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zunniva · 2 years

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"HEY WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING LARDASS" Steve looked around, who the hell used language like that as an adult? He saw some of the guys from his economics class standing further down the hall snickering at a girl who hastily walked away from them. As she passed him he could see the tears on her face. Yes, she was large, no denying that. But what the hell kinda behaviour was that? He watched her go then he glared over at the guys down the hall. This wasn't Hawkins High, he was no king. He was just Steve Harrington, the dude that came from that place that got demolished by an earthquake a few years back. He had no say here, he looked at his shoes feeling the anger sear in him.

That was him now, angry. Like all the time. He stayed in Hawkins as long as his kids were still in high school, but they've all graduated now and moved to colleges around the country. He still calls in to check on them from time to time. Good kids!

Then there was the disaster that was The Upside down, he still talks to Robin. There's kinda no real way to avoid her, if he ghosts her calls too often she'll show up here. He knows, he tried...

He's also still in contact with Nancy of course, Jonathan not so much any more. Worst part of all that shit is missing Eddie every fucking day, and they hadn't been that close. He was the king of Hawkins, Eddie was the freak. They were like oil and water, did NOT mix. But turns out that if they have to, the to mix quite fucking well. He loved that guy by the end, he was funny and surprisingly insightful for a stoner freak. He'd been so in love with Nancy back then and Eddie helped him realise that he needed to try and get her back, they'd had a good talk about it trekking through the Upside down. Steve would have never taken Eddie for someone to notice things like that, but he was a real good dude. Well he waited patiently to see if Nancy and Jonathan seemed happier than ever when he returned from California, it seemed like it for a little while. Then she dumped Jonathan and Steve was soaring, this was his chance. Only...it wasn't. Apparently other things happened in the Upside down as well, like Robin and Nancy. So that's twice he'd lost a girl to Robin being a lesbian. First...well Robin herself, and then Nancy.

He lost his parents in the disaster, his father had been stubborn and refused to leave their house when they were asked to. It was in an area they couldn't guarantee the safety of, his dad being the way he was assured them HIS HOUSE was top of the notch in security no need to worry. Not really what they meant...the house inevitably collapsed in on itself trapping his parents inside. So there was that also... So there he was 20 years old, no parents, a lot of money and no future really.

There was a few shaky years where he acted a damn fool. The insurance money from both of his parents was enough to give him a good life, but there was also all the money his dad had himself. And the art and the other real estate they owned, or well HE now owned. He didn't care! He just wanted them all back...some days not dad that much, he'd been a bossy bully. But mum and Eddie, fuck if money could get them back he'd give it all up.

He left Hawkins about two and a half years ago. Moved to Indianapolis, still close enough to Hawkins to visit when Robin wanted him to. Which was mandatory on 4th of July and Christmas, no discussion. Other than that, drop in from time to time was suggested....no demanded. Ok, he didn't mind, he loves Robin and Nancy. Just, the anger...it's easier to be a nobody in the city than to come back home and be Steve again. He doesn't feel like Steve any more, he can't remember when he smiled last for instance. The Steve he remembered smiled a lot. He sighs deeply and snaps out of his thoughts, he's still standing in the hallway of the community college where he's taking a few classes at the moment. He looks at the time, fuck they'll be locking the doors soon he needs to leave. He gets his things and he leaves out of a side door. There on the stairs he sees the girl from earlier. She's been crying, he can tell by the muffled sniffles and the shaky breathing.

"Hey, you ok?" he's unsure if she even wants to talk to anyone

She looks up at him with scared eyes

"Sorry...I'll move" she starts to gather her stuff

"No, no...you don't have to go if you...ehmm...weren't done" he says

She looks at him, and his heart flutters. She's the most endearing sight he's seen in a while. So sad, eyes wide and scared. A bit red in the face from crying, but she's a beautiful girl.

"I was just leaving. Sorry I bothered you" he says and he walks past her on the stairs

"Bother me? I'm not in your way then?" her voice is low and timid. In his way? Why the hell would she think that?

"No, you're not. Take care, see you around. I'm Steve by the way" he says as he reaches the ground and can turn to look at her. She looks confused

"Oh, well likewise. I'm Victoria" she says looking down at her hands

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" he has no idea why he asks her, he doesn't know her. He doesn't know anyone here yet and he likes it that way.

"Huh? A ride? Oh...you wouldn't mind?" she's even more confused now

"Wouldn't have asked if I did" he mutters "sorry, didn't mean to sound like that. No I don't mind, you look...you look well upset. I thought you might not wanna walk, or take the bus or whatever in this state" he makes some kind of half smile at her

"Yes...thank you Steve, it's very kind of you to ask" she says and gathers her things and gets up

"Yeah, imagine that" he mumbles to himself "don't mention it" he says a bit louder to her

They walk quietly to his car and get in. She's not talkative at least, he doesn't know if he likes it this way or if he wants to talk to her. It's been too long since he interacted with someone outside of the necessary. Like for class or buying something somewhere.

"So...where to then?" he says as he starts the car. She tells him an address not far from where he lives "really? I live like around the corner from you then"

A deep sigh "yeah... I know" she's blushing

"You....know?" he's both a bot scared but also intrigued. How has he never seen her around?

"Yes, not like I follow you or anything. I'm no creep! You're just...easy to notice" she says in a hushed voice

"I'm sorry I'm easy to notice? What does that even mean?" he's actually smiling now

She's blushing even more intensely now "well...you're very handsome. But you always look so stern. I've seen you around, and at school of course" she hurries to tell him

"Wow, thank you! That brightened my day, you're very pretty yourself Victoria. But I'm sorry to say I've never seen you around. I'm a bit of a loner" he says with an apologetic look. She stares at him like he's told her he's Santa Clause or something

"I'm not pretty...no need to say that just because I told you I think you're handsome" she sounds annoyed

"Oook? I wasn't but...sorry?" Steve has no idea where that came from but the annoyance in her voice is clear. She looks at him then she turns her head and looks out the window again, there's silence once again. They get to the street where she lives and Steve stops the car at the curb. She opens the door

"Thank you for the ride Steve. Have a good night and I'll see you around school" she gets out of the car.

"Hey, wait" she leans down and looks in the window at him "you want a ride tomorrow also? I leave for school around 9. I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to" he says and gives her a smile he hopes looks ok

She sighs "No worries. Well ok, I'll be standing here a little before 9 then" she says and Steve nods then he drives around the corner and down that street. He parks his car and he heads in to his apartment. That was a weird fucking encounter he thinks to himself.

She was nice enough, a bit reserved. Also very pretty but apparently not open to compliments AT ALL. Which isn't what he's used to, he knows Robin calls him a player and/or a manwhore. He just doesn't care, if you don't keep 'em around you don't have to risk attachment. That's his motto, a better way of saying "hump 'em and dump 'em" basically. Not that he was imagining sleeping with this girl, there was just...something about her that tug at his heartstrings for a bit. Maybe it was the fact that he hates seeing people sad after Eddie's death. There was so much sadness back then...

He keeps busy that night doing assignments for class, he actually likes school now. Once he kind of got past the initial grief after his parents and the reckless spending that came with it he decided he wanted to know more about managing money. He started looking in to business classes back home but they were a waste of his time. When he came here he decided he wanted to try and get some kind of accountant work, that's where his dad had started his career back in the day. But he was so clueless when it came to all of that he decided the first thing he needed to do was apply to community college. Get a degree in economy or accounting, he's almost done now. Been in school for little over a year, top of the class. Apparently doing this runs in the family, if he'd only knew when he was in high school that he was good at this. Maybe he could have gone to college and he wouldn't have had to deal with all the shit. Maybe he would have still been happy Steve instead of the angry mess he is now. But all that is in the past, can't be changed. What he CAN change is the future. His therapist told him that, he'd seen that woman a few times after it all happened. But then he...well he fucked her and he couldn't be a client of hers any more. But some of the stuff she'd told him stuck with him, like that thing about changing the future. He finished his assignments and then he took a shower. He still flinches every time he touches the scars on his abdomen, the constant reminder that the Upside down was indeed very real. They're such a burden on his mind he never takes his shirt off around people, not even when having sex with anyone. He just fakes such an intense want that he can't be bothered taking all his clothes off. Or he picks someone up at a bar and gets lucky in a bathroom, no need to get more than the pants off then. Fuck his life is despicable...but to be fair it's been a while since the last random woman now. His hand touches the scars again and he shivers, hideous... "she wouldn't think I'm handsome if she saw these" what!? Where did she come from? Why did he think of her now? Must be that no ones called him handsome in quite some time, there's usually other words associated with him. Hot, sexy, eye-candy and so on. Sure, boosts the ego hearing someone saying that. But for some reason being called handsome by a shy stranger did more for him. He goes to bed that night actually thinking about the girl he dropped off not far from here and that he's picking up in the morning again. What was it about her, she was so far from his type. Looking back, they've all resembled Nancy, slim and intense. Robin was the same, slim and intense. When he'd pick girls up at clubs or bars...they're all the same. All slim, and all intense in one way or another. But along comes this girl... A very large girl, but extremely pretty. Not intense what so ever, or at least not that he noticed a hint of it today. Still here he is in his bed thinking about her. Such a polar opposite of his type

He falls asleep with those big sad eyes burned in to his mind.

In the morning she's there, waiting for him. He smiles as she opens the car door

"Morning, sleep well?" he asks

"Good morning Steve. Yes, or well ok I guess" she says then she's quiet again

"So, I never asked what you're studying" he tries to get her to talk to him

She glances over at him "Why are you talking to me? You don't have to" he almost runs a red light

"Excuse me? I mean... I was trying to be friendly... I..." he doesn't know how to handle the situation

"Oh...sorry" she looks down at her hands that are nervously fiddling with the strap on her bag "people aren't...nice to me usually" she draws a deep breath "I'm taking some cooking classes and also business. We were in the same accounting class last semester" she glances over at him

"We were? I'm sorry... I don't really pay attention to the people in class... I'm there to get my degree" he sighs

"No I got that, seeing as you didn't speak to anyone I at least knew it wasn't just me you ignored" he glances over at her, the slightest smile is playing on her lips and she's even prettier for it

"Why would I ignore only you? Nah I'm an angry asshole at everyone, no one needs to feel excluded" he chuckles

"That's just...all day every day" she says and looks out the window again

"Me being angry?" he says

"No the ignoring" her voice is about to break he can hear it

"I'm sorry but what are you talking about?"

"Don't worry, it's not as bad. I just didn't sleep well. Just...leave it. You said you want your degree, in what?" she changes the subject but Steve is good at reading people, he knows there is something that's very wrong here. He wants to help, all of his 'Mommy Steve' bits are kicking in to overdrive.

"We're not talking about me just at the moment are we? Why do you feel ignored?" Steve lowers his voice and glances over at the girl beside him

"Because I AM ignored...easy as that" she scoffs, trying so hard to sound tough but it's all a facade Steve can tell.

"Would you please talk to me, WHY are you feeling ignored? Is it really as bad as you think it is?"

She looks over at him, eyes sad and on the verge of tears "No one in my class knows my name, even the teacher called me 'Fat girl' a couple of days ago... I've never had a partner for any of the group assignments so I've got lower marks on it because 'it's not a solo show miss Cole' if I speak in class no one listens and then someone might answer the exact same thing 2 minutes later and THEY get the 'good job' from the teacher... So you tell me Steve, AM I imagining it?" there's anger in her voice now and Steve isn't sure if he wants to begin kicking asses in that class or hold her in his arms and make her feel better.

"Ok, here's what we're going to do. Next time things get rough...come find me ok? Even if you just need a hug or a pat on the back. I'll be there for you" Steve looks over at her and gives her a smile, she's looking at him with one eyebrow raised

"Why? What's in it for you?"

"Ok I get the feeling you don't trust anyone, and that's fair if that's how you've been treated. I know we've just met, but there's something about you that makes me like you. There isn't 'anything in it' for me, just... I can't stand people acting like that, we're supposed to be adults here"

"Oh fuck that, adults are no better than kids..." she sighs and Steve has to agree. They get to school and say their goodbyes and Steve feels like the day can't end soon enough

Schools is school to Steve, but now he has something to look forward to at the end of the day. That's new! The days turn in to a week, he picks Victoria up in the morning and drops her off in the afternoon. Some days she's chatty others not so much, but he likes her. More and more every day. She's got something, something that speaks to Steve. The evenings aren't what they used to be. Used to be schoolwork, talking to Robin and then maybe he hitting the gym or a bar. But now he feels like doing nothing of that, he just wants it to be morning again so he can see her. He doesn't know if he's going to be able to look her in the eyes though...had a bit of a wet dream about her. Had to get him self off when he woke up, and now he can't get the idea of sliding in between those thick thighs and grabbing the flesh of that ass and just fuck her senseless. Fuck he's getting hard just thinking about that dream, this girl is doing some good things to him. He's feeling a little less angry today. Good thing tomorrow's Monday Steve thinks to himself that night as he jacks off in the shower imagining having Victoria on her knees in front of him taking his load.

They get to school without Steve making a fool of himself, he could look her in the eye but he did feel a bit of a blush creeping up tinting his cheeks. They get out of the car and they part ways as usual, Steve is looking after her as she leaves in the opposite direction to where he's heading. He sees a couple of guys laughing at her and he hears them say something, he sees Victorias head slump down and her steps hasten. He thinks about it for just one second, he can skip one class. It won't do anything to his grade. He follows in her direction, so does the guys he saw laughing at her.

As he enters the building he sees her at her locker getting her things. The guys are almost at her side, they surround her and he hears them clearer now.

"Saw you got a ride today Fatso, think you might be better off walking don't you?" there's snickering in the group. They guy that spoke shoves her "Hey Lardass, I asked you a question" Steve's blood is boiling, but he know he's not gonna get far trying to take on 3 guys almost his own size. He opts for the cooler approach, he saunters over to them, putting his arm around Victoria. He's already got a 20 in his hand

"Hey babe, glad I caught you before class starts, I forgot to give you the money I owe you. Sorry" he takes the bill and he puts it down her jean pocket with his fingers, looking her deep in the eyes as he does. Then he leans in and gives her a kiss on the cheek, just a small one but still effective enough. Lucky for him she's in on it right away, not tensing up but leaning in towards him.

"Oh, thanks. But you could have given that back later" she smiles at him

"Nah, if I had I wouldn't have had the chance to do that now would I?" he smiles at her then he turns and looks at the guys surrounding them "oh sorry man, am I standing in your way?" he shoots the guy that shoved her a sickly sweet smile

"Uhhh...nah man. It's all good" they scamper off looking confused

"Thanks" he hears a soft whisper

"I had a bad feeling seeing them follow you. I'm sorry if I overstepped here" he says softly

"No...no worries. But that's...pretty much every day so...want a job as a bodyguard?" she smiles

"Any time, I'll keep my eyes open for trouble I promise" he says "but unless you need me for anything else I should get to class"

"I...would you walk me to class? Before you leave? Maybe they'll leave me alone for a little while if they see me get there with you?" she can't even look at him Steve notices, she's really having a hard time asking this of him

"Victoria...listen. If you need me just let me know ok. I can walk you to class every day if you want me to. I'll even stand outside and wait for you when class is over, if I'm available" he says

"Vicky... That's what the few friends I have call me" she says and finally she's looking up at him again

"Vicky" he smiles "that suits you better. It's sweeter" he takes her hand and they walk the corridor to her class. He sees people in the room staring at them as he drops her off. Just as long as they don't give her shit about me he thinks when he leaves. He knows that there are few people that would mess with him, he's tall and seeing as the only form of anger management he's taking is the gym he's buff too. He's intimidating and he knows it, and for Vicky he's even going to take advantage of that fact.

He leaves for class, excusing himself for being late. But the teacher likes him enough to not care he's 15 minutes late. His head is not in it today, it's busy being worried about what might be happening in the building next door. As soon as his class is over he goes back, the class is still going so he sits down outside waiting for it to be over. He hears the teacher from inside So that's all for today, but remember tomorrow we... he stops listening. Class is over so Vicky ought to be out of there soon enough. The door swing open and people start coming out, no Vicky. He frowns, was this the wrong classroom? No he did see a couple of the people that were staring at them before. When everyone's scattered she finally shows up in the door. Looking sadder than before. She looks up when she notices him

"Steve? Have you been here the whole time?" she tries her best smiling at him but it's breaking apart

"No... my class was over before yours so I thought I'd come see if you had time for some coffee before your next class? Hey...are you ok?"

She stares at him, he sees the tears flood her eyes then spill over and she draws a deep shaky breath

"Would you believe me if I said yes?"

"What do you think silly? That these are happy tears from seeing me? C'mon, come sit down with me. Tell me what's wrong, who do I need to beat up?" he smiles at her, getting a timid smile back as she sits down next to him

"It's actually not someone doing something this time, it's a something... We have this presentation tomorrow...and I'm dreading it more than anything" she sighs tears falling down her pretty face. Steve puts his arm around her and pulls her in closer

"Hey, tell me about it, maybe I can help" he says giving her a warm side hug

"We're supposed to chose our favourite recipe. Then we're imagining that we're a TV chef on some big show. So we're supposed to stand in front of the class and give a kind of instructional speech on how to make the dish, and at the same time making it. I mean making the food is a piece of cake...it's the standing there. In front of all these fucking morons trying to get them to pay attention to me that's killing me. I don't even think the teacher will pay enough attention to grade me properly... I could be kicking ass in this class but as it is now I'm barely passing because I'm being overlooked so bad" the words flow out of her alongside the tears and Steve doesn't even know what to say. How is it possible to ignore this wonderful girl? And that teacher...what the actual hell is his issue? The anger is searing underneath threatening to escape, oh he almost wishes someone would mess with her so he's see it. He needs to vent his feelings ON someone right now. He draws a deep breath

"Would you like me to be there for you? Teachers in this school like me, I bet I can make something up that'll let me sit in" he says

"I...can't decide... But I would appreciate it if you'd walk me to class again. They weren't that vicious today" she says under her breath, quietly sniffling and drying her tears

"Of course, I'll pick you up again and I'll walk you to class no problem! When are you off today? Want a ride back home as well?" he says hugging her a little tighter for reassurance

"I only have 2 classes left today so I'm off at 1:30 I think" she says

"Mind waiting for me? I'm off at 2" Steve smiles at her

"No, that'll be fine. I can come sit outside your classroom then" she smiles back at him and he can't help himself. He raises his hand and he wipes the tears away with his thumb, her breath staggers a bit and her pupils dilate

"I...eeeeh...need to go to the toilet. Then I have class again" she gets up and hurries away from him. Steve's been around long enough to know he had an effect on her. That was a typical response to his touch...the running away...not so much. Also...he needs to fix himself in his jeans. This girl is doing things to him...and he wants to be doing things to her! This has him smiling, SHE'S making him smile. Imagine that

The rest of the day is much like any other. Steve can't wait for classes to be over for the day he's going to get to hang out with her again, maybe just maybe he can tell her he likes her? Might even puck up the nerve to ask her out. He's not even that invested in class this afternoon, only partly listening to the teacher. As the bell rings he glances out the window of the door, there she is! Waiting for him on the bench just outside. As he gets up to leave the teacher calls out to him

"Mr Harrington, might I have a quick word before you leave?"

Steve sighs quietly but he goes up to the front of the classroom sitting down in front of the teachers desk "Yes sir, what can I do for you?" he says

"I couldn't help but notice you weren't as involved in todays class as you usually are...is something wrong Mr Harrington?" the teachers is eyeing him up and down

"No sir, I've just had some...personal issues to deal with theses last few days. It'll hopefully resolve itself soon enough" he looks the teacher straight in the eyes giving him a small polite smile.

"Well, ok then Mr Harrington. If you say so, it's not that your grades are suffering or anything. I was just surprised you're usually one of my most active participants in class"

"I understand sir..." Steve hears commotion outside and instinctively turn his head to see the 2 guys from the day he found Vicky crying on the stairs pushing her off the bench and standing there hovering over her, one actually fucking kicked her in the back. He hears one of them laugh and say "what you thought you could come to this side of school and ruin our days with your fat fucking ugly face? The fuck you doing here? You better leave or I'll drag you outa here... that is if I can"

Steve turns to the teacher trying his best to sound calm "was that all sir? I have someone waiting for me"

"Yes, that was all. Have a good night"

"You to sir" Steve gets up, managing to not run out of the classroom. He closes the door then he takes 2 huge steps grabs one guy in each hand and slams them against the brick wall, noses first. There's an instant blood bath

"If I were the 2 of you right now I would apologize PROFUSELY to this girl right here. Then I would head straight to the principal and tell her what I'd done before someone else beats you to it. If not...well then... I. WILL. BREAK. EVERY. BONE. IN. YOUR. INCONSIDERATE. BODIES" Steve growls as he presses them harder against the wall, blood running down it like this is some bad slasher film.

"What the fuck dude, it's just a fat chick...why the hell do you care?" one of the guys must think he's brave. This just results in him being crushed even harder in to the wall

"Wanna say that again there buddy? She's just a WHAT? Hey man, is your friend here a moron?" Steve looks at the other guy hanging from his left hand, he lets him fall to the floor

"I...he's...no?" this guy seems to have at least one braincell still functional. He stops talking, the other one though...he's squirming in Steves hand

"The fuck dude, c'mon let me go. She's fucking not worth getting beaten up for"

"THAT, my dude is not your call, that's my call and I say she is. So either man up and apologize or I'll do the same to you as you did to her. Make myself clear?" he looks from one to the other. The guys look at each other and give a big sigh

"Sorry..." the one on the floor is the first to say something, he even gets up and offers Vicky his hand to help her up. She glares at it and shakes her head. The guy has the common decency to blush Steve thinks to him self. The other one, the one Steve is still holding a couple of inches off the ground is muttering to himself.

"So what's it gonna be? Your friend did the right thing...you?" Steve puts him down and locks eyes with him

"Fuck that, I didn't kick her hard and she fell over on her own. SO no, I'm not apologizing for shit to her" he puffs himself up to seem bigger in the presence of Steve who's almost a head taller than him.

"Fine, but just so you know this will be a police thing. If she doesn't report this I will so either way, if I were you I'd stay at home...you might get a visitor later" Steve gives the guy a menacing smile, a tap on the back and then he helps Vicky off the floor and they start walking away

"WAIT! Sorry for hurting you, Ok?" they hear, Steve looks at Vicky and smiles she sighs and turns around

"Fine" is all she says and then she keeps walking away

They get out to the parking lot before she breaks down in tears. Steve hurries to her side and pulls her in to his arms

"There, there... I'm here, you cry it out. Did they hurt you bad?" he whispers in to her hair as he holds her close to his chest

"Noooo....probably gonna bruuuiseeee bu-hu-hu-hut that's ok" she cries and Steve can feel his shirt getting wet from her tears "why-hy-hy are you so nice to meeeee" she's really sobbing now and Steve doesn't quite know how to deal with this. Tears is one thing, but this? The questioning of why he's being nice, what's he gonna say?

"C'mon, why wouldn't I be nice to you?" it's a lame response and he knows it

She's sniffling and drying her eyes on her sleeve. She looks up at him with the biggest eyes he thinks he's ever seen. That's it, he's hers...whether she wants him or not. He can't just ignore this any longer, she does things to him. Before he can stop himself he bends down and he gives her a kiss, not a chaste, friendly kiss... No of course not he has to be all in with his feelings. He vaguely realises she's stiff as a board in his arms, that makes him snap out of whatever spell that was

"Fuck...I'm sorry I wasn't thinking..." her eyes are even bigger, he didn't think that was possible. And she looks both terrified and slightly pissed. She looks down and that's when he notices...yeah...she does DO things to him. "fuuuuuck...kill me now" he sighs as he turns away from her to hide his raging boner....no need though...she saw it...clearly. Fucking bet she felt it to, the way he was pressing himself against her

"Why?" just a small word, barley audible comes from her lips

"Why what?" Steve is still standing turned away from her but he tries his best to look back at her

"The kiss...and....that" her face is flushed and she can't look directly at him

"I still...don't understand the question" Steve says, sincerely because he really doesn't

When she doesn't answer him instantly he can take a moment to breathe and try to get the embarrassment in his pants to calm the fuck down. "Wanna talk about this in the car instead of out here?" he says and she nods vigorously. They walk over to the car in complete silence. They get in and Steve sighs "Ok...first of all I am so sorry if that made you uncomfortable around me. I...I couldn't stop myself" Steve hears himself and wants to kick his own ass for being such a freak

"I...still don't get why" she says in a hushed voice

"Ok...I don't get what it is you're asking why about...call me an idiot but please tell me" Steve says trying to look at her with a neutral face

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Well...truth be told. Because I just wanted to SO bad in the moment"

"But..."

