster, Bradley, whirling around to glare at the man, thunder in his eyes. The man, Hangman, didn’t seem phased by the sudden hostility of his friend. In fact, he looked bored as he inspected his fingernails, propped up against the door frame where Bradley had just been minutes before.

“Well, Roo, I hate to interrupt your,” Hangman paused, casting you a quick glance before smirking, “fun, but we do have some things we need to take care of.”

Bradley didn’t say anything, still looking at Hangman with a thunderous look. Hangman cocked an eyebrow as if to challenge Bradley to argue.

“Have you even found Maverick?” Hangman asked exasperatedly.

“Maverick?” You questioned, your sense slowly coming back to you now that Bradley wasn’t quite so close. “He left already.”

Both men turned to look at you.

“Do you know where we can find him?” Asked Hangman, standing up straight now, hand on his hip.

“I believe he and Penny went home,” you said carefully, unsure of what these men wanted with your host.

“Well, thank you kindly, darlin’,” Hangman said, throwing you a wink before sauntering out the door. A moment passed and Bradley turned back to look at you, but your gaze was focused on your hands. Bradley’s hand reached out to cup your cheek again, pulling your face up to look at him. An unreadable expression was on his face as he studied you. His thumb gently stroked your bottom lip, and you once again found yourself having difficulty breathing and focusing on a single thought. His hand was so warm.

Bradley seemed to make up his mind about whatever it was he was thinking about, and he pulled away with another smirk. He turned and walked down the aisle of the church and out the door without another word to you. You shook your head in an attempt to clear it.

You quickly placed the rest of the tablets in the pews and waved goodbye to the reverend who had wandered back in from outside. You dragged your feet a little more than what was necessary as you made your way back to the house. You spotted several horses tied up by the gate outside, and you took a steadying breath to brace yourself for what, or who, was on the other side of the door. You stopped just outside and debated on whether or not it was too late to run off to another town. Deciding against it, you swung the door open before you lost your nerve. A group of six men were sprawled across varying pieces of furniture in the parlor, two of whom were now familiar to you. Both looked at you in surprise, but Bradley’s shock quickly turned into a lazy smirk.

“Well, hi Birdie,” he drawled, earning looks from both Maverick and Penny. “What’re you doing here?”

[adastrael]

Cod: mw ii characters as type of kisses (pt.2)

Pairing(s): gender neutral reader / simon "ghost" riley, rodolfo "rudy" parra, alejandro vargas, valeria garza

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: nothing that I know of, this is just fluff

A/N: here is part two! I have another (last) one in the works, I hope you like this as much as the previous one <3

Simon "Ghost" Riley - "hand kiss"

Being in a relationship with someone who had a difficult time opening up wasn't an easy thing, and if you were a lesser person, you would have given up long ago. But knowing your love was reciprocated — even if not in a flashy way in front of the general public — made the hardships well worth it.

Gently scooping up a little sapling while humming under your breath, you were enjoying a calm Monday afternoon. Well into the month of May, the weather has been perfect for gardening for a while now, and you didn't waste the time you had to tend to your little oasis in front of the house. The various plants have been growing for years and the garden was something you were really proud of; fruits, vegetables and flowers were all healthily blooming in this time of the year, making the path leading to the front door inviting and beautiful.

Lost in your own bubble, just thinking about where your next pumpkin seeds should be planted, you only perked up when you heard a vehicle on the street. It was usually a quiet neighborhood — you lived there for a good reason — aside from a few people who tended to come and go during the day, so the noise of a car always drew your attention. Hearing it slow down, then an engine being cut off, you finally turned your head after putting a flower down from your hands. Spotting a familiar black SUV parked in front of the house, you couldn't contain a beaming smile stretching across your face. Quickly getting up, you made your way over to the car, skipping a few of your steps on the way.

"Simon!"

As soon as the figure stepped out from behind the shade of the vehicle, you were throwing yourself into his arms.

"You're home early!"

"I am."

