#catch me next week feeling much calmer about this whole situation

[percervall]

Mamma mia, here I go again {pt5}

Summary: A summer of poor decisions leads you to having to face the consequences of your actions —and the men involved. Pairing: Kevin Magnussen x fem!reader, Lewis Hamilton x fem!reader, Mark Webber x fem!reader Warnings: talk of pregnancy, mentions of a past relationship, Mark being a dick Word count: 2.5k Taglist: @ashy-kit @averagef1fansblog @barcelonaloverf1life @bradfordbantams @dannyramirezwife-simpaccount @doofenshmirtzevil-inc @exotic-iris13 @goldsainz @iloveneteyam @jaypreshpresh @laura-naruto-fan1998 @monzamash @norrisleclercf1 @opheliaas-stuff @roseseraj @szobosz @vellicora

Part 5 of the Mamma Mia series

Despite the fact that you had just had the summer break, not having a race weekend after Monza comes as a welcome breather. It allows you to catch up on tasks you had been neglecting. You finally managed to clean your flat and had just finished the last load of laundry that morning. It also allowed you time to finally schedule an appointment with a clinic to get a scan done. It had felt surreal, getting the black and white confirmation of the pregnancy. You’re still not sure if having a baby is the smartest move right now, but the relief you felt when you saw that the pregnancy was where it’s supposed to be and the heartbeat left you feeling even more confused about the whole situation. Trying your hardest to push all of that to the side, you change into your workout clothes and roll out your yoga mat. At this point you just need 15 minutes of not thinking about anything and you had found yoga to be a great help. As you centre yourself, focussing on your body and breathing through the poses, you begin to feel calmer. Taking another deep breath, you move into the next pose. The calm energy is rudely interrupted by your phone ringing. For a second you consider just letting it go to voicemail but the sound of the phone buzzing on the table is too much of a distraction to ignore. Huffing in annoyance, you get up from the floor.

“Hello?” 

“Hello to you too, sweetheart. Am I interrupting something?” 

“Yes, my workout,” you retort, rolling your eyes at Mark’s tone.

“Mm, if you need a hand let me know,” he says and you can just picture the look on his face. Smug son of a bitch.

“For fuck’s sake..” you mutter, “Get to the point or I’m hanging up.” 

“Oh sweetheart, I’m only teasing.” 

“Mark, I’m not doing this. Again, get to the point or I will hang up,” you reply.

“RIght, yes. I’m in your neck of the woods this week for some meetings and I was wondering whether you’d like to come over for dinner on Thursday? I know typically you’d take a girl out on a date, but I think there’s a few things that have gone left unsaid for far too long.” 

“I-.. I’d like that very much, Mark.” Despite his constant flirting, you’re grateful that he offers the both of you an opportunity to talk.

“I can pick you up if you want or you can drive so you have an out if you need it. I don’t-.. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” You can hear the sincerity in his voice and it breaks your heart a little bit that this is what is left of the relationship you once had with him. 

“Thanks Mark, I don’t mind driving. Not because of the reasons you named, but I don’t want to inconvenience you by having to drive this way twice. Just text me the address and a time and I’ll be there.” Your phone buzzes against your face, indicating you have received a new message.

“You should have it now. Okay, I’ll let you get back to your workout.” You both say your goodbyes before hanging up. You put the phone down on the table and stare out of the windows in your living room, lost in memories. 

Mark and you met in 2012, while he still drove in Formula 1. You had just graduated university with a degree in Mathematics and Engineering, and your thesis had somehow made its way to the desk of Christian Horner. And so, there you were: 23 years old and bright eyed, using the tool you had developed for your thesis to analyse simulator data and translating that into adjustments needed to the set up of the car to extract its maximum potential. While you mainly worked on Sebastian’s side of the garage, you often bumped into Mark during race weekends, always ready with a comment that should’ve gotten him written up. Mark was everything you needed in a man at that point in your life and it felt so good to feel wanted, to feel desired. And then 2013 happened. 

You have to physically shake your head to stop going down that rabbit hole, only now noticing how hard you’re gripping the back of a chair. Exhaling deeply, you let go, flexing your fingers to get rid of the tension. Despite knowing you need to have this conversation before either of you can even think about second chances, you’re not looking forward to reliving how it all fell apart. 

+

Thursday approaches a lot faster than you had anticipated, work keeping you busy even if there wasn’t a race. Having already showered, you’re now standing in front of your wardrobe trying to decide on what to wear. The old you would have gone for something frilly and short. Mark loved seeing you in these tiny summer dresses, and you loved how his hand felt on your bare thigh, allowing him to easily slide up under your dress while you were out for team dinners and tease you mercilessly. Chewing your bottom lip, you peruse your options. Despite it being September, it’s still a balmy 22 ℃ although it will probably cool off during the course of the evening. Feeling the need to reclaim a part of you that Mark stole from you, you decide to go for a dress. Even if you no longer wear those short, cutesy dresses, you still love how dresses make you feel. There’s a femininity that you sometimes feel out of sync with because of your job. It feels empowering, dressing up in a world built for men. Your eyes fall on a recent purchase –a flowy midi length dress in a gorgeous burnt orange. Slipping it on, you brush your fingers over the soft linen fabric, admiring the way the gold buttons catch the sunlight. It’s casual enough for tonight, but it gives you that little boost of confidence that you know you will need to make it through Mark’s relentless flirting. Closing the door of your wardrobe, you slip on a pair of sandals and grab your purse before heading out. 

It turns out that Mark lives a lot closer to you than you had expected when you first looked at the address he sent you. You park the car on the paved driveway in front of the detached house in the outskirts of Oxford, taking in its grandeur. You remember Mark telling you about how his family would come over for the holidays sometimes and so the extra bedrooms make sense. As you slam your door shut, you spot Mark in the door opening.

“Hey sweetheart,” he greets you and you let him pull you into a hug.

“Hey,” you reply softly, following him inside. Mark leads you to a large open kitchen-dining space before offering you something to drink. 

“Wasn’t sure whether you’d want to eat outside or not,” Mark says as he hands you a glass.

“Might as well make the most of this warm weather,” you reply with a smile. Mark returns your smile and takes you outside through the large French doors in the kitchen. 

“Dinner’s almost ready. Please, sit. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll join you in a moment.” 

You do as he asks, taking in the landscaping from your spot on the patio. It doesn’t take long for Mark to start bringing out the dishes, refusing your help. 

“I might’ve gone a little overboard,” he admits sheepishly as he brings out the final dish. The grilled asparagus should’ve been a giveaway, but you can’t help but feel touched when Mark places a lamb roast on the table.

“I can’t believe you remembered,” you say, throat closing with tears.

“How could I forget? It’s not every day you find a pretty girl crying quietly in the corner of the garage after a race –which we won by the way– because she missed her nan’s Sunday roast. She always made lamb, right?” Mark says. You nod and try to swallow back tears.

“Thanks Mark, this-.. This means a lot to me,” you whisper. Mark smiles softly and gives your hand a squeeze. 

During dinner, the conversation mainly revolves around catching up. Mark tells you all about managing McLaren’s rookie driver and how he’s finding it to work at Channel 4 with David. You update him on your appointment, showing the little sonogram picture. 

“So everything’s okay with the baby?” he asks, an anxious look in his eyes.

“Uhu, so far so good. They estimated that I’m about 7 weeks along now.” Mark looks back down at the picture on your phone, a large finger tracing it gently as he smiles. Seeing him so enamoured by the tiny blob on the sonogram brings up a mix of emotions for you; it warms your heart to see him like this, but it also terrifies you that those feelings for him never went away and how easy it is to fall back in step with him. 

“You’d look so hot in those maternity dresses,” Mark comments, his tone flirtatious, “You always look hot in a dress. I still dream about that pink one with the hearts you wore to dinner after Silverstone. You looked so innocent in that dress, but we both knew you were anything but.” 

And then he goes and says shit like that, and it all comes tumbling down like a house of cards. 

“I no longer dress for you, Mark. You lost that privilege a long time ago,” you retort, voice even but there’s an edge to it. You remember the dress he is talking about, remember what he is referring to. Before your food even arrived at the table, Mark had dragged you into the bathroom. He had made some comment about how pretty you looked but how you’d look even prettier on your knees with your mouth wrapped around his cock, and so that’s what you did. That was how your relationship worked: Mark would make a suggestive comment and you would obey without a second thought. Of course he always made sure he took care of you; he was the one who helped you discover you could experience multiple orgasms, would always clean you up afterwards and run you a bath. But despite all this, he always took what he wanted from you first. You wish you could have protected your younger self against the heartbreak that was headed your way, against the feeling of being lost at sea after Mark left you alone in that hotel room with nothing more than the remnants of his fingerprints on your skin. After the dust had settled, you had promised yourself never again; you would never allow yourself to be in that position again. 

“I’m sorry,” Mark says, breaking you from your spiralling thoughts, “for- I’m sorry for how it all went down, how I treated you. You deserved so much better than that,” he adds, referring to the note he left you after that final race in Brazil. 

“Why did you leave me?” you ask, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Because I couldn’t drag you into my mess. You had your entire career still ahead of you while I needed to get out. That last season was a shitshow, despite the fact that Seb won the Driver’s and RedBull the Constructor’s. I was sick and tired of how the team favoured Seb. I had nothing left to give..” 

“You shut me out, I thought we were in it together.. Or was I just a means to get back at Sebastian?” It’s impossible to not sound bitter, hurt evident in your tone.

“No, Jesus, no sweetheart. You know it started out as a way to annoy him, but my feelings for you were genuine; I loved you, and in many ways still do.” Regret is written all over his face when your eyes meet his. You know your relationship back then was complicated. Of course there was the age gap –Mark is a good 13 years older than you– which somehow trickled into the bedroom where he showed you things that made your previous boyfriends look like clueless little boys by comparison. And as every naive 20-something-year-old with daddy issues would have done, you fell head over heels in love with him, giving him your heart and your body. 

“You broke a piece of me that day that I might not ever get back,” you whisper.

“And I will spend the rest of my life regretting the way I handled things. You’re right, I should’ve been open and honest with you instead of walking out on us,” Mark says, taking your hand in his.

“I’ve spent ten years avoiding you. The ghost of you haunted me in that garage and so when Mercedes called, I took it with both hands. I was a mess those first years, somehow still hoping you’d come back for me. And then it became painfully clear you weren’t and I mourned the loss of you all over again. I hated you for what you did to me, hated myself even more for ever allowing you to get close enough to hurt me, for still being in love with you despite it all. The last ten years I’ve spent building up walls so I wouldn’t have to feel like that version of me again, and look where that’s gotten me.” You laugh humorlessly, biting your lip to stop the tears from falling. “I have become the very definition of a cliche, entangled in a love square and too scared to let any of them in.” 

Before you really know what’s happening, Mark pulls you out of your seat and into his lap. Your legs dangle over the arm of the chair and you bury your face in the crook of his neck. 

“I need you to listen carefully, okay sweetheart? If anyone deserves to take the blame for what happened, it’s me. And if you’ll let me, I will spend the rest of my life showing you just how worthy of love you are. I know all three of us will. You might have a hard time letting us in right now, but baby you need to know that we’re all in if you are. You are worth waiting for.” You take a deep breath, inhaling his cologne. The scent of it helps to calm you down, it reminding you of the lazy mornings spent in bed cuddling. 

“You’re the second person to tell me that,” you mumble as you look up at him. Mark smiles, brushing away your tears with his thumb and cradles your cheek in his palm.

“Then it must be true.” 

You smile back at him, albeit timidly and snuggle into him once more. Alice’s words from a week prior echo in your head. “Keeping your heart shut like this, it’s safe but also lonely.” You’re beginning to wonder whether the cost has been far greater than the benefits of keeping romance at bay. Doing so hurt a good man; had you been able to allow Kevin in completely, you know he would have made you feel safe and loved. You also know Kevin deserves better –hell, you deserve better, but knowing and doing are two very different things, and right now you’re not sure if you’ll ever be ready for this level of love –from any of them.  

Welp, there you have it. Date no.2 🙊

Again, a massive thank you to @curiousthyme and @szobosz for being my beta readers for this chapter, and a shoutout to @monzamash for helping me with figuring out the details for this date

Please feel free to let let me know what you think; your comments, tags and likes mean the absolute world to me 💜

I'm gonna take the holidays off from posting this fic to just relax (and maybe get some more writing done, who knows?), so the last date will be posted in the new year on the 6th. Wishing you all a merry Christmas and all the best for the new year!

[icehot13]

I love my job because first there was a job site where I had to do 3/4 " conduit by myself and that was the worst thing I could imagine doing and then!!!! On day one at this job site, I was given 1" conduit through ceiling tiles and that's an even WORSE thing!!!! Anyways long story short it's cool to look back on it a week later and see you made it happen

[rickmandowneyjr]

hello! i really liked the stories you've posted so far, so i thought that maybe i'd request something too. could you please write a story set during 'The Order of Phoenix' in which Umbridge constantly harasses the Reader (a young female professor) and Severus, secretly having feelings for her, is really not okay with that (defends and comforts the Reader in his snarky way or something). i definitely wouldn't mind if after one particularly nasty altercation with Umbridge our couple had to... blow off some steam, if you know what i mean ;> i hope it's not too complicated, thanks a lot!

Hello there, and thank you!! :) I hate Umbridge with a passion so I think I'm gonna enjoy this one a lot XD

Petty In Pink

Fluff, slight angst(?), smut (18+)

Pairing: Severus Snape x Reader

Warnings: bullying/harassment, NSFW content

Word count: 4447

A/N: I realise I didn't really write a nasty altercation but I tried to keep it a little light-hearted because I feel like it would've been even longer if I made the whole issue with Umbridge too elaborate and serious. Hope you still enjoy it, anon :)

You were in Severus' chambers grading papers together. Previously the professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts, you were now Dolores Umbridge's "co-professor" when she really just treated you as an assistant. You had no say in the lesson plan, which in your opinion was absolute bullshit. She refused to let the students practice, focusing only on theoretical learning, which would be useless in real life. Not to mention she'd always sit in on your classes, to ensure you stuck to her lesson plan. As you angrily marked the hundredth essay she had handed out this week, Severus cleared his throat and spoke up.

"The quill is about to snap," he chuckled, trying to relieve a little tension. Usually, you were pretty chatty but had been deep in thought this particular evening. "Is everything alright?" Severus asked, and you couldn't hold back the need to rant anymore.

"No, actually. The woman is infuriating. As if it wasn't bad enough that she was sitting in my class, she's started making comments about my teaching methods... and don't even get me started on the essays," you said, getting up from the desk you were at, and started pacing around. "She doesn't do any practical learning, so she hands out all these stupid essay assignments. I mean, a couple of them are okay, but one every class?! She doesn't even correct them! Simply hands it over to me to have it marked by her next class with the students," you finished, as you plopped yourself down onto his couch.

Severus got up from the desk as well, sitting down next to you on the couch. He had his eyebrows raised and a slightly amused expression on his face. He didn't find your situation funny in the slightest, but the way you had walked around, mumbling angrily, you'd just looked too adorable to the man.

However, when you looked at him, he switched to a less smitten expression and said, "You should just refuse next time. Speak your mind, [Y/N]."

You were a lot calmer now, having gotten all of that off your chest. You simply sighed and said, "What then? She has the authority to fire me under the education decree as enacted by the Minister," you said, imitating her squeaky, annoying voice. Severus lost any composure he had maintained and actually laughed out loud at that. Your frustration faded as you heard him laugh, a small smile appearing on your lips, instead.

"Well, how about a little tea break?" He asked, catching his breath. "I've brought those little cakes you like so much. We can relax for a bit before we continue marking," he suggested.

You placed your hands on your chest and batted your eyelashes at the man in black, saying, "My hero. What would I ever do without you?"

"Be in Azkaban for killing Umbridge, probably," he joked as he walked off to his kitchen.

You had known Severus since school. Though his junior, the two of you became good friends since you wouldn't ever let him sit and wallow in peace. After you graduated, you became the DADA professor and rekindled your friendship with the potions master. Well, maybe more than a friendship. You'd liked him, back during your school years, but had kept it to yourself since it was pretty obvious that he had his eyes on Lily Evans. You thought you were over him, but all those feelings had come rushing back when you started working at Hogwarts and had started spending time together again.

"You really shouldn't let her walk all over you, though. I don't like it," he said from the kitchen. You got up and walked to him, saying "Are you saying that I ought to take more umbrage to her words?" You snapped your fingers and pointed finger-guns at him, with a smile on your face as he stared back at you with a scowl.

"No cake for you," he muttered and you threw your arms around him as you giggled and apologised. "No, no, no. I'm sorry. I want the cake," you pouted. He cleared his throat, making you realise how close your faces were as you looked up at him. You calmly moved away, before laughing it off.

As you finished your tea and cake, you thought, 'I can't tell him all the things she says. He'd get too concerned. Besides, I can take it. I don't really care what she thinks,' trying to convince yourself.

—

The next day, in one of your classes, Umbridge made sure to point out how you wouldn't give the students any learning aids and assignments, and how that was the reason they were doing poorly. In reality, your students were doing perfectly fine while hers... not so much. You'd know, you graded the papers, after all.

You simply rolled your eyes and ignored her, and continued teaching. The comments kept becoming more personal but you decided to not have a conflict in front of the students. She wanted to cause a ruckus in front of them, and you wouldn't let her.

As class ended and the students were gathering their things, she strolled over to your table, speaking rather loudly. "Your choice of clothing for teaching is rather odd," she said condescendingly, making you look away from the board you were clearing, to her. "Some might wonder what you teach after hours," she paused. She looked around the room, the students still hurriedly packing their belongings, not wanting to be in this awkward situation. "You tutor some of the kids, yes?"

You let out a deep sigh as you turned your attention back to the board, brushing off her implications. She wanted to rile you up and your lack of reaction was beginning to get to her. However, what she said next was difficult to ignore.

"You know... I knew your mother... back in school. It's a pity she passed away," you turned to glare at her, warning her to tread carefully. She obviously ignored it and continued, "But I also am glad that she's dead. Seeing what you turned out like... She would've been so disappointed," she tutted.

You quickly scanned the classroom and saw that a majority of the students were still there, a look of disbelief on their faces at the woman's words.

You looked back to Umbridge, your jaw involuntary clenching as the anger bubbled inside you, threatening to explode at any moment. You knew what she was trying to do though, and wouldn't give her the satisfaction. You simply picked up your bag and walked out the door, slamming it shut behind you.

Entering your chambers, you reminded yourself that there was no truth to her words, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Umbridge had hit you where it hurt and the fact that you just walked away, was infuriating you now. So you let your tears fall and cried out in frustration. The past month of bullying and harassment had finally gotten to you, and so you cried, trying to lighten the weight on your chest.

—

Severus was on his way to your quarters with a plate of food since you had missed dinner. It was unusual for you to do so. Especially without telling him. As he made his way through the halls, a couple of students were mumbling about something.

"I can't believe she actually said that!" One exclaimed in disbelief.

Normally, he couldn't care less about the gossip amongst the students, but as he crossed them, he heard, "Do you think that's why Professor [L/N] wasn't at dinner?"

This got his attention and he swiftly turned on his heel, trailing the girls at a distance, hoping to hear more.

"I suppose," the other said.

"And you're saying that Professor [L/N] didn't say anything back either?" The earlier one asked.

"Nope. I honestly don't know how she managed to do it but she just picked up her stuff and left," the other replied, making him roll his eyes. 'Of course, she just picked her stuff up and left,' he thought.

He'd heard enough. He quickly turned again, resuming his journey to your chambers while mentally preparing a lecture for you. Upon reaching your door, he knocked, to which, he received no answer. He took out his set of keys to your room and unlocked the door, letting himself in. He expected you to be out, but when he walked in, he saw you asleep on the sofa with your back to the door. He quietly shut the door and made his way to you, placing the plate of food on the coffee table as knelt next to you.

"Wake up, you dunderhead! You slept through dinner," he scolded playfully.

You jerked awake at the sound of his voice and turned to face him, unaware of your tear-stained face and puffy eyes, having cried yourself to sleep. Severus' smile faded the moment he saw your face, being replaced by concern instantly.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked, moving his hand to cup your cheek. Your eyes widened as you realised that you probably looked like a mess, and he had realised that you had been crying. Sitting up instantly, you moved away from his touch, and he retracted his arm.

"Um... nothing," you mumbled as you looked away from him, your voice hoarse.

He carefully reached out, gently turning you to face him and said, "It was Umbridge, wasn't it?"

"No, don't be silly," you chuckled weakly, trying to brush it off.

"I heard the students talking, [Y/N]. What did she say?"

You sighed. Of course, he knew. So you told him. Everything. How she'd been making your life miserable for the last month (more than you had let on), and how she had crossed the line with her comment today.

Severus put his arms around you and said, "I'm so sorry." You tried pushing him away, knowing the tears would fall again if he held you, but he still pulled you close and rubbed your back as he said, "It's okay. You don't always have to be so strong, you know? Especially around me."

That was enough for you to lose any composure you were holding onto. You let the tears fall and they wet his chest. You cried as he gently stroked your hair, trying to soothe you. After a couple of minutes, you calmed down, but Severus still held you. "You know... I could just poison her tea..." he said, suggestively.

You giggled and Severus looked at you, a small smile forming on his face. "What are you giggling about?" He asked.

"What you said."

"I wasn't joking," he said, raising his eyebrows, which made you laugh even harder.

