#happy new year! see you. tomorrow. because i have more art for tomorrow | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

amee-racle-ofmyown · 6 months ago

Note

Hey, Amee!! I hope you’re doing well <3

If by any chance you’re up to it, could you please write a fic about Heist Mark being super jealous of Yancy because he and Y/N clearly seem to be into each other?? I LOVE your art and writings and I couldn’t get this idea out of my head <3 (Obviously no pressure, though!)

I'm so happy to hear you enjoy my work, thank you🥺💖 and thank you for your request! it got me out of a terrible writer's block. on that note, sorry this took quite some time, I've been in a bit of a funk of on and off general creative block, and unable to finish any writing at all for even longer. this was a pretty fun challenge! I myself view Yancy platonically so I wasn't quite sure where to go with this initially, and I had to fight every urge to just make this heist mark x y/n dfsjsjsv. that said, it did end up being more heist mark-centric than maybe you intended? in which case, I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself😔 yancy is there but very briefly haha

Don't you tell me that you never even thought, 'maybe we could run'

2,603 words | Read on AO3

‘We're all gonna be rehearsing tomorrow so youse best get some sleep.’

You nod as you close the gate to yours and Mark's shared cell, stifling a yawn.

‘Goodnight, Yancy.’

You hold each other's gaze for a moment, before he turns and heads off, a tattooed hand over the back of his neck and a sweet smile still on his face. You watch as he disappears into the outer hallway and a guard appears to lock up your cell for the evening.

Your long-time accomplice and friend stands at the edge of your vision, arms folded.

‘Having fun with your new boyfriend, buddy?’ he asks, sounding unimpressed and slightly strained.

‘Oh, shush, Mark,’ you chide, but your stomach flips at the notion.

‘Yeah… Well, while you were busy playing Broadway,’ he glances to either side of the cell outside and continues in a lowered voice, ‘I've been hard at work hatching our escape. And I'm telling you, it's foolproof.’

‘Uh huh. As foolproof as your other three failed plans? I really don't wanna get thrown in solitary again.’

‘Please, that was one time! — and I don't see you bothering to come up with any ideas. Even though you pretty much got us into this mess.’

That accusation ticks you off, but you're quick to retaliate.

‘Are you seriously still hung up on that? How is this my fault? You couldn't fly a helicopter, why would you assume I can? You shouldn't have even presented it as an option!’

Your exclamation earns you a couple looks from other inmates slowly filing into their cells for the night.

‘Nevermind that now,’ Mark says, infuriatingly placatingly, ‘do you wanna hear the plan or not?’

The thread of uncertainty that you've been avoiding coils tight in your chest and you pause, wondering how to bring up what's been nagging at you for days.

‘Um, so, I've been thinking. What if… what if we don't try to escape?’

‘Ha ha. Funny joke, pal.’

‘I'm serious, Mark. We could just… stay here and wait out our sentence, if we play it safe we might even get our time reduced on good behaviour. We could be gone in like a decade. Or a few years! Maybe. Probably. Maybe.’ Wishful thinking, perhaps.

He scoffs, as if the idea isn't even worth considering.

‘There is no way you're genuinely telling me to just wait it out. Maybe you haven't noticed since you've been in la-la land lately, but we're not on vacation, we're in prison,’ Mark spouts, voice growing thick with agitation. ‘What was supposed to be the heist of a lifetime, would've set us up for decades to come, is still on the line! And we're on a bit of a time crunch here — I don't trust that warden guy one bit with the Box, or in general,’ he sneers. ‘I mean what kind of name is Murder-Slaughter? Ugh, do we even know for sure if he still has it?’

‘Yancy mentioned seeing it in his office the last time he was there, which was earlier today, so yeah, probably.’

‘Ugh, there you go again about Yancy. It's always Yancy this, Yancy that, blah blah blah, Yancy!’

‘Wh– I was just answering your question!’

‘Y'know what? I'm sick and tired of being the only one taking this seriously while you act like it's all a big party.’

He places a hand on his hip, the other poking a finger towards you as he speaks. It would be comical, if he wasn't acting like a jerk.

‘What's up with you?’

‘What's up with me? What's up with you? You seriously wanna stay in this— this shithole, ‘cause of what? Some pretty face you've known for all of like, less than two weeks??’

‘Oh my God, Mark, it's not that terrible, and Yancy is actually my friend, he's been nothing but welcoming and kind since we got here, and—’

‘Oh, did you forget that he tried to beat you up when you first met? Real interesting, how you let that little detail slip.’

‘We just got off on the wrong foot, he's really—’

It's then that you see it — something in the slight hunch in his gait, the furrow of his brow, his pursed lips and tense jaw — and you wonder why you hadn't noticed before. It's not just anger and frustration, it's something bitter and personal.

‘Mark… are you jealous?’

Bingo. His eyes only widen a sliver, for a fraction of a second, but you're so used to reading him that even the most imperceptible of reactions on his usually very expressive face have become familiar to you.

‘Psh. I'm not jealous.’

‘You so are jealous! Oh my god, you're super duper jealous,’ you say with a grin, revelling in this new information.

‘Shut up, why would I be jealous?’ he protests, trying to sound nonchalant. But it's too late. You've already seen through it.

‘Is that what this is about?’ you say with a laugh. ‘You just want my attention back or something?’

He stares blankly for a moment.

‘Are you serious right now? You actually think the only reason I'm mad is because some random dude just waltzes in and starts acting all buddy buddy with you and you fall head-over-heels,’ he jeers with his hands either side of his face, fluttering his eyelashes mockingly. ‘Hook, line and sinker.’

‘Mark��’

‘I mean, never mind your partner, right? You know, your best friend who you've known and worked with for years? Who cares what he thinks?!’

‘Mark, I—’

‘In fact, he can get punched through a wall for all you care! You won't even bat an eye, as long as there's a random spontaneous musical number immediately afterwards, it's all in good fun!’

‘Ok, that's not fair,’ you push back. ‘Of course I was worried! But I was also surrounded by violent criminals at the time, we've been over this!’

‘Oh, so they're “violent criminals” now? But they're simply “hurt, misunderstood souls” when it suits you?!’ he shoots back, making air quotes to emphasise his point.

‘They're people, Mark! They're allowed to be… multi-faceted!’

‘Lights out, everybody,’ comes a guard's voice, ringing through the hallway as it suddenly becomes dark, save for the glow of dim lamplight emanating from one or two of the other cells.

‘Whatever, let's just get some sleep,’ Mark grumbles under his breath.

‘You always do this!’ you whisper harshly, but inadvertently let the volume slip back into your voice as you feel your blood boil. ‘You try to cut things off and act like the “bigger person” just to get out of an argument that, newsflash, YOU'RE LOSING.’

‘Oh, whatever, what-f*cking-ever!’

‘You're being so damn overdramatic, Mark! It's not like I'm trying to break up our team.’

‘Yeah, well– well maybe we should!’

You don't know why it jolts you like a gunshot when he says it, but it does. His words, the force and resentment behind them, pierce you to your core. It stops any quick-fire response you had at the ready in its tracks.

Regret immediately flashes across his face, but he quickly attempts to cover it with a steely, hardened gaze. ‘Clearly, we want different things. So maybe it's for the best.’

‘Hey!’ one of the guards calls out from across the hall. ‘Lights out means quiet, you two. Don't make us separate you into different cells.’

With a frustrated huff, you reluctantly traipse off to bed, yours being the lower half of the bunk while Mark settles above you.

It really is a rather decent bed. The mattress is nothing special, but comfortable, and the soft blanket is accompanied by an oddly luxurious, fluffy pillow. Definitely above what you'd expect is probably average prison standards. Frankly, you don't know what Mark's problem is with this place. It's honestly not half bad. As far as you expect jails go, it surely could be a lot worse.

You lay back and let your breathing even out, trying your best to allow some of the bubbling anger to die down. Eventually, you hear the guards leave.

Time passes, it could be minutes or hours; it's not like the passage of time has felt right at all to you since that last heist.

It's silent, save for the sound of your breaths and Mark's above you. You're still upset with him, but the sound of him breathing nearby has always been oddly comforting. The two of you have had plenty of close calls as a pair — even times when you had to patch each other up after jobs that went particularly badly. If you got injured on a heist, you couldn't simply call an ambulance or show up at a hospital in an emergency and risk having your whole operation blown. That was simply the nature of your line of work.

At the worst of times, as long as you could hear those steady, even breaths, you could tell yourself he would pull through, and things would be fine.

You idly watch the mattress above you, letting the rhythm of your friend's breathing become a gentle white noise, and think.

You think about that heist and the Box. Ancient, coveted, mysterious. Sitting atop its perch in the museum vault, in all its glory and allure, practically asking to be stolen. The gleam of the gem encrusted in its surface. You wonder if the prize held within would be worth all of this, if you managed to get it back.

You think about Yancy, a little rough and a little troubled and not seeing much point in trying to kick old habits; but fun and soft and sensitive and full of remorse. You think about the feeling of your hand in his when you practise a routine with him, how his whole face lights up when he's excited or falls when he's sad or pensive. You think about how he has made this penitentiary into a home, and these inmates into a family.

You think about Mark. Silly, stupid, steadfast Mark, snarky and thoughtful and loyal. Who isn't actually as dumb as he lets on. Who is resourceful and quick-thinking when a plan needs to be formed. Who makes bad puns and trusts you whole-heartedly, and who always lets you decide which course of action to take, no matter how much he disagrees, simply due to his unwavering faith in you. Mark, your co-worker, your friend, your partner in crime. Who is maybe a little enamoured with you, despite you trying to ignore it. Who you half-heartedly agreed to go on a date with, not having it in you to turn him down, nor prepared for the guilt that would be eating away at you now.

You think about one of the first things he told you when you landed yourselves at Happy Trails: About how he doesn't belong here, but maybe you do. What if he were to leave and you were to stay? The thought breaks your heart a little.

Then, a whisper from above into the quiet, gently interrupting your thoughts.

‘Hey, you still awake?’

‘...Yeah.’

You hear his voice, soft-spoken, but clear enough that you can hear the sincerity laced into it.

‘I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so worked up.’

‘Yeah, I'm sorry too,’ you reply, matching his volume.

‘And I didn't mean it,’ he says, and you think you hear the slightest tremble in the statement, almost as if he's fighting tears, and for a second you wish you could see his face, ‘what I said before, about uh, splitting up. I know I joke about that kind of thing all the time, and not coming back for you… But you know I don't really mean it, right?’

You've certainly had your doubts in the past, but those moments seem so far away now; footnotes in a slowly unfolding tale, stepping stones on the journey the pair of you have taken together as you worked your way from theft to theft to get to this point. As much as you'd butt heads over the years, you could always count on each other and you always stuck together.

‘Right?’

‘Yeah, I know…’

‘...And, alright, your lack of interest in breaking out aside, maybe I am kinda jealous.’

‘Ha! I knew it.’

‘Yeah, yeah.’ He sighs. ‘It's just… it took us a while to be like we are now and yet, you're suddenly so close to him when it hasn't even been that long, it just doesn't feel fair. I dunno, it's stupid.’

‘Nah, I get it. I'm sorry if I made you feel left behind.

‘And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel pressured into something you're actually just not all that into.’

You feel a bit of tension leave your chest as a small smile appears on your face. ‘I appreciate that.’

In some ways you're grateful for the small bed separating you and preventing you from being face to face. You think it makes this easier for both of you.

‘I don't want to lose you, y'know? I mean, we're supposed to be partners. Ride or die, remember?’

‘Oh, Mark… You know I still trust you with my life…’ You pause, considering your words. ‘For the first time in ages, things feel a little more complicated than just being about us.’

A beat, then you hear him inhale, and he says your name, foregoing any of his usual nicknames.

‘...Are you… happy here? Does he make you happy?’

‘There's things I miss about freedom, sure, but it's not so bad here. And let's face it, our crimes were probably gonna catch up to us eventually, one way or another, right? And Yancy…’ You let out the smallest huff of laughter, smiling to yourself once again. ‘You're right, it hasn't been very long… There's just something about him, I guess. I know he might be a little much at times but I enjoy being around him, and he honestly seems like he wants to make up for things he's done in the past by being here. Maybe nothing will come of this but even so, in a weird way, he kind of makes me want to do better?’

Mark breathes a good-natured huff of laughter as well, and the two of you take a moment to muse on the irony of that sentiment.

‘I just– I can't handle being stuck here,’ he finally says. ‘But you're right, nothing I've tried so far has worked, anyway.’

‘Y'know… Yancy knows all the ins and outs of this place. He could probably help us if we wanted it.’

‘Do you want it?’

Do you want to leave or stay? The real question beneath it all.

You're quiet again, and it feels as if every possibility is laid out before you, only obscured.

‘I don't know,’ you say eventually. ‘I need more time to think. I just don't want you to think I'm making a choice between you or him, there's so many other things I need to consider. That we need to consider.’

‘That's fair… Just don't take too long, ok? Not like we can pause or rewind time, haha.’

‘Right… In the meantime, could you at least try to get along with Yancy and the others? You might like them if you give them a chance.’

‘... Fine, I'll try,’ he acquiesces.

You raise a hand to your mouth to cover a yawn. A far more comfortable silence falls over the room, and you start to feel sleep overtake you.

‘... Hey, Mark?’

‘Yeah?’

‘We're still partners.’

If nothing else, you hope this will reassure him.

‘...Ok. Sweet dreams, partner.’

42 notes · View notes

c00kietin · 1 year ago

Text

Since I probably won't be online as much tomorrow (December 25) for obvious reasons, I'll say this in advance and have it in queue for tomorrow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL WHO READS THIS AND TO ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! (ALSO HAVE A GREAT HANUKKAH IF YOU CELEBRATE IT!!)

I probably won't list off all of my followers (nothing personal, just takes too long for my little brain) but to the people that have interacted with me: (VERY LONG POST)

@godofautism / @godofautismnumber2 - you are one of my first followers, and even with how many followers you have, you still talk with me and I'm so grateful for that. You are an amazing, friendly and a very fun person, never forget it! <33

@ofthefrogs - YOU. ARE SO KIND!!!!!!!! your drawings are so sweet and wholesome and bring a smile to my face- you as a whole bring a smile to my face. As I'm writing this, it's also your birthday- so happy birthday! May both your birthday and Christmas be loads of fun! :D

@taperecorder-gizmo - my dear guardian. My parent. I think you already know how much I love you. That first time you drew me, with your sona holding an octobunny, I was ecstatic. I immediately showed my sister, and she can tell you I danced like a leprechaun. And even a more recent time, when you drew Roxie, that had me squealing like crazy! I could probably write a Bible-length book on how much I love ya and how much of an amazing person you are, but I have other mutuals to talk about. Thank you so much for your kindness and your incredible art skills, and I love you loads!