His rumbling voice was the same you were used to, and it didn't fail to make you feel comforted.

Standing in the driveway in his arms, it quickly became difficult to hold your tears back and not let your feelings get the better of you. You liked to think you've always dealt well with his absence, but every time he came home, it was nearly impossible to avoid becoming emotional. You would have thought that after all this time it didn't have such a strong effect on you, but Ghost never failed to bring your deepest feelings out — often with simply his presence.

As he lowered his head and hid his still covered face into the crook of your neck, you wound your arms around his shoulders a little tighter, hoping to convey what you felt. Knowing he needed a few minutes staying like that — just as much as you did — you let yourself fully relax and enjoy being in his hold again.

Not much later, he reluctantly let you go from the secure embrace, gently raking his eyes over your form.

"Come on, let's go inside."

Giving a slight shake of his head, Ghost reached for your hand that was now hanging by your side.

"Simon, my hands are still dirty!"

"Don't care." - came his murmur, and he lifted your right hand to where his mouth was still hidden beneath his mask.

Your breath got caught in your throat a little; no matter how many times he did this — always, when he greeted you — it still made you feel special and appreciated in a way no one else could. You knew it was his way of saying "I love you", and if that didn't make you feel even warmer inside, you don't know what did.

Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra - "routine kiss"

There was something endearing about the way he subconsciously presented his cheek for you whenever you leaned in to put a kiss on his face. Often, he was busy doing something work related even at home, so greetings or goodbyes could be swift and hurried. It didn't bother you much however; when it mattered, he was always more than ready to show you how much he appreciated you.

You've been scribbling words on a post it note for a few days now, making a grocery list for later when you would have time to go and shop for the needed ingredients. During the second half of the week you've waited, knowing some of the missing items would appear on the paper sooner or later — your boyfriend would add them when he suddenly remembered something missing from the house. So far, he's only scratched one additional thing on it during the time he's been spending home lately, so you decided come Monday morning, it would be the perfect time to go out. He would be going to work later that day, so maybe you could even make him breakfast before he disappeared for God knows how long again.

You weren't angry or annoyed by that anymore, getting used to how different your daily (or weekly) routines were. It still wasn't rare for you to subconsciously bring the topic up when he was home though, and the poor soul never failed to apologize every time. You had to reassure him you didn't mind and you knew how important work was for him, and that it just accidentally slipped from your lips — old habits die hard as they say.

The upcoming Monday morning, you got up and got ready to go out and buy a few things as planned. Of course, your boyfriend, Rodolfo was already awake, so you couldn't leave without chastising him for being up early on a day he could have been still snoozing in the comfortable bed you two shared.

"I wanted to take another look at these reports before going, mi corazón."

"Of course you did."

Sitting at the dinner table, all kinds of papers laid out in front of him, he looked professional already, even though it was early enough for you to feel drowsy with sleep. He's always been quick to get into the working setting, that much was true, so you just smiled a little. Thanks to the high wooden surface, Rodolfo was just at a comfortably reachable lever for you to lean close and put a kiss on his cheek. As if he sensed it coming, not even looking up from the words on the page, he turned his head a little, angling the left side of his face towards you a little more. It made you smile immediately, even knowing he didn't even notice he was doing it.

"I will be back soon."

"Alright. Be safe!"

Later that day, when he finally had to leave for work, you got much more than a small peck back in exchange as an apology from him. You would make sure to make up for the lost time later.

Alejandro Vargas - "comforting kiss"

If you had to summarize why he was such a good partner, you would have certainly been in trouble. From his habit to check on everyone dear to him, to the way he could make you laugh just by pulling a silly face; he was really in touch with his emotions, and even more with the ones' close to him. He always radiated warmth and a positive energy, and it was hard not to feel similarly joyful in his company. Even on your worst days, he was there to lift your mood up, even when you didn't ask him to.