"You won't do that, Sev. If you get fired, I'd lose my best friend."

Ouch. Best friend. That hurt... but he'd rather have you as his best friend than not have you at all. He'd lost one already, and he didn't plan on making the same mistake twice.

"Thanks for bringing me food, by the way," you said, looking at the food on the table.

"I was doing myself a favour, really. We're supposed to be grading together, later, and you're a tyrant when you're hangry," he rolled his eyes.

You playfully hit him and pulled away from his chest which was now soaked with your tears. "Sorry about that," you mumbled awkwardly.

"Again, a very selfish reason. Your tears are rarer than a Phoenix's. I was collecting them to try and use them in a potion," he joked. You chuckled softly as you looked at him. Severus Snape might've seemed like a mean old potions master to the rest of the world, but to you, he was probably the sweetest person to exist.

You spent the rest of the night, chatting, watching movies, and completely neglecting the papers you had to grade as you laughed your heart out with Severus, instead.

—

The next day, on your way to your only class for the day, Umbridge made a lot of comments, especially regarding her papers that you hadn't graded. You decided to ignore her and just nodded mindlessly till you entered the class.

You conducted class, as usual, trying your best to ignore her, but the woman just wouldn't shut up! Sometime in the middle of the lecture, you saw Severus slip in through the door, and immediately thought, 'Uh oh. This can't be good.'

As the class went on Umbridge kept correcting you, disrupting your flow and you could see that Severus was seething. You subtly motioned for him to not say anything and escalate things.

As the class was coming to an end, she spoke again, "Professor [L/N]." You hummed asking her to continue, not looking away from what you were writing on the board. Guess she'd use just about any reason to bring your mother up because she said, "It is impolite to ignore your superior when they speak to you. Or did your mother not teach you that?"

You stopped writing and slowly turned to face the insufferable wench who had a smug smile on her face. She looked so proud of herself for finally getting a reaction out of you. Just then, a deep voice boomed from the back of the classroom. "Professor Umbridge."

Her smile faded as she faced Severus, who had strode towards her and was now looming over her. He opened his mouth to speak but then stopped, as though he had realised something. Thinking she had him at a loss for words, Umbridge said, "Got something to say, Professor Snape?"

Pleased that she had walked right into it, he said, "Well, I was going to say that you should pick on someone your own size, but then I realised that there's no one around here that's that short." You couldn't help but snicker at his remark and Umbridge scowled at you. You looked around to see the students giggling amongst themselves, while some were shocked. Feeling a surge of confidence since Severus had spoken up for you, you said, "Now, now, Severus. That's not true..." Umbridge's smug smile returned to her face when she thought that you were about to defend her - your superior. However, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared when you continued, "I'm sure we could find a house-elf, don't you?"

The students laughed out loud now, not being to contain it any longer. Umbridge snapped her head in your direction, glaring at you. You folded your arms over your chest, straightening up and towering over her.

"I could report you to the Headmaster for this," she threatened.

"Oh, please do," retorted Severus, "I would love to take this to him and bring up how you've been harassing Professor [L/N] over the last month. Not to mention the fact that you've been overworking her as well."

"I'm a Ministry bureaucrat," she boasted, "He's more inclined to listen to me and fire her."

"[Y/N]'s pleasant to be around, so I highly doubt that," he debated.

"I have the Minister backing me," she smirked.

"Allow me to repeat myself. Unlike you, she's pleasant to be around, so I'm sure they'd be happy to back her up," he said, motioning to the students, who just gave Umbridge a firm nod when she turned to look at them. "Now, the question remains," Severus said, pausing (for dramatic effect) before continuing, "Do you still think that you have the upper hand?"

Umbridge was speechless and you welcomed the change. She stuttered a few times before finally finding her words. "I expect the essays graded and on my desk, by tomorrow morning," she mumbled as she walked towards the door.

"No, I don't think I will be doing that for you anymore," you said, causing her to snap her head back in your direction, giving you a questioning look. Severus stepped closer to you, nudging you, with a look that said 'go on, set her straight'.

"If you want to assign the students hundreds of essays, you can correct them yourself. Also, I'm done with you bossing me around. As co-professors, we're equals-"

"[Y/N]'s better," Severus coughed.

You smiled and continued, "If anything, I'm the one who's more experienced when it comes to this subject. So, no. I refuse to be harassed by you any longer."

Umbridge simply scoffed and walked out as you let out a sigh of relief. You turned to Severus, who raised an eyebrow and said, "Not bad. I'm proud of you." You simply hugged him, and just as he was about to hug you back, he noticed all the wide-eyed students and cleared his throat, bringing your attention to the class. You quickly pulled away, fumbling awkwardly as some students smiled to themselves.

"Well then, back to Pixies," you announced. As the class returned to their textbooks, Severus stepped up to you and whispered, "Meet me in my quarters when you're done here. I think we ought to celebrate." Giving you a subtle smile that no one else saw, he turned with a flick of his cloak and left the class.

As the class came to an end, you quickly wrapped up and made your way to Severus' quarters, as asked. Once inside, he took your cloak and said, "Take a seat. I'll get drinks."

"Don't you still have a class to teach?" You laughed.

"I never said that the drinks would be alcoholic. Besides, it takes a lot for me to get drunk. Unlike someone," he teased and you simply rolled your eyes at him. "But yes, I do have a class, so I won't be drinking."

"Then, are you trying to get me drunk, Severus?"

"Yes, I am. You're the one who's finally free of Umbridge," he stated as he walked out with two glasses, and a bottle of Firewhisky. He filled them both up and handed you one.

"I thought you weren't drinking?" You teased as you brought the glass to your lips.

"I'm not. It's for show. I need to be good company," he replied.

"You're always good company, Sev," you said, shutting your eyes as you took a sip, feeling the liquid burn your throat as you swallowed.

Severus blushed at the simple statement that you didn't think much of, as he eyed you. You were so beautiful and looked so peaceful in that moment. With your eyes still closed, you mumbled, "I can feel you staring at me."

You opened your eyes to look at him and he said, "You're imagining things."

After half an hour, and a few glasses, you were officially drunk. Severus chuckled as you babbled on, venting and completely insulting Umbridge as you came up with insults that you could have said earlier.

"Yes, [Y/N]. That was very witty. Maybe think of it during the argument next time."

You narrowed your eyes at him and turned to him, getting incredibly close to his face. "Are you getting smart with me?" You scolded.

Leaning back to put some distance between the two of you, he chuckled and said, "Me? I wouldn't dare."

Still on the sofa, and kneeling to seem taller, you said "Listen here mist-" but wobbled and lost your balance (thanks to the Firewhisky) and fell on him, resting on top of him as you pinned him down.

Severus tensed, feeling your body pressed up against his. His arms had instinctively wrapped around your waist and his heart was racing as he felt you shuffle, trying to get up.

'Severus Snape! Do not get hard! Quick! Think of something unpleasant... Wormtail, for instance!' he thought, a frown appearing on his face.

You quickly snapped him back to reality as you hoisted yourself to sit up, now straddling him. "Pffft. You know... Of all the ways I imagined I'd get on top of you, this certainly wasn't one," you snorted.

Severus just gulped, eyeing you as you gently straddled him. He propped himself up on his elbows and said, "Alright. I should've cut the Firewhisky off a while ago. It's gone straight to your head. Let's get some water in you and then you can rest here till you're feeling better. After that, you can go back."

You pouted, "But I wanna stay here with you."

Severus sighed and said, "You may, but let's at least get you into bed."

"Only if you join me," you winked.

Bolting upright, Severus tightened his grip around you and got up, lifting you along with him. He carried you to the bedroom and set you down before walking off to get you a glass of water, along with a potion to help sober you up faster. When he returned, he ensured that you had them both and tried to get you to lie down.

Like a child, you refused but when he finally managed to lay you down, you grabbed his collar, holding him close. You looked into his dark eyes, getting lost in the abyss as you said, "You remember telling me that I should speak my mind?" Flustered by your proximity and not being able to find the words to respond, he simply nodded.

"Well, I'm about to kiss you," you said, pulling him closer, your lips gently pressing against his as his eyes widened. He kissed you back for a moment before pulling away to say, "[Y/N] you're drunk-" but you cut him off with another kiss as your hands worked the buttons of his robe and shirt.

He broke the kiss yet again. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Severus," you sighed. "I've had a crush on you since our school days. The question is whether you want want to do this."

"That's... A long time," he said, surprised. Your expression fell as you prepared yourself for rejection, but he said, "I've only liked you since a few months after you started working here."

A giddy smile appeared on your lips at his words, and he kissed them. This kiss was different from the earlier one - rougher, hungrier and faster. Your hands worked fast as you stripped each other. Your fingers traced his torso and his hands gripped your sides as he explored your curves. He broke the kiss and you gasped for air as he made his way down your jaw, neck, collarbone and chest, leaving little marks as he did. His lips wrapped around your hardened nipple as he rolled the other one between his fingers. A soft moan escaped your lips at the sensation and you felt him smirk against your skin.

His other hand made its way up your thigh, stopping right before he reached your throbbing cunt. You ached for his touch and let out a whimper as he toyed with you, not giving you the pleasure of feeling it. He chuckled lowly, and his deep voice only aroused you more.

You exhaled sharply as he pushed two fingers inside your folds, and his fingers curled inside you, hitting your g-spot. His long fingers pumped in and out of you, moving around to create the most delightful sensations.

As he continued working you, your hand dragged along his torso, wrapping around his cock, and you felt him swallow hard as you began stroking it. Using your thumb to apply pressure to the underside, you stroked him in long, slow motions.

He let out a groan as he brought his other hand to your clit, massaging it softly. He went ahead and added a third finger, increasing his pace. You let out a whimper as you felt your climax building. No words were said, but the look in both your eyes said it all. You were silently competing to see who got the other one off, first.

Your hands were now slick with his precum, which allowed you to pick up the pace. You pumped him harder and faster, with purpose. His breath hitched at the sudden change, and he almost faltered for a second. Your nails lightly traced circles on his back, sending shivers down his spine.

Your breathing was erratic and you were on edge, and you knew Severus could tell as a smirk appeared on his face. Severus licked a strip up your collarbone and neck, stopping at your jaw. Breathlessly, he said, "Come for me, darling." The feeling of his hot breath and the sound of his sultry voice was enough to push you over the edge as your back arched and you cried out his name as you came undone. You mumbled something under your breath, still panting.

"I understand words, love," he mused.

"Sev," you breathed. "Please."

"Please, what?"

"Fuck me, please," you managed to say.

"How can I not, when you ask me so sweetly?" He teased. His hands left your body as he positioned himself at your entrance. With one swift thrust, he was inside you, and you couldn't help but let out a loud moan as he filled you, still sensitive from your release.

Giving you a moment to adjust, he placed his hands on your hips, slowly pulling out before slamming into you, again. The sound of his skin slapping against yours, accompanied by both of your cries of ecstasy, filled the room as he picked up the pace. Moving one of your hands that was holding onto him, you covered your eyes as a few tears of pleasure escaped.

He brought a hand to your yours, intertwining your fingers as he took your hand away from your face. "Look at me, love," he commanded. He would've been concerned at the glassiness of your eyes if it hadn't been for the soft smile you had on your face.

As a hand made its way to your clit, you moaned his name and he exhaled shakily. "Bloody hell, darling. If you keep this up, I don't know how long I'll last," he groaned, still thrusting into you. He could tell he was close and placed your knees on his shoulders, hitting you at a new angle, and you threw your head back in pleasure. He rubbed your clit softly and with a few more thrusts, he had you coming again, following you closely as he felt you clench around him, milking him completely.

His lips captured yours in a gentle kiss as he pulled out and lay down next to you; the both of you, breathless. Severus wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his chest as he cuddled you. You let yourself melt into him before you remembered something. Though tired, you managed to mumble, "Get up, Sev."

"No. I want cuddles," he fussed.

"You're precious," you chuckled, "But you have to get up."

"Why?" He whined.

"You have a class in five minutes," you reminded him.

"Shit," he exclaimed, jumping out of bed, scrambling around for his clothes. "Will you be here when I get back?" He asked as he got dressed, his voice unsure and slightly worried.

You gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "Yep. Right here, under the sheets, completely naked, waiting for you to take me once again when you get back," you said, smirking at him.

He let out a frustrated groan as he buttoned his shirt and robes. "Merlin, this is going to be the longest class of my life," he said, pulling his coat off the hook and running out the door.

"Mhmm," you giggled as you drifted off to sleep.

[uwuwriting]

Incompatible ships w/ Todoroki, Kirishima, Bakugou and Midoiya

Request: hii! i love ur posts so i thought why not request ajbakaha,, can i ask for todoroki, kirishima, bakugou, izuku getting jealous bc their s/o is getting shipped with another student :D (it can be their relationship is still a secret or smth) btw i love your posts!! it's free serotonin!! 😽😽- anonymous

Secret relationships are my favorite trope. This and friends to lovers. I live for these types of fics. Random fact, my allergies are acting up bc I helped take down the Christmas decorations and now my hands are on fire. Love ya. 💖💖💖

masterlist II rules

warnings: fluff, minor suggestive themes not something major though

Todoroki Shouto

-Things like jealousy are a rare occurrence in your relationship. 

-Todoroki is the type of boyfriend who trusts you blindly and would put his own life in your hands without a single hesitation. 

-Sometimes it bothers him how other people effortlessly flirt with you but he knows that nothing will come out of it no matter how much they chat you up. 

-He knows you can handle yourself and get out of  a situation if things start getting out of hand. 

-And if you can’t, he will butt in glaring down at the person who wouldn’t take no for an answer.

-Everyone around you seem to believe that the two of you are really close friends; none of them have caught a whiff of your relationship and you are proud of yourselves. 

-I mean it is pretty hard keeping so many romantic milestones hidden from your friends. 

-But alas you both knew that keeping all of this to yourselves would be for the best. 

-Now, we all know that the girls of your class drool over any remotely romantic interaction you have. 

-Same goes for everyone actually. 

-Oh Kirishima held the door open for you the other day?? I can see a new ship sailing. 

-Sero helped you pick up your stuff when you bumped into a wall? Your knight in shining armor. 

-Really any sort of kind gesture was interpreted as romantic interest at this point. 

-The worst part of it all was the ship they had created and have been simping over for the past three months. 

-You had managed to create an unexpected friendship with Monoma from class 3-B. 

-The agency he interns in is right next to yours so you take the same train and then walk to almost the same building every single day. 

-You see him during patrol, the pro heroes you work under have paired up once or twice so a friendship was inevitable. 

-So imagine the surprise on your classmate’s faces when Monoma began waiting for you outside the 3-A dorm building.

-Mina wouldn’t shut up about how cute you two were together and what a perfect match you made. 

-Soon enough the other idiots joined the party and you were drowned in ‘awwww’s and ‘love story in the making’s. 

-You got tired of explaining that he was just a friend, that you weren’t interested in him. 

-The fact that you could feel Todoroki’s gaze burn through your back didn’t help at all. 

-Your boyfriend had asked you about Monoma because he too found it weird how he waited for you everyday. 

-The boy’s presence didn’t bother him at first. 

-He was lowkey grateful that you finally had company on your way to the agency considering he couldn’t walk with you since his building was in the opposite direction. 

-It started becoming a problem when all he could hear during the breaks was the stupid ship name the girls had created. 

-He could see how visibly uncomfortable it made you and how you would seek for his gaze during those moments. 

-Then they started talking about how cute your kids would be and that’s when Shoto had enough. 

-It’s one thing hearing about how cute your girlfriend would be with someone else and it’s completely different when you hear about their potential offspring. 

-Grabbing your wrist he basically dragged you out the classroom and into an empty hallway, pinning you to the nearest wall before connecting his lips with yours. 

-You let a surprised gasp which gave him the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth and deepen the kiss, making you grasp onto his shirt as your knees gave out. 

-After what felt like an eternity he let you go for air before attacking your jaw, neck and collarbones. 

-Soon those soft kisses turned into little love bites. 

- “Sho you’re gonna leave a mark.” 

-Releasing your skin from between his teeth, he admired the reddish hickey he had left at the base of your neck. 

-He was sure your shirt’s collar could cover it up just barely. 

- “That’s the point, love.” 

-Intertwining your fingers, he led you back to class, going to his seat with a proud smirk on his lips leaving a very flustered puffy-lips-messy-haired you in his wake. 

Kirishima Eijiro 

-Kiribaby is not the jealous type. 

-Like only if you give your undivided attention to a puppy and you smother it with all your love and affection then maybe, just maybe, he will pout a bit and ask for his own fair share of love. 

-He trusts you just like Todoroki does.

-Nothing has ever happened to suggest that he should worry about others stealing you from him so he doesn’t worry. 

-Plus you are always together no matter what. 

-Almost everyone from your class knows that you are together so the shipping doesn’t start from them. 

-Oh no.

-It starts from class 3-B who has seen you talk to Tetsutetsu quite a bit this past few weeks. 

-You might wait for him outside their classroom during lunch breaks. 

-They have caught you hanging out outside of the school grounds. 

-So the only logical explanation they can come up with is that you two are either A) dating or B) have a thing for each other and are getting there. 

-Soon enough rumors start circulating. 

- “Did you know that someone from the hero course is dating that metal guy from class 3-B?”

- “Yeah yeah I heard it’s that girl Y/N. They do look really cute together, not gonna lie.”

-Eventually these rumors reach Kiri’s ears and they kinda get to him.

-He knows that you haven’t been hanging out extra with Tetsutetsu since every time you guys go out he is always with you. 

-You are the type of couple who does everything together, literally. 

-Apart from being in different agencies ya’ll are holding hands almost 24/7.

-So he really doesn’t get what everyone is talking about. 

-Mineta doesn’t help. 

-He really doesn’t. 

-He starts making scenarios about what you do while Kirishima is out of the dorms; how you have wrapped both homies around your finger and toying with them. 

-Oh the very vivid scenes he creates with all three of you in a…. compromising position. 

-Kirishima hates that most of all. 

-The words coming out of Mineta’s mouth disgust him to no end and soon enough he is walking to your dorm ready to talk this through. 

-Opening the door you greet your boyfriend with a smile and a quick peck but you immediately know what is on his mind. 

- “Baby what are we gonna do?” 

-You basically whine at the question. 

-He spends the whole night at your dorm brainstorming ideas until you both pass out on your floor. 

-And your solution to the problem? 

-Ignore the whole thing and continue on with your lives. 

-He suggested maybe leaving a mark somewhere *like our boy Sho* but you shot him down saying that they would just think Tetsutetsu did it. 

-After Monoma catches you in your classroom making out on your desk though the rumors soon die out. 

Bakugou Katsuki

-Crazy boom boom boy. 

-Your relationship is a secret because he doesn’t want to deal with all the other idiots gushing over your relationship and getting all up in your business. 

-Your relationship is a sacred thing he has sworn to protect and he won’t let Mineta’s ugly ass hands get anywhere near it. 

-Gonna taint it even with his thoughts. 

-Guard dog Bakugou bark bark. 

-It’s fairly easy to maintain a secret relationship with him. 

-Sure he might be a tiny bit calmer with you and maybe just maybe his eyes linger on you during training but yeah he treats you just like he treats all the other extras he is surrounded by. 

-Now, Bakugou is kinda *read a lot* jealous in general. 

-He doesn’t like when people he doesn’t fully trust or like, talk to you or are close to you. 

-He has butted in on your conversations with Todoroki one too many times and the poor crispy baby is so confused like why are you like this? 

-I just want the chemistry notes please let me get them in peace for once.

-You have chastised him about that manier times but your resolve melts when he pouts *YES HE POUTS AT YOU RWIHPWIE* before wrapping his strong arms around you. 

- “I just don’t wanna lose you, dumbass.” 

-You can barely make out his words as his face is buried in your stomach but you heard him and now you are tearing up at the pure emotion he is showing at these moments. 

-At the end of the day though, he trusts you. 

-He may not trust the other horny extras around you but he fully trusts you. 

-There’s no doubt about that. 

-You can imagine ,though, the instant rage he felt when he heard the girls talking about you and Deku. 

- “They do make a great couple.” 

- “Have you seen how they look at each other?” 

- “Good for her, Deku is perfect boyfriend material.” 

-First of all, how dare you, second hold the fuck up…..when did this become a WhoRe hOuSe?!?!?!?!  

-Legit someone has to shake him out of his stupor after that one. 

-You look at Deku in a certain way? 

-Fucking DEKU?!?!?! 

-THoughts are swirling in his mind almost pouring out of his ears when he hears the voice. 

-That annoying ass voice that he has engraved in his brain since childhood. 

-And the moment his eyes land upon Deku and you speaking, he sees red. 

-He is pouncing on Deku in -5 seconds, the poor green haired boy completely unaware of what hit him, literally. 

-They are on the floor wrestling on another, you screaming at Katsuki to stop and get his shit together while your boyfriend is spewing curse after curse at the OFA user simultaneously asking what the hell he was doing with HIS girlfriend. 

-Aizawa had to break them up. 

-They both got detention even though Deku did literally nothing. 

-Katsuki was denied cuddles for a whole week and he was set on explaining duty now that the cat was out of the bag. 

Midoriya Izuku 

-Izuku is the best boyfriend anyone could ask for. 

-He is loyal, shows emotions, is good at communicating with you, has incredible date ideas although he is kinda forgetful at times and his packed schedule doesn’t leave enough time to spend with you, at least not as much as he wants, but he always tries to make up for it in other ways.

