#hes so traditional and nice i feel so guilty about how much i wanna jump his bones. like. its actually a little insane

[prettyboykatsuki]

WYLL LOVE?!?!?!?!

WYLL LOVE?!?!?!?!?

STOP THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY. HE'S SO OVERLOOKED IN THE FANDOM BUT WYLL IS SO FUCKING HANDSOME AND SO SWEET.

if "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" WAS A PERSON OMGGGGGGGG

YES <333 WYLL LOVE

he's actually. so handsome. and the only reason i picked up the game. and i like him so much and i want to kiss him. every once in a while i get swept off my feet by a heroic and decent man and this time its him and i cant stop thinking about it. he's so nice. i love him.

him and shadow heart. im bewitched. im sure shadowheart is going to become my favorite also just given what i know of her lore. but wyll. Wyll.

[usedtobe-angstyoikawa]

Tanabata

Itadori Yuji x latinx!gn!reader

Summary: you’re from Latin America and end up moving to Japan (cause your whole family is fucking dead hehe sorry). You feel sad and homesick but Itadori tries his best to cheer you up.

Warnings: I’d say none?

a/n: just to clarify, I am from Latin America and I know not everyone here is loud and touchy but I am and this was kind of a self inserted fic cause I feel that if I had to move to Japan it’d be really hard to get used to the people and their culture in general. Like japanesse people are known for being closed off and distant mostly because they’re very respectful and well behaved, whereas in Latin America people are more outgoing and kind of rude to be honest. Idk I think it’s an interesting contrast between these two cultures and Itadori has a bit of both and I love him so yeah enjoy (also I didn’t proofread this I’m very sorry)

———————————————————————

Being a foreigner student in Japan wasn’t easy, specially coming from a place like Latin America with such a different culture. When Gojo sensei found you in the middle of a loosing battle against a curse back in your country, you never would’ve thought he’d save you and take you with him to the other side of the world. You were grateful though, thanks to him you got to meet amazing people that understood what loosing everyone you loved was like. People who gradually became your friends and helped you through your hardest days without expecting anything back. But you still missed your home, the food, the music and the people. Your people. Sometimes those thoughts made you feel guilty, but you couldn’t help but feel left out whenever Noraba made a reference about a tv show they all used to watch when they were kids, or when Megumi flinched and run away anytime you got too exited and accidentally raised your voice. Yuji was a great cook and would often make you try new dishes to cheer you up, but japanese food tasted so different to what you were used to it sometimes wasn’t comforting enough. You weren’t having a bad time but you definitely weren’t the happiest you’d ever been. You craved touch and warmth, you wanted to go dancing without being self conscious and stay up till sunrise.

The closest person to you was Yuji. You met him a few months after your arrival in Japan, apparently he’d been out on a ‘secret mission’ or at least that’s what Gojo had told you. The pink haired boy greeted you with a big smile and a lot of questions, you were surprised by his outgoing and warm personality at first but you immediately became good friends. You loved being around Yuji, he’d always let you hug him and didn’t seem to be affected by your voice volume. He reminded you of an old friend back home so it wasn’t hard to open up to him and tell him about your mixed feelings towards the cultural crash.

“I can’t say I get it ‘cause I totally don’t, I wasn’t forced to leave my country and leave behind everything I’ve known my whole life to try and start a new life on the other side of the world” he said while grabbing his chin and looking at the ceiling “ and I don’t think there’s a way to make you feel completely at home, I mean I can try recreating your country’s traditional dishes but I don’t wanna ruin that for you”

You’d tried that before but you could never find the right ingredients and there was always something missing, leaving you with and empty space in your chest. It seemed like every time you tried to do things to keep holding on to your culture the more distant you felt, as if the life you knew was forever lost.

“That’s it! We can go to the festival!” the boy next to you jumped and you stared at him wondering what the hell he was talking about. “Noraba didn’t tell you about it?” You shook your head no “This weekend starts the Tanabata festival, it was a chinese tradition at first but we’ve been celebrating it for a while. There’s gonna be a lot of food, cute decorations around the city and… oh!” Suddenly he was in front of you grabbing you by your shoulders “ WE HAVE TO MAKE A WISH”

And that’s how you ended up borrowing one of Nobara’s yukata and headed to the festival, Yuji right next to you. As soon as he saw you wearing the traditional clothes his face lit up and he grabbed your hand, dragging you to what he described as the best place in earth. Some of the second year students decided to tag along but you lost them in the crowd.

Yuji was right, it was fun. He showed you around and bought you different types of food, you played games and he told you about the japanese traditions. You slowly realized that maybe you’d judged his people wrong. Seeing kids running around, couples holding each other, and the dumb idiot’s bright smile made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Yes it was a different country, and yes the people there could be distant and a bit close minded, but they were also very nice and respectful, full of wisdom and spirituality.

Apparently it was this festival’s tradition to write down a wish on a colorful paper strip (tanzaku) and tie it onto a bamboo branch. The color you chose held a meaning and directed your wish towards it’s destination. You chose red, representing gratuity towards your parents and ancestors. Yuji chose yellow but he didn’t tell you what the color represented.

“You know there’s a Japanese legend my grandpa used to tell me every time during this festival” He said while you two walked down a path and heading to a bridge “Aparently there used to be two lovers, a cowherd and a weaver girl, that lived by a riverbank in China a long long long time ago. Before knowing each other they dedicated their time to their respective jobs, but once they got married they’d spend so much time together that they completely forgot about them. The girls father got so mad that he split the two lovers apart and exiled the boy to the other side of the river.” He stoped walking and you realized you’d reached the bridge and the two of you were now standing in the middle of it. “The girl cried and begged his father to let them see each other one more time and he agreed, allowing the lovers to meet every 7th of July. But when the date came they realized there was no way of crossing the river, ‘cause you know there was no bridge and they apparently didn’t know how to swim or maybe the tide was too strong and it would’ve been dangerous to…” he started rambling on about the possible ways the couple could’ve seen each other and you couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh, making the boy blush. “Anyways, a bunch of birds I don’t remember what type exactly but they helped the girl cross the river and she was able to meet his lover. Now we throw our bamboo branches to the river so they reach the sea and the gods can find them and read our wishes, hopefully they’ll make them come true.”

“It’s a beautiful story” he nodded and kept looking down at the river. Together you threw your branches and watched them get carried away downstream by the current.

“My wish was yellow, it represents friendship. I usually choose the red paper like you did, I like to make wishes for my parents and my grandpa.” You listened intently, he rarely spoke about his parents. “This time I decided to be a bit selfish and wished for our friendship to last forever and for you to feel at home.” He turned to you and dug holes in your sole with his brown eyes.

You stood there silent, not knowing what to say or how to react. Your heart was beating fast and your eyes were getting wet, but there was this indescribable feeling beginning to settle in inside of your chest. Itadori moved closer to you and cupped your cheek with his cold hand, hot breath fanning over your face.

“I promise I’ll try my best to make you feel at home”

[cherryhanji]

all the love, hyunjin.

oneshot. hyunjin x jisung, hyunjin x female reader

genre: college au from the onset, high school au, neighbors au, tinge of fluff, angst

words: 2.8k

warning(s): super duper slight mention of alcoholic drinks, and nothing heavy at all except for the extreme trashy plot twist pfft, italicized words are in present times

•••

alexa's note:

y'all its good to be back after a month(?) of not writing hihi, good thing that my fam @districtninewriters decided to hold a valentines' event for their writers! Go check them out here! make sure to read my fellow writers' entries coz u won't regret it, they're amazing as hell!

•••

_____

It feels so good to be back home (even tho you went back last christmas but only for two days). Three years are too much and you missed staying for long at your childhood home. This time, you'll stay for a week so you will do everything with all your might while you're at your parents' house. And one thing from the list is to clean your room. Though you are aware that your parents sometimes clean it. But since you were here, it's time to declutter all the things that are no use for you.

You started by cleaning your closet, removing all the clothes that you don't need anymore. Bringing out all the ones you needed when you come back at the dorms. While rummaging through your clothes, you saw the brown box nicely placed at the bottom of your closet. You forgot that the box was here since your closet was stuffed with clothes. A smile crept up on your face as you grab the box. That box contains all of unnecessary things that you kept from your high school years.

You sat on your bed as you open the box, completely forgetting that you have things to do as soon as you open it. Torn pages from notebooks, folded papers, pictures, arcade tokens and random stuff are inside. Smiling as memories rush back everytime you see a specific stuff. The smile that was on your face eventually disappeared when a pink folded paper caught your eye. You picked the paper up and opened it. it was the letter from your neighbor, your bestfriend hyunjin. remembering how you felt after reading this letter from him.

•••

y/n. it's hyunjin.

i know you know why i made this letter. but if not, well i just joined our school's event. this is nuts and unexpected. but i guess this is the right time..? or probably not but i think of this as an opportunity. so why let it slip?

i know you'll be weirded out, and i'm expecting it tho. but pls don't worry. you don't have to do anything. i just want to give this to you so you can be aware of what i'm going to tell you.

•••

you suddenly remember that he made this letter because of the foolish idea your school came up for the valentines' day that time. it was when you were all in your ninth grade, almost 6 years ago.

•••

"So how many letters are you going to give to Jisung?" your friend, Ryujin asked as she fiddled with the letter she received from someone.

"Ryu, I already told him that I won't give him and he understand. And please, couples aren't required to do it. We already know that we feel the same for each other, so why bother? Jisung knows how special he is to me." You said, frowning at her. you already told Jisung about it. It's not that necessary and it won't affect your relationship, like it was such a shallow thing to do.

"Your annoying bestfriend's outside." Ryujin said and pointed at the door where you saw Hyunjin.

"I'll just go to him. Go read that letter with all your heart. Maybe they're the one for you." You said and gave her wink which made Ryujin roll her eyes at you.

"Hey stupid." You said as soon as you approached Hyunjin who pinched your arm jokingly.

"Hello too, my stupid best friend. So what are you up to?"

"You were the one who went here and you're the one asking that? I'm gonna ask that to you, what are you up to?" You said making Hyunjin silent, but the boy just rolled his eyes at you. What's with people and they keep on rolling their eyes on you?

"Whatever. You busy? Just wanna ask you to go with me to the mall. My treat." He wiggled his eyebrows at you and showed her mother's credit card.

"What the-- did you just stole your mom's card again? Wait let me tell her--" Hyunjin tapped your arm when you tried to get your phone from your pocket. He looks like he's the type of guy who wouldn't do it, but you've known him for years and he can be a sneaky rat sometimes.

"No I didn't- I asked her okay? And she let me because she knows I'm with you. She likes and trusts you so much she lets me use her card for our mini-date" He said and wiggled his eyebrows at you. This kind of banters are normal between and it doesn't really affect you, tho sometimes, or you should say, you used to feel moved by this kind of retorts from him. this means nothing to you now, as you said so to yourself.

"Okay, okay fine. But Jin, Uh, uhm. Jisung already asked me a while ago, and I said yes. So I might not be able to join you with your mini-date. Sorry." It's obvious that his expression changed into something that made you feel somewhat guilty.

"Oh, why did I forgot about that? Okay, nevermind. Enjoy your date then." He said and flash you a smile, and you can really tell that it was just a facade. But you decided to brush it off.

"Why don't you ask Ryujin? Seungmin? Felix?" You decided to suggest, since the three are his friends too.

"Uhm, yeah. I'll just ask them. Good luck with your date, by the way. I know Jisung will make you happy, especially it's your first Valentines' date together." He replied making you grin like an excited kid.

"Don't smile too much, you look ugly, remember?" He retort making you glare at him. He's back with being a mood breaker. He is really your best friend.

"Whatever, you look ugly too, you know that? Anyways, I need to go already, maybe Jisung's waiting for me. See you tomorrow then?" He nod before bidding each others' goodbyes, a little pained knowing that you won't join him for the first time on Valentines' day. Every Valentines', You and Hyunjin have a tradition of mini-date every Valentines' after school. Treating each other foods, but mostly Hyunjin was the one who always spends since "he proposed this idea to you" which you immediately agreed because Hyunjin's so fun to be with. But after rejecting him for the very first time, makes you a tad guilty. But he understand it, right? Yeah, he understands it.

•••

You had a nice and special day with Jisung. It feels surreal, because you were able to celebrate Valentines with the person you like, the guy who cherish you with all his heart. Jisung is a nice guy, and you'll do everything not to hurt him. He has a special space in your heart. The guy you're sure who will stay with you no matter what happen. Like Hyunjin.

You shook your head when Hyunjin suddenly passed by on your train of thoughts about your boyfriend. Hyunjin is different, he is your best friend, your confidant. The guy who you grew up with and also has a special space in your heart. But they are utterly different. Jisung is Jisung, he is your boyfriend. Hyunjin is Hyunjin, your bestfriend.

"Y/N! Y/N" You went out of your trance when you heard your mother calling your name downstairs. You just got home from your after school Valentines date with Jisung, and you must admit, you feel giddy, extreme butterflies took flight in your stomach. Everything was just perfect for you.

"What is it, Mom?" You went downstairs and saw your mom at the kitchen.

"Hyunjin's outside, calling for you. He's outside, I'm letting him in but he said he won't stay long, he just need to give you something. Go to him, don't let him wait." Your mom beckoned you to go to Hyunjin, you checked the time first and its already 7 in the evening, what's with him?

You saw him standing outside, looking edgy, making you baffled. Your "hey" made the boy jump a bit and flash you an obviously nervous smile.

"What's up? Mom said you'll give me something. What is it?" You said as you approached him, the higher the proximity, the nervousness he feels also increases. But why?

"Uh, hey. Uhm yeah. I'm gonna give you something. Uuhm- here it is." He gave you a folded pink paper with his trembling hands. You attempt to open it but the guy moved faster.

"Please open it after I leave. Please?" Your eyebrows knitted and nodded slowly, agreeing with the way he prevented you from opening the letter, making you more confused.

"So what's this all about, Hwang Hyunjin? Is this some sort of prank? A blackmail?" You said joking. Hyunjin just gave you a sheepish grin, completely lacking of words to reply to you. The answers are inside the paper he gave you. So what else would he say to you?

"No. Just promise me that you will open that one when I leave, okay? So, I'm gonna leave now. See you tomorrow?" Hyunjin bit his lip, bidding his goodbye to you before he sprint out of your sight, didn't dare to wait for your response. You just rolled your eyes and shrugged, examining the paper he gave you. But there's a sudden strange feeling crept inside you, didn't have an idea why and where it came from. You went back to your room and decided to read the letter there.

•••

Just promise me one thing. don't you ever dare avoid me after reading this. but maybe i'll understand it if you do. i am not insensitive you know?

yep, i like you silly. i don't know when this whole thing started. i swear, it's like wow, what's this i'm feeling? do i like y/n? oh yeah, i like her. i see and feel things differently when i started liking you, but not in a creepy way! i'm not that kind of person! it's like even if you're just doing those normal things like you always did back then, it feels more special, bizarre. is it always like this if you feel something romantically towards that person? or am i just overreacting? whatever it may be, that's what i felt.

remember when you slipped on the hallway because of the slippery wet floor, good thing i was with you and i am able to catch you, then you told that you really can't live without me? maybe for you it just casual, just a friendly banter, but for me? not gonna lie, it made my heart jump out of my chest. and luckily my face don't blush that too much, you're not able to see how affected i am with that. there are more, but i won't write that anymore. It won't fit in this goddamn piece of paper!

•••

Did you expect this? Absolutely not. But you wished he told you sooner, sooner so you won't feel any regrets now. He likes you, but do you still like him? You definitely don't know. You already have Jisung, but do you think that reason is enough? Your mind is rambling with thoughts. All you were aware of is you used to feel the same way for him. But is it still here? You really don't have an idea. Why does it have to be late?

Hyunjin is the type of person who you will easily like. With his bubbly, sometimes slow-witted (yeah he is) but caring and loving persona, you'll just eventually love everything about him, no wonder all girls from your school are after him. And you are an example of it. Having an advantage as a best friend. You are lucky that you are one of the women he treasures the most. And you are grateful for it. Too grateful that you started growing feelings for him that exceeded the line of being just best friends. It lasted for about two years, you know you were too young back then, but it's Hyunjin and you know how much he cares for you. But soon you realized that he's just being like that since you are his best friend. So you tried moving on, thoughts of telling him about what you feel passed your mind but didn't have enough courage to do so. Now, knowing that he feels the same way too, made you feel somewhat regretful. You are mad, just mad. But do you have any rights to be mad at Hyunjin? Actually none. Guy doesn't even have an idea you like him too. This whole situation is so much frustrating than you've ever imagined. You never want this to happen, no one wants. Now, you have no idea what to do, with Hyunjin's feelings. He did mention that you don't have to do anything, he just wants you to know how he feels, but it's like something inside you was telling you otherwise. What are you gonna do now?

•••

you know, you've been my bestfriend for years ever since you live in this neighborhood, and i am so grateful for that. i am grateful enough to know you, grateful enough to be a bestfriend that is always by your side. So please, please don't say sorry if you don't feel the same way. i just want to tell all of this to you, because i can't always keep this secret. i needed to vent it out. i need to tell you. so that i won't regret it in the future.

i can see how happy you are with jisung. and i am not planning to steal that happiness from you. what kind of friend am i if i'll do that? i know you too will last, i can feel it. but don't forget me, yeah? i am still your bestfriend, your neighbor, and your best boy.

all the love,

hyunjin xx

•••

You were thankful that Hyunjin stayed by your side after all those happened. He accepted that he won't stand a chance anymore. You tried and tried, to get rid of those feelings left you have for him and luckily, you did. You were happy with Jisung.

You picked up another folded paper, this time it was a letter you made. For Hyunjin. You planned on giving this to him, but you soon realized that all your feelings for him are much better left unsaid. You don't want him to feel remorseful just because he didn't tell you what he feel sooner.

You heard the doorbell rang, immediately jumping out of the bed, thinking that it was your parents.

"Coming!" You shouted as you run your way down the stairs and greet the person from the other side of the door.

"Mom? isn't it too earl- Oh." Your rumblings abruptly stop when you saw who is the person, are the persons outside your home.

"Hey Y/N! how are you?" Ryujin greeted you and envelope you with her warm bear hug, a smile automatically creeping up on your face, as the other people flash you a smile.

"I-I'm good. How about you guys? Come in, come in!" You said and let them inside your house.

"I'm definitely fine! These two? I don't have an idea." Ryujin said as he rolled her eyes at the two, making the other guy frown.

"Don't tell me you two fought right before going here?" You asked the guys nod in unison.

