#happy valentine's day to you as well dear!! these brought a huge smile to my face ily <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[kimdokjas]

*drumroll* Happy Valentines Day! In the spirit of keeping tumblr traditions alive and using any opportunity I can get to gush over friends, I present to you your cards! 💐 I hope you like them, hehe :3 Wishing you a day as awesome as you are my dear Gaby 🫂

[thenextdawn-temporarilyclosed]

One of Your Kind (Ch. 6)

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10

Word count: 4.1K

Summary: the year started out amazingly, and even with some obstacles you manage to go through a beautiful valentine’s day.

Warnings: make out session, gunshot wound

Pairing: Jenna Ortega X Fem!Reader

———

January 2022

Well, the year definitely did start on a good note. After you shared that beautiful kiss exactly at midnight, you stayed outside of the door watching the beautiful fireworks that were adorning that amazing night. You kept your arm around her, she leaned her head on your shoulder as both of you just stayed quiet, a huge smile plastered on your faces as Jenna took a look at the flowers. “I can’t believe you did this for me” Jenna said once the fireworks were over “I had to make up for how I treated you. My plan was to arrive at 7.30 but my plane was late, and I’m glad I still made it in time to kiss you as soon as midnight stroke” you said and smiled slightly, you weren’t the romantic kind of person, but she brought out the best part of you. “It was the best surprise I could ever receive” she said and you smiled, reaching up to cup her cheek and caress it, but then you saw her shiver “you should get back inside” you said as you brushed your hands on her shoulder to create some friction so she could feel warmer.

“I have an hotel room booked so I’ll see you in the morning” you added and she immediately looked up at you. “Come inside? You can sleep with me, we have space. Please? I would like to introduce you to my family” she said and took your hand. You smiled nervously but then nodded, you weren’t expecting to meet her family now, you barely even shared a kiss after all. Jenna smiled brightly seeing you nod and as soon as you turned around to get in the house, you found one of Jenna’s sisters staring at you two. “OH MY GOD SHUT UP” she said and jumped up and down excitedly “did you two kiss!?” The girl asked her sister, and you blushed only to see Jenna nod shyly as well. “FINALLY! Jenna has been talking about wanting to be more with you for ever. I’m Mia by the way” “(Y-Y/N), nice to meet you” the three of you then got in the house and you were expecting anything but this huge family of hers and your cheeks had turned the color of a tomato.

“Guys…” Jenna called, the Family was celebrating the happy new year, and they were all kind of dancing but as soon as they heard Jenna’s voice they all turned around and saw her holding a huge bouquet of roses and then they saw you. “This is (Y/N), she’s the girl I was telling you about” Jenna said hinting a smile, as she looked at you with heart eyes. “Hello uhm… happy new year’s” you giggled nervously “it’s good to finally meet you” you said and scratched the back of your neck, it was a nervous habit of yours. “Oh dear it’s good to finally meet you too! Jenna’s told us all about you. Actually now that I remember she has been talking about you ever since you were on set for The Fallout, it’s good to finally give a face to your name” she said and held out her hand for you to shake which you accepted. “She has huh?” You glanced back at Jenna and was surprised to see her smiling.

The night was spent amazingly and you got to know the whole family, Jenna’s nephews too and as you really loved kids you found yourself playing with them, and useless to say that Jenna only had eyes for you. Out of all people in the house, which she barely saw recently, she only had eyes for you and you couldn’t believe that out of all the people she knew, she fell for you, she fell for you and you fell for her. You fell for her after swearing you wouldn’t fall for anyone else but it was hard, when the person wanting to win your heart was Jenna and she won your heart the moment you laid your eyes on her. She has always been the most perfect human being and you couldn’t be happier that she loved you for who you were.

You were incredibly tired, having been awake for more that 24 hours and your eyelids started drooping the moment they started playing table games. As much as you wanted to join them, you couldn’t help but yawn every two seconds and lucky for you, Jenna’s mother noticed that “I think you should go to sleep. (Y/N) you have been up for a while, you don’t have to stay up if you don’t feel like it” she said and put a gentle hand on your shoulder. You nodded and Jenna came over “come on let’s go sleep” Jenna said and took your hand, taking you upstairs to her room and as soon as the door to her room closed behind you, you remembered, “shit I don’t have my pajama” you said “It was a last minutes decision, I really forgot to make a suitcase” you laughed at yourself, but lucky for you Jenna had you covered. “Just take one of my shirts and pants” she giggled and you went to her closets to grab something comfy.

As you were searching, Jenna had already put on her pajama and got in bed. It didn’t take you much to do the same and slide under the covers next to her. Both of you were lucky enough that she had a king sized bed but it didn’t matter, because the two of you had moved in close to each other. You laid down on your back though your head was turned to look at her, and Jenna was holding herself up on her elbow, her other hand found place on your hip and she pulled you in closer, making you slightly blush. You weren’t used to this, your ex didn’t treat you like this. As soon as you touched the bed it was immediate sex, there weren’t cuddles, there wasn’t aftercare… and just now you were experiencing what love actually felt like, and you couldn’t help the question that came up. “Why me?” You asked her and she looked ay you confused, as she used the thumb of the hand that was placed on your hip to gently caress you. “What do you mean?”

“Out of all the people you know, out of all the actors.. why me?” The question had Jenna smiling “because, my dear…” Jenna started, her hand moving up your side and then your cheek, shivering under her touch “out of all the actors, the crew, my friends… you’re the only one that has captured my heart” she said and you blushed, covering your face with one hand. “There are a lot of directors… a lot of girls around here but… you’re one of your kind. You’re my type of girl… I mean, Italian girls are known to be the hottest so…” you blushed even more and giggled, biting your own lip to suppress the nervous laughter “stop it” you said and looked right in her eyes and she only smiled more “never” she whispered and leaned down to kiss you again, hand caressing your cheek and you reciprocated the kiss, your hand moving to the back of her head to bring her closer, and she happily obliged.

At some point Jenna climbed on top of you, knees on each of your sides as her left hand took a hold of your other cheek while her right hand slowly went back to its place on your hip. This was turning into a very hot make out session and honestly you were all in. Then she moved her lips, kissing your jaw, then your ear and then she started placing soft kisses on your neck “Jen…” you whispered, and she caressed your cheek again, for good measure. “Shh….” She said and sucked on your neck, sure to leave a mark on your pulse point… useless to say that she found the most sensitive spot on your neck already when she heard your breath falter. The hand that was on your hip slid under your shirt and you gasped feeling her cold hand on your hot skin, the hand slowly going up to your bra, but you suddenly felt scared. “No, Jen wait” you said and moved back, sitting up as Jenna climbed off of you, looking at you confused. “I’m… not ready for that yet” you said, looking at her with guilt in your eyes. You wanted that, you did, but you weren’t ready.

She looked at you confused, but eventually she realized why you weren’t ready. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry (Y/N), I’m so sorry” she said and hugged you. You were still traumatized from what your ex did to you and even if you did trust Jenna, it was still gonna take some time. “It’s okay Jen really, you couldn’t have known” you reassured her. Soon enough she pulled back and caressed your cheek “are you sure?” You nodded and leaned in for the touch “yes I’m sure” you kissed the palm of her hand “let’s just get some sleep yeah?” You smiled and she did the same, you laid down and spooned her, kissing her cheek and whispering “good night Jen”

Three days after you had to go back on set with her. Jenna had expected paparazzi at the airport and that’s exactly what happened. As soon as the two of you got out of the car Jenna was immediately surrounded, luckily they were too focused on her to notice you and on one hand you were glad. You didn’t know if Jenna wanted to make the relationship public, but you definitely didn’t want Jenna’s name to be put under a bad light because of you. You were scared for her reputation. Jenna had her bodyguards and she was making her way through the airport, easily making her way ignoring the paparazzi and you stayed behind and slightly away from the crowd. You were feeling slightly overwhelmed, but luckily it soon ended when you and her reached the gate and you took a deep sigh. “How do you do this every time?” You asked her and looked around, she shrugged a little “I’m used to it by now”

as you boarded the private jet you spoke again. “Must be nice on one hand though. People appreciate your work, they love you” Jenna immediately caught your hint, and took your hand in hers “hey… after Wednesday’s out you’ll get the positive recognition you deserve… I promise you” she said and you nodded, giving her a small smile. Luckily there weren’t paparazzi in Romania so you weren’t stressed out. It had been a long, tiring flight after all and both of you were exhausted, but the next morning Jenna had to film and you had to work so you said your goodnights to each other and went to sleep.

The next morning when you went on set you had to film the dance scene, and you knew that Jenna had been stressing herself a lot over it, she wanted to do it perfectly. As soon as you arrived on set though, she looked… different. She waved at you with a small, weak smile as you walked closer to her. She was already in her dress for the dance and she looked gorgeous, you wanted nothing more than to take her and kiss her, but you couldn’t. “Are you okay? You look… pale” you said and she glared at you. “I’m not feeling really well. I feel weak, my throat aches and I can barely breathe” you put a hand on her forehead and sighed. “You’re warm. Did you take the covid test?” She nodded and looked at you, “I did, I’m waiting for the result. But they still wanted me to film so here I am” she shrugged and you sighed, she was already overworking herself over this dance scene and now that she was sick, it was even worst.

The scene was filmed smoothly, Jenna performing at her best even when she was sick but you were worried. If it was covid you were even more worried, not for yourself, you didn’t give a damn about it. Right now you needed Jenna to be okay and if it was Covid, it could be dangerous. The scene was shot perfectly in one take and you were glad, because Jenna didn’t look like she could handle much more. As soon as Cut was called you walked over. “Are you okay?” You asked her, seeing she was even paler than earlier and she was sweaty. “I’m fine-“ she said, but she didn’t finish her sentence that her legs gave up beneath her and she fell in your arms, she was lucky you caught her “you’re definitely not fine” you said and held her up, she didn’t pass out and was still conscious “I’m taking you to your trailer” you said and eventually everyone did hear you. “You’re not taking her anywhere, she needs to film-“ one of the crew member said and you shot him a glare. “She’s sick! She can barely hold herself up, how do you expect her to film like this?” You basically shouted and he grinned.

“Don’t you think we all went to work sick at one point of our lives? If we can do that then she can too.” That’s what got you really angry. “Apparently your conditions weren’t as bad as hers. For all we know, it could be covid. Do you want to be that sick too? Or even worst? It doesn’t take much really, just take your fucking mask off” you said angrily and you saw as the guy got visibly upset. “You’ll watch your words with me, or-“ “or what? You’ll tell the director?” You smirked. “I’m your director. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m taking Jenna to her trailer to have some rest” you said and with the help of the other actors you had Jenna climb on your back so you could take her to her trailer. By the time you got there, Jenna was burning hot and you laid her on her bed as you looked at her with worried eyes, she looked distressed and you just wanted fo give her some sort of relief but now you just unzipped her dress and helped her take it off, she had a black shirt and pants under it and you decided to leave that on. It was some light clothing but it would work.

“You should leave… you don’t want to get sick too” Jenna said and you shook your head “Jen we kissed multiple times yesterday, if anything I’m already sick. I might as well never test positive but I don’t care I’m not leaving you alone like this” you said and pulled the covers up, going to grab a cloth and wet it with some cool water as you then put it on her forehead. You still had your mask on for safety measures, but that didn’t stop you from being close to her. “Just try and get some sleep okay? I’ll be here if you need anything. I’m not leaving” you reassured her as you laid next to her on top of the covers. She did get some sleep and whenever she had nightmares you would be there to calm her down, and it went like this for a whole week. She did test positive for Covid but you always tested negative and always went to work, always making some time for her: you took her soups, medicines and what not and she couldn’t be more in love with you, on the other hand you couldn’t wait till she was better so you could kiss her.

The occasion came soon enough, when a week later after she tested positive you went to her trailer to bring her the medicines she was supposed to take but as soon as you knocked and she opened the door, she pulled you inside and then slammed you against the door once she had closed it. She looked at you for permission before she could kiss you. She knew your boundaries and didn’t want to go further than a simple make out session, but still she always asked for permission. “Did you test Negative?” You asked her. Her face definitely had more color, she looked rested so that was an immediate yes, but she confirmed it even more when she nodded. You smiled brightly from under the mask and took it off, Jenna immediately leaned in to kiss you passionately and you wrapped your arms around her neck, your hand through her hair to keep her close to you and her hands took place on your hips, before picking you up, she was small but she surely had strength. You wrapped your legs around her waist and giggled slightly.

The heavy make out session soon turned into neck kisses from Jenna, she loved to suck on your pulse point and leave marks right under your ear knowing it was the most sensitive spot and she loved to hear your small whimpers when she did so, and she continued doing so until both of you went to sleep. You didn’t notice the marks on your neck until next morning. “Looks like someone had fun last night” Emma teased, and you looked at her confused, she took out her phone so you could see yourself in the reflex and when you did you noticed the marks on your neck. “Crap-“ you said and tried to find a way to cover it, luckily you had a scarf. “So-“ you interrupted her before she could start again “we didn’t do anything! It was just… a make out session.. a very hot one, perhaps” you whispered the last part of it and watched how Emma jumped around excitedly, with you blushing.

February 2022

Valentine’s day was close by and everyone on set was making such a big deal out of it. You definitely were going to do something with Jenna or at least for her, given the fact that it was a day like any other and she had to be on set but you knew what you were gonna get her. A diamond necklace, and you were sure that with that you’d win her heart even more than you already have. You went to a jewelry there in Romania and found the perfect necklace. It had a heart shaped diamond pendant and you knew that she’d definitely love it and wear it every day. Happy with your choice you got out of the jewelry, but you never expected what was to come in front of you. A guy pointing a gun at you, you raised your arms in fear as you gulped “hey, put the gun down” he mumbled something in Romanian which you didn’t understand, but you tried to step away.

He got visibly angrier and shouted “okay okay I’ll give you whatever you want, just don’t shoot” apparently he didn’t understand because he shot anyway and caught your stomach, though it was more on your left side. The impact left you breathless, and as you tried to stand still the guy took anything of value you had, the necklace you had gotten Jenna too, and then left. Luckily your pain tolerance was high, and you managed to not pass out. In the mean time people inside the jewelry and other shops had heard everything, and seeing you bleeding they called an ambulance. You fought so hard to stay conscious and you managed for a while until the ambulance arriver. When they did you passed out. However the situation wasn’t too critical, the bullet hadn’t hit anything important and there was an exit wound, so they just had to patch you up.

When you woke up you decided that it was finally time to call Jenna, you knew she’d be worried as hell but you had to tell her. “(Y/N) where are you? You’ve been gone all morning!” She said and you smiled just hearing her voice. “Hey Jen, don’t get too worried, I’m at the hospital” you said and you knew, even if you couldn’t see her, that she had froze. Her silence confirmed it for you. “W-what? What happened?” She said and you heard the jingling of her keys. “I’ll tell you when you get here, I don’t want to make you too worried-“ she hung up the call, and you knew she was coming there and in less then 15 minutes she was rushing in your room. You were alert, in a little bit of pain but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t bare. She rushed inside looking so worried and you nearly laughed “what the hell happened?” She said and sat down on the chair next to your bed “calm down, I’m fine” you could see the tears in her eyes. “I’m fine really” you reassured and squeezed her hand softly.

“Tell me what happened” she said again and you nodded “I had gone to town to get a valentine’s present for you and when I got out of the shop a dude with a gun was threatening me… I tried to tell him that I’d give him whatever he wanted but he didn’t understand me, he shot me and took everything I had, gift included” you said and she looked even more worried as she squeezed your hand “he s-shot you? Are you hurt? Are you in any pain?” She tempested you with questions and you smiled, seeing her worry like this made you feel kind of special. “I’m fine Jen seriously. The bullet didn’t hit anything important, I had an exit wound so the doctors just had to patch me up” you showed her the bandaid and she sighed of relief, gently tracing the outline of your bandage as a couple tears left her eyes, out of relief as you brought a hand up to caress her cheek and wipe the tears “I’m fine, don’t cry please” you said and she looked up at you, before leaning closer to hug you tightly.

You got discharged pretty soon a couple days after on Valentines’s day, but you had to stay home and not overwork yourself, but you had to go buy the necklace again. The dude owning the jewelry recognized you and given what you went through, he didn’t let you pay for the necklace and gifted it to you, and you couldn’t be more grateful. You still gave the guy some money for his kindness. Jenna didn’t know that you would be discharged today, but you planned on buying her favorite flowers and get on set when you knew she would be finishing filming. You stayed outside of her trailer, sitting on the stairs as to not stress your body. Jenna soon arrived and saw you sitting on the stairs, You were hiding the flowers and the gift behind you. “(Y/N)? What are you doing here?” She asked with a small smile, and you pouted jokingly. “What you don’t want me here?” You giggled and you stood up, holding out the flowers and the gift “I got discharged today, and it’s Valentine’s Day so…” you shrugged and she took the gift, she looked surprised, she was definitely expecting anything but a jewel.

“Come on let’s get inside” she said smiling as she took your hand, helping you with the stairs of her trailer as she guessed you were still in some pain, and she was right because you did grunt once but she was there to help you and you sat on her couch as she opened the gift, and when she saw the diamond heart pendant her jaw dropped “(Y/N) this is- this is amazing” she looked at you with heart eyes, she looked like she was about to cry “do you need me to help you put it on?” You asked and saw how she nodded eagerly at your question. She sat down on the couch in front of you and you moved her hair out of the way, putting the necklace on and then kissing the back of her neck, which made her both shiver and giggle “now I feel guilty though… I only got you a box of chocolates” she really did feel guilty and you saw it in her eyes when she turned around to look at you “you don’t have to feel guilty… I love chocolate. I just wanted you to feel special… which is why I’m going to ask you this… I know it is basically confirmed now but…”

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

A/N: welllll this chapter was interesting to write, but not as interesting as last one. Next one will have some angst and a nee character will be introduced👀 hope you like this one for now!

Tags: @idkjustliving2 @tundra1029 @engenelxver @rainbow-love4ever @gimaximoff @smromanoff @wol-fica @lum13 @eviekensington @i984

[estellaelysian]

Cross My Heart

A/N: Here comes the second fic of the day. For the good old Valentine's Day. I thought writing this could'nt make me feel anymore single than I already am, but lol, it did the trick.

Cheers to all the single people out there 🥂

Also, this is kinda long, like around 2300 words, so good luck

For @choicesfebchallenge Day 14: Valentine

Ethan double checked everything for the gazzilionth time, his heart beating a little faster than usual. He was in awe of the effect Alishka had on him, always would be, but this had never been his thing.

For almost as long as he could remember, he knew he wasn’t the kind who’d arrange fancy dinners, get a huge bouquet of roses and drape his apartment in red just because it was Valentine’s Day.

Good god. Valentine’s Day.

It fell on his never ending list of frivolous occasions, plain and unimportant. He found it ridiculous how much of attention the day yielded. Add it on to the amount of money people were willing to spend (on giant stuffed bears and boxes of chocolates – which didn’t make sense at all) to celebrate their valentine, and there you had it, Ethan Ramsey shaking his head.

If you wanted to celebrate your valentine, why was it supposed to be just one day?

Every day could be spent in celebrating your partner.

Or atleast that was what he felt.

And still, he couldn’t believe that he was doing this, on Valentine’s Day.

He had never felt so bizarre and nervous at the same time.

But looking back, he also never had anyone to celebrate. He had been too busy building his career, and with Harper, it just hadn’t clicked.

And Alishka changed that, just like she changed almost everything in his life.

Did he actually need a day to celebrate her?

Jesus Christ.

He wished his brain would stop thinking, atleast for a good moment, and leave him alone.

He paced the kitchen, making imperceptible changes to the fork and turned the plate, before glancing at the wall clock. Okay, he thought. She will be here any minute now.

And yet, he couldn’t resist himself.

Pulling out his phone, he thumbed in a quick text, and hit the send button.

When will you be here?

And almost immediately, his phone buzzed with her answer.

Soon enough. I just wanted to know though, what do you have in store for me?

He smiled.

I can’t tell.

And his smile grew even wider with her next text.

Seriously with the suspense right now.

Okay… here goes nothing.

Believe me, I won’t have a giant teddy bear waiting at home for you with a box of chocolates in his hands.

She texted:

I believe you.

***

He was wrong. Her arrival was seemingly delayed.

Time couldn’t seem to go more slowly as he waited, quite impatiently for that knock on the door. It was like drips from water torture. Him on his feet, waiting by the window to get a glimpse at her as she entered his apartment complex, or him wringing his fingers, as he thought about all the ways this could unfold, or, him, just sitting at the dining table with his head in his hands, thinking why did he even think of doing this.

When at last, the doorbell did ring, he found himself positively nervous, much more than he had been all evening.

He rose from the couch and, opening the door to reveal Alishka, in the blue sweatshirt he had gifted her on her birthday, looking just as gorgeous as she would had she dressed up in some sequined dress or even a gown, for that matter of fact.

He knew he wouldn’t prefer her dressed any other way than she was looking right now.

‘Well? Would you let me in yet? Or are we supposed to exchange our surprises right here at your doorstep?’ she asked, pulling him out of his daze.

‘Oh, uh, ofcourse, come on in.’

Did she just say exchange surprises?

Oh God.

He couldn’t resist himself. ‘Did you just say exchange surprises?’

She gave him the smile, crooked and perfect. ‘Yeah. Why? Are you the only one allowed to surprise me?’

With a shake of head, he ushered her inside. She pulled off her scarf and let it down on the couch, before turning to face him.

She was beautiful, he thought as he took in her sultry green eyes, the voluminous brunette waves inching down her back and her natural pouty lips. It was as if she had come down straight from heaven for him.

‘So? Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?’

He smiled. ‘Ofcourse. Gladly.’

Taking her hand, he led her to the dining table, where he had set out the table, arranging their chairs side by side inside of opposite to each other, because that was how they were always supposed to be. Side by side.

She made a faint smile at the tulips kept in a vase at the middle of the table. ‘You remembered.’

He returned her smile. ‘Yeah, I did. They are your favorite flowers after all.’

‘Yeah. Come on now,’ she said, urging him to sit down.

They served up, and she made a gasp at the dishes that now stood in front of her. Lasagna, and nacho chips and salsa, two of her favorites.

‘I know it’s too simple, but…’

‘Are you kidding? It’s perfect.’

They dug in, having dinner together and telling each other stories, all sorts of them, just how Ethan had imagined it to be. And still, he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of all the nervousness flowing through his body.

Was she really happy and satisfied with all that he had done?

The light hand she aid on his brought him back to reality again.

‘Ethan, I know what you are thinking, but let me assure you, I wouldn’t prefer it any other way. I absolutely love this.’

How did she guess what was going on in his mind?

And how, just how, was she at so much ease with him when he himself was not?

‘Come on now, loosen up,’ she said, holding out a spoonful to him.

‘I will,’ he said, smiling.

***

Rest of the dinner passed easily, and Alishka was as excited as a little child would be when the desert was to be brought out.