@trashyandtiredsol - you were one of the firsts to become "my biggest fan" (as in liking/reblogging a bunch of my stuff) and you still are! I love your art as well (I'm so lucky to be friends with so much artists!!!) and I am so grateful for every like and reblog you've done on my posts. Love you loads, and thank you so much for your kindness.

@allmightyscroll-swag - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/pos!!!! You helped me show my ocs to people other than my sister, and to be honest, now I love drawing them! Every response you make has me giddy with excitement and smiling like a madman. Know that you are amazing and kind like all of my moots and you are more than welcome to tag me in your art too if you want to! <<33

@chiperti - Hi!!! I know we haven't chatted in a while, but just know I do really like talking to you (especially bout music hehehe)!!! Your art is so pretty and amazing and seeing you post new art always makes me excited! You have a superb taste in music, and one of the many super cool people I've met on Tumblr.

@a-had-matter - Like chiperti, we may not have chatted in a while, but talking to you is loads of fun as well! You're also probably one of the first people that I've had a fully blown conversation with- you and many other people help me talk a lot more, and I'm grateful for that! Thank you so much for all your friendliness, your kindness, and also have a merry Christmas. :]

@glastly - I love your art. I love your art. I love your art. Have I told you how much I love your art? BECAUSE I LOVE YOUR ART!!!! Not only that, but I am so thankful to have you as a mutual of mine and your compliments make me feel AMAZING! You are super kind and amazing and cool and- Merry Christmas!! :D

@t3ddysramblings - technically your other is following me (@newaccountinbio)- BUT STILL! I'm tagging you because I adore your art so much and having you respond to that Fell Sans I drew a good while back had me bouncing off of the walls!! You are a huge inspiration for me, because I think you already know how stunning your art is!

@deltaswapjevil - Yes, you! Like Sol, you've liked almost all of my stuff, to which I applaud you, Thank you so much for the support, and I appreciate all of your kindness. May your Christmas be a great one! <33

@annelostshoe - First of all, love your sona! Second of all, you are also one of my biggest fans according to Tumblr- you've liked and reblogged so much of my stuff, and I am grateful for all the support you've given me! :DD

@lumashoes - HELLO!!! You are one of my first followers, and I'm glad you're still with me! You are a very kind and friendly person, and I'm thankful to have you as my moot! Have a great Christmas!! <33

@gummy-worms-in-my-brain - The fact that you're following me still makes me giddy so much asdfggfgdfsddfgfhg- your art is so SO pretty, and that first time that you drew those Christmas cookies for me, that had me kicking my feet and squealing like a little girl- a very excited one! Thank you so much for all your compliments and support, I appreciate your kindness dearly. :>

@mikebeanz - Hello!! Back when I was starting out and had like 20 followers, I noticed how a good few of them were following you, As you do, I followed you too and I silently loved your content- if that makes sense lol. You're so kind, so friendly, funny and an amazing artist, I was like "damn. I wanna talk to that guy". And the fact that we're mutuals now makes me so happy. Thank you so much for your positivity that brings a smile to my face. <<333

*cracks knuckles and gets prepared for more typing, questioning what the limit is*

@mikey-rottmnt @ghosty-0w0 @angelosorangebandana - hope yall don't mind being grouped into one- but IRISH SQUAD!!! you all are so fun to be with and I love being on Whiteboard with you! @mikey-rottmnt, that time that you drew me made me the happiest bean on EARTH!! It was also one of the first fanart pieces I recieved, and I still adore it!! Thank you all so much for your kindness and positivity, and I hope you receive amazing presents this year!! :DD

@mellybabbles - you. make. me. sso. SO HAPPY!!! Like, really. I mean it. Talking to you gives me that boost of happy vibes that keep me going throughout the day, and I thank you so much for those lil "how are yous". You are all the positive adjectives!! Also, spectacular taste in birds ya kiwi lover!!!! <333

@crazed-rambler - congrats on the burning!! Like many of your other followers have said, you are an amazingly kind and awesome person that we are so grateful to have you as a friend! Never forget how incredible you are, and just before you type something like "I don't think so", or "X for Doubt", DON'T. YOU ARE AMAZING. NEVER TELL YOURSELF OTHERWISE.

@moonys-chaos - another fan!! Thank you so very much for your likes and reblogs, and doing that "going to jail because of your search history with @mikey-rottmnt" with ya made me laugh my ass off- it was very fun to me hehe. You are very cool, and I wish you a wonderful Christmas. :3

@oneshortlove - *gives you a million hugs* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! I LOVE YA SO MUCH!!! YOUR KIND WORDS, YOUR DRAWINGS, AH-they make me so, so happy!!! Your sona is adorable, and you are one of the nicest, sweetest people I've met on this platform! I hope your Christmas is a brilliant one and you have a wonderful new year!!

@goomykazoomy - hi!!! I hope that you're doing well!! Like a-had-matter, talking to you has helped me crawl out of my shell and talk more about myself to other people. Chatting with you is a blast, you are incredibly kind, nice and funny, and I love your art! Also, your sona is so cute and I love em sm :3 Have an amazing Christmas, friend!

@artistheworld - I know we're new to each other, but I'm gonna mention you here because of how kind you've already been to me- I love your art so much and I adore every compliment you give me! Have a very merry Christmas!!

Okay I'm sorry that I'm grouping up some of all but my creative juices are beginning to run out lol-

@sillyallthetime @clownpalette @hiro-doodlez @paintaya @m-iivy- HELLO??? HOW ARE WE MOOTS?! LIKE- ALL OF YOUR ARTWORK IS SO PRETTY AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH- all of your art styles, your colours, I adore it all! Thank you guys so much for following me, It makes me feel so happy. <3

@kanaede-kun @artsandstoriesandstuff @wishtale-blogs @little-creecher @little-silly-things @it-came-from-mount-ebott @italic-does-random-shit @m3l0man14c @panda-of-the-trash @minophlia @largefound @lemonmint-the-neko @spikeygrrl @qeelovestea @holdmyteaplease @motherarts @justmesadlysry- Imma say it right now- we may not interact with each other a lot, but I platonically love yall. Like. Seriously. You are amazing people and I love your content, not to mention how kind you all are. I may have used that word a lot now, but I mean it every single time. @artsandstoriesandstuff, I want to thank you as well for drawing Roxie, for that made me squeal and giggle and smile and all sorts of happy things!! I hope all of your Christmases are wonderful and fun and that you may have a great 2024. <3333

AND NOW, TO MY FOLLOWERS THAT I MAY NOT HAVE MENTIONED ON MY LIST- c'mere. I appreciate you all. Every like and reblog you do, I can see it (which sounds creepy but I mean it in a positive way lol). I love and appreciate all of your support, really. Whether your content is art, talking or simply reblogs, I love you all and what you do, I am so lucky to have amazing people like you enjoying my content, and you all deserve the best. Pretend I'm handing you a fuzzy blanket and a plate of cookies, because that's what you deserve.

Silly Tumblr won't let me add more, so I am now done. Mic drop.

#*dies*#merry christmas #merry crisis #merry chrysler #not art #talking #long post #thank you all for an amazing year <33 #may next year be filled with love for all of you!

104 notes · View notes

longing4yesterday · 3 days ago

Text

a little note to end the year

warning, this post is kinda long and i ramble a lot. but i wanted to bookend this year with a bit of positivity <3

2024 was one of the roughest years of my life, as i'm sure it was for pretty much everyone. life hit the hardest and i'm still feeling it now as we go into 2025. my anxiety is through the roof, i'm exhausted all the time and feeling a bought of sickness unfortunately.

however, that doesn't mean this year was completely bad.

during the summer of this year, i was feeling aimless, confused and terrified for my future. i was job searching like there was no tomorrow and every day i felt my brain melting from all the applications i was filling out and meetings i was attending with staff that help alum after graduation. during this period of time, i was starting to notice that one of my (now) mutuals was starting to rb posts and art of this little known band (have you heard of them? probably not). as if linked through their mind, i began to take an interest in them and started investigating. now, here i am, 5ish months, 7 fics and 10 physically owned albums later. there's no shaking these silly guys, they're glued to me forever, an integral part of me that has shaped me into a different person entirely. all this from just a couple posts.

when i first dipped my toes here, i thought i was in for what i'd experienced before; pre-formed cliques that were tight knit and exclusive. essentially, i was worried i was going to be screaming into the void again. however, i was pleasantly surprised when i was greeted with the friendliest bunch of people i've ever met. their arms wide open and excited to see a new face at all. it surprised me, and it still surprises me now.

so thank you, all of you, for allowing me to blossom here <3

i'm not a social butterfly, i struggle to engage in conversation or even start it up. reaching out to people is scary and something i wanna work on more as we approach this new year. sometimes i worry people hate me, but i need to put that out of my head quickly because it's irrational, something else i'm doing my best to work on as well. so the fact that i've made friends at all is very special to me and i will be appreciative of those people for the rest of my life <3

so here's where i give a big list of thanks;

to those who've followed me since the beginning or are recent; i love you all and appreciate you immensely <3 thank you for enjoying my works whether it be drawn or written. i'm pushed to do my best every single day by you guys because i want to put out something that's not just my best, but enjoyable <3 also, i see those of you who regularly interact with my posts, i recognize your users every single time and am happy to see you guys in my notifs. thank you for sticking around, i assure you there's more to come! it's only just the beginning :)

to my mutuals; god i don't even know where to begin. you all are so special to me, even if you've only recently become a mutual. i consider each and every one of you my friends, even if we've hardly talked or not talked at all. i sent a few some letters on christmas eve to express my gratitude but just know that the sentiment extends to all of you. i love you guys so much. so from the bottom of my heart, thank you for existing and for making me feel welcome <3 i hope we can remain friends even if the hyperfixation fades out cause you're all so cool, funny, talented and amazing <3 and i hope to talk to you all more!!

some stick outs i wanna acknowledge;

green, my literal twin, for being the mutual that kicked off this hyperfixation in the first place <3 i've been following you for ages and i'm glad we're able to talk and be friends now. your art has inspired me in countless ways and the positivity you radiate is infectious. your encouragement when i was writing my first fic has stuck to me, i needed it and it pushed me to keep going even when i wanted to scrap it entirely. you're very beloved to me. thank you for being so kind always <3 a million hugs for you, i hope we get to meet some day and discuss mclennon in person. and of course talk more (sorry i suck at reaching out ; ; i really do wanna build a rapport of some sorts)

leo the beloved! your art always inspires me as well! thank you for being so sweet and lighting up every conversation we've ever had. i love talking about mclennison with you and the band in general. it always brightens my day to see you in my notifications <3 thank you for being so lovely and here's to hoping we get to talk even more!

owen, the other beloved! seeing you on the dash is like catching up with an old friend. i always smile whenever i see a post of yours pop up. thank you for being so sweet and funny <3 i hope you have an easier time at your job and life treats you kindly

abbi!!! love you to bits and pieces <33 your writing inspired me immensely when first starting out and still inspires me even now <3 i love seeing you on my dash, whether it be personal posts or gif sets or whatnot. thank you for everything :) i wish you all the luck and love this next year. hopefully you'll be able to write more poems!!

marq!!! such a sweet person with an incredible art style. i'm always excited to see your newest pieces!! talking with you lately about your dps au has been so fun and i've been spinning it in my brain for ages. i hope it either gets written or drawn out in some way soon!! the masses deserve to see it. thank you for being amazing, i hope we get to talk more in the future! <3

this year wasn't the best. it was really ugly, terrible and i haven't felt this bad since i was probably 18. but, at least i have you guys and these stupid goobers from the 60's. i wanna be kinder to myself and to others in 2025. i wanna get better at talking to people, build deeper connections and improve in areas that i've struggled in. those are the biggest "resolutions" i have. so here's to 2025. love you all, take care of yourselves and each other :)

love always, q

#thoughts #long post #here's to a survivable 2025 #i hope it's kinder to you guys and to me #love you all <3 #it’s not midnight here. not even close #but i wanna post this anyways

17 notes · View notes

imagineredwood · 11 months ago

Text

6. Strawberries 🍓

Summary: Just because you and Coco broke up, doesn’t mean you won’t have a Valentine. You son will make sure of that.

Pairing: Coco Cruz x female ex reader

Warnings: angst if you squint but also comfort, co parenting, breakup

Word count: 937

A/n: Dont know what it is about this trope but it just gets my feet kicking every time 😭 Took inspo from that fic I wrote a while ago about Coco and the readers son telling coco that mommy has a new ‘friend’ but made this one less toxic lol

Coco smiled as he watched his son messily spray the cool whip on top of his pancake, turning to face his dad with a proud smile.

“Look! Can you see it?”

Coco glanced down at the pancake, the cool whip placed in squiggles across the top.

“I can.”

“What is it??”

His son grinned wide, waiting for his dad to compliment his art, but Coco awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing what the hell it was supposed to be.

“It’s a…smile face?”

The boy’s smile faded some as he looked down at his pancake before looking back at Coco with confusion.

“No, it’s a sailboat.”

Coco nodded enthusiastically, his smile bright.

“Ah. I see it now. It’s beautiful, Mijo.”

The child’s grin returned again, too young to dwell on the face that Coco didn’t see a sailboat anywhere on that pancake. His focus was on something else now as he bounced on his feet, eyes pleading up at his father.

“Can I have strawberries too?”

Coco winced, knowing he didn’t have any in the fridge. He barely ever bought produce if he was being honest. He was getting into the habit of buying more veggies now that you had been leaving your son over for the weekends more recently. He had a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a half empty carton of blueberries that would be shriveling up any day now, but no strawberries.

“Sorry, kid. I don’t have any. I have blueberries though.”

He shrugged, smile still on his face.

“That’s ok. Blueberries are good too.”

Coco released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and went into the fridge to grab the berries.

“We can go shopping and get some once we finish eating. That sound ok?”

His son smiled and agreed, throwing in his own request.

“Yeah, and then we can get mommy a little teddy for Valentine’s Day! It’s tomorrow I think.”

Coco laughed and nodded, digging into his own pancake as he looked at his boy.

“It is, you’re right. You want to get mommy a teddy? What color?”

The carbon copy of Coco tilted his head back and forth as he chewed and thought.

“A white one. With a pink heart that says I love you.”

Coco smiled, knowing that your son loved you more than he loved anything else on the planet.

“I think that sounds great.”

“Me too. She doesn’t have a Valentine this year so I think that would make her happy.”