"Let me guess... Why?" he smiles at her and she nods again

"Because in that moment you were so fucking adorable and I couldn't stop it. I just had to kiss you, had to know what those lips would feel like against mine..." was that too much he thinks to himself. She finally looks at him, surprise written all over her face

"Oh...and the..." she nods towards his crotch

"Ehmm...that" it's Steves turn to blush now "well...I thought that might be self explanatory?" he says and glances over at her, Vicky is looking at him with a slight frown between her eyebrows

"Self explanatory? Sorry but...no" he looks straight at her now, is she kidding?

"Well... Ok so stop me if I'm waaay out of line here ok" he says "but like... I suppose you DO know the...you know how and the why... Like the basics?" he sounds like he's talking to a fucking kid trying to explain the birds and the bees... The look he gets back from her...OMG!

"Steve... I am not a kid and I did take sex ed you know... Not an idiot here" she sounds fed up with him

"Sorry, sorry... just... Why are you asking why then?"

"WHY DID YOU GET A FUCKING BONER FROM KISSING ME? Of all people" she adds quieter in the end

"Oh...wow... So I'm really an idiot" he laughs "well... I mean because...you're hot and I kinda wanna...you know" Steve keeps looking at the steering wheel in his car, nowhere else...this was it.

"Yeah right, try something else why don't ya... Do I look that gullible to you?" she sounds pissed and is about to open the car door and leave

"Wait? What?" Steve snaps out of his deep connection with his steering wheel, this did not go the way he thought. He could have accepted if she turned him down because she didn't feel like that about him, but calling him a moron and sounding like he was pulling some kind of prank on her? His arm shoots out before he can stop himself and he holds on to her jacket "Vicky...c'mon...why are you leaving? I know I'm not that hideous to look at" he tries a smile, she just shoots him a hurt glare

"That thing in there" she motions to the school building "that I'm used to. I know how to deal with that sort of shit, been doing that all my life. But this? Whatever fucking thing you're trying to do here I am not falling for it. Because why the actual HELL would some guy that looks like you wanna have anything to do with me? A week ago you didn't know I existed, you'd never seen me in that school and I've been here longer than you have Harrington. So either you tell me what the fuck this really is or you'll never see me again. I thought I'd finally made some kind of friend in this place but you're just another asshole with an agenda aren't you? What is it? You got some kind of fat girl fetish? Been through that, that's a no from me. Or am I a bet of some sort? Yeah guess what, been through that one as well" her eyes are shooting daggers at him and Steve doesn't know what to say to her, he's got a feeling she's not going to believe anything he says.

"I... I'm sorry if you feel this way. I just...like you" Steve can't think of anything else to say, it's lame and so underwhelming he's disappointed in himself even.

"You LIKE me? It's been a week Steve... Try again tough guy" she scoffs at him

"Can we talk about this when we've both had some time to think?" he wanted to say calm down but if he's learned anything from Nancy and Robin it was to never tell an upset girl to calm down in any way, shape or form. "I mean you're upset about that thing in there with all right, and it's also upsetting to me still so we might not be communicating at our best right now..."

Vicky sighs and looks him over, Steve can tell she's debating leaving him here or accepting his idea.

"Fine" she says and looks out the window away from him

Steve sighs quietly, thank god she accepted. He starts the car and drives home. He drops her of on the curb outside her building and as she's about to leave he has to speak his mind.

"I know you don't believe me, and I guess with all the shit you've apparently been through I can't blame you. But something about you has gotten under my skin, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind this past week. I thought about what kissing you would feel like, how it would feel having you naked in my arms. Having you use me as you'd see fit...being yours... All that invaded my mind, and the same thing that happened when I kissed you... Well that happened a couple of times this week. And I'm not a better man than I fantasised about you while I jacked off. That, mixed with actually feeling you in my arms today...that's the 'Why' to your question about my boner. It's just simple biology. I wanted you... Whether you trust me or not is all up to you, but I am not lying to you and I am not pranking you or anything like that. I'm just a lonely guy that got a little to excited about a beautiful girl, and I'm sorry" All the time Steve's been talking Vicky's been sitting in the car seat with her back turned against him, he thinks she might have been holding her breath as he spoke. He hears a deep sigh and then she gets out of the car, closes the door and leaves him. Not a word

Steve is distraught, why the fuck did he have to be such a creep? He's got better self control than that? Hasn't he? Tears are burning in his eyes, how did he fuck up the first good thing to happen since before the upside down...HOW!? He gets back to his place and he makes in inside before the anger takes over and he screams out his frustration and slams his hands in to the kitchen wall. It was all going SO well..or...it was going ok. Vicky is a hard person to read, but he thought they did have a moment there on the bench earlier. It seemed like she might have been attracted to him, he's usually not wrong about that...but apparently now he was. Now he was the biggest jerk ever and he might have lost a new friend in the process. Steve gives in to the tears, and he cries. Like he hasn't since Eddie... at least he hasn't lost her like he lost him. He will be able to see her though, perhaps not talk to her but she'll be there and maybe some day she'll accept his apology. He drags him self in to the living room and he slumps down on the couch and he takes the phone

"Hello"

"Hey..."

"What the fuck? Are you sick or are you crying?" Robins voice is concerned

"Crying...like I haven't since we lost him"

"I haven't talked to you in a week and now you've gone from angry ass to blubbering mess? What gives dude?"

Steve tells her, he tells her everything because him and Robin have swore to never keep anything from each other. He knows it helps to talk, but he still feels like crap. Robin is quiet, letting him finish before she gives him her hard to swallow opinion

"You know you're part asshole and part hero here right? I mean way to go standing up for her but what the hell...did you have to suck her face? Like a small peck to test the waters wouldn't have been enough you think? Or... I don't know A HUG!? Really you had to stick your tongue down her throat and push your boner up against her?"

"Way to make me feel...disgusting here Rob" Steve sighs "and no... I didn't have to... I wasn't fucking planning on doing that. I mean the body works the way it works...sometimes it just has bad timing" he tries to excuse himself with

"Bad timing? Yeah I'd say... But like how could you be so stupid Steve? After what she had been through just like minutes before and you think that a guy looking like you doing that would make her anything but suspicious? Like really? I mean I might be a raging lesbian here but even I see you're a hot piece of ass. And I was questioning you when you kinda said you liked me. Even I thought I was some kind of a bet, you're not the kind of guy to go for the not conventionally attractive girls. I'm just being real with you"

'But you are conventionally attractive Rob, what are you talking about?"

"Dude... Yeah I might LOOK like I am but I sure don't feel like I am. Then try to imagine how this girl feels? I know I sound like a bitch but people look at her and they do NOT see conventionally attractive no matter how pretty her face is. Trust me" Steve's a bit confused at first then he remembers meeting Robins best childhood friend a few years back, she was about Vickys size and had always been. She wouldn't even look at him, Robin told him later it was because of how guys who looked like him had been treating her since forever. He felt so fucking useless that day and that's when he decided to not let people close any more. That way he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone. Look at him now... Robin hears the silence "Yeah I know you're thinking of Kate right now. That's what I mean... I've seen first hand how big girls are treated. Can you blame, Vicky was it, if she thinks you're a no good piece of shit just like the rest of them?"

"No... I guess I can't. But I really do like her Rob. I can't fucking get her out of my mind" Steve sighs

"Give her some time, then I don't know send her a gift and an apology. A heartfelt one not just some lame 'I'm sorry' on a card. Grand gesture dude, like in the movies. Think Richard Gere at the end of Pretty Woman!"

"You know you're a rock star right Buckley?" he says

"Of course I know that... It's just obvious that I'm smarter than you, at pretty much everything. Now go to the gym and kick the shit out of something and then go home and sleep this off. Try to keep your cool tomorrow and for the love of god keep your distance. If she wants to talk to you she will" Robin says and he can't disagree with her...she IS smarter than him. But it will be hard to not just get on his knees and beg for forgiveness the second he sees Vicky tomorrow.

"Ok, thanks for listening to me. Even if I'm the bad guy here" Steve says

"Not the bad guy Steve... You're just a bit too impulsive sometimes. Didn't think you still were to be honest" Robin tells him

"Neither did I...but apparently there's still an impulsive mess of a dude in there. Well I'ma take you up on that suggestion and go kick the crap out of something at the gym. Bye wifey, tell Nancy I said hi" he says and they hang up. He sits in thoughts for a while then he gets up and he gets his gym stuff and he leaves to go give a punching bag hell until his body aches.

He gets back home a couple of hours later, feeling a little lighter at heart having taken out A LOT of aggression on the punching bags at his gym. He takes a shower and then he heads straight to bed, this day has been exhausting. He sleeps poorly, waking up sweating with his heart racing several times but not remembering what he'd been dreaming. If it was about Eddie or if it was about Vicky. The feeling was the same...

He gets ready to leave and when he drives off the first thing on his mind is to not forget about Vicky...then it hits him that she's most likely NOT going to be there waiting today. He slows down just in case as he turns the corner but as he suspected she's nowhere to be seen. He stops for a few minutes just to be sure, but no Vicky. His heart sinks and he drives off to school. He doesn't see her along the way, nor does he spot her when he arrives at campus. Maybe she took a bus and she was early he thinks to himself.

RIGHT that presentation she was dreading was today, and he did promise to be there for her if she needed him. He looks at the time, his first class doesn't start for another 30 minutes so he can go sit outside her classroom just in case. In his mind he hears Robin "This is NOT keeping your distance dufus" and he knows the little voice is right but he can't for the life of him stop his feet from walking in to her part of the school. He sits down on a bench not far from where he knows her class is held. He walked by just to check, and the room was still empty so she isn't in there yet. He waits, students arrive and the look at him. Probably recognising him from the other morning, they head in to the classroom. The guys from the day before arrive, both flinching when they see him, both bending their heads but Steve had seen the fancy purple-ish bruises on their faces. He can't help but feel a little proud. But still no Vicky, has he missed her? No there's no way, this is the only way to get to this classroom. The teacher arrives and he closes the door, no Vicky. Steve feels a ball in the pit of his stomach growing larger with concern, did something happen to her after he dropped her off yesterday? He sits there another 5 minutes but when he hasn't seen her at all he has to leave for his own class. His head is so far from the subject of the stock market and bonds right now he's having a hard time following the teachers lesson. When the class ends the teacher calls him over again

"Mr Harrington"

"Yes, sir"

"I saw what happened outside of this room yesterday and I want you to know that I reported the incident to the principal. I find it admirable of you to take that girls side like that. Is she a close friend of yours?"

"You...saw it sir? Well... I was hoping she'd become a good friend but I may have overstepped a bit after that incident so now we're not really on speaking terms. And she's not here today sir so I can not apologise either. But thank you for reporting it, I wanted to do so myself right after it happened but she was to upset'

"Oh I have no doubt she was, I've seen how they treat her. But as she is not a student of mine I have no say. I have taken it up with the other teachers but no one seems to know who I'm speaking of?" his teacher sounds confused about this

"Oh they don't because they don't care sir" Steve feels the anger searing in him again

"If you know more about this you need to take it to the principal Mr Harrington"

"Yes, sir I will. Right after classes end today I'll go to the principals office and leave a statement" Steve nods

"Good, because you're worrying me Mr Harrington. This is not like you to be this out of focus. If this persists it might impact your grades further down the line and I would hate to have to do that to you when you show such promise"

"I know sir, and thank you" Steve gives his teacher a polite smile gets up and leaves. He needs to check if she's still not here. He gets to her classroom and the presentation is about to wrap up, but he still can't see her in there. He waits until the it ends and all the students leave. Then he enters the classroom

"Excuse me Sir" he says to the teacher packing up the things used for the class

"Yes?" the man at the desk eyes him up and down "what can I do for you Mr?"

"Harrington sir, Steve Harrington"

"Oh so this is Mr Nolans top student? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ehm, well... I'm not sure this is a pleasurable visit sir. Was miss Cole out sick today?"

"Miss Cole? I don't know anyone by that name I'm afraid"

"Yes you do sir, she's been right here every day since the term started. Victoria Cole, sir. Is she out sick or just absent?" Steve feels the annoyance creeping in his veins

"Are you sure you're in the right class Mr Harrington? If she's a student of mine I would know wouldn't I?" the teacher is sounding annoyed but so is Steve

"Ok, I wasn't going to point this out sir but she's kinda overlooked by you so I would not be surprised if you have no clue what her name is. So do you or do you not have a student out sick today?" Steve is talking through his teeth trying not to scream

"Overlooked? I will have you know I do not overlook any of my students! How dare you accuse me of that? If I say I have no miss Cole in my class I have no miss Cole is that understood Mr Harrington?"

"No?" Steve hates to do this he didn't want to put the words in his mouth "How about 'Fat Girl'...you have HER in your class then? Is SHE perhaps absent today?"

The color disappears from the teachers face and he clears his throat uncomfortably

"Well...ahem... I do have one student who I was told will not be returning to class. I just...thought it was someone new that didn't cut it"

"Not...returning? Like at all?" Steve feels a chill down his spine

'As I understood it no, they wouldn't return at all. To be honest I didn't pay much attention to it as I didn't....know who it was"

Steve takes a deep breath, fighting the urge to punch this idiot in the face. "Thank you" he says, voice filled with rage. Then he leaves before he does something that would really jeopardise his studies. He heads straight to the principals office where he leaves as detailed of an account of what's been happening to Vicky as he can. Then he heads out to his car and he drives to the nearest flower shop. He buys a big bouquet of roses and a blank card. He sits down at a table outside and he takes out a pen

"Vicky,

Please believe me when I say I never wanted to make you feel like you can't trust me. I was totally honest with you yesterday. I do in fact like you, I am very attracted to you. More than I probably should be considering, as you said, it's been a week. I know I look like all the other asses that have hurt you in the past, but I'm really not. I was yelled at by my best friend for 30 minutes last night because of what I did to you. She thought I should be more like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman with the grand gesture and all. So I was going to try that today, I showed up to be your supporter for the presentation. But you weren't there, please tell me you're ok?

Also, my economics teacher has reported what happened to the principal, and I've been there myself today and have given as full of a report as I can of what they've been putting you through. I kinda almost kicked your teachers ass to... He really is a jerk isn't he? I thought I needed to mention this in case someone from the school calls. If we were both out of line I'm sorry and I am sure Mr Nolan is as well, he's a good guy.

But please Vicky, I need you not to hate me. If you want nothing more from me than my friendship I offer that on a silver platter for you. Just know that I want more, even of that is something you have a hard time trusting. I just hope that maybe some day you'll let me show you just how... I'm sorry... But just how fucking sexy I think you are.

Call me or send me a note or something just to let me know they didn't put you in a hospital or something. I'm worried sick about you.

Yours if you'll have me

Steve 'the too impulsive ass-hat' Harrington"

He doesn't bother reading it through, he'll just try to change it and this was it straight from his mind on to paper as it should be. He puts the card in an envelope and puts it in with the flowers. Then he drives home, he stops outside her building. Puts the flowers by her door, rings the bell and hops in his car and leaves. Her name is on the envelope so if it isn't her answering the door at least they'll know who the flowers are for.

When he gets home he tries to keep himself busy so that he wont run back to her apartment and burst through the door making an even bigger fool of himself. He tries doing some assignments but the words and numbers make absolutely no sense to him. He cleans a bit, goes to the store to pick up some groceries. Makes himself some dinner but he just ends up sitting at the table staring in to space thinking instead of eating. So he puts the food away and tries to watch something on TV. He has no idea what he's watching, he can't keep his mind on it. It's just chaos in there right now. Is she ok? Why did she leave school? Will she actually call or send a note or something? He calls Robin, he needs some more hard hitting truth. But no one answers, then he remembers she has work on Tuesday nights. He could call Nancy, Robin has probably told her all about this screw up like she does everything else.

"Hello, this is Nancy speaking"

"Hey Nance"

"Oh hi Steve"

"You busy?"

"No, not at the moment. What's up?"

"Have Rob...you know told you?"

"Do cows say 'moo' and give milk?" she giggles

"Of course she has... Well... Vicky's gone, she's not in school any more. Apparently she left her classes. I have no idea why, or well I have an idea but like... It can't be ALL about me can it?"

"Steve... Why would it be about you in the first place? If they've been as foul to her as you told Robin I'm surprised she hasn't left that place sooner. Maybe you coming along showing her that there are nice people in the world made her finally make the decision?" sure...give Nancy a bone and she'll build you a dinosaur from it.

"You think? My economics teacher reported the incident from yesterday to the principal. And I've been there today and gave my report. I... was that the right thing to do Nance?"

"Of course that was the right thing to do? You're a very good guy Steve and I know you, you can't stand injustice of any kind. So I'm frankly surprised you didn't report it day one when she told you how they treated her. Great that it's been reported, awful she left before it happened. But what about the other stuff Steve? What about your feelings? Robin told me that as well"

"I...can't get rid of her. She's in my head, under my skin 24/7 Nancy. I know this sounds rude to you but it's even worse than when I fell for you. This is like some kind of fever in my blood, and she won't even give me a chance to prove I'm for real. I... please don't tell Rob or she'll yell at me again. But I bought her flowers today and I wrote her a card...left it on her doorstep"

"Awww Steve, you big romantic softie" he can hear that big Nancy smile "that was a nice gesture, I'm sure she loved them. But give her time, I know Robin reminded you of Kate. Think about her point of view. I mean here you come along. All tall, buff, great smile and handsome as hell saying you like her. With what you told Robin I can only assume she's not got the best confidence, also if she said she'd been through being someone's fetish AND someone's bet then I can safely say she guards her heart with the same fierceness we guarded the kids with Steve. Give that girl a shotgun and she'll turn in to me" Nancy lets out a laugh and Steve joins in, that was a sight he must admit. Seeing petit, nice girl Nancy Wheeler kicking ass with a sawed off shotgun.

"Well, I guess all I can do now is hope she'll give me call or send me a note back. I just wanna know she's ok Nancy, they did kick her in the back pretty hard from my viewpoint. Any way, thanks for listening. I just needed to went some thoughts and since Rob has work I thought you'd get to endure for one night"

"Steve, you know you can always come to me. I might not be as rough with my opinions as Robin but I do tell you my honest thoughts. You'll see that she's going to reach out to you when she feels ready. I mean who can resist the Hair?"

"Want me to answer that?" Steve chuckles

"Bite me Harrington, you lost me fair and square. Plus you KNOW what Robin has that you don't so" Nancy giggles and they hang up. Steve laughs a little at that comment, he does know. 'I mean I'd chose pussy to so I can't hold it against her' he thinks and shakes his head and laughs.

The rest of the night Steve spends in front of the TV, still not being able to concentrate on schoolwork. When he sees the time and it's past 10 he goes and takes a shower and is just about to go to bed when there's a knock on his door. He thinks he must have misheard, who'd be knocking at his door at 10:30 at night? He opens the door and all the blood in his body feels like it's leaving him along with any ounce of breath he has in his lungs. Outside his door is Vicky. Suddenly he's VERY aware he's standing there in just boxers, he blushes all over.

"Hi...you're here at my door...now?" he croaks at her

"Yeah...is this ok? I can leave" she's not looking at his face she's STARING at his body "Wow Steve... I'm sorry but...wow" she's eyeing him like he's a prized piece of steak. He feels very self-conscious right now, and what's killing him is that he has no shirt on. So she can see THEM...the scars. The bane of his existence.

"Yeah...it's ok. Why wouldn't it be...ummm...you wanna come in or?" he takes a step back so she can enter if she wants. She finally looks up at him and she steps in to his home and he's simultaneously scared and overjoyed. He looks around for something to put on, all he has here are jackets and that might look weird.

His mind is blank, why is she here? Now? To tell him to keep the fuck away from her? He doesn't see the flowers so she's not going to throw those in his face at least. He glances over at her as he leads her in to his living room.

"Please, have a seat while I go get a shirt" he says and motions at the couch

"No need to get dressed for me..." he can see she wasn't planning on saying that because she turns bright red in the face "fuck...sorry I mean...go a head I'll be sitting right here minding my own damn business" she sits down and stares at her feet. Steve hurries in to his bedroom to grab a shirt, he puts it on and goes back to her.

"So... my turn to ask why" he smiles at her

"To thank you for the flowers...and the card" she says

"Oh, so you got them. Wasn't sure anyone was home when I left them"

"Yeah, I got them. Saw the back of your car as you drove away. I just couldn't find the guts to come here...until now. I just said 'fuck your nerves Vicky, go thank the man' so here I am..." she's still staring at her feet

Steve has no idea what to say to her, he feels like anything that might come out of his mouth at this time might fuck everything up just like yesterday.

"And then, I get here and you open the door looking like that... I almost forgot why I was here...fucking rude being that hot" NOW she is looking at him and Steve has no idea where to look, he's blushing all over again which is not like him. He's used to women looking at him, praising his appearance but this just hit differently hearing HER say it.

"Ehmm...thanks... I mean, it's not like I'm trying or anything" WHAT!? Did he really say that...he can almost hear Robins sigh and Eddies laugh in his head. "I mean...wow that was cocky of me, I'm sorry. It came out a lot different than I wanted it to"

"It's ok, if I looked like you I'd be cocky to" she smiles "Look I'm never outspoken Steve so bare with me here. But I mean you're the sexiest man I've ever seen. Not that I've seen many in as much of the flesh as I just saw you but damn..." now she's blushing again, he can tell this is out of her comfort zone

"So the scars aren't repulsive to you?" he asks, he doesn't really want to ask but it just slipped out

"What scars?" she looks at him curiously

"What scars? You're kidding right?" it's Steves turn to sound annoyed, she doesn't need to lie to make him feel better about himself

"I...didn't see any scars? All I saw was this perfect man standing there wearing waaaay to little clothing for me to function properly" she gives him a smile

"You...didn't see any scars? Are you kidding me right now?" he's so locked in on this he's not taking in the compliments she's giving him

"I'm sorry...I mean no I didn't. Is that why you wanted to put on a shirt? You're scared I might dislike some scars on your body? Scars I didn't even notice?" she sounds both a little hurt and also confused

"You're the first person to see me without a shirt on since 86... I'm not sure I trust you, feels like you're just trying to be nice to me" Steve grunts

"Imagine that... WONDER WHAT THAT MIGHT FEEL LIKE" she raises her voice now and Steve quickly snaps out of his self pity...fuck he messed up again

"Wow...I really am as big of an idiot as I think I am. I'm sorry... I just, I hate those scars. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad...again. But I guess I did" he slumps down next to her and hides his face in his hands and sighs. There is silence for a few minutes, but to Steve it feels like hours. He's not going to ruin this by letting his big fat mouth run rampage again.

"Steve" she's almost whispering now and he looks over at her. She's sitting there looking so fucking cute it's hurting him trying to keep himself from jumping here right here on the couch "show me" she looks up at him

"Show you what?" the words are almost caught in his throat

"What you wrote in the card...show me" he can physically SEE her shivering now and his mind can't really process what she's saying

"What I wrote in the card..." he has to think and then the reality of the situation hits him like a ton of bricks dropped on his head. "Show you...how fucking sexy I think you are?" the last few words are nothing more than a whisper, this can't be what she was talking about? Can it? It's just his imagination getting it's hopes up...right?

"Yes...show me...that. If you want of course...but if I don't dive in to this now I will never have the guts to ask again" she says and Steve seems to be looking at this from outside his body, it feels to unreal. Yesterday she wouldn't talk to him and tonight...she's asking him to...fuck her?

"Ahem...do you mean that you want me to...what exactly?" he has to ask, he's sure as hell not going to be a jerk and just assume.

"What exactly were you thinking when you wrote that? What was it you imagined doing to show me?" her voice is a bit unsure

"I... well fuck it. I want so bad just to undress you and touch that body, dive in head first between those thighs and just make you scream my name...then I wanna fuck you until I can't stand it any longer and just cum all over or fuck even in you" he talks so fast he feels like he's losing his breath. There is a moment of silence where Steve thinks he's put his foot in it again.

"Right here or in the bedroom?" those were the magic words Steve was hoping for, he gets up and he pulls her off the couch almost tripping over himself trying to maneuver her towards the bedroom all the while kissing her desperately.

"Fuck you're beautiful" he breathes as he pushes her up against his bedroom wall letting his hands explore every inch of her body. She's just silent, looking at him like she's VERY sure this is a dream. He starts unbuttoning her jeans, he hears her draw a breath and hold it. "You gotta breathe princess, or you might pass out when I actually start touching you" he winks at her and she lets go of her breath and giggles a little

"Was trying to suck in my stomach...hold habits die hard?" she mumbles

"Don't do that, don't for a second think you're anything but perfect to me" his hands are inside her jeans now slowly peeling them down her hips. He kneels down and removes them along with her shoes and socks. She's got great legs...and those thighs OMG Steve's mouth is watering thinking about wrapping them around his head. He slowly gets to his feet, trailing kisses up her legs as he stands up again. He leads her towards the bed where he sits down "please...can you take of your top for me, I wanna watch you" he says with a thick voice. He sees that she's unsure about it so he decides to show her what just seeing her legs has done to him. He pulls down his boxers, freeing his rock hard cock "see... I REALLY like this so far, please..." he says smiling and stroking himself. Her eyes double in size, Steve knows he's big so that shocked look is nothing new to him. But her look is something extra, and it hits him...he hasn't even considered this might be her first time.

