#buy to let student accommodation

[redrose10]

Here is the first part! There will end up being a second chapter.

CEO Yoongi x Female Barista/College Student Reader

Title: Cold Brewed Love

Summary: When you begged the owner of Jin’s Java House to hire more employees you didn’t mean for him to stick you with the cold, rude, arrogant CEO Min Yoongi. Over time something begins to brew between you both and you end up forced to make decisions way above the pay grade of a cafe barista.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, hints of smut(nothing explicit), Yoongi is mean but we all know he’ll turn fluffy later, violence, kidnapping, mention of a gun

Word Count: 6,934

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You walked into work today at Jin’s Java House filled with dread at the situation. Lately things had been a nightmare there and you definitely didn’t get paid enough to put up with it. The only reason you hadn’t quit like everyone else was because the owner Jin was very flexible with your schedule and would accommodate your college schedule around your shifts, plus he let you have unlimited free coffee and snacks any time you wanted which really helped your already small bank account.

Your plan was to only work here a few months until something better came along, but now here you were two years later still at the same position as a barista at a coffee shop in the lobby of the largest office building in your city. It got your bills paid and you figured once you graduated college soon you could move on elsewhere.

After you clocked in Jin asked you to meet him in the office so you followed along hoping for good news.

“Y/N this is Jungkook. He’s the new employee I was telling you about. Please make sure he gets up and running before you move to the evening shift.”, he said before walking away to answer a phone call.

“Hi”, Jungkook nervously smiled.

“Hi”, you smiled back, “So the easiest thing to learn would be the register so we will start there.”, you said motioning for him to follow.

Thankfully he was a pretty fast learner. After just about an hour of you showing him the register he was already taking some orders by himself which you were very grateful for and thought maybe things were finally starting to look up.

After the morning rush you were just mindlessly wiping down the counter when Jungkook walked over to you.

“Who is that?”, he asked almost in awe.

You rolled your eyes after quickly recognizing the man walking by in his perfectly tailored suit and slicked back hair with a piece that fell perfectly against his forehead, “That’s Min Yoongi. He’s the CEO of MYG INC.”

“Wow he’s beautiful.”, Jungkook whispered.

You chuckled, “Yeah unfortunately his personality doesn’t match his appearance.”

You braced yourself for a fight with him, but thankfully it seemed like Yoongi was going to pass on the coffee today and headed straight for the elevators instead.

“I take it you’ve had some bad experiences with him?”, Jungkook asked.

“Yeah you could say that”.

You and Yoongi have a difficult history. You are about the same age, but he runs a successful billion dollar company while you make coffee for barely above minimum wage and also take classes at the local college which makes you feel intimidated by him and maybe even a little jealous. And he knows that.

His order was the first one you had ever made. Not only were you nervous because it was your first time, but he was also one of the most handsome men you had ever seen and you developed almost an instant crush on him. You were so nervous in fact that you dropped his cup of coffee making it spill all over the counter and right onto his expensive leather shoes. He was quick to reprimand you to the point his assistant Hoseok stepped in and pulled him away from the counter while giving you an apologetic smile. Hoseok returned later that day to apologize for his boss’ actions and offered to buy you lunch from the neighboring Thai restaurant.

Then just a few months later you had been asked by Jin to take up several cases of pastries to Yoongi’s office for some big meeting they were having. After you placed everything in the break room you quickly moved trying to hurry back down to the cafe to help out your co-worker who was working alone during the breakfast rush in your absence when in your haste you turned and ran right into Yoongi causing the stack of documents he was holding to fly everywhere through the office. He had a scowl and some choice words for you once again while you crawled around on your hands and knees trying to reorganize the mess and not cry in front of him. Hoseok was quick to save you then too and that’s how your friendship with ‘Hobi’ started.

Ever since that day though, Yoongi was always rude to you while ordering his coffee. He purposely got your name wrong even though it was right on your name tag. He hardly ever looked up from his phone and if he did it was only to look down on you and try to make you feel small. You hated him. But you hated it even more that no matter how much you hated him you couldn’t abolish the little crush you had on him. He was easily one of, if not your least favorite customer to deal with and you couldn’t ever see that changing.

A few weeks go by and thankfully Jungkook was getting faster and faster, but at the end of the day he was still on the newer side. Jin hired two more people, Jimin and Taehyung but they weren’t going to be starting for another week. Taehyung was going to work mornings with Jungkook and Jimin was going to work the evening shift with you. Today was your last morning shift because your classes started in a couple days so you begged Jin for a few days off to relax and reset which he approved after convincing his sister to come help out at the cafe for a few days.

Jungkook was manning the register as usual since he was much more of people person than you were while you worked away at making the orders.

It was a particularly busy day, worse than usual. There was a huge conference being held in one of the offices bringing in lots of out of town customers as well as your regulars. Jungkook was doing his best to take orders on his own leaving you to have to do all of the prep and stocking as well as make everything ordered.

You stared out at the sea of people letting out a sigh before returning back to the drink you were working on.

You were making a particularly difficult drink when Jungkook nervously stepped up next to you. “Y/N there is a customer at the register that wants to speak to the manager.”, he whispered.

You technically weren’t a manager, but you were the closest there was so you made a mental note to talk to Jin about a promotion and a raise before taking a deep breath to steady your nerves.

“Please hand this drink to order 613. I’ll handle the complaint.”, you said before grabbing a few free drink coupons as an apology.

Stepping up to the counter you felt your stomach twist at the sight. This wasn’t going to be any normal complaint. Not only did you have to apologize for something out of your control, but you had to apologize to your least favorite customer, Mr. Min Yoongi.

He didn’t even give you a chance to speak before he started, “The wait time is ridiculous. There is no reason that it should take nearly twenty-five minutes in line to get a mediocre cup of coffee.”

“I know Sir. I apologize. It’s just Jungkook and I and he’s still pretty new. We’re trying our best.”

“Clearly your best is not good enough. I don’t know how you can get any lower than a measly coffee maker, but maybe you should try something else.”

“Again I apologize Sir. Here are some coupons for free drinks and I’ll make sure to speak with the owner about improving our processes.”, you said still trying to be professional.

He scoffed, “Do I look like I need coupons for a free drink?“

“No, but there is not much else I can offer you. I apologize for the long wait, but as I said we’re trying our best.”

“Do better because this is unacceptable.”, he spat before leaving his coffee and walking way.

At that point the wall you built up crumbled and tears began to fall freely.

“Hey go in the back and take a few. I’ll be okay.”, Jungkook said.

“No it’s okay. I have to make the orders.”

“Y/N, go. I’ll be okay. I’ll make some of the drinks that I know and then ones I don’t I’ll just wing it. I mean they can’t get any more upset than they already are so what’s a wrong drink going to do.”, he chuckled.

You nodded and walked to the back for a few minutes.

You couldn’t believe the audacity of Yoongi. Like sure the wait times were terrible, but it’s not like he couldn’t afford to just order coffee from somewhere else or send Hobi to get it. You felt like he purposely just wanted to ruin your day and that hurt more than it should have.

After taking a small break you returned to the front thankful that Jungkook had everything taken care of. It seemed like most of the line left after Yoongi’s spectacle and you walking away so there were only a few people left.

“See I told you I could handle it.”, Jungkook smiled as he was clearly making the wrong drink, but judging by the puppy dog eyes the girl at the counter was giving him you didn’t think she’d really care anyways.

“Thank you Kookie. That break really helped.”, you said giving his arm a squeeze.

When your shift finally ended you said goodbye to Jungkook and left for home. Exhausted you plopped down on your couch taking out your phone.

You: Is your boss PMSing or something? He was an even bigger jerk than normal today.

Hobi: Ohhh that’s probably what he was mumbling about when he got in.

You: What?

Hobi: Nothing, it’s nothing. Yeah sorry about him. He’s trying to close this really important deal or something. He always gets like this when he’s working on that. Plus I think his parents are on his case about something.

You: Well he should learn to keep his emotions to himself before he really hurts someone.

Hobi: I thought you said he was an emotionless robot…

You: 😑

Your mini vacation was much needed especially after your latest Yoongi encounter, but it went by way too fast for your liking. Classes started up again and they were already kicking your ass. You moved to the evening shift at work which was a nice change of pace. It was a little slower than the mornings and although you missed Jungkook you were getting along great with Jimin.

Earlier today Jin had texted you to let you know a new employee would be starting at night. He didn’t give you much info other than he’d only be working part time and you were oddly warned not to have sex in the office because this guy was apparently super hot. You were just excited to get another worker so maybe you could eventually reduce your hours a little and take some of the stress off so you weren’t going to complain.

Your shift was going by extremely slow so you had your back to the counter as you wiped down one of the old machines trying to accomplish something for the day. From behind you someone cleared their throat making you jump a little.

“Hi welcome to Jin’s Java House how can I help you today?”

You stopped in your tracks feeling your heart speed up, “M-Mr.Min?”, you asked.

He rolled his eyes before grabbing an apron from the rack.

“Uh Mr. Min?”, you questioned.

He looked more pissed off than ever.

“Y/N”, he said finally looking at your name tag, “I guess I am your new coworker for the next several weeks. Maybe I’ll be able to to come up with a better system to solve the slow service around here.”

“Umm uh sir? W-what do you mean coworker?”

He rolled his eyes again, “Obviously I mean we are working together.”

“I know what a coworker is. My question is why is a successful billionaire ceo working at a coffee shop for minimum wage?”

“Because my lovely parents think I need to learn some humility and how to talk to people other than just demanding things. They said I do this or they’re removing me from the company so I have no choice.”, he said picking at some lint on his shirt.

“So I’m working here for a little. I figured if anyone knows some humbleness it’s a nobody coffee maker.”

Being the reliable hard worker you are you sucked it up, “Okay sir. The easiest thing is to learn the register first.”

He followed you over to where the computer was located.

“Okay so this row is the specials. This row is basic coffees. Then when you select a coffee it asks if you want to add any thing. That’s where you’ll find the flavorings and toppings. This row is cold drinks. This row is baked goods.”

You noticed he was very quiet so when you looked up you weren’t surprised to see him staring at some blond in a very short pencil skirt sitting at one of the cafe tables. It did make you feel a sting of jealousy, but you quickly shook that away.

“Are you even listening?”, you questioned.

“Y/N, I run a billion dollar company. I think I can figure out a few buttons on a computer screen at a coffee shop.”, he smirked.

“Okay, here’s your first customer.”, you smiled as Mrs. Kang walked up to the counter. She was a familiar regular who was notoriously difficult and you couldn’t wait to watch Yoongi crash and burn.

“Hi, welcome to Jin’s Java House, how can I help you?”, he greeted her as cocky as ever.

“Sure can I get a medium coffee with two pumps of hazelnut, half a pump of vanilla but make sure it’s only half a pump. Last time they definitely put too much. I want the coffee fresh brewed but a mix of the house blend and the cinnamon nut. Then also add a caramel swirl and use half oat milk half almond milk that is warmed up so it doesn’t cool the coffee too much. I also want a banana nut muffin on the side but warm it up also.”

You felt a deep sense of happiness as you watched Yoongi’s fingers hover over the buttons unsure of how to complete the order. Reluctantly he looked at you for assistance.

You showed him how to type in the order while Jimin got to work making it.

That was definitely a humbling experience for Yoongi who was much more open to help after that.

The following few weeks flew by between your classes and shifts at the coffee shop. You and Yoongi were working surprisingly well together. He was actually a decent worker and wasn’t as insufferable to be around.

“Y/N please stop calling me Sir.”, he said one evening.

“I’m sorry it’s just a habit.”

“Well please just call me Yoongi. Sir is reserved for other things.”, he smirked.

You quickly turned away hoping to hide your blushing cheeks from him.

He even apologized for always treating you so coldly, especially that one day he made you run in the back and cry. He chuckled saying Hobi heard him ranting about how much of an idiot he was. He said he came down later in the day to apologize, but you were already gone and he said it bothered him ever since. There was a small shift in your relationship after that.

He had texted you earlier today to let you know that he was going out and wouldn’t be working tonight which kind of made you feel a little as as you had grown to look forward to working with him.

“I strive to be like him one day. Rich, successful, good looking, always having a hot woman on my arm.”, Jimin sighed.

You spun around just in time to see Yoongi walking through the lobby towards the door with the pencil skirt blonde tightly clinging to his arm as he licked his lips while looking down at her.

You don’t know what you expected when he said he was going out or why that sight made your chest tighten, but you quickly returned to portioning out coffee beans so Jimin wouldn’t see your eyes watering.

Maybe you were naive or just had too much wishful thinking, but you had really thought that maybe there was a small chance Yoongi was starting to like you too. You noticed his gaze lingering a little longer than it used it. How he’d “accidentally” bump into you or brush his fingers against your skin. How he started showing up a little earlier every shift and would immediately make his way over to you. But apparently it was all in your head. The more you thought about it the more you felt silly for thinking someone like him could ever be interested in someone like you. So you spent the rest of the shift trying to keep your thoughts away from what Yoongi was up to.

After last night you were thankful it was Saturday because Yoongi never worked weekends which meant you could avoid him for a couple days.

Unfortunately for you, luck was not on your side because when you arrived for your shift Yoongi was already behind the counter.

You faked a smile as you rounded the counter to grab your apron with Yoongi following behind with a red drink in his hands.

“I got you a smoothie from that health place down the street.”

You looked at him confused.

“I just thought you might be sick of coffee.”, he said feeling self conscious all of a sudden for some reason.

“Oh thank you. I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to be working today.”, you said taking the drink from him.

Shyly he scratched the back of his neck, “Oh yeah I figured since I couldn’t work yesterday I’d pick up a few hours tonight.”

You nodded before clocking in and heading over to wipe down the already clean counter just to avoid him. Being around him made you feel so confused and conflicted and you didn’t have it in you to deal with that right now.

“How was your date last night? She was hot. I bet you had a good time with her.”, Jimin smirked as he handed Yoongi a cup to fill.

You happened to look up noticing Yoongi quickly turn away from you, but you didn’t miss the slight blush on his cheeks.

He turned back to Jimin, “Yeah she was alright.”

“You gonna see her again? Does she have any single friends or maybe a hot older sister?”

You rolled your eyes before walking away not really wanting to hear Yoongi’s answer anyways.

As days went on you got over Yoongi and the pencil skirt incident until it was Friday and yet again Yoongi texted you that he couldn’t work because he would be going out.

Before he left the office he stopped over at the coffee shop.

As much as you wanted to you couldn’t stop staring. He looked good. His suit jacket was thrown over his shoulder. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up giving you a great view of his hands and forearms that you weirdly loved. His hair was messily styled after the gel gave out from hours of work. As he walked up to the counter you were hit with the scent of his cologne, a comforting cinnamon and vanilla that made you think of eating Christmas cookies by the fire place.

“I thought you were going out?”, you asked sounding more hurt than you wanted.

“Meeting that hot blonde again?”, Jimin asked wiggling his eyebrows.

Yoongi chuckled, “No not tonight. I’m just meeting my parents for dinner at that new sushi place everyone’s talking about. I thought I’d stop by and see if either of you wanted me to bring you something back for dinner.”

Your heart felt warmed that the once cold CEO was now going out of the way to see if you wanted food and you also selfishly felt joy at the fact that he wasn’t meeting that woman again tonight.

“Oh my god yes! I’m starving!”, Jimin excitedly exclaimed making you and Yoongi laugh. As you watched Yoongi write down Jimins order someone walked up to the counter and cleared their throat. Expecting a customer you were happily surprised to see Jungkook.

“Kookie!!”, you shouted jogging around the corner and into his arms missing the scowl that crossed Yoongi’s face.

“What are you doing here? I feel like I haven’t seen you in months.”

“I was in the area and thought I’d stop by to get a coffee and say hi.”

As you walked over to the register to ring in an employee drink Yoongi leaned forward over the counter motioning for Jimin to do the same.

“Who is that?”, Yoongi whispered.

“Ummm that is Jungkook. He works on the morning shift. Haven’t you seen him before?”

Now that Jimin mentioned it he did remember seeing this kid working at the coffee shop. He didn’t like him back then and he really didn’t like him now watching him as he flexed his muscles in a tight black tshirt while you excitedly told him about the paper you were writing for your philosophy class. Yoongi wondered if maybe he should start going to the gym more. He also felt a bit of jealousy watching you so easily talk to Jungkook. You always acted so scared of him which he knew was mostly his own fault, but still. He wished you could freely talk about your life with him or that you would act that excited when he walked in. He also wished Jimin would stop bringing up that woman. He didn’t even remember her name. He had zero real interest in her and just wanted to have a distraction to try and stop his growing crush for you because he knew at the of the day you deserved better than him. But then he saw the look on your face as he walked out of the office building with her that night and he couldn’t take it. He gave the woman some money to buy dinner as an apology and also keep her quiet and went home by himself wishing he was as work with you instead.

And now here you were flirting with this Kookie guy right in front of him.

“Hello earth to Yoongi.”, Jimin said waving his hands in his face.

“Sorry what was that?”

“I changed my mind. I want a rainbow roll instead of the eel roll.”

“Oh yeah sure. Whatever you want.”, he said going to write that down when he saw it. You using your fingers to trace over Jungkook’s new tattoo as he conveniently flexed his bicep at the same time and that was it.

Yoongi never thought of himself as a jealous man because if one woman broke his heart he could have another replacing her that same night, but there was something different about you. And watching this all unfold made him turn green with envy.

He took out his wallet and handed Jimin a card, “Here take my card and go order whatever you want. Get something for Y/N too. I’ll cover your shift while you’re gone.”

Jimin looked at the shiny black card and wasn’t about to question him so he happily threw his apron down on the counter before sprinting for the door.

Yoongi picked up the apron putting it on trying to cover as much of his outfit as he could regretting not bringing a change of clothes since Gucci and coffee didn’t really mix.

As he walked around the counter you looked at him stunned, “What are you doing? I thought you had to meet your parents? And where is Jimin?”

Yoongi finished washing his hands before he walked back over to you, “I gave Jimin my card and told him to go get us dinner. Seemed like he needed a break. My parents will understand. I mean, me working here was their idea to begin with.”

“Oh okay.”, you replied still suspicious but there wasn’t anything you could do anyways.

Jungkook was quick to sense the tension in the air so he gave you both a goodbye before grabbing his drink and practically jogging out of the building.

“So uh how are your um classes going? What’s your major again?”, he nervously asked.

“Oh they’re alright. Lots of work.”, you chuckled, “My major is in marketing with a minor in communications.”

“Wow that’s pretty amazing. You must have big plans for once you graduate.”

“Yeah I guess. Maybe I’ll work for one of your rivals one day.”, you joked getting a laugh out of him.

Jimin seemed to be taking his time getting dinner which left you and Yoongi alone with each other until a familiar face showed up at the counter.

“Hey Namjoon, what are you doing here?”, you asked.

“Hi Y/N, I’m checking out the new art exhibit up the street and thought I’d grab a coffee first. I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Yeah have to get myself through college somehow.”

“Hey a jobs a job. Did you get your results back from Mrs. Cho’s class? That test kicked my ass.”

You giggled, “Yeah tell me about it. I studied for days and still barely squeaked by.”

Yoongi watched the scene unfold before him. “What is going on around here tonight?”, he thought to himself. You flirting with a tall handsome guy with cute dimples who was smart and artistic and friendly and Yoongi felt his blood boil again as he watched him flirt right back. He knew he couldn’t take much more of this.

As soon as Namjoon said goodbye he walked up next to you.

“Maybe we should call Jimin. Knowing him he’s probably going on a shopping spree with your card right now.”, you laughed turning to look at Yoongi.

He stood in front of you not saying anything. His hands were sweating and he felt like he was going to throw up. He leads very important meetings with some of the most powerful people in the world with ease. He’s had to fire people two days before Christmas and didn’t think twice about it. He’s faced his parents and told them off like he had a death wish but it didn’t phase him. But standing here in front of you was the most nervous he had ever been.

“Will you go out with me?”, he blurted out unsure of where this sudden confidence boost came from.

“I’m sorry what?”, you questioned.

“Y/N, will you please go out with me?”

“Like on a date??”

“Yes…like on a date…with me…Min Yoongi…and you…”

Internally you swooned seeing how nervous and flustered he was, but you did your best to remain cool on the outside.

“Yes, I would like to go on a date with you…Min Yoongi.”

You nervously paced around your bedroom that was littered with different dresses and skirts and shoes. Sure you had been on dates before but never with enemy turned lovers that were also successful billionaire ceos.

“Seriously, Yoongi isn’t going to care what you wear. He doesn’t worry about stuff like that.”, Hobi chuckled from where he was laid out on your bed snacking on some of your chips.

“Yeah well I’ve seen the women he’s left the office with over the years and I beg to differ.”

“Yeah and 99% of those women were one night stands that he just used to get his dick wet. Y/N trust me. He likes you more than that.”

“Really?”, you questioned.

Hobi nodded, “He’s been a nervous wreck all week. I swear I’ve had to cancel fifteen different reservations because he never thought the restaurant was good enough. He’s called every florist in the city looking for a bouquet that he felt was pretty enough for you. And you didn’t hear this from me and I’ll throw you right under the bus if you say you did, but he even had Jimin come up to our office yesterday and I heard Yoongi asking him for romance tips.”

“Whaaattt?”, you stated in shock.

“Mmhmm yes ma’am. I know it’s hard to believe, but Yoongi doesn’t usually do romance. He’s more of a fuck ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. So he is really trying to impress you.”

