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potatoplace · 5 months ago

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You Can Have It - Chapter 4

Alpha!Feysand x Omega!Reader

chapter 3 | chapter 5 | series masterlist

Story Summary: You've been a baker for 75 years, and are finally moving on from the Winter Court to the City of Velaris to start your own bakery after your grandmother passes. After your grand opening, the High Lord and Lady of Night become daily visitors to your bakery for months, every day having your most popular pastry- one that increases fertility for a short time. All the while, the two alphas want nothing more than to call themselves yours.

Warnings: A/B/O Dynamics, nothing else I don't think

Words: ~7.4k

Author's Note: it's heeeereeeeeee aaaahhhhhhh RHYS AND FEYRE YESSS I hope you guys all like this chapter! And I can't wait for more cutesy lil interactions with them, all to start come the next update ☺️

18+ only pls

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The past month and a half had passed so swiftly, you could hardly believe it. Your days were filled with overseeing a few details of construction, and picking out every last piece of furniture that would be in your bakery, apartment, and garden. You and Mor went on lunch dates every Thursday, and most your other lunches were spent with Rella and sometimes Arana after shopping, or with Marcus between stints of supervising the construction.

Your dinners you spent alone most of the time, dedicating yourself to cooking every last recipe in your Night Court Favorites cookbook, enjoying your love for cooking as well.

The time you spent in your hotel room was either passed by reading the Healer of Time series that Gina had recommended to you, or creating your menu pamphlet for when you are finally prepped and ready to open your bakery.

It was completed already, and sent off to the printers for a custom metal press to be made. You had decorated it with a drawing of your bakery on the front, and the name Sparaiya Bakery. The rest of the pages were filled with drawings of your pastries, with the ingredients and, in some cases, added benefits next to them.

Construction had gone by quickly, and you could hardly believe it when finally, your large custom pink marble tub was flown onto the second floor of your bakery by three very strong Illyrians. It was a foot wider than your wingspan, and deep enough that you could float in it, and it also had pretty good veining done on it at your request. It was by far the most expensive piece of furniture on your second floor, coming in at 1,175 gold marks. But you didn’t care, you wanted your dream tub.

The most expensive thing in your bakery by far were your ovens, each one coming in at 2,000 gold marks with a lifetime warranty, and in a soft, pale blue. You have ten stoves in total, seven of them were against the wall separating the kitchen from the front room, taking up the expanse of it. Each are on an elevated platform so that you could see inside of them without needing to bend over. The other three were against the back wall of the building, slightly smaller oven sizes but with a stovetop on each of them, so that you were able to make the filling that some of your pastries require.

The kitchen was completely done at this point, as was the front room of the bakery. Your kitchen was decorated with the pale blue stoves as well as matching cabinetry with silver handles, and white marble countertops with silver veining. The wide window you had took up half of the wall in the center of it, allowing for more cabinets, as you would likely need them for all of your bakeware and ingredients.

The kitchen was exactly how you’d imagined it when you had envisioned it a month ago, as was the front room.

You had the cedar logs of bakery and it’s furniture stained slightly darker, wanting it to have the cozy feeling of a darkened cabin in winter. The log chairs and benches all had different shades of pastel cushions attached to the seats, and the backs of the chairs. The tables were beautiful as well, the carpenter, a kind beta named Oren, had done a fantastic job on all of the wooden furniture you had.

And the display cases Arana had made for you were lovely, two on each side of the wooden counter Oren had also made for you. Arana had made them of matching wood, with a glass dome on one side, and sliding glass doors on the back facing where you would be standing. The shelves were also made of glass, and you’d had Rella enchant them to be unbreakable, just in case.

There was also a counter running along the back wall of the front room, matching the counters in your kitchen, as well as having the same cabinets below.

Your fireplace- it was exactly what you had wanted, made of different shades of grey stone, and positioned on the left wall, even with the midpoint of the dining area.

Your front door had yet to arrive, but the artist working on it was bringing it by in the next week.

The upstairs was nearly finished as well, your bathroom, personal kitchen and bedroom were all fully decorated. Your bathroom and kitchen were both done in a soft, baby pink color, matching the marble of your tub perfectly. You had a small round dining table, perfect for four, made by Oren in the same stained wood as everything else. In front of your fireplace on the right hand wall, you had a matching couch placed parallel to it, and two chairs placed of to the sides and slightly in front of it, with end tables on either side of the couch.

And your bedroom was absolutely perfect, your nest filled with blues of nearly every shade, with white and silk thrown in every now and then. So many pillows, you have so many pillows. Back in Winter, you had been so focused on your grandmother that you hadn’t even truly settled back in, and your nest was one of the things you had consistently neglected.

But not anymore. From now on, you would honor your omega’s wishes, perhaps even find an alpha who would treat you right in the next few years.

You had a few bookshelves lining a wall of your room as well, and you were determined to fill them all in the next three years with books you’ve read while living in Velaris.

Everything about your apartment upstairs was perfect, you couldn’t have been happier with any other turn out.

And truly, the main thing left for you to do before you could declare your bakery’s construction complete is your garden. The enchantments are complete, including ones to keep the planters waterproof to avoid any possible leakage, as well as keeping the air crisp and humid for your soon-to-be plant babies. You have yet to fill the planters already in place with dirt, or pick up the plants from Winter though.

But that was your main goal for the next week.

You had finally moved in the night before, after Marcus had given you the all clear. Your bill with him came out to be 120,000 gold marks, and every single one of them was well spent, as you had your perfect bakery and perfect apartment.

You had woken up this morning and made tea for yourself in your kitchen, and stared out at the lovely view you had from your massive window. There were a few younger fae out already, skating along the Sidra. It had yet to unfreeze, the temperatures had stayed low ever since you had arrived in town.

You almost felt like winter was holding on a bit tighter, just for you.

You finished your tea and breakfast around nine, then got ready for the day, dressing in one of your new winter dresses, this one in a soft pink, with delicate silver flowers embroidered along the hems of your sleeves. You threw on a white scarf, hat, and mitten set, then made your way down the stairs, and out the of what will soon be your front doors.

You were planning to find a florist this morning, as well as find a garden supply store so that you would be able to visit Viviane later in the week.

Rella had told you of a nice florist who was on the south side of the Sidra, just west of the Palace of Thread and Jewels, so you were making your way there.

The streets were rather slick this morning, so you took your time in getting to the florist’s shop, as Mor had said, there was nothing quite like eating shit before a meeting or going somewhere- which you’d had more than your fair share of in the past month and a half, running around town so often.

Finally you reached the shop, painted a sage green on the outside, and there was a garden along the side of it that you could see wrapped around to the back as well.

You walked inside, making sure to stomp the snow from your boots before you entered. At the counter was a beautiful high fae, with lovely light golden brown hair in a messy bun atop her head, a few strands escaping it and framing her gorgeous face.

“Hello,” you said with a wave as you made your way to the counter. “My name is Y/N, Rella told me that you’re a florist?” You asked hesitantly.

“Rella sent you? That was so sweet of her, make sure to tell her thank you for me, Y/N! My name is Elain, it’s lovely to meet you.” She stuck out her hand, and you got a lovely breeze of her scent, jasmine and honey- another omega. You took her hand, surprised at the grip that the delicate looking fae had. “Did you need a florist for something?”

You nodded your head, answering “Yes, I’m opening a bakery in the next couple of weeks, and I was hoping you would be able to supply seasonal flowers every week.”

“Yes, I should be able to do that. Do you have a color scheme in mind at all, or just the seasonal aspect?”

“Jus the seasonal flowers, any color combination will be lovely, I’m sure.”

Elain smiles at you, her soft chocolate eyes crinkling at the edges slightly. “Very well, Y/N. Do you know how many bouquets you’d like weekly, and a price range?”

“I suppose I’d need…” you thought on how many tables you had inside of your bakery, as well at the mantle of the fireplace. “A dozen bouquets every week, I believe. And price wise… I’m not really sure, do you have a set type of plan?” You asked, feeling unsure.

“Yes, for a dozen bouquets my base price would be around 25 gold marks a week, and for slightly larger bouquets or more rare types of flowers, it could get up to double that.”

You thought about it for a moment. “I think that I’ll let you choose whichever flowers look best together, but I don’t need very large bouquets.”

Elain pulled a contract from beneath her counter, along with a quill and pot of ink. She wrote in the details of your request, then slid the paper over to you.

You read it over, then signed it and slid the page back to Elain. You handed your bank card to her, and she pressed it to her ledger before passing it back to you. “Alright, you’re all set up to start your deliveries, when you know the exact date just come back and let me know, okay?”

You nodded your head, then finally looked around the rest of her shop. There were large bags filled with dirt, gardening tools, large displays of seeds, and even a few types of planters on display. “Oh, you sell gardening supplies too? That’s perfect!” You said, happy to have likely found everything you needed to complete your garden.

“Yes, we even have carts that you can borrow or purchase to take everything home,” Elain said, already moving from behind the counter. “Are you starting a garden, as well?” She asked.

“Yes, just a small one for a few plants and herbs I need for my baked goods,” you replied, already moving to look at the types of dirt she had on offer.

Perfect. Elain already carried dirt from the Winter Court, exactly what you needed for your plants.

“I’ll take- oh, I think ten bags of the Winter dirt, please,” you said, hoping that it would be enough to fill up your planters. “And I’ll purchase a cart as well, that will probably be handy for just about all of my shopping for the bakery,” you said with a chuckle. Elain brought a cart over, and the two of you loaded ten large bags of dirt into it.

You also grabbed a few different sizes of hand shovels and a couple of watering cans, putting them into your cart.

“Is that everything you’re needing today?” Elain asked as you approached the counter once more.

“Yes, Elain.” You handed your bank card over, and tucked it back into the collar of your dress once she gave it back. “Thank you so much, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks,” you said, moving to push your cart through the front door.

“Did you need any help with your garden at all?” Elain asked before you left.

“Not at the moment, I just need to fill my planters with dirt today. But in the next week I’ll be transplanting some things from the Winter Court,” you replied, and her brown eyes lit up.

“Would you like some help?” Elain asked brightly. “I’ve been so bored during the winter, there’s not much to tend to, I’d love to help you out,” she said, with so much hope in her voice you couldn’t refuse.

“That would be lovely, Elain. I’ll come and get you once I have the plants back here, alright?”

Elain beamed at you. “Sounds like a plan, Y/N. I’m free all of this Wednesday, if that would end up working for you. If not, I’m sure I’ll be able to slip away for a little bit,” Elain suggested.

“I’ll try and get the plants here by Wednesday, Elain. Thank you again!” You said as you pushed your cart into the outdoors.

Luckily, the cart seemed to be enchanted to have the snow speared from its path, and you made it back to your home without much trouble.

Now the hard part: getting all of the dirt upstairs and into the planters.

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It took you a few hours to finish the planters off, and you were more than ready to wash the dirt from your skin by the time three in the afternoon rolled around, but you forced yourself to write a letter to Viviane, asking to come and grab the plants Wednesday morning before you did so.

You ran hot water in the tub, then let it fill up while you stripped your clothes from your skin and placed them in your laundry bin. You slipped into the tub, loving how your wings were able to sink beneath the water comfortably as well.

It was the first time they would have a proper wash in over a month, and you were looking forward to how soft and fluffy your feather would feel afterwards.

Taking your time, you spent over an hour in the bath carefully washing the first and debris from your wings, refilling the tub once so you could rinse clean. Afterwards, you wrapped yourself in a fluffy towel, one that was so soft that you had bought all of your towels from the same vendor, even for the bakery, in varying shades of blues, pinks, and purples.

A reply from Viviane had landed on your desk while you were bathing, confirming that she would pick you up in front of Mor’s townhome at eight on Wednesday morning.

You’d considered buying baking supplies and bakeware today, but after the hauling of dirt you were too tired, and nothing sounded better than getting a takeout from Sevenda’s and curling up on the couch in front of your fireplace with the third Healer of Time book.

But getting Sevenda’s would require going outside again, and going across the Sidra…

You had the ingredients for the chicken curry you had made on your second night in Velaris, and that, you supposed, would be less daunting of a task than leaving your home.

You got dressed in a soft sweater dress, another recent purchase of yours, and let yourself read for a half an hour on the couch, until your stomach was growling at you to loudly to continue ignoring. Fine. I will make the damn curry.

You stood up from your couch and went into the kitchen, chopping and stirring and waiting until finally you had your dinner. Your cooking skills had improved in the month and a half since you’d made this recipe, and you could tell in the taste of the curry.

Seated at the table, you read while you ate, so lost in the gripping story that you hadn’t realized you were done with your food until you ate a spoonful of nothing.

“Oh,” you said to yourself, then got up and rinsed your bowl out. You were so tired already, and it was barely six in the evening.

Today would be a good day to start getting back into a baking sleep schedule, if you were so tired already… And then you would be able to get up bright and early in the morning, make yourself some breakfast, then head to the Palace of Bone and Salt to buy enough baking supplies to make each of your recipes three times, to make sure you still have all of the techniques you need down pat before your grand opening.

Grand opening. You could hardly believe it, you’re so close to your dream becoming a reality, and it’s been almost nothing but fun the entire journey.