It was pretty late when you managed to crawl out of the comfort of your bed. Having woken up multiple times during the night for one reason and another, you were grumpy and had no motivation to do anything now that it was finally morning. Unfortunately, duty called, and the housework wasn't going to do itself. So, cursing under your breath, you clambered out of the bedroom and went downstairs to at least get a cup of coffee before facing the challenges of the day. There would be a few, because the past two or so days were filled with work of other nature, so you really needed any extra energy you could get.

Entering the kitchen, you were met with the sight of your husband. He was facing you backwards, doing something on the counter while quietly muttering under his breath — probably not to wake you. When he heard you audibly yawn in the doorway, he swiveled around with a bright smile to greet you.

"Buenos días mi vida."

"Morning."

You never understood how he was so chipper in the morning, but it wasn't an annoying or bad thing; his enthusiasm was contagious, no matter the time of day.

You could feel a little smile forming on your lips and already feeling slightly better, you made your way over to the counter to pour yourself some coffee. Thankfully a dose has been cooling for some time in the jug, so you could comfortably make a cup and start drinking it. Alejandro, who was just quietly watching the whole time, now stepped in front of you, sneaking his hands around your waist, paying attention not to make you spill your beverage.

"How did you sleep?"

"Rough. Kept waking up."

"Sorry to hear that. Maybe I can make you feel better?"

He was wearing one of his cheeky grins again, and you knew he was thinking about trouble. It was clear he was just joking though, the tone and the mirth in his eyes were enough giveaway.

"I have to do the housework first. The dishes, folding clothes, vacuuming.."

"Amor, I already did the first two."

Looking into the sink, you noticed now that he was right. In your morning haze, you didn't pay enough attention, seems like.

"Sorry. Just tired."

Flashing him an embarrassed smile, you finished the rest of your coffee in one go. Squaring your shoulders and letting out a deep sigh, you put the cup down and mentally prepared yourself for the upcoming tasks. Slipping from his hold, you set off in the direction of the living room where the vacuuming was waiting for you.

"Hey, listen."

Reaching for your arm, Alejandro pulled you back gently, turning you to face him again.

"You know we can just do all of that together right? Or we could go upstairs, cuddle while you let me read to you, and we could simply do everything later."

His offer was promising for sure. Some more time to rest was very tempting, and you knew that by his side, maybe sleep would claim you once again — hopefully, this time peacefully. Unfortunately or not, you were stubborn, and it wasn't that easy to spoil your plans that once you made your mind up about.

"I can't, this needs to be done as soon as possible."

"Come on cariño, you can just leave it. You need this more. And I would be lonely in our bed without you by my side."

As usual, he knew he could easily win you over. Who were you to object when he made such good points?

"Fine. But we are doing everything later."

"Alright."

Flashing you a satisfied smile, Alejandro leaned down to kiss you. If you still had anything troubling your mind, it left immediately; his lips were soft and warm against you, and as you let the tension — that you didn't know you had — leave your body, he pulled you closer to himself, rubbing soft circles into your back. You were still amazed by how he always knew exactly what you needed, even when you weren't sure yourself. As the fairytales say: "One true kiss was enough".

Valeria Garza - "quick kiss"

Having such high authority as she did, it was essential for her to keep a strong and harsh facade in front of everyone. At first, understandably you weren't any exception, but it wasn't long before she allowed you to see a different side of her, one that let you know how much she appreciated you.

Still groggy with sleep, you reluctantly turned in bed to face the bathroom door. A muted light creeped into the darker room, indicating the presence of someone behind the door (if the careful noises weren't enough). The idea to have the two areas connected came shortly before moving together, and it wasn't hard to agree on the purchase, knowing both of your preferences aligned. Neither of you regretted it, not even when sometimes it cut one of your resting times short — like right now.

Hearing the lock click and the door open, you slowly sat up, rubbing at your eyes in hopes it would clear up the sleepy fog in your mind. Luckily, to a degree it did, and when a figure was already approaching the bed, you could think more clearly than before.