You knew Hobi was trying to help, but now you were even more nervous than before.

After settling on a simple black dress with your “comfy” heels Hobi left you with a hug and made you promise to text him afterwards so he could get all the details.

Yoongi was exactly on time as he nervously handed you a beautiful bouquet of red, white, and pink roses.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”, you smiled quickly placing them in a vase of water.

Offering you his hand he lead you out to a waiting car that quickly sped off to your destination after you were settled in.

“You look very nice tonight Y/N.”, he blushed.

“You looking really nice yourself.”, you added. And he did. He was dressed down from his usual business suit, but somehow still dressed up for the date. He wore perfectly tailored black dress pants and a slim fitting black dress shirt tucked in with the sleeves rolled up just like you liked. He had a few dainty bracelets and some earrings on to accessorize the look which was finished off with his hair lightly styled. His cologne was intoxicating like something you’d never smelled before. Masculine but yet soft and gentle much like the person who was wearing it. He looked incredible and it took everything in you not to beg him to take you in the back of the car right then.

The restaurant, of course, was fancy and expensive and you would have never even set foot in it if it wasn’t for Yoongi.

“I hope this okay. Now that I think about it should’ve asked you where you wanted to go. I’m sorry. We can go somewhere else if you would like. I don’t know if you even like steak.”, he ranted after noticing you staring in awe.

You shook your head, “Yoongi this is great. Everything looks so good. I can’t decide what to get.”

“Well order whatever you want.”, he smiled trying to relax a little.

Dinner went smoothly. The food and drinks were good. Yoongi was a great conversationist once he got rid of some of his nerves. You had a great time and when he walked you back up to your apartment you felt a sense of nervousness about what the next move should be.

As you awkwardly stood in front of your door you could feel the tension between you both until Yoongi broke it and chuckled, “I’m sorry I’m kind of new at all of this. I don’t usually take women on actual dates.”

You laughed along with him, “That’s okay. Just do what feels right to you.”

Taking a step forward he placed his hands on your hips, “Right now it feels right to kiss you.”

“Then do it.”, You replied trying to hide the quiver in your voice.

A simple kiss turned into another turned into hands wandering and undoing belts and removing clothes until you were both naked under the covers of your bed entangled with one another.

When you woke up the following morning with Yoongi’s naked chest pressed closely against your bare back and his arms still tightly wrapped around your waist you felt the most content you had in a long time. A feeling you didn’t know was possible.

“How was your date with Yoongi last night?”, Jin questioned when you walked in for your Saturday evening shift. You looked around surprised. The only people that new about your date were Hobi and Jimin. You knew Hobi and Jin had never even met let alone talked so you through a glare in Jimin’s direction who put his hands up in defense as if to say he had nothing to do with it.

Jin continued, “It’s all over the internet. I knew the two of you would end up together. That’s why I said no office sex.”

In a panic you took out your phone and started searching. Sure enough the first headline you read was ‘MYG INC.’s Min Yoongi Finally Settling Down?’ Another one read ‘Who Is the Mystery Girl That Stole the Heart of One of the Worlds Most Wanted Bachelors’. Both were accompanied by photos of you and Yoongi at the restaurant, driving in his car, and even walking into your apartment building.

“What? I didn’t know we were even being followed.”, you whispered to yourself.

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Must be a slow news day. It’ll be forgotten about by tomorrow.”, Jimin said while clocking in.

You pulled out your phone about to call Yoongi when you already heard his voice behind you.

He leaned on the counter giving you a sad smile.

“What are you doing here?”, you asked.

“I have some work stuff I need to get done so I thought I’d come into the office. I’m guessing you saw the news?”

You nodded, “Yeah I have.”

You noticed that Yoongi seemed uncomfortable maybe even worried about something.

He shook his head, “This is so fucked up. I didn’t think anyone would follow us. The last thing I wanted was for it to get out that I was dating you.”

You looked at him with wide eyes, “Are you embarrassed to be with me?”

Yoongi looked like he could cry. Frantically he reached over to grab your hand shaking his head, “God no Y/N. I would never be embarrassed to be with you. There’s just a lot of crazy people in this world you know and I just want to keep you safe. That’s all.”

Something about his words didn’t sit right with you, but in the moment you chose to let it go.

“I have to get upstairs, but call me at the end of your shift.”, he said leaning in for a kiss before deciding against it after noticing a customer walk up to the counter. Instead giving your hand a quick squeeze before walking to the elevators.

Before you knew it your shift was over. Taking out your phone and sitting down at one of the empty tables you called Yoongi who answered on the first ring like he had been waiting all day for your call.

“Hey baby, How was work?”

“Alright. Jimin tripped and fell face first into a piece of chocolate cake he was carrying which was pretty hysterical.”

Yoongi chuckled at that, “I wish I could’ve seen that. Where are you now?”

“Just sitting next to the cafe. I think I’m going to go home and get something to eat. What about you?”

“I have to have an emergency meeting in a few minutes with our partners in Japan. There was a big dip in profits in that market so we need to figure out a plan. Shouldn’t be too long though.”

“I know you’ll figure it out. Call me when you’re done with your meeting.”

“Hey uh Y/N, how about you go to my place instead?”

“Okay yeah that sounds good? I’ll just stop home and change and then head over.”

“No!…I uh…I mean why go out of your way? My place is just down the street from the office building. I’ll call the guards and let them know to let you in. I’ll text you the address and the entrance code. Just go in and shower, find something of mine to wear, get a snack if you want. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way and I’ll order us dinner.”

“Okkkkaaaay. I’ll see you later.”

“”Alright babe I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight.”

You hung up feeling very confused if not even concerned. You knew you would eventually go to his place, but you didn’t expect it to be so suddenly and with him being so pushy about it too.

“You hanging out with Yoongi tonight?”, Jimin asked taking a seat next to you.

“Uh yeah I guess so. He wants me to go straight to his place.”

“Wow he doesn’t waste any time does he? He’s a man who knows what he wants.”, Jimin chuckled.

You laughed with him, but then were smacked in the face with a sudden realization.

There was no way in hell you were going to let Yoongi, the guy you’ve been dating less than a day and also successful rich ceo, see you in your purple polka dot granny panties and mismatched sports bra. You hadn’t even washed your hair from last night and you definitely could already feel some stubble on your legs. None of this would bother you if you two had been together for a while but with the relationship being so new you still wanted to impresses him. Yoongi did say to head straight for his place, but you knew his “quick” meeting was probably to going to be a while so you could make it home, shower, and change into something nicer and then head to Yoongi’s and he’d never know and you were sure he’d appreciate it.

“Great work today Jimin! Gotta go.”, you said jumping up and running towards the door leaving Jimin behind looking dumbfounded.

Once in your bedroom you grabbed the white lace lingerie set that you thankfully decided to splurge on as a birthday gift to yourself a few months ago and started heading towards your bathroom when you felt someone grab you from behind.

For a minute you thought maybe Yoongi’s meeting really had been quick and he beat you home until an unfamiliar voice spoke, “Gotcha! Don’t fight or make this difficult. It’ll only make it worse for you.“

You tried your best to break free elbowing the guy in the throat and you managed to escape to the bathroom slamming shut and locking the door behind you.

You knew you should’ve called the police first, but at that moment there was only one person you could think about. Quickly you dialed Yoongi’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. He must still be in the meeting and had his phone shut off.

“Yoongi please help me.”, you screamed., “I went home. I’m sorry I know you said not to but I didn’t think anything would happen. There’s a man here. He broke in and he’s trying to kidnap me or something. I need you Yoongi.”Just as you hung up and we’re about to call the police there were now two men who busted through the bathroom door that was separating you from them.

“I told you not to make this difficult.”, the man from earlier spat as he picked you up by your wrists and began dragging you down the hallway. You tried to fight back but ultimately they overpowered you.

“For fucks sake I didn’t think that guy was ever going to shut up.”, Yoongi groaned with a stretch.

“Yeah that meeting took a lot longer than it should have. I’ll have the summary notes typed up and on your desk within an hour.”, Hoseok replied.

“No it can wait until Monday. Go home and relax.”, Yoongi said with a smile.

“Ahhh so not only does my best friend enjoy the benefits of boyfriend Yoongi but I also get them?”, he smirked.

“Go, before I change my mind.”

Hoseok laughed, but quickly exited the office knowing his boss really could change his mind.

Yoongi finally pulled out his phone noticing the missed call and voice email from you. He didn’t think much of it at first until the recording started playing and all the blood drained from his face. He felt like he could pass out.

He grabbed his keys and began sprinting through the office building out to the garage. He jumped in his car speeding off completely barreling through the security gate. He tried calling you over and over but there was no answer.

His car stopped in front of your apartment. Yoongi reached over into the glove box grabbing the loaded hand gun he had hidden there and thanked the stars he decided to drive himself to work today instead of having a driver pick him up like he usually would.

He ran up the six flights of stairs to your floor like they were nothing. The adrenaline running through his body made him feel like he’s was on a high and unstoppable.

Entering your apartment he drew his gun, but then immediately saw the clear signs that there had been a struggle. He checked every room, under the bed, in the closets. He screamed your name, but there was no answer.

He dropped down on the couch before running his hands over his face and groaning, “Fuck! I fucking knew something like this would happen.”

He stood up and walked to the door where right in front of his face was a note that was stabbed into the wall with a bloody knife,

“Min Yoongi, We told you not to fuck with us, but you didn’t listen. Now we have your girl and one of you is going to pay the price to make things right.”

[allwaswell16]

A fic rec of One Direction fics that are hidden gems - amazing fics that have been a bit overlooked and as of the time I made this rec have less than 200 kudos - as requested in an ask that Tumblr has whisked into the abyss. If you enjoy the fics, please leave kudos and comments for the writers! You can find my other recs here. Happy reading!

- Louis/Harry -

💎 Into the Weeds by kair0sclerosis

(M, 87k, small town au) With the help of the captivating bartender, Louis, who he can’t seem to stop daydreaming about, and his enchanting group of friends; Harry remembers what it is to be alive. This is a story about small-town secrets, found family, queer identities, and the battle between fight and flight.

💎 don't be afraid to love (and love again) by localopa / @voulezloux

(E, 83k, angst) the one where louis is trans and afraid, harry is cis and brave, and being 100% yourself is easier said than done.

💎 When the Lights Go Out by thelarenttrap / @antidotetogo

(E, 79k, F1 au) In its near eighty years of existence, Formula 1 has never had an out gay driver. In 2017, Harry Styles signs a contract with Scuderia AlphaTauri alongside his childhood friend and competitor, Louis Tomlinson. The next decade of their careers is some of the most tumultuous press--on and off the track--Formula 1 has ever seen.

💎 Your A-Team, Your Endgame by @silverkiiwii

(E, 70k, reality show au) a Next In Fashion au where Louis and Harry are partnered in the competition but they do not get along when they have to if they want to win. Full of fashion, banter, misunderstanding and a whole lot of making each other blush.

💎  Suddenly Last Summer by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 44k, mystery) Suddenly he has someone who listens to him and cares about what he thinks. Someone who really sees him. But their happily ever after is forever marred by an incident at a party during Labor Day weekend, and Louis is left with a choice to make.

💎 Train Tracks and Porcelain by @jaerie

(E, 41k, historical circus au) Shadows were forming into people and things and, there in the middle of it, Louis watched the humongous head of an elephant emerge from a box car right in front of his eyes. Or a Water For Elephants inspired AU

💎 Mind of Stone by amomentoflove / @daggerandrose

(M, 41k, mythology au) He needs to find a way back home, and then figure out what the fuck happened at the bar tonight.

💎 time to buy and time to lose by 5sexualhomos / @hogwartzlou

(T, 25k, time travel) Over the years, Harry’s father has played many pranks on him, but this is a whole new level. Where did he even come up with this idea? An AU based on the movie About Time.

💎 From Christiania with love by @sweariwouldnt

(NR, 18k, friends to enemies to lovers) It's Louis' first field training day as a future police officer. It doesn't quite go to his plan. Or, maybe, it goes exactly to some bigger plan.

💎 Camboy on Lockdown (series) by @reminiscingintherain

(E, 12k, camboy Louis) While Louis was working on the final draft of his thesis for his Master's, the world went into lockdown around him without him realising. Now he's trapped in student accommodation, and needs a way to earn some money...

💎 it's time to find your wings again by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

(T, 12k, prison guard Louis) His fascination for supernatural creatures had turned into something most closely resembling loathing over the years, due to the many stories of their evildoing, and although he still doesn’t believe in hanging them for their crimes, he does believe in keeping the town safe.

💎 Heart of a Lion (With Metal in His Teeth) by graceling_in_a_suit

(M, 8k, sci fi) Harry is an Android. Louis is his target: a revolutionary leader trying to free his people.

💎 Grow as We Go by @larryatendoftheday

(T, 7k, breakup) a fic about growing up and choosing each other.

💎 But he talks like a gentleman by fondlelarry / @fondofstyles

(NR, 7k, humor) “I had a few too many drinks, ate a bad kebab, rang a bunch of doorbells till someone let me in, vomited in his toilet, stole his orange juice and crashed on his sofa. He woke me up with breakfast though, so I’d say it’s alright.”

💎  What we parted ways with by louisismycat / @liminalkittyfics

(M, 6k, exes) Alpha Harry is surprised to see omega Louis at his matchmaker’s cocktail party for millionaires. Years ago when they were together, Louis loathed schmoozefests with rich people.

💎 Pretty and Preposterous by @brightlyharry

(NR, 5k, neighbors) Harry donates a copy of Pride and Prejudice to his little free library. He never expects what comes next.

💎 old macdonald had a farm by vintagehistories / @adoredontour

(NR, 5k, animal direction) Louis is a hedgehog, Harry is a fish, Niall is a parrot, Liam is a golden retriever, and Zayn is Zayn. It’s a crazy twenty-four hours.

💎 Dirty Diana by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

(E, 3k, kink) In the month leading up to his 30th birthday, Harry writes to his confidante Diana every day, sharing his fantasies about Louis.

💎 Pussy Juice by @homosociallyyours

(M, 3k, girl direction) While she manages to dodge the bar's "special" drink, the Pussy Juice shot, she can't avoid the feelings that come up when her former teacher (and teen crush), Louis joins her and her friends for the night.

💎 the blue never-ending sky by @justanothershadeofblue

(T, 3k, epistolary) “Arizona?” Louis asked, and Harry made an affirmative noise from his position on top of his twin bed. “Wouldn’t know, would I?”

💎 Harry, That Kills People by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 2k, organized crime/crack) If there’s one thing that Harry hates, it’s getting his clothes dirty. If there’s one other thing that Harry hates, it’s murder.

💎 As Luck Would Have It by @justalittlelouislove

(T, 2k, humor) We've all experienced the trials and tribulations of technology. Louis is sabotaged by a bit of unhelpful autocorrect, but maybe luck is on his side after all.

💎 If I Can't Have You by Janie_17

(T, 2k, fwb) After Harry turns him down, going out for Karaoke is the last thing Louis wants to do, but his friends are persuasive. When Harry shows up with Nick Grimshaw in tow, his evening goes from bad to worse. But will his choice of song manage to turn things around?

💎 Needle by @nouies

(NR, 666 words, fantasy) “You didn’t deserve this,” he muttered between hiccups. “She didn’t have the right.”

💎 Insomnis by @kingsofeverything

(NR, 500 words, science fiction) Harry’s been having trouble sleeping. Louis makes everything better.

- Rare Pairs -

💎 Eight Days by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 22k, Liam/Louis) Louis and Liam got hitched in Vegas, completely forgot about it for more than a decade, and it comes back to bite them. Sort of.

💎 You Are A Song by @lululawrence

(NR, 3k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw) To Louis, Nick felt like poetry in motion. He was a bit of chaos surrounding Louis’ otherwise monotonous days, and Louis was quickly becoming addicted.

💎 get my kicks like you by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 3k, OT5) “Wait,” Liam had said. “You all jerked it at Niall’s?”

💎 Ink on Your Fingers, Ink on My Skin by Layne Faire / @laynefaire

(E, 1k, Zayn/Liam) Liam gets tattoos for the thrill of it.

[aireia]

Oh universe! — What happens when you fall in love with the vice president of the student council?

tw/cw: gn! reader, fluff + crack(?). gojo's an idiot. not proofread + rushed. author is stupidly sick, fic makes zero sense.

note: don't expect too much from this fic D: —masterlist

The universe has a love-hate relationship with Satoru. No, screw that, it’s against Satoru Gojo. It’s against his relationship between him and the person standing beside him in the student council room, because he can no longer count how many times he’s tried to confess to you, and gotten interrupted by another student pulling you or him away. 

Now, he knows both of you are busy as leaders in the student council, and he’s fairly popular too, but that doesn’t have any business to meddle with his love life! Especially because he’s also lost track of how much money he’s spent on these failed confessions – excluding the tubs of ice cream he buys after each one to comfort himself. (Suguru and Shoko have to take some away from him to prevent him from eating that much sugar.)

“How many is that?” Suguru asked his brunette friend as they both stared out the window at the scene of you being dragged away by students while Satoru sighed in defeat. “I dunno, sixth? Maybe seventh? We just need to make sure he doesn’t eat enough desserts to get himself sick. Y/n told me something about a meeting they would be having tomorrow about our graduation trip.” “Just bribe him with the fact that they’re going to be there. He’ll be sure to return back to whatever he’s on before all the confessions.”

-

“Really?!” Satoru’s eyes lit up right before he managed to grab the 2nd tub of strawberry ice cream. “...Are you really the president of the student council? How do you not know about this?” “I was only focusing on y/n when they said the news.” 

That caused both his friends’ faces to contort into disgust. Maybe they shouldn’t have told him and let him miss the meeting instead, but you’d probably be kind enough to find him before the meeting and drag him there.

-

“A trip to the mountains…” you mumbled to yourself as you scanned through the papers that were handed out during the meeting. You had been assigned to take care of accommodations. Satoru, on the other hand, was devastated . He had been assigned to take care of the food. No doubt all of you would be getting kikufuku for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days straight.

That would’ve been the case, if he didn’t drag you to multiple cafes to plan the trip. Granted, he did treat you to a lot of your favourite snacks and drinks, so going out with him wasn’t that bad. 

The both of you sat in silence most of the time, surprisingly. Sometimes the snowy haired male would sneak in some small talk, but the only time you spoke half the time would be for each other’s opinions. Satoru tried to get you to agree to the worst diets you’ve seen in your entire life. You rejected. 

You tried to propose a few spots to stay in. and Satoru agreed to most of them, though you scrapped your own ideas just moments after he agreed. 

-

You breathed out through your mouth, watching as puffs of smoke escaped your lips. You were standing on the balcony of your room. Staring at the city you call home from the mountains. 

“There you are.” Someone draped a blanket over your trembling body. It’s Satoru, you noted. You could recognise his voice even in a room full of people. “You made a good choice choosing this place. The view is pretty.” Satoru sang words of praise to you, joining you on the balcony. 

“Thank you,” you responded, not bothering to look at him. A long period of silence ensued between the both of you, and Satoru found it to be torture. You’re alone, right? That means he can confess. But how? He looks at your lips. They’re trembling from the cold. 

“Your lips look cold. Do you think I could warm them up for you?” his words spilled out before he processed it. You looked at him weirdly before laughing.

“Is that… How you confess to people?” you continued to laugh, and it reminded him of the first breeze of spring. Playful, calm, refreshing from the cold from winter. Once he realised what he had said, he choked on air and stuttered out, “It’s not! I swear it’s just–” Satoru tried to find the words to explain himself, his head now working overtime to search for the vocabulary that left his mind when these types of situations happened. 

You grinned and cupped his cheeks before pulling him down to gently kiss him, only pulling away once the both of you had relaxed. You couldn’t help but smile at the dust of pink on his face. You were sure there were some on your cheeks too.

“Yea, it is warmer now.”

Maybe the universe isn’t all that against him after all.

by user @ aireia, do not plagiarize and/or translate.

[misc-obeyme]

I love your fat Mc headcannons so much!!! As a chubby person with low self esteem they are honestly really comforting, If you feel like if I’d love to see you write for the datables too.

Okay, considering I got two requests for this, here it is, part three with the dateables!

(And while I did not include Luke of course, I do think he would be confused about a fat MC having low self esteem. He doesn't get it, but he gets it bothers you and I think he'd just go out of his way to hug you because you're so squishy.)

I would also like to say that I'm really happy that these headcanons have been comforting. I've come a long way in my own self esteem and body image journey and I think that's the only reason I was able to write these at all. It's one thing to say these fictional characters will love and accept you the way that you are, but it's been my experience that real life people will, too. At least, the ones that matter do. The rest can fuck off lol.

Anyway, thank you for the request, lovely anons. I hope you like them!

dateables x fat GN!MC - NSFW MDNI

Warnings: discussion of weight and body image, suggestive content

Diavolo

He knows there's something causing you to have some low self esteem, but he isn't sure what it is at first. He observes that you just have this sort of discomfort sometimes. Eventually he just asks Lucifer because he can't figure it out on his own. Mostly because your body size seems completely irrelevant to him and he doesn't know enough about how such things are viewed in human society to understand why you might feel that way. Once he knows the truth, though, he has conflicting feelings. He wants nothing more than to reassure you that it isn't something you even need to worry about, but he's also outraged on your behalf. He's normally very fascinated by human world culture, but this makes him angry.