That was definitely in part to the wonderful fae you’d met in Velaris, each one that you worked with you helpful and friendly. You truly couldn’t have asked for a better start to your new life here.

You allowed yourself to read until seven thirty, then forced yourself to get into bed.

It took a little while for you to fall asleep, even with being tired, but soon enough you drifted off, thoughts filled with bags of flour and the pastries you would make tomorrow.

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Picking out your bakeware took you longer than expected.

Did you want glass or metal bowls? Pink or blue ceramic? Wooden utensils or metal utensils? You were so indecisive, trying to choose between whatever you liked most and trying to have a color scheme- but then you realized it doesn’t matter, all of them will be used for the same purpose.

And if you love all of your bakeware, then who cares if they don’t match?

So you’d gotten possibly double of everything that you needed, but that would just make it easier for you to do more batches or different things at once in the future. And you’re fine with that.

You’d carefully made your way home, trying your best not to break any of your new dishes.

Your only casualty was a cute mixing bowl you’d picked up for your personal kitchen, it was pink with little duckies all around it. You would get another at some point.

It took you two hours to have everything arranged the way you wanted, and immediately after getting your kitchen set up you went out again pushing your cart back to the Palace of Bone and Salt to get your baking ingredients. That shopping trip took you a bit over an hour, and by the time you got home you were tired once more, but more than ready to start baking again.

You had never gone much over a week without baking, ever since you were six years old. You felt like apart of you had been ripped away, until your hands finally sank into dough once more.

It was magical, how happy baking makes you. You baked for the rest of the night, probably eating far too many pastries for dinner, but you don’t care, because they’re pastries you baked, in your bakery.

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Two days later, it was Wednesday, and Viviane had picked you up as promised.

“So, how’s Velaris treating you so far?” She asked as the two of you were on your knees in the greenhouse, working to free the last of three hornberry bushes you needed.

“It’s been amazing so far, the change of pace as been absolutely wonderful, and getting closer to the grand opening of the bakery I’m getting more and more excited! And everyone has been so kind so far, I feel so welcome.”

Your four combined hands finally pulled the bush out of the ground, and you carefully placed it in the cart holding the rest of your plants.

“That’s so great to hear, Y/N. I’m glad you’re settling in well, you deserve it after all you’ve been through,” Viviane said, placing a kiss on the top of your head. “Did you need any other plants, dear?”

You looked over the cart thoroughly. “Nope, that’s all I need Viv. Thank you so much!”

“Of course, Y/N! You know this section of the garden practically belongs to you, right? You and your grandmother are the reason our birth rates and overall health as a court have gone up. If you need anything else from here, just write me again, okay?”

You nodded, smiling gratefully at her. “Oh, by the way, the money you gave me was far too much,” you said, and Viviane opened her mouth to speak. “But it is very much appreciated, Viv. It’s made getting the bakery perfect so easy.”

Viviane grinned at you. “I knew it was the right choice, telling you once you were already in Velaris,” she said with a laugh.

“That’s true, I would never have accepted it,” you agreed, chuckling along with her.

The two of you stood from where you were kneeling, dusting the dirt from your dresses. “Are you ready to see my bakery?” You asked, holding your arm out for Viviane to take.

“I have been since before it was built, Y/N,” Viviane replied, taking your arm and winnowing the both of you back to Mor’s townhouse. “Lead the way, dear.”

The two of you trekked back to your bakery, taking longer than usual with the cart’s wheels snagging on the snow.

“Oh, Y/N, it’s perfect!”

Your front doors had been delivered yesterday, perfectly depicting the change from dawn to day to night while snow falls over the Sidra, more beautiful than you had thought it could be.

“Isn’t it?” You asked dreamily, still slightly disbelieving that it was real, even when you’d been living here for the past five days. “Come on, let me show you the inside,” you said, unlocking the doors and dragging the cart inside after Viviane had entered.

“This is so cute! I wish you were open right now, I’ve been dying for one of your hornberry tarts. Leo does a good job, but I don’t think he’ll ever get them perfectly like yours, Y/N,” Viviane said, referencing the pasty chef you’d trained before moving.

“Well, if you come back for the opening or any time after, I’ll make sure you get a few to take home with you. I’m sure Kallias would like some as well,” you remarked with a smile, recalling how fond the High Lord was of your pastries.

“He’ll probably join me once you’re open, he won’t say it but I know he misses your baking. He does this cute little pouty face whenever something doesn’t taste perfect,” Viviane said, always ready to talk about her alpha. “Well, I’d better get going Y/N, I have a few meetings I need to get to, but let me know when your opening is and I’ll do my best to stop by.”

“I will, Viv. Winnow safe, okay?” You said as the two of you hugged, taking in one last breath of her calming snow and cranberry scent.

“I will, dear. Have fun planting!” Viviane said, winnowing away after giving a little wave goodbye.

You immediately set to taking the plants upstairs as quickly as you could, wanting to get Elain over at a reasonable hour.

It was eleven thirty when you finished, each and every last plant taken up the spiral staircase and placed next to the planter it would be replanted in.

You washed your hands, then put your winter wear on and headed into the city, going straight for Elain’s shop. When you arrived, the door was locked, so you knocked loudly on it. Elain came to the door a moment later, already dressed to leave the indoors.

“Lovely, Y/N, I’m so glad you could make it today!” Elain said excitedly, locking her shop up behind her. “And I get to see your bakery, I’m excited for that too!”

The two of you made your way to your bakery slowly, the two of you appreciating the people milling about as you walked.

“This is a gorgeous bakery you’ve got, Y/N,” Elain said once the two of you were standing in front of it, you unlocking the door.

“Thank you, Elain,” you said, swinging the door open and letting Elain inside.

“Oh, the inside is so adorable! Now I have such good ideas for your bouquets, after seeing the space. I’m thinking a blue flower in every weeks bunches, keep the winter theme going a bit.”

“I love that idea, Elain, that’s perfect!” You led her to the kitchen and up the stairs, and she rushed towards the garden.

“This is amazing! Who did your enchantments?” Elain asked once she was in the garden, the air even colder than it was outside.

“Gabrella, in the Palace of Flame and Steel,” you replied, joining her in the garden. “And this is my little garden,I’m excited to get everything planted. And please, don’t feel obligated to stay at any point, though I do truly appreciate your help.”

“I love to see new plants, and I’ve never seen any of these before. I’m guessing they’re native to the Winter Court, with the dirt you bought and the climate you’ve got here,” Elain said, hitting the nail on the head.

“You would be right, Elain. I use all of them in my pastries. All of them are pretty easy to plant, just make sure their roots are covered and then water them until the soil is completely soaked,” you informed Elain, already kneeling in front of one of the planters.

The two of you got to work, Elain watched you plant one of the bushes before moving to her own, planting it with expert hands.

As you worked, the two of you spoke of your lives, mainly your hopes for the near future. You spoke of your bakery, how excited you were to see it finally in action, and how the people of Velaris would react to your business. Elain talked about her mate and alpha, Lucien, and how they were hoping to have children soon.

“We’ve been trying rather vigorously,” Elain tittered, and you blushed along with her.

“Well, I cannot promise that it will work for sure, but I do make a fertility pastry with these berries,” you say, pointing to the spiky berries on the hornberry bush that you were currently planting. “We have seen a significant increase in births the Winter Court over the past five years, though that could be due to the end of everyone being imprisoned.”

“Anything at all that will help, we’ve been trying for the past five years with no luck so far. As long as it tastes decent, I am willing to try anything, I’ve wanted to be a mother for so long,” Elain said, sighing after she did.

“I believe they’re rather delicious, but you’ll just have to see for yourself,” you laughed.

Within two hours, you and Elain were sitting back on your hands, looking at your now completed garden. “Thank you for your help, Elain. Would you like to go to lunch with me?” You asked, wanting to thank her in some way other than words, and you had a feeling she would turn down any monetary payment you would offer.

“I would love to, Y/N. Did you have a specific place in mind?” She asked, already getting to her feet. You followed her up, then lead her over to the kitchen sink to wash the dirt from your hands.

“There’s this great noodle place on the west end of the Palace of Hoof and Leaf, if you’re interested? Or we can go someplace else, if you’d prefer,” you offered.

“Noodles sound great,” Elain said, smiling softly at you.

“Noodles it is, then.”

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Lunch with Elain was nice, and you walked her back over to her shop before heading home. The two of you had gotten to know each other better, and you were happy to know that you might already have three omega friends in your new city, very different compared to your sold one in Winter- Viviane.

When you got back to your home, slightly surprised to see Marcus outside of your doors.

“Ah, Y/N, there you are!” He said, walking over to meet you. “I was… I was hoping that I could ask you something.” For the first time since you had met him, Marcus sounded nervous.

“Go ahead.”

“Well, I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me- on a date?” He asked.

You hadn’t seen it coming. You’d enjoyed his company, yes, he was fun to talk to and nice to be around.

“I… uhm…” you started, unsure of what to say.

“Look, there’s no strings attached, if you hate it halfway through, or even right when I pick you up, we can act like it never happened, hmm?”

You considered it for a moment. Would it really be so bad to go on a date with a handsome, friendly alpha?

“Okay, yes, I’ll go out with you. What night were you thinking?” You asked, looking up at Marcus nervously.

“Would tomorrow night at six work for you?”

You nodded your head. “Yes, tomorrow would be fine,” you respond. “I’ll see you then.”

“Good, I’ll see you tomorrow night at six, Y/N,” Marcus said before departing from you with a wave, leaving you to slink inside of your bakery and contemplate what had just happened.

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“You’re going on a date with Marcus? Oo, tell me what you’re going to wear!” Mor said excitedly, clapping her hands together.

“Just a dress and some tights, Mor, nothing fancy,” you said after swallowing your bite of salad.

“Well, at least tell me you’re excited for the date?”

“I guess so.” Mor stared at you, disbelief in her eyes as she chewed the last bite of her sandwich. “What? Marcus is nice, really nice, I just don’t feel any kind of spark towards him, that’s all.”

“At least give the male an honest chance, alright?” Mor asked of you before paying for the tab. “I’ve got to run, but next week you will tell me all about the date, yes?” You nodded your head. “Good. I’ll see you next Thursday, have a good date today doll,” Mor said, pressing a kiss to your cheek before leaving the restaurant.

You finished your salad, then walked the short distance home from the restaurant in the Palace of Hoof and Leaf.

Perhaps you should be getting ready excitedly at this point already, but you knew in your heart that you wouldn’t find that spark with Marcus. After all, you’d known each other nearly two months at that point, and you’d never looked at him as anything other than a friend.

But you supposed that going on a date, even one that you know you won’t go out with again, could be fun.

So you baked for a few hours, then took a long bath to make sure their was no flour left on your body. Getting dressed was easy, you simply slipped on one of your old favorites, a cute pink wool sweater dress that goes to your knees and some warm tights. You put on a little bit of eyeliner and a tiny bit of lipstick, but it only took you ten minutes to get ready. It was only five thirty.

You picked up your book and read, already on the fourth book of the series. By five fifty five, you had on your winter wear and boots and were downstairs.

Marcus knocked on the door exactly at six, looking handsome as usual.

“Shall we go?” He asked, extending an arm to you.

You took it, then said “Yes, lead the way Marcus,” with a gentle smile.

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The date was fun, that was true. But you felt no kind of connection with Marcus besides that of a friend. He seemed to sense as much when he dropped you off at your door later that night.

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Y/N.”

“I did too, Marcus, but…” you trailed off, unsure of how to say it.

“But you don’t feel the connection?” Marcus asked, and you nodded in confirmation. “It’s alright, I had to take my chance, right? An omega as amazing and wonderful as you, well, you’re a catch to any alpha with eyes and ears, Y/N.”

“Thank you, Marcus. And I’m so sorry, I wish it could have worked out. You truly are a magnificent person, and I’ve loved getting to know you over the past two months. Friends?”

“Friends,” Marcus confirmed, giving you a brief hug before pulling away. “I’ll see you at your bakery’s opening, when was it again?”

“It will be next Friday, I’ve decided,” you declared brightly, glad that things with Marcus could still be pleasant.

“I’ll see you next Friday, Y/N,” Marcus said before walking away, leaving you on your doorstep once again.

You sighed and headed inside, going straight up to your bedroom to get undressed and wash your face. After you had, you flopped into bed, wishing that you’d been attracted to such a kind, helpful alpha.

But you’d find someone, at some point. You would meet at the right time, the perfect time, and everything would fall into place from there, you were sure of it.

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“It didn’t go well, did it?” Mor asked as you sat down across from her in the noodle restaurant.

You sighed. “No, it was a fine outing, just not a good date,” you said. “I did have fun with him, there just isn’t that connection there, you know?”

The two of you ordered quickly when the server came over, then went back to your conversation.

“Are you sure you don’t want to give it one more date?"

You nodded your head. “I’m sure, Mor. There’s no point to it, if I haven’t felt any kind of attraction in the two months we’ve known each other.”

It was Mor’s turn to sigh. “Okay, okay. Do you have any other alphas that you might like to date?” Mor asked, wiggling her brows at you.

“None that I can think of Mor, you can tell Viv that I’m happily single at the moment.”

Your food arrived then, and the two of you tucked into your food, both of you humming happily at the taste.