"Exactly, because he almost declined from going here. What a brat, didn't you miss your best friend?" Jisung said making Hyunjin sigh in defeat.

"I do! It's just that I am not in the mood to get up from my bed. Our very entitled professor just rejected my proposal that I worked for almost two weeks, just wow." You can't help but to laugh at your best friend, he really did not change, so dramatic ever since.

"You know, you just need a date. You're depriving my best friend hm? Maybe Jisung's not being a responsible boyfriend I think, do you agree Ryu?" Ryujin sneered and nod in agreement, making Jisung groan.

"Am not! He's the one ignoring me these past few weeks, and you'll pass the blame on me? What a sweet best friends you are." Jisung babble making you all laugh.

"Well, don't fight now, please? Let's just all catch up with our lives. What do you guys want to do?" You suggested.

"Pizza delivery and soju please! I need that" Hyunjin suggested and you immediately agree.

"Gotta go upstairs and grab my phone, be right back." You said and run upstairs to get your phone.

You bit your lip and realize that you still have an unfinished business in your bedroom. You just shrugged and tidied the box, storing the letters back and putting it back inside your closet. For now, you just want to catch up with the people you cherish.

•••

oh my, this is my first time writing a scenario involving member x member pairing, tho not the main pairing, but i rlly hope u like it🙃

- alexa

[storydays]

Season 1, Episode 2, p1

".and in the final round, the Buzzard-Wasps, won with a decisive knock-out." Korra read the newspaper eagerly before peeking over at Tenzin. "What do you say we go to the arena tonight, catch a few pro-bending matches?" She grinned hopefully at the airbender. "That sport is a mockery of the noble tradition of bending." He snapped, ignoring you as your coughed into your morning (tea/coffee/hot chocolate). As intelligent as he is, the man hadn't a clue of where or why you spent so much time in the city. You couldn't keep it a secret from your Aunties, and Aunt Lin or Pema were usually the ones who patched you up.

"Come on, Tenzin, I've dreamed about seeing a pro-bending match since I was a kid, and now I'm just a ferry ride away from the arena." She gestured out towards the city. "Korra, you're not here to watch that drivel. You're here to finish your avatar training. So for the time being, I want you to remain on the island." He took another sip of his tea, as you took another bite of your breakfast. "Is that why you're keeping the White Lotus sentries around to watch my every move?" She waved her hand towards the soldiers, who were standing around the room. "Yes, in order to learn airbending, I believe you require a calm, quiet environment free from any distractions." Tenzin finished sternly.

"All right, you're the master." Korra relented, looking out the window, longingly. It was quite yet tense before you abruptly stood up from the table and stormed off angrily, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "(Y/N)? Where are you going?" Korra asked, confused by your behavior. "Fine! Going to meditate!" You grumble, feeling guilty at your Aunt's concerned look. You quickly made your way to the tree you and your Grandfather planted when you were younger, and sat down, crossing your body into a half-lotus position, breathing in through your nose and out of your mouth, praying for a peaceful session.

Your prayers went unanswered.

--Vision start--

You found yourself watching a middle aged Aang look around curiously. The old monk smiled seeing a small figure curled up on the tip of Air Temple Island, before sitting next to said figure. The two remained silent until the smaller sniffed, and pulled his tunic tighter in its fist. "Are you ready to talk about it, grandson?" You walked closer, to see a young you, look up at him with teary eyes. "Hi, Papa." Younger you sniffled, wiping a tear away. "I'm sorry I left dinner like that." Aang merely pulled you to sit on his lap, and wrapped his cloak around you, waiting patiently for you to say what was wrong, because he knew you wouldn't cry over something so little.

"Now, it's not nice to lie about something so small like that. What's really bothering you, my little monkey?" Aang asked with a mischievous grin. Your (e/c) eyes peered at him from under your bangs. "I'm just scared, of the future." You admitted. "What do you mean?" asked Aang. "When I'm sleeping, I see things. I see the next Avatar, but I can't see their face. I-I know their a waterbender because of their clothes, but that's it. And then I see different endings based on her choices, and the world keeps changing and I am afraid--" "Okay, okay. (Y/N), take a breath, you're hyperventilating. You need to relax, before you pass out. Copy me, alright?"

Aang put your hand on his chest, and mimicked deep breathing. He'd dealt with plenty of panic attacks with the Gaang, and of course with his own kids. Eventually you calmed down and that's when Aang spoke again. "I know the future is scary, and no one can truly prepare for it, but what we can do, is be ready to make the future brighter. And if you're seeing the future Avatar, that must mean your destinies are intertwined tighter than I thought. I know the Spirits have a plan for why they're allowing you to see the future. You've already made us so proud, (Y/N). You're a dual bender, and a master of both air and water at such a young age.

"I know you'll make the world proud." Aang stood up, and began carrying you into the library, as your stomach growled at you. The Airbender laughed, and gestured to two plates of dumplings. "Thanks, Papa Aang." You mumble, curling next to him, as he set a small fire up. "Of course, monkey. Now I believe I owed you the story of how Zuko found his mom.."

--Vision end--

You slowly opened your eyes, as you heard multiple steps heading towards you. Your cousins, Uncle and friend all looked back at you with varying smiles. "(Y/N), are you finished with your morning meditation?" Tenzin questioned. You stood up, stretching your back and legs, before answering him. "Yes, Uncle. Is it time for Korra's first lesson in airbending?" "Yes, now come along everyone." You all headed towards a airbender's best friend. "What is that contraption?" Korra asked aloud. "A time-honored tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of airbending." You rolled your eyes before muttering to the kids, "Or the first step to airbending. Unless, you preferred the long winded version of saying it." You smirk at Tenzin's irritated face.

"Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise, while (Y/N) demonstrates?" Tenzin said, sending you a raised eyebrow, as you got ready. "Well, the goal is to weave your way through the gates and make it to the other side without touching them." Jinora explained. "Seems easy enough." Korra stated. "Jinora forgot to mention you gotta make it through while the gates are spinning." Ikki said, cheekily.

Tenzin stepped forward and sent a sharp gust of wind through the gates, as you then stepped forward. You then began dancing in the wind, fast, fluid, and soft in your movements. "The key is to be like the leaf. Flow with the movement of the gates. Airbending is all about spiral movements. When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice." Tenzin finished, as you sent an equally strong wind, letting Korra know that it was her turn. "Let's do this." she stated, confident.

Now being a air nomad monk, you shouldn't feel as smug as you were. But your mother was from the Northern Water Tribe...so you could feel as smug as you wanted. This was a lesson she needed to learn to be a better airbender, Avatar, and a person. She ran in head first, grunting as she ran into different gates. You snickered, as she fell on her butt, in front of the other Airbenders. Growling, Korra ran back inside, not learning from her previous mistakes. "Korra, don't force your way through!" Jinora called, climbing on your back, to get a better look. "Dance! Dance like the wind!" Ikki encouraged. "Be the leaf!" Meelo danced.

Not listening, Korra groaned, as the gates made her dizzy. Tenzin rolled his eyes groaning. You chuckle, landing next to him, as Jinora jumped down and went with her siblings to look down at the Avatar. You raised your hand, before turning to your uncle. "Well, that was fun. Same time, same place tomorrow?" Your grin widen at your Uncle's annoyed glare, before walking down the steps, whistling softly, feeling Nevermore land on your shoulder. "Hey Nevermore. Ready for some practice?" The (fav color) dragon squealed happily as you made your way to the training area.

You turned towards the sound of footsteps following you. "Yes, Jinora?" You smiled as she blushed at being caught, but she spoke up. "Well, I was just wondering if I could help you with Nevermore's training today?" She asked hopefully. You nod, gesturing her to come forward. "All right, now we're going to work on her flight today. She's getting bigger and it's almost time for her to mature. I need you to keep a steady wind flow, okay?" And this was how Pema found you both before lunch. "Thanks for your help, Jinora." You ruffled her hair, before helping your Aunt serve lunch.

--Later that night--

You stretch your limbs before putting on your uniform, and walking out with Bolin and Mako. "All right, guys. We got this!" You grin, making Bolin mirror your grin and Mako smirked. As soon as the game started, you could hear the announcer speaking over the speakers. You tuned into what he was saying, letting your body take over for the fight. "Ladies and gentleman, I'm coming to you live, from Republic City's pro-bending arena, where tonight, the best in the world continue for a spot in the upcoming championship tournament. Grab your snacks and your kids because this next match is going to be a doozy!"

You grin underneath your helmet, focusing on the game. The announcer rambled on in the background, as you were dancing behind Mako's quick movements and Bolin's sturdy form. Catching the other team off guard was your forte. "This Mako's got moxie! He advances, fires two quick shots. Yomo is hammered back into zone three, by the Fire Ferret's sneaky waterbender, oh! I stand correct folks, Yomo was sent into the sink by (Your fake name)! Now it's up to the rest of Yomo's team to earn their spot! Clock is winding down, can they hold it? The Fire Ferret's line up to pull out their famous Guilt Triple! One, two, and three and the opposing team is in the drain! The Fire Ferrets are in the championships! They're in the championship!!"

The crowd went wild! Screaming your names, as you all walked off to the locker room, chatting happily. "You really came through with the move, (Y/N)!" Mako chuckled, unwrapping his knuckles, as you ran a hand through your hair, ruffling your bangs, ignoring Bolin's wide eyed stare. "Take a picture, Bo. It'll last longer." You snicker, as he blushed at being caught."Sorry, it's just so cool having a airbending master," He whispered those words softly, "Right in front of me! I wanna see you do it!" He begged, using the puppy eyes on you. "No, Bolin. We already talked about this. No one can know. Now, are you gonna sit there, whining, or are you gonna come eat with us?"

You and Mako were waiting by the door, dressed in street clothes(First outfit; instead of sleeves you have one fishnet glove going up one elbow). You were wearing Water Tribe clothes, and waiting for the Earthbender. Mako snickered, watching his brother get dressed quickly, before following you to a restaurant to relax and act like teenagers for a change. You walk with your hands behind your head, looking at the stars, sighing contently, but you couldn't help but wonder:

'What are we going to do now, Mom?'

--The next morning--

You tied your hair up in a man bun, before dusting off your airbender clothing from any wrinkles, and heading out the door. You'd overslept from how exhausted you were from last night's match, and now you rushed to join your family for morning meditation. "Hey, (Y/N)! We missed you at breakfast." Ikki clung to you like a monkey, as you swung her back and forth. "Hey, Cheeky Ikki. Sorry, I was really tired last night, but I'll grab a quick bite to eat after this." Your Uncle smiled at the scene before clearing his throat. "Nice to see you joining us for meditation, (Y/N). It's been a while." He admitted, as you sat next to Jinora.

"Yes it *yawn* has." You covered your mouth, before grinning sleepily at your uncle's confused glare. "All right, everyone. Begin." He commanded. You closed your eyes, breathing deeply, finding your self, sagging in relief as you did not have a vision around your family. You twitch, hearing Korra shuffle and move around. Korra kept shuffling and you cracked your eyes open, irritation flooding them. "Korra, relax." You snap. "I think I'm doing it wrong." She huffed. "There's nothing to do! Let your mind and spirit be free, for air is the element of freedom." Tenzin reminded her.

Korra laughed sarcastically and you snort quietly. Tenzin was not amused. "Is something funny?" He asked, raising a bushy eyebrow at the two of you. "Yeah, you're telling me to embrace freedom, but you won't even let me listen to the radio. And forget about leaving this island." The blue eyed avatar pouted. "Please, Korra. Look at Meelo, he's able to meditate peacefully." Tenzin gestured to his only son. You snicker, looking at the smallest airbender. "Actually Uncle, I think he's asleep." Meelo snored loudly, as Tenzin balked. "Wait, what? Ahh, at least he's got the relaxing part down.: He tried weakly.

"Whatever. None of this airbending stuff makes any sense to me." Korra grumbled. "Korra, I know it's seems frustrating, but the way he's teaching you, it's not only going to help you airbend, but this will help you learn to be patient, and as the Avatar, peace keeping and patience go hand in hand." You spoke up, as your cousins finished their meditation and you picked a sleepy Meelo.

"Yeah, like you know anything about being the Avatar, (Y/N)." Korra said sarcastically, yet arrogantly. You paused in your steps down the mini temple, and turned your (e/c) glare into the Southern Water Tribe girl. "I know more than you think, Korra." You hiss, storming off with a sleepy Meelo, and an worried Ikki and Jinora.

Korra scoffed, looking at Tenzin.

"What's his problem?" She asked, as his gray eyes barred into her soul. "Korra, you need to apologize once he's calmed down. That was rude, and he was only trying to help you. Just like I am. There will be a time when you will want his help, and he may not be there or want to help you if you continue to act like this. Grow up, girl." Tenzin said, sternly before walking off to find you.

"Please, like he's one to talk." Korra did feel guilty, but was too proud to admit it. But she wasn't dumb enough to find you right now.

Even she doesn't want to be on your bad side.

[maariarogers]

don’t cry, snowman

Summary: Suho still has a hard time, but then he opens his eyes and Jugyeong is still there. He doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve it. Deserve her. (Drabble) Timeline: Future-fic. Can be placed in Webtoon or K-Drama. Author’s Note: y’all gave me permission to write a fanfic and i deliver 😳😳😳

READ IT ON AO3 TOO.

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He wakes up with a gasp.

Then, he’s heaving; breath coming out in shakes and trembles and Suho realises, rather exhaustedly, that he’s sweating. That, and there’s the sound of his door swinging open, followed by sets of hurried footsteps and the one voice he’s both allured by yet finds himself terrified by it too.

Jugyeong settles to his side naturally. She’s already got one hand around a glass of cool water, the other behind his back. His sweaty back, and he’s about to push her away — make sure that she doesn’t have to be there around him when he’s obviously gross and unhealthy — but Jugyeong is quick.

The water is shoved to his face.

“Here,” she says, urgent. “Have a drink.”

He looks at her - properly, and feels instantly guilty that he hasn’t had a chance to really reply to her since yesterday. It’d just... been a few difficult days, and while talking with Jugyeong usually eases his mind, it’s hard to maintain the level of attention when she’s only still text messages across the screen. Phones, after all, can be silenced. Worse, they ran out of battery. They die, and you’re cut off.

Suho feels selfish like this, for only wanting her physically just because it’s easier or more pleasing for him — when he’s aware that Jugyeong has this whole life aside from him. And she deserves to explore it, live in it.

Yet...

Suho drinks the water up - swallow it down like a madman. Jugyeong watches, and she smiles when he’s done, bending over till she reaches the bedside table to pick up — balms? Yeah. Seems like it. Traditional ones in those small tin cans.

“You’re here,” Suho finally acknowledges her, looking down to his laps like he’s done something criminal, and he’s awaiting a scold.

“Yes, of course,” He hears Jugyeong answers and she sounds - disappointed, but her voice picks up, suggesting that she doesn’t really take offense. Suho knows, logically, that maybe Jugyeong doesn’t. She understands; she always does, but his heart races anyway to think that he’d burdened her anyway. That he’d troubled her. He’s a bad and horrible boyfriend, when all Jugyeong deserves is the best.

“I was worried when you didn’t text me back. But when I asked your sister, she said you’ve been having migraines since yesterday,” Jugyeong pouts. She’s so cute. Suho feels like he could fly. “You should’ve told me.”

“I didn’t wanna worry you.” 

He knows she’s been getting more make-up gigs lately due to her performance while she’s under Selena, and he’d been so proud, and he didn’t want to break that momentum for her. He couldn’t. He wants her to succeed doing what she’s love - cause that’s when she looks the happiest.

“You think I wasn’t worried when you stopped texting back?” She scolds, and then, unexpectedly in ways that only Jugyeong could be, she presses her palms against his cheeks, and squeezes. That surprises him! But Jugyeong is surprisingly strong during the oddest times, and stupidly determined when she could be. It’s endearing. “Aish, what’s the point of having the best grade in your class when you’re this dense?”

“I, uh-” Suho stutters, “I'm s-sweaty—”

“I don’t mind!” Jugyeong insists, and her hair waves over with every movements. Everything she does is just so... Suho likes it so much. “You should tell me when you’re troubled or sick or - or anything. Just like how I always tell you if I’m bothered or bored or angry. We’re together because we want to worry about each other. I want to worry about you.”

Suho finds himself speechless, Adam’s apple bobbing up and down in an effort to reply, but nothing’s coming out.

Jugyeong seems satisfied by this expression - she smiles, and it’s the best thing Suho has ever seen. For a moment, any dream of Seyeon and his mom and the sadness that seems to always hover drifts back. What remains were the better memories. Not the nightmares and the trauma.

Suho feels like he’s crumbling apart - but that’s okay, because Jugyeong seems to always know what to do with him, crumbled or not. Every tension on his body ebbs out, and Suho allows himself to lean in, forehead falling against his partner’s shoulder, and he could smell the scent of detergent there. The same detergent he’s been wearing because Jugyeong’s been picking out more and more of their groceries together.

“I love you,” he murmurs, and he does, and he does, and he does.

Jugyeong doesn’t hesitate. When she answers back, she sounds like she’s smiling - happy. “I love you too, silly.”

Suho wants to cry.

“Mom gave me that balm that could help with migraines. There’s also, I think, some ointment? I’m not sure. I brought dad’s scented candle cause I know you like the one that’s smelled like peppermint,” Jugyeong giggles against his ear, arms going around to wrap him by the shoulders. His hands brace by her hips before he finds more courage, and pulls her in, just a bit. Selfish. Is he selfish, for feeling so grateful?

“I’ve also ordered porridges for dinner if you feel like eating later. I ordered extra chicken for me though, but you can totally have mine if you ask very, very nicely,” she teases, giggling again. She’s adorable.

Suho feels his heart jumps. He pulls back a little - he wants to see her face for this. “You’re staying?”

“Yeah,” She nods a few times. Smiles. Arms still around him. So close, she’s so warm. What has he ever done to deserve this? To deserve her. “If you’re okay with it though—”

“Yes,” He’s too quick, too desperate, too un-cool, but he doesn’t care. “Yes,” He hugs her again, this time he squeezes her body fully. Thankfully, Jugyeong only naturally hugs him back. “Of course.”

“Then, I’ll be here all night. I’ll help you.”

Suho wants to cry, but he settles with only counting the fast drumming of his heartbeat, and the fact their detergent smells the same: as if a receipt that his life and hers has been entangled to this extent, and he wants every scrap of it. Maybe things aren’t always okay, but - maybe things aren’t always bad, too.

end.

