#house is small and quiet; make yourselves comfortable for however long you stay here <3<3<3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[berryblu-soda]

framing this

[heyitsmerose]

Ateez reaction their s/o loving their scent (Maknae Line)

So for this imagine, to change it up a bit I decided to have it both ways, wherein they love your scent in some reactions, but you also love theirs in others. Thus, for the members that seem like they would openly tell you about your scent, the reactions have been written in that way. For the members that might not, I have written it so the reader loves their scent instead. Sorry that this is so confusing ahaha.

Also I probably sound so weird, I promise I’m not a weird person. Doesn’t everyone imagine what people smell like? no? just me? okay.

Word Count : 1.9k

Genre : Fluff

San:

You and San had just met. You recently got out of a toxic a few months ago, and promised yourself to stay away from any form of a relationship for as long as you could. To be honest, you didn’t even think you were capable of being in a stable relationship after your previous one. That was all until you met San. He made you feel loved and like the luckiest person in the world. 

There was once where he had finally come to your house and you had told him to wait in your room, while you changed your cloths in to something more comfortable. He simply nodded, and without saying anything walked into your room. You simply looked down and turned the other direction. You were starting to feel insecure. You had finally brought who you thought was the love of your life, to your house, only for him to not utter a single word ever since he got here. You quickly changed, and went to make yourselves two mock-tails. You brought it to the room, with a smile on your face, offering him one, only for him to take it, mutter a soft thank you and then become quiet again. You sighed and sat on the bed, deciding to make the first move. You sat on the bed, and slowly tried moving towards him, only for him to notice and move further away. On the outside, you simply smiled and nodded, but on the inside you were broken. You were embarrassed and felt so guilty for putting him in that position. You muttered a quick apology and went back to your original position. For the next few hours, he just occasionally looked at you, not saying a word at all. You started doubting whether he genuinely liked you, and started feeling insecure, maybe he liked you at first, but lost interest.

 All these thoughts, led to you spiralling down the same, dark chain of thoughts you had before you met San, and tears started to collect in your eyes. He didn’t notice at first, since you blinked and looked away, however as the tears kept flowing, he heard you sigh shakily. He instantly looked at you, only to find you with a hand over your mouth, trying to control the noises you made, with tears flowing out your eyes non-stop. His eyes immediately doubled in size and he called out to you.

“Y/n, Y/n, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?” He gently said in the most soft tone ever.

“No, San” You said quite frankly. “I don’t know if it’s something I’ve done, but I just feel, I- I feel like you’re losing interest in me, and I’m sorry for forcing you to do things you don’t want to” You admitted honestly.

“No way! Y/n, what would make you think that?” He asked genuinely. 

“You’ve been ignoring me the entire time here, what else am I supposed to think” You cried, raising your voice a little getting frustrated.

“No no no, that’s not what I meant” He stuttered realising his mistake. 

“Y/n, it’s just that, I don’t know whats wrong with me, I’m just surrounded by things that smell like you. To be honest, your scent is so enchanting and I have a feeling the second I get close to you, I won’t be able to control myself, you are making me feel some type of way, and I can’t control it.” He said finally, and you were definitely not expecting it. You wiped your tears, feeling more empowered now. You simply crawled towards him, but he didn’t move an inch. You finally straddled him and kissed him deeply. 

“Then, don’t control yourself”

Mingi:

You and Mingi were classmates, and a few of your friends knew he had a thing for you. You didn’t see him as anything more than a friend, but recently were starting to doubt your feelings. Even small moments when he was leaning against his locker, laughing with his friends made your heart flutter, and you didn’t know what was going on. You blushed whenever you made eye contact, and finally realised you had feelings for him too. Not wanting to embarrass yourself, if it wasn’t mutual, you just kept your feelings to yourself. You had science together, and because of your amazing luck, you were partnered up for a certain presentation. You worked on it thoroughly for the entire week in the library, and you noticed, some signs of him liking you too. For example, he tried staying close to you, and made eye contact more often. In fact, on Friday, when you were parting and going your own ways, he even pulled you into a hug, his face buried in your hair and whispered.

“See you on Monday” He patted your head, and then simply left. You were astonished to say the least but, just went home, even more confused. 

Then Monday came, the day of your presentation. You were happy to get it finally over with, while Mingi, not so much. He looked quite on edge and nervous, you realised he must have been nervous for the presentation, so just pulled him into a tight hug.

“Yah, Mingi-yah! we can do this! Fighting!” You whispered only for him to hear, with a big smile on you face. He immediately held you tight, took a deep breath in, and let go of you.

“Let’s do this!” He said. It was safe to say, your presentation went really well. In fact, you got closer, more than friends for sure, and early on in your pre dating stage you realised he had a thing for the way you smelled, besides he hugged you and loved being near you, it was a little obvious. When you finally started dating, he openly told you. 

“Y/N, you smell like absolute heaven, how? how- I- what have I done to deserve such an angel, you’re like an actual goddess” He finally admitted when you were hugging once. You just giggled, and now hugging had become your thing. You were never a moment together without hugging and loved being close to one another.

Wooyoung:

It was no surprise that Wooyoung loved the way you smelled. He always asked for items of your clothing when he went on tour so he could feel comfort, even when he was missing you like crazy. Initially, you found it a little weird, that he openly asked for your clothing, but then you realised how much it meant to him. In fact, being the talkative person he was, who would not shut up about how you smelled. 

“Dudeee, my girl just sent me such a sexy pic, I already want to go homee” He heard one of his childhood friends say when they were on a boys trip once. 

“For real, last night, we skyped and had the best time ever” He heard another one chime in, followed by a bunch of hollers and whistles. They then all turned to Wooyoung, expecting him to say something. Being one of the few people in their friend group, in a relationship, they expected him to tell them everything. Wooyoung just shrugged and muttered a quick “huh”

“Dude, did you do anything sneaky with your girl... Did you ask her to send you pics?” One of them finally spoke up.

“Oh... no, but I do have one of my hoodies I lent her recently. It smells just like her, and it reminds me of a garden of roses. I just love her so much and I miss her like crazy. It’s alright though, because I have the hoodie, and just smelling it reminds me of her heavenly scent.” He hummed at the end. All of his friends were quiet for a moment and then laughed and hollered.

“OUR LITTLE WOOYOUNG IS IN LOOOVEEE, HE’S FINALLY FOUND THE ONEEE” He heard them yell. They would never let this down.

When they all got back, you went to greet them. Only for them all to engulf you in a hug. Wooyoung shoved all of them out of the way, and buried himself in your embrace. You kissed Wooyoung’s chest and then looked at the others a little confused.

“Hey, guys? What’s going on?” You asked, quite confused. One of his friends quickly responded saying

“We just wanted to know if you smelled as good as he describe your smell”. You felt a little weirded out. But then they all laughed at your reaction.

“Don’t worry Y/n, Wooyoung would have yeeted us to another planet, before we would have even gotten the opportunity to...” You looked back up at Wooyoung only for him to pull you back into a hug.

“Where’s the lie in that? You smell like heaven.” He said, nipping your neck.

Jongho:

It was a normal evening for you and Jongho, and you were both cuddled up on the couch simply talking and just enjoying your time together. To be honest, Jongho, to an extent was aware of how crazy his scent made you, you felt relief and comfort, and he was aware of that. As for you, you could never get enough of it. Even despite dating for over 3 years, you still always felt the same emotions and feelings when his familiar, musky yet comforting scent greeted you. In simply words, you would describe his natural scent as musky, a little smoky (not because of actual smoke duh), and irresistible. At the moment, your chin was on his chest, as you plopped yourself on top of him, and simply slept on him, chest to chest. 

“Y/N!” He grunted

“Hmm” you whined shifting your face to his neck subtly. Despite trying to be subtle, and he realised what you were doing and he simply laughed. 

“Am I that irresistible?” He snickered. You simply whined and intertwined you hands in his hair. 

“Hmmm, I love you so much” You said, your nose to his neck, he lifted his arm up to hold your waist in place and you took that as a sign to get closer, if that were even possible.

“Babe, what are you doingg” He whined like a child

“Jongho-yahh, not my fault my boyfriend smells like literal heaven, I just can’t stop, you just, it’s just,” you stuttered “so enchanting” you finished sighing. He just laughed and kissed you head. 

“Well, I’m glad to have a girlfriend who cherishes me so much” he giggled. You lightly shoved him.

“Ugh... now is when you say something like, oooh Y/N your scent is so irresistible too” you whined feeling a little annoyed. The rest of the night went on teasing each other and cuddling, with you taking every chance you got, to get closer and take in that heavenly smell.

[themuseic]

Only Fools (Chapter 4)

Fic Summary: Sent to Boone County, West Virginia on an assignment, you find yourself engulfed your work. How could you possibly find time for anything else? Even if “anything else” includes the tall, kind, and handsome bartender from down the road?

Word Count: 1.5k

Read Chapter 3 here.

Read here on AO3.

Warnings: Pining.

Author’s Note: Thank y’all for being SO patient waiting for this update! I have a pretty busy weekend ahead of me, so I wanted to make sure I got something out tonight. As always, thank you for reading! 

Gravel and dirt crackled underneath the tires of your car as you pulled up to the address written on the napkin you clutched in your hand. The trailer was humble but looked like it was cozy. It wasn’t a mansion, but a mansion didn’t seem like it would fit the gentle giant that you had met. 

On the porch out front sat Clyde, reclining in a wooden rocking chair. He had one leg propped up on his knee with a book resting in the fold of his leg, his prosthetic pressing the spine open. In the other hand, he held a speckled tin mug, filled with coffee so hot, you could see the steam rising from it as you walked towards him. It looked like a teacup in his hand. The shatter of a stick as you stepped on it alerted him to your presence, and he set the mug down on the patio table next to him as he stood to greet you. “Mornin’ darlin’,” he called, stretching his arms to the sky. The dark blue short-sleeved shirt he donned pulled up with his shoulders, revealing a thin strip of skin just along the waist of his pants. You felt your cheeks warm as you spied a patch of dark hair just above the button of his jeans but snapped yourself out of it as the shirt fell back into its rightful place. 

“Morning Clyde. You have a lovely home,” you smiled to him, eyes roaming the exterior of the house. 

He rubbed the back of his neck and his pout seemed to deepen, an expression you were beginning to realize he wore regularly. “S’alright. Needs some fixin’ up,” he gestured to peeling paint spots on the door, and you waved your hand. “Nothing a coat of paint can’t fix!” He smiled sheepishly back at you. “Well,” he stopped to take a final swig of coffee. “Wanna get headed out?”

~~~

One thing that you never tired of was how alive the forest remained, no matter the season or time of day. 

Birds called to each other across valleys, the open skies filled with their song. The air glinted with flecks of particulate that caught on the sunshine filtering through the trees. The foliage that shaded the forest had begun to flush deep golden hues since the first time you had trekked through the hills, and the leaves that had been shed already crunched underfoot. 

You had mentally prepared yourself to have to push to keep up with the long-legged Clyde, but he had surprised you. He moseyed along, moving with purpose but without haste. He didn’t drag or dawdle, but seemed to simply be enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest, just as you were. You found yourself sneaking glances at him as you strolled next to each other. It was difficult not to, especially when his profile was so easy to melt for. You felt your cheeks warm as you watched him move. He was almost bearlike, plodding through the forest with purpose, like he owned it. You could tell that Mellie’s words rang true - he was comfortable in these woods. He knew them. 

Caught up in the sight of him, your toe caught on a hunk of wood and you stumbled. Clyde’s arms were out to catch you before you even had a chance to process what was happening. A feeling akin to an electric shock shot through your body, originating from where your skin brushed against Clyde’s frame. “Sorry darlin’,” he muttered. “Shoulda warned you ‘bout that log.” As you righted your footing, you laughed, elbowing his side lightly. “Aren’t you supposed to be my guide out here?” Clyde’s ears flushed and he suddenly became hyper-focused on a single point on the forest floor, but he chuckled softly. “I’ll let you know ‘bout any other obstacles we got comin’ up.” He glanced at the foliage around you, studying the rocks and layout. “Actually,” he rubbed at the junction of his prosthetic and upper arm. “I think the area was just ‘round that boulder up there,” he gestured forward with his right hand, point to where the trail wrapped around a spire of boulders. Your heart leaped at the prospect of being so close to making actual progress on your assignment that you broke into a brisk jog, leaving Clyde startled. 

As you rounded the boulder, your eyes were drawn to the area of scattered remains just off to the side of the trail.You knelt next to the tufts of hair and scattered bone shards, surveying the remains and jotting down notes in your bright yellow field journal. “It’s perfect,” you called back to Clyde. “If the cams don’t see something here, I would be floored.” A quick survey of the area was all you needed to decide on your camera locations, and you bent down to start the set up.

Ruffling through your backpack, you pushed aside the copious snacks you had brought along and pulled out your cameras, glancing up to Clyde where he watched you, leaned against a tree. You extended one to him. “Want to help me set these up?” you asked, eyebrow cocked up. He stared down at your hand for a brief moment before moving towards you, his right arm extended. He turned the machine over in his hand, running his fingers over the edges.  “Now, where d’ they have to go?”

~~~

With Clyde helping you, set up was both a breeze and sheer torture. You sped through the cameras and with the added help of Clyde’s towering height, they were placed much higher than you could accomplish yourself. But each time you both grabbed for a zip tie and your fingers brushed or he moved up behind you to help you tinker with something just out of your reach and his chest brushed against you, you could feel your heart clench and your cheeks warm. You tried to keep distance between the two of you, but it was all for naught. No matter how hard you worked to quell the butterflies that fluttered around your stomach when Clyde was near you couldn’t quite shake the feeling. 

The brisk hike back helped you blow off some steam and get some physical space from him. You determined that if you hugged the far edge of the trail, you could keep a good berth without straying too far. It was impossible, however, to escape talking to him. Each time he opened his mouth to speak, an indescribable feeling shot through your body, straight to your toes. It was easy, chatting with him, but you took care to not ask too much about him, for fear of falling harder. You kept it to things about the woods.

“So, do you hike these woods much?”