“So, my bakery opens tomorrow,” you said after a few minutes of comfortable silence while eating, and Mor quickly swallowed her current bite.

“Tomorrow? Oh, that’s so exciting Y/N! What time do you open? I’ll try to get there near then, but no promises, I might be sleeping in.l

��That’s fine, Mor, I’m opening at seven so I don’t really expect you to be awake at that time,” you laughed, knowing that the alpha was the opposite of a morning person.

“Mother no, I would never be up that early for anyone,” Mor giggled. “Have you sent out flyers or anything yet?”

“Yes, I had some pamphlets printed up with the menu, they’re being distributed around town as we speak!” You said brightly.

“That’s good, that’s good. I hope everything runs smoothly, Y/N, you deserve it after all of the hard work your put in.”

“Thank you, Mor. I just hope that people like my pastries.”

“Y/N, just based on that little sampler basket you brought me at the beginning of the week, the people here will go nuts over your bakery,” Mor reassured you.

You had brought a basket of pastries to every person that had helped you in starting your bakery: Mor, Marcus, Rella, Arana, Oren, and the stained glass artist, Wren. You’d actually brought five baskets to Marcus’s office, enough so that he could have a basket of his own, and plenty left for the crew that had worked so hard to bring your dream together.

“Thank you, I’m glad to hear that. I hope that you can make it tomorrow, I believe that Kallias and Viviane will be stopping in later in the day, so long as nothing pressing comes up.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing you and them tomorrow, then, Y/N,” Mor said as she gave you a quick goodbye hug, her citrus and cinnamon scent washing over you again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mor,” you said with a smile, managing to get your bank card down on the bill first.

You walked home alone, knowing that you needed to make sure everything was in order for the next morning as you went, taking a little longer to savor the warmth of the sun. It had started to warm a little bit, and most of the snow was cleared from the streets at this point.

You used your three hours before your self imposed bed time to check everything twice and make sure you had enough ingredients for everything you needed to bake in the morning, as well as plenty of tea and coffee for people to drink.

Your time to sleep went by too quickly, and soon enough it was four in the morning. You took a quick bath, then donned a comfortable lilac dress with a back scooped low enough for your wings to be free, something you’ll want as you will most likely be spending the next fifteen hours working in the kitchens and the front of house.

Finally, you thought, so happy that your grand opening is finally here.

You rushed downstairs, turning on the fae lights so that you could see your work.

Most of the pastries were done proving, and ready to go in the oven. You had plenty of your winter berry jams ready to go, all you need to do is make more dough and get it proving.

You spend the next two and a half hours working quickly and efficiently, the rush that baking on a large scale gave you fueling you on, faster than ever before.

You had just finished stocking up the pastry display cases, medicinal on the left and typical pastries on the right, when Elain showed up at the front door, bright eyes and perfect hair even at the early hour, You rushed over to unlock the door, opening it to let the sweet fae inside, and you flipped the open sign over as you shut the door.

“It smells absolutely wonderful in here Y/N. Lucien is bringing the rest of our family around, I made them all promise to show up after they devoured that basket of pastries you delivered to my house,” Elain said, shaking her head lightly at them. “I was able to try that hornberry pastry thought, it was divine. Tell me you’ve got plenty ready to go?” Elain asked.

“Oh yes, I’m already thinking it will be my most popular pastry, I’ve got two dozen ready already and another five dozen in the process of being made,” you reassured her, already going behind the counter to grab her a pastry and place it on a plate. “Here you go, and if you ever want to take some extras home, just let me know,” you said with a smile, loving that she immediately took a bite of the pastry.

“Seriously, these are so good,” Elain said, right as a crowd of people pushed through the front doors.

In first was a red headed male, who made his way straight to Elain, placing a kiss on her cheek and swiping the pastry from her fingers. Lucien, presumably.

Next in was a tall, bulky Illyrian with hazel eyes, holding hands with a beautiful fae- Nesta?

“Y/N?” Nesta asked, making her way over to your counter after she met your eyes. “I didn’t know you were the one Elain was working with, what a small world.”

You nodded your head, meeting her strong steel grey eyes. “Yes it is, I didn’t know that you were related to Elain, either. It’s nice to see you again, I’m hoping I can make it to that book club of yours in the next couple of weeks,” you said.

“That would be nice, Y/N."

“Introduce me,” the large Illyrian said after gently nudging Nesta, having followed her over.

Nesta rolled her eyes, a small but affectionate smile on her lips as she said “This is Cassian, my mate.”

Cassian stuck his large hand out for you to take, and when you did his hand practically swallowed yours. “It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. Now, am I allowed to order right away or should I wait a little bit?” The alpha asked, eyes already turned to the pastry cases.

“You can order right now, if you’d like,” you responded, letting him look over the options for a moment.

“Oh, Nes, we are so getting the hornberry pastries, remember that little promise that you made to me?” Cassian asked, turning his mouth to Nesta’s ear, whispering something that made the fae’s face turn beet red before she nodded. “We will take two of those, plus three croissants.”

You handed them their pastries on a large plate, telling them “Bring it up here when you’re done, or if you need a to go bag.” They left the counter, Nesta still blushing profusely, even when they sat down.

You looked back to the door, seeing Mor and another Illyrian next to her, this one with shadows swirling around him, occasionally dipping into his ears. They moved over to the right side pastry case, peering through the glass at what you had on offered. You glanced away from them and back to the door, and that’s when you saw them-

The most devastatingly beautiful male and female you had ever seen, power thrumming off of them in gentle, soothing waves, and their combined scents washed over you- citrus, sea, jasmine and lilacs. A perfect, heart stopping blend of two alpha scents that set your mind and body on fire in the best possible way. You felt so awake now, so present as you stared at them both, trying to memorize their faces as quickly as you could.

This. This is the feeling you wanted to feel when you went on a date with someone.

The couple moved closer to you, and Mor introduced them.

“Y/N, this is Rhys and Feyre, our High Lord and Lady.”

Oh, Mother, you are so fucked.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N,” Feyre said, extending two beautifully tattooed hands to grasp yours. “Mor has told us so much about you, it’s nice to finally put a face to her kind words.”

Your heart nearly stopped, you were sure of it. “It’s lovely to meet you as well, High Lady-”

“Oh none of that, please call us Feyre and Rhys,” Rhys said, his strong voice pulling your eyes away from Feyre’s hypnotic ocean eyes. His were just as mesmerizing, violet with flecks are stars in them, just as beautiful as his mate’s.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Rhys and Feyre,” you corrected, your hands still captive in Feyre’s.

“Alright you two, stop hogging my friend, I’d like to have one of her delicious pastries for breakfast,” Mor said, breaking the spell the two alphas had over you, and you finally looked away from Rhys’s eyes to lock onto Mor’s.

“Did you know what you wanted, Mor?”

“Yes, I’ll have one of those cute little cheese danishes, and a cup of coffee with some cream please.”

You nodded your head, then set to grabbing Mor’s order. With your head turned from the group, though, you couldn’t help but close your eyes.

You are so fucked. They are mates, they are a couple, you will never have them. Remember that, you thought to yourself, before turning around, Mor’s coffee and danish in hand

Mor tapped her bank card to your ledger before you could stop her, sticking her tongue out at you. “You can’t make me not pay, Y/N, I just won’t do it,” she said while smiling at you, then left the counter to take a seat in front of the fireplace, where Elain and Lucien were now sitting.

You turned your head back to the couple that you knew would stay in your thoughts for days, maybe even weeks to come. “Did you two know what you wanted?”

Series Taglist: @icey--stars @breadsticks2004

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pauline-sunshine · 29 days ago

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Wanna smoke?

Jungkook x reader

Warnings: characters are smoking

Word count: 1360

A/N: I apologize for any errors! English is not my first language. Enjoy! Also those edits with this mf smoking live rent-free in my mind. Help.

First time in South Korea! Exciting, right? It was your dream for quite some time and finally you decided to come here to experience rich asian culture and see everything yourself. It was especially pleasant because you ended up to having your personal guide through Korea in a face of Jungkook. You still didn’t believe it, though.

Due to your profession you visited a lot of music events and awards. As trivial as it is that’s exactly how you two met. There was something special about your relationship yet intangible. You could be miles away from each other, you could not talk for weeks, but every time any of you replied to the other’s story it always grew into the most heartwarming and deep conversations. The connection between you two was on another level. It was as if time didn't exist when you were engaged in these exchanges, transcending distance and circumstance. There was no place for awkwardness instead it was a pure hart-to-heart or soul-to-soul interactions. You knew him from another life, at least you liked to think so.

Obviously he was the first one to find out you were going to Seoul. It all stated as your usual conversation but it led to something different this time.

“Guess what, Jungkook,” you teased him with a sly smile.

‘’Oh, i don’t know what’s going on in that pretty mind of yours,” he answered in a raspy voice.

“Well, you’d better be prepared because I’m coming,” you raised your eyebrows in a quick movement and glanced at your FaceTime partner.

“Is that a threat? Am I supposed to be scared?” He tried to joke it off.

“You didn’t get it, did you? I said I’m coming to Korea,” you made sure to emphasize the last word.

“Are you serious? When? I’ll make sure to meet you at the airport,” all of a sudden his joking side transformed into impatience.

“Hey, hey, come down, cowboy. I’m coming in a week. Still have to make a hotel reservation and…” you couldn’t continue because of his interruption.

“What are you talking about? You thought you would come to Seoul and stay in a hotel. Please, make me a favor and don’t say stupid things like that ever again. You’re staying in my apartment.” He wasn’t even asking or inviting you to stay, it sounded more like a demand.

“Well, I guess I can’t refuse then,” you bit your lower lip to stop yourself from smiling.

You arrived quite late at night but he kept the promise and picked you up from the airport. You noticed him in a waiting area and ran to him dropping all your baggage.

“I never thought I missed you so much,” you smiled dissolving in his warm embrace.

“I never thought you would finally become bigger than my phone screen,” he admitted hugging you stronger.

“Told you I was coming,” you teased him and loosened the embrace keeping your hands around his neck.

“Told you I was scared,” he talked back smiling and resting his hands on your waist slightly moving them up and down.

“Now, c’mon, let’s drive home. It’s late,” he suggested while looking into your eyes.

He picked up your things and led the way to the car. On the way to his apartment you were talking about your ‘tourist schedule’: things you had to do and places worth visiting. You didn’t notice how the time flew by but here you were entering his apartment.

“Wow” you sighted.

“Wanna look around?”

The apartment’s interior design reflected a blend of modern aesthetics and personal touches that were creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The living area featured a minimalist design with sleek furniture. The kitchen had dark cabinetry that contrasted beautifully with light countertops. In the bedroom, a calming color palette of soft grays and whites promoted relaxation. The bed was dressed in plush linens, surrounded by tasteful decor that reflects Jungkook's personality. There was also a nice balcony with a breathtaking view of the city. Overall, Jungkook's apartment was a harmonious blend of style and comfort, making it a perfect sanctuary for the talented artist.

He showed you your room and gave you some personal time because he knew how tiring flights can be.

“Make yourself at home, Y/N. Take your time, meanwhile I’ll get us some food,” he said leaning on a doorway.

You quickly freshened up, unpacked some of your things and headed back to the living room. You found him laying the table.

“Hey,” you said quietly letting him know you were there.

“Well, I thought, as it’s your first time in Korea, I decided to order some kimbap, hope you will like it.” He made a gesture inviting you to sit.

“Never tried that but it looks absolutely delicious,” only now from seeing the food you actually realized how hungry you were.

“And for the drinks…” he was going through his liquor cabinet, “wanna try a Korean soju?” He turned to you.

“Bring it here,” you replied with a big smile.

You had the time of your life having dinner with him and laughing at the way he was trying to teach you how to eat with chopsticks. Once the food was finished, the two of you moved to the living room opening another bootle of soju. Maybe it was the tipsy state you two had but every time there were just a little more innocent touches and the need of him inside you was growing stronger. Laughter became quieter, and pauses between sentences grew longer and were filled with meaningful glances.

“Wanna smoke?” You suggested.

“Hell yeah, let’s go,” he stood up and gave you his hand lifting you up.

He didn’t let go of your hand instead he intertwined your fingers and led you to the balcony. As you entered you noticed a little couch with a coffee table on a side with cigs, lighter and an ashtray. He plopped down on the couch while you came closer to the panoramic glass windows just admiring the beauty of Seoul.

“You know, the view is to die for,” you murmured completely mesmerized by what you were seeing.

“Yeah, I know” he agreed. You’ll never know that at this moment the only thing he was looking at was you.

“Do you want to hear my smoking playlist?” You asked while sitting next to him on the couch.

“Sure, I want to hear everything If that’s connected to you” he lighted up his cigarette. You held your one between your lips while finding the song. “Here, let me help you.” He took your chin with his hand turning your face to him. Neither of you broke the eye contact as he lit your cigarette.

“Tanks,” you replied. “Here, found it, listen,” you pressed play. Boy, the last thing he expected to hear was this.

“But that’s…” he bursted into laughter.

“Yes, that’s Black Swan…Hey, you! Stop laughing!” You hit him slightly while making a drag.