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Author’s Note: This has been so fun to write surprisingly??? Omg!!! If you have any prompts you kinda want me to write - even for Seojun x Jugyeong - please feel free to throw at me! For now, I hope you enjoy this as much as I’ve had fun writing it!

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Love, Maybe? {27}

Chris Evans X Reader OFC Vixen Giovanni

Warning: Cursing, Plot, Slow, Smoldering, Torturous Burn 😊

Word Count: 5K

Summary: After a night of drunkenness you wake up next to warm, hot as hell body, a migraine and no memory of the night before. When you come to realize that the hot body belongs to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy Chris Evans you freak out. As events unfold you become even more panicked to find out you got married in your drunken haze. What else is there to do but get it annulled, right? Before walking away, you share one more night of molten kisses and passion. Three years later you are still living with the repercussions of your brash decisions, but the surprises don’t stop there. The past has a way of coming back and have you questioning is this fate that you’ve been running from, hell could it have been love, maybe?

Note: Italic texts is an inner Vixen thought. Bold Italic texts is an inner Chris thought.

**Slightly Edited/Proofread**

***Interactive**

Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️  ❤️ ❤️

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Chapter 27: Boston Bound

  -One Week Later-

  You should have said no. You should have said it was way too soon for this and not felt guilty that you’d had her all to yourself for two years. You should have been selfish. If you had, then you wouldn’t be here right now; in a private jet with your parents, Nexus, Chris, Dodger, and Ella more than halfway to Boston. You certainly wouldn’t be nervous enough to shit bricks. You wouldn’t have all these thoughts and worries about what it would be like coming face to face with Chris’ family. You would be chilling in LA, or San Fran for your little girls’ birthday party.  

  “You just had to be the bigger person, huh. Had to give in to that need to make up for your actions. Uuugh, damn dummy!”

  You closed your eyes and tried to push away the voice—your voice in your head.

  “I can survive a week in Boston. I survived doing all this on my own. I survived being a new mother and opening a restaurant for the first time. I survived pregnancy while going to culinary school and working full time. I am a badass; I can survive this.”

  “How you holding up?”

  “I can survive!” Everyone in the cabin looked at you as if you were crazy. Nexus snorted as she sat across from you.

  “Relax, it’s no big deal, Vix.” You rolled your eyes.

“Nex, I am meeting his family. He’s told them about me, told them who I am and what I did.”

  “So? If he’s not trippin’ about it anymore, why should they? If he's moved on and forgiven you, why should they hold a grudge?” She had a point, but for some reason, you couldn’t get past the possibility that they would hate you.

  “They are going to love you. As sick as it is, you are beyond lovable Vix. Just own what you did, let it be known you regret it and want to move forward for the best interest of Ella. If they can’t do that, then you know they aren’t thinking about Ella or Chris.” You took a deep breath and slowly released it. “I just took a DNA test--.” Nexus began, you snorted and looked around to make sure no one was watching.

  “Turns out, I’m a hundred percent that--.”

