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daydreaming-nerd · 9 months ago

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The Bonds That Break Us (Rhysand x Female! Reader) Part 3

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Final Part

Request: "Would you do a Rhysand x fem!reader series? Maybe fem!reader is Rhysand's mate and Tamlin's sister? So secret love?"

AN: thank you so much for all the feedback! I am loving hearing your guys thoughts and I'm having so much fun with this

Summary: It was almost as if the cauldron liked to play games, as if it had sensed years of boredom and predictability and begged to be entertained. Its method of absolving its melancholy? Mate the High Lord of the Night Court to the younger sister of the High Lord of Spring.

Warnings (so far): SMUT (consensual), oral (female receiving), mentions of SA.

Word count: 2730

(all photos are from pinterest)

The following day was another quiet day, and though Rhysand had stayed up with me all night like he promised, I didn’t hear from him in the morning. I avoided my brother at all costs and Lucien as well and spent the morning and afternoon getting ready for the ball at the Autumn Court that would be taking place tonight. I was sure to pick my dress carefully, opting for purple again.

I used to not care for balls, most of the time I would show up and not have anyone to see save for Viviane and Kallias who always had each other to dance with. This of course left me to dance with Lucien or not dance at all. I always left bored and feeling more lonely than I had been before I got there.

I knew tonight would be different not just because of Rhys, but because of Eris. My brother has made it very clear at breakfast that I was to dance and charm Eris all night. The thought made my stomach churn and my eyes water, but I knew better than to disobey.

From the second I walked into the ballroom I could feel Rhysand. The mass of people swirling and dancing around under the gargantuan chandelier made it near impossible for me to find him. I nearly reached out with the bond before my brother grabbed my arm harshly.

“Remember sister, you are to charm Eris whatever means necessary,” he growled in my ear so only I could hear.

“I will, now I’m going to find Viviane.” I glared and sauntered off to do just that.

The ballroom was impossibly packed but finding Viviane’s ice white hair among the crowd was easier than I thought it would be.

“Well you two look amazing,” I beam walking over to where her and Kallias are being wall flowers. Her dress looks like it was made entirely out of frost, and cascades down her body like it was made for her, knowing how Kallias likes to dote on her it probably was.

“Me? Look at you! Purple is your color,” she smiles.

“So, are there any eligible bachelors for me to romance tonight?” I laugh taking her arm and walking around the perimeter of the ballroom with her and Kallias.

“No one worthy of note, but you know how picky I am when selecting a suitable man for you,” she giggles.

“That’s true, you’re a worse critic than I am,” I smile. We promenade around the dancefloor until we run into one of Viviane’s friends and she stops to talk. I take it as my opportunity to glance around the room looking for a particular High Lord and finally I find him.

He’s at the edge of the room wearing black as usual, conversing easily with two Illyrians. Their wings take up most of the space around them. The one with longer hair is obviously drunk as he lets out a laugh that reverberates throughout the room, the one with the shorter hair, swathed in shadows, simply shakes his head and smiles. Rhysand has yet to see me and to draw his attention I give the bond a tug, the first time I’ve ever done it.

His head snaps up in my direction and I see the corner of his mouth curl.

By the cauldron, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, my mate.

“Why thank you my lord, I seemed to remember you had a certain affinity for the color violet,” I muse back to him and I swear from this distance I can see his eyes light up.

The Illyrians next to him turn their heads to look at me, the one with the long hair gives me a knowing smirk and I quickly turn my head back to the conversation Viviane is having.

I hear Rhys chuckle in my head, They don’t bite darling. Well Cassian might, but only if you ask him to. He muses over the bond.

“An interesting proposal, I’ll keep it in mind,” I say back trying to hide my smile.

You little minx.

Before I can say anything back I feel a hand on my back, I turn to find Eris there, a hopeful look in his eye. He takes my hand and kisses it in greeting.

“Y/n, what a pleasure it is to have you in our court.” he smiles.

“Of course, my brother and I were very honored to receive an invitation,” I say, trying to sound as chipper as possible.

“You were the first invite we sent, by now I’m sure your brother has told you of my feelings towards you,” he smirks.

“He has brought them to my attention, and I must say I’m flattered,” I smile.

“Might I have this dance?” he asks, my eyes flit to Rhysand for half a second, but it’s long enough that I can see the rage simmering in those violet eyes.

“Of course,” I say, taking Eris’ hand and allowing him to lead me to the dancefloor. His hand spreads over my waist almost obsessively as we waltz around the room.

“You really are quite the sight to behold y/n, I can see why your brother keeps you locked up in the Spring Court,” Eris praises me.

“I regret that he does so, if I had been allowed out more I would’ve found out much sooner how amazing of a dancer you are,” I smile flirtatiously.

“Among one of my many talents my dear, though you’ll find out soon enough about those,” he whispers in my ear.