“Sorry, sorry, I just didn’t expect that,” he said after letting the smoke out.

“I don’t know…It just makes me feel thing okay?!” You started singing along to the song while reaching the ashtray and stubbing your cigarette.

Jungkook made the same thing and there you were in bare millimeters away from his face. The next thing you knew was your lips meeting his. A shy at first snd soft kiss builds into a passionate one. You move and sit down on his laps whining upon him. “Wow, you’re impatient,” Jungkook chuckled softly against your lips. You rushed your fingers through his hair and his toned torso while he shamelessly explored your body with his arms. His hands roam your back, pulling you in closer. The tension builds, electricity crackling between you as the music continues in the background. Jungkook pulled back slightly, glancing into your eyes, his breath mingling with yours.

“It’s about time, don’t you think so?” He said with a seductive smile. You gleamed and led him into another kiss.

#jungkook #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook x y/n #jungkook x yn #jungkook fluff #imagine #jungkook imagine #jungkook drabble #bts x you #bts x reader #bts x y/n #yandere bts

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curiositysavesthecat · 16 days ago

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*A junk drawer or junkdrawer is a drawer used for storing small, miscellaneous, occasionally useful objects of little to no (or unclear) monetary value, and possibly significant sentimentalvalue. Junk drawers are often located in residential kitchens, but they may exist anywhere with cabinetry or furniture used for storage, including home offices or workshops, and even commercial workplaces and businesses. The phrase "junk drawer" appears to be an Americanism dating to the early 1900s. — (Source.)

This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

#poll #polls #housing #junk drawer #midwest #american #america #usa #tumblr poll #tumblr polls #incognito polls #poll time #fun polls #random polls #yes or no #yes or no poll #yes or no polls

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lillaydee · 2 months ago

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One Heart Part 12

Sheriff Joel Miller / Reader

Trying and failing miserably to recover from an inconceivable loss, you accepted your best friend's invite to spend time with her and her family for a summer, hoping for a chance at a new beginning. Little did you know that the new beginning you were stepping into was a little too close to home.

WARNING:

Protective Joel (The Last of Us), Good Parent Joel (The Last of Us), Grief/Mourning, Joel is Bad at Feelings (The Last of Us), Joel Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), Ellie is mentioned, Sheriff Joel, Sarah plays matchmaker, No age gap, Joel is in his 30s, Joel is Trying His Best (The Last of Us), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Cordyceps Outbreak (The Last of Us), Fluff and Angst.

SERIES MASTERLIST

PART 11

---

After two weeks, you went back to work. He drove you, of course, despite your many protests. It was useless at this point, anyway, since he was cleared to drive, annoyingly. You were sure there were threats involved in Santi’s decision to let him do that. He was not due to go back to work for another month, but he was restless, wanting to keep busy. He tried to improve your tiny house, and of course you had to threaten him with finding elsewhere to sleep if he so much as moved or fixed one item in the house. The men at the farm had to fend him off with sticks to stop him from lifting bales of hay for the horses. Omera started slamming the door in his face when he tried taking his restlessness to her furniture. Jenny straight up locked the door and took away his key when she caught him measuring her kitchen cabinetry.

And then one day he stopped. He stopped trying to help, seemingly found a project he was happy with, that apparently was given approval by Jenny, since Benny, Tommy and Will were helping him out, and doing the heavy lifting. She absolutely refused to tell you what it was, though, so you decided to shut up and stop asking. But he looked happier, lighter, a pep in his step, you might even say.

You found out what it was a couple of weeks later.

Jenny asked you to help her with one of the houses one Sunday. The tenant had just moved out and the house had been refurbished, but she could use your opinion on the kitchen layout before putting it back up for rental. Let’s go take a look at the house, shall we?

It was the three bedroomed house on the other side of the property. You had seen it before, of course, and had known the family that lived there. You knew that the father was a park ranger and had requested a transfer to be nearer to his parents, who were getting older. The house looked as if it had been spruced up. Painted, at the very least, and a small plot had been transformed into an area that was filled with planters – ideal for a small garden. The house was lovely. Not too big, and definitely nowhere near as small as yours. The whole house smelled of fresh paint, and it was clear that it had been refurbished. It looked like new. Normal, Jenny said, for every time a long-term tenant moved out.

Except, the kitchen was bare. No cabinetry, no stove.

“What would a professional chef do with this kitchen, do you think? I know it’s not that big, but I could use your opinion,” she said.

“Well, I’m only a professional chef at the restaurant, and professional kitchens are too sterile for my liking.” You began telling her what would work, given the size and style of the place, as well as the layout of the kitchen and living room next to it. Where the stove would go, the sink, the fridge, inadvertently telling her what your dream kitchen for a place like this would be like, not that you would tell her that.

“And I would put a small island here, big enough to work on, and maybe have breakfast for a small family, but nothing too big, and it should be perfect. Won’t cost too much, and there would be plenty of space for storage,” you finished, picturing yourself being in the kitchen, a bit jealous of the new people living there.

“Would there be enough space to make out in there?” Joel’s voice asked, making you jump.

“Oh my God, you are such a pervert!” you joked, rolling your eyes, going to give him a hug. He wrapped his arms around you, asking you what you thought of the house. Apparently, him and his brothers had worked hard refurbishing the house. You were about to chastise him, but he put his hands up, promising that he only supervised, and did some painting.

“I like it, it’s kinda perfect. Especially for small families.”

“Isn’t it? I’ve always liked this house. I even thought, at one point, that I would bring Sarah to live here when she’s old enough. The last time this place was vacant she was still a baby, with how sick she was it wasn’t practical for me to live here with her.”

“I think she’d like that. You could put a swing in the back.”

“And she and Jello could have breakfast at the kitchen island? Do her homework on the dining table?”

“Oh, that would be so cute. I can just picture it.”

“Could you picture yourself living here with us?” his eyes were fixed on his feet, not daring to look at you.

“Maybe, one day.”

“How far away is one day? Cause my version of one day is as soon as we can get that kitchen you just described in and furnish this place.”

You were stunned.

“Will you move in with me and Sarah? Please? Start a life with me? It’s fast, I know, but…”

“Yes.”

“Yes? You’ll move in here with us?”

“Yes.”

He hugged you. Tight. Like he never wanted to let go. He took your lips in his, murmuring ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’ over and over. He pinned you to the kitchen wall, eager to christen the house.

“Joel, your wound.”

“Fuck it. I need you,” he protested, before trying to lift you to get a better angle and winced, an involuntary hiss escaping his mouth.

“I told you! Are you okay?”

“Yeah… maybe we’ll wait until we’ve moved in before I do all the things I’ve been planning to do to you in here.”

God, please give you strength.

---

The three of you walked hand in hand through the headstones, the morning dew sticking to your feet. Before you were hundreds upon hundreds of headstones, varied in sizes and design, all in neat lines, some with flowers, some without, the grass well maintained, the sounds of the city somehow muted despite the cemetery being right next to it. You squeezed Joel’s hand, and he and Sarah hung back, while you walked on. You stopped at a large headstone, two names on it – the two people whose loss made you want to give up on life altogether.

Eric Williams 11th May 1985 – 21st November 2016 Beloved Husband and Father Ellie Williams 30th August 2014 – 26th November 2016 Beloved Daughter Angels Taken Too Soon Father and Daughter, Together Forever

You sat in front of the headstone, brushing your fingers over their names. You placed the flowers you brought in the vases, swiping errant leaves and sticks off the base.

“Hi Sweetheart, hi Jellybean,” you said, able to speak clearly here for the first time. You had always been too broken to do so, often just crying silently, wishing you were with them. “I’ve missed both of you so much. I hope you are happy, wherever you are, having lots of fun, and missing me,” you laughed a little, trying to make small jokes. “I’m doing okay, I’m moving away, so I won’t be able to visit as often, but I promise you that I’m taking you with me, you are with me every day, here…” you placed your hand over your heart. “I hope that’s okay.”

You took a deep breath, trying to muster the courage to tell them who you’ve brought with you.

“I brought some people to see you two if you don’t mind. They’d like to thank you, Jellybean. They are good people… I’m moving in with them. Now don’t be jealous sweetheart,” you said, a bit teary now, touching Eric’s name, “You will always be in my heart, you will always be my first love. But I’m taking your advice, and I’m moving on… thank you for encouraging that… couldn’t have done it without you…”

You stopped to compose yourself a little bit. “I’m gonna call them now, but before they get here, I want you both to know, that I love you both so much, with every little piece of my very broken heart. I’m trying to piece it back together, and I promise that you will always be a part of me. I’ll come see you again, okay?”

You brought your fingers to your lips and placed them on each of their names. You wiped your tears, turned around and nodded to Joel. He lifted Sarah up, and came to you, set her down between the two of you.

“Eric, Ellie, these are Joel and Sarah.”

“Hi,” Sarah said, her sweet voice filling the open space.

“Hello, you two,” Joel said.

“I’ll give you guys some time,” you said, before brushing your hand on the headstone one last time and walked away.

Joel took a knee in front of the headstone, one hand around Sarah.

“I wanted to thank you two, especially you, Ellie, for what you’ve done for Sarah here. There are not enough words in this world that can help me convey how thankful I am to you. I’m sorry that we couldn’t have met, from what Lynn and Maria told me about you two, you sounded like good people, and I’m sure Sarah here would’ve gotten along swimmingly with Ellie. I hope you found peace, and please know, that you will never be forgotten as long as we live. Thank you again, for the role you have played in our lives.”

He got up, leaned into Eric’s name, touched the headstone above it, and whispered, “I’ll take care of her for you, Eric. I promise. Don’t you worry about her. I will protect her with my life if I have to. She told me about her dream, what you said. Glad to know I have your blessing. Thanks again buddy, I’ll visit again soon.” He patted the headstone like he would a friend’s shoulder, brushed Ellie’s name with the back of his forefinger, just as he would Sarah’s cheek, and stepped back. He blinked back tears, and asked Sarah if she wanted to say anything.

You watched as Joel spoke, and after a while, he turned and walked back to you, leaving Sarah alone at the headstone. You watched as he wiped a tear from his eye and gave you a hug.

“She wanted to speak to them alone.”

The two of you watched, as Sarah sat down, cross legged in front of Ellie’s name, Jello in her lap. You could only imagine what she was saying, but you and Joel giggled a little at the thought of her introducing Ellie to Jello the purple bear. After a few minutes, she got up, and leaned on the headstone above Ellie’s name, giving it a hug, before doing the same to Eric’s. She came running back to the two of you, tears in her eyes, raising both arms at you, silently asking for you to carry her, her head on your shoulder, sniffling quietly.

Just as you turned to leave, she said quietly,

“Bye Jello. I miss you.”

You and Joel looked at her, Jello still in her hand.

“Jello’s right here sweetie,” you said. “She’s coming home with us.”

“No… Jello stays,” she said, acceptance in her voice, waving a sad goodbye to the headstone.

You looked at Joel questioningly, he shrugged.

You got in the rental car, Sarah got into the back seat, standing between the two front seats while Joel rechecked her car seat – it was a different model and a different car, and the Papa Bear in him needed to be sure it was safe. You got a text from Lennie, asking what time the three of you would meet her and family for lunch, excited to meet Joel and Sarah. The picture of Eric and Ellie popped up on your locked screen.

“Jello!” Sarah said excitedly, pointing at Ellie’s picture.

“No sweetie, that’s Ellie. You spoke to her just now, remember?”

“No, that’s Jello.”

Joel picked Jello up, “This is Jello, BabyGirl, that’s Ellie.”

“No, this is Teddy now. That's Jello. Jello stays here,” she said, before hugging the bear and getting in the car seat, waiting patiently as Joel buckled her in, a sad look on her face.

A thought came to you. Sarah had never seen that picture before; Joel had always been strict about her playing games on phones that were not his or Jenny’s. She had never seen Ellie’s picture. You and Joel looked at each other in realisation, thinking of all the Jello involved menaces that had happened in the past few months, both of you huffing a laugh, tears in your eyes.

Your sweet, sweet Ellie. Your Jellybean.

Jello.

---

Joel closed the door behind him, placing his keys in the bowl on the console table. A delicious smell was wafting in the house, the sliding door and kitchen windows cracked open, letting the cool autumn air in. He toed his shoes off and walked into the kitchen, greeted by the sight of his little girl colouring on the kitchen counter, Jel-Teddy on her lap. You popped up from behind the counter, a tray of lasagna – the source of the smell, no doubt - in your mitt-proofed hands.

Joel leaned against the wall, taking in this sight he had dreamed of since that first time you cooked omelettes for him at your place. The three of you had officially moved in yesterday, spending the entire weekend unpacking and finally sleeping at the new house for the first time the night before. This morning, you made him omelettes – fast becoming a favourite of his – for breakfast, letting him feel you up as you made them, proving that there was, indeed, room for making out in your new kitchen, before Sarah woke up and joined the two of you. It was even better than his dream, he thought. He went to work with a heavy heart, looking forward to coming home to this exact sight, his heart feeling so full it could burst.

You placed the lasagna dish on the cooling rack, taking the mitts off, seeing Joel standing against the wall, his face the definition of contentment. He smiled when you noticed him, coming over to kiss Sarah on the head, giving her a squishy hug, praising her colouring skills, before going around the island to give you a breath-stealing kiss.