-You love how much trust he puts in you. 

-You couldn’t be more grateful. 

-But Izuku has his insecurities. 

-At times it becomes hard for him to understand why exactly you’ve chosen him to love when you could have anyone you wanted in this school. 

-He can’t wrap his pretty little head around the reason why you stay with him when the only thing you get out of all this is others saying you deserve better than some crybaby. 

-It has become his mission to prove to you that he isn’t what others say he is; he isn’t some crybaby, he is a hero in training who won’t hesitate to risk his life for you. 

-You have reassured him multiple times that you don’t care what others say.

-You fell in love with him, him and all of his flaws. 

-No one told you that you should fall for him and no you didn’t agree to date him out of pity. 

-Most of the time you manage to erase those thoughts from his mind replacing them with the warm feeling of your love.

-But there comes a time when no matter what you say, the words of other people will get the best of him and it will be a struggle to build himself back up. 

-He is thankful to have you by his side during those moments because then he truly feels weak, he feels helpless, he knows these things shouldn’t bother him. 

-He loves you and you love him end of story, but they do get to him. 

-One of the worst times he questioned if he was good enough was during your third year. 

-Being in the support department you couldn’t be by his side 24/7 but you did always manage to see him during breaks to the point the whole class knew you and slowly became your friends. 

-The thing is they thought you two were also friends; neither had ever mentioned your relationship and things felt so comfortable between you that they assumed that you were really close friends. 

-Izuku had suggested keeping your relationship on the down low; him being in the hero course and having created rather the reputation, he was afraid that you would be dragged into something dangerous. 

-Plus All Might advised you two to keep it a secret and All Might’s words are law. 

-Izuku loved how well you got along with his friends, it meant that when he revealed your relationship they would all welcome you with open arms. 

-What he didn’t expect though was for them to start shipping you with someone else. 

-For some weird reason the girls of his class started obsessing over your interactions with Bakugou and soon after that they started trying to get you two alone in the same room, much to your dismay. 

-In reality, Bakugou was the only person who knew about your relationship. 

-He had ran into you as you were leaving Izuku’s dorm room, catching you two kiss goodnight. 

-Bakugou, as much as he disliked Izuku, would never get in the way of your relationship and he hated this ship shit as much maybe even more than you did. 

-Izuku was ready to crawl into a whole and die. 

-You had to stay in his room for almost a whole month to calm him down completely, him flying you to your own building in the morning so you don’t get in trouble. 

-It was a difficult time aand his classmate’s comments didn’t help one bit. 

-The tipping point was when he overheard Mina devising a plan of setting you guys up. 

-He walked down to the common room the next day with you next to him, hands intertwined, a hickey barely visible under the hem of HIS shirt, shocking everyone in the vicinity. 

-A new ship was created *after they harassed you for answers*

TAG TEAM AY:

@the-arcana-fan-fic​ @angelwritings​ @axerrri​ @reinyrei​ @dnarez​ @storage11037​ @ezoyscorner​ @letscheereachotheron​ @wolfkid22​ @dark-thoughts-and-red-roses​ @threeamwriting​ @ysatrap​ @yashinosakura @belladonna-coven  @akita-l-lynn @angel6786​ @meena-in-a-nutshell​

[morimakesfanart]

Sindria's Prophet #14

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

[AO3]

~POV Mori~

I woke up when it was still dark out. Only the faintest light came in my windows.

I hadn't done anything yesterday. Just laid down and rested for the first time in a long time. The doctor's were convinced I needed one more day of rest, but I knew I was already better. When was the last time I had just let my body rest like that when I wasn't sick? I couldn't remember. This peace was nice.

The quiet of sunrise was only broken by the faint sound of bird calls in the distance. I sat up and closed my eyes. I focused everything on my other senses. I couldn't hear the ocean easily from here. I had wanted to use the sounds of the waves to meditate, but I would just have to do without.

It had been a few days since I last checked in with myself and really focused inward. I could still feel them, all of the Black Rukh that had merged with me back in Balbadd. They were much calmer than before. And they felt like a part of me now, like I might be incomplete if they were suddenly gone. I knew each one from the dreams too. Their lives were mine and each also now knew my life as their own.

Going through all of their lives on the ship would have been painful even without being sick. These were angry souls and they did not welcome the inner peace I was offering easily, but a person's Rukh doesn't lie. After reading this world's truth through my memories they all calmed.

All of us lived lives of loss and poverty and trauma. That must have been another part of why we were able to fully merge in such a short time.

As Black Rukh they couldn't return to the Great Flow where the rest of their loved ones were, but they at least had each other within me.

It was a very strange feeling.

And along with their lives and Rukh, their magoi was also now mine. What had felt like a small pool now felt like a large lake. I had a lot more magoi at my disposal now that they were fully integrated with me.

The Great Bell range and I grounded myself in the present.

Only then did it occur to me that I was probably sick, and suffering from the influx of Rukh separately at the same time. It had been both all along. Whatever illness I had was worsened by my situation with the Rukh. I hadn't lost my magoi manipulation during it, but it was probably learning it ahead of time that had saved me. There's no way such a large amount of Rukh entering me wouldn't have made my body unstable.

Would the doctors understand if I explained it to them? I should ask Sinbad before saying something unnecessary.

The dim light from my windows called to me. I got out of my bed, put on my glasses, and sat on the sill of one them at the encouragement of the waves.

Like this, I could look down and see the Palace court yard. On the other side of the court yard were the Silver Scorpio (martial arts training), and Black Libra (libraries & schools) Towers, behind them to the left was the Red Cancer Tower (military) and fully to the left was the Purple Leo Tower where Sinbad lived. Since I was on a high floor I could easily see all of the towers of the Palace from my windows -all except the White Capricorn Tower where Ja'far does most of his work since that building was on the other side of this one.

It was so strange. Looking at all this made it real that I was really here. How many times had I reread or rewatched scenes wondering what it would feel like to be here?

I rested my head on the window frame as I watched the growing light from the sunrise.

The guards changed.

The sun was fully risen. Ja'far would be waking up Sinbad soon if he hadn't already.

Two people walked out of the Purple Leo Tower -a guard and a woman. She wasn't wearing a uniform. In fact she was wearing less than the citizens I saw the other day.

"Oh, right."

Sinbad has a call girl see to him after Ja'far wakes him up.

I had the 3rd fan book for the anime which contains a day-in-the-life for a bunch of the main characters. It was only in Japanese, but I had learned enough (and could look up what I didn't know) to at least read his schedule.

The direct translation was for a "temporary woman" which from what I've found is the Japanese term for a fem sex worker. I've seen some translations for Magi's extra material refer to them as "call girls" so that was the term I chose to use.

The franchise used the word "harem" in a bunch of places, but purposely didn't use it here. That combined with an omake of Sinbad having a nightmare about being married and having a harem made it clear that Sinbad did not have a harem; he had the whole red-light district of his country to choose from.

Hold on... That book wasn't supposed to reach my house until after I had Isekaied so how did I know it's contents? There were barely any scans or photos of pages online-

*Knock knock*

My thoughts

were cut off when breakfast arrived -with more medicine of course.

---

~POV Sinbad~

Nearly a week had passed since King Sinbad had arrived home. There was a lot to catch up on. As much as he wanted to finally relax after everything that happened in Balbadd he didn't really have the time for it. Even after catching up he would still have to prepare for his trip to the Kou Empire. And Ja'far wasn't letting him forget either responsibility.

None of this stopped him from having his slow mornings. He at least gave himself that little slice of heaven.

This was business as usual -at least it was supposed to be- but Sinbad couldn't shake a growing feeling that he couldn't name. It was making him unsettled. The waves didn't give him any answers and drinking hadn't made it go away. It felt similar to missing important.

He wasn't missing any paperwork. There had been an issue with one of their supply ships going missing, and another being delayed, but he had already decided how to proceed. He was definitely interested in the progress the Black Libra Tower was making with testing Mori's theories, but the experiments would take time and they had already scheduled a meeting for an update. The new guests were still settling in. Alibaba was a mess and Aladdin was only marginally better the last time he had visited, but Morgiana was fine and already training with Masrur regularly. According to the doctors reports, Mori would be better in another day or so, and the reports he got from the maids said she was resting every day after giving that partial scroll.

Maybe this was impatience. Aside from his paperwork, everything interesting was either done or waiting for the next step.

Sinbad often walked his country in the evening, but there was no reason he couldn't check on things now. He didn't have time to go for a walk at that moment, but he could spare the magoi needed to use Zepar and fly around the country using the bird he had possessed with the Djinn's power. This wouldn't be the first time he'd done this while working on paperwork.

The bird was sitting on a railing in the city center when Sinbad took over. From this spot he could make some quick rounds in the city and then maybe make a stop in the Black Libra Tower to get a sneak peak at what they had found out so far.

The same old gossip filled most of the streets. Some price complaints, who just had a child, how work was going...

"You're serious? A prophet?”

"My husband saw the scrolls she made from her visions with his own two eyes."

Now that was new gossip.

Sinbad had the bird land near by the two women.

"Oh? What was in them?"

"He said it was like reading secrets of the world."

"Really???"

"Mhmm." She nodded. "Not everyone believes it though so they are all working to test her writing."

"Didn't you just say she was brought in by our King? Do they really think he'd be fooled by some false prophet?"

"I said the same thing! And you know what my husband said? He said that they need to find proof even if they believe the Prophet because otherwise we won't be able to prove it to our allied countries."

"I guess that makes sense..."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Oh! I think I might know what she looks like!”

"What? How? You only learned about her just now."

"When King Sinbad came home, there was a girl on some magical flying cloth, remember? That has to have been the Prophet!"

"I think you're right!"

To two moved on to some other gossip and King had the bird fly towards the Palace. Listening to talk about his Beautiful Prophet reminded him of his mission to peek at what was happening in the Black Libra Tower. Being able to bypass the stairs and the gates made the journey much faster.

The Sun was already in the western side of the sky. Shadows were cast onto the court yard from the Black Libra Tower. The stone of the Green Sagittarius Tower was nearly blinding white from the direct light. Color flashed in the corner of his eye as the bird flew past the upper levels of the guest tower. Before his thoughts had fully registered the familiar shade of nearly black indigo, Sinbad was guiding the bird to investigate. He landed on the railing of one of the windows and looked at the young woman resting against that same window's frame.

Mori looked just as surprised to see a bird land right in front of her as he was to be there. Sinbad had purposely been avoiding using Zepar to spy on Mori since she somehow knew that he had eavesdropped on her before. It had been days since he last saw her, so when she was suddenly an option-

"Heh hehe"

Mori's chuckle and smile took his full attention. He didn't know what had made her laugh, but he hoped she'd do it again.

"Sir, are you aware you are a bird?” After the words passed her lips she was struck by a giggle fit.

Sinbad had no idea what she was thinking or why she had said that to a bird, but he was hearing her voice for the first time in nearly a week so he'd worry about figuring it out later.

When Mori finished laughing at her own joke she leaned her head to the side and watched him. Her hair shifted and another lock spilled over her shoulder. The sight brought attention to the low neckline of the dress she was wearing. If Sinbad was there in person he would have brushed her hair out of the way just to have an excuse to touch her.

"Did you miss me that much?" Her voice was soft and a bit playful. "You didn't have to use Zepar to visit me."

Mori knew it was him! Sinbad jolted and his head hit the back of his chair in his office. How could she tell? Only magicians could see magoi and Rukh to see the spell active on the bird.

"Sin, is something wrong?-” Ja'far had just entered the room to give his afternoon report.

King Sinbad raised a hand for him to be quiet and tapped Zepar's ring to explain the situation. He didn't want to talk and miss something Mori said or did.

The General's expression turned serious and nodded as he went quiet.

When Mori didn't get a response from the bird she added, "Are you surprised that I knew it was you?" Her smile was warm as the sun. "I have read your Fate many times, so I will always recognize you, my King."

Normally, the idea that someone could see through Zepar's magic would concern him, but this didn't. It strengthened his belief that Fate had guided Mori to him.

And the affectionate way she said "my King" at the end made him smile. The waves had moved like this a few times like the last time he had seen her in person, and when he learned she could also feel the waves. The Great Flow of the Rukh was guiding them to the Fate he could see, the one where she lived the rest of her life by his side.

Ja'far sighed. "Just let me know when I can give you my report."

Mori whipped her head towards the door to her room. "They're here early."

There were the sounds of people walking in the hallway, but no voices to denounce who, or their destination. All the same, Mori got up and walked to the door. She opened it before the doctors had a chance to knock.

"How did you...?" One of the doctors asked.

"I recognized the sound of your footsteps," was her answer.

"I see.... And how are you feeling today?"

Mori walked into her room, and spared a glance at the bird still watching her from the window. "I feel fine. Just like yesterday." She turned back towards the door and sat on the edge of her bed. "So can I finally leave this room?"

The doctors were understanding but they still were going to do a full check up first.

Even without the waves it was obvious that Mori was going to be marked as full health. Sinbad would prefer to go see her immediately and give her a tour of the Palace personally, but he was still a King with responsibilities. "Ja'far, Mori has just been declared healthy. What do you think of everyone having dinner together to get everyone better aquatinted?"

"I didn't hear anything about-” Ja'far started and then cut himself when he realized. "Were you just using Zepar to spy on her??"

"Of course not." Sinbad said with all of the confidence of the King he was. "I flew directly to her and she recognized me instantly. I wasn't spying at all."

"She recognized you??" Of course he'd be shocked.

King Sinbad laughed. "She did. Though she was surprised to see me."

"I bet she was surprised to suddenly see a bird in her room. What made you think to use Zepar instead of visiting her in person? You're already getting regular reports on her condition." Ja'far always acted as a buzz kill.

It didn't stop Sinbad from laughing at the situation before finally asking for that report he postponed earlier -conveniently avoiding answering Ja'far's question.

The magician in Mori's room was talking. "Would you be interested in visiting the Black Libra Tower with us? We can show you how the experiments are going. And if possible, would you be willing to answer some questions?"

That was an understandable request, but it could wear her out.

The Prophet was facing away from the windows so Sinbad couldn't see her expression. "I'd really like that actually." But he could hear the excitement growing in her voice.

"Let me get changed real quick." Mori disappeared behind her folding wall and emerged in the outfit he met her in.

Sinbad did not drop control of the bird, but he also didn't follow Mori out of her room. Instead he waited in the window sill until he saw her enter the courtyard and then had the bird fly to the Black Libra Tower.

---

As soon as he finished whatever last minute things Ja'far was about to add to his pile, Sinbad would go to the Black Libra Tower and surprise his Beautiful Prophet in person.

~POV Mori~

In the manga and in the anime the only areas shown of the Black Libra Tower were Yamuraiha's office/lab and one of the libraries. I was more than curious about the rest of the facilities.

The first room seemed to be a reception area and had a map of the tower. I only got to glance at the separations between the libraries, offices and class rooms before a tall and lanky magician walked up to us.

"Is this her??” Her short ponytail bounced as she looked between me and my guides.

Isa, the magician who had been taking care of me the past few days, introduced me. "This is Lady Mori, the Prophet!” He acted like he was showing off the coolest toy on the playground.

The tall woman got right up in my face. "I knew she had to be the Prophet! The Rukh don't normally move this way around people."

Before I got to respond she started rambling comments and questions that covered everything in maroon and peacock blue getting sponged across a cream canvas. I stepped back and Isa cut her off. "Lady Mori will be answering everyone's questions in time. We were just on our way to see Yamuraiha so I can show her how everything has been coming along. You are welcome to join us."

She definitely joined us. As did many others who spotted us or were called over by others in our procession.

We walked through a few library areas, and up a few flights of stairs. As we passed various rooms and areas I was told what or who would be inside, but I wouldn't remember any of the specifics until I had a chance to use the space and explore on my own. What did stick was that most of the classrooms were next to the libraries and the labs were near the offices.

Yamuraiha must have heard our group from down the hall because her head popped out from one of the rooms ahead of us. "What is going on out here??” Then she made eye contact with me. "It's you!!"

That made me smile. I fought back responding 'it's me!' like I would with my friends. "I'm Mori. I'm glad I'm finally getting the chance to meet you, Yamuraiha!” I stopped walking when I got 3 yards/meters away.

She immediately pulled her staff against her chest with both hands. Her shoulders tensed but she had an enthusiastic smile. "The pleasure is all mine!"

Yamuraiha was amazing, smart, and endearing. I really wanted to be friends with her.

I out stretched my hand to shake hers. "I'm really excited to work with you, and learn more about magic even though I'm not a magician."

"The feeling is mutual!” She took my hand more than matching my excitement. And when she released it said, "Since you're here, would you like to see what we've been working on from the scrolls you gave us?"

"Yes please!”

---

The lab she lead us to was a little down the hall. All of my scrolls were spread out on one table and a bunch of notes and different materials were on an other.

Yamuraiha pulled out parchment that had a complicated magic circle written on it. "We can't do much yet, and it still takes a catalyst and many magicians at once to control the amount of magoi safely but our alchemy magic has made a breakthrough from your writing."

She asked a few of the magicians that came with me to join her. They pointed their staffs and wands at the magic cycle. A large crystal in the room started glowing, and the Rukh lit up the space from within the circle. Specks were pulled out of the pile of ingredients nearby -dirt, scraps paper, a small potted plant- and gathered at the center of the circle. The light got too bright for me to look straight at it and when it faded there was a small dark grey cube in the middle of the circle. It looked like a die with no markings.

Yam explained. "After reading about 'atoms' and 'bonds' in your scrolls it was like finding the missing piece. It will still be a long time before we can perfect the process, and we still can't make anything bigger than this yet, but soon we will be able to make anything we want!"

((In the future I intend to: reference more old memes, describe more of my experience with synesthesia, and explain more basic history and science. SO you all have been warned lol))

I had to respond; I couldn't just continue staring in awe. When I tried to answer I ended up gasping since had forgotten to breathe. I chuckled at my own shock as well as the situation. I looked up at them. "You're all amazing to be able to develop this already from the little I wrote!" I looked back at the stone. "I knew I wrote the keys to Yunan's signature alchemy magic in those scrolls, but to think you've already gotten this far with it -its amazing."

With this -when developed farther- we could make certain materials without having to worry about the pollution, and break things down easily so we won't have to worry about garbage piling up everywhere.

"Did you say Yunan? The Magi, Yunan?" Yamuraiha looked at me with wide eyes.

"Yes." It was my turn to explain. "Yunan is able to use alchemy magic like this on a grand scale. In the Fates I read he will have reason to visit Sindria in about 2 years. He creates a cabin and food in the middle of the Palace court yard so he has somewhere comfortable to stay."

The bird in the window ruffled it's feathers.

"Yunan explains the basic concept of how that magic works when asked, and since I know the science of the physical world I know the details to what he was talking about." My smile widened. "I hope my notes were easy to understand. Please let me know if you have any questions."

[ladyeliot]

I got you.

Request: Anonymous. Hello there, first of all I love your way of writing, the fics are great! Could I send you an request? Maybe the reader and Chris met again after the pandemic, they have an unfinished relationship and she realizes that she still loves him. Don't worry if you don't feel like it, thanks a lot! 

Pairing: Chris Evans x Fem!Reader

Warning: Mentions of anxiety and the pandemic. A little angst.

Word count: 2687

Notes: Sorry for taking so long! And for my spelling and grammatical mistakes, English is not my native language, I am learning.

There had been so many times when you had imagined yourself growing old with him in that house that you didn't know how to deal with the situation right now. You were in Massachusetts, inside your car, standing in front of his house, without any warning and without knowing how he would react when he saw you after so many months.

You and Chris had a history, a short but passionate history that lasted two and a half years as an established couple and one year with comings and goings. The reason for the break-up was not the end of the love, but the time. The time you spent apart was longer than the time you spent together, your work was not very compatible with his, and although you both did your best to overcome it, it was not enough. Even so, after the friendly break-up the relationship didn't end completely, let's say it never had a point and end, becoming friends with benefits, and it was something that didn't seem to matter to you. However, there was a conversation going on between you, and although neither of you named it, that conversation was present. Every time you coincided for a short period of days everything happened except that conversation, and without it neither of you could evolve, neither of you could have freedom. You felt that you were still bound, and you both knew it.

The global pandemic did not benefit your situation, while he stayed in Boston with his family, you flew home. At first everyone thought that the situation would be resolved in a couple of months at most, but as time went on the problem became bigger. The months passed, the pandemic became uncontrollable and everyone stopped their lives. Your contact with Chris was not lost, but it weakened, there were too many things to think about and the constant fear that something might happen to a loved one made you anxious, and your priorities were elsewhere.

As time went by you discovered to value the little things in life, perhaps because of the pandemic. You realized what really mattered, what made you happy and what you were willing to fight for in your day-to-day life. Chris was one of those things. Your life with him was not perfect, like nothing else in this life, but the positives outweighed the negatives. Confinement allowed you to meditate, to consider how you wanted your future to be and to discover that the important thing was to live in the moment, because you never know what is going to happen. It was clear that during the pandemic you couldn't fight for what you wanted, nor take a plane and fly to where he was, but things would slowly come back to normal, and it would be time to make an important decision.

As you had predicted, light began to appear at the end of the tunnel. Things were relaxing again, taking on a new normalcy and you had to start to take up your old life again. Conversations with Chris had increased over the last few months, you had too much to say but it was a bit difficult for both of you to put it on the screen, so in the end you always ended up talking nonsense and getting a laugh out of each other. Maybe that was what you liked best about him, that he managed to make you smile even in your worst moments. It was comforting to discover that he was well, that he had overcome, with his more and with his less, that period and that your feelings towards him had not changed.