The light and fun energy dipped as a pang hit Coco’s chest. He didn’t let his son notice though, forcing his smile to stay right where it was. It was true. You hadn’t been with anyone since the split. Your focus had been on your son and work, no time for dating, at least that was what you had said. Valentine’s Day had always been one of your favorites and while it hadn’t really been Coco’s thing, he had indulged you every single one of the 6 years the two of you had been together. Your split had happened around 10 months ago now and while things were cordial and friendly, your interactions not regarding your son had been kept to a minimum. This would be the first time in years that you wouldn’t have a valentine and Coco was sure you wouldn’t be celebrating it seeing as you would be alone, this week Coco’s week. He decided then that he wouldn’t allow it and patted his hand gently on the counter.

“Hurry and finish up, then we’ll go to the store and buy a bunch of stuff for mommy, ok? We’ll surprise her tomorrow.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your brows furrowed as you heard the knock on your door. It was around noon, and you weren’t expecting anyone. You picked up your phone and touched the screen, no missed calls or texts. A soft knock sounded again, and you stood, wearily going to the door and pulling it open. Your apprehension evaporated as you saw the boys there hand in hand, a bouquet of red roses in Coco’s empty hand, a fluffy white teddy bear in your son’s. Your smile was ear to ear as you bent down, your son letting go of Coco’s hand to hug you tightly.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mommy!”

You laughed tearfully and hugged him to your chest tight.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby boy.”

You stood back up and took the bear as he held it up to you excitedly.

“Here! This is from me!”

You clutched the bear to your chest and pet it’s soft fur.

“I love it very much. Thank you.”

Eyes locking with Coco’s, he cleared his throat and held out the roses to you.

“And these are from me.”

You could feel yourself swoon, heart aching in your chest, Coco’s doing the same. You took the roses from his hand and held them to your nose, taking a deep breath.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful.”

For a moment, it was as if it was only the two of you there, eyes locked, longing and sorrowful. The breakup had been mutual, for the sake of safety, but that didn’t mean it was any easier to live with. Pushing the door open, you invited them both in, Coco carrying a grocery bag as well that your son quickly grabbed and shoved towards you excitedly.

“We also got strawberries! Daddy said we could make pancakes again but with strawberries this time.”

You grinned and happily took the carton of strawberries, not bothering to mention that you already had one in the fridge. These were a thousand times better already.”

General taglist

@piccasoe @ateliefloresdaprimavera @gemini0410 @woahitslucyylu @my-rosegold-soul @that-chick212 @everyhowlmarksthedead @glimmerglittergirl @fanaticfangurl21 @encounterthepast @svintsandghosts @starrynite7114 @destynelseclipsa @queenbeered @iamthegraham @emoengelfurleben @otomefromtheheart @rosieposie0624 @papa-geralt-of-cirilla @beeroses @weirdosandhopelessromantics @kola95 @black-repunzel99 @xonickibaby @cruzwalters @myakai13 @mrsstevenbuchananstark @lyly00 @kaystacks17 @cole-winchester @alexxavicry @savagemickey03 @fanfic-n-tabulous @gangstaliciou06

Mayans MC taglist

@dazzledamazon @abunnykisses @briana-mishell24 @wrcn9fvlcver @thesandbeneathmytoes @krysiewithak @appropriate-writers-name @blessedboo @megapeacelovemusic-blog @emoengelfurleben @blowmymbackout @abby-splace @kola95 @black-repunzel99 @redpoodlern @myakai13

@cruzwalters @danimals1096 @po3ticb3auty @lyly00 @im-just-a-mississippi-girl @angel-121 @fanfic-n-tabulous @90sisthenew80s @lovelytricia @librarian1002

#imagines #mayans mc #coco cruz x reader #coco cruz #dad!coco #valentines day drabble event #mayans imagine

124 notes · View notes

leeahqueen · 5 months ago

Text

Lee (Spending your Birthday)

The Gray Raven lounge returned to its former tranquility. I walked back to my room along the deserted corridor, and saw Lee waiting at the door.

Read: Noan | Lamia

Lee: Happy birthday, commandant.

It’s amazing. I can’t count how many times I said this blessing, but every time I celebrate your birthday, I still have a different feeling.

Unknowingly, I began to look forward to spending every birthday with you.

So, this year I prepared this gift.

He handed over a thick photo album, which seemed to contain at least dozens of photos.

Skk: Thank you. What is this?

Lee: Instead of me explaining this in words, it may be better for you to see it yourself.

Skk: (Open photo album)

Opening the photo album, the first page showed the photos of the Gray Raven, and everyone celebrating Christmas for the first time.

Nanami ran over from behind and hugged Liv, Lucia smiled beside her, and Lee stood behind and watched them quietly.

One the second page, it was New Year’s Eve, and everyone gathered together in the lounge of Gray Raven to make Spring Festival couplets.

As I scroll further down, there are more and more people, and the picture becomes more and more lively. But at every party, everyone will be photographed completely, and flipping through the photo album is like returning to those warm nights.

Skk: It turned out to be a photo collection. You took photos of every party.

Lee: Because I thought it might come in handy one day like it does now.

It is precisely because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow that we want to use various ways to preserve the memories we spend together.

Skk: I feel the same way as you. When you look through the photo album, memories from the past will gradually come back to you.

Lee: It seems like everything happened yesterday, right?

A faint smile that was difficult for outsiders to detect appeared on the blond construct's face.

Skk: Although I really like this photo and the memories in it... This photo album still has some insufficient for me.

Hearing this sentence, a rare hint of surprise appeared on Lee’s usually calm expression.

Lee: Insufficient? That’s...

Skk: There are no commemorative photo of me and you on this year’s birthday.

Lee: (Blush) Ah...

As if he had made a stupid mistake, Lee opened his mouth slightly and was so annoyed that he did not say the next sentence for a long time.

His expression was like a domino that had been carefully built for several days. When he was about to knock down the last card, he realized that he had forgotten to set the Easter egg at the end if the row.

However, his annoyance quickly dissipated, and he quickly took out an instant camera called a ‘Polaroid’ from the old days.

Lee: This is a camera I borrowed from the Art Association. I originally planned to wait the birthday party started before taking commemorative photos as usual.

But I discovered that there is no need to wait that long at all.

Skk: Indeed. Then let’s shoot now.

Lee: Um... the two of us....

Hmm... The two of us need to stand closer.

If you hold the camera like this, you should be able to get both of us in the viewfinder.

Lee walked up to the me, raised the camera slightly stiffly above his head, and focused the lens on the two of us.

Lee: Are you ready? Then...

Skk: Three?

Lee: Two, one--

Click.

The flash exploded instantly with bright electric sparks, freezing the moment forever.

The film outlet under the camera slowly split out a piece of film, and two figures slowly appeared on the pure white color layer.

After a while, the film was finally developed.

The smile of the two people was shrunk on the small piece of paper, looking warm and lively.

Lee: It seems like you are quite satisfied with this photo.

Skk: You took the photo very well.

Just as I was about to go and put the photo away, my arm was pulled by another force.

When I turned around, I saw that it was Lee holding me back.

Lee: Wait, since the commandant now has a photo, to be fair...

He shook the camera with a lot of film in his hand.

Lee: The commandant also needs to leave a photo for me.

Read: Noan | Lamia

#pgr lee #punishing gray raven #birthday

36 notes · View notes

detectivestucks · 9 months ago

Text

A Jealous Hokage XIII

18+ content, Minors do NOT interact

Pairing: Kakashi x F!Reader x Obito

Summery: You go on your first mission and come home to a loving Kakashi, he trains you before your next mission where reality sets in.

Warnings: NSFW, canon violence, fingering, oral sex

Word Count: 10.3k

Art Credit: @akirasukuna

A/n: Just realized this was my 50th fic. Fun fact, part 1 was my first.

Part 12 New here? Check out Part 1

You and Naruto leave the Hidden Sand after a successful negotiation. Naruto had noted how easy it was to sway the Sand’s counsel of advisors this time compared to others. Usually Gaara has to work harder to make negotiations reach an agreement but the elders were nothing short of appreciative words and submissive smiles when they found out your name. Apparently everyone on the council already knew who you were. You did your best to assume it was because of your work but you were terrified to know if they knew of you before or after the mess at the gala.

The entire ordeal was far more diplomatic than you were expecting and didn’t seem to garner a hint of danger. …leave it to Kakashi to find some loophole that makes you ‘active duty’ without being active.

It almost made you wonder why he was so hesitant to do this to begin with. It was barely dangerous. You doubt that Naruto has used a single jutsu in the past year if these are Kakashi’s missions for him. It almost seems like a waste of his talents. Except the kid is crazy likable and powerful enough that people who don’t like him still respect him.

Either way, you go as a group to look at the ruins and you make quick work of the translation. Much to the surprise of the Sand’s governing body and to the chagrin of their intelligence team, it takes you 4 days to work through all the tablets. Before you left, Gaara even asked to speak to you about a permanent position with his administration. As tempting as the offer was, you thought about Kakashi and Shiho and your cousin. You didn’t want to move far away from them like that.

“The Leaf is very lucky to have you. Of that I am certain.” Gaara says in reply to your rejection.

You shrug and give him a cocky smile saying, “Maybe tell them that sometime.”

Gaara gives a small chuckle, not entirely sure what you mean, but he makes sure to bring it up in his raven back to the Hokage thanking him for your visit.

–

Jumping tree to tree you notice how keen Naruto is to get back to the village. It makes you happy to see the boy’s eagerness to see Hinata. You wonder if Kakashi would’ve been that way had the two of you met sooner. Your mind starts to wander to Obito. He had once said how he’d teleport back home even during missions so he could be with you. You bet Obito would have the same look in his eyes that Naruto does.

The thought pangs you. The way Obito’s eyes soaked in your presence the last time you saw him. The love you feel from him with nothing more than a single look, it touches your soul. Part of you wishes he'd stop looking at you that way, the other part of you knows a little piece of you will die the day he does.

You shake the thought from your mind as you near the village gate. You’re home and ready to see the man you chose, the man you’ve been in love with from the start. Much to your surprise, Kakashi is actually at the village gate waiting for you.

“Angel.” he greets with relief laced through his voice. He instantly pulls you into a strong hug. Both arms are wrapped around your smaller form and you feel as if he might crush you from his strong hold.

“Hi baby.” you say in muffled tones. You could barely breathe let alone talk from the way Kakashi held you.

“Kakashi-sensei, do I have permission to turn in the report tomorrow.”

“Go home to Hinata. We can talk tomorrow.”

“Thanks Kakashi-sensei.”

Naruto’s face says it all. The boy is madly in love. Similar to the man holding you hostage at this very moment.

“Kashi, you didn’t have to be so worried. Everyone was very friendly. And Gaara is Naruto’s friend. There wasn’t any danger.” you whine.

“There’s always danger when I let you out of my sight.”

You think back to the event shortly before you left. Now it feels like a lifetime ago but maybe for Kakashi it was too soon. He did have the trial while you were out of the village. Perhaps for him this is all too fresh.

“Kashi, I’m fiiine.” You struggle to say as you reassure him. “And can you please stop crushing me? I can hardly breathe.”

Kakashi gives you one last harsh squeeze before loosening his grip and settling for just a hand around your waist. The two of you walk across the village to your home so you can shower and change into less sweaty clothes.

“How was your trip?”

“Very productive. I assume you already knew that though since Lord Kazekage sent a raven.”

Kakashi gives you a proud smile.

“Four days.” He says. You crack up at the implication. “I bet his translators were pissed.”

“Oh they were. They gave me death glares.”

“See? I told you it was dangerous.”

“Oh please.” You roll your eyes with a smile. “I think they all believe I’ll be responsible for their unemployment.”

“Ah, so you are thinking about the job offer.”

You study Kakashi’s face at this remark. He was joking but his eyes were dark with sadness.

“No, I wasn’t.” you correct him. “Did Gaara seriously tell you about that?”

“He asked me to have you reconsider.”

“Hey,” you coo as you lift your hand to brush his cheek, “I didn’t even consider it for a second. I don’t wanna leave the village.”

The worry on Kakashi’s face remains. “I’d think after everything that’s happened…”

You stop in the middle of the street and turn to face him. “I’m not leaving. I wanted a break, not a relocation. I’m happy with my new position. It makes me feel a lot better. Thank you.”

The puppy dog look in Kakashi’s face melts your heart. You had the man utterly wrapped around your finger. You weren’t sure you were comfortable with the influence you had over one of the most powerful men in the village. It could be dangerous if you are in the wrong mood.

You walk in comfortable silence the rest of the way home.

The second you are through your front door, Kakashi dotes over you. You walk in to find all your favorite takeout is already waiting in the fridge, fresh flowers are at the table, and he had all the fixings for a lovely soak in the tub waiting in your bathroom. Kakashi heats up your food and then moves to get your bath ready while you eat. You can’t remember a time you’d been pampered so much in your life and it has you worried that Kakashi did something wrong while you were away.

He comes out of your bathroom, his sleeves rolled up, rubbing the suds off of his forearms. He paces over to where you are sitting, happily slurping away at your noodles, and plants a wet kiss on your forehead.

“Your bath is ready my Angel.”

“Oh?”

His eyes twinkle down at you.

“Will you be joining me in said bath?” you ask as you walk your fingers up his shirt.

“Only if you agree to sit in my lap.” he whispers into the shell of your ear.

You close your eyes and hum at his sultry tone.

“Here” you say, trying to feed him some of your noodles with your chopsticks. “You’re gonna need your energy.”

Kakashi happily takes several bites, letting you share your supper as his hands wander under your shirt.

Once your noodles are gone the two of you practically sprint over to your bathroom, stripping as you go. He loves how even though you are much more muscular now, you’re still soft and pliable like you always were, just with some extra hidden strength below the tender flesh. He slips into the bath, holding out his hand to let you in. You sink down beneath the bubbles and lean against Kakashi’s hard chest. He somehow remains in exquisite shape even after taking an office job. You wonder how much training a Hokage goes through to stay sharp in the face of a true village threat. You allow yourself to settle against his warm milky skin and turn your head so that your ear rests on his heart. His arms wrap around your waist just under your chest.

You breathe deeply, taking a moment to appreciate the epsom salt relieving your muscles. You look around to the lavender candles lit along the rim, the purple bubbles filling the tub up to your shoulders, and listen to the soft music playing in the background. The man knew how to draw a bath.

You nestle into him a little deeper and feel his member stiffen a bit in the small of your back. You sleepily let the tiniest giggle slip out when you notice.

“You think it’s funny, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s funny.”

“You’re the one pushing against me.” he says as he draws shapes on your arm with his finger.