“Yes’m. Easy for me to come back out here, what with it being right behind my trailer,” Clyde hummed. “Good place to come think, y’know?” You nodded sympathetically. “Clyde, I know just what you mean.”

~~~

You found yourselves back at his trailer much faster than you anticipated. Coming to a halt right in front of his porch, the pair of you turned to face each other. It was quiet, each of you waiting for the other to start. With a stretch, you began, “Well-” but Clyde spoke at the same time. 

“Wanna come in for a pop?” Clyde batted his eyes at you, his head slightly tilted in question. You sucked a quick breath of air in through your teeth and chewed at the inside of your cheek. His warm brown eyes bore into you, and you were a hairs breadth away from saying yes before the seemingly rational part of your mind pushed in. “No,” you sighed, “thank you though. I think it’s probably best I head back to the hotel.” 

“Oh.” Clyde nudged a rock absentmindedly, eyes focused on the ground. “S’alright. I probably got some stuff I should be doing anyhow.” Your heart ached to turn him down, yet again, but you reminded yourself it was for his own sake. Not yours. “Maybe we can come back out to collect the footage together in say, a weeks time?” 

Clyde huffed, still pouting and his face downturned. “Yeah, that would work alright.” A beat of silence passed. “Alright then. I’ll text you about details soon. Maybe catch you at the bar?” A small smile threatened to upturn his lips but didn’t quite come to fruition. “‘Course darlin’.” Clyde’s eyes met yours. There was something behind his eyes, an emotion you couldn’t quite place. Maybe an emotion you didn’t want to place. If you didn’t know how he was feeling, you could take some of the guilt for making him hurt in any way. “Have a good weekend Clyde,” you said, bordering on timidness. “You too darlin’.” 

As your car reversed away from Clyde’s trailer, you stole another glance at him. He remained in the same place you had left him, fidgeting with the stone and turning it over between his feet. Clyde glanced up at you, and nodded once. You waved your goodbye, a sympathetic smile edging it’s way onto your face before you pulled back out onto the road. You could see that Clyde stayed rooted to the spot until he disappeared out of your rear view window. Pressure from the breath you were holding started to mount in your chest, and you released it in a long, low stream of air. “Fuck.”

Taglist: @mind-p0llution @thedivinemissm @clydesducktape @finn-ray-nal-beads @ladygrey03 @desiraypark @1800-fight-me​ @aloneandsleepless​

[queenxxxsupreme]

angst 14 with dettlaff please?

A/N: first of all I need to thank my lovely husband Aerin @writingawaymylife for helping me with this!! He helped me so much with just making this little fic sooooo much more intense. You are the absolute best and I’d be so lost without you<3 And second, this makes me soft for sad Dettlaff :(

14. “Should you be drinking that much?”

Your fingers trailed along the wall as you made your way slowly down the hallway. 

Your home was silent, save for the sound of thunder rumbling quietly in the sky and rain tapping against the roof. 

You shivered. The house was chilly. The fire in your room and the main room managed to die sometime after you went to sleep. 

The hallway ended and you found yourself gazing into the pitch black that was the main room of your home. 

Lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the room. 

You spotted the dark figure at the table, hunched over with his elbows on his knees and a chalice in hand. Lightning came again, and you were able to see the bottles of liquor that were scattered about the table. 

With a little flick of your wrist, the burning embers in the hearth grew into a fire, lighting up the room. This gave you a better look at the figure sitting at your kitchen table. 

His hair was dark with strands of silvery white hair here and there. The locks aren't nearly as neat as he usually kept them. Instead, a few fell across his forehead. The off lighting in the room made the centuries old vampire appear even older, made the lines in his brow from years of scowling appear deeper. 

His eyes didn’t lift from the chalice in his hand. He said nothing, though you knew he was aware of your presence. 

You rubbed your hands together and moved towards the fire, wanting to warm up your toes and fingers. Your eyes left his as you turned to face the fire, hands sticking out in front of you and fingers wiggling. 

You let out a small shaky breath, relieved that there was finally warmth. 

“Why aren’t you in bed?” You asked, turning your head to the side so you could focus better on the man behind you. 

“I am not tired.” He answered quietly, his voice deep and enchanting. 

You sighed softly. 

“You haven’t slept in two weeks, Dettlaff.”

He said nothing to you. 

You turned to face the man you had opened your home to. 

“Why?”

Again, he was silent.

You crossed the room, inspecting the liquor bottles. Your lips pressed together in a firm line. He’d found your stash hidden in the back of a cabinet. 

“Should you be drinking this much?” You moved around the table, counting seven empty bottles. 

“Your human liquor does little to beings such as myself.”

“Then why would you drink this much if you know it wouldn’t work?”

“I figured it would be better to try this than to go out and slaughter someone to get the outcome I want.”

Your brows drew together as you stopped in front of him. 

“What is wrong, Dettlaff?”

“I wish to be left in peace, darling.” He leaned back in his chair, placing the chalice on the table and resting his hands along the tops of his thighs. “If I wanted to discuss my troubles, I would have stayed in bed with you.”

A breath escaped your lips, shoulders slumping just slightly, but you didn’t let his words get to you. 

You noticed his eyes were focused on something in his hand, something silver and round. At first, you thought it was a coin he was fiddling with. But a quick flash of lightning flooded the room and you were able to see what it truly was. 

Circular and engraved with words, the pendant paused between his index and middle fingers before being flicked into his palm. His fingers, long and slender, closed around it, hiding it from your gaze unintentionally. 

Your stomach twisted into knots, a storm brewing within you. 

It was Syanna’s, something he had gotten her during their time together, a time when you two had been apart, when you lost contact with him. You didn’t understand why he kept it, even after all this time, why he’d keep something so tiny and meaningless. It was gifted to her. 

Why would he want to keep it? 

Perhaps it was because it reminded him of her, of the lesson he wanted to remember. How humans could be deceiving and manipulative. How he needed to be more cautious with who he let in. 

Part of you felt guilty for what happened. There was a fight, stupid and pointless now that you looked back on it. It led to you both taking time for yourselves, a needed break. 

Syanna found him when he was down, when he was weakened. She slipped into his head, faking any feelings she claimed to have for him, and used him to get back at her sister. 

You were angry with him at first, angry with what he had done, with the destruction and terror he had caused throughout Beauclair. But when you found him collapsed on your doorstep, the anger melted away. He was broken, fragmented. He wasn’t the man you remembered. 

As he explained everything to you, the anger returned, this time directed at the woman who hurt him, who ripped his chest open, tore his heart out, and left him bleeding.

You sighed heavily through your nose and turned to go to your room. Once you were at the edge of the hallway, you turned back to him, your hand finding the wall as you leaned against it.

“You know, it would be lovely to see the man I fell in love with once in a while.” Your words were quiet whispers, but you knew he could hear just fine. 

Blue eyes finally flickered up to meet your gaze. His jaw ticked. 

“I haven’t seen him for a while.” You added, shaking your head softly as you looked down at the ring on your left finger. It was expensive and old, golden with a red ruby stone. “If you…. If you see him, tell him that he’s missed.”

“Ever so dramatic you are, my dear.” Dettlaff let out a heavy breath. His voice was smooth and low, a pleasant elegant timbre.

Your breath caught in your throat, eyes widened as an ache found its way into your chest. His words took a little longer to process, the bluntness and audacity was abrupt, something you weren’t used to from the man you loved so dearly. The aching pain was quick to turn into anger upon realizing what he said. The anger festered in your veins, bubbling and burning as you took a step towards him. 

“Dramatic? For wishing that the man I married would quit relishing the past? Quit dwelling on things that cannot be changed? For wanting him to look to the future where he has control over his actions rather than trying to change the past?” Your voice turned cold and bitter. 

Narrowed eyes dug into his, breaths coming out harsh and quick as you waited for him to say something.

His gaze hardened as he looked at you. 

“I’m going to bed.” You waved a hand dismissively at him. If he wasn’t willing to open up to you, to let you help him, then there was nothing you could do to aid him in healing. 

•*•*•

You weren’t sure how long you were there laying in bed listening to the rain tap against your bedroom window. 

Too many thoughts were racing through your head. 

Would this be the end of your marriage with Dettlaff van der Eretin? 

You heard the bedroom door creak open but you didn’t dare to look at him. You were still upset and irritated with how cold he had been. 

There was quiet moving around before there was silence. 

“Y/N?”

“Yes, Dettlaff?”

“I-I’m-I’m sorry.” His whispered, his timbre voice trembling slightly. 

You turned over, brushing your hair out of your eyes. He stood on his side of the bed, broad shoulders slumped and head tilted down. 

“I’m so sorry for-for everything.” He brought his hands up to cover his face, ashamed. 

Seeing the man you loved break down, shoulders shaking and tears running down his face, broke your heart. He was always strong and composed. Very rarely did he let his emotions be known to the outside world, especially after what happened with Syanna. He became masterful at keeping his emotions hidden, locked away safely in the confines of his mind. After Syanna, the fear of becoming vulnerable to someone again was deeply rooted into his heart.  

It seemed, now, however, that the weight of his troubles was too much to bear. He could no longer hide the pain from you. 

You crawled over to the edge of the bed. 

“Come here, my love.” You beckoned him toward you with one hand, sitting up on your knees. 

Long and slender arms wrapped around you, holding you so tightly that breathing wasn’t easy, his face finding comfort in the crook of your neck. 

Your arms slipped around his broad shoulders, one hand resting between his shoulder blades while the other cradled his head to you. 

Warm tears dampened your skin. His shoulders shook with every quiet sob that racked his body. 

“I don’t want to lose you. Not again.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Dettlaff.” You assured him, turning to kiss the space behind his ear. “I just…. I need you to not be afraid of opening up to me. I know your reasoning for being carefully guarded, but I’ve been with you for the better half of two centuries. I was here long before she ever came into your life. I’ve never given you a reason to doubt me or my intentions.”

He squeezed you just a little tighter, his lips pressing kisses into your collarbone. 

You held him for a while as he calmed down, until all he did was hold you close and sniffle every now and again. 

“Let’s get this coat off of you so you can sleep properly, my love.” You suggested, pulling away hesitantly. 

He nodded, keeping his head bowed as you worked to undo the buckles on his coat. Once they were undone, you pushed the coat off of his shoulders and then began to untuck the dark gray tunic he wore beneath the coat. He allowed you to pull it off of him and toss it aside. 

You hooked two fingers underneath his chin, tilting his head up so that you could see his icy blue eyes. They were teary and red. 

The pad of your thumb swiped across his cheek, brushing away a stray tear.

“I love you, Dettlaff.”

He nodded once again, unable to use his voice. 

You moved away from him, getting comfortable on the bed before Dettlaff joined you. 

He laid with his face buried in your chest, long and slender form spread out across the bed diagonally.

You did your best to cover him, but he didn’t seem too concerned about it. 

You combed your fingers through his dark hair, humming softly in hopes that he’d drift off to sleep. 

“I love you.” The words were hushed, muffled by his mouth being pressed against the skin of your chest. But you heard them, and smiled softly.

Taglist: @pressedinthepages @MishaFaye  @whitewolfandthefox @ayamenimthiriel @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @wolfyland07  @belalugosisdead @persephonehemingway @romancebibliophilia @keira-hulmaster @dinonuggs69 @greatestauthorofmygeneration @shadow-hunters-lover @dancingwith-thesunflowers @tedi-fach-las @thecomfortofoldstorries @raspberrydreamclouds @natkowaa @disasteren @weathervanes-my-oneandlonely @onlyhenrys @crazybutconfidentaf @wackylurker @criminaly-supernatural  @Magpie343 @permanently-exhausted-witcher @hina-chans-stuff @the-space-between-heartbeats @havenoffandoms @carriebee1 @ger-bearofrivia @naominami @thefirelordm @writingawaymylife @reaganjenelle @badassspaceprincess @theawkwardpedestrian @scarlettwitcher @runawayolives @badassspaceprincess @just-a-sad-donut @summersong69 @an--actual--human--disaster @she-wolfoftheinquisition

[omg-imagine]

⊱ Forget Me Not (4/15) ⊰

Pairing: Keanu Reeves x Reader

Summary: After you wake up from a coma and realize that your memories from the last five years have been erased, Keanu works to bring back what you have lost.

Words: 3.9k

Warnings: Angst, migraines

A/N: Sorry if there are any mistakes. I’m currently running on three hours of sleep today lol. Hope you enjoy!

Part 3

Home was supposed to be a place where one felt the most at peace. It was supposed to be filled with warmth and love, laughter and joy. Home was a place where you could be yourselves without judgment and where memories could be made to look back upon in the future, perhaps with a tear or a smile.

Keanu could look at any room inside the house, and recall almost everything that has happened in there. The talks and the fights. The kisses and the sex. The pranks and the tender moments. Like a movie, a memory would play in his head, reminding him of what home meant, what home truly was.

And to Keanu, home was you.

But ever since the night of your accident, home didn’t feel like home anymore. It was different, both in a physical and emotional sense. The house became a reflection of Keanu’s crumbling state of mind during those three agonizingly long weeks. It had become disarrayed the moment you had walked out of the front door, lacking the sense of comfort it usually had. Barren and cold, the house was also filled with the most unbearable silence, nearly deafening.

Keanu hated being there when all it did was remind him of you at happier times. He felt suffocated by the four walls surrounding him. Walls, which, aside from him, currently held secrets of the past. It knew every hurtful word and action that you had now forgotten. Keanu wasn’t sure whether or not he should be relieved that the walls couldn’t talk. Because if they did, he wouldn’t be ready for you to come home.

It would only tell you the truth. A painful truth that Keanu still had not shared.

For the last two days, Keanu did his best to tidy up around the house, getting it ready and clean in time for your return. He was running a bit late due to folding the laundry, but he wanted to make sure that the place was immaculate.

The floors had been vacuumed meticulously, leaving the hardwood gleaming under the recessed lights. The dishes were all washed and stored away. Every surface was dusted, every pillow was fluffed. Keanu had even ordered a fresh bouquet of your favorite flowers as a surprise and had them displayed in a vase on the coffee table.

Looking around one last time, Keanu realized how more alive the house seemed to be, and he couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight of it.

Before leaving to pick you up from the hospital, Keanu quickly checked himself in front of the mirror, also wanting to look presentable for your homecoming. He had trimmed both his beard and his hair yesterday, the dark circles under his eyes were also beginning to brighten up. He was looking more like his usual self now than in the past weeks. It was as if seeing you awake and wanting to stay in Los Angeles with him brought life back to Keanu again.

As Keanu drove to the hospital, scenes from that late stormy evening invaded him. He could never forget the hurt in your eyes, the quivering of your lip as you stared at him in utter shock and disappointment. At times, he could still hear the sound of the front door slamming shut when you left the house, leaving him behind. Then, there was the immense fear and lack of certainty flooding his mind as he rushed to the emergency room after receiving the call.

He had never been so scared and so angry before, and if there was one memory Keanu wanted to forget, it would surely be of this.

Since you woke up, you had never really asked about the events of that night. You only knew bits and pieces from your parents, but not the entire story. There would come a time that you would be so inclined to learn the details of it, and Keanu dreaded for that day to come. He had almost lost you, and if you found out exactly what had happened, he might lose you forever.