It was obvious that you were back to your routine, and that meant that work would barely let you take a break. The New York company had not dealt with the COVID crisis very well and the situation was quite alarming. You barely had time to reconnect with your friends, as you set foot in New York City hundreds of business problems fell upon you. Stress was trapping you, preventing you from even sleeping at night, and all you needed was to escape from that environment because your head was going to explode. You were told that several trips were planned to discuss the impact the pandemic had had on various locations around the country, and you felt an immediate relief when you were told, unless you could get away from the centre of the bomb.

Your destination was even more comforting, as it was barely 30 kilometres from your previous residence with Chris. The plane left for Boston first thing in the morning, the sky had not yet awakened and you chose to rest your eyes for the 60 minutes that the journey took. You hadn't spoken to him for the last two weeks, basically since you arrived in New York, when he called you, you were in business meetings and always came home in the early hours of the morning, falling into bed. That was your life, quite complicated to complement with external factors.

The meeting with the Boston headquarters was not too negative, which got you to relax and send good news to your company. The most positive factor you brought out is that you had finished early enough to do what you had in mind since you discovered your trip to Boston. You borrowed a car from your company and set off for the house where you had lived for almost two years. You didn't know if he would be there when you arrived or if it would be completely empty, but you erased those thoughts from your mind and just drove.

You knew the route perfectly, you used to do it every morning. It was nice to rediscover the variety of colours that those little forests could have during the autumn. You lowered the window so that the wind would fill the interior of the car, producing extreme relief in you, relaxing every limb and freeing your mind from any stressful event. That's all you wanted during the long, final months of your life. It took you just over 30 minutes to reach your destination, and when you were there the world around you came to a standstill. It had been so long since you had been in front of each other that a little worry had formed inside you.

You assumed that naturalness was the best way to deal with such a situation, so you chose to get out of the car and face what might happen. You analysed the outside of the house, there was no car in the driveway, no sign of anyone inside, but a very familiar voice, along with some barking, guided you to the back of the garden. A wistful look on your face, and your smile widened when you discovered that Dodger, hearing the rustling of leaves under your feet, had noticed you. From the distance he headed towards you at great speed, causing Chris to fix his gaze on you. As usual, Dodger lunged at you, causing you to fall backwards into the wet grass, but you were used to that.

The next few minutes hundreds of emotions met in the air. The reunion with Chris was silent, but many things were said through the eyes. First came the nervous smiles, then the excited look and then the hugs.

"It's been so long since I've hugged you... that I've forgotten how it feels to be hugged by you," he whispered those words in your ear and made you tremble, wishing that the embrace would never end.

There were no questions between the two of you, no "What are you doing here" or "Why did you come here", you didn't need an answer to either of them, you wanted to focus on the moment. You went back into that house, for the first time in a long time, accompanied by a Dodger that was fully seeking your attention and that almost prevented you from walking.

"Let's go, buddy! Let Y/N in the house," he said trying to catch him. "Oh, he just ignores me. I'm sorry you'll have to manage on your own. He has chosen, very smart."

Chris' comment made you show a sweet smile as Dodger tried to lick your whole face as you crouched at his height.

"I've missed you too, sweetie," you said, standing up as you could.

You headed inside the house, where Chris was watching you with a tender expression on his face. As you entered, a warmth and that unmistakable aroma of Chris was in the air. It was a mixture between the smell of wood from the fireplace and his fragrance. That caused your senses to come together and create a familiarity in you. You looked around curiously, quickly analysing every corner, Chris waited while you checked.

"It's all the same," you said in a soft tone smiling at him.

"Yep," he replied in the same soft tone. "Will you stay for dinner with us?"

You showed him a smile as you slowly nodded. "That sounds great."

You knew you had one night before your plane back to New York left the next day. There was too much to do and too much to say for just one night, and neither of you were likely to start that conversation, you were experts at it.

Both of you got down to work in the kitchen, as if you were back in the past. Neither of you were experts in that field, but you used to let yourselves go. Dodger, calmer, took a seat in his basket and watched you with curiosity.

"Beer?" asked Chris, approaching you with a bottle.

"Thank you," you took it and took a little drink, imitating him.

The situation was common, two people cooking, but for you it was not at all common where you were. Chris was a person who did not hide his emotions, and you had seen this during the time you had spent together. In the relationship it was much harder for you to express what you were feeling, but at that moment it was perhaps not too much for you to be back in your old home, with the man you had loved, after a year of not seeing each other and having a relationship that was not quite closed.So you finally put down the knife you were cutting onions with and threw yourself away, knowing that everything could go wrong.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" You frowned softly and looked at him.

Chris was caught off guard by the question, as he watched you and arched his eyebrows, while leaning against the refrigerator.

"Okay," he nodded across his arms. "Why are you here?

You remained pensive, you had gone into the lion's den, because even you did not know very well how to answer that question. Why were you there? You opened your lips to look for a coherent explanation, but nothing. Chris was waiting for the answer, but he realised that you didn't know what to say, so he approached you. "It's okay," he said, taking a lock of your hair and putting it behind his ear.

"No," you frowned. "It's not okay."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously, returning to his previous position.

"To us," you pointed. "I don't know if it's right what we're doing to each other.”

"What are we doing to each other?" he asked gently, trying to get you to express what was on your mind.

"This," you raised your voice a little. "We didn't finish. We have no end..."

"That's why you came," he crossed his arms at a considerable distance. "To put an end to it?"

You asked yourself if you had come to that, and the answer was obvious, no, you had not come to that.

"No", you whispered looking into his eyes, then you put your hand to your face. "God, this is too complicated."

"Hey...", he came up to you again and took his hand away from your face. "If it wasn't complicated it wouldn't be us."

Those were the truest words he had ever said. You both had a magnet for complicated situations and were the first to try to deal with them.

"Try to tell me why you came here," he kindly insisted again. "I have a clear idea, but I need you to confirm it.

You remembered how you felt when you got there, when you drove there, when you discovered that the business trip was taking you to Boston, where he was. All your happiness in those days was for him. During the pandemic you told yourself that you needed a change in your life, that many things had been lost because of your previous priorities, and your mood had also changed.

"I have come... ", you sighed, emptying your lungs and taking in air again. "I'm here... During the pandemic, I realized what really makes me happy, how things can change from one day to the next and that you have to fight for what you want." You felt a little embarrassed. "God..."

Chris knew how complex everything was for you, that you only extracted your sentimental feelings and thoughts when you were angry and had an argument, so that was a big effort.

"Please Y/N, continue", he gave you a soft smile.

"In short..." you started.

"No, don't summarize", Chris cut you off with a little laugh, which relaxed you.

"Okay," you leaned against the kitchen island and took a breath of air. "It's simple, I've decided that I want to be happy, and you make me happy.”

When you released that sentence you felt an inner relief, you freed yourself from a great weight that had been with you for a long time, and now Chris had everything in his hands. The next ten seconds were the longest of your life, you waited to see Chris' reaction, who was just a few meters away looking at you with a little smile on his face, that you didn't know how to take it.

"Well?" you whispered expectantly. "Are you planning to say something?"

The smile on Chris' face widened and he slowly took a step towards you to shorten the distance, standing face to face, finding you between the kitchen island and his body. He didn't say anything, it was what he did that made you realize his opinion. He stretched out his arms to take your face in his hands and approached you very slowly to kiss your lips. Your heart gave a return when you felt him so close to you again, testing his taste on your lips again, rediscovering the touch of his beard. A bark from Dodger came in the moment, but you barely noticed the event, as you were too busy meeting again.

You split up by cutting off the kiss and frowning.

"Wait. You haven't said anything, what do you think?"

"Come on honey, isn't it obvious?"

You arched an eyebrow waiting, Chris rolled his eyes and caught you sitting on the kitchen counter, you being taller than him.

"You're going to make me say it," he said, looking at your smile. "If I tell you that I love you, so that I can kiss you again and then later develop the answer, will that help?”

Those were the things you loved about him.

"It depends on the kiss."

Chris soon had you in his hands again, more firmly than the previous time. You let yourselves go forgetting everything around you, as if you wanted to make up for all the lost time, all the time apart. Chris lifted you off the counter again and you wrapped your legs around his waist.

"I got you," he whispered against your lips.

"You've always got me."

Tag list: @imerdwarf @mycosmicparadise @lavendertales

Requests/Taglist Open (DM)

MAIN MASTERLIST

[littlestarofthewest]

Title: Boss Ass Bitch | Word Count: 2645 | Rating: Explicit (18+!!!) 

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x female reader (in this chapter)

Tags: modern AU, mechanic AU, work in progress

Chapters: [1] [2]

Your first week in your new job flies by quickly. Molly's got so much to teach you that you can't focus on anything else. Only during your breaks, you have a moment to look through the huge window that lets you watch the boys in the garage. 

Most of the time, they're busy with their work, but sometimes you can hear their laughter through the wall when they're joking with each other. Once in a while, one of them comes into the office to talk something out with Molly, but you're too busy to pay attention.

By the time week two rolls around, you feel confident to be on your own. Molly leaves her number just in case and assures you that you can always ask the boys if you have more questions. You smile and nod while thinking that you'll try to avoid that option.

Come Monday, you get to the shop almost an hour early, but you're still not the first there. The door is open, and the lights are on. When you make your way to the office, Charles comes along the corridor that leads to the boys' changing room. 

Surprise graces his face when he sees you, but then he smiles. "Good morning."

"Morning."

"You're early."

"I thought it might be a good idea to get a headstart," you say, suddenly feeling stupid. You're a grown woman, after all, you shouldn't be so nervous. "You're early yourself."

Charles shrugs. "I get up with the sun most of the time. Just can't sleep any longer."

"I wish that was me," you sigh. "I don't mind sleeping in."

"I hope you'll still have a good day."

"Thank you," you say, warmth spreading in your chest. Unlike most people, Charles sounds genuine, and you can do with the encouragement. You still smile after Charles when he walks over to the car he's working on, but then you put yourself together and disappear into your new office.

The first two hours go by quickly, and you have a good feeling about your work. So far, you know exactly what to do, and you're confident you can make it through the day without messing up. Thanks to the big window, you can see that Arthur and John arrived as well. 

You watch the boys for a bit while all three of them bend into the same car, involved in a serious discussion. Compared to your first day, they are moderately dressed for once. Charles and John both wear blue overalls, and while John's is so dirty that his one appears black, he at least closed the buttons. 

Arthur's wearing blue pants as well, with a simple gray shirt, and you're once again pissed because they can look this good without effort. With a sigh, you go back to an email you've started when the office door opens.

"Hey Molly, we need-" Arthur says while coming in but stops himself when he sees you. "Sorry, I was looking for Molly."

"She's not here today," you say, getting nervous again. "In fact, she's not coming anymore. She put me in charge."

"Oh good," Arthur says, and just like Charles, he seems pleased. "I just need the schedule, and then I'm out of your hair."

The nervous feeling wanders from your chest up into your throat. "Schedule?"

"Yeah, so we know which cars to finish first. Or the 'yeet sheet' as John likes to call it."

You remember Molly mentioning that as well, and a light turns on in your head. "Yes, of course. Molly prepared it on Friday."

You see the sheet in front of your inner eye, but then nothing. Arthur walks up to your desk, rubbing his hands. "Great, can I have it?"

"I, um, don't remember where she put it," you admit. "I can call her."

"No need, you can just print out a new one," Arthur says, rounding your desk. "I've done it a few times when Molly was busy. Let me show you."

Arthur leans over your shoulder, pointing to the folders you need while you sneak side-glances at him. You already found him attractive from afar, but up close, it's way worse. He has lovely blue eyes with sort of a golden ring in the middle, and his beard looks so soft, you have to fight the urge to rub your face against his. 

Arthur's scent doesn't help either. There are strong undertones of the garage, like motor oil and metal, but also something fresh like recently washed sheets. You take a deep breath and try to focus on what Arthur is showing you, but then he leans in even closer to read the folders' names.

"That must be it," he says, pointing to one of them.

A shiver runs down your spine when his breath ghosts over the skin on your neck, and you can feel the heat radiating from him. You wish you could turn around and bury your face in his chest but instead, you print out the file he needs, your eyes hefted to the screen.

"There you go."

"Thank you, my lady," Arthur says. He walks over to the printer and waves a little goodbye with the piece of paper before leaving you alone in your office. 

You use the next few minutes to stare blankly at your screen, trying to stomach what just happened, from Arthur casually calling you 'my lady' to you feeling like a cat in heat just because a guy stood a little too close to you.

Over the last few weeks, you've been so busy with the job change that you didn't even think to take care of yourself. Being confronted with three good looking guys every day clearly doesn't help your situation. You decide to battle your horniness the second you get home today and go back to work.

You manage to get through the rest of the week without any more hiccups, and aside from some annoying or unfriendly clients, this might just be the best job you've ever had. In the mornings, you often run into Charles, getting your first smile of the day. Then you exchange some small talk with Arthur while he's getting his caffeine fix in the break room, and John's usually the one to stay late, closing up with you.

They're all so nice that you consider yourself spoiled. Still, you deserve a treat, so you use the weekend for some intense self-care. At first, you feel a bit guilty when the boys enter your mind as you pleasure yourself, but you can't help it, and it does wonders for your body and soul.

You go back to work on Monday with a big smile on your face, and time flies by. You're not even tired when it's time to go home again. As your last act of the day, you do a little inventory check. It's your job to stock up the break room and buy necessities like toilet paper and cleaning supplies.

When you come back from the kitchen, the garage is dark. Arthur's been the last of the boys, but it seems that he went home by now, so you grab your clipboard and head for the guy's changing room to see if they need anything refilled.

You should have noticed that the lights are still on, but you're busy writing down what to buy the next day. After waltzing into the room, you look up and freeze on the spot.

Arthur is standing in front of the lockers with a towel over his head to dry his hair. The problem is that that's the only thing covering him. You stare at his naked body, your eyes roaming from his feet upward over his manhood to his bare chest, and you can't bring yourself to look away.

Swallowing a lump in your throat, you forget to hold on to your clipboard, and it clutters to the ground with an overly loud sound. Arthur comes out from under the towel, staring at you with surprise.

"Sorry, I- I didn't- I mean, I thought-" you stammer, unable to finish a single sentence. "God, I didn't mean to-"

You're still staring at Arthur until he has the sense to put the towel around his hips. Finally, you can move and get on the floor to retrieve your clipboard and a few loose pages. "I'm so sorry, I thought I was alone."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Arthur says, his voice calm.

While you can feel your face grow hot, Arthur doesn't sound embarrassed at all. You put the pages back into the clipboard and dare to look at him again. In hindsight, you shouldn't have done that. The towel is barely covering Arthur, so you still have an excellent view of his body. You can't help but take it in, and when your eyes meet Arthur's, there's something challenging in them.

"Do you want to come over here?" 

You know you should turn and run, but Arthur's voice lures you in as if he was a well-built siren. Your feet take you the few steps over to him all on their own, and you're enveloped by Arthur's fresh scent. He takes the clipboard and places it on a bench next to you before reaching for your face.

Arthur lifts up your chin, and when you look at him, there's still the fire in his eyes, but he's smiling. "Hey," he says, and you feel calmer somehow.

You manage a shaky "hey" as well, and Arthur's fingers trail along your face before cupping your cheek. 

"Mind if I kiss you?"

You can't remember anybody asking you this before, and your brain has a hard time coming up with an answer. After all, Arthur's right there, still built like a demigod and still deliciously naked.

"I- um, I wouldn't mind," you say, still wondering why he would even want to.

Before you can think of a reason, Arthur already leans in, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. He keeps teasing you, but when you're still frozen on the spot, he retreats.

"I'm not trying to pressure-" Arthur starts, but your mind finally catches up.

You throw your arms around his neck and pull him in for another kiss. Since you're way less gentle than him, Arthur matches your eagerness, his tongue rubbing hot against your own. 

Despite your little fun sessions at home, you still feel charged with sexual energy, and you can't help but grind against Arthur with your whole body. He takes to kissing along your neck, and his hands wander to your breasts.

"Have to admit that I've been thinking about this," he says as his fingers rub your nipples through the fabric of your top. "Those blouses and the damn skirts."

You just tried to look professional, so it's quite a nice piece of information that your get up railed Arthur up just as much as his clothes bothered you. 

"Take them off then," you say, growing bolder. This is already happening, so you might as well go the distance.

Arthur growls as he fumbles with the buttons of your shirt, and the second he gets them all open, he pushes down the fabric of your bra to expose your naked skin. Kissing down your body, Arthur sits down on the bench, pushing up your skirt next.

When he caresses your thighs, you eagerly spread your legs, and Arthur pulls down your underwear before his face takes its place. You let out a little squeal when his tongue touches you, but he keeps going, and you hold on to his shoulder to keep yourself upright.

Arousal pools between your legs and you just know you're going to paint Arthur's face with your juices if he keeps going like that. Digging your fingers into Arthur's hair, you can't help but rub yourself against him, eager to get as much friction as possible.

Arthur keeps licking you with slow, hot strokes of his tongue while his hands wander upwards until he can touch your breasts. Your nipples grow hard in the cold air, and he keeps teasing them until you can't take it anymore.

You hold Arthur in place, your thighs shaking as you come, and his moans are just as bad as yours. Usually, you'd be quite satisfied now, but you can only think about wanting more.

After releasing Arthur from your iron grip, you pull the towel away and climb on Arthur's lap. While kissing, you reach for his cock, making him groan against your lips. You've never done anything like this before, but now you can only think about riding Arthur until you forget your own name.

You take position over Arthur and carefully lower yourself onto him until he's fully sheeted inside you.

"Jesus Christ, you're tight," Arthur groans, his fingers digging into your hips.

As slowly as you can, you move up again, making Arthur curse. It feels just as good for you, the constant rub bringing even more heat, and you put your arms around Arthur's neck so you can ride him properly.

He's holding on to your hips, doing his fair share to lift you up, but he gets distracted and nibbles and licks wherever he can reach you. You wish it wouldn't turn you on that much, since you're usually not one for one night stands or sex in weird places.

Although it's late, you can't shake the idea that Charles or John could come back. Even worse, what if Dutch showed up? You roll your hips for more friction and deliberately clench your muscles around Arthur.

"Goddamn, girl," Arthur growls, "don't do that."

Arthur holds you in place when you don't stop, pushing into you with a few sharp thrusts. He moans with his head buried against your neck, his whole body going rigid when he comes.

You hold still to give him a moment, not ready for him suddenly lifting you up so he can put you down on the bench next to him.

Arthur dives between your legs, his beard scratching your thighs as he licks you again. All you can do is hold on to the bench, skitting towards bliss without a break. You arch your back when you hit your breaking point, and Arthur lets you rut against him until you're completely satisfied.

All you can do now is stare up at the ceiling and catch your breath. Arthur cleans himself up with his towel before running a warm hand along your thigh.

"I'll be right back," he says, and soon he offers you some tissues to get yourself cleaned up as well. When you sit up, Arthur watches you intently. "You alright?"

"I was supposed to do some inventory for the order tomorrow."

"That's what you're thinking about?" Arthur huffs.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so used to planning everything," you explain. "This is not how I imagined my evening."

"Me neither. It's bad enough that you're distracting me during work. I didn't think it would happen after."

You wish you could say something to that, but you get so flustered that you focus on putting your clothes in order instead. 

"Don't worry about the order," Arthur says, "I know what we need; I can just tell you."

"That would be great," you say, picking up your clipboard, but before you take any notes, you look Arthur over. "Maybe you should get dressed first."

"Why?"

"It's distracting."

Arthur leans back with a smile, giving you an even better view. "Really?"

You lean in to give him a kiss, right before clutching the clipboard to his chest. "That list better be on my desk tomorrow at 9am."

"Yes, ma'am," Arthur says, but he doesn't move, so you turn tail and run.

If you stay, chances are you're going to eat your dinner off of him.

[prettyblfan]

Coffee Shop Boy

Chapter Two

~

Just as he thought by the time he had finished his shift and set off for school Sorawit managed to completely forget about his encounter with very mysterious That.

~

As he walked into his classroom he instantly locked eyes with his best friend Nam. Despite only being in Viangpa Mork for only 3 months him and Nam seemed to connect instantly, she practically took Sorawit under her wing because he was too gullible for his own good. During his first week of school some boys in their class convinced him that the girls toilet was actually the boys toilet, ever since then she's felt very protective over him. However, this was practically the same for Sorawit after all Nam was pretty, popular and funny a complete package so he felt like if was his job to protect from all the shameless creeps that through themselves at her.

Sorawit pulled out his seat next to Nam and smiled,

"Have you done the maths homework" he cheekily asked putting on his sweetest voice. He plan to do it this morning but all the customers decided to pack in all at once so in the end he didn't have any time to finish it.

"No, I though you would do it! that's why I didn't bother" Nam said pulling a pout while she flopped onto the desk in front of her.

"Ahh, why don't you ask one of the multiple guys who have a crush on you" Sorawit responded, despite how calm they both seemed the end result of not handing in homework was quite harsh. They'd get one or two whole weeks of detention. As they went to a very high ranked and respected school it was only natural that standards were set to such a high level, but regardless they couldn't help but think it was stupid.