“I know.” you simper. “I can only imagine how your fangirls would feel if they found out I gave you a boner and didn’t do anything about it.” That thought really pulls at the corners of your lips.

Kakashi scoffs. “My fangirls…”

“I’m sure I could fuel their little fires for a year with that tidbit of information.”

“Don’t go telling anyone about your Hokage’s boners, now. Especially not my fangirls. That’s an order.” he punctuates with a playful kiss to your cheek.

You hum. Him giving you orders is very seductive and the mood this bath is putting you in has you pliable to suggestions.

“Why? Afraid of an international incident?”

“You might start one.” he jests, now kissing your neck. “What if my fangirl forms an alliance with a fangirl from another nation? I’m quite famous ya know.”

“Oh I’m well aware. Some girls from the Sand were asking me about you.”

That piece of information doesn’t sit well with Kakashi. He knows that he made a fool of you in front of the representatives of other nations at the gala. He also knows that’s part of why you were so furious with him. He wishes he could take it all back and never put you through that humiliation.

“Kashi,” you hush with gentle strokes along his forearm, “it’s okay. I’ve gotten over it. I forgive you.”

Kakashi lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding in.

“Since when do you forgive me?”

“Now that you’re letting me go on missions. It’s a lot easier to forgive when you feel at peace.”

“So you- you feel at peace?”

You sleepily nod against his chest.

Kakashi responds by cradling you protectively, relief flooding through his muscles.

“Word’s already spread that you’re doing international visits. I got three ravens while you were gone.”

“Oh?”

“One from the kazekage thanking us, one from the Hidden Waterfall, and one from the Hidden Stone.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“It is. You’re a powerful resource. But it also means you might be targeted.”

“How so? They’re gonna capture me to interpret a dusty scroll?” you laugh, “Let them.”

“Y/N, I’m serious.”

“Sorry.”

“The more of these visits you do, the more S class intel you know about various nations. Rouge shinobi will want to capture you for that knowledge. They will interrogate you and possibly torture you.”

“I guess I hadn’t thought about that.”

“That’s why I never entertained this idea before.”

You chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“You thought about sending me to other nations before?”

“Of course. My first week in office.”

You snort. “...knew it.”

Kakashi’s hand plays with yours. His thumb brushes your knuckle as you interlock and unlock your fingers with his.

“We’ve got to be at the training grounds early tomorrow.”

“We do?”

“Yes, I promised I’d train you.”

“Right…”

You nestle into Kakashi further, making sure to wiggle an extra amount down below, earning a grunt from the man.

“Y/n…” he warns

“What?” you pout with doe eyes, “I thought maybe I’d earn some extra credit by doing a pre-workout tonight.”

The wolfish glint in his eyes excites you. You feel him spring to life against your lower back and the lazy conversation you just had washes from your mind as your hormones replace it with thoughts of more engaging activities.

Kakashi raises a hand to your chin, turning your head and kissing your neck slowly. Your eyes close and you feel your entire body relax. His lips move slowly over your skin, allowing you to feel the gentle tickle of his soft lips and warm breath. You tilt your head out of his way, granting him further access.

He moves both hands to your waist, gripping you firmly and pulling you against him. You roll your hips backward providing him with friction while one of your hands reaches backwards to tug at his hair. One of Kakashi’s hands slides down between your legs, his fingers finding your clit and rubbing slow circles.

“Fuck Kashi…” you whisper

Kakashi hums into your neck, continuing his gentle strokes. You struggle to catch your breath and use your free hand to grasp your chest. Your fingers pressing into the fat of your breast, adding to the building sensation in your core.

Kakashi’s hand kneads the muscle on your hip as his other hand lowers, slipping two fingers into your folds. Your breath hitches with the insertion followed by a low moan. Teeth graze over your skin and goosebumps erupt all throughout your limbs.

Kakashi strokes his fingers in and out of you lazily, allowing you to bask in the feeling. He’d occasionally pull all the way out to rub a few circles around your nub before sinking back in, stealing your breath away completely. You tried to keep swirling your hips against him but soon you were unable to keep rhythm as his fingers distracted you from all thoughts and actions.

Enjoying how he threw you off your game, Kakashi shoves in a third finger, stretching you out. The bathwater began lapping at the edges of the tub as his hand quickened in and out of your hole. His fingers curl upwards to stroke where you like it most. Your feet push against the front of the tub, your legs stiffening from ecstasy. Your back pushes into his chest as you squirm in pleasure. The faster he stroked the more you moved causing the hand on your hip to grab around your waist and then ultimately grip you at your breast, your hand still cupping the other one.

“Going somewhere?” He taunted

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.” is all you could pant. Breathing out the words like a mantra. The hand that had a death grip on Kakashi’s silver mane found a new home clutching the rim of the bathtub as you braced for your impending orgasm. Your legs straightened against the tub, shoving you fully into Kakashi’s abdomen. He gives your chest one last squeeze before lowering the hand to whirl around your clit while he dug four digits into your straining cunt. He finger fucked you till your walls spasmed around his knuckles and chocked moans are all that mingled with the sounds of the splashing water.

Your eyes rolled back and your body went limp. Kakashi could feel how your walls trembled with aftershocks from your release. Your heart was beating heavily in contrast to the near lifeless state of the rest of you.

Kakashi chuckles into your ear. “Greedy girl, giving me a boner and then getting herself off. Tsk tsk.”

His voice was smooth as honey and his words made a wave of chills wash over you in the warm soapy bath water. Kakashi fed you his fingers before he used one to trace along your cheek and jaw bone, musing aloud, “I guess I’ll have to take care of this myself or risk getting blue balls. What a shame that I have such a selfish girlfriend.”

“Kashi…” you whisper, exhausted from both your mission and your orgasm

“Yes Angel?”

Too fucked out to form a sentance, you instead lazily turn around in the tub and push Kakashi’s legs together so your knees could rest on the outside of his hips. You prop yourself up on his chest and lay your head in the curve of his neck. You line up your entrance over his hardened length and slowly sit down. You hear him suck in as he sinks inside of your gummy walls. There is a slight twitch inside of you but you’re too tired to care. Instead you drift off, falling asleep and napping while cockwarming him inside of you.

Eventually you find yourself in your bed but you don’t have any recollection of how you got there. You’re dry with comfortable pajamas on and your boyfriend’s arms wrapped around you. It was quite blissful. If this is what being home from missions is like, then this is by far the best career move you’ve ever made.

*************************************************

The next morning, Kakashi decided against going to the training grounds and instead had you running up and down the stairs leading to the cliff above the great stone faces. While this was once a workout you relished in, you never had to do it so many times in a row and you were never expected to spar afterwards.

“Kakashi, we’ve been going at it for hours…” you pant, bent over with your hands perched on your knees.

“Wrong attitude.”

“Babe, I mean it” you say sternly, trying to communicate that you were at your limit.

Kakashi ignores your tone and only charges at you, forcing you to block several strikes with your forearms. You catch him smiling below his mask.

“It’s not funny” you grunt between blocks.

Kakashi’s slick fingers pull out a kunai as he continues his attacks. You can’t believe how relentless he’s being. You feel like you might collapse and he still chooses to pull out weapons.

Obito was harsh but Kakashi was down right dangerous. He backs you up to the cliff’s edge and you almost fall over. A gasp slips from your lips in fear. Kakashi feels the length in his pants twitch at the familiar sound. However he ignores it and keeps pushing forward till you fall off the side. You draw the last of your chakra to catch yourself before you plummet to the ground and what would have been certain death.

“You’re a mad man!” you shout up at him with every spare drop of energy you had.

All you hear is laughter coming from your boyfriend atop the cliff.

“Dick…” you grumble while you pull yourself back up to where he stood.

Exhausted and unable to stand, you crawl to his feet before falling over on your back, eyes closed as you face the sky. Kakashi continues to chuckle and you open one eye to glare at him.

“Something funny?”

“Oh nothing…”

That’s when you realize a tent is pitched in his pants. “Did you seriously get a boner from pushing me off a cliff?!”

Kakashi’s face blushes, small laughs still rocking his chest. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

“I hate you so much right now.”

Kakashi lowers himself to the ground, beginning to whisper in your ear as he hovers his body over yours.

“Sorry, you make your bedroom noises while you train. It’s quite distracting.”

If you could roll your eyes you would’ve, but instead you just lay there collecting your breath.

“Hmm, your lack of response is really quite concerning. Perhaps you need more motivation.”

You go to swat at him but instead he grabs you by the waist and throws you over his shoulder as if you were no more than a sack of potatoes, marching off to a wooded area with you like the spoils of war.

Once there was a little bit of privacy Kakashi sets you down against a tree, the trunk helping you sit up.

“Tsk tsk, still unresponsive. Maybe we should work on your breath control to improve your cardiovascular endurance.”

You give him a questioning look as a wicked smile stretches over his face. Oh no. You feel Kakashi fist your hair with one hand as he frees his hardened length with the other.

“Open.”

You look up at him pleading. You’re so exhausted, you can barely keep your eyes open let alone give head. He holds the base of his cock and lightly beats your cheek with it. “I said open slut.”

As you feel the weight of his girth strike you in the face you flinch but you comply, opening wide so he could stuff his salty member between your lips. Your eyes nearly close at his taste, your tongue instinctively tracing up the underside of his shaft.

“Good girl” he coos as his thumb brushes your cheek before both hands settle into your hair.

You relax your jaw and stick out your tongue as Kakashi strokes lazily into your mouth. His tip prods at the back of your throat, slipping all the way in before pulling out. Your tired breathing is interrupted by selfish pleasure. You cough around him still winded from before.

“Hmm” he hums disapprovingly. “Let’s try that again, shall we?”

He slides himself all the way in and holds you there. Your exhausted body begins to wake up, half heartedly pushing him off of you. He pulls back allowing you to pant and catch your breath.

“Again.”

He shoves himself back in, hands holding your head captive. You struggle and cough with him shoved all the way down but he just tauntingly slaps the side of your face with his hand before loosening his grip so you can breathe.

“I think the lesson’s starting to stick. Let’s try one more time.”

Your eyes look up at him begging for mercy but there’s none to be had in his lust-fogged mind, he buries himself in your throat again. Your head is pushed up against the tree’s bark, no way for you to get off of him.

You try inhaling but there is just no way for oxygen to get past his girth. Kakashi pinches your nose, shaking it side to side. The evil teasing is causing a surprising amount of wetness between your legs. He starts to stroke in and out of your mouth.

“You know, you never returned the favor last night. Maybe it’s time to remedy that.”

You’re dreading his words, knowing what they mean. Both of Kakashi’s hands grip your hair, threading his fingers through your locks as he widens his stance. “Relax your throat for me Angel.” Given how tired you were, you were barely capable of tensing up. You were so oxygen deprived that your chest was heaving and your mind was fuzzy but that didn’t stop the puddle of arousal forming in your underwear.

His fingers tighten and that’s your cue. Kakashi throws his hips into your mouth, fucking your face with reckless abandon. Wet ragged breaths are pulled down your windpipe between thrusts. Kakashi’s quick to cut off your air supply with his manhood. Your tired arms claw at his thighs making an appeal to be granted a breath. Gurgling sounds are all that are emitted from your mouth as he abuses your throat for his own pleasure. Your watery eyes look up at him but his head is lolled back, looking towards the treetops. More choked breaths lead to him twitching inside the column of your neck.

“Fffffuckk…” he grunts, his pace slowing down.

You feel hot cum spring out of him and travel down your throat. “Oh shit… Angel... Fuck.” He draws a breath through his teeth as he trusts in and out of you, emptying himself in your mouth. He finally withdraws and leans his forearm and head against the tree, holding his softening cock in his hand. You pant with your mouth open, tongue hanging out, the back of your head perched against the tree.

Once Kakashi catches his breath he tucks himself away and squats down next to you. One hand cupping your cheek, he releases you with the words, “I think that’s enough training for one day.”

You close your eyes and fall limp against his chest. “Thank gods.”

He chuckles as he holds you, brushing your hair and cradling you in his arms.

*************************************************

You were only home for three days before Kakashi caved and sent you on your next mission. During those remaining two days, Kakashi had you run drills with Naruto so you could get used to his fighting style and practice defensive formations that would allow you to escape while Naruto restrained and eliminated enemy nin.

At the end of the day, no matter how strong you might become, you could never compare to the power of an Uchiha susanoo like Obito and Sasuke or a tailed beast like Naruto and Kuruma. That was why Kakashi left the responsibility to Naruto to fight off the enemy single handedly while you ran for safety. He was not about to risk your life fighting when Naruto could do it for you and do it easily at that.

During these training sessions you became rather familiar with Naruto and grew to enjoy the boy quite a bit. He was turning out to be a fun teammate and even entertaining to fight with. Kakashi’d actually have to break a sweat when fighting him which you found endlessly humorous after he spent so much time beating up on you.

Inevitably though, the day came that Kakashi would be forced to say goodbye and send you off on another mission. This time you were to visit two villages before returning home. First you are headed to the Hidden Waterfall to interpret markings found on a cliff face. Then you are to make your way to the Hidden Stone to evaluate a set of scrolls that the village was too hesitant to transport to the Leaf. According to Kakashi, the Tsuchikage had been asking for the Hokage’s permission to have you look at these scrolls for quite some time.

You couldn’t help but notice how well respected you were by other nations. You also couldn’t help but contrast that to how you were being treated here at home. Doing your best to not dwell on the comparison, the thoughts still slip through and it causes a tightness in your chest.

—

Naruto and you leave the Hokage’s office bright and early that morning. Another goodbye riddled with emotions as Kakashi looks at you like it’s the last time he’ll ever see your face.

Once out of the familiar village your mind is able to focus. The mission was clear. Transcribe for the Waterfall then send a raven to the land of earth when you are on your way.

It was going to be a longer mission. Partly due to the amount of distance you’d have to travel but also because you were unsure how long each interpretation would take. The mission could easily turn into a two month project. That was a long time to be away. Especially for Naruto. You wondered about how Hinata felt about his long absence. Especially one with a questionable return date.

“Naruto?”

“Yeah?”

“How does Hinata feel about you always being away on missions?”

“Well back when she had missions of her own she didn’t mind at all. Sometimes we even had missions together.”

“Aww, that’s sweet”

“But now that we’re thinking of trying for a baby, I know she misses me.”

“You’re…congratulations!”

“What for?”

“Trying for a kid is a big deal!”

“Is it? Well gosh. Thanks I guess!” he says with a nervous scratch to his head. You feel a sudden wave of guilt wash over your mood as you contemplate how Kakashi is risking Naruto’s dream of having a family to save your skin. What a sacrifice for him to make all over a small possibility of someone trying to abduct you over some silly language skills and intel you may discover in the process. Before he was doing normal diplomatic visits. No risk involved whatsoever and now…the way Kakashi made it sound had you nervous.