And that was the reason why Keanu couldn’t tell you the truth just yet. He was afraid to lose you, despite believing that he didn’t deserve a second chance. Truth be told, he didn’t come back to the hospital after you woke up because he was at war with his own conscience. A part of him wanted to tell you everything and deal with the consequences. But there’s the other part of him that couldn’t handle the thought of letting you go. He wanted to make things right again, undo the damage that he had caused even though the guilt still crept up on him.

One day he would tell you, Keanu promised, but just not today nor the next. For now, he’s focused on bringing back all of the best memories, the ones he knew you both cherished the most.

Parking his car near the entrance, Keanu cursed under his breath when he saw five men lingering by the door with cameras in their hands, acting nonchalantly. He didn’t care that the paparazzi would take pictures of him dashing inside. However, he was more worried about you when it came time to walk out of the hospital. You hadn’t been exposed to this ugly side of fame, and something like this would feel overwhelming.

Putting on his shades, as soon as Keanu got out of his vehicle, he heard the familiar camera shutters around him. He hung his head low as he headed towards the front of the building at a brisk pace, ignoring the overlapping questions that were being shouted at him.

How’s Y/N doing, Keanu?

Keanu, are you still doing that thriller movie later this summer?

Can you update us on Y/N’s condition?

How do you feel about this situation, Keanu? This must be hard on you.

Why was Y/N out driving during that storm?

We thought you and Y/N broke up months ago. Did you two reconcile?

It was only until when Keanu reached the elevator and stepped inside did he finally experience some quietness. Pushing his shades up onto his head, he then pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a deep sigh simultaneously.

It was moments such as this when he would regret being a public figure. He was extremely grateful for being able to do something that he loved, but there were times when he would ask himself if it was all worth it. Keanu valued his and your privacy, and at a delicate situation like this, that’s what you would need.

The elevator doors opened, and swiftly he walked down the hall to where your room was. He stood by the door for a second, peering into the small window and seeing you laughing with your parents inside. It warmed Keanu’s heart noticing how happy you were because it had been a while since he last saw you that way.

You glanced his way by the door, catching his eyes before gesturing for him to come in.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Keanu began, stepping into the room and shutting the door close behind him. “Are you all set to go?”

“I’m super ready. I haven’t felt the sun on my face in literally weeks,” you announced, hopping off the bed with a grin. “Dad actually suggested if we could have a late lunch together before their flight. Is that okay with you, Keanu?”

“Of course. What are you guys in the mood for?”

“Oh, we could go to that amazing Italian place. I think it’s nearby,” Nancy suggested before turning to her husband. “Pete, what was that restaurant called again?”

“La Cucina,” your father answered. “The food there is the best! You and Keanu treat us there whenever we’re in town. I say, let’s keep up with tradition, shall we?”

“Sounds good,” you replied, reaching down for the set of luggage on the floor.

Keanu held his hand out, signaling for you to stop. “Don’t worry about that. You shouldn’t be lifting heavy things so soon. Here, let me help.”

“Son, it’s fine,” Peter swatted Keanu’s hand away and picked up the bags. “Nance, and I will handle them. They’re our bags after all. We decided to bring them now so that we could get dropped off the airport right after eating.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, can I just borrow your car keys so I could load them in the trunk?” Peter asked before inching closer to the actor, speaking in a voice low enough for only Keanu to hear. “I saw the men outside waiting. I’ll bring the car out in the front so that Y/N doesn’t have to go through them.”

Nodding, Keanu took out the keys from his pocket and handed them over to your father. “I drove the SUV today. It’s parked by the edge in the third row.”

“Great!” Peter said before turning to you. “Okay, sweetheart. Your mother and I will bring the car to the entrance. We’ll pick you two up from there so that you don’t have to be on your feet.”

“Dad, I can walk,” you told him with a slight giggle.

“I know you can, but I need you to take it easy for me, Y/N. You promised that, remember?”

Sighing, you pouted at him until eventually, a smile appeared once again. “Okay. I’ll see you and mom downstairs.”

Before your parents left the room with their bags, Peter shot Keanu a look, indicating to him that he needed to warn you about what might happen outside. Now alone in the room, Keanu approached you, a soft smile on his lips, mirroring your own. The sun streaming through the window illuminated your face, the light hitting your eyes in such a way that made them sparkle. You were simply stunning just standing there, your mere beauty causing all thoughts to elude him.

“You’re staring,” you pointed out, and Keanu felt the warmth of his blush as it crawled up his neck. “Is something wrong?”

“Uh, n-no,” he stuttered. “I, um… I’m just excited that you’re finally coming home.”

You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear as your gaze dropped, a common habit of yours whenever you felt nervous. “Me too. I still have several neurologist appointments in the upcoming weeks, but at least I’m out of here.”

“How are the migraines today?”

Smiling softly, you glanced back up at Keanu. “Haven’t had one since yesterday, actually.”

“That’s good,” Keanu whispered, sitting down on the mattress next to him and watched you do the same. “Your dad’s right. You should be taking it easy for the next couple of days to be safe.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m planning on doing. Just take one day at a time.”

Keanu stayed silent for a brief minute before his mouth opened to speak. “Y/N, I have to warn you that there are going to be cameras outside. They’ve been hounding by the entrance after word got out that you were in an accident.”

The smile on your face fell, your brows furrowing. Without hesitation, Keanu reached out to hold your hand, immediately intertwining his fingers with yours. He ran his thumb along the back of your hand in a soothing motion. He knew that it was something you enjoyed him doing whenever you were starting to feel stressed out. It never failed to bring you comfort, and based on your calm expression, it worked yet again.

“Sorry, I’m still not used to it… dating a celebrity, I mean. Who would have thought I’d fallen for Keanu Reeves?”

“It’s a crazy idea to wrap one’s mind around,” he joked, hoping that it would lighten the mood. “It’s nothing to worry about. We’ll only be out there for a quick few seconds.”

“Okay,” you could only say. “You must be tired of the paparazzi.”

“They’re just trying to make a living,” Keanu reasoned. “Still, it’s quite annoying, but you learned to ignore them over time.”

The two of you shared a small laugh together before getting back up on your feet, ready to leave the hospital for good. As Keanu walked down the corridor beside you, he couldn’t help but feel relieved. He would have never imagined being in this position almost four weeks ago. He was fortunate that the worst thing that could possibly happen didn’t occur, but instead he was left to face a serious challenge. So far, none of your memories have returned. Though he was hopeful that a miracle would happen somewhere along the way, he was reminded of the chance that this might turn out to be permanent.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Keanu,” you assured him as you took the elevator down to the ground floor. “The doctor said that it can take a while, and we have to be patient with this.”

“I know,” he said softly. “We’ll take it one day at a time.”

You smiled when you heard Keanu echo your words from before. Once the elevator stopped, Keanu led you to the exit where he could see both his car parked out front and the group of men waiting nearby. He paused in his tracks and turned to you. “Are you ready?”

“I guess,” you whispered tentatively.

Keanu grabbed the pair of sunglasses on his head and placed them over your eyes. “Better?”

You readjusted them a bit on your face before nodding. “Let’s get out there.”

True to his word, you and Keanu were outside for less than five seconds. The cameras clicked and flashed, taking pictures of the two of you quickly walking out of the hospital until you climbed inside the front passenger side. Meanwhile, Keanu took the driver’s seat while Peter joined Nancy at the back. The windows were darkly tinted, shielding you from the prying eyes of the people outside before the car finally pulled away from the curb.

“Are you okay?” Keanu questioned you as he drove further down the street, the sight of the hospital disappearing from the rearview mirror.

“Yes,” you responded, taking off the shades he had given you. “I’m okay.”

Sighing, Keanu knew you all too well. Even though you had said that you were okay, your eyes told an entirely different story.

This was going to be much more complicated than he had initially thought.

---

“How’s the food?” Keanu asked you once you finished chewing.

“Oh my god, this is delicious,” you praised excitedly, twirling another forkful of pasta on your plate. “Best Italian restaurant, hands down.”

Nancy chuckled from across the table. “I told you it beats Mario’s from back home. Eating here is one of my highlights every time we visit California. Only coming in second after seeing you and Keanu, of course.”

“I remember the last time we came here, I had seven of their breadsticks!” Peter added jovially. “I couldn’t even eat half of my chicken marsala because I was too stuffed by then.”

Laughing, Keanu then turned to his side where you were sitting. “You know, Y/N, the first time I had brought you here, you used those exact words; ‘best Italian restaurant.’”

“Well, I have to thank you for introducing me to this place,” you replied, lifting your hand up to gently squeeze his arm. The touch was electrifying, and judging by the look on your face, you had felt it too.

For a moment, you and Keanu locked eyes, and he swore that it felt like the two of you were the only ones in the room. A smile tugged on his lips, and he could sense his cheeks flushing as you stared at him with bright eyes. Seeing a splotch of red sauce on the corner of your mouth, he gingerly wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. His hand lingered by the side of your face, nearly cupping it when Peter’s voice sounded, breaking the entrancement.

“I’m going to the restroom, be right back,” he spoke before excusing himself from the table. “Go order some dessert!”

Keanu heard you giggle as the heat rose to your face. Hearing it made his heart flutter, and suddenly, he felt like a giddy schoolboy around you. What he was feeling at the very second was similar to when you and he went on your first date. It was a sweet reminder of that special night nearly five years ago, and he could only wish that one day, you would remember it too.

“Shit,” you cursed, your eyes clamping shut, and you used the palm of your hand to cover your face. Your body tensed as your breathing grew heavy, an alarming sight to see.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Keanu inquired before glancing at a worried Nancy.

“My head…” you muttered, the pain too intense for you to elaborate.

“Where’s her pain meds?” Nancy wondered, checking her purse to see if she had them.

Keanu grabbed the car keys from his pocket and slid it across the table. “It’s in her bag. She left it under her seat.”

Quickly, Nancy left the restaurant to retrieve your pills as Keanu did all that he could to bring you some comfort. Shrugging off the jacket he wore, he placed it over your head so that the lights inside the restaurant wouldn’t hurt your eyes. He then called a waiter over, asking for a glass of ice.

“What’s happening?” Peter reappeared shortly after, kneeling down next to you, voice laced in concern.

“Migraine. Nancy’s getting her meds from the car.”

Peter nodded, standing up on his feet as the waiter came back with the ice. Keanu urged you to rest the cold glass against your head in hopes of easing the pain. Luckily, the tables around him were empty, and he wasn’t drawing too much attention to you.

“Shh, Y/N,” Keanu murmured softly, draping an around behind your shoulder with one hand resting on your upper arm. “It’s okay. Keep breathing for me, alright. That’s it, baby. Just relax, you’re going to be fine. You’re strong, you can fight this.”

Minutes later, Nancy returned with your medicine in her hand. Fortunately, the migraine was subsiding, and you swallowed two pills, which soon brought you much-needed relief. Eventually, you were able to sit up straight again. Once you convinced your parents that you were feeling better, they left the restaurant to drive the car up to the front as Keanu paid for everyone’s meals.

“Thanks, Keanu,” you said in a soft tone, your eyes showing that same sparkle from earlier. “I appreciate what you did back there.”

“It’s no problem,” he responded, not realizing that he was still holding you close in his arms. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to take up your space—”

“Don’t worry, no harm was done,” you assured him, reaching up to place your hand above the one on your arm, and you had yet to move away from him. “I’m just looking forward to coming home. I feel pretty exhausted all of a sudden.”

Keanu used his free hand to brush a loose lock of your hair from your face, his lips merely inches away from your delicate ones. He fought back the strong urge to lean down and capture them in a sweet kiss, not wanting to make you feel uncomfortable. Again, he was technically still a stranger to you.

“Well, once we drop off your parents at the airport, I’ll take you back home. To our home.”

“I can’t wait.” You smiled softly at him before tilting your head up, pressing a brief kiss on his cheek, which made him feel warm all over.

Has it really been that long?

---

“Have a safe flight, guys,” you hugged both of your parents tightly as Keanu took their luggage out of the trunk, wheeling them to where you three stood in the airport terminal.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Nancy kissed your forehead, wiping the tears that were escaping your eyes. “Aww darling, don’t cry. What’s wrong?”

Shrugging, you then let out a little laugh. “Nothing, it’s just I’ve never been this far away from you and dad before.”

Peter sighed, putting his hands on your cheeks to cradle your face. “You’ll be okay. Remember, we’re one phone call away. If there’s anything that you need, call us. I don’t care if it’s at three in the morning or even if it’s for something you think might be ridiculous. We’re here for you even if we’re thousands of miles away.”

Wrapping your father up in a close embrace, Peter glanced at Keanu, who was standing behind you. He quickly kissed the side of your temple before pulling away. Keanu then watched as Peter leaned in to whisper into your ear, and he couldn’t make out what he was saying. Not long after, Nancy invited him to come over and join them in one last group hug.

“You take good care of our daughter,” Peter stated, lightly tapping on Keanu’s shoulder. “Update us if anything happens.”

Keanu nodded. “I will. You have my word.”

After your parents headed inside, you and Keanu got back into the car and drove out of the terminal. For a while, he noticed you staring out of the open window. You were wearing his sunglasses again, smiling at the way your hair flew into your face as the fresh breeze blew around you. From time to time, he would steal a glance as you bask in the warm sunlight hitting your skin. You seemed so peaceful and so happy as if nothing had happened and things were normal.

“Eyes on the road, Reeves,” you quipped when you caught him staring.

“I can’t help it,” he chuckled, his focus returning to what was in front of him. “You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I truly am,” came your reply, and moments later, you closed the window back up before turning your head to the side. “Hey, I know you’re wondering what my dad was whispering to me back at the airport.”

“You caught that, huh?”

You gave him a nod as you pushed Keanu’s shades on the top of your head. “He was just reminding me that you’re a good man, and you would take care of me. How you acted when we were at the restaurant was clear proof of it. That's why my parents aren’t worried about leaving me here behind.”

Keanu smiled softly at your words. “I’m really glad that you decided to stay with me.”

“Me too,” you returned. “You’re nothing like my last boyfriend, Eric, and I’m starting to see why I fell for you so soon.”

Eric. The sound of his name still made Keanu  feel sick to this day. He would never understand how someone could treat you the way Eric did. But then again, how was Keanu any better for what he had done?

Minutes later, silence filled the car, and when Keanu glanced your way, he saw your eyes drifting close. It had been a long day that’s for sure, and you needed rest. Soon, you had fallen asleep in your seat, leaving Keanu with his wandering thoughts. For now, he cast them aside, choosing to deal with them some other time when he was ready.

With a deep breath, Keanu continued driving down the freeway as the sun began to set over the hills of Los Angeles. Finally, you were on your way home.

Part 5

Tags: @penwieldingdreamer​ @fanficsrusz​ @toomanystoriessolittletime​ @awessomness​ @meetmeinthematinee​ @ringa-starr​ @iworshipkeanureeves​

[kattegat-kittycat]

Fates Entwined, part III: Who Are You When Nobody Is Watching

Part III of Fates Entwined. 

Part I

Part II

After your former clan was brutally murdered, you agree to an arranged marriage with Ivar to keep your social status. You may not always see eye to eye and sometimes even find yourself on different sides of one war or the other, but somehow you can never escape each other no matter how much you try to forget, deny and run. Somehow you always end up in each other’s faces. Sometimes quite literally.