Diavolo will chat with all the brothers about this aspect of you. He wants to make sure that he isn't contributing to your insecurities at all. He makes sure your RAD uniform fits well and is designed so you're comfortable with how revealing or not revealing it is. He makes sure all the desk chairs at RAD can accommodate you. And he will act swiftly and decisively if he hears anything about rumors or students making fun of you.

If you're in a relationship with him, he will go out of his way to reassure you about your body. He wants you to know that he loves it, just as he loves everything else about you. There is nothing wrong with it at all, MC. He seems to understand that you need to hear him say it. That you need to hear him tell you that when he looks at you, all he sees is perfection. Considering how tall he is, you might actually be able to wear his clothes, too. But if it turns out they fit you just right or are really long but tight around the middle, he's going to think it's the cutest thing ever. He might deliberately buy clothes that are too big for him and then have you wear them so you'll feel like you're drowning in fabric.

But there is no doubt that he prefers when you aren't wearing any clothes at all. He won't let you keep the lights off during sex, he wants to see every part of you. Covers you completely in kisses, lingering over things he's heard you complain about. His favorite thing is to put your legs on his shoulders - he loves to see your whole body shaking beneath him, the way your legs clench against him. He's going to make sure you aren't capable of thinking at all, let alone thinking poorly about yourself.

Barbatos

He knows, of course. He knows exactly what you're dealing with. He can tell if you won't eat too many of his pastries. He'll make your favorites in an attempt to get you to at least take some home with you. He notices the way you move, how you avoid certain types of chairs, the usually over sized clothes that cover every inch, the way you avoid reflective surfaces. He notices all of it. He sees everything. He does his best to redirect you when he thinks you're struggling with something related to this, but he won't say anything to you directly. He's also really good at derailing other people who may say something they think is harmless, but isn't. Just easily changes the topic.

Barbatos takes it upon himself to make you stunning outfits for nearly every event. Any time you need some kind of fancy outfit, he is ready to make you something perfect. It fits you exactly right every time. Somehow, when you look in the mirror, you actually think you look good when you wear what he's made. How did he even manage to do that? He's pleased with himself for making you something so nice, but the way it makes you cry upsets him. He knows you don't often feel this way when you look at yourself. He knows that you cry because it's so rare for you to love the way you look. But it still fills him with a simmering rage that he somehow hides behind his usual smile.

In a relationship, he's going to touch you subtly all the time. Puts his hand on your back, circles his arm around your hip, any opportunity to touch you, he takes it. It's so gentle and nobody else notices, but you are hyper aware of the way his fingertips are always ghosting across you. When you're alone, he'll say everything you need to hear. He will tell you that he loves you for who you are in your entirety - your heart, your mind, your body, all of it. Because each of these things make you who you are and he loves you. Your body is perfect because it belongs to you, MC.

His favorite thing to do is wrap his tail around one of your thighs. Pushes one or both of the tips between them, sneaking it in where you might think it couldn't possibly fit. Considering how he can hide the entire tip of it between your thick legs when you're sitting with them together, he'll do it in public on purpose to rile you up. Then when he gets you alone, he apologizes so sweetly while he undresses you. Takes his time with you, kissing and touching, slowly burying himself in your heat until by the time he really gets going, you're both desperate and moaning.

Simeon

He doesn't notice unless you spend a decent amount of time with him and then he realizes that you're insecure about your body size. He doesn't know why and he doesn't feel like he can ask you directly, but he can definitely tell. So he takes it upon himself to shield you from anything that he thinks will make it worse. Deliberately tells you how good you look almost every day. You probably catch on because that's a little overkill, but it's sweet so you don't complain about it. Unless it comes up in conversation, he will not ask you about it. You can tell him yourself when you're ready.

As soon as Simeon understands exactly how you feel, you notice a subtle shift in the way he acts about it. There's a sort of underlying anger to the way he will defend you now, the way he will attempt to protect you from things he thinks are causing you to feel bad about yourself. He's angry about it, but he keeps it under wraps, hiding it behind his smile and serene personality. If you're prone to joking about your size as a defense mechanism, he will not like that at all. He frowns and tells you not to talk about yourself like that, even jokingly.

Being in a relationship with him is all of the above, but more intense. You find that he will actually scold you about being down on yourself, though he always follows it up with kisses. He's far more intense and unforgiving of anyone or anything else that causes you discomfort. You'll find he also just takes over feeding you. He's constantly bringing you meals and snacks that he's made. He's worried you won't eat properly. If you want him to, he will sit and eat with you if that's something that helps you feel better. All you have to do is ask him and he'll do whatever he can to make you more comfortable. Just leave it to him, MC.

He always seems perfectly calm and restrained until he gets you alone in his bed. He likes to dress you in lingerie - don't worry if you think it won't fit. He gets it custom made, but you'll never find out exactly where he goes for that. You highly suspect certain clothing-making demons may be involved, but you're far too embarrassed to ask. He just loves to see you only partially covered so he can run his fingertips along the edges of the cloth, teasing you for way too long before finally giving in and ravaging you. He can't stop telling you how perfect your body is when he's inside you.

Solomon

As a fellow human, he understands immediately why you might be self conscious about your larger body. Solomon has been through most of human history - he's seen all the trends. He knows how bad this particular one happens to be and how long it has persisted among humans. He watches you to see if you decided to try anything drastic - like using a spell or a potion to make yourself thin. He's ready to jump in and stop you if you so much as look it up. He doesn't want you to hurt yourself, but he also wants you to realize that you don't need to change.

Take the opportunity to tell him how you feel. Tell him about why it's so tempting to use magic to change yourself. How different your life could be if you did. He will listen, but he'll also talk you out of it. In the end, it's his expression that changes your mind. He makes some good points, of course, but the way he just looks so upset at the idea really makes you think you probably shouldn't do it.

Don't tell him that you're insecure in a relationship with him because you are asking for trouble. He'll know already of course, but if you say it, it's all over. He's going to say stuff all the time about your size and how perfect it is. He's going to constantly touch you and tease you and get you to do things you would normally never do. If you react dramatically to anything like that, he'll only laugh and do it even more. He likes to show you off, too. Takes you out places especially if he thinks the demon brothers will be there. Keeps an arm around your hips the entire time.

Similarly, if you say you're too fat to do something sexual with him, he's going to do it anyway. You might even say that you're too fat in general and then all bets are off. Saying anything like that to him is going to make him crazy, so you can be sure you will not be sleeping at all that night. Very deliberately chooses positions that you seem uncertain about due to your size. Spends a night just kissing and touching every single spot on your body. Reassures you constantly because even though he just wants to make you feel good, he knows how important it is for you to hear him say it, too. You're stunning, MC. Don't you know how much he loves you?

part one with the older brothers | part two with the younger brothers

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[tagsecretsanta]

From @janetm74

From @janetm74 to @the-original-sineater

Dodecuplet: 12 musical notes performed in the time of the same value.

Or: 12 Christmas Eves over the years.

With much help from @mariashades

Prompts: 1) SCIENCE!! 2) Holiday in the Tropics  3)Odd family food traditions.  

One:  Scotland

Lucille Charlotte Evans met Amelia Candice Barclay on a wet and windy day in late August on the steps of a large house in St Andrews.

It was an inauspicious meeting. Lucille – Lucy to her friends – had just climbed out of a taxi and was about to drag her suitcase up the stairs when a gust of wind blew it out of her hands and she suddenly found herself racing down the hill after it.

Amelia happened to be the one who stopped it, or rather, was sent flying by it, and the two women, both strangers to Scotland, found themselves seated together in St Andrews Community Hospital Minor Injuries Unit while waiting for Amelia’s ankle to be x-rayed.

It turned out to be only badly sprained and a very guilty Lucy offered to take Amelia back to her home only to find out they were neighbours, sharing the same student accommodation only on different floors.

They quickly became firm friends by the end of the day, fuelled on the rather unusual local delicacy of deep-fried pizza, chips and cheap red wine.

Lucy was studying Astrophysics and Computer Science. Amelia was studying Economics and Social Anthropology. None of their classes overlapped but they had sections of time that did, and they often sat together in the University library or camped out in one of the museums in an out-of-the-way corner.

That first Christmas they both should have spent with their respective families but heavy snow grounded airflight and so they holed up in Amelia’s room and ate the only food they could scrounge up on Christmas Eve – haggis, neeps and tatties with  a dessert called cranachan and good whisky.

It was the weirdest feast both women had ever eaten. And the beginnings of a tradition they both tried hard to keep while in Uni together – Christmas Eve was always holed up in one of their rooms with their Scottish feast.

Two: Kansas

Ruth bustled around the farmhouse, singing at the top of her voice. The radio was blasting the top 100 tunes from the 80s and she was bopping as she plated food and wrapped them ready for the party.

‘Grant, hun, do you want a drink?’

‘Thanks, Ruthie, that would be lovely.’

She took out a bottle of root beer and watched with a fond smile as he turned the ribs in the smoker. No one cooked meat like her husband did, and while his Kansas BBQ beef was legend locally, so good that even Miss Ella had said she’d buy any leftovers off him – there were never any leftovers with her husband and son – but what Grant was really famous for was his Sweet Southern Slow-Cooker Ham.

Giving him a quick squeeze from behind Ruth returned to the kitchen to finish prepping all the cold foods they would need. It might be winter and cold here in Kansas but their Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the mounds of potato salad, coleslaw, soul food macaroni and pickles to go with the ham and burnt ends.. They’d never really been a turkey kind of family, reserving that bird exclusively to Thanksgiving.

Once Ruth had wrapped all the sides and packed them away she set about cleaning the house from top to bottom. A spick and span house she could do, cooking not so much, not unless you liked burnt as a flavour and a texture.

The day passed on and as it did so did the excitement in the household. Jeff was coming home today from NASA and he was bringing his best friends Lee Taylor and the Caseys. They hadn’t seen Jeff since the spring and as the sun began to go down the sound of a truck in the driveway heralded their guests.

Christmas Eve had become the traditional day they ate their meal and had done ever since the day they had married, with Ruth’s commitments at the local clinic they had always put other families ahead of their own, letting the workers have Christmas Day instead. Jeff had grown up knowing no different and loved having their celebrations a day early.

Arms snaked around her waist as Ruth put the kettle on and a head rested on her shoulder.

‘Ma, I swear you get younger every year.’

‘Flattery will not get you out of the dishes, Jefferson.’

‘Mmm, I’ll happily wash the dishes if Pa’s made his Ham and Burnt Ends.’

‘Stop asking stupid questions and take the coffees through.’

Jeff laughed and took the tray his Mom indicated.

Three: Kent

Lucy and Amelia’s friendship lasted long past University. It lasted the distance of the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA had snapped up Lucy once they’d seen her dissertation but despite the distance they chatted regularly and met up at least once a year, and always on Christmas Eve.

This year was going to be different.

This year Amelia had married.

It Amelia’s turn to host Christmas Eve dinner, and Lucy had brought her fiancé. They hadn’t been going out long but from the chats the two women were having Amelia knew this was the one.

She was eager to see her best friend again and hopeful that Lucy would get on with her husband. She’d laughed a good solid 10 minutes when she’d found out that Hugh was actually Lord Hugh Creighton-Ward, 11th Earl of Kent and that plain old Amelia Candice Barclay was to become Lady Amelia Creighton-Ward.

Speaking of her husband, she put down the spoon she was using to mix the swede and carrot mash and went to find him. It came as no surprise that he was holed up in his office – that Stanley the butler insisted on calling his ‘study’ – even on Christmas Eve. Her husband’s work for the Home Office didn’t stop just because it was an international holiday.

Knocking, she waited for his call before entering, and Amelia broke out into a grin at Hugh’s rueful face.

‘You caught me, Me!’

‘I did, Hugh. Are you done? Our guests should be arriving shortly.’

‘And you want me front and centre. Understood.’

‘I want you to be your usual witty self, my love.’

Hugh laughed and put his file back away in his safe before following his wife out to the kitchen. He pulled up a seat at the table and watched his wife putting the final touches to the meal they would shortly be serving.

He couldn’t believe this beautiful, amazing woman had agreed to marry him. He was ten years older, in a stodgy job and a member of the elite British aristocracy. The day his chauffeur accidently crushed her bike while parking was the day his life had changed. She’d been like a spitfire, giving first Grandy and, when she found out he was ‘just the chauffeur’ Amelia had turned to him and given him such a mouthful.

No one had ever spoken to him like that and by the time the lecture had finished he was smitten. They were engaged by the end of the month. Amelia had been a breath of fresh air to the estate. For a start off she worked closely with the staff to bring them more in line with the 21st Century and after some sweeping changes life had settled into a new routine.

Amelia loved to cook and Hugh had suddenly found that he loved to be in the kitchen, a place he’d never really frequented even as a boy. He loved watching her at work. She danced and sang unreservedly and created magic. He’d never eaten such food, and some of their meals had a distinctly Scottish flair on certain days, and his introduction to the national dish of haggis had been…interesting.

Now he was being inducted into another of Amelia’s traditions, the Scottish Feast on Christmas Eve. Amelia’s best friend Lucille was coming over from America with her partner Jeff. He’d met Lucy a couple of times but he knew Jeff by reputation.

Jefferson Tracy, first man on Mars. Everyone knew him. And now Hugh was about to have the man stay at the house with him. It didn’t faze him, he’d hobnobbed with the cream of British aristocracy and foreign diplomats, he was sure he could handle a hot-shot American.

They were going to eat relatively quickly after they arrived, it was late already and just as Amelia placed the last prepared dish into the aga a knock sounded on the door. She grinned at Hugh, grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind her as they made their way to the door.

Opening it the two women may have squealed – not that either were going to admit that – and the two men shook hands before Jeff pressed a bottle of Pappy Van Winkles Family Reserve. Impressed at the gift, Hugh stood aside and allowed them entry.

‘Good evening. Hugh Creighton-Ward. Please call me Hugh.’

‘Jefferson Tracy. Please call me Jeff. Thanks for invitin’ us.’

‘My pleasure. I hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for.’

‘Lucy has been talking about nothing else for weeks.’

They settled into the kitchen rather than the dining room and Amelia passed around the hot toddies she’d prepared.

By the time dinner was over both men were firm friends and a new tradition had been created, with the invitation for the Creighton-Wards to come to Kansas next year.

Four: Dibrugarh

This Christmas Eve was going to be different.

Jeff, Lucy and their four children were off to Dibrugarh in India. Hugh, Amelia and their daughter Penelope had moved out early in the year ostentatiously to take on a job overseeing a tea plantation. The heat wasn’t really agreeing with Penny, but the ten-year-old was being a trooper.

The plane ride was long but enjoyable. They had flown from Kansas to Chicago and spent the day in the Windy City before sleeping overnight and taking the longest flight the boys had ever been on, 14 hours from Chicago to Delhi. With any other children it would probably have been difficult, but all boys had grown up flying, Scott starting at two months old. From Delhi to Dibrugarh, the last stretch being a little over three hours.

Hugh met them at the airport and drove them to a large villa on the outskirts of the town. It was obviously a new build but it was light and spacious and airy, just right for the temperature.

Drinks called Sherberts were given out and rather than collapsing in a tired heap Jeff and Lucy watched in amusement when the boys got a second wind, following Penny out and exploring while it was the adults who collapsed in a heap.

‘God, Hugh, I thought it would be hot in India!’

‘Not at this time of year.’

They laughed over drinks and chatted while the children ran in and out the rooms, even Penny coming out of her shell to join the boys in a game of tag.

Christmas Eve this year was not the Scottish Feast but an Indian one in the style of a Thali. Bhaat (steamed rice), Dal, Bhendir Sarosi (okra in mustard sauce), Lau Tenga (bottle gourd), Aloo Pitika (potatoes), Xaak Bhaji and the sides Kharoli – a papaya chutney and Assamese pickle, all washed down with a drink called Khar.

None of the Tracys were expecting a mild but highly spiced vegetarian meal, but they all enjoyed what was put before them, the boys in particular loving the open nature of the food and that they not only could help themselves from the central tray but that they could eat with their fingers. The meal was finished off with a selection of Indian sweets and glasses of Mango Lassi.

Scott declared that Indian sweets were almost as good as apple pie to the laughter of all. Lucy spent time with Amelia and the two woman who had helped cook the feast, taking notes and looking forward making some of these dishes once she’d returned home.

The evening ended with presents as usual and a happy puppy pile of Tracys and Creighton-Wards wrapped up tightly in blankets as fireworks lit up the sky.

Five: Fiji

Lucy rubbed her bump. She was getting big and pretty soon she’d have to stop flying. This was going to be their last holiday before baby number five was born.

Their Christmas vacation place this year held a double purpose. Not only were they holidaying in the tropics to give Lucy and John some much needed summer sun after both had been hospitalised with severe pneumonia, but they were here for a surprise Christmas present.

Jeff had been so secretive, the only indication of what he’d been up to was the location. Lucy looked out the window of their private jet as Jeff brought them into land. The ocean was so clear and sparkling!

Fiji was hot in comparison to Kansas, and for that first day Lucy just rested on the beach and baked. And boy did she feel better that evening! John too had some colour to his cheeks and Jeff relaxed a little, seeing that he’d made a good choice.

They had three days before the Creighton-Wards would join them. There was sadness at the thought. Penny had returned to England after a year in India, citing the weather as a reason, although Jeff and Lucy had their suspicions as to the real reason, but they would never ask and put their relationship under strain. It would be the first time Hugh and Amelia had seen their daughter for two years.

The boys understood to give the family room, and after an afternoon spent swimming and exploring the beach they returned to the villa to find the Creighton-Ward’s in their own puppy pile, evidence of tears long dried on all faces.

That evening they rested and just reorientated themselves around each other after missing last year.

Christmas Eve began with more swimming and sun lounging, with a thirteen-year-old Scott trying out some waterskiing for the first time. Lunch was going to be their Lovo Feast. Plates of Kokoda, Palisami, Fish Lolo and Vakalolo for dessert.

The food was some of the strangest they had ever eaten. Gordon’s face when he saw the raw fish made everyone laugh. But soon they had eaten their fill and rested and then Jeff was chivvying them all to the airport for his surprise.

The jet had been refuelled and was ready for them all but Jeff refused to say where they were going. He banned everyone from the cockpit…and that was when the Tracy family realised that the windows had been blacked out.

They had no way of knowing where Jeff was flying them…

It wasn’t too long a journey and they had soon landed. Jeff let them out and held Lucy close as she looked at where they were.

It was an island. Behind them a mountain rose up, in front and below them was a cove and a small patch of sandy beach. There was a gasp from every individual as they stepped off the plane onto the tiny runway. Her husband pulled her close and kissed her head.

‘Jeff?’

‘Do you like it?’

‘Like it…? What have you done?’

‘Done? Why, I’ve bought us an island to holiday on and eventually retire to.’

‘Oh.’

‘Oh? Is that all you can say?’

Lucy turned in his arms and kissed him soundly to the whistles and catcalls of their boys.

‘Was that enough words?’

‘Yes. Boys, Hugh, Amelia, Penny – welcome to Tracy Island.

Six: Kansas

This year Christmas was cancelled.

Scott tried his hardest but no one had the heart for it. With Alan still only a baby really at 21 months old there didn’t seem a point as he wouldn’t miss Christmas if they didn’t do it, and none of his other brothers had been able to muster up enough…drive, desire, want – Scott didn’t know what to call it – to do anything this year. And he couldn’t blame them.

They were never going to be whole again.

Seven: New York

It had been a battle Scott had lost despite fighting bitterly.

Jeff had sunk himself into Tracy Industries since their Mom and Grandpa’s death and the business had gone from strength to strength. And then earlier in the spring Jeff had hit a milestone, opening his headquarters in a new skyscraper in New York of all places as the first of many in an empire that was now beginning to go global.

This year had also seen changes at home, with both Scott and John leaving for their respective colleges and Gordon beginning to become a serious contender with his swimming. The Squid was going to go places – namely the Olympics – and he’d been pestering his Dad to let him attend a residential school that catered for Olympic hopefuls.

This Christmas Jeff had put his foot down. It was the first one since his boys had left and he was going to make the most of it.

Unfortunately, ‘make the most of it’ meant that instead of celebrating in a relaxed atmosphere at home they were all dressed up – suited and booted – and at Tracy Tower for the staff Christmas Party.

Scott had had words about dragging his brothers here, how it was unfair of Jeff to schedule the party on today of all days, but Jeff had held firm and dismissed him with a wave of his hand and the cutting remark that Scott didn’t know what he was talking about.

They had stopped talking for the last two days, but Scott was determined to give his brothers the best Christmas ever and had taken them all to Central Park that day and spoiled them rotten.

The staff party itself was actually fine, and Scott began to relax as it became clear that this was not one of his Dad’s networking meetings. A small band was playing Christmas pop tunes and people were dancing.

The food was…well, the food was delicious but there just wasn’t enough of it. Aware enough that if he ate as much as his stomach was telling him he needed to he’d probably get into trouble, Scott nibbled sadly as he wandered the room and looked out for his brothers.

John had brought a book and had curled up in a chair in the corner, resolutely ignoring all attempts at conversation. Virgil was currently under one of the tables, his sketch book out and another page being filled with whatever took the artist’s eye. Gordon was on his best behaviour, their dad making it absolutely clear that any discussion about him leaving home depended on his ability to show he was mature enough for it. And little Alan was with John, sitting under his chair and playing with the build-a-rocket kit that Scott had bought him earlier that day.