Your thoughts are broken by the sound of your name.

“-huh?”

“I said, why did you ask?”

“O-oh, cause Kakashi seems to be struggling with my absence. And well, he went on missions for a long time. So he should understand this lifestyle better than any other boyfriend I could have-”

“Maybe that’s what’s making him nervous. He knows how often we come home by some stroke of luck or by the skin of our teeth, ya know?”

“But, I have you. How could he question if I’m gonna make it home?”

“Kakashi-sensei knew me when I was nothing more than a hard headed kid. He might not view me the same as the rest of the village.”

You chuckle remembering how crazy he used to be. Kakashi had shown you his official ninja ID photo just yesterday.

“What?”

“Did you know your file still has that crazy photo of you with red and white paint?”

“It does?! Aww man!”

You laugh and shake your head. “Thank you Naruto.”

“What for?”

“For protecting me. And for being the reason why Kakashi is letting me do this. I needed this…more than you might now.”

Naruto did know. He knew exactly how the village turned on you when they found out you had been secretly seeing the Hokage. Not to mention the events the day before you were assigned to him. He wasn’t going to say anything but he could imagine just how much you needed a break from the Leaf after all of that. He remembers when there was a time he needed a break from it too.

“...You’re welcome.”

You smile to yourself and continue your travels to the Hidden Waterfall in comfortable silence.

*************************************************

The Hidden Waterfall was even more beautiful than you expected. Both the landscape and the people were gorgeous. You felt like you entered a fairy tale while you were there. The hieroglyphics you were tasked with deciphering were etched into the side of the cliff by one of the waterfalls. It was a harrowing climb and the job was definitely not for the faint of heart. You suddenly became grateful that Kakashi shoved you off a cliff during your last training session but like hell you were ever going to tell him that. Despite the bodily exhaustion of getting to the engravings, the actual symbols themselves weren’t too far off from a dead language you had learned for fun a couple years back.

Your first visit to the site, you were accompanied by the village leader, an archaeologist, and two linguists with Naruto serving as your chaperone. However, once you got to work and they saw how quickly you began stringing the pieces together, the next day there was an extra person watching you. Then the next day there were three new faces, and by the fourth day you had to express your discomfort because a total of 12 additional strangers had come to stare at you as you clung to the side of a cliff trying to wraith and decode simultaneously.

On the fifth day you had written down all the symbols on a scroll along with your initial thoughts of the translation so you didn’t need to climb back up again. When you started trying to blend the message together, you found that some parts of the cliff didn’t weather so well and the symbols must have been distorted with time. Being the perfectionist you were, you drew what you believed the original shape was and worked till the meaning made sense.

To your great surprise, the cliff held clues towards a secret hidden power within the city’s walls. Something similar to the secret star in the Hidden Star Village.

This must be the kind of thing Kakashi was worried about me learning.

“People will already notice you because you are beautiful. They will pretend that is why they are staring at you. Pile on that you are a genius, the hokage’s girlfriend, and the amount of village secrets you know and it’s a recipe for abduction.” Kakashi’s words of warning run in your mind.

All those people. What was their motive for watching you? Cause you were the pretty girlfriend of the hokage, or because they were impressed with your skills? Were they interested in what you were doing or were they observing with nefarious intent?

Either way, you were relieved that the head of the village was respectful of your wish to be alone. He would not allow you to be completely alone, of course. He needed to make sure you didn’t make a copy of the translation for yourself or a copy to sell to other nations. But he was very polite in the way that he asked to sort through your belongings at the end of your stay and you made certain to assure him that you understood his intentions.

Ever grateful for your help, they sent you off on your journey with copious amounts of rations and per Naruto’s request, provided several packs of instant ramen. Many people involved in the project waited at the village entrance to waive you off as you left. You felt like a small celebrity as you reentered the forest.

“Is this how you feel all the time?”

“What’d you mean?”

“Everyone recognizing you and waving at you as if you know them.”

“Well…I guess sometimes, yeah.”

“Does it ever bother you?’

“No. There was a time where everyone knew me but they either ignored me or gave me looks of hate. I’m much happier knowing no one thinks of me like that anymore.”

The boy once more tugging at your heartstrings. Naruto was just so wholesome, it was impossible not to like him. No wonder Kakashi used him for all his diplomatic dealings.

As you smile at Naruto, you notice his face drop into a stern expression. He peered over his shoulder, nodded, and then looked forward again.

“What was that for?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I saw that”

“Saw what?”

“Saw you nod at something- or someone. Is someone there?”

“No, I just thought there was.”

You didn’t appreciate how Naruto brushed you off like you were stupid. He had just watched you bring an entire village to marvel at your intelligence. Clearly you were smart, so what was with playing coy?

What you didn’t realize is that Naruto sensed familiar chakra. A certain Uchiha to be exact. The worried aura appeared suddenly and as Naruto glanced over, his suspicions were confirmed. Obito had teleported over to see how you were doing. Naruto gave him a reassuring nod to which the Uchiha nodded back. It wasn’t the first time Obito had checked in on you nor would it be the last. The idea of you being so far from his protection was extremely distracting and though he had fought side by side with Naruto and knew his strength, he was still haunted with worry after he wasn’t there to protect you from Aoto’s attack weeks prior. So even if it was in secret, he'll pop in and check on you, just for his own peace of mind.

*************************************************

At last you made it to the Stone and to your great surprise, you were greeted with a small entourage and a young woman.

“Hello, Y/N I take it.”

“I, uh, yes. I’m sorry, who are you?”

“I’m Kurotsuchi, the fourth Tsuchikage.”

“Oh!” You immediately bow, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I was expecting an old man.”

“You mean my grandfather!”

She laughs and puts her arm on your shoulder signaling for you to stand up.

“It’s okay, how would you know? You were pretty distracted the first time we met.”

“We’ve met?”

She bursts out roaring, almost making herself cry. You weren’t a fan of being kept in the dark so you stood there growing in frustration till she explained that you had met the same night that Kakashi blew up an entire street fighting with his best friend.

The blush that took over your cheeks is so bright it can easily be confused with a sunburn.

Kurotsuchi clutches her side, “Oh,” she wheezes “I don’t think Kakashi will ever live that one down.” Your blush now growing to your ears, you wished you could’ve dealt with the old man. You doubt he would’ve cared about idle gossip as much as his granddaughter did. You quickly clear your throat to cut her off.

“So I understand I was summoned to look at a set of scrolls?”

The tsuchikage calms herself before clearing her throat like you, “Yes, we’ve been holding on to these for quite awhile. Please follow me.”

You follow her though the village, several armed guards convoy after the three of you.

“I apologize for all the security. We’ve been concerned about these scrolls for quite some time and we need to make sure you are protected while you’re here.”

“Thank you. I’m sure Kakashi would appreciate it.”

“They are also here to guard the scrolls from you.” You’re left a little stunned into silence. “While we cannot help what you will learn in this process, you will not be permitted to write anything down and take it outside of the secured area.”

You exhale as you comprehend. “Oh, no worries. I handle classified information all the time. I understand.”

She leads you to the village headquarters and through several doors that are locked with both ID cards and chakra signatures. You walk through windowless corridors and realize though the intel is likely just as precious to the village, it is a very different environment from your visits to the Sand and Waterfall. You couldn’t help but notice how much more severe the people of the stone were. They were quick to laugh but equally quick to scowl.

Your eyes continue to wander around and your appreciation for Naruto’s company grew. You would never want to be behind so many locks and doors without an ally on the inside. Eventually you come to the end of a hallway and are asked to raise your hand. You comply and see a chakra force field materialize. Kurotsuchi weaves signs and then pushes your hand into the force. You feel a warmth tingle against your palm till suddenly your arm falls through. She pulls you through but you stop halfway across the threshold.

“What about Naruto?”

“He can guard from the outside.”

“No.”

“Did you just say no?”

“I’m not going anywhere without him. Kakashi’s orders.”

“These are classified village secrets. You’re in no position to determine who does and does not have access to this room.”

“And I am a world-class mind. You’ve been holding onto these scrolls for a year looking for someone who can interpret them. I know what value I bring and so does my Hokage. Hence why he sent me with a jinchuriki bodyguard. I am not going to put myself in a more compromising situation than I already am by being a foreigner in a distant village. Either he enters with me or we leave.”

You see her face twist in anger.

“If you need to discuss it with your village elders, we can wait.”

She begins to chew on her bottom lip in thought before she nods and gestures for Naruto to put his hand on the chakra barrier.

You both step through and enter one final door before you are greeted with a floor to ceiling bookcase of scrolls.

“Wow” you whisper, barely audible as you gawk at how much work awaits you.

“May I?” you ask, turning towards Lady Fourth.

She gestures for you to move towards the scrolls. You stride up to the shelves and grab one at eye level. You unfurl the paper and scan down the old parchment. The symbols looked familiar but also very strange. You wished you were at home where you had several textbooks that you could use as reference but alas they were too far away.

“How many are there?”

“One hundred and twenty three. We wondered if it was an intentional amount.”

Naruto lets out a small groan, surely distraught at the idea of missing Hinata’s ovulation window.

“Why didn’t you warn us that this was going to be a lengthy job?”

“The less information the better.”

“I disagree. Having adequate expectations and perhaps an idea of what resources from home I might need would’ve sped up this project. It could be entirely possible that we will have to return home before I’m done.”

“Are you saying you can’t do it?”

“I can, but if I had a small sample of this writing, there would’ve been a couple textbooks I would’ve brought for references.” You purse your lips together in thought. “I’ll do what I can. If I get stuck we will have to come back for a second visit.”

While Kurotsuchi didn’t seem pleased about your answer, she didn’t seem displeased either so she left two guards in the room with you and Naruto and made her departure.

“Oh, and by the way, we will provide for all your needs while you're here. You just have to promise to stay within the main part of the village where my Anbu can see you at all times.”

“Understood, Thank you Lady Tsuchikage.”

You turn back to the scroll in your hand. “Naruto, I’ll do my best to make this quick. I won’t keep Hinata waiting.”

“Thank you Y/N, but don’t worry about me. There’s always next month.”

“Here, grab the scrolls on the top shelf for me. I’m gonna need to see if there is a numbering system. Maybe I can put them in order.”

Fortunately for you, the numerals used in the language of the scrolls weren't too archaic and you figured them out without reference but the language of the scrolls themselves was perplexing. They could almost be read in three different languages but none of the sentences made sense when read as any of them. You were really wishing you had your textbook. The one in your office in the bottom drawer of your desk. Why didn’t you just think to pack it just in case?

You turn to one of the guards feeling a headache coming on. “May I take a walk outside? I need to clear my mind.”

They bow and lead you through all the barriers and doors, bringing you up to the front of headquarters. The final rays of sunlight can be seen through the glass doors. Naruto follows your lead and steps outside with you. The sun’s fading light causes you to realize you’ve neglected your needs the entire day. Soon you hear Naruto’s stomach call for food.

“Let’s get something to eat.”

“Thanks.” He said with a grateful smile. The two of you head off to a local ramen shop, not feeling adventurous about your food choice. Naruto stuffs himself then heads to the bathroom, leaving you alone at the table. You pay the bill with the money left by the tsuchikage and decide to wait outside in the sweet smell of dusk.

Something about the way the fresh air fills your nose and the falling darkness of night comforts your mind, brings you peace. That is until a heavy hand lands on your shoulder frightening you. You spin around, ready to attack.

“Princess, relax! It’s me!”

“Obito?!?!”

Your fear quickly melts to relief as you jump into the man’s arms. He holds onto you like a precious treasure.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was worried so I decided to check in.”

“Did Kakashi send you?”

“No, he thinks I’m still on my mission.”

“Are you still on your mission?”

“Technically, yes.”

You let out a little giggle. You missed him more than you realized. Your arms restrict around his upper body in an impossibly tight hug. Obito hugged you back and spun you around like you were weightless. Setting you down where he first startled you.

“Wait, Obito, I just had an idea.”

“What is it Princess?”

“This assignment, it’s going to be long. Like really long. But I think I have a textbook in my office that could help me figure out the language. Would you Kamui back to my office and bring it to me?”

“Kakashi would know I’ve been visiting you then.”

“Is that a problem?…aside from the fact that you’re supposed to be on your own mission.”

“Well he specifically didn’t want me checking in on you.”

You hum, “I’m surprised. I’d think he’d want reassurance that I was alright.”

“He’s insecure about our relationship.”

You don’t respond. If the roles were reversed you’d feel insecure too.

“But I’m sure Shiho will keep quiet for me.”

Your eyes light up at this. “Really?! It would make the translation go so much faster.”

“Sure. I can’t say no to you.” His face softens significantly as he stares down at you. It warms your heart to look at him. He was too good for your silly love triangle. He deserved better. He should be someone’s first and only choice. Why did he choose to love you?

“It’s the biggest book in the bottom drawer of my desk. You can’t miss it.”

“Care to tell me the title at least?”

This brings a small laugh to your lips. “I could but it’s in a language you don’t understand so I doubt you’ll remember it.”

“Odjebi”

You gasp at his profanity pretending to be insulted before you break into a smile.

“You remembered!!”

“Of course I remembered. I remember everything you tell me.”

“Aww Obi”

“Stop swooning I just told you to fuck off”

You giggle and wonder how many of the curse words you taught him that night he still knew.

“Still doesn’t mean you’ll remember the book title. Just ask Shiho if she’s there cause if anyone moved it, it would’ve been her.”

“Fine” he grumbles. “I’ll be right back.”

In a blink he swirls away, leaving you alone once more, just outside the noodle shop. You can’t help but think Naruto must be having a terrible time on the toilet if he’s taking this long. You wonder if he hadn’t relieved himself in a while. Fortunately you don’t continue musing on this thread much longer as Obito reappears in front of you holding one massive textbook.

“You weren’t kidding when you said I couldn’t miss it.”

“Thank you!” you say as the weight of the pages is transferred into your arms. “Anyone see you?”

“Nope.”

“You’re the king of sneaking around.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“And I never plan to.” you say with a curt nod. Obito only smirks at your response.

“Stay safe, Princess.”

“Same to you Obi.”

Before he goes, he wraps his arms around you and kisses the top of your head. “I’m proud of you, miss hot-shot interpreter.”

You sink into his chest. He really does give the best hugs. “Thanks Obi but you’re embarrassing me.”

“Oh I embarrass you huh? Should I make a scene?”