“Honey, I’m home,” he murmured against your lips.

“Welcome home baby.”

You basked in the feel of him, in your new home, with your newfound family.

There was a knock at the door, signalling the arrival of Jenny, Omera and Winta for dinner. They were delighted seeing the house all moved into, excitedly looking around, when a little voice piped up.

“Mommy, Daddy, I’m hungry.”

You swore your heart skipped a beat.

Mommy.

Joel gave you a side hug, eyes fixed on you, silently asking you if you’d be okay with her calling you that.

You got on your knees before her, hugged her little body tight, your ear on her chest, your eyes closed, revelling in the steady heart beats, filling your still healing heart that you thought would never be full again.

---

“Sarah sweetie, please don’t go outside, you can play on the swing later, I don’t want you to get your dress all dirty.”

Sarah closed the sliding door back up, disappointed to have been caught, and joined her cousin Winta on the couch. She was dressed in a fluffy white dress, a pink bow on her waist, with a matching headband in her hair. Teddy, a boy now, apparently, was looking particularly dashing, having been dry cleaned (a request by Maria, who had to gently wrestle the bear from her tiny hands) and dressed in a smart little tux and bowtie that Jenny had sown for him. A newly pregnant Maria was sitting on your couch, brushing a similarly dressed Winta’s hair. The doorbell rang, and you rushed to get it, dropping Maria a glass of water on the way.

You opened the door to some very excited faces, all smartly dressed in black suits, a white rose tucked neatly in their lapel. Tommy, Benny, Frankie and Santi entered, Tommy immediately drawn to his wife and nieces on the couch, the others straight to the kitchen to see what last minute treats you had available. Joel stood outside, looking sinfully dashing in his suit, looking at you like you hung the moon and stars for him.

“Hello, can I help you?” you asked him, leaning on the door frame.

“Baby…” he said, looking you up and down, before coming close to pull you into a kiss and a hug, “you shouldn’t look this good. It’s not fair to the bride,” he whispered, giving your earlobe a nip, making goosebumps sprout all over your body. “How long do we have to stay at the wedding?”

“One, you haven’t seen the bride yet, and two, the wedding hasn’t even started, and you’re already thinking about leaving?”

“One, no one holds a candle to you, even the bride, and two, how can I not when you look like this?” he murmured into your lips, his hand trailing down from your waist to your ass.

You playfully smacked his hands away, earning a pout from him, which quickly disappeared as soon as he saw Sarah and Teddy, going over to them, full of praises on how good they looked.

Your house had become Bridal Central, and the men were here to see the bride, currently being prepped in the bedroom you shared with Joel. The nervous groom was escorted to the farm earlier, needing the burly men working there to stop him from coming over for a peek at the bride.

Life had gone by swimmingly since you moved here. The restaurant was doing well, the farm was flourishing, Sarah had started attending daycare, adjusting well, making new friends, and you and Joel were just… in bliss.

The wedding was beautiful. You watched as the newlyweds Omera and Will danced to a slow jazzy tune, happiness clear on their faces, Joel and Tommy dancing with the girls on their feet, while you, Jenny and Maria sat at your table, taking in the sight, talking about nothing and everything.

There was a tap on your shoulder, Joel asking you to dance with him. Sarah had gotten tired and decided she wanted to sit on Gamma’s lap instead.

Joel swayed you side to side, your bodies pressed together, his eyes never leaving yours, making you blush, as if this was the first time you had ever laid an eye on him.

“Why are you blushing baby?”

“Cause the handsome Sheriff kept staring at me.”

“Maybe he has a crush on you.”

“You think?”

“I know he does. Has had one since you opened the door for him to yell at you.”

“And called me a pedo.”

He shook his head, embarrassed, but still an undeniable smile on his face.

“He fell for you right away, you know?”

“I think he fell for me because I flashed him.”

“That certainly helped,” he said, a cheeky smile on his face, his eyebrows wiggling meaningfully.

You smacked him on his chest. He continued swaying with you, humming to the song.

“You think you’d like to have one of these parties for us one day?”

“Do you?”

“Definitely,” he answered, without hesitation.

“Then, when you’re ready, all you have to do is ask.”

He stopped swaying, pulling back to look at you, excitement on his face.

“Really?”

“Yes, but not today. It’s Will and Omera’s day.”

“Is that a thing?”

“Yes, Sheriff Miller, that is a thing.”

“But you’ll say yes?”

“Eh… I’ll think about it,” you said, before pulling him back into you to sway some more.

He kissed you, long and deep, smiling into the kiss throughout the remainder of the song.

You are happy.

You made the right choice.

You braved your way into coming here.

You opened your heart again.

You stayed.

---

THE END

#joel miller x reader #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller #tlou fanfiction #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x you

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plasticfangtastic · 1 year ago

Text

American Royalty. Ch. 4

A Homelander X F! Reader and Dadlander fanfic.

A/N: if ya like to be taglisted plz leave a comment to be notified on the next release. got the writers block and too many wips so here is an early chapter. hope y'all like it. plz check my pin post for prev. chapters.

Tags: mild gore, angst, lots of angst, slow burn, fluff, oc characther, child neglect, dadlander, romance.

Chapter Four

Seeing Stars

You had him agree to you working three days as his personal chef, and he couldn’t have you Sundays no matter how much he asked.

Within the week you had gotten a letter from your bank telling you that the pending investigation on your account had been closed and now you could access it, it had even accrue significant interest after being untouched for seven years it was better than an early christmas miracle as you sobbed in your bedroom with the letter in hand, you cried in the kitchen after calling a realtor to see an apartment, by the time you seen a couple of apartments you had come home to find an enveloped taped to your door. Inside paperwork and some keys– seeing red for a moment, but as Helena tugged at your shirt, your anger tucked itself away, you held her crying into her shoulder as you finished reading the letter.

Before the month ended, you had moved into a large, renovated and well located 2 bedroom, 1 office, 2 bathrooms apartment in the ground floor of a duplex, it had to be at least eighteen to twenty thousand dollars in rent but he had simply purchase it– writing in his letter that he wouldn’t allow you to continue raising his daughter in the projects or some refurbished new york closet, he had even collected information on local schools in your new neighborhood for you consider, informing you that he would take care of tuition cost.

As you settled in a space so big you had nothing to fill it with, as you watched your daughter actually behave like a seven year old for once, you laid on the floor by the open concept kitchen, feeling the rich wood underneath your skin, staring at the black granite benches and hardwood cabinetry– the floor was even heated! You heard a landing in one of the two thin yards, you knew your daughter was exploring the bathroom, so it felt safe to do this now.

“I’ll have my interior designer come by this week to help you select furniture and stuff.” He said upon entering, distubed by how barren it was, all your belonings in a a dozen boxes total, tucked in a corner of the living room.

“You are a bastard making me indebted to you.” You grumbled.

“I can’t have her live in a broom closet infested with rats. Kids need yards and space.” He looked at the cherry wood panels lining the outdoors, the vines and trees growing in a decent sized yard, extra big by New York standards– you could get her a puppy, a kitten or…?”

“She likes fish.”

“I could have a pond installed.” he said with a smirk crainign his back as he tried to look less imposing as you refused to lift your head from the heated hardwoods– you should be okay with utility bills, I left them on credit for your convenience. Have you had a chance to look at schools?”

“What are you actually planning, John.” You sat back up, switching names had taken him off-guard wondering what angle you were going at him from– haven’t even started work with you and now you are showering me with presents? This is beyond just wanting to see your kid is not like you actually seen her.”

“You said to take things slow.” He didn’t try hiding that devious grin– Ryan… needs a story.”

“Jesus Christ you are sick.” you now had to stand up for real– you want me to play mom to your kid? I don’t even look like him.”

“Genetics are weird. Helena looks like you and Ryan looks like me, like those dogs from ‘Beauty and the Tramp’."He touched your cheek with a bare hand– Can’t wait to see you next Thursday, mom.”

“Oh god…” You chuckle, losing your mind as his hand hurts without a scratch– How are you going to tell this to Helena?”

“Is in early development but the team will take care of it. I need Ryan to attend the same school as Helena so please hurry up.”

He left not before telling you to take Helena to MOMA this saturday at 2 pm, it wasn’t a suggestion or invitation, it was an order

You did as you were told that evening, one of the best schools in the city was under a half hour walk from this cell, knowing Helena had to be enrolled soon didn’t help, and your commute to Lucci had increased but now you could pay for gas and not cry. Sending him a texts about schools to the number he had given you in his many many notes seemed anticlimactic but that was it.

Helana had grown suspicious, but she played dumb and you knew it too, so you both played stupid when you headed to MOMA that weekend.

You just casually came the same day and the same time as Homelander and Ryan were about to have the whole museum closed off as they received a private tour, but he asked you to join them not giving any real explanation for why but nobody questioned, neither kid spoke to each other much if any, Helena simply enjoying the silence, she looked at you as she asked about the pieces but it was Homelander who had the most to say about the works, leaving you left out but happy, you knew that face of his so well, to see it on your daughter’s face made your day.

He had taken the opportunity to discuss your employment not your relationship, giving you list of things Ryan should eat, would not eat, wanted to try and things he wanted to try himself, then your hours and some odd request about handling Ryan’s school lunches being instagram worthy, handing you socials to research for such task.

You started work that following week, the Vought kitchens were top of the line, your job was to meet all of his requirements, some of the chefs that recognized you looked at you with relief and curiosity, wanting to know what had happened to you but you were unwilling to share. That first breakfast was returned with clean plates, even the waiter was shocked when he saw empty plates come out of his penthouse.

It had been so long since you could play with such new equipment, this was it, this was the place you belong in, him or not involved this was your happy place now.

Two weeks had passed.

As you headed for the staff elevator you met Homelander, who had honestly just been waiting for you.

“I got the paperwork sorted… you just have to sign and fill stuff. Nice school! Great stem program not that Helena will find it hard.” he said politely, his posture extra stiff.

“Did you do a background check on her?” you looked around for witnesses.

“Hard not to. Our kid is the captain of the math club… her school team has won most of the math competitions in the last four years. Not to mention the piano recitals, and science competitions” He looked so proud– her grades are perfect. She might be the smartest little girl in the city.”

“She’s the smartest little girl in the world.”

“And her new school would let the whole world know just that.” He said matching your smug.

You watched him carefully waiting for him to spit out what he wanted to say, either about her schooling or something else.

Helena was allowed to continue attending her old school until you were ready for transfer, he had only briefly talked to you for school discussions, and with great disinterest on what made each school good or not, if anything you found yourself doing this for his son as well, thinking of what this school would do for his well being, and if it was the best choice for a homeschooled kid, and how would this new school commute affect Helena’s after school routine.

On the days you didn’t work in Vought’s towers she was still babysat or stayed at Lucci’s, she was too young to be left at home, even if you knew she was perfectly safe, but no matter what she was still little.

During the days you worked in the tower she was kept in the company daycare in the 20th floor, most of the kids there were normal but there was at least one other super-abled child her age, it made you happy to see her interact with a similar kid even if said kid abilities involved phasing thru objects all willy-nilly and make objects phase thru other objects, making you worry of what would happen if he lost focus and Helena got caught inside a wall.

“By the way our kid escaped the daycare.” He held the elevator open for you as he entered, before you could panic he shot you a charming smile– is okay she’s at the gym…”

Your eyes had welled up regardless, you jumped into the metal box pressing the bottom frantically.

“She’s perfectly safe… A-Train is there and so it's that… Noir… her and the only little Supe kid decided to do some mischief, but I kept my ears on her all day.”

Forcing yourself to take deep breaths as the elevator smoothly traveled to the lower floors.

“Is it not her that I am worried for.” you said firmly.

You followed him as he guided you through an unfamiliar floor, inside the large colosseum gym that had been fitted to test somebody’s athletic skills you found your daughter floating in her wavy bubble, but all you saw was your kid swaying in the air.

“Helena get down here immediately!!!” You ran after her reaching for the kid as her bored expression was replaced with embarrassment as she descended into your arms– you cannot run away from daycare!”

“I don’t want to be surrounded by babies.”

“Helena you are a baby!” you squeezed her against yourself, just glad she was still in one piece, you noticed the other small kid in the room– jesus…”

Carrying your kid you reached for the other one, taking his hand.

“Hey sweetie… let me take you back to daycare before your mommy or daddy gets worried.

“Am I in trouble?” he asked meekly.

“No, but Helena is so grounded.”

“Mom!”

“Don’t mom me! You have any idea how dangerous that was!”

“Oh don’t get mad at the kid, she was just acting like a kid. Don’t be such a buzzkill” he mocked you.

“I don’t want or need your opinion– now you got two seconds to explain yourself!”

You began to gently drag yourself and your kid’s victim out of the gym, A-Train absolutely shocked to see anybody talk to Homelander like that.

“Look I had A-Train and Noir come check them out, they were safe!” He chased after you.

“Oh that was your doing.” Helena said– "I really wanted to meet A-Train” she waved innocently at the Supe, who returned the gesture as a true professional– and... Mom… I wanted to see the building, that’s all… sorry I used Elmo to escape… but his powers were just too useful”

“You cannot use people like that.” you said in shock.