A hand on his shoulder had him freeze until a familiar voice sounded in his ear. Grinning, he turned and took in the sight of Penny, dressed in a…a…well, in a pink dress. Scott had no fashion sense; he had no idea what she was wearing.

But she looked stunning.

He took her hand and kissed it before offering her the floor, and at her slight nod Scott swept her up in a dance.

Maybe today wasn’t going to be a total loss after all…

Later that night the three eldest and Penny lay sprawled over the couch munching pizza and drinking pop as their fathers chatted over whisky in the kitchen. If Scott had his arm around Penny and if Penny was snuggling into his embrace well no one was going to mention it.

Eight: London

Penny hopped from foot to foot, much to Parker’s amusement. And he hoped that this Christmas would be a turning point for his ward.

They had buried Lady Amelia Creighton-Ward that spring and it had hit her daughter harder than expected. After spending so long apart, the news that her parents were moving back to England had filled Penny with hope for the opportunity to get to know them all over again, but they’d barely been back when her mother got sick.

The family that Penny was expecting had been instrumental in helping her through, and in particular the eldest, who would be arriving before everyone else since he was currently based in Germany.

She’d be lying if the thought of having Scott to herself hadn’t sparked something in her heart. Ever since that Christmas in Fiji they had been getting closer, and Scott had been calling her regularly since her mum…yeah, he knew how she felt, what she was going through. They would talk for what felt like hours even though each call was only around 30 minutes.

And there he was!

A head higher than everyone else, Scott strode confidently across the airport, looking for Penny. A shift in the crowd drew his attention, and Scott grinned as he saw Penny standing there, oblivious to the way the crowds parted for her – assisted in no small part from the grim expression on her guardian, Parker. He saw the moment she saw him, her smile lighting up the atmosphere.

Scott quickened up and, dropping his duffle at her feet, he caught her about the waist and swung her up and around, cherishing her laughter as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

They were staying in what Penny had called ‘the town house’. That term had not prepared Scott for the four-story house in the heart of Knightsbridge. Parker took Scott’s bag to his room and made his way to the kitchen where he prepared tea as slowly as he could. His Lady needed Scott right now.

He found them in the front drawing room, seated on the sofa. Scott was holding a sobbing Penny and he offered Parker a small smile as he tightened his hold. Parker sat the tray down and made a tactful withdrawal.

The next morning Parker drove them to the airport to pick up the rest of the Tracy family. He watched his ward and the boy through the mirror. She was looking brighter, and something loosened in his heart.

Parker watched as the boys gave his lady hugs and surrounded the pair before they swarmed through the airport to the car. They filled the space with a comfortable noise, both in the car and in the house, and they helped Penny relaxed even more.

Lil had made a light lunch so that the dinner could be the Christmas Eve feast Lord Hugh had asked her to prepare. After lunch Parker had taken Jeff to go and collect Hugh from his office and the rest settled down to watch some Christmas movies.

Scott and Penny were on one sofa, with Alan sitting on his brother’s lap and leaning back against him. John was sitting on the floor between Penny and his brother while Virgil and Gordon were curled up on the other sofa. All four brothers were asleep before the movie was even halfway through, their body clocks not yet adjusted to all the time they’d spent flying, and Scott and Penny let them snooze on so that they’d be fresh for the evening.

The smells from the kitchen soon roused the boys, and there was much amusement when Scott returned from there with red ears, red cheeks and a red hand. He slid back into his seat just as their fathers arrived home. There were more hugs and some chatting and then Parker returned to announce that dinner was ready.

Lillian had been given a very specific feast to create, a mixture of the family favourites. It was one of the most eclectic dinners she’d ever put together. It shouldn’t have worked, but for some reason it did. Lil reckoned it was because of who they all were, Parker wasn’t so sure, muttering under his breath about ‘boys’ and ‘cast iron stomachs thanks to Mrs Tracy senior’.

Haggis held court with baked ham with glazed vegetables. Plates of Fish Lolo sat next to Xaak Bhaji and sides of Kharoli and steamed Bhaat and to top it all off there were several desserts.

The families didn’t quieten down at all as food was consumed. And Parker was pleased to see his master and mistress begin to smile genuinely for the first time in a long time.

Nine: Germany

Jeff sat in the chair and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before stretching as much as possible while still sitting in the ridiculously uncomfortable chair.

He must have made a sound he was unaware of as a low moan came from the bed and Jeff sat forward carefully, picking up Scott’s hand as carefully as he could, mindful of the canula and the still-healing digits.

But Scott didn’t wake fully and after he settled back to sleep Jeff sighed.

A nurse entered with a tray and set it down on the table before pulling out her pad and recording details from the machines still attached to his son.

He took a deep breath.

His son.

His son was here.

Scott was here, alive.

Scott was alive.

Jeff still couldn’t believe Scott was there, and he gently kissed his son’s hand and placed it back on the bed.

‘Mr Tracy?’

‘Uh…yes?’

‘I brought you a meal.’

‘A – a meal?’

‘It’s Christmas Eve, Mr Tracy. We don’t have much, it is a military hospital after all, but we have a little. I don’t know what you eat but I brought some ham, turkey and some vegetables. And I’m sorry but I could only get green Jello for dessert.’

‘Nurse…?’

‘Abby. Please, sir, call me Abby.’

‘Abby, I am very, very touched by this.’

‘You are more than welcome, Sir.’

He eyed the tray, not inclined in the least to try and eat anything and turned back to watching Scott. Jeff didn’t pay any more heed to the nurse, but as she left she paused in the doorway.

‘Colonel Tracy, I just want you to know that your son is in the very best of hands and we’re proud to be looking after him.’

‘Thank you, Abby. That – that means a lot.’

‘I know you don’t want to eat, but Scott needs you to be strong so please try and eat something.’

‘I – I will.’

The door closed quietly and Jeff looked at the tray again. Green Jello had been the dessert Virgil had loved the most, fighting his brothers for it, invariably being rescued by Scott snatching it out of Gordon’s hands. Scott’s was always the red one, much like Alan. Stifling a sob at the memory, Jeff picked up the Jello and ate it slowly as he watched his son’s chest rise and fall.

Ten: Argentina

It was a heavy feeling of déjà vu as Jeff sat at another bedside and held the hand of another son who he’d believed was dead, but turned out Tracys were determined people, for which Jeff thanked his Irish ancestors.

Another bed, another military hospital, another Christmas away from the rest of his boys as he tried to keep one alive.

He’d never believed that anyone could come back more injured than Scott. His eldest had been held and tortured in a supposed POW camp for three months and had his arm and leg bones broken. Many had healed incorrectly and Scott had needed multiple surgeries to reset breaks. But that had needed to wait until he was better – if the double pneumonia, sepsis and malaria didn’t kill him first.

But Gordon, in typical younger sibling energy, had outdone his eldest brother.

The hydrofoil crash had claimed the lives of all the crew, and for almost half an hour Gordon too, but the paramedics had been able to bring him back from the dead. And when Jeff had finally managed to get someone to talk to him he had found out that Gordon had broken almost every bone, including his spine.

Even as he sat stunned at the news Scott had corralled everyone he knew to try and look for a solution to get his brother walking again, refusing to believe that their Squid could lose that ability.

Brains had come up with the solution, working closely with the spinal surgeons and physios to replace the broken sections of vertebrae and nerves with a Cahelium scaffolding framework.

Gordon had had the first surgery yesterday. He was still under; the operation had taken all day and most of the night and the anaesthesia was yet to wear off. Jeff began massaging the hand he held, humming one of Lucy’s tunes as he did in an effort to both stir Gordon and comfort them both.

‘I haven’t heard you hum that tune for a long time.’

Jeff looked to the door where Scott stood, a bad in one hand and two coffees in the other. His cane was nowhere in sight and he frowned at his son. Scott half-shrugged, completely unapologetic and Jeff sighed in exasperation.

‘How is he?’

‘Same as he was before you left for coffee.’

‘Yeah…’

Scott trailed off. Being here in these circumstances…it was bringing back unwanted memories. He’d bolted a couple of times, but he was getting better at staying. Having a younger sibling who needed him was helping him cope better with the trauma he’d been through himself.

This time he’d left willingly, for coffee. And returned with more. He took something from the bag before handing it to his Dad. Jeff wasn’t surprised to see an apple Danish in Scott’s hand and one in the bag for himself.

They solemnly tapped their cups together.

‘Merry Christmas, Dad.’

‘Merry Christmas, Scott.’

‘Do…Do you think you can keep it down? How’s a Squid supposed to sleep?’

It was the first genuine smile either man had smiled for a long time.

Eleven: International Rescue

There was an air of festivities on Tracy Island the like they hadn’t had for a long time. Everyone was here, both family and friends.

International rescue had been operating for almost eight months, and in that time their reputation had gone from strength to strength. Lee Taylor, Tim and Val Casey and Jeff had been the founders, but the last four months Jeff and Lee had been training Scott, John and Virgil to take their roles in the organisation set up in honour of their Mom.

Christmas on the island was polar opposite to Kansas where they had grown up. December was quite warm – around 70°F compared to about 25°F in Kansas – and although they’d officially lived on the island for a few years now, this was the first Christmas all the Tracys, the Creighton-Wards, the Kyranos and Brains were together. Only the Caseys and Lee were missing, Tim and Val unable to get out of work at the GDF due to some top-secret test (that Scott and John absolutely did not know about, no sir, they did not know about the Zero-X at all) about to occur and Lee because he was back on Alphie, trying to persuade NASA not to destroy their beloved base.

Virgil had been acting oddly all week, and once John had come down he’d joined him, they immediately stopped whatever they were doing every time Jeff walked into the same room. He’d caught whispers about something lost, but to be honest Jeff was just revelling in having all five boys and Tanusha under the same roof for once.

Their Dad wasn’t the only one who had noticed John and Virgil’s odd behaviour. Both Scott and Gordon had, but Scott had his hands full with Alan, the eight-year-old had clung to his eldest brother like a limpet, not that Scott minded, but that meant leaving Gordon to find out what was going on…Gordon promised that he would behave but Scott knew better than to trust that kind of promise – there were many shades to “behaving” when it came to Gordon and Scott was well versed in his prankster brother’s ability to create loopholes. Both brothers would vehemently deny it, but when it came to finding loopholes in something John and Gordon were identical. Scott himself would deny that he and Gordon were the same when it came to pranks, but he’d be lying just as much as John would be…

Whatever they were trying to do also involved Virgil’s studio. The place was a strict ‘invite-only’ place, but Virgil had taken to locking the door – both when he was out of the studio and when he was inside – and had lived up to his “bear” reputation when Scott had tried to find out what they were up to. He had backed away quickly when Virgil literally growled at him.

As the week progressed the smells coming from the studio were mouthwatering, though, and as time passed more and more Scott found himself wandering past trying to work out what the two were up to.

All anyone could work out was that it was definitely *ham* that was being cooked, but why it needed such secrecy was anyone’s guess.

Christmas Eve dawned clear, bright and hot. Breakfast was a riotous affair with so many people, an eclectic mix of traditional American, English and Malay foods meaning everyone had something they enjoyed.

Dinner was due that evening, giving everyone all day for whatever activities they had planned. Games were played, films played in the background. Lunch was a spread of finger food for them to help themselves as they so wished.

Virgil and John disappeared back into the studio. Out of the kiln Virgil pulled the latest attempt at recreating Grandpa Grant’s Baked Ham. This was their fifth attempt but, as tasty as the ham was, it was missing something. Virgil sighed despondently as John’s hand landed on his shoulder and gave him s squeeze.

‘I really wanted this to be ready for tonight but – *sigh* – it won’t be.’

‘It would have been nice, I agree, but you’re really close!’

‘Not close enough, John.’

‘We can do this, Virgil! It’s just a matter of using science and all our taste and memories to work out what Grandpa’s secret ingredient was!’

‘The secret ingre….’

The klaxon drowned out whatever else was going to be said and both men legged to the lounge where the command centre had already been engaged.

‘There’s a problem with the Zero-X launch. Scott, suit up and meet me in One. John, can you return to Five and direct us from there?’

‘FAB Dad.’

‘FAB, Dad.’

‘Kyrano, you have the command centre. Thunderbirds are go!’

Later on, when Scott finally came home, dinner had been forgotten as had all thoughts of food. Once he returned to the lounge Alan all but launched himself at Scott, his other brothers following suit. The four collapsed in a huddle in the middle of the floor, with John’s holo looking on. Pretty soon they were joined by Penny and Kayo and then the older adults surrounded them.

For the second time in their lives Christmas was cancelled.

Twelve: Tracy Island – Together Again

‘What about this?’

‘No – I’ve looked in that box. What about that one?’

‘Hang on…yes! They’re in here!’

This year promised to be their best Christmas ever!

In early spring the five of them with Brains had done the impossible. They had flown to the Oort Cloud, rescued their Father and returned home. Jeff had spent the remainder of the year in a specialist rehab centre, but now he was due home.

Due home on Christmas Eve. What could be more perfect?

So Tracy Island became a hive of activity as everyone prepared for his return. Scott got busy making sure iR and TI could survive the day without them, Gordon and Alan took it upon themselves to decorate the lounge. Brains had muttered something about snow and Kayo was busy in the kitchen with her father and Parker cooking up a feast. Even Uncle Lee had been picked up from Mars earlier in the week by Alan and John.

Virgil and John took it upon themselves to spend the week perfecting Grandpa’s Baked Ham recipe in celebration of having their family all under one roof again. The villa soon filled with the delectable smell of ham.

Every day they tried a new combination in their quest. John had suggested using science to work out what they were missing.

So they started at the beginning by asking the question – AKA ‘interrogating’ Grandma.

Unfortunately Grandma knew nothing. Her husband had been protective of his recipe, not because he didn’t trust her, but because Grant knew what a terrible cook his wife was. It had been a joke that Sally could burn water for their entire married life, and she’d proved that to be the case so, so many times. It hadn’t occurred to anyone that there would come a time when he wouldn’t be around anymore…

So the two brothers formed a hypothesis and theorised that Grandpa would have used ingredients to hand, so they thought long and hard about the kinds of food flavourings they had seen around the old kitchen farmhouse.

Based on that hypothesis they gathered groups of flavourings to try as the predictions part of the scientific method.

Testing the hypothesis had been fun at first. They had mixed flavourings like some kind of kitchen wizards, testing combinations out.

Their family had appreciated most of the ham results. At first. After three days and seven hams even Gordon had begun to complain, but Scott remained oblivious to the amount of thick-cut ham sandwiches he was consuming as he worked.

Tests complete, they analysed the data and drew some conclusions. Nothing matched. They had come close a couple of times, but there was still one key ingredient they were missing, so they tried a different method.

They began searching for their Grandpa’s secret recipe.

They tore into the storage room in the basement, looking through old boxes of stuff that hadn’t been opened since they had moved here from Kansas. They had had to stop for the rest of the day when they stumbled on the one filled with pictures of their Mom and them growing up.

John picked up a heavy box to place it on top of another to make it easier to look into. He’d been down almost the entire week and so gravity wasn’t its usual problem, but the box was heavier than he had anticipated and in manoeuvring it he caught the bottom box. It was enough to make the bottom of the box he was carrying split open, spilling books all over the floor.

A particularly heavy tome flattened his toes and John yelped. Virgil abandoned his box to come and make sure his brother wasn’t too badly hurt, picking up an old tractor manual. It was for Grandpa’s old Deere, the tractor both he and a tiny Virgil had adored both – it was a giant green machine after all…

A feeling of nostalgia washed over him as he flicked through the well-thumbed pages, some still with Grandpa’s oily fingerprints on. As he browsed a yellowing slip of paper full of Grandpa’s neat, careful writing slipped out from between the pages.

With slightly shaking fingers John bent to pick the page up and read it aloud:

Sweet Southern Slow-Cooker Ham

“Ingredients:

1 bone-in fully-cooked ham, about 5.5lb

1 cup apple cider vinegar

½ cup of dark brown sugar

1/3 cup of Kentucky bourbon

¼ cup of honey

¼ cup Dijon-style mustard

4+ sprigs of thyme”

Virgil smacked his forehead. Bourbon? The missing ingredient was bourbon?? He picked John up and swung him around. Both men were laughing before carefully packing the box and putting it back away and returning to the studio.

Several hours later and Virgil was bringing Two into land.

They were all there to bring their Dad home and Jeff was revelling in just being here. He still used a cane to walk around, but he was so much more than the husk of a man they had rescued ten months ago. He’d put on weight, had almost got used to gravity again and was looking forward to sleeping in his own bed with his own children, his Ma and his friends all around him.

Christmas Eve. What a special day to return home. There were so many Christmas Eves that had been special for various reasons, but today was going to be the best ever. As they arrived in the lounge to the cheering of those who had stayed behind and to the smells of food ready to be eaten.

Jeff watched as his children and his friend’s children orientated themselves around him and each other. Huh…interesting. He’d known Scott and Penny had a bit of a thing for each other before…before that time, but now to see Penny sitting with Gordon he realised that ship had sailed. Instead, Scott had gravitated to Kayo, an unusual pairing to be sure, Jeff thought, seeing that they were potentially too similar in temperament, but if it worked then he’d be more than happy for both boys.

Ma, Kyrano and Parker were busy laying the table when John and Virgil brought in a covered dish. There were a few groans from Gordon and Alan which had Jeff raising his eyebrows at them and they quietened down.

The ham was uncovered with a flourish once everyone was seated and ready to help themselves. Scott, recognising the smell of Grandpa’s secret Baked Ham, insisted that Jeff have the first slice and that everyone wait until their Dad and friend had pronounced judgement.

The smell hit Jeff like a thunderbolt. He’d not smelt this particular aroma for…wow, was it really almost twenty years since they had lost Lucy and his Pa? Water welled but didn’t fall from his eyes as Jeff fought to keep his composure.

And then he tastes it.

Tears fell as memories of home, of being a child growing up on the farm, of that first Christmas he’d introduced Lucy to his parents, of the time a two-year-old Scott had managed to pull the tablecloth off the table and was busy hoovering up the food that had fallen, heedless of the adults’ cries of panic over the broken glass and China.

That first time Hugh, Amelia and Penny had come over for Christmas and then Kyrano and Kayo had joined them…and Brains too vied with thoughts of the dried astronaut food he’d sustained himself on when alone out there in the Oort Cloud.

All these memories rushed upon him and Jeff suddenly realised he’d dropped his fork and was just sitting there staring into space, his family looking on with worried faces.

Jeff cleared his throat and wiped his eyes.

‘Thank you. Thank you all. This is without doubt the best Christmas Eve I have had in a very, very long time.’

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

If you were to be roommates with any of the NRC boys, who would you wanna be roommates with? Who would you not want to be roommates with?

Ooh, what a fun prompt 😂 I’ll split them into categories and then comment on my reasoning for them! (I’m responding for myself, not for my OC by the same name confusing, I know)

Side note: I know this question was limited only to the NRC boys but for funsies I’m going to comment on Neige, the Dwarves, Chenya, and Rollo who are also students 😂 just at different schools… Let me have this—

Absolutely NOT

♥️ — I would drop kick this kid the moment he starts to mouth off to me 😤 I also don’t trust him to not pollute our shared spaces with Axe body spray. Ace is basic enough to do that.

🦈 — Not a fan of people who flake on me or act fickle. It would be a massive inconvenience if Floyd promised to do something (for example, cleaning or making dinner for us roomies) but didn’t because he suddenly “didn’t feel like it”. I’d be forced to pick up after him or to change my schedule to accommodate, and that can very easily annoy me. Plus, if his own room in the game is of any indication, he doesn’t seem very tidy… @.@

🏹 — Too extroverted. I don’t want to be greeted with his dumb ol’ smiling face or French/j when I come home every day. I’d also live in fear of him watching me sleep at night or him just reciting details about me that he shouldn’t reasonably know (clothing sizes, what I did while I was out, etc.)

👑 — Look, I don’t want to deal with paparazzi or crazy fans following Vil home or something. That’s too much stress for me to take. On top of that, there’s nothing stopping an idiot reporter from printing shady gossip about Vil’s roomie being his secret lover… which could, in turn, attract hate from his followers. Please let me just live without worrying about this.

🦇 — MAN LIVES LIKE A HOARDER 😭 There are other characters with messy rooms, but Lilia literally has tons of miscellaneous stuff everywhere... Living with him also means I have to do the bulk of the cooking or risk playing gacha with my life when Lilia's allowed to be in the kitchen. Not only that, but I'd likely be spooked by him dropping on in at random times of the day--I don't think my heart could take it. Too much trouble for me to deal with on a daily basis.

***Bonus: Neige*** — Same reasoning as Vil. I’m sure he’d be cute and peppy + help out with the chores a la Snow White, but I still don’t want to deal with the stress of living with a celebrity and having to deal with potentially super parasocial fans coming at me just for the association.

***Bonus: The Dwarves*** — … I’m not running a daycare here 🤡

I’ll tolerate them

♦️ — Cater avoids being on my shit list as long as he doesn’t start begging me to be in his selfies and twisted Tiktoks or to do internet challenges with him. I’ll tolerate him if he gives me free food he got for pics but doesn’t feel like eating because it’s not to his tastes.

🦁 — Judging from how Leona has Ruggie doing a lot of his housework 💦 I feel like I'd also have to do the bulk of the housework to make up for what Leona doesn't do... Aside from that, I think I could tolerate his personality pretty alright??? I can force him to play tabletop games with me :v and get free veggies off of his plate... (He can have my extra meat, too much protein makes me feel sick.)