AN: So, I had to finish another writing assignment, so I wasn’t able to post this earlier. I am sorry that my posting rhythm is all messed up, I thought I’d be able to post once a week or so, but turns out, life gets in the way of these plans more often than not. Thanks for your patience, though :)

Oh, and @youbloodymadgenius you are the first person to ask me to tag you. Thank you so much for bearing with me (and sorry for taking so long) <3

The highest highs and the lowest lows I'll face the life in it's cruel way We shall never give in the pain I'm drowning into your eyes I'm drowning into you

Entwine - Lost Within

As official as the ceremony had been, the banquet afterwards was lively, bordering on rowdy, happy, but all in all friendly. I had to sit at Ivar’s side for most of the festivities, for the well-wishes and the shaking hands, even though all I wanted was to get Aslaug and talk to her, just the two of us. Something had happened and she probably knew what it was. I had never been a seer like her, I did not know how to read my vision or what to make of it, only that it scared me a lot. I had, however, always trusted my gut instinct and that told me that we had set something in motion that was bigger than we were. Once again, my eyes searched the crowd for the tall and slender figure of hers, but when I met her eyes, I could see almost the same uncertainty on her face, she had probably seen on mine. I could not wait any longer; I rested my hand on Ivar’s arm and waited for him to turn his attention to me. His head turned almost instantly as if my hand had burned his skin, but when he saw me, he relaxed a little.

“What is it, my princess?” he asked, smiling sardonically.

“I’ll be over and talk to your mother for a moment, if that is alright?” I tried to make it sound like a question, to keep up appearances in public. Our eyes met and he could see that I had not asked his permission. He tilted his head and his smile became overboarding. “Of course you may go and talk to my mother, I am sure she will tell you everything you need to know for our wedding night.”

I cocked an eyebrow, but he just grinned, so I left it at that and hurried over to my new mother-in-law. I grabbed her by the arm and quickly got her to move with me into a corner where only few could see us, but no one would hear us.

“Y/N, do you like the festivities?” she asked in a high-pitched voice that betrayed her nerves.

I gave a nod. Still had to be polite, right? “Yes, the food is delicious and it is nice to see the men unwind. There will be battles to be fought soon enough. I hear Björn plans on going to the Mediterranean.”

“Yes, yes he is and Hvitserk will go with him. Ubbe and Sigurd, too.”

“So, Ivar will stay here in Kattegat?”

She gave a curt nod.

I took another look around, to make sure no one was near us. “Queen Aslaug, I know you are a talented seer, so please tell me, why do I have the feeling that this marriage set something in motion? Something deep and dark and blood thirsty?”

Suddenly, she looked scared. “So you feel it, too?”

I gave a nod. “I had a vision of some sorts during the ceremony. What was that all about?”

A small sob escaped her and she pulled me closer by the sleeve of my dress.

“I had a vision as well. A vision of your possible futures. But also a vision of a burning Kattegat. A burning world, in which war raged in Kattegat and Ivar had killed his brother and he was fighting his other brothers. But I also saw you. The calm in the center of the storm. He will bring on hell on earth for our people if we cannot get him off that path and I don’t know how. But I know you can.”

I was angry inside, I wanted to scream, but to what avail? So I only swallowed against the scream building up in my throat and it became a fierce whisper:

“So you thought you could get me married to him and that would solve the end of the world as we know it?”

“Yes. And I am sorry. Your mother was a wise woman, and a strong fighter. And I know she passed these traits on to you. If anyone can safe him, it is you. Please”, she took my hands in hers, “Please take care of my little Ivar. Make sure, he can find his greatness, but lose his cruelty.”

I sighed. Only now did I realise, I had tears in my eyes. “It might have been helpful, had you told me before we got married.”

“You would not have consented to this marriage had I told you. And while I am deeply sorry that you will have to deal with this, I do not regret getting you into this. This is your place in this world. This is your fate.”

I grabbed her wrist and twisted it painfully. “That was not yours to decide!”

She looked at me and sighed. “I know. But I had to safe my son. And that meant binding your life to his, so I did. You felt it yourself, this bond is blessed and protected by the Gods themselves. There is no going back.”

I bit my lip to let the pain distract me from my anger. Then I bowed my head before her. She was the seer and the queen after all. I might not have agreed to this had I known the truth of her intentions, but the spider had woven her net well. There was no escaping it now, I knew that she was right.

 I returned to Ivar’s side and he looked at me, almost bored. I was happy enough turning to his brothers to talk. I thought it might come in handy to gather as much intel on my husband as possible. But as it turned out, they weren’t able to tell me much about Ragnar’s youngest son. He seemed to be a riddle wrapped in a mystery. Ambitious to the core and always staying one step ahead of everybody by not revealing too much about himself or his intentions. He was a brilliant strategist, even in civil life, but he trusted no one.

Suddenly, he decided it was time for us to go to bed and he unceremoniously made me get up.

“I am almost sorry that I won’t be able to carry you over the threshold, my dear, sweet princess.” He chuckled, as he crawled across the ground beside me. Gone were the men who had carried him. Way too drunk for the task as well. It was just the two of us, out in the village ways.

I looked down into his face as he looked up and grinned. “Should I carry you instead?” I suggested.

He stopped promptly and his eyes were suddenly ablaze. “Don’t you dare!” He spat. Then went on a little lighter: “Anyway, you are not strong enough to carry me.”

I cocked my head in utter disbelief. “You should not have said that, Boneless!” I growled, because this had been a challenge if there ever was one. I stooped to the ground and took hold of one arm and one leg, but Ivar fought me off. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me down into the dirt with him, then he tried to wrestle me beneath him. I fought with all my might, but Ivar had more experience on his side down here. Suddenly, we heard someone laugh. The two of us turned around and saw Björn, holding his belly and laughing hard.

“You…you two should see yourselves! I do not question Aslaug’s decision for a single moment. You two are made for each other!”

I used Ivar’s surprise to my benefit, jumped to my feet and again grabbed him by his arm and his ankle to heave him onto my shoulders. He was heavier than I had anticipated, but I was stronger than he thought.

“Let me down, wife!” he spat violently, but didn’t struggle too much. I turned to Björn and bid him farewell and when Ivar had completely settled down, I started to make my way to the family home and his room, followed by the chuckling of my husband’s brother.

“Well, Floki’s piggy back rides are far more comfortable, but this is still nicer than crawling through the dirt.” He chuckled.

“And you can tell them that I carry you on my hands and share your burden.”

I heard the grin in his voice when he said: “You are indecent, don’t know your place and you are inobedient. I like that about you. You have a certain spark to you.”

I didn’t really respond, because we had reached the house. “Well, Ivar, this is it, the magic moment where I carry you over the threshold.”

He gave me a slap on the back, missing my arse by milimeters. I just shook my head.

“You are so headstrong. Do you want us both to crawl across it?”

He sighed dramatically and I knew that I had won. I steppped through the doorway and entered the longhouse. This was it. The last time I had entered this house, I was an orphan without a family or a home. Now I was the wife of Ivar Ragnarsson. How quickly the tables had turned.

“Don’t you have a cynical comment to make, dear husband?” I asked, as Ivar was uncharacteristically quiet.

“I just thought how strange it is that I left this house a bachelor and came back a husband.”

I hummed in agreement and we both were quiet for a moment. Then I shook off the odd pull I felt in my stomach and made my way over to the partition that was Ivar’s space. Once there, I let him down onto the bed more softly than I myself had expected. When I took a step back, Ivar looked at me in silent wonder. I smiled at him. A little insecure, slightly hopeful, but terribly unsure of what to do. Then I saw the bowl filled with warm water and the wash cloth beside it. My eyes wandered from that to Ivar’s face, which was dusty and and partly grimy after we had wrestled in the dirt. I took the few steps to get the bowl, then went back over to Ivar on the bed. Once there, I dipped the cloth into the warm water and wrung it out.

“May I?” I asked before touching his face. Again there was this slight insecurity in his eyes and he looked so much younger like that. He looked up to me, mouth slightly agape and as I touched the soft material to his face, he closed his eyes. I washed the grime off of his forehead and chin, his cheeks and also his ears. When I had reached his neck, I started opening his shirt. Again, I searched for his eyes and found them in silent agreement. I loosened the shirt, then pulled it over his head, marvelling at his finely chiseled, muscular torso and arms. But I didn’t give myself the time to get lost in the sight. Instead I went to work almost immediately. Now kneeling in front of him, I washed his chest and stomach, his shoulders and felt him sigh slightly. Then I continued with his arms down to his fingertips and cleaned every single finger. I looked at his big hands in my small ones, his thick fingers between my slender, long fingers. We were different, but we were the same in many respects, both not knowing where this might lead us. Before I even reached for his legs, he stopped me. He held my hands tight in his and looked away. Then he pulled me closer to him. His hand went to my face and held my chin. He gently tilted it up and gestured to me to get up from my knees. I did as he showed, as he guided me to sit on a small stool in front of him. He then took the wash cloth from my hands, dipped it into the water and administered the same care and attention to me, I had given to him. His fingers were a little clumsy at times, but he made up for that with enthusiasm. Even though he made me take off my dress, he let me keep on my undergarments. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was for my being comfortable or because he was slightly nervous.

He made me turn around to face him after he was done with my upper back and my eyes met his. We looked at each other in a surprisingly comfortable silence. Then he smiled a small smile.

“This marriage will either be the best or the worst thing that ever happened to me. But right now, I am happy to have you here.” He then said.

I shrugged. “I don’t deal in absolutes. It could be both, the best and the worst, at the same time.”

“I like your way of looking at the world.” He chuckled.

“You say that now, but get back to me on this in a year.”

“Ah, my wife. Always an argument, always something to say, always something to add. You don’t make life easy on yourself, do you?”

“Life is rarely kind or easy. At least it hasn’t been on me. And I like to laugh and jest all in good fun. I like being honest and not having to hide things or myself. This is me. But who are you, Ivar?”

“I am the son of Ragnar Lothbrok. I am the Boneless. But I am also a viking, one day I will conquer foreign lands and fight my way to Valhalla.”

“Yes, but besides that? Who are you when nobody is watching? What do you enjoy for yourself?”

He looked at me with a blank expression. I had felt for a while now that planning his future as a viking and becoming a legend had been the only thing he ever did and entertained, but then his schoulders released a little and he smiled.

“I like to help Floki. I don’t really help him, but I do small stuff. Keep him company, when he is lonely. I love listening to his tales, his wild ideas, the stories he has to tell. The things he told me about my father, when he was a young man.”

“Oh, that’s good. What else?”

“I like stories. Listening to tales and sagas. Hear about famous battles, strategies used. They are like little riddles waiting to be solved. What was the important factor in one side’s success and the other’s loss? What could have turned the tides? Could there have been a better defense strategy? Would it have ended in total annihilation had they used another strategy? I like these things, thinking up scenarios and their consequences.” He looked into the distance, thinking about something. Then he shook his head and smiled sheepishly.

“We should get to bed, get some sleep. I don’t believe you got much sleep last night, either.” He suggested.

I chuckled. “Yeah, no. That sounds like a good idea.”

And it was. Lying in the dark, next to each other, didn’t feel as awkward and outlandish as the thought had at first. At some point, I felt Ivar’s hand feeling around for mine. When he found it, he entangled our fingers and slowly, we drifted off to sleep.

[artificialqueens]

All in the Golden Afternoon (Ninex) - multifandomgeek

A/N: This is for Meggie, because I know how much she loves Ninex. If y'all are not reading How Far I’ll Go, you are seriously missing out!

This is very fluffy and drama-free, but it still mentions depression, however slightly, so be aware of that. Take care of yourselves, and be kind <3.

Summary: Monet has a big property that she has turned into this nice little place where kids learn all about plants and gardening. Summer has a special program with fun activities every day, but the age limit is 14. Nina’s daughter is 16, but she insists on talking to Monet to enroll her in the program. Maybe they can work something out?

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20222725

-

Monet was preparing seedlings on a big table outside her home/office/camp. Apart from some 80s soft rock playing on a speaker near her and some birds nearby, everything was silent, the fresh smell of rummaged earth filling her nose and calming her soul. There were a couple of weeks left before the summer program began, and Monet was relishing in the peace before the inevitable storm of kids all around took up her entire day and her entire property.

Summer was her favorite part of the year solely because of the summer program, even if she usually started to complain about it barely a week in. Monet had a big property, two acres near a lake with a big, two-store house courtesy of her late grandfather, who had a thing for flaunting his money and would die all over again if he saw that his property had become basically a training farm for kids on the hands of his only granddaughter.

Monet had divided the land in small allotments for planting different kinds of vegetables and flowers. You could sign up your kid for the year-long program or the summer program. Kids would treat the land accordingly to what was intended to grow there and tend to the crops all year long, selling it to their families for pocket money. Over the years, they had shaped the program to be fun for the kids while still teaching them about patience and work, and it was a success with both the students and their parents.

The summer program was a fun, different sort of thing, with smaller kids than usual as well as the big ones, all learning about gardening and just having plain good old fun in the dirt and swimming in the lake, some of them having sleep-overs in the big house and staining Monet’s sheets with mud and tears of laughter. She loved it more than anything.

Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac started to play and Monet hummed along as she continued to prepare the infinite amount of seedlings for the kids to plant in a few weeks. She was so focused on her work that she didn’t even notice the woman approaching until she was right in front of her, startling the shit out of Monet.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” said the woman, stifling a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m looking for Monet?” She had a knee-length round dress on that the wind was slightly blowing, her brown hair pulled back by a cute matching hairband, also flowing in light waves. She was absolutely adorable.  

Monet cackled, a hand over her pounding heart, effectively getting dirt all over her t-shirt. “It’s okay. Girl, I had my head in the clouds. I’m Monet, nice to meet you,” she extended her hand for the woman to shake, forgetting it was covered in dirt.

But she only hesitated for a second before taking Monet’s hand and shaking it firmly. “I’m Nina West, it’s a pleasure,” she said with a contagious smile. “I sent you an email about my daughter, Katherine?”

–

Monet sat at her desk while Nina and Katherine sat across from her. She had properly washed her hands, but her shirt was still dirty, not that she cared. Nina looked nervous, and Katherine… Well, she didn’t look anything in particular. It was like the girl was functioning in an automatic mode, following instructions: walk, say hello, sit, stay quiet, nod politely, smile, answer the question, stay quiet again.

They had gone over most of the details about the summer program. Katherine was 16 years old, while the usual age limit was 14, which was why they were there. Nina was asking for special treatment, and while Monet had no problems with saying no to people, she felt herself caving.

“Mom, could I wait for you in the car?” asked Katherine in a low murmur.