“People like being used.” Her words were just cold as she wriggled herself out of your arms, falling without touching the ground, she took Elmo’s hand taking the small kid towards the exit– some people are born serfs.” She mumbled to herself.

Homelander's heart beat violently– oh his daughter was a brat and had a questionable attitude, he hadn’t even interacted much with her, but he was proud. His whole body went light and his smile couldn’t be contained as he saw the small girl with true love in his eyes, this was the moment he saw her as truly his own.

Ryan was still reluctant to accept his father’s philosophy, but this little one understood that she was born better from the start on her own.

She turned around to face you again, little Elmo sucked on his thumb as her eyes glowed pale blue.

“Is it alright if I come to the training gym if I ask permission first?”

“I…”

“Of course all Supe’s should know to keep their powers top notch. You are more than welcome to use the facilities.” Homelander had cut you off, petting the little girl’s head as he approached the duo– Just ask your mother so she doesn’t have a heart attack. Then again this is one of the safest places in all of New York and little Helena over here is perfectly safe, after all I am here.” He said while staring at you.

His voice was sweet, you were defeated as Helena tried to contain that cheshire grin of hers while staring at you– he was your boss , and the Homelander so could you really go against him so publicly?

“You had a terrorist attack in this building… but I guess…” She ignored him again then looked straight at you– I learned something new today.”

A-Train and Noir exchanged concerned looks taking a few step backs, Homelander seemed intrigued to watch your reaction, you gave way, unable to speak, just frustrated as your ex looked just as smug as his kid.

Little Elmo scoot behind her– in the round gymnasium a cement boulder hanged in chains, her eyes glowed the brightest you’ve ever seen, lifting her hand with one quick swipe the boulder broke in half, the dust showing the invisible blade bending light, it gain a blue color as it was touched before fading, she looked so proud of herself, you stared at Homelander and now you understood why nobody had informed you that your daughter was missing. It didn’t sit well with you.

“you’re still grounded for a whole week.”

“But Mom!!”

You had walked into a trap, one you did so willingly, jailed in a nice house, any hope of Homelander being driven away or losing interest in her was gone as he looked at her with pure adoration in his eyes.

You got used to it… this prison was lovely, it was nice to come back to a spacious cell. Homelander had indeed brought his decorator to your house but you didn’t want designer furniture and high end stuff, you kept it simple and cheap, most of your stuff second hand and from Ikea, only relenting to agree with the poor designer over the kitchen, his budget was absurd for the task, only taking advantage to purchase all the appliances of your dreams, you indeed needed a air fryer that matched your splashback.

Helena was happy to have a room that felt like a bedroom, large bookcases that could be filled with her own books, a small courtyard facing her doors, where she now could sit down and read with the breeze in her hair. She seemed happy, euphoric when she began her new school, making you forget what was happening in the background at times.

Homelander would come from time to time to speak to you about mundane stuff and work, his patience saintly as he allowed you to get used to his company once more, just so you could be okay with him entering her life, but then again he was your jailer.

He himself had begun forcing himself into her life when you weren’t around, it was all a matter of timing and perception.

Homelander watched the daycare center, from afar, a much needed service, it occupied a whole floor, the tower employed thousands of people in its 99th floor so there had to be help for those mothers and fathers who needed to work but had children with no babysitters, it was one of the many appealing things about being employed by Vought, and the center offered a variety of activities for all age groups.

Helena saw it as a jungle, all these children just a bunch of savages, keeping Elmo around not because she liked his company but because he was the only other Supe child in her age group, he was a sweet kid, afraid of bugs and that liked to talk about cartoons, frankly it was a challenge to figure out what to do with him. Homelander watched as she taught the kid to play chess, taking hours to explain the basics as the seven year old had very little clue what was happening, but in its own way it was nice to talk to another kid like himself.

Homelander even bothered to do a background check on the child– both of his dad’s both worked at Vought one in hero management and the other in marketing, both very busy bees it seems… he had done the same with all of Ryan’s new classmates, he knew their entire families before his kid even stepped foot and said hello to any of them, all done before he started school the same week as Helena– there was the big issue of her being on the 10th grade while her older brother just began the 6th grade, so he couldn’t enjoy seeing the both of them interacting, it was hard to witness for he wanted both kids to become closer so desperately.

Hence why he was standing on the foyer of the daycare center, a young lady that looked too cheerful for her own good, welcomed Homelander.

“Hi! How can I help you today, Homelander? Are you looking to enroll little Ryan?” She swayed side to side trying to see if the kid was behind him by any chance.

“Actually… am here to speak to one of the kids… hmm… Helena L/N.” He said with a firm tone– I believe her mother left a message.”

Homelander texted you an hour before cominf down, not even asking you that he was going to take her for training, you were stuck in the kitchen helping with some work function taking place tonite, a thousand canapes had to be made and you were stuck with the pistachio and lemon layer cakes.

You had no time to argue, taking your precious break time to make phone calls and try not to use your knife on the nearest asshole who pissed you off afterwards.

She hopped on the desk seeking for any notes, and he was indeed correct.

Now he had her all for himself, you prayed he wasn’t going to drop the news on her, but you couldn’t leave and abandoned your team, she was safe, you had to believe she was safe, she was smart, she was so smart and she could escape him, you just had to trust her.

“Can I bring Elmo?” Helena looked up at Homelander, a slight ache building on her neck as she looked up at the man– he might get lonely.”

“He’s not a dog.” He didn’t even try putting on a soft babied voice with her– and I wanted to talk to you.”

“But he’s always ‘The Dog’ when we play house.” She faked the most innocent voice she could muster, turning around to look at the glass doors dividing the friends– … He will probably sneak out to the gym if he gets lonely, they got his favorite snacks today… he told me liked five times and I think they’re playing Bluey on the tv.”

“Oh! and you play mommy?” He grimaces so hard his eyebrows touch.

“No, the robber.”

He led the way and she was more than happy to explore the building as they headed downstairs.

“What do you think of them?”

“Elaborate.”

“Those without powers.” she wished she could see his expression– and be honest. None of this ‘Wednesday Addams’ crap.”

He looked around at the sea of smart casual fits and stress on the floors above, the world moving so fast paced, nothing but monkeys hurling shiny rocks while playing dress-up.

“They can be useful, if they are not… then they don’t matter to me.”

He smiled, his heart fluttering and his stomach filled with butterflies as he heard her speak– why did Ryan struggle so much to understand this? He thought.

“When you are born with such gifts–

“I might be a kid but I am very familiar with your Compound V, I already had this talk with my mother. Fascinating stuff… I am still trying to understand the whole dosage thing… How does your company decide which kid to give more versus others? Did they just look at who could provide the best backstory before deciding between 10 mils versus the whole vial.”

She stared at the glass walls where the kids were housed, the tone of her voice still flat.

“Why you say that?”

“I’m a poor kid from the projects, with a single mom, formerly homeless and now with enough powers to make Athena envious. Not to mention how 92% of supes are white but the percentage below middle class to poor is almost the same as with the 6% blacks, while the percentage of upper class white supes is closer to the same percentage of 2% asians and latino supes… if anything a good chunk of latino and asian supes are upper class… something-something model minority yadah-yadah.” she pressed the elevator door– I’d make a good story. Shame that I can’t be a Supe.”

Homelander stared at her, placing his hand on the back of her head.

“You can be anything you want, Helena. You have been blessed beyond belief with powers… if you want to be Supe then you are ready for major leagues.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Only the 1% of superheroes ever make it to the major leagues, most supes never achieve anything beside D-list status and everybody is fighting for the crumbs left behind by your posse of clowns– is not a fiscally responsible decision. A career that can only exist on extreme gambling is not one that can make money. Not to mention am not cute or tall." She took the first step into the elevator– I never want my mother to worry about money. I want to buy her a mansion on top of a cliff staring at the ocean, have a dozen maids care for the house and she can just spend the rest of her life in luxury”

She turns to see him crossing her arms with a serious look on her tiny face.

“My goal is to take your job.”

“The Seven?” He grinned.

“Vought.”

“I can wait to see you try.” he grinned.

“It won’t be that hard… At least when I am in charge security will be tighter.”

Bottles of V dropped from above Homelander’s head, he caught most of them but a few were lost, those were hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drops staining his pants and shoes, Helena caught one bottle, sliding it between nimble fingers back and forth.

“Don’t look so surprised, it seems this is a common occurence… Here's an unwanted tip: use biometrics and only allow lab techs to enter the 67th floor, not just rely on good will, clown.” sections of her body and clothes flicked back and forth between visible and invisible, taunting him about how easy it had been to steal them using her superpowers.

As his eyes took an extra tinge of red, he saw a brief flash of pale blue encasing her, he followed her to the entrance of the Gym, where she expected to be left alone with Homelander not to find another kid.

“The prodigal son.” she mumbles.

Ryan sat on top of some raised stepping stones in the recently established obstacle course, Helena imagined she needed to know parkour in lieu of flying abilities, which seemed redundant for the kid who could fly.

“Thought you two could practice together.” He shouted while placing the V on the nearest bench.

“Guess there are ways to successfully murder a child and get away with it.” She raised an eyebrow– and here I thought you wouldn’t be irked by the words of a little girl… like I said you’re a maladjusted person.”

“I don’t hurt children. I have no idea…” he said calmly while a little bit angry, as he returned to her side.

“I dunno– it would look really bad if the press found out that you’re a deadbeat.”

His expression dropped as the little girl's eyes glowed.

“Smartest little girl in the world… or...?” She said dryly, as she headed towards Ryan to save him the walk– my bubble refracts light, easy to spot if you notice images are wavering without the heat.”

The little boy ran cheerfully after his father, who for the first time ignored him, his eyes transfixed on the little girl, who had been playing stupid all along.

taglist-- @fromforeigntofamiliarity , @demodemo909 and @immyowndefender

here's the house:

#homelander #homelander x reader #homelander x you #homelander x f!reader #the boys oc #homelander fanfiction #personal #my fic tag #my writers block is criminal but thx god i had this chapter and 2 more ready #new york city rentals are fucking insane y'all paying too much-- had to look at them for reference for this fic so am more than glad to pos #a link to the 18K a month house that homelander bought for you dear reader #btw am living in australia so i might not know how yall pay utilities over there #took inspo from the diabolical first ep where they ahd an adoption centre as one of the floors of the tower to make the daycare #american royalty

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miniscule-meow · 9 months ago

Text

Borrowed Time (2)

Masterpost Wordcount: ~2k First Part | Next Part (soon)

---

Standing at the base of the cabinets in his kitchen, he stares straight up towards their destination. They’re about to climb to the top. It seems impossible, but the borrower next to him doesn’t seem phased at all. Dante has never seen his apartment from this angle before. He’s, what, four inches tall right now? He doesn’t happen to spend a lot of time lying down on the floor. Seeing the monolithic cabinetry rise high above him only punctuates how small he is. This is so strange, and yet Vivienne seems so comfortable. This is just another Tuesday for her.

He watches her sling her grappling hook. It arcs an impressive distance, connecting with the handle of the cabinet. She gives the rope a good tug, and nods, satisfied that it’ll hold before she just starts climbing. She makes confident, steady movements. It makes sense, this has been her whole life, it’s all she’s ever known. She’s been living here the whole time without him knowing. He can barely wrap his mind around that. First of all, how many embarrassing things has she seen him do? Maybe not many, considering she didn’t recognize him. So, he supposes that she’s not really spending her free time staring at him, which is good. But still. Has she listened to him sing in the shower? Has she watched him burn eggs on the stove? Secondly, she’s tiny! He’s trying to imagine what it would be like if he was his normal size. He’d be able to hold her in one hand, easily. That thought is just as dizzying as looking up at his weirdly gigantic countertops.

“Um, is this safe?” He calls up to her, nervously.

“Not even a little bit,” Vivienne grunts, without pausing her ascent. He stares at her as she shimmies up the rope and hoists herself onto the handle. “You coming?” she asks, a challenge sparking in her tone. Part of him thinks that perhaps she picked the most difficult climb just to make fun of him. Or, to assess him, to see how much he’ll hold her back.

Dante grabs the rope, his competitive nature taking root in him. Though, realistically, he cannot imagine himself being any good at this. He’s never had to climb a rope before. In movies he would see people climbing rope in gym class, his school wasn’t like that. Sure, he works out. Or at least, he intends to. He got a gym membership as a new year’s resolution, but he’s only actually gone a hand full of times since then. This seems like it’s the kind of thing where you would have to train every day to be as proficient as Vivienne. Does she do something like this every day? Is he going to have to do something like this every day? How is he going to survive this.

“I think you’re stalling. Are you scared?” She taunts from high above him.

“Would you laugh at me if I said yes?” he asks shakily before grabbing the rope and hoisting himself up. She snickers in response and watches him climb. It is slow going, but he does it. When he finally reaches the top he clings to the cabinet handle, not daring to look down.

“Wow. That was…” she starts, he can tell from her tone that she’s not complimenting him.

“Pathetic, I know,” he finishes the sentence for her, wheezing. “There has to be a better way to do this.”

“We’re almost there,” she says, notably not saying anything to deny that she thinks he’s pathetic.