She made another gasp when he revealed the sweet dish. It was Rabdi, a nod to her Indian roots, which she loved and expressed quite too often, even if she wasn’t raised there.

‘How did you–’

‘I had some help from your mom,’ he answered, and she broke out into a big grin, throwing her arms around his neck and squeezing him tight.

‘You are the best. This is incredible.’

‘Thank you,’ he said, smiling into her hair. ‘And so are you.’

‘Oh my god, this is the best Valentine’s Day ever.’

‘Well not yet. This is not my surprise.’

‘What?’ She looked stricken. ‘Then what is it?’

‘How about we finish desert first?’

She pouted. ‘Or there is a second option. You could show me what you have for me.’

‘No. Desert is fine.’

He chuckled and watched as she eagerly devoured the dish before looking up at him. He wondered if his amusement showed in his eyes.

‘Okay, now you better give me my present, or I’ll look for it myself.’

‘I am sure no matter how hard you try, you won’t find it, but you know what, I am not going to make you wait anymore.’

He disappeared into his bedroom before coming back a minute later, holding a small white envelope, and handing it to her.

‘This is my present.’

***

He watched, with overwhelming nervousness, as she shook the hair out of her eyes once before gazing up at him and reaching for the envelope.

He wondered for a moment about what would happen next, as he took a seat next to her. She scooted her chair closer to hers, and he could smell her hair, the scent clean and fresh as flowers. He resisted the urge to put his arm around her, instead focusing on her as she took a deep breath and began reading the letter he had spent hours of late night writing.

Dear Alishka,

Most of my life, the sands have fallen in the hourglass quite mercilessly, but I try to remind myself of the joyful year we have shared together, growing closer in what I would call the most amazing way ever.

I wonder who I am without you. Even when I am grumpy and tired, it is you who help me face the day. I sometimes feel as though you can read my mind. You always seem to know what I want or what I need. Even though we had our struggles in the past, I look back at all the time we’ve been beside each other, and I know I was the lucky one. You inspire and fascinate me, and I walk a little taller just because you walk by my side. You make me very proud of the person, the doctor you have come to become, and I know today is not about that, but I just wish you know how much you mean to me. Every time I hold you, I feel as though I need nothing else. You are my everything now.

I know I haven’t always been far to you, that I hurt you one too many times, and I just want to say sorry for that. I know you’ll say it’s in the past, that you’ve already forgiven me, but the past sometimes, even now, the past comes to haunt me at night. I don’t ever want to lose you again, and I am ready to do whatever it takes for you to be right here, by my side, always.

I wish to see you come home to me every day. I want to smell your hair, sit at the dinner table with you. I want to watch as you make pancakes for me which always make my mouth water (since they are they superior ones). I want to see you slip your arms into the blue sweater I bought you for your birthday, the one you like to wear in the evenings and come read with me every night. I want to see you hold Jenner and watch as you talk to him in the most child-like voice you can manage. I want you to murmur to me softly when my head aches. I want you close to me, more than anything else.

I am not good at this. Putting my feelings into words. And yet, I find myself thinking about how easily you do it. That’s why I write this, hoping that you understand that even though I am not good at it, I want to try, I am willing to try because of you.

I have never been more gleeful than when I am with you. You make me happy. You have changed me for good.

I am very grateful for you.

And I love you, very much.

Yours,

Ethan.

Tears shone in her eyes, unmistakably bright, as she held the letter in her hands before she finally turned to look at him.

‘Ethan…’

He pulled her close, kissing her tenderly as the glisten spread to her cheeks.

‘This is the best gift I’ve ever received,’ she said, as she cried softly.

He pulled away and smiled at her. ‘I believe you had something for me too?’

***

They moved to the couch when it was Alishka’s turn to hand him his gift.

She went to the end table, where she’d kept her bag, and pulled out a book of bound which she had put together over the last few days in her free time. It had been incredibly hard to keep it a secret for so long, but, she was glad she had been successful. Returning to the couch, she handed him the book. Open Heart the gold stamped lettering on the cover read.

‘Open heart?’

‘Yeah. Because you have a open heart, because you are kind to people, mostly your patients,’ she said, remembering their little incident at the vending machine. ‘And because you have opened your heart to love this past year. Or past two years.’

Ethan looked from her to the book and back again, curiosity getting the better of him. Alishka settled next to him as he ran his fingers over the bright letters.

‘I’m almost afraid to see what it is,’ he said.

‘Don’t be. It is nothing you won’t like,’ she urged as he finally opened the book. She’d made a photo album of the two of them that opened with photos of each of them as infants and progressed through their entire lives. On the left handed pages were photos of Ethan; on the right, Alishka. He was sure his dad had helped Alishka in putting this together. As he turned the pages, he slowly watched the both of them grow up in tandem before his eyes.

Eventually the album began to feature the photos of two of them together, some of them sneakily taken (by Trinh, he doubted), but most of them taken by themselves, the camera held at an arm’s length. No matter how formal or casual, however, each photo seemed chosen to tell a story about a particularly meaningful moment in their lives.

The entire album itself, was a testament of their love, and he found himself close to tears.

He couldn’t hold himself back from her love any longer. He pulled her close and kissed her, thinking that this was how it was supposed to be, and this was how he’d keep it, always, forever.

Because he loved her, and he’d never stop loving her.

**********

This is how I always imagine them celebrating Valentine's Day. Nothing too fancy, but just right for the two of them.

Anyway, though, I couldn't love these two more.

And everything was unplanned and only happened because of the request made by Nikh 🙃

Thank you for reading.

Love y'all.

[cucumbers-and-olives]

Coffee shops and cliches

Or, this idiot writer is on hiatus but felt obligated to write something.

Summary: “slow burn” coffee shop au

Category: coffee shop au! ☕️

Fandom: JATP

Paring: Julie x Flynn

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings/Includes: tad bit of cursing, luke’s an ass

A/N: this is for the @jatpsecretvalentine event! shoutout to @screwunsaidemily for organizing this! i and so much fun!

@flynnsmolinas this is for you! happy valentine’s day! 💛

Mandatory Thanking of the Betas: ha ha! i did this on my own! no betas but me

AO3 link here (it’ll be up after my hiatus)

Please don’t repost my work without my permission, in part or whole. My work can also be found on AO3 under the same username. Thank you!

“Hi, what can I get for you?” Julie said, looking at the person who had just walked up to her register. Her coffee shop, Good Times, brought in all kinds of customers. It was the perfect mix of all the good things a coffee shop should be.

“Uh, just a large coffee please.” The girl said as she dug through her small backpack.

“Of course! That’ll be 5 dollars,” As the girl looked up at her, Julie blushed. She didn’t think she had ever seen anyone prettier in her life.

“You okay?” She said, placing $5 in Julie’s outstretched hand. If you asked Julie, she would have sworn that at that moment, she had felt sparks.

Snap out of it, Molina! Julie told herself. “Uh, yeah, could I get a name?” She grabbed her sharpie and a cup as the girl spoke.

“Flynn.”

Flynn.

~

Flynn came into the shop at the same time after that. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. As Julie worked her shift, she would come in at exactly 3 in the afternoon. The small table in the corner of the shop was her favorite. Julie had watched her the first week she came in, as she tried different tables.

She tried the table in the far corner of the shop once, and Julie made up an excuse about how the shop needed to be swept so she could look at the stunning girl.

But now, it was 3. And then 4 came, and 5. Flynn still wasn’t here.

“Do you think she’s okay? She always comes in at exactly this time, she has to be okay. Right?” Julie said, looking at Reggie. Reggie was one of the many aspiring musicians in LA, and sometimes, his band would play at the cafe. They would bring in a huge crowd of girls, and Julie didn’t mind the band.

“I’m sure she’s okay,” Reggie promised his boss. “She could be caught in traffic, or she doesn’t want coffee today.”

“Yeah…” Julie said, turning to the register as Reggie’s bandmate walked up. “Luke, what can I get you?”

“Two things,” the flirtatious boy said. “Your number, and Mr.Reginald.”

“Magic word?” Julie said, her focus pulling away as the bell at the front of the shop.

Flynn was huffing and puffing, her hair was wild and all over the place, but her one constant. Her backpack.

“Please,” Luke said, drawing Julie’s attention back.

“Reg! Luke’s asking for you!” She turned to the boy, her smirk matching his. “And as for my number Luke, you’ll have to order something to get it.” Julie turned to Reggie, who was emerging from the back of the shop.

“Okay, you need to get your boy out of the shop, he knows he’s not supposed to be here. Especially after your last concert.” Reggie rolled his eyes as you spoke, but when he saw Flynn, his eyes lit up.

“I’m always here if Julie fails you,” He hollered as he dragged Luke out by his ear.

Julie sighed. “I- I am so sorry about, well, that,” She said, but nothing could hide that she was now a stuttering, flustered mess after seeing Flynn.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, boys suck,” She fiddled with her fingers a bit. “So if I order something, I can get your number?” Julie was surprised at her words.

“Uh,” She froze for a second as she processed. “Well, I- I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

“Oh, well, can I get whatever your largest size is, and your most caffeinated drink with two extra shots of espresso?” Flynn asked.

“Are you okay?” Julie said, looking at the girl with the most caring look in the world.

“Yeah, I’ve got an essay due at 11:59, an essay I haven’t started, and- and it’s worth 60% of my final grade.”

“Alright then, our largest size is an X-L, and it’s like about this big,” Julie held her hands up to show something that was 2 times bigger than the large. “And as for most caffeine, if you add two shots to a macchiato, that gives me the boost I need to get through doing taxes,” Julie let out a small laugh.

“That would be great, actually,” She smiled. “Uh, how much?” Flynn said, pulling out her wallet.

“Oh, this is on the house! Don’t worry about it,” Julie said. “You got any music selections you’d like us to play? Music helps me get through anything, so if you want-”

“Everybody talks.” Flynn blurted out.

“I love that song! Okay, I will have your drink and the song playing, in about 5 minutes!”

Flynn gave an appreciative smile and walked over to her table. The one in the corner.

~

“Alrighty, one caramel macchiato with two extra shots, a blueberry muffin, and Everybody Talks. Can I get you anything else?”

Flynn took a sip of the coffee. “This is perfect, thank you.”

“Of course!” A smile rested on Julie’s face as she walked back to her station. She anxiously pulled out her phone and checked it for any texts.

“Julie!” Luke shouted, bursting through the door. Reggie was close behind him, trying to stop the boy.

“If you are going to be this loud, I’ll ban Sunset Curve from playing here, got it?” She stared the boy down.

“Okay but, Reggie told me about the coffee girl. Ya know, the one who orders a large black coffee every other day at 3?”

“Where are you going with this?” Julie sighed, annoyed, and desperately trying to stop him from saying anything more.

“Well,” He stumbled towards her. “You like her!” Julie started to protest to his statement, but her flustered face betrayed her. “Ha! I was right!” He shouted in victory.

“Luke,” Reggie said, in a warning tone.

“What? Is coffee girl here?” He gazed around the shop. “Reggie said she always sits at table 2B. I don’t know what that means, but he also said that she came in late today.” He spun around, his eyes landing on the table where Flynn was working on her essay.

Her eyes and face said it all. She had heard everything.

“Luke, get the hell out of my shop,” Julie said quietly.

He raised his hands and nodded to Flynn. “She never would have told you anyway.”

The shop was quiet for a moment after Luke left. Julie walked over to the music tablet and clicked on everybody talks.

At least music could fill the silence.

~

Flynn didn’t come to the shop for two weeks after that.

Julie didn’t receive any new texts.

~

She wanted someone by her side that day. Opening up the shop, it felt like an opportunity had passed by. I should have written my number on that cup, fuck. Julie didn’t curse, and she tried to stay away from people who did, but she felt so dumb.

Hanging up the last heart, she stepped back to her station, fiddling with everything as she prepared for the morning’s rush.

“Can you believe it’s already Valentine’s day?” Someone said, clearly in a call as they entered the shop. “It’s like the year has gone by so fast already.”

“What can I get for you?” Julie asked. They held up a finger as they wrapped up their conversion.

“Oh, I’m just the messenger. Are you Julie?” She nodded. “Okay great! This,” They pulled a letter out of their pocket and placed it on the counter. “Is for you. Good luck!”

“Uh, thanks?” Julie said as they left.

~

It was a busy Saturday, so it wasn’t until 4 hours later that Julie was able to open the letter.

“Dear Julie. Want to see where this leads? Follow the hearts,” Julie read. “Okay then. Reggie! You are in charge! I’ll be back! Okay?” She said, stepping outside after he confirmed. “Follow the hearts… What does that mean?” She looked around, trying to find some hearts.

And there, on the little bridge next to the shop, was a heart. It had a little note that said, “follow me!”

And so she did. Down the bridge, past the library, and finally, landing outside the garden.

There was a final heart, one with a rose and a note this time. It simply read, “Picnic?” That was all Julie needed as she looked out to the garden.

And there, amongst the field of grass, was the only person she’d ever need.

~

Send me an ask if you’d like to leave/join my tag list(s)!

JATP: @n0wornever @calamitykaty @screwunsaidemily @crybabyddl @badwolf00593 @dream-a-little-bigger-x

All: @funsizearsonist

[katsukis-sad-angel]

If You Got a Valentine From the MHA Boys, Here’s What It Would Say…

Pairings: Denki Kaminari x Reader, Katsuki Bakugou x Reader, Eijirou Kirishima x Reader, Izuku Midoriya x Reader, and Tenya Iida x Reader

Summary: The titLe

Warnings: Swearing, major uwu, mentions of sexual acts, angst?

AN: I finished this around noon, took a nap, finished AOT season 3, and I realize its 7:20 and I haven’t posted anything for v-day yet. Procrastination at it’s finest

---------------------------------------------------------

→ Denki Kaminari

Baby, you make my palms sweaty, knees weak, arms spaghetti

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love,

Denki

~

He’d probably spell “valentine’s” and “spaghetti” wrong, and you would probably smack him after reading it, but he still showers you in love and affection all day. After he’s taken you out to eat and given you all the gifts he could afford, he’ll show you the new yellow and black lingerie he bought for you. 

He has quite a few hot yet adorable pictures on his phone now.

His love for you really shows up during this holiday, shining through his usual mask of stupidity.

~

why tf did kami call him ‘kacchan’? does he have a death wish or smth?

→ Katsuki Bakugou

Dear Angel,

Roses are red

Valentines always sucked

When you finish reading this

You’re gonna get fucked

Love you,

Katsuki

~

Despite the crude language on the glittery, handcrafted valentine, you bit your lip in anticipation as you pretended to continue reading. Katsuki stands in front of you, tapping his foot impatiently, red eyes alight and body tense and ready to pounce. There definitely wasn’t a raging boner tenting his sweatpants too. Finally, he snatches the red piece of paper from you, tosses it on your desk and grabs you, throwing you over one muscled shoulder to take you to his room.

Let’s just say it was a nice afternoon, a sweet evening, and a sore, yet pleasant morning.

Lots of chocolate.

And roses.

And a giant fluffy teddy bear with a ribbon around its neck you can buy a BJ’s for like $50

~

i would like to bring todoroki to your attention in the gif above

→ Eijirou Kirishima

To My Honeybun;

Y/n, you are the most amazing girlfriend in the world. Have I ever told you that? If I have, do I tell you enough? Every time I look at you, I swear the world stops. The breath catches in my throat, my heart skips a beat and I can’t help but remember how lucky I am to simply hold your hand when I walk you home from school. Your smile is like the sunrise, your eyes are like the falling stars we saw during the meteor shower, and your hair is softer than the finest silk. You know I could go on forever, right? I don’t tell you enough how much you mean to me, plus if words can’t describe how beautiful you are, then how can I tell you how much I love you? 

I love you.

I have lots of fun things planned today so as soon as you finish reading this, get dressed and come downstairs! This will be the best Valentine’s Day ever!

Your loving boyfriend,

Eiji

~

Honestly, I think his letter would be longer. He wouldn’t hesitate to outline in perfect detail exactly what about you and why he loves it and go on and on for at least 7 pages. 

Change my mind

If you’re dating Kirishima Eijirou, news flash; he loves you more that oxygen itself and he will show you that through many acts of kindness, toothy grins, endless gifts, and sensual evenings. He will put your needs and wants before his own, so please take care of him and show him QUADRUPLE the love he shows you. Because he needs it to stay our favorite unbreakable baby.

~

→ Izuku Midoriya

Dear Y/n,

I’ll do my best to keep this short, but knowing me, that’s probably not gonna happen.

First of all, Happy Valentine’s Day! But even without this holiday, you’ll always be my valentine. I don’t need a special day to celebrate your love in my life. Since today the world is celebrating anyway, I am here to tell you how much I love you. 

That sorta rhymes… right?

I guess that doesn’t really matter as long as I mean it, and I do! I can’t remember a day where your pretty smile didn’t light it up or when one of your hugs couldn’t make me warm. 

I have our whole day planned out so get dressed in something pretty (actually, wear whatever you want. You look beautiful in everything) and meet me by the door.

I love you so much!!!

Izuku

~

This would be WAAAAAAY longer if Izuku Midoriya actually wrote this. Like Kirishima, you’re gonna get a 5-page essay on why you’re perfect, a 17-page essay on his favorite things about you, 2 and a half page essay on your face, 5-page essay on how cute you look wearing his clothes, and on and on and on. If you haven’t noticed, HE. LOVES. YOU. With all the love in his big, heroic heart. And yes. Broccoli boy mcfreakin’ planned out every second of the day, so you better appreciate it and tell him so because the letter you just read sounded like, “You’re gonna be bulbasore tonight babe. Love, Izuku” to him.

~

→ Shouto Todoroki

Dear Y/n,

I got my dad’s credit card so why don’t we go on a little shopping spree? Then we can go to McDonaldTrump’s for lunch afterward. 

Meet you downstairs,

Sho

P.S. Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful!

~

It probably wouldn’t be a handwritten letter, most likely a text message, but you would still appreciate it a lot. Not only do you have a hot boyfriend, but he’s rich, he’s kind, and he loves you. Plus, you hate his dad so you were more than happy to drain a few thousand dollars from his bank account. Not that Endeavor would notice. The dude is literally rolling in cash. 

(In reality, Shouto saved up his money so he could spend it on you. He didn’t want you to feel guilty for spending his or be dependent on his father to keep his woman happy)

Since this was a special day for both of you, Sho makes sure you have a lot of fun and you’re sure to remind him how much you love him too.

Cuddling in the evening while eating premium caramel-filled milk chocolates.

New clothes and shoes still in bags and boxes in the corner.

Forehead kisses.

~

kami... bish u abt dumb as fock

→ Tenya Iida

Dear Y/n, 

I have a few things I want to say in my letter before we go out today so I guess I’ll start with this; you are as important in my life as a beat is to the heart, you know that? I can’t live without you anymore. When I think about the days before we started dating… well, I don’t remember them. I feel like I don’t deserve such a special and beautiful girl in my life. Someone perfect, and fun, and kind. Qualities I didn’t know could exist all in one person. 

Never forget that I love you with all my heart and our bond is strong and irreplaceable to me.

Happy Valentine’s Day, darling,

Tenya

~

Tenya would be so stupidly honest and pure in the letter, it brought you to tears.

When you finish reading, you’re crying your eyes out and run to his room and into his arms. When you crash into Tenya’s bed, he nearly has a heart attack when he sees you crying. Unfortunately, this beautiful man is surprised he even had a girlfriend and their relationship lasted this long. After explaining to him that the letter was the sweetest thing you’d ever read and that you loved him so so much, he let out a huge sigh of relief and pulled you close.

HUGS in those huge, muscular arms of his and head pats until you were smiling again.

*He feels so lucky to have you right then*

You get spoiled all freaking day.

The gifts never seem to stop.

Tenya’s true, calm, sweet, and  loving nature really shines through this holiday and you couldn’t feel more blessed when he takes his glasses off and smiles

[darlingsdevil]

The Ballads of Rebirth (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Chapter 17: Epilogue

Masterlist

Tag list: @rollyjogerjones

A/N: This is it. This is the end. I wrote a little message for all of you to read, it would mean a lot if you did.

When I began this story a few days after Christmas, I wrote it on a whim. The story brewed in my mind for perhaps a max week before I began writing it. The original idea was inspired a lot by Big Fish the Musical, the musical I was in, in early December. I remember I used to write day after day and could get a chapter up daily, until around the sixth or seventh chapter. I can’t quite tell you how I did it, but I know if I hadn’t gotten that far so quickly, I would have never finished this story, it would have been added to my never ending pile of unfinished WIP’s. The Ballads of Rebirth was supposed to go in an entirely different direction that I had planned, Lee and Arthur’s feud was supposed to be way worse and bitter, and would have ended up with Arthur beating up Lee. Lee was supposed to be much more of an antagonist in the final chapters, a way worse of a person, but I couldn’t do it to him. In many ways, he was flawed, he was selfish at times and quick to judge, but he was still loving and goofy. I know people were not going to like him, they were rooting for Arthur after all. But I still love Lee, he was my first official rdr2 oc, my first fully fleshed out character. Quite frankly, I didn’t really ‘know’ who he was until I continued writing it, I had no personality built out for him until I began writing, and I just chose what felt right. That’s what happens with a lot of my stories, I write what feels right (which usually leads to plot holes because I don’t write shit down). But regardless, I love Lee, and I hope you’re satisfied with the ending I gave him.

There were a few times that I thought about giving up, that my story was absolute shit, that my plot holes were too confusing and my narrative was weak, and I was close to quitting. Until people began asking me when the new chapters would be out, what would happen next. While the numbers may be small, the dedication is what kept me going. And yeah, maybe my story isn’t the biggest rdr2 fic, maybe it’s not talked about in discord servers, but I don’t care, all that matters is that the fans that have stayed have shown me that I should continue writing, that there are people rooting for this story. I know, my story is full of plot holes, I know people don’t like Lee (which I’ll forever be bitter about), I know my story has grammatical errors, I know maybe I shouldn’t have killed off Mahala, I know there’s a lot I could have done, but there’s a lot I still did. As much as I think my story is weak, I’m still proud of the fact that I made it, that it is my own, that I created it and stuck through.

Sometimes, it’s not about what you could have done, it’s what you did. And that’s more valuable in many ways. Creating anything is powerful, and The Ballads of Rebirth taught me that.

So thank you, to every commentator, every person who left a like or kudo, every person who left an ask in my inbox, and especially everyone who complimented my writing style (which is apparently unique? and also these comments are a huge ego boost to me so if I’m cocky, it’s those peoples fault). Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed what I made.

I know I did.

••

Here Are Some Songs That Inspired This Story

1. Setting Sun - Lord Huron (Main inspiration)

2. Prologue - Starry (What I consider to be the main theme)

3. Sunlight and Storms - Starry (Inspiration for Lee and Reader’s relationship)

4. The Road - Starry (yeah.. I know there’s lots of Starry, but regardless, Arthur’s arc inspiration)

5. After The War - Stars (wow lots of star-esque things, Epilogue inspiration, I recommend listening to it while reading this)

•••

PS. The AU ending will be posted with the main story, as I realized many of you may not see it otherwise.