  “Language you two.” You and Nexus giggled together, and when you looked over, Chris was watching you with a content smile on his face.

  ~~~~~~

  Once you landed, everyone quickly piled into the truck, then Chris got in the driver’s seat. You weren’t surprised really you’d seen him drive before. He tipped his hat lower and looked at you. “Ready?” You nodded because words failed you, he looked so damn good. When he smiled, the butterflies in your belly took off. Quickly you looked away and tried to get a grip.

  “You can’t lose your shit now, you still have seven more days,” you whined.

  The drive was a nice one. After fifteen minutes of going through the city, Chris pointed out every sight to everyone in the car. You could tell he was a proud Bostonian; it was cute. When he passed Dodger stadium Chris pointed it out, and Ella shouted out “doder,” which made Dodger bark up a storm. Everyone laughed like it was the cutest thing in the world. It felt almost normal, and again that scared you.

  When he left the city, you fell silent and got lost in your own thoughts while everyone else fell into conversation.

  “You are never quiet pumpernickel. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I’m fine. Maybe just jet-lagged,” you lied. Chris studied you for a moment before his eyes went back to the road. When everyone else fell back into their conversation he spoke.

  “If you’re feeling up to it later, there’s something I wanna show you.”

  “Something like what?” Chris smiled again, and again your belly fluttered.

  “For me to know and you to find out. Honestly, where’s your sense of adventure? I remember you used to have a huge one.” You smirked.

  “I remember you being at the top of Vegas’s version of the Eiffel tower, and you stripped right there.” You gasped loudly and covered your mouth. You couldn’t believe he just said that. You looked around to see if anyone heard him but saw no one was focused on you at all. Chris snorted and laughed just as you released yours.

  “Oh my god, how do you remember that?”

  “I told you, I’m an actor. I have a great memory.” You smiled and looked out the window again completely mortified. He probably remembered exactly what you look like naked ad remembered just what you did to each other at the top of that fake Eiffel tower. That thought sent a blazing heat down your spine. You remembered what he looked like too, you remembered very well.

  “So?” You smiled to yourself and decided just to do it.

  “Okay.” Chris smiled as if he’d won some type of award then looked back to the road, repeating the same word you just said. You smiled to yourself and watched the views of trees pass you by.

  Another fifteen minutes passed, and Chris was pulling into a long driveway that led to a house that looked like it was on a hill. It was at this moment you began to regret letting him convince you to stay at his place rather than a hotel. Everyone petitioned that it would be a better way for him and Ella to spend even more time together. You felt if you would have declined you would have come off as a bitch. So, again, you caved.

“Wow, this is so great. This is yours, Chris?”

  “Yes. I come out here every chance I get when I’m not working.”

  “Do your parents live close?”

  “Well, they each live about twenty-five or thirty minutes away. I have a closer place that is in the city, but I thought this would be a more low key place for the princess’ birthday party.”

  You remained silent, a little amazed how normal it all sounded. It was as if three years hadn’t passed, and he’d been in her life all along. You wondered if it should have felt that natural. Shouldn’t there have been some—adjustment time, some form of awkwardness? Your family got out the car and looked around the front lawn. It was a beautiful property, and it looked well maintained. As they talked amongst themselves you walked to the back and took Ella out her car seat. Once out she planted a big wet kiss on your cheek.

  “Thank you, baby.”

  “My mama.” You smiled and kissed her all over her face. She erupted in giggles as she wiggled in her seat. Once you lifted her into your arms you turned to see Chris watching on with a soft smile on his lips. “Da-da.” His smile widened as he approached. He bent and kissed her on the forehead as you watched. Ella touched your cheek with one hand and Chris’ with her other. “Mama. Da-da.” You peeped up at Chris, who in turn did the same to you. For a few moments, the three of you stood there, no speaking just—being. You were the one to step away first.

  “I’ll show you guys around and come back for the bags,” Chris informed.

  The six of you and Dodger walked inside where Chris gave the tour of his traditional style farmhouse. It wasn’t exorbitantly decorated or even disgustingly pretentious. It was tastefully done, and it looked like it fit his personality. It looked like he could host dinner parties one night with his Hollywood friends, but the next night chill on the couch in front of the fireplace and drink a beer. It screamed him. One by one, he showed each of the members of your family their rooms until it left just you and Ella.

  “So, for you princess, I have a surprise.”

  “Prise, prise, I wuve prise. Eye-cweam?”

  Chris snorted and shook his head. “No, not ice cream.”

  “Pony.” You pinched your lips. She’d been trying to swindle a pony from you since the day she learned the word. Chris looked at you confused.

  “She wants a pony?”

  “What little girl doesn’t?” He smiled.

  “Uh—no princess, not a pony.” The three of you came to a stop in front of a closed door.

  “Mama told me how much you love unicorns, and mermaids--.” Chris began. Ella enthusiastically nodded her head, clearly excited for whatever his surprise was.

  “So, here we go.” Chris opened the door and revealed the girliest, most unicorn and mermaid filled room you’d ever seen. Ella’s face lit up, and she squealed with glee as she wriggled free from your arms. Placing her on the floor, she bounced around the room from item to item.

  “Oonicwon, mowmaid, oonicwon, mowmaid, pink!” Everything she touched, she squealed. You stood in the doorway, just looking around at all the effort he’d put into things. The walls were a pinkish, light orangish sherbert mesh. It reminded you of the softest sunset. It was a beautiful color. On one wall her name was written in cursive letters with a dainty crown right above it. You gulped down the emotion threatening to bubble over.

  “Schwing.” You looked back to her as she climbed into the swing that was off to the side of the room hanging from the ceiling. She tried to push herself and grunted when she couldn’t get as high as she wanted. As quickly as she got on she jumped off and bounded to the unicorn teepee that was set in a corner next to a beautiful window. The room was fit for a princess and absolutely breathtaking. Looking at Ella you knew she loved it. When you looked to Chris he was watching her with the biggest smile on his face.

  Ella ran to you and crashed into your legs. “Mama, ooo see?” You nodded.

  “Yes, my love, I see. It’s amazing.”

  “Mazing,” Ella repeated. You bent down to her and whispered in her ear. She smiled and ran across to Chris and crashed into his legs.

  “Uuugh, you’re going to take me down one of these days.” He lifted her into his arms just as she threw her tiny ones around his neck.

  “Ank oo.”

  “You’re welcome, princess. Do you like it?” She nodded her head while still holding him close. It melted you. Chris looked to you, and the look on his face made yet another Teflon layer of your wall crumble.

  “God damn it!”

  Ella wiggled her way free to the floor and ran out of the room and down the hall, no doubt about to tell everyone about her amazing room. You smiled and wrapped your arms around yourself. You could feel yourself drifting to him like he were some sort of magnet and you the polarized matter. Chris walked to you slowly, and you held tighter and hoped it was enough to keep you in check.

  “Is it too much?” You looked around the room again and saw for the first time a massive dollhouse-like playhouse. It was the cutest thing you’d ever seen and knew Ella would spend countless hours in there. You scoffed and shrugged.

  “Have you met your daughter? This is the child who wore head to toe pink sparkles to the park the other day. Do you remember that?” Chris laughed, and you smiled and nodded. “There is no such thing as too much.”

  You walked into the room a little more walking around him in a way that created the most distance. You stopped in front of the swing and sat, hoping to god it didn’t break under your weight. “This though—might not be the best idea. I can see her sneaking out of bed to swing and hurting herself. While she seems super advanced for her age let’s not set her up to fail.” He smiled and nodded.

  “Got it mama bear. I’ll take it down before bedtime.” You nodded and looked around again.

  “This is great though. It screams—permanence.” You looked down at the carpeted floor and shuffled your feet.

  “I mean—that’s the idea—right? Did I overstep?”

  “No, no, don’t—uuugh. I’m sorry, no, you didn’t. This is great, this—you’re great for doing this.”

  “I sense a but.” You stood and walked to him then touched his hand, hoping the action would make your words believable.

  “There is no but, you’re her father, you wanted to—.”

  “Show you that I’m taking this serious, to show you I want this, I want her, I want everything it means Vixen, all of it.”

  Biting your bottom lip, you held his gaze. You saw his pupil dilate and even felt his hand radiate with more heat than normal. Chris stepped into you and closed the appropriate space between you, and you could feel the air around you become thin and dense. Every hair on your body stood up, and then you saw his face move closer to yours.

  “Shit, he’s gonna kiss me.”

  “Vixen!”

  You jumped at the sound of your mother’s voice and backed away from Chris as if you’d just been caught doing something dirty. A few seconds later, your mother appeared at the doorway. She looked between the two of you, and you walked to her. “Yeah mom.”

  “Ella found the pool and is begging to get in.” Chris laughed.

  “That was quick.” You smiled and nodded.

  “I told you, she’s a mermaid.”

  “I’ll bring up the bags,” Chris said as he walked past you and your mother. Once alone, your mother gave you the look she always did when she expected an explanation. You stood your ground and remained silent.

  “So you are forever connected to a superstar celebrity by the child you share. What do you plan on doing about it?”

  You gaped at her. She had the guts to bring this up. You expected it, hell, some part of you was waiting for it. “What do you mean do about it?”

  “Vixen, you’re a beautiful woman, you have a lot to offer. Why not take things—further?” You scoffed and shook your head.

  “Mom, wow.”

  “Tell me you haven’t thought about it. Tell me you’ve never looked at him and wanted more. He is a handsome man sweetie. Maybe this is your chance.”

  You couldn’t believe your ears. She never seemed to amaze you. She had a one-track mind, and right now, you were it. “Chance for what mom?”

  “Love, maybe?” You snorted and laughed.

  “Love? She’s insane.”

  You shook your head just as Chris walked back in with bags. “Thanks.”

  “Mama, poowl pwease.” You smiled and nodded to her.

  “Come on, let’s pick a pretty bathing suit and get you all ready little mermaid.” Ella clapped her hands and went to the bags. “If you guys would excuse us, we have a fashion montage to start.”

  “Yayyyy!” Chris and your mother smiled at each other and walked out of the room so you and Ella could begin

Fifteen minutes later, you and Ella walked out to the backyard where the pool awaited you. She squealed with excitement, you smiled and put down the towels you held. Ella went to the edge and looked into the water. “Kristella Raelle, away from the edge, please.” She quickly backed away to a safe distance. You peeled off the t-shirt you wore and walked to the steps of the pool.

  “Ready baby?” She ran to you, and you grasped her hand to lead her into the water. Once she stepped into the water, she let loose a loud laugh. You smiled thoroughly enjoying her happiness. Once you stepped off the last step and sunk into the water you held your arms out for her.

  “Wedy mama?”

  “I’m ready, baby!” Ella squealed again and smiled, and Chris walked out, wearing a pair of swim trunks. Your eyes quickly scanned his exposed muscle and really liked what you saw. Again, the theme song for Baywatch played in your head.

“Da-da, watoh, come.” Chris smiled and sat at the edge of the pool and watched.

  “Wook!” Ella jumped from the step into your arms, and you spun her around. Chris clapped and lowered himself into the water.

  “Want to swim to da-da?” She nodded, and you set her in front of you then let her go. She did a quick little doggy paddle to an exhilarated Chris. Once she reached his arms he scooped her up and held her in the air. Ella laughed and posed as if she were Baby from Dirty Dancing.

  “Good job, princess.” You smiled. He turned to you as if to ask if you saw her. You nodded and swam to them. The three of you swam around and enjoyed the time together.

  Ella and Chris played in the water, and he seemed to love it, every second that passed he seemed to become more of a big kid, Ella loved it. He let her ride his back like he was a seahorse, and she was the sea princess. Chris let her ride his shoulders while he swam underwater like the whale and she was a talented whale rider. He pretended to be the dolphin complete with dolphin noises while Ella played the dolphin whisperer. They even played Marco Polo once Chris explained it to her, this she loved because every time Chris rocketed from underneath the water when she screamed “maco” he wiggled like a fish diving above the waves and every time he did a belly flop right in the water. Soon they drew the attention of your entire family who sat around the pool watching with adoring looks on their faces.

  After an hour, you’d had enough of the water, and after forty minutes you’d had more than your heart could take of the cuteness. You disappeared into the house to the kitchen and examined the contents of the fridge. Soon after, you busied yourself with cooking some dinner. It took no time at all before you got lost in the chopping, mixing, measuring, layering and a plethora of other actions that allowed your brain to stop.

  You were thankful for it because if it continued you were sure you’d go insane with the constant debate; it was now a three-way fight. Your head, your body and your heart all wanted different things. Your head spoke of shoulds, your body spoke of coulds, and your heart—that traitor was the worst of all, it spoke of woulds. Where your mind and body didn’t question, your heart had plenty. They were questions you didn’t have answers to, questions you would only find the answer to from him, and you weren’t quite brave enough—yet.

  “I should have known this is where you disappeared to.” You looked up from your bending position and saw Chris standing on the other side of the island. He was still shirtless, and your eyes noticed. Slowly they traveled down his torso and took in every detail. The two tattoos on his chest looked like perfect decorations for the well-formed muscle. Your palm itched to touch him. When your eyes trailed down his abs to his oblique indentations, that urge intensified. Unintentionally you squeezed the piping bag in your hands, sending white icing oozing out the tip and right onto your face. It was all so perfectly suggestive.

  “Oh fuck!” You stood and looked around for a cloth. Chris walked around the island to you with the item in his hand.

  “Here.” He lifted his hands to your face and began wiping off the icing. After a few deliberate swipes of the cloth, his movements slowed until they stopped altogether. He was now standing before you with your jaw gently held with one hand a cloth in the other. “There, perfect again. although—you’ve been perfect since—the day—I—I—I met you.” By the time he finished his sentence he was whispering. Chris grazed his thumb along your cheek, and the soft touch sent your belly fluttering.

  “I have something to tell you,” Chris began. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped.

  “What?” Your voice was a breathy whisper; you couldn’t muster anything else.

  “Uh---well--,” Chris began again.

  “Vix?” You looked from Chris to Nexus, who’d entered the kitchen.

  “Yeah.” Walking to her, she looked between you and Chris. You shook your head signaling for her to let it go.

  “Ella, she missed her nap so--.”

  You sighed. “Yeah, she’ll be a grumpy mess in an hour. We’ll have dinner now and hopefully avoid the meltdown to get her in bed.” Nex nodded and slowly turned to walk out.

  “So—dinner?”

  “Ready, I was just--.”

  “Uh-huh, I see what you were doing.” With that, Nex walked out of the room, and you sighed before you cleared your throat.

  “If you wanna take a quick shower, dinner will be on the table in ten,” you informed. Chris slowly nodded then walked out where Nex did. Once you were alone again you sighed and finished the touches to the cake you were icing.

  After dinner, you tucked Ella into her new bed in her new room. She fell asleep quickly which left you sitting there just staring at her. You knew if you did this to any other kid it would be creepy, but she was yours; it was normal. You’d spent so many nights watching her sleep marveling at the tiny human you were blessed with. Before you knew it two hours had passed, and you were still being a creeper.

  Walking out the room and down the hall to your own you quickly stripped and took a hot shower. The steam helped de-stress you, and the hot water did wonders for your need to be comforted. You worked to keep Chris off your mind. It was hard, but no matter what, after a few minutes, he came right back into your head. It was frustrating. Nex would say it was a sign you were also on his mind. You wondered if that were true.

  Once you stepped out wrapped in a plush towel, you stared at the canopy bed and just like that you were back in Vegas again. It was like he was trolling you with little details from your time together. this was yet another similarity from your exhausting wedding night. You sat on the window seat in the room and looked out to the sea of dark trees. It was peaceful out here, and you knew why he’d chosen this spot. It had nothing in common with LA. As you lotioned your skin, you stared up at the moon and marveled at how big and bright it looked here. A spark of fire caught your eye, and you peered more closely out the window. Chris stepped out onto the grass and walked to the clearing of trees. You watched him climb into the hammock that was just out of sight. Once he was in it all you could see was the tips of his feet and occasional peeks of his head.

  Soon you saw clouds of smoke weft into the air, and you knew he was smoking, you bet it was weed. A nostalgic smile decorated your lips. He began swinging in the hammock, and every time he did, you saw him in full sight. He had a faraway look on his face, but somehow he still looked perplexed. You wondered what he was thinking about so seriously. You had the thought to go down to him and split that blunt but knew if you had weed in your system your inhibitions would soon be lowered and with it your panties.

  “That’s if you wear panties, honey.”

  You smirked and shook your head at the thought. Sometimes you wondered if you were your own worst enemy. Sighing, you looked back to the moon once last time. When you were a child, your mother always had you make a wish on the moon every night. It must have been some old hippie practice because every single night, you’d made a wish on the moon. Some came true instantly, and others took time. You glanced back down to Chris who looked to be looking up at the same moon and closed your eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, you had the perfect wish, the one your heart, head, and body all agreed on. “If it’s meant for me, let it be.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

***If you want to be tagged please SEND AN ASK SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME TO KEEP TRACK OF. Thank you for reading!!! ❤️❤️

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TagList:

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[espship18]

Kpop ship for littleflan

Hello my sweets! I’m back with another ship, it feels so good to be getting back in groove of things too! I have a ship for @littleflan who has been so patient with me, bless your heart! I’m gonna stop the chatting, and let’s get to shipping!

Based off your request, I learned these things about you: 

You’re 5′8 with lightly tanned skin sounds gorgeous if you ask me

You love to dye your hair!

Loves to make the people she loves happy

Likes taking on different activities, but can take on too much and can get frustrated 

Favs: documentaries, Disney, and horror movies

The sassy and playful friend

And I think this is cute, you’re the fun aunt 

And in your request, you asked to be shipped with Monsta X, NCT 127, and Seventeen! Shall we? :3

Monsta X: Jooheon

Okay so, since you’re playful and you seem like an absolute doll, I could NOT pass up this opportunity. I honestly think you and Jooheon are so perfect together, because you’re both so playful and lovable, that you two are just adorable and I stan. I get vibes that you and Jooeheon are the type of couple that is care-free and since you’re young, the world is your oyster! You’re also both smitten kittens for each other, so there’s not much that you wouldn’t do together. There’s no doubt in my mind that you would keep Joo company when he would be working. We all know Jooeheon is a very talented artist, and the appreciation for what he does is only amplified when you get to see him work. You would have so much admiration and adoration for Jooheon while he works, so you’d love to watch him work. You’re also like the head cheerleader for Jooheon stans so like, you’d be tight with Monbebe too! Also, since you’re such an active couple, I can see you two taking on projects and activities together for fun, you like to learn together and bond as a couple. Which thanks to Joo, you two pace yourself so you don’t get overwhelmed and have fun. Speaking of which, this boy is a freaking king at taking care of you. He’s so freaking considerate and thinking of you, and he’s not ashamed to be vocal about it either. He makes it his job to make sure that you have the best stress free and happy life. I’m also wanting to screech about PDA so bad, but I’ll hold back for a minute. PS, you’ll always know that boy loves you because he will always pour his heart out to you! Moving around, imma call it, you’re the fun aunt of Monsta X, and you’ll help out Shownu if he isn’t around. However, since you are so soft for the boys, you aren’t super parent-ey on them, so you let their crack-head energy shine through and you guys have fun sorry Shownu it’s hard to say no to them, ya know? I think it would be super cute if you two took turns having date night, which always somehow ends up being movie night, lol. It’s also fun to see how many documentaries you’ve watched and how many topics you’ve covered. Finally, I can screech about PDA! Again a fucking k i n g. He does this thing where he loves to hold your hand and admire it. Like, he loves the way your hands connect together, how soft your skin is, he’ll legit sit there in a trance by just your hands. He would highkey love there wouldn’t be much of a height difference between you two, so like, he loves to cup your cheeks and give you kisses all over, I STAN SO FREAKING HARD. 

NCT 127: Taeyong

Okay so I feel like you two would have that soft puppy love type of love. You’re like always gushing over one another and you can never get enough of each other, it’s so cute I’m gagging on my muffin! Your aunt style of love would change to a motherly type of love bc ya know.. Taeyong has so many children, but you love all of his children so much. Compared to Jooehon, I don’t think you two wouldn’t be as spontaneous, you just go with the flow and prefer to be together with your boys because they’re every ounce of entertainment that you need, and you can also get some time alone if you need it. You two very much put one another first. You much rather prefer to take care of each other, which is good, since you two always have each others backs, but you can’t forget to take care of yourself for you. You also have a bunch of children to take care off too, don’t forget, lol! Overall, I think you two are so content with each other, you don’t mind to be with each other all the time. We all know Tae has so much stress on his shoulders, he would need you to help bring him tranquility and to heal. Then sometimes when you two really spend time together, your wild sides come out and you two can be so random. Like, you two can be having a normal conversation, Tae makes a weird noise, then after some giggles and more weird noises, you two start making your own robot language. Which it actually comes in handy to have your own language because your plans always gets busted because there are just so many people around you lol. I also really really love the idea of you two dying each others hair. We all know Tae’s poor scalp is always dyed, so why not do your hair together! Like, imagine nights together just dying each others hair, some nights there are successes, and sometimes there are fails, hehe. And like, OMG IMAGINE YOU MATCHING YOUR HAIR COLOR WITH HIS FOR HIS COMEBACKS LKFJG!! OR, you’ll like, dye your hair a lighter or darker color to contrast Tae, but also to be a supportive girlfriend! TELL ME THAT’S NOT ADORABLE! You’re the queen of date night, especially when it’s comeback season because the bub is stressed, and he needs some nights in every now and then. Date nights are super simple too, just you two spending time together with some snacks and a crime show. PDA is SO SWEET omg. Simple gestures that promote relaxation and happiness. This includes: soft hand holding(sometimes unexpected), cheek pecks, and hair playing~ :3