Valeria was already in her work clothes, and you knew she just got ready to leave for the day. It wasn't hard making out the silhouette of her uniform, and as she got closer to the bed, you could smell the perfume you bought for her previous birthday on her. It made a little smile curl on your lips, and as if mirroring you, her expression turned softer when looking down at you.

"Leaving already?"

"Sorry amor, you know I can't let them run the place without me."

Chuckling a little, you reached for her hand which she easily let you move. Linking your fingers together a little clumsily, you gazed up at her again, a smile still present on your face.

"I plan to cook your favorite tonight."

"I will hurry home then."

Leaning down, she pressed a soft kiss to your lips, then gently slipped her hand out of yours. Stepping over to the nightstand, she picked up her phone and a bag from the floor, then casting another loving look at your form, she left the room, closing the door behind her with a quiet click.

You waited a few minutes to hear the sound of her keys jingling, then as the quiet sweeped back into the house, you let your body fall back into the soft covers. You knew it was difficult for her to be gentle after the years of hardships, but it was okay; she was trying, and Valeria always found a way to let you know how much she loved you with the little things. And if you joked to yourself later that she would take care of herself, if only to come back to a home cooked meal, you had a hard time taking yourself seriously.

__

Translations:

mi corazón - my heart

Buenos días mi vida - Good morning my life

amor - love

cariño - sweetheart

[urlocalmultigroupfan]

without you. (pt.1)

pairing: lee felix x female reader

summary: you have been best friends with the 00 liners+chan for a while now. now everyone is in college and when you begin to devolop feelings, its gettimg hard to choose...

tags/warnings: college skz, liking multiple people at a time, fluff, angst, reader struggles with anxiety and depression, cussing, partially proofread

a/n: so this is my first post! its based off of a create yiur own story with stray kids! pls ignore the fact that there is seemingly no age difference 😭😭 it makes the story a lot easier to write for me! this will for sure be a series! let me know if there are any mistakes!

when you were fifteen, you, seungmin, amd hyunjin went to the pool a lot during the summer. youlooked a lot older than you actually were, so one day, when you were about to get into the pool, you were apporached by someone. he looked to be in hughschool, or maybe even worse...college.

hyunjin had immediately stepped in front of you. "she's not interested," he said firmly. "you better stop," seungmin said, shielding you with his arms. the guy kept coming towards you, however, but just when he was right in front of you, three boys apppeared. "hey man, she said back off," one of them said. "shes uncomfortable," another said. the guy lifted up his hands and rolled his eyes, backing away. "okay, man, jeez.."

once he left, one of them turned around. he had freckles and a boyish face, which was currently scrunched together in concern. "are you okay?" he asks in a thick austrilian accent. you nod briefly, but really, you're beginning to find it hard to breathe. your heart begins to make a tattoo on your chest and the edges of your vision begins to blur. you vaguely hear everyone introuduce themselves ("im han!" "felix!" "im chan. nice to meet you guys-") after hyunjin and seungmin introduce themselves, everyone turns to you. you open your mouth, but you can't speak-

"are you really okay...?" felix asked gently, and you shook your head. hyunjin drew in a sharp breath and pulled you to a lounge chair. han, the boy with glasses, followed, along with everyone else. "i have panic attacks all the time, too." you glance up at him for a moment and then close your eyes. "just breathe in and out," he says kindly.

soon, your panic attack is over. you feel slightly embarrased, but still grateful, nonetheless. you glance down at your shoulder and realize that felix's hand is on your shoulder. a blush creeps up to your cheeks and he looks down as well, seeming to notice just now that we was doing that. you immediately look over at hyunjin and you grow even more red at the sight of his face. he looks jealous... you think before smiling weakly. "i'm so sorry..." you apologize under your breath. "that was mortifying.." chan smiles at you kindly. his australian accent is pronounced when he speaks. "its okay. we're glad your safe." han nods eagerly. meanwhile felix has a small pink spot on his cheeks and is looking down at the ground.