We dance on and on swirling about the room to the music. From the corner of my eye I can see Tamilin and Beron watching the two of us and for the first time in a long time Tamlin almost looks happy. However it’s not long until I see his eyes catch on to a beautiful brunette that seems to grab all his attention. My skin starts to buzz again and it isn’t long until a large hand claps Eris on the shoulder.

“Mind if I cut in?” Rhysand asks Eris smoothly. His words say one thing but his eyes look at Eris like he would cut off his hands or other important body parts if he were to say no.

“Of course,” Eris says, passing me off to Rhysand and taking his leave.

“You’re going to get me in trouble,” I snap at him.

“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t stand to watch another minute of that,” he says cooly.

“Someones jealous,” I muse.

“Very,” Rhysand confesses with a small smile.

As we sweep across the dancefloor, the feeling of his hand on my waist is all too familiar and I can’t help but remember the last time it was there. I look to the side to find the two Illyrains standing at the edge of the ballroom watching us.

“Who did you bring with you tonight?” I ask Rhys.

“My most trusted friends and members of my court, Cassian and Azriel. Azriel is my spymaster and Cassian is the general of my armies.” he explains. “I grew up with them, they are like brothers to me.”

“Do they know?” I inquire further.

“That we’re mates? Yes. I think Cassain would start a war for you already,” he chuckles.

“Interesting, I would’ve thought they’d be upset,” I say, turning my head back towards Rhys.

“You are not my court’s enemy, your brother is. You aren’t damned by association, and besides they are my brothers, they want me to be happy.” Rhys explains further.

“It sounds like you have quite the amazing family,” I acknowledge and he picks up on the longing in my phrase right away. “I doubt I’ll be treated the same here in the Autumn Court.”

“Why would it matter how the Autumn Court treats you?” he questions.

“Because I’m marrying Eris,” I sigh, keeping my head down, unable to meet the sadness I know resides in his eyes now.

“What?” he growls and for the first time since I’ve known him I’m afraid of him.

“My brother has decided to marry me off to Eris for political gain,” I explain further.

Rhys takes my hand and drags me off the dancefloor, at this point people are so drunk they don’t even notice. He leads me to a room off the ballroom and closes the door. I take a moment to look around at the dimly lit study, filled with old books and mahogany furniture. I lean against the desk and look at Rhys.

“You’re not going to marry Eris,” he fumes.

“You say that like I have the option to say no,” I retort as he closes in further.

“If you marry Eris he will destroy you from the inside out, you will become nothing but a breeding vessel to give him sons.” he tells me.

“I’m going to be the same thing to any Lord my brother marries me to,” I sneer at him.

“That’s not true,” Rhysand shakes his head.

“Oh really?” I scoff.

“It wouldn’t be that way with me. You would be my wife, and my High Lady as well as my mate. You wouldn’t have to be sexually assaulted in your own home, or barricade yourself in your room to be safe! You would have rights and freedom and you would have Cassian and Azriel and a family that loves you!” he yells passionately, getting closer to me. “And you would have me, and I would love you too.” he confesses quieter.

A tear slips from my eye as I take in all that he’s said. He looks at me from just an arms length away, waiting for me to say something back.

“Rhysand I can’t-” I start to say.

“Don’t you dare say that you can��t,” he says, stepping forward and caging me into the desk, his mouth dangerously close to my own. “If you were mine there’s not a person in this world that would dare to touch you. You know that.”

I feel a hand go to my waist and he uses the other to wipe the tears from my eye. A different kind of tension fills the room as his breath fans my face leaving kisses where my tears once were.

“Rhys please,” I rasp out lightly pushing him away. His hands on my waist tighten.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want me to kiss you right now y/n,” he says tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. He’s right, I do want him to kiss me but I can’t even form the words to ask him that. “I thought so,” he says and then his lips are on mine.

I taste all of him and need all of him. He pulls me so close to him I think I might melt into his skin. I throw my hands around his neck like he might be ripped away from me at any given moment. I feel his hands leave my waist and fly to the desk behind me. The next thing I hear is the clattering of glass, books and paper. He lifts me up and places me on the desk positioning his frame between my legs.

“Rhys,” I moan as his lips find my neck.

“I love it when you say my name,” he groans into the kiss, using his body to press my back into the desk and anywhere that isn’t concealed by my dress gets goosebumps from the cold surface. “I need to taste you,” his hands travel down my body and he sinks to his kneels before me, never breaking eye contact.

“What are you doing?” I ask earnestly.

“Have you ever had a man touch you here?” he questions back, his hand ghosting over my clothed core, my breath hitches.

“N-no,” I squeak. He lifts up the many layers of my skirt and bunches them around my waist.

“And have you ever touched yourself here?” he further inquiries rubbing a hand over my undergarments.