Seventeen: Wonwoo

Totally your chill lover boy, and I’m here for it! To say the least, Wonwoo would be very whipped for you, and he would adore every part about you, inside and out! I also really love the visuals here, I personally have a guilty pleasure for tall couples as a 5′6 gal, lol. Also, Wonwoo being a blunt and honest type of guy can REALLY come in handy from time to time. Reason being, Wonwoo is an observant type of person, so I wouldn’t have any doubts that he would be able to pick up on your mannerisms and the way you move very quickly. Wonwoo is a protective type of boyfriend, especially since he’s whipped for you, he wants to take care of you! When you’re starting to get stressed, he can sense it from a mile away. Wonwoo is also very logical, so he knows how to sit you down and talk to you about being stressed. He will never let you get overwhelmed, because he wouldn’t want you to have any unesseccary stress. He has this nice “need v. want” and an “one at a time approach to taking on new activities or hobbies. He also wants you to do what you love more first compared to something you don’t love first. He wants you to shine and do your best work, so Wonwoo is your saving grace! I also think this is really cute, listen up. You two would play tag. Starting out, it would be an inside joke that you would tag one another and say, “you’re it.” After a few times of leaving it at “you’re it”, you each would want to raise the stakes. Sometimes you would poke him back, but then it would escalate to you two starting to chase each other, and it would be a continuing game. Legit, you two would chase each other around the apartment/studio and would jump over furniture and wrestle each other to determine who is and isn’t it. It’s honestly such a fun time and you two would get extremely competitive, hehe. Date nights would be very traditional, upon Wonwoo’s request. You two will dres up and go out for a nice dinner. I also don’t wanna cause issues with people, so you both split the bill as even as you can. Then after dinner, you two will either go on walks, see a movie, or simply just go home to snuggle in bed together. PDA is Wonwoo is a bit more lovey dovey than you give him credit for. He much prefers to have your hand in his, and keeping a hand on yours as much as possible. He also loves to lift your head by your chin to give you kisses. Where he’s protective over you, he wants to keep you close to him so you won’t get lost, which sounds a little childish, but it’s actually super sweet! I don’t make the rules hehe~

~STA

[queens-floyd]

Drummer Girl pt. 5/Holiday Special

Masterlist

A/N: the beginning is eh angsty but it gets really fluffy ;) it’s a “Christmas special” a day late. Oops. Also I’m sorry to the people in the tag list I forgot to add one on pt. 4. Forgive me!

Roger Taylor x OC

Warnings: Language, alcohol

Lavender’s POV

It was that time of year again. Christmas Eve. Honestly, I haven’t had a real Christmas since my dad left. Before, we would throw parties and have feasts, see all my cousins and relatives, it was my favorite holiday. After that, we stopped going to family gatherings all together. They didn’t want to see us and we didn’t want to see them. My mum’s side of the family lived in another country and since my dad left, we couldn’t afford to visit them. My mum and I tried to celebrate Christmas as much as we could, but times got hard and eventually we stopped the traditions completely seeing we both started working and earning money was more important than celebrating.

Now, I’ve completely forgotten what it’s like to celebrate Christmas. It’s just a normal day for me. I ordered take out from one of the last stores open and enjoyed my lovely alone time. I ended up felling asleep on my couch with some half eaten chow fun on my chest.

I slept peaceful until I felt some sort of ball hit my head. I sat up suddenly expecting to have spilt my noodles all over myself, but I wake up in a different sofa... in my old house. I look around to see who threw that ball and I see two young children sprint past me. I look around some more and I see dozens of people, adults and children. I shake my head and realize these are all my relatives. There are lights and food, so much food, and a giant Christmas tree by the window I would use to practice guitar. I sat there in confusion for a while til a voice pulled me out. I felt a hand on me and I flinched.

“Oh honey, you’re finally awake.” The voice says. I look over and I see my mum.

“W-what? What is h-happening?” I said shaking. She is here. Right here in front of me. Touching me. I feel tears well in my eyes. “Mum?” I say shaken.

She looks healthier from when I last saw her. More full of life. Her beautiful long hair was curled and put up into a messy bun and her makeup is how she would do on holidays. She was wearing a gray wrap dress and low black heels. She looked so beautiful.

“Honey, are you okay?” She says looking concerned.

“I think she’s just disoriented from taking such a long mid day nap.” A voice behind her says. A hand reaches to her shoulder and a face all too familiar appears. A face that I haven’t seen in a very long time.

“D-dad?” I say, not caring that nothing makes sense.

“You shouldn’t be napping kiddo. It’s Christmas and your cousins wanna play with you.” He says laughing. Kiddo. He use to always call me that and I absolutely hated it. Now, it is so relieving to hear it come out of his mouth. He is wearing the ugly Christmas sweater I bought for him when I was eight. It was the first time I bought something on my own.

I jump up and hug both of them tightly. Just to make sure they’re there. They both are shocked at first, but they hug back tightly.

“Woah there kiddo, you’re gonna put out my back.” My dad says. We all laugh and hear one of my aunts call everyone over to open presents.

As I walk to the tree I see the feast of food layed out on the table. My mouth waters. I haven’t eaten food like this since forever. My mum was a great cook and we would always cook together before she got sick.

We got to the presents and my parents handed me a large, wrapped box with little reindeer on the paper and a big green bow. I took it and they smiled widely as I opened it. I tore the paper and underneath there was a suitcase.

“Well, go on open it! We hope it’s what you like.” My mum says.

I unlatch the two latches and slowley open it. Right as it fully opens all other sounds drown out and a loud ringing is heard. Then banging. Then more ringing. It sounds like the doorbell to my apartment. A few more rings and bangs, everything disappears. I rub my eyes and when I pry open my eyes again, I see I’m still on my couch with noodles all over my pants. I was all a dream. I sigh as I hear the doorbell again, then a few pounds at my door. I slowly walk over to my door, upset at whoever woke me up. I go to unlock the door when I hear muttering from behind the door.

“Come on she isn’t home. It’s Christmas Eve she’s probably with family...” a voice says

“One more time then we’ll leave”

I open the door to reveal the four infamous members of Queen and Mary. All of them understandably surprised and Roger with his fist up, about to pound on my door.

I look at them wide eyed not expecting this sudden arrival when they all shout out, “Merry Christmas!”

“Huh?” I say really, really confused.

“Uhh she might not celebrate Christmas...” John says from the back. They all look guilty and slightly cringe at themselves.

“Oh no, I do.” I say, “well, I did...”

“You don’t look like you’re celebrating” Freddie says. I look at myself in my week old pajamas, noodle stains on my pants.

“Well I don’t celebrate anymore.”

“Why not?” Brian says as I step aside for everyone to come in.

“No one to celebrate with I suppose?” I shrug and go to clean up my mess.

“That’s sad.” Freddie blurts, “Well now you’ve got us, and we are taking you to a Queen Holiday Extravaganza! And I am not taking no for an answer.”

“Okay...” I say hesitantly.

“Excellent! Let’s go find you something to wear!” Freddie says as he he waltzes into my bedroom.

“Freddie! Don’t go in there with out her permissi- ugh!” Mary says as she looks back at me sympathetically and chases after him.

I look around and John and Brian are examining my guitar collection. Then I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I turn around and it’s Roger with a large box wrapped in little reindeer wrapping paper and a large green bow. It looked vaguely familiar.

“I got you something... I thought the boys got you something as well, but I guess they didn’t get the memo.” He said rubbing the back of his neck.

I laugh and shake my head, “you idiot, you shouldn’t have gotten me anything.” I lightly punch his arm and take the present. Honestly, I was really happy and greatful for this gesture. I haven’t gotten a Christmas present in a very long time, so this really meant a lot to me. I rip open the gift and open the cardboard box inside. I remove the tissue paper and see a t-shirt. I pull it out and it is probably five times too big for me. I peek out from behind the shirt and raise my eyebrow at Roger. He is wearing a huge smile on his face as he motions for me to flip the shirt. I flip it and the first thing I see is his face, prominent on the front. It shows all the boys and the word ‘Queen’ and their logo. On the shirt there is a big red heart drawn over his face and smaller hearts around it. I glare at him again and he is doubling over laughing. I go over to attack him when he holds up both his hands.

“Woah woah woah, there is one more thing in there.” He says trying to defend himself.

I look back to the box and toss the remaining tissue paper. I pick it out and see that it’s Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ on vinyl. I look closer and see the signatures of Roger Waters and David Gilmour.

“Oh my God. You didn’t” I scoff

“I think I did” He says crossing my arms and peeking at my astonished face.

I let out one more loud laugh and tackle him to the floor in a hug.

“Roger!” I screamed at him as he held me on top of him. We were both laughing hard, “how did you know?”

“Well, when I was doing your laundry after your whole... incident, I stumbled upon all of your Pink Floyd memorabilia. You seem to take a liking to another Roger who isn’t me.” He says offended.

I laughed and hugged him once more before rolling over next to him on the floor. I hold up the record to examine it once again. “This is awesome. How did you manage to get this? It hasn’t even been released! And how did you get them to sign this?”

“Did you forget? I’m famous, love. I met up with them and that Roger is apparently a fan on this Roger. They wanted Queen to take a listen, ya know from one band to another.” He says turning over to me. I tackle him into another hug.

“Ok I found a dress for you Lavender!” Freddie yelled from my bedroom, “it took us ages to find a suitable dress in that mess you call a- woah” all the attention shifts to me on top of Roger and I jump off of him quickly, elbowing him in the stomach in the process. He groans in pain and John, Brian, and I snicker at him.

“Well, whatever was going on needs to take a break because we need to be at this party by 6:00 and it is currently 6:15. I do like to be fashionably late, but at this rate we’ll miss the good booze so... chop chop love birds.” Freddie says as he tosses me a small red dress that I haven’t worn in ages.

I hold it up to reveal the tiny fabric, “Uh... this will definitely not fit me. Can’t I wear some jeans and a shirt?”

“Squeeze yourself into it love, it’s a Christmas Banquet so you must present yourself nicely my dear.”

“Whatever.” I say rolling my eyes to squeeze myself into this dress. I somehow get my body into in and look at myself in the mirror. I could care less what I wear as long as I can drink alcohol in it. I put on a leather jacket and motorcycle boots and walk out of my room.

As soon as I walk out all the attention is on me. Roger’s mouth waters and I throw my pajamas shirt at his face.

“I brought you some booties Lav,” Mary says handing me some heeled boots. I cringe at the sight of heels knowing from experience that alcohol and heels don’t go well together, “don’t worry they’re more comfortable than they look.”

I sigh and stick the on and get use to the new height.

“Very well. Should we go?” Brian says.

We leave accordingly out of my apartment. Freddie and Mary holding hands and Brian and John close after. I grab my purse and start to exit. I feel Roger come up behind me,

“You looks spectacular Lavender.” He says close to my ear. His hand rests on my hip and gets too low. I glare at him while he has a nasty smirk on his lips. In my quick temper I punch him in the gut as he doubles over in pain and groans loudly.

“Try that again drummer boy and next time I’ll aim lower.” I say grabbing my purse and walking out, “Merry Christmas my friend!”

“Damn.”

Bonus:

The party was quite fun. The most fun I’ve had in a while, in fact. I got a handful of glares here and there seeing my close affiliation with Queen, but I could care less. I danced with all the guys and Mary and I drank my usual amount, so I was quite drunk and I dance with a few random men. We all had fun, Freddie got his attention, I got my drinks, Roger found a good looking blonde, things were good.

At one point I was apparently getting too close to this one bloke and Roger had to pull us apart.

“Come on man, he was pretty good looking to me!” I whined at him, “how come you get to have women rubbing themselves at you and I don’t get to have one dance with a guy I choose?”

“You’re drunk. You can thank me later.” He said.

“Uh oh!” Freddie yelled from across the room. He runs over close to us, “I spy two little hotheads under my special Christmas decoration.”

We simultaneously look up and see a mistletoe.

“Shit.” I say. Roger looks at me with wide eyes.

“You don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want to. I’m not gonna force you.”

“Well I am. It’s the rule.” Freddie says taking a sip of champagne.

“Fred! Come on you know she doesn’t...” Roger keeps complaining at Freddie as I look around and pluck a drink from a random person’s hand as I mutter a quick ‘sorry.’ I down the whole drink quickly. I grab his face mid-sentence and place a chaste kiss on his lips. He quickly catches on and deepens the kiss for a few seconds and puts his hands on my hips as I pull away. Freddie cheers and everyone follows along. His hands are still on my hips and looks at me shocked and slightly impressed.

“What? It’s not like you haven’t kissed half the people here.” I joked at him. Many people in the crowd nod including Freddie and Brian.

“It’s true. I know!” Deaky says from the edge of the room. Everyone shares a quick laugh and disperses back to the party. I attempt to walk away as Roger grabs my arm.

“Hey, we’re not gonna be weird about this right?” He says

“I’m not weird about anything. But, no. It’s fine, it was just a mistletoe kiss. No harm done.” I say grabbing two shots from a passing waiter. Roger looks at me as if I were going to give one to him.

“Oh these were both for me.” I say downing both, coughing at intensity of the liquid, “...strong” I say between coughs.

“That’s what you get for double-fisting Freddie’s special tequila, love.” He said laughing at me. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. And just letting you know, you are a marvelous kisser.” He says pinching my butt as he walks away. I was so ready to knee his balls, but I was busy choking on “Freddie’s special tequila.

“I’ll get you back Taylor!” I wheeze at him.

“Sure you will. Merry Christmas!”

Tag List: (some people it wouldn’t let me tag) Let me know if you would like to be tagged!

@isabella-bby @overcastskeleton7 @childishslytherin @2ptonpt @cosmiclunas @rain-must-fall @anamcg317

[bourbonboredom]

Silver Lining Chapter 4

If you’re ever gonna find a silver lining, it’s gotta be a cloudy day

A ClydexReader fanfic

Word Count: 3,677

Warnings: cursing, a detailed mention of abuse 

Silver Lining Masterlist

This one’s a bit of a doozy my dudes, apologies in advance for the angst. Also, thank you for all the kind words about this fic, they’re greatly appreciated!

Tag List: @oh-adam  @kyloren-supreme-ben   @xis23  @elsablackswift   @ladygrey03 @grey-reylo-solo  @givemelifeorgiveme  @attorneyl

Clyde and the landlord were shooting the breeze outside the house when she arrived. Ten minutes early, as per usual. She parked her car in the short driveway and opened the door. She was wearing a flannel, sleeves rolled up and open, with a plain fitted shirt underneath. She had on blue jeans and the same beat-up sneakers she’d worn since she’d arrived weeks ago.

She smiled as she stepped out of her car, greeting both of them warmly. She turned on the charm with the landlord, doing her usual personal-question-dodge and wound up spending ten minutes just talking to him about his family. He warmed up to her as quick as can be, shooting an approving look at Clyde. After a few more minutes of chit-chat, the landlord motioned for them to follow him into the trailer, opening the door and letting them inside.

It was a single-wide model. One bedroom, one bathroom, a small kitchen and just enough room to fit a couch in the living space. It was pretty broken-in and smelled of stale cigarettes but it was cheap and there was a small garden out front. Clyde wasn't sure how she felt about it at first, she was quiet as the landlord took them from room to room, but at one point she turned around to face him and he could see the excitement in her eyes.

When the tour came to an end, she asked some general questions about rent and utilities and such, charming her way into doing a cash payment once a month. The landlord wasn't sure about it at first, it wasn't very legal after all. She promised to take extra good care of the place, ensuring him that she didn’t do drugs and that she wasn't planning on throwing any wild parties. She even offered to bring him and his family cookies from time to time. He fell right into it, agreeing to the cash payments and making her promise to bring those cookies over soon.

“When would I be able move in?” she asked, wringing her hands,

“As soon as you hand me first and last month’s rent,” he said. She immediately dashed out of the trailer, leaving Clyde and the landlord to give each other a look.

She dashed back in a few moments later with a roll of bills wrapped with a rubber band in her hand.

“This should be all of it for both months,” she handed the roll to the landlord, who looked slightly shocked.

“Maybe I should start working for you Clyde,”

Clyde just shrugged.

“He does pay well,” she patted her boss’ arm as she spoke to the landlord, “So can I move in today?”

The landlord chuckled and handed her the keys.

“All yours darlin’, I’m a few parts down if you need anythin’,”

She thanked him profusely, shook his and and he left, closing the door behind him. She let out a laugh, jumping in excitement. She took both of Clyde’s hands in hers, smiling wide.

“Thank you. For everything. I’ve never had my own place before. This— this is just amazing,”

His instinct was to flinch back, he didn't let people touch his prosthetic. But he relaxed to her touch when he looked at her face and saw how her eyes shone with excitement.

“It’s nothin’, I’m glad you like it here. Is there anythin’ I can help you bring in?”

“Such a gentleman, but I don’t have much. Just my bag,” she let go of his hands and let him follow her outside to her car. She opened it and grabbed a large backpack from the back seat.

His heart dropped. Was she living out of this backpack this whole time? What happens to a person to make them leave wherever they are with only a backpack? She caught him looking at her, and he felt his cheeks grow hot. He followed her back into her new home, awkwardly waiting by the door.

“I’ll check out of the Super 8 on the way to work, I just wanna enjoy being here right now,” She threw her bag on the worn-in couch in the living space and started opening all the windows in her trailer. “It reeks of cigarettes in here, I’ll have to scrub this place clean,”

“Jimmy and I are right next door if you need anythin’,” he offered, not knowing if he should leave.

“Actually,” she turned to him, taking a step so that they were nearly chest-to-chest, “Do you mind if I use your kitchen? I haven't had a real meal in months and I’d like to cook something up. I dont have any utensils yet, and you and Jimmy are more than welcome to have as much as you want’,” her voice slipped into the honey-tone she’d just used on the landlord as she spoke.

“Now that’s temptin’ an all but you don’t gotta turn your charm on me,” he said. She looked at him with her doe eyes, and he realized then he’d never be able to say no to her.

“I don’t know what you mean Clyde,”

“You do it with the customers and I just watched you do it with the landlord, you try to charm people when you wanna switch stuff in your favor,”

She put her hands on her hips and her eyes crinkled as she looked up at him.

“You just got me all figured out, dont you? Alright, I promise I won’t use all that on you anymore. But I’ll ask as a friend: Can I use your kitchen with the promise that I’ll cook whatever you and Jimmy want?”

“As a friend,” he started, making her smile, “You are welcome over any time,”

“Thank you,” it was said softly, in a tone she had never used around him before.

He nodded and closed the trailer door behind him as he left.

———————————

“I haven’t seen this much food in your fridge since before mama passed,” Mellie said, closing the door to the Logan brother’s refrigerator with a cold beer in her hand.

It was past midnight at the Logan house when Mellie made a surprise visit with a case of beer. Clyde had closed the bar early since it was dead that night, and Jimmy didn’t have work the next morning so they decided to indulge with their sister.

“You-know-who’s been comin’ to our place all week to cook, lettin’ us take as much as we want,” Jimmy explained.

She raised her eyebrows at Clyde, who took a long swig of his own beer before talking.

“She’s still settlin’ in to her place, we have all the utensils she needs and we’re gettin’ some nice home cooked meals, I don’t see what the issue could be,”

“Is it any good?” She asked Jimmy.

“No complaints here,” The older brother said.

“Then there’s not problem,” she popped the can open and smiled at Clyde. “People have been askin’ about her in the salon, y’know,”

“Didn’t think there was much to ask about,” Clyde mumbled.

“That’s the problem, no one really knows anything about her. She just up and came in to town one day. No one knows who she is or where she’s from,”

“Does is really matter?”

“I mean, a little? Look, you trust her. And me and Jimmy trust her because you trust her, but don’t you think that she's kinda sketchy?”

“I do not, because I mind my own business unlike the women who sit in your salon chair,”

Mellie started to speak when a knock was heard at the door, followed by the sound of someone letting themselves in. The subject of conversation poked her head into the room the siblings were in.

“Hi, sorry to burst in, I just realized I left my phone here earlier,” She grabbed her phone off the kitchen counter, not catching the look the siblings shared while they tried to figure out whether she’d heard them or not. “Sorry to bother you, have a good night!”

“You’re not botherin’ us, stay for a beer,” Mellie said suddenly, clearly feeling guilty. The girl stopped walking towards the door and caught Clyde’s eye, raising her eyebrows as if to ask if it was okay. He nodded.

She walked towards the siblings, grabbing a beer from the fridge and sitting down with them.

“So, what’re we talking about?”

“Jus’ family stuff,” Jimmy said, avoiding her gaze.

“Jimmy was talkin’ about the Easter Fair that’ll be happenin’ in Boone in a few weeks, his daughter wants to go,” Mellie said, going back to an older conversation from that night.

“That sounds fun, we used to have one of those up where I was,”

“Oh?” Millie said, giving her middle brother a look. She had never spoken about where she came from before.