•••

Time passed quickly and solemnly. Life was peaceful and quiet. And you loved every second of it. After you and Arthur had left Richfield in search of the life you had lost, you and your husband had found it with Charles, in a small cottage down the road from him. Charles was happy to see you and Arthur returned to him.

And life was quiet, for a long time it was. You heard nothing of Micah and Dutch, the Pinkerton’s had stopped searching, it seemed the outlaw way had died out long ago too. You were scared Arthur or you would somehow slip back into it. you would blink and suddenly be pulled back into the life you so desperately tried to avoid, but the pull never came. The older you got, the lesser and lesser that percentage became.

The people of Wapiti had long since moved. You visited Mahala’s grave frequently, and thanked her for bringing Arthur back to you. You were sure you would have liked her.

You thanked Charles too, for being quick to find him. It was strange to think that without Charles’ swift action, Arthur would not be here today. Instead, you would be visiting his grave instead of Mahala’s.

John was exceptionally pleased to hear Arthur was still alive. Abigail wrote frequently to you for many years, you missed her dearly, but you had faith you would be reunited once more.

“Honey?” You called out to the doorway behind you.

“G’morning. I got what you asked me to pick up,” Arthur replied. You looked over your shoulder and smiled at him. He placed the box down at the table.

“Thank you. Breakfast is almost ready,” You said, scrambling some eggs on top of the stove. Arthur came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“Someone’s touchy today,” You laughed, shaking your head.

“Missed you.” He nuzzled his face into your neck.

“You were gone for a day.”

“I’m not allowed to miss my dear wife?” He pretended to sound hurt.

“Not when you’re distracting me,” You replied nonchalantly, continuing to prepare the omelettes.

Arthur laughed heartily in your ear. “I give up then,” he said, removing his hold from your waist and putting his hands up in defeat.

“It’s almost ready, sit down.” You put the finishing touches on the omelettes and put them on plates. Arthur sat down at the small table while you fetched some forks. You stared through the window while your hands grabbed two forks, seeing the daffodils on the window, Arthur had bought for you a few days earlier.

You walked over to the table and set down the two plates, taking a seat across from Arthur. He grabbed at the plate hungrily and began to eat.

“You sure are hungry.”

“Starvin’. Been a day since I’ve had your lovely cooking,” Arthur smiled at you. You picked up your fork as well and began to eat.

“I forgot the coffee, hold on.” You realized after a few moments and walked over to the countertop to fetch the pot of coffee, pouring two cups for Arthur and you. You made yours how you liked it, and brought cream and sugar over to Arthur.

“Thank you,” He replied to the gesture, grabbing his cup. He put in a few spoonfuls of sugar and some cream, always the one with the sweet tooth.

You sipped your coffee while you ate your breakfast, glancing out towards the front windows. It was a nice day out, clear of clouds with a nice breeze. The garden still needed tending to, but at least later you could sit on the porch with Arthur.

“I invited Charles over for dinner tonight, by the way. I’m making roast beef and potatoes, and maybe an apple pie, I haven’t decided yet,” You shrugged.

“Make blueberry.” Arthur replied, picking up a newspaper from yesterday that was on the table.

“Blueberries aren’t in season.”

“Okay, then raspberry.”

“Not in season either.”

“Really? Well shit. Apple will have to do then.”

“You don’t like my apple pies?”

“What? No, I do! You just make them a lot. I feel like we’re having them every week,” Arthur laughed nervously.

You pretended to glare at him, “Then I’ll never make another apple pie again. You’re getting pie with no filling in all of them now.”

“Now I didn’t say that! I’m just saying, you make apple pies a lot, I like variety sometimes.”

“You lived with the gang for 20 years and ate the same stew for every meal but you’re complaining about me making apple pie once a week?” You raised your eyebrow at him.

“That’s why I like variety now. Couldn’t have it for so long, that once I get it I’ll never go back to eating the same thing.”

“Mhm.” You dragged out the sound, nodding sarcastically.

You stared at Arthur, he stared at you, a slight smile on his lips. “Just admit you don’t like my apple pies.”

“Would it make you happy if I said that?”

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know!”

“Listen, I like your apple pies, honestly. I just like some variety, that’s all,” He said, attempting to quell your fake anger.

“I’m never making an apple pie ever again,” You replied dramatically, slumping onto the table, reaching your hands out to hold his.

Arthur chucked at your dramatics.

“Just eat your omelette.”

•••

You thought of Lee frequently. Not that you yearned for him, or missed him, you simply wondered how he was doing. And in a way, he had heard your thoughts, after about two years of silence from him, Lee sent a letter.

“You have a letter,” Arthur had said one night when he came back from town, placing the letter on the table in front of you.

“Who’s it from?”

“Lee.”

“Lee sent me a letter?” You asked in disbelief, grabbing the envelope and examining the name on the front. Leroy Rinascita. Clear as day.

(Y/N),

It’s been quite some time since you left Richfield. I hope this letter finds you well. I took a chance and sent a letter to Valentine, a city Arthur had mentioned to me before, so if I don’t hear from you, I assume you’re somewhere else off in the country.

I hope you’re pleased with the choices you made. How is Arthur, by the way? I know we started off on the wrong foot (for good reason) but overall I found him to be a good, kind man. I can tell Arthur makes a good husband. I pray he’s not too angry with how I acted earlier towards him, water under the bridge, right?

I apologize for not sending a letter sooner, or perhaps I’m sorry for even writing this, in case you find this letter strange. I just wanted to know how you are doing. I’m doing well too. I’ve found someone as well who I enjoy very much, they live with me now. I guess you can say we got married, about two months ago actually. It wasn’t a conventional marriage of course. You actually already met them. I’m not sure you would expect who, but for the sake of prying eyes, I won’t reveal who they are in this letter. Other than marriage, life’s been pretty normal. The general store is doing well, there’s some new projects in the city too. A new candy store opened by the pier after the old one unfortunately burned down a few months after you had left. Richfield is bigger now, I feel like it’ll never stop growing. More and more people show up everyday. I barely even know the neighbors names these days.

As for my father, I’m pleased to say he’s still kicking. Somehow, the cancer went away, I couldn’t tell you how, the doctors can’t either. I’m really grateful for you convincing him to stay alive, to stay for me.

Your locket is still with me, I found an old family photo of my father, my mother and Anastasia as a newborn. It was strange to see my mother’s face after so many years, I had nearly forgotten it. I have an older photo of Anastasia too on the other side, my partner isn’t in the locket, only because I see them daily. I don’t need to be reminded that I love them.

But enough talk of me, how are you doing? I know it’s been a while, but I still care about you, and hope to know you’re doing well. Give Arthur a hello for me as well.

Regards,

Lee

You were happy to know Lee still cared, in some horrible nightmare you imagined that he despised you, that you were simply a dark phase in his life. And you were even happier that Lee had found someone and was truly living the life he had wanted. In a way, you were the same as him, both yearning for peace and quiet.

“Lee’s been doing well. I’m glad he sent this letter, he says hello to you, Arthur,” You told him, setting the letter down on the table.

“Good. I’m glad Lee’s doing okay.”

“Yeah, me too.”

•••

Even though Beecher’s Hope had many people living off its land, it did not feel crowded. Perhaps it was the sky that made it feel that way, the sky was endless, and when you and your family worked underneath it, it did not feel so small. The sky was infinite.

“Jack, will you go get Anne for me? She’s out by the chicken coop,” You had told the teenager.

“Sure thing, Aunt (Y/N),” He replied, walking towards the front door to fetch Anne for dinner. Although the Marston and Morgan houses were separate, the two families had practically lived in both. Jack was eating over for dinner, John and Abigail claiming you as his babysitter. Not that he needed one — or perhaps Uncle did.

“Arthur? Will you set the table for me, please? I have to go get Anne washed up once Jack brings her in,” You called out to Arthur behind you.

“Sure.” Arthur responded, he picked up the dishes next to you and began placing them on the table.

As you finished up cooking, you heard the shrill voice of Anne calling out to you. You immediately swiveled around as her tiny legs bounced up to you.

“There’s my little one!” You said joyously, she wrapped her arms around your leg and giggled. She was a near carbon copy of Arthur. She had his nose, his eyes, his mouth shape, but she had your hair and complexion. Regardless of who she looked more like — she was yours.

“Mama! I brought you a feather from the chicken coop!” She reached into her tiny dress pocket and pulled out a white feather. It was bigger and heavier than a chicken feather, you wondered what type of bird it was.

“Sorry, Uncle Arthur, she kind of made a mess in the chicken coop,” You heard Jack say to Arthur.

“You did? Oh thank you, sweetie.” You beamed at her, she watched you take it with big proud eyes. You placed the feather in your pocket, it’s long feathers sticking out.

“You’re welcome, mama.” You noticed the dirt on her face and on her knees as she said that. You scooped her up in your arms and took her into the bathroom to wash up.

You set her down next to the sink and began washing her knees with a wet washcloth.

“Mommy?”

“Yes?” You hummed, continuing to scrub the dirt off her knees.

“When is the baby coming?”

“Not for a couple more months.”

“Daddy thinks it’ll be a boy,” She told you matter of factly.

“Daddy thinks lots of things.”

“He told me he’s sure about this one.”

“When did daddy say that?” You asked, dipping the washcloth under the water, beginning to wipe the dirt off her cute face.

“Today. He told me while we were looking for flowers for you.”

“Okay, well, what else did he say?”

“He said he wants to name the baby Henry Hosea.”

You blinked at the name. Henry Hosea did sound nice. After all, Hosea was technically your adoptive father, as well as Arthur’s. Neither of you had really ever brought him up, avoiding that painful topic entirely. And Anne knew nothing of your past occupations, it was a story for another time, when she was older.

“I like the name Hosea,” Anne responded after being met by your silence.

“It’s a nice name,” Your voice nearly breaking. You subdued the tears in your eyes, after all that conversation was for another time.

When you finished cleaning Anne up, you brought her to dinner and sat her down next to Jack. You brought the food out to the table, making sure to put the apple pie right in front of Arthur.

•••

In many ways, time had been kind to you. It had been patient and nurturing, time allowed you a second chance at life.

It had given you the life you had wanted, one full of peace, love and family. Your life was quiet at Beecher’s Hope, filled with no revenge story. Time had dragged out your lesson for many years, but now you were reaping the fruits of your labor.

So now, as you cradle your newborn son, watching Anne and Arthur play in the field, her giggles dancing over the grass. You thank time for being there for you. For giving you what you wanted, for letting you learn to grow. For giving you a family. For returning Arthur to you.

In many ways you were thankful, thankful for the lessons you had learned, thankful for the house you lived in, thankful for the food on your table. Thankful for Mahala, thankful for Lee, thankful for Anne, thankful for Arthur and thankful for your son, Henry Hosea.

A cool breeze swept over the field, causing the grass and flowers to dance in the wind. Anne began to pretend she was a bird and Arthur raced around trying to catch her, both laughing in unison.

You looked down at your newborn son, his eyes closed over his resting face.

“One day I’ll tell you where your name comes from. I’ll tell you all about the life your daddy and I lived. And I’ll tell you about the life I had after that, and I’ll tell you about why I’ll never go back to either. One day I’ll tell you all about it,” You said quietly to your son, a promise to him and time, and no one else.

And in the end there was a man and a woman, and a daughter and a son, living to the world, thankful for every moment they get to spend with each other.

And Mother Nature rejoiced, for the man on the mountain and the woman in the city had found each other.

••• The End •••

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

Adore You - Harry Styles Valentine’s Day One Shot

Valentine’s Day was coming up and it was one of your favorite holidays. It wasn’t for all the hoopla like chocolates, flowers, diamonds, that filled the stories and adverts on TV, but just having a day where you can dedicate to showing your loved one how much you love them. Of course, that was something you should every day, but it was nice to do something a little more on a day that wasn’t an anniversary or birthday. 

You’ve enjoyed your past Valentine’s Days with your exes. They were your typical dinner and some flowers type dates. It’s not that you didn’t like them, but you never felt like thy had put in any effort to make the day special. Which meant that with Valentine’s Day, you really didn’t have any high expectations, even though you were in a new relationship. 

You had met Harry backstage at the Jingle Bell Ball in December. You two managed to hang out and go on a few dates over the last couple of months and it just recently became exclusive between the two of you. Neither of you had brought up the topic of Valentine’s Day in conversations, mostly because you weren’t sure if the two of you  would even be in the same city, but with the Brit Awards coming up just after the weekend, you would both be in London. 

So, now you two had talked back and forth about what to do. Again, you weren’t setting very high expectations since you’ve never had any luck in the past and plus the relationship was still very new and you didn’t want to make a huge deal of it. However, Harry had set quite the exceptions and put them on himself. 

Call himself a helpless romantic, but he wanted your first Valentine’s Day together to be special. Especially since it would be the first official date since the two of you became official. It was weird, the feeling that changed when you went from causally dating someone to being in a relationship with them. 

When it happened, he hadn’t exactly planned on it in that moment. You two were on the phone and he kinda just blurted it out calling you his girlfriend. He quickly caught himself and asked if it was okay with you and if not, he understood. You just laughed at him and told him it was perfectly okay for you. 

Which brings you two now, Valentine’s Day. Harry had some radio promo to do early in the morning, but after that he was meeting you for a nice brunch and then the two of you would be spending the rest of the together. He made sure to mix in some special, maybe a little extravagant things in with some simple activities. He didn’t it to be too big, but nothing too simple either. 

You had arrived at the small cafe you were meeting Harry at, you weren’t sure if you should give him his gift at brunch or wait until later, so you decided to get something small to give to him there. He was finishing up his radio bit just as you parked your car, so you knew it would be a little bit before his arrival. 

During your wait, you scanned the menu, seeing all the Valentine themed items available. Waffles, Pancakes, and a multiple of other pastries were offered in heart shapes, along with powdered sugar and red berries added for the color scheme. By the time Harry arrived, you had decided on a veggie omelet with roasted potatoes and a fruit plate. 

“Sorry, I’m late,” he said sitting down across from you. “There were fans waiting outside.” 

“Oh, no problem,” you smiled. “I’ve only ordered a drink so far.” 

He nodded looking over the menu. The two of you soon ordered and then he looked over at you. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, my dear,” he smiled. “You look beautiful.” 

“Thank you,” you smiled. “And Happy Valentine’s Day to you. Oh! I wasn’t sure if we’d be exchanging gifts just yet, but I went head and brought a little something.” 

“Y/N, you didn’t have to do that,” he said. 

“Well, I did, now open it,” you smirked handing him a little bag. 

He took it from you and took out the pink tissue paper before reaching inside. He laughed when he saw the mini Valentine’s Day bear holding a balloon with a cheesy saying on it. 

“You really shouldn’t have,” he joked. “But it’s cute. I love it,” he smiled over at you. 

**

After brunch, the two of you went for a walk around the park, something simple.  He grabbed your hand, kissing your cheek as you walked through the park. You smiled holding him close. 

“What else will we be doing today?” You asked. 

“I’ve got some plans,” he said. “That you will find out soon enough.” 

“Always Mr. Mysterious,” you joked. 

“That’s part of the charm, baby,” he smirked. 

You rolled your eyes, playfully pushing him away as you walked ahead. He smirked picking up his pace and wrapping his arms around your shoulder. 

“You know, I’m getting tired, do you think you could carry me back to the car?” He smirked. 

He gently pushed himself up and you laughed bracing yourself for it, “Are you trying to kill me,” you laughed. 

“Are you calling me fat?” He gasped. 

“I would never,” you giggled. 

He laughed kissing your cheek before dropping down to his feet. You smirked and jumped on his back, wrapping your arms around his shoulders, while he grabbed your legs. 

“Now, this is how we should have done the entire walk,” you smirked. 

“I’ve got a bad back you know,” he pointed out. 

“I’m sure you’ll live,” you said. “Now, let’s get moving.” 

**

Later that afternoon, after your walk, you and Harry grabbed lunch and went to his house to watch movies. When it came around to dinner time, you two headed out and you weren’t sure where you were going. You two held hands in the car as the driver drove through the city of the London. The conversation was light and even though nothing special had happened that day, you were having the best time. 

When the car stopped, you were a little confused when you got out. You weren’t standing outside of a restaurant. 

“Are you sure this is the right address?” You asked. 

“Yep,” he smiled. “Come on.” 

He lead in you into the building where there was literally no one else. You looked at him confused, especially when you walked into a a huge kitchen. 

“Um, what’s going on?” You asked. 

Before Harry could ask, in walked a woman wearing a white chef uniform. “Good evening and welcome to my cooking class,” she smiled. 

You smiled over at Harry, who gave you a wink as the two of you went over to your stations. You both put on aprons and the chef went over everything you would need to begin. The entire process was fun, full of laughter, and having a mini food fight when the chef wasn’t looking. When it came down to making th batter for the dessert cake, you smirked taking some of what was left in the mixing bowl and running it across his face. 

He gasped looking over at you and you just gave him an innocent look. He smirked before wrapping his arms around you from behind and rubbing his chocolate stained cheek against yours. 

“Hey!” You laughed. 

“Just sharing the love, love,” he smirked. 

**

You were now back home at Harry’s house. The dinner the two of you had made was delicious and you had brought the cake home to enjoy later. 

“So, what did you think?” He asked. 

“It was lovely. I had a great time,” you smiled. 

“Better than making dinner reservations?” He asked. 

“Much better,” you smiled. 

“Well, I do have one more thing on tonight’s agenda,” he said. “And that’s your gift.” 

He brought over a bouquet of flowers and a bag. You smiled taking it from him, smelling the flowers first before taking a peek inside the bag. You pulled out a long velvet box opening to see a small bracket with three little charms on it. The first one was a sliver party hat with tiny diamonds inside of it, the next on was in the shape of an old phone, and the third one was a diamond heart. 

“This bracelet represents some pretty good moments of our relationship so far,” he smiled. “We first met at our friend’s birthday party, the second is when I asked you to be my girlfriend on the phone, and the third is our first valentine’s day.” 

“Wow,” you whispered. “This... I love this. Thank you.” 

He smiled taking it out of the box for you and helping you put it on. 

“You must see this going very far there’s a lot of charms to be added here, Styles,” you smiled. 

“And I plan on buy you one for every hook on there,” he smiled. 

You smiled wrapping your arms around him giving him a quick kiss. “Oh! Wait now it’s time for your present,” you smiled. 

You walked over to your bag grabbing the wrapped box from it. “Technically, I got you two presents, besides the teddy bear,” you said. 

“I thought we agreed on just one gift,” he said. 

“We did, but your second gift is more for the both of us,” you said. 

“Ooookay,” he said looking at you a little skeptical. 

He took the box from you, unwrapping it carefully and opened it up to a brand new necklace. 

“It’s not even out yet,” you said. “I was a fitting and saw a sample of it. I thought you might like it, so I may have pulled some strings and got for you ahead of time.” 

“I love it,” he smiled widely. “It’s definitely me.” 

“I thought so,” you smiled. 

“So, what’s this other present?” He asked. 

You smirked taking his hand and walking into the bedroom. “Now, it’s time for you to unwrap me and find out,” you said turning around to expose the zipper of your dress. 

He raised an eyebrow before pulling your zipper down and pushing the fabric of the dress off your shoulder. You turned around facing him as you let the remainder of the dress fall to the floor. He smiled as he took in the sight of you. He put his hands on your face as gently kissed you. This wouldn’t be the first time you two had been together, but both of you knew something about that night would make it feel different. 

And you knew exactly what i was. You were well on your way to falling in love and that is what made this particular Valentine’s Day the best one you had ever had. 

[dickwheelie]

Day 29: Secret Admirer

For the @ineffable-valentines prompt list!

Boy oh boy. I cannot believe I was able to post a fic for this prompt list, on time, every day for an entire month. For me, that’s huge. I tend to be a slow writer and I rarely finish the stuff I start. Not every fic was amazing, or very long, but by gosh, I sure did finish them, and I had so much fun doing it! Huge thanks to @mielpetite for making this list and reblogging all the entries throughout the month, they’ve been amazing. Thank you also to all the lovely folks who commented/reblogged/liked my fics, you gave me the motivation to sit down every day and write something, even when I wasn’t feeling it. Much love to all y’all.

If you go to the #ineffablevalentines tag on tumblr, you’ll see the other entries, and if you go here on my blog you’ll see all of mine. Okay, enough chat, please enjoy my final fic of the month, wherein to no one’s surprise, there is more letter writing.

__________

To the proprietor of A.Z. Fell & Co Booksellers, Downtown Soho, in case there’s another one knocking about somewhere—

I saw you in the shop the other day and couldn’t help but stare. You were gently ushering someone out the door without a single book in their hands, and I couldn’t help but find your tenacity admirable. I myself was careful not to remove any item from the store when I left, but I’m afraid I may have left one behind. I was wondering if you might have seen it, so I can come back to fetch it. You see, it’s terribly important to me. It’s my heart.

Love,

Your Secret Admirer

Aziraphale chuckled through an unseemly blush as he refolded the letter and placed it on the top of the stack that had been slowly growing on his desk for the past month. Every day of that cold, miserable February, a letter had arrived at his doorstep, with no return address and no name of sender. They were—and there was no beating around the bush about it, really—love letters, very obviously meant for him, from an anonymous so-called secret admirer.

At first, Aziraphale had been rather confused, but had kept the letters anyway, intending to show them to Crowley and have a good laugh. However, as each day passed and each new letter arrived, Aziraphale found himself quite charmed by this secretive writer. Clearly, they were a regular customer of some kind to know Aziraphale so well. They made all the right jokes, said all the right things, made references to all the right literary figures; either they had discerned Aziraphale’s tastes with perfect accuracy, or they had much in common with him.

Some of the letters were extremely lengthy; others, like today’s, were only a short paragraph or two, recounting the admirer’s feelings for him. Some were maudlin and prose-laden; some were humorous and sweet; others still were almost salacious in tone, never saying anything too outlandish but bordering on the cusp of it, hinting at things and implying things that made Aziraphale blush absolutely scarlet. All of them were quite flattering, and left Aziraphale’s mood brighter for the rest of the day.

Aziraphale had been charmed by humans before, and even been romantically pursued by some of them, but never before had one so captivated him with the written word. (This, of course, did not include works of literature. That was a very different kind of captivation that involved less blushing.) He’d never had a secret admirer before. It was all very thrilling and romantic.

Not being able to write back was a bit frustrating, but Aziraphale supposed it was for the best. Though he was quite flattered, and had reread some of the letters more times than he’d like to admit, at the end of the day, his admirer was only a human who only knew him as a bookseller.

Besides, Aziraphale was already taken. Speaking of which, he ought to get himself ready to meet Crowley for dinner; their reservation was at eight.