They make their way up the rest of the cabinet and onto the smooth countertop. His whole body is quivering by the time he reaches the top. He flops down on the cool granite, gasping for air.

It’s such an odd thing to climb your own furniture. He sees it and interacts with it every day. Even just this morning, he made himself breakfast. He opened the drawers; he used the kitchen. It should be familiar to him, but the change in perspective has skewed everything. He might as well have been transported to an alien dimension.

Vivienne nudges his side with her foot, it doesn’t seem like she’s even winded from the climb.

“My lungs are on fire,” he coughs.

“Come on. We don’t have time for that, we have to keep moving,” she says, stretching out her shoulders and packing up her rope.

He sits up, taking in the apartment from this viewpoint. He’s hit with another wave of that funny feeling, like everything should feel familiar, but it doesn’t. This feeling sinks in the pit of his stomach like a stone in a lake. Is this his life now? Is he just going to have to accept that this is his forever? He suddenly feels very sweaty. This didn’t feel real until just now. He can’t do this.

“I- I can’t- I … just everything,” he stammers.

“Hey. Hey, look at me,” Vivienne kneels beside him, cupping his face in her hands, causing his eyes to meet her own. This takes his focus away from the immense dread that’s rooting in his stomach. His initial reaction is to think that this is incredibly sweet, until she gives his cheek a few sharp pats to snap him out of his daze. “Listen, Dante. I need you to do something for me, alright? I need you to stop acting like you’re seeing everything for the first time. Okay?”

“But—” He’s about to tell her that he is seeing this for the first time, but she shakes her head.

“No, look, I know this is scary, but this is not the time to freak out on me. We are in the middle of this, you can panic when we’re done. We need to do our job and get out. If you freak out now, it’s going to make everything worse, and it could get both of us killed. Alright? You understand?” she asks slowly.

He nods, swallowing dryly. All he has to do is not freak out.

“I’ve got your back. We’re in this together, and we’re going to be fine. Let’s go,” with that, she stands. He watches her adjust the pack on her shoulders as she walks forward. He quickly gets to his feet, scrambling to follow her.

From the countertop, they come to a box of cereal. He had pulled it out of the cabinet for breakfast earlier today when everything was normal. Now of course, it looks much different to him. He helps Vi pick up some fallen pieces of cereal. They move around the countertop collecting scraps and crumbs. Part of him realizes how much better he needs to be doing at cleaning up after himself. But then, if he did that then collecting food would be even more challenging than it already is. At least this part of the job is simple compared to scaling the cabinets to get here.

With their packs full of scraps, and their water containers refilled from the dripping faucet, they’re ready to climb back down. The descent proves to be just as scary as the ascent was, and he was no more proficient at it than he was during the first go around. All he knows is that he’s going to be unbelievably sore when tomorrow finally comes.

They make their way back to Vi’s room, and he helps her make a meal of sorts from the scraps they just collected. It’s surprisingly… edible, considering they were working with bits of cereal, grains of rice, stale breadcrumbs and whatever other bits and bobs already in her little pantry.

He’s cleaning the dishes when the string lights overhead flicker, then go out. Vivienne sighs heavily, stomping across her room. Dante blinks, his eyes struggling to adjust to the newfound darkness. She gives the battery pack by the door a few sharp wacks before sighing again. “This is going to be so annoying to fix.”

“Uh, what should I do?” He asks, feeling his way across the old wooden ruler that she turned into her countertop.

“Light a match I guess.” She mutters. “This will be fine. We were pretty much done for the night anyway. You looked about ready to fall asleep in your dinner, so we can just deal with it tomorrow,” She talks as he fumbles his way around the miniature kitchen. They had used a tea candle to cook their dinner, and there was a collection of matches stored in the cabinet nearby. He grabs one and strikes it. He holds it like a torch in his hands. It won’t stay lit for long, but for now it illuminates the space in a warm orange glow.

“What do you need to fix it?” He asks curiously.

“I need three whole aaahs,” she answers.

“What?” He asks, dumbfounded.

“Oh, right. You don’t know anything. Um. This one is kind of advanced. Basically, aaahs are tubes that make the lights turn on. Without them, it’s just dark like this. Which is fine, it’s just annoying. Good thing we got all of our crafting out of the way while they still worked though. But anyway, they’re pretty hard to come by. And it’s one of those things that the beans sometimes keep track of. And I need three of them.”

“Aaah tubes,” he says quietly to himself, thinking for a moment before busting up into a fit of laughter. “Oh my gosh do you mean a battery? Like a triple A battery?”

“Oh. Alright you just call it something else. That’s so weird though? Three A’s would be pronounced, ‘aaah’”

“This is- oh gosh,” he laughs

“Cultural differences, I get it. Your community was weird,” She says with a shrug, shuffling back towards the table.

“Vi, what about double A batteries? Those are different, but would you pronounce it the same, or what?”

“Well, that…” she hesitates. “I’m not going to take criticism from the guy who didn’t even know what a borrower was, despite literally being one, alright?”

“Whatever.” He laughs, meeting her at the table. “Hey, don’t worry. This won’t even be all that hard. I have some batteries in my—” he stops himself.

“You have a stash nearby?” she asks, her voice taking on an edge that he knows is from her being territorial. Her brow furrows, her sharp eyes studying him.

“No, no, no. I just meant that, um, I know where some are. They’re in the apartment in the… um… other bean’s desk drawer. And he shouldn’t be a problem because he’s… out for a while.”

“And you know this because?” She leads.

“Well, I overheard a conversation or something. But really, the coast should be clear for it.”

“Alright,” she sighs. “We can try it out because I don’t have any other leads for these ‘betteries’ as you called them.”

“batteries,” he corrects her, but she either doesn’t hear him, or she just outright ignores him.

Using only one other match for light, they’re able to get ready for bed. She gives him a lumpy approximation of a pillow, and several scraps of fabric, sewn together into a blanket. The space is small, but he’s able to sleep on the floor next to her bed. Though, it honestly doesn’t look like her bed is really any better than the floor. The base of it appears to be layers and layers of fabric all piled together. The light of the match fizzles out, and he’s left staring up into the darkness. His body feels so exhausted, but his mind is running in circles trying to process and unpack everything.

Now that there are no real distractions to keep him occupied, he has to face what he’s been avoiding all day. His mind is still snagged on the fact that there has been a tiny woman living in the walls of his apartment. But aside from that, there’s the matter of, how is any of this possible? And what can he do about this? He has no real plan aside from just following Vivienne around as long as she will let him. Should he try to contact his roommate? Would he take him to a doctor? Would a doctor even know what to do with him? Eventually his uneasy thoughts carry him into uneasy dreams. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get some answers tomorrow.

#g/t #g/t writing #g/t community #g/t story #size shifters #borrowed time #my writing

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realestatewithtili · 6 days ago

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Top Home Upgrades That Increase Property Value in Houston’s Market

If you’re planning to sell your home in Houston, making strategic upgrades can significantly increase its market value and attract more potential buyers. Houston’s diverse neighborhoods and dynamic real estate market mean that buyers are often looking for modern features and functional improvements. Investing in the right upgrades can lead to a quicker sale and a higher return on investment. Here are the top home upgrades that can boost your property’s value in Houston’s competitive market.

1. Kitchen Remodels: The Heart of the Home

The kitchen is often the centerpiece of a home, and buyers in Houston place high importance on this space. Upgrading your kitchen doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul. Simple updates like new countertops, modern backsplashes, and energy-efficient appliances can make a significant difference.

Key Upgrades:

Install granite or quartz countertops for a luxurious feel.

Update cabinetry with fresh paint or replace old hardware for a modern look.

Add a stylish backsplash to tie the space together.

Upgrade to stainless steel, energy-efficient appliances.

Pro Tip: Focus on creating a functional layout with ample counter space and storage.

2. Bathroom Upgrades: Create a Spa-Like Experience

Bathrooms are another critical area that buyers carefully evaluate. Enhancing these spaces with modern fixtures and finishes can greatly influence your home’s appeal.

Key Upgrades:

Install double vanities for added convenience

Upgrade to a walk-in shower with frameless glass doors.

Replace outdated tile with contemporary designs.

Add high-end features like rainfall showerheads or heated towel racks.

Pro Tip: Neutral colors and clean lines create a timeless, spa-like atmosphere.

3. Energy Efficiency Improvements

Houston’s hot climate makes energy efficiency a top priority for buyers. Reducing energy costs not only attracts eco-conscious buyers but also increases your home’s overall value.

Key Upgrades:

Install energy-efficient windows and doors to reduce heat transfer.

Add attic insulation to improve temperature regulation.

Upgrade to a smart thermostat, such as a Nest or Ecobee.

Consider solar panels for long-term energy savings.

Pro Tip: Highlight energy-efficient features in your marketing materials to appeal to cost-savvy buyers.

4. Outdoor Living Spaces: Extend the Usable Area

Given Houston’s mild winters and love for outdoor living, creating inviting outdoor spaces is a smart investment. Buyers appreciate homes with functional and aesthetically pleasing exteriors.

Key Upgrades:

Build a covered patio or pergola for shade.

Install an outdoor kitchen with a grill and counter space.

Add comfortable seating areas with weather-resistant furniture

Enhance curb appeal with professional landscaping and outdoor lighting.

Pro Tip: Focus on low-maintenance landscaping options that thrive in Houston’s climate.

5. Flooring Updates: Modern and Durable Choices

Outdated flooring can be a major turn-off for buyers. Upgrading to modern, durable flooring options can transform the look and feel of your home.

Key Upgrades:

Replace old carpet with hardwood, luxury vinyl plank (LVP), or tile flooring.

Opt for water-resistant and scratch-resistant materials.

Ensure consistent flooring throughout open-concept areas for a cohesive look.

Pro Tip: Choose neutral tones that appeal to a broad range of buyers.

6. Smart Home Technology: Appeal to Tech-Savvy Buyers

Smart home features are becoming increasingly desirable in Houston’s market. These upgrades offer convenience, security, and energy efficiency.

Key Upgrades:

Install smart locks and security cameras.

Add voice-controlled lighting and smart plugs.

Upgrade to a smart irrigation system for outdoor spaces.

Pro Tip: Highlight these features in listing descriptions to attract tech-savvy buyers.

7. Fresh Paint and Cosmetic Touches: A Cost-Effective Refresh

Sometimes, the simplest upgrades can have the biggest impact. A fresh coat of paint and minor cosmetic improvements can breathe new life into your home.

Key Upgrades:

Repaint walls in neutral tones to create a clean, modern look.

Replace outdated light fixtures with stylish, energy-efficient options.

Update door hardware and cabinet pulls.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to touch up baseboards and trim for a polished appearance.

8. Roof and HVAC System Updates: Essential for Houston’s Climate

Buyers in Houston pay close attention to the condition of a home’s roof and HVAC system due to the region’s weather conditions. Ensuring these systems are in top shape can increase your home’s value.

Key Upgrades:

Replace or repair the roof if it’s nearing the end of its lifespan.

Upgrade to a high-efficiency HVAC system.

Schedule regular maintenance and provide service records.

Pro Tip: Offering a home warranty that covers these systems can provide buyers with added peace of mind.

Final Thoughts

Investing in these strategic home upgrades can help you maximize your property’s value and appeal to Houston buyers. Focus on improvements that align with market trends and buyer preferences. Whether it’s a stylish kitchen remodel or energy-efficient upgrades, these enhancements can make your home stand out and command a higher price.

Need personalized advice on selling your home in Houston? Contact a trusted local real estate expert to guide you through the process and ensure your home sells for top dollar.

Connect with me: @tili.realtor

#real estate investing #buyers and sellers #sellersagent #texas #houston #talktotili

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gabontimberindustry · 3 months ago

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Can Okoume Face Veneer Be Used for Both Interior and Exterior Applications?

When it comes to choosing the right wood veneer for projects, few options are as versatile and visually appealing as Okoume face veneer. Known for its unique blend of strength, beauty, and flexibility, Okoume is a popular choice for a range of applications. But one question often comes up: can Okoume face veneer be used for both interior and exterior applications? Let’s dive in and explore everything you need to know about this unique veneer, how it can fit into different spaces, and whether it’s suitable for outdoor use.

Understanding Okoume Face Veneer: A Unique Choice

Okoume veneer, sourced primarily from Gabon, is cherished worldwide for its distinctive look and adaptability. Known for its light pinkish-brown hue, fine grain, and smooth texture, Okoume can add an elegant touch to furniture, cabinetry, walls, and more. Its appeal doesn’t stop at aesthetics. Okoume is also prized for its:

Lightweight nature – It’s much lighter than other hardwoods, making it easy to work with.

Durability – Okoume face veneer is highly durable, which is why it’s often used in marine plywood and exterior-grade products.

Flexibility – Because it’s easy to manipulate, it’s often used in furniture making and construction projects that require intricate designs.

The question remains: can this beautiful veneer withstand both interior and exterior environments? The answer isn’t black and white, so let’s look at the factors that come into play.

Is Okoume Face Veneer Suitable for Interior Use?

For interior applications, Okoume veneer is a top choice. Its visual appeal alone is enough to make it desirable for indoor furniture and decorative projects. The light color and fine grain bring a touch of elegance to any space, whether it’s a cozy living room, a sleek kitchen, or a luxurious office.