“Yeah, we had an Easter Fair, but the weather is a little different from where I’m from. It’s usually pretty rainy this time of year, so its not really as fun as it could be. Kids always get muddy during the egg hunt, parents have learned to let them wear clothes they dont mind getting dirty that day,” she laughed to herself with that one.

“Does it rain a lot where you’re from?” Jimmy asked, trying to get her to keep talking about herself.

“Not too much, its mostly during the spring and maybe a few thunderstorms in the summer. We have other festivals around where I’m from too, one for strawberries, one for garlic, we even started having a cupcake one recently,”

“They have a whole festival just for garlic? That’s gotta smell,” Mellie crinkled her nose.

“I never went to that one personally, but I heard they just had people walking around with whole bundles of it hanging from their hats. They would deep fry the cloves too for people to eat, which sounds gross but is it really a fair if something isn't deep fried?”

“I reckon it isn’t,” Jimmy said, laughing at the idea.

The siblings seemed to grow more comfortable from there, conversation and beer flowing for a few hours after that. They shared stories about weird town traditions and regional foods. It was past 3am when things started to wind down. Clyde let Mellie crash in his room, insisting on taking the couch. Jimmy went back to his room, giving his brother a not-so-sly wink before shutting the door.

“I should head back, It’s late,”

“They sleep like rocks, especially after drinking, so you dont have to if you don’t wanna,” Clyde said, starting to gather up the empty beer cans to throw away.

“I don’t wanna intrude,” she said, finishing off her fourth beer and throwing it in the bin her boss was holding.

“Y’ain’t,” he said simply.

“I-I heard you guys earlier,” she said quieter. Clyde let a breath out his nose and turned to face her once the cans were cleaned up.

“I’m sorry about them, they got no business askin’—”

“I understand where they’re coming from, it’s not like I do a lot of talking,” she admitted, cheeks slightly pink from the alcohol.

“It’s none of their business what you tell people. If you don’t wanna talk, you dont have to,”

“I know, and you've been so understanding and kind and you’ve never pushed me to talk and I’m so grateful for that,”

“It’s just basic kindness,”

“Thats part of the problem Clyde, I haven't experienced a lot of kindness. This is overwhelming to me. It shouldn't be but it is,” she put her hands on his, making his breath hitch, but he didn't pull away. “I—I wanna tell you, I—“

“You’ve been drinkin’ I don’t want you to regret telling me in the mornin’—”

“No, I want this, I’ve been holding this on my own for months and if I’m gonna talk about it, I want it to be with you,”

Her gaze held steady with his. Her eyes were gorgeous this close up. He squeezed back with his flesh hand.

“If thats what you want, I’m listenin’ to you,” he said, keeping his hands in hers. He guided her so they sat on the couch.

She gave a shaky sigh as she began to speak.

“I came here — because I was running away. From my fiancé. We had been together since college and things were great at for such a long time but then we moved in together a couple of years ago after graduation and he— he changed. Or maybe he was always that way and I didn’t want to see it,

“It started out with little things. I’d do something stupid like throw out the newspaper before he finished reading it and he’d get angry and break something. But he’d always apologize and replace it, so I thought it was okay. But it would start to escalate and he eventually stopped taking his anger out on objects and started taking it out on me,” Her voice broke on the last word, lips pressed together like she couldn't decide whether to keep going to not.

“He’d always apologize after. He’d say it was a mistake, that he didn’t mean it, that it would never happen again. And things would be great for a few months after, but it kept happening and I kept staying with him and believing him like a fucking idiot,” her voice became more punctuated as she spoke.

“There was one time I left the apartment after a fight, I had turned off my phone and went to a park and just needed to clear my head. I turned my phone back on after a few hours and saw almost a hundred text messages and dozens of missed calls from him. They’d say he was sorry one minute and the next would be how he cant live without me and he was going to kill himself and that it would be my fault if he did because I didn't love him like he loved me. And so I went back because how could I let someone kill themselves because of a mistake they made?”

“And it just kept getting worse and worse and then for Valentines Day I messed up the reservation at the restaurant we were gonna go to and—” her hands gripped his, nails digging into plastic and flesh.

“—And I woke up three days later in the hospital with him over me, telling me he was so happy I was okay and that he was so sorry and that I can’t tell anyone it was him who did this because they’ll send him to jail and all this fucking bullshit about how he loved me.

“And thats when I knew. It took me winding up in the hospital on fucking Valentines Day to realize that he didn't love me and that I was gonna die if I stayed with him. That he could threaten suicide all he wanted because thats all it was. A threat. But what he was doing to me wasn't a threat, it was real,”

She wasn't looking at Clyde at this point, and he was thankful for that because he was filled with so much disgust and rage that he was having trouble breathing evenly at this point.

“And so a few days later when I knew he had to leave the hospital and go back to work I checked myself out and went back to our apartment and picked up everything important, shoved it in my backpack, got in my car and started driving. I got to the first ATM I could find and withdrew my limit on my credit card so he couldn’t track me though it but I’d still have some money. I turned the location off on my phone then turned off my phone, and drove in whatever direction the highway took me. And after about twelve hours, exhausted and out of painkillers from the hospital, I wound up here.” her hands left his to make a general motion around her.

“I didn't know if I was gonna even stay here, its nothing like home. It’s rural, out of the way, I didn't know anyone here. I mean, what was I gonna do in West Virginia?”  She looked at him again, eyes red and slightly puffy but no tears. “And then you gave me a job and I had a reason to be here, and I liked being here. I felt a little more secure, making money, having a place to heal, and I liked working with you,”

Her talking about him softened his rage a little. He reached out to touch her, tucking her hair behind her ear, resting his hand on her shoulder before speaking to her softly.

“You didn't deserve any of that y’know, that was him and not you. Anything you coulda done wasn't permission for him to do that to you,”

“It’s taken a lot but I’m starting to realize that. I’ve been reading a lot of stuff online at the library. There’s a lot of domestic violence survivor websites and they’ve helped me a lot. And being around you and Mellie and Jimmy. You’ve shown me nothing but kindness, even as a complete stranger, and I really can’t thank you enough,” A few tears started to fall, and she swiped them away quickly.

“You deserve all the kindness in the world. Don’t let anyone tell you different,” he said, thumb brushing against her wet cheek. The alcohol in his system making him bolder. “An’ if I ever see that man he won’t make it out of this county in one piece, i can promise that,”

“I don’t doubt you, but I hope that doesn't happen. I just want my life back, I’ve lost enough of myself,” She caught herself on her last words, squeezing his prosthetic hand. “Im so sorry, I didn't mean it like that. God, that was stupid of me. I’m crying over this and not even thinking about what you’ve been through,”

“Its fine, I know what you mean. What happened with you is a different kind a loss, but its not any less of one. I take it this was the ‘accident’ you were mentionin’ when you lost your tooth?”

“Yeah, it got lost in the mess. And the doctors were more concerned about my cracked ribs and stuff so the window to get the tooth back in got kinda lost,” Clyde inhaled sharply at the though of the kind of force needed to crack someones ribcage. She took notice, elaborating on her injuries.

“It still kinda hurts. I’ve been icing it and breathing deeply and taking ibuprofen, which is what the doctors told me I could do when I was checking out. I just kinda have to wait it out on them,” She lifted her shirt and twisted her body, showing the faint yellow and blue bruises that ran all the way up her side. “It was bright red at first, then bright purple, but its been healing okay, doesn't hurt as much anymore,”

He realized he’d been having her carry boxes and taking down chairs and lifting all sorts of heavy things as the bar and shame washed over him. What if she had gotten hurt again?

“Luckily, nothing is scar tissue, its all bruises that have faded. I must’ve had on a quarter of an inch of foundation on my face when I first walked into Duck Tape. I took pictures of everything as soon as I got my phone, to document it all, you know, and its a lot better than it was,”

“I had you doin’ heavy liftin’ at the bar, you could've asked me to have you just do the light stuff,” he said, still feeling regret.

“Clyde, you go in there every day and manage just fine, I figured I had no excuse to not do the same,”

He watched as she ran her hand over his prosthesis absentmindedly as she spoke, to where plastic meets flesh. She was gentle, but not in a way that she made him out to be fragile. They were featherweight strokes that almost tickled. They were playful. Intimate.

“I was headin’ back from my second tour in Iraq,” He said softly, “We were almost at the airport when a bomb went off near our truck. I woke up a few hours later. Doctor said I was lucky I survived, but then I realized where my left hand was supposed to be there was just a stump, and I didn't feel so lucky,” She continued to touch him, but looked up at him as she did. There was no pity in her eyes, just empathy.

“They had me go through the physical therapy and gave me the prosthetic once I was back stateside, its been almost four years but sometimes it doesn’t feel real, like I’ll wake up and it’ll be there agin. But this is real life, and I’m doing my best to accept that,” he looks down to watch her fingers ghost over him. She stops and moves to bring his hand up to her face, kissing the plastic lightly.

“Thank you for telling me that, I’m sorry you went through that, you're much more than what has happened to you,”

He had heard “I’m sorry” a millions times before. He couldn't blame people for saying that, what are you supposed to say to someone who's had their hand blown off? But “you're much more than what has happened to you”? That struck a place inside him he didn't know existed.

He wasn’t one for hugs, or any physical contact for that matter, but he had swept her into one before he could stop himself. He’d blame it on the beer later on. She wrapped her arms around him in response, burrowing into his chest. He rested his chin on top of her head, breathing in her smell, playing with her hair.

“We’re quite a combo of trauma aren't we?” her voice vibrated in his chest as she spoke.

“I suppose so,” He chuckled. They sat like that for a while. She started to lightly trace circles on his back though his shirt, changing up the patten ever so often. They embraced the silence, the only noise coming from the spring peepers outside.

“Clyde?” she said after a while.

“Hm?”

“I’m glad we met,”

He breathed in her scent again, ghosted a kiss on the top of her head.

“Me too,”

[loveiscosmicsin]

Home Cooking

To @dancingfox on Tumblr, as part of the IgNoct White Day Gift Exchange @ignoctgiftexchange, I offer you a fic (it was a struggle because I was debating with five ideas at once and suffering from writer’s block and then life got really crazy that I didn’t post until way past the dates). I’m not sure what you like since you gave me “Anything, truly :)”, but I can safely assure you that there’s nothing about non-cons or excessive violent themes in this, just lots of fluff and I hope that’s okay! Though this fic can be read on its own, it’s branched off an Fateswap AU where Noctis is the Oracle and Lunafreya is the King of Light and Ignis is her advisor titled “Radiance”. Happy White Day and Happy Gift Exchange, I hope you like this. Sorry for being super late to you and the mod behind the event. I feel massively guilty but I wasn’t going to abandon this. - Title: Home Cooking Rating: G Warnings: None Summary: Courtship is such an antiquated tradition to Noctis, but he’s willing to push the aversion aside and show how he cares with a thoughtful gesture while Ignis is staying in the Crown City. - “Well,” Luna began, crossing her ankles and folding her hands in her lap. Unbridled excitement coursed through her, almost similar to the feeling she relished harvesting raw elemental energy from touch alone, as the King of Light and her trustworthy retainer passed the first landmark. “Our second time in Insomnia swiftly approaches.” “Indeed.” Ignis replied, eyes closed in contentment as he sipped from a can of Ebony, flipping through the magazine, his steady gaze was fixated across the pages. “You must be absolutely delighted that we are to see dear Noctis once more. These last months must have been torturous for you.” “Of course, my lady.”

Luna let the next couple minutes of silence sink in, save for the sounds of the train in motion, before narrowing her eyes and a slight twitch at the corner of her frown took form. “So... pray tell what is so intriguing in this issue’s quarterly that you deign to provide me a proper answer?” “I’m rather absorbed in this soufflé recipe,” Ignis answered without looking up and nothing more. He raised the Ebony again as to solidify the answer he had chosen and end the discussion there. Dissatisfied with the poorly made apology and in one swift motion, Luna pressed her palm firmly on the can and snatched the magazine out of Ignis’ hands. “Why,” Luna’s blue eyes widened before she grinned knowingly as her suspicions were indeed correct. Her advisor had artfully concealed a magazine behind a cooking one. “Ignis, consider yourself caught in the act. You’re reading a fishing magazine!” The woman turned to the can in her hand and shook it. “And not once have you requested a replacement for your beverage. It is empty.” Ignis sighed, color high on his cheeks as he plucked magazine back and set it on the table between them. "I suppose saying merely looking at a recently discovered fish had my mind swimming with recipe ideas wouldn't suffice as an answer?" The advisor tried, Luna sent him a look and he grimaced before admitting,  “Noctis informed me that he enjoys fishing..." Luna smiled. "It's his favorite past time, I'm told. You may find this hard to believe considering my brother’s animosity towards him, but Ravus taught him how.” "It seems very... time-consuming." He tried for a delicate term but the way Luna hid her mouth behind her hand told him he had failed. “He wished to take me fishing at one of his favorite places.” "He will be thrilled to know you've suddenly taken an interest in it." She laughed, earning her a tired stare. "Do not worry, Ignis, for when he sees you, fishing will be the furthest thing on his mind." To see Ignis and Noctis have gained such familiarity and fondness in such little time warmed the heiress’s heart in full. It was unexpected, certainly for her advisor who was quick to assume that the Oracle of Futurity was no more than a voracious beast. Fortunately, his opinion changed overnight when Noctis restored his vision and the two became well acquainted. Luna couldn’t help but feel wholly obligated to cheer and tease Ignis whenever she pleased, much to her advisor’s chagrin. Ignis nodded in appreciation for the reassurance, but the conversation wasn’t over. He gingerly caressed the worn and curling corners of the magazines, conflicted. “Actually, there’s something that I must address with you, Luna. It’s urgent, but we can discuss it later if you prefer.” Luna blinked, her mouth slightly agape. Ignis can be stern and alarmingly taciturn at times, even as a young child, he groomed himself this way so to prove himself worthy of Luna’s retainer despite the disability. He was looking at her now with the same intensity he did then, the scars from the burns could never smother the radiance from the soft sky blue and puffs of white. There was a storm cloud hovering above him. “Do not say that when I have not heard what it could be about first.” Luna regained her composure albeit she stammered when she said this, taking his hand in hers. “Let us discuss this now or I fear we could not enjoy the rest of our journey comfortably.” Ignis was inclined to agree. The lump in his throat bobbed slightly as he avoided looking directly at Luna’s worried expression. “If I could now, I would bend the knee for you, Lady Lunafreya. At your word, my counsel and my blades are yours, always. You will always be my princess and Tenebrae’s True Queen.“ “Ignis,” Luna pulled her hand away, feeling the blades of Ignis’ carefully placed words piercing her heart. “Are you... leaving me?” Her eyes stung, hurt, reminding herself that she was royalty and mustn’t cause a scene in public. If it was her closest friend’s requests, she must grant him leave in a dignified fashion. At that, the advisor’s eyebrows were raised as if offended, no, appalled by the inquiry. That reaction was unwarranted for the princess wanted to berate him for thinking that she would handle this delicately when he knew her much better than that. “No, I believe you’re mistaken by what I’m trying to get across,” Ignis reached out to loosen his collar and cleared his throat, embarrassed but the princess didn’t know by which, the misunderstanding or the topic on the tip of his tongue. “I merely wish... to ask for your permission to initiate a formal courtship with Noctis.” “Oh.” Luna’s cheeks glowed hot not long after the request was spoken. “Oh,” she repeated, pressing her mouth against her palm. “Then why must you waffle on when you could speak plainly? I... I thought you asking for a dismissal.” “My apologies,” Ignis amended, offering the woman a handkerchief. “I underestimated how quick you are in jumping to conclusions, Highness.” Luna sent him an icy glare to which Ignis added, “But I cannot fathom how you would be without your Hand.” Luna dabbed at her eyes. She cannot imagine herself without Ignis either and can undoubtedly forgive him here. “Now, does Noctis know of this? Is that why you’ve come to me?” “I have not consulted him on this, no.” The advisor paused, knowing that he had to explain himself. “It is customary for subjects to the Crown to ask his liege before pursuing a romantic partner.” “From an antiquated tradition that has not been in practice for years? On Eos?” Despite being two years his senior, it still came as a shock to Luna that Ignis was terribly old-fashioned and a secret romantic, Noctis was fortunate indeed. In all the time they had together and cherished, Luna never thought she would see the day when Ignis would consider dating. Her advisor was quite popular among the young ladies at balls and such though he didn’t seem to notice or care of their affections. Luna decided that she will continue to support the two in any way she can. - Noctis took a step back, wiping at his brow as he did so to admire his work. He consulted the cookbook propped on a stand before glancing at the final results. “Not bad after a couple tries,” Noctis commended himself, putting his hands at his hips. “Chef Noct’s got a nice ring to it. If I wanna have a career change.” He may have gone overboard with the quantity of the ingredients and he’s surrounded by an abundance of tofu cartons and potatoes than he ever had in his life, but a pat on the back was in order. The Oracle of Futurity and Crown Prince of Lucis may have been renowned for performing miracles before the age of twenty and now, he can cross off making his boyfriend lunch on the list. Though debatable of how high of an accomplishment this was, it was major. He wouldn’t cook for just anyone. He wouldn’t have asked Gentiana to gather texts of cookbooks or dragged Prompto along to the grocery store for the ingredients for just anyone. Baked tofu skewers and potato salad on a bed of sprouts, a common comfort dish in Tenebrae though the sprouts there served for bedding and to secure the food together in the plastic lunch box. A-not-so novel pairing, but the Prince Oracle thought a meal would ease whatever homesickness the Tenebraean Crown Advisor may experience and it was simple to make. He had let the thoughts ruminate constantly through extravagant recipes far beyond his skill level and wanted to present a meal in good faith while not wanting to show that he didn’t spend more time than necessary to prepare. And from what he glossed over, he found that he was really good at slicing and dicing. The Oracle turned his attention rectangular tin box emblazoned with Lucis’ allied province’s emblem featured by the male King of Light and female Oracle from the Cosmology watercolor illustrations he read as a child. The current bearer of the title and childhood friend, the King of Light, gave it to him. ‘Not yet,” Luna chided with a airy giggle when she stopped Noctis from opening it. ‘When you see Ignis, share these with him.’ Though it was a gentle smile, there was an underlying threat that if she did find out that Noctis didn’t abide with the instruction, he wouldn’t keep his hand. His phone alarm erupted with the iconic King’s Knight victory fanfare. Time to see Ignis. “Unescorted?” Ignis inquired, raising an eyebrow in amusement when Noctis waiting in the reception room alone. “My apologies. Were we to meet today?” One of the guidelines of courtship dictated that the two people involved must always be escorted by designated officers on dates. At times, even Luna joined them and others, Prompto and Gladiolus or Gentiana. For all his life, Noctis had the world’s eyes on him and for once, he would just like just Ignis’ when it was just the two of them. Noctis didn’t have knowledge of Ignis’ intentions to court him until the advisor was granted a private audience with King Regis. Apparently, everyone knew but Noctis. And something in him sang for his own validation, emboldening him. ‘Ask me,’ the Oracle challenged breathlessly when he pulled the advisor to the side, away from prying eyes. Despite wanting the whole world to recognize their relationship, something must be made clear now. ‘Not Luna. Not Dad. Me.’ Ignis won’t be dating the Crown or the Prince Oracle, not even the playboy persona he built up in their first meeting, but Noctis, as he is, no gimmicks. Noctis only wanted Ignis. To his defense, at the time, Noctis thought he and Ignis were dating already, sharing an interest in each other’s hobbies, exchanging letters when they were apart, all but without putting a label on it. He wanted to make it official then and still do. Ignis did ask and Noctis accepted without a moment’s hesitation. “Nope, but you got me anyway. No objections allowed.” Noctis braced himself for Ignis to protest, had a counter in mind that he can’t send him back because an attendant wasn’t in their company. Thankfully, there was none. “Your spontaneity never ceases to amaze me. I find that very refreshing about you.” Surprising him was a good call after all. “But I got something for you,” Noctis announced, holding out the stacked lunch boxes wrapped in a plaid cloth. “Hope you brought your appetite.” The two retired to the courtyard with the lovely view of the garden and greenhouse across from them. “Baked tofu and potato salad,” Ignis studied the dish, approving the vibrant colors. “You made this for me?” “With a dash of sagefire,” Noctis took an imaginary pitch of spice and with a flick of his wrist whisked it into an imaginary dish. “Bam.” As he said it, he felt a case of embarrassment overwhelm him. “How thoughtful,” Ignis reached over to give Noctis’ hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll savor every bite.” Ignis eagerly bit into one of the skewers and thoughtfully chewed. Enthusiasm and curiosity then turned to a furrowed brow and a slight grimace. It was gone as instantly as it appeared, but Noctis was attentive enough to not let it pass. “Does it taste bad?” Ignis shook his head, taking another bite. “It’s delicious. The... condiment has a distinctive taste.” Noctis frowned. It was just barbecue sauce. Couldn’t he tell? He snatched a free skewer and dug in before spitting the tofu block right back out. Salt. He mistook for what he thought was sugar for salt and Ignis was still eating it. “Uh, Ignis, you really don’t...” “I’m a man of my word, Noct.” After some time of verbal gymnastics and Noctis trying to retrieve the lunch box only to be thwarted at every turn, Ignis closed the box and sighed happily, “That was delicious.” Noctis completely doubted that, but the potato salad was the only thing that wasn’t ruined. He handed a can of Ebony to him. “Yeah, sure.” “I meant what I said,” Ignis sipped the can. “Because you made it for me. I look forward to the next lunch you’ll bring me.” Well, at least that wasn’t a complete failure. “Hey, Luna gave me this,” Noctis presented the decorated tin box. “Wouldn’t let me open it until I see you. Pretty serious about it, too. Dunno what that’s about.” “Oh?” Ignis tilted his head, quizzically. “Lunafreya’s hardly grave about—“ Cookies, shaped like the rare minted Oracle Ascension Coins commemorating every anointed savior in office, greeted the two men. Instead of edible replicas of the currency, they were edible versions of Noctis and Ignis’ faces with... a distinguished choice of design. No doubt that Luna was going for cute and it took her a great amount of time to design. “Ah, this is certainly her doing. No question about it.” Ignis sighed, picking up a cookie with his face on it. “She knows that I don’t fancy sweets.” He said, putting it close to his parted lips. “Wait!” Ignis looked at him. “Isn’t it...” Noctis averted his gaze. “Isn’t it weird that you going to eat your face?” Ignis smirked. “Would you prefer that I eat yours?” “I...” How was the Oracle supposed to answer that seeing the mischievous gleam in the advisor’s eyes? - Lunch passed by quickly, and Ignis offered to take Noctis back to the Citadel to which the latter accepted wholeheartedly. “May I, Your Highness?” Ignis held out his hand, and Noctis knew what it meant. “You may...” Ignis lowered his head, intending to brush the knuckles with a chaste kiss, the only permitted contact in formal courtship, but Noctis dove in first and met his lips with his own, sealing a first kiss. If there were any doubts that this Prince Oracle wasn’t proactive, those doubts should be dispelled at this point. The advisor was beside himself, his cheeks tinted red and stuttering as he adjusted his glasses. “N-Noct...” “So...” Noctis was grinning until his cheeks hurt, so over the moon that his tongue boldly ran wild with revelation and a growing desire to kiss Ignis again. “Was that your first or...?” “It certainly was not!” It was.