"I'll remove mine if you remove yours" she says coarsely as she's staring at his cock

"I...don't do that. It's a comfort thing, I feel too self-conscious without my shirt" Steve says

There's a spark in her eyes and her look switches from his cock to his face

"So me feeling bad about myself is just something I need to get over because you like what you see? But me asking the same favour in return...THAT'S A NO?"

Steve exhales loudly, she just hit the nail on the head. What was he thinking! Asking her to step far out of her comfort zone for him but he can't even be bothered to fight his own demons when he's asking her to sucker punch her own? Is he really that much of a douche?

"Fuck... I'm sorry. Like you said old habits die hard" he sighs "of course I will take my shirt off for you. I'll even go first" he says and he feels his entire body going 'ah heeeell no' in protest. But he needs to do this for her or this night will have an entirely different ending than the one he has in mind. She looks at him, nods and motions for him 'to take the stage' while she sits down on the bed. He stands there for second, fighting the urge to just hide as he usually does. But he looks at Vicky, her eyes following his tiniest movement. He takes one deep breath and he pulls the shirt over his head, then he stands there feeling a little sick with the shirt hanging from his hand by his side. He can feel her eyes on him, he's not able to open his own. He can't look at her, what if she's making a face in disgust at him. That would kill him, he can't deal with that. He hears the rustling of fabric and then he can feel her close to him from the heat radiating from her. Her hands are on his arms now, Steve has forgotten how to breathe.

"You gotta breath pretty boy I haven't even began to touch you yet" she whispers in his ear kinda repeating what he said to her before. Steve exhales loudly but he can feel his breathing is staggered, his fight or flight is on overdrive right now. "Good boy" she purrs at him and he feels her lips on his chest and her hands are travelling down his arms. He wants to scream at her to leave it but he has to fight it, what if she's the one for him? Is he never going to let her have all of him? And what about him asking her to expose herself despite her insecurities. 'Get a fucking grip Harrington!' he says to himself silently. And then...her hands are at his side, he flinches. SO hard there is no helping it. "Steve, it's just me. Don't worry..." her voice is calm and soothing but he still feels like he wants to be sick. She's kissing him again and her warm hands are touching the scars on his side. Caressing them, following the ridges and the destroyed skin. Steve still hasn't opened his eyes, but she's not pulling away so he's kind of relaxing a little. He draws a deep breath when he feels her kissing the scarred tissue, letting her lips and her tongue explore the area. Now he can't help it he needs to look at her. He opens his eyes and he looks down, there she is on her knees holding his hips with her hands kissing and licking the part of his body he hates with a burning passion. It all falls from him, feels like she's licking the shame away. Now his breathing staggers for a whole new reason, she's taken the rest of her clothes off... Now he notices she's completely naked kneeling in front of him and his cock that's been a bit sad looking while he was fighting his inner turmoil now almost knocks her over. She giggles "well hello there" she smiles and turns her attention to the erection wedged between her breasts. She sits down on her thighs and she takes him in her hand, stroking the shaft and this purring moan escapes her before she leans in and takes him in her mouth. So this is what heaven feels like? Maybe he did die from the shame of showing his scars and now he's gone to some kind of blow-job heaven? He lets out a deep moan, his hands find her hair and he grabs a handful and tugs it so her face is turned up at him

"Please stop that" he says with a thick voice. Her eyes fill with insecurity

"Am I bad at it?" she whispers

"Fuck no, you're amazing...but a few more seconds and I'm gonna come. Wanna do anything more with him right now you leave him for a bit" he moans

"Oh" she looks up at him gives him the most devilish smile sending a shiver down Steves spine and then she leans in and lets her pretty pink tongue slide all the way from the root to the tip before she devours him whole, shit this girl can't have a gag reflex is the last thing going through Steves mind before he's seeing stars and groaning out his pleasure. He squirts his load down her throat making her cough a little

"Fuuuuuck....oooooh....god damn that mouth fuuuuuuck" he just keeps coming, shooting white spurts all over her chest now. He's still holding her hair, mostly to stabilize himself or he might fall over. "I need... I need so sit down" he pants and falls over on the bed "fuck you're amazing babe" he mumbles. He's laid out on the bed with his arm over his eyes. He can't see her and he's not feeling her climbing in to bed with him either. He removes his arm and she's gone. What the fuck? Was he dreaming? Did he fall asleep after his shower? "Babe?" he says, no answer "Vicky?" he says a little louder

"Yeah just cleaning myself off, I'll be right there" he hears from the bathroom and his heart calms down again. Fuck he thought he was going insane there for a moment. She returns, still all naked and so fucking gorgeous Steve gets tears in his eyes

"You wanna have me believe I was doing good and yet here you are crying?" she crawls in to the bed next to him laying her head on his chest letting her fingers play in the hairs. Steve is looking up at the ceiling trying to stop the tears but they just keep coming but he's laughing at the same time

"You were fucking amazing babe, truly you were. But this is just years and years of self loathing escaping" he sniffles

"Awww...I'm a babe am I?" she's smiling against his chest kissing him softly letting her hand slowly wander down to his scar again and this time Steve doesn't flinch. "These" she says letting her fingers trail the scars "make you even sexier Steve, because they make you a little less picture perfect. I mean with clothes on you're fucking model type of handsome. But this makes you less intimidating, and I like them" she says and Steves tears keep flowing. He can't speak, there's just too much emotion right now. Years and years of hiding and hating himself all shattered because he found the nerve to fight to show her he's all hers.

"But they're so fucking hideous" he says

"You know, I think it's more in your head Steve. I mean, there is a reason I said I didn't see them when I came here. They're not that noticeable, I mean now that I know that they're there I see them, but they blend in to your skin, it just looks a little like a scrunched up piece of paper someone's tried to smooth out" she's softly stroking the skin as she talks "trust me I know what if feels like not being able to see what others see"

"But..." he sighs "you're probably right. I've lived with hem as a reminder of times passed for so long now I still see them as they looked in the beginning when they were all red and looked horrible" he shivers as his thoughts automatically goes to that day again

"What happened Steve?" Vicky looks up at him

"I will tell you, just not right now. I kinda become a mess just thinking about it...but I will tell you I promise" he smiles at her and he kisses her forehead

"Ok, that's fair" she says smiling back at him. She lays her head back down on his chest, kissing his skin and her hands move over his stomach in soft movements. Steve loses all focus on his scars, something else is awakening in his mind...and on his body. He hears her chuckle "oh well, would you look at that" her hands move further down, gripping his cock that's twitching against his belly. She starts stroking it and Steve forgets anything and everything else.

"Fuck you've got nice hands" he says as his hips move to meet her hands movements "God I wanna fuck you" he groans and he hears a giggle in response. She lets go of him and gets to her knees

"Think I'll crush you if I...?" she nods towards him

"Get on top? Oh hell no I'm a big strong guy I can take it" he winks at her "but in that case you're beginning with sitting on my face" she stares at him and Steve can see gets flustered

"But that...won't that smother you completely?" she blushes

"If it does I'll die a happy man" Steves hand has found it's way in between her thighs and began rubbing her on top of her panties. Her breathing is getting heavier and she moans "c'mon babe. Let's get you out of these and up on me" she just nods and stands up on her knees, pulling off her panties and throwing them behind her on the floor. She hesitantly looks at Steve

"You're sure?" she asks him

"Oh I've never been more fucking sure about anything in my life" Steve says

"Ok...so how...where do you want me?" she says

"Come up here. Grab the headboard, that way if you need to hold on to something" he gives her a smile she can feel down to her core. Steve moans as she gets up on her knees and moves to the top of the bed, she's standing knees wide apart on the bed hovering over him. His breath halters as he looks up at the sight of those thick thighs and that amazing, beautiful pussy above his face. He grabs her hips and pulls her down

"Sit" he says and since she's not prepared that's exactly what happens. She sits straight down on his face and Steve swears he's in heaven. It's like a soft, fleshy pillow surrounding his head. She freaks out a little thinking she's going to suffocate him and she tries to get back to hovering again. But now that Steve has her where he wants her he just hold on to her thighs and mumbles a "hell no" she looks down at him and as their eyes meet Steve lets his tongue find it's way in between her folds. She half screams out in pleasure and also he thinks a little bit surprise. He eats her pussy like it's his last meal, she's moving her hips and pressing her thighs tighter around his head, she's getting closer he can tell by the muffled sounds coming to him from above. He keeps going until he feels her tense up, lean forward grabbing the headboard and screaming his name, then she gushes all over his face and Steve's in shock. All these women over the years not one squirter, fuck she gave him a first. He feels so good about himself as he crawls out from under her as she's leaning against the headboard catching her breath. He takes the towel from the floor from before when he showered and he wipes his face with it. He leans in and start kissing her back and her neck "fuck Vicky, you were amazing, couldn't imagine you were a squirter" he mumbles as he wraps his arms around her from behind and grab her gorgeous breasts

"I...didn't know myself" she pants "s'that ok?" she's moaning as he's giving her nipples much needed attention

"Ok? That was fucking amazing! A first for me, and I loved it" he mumbles as he starts grinding against her ass. "babe...I know this might be a stupid question but...are you...have you...before?" he says. He needs to make sure, he wouldn't wanna hurt her.

"I'm no virgin...not exactly experienced but" she says coarsely moving her ass to meet his movements

"Good" he says and he grabs his cock and he sinks in to her from behind "fuuuuuck me that's so good" he groans as he hits bottom.

"Oh....fuck you're big" she moans and Steve has the presence of mind to stay still so her body can adjust to him, he knows he usually fills 'em up good. But after a little while he can't be still, he needs to feel her, needs to have her squeeze every last drop out of him. He starts thrusting, slowly and deeply at first. She leans forward and rests her upper body on the bed making her great ass point straight at Steve, the change in angle makes him go just a little deeper. He's amazed, she's made for him. There's been very few that's been able to take him fully but she... OMG she just swallows him whole, it's like her pussy sucks him in to the hilt and keeps trying to get more of him. This won't last, this is just to fucking good. The pace has quickened, Steve is fucking her like it's the last time he's ever going to. Holding on to the supple flesh of her hips and ass as he thrusts in to her faster and faster. She's moaning like she's possessed under him and Steve doesn't think he can take it much longer

"Play with yourself babe, I wanna feel you come on me...please" he grunts and he feels her hand slide in under her as she begins working her clit as he fucks her. It's not long before she's tightening up and Steve feels like he's stuck in a vice

"Fuuuuck Steeeeeve...oh fuck...oh fuck....aaaaaaahhhhhh" she screams out her pleasure and he feels her pussy fucking milking him

"Where can I...?" he says through gritted teeth

"I'm on the pill" she moans and that's it he lets go shooting his thick cum, filling her up until it's oozing out on the sides of his cock. Her cum mixed with his dripping out of her. Steve slumps down on her back, breathing heavily but never has he felt more satisfied after sex.

"You have any fucking idea how perfect you are?" he asks her when he can catch his breath

"Me? What about you?" she mumbles in to his pillows

"Ok, make a deal? We're perfect...together" he smiles as he falls on to his back next to her and she lays back on her side

"Perfect...together" she smiles "So...was this what you had in mind?" she asks

"When I wrote that I wanted to show you how sexy I think you are? Well...something like this, but not in a million years did I think it'd be this fucking awesome" he says taking her hand and kissing it

"Did you think I'd be bad in bed?" she roars at him

"Idiot" he laughs no but I thought there would be maybe a little more awkwardness...and I wasn't sure if you were...you know"

"You actually thought I was a virgin, didn't you? Well you ass, if it weren't for the mind blowing sex I'd be very offended right now" she laughs

"I didn't think you were... I just wasn't sure. You've never said anything about it..." Steve feels like he stepped in it again, why can't he just shut the hell up sometimes?

"Steve...like I said. It's been a week...you make a habit of talking about your past sexual encounters with people you've known for a week?" she smiles at him

"Of course I do...how else will they know they're in the presence of a legend?" he winks at her and she laughs so hard he thinks she might pass out "Thanks..." he laughs

"I admire how humble you are Harrington" she says when she finally manages to stop laughing

"I bet you do" he reaches out and slides one arm under her and pulls her in closer to him "so...round 2?"

"Yeah? Why not, you're quite talented with this" she says in a sultry voice grabbing his cock squeezing it making him moan "but I kinda wanna wash myself a bit before...or would you join me?" she asks as she rolls off his arm and gets out of the bed

"No need to ask me twice, I'm right behind you" Steve says and gets out of the bed himself.

There's some heavy touching and kissing in the shower but they finally finish and get out into the bedroom again. Steve can't help but stare at the naked woman standing at the end of his bed drying herself. He's struck with the sudden urge to cry, he thinks of Eddie...and how he would have loved Vicky. He thinks of all of his other friends back in Hawkins, would they like her? They're all so different from one another. Mrs Byers said it best once, "if these kids were a salad not one person would eat it. Nothing goes together, but then you try and it's a perfect match. Just gotta give it a go" Robin would probably like Vicky, she likes anyone as long as they're good to her and her friends. Nancy might be a little harder, Dustin would probably drive her insane with all his questions. Jonathan would piss Vicky off with his ability to always have his head in the clouds. He's not really aware of Vicky and that she's been watching him for a while now.

"Steve? What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?" she sounds concerned

He snaps out of his thoughts "Yeah, sorry I just... I was watching you. And I just started thinking I'd like to take you back home to meet my friends" he says

"Oook? That gave you that look and teary eyes? Should I be worried?"

"No just..." he gives a deep sigh and he goes up to her, wraps his arms around her and gives her a deep kiss. "I know we were planning on doing other stuff but I think I need to tell you about...this" he says and nods down towards his scars. She nods and gives his chest a kiss. They lay down on the bed, Steve covers them with a blanket and he starts telling her... The hours go by, he talks and she listens. "And there he died, in Dustins arms. He had to leave him there, it broke him he's never been the same since then. If I'd known what a great guy Eddie was I would have loved to have been his friend before all of that. But...well...we were kids. He was the freak I was the king. But I miss him so much sometimes it feels like my insides are tearing themselves apart. He would have loved you, and I think you would have liked him as well" he turns silent, tears slowly running down his face. Vicky's been quiet the whole time

"Well... I mean I've seen the scars I have no real reason to doubt your story. But you do realize how this sounds right?" she says hesitantly

"Oh I am very aware what it sounds like, why do you think I never talk about it? I'm just happy I still have the friends I had back then to talk to or this would probably end up killing me."

"What about your family?" Vicky asks. Steve looks at her and he continues the story from after Eddies death and up until present day. "So you lost a friend? Both your parents? Your home? All in one day? How the hell are you still sane?" she asks

"Who says I am" Steve smiles "all jokes aside, I haven't been the old Steve Harrington in many years. I've been so fucking angry...but you know what started changing all of that?" she shakes her head "I met this girl, she was sitting on the stairs outside my school crying"

"Oh shut up, I did not change anything about you" she snorts

"But you did, that was the first time since 86 I felt something for someone else, the first time I didn't think only about how awful MY life was. I mean...truth be told. My life looks like a fucking walk in the park compared to yours... Speaking of which, you're really not coming back to school?" there is an uncomfortable silence and then Vicky sighs

"No I'm not, and before you ask it has absolutely NOTHING to do with you and what happened the other day. I was just so fucking fed up with how I was treated that when the principal called me informing me of the reports she's been given I just told her I wasn't going to come back. She helped me arrange new classes at a culinary school on the other side of the city. It'll take me longer to get there and back every day but it's a fresh start and hopefully a new chance for me to show what I can do. So no, I am not coming back...EVER. Ok I might come to see you get your diploma though" she says smiling at him

"As sad as I'll be not to have you around I'm happy for you! I totally understand your decision sweetheart" Steve gives her head a kiss and hugs her tight. She lets out a big yawn and Steve notices how tired he is also, no wonder it's like 3 am. "Think we should get some sleep and I'll make you scream my name in the morning instead: he mumbles in to her hair and she giggles

"Sounds like a plan" she agrees. They crawl down under the covers and Steve pulls her close and before any of them know it they're asleep. Steve has nightmares every night, horrible ones. Always about the fucking bats and Eddie dying. This night is no different, except it is. In the worst part of his dreams he feels a warmth around him, calming him down. The warmth is killing the bats, it's saving them. Him AND Eddie, he feels loved. There's softness around him, not the harsh environment in the Upside down. He hears a humming sound, like someone's singing in the distance. He slowly comes to and he realises it's Vicky. She's quietly humming to him holding him close in her warm soft embrace. He smiles at her

"Thank you" he says and she looks down at his face

"Hey, you're awake. You had some real bad dreams didn't you?" she asks

"Yeah, they're horrible. But you changed them, saved me...saved Eddie. He dies, every night in my dreams...over and over for 7 years now. But this time he made it, because you came along and were all warm, soft and loving" he hugs her as tight as he can

"I...wow I didn't realise I helped. I just thought about what you told me about music helping that girl Max... So I just thought if you were dreaming about that place maybe singing wouldn't hurt..."

"It helped, it really did. Eased this troubled mind" Steve says still holding her tight not wanting to ever let her go

"Well in that case I'm glad I could help you ease some of it. But honestly I'm still kinda tired, would you mind trying to get some more sleep? I've been hugging you for the better part of an hour now" she yawns again and Steve looks at the time...it's only 5. They haven't even been asleep for 2 hours and she's been awake trying to calm him down for over an hour? He feels bad, but then again he has no control over his dreams.

"Sorry I kept you awake. You sleep as long as you need. I'm going to try and shut my eyes again also, I always have trouble getting back to sleep after the nightmares but who knows having you here with me might help" he says and they get comfortable under the covers again, Vicky falls asleep almost instantly and to his surprise Steve follows along shortly.

Steve wakes up from the sun hitting his face through the curtains. Which tells him it's past mid day at least, the spot next to him is empty. He looks around, Vicky's shirt is gone. He sits up rubbing his eyes and stretching.

"Vicky?" he says. There's no reply so she isn't in the bathroom. He gets up and puts on some sweatpants. He opens the door to the living room and he's met with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes. Yup, he's keeping her no doubt! He heads to the kitchen where she's dancing along to the radio as she's making food for them. "You do realise you're not allowed to leave now right? I'm keeping you!" he says and she gives a little yelp and spins around

"Fuck you scared me! I didn't hear you coming" she says

"You didn't? I thought I was kinda loud when I came" he grins at her

"Ha ha... THAT I did hear, you sounded hot as fuck... but I didn't hear you enter the kitchen...better?" she grins back

"Aaaah you meant that...no I can be very sneaky when I want to be" Steve sits down at the table watching her finish up the food. "Spoiling me already?" he says smiling at her

"Of course, and obviously it worked. You said you were keeping me" she smiles back at him putting a stack of pancakes in front of him and pouring coffee into his cup

"Oh I am, for as long as you'll have me" he says as he takes a big bite. He lets out a moan "daaaamn these are some good pancakes" he says with his mouth full. Knowing very well he's lucky Robin isn't here she'd have a fit if she saw him talking with food in his mouth even for a second. Vicky looks pleased and she sits down with a cup of coffee. "aren't you gonna eat?" he says

"I...you wouldn't mind?" she says

"Mind? Why would I mind you eating?" he's confused

"I never ate at school...I was told too many times growing up no one wants to watch a fat person stuff their face. It kinda stuck... I've got issues eating when people can see me" she's looking down at the cup in her hands and Steve drops his fork and gets up and kneels bedside her

"I'm not like them... I really really like you for who you are. I would feel bad if you weren't eating when we're around each other. I can't tell you enough how much I want you to be comfortable around me, in ALL aspects. But for now if you don't want to eat I wont bug you about it. But if this is going where I want it to go...well....let's just say you're gonna be fucking starving and that's no good" he smiles and squeezes her leg. She looks at him, then she gives him a smile

"Get me a plate please" she says and Steve gladly does. He puts it down and sits back down at his own plate. He continues eating, he tries SO hard not to watch her. But he can see in the corner of his eye she's put food on her plate and she's eating. He smiles a little to himself. He finishes before she does but he just grabs his coffee and turns to look out the window.

"This is probably the first time I'm ever going to say 'thank you for ignoring me' to anyone" he hears and he turns to look at Vicky. She's smiling at him

"No problem, I'll ignore you as long as you need me to. At least during meals" he leans over and strokes a strand of hair from her face "you're so fucking beautiful" he says spontaneously and Vicky blushes

"Shit... I'm not used to this...I don't know what to do with myself when you say things like that...but go on" she says giggling at the end and Steve has to laugh

"I'll keep showering you with compliments if you keep making me food like this and fucking me like you did last night" he gives her a wink

"Deal!" she says with a big grin "I mean I can throw you a compliment now and then as long as you promise to cook for me sometime"

"You do have a death wish don't you?: Steve laughs knowing very well his cooking have been the butt of a lot of jokes over the years. Robin SWEARS to this day that he tried to kill them all one year with a lasagna he...tried to make. He tells Vicky this and she has to sit down she's laughing too hard.

"Ok...fuck my stomach hurts from laughing... Fine I'll teach you to cook if you want, maybe we can surprise them with a Steve made lasagna when we go over there" she smiles

"Oh YES! If you think you have the patience it takes to teach me anything then I'm all yours"

"Patience? I thought you were at the top of your class? Shouldn't that mean you'd be easy to teach?" she tilts her head looking at him

"Nah... I mean apparently I'm good with numbers and that stuff. I get the stock market and how bonds work. What to go for and what to leave alone, I have a nose for that according to Mr Nolan. But other than that I'm a real moron..."

"Well... I'm up for the challenge! Just gotta get situated at the new school first. Would you come with me my first day? I mean not like go with me to class but like...drive me?" she says

"Of course I will, when's your first day? Just need to make sure I haven't got a test or something that morning"

"Monday at 8..." Vicky gets up and starts clearing the table

"Hey, you cooked I'll do the dishes missy!" Steve takes the plates from her and goes over to the sink and starts running the water. She smiles and comes to join him. She hops up and sits on the counter next to him.

"Can I ask you something?" she says and she looks flustered

"Sure" Steve looks at her, why the sudden blushing he wonders

"Well...last night. When I...squirted" Steve drops the plate he's holding...this he was NOT expecting "you said it was a first for you...was that true or just some kind of confidence boost?" she's kicking her legs and looking like she'd much rather sink through the counter than ask him this

Steve clears his throat "It was... I mean I'm not gonna lie to you. There's been a lot of women for a while...it was...sad as it might sound some sort of anger management to me. Rough sex, preferably in some sleazy bar where I was a nobody and she was even more anonymous" he sighs "I'm not the best out there when it comes to dealing with feelings, I have that from my dad. After Eddie...and this girl I thought I hurt but didn't I just didn't want to form attachment so I became... Robins words not mine, a manwhore" he glances over at her, was this a deal-breaker? Was she going to leave now? But turns out Vicky was only looking at him smiling

"I get that, I really do. As I said last night, I'm not very experienced but there's been a few guys. If you don't get attached...you can't get hurt right?" Steve stares at her

"Are you reading my mind? That's exactly it..." he says

"Nah, but I mean it makes sense. But what about this? You and me?" she says

"I don't know what you want this to be... I want this to be us, preferably for ever. I can't tell you what it was about you that struck such a nerve with me, because I don't know myself. But it was something so wonderful about the way you are, I think you somehow remind me of Eddie. Been through so much shit you can't really believe that someone would wanna be with you for you. Everyone has a motive, his was that he sold drugs. People wanted to get in his good graces to hopefully score drugs at a better price. So when all the shit went down and we all came looking he acted somewhat like you, tried to act out to get us to leave. I was ready to give up on him right away but Dustin persisted, insisted he was a great guy. He was right, and now I miss him every day. I wasn't going to let that happen once more...on the other hand I didn't stick my tongue down his throat and press a raging boner in to his stomach...so maybe he gave in to my charm a little faster than you did"

"Well...if were being honest here over dirty dishes... I liked the raging boner, and the kiss. I just...thought you'd be another fuck and bail kinda guy. And I liked you so much... I didn't want that. Also...as I've said, have you SEEN you? There was no chance in hell a guy like you would be for real. At least that was what I told myself, but then you left the flowers and the note and I told myself to at least give you a chance. Am I going to regret that Steve?" she locks her mesmerizing blue eyes with his. Steve feels like he could die for this girl, also he feels like his pants suddenly got a little too small in certain areas. He dries his hands on a towel and then he steps in between her legs where she's sitting perched on the counter. He grabs her ass and scoots her closer to the edge so their crotches align

"You tell me?" he says in a deep voice before leaning in and placing kisses on her neck. She wraps her arms around him and lets out a soft moan

"I sure hope I won't regret it" she whispers and then she kisses him and Steves legs feel like jello.