I’m too embarrassed to speak, I just give him a shallow nod.

“Probably while you’re reading all those dirty books right y/n darling?” he smirks loving how the pink tints my cheeks. “And do you want me to touch you here?”

I give him another shallow nod.

“I’m gonna need to hear words darling,” he persists.

It’s almost embarrassing how quickly I spit out, “Yes.”

“Yes what?” he taunts me.

“Yes I want you to touch me there,” I whine.

He lets loose a feral grin before I feel him gently pull down my undergarments, taking his time to let his fingertips brush down the expanse of both my legs while he does it. He pulls then off over my heels and discards them. I watch him intently as he lowers his mouth to me and licks a long stripe clean up my pussy flicking my clit at the very top. My back arches off the desk and I let out a moan.

“Shhh darling, we can’t have other people knowing what sinful things you’re allowing me to do to you right now. Especially poor Eris, he’ll never get to hear you moan like this for as long as he lives,” Rhys smirks before disappearing under my dress again to feast on me.

My back arches again and my hand flies over my mouth to cover my own moan. I feel Rhysand bring one of his hands up to grasp my free one. A touch so simple, yet so intimate. His tongue swirls hungrily over my clit and it takes everything in me not to scream. I squeeze his hand tighter and he chuckles, sending a vibration through my pussy.

You taste amazing, like you were made for me. He says into my mind.

I squeeze his hand harder at his word. I had spent most of my life reading books about this, sex and romance. I assumed all the women writing them were exaggerating how good it could be. In the spring court it was always seen as a pleasure for the male, not the female. But the way Rhys is using his tongue on me right now, has me seeing stars which I know is no coincidence. His mouth closes around my clit suckling it.

“Rhys,” I breathe out.

Fuck darling. I lied, I like it when you say my name, I love it when you moan it.

“Rhys I’m gonna,” I cry trying to keep quiet.

Cum mate. I want you to cum all over my face. He growls into my mind.

It was almost as if he compelled me to. My back arches off the desk for the final time and I use my hand to stifle any sound that comes out of my mouth. He works me through my orgasm and when my body stops shaking he places one final kiss over my clit. His head pops up from under my skirts, his eyes shown with satisfaction as he licks the remnants of my arousal off his lips.

I was on him before he could even speak, pulling him by his neck and kissing him hard. I fumble for the strings on his pants and he grabs my wrist to stop me.

“No, not tonight,” he states. I immediately feel disappointment, the sedition I felt earlier had long left me the second that man licked his lips.

“Rhys please,” I whine.

“As much as it makes my cock twitch to hear you beg for me, I won’t let the first time I fuck you be on Beron Vanserra’s desk.” he chuckles, and leans in close to my ear. “Because when I’m inside you for the first time my mate I want to hear every strangled cry and moan I pull from your body. And when I cum inside you for the first time I want to hear you scream my name so loud all of Prythian knows just who’s mate you are. Is that clear?”

Butterflies hit my stomach and all I can do is nod slowly every coherent thought in my brain long gone. All I can think of is how badly I want him to make good on his promise.

“Good girl, now let's get your panties back on before a certain High Lord of Spring starts to miss you,” he smiles.

Taglist: Taglist: @heyyitsnat21 , @cheshire-salvatore-mikaelson , @randomperson1234sblog , @local-fangirl09 , @bleh-81 , @annaaaaa88 , @cauldronboilmetakemetovelaris

#rhysand #rhys acotar #rhysand x reader #rhysand fluff #rhysand angst #rhysand x reader smut #rhysand smut #rhysand x y/n #rhysand x you

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hischeapcigar · 1 year ago

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𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓌𝒷𝑒𝓇𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝒾𝑔𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓈

Pre-outbreak Joel Miller x reader

Part: 1 2 3 4

Summary: you're falling in love with the person your dad hates the most

Word count: 3.6k ish

Warning: none except your father is a bit deranged so maybe that's all

a/n: it was supposed to be cute little one shot but i think it's gonna be series lolol. reblogs and comments are appreciated. love you mwah

Your dad hated Joel. You never knew why but it had been like this as far as you could think. Your father played the major role in trying his best to keep you away from Joel.

BBQ party? Everyone's invited except Joel.

Your birthday? Everyone but Joel

He’s grumpy all day? Must've had an interaction with Joel

He even hit Joel, who obviously retaliated but the neighbors showed up to resolve the matter.

The whole neighborhood knew. How could they not? Your dad insulted him behind his back, which some entertained, but most of them grumbled and left the room. Because they knew Joel and they knew your dad too.

Even you felt pity for Joel, the few rare interactions told you he may look big and fierce, but he was a charmer. Sarah’s happy face was proof of his kind nature and your anxious state of mind was a reflection of your dad’s nature.

You once tried to defend Joel, but your father smashed the glass so hard, a sharp piece pierced the skin of your foot, leaving a scar.