[agentverbivore]

Jewish FS prompt: Academy era, Jewish Fitz teaches atheist Jemma about Hanukkah

1) I know I’ve said this to you a couple times now, but I’m still really sorry how delayed this is. irl is lame. 2) this ficlet is inspired both by @buckysbears’ Chanukah headcanons/prompts and the second part of @theclaravoyant‘s prompt! Rated G, canon-compliant Academy era FitzSimmons (in their 3rd year). 

Head in hands, Fitz stared at his third year holographic engineering textbook and tried to convince the letters to stop swimming on the page in front of him. The final exam was in exactly seventy-six hours, but after introductory xenorganic chemistry, propulsion engineering, and his “SHIELD in Literature” elective, he was starting to feel like a wrung-out sponge. It didn’t help that the exam was scheduled for the absolute last slot in the week, which meant that half the campus was in a festive mood and he was absolutely itching to be able to join them. (From an acceptable distance, anyway.) With all the best of intentions, he had sequestered himself in one of his favorite private study rooms right after dinner. Four hours later, however, and he felt like he actually remembered the salient parts of the class less than he had before. Only having nine-tenths of the textbook memorized was really not up to par.

Just as he was giving serious consideration to dropping his face directly onto the book and taking a nice multi-hour nap, the door banged open and he nearly fell out of his chair.

“Fitz!” Simmons chirped as she plopped into the seat in front of him. “I have a question for you.”

“Bragg diffraction won the Nobel in 1915, seven years after Lippmann,” he managed to get out through a jaw-cracking yawn.

“As refined as your powers of telepathy are becoming,” she deadpanned, neatly dodging the slow kick he aimed at her red Cons beneath the table, “that’s not what I had in mind.”

“I was right, though, yeah?”

Her smile widened ever-so-slightly. “Yeah. And what crystals did they use to conduct the experiment?”

“Rock salt,” he replied promptly, sitting back in his chair. “And you’re late.”

“I ran into Professor Niehaus outside of Carter and had the most fascinating discussion about the reading for next semester. She thought you had some good points about the fall assignments, so she’s thinking about adjusting her syllabus.”

Fitz blinked at her. “I had some good points?”

“Yes. I told her what you said over spagbol at Mario’s a couple weeks ago.” The self-assuredness on her face made him want to give his head a cartoon-dog-esque shake.

“Okay, right, sure, ‘cause why wouldn’t you.” Taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a laugh, he waved one hand at her. “Alright, so, what question’d you wanna ask?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, reaching into the purple knapsack she had placed neatly on the empty seat next to her. “I wanted to know the precise purpose of dreidel.” Simmons primly placed a lime green, plastic dreidel on the table almost perfectly between the two of them.

He squinted across the table at his best friend. “Dreidel?”

“Dreidel,” she repeated, straightening the top so that it lay parallel to the table’s edge. “The game, not the object.”

A thought occurred to him, and he arched an eyebrow. “Did you steal this from my room?”

The Academy’s Jewish Student Union chapter had held their annual Chanukah celebration the weekend before, aiming to catch students right before most exams began, and this year the party favors had included cheap plastic dreidels. Although Fitz had pretty much only shown up to grab latkes and rugelach and leave, he had swiped a couple of the trinkets to keep on his desk for fiddling with while he studied.

Simmons fought back something that resembled a sheepish smile. “Borrowed, with every intention of returning.”

Scratching at the back of his head, he tried unsuccessfully to figure out what had prompted the question, and why she had asked it now. “Why? It’s not Chanukah yet, doesn’t even start ‘til Christmas day this year.”

“I’m curious.” She continued to stare expectantly at him, and he let out a mildly annoyed huff.

Ever since having discovered that he was Jewish their first year, self-avowed atheist Simmons had taken it upon herself to pepper him with all manner of questions about his religion, only half of which he could answer on the best of days. Being mostly secular in observance himself, he found himself surreptitiously looking things up on the computer just as often as he had a response off the top of his head. One time, she spent forty-five minutes grilling him on the minutest details of his bar mitzvah, and he had ended up needing to email his mum questions when he couldn’t remember everything.

During the pause in which he was deciding how to reply, Simmons waited briefly and then continued: “And you’re the only Jewish person I know.”

Feeling abruptly tired and cranky, Fitz crossed his arms over his chest. “I dunno the purpose of dreidel, Simmons, it’s a kids’ game. Why don’t you just look it up instead of asking me?”

Anyone who didn’t know his best friend as well as he would have missed the wince that flashed briefly across her face at his words. Her shoulders sunk slightly, and she withdrew her hands to her lap. “Oh. I….”

“I mean,” he continued, feeling an odd need to defend his impulsive response, “you do this all the time with Jewish stuff. You’re an atheist, why d’you even care?”

Looking down at her lap, she took in a small breath. “I don’t know,” she said quietly. “I mean, you care about it. I thought that… that was what friends do. Be interested in things their friends are interested in. Or, I mean, that’s important to them.” Simmons tucked hair behind her ear and reached over to rifle through her bag. “Never mind. Sorry, we really should be studying.”

Discontent twisted into his stomach, and he scrunched his face up as he resisted the urge to just pretend like nothing had happened. “No, I’m – sorry, Simmons, sorry. I’m just knackered, you took me by surprise.”

“No, really,” she interrupted, piling textbooks on the table in front of herself. “I don’t want to bother you about your religion, it’s not –”

“It’s not bothering me,” he spoke over her, prompting her to actually look up and meet his gaze. “I just – I mean, I don’t like not knowing the answer.” He let out a sheepish laugh, flicking one finger at the pages of his book. “Dreidel isn’t significant or anything. It’s just a game. Think my mum said something once about how it’s adapted from some other European tradition, kinda like how Christians took bits and pieces from the Romans to make Christmas popular. But I don’t even remember what that was, so….” Fitz shrugged. “I just like the gelt and winning.”

Simmons was watching him with renewed interest now, an expression he recognized all too well from their first day of class every semester. “What’s gelt?”

“Those gold chocolate coins. Some parties use candy, too, but I like the chocolate.”

“Is it easy to win?”

Fitz chuckled, and reached out to pluck the green dreidel from the table. “Takes a lotta practice.” With that, he gave the dreidel a rapid flick onto the table, watching as it predictably flipped and spun into a standing position, making minute circles around the table.

Eyes glued to the long-spinning top, Simmons made a skeptical hum. “That doesn’t seem difficult.”

“Wanna try it, then?” He glanced down at the gold watch on his wrist. “What about we study for another hour, and then take a break to play dreidel. I can teach you. Winner brings the other tea before the exam.”

His best friend lit up at the promise of a competition, and she sat straighter in her chair. “Okay. Oh, but – we don’t have any gelt.”

Frowning, Fitz swiped up the dreidel just before it could stutter and jump to a stop. “We could use….” He spent a few seconds rifling through his bag. “I have peanut, crispy, and regular M&Ms. What d’you prefer?”

“Peanut,” she replied, watching as he laid out the three unopened bags of candy next to his work supplies. “How much candy do you have in there?”

“Gotta keep the blood sugar up, Simmons,” he retorted, pulling the nearly forgotten textbook towards himself. “Important for keeping the brain working at optimal capacity.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I think just one bag would have sufficed, but – anyway. Good idea, Fitz. Incentivization is an excellent study methodology.”

Grinning, he ducked his head, both of them settling in to be productive for exactly the following 59 minutes and 35 seconds. Fitz felt rather guilty now for having snapped at Simmons so unnecessarily, but he thought that her eager return to curiosity signaled that she wasn’t upset by his unwarranted response. Even though it didn’t make much sense, he had always been a little guarded about her questions regarding Jewish traditions, feeling that perhaps her atheism would lead to an argument between them. (An argument of a more serious nature, anyway, than the bickering that made up half of their conversations.) Yet, after about two years of friendship, the topic had only yielded them opening up about their families and traditions, and he supposed that was actually a good thing, in retrospect. In truth, Fitz found the explanation Simmons had given for her curiosity rather touching – even if he would never, ever admit it.

[Other ficlets.] [Chanukah ficlet 1 & ficlet 2.] [AO3.] 

[sparxwrites]

(so, the best time to write 3.5k of fic for a new fandom is when you’ve just dislocated your shoulder, right? anyways, have some pre-ittd-ep fic about teens being teens, and thinking about the future. i’m a monster, so it’s as angsty-with-hindsight as i could possibly make it. enjoy!)

cw mentioned homophobia / homophobic slurs, (‘jokey’) suicide mention, drug use, underage drinking

[ao3]

“What do you wanna be when you grow up?” Raina asked, curiously, drifting starfish-like on her back over the dark, glassy surface of her parents’ pool. “Like, when you leave high school, I mean. we’ve only got a year left, so…”

It was October, the schools long since back after the lazy summer holidays – but with the weather hovering in the high seventies, it was still plenty warm for a pool party. Or, rather, a mildly-illicit pool gathering, since Raina’s parents had expressly forbidden any parties when they’d left for a long weekend in the city. Not particularly averse to breaking rules when it suited her – an inevitable consequence of being friends with Kayden and Sat for any length of time – Raina had decided to stick to the letter of the law, rather than the spirit. Five people were hardly a party, she reasoned, and what her parents didn’t know couldn’t hurt them.

Which was how she’d ended up with five people in her pool, and enough booze for ten stacked over various pieces of garden furniture, having a definitely-not-party in the dying light of an early-autumn evening.

“What does who want to be?” asked Sat, from her place on the side of the pool, pressed thigh to thigh with Kayden and sharing a joint with him. He was shirtless, with knee-length cargo shorts rolled up to mid-thigh – whether through laziness, or because he genuinely didn’t own swimwear, was anyone’s guess – and she was in a high-cut black bikini, a scrap of a thing that left little to the imagination.

None of the others had been able to stop staring at her since she undressed.

Raina came to a stop at the edge of the pool by Sat’s legs, clinging to the side like a bedraggled limpet and looking up at her friend. “I don’t know,” she said. “Anyone! Any of you. Hmm… Kayden! What do you wanna be?”

Kayden made a thoughtful noise around the joint pressed to his lips, pulling it away to blow a thin stream of smoke up towards the sky. “I dunno,” he said, words already a little weed-slow, wrinkling his nose. “Dead?”

He laughed – and then stopped, abruptly, when Sat elbowed him hard enough in the side to nearly make him drop the smouldering joint into the pool below. “Not funny, Kayden,” she snapped, though Raina was giggling a little beside her. “Not fucking funny.”

“Fine, fine.” He rolled his eyes, passed the joint over at her beckoning, and rubbing at his ribs as though more pressure would somehow stop it bruising. “High-school dropout, I guess. What?” he asked, when Sat scowled at him through the cloud of smoke between. “Look, I come from a long and prestigious line of alcoholic, trailer-trash addicts who couldn’t even get their fucking GED. It’d be a shame to break tradition.”

“What about marijuana farmer?” called Tanner from half-way across the pool, where he was swimming steady but determined laps. There was, surprisingly, only the slightest hint of mockery to his words.

Kayden grinned, and laughed along with the others, nodding in agreement and ignoring Tanner’s faintly smug smile “Now that’s a career I could get behind,” he agreed, and then sighed at Sat’s crossed-arms scowl beside him.

“Fine, Miss High-and-Mighty,” he said, plucking the joint from her fingers again, and pushing her easily into the pool with a hand between the shoulders. “What to you wanna do, then?”

Sat squealed as she hit the water, flailing desperately in an attempt to avoid going under, and failing dismally. When she resurfaced, it was to squirt a mouthful of water at Kayden, makeup streaming darkly down her cheeks, and with Tanner trying to haul her up out of the water as though he was afraid of her drowning. “Asshole,” she informed him, scrubbing at the running mascara and batting away Tanner’s ‘helpful’ hands.

“Guilty as charged,” agreed Kayden, smirking, lips curling to blow smoke up towards his now sopping wet and pancake-flat mohawk. “Question stands, though. What do you wanna be?”

“Porn star,” she snapped back at him without missing a beat, hauling herself out of the pool to find a towel and clean off her face. She missed the way both Darby and Tanner turn pink and flushed in the low, late-evening light, but Kayden’s gleeful cackle was unmistakeable.

Raina sighed, kicking off from the edge of the pool and setting herself drifting on her back, eyes to the moon. “Oh, come on,” she said, a little sulkily. “It was a genuine question! I wanted real answers, guys.”

Clearing her throat slightly, Darby tore her eyes away from Satine’s hourglass figure in the low light, and nodded. “Yeah, real answers,” she agreed, trailing her tongue across her lower lip in an almost unconscious motion. “We never talk about… college, or work, but Raina’s right. We’re going to be graduating in a year, we need to think about this seriously. About how it’s going to affect all of us.”

Kayden waggled his eyebrows at her, smirking, and she studiously ignored him.

“Fine, fine,” said Sat, returning to the pool edge and settling a safe distance away from Kayden – though not before judiciously poking him in the side with her toes, hard enough to make him jump. “Um. Actress, I guess? Like, a movie star or something.” She looked almost self-conscious, her eyes softer and more open without their usual thick, dark lining. “I dunno. I can’t see myself going to college, and like hell am I gonna work some shitty minimum wage job for the rest of my life, so…”

“Oh, that’s so cool, Sat?” Raina gushed enthusiastically, grinning as she flipped herself upright to tread water. “I can totally see you as an actress, you’re so- so glamorous, and you’re gorgeous, and confident, and-”

“Yeah,” Tanner said, as he stopped his lengths to tread water next to Raina. “You’ll be a great actress, Sat.”

Though it was hard to make out in the low light and with her slightly darker skin, they all saw the way Sat blushed. “Really?” she asked, oddly vulnerable for a moment before her usual wickedly confident smile slid into place. “That’s really sweet of you, Raina, Tanner. …I mean, of course, I’m incredible, but it’s nice to know you guys think so too.”

“Of course you’re incredible,” agreed Tanner, softly, an odd sort of smile on his face as he stared at Sat – and did his best to ignore the barf motions Kayden was making mere feet from her, entirely unsubtly.

Raina ignored all three of them, though whether deliberately or through cheerful obliviousness was anyone’s guess. “So, Darby!” she said, turning in the water to face where Darby was sat on the pool steps – water halfway up her chest in a poor attempt to hide the rather old-fashioned and unflattering swimming costume she was wearing, and a rapidly-emptying wine bottle in her hand. “Last but not least. What do you wanna do?”

“Hey!” objected Tanner, waving a hand in front of Raina’s face unexpectedly enough to make her shriek in surprise and recoil. Darby, across the pool, snorted in amusement. “Hello? What do you mean last but not least? What about me?”

“Everyone knows what you want to be, Tanner,” drawled Kayden, splashing at the water with his feet and tossing the burnt-out roach of the joint behind him. “Let the lady take her turn.”

“Oh yeah?” Tanner snapped back, taking the bait with his usual ease and speed. “What do I wanna be, then?”

The other four look at one another, and then back at Tanner. “Professional photographer,” they all said, in unison – and Sat took advantage of the brief moment of unity to shove Kayden into the pool.

“Ha, ha, ha,” droned Tanner, over Kayden’s howls of indignation, though he did take the opportunity to splash water at the flailing form of his friend. “Very funny. No, I don’t want to be a professional photographer. I want to be an accountant.”

“You assholes,” hissed Kayden, clinging to the edge of the pool and glaring at them all through narrowed eyes, looking for all the world like a pissy cat who’d just taken an unexpected bath. “You know I can’t swim, fuck all of you.”

He was summarily ignored by absolutely everyone on the basis that – swimming skills or no – he didn’t appear to be drowning. Or, at least, didn’t appear to be imminently drowning. A little bit of water and humiliation in front of friends never hurt anyone, after all, though Kayden was doing a good job of sounding like he’d been mortally wounded.

Raina frowned at her friend next to her, though, lower lip sticking out. “Aww, Tanner,” she said, a little sadly, putting her feet down and standing on tiptoes on the pool bottom to rest a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You don’t want to be an accountant, your dad wants you to be an accountant. That’s not the same thing.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Tanner, biting sarcasm laced through his voice as he swept his overlong hair back from where it was plastered to his forehead. “I’m pretty keen on not being disowned and disinherited, so. Y’know.” He shrugged. “Besides, you guys know what my family thinks about photography. Pretty sure most other people feel the same way. I’m not gonna find much business if I’m that one weird kid with the camera, am I?”

“Yeah, well, your dad’s a fucking prick,” growled Kayden, hauling himself dripping out of the pool and slumping on the tiled edge, breathing heavily and glowering in the general direction of Sat. She stuck her tongue out at him in return, grinning. “So he can go fuck himself, frankly.”

Raina gasped. “Kayden!” she said, eyes wide and bright with shock. “You can’t just-”

“Oh, I absolutely can ‘just’.” He pushed himself up into sitting position, crossing his legs underneath him rather than sticking them back in the water. “The guy called me a fucking faggot last time I saw him. Right to my fucking face. He deserves that, and worse, the shit-mouthed bastard.”

Tanner, though he hadn’t responded to the insults, frowned. “Well, I mean. It’s not like he’s wrong? You are…” he started, quietly, trailing off only when Darby kicked water at him from across the pool and made frantic don’t gestures with a hand across her throat.

“Oh, fuck you, asshole,” snarled Kayden, flipping him the bird with one hand and combing fingers shaking faintly with anger through his ‘hawk with the other. The heavily hair-sprayed hair had gotten tangled with the water, sticking out in all directions against his scalp. “Jesus shit, you’re gonna try and defend that crap? Five fucking years we’ve been friends, and you still have no fucking- god. Fucking hell.”

“It’s… that’s not the point, Tanner,” said Raina to him, quietly, as Kayden’s cursing slowly tapered off into unintelligible mumbling. “That’s a shitty word, and your dad knows it. I’m not saying Kayden should have called him- all that stuff, but…”

“Oh,” said Tanner, quietly. “Yeah. Right. Uh… I didn’t mean it like that, Kayden. Just that you… uh. Forget it. Sorry.” He got only a grunt, and Kayden’s middle finger again, in response.

An awkward silence settled over the five of them, broken only by the soft splashes as Tanner went back to his laps – his strokes a little more aggressive than before – and the paper-crinkle of Kayden rolling another joint.

“…I want to be a teacher,” said Darby, finally, when the quiet started to feel like a physical itch and it became clear no one else was going to speak first. “When I leave high school, I mean. Or, when I leave college, I guess, since you’d need to study for that sort of thing.” She smiled at Raina as the other girl doggy-paddled over to her, shifting sideways where she was sat half-immersed on the pool steps to make room for her friend. “I’m not sure, really, but I guess college is plenty of time to decide, right?”

Raina settled next to her, leaning her head on Darby’s shoulder. “But you hate kids, though!” she said. “Or, well, not hate, I guess, but you always talk about how annoying the elementary and middle-school kids are…”

“Oh, god no, I don’t want to teach kids.” Darby shuddered, and took another sip from the wine bottle, staining her tongue and lips an even deeper purple-red. “No, I mean I want to teach college students. Be a lecturer, I guess? I’m not sure what I’d want to lecture in, but maybe geography, or geology…”

She trailed off, tracing patterns in the water with her free hand and tapping fingers against the wine bottle in the other.

“I can totally see you doing that,” said Raina, thoughtfully, shifting to rest her chin on Darby’s shoulder and peer at her friend’s profile in the late evening darkness. “You could do pretty much anything you set your mind to, though. You’re so stubborn when it comes to stuff like that. You’ll do great, teacher or not.”

Darby merely shrugged, and smiled a little shyly – but as close to Darby’s cheeks as she was, Raina could see the pleased blush that coloured them at the compliment.

Slipping back into the pool, Sat swan away from the awkward tension still bubbling between the boys to join the other girls on the steps, and to steal the wine from Darby. The effort was slightly ruined by the fact that Tanner immediately swam after her to settle on the steps too, but she ignored him in favour of taking a large gulp of wine.

“And what do you want to do, Raina?” she asked, once she’d swallowed the cheap alcohol, pulling a face at the vinegar-sharp taste of it. “C’mon, we’ve all aired our dreams for your amusement. Spill.”

Raina actually blushed, plucking the wine bottle from Sat’s unresisting hand and taking a long gulp. “I, uh… I’ve actually already applied to some art schools,” she said, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand and playing nervously with her hair. “My mom and dad encouraged me to, over the summer, and I thought- well, the worst that can happen is they turn me down, right?”