"i think its time for us to get going," hyunjin says stiffly. "come on, y/n. we should go tell your mom," seungmin says as he gathers your stuff and puts it into a bag. you look back up at the other boys. "are you guys visitng?" younask, oblivious to seungmin's rolling of the eys at your friendliness after what just happened and hyunjin's glare. chan nods. "me and felix are visiting from australia, actually, and han over here is from malaysia." he smiles widely. "well, you can come by my house if you want! i can show you around town," you continue shyly. "that is, if you want to go." felix speaks first, immediately agreeing to your offer. you suddenly pull everyone in for a hug. "i can tell we're going to be friends for a while!" you squeal.

now, however, you stand in a college dorm, boxes haphazardly placed on your bed, the desk, and the floor. your arms are around all 5 of them, your smile filled with joy. it feels foreign on your face; at home, you don't normally feel happy.

however, you're not at home anymore. you're at the seoul national university. all 5 of your friends made it in, and you're moving in to your shared dorm with none other than... han jisung!

"thanks guys," you say, chan leans his head onto your shoulder. "of course, y/n!" felix says happily. "hey, this isn't only your dorm, y/n," jisung says jokingly. you giggle. "yes, jisung, i know," you say with fake annoyance. he nudges you with his shoulder and hurls himself onto the bed. "this is going to be so much fun!" hyunjin throws a pillow st him and jisung looks shocked. once he recovers, however, nowhere is safe, as he hurls his (many unneeded) pillows at hyunjin. chan ducks as a misthrown one comes flying at his head and seungmin gets hit in the back. felix ends up getting a face full of pillow, however, and you laugh so hard you feel like you could die. he pins you to the wall to shut you up, and no one else is watching. your breath hitches as you look into his eyes and he looks down at your lips. his adam's apple bobs. he releases you gently and looks away. you look at hyunjin. his hair shines in the sunlight coming through the window, and his smile makes you want to fall to your knees. he looks so fucking hot. i could just stare at him all day- but you look away in time to see chan looking at you. his eyes are shining brightly as he watches you happily before he turns away.

later on, all of you are sitting on the floor on your stomachs watching young sheldon on your computer. you look over at hyunjin at a particulary funny part, but you see him staring out the window and around the room. seungmin looks up. he follows your gaze. "hyunjin." hyunjin turns around, remembering what was going on. "hm?" "stop staring out the window and watch the damn show please." he laughs. "sorry, its just... wow. we've grown up so much." you reach over seungmins arm and pause the show. han groans. "come on, y/n! we're about to get to a good part!" chan exclaims, and felix pouts. hyunjin continues like they aren't complaining at the top of their lungs. "when we first met, guys, we were fifteen," he emphasizes. "now look at us." he looks at each of you in turn.

everyone all silent for minute until chan says dryly, "wow. i didn't know my dongsaeng was so wise," a smirk on his face. "aish-" hyunjin says before standing up and tackling chan. your eyes widen and a surprised laugh comes out. felix looks at you, eyes shining bright, and han and seungmin just sit there in shock.

its so nice to have such helpful friends.

[countrymusiclover]

32 - Message of a Dragon

Part 33

The Lion Knight and Dragon Princess

Tags- just send an ask to be added @cdragons @kmc1989 @starkleila @noirrose21-blog @lover-of-books-and-tea

Thunder roared through the dark halls of whatever castle I had found myself in. My hair was loosely flowing down my back with me in a red gown and some dragon rider boots. Slowly scanning the large room around me there was a burning fire going in the fireplace and a large round table seated into the middle of the room. “What is this place?”

“Harrenhal, little princess.” Whipping my head around it took me a second before my gaze landed on a man standing by the burning fireplace that I apparently hadn’t seen when I was looking over there moments ago.

Knitting my brows at the stranger he looked very much like a Targaryen. Short silver white hair and bright purple eyes focused on me. “Who are you? What house did you belong to, my lord?”

“I’m not some fucking lord, princess. I am a dragon prince. Daemon Targaryen.” He flashed me a wicked smirk across his lips.