"Lean back a little and lift your ass" he says coarsely, she smiles at him and does as he asks. Lucky for him she's only wearing her underwear and a long shirt. He pulls down and drops her panties on the floor and then he grabs the smooth flesh of her inner thighs and with soft touches his fingers trails up them as she pulls her shirt off exposing her naked body to him. He moans and leans in and takes one of her nipples in his mouth just as his fingers reach her pussy. He slides one finger in to her folds. Fuck she's soaking already, how is she real? She lets out a feral sounding moan and her nails dig in to his shoulders. He lets his finger slide in to her as his thumb start making circular motions over her clit. "Fuck I wanna make you squirt again, that was just so sexy" he whispers in her ear

"Wanna..." her breathing is heavy "fuck wanna come on your cock Steve, please" she whines. Hell, Steve needn't be asked twice to come in that pussy again! He drops his pants and he lines up and slowly fills her up with his cock, they both let out a moan as he hits bottom.

"Fuuuuck you feel so good" he growls as he slowly starts thrusting in to her. He grabs her legs and holds them so her ass is almost out from the counter, he starts picking up the pace, thrusting harder and faster "rub your clit for me babe, wanna have you cum all over me, soak me" he moans and she reaches down and starts playing with herself and he thinks he's gonna come right that instant only from the sight of his big cock sliding in and out of her as she's rubbing herself. He can feel the walls of her pussy tightening around him, he picks up the pace a little more, shallower thrusts but faster. She's almost screaming now and then she releases. It's like his cock is being pushed out of her, she gushes all over him, the counter, the floor. She's moaning like crazy, her body letting go in spasms in his arms. He waits until her breathing calms down a little, then he shoves himself in her again, he needs to fill her up. "That was so fucking hot babe, so fucking hot" he murmurs in her ear. She's barely coherent, just a moaning mess in his arms. He fucks her like a mad man. Feeling his balls tightening he releases with a deep rumpling groan. As they descend from their high he pulls out, taking a stream of thick white cum with him dripping down and mixing with her juices. They're leaning on each other panting and trying to come back to reality. Steve helps her down from the counter, but they didn't think about the stuff on the floor. When Vickys feet land in their mixed fluids she slips, taking Steve with her. They land in a laughing pile on his kitchen floor

"Fuck...did you hurt yourself?" he chuckles

"No, I'm too padded to get hurt. You?" she laughs

"Nah, I'm good. Should have wiped that up before helping you down. Lets remember that next time" he says giving her a kiss

"So I passed this round to? There's gonna be a next time?" she grins

"Oh you're not getting away, you're mine now! I'll be fucking you 'til eternity" he mumbles in to the crease of her neck and he hears her sigh with pleasure

"Yours" she says softly

#steve x fem #steve harrington smut #steve harrington

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chernobog13 · 2 years

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AMT STAR TREK MODEL KITS

The mid-1970s weren’t the greatest for Star Trek collectors. Sure, the show was in re-runs at least 5 times a week (at least where I lived; thank you WPIX Channel 11!). And there was a proliferation of books (James Blish’s and Alan Dean Foster’ novelizations of the live-action and animated series episodes, original novels, and of course the Starfleet Technical Manual!).

However, Star Trek toys - at least before the Mego action figures arrived - were nearly non-existent. And those that were around were just gawdsawful (Spock Helmet, anyone?).

Luckily, when Star Trek’s popularity skyrocketed in syndicated reruns, AMT (Aluminum Model Toys) decided to re-issue their original line of Star Trek model kits - the Enterprise and the Klingon D7 Battlecruiser - along with many new additions.

I lived at the edge of the boonies then, but despite that there were still a couple of shops I could reach by bicycle that carried almost the entire AMT line. I managed to get nearly every one of them. I also probably destroyed more than a few brain cells breathing in the fumes from all the Testors model glue I used.

The crown jewel of the line. I remember having a terrible time trying to get the engine nacelles to stay at the correct angle when I glued them (Super Glue was only just hitting the market back then). Inevitably, the nacelles or the deflector dish would break off, usually due to my younger brothers getting their hands on the model. I ended up building three or four of these guys.

This guy, especially for someone like me with terrible model building skills, was actually a breeze to build. Also, it was stable enough to stand on a shelf without a problem. However, the rear landing leg was kind of fragile and would break off (again, usually do to my brothers getting their grubby little hands on it).

FUN FACT: As part of the agreement that gave AMT the rights to create Star Trek model kits, AMT built the 3/4-scale Galileo shuttlecraft used in the episode The Galileo Seven.

This was another relatively easy kit to put together, from what I’m told. The day I saw it in the store I only had enough money to buy one model, and I chose the Star Trek Exploration Set instead of the Bird of Prey. I hoped that the Bird of Prey would still be in the store the next time I came in. My hopes were dashed when I returned and found it gone (which was weird, because - according to the store owner - I was the only person who bought the models). It was never restocked, so I never had this ship in my fleet.

I freakin’ loved this model! I didn’t realize until many years later AMT re-tooled their Leif Ericson Galactic Cruiser model into this guy. The original model did not have good sales, but I guess AMT made it a UFO to take advantage of the UFO-mania that was rampant back then.

I had this guy suspended by fishing line from my bedroom ceiling. However, the scaredy cat little brother I shared the room with was terrified of the glow-in-the-dark ship. So the next day, before I got home from school, he attacked it with a whiffle ball bat! I tried to replace the model, but I never saw the kit again at the store.

This kit was the explosive (as kids these days say)! These models were better than any Star Trek toys on the market at the time. Sure, the models were 3/4 the size of the originals, but I didn’t care; they fit my kid hands perfectly!

The communicator screen flipped open, the tricorder head swiveled, and its compartment door opened! I didn’t know what cosplay was back then, but with these I could dress as my favorite characters and be fully equipped.

This kit was so popular at my house that I ended up building four more kits, one for each of my brothers. For some strange reason, this kit always seemed to be in stock at the store.

This model was a lot of fun to build, but I do wish that it had included all the bridge stations and more figures. It had a favored spot on my bookshelf until one of my brothers decided to see if he could throw it like a Frisbee.

This diorama was originally an Aurora model kit from the 1960s; AMT used Aurora’s molds and re-issued it. Relatively easy to build, and it gave me a chance to practice my painting skills.

I remember being quite proud that a painted a red spot on the one snake head to simulate where the phaser beam was striking it.

This lasted a long time on my shelf. And then my brothers decided to take turns running over it with their bikes.

This kit was an easier build than the Enterprise. I do remember, however, that there was one pain-in-the-butt chromed piece that was supposed to be glued inside the torpedo tube opening at the front of the ship. I had the devil’s own time holding that in place until the glue dried.

The final fate of the model was my brothers shoving a lit firecracker inside the torpedo tube opening. I managed to secure and build a second model, and that time my brothers used an M-80.

And my parents wondered why I kept trying to sell my brothers to the circus.

This was the final piece of the line: the space station from the episode The Trouble With Tribbles. It looks like it would have been a fun build (it even came with the tiny in-scale Enterprise on the box cover), but I never got the chance. I never, ever saw this model kit in any of the stores I frequented. I only saw it for the first time at a science fiction convention many, many years later.

#Star Trek #Star Trek: The Original Series #AMT #Aluminum Model Toys #model kits #U.S.S. Enterprise #Galileo 7 shuttlecraft #Roman Bird of Prey #Interplanetary U.F.O.#Exploration Set #Command Bridge #Mr. Spock #Klingon Battle Cruiser #K-7 Space Station

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clarktooncrossing · 2 years

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Giraffe's Eye View | Prehistoric Planet REVIEW (and Rant+)

Hey there people of today and robots of tomorrow! It is I, Clark, here with a fun fact about myself.

LOVE.

DINOSAURS!

Granted, so does everybody else on the planet, but how can you not? They've been a part of our imagination for so long, an enigma of time we can never fully understand, a chapter of a long forgotten history when titans trekked across the planet, and the inspiration for hundreds of great movies, television shows, video games, comic books, and theme park rides! Ask anyone and they'll tell you the exact moment they fell in love with dinosaurs. For some it was seeing the original Jurassic Park in cinemas back in 1993, shaking in their seats as the T-Rex erupted from its enclosure! For others it was when catching reruns of Walking with Dinosaurs on TV, rooting for Big Al as he desperately tried to survive a harsh world. Maybe Barney stole your heart when you were younger, following him into the Land of Make Believe where he'd remind you that any dream is achievable. Or maybe you're into really obscure crap like Hallmark's made-for-TV movie Dinotopia, the 90s cartoon Denver the Last Dinosaur, Phil Tippet's stop-motion short Prehistoric Beasts, any of the follow ups to Walking with Dinosaur, there's so much dinosaur media out there that it'd take me 65 million years to cover them all! It's why today I'll be covering just one.

I remember how frustrated I was when I first saw trailers for Prehistoric Planet. Not because it didn't look good. On the contrary, it looked incredible! The effects felt like the natural evolution of Walking with Dinosaurs, crafting creatures as realistic as one can make'm. On top of that it featured narration by David Attenborough, the main man behind Planet Earth who can somehow say 'arse' without making it sound silly. Not only was he narrating over footage of breathtaking beasts, he was narrating over a score by Hans Zimmer! Y'know, the guy behind the music of The Lion King? Yeah, that guy! No doubt he was brought over by Jon Favreau, the Iron Man and Elf director turned this show's Executive Producer. If I were to guess, he brought all of the knowledge he accumulated while working in Simba's Pride Lands to the time of ancient reptiles. Unlike that piece of Hakunah Makaka though, I was actually excited for this! So what was the problem?

Apple TV+. This show was exclusive to a platform I didn't have run by a company I barely tolerate. It was bad enough they were hording all the Peanuts specials and Wolfwalkers, but now this? Why did everything I enjoy have to be taken by Steve Job's Apple Store of Doom!? For that matter, why was this service even called Apple TV+? Heck, why does every streaming channel end with a plus now? Disney already annoyed me when they named their service that instead of something more creative like 'The Disney Vault' or 'The Digital World of Disney', now every other company was trying to ride their coattails. Just wait, when we're inevitably charged for going to a public bathroom, they'll call the program Toilet+! In any case, my salvation came via a Pizza Hut gift ad given to me by my family last Christmas. After using the $25 gift card to buy one pizza, the Hut's app offered me a month free trial of Apple TV+. Having a real 'screw it' moment, I elected to try out the free month.

Which is pretty stupid in hindsight considering I got Wolfwalkers and the other two Cartoon Saloon movies on DVD that same Christmas and I already owned Blu-Ray copies of the classic Peanuts Holiday specials. Remember folks, I never said I was smart, I only said I liked dinosaurs. As such, what did I think of this show?

Happy to say; it delivers what the trailers promised. This show is what happens when you mix Walking with Dinosaurs with Planet Earth, Attenborough's narration being a highlight as per usual. He brings a level of class to anything he's commenting on, even a Deinocheirus taking a massive dump. Insert obligatory Jurassic Park joke here.

AND FOR ANYBODY JUMPING AHEAD: NO! THE SHOW ISN'T CRAP. THIS IS JUST FOR A JOKE!

It's also to help illustrate a weird point about this show: they do not shy away from the dino love-making or crap-taking. It's Dinos After Dark! Granted they showed this kind of stuff back on Walking with too, but it was just as disgusting there. Especially since the Deinocheirus eats where he poops. If you're thinking of enjoying a tasty bowl of popcorn while enjoying this, I'd recomend you wait until after Episode 3 aka Freshwater.

Those of you who have seen the Planet Earth series will recognize the naming convention here. Instead of going through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous to see how dinosaurs evolved over time, this show sticks to the late Cretaceous while showing how far stretched the dinosaurs war. A pack of Secernosaurus struggle to find water in dunes made out of gypsum, we find out the Tyrannosaurs could beat you in a swimming contest, a troupe of triceratops are forced underground, one episode even sees how dinosaurs survived the cold.

I was actually super eager to see this episode, as a friend and I argued over the logistics of over-grown reptiles surviving in a snowy landscape. A quick Google search revealed that these early drafts of birds were indeed warm blooded, so I could totally buy them enduring the cold. Even if they couldn't, it looks freak'n cool! Pun intended, of course.

Really my one complaint about this series is how tame it is. When you watched Walking with Dinosaurs, or really any nature documentary, it's hard to guess what's going to happen. Will the baby antelope escape the hungry lion's claws? Will that one panda find a mate before the season's over? Will future generations have the privilege of ever seeing a rhino again? Most importantly, how did the people holding the camera get these magnificent shots? One cameraman working on Planet Earth had to live in a literal mountain of crap for weeks while filming cockroaches. Thinking about it gives makes my skin crawl. Even then that's nothing compared to the massive undertaking that is filming snow leopards. Not to say I want any people producing this to be in actual danger, but the Walking series at least simulated this aspect by having the creatures interact with the camera. Saliva would coat the lens after a T-Rex roared at it, it'd be knocked over after a adolescent Indricotherium charged at it, that sort of thing. This makes what's happening on screen feel natural. Here it all feels too choreographed and planned. There's no real edge. Still, I'd take this over any of the newer Jurassic Park movies any day. This doesn't make it feel my braincells are being smothered with a pillow before getting repeatedly kicked in their metaphorical crotches.

In conclusion, dinosaur lovers will surely love this. The effects will leave you speechless, David Attenborough's voice is a welcomed boost of nostalgia, and the variety of dinosaurs on display should satisfy any paleontology fan. That is assuming this all is accurate, which is getting harder to judge these days. Just wait, come tomorrow some bone-digging bozo is gonna say T-Rex was actually more of a giant woodpecker or somethin'. Until that happens, take a trip back and enjoy watching how life survived this Prehistoric Planet.

By the way, wanna read more rants against streaming services? Then check out my review of Spy x Family to see me complain about Hulu while gushing over how cute Anya forger is. Until then, may the glasses be with you!

NEXT TIME ON GIRAFFE'S EYE VIEW...

#clarktoon crossing #giraffes eye view #dinosaurs #dinosaur #prehistoric planet #apple tv+#streaming #rant #review #tv review

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i-gwarth · 2 years

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8 shows to get to know me

Thank you for the tag, @ruiniel!

Code Geass: the only good and therefore the best anime😊I come back to this show every once in a while and it still holds up. It knows exactly what it is (campy melodrama with robots and politics) and it's gracefully ungraceful about it. The confidence with which this show sets fire to itself only to become what it was always meant to be is unparalleled.

The Expanse: found out about this show years before it started airing, from a list of "upcoming space opera shows", because I was desperate to see anything new in that genre. Out of all the shows on that list, it ran the longest. It's a sea-change in how sci-fi tv is made, and its influence will be as persistent and ubiquitous as that of Star Trek. You can already see it in shows that came out after it, like Halo, which mixed a good dollop of Expanse's themes into its boring space gunman setting and emerged much improved for it.

Chris Colorado: the Franco-Canadian dystopian post-apocalyptic sci-fi show that I and only I remember. Not the most coherent plot but a world and characters that blew me away as a kid and a soundtrack that fundamentally changed me as a person. Ars longa, vita brevis!

Fringe: I haven't seen this one in a while but the way it approached the often-trite and overdone mad scientist archetype stuck with me. Fringe has a lot of interesting takes on the role of science in helping the world, and the extent to which there things that would be best left unknown.

Samurai Jack: a colossal triumph of artistry and storytelling.

Carnival Row: this show was scientifically engineered in a lab and laser-targeted specifically for me. It for me. It has everything I love: he devastating collision between the fantastical and the mundane, the fundamental certainty that people are inescapably people, and the wonderful setting which openly and transparently parallels our own world to illustrate how those people are inevitably doomed to fuck up. Unless we get a Dishonored TV show (likes to charge reblogs to cast) this is as close as we're ever likely to get to "Preda: the TV show"

Rings of Power: listen - this is the "get to know me" list, not the "best shows" or the "favorites" list. And fundamental to my opinion of Tolkien's works is the belief that fanfiction is the future of any further adaptations of the legendarium. A remake of the LOTR/Hobbit films would be an inevitable flop, and an adaptation of the Silmarillion itself is unlikely to ever happen. But high-budget fanfiction that tries to stay true to the themes and spirit of the books while also adding on original elements or making minor changes to the setting or events? That's where the future lies. That's what Shadow of Mordor was, and that's also what Rings of Power is. I don't expect everyone to like it, but does happen to appeal to me in more ways than it irritates me.

Lovecraft Country: I read the book, then mere days later I heard it's getting adapted to TV and saw the cast. This show *also* changes a lot of the fundamental aspects of the source material while staying true to the themes and spirit, and I think it's a beautiful thing. The fact that my favorite character, Montrose, was played by the legendary Michael K Williams in one of his last roles before his death is something that makes me very emotional whenever I think about it.

Honorable mentions: The Terror and Chernobyl are sensational shows, Shadow and Bone made me excited to read the books and Foundation is #3 on the list of "very good adaptations that change a lot of details while staying true to the yadda yadda"; note that anything with Jared Harris in it will at least get me to take a look. The man is like a magic ingredient for making good TV.

tagging (only if they want to participate) @wild-hyacinths, @just-another-leaf-in-the-wind, @theotherwesley, @unfriends-forever and @whosamawhatsit

#there were approximmately a quadrillion more I could have mentioned but one has to stop somewhere #predacinemateca

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thenorsiest · 2 years

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Sometimes I wonder if Star Trek really became less Star Trek because science started to become more well known.

Like during the 1960s the idea of going to a planet full of gangsters was Wild but also possible?! To the average person. (The undereducated American that is)

Now it’s like “space is vast, cold and unfeeling” and that’s actually reflected in the filming. It’s like the writers forgot that the exploration of space was about possibility. To some extent that’s probably why they keep moving backwards in their shows and why anything forward feels nihilistic.

Or maybe it’s midnight and this was the last thing I decided to post while half asleep…

#star trek #also I’ve not seen snw #but it’s like every trek show inevitably tries to be a ‘trek show’ and in doing so fails #when they decide to write stories that have meaning and merit and a point to them?#when they decide it’s okay to have fun and funny characters?#when they go ‘okay but what if!!!’#that’s when it feels the most like a trek show #like people talk about how ds9 is the Pinnacle of trek #and I get it but they were also the first to really try and ongoing plot line which was a newer concept of the time #y’all forget that what made ‘sitcoms’ and weekly shows nice was the consistency #like man me and my friends have a hard time not knowing what to watch because we binge things and run out of episodes then we are left with #this desire to watch something we already feel comfortable with but also the desire to watch something ‘new’ because that’ll bring more #seritonin #yes characters should grow and change and be like real people #but hear me out… what if they didn’t?#what if they were just characters and they stayed stagnant and every time I saw them I knew what to expect?!#what if every episode I didn’t have to worry about them changing or becoming something new or different or hating their character arch???#I’m rambling #i need sleep #sorry if this weird and you’ve read the tags to this point #please have a good night and sleep well #💜

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book-boys-are-my-guilty-pleasure · 3 years

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A Stark and her Soldier ~ Part 1

Imagine: Reuniting with Bucky when you end up helping Sam with the Flag Smashers.

Warnings: TFATWS SPOILERS! This takes place during the first two episodes of the show.

A/N: I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’M BACK (with a new header lol)!!! AHHHHHHHH! It’s been nearly two years but here I am… posting this makes me SO nervous, so feedback would be highly appreciated! More parts and some information about what I’m planning with this blog to follow soon!

“You held us together – do it for them,” he paused before adding, “Promise me you’ll do it for them.”

You blinked away the tears, knowing what was coming, “I can’t promise that...”

“Y/N please,” the way he begged you with that shaking voice was nearly enough to push you over the edge.

“I-I promise.” He squeezed your hand before letting you leave.

“You’ve reached James Barnes, sorry I couldn’t take your call, please –” you hung up before the recorded message could continue, face burning with frustration. This was the 9th time you had tried calling him this week, not to mention the countless text messages.

You scoffed thinking of Steve’s last words to you, how were you supposed to hold them together when you barely held yourself together on a good day? It doesn’t make it any easier when the person you’re supposed to be holding together is so keen on letting himself fall apart.

Every time you tried calling him, you ended up feeling furious, miserable, or like an absolute failure – usually all three. You promised Steve, you promised, and you failed. You groaned and chucked your phone across your bed.

The last time you had seen him, Steve had still been around, and you hadn’t even spoken to him since Tony’s funeral.

You and Pepper had walked to the lake, each holding one of Morgan’s hands, and you had sat at the dock watching the arc reactor – his heart – float away, the people behind you forgotten in your grief. The weight on your heart was unbelievable, you had already lost your best friend, Natasha, and now your brother was gone.

You promised him that you wouldn’t cry at his funeral – he always knew it was inevitable – and so you sat there, sending him away with a pained smile.

You had no idea how long you had just sat there, staring at the horizon across the lake, trying to make this last moment with your brother last forever.

“Y/N?” You felt a hand squeezing your shoulder, “You should come back inside.”

“What happens now, Steve?” Your voice was softer than he had ever heard before.

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out together,” he paused for a moment before gesturing to Bucky, waiting outside the house behind him, “He wants to talk to you.”

You gave Bucky a small smile, “Hey.”

He walked over and dropped down next to you, Steve leaving the two of you to chat, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” You nodded solemnly.

He added, “For everything, Y/N… he probably wouldn’t even have wanted me here, but –”

You shook your head and took his hand, heart fluttering at the contact. You had always been attracted to him, and it had only grown with every interaction. “That wasn’t you.”

You knew your brother never blamed Bucky, you all knew how it felt to have people mess with your heads and Bucky had had the worst of it. He was furious at Steve for years, but never at Bucky – you could never bring yourself to be angry with either of them, not after the stories you grew up with. Your father had adored the soldiers and you had been one of their biggest fans, and later one of Steve’s closest friends.

There had come a point after the battle between Tony and Steve when you had become sick of all the back and forth. You were lucky enough to find an escape when T’Challa got in touch with you, offering you a chance to come to Wakanda and learn about their technology – you weren’t ashamed to admit that you were the one who contacted him to beg for it. You hadn’t known that Bucky was already there. Slowly but surely, the two of you found comfort in one another and became good friends.

He gave you a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “You should head inside, it’s getting late – I’ll see you again soon.”

He stayed true to that statement, the two of you stood with Sam and Bruce, waiting for Steve to come back after returning the stones – only to have him shatter your hearts.

You only saw Bucky in passing after that, occasionally visiting Steve at the same time – you never said a word to him, beyond a smile or a wave, and then you stopped seeing him all together. You tried, for the sake of your promise to Steve, but he never answered your calls or texts.

“We’ll figure it out together, right, thanks a lot Steve,” You muttered.

You jumped at the sound of your phone ringing, and your shoulders sank a bit when you saw Sam’s name flashing across the screen, “Hey.”

“He’s doing an interview,” You knew exactly who Sam was talking about, “Good Morning America.”

Your stomach turned, “That’s the last thing I want to see.”

“I know, I just thought I’d share my joy with someone,” Sam chuckled, “Any luck with Bucky?”

“I’m just wasting my time at this point,” You could feel the tears returning to your eyes as you said it.

“Hey, come on now, he’ll come around, he just needs some time.”

“Right…”

“Listen, I called because we have a lead, wanna join?”

“Please.”

“I hate it, his stupid face plastered on every wall, it feels like he’s mocking us.”

“Don’t you start, Y/N.”

“Seriously Sam, I get that he’s the new Cap – the fake Cap, but don’t you think that this,” You gestured to the posters around you, “is excessive?”

“It-”

“Shouldn’t have given up the shield.” Your heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice and your face heated up with anger, you hadn’t realized it was possible to feel such contrasting emotions at the same time, but here you were. You noted that his voice was a bit hoarse and wondered if he had been sick.

“Good to see you too, Buck.”

“This is wrong.”

“So is pushing away everyone who cares about you.” He finally looked at you and you saw shame glistening in those steel blue eyes.

He said nothing before turning back to Sam, “You didn’t know that was gonna happen?”

Wow, ignoring your calls was one thing, but outright ignoring you while you stood in front of him, that caused a different kind of hurt.

You stood in silence as Sam explained where the two of you were headed, trying to push away the pounding in your head, and suddenly, you found yourself in a jet sitting next to Bucky.

“You could have answered, even once. Could’ve at least let me know that you were still alive.”

“I know,” Was all he said.

“We were friends once,” Nothing, “and I still care for you.”

“I know.”

“Four months, a full four months and I didn’t hear a single word from you, I’m going to need more than ‘I know’.”

He sighed, “I’m sorry.”

You could tell that he meant it and didn’t know what more to say, so you got up and headed towards the open door of the plane, “I’ll catch you boys on the ground.”

You watched Sam follow, and considered helping Bucky as he fell through the trees, but you decided against it. He hurt your feelings and now you could call it even.

Super soldiers? How on earth were there more super soldiers?! You didn’t have much time to ponder on the thought as you got kicked in the face by one of them and fell off the semi – definitely should have let Tony make you a helmet like he insisted.