“Obi!” you shove him off to which he laughs with a jolly and boisterous chuckle. “I’ll see you back at the village.”

“Not if I see you first.”

“Gonna keep spying on me then, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

Your face softens into a grin. “Niiiight!” you sing at him

“Night Princess.” and with a twinkle in his eye you watch him vanish.

Holding the text to your chest, you wait for Naruto while the warmth of seeing Obito fills your weary mind.

“There you are, Y/N. What’re you doing out here?”

“Hm? Oh, just enjoying being outside. We’re going to be indoors a lot over the next couple weeks. I wanted to say goodbye to the sun.” You finish the last sentence in a dramatic fashion earning a chortle from the golden haired boy.

“Hey, uh, Y/N?”

“Hmm?”

“Where, uh, where did you get that book?”

“Oh! I un-” Should you tell Naruto about Obito? “I-I bought it from a shop nearby.”

You weren’t sure if lying to Naruto was the right thing to do but you also weren’t sure how he would feel about Obito following you. He would be loyal to Kakashi for sure but how would that loyalty manifest?

“Is it gonna help you with the scrolls?”

“Very much, yes.” you beam.

The two of you turn towards your lodgings and head back for the night. You had weeks worth of work to get to in the morning.

*************************************************

You did your best to go through all the scrolls in a timely manner. The first one took the longest, about two days to work all the way through. But by the fourth scroll you got the hang of the language. Naruto’s eyes widened as he watched you graze through the fifth scroll.

“How’d you do that one so fast?”

“I don’t know. It just kinda made sense.”

“But you read that like it was in Japanese.”

“That’s how it is for me. Languages are easy. Once I get it, I’m fluent.”

“Woah. No wonder Kakashi-Sensei likes you. You’re even smarter than he is”

“Be sure to tell him that for me.”

He sniggers at you.

Now that you have the hang of the language you are able to run through the scrolls at a substantial pace. You could decipher about 7 of them in a day. Your speed was so fast in fact that there was quite a bit of buzz coming from the Anbu who were aware of your reason for being in the village with the infamous Naruto.

Of course you’d draw attention wherever you went. The kid was one of the most famous ninja in history. Plus you still gained quite a few stares for being the significant other of the Leaf’s Hokage. It was impossible for the Tsuchikage to hide your presence in the village which only made concealing your reason for being in there that much more of a challenge. You only hoped that all the paparazzi that followed you around were there for celebrity reasons and nothing more.

Kurotsuchi ensured you always had Black Ops over your shoulder but they didn’t make you feel nearly as safe as Kakashi’s student did. For all you knew, the Black Ops were ordered to eliminate you as soon as you were done. You were sure the Tsuchikage had thought about it. If she had any real clue what the scrolls were about then it was definitely a possibility. They told of a hidden weapon within the Land of Earth, in a remote part. If it were to fall into enemy hands, it could destroy the village and all surrounding areas. But this weapon also could put a target on their backs. Other nations might conspire against them to ensure it is never used.

You had contemplated if you should be sharing the intel with Kakashi. Maybe during a time of war but not during a time of peace. At least that’s what you tell yourself.

The scrolls were fascinating to say the least. They told the story of why the weapon was created and how it was developed. Along with all the instructions on how to use it and ways it was used before. There was so much history and culture embedded in the text. You were certain that historians, intel officers, and shinobi captains were anxiously waiting for you to finish. After only 19 days from start to finish, every scroll was transcribed and put back on the bookshelf in order. You stand before the reorganized bookshelf internally patting yourself on the back. You hold the stack of parchment containing your translations in your hands. That is when Kurotsuchi pulls you into her office for a debriefing.

“I have to say. I am incredibly impressed with how quickly you completed all one hundred and twenty three scrolls. The rumors about you do not do your work justice.” She speaks as she leaves through the pages of your handwriting. “Now our alliance with the Leaf is still somewhat new. While we couldn’t have done this without you, and believe me we tried, we still would like to ask you not to share what you’ve learned with anyone else.”

“Understood.”

“My men have told me you didn’t share your findings with Naruto. Why is that?”

“Yes, well you didn’t want him in the room so clearly you don’t want him knowing what the scrolls said.”

“This is true.”

“Like I said, this is an S rank mission and I am quite familiar with S class intel. It’s a little unusual keeping the information away from my comrades, but if this is the kind of thing I am going to be doing, I should show respect to every village I visit.”

“That is appreciated.”

“Please note, if you ever try to use the information from my translation to hurt the Leaf, that is where my loyalty ends.”

“I understand. But I must warn you in turn, if it is discovered that you share the information you learned during your time here, my Black Ops will be after you.”

“I expect them to.”

“So we understand each other?”

“We understand each other.”

“Then you are free to go. Please share my gratitude with your Hokage”

“Will do my Lady.” you say with a bow.

You open the door to let Naruto come in and say his goodbyes. He and Kurotsuchi are friends and fought together in the recent war. They laugh together before parting. The both of you making your way to the village border and soon you and Naruto are back on the road. This time headed home.

Home.

You hadn’t been there in so long. It had been over a month. You were anxious to see Kakashi and tell him all you could about your travels. The beautiful Hidden Waterfall, the strange Hidden Stone, the people who followed you around and asked for your autograph. How proud you were of yourself for deciphering both projects in record time. Though you were a confident woman, you still really appreciated the validation from others.

You and Naruto are gifted food from some of the villagers you had come to know over the past few weeks. Naruto couldn’t help the look in his gluttonous eyes as the boxed lunches were handed over to you. You stored some in a sealing scroll and the rest you shoved in your pack.

You traveled the majority of the day but stopped eary. Choosing to make camp around supper time when you grew hungry. You pull out the meals from you backpack and begin to eat, Naruto wolfing his down like a teenager. You smiled and shook your head at his unrefined behavior.

“You know you’re gonna give yourself a stomach ache like that.”

The boy shrugged but sure enough, thirty minutes later he disappeared to use the bathroom. Naruto always put a lot of distance between himself and you when he needed to ‘go’ on the road. You decided to lay out the tent and your sleeping mats, even crawling in yours though it was not yet time for sleep.

You heard twigs snapping underfoot.

“Wow, that was shockingly fast! You ready to turn in?”

Instead of hearing the familiar voice of your teammate a shuriken slices through the wall of your tent.

You panic and immediately slip out of your sleeping bag. You slip your hands into your tactical pouch and pull out two kunai ready to defend yourself. When you run out of the tent you see them standing in the trees. One rogue Stone Black Op and eight rogue shinobi. What made it worse is that you knew them. All of them. The Anbu man was the main guard who stayed in the room with you. The very one who complimented your talent and walked around the village with you the most. A few of them were people who you noticed following you and made you uncomfortable. But four of them, the last four were shinobi who had helped you out throughout your stay in the village. One of them was the one who had given you the rations…shit, what if they poisoned Naruto?!

You come to terms with the realization that you will likely fight this battle alone. You know as soon as you scream for help you will be forced to start fighting. So before engaging, you center yourself and draw a deep breath.

“NARUTO!!!!!!!”

The name barely passes your lips before the first knife is thrown. You run to the side of the clearing, putting the men in front of you rather than surrounding you and weave the signs for Mind Confusion. All nine men fall to their knees clutching the sides of their faces with their hands. Some of them fight against the swirling feeling you stirred inside of their brains.

You run up to the ones who begin to stand back up and pool your chakra in your fist before punching them in the back of the head, successfully knocking them unconscious.

Two down.

You do it again, bringing them to their knees with your jutsu and knocking them out with a heavy blow to the back of their heads.

Threes more, that makes five.

You head to the sixth shinobi who begins to rise but he throws a shuriken at you and you have to backflip away to dodge the blade. You begin to weave signs again but three of them round on you to begin hand to hand combat so that you are denied the opportunity to weave signs again. Fuck.

You hold your own against the three, oftentimes dodging their attacks so that they hit each other, letting them do the work of fighting for you. However soon the fourth remaining attacker tries to restrain you.

“Come ‘ere pretty girl. I don’t bite…hard.”

You glare at him and channel your chakra for another punch. This time directed at the attacker’s mouth.

“Aww, seems she didn’t like that Botan. Better luck next time.”

“Yeah, sorry Botan, you just got your jaw broken by a girl.”

There is a round of laughter among the group. You were in the fight of you life and these fuckers were laughing. It killed you knowing you were no match for all these men but Naruto could wipe them out in ten seconds. You needed Naruto. Where is he? Is he okay?

Your anger helped you command your chakra and you were able to land blows on two more of them but still all four conscious men were able to continue the fight. You tried, you really did but you were taking on four targets at once, one of whom was a member of the Stone’s Anbu. You struggled to free your hands. If you could use Mind Transfer on him, then maybe you could use him to fight his comrades. But even as the thought entered your mind you were slammed against a tree by that very Anbu.

“Sorry sweetheart, but you know too much. Maybe the Tsuchikage was willing to let you live but I’m not so trusting.”

“I wouldn’t share village intel. I have no need for it.”

“Maybe you don’t but we do.”

“Hey, didn’t she go to the Hidden Waterfall on her way here? Maybe we should find out what she knows before we kill her.”

“Shut it Koko! I’m in charge here.”

“I’m just saying… Plus it’d be a shame to put such a pretty face to waste.”

You see how the man currently holding a knife to your neck eyes you. He pushes himself against you and you know you’ve lost. Your mind is a swirling mess of fear, worry for Naruto, and flashbacks to the bathroom at headquarters. Strength you didn’t know you had exuded from your body and you begin to push the shinobi back but then two more come to his aid, restraining you against the tree.

Suddenly a blue giant appears before you, so massive that all you can truly see is its foot. Then following a crack of thunder all the men around you are beheaded. It happens in an instant. You blink several times as your mind registers the bodies falling limp at your feet. Blood gushing from their necks as their hearts pump their final beats. Your entire face, chest, and arms are drenched in blood from the severed bodies that once restrained you yet now lay heavy against the ground.

You look up at the garganchuan and realize it was Obito’s susanoo. Tears burst forth from your eyes as your mind registers what happened. You’re safe…Obito saved you. He relinquished his susanoo and returns to the ground. You run to him as he marches towards you. But before you can hug him he grabs your wrist, snatching you into his void.

“Obi wait! Naruto! Our things!”

“FUCK YOUR THINGS!”

“Obi?”

“YOU ALMOST DIED! AND YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR THINGS?!”

“But what about Naru-”

“I DON’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS ABOUT NARUTO! HE CAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF!”

“Obito…”

“You’re going back to the Leaf. NOW!”

Obito pulls you out of his void and suddenly you are just outside the Leaf’s headquarters. Despite nearing the end of the day, there are still quite a few people around. Obito drags you by your arm, his large hand wrapping around your bicep. You stumble beside him through the halls up towards Kakashi’s office. The blood that’s coating your face, chest and arms is beginning to dry on your skin and make you itch.

“Obito, slow down!”

The man just huffs as he pulls you up to the double doors, kicking them open and throwing you inside.

“KAKASHI, WE NEED TO TALK!”

Part 14

Masterlist

43 notes · View notes

forabeatofadrum · 1 year ago

Text

A beautiful day in the neighbourhood

Summary: Kurt goes home to Lima for the holidays. There, he meets his parents' new neighbours, the Andersons. Kurt specifically is drawn to their youngest son, Blaine.

Notes: Hello everyone! This is my Klaine Secret Santa gift for @twinkkurt! I was a bit nervous when I got your username, because I love your art so much and I, uh, wanted to impress you. I hope you like it. I really liked writing it.

An additional thanks to Beth @quizasvivamos, who helped with brainstorming the title.

Happy reading!

AO3 | S&C

Kurt’s staring out of the window of his parents’ house with a wistful smile on his face.

He loves New York with his whole heart, but he has to admit that Lima has its charm. Back when he was a teen, he never thought he’d think this way.

Maybe now that he no longer lives here, he’s able to look at it in a different way. It’s nice to be here, with the knowledge that he’ll eventually go back home. Besides, New York is too loud and eccentric and a part of Kurt thrives because of it, but another part of him has learnt to appreciate this quieter atmosphere of Lima.

Oh, and it helps that Kurt never has to run into anyone from high school ever again. All his closest Glee club friends have left Lima as well, so he has no reason to seek out anyone who might recognise him from school. No longer being a high schooler is definitely the biggest perk of living in New York. High school was the main reason he couldn’t ever appreciate the quiet life here, because his life was never quiet. He could never appreciate the small tight-knit community feel, because he didn’t feel like he was welcomed into it.

But now he’s an adult who only comes back to Lima every now and then to see family and friends who are also visiting.

Kurt sighs as he watches a neighbour walk his dog. The neighbour sees him staring and smiles and waves. This truly is different from the rapid pace of the big city. His neighbour in New York barely gives him the time of day and she’s moving out within a few days. Kurt will not miss her. This man, on the other hand, has already shown Kurt more kindness in these few seconds than the other neighbour has in years.

Also, Kurt’s never seen this man in his life. He certainly doesn’t remember him.

“That’s Mr. Anderson,” Kurt hears.

He looks over his shoulder. His dad is sat on the sofa with a book open on his lap, but he also noticed Mr. Anderson walking past the house.

“Is he new in the neighbourhood?” Kurt asks.

His dad nods.

“Yes, he and his wife moved here a couple of weeks ago from Westerville. Apparently they had been planning on moving to a smaller house ever since their youngest son moved out.”

“And they moved to a random suburb in Lima, of all places?” Kurt asks, bemused.

His dad barks out a laugh.

“I know it’s hard to believe for a big city lover, but people still willingly move to the Midwest,” his dad says with a jokey tone.

Kurt moves away from the window and forgets about Mr. Anderson. Instead, he cosies up against his dad and he watches a rerun of Drag Race. His dad keeps reading, since he’s not bothered by the noise. Carole later comes into the living room and when she sees Drag Race is on, she eagerly joins Kurt.

This is what Kurt loves about Lima.

This is what he misses the most when he’s in New York.

This is also one of the moments he misses his brother, but he doesn’t want to bring it up when Carole is trash-talking the judging section. Besides, Kurt’s pretty certain she misses him too at this moment. It goes unsaid.

He and Carole watch three episodes in a row when the doorbell rings. It’s the delivery of groceries. Kurt’s dad gives the delivery person a huge tip to celebrate the holidays and the three of them put them away while chatting about the holiday plans. Tomorrow, some extended family members are coming over for Christmas and Kurt and Carole are going to cook a grand meal for everyone, while Kurt’s dad is going to set up a makeshift bar.

Everyone is going to be perfect.

Hopefully.

But when Kurt and his family are finished putting away the groceries, Kurt realises that they’re missing an ingredient.