Nina sighed, but before she could consent, Monet interrupted. “Come here, sweetie, let me show you something,” she got up, walking out of the office and gesturing for Katherine to follow. She kept a hand on the girl’s back while they walked, partly for comfort and partly because she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t bolt. Katherine barely looked up as they walked inside a bedroom then out onto the balcony.

It was a huge balcony with a view to the lake, a few comfortable armchairs and loveseats scattered around. There was a warm breeze brushing over them, and they could see pretty far, given that they were on the second floor and the house was on top of a slight elevation on the terrain.

“Why don’t you stay here, sweetie?” said Monet. Katherine was looking up, at least, right at the horizon. Monet started rubbing her back without even noticing. “Sit down wherever you want, enjoy the view,. Try not to pull out your phone the minute I’m gone, how about that?” she finished sassily.

Katherine chuckled briefly. It felt like a victory.

“I’ll tell your mom to come and get you when we’re done, okay?” finished Monet, waiting for an answer.

“Okay,” said Katherine. Monet kissed the top of her head before she left, god knows why.

Nina was waiting for her outside her office, standing by the wall. “Where did you guys go?” she asked, trying to mask her worry with a curious tone.

Monet kind of wanted to hug her. “I took her to the balcony. It’s a nice view, I think she likes it,” she said, gesturing for Nina to sit down again so they could talk. Monet sat beside her instead of behind her desk, for some reason it felt like the right thing to do.

Nina looked at her, clutching her purse on her lap before she started to talk. “Kate has been depressed for a while. Clinically depressed,” she said, averting Monet’s gaze. “She takes medications and goes to therapy but we’re trying- me, I’m trying to find some real activities for her. You know, so she can have something that brings a smile to her face again,” a single tear fell down her face and she quickly wiped it away.

“You want to cheer her up a little?” said Monet, kindly. She was almost crying herself.

Nina nodded. “To simplify it, yes. She used to like gardening, before- well, before she stopped liking pretty much anything.” Nina looked down, pausing for a moment before her demeanor changed, and she went back into efficient-mom mode. “I know she’s out of your age limit, but we live in an apartment and this place is so close, it’s just perfect. I’m really hoping the contact with nature will do her some good. I know she is a quiet girl, but she’s hard-working, I promise you, and she isn’t the kind of kid to get into any trouble either, I-”

Monet took Nina’s hands. “Hey, hey, relax. I’m not turning her down.”

“You’re not?” said Nina, so hopeful it was heartbreaking.

“Of course not,” said Monet, suddenly noticing how intimate this had gotten and stepping back into her loud self. “What am I, a heartless bitch?” she got up to sit on her usual chair before she did something stupid like kiss this wonderful, beautiful woman who she was sure would go to the moon and back just to see her daughter smile once.

Nina smiled, and Monet swooned. “That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Monet!”

“I’m thinking of something different, though. Maybe putting her with younger teens would be a little too rough. How is she with little kids?”

–

Monet decided to have Katherine as a volunteer. She was the only one with that title but Monet was the damn boss and she would make up as many titles as she damn wanted. The girl would help with the small kids, little toddlers that came to the camp for a couple of hours during the day to basically play in the dirt and learn that if you bury a seed and water it, it grows into a plant. The hardest part of the job was patience, and most of the time was actually spent playing more than working.

Nina brought Katherine every day before the start of the program so Monet could teach her the basics and prepare her for the job. It surprised her how much the girl actually loved getting her hands dirty. She particularly knew a lot about flowers, a bunch of mystical information and symbolism that didn’t make any difference in taking care of them. But was very interesting to hear nonetheless.

Nina wanted to stay close, at least in the beginning, so Monet put her to good use, having her help with any odd job there was to do. She seemed more than happy to be useful, the work appearing to lift a weight off her shoulders too, and Monet wondered how much of her day was spent worrying. Keeping people busy so their minds would be at peace was the whole point of Monet’s business, but having Nina around was especially good.

Once Katherine began loosening up a little, it was like a whole other Nina started to emerge. She was bubbly, had a unique talent to make people feel good about themselves, a contagious smile, and told the stupidest jokes, but perhaps Monet’s favorite part was that Nina was just so clumsy. She had a remarkable lack of body awareness, hitting her hip, elbows and shoulders everywhere, kicking things down, walking into people, tripping on steps she walked by every day. It was hilarious, and the best part was that every time Monet laughed at her, Katherine did too.

“I bet five bucks that your mom is gonna trip on that bucket over there,” said Monet one Thursday afternoon. She and Katherine were crouching down over a patch of dirt, preparing it with fertilizer and soil so all the kids would have to do was dig a hole and put the seedlings in. Well, Katherine was doing most of it, Monet was watching Nina moving boxes of snacks from her car to the kitchen.

Katherine looked up. “It’s not even in her path,” she said, but there was a smile in her voice. Monet was so proud of her it was insane.

“Do you or do you not accept the bet?” she asked pointedly, moving her head to punctuate her words.

Katherine shook Monet’s hand. “It’s on, there’s no way, she’s not that clumsy. The bucket is not even-”

“Oh, cra-nberries!” the loud yelp from Nina interrupted them both, the ridiculous substitute for a curse word escaping her mouth before she stumbled on her feet and feel on a puddle of mud.

Monet and Katherine burst into laughter, the younger girl sitting on the ground, holding her shaking belly. Monet got up to help Nina, who was wiping mud off her face while she also laughed. But Monet was laughing so hard it took away her force, and she just cackled while holding Nina’s hand for a solid couple of minutes before actually managing to hoist her up.

“You’re a mess,” said Monet, still laughing, patting Nina’s hair out of her face while trying to take some mud out of it at the same time.

Nina’s smile faltered. She was looking at Monet. They were so close. “Who put that bucket here anyway?” she said, sounding affected. Monet’s hand was still in her hair.

“You did, mom!” said Katherine, taking both of them out of the moment. “I owe you five bucks, Monet,” she was smiling wide.

Nina reached for Monet’s hand and squeezed it. Do you see how she’s smiling? She wanted to say. “Did you bet I was going to fall?” she asked instead, overdramatically.

“What can I say, you’re reliable, girl,” responded Monet, squeezing her hand back as if to say I see it, she’s doing good, miss Nina. You’re doing good. “Kate, baby, finish with those boxes while I help your mom and we’re even, deal?”

“Deal,” said Kate, promptly getting up and patting her dirty hands on the sides of her legs. Nina winced at the dirt that got on her shorts, involuntarily.

“Really, you’re worried about her clothes?” said Monet, already walking her towards the back of the house. “Look at yourself,” she chuckled.

Nina looked down, her previously yellow shirt and creamy shorts completely covered in brown. She let out a full belly-laugh. “I’ll probably have to shower in them before I put them in the laundry.”

Monet chuckled, directing them to a secluded part of the yard, reaching for a hose. “Actually…”

“Wait, no, no, no,” said Nina, raising her hands in a defensive motion. “Now, there’s no need for extreme measures.”

Monet laughed mischievously. “Trust me, this is the best way,” she said. It was true, this particular situation having happened more than a couple of times. Though that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be fun. She unwinded the hose from its support, all the while watching Nina grow giddy and scared at the same time. “Now, don’t you run, Miss Nina, this hose is long as fuck and I will not hesitate to turn on the high pressure.”

Nina yelped and laughed, even before Monet did anything at all. “Alright. Please be nice.” She had her hands in front of her hunched body to shield herself, her face scrunched down in anticipation.

“I’m always nice!” said Monet, smiling innocently before turning the water on and pointing it a Nina mercilessly.

Nina laughed, yelped and squirmed as Monet washed the mud away from her with the cold stream of water. As she got cleaner, her clothes started to get see-through, clinging to her body, and Monet had to do a herculean effort not to stare. She knew she had a crush on Nina since day one, but she also knew she had no right to ogle at the woman, who clearly had no interest in her whatsoever.

“Okay, I think you’re clean enough now, but you have to rinse your hair before you can take an actual shower inside,” said Monet, handing Nina the hose.

Nina threw her head back letting the water fall through her strands while she combed them with her fingers. Monet’s gaze trailed down to her stranded neck, her see-through shirt, her nipples perked up against the fabric of her bra, hardened by the cold water.

She got too distracted to notice Nina’s crooked smile after she was done with her hair.

Nina swiftly pointed the hose at her, taking Monet completely off guard, making her gasp sharply and suck her stomach in as the cold water abruptly hit her chest. Nina was giggling like mad as Monet looked up at her with pure revenge on her eyes.

“Monet! Monet, be nice,” said Nina, taking a step back and holding the hose in front of her like a weapon, still giggling uncontrollably.

“Oh, I’ll be real nice, just give me that hose back,” she said, trying to take it from Nina but just managing to get wetter in the process. “Give it to me, Nina, you shady bitch!”

Nina kept slipping away from Monet’s grasp while she tried to outsmart her. At some point they began running around each other, Nina pointing the stream back at Monet until both of them were thoroughly soaked and had their cheeks hurting from laughter. But Nina ended up running into a patch of grass that was too wet and slipped up, losing her footing and falling down on her ass.

“Shit!” said Monet, running to catch her mid-fall, just to end up being pulled down on top of her.

They laid down in the grass, breathless from all the running around, thoroughly wet, the hose completely forgotten as their eyes met and all the playfulness went away from their smiles. Monet licked her lips, looking down at Nina’s mouth wishing she could just kiss her. But she couldn’t. A beat passed, and she was ready to get up when Nina surged up and captured her lips with her own.

Monet’s eyes fluttered closed as she immediately kissed back. She let out a satisfied hum, adjusting their angle while Nina’s hand reached to caress her cheek. It could have been a dream, their skins so cold just a second ago now getting hotter by the minute. Nina’s kisses were soft and she tasted faintly like vanilla, probably because she stole one of the snacks earlier in the day. Monet licked inside her mouth, wanting to taste more.

They kept kissing and kissing until Nina pulled back to sneeze.

Money chuckled. “Come on, you need a hot shower,” she said, sitting up.

“Ouch, I think I bruised my butt,” said Nina, also sitting up.

Monet barked a laugh. “Where haven’t you been bruised by now?” she said, shaking her head affectionately.

“I can think of plenty of places that can use a bruise or two,” said Nina in a low voice, and Monet’s brain short circuited. Nina leaned forward and kissed her again.

“Come on,” said Monet in between kisses, “we can do this once we’re dry, I don’t want you to catch a cold.” She forced herself to get up and help Nina so she wouldn’t slip up again.

“Can we? Do this again I mean?” said Nina shyly as they winded up the hose.

Monet smiled at her, nodding. “Do you want to just- or would you also like to maybe go out on a date with me?” she asked slowly, tentatively, assessing Nina’s reaction.

“Yes,” said Nina, looking incredibly cute even all wet and dirty.

“Yes which one?” Monet chuckled.

“Both.”

Tags

nina west, monet x change, ninex, fluff, lesbian au, all in the golden afternoon, multifandomgeek, tw:depression

Please link to ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20222725

A/N: This is for Meggie, because I know how much she loves Ninex. If y'all are not reading How Far I’ll Go, you are seriously missing out!

This is very fluffy and drama-free, but it still mentions depression, however slightly, so be aware of that. Take care of yourselves, and be kind <3.

Summary: Monet has a big property that she has turned into this nice little place where kids learn all about plants and gardening. Summer has a special program with fun activities every day, but the age limit is 14. Nina’s daughter is 16, but she insists on talking to Monet to enroll her in the program. Maybe they can work something out?

-

Monet was preparing seedlings on a big table outside her home/office/camp. Apart from some 80s soft rock playing on a speaker near her and some birds nearby, everything was silent, the fresh smell of rummaged earth filling her nose and calming her soul. There were a couple of weeks left before the summer program began, and Monet was relishing in the peace before the inevitable storm of kids all around took up her entire day and her entire property.

Summer was her favorite part of the year solely because of the summer program, even if she usually started to complain about it barely a week in. Monet had a big property, two acres near a lake with a big, two-store house courtesy of her late grandfather, who had a thing for flaunting his money and would die all over again if he saw that his property had become basically a training farm for kids on the hands of his only granddaughter.

Monet had divided the land in small allotments for planting different kinds of vegetables and flowers. You could sign up your kid for the year-long program or the summer program. Kids would treat the land accordingly to what was intended to grow there and tend to the crops all year long, selling it to their families for pocket money. Over the years, they had shaped the program to be fun for the kids while still teaching them about patience and work, and it was a success with both the students and their parents.

The summer program was a fun, different sort of thing, with smaller kids than usual as well as the big ones, all learning about gardening and just having plain good old fun in the dirt and swimming in the lake, some of them having sleep-overs in the big house and staining Monet’s sheets with mud and tears of laughter. She loved it more than anything.

Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac started to play and Monet hummed along as she continued to prepare the infinite amount of seedlings for the kids to plant in a few weeks. She was so focused on her work that she didn’t even notice the woman approaching until she was right in front of her, startling the shit out of Monet.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” said the woman, stifling a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m looking for Monet?” She had a knee-length round dress on that the wind was slightly blowing, her brown hair pulled back by a cute matching hairband, also flowing in light waves. She was absolutely adorable.  

Monet cackled, a hand over her pounding heart, effectively getting dirt all over her t-shirt. “It’s okay. Girl, I had my head in the clouds. I’m Monet, nice to meet you,” she extended her hand for the woman to shake, forgetting it was covered in dirt.

But she only hesitated for a second before taking Monet’s hand and shaking it firmly. “I’m Nina West, it’s a pleasure,” she said with a contagious smile. “I sent you an email about my daughter, Katherine?”

–

Monet sat at her desk while Nina and Katherine sat across from her. She had properly washed her hands, but her shirt was still dirty, not that she cared. Nina looked nervous, and Katherine… Well, she didn’t look anything in particular. It was like the girl was functioning in an automatic mode, following instructions: walk, say hello, sit, stay quiet, nod politely, smile, answer the question, stay quiet again.

They had gone over most of the details about the summer program. Katherine was 16 years old, while the usual age limit was 14, which was why they were there. Nina was asking for special treatment, and while Monet had no problems with saying no to people, she felt herself caving.

“Mom, could I wait for you in the car?” asked Katherine in a low murmur.

Nina sighed, but before she could consent, Monet interrupted. “Come here, sweetie, let me show you something,” she got up, walking out of the office and gesturing for Katherine to follow. She kept a hand on the girl’s back while they walked, partly for comfort and partly because she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t bolt. Katherine barely looked up as they walked inside a bedroom then out onto the balcony.

It was a huge balcony with a view to the lake, a few comfortable armchairs and loveseats scattered around. There was a warm breeze brushing over them, and they could see pretty far, given that they were on the second floor and the house was on top of a slight elevation on the terrain.

“Why don’t you stay here, sweetie?” said Monet. Katherine was looking up, at least, right at the horizon. Monet started rubbing her back without even noticing. “Sit down wherever you want, enjoy the view,. Try not to pull out your phone the minute I’m gone, how about that?” she finished sassily.

Katherine chuckled briefly. It felt like a victory.

“I’ll tell your mom to come and get you when we’re done, okay?” finished Monet, waiting for an answer.