Your parents always change the subject every time you try to bring it up,

“Its past, it doesn’t matter,” they’d say

But it mattered to you, a lot. Since the small get-together in the field the other night, when you first saw him. Sarah had lost track of his father, so you went looking for him with her, and that's when you first met him properly after like forever.

Eyes locked and you swore brown became your favorite color. Your breath hitched; mouth slightly agape. He mirrored your reaction but both of you let go just as quickly, minding Sarah’s presence. They left but he turned back to bless his eyes one more time, stealing one more glance at you. The smile he slipped, held your heart forever. You prayed to the heavens to let you both meet again.

Working in the cafe which Sarah and her friends called their “second home”, you had befriended all those little girls. It was fun to be around them, and they loved your company.

You never officially met any of their parents but one of them captured your mind since that night. You didn't know what you could do without offending Sarah.

But you didn't have to do anything, because Joel took the wheel as he showed up the next day in the cafe. Sunday meant Sarah and her friends were having breakfast together in their corner spot.

You came out from the kitchen, passing the tray of coffee to your coworker as you absentmindedly made your way to the counter, ruffling around with the drawer and all the papers.

“Hey” your head shot up to the sound of the voice and the unmistakable familiarity it carried.

“Hi” you replied breathlessly, hands frozen on the paper you just grabbed.

“Um, can I please get a pancake?” his thick Texan accent flowed like honey, his eyes warm and eager.

“Y-yeah, sure,” you could bet that you conjured him from your imaginations. Seeing him again in a person in less than a week was unbelievable

You quickly turned around to pass the order to the kitchen window but stopped just as quick, lightly smacking your forehead as you returned to him,

“Sorry, uh, which flavor would you like?” you cursed yourself for being so clumsy

He tilted his head to the side, contemplating, before he turned on his good old charm, “su’prise me, sweetheart,” he smirked seeing the look on your face.

Absolutely flustered at the nickname he just gave you, and how easily it rolled off his tongue.

You smiled, mumbling a little, “okay,” before you disappeared in the back

You took a moment, taking a deep breath steadying yourself. Hoping no one notices your flushed cheeks, and no one did.

In a few minutes, you prepared yourself to serve him. Running a hand on your outfit once smoothing it, you took the tray and made your way to Joel. You were glad he busied himself reading a magazine because if he looked at you, you would have forgotten how to walk.

“Hello again,” you announced, and he quickly abandoned whatever article he was reading,

“Hey” he smiled, looking curiously at the pancake plate you just put down, followed by a cup of coffee

“I didn’t order coffee-”

“It's on the house, since we believe it's your first time and because your daughter is our loyal customer,” you snickered

He chuckled, “I- thank you, so much, y’didn’t have to though”

“Also, i chose strawberry flavor because it’s my favorite so I'm hoping you’d like it too,” you shrugged lightly before taking a step back, leaving him with his breakfast,

Just as you turned to leave, you heard him call your name, and God that was the sweetest music to your ears. You had no idea how he knew your name, maybe sarah mentioned it, you figured

You cocked an eyebrow,

“You looked pretty that night”

Your heart warmed at the confession, “thank you Joel, you looked great too” you smiled before you left

You couldn't keep your eyes off of him. Every now and then your gaze found its way to Joel. Even after he caught you stealing glances, he just smirked. He knew what he was doing to you, you knew what you were doing to him. A game for two.

You had your back on the counter, conversing with your coworker, when she pointed behind you. You turned to see Joel standing there, ready to leave.

“Thank you once again, I loved the pancake, though I can’t tell if it's my favorite”

“You could come by every week to try all the flavors until you find your preference” you suggested. Any excuse to bring him back.

“Tryin’ all the flavors, huh? I had another reasons to come back anyway, might as well try all the other flavors” smile tugging at the corner of his smile

Oh.

You didn’t even get the chance to response when he added, “hey ya mind, if y’get the uh, the cup?” he nodded to his table

“Yeah, sure” you were confused, why would he tell you what to do?

You went anyway and now you know why as you looked at the tissue piece with his number scribbled in a messy handwriting

Such a flirt. You smiled so widely your jaw hurt.

“Is this Joel or some cute stranger left a wrong phone number on the table?”

You read it for the thousandth time, indecisive if you should send it or is it a bold way to start a conversation. But then it’s Joel, he wouldn’t mind, you thought and hit send.

Your heart was beating fast, wanting to throw your phone across the room. Checking every other second if he replied, then a few minutes later,

J- “Stranger? I thought we were befriendin' each other”

you giggled at the response, feeling like a young teenager having her crush moment

“Well, we’re getting there”

J- “That so? Hope you realize your dad isn’t really my fan”

“Yes, and I wonder why” curiosity creeping back up at you,

J- “We got into a fight back then during a job we did, since then we just couldn’t get along”

Now was that too hard to disclose? Your parents were just dramatic, you thought.