Parting my lips I recalled the name from the many books that I’d been taught to read. He married his niece Rhaenyra who went to war with her half brother over the throne but was brutally murdered according to the written histories. “Why am I seeing you now, Daemon? This is a dream for certain so it must mean something of importance.”

“Most people didn’t care for my bluntness but that is what you need to hear as of late.”

Moving around the round table I stand a few feet away from him in front of the fireplace. “And what is it you feel you must tell me?”

“I see who you really are.” Daemon answered my question.

Moving my arms over my chest I raised my chin upright meeting his gaze. “Who am I really in your eyes then, Daemon?”

“You’re acting like a foolish flower. The blood of the dragon runs through your veins and yet you’re pretending to be someone you’re not.” He explained glaring at me for quite some time.

I scoffed back at him. “I refuse to use dragons to take our families throne back from Cersei-“

“How do you think we took it in the first place?” The long dead dragon man rested a hand on his sword attached to his hip.

I snorted out a laugh. “Dreams-“

“Dreams didn’t make us Kings. Dragons did.” He sharply cut me off wrapping one hand around my throat slightly choking me where I grabbed onto his wrist attempting to fight against his grasp.

I gasped for air staring into his dark purple eyes. “Daemon - I - I won’t kill people for it.”

“So if I attempt to kill you right now. You’re saying you wouldn’t fight back.” He teased me pressing his nails deeper into my throat, cutting my air supply.

One of my hands remained wrapped around his wrist holding my throat. With my other hand maneuvering downward to his sword handle where I drew it and shoved his body backwards. “What’s so funny about any of this?” He began launching dryly at me, stumbling against the stone wall.

“I am right about you, little princess. You can pretend to be a delicate lion wife but deep down you’ll always be a fiery dragon inside.”

Tightening my grip around the blade handle I growled. “So you've wished to insult me, good job. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?”

“You expect I'm simply going to tell you something without having a little fun for myself at that time.” Daemon cocked his head to the side.

A sudden gssp escaped my lips when he tugged the side of my gown he could reach and twirled me into his embrace. “Daemon-” The sword in my hands clanked to the floor, my back pressing to his front and his lips up against my ear.

“Sssh Vaella ssshh. Life's expectations don’t stop us completely from doing what we want.” He nuzzles his nose into the crook of my neck.

Placing my hands on his that were wrapped around my waist holding me against his chest I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. “What do you want to do then?”

“I want you to be a Dragon.”

I muttered back a reply. “I am a Dragon.”

“Yes but you need to act more like one. A dragon needs to claim the throne, do you understand me?”

Shaking in his arms I did my best to focus on what he was telling me. “How do you want me to do that?”

“Take the throne the way you know has worked. Take the Iron Throne you know a Targaryen would.” The dead dragon Prince whispered in my ear before disappearing, leaving me standing alone in the rumored haunted halls of Harrenhal.

A gasp left my lips once I had shot upright from laying in my bed peacefully sleeping until I was awoken from the dream. My hair was tousled about and my hands clutching the soft silk sheets under them. I flinched feeling a hand touching my shoulder where I whipped my head around quickly. “Vae , woah, woah, it’s just me. It’s Jaime.”

“J - Jaime. Is it really you?” I croaked out in fear, still believing I was inside that abandoned castle with a dead Targaryen prince.

Jaime takes one of my hands in his real one, bringing it to his lips, kissing it gently. “I'm real, Vaella. I'm real. Do you want to talk about it?”

“I saw Daemon Targaryen - I saw the Rogue Prince who married Rhaenyra, the Black Queen they called her.” Hugging my knees to my chest feeling my hair falling in front of my face. Struggling to tell him exactly what I saw and not come off as crazy. “We were talking in Harrenhal and he called me a coward. He said that I wasn’t truly being a dragon like I was born.”

My husband shook his head at my words. “You're not weak because you don't want to take Kings Landing with fire and blood just to sit on a chair of swords.”

“Clearly my dead ancestors think otherwise.” Barley lifting my head up from being bearded in between my knees I sniffed through some tears. “Apparently me believing in White Walkers and wanting to help Jon Snow isn’t what my destiny is supposed to be.”