Benefits of Using Okoume Veneer Indoors

Aesthetically Versatile: Its warm tones and soft grain pattern make it versatile for various design styles, from traditional to contemporary.

Moisture Control: When used indoors, Okoume face veneer is shielded from constant exposure to moisture, which keeps it from warping, swelling, or cracking over time.

Long-lasting Durability: Indoors, Okoume veneer can easily maintain its appearance for years with minimal upkeep, especially if it’s properly sealed and polished.

Ease of Application: Okoume veneer is easy to cut, shape, and finish, making it ideal for designers, woodworkers, and homeowners who want to create unique pieces with a soft yet luxurious finish.

Cost-Effective and Eco-Friendly: Compared to solid wood options, veneer provides a sustainable and cost-effective choice. Since veneer is a thin layer of wood, it uses less timber, reducing environmental impact without compromising quality.

Given these benefits, it’s no wonder that Okoume veneer is widely used for interior elements like furniture, wall panels, cabinets, and ceilings. Its versatility and light color make it easy to match with other materials, from metals to darker woods. But what happens when Okoume veneer is taken outdoors?

Okoume Face Veneer in Exterior Applications: What to Consider

Okoume face veneer can, in certain situations, be used for exterior applications. However, using it outside requires a bit more planning, care, and protection due to its natural properties. Here’s what to consider if you’re thinking about using Okoume veneer for outdoor projects.

Why Okoume Veneer Needs Extra Protection Outdoors

While Okoume veneer is durable, it’s still a natural wood product, and wood is prone to weathering from moisture, sunlight, and temperature fluctuations. Okoume doesn’t have the same level of natural resistance to the elements as some other hardwoods, like teak or ipe, which means it needs to be treated and maintained to stand up to the outdoors.

Tips for Using Okoume Veneer Outdoors

If you’re set on using Okoume face veneer in an outdoor project, there are ways to make it work effectively:

Choose High-Quality Marine-Grade Okoume Plywood: For exterior applications, Okoume plywood is a better choice than standard veneer. Marine-grade Okoume plywood is made specifically for outdoor use and can handle more moisture and temperature changes than untreated veneer alone. It’s often used in boat building for this very reason.

Apply a High-Quality Sealant: Coating Okoume veneer with a top-grade sealant is essential. This helps shield it from moisture and UV rays, reducing the risk of warping, cracking, or discoloration. Some sealants also offer UV protection, which will slow down the color fading and keep the veneer looking fresh.

Routine Maintenance: Unlike interior wood, outdoor Okoume veneer needs regular maintenance. Reapplying the sealant every year or two can extend its life and keep it looking its best.

Consider Shaded Areas: If you’re using Okoume veneer in an area that’s exposed to direct sunlight, expect some color fading over time. Placing the veneer in a shaded or covered area can help preserve its natural color longer and reduce wear from sun exposure.

Opt for a Protective Finish: Adding a protective finish over the veneer not only adds an extra layer of defense but can also bring out its natural beauty. Certain finishes can enhance the wood’s grain and color, giving it a polished look suitable for outdoor décor and even outdoor furniture.

Ideal Exterior Uses for Okoume Veneer

With the right precautions, Okoume veneer can work for certain outdoor applications, such as:

Patio and Garden Furniture: Okoume veneer can add an elegant touch to patio furniture. Just ensure it’s sealed properly, and it’s in a shaded spot.

Covered Pergolas or Gazebos: These covered structures offer some natural protection from the elements, making them ideal for Okoume veneer. It can be used to create decorative wall panels, cabinets, or seating elements.

Decorative Fascia: Using Okoume veneer for decorative exterior elements, like fascia or trim, can add a touch of sophistication to the outdoor look without exposing it to high amounts of moisture or sunlight.

Okoume Veneer: A Flexible and Elegant Choice for Both Indoors and Outdoors

So, can Okoume face veneer be used for both interior and exterior applications? The answer is yes—with some preparation. It’s a versatile and beautiful material that brings elegance to indoor spaces and, with the right treatment, can handle certain outdoor applications too. For those who value aesthetic appeal and are willing to take extra precautions for exterior use, Okoume veneer is a worthy choice.

When used indoors, Okoume face veneer shines as a beautiful, low-maintenance material. Its warm color and fine grain make it a favorite among interior designers, homeowners, and craftsmen. Outdoors, it requires a bit more attention to maintain its beauty, but the effort can be worth it if you’re looking for a wood product that brings style to your exterior.

Making the Right Choice with Gabon Timber Industry

At Gabon Timber Industry, we understand the unique properties of Okoume and other African woods, and we’re here to help you make the right choice for your projects. Whether you’re building stunning interiors or want to add a unique touch to your outdoor space, our team can guide you on selecting, treating, and maintaining Okoume veneer to get the best results. Quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction are at the core of what we do.

So, if you’re considering Okoume face veneer for your next project, reach out to us! Whether it’s for interiors or for exterior elements, we have the expertise and products to help bring your vision to life with Gabon’s finest timber.

#GabonTimberIndustry #OkoumeFaceVeneer #RotaryCutFaceVeneer #AfricanFaceVeneer #InteriorDesign #ExteriorWood #SustainableWood #TimberSolutions #WoodVeneer #HomeDecor #OutdoorWood #EcoFriendlyMaterials #NaturalWoodFinish #FurnitureDesign #WoodworkingCommunity #MarineGradeWood #QualityCraftsmanship

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steven1123x · 6 months ago

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Behind The Scenes - Chapter 25: Making Memories

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

March 12, 2012

Greg and Rose were in their room, Rose was sitting at her desk on her laptop. Greg was sitting on a chair. She opened her Facebook, something that she does not do often and she got a message from Cartoon Network regarding her YouTube video back in June of 2008.

“Greg, look! I got a message on Facebook, it’s from Cartoon Network regarding that video we took of Steven,” she said

It has now been four years and a lot has happened to the Universe family, Rose finally got a loan and opened a bakery in Los Angeles. Greg opened a music store in Hollywood, They had a beautiful house in Beverley Hills. Both of them had amazing careers, and a beautiful life in LA, what could go wrong?

Then, they heard something in the living room. Rose grabs her sword, Greg follows her, and goes downstairs.

The design promotes a sense of spaciousness and is ideal for entertaining.

Expect to see soaring ceilings, often adorned with elegant chandeliers or modern light fixtures, creating a dramatic effect in the living and dining area.

Interiors would typically showcase high-end materials such as marble or hardwood flooring, custom cabinetry, and upscale finishes. Natural stone countertops in kitchens and bathrooms would be common.

The furniture would likely reflect a modern aesthetic, with clean lines and a mix of neutral tones and bold accents. Plush sofas, a nice coffee table, and statement art pieces would contribute to the luxurious feel.

Large glass doors and windows connect indoor spaces to outdoor areas, such as patios or decks, enhancing the California lifestyle. Outdoor living spaces might include lounges or dining areas.

Bathrooms would often feature soaking tubs, walk-in showers, and double vanities with high-end fixtures, creating a serene retreat.

With the rise of technology, many homes would incorporate smart home systems for lighting, climate control, and security, enhancing convenience and efficiency.

Their son — who was now eleven years old, was in the kitchen while Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo, were on the couch, the boys were now three years older than Steven.

The boys were playing on Steven’s PlayStation, Steven was in the kitchen making Pop-Tarts for them. Steven screams as he sees his mother wielding her sword.

“Oh, it’s just you!” Rose said.

“Yeah, it’s me! who do you think it was? the boogeyman?”

Rose put her sword in her scabbard and held it.

“Dude, What’s wrong? You okay?” Greg asked.

“Yes, it was Sumo who screamed, Dad!” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry!” Sumo said, holding the controller in his hands.

“That’s okay, We thought that someone was hurt,” he said, sighing in relief.

“Hey guys, why won’t you guys get out of the house?” Greg asked.

“Hey guys, let’s go to our treehouse!” Steven said.

“Yeah!” Clarence said, as they all went and grabbed their bikes to ride there.

Steven was about to ride there when their neighbor walked out, Their neighbor was none other than Pearl.

“Steven!” Pearl said, Steven looked at the tall gem.

“Yeah, pearl?”

“Where are you going?”

Oh my stars, come on! can you get off my back?

Steven tried not to roll his eyes at her then put on a smile. “I’m going with Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo to our treehouse.”

“Okay, Steven. Make sure you ride safely,” she told him. Steven tried not to roll his eyes again and he looked at her. “I will be fine, Pearl! let’s go guys,” he said, riding with them to the treehouse.

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Clarence, Jeff, Steven, and Sumo parked their bikes When they were about to go up. Steven’s phone went off. He saw the caller ID was Ameytthest.

“Hey, Ameythest!”

“Hey, dude. Do you wanna come to my basketball game that’s tonight? my dad can pick you up.”

Steven’s enthusiasm went way up. “Sure! when is it?” he said

“It’s at five thirty.”

“Heck yes! I’ll see you there!” he said

“Awesome, dude. I’ll see you!” Steven said goodbye to her then they all played.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

Clarence, Sumo, Jeff, and Steven all went to grab ramen. They rode their bikes to the nearest one in LA and parked, Steven and his friends went inside the restaurant and got a table.

Steven and his friends all sat at a table, Steven got some lemonade and sushi. Same with his friends.

“Hey Steven, I have a question,” Jeff said drinking his lemonade.

“What's up?”

“Why don’t you age like us? your twelve right?” Sumo asked the boy, Steven put a hand in his hair and nodded. “Yeah?”

“Then, why aren’t you growing like us?” Clarence asked. Steven has not told them this before, not even in the four years that he’s known them. “Are you sure that you're twelve, Steven?”

“Yes, I’m twelve, but I’m part gem, so I age slower than other kids.” He said. his friends nod, and the waitress walks over and gives them their sushi.

“Thank you,” Steven said, eating his sushi.

“Hey, Steven? You wanna come with us to the community pool tomorrow, my mom texted me if you want to come.” Clarence told him.

“Yeah!” Steven said, raising his arms p.

“Let’s do it, is your mom going to pick me up?” Steven asked.

“Yeah, If you want to,” he said. Steven nodded. “Okay, this is gonna be so much fun!” Sumo exclaimed.

“Yeah, It is!”

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

Steven was getting ready to go to Ameythest’s game at her school. Steven walked down the stairs of the house, and Greg and Rose said yes that he could go. Steven went outside, zipped up his jacket and he went into her father’s truck.

“Hey! Steven!” Amethyst said. Giving him a fist bump.

“What’s up?” he asked, closing the door

“Fine,” he said, Adrain drove off to her high school, Ameythest grabbed her CD and put it into the player that was in the car, and played some rock. Steven was jamming out to the song as they were driving.

Adrain parks at the parking lot and they go to the gym, they go to the building. Four other girls were out practicing. Her coach walks up.

Steven saw her basketball coach.

She is a passionate African American woman in her late 30s. She has a strong presence, standing tall with an athletic build, reflecting her years of playing and coaching the game. Her hair is styled in natural curls, often pulled back into a ponytail during practices and games.

Her coaching style is energetic and motivational, emphasizing teamwork, discipline, and hard work. She wears comfortable athletic gear, usually a branded team hoodie and basketball shorts, paired with sneakers that allow her to move quickly on the court.

Off the court, she is known for her engaging personality and dedication to mentoring her players, instilling confidence and resilience in them. She often organizes community events to foster support for the team and promotes inclusivity and empowerment among young female athletes in the area. Her leadership is not just about winning games but also about building character and community.

“Well, guess who decided to join us.” Her coach said.

“Sorry, Coach. Talia.”

“Get into your uniform, alright, We starting soon.” She nodded and walked to the locker room.

“Let’s sit Steven,” Adrain said, walking him to the bleachers and they found a space to sit and watch.

“Why is basketball season so late? I thought It was in November. Where in March.”

“Her last game is tonight, Steven.”

“Oh, okay,” he said as he watched the game.

“THE AGOURA HILLS BLAZE WIN!” The commentator said, jumping from his seat. Steven smiled and clapped for her team.

Steven was now back home, he hopped out of the shower, went out, and looked around his bedroom.

The walls are painted in a vibrant red or adorned with posters of his favorite bands, and the NBA team — The Los Angeles LAKERS with his favorite player Kobe Bryant, some Justice League, and Captain America posters were also on the walls.

He also had a full-sized bed for sleepovers with Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo, often covered with a fun, themed bedspread. A desk was present, cluttered with school supplies and books.

The floor was strewn with toys, action figures, or sports gear, reflecting his hobbies. A bookshelf might showcase a mix of novels, comic books, and trophies from sports or other achievements.

Lighting could come from a bedside lamp shaped like a character — In this case, was Batman.

Steven pulled back the covers and slipped into them, it took him a while for him to fall asleep but, he did.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

A|N: Hi guys. I hope this chapter will make up for the last one I’ve posted. Sorry, it was so bad. But… Hopefully, this one will be better! Bye guys don’t forget to leave me a review!

#comment #like #repost #steven universe #steven quartz universe #rose quartz #greg universe #steven universe actors au #pearl #clarence wendle #jeff randell #ryan sumouski #ameythest

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