“Okay,” said Katherine. Monet kissed the top of her head before she left, god knows why.

Nina was waiting for her outside her office, standing by the wall. “Where did you guys go?” she asked, trying to mask her worry with a curious tone.

Monet kind of wanted to hug her. “I took her to the balcony. It’s a nice view, I think she likes it,” she said, gesturing for Nina to sit down again so they could talk. Monet sat beside her instead of behind her desk, for some reason it felt like the right thing to do.

Nina looked at her, clutching her purse on her lap before she started to talk. “Kate has been depressed for a while. Clinically depressed,” she said, averting Monet’s gaze. “She takes medications and goes to therapy but we’re trying- me, I’m trying to find some real activities for her. You know, so she can have something that brings a smile to her face again,” a single tear fell down her face and she quickly wiped it away.

“You want to cheer her up a little?” said Monet, kindly. She was almost crying herself.

Nina nodded. “To simplify it, yes. She used to like gardening, before- well, before she stopped liking pretty much anything.” Nina looked down, pausing for a moment before her demeanor changed, and she went back into efficient-mom mode. “I know she’s out of your age limit, but we live in an apartment and this place is so close, it’s just perfect. I’m really hoping the contact with nature will do her some good. I know she is a quiet girl, but she’s hard-working, I promise you, and she isn’t the kind of kid to get into any trouble either, I-”

Monet took Nina’s hands. “Hey, hey, relax. I’m not turning her down.”

“You’re not?” said Nina, so hopeful it was heartbreaking.

“Of course not,” said Monet, suddenly noticing how intimate this had gotten and stepping back into her loud self. “What am I, a heartless bitch?” she got up to sit on her usual chair before she did something stupid like kiss this wonderful, beautiful woman who she was sure would go to the moon and back just to see her daughter smile once.

Nina smiled, and Monet swooned. “That’s amazing! Thank you so much, Monet!”

“I’m thinking of something different, though. Maybe putting her with younger teens would be a little too rough. How is she with little kids?”

–

Monet decided to have Katherine as a volunteer. She was the only one with that title but Monet was the damn boss and she would make up as many titles as she damn wanted. The girl would help with the small kids, little toddlers that came to the camp for a couple of hours during the day to basically play in the dirt and learn that if you bury a seed and water it, it grows into a plant. The hardest part of the job was patience, and most of the time was actually spent playing more than working.

Nina brought Katherine every day before the start of the program so Monet could teach her the basics and prepare her for the job. It surprised her how much the girl actually loved getting her hands dirty. She particularly knew a lot about flowers, a bunch of mystical information and symbolism that didn’t make any difference in taking care of them. But was very interesting to hear nonetheless.

Nina wanted to stay close, at least in the beginning, so Monet put her to good use, having her help with any odd job there was to do. She seemed more than happy to be useful, the work appearing to lift a weight off her shoulders too, and Monet wondered how much of her day was spent worrying. Keeping people busy so their minds would be at peace was the whole point of Monet’s business, but having Nina around was especially good.

Once Katherine began loosening up a little, it was like a whole other Nina started to emerge. She was bubbly, had a unique talent to make people feel good about themselves, a contagious smile, and told the stupidest jokes, but perhaps Monet’s favorite part was that Nina was just so clumsy. She had a remarkable lack of body awareness, hitting her hip, elbows and shoulders everywhere, kicking things down, walking into people, tripping on steps she walked by every day. It was hilarious, and the best part was that every time Monet laughed at her, Katherine did too.

“I bet five bucks that your mom is gonna trip on that bucket over there,” said Monet one Thursday afternoon. She and Katherine were crouching down over a patch of dirt, preparing it with fertilizer and soil so all the kids would have to do was dig a hole and put the seedlings in. Well, Katherine was doing most of it, Monet was watching Nina moving boxes of snacks from her car to the kitchen.

Katherine looked up. “It’s not even in her path,” she said, but there was a smile in her voice. Monet was so proud of her it was insane.

“Do you or do you not accept the bet?” she asked pointedly, moving her head to punctuate her words.

Katherine shook Monet’s hand. “It’s on, there’s no way, she’s not that clumsy. The bucket is not even-”

“Oh, cra-nberries!” the loud yelp from Nina interrupted them both, the ridiculous substitute for a curse word escaping her mouth before she stumbled on her feet and feel on a puddle of mud.

Monet and Katherine burst into laughter, the younger girl sitting on the ground, holding her shaking belly. Monet got up to help Nina, who was wiping mud off her face while she also laughed. But Monet was laughing so hard it took away her force, and she just cackled while holding Nina’s hand for a solid couple of minutes before actually managing to hoist her up.

“You’re a mess,” said Monet, still laughing, patting Nina’s hair out of her face while trying to take some mud out of it at the same time.

Nina’s smile faltered. She was looking at Monet. They were so close. “Who put that bucket here anyway?” she said, sounding affected. Monet’s hand was still in her hair.

“You did, mom!” said Katherine, taking both of them out of the moment. “I owe you five bucks, Monet,” she was smiling wide.

Nina reached for Monet’s hand and squeezed it. Do you see how she’s smiling? She wanted to say. “Did you bet I was going to fall?” she asked instead, overdramatically.

“What can I say, you’re reliable, girl,” responded Monet, squeezing her hand back as if to say I see it, she’s doing good, miss Nina. You’re doing good. “Kate, baby, finish with those boxes while I help your mom and we’re even, deal?”

“Deal,” said Kate, promptly getting up and patting her dirty hands on the sides of her legs. Nina winced at the dirt that got on her shorts, involuntarily.

“Really, you’re worried about her clothes?” said Monet, already walking her towards the back of the house. “Look at yourself,” she chuckled.

Nina looked down, her previously yellow shirt and creamy shorts completely covered in brown. She let out a full belly-laugh. “I’ll probably have to shower in them before I put them in the laundry.”

Monet chuckled, directing them to a secluded part of the yard, reaching for a hose. “Actually…”

“Wait, no, no, no,” said Nina, raising her hands in a defensive motion. “Now, there’s no need for extreme measures.”

Monet laughed mischievously. “Trust me, this is the best way,” she said. It was true, this particular situation having happened more than a couple of times. Though that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be fun. She unwinded the hose from its support, all the while watching Nina grow giddy and scared at the same time. “Now, don’t you run, Miss Nina, this hose is long as fuck and I will not hesitate to turn on the high pressure.”

Nina yelped and laughed, even before Monet did anything at all. “Alright. Please be nice.” She had her hands in front of her hunched body to shield herself, her face scrunched down in anticipation.

“I’m always nice!” said Monet, smiling innocently before turning the water on and pointing it a Nina mercilessly.

Nina laughed, yelped and squirmed as Monet washed the mud away from her with the cold stream of water. As she got cleaner, her clothes started to get see-through, clinging to her body, and Monet had to do a herculean effort not to stare. She knew she had a crush on Nina since day one, but she also knew she had no right to ogle at the woman, who clearly had no interest in her whatsoever.

“Okay, I think you’re clean enough now, but you have to rinse your hair before you can take an actual shower inside,” said Monet, handing Nina the hose.

Nina threw her head back letting the water fall through her strands while she combed them with her fingers. Monet’s gaze trailed down to her stranded neck, her see-through shirt, her nipples perked up against the fabric of her bra, hardened by the cold water.

She got too distracted to notice Nina’s crooked smile after she was done with her hair.

Nina swiftly pointed the hose at her, taking Monet completely off guard, making her gasp sharply and suck her stomach in as the cold water abruptly hit her chest. Nina was giggling like mad as Monet looked up at her with pure revenge on her eyes.

“Monet! Monet, be nice,” said Nina, taking a step back and holding the hose in front of her like a weapon, still giggling uncontrollably.

“Oh, I’ll be real nice, just give me that hose back,” she said, trying to take it from Nina but just managing to get wetter in the process. “Give it to me, Nina, you shady bitch!”

Nina kept slipping away from Monet’s grasp while she tried to outsmart her. At some point they began running around each other, Nina pointing the stream back at Monet until both of them were thoroughly soaked and had their cheeks hurting from laughter. But Nina ended up running into a patch of grass that was too wet and slipped up, losing her footing and falling down on her ass.

“Shit!” said Monet, running to catch her mid-fall, just to end up being pulled down on top of her.

They laid down in the grass, breathless from all the running around, thoroughly wet, the hose completely forgotten as their eyes met and all the playfulness went away from their smiles. Monet licked her lips, looking down at Nina’s mouth wishing she could just kiss her. But she couldn’t. A beat passed, and she was ready to get up when Nina surged up and captured her lips with her own.

Monet’s eyes fluttered closed as she immediately kissed back. She let out a satisfied hum, adjusting their angle while Nina’s hand reached to caress her cheek. It could have been a dream, their skins so cold just a second ago now getting hotter by the minute. Nina’s kisses were soft and she tasted faintly like vanilla, probably because she stole one of the snacks earlier in the day. Monet licked inside her mouth, wanting to taste more.

They kept kissing and kissing until Nina pulled back to sneeze.

Money chuckled. “Come on, you need a hot shower,” she said, sitting up.

“Ouch, I think I bruised my butt,” said Nina, also sitting up.

Monet barked a laugh. “Where haven’t you been bruised by now?” she said, shaking her head affectionately.

“I can think of plenty of places that can use a bruise or two,” said Nina in a low voice, and Monet’s brain short circuited. Nina leaned forward and kissed her again.

“Come on,” said Monet in between kisses, “we can do this once we’re dry, I don’t want you to catch a cold.” She forced herself to get up and help Nina so she wouldn’t slip up again.

“Can we? Do this again I mean?” said Nina shyly as they winded up the hose.

Monet smiled at her, nodding. “Do you want to just- or would you also like to maybe go out on a date with me?” she asked slowly, tentatively, assessing Nina’s reaction.

“Yes,” said Nina, looking incredibly cute even all wet and dirty.

“Yes which one?” Monet chuckled.

“Both.”

[stuckinthekookiejar]

Distractions pt. 14

Pt. 1 || Pt. 2 || Pt. 3 || Pt. 4 || Pt. 5 || Pt. 6 || Pt. 7 || Pt. 8 || Pt.9 || Pt. 10 || Pt. 11 || Pt. 12 || Pt. 13 || Pt. 14

Yoongi x Reader x Jimin

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Series Summary: Somewhere along the way, something went wrong and the relationship you had with Yoongi was broken off just days before his debut. Now, years later your paths unexpectedly cross again.

Word Count: 2474

The sound of clattering dishes and laughter filled the private dining room,

“And then Yeonie unnie slipped and fell knocking over all the clothes racks! It was a total mess and Mook oppa scolded her on every little thing for the rest of the day. It was amazing.” The maknae sat on one end of the table laughing at the story her mind had recalled from 2S’ predebut days.

“Yah!” Joo Yeon, who happened to be sitting across the maknae, snapped her chopsticks in her direction, “Can’t you let your poor unnie live?” Again, she tried snapping her chopsticks angrily for emphasis, but somehow one of the pointed metal utensils flung from her hand almost piercing the others next to her.

Sun Hee giggled from her spot next to Joo Yeon, “Live? How are we going to live if your clumsiness might cost us our lives?” 

Everyone broke out in uncontrollable laughter while the eldest slumped down giving up in trying to redeem her clumsy self.

“Yeonie noona and Joonie hyung should never be placed in the same room together. The entire world would probably accidentally come crashing down.” You looked beside you as Jimin participated in the conversation. His eyes were held captive in his precious eye smile and his laughter sounded like music to your ears. His candid happiness was a sight you never got tired of. 

The past few months with him had been such a splendid blur. Although you two had faced harsh criticisms from many netizens and antifans, you and Jimin didn’t back down. You and your group, in particular, had to face most of the backlash considering the fact that 2S was relatively new on the scene. Many called you a desperate wannabe idol who was just using Jimin for publicity. However, Jimin always came to your defense. No matter how much you, or BigHit, told him to ignore the haters, he always talked about how genuine you were through Twitter, fancafe, Vlive chat, or through any other platforms of social media he had available. You also knew that Jimin too had many insults and curses being thrown his way by many horrible people on the internet, but he was the one who always put on a smile and comforted you. In the wave of darkness, he had been your light.   

The laughter softly died down as the wooden sliding door opened and one of the waitresses came in with more food and slices of juicy meat. Jimin took the initiative to cook the food for all of you. Of course, you all insisted that you could have cooked yourselves, but Jimin would always make an excuse. This time around he claimed that you and the girls were working very hard on your upcoming comeback, so he wanted you all to rest and eat up.

“Jagiya,” You turned to face Jimin as he held up a wrap that he had just put together to your mouth. Gladly, you had taken up his offer and devoured the juicy meat wrapped in the cool, refreshing cabbage leaf.

“Oooooo, look at the lovebirds being all lovey dovey again!” Hwa Joo giggled from across the table.

In the midst of the maknae’s teasing, Sun Hee chimed in, “Yah, let them eat in peace, Joo. Oh, and Jimin, I had been meaning to ask... how’s Yoongi? We haven’t heard from him in a while and we’re all worried.”

The light-hearted atmosphere that had occupied the room was now tainted by a feeling of concern.

“Ah, Yoongi-hyung? Well, to be very honest, I don’t know how he is. Lately, he’s kept himself locked in his studio for days on end. He works in there nonstop, only taking breaks to go to the bathroom or nap. The other members and I have to constantly bring him food or else he’d forget to eat...”

Your heart began to hurt at the sound of Yoongi’s suffering. You knew that he was acting this way because he was upset. This was always how he had acted whenever he was upset. Your mind brought you back to the days when he fought with his parents. He’d always come to your house, keep himself cooped up in your room and worked on music with a keyboard you had kept in your closet. 

You were about to speak up, ask about if you or the others could offer any help, but another voice beat you to it,

“Is there any way we could help? I mean...I don’t know how, but....I’m just worried you know?” Sol Mi, who had been exceptionally quiet for the past few months, spoke up. Her voice was riddled with concern. 

“I’m worried about him myself, but that’s how hyung always was. Either he’s upset, or he’s just really determined to finish whatever it is that he’s working on in his studio. Either way, we just have to feed him, let him be and hope that he’ll bounce back.” 

“Well...it isn’t healthy to eat takeout or convenience store food all the time. Homemade cooking is important for health....if feeding him is the only thing we can do, then maybe I can cook some meals for him?” There was a long pause at the dinner table. The silence only made Sol Mi realize what she just offered, and a plume of rosy blush took over her cheeks, “O-of course, that’s only if that’s alright! I don’t mean to intrude, I just want what’s...”

“Ooooooo! Mimi-unnie seems to be a tad bit too worried, huh?” The maknae poked at Sol Mi’s shoulder.

“Hmmm, maybe Yoongi and Sol Mi should get together?” Joo Yeon laughed before stuffing her face with another wrap.

Sol Mi’s face only grew redder and laughter once again filled the air. 

Ever since you and Jimin had begun to date, you tried to suppress the thoughts you had about Yoongi in your mind. You felt that you worried about him too much, and now that you were in a new relationship, it was time to focus on that and your career. Yoongi will always be someone you cared about, but you decided that maybe it was time to finally put thoughts of him on the backburner. 

However, with all this talk about shipping Yoongi with Sol Mi...frankly, it made your heart hurt. 

A cloak of warmth enveloped your hand under the table. You turned and there was Jimin looking at you with a hint of concern and a small smile. Jimin could always sense whenever you felt uncomfortable, and even if he didn’t know what plagued your mind he was always there to support you. His presence alone could dispell any discomforts you had. 

Sun Hee clapped her hands and stood up, “Ah, well I think that we should let the two lovebirds have the rest of the day to themselves.” 

Puzzled, your eyes widened in confusion, “But what about practice?”