I ought to tell him about the letters, he thought as he went about selecting a bowtie. Crowley ought to know, after all, that he had some competition. Aziraphale laughed aloud at the thought. After dinner, he decided, he’d bring Crowley back to the shop and show him the pile of letters.

And so he did. Aziraphale poured them both a glass of wine and brought Crowley into his study, presenting the pile of papers as though it were an ice sculpture.

“Terribly sorry I didn’t mention these to you earlier,” said Aziraphale cheerily. “I suppose I didn’t want you getting jealous that I had a secret admirer.”

“Jealous? Me?” said Crowley wryly. “Never.”

“Well?” said Aziraphale, when Crowley didn’t make a move towards the desk. “Go ahead, read some of them. You have my full permission.”

“Hmm. I dunno,” said Crowley, making himself comfortable on one of the armchairs on the opposite side of the room. “Seems like your private affair, to me.”

“Nonsense! Here, I’ll read one to you.” Aziraphale selected one at random from the middle of the pile, unfolded it and cleared his throat. “Oh, this is rather a good one.

“My dear bookseller—

“I’ve read every Wilde I can get my hands on, but apparently even your shop doesn’t hold the book which may contain a description vivid enough to capture you. In my experience, none do; not Whitman, not Keats, not Dickenson. The most complimentary of love poems do not contain a subject more appealing to me than you are. I’m afraid there may not be words in the English language or any other to describe your radiance. Compared to all the other authors and poets, who am I to attempt such a feat?

“I must try anyway. You, of all the beings of the Earth and Heaven above and Hell below, deserve to know your own wonder. Compared to you, my perspective is lowly, to be sure. Still, was it not Wilde who once said that we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars?

“Endlessly Yours,

“Your Secret Admirer.”

Aziraphale had to pause to surreptitiously wipe at his eyes. That one had been particularly moving when he’d first read it. “Now, wasn’t that just lovely?” he said after a moment. “They know my tastes so well.”

Aziraphale glanced over at Crowley to see his reaction, but to his surprise, Crowley was smiling. A small, rather sweet smile, not at all jealous or mischievous. “Yeah,” Crowley said, “it was alright.” He put out his hand. “Can I have a look?”

Aziraphale handed him the letter and Crowley perused it, his expression much more pensive than Azirapahle would have expected. After a minute or two, Crowley said, “Yeah, not too bad, really. Not much I’d change, on this one. Just that the references to Heaven and Hell were probably a little too on the nose. And I’m pretty sure I used ‘complimentary’ incorrectly there.”

“Oh, really?” said Aziraphale, taking the letter as Crowley passed it back to him. He gave it another quick once-over. “No, I think ‘complimentary’ with an ‘i’ is correct. If it was an ‘e’ then it would be wrong, as in ‘complementary’—wait a moment.”

Aziraphale looked back up at Crowley so quickly he could have given himself whiplash. “You said I. ‘I used it incorrectly.’ Crowley. Did you—”

Crowley grinned, and crossed the room to press a kiss to Aziraphale’s brow. “Happy Valentine’s, Angel,” he said. “Well, happy February. The fourteenth went by and I had more I wanted to say, so I just sort of kept going.”

And suddenly, it all made sense. Who else, after all, could know Aziraphale so well? A human, with limited time on the planet, observing Aziraphale from afar, could never reach such an intimate understanding of him, and what he loved.

“Oh, my dear,” said Aziraphale. He glanced over at the pile. He was already planning a late night of reading through them all again, this time with the proper demon in mind. “Do I even have to say it?”

Crowley stuck his hands in his pockets and bobbed his head from side to side in a pantomime of thinking. “Well, considering it look me bloody ages to draft these all up, and write them by hand, and train the mice to deliver them, and stop myself from bragging about them to you every day for the last month—”

Aziraphale interrupted him with a kiss. “All right then,” he said, laughing. “Thank you, secret admirer.”

Crowley beamed. “Ah, it was no big deal, Angel.”

***

On February first of the following year, Crowley woke up to find an envelope sitting on his bedroom windowsill, outside his flat. It was addressed to “The handsome gentleman on the fifth floor,” and there was no return address. Inside was a letter, written on very old parchment and with very expensive ink, which read:

My dear,

Forgive me for my boldness, but I happened to see you in the Ritz the other day (you were with a rather good-looking gentleman in white, a very lucky man, if he had the privilege of being your dining companion), and you seemed to me to be the most dashing person in the room. Nay, in all of London. I found myself thinking about you for the rest of the evening, and I just had to draft up this letter to tell you exactly how lovely you looked that night. Though you wore dark glasses, I could occasionally catch a glimpse of your eyes behind them, and their beautiful golden color, and I found myself nearly speechless every time.

In all of creation, I have never found a being so wonderful to gaze upon. I imagine that if I were to, hypothetically, take the place of your ever-so-fortunate dining companion, and have a conversation and a drink with you, I would also never find someone so fascinating, so caring, so clever as you. I imagine if I were lucky enough to know you so well, your wit would be as dazzling as your eyes.

With the Greatest Affection,

Your Secret Admirer

Scrawled at the bottom of the page, in a much hastier hand, was a postscript. Crowley read it, cackled uproariously (which helped to hide his blushing), and went immediately to phone Aziraphale, intending to explain to him the point of having a secret admirer.

P.S.: Please do let me know if you received this! The doves are not very good with street directions, unfortunately. I am working on it with them. Much love! —A

Crowley also intended to tell him that he bloody well loved him, too.

[etymolo-drarry-ig]

Clueless

Draco has been dropping hints. Harry has yet to pick up on any of them.

---Harry’s POV---

In hindsight, the first hint was probably from the end of my third year.

"I have to tell you something," Draco had waved me over after the end-of-year feast. "But not here."

So we walked across the school grounds together, for the last time that school year. "I've been doing some thinking," Draco fidgeted with the cuffs of his shirt. "And I'll understand if you don't want to be friends anymore—"

"Draco, just tell me," I interrupted him, and he took a deep breath.

"I'm gay," he said finally.

"Oh," I replied. I wasn't sure what the correct response was—my only experience thus far was from Seamus and Dean, but even I knew they fancied each other, and I'm oblivious. Neither of them were very subtle, after all.

Draco turned to me. "Do you—do you hate me?"

Now I was confused. "I don't hate Dean or Seamus, do I?" I pointed out. "I mean, sure, seeing them make out every single night does get kind of annoying," I laughed. "No, of course I don't hate you. You're still my best friend.”

Draco smiled gratefully, facing forward again. "I haven't told anyone else," he clenched his jaw.

Draco nodded tightly.

"I'm the first one you've told?" A warmth filled my chest. People didn't usually trust me with their secrets.

"How do—how do wizards feel about—er, gay people?" The words left my mouth rather clumsily.

"It depends, I guess," Draco shrugged, "we mostly don't care, but same-sex marriage is still illegal. I know that father expects me to produce an heir, regardless. I don't think mum will care."

I wrinkled my nose at the word produce, and Draco laughed.

"I think I'll tell mum this summer," he continued, "we're pretty good at keeping secrets from father," he smiled.

"I'm glad you told me," I responded, "thank you for trusting me."

---

The second hint came about halfway through fourth year. Draco had only come out to a few people: his mum, Pansy Parkinson, and me. My perception of gay people was totally flipped on its head when Draco came out—before, I assumed every gay person was just as flamboyant as Dean and Seamus, but Draco was definitely not flamboyant. He'd made me realize that gay people come in all shapes and sizes, too.

Therefore, I wasn't completely bewildered when I started noticing people in a brand new way. I knew something was up when Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang came strolling down the hallway, hand and hand, and I couldn't even tell which of them I was more jealous of.

"I have something to tell you," I approached Draco during lunch, and he scooted over to make room for me at the Slytherin table. None of his housemates batted an eye—I usually sat with Draco a few times a week, although it was usually for study purposes.

He raised an eyebrow when I subtly cast a muffling charm. "Remember what you told me about at the end of last year?" I asked, "the thing you had never told anyone else before?" I added, to make sure Draco understood.

He nodded cautiously. "What are you getting at?"

I swallowed. "Me too, I think. Well, kind of. I mean, I like girls, but—well, I'm like you, too."

"Really?" Draco seemed to perk up a little bit. "So you're bi? Or pan?"

I nodded. "I guess so."

“Well,” he cleared his throat and sat up straight. "In that case, would you—um," his face flushed.

I tilted my head to the side, wondering why he was so flustered.

"Well, since we're both, you know," Draco continued, "maybe you would want to experiment?"

"Oh," I blinked. I hadn't really thought of actually being with anyone. Okay, I may have considered what dating Cho or Cedric would be like—but I hadn't taken it seriously . "I—I don't know," I admitted, "I don't know if I'm—what's the word?" I scratched my head, trying to remember the phrase Hermione had used. "Emotionally stable, I think? I don't think I could with anyone right now."

It was the truth, after all. Even if Cho or Cedric approached me, I don't think I'd be ready to be in a relationship.

"Oh," Draco returned to his mashed potatoes. "I just thought I'd ask. Hey," he nudged me with his elbow. "Now we can check out guys together, huh?"

I laughed and lowered my voice. "Have you seen Cedric Diggory? Merlin."

Draco laughed. "I'm more of a Victor Krum kind of guy, myself."

I chuckled. "Too bad for you, he's completely smitten with Hermione."

---

The next hint came at the end of fourth year. It was the last week before term ended, and for the first time in my life, I was excited for the summer. For the first time, I wasn't returning to the Dursley’s over the summer.

You see, fourth year had been kind of crazy for me. Aside from the Triwizard Tournament, (which Cedric won, of course, because he's amazing) I found out that I had a godfather—the reason no one bothered to tell me was because he was in prison.

Now that I was fourteen, I was allowed full access to my parents' Gringotts vault. I'd always thought there was something fishy about my parents' death—not the Voldemort part, but the fact that the only thing left of Peter Pettigrew was a finger. I mean, come on , there was a fully intact finger, but no bone fragments from the rest of the body?

So with the help of Ron, Hermione, and Draco, we tracked down my parents' will and discovered that not only had they changed Secret Keepers, but Peter Pettigrew was an unregistered animagus. A rat animagus.

And Ron's pet rat was missing a finger.

All it took was a quick trip to McGonagall's classroom to force Scabbers into his human form, and then… well, I didn't get very involved in the politics, but long story short, Sirius Black was a free man.

And I would be staying with him this summer.

Even better, in my opinion, was that Remus Lupin, another friend of my parents, would be staying with us, too. He and Sirius had started dating during school, apparently, and even thirteen years of Azkaban wasn't enough to drive them apart.

I was finally going to live with my family.

The Sunday before the end of term, Draco appeared at the Gryffindor table during breakfast. " Potter," he tapped me on the shoulder impatiently, and I turned to look at him. "Have you seen the Prophet?" He asked.

I shook my head. I never read the Prophet anymore—I had gotten tired of reading the rumors about me and my friends.

Draco shoved aside my plate to make room for his. "Well, you should read it."

I looked over to Hermione, who helpfully handed over her copy without a word. "Where should I be looking?" I asked.

"Page two, column three," Draco answered.

"Holy shit," I gasped, reading the headline. "’Same-sex marriage legalized in Wizarding Britain.' Hermione, Ron, look at this," I grinned.

I still remember the date. June 26th, 1991.

Even though most of them were straight, we were still crying by the end of breakfast. Seamus and Dean vanished for a celebratory makeout session, and Draco pulled me aside when I was done eating.

"This is fantastic," I told him, "Sirius and Remus can get married now, if they want."

"It's brilliant," Draco agreed. "Listen, since today's a special day and all, I thought I'd ask—" he paused, fidgeting with one of his rings.

I raised an eyebrow. "Ask me what?"

"Um, well, would you want to maybe be my boyfriend?"

My eyes widened. "Oh, I, um—" I stuttered. It didn't seem like a serious inquiry—he was only asking because of the legalization, right? "I don't—I don't  think I can handle that sort of thing right now," I confessed.

"Okay," Draco said easily, "you have a lot going on, after all. I just figured I'd ask." Then he left, leaving me alone and confused.

It was just a friendly question, right? Obviously he didn't actually like me—it was just a thing of convenience. He likes guys, I like guys, we're friends, so it was convenient.

Maybe if I'd felt more comfortable with the idea of dating someone, I would've said yes. He was my best friend, after all, and a great person. And he was quite attractive—not that I'd ever tell him that.

I sighed, putting the situation out of my mind for the time being. I wanted to write a letter to Sirius and Remus, after all.

---

Every year on Valentine’s Day, the professors collect valentines and distribute them to their intended recipients—thankfully, after the Lockhart incident in second year, the valentines no longer sang. Originally, valentines were sent like normal mail, but the horrifying number of valentines sent to me during first year had created an owl-jam, so the professors had to come up with an alternative.

For reasons you can probably guess, I'm not a fan of Valentine’s Day. I still read all the messages, though, but that's mostly because Fred and George always make sure to send me dozens of valentines, each one being more elaborate than the last.

During my fifth year, there was something a little different—one of the notes wasn't signed with a name. The valentines I got were never anonymous, so to have one signed "your secret admirer" was odd.

Dear Harry,

I apologize for adding to the torrent of messages sent to you this year, but I have something to get off my chest. I don't think you'll ever consider me as more than a friend, but I have a huge crush on you. Happy Valentine's Day.

-Your secret admirer

Something was bothering me about the handwriting, too. It looked oddly familiar.

"You okay, Harry?" Hermione watched me frown at the note in my hand.

"Yeah," I said, "I just don't know who this is from," I handed her the slip of parchment, and she shrugged.

"It says that you're friends, right?" She tilted her head. "Maybe that's a hint."

After breakfast was over, and I had vanished most of the valentines, I brought the note over to Draco. "Do you recognize this handwriting?" I asked, "I don't know who sent it."

"Probably because they didn't put their name," Draco said sarcastically, staring at the note in my hand. "Do you—do you recognize the handwriting?"

I studied the curvy script. "It could maybe be a girl's handwriting," I suggested

"It's not that feminine," Draco replied, "besides, you wouldn't know decent handwriting if it slapped you in the face."

"Oh, shut up."

---

Two weeks later, I still hadn't figured out who'd sent me the note. "Maybe you should see if the handwriting matches one of your friends," Draco suggested.

Hermione nodded. "Maybe you can check old notes you've passed in class."

"Merlin, are we still talking about this?" Ron rolled his eyes, "rook to D-8," he added, and the chess board adjusted accordingly.

"I think it's cute," Hermione mused, "you're invested."

"I'm not cute, 'Mione," I grumbled.

"Oh, but your secret admirer begs to differ," Draco teased.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," I grumbled, but I was grinning.

---

Draco sat against the tree trunk, the sunlight causing his hair to glow. "Have you still not figured it out?" For some reason, Draco was exasperated. "You compared handwritings and everything?"

I nodded. "I did everything you guys suggested." I laid back on the ground. I honestly didn't care who it was at this point, because the sender definitely wasn't who I hoped it was.

Yeah, that's right. Draco had asked me out last year, and it seemed to have gone to my head, because now I fancied him. Which sucked, because there was no way he liked me back—we were just friends.

"You're an idiot, Harry."

"Tell me something I don't know," I responded, avoiding his gaze. I was not going to blush, I wasn't, I—

"Look at me, Harry."

I blushed.

"Do you want to know who it is?" Draco raised his eyebrows, and I nodded quickly. "It's me."

"I—" what? "You? But that means—you have a crush on me? Wait, but— really?"

Draco waited for me to finish spluttering. "I've fancied you since third year," he deadpanned.

I sat up quickly. "Oh," I said. Think fast. "Er—then," I scratched the back of my neck, "do you want to watch the quidditch match with me this weekend?"

He frowned. "We're already going to watch toget— oh, you mean as a date?" I nodded quickly, and he rolled his eyes. "You know, if the roles were reversed," he gestured between us, "you would not have picked up on that."

I buried my face into my hands. "Oh, shut up."

---

The quidditch match was Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff, which meant my loyalty was divided on account of the two seekers, Cho and Cedric.

"Who do you think will catch the snitch?" I asked Draco.

"Cedric, definitely," he scoffed, "he has the better broom."

"Cho makes sharper turns, though," I pointed out.

"Technique can only get you so far."

I narrowed my eyes. "Is that a challenge?"

Draco tilted his head. "Perhaps."

I huffed. "Fine. Seeker's game later?"

"You're on."

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Ron and Hermione waving frantically to Draco from a few rows away. When I turned, though, they abruptly stopped. "What was that?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he said quickly, "I don't know."

I eyed him. "It's nothing, or you don't know?"

"I don't know," he repeated.

I sighed and turned back to the game, but Ron started waving again. "What are you doing?" I called to him, but he only shrugged, as if to say I don't know what you're talking about.

"Seriously, what's going on?" I asked Draco, who laughed at me.

"Why, what are you thinking?"

"I don't know, because you won't tell me, " I sighed in exasperation and turned back to the game, just in time for Cho to spot the snitch

She dove for it, and Cedric followed close behind. The snitch made a sharp turn, though, and Cedric wasn't able to change direction fast enough. "Told you," I elbowed Draco, who nudged me back.

"Told you," he replied as Cedric quickly gained on Cho until they were neck-and-neck. I grabbed his hand in anticipation as they got closer… and closer… and Cedric reached forward and snatched the snitch out of the air.

"YES!" we jumped from our seats, cheering loudly. Hufflepuff won, 220 to 80 points.

"I told you," Draco gloated, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I couldn't stop grinning, but it didn't have to do with who caught the snitch. My stomach fluttered—I was holding his hand.

The pitch emptied quickly, with Ron and Hermione helpfully leaving us behind. We grabbed our brooms and headed for the center of the field, not bothering to change into quidditch robes.

"Er, listen, Harry—" Draco said before I could release the snitch.

"Yeah?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say sorry, for, um—"

I furrowed my brow. "For what?"

"I dunno, for being too forward?" His eyes darted around the pitch.

"What? You didn't even do anything—" unfortunately.

"I feel like I did, though," he ran his fingers through his hair, and my heart fluttered. "What?" He watched me bite my lip.

"I—I have butterflies," I answered shyly.

"Well, you shouldn't have eaten so many butterflies, then," he replied cheekily, and I shoved his shoulder, laughing. "Why do you have butterflies?"

My face reddened. "Because I—because I fancy you," I answered, and his eyes widened.

"You do? But I thought—"

"I mean, you asked me out in June, and I know you meant it as a friend thing," I said, "but I guess it went to my head, because now—"

"Hold on," Draco interrupted me, "who in their right mind asks someone out as a friend?"

I paused. "You?"

He bit his lip. "You really are an idiot," he said softly.

I was silent for a moment, staring at his lips. "Can I—um," I heard myself say, "can I kiss you?"

Draco didn't answer; instead, he pulled me towards him, swiftly planting a kiss on my lips.

My brain seemed to short circuit, but at some point, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, standing on my tip-toes to easily reach him. We stayed like that for Merlin-knows-how-long, standing in the middle of the quidditch pitch with our arms wrapped around each other.

We never did play that seeker's game.

(wattpad) (ao3)

[alanshee-keeper-of-realms]

Becoming Acronix Borg

This was a gift for @buff-anime-time-twins on my server for a Valentines Day Gift Giving thing we did it was amazing to be the one to make their Gift, theres a second story I made for them that will be posted soon

Words:2705

Rating: T

Ship: Futureshipping

To say Cyrus and Acronix were soulmates was to be the understatement of the century, these two were almost always found near each other. Acronix either working on some new gadget his boyfriend was finishing up, (and yes they joked that Acronix had become Cyrus's unintentional guinea pig not of course that Acronix minded) but Cyrus and Acronix both unknowingly wanted to take the next huge step,

Marriage

For Cyrus, it was a rather funny thought, only due to the fact before his possible future husband had kidnapped him and changed his whole life taking it and flipping it on its head so to speak, Cyrus had been content as a bachelor single Dad to an amazing daughter named Pixal. (amongst 15 others). Now he sat in his office with his mother's ring in his hand. It was a dainty thing made with Sterling Silver an interwoven band like vines intertwined and had two Sapphires set to a larger Diamond in between the two, flipping it through his fingers he contemplated his next big course of action which terrified the inventor to no end asking Acronix to marry him. 

If only Cyrus knew that ironically enough Acronix had actually with Pixal's help gone out and purchased a ring. The ring Acronix had chosen was a beautiful platinum band thick in width with an inset diamond he knew with the way Cyrus functioned and had a tendency to forget, his possible husband to be would need something strong, that could take a beating and knew that this ring was perfect. Acronix, now sitting in their room in their apartment, he decided to just be himself and just jump head first, he stood up grabbing his jacket and throwing it on he looked at the mirror his own youthful reflection stared back, brown eyes wide and circular in shape with a thin face and rich black hair only a shade darker than Cyrus's own balanced and complemented each feature, Cyrus had even convinced him to let his long eboni locks be out free from the ponytail, he hadn't even worn the makeup around his eyes in months, he didn't need to hide behind it Cyrus had given him his identity back, he smirked at the small braids intertwined in the raven black hair hand braided by said man when he had gotten bored and could get ahold of him. 

Acronix tucked his hair behind his ear as he walked out and locked the door behind him and left the building, he whistled loudly hailing a taxi. 

"Where to?" The driver a portly man, asked nonchalantly as he got in 

"Borg Industries, please" Acronix responded quickly the excitement getting to him

The driver looked a little surprised at that but took off as soon as Acronix buckled in, he pressed a few buttons on his Borg watch putting an earpiece into his ear, so only he could hear Cyrus, this was a new function they were testing it soon would be released to the public, all the bugs had been worked out from it(with him being the test subject of course), he dialed Cyrus's private number,

Cyrus jolted as his watch suddenly rang the ring jumped out of his hand but he managed to catch it with quick reflexes, tucking it away safely in his jackets inner pocket, he smiled and answered it a hologram image appeared of a smilingAcronix,

"Hi love!" he greeted cheerfully smiling back, "Whatcha need?" 

Acronix playfully pouted, 

"Can't I call you just to say hi?" Acronix teased 

Cyrus laughed raising an eyebrow, 

"With you, no usually you've either gotten lost or almost burned the apartment down" 

Acronix groaned annoyed putting his hand to his face, 

"That was one time!" He defended "Not my fault Electric Stoves weren't a thing 40 years ago it was all gas!" 

Cyrus laughed even more, making Acronix smile again, he could listen to that chiming laughter all day"But seriously, you alright?"  Cyrus cocked his head to one side in concern

Acronix nodded quickly

"Yeah! I'm on my way over to the Tower figured you wouldn't mind some company," Acronix answered,  smiling brightly to reassure Cyrus. 

"Of course! I always love it when you visit me at work. I have to also admit you have a way with my devices that it leads me to be conflicted, but in a good way!" Cyrus said quickly, worried he'd offended Acronix.