“Rosemary! Carole, we are missing the rosemary!” Kurt exclaims. He checks the receipt again, but it really isn’t on it. Which is good, because then they also didn’t pay for it, but they need the rosemary.

Carole realises she forgot to order it, which can happen, but now Kurt’s fucked.

“Calm down, Kurt,” his dad says, “I will drive to the store tomorrow morning before the guests arrive.”

“I appreciate it, dad,” Kurt pouts, “But Carole and I need to start now, because it needs to be in the fridge overnight!”

“Ah. That’s… a problem,” his dad admits.

But then Carole lets out a small gasp.

“Wait a second! Burt, doesn’t Pam have a little herb garden?”

Kurt’s dad thinks it over.

“Yes, she does,” he answers, “But it’s winter, Carole.”

“But she might have some that she’s harvested earlier in the year,” Carole points out, “And Pam is a more experienced gardener. If there’s a way to keep rosemary alive in winter, then she’d know it!”

“Oh, you have a point there. Can we ask if she has some to spare?”

“I think we can just ask her. She wouldn’t mind,” Carole continues, “Kurt can go, because he knows how much we need. He found the recipe on the internet!”

“Brilliant,” his dad says, “Great plan, Carole.”

“That’s why you’re married to me,” Carole jokes.

Kurt waves his arms to get his parents’ attention.

“Hi, hello,” he says, “I love this idea. Who’s Pam?”

“Pam Anderson, the new neighbour,” Carole answers.

“Mr. Anderson’s wife,” his dad adds for clarification.

“On it,” Kurt says.

Carole tells Kurt that the Andersons moved into the house left of theirs, which delights Kurt, since he never really liked Ms. Johnson and her weird grandson anyway. He grabs his coat, since it’s very cold outside, and tells his dad and Carole that he’d be back soon.

The Andersons have a festive wreath on their front door and it makes Kurt smiles. He rings the bell and waits for Mr. Anderson or his wife to open the door. He can already hear the dog bark and his smile widens.

The door opens and Kurt’s ready to introduce himself and ask if Pam is around, but when he sees the man who’s opened the door, he’s rendered speechless. It’s not Mr. Anderson, but it’s another man. He must be around Kurt’s age and he’s dressed in a cozy sweater with a cute checkered bowtie to top it all off.

Kurt’s dad mentioned that the Andersons have a son and this must be him. Kurt assumes he’s also visiting family for the holidays.

“Uh, hello?” the son asks after a short silence. He looks a bit confused and Kurt realises he’s standing on this porch in complete silence, staring at him.

Right. Not a great first impression.

Kurt quickly composes himself.

“Hi, uh, my name is Kurt,” he says and he mentally high-fives himself for being able to sound coherent, “My parents live next door. The Hummel-Hudsons.”

A look of understanding crosses the man’s face. Now Kurt is no longer a random person that came out of nowhere. That’s progress.

“Anyway, my stepmother said that your, uh, mother might have some spare rosemary? We don’t have any and we really need it for the recipe that we’re trying out.”

The man steps aside so that Kurt can come inside.

“Come on in, it’s too cold to wait outside.”

“Thanks.”

Kurt follows the man to the living room where he’s greeted by an enthusiastic dog. There are three other adults. Kurt recognises Mr. Anderson, but there’s also a woman, presumably Pam, and another man who looks slightly older than the son. The son and Kurt explain the situation and, as Carole predicted, Pam is eager to help out.

“Oh, I need to go outside to harvest some,” Pam says.

“If it’s too much of a hassle-”

“Nonsense,” Pam cuts him off, “I’ll be back in a jiffy. Blaine, can you find my easy shoes?”

“They’re probably still at the back door where you left them, iná,” the son, who’s apparently named Blaine, says.

“Smartass,�� Pam jokes.

Kurt tells Pam how much he and Carole need and Pam goes outside. Kurt’s standing awkwardly in this family’s living room, but luckily, the dog takes an interest in him, so Kurt has something to do.

“You like pets?” he says while petting the huge Bernese mountain dog.

“Oh, she adores them,” Blaine says.

“Who’s a good girl?” Kurt coos.

“Well, she wasn’t a good girl earlier today when she made me walk five extra blocks,” the still unnamed man says, “She’s strong and doesn’t listen when she doesn’t want to.”

“She got that from you then, Cooper,” Mr. Anderson teases.

“Dad!”

Kurt smiles. He likes this family. He can see they all treat each other kindly and that they are close, the same way his family works. Pam comes back with a handful of rosemary for Kurt and he thanks her profusely.

“No biggie,” she says, “Happy holidays.”

Blaine walks Kurt towards the door and they don’t say much, which is fine by Kurt, because then he has less opportunity to embarrass himself. He hopes he isn’t red in the face and if he is, then hopefully Blaine will think it’s because of the cold.

“Thanks again,” Kurt says and leaves.

Once he’s back in his own kitchen, he hands the herbs to Carole, who’s delighted. She’d already started meal prepping.

“Did you know that Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s sons are visiting?” Kurt asks.

“Oh, no I wasn’t aware.”

“Me neither.”

“Have you met him- them before?”

“Only Cooper, the eldest,” his dad answers, “He helped his parents move in. The youngest couldn’t make it because of his studies. Cooper is… interesting.”

He and Carole share a private smile and Kurt needs to remind himself to ask about that later, but now he has a more pressing matter.

“And the youngest?”

Carole shrugs.

“Pam says he barely has time to visit, which everyone dislikes, but we get it.”

Kurt also gets it. He wishes he could be here with family more often.

“I did hear that he lives in New York as well!” Kurt’s dad says. Now, that is interesting. “Cooper lives in LA, and Blaine lives in New York. I mean, he’s called Blaine, right?”

He directs that last question to Carole, but Kurt answers it.

“Yeah, he’s named Blaine. I just met him.”

“Oh lovely,” Carole says, “What are the odds? Maybe you two can meet up in New York.”

“… I barely know him, Carole,” Kurt says quietly.

“So?” Carole says back, “Nowadays, people your age meet each other online. I don’t think that barely knowing anyone is a barrier these days.”

“She has a point,” Kurt’s dad adds.

“Alright. Alright,” Kurt says.

The truth is that it sounds nice to get to know Blaine a bit more. Kurt’s not stupid. He understands that he finds Blaine cute. It’s been a while since he met a guy who immediately renders him speechless, but Kurt also knows from experiences that looks aren’t everything. He’s here in Lima to see him family, not to jump on the neighbours’ son.

He and Carole continue their meal prepping and the conversation moves away from Blaine.

The next day is filled with joy. Kurt barely has time to see his dad and Carole, so he definitely doesn’t have time to see his extended family.

Everyone likes what he and Carole prepared and Carole points out that everyone should thank Pam as well.

After dinner, Kurt’s aunts prepare the desert and Kurt’s younger cousins beg him to go outside with them.

“Come on, it’s snowing!”

Kurt has to admit that snow also is more enjoyable here than in New York, because in New York, snow feels more like a nuisance blocking Kurt’s way. He’s constantly busy, getting from one place to the other. Here, Kurt has no reason to leave the neighbourhood today. They all go outside to make snow angels and what not.

Suddenly, Kurt hears a somewhat familiar voice.

“See, Squirt, people in this neighbourhood know where it’s at!”

Kurt follows the sound of the voice. Cooper is standing in the doorway of his parents’ house, decked out in winter clothes. Kurt can see Blaine behind Cooper and he’s shivering. He’s talking to Cooper, but he’s too far away for Kurt to understand.

“Coop, close the door,” Kurt can make out at one point.

Cooper says something back before going outside and closing the door behind him. Then he waves at Kurt.

“Hi, merry Christmas, forgive my stupid brother,” Cooper says loudly, probably so that Blaine can also hear it, “He’s a New Yorker, so he doesn’t appreciate snow enough. But I barely see this white goodness in my life, so I am out and about!”

“Tell your brother that I am also a New Yorker so he has no reason to stay inside,” Kurt jokes and Cooper’s eyes widen.

“Great idea!” he says and immediately goes back to the house.

Kurt and his cousins watch how Cooper’s locked out and how he’s demanding Blaine to let him in.

“Who is he?” one of Kurt’s cousins ask.

“Son of the new neighbours,” Kurt answers.

“Is he also coming out to play?”

“I think so.”

“Cool.”

Cooper manages to get in and five minutes later, he and Blaine come outside. Cooper immediately bonds with Kurt’s younger cousins. Blaine stands aside and Kurt takes a deep breath. He can be sociable. He’s a kind neighbour!

“Hey,” he says casually.

“Hi.”

“Not the biggest fan of snow, I hear?”

Blaine shrugs.

“I am, actually, but I just don’t feel like hanging out with my brother in the snow.”

“Why is that?” Kurt looks at Cooper, who’s started building a snow hut with Kurt’s cousins.

“He’s cool, pun intended, with other people, but ever since we were little he’d be kind of an ass. He’d try to put snow down my back, for example,” Blaine explains.

Kurt winces. That is kind of a dick move.

But at least he still has a brother. And even though Blaine sounds genuinely irritated, Kurt understands that Blaine doesn’t actually hate Cooper for the snow thing. After all, Blaine still could’ve stayed inside.

“You did come out here,” Kurt points out.

“I kind of have you to blame for that,” Blaine teases.

“Oh?”

“Cooper said you’re from New York. I had been using my New York status against him.”

Kurt laughs.

“Oh, don’t get me started on snow in New York.”

“Pffff, yeah,” Blaine says, “Good thing the subway is underground, but getting there, trudging through a thick layer of snow? Hell.”

“Hah, yes!” Kurt says and they fall into a comfortable silence. They watch everyone else have fun, and Kurt has an idea. He bends down to make a little snowball and shows it to Blaine.

Blaine raises an eyebrow.

“Now that your brother is occupied with keeping my cousins busy… are you in for a snowball fight?”

Blaine has an amused look on his face.

“You know what. Why not?”

Kurt’s aunts asked everyone to come inside, since dinner is ready. Kurt and his cousins are huddled together around the table, getting warm again. Everyone had a lot of fun and time flew by. Kurt didn’t even realise that his aunts were asking him to come in, since he was running around like a madman, trying to hit Blaine with his massive snowball.

And now Kurt’s enjoying his desert, but he’s still thinking about Blaine. It was really fun, so maybe Carole is right. Maybe he can ask if Blaine wants to meet up in New York.

What’s the worst that can happen? Blaine can say no.

Okay, that thought is terrifying.

But he can also say yes.

Kurt doesn’t actually talk to Blaine the day after. He only sees him in the morning, when Blaine passes the window. It’s his turn to walk the dog. Kurt and Blaine wave at each other, but that’s it.

In the afternoon, Cooper walks the dog and in the evening, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson take him out. Kurt’s almost sad when he doesn’t get the chance to wave at Blaine.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are out of sight and Kurt lets out a pathetic, sad sigh.

“Dear lord, just ring the bell already!” his dad says.

“What do you mean?” Kurt feigns ignorance, but he’s not surprised that his dad sees right through it. His dad has always known him the best.

“Don’t think I missed the smitten look on your face, kiddo,” his dad laughs, “Your thoughts were elsewhere. And your cousins mentioned that you and Blaine seemed to hit it off.”

“He is really nice,” Kurt admits.

His dad hums.

“And handsome.”

His dad hums again.

“And he lives in New York.”

“He does!”

Kurt looks outside again, because for a split second he stupidly believes he is in some Hallmark movie where Blaine appears outside his window to express his adoration.

There’s no one, obviously. He and Blaine have only known each other for a short time.

But as his dad and Carole point out, this doesn’t have to be the end of it. Kurt goes home to New York just before New Year’s and then he might meet up with Blaine and get to know him better.

Then Kurt thinks: Fuck it, he deserves a cute holiday romance.

“You know what, dad? I will go see him tomorrow.”

“Wonderful!” his dad says, and he’s so genuinely happy for Kurt, it makes Kurt’s heart swell.

“Burt says you’re going to ask Blaine from next door out on a date,” Carole says during breakfast and Kurt almost spits out his food.

“Dad!”

“What?” his dad asks, not bothered at all.

“I didn’t say that,” Kurt quickly says, “I said I am going to ask if he wants to meet up once we’re back in New York.”

“With the intention of dating him.”

“With the intention of getting to know him,” Kurt corrects, although he mentally adds ‘and potentially date him later’, but his dad doesn’t have to know that yet, although as usual, his dad knows better.

“You can get to know him on a date,” Carole says, feigning innocence.

“Oh my god,” Kurt hides his head in his hands.

“Don’t mind us, Kurt,” his dad sounds amused, “Or, don’t mind Carole. I don’t want to invade your privacy. You do what you want to do.”

“Hey!” Carole says back.

“Oh my God,” Kurt repeats, with his head still in his hands, but he can feel the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He acts embarrassed, and maybe he is a little bit, but he’s also glad to have such a supportive family.

They really want him to be happy. Kurt knows so many people who don’t have it as good as him, so he’s not taking this for granted.

If Finn were still around, he’d volunteer to be Kurt’s personal wingman instantly.

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep you guys up to date,” Kurt relents, “I plan on seeing him later today.”

Kurt smells the opportunity for a little fashion moment, so he needs to make use of that. Most of his wardrobe is still in New York, but he likes to dress for the occasion, and asking his neighbours’ son to hang out is definitely a big one.

The conversation shifts to other topics, like his dad’s garage or Carole’s latest interest in diamond painting, and they finish their breakfast. Kurt helps out with the cleaning up and then it’s time to go up to his room to rummage through his limited wardrobe.

He’s going through his closet when the doorbell rings. Kurt doesn’t pay attention to it, because he can hear his dad moving around to open it, but his interested is piqued when his dad says it’s for him.

Kurt hastily puts on some clothes, since he was a bit undressed because he was trying on outfits, and he goes downstairs.

He stops halfway on the staircase when he sees Blaine in the hallway.

“Hey,” Blaine says.

“Hey?” Kurt says, unable to hide his confusion.

Oh, he also looks terrible. He picked the worst combination of clothes in his rush to get down.

Of course this happens to him when Blaine’s at the door. And don’t even mention his hair. It’s a monstrosity! Of course Blaine looks prim and proper.

“I’ll leave you two at it,” Kurt’s dad says and promptly turns around to leave, although once his back it towards Blaine, he winks towards Kurt.

The mix of embarrassment and happiness about his dad and Carole’s interest in Kurt’s love life returns.

“Hey,” Blaine says again.

“Oh. Hello,” Kurt finally comes down.

“I kinda wanted to talk to you before I leave.”

“Leave?”

Blaine nods.

“I’m flying back to New York later today,” Blaine clarifies.