☀️ — With his kind of wealth, I don’t need to worry about Kalim paying his share of the rent and for shared items (in fact, he’ll probably just buy everything for us both) 😭 but I wouldn’t like Kalim always inviting a shit ton of people over to party… Another major con is that he probably needs to be taken care of since Jamil or other servants usually fulfill his every need, and I’m NOT about that. Him paying for everything somewhat balances out these grievances, but I have pride to maintain and I don’t want to 100% live off of someone else’s money.

🍎 — Nothing overtly offensive about Epel immediately comes to mind, but if this is pre-book 5 Epel then I don’t want to deal with his toxic masculinity. I could leech free apple products off of whatever his family sends.

💀 — I just KNOW this nerd would be up gaming late until like 3 am and loudly raging as he does it, but I'm a pretty heavy sleeper so I think I could put up with it (not that I want to, only if I have to). Idia wouldn’t be that much of a bother to me during the daytime (he probably just holes up in his room anyway)... And hey, free gaming partner, tech consultant, and someone to watch anime with (and then we can argue about who the best character is).

⚡️— Sebek is punctual and loud, so he's useful to have as an alarm clock (I have a tendency to sleep in). He can do laundry, move heavy furniture, and (most importantly to me) brew tea, all things which contribute to the household. But I swear, I SWEAR, if he opens his mouth to tell me why I should like Malleus, I'm going to move out ASAP.

***Bonus: Chenya*** — Chenya definitely feels like the kind of roomie that eats the food you left in the fridge and then claims he has no idea where it went (while there are incriminating crumbs around his mouth). His UM also has potential to make me feel uneasy in the same space (like… he could be anywhere x.x). The only reason I’ll tolerate rooming with Chenya is because he’s a cute cat boy.

Acceptable

🌹 — Riddle’s just... okay. I can see myself getting irritated whenever he's being a stickler about certain rules being followed or things having to be done a certain way (since I hate being told what to do). Then again, I'm also a stickler for certain things (like no outdoor shoes inside the house; always wear house slippers instead). If we can compromise and avoid shouting (assuming this is post-book 1 Riddle), that would be great. If it’s book 1 Riddle… yeah, I’m tiptoeing around him and/or he gets lowered into “Absolutely NOT”.

♠️ — Nothing that notable about Deuce or how he lives, he’s just not a very strong contender for what I’d like in a roommate. Phone calls to his mom aren't so long or so frequent that they'd be an annoyance.

🐙 — Pro: Azul does all the math for us when it comes to the bills. Saves me a lot of hassle. Con: he’ll ask for compensation for every little thing he does. It balances out, I guess.

🐬 — As much as I'd love to have a live-in butler, I don't trust Jade for one second to not be plotting something behind my back. Sure, he's polite and does all the usual malewife things, but I never know when this man has slipped a new breed of mushrooms into dinner to test the effects of its consumption on me (BRO DID THIS DURING MASTERCHEF AND I'LL NEVER LIVE THAT DOWN). Jade also seems like the type of roomie to smile to your face but shit talk you when you're not around 🤡 It's fine, I'm a masochist so I'll let it happen/j

🐉 — I mean. He's acceptable as a roommate, but Malleus feels like the kind of person you rarely even see in the apartment??? And whenever he does show up, you're shocked that you've spotted him. That means I'd basically have the place to myself for most of the time, which is great for an introvert like me.

Omg pls

🐆 — Ruggie’s got tons of experience looking after Leona, I’m sure those skills will transfer over nicely to rooming with me. I guess my only concern here would be fighting with Ruggie over small savings (like maybe a spare coin or the last of the leftovers), because we’re both frugal and want to hoard whatever he can get our grubby little paws on.

🐺 — Jack keeps to himself and wouldn’t bother me 😌 Good boy!!

💤 — He’s quiet when he’s awake and/or half asleep (and honestly, what a mood). Silver would be such a peaceful roomie… plus, all his woodland creature friends basically provide free animal therapy. Since Lilia often left Silver home alone while he embarked on worldly travels, Silver’s already got experience in homemaking and a willingness to pitch in.

🐱 — Grim is this high up only because he is cat-shaped and therefore he is basically a Real Cat. He is my pet now. I will feed him and bathe him and take good care of him. If he shreds the furniture or sets it on fire though, he’s being put in time out.

***Bonus: Rollo*** — Listen, think of the entertainment value of this 😳 Rollo would be that roommate that looks very collected and unassuming, but every so often goes on these outrageous rants once his anger is stockpiled and he can’t contain it anymore. I’d sit there listening to him go off about how magic is evil, how we’d all be happier without it, etc. And like… while I don’t necessarily agree with his rhetoric, the complete character shift to being unfiltered and unhinged is just so fascinating to observe. (… Oh yeah, and Rollo would be pretty good at cleaning since NBC students as fastidious about that kind of thing.)

You’re my new best friend

♣️ — If you give me free food then I will love you forever and ever. Trey gives free food. Therefore, I suddenly love Trey. Jokes aside though, I do see him as someone who has his shit together and wouldn’t stir the pot. He’d do his fair share of chores (including the cooking) and doesn’t have an abrasive personality that would make it difficult to be around him. Bonus, I can ask him for free dental hygiene advice and we can geek out about teeth together.

🐍 — Jamil has a similar domestic skillset as Jade, but the difference is that Jamil doesn’t go out of his way to deliberately cause problems or to enable others to act out. If I let him do his own thing and don’t get on his bad side, I think Jamil would be respectful to me as well. I’ll be happy to eat any of his delicious cooking 🤤 and in return, I’ll be his bug slayer—it’s a good deal!!

🤖 — It’s like having all of the household tools you need in one, plus a security system and a new little bestie 😌 I’d trust Ortho with my life 💕 We also save on the food and water bill since he doesn’t need those things to function, just electricity every so often to charge!

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Life drawing

Nude model!reader x art student!Zoro.

Modern AU. Sequel to The art model.

This fic is dedicated to @star-yawnznn.

*****

Zoro grins when, opening the house door, he finds himself face to face with a bag of delicious chocolate cookies, courtesy of your mother's bakery, that you're offering him with your arms raised, like a celebrant sacrificing to the Gods.

"You know, there's no need for you to bring something every time you come; you're already doing me a favour."

You shrug as you walk inside, letting him close the door behind you. "Even though he doesn't put on weight, eating so much can't be good for Luffy's health." you point out "And I know you like them."

"Well, they are good..."

You share a smile as you follow him towards the kitchen (like the rest of the house a spacious room, perfectly clean and tidy) where, without even bothering to ask, Zoro uses the enormous coffee machine on the counter to prepare a drink like he knows you like it.

Six months have passed since your first meeting with Zoro at the East Blue Art School, six months since you accepted his request to pose for him privately at home as well as in Shanks' class - your home, at first, since he needed to keep his interest in drawing and art, not to mention the fact he hasn't stopped attending the school years ago, a secret from his father. Unfortunately, last month your landlord has decided to host his niece in the flat's spare room, while she searches for a more stable accommodation. Even more regrettably, your new, temporary flatmate is an aspiring metal guitarist, who told you she needs to practice at least six hours a day if she wants to join one of the best bands in town, which means the place has not known a moment of silence ever since she put down her luggage, as well as her guitar, in the hallway.

Which is why in the last four weeks you have been the one going to Zoro's, instead of the other way around. It's a temporary solution, you have assured him, feeling guilty for the nuisance even though nothing of it was your fault, and hoping you will soon have the whole flat to yourself once more, even though your landlord's niece has not been as industrious in looking for a new place to stay as she has been in preparing for her musical career. You know how important his drawing classes are to Zoro, but he assured you it wouldn't be a problem: his father, a business broker who also manages a fencing school, has recently landed an important client that keeps him at work every day until late.

And so, your already familiar arrangement has changed, the location of your private modelling session shifting from your flat to Zoro's home. You don't mind - you actually like it, and not just because it allows you to get away from your flatmate's guitar for a while. You like going to Zoro's; you like Zoro himself, you have come to realize, and while you do not yet feel ready to confess your feelings, you enjoy spending time with him, and helping him to improve as an artist.

"How was your day? You had a double shift today, if I'm not mistaken." you point out as you accept the coffee Zoro is offering you, and listen as he tells you about his day at work, at the bookstore owned by his friend Kuina's father "You know, I'd be curious to see the shop one day, after you've told me so much about it..."

"You can come whenever you want; I can give you a discount, if Koushirou is not there." he offers, and winks at you; he's wearing a black shirt that makes the green of his hair stand out even more than usual, his three earrings dangling gently when he moves.

"Well, there was a book I was thinking about buying..."

Chocolate cookies, you both agree, go splendidly with coffee. You enjoy your break in silence, at ease next to each other in the kitchen lit up by the soft sunset glow; according to Luffy, Zoro doesn't make friends easily, and you are pretty proud you are now part of that narrow group - or at least, that he doesn't appear to mind you coming to his house.

"Shall we?" you propose in the end; as much as you enjoy his company, the time at your disposal is limited, since you still have work to do for your classes tomorrow "You want to continue with what we were doing last time? I was lying on one side with a book in my hands..."

"Actually..."

"Yes?"

Suddenly tense, Zoro rubs the back of his head, hesitating for a moment as if not knowing how to broach a delicate subject. "I was wondering if this time we could do something a bit different."

Your sessions with Zoro, whether at his place or yours, usually follow the same pattern. Every two times, he asks you to assume a new pose: standing, sitting (on a kitchen chair, on a stool, on the floor...) or lying on the sofa, sometimes with an object in your hands but usually in a way that allows you to read or review your notes. Once you are comfortable, Zoro makes sure the room is well-lit, places a comfortable chair in front of you, retrieves his sketchbook and pencils from the suitcase he keeps them hidden in together with his art school books to make sure his father doesn't find them, and gets to work, drawing diligently for an hour and a half.

It is, in the end, more or less what happens during your classes at the art school; after all Zoro's drawing sessions are the reason you meet, the reason why he asked you to pose for him. You expected to do the same today as well, just like the many times you have met before; you didn't expect him to propose a change... and, you will reflect later on, you have no idea what this day has in store for you.

"What d'you mean?"

Zoro has turned his back to you, focused on the cups you used for your coffee and that he is now washing in the sink "Well... I was thinking today you could pose like you do in class."

"As in...?"

"Naked, yes. Unless, that... bothers you..."

It shouldn't, of course. After all, you have been an art model for six months, and by now you like to think you are quite good at it, since Shanks no longer needs to correct your posture and you can keep the most uncomfortable pose for a long time without complaining, even though the job is more tiring than it looks and in the end your muscles beg for mercy. Besides the fact that it helps you pay rent (you expected your landlord to lower it until his niece found another place to stay, since your apartment is not fully yours anymore, but the thought must have slipped his mind) and your bills, posing is probably the best job you have ever had.

You enjoy it, a lot, in a way you can't properly explain to someone who has never been in your place, and by now you are completely accustomed to pose naked, like you have done from the very first day. Shanks was right, there is nothing sexual, or inappropriate, in being an art model, nothing you should feel guilt or embarrassment for; if the students look at your breast, it is simply to make sure they are correctly drawing it, which is not always easy, and when a couple of months ago, Nami asked you whether you had put on a little weight (you had, no doubt, because of all the treats your mother brings you back from the bakery!) she assured you she only wanted to know because the shape of your belly and thighs had changed marginally and she really wanted to portray you as faithfully as she could. In the end, for the students it wouldn't make much difference if on the stool at the center of their semicircle Shanks had placed a potted plant or a teddy-bear, instead of asking you to sit there, apart from the fact that the human form has been the most popular art subject since time immemorial, and any artist must be capable to competently reproduce it.

You expected your sessions with Zoro to go the same way, which would have been even easier for you, since you would have been in your own home. Instead, the first time he came to your place he said you could keep your clothes on, because the naked body was harder to draw and he, unfortunately, still had to learn to correctly portray clothed people. He had no preference regarding the clothes you wore, and didn't mind to choose poses that allowed you to read or revise your notes during the sessions.

And now this. You should have imagined he would ask you sooner or later, you relect; Zoro's figure drawings have improved since you started posing for him privately, and by now he must feel capable of moving to something more challenging, which means that it is time for you to take your panties off for him - so to speak.

"Of course, if that makes you... uncomfortable, or if you'd rather have someone present..."

"Of course not; it's... all right." you hurry to answer after a moment of uncertainty; after six months of private sessions you had gotten used to posing with your clothes on, but after all it is nothing you haven't done a hundred times already "I didn't bring my night-gown, though."

Zoro gives you this ("It is clean, I swear.") and invites you to leave your clothes in the bathroom near the living room, while he prepares his things.

"I will be just a minute."

"Take your time. Just..." he hesitates, once more as if unsure of what to say, which strikes you as odd - Zoro is not a blabbermouth, but in six months since you met him you never had the impression he was too shy, or afraid, to say what is on his mind. By now you are, if not exactly friends, at least good acquaintances, and you never had troubles finding something to talk about; why does he seem so awkward all of a sudden? What delicate matter is he afraid to broach...? "Listen, you know I'm Luffy friend, do you?"

Considering that your friend's crew has practically adopted you ever since you started posing for their class, so much that you are routinely invited to hang out with them and they all came to your birthday party two months ago, the question sounds unexpected, and weird, at your ears.

"Of course. Why is that relevant now?"

"Nothing. Just... I'll wait for you here, ok?"

Still a little perplexed, you move to the bathroom, where you leave your clothes in a neat pile and refresh yourself; there is nothing more unpleasant than body odour when one is posing, naked or otherwise. Zoro's night-gown is, predictably, not exactly the right fit for you, which shouldn't be a problem, since you are going to take it off in less than a minute, but wearing it feels strange all the same... intimate, in a way. You had never worn a man's clothes before, or rather, no man had ever given you his clothes to wear, and having Zoro do it, even just to avoid having you walk buck naked around his house...

You chide yourself for those naive, childish thoughts, especially towards a man on whom you can no longer deny having a crush, and whose company you genuinely enjoy; you don't want Zoro to think he made you uncomfortable. You are here to pose for him, and pose for him you will, like the professional model you are; everything else doesn't matter... even though you have to admit, you like being alone with Zoro, having his attention focused on you. A secret, innocent joy you allow yourself to indulge in.

You wash away what is left of the make-up you had applied earlier, before heading to work, remain for a moment still, staring at your reflection and reminding yourself you are an adult and ought to behave accordingly, and then leave the bathroom.

Zoro is preparing your station in the living room, with a lamp near the sofa, on which you have already posed lying many times... after taking off your shoes, and nothing else. His sketchbook and pencils are placed on a little table near his favourite chair, retrieved from their hiding spot in the suitcase; propped against the chair's armrest are Zoro's three swords. He doesn't carry them around when he is at home, but, he told you, he always keeps them close, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment, even in the safety of his own home: it is a not uncommon habit among swordsmen, that his master (and father) accustomed him to since he was a child.

He turns, startled a little, when he hears you approach, and when he sees you wearing his night-gown he seems to have troubles swallowing for a moment. "So, uhm, everything ok?"

You wonder whether he expected you to have troubles taking your clothes off. "Sure. So... how do you want me?" you ask back; then, suddenly realizing how that question, that you must have posed a hundred times before, might sound differently from how you had intended it, you hurry to rephrase: "What pose do you want me to assume?"

Zoro asks you to lie in profile, propped on one elbow, with one leg stretched and the other partially bent towards your belly; the pose is similar to one Shanks asked you to assume for a class at the Art School last month, which leads you to suspect Zoro was not satisfied of his work of that day. He looks away, seemingly embarrassed, when he sees you take off his night-gown, even though he saw you do the same at the school a hundred times already.

You don't find it weird. In fact, it might be because you're doing it in a new place for the first time, but for a moment you feel awkward as well, almost as if that gesture had a different meaning, almost as if it mattered...

The night-gown passes from your hand to his; while your gazes don't meet, your hands brush against each other.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem."

A moment later you are lying on the sofa, easily settling in the same position as a few weeks ago.

"Are you comfortable?" Zoro asks you, and you nod, by now used to the slight inconvenience of an unnatural pose, since no one, especially not at your age, has ever died from a stiff arm or a sore leg, and by now Shanks' class has drawn you in positions that wouldn't be out of place in the experts' section of a yoga manual.

"Yeah, don't worry. Can you take my book from my bag, please? I have an exam next week..."

A minute later Zoro is already sitting at his place, the sketchbook balanced on his knee, the by now familiar whisper of the pencil rubbing on the paper filling the room. As usual you remain still as a statue, face lowered on the pages of your book... even though your eyes keep rising to the young man in front of you; at times your gazes meet, and you could swear Zoro's eyes are smiling even though his expression remains serious.

You like this, you have realized for a while, this weird menage you have built together, the chaste intimacy of posing for a single artist and the innocent flattery of having his full attention focused on you - if only because Zoro wants to makes sure he draws the angle of your shoulder as faithfully as he can. You have no idea how long he will need your help for, or if he will ever decide he can do without your private sessions, but you are determined to enjoy it as long as it lasts, and to pose for him every time he asks you to, even if it means sacrificing the little free time school and work leave you; it is a very unexpected sort of relationship, perhaps an anomalous one, intimate and at the same time strictly professional, but you treasure it all the same. Zoro is not a particularly personable man, you have come to suspect, but you know he is fond of you, and appreciates you as a model and a person.

You can't help wanting more. But at the same time you are happy with what you have, and you hope it lasts.

Zoro draws in complete silence for a while, while you revise two chapters of your book, trying to make sense of your own notes.

"You are not cold?" he asks after a while, and you assure him you are all right; you have already noticed Zoro has turned the heating on, no doubt more for your benefit than his, since you are the one who can't simply put a sweater on if she gets chilly. You'll have to thank him.

"My father knows about you, you know." he adds, almost absentmindedly, and your are immediately alarmed.

"What?! He knows...?"

"Not that you pose for me, and I still attend the East Blue; he... he knows I had a girl over, that's it." Zoro explains, face momentarily hidden behind his sketchbook "Last time... I forgot to wash the coffee cups, and he noticed there was a trace of lipstick on the border of one."

"Oh, God, Zoro, I'm sorry..."

"That's ok." he assures you, while a sudden grin blossoms on his lips "He didn't mind, and I doubt he could ever imagine what we do. He just thought... you know..."

You force yourself not to smile. "... that you have a girlfriend?" you finish for him "And that you had taken advantage of his absence to invite her over?"

"Something like that, yes. I... I didn't correct him, I hope you don't mind."

You don't. "I don't." At all. Another small, innocent pleasure, part of a little fantasy you're probably too old for but that in the end doesn't hurt anyone; and truth to be told, you are happy to help Zoro, since you know how much attending the drawing school means to him. You return your attention to your book, but try as you might you really can't focus, let alone memorize the notions on the page in front of you, your eyes simply skimming the text without retaing any information.

And the fault is his. Well, it is yours, to be honest, since you are by now an expert model, not to mention a veteran student and an adult woman, and you should be able to ignore the presence of a man, no matter how handsome, and concentrate on something as important as an imminent exam. For God's sake, Zoro has never skipped a class at the art school, which means that you have taken off your clothes in front of him two times a week for six months! By now he knows your naked body so well he could draw it by heart, and he does need a model, even though his life drawings have improved, it isn't simply a ruse to... meet you in a more private setting and... and... and why are you fantasizing about that, now?!

Oh, God. You do like him, you realize suddenly, much more than you had imagined or allowed yourself to think until today. He is handsome, and athletic, and he has a beautiful smile, but in six months since you first met you have learnt to know Zoro, and to appreciate and respect him as a man and as a friend as well; you like how protective he is of his friends (and of you, given that time that a drunk man approached you as he was walking you back at the bus stop after a drawing session; Zoro drew the Wado Ichimonji and threatened to amputate any part of his body the man would touch you with) and steadfast in the pursuit of his dream, and kind-hearted towards those who suffer or endure injustice, even though those who know him less well wrongly consider him cold and selfish. You are attracted to him, and while you already enjoy being his model and friend, you do wish your relationship would develop beyond that... you wish to be important for him, to feel his gaze brush against your skin and know he is not simply wondering whether he drew your arm faithfully enough or he should start over.

"Shanks is very pleased with your progress." you mention after a while; unlike what happens during class at the art school, where silence is religiously kept from the beginning to the end of the class, Zoro told you he doesn't mind chatting a bit while he draws, and he is exactly the sort of conversationalist you prefer: no interest in small talk, and has always something interesting to say "I heard him saying that at the end of your last class."

Zoro is pleased, even smug, as he smiles and tilts his head to one side, as if to observe you from a marginally different perspective. "He did say I got better at life drawing, even though I shouldn't focus on that and neglect my other classes."

"I'm sure that won't happen."

"I hope not... and in any case, if I improved I also owe it to you. I haven't forgotten how much you're doing for me, (name)."

"I'm doing nothing, just staying still."

"You know what I mean. I know you'd have many better things to do with your time, and you're not even letting me pay you..."

"Zoro... we are friends." you point out, completely serious; you are now looking straight at him, so engrossed in your conversation to notice you have broken the first, cardinal rule for all art models: never change pose mid-session "You know I could never ask you money. I am happy to help you, since I know how much this matters to you."

Zoro looks at you; he has stopped drawing, even through you couldn't say exactly when. "We weren't friends when you accepted to pose for free."