Jaime tucked hair behind my ear. “Fuck destiny. You’ve lived your entire life trapped in one way or another. Do what you want to do, that's what your mother did the first time I saw her bruises.”

“I thought the first time you saw her bruises was with me.”

He lowered his gaze down to his right hand stump avoiding my gaze when he began explaining. “It was before we had actually met. Aerys sent me to keep watch over your mother and your brother Viserys who was only an infant. “

“Around the time of the great tournament where my brother gave Lyanna a crown of roses.”

He slowly nodded his head yes. “She had been told by many other Kingsguard that she couldn’t hold her own son because Aerys feared she would hurt his son. She asked only one thing of me “bring me my son. I wish to hold my child” she said to me. And I did and never told anyone until this moment.”

“You did what was right regardless of the circumstances. That’s how we have to be now…When dead people come for us all in the night it doesn't matter who sits on the Iron Throne.” I muttered under my breath staring deeply at Aegon’s dagger laying on the table across the room.

Jaime asked, noticing where I was looking at. “What are we going to do, my Queen?”

“We stand behind Jon Snow and face the White Walkers. If my sister wants that throne then she must follow and protect the entire realm.” Tossing the covers aside I slipped on a thin cloak simply wearing a thin nightgown heading over to the table with the dagger.

Jaime held himself by his elbow on one of the pillows. “Where are you going, Vaella?”

“I’m going to educate my little sister.” Snatching the dagger off the table I stomped over to the door, throwing it opened where it made a bang against the stone. My sister needed to be taught a lesson before she got us in a war with the Northerners and Cersei Lannister at the same time.

[terramous]

i need to be youthfully felt, 'cause god i've never felt young

fandom: agatha all along word count: 1.3k title: hozier - jackie and wilson !! panic attack & mention of vomiting !! AO3

Wiping her noncorporeal hands on her noncorporeal dress, a futile movement but an unconscious habit, Agatha marches up the steps to Billy’s house. 

As soon as she woke up as a ghost she knew she needed to come and see him. So she followed the feeling in her chest that drew her closer and closer until she was stepping past the doorbell and through his front door. 

That would never stop being cool.

Unable to shake her role of nosy neighbour, she snoops around the house a bit. Both of his parents are downstairs, mother in the kitchen and father in the living room watching some kind of cooking programme on the TV. On the screen there’s a piece of meat, in a bag, submerged in water, and what she now recognises as a sous vide. What a useless piece of information to have learned in the twilight of her life. 

Finding them both completely boring she heads up the stairs. She doesn’t even need to step up each stair; she just glides through them. 

Peering around doorways, Agatha first finds the parents’ bedroom off of the stair landing. Ridiculously beige bedspread and all. The art is all mindless and meaningless but she expects nothing more from two people who raised the most interesting child in the world. 

She pulls her head back and continues down the hall, to the door on the opposite wall where she hits her jackpot. Completely decked out in decor, horror and witches and a gothic teen’s wet dream, she knows she’s in the right place. 

But her target is kneeling on the floor, his face hidden but his body wracked with sobs.

“Billy,” she tries, standing in the doorway. He doesn’t seem to hear her. 

His hands are fisted in the material of his shirt, one over his heart the other at his side pulling at it like the fabric is choking him. His breaths are ragged and stilted. More choking. 

It’s not hard to guess why he’s so upset. Agatha would like to think it’s because of her sacrifice but she sees the green-skinned witch on the floor and the coloured leaves hanging, swaying gently because someone had just touched him, just realised their significance. 

Ah. 

He has realised the road was his creation. That he is indirectly responsible for everything that transpired, the horror, the trauma, the deaths. 

She walks–floats–further into the room and just sits on the edge of his bed. She takes in all the decor, the posters, the witchy things, the lava lamp with bubbling orange wax. There isn’t a single void space on his walls. It’s the perfect glimpse into him, a part of him she hadn’t been able to bear witness during their time on the road. 