Before typing your response, he started typing again so you waited,

J- “Wish it doesn’t change our sweet journey of becoming friends”

you read his text, wide grin plastered on your face , though a little disappointed that he only wants friendship, but you felt giddy nevertheless

The next week was the beginning of your new, fragile relationship. Joel would stop by at your cafe any chance he got.

I missed my morning coffee (he missed it on purpose)

I’m tired and I thought coffee might help (he just wanted to see you)

Sarah and her friends wanted pancakes (he asked them, “you guys don’t have to go, I'll get you your order if you want” he’d say and gets “okay, Mr. Miller!” “that’s so kind, Mr. Miller”)

Weeks went by, and you grew to his presence at random hours. You started to look forward to him showing up randomly. Your coworkers were quick to welcome him, noticing how your face would light up every time he was around.

He made a three-day streak of visiting before he didn’t show up for 2 days. A part of you wanted to text him to find out if he was okay, but you wanted to give it one more day, and you were not even sure about the thing you both had going on.

You were preparing the order, Oliver standing next to you, working on his order and occasionally making you laugh with his corny jokes when Gina, another coworker, showed up at your side, pulling you away from your half-done coffee,

“I’ll take it from here, go and deal with your favorite customer” she nudged your side,

You couldn’t help but let the smile make its way to grace your lips, but you had to play dumb,

“What?”

Gina gave you the stare that said really?

You snickered as you left, your heartbeat quickening, exhaustion already leaving your body as you saw him sitting at his usual spot, the corner table that nobody likes, so it’s always available, your favorite spot since him.

You reached him and instead of staying seated as usual, he got up and walked closer to you. It has been 2 days and you didn't know how much you missed him now that he was standing in front of you, all you wanted was to hug him and never let him out of your sight.

He took one more step towards you, maintaining eye contact as he slowly raised his hand to your waist and pulled you into him in one swift motion. You stiffened at first, then you locked your arms at his nape melting into his big frame. You took a deep breath like this was something you were missing all your life.

“Hello to my favorite customer,” you smiled at him when you detached yourselves from each other

“Hello to you too, my sunshine,” he replied, matching your smile

You both returned to the table, and he slid a small bag towards you, you didn’t have to open to know what was inside, strawberries, as he started getting you those ever since you told him that strawberries were your favorite.

Whenever you got free from your morning shift, you two would sit in the reserved area of the cafe just to talk. That’s what you both did. Talk about everything and anything. You didn’t need to pretend, you were completely yourself around him, and he, with you.

He kept buying you strawberries because you loved them. And in turn you would treat him with extra cup of coffee on random days

Any little time you spent together felt like an escape from reality and everything it offered. There was no toxicity, just pure, innocent and effortless conversations along with different flavors of pancakes.

Sarah admired Joel showing interest in your company. She wasn’t young enough to see how happy you both looked, and she was genuinely glad about that. She would even make excuses for Joel to come to the cafe,

Hey dad, can you please bring my notebook, I forgot it on the table and we’re discussing something

And boy would he be beyond happy whenever he gets the opportunity to show up at the cafe.

But like waking up from a really good dream,

Joel had just entered the cafe, standing on the counter, chatting with you (not blocking the way of customers) while you received orders when your eyes went wide at the figure entering through the door,

“What is it?” Joel asked casually

You ducked your head, “its dad” you whispered and saw how Joel’s face fell. You both knew you weren’t allowed to hang out with Joel, let alone be around him.

Suddenly his demeanor changed as he cleared his throat, looking down at the menu card, feeling your dad approaching. You managed to keep a serious and bothered face as you saw your dad stopping deadly in his tracks as he saw Joel. oh boy

“There are other cafes in the town” your dad grunted, indirectly referring to Joel, who only rolled his eyes in response.

You bit a smile at his reaction, “hey dad! Didn’t know you were coming” you tried to alleviate the thick tension.

Your dad gave you a tight nod, “yeah, get me two blueberry pastries; your mom called”

Never the friendly face, annoyance etched on his face like it was there since he was born. Your father was exactly the kind of customers you hated. Acting like a boss, like you owe a million dollars.

You looked between two of them before you left to get the box. On your return, you didn’t spot Joel. You frowned, wondering if your dad had said something to him. Your thoughts were cut short by your dad;

“No need to serve him, tell him to go any other cafe, there are plenty of them,”

You were speechless, he was being absolutely ridiculous.

“Wha- dad? He’s just a customer, you can't bring your years’ old absurd beef in this-”

“Do as i tell you, and if you can’t, then leave the job, you can do better anyway” he threatened in low voice, pointing his finger at you, before leaving

You knew your dad was overreacting but you kept your mouth shut because you knew he wouldn’t care about the people and just shout on you if you disagreed with him

It was midnight, your mind was running a hundred thoughts a minute since your dad showed up today. You had no idea how to tell Joel to stop coming to the café, like how could you stop him when it made you the happiest?