"It's alright, I get what you mean" Acronix chuckled as the Taxi pulled up he bit his bottom lip nervously "Well I'm here I'll be up in a few moments I-" he paused trying to get his nerves under control"I've got a question for you, that I need to ask in person" 

Cyrus perked up visibly at that,

"Oh? And what might that be?" Cyrus questioned drawing each syllable out like a small child 

Acronix smirked, a glint in his eye

"Like I said dear, I need to ask you in person" 

Cyrus pouted looking slightly dissapointed,but nodded

"I'll be up in a few moments, alright? Love you!" Acronix stated as the Taxi pulled up to the building and he got out and went to pay the fee,

"Love you too Nix see you soon" Cyrus smiled as Acronix cut the connection 

Cyrus gathered up papers and tried to make the space semi-presentable for when Acronix walked out of the elevator and strode over to him, 

"Hi, Woah!" Cyrus gave a yelp of surprise as his boyfriend lifted him from his wheelchair sometimes, he will admit he forgets how strong Acronix is, said man took him to the side room off of the main office, where he sat down with Cyrus in his arms held the crook of his shoulder, only Acronix and Pixal were allowed to lift him even Pixal did it when absolutely necessary, really only Acronix would sweep into his office on occasion and randomly pick him up cradle him and take him to his more private office, but Acronix was always careful with him so Cyrus didn't mind. 

Cyrus laughed as Acronix kissed his neck and then face, being his affectionate self. 

"What brought this on today? Not that I don't mind" Cyrus questioned, cupping Acronix's smiling face, staring into those large brown eyes.

"I, being myself just wanted to just jump, wanted to ask you something, "Acronix said looking suddenly nervous he sighed and gathering courage, he reached into his pocket" I know most likely you wanted a romantic setting but I really couldn't wait to know" 

Cyrus gasped as he spotted the ring as Acronix pulled it out and straightforward ask

"Cyrus Borg will you Marry me" 

Cyrus laughed tearing up and nodding,

"Of course I will love" he pulled out his own ring he was going to propose with and Acronix joined him laughing,  understanding now why his beloved was laughing as Cyrus managed to say"After all, I was going to ask you the same thing" 

They both laughed sliding their partner's respective rings on, they sealed the engagement happily with a kiss, 

The whirlwind that was the next year was a blur for the two as they prepared for their upcoming nuptials and in that time Zane had come to them asking for their daughter's hand (After all Acronix had taken to calling Pixal his daughter with her permission, since she was already old enough to have the choice and he respected her) and they'd gotten engaged as well, though they were taking their time with their own wedding. Unlike Cyrus and Acronix only a year later and Acronix stood at the end of the aisle waiting for his soon to be husband. 

Again little did he know in secret Cyrus had been using his genius to give him a big surprise, Pixal knelt adjusting the straps to the exoskeleton now attached to his lower half it had taken months of having a physical therapist visit him to even attempt his first steps sure he couldn't feel the ground but he could walk, he wanted to surprise Acronix by being able to walk down to him, with the assistance of arm crutches, of course, it was so strange but he knew this right here would be beyond special as Pixal smiled at him,

"Straps and everything is good, let's get you on your feet " she held out her forearms and he grabbed on the devices hydraulics immediately standing him upright he let out a small laugh 

"To be honest never will I get used to that" he confessed

She laughed,

"But it's still amazing to see" 

 His daughter for the wedding she was in a purple ankle length off the shoulder dress, hair in a loose bun a few pieces as usual framed her face and she wore the diamond chandelier earrings and pearl necklace he had given to her for her birthday, with him now standing and even with her wearing silver strap on heels  she still stood only a few inches taller than him, but it wasn't as drastic a difference as him in his wheelchair. It was still strange though but for Cyrus it felt amazing.  

Pixal had already seen a drastic difference in the health scans of her father from using the wheelchair to the exoskeleton with the crutches he was able to move his legs and exercise and he was able to do something he'd only could hope to do and she knew he wished to correct for others and give them ability to walk again, this was her father's personality. He had always been one to only help others, and she knew how many health issues he dealt with in secret caused by the previous mobility aid, again he knew he wasn't the only one and had been working on it and just completed testing it when Acronix proposed so he set to work using himself once again as the test model and put in hours of work the steps at first were unsteady but he now had it down to well an exact science. He hoped to get them approved for the public soon.  

Pixal handed the black arm crutches to him, smirking and saying

"Let's go, Cyborg" 

He playfully glared at her, he walked to the doors sighing, she looked at him concerned.

"Dad?" 

"I just am nervous" 

She smiled and placed her hand on his

"Dad will love you no matter what I may have been stubborn at first but I'm glad my eyes were opened I've never see you so healthy and most importantly so so Happy"

Cyrus gave her a smile before he stepped into view Acronix smiled big upon seeing him standing and walking towards him another one of his soon to be husbands inventions strapped to his own form ever the inventor, this was the Cyrus he knew the one who kept surprising him kept pushing the boundries and First Spinjitzu Master Acronix loved that so so much, as Cyrus got to him, Pixal held a hand to her Dad Cyrus's  lower back as Zane took his crutches and ducked back to his chair in front.

Lloyd officiated the Ceremony being the Grandson of their lands Creator the First Spinjitzu Master he could join anyone he wanted and was happy to be able to do this, 

"Well, who would have thought they'd see Cyrus Borg walking to his husband to be? But judging by the said husband to be's smile he expected something like this"

People nodded, some chuckling as Cyrus grinned trying to act innocent, Acronix took his hands squeezing them. 

"Because he's amazing both in a wheelchair and walking with help doesn't matter how my soon to be husband gets around I still love him all the same, it's his personality I fell for the looks are a bonus"

A splattering of red ran across Cyrus's cheeks immediately as Acronix said this, he in kind responded with

"No matter how many questions of Stockholm Syndrome I get" again some light hearted laughter  happened because the poor man had dealt with so many therapists and other famous faces asking if he'd lost it when the two had come out with their relationship "My answer will still be the same I did not fall in love with my captor I fell for the man I knew was hidden behind a mask of false bravado,, hiding a gentle and curious soul that can still amaze me with his wizardry with technology, the one who later I willingly testified that he should not be grouped with his brother because of this kindness he showed, he never showed me any hate it was always for show to protect me and I admit it was that kindness that helped me carry on" 

Acronix had tears in his eyes smiling Cyrus reached up able to get to Acronix's face he wiped the tears away,  

"Well we've seemingly flipped everything backward with this Union, let's get the main things over with shall we?" 

Actual laughter broke out one of Cyrus's friends towards the back calling out 

"That's normal!" earning even more laughter

Lloyd smiled looking to Cyrus

"Do you Cyrus Elijah Borg take Acronix to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health for better or for worse for richer and poorer as long as you both shall live?" 

Cyrus tucked a strand of Acronix's hair back behind his ear smiling as he said 

"Of course I do" 

Lloyd turned to Acronix

"And do you-" 

"Of course I do as well I won't let him ever slip from my grasp" Acronix interrupted making people laugh again at the former Time Masters eagerness

Lloyd snorted as well shaking his head not annoyed but amused,

"Since you two have already practically shared your vows already anything else you wish to say?" 

Cyrus smiled and kissed Acronix's hand, 

"This whole adventure has been amazing already and I am glad it won't stop any time soon, I'm glad to call you my Husband and Partner" 

Acronix smiled

"I fell for you quickly, I will admit especially after we were allowed to be ourselves after you showed me there was so much more then following orders, and then I witnessed the way you fight for so many people, contribute to the community Lloyd's Grandfather, it amazes me in a good way" he stuttered quickly making Cyrus snort "The way you can go from stern to gentle, kind and loving is a wonder in itself I can never put into words how much I love you

Cyrus again blushed, as a chorus of awwing occured at this

"Love you two Nix"

Lloyd smiled and then called out

"Will the ring bearer please bring the rings" 

Little Nelson well now well into young teens walked forward a big smile on his face one arm in a sling which, Cyrus knew he didn't have last week.

"Again?" He motioned to the sling, making the boy groan audibly in annoyance.

"What? Paper route incident!" He defended himself "You would not believe how many times I have had to dodge something" 

Everyone started laughing they could believe that it was Ninjago after all, as Nelson handed over the rings to Cyrus and Acronix who smiled at each other, each saying the words I the Wed as they slid their respective rings on each other's fingers.

"With that I now announce you two, Husband and husband, you two know what to do" 

Acronix chuckled and kissed Cyrus who kissed back they separated laughing

"I announce to everyone Mr Cyrus and Mr Acronix Borg!" Lloyd called over the cheering, that only amplified with that.

Pixal pressed a button automatically releasing Cyrus from the exoskeleton, Acronix immediately scooped him up taking off with him with a cry of, 

"This time it isn't kidnapping!"

Everyone lost it laughing nearly in tears at the jest towards how the two met, it was indeed a unique union and had been a hard fought battle against the odds but they had beaten those odds and now unified who knew what adventures they'd get up to but that was just how the two were and if one was to be honest it was a perfect Beginning. 

[ai-katsuu]

Valentine’s Day (1/1)

A little short story I wrote for Noki and Goldie as comedy haha. Read it also on ao3!

-----

Noki was intensely focused on his work. Today was supposed to be one of the most relaxing days of the year but he had to just finish this one thing before he could rest. His focus was interrupted when the door opened and his brother walked in, happily humming a nice tune as he went through his table. Noki sniffed the air and curiously looked at Pino,

“Is that citrus you’re wearing?” he asked.

Pino happily nodded, “Gretel gave it to me this morning as a valentine’s gift, very nice,” he said. He then walked over to the shelf looking for whatever he needed, “What about you? What are you still doing down here? Aren’t you going to spend it with Goldie?”

Noki shook his head, “We have plans later tonight but not during the day.” Pino widened his eyes and quickly turned around to look at him in surprise. Noki noticed his silence and turned around to his brother's perplexed face, “What? No, not like that!” he quickly said annoyed, “Her sister is visiting the palace. They’re finally making peace after that big fight they had years ago. It’s about time if you ask me.”

Pino nodded, “Oh yeah, I think I saw them a while ago.” Pino stood up and walked towards the door, “Well, even so, you don’t want to be in here all day. Get out of here.”

Noki laughed, “How? All our friends are busy spending it with their partners!”

“Figure it out! I’m locking the door in twenty minutes.”

As the door shut close Noki threw his head back and let out a long sigh. He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. What could he do to kill time? Noki was looking forward to the evening he had planned for Goldie: it was a nice dinner in her old cabin just a few kilometers away from the palace. Afterward, they’d go stargazing in the river they had used to fish in. Nice and simple right? After thinking about it, Noki decided to take a walk around the huge palace walls.

He walked up the stairs, out of the workshop to get some air. The gold and white halls were empty with furniture as the large glass windows let the sunshine in. It was very beautiful and he felt lucky to live in such a palace. As he ran his hands through the elegant wallpaper, he turned his head to the sound of two girls giggling. They turned together, arm in arm as they laughed about something the other had said.

Goldie noticed Noki up ahead and waved her hand, “Noki! Come here let me introduce you!” Noki smiled and fixed his hair a bit, “This is my older sister, Clarine.” she gestured. Clarine was a bit taller than Goldie, but they had the same blonde hair and blue eyes. Hers was long and tied up into a ponytail. Goldie had mentioned her sister several times, she was a couple of years older than they both were but still, Noki had never met her. This was her family and he wanted to make a good first impression.

“You must be Noki, the boy my dear sister is so infatuated with.” Clarine went into a small curtsy to the prince. Goldie playfully rolled her eyes and lightly shoved her sister to which she laughed it off.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Your Highness. Goldie has told me many great things about you.” Noki nodded respectfully. Clarine looked at her sister surprised to which the other smiled. She hugged her in delight as they laughed.

“Aww, Goldie you’re too sweet! Noki, I’m so sorry I had to visit on Valentine's day,” she turned to him, “I promise I’ll be out of your hair before your dinner tonight.”

Noki shook his head, “Stay as long as you wish. It would make me happy to see you two spending the day together.”

Clarine clicked her tongue and looked at her sister in awe, “Ay, he’s so sweet, you really made the right choice.” she then quickly pulled Noki into a crushing hug, which quite frankly surprised him as her hands were lingering on his back, “Thank you so much, Noki,” she pulled back, her hand still on his forearm, “I’m gonna go freshen up in my room then we can go take a walk in the gardens, is that okay?” she looked at her.

Goldie nodded, “Yup! See you in a bit!” she waved. As Clarine walked away, Goldie looked excitedly at Pino, “I think she likes you! Which is really good because she’s actually really judgy.” she commented.

“Yeah...I think a little too much. Did you see where her hands were?” Noki asked, a little suspicious, “She didn’t even let go of my arm after the hug.”

Goldie waved him off dismissively, “That’s just how my family shows affection to loved ones! It’s a genetic trait!” she said.

“But how am I loved one? I literally just met her not even a minute ago.”

“You’re dating me! Her sister!” she moved her hands in an obvious gesture. She then took his hands and sighed in content, “It just makes me so happy to see that we’re finally getting along. I mean with the fight we had years ago, and me calling her out and driving her crazy, and practically living her dream of living in a palace with a prince…” she said aimlessly in thought as Noki raised an eyebrow, “I’m so thankful we can finally be like real sisters!”

“Right…” he said. Yeah, it’s probably just all in his head. He left the sisters alone and walked down the stairs into the garden which was overlooked by the large glass windows of the hallway. He caught Arthur and Gwen sitting by the hedge maze hand in hand,

“Oh, hey Noki!” Arthur waved to him.

Gwen greeted him with a smile, “Where are you going?”

“Ah, just walking around,” he said, approaching them.

“Oh that’s right, Goldie is with her sister. Pretty creepy if you ask me, don’t tell her I said that.” he quickly added.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I passed by Goldie’s room awhile ago and they left her door open. While Goldie was busy looking through her closet, I saw her sister looking at a photo of the two of you, rubbing her fingers over the frame. Kind suspicious.”

“What?” Noki said, alarmed now.

“Don’t listen to him,” Gwen gently told him as she hushed Arthur, “I’m sure she was just wondering about what her sister was up to. Try not to think about it too much.”

After that short conversation Noki decided to go back to his room, a little concerned about the whole situation. As he passed by the entrance he caught Jack and Audrey about to leave.

“You guys going out?” he asked.

Audrey nodded, “We’re going to my cottage by the lake. The one we all went to when we all first met.”

“Oh yeah,” Noki said.

“Are you gonna be with Goldie and her sister? They seem awfully close now.” Jack asked.

“I mean...I hope not.” he said wearily, “Anyway, you two have fun. See you guys tomorrow.”

Noki waved them goodbye and then made his way towards his room. On the way he bumped into Goldie who seemed to be lying down on the couch. Concerned, he quickly walked to her and sat down.

“Hey, you okay?” he said, rubbing his hand over her forehead.

“Yeah...I suddenly just have a headache all of a sudden. Mind?” she asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Of course, come here,” he said, putting an arm around her as she rested.

“Thanks...I’m really exhausted. Clarine’s been dragging me around all day doing all sorts of activities. I’m beat…” she said chuckling.

“Er...since you brought it up, do you think there’s any chance Clarine could be...interested in me?”

Goldie raised her head up to look at him, “Is this about what happened earlier?”

“Well I mean there was something else…” he mumbled.

Goldie started laughing, “Oh, Noki, I’m so sorry I haven’t been giving you enough attention. Now I made you all crazy with delusions. I promise you, I’m all yours for dinner tonight.”

Noki rubbed his head suspiciously, “Yeah, but…”

Goldie stopped him with a kiss on his cheek, “I’m going to my room to rest now. If you see Clarine tell her I’m there.” she left him sitting on the couch. Still not convinced, Noki frowned at himself.

“Hey Noki!” Clarine said soon after, surprising Noki.

“Oh! Hey…” he said, “Goldie is in her room now, she said-”

“Yeah, yeah, anyway, do you want to go with me to the garden? I’d love to have some company,” she said.

“Oh well, I’d love to but,” he said quickly standing up, “I am so tired and exhausted from working all day.”

“I can give you a massage,” she offered.

“That’s nice!” he said, “But I’ll just go rest. Thanks, Clarine.” he said running off to his room. As soon as he shut the door behind him he ran to his bed in exhaustion. This was getting a little too much for him and he just wanted to rest.

He woke up a few hours later, realizing that he slept through the day. He removed his hat and yawned, thinking that a nap was the perfect fix to the delusions he’s been having. As he looked around his room he saw a note on the table.

‘I’ll be making you and Goldie dinner since you two couldn’t go out.’

“She was here?!” he whispered.

He then heard familiar footsteps and a voice talking to someone outside. Noki jumped out of his bed and opened the door, pulling the individual in his room and shutting the door whilst locking it.

Peter chuckled, “You sure look like him but you're not the one I’m taking to bed tonight.”

“First of all, gross.” Noki frowned in annoyance, “Secondly, I’m not crazy, am I? Do you see anything weird about Clarine?”

“You mean how she constantly looks at you from a distance?”

“Oh my god, are you serious? When?!” he loudly whispered.

“Okay just because your date isn’t with you, doesn’t mean you can steal mine,” Kio said walking in the room.

Peter turned around to his partner, “Clarine.”

“Oh yeah, definitely into you. I mean look at this,” Kio walked over to the table. It was several pictures that Goldie and Noki took together, except Goldie’s face was cut out, “She literally wants her out of the picture.” he said disturbed.

“Noki! I made you and Goldie dinner,” Clarine entered the room holding a tray.

“You’re in God’s hands now,” Peter quickly whispered before grabbing Kio’s hand and running past Clarine, out of the room.

“Goldie is resting in her room, do you want to eat with her?” she asked.

“Uh, no it’s fine, thanks.” Noki said, scooting back on his bed a little, laughing nervously.

“Are you sure? I feel bad that the two of you have to eat separately,” she said, “Oh! I almost forgot your drink, I’ll be back.” she ran out of the room.

Noki cautiously sat up and looked over at the bowl of soup,

“Don’t eat that!” Hans and Briar barged in the room, giving Noki a slight heart attack.

“Geez, where did you two come from?” he said putting a hand over his heart.

“We saw that she put something in it! Something from a small vial.” Briar said worriedly.

“Do you think she’s trying to drug me?” Noki asked Hans.

“I don’t know but I don’t like the smell of that food. Better not eat it might be poison-”

“What?!”

Noki turned to see Clarine at the door, holding a glass of champagne with an insulted and hurt look on her face. “You think I’m trying to poison you?” she said sadly.

“No! They-” Noki turned his head to see that Briar and Hans had already left the room as if by magic. Noki could only stutter as Clarine stared him down.

“The ‘poison’ I put in your food is a spice from my kingdom.” she brought out the vial. She even walked over to the table and ate the food herself to prove it, “The cutout pictures was for a card I made for my sister to thank her for inviting me.” She brought out a cute card which indeed had the photos of Goldie. “I asked you to walk with me to the garden because I would obviously want to get to know who my sister is dating!”

“But you kept touching me-”

“That’s a family trait! It’s genetic, we do that to all our loved ones!” she cried out.

Noki sighed in defeat, “Look, Clarine. I’m really sorry, but could you please not tell Goldie about this-”

“I heard everything!” Goldie barged in the room furious, giving Noki another mini heart attack.

“Geez these two move like cats…” he mumbled.

“How could you doubt my sister after everything she’s done for you?!” she yelled.

“No, Goldie it’s fine.” she said sadly, “I will pack my things and go. I’m sorry to ruin your night.” she quickly left the room.

Noki was left there with silent tension. “Why?” she asked desperately, “Why must you think it’s all about you? Do you know what I’ve been trying to do all day? How I’ve been trying to bond with my sister after years of fighting? She finally trusted me again!” she cried out.

Noki looked at her ashamed, “Goldie, I-”

“Save it for later, I need to go talk to her,” she said walking out before she was stopped by her headache. She leaned on the door frame in slight pain as she grunted.

“Goldie,” he rushed to her side and guided her to his bed, “Let me be the one to talk to her. I’ll apologize to her, you go rest. I promise I’ll try to make it better.”

Albeit hesitant, Goldie nodded as she collapsed on the pillow, fast asleep. Noki walked out of his room and walked to the other end of the hall. He thought about what he should say to her, an apology wouldn’t cut it, but maybe a sincere offer to let her visit as much as she wanted might be a start. He knocked on her door as he entered.

He saw her quickly shoving her things into a suitcase, and Noki sadly looked at her,

“Clarine...I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to do this.” he said walking towards her, “I guess I was just feeling a little neglected by Goldie and I made these weird stuff up in my head. I’m thankful you see me as family already, or...at least you did.” he shrugged before stopping behind her, “Anyway, I know a sorry won’t be enough but let me at least make you stay one more night for Goldie’s sa-”

“Kiss me, Noki.”

Clarine turned around to face him with desperation in her eyes. “What,” he said dumbfounded. “Woah, woah wait!” she pushed him on her bed and hovered above him.

“We hid it perfectly, Noki. Finally, my sister is out of the picture. We can finally be together,” she said happily as she looked at his terrified face.

“Hold on now, but Goldie-”

“Goldie could never give you what you deserve. She could never make you happy. I hear how you two fight.”

“That’s just how we talk!” he quickly said, “Just because I scold her doesn’t mean I-”

“Forget about her, Noki. She doesn’t appreciate you. I can finally be with my prince and we can-”

“IIII KNEW IT!!!” Goldie slammed the door open with an immense amount of rage, maybe breaking the doorknob. Noki had never seen her this mad, it was almost comical. “How dare you try to steal the life that I stole from you?!”

“Let him go, Goldie, I love him!” she spat out.

“Never! He’s my partner and I love him more!” she wrestled her.

Noki watched as she tackled her to the ground as they fought on the floor.

Outside the door, Merlin and Snow peered in awe. “Oh my god, I mean I knew Noki was one of the more popular members of F7 but this is the first time I’ve seen it first hand.” he laughed.

“Merlin! Separate them!” Snow scolded.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

L-O-V-E

Fandom: Marvel 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Your best friend confesses his love for you. Inspired by the song "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole

L-is for the way you look at me

You held your hand over your mouth as you tried to keep your drink in your mouth. Sam’s joke was just too funny and he just had to tell it while you were taking a sip from your drink. With your hand, you slapped Sam’s bicep, making him laugh even more. 

Across the room, your eyes met with Bucky’s. His eyes were soft and filled with affection as you smiled at him. He gave you a wink which made you giggle. Your attention was then called back to Sam as he was trying to recall something that happened a few missions ago. But Bucky’s eyes never wavered from you. You had his attention 100% throughout the night, and nothing could waver it. 

Whenever Bucky looked at you, there was a flutter in his stomach that he relished yet cursed. You were his best friend and he shouldn’t be feeling this way...but he just couldn’t help it. 