"No way, they always end up expecting soo much more in return, i can't handle the entitlement." Nam said dryly her voice dripping with disgust.

Sorawit knew exactly what she meant, whenever she'd show the smallest bit of kindest or even ask for a favour they always seemed to think that they deserved something in return. And that something was her body. In alot of situations although Sorawit couldn't fight he'd end up stepping in and trying to protect her.

"Umm, I guess we'll just have to settle for one week of detention then." Sorawit laughed after all his friend's safety was his top priority.

Just as both Nam and Sorawit were prepared to accept their fate one of the girls in their class came in yelling,

"Miss Jane isn't in."

It was this one line that seemed to save their lives, miss Jane was their maths and foreign language teacher as well as a tutor at the school. She was only strict because wanted the best for them but sometimes she could really be too ruthless.

As they no longer had a teacher for two of their lesson both Nam and Sorawit messed about, joking and talking the entire time.

For Sorawit the rest of the day went by without a hitch.

~

By the end of school Sorawit felt like death, maybe waking up at 3 am wasn't going to work for him. As he almost feel asleep against his bike Nam flicked his head.

"Are you gonna give me a ride home today or not" Nam said impatiently as she hopped onto the back of his bike (Sorawit is too much of a soft boy to be riding round on a motorbike, so he has a bicycle a yellow one at that).

Before Sorawit could respond the most obnoxious sounding voice echoed out.

"Nam!"

Standing at the gate was a couple of boys probably a year older than them. They were all in Sorawit's eyes dressed like gangsters, their pants were unnecessarily low and they all opted for darker colours (yes this is what gangsters look like in Sorawit's mind, maybe mine too). The one that called out to Nam was tall but not that handsome the only thing that stood out about him was the polished black motorcycle next to him.

Sorawit looked at Nam puzzled.

"It's a long story, just ignore them." Nam said urging Sorawit to hurry up.

Sorawit despite being known for not being very quick witted caught on quite fast, this must be one of Nam's countless admirers.

He pulled Nam along on his adorable yellow bike and although others may not not agree with him, Nam in fact said it was too girly. Regardless Sorawit didn't see anything wrong with it. It was just the right amount of cute, the yellow made it stand out and the small daisies dotted about the bike made it even more pefect in Sorawit's eyes.

As they approached the gates they were quickly blocked, just as Sorawit had expected. However, Sorawit knew for a fact they wouldn't try anything as long as they were on school property, but unfortunately he couldn't say the same for when they had left.

"Nam let's hang out today, on me" he said eying her up and down.

"Pong, I remember telling you I was busy when you asked me yesterday." She replied obviously not interested in hanging out with him at all.

"What, busy hanging out with this loser instead." The guy now known as Pong spoke sizing up Sorawit. Eventhough he was tall Sorawit was indeed 100% bone.

"Pong." Nam warned, it was quite clear that she had enough, half because she knew that this would end alot worse for Sorawit than for her. And the other half was tired of guys constantly thinking she was interested in them.

"Nam, what does he have that I dont." Pong paused briefly looking at Sorawit before bring his eyes back to Nam.

"Now don't be stupid."

It was that line that made Sorawit snap.

"Her not wanting to hang out with you isn't being stupid." He said standing tall trying to make himself appear as tough as possible.

"What?" Pong replied before laughing along with the rest of his friends, they all looked completely amused.

Nam quickly sensed things were going to take a turn for the worst if things continued going the way that they were.

"Pong I'm seriously busy today I have a bunch of work to catch up on, I have alot more time on the weekend let's hang out then" she spoke alot softer.

"Huh, fine." Pond said a lot calmer now maybe because Nam was being a lot more docile or because a teacher was approaching.

~

The whole situation was over rather quickly after that, Pong and his group of friends had left before the teacher arrived and Nam had explained to that said teacher that the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

Sorawit was now sitting in the Pink Lilly attempting to complete his homework as the staff around him began to prepare for the evening shift. He was thinking about the conversation that he had with Nam while he was taking her home.

She said playing along was always the safer options especially with guys like that.

It made him worry to the point he had to convince her not to go and see him on the weekend.

"What's wrong you're pulling a pout." Ploy said squeezing his cheeks with a soft smile.

Ploy was a University student in her 20s that worked at the Pink Lily part time, she was kind and energetic but she was always in other peoples business.

"Umm I'm fine" Sorawit mumbled out before resuming his homework that he had been neglecting for the past half hour.

Before Ploy could prod for more information, Bun had stormed and was clearly in a mood. A way worse one than usual.

"Who does he think he is?" Fuming Bun slammed his hand down on the front counter.

"Why do handsome men think its okay to be so arrogant" Bun continued to rant furiously.

"P'Bun????" Sorawit called utterly confused, who could have made him so angry.

"Bun, what's wrong?" Ploy also questioned after all seeing her boss this angry was rare.

"Huh, what's wrong. You won't believe what happened today!" Bun responded quickly pulling out a seat. Finally seeming to calm down he recited what took place earlier today.

Bun had gone into work for his regular morning shift at 3am hence why he wasn't there to help ease Sorawit into his first shift. But the real trouble began after his long lunch break around 4ish when a young man was rushed in with a bullet wound, Bun was assigned to treat him. So naturally once he heard the man was accompanied by two other men he had quickly gone to question them after all bullet wounds weren't very common in Viangpa Mork. When he had confronted them he was ridiculed and mocked (more so softly teased, but okay Bun. I'll have to make a special chapter about their first meeting after all this is a That x Sorawit centered story) by a tall well dressed handsome man which only pissed him off more. He'd come to know that the arrogantly handsome man was Tan.

In his 3 months in Viangpa Mork he had only heard from other residents that Tan was one of the many sons of a very affluent family that owned multiple business in the city, and he had been doing a lot of work out here recently.

But the icing on the cake for Bun was that everyone loved him, not the police nor a single soul had come to question them or see what was going on. The whole situation was perfectly swept under the rug.

Bun had finished his story with a huff, just retelling it had seemed to annoy him.

"Wow, i mean it is expected after all rumour is that their family does dabble in..." Ploy trailed off unsure if she should finish her sentence. Tan and his family were doing way more for Viangpa Mork than the governor, in the past couple years their investments had gotten them things they never thought they'd see. Like new school buildings and more focus placed on education. They had even gotten Ploy into university through their Helping the Youth fund before that she never thought she would even have the opportunity to go.

"In what?" Sorawit asked, he hadn't been able to catch onto what she was implying like Bun had.

"Never you mind, my shift starts now so I'll see you later" Ploy wore a light smile before returning to work.

Bun had assumed it would have been something like that but he really thought Viangpa Mork was a quite and unproblematic town.

"Ah, Sorawit how was your shift this morning" Bun asked realising that he had been to caught up in himself to ask.

"It was fine but," it was at this moment that Sorawit had remembered his encounter with That.

"But what?" Bun said urging him to continue.

So, for the remainder of the evening shift until the start of the late evening shift Sorawit proceed to tell Bun about the oh so mysterious That. Although he sub consciously left out his heart pains and stomach twists that he felt around the boy, the rest of the story was relayed exactly as it happened.

After he had finished Bun had agreed the boy was strange and that in future he should try to keep his distance.

~

Sorawit had quickly retired for the night after he had finished talking to Bun feeling completely exhausted.

As he laid in bed,

When he was just about to fall asleep for a split second the very mysterious That flashed across his mind.

Regardless of what Bun had said earlier a part of him couldn't help but hope that just maybe he would see him again.

~

At last I have done, I hope you like this chapter. Cause i really do.

Oof my hate for men really showed at Nam's part, but do not worry I shall not allow for creepy old men or men at that to get their hands on her.

Any way onto the next chapter! That visiting his favourite coffee boy once again.

Again not proof read cause I live on the edge.

[batfamgalore]

hi ! I saw your new Batfam bingo card and i was wondering if you could do “Am I going to die?” With Duke and one of his older brothers ??

Not sure how I felt about the ending, but I liked writing this one so let me know how you like it! :)

Duke had only been working with them for a few months now. 

If you could even really say working with them. 

It seemed like all the members of the batfamily rarely did team ups. In fact, Duke seemed to be with Bruce more often than any of them. 

Today, was an exception. It was an ‘all hands on deck’ sort of mission and Duke had been feeling a little nervous about working with everyone. 

Nervous and a little unwelcome. 

He knows that no one in the family is great with emotions. He wasn’t expecting them to shower him with hugs and happiness, but he also wasn’t expecting to get nothing. 

Sometimes he just felt invisible. The most he got from Batman was a grunt or a sigh, or the occasional ‘good work.’ 

But, to be fair, Bruce had been stressed lately with a case he had been working on. 

Dick was never afraid to hand out compliments to Duke, but Duke hadn’t heard from Dick in months. He hadn’t really heard from anyone in months. 

So yeah, to say he felt unwelcome was the least of it. 

But that couldn’t stop him from working with everyone on this mission. 

It was meant to be a fairly easy mission, but aren’t they all? If it had been an easy mission, Duke wouldn't be buried under a pile of debris in a burning building right now.

“Signal? Oracle to signal, do you copy?” 

Duke’s head was ringing and he could feel a sharp pain in his leg. He let out a groan before bringing his free hand up to his comm.  

“Yeah. I’m in a bit of a situation here.” Duke said, which led him into a coughing fit.  

Shit. 

Had it been this hard to breathe before? 

“-ear me?” 

“Wha?” Duke said, before coughing again. 

“I’m pinning your location now. Hang tight.” Oracle’s voice was straight and to the point. Maybe she was worried. Duke couldn’t tell. Maybe they were mad at him for needing saving like this. He let the rest of the voices on the comm wash over him. 

“Robin and I are clear, who else is in the building?” Tim’s voice came through and Duke sighed in relief to know that others were safe. 

“Me and Spoiler are clear.”  Jason and Steph were safe too. So it was just Duke and-

“Where’s Nightwing?” Tim’s voice cut in again and despite Tim’s seemingly calm voice, panic began to flood Duke. 

Nightwing. If Nightwing died they might blame Duke. 

No. That’s stupid. They wouldn’t do that. It’s just the concussion talking. 

“Still inside.” Nightwing said and Duke heard a cough through the comm. 

So it was the two of them stuck in the fire? Great. They were both going to die. 

“Nightwing, I’m sending you Duke’s location. He needs help.” 

“Copy that, Oracle.” Dick’s voice was somehow still calm.

Why was he so calm. They were both going to die. 

Duke heard the movement of things falling next to him and then he could make out Nightwing’s silhouette through the smokey haze.  

“Duke, you with me? I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?” Duke nodded his head, which led him into another sputtering of coughs. 

“Am I going to die?” Duke’s question caught Dick off guard. Sometimes it slipped Dick’s mind that not everyone was used to this. Dick had been in about a million explosions, and he forgot that this wasn’t necessarily ‘normal’ and it was, in fact, a very scary thing. 

“What? No. Duke you aren’t gonna die.” Dick took his rebreather out of his mouth and moved to put it into Duke’s mouth. 

“Just, take a few breaths for me, okay?” Dick said, his voice still calmer than ever. 

Duke heard more talking over the comms. 

“Hood, I’m gonna need you to be ready at the south entrance window. Doors blocked.” Nightwing was going to get him out of this. 

“On my way.” Jason’s voice cut through. 

Duke looked back up at Dick who was looking a little worse for wear. 

Dick himself had gotten into a few coughing fits since finding Duke, but he kept moving. 

“I’m going to move this off you now Duke. I can probably get it a few inches off the ground, but I’m going to need you to pull yourself out, okay?” 

Duke nodded. Nightwing would help him. It would be okay.

Dick bent down and lifted the biggest part of the debris that had been pinning him down as Duke rolled to safety. 

Dick dropped the chunk back once he saw Duke was safe and stumbled over to him. 

“Where are you hurt?” Dick said, surveying Duke. 

Duke pointed to his leg, mostly focused on taking deep breaths through the rebreather.  

Dick quickly and efficiently began to address his wound. 

“You know when I first became Robin we had this drug bust in a warehouse. Bruce let me go because he figured it would be a good learning experience. It was supposed to be easy.” Dick finished tying a temporary bandage around Duke before hefting him on his feet and wrapping his arm around his shoulder as he continued his story. 

“One guy got away. That’s all it took. One guy. Poured gasoline throughout the whole room and lit a match.” Dick began moving at a faster pace towards the south end window.  

“Bruce and I were buried for hours. Bruce had been unconscious the whole time. I thought I was going to die alone.” They were almost at the window now. 

“But then, Superman came and found us. I still don’t even really know how he knew we were there, or what he was even doing in Gotham. My comm had been down the whole time. He dug us out and carried Bruce bridal style back to the manor. To this day Bruce will deny the whole thing.” Dick looked over at Duke and gave him a small smile and a wink. 

“Bruce was pissed for a while. He felt like he didn't need to be saved by Superman. He said he would have gotten out just fine on his own. I think he was just scared.” They were finally at the window. Dick leaned Duke up against the wall for a second as he smashed the window with his elbow. 

“Point is doesn’t really matter how long you’ve been doing this, it can be scary as hell. Especially when someone you care about’s life is on the line.” Dick hunched over for a second with his hands on his knees, catching his breath. There was too much smoke. Dick had been exerting himself for Duke. So, he did care?  

“But we’ve always got your back.” Dick said, as he went over to Duke and wrapped his arm around him one more time. Duke gave him a small smile. 

“I’m gonna drop you down to Jason now.” Dick said as he brought them both closer to the window. 

Duke couldn't help but think this wasn’t exactly the safest way out, but it was probably their only way out. Dick grabbed Duke’s arms and lowered him out the window as much as he could before Duke felt his hands let go, as new ones greeted him at the bottom. 

“I got you now, Duke.” Jason’s said and Duke felt himself being carried as he made weak attempts to point in Dick’s direction. 

Duke had no idea how Dick was supposed to get out if they were so focused on him. 

Duke’s energy seemed to run out at this point and his world faded to darkness. 

When he finally came to he realized he was in one of the bedrooms in the manor. Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian were all around him playing Mario Kart. Duke took a deep breath and fell back into a peaceful unconsciousness. 

When he was finally able to walk around the manor with his crutches, Dick had given him a hug and told him he had done great. And if Dick’s voice sounded raspy for the next few weeks Duke had known it was because his family had his back. 

[cotncandyboifics]

1989 [High School AU]: Chapter 7

AO3 Link

Masterpost

Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ Chapter 4 ~ Chapter 5 ~ Chapter 6 ~ Chapter 8 ~ Chapter 9 ~

Pairings: slight Logince, eventual Prinxiety & Logicality

Word count: 2,142

Story summary: Roman Prince is your stereotypical Jock, with everyone swooning after him. Every day a crowd of people follow him around, only to disperse at his personal whim. In reality, he's lucky to have such good acting skills that help him cover up the disdain he has for his life. He only wishes he could use his skills properly.

Patton Whitelock's always there to lend a helping hand, no matter who you are. If you need a favor or just need someone to talk to, go to him. In reality, he's been taught from a young age that kindness should be held above all else. No one suspects that he took it the wrong way.

Logan Montgomery is the smartest boy in the Senior class. He's stern, and most people are too intimidated to speak to him. In reality, he despises most all of his fellow students. He sticks to his studies and doesn't stray, for fear of being stuck in his father's shadow his whole life.

Virgil Black is the most emo kid in school, let alone 12th grade; everyone knows to leave him be. In reality, he's very fortunate. He has two parents who love him dearly. But everything beyond his life, everything within his mind, is utter chaos and turmoil.

what will happen when they're assigned a biology project together?

General CW: food, swearing, implied s-lf h-rm, non-graphic descriptions of s-lf h-rm scars, graphic and non-graphic descriptions of anxiety attacks and panic attacks, drug abuse, minor character intoxicated on heroin, non-graphic drug overdose description, sickness/description of sickness, blood, non-graphic descriptions of needles, (will be added to as I write more)

Chapter CW: food, implied starts of anxiety attacks, (let me know if i missed anything please!)

Author notes: whenever I reread this chapter I'm not sure whether the point of it is clear to the reader or not... but I'm not sure how to rewrite/fix it lol

...

Finally, it was Friday. Between classes, Virgil was pacing quickly down the hall when he noticed Logan exchanging things from his locker. He also saw Roman approaching the tall boy, adorning a mischievous smile. Virgil decided to slip out of sight behind the bustle of the hallway to observe their interaction, staying hidden near the walls.

Roman stood directly behind Logan and tapped him on the shoulder. Logan turned fully around, and upon seeing Roman, he opened his mouth to speak. He was quickly was interrupted, however, as Roman put his hand against the locker at Logan's side, and traced his other hand down Logan's button-up-covered chest. Logan was pinned against his open locker. Virgil couldn't make out the things Roman was saying to him, but Logan looked blatantly... caught off guard, to say the least. His pearly white cheeks were dusted pink. After a few moments, he pushed Roman aside and made to leave, but Roman grabbed him by the tie and pulled him back. They'd switched positions, Logan having put his pale bony arm out to stop himself from falling. Roman was still pulling his tie, smirking and looking into his eyes deviously. Virgil read Roman's lips and thought he saw "-if you're into that." Logan was clearly getting frustrated and forced his tie away, collecting his book bag from the floor and shooing Roman so that he could close his locker. Virgil saw Logan speak, and made out something like "I'll be late for class."

What a couple they made. Virgil felt something heavy growing in the pit of his stomach. Roman had left to go to his class as well, and the halls were becoming more and more empty as students filed into various classrooms. Finally the bell rang, and Virgil felt like he couldn't move to save his life. He started scratching his wrist and felt his breathing become uneven. No, not here, not now. He forced himself to breathe normally and made his way to his next class.

...

Later that day, Patton was lying on Virgil's bed, throwing a bouncy ball up and catching it in a slow rhythm. Virgil was seated at his desk right beside Patton, vaguely attempting to finish his French homework. Not like it'd be due until Monday anyway.

Patton and Virgil had been good friends from a young age, and usually hung out like this around twice a week. Every now and then they'd do something special, but usually it was just being together and talking.

Virgil knew a lot about Patton, more than most people do. He knew about his best friend's current... sticky home situation, and so he never questioned it when Patton came up to him later in the school day with a sorrowful glint in his eyes, asking if they could go back to Virgil's house that evening.

"Do you think they had a nice date yesterday?" Patton said after a minute or two of calm silence. Virgil looked over at him. He'd stopped throwing the ball, and was now inspecting its strange colorful surface, scratching at little flakes of plastic that hung off its seams. Virgil thought to himself how it was so strange that these types of bouncy balls always seemed to practically glow when exposed to light, even though they had no sparkles or shiny qualities about them.

"I guess I don't know. Roman might have ruined it with his overconfidence and ridiculous antics," Virgil finally replied, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling. "Especially if he did something like take them to some 5-star family-owned Italian restaurant where you get kicked out unless you're wearing a waistcoat and you have to make a reservation a year in advance," he mused. Patton giggled a little.

"Yeah, that sounds like Mr. Prince," He offered a little quieter than he wanted to. Virgil eyed him with concern.

"You haven't really been thinking much of it, have you?" Virgil turned fully toward his bespectacled friend now, who was just staring blankly, clutching the bouncy ball to his chest. "I mean, I don't think it'll be much of a distraction to our project than Roman already is. And besides, I really doubt that Logan will go for a second round," Virgil dismissed the notion bitterly, and Patton wondered when Virgil had developed such a resentment against Roman.

"Well," Patton started, sitting up and pulling his legs into a criss-cross applesauce, "I'm surprised Logan wanted to in the first place. I don't think he has ever dated anyone, let alone someone so..."

"I know what you mean." Virgil got up to sit criss-cross applesauce with his friend on the bed. They looked at each other and giggled a little, remembering how they used to do this as little kids. They were just like brothers in a way.

Virgil noticed Patton pulling at his ring again, and knew something was up. "Hey," He said, taking Patton's hand. Patton looked up at him nervously from behind his big round glasses, his blonde curls hiding the top trims. "What's up?"

Patton made a noise that was something between a scoff and a sigh, looking away but not pulling away. "I just..." He thought for a long moment on how to begin what he wanted to say without saying what he didn't want to say... not yet, anyway. "I want Logan to be happy. He's a, good friend," A smile curled at the edges of his mouth. "I don't think Roman makes him... unhappy, per se. I think they could be really," Patton pulled his hand back and started fidgeting with his ring again, "close... but I don't know if, them being together will make Logan happy. W-will make either of them happy." He looked up at Virgil then, who was stoic. "I-I mean, i know it isn't really any of my business to worry about. I know I don't really know... anything about their date or..."

Virgil gave a somber smile. "I know what you mean. I feel it too. I mean, they don't seem to... clash correctly," Virgil meshed his fingers together as a visual metaphor. "They don't fit quite right into a relationship box together. And i don't think Roman is enamored with him in the way he says he is, or acts like he is." That bitter tone resurfaced in Virgil's voice again, and Patton took note of it.

He looked up, curls bouncing slightly. "What do you mean by that?" Virgil returned his eye contact, and Patton looked like he was hiding some emotion. Maybe... anger?

"Well..." Virgil thought about what he'd said. Specifically a certain song and a certain moment that had given him the notion that, as much as Roman acted confident, when he was truly falling for someone... he might act quite the opposite. Virgil felt his cheeks heat up, and Patton's expression changed.

"Is there something you know that i don't?" Patton pressed. Not maliciously, but curiosity dripped from his voice. Virgil brought his fingertips to his cheeks and wondered how they'd gotten so hot so quickly.