“Don’t worry about it. I asked Mook oppa if you could take a day off.” She winked as she bore a smile.

You swore you were about to cry. Sun Hee truly was the best unnie in the world.

Jimin called for a waiter to come bring the bill and shortly after, it arrived to the table.

“Don’t worry about lunch you guys, I’ll pick up the tab.”

You squeezed his hand, “But Jiminie, you always pay for us. Let us pay for you this time around.” 

“No, it’s fine jagiya, I...” His eyes widened as he reached for his pocket. Nothing was there. He checked his other pocket, his jacket pockets, his bag....he wallet was nowhere to be found, “....I think I left my wallet at the studio this morning...”

Sun Hee began to chuckled and smile as she pulled something out of her wallet, “FINALLY! I’VE BEEN WANTING TO USE THIS BAD BOY!” In her hand was a golden credit card, “Baek PD said to only use the company card if we absolutely have to. I knew you would never let us pay for you, but now that you don’t have your wallet...I say this is a pretty dire situation! Right, girls?”

“YEAH!” You all roared. Jimin’s shoulders hunched as he laughed.

Slowly, but surely, all of you had filed out of the restaurant with satisfied sighs and stuffed bellies. You and Jimin bid farewell to the rest of 2S as they made their way back to Music Box. 

As the two of you walked down the side walk, hoods thoroughly hiding your heads and matching masks to over your faces, Jimin reached down and enveloped your hand in his,

“Yah...I’m sorry about lunch, jagi.”

“Jimin! Don’t worry about it! You always pay, so we’ve been wanting to pick up the tab for so long. Don’t sweat it, let your noona take care of you for once. ”

You couldn’t see his smile behind the face mask, but you could tell he was since his eyes turned into happy crescents. 

“Jagiya, there’s this new cafe I’ve been wanting to try out. It’s near BigHit, so why don’t we go pick up my wallet first then go for some dessert?”

After a short taxi ride, you two arrived at BigHit Entertainment. Jimin led you up to where the studios were and while he went around to look for his wallet, you decided to wait for him in the hall. 

You walked around slowly looking at everything. There were trophy cases and along with figures. You guessed they were probably Namjoon’s. 

The sight at all the trophies, all the achievements that the boys had reached made your heart swell. You felt so proud especially after seeing first how much hard work was poured into earning these metallic miniature statures with plaques. All those nights of seeking refuge at your house, staying up to write lyrics and sleeping in your lap in the middle a school day....all those moments paid off.

As you mind went down memory lane, a set of footsteps rounded the corner. You heard a scruffy voice from behind,

“Y/N?”

You swerved around, heart pounding, “Y-Yoongi. It’s been a while…”

“What are you doing here?” His voice was cold, his tone was sharp. He looked as if he were lifeless. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were glazed, his face was too pale even for him. You could tell he even lost some weight. 

“Me? I’m just waiting for Jimin. He left his wallet here, so he’s looking for it.”

Yoongi nodded with a blank face then started to make his way past you. He decided he didn’t want to disrupt your little date or whatever the fuck it was,

“Wait,” Your hand enveloped a small fold along the back of his shirt. This was the first time you’d seen him in months and his condition looked far worse than what Jimin had described it to be. It was fair enough to say you were beyond worried. You were petrified, “Don’t be like this…”

“Be like what?”

“I know you’re upset. You always curl up on yourself everytime something goes wrong or if something you don’t like happens or if…”

He moved forward, your grip on his shirt was lost and he scoffed, “What do you mean?”

“Yoongi, we’ve dated for nearly five years and were friends long before we were even a couple...trust me when I say that I know when something’s up with you.”

Silence was all that came from Yoongi. He knew that you could see it. There was no point in trying to deny his feelings. Sometimes he wished that you weren’t so receptive of him….so caring for him...because that was what made it so much harder to let go.

When Yoongi seemed to make no attempts to respond, you decided to press forward with something that had been plaguing your mind ever since you decided to start dating Jimin,

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

“What?” Yoongi turned his head slightly to the side and looked at you in the corner of his eye,

“It’s because of me and Jimin...right?”

“Pft, since when have you gotten so full of yourself. Not everything has to do with you, Y/N.”

He looked down not wanting you to see the true pain behind his eyes. But it was no use. You could tell that he was lying just by the way he slouched and by the way his hands were balled into fists trying to hide the fact that he was trembling.

“Stop trying to keep everything to yourself, Yoongi...please...just tell me and I’ll...”

“You’ll what? Stop dating Jimin?” Your lip quivered as you failed to respond, “Look, it’s your life, not mine. You can date whoever the fuck you want. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Yoongi, I just....I just can’t stand to see you like this. I want to make things okay because I’m worried...”

Yoongi curled his hand into a fist as beads of sweat began to trail down his temple, “Why the fuck would you care about making things okay again? What if I did have a problem with you dating Jimin? Would you do something? Would it make you feel better? Make you feel less guilty about why I seem to be locking myself in my studio, almost starving myself because I’m too caught up in my work and depriving myself of sleep? Stop trying to make yourself look like a fucking hero, Y/N. Stop worrying about me. Stop caring for me. Just stop.”

His outburst frightened you. He didn’t yell, but his voice sounded so different from the Yoongi you had known...different from the Yoongi you had loved, “I...I thought we had patched things up, become friends again...care about each other again....”

Yoongi couldn’t deny that he felt heartbroken at the sound of your wavering voice. The look in your eyes broke his heart even more. He could see how much you did care...how much you did worry…but he didn’t want to see that. 

It wasn’t because he hated you.

It was because he was scared….scared that you still loved him…

...scared that he still loved you...

...because he did.

But now he decided to do the same thing that he thought was right years ago. He turned around with his back facing you, not wanting to see the pained look on your face,

“Well, Y/N….maybe we aren’t cut out to be friends.”

And just like that, he walked away the same way he walked away from your relationship before his debut.

Only this time, he knew for sure that he cut you out completely, and so he made no effort to suck up the tears that were threatening to fall as he shut the door to the Genius Lab behind him.

A/N: wowowowowow an actual post??? For real?!?!?! Even I can’t believe it LOL. Well, I’m glad to have actually posted something after 84 years!

Gif not mine, creds to owner

[prince-of-purgatory-and-bass]

ShapeShifter

I’ve been so inspired lately, this part could not come out fast enough for me. And the next one feels the same, though I have to start writing that. I’ll be beginning that as soon as possible, though, and hopefully getting it out as soon as possible.

And of course the obligatory taglist that so far just consists of @macherie02 since she’s one of my biggest supporters

This is the Part Four (!!!!!) of my ShapeShifter series

Big Cat (Part 1 Smut)

Bloody Night (Part 2)

Attempting Casual (Part 3)

Set Up

It was weird for Nina, watching the two brothers sit across from each other without either speaking. The silence was not something that would usually make her anxious. But at the moment, with the question that her and Kendall had just dropped on Lincoln, it seemed to stretch through an eternity. "So, if I'm hearing this right, you two are wanting to start an open relationship, and you're asking me to join despite me hurting Nina last night?" Lincoln finally spoke up.

"Lincoln, we know it was an accident. And you're the only person besides Ryan I would consider. You're the only man I would want as another partner," Nina assured him.

"But you guys just got engaged. How would that work?" Lincoln questioned.

"Kendall is still my soulmate, still the one I want to marry. But, it's not unheard of for someone to love more than one person. He'll be my primary partner, and you'll be my se-," she paused, not really liking using the word secondary. But at the moment, she couldn't find another word to describe the set up to him. "Secondary partner."

"And sex?" Lincoln asked.

"If we want, yes. If we don't, no," she responded.

Lincoln was quiet once again for a moment. "And if this doesn't end well? If we break up?"

Nina placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, smiling to him. "Lincoln, no matter how it goes, we still love you. You're our family. We will always be here for you and care about you."

"Can we start with a date night? See how it goes from there?" He was a bit red, looking off towards the floor rather than at his brother or Nina.

"We absolutely can Lincoln. Whatever makes you comfortable. You're just as important to this, and you always will be, so we'll take it at the speed you're comfortable with," Nina smiled to him, though he wasn't looking.

Kendall was still quiet, watching how his fiance seemed so happy to smile for his little brother. The older pressed a soft kiss to the woman's cheek, leaning against her so he could rest his head on her shoulder. "Tomorrow when Nina gets off of work I can go see some friends. I can talk to Ryan and find a way to get her out of the house for the night too. You two can have your date night, you two can just have the house to yourselves. Unless there's a call saying otherwise, I'll just come back in the morning," Kendall told them, smiling to both of them. Nina looked over at Lincoln, seeing how he felt about it before saying yes. "That actually sounds like a pretty good idea," the younger brother agreed.

Nina couldn't help but to smile to herself, thinking on going on a first date with Lincoln. The idea seemed to give her unexpected butterflies. She looked up at the clock on the wall and realized how late it was, and that Kendall was right that she had work in the morning. She kissed her fiance's cheek before getting up, placing another kiss to the top of Lincoln's head since when he was sitting was the only time she could manage to do it. "Alright boys, now that we've gotten that discussed and figured out, I need to go to bed for work tomorrow. I can't miss another day and make Ryan have another 12 hour day. Goodnight, love you," she told them before making her way to her bedroom.

In the morning, an alarm startled Nina awake. Untangling herself from the arms of Kendall, she made her way to the kitchen and was once again startled as she turned on the light, finding Lincoln sitting on the counter with his side and head leaning up against the fridge. "Sorry," the doe eyed man smiled to her as he saw her place a hand over her heart and catch her breath from the surprise. Nina waved the amused apology off with her unoccupied hand, leaning against the wall she was standing by and now smiling back to him once she was recovered. "Good morning Lincoln. I'm gonna guess you haven't gone to bed yet?"

"No, not yet. Sometimes I like to watch the sunrise, and this is the only spot I can do it without the sun touching me," the vampire commented, his normally spiked up dark hair having the gel wear down and causing his hair to start to fall into his eyes.

"Do you ever miss being in the sun Lincoln?" Nina knew there was a time where the sun didn't hurt him. Before he took a specialty to his vampiric abilities over his shape shifting abilities. As a kid he would be able to play outside and see everyone. Watch the clouds pass in the sky and feel the warmth of sunshine. But as he got older and his vampiric abilities sank into his veins more and more, the sun began to burn him until no longer could he enjoy the feeling of sunshine again.

"Sometimes. For the most part I've accepted that I'm just limited to nocturnal life, but every now and again I'll think of something that reminds me of when I could still be in it," Lincoln admitted to her, getting off of the counter. "So, any ideas on what we should do on our date tonight?"

Nina had to think on that for a moment, her mind still a bit foggy from sleep. She went over to the coffee machine and set it up to start before looking back at Lincoln. He opened the freezer for her, getting out a microwave breakfast bowl to hand to her, knowing it was part of her morning routine when she was working. She gave a quick nod of thanks before putting the frozen food in the microwave to cook. "Well, when I get home from work it will be close to dinner time, although the sun will still be out. We could order in and eat dinner together. Then maybe we could," she paused, leaning against the counter to try and figure out what they could do. "We could try walking around downtown. See what catches our eye there until everything closes down," Lincoln suggested.

She grinned and got on her toes to kiss his cheek, him leaning down to help her. It was something he recognized from watching her and Kendall for so long, something he knew the look of the attempt for. He still couldn't help but to place a hand on his cheek when she did it though, smiling a bit himself now. "That sounds like a brilliant idea Lincoln," she told him as the microwave started beeping. Quickly, she went to open the door to it and grab out the now hot food, grabbing a sink from the drawer next to the stove. She caught the window out of the corner of her eye, noticing how the sun was now beginning to poke through and bring some light into the room. She leaned against the counter to block the light from touching Lincoln so he wouldn't get burned as she ate her breakfast, humming softly to herself. Lincoln moved out of the way of the light when he realized what she was doing. "I think it's time I go to bed now. Have a good morning at work though," he commented. He placed a small kiss to her left temple before leaving and missing the slight shade of red that came to her face.

When Nina was alone in the kitchen, she sat up on the counter cross-legged to finish her food. Something was on her mind, an incomplete puzzle of thought not yet complete. At the first sip of coffee, however, the pieces all suddenly fell into place. She knew there was a way Ryan could be in the sun, despite her vampiric nature that she shared with Lincoln, though she wasn't always able to be in the sun. There was something that changed, and the only thing that Nina could think of that could be that change was a pendant she wore each day under her shirt. It was from their coven sister Elizabeth, and it was after she got that pendant that Ryan was then able to rejoin life in the light. Grabbing her phone off of the counter next to her, Nina sent a message to Elizabeth, asking for a confirmation that would indeed come. "Can you send me a picture of the spell in your book?" Nina would then ask her, smiling to herself.

"Why the sudden interest? You're not the type to cast weather based magic," Elizabeth asked as she sent the picture, already awake as well to get ready for work.

"But I do love learning things, storing magic information. Especially on mythical creatures like my family. Besides, I want to try and do it myself," Nina explained to her dark hair and eyed coven sister, suddenly excited for the day.

"Let me guess, Lincoln?" Elizabeth figured out rather easily.

"That would be correct. Thank you for the picture. Now I gtg. See you at work," Nina told her, finishing her breakfast and going to get ready for the day ahead of her.

Before the boys had come to stay with them, Ryan and Nina had been best friends for years. They shared everything together, planned everything together, and this meant planning the opening of two businesses. A makeup company and bar. They started their makeup company online at first, saving money and keeping other jobs on the side to pay the bills. Once there was enough money from the makeup brand, though, they used the money they had saved to open their bar. It took them a couple years to gain traction with it, though, and all of their leftover money was lost. Until a band that Ryan had met asked around for a venue to play at. They were still small, but they were enough to bring a crowd. The band, three brothers just trying to tour, became friends with the girls after that night. They became repeat attenders, both as visitors and performers. The shared passions connecting the band and the venue owners kept them together, and it drew in a crowd. The band grew in popularity, and so each performance brought more and more money to the bar. And then the guitarist and one of the owners fell in love. They inspired each other beyond compare, and together their shared passions flourished.

While the bar grew traction and brought in a steadier income, so did the makeup brand the girls launched. The band bringing the best friends into the limelight grew their own popularity, something the girls could have never anticipated, and so with the bar also grew the makeup until a physical shop was opened for that as well. The girls started as just an online shop, and a deal struck with a once small, indie band made both sides grow as much as only dreamed of. And now each morning, Nina was driving to the makeup store that her and Ryan owned to run the shop rather than to a job she spent her whole shift daydreaming about her bar and makeup about.