O-is for the only one I see

You and Bucky were undercover at the MET for a special Egyption exhibit. Word had got to you guys that someone was planning on kidnapping the Egyptian ambassador that night. So there you were, dressed to the nines. You were currently making small talk to a man whose eyes wandered over yout form a lot. Bucky wanted to punch his teeth out. 

“Well hey there, handsome,” a tall, leggy blonde stood in front of Bucky, blocking his view from you.

“Um, hello,” he mustered out, eyes darting back to you and Mr. Wandering Eyes.

“So, you seem kinda bored here, I was thinking we could go somewhere else and have a little more fun?” she placed a well-manicured hand on his bicep, slowly rubbing up and down. 

Bucky kept moving his head left and right, trying to keep his eyes on you. He got a glance of the man’s hand on your hip and you immediately ripped it away. 

“Sorry, ma’am, I gotta go handle something.” he swerved around the blonde, pushing through groups of people to get to you, “Right behind you, doll, a champagne tray,” he mumbled under his breath. 

Right on cue, you turned around, bumping into the young man with the tray, “You idiot!” you yelled, grabbing the attention of the people around you. 

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t-” the waiter went to grab some nearby napkins, but Bucky swooped in.

“I got it, kid.” he offered his hand to you, “Let’s get you change, doll.” 

You took his hand, feigning a sorry expression to Wandering Eyes, “I’m sorry. I should go. Thank you for your company!” You and Bucky wandered to another exhibit room. You shook everything off, “Ugh. Disgusting piece of shit.”

Bucky chuckled, “I knew you’d be able to handle it, but you looked like you ready to punch him in the face and that would’ve been no good.”

You pouted at him, “You’re no fun.” You swipe a stray strand of hair out of your face, “But you really didn’t need to interfere. It looked like you got the attention of that pretty blonde, should’ve went for it.”

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “Nah. She’s not really my type. Besides, I only got already got a girl.”

You snorted, “I don’t count, Buck.”

He smirked, “Who said it was you?”

You slapped his arm which made him chuckle. He wrapped his arm around you and escorted you back into the main exhibit room, receiving word that Sam and Nat had captured the suspects.

V-is very, very extraordinary

When it came to who you were aside from an agent of SHIELD and an Avenger, you were ordinary in the best ways. 

You loved to watch movies, quoting lines left and right. You were an excellent singer, but you didn’t really know it. Bucky found himself falling into a trance whenever you sang doing the most mundane things around the compound. You were also really good at art, as good as Steve, Bucky believed. All of these qualities were ones he found endearing and what contributed to him falling harder for you.

“Don’t move,” you mumble. Bucky looks to his right to see you with your sketchpad in hand. He didn’t even realize your were sketching him. He thought you were watching the movie with the way you were reciting lines and jokes. 

You looked up and you sneered at him, “Bucky!” you kicked his thigh with your foot, “I said not to move!”

He snickered, resting his hand on your leg, “Sorry, sorry.” he turned back to the tv, but his attention wasn’t on the movie. It was on you. He kept glancing back at you, your brows furrowed, and eyes hard with concentration as you sketched him, “You done yet, sweetheart?”

“Almost. Just shading now.”

“Alright. Alright.....done now?”

“No.”

“Okay...now?”

“Nope.”

“........now?”

“Bucky!” you shouted at him and he broke out into a fit of giggles.

“‘M sorry, doll! I just wanna see it!”

“Alright!” you took a few more moments and then flipped the sketch to face him, “Ta-daaaa!!” Bucky leaned over, grabbing your pad. His eyes wandered over the sketch. It was amazing. The way that his face was shaded to mimicked illumination of the television. His eyes looked so soft and entrancing. 

“It’s...wow.”

He looked up to see you shrug, “It’s nothin’ really.”

He shook his head, “No, doll. This..it’s amazing. You’re amazing.

E-is even more than anyone that you adore

You woke up on the 14th of February. It seemed like a regular day to you. You got up from bed and went to take a shower. After you stepped out, dressed for the day, damp hair still wrapped in a towel, you stopped in your tracks. 

On your now made bed, sat a tray of your favorite breakfast food accompanied by a bouquet of your favorite flowers. Your brows furrowed in confusion as you went over, plucking the note that sat beside the plate of food. 

Happy Valentine’s Day to the girl who’s always had my heart. 

Your brows shot up in surprise. Someone...likes you? You then picked up the bouquet, picking out the note that came with it.

I was going to get you roses, but that felt so cliche. I hope these will suffice. 

So whoever this person was, they knew you pretty well. Your mind immediately went to Bucky, you two were best friends. Therefore, he knew you best, right? But, again, you two were best friends. He couldn’t have feelings for you....could he?

______________________________

For the entire day, you hadn’t seen Bucky. Steve said he’d gone on a last minute mission that would take up most of the day. You were a bit disappointed. Although you and he hadn’t discussed plans for today, you hoped you two could just spend it together. You suppose not. That also took Bucky off the list of your potential secret admirers. If he wasn’t here, then he couldn’t have brought you breakfast and flowers. 

You went through the list of remaining candidates:

Vision - taken. 

Wanda - taken

Bruce - taken???

Nat - taken??? idk. it’s complicated.

Sam - possible

Steve - are him and sharon still a thing???

Peter - a kid

Tony - engaged

Clint - married

Thor - possible

Bucky - currently away

So that only really left you with Steve and Sam, which makes sense to you. Besides, Bucky, you spend a lot of time with those two as well. You were really close with the both of them and it seems like they’d be observant enough to notice the things you liked. But did you have feelings for them? Well, they’re your friends and you can’t feel like that for your friends...but in the case of Bucky...

“UGH!” 

“You okay?” you jumped at the sound of Steve’s voice. He let out a chuckle as he entered your room, “Sorry,” he walked over to your bed, sitting at the edge, “What’s going on?”

You shrugged, “Just trying to find out who this secret admirer is. It’s not you, is it?”

Steve gave you a shrug, “What if it was?”

You threw your hands up in the air, “You can’t just answer my question with another question! That’s not even answering it!”

“Easy, Steve,” he let out a laugh, “The answer will come to you later on.”

Your face scrunched up in confusion, “What kind of cryptic shit is that?!”

He laughed again, then stood up, “It’s not cryptic at all, Y/N.” he waltzed out of your room leaving you confused as ever.

_____________________________

You came back to your room from running errands and working on reports to find a huge plush of your favorite animal on your bed. Beside it, sat a box with a note on top. You flipped open the note:

Put this on. Then meet me in the lounge. 6 o’clock. And bring your new friend. 

You expected to find a dress or some type of lingerie set in the box, but instead, was a unicorn onesie. You couldn’t help but let out a laugh as you pulled it out, holding it up against your body in front of your mirror. Looks like your secret admirer has a sense of humor. 

You looked at the time, and noticed it you had an hour to get ready for whatever this person had planned. So you took a quick body shower to freshen up, swept your hair out of your face, and pulled on the unicorn onesie. You giggled as you checked yourself out in the mirror. The thing was frickin cute and sooo warm. You loved it. 

With fifteen minutes left, you decided to head on up early. Hopefully, you get to catch your secret admirer by surprise. So you grabbed your new plushy friend, padded your way to the lounge, as quietly as you could, and approached the lounge. You stopped when you a saw a figure dressed in a unicorn onesie like yours, fluffing some pillows and rearranging them. 

The lounge was set up with fairy lights, heart shaped balloons, and pillows and blankets everywhere. The coffee table was pushed to the side and had all types of food and snacks set up. There was a heart shaped pizza, popcorn, heart shaped chocolates, chocolate roses, bottles of wine and champagne. It was amazing.

“This should be fine, right? Yeah. I think that’s good.” you knew that voice and your heart started to race.

“Bucky?” the figure tensed up and then stood up straight. They slowly turned to you and your suspicions were correct. 

He gulped and softly smiled as he said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, doll.”

You slowly approached him, clutching onto your plush for dear life, “You’re my secret admirer?”

“Yeah. Um, sit down?” he gestured to the nest of pillows and blankets he set up. You slowly lowered yourself into it, Bucky following you, “So, I know we’re best friends and all, but I think we could more than that? ‘Cause, well,” he paused to nervously rub the back of his neck, “I’m really soft on ya, Y/N. And when I say soft I mean-I mean that..that I love you. I love you and I’m in love with you.” He anxiously bit his lips, “But if you don’t feel the same, that’s fine. We don’t have to treat all this like something romantic. It can just be two best friends hanging out. Like we always do.”

“But if I want it to be romantic?” you said with a small smirk.

A grin broke out on his face, “Really?”

“Well...people always said the person you want to be with should be your best friend so...yeah.”

Bucky let out a breath of relief, “That’s-That’s good. Great, even! Um...” he chuckled, “I don’t know what to do now, honestly.”

You let out a laugh, “Okay! Well first, you’re gonna kiss me. Then you’re gonna put on a movie and we’re gonna stuff our faces with all of the food that you brought. Occasionally, sneaking in more kisses here and there.”

Bucky gave you a big smile, “I can definitely do that.” He leaned in, pressing his lips to yours and you could feel the amount of love and devotion he had for you. And you just knew that this love was made for him and you.

[galadrieljones]

The Lily Farm - Chapter 34

AO3 | Masterpost

Rating: M (Mature) - sexual content, violence, and adult themes

Summary: To help her process Sean’s death, Mary Beth asks Arthur to take her on a hunting trip, somewhere far away. He agrees, and on their journey to the north, they find quietude and take comfort in their easy bond. They’ve been friends for a while now, but life, like the wilderness, is full of uncertainty and complications, and as they embark on their desperate search for meaning together, they endure many trials, some small, some big—all of which bring them closer to one another, and to their future.

Chapter 34: Safety and Other Dreams

Mary Beth stood at the window in their room at the B&B, looking out at all the possibilities. She’d gotten a little tired and left the party without telling anyone but Abigail. Arthur had been talking to Hosea and looked happy. She was certain that it was just because the day had been long, her feeling tired. In truth, though, she was very ready for things to go back to normal. For once, she found herself almost wanting to return to Shady Belle. She knew that was backwards, but it was how home had manifested itself in her mind. The place where everybody was, and where everything was the same. Like an anchor that she hated, but an anchor nonetheless. Mary Beth had lived a life that was always changing. She was in a constant scramble for the thing that never wavered. As she looked out the window at the long, blue lawn, she realized that home was for now a traveling suitcase, and despite this, she did not have to worry. Because she was not alone. She was comforted by the little life taking up residence inside her, and for Arthur. She had begun to feel mixed up by what it would mean to leave the gang that loved her, but it was gonna be okay. She took a deep breath. She heard the door open behind her, and she looked back and there he was.

“Hey there,” he said. He came into the room.

She turned all the way around and leaned against the windowsill and smiled when she saw him. He closed the door, took off his shiny coat from Dutch and tossed it over the brass bed post. Underneath was just him in his white dress shirt, which was still tucked in but a little rumpled and a pair of light leather suspenders wearing thin. He was his big warm self, unchanged, and familiar to her. For the jacket was lovely, she thought, but it was very flashy, and that was not him. His hair was long by now, down to his shoulders, and she had hardly noticed before this moment. He looked windswept and soft with the liquor but just a little. He took off his gloves and set them on the bed.

"You snuck away,” he said.

“I was just tired,” said Mary Beth. “And you and Hosea was talking—I didn’t want to disturb. I snuck away.”

He was smiling. He came over to her at the window and took her right into his arms. He sighed big and huge all around her. She was so relieved now and all the things that had worried her at the window had gone. “Let’s just be in love and go to sleep,” said Arthur, a little cheeky. “What do you think, Mrs. Morgan?”

She blushed. “You like my dress, Mr. Morgan?”

“I do,” he said, getting a look at her. “Abigail and Lizette did a very good job. You look beautiful.”

She grabbed his face then and kissed him good. She had changed course and was suddenly far too happy for sleeping now. It took him by surprise but as usual he gave in to her.

“You have made an honest man out of an outlaw, Mary Beth,” he said, undoing her braid, piece by piece. “I am not sure how I can properly thank you.”

“I can think of some ways,” she said.

She was very glad to have married her best friend.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the party was winding down. John and Hosea were sitting at the kitchen table with Abigail, playing hearts, and Hamish had dozed off on an arm chair in the corner next to the piano. The Reverend and the Mother Superior, as well as Jack, had retired to sleep an hour before, and Lizette was sweeping up and dusting and watering the plants, wearing one of her pretty French aprons with the bobbin lace that she had brought from Nice. Abigail tried multiple times to offer her assistance in cleaning up, but Lizette would have nothing of it.

Out on the porch, Dutch had taken up with his cigar, surveying. It was so dark out here, like being back in Wyoming. He had spent a lot of his life living everywhere, and trying to forget some places, but never Wyoming. Wyoming was where he had found Arthur, when Arthur had been just some long-haired blot-on-the-town teenager, playing cards in the back of a smoky Jackson tavern, caught with two aces up his sleeve and about twenty seconds from being beaten to death by a mining foreman named Spud. It was where he had picked up Susan. She had been a saloon girl in Casper, looking like some sort of washed up beauty queen, offering herself for a price that he found to be unsuitable. She knew how to work Dutch from the moment they met, and he did not buy her—was not prone to buying women, as he preferred that they desire him in return, and so he brought her home, and he protected her. She groomed up young Arthur and taught him how to sit straight, how to appear upstanding and how to use his natural gentlemanly demeanor to charm people into giving him the things that he wanted. Montana had been the death of Eliza and Colorado had been Annabelle. Bessie was Texas. Those states were all dead to Dutch. But nobody had died in Wyoming. Only love had been found. He longed to return but the journey west had been corrupted at some point. He was trying to remember why. He knew that he was losing everything and everybody dear to him, but he just kept fucking up anyway as if losing was his new normal.

“A fine evening, isn’t it?” said Lawrence Winterson. He came out onto the porch with his pipe, looking for quiet. The pipe had already been packed and lit. On instinct, Dutch nodded in an upstanding fashion. He knew how to act and seem better than other people. It was how he'd been born.

"Absolutely," said Dutch. "Join me, won't you?"

They smoked for a while, staring out at the reverie. Sometimes, you could see one of the hounds, come up to sniff the grass and then disappear back into the tree line. The world was filled with the sounds of deer and loons and coyotes and then the deep silence of the lonely back country that was the east Heartlands. At some point, Dutch cleared his throat. He turned to Lawrence, keeping his respectful posture, but in truth, he was highly suspicious and had been since the moment he arrived. “I would like to thank you, kind friend,” he said, “for hosting this gathering, and for extending your welcome and your home to us. Most of all, for taking in Arthur like this, especially despite what he is.”

Lawrence looked at Dutch, blinking from behind his spectacles. They gave him the look of a scholar, most certainly the doctor that he was. “What he is? You mean, an outlaw?"

Dutch laughed to himself, studying his cigar. “That is what I mean, yes. We ain't used to mixing in, you know, with civilized folk. The few times we have, we've ended up burned, or knee-deep in shit."

“Oh,” said Lawrence, wising up. He adjusted his glasses, looking back out to the lawn. “Yes. Well, I'm not sure what you consider civilized. I run a legal business, yes, but I have, at times, entertained customers who may or may not run completely in line with the law. I am neither stupid nor one to cast idle judgment, Mr. van der Linde. This is, after all, the Heartlands. We still tend to walk a rather fine line here. I'm sure you've been to Valentine. You know what I mean. And in any case, whether you're a noble banker in St. Denis or a country doctor who boards outlaws and provides the occasional safe haven for prostitutes and runaways, we're all sinners."

"Is that right?"

"It is."

Dutch took a deep breath. He puffed off the cigar, blew a single smoke ring into the air. "You say you regularly board outlaws and prostitutes, runaways, Mr. Winterson?"

"Regularly? No," said Lawrence, smiling. "But I have not been known to turn away people in need, regardless of their means at birth or social standing."

"That's very noble of you," said Dutch. "And a doctor to boot. You are, indeed, a role model, Mr. Winterson."

Lawrence chucked at this. He ran a hand through his hair, light and graying. He went up to the porch railing and leaned against it on his forearms. "I see we are playing a game," he said, glancing back at Dutch. "I am not one to beat around the bush. You can trust me, Mr. van der Linde."

"How do I know that?" said Dutch, taking a step toward him. His boots were heavy, and his spurs rang like bells. He smoked. He lowered his voice. "I've got a price on my head, Mr. Winterson. As does everybody here. Save for the holy people, of course, Mr. Sinclair I expect, and little Jack. Even Mary Beth and Abigail, they're wanted somewhere. Arthur may be the strong, silent, and trusting type, but I, sir, am not. This is my family, and I am trying to get them to safety. I cannot afford to entertain the untrustworthy."

Lawrence sighed. He nodded, looking back at to the yard. "That is understandable," he said. "After all, I heard you are a great shepherd. John and Arthur both speak highly of you. It's true that I know who you are. That I recognized your name from the New Hanover Gazette immediately. But I must assure you, this is about Arthur. My wife and I care for him and Mary Beth. We truly do. We would never betray their trust. Ever."

"And I am supposed to just take you at your word?" said Dutch.

"No," said Lawrence. "But, it's all I've got, if you'll hear me out. Arthur mentioned to me that your father was in the Army of the Potomac. That he died in Gettysburg. Is that true?"

Dutch studied him closely. "It is."

"I was in the Army of the Potomac," said Lawrence, looking at him. "I was a surgeon, but I killed dozens of men when they broke our position and stormed our tents on Cemetery Hill. There were also men I could not save who I anesthetized into death. I could have fought beside your father. I could have watched him die, treated him, and I wouldn't have even known. There were thousands of us. I was one of the lucky ones. But I do know that whenever I come across another survivor like myself, like Mr. Sinclair for example, I am driven to loyalty. Your father died for a cause that I, too, would have died for. I don't care what you've done. Mr. van der Linde. I am not a moral paragon. I know what Arthur is capable of. I even know about Mary Beth. As long as we're square, you and me, I would never betray you or your people. Not for anything. Do you understand?"

Dutch's cigar had gone cold. He looked down, gave it up, tossed it over the porch railing and into the weeds. He hooks his thumbs over his belt, looked at his boots. "Yes, sir. I believe I do."

"Good," said Lawrence. "Because as I said before, I do care about Arthur. He came to us sort of like a bird with a broken wing. We never had children of our own. It's easy to get attached. Do you have any children of your own, Mr. van der Linde?"

Dutch gave him a stern look, but in the old man's eyes, he got lost and felt broken and for a moment understood why Arthur came here. “No," he said, unsure of why he was confessing such things, but he was. "I had a woman once. She was having my baby, but she died. That was it for me."

This seemed to sadden Lawrence considerably. He straightened up off the railing and placed his hands in his pockets, turning to Dutch, full of body language that communicated his sincerest condolences. "That is a terrible albatross," he said. "I am sorry, Mr. van der Linde."

Dutch said nothing. He felt a deep pressure building inside of him. It was like rage, but it wasn't. "Thank you."

"Anyway," said Lawrence, sort of smiling. He had an unfailing focus. "I should turn in. I hope we can part tomorrow with an understanding between us. You're safe here."

Dutch nodded, looking away. "Yes," he said. "I think we're square, Mr. Winterson." They shook hands.

Lawrence turned to go inside then. He clasped Dutch on the shoulder, lightly. "I should go check on our guest," he said. "The one not here for the wedding."

"You do that," said Dutch.

Lawrence was gone.

They rode back to Shady Belle in shifts. Dutch went first, then Hosea with John and Abigail the next day. Hamish stayed. The Reverend and the Mother Superior took the train. Arthur and Mary Beth waited until everybody was gone, enjoyed a couple of quiet days with the Wintersons and Hamish in the Heartlands. They went back three days after the wedding, rode straight to Shady Belle, stopping only once to rest. When they arrived, it was evening. Miss Grimshaw and Mr. Pearson had prepared the camp with booze and colorful streamers and music. Everybody was happy and using the occasion as an excuse to get wildly drunk and sit around the fire singing and laughing and confessing to one another their deepest, darkest fears and desires. They congratulated Arthur and Mary Beth. There were no fights. Micah wasn't there. Even the gators stayed away that night. Arthur and Mary Beth were thankful, but they really were not wanting for much. By the mid-evening, when the sun had gone down and the frogs and crickets came out, Susan could tell, and so she corralled them both, took them upstairs to Arthur’s room where she had prepared for them a small but important surprise.

“We rustled you up a bigger bed,” she said, showing them how she and the girls had fixed up the room a little bit, cleaned and brought up Mary Beth’s chest of clothes and all of her earthly possessions. “We thought you might be appreciative, as that thing you were sleeping on before, Mr. Morgan, weren’t room enough for the damn dog let alone a married man and woman. So there you go.”

It was so soft of Miss Grimshaw, sweet, almost enough to reduce Mary Beth’s unfailing fear that she may skin her alive. They were thankful. Tilly had also painted a picture of a flower garden for them, using pigment paints she had bought in St. Denis. It was clumsy but made beautiful use of color and light. “I thought it could be like a window,” she said. “Make it seem like you’re looking out at something more romantic than the swamps for a change.”

“It’s so pretty,” said Mary Beth, picking the unframed canvas up off the windowsill. “You should do more of these, Till. You could sell them in town for a good price.”

Tilly waved her off. “Do you know how hard that was? I ain’t doing that for anyone I don’t love as much as you two. Now, enjoy.”

They were overcome. They shut in very early that night. For they had an excuse to do so.

The next morning, Mary Beth slept in. Arthur went to find coffee, and then he went and sat down next to Sadie on the porch to drink it. She had been up for hours, it seemed, and was cleaning her guns, wearing her hat, as usual.

“Mrs. Adler,” said Arthur. “How are you today.”

“Hey, Arthur,” she said, smiling. “I should be asking you the same thing.”

“I am fine. Thank you.”

“Well, congratulations,” said Sadie. “We didn't have much chance to talk last night. But I’m—I’m happy for you. It’s a blessing, what you got. Don't fuck it up.”

Arthur smiled, then looked upon her seriously. She seemed very tired and alone. He sought to change the subject. “I heard you and Charles been out on some recreational errands involving O’Driscolls,” he said, sipping his coffee. “Is that right?”

She laughed to herself, sarcastically. “I guess you could call it that. Errands.”

“How many you killed.”

“Dozens,” she said. “Maybe more, just in the past two weeks alone. Since Colm got his, they been turning up in all corners. Last we found them they’d been holed up in the Roanoke Valley. Nothing but cannibals and monsters up there. A few less now. We got em good.”

Arthur looked out at the camp. Jack was walking around with John, talking about something, gesticulating with his hands and holding a book. John seemed to be listening very closely, though he looked a trifle confused as to what the hell Jack was saying. Arthur smiled to see it. “Well I hope you’re being careful,” he said. “And I hope you’re laying off Kieran. You know he could’ve turned us in back at Lone Mule, but he didn't. He was tortured, and yet he stayed quiet. That means something.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Sadie. “I know. A woman can learn.”