“Oh.”

“I need to move apartments, so I couldn’t stay for longer,” Blaine continues.

“Right.”

“Which sucks, because I like seeing my parents.”

“Yeah.”

“Cooper not so much,” Blaine says, but again, Kurt can hear the jokey undertone.

Kurt smiles.

“Yeah.”

“But, uhm, I kinda wanted to ask if I could see you again? In New York, I mean? To, uh, chill?”

“To chill, huh?” Kurt says, amused, and Blaine turns a bit red.

“Weird choice of words,” Blaine agrees, “But what do you think?”

“Yes, sure,” Kurt tries to act casual and cool, but his mind is reeling. Blaine wants to see him too! Man, the moment Blaine’s out of the door, Kurt will probably jump up and down with excitement.

“Neat,” Blaine sounds relieved, “Can I have your number then?”

“Yeah!” Kurt answers and they exchange numbers.

“Alright. Cool. I mean, yeah, cool!” Blaine stumbles a bit over his words, which Kurt finds endearing.

“Cool,” Kurt echoes.

“Then see you soon!”

“See you soon,” Kurt says back.

Blaine leaves after that and as predicted, Kurt leans against the front door with a huge, disbelieved grin on his face. He might look like utter shit and his hair is a mess, but who cares, cause Blaine wants to hang out with him!

“And?”

Kurt looks up to see Carole’s head peeking around the corner.

Kurt’s smile widens.

Kurt isn’t in a rush to get back to New York, since he wants to savour every moment with his family and he meets up with friends, but knowing that Blaine is waiting for him in New York does make him more eager to leave.

Okay, Blaine isn’t actively waiting for Kurt, but Kurt can dream, right?

They’ve texted a little bit over the past few days, but now that Kurt’s actually leaving, he sends more messages.

“Kurt, get off your phone! We need to say goodbye!” Carole scorns, but it’s nor serious. Besides, she has a point. His dad and Carole and about to drive home from the airport, and Kurt’s on his phone to text Blaine.

“Sorry,” Kurt pockets his phone.

“You’ll see him enough,” his dad says.

“Ideally, yes,” Kurt says with a smile. He’s shooting his shot.

Not immediately, though. He doesn’t want to come off as overeager. He’s going home now, then he’ll celebrate New Year’s tomorrow with some friends, and then he’ll see if he can meet up with Blaine.

He and his parents say goodbye. As usual, the hug between him and his dad lasts a long time, but it’s time for Kurt to go. This really is the worst part of going back home. He knows his dad and Carole will miss him too.

New York is messy, loud, and gorgeous.

He takes the elevator to his floor. Then, he stops in front of his door and casts a look to his neighbour’s door. There’s a new rainbow doormat in front of it, which Kurt sees as a confirmation that his shitty neighbour is truly gone.

Once he’s inside, he lets out a sigh of relief. He’s so ready to just unpack and relax. He’ll need to do some groceries later, but now he wants to “chill”, as Blaine said.

So that’s what he does. He unpacks, makes some coffee, and browses social media on his phone in peace. He texts Blaine, telling him he’s arrived home, and he also checks in with some other friends about tomorrow’s New Year’s plans.

Yet, life continues. Groceries are part of adult, independent life. There’s no grocery delivery here for Kurt, so Kurt sighs and decides to just do it instead of procrastinate, which is something he’s proud of. He put on appropriate winter attire and grabs a shopper.

When he’s outside and turns around to lock his door, the neighbour’s door opens. Kurt doesn’t really pay attention, since he needs to lock his door. He’s forgotten once before, so he always pays attention here.

Once everything’s locked up, he turns to his side to introduce himself, since unlike his previous neighbour, Kurt does have manners, but his words die in his throat.

Blaine is standing on the rainbow doormat with a surprised look on his face.

“Hello neighbour,” he’s the first to break the shocked silence.

“Hello.”

“Long time no see-”

“What a surprise-”

It falls silent again, but it’s not an awkward silence. In fact, Kurt’s amused by this whole situation, because what are the odds? Blaine’s shocked expression has also been replaced by a more amused one.

“You’re my new neighbour,” Kurt sounds disbelieved.

“I see,” Blaine says back, “Hello, neighbour, again.”

The two of them laugh.

“I’m… going to go,” Kurt holds up his shopper.

“Oh,” Blaine opens the pocket of his jacket and takes out a folded up shopper, “Groceries?”

“Yes!” Kurt says. This is so weird. “I just got home from Ohio, so I have absolutely nothing.”

“I get it. Anyway, great to see you. I’m new here. Where do you get your groceries?”

“You haven’t done any grocery shopping since you moved here?” Kurt asks.

Blaine turns a bit red.

“Uh. No. I have.”

“Okay?” Kurt says with a frown.

“Sorry,” Blaine says and then lets out an awkward laugh, “This- I- Okay. I didn’t know how else to ask if you wanted to hang out now.”

Kurt’s eyes widen in surprise. Neither of them had made actual plans to “chill” yet. Kurt didn’t want to seem to eager, and Blaine hadn’t made any concrete suggestions yet.

Kurt’s down to hang out, even though he didn’t expect their first meet-up in New York to be for grocery shopping, but then he also didn’t expect Blaine to be his new neighbour.

“Sure,” Kurt says with a smile.

And that’s how they end at a coffee shop called Think Coffee instead of the grocery store. Kurt’s reasoning was that it’s easier to get coffee beforehand and before Kurt could apologise for randomly suggesting a coffee date (is it a date?), Blaine agreed to it.

Of course, they discuss how funny it is that their parents live next to each other, and now they also live next to each other.

“My dad mentioned that your family is originally from Westerville, I think?”

Blaine nods.

“Yes. Cooper and I went to a boarding school there, but we were day students. Do you know Dalton Academy?”

The name does ring a bell.

“From the Warblers?”

Blaine looks amazed.

“Yes!” he utters in disbelief, “That’s my former glee club!”

“Really?” Kurt asks, “I’m from the New Directions.”

Blaine shoots him a quizzed look.

“McKinley High, in Lima,” Kurt clarifies.

“… That sounds familiar.”

“This is insane,” Kurt says before taking a sip of his coffee. He needs to let this sink in. The day has certainly turned out to be different than expected.

“Yeah. I’m a Dalton boy.”

“And then your parents moved to Lima of all places, when you graduated.”

Blaine snorts.

“I know right?” he says, but then he smiles, “Although, it led to me meeting you, so I cannot hold it against them anymore.”

“I agree.”

“And you? Did you grow up in that house?”

Kurt shakes his head.

“No, but I did grow up in Lima. My dad got married to Carole a few years back, and then they bought that house for the four of us to live in.”

“Four?”

“Me, my dad, my stepmother and my stepbrother,” Kurt answers.

“I didn’t know you had a brother!” Blaine sounds surprised, “God, I hope he’s not as bad as Cooper.”

“Oh… Well… No,” Kurt says slowly.

“Did I miss him during my visit? I mean, my parents never mentioned him, so does he live out of the state?”

Kurt sighs. This part is always hard, painful, and eventually awkward. He didn’t plan on bringing up the dead brother story, but on the other hand, he does want to get to know Blaine and he hopes Blaine wants to get to know him as well. Well, it must be. Otherwise Blaine wouldn’t have joined him on this supposed grocery trip.

“He died, actually,” Kurt says quietly.

As expected, the silence stretches out and it becomes more awkward and awkward.

“Oh. Kurt. I’m… sorry,” Blaine eventually says, although he seems a bit lost for words.

“It’s okay.” It’s not, but it’s okay that Blaine doesn’t know what to say. Kurt can’t blame him. How do you properly react to hearing a young person died?

“Oh, shit!” Blaine suddenly exclaims, “And here I am, complaining constantly about Cooper! That’s such a dick move!”

“It’s okay,” Kurt says again, “You didn’t know. And besides, it was fun to see you two interact.”

“Yeah?” Blaine asks.

Kurt hums.

“Yes. It’s clear that your complaining and his teasing comes from a place of love. Me and Finn would do the same. God, you have no idea how many times I complained about his habits, or how many times he’d playfully tease me for my brooch collection.”

Kurt would give anything to hear Finn playfully mock his hippo brooch again.

“Can you tell me about him?” Blaine asks.

So Kurt does. He tells Blaine that he and Finn didn’t really like each other at the beginning, but then they both joined glee club, although it turned out that Finn got blackmailed by their glee club director who had planted a stash of weed in Finn’s locker. (“What?” “It’s not important, Blaine.”) That’s how they slowly became friends, and Kurt eventually developed a crush on Finn and decided to pair up his dad and Finn’s mom in an attempt to get closer to Finn. (“Excuse me?” “It’s in the past, Blaine.”) But eventually their parents got married and Kurt’s crush died out and they became stepbrothers. It was a bit rocky at the beginning, but they grew to love each other as family and dropped the “step” part quickly.

“So yeah, we didn’t always see everything eye to eye, but that’s just how family is. I miss him, especially now, during the holidays.”

“I can imagine.”

“The entire family always shows up, and it’s glaringly obvious that someone is missing,” Kurt laments, “I don’t like to dwell on it, neither do my dad and Carole, but it’s on our minds, especially when I see my cousins together, or when you and Cooper banter. But it also makes me think of good memories with him, like the time he and his friend Puck dressed up in Star Wars outfits for Christmas.”

“Oh. Amazing.”

“Or when Carole told Finn he needed to help out for Christmas dinner, and he burned it all down, so we ended up eating soup out of a can that year.”

Kurt chuckles and Blaine also lets out a laugh.

“He sounds lovely,” Blaine says.

“He was. Most of the time.”

They laugh again.

Kurt lifts his cup to get another sip, only to find it empty. Blaine also wiggles his cup around.

“Time flies,” he says.

Kurt hums in agreement. He gets out of his seat.

“Grocery time?” he asks.

“Oh. Yeah. Groceries,” Blaine sounds bewildered. It’s that Kurt definitely needs to eat, otherwise he also would’ve forgotten.

Kurt leads them to the grocery store he always goes to, which is one that Blaine hadn’t seen before, so that’s a nice extra. Kurt needs to buy a lot, since he just got home after a trip to Lima, but Blaine only needs some things. Still, he sticks around to talk to Kurt and so that they can walk home together.

“Hello neighbour.”

Blaine looks a bit surprised. He probably didn’t expect Kurt to just knock, but Kurt’s feeling daring. Yesterday’s coffee and grocery trip-slash-date was a lot of fun and Kurt decided to just go for it.

“Hello,” Blaine says back.

“Do you have plans for this New Year’s?”

“Yes?” Blaine says, which is fair. Kurt should’ve expected that. “But why are you asking?”

Kurt’s asking because he woefully fantasised about kissing Blaine, if he wants, when the clock hits midnight.

“Oh. Well, I am meeting up with some friends and I wanted to see if you wanted to join, but it makes sense you already have plans.”

Kurt’s about to awkwardly say goodbye and admit defeat, but Blaine stops him.

“I’m meeting my friends at eleven in the evening. I still have time. When will you meet your friends?”

“Also later today,” Kurt answers. Around ten, or something. It wasn’t very clear. It’s more one of those “drop by whenever you want” parties. He just wanted to check if Blaine were interested in joining.

“Sooo,” Blaine draws out the word, “I don’t think I can make it to your friend’s party, but what are your plans now?”

Now? Well, Kurt planned on binge watching trashy TV, order food and wait till it’s time to go see his friends.

“Nothing. I am free,” Kurt answers.

Blaine opens his front door further and steps aside.

“Feel free to come in, then,” Blaine says with a smile and how can Kurt refuse. He didn’t plan on this, but he isn’t mad about it.

“Thank you.”

Blaine gives Kurt a small tour of his still bare apartment. It’s clear that he’s only just moved in. Blaine tells Kurt that beforehand he lived in a shitty dorm room, so he was ecstatic when he found this relatively cheap apartment.

Kurt can relate. He used to live in Bushwick in a place that didn’t have proper walls. This building is still not the most luxurious, but it is an upgrade!

“My dad mentioned you moved here for your studies,” Kurt recalls.

Blaine nods.

“Yeah. I’m go to NYADA. Maybe you’ve heard of it.”

Oh, Kurt’s heard of NYADA. He got accepted into NYADA as well, but he turned it down to pursue an education in fashion instead. But he knows how hard it is to get into NYADA.

The conversation quickly turns into a long and winded discussion about the current Broadway season and how other shows got robbed at previous Tony Awards ceremonies.

Blaine also shows off his new coffee machine (“Got it as a Christmas present!”), so Blaine makes Kurt a fancy cappuccino. It’s so comfortable to be around Blaine and Kurt’s glad that Blaine likes him too.

An hour later, they’re on Blaine’s couch, huddled underneath a shared fleece blanket, and they’re eating snacks that Kurt brought over from his place while watching a Broadway bootleg. Kurt adores this show, but he’s having a hard time paying attention to it.

How can he, when Blaine’s so close?

He keeps staring at Blaine, so of course Blaine notices at one point.

“Something on my face?” he asks with a jokey tone.

Kurt doesn’t answer. He knows what he wants. He puts his hands on Blaine’s cheeks and pulls him in for a kiss.

Blaine kisses back and he wraps his arms around Kurt to pull him even more closer.

Kurt had wanted to kiss him at midnight, but he couldn’t wait any longer. There are no actual fireworks now in the background, but that doesn’t matter. Kissing Blaine already feels like fireworks are going off.

They keep kissing until they remember that they need to breathe.

“Woah,” Blaine sounds out of breath.

“Woah indeed,” Kurt echoes him.

The two of them stare at each other before Blaine throws himself on Kurt and kisses him again.

Later that evening, they’re finally finishing the bootleg. They got a bit preoccupied, so they weren’t able to watch all of it.

Both Kurt and Blaine cancelled their plans. They want to spend this New Year’s with each other. Outside, the city of New York is alive and bustling, filled with people who are ready to go wild and party. But Kurt and Blaine are fine, cuddling together in Blaine’s new apartment in their neighbourhood.

It’s a perfect way to start the new year and Kurt wouldn’t have had it any other way.

End notes: Here ya go, Arden! Your wishlist was an absolute delight and I actually had a hard time narrowing it down, because I wanted to include as much as possible. This fic uses the "genre: alternative universe", "genre: fluff", "genre: romance", "location: Ohio", "location: New York", "age: young adult/college", "designer!Kurt", "actor!Blaine", "preferred theme: holiday-themed" and of course "other favourite tropes/story elements: neighbours".

Happy holidays!

#holy fuck I wrote #2023 #klaine #glee #oneshot #klainesecretsanta2023

56 notes · View notes