"Well, I, I just..." Virgil stuttered for a long moment. "I suppose it seems like, i don't know, like, maybe if Roman were really, um, that is to say, maybe, he would be, if he were really, you know, into someone, like that, like, um," He was talking with his hands too much, and Patton noticed his breathing becoming more like heaving. He took Virgil's frantic hands.

"Hey, take a sec," Patton's voice was coated in caramel. Virgil finally made eye contact again. "Breathe, bud," Patton said even calmer and sweeter this time. Virgil's attention suddenly switched to his breathing patterns, which he now noticed were getting rather erratic. He took a moment to reconcile himself.

"Sorry, I went off on a bit of a tangent there... but, as i was saying, or, trying to say," Virgil continued to stumble his way to his point, but with more purpose this time, "... Roman, strikes me as the type, to seem... like he wouldn't act the way he does with Logan if he were in love with him, maybe," He was fiddling with his own fingers now. "but i have a feeling that he might be... a bit of a softie. I mean, what i mean is, he... If he really likes someone I think he wouldn't be able to be his... y'know... confident, jock, witty-remark-shooting self. If that, makes any sense."

"huh," Patton said after a moment of consideration. "Well that's possible. I don't really know honestly. I haven't spent a lot of time with the guy, and whenever i do he always seems to be that same confident person. Well, except with you, sometimes."

"Huh? Me? What?" Virgil was blatantly alarmed. Patton hadn't meant to cause this alarm, so he replied gently.

"Oh, no no kiddo, i just mean like... Y'know how you two are always sorta, bickering or debating or poking fun at each other?" Virgil nodded. "Well, I've just noticed, that sometimes when you make certain comments or whatnot, he sort of... Loses himself. His persona. It kind of falls away, and he seems sort of lost for words." Virgil looked even more alarmed than before. "I-I don't mean that that's necessarily because of you, I just, it's just the only time i have seen him react in that way and... I don't know. It probably happens with him all the time when I'm not around. Or whatever. I don't know. I'm sorry." Patton spoke so quickly that Virgil hardly heard each word. He was just trying to calm himself. Was it so obvious?

"Well." Was all he could muster in reply.

"Anyhow, I think I agree, at least that something seems a little off... I hope it is anyw-" Virgil trained his eyes on Patton. "I mean- I, uh, I-I don't know where that came from! I don't hope, that- I don't hope anything bad for either of them! I didn't- I didn't think, I just-"

"You just have a crush on Logan?" Virgil was still staring at Patton, mischief peeking around the edges of his pupils.

"Wuh-- What!!!" Patton couldn't say anything else; he just grabbed the nearest pillow and shoved his face into it. Virgil heard an indignant "no I don't" from the pillow as he put his hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"Patton, buddy. It's okay." Virgil just awkwardly patted the shoulder of Patton's balled up form.

"Does everyone know!?" He looked up finally, his nose running slightly. He wasn't crying, but even so, sometimes when he got emotional or embarrassed his cheeks turned deep rosy and his nose started running. Just another little quirk about him that Virgil always kept close to his heart.

"Well, it is plain as day," Virgil started while Patton's eyes seemed so somehow grow larger, "But Logan and Roman have no clue, as far as I can tell. Logan wouldn't know you liked him unless... well, unless you asked him on a date apparently," Virgil chuckled slightly, remembering the bizarre interaction between Roman and Logan on Monday. "And Roman is always too busy bothering Logan to pay attention to what you're doing," Virgil propped his chin up on one of his hands. "But objectively, it is pretty obvious."

Patton was deflated, blonde curls doing their best to bashfully cover his eyes now. He put his face back into the pillow on his lap. Virgil heard a muffled "I'm sorry."

"What? Why are you sorry?" Virgil rubbed his back now.

"I don't know. I'm sorry to Logan mostly. And to myself." His shrunken form shook slightly. Virgil hoped he wouldn't start crying.

"Ohhhh come on," Virgil awkwardly attempted to comfort him. "No one knows, and besides, it's no big deal. You'll be alright. Most likely, nothing will happen, and you can just eventually move on with your life. And heck, maybe you'll get your chance with him."

Patton's curls shook again as he looked up, eyes the size of the moon. "You really think so????" He asked in earnest. clear snot streams ran down from his nostrils and over his lips now, and his whole face was like a tomato. Virgil laughed airily.

"...It's always possible," he said almost under his breath. He wondered if he was reassuring himself or Patton more.

They sat in silence for a short moment, Virgil shaking his slender fingers through his vibrant purple bangs. I should re-dye my hair soon. The roots are starting to show.

"Wanna get some ice cream?" Virgil asked eventually. Patton's eyes lit up.

"Yeah! Did your mom get Grasshopper Pie again??? I love that stuff so much!" They got up off Virgil's bed together to head down the hall to the stairs.

"Actually, my mom tried making some herself this time," Virgil shut his bedroom door behind them.

"Ooh, really!?!?! I'm so excited to try it then!" Patton squealed, overjoyed as a small child would be. It was as if all of his troubles had dissipated like seeds in the wind. Another thing Virgil admired about Patton.

He hoped everything would be okay.

[phoenixhalliwell]

Hey Brother.

Pairings: No Pairing - Platonic Triple Frontier Boys

Word count: 900ish 

Author's Note: Apparently i’m feeling a little angsty tonight . Set after the movie from Pope’s POV. To whoever stumbles on this, I hope you enjoy!

Do you ever wish you can turn back time?

Even though there's a fire crackling in the middle of their makeshift  circle, Pope can't seem to warm himself up. He can hear the boys murmurs to each other  as they catch up on things they've missed out on but he can't really bring himself to properly join in. He doesn't feel as though he's earned his place back in the circle yet. Wrapping his jacket tighter around himself, Pope lets his eyes brush over each member of his crew.

Frankie sits directly across from him, one hand holding his bottle of beer while the other picks at the label. Pope is unsure whether he actually realises he's doing it, it's just always been a tick of Frankie's. He looks better than the last time Pope saw him - calmer and healthier. Frankie had quietly shared with the group earlier that things were starting to look up for him and his family. That his pilot license was no longer suspended and his name had been cleared. He proudly showed off pictures of his little girl Rosa and informed the boys to expect a wedding invitation through the post because he'd popped the question to his lady just a couple of weeks before. Pope had never seen Frankie look so happy and he was proud of him for turning things around after Colombia.

Next to Frankie sits Benny who is in the middle of telling everyone about the new girl that caught his eye. Sweet Lila  he calls her. He brags about how she didn't fall for his usual charm and made him work for a date with her. He declares to the circle that he's going to marry her one day. Benny practically has heart eyes when he talks about her and Pope feels his lips quirk up in a small smile. It's nice to know that there is someone out there who can keep his teammate on his toes. That Benny has someone to turn to when his emotions inevitably get too much. It's one of the things Pope admires about the younger man - he's not ashamed to let himself feel.

Will who sits to Pope's right has been somewhat quiet himself for most of the evening.  He looks content though to be amongst his friends, playfully teasing Benny when he gets too rowdy. Not much has changed for Will over the past year. He informed the boys that he taken a step back from doing his talks for recruiters and is looking into a career change, though he isn’t quite sure what yet. He just knows that he’s done with anything army related. Benny is also quick to tell the rat out that Will’s got a girl who he’s been keeping to himself. Even though the boys beg him to tell them more, Will refuses to give up any information about his lady love saying the boys will meet her in good time. One of Pope’s favourite things about Will is that he never backs down.

Pope finally lets his gaze drop to his left where the last chair in the circle sits vacant. It's a harsh reminder that their crew is one member short. Their fallen brother is the reason why they are all sitting here tonight in Will's garden. It's Tom's one year anniversary and Pope is grateful he doesn't have to spend it alone. That his friends haven't gave up on him despite the way they parted ways. Despite the fact that he was to blame for the whole mess. 

Truth be told, the past year had not been kind to Santi. He had  intentionally isolated himself from his friends seeing it a fit punishment  for his sins. There were days when the guilt was so overwhelming that he couldn’t eat or sleep because of it. It had been his fucking idea to do the reccy. It was him that conned his brothers into a failed mission and it ended with one of them gone. He had wished on every star in the sky that he could get a do over. That he had never brought up his stupid plan and left his brothers in peace.Pope feels tears burn at the back of his eyes and harshly scrubs his hands over his face. A hand on  his shoulder grounds him and brings him back to the present and he turns to see Will looking at him in concern. It's suddenly very quiet in the garden.

"I know you might not believe me when I say this Santi ,but you really need to hear this. None of us blame you for what happened. Yes the mission was a complete shit show. We definitely should not have been there .Not to speak ill of the dead but it was Tom's actions that lead to what happened to him. You did everything in your power to keep the situation in check. It wasn't your fault Santi"  Pope sees Frankie and Benny nod in agreement with Will.

It's as though the dam finally breaks at Will's words and Santi allows the tears roll down his cheeks.  For the first time in a long time he feels something other than sadness well in his chest. There might be hope that this is the starting point to slowly bring things back to normal ( well as normal as they can be). He has his brothers' forgiveness and it feels like a weight has lifted from his chest. They may not all bonded by blood, but they were brothers just the same. This was his family and they still wanted him in it.

 Benny clears his throat to catch everyone’s attention. He raises his glass up.

"To Tom”

" To Tom"  the others chorus

' To Forgiveness" Pope thinks to himself before downing his drink.  

[whattodowithace]

I Hate You Part I (Byeongkwan)

Title: I Hate You Part I 

Pairing: Byeongkwan (A.C.E) x Reader 

Genre: Spice

Word Count: 1.7K Words

Writer: Whattodowithkpop

*****

“Can’t you cooperate just this once?” I growl in anger as I look at Byeongkwan who was standing away from our desk station.

“No way am I getting near that thing.” He glares at me as he crosses his arms.

“I legitimately can’t cut into it without your help.” I tell him through clenched teeth. “Suck it up and get over here. I’m not failing because you’re a wimp.” 

He scoffs with a roll of his eyes. “I’m the wimp? You cried when the cafeteria ran out of chocolate milk last week.” 

“It was a rough day and you were mostly to blame.” I argue back. 

“Guys, can you please get along just this once?” Our mutual friend Jun asks with concern painted on his face.

“I won’t partner up with a baby.” I huff out looking away from them both. 

“And I won’t partner up with her, not in a million years.” Byeongkwan shoots back. 

I hear Jun sigh and walk away, leaving Byeongkwan and I in our previous predicament. 

“I’ll figure it out, just don’t get in my sight.” I tell him finally, going to stand above the frog that lie motionless in a plastic container. 

I frown as I look at the frog, feeling bad that this was its fate. I sigh out heavily as I slowly bring the knife to its belly, beginning the dissection.

~

I walk through the halls, making my way to my next class when I feel a weight on my shoulder. 

“I heard you got into it with BK again.” My friend Chan laughs as he hangs his arm around my shoulder.

“When am I not getting into it with Byeongkwan?” I sigh as I think back to all our petty fights we seemed to have. 

“I think you guys would actually be best friends if you would say a whole sentence without yelling at each other.” Chan shrugs, his face holding the amusement it always did when discussing this topic. 

“Well he’s the one who started it.” I roll my eyes as I reach my next class, Chan entering the room with me.

“Why do you guys fight all the time?” Chan questions with a smirk. “It’s probably sexual tension.”

I glare at the boy. “Never.” 

Chan holds his hands up defensively. “Just an outsider looking in.” 

I look up to see Byeongkwan enter the room. His eyes lock with me and he immediately glares, which I return back to him. 

“Just don’t jump him in class.” Chan whispers to me, earning him an elbow to the ribs. 

~

The end of the day had arrived, meaning the halls were filled to the brim with students squeezing past each other so they could get home faster. 

“I have to head out early, I’ll catch you later!” Chan tells me as he collects his things to leave. 

He waves goodbye enthusiastically as he walks out the door, saying a goodbye to Byeongkwan as well. 

Usually, Chan and I always waited for the traffic to die down together before braving the halls, and Byeongkwan always did too. Usually by this point of the day we had fought each other so much that we were too exhausted to scream at each other in this quiet time. 

I was surprised when he broke the silence. Even more surprised that it wasn’t a shout. “I really hate saying this to you but, I’m sorry about the frog today.” 

When the words ‘I’m sorry’ left his mouth I tensed in shock, looking down to where he sat, his back facing towards me as he faced the front of the classroom. 

“You hated doing it too, and I should’ve helped.” He finishes, not once looking up to me.

His words hung in the air, leaving the silence awkward before I filled it. 

“It’s fine, I get it.” Is all I say, not really sure what to add in this situation. 

“What’s the deal with Chan?” Byeongkwan asks suddenly, his voice more rigid this time. 

“Why Chan all the sudden?” I ask back in a defensive manner, ready to defend Chan to the death. 

“He’s always making jokes.” He groans in frustration. “I really hate it.”

“Chan jokes all the time.” I reply back in a calmer voice. Just the thought of Chan making me happy. “That’s why people like him.”

Byeongkwan’s chair scrapes against the floor as he stands, walking up the stairs to where I was sitting. He towers over me trying to intimidate me as he crosses his arms. 

“Tell him to stop.” Byeongkwan demands. “I’m getting really tired of it.”

“What jokes could he possibly be saying that you’re acting so childish over?” I stand to face him, my height being revealed as I strain my neck to look up at him. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Byeongkwan tilts forward, getting in my space, trying to make me nervous. 

“I’m glad he’s frustrating you.” I say finally with an evil smile, leering into his eyes. “Maybe his cuteness will rub off on you and you’ll be more pleasant to be around.”

“Hate to break it to you, everyone already finds me pleasantly adorable. Everyone except you.” He smirks down at me, feeling proud of himself.

“I highly doubt they find you pleasant.” I hold my glare. 

The air thickens, making a chill go down my spine as I look into his eyes. I feel my defenses falter slightly as his smirk disappears and his eyes focus on mine. My palms begin to feel sweaty as burning heat fills my stomach, making me curse myself under my breathe.

“I hate you.” Byeongkwan whispers, his eyes scanning my face. 

“God, I hate you more.” I breathe out as my body suddenly acts on its own accord. 

I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his lips to mine. Byeongkwan reacts immediately, lifting me onto the desk I was next to, pushing himself in between my legs. 

I bring one of my hands to the back of his head, deepening the kiss as I roughly tug at his hair. 

He groans against my lips as he forces his tongue into my mouth, taking control of the kiss. 

I growl in frustration as I try to take control back, pushing my tongue against his. 

His hand makes its way under my shirt, his cold palm resting on my abdomen making me gasp from the chill. 

“Byeongkwan, someone is going to catch us.” I whisper in between the kisses he was placing on my mouth. 

“You’re right.” He continues with his quick kisses. 

His hand under my shirt moves to my back, making goosebumps rise at the contrast of his cold hand against my hot skin. His hand pushes against me, pushing me to be flush against his body. 

“Woah.” I react, wrapping my arms around his shoulders as I teeter on the edge of the desk.

He smirks slightly as he pulls me all the way off the desk, making me wrap my legs around his torso to keep from falling. 

“You know,” his breath fans against my ear. “Maybe Chan was right about the sexual tension.” He finishes as he bites my ear, almost making me whimper in desperation. 

I curse Chan in my head, realizing I wasn’t the only one he was making those jokes too.

“I hate him.” I sigh out as I roll my eyes. 

“Not as much as you hate me.” He whispers as his hand grabs one of my thighs to give it a gentle squeeze.

I sneer at him before leaning my head down leaving sharp bites against his neck, making him tilt his head back, giving more access to his skin. 

He starts walking me somewhere as I continue to bite him, the bites leading from his collarbones to his jaw, littering his skin with various reds. I pull away to admire my work, biting my lip as I look at the marks on his porcelain skin. Byeongkwan leads us into the closet closing the door behind us before he roughly pushes me against the door. 

“Let’s match tomorrow.” He suggests as his head bows to my neck. 

He licks up the side of my neck reaching my jaw where he bites and sucks on the skin just there.

“Byeongkwan.” I breathe out digging my nails into his shoulders.

I could feel him smirk against my skin as he continues to attack my neck with bites and licks. 

“Why are you so frustrating?” He questions as he bites hard against my collarbone, a small moan coming from my mouth. 

I quickly cover my mouth as I look at him with wide eyes. 

“That was an accident.” I clear my throat awkwardly. 

The light from the classroom barley reaching into the closet, only giving me glimpses of his face, but I could clearly see the smirk on his cocky face.

“I hate how good you sound.” He compliments as he bites the same spot, getting the same reaction.

“Stop.” I warn firmly. 

He bites the opposite collarbone, making me cover my mouth with my hand.

“I don’t want to stop.” He finalizes, quickly introducing our lips together again. This kiss was slow, his lips moving against mine as he rubs slow circles into my thigh.

I close my eyes tightly, getting lost in the kiss, surprised by how gentle it was. It was as if all our anger towards each other was just poured out and now we could pay attention to each other softly.

The only reason the kiss breaks is because we heard a thump sound from outside the classroom. I look at him with fear, realizing it was probably the janitor.

“We need to get out of here.” I giggle.

“We do, but I’m not done with you.” He whisper as he kisses my collarbone where a giant bruise was beginning to form. 

“Im not done with you either.” I smirk at him as I trace my finger over his neck, making him wince in pain from the small bites. “I have a lot more things I hate about you.”

MAIN MASTERLIST

[koolkat9]

First Valentine’s Day

Paring: GerEng, implied PruIta

Rating: Teen (Just to be safe)

Word Count: 1949 

Summary: Germany and England are celebrating their first Valentine's day together. Germany who has little experience in the romance department and the haunting memory of their first date littered with mishaps is nervous, but vows to give his lover the best Valentine's Day he can.

---

"Germany you need to stop," Italy said, his usually cheery tone was replaced by one of seriousness. Germany had been pacing back and forth for the past fifteen minutes and the sight was making Italy's neck hurt. "I know it's your first Valentine's day, but you have nothing to worry about."

"What about our first-"

"That was only once. And still, he loved you regardless."

"Ja but...b-but..."

He grabbed his friend's forearms with a strength Germany never saw before. "No buts. Take a deep breath. In...Out...good."

Despite Italy's best attempt, Germany's stress was way past the point of deep breathing. He tried to smile at his friend, but even he could tell it was strained. For a week now he had been thinking of all kinds of plans for England's and his first Valentine's day together. Sure they had spent it as single friends over the past decade, but now they were lovers and that changed everything. England deserved only the best, and Germany had little to no experience with romance. While Germany began pacing again, Italy just rolled his eyes and headed to the living room to phone one of the best restaurants in Berlin and get the two love birds a reservation.

When he returned to Germany, said nation was still pacing around the room, mumbling to himself. "Dios Mio. You can relax a bit. I set up your dinner plans.

Germany halted his pacing. "Really.”

"Si, si. For six. Now come on, you still need to get him a gift."

Germany opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't really argue. Also, one important thing was out of the way, which made him feel lighter. Before he could say anything, the beaming Italian was pulling him out the door.

---

"So you have the reservation?" Italy asked as the two sat in the car just outside of a glitzy restaurant. The only light was that from the street lamps and the restaurant itself.

"Ja...Ludwig for two at six."

"Perfect! And the gift?"

"Yes." Germany looked down at the nicely wrapped box he held in his hand.

They had spent the whole afternoon looking for something and regardless of how many little trinkets they found, none of them were fitting enough (at least according to Germany). Eventually, they came across a store that sold all sorts of glass items. He hadn't thought much of it at first, but he was desperate. He definitely hadn't expected to find a small glass figure of a bunny with eyes as green as England's and would walk away with such a gift. It seemed perfect at the time, but now he was starting to doubt that England would like it.

Italy gave him a slight pout as if he knew what Germany was thinking. "Don't start that," he warned, "just get in there and show him how much he means to you!" Germany swallowed hard. He appreciated his friend's advice and support, but no words were able to calm his beating heart or racing mind.

A knock on the window took Germany out of his thoughts as he came face to face with England. His emerald eyes sparkled under the lights and there was a small and endearing smile on his lips. Germany always found his smile beautiful and the image in front of him made him a bit calmer.

"Good evening love," he greeted, placing a kiss on Germany's cheek.

"Guten Abend." They stood awkwardly for a few moments, looking over each other shyly. England wore a nice a-line suit in dark green that complemented his eyes perfectly and his hair was more kept than usual. "Y-You look lovely," Germany eventually spoke.

The Brit's cheeks went pink at the compliment. "Thank you...so do you." He took the German's hand and began guiding him towards the entrance. "You know, you didn't have to go out like this."

"I-I know...I...I just...you deserve it."

"Oh...w-well.." for once England was at a loss for words, "l-l-let's just head in."

---

"What do you mean the reservation was for five?" Germany took in a deep breath, trying not to raise his voice at the hostess. That proved difficult however as she told them that their table had been given to another couple due to their "tardiness."

He was about to lose it until he felt a light tug on his arm. "Come on Ludwig...it's fine." England muttered. He began pulling Germany towards the door, despite his protests.

"B-But..."

"We don't need their fancy, overpriced meal," he said a bit louder this time to make sure he was heard by the staff.

"Arthur!"

"Just come on."

England didn't stop pulling until they were back outside and even then he didn't let go of Germany's arm. The cool night air against Germany's skin and a deep breath managed to cool him down and let go of his frustration. With a clear mind, he began thinking of what to do next. Italy was the one to drop him off so he didn't have a car and England flew here so he didn't have one either. He looked up and down the street trying to think of restaurants nearby that wouldn't be busy.