“Yes, she can.”

“Charles don’t make mistakes,” she said, looking up at Arthur. “He’s like you. He’s a good partner. But I trust you won’t be coming with us anytime soon, daddy.”

Arthur was amused by this. “Nope. No O'Driscoll hunting for me. I’ve had my ass handed to me by that lot more than once. I have officially retired from the business of blood feuds. You give them my best though, won’t you?”

“If your best is a bullet to the head, then I sure will.”

Arthur laughed. He finished his coffee.

“So how does it feel?” said Sadie. “Being married.”

“You would know,” said Arthur. “How did you feel, when you got married?”

She stared at him, a mixture of emptiness and pain, but also surprise. She seemed happy that somebody was thinking of it, remembering what she had been before, not walking on eggshells for once. “I felt safe,” she said, nodding, setting the gun down on her lap. “For the first time in my whole life.”

Arthur nodded in solidarity. “Yeah, me, too,” he said. He patted her on the shoulder and got up to leave. “Well, I best be getting on.”

"Okay, Arthur."

He got up, dusted off his jeans. It was in the moment that he was beckoned by Hosea from the doorway.

"Arthur,” he said, holding a rolled up newspaper, seeming rushed.

"What is it?"

“Can we talk?” he said. “Upstairs on the balcony. As soon as you're able.”

Arthur nodded. Hosea greeted Sadie then went inside.

“What’s that all about?” said Sadie.

Arthur took a cigarette from his front pocket, still staring at the door. He lit it and smoked. “I’m not sure,” he said. “But I can guess."

"Care to share?"

"Maybe later. See you, Mrs. Adler.”

“It’s just Sadie,” she said, smiling. “You don’t have to call me that no more. We’s friends.”

Arthur nodded. “Okay, Sadie. You have a good day now. And no dying. You hear?”

“I ain’t afraid of dying.”

“Yeah,” said Arthur, smoking. “I know you ain’t. But we need you here.”

This baffled her.

Upstairs, Arthur found Hosea leaning on the bannister, looking down at the bounty of hungover outlaws and all of his happy children. He coughed once when Arthur arrived, turned around and placed his hands in his pockets. “Good morning, Arthur,” he said. “How are you feeling today.”

“About the same as any other day,” said Arthur. “Except I no longer sleep alone, by law.”

Hosea found this amusing. “A humble outlook. That’s good. Being a husband suits you, Arthur. I always thought it would.”

“Well, I'll take that as a compliment, coming from you,” said Arthur. “Now what’s this about?”

“It’s about that poker game, on the river boat,” said Hosea. “You remember we talked about this, some weeks back?”

Arthur sighed. He’d had a feeling. “I do,” he said. He released a bit of smoke from his lungs and then walked out to the balcony and looked down at all the water and the muck and the trees. “What’s the story.”

“Well, we’ve got a development,” said Hosea.

“And?"

"And you’re in,” he said. “Josiah secured you an invitation.”

“It’s just poker?” said Arthur. “If it’s just poker, I can do poker.”

“Indeed. Count the cards at your discretion. I’d advise against sleight of hand, though. You can’t get caught doing math in your head, but you can get caught with an ace up your sleeve.”

Arthur nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

“There’s a catch,” said Hosea.

Arthur gave him a look, leaned into the balcony, feeling undue annoyance. “What kind of catch.”

"A stipulation of sorts. You have to bring Mary Beth.”

“What?”

“The invitation was extended by Angelo Bronte,” said Hosea. “You have to be Tacitus Kilgore and his wife Marie. It’s both of you, or neither. That’s the only way you’re getting in.”

Arthur just stared at him. He caught himself almost laughing at this, for the situation seemed to fly up and out of his control in an instant. “You’re goddam serious.”

“Yes, I am. She won’t be the only woman there,” said Hosea. “I’ve looked into it. There’s a whole salon of wives and mistresses who accompany their men to these sorts of things. Of course they don’t take part in the gambling. That would be uncouth. They drink and mingle elegantly in an adjacent ballroom. It’s all very aristocratic, I assure you.”

“You’re out of your damn mind, Hosea.”

“I know it sounds that way, but the take will be big, Arthur. I’ve got Dutch against the ropes on leaving the south. We get a couple more big takes, we can be out of here for good. We can go north, and you and Mary Beth, John and Abbie can finally get the hell out of here, live your lives.”

“North?” said Arthur. “What the hell happened to Tahiti?”

“That’s in the wind,” said Hosea. “I told you. I been working on Dutch. He’s listening.”

“And this don’t seem at all suspicious to you,” said Arthur. “Angelo Bronte inviting me, a known outlaw, and my new wife to play cards on a riverboat. You don’t think that sounds like a trap?”

“Of course I do,” said Hosea, wiping his forehead with a red handkerchief. “And though I don’t think it is a trap, the remote possibility that it could be is exactly why, Arthur, I have some work-arounds I want to discuss with you."

"Work-arounds?" said Arthur. "Such as."

"Changing the location, for example," said Hosea. He took out a cigarette. Arthur lit it for him out of habit. He smoked. "To ensure we can control what goes down. And I’ve got some...guarantees we can utilize, involving a few Texas Rangers I know, traveling in the area."

“Texas Rangers?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hold on,” said Arthur. He leaned in, lowered his voice, trying hard not to get angry at the old man. “Before you go on any further, Hosea, about guarantees and work-arounds and so forth, what on god’s green earth makes you think I’d even consider this. Mary Beth is pregnant.”

“I know.”

“Then you know my feelings about bringing her on jobs.”

“I do,” said Hosea. “And Dutch warned me on the matter. I just thought maybe I could convince you otherwise this time.”

“You. You’re trying to convince me otherwise?”

“Yes.”

Arthur shook his head out. He was almost laughing. It was flipping him upside-down.

“Arthur, just hear me out," said Hosea. "I would never willingly put you or Mary Beth in danger.”

“I won’t do it. I won’t take her.”

“You won’t take me where?” said Mary Beth. She was standing in the doorway, dressed for the day with her hair braided to one side. She was a mild sight, holding a book in one hand and an empty basket in the other.

“Mary Beth,” said Arthur.

“Hi,” she said, looking concerned. She came into the room. “What are you two talking about?”

Arthur took a deep breath. He lowered his eyes. Hosea smiled and straightened up, putting on his best show. “I’ll let you two discuss,” he said. He greeted Mary Beth and then bid them both farewell on his way out the door, still smoking. He coughed some. They listened to his footsteps on the stairs as he went away.

Arthur had both of his hands in his pockets now. He was staring down at the floor, shaking his head.

“Arthur?” said Mary Beth. “What’s going on?”

He glanced up at her. She was pretty there, put together for the day in her usual manner. He had wanted to take her away, not bring her back. But here he was again, going in circles, never realizing until it was too late. And he knew what she was gonna say.

“Is this about the river boat?” she said.

He nodded. “Yes."

He was clenching his jaw, his head hurting. He tried to imagine what their honeymoon would have been like in another life where they were both not accustomed to living so recklessly.

[thefactsofthematter]

Hello! Could you do "I love you" prompts 6 ("On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the late sunlight glowing in your hair") and 12 ("When we lay together on the fresh spring grass") for Jack/ Davey or Race/ Albert? Thanks so much and happy Valentine's Day!

omg i’m sorry this took so long!! (as we can see from “happy valentines day” jhhbgh) i took a break from writing but i’m back babey!!!

javid; 2k; uhh ambiguous time setting? sorta modern era but maybe it’s like,, the 60s or something; no content warnings! just fluff!

i highly recommend listening to “fishin’ in the dark” while reading this— it sets the tone perfectly.

-

It’s Davey’s first summer in the country, and he’s still not sure how he feels about it.

They’d moved here in the middle of the school year, leaving behind everything he’d once known in the heart of New York City, in exchange for a new life in a tiny little town. His father had lost his job back home, and instead of seeing it as a setback, his folks had taken it as an opportunity to start over somewhere else, across the country.

It’s not all bad, Davey figures.

He’s made a lot of friends— the kids at school were incredibly inviting, though you sort of have to be when there’s only five or six people in each grade. If anything, they were entertained by Davey’s fascinating stories of the big city, and his lack of knowledge of anything farming-related. He can’t complain; at least he has friends here, he certainly didn’t have many in New York.

Manhattan also didn’t have all this fresh air and gorgeous weather. It didn’t have the wonderful house they live in now— he’d grown up in a tiny apartment with all five of them crammed into just a couple of rooms. There’s definitely much more free space around here. He’s even got his own bedroom, free from sharing with Les.

And, well, New York didn’t have Jack.

Sweet, lovely Jack, who lives just down the street. Jack, who runs around barefoot, wears a tattered old cowboy hat, sings country songs, and drives a rust-bucket truck. Jack, who’s got the smoothest southern drawl in the world, and a year-round farmer’s tan. Jack, who Davey is head over heels for.

Speak of the devil…

“Hey Davey-boy! What'cha up to?”

There’s Jack, leaning over the back fence of the Jacobs’s yard, the brim of his hat not able to shade the brightness of his smile. Davey has been pulling weeds from the garden all morning, but it’s starting to get a little too hot and sunny to keep going without collapsing from heatstroke.

“Not much of anything,” he replies, dropping his pail of dandelions into the dirt. “I’m about finished with this. What are you doing here? I thought you were working on Al’s family’s farm for the next little while.”

Jack shrugs, still grinning happily, like he hasn’t got a care in the world.

“It’s my day off. Medda wanted me home for a bit to fix some stuff up for her, but I finished it real quick, so I’ve got some free time.” He seems almost nervous as he scuffs at the dirt with his foot and adjusts his hat so Davey can see more of his face. “Say, if you’re all done here, how’d you like to hang around with me for a while? I’ve got somewhere real neat that I wanna take you, I think you’ll really like it.”

Davey raises an eyebrow, intrigued.

“I don’t see why not,” he says, dusting the dirt off of his knees and picking his pail back up to toss the dandelions in the garbage bin. “I’ll let my mom know I’m going out and see if there’s anything she needs me to do first. I’ll meet you at your place in a bit?”

Jack’s smile widens, if that’s even possible.

“Sounds good! See ya in a bit, city slicker!”

And with that, he’s gone, darting back down the alley towards Medda’s place.

Davey shakes his head fondly, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

-

Twenty minutes later, they’re rolling along a gravel road in Jack’s truck. There’s mason jars of Medda’s signature sweet tea in their cup holders, and they’ve got the windows rolled down to let the breeze cool them off.

“So I’ve never been to a big city,” says Jack, breaking the easy silence they’d settled into. “Do y'all got grass there? And trees? Or is it all buildings?”

Davey can’t help but laugh. He sometimes imagines what his life would’ve been like if he’d lived here from the beginning, like Jack and all their other friends that have no idea of the hustle and bustle of New York.

“In parks, there’s trees and grass, yeah,” he replies, recalling the afternoons that he and Sarah used to drag Les over to Central Park in their rusty old wagon. “But not all over the place, the way it is here. New York is a lot of grey— the sidewalks, the buildings, even the air. It was just… dark and sad, a lot of the time. The longer I’m away from it, the less I miss it. I think I’m happier here.”

Jack’s grin is confirmation enough that Davey is, in fact, much happier here.

“I’m glad you’re happy,” Jack replies, while tapping his hands absentmindedly on the steering wheel. “I ain’t ever had a friend like you before. I’m really happy you’re here.”

-

Twenty or so more minutes of driving finds them turning off the road to start down the long driveway of what looks like someone’s farm.

“Are we even allowed to be here?” asks Davey, as they roll right past an abandoned-looking house and quonset. “Who’s farm is this? Are we gonna get in trouble?”

Jack just chuckles and sips on the last of his sweet tea. There’s thankfully a few more jars of it in the backseat, courtesy of Medda, so they’ve got plenty to last the afternoon.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says, shaking his head. “We’re fine. This is, like, technically, sort of… my land? I used to live out here with my dad, but after he died, no one comes out here anymore. I like to come sometimes just to hang out. It’ll be mine once I’m old enough to farm it— since I can’t really do it by myself at seventeen, right? That’s why I live with Medda for now, and I work out at Al’s farm ‘cause his dad is teaching me everything I need to do. Awful nice of him, ain’t it?”

Even with such a sad topic, Jack is still smiling, like the happiness of getting to carry on his dad’s farm outweighs the sadness of losing him.

“Sure is, yeah,” says Davey, trying to reciprocate Jack’s little laugh. “I’m sorry about your dad, though. That had to be really hard.”

Jack shrugs one shoulder and seems about to reply, but he’s pulled out of the conversation as he suddenly whips the truck off the gravel road and onto a well worn trail through the brush.

“Oh, here we go!” he yells, before stepping on the gas pedal with full force. Well, that’s one way to change the topic. “Hang on, Davey-boy! It’s about to get real bumpy!”

Davey shrieks as they begin to pick up speed, practically flying down the dirt trail. He’s absolutely terrified for his life, but the way Jack is howling with excited laughter sort of makes this worth it.

“Jack Kelly!” screams Davey, not quite able to stop himself from laughing too. “You’re insane! We’re gonna die!”

Jack can’t seem to stop laughing but he pats Davey’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Just hold on!” he yells, as the truck flies over a bump and bounces as it lands. “I won’t let anything happen! You’re safe with me!”

Davey isn’t sure at what point he began to trust Jack so much, but for some reason, he believes it. He just grips the handle above the door for dear life and decides he might as well live in the moment for a bit.

He’s gonna be just fine.

-

When they finally pull up to where Jack had been trying to take them and climb out of the truck, Davey realizes that the terrifying joy-ride had totally been worth it.

It’s a clearing in the trees, a big grassy patch, with a creek running right through the middle. If he looks far enough down the rolling water, there’s a beaver dam within sight— something he’s never seen in real life before. Sunlight is streaming down in golden rays, lighting both the scenery and Jack’s tan face in the most gorgeous way.

“You like it?” asks Jack, tipping back his hat to reveal more of his face. “I ain’t ever brought anyone here. It was me and my mom’s favourite place to come hang out. We used to have picnics here all the time.”

There’s a kind of wistful look on his face, and Davey kind of really wants to kiss him. Is that weird? He’s not really sure, but it’s probably best not to overthink it.

“I love it, Jack,” says Davey, rather sure his voice is giving away just how smitten he is. “This is beautiful… and I’m happy you trust me enough to show it to me. Thank you, Jackie.”

Jack seems caught off-guard by the sincerity, but his face eventually widens into a huge grin.

“Let’s have lunch,” is all he says, seemingly not sure how to respond to Davey’s words. It might just be the heat, but Davey swears there’s a blush across Jack’s cheeks. “Pick us a spot on the grass, I’ll get the food out. We’ll have to thank Medda for it later.”

With that, the two boys turn in opposite directions and try to recover from that strangely soft interaction. Davey wanders down to the water and slips his shoes off so he can dip his foot in— it’s surprisingly cool and refreshing. He opts to sit down right there, his feet dangling in the creek as minnows nip at his toes.

“Good choice,” says Jack, moments later, as he approaches behind Davey and sits on the grass next to him. “The water’s sure nice, ain’t it?”

“Yeah,” replies Davey, suddenly feeling very shy as Jack slings an arm around his shoulders and leans into his side. Holy shit. “It’s really nice. Colder than I was expecting.”

“Really now?” Jack reaches down to cup a handful of water and fling it in Davey’s face. “How’s that?”

Davey immediately retaliates, splashing a much more significant amount of water up onto Jack. Both of them are laughing hard, any thoughts of having lunch flying right out the window.

“That’s it, you’re on,” Jack growls, before sneakily wrestling Davey right into the creek. Both of them go down, tumbling fully-clothed into the shallow, cold water. “Take that, Davey-boy!”

The water-fight lasts several minutes and ends with no clear winner. They simply grow tired of it and flop onto the grass, exhausted.

It takes Davey a moment to process just how close together they are. Jack is laying against him, laughing into the crook of his neck. They’re both soaking wet and freezing cold— though it’ll likely only take a few minutes for the sun to warm them up. This means Davey has to act very quickly.

Before he can get caught up in his head and get too nervous to do it, he swallows his fear and presses a quick kiss to Jack’s cheek. Jack’s laughter ceases and he looks up at Davey— he thankfully doesn’t look angry, mostly just confused.

“I hope that was okay,” Davey quickly says, the weight of what he’s just done finally hitting him. “I didn’t mean to cross a line, I just really like you, and—”

He finds himself cut off by Jack’s lips pressing against his own. It takes him a second to process it, but he eventually smiles into the kiss and lets his arms sneak around Jack’s neck to hold him close. He’s not sure he’s ever been this happy before.

“I really like you too,” Jack replies, once they pull away for breath. “So much, Davey. I’m so happy to have you.”

With that, he reconnects their lips and they stay that way for a long while, sunlight streaming over them as birds chirp in the background.

Davey is really, really glad they moved to the country.

-

Tag list:

@landlessbud @eponinemylove @i-got-personality @alovelymoonbeam @penzyroamin @graceful-popcorn @bencookisagod @auspicioustarantula @neverplannedonsomeonelikeyou @orollyitsracetrackhiggins @backgroundnewsies @magimerlyn @myheartissetinmotion @papesdontsellthemselves @supremebesson @justasadcryptid @marvels-ninja @aw-jus-let-em-try @big-potato-asshole @stop-the-presses @fameworks-quicker @wilde-guess @never-fear-brooklyns-here @r-a-c-e-t-r-a-c-k @fandom-fangirl07 @theresagoodchanceicouldfly @dying-poet

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

Of Hortensias and Sunflowers

A ML Ship Fleet discord server Valentine Exchange gift for @whatarubberchicken . Happy Valentine’s Day!

Summary: On Valentine’s Day Marinette receives two bouquets from her two not so secret admirers. As her colleagues tease her about her gifts she realizes the time has come for her to make a final decision. A choice about hortensias and sunflowers.

AO3 / fanfiction.net

Marinette was in the middle of a designing spree when the first messenger appeared carrying a basket of blue hydrangeas. All eyes turned to her desk as she opened the little note, and the light blush that warmed her cheeks didn’t escape their attention.

It was Valentine’s Day and Marinette, being officially single, though not for the lack of eager suitors, made for the perfect topic of office gossip. But when the second bouquet arrived, composed entirely of miniature sunflowers, the whole department buzzed like a beehive.

‘Someone’s going to have an interesting evening,’ Angela, one of the other designers, said as she poked her head into Marinette’s impromptu garden, making her jump as she was about to open the second letter.

‘So? Who’s going to get lucky tonight?’ the woman teased. ‘Mr. Cover Boy?’ she ran her hand over the sunflowers, ‘or Mr. Blueberry Rocker?’ She sent Marinette a sultry wink, sniffing the hydrangeas.

‘That’s none of your business, Angela,’ Marinette snapped, hiding the envelope behind her back. She just noticed it contained more than a note and her colleague would probably choke on her own spit if she knew it was a silk blindfold. The first envelope included velvet gloves. Both contained instructions and a time, but no locations. The evening indeed might prove to be interesting, she thought. Butterflies danced in her stomach in anticipation.

‘Come on.’ Angela never gave up easily. ‘They’ve been trying to woo you for how long now?’ She nudged Paul, another designer.

‘Dunno,’ he replied with a sly smile. ‘At least since she started working here, so two years?’

‘I want to know how you do that, Marinette,’ Jessica, the office secretary piped in. ‘Staying non exclusive for so long, and with those two guys chasing after you nonetheless.’

‘Wow,’ Angela whistled appreciatively. ‘So, who’s it gonna be for you tonight, Nettie?’ She turned to Marinette with a truly predatory grin. ‘Mr. Sunflower or Mr. Hydrangea?’ She snickered at Marinette’s frown. ‘Once you take your pick, let me know.’ She got back to her desk swinging her hips on the way. ‘I’ll gladly comfort the poor runner up,’ she winked lewdly.

Marinette shot her a dirty look, but Angela was already busying herself with her computer so one of the finest Ladybug’s glowers went to waste. She sighed and turned to the designing board, but the mood had been spoiled.

Getting back into the zone took the better part of the afternoon and before Marinette noticed, she was alone in the dark, abandoned office. Her eyes drifted over to the two bouquets that brought a hint of spring to her desk five weeks before the actual season began.

Four years.

That’s how long this has been going on. That’s how long they had been patient with her. Angela might have been a mean, jealous witch, but she was right about one thing. It was time to make a decision. Marinette really shouldn’t keep them waiting longer.

She glanced at her watch. There was still time before she needed to be ready for the evening. With one decisive swipe, she scooped the flowers from their containers, thankful for the empty office. It was time do something about her relationship status. And that time would be tonight.

Engrossed in her last task she inevitably lost track of time. She barely made it home to change and refresh her make-up and she already needed to leave. The Town Car waited outside her building, the chauffeur looking rather surprised that Marinette arrived on time. Just as if he’d been warned she might be late. And he probably had been. Marinette hadn’t grown out of her poor time management habits, and anyone who knew her well was aware of that.

The car rolled over the Parisian streets, passing cafes and restaurants thick with red hearts and Valentine’s decorations, and just when Marinette thought she recognized the neighborhood the chauffeur asked her to put on the blindfold. That was part of the instructions she’d received, so she didn’t hesitate.

Just a few moments later the limousine stopped and the door opened. A warm hand clasped hers and guided her outside. She caught a sniff of a familiar cologne.

‘Where am I?’ she asked and earned a chuckle in reply.

‘Be patient, dear,’ a low voice murmured into her ear and a pair of lips brushed over her neck. ‘This is a surprise after all.’

Not as big as you think, Adrien, Marinette giggled under her breath.

His fingers entwined with hers and she felt the weight of Adrien’s other hand on her lower back. His touch prompted her to walk forward until the rough crunch of pavement under her feet yielded to smoothness. They were no longer outside, they must have entered a building. Their footsteps echoed in a vast empty space, Marinette’s heels making click-clack sounds over something that might have been marble.

She dressed warm, as per the instructions, but the sting of cold air still caressed bits of exposed skin. A bit odd, since she had expected the air to warm up once she escaped the outdoors. She smiled to herself as the scent of frost filled her lungs. Despite the blindfold and the secrecy, coupled with the small clues she gleaned so far, she already had a strong suspicion as to where she was.

‘Mind the step, M,’ Marinette felt Adrien’s grip tightening as if he wanted to make sure he’d keep her from falling. Her shoes touched against an obstacle - possibly a threshold - in front of her before stepping over it. ‘There’s a chair behind you. Please, take a seat.’

She reached a hand back, her fingers brushing over cold, hard plastic. She grasped for a sturdy hold before Adrien's warm hands eased around her, anchoring her as he helped her down into the seat. It further confirmed her suspicions as to her current location. She’d be seriously surprised if this wasn’t Phillipe’s ice rink.

‘You’re finally here, love,’ a second voice crooned near her, accompanied by loud footsteps. Another pair of lips brushed hers, but this time she gave chase. Her kisser’s lips quirked upward against hers and he replied with fervor. Luka was always eager to steal a kiss or three.