“Fuck off,” called Kayden from across the pool, in a friendly sort of way. He sounded almost impressed. “Really?”

“Yeah!” said Raina, enthusiastically. “All you gotta do is write a letter, and have a portfolio to send them – I photocopied a bunch of my artwork at the library – and pay the application fee…” She shrugged, looking down at her lap, apparently embarrassed. “I mean, it wasn’t like, super hard or anything? I already had the art, and…”

Sat hummed thoughtfully. “Well, look at you, little Miss Organised!” she teased gently. “You’re gonna have a college offer before any of us even have a plan.” She smiled, and nudged Raina with her shoulder companionably, before squinting through the growing darkness at where Kayden was still sat on the other side of the pool. “Hey! Kayden! Get over here and help me give Raina shit for how smart and organised she is!”

Across the pool, Kayden blew a cloud of smoke in their general direction and stuck his tongue out. “What part of can’t fucking swim are you guys not getting?” he called back. “Jesus. I don’t even know why I agreed to come to this thing, I fucking hate pools. No way you’re getting me in one.”

“You’ve already been in, asshole,” said Tanner. He sounded exasperated, but he was smiling, a soft, crooked quirk-up of one corner of his lips. “You’re already damp. May as well come and at least sit with us, huh?”

“Only if I can sit on your lap, sweetheart,” Kayden taunted – but he was already padding his way round the edge of the pool to squeeze into the space left between Tanner and Sat, handing off the half-smoked joint to whomever’s fingers were grabbing at it. He leaned back against Sat, the line of his spine pressed into her upper arm, and swung his legs up over Tanner’s lap to prod at Raina’s thighs with his toes.

Tanner sighed, rolling his eyes, but didn’t object, especially when Sat shifted her arm from behind Kayden to drape over his shoulder. “Asshole,” he repeated, but there was no bite to it. Not even when Kayden smirked, and blew a weed-laced kiss directly into his face.

For a long moment, a companionable sort of silence passed over the group, as they sat in the shallows of the slowly-cooling pool and watched the stars come out, one by one. The joint was passed around until it burnt down to a stub, and the quiet was interrupted only by Darby disentangling herself from Raina to go and get another bottle of alcohol, given Raina had finished off the previous one.

“We’re… we’re gonna stay friends, though, right, guys?” asked Raina, eventually, as Darby settled back in at her side with a bottle of Jack Daniels, no doubt stolen from some unfortunate off-license by Kayden’s wandering fingers. “After this year. I mean… if we all go off and do different things, we’ll still stay in touch?”

“Of course,” said Darby, immediately, fierce and more than a little wine-drunk. She grabbed at Raina, as though concerned the other girl was planning on leaving there and then, and dragged her close in a wonky, one-armed hug.

Nodding, Tanner, looked at all of them, a soft sort of smile at the corners of his eyes. “We’ll stay friends,” he said, quietly. “You guys are real important to me, you know that? I’m not gonna let us just drift apart, not if I’ve got a say in it.”

“Aww! Tanner’s gone all sappy,” teased Sat, leaning over to pinch his cheek hard enough to turn it pink. “But yeah, what he said.” She raised an eyebrow at Kayden, where he was slumped against her. “What about you, Kayden?”

Kayden shrugged, making a seesawing motion with one hand, and then grinned as he grabbed for the bottle of whiskey. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you. You lot are the only assholes I’ve found so far that’ll put up with me.” He took a long drink, and handed it back towards Darby’s grasping fingers, stealing the joint back from Raina to replace it. “I’d be dumb to let you just run off. You’re stuck with me for life, now.”

“Oh, joy of joys,” intoned Tanner, but he was grinning too as he flicked at Kayden’s toes where they were settled on his lap.

Raina grinned, bright and radiant, and hugged Darby right back, even as she beamed at the rest of them. “Well, I’ll drink to that!” she said, stealing the bottle of Jack from Darby just as she had with the wine. “Uh… not, like, to that bit about being stuck with Kayden for life. No offence Kayden. But- to friendship! To sticking together.”

“To friendship,” the others echoed after her, as the Jack was passed around like communion wine.

The liquor burned as it went down, settling warm in their stomachs – and though, theoretically, only a single sip was needed to toast the toast, seal the deal, they were high schoolers. One sip turned to two, to three, until the bottle was empty and they were onto the next. As the night spread dark and star-specked high above them, they huddled together in the shallows of the pool steps, drunk and laughing and confident in the knowledge that nothing – nothing – would ever tear their little group apart.

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Warm Me Up 35

I wrote all of this today guys. All of this came to me TODAY. I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING WRITER’S BLOCK SO HORRIBLY THAT I COULDN’T WRITE UNTIL TO-FUCKING-DAY. 

So.... you know, feedback, fanart, moodboards, and reblogs are very very appreciated. 

Click Here for Ch. 1

Click Here for Ch. 34

index

The best way to start off a birthday was definitely with a midnight breakfast. Dr. Solace and Miss Naomi were both too tired, and suggested they go alone. They would celebrate with Will throughout the day after a good rest. Kayla, of course, begged to tag along, and although her parents tried to pry her away, Nico and Will both said it was fine if she went.

There was a Denny’s nearby, and it was late enough on a weekday that it wasn’t very full. Nico wondered how Kayla was awake this late, and how she still managed to wake up at ungodly hours. She jumped excitedly at the sight of a crane machine offering stuffed animals, but Will prodded her along, promising he’d get some change later to let her play.

It felt nice to be out with just Will and Kayla. It felt like he could finally breathe and relax. The Solaces weren’t rude to him. Miss Naomi was so kind, it made Nico feel strange and wistful. Dr. Solace was pleasant, but obviously still felt guilty over the argument he had caused and the things he’d said. Still, it felt like they constantly observed him. They were careful and analytical, watching him and his interactions, like they were trying to figure him out. It made Nico nervous and tense, but he didn’t say anything.

Now, with just Kayla and Will with him, he felt more relaxed than he’d felt all week. Part of him was anxious to go home that weekend, but he also knew Will would be leaving for a final group of orientation.

Kayla sat beside him and began pointing out all the things she liked to eat, which was most of the adult menu. While he helped her color in her child’s menu, he glanced up and saw Will looking at him with a strange, misty-eyed expression. “What?” he asked.

Will shrugged and smiled. “Nothing.” Nico frowned and raised an eyebrow, but Will just kept smiling fondly.

After a while, once they’d ordered and had their drinks, Will’s hands encased Nico’s. Kayla was distracted by the whipped cream on her hot chocolate. “I remember,” he began softly, “we went to a park once, and you said you didn’t think you could be good with kids.”

“Is that why you keep staring at me?” Will bit his lip and smiled, causing Nico’s heart to melt. He leaned over and pulled him into a quick kiss which cause a scarlet blush to dust across his cheeks. “You’re a dork,” he muttered lovingly. “I’ll be right back.” He stood and walked over to the bathroom.

When he was washing his hands, the door opened and a guy with curly brown hair walked in with a small girl in tow. “Come on, I can’t take you to the girls’ one and I’m not leaving you alone,” he said exasperatedly as she tugged away from him. “Please don’t make this so diffi- Oh. Hi. Sorry.”

“No worries,” Nico said with a smile. “She yours?”

“No, she’s my sister,” he said. “But I’ve basically raised her, so….” Nico nodded in understanding. Will had done the same with Kayla. “Come on, I’m not going to have you making a scene here. You promised you’d be good if I brought you.”

“I’m not a boy!” she shouted. “I don’t wanna go here, I can go to the girl one by myself!”

“You’re still too small to go alone,” he protested.

“I’m seven!” Nico’s eyebrow went up. She was small for a seven-year-old. She looked like she was five. As her brother began to protest, she began to jump up and down, begging to go to the other bathroom alone, and tugging away from her brother.

Nico cringed awkwardly, but unable to leave because they were blocking the entrance. “Please, do not do this here,” her brother hissed. “If you stopped freaking out for two seconds, we could’ve already been back at the- whoa, hey, hey, hey.” He knelt down beside her and fumbled in her little sequined purse.

She was struggling to breathe. Her shoulders shook and her protests had stopped as she breathed heavily, the sound irregular. Her brother took out an inhaler and managed to calm her down. Finally, Nico decided to take a chance. He cleared his throat and nervously suggested, “If it would make her feel better, I can guard the door until she’s done. Then you can pretend it’s a girl’s bathroom.”

The little girl looked a little tired, so Nico wasn’t sure if that was what actually made her agree to the suggestion. He walked out and stood by the door until the two siblings walked back out. “Um, thank you,” the guy said.

“No problem,” he answered. “I work at a kid store, so I know kids can be a little hard to handle.” The guy grimaced and nodded, chuckling awkwardly. “Enjoy your food,” Nico said, walking away to his table.

When he sat down, the food was already there, and Will raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

“Some guy was struggling with his little sister. Long story.” Will nodded and they began to eat. Kayla’s pancakes were topped with several berries, while Will had gone with the traditional ones. Nico had just dived into a stack of cinnamon and caramel glazed pancakes when they heard a squeal.

“Dr. Solace!” The little girl from the bathroom came bounding up to them. “Remember me? I’m your sunflower!” Beside him, Nico noticed Kayla twitch. She glared at the little girl and returned to her stack of pancakes, stuffing her mouth angrily.

Before Nico could ask, Will managed to stammer, “Flor? Wh-What are you doing here?”

“I’m on vacation with Joey! He’s over there.” Nico glanced over to where a very exasperated Joey had been trying to recall his little sister. The curly haired boy from the bathroom.

Defeated, he walked over to them and sighed. “Sorry about Flor. She recognized you and got excited,” he said, avoiding looking at anyone.

Nico frowned and glanced at Will who was a cherry shade of red.

“Who’s he? I saw him in the bathroom,” Flor asked, looking at Nico.

Before Nico could answer, Will said, “That’s my friend. And that’s my little sister.”

“Oh, Kayla, right?” Joey said, finally looking up. Will seemed to sink into his chair a little. “Um. Hi, I’m Joey,” he said, introducing himself to Nico. “Will watched after my sister when she ended up in the hospital from an asthma attack once,” he explained.

Nico nodded and glanced over Will with an expressionless look. “I’m Nico. His friend.” Will looked at him and gulped. He wasn’t an idiot. He could piece things together. From the way will was unconsciously covering his mouth to the blush on both Joey and Will’s cheeks, and the backstory, Nico knew who the guy was.

He couldn’t help giving him an annoyed once over, picturing him beside Will at a movie, or asking him on a date. “Flor, come on, you have to eat your waffles,” he told her, ushering her away. “Sorry.”

They disappeared, and Will finally seemed to be able to breathe. Nico poked his food but didn’t eat. His mind was busy tormenting him with concocted images and over analyzations. After a while, Will glanced at him and frowned. “Why aren’t you eating?”

“Not hungry,” he said curtly. Will looked at him, his eyes changing as realization dawned on him.

“Nico,” he began.

But Nico turned to Kayla and swept her hair away from her face so she could eat. “You’ll get all sticky. Almost done?” She nodded, then glanced at Will.

“You never called me a sunflower,” she muttered, her eyes beginning to glisten with tears.

“What?” Will looked at Nico in disbelief, but Nico wouldn’t look at him. “Kayla, come here.” She stood and walked over to him, her eyes brimming with tears. Nico kept his eyes on her as she hugged Will tightly. “Kayla, come on, she’s just a little girl I had to help in the hospital. Don’t be upset. You’re prettier than any flower in existence, so I can’t just call you one.” Nico fought back a scoff. “Come on, stop crying and finish eating, okay?” She nodded and kissed his cheek, moving her plate to sit next to him.

Nico remained silent, thoughtful, and the drive back was uncomfortable. As they pulled up to the house, Will glanced back and then looked at Nico. “She’s asleep.” Nico nodded, about to get out of the car to get her, but Will stopped him. “I’m not going in the house with you still mad at me.”

“Then you’re sleeping outside?” Will narrowed his eyes, a look all too familiar to Nico. Still, as much as he wanted to stop before they argued, he couldn’t help the feelings churning in him.

His boyfriend glanced back at his sister then turned off the engine of the car while leaving the air on. He got out and waited at the hood of the car. With a sigh, Nico followed, making sure to shut the door softly and not wake Kayla. He stood beside Will, staring off at the road.

“I told you it happened. I told you everything even though I didn’t have to. Why are you mad at me?”

Nico sighed and shut his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.” He tried to walk away, but Will grabbed his arm and held onto him. “We’ve been doing so well, don’t ruin it,” he pleaded.

“I’m not,” he answered. “But you’re getting angry with me for going on a date with this guy months ago when we weren’t even dating. I don’t think that’s fair.”

Nico scowled and pulled his arm away. “That’s not it!” he snarled. “God, Will, just leave it alone, I’ll get over it.”

“Nico, please.”

He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. “I told you I didn’t like him, okay? I told you-”

“I know! I know what you said, and I know why you went, I know you told me!” he snapped, struggling to keep his voice down.

“Then what the fuck, Nico?”

“That’s not even why I’m upset, Solace!” Before Will could respond there was a knock on the car window. Nico glanced over and saw Kayla with disheveled red hair all around. “Forget it,” Nico sighed. He walked over to the door and opened, scooping Kayla into his arms. “Let’s get you to bed, Monkey.”

He started toward the house then glanced back over his shoulder. “Happy birthday, Will,” he said softly. But Will heard it. He saw it in his eyes.

With Kayla in his arms, he went into the house and struggled to get her bed undone to put her to sleep. Suddenly, a soft voice said, “Need some help, hon?” He looked up to see Miss Naomi, her eyes still scrunched from her previous sleep. She walked over, barefoot, kicking aside stray toys. She undid the bed and Nico laid the seven-year-old down. Miss Naomi tucked her in and smiled at him. “You okay?”

He nodded, but he was glad the lights were off. She yawned and nodded, shuffling out of the room. “Oh, hey hon. How was Denny’s?”

“It was good,” Will answered. Nico’s stomach twisted. He felt unbalanced. “Did Nico already go to bed?”

“No, I was helping him put Kayla to bed. Goodnight, sweetheart. And happy birthday.”

A few seconds later, Kayla’s door opened and Nico faced Will at the door. “I’m going to bed. I’m tired,” he mumbled. But Will didn’t move aside for him. “I’m not doing this in your sister’s room,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Talk to me. Before this gets worse. I don’t want to spend my birthday with us fighting.”

“That’s the point; I don’t want to fight.” Will sighed and crossed his arms. “What?”

“Why are you angry with me?”

“I want to go to bed and you’re not letting me get to my room.” Will scowled and ran a hand through his hair.

Then he said, “Let’s go for a drive. We need to talk. Please.” Nico grimaced, but Will was obviously not relenting. And it was his birthday. He shrugged, his own prideful way of giving in, and Will gestured for him to go first. They walked back to the car and Will drove off to God knows where. The city lights were bright and Nico could see a river under the bridge they were driving over. Once he’d parked in an open area, Will turned to him and sighed. “Okay. Tell me.”

“What do you want me to say, Will? I don’t want to fight.”

“But you’re already mad at me! And you not telling me why is actually making me angry. So either way, we’re going to end up doing this.”

“This is what we did the first time! We argued and fought over everything, and I don’t want to do that again.”

“So you’re just going to stay angry? At least before we would talk through things! Nico, honestly, I don’t know why you’re mad at me-”

“I wish I was mad,” he interrupted. He looked out the window and leaned his head on the cool glass. “I saw him in the bathroom first. I saw the way he was with his sister. Fussing over her, worrying, trying so hard. Like you do with Kayla. He said he’d practically raised her. Then… he goes to the table and… you get all red and panicked. You call me your friend? It was like you wanted to impress him or something. I mean, who could blame you? With the curly hair and light eyes and tanned skin, I mean come on. The dude was like… I don’t know Adonis.”

Then, with a feather light touch, Will turned Nico to face him. “I don’t want him. I want you.”

“Why?” he whispered back. “He was perfect, Will. You had that. You kissed him. Your only response when I asked you why you didn’t want to keep dating him was that he wasn’t me. What does that even mean? He’s better. He… he’s good enough.”

Will sighed and shut off the engine, getting out of the car. Nico stared after him as he walked around the car and opened his door. “Come on,” he prodded gently. Nico stepped out and Will took his hands and pressed them to his lips. “Nico, I love you. And I will tell you as many times as I need to that you are good enough for me. Baby, you know me better than anyone. You know about the scars on my arms, you know my weird quirky habits, you know my family, you know my past. No one else knows that much about me.”

Nico wanted that to be enough. He wanted those words to soothe him, but they didn’t. He just looked at Will with a pained expression. “Nico, do you have any idea what your eyes do to me?” he whispered. Nico’s gaze flickered up to him. “They fuck up my thoughts. I can’t speak, I can’t breathe, I can’t think. I love being able to wake up and run my hand through your hair until you wake up and smile at me in a way that makes my heart stop. God, Nico, I feel so lucky to have you, that I can only hope you feel even a fraction of what I do. I’d be happy with that.

“Yes, I kissed him, but I couldn’t stop thinking of you. Of what you would say if you saw me, if you knew. That I should have been kissing you. He isn’t you. He doesn’t know me like you do, he doesn’t make me feel things the way you do. You know, when we were friends and I realized I had a crush on you, I felt… heartbroken each time I was with you. Because I thought someone as… amazingly attractive and seductive and beautiful like you would never look at me as anything more than a dorky friend.

“I just… I felt so bad about leaving him that day, that I felt guilty.... Guilty about my life getting better because I got who I wanted and I didn’t even want to give him a chance. I was the first date he’d gone on with a guy, and I was already in love with someone else. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

Nico could believe that. He did know Will. He knew how considerate he was of other people, how anxious he could be to please others. He sighed and placed his hands on either side of Will’s freckled face. “You’re insane if you think I don’t feel incredibly blessed to have you beside me, Will Solace. I love you so much, I fear losing you every day. After what your dad said… I mean, I can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t stop thinking about what I can possibly do to be good enough.”

“You’re a very stubborn guy, Nico,” Will chided with a smile. Nico chuckled weakly and Will pressed his lips against him, removing every fear and worry.

When he pulled away, Nico pressed their foreheads together. “Just to be clear, I wasn’t jealous.”

Surprisingly, Will didn’t refute it. He nodded and kissed him again. “I know. It was insecurity. I have experience with that feeling.” Nico frowned and pulled him in again. He kissed the corner of his lips, his jaw, and down to the hollow of his throat, with Will breathing heavily the entire time. He kissed up to the crook of his neck where he loved to lean against him.

He bit down on the skin, not too harshly, but enough to leave a mark. Beneath him, Will whimpered and leaned back against the car as his legs seemed to give out. His hand had pulled Nico closer as if it were an automatic reaction. Nico’s eyes widened as he felt something between the two of them.

“Don’t. Say. Anything,” Will whispered.

“Well, hello there,” Nico chuckled.  “Looks like someone likes getting bitten.”

Will scowled and rolled his eyes. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

Nico scoffed and pulled away. “That… is totally different.” Before he could get away, Will caught his arm and pulled him in, promptly biting down on Nico’s fingertips, making him fight back a moan. He stared at Will, who smiled a little too smugly for someone who was just as turned on.

Without another word, Nico kissed almost ferociously and pushed him back against the car, fumbling for the door. When it opened, he fumbled in, pulling Will along with him. Granted a car wasn’t the most comfortable of places for a make-out session, but they couldn’t exactly do it at his parents’ house either.

Laid across the backseat, he leaned up into Will, kissing, biting, eliciting wondrous moans from him. It’d been a long time since he’d seen Will this undone. Will’s fingers slipped between Nico’s and gripped his hand tightly. His hips pushed against Nico’s, making them both breathless.

He struggled to sit up, straddling Will. “Happy birthday,” he murmured as he bit his earlobe.

Will groaned and chuckled. “Oh, this is a nice present.” Nico smirked and kissed him desperately, biting his lips.

“Is this too fast?” Nico whispered worriedly.

Will scoffed. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

Nico rolled his eyes and pushed Will golden hair back. “I know. I’m definitely not one to talk, but…. I actually care about you. You’re not a one night stand. I care about the pace here.”

Will pecked his lips lightly. “I’ve been in love with you for so long, Nico. This feels perfect.” Nico smiled and kissed his lips again, sliding down to his neck, his hands sliding down to the button on Will’s jeans.

He shuffled off his lap to get down lower, and his foot hit something-

“Cowabunga, dude!”

They froze. Nico looked up at Will and raised an eyebrow. “Was that… Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles?”

Will frowned and leaned over, scrambling in the dark. He came up with a smiling turtle with an orange bandana. “It’s Kayla’s.”

“Oh my God,” Nico groaned as he pulled himself up to the seat beside him. “We’re not doing this in your mom’s car.”

“No, we really shouldn’t,” Will laughed, leaning against him. “Nico?” He hummed. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you too,” he whispered back, kissing his shoulder. “You want to know something?” Will nudged his cheek gently, prodding him to go on. “When I first met you, outside the café, your eyes made my heart stutter.”

A husky, tired chuckle filled the car. “What?”

He pulled back and looked at Nico. “Really,” he said. “You walked out into the rain, with this determined, wary look on your face. You said hi to me and looked right at me, not at all intimidated.” He looked into the same eyes that had filled his dreams from that first encounter and sighed in content, knowing they were his to look at for as long as he could. “I was a goner as soon as I saw your eyes.”

“You hated me,” Will said with a confused scrunch of his nose.

He chuckled and shook his head. “No,” he said softly. “I was afraid of you. You saw right through me. Through my lyrics. I was afraid you would break me. And you did.”

“Was that a bad thing?” Will whispered.

Nico thought of all the chaos and the flurries of emotions that had consumed him over the last year. He thought of the fighting, the fears, the heartbreak, the laughs, the cuddles, the kisses, the dates, the breakups, the makeups. Then he smiled and nudged their noses together.

“No.”

Click here for Ch. 36