You flew back up only to see him dropping out of a helicopter, Fake Cap, fuck.

“Looks like you guys could use some help,” Your blood boiled at the sight of his cocky grin.

You weren’t winning, and you weren’t stupid enough to continue trying, let Steve’s knock-off take care of it.

You flew off just in time to see Bucky lying on top of Sam, the latter groaned in displeasure.

“Hey, can you gentlemen save the PDA for later?” You joked, earning a glare from both of them.

With the adrenaline slowly draining from your system, the pain from the blows you took started to set in, making you dread the trek in front of you. As if on cue, you heard a horn honking and Fake Cap pulled up next to you, “It’s 20 miles to the airport, you guys need a ride.”

“I think we’re good,” You simply stated.

“You won’t make it with that limp.”

You gave him a crude smile, “I’d rather crawl.”

They stopped and opened the door, you exchanged a look with Sam and Bucky, silently deciding to join them.

You sat between Bucky and Sam, and felt the anger and disgust radiating off of both of them with every word that was exchanged.

“Y/N Stark,” You despised the way he said your last name, like he wanted to devour you, “You are one of the original seven, I trust you know the importance of having a strong team. I’d suggest giving a word or two of advice to your friends here.”

“Did you really just compare being on a team with you two, to being on a team with the Avengers?” You glowered at him, “A word of advice Walker, you’re not Steve, you might be holding that shield, but you will never be half the Captain America that he was. So quit fucking pretending.”

“I didn’t realize Stark’s sister had such a mouth on her,” He smirked, he knew exactly what he was doing and as much as you hated to admit it, it was working, “Vicious.”

“Go to hell.”

The ride didn’t last very long after that, and you had no complaints when Bucky demanded them to stop the car.

You opened your eyes and rolled over to see Sam still asleep on the seats across from you, and Bucky was sitting on the large crate in the middle of the jet, “Not tired?”

“Nah,” He shook his head.

You pushed yourself to your feet and hopped up next to him, “You’d think they’d make those seats a bit more comfortable considering the amount of time we spend on these things.”

He chuckled and the two of you fell into a comfortable silence. After a considerable pause he turned to you, “Y/N, I meant what I said earlier, I’m sorry.”

The dark bags under his eyes were a stark contrast from the beautiful blue that you were looking into, which you noted which had lost its luster. You noticed that his voice still had a bit of that hoarseness from earlier in the day, and the dots connected. You remembered how hoarse your voice used to get when you’d wake up screaming from the nightmares after particularly rough missions. You understood why he was awake, he didn’t want you and Sam to see him like that.

You nodded, “I know, I just wish – I was worried sick about you. I know it hasn’t been easy for you Buck, but we were good friends once and I miss you.”

“I wanted to call, it’s just been tough,” He admitted, and you reached over to take his hand, only to quickly pull away as Sam woke up.

“You two okay?”

“Yeah,” You both said. You wondered if Bucky’s super soldier ability allowed him to hear the way your heartbeat picked up from that brief touch.

Your mind was racing a million miles a minute, you had barely kept the tears in listening to Isaiah’s story, both out of anger and sadness. How? How did this happen? How was this man tortured, then brushed under the rug? How did no one know about it? Why the hell did Bucky keep this from you?

Sam mirrored your pained expression, but something darker lurked beneath his eyes, you couldn’t even imagine the rage he felt. The sound of a police siren pulled you out of your thoughts.

Your anger only grew at the argument that ensued, “I am calm, what do you want? We’re just standing here talking.”

“Just give him your ID,” You glared at Bucky as the words left his mouth.

“Why the hell should he? He didn’t do anything wrong!” You growled, at the same time Sam said, “I’m not giving him shit, we were just talking.”

“Hey, hey, look, is this guy bothering you?” The officer asked you and Bucky. Your eyes widened, he can’t be serious right now.

“No, he’s not bothering us, do you know who this is?!”

You couldn’t even stand to look at the guy as his jaw dropped in shock upon realizing who Sam was, you felt your body shake with anger, and you didn’t even want to think what would have happened if Sam hadn’t been an Avenger.

The officer returned from his vehicle and turned the tables, announcing that there was a warrant out for Bucky’s arrest.

Watching him being handcuffed and put into the car shattered your heart, if the events of the day hadn’t already left you feeling nauseous, you knew this would be the nail in the coffin. All you could see was Bucky on his knees with a gun to his head nearly seven year ago when Steve barely prevented T’Challa from killing him and the four of you had been arrested – Tony had been furious with you, but it was the shame in Bucky’s eyes that had hurt you the most, and here you were, witnessing it again.

You reached over a grabbed Sam’s hand and squeezed as hard as you could, desperate for a lifeline to keep you from sinking into those painful memories.

You maintained that same grip on the poor man’s hand as you sat at the police station waiting for Bucky to be bailed out, “Sam, Y/N, I’ve heard a lot about you two, I’m Dr. Raynor, I’m James’ therapist.”

The two of you shook her hand and Sam thanked her for getting Bucky out.

“That was not me –”

“Christina!” You’d recognize that voice anywhere from the way it made your skin crawl, fuck, “Good to see you again.”

You clenched your jaw to keep yourself from punching the stupid grin off of his face as he pointed to himself when Dr. Raynor asked him who authorized Bucky’s release. You knew you had a problem with constantly wanting to punch people in the face, it was a trait that ran in the family, but Walker’s face was definitely one of the most punchable ones you had seen – a good ol’ pop in the jaw wouldn’t hurt, right? Just one?

“He’s too valuable of an asset to have him tied up –”

That was it, that was all you were willing to hear, you couldn’t stop yourself from getting in his face and hissing, “Call him that again, and I swear to god Walker, I –”

Sam put his arm around you, hand pressed to your stomach and pulled you back, “Y/N.”

Walker simply smirked and turned back to Raynor, “Do what you have to do and send him off to me. Got some unfinished business, him and I, you too Wilson, and bring your guard dog with you.”

It took everything in your power to keep from snarling at him.

“James, condition of your release, session now,” The doctor ordered, “You two as well.”

“I’m good, I’ve been to enough therapy,” You shook your head, at the same time Sam said, “That’s okay, I’ll be out here with –”

“That wasn’t a request,” You couldn’t help but chuckle, and decided that you liked this woman.

You and Sam sat on either side of Bucky, facing Dr. Raynor as she got started. You couldn’t help but notice the way Bucky’s eyes shifted and jaw clenched as Sam tried to weasel his way out of the session, and your chest tightened. He looked so tired, and not just the ‘hasn’t slept in a few days’ tired, but more like he was tired of trying – he looked broken.

You decided in that moment that you would try, and not just for Steve, but for the man next to you who had held a piece of your heart before he even knew you, and managed steal that piece away when you had met him years later.

You realized how hard you’d have try when Bucky answered Dr. Raynor’s question with, “In my miracle, he would talk less.”

“Exactly what I was gonna say, isn’t that ironic?” You sighed, so hard.

She turned to you, mimicking the expression on your face, “Y/N, can I trust you to give me a proper answer?”

Try, Y/N, try. You saw a glimmer of hope in Raynor’s eyes as they met yours, but you simply shrugged and looked away, unable to bring yourself to open up, and she let her shoulders fall slightly.

“You guys are leaving me with no choice. It’s time for the soul-gazing exercise. Y/N, you can sit this one out, you get along with both of them well enough.”

You rolled your eyes at the reactions from the boys, this’ll be good. You couldn’t help but chuckle as they got closer to one another, maybe I should have taken part in this exercise. They made eye contact and continued to hold it, you realized what they were doing moments before the doctor did and let out a genuine laugh – earning a glare from Raynor, don’t encourage them she seemed to say.

“James, why does Sam aggravate you? And don’t say something childish.” Your head filled with a hundred different ideas about what stupid things Bucky would come up with, only to have them fizzle away at his cheeky grin towards the doctor, followed by the lick of his lip. It left your throat dry. Snap out of it, Y/N, what’s gotten into you?

He paused for a moment, his expression changing, and turned back to Sam, “Why’d you give of that shield?”

You held your breath, you knew this was going to come up, but weren’t expecting it here. You couldn’t take your eyes off of Bucky, noticing every change in his face, it becoming more pained with every word that left his mouth, and your chest tightening alongside it, until finally, “So maybe he was wrong about you. And if he was wrong about you, then he was wrong about me.”

The break in his voice cracked your heart into a million pieces. You looked up, trying to keep the tears swimming in your eyes from falling. You turned your attention towards Sam and noticed the emotion behind his glassy eyes – it was different than anything you had seen in him before, it was almost as though you could see the burden he was carrying on his shoulders, the pressure that was pushing him in every direction.

I have to fix this, you told yourself, you couldn’t stand to see them like this, I have to try.

Your mind was roaring with thoughts, you hadn’t even noticed that Sam and Bucky had left until Raynor asked, “What would be in your miracle, Y/N?”

You snapped your head towards her, then to the door, you weighed your options and headed towards the latter. You grabbed the handle and stopped, without turning towards her you whispered, “I’d find a home again, and they’d find some happiness.”

You pulled the door open, “Y/N, I don’t think those two things have to be separate.”

Her words swam in your head until you found Bucky and Sam walking outside, Walker and Hoskins storming off in the other direction.

“What’s that all about?”

“Walker being Walker,” Sam shrugged.

“So, what now?”

“Bucky wants to talk to Zemo,” Every memory that you spent years trying to forget came flooding back: Zemo using those words to turn Bucky into the Winter Soldier, who then proceeded to trash the compound and nearly kill you and your friends; watching your family fight each other at the airport and being forced to pick a side; watching the footage of your parents dying; desperately begging your brother and the man who had become your brother not to kill one another.

“You what?!” You gasped.

“Y/N –”

You stepped between the two of them, close enough to Bucky that you had to tilt your head up to look into his eyes, and whispered, “Bucky, no.”

“This might be our only lead, Y/N,” You stared up at him, silently pleading him, he reflected the same in his own, “Please Y/N.”

He took your hand and you instantly melted, “I – fine, but promise me you will be careful.”

“I promise.”

End.

Read Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 and Part 6

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fawnandshadows · 3 years

Text

After the Ceremony - Chapter 3

I had so much fun writing this chapter, and I could not be more excited to share it! Please let me know what you guys think, and I also wanted to thank everyone for their support because I was so convinced that no one was going to read this, and I am so incredibly flattered at the response I have received. This story is also available on AO3

Summary: Elain and Azriel after Nesta and Cassian's Mating Ceremony.

Words: 2,938

Story Rating: M

Elain was giddy. She couldn’t remember the last time she woke up and was excited about the day ahead of her. Well, before the solstice she used to wake up and be content and hopeful. She would tend to her garden and try to make the world a more beautiful place; gardening was something that she was good at, something that she enjoyed, and it was something that was just hers. There were many times, before Feyre had been taken, that she wished she could have done something more substantial for her family, but they couldn’t afford the seeds to grow any food, and she didn’t even know how to grow food. So, once Elain settled into her fae life enough, she decided to learn a valuable skill - one that almost anyone would approve of.

She learned how to bake, and then she learned how to cook. The twins were surprisingly gracious and they were more than welcoming and patient with her, and before long Elain started to think of Nuala and Cerridwen as friends. The first friends she ever made that were hers, and hers alone. She knew they worked for Feyre, Rhysand, and Azriel, but the twins weren’t friends with them.

It was during this time that Elain started to hope to see Azriel every day when she woke up. Whenever she was with the twins there was always a part of her that wanted Az to show up and ask for a report, he almost never did, but she imagined it just the same. He would come in after a long day, and she would offer him the chocolate chip cookies she baked herself - Elain made those cookies at least once a week after learning they were his favorite- and they would simply enjoy each other’s company. She dreamed that he would open up to her, because the Mother knew he needed someone to talk to, and Elain would give him a lovely, cozy space where he would forget about his spy business for a bit. A space that he could think of as home.

And then there were the daydreams where Elain imagined they did a little bit more than talk. On many occasions, when Elain was alone in the kitchen baking bread and covered in flour, she thought of Azriel storming into the kitchen in a flurry of emotion - sometimes it was anger, but it could have been passion, or even an overwhelming lust - and he would take her into his arms and kiss her as if his life depended on it. They almost always ended up covered in flour, or whatever Elain was cooking, and right when her imagination was starting to get interesting somebody inevitably walked into the kitchen, and it was almost never the person she wanted it to be. Sometimes her family could be such busy bodies.

None of her fantasies lived up to the real thing.

The real Azriel, the one crafted from flesh and blood and bone, was so exquisite that her dirtiest most intense fantasy seemed childish.

Her heart pounded wildly just thinking about it.

A soft knock sounded from the door, disrupting Elain from the memories she was reliving over and over again, and Elain told whoever was knocking to come in. She briefly entertained the idea of feigning sleep, but she had already lazed in bed for almost an hour. A small indulgence she allowed herself - normally she would rise with the sun and immediately throw herself into the garden, or help with breakfast, or do something to show she was useful.

Feyre, to Elains surprise, entered the room and shut the door behind her.

“Good morning.” Elain raised herself up and smiled at her sister.

Feyre had not yet dressed for the day, she still wore her navy silk nightgown and robe, and it warmed Elains heart to see her sister in such finery. She was happy that Feyre found herself a mate that treated her like a queen - she deserved it after everything she did for their family. There were times when Elain felt the crushing urge to hug her sister, and she decided after last night to grant herself those small kindnesses - she had come to learn that it was never a bad thing to show someone you loved them, even if you couldn’t say it.

Elain had opened her arms and said, “Doesn’t it seem like a fine morning for a cuddle?”

Feyre laughed and walked over to her sister before plopping herself into the bed and into Elain’s open arms.

“We haven’t done this in forever,” Feyre said with a sigh - as if she were remembering the last time it happened and how everything had changed since then. “As much as I love Rhys he tends to hog the bed. He kicks off all the covers and then has the audacity to accuse me of stealing them, can you believe that,” Even though Feyre’s voice held a hint of exasperation Elain knew there was a smile on her face, probably one that found its twin on Elains face. “I barely got any sleep last night. Nyx woke up crying and I had to search the entire house for his favorite toy, you know the one - the stuffed bat that Cassian got him. Somehow it ended up downstairs in the ballroom.”

Elain felt tears start to well in her eyes. She was just so happy for Feyre, and her joy was only amplified knowing that Feyre was happy. Feyre was completely, utterly, and divinely happy.

“Is that why you decided to join me this morning? To get some peace and quiet?” Elain asked.

It was Feyre that almost stumbled upon her and Azriel last night. Her cheeks warmed not only at the memory, but at the fact that Feyre almost saw them. Elain was almost certain that Feyre didn’t know about the scene she interrupted, but still she wanted to make sure.

“Yes and no,” Feyre said, and Elain could tell from her voice that she wasn’t going to like what her sister said. Feyre shifted on the bed to face Elain. “Were you downstairs last night. I thought I smelled you, and you know how not great I am at distinguishing scents,” It was true. For all of her power and abilities, a keen sense of smell wasn’t one of them. “But I thought I smelled you downstairs when I was looking for Nyx’s bat. Of course when I actually got into the room you weren’t there, and I know my nose has been sensitive ever since I was pregnant, so I could have just been smelling you from earlier.”

A small smile tugged at Elains lips, and the delightful urge to share with her sister moved through her.

“Can I tell you something?” She asked shyly.

Feyre’s eyebrows raised as she said, “Of course.”

“I need you to be my sister. Not High Lady.”

At Feyre’s nod Elain couldn’t hold back. In excited whispers she told her sister everything that she felt, and most of what transpired last night, Elain kept some of the more private details to herself.

“That explains the torn nightgown.” Feyre commented at one point, and Elain couldn’t contain the giggle that burst out of her. It had never really been like this between her and Feyre, Elain had always drifted more towards Nesta, but she was glad to have this moment with her younger sister.

“Feyre,” Elaid started with a bit of hesitation. “Has Rhysand ever talked to you about me?”

Feyre’s brow furrowed a bit as she thought.

“He adores you, and he thinks of you as his own sister, but I can’t think of anything recently.” The two sat in silence for a moment before Feyre exclaimed, “Oh! He loved the tarts you made the other day, the apple ones, he was rather put out that you saved the last one for Az,” Feyre nudged her with her shoulder. “Although that makes sense now.”

“He hasn’t mentioned anything else?”

“No, why? Should he have?”

Elain debated whether or not she should share this part, that part of Rhys being a meddlesome mother hen, with Feyre. She thought that her sister would be on her side, but Elain didn’t want to be responsible for a rift between her sister and her mate.

She shook her head and said, “No reason. He just stepped on my toes a little harshly last night, but it wasn’t his fault. Cassian was practically falling on him, and when Rhys tried to get out of the way he landed on my foot. I was hoping to tease him about it today, but I’m afraid he might have been a little too tipsy to remember it.”

Before Feyre had the chance to respond, Nyx's cry filled the air.

“I suppose the day has to start at some point,” Feyre said and she rolled out of bed. “Starting it with my sister and son seems like a pretty good way.”

Elain nearly tripped over her cobalt dress as she rushed down stairs. She couldn’t help it. She was just too excited to start the day and to see Azriel again. She wanted to see him in the light of day, not that she minded seeing him in the shadows of the night when it was only them and the Mother, but Elain wanted to see his face blush with unobstructed vision, and she wanted his hazel eyes warm in the light of the sun.

It had been too long since they allowed themselves to be together in the light of day.

When she reached the kitchen Elain wasn’t surprised to see it was only Nuala and Cerridwen in the kitchen. Her friends gave her sly smiles as they took in her goofy grin and red cheeks before saying good morning to her.

“Good morning,” Elain replied, eyeing the cinnamon rolls that just came out of the oven. The rest of her family must have been waiting in the living room before breakfast, and a thought popped into Elain’s head. “Did you guys use the recipe we just came up with?”

“Yes.” They said in unison.

Elain didn’t stop herself from piling three rolls onto a plate and filling up a mug with coffee. She bit her lip to contain her excitement as she made her way to the swinging door, saying a quick goodbye to her friends before leaving the kitchen.

The trek to the living room was short, but the anticipation made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She knew what she was about to do, she was going to offer food to another male while her mate was in the room, but Elain was determined she wasn’t going to hide her feelings anymore. She brought Rhysand and Cassian food all the time whenever she wanted to surprise them. Elain even went out of her way to bring Amren the croissants she liked because Elain remembered how Amren was the only one who thought her strong enough to look for the Dread Trove objects, and Elain wanted to show her appreciation.

When Elain stepped into the living room no one noticed her. No one but Azriel that is, and even though he didn’t show it she was certain he was aware of her presence.

Azriel was on the far side of the room, in front of a big bay window, smiling down at More. Hesitation and fear threatened to break her resolve, but Elain moved before she could talk herself out of it. She suddenly remembered the one burning question she had forgotten to ask.

She had to trust Azriel.

As she approached them Elain was suddenly overwhelmed by Azriels beauty. She spent so long avoiding him that it almost felt indecent to look at him freely and openly in the light of day. The morning sun illuminated his tan skin and set his hazel eyes aflame. She could even make out a hint of blue in his inky hair. Hair that she had just found out was as soft as it looked.

“Good morning,” Elain said as she stopped a few feet away from them. “I brought you something. I know you love to have sweets in the morning, but you’re too disciplined to indulge yourself.”

His face was unreadable, but there was an undeniable warmth in his eyes as he looked at her. Elain was sure he noted that her cobalt dress matched his siphons which caused his eyes to go molten. Elain heard the conversations turn dull, just for a moment, before returning back to normal - and she was certain that a pair of violet eyes were watching their every move.

Elain could also feel vexation radiating off of Lucien as he watched them from his place next to the fireplace. Feyre, Elain noticed on her way in, planted herself firmly between Lucien and the group Elain was with.

Azriel took one step towards her, and Elain inhaled deeply his scent of night chilled mist and cedar. A small thrill skittered down her spine as his scent intertwined her own. Az let out a raspy thank you before taking the plate and the mug. He took a deep sip on coffee, his bright eyes maintaining contact with hers over the lip of the mug, and Elain would have sworn that the entire room disappeared.

Her eyes left his for a moment as they watched his tongue trace over his lips. Elains hands fisted in her dress to stop herself from grabbing his face and kissing the coffee away.

Elain watched as he set the coffee on the windowsill before picking up a cinnamon roll and taking a bite. A small groan emitted from the back of Azriels throat.

“Good morning.” A chipper voice broke Elain’s connection to Az.

Elain mentally shook herself as she looked at the blond standing with them. She had completely forgotten Mor was here standing with them, and Elain recognized the amusement in Mor’s tone.

“Good morning,” Elain managed a small smile as a furious blush overtook her face. From the knowing grin on Mor’s face Elain knew she had witnessed everything that just happened between her and Az. “You’re a lovely dancer. I saw you last night.” Elain had hoped to distract Mor with conversation.

“I think you might have been more interested in my partner.” Mor winked at her, and her face somehow turned warmer. She was blushing more than she ever had before. Elain noted the satisfied, and proud grin, that formed if Azriel’s beautiful lips. She wanted to kiss that grin off his face.

Mor looked between the two of them, as if she could see something that they couldn’t, and a frown appeared between her eyebrows. She quickly excused herself and left the room.

“Was it something I said?” Elain asked as she watched the blonde leave. “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“Of course not,” Az said quickly. His hand reaching out to touch her, she shivered at the feel of his calloused hands on her skin. He quickly dropped her hand and reached for his mug, took a sip, and then thought for a moment before offering it to her. “You are never an interruption.”

Elain didn’t hesitate before taking a drink of his coffee, she had brought it to him black because he liked it that way, and Elain almost always dumped way too much sugar in her own coffee. It thrilled her to know they were sharing a drink, and that they were doing it in front of everybody. They were done hiding. It moved her, and made her insides turn to gooey, as she realized that this was a giant step for them - that it was Azriel that initiated it. They could write off her bringing him breakfast, but sharing a drink was as intimate as they have been in front of everyone else.

Her eyes widened as she felt a damn break inside of her. Before her eyes, a silvery blue chord appeared and flowed towards Azriel, who just looked at it in complete surprise. It looked like a river flowing from her heart into his and after a moment or two it dissipated.

They looked at each other without saying a word, but somehow they were more aware of each other. She swore if she concentrated hard enough she would be able to feel his heart beating in his chest.

No one else seemed to be aware of what had passed between them. The conversation still raging around them, and Elain knew that if Lucien had seen what happened he wouldn’t have stayed put on the opposite side of the room.

“Do you know-” Elain cut herself off at the shake of Azriels head.

Elain opened her mouth to say something, she didn’t know what, but stopped at the appearance of the twins and the announcement that breakfast was served. She brought her hand to his tentatively, giving him the option of pulling away, and gasped at the jolt that went through her as their skin touched.

What every passed between them felt electric, and Elain noticed the warmth that was pooling between her legs and the need to rip her dress off to feel more of Azriel’s skin on her.

“Ready for breakfast,” A friendly voice asked her and a heavy arm landed on her shoulder. Elain looked up to see Cassian smiling down at her, looking a little too fresh considering how drunk he was last night. “Not everyone got special cinnamon rolls this morning.” Cassian winked over his shoulder as he steered her out of the room.

#elain archeron #elain acotar #elriel fanfic #pro elriel #elriel fanfiction #elain x azriel #elriel #after the ceremony #after the ceremony chapter 3 #my work #my fanfiction #azriel #acotar fanfiction #acotar

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all-hail-the-witcher · 4 years

Text

leaves

this started as a hc but turned into a long thing about geralt being a huge softie. enjoy.