"No, but you were Luffy's friend, which is equally important. Would you have accepted to be paid, if you were in my place?"

"Maybe I would have."

"No, you wouldn't have."

"No, I wouldn't have." he admits, and smiles at you, and you have never wanted to kiss anyone so much in your life "Anyway, I owe you, truly. Thank you."

You assure him you are happy to be his model, and you really are, so much that you hope your sessions will continue even now that his life drawings have improved; truth to be told, you'll happily spend the evenings of the rest of your life posing for Zoro... unless, of course, one of the two decides, or in your case finds the courage, to ask the other out.

"I think you changed position."

"Yeah, sorry." you admit as you lower your gaze once more.

"No, it's your arm."

"My arm?" you repeat, perplexed, since you hadn't noticed you had moved it "Are you sure?"

"Yes, you moved it when you used your hand to turn the page. Wait..."

Zoro stands, crossing the living room floor in a quick stride until he's keeling in front of the sofa; not looking at you (accurately not looking at you) he lifts your wrist with his fingers and moves your arm a few inches to the left. It's a completely innocent gesture, but you choose that very moment to unthinkingly move on the cushion, searching for a more comfortable position... and inadvertently pressing your chest against Zoro's hand.

His fingers are warm against the skin of your breast, the sensation clear, almost painfully so, despite the contact lasting less than a second. You gasp, more out of surprise than alarm, but that is nothing compared to Zoro's reaction: he jumps, retracting his hand as if he had burned himself, and his face has burst into flames as well, his usually tan complexion turning a bright red.

"Oh my God...!!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Zoro almost shouts; he moves back so quickly he almost trips on his own feet "I didn't do it on purpose, I swear..."

"It's ok; I'm sorry, it was my fault, I moved... in the least appropriate moment." you admit, feeling yourself blush as well; you have never felt so embarrassed, and so naked, in your life, not even during your first session with Shanks' class "Zoro, forgive me, I made you... uncomfortable..."

He sighs, unable to look you in the eyes, his face still bright red as he covers it with his hand, standing five paces from you. "No, the fault is mine. Shanks always says an artist should never approach a model without asking for permission, let alone touch them... especially if they are naked."

He lowers his hand, gazing at it as if he could read his future in the lines of the palm; that is the hand he touched you with.

"I shouldn't have asked you to pose nude; I'm sorry."

"I'm perfectly used to it, as you very well know." you insist, desperately trying to ease the tension.

"Yes, at the school; I thought... it would be different now that you're here..."

Silence falls on the room, and between the two of you, for the first time since you met an uncomfortable, somewhat charged silence that you don't quite know how to interpret... as if you were standing over the edge of a precipice.

"I thought... you wanted to practice drawing clothed people, because it was easier..."

"I did." Zoro admits, as he retreats to his chair; he picks up the scabbard of the Wado Ichimonji, his fingers idly fiddling with the strap "At first. To be honest, I have felt ready to shift to nude drawing for a while, but I didn't want..."

"You didn't want...?"

"Oh, hell!" Zoro exclaims, finally turning to look at you; he seems angry, even though not necessarily at you "I didn't want you to think I wanted to look at you naked! I know you trust me because I'm Luffy's friend, and that posing naked is the rule, but I was afraid you would think that I had... designs on you and would take advantage of our drawing sessions to... to..."

He stops mid-sentence, but he doesn't need to continue; he has said enough, more than enough, to make your heart skip a beat - or four.

"... listen, let's just forget it, all right? You can get dresses, I can start over..."

"And you do?"

"... sorry?"

"You have designs on me?" you quietly ask as you slowly change position once more, sit on the sofa and then stand, only partially using your arm to cover your chest "Not that you would take advantage of me, or try to hurt me in any way; I know you are not that sort of man. But... did you ever consider having me naked in your house, while we are alone, could change things between us?"

"I... I..."

"That something might... develop?"

Zoro's face is still burning; he is stuttering, something almost unimaginable for a usually collected, self-assured man, but it is sweet seeing him like this... and you would lie if you said discovering you can have this effect on him is not exciting.

"I would not blame you for it; the heart has rules of its own, like my mother always says, and it's not like I'm the woman of your best friend or your step-sister. Also, I must confess... I would be flattered. And very happy."

A few more moments of silence follow, as you let Zoro fully grasp the meaning of your words, and he seemingly gives you time to recant them or elaborate with limits and conditions - something you have no intention of doing. You have known Zoro for six months; too little to speak of love, perhaps, or to make plans for the future, but more than enough to know that you like and care for him, sincerely and well beyond his undeniable physical beauty. You want to be more than a model for him... and you want him to do more than simply look at you, studing the shape of your hipbone or the position of your elbow.

Much more.

You are so engrossed in each other neither hears the sound of the house door opening. Zoro turns towards you, delicately placing his sword back against his chair's armrest; he is in full control of himself once more, not smiling and still five paces away, but the intensity of his gaze, the barely controlled desire in his brown eyes, makes you feel as if you could already feel his hands (warm, elegant, used to both wield a sword and hold a pencil, capable of being both gentle and strong) brushing against your skin, caressing it, worshipping...

"Are you sure?" he asks in the end, taking a single step towards you "Because I'd really like to..."

"Zoro, are you home?"

The voice coming from the corridor outside the living room is masculine, refined and more mature than that of the young man in front of you; it expressed a simple question, the tone relaxed and devoid of tension, but both of you react as if a known criminal had just threatened to make the house blow up.

"My father." Zoro whispers, suddenly panicking; he looks back at the chair on which his sketchbook and pencils are still placed, close enough to the door anyone coming into the room would see them for sure. And if that someone is Zoro's father, the man who has no idea he is still attending the art school, years after demanding he withdraw, you don't even want to know what could happen... "Oh, God... cover yourself, quick!"

Zoro quickly grabs his night-gown, that he had left on the back of the sofa, and passes it to you; you take it, look at him, need just half a second to assess your priorities, and throw the night-gown on his chair, where it neatly falls covering his drawing tools.

"What...?"

A moment later the door opens. "Zoro, are you here? I just need... oh."

Until today you had only seen Zoro's father in pictures, like the one of the two of them at the fencing school hanging from the living room's wall, and you doubt Zoro had even told him about you, even just as a friend, at least until his father had noticed a trace of your lipstick on a coffee cup; therefore, this is your first meeting and God, you couldn't imagine a worst possible situation... nor, it must be acknowledged, a more memorable one.

Dracule Mihawk is a tall, very attractive man in his forties, with dark hair, a neatly trimmed bear, and beautiful bird-like eyes that earned him the sobriquet he is mostly known under. Zoro, who deeply respects him even though he still sees the older man more like a mentor and a future adversary than a father, told you he is gifted with an almost preternatural self-control, never letting himself be carried away by his emotions and very rarely reacting with joy, surprise or sadness when something unexpected happens.

You should perhaps be proud of yourself, then, since your presence in his house, and especially your state of undress, leaves the strongest swordsman in the world completely speechless.

"Zoro... what is happening?" he asks in the end, turning to look at his son "Who is this girl? Why is she... oh." he adds after a moment, averting his eyes "I see I'm interrupting."

Zoro quickly steps in front of you, who are staring at your feet as you desperately try to cover your most intimate parts with your hands. "She... she is my friend (name)."

"I see. I'll leave the you alone, I just needed to take some papers. I... apologize for disturbing you."

He nods at Zoro and then at you (who force yourself to reciprocate, fully aware that you must be red as a beetroot), turns, not noticing or perhaps not pay attention to the night-gown on the chair, and leaves, closing the door behind him.

For a whole minute both you and Zoro remain still as statues - or as models posing. "Do you think he suspected something?" you finally ask in a whisper, fearing your quick thinking was not enough to keep Mihawk in the dark. On the other hand, findinga naked girl in his home is technically not something the tutor of a young man should feel suspicious about...

"I... don't think so." Zoro answers slowly as he turns towards you; he is close enough you can feel the warmth of his body on yours, so close you could kiss him without having to move... "You... covered my drawing things instead of yourself."

"I did. Believe me, that was the most embarrassing moment of my life, but... I know how important it is for you to keep attending the art school, and that you don't want to disappoint your father, so I thought..."

Zoro grins as he takes your head in his hands; the purest affection shines in his brown eyes. He kisses you on the forehead and "I just want to make sure everything's all right." he quickly explains "He wouldn't take it out on you, he's not that sort of man, just... give me a minute, ok?"

"Of course. Can I take your night-gown if I hide...?"

"No."

You smile. "All right." you answer, and Zoro winks at you before following Mihawk out of the room. A couple of minutes, and pressing your ear against the door allows you to listen to the conversation between father and son.

"If you wanted to have the house to yourself for an evening you could have told me, Zoro. You're an adult, I would have had nothing against it."

"I know, just... I didn't really expect it to happen. And you're usually not at home at this hour."

"As I said, I had forgotten a few documents I had to look over with my new client. She's the girl you told me about, the one of the lipstick? Is she your girlfriend or...?"

A few moments pass before Zoro's answer; suddenly, you wonder whether he suspects you are listening. "Not yet; but I was planning on asking her tonight."

"Good. I don't mind if she stays the night, but if she doesn't, make sure your friend gets home safely."

Zoro promises he will. A minute later, the house door opens and closes, and soon after, Zoro returns to you, looking relieved but somewhat gloomy.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, just..." Zoro smiles as he takes you in, still completely naked, clearly appreciating the view way beyond simply as a good subject for a portrait, but a moment later he sighs "I... don't like lying to him. I know he never wanted children, but he took good care of me for years; he deserves better."

"You're old enough to decide how to live your life, Zoro. I know your father is a swordsman, and I don't doubt he only wants what's best for you, but what's so wrong with liking to draw?"

Zoro tells you that for people like him and Mihawk, the sword is much more than a hobby or an interest, no matter how passionately one practices it - it is a call, a way of life, a purpose one has to focus all their energies and willpower on, and that leaves no space for anything else. "Truth to be told, the sword is my real passion; as much as I like drawing, that's what I have decided to dedicate my life to, the thing I would choose if I had to pick one. It's just..."

"Just...?"

"My parents could draw. They were illustrators, for books and advertising and other things; they taught me, and then since I liked it, they sent me to the school. I know I'm not as good an artist as I am a swordsman, probably not good enough to earn my living with that, but I do like it, and... and drawing makes me feel close to them. You know, as if they were still with me."

Zoro looks at you, vaguely apologetic as if he felt guilty for ruining the intimate moment you were about to share with his sad musings. You don't mind; if anything, you have discovered a new part of him, the insecure, uncertain heart of a young man torn between his dreams and obligations, between the devotion to his birth parents and the loyalty to the man who has taken care of him. A part of him Zoro probably does his best to keep hidden, because he is that sort of man, but that you have discovered, and you can't help loving it.

"What are you smiling about?" Zoro wonders as he rests his hands on your naked hips, his touch relatively chaste but possessive enough to make you shiver pleasantly.

"I was just thinking how happy I am Luffy convinced me to come pose at the school." you muse "I found a new job I really enjoy, some great new friends, and..."

"... and you met me? Is this what you were going to say?"

"Hmm, perhaps..."

You laugh; Zoro laughs with you. "I'd really like to kiss you now." he murmurs in the end; in the well-lit room, you can see he has blushed, just a little "If that's all right for you, that is."

"Of course it is."

Zoro's lips are hot against yours. You waste no time before kissing him back, messy and awkward at first, but soon your mouths learn to know each other, they find a rhythm to follow and pursue together, a wild, unrestrained dance that you feel already addicted to a minute later, and soon your tongue finds Zoro's in his mouth, and his moan of pleasure reverberates through your body.

"(name)... fuck..."

His hands are still grasping at your hips, his whole body tense; he's still restraining himself, not wanting to take more than you are willing to give, but the time for qualms is over, and you want Zoro to know that while this is not how you expected your relationship to begin, you don't regret it, far from it, and you have never desired anything and anyone like him, and his hands on your skin.

"Touch me, Zoro." you whisper, your lips still pressed against his "Please, I need you to touch me..."

He moans again, fierce and avid and hungry, as he takes your face in his hands and then lets an arm snake around your waist, pressing your body flush against his; Zoro is still clothed, but you can feel the effect your nudity has had on him through the fabric of his jeans. You roll your hips against his erection, just as his free hand descends to squeeze your ass, and you both whimper.

"Let's go to my room." he proposes in a whisper, and you eagerly nod. Zoro quickly retrieves his swords, while you hold his sketchbook and pencils against your chest, then offers you his free hand, and you let him guide you towards the corridor.

"In here."

The room is large but sparsely furnished, which you expected; the bed is the sort with the mattress, covered by a duvet, directly placed on the floor. "Nice." you comment as Zoro, whose hands are shaking slightly, retrieves the suitcase, to hide his drawing tools, from the closet. He turns, and grins - no, he smiles at you.

"I changed the bedding this morning."

"Which has nothing to do with the fact you wanted to ask me to pose naked, I'm sure..."

He doesn't deny it, but he laughs - an unexpected, happy sound that fills your heart with tenderness, and the desire to hear it again. Zoro places his swords next to the bed, to be grabbed at a moment's notice; you want to ask him whether he expects an assault during the night, but a moment later Zoro has started undressing, and it would be physically impossible for you to focus on anything else.

As you expected, he has the body of an athlete, without an ounce of fat, well-muscled shoulders and arms, a flat stomach... and a large scar marring his chest, clearly old but still evident enough to make you pause.

"Oh, God... who did this to you?" you murmur, your fingers brushing against the edge of the wound as you try to imagine how painful it must have been "Was it... during a competition...?"

"Not exactly. It was my father."

"What?! Zoro, he could have killed you!" you cry, appalled; he doesn't deny it, but looks distinctly blasé about it, as he explains he had officially challenged Mihawk, foolishly thinking he had even just a single chance of winning, and his teacher had to show him how tremendously wrong he had been.

"That seems... cruel... I mean, towards any students, and especially his own son..."

Zoro shrugs, as if he really didn't care, or perhaps challenges and duels between swordsmen followed rules you cannot understand. "I'm not saying it was pleasant; but it taught me a lot, and from that day, I have promised myself I would never be defeated again."

"Well, if you're happy..."

Zoro takes your hands in his. For a moment all you can do is look at each other, and while you are the one who had never seen the other naked before, you can see awe, and desire, in the brown eyes of the man who has seen you unclothed a hundred times already. He kisses you once more before accompanying you down on the bed, and from there your hands start moving, hungrily searching, caressing, stimulating, and a sensual symphony of moans fills the air. His lips close around your nipple, and you instantly forget how to breathe; your heart is pounding, a fire burning down in your belly, and you have no words to describe how much you want him, which means that you'll have to show him...

Zoro's erection is beautiful, heavy and proudly erect, soft green hair descending from his navel in a thin strip and surrounding the base; you look at him in the eyes as you play with it, your hand moving up and down around the thick column. Zoro sighs, a lazy and happy smile on his lips, as he bucks his hips. "Oh, God, (name)..."

"You like this?"

"I love this... oh, this is even better than I had imagined..."

He has to ask you to stop after a few minutes, and takes your hand in his. "I don't have anything to put on." he confesses, which startles you a bit.

"Oh."

"I'm sorry, I... never really needed them." he admits, as he rubs the back of his head, like you have already seen him do when embarrassed "I can... go buy some; there's a pharmacy across the street."

You reflect on it for a moment. "No; if you don't mind, I'd like you to stay." you answer in the end as you turn on one side, scooting even closer to him "We can... cuddle, that'd be nice as well."

Your idea is approved. In the next two hours you do much more than simply cuddle, exploring each other's body and exchanging your pleasure; you talk a lot, play, joke, and simply enjoy that intimacy and closeness you both want to experience together. Part of you is deeply disappointed you didn't get to have sex with Zoro, especially given you are almost embarrassingly wet and the touch of his hands is addictive, especially when you see his fingers disappear between your legs, but the evening is lovely all the same, your body and Zoro's locked in an embrace. You didn't revise for your imminent exam like you had planned, but given what you have spent the last two hours doing, you feel physically unable to care.

"I really like you, you know." he whispers in the end; he has found a pizza in the kitchen's freezer and now you're eating together on the bed, still naked like the day you were born, and it may be the company, but you feel as if you had never had a better meal. After all, you did tell him he could buy you a pizza as payment for your posing sessions... "Not just because I think you are beautiful."

There is a spot of tomato sauce on his lip; you smile as you clean it with your thumb. "You do?"

"Of course. And I think you're kind, and generous, and you care about your friends, and... what I'm trying to say..." he sighs, and then mumbles something unintelligible, but you don't mind, because you are confident you know already what he wants, because you heard him talk about it with his father, and you want it as well.

"I'd like that." you answer as you place the empty pizza plate on the floor next to the table and then lay next to him once more; it's not exactly the grand declaration of love you had hoped to receive sooner or later, but it is very Zoro, and because of this it is perfect "I'd like that very much."

"Are you sure?"

"Zoro, I don't know what else I could do to show you I like you as well. Now, I can't stay the night because I have class early tomorrow. What about we cuddle some more before I have to go back?"

Zoro happily takes you in his arms, smiling as you rest your cheek against his shoulder. "You know, a lot of artists are jealous of their models." he mentions, his fingers delicately playing with your hair "So I hope you won't let anyone else draw you, at least like this... and that you'll pose for me again."

"You don't have to worry." you whisper back as you turn in his arms; his hips press against yours, making you shiver pleasantly "I'll be your model, and only yours, as long as you want me to."

[ephemerasnape]

Dark Wizard React Ask: I’ve always wondered what would happen if someone dressed as one of them with a mask on, shared a drink, made them laugh and then they caught on at the end it was the Hogwarts student all along

Dark Wizards React - 4

How would ____ react to having a drink with you?

Well, since I'm the one answering this - they all want to knock boots with you, right? With varying degrees of enmity. But let's see what else could happen.

Ashwinder Soldier Ernie Macnair

Ernie will typically take a drink with anyone and leave business at the door, but when he realizes he's been drinking with the Renegade Hogwarts Student, it's different.

You can sense something is not quite right when the boisterous man goes suddenly quiet, although he doesn't say anything to indicate he's realized who you are, you can tell by the change in his tone. You try to discretely excuse yourself, but as you approach the door, he surprises you by getting right in front of you, blocking your exit.

"'Scuse me," he chuckles, wand pointed squarely at your face, "but... ain't you's a bit young t' be drinkin' like that?"

Ashwinder Scout Oswald Tarrington

Oswald is too drunk to notice who you are, much less care. If he's noticed, he's too far gone to do anything about it one way or the other. Overall, he's more or less pleasant to talk to, and compliments you on your appearance. You end up half-carrying the boy back to his tent on the outskirts of Hogsmeade- feeling a bit sorry for him as you leave, noting the state of his accommodations.

"No wonder he drinks himself stupid."

Poacher Executioner Mortimus Ackerley

Mortimus has got you made from the moment you step into the pub, but the Executioner has a strict rule about not working off the clock - and especially not killing. "Takes a lot outta a wizard, it does - killing."

He favors a direct approach, immediately greeting you with: "Well if it ain't our favorite little capeflapper - the Hero of the Highlands!" He's up front about knowing who you are, but he informs you that he's off the clock, and promises not to hurt you "long as ye behave yerself, crupmite." He ends up asking you a lot of questions such as where you're from, how old you are, your blood status, and what motivates you to be such an annoying little busybody.

You're highly skeptical at first, as you can almost smell death radiating off the man, who looks a lot less menacing without his mask on, despite his tremendous size. Mortimus even buys you a pint in the end, and by the time you leave, he's got you half-convinced there's not much of a difference between your "rescuing" and breeding of beasts and his line of work.

Victor Rookwood

The wizard sitting next to you feels familiar but you can't quite place him at first. You don't recognize him without his signature hat, but a gentleman would never keep one on indoors, and Victor was raised better. So you don't realize the man sat next to you is Victor Rookwood until you're already a few drinks in and you hear him speak. Something just clicks. You can almost feel him looking at you from the corner of his eye, and his voice sends shivers down your spine (you can't tell whether they're good shivers or bad shivers, or both.)

You feel fear rising in you and your pulse quickens. You go to stand only to collapse to the floor, and you don't remember a thing after that for hours.

You see, it doesn't matter to him how charming or funny you are, or how good of company you've been - Rookwood has apparently slipped something into your drink, or had the barman do it for him, because you wake to find yourself stripped to your undergarments and chained to the wall in a cell, with a pounding headache.

Theophilus Harlow

Harlow is drunk when you arrive, talking and laughing loudly to a group of dark wizards and witches. You decide to stick around to see if you can overhear anything that might be useful in bringing down the Rookwood criminal enterprise. You sit with your back to the man, listening intently to every word as you sip on a butterbeer. Suddenly, you cry out as you're pulled off your chair and onto the man's lap without ceremony - a meaty hand preventing you from reaching for your wand.

"Aren't you just cute as a button," he growls, almost a purr in your ear. "Let Uncle Theo get you a drink, eh?" He summons the bartender. "Give this crupmite whatever s/he wants." Before you know it, the whole lot of dark wizards has caught on and surrounded you as you're held trembling on Harlow's lap. They openly discuss their plans for you right in the middle of the pub and force you to drink until you're pliant and manageable.

Poacher Stalker H. Wm. Macnair

When it comes to poachers, it's less about them recognizing you and more about you recognizing them without their poacher masks and garb on.

Macnair's had his eyes on you for a long time, so it takes him only a short while to see through your disguise, but when he does, he is not quick to show it.