"I saw a bar on my way here and it didn't seem too busy, maybe we should try there," England stated, leaning into his boyfriend.

"We might as well check. I don't have any other ideas."

---

At least there was some luck on their side. The bar England had mentioned was practically empty and they got a table right in the front window. Their suits were a bit much for the venue, but they distracted themselves with conversation and their meals. Despite how awkward and frustrating the night started, everything fell into place once they were seated and catching up with each other.

As they ate and England went on about the disastrous meeting with the Commonwealth, Germany noticed that some crumbs had made their way across the Englishman's cheek. "Y-You got some..." he gestured to his own cheek. England lifted his napkin to the side of his face, just missing the spot. He tried a few more times before Germany had had enough and reached over with his napkin to wipe them away. The Brits cheeks went warm at the contact, but a small smile graced his lips as well. Germany was not so lucky however as his whole face and even his neck went bright red and his heart leapt into his throat.

"Thank you...now how has your week been?"

"W-Well..." Germany debated whether he wanted to admit he had been worrying and panicking over today, but considering how good things were going, he figured that it was best left forgotten. "Pretty good. Nothing too special though other than helping Feliciano pick out a gift Gil."

"I see. Tonight is at least eventful."

Germany gave a small chuckle, "I suppose. But anything with you is a highlight in my week."

"I-Is that so?" England's cheeks were flushed again as he reached for what to say next, "God you are too much sometimes...but I feel the same way."

     After finishing their meal, England suggested exchanging gifts. Due to Germany's nerves, England offered to go first, handing him a heart-shaped box with a lovely white ribbon. He looked away as Germany took the box. "I-I got Emma to help me get the chocolates. I-I-I hope it's to your liking."

"I'm sure they'll be wonderful." He looked down at his own gift box starting to think that maybe he should have just gotten flowers or chocolates.

"Love?" England called after a few minutes of staring at the gift.

"Uh...sorry. Here you go. Fröhlichen Valentinstag."

Germany was unsure what exactly caused him to drop the box, but somehow, while handing it over to England, it ended up on the floor and a loud crack was heard. Things became deathly silent as the two stared wide-eyed at the fallen gift.

"Lud-" before England could finish, Germany was already up and heading to the door, his fist clenched and a deep frown on his face. England quickly paid, gathered the boxes, and rushed after him. He shouted out Germany's name as he wandered the streets looking for him.

Eventually, England caught sight of the slicked-back hair of Germany across the street much to his relief. It did not last for long as he tripped while coming down off the curb and landed on his foot wrong in an attempt to stop himself. At least he got Germany's attention who was at his side in no time. He propped the Brit up into a sitting position and ran his fingers over the small scrapes on the other's face.

"Arthur. Mein Gott. Th-This is...I'm so sorry."

"It's...ah...it's fine love. I'll be good as new in a couple of hours."

"No, it's not fine. None of this night has been fine. I...I'm ruining it all. I'm sor-" he couldn't finish his sentence as a pair of lips crashed into his. The kiss made his mind blank and he found himself eagerly kissing back.

As they pulled back and Germany's brain began working again he asked softly, "can you walk?"

"I don't think so."

"I'll carry you."

"W-Wait Ger-" Ignoring the Brit's sputtering, Germany hoisted the other man onto his back. All England could do was grab onto his partner's shoulders and bury his burning face into the crook of Germany's neck.

"I'm sorry for a mess of the night," Germany apologized again.

"No, no, no. You have nothing to apologize for. Lady luck just isn't on our side. Plus...I still had a good time at the bar."

"M-Me too. And I'll replace your gift. It's probably even more broken from that fall."

"Yeah...you don't have to though."

"I can't just not get you a gift for Valentine's day. And don't you start arguing with me over such matter." England sighed and buried his face once more into Germany's neck in compliance.

---

As soon as they returned to Germany's home, England was laid on the couch with his injured foot and Germany went into the kitchen for ice.

"Can I get you anything else?" Germany asked after he situated the ice just right. Before getting up, he pecked the other's ankle for good measure.

"Well, there is one thing." England gave him a smirk as he gestured for the German to come over to which Germany did with a cocked eyebrow. Before he could say anything, he was pulled down into a long, slow kiss. He hummed into it as he moved his lips to match England's. They eventually (and reluctantly) had to break for air, but England's hold on Germany kept them close.

"Anything else?" Germany murmured, placing a light kiss on England's ear.

"Can I see the gift you were going to get me?"

"Nein, you will have to wait for tomorrow."

"Bu-" In a similar way that England did this evening, Germany pressed his lips against England to silence him.

"I'll get the same thing, I just have to run to the store again tomorrow."

"Fine. Chocolate?"

"I'd love that."

And so, the two lovers shared the chocolates as they sat back and watched some cheesy romance film that was playing on the T.V. Eventually, England snuggled into Germany's side and closed his eyes, content to fall asleep right there. Usually, Germany would protest such actions, but it was Valentine's Day and England's sleeping face looked so soft and peaceful so he let it happen. Soon enough Germany also dozed off, leaning his head Against England's.  

Translations:

Guten Abend= Good evening

Fröhlichen Valentinstag= Happy Valentine's Day

[three-drink-amy]

All the Shine of a Thousand Spotlights

Thanks for the support so far for this story! We’ve got a few more chapters after this one! 

masterlist -AO3

Chapter Fifteen - Happy Is What Happens When Your Dreams Come True

It became a thing John and I did, starting with our first show that got real Tony buzz. We’d call the cast to the theater early the day before nominations were announced. And those would be tomorrow morning. John and I were buzzing at a high frequency and had been for the last week. But every time I talked about it with Jamie, he seemed almost disinterested, as if this wasn’t a potentially huge time for him as well. He’d either give me an “uh-huh” while he looked at his phone or he’d change the subject all together. I hadn’t brought up how much it irritated me, but I’d grinded my teeth each time it happened. 

We bought lunch for the cast and crew and sat around on the stage catching up. Jamie and I kept a safe distance from each other. “How’s everyone feeling?” John asked as people grabbed some of the sandwiches we’d provided. A few confused glances made John continue. “I mean about tomorrow. Tony noms, guys!” 

Everyone started talking at once, excitement seeping from each of them. I smiled, glancing over at Jamie. He was the only one who seemed to be faking it. I saw the moment his mask slipped. It was the same damn look I had been getting at home. 

“Look,” I said to everyone, “John and I have been keeping track of various predictions and such. And yes, many predictions do include us among the nominees. But, I just want to say that even if we aren’t named tomorrow, it won’t diminish any of the pride John and I have for this show, this cast, or this crew. No matter the accolades, you all have been fantastic. This show has been having a great run and continues to get great reviews. We wanted to do this with you today because tomorrow doesn’t determine if we’re a successful show. We already are. And it’s down to the hard work of every person in this room. So, thank you!” 

After that, we mostly sat around and chatted. It had been a while for me and John since we’d had personal time with the cast and crew. Mostly, if we were ever there, it was check ins or because someone had asked us to be. It was nice to see everyone relaxed (if a bit restless for tomorrow) and seemingly enjoying time together. The tradition John and I had started was a good one. 

I planted myself next to Joe with a cup of tea in my hand. We were in a lull of conversation when we picked up on another pair’s conversation. My ears were naturally perked to Jamie’s voice. Glancing at Joe, I could tell he was listening in as well. 

“Ah, I canna.” 

“Come on,” Laoghaire cried. “That’s what you say every time. Just once you should come out to get drinks. We could drink off our nerves tonight before the nominations.” 

I rolled my eyes to myself. Jamie told me how often she asked him to go out. It was incredible and ridiculous that in the almost year they’d known each other, she hadn’t given up yet. As far as I knew, the only time Jamie had actually gone out for drinks with her was when everyone else was going as well. The night we’d seen each other at the bar again. 

“I’m no’ really that nervous,” Jamie said with a shrug. Joe and I were openly watching them talk now. 

“Well, I am. Maybe you can help me with that,” she suggested, reaching out a hand to his arm. I was a bit worried I was going to crush the cup in my hand as my grip tightened on it. 

Jamie moved her hand off him, looking annoyed. “Look, Laoghaire, I have a girlfriend.” I heard Joe gasp a little, looking over at me. “So please find someone else to pester.” 

To his credit, Jamie never glanced in my direction. I was sure that if the situations had been reversed, I would have looked over at him and likely given it all away. 

“What?” Laoghaire cried. “Since when? Who is she?” 

I felt myself tense next to Joe. Surely Jamie wasn’t going to reveal it all right there. I knew he wouldn’t. But I couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. 

“It doesna matter who she is,” Jamie retorted. “But we’ve been together for a while now. I never mentioned her because it’s no’ anyone’s business. I would have thought that after I told you no as many times as I now have that you’d take the hint. I didn’t think I’d have to bring up my girlfriend to make you stop.” 

“Damn,” Joe whispered. I couldn’t help but chuckle, elbowing him in the arm. I was pretty impressed myself, though. 

“I just want to know who she is,” Laoghaire said in a purposefully calmer voice. “Get to know her, maybe.” 

“She’s verra private. I doubt she’d like that. It’s bad enough that I’m an actor,” he said before he excused himself and walked over to talk to John. Joe and I watched as Laoghaire stood there looking like she had to readjust her whole life. 

Joe held his cup up in front of his mouth, turning to me. “Do you think Fraser actually has a girlfriend or was just lying to get out of all her advances?” 

I forced a laugh, holding my cup in the same way he was. “I wouldn’t blame him for lying,” is what I went with. 

At some point a while later, John and I ended up in a small circle talking about the nominations. Louise and Joe were both talking with us. “Do you think you’ll get any sleep tonight?” John jokingly asked them. 

Louise laughed. “Probably not. It’s been a while since I’ve been involved with something that could potentially be nominated. I doubt I’ll get a wink.” 

“I have a baby, so that’s a no,” Joe agreed. “Of course, maybe she’ll take my mind off things.” 

Jamie walked over, joining our little group. He stood next to Joe, purposefully avoiding being next to me. I was glad for it because I wasn’t sure my hand wouldn’t drift to him out of muscle memory. 

“Jamie, what about you?” John asked. “You must be excited, especially with it being your first Broadway show.” 

Jamie shrugged. “Eh, I suppose. But no matter what happens tomorrow, I’ll still have to come here and do my job. So I dinna see how it matters.” 

My brow furrowed as I looked at him. He was giving them the same treatment he was giving me. “So, what, you’re not excited? What, are you not going to get up and watch nominations?” John pushed. 

“Probably not,” Jamie confirmed. “Why get up early on a day I dinna have to just to watch a bunch of names being read?” 

Everyone stared at him with confused looks. “But one of those names could be yours,” Louise reminded him. 

“And maybe it won’t be,” Jamie replied. “I’m sure I’ll hear about it if it does end up being mine.” 

I watched him with narrowed eyes, trying to figure him out. Thankfully, the others seemed to be doing the same thing. 

“So you’re not going to watch the nominations?” John repeated. 

“Nope.” 

We all argued with Jamie about why it was weird. Well, not me, of course. I only backed up other people’s arguments. But Jamie didn’t seem to care what we had to say. He was set in his decision. 

John and I walked from the theater as the cast and crew moved to get ready for tonight’s show. He stopped just outside the door and turned to me. “Okay, bear with me for a moment.” I nodded, a bit unsure what this would be. “How well do you know Jamie?” 

My mouth flattened into a line as I decided how to answer his question. I went with a joke. “Well, biblically, if you recall.” He flashed me a disapproving look. “Why?” 

“I’m trying to figure him out. You would think that any other potential first time nominee on their first fucking show would be more excited about this,” John reasoned. 

I nodded. “Yeah, I agree. I don’t know why he’d act that way.” I wanted to talk about how it had been bothering me for a week. 

“It’s just weird, right?” 

“It is. I don’t have any insight on the matter though.” 

John sighed. “Well, I will talk to you tomorrow, I’m sure.” 

I laughed a bit. “One way or the other,” I agreed. 

We parted and I went home, spending my time waiting for Jamie, while deep in thought about his reaction to the nominations.

* * *

True to his word, Jamie didn’t wake up when my alarm went off the next morning. I shook him, but he pushed my hand off his arm and curled tighter into the blanket. Sighing to myself, I ran and grabbed my computer, bringing it to bed with me. He may not want to watch, but I was going to make him listen. I pulled up the live stream and waited for it to start. I stared at the empty podium before the announcers walked out on stage. Cranking the volume up, I turned to see if Jamie would even acknowledge it. 

There was some conversation between the announcers as they dragged their feet to start announcing. I knew that Jamie’s category would be first. It irritated the hell out of me that he didn’t even seem to care. This was a huge deal and he was still asleep. I felt more nervous for him than I was for the fact that I could also be nominated. My own nomination hadn’t even been on my radar until John mentioned it to me earlier in the week. I’d been so focused on Jamie. 

My phone buzzed as the announcers continued to chatter aimlessly about the Tony Awards and what they mean to the community. Everyone already knew this. I shook my head and looked down at my phone. It was a group text between Jamie, Jenny, and me. I opened it and saw a picture of his whole family huddled around a computer watching the live stream, waiting for them to announce the nominations. Smiling, I sent back a text. 

Some potential nominee is still sleeping. 

It only took a few seconds before a reply came in. 

Wake that daft numptie up!

Laughing at her text, I shook him again to no response. 

Rolling my eyes, I turned back to the screen. The chatter seemed to be over and I held my breath as they started to announce the Lead Actor in a Play. My hands were clasped in front of me, my face mere inches from the screen. 

Five other names were announced and I started to lose hope. But then I heard it. “Jamie Fraser for —” I screamed before they could even say the name of our play. I threw myself against him and started smacking him to wake him up. 

“Claire,” he groaned. 

“You got nominated!” I shrieked. My hands were on his arm and shoulder, shaking him in my excitement. I bent over him and pressed a mess of kisses all over his face. He was sleepy and a bit confused, but rolled over and sat up to look at me. 

“What?” he asked, an unsure look on his face. 

I grabbed his face in my hands. “You got nominated for a bloody Tony Award!” 

His eyes went wide, still filled with disbelief. “What? I did?” I nodded insistently, kissing him hard and hugging him to me. His arms slowly came around me as his brain was catching up. On the nightstand next to him, his phone started ringing loudly. Ellen’s face filled his screen and he answered it. As he put it on speaker, I could hear the screaming on the other end. “Hello?” 

The happy chaos that erupted from the phone was intoxicating. They were all so excited for him. As was I. My hands hadn’t left him as I held him close, so bloody proud of him. 

“Jamie, you got fecking nominated!” Ian yelled over the cacophony.

“Aye, apparently so,” he replied. When I looked over, I saw tears swimming in his eyes. 

“We’re so proud of ye, Son!” Brian called to him. “I’m sure ye need to watch the rest of it, but we’ll call you back later!” 

“Aye, we just wanted to share our excitement for ye,” Ellen agreed. “We love ye so much, James Alexander.” 

A sweet smile covered his face. “Thank ye. I’ll call ye a bit later once I can process this a bit.” 

He hung up and turned toward me, a stunned look still there beneath the joy from the phone call. “Holy shit,” he sighed. “Is this real?” 

I laughed and nodded, hugging him to me again. “I promise you it is.” His arms tightened around me as he planted a kiss in my hair.  

Slowly, I untangled from him and turned back to the announcements. I’d missed other critical ones in my excitement for Jamie. Unable to sit still due to exciting jitters, I jumped out of bed and paced. 

* * *

Jamie sat there, eyes on the computer screen, but unable to focus on anything else. His mind was reeling over the fact that he’d actually gotten the nomination. He knew he’d been annoying Claire throughout the last week as he brushed off any acknowledgement of the awards in general. It was obvious how she sighed or huffed each time he did it. But he was getting too nervous and didn’t want to give it any thought. Even if Claire hadn’t kept him apprised of the predictions, he’d have known about them. The other cast members had discussed them even when they’d all agreed not to. His sister sent him links each time she found an article with his name listed. And there were the tweets he’d been tagged in as people made their own predictions. 

But he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He knew that surely if he believed the nomination was coming, then he wouldn’t get it. Rather than tell anyone that, he just brushed off their comments and tried to ignore the looks Claire gave him when he did it to her. 

Claire was talking excitedly as she paced next to the bed, texting back and forth with someone. Likely John. She kept telling him things he had to look forward to and what he’d have to do after the stream of nominations ended, but he still couldn’t focus. He was fairly sure some of what she was saying was just her thinking out loud. 

His phone rang again, this time with a different caller. “Hello?” 

“Please tell me you actually got up and watched the bloody nominations,” John said without preamble. “Because, Jamie Fraser, you got the damn nomination!” 

“Aye, I heard that,” Jamie replied, still aiming for nonchalance. 

“Congratulations!” 

“Thank ye. I appreciate it. I canna really believe it, honestly.” 

“Well, believe it, because this is real. You got nominated for a Tony on your first Broadway play. That’s fucking awesome, man!” 

Jamie chuckled in reply. Claire took the inopportune moment to yell to him. “Jamie, Louise got nominated!” She updated as she continued pacing. 

John cleared his throat in Jamie’s ear. “Was that Claire?” 

Jamie glanced over at her, a mild moment of panic washing over him. Suddenly, he realized it wouldn’t hurt one more person to know. “Yeah,” he admitted. “It was.” 

John made a noise of surprise. “What are you doing with Claire?” Jamie was silent for a long moment. “Look, Claire told me what happened before auditions.” 

“Yeah, she mentioned that once.” 

There was a long beat of silence before John spoke again. 

“How long have you guys been together?” 

Jamie sighed. “Since Opening Night.” 

“What?” John screeched. “That long? How has she not told me?” 

“Because we were keeping it a secret. Still are, actually.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. I’m just...blown away a bit. Wow. Okay. Well, I’ll let you go, but congratulations, Jamie. You earned it.” 

“Thanks, John. I appreciate it. I ken it wouldn’t have been possible wi’out ye and Claire.” 

“Save it for your acceptance speech,” John teased before saying goodbye. 

Claire walked to the side of the bed. “You got nominated. Louise got nominated. Joe got nominated. The play itself got nominated. And those are just the categories I’ve already checked. Wow, what a day!” She continued pacing and checking her phone excitedly. 

Jamie pushed the covers out of his way and stood up, moving over to her. She paused, looking up at him with a brilliant smile. “You got nominated,” she reminded him. 

His reply was in his kiss. Her back met the wall as he kissed her deeply. It was “thank you for the reminder” and “thank you for the chance” at the same time. Claire’s hands ran up his back as she returned the kiss eagerly. Slowly, they separated and he rested his forehead against hers, looking down at her. “I canna believe it,” he said again. 

Claire’s arms wrapped tighter around him. “Well believe it. We’re going to have to find you a tux.” 

He shook his head with a roll of his eyes, but a smile was there too. 

It wasn’t until later when they were sitting at the table, eating a quickly thrown together breakfast and reading everything they could online about the nominations, that it hit Jamie. He stared at a list, realizing Claire had never acknowledged it. 

“Claire,” he said in a measured voice. She looked over at him. “You got nominated as well.” 

“Huh,” she replied, a surprised look on his face. “How about that? I guess I was more focused on your nomination that I didn’t really even care about my own potential nomination.” 

“Well that’s just wrong,” he decided. Standing up suddenly, he pulled her out of her chair and picked her up, spinning. “You got nominated!” he cheered, trying to mimic her reaction from before. He set her back down on the floor and stared at her for a moment. She looked positively elated. His hands cupped her cheeks. “I’m so proud of ye.” 

Somehow, her smile grew. “Well I’m so proud of you.” 

“I guess it’s a tie,” he offered before leaning down to kiss her. 

They settled back in their seats, eating more of their breakfast. His hand reached over and grabbed hers. She smiled as she glanced over at him. 

“Hey, I’m sorry.” 

Her brow furrowed before she replied. “What for?” 

“I was a jerk this week. You wanted to talk about all this and I brushed ye off every time. It wasna very kind of me. And I’m sorry.” 

She laughed, shaking her head. “It’s okay, Jamie. I was somewhat confused by it. And I suppose, a bit annoyed as well. But you don’t have to apologize.” 

“I didna want to count on it,” he admitted to her. “The only times people brought it up to me were to tell me that people were predicting my nomination. But it was enough to get cast in the play at all and I didn’t want to forget that if I got disappointed that I didna get a nomination or such. And so rather than tell anyone that, I just was rude and changed the subject. And I’m sorry.” 

Her hand tightened around his. “You don’t have to be sorry. I get it. I was more or less that way the first time one of my plays had Tony buzz. I didn’t want anyone to talk about it and, therefore, jinx it.” She grinned broadly. “But you got it.” 

His grin matched hers. “As did you.” 

A playful look crossed Claire’s face. “You know, that might make us a Broadway power couple.” 

He nodded, chuckling in reply. “I like the sound of that.” 

She stepped over to his corner of the table, settling herself in his lap, her arms around his neck. They met for a long, languid kiss. Her fingers raked through his hair, making him sigh against her. Jamie put his hands low on her waist, pulling her down on his lap even further. Her hips started to roll against him as his tongue sought hers. Things were heating up between them when his phone rang on the table. She broke apart to look at it. 

“Ignore it,” he commanded, trying to bring her back to him.

“It’s your family.” She shot him a look. “Take the call. They’re happy for you and want to share it with you. We can pick this up the minute you hang up.” 