___

jaskier collects leaves that he thinks are pretty during the fall and presses them in his song writing notebook so he can look at them during the winter when all the leaves are gone. and, he'd never admit this to anyone, but he knows exactly where each leaf came from, and what he and geralt were doing when he found them, so they help him stay close to geralt in the cold months when he's away at kaer morhen.

geralt doesnt understand the fascination cause “they're just leaves jaskier” and gets kinda grumpy when jaskier walks extra slow during the fall to admire and inspect the leaves. but he secretly enjoys the way that jaskiers face lights up in front of their camp fire at night as he shows geralt each leaf he collected that day and tucks them safely into the pages of his notebook.

jaskier used to show them to roach to inspect but after she ate a particularly beautiful one on accident he does not allow her anywhere near his precious leaves.

one year jaskier and geralt part ways a little earlier than normal, geralt deciding to begin the trek to kaer morhen sooner than he normally would due to a lack of contracts so jaskier goes to oxenfurt earlier as well. the leaves are just beginning to change color as they part ways.

a few nights into the journey geralt is making camp for himself and roach when he sees a bright red leaf sitting on the forest floor, exactly the kind of leaf that jaskier would pick up and admire and wax poetry about before tucking it into his notebook. but jaskier isn't there, and geralt feels a little pang. he glares at the leaf the entire time he's setting up camp.

the camp fire has burned down to the embers by the time geralt is ready to lay out his bed roll, but he can still see the leaf at the corner of his vision. he sighs and gets up, knowing that it will continue to bother him unless he does something about it. he picks up the leaf, brushes off the dirt far more lightly than he would ever care to admit, and goes to tuck it in to his saddle bag in the roll of parchment he keeps on the off chance he has to write a letter.

roach snorts at him. “shut up,” he mutters back. “its just a leaf.” roach nuzzles his arm. “no, i don't miss him. im just...bringing him a souvenir. we had to part early this year.” another snort. “yes, i know you know. but he didn't get to see the leaves this year. i don't want him to be disappointed.” roach headbuts him as if to say, you dumb witcher. geralt ignores this, but gives her some nice pats before retiring to his bedroll.

in the next town geralt buys a random book. he doesnt know what it is, he bought the cheapest one he could find. but he's not going to read it, he just needs something to keep jaskiers leaf in so it doesnt crumble to bits before the spring. he swears roach laughs at him for that.

throughout his trip up to kaer morhen, geralt finds himself progressively walking slower, taking time to admire the leaves as the bard had once done.

he picks up the second leaf a week later after a battle with some drowners. he’s heading back into the town, having come across his first contract in weeks, holding the head and covered in river muck and guts when he sees a perfectly yellow leaf on the ground in front of him. he picks it up gingerly, trying his very best not to get guts on it (and he nearly succeeds). if the alderman thinks its weird, a witcher coming back with a drowner head in one hand and a yellow maple leaf in the other, he doesnt say anything. roach does tho, whinnying the second she sees it in geralts hand. he ignores her, and presses the maple leaf into the book a few pages after the brilliant red one.

after that he adds to the collection more frequently. an reddish oak leaf he finds on the ground outside of a tavern, a brilliant orange leaf he finds at his campsite, a yellowish orange leaf the size of his face that he finds along the road and so on. roach makes fun of him every time he reaches for the book, but geralt ignores her. they're merely souvenirs for jaskier, nothing more.

collecting leaves slows him down considerably, but he cant bring himself to care. he's even disappointed when the last of the leaves disappear and the first snow sets in.

but that doesnt stop him from collecting things to add to his book. he gathers different small pine branches, holly leaves and other things that he knows jasper has never seen before because they grow too far north. he becomes so caught up in his hunt for interesting plants that the snow is already falling thickly by the time he reaches kaer morhe, despite him leaving for the keep so early. eskel and lambert chide him for being late, but he ignores them, happy that he managed to fill most of the book with leaves for jaskier.

that whole winter the book remains in the bottom of geralts pack, wrapped carefully in his spare shirt. he thinks about it often, but doesnt dare bring it out for fear that one of his brothers will catch him and make fun of him for being a sap. he's not a sap, he just found some leaves for his friend.

winter drags on far too long in geralts opinion and leaves as soon as the passes are clear, antsy to get back to his friend and give him the book. but on his way down he discovers yet another beautiful thing that jaskier would love: wildflowers. roach is slightly more appreciative of this because wildflowers are things that she is allowed to eat. geralt often feeds her them to see if she approves. if she spits it out or refuses to eat it, then it doesnt make it into the book.

in the space he has left in the book he fills it with wildflowers, sometimes going out of his way to collect them. there are buttercups, dandelions, little blue ones the color of jaskiers eyes, poppies, apple blossoms, daffodils, and even a few rose petals that he buys from a stall in a market. the book is brimming with nature now. he has to be careful not to lose any of his treasures.

finally, he arrives at his and jaskiers meeting spot. he stables roach who gives him a headbut of encouragement and he grabs the book carefully wrapped in his shirt before he makes his way to the tavern, suddenly very nervous.

jaskiers voice is already wafting out of the tavern as he draws closer, having beat geralt to the meeting spot for once, and geralt hesitantly steps inside, knowing jaskiers eyes will be on him the second he goes in. he’s overcome with thoughts, what if jaskier hates it? what if he thinks it's dumb? what if he laughs at him?

he enters anyway, because he's a witcher for fucks sake and he can handle his friends scrutiny. immediately he sees jaskier, sitting in the corner, working a crowd. as always, jaskiers eyes snap to him the second he steps foot in the tavern and he winks. geralt gives him the smallest nod and heads to his table in the corner after ordering an ale. he tucks the book out of sight on the bench next to him.

minutes later jaskier barrels over, eyes bright with the life of the crowd he had been entertaining.

“geralt!” he exclaims. “finally. i thought you stood me up, you big oaf. i never make it here before you do, i thought you may have been eaten! although im not sure by what exactly, i don't know what species has a taste for witches, dragons maybe? well never mind, youre here now and you better have a good excuse for being so late, even im starting to get bored of this town and you know how i love towns...”

geralt smiles into his ale, he missed this, but he'd never admit it. his eyes flick over to the book sitting on the seat beside him, unsure whether or not he should give it to him.

jaskier, being the observant fucker he is, notices. “geralt what do you have on the seat there? is it a monster head? you know what happened last time you tried to hide a monster head in a tavern, i thought the town would chase us out with pitchforks they were so angry! surely you wouldn't-”

“here.” geralt mutters, cutting him off, unwilling to listen to that horrible story.

jaskier stares at the lump of black fabric on the table. “geralt, why are you giving me your shirt? its not really my style, i’m not one for black really, makes my skin look too pale.”

“open it.” he says into his ale.

jaskier does, and stares at the book dumbfounded. “a history book? geralt you know that i am a master of the seven liberal arts, im a professor at oxenfurt! i have all these boring books in the library, i didn't need you to get me one, although it is very thoughtful of you to- oh”

geralt, tired of hearing jaskiers babbling, flips open the book, revealing the bits of nature he had spent their time apart collecting. jasper is silent, which geralt takes as a bad sign. maybe roach was right, maybe he didn't like it, maybe he'd wasted his time for nothing.

“cause you....you didn't get to see...the leaves this year,” he mutters, looking into the tavern, unable to see the inevitable disappointment on jaskiers face.

“oh, geralt,” jaskier whispers. “you collected all of these for me?”

geralt doesnt say anything, but his silence is enough.

“this is why you were late. you were collecting these, for me.”

“its okay if you don't..like them” geralt bites out.

“oh no no no no, geralt, they're wonderful.”

geralt looks at jaskier and sees him touching the pine branch he took form the trees outside kaer morhen, tears brimming in his eyes. “you don't hate it?”

“no, love.” jaskier smiles softly. “i adore it. and i adore you. and id love it if you tell me about all of them, please.”

for the first time in years geralt feels something like a smile tugging at his lips and he picks up the pine branch from jaskiers hand, telling him how it came from the tree outside his window, the one that he looked at everyday as a kid growing up. the same tree that lambert once dared him to climb and he nearly did before being spotted by vesemir and scolded at. jasper laughs and sniffs the pine carefully before placing the branch back in the book.

they pour over the book for hours at their table in the tavern. geralt cant remember the last time he's talked this much, much less about himself of all things, but jaskier is more than happy to listen.

if you want to be tagged in future works of mine shoot me an ask !!

#witcher #julian alfred pankratz #jaskier #geralt of rivia #geralt #geraskier #greaskier fic #witcher fic #idk where this cam from but i vibe #if anyone wants to be tagged in my future rambings #please let me know #i hope you enjoyed this hc fic type thing #geralt is a huge softie and i love him #saph scribbles

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airplanned · 3 years

Text

Zelda Trill AU part 3!

It’s absolutely shocking that I’ve never written anything involving Star Trek. SHOCKING.

So this was really fun and useless. Enjoy!

***

Part 1

After his unpleasant time in Hylia's presence and his turning down an away mission and his mild sinus infection, Link was very much looking forward to spending some time with people who liked him and appreciated him and weren't about to spread rumors that he was untrustworthy or...or...

She wouldn't say anything about the actual mistakes he'd made. She couldn't with implicating herself too. If she took him down, he'd take her down with him. But it was the things that he hadn't done that concerned him. She was not above lying.

And he couldn't stop thinking abut her. Not just Zelda, with her flashing hair and flashing eyes. But hauntings of Tetra. Of Sheik.

He'd made the mistake of reconnecting with her once. He wasn't going to make that same mistake again. He'd seen how it turns out, how inevitably after too long, people turn on each other.

He needed to spend some time with his short-term friends. Friends who knew only Link and could pull him out of his own history.

He wasn't the last to arrive at Ruto's quarters for her weekly card game. Most of his friends were endearingly bad at cards. He half suspected that they enjoyed losing. Otherwise they'd find something else to do together.

"Liiiink!" Ruto called. "You made it! I was worried, because heard you weren't feeling well."

He flopped into a chair between Yunobo and Russel. "I've had the worst day. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Ruto preened. Yunobo gave him a concerned look. "We're all having...what's this again?"

"Andorian barley ale," Groose said, holding up his mug. In addition to trying out card games every week, the group tried out "drinks from around the galaxy."

"Yeah, that," Yunobo said. "But we can get you some tea if you want."

Link grinned. See? Best friends.

The door chimed and Ruto straightened. "Oh! Since Malon couldn't come, I invited the new girl. Come in!"

Link's blood froze.

And there she was. All the memories hitting him again like a hammer.

So maybe they weren't the best friends after all.

"Zelda! You made it! This is Groose, Yunobo, Link, and Russel. Everyone, this is Zelda."

There was a chorus of "Hey, Zelda," and she flashed a brilliant smile at them all. Her eyes met Link's briefly, then swept away without even the slightest hint of reaction. Groose popped out of his seat to pull out her chair for her, like a smitten gentleman, and Link thought he might throw up at the lovestruck look on his friend's face. "Thank you all so much for inviting me." She beamed up at Groose, and the guy's ears turned red with pleasure. When he took his seat, he scooted it closer to hers.

Link would have to pull him aside later and make up something horrendous about hooking up with Trills. Would Groose believe they had spikes?

"I'm actually feeling pretty bad," Link said, half way out of his chair. "I think I should--"

"You do not feel bad. You're just shy," Ruto said. "This is why I didn't tell you a new person was coming."

Rude.

"Anyway, we're playing a game called Ben'tick and we need six people."

Ben'tick. Of course.

Yunobo slipped a mug of tea in front of him and Russel grabbed his shoulder, pressing him back into his seat.

Zelda sat directly across from him. Which meant they were going to be partners.

"Excuse Link. He's shy."

"You're both Trill," Groose said. "Do you know each other?"

"There actually is a whole planet full of us," she teased. Her half smile made his heart hurt. "We don't all know each other."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

That lie wasn't going to last, especially after their scene in the commander's office. But he did appreciate it for the moment. They could pretend they didn't know each other. He could do that.

Goorse asked, "Have you played before?"

"No. You'll have to teach me."

Link was ignoring her, so he didn't roll his eyes. Tetra Hylia was a fiend at Ben'tick. She'd taught him. Her eyes caught his again, and her fingernail tapped twice against the table. Shut up.

"Of course we'll teach you!" Groose said. He stretched an arm over her chair to lean in and run through the rules. Her eyebrows puckered in confusion, and she asked a series of simplistic questions.

Tetra would roll into a bar on the outskirts, and flop down into a seat at the highest rolling table, announcing that she was the best player in the quadrant, and proceed to take everyone's currency without a shred of guilt. Zelda, it seemed, was ready to con everyone. Not surprising considering Hylia was a champion liar. Not surprising considering Zelda had a level of innocent cuteness that Tetra couldn't have pulled off. She held up her hand of cards to show Groose and bated her eyes with her lips slightly parted.

"She'll figure it out as we go," Link said.

"Link's going to be your partner," Ruto explained, gathering up the card to shuffle them. "Don't worry. You're in good hands."

"It is good to have a partner you can rely on," she said. Only Link picked up on the edge in her voice.

"He's good at this game." Ruto grinned at him. "If you need it, he'll carry you through. And he'll kick you if you make a mistake."

That was a good idea. He aimed a swift kick at her shin.

And missed. "Ow!" Groose barked. He glared at Link and retreated to his own seat, pretending that he was pulling in his arms to collect his hand of cards.

Zelda lifted her eyes over her fanned hand and smirked. He was not going to survive the night.

She folded up her cards and tapped them twice against the table as if neatening them--A signal from a hundred years ago that she had four face cards.

Link sighed. There was nothing for it. He found a low number to throw out, letting her take the first hand.

Ruto threw down her hand. "Okay, we have to have a rule where the Trills aren't on a team."

Yunobo said, "Don't the symbionts communicate with an electromagnetic disturbance? I think they're talking to each other."

"No, it's the tapping," said Russel. "We always thought the way Link tapped his cards was a tick. But she does it too. They're signalling each other."

"No way!" Groose said. "Zelda would have to have played this before to know any signals."

Everyone groaned. Ruto rubbed her temple. "She has played this before. She's hustling you!"

Groose snapped around to give her a betrayed look.

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Link was carrying me most of the time." Then she gathered all the chips in the pot and pulled them towards her.

"I'm on shift at 0700 tomorrow," Russel said. "I should get going."

That effectively ended the night, and as much as Link tried to delay leaving so her wouldn't have to walk with her, Groose unfortunately noticed and shouted after him, "Hey, Fi, you making a move on Ruto?"

The dangers of Ruto thinking that was true outweighed a brief walk in the hallway, so off he went, following awkwardly behind Groose and Zelda as they discussed his recent shore leave. He went mountain climbing. Link knew he fell, but Groose made no mention of that.

"I'm down that way," Groose said, pointing down a corridor away from the turbo lift. "If you wanna..."

Link would have been better off if he'd left Ruto's claiming he'd needed to be somewhere else, headed to the opposite end of the ship.

Zelda laughed. "No thank you, but that was a good try."

Groose beamed and gave her a thumbs up.

Link didn't have much choice but to fall into step beside her to the turbolift.

"You don't talk a lot, do you?" she said. The edge in her voice was back, but not nearly as sharp.

"Leave Groose alone," he said.

"Why? Are you jealous?" The turbolift arrived and they both stepped aboard. "Deck 7."

"Deck 5. He'd not the brightest, but hes my friend, and I don't want him to get hurt."

"Because I'll murder him? That's really the story you're sticking with?"

Link clenched his teeth.

"Look," she said. "I didn't pick this assignment. If I had a choice, I'd stay as far away from you as possible. But I don't have a choice, and neither do you. So are we going to make this work and ignore each other like professionals, or are you going to be broody and impossible forever?"

He turned on her. "This ship is my home. If you put a toe out of line, if you put anyone here in danger, if you do anything suspicious at all--"

"As if you wouldn't put this ship with everyone you claim to love onboard on course to fly straight into a star while you escape in a shuttle craft like the coward you are--"

The turbolift jerked and shuddered. The lights flickered, and suddenly they were falling two floors, three. They grabbed for each other's elbows as the emergency locks activated, hauling them to a stop with a sickening lurch. For a moment the lights were off, the hum of the ship silent around them, and there was only the harsh sound of her breath and the fierce grip of her fingers on his arms. The emergency lights came on, low and red, and they straightened away from each other, instantly on alert.

"We've fallen out of warp," she said.

"Fi to ops...Revali come in."

"Hylia to engineering."

"Fi to the bridge...Emergency override: doors open."

The doors did not open. Zelda tapped at the dark console, before shaking her head and popping it open, immediately pushing her hands into the wires. "Power's out. Let me release the door locks."

There was a hiss, and Link crammed his fingertips into the slit between the doors, gritting his teeth and prying them apart. The floor of Deck 8 was visible about a meter above the floor of the turbo lift. The hallway was lit with emergency lighting as well. Link shook out his hands and then cupped them, offering her a foothold and then hefting her up and out. He hauled himself up after her and went straight to the console on the wall.

"Main power is down. Some sort of energy spike." He tapped away as she eased closer to watch over his shoulder. She was so close that it pricked his neck. "Propulsion is down. Engines are running on auxiliary power. Life support is functioning off the backup systems. And I can't reach anyone."

"What about comms?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. They're running on auxiliary power, so they should be functioning. This is Lt. Fi to all hands." They both stared vaguely at the floor, waiting for a response. Link shook his head, "Why can't we reach anyone?"

"A localized dampening field?"

"Maybe. I need to get to the bridge."

"Preferably quickly."

"Yeah." He nodded. "Let's go."

Part 4

#Zelda #Trill AU #my fic

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illneverrecover · 4 years

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the sweetest thing (M) | myg

➛pairing: Min Yoongi x reader ➛genre: florist!Yoongi, baker!Reader, florist AU, baker AU, enemies to lovers, humor, smut. ➛word count: 4799 ➛rating: M ➛warnings: not too many, this is pretty sweet & soft. Heavy petting, cursing, making out, neck kissing, biting/marking, icing used in a dirty manner, implied sex, mild dirty talk, bad puns, witty banter. ➛summary: Min Yoongi was sure you moved in next door to his floral shop just to ruin him and his business. But when he needs your help, he realizes that it’s much sweeter working together then apart. ➛notes: Hehehe. My sweet little angel bb Paril requested some florist shop Yoongi E2L with baker reader, and I just had to oblige. I love writing Yoongi, he truly just is perfect for me to channel sass and sarcasm and a bit of sweetness. Thank you for commissioning me @serensama (and the kind bank of @quinnkook), I hope you enjoy this and that it’s what you were looking for! I love you tons and I’m proud to be your soulmate. 🖤 ➛song: People - AGUST D for the sweet fluff & Poison - GOT7 for the dirty dirty.

“She’s doing this on purpose.”

“No she isn’t, hyung. That doesn’t make sense.” Namjoon picks up a rose, twirling it in inspection. “Does she even know you exist?”

Yoongi scoffs then, eyes darting from the arrangement in front of him to glare at Namjoon. “Of course she knows I exist. Our shops share a wall.”

Instead of replying, Namjoon rolls his eyes before refocusing, carefully watching the stem as his hand slides the knife down it to remove any thorns. Yoongi accepts his silence as defeat, puffing his chest. “So, like I was saying - she’s doing this on purpose, and she’s going to bleed me dry.”

The door swings open then, Hoseok and Jungkook both moving to the workstations with arms full of supplies, the latter’s eyes wide as he picks up on the conversation.

“Wait! Are you talking about Y/N noona?”

“Yes, and how she’s killing business-”

“Isn’t she just the coolest?!” Jungkook interrupts, beaming over at Yoongi. “Have you seen the designs for her flower cookies? And how she’s selling twelve of them in a pack and calling them ‘coo-quets’? Get it? Like instead of-”

“Bouquets, yes Jungkook, I get the pun.” Yoongi mutters dryly, setting the finished arrangement in it’s vase and sliding it to the side. Hoseok is laughing, so hard in fact that he misses Yoongi picking up a roll of tape until it beams him in the head.

“Hey! What was that for!” rubbing his crown, he glares at the florist before reluctantly picking up the tape, fixing the customer label to the side of the vase before moving it over to the fridge. “Don’t be violent with me just because you have the hots for the pretty baker next door.”

Yoongi sputters, hand slapping the top of the table. “I do not have the hots for-”

“Yeah yeah, we know, you definitely aren’t into Y/N, at all,” Namjoon deadpans, reaching into the box for his next rose to dethorn. “You don’t find her attractive, you didn’t stalk her and pretend to be a customer just so you could see inside her business, absolutely nothing to see here.”

“Your sarcasm is noted and also not appreciated,” Yoongi sniffs, before turning away from the taller man all together. “All I’m saying is, ever since she moved into that building, she’s caused issues. And now this is how she decides to promote for the Spring Blossom festival? It feels like an attack.”

“But hyung, it’s called the ‘Spring Blossom Festival’, I think leaning towards flowers would be kind of an obvious choice, right?” Jungkook prompts, head tilting in naive innocence.

Yoongi sighs heavily, head dropping to his chest, and wonders not for the first time why he thought hiring his friends to work with him was a good idea.

Maybe Jungkook had a point; maybe they all did. But that wasn’t enough to convince Yoongi that your motives were all sincere in nature. He was telling the truth when he said that ever since you had moved in next door, things had gone haywire for his small, locally loved floral shop.

He had only been in the space for about a year, but the street it was on had picked up in popularity with a new pub and restaurant concept on the corner, and a local farmers market moving in on the weekends. Quickly, his little business grew, people coming to him when seeking unique arrangements that were both beautiful and affordable. As demand increased, so did the need to hire more hands, and his friends had been enthusiastic to join his payroll.

For the most part, things had been smooth sailing.Training the others had been relatively easy, and what shortcomings they had, he was able to find a new strength they each brought to the business. He was comfortable, thriving, going to bed with a full belly and fat wallet, and it’s all he could ask for.

Until you.

Yoongi didn’t even see you until after you had already bought and renovated the building next door, the sign for your bakery going up and accenting the coral pink of the painted brick perfectly. He had thought it was cute; how bright and cheery your shop looked, how you were always dressed in flattering sundresses and heels, despite spending your days in a kitchen baking. He walked past your place daily to get to his own, and had found himself curious about what you were like, how good your food was, how successful you’d be.

He figured the aesthetic alone would bring in some customers, if not the increased foot traffic the farmers market brought in, and he wasn’t wrong. Your soft opening had gone well, a small line forming outside the building to Yoongi’s amusement. Word of mouth worked like a charm in your neighborhood, and a steady flow of regulars would greet him on his trek into work each morning at sunrise as they awaited their breakfast pastry and hot cup of coffee.

While this was great for you, it wasn’t so good for him. Your customers would always line up in the direction where they would block his window, meaning people walking by couldn’t get a glimpse at the creations he had displayed in the windows. Not to mention the littering - flurries of light brown napkins with your logo stamped in the middle usually lining the street in front of the shops, seemingly taunting him.

And then, the festival came. The Spring Blossom Festival, to be exact.

It was clever, he’d admit that much. The word play of ‘cookie’ and ‘bouquet’, the different color options of the edible flowers painstakingly drawn onto perfectly baked sugar cookies. You had really put thought and effort into the design, and he wasn’t surprised that it seemed to be a hit, dominating the first several days of the festival.

But that didn’t mean he liked it.

He watched helplessly as his sales dipped, as customers that would’ve wanted the real thing instead switched it up for prettily decorated consumable flowers, all cooing and preening over the treats in their matching boxes.

Yoongi had to retaliate. What else was there for him to do?

After watching you hang neon pink flyers up around the street, he had made some as well, deciding he’d place them conveniently directly over your own. Matching the paper to yours had been Namjoon's suggestion, and Yoongi had thought it was genius. That seemed to bring in a few more customers, but the lull still remained, his till and bank account making it painfully apparent.

It had been Jungkook's idea to photo bomb some of your promotional pictures when he spotted you posing in front of the shop, pristine desserts in hand and a floral dress on to match. Yoongi had shook his head but ultimately agreed, handing him one of his best designed bouquets and nudging him towards your bakery. Trying to make it look natural, he strolled back and forth in the background, making sure the flowers in his hand were always towards the camera, that he looked as if he was enjoying the festival as a patron. After about the fifth pass through, the boxy lipped young man taking your pictures had scowled, shouting after him to get out of the way. You had laughed, invited Jungkook to talk with you, even posted one of the pictures with him in it on your Instagram like it hadn’t phased you at all.

Now, here he was with only two more days left of the festival - a time that he should be making double - and with nothing more to show for it. Pre-made and custom bouquets lined the shop windows, hoping to entice anyone passing by, but most remained untouched and without a home to go to.

He was desperate.

"Why don't you just go talk to her?" Hoseok interjects, an eyebrow raised. "Maybe you can explain what's happening, see if she'd be willing to help out or team up or something."

Scoffing loudly, Yoongi kicks at the ground. "Team up? You think I want to team up with her? This is a serious business I run here, you know."

Hoseok gives Namjoon a passing glance over the blonde's head, not that he notices, too stuck inside his thoughts. It's Jungkook's loud voice that breaks the silence once more.

"Y/N noona is really nice, you know. And her cookies are so yummy, I bet she would love to help us!"

"You've tried her cookies, Jungkook?!" Yoongi’s voice raises, incredulous. "This is a sudden yet inevitable betrayal, you know. It really be your own friends."

"Seriously, Yoongi. You think she's cute anyway. Might as well go over under the pretense of business and at least see if you can score her number." Namjoon deadpanned, dropping his knife and making sure to show him every ounce of pleading desperation on his face.

Yoongi ponders for a beat or two, pretending to mull it over all the while recognizing that it couldn't hurt anything to go chat with his new neighbor, introduce himself. Who knows, maybe there was a deal to be made?

You thought he was so cute, the grumpy little florist next door.

His mouth was perpetually in a pout, bottom lip upturned enough that it made him look like he was always inspecting, always exasperated. His eyes were sharp, but not in a judgmental way - more like in the way where you knew nothing went past his scrutinizing gaze, and they were offset by the soft white blonde of his hair, in the refined silver hoops that lined his ears.