“Hey, you awake?” you texted joel

He didn’t reply for 10 minutes, then your phone chimed, you quickly turned it on to see his text,

J- “Yeah, I'm up, why aren’t you asleep yet?” he replied

“Wondering what dad told you today at the cafe” there was no filtering when you were with Joel, sharing every piece of your mind and not regretting it

J- “Except telling me to not ‘roam around you’ he didn't really say anything”

You were embarrassed, why did your dad have to be like that? you felt bad for Joel

“I’m sorry” you sent before typing “I just wish he wouldn’t stop you from the cafe, your presence feels natural there”

J- “Don't be sorry, sweetheart, I didn't mind it at all. He’s only looking out for you; we'll figure it out. plus, I think I can sneak in when I get the chance ;)”

You scoffed at his text, looking out for me? More like suffocating me from things that I actually like. But you felt affection for him in the way he was willing to be with you.

It had been a week, he showed up two times. Two times. A day apart. Then he disappeared for the rest of the week.

After the 3rd long day of him not showing up, you started to worry. Two hours of constant contemplating later, you decided to text him,

“Hey, Joel”

It's Sunday afternoon, 2pm. Not that Joel would have something to do so you wait for his text. You toss and twist in bed, smoking cigarettes, reading old magazines, scrolling on your phone, an hour later, there was no reply.

4 hours; nothing.

8 hours; nothing.

Next day, beginning of next week. You passed by his house, praying to get at least a glimpse of him but there was nothing.

You didn’t even see him on the streets, not with Sarah, just nowhere. As if he didn't even exist.

Still your ears pricked up every time you heard the door to the café ring, desperately hoping it was Joel, but it was never him.

Sarah and her friends were seated at their accustomed table. It distressed you to see Sarah, not knowing how to go and ask her about her dad.

It upset you even more when Gina asked you about him every other day, and more hurt when you had to lie, like “oh he’s just busy,”

But Gina knew better when she saw you with pity in her eyes, that look that told you, I'm sorry he ghosted you.

You had to hold back your tears to keep her from knowing that she was right.

But you broke down the second you locked the room to your room, lighting a cigarette, you placed it between your puffy red lips as the tears streamed down your cheeks,

“Where the hell are you, Joel?” you hit send and threw your phone as you sat on the windowsill, watching the cars go buy,

You got out of the bathroom when you heard your phone ding, you all but ran to the bed, grabbing and swiping it on,

J- “Yeah, just around. How’s everything?”

You were taken aback by the carelessness. As if it wasn't bothering him, as much it was bothering you. As if he didn’t miss you at all like you did. As if it all didn’t matter. As if you didn't matter

“Really? You ghosted me for two weeks and now you're acting all chill?” you replied

Frustration getting the best of you, you wanted to cry again.

J- “Look, I think it’s best for the both of us”

“Fuck what you think, fuck you” you sent

You could feel the tears pricking at the corner of your eyes. You threw your phone on the table before falling on the bed, face first.

The next thing you know is you're sobbing, muffling the sounds with the pillow on your face. You didn't realize how much you were attached to him until now, you didn't know how much you wanted to be with him until now.

You got up to smoke a cigarette to release the stress, but you cried while exhaling puffs of smoke in the air

Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him

The next two days were a blur. You avoided spending extra time in the cafe, avoided conversations with your coworkers because they ended up asking about Joel. Your father picked a fight with a random guy just because he took longer to deliver some equipment that he ordered online; it was stupid really. You avoided Sarah too, because she painfully reminded you of Joel

I'm only giving it time, I'll get back to normal eventually, you’d tell yourself

The third day, you were brewing coffee when your phone vibrated, turning it on, your heart dropped to the stomach as you read Joel’s name on it

Quickly you swiped to view the message,

J- “Can we talk?” you felt anxiety rising up. A part of you was excited that he texted while the other part of you was furious, he can't just come and go as he pleases

You were lost in your thoughts when you received another message, J- “please?”

You decided to let things be, he ghosted me for a week, now he wants to talk, he can't expect me to go back running

Putting your phone down, you carried on with your work until it was night.

You closed the cafe as you stepped out, you saw a familiar truck parked beside your car.

Unmistakably Joel.

He stood there leaning against his truck, cigarette smoke around him like a halo. He pushed himself up as he spotted you and he made his way to you.

You stood there frozen. Resisting the strong urge to go and hug him and never let go. But you stood there and waited,

He came close but didn't stop until he was only a few inches away from you. Looking at your face, examining it, eyes running all over your features,

“Sarah said you looked horrible, but God you look worse,” he whispered. Scared if he talks loudly, this all would shatter,

“Like you care?” you retorted.