Like his brother, Ernie, he doesn't confront you right away, but Willy does a better job hiding that he's caught on. He lets you take the lead in the conversation and does a fair job of pretending he is not himself a dark wizard. However, when you go to the loo, he forces his way in behind you, wand to your throat.

"Though' ye could get one over on me, did ya?"

You'll never forget what happens in the ensuing minutes as the dark wizard harangues you about all his friends that you've killed and all the galleons you've cost him while taking his anger out on your flesh. You're surprised that you're allowed to leave with your life, and later find you can attribute that to a ban on apparition in the pub - put into place after one too many witches walked out on Harlow.

[hibiscus-misery-pills]

“Time for yourself.”

[Gender] — Female! Reader

[Warning] — Anxiety (Mild), depression (Slight), nothing much the rest is fluff.

[Synopsis] — Reader takes time for their self since the staff refuse to let reader bed rot, and they bring along their feline friend who knows how to cheer reader up.

[Word Count] —

[Author Note] — This idea is based off the outfits I see on Pinterest, also the outfits pics aren’t mines, unfortunately I don’t know the actual person who put the fit together so shout out to them. But I’m doing my face routine and I also like makeup so, I’m throwing these ideas in one plot, also if you want a male version just let me know in the comments, enjoy the story! (Also this is Imposter AU)

[P.S] — This is the outfit that inspired me to write this fic.

♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎

It was another day in Twisted Wonderland, and you had decided to stay in bed, just lounging with Grim snuggled by your side. The ceiling fan spun lazily overhead. However, some of the staff members, particularly Crewel and Trein, disapproved of your plan to do nothing all day. Their disapproval was clear when you heard their familiar footsteps approaching your room.

The door swung open gently with a knock, and Crewel and Trein entered. You weren’t sure how they managed to convince you to get up, but before you knew it, you were on your feet. Trein informed you, "We’ll swing by and pick you up around 5," before they left. Despite being thrust into this unfamiliar world, it wasn’t entirely unkind. Remarkably, your bookbag had arrived with you and functioned as a portal for transporting things from your world. Ramshackle had been revamped by Crowley, and while it felt more homely, it still wasn’t quite comforting. The beige wallpaper with its floral design was calming, though, and the white vanity, along with wardrobes and closets from Crewel, added a touch of familiarity.

Your belongings had made the transition as well, including your electronics. They now had infinite battery life but couldn’t connect to social media or make calls. Sitting at your vanity, you decided to do your makeup, playing your favorite music through your tablet. The window’s semi-circle area was large enough to accommodate both your vanity and desk. From your vanity, you faced the front of Ramshackle, which was visible through the semi-transparent curtains. As you dusted off baking powder with a brush, you noticed someone approaching Ramshackle through the curtains. You leaned in to get a better look and saw Vil. He appeared to be in a daze, looking up at the building.

Panicking, you hid behind the vanity mirror, grateful for its size that concealed you. Vil seemed to be assessing Ramshackle before leaving a letter and gifts in the mailbox. Your heart raced as you watched him leave slowly, taking his time. As soon as he was gone, you released a sigh of relief, tears welling up in your eyes. After finishing your makeup, you dressed in your prepped outfit and matching shoes, then added a scarf for Grim to match your look. With the scarf tied around Grim’s collar, you finished your preparations and spritzed on some perfume. Just as you were about to head out, Crewel pulled up in his sports car.

As you walked out, you noticed Leona standing nearby. You hurried into the car, jumping into the passenger seat, while Leona looked on in surprise through the rearview mirror. The rest of the day passed quickly as you spent time with Crewel and Trein. They treated you warmly and spoiled you and Grim, acknowledging the trouble their students had caused. You decided to explore a small part of town with Grim, sticking close and not straying too far.

With the allowance provided by Crowley and additional funds from Crewel, you were able to buy a few special items. Among your purchases was a limited-edition jewelry set featuring a beautiful silver chain adorned with deep blue sapphires. You also bought a matching silver satin collar with a sapphire for Grim. When you returned to Ramshackle, Crewel commented on how you seemed to enjoy your time to yourself. You couldn’t help but smile, reflecting on how peaceful and content the shopping experience had made you feel.As you lay back on your bed with your new items and purse, you felt a sense of happiness and contentment. Maybe the staffs was right—you needed to take more time for yourself.

♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎♡︎

[Author Note] — Goddamn it, I write too much, why am Im writing like i’m writing for my teachers.😭

[misstodorokifreelance]

BNHA Hybrid Head-canons

Boku No Hybrid Academia anyone???

I have head-canons for my three main boys (Todoroki, Bakugou and Midoriya...in that order of personal preference. Hehe.) but I also have head-canons for Kaminari and Kirishima. If you would like me to do a part 2 please let me know!! I don’t do the villains or teachers though, maybe Dabi is an exception. It's been a while since I was on Tumblr but I'm back and will mostly likely be around weekly so don't forget to check in. Now, when it gets to the Rut section it’ll be very smutty and suggestive, so an NSFW warning goes out.  TW: general smut, oral, breeding kink, mommy kink, praise kink, a lil non-con.

First things first though, here are some Hybrid AU head-canons for the world! 

 ✨ Hybrids appeared in the world in much the same way Quirks did. Now most of the population is partially human and partially animal, and they classify themselves as half way between.  For example; A Human-Cat Hybrid would be classified as Homo Felis, where as a Human-Fox Hybrid would be classified as Homo Vulpes.  ✨ Hybrid students are encouraged to act as human as possible, so on weekends or holidays they often just relax and use their animal instincts.  ✨ Some Hybrids gain extra abilities due to the species they are, such as better vision, extremely agility or even camouflage.  ✨ Sadly a lot of the ‘full-blooded’ humans look down on Hybrids, and often try to pick out ‘pure’ bloodlines to ensure the species. However with how prevalent Hybrids are they the world as become fairly forgiving and accommodating towards them, and they just want to be understood by the humans. 

✨ UA has had to build the dorms more like miniature apartments, and the students are encouraged (or more often that not just can’t be ousted from the property) during the holidays, when most Ruts start picking up. It’s fairly common for the students to group up and have quick flings to help each other out, but when two students are in a relationship it’s mutually agreed that they’re out of bounds for everyone else. No matter how desperate. 

Now onto the boyos!

KATSUKI BAKUGOU

🔸 Hybrid: Cat

General Head-canons:

🔸 Katsuki would start out very aggressive, often getting into fights or chasing after the other Hybrids he saw as ‘prey’ such as Midoriya, however he never intends to eat them, just make himself to top cat in the dorms.  🔸 His collar has a chain attached, because the teachers rightfully think he’s quick to anger and potentially violent. Katsuki would throw massive furious tantrums about it and tear the collars to bits, until you and Kirishima finally bought him a spiky red leather collar, which is only one he will ever wear. 

🔸 Katsuki loudly proclaims not to care, but when it comes to you he’s always listening. What food do you like? What colour clothes do you like to wear? Is there a new book or game you want? He’ll buy it for you, and proudly present it to you only in private. As soon as you show any thanks he’ll throw it off and hiss and make a scene, but you know he’s blushing internally. 

🔸 He sneaks onto your balcony at night, and uses his long claws to deftly pick the lock so he can sneak it and do some tidying and generally neaten your place up. He absolutely denies it, but he adores it when he sees how grateful and surprised you are. After the first you times, you took to leaving your balcony door unlocked for him.  🔸 He is so FLUFFY! Like Persian cat fluffy. Most of him looks human, but he has the softest blonde ears and tail, and the slightest fuzzy patches along the back of his hands, forearms and on his chest. He’s very proud of it, and grooms himself sometimes three times a day. He’s not the biggest fan of showers though, unless you’re in it with him, but then he’s too busy staring at you. 🔸 Seriously though, when it comes to towel drying he fluffs up like a cloud, and it’s so adorable like OH. MY. GOSH! 💕😘😊 He pouts though. A lot. He’d much rather use his tongue but he hates getting fur in his mouth. You though...you could use your tongue. Pretty please?? 🔸 When it’s just the two of you, he’s a lot sweeter. He loves cooking for you, but it’ll always be spicy. He adores spicy food, or sparring with his best friend Kiri right in front of you to prove that he’s the strongest. As soon as it’s over though he’ll tackle you onto the couch and either curl up in your lap, contently prideful, or sulkily flicking his tail and internally begging for his ears to be rubbed.  🔸 He loves cuddling you, but he demands to be the big spoon, or to flop on top of you with his face resting on your chest, or in your stomach. He purrs really loud, and it’s reserved ONLY for you.  🔸 Katsuki is possessive AF. He hates smelling any other Hybrids on you, and will immediately throw you onto the bed and make sure it’s only his scent that’s on you. He’ll literally stand in the hallways and hiss at any other guys that brush past you accidentally, or on purpose. He knows you’re gorgeous, and he wants everyone else to be jealous of him.  🔸 Katsuki is a consent king. He would hate to hurt you at all, but he would absolutely play up the rough predator prey dynamic even when he just wants cuddles.

🔸 Some of Kitty Katsuki’s favourite things; Spicy food, knitted blankets, the red spiked collar, watching cooking shows, balls of yarn (only black or red though, he’s picky). 

Spicy Head-canons 🌶🌶🌶:

🔸 Katsuki gets super irritable to everyone other than you when he’s in a Rut. Part of him hates feeling so pent up and needy, but part of him also likes it, and it never ceases to surprise you when he actually says ‘please’. 🔸 Whilst he doesn’t really have a breeding kink, he simply HAS to claim every part of your body, cover you in his scent and make sure after all is said and done everyone sees the bite marks and sheepish blush on your face. 

🔸 He gets restless too, the longer it goes on. For the first few days he’ll hide it, merely getting snappy at people, but his hands and eyes will wander, and he’ll be lowly growling in your ears trying his best to sound casual. He’ll shiver whenever you’re near him though, and he’ll quickly disappear to the bathroom for a decent length of time until finally he can’t control himself anymore. He NEEDS to be in you, to feel you, to claim you as his. He’s aching, his body is dripping with the desperate desire to be in you and he’s almost incoherent as he half begs half demands that you take your clothes off before he does it for you.  🔸 He’s loud, and he gets even more turned on when in a Rut if you are as well. Scream his name because it gets him near feverish in the moment. He doesn’t care if he fills you or not, anywhere is good enough. Across your chest and he may just lap it up himself before making out with you. 🔸 One lengthy round is enough for one Rut, but it’s gotta be hours worth to truly satisfy him. Afterwards he’ll bundle you up in his arms and tell you how good you were, and that you’re his Princess. Trust me though you’ll need the aftercare he’s ready to shower you with, you’ll be sore all over. 

IZUKU MIDORIYA

🔹 Hybrid: Bunny

General Head-canons:

🔹 When you first meet Deku, he’s extremely skittish, often thumping his foot loudly and dashing away whenever anyone got too close or too loud. However once he’s made a couple friends, most of his foot thumps are when he’s excited or geeking out over something.  🔹 He has a soft spot for tinier Hybrids, but his reaction to bigger tougher species is very different depending on A- his mood, and B- personality type. Especially for taller, louder females, he has the level of relationship verging on mommy issues. He’s way more competitive with the other guys though, standing a little out of place being the long eared bunny boy amongst the predator Hybrids.  🔹 His ears are almost too long for him, flopping over adorably whenever he tilts his head. It’s enough to make anyone squeal over him. He’s so heckin cute! 🔹 He rambles a lot, and doesn’t mind if you zone out he just wants to express his excitement about whatever he’s learned today. He especially likes it if he’s curled up under a soft blanket with you.  🔹 Bunny Deku likes things tidy. He loves going around organising things or just cleaning up a room, and he’ll thump his feet happily when you praise him before dashing in for a cuddle. He’s strong though, and loves proving it by lifting you up off the floor and spinning you in a circle. 🔹 He loves the rain, prefers it to showers, but loves bubble baths. He’ll often watch a documentary or listen to music, humming along to the songs. If you pop in to see how he’s going he’ll disappear into the bubbles, blushing furiously, but he actually really likes it when you come to check on him because it makes him feel loved and cared about. He’ll do the same to you as well, waking up once or twice in the night to make sure you’re okay, or popping into a room if you’ve been there a long time. Just to grace you with his bright wide eyed smile and ask if he can do anything to help.

🔹 He does get a little self conscious about the fuzzy patch of light fur along his arms and legs, but he’s super proud of his delightfully poofy cotton tail. When you tell him he’s handsome he’ll do a happy dance and shower you with kisses and little nose rubs. (I’m dying of cuteness imagining it! 💕😘)

🔹 Deku loves parading you to and from bed when you’ll allow him to, likes you feeling his sturdy pecs through his shirt. He works hard to keep his body fit, and will go for jogs at dawn or dusk depending on whether or not you want a quiet night.  🔹 He’s a very attentive boyfriend, and with his bunny ears he’s always listening out to see what you need, or if anyone is talking smack about you, or is into you. If either of those happen he’s not a happy bun at all, and will call them out publicly. Everyone else in 1A think you’re a cute couple, and he’s super happy whenever he hears that.  🔹 He’s a mama’s boy, and she loves you too. Honestly all she wants is to not have a hundred grandkids, praying that your genes outweigh his bunny ones. You’ve heard her say so many a time, and Deku blushes bright red whenever she does. 🔹 Some of Bunny Deku’s favourite things; being outside, watching cartoons, All Might (the famous bunny hero himself!), bubble baths.  Spicy Head-canons 🌶🌶🌶:

🔹 Deku doesn’t at all like being in a Rut. He knows he has a terribly strong breeding kink, he can’t help but imagine you with a belly full of kits, and it gets him all riled up and whiny. He’ll lock himself in his room and even sometimes have Katsuki on watch to make sure he doesn’t make a dash for you in public.  🔹 He’s almost desperate when he finally gets to be in you, quick and breathless and begging for more. He needs it, because his body aches to know end and his little bunny brain is screaming for him to fill you up and keep you like that to ensure he gets to see that cute round belly full of baby bunnies. It’s why he gets so embarrassed whenever his mother will tease him. Don’t be surprised that he’ll need a few rounds to calm him down to the point of even being logical. Lucky Kacchan’s there to knock some sense into him, sometimes literally.  🔹 From day one there’s a massive shift. The usually cheerful Deku is near tearful with desperation, and he needs all of your attention, needs to be touching you all the time. Sometimes it scares him, and he hates feeling like he’s forcing himself on you even when you comfort him and tell him it’s okay, and he tries to stay as sleepy as possible so it’s all cuddles and he doesn’t have to feel his body betray him, constantly dripping, as desperately horny as his brain.  🔹 He really likes suckling though, whether or not he’s in a Rut. He just loves running his tongue over your nipples, it’s comforting to him.  🔹 He also switches from having major mommy issues to being dominant and needing to take charge. When he’s dominant he needs to nip and bite at your shoulders, he has to hear you tell him that you’re his and nobody else’s. When he’s submissive he’ll whine out for you to touch him, to milk him dry as many rounds as he can until he’s exhausted. It’s the worst in spring, and that’s when Shoto, Iida or Kacchan are basically on watch 24/7 for the first few days. Don’t worry too much about him though, he’s not shy about resorting to using pictures of you, or his imagination and the torn apart pillows that you both annually end up having to replace. 

SHOTO TODOROKI

🔸 Hybrid: Exotic Cat (think Bengal cat)

General Head-canons:

🔸 Shoto’s father was one of those ‘elitist’ humans who went looking for a woman with a pure bloodline. Shoto still finds satisfaction in the fact that his maternal grandmother was a Cat Hybrid, and the gene resurfaced with all the Todoroki sons, with only Fuyumi as the only girl missing out. He’s even more happy that he isn’t anything rare like a Snow Leopard, even if he resembles a more expensive feline breed. He looks mostly human though, apart from the tail and ears and longer claws than some of his friends. His eyes are human though, without the slit pupils.  🔸 He lives full time at UA, tired of the way his father pushes Fuyumi to treat him and his brother like pets not siblings. Maybe that’s why Touya left, Shoto isn’t sure. He’ll visit his mom though, a lot, because he’s inexperienced in love, as well as the ways of a Cat Hybrid, and wants to be the best boyfriend he can be. 

🔸 Most of the time he’s quiet, regal, and keeps to himself, but Shoto is very, VERY protective of you. If he’s not right by your side, he’s within visual distance of you whenever you’ll allow it. He will downright hiss at anyone trying to mess with his perfect baby. 

🔸 He’s super smart, but a little clueless at certain things, so Midoriya or more often than not, Kaminari, will explain stuff to him. He has this natural ability to pick up things very quickly, and this surprised everyone including himself. He just sorta picks it up and its phenomenal.   🔸 Shoto downright adores getting to curl up with you, tail around your waist, whispering praise and sweet nothings into your ears. His kisses are just as sweet, a quick peck followed by an adorable blep and quick lip across the same place he just kissed. He likes scenting you casually within view of his friends, he gets a kick out of it.  🔸 He has a cheeky streak, and will steal items of your clothing to keep with him so your scent is always nearby. He’ll hold your hand in public, and rather aloofly ignore other women. He likes his classmates though, and will do his best to help them study so long as you’re there to look at. You’re so beautiful, he just wants to admire you. 

🔸 Shoto prefers any more intimate behaviours to happen in private, even just making out. He’ll always make the first move, and ask in a velvet voice that’s impossible to resist. He has pet names galore for you, but has definite favourites; Baby, Love, Snowflake, Sweetheart, just to name a few. When you do make the first move on rare occasions, it stuns him, and then he’ll blush madly and hide his beaming face.  🔸 Enjoys playing up the predator prey dynamic when it comes to intimacy, but is fairly laid back and romantic with it. 

🔸 Doesn’t know how to cook many things, but loves soba. If you make it for him he’ll follow you around for hours, purring and wanting to touch and hold you in thanks. He also loves sharing baths, he thinks you look cute covered in bubbles or when he can wash your hair in the shower for you. 

🔸 Some of Kitty Shoto’s favourite things; soba, late night cuddling, sharing food or experiences with you, a small All Might plush that you found hidden under his pillow. 

Spicy Head-canons 🌶🌶🌶:

🔸 Shoto can feel himself entering a rut, and his brain switches fully into prowling predator mode. He’s aching inside, but he wants to hide it, make it game and truly earn it when you catches you. The heart pumping chases throughout the dorms is enough to have any of the other feline classmates hiding themselves away, they know well enough to leave Shoto to the hunt.  🔸 He’ll be half growling half purring when he finally gets to you, his eyes hungry but too polite to tear you to shreds before you’re ready for him. He’ll beg for you to let him inside, let him claim you, let him do whatever it he needs to in order to quell the burning inside him. 

🔸 He’s loud as well, half yowling one of your name nickname as he thrusts as deep as his considering length can get inside you. As a Todoroki, of course he has a breeding kink, but he also has enough self control to switch things up to prevent him filling you if that isn’t what you’re feeling that day. He loves it though, loves watching your face, loves seeing you filled up. It’s the edge of heaven for him, and he isn’t shy to let you know that.  🔸 A couple rounds is all he needs, then he’s good, but almost every day of his Rut you’ll see the burning in his eyes, his hungry desire. Everyone else can see it too, but they don’t bring it up because he’d get incredibly sheepish. He can control himself enough to not be a dripping mess, but it takes a lot of composure and sometimes he’ll be a man of even fewer words during the day.  🔸 He prefers intimacy at night or in the evening, and sometimes in the shower if you let him. Otherwise he’ll just be a loving, purring heap of red and white sleek fur in your bed, ready to shower you in expensive gifts for putting up with yet another Rut. 

EIJIRO KIRISHIMA

🔹 Hybrid: Dog

General Head-canons:

🔹 Eijiro is the big energy brother to so many of the class. He’s enthusiastic, playful, a little ditzy, but protective and kind with bucket loads of advice and positive mental health to provide.  🔹 Though his ears and tail are black, he dyes his hair red because it reminds him of his favourite hybrid hero. He’s a little jealous he isn’t part shark, but he also loves being the bundle of love that he is, especially for you.

🔹 He may have a little motley crew of friends, but you are his everything, his world, his galaxy, his universe! If he can be helpful, just give him the instructions and then he’s off and running to do as good a job he can so you’ll praise him. He LOVES praise, he thrives off it, and gets a visible pep in his step when you call him a ‘Good Boy’ or especially a ‘Manly Pup’. 

🔹 Whilst Eijiro likes reading, he’s not the most attentive in class. He’d rather run around outside, testing his metal against the other students, or go teach the younger Hybrids useful skills such as gardening or writing. If you recommend a book to him however, he’ll sit in a corner of a garden or park and read it for as long as you’ll let him before coming back to the dorms. 

🔹 He has a MASSIVE appetite, but tries not to look greedy. Luckily you, Katsuki and the other people who cook in class know to make big portions, cause they’ll never be left overs with Eijiro around!

🔹 He prides himself on looking well kept for you, and beams if you wear his hoodies in public. He loves the look on other guys faces when they can smell his scent on you without him getting worked up and overstimulated, because by god does he get overstimulated. 

🔹 Touch is something Eijiro dreams of, to have your body against him, or even just hold your hand. He has to hold himself back from licking you all over, but the tongue kisses are DIVINE with him. It’s a bit longer than normal, and a little wider, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when his excitedly voice trips into a bark and he pounces on you for a make out session. 