Your neighbor Yoongi was a walking contradiction, and you couldn’t help but to be charmed by him.

You had heard rumors about him, heard people's worries of you moving into the building next to his very popular floral shop, but you didn't pay them any mind. You had yet to meet someone that you couldn't make a friend, and if he was impervious to your charms, he definitely wouldn't be able to deny your best coworker, Taehyung, and his infectious personality.

But despite your attempts, you always seemed to miss him, unable to properly introduce yourself when he bustled by during the morning rush, or when you were cleaning up shop. It didn't stop you from observing, from watching the way he eyed your building, the way he'd upturn his lip at the line forming outside the door at daybreak.

He seemed so easily ruffled, so annoyed but in this endearing way, and you couldn't help but want to get to know him, to see if you could get him to open up.

Especially once he started his attempts at sabotage.

They had been subtle at first - the flyer trick something you wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for Jin, who made sure to check and replace any torn advertisements at the end of each day. The designs had looked so similar that you didn't even double take until the elder had pointed out the word change, how the name of Yoongi's business adorned the top of the page. Jin's eyes were ablaze, but you had just laughed, instructing him to leave the ones he found alone.

But it made you more curious, further intrigued by your flower selling neighbor who took such lengths to garner business, and you couldn't help but want to see what he did next.

It had been Taehyung that grumbled about some tall dark haired boy ruining all your promotional shots, though he had smirked the whole time he showed you the images you ended up with. You recognized that he was a worker at the florist next door almost immediately, the immaculate arrangement he carried carefully in his hands striking your intuition further.

Finally, Taehyung had shouted at him, and you called the boy over to introduce himself despite his red cheeks and ducking gaze. You learned his name was Jungkook and that he was indeed a coworker and friend of Yoongi’s, and that he was just trying to help, though he wouldn't go into much more detail after that. You had chatted with him briefly, offering him a cookie for his troubles, and promised him that you weren’t mad about his attempts at photobombing.

And you were telling the truth - you really couldn't be annoyed at these attempts to thwart your advertising, instead laughing at each new picture, making sure you picked one where the bouquet was clearly visible behind you as you held an open box of 'coo-quets'.

It isn't hatred, you don't think, that drives your neighbor to do this, but you aren't quite sure where to go from here. He still hadn't introduced himself, and with how busy things were during the festival, you hadn't found the time to do the same either, working long hours to keep afloat with your orders and walk-ins. You wanted to ask him why he was so annoyed with you, what he had against your little bakery, but you told yourself there would be time for that later when the heat died down.

Not to mention, Taehyung had been chomping at the bit for an excuse to go introduce himself.

"Y/N," he whined, dragging the last syllable of your name out into an obnoxious tune. "I just want to go make friends! Why won't you let me?"

"Because someone needs to run the register for these customers, Tae. Jin and I are elbow deep in cookie dough, and Jimin can't run both sides of the counter himself."

The tall man sulks, bottom lip jutting out as his caramel hair flops into his face. "You have a point, I guess. But once the festival is done, I'm going to go introduce myself and invite them over for coffee."

You smile at him then, eyeing him from the corner of your vision as your hands continue to delicately trace colored icing on the cookies in front of you. "That sounds like a deal, Tae."

"Oh! Me too though!" Jimin shouts, turning from the counter to glance into the kitchen of your shop. Normally you'd have the doors to the kitchen closed, but with the day about to start, it made it easier to prop them open while you ran back and forth between the two stations. "I want to go say hi too. They look like really cool guys!"

I'd have to agree, you thought to yourself, picturing the sharp eyed man in your mind, but you stay silent.

To say you were startled when you heard a knock at the back door would be an understatement, even more so when you saw who it was - Yoongi, the pouting florist, blonde hair flopped into his face. He was wearing a fluffy white sweater, a dark green apron tied around his neck and waist, and his sleeves pushed up to his elbows, like he had been prepping for hours - much like you.

With a single look, you shooed the other men out of the kitchen to the front, opening the door to your guest.

"Well hey! You must be Yoongi, I'm-"

"Y/N."

"Oh, I didn't know you knew who I was!" you smile warmly, gesturing for him to step into the kitchen.

"Well, I had seen you move in, of course. Plus, Jungkook hasn't shut up since he met you," he mutters, shaking his hair out of his face as he took several steps inside. "He's like a stray cat, you know. Once you feed him, he's your friend for life."

That made you laugh, a hand rising to cover your mouth, and you couldn’t help the smirk that follows. "Well, he was too cute not to feed. Is that why you're here? Are you another stray who would like to be fed?"

Yoongi’s cheeks flush then, a dusty red that you think would look perfect in the petals of a rose, and you promise yourself to try to recreate it in frosting later.

“Ha, that’s funny,” he clears his throat, hand coming to rub at the back of his neck. “Actually, I was coming to talk to you to see if we could make an arrangement, you know - as one business owner to another.”

“Is that so?” you raise a brow, hands resting at your hips. “And what kind of deal would that be?”

You're surprised at how honest Yoongi is when he explains his situation, lays his hardships bare before you right there in the stuffy heat of your kitchen. He does manage to at least look a little embarrassed when he admits what he did in order to ramp up business, and you can’t stop your heart from softening as he finishes his request, wringing his hands as he looks at you expectantly.

“So, what you’re saying is - you want to work together, make something that the festival goers will love but will help both of our shops - is that right?”

He stands tall then, shoulders rolling back as his gaze pierces through your own. “That’s right. Think of it as a ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ type of deal.”

“Is this another cat analogy?”

Yoongi groans, and you giggle at the roll of his eyes.

“I already regret this.”

Stepping closer, you peer up at the florist, watching the way his eyes widen at your proximity. “No, you don’t. And technically I think I’m doing all the scratching here, but that’s okay. I think we could make a good team, Min Yoongi.”

The event is crowded, more so than Yoongi could have ever imagined.

The tables he and you had placed in front of both buildings were stuffed with goods, the heads of your coworkers ducking back inside each entrance to refill them when they got low. Customers were milling about; some taking in the offerings, others lining up in wait to purchase, and the sheer number of people had Yoongi grinning widely.

It was your idea, of course - to offer up a half dozen flowers with a half dozen of cookies, the perfect set. That isn’t to say Yoongi didn’t help; the concept of decorating the tables and dressing formally to stand out being his own, as well as offering to match the flowers and cookies to each other. The red roses and pair set cookies were flying off the shelves fast, but so were the purple calla lilies and pink tulips, which made him smile.

You had been more enthusiastic with the plan, gladly altering the designs of your ‘coo-quets’ to match, and it was clearly a smash hit. Yoongi thought back to how easily it had been to talk to you, to be honest, to spill his guts - how quickly you were willing to help, how natural it had been to form a plan, to laugh with you, and he felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest.

Yoongi was thrilled with the sales and popularity, of course, but found himself distracted despite the success. He was happy to see his employees grinning and getting along with your own, glad to see the till fill knowing that he’d be able to pay everyone on time, but more than anything, he was ecstatic to see you smile, to see you shine in the sunset pink summer dress that was brushing the tops of your knees.

He himself had donned some light grey dress pants with a white button down, the sleeves carefully rolled to expose his forearms, jacket long forgotten in the heat of the outdoors. You had beamed at him when he first arrived, nodding approvingly at his attire, and he couldn’t help the pride that swelled in his heart at your approval.

And now as the day wore on, every time his elbow knocked into yours, your bodies stepping and swaying as you worked, Yoongi felt a heat build; a sizzling lick of electricity that was sparking between the two of you that he couldn’t ignore.

“You know,” he leans in, mouth inches from your ear as you grin widely at a customer. “I think we do make a pretty good team, Y/N.”

He relishes in the way your skin warms, in the way he watches your cheeks blush so prettily at his words, and feels hopefulness tighten his chest.

“We do, Min Yoongi, especially now that you aren’t actively trying to ruin me.” You grit between frozen teeth, your smile unwavering until the patron is out of hearing range.

“Hey, I didn’t try to ruin anything-”

“Okay, how about ‘mildly inconvenience’ then?”

Chuckling, he raises an arm to rub at the back of his neck, and you follow the lines in his arm as he does so, watching the rippling of muscles beneath the cuff of his rolled up sleeve with interest.

“I guess that’s fair.”

It was amazing how well things turned out, how fast the day had blown by. Jin had slaved away in the kitchen making sure that there were enough baked goods for everyone, Jimin and Taehyung teaming up with Jungkook and Hoseok from the florist shop to run items back and forth and greet customers.

But it was Yoongi who had stolen the air from your lungs and any sense you had left rattling in your head.

You could see now why his business had flourished before you arrived, why the customers continued to return to him when they needed their next arrangement. He was such a good and intent listener, his eyes sharp and focused on whomever was speaking to him. Even in the case of the event, where the flowers were pre-arranged, he still listened, shook and held the hand of each buyer as they spoke, fawning over his flowers.

It was evident he was passionate about his business, which made the fact that he had been willing to do whatever it took - including partnering up with you - even more admirable.

The sun was going down by the time things seemed to slow, your hands aching from the intricate icing work and feet throbbing from running around in heels. It seemed that everyone had satisfied smiles of hard work etched on their faces, and pleasant adoration inflated your gut at the sight, especially when you landed on Yoongi.

The edges of his mouth had finally relaxed, his eyes creasing into half moons more and more as he laughed, stress leaving his body. It was a beautiful sight, if you could admit such a thing.

When the final customer waved goodbye, heading down to the main street for the firework finale of the festival, you left the giddy boys out front to begin cleaning, bones aching at the prospect of all the dishes that needed to be done, but not wanting to drag out the pain any longer than necessary.

“Need some help?” Yoongi was posed in the doorway, arm pressing against the jam, one leg crossed over the other, as if it was normal for him to be effortlessly handsome in sweaty bakery kitchens.

“That would be great,” you smirk, tilting your head. “I wash, you dry?”

And so that’s how you find yourself alone with Yoongi, sweat dotting his hairline as he gives you side glances and small talk over drying mixing bowls. You talk about everything and nothing, conversation flowing freely, and you feel drunk on his proximity, on the way he talks with his hands, the way his voice pitches when he laughs. His white button down is transparent in the spots where water had hit, and even the hint of a peak of his skin made you feel a bit dizzy.

“Thank you for helping me with all of this, by the way. It would have taken hours to do by myself.”

“It’s no big deal. Plus, I’m sure one of those guys out there would’ve came back if you batted your lashes,” he leers, nodding to indicate the young men of both businesses that were currently playing around out front. “Especially Jungkook. He’s been all ‘Y/N noona this, Y/N noona that’ ever since he met you.”

Handing him a dish, you look up at him through your lashes, blinking coquettishly. “Well, can you blame him? I mean, just look at me. All this and I can cook? I’m the full package.”

You were joking; a teasing lilt to your voice as you refocused on the task at hand, but you could feel the intensity of his stare heating you thoroughly, forcing you to meet his eyes once more.

“You really are,” he murmurs, voice low but clear, tongue darting out to wet his lips. “You’re funny and talented and so smart that it’s kind of intimidating,” he looks back at the pot in his hand, drying it thoroughly before setting it aside. “But you’re also kind hearted, and willing to listen and help those in need, even when you barely know them.”

He turns then, stepping closer until his breath is fanning across your cheek, his arms caging you to the sink as you turn to face him fully.

“Not to mention, you’re more beautiful than any flower I’ve ever seen.”

Dropping your head to stifle the giggles, you hear him wince loudly.

“That was pretty cheesy, huh?”

Nodding, you meet his eyes once more. “It was, but I have a few baking puns that will make you cringe.”

“Hit me with one.”

Raising on your toes, you lean into him, tentatively placing a palm on his chest. “Is that a baguette in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”

His shoulders start shaking before he lets out a loud laugh, smile widening to show his teeth in a way that made your heart flip. Catching his breath, he sighs, leaning to rest his forehead against yours.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Wanna find out?”

Kissing Min Yoongi was a whirlwind, a focused intensity pressed in a powerful dance of his mouth on yours. Your lips answered in kind effortlessly, needing no prompting to follow his lead, to pull his bottom lip between your teeth. Electricity sparks at the base of your skull with each touch of his pout, each lick of his tongue into your mouth, and you feel your knees threaten to give out as he cradles your jaw in his hand, holding you in place.

You aren’t sure when your hands had tangled in his hair, or when he had lifted you to straddle his waist, but you found yourself moving, his body twisting to place you on the cool metal surface of your work space. Hissing as the chill bit into your bare legs, you seek the warmth of his mouth harder, legs wrapping around his form to tug him closer to you, to grind your center against him.

He’s hard, impossibly hard, and he’s whispering all the things he wants to do to you in the shell of your ear, promising all the things he’ll make you feel with his tongue, his cock. You pull him back to your mouth, kissing him deeper, gasping when he dips his finger in the open icing container on the table, dragging it from the edge of your lips down to your chest.

He trails down your throat, sucking and nipping a marked path to your collarbone, licking the frosting off as he goes - as if it was the sweetest thing - until he reaches your breasts, cupping them. As you pant out groans of his name, you can’t help but think you’re glad that it’s Yoongi who’s hiking your dress up around your waist, that he is the first man to help you defile your quaint bakery’s kitchen, filling it with moans.

It isn’t until you stumble out just shy of an hour later hand in hand with Yoongi, smelling of sex with mussed hair and lips swollen, that you remember your coworkers - and that little window that shows the spacious floor plan of said kitchen.

Taehyung is shaking his head, tsking quietly with his arm draped around Jungkook. “Shame on you, Y/N. Poor Kookie here was just trying to bring the tables inside to be helpful, and instead he got traumatized.”

Namjoon scoffs then, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t realize ‘getting a boner’ was now considered trauma.”

“Hey!” Jungkook yells, eyes darting between you and Yoongi. “You said you wouldn’t tell!”

Cheeks flushing, you stifle a giggle once more, looking over to the blonde man whose fingers were still intertwined tightly with your own. Instead of embarrassment, or concern, you just feel a giddy flush of joy as you lean into him.

Yoongi sighs, exasperated, free palm rising to rub at the back of his neck. “Remind me again why I don’t fire them?”

“Because you love them. And, they work for cheap.”

Chuckling, he turns towards you, leaning in to press his forehead against yours. “I always knew I liked you.”

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nationalharryleague · 4 years

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Portfolio

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Genre: AU, Angst, Boss!Harry

Word count: 3.5k!

Warnings: Domestic violence mention, boss/employee dynamic

A/N: Hi! I decided to write another fic after Overnight was received so well! Again, thank you to anyone who read and enjoyed it! I’m not sure how I feel about this one lol but I think it’s good enough to post. Please let me know if you enjoyed it and send feedback! Thank you for reading!!! More of my writing can be found in my masterlist!

Part 2

You had always been a teacher’s pet. Growing up, you were the kid who worked hard to get a 4.0 GPA just for the rush of getting a compliment on your intelligence from your teacher. You craved that validation for all the hard work you put in and you just wanted people you admired to like you. And not for nothing, you deserved the compliments. At work, you were the first one there and the last one to leave. You loved your job and it showed.

You were currently working your first job with any real power at an up and coming public relations firm, Styles Public Relations. SPR was quickly growing in size and recognition and being brought onto the team was a dream come true. You loved everything about working there. The offices were beautiful, it paid well, and your ideas and proposals were finally being heard and brought to the public. Well, you loved everything except one glaring, irritating, and gorgeous problem: your boss.

Harry Styles was a striking man. He was tall, impeccably dressed, and obscenely attractive. His skin was perfectly tan and when it got warm in the office you could see beautiful tattoos revealed by his rolled up sleeves. Those sleeves were worth more than your life and his head-to-toe Gucci ensembles usually showed his wealth off well. He looked like he should be on the front of a magazine, not behind a desk. Well, he was on the cover of Forbes that one time. While he was so nice to look at, the man was anything but nice. He had an abrasive attitude and not much care for pleasantries or mincing words.

Today, you found yourself on the opposite end of his brutal disposition. You had brought a campaign proposal to him for a newly acquired client and he began to rip it to shreds.

“I don’t know why you thought this campaign was a good idea, Y/N,” he told you sternly. “It’s childish, silly, and unprofessional.” Every word he said dug into you. You tried to attribute his harshness to it being Monday, but you knew he would say this to you any day of the week.

“The client said they wanted something more playful to soften their image,” you defended yourself. “I was doing what they asked for.”

“Well, you did a terrible job at it.”

That stung. You had dedicated your life for weeks to this proposal and had expected him to love it. You hoped this was finally the proposal that would secure your position in his good graces. Apparently, not.

“Okay. I’ll restart the project with a different angle.” You moved forward to grab the binder off the conference room table and flee the room back to the safety of your office. You were shocked when he put his own hands on the binder and slid it away from you.

“You’re off the account. I’ll have someone else do a better job,” he spat. Now, that really hurt. Your ego was closely related to your career and you knew you deserved better than this. You did everything you could to hold back your tears, but one betrayed you and fell down your cheek. You believed you saw his hard exterior soften for a split second before his ruthless demeanor returned.

“Fine,” you breathed, never breaking eye contact with the cruel man. “I’ll leave you now, your highness.” The words left your lips before you could fully register them in your own head. You turned on your heel and rushed back to your office, thinking about the insubordination complaint coming your way.

“Did I just get myself fired?” you asked yourself softly when you were finally in the safety of your own office.

The rest of your week passed in a blur. By Friday, you had accepted your fate and decided to get every passive aggressive dig at your boss you could before you carried your things out in a cardboard box. When you saw him around the office, you made sure to make direct eye contact and shoot daggers his way and you responded to his emails with one word answers. You were also producing the best work you had in years. Turns out, spite was a fantastic motivator for you. If he was going to fire you, he would feel bad about it.

As usual, you spent your Friday night typing away in your office. You were a workaholic and had no problem with staying at work late. Unfortunately, so was your new nemesis.

You caught your first glimpse of him after-hours on a trip to the copier. Your next was on your trek to the coffee pot. Later, on a walk around the office to stretch your legs. Each time you saw him, he was in the same spot. He sat at the conference table surrounded by spreadsheets and graphics and stared perplexed at the piles of paper encompassing him. You knew you could go in and ask him if he needed help, but you wanted to watch him suffer. According to him, you would just do a terrible job anyway.

It was about 7 o’clock when you heard a firm knock on your office door. You expected it to be the cleaning crew asking to vacuum your office. With a ‘come in’ your door opened and your boss’ large body leaned up against the door frame, careful not to enter the office he knew he wasn’t welcome in. While you were shocked he was coming to talk to you, you stayed quiet. If he wanted to talk to you, he would have to break the silence. After a few awkward moments, he did.

“Um, I was thinking about ordering dinner if you wanted to join me.” This was by far the nicest thing he had ever said to you other than ‘you’re hired.’

“Well, what are you getting?”

“I’ll buy you whatever you want for dinner if you take a look at the investor relations portfolio I’m working on.” You were taken aback. He was asking for your help. He needs me, you thought as you smirked to yourself.

“Make it the Italian place down the street and we have a deal,” you countered. You didn’t want to spend anytime with him at all but you were taking this as a sign that 1) he wasn’t firing you, and 2) he thought you did good work. Also, their spaghetti bolognese was calling your name.

Soon you were both knee deep in documents and investor information packets. You absolutely could not believe it but the two of you were collaborating well and making real progress on the portfolio. This was the working relationship you always wanted to have with your big shot boss; the opposite of his constant criticism and belittling of your work.

When the food arrived, you both decided to take a break and eat like an entire company’s stock shares weren’t resting on your shoulders. While your conversation stayed surrounding work, it inevitably steered towards the account he had taken away from you.

“So, how’s my campaign doing?” you asked. You knew it was a risky question but you two had been getting along and you decided you needed an update on the account that had become your baby.

“I gave it to Marcus and-”

“Marcus? Really?” You interrupted him. “Marcus is a shithead.” Your baby deserved better than Marcus.

“You didn’t let me finish,” he said in a joking manner, with a small smile. The smile was just big enough for you to notice that he had dimples. He had never smiled in front of you before. “He’s doing a horrendous job and I was going to give it back to you on Monday.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the second chance,” you confessed. “Can you level with me for a minute?” you asked after a moment of silence. “Why did you rip into me like that? You could have just told me that it wasn’t right for me and taken it away.”

You watched him think for a moment. He scratched at his five o’clock shadow (that was more like a 9 o’clock shadow now) and you could tell he was searching for the right words.

“Because it got you fired up, but I could tell I hurt your feelings and I apologize.” You never expected an apology for the way he acted and you no longer regretted showing him your emotions. He had hurt you and he should feel bad for it. “I thought you were getting complacent in your ideas and you’ve been killing it since Monday.”

“Thank you for the apology. Here I am thinking you did it just to be a dick.”

“Is that what people in the office really think of me?” He looked genuinely hurt and you felt slightly guilty for being the bearer of bad news. But you hoped if he saw it from his fearful employees’ perspective he would lighten up a little.

“Do you want me to be honest?” He nodded his head. “You act like you have a stick so far up your ass it’s touching your brain and that you’re better than everyone else because your suit costs more than my rent.” If he never minced his words, why should you?

“Oh Y/N, tell me what you really think,” he said after a pause with a light chuckle. You were surprised by his reaction. You never expected him to take something like that so well.

“Listen,” you began again. “I understand and respect your toughness on us. But there is a line between criticism and just being mean.” You decided this was a time to call him on his shit, during this very very rare moment of comradery between you. You wanted to have a healthy relationship with him, maybe even a friendship.

“I understand that I can get a bit harsh. It’s just the whole ‘is it better to be loved or feared’ thing. I’ve always thought fear would be the safer option.” You felt like you were getting to pull back the layers of his hard shell and see the human being underneath for a brief period of time.

“But if you were truly loved, no one would ever betray you,” you whispered softly, always the romantic.

“Love has never been reliable, has it?” Your heart broke for him and you realized someone doesn’t become as hardened as he is overnight. Something did this to him.

“What about love being the most powerful force on earth?” you wiggled your eyebrows at him, referring to the slogan for an engagement ring campaign you were both working on.

“Well, when your wife tries to steal the company that you built together and run away to Spain with her personal trainer, love gets a little bit more complicated.” There it is, you thought to yourself. This was the first time he ever felt like a real person to you; not like a teflon shell of anger, wealth, and ambition. His features looked softer and he seemed less like your evil boss, and more like someone dealing with a painful trauma.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” you said softly, genuinely meaning it. “Oh shit, sorry. Mr. Styles,” you corrected yourself. He laughed at your mistake and you watched his dimples reach their full potential. He looked down at the table, obviously a little uncomfortable with his rare moment of vulnerability with the woman who was probably the biggest pain in his ass in the office. Before you knew it, you had decided to share your own uncomfortable vulnerability.

“My ex put me in the hospital while I was still living in New York,” you began, watching his eyes immediately jump to yours and listen intently.

“Oh Y/N, you don’t have to talk about this… I didn’t mean-,” he tried to stop you but you figured if he shared with you, you could share with him.

“No, it’s okay. It’s been a long time,” you reassured him, shaking your head softly. “We were fighting because I found out he had been cheating on me. I had packed a bag and was trying to leave when he pushed me down the stairs of our apartment building. I broke my arm in two places and I had to have a few surgeries.” You rolled up the sleeve of your blouse and showed him the scar that ran down your forearm. You scanned his face and it looked like he genuinely cared about you for a moment. You brushed it off. “After that, I decided I needed to leave New York.”

“Why London?” he said gently.

“I was obsessed with this English boy band when I was growing up,” you laughed. “I guess I romanticised London in my head and decided it might be a good place for a fresh start.”

“While I’m incredibly sorry you had to go through all of that to get to London, I’m very glad that you found your way to me,” he spoke tenderly. His face was serious, but not the seriousness you were used to while getting scolded about your work. It was gentle and like he meant every word he said. You were happy you found your way to this version of him too.

“To the firm, I mean,” he corrected himself and you felt a weird pang of sadness inside of you. You are just his employee, remember that, you thought to yourself.

“I’m happy I found the firm too. If only I could figure out how to deal with my hellish boss?” you asked sarcastically, rolling your eyes dramatically and laughing at him. You realized that this could definitely be taken as flirting, but you decided were okay with that.

“Maybe they’re just trying to push you because you are by far the best campaign director they have,” he said nonchalantly, leaning back in his seat and watching your every movement. You felt your cheeks heat and the rush of adrenaline from finally getting his validation. This was all you ever wanted from him.

“Oh, I know,” you smirked, leaning back in your own chair and studying him as well.

He really was gorgeous. His quaffed hair had fallen over the course of the day and a few stray pieces hung on his forehead. His black dress shirt fit him so well. You were fully able to appreciate the tailored fit after he had shrugged off his blazer and removed his tie, unbuttoning the top few buttons to reveal glimpses of two swallows that sat on his collarbones. A chain that you had never gotten to see hung around his neck, a cross and the Star of David resting on his chest.

“We should get back to work,” he murmured after a few extended moments of staring at each other.