That's when you saw in his eyes. Regret. Remorse. Before he hung his head down,

Slowly he reached for your hands, hanging on your sides, silently interlacing your fingers. You didn't stop him. You couldn’t

“Please, can we talk?” his voice was small as he looked at you

You nodded

He released a breath, that even he didn’t know he was holding, as he nodded too

With your fingers still interlaced, he tugged you toward his truck. You both walked the distance, hand in hand as you felt droplets of water kissing your skin.

You went rigid making Joel turn and face you, watching you wipe away the water beads from your face. A few more drops on both of you before the rain lashes down.

Joel instinctively became your human shield, as you both ran towards his truck, even though that wouldn’t keep you from drenching, but the action was so Joel. Reaching there, he quickly opened the door for you before getting himself inside from the other side.

Both of your breaths were ragged as you sat in silence.

He ignited the engine bringing his truck to life,

“Where are we going?” you broke the silence

He sighed, “I- uh, had tis place in mind but,” he looked out the window, at the rain, “‘s rainin’ so we can stay in the truck, I guess,”

“What place?” you were confused,

“Y’gonna love it, trus’ me” a small smirk growing in the corner of his lips

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

Part: 1 2 3

Tags: @strawberri-blonde

#im never getting over #joel miller #or #the last of us #soft joel miller #joel miller fanfic #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller smut #joel miller fluff #joel miller angst #joel miller tlou #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #the last of us

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descendantsramblings · 3 months ago

Note

OMG I just read you fic where Hook drinks the love spell and I need either a part 2 where we see the relationship out of the love spell or another Needy!Hook x Fem! Reader please please please 🙏🙏🙏

Nothing like some fluff to pull me out of my writer’s block ❤️

This is just Hook being needy tbh but if you want to see it as a part two to that story it could easily fit into that category

Edited this to Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson on repeat, it adds to the experience

Wake Up Slow

Needy!James Hook x Reader

Pronouns used: she/her/hers

Summary: everyone needs a place to be fully relaxed, James found his in soft duvets and needy touches

Warnings: no plot just fluff, gentle make out session, Morgie is not rocking with their odd behavior - he just wants people to be normal around him and instead they keep saying odd shit

Word Count: 1.7K

It was in no way a rare sight, (Y/n) and Hook taking up the same space in his bed. The couple a mess of limbs, you’d have to squint to trace the lines of legs to know whose were whose under the thick maroon duvet. It had been late last night when the two stumbled in, up far past the point of exhaustion and giggling messes. Hair still slightly damp with enchanted water and clothes far more casual than anything that either party would let the general public see them in. The two barely keeping their laughter down to avoid waking the sleeping sorcerer who took up the bed next to his. Too focused on each other, on the hands that found their places on shoulders or wrists. Falling into the bed with exhausted smiles and soft, touchy hands. Hook’s face buried into her chest as he drags her closer, letting out a little whine as he waits on her to hold him back. (Y/n) nuzzling her nose into his hair and wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders, cooing nonsense to him as she sleepily clings to her boyfriend. Tangled, intertwined, two bodies as close as they could possibly manage to become before morphing into one. Warm and safe, the most comfortable home the pirate had ever known. Maybe it was the only one he'd ever known, in moments like that he felt like he could never be too sure.

Or perhaps, in moments like this were when he felt that way. He’s always the first to stir awake, the sun making its way into his dreams. Waking him with a heated gentleness he couldn’t ignore. Hook didn’t mind being woken up to this view though. Hard to be bothered by the sight of that little white tank top so close to his face. With collar bones and the slightest ghost of cleavage nearly pressed to him, skin on display and within his reach. He can’t help himself but to nuzzle his nose against the same exposed flesh he fell asleep against. Dragging the touch slowly over her skin with the ghost of a smile. He thinks he’ll remember the way she smells for the rest of his life. Not something identifiable, yet he’d be able to recognize the scent on anything. It was intoxicating, pulling him in and seemingly lighting his senses on fire. Just as much as he couldn’t help nuzzling against her, the soft, ghost-like kisses that follow the motion come naturally. Lips brushing across her chest and collar bones, his head raising ever so slightly to press a few soft pecks to her exposed shoulders. Lazy and soft, hoping not to wake her as he takes her in. James was pretty sure he could stay like this until the Earth quit turning. There was nothing like the slow and soft pace of lazy mornings next to someone he loved. Even the seven seas held no candle to having her so, so close. He’d give his ship to wake up slowly with her every morning. For breakfast in bed and wasting days away on her chest.