🔹 He gets very hot and bothered when you’re flirty, his body instantly kicking into animal instinct mode. His brain will get fuzzy and all he can think of is him, in you, and then PUPPIES. Not even the round pregnancy belly, just the idea of him being a dad. 

🔹 Some of Puppy Eijiro’s favourite things; gardens, good books, playing sports, praise. 

Spicy Head-canons 🌶🌶🌶:

🔹 Like I mentioned, he gets very riled up from touch, but when he’s in a Rut it’s almost unbearable. He’ll be very whiny but not want to seem annoying, but his whole body is aching and dripping and every second he just wants to feel you. 

🔹He loves both giving and receiving oral. He prides himself on his long tongue and the moans you make send him into overdrive and before you know it he’s inside you, desperate to fill every inch of you again and again because his animal brain demands he has puppies. He’ll feel bad and apologise after every Rut, but he knows deep down you love him no matter what.  🔹 Unsurprisingly he has a slight breeding kink, and also a praise kink. On the days he can’t see you he’ll disappear into the shower again and again, always in a change of clothes, telling himself he’s a good boy just so he feels praised. 

🔹 He’ll steal your panties when in a Rut, basically anything that smells like you, half ashamed as he’s desperately trying to deal with the feelings. He’ll be an laundry duty for the next week, and you know why but you love him too much to say anything. 

🔹 He likes to switch up positions between a handful of favourites. Doggy style is surprisingly second to when you ride him and he can fully lose himself, yipping and crying out your name until he’s got nothing left. 

DENKI KAMINARI

🔸Hybrid: Tanuki (I’ve not seen this anywhere else, and I’m lowkey surprised!)

General Head-canons:

🔸 Denki is a little ditzy, full of energy, and well loved (well... tolerated) by most of his classmates. He’s cheeky, and a bit of a prankster, but also self confident and athletic. When you first met him he instantly tried to make a move by stealing your stuff until you came looking, then he came clean and bluntly said you were hot. 

🔸 Denki lives to make you feel like a QUEEN. He’ll play imaginary trumpets when you enter a crowded room and always be at your beck and call. He loves telling you how beautiful you look or just praising the fact you exist.

🔸 He’s not shy about affection, but plays it up casually otherwise he gets very awkward, nervous laughter and everything. He’ll kiss your cheeks and nose in public whenever he can, then whisper a quick request for more cuddles later.  🔸 He loves cuddling up with you with popcorn and watching scary movies. Pulling you into his lap so he can protect you makes him blush with pride, and then blush as he often gets a little turned on if you accidentally nudge him.  🔸 Not overly horny or desperate outside of a Rut, Denki still enjoys his time with you, especially on special occasions, or any occasion. Did you pass a test? He’ll cuddle and kiss you for hours. Did you fail a test? Same deal, you tried your best! 🔸 He wears slightly baggy pants, because as you found out, Tanuki’s are generously endowed, and he doesn’t want anyone but you seeing.  🔸 If you point out a cute woman or man or person  to him, Denki will happily look over and appreciate them with you. He’s not afraid to be honest about what he finds attractive, because then the two of you can adopt little style habits or ideas for roleplaying if you ever feel in the mood to do so. 

🔸 He’s thought about being a dad before, but it doesn’t get him worked out. He just hopes one day he can dote on you even more while you’re pregnant and then help you raise a little life or two together. He also likes filming videos of the two of you dancing, Mina put him up to it cause she thinks its cute. 

🔸 Some of Tanuki Denki’s favourite things; making fun dance videos, scary movies, innocent-ish pranks. 

Spicy Head-canons 🌶🌶🌶: 🔸 Denki’s big, and he prides himself on it, but always takes care to be gentle at first. The eye flutters and moans you make are the perfect encouragement. You deserve this love, and he’s gonna make you feel so so good! 🔸 He loves switching whose the dom and sub, and especially loves it when he can suckle you. Something about it makes him giddy with excitement, and gets him really really turned on at the same time.  🔸 When he’s in a Rut he gets a massive spike in nervous energy, and is itching to touch you, or even just see you undressed. He doesn’t care if he has to get on his knees and beg, or if you simply strip down and watch him. He just really really wants to get the aching out of his body. 

🔸 His hands wander, definitely, even in public if he’s in a Rut. He’ll either find an excuse to disappear into the dorms or get back there just so he can spent the next few hours fucking your brains out, or getting sucked off. Either works for Denki he’s just eager to be physical with you. 

🔸 He especially likes when all the messy, wild fun is over, that you’re covered in his seed and he can then treat you to a warm bath or shower and then massage you lovingly all over. He loves getting massages as well, and says it’s the perfect way to destress and unwind to help him get through a Rut quicker. 

🔸 Denki really does seem to have a kink for finishing all over you, collar bone, chest, stomach, back...he likes it, and more often than not it’ll lead to another few rounds. He’ll have that shower ready in a flash though, don’t you worry!

There we go! If you want to see some more UA students (mostly 1A please), then let me know and I’ll write up a part two. I already have some ideas for Jirou and Yaoyorozu. Hope you enjoyed my return to Tumblr. I have a QUOTEV account too where I’m writing a Todoroki x OC fanfiction. Check out Freelance if you are into that sorta thing. 

-Till next time!

[hell-much]

Next chapter is moving along, dears. Hoping to have something for you by the weekend. Here a peak into that promised strapless strap-on scene. NSFW goes without saying I guess? :)

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The act of impulse buying items from Amazon and opting for next-day delivery contradicts every single one of Margaery’s principles. From their well-documented abuse of their workers’ rights, over union busting and a poor climate record, to their tax avoidance strategies, it’s the peak of everything any consumer with basic ethical standards should avoid.

Going against her principles isn’t something Margaery does lightly.

She knows that’s a privileged position to uphold. Principles and morals are always very bound to your circumstances. A single mother of two who works two jobs, will not have the time to spare that ethical consumption requires. The guy working a minimum wage job while paying off student loans can’t afford the higher prices that come with supporting small business.

There are situations and circumstances when upholding principles becomes tricky.

It’s debatable if your girlfriend coercing you into breaking those principles with sweet kisses and dirty words qualifies, but as Sansa licks her lips when she takes her in, eyes dark with desire, Margaery decides to postpone those moral qualms to tomorrow.

Her muscles clench around the end of the dildo rooted inside her as she looks at Sansa. She sits on the bed, in the same glorious state of undress she’s been in since Friday evening. How she rests there -braced on her hands, one of her legs bend, the other stretched in all its gorgeous length, offering a glimpse to wetness lingering between toned thighs-has Margaery so turned on, she’s struggling to breathe.

“Suits you,” Sansa says, a smile playing on her face.

Margaery takes a step towards the foot end of the bed, feeling the bulbous end shift inside her. Setting one knee on mattress she takes the end strutting out into her hand and smirks. “Matches my eyes, doesn’t it?”

Sansa nods, her chest heaving in a heavy inhale.  

She holds her breath when Margaery crawls towards her; the shaky exhale caught by Margaery’s lips as they guide her back into soft pillows. Settling between legs that spread to accommodate her, Margaery puts her whole body into every kiss. She nestles the length of the cool silicone between Sansa’s drenched folds and it isn’t before long that short nails rake down her back, dig into her ass, encouraging every motion eagerly.

“Make love to me,” Sansa pleads, her voice hoarse with desire.

After a weekend of using that phrase as excessively as they did (if they’d turned it into a drinking game, they would have suffered alcohol poisoning by Saturday morning) Margaery thinks she should be somewhat desensitised to its effect. But she isn’t. Whatsoever.

Tingling arousal spreads through her and has her muscles clench tighter around the dildo. Tearing herself out of open-mouthed kisses covering her neck, Margaery braces herself on her hands and meets eyes heavy-lidded with lust.

“How do you want to do this?” Margaery asks, out of breath with both excitement and the effort to hold back the primeval urge to take Sansa so hard and so fast, her eyes will roll back in her head.

They’ve never done this. Not like this. Not her penetrating Sansa. And she’ll be damned before she lets anything ruin the most wonderful mood, charged up with excitement and lust.

Ever aware of those musings, Sansa looks up at her with features cast in soft adoration. “Missionary will do,” she says, reaching between them and getting a hold of the dildo. Teeth dig into her bottom lip and she holds onto Margaery’s eyes as she guides the tip into herself. “For starters anyway.”

“For starters?”

She nods, spreading leg wide, and Margaery dares herself at a first, shallow thrust, watching Sansa’s face closely as she slips into her with ease.

“That’s the beauty of overnight delivery, you see.” Legs snap up and winch around her hips, like a wild animal tackling its prey. “You have all day to enjoy your new purchase.”

[lefresne]

the wonderful world of medieval language textbooks

While I was writing up some stuff for a class on bilingualism I came across the 14th century language textbook Manière de Langage. This was a book destined to the English travelling abroad in France. Not unlike most textbooks today, it uses didactic dialogues to teach its students French and the Manière therefore doubles as a phrase book that can be brought along on travels!

It includes useful info such as:

Greetings, asking for the time and for directions

Sir, may God grant you a good day…good health…joy / Lady, may God grant you a good evening / Sir, you are welcome. / God keep you, good friend. /God keep you from evil, my friend. / What is the time? / Between six and seven. / How far is it to Paris? / Twelve leagues. / Is the road safe? / God help me, it depends./ Is the road easy? / God help me sir, it is difficult. / Tell me, how many leagues to my destination? / About twelve / Is it safe from robbers?/ God help me, sir, no. Some people were robbed recently / Really? / Truthfully, sir

how to find accommodation and ask for a drink

God keep this fair company ! Where can I find good lodgings? / Sir, just in front, with the sign / God be with us / Sir or lady, hospitality in the name of charity and the Holy Cross / Sir, come in, by God / Lady, do you have good wine? / Truthfully, sir, a lot / What wine? / Red and White / And how much is it? / I have some at sixteen, twelve, ten, eight, six, four, and two

How to order beer and settle a bill

Lady, do you sell beer? / Sir, the gallon for three coins / Lady, get us some beer! Lady, fill our cups! And bring cups and goblets for the wine. Lady, bring us meat (= food) / Yes, sirs, enjoy your meal / Lady, send for some cheese. Lady, remove the table cloth. Lady, come and count (= settle the bill). Lady, how much was it? / Sir, it is x amount / Lady, take what you need. Is everything paid? Have the beds been made? / Sir, yes / Then let's go to bed!

How to buy items at the market

How much is this? How can I have this? / Do you want it? / Yes, sir, just say the word / Sir, you will give me x for it / Sir, no, that is too expensive!

some useful pick up lines and how to ask a woman out for dinner

(of all the flowers in the dew / It seems to me that you are the most beautiful / like a rose amongst lilly flowers) okay....

a bunch of insults (includes: kiss my ass )

under the useful rubric: Contemporary politics, a reference to the deposition of Richard II

Lady, I am glad to see you / Sir, truthfully, I am happy to see you. What news, sir? / Truthfully, lady, some most extraordinary news / And what are they, please? / God help me, lady, I have heard that the king of England was deposed / What! are you joking? / No, it is the truth / So the English don't have a king? / They do, the one that was Duke of Lancaster, the very nephew of the king that was deposed! / Really? / Really! / And what will happen to the queen? / By God, I don't know, I wasn't there / And the king of England, where was he crowned? / In Westminster

[spooksforsammy]

Even though grew up undiagnosed (and still not but another story another time) learn how self advocate. Which don’t think many who grew up in similar way as self know how do. But thing is. Only. Way get through was learn speak up self

Even though no autism diagnosis as child grew up aware was special needs and needed extra help accommodation etc etc. in elementary and especially middle school only way able be heard and get things needed was to speak up say something. And think going school where kids rude teachers don’t care everyone think only self right (aka underfunded “horrible” school) changed how self avodate for self help learn how not care what others think.

Because middle school especially 7th grade really needed those accommodations. Fidget toys break ear defenders. Only way allowed have was if placed in iep, but family didn’t want fully believe needed those thing.

Middle school experience most definitely taught how say what need without care if rude or if they disagree. Because agree or not know self best and know those things help.

This year in class teacher asked say something important know. And told her would use my accommodations placed in iep even if she didn’t like it (because many teachers in middle n high want go against what put in place. Because “gifted student, don’t need”). Told her would switch out what fidgets used if absolutely necessary (because knew teacher from elementary school. She knew my needs and I liked her. And she also disabled didn’t want cause her problems) but wouldn’t just not use.

She congratulated me because not many students able or willing do that. She told me and sister and speech therapist that was proud and had good self adovcate skills. Which is true but only way able make it though is be able stand up talk for self say what need.

And that’s why many teachers student etc think self rude. Because stand up for self and “talk back” about what need. But if speak for self is “talk back, rude” then ok. They definition wrong but won’t bother try change 

Like with another teacher this year. Didn’t like that used fidget toy (and was first time used) and she told put away. Told her no and had permission on account [iep] and that if had problem with what used is welcome buy another because was only one had was trying get more but just couldn’t at that moment. She and classmates found that rude). But she aware speech language disorder so say things wrongly and that wrong can come off as rude. She aware of problems with tone. She aware have iep and iep allowed use fidget. Yet the problem was told her no wouldn’t put away for her comfort.

Eventually just stop care if seen as rude or not. Because when try be “nice” they needs come before self and then they upset shut/meltdown. In the end they upset. So they can be upset and will just let them be upset while self have what need.

[cripple-woe]

"But what if you're not struggling right now, why should i commission you and not someone else?"

I mean, I'm usually in a tight spot. but, when I'm not sad about how little I'm contributing what I can to our food, my medication costs, etc, etc, if I'm in a good place and my parents don't want to take the money:

if someone ordered 2 £5 commissions, my chibi commissions, or even a £10 (discounted) clean sketch, I could buy my nana a bottle of her favorite perfume, she hadn't been able to find it in years because she doesn't use the internet, really, but I have the tab saved. She loved wearing it to cards night. if someone ordered a £20 commission, I could order a set of Himi Gouache and be able to practice more freely with the student set my teachers gifted me, knowing I'd have a new set to use afterward, and not worrying about being unable to afford the medium anymore.

If someone ordered a £25-30 commission, I would be able to buy myself and my friends some things we love or put it towards when we eventually have to try and furnish our university accommodation when we start, in the country that is Coldie-mc-Coldville (England), it could let me buy a really good throw blanket to use when we move, stuff like that. I'm disabled, my little feetsies get fucking COLD dude its so bad

speaking of, when i get to uni I will REALLY be pushing my commissions. I'm sorry in advanced when that happens in a year or two lol.

[shadowfromthestarlight]

My last relationship ended three and a half years ago. That's as long as the relationship itself. Heh.

I still find it amazing that when I was in the relationship, I let so many issues go on for so long without trying to resolve them.

We were very different on most political issues. And no, politics isn't everything, but we truly believed each other's views were stupid, which doesn't bode well for the long term. Religion was a bigger problem, because I didn't share my beliefs very openly with him and I knew from other commentary he made that he wouldn't have respected them, anyway. The fact that we didn't try to have a more open conversation about our beliefs and values and what that meant for our future together is pretty problematic, though.

Most egregious was that we let each other say things about the future without consulting the other, as if the other had nothing to do with it.

For example, he would talk about his timeline for paying off his student loans and buying his own home, without any mention of me and where I fit into his timeline. He would say that he hated children and that he wasn't sure if he ever wanted children without ever once asking me my thoughts. He got a job in the field he really wanted - which is good, of course! - but then became so committed to it that there was no question that he was going to remain in one place his whole life, and that if I wanted to stay in a relationship I'd have to plan my career and life choices around him. Sometimes the way he talked about the future gave me the sense that he viewed me as someone who was just along for the ride for whatever he decided he was doing with his life. Also, we always had to listen to the same playlist. That was kind of annoying.

What about my role in all that? Why no pushback?

All I can say is, I thought I had to prove my love through total acceptance and lack of judgment.

And I wasn't so different, was I? Not only did I never push him for a straight answer on anything, I went off and started a career that kept me committed to living two hours away for the foreseeable future. I started making plans to move where I wanted to move, on my own, with no regard for how logistically difficult it would make our relationship. Because at that point, I didn't care. But that point was several months before we mutually went our separate ways, funny enough.

I used to say we broke up because of "Covid." But that's not really the whole story. It's true that we grew apart even more during the first months of the pandemic. Some of our differences were exacerbated. But the differences were already there. We saw less of each other. But we'd already been on a trend of seeing less of each other. I think it's actually more accurate to say that the pandemic prolonged our stagnated relationship. It was too easy to have a routine of talking to each other at the same time every day. Our relationship was going nowhere, sure, but at that time, nothing was going anywhere! And not for nothing, throwing in a breakup during some already very difficult times would have just been cruel. He was even more isolated than I was that spring, and I genuinely worried about him. It was only later that summer that we were both able to admit that we were each building a future that didn't include the other, and mutually go our separate ways.

What's really striking to me is that I never had any doubt that breaking up was the best choice for both of us. Not once. Not even in the first few days after the breakup. In truth, I only felt like a weight had come off my shoulders. I've never once thought wistfully of what might have been. Because I've never doubted that "what might have been" wasn't anything good. That's how I know that I was in it for far too long. Yes, breaking up was the right choice, but my absolute certainty that it was the right choice makes me think it should have been done a lot sooner.

I can only say I thought I was obligated to keep trying. To accommodate the other person as best I could. To inconvenience myself for the other person. To tolerate all the disagreements, or to pretend they didn't exist. To stick it out even when the initial thrill of a new relationship was over. I thought that was what love was all about. And perhaps it can be, sometimes. When you're working towards a mutual goal with somebody. When you both have the same end in mind. A crucial difference I was missing then.

With the passage of time, I've come to understand all the mistakes I've made. I just hope someone else will benefit from my sharing them.

[raptorsaurusmelain]

Let me show you... Youtube - chapter 2

Hey, here is chapter 2 of Victoria's adventure.

Warning : no proof reading, english is not my mother tongue.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Yuu called Victoria to warn her they found a room.

Victoria faced away from the headmaster to yell a "I'm coming !" Before telling Crowley "I bid you a good night, headmaster."

Crowley sighed "I will think about your proposition… Good night".

The raven man walked away from the dorm under Victoria's eyes full of satisfaction. Yuu should be a janitor for a few days before being a student, if she remembered correctly.

She began to go upstairs when Yuu yelled :

"Victoria-san ? There is a suitcase in my room with my name on it !!"

Victoria frowned. That's strange…

"Don't open it !! I am coming !!"

Victoria walked faster to the bedroom, finding herself in front of the exact room from the game. Truly it was a strange feeling to be in front of things you never saw before in real life and yet that seemed so familiar.

On the dusty white sheet covering the bed was an old suitcase, in a textile that seemed to be leather. There was a tag on it, spelling in English lettering "For Yuu". That… wasn't in the game.

Victoria ordered gently "Yuu, Grim step back a little, I am going to open it."

Full of apprehension, Victoria opened the brass clasps of the suitcase to reveal… 

"Clothes ? Well that was unexpected."

Yuu came closer and opened their eyes wider. "Those are mine ! And there is my wallet too !"

Victoria was surprised. [What is happening?]

"Well at least I will not have to worry about making laundry too often !" Added Yuu.

Victoria sighed and pushed Yuu lightly "we need to clean a little if you wish to sleep on a bed tonight"

Yuu nodded and they both went on an expedition to find at least a broom. When they found one, they took the white cover off, coughed and shook the old duvet. When they had the money, they really needed to buy a washing machine.

Once they were done with Yuu's room, they went to search Victoria's room and clean it.

Victoria chooses a room that seemed to be the old dorm manager room, bigger and more furnished than Yuu. Like Yuu, a suitcase was waiting for her, with a beautiful "For Victoria" tag on it.

She opened it. There was more stuff than in Yuu's. There were clothes, a smartphone, the charger, her wallet and a letter from the bank?? Did she forget to pay something ?

Curious, she opened the letter and read what it was written. Yuu, as curious, asked "what is written on the letter ??".

Victoria was confused and showed the bank card "apparently I have a bank account here ?". She pointed at a little rectangle "Look there is even a pin number."

There was a confused silence.

"What's a bank card?" Asked Grim.

"It allows someone to pay something with their money, by other means than coins and bills." explained Yuu.

The woman was confused. After a few seconds she decided she was too tired to care for today. Always procrastinate, Imma right ?

“Let’s clean, I will think about it tomorrow… We need the night to digest our emotions.”

After cleaning and saying good night, Victoria was alone in her bed. There she advised her plan : 

1st of all : she was in the game but some stuff deviated from the canon events.

2nd : she decided to not interfere with the story of the game, she was enough of a disturbance. 

3rd : she would just be a background janitor and help Yuu, if they needed.

4th : something (or someone) decided to interfere and make them accommodate their new lives quickly. Else why would there be suitcases in their rooms ?

5th : a bank account ? She will have to find Sam’s to activate her bank card.

6th : the dorm needed repairing and they will have to do that in their free time.

Unable to sleep, she grabbed her phone and saw that she had a message. She opened it and read:

“Welcome to Twisted Wonderland Victoria !

We are happy to announce to you that you were chosen among a thousand of participants to become Yuu’s emotional support !

We created a bank account in your name and in a few days, your phone will be rewired to function on Twisted Wonderland telephone network !

If we are satisfied with your services, you will receive your new ID and your social security card. In addition, if you go all the way till the end of the story, you will be a permanent resident of Twisted Wonderland !

Aren’t you happy ?

Disney”

A PERMANENT WHAT ??

Tag : @boba-tea-sipsip