“The very minute,” he declared as she stood up from him. “I’m taking you up on it.” 

Claire laughed as he swiped on the call. “Hello. Ye’re on speakerphone.” 

“Is Claire there?” Jenny asked. 

“I’m here!” 

“Ye got nominated too!” Ellen squealed. “Congratulations, Claire! How wonderful!” 

A hand came to rest over her heart as she flashed a look at Jamie. 

“We’re so proud and happy for both of ye,” Brian told them. 

Claire sat back on his lap, her head leaning on his shoulder. His arm came around her protectively as they sat there listening to his family shower them with excitement and praise. Jamie couldn’t quite believe it all. The moment almost seemed too surreal.

His family’s unwavering support. 

A Tony Award nomination. 

And Claire. 

She was still — and probably always would be — the biggest shocker of all. The fact that she loved him back and supported him as eagerly as his family. Awards meant nothing next to her.

Next chapter

[vonnyphant]

(via Gordon Ramsay some good food)

After my port surgery, I met with the chemo team yesterday. They made a very good impression on me, and I had all of my urgent questions answered and fears reassured. Of course this whole situation is still less than ideal - but I have a good feeling with them. 

The doctor took her time and showed a genuine interest in explaining everything so I could understand, talked to me about the meds in detail and  did an extra ultrasound just to ‘see that bugger tumor for herself’. She also said I should tell them about anything I notice ‘going on’ in my body the coming time, no matter how small, because it may be a symptom or side effect until they check if it’s ok or if they need to adjust my meds. With my tendencies to worry every time my body does A Thing(tm), this was very reassuring. They even have a 24 hour phone number :)

I will start chemo coming Wednesday, and if I react well to it, 11 more rounds of that will follow on a weekly basis. This medication cocktail will consist of 2 chemo drugs, which are said to be fairly mild on side-effects (nausea etc is supposedly minimal). They will also not affect my immune system as much as some other drugs do, which means the risk of me catching covid-19 is not significantly higher than anyone else’s. The government is currently debating if cancer patients are the next in line for the vaccine, so that will limit the risk even more.

After that, 4 rounds of a different chemo on a two week basis (so 8 weeks). These are the heavy duty nukes, so I am in for a Not Very Good Time then. But after that, they expect the tumor may be completely or almost gone*. I will still need surgery to check the tissue for micro tumors / traces.

12 + 8 weeks puts us roughly early July 2021. Far away, but also doable. I am much calmer than I was the past days now that we have a plan and scheduled appointments. Finally - some good fucking news.

*knock knock on wood, bad harvest!

[camillemontespan]

ten years from now [AU. drake walker x camille montespan] [part ten: whiskey & fireworks]

Warnings: None.

A/N: I’m not sure what this chapter is.. it’s not dramatic, it’s a slow burner, it’s just.. this. 

Master List here if you want to catch up

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Drake arrived back at the ranch the next day. Tired and dirty from travelling, he dragged himself into the house to his bedroom, keen to just fall asleep and forget that the past 24 hours with Camille hadn't happened. 

They had slept together again. In New York. While her fiancée was on the other side of town.  The whole situation was dirty and sordid. 

Drake hated how confused Camille was but he didn't blame her. Before Drake re-entered her life, she was doing well. She was happy. But now, she was doubting her life decisions and it was all Drake's fault. 

Drake stepped away because he was her friend. Not because he was being noble. No, if he wasn't her friend first, he would have been begging her to leave Liam and be with him instead. Only friendship made Drake step away. He didn't want to hurt her or contribute to her problems. 

He felt empty now though. He had a dull ache in the pit of his stomach that wouldn't go away. 

His bedroom door knocked and Savannah entered without waiting for permission. 

'Where have you been?' she asked abruptly. 

Drake sighed. 'Away.' 

'Where?' 

He hated how inquisitive his sister was. She always had to know what was going on and be part of it. 

'None of your business,' he said in a low voice. 

Savannah leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed. She didn't look happy. 'Okay, so you're telling me it's probably a coincidence that as soon as Camille Montespan leaves town, you end up leaving the ranch the following week? You, Drake Walker, who hasn't left the ranch in ten years?' 

'Savannah..' Drake's tone held a warning. 

'Drake, I swear, if you're meeting up with her -' 

'Sav, fucking leave it!' Drake burst out. 'For the love of God, don't push me.' 

Savannah stepped back, her eyes wide. 'Drake,' she said quietly. 'What did you do?' 

'I saw her in New York, okay?!' Drake shouted, bolting up to his feet. His fists were clenched and his eyes wild - he had cracked.  'Go ahead! Judge me! Call me an asshole, whatever! I fucked her at the Beaumont Bash! Kissed her in the maze-' 

'Drake..' Savannah whispered, horrified. But Drake couldn't stop shouting. All the feelings he had kept inside were flooding out of him like a broken dam and he was taking it out on his sister. 

'I fucking love that woman!' he continued. 'I was selfish and had to have her for myself. Call me a dick, do it! Act superior like you always do!' 

Drake took a breath and slumped down on the edge of the bed, looking defeated. His voice was thick as he spoke again, calmer now. 

'It felt good to be with her again, all the memories came back and I realised how stupid I had been to let her go. But it's gotten too confusing, too much, so I've given her space to think.'

Savannah hesitantly moved further into the room. 'To think about what?' she asked softly. 'Drake, is she going to leave Liam? Cancel her wedding? Move here?' 

'I don't know,' Drake said in a low voice. 'Sav, I don't know. I just hate to be the reason for her struggle. I don't want her to be sad because of me. She deserves better.' 

Savannah sat down beside her brother and slung her arm around his shoulder. 'Oh Drake..' she murmured. They sat in silence for a moment. 

'This is such a shit storm..' Savannah muttered. 

Drake nodded. 'Of my own making.' 

Savannah sighed. 'It takes two to tango, Drake.' 

Drake's eyes were wrought with anguish as he now looked at Savannah. Her heart broke for him. 

'I'm the one who kissed her first,' Drake said softly. 'Sure, she didn't stop it but I made the decision, Sav. This one's on me.' 

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

Two weeks passed without issue. Camille hadn't heard from Drake and Drake hadn't heard from Camille. 

Camille planned more of the wedding with Liam, settling on peonies for flower arrangements and visiting the Met to finalise the setting for their wedding. 

As Camille spent more time with Liam, she found herself smiling again and feeling comfortable. She watched as he cooked them dinner, singing along to Frank Sinatra as he did so. He would bring her home flowers after work, just because, and he woke her up on Sunday mornings so he could kiss her all over. 

It was in Camille's unguarded moments that she thought of Drake. Moments when she smelled peaches or thought of Texas. Moments in the dark when she was alone. 

She was often tempted to send him a message but she knew she shouldn't. So, she would lock her phone in her bedside table drawer as a way to resist temptation. 

She missed three calls from Drake one Tuesday morning. 

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

It had been a normal Tuesday. Drake had been up at 6am to work on the ranch. It got to 9am and he made Bianca coffee. 

'Baby, I made Gisele a care package as she's been feeling out of sorts recently,' Bianca said. 'Do you mind dropping it off at hers before you head to the store?' 

Drake took the care package and headed down the road to Gisele's. He knocked on the door and waited. And waited. 

Maybe she wasn't up yet? It was still early.  But her living room curtains were open which were a sign that she was awake. Drake tried again but again, no answer.  Alert, Drake wandered through to the back gate and opened it. He would try the kitchen door instead. 

The kitchen door was open and lying on the floor was Gisele. 

'Fuck, Gisele!' Drake cried, dropping the care package. He rushed inside and dropped to his knees, being careful to examine Gisele. 

She was breathing, thank God. 

'Gisele? Gisele, it's Drake, wake up!' he pleaded. 'Gisele -' 

Her eyes shot open. 'Drake?' she croaked. 

Drake closed his eyes with relief. 'Oh god I thought -' 

'That I was dead?' she asked. 'Not yet, mon cheri. But.. I don't feel right.' 

Drake frowned. 'How so?' 

'My hip..' 

Drake exhaled. 'Okay, be calm, it's alright. I'll call an ambulance -' 

'And call Camille,' Gisele interrupted. 'I need her to know I won't be around for our video chat this evening.'

Drake smiled weakly. Of course Camille and Gisele video chatted. 

'I'll call her as soon as I've called an ambulance, okay?' he murmured. 'We'll get you sorted.' 

Drake phoned for an ambulance and then called Camille. She didn't pick up. He tried again. No answer. He called again, desperately. No answer. 

It seemed she was taking their space seriously. 

Drake left her a voicemail and texted. All he could do now was focus on Gisele. 

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

Camille opened her bedside table drawer to set her alarm on her phone. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as she saw that Drake had called her three times, texted and left a voicemail. 

She dialled her voicemail option and waited for Drake's voice. 

'Camille, it's me,' he said in a hurried tone. 'Gisele's had a fall, she's hurt her hip. I don't know how bad this is but please just call me back -' 

Camille called Drake instantly. It rang four times until she heard him pick up. 

'Camille!' 

'Drake, I'm so so sorry, what happened?!' 

He sighed. 'She's broken her hip, Camille.' 

Camille took a sharp breath. ‘How is she?’ she asked quickly.

‘She’s getting an operation,’ Drake told her gently. 

‘Okay, I’m flying back, I’ll get the next flight I can-’

‘Camille, breathe,’ Drake said softly. ‘Breathe.’

Camille inhaled and exhaled. She went quiet for a long moment. Drake knew she was trying to hold in tears. 

‘Camille, she’s okay..’

‘I feel so bad that I wasn’t around,’ Camille whispered, her voice hitching. 

‘Well, I was,’ Drake assured her. ‘So she was fine. Don’t panic.’

Camille exhaled again. ‘I’ll get the next flight.’

Drake nodded. ‘Text me the details and I’ll pick you up from the airport-’

‘Drake,’ she interrupted. ‘You don’t have to-’

‘I want to,’ Drake said firmly. ‘You’re my friend, Camille. Let me help.’

They agreed that Drake would pick her up from the airport and go straight to Gisele. When Camille hung up, she looked up flights and booked the first one that was available that evening. The flight time was only 4 hours, but as she would be arriving later, hospital visitation hours would be stopped. Camille hated that but at least she would be in Texas so she could visit her grandma first thing in the morning.

‘Liam, I’m going to Texas tonight,’ she told her fiancee. Liam blinked and listened as Camille filled him in as she packed her suitcase. 

‘I can’t go with you..’ he whispered. ‘I’m sorry. Work is going crazy right now..’

Camille stopped packing and looked at him through tear filled eyes. Liam sighed. ‘Let me call my boss.’

Liam did; but Godfrey was in no mood to let his best stockbroker off work at such short notice. ‘Money is king, kid!’ he declared without any sensitivity. 

‘But my fiancee, her grandma’s fallen over, she’s getting operated on,’ Liam tried to persuade him. ‘She needs me.’

It didn’t work.

Camille accepted that Liam couldn’t go with her. Work was always a priority to Liam; even though he adored Camille, he adored his job too. Camille couldn’t blame him for that. 

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

Drake was waiting at the arrivals gate for Camille. He knew she had landed and he was preparing himself to see her. He knew that seeing her again would be like a punch to the gut but he had to be there for her. They had been friends for years. This had nothing to do with their previous relationship or the fact that he had slept with her recently. He had to be a good friend.

He saw her before she saw him. She was wearing a white cotton shirt, ripped jeans and gladiator sandals. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she looked exhausted; not from the flight no. From the stress.

‘Drake, thank you,’ she said, giving him a hug as she reached him. ‘Thank you for getting her to the hospital.’

‘No need to thank me,’ he told her. ‘Now, visiting hours are over but let’s get you home. My mom’s put a lasagne in the fridge and a bottle of wine. She figured you’d need comfort food.’

Camille laughed despite her anxiety and let Drake take her suitcase. They wandered out of the airport and got into Drake’s pick up truck. Camille settled in, trying to focus on her grandma and why she was here.

But when Drake buckled up his belt and gave her a reassuring smile, Camille felt hopeless. He was always there for her; always loyal. Even when he had stopped talking to her all those years ago, he still had a good heart. 

‘Thank you for being here for me,’ she whispered. 

Drake squeezed her hand. ‘Just being a good friend, Montespan. Shall we get the radio on? I’m thinking crappy 90s pop?’

Camille adored 90s pop; Drake hated it. The fact he had suggested it showed her that he was going to do anything to make her smile. She appreciated it.

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

Drake took Camille up to her grandma’s house and watched as she unlocked the door. The house was dark and empty; it felt strange. Usually, Gisele lit up the room from her vitality alone. 

Camille gave Drake a wobbly smile. ‘Thanks for picking me up,’ she said quietly. ‘I really do appreciate it.’

Drake shrugged and smiled back. ‘Enjoy your lasagne. Mom cooks a good one. An even ratio of cheese and pasta, delicious.’

Camille bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows as if she was thinking deeply. Her eyes met his. ‘Do you want to have a plate?’ she asked.

Drake stepped back. ‘Uhh..’

‘No funny business,’ she said quickly. ‘I just don’t really want to be alone right now. It feels weird not having grandma here. But if you’re busy, it’s okay-’

‘Hell, I’m not turning down my mom’s lasagne,’ Drake interrupted. ‘To the fridge!’

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

They sat down at Gisele’s dining table with plates of lasagne and glasses of white wine. Camille had found a Rat Pack CD from Gisele’s limited collection and set it up to play. They clinked their glasses together, toasting to Gisele. 

‘This wine is actually pretty good..’ Drake mused. ‘I’m so used to whiskey but hey, I could drink this.’

Camille grinned. ‘We’re expanding your taste!’

Drake chuckled and ate more of the lasagne, savouring the cheese and mince. God, his mom was the best cook ever. 

‘How are the wedding plans going?’ he asked her, trying to make conversation.

Camille sipped her wine. ‘Good,’ she said. ‘We’ve organised the flowers and the venue is looking good. I’ve got my dress alterations arranged for two weeks time.’

‘Alterations?’

Camille shrugged. ‘It was too big for me so we’re getting it fixed. It’s a lovely dress, gorgeous actually. Lace and tulle..’

She trailed off. She didn’t know if it was appropriate to talk about wedding dresses in front of Drake. As if he knew what she was thinking, Drake sighed. 

‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘We’re friends. We can talk about your wedding-’

‘We had sex,’ Camille interrupted. ‘Forgive me if it feels weird to act like nothing happened.’

Drake closed his eyes. ‘We’re giving each other space-’

‘Ha!’ Camille laughed dryly. ‘Space. Sure. Having dinner together is space.’

‘Fucks sake..’ Drake muttered. ‘I’m just gonna go.’

He stood up, draining the last of his wine. He picked up his jacket from the back of his chair and slung it on over his shoulders. ‘Thanks for the invite,’ he said without emotion. 

Camille sat with her back ramrod straight, watching as he strode out of the kitchen and down the hall. He shut the front door behind him. Camille swallowed down the lump in her throat and placed her cutlery delicately down on the empty plate. She sat there for a long silent moment; silence enveloped her. 

‘For fuck’s sake!’ she burst out in a strangled cry. She picked up the plate and threw it to the floor, the china smashing into shards. 

Camille cleaned up the mess because it was her grandma’s house and china. She then dragged herself up to bed with the bottle of wine in her hand, intent on drowning her sorrows.

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

Drake came home to find Savannah waiting for him on the stairs. ‘You’re back late,’ she said.

‘Fucking don’t,’ he spat. ‘Just don’t. I’ve had enough.’

Savannah sighed. ‘I’m just looking out for you.’

‘I don’t need your help,’ he said bluntly. ‘Just leave me be.’

He went to his bedroom and slammed the door. Throwing himself on the bed, Drake thought to himself. He and Camille couldn’t be friends; they were too far gone for that. No matter how good his intentions were, Drake couldn’t do it. For him, it was either be with Camille or have nothing to do with her. Right now, the second option looked more likely.

Drake still felt guilty though. He hadn’t meant to leave her there at dinner. He thought of her alone in her grandma’s house with the worry of Gisele hanging over her shoulders and he felt his chest tighten.

‘Fuck it,’ he muttered.

He reached for his phone and dialled her number.  It rang three times until her voice, slurring, spoke.

‘H-Hello?’

‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I just got frustrated. I took it out on you and that’s the last thing you need right now. I’m a dick.’

‘No,’ she replied. ‘I’m a dick.’

There was a silence.

‘Talk to me,’ she said, her voice small.

Drake settled down into his pillows. ‘What about?’

Camille sighed. ‘Jackson. Let’s talk about Jackson.’

Drake closed his eyes. She was really killing him here. ‘Why?’

‘Because we both miss him and he was fun.’

Drake chuckled. ‘Okay. Jackson. My dad. What about him?’

Camille let out a breath. ‘4th July.’

Drake smiled. Jackson Walker had been the king of 4th July.

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

Drake aged 10; Camille aged 9

‘Right, Drake, you got the blankets?’ Jackson asked.

‘Got em!’ Drake said, jumping up and down with excitement.

‘Camille, sunshine, you got the s’mores ingredients?’

Camille nodded eagerly. ‘Yup!’

Jackson grinned. ‘Alright team! Let’s head down to the jetty!’

The three of them trundled down to the jetty, Jackson with his arms full of fireworks. He was a tall man, a giant practically, and his body was broad and strong from his work as a security guard. His hair was dark with streaks of silver and his eyes were friendly, framed by laughter lines. 

Jackson was obsessed with 4th July. He always made it a party. Drake didn’t know why Jackson was so patriotic but he didn’t question it because 4th July was always a riot when his dad was involved. It was better than Christmas, in Drake’s honest unbiased opinion. 

Locked and loaded with fireworks, Jackson started to work on setting them up. The sky was darkening now and the stars were twinkling over the lake. 

‘Now, Camille, your job is of utmost importance,’ he told her seriously, crouching down so he could be eye level with her. ‘I’ll watch over you as you toast the s’mores but you’re in charge of ensuring they are super gooey, alright? Can you do that?’

‘Yes sir!’

Jackson chuckled and ruffled her hair. ‘Good work, soldier. Now, Drake! Blankets. Make sure they’re cosy and warm.’

‘I want to do the fireworks,’ Drake said. ‘They’re more fun.’

‘Yeah and after that, your mom will murder me for firework injuries,’ Jackson replied dryly. ‘Son, keep to the task at hand!’

Jackson always took fireworks seriously. He conducted 4th July with military precision. They got to work and soon, the fireworks were ready and the s’mores nicely toasted. Jackson settled down with Drake and Camille by his side, blankets thrown over them. The fireworks were going off, shining pink, purple and gold in the sky. 

‘Ah, I forgot the most important thing!’ Jackson cried. He reached into his pocket and brought out a bottle of whiskey. 

Drake’s eyes widened. ‘Can I have some?’

Jackson laughed. ‘No, son. God, you really do want your mom to kill me.’

Drake rolled his eyes and snuggled into his dad’s side. Jackson sipped from the bottle and smacked his lips together. ‘Kids, embrace this,’ he said softly, looking out over the water. ‘Embrace the moments in between.’

‘What are moments in between?’ Camille asked.

‘It’s moments like these,’ Jackson told her. ‘When your worries are gone and you are happy and content. Moments together. Moments of peace.’

Drake snuck a smile at Camille. Camille stuck her tongue out and looked up at the sky. The fireworks lit up her face, making her shine. 

‘You better be the firework king when you’re older, son,’ Jackson said, breaking the quiet. ‘You gotta make me proud.’

Drake beamed. ‘I will, dad. I love 4th July.’

Jackson chuckled and swigged more whiskey. ‘Then I’ve raised ya right.’

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

‘You really do love 4th July!’ Camille cried, giggling down the phone. ‘Oh my gosh!’

Drake smiled. ‘Hell yeah,’ he said. ‘When I got kids, I’m gonna make them obsessed. They’re gonna beg me to set off fireworks every night! I’ll be the firework king!’

‘I can just see it!’ Camille crowed. ‘You’ll be drunk on whiskey and telling Mini Drake that he is burning the s’mores!’

‘Fuck no, I’m not having Mini Drakes,’ Drake said. ‘Why would I want little replicas of me? Great start in life.. Nah, they’ll be miniatures of my future, smoking hot wife.’

Camille giggled but her laughter trailed off. Drake bit his lip, wondering if he had pushed it too far. Had he made it awkward again? Had he upset her?

‘Camille?’

‘Liam doesn’t do 4th July..’ Camille murmured. ‘His family never celebrated it, probably because they’ve got European blood somewhere so they never take it seriously. My babies won’t celebrate it.’

Her breath hitched. Drake closed his eyes, regretting the sudden turn in the conversation. ‘Camille, you can get your kids to celebrate it,’ he told her softly. ‘No reason why not.’

‘I hope so,’ she whispered. ‘I love 4th July. My favourite memories come from 4th July.’

Drake and Camille didn’t have to say the unsaid. Her favourite memories included Drake. 

‘Get some sleep,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll pick you up tomorrow and take you to the hospital.’

‘You don’t have to-’

‘Montespan, let me help,’ he interrupted.

Camille sighed. ‘Okay. 10am?’

‘See you then,’ he said softly. ‘Sleep well. If you need anything, I’m a phone call away. And only like, two minutes up the road if things get too much.’

‘I’m a big girl, Drake,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ll be okay.’

‘I know,’ he said. ‘I’m here for you.’

‘You always are.’

Drake’s voice thickened as he replied, ‘Always will be.’