‘Hey! Knock it off, you two!’ Adrien’s voice echoed from a lower level now. ‘We’re on a schedule here,’ he chided.

A classic Agreste, she thought and almost snorted into Luka’s mouth at the thought.

‘Fiiiine,’ she heard Luka’s deep sigh as he withdrew.

A hand rested upon her knee a moment later. ‘We need to change your shoes, dear,’ Adrien explained. ‘Can I?’ The hand slid lower in a soft caress before reaching the hem of her boots. She nodded in silent agreement.

He slid her boots off and soon something that could only be a pair of skates enveloped her feet. At the same time, Luka pulled gloves over her hands, taking extra care in kissing each and every one of her fingertips before hiding them under the material. He had picked up that habit from Adrien, as the blond always had a soft spot for her fingers. Of course they might have switched places, but Marinette was quite certain Adrien was the one currently busying himself with the shoelaces and… ah… appreciating her legs at the same time.

‘New design?’ The model asked, confirming her surmise. ‘I don’t recall seeing these on you.’ His hand climbed up her calf over the thick material of her red pants and squeezed it appreciatively from time to time.

‘My Valentine project,’ Marinette giggled. ‘Are you done?’ She arched her brow over the blindfold. ‘I’m quite sure tying shoelaces does not require feeling up my legs.’

‘Fiiiine,’ Adrien whined in a manner similar to Luka’s. ‘You’re good to go.’

‘Let me just…,’ Luka grunted and she heard quiet sounds of pressed keys. ‘Something for the mood,’ he explained as music filled the air. A duet of soft piano, definitely Adrien’s performance, accompanied by Luka’s acoustic guitar. Marinette smiled. They rarely played jazz, a genre so distant from their preferred styles. Such a waste, she thought.

‘Ready?’ Adrien asked and Marinette nodded.

One set of hands pulled her up, another landed on her hips, helping to balance her as they led her to the ice.

Marinette wobbled unsteadily. Standing on two blades on a slippery surface while being blindfolded proved to be a rather difficult task, even after years of moonlighting as Ladybug.

‘Can I take the blindfold off now?’ She asked, teetering in their grasp. ‘I’d rather end the evening in one piece and preferably with nothing broken or bruised.’

‘Sure, you can take it off now, dear,’ came Adrien’s reply and she removed the blindfold, taking care not to smudge her makeup.

The sight in front of her stunned her to silence. She must have visited the ice rink hundreds of times in the past, but the way it had been transformed for this evening took her breath away. The space was bathed in a subtle glow. Candles burned around the barrier and in little globes placed on the ice, too. Flower petals were scattered around the cold surface, adding color to the soft light. And in the center of the rink a huge heart flickered with red and glitter.

‘Wow,’ Marinette breathed in awe. ‘You’ve outdone yourselves on this one,’ she whistled as she slid on her skates to admire the decorations. ‘This is absolutely amazing!’

‘Happy Valentine Day!’ Adrien cried after her. He still stood next to Luka in front of the heart, while Marinette circled them squealing in delight.

Something flashed in Luka’s eyes as she neared them. Suddenly he caught her waist and spun her into a pirouette. When she stopped spinning he wasted no time pressing his lips to hers.

‘Sorry,’ he whispered. ‘I couldn’t help it. You looked so lovely skating in the candlelight.’

‘Hey, I’m getting jealous,’ Adrien grumbled next to them.

‘Well, we can’t have that, can we?’ Luka chuckled. With a sly grin he gripped Adrien’s hand and with proficiency that came from years of practice he dipped the blond into a passionate kiss.

‘That’s much better,’ Adrien smiled, as he was returned to standing position. ‘But something’s still missing.’ He looked around only to find Marinette hiding behind his back. Without hesitation she swung him into a similar dip and planted a giggly smooch on his lips.

‘Thank you for a lovely Valentine surprise,’ she praised once the blond got his fill of kisses.

Adrien smirked at her. ‘How do you know it was me?’

‘Because I don’t know anyone sappier than you, cat dork,’ Marinette nudged him and skated away with a wink.

Luka and Adrien followed her closely, covering the ice with myriads of trails. The three of them brushed hands and exchanged smiles and kisses occasionally as they explored the rink. Adrien looked proud of the decorations but he seemed a bit anxious.

‘So… did you like the sunflowers?’ He asked Marinette after a while.

‘I liked them very much, Sunshine,’ she bopped him on the nose, while she passed him.

‘Sunflowers?’ Luka gasped. ‘You sent Mari sunflowers? AlI got was a bouquet of daffodils,’ he pouted.

Marinette giggled, while Adrien blew him a raspberry. ‘Daffodils are your favorite flowers, Luka,’ he deadpanned.

‘Yeah, they are,’ Luka burst into laughter. ‘And I loved them. Thank you,’ he tilted his head and stole a quick kiss from the blond. ‘And did you like the hyacinth I chose this year?’

Adrien and Marinette winced in unison.

‘What?’ Luka asked stopping abruptly.

The other two halted next to him.

‘Yeah, Nathalie took it over immediately,’ the blond rubbed the back of his head.

Luka was still staring at him, dumbfounded.

‘He’s terribly allergic and hyacinths are actually toxic,’ Marinette whispered to Luka’s ear. ‘Especially to cats,’ she chuckled. ‘You’ll be lucky if Gabriel doesn’t consider it a death threat.’

The musician paled in an instant, his brows shooting up in concern.

‘What? No!’ Adrien waved frantically, narrowing his eyes at the girl. ‘She’s teasing you. Nathalie intercepts all the things I’m allergic to. There’s never been a problem with that.’

‘You can have some of my hydrangeas, Sunshine,’ Marinette offered.

‘Awwww,’ Adrien sighed, ‘hydrangeas are so nice!’

‘See?’ Marinette winked at Luka. ‘You can just send him a pot of catnip next time,’ she added sliding away, followed by two indignant “Hey!”s.

‘You mean little bug!’ Adrien called after her, breaking into chase with Luka at his heels. ‘I’ll give you catnip!’

‘You’d have to catch me first,’ she teased speeding up.

Skating over candlelit rink was quite funny. The speed was nowhere near what she was used to while gliding with her yoyo over the Parisian rooftops, but it was more than enough for Marinette. Being chased by her two boys added a pleasant thrill to the exercise. Unfortunately the flower petals, though lovely to look at, once mixed with ice slush from their skates, made for a surprisingly effective obstacle. Marinette’s foot hit one such trap, instantly losing traction. It was enough to throw her off balance and after a set of spectacular acrobatics she ended her ride on her butt in the middle of a flower heap.

‘Ouch,’ she rubbed her backside. So much for no bruises.

‘Are you okay, love?’ Luka was in front of her in a second, extending a hand.

‘Do you need help, bug?’ Adrien was already next to him and reaching for her.

Marinette blinked at the deja vu played out in front of her eyes. Two hands offered by two boys, a scene identical to what had transpired in this very rink ten years prior. All that was missing was one pissed fencer. For a long, quiet moment she stared at the hands, then at the faces above her. Luka and Adrien caught up with what she must have been thinking, because their lips stretched in amused smiles. They still waited for her reaction.

Finally with a snort of laughter and a shake of her head Marinette grabbed each of their hands in her own and allowed them to pull her up.

‘I can’t believe we had our first date ten years ago,’ she chuckled.

‘That was way before you realized you had two hands,’ Luka ruffled her bangs.

‘Before any of us realized,’ Adrien supplied helping her to get rid of the frost from her clothes.

‘Still, it would have been funny if I did it then,’ Marinette reached for them and pulled them both into a hug.

‘Kagami would have pulverized you on the spot,’ Adrien muttered.

‘And whose fault was that, Agreste?’ Luka squeezed his side. ‘Roping up the loves of your life to help you date another girl? A perfect plan!’

‘Oh, come on,’ the blond whined. ‘It was ten years ago! How long are you gonna make fun of me?’

Luka pursed his lips considering this question. ‘I don’t know. What’s the life expectancy for a 24 year old French male?’

They loved to bicker over their first experiences. Their teen years had been quite a ride, before the three of them realized with whom they really belonged. It took even longer to accept it before an agreement was reached. And now all that was stopping them from going out of the closet was Marinette’s hesitation. She knew she’d hurt them in the past and for a long time she’d been terrified of doing it again. But they waited for her. Each day they reminded her this was what they wanted, what they were excited to commit to. Neither Adrien nor Luka were afraid of the consequences, and they were the ones in the public eye, not Marinette.

She had known for a while it was the right choice and now she finally understood this was the right moment.

‘I’m ready, guys,’ Marinette said, interrupting their banter.

‘All right,’ Adrien smiled. ‘We can head to dinner now.’

‘No!’ Marinette cried startling both boys. She backpedalled immediately. ‘I mean, dinner sounds wonderful, but I wasn’t talking about that.’ She took a deep breath and stepped back, wanting to see them both for her confession. ‘I’m ready to go official, and to move in with you.’

Adrien vibrated with excitement, as he caught Luka’s hand.

Luka’s eyes lit up. ‘Are you sure? You know we don’t mind the wait.’

‘Yes,’ Marinette nodded reaching out for them. ‘I’m ready. I don’t want to wait anymore. I love you.’

‘I love you,’ her boys echoed, trapping her in a celebratory hug.

It was dawn when Marinette finally drifted to sleep, comfortably sandwiched between the two loves of her life in an apartment she was about to share with them. In just a few hours, the first of her coworkers would start to fill her office. She smiled, thinking how they would react to her subtle statement.

On her desk one huge bouquet of hortensias and sunflowers greeted the first lights of morning.

[meetmeatthedreamersball]

Here I Stand Chp 2

A/N: I snapped. Enjoy! Chp 1

Rating/Warning(s): SMUT 18+ ONLY, oral female receiving, some fluff?

Pairing: Brian May/Gwil!Brian May x Fem!Reader

Words: ~3,038

Summary: Valentine’s day and first dates go over well.

1971 - December

A year had past and the band was now known as Queen. You were now friends with Brian, Roger, and John. You and Brian had grown especially close. You two had inside jokes and were, best of all, comfortable with each other. His hair was now a poof of curls. His legs were still just as long and he was still just as beautiful. Over the course of the past year you had developed quite a huge crush on him. You had yet to tell anyone.

“Hey, Freddie? Can I tell you something?” You asked, stopping your sketching and facing him. You and Freddie were hanging out at your apartment. He had asked you for help to design Queen's logo. He was curled up on one end of the couch and you on the other.

“What is it, dear?” He asked as he turned to face you.

“I, uhm,” you felt a wave of nervousness wash over you. Why was it suddenly so hard for you to tell your friend that you had a crush on a mutual friend? This should be easy!

“Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me,” he said and pulled you away from your thoughts.

You took a deep breath before you spoke, “I have a crush on Brian.”

“You do?” Freddie grinned, “That was obvious, darling.”

“It...was?” You asked. You could feel your face flush as you blinked a couple times. You didn’t think you were obvious.

“Yeah, the way you look at him gives it away,” Freddie said as he started to sketch again, “you should ask him out. I know he’ll say yes.”

“Are you sure?” You asked, you were nervous at the mere thought of asking Brian out. The worst he could say was no and that wasn’t the answer you wanted. But, there was no true harm in asking him out. Honestly, you were just a bundle of nerves.

“I’m sure of it,” he glanced at you, “dear, you’ll be fine. Ask him out tomorrow. The worst he can say is no, right?”

“Right,” you replied distantly. You shook yourself out of it and started sketching again.

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Freddie and you had decided on a couple of designs to show the band. You two had settled on your personal favorites. One was like the royal crest and the other was Queen with a crown in the Q. When you guys showed them to the band they loved them too. You had met the band at the studio. They were recording their first album.

You pulled your coat closer to your body. It was December and it was freezing. The snow had fell early in the morning and was still on the ground. You were now out getting coffee and tea for everyone. You arrived at the local cafe and entered. The smell of coffee filled your nose right away. You breathed in the homey scent.The place was very homey and had the matching scent. It was covered in warm browns. There were tables and chairs throughout the cafe and the counter was placed in the middle of the back wall. A good placement, you thought. You then made your way to the counter and started ordering.

After you got all the drinks, you made your way back to the studio. Once you arrived, Brian was there to open the door for you. You blushed and thanked him. He smiled and helped you hand out drinks. Then, you two sat on the couch in the control room. You sipped on your warm drink, enjoying the way it warms you up from being outside. John and Freddie were at the control table as Roger recorded his drum solo.

“Thank you,” Brian said to you, “for getting the drinks.”

“Oh,” you started, “you’re welcome.”

A beat of silence fell over you two. You bit your lip. You wanted to ask him out but something was stopping you. It was really just anxiety and you could get over it. You leg started to bounce lightly. Brian took notice and set a hand on your leg and squeezed.

“Are you alright?” He whispered to you. He was now looking at you and you looked back.

“I, uh,” you didn’t know what to say. Then you figured it was now or never. You spoke just above a whisper, “Wanna go on a date?”

Brian blinked a few times before responding, “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Awesome!” You smiled. You secretly breathed a sigh of relief. All you had to do now was survive the date itself. You spoke again, “Wanna go for coffee around three tomorrow?”

“That sounds like a plan, I’ll pick you up?” He asked. You blushed and nodded.

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It was finally that time. Date time. You were so nervous. You had picked out some jeans, a sweater and a coat that you really liked. You were pacing your living room when there was a knock at your door. The knock pulled you out of your thoughts abruptly. You went over a looked through the peephole. It was Brian and he had flowers. They were orange-pink roses. You smiled and opened the door.

“Hey!” You said as you two hugged. You invited him in.

“I brought these for you,” he said once he was in and the door was shut.

“Thank you,” you replied as he handed them to you. You gladly took them and went to get your vase. You spoke as you filled the vase with water, “Let me put these in water and then we’ll head out?”

“Of course, don’t want them to die,” Brian replied.

“I can keep them alive, even in this weather,” you told him. He smiled and walked over to you in the kitchen.

“Hm, is that so? Cause I remember you bought flowers this past summer and those died within a few days,” he replied as he was now next to you. You set the vase down and faced him, not realizing how close he was.

“That was a fluke, and those babies were on the verge of death when I bought them,” you said. Your bodies were inches from each other. If you noticed you’d both be blushing.

“Oh, sure it was. If they were on the verge of death, why did you buy them?” He raised a brow at you. Both of you had a hand resting on the counter. It was when his hand brushed yours that you became aware of how close he was. If you had the bravery, you’d kiss him.

“I thought,” your breath hitched in your throat. You were suddenly at a loss for words.

“You thought?” Brian asked, trying to pull words out of you.

“That I could,” you let out a shaky breath, “that I could take care of them.”

He leaned in close to you, his hand cupping you face. You suddenly felt lightheaded and gripped the counter for support. He pulled you into a kiss. You lips moved in time with his. His other hand that was on the counter went moved to hold you at your hip. His other hand followed suit.It was as if he knew you could pass out. Your hand went and rested at his neck gently. His lips were soft against yours. His touch sent butterflies to your stomach and you felt like you were on cloud nine. He gently pulled away, your eyes still closed.

“I, uh,” he started unsure of what to say. Your eyes fluttered open. His hands remained in their spot on your hips. Your thumbs rubbed against his neck as you two figured out what to say.

“That was,” you bit your lip and searched for the word, “amazing.”

“Yeah, it was,” he replied. He glanced down then into your eyes, “I’d like to do that again.”

You smiled and nodded, not trusting your voice. You two crashed into another kiss. At this point you had totally forgotten about getting coffee because he was finally kissing you. It was everything you wanted.

-------------------------------------1972-----------------------------------------

It was now February and you and Brian had been dating for a few months now. Valentine’s day was fast approaching and you had no idea what to do for him. So, you were out shopping with Freddie. You hoped he could help.

“Darling, what about some guitar picks?” Freddie offered. You guys had stopped for a coffee break.

“Hm,” you thought, “no, that’s too-”

“Predictable?” He offered.

You nodded, “Yeah, I want it to be unique and something that when he looks at it, he thinks of me.”

“Lingerie,” Freddie said before smiling and laughing.

“Oh my God, no, no, no,” you laughed.

“Have you guys even had sex yet?”

“Uh, no,” you said almost gently.

He looked at you wide eyed, “No way! You’re joking!”

“I’m not! I just haven’t been ready and we just haven’t gotten there yet?” You said as a question, not sure what you were asking. You sighed, “Freddie, I know it comes as a shock it’s just I haven’t had sex in a while and with Brian, I kinda wanna take my time? I don’t know.”

He put a hand over yours, “I understand. But you should seriously consider lingerie when you’re ready.”

You two shared a full body laugh. Once your coffee was finished you two went back to shopping. Then, you saw it. It was a bear with poodle-like hair and was playing a guitar. You grabbed Freddie’s arm and took him to the bear. He saw and agreed it was perfect. You quickly got the bear and were off.

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It was finally Valentine’s day and you couldn’t contain your excitement. You couldn’t wait to give Brian his gift. You were so giddy that you had butterflies in your stomach. He was going to be coming over for dinner and you decided to cook. You’re definitely good at cooking and have cooked for the boys before and they loved your food. You were surprising Brian with food too. You told him to not make any dinner reservations cause you were taking care of it. Then, there was a knock at your door. You went and checked the peephole, happy to see Brian standing there with flowers and a small bag. You quickly opened the door and hugged your boyfriend. He carefully hugged you back with his full hands. When you let go you invited him inside. He kissed your cheek as he gave you the flowers that you got into your vase. Brian set the bag on your coffee table and followed you into the kitchen.

“Smells good in here,” he said as he leaned on the counter next to you.

“Thank God, I cooked,” you replied with a smile. You then set the flowers in the now filled vase.

His brows raised, “What did you make, love?”

“Cheese ravioli and garlic bread. I know it’s not super fancy but-” you said but he cut you off with a peck to your lips.

“It’s perfect,” he whispered against your lips. You smiled and then remembered the bear in the bag in your room.

“I gotta get you your present,” you told him. Before he could say anything, you were already off grabbing the bag.

“Babe, can it wait til after we eat?” He asked, “I’m hungry and would love to eat.”

You smiled, “Yeah, it can. I’m just really excited.”

“I can tell,” he replied.

You went and set the bag in the living room before going back into the kitchen. You set up two dishes with food and brought it over to the dining table. You two ate and talked about the recent shows Queen performed and school. Brian said that if Queen takes off he might have to take a break from school. You reassured that it would be okay and either way, you’re proud of him. Once you two finished dinner, it was finally time for you to give Brian his gift. You grinned as he helped you clean up before heading to the living room. You sat next to him on the couch. You two held the gifts for each other before trading. You slowly opened yours, you wanted to see Brian’s reaction. A huge smile crossed his lips when he saw the bear.

“Do you like it?” You asked right away, still having yet to see his gift to you. He looked up at you and nodded.

“I love it,” he responded. He leaned over and kissed you. Then he pulled away noticing you still had yet to fully open your gift, “Babe, are you gonna-?”

“Oh, yeah!,” You smiled. You went back to pulling out the tissue paper. You found a medium sized box and opened it. Inside the blue velvet box was a silver necklace with an electric guitar on the chain. Your hand flew over heart, “Bri...I love it.”

“Do you want me to help you put it on?” He asked. You nodded and handed him the necklace. You then turned around so he could the necklace on. Once he clasped it you hand held the little guitar and turned back to face him. He smiled, “Looks good on you.”

“Thanks, my boyfriend got it,” you responded before leaning over to kiss him.

The kiss then deepened as you kept your hand on his cheek. You pushed the bags in your way to the ground and moved to straddle him. His hands instinctively went to your waist, just above your hips. You rolled your hips against him as you kissed down his jaw to his neck. Your touch was like fire on his skin. He needed more of you. You then kissed and sucked on his pulse point, earning you a groan from the back of his throat. He then pulled you in for another kiss by cupping your face for a hot second. His hand traveled down your neck and down to your breast. He massaged your breast through your sweater and bra, eliciting a moan from you.

You pulled away from the kiss and took off your sweater. You then tugged at the hem of his shirt and he gladly took it off. Then, he wrapped his arms around you to take off your bra. Once your bra was off, his lips attached to one of your nipples while his hand massaged the other. Your hands went to his mess of curls. That’s when he stopped and latched onto your lips again. He then moved you two so that he was on top of you on the couch. He then stopped kissing you and undid your jeans. He slid them and your panties down you almost painfully slow. Your hands went to undo his pants but he batted you hands away before he kissed you again. He kissed his way down your jaw, then the valley of your breasts, then down your stomach and to where you soaking for him. He kissed your thighs then your core. He licked thin stripe up your folds before sucking on you clit. He felt like fire against your skin and you couldn’t help the throaty moan that escaped your mouth.

He then started to dart his tongue in and out of you as his nose kept rubbing against your clit. Your hand flew to his curls again and your other hand massaged your breast. Your pinched and rolled your nipple between your fingers. Your hips bucked against his face and he put a hand on you to hold you down. You could feel the knot in your stomach.

“Bri...babe, ‘m gonna,” you breathed out. He pulled away much to your dismay and you let go of his hair. He pecked your lips before taking off his pants and underwear. You saw how hard he was and licked your lips. He then lined up at your entrance and slid into you. You both let out a moan as he filled you up deliciously. He waited a second for you to get used to him before moving in and out of you at a steady pace. He let out a breathy moan as he was next to your ear. His hands gripped onto your hips as he slowly sped up. You pulled him into a kiss.

“Faster,” you mumbled against his lips. He grunted and picked up the pace. The sound of both of your moans and skin against skin filled your ears. With his pace speeding up, he also went harder and hit you g-spot. That caused you to let out a loud moan. His pace then stuttered. You could tell you were close by the knot in you stomach.

“Babe, I’m gonna- do you want me?”

“Just cum in me, I’m on the pill,” you told him. He groaned and with a few more thrusts was spilling inside you. You can right after, your walls clenching around him. Your chest were heaving as you both came down from  your high. He pulled out of you and you two sat up on the couch.

“That was amazing, love,” Brian said quietly. You nodded. You leaned over and pecked his cheek.

“It was,” you replied, “wanna get cleaned up?”

He nodded and you two went off to shower.

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It was early morning and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Brian had spent the night at your place. You were laying with your head on his chest, your fingers drawing patterns on him. You were gazing at him. He was so beautiful when he slept. So peaceful. You leaned up and pecked his cheek. His eyes fluttered open at the touch. He smiled when he saw you. You smiled back.

“Morning, love,” he whispered.

“Morning,” you whispered back. Your hand had found its way to rest on his cheek. You felt so much love for him. You leaned up again and kissed him. Then mumbled against his lips, “I love you.”

He smiled into the kiss, “I love you, too.”

It was the first time you two had said the three magic words to each other. It felt magical. You were giddy with happiness and kissed him deeply. You two remained in each other’s arms the rest of the morning.