“Probably.”

You two worked for another hour or so before you let out a small yawn and Harry insisted you both call it a night. Although you protested and told him you were fine, he was firm in his demand that you go home and rest. As you packed up your things in your office, he hovered in the room and watched your every move. Conversation was relaxed and casual, not stained with the malice you usually had towards each other.

He took your briefcase from your hands, offering to help as you struggled to carry a poster and a few proposal binders, and carried it as you walked in step with each other out of the office. When you reached the front doors and went to go your separate ways, you were met with a puzzled look on his face.

“Where are you going? The parking garage is this way?”

“Oh, I don’t have a car. I take the tube wherever I have to go.”

“Let me drive you home,” he offered. When you denied his proposal, you were met with a stern, “Let me drive you home or you’re fired.”

Although you fought him the entire walk to his car, asserting that you were fine to take the train, you climbed into his beautiful jet black sports car with a huff and a pout. He had a triumphant smirk on his face that you were tempted to slap off, but decided to take this as a sign from the universe that you just weren’t meant to get blisters from your heels walking home tonight. You watched as his long fingers gripped the steering wheel skillfully and you both sat peacefully, the silence between you only interrupted when you gave him occasional directions to turn right or left. The soft sounds of a Fleetwood Mac song you couldn’t remember the name to flowed through the speakers and his mouth silently lip-synced the words. You admired him the whole drive home and you didn’t want to get out of the car when he pulled up to your building.

You both departed the car, walking around to the trunk where he had stashed your briefcase. Your casual conversations had long passed, both of you beginning to mourn the night you had together. You had enjoyed this night far more than you anticipated and you hoped this would be the first of many late nights at the office that he would join you for. You looked up at him when he handed you your briefcase and you both stood there in silence for just a few more fleeting seconds, neither of you wanting to be alone yet. You were first to break the noiseless night.

“Thank you for dinner and the ride home, Mr. Styles.”

“Please call me Harry,” he said with a subtle smile, stepping up on to the curb, closing much of the space between you.

“I can do that, Harry.” His first name felt foreign on your lips but it was a welcome change.

“Thank you for all your help tonight. I needed your fresh set of eyes on that portfolio.” This interaction felt so intimate; his words hushed and complimentary, intensified by his body’s proximity to yours.

“Whenever you need me,” you breathed, refusing to break the eye contact you were both desperately holding on to.

With one swift step he pressed your bodies and your lips together, backing you up until your body pressed against his car. You dropped your briefcase to the ground and your hands flew up to the base of his neck. He tasted like the lemon cookie he had ordered for dessert and you smelled his intoxicating cologne as you drank each other in. His hands snaked their way under your blazer and rested on your hips, pulling you impossibly closer to him. His kiss was deep and demanding and you weren’t sure if you ever wanted it to end.

This morning you couldn’t stand to be in the same room as him and mere hours later you were ready to bring him up into your own. He was infuriating and rude and knew just how to push your buttons. But, he also seemed to be gentle, kind, and thoughtful when he wanted to be. Harry Styles was an enigma. You couldn’t wrap your head around him and it drew you to him even more.

Your bodies flowed in perfect sync with one another and your open-mouthed and hungry kisses were so hypnotizing you couldn’t think. Harry was the only person that existed to you anymore, tuning out the murmurs of a passersby, and anywhere your skin touched his was lit on fire.

Finally coming up for air, you breathlessly peeled your lips away from the other. You both refused to break your eye contact, your hands gripping tight to his biceps to steady your weak legs, and scanned each other’s faces.

“You have a little something,” he murmured, reaching to wipe your smudged red lipstick from your bottom lip with his thumb. You leaned into his touch and smiled up at him.

“So do you,” you panted, staring at his lips that were now stained red.

You both just stood there for a little while, soaking up the other’s company before you pulled away and things got more complicated. He was your boss after all, was this even allowed? Did he want to be something more than coworkers? If things ended poorly, would you still be able to work together? Would he be nicer to you now?

“It’s late. You should get some sleep,” he eventually broke the silence and your spiraling thoughts.

“I agree. You worked me real hard today,” you smirked at him, unable to pass up the innuendo. An amused grin spread across his lips and he took a step back from you, releasing you from his grip against the car. He gathered your things you had dropped on the ground during his assault and handed them back to you.

Harry leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your cheek that lingered a little too long to be considered friendly. It made your cheeks burn.

“I’ll see you Monday, sweetheart” was the last thing he said to you before he climbed back into his car and drove off into the night.

Part 2

#harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles one shot #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles drabble #harry styles blurb #boss!harry #CEO!harry #one direction #harry styles au #harryandhockey

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smaidjor · 3 years

Text

and i pay for my place by the ring (Chapter 1)

Hey guys! Welcome to another angsty fic by yours truly, provider of flower husbands pain.

Some things you should know before you jump into this:

1. This is a companion fic to my fic "i know they're losing". You can understand it without having read the other one, since it's the same story from two different POVs but I think the overall experience is better with both!

2. The overall title of each fic is from the mitski song I bet on losing dogs. Chapter titles are from the Last Goodbye from the Hobbit films.

3. There is a lot of lord of the rings lore in both fics, and I mean a lot. You may be kinda confused if you've never read tolkien's works. It will all be explained eventually, though!

4. With the fact that it's a companion fic and a lot of people came here from Jimmy's POV in mind- this is a lot heavier of a fic. The content warnings are heavier and the angst is more intense. You have been warned.

(Obligatory disclaimer that this is about characters, not ccs, and do not ship real people, as always!)

Chapter Title: to these memories i will hold

Chapter Wordcount: 4000

Content warnings: suicidal thoughts, self-esteem issues, panic attacks, past death, very frank discussion of death. (In general, if suicide or death are triggering topics for you, this is probably not the fic for you. Stay safe and take care of yourself!)

AO3

Actual fic under the cut:

Scott didn’t expect to survive 3rd life. No one did, he thinks, but especially not him. Clever, clever Scott, who knew his fate too well for his own good. He could have chosen his allies carefully, he knows, could have played on their emotions to make them think he was loyal until the moment he turned on them to win. He knew who the strongest factions and warriors were, the most cunning and intelligent participants in this death game they were forced into. Instead, he chose Jimmy. Sweet, dopey Jimmy, who had the personality of a golden retriever and only a handful of braincells at any given time. Jimmy, who was worth more than all the stars in the sky to him. Who made him feel alive . No, Scott didn’t expect to win. Not when it was Jimmy by his side- when it was Jimmy by his side, winning didn’t matter. All that mattered was Jimmy’s blush when Scott pressed a kiss to his cheek, the way his hair looked like gold in the sunlight and his smile lit up Scott’s whole world.

After Jimmy died, Scott stopped wanting to survive 3rd life. What was the point? The stars can shine on without the sun, but all life on Earth would wither and die. The same happened to Scott’s broken, bitter heart, he found. Jimmy was the first person in years to love him truly, wholly, with no strings attached; it was terrifying how quickly Scott fell for the first person to look at him and not expect him to be anything but what he was. Scott’s world, which used to be mountain peaks and endless blue sky, narrowed to warm brown eyes and a grin like sunshine quicker than he could comprehend. Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, it all came back to him. What was Scott without Jimmy? The unwanted twin, the unloved child, the un-elven elf. Because who cared if he was a good shot with a bow or good at organizing teams or building pretty little houses? He would always be second-born, second-best.

It was fitting, really, that when Scott died, he died alone. Some might find it ironic that the man who knew enough people to fill the roster of a championship held by a god every month died without a single person to witness it save his enemies, but in the end, it was always going to be like this, Scott knew. He hadn’t been there to see Jimmy die, he hadn’t been able to hold him in his final moments and soothe the agony of death. Maybe this was his punishment. He wouldn’t be surprised; the gods of this world did not smile on him and never would. Why should they, when he had failed the only person who had ever found him good enough?

When he woke up in Rivendell, he was almost disappointed. Almost. He considered ditching the rest of the elves, up and leaving to somewhere that didn’t make it feel like the noose of immortality was slowly tightening around his neck. If nothing else, Noxite would let him crash at the MCC server for a bit until he found somewhere to go. And yet, in the end, Scott’s stubborn sense of duty won out. The elves needed a ruler. Xornoth had disappeared to god knows where, and though they had been braver, wiser, better in every way, Scott was the one who had stayed. Who was willing to take up the crown that weighed so heavily on its bearers. So Scott, who no one ever expected to rule, took up the burden of leadership.

Now, he tries and fails to get out of bed and wonders what the point of that even was. He’s fading, and worse than that, he’s fading over a human. His ancestors are probably rolling in their graves. Rivendell will be leaderless within a decade, and this time there are no heirs to take control. Not even a ‘spare’ like Scott used to be. What a mess.

There are footsteps on the stairs. They’re unfamiliar, meaning they could be a threat, but he’s too tired to bother sitting up. If he dies, well- it’s inevitable, really, in the same way watching the mortals he loves dies is.

The person comes around the corner, and Scott realizes with no joy that he won’t be dying today after all. Katherine looks both curious and concerned, but her voice tilts towards the latter when she asks “Scott?” and then, more hesitantly “Lord Smajor?”

He blinks at her, exhausted. “Hi, Katherine.”

“I came to talk to you about some empires stuff, but, I mean, if this is a bad time, I can come back later…?” She sounds so thrown off by his state that Scott almost feels bad.

Whatever it is, it must be important if she’s come all the way here, though, so he gestures her to a chair. “No, no, stay. I can muster the energy for a meeting, just don’t ask me to get up.”

Katherine takes the seat. “I came to talk about the corruption on the server, but- are you okay? Are you sick?”

Nothing about the question is funny in any way, but Scott laughs regardless. “In a way, yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Take my hand.” He offers it out, knowing the unnatural cold is unsettling no matter if you’re elven or not. Katherine does as he asks, the concern on her face only growing as she grips his icy hand.

“Elves don’t get sick like mortals do,” Scott explains. “Nor do we die of old age. But we get...heartsickness, you might call it. We call it fading in our tongue- the cold hands are a symptom of that. Our souls are fragile, and the grief of the mortal plane can be overwhelming. If an elf is too struck by it, they fade away and die.” The words taste bitter on his tongue, a frank reminder of the slow and painful death that awaits him.

Katherine gasps, and Scott knows he’s alarmed her.

He goes on, though. “It usually happens to old elves, world-weary.” Ironic, it’s ironic that he’s saying that as a young elf explaining his own death. “Those who are tired of existence. But any elf who has experienced enough grief is at risk.”

Her face is nothing short of horrified. “You’re- fading? But doesn’t it usually happen to old elves? Wait, are you old?”

“I’m fifty-five.”

“Is that old?”

He has to laugh. “Fifty is the elven equivalent of eighteen for humans, the age of maturity.” Though he feels so much older than that, both in elven terms and in human.

“Oh.”

There’s a moment of silence, then, “How can you be so calm if you’re dying?”

“I’m tired, Katherine. The world tore me away from the people I loved, and..I’m tired of fighting it.” He’s so, so exhausted. So sick of having to claw and scrape and struggle for the barest scraps of happiness.

“Is there a way to reverse fading- to fix it?” Katherine sounds so hopeful that the question seems almost naive even though she’s far more capable of a ruler than he is. Naive in the affairs of elves, maybe, much as she’s intelligent in so many other ways.

Scott tries not to flinch at the innocent inquiry, thinking about the deaths from fading that he’s watched. “Technically, yes. If an elf recovers enough emotionally, it’s reversible. But whatever caused them to fade the first time can- and often does- cause it again.” And again, and again, until there’s nothing to be done but let them die , he finishes in his head.

Katherine nods, a look of determination overtaking the hope. “We’ll just have to reverse it, then.”

“That’s sweet, Katherine, but I’m dying.”

“No. You’re not going to die. Now come on, you can show me your empire while I fill you in on what’s happening on the rest of the continent.” She sounds so firm that he doesn’t dare disobey, though his exhaustion makes a fair effort at convincing him to. Will this really fix anything? Unlikely. But it’s worth it to try, if only to humor Katherine. At least this way she’ll have the comfort of having tried to save him when he inevitably fades away into nothing

Scott takes her hand, though it brings him little warmth, cold from her trek here. “Alright.” He swallows the bitter grief in his throat before it can seep into his words. “We can try.”

He leads Katherine around Rivendell, taking some pride in the way she oohs over the decor. If there’s one thing he can do right, it’s building. While some elven rulers might see it as below themselves to help build houses for their citizens, Scott finds building soothing. It’s one of the few skills he picked up during his time away that people really appreciate; no one wants to live in a shitty house.

As they walk, she also tells Scott about the demon, Xornoth. “The demon’s already visited a lot of people, I think. Gem and Shubble for sure, and Fwhip and Sausage. That’s not even mentioning the corruption that’s been spreading.”

If Scott said that the name Xornoth didn’t make him flinch, he would be lying to himself. It’s not your sibling , he tells himself. It’s just a coincidence .

It’s through the virtue of years of lying that his voice comes out steady. “There’s corruption in Rivendell too. Likely Xornoth’s work. And given that Jimmy still has Vilya-” his heart doesn’t ache when he says Jimmy’s name, it doesn’t- “well, I haven’t been able to do much.”

“Vilya?” Katherine asks.

“A ring of power. My inheritance from the Noldor.”

“Why does Jimmy have it?”

He doesn’t answer. He won’t- can’t talk about Jimmy, not without remembering how he looked with an arrow through his throat, bright smile gone and face frozen in fear. How does he explain how much Jimmy meant to him? How much he’s now giving up, knowing he’ll have to lose it one way or another?

Katherine drops the topic, seemingly sensing that she’s stumbled on something sensitive. When she has to go home, she leaves with a friendly goodbye and a promise to visit, and Scott believes neither. Who would put the effort into visiting him? He’s not a good friend, he’s not a good king, and god knows he’s not a good husband. In fact, he’s actively avoiding his husband. He may have kept the pufferfish Jimmy gave him, but that doesn’t mean anything. He can’t fall in love with Jimmy again. Loving Jimmy will kill him. (Scott ignores the small voice at the back of his head that whispers that he’s still in love with Jimmy and it’s already killing him just as he always knew it would.)

To his surprise, Katherine does come back next week, and the week after that. He’s ashamed to admit it, but there’s some part of him that’s pathetically grateful when she shows up at his doorstep. It’s a chance to not be alone . Much as he dreads the day when she finally gives up on him, it’s nice that someone cares enough to try and save him from himself.

The third week, Katherine doesn’t show up. Instead, the footsteps on the stairs are familiar in a way that makes Scott’s heart twist painfully.

He takes a deep breath. “Hello, Jimmy.”

“How’d you know it was me?” Jimmy asks. Scott can tell he’s startled by the way his voice goes up, almost frightened.

Scott steels himself, taking a deep breath before rolling over to face his ex-husband. “Do you think I could ever forget the sound of your footsteps?” He forces himself to not get distracted staring at Jimmy, instead going on before Jimmy can open his mouth. “What are you doing here?”

“Katherine asked me to visit, I’m not sure why, but...here I am. Say, why is she visiting every week?” Jimmy’s so curious. So naive, as always.

Scott laughs, bitter. “Katherine thinks she can save me.”

“Save you from what?”

Scott hears the concern in Jimmy’s words, and he can’t bring himself to break the news. It’s not as if it matters. It’s not as if Jimmy would care; he came here because of Katherine. Maybe he cared at the start of Empires, but Scott’s been nothing but rude to him since. There’s no reason for him to care. (He cares. Scott’s lying, like always. Jimmy cares and Scott knows it.)

“Save you from what?” Jimmy asks again, more insistently.

He refuses to say it. He needs Jimmy out, out of his room and out of his life before he does something he’ll regret. “You should go.” To prove his point, he tries to stand, finding himself too dizzy to quite pull it off. Jimmy rushes to catch him, and Scott hates himself just a little for how that still gives him a warm feeling.

“Scott, what is going on?”

He brushes Jimmy off, letting go of his arm and hurrying for the stairs. He can’t let Jimmy work his way into his heart again; Scott won’t be strong enough to let him go this time.

“Scott, seriously! Answer me, are you okay? What’s happening?” Jimmy sounds almost angry, but Scott can hear the distress under it and that’s what breaks him.

“I’m fading, alright?” His voice nearly breaks at the concern on Jimmy’s face when he whirls to face him. “I’m dying, now leave me alone!”

Jimmy sputters, seemingly caught off guard. “You- what- but elves don’t die, right?”

“We do. From poison, from swords-” Scott thinks back to third life- “from arrows through the throat, from grief.” The words come out more raw than he intends, leaving him scrambling to recover his composure. He takes a deep breath in and out, forcing his voice to steady again. “Come on. If you’re not going to leave, I might as well show you around.”

“You can’t just drop something like that on a man, you know!” Jimmy calls after him, although Scott can hear his footsteps following as well.

“You did ask, to be fair.” Scott replies. His voice is calm. He’s fine.

“I guess so, but- but still, dude.”

Scott pushes open the side door, holding it for Jimmy. “Here.”

Jimmy nods and slips through the door. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Scott starts towards the bridges, intending to show Jimmy the enchanting tower and then the door. He doesn’t care about how fast he’s walking, Jimmy can keep up. He’s taller than Scott and probably has better balance at the moment too. Scott’s struggling not to fall, honestly, but his pride won’t let him go slower.

Jimmy breaks the awkward silence with the question Scott least wants to hear. “So, uh..are we going to talk about 3rd life?”

“No,” Scott says firmly.

“Why not? We need to talk about it some time-”

“I said no .” He can’t talk about it.

“It’s literally killing you to not talk about it!”

The words strike right at the raw wound of Jimmy’s death, and Scott freezes. Inhales. Exhales. Tries to keep calm.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Scott!” Jimmy cries. He sounds so upset, Scott’s heart aches. “I dare you, tell me I’m wrong! Tell me you never cared about me, tell me you didn’t bother to bury me, tell me it didn’t hurt even a little when I died! Tell me I was just stupid little Jimmy, a toy for an elf who’d live far beyond my lifespan! Tell me whatever, just tell me the truth! ”

Scott takes a deep breath. “Fine. You want to know what happened after you died?” He can’t think straight through the rage clouding his head, the desperate need to prove that Jimmy’s wrong , that Scott loved him so much it’s killing him. “You want to hear about me screaming until my throat went raw? You want to know that I kissed your face and sobbed and begged you to wake up, over and over until I couldn’t speak at all? You want to live with the knowledge that Grian had to physically pull me away from your body? Is that what you want to hear, Jimmy? ” His voice damn near breaks on his husband’s name, and Scott thanks the gods he stopped believing in a long time ago that it doesn’t.

“No,” Jimmy says. His voice is soft, gentle, almost as if Scott is a wounded animal that needs a delicate touch. “That’s not what I want to hear, not at all. I’d rather you be happy than love me.”

The words punch the air from Scott’s lungs, raw and soft and real. Scott is an excellent liar. Jimmy isn’t. Scott knows that Jimmy is telling the truth. What he doesn’t know is how to handle that level of devotion. He wonders again how Jimmy- sweet, genuine Jimmy who wears his heart on his sleeve and is hopelessly devoted to an elf who can’t be fully his- chose Scott of all people. Scott, who’s as bitter as Jimmy is sweet, who’s sarcastic and snarky and hasn’t been good enough for just about anything in his life. He certainly wasn’t good enough to save Jimmy, Scott thinks bitterly.

He shakes off the thought. “I buried you on the hill above our houses. I planted a poppy over your grave.”

“Oh.”

“Grian came over the next day. I didn’t want to see anyone who wasn’t you, but I let him in because I had to. He helped me do the straps on my armor and asked me if he could do anything else to make things easier. I told him to bury me next to you.”

“Did he?”

Scott almost laughs at the innocent question. “How would I know? Grian was honorable enough, though, loyal to his allies. I like to think he did.”

“He was a good guy,” Jimmy agrees. “A little bit bloodthirsty, I guess, but good. I don’t suppose he survived any better than the rest of us, though maybe being bloodthirsty helped.”

“Maybe.”

“Can I- can I ask you why you hate me so much now?” Jimmy’s tone is uncertain, hesitant and it hurts . “I mean, if you mourned me in third life and all.”

Scott looks away from his earnest gaze, but he can’t stop the truth slipping out. “I don’t hate you.”

“You don’t?” Jimmy asks, seemingly bewildered. “But you burned the pufferfish-”

“I didn’t. I kept it.” Scott doesn’t want to think about this, wants to say it even less. “I never hated you. I don’t think I’m capable of it.”

“Then why do you keep avoiding me?”

“I’ve been kind of busy dying,” Scott says wryly, unable to resist a bit of morbid humor at his own expense.

“Scott! That’s not funny!”

“It was a little funny.”

“No!”

Jimmy sounds genuinely distressed, and Scott drops the wry smile. “Jimmy, I’m an elf. I won’t live far beyond you, but only because I’ll fade without you.” It’s a simple statement. The truth, as much as he can give.

“So your solution is to isolate yourself and fade now?” Jimmy’s outrage is justifiable, but Scott just shrugs.

“It does sound stupid when you put it like that, doesn’t it?” It really does. “But I lost you once, and I don’t think I could bear it again.”

A hand lands on Scott’s arm, and he turns, startled. Jimmy doesn’t give him time to react, throwing his arms around Scott and pulling him close. Scott almost lets out a very undignified squeak at the sudden contact, though he slowly relaxes into Jimmy’s hold.

He should pull away. He shouldn’t give Jimmy false hope like this. But Jimmy is so warm , and Scott is so unbearably cold. Every fiber of his being is screaming that this is what’s right; screw Rivendell and obligations and too-heavy crowns, Jimmy is home to him. He’s warm for the first time in months, and the most heartbreaking part is that it can’t last. He can’t do this again.

He pulls away, ignoring the painful hope on Jimmy’s face. “I’m sorry, Jimmy.” For the first time all conversation, his voice well and truly wobbles. “I can’t. Not again.”

“But-”

Scott shakes his head. “Losing you will destroy me. We dared to love, and now all we can do now is lessen the pain when it all comes crashing down.” The words are like glass in his throat, but he forces them out anyways. They have to be said.

Jimmy’s silent, and it hurts more than if Jimmy had yelled at him.

“Goodbye, Jimmy,” Scott manages, turning away before Jimmy can see the way his face twists in pain. He makes his retreat as quickly as possible, stumbling and nearly taking a tumble just before he reaches the door. Unlike before, there’s no helpful ex-husband there to catch him, to make sure he’s alright and ask a million questions until Scott’s forced to admit that he’s not okay and hasn’t been in a long time.

He fumbles with the latch, hands shaking and vision blurring. Finally, it clicks, and Scott stumbles inside and slams the door shut before sliding to the ground. He won’t cry. He won’t . He doesn’t love Jimmy, he can’t love Jimmy anymore. Jimmy was never meant to be his. They might have carved out a few precious moments, stolen them from the universe and giggled like kids with their hands in the cookie jar as they kissed amongst the flowers, but those brief moments were all they were ever going to be allowed. It was always going to end this way, Scott tells himself. There’s no use crying over a mortal who will be dead in the blink of an eye to an elf. What would his parents say? That this was typical of him, probably. Typical Scott, always wanting what he would never be able to have. Typical, predictable Scott, loving a mortal who shouldn’t be worth anything to him.

He’s crying. There are tears spotting his cyan robes, splashing onto the wood floors he worked so hard on. Scott rubs at his eyes furiously, but that only makes it worse, sobs shuddering through him and leaving him hollow and aching. He’s so cold . The ache in his chest has returned tenfold, stealing away his breath, and he curls further into himself, struggling for air.

He’s going to die. He is going to die , alone on the floor of his house because he fell for someone he couldn’t have. For all that he’s spent every minute since Jimmy’s death in 3rd life wishing for some way out of this cruel world, he’s terrified now that it seems inevitable. He’s scared in a way he hasn’t been in forever, breath coming quick and shallow. He's scared, and he is so, so tired of this ache that haunts him, the chill that he can never get rid of.

“Jimmy,” Scott whispers. There’s no way for the human to hear him, but the name brings him some comfort. “ Jimmy .” He wants his husband. He wants someone to hug him. He doesn’t want to fade away freezing and alone, no one there to hold his hand or reassure him that the pain will be over soon. Internally, he begs for someone, anyone who cares to come looking. To find him, even if they’re too late to save him. Someone. Anyone. Please.

No one comes, and Scott lays on his floor until his breathing steadies out again. His head spins when he forces himself to his feet, and he has to lean against the wall for a few moments. There’s no time for dramatics, he tells himself sternly. He has a kingdom to rule. He cannot afford to break over a mortal he never should have fallen for in the first place. He doesn’t love Jimmy anymore, he can’t .

(He’s lying. But Scott has always been an excellent liar, even when it’s to himself.)

#scott smajor #jimmy solidarity #empires smp #i maintag my fic because i dont fear god or scott smajor #my writing

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