After all, The Rocky Horror Picture Show never came up in conversation but she nods approvingly at the poster, remembering attending midnight screenings of it when it released. 

There’s a strangled sob and her attention is drawn back to her young protege, still on the floor, still struggling for air. 

“It’s not your fault,” she says even though she knows he can’t hear her. “You didn’t know.” 

Billy continues crying, hastily wiping at his eyes. Agatha watches as his fingers come away black. She is reminded of her own fingers drenched by the darkhold, or his fingers stained with ink when she thought she was interrogating him, but this is just eyeliner.

Someone should tell him they make waterproof versions for a reason. 

The panic attack just builds and builds, he seems to shrink in on himself, unable to draw in air and making the most horrible broken and cracked sobs. It’s a wonder why his parents haven’t come up to check on him, maybe they can’t hear him from downstairs. Something in Agatha wishes they could, he shouldn’t be alone right now and she’s not much for company if he can’t even hear her. 

All she can do is watch and wait. 

As it drags on she can’t help but to worry that if he keeps this up he’s going to pass out. Grief can do that and for someone who has lived so unused to the permanency of death it must be hitting him like a train. 

Eventually he quiets and Agatha thinks that might be the end of it. Maybe he’s cried all he can and exhausted himself but he lurches, covers his mouth, scrambles to his feet and bolts from the room. 

Agatha waits. 

The bathroom must only be a room over, further up the hall than Agatha had explored and she hears everything. 

More waiting as she unwillingly listens to Billy’s turmoil escaping from his body. If it is as painful as it sounds, heaving and retching mixed with crying, she offers a sympathetic wince to the desk chair. 

The toilet flushes. The sink runs. Silence. 

When Billy finally makes his return he looks like he’s been hit by a car then reversed over for good measure. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and a groan, eyeliner is smudged big and messy around his eyes and down his cheeks, he’s still crying and it’s wearing through his thin frame. 

He silently crosses his room to his desk and pulls a small tin out of the drawer, opening it and popping a single mint in his mouth. He joins Agatha on the bed, much quieter now but he just looks like he’s been fed through a paper shredder. 

Suddenly mad at her incorporeal form, Agatha wishes she could reach out and touch him. He’s only a few inches away and he needs the comfort of someone. 

She watches as he rocks in place, his arms resting on his knees as he taps his fingers and thumbs together. Back and forth. Back and forth. 

It’s a little unusual but it seems to help calm him, even if only by a fraction. 

“Billy,” she tries again. “It’s okay.” 

Nothing.

At least now he doesn’t seem like he’s on the verge of collapsing in on himself. She wants to reach over and pull him into a hug and reassure him but she’s a fucking ghost and somehow this is the worst thing ever. 

She once thought she would live forever. Then just a long time. Then all of a sudden she was kissing Rio and absorbing her powers. Then she was dead. Then she was a ghost. And now when Billy needs a hug she’s quite literally unable to give him one. She never did. 

Watching on with a mixture of sympathy and regret bubbling in her chest, Agatha just stays with him. He doesn’t know she’s there but she does and that makes her feel a little better, that he’s not entirely alone even if it may seem that way to him. 

He starts shaking his hands, flapping them back and forth in small arcs. It’s now that for the first time Agatha thinks she hears him take a full breath, unhindered by his crying. The tears are still running down his cheeks but as he closes his eyes and tilts his head to the ceiling he looks almost peaceful. 

Water droplets from his hair run down his hairline, his curls are even darker than usual and more defined in shape. Yearning to reach her hand out to ruffle his hair, Agatha’s throat aches behind her locket. 

Even though she’d only known him a few days she had developed somewhat motherly feelings towards him and to see him in such pain is almost unbearable. 

There’s nothing he did that he can blame himself for, Agatha hopes he knows that. 

“Billy,” she says. 

This time his eyes flicker open and he turns his head to look at her, tears shining in his wide eyes. 

He can see her. 

“Boo.”