Christmas was nearing, though it was still just barely technically fall, so still time was harder to come by in the shop than it would be any other time of year. In the rare instances she had time, Nina was looking at the picture of the spell to memorize each detail. Something she could do on her lunch. Knowing Kendall was probably looking for something to do, she sent Kendall the spell as well and asked him to run to the store for her, a nearby shop that she bought all of her rings from since the owner was an independent artist as she was. She knew that if anywhere would have the kind of jewelry piece she was looking for, it would be there. But to get to it before the end of her shift was impossible until someone could come in closer to afternoon.

At some point, the bell above the door ringing startled Nina from her memorization of the spell. Her quick look at who walked in made her put her phone away, smiling to the woman before leaving behind the counter to offer her a hug. "It's so good to see you Miss Stella. What brings you by today?" The woman hugged her back, tan, dark haired, and a few inches taller than Nina was. Though she was a couple decades older, in the face Kendall was still her spitting image. His brothers also had her features, but not as much as Kendall had grown to. Lincoln had her eyes and they each had her nose and complexion. But beyond what the boys inherited from her, she had this intuition that was unmatched by her family. An air of knowing she could always back up, an instinct that shapeshifters were born with. "I think at this point it's okay for you to call me Mom, Nina. Kendall's other girlfriends did, and none of them were ever asked to join my family like you have been."

"I know they did, but I just want to make sure you feel nothing but respected since you created my greatest joy in life," Nina commented, guiding her to behind the counter and offering her one of the chairs, Nina herself sitting on the counter and subconsciously crossing her ankles.

Stella smiled to her soon to be daughter-in-law, looking first at the smile the younger woman had before glancing to her hand. "Now, Kendall may have shown me the ring before he showed it to you, but I still want to see how it looks actually on you now."

Nina giggled in response, moving her left hand from resting next to her on the counter to in view of her fiance's mother. The two both stared at it, the younger feeling a warmth in her soul that she always felt when remembering what the ring meant while the elder held a pride to her gaze. Neither really noticed the bell above the door ringing again as they examined the ring until an excited, "mommy!" was heard and Stella's oldest son was suddenly hugging his mother. Kendall, the momma's boy that he was, always got excited when he saw his mother by surprise. It was part of what melted Nina's heart about him, how much he loved and was dedicated to his family. "Hello darling, it's nice to see you too." Stella hugged her son back before pulling away.

Kendall moved to the other side of the counter, wrapping an arm around Nina from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder while smiling brightly. He was glad that the women of his life were so comfortable around each other. Nina kissed his cheek, placing her hands over the one around her before leaning into him. He set the small bag he was holding next to them, her eyes catching it quickly and causing her to smile to him even brighter than before. "You're the best, my love," she told him. Kendall moved the bag to her lap once she said something, letting her see what kind of necklace he had picked out. The chain was silver and thin, but long enough to hide under clothing were that the desire. Then the jewel on it was a matching silver shaped like Celtic knot work around a red jewel. "That's really pretty. Is that another one for the matching ones you already wear?" Stella asked as soon as she was able to also see the necklace.

"Um, no it's not for me actually," Nina admitted, biting her lip for a moment. "I just asked him to pick it up for me since I can't leave the store until the end of my shift. It's actually for-" "Your boyfriend." The previously smiling couple both felt their blood run cold at the interruption. Kendall was rather wide eyed while Nina was frozen in place, quite an accomplishment for someone who normally couldn't keep still.

"It's for Lincoln, isn't it? You don't need to look so horrified, I know you're not being promiscuous. Your fiance just helped you pick out a necklace for your boyfriend is all. You don't have to act like I don't remember your family having a polyamorous background," Stella finished, easing Nina slightly at how she did not so far seem disapproving of it.

"Yeah, it's for Lincoln. There's a spell that can let vampires live in the sun, it was used on Ryan, and I want to try and do it for Lincoln," Nina confided in her, no longer frozen though there was a pit still in her stomach.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Stella commented.

"Thank you. Though I gotta ask, how do you feel about us being polyamorous?" Nina questioned, worry rising into her throat as she placed the necklace into the bag again and gripped at Kendall's arm.

"Though it was not something for me, I know it can make some people very happy. And that it's very common among shapeshifters like us. As long as you are not breaking their hearts, then I have no issue with how you run your pack. It is your pack anyways, as much yours now as it is mine that is," Stella assured her, resting a hand on her daughter-in-law's knee.

"Thank you so much. It means so much to hear that from you Miss Stella," Nina smiled, feeling a rush of relief revive the frozen blood in her veins.

"On one condition. Call me Mom. If you're with two of my boys now, there is absolutely no reason I should be anything but your mom now, kapeesh?" Stella then added, an amused look in her eyes.

"Alright Mom, I can agree to those terms. Especially if it means you'll approve of me loving your sons," Nina giggled slightly at the end.

"Of course, of course. Now, I have errands to run. I just wanted to stop by and visit my wonderful new daughter," Stella told them, getting up from her seat.

Kendall let go of Nina to give his mother another hug, holding her tight for a few seconds before pulling away. While the two said their parting I love you's, Nina got down from the counter and waited her turn. She too gave a tight hug to the older woman, burying her face in the crook of her neck. Nina was not particularly close to her own mother, especially after moving across the country, so Stella filled the hole that she felt from that lost connection in her life. It really did mean a lot to her that Stella was so accepting of her into the family. "I love you Madre," she mumbled to the older woman, using the Italian word for mother as she once did before her birth mother stop contacting her. "I love you too Nina."

After Stella left, Nina went to wrap her arms around Kendall's neck only to be caught off guard by him lifting her so her legs wrapped around his waist. She clung tightly to him from the surprise, hiding her face in his neck and letting out a small squeak that brought out an amused laugh from her fiance. When she looked back at him, he playfully licked at her cheek as he was known to do when he was in a particularly good mood. When they first met, she wasn't much of a fan of when he would lick someone's face, but she warmed up to his goofy nature over time. She was a little more traditional and uptight than him at times, so it was a good thing he was rather talented at drawing out the ridiculous side of her that she wouldn't normally get to show were it not for him. She just rolled her eyes at how he licked her now, keeping her thighs tight around his waist so she could hold his face to kiss him softly. As she pulled away to smile, he set her on the counter so he could pull her back into another kiss, his tongue getting let passed her lips because of how wide her smile was. She giggled before pulling away, giving him a look before poking his chest. "Come on, I'm at work. And it's not like at the bar where I have the office I share with Ryan and there are lots of people working that can take care of something while we get to play around," she reminded him.

"But you're just so beautiful, how can I keep my hands off of you?" Kendall playfully asked her, still holding her waist in one hand while the other tangled into her hair. He snuck a kiss to her forehead, a mischievous grin on his lips as he bit the bottom one.

"I never said hands off. You can still hold my hand or keep me company here. I just need to be available without your tongue down my throat until the end of my shift," Nina told him, moving his bangs out of his face.

"Alright. What about after your shift then? When Phoenix gets here you're free for me kiss all I want," Kendall tried, feeling chills at how her hands ran through his hair, her nails lightly running along his scalp.

"You have me after work until it's time for my date. Don't forget I have a date tonight, and I don't wanna be late. Especially since it's the first date for Lincoln and I," she smiled more to him, resting both of her hands to gently hold the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah. You know after you went to bed he started asking me all kinds of questions like your favourite outfits on him and the like. Makeup or no makeup, favourite dates, what our first date was like," Kendall informed her, quite amused from the memory.

"Was he really? That's so cute. He's such a total sweetheart," Nina commented, a faint blush on her face that he was so worried about their date.

"Yeah, he's really wanting tonight to go well. Not gonna lie, I'm starting to ship you guys now that I'm seeing you two. Although, you'll still always be my kitten," he told her, burying his face in her neck and nipping at the crook.

"Don't worry Dally, I'm you're kitten forever and always. Just now I have two mates, my Soul Mate and my lover," Nina reassured him, using the nickname she called him in secret when they were having more silly private moments.

"Alright. As long as you promise that I still make you happy," he commented to her, leaning into her hand as she started gently stroking his hair.

That evening, she was in the bedroom she shared with Kendall, her fiance watching her from the bed as she tried on probably the hundredth outfit in the past half hour. He was quite amused, looking her over and seeing how she was fussing with the outfit. He could see how frustrated she was getting with it and got up from the bed, picking up a couple of discarded outfit pieces and a jacket from the closet to hand to her. "Here, before you drive yourself insane. You want to be eye candy, this will make him want to eat you up," he told her. The outfit he handed her was a pair of fishnet thigh highs and black booty shorts, something she normally would wear on the weekend to her fiance's concerts and at her bar, as well as a v-neck mesh shirt with a black tube top. Then the jacket he handed her was an old leather jacket she had gotten the first time the boys played at her bar. "Which one of us is trying to get me laid tonight again?" Nina jokingly asked Kendall, putting the outfit down on her dresser to start getting undressed.

"Based on your underwear, I think it's both of us," Kendall pointed out, noticing the lacey black bra with a matching thong she was wearing. "Maybe you don't need the tube top with the shirt. That bra would look really nice under it too."

"You're the best baby," Nina grinned to him, putting on the outfit he picked out for her. She grabbed a pair of heels that were hanging sitting on a shelf, knee high lace up heels that added five inches to her height.

"Yeah I know. Gotta make sure my babe looks like a snack when she wants to be eaten out," Kendall teased, causing her to walk over and ruffle up his hair. "What?"

"You know what. And thank you for letting me do this," she told him, kissing his cheek.

Kendall pulled her to sit in his lap with one arm, his free hand taking something out of his pocket. "Don't be upset please," he commented to her, reaching to her collar and unlocking the small padlock that fastened it on. She let out a small whine, concern in her eyes as it slipped off of her neck to rest in his hands. He kissed her gently, comforting her since he knew she hated when it was taken off. Once she was quiet again, he put a small chain, just long enough to sit with the guitar pick between her collarbones. On the guitar pick was his name, like the collar, but it was smaller and gave better access to her neck. "It's just a day collar my love, not me un-collaring you. I'm still your Alpha. But tonight I think you should wear a collar for him since he's your date tonight." Pouting, Nina gave a slight nod before getting up and going over to her pin board where her other collars were hanging up. She thought for a moment before picking up one that was black with lace, a red crystal on it.

When Kendall held out his hand to her, she gently placed the collar in his waiting hand before walking downstairs with him. He thought it over for a moment as they walked down the stairs, telling her to kneel once they got to the living room. Lincoln was already sitting on the couch, a pair of leather pants that fit tight to his legs and a leather jacket matching in colour to some smeared black eyeliner and shadow, as well as his dark, spiked up hair. Lincoln was quite surprised to see his older brother give a command to Nina, especially with how she followed it so willingly. The older brother smiled and placed a hand on his hip, handing the black collar Nina had picked out to the younger brother before looking back at Nina. "Sit pretty, smile nice," Kendall commanded, watching as Nina sat back on her legs now and smiled for him. "Be good for Lincoln tonight. I don't wanna hear about you being a bad girl, got it?"

"Yes Alpha," Nina obediently nodded, holding back a lip bite. He knew she liked being commanded. He was staking his last claim of the night just to get her riled up, and maybe to remind Lincoln who her primary partner really was still.

Kendall smiled and kneeled down to kiss her one last time before leaving for the night. Once the door was once again shut and it was just Lincoln and Nina left, Lincoln got up and offered her a hand to let her up. "I didn't think he would do that," he admitted, still holding the collar and wringing it a little in one hand. Nina just smiled to him. "He's just getting me riled up. Don't worry about it," she assured him.

"To be honest, I think part of the surprise was that I always though he was your submissive, not the other way around," Lincoln added, looking over her outfit and biting his lip. "Damn."

"Nah, we like to switch it up but there is no question that I'm naturally submissive. It's just lately that we've been changing it around," she now admitted, loving how his eyes ran over her. She felt so exposed and, in a way, it made her feel powerful. She was suddenly glad for Kendall's choice rather than the more subtle outfits she had been going for earlier.

"You look amazing," he commented, motioning for her to do a little spin for him. She did so happily, not bothered by her heels since they were ones she wore often. Once she got to do a full rotation around, he had her face away from him so he could put the black collar on her. She closed her eyes as the ribbon of the collar was tied tight, feeling how his hands rested on her shoulders after it was fastened and briefly thinking of how she wanted those hands all over her. Before anything else could happen, though, the doorbell rang and broke both of them from the trance they almost got caught in. Lincoln walked over to the door, getting the pizza from the delivery man and paying before coming back to the living room.

Nina got paper plates from the kitchen while Lincoln opened the box and waited for her, taking a plate from her and taking a slice from his side of the pizza. Even though he was a vampire, he hated eating meat and typically just had a cheese pizza like what he was eating now. The other half for Nina though was quite the opposite, covered in pepperoni and bacon and ham and mushrooms. Meat didn't bother her conscience like it did his. They still respected each other's choices, though, and typically when Nina would cook she would always make sure there was something he could eat as well. Together, they sat on the couch and turned on the TV, finding a movie that was frequenting the electronic device in this home. She found her way to curled into his side, his free arm wrapped around her while they watched the movie together until the sun would set. The pendant seemed to burn a hole in her pocket though, and she couldn't bring herself to hold onto it until after the date like she originally planned. "Hey Lincoln?"

"What's up?" Lincoln asked her, slice of pizza still in his mouth as he finished taking a bite to chew up.

Wordlessly, she set her plate on the coffee table before taking the enchanted necklace out of her pocket. She moved so she could put it one him effortlessly, though she fastened it from the front and turned it around to move the clasp to the back. He looked at her confused before going to handle the necklace, feeling it between his fingers gently. "What's this for?" Nina hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath before biting her lip. How did she want to explain it to him? The pit in her stomach from earlier that day now returned to her. "Because I love you. No matter how tonight goes, boyfriend, brother-in-law, no matter what happens you're dear to me. And seeing you missing the sun like you did this morning, I couldn't just sit and watch you hurt like that."

"I love you too Nina. But what do you mean?" Lincoln questioned her, not really getting it.

"I figured out why Ryan can go in the sun and you couldn't. Elizabeth enchanted a necklace to let her keep from burning. So I asked her to send me the spell so I could make one for you too," Nina admitted.

Lincoln went wide eyed, looking at the necklace he now wore before setting down his plate, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you so much. This means so much to me," he told her, not letting her go. She smiled and hugged him back, smiling wide. Her smile grew more when she felt him kiss her temple, going to kiss his cheek. "I want to see you happy Lincoln. I don't ever want you hurt. No matter what it is hurting you, I want to be there for you."