He’s letting soft kisses fall back over previous ones when she stirs against him. A hand sliding up his back and tangling slightly in the boy’s sleep mussed hair. She tugs on it slightly, guiding the boy to show her his face. She’s beautiful, even with sleep dotting her eyes and her hair splayed out around her in messy tangles. As she moves her hands from around him to rest on his face, James is pretty sure the correct word to describe her is actually enchanting. The first kiss she places on his face falls onto his forehead, more dotting down across him as if she’s on a half-awake mission to make him melt. Peppering soft adoring touches across his face like that was the only thing she’d been put on that planet to do. His hand grips at her top, fisting the material as he lets out what can only be described as a whine.

“Kiss me, please?” His voice is deeper than normal, gravely with sleep as he nearly begs her to end his gentle torment. She can’t help but give in, slightly chapped lips finding his pouting ones for a tender kiss. Lips moving against each other’s in a languid and gentle pattern. She pulls away for a moment, giggling softly as the boy whimpers at the loss of contact. (Y/n) wiggles down on his bed, putting them nose to nose. She nuzzles against his softly, a sweet smile crossing her lips as she props herself up on one arm. Leaning over James as she swoops back into his lips, connecting them again as his head lulls back to give her better access to him. They pick up right where they left off, that pattern coming back to them like soft, exhausted kisses were second nature to them. They basically were though, this little display came far too easily to them. It was their preferred state of being, much to all of their friends' playful dismay. His hand drags from where it was bunched up in her shirt to rest on her shoulder, slightly pulling her down to get her closer to him as his tongue finds its way between her lips. She’s humming into his mouth, tucking the hand that isn’t holding her up back into his hair to tug at it from the root.

Both teens are breathless as they pull away from one another, (Y/n) letting herself fall back onto the mattress, smiling at the way his eyes stay shut. A smile pressed to his kiss reddened lips as she adjusts her head back onto his pillows. James lets those big dark eyes flutter back open, flickering over her as he moves back onto his side. “Com’ere.” She’s pretty sure that his mumble is supposed to be two solid words, but the half awake boy is sewing his words together as he reaches back out for her. The girl lets out a giggle, scooting closer to him and lifting her side ever so slightly for his arm to slide under her ribcage. Hers tuck back around him, one under his neck and one over his side. Fingers finding his hair to play with the ends of silky strands as she nuzzles her nose against the top of his head. A needy hand slips under the back of her tank top, tugging her as close as he can manage. The entirety of their bodies are pressed together, Hook’s forehead tucked against the top of her shoulder, his head just barely touching the pillow.

They don’t talk, they don’t need to, everything they could ever need to say is slipping between them from just the physical affection. I’m here for you, I’ve got you. You’re so loved, you mean so much to me. I never want to lose you. James’ lips brush over her collarbone again and she laughs, feeling him attempt to pull her closer than they already are. Legs tangling as he hooks his knee around her thigh. Completely wrapped into him and his adoration of her, as if they might just be the only people in the world. As if she’s the only girl in his world.

“You are the neediest boy I have ever met.” His eyes flash up to her face, taking in the glow that covers her features as she laughs at him. Looking down at him from their tangled closeness. He could connect their lips again, she has them so close, just there for him to take them. “You love it.” Another kiss falls onto her collar bone as he nuzzles back against her. “I think you’d morph our bodies into one if you could,” the words are a coo, the air of her laughter still drenching her tone. He smirks, rolling his eyes just past where she can see it. And then, with a sarcastic and playful air he seems to agree, “I’d crawl into your skin if I could.”

“What?” The shout is accompanied by the sound of bed springs creaking as Morgie le Fay forces himself up in his bed. Book falling to the floor from his sudden movement. His bewildered tone causes the couple across the room from him to break out in giggles. James’ laughter sends hot puffs of air across her chest with every shake of his shoulders. Her own breath messing up his hair as her laughter blows the strands around. “You two are the most bizarre people I have met in my entire life,” Morgie is getting up from his bed now, tugging his shoes on with one hand while the other reaches back down for the novel he’s reading. “I mean seriously, who in their right mind tells their partner that they want to crawl into their skin? What, are you going to tell her next? That you want to curl up in her ribcage?”

Hook’s laughter gets heavier, words coming out on heaving breaths, “It doesn’t sound like the worst idea. Bet it’s nice and warm in there, I could be all snuggled up to her heart. Love hearing her heartbeat.” Morgie lets out the most exacerbated huff she’s ever heard, hands flying around his head wildly as he does. “See, who in their right mind says that? What is wrong with you?” The boy storms out of the room, book in hand as the couple on the bed fall into each other laughing. A duo of crashing limbs and shaking shoulders as the air in their lungs dwindles. Tears in their eyes with shaky breaths as they finally calm down. Letting out little sighs as they come back down from the emotional high.

“Oh, that poor boy is terrified of us, you have terrified your little friend.” Hook hums, leaning back to look at her face, “He’ll be okay.” There’s a moment that the two of them don’t speak, instead letting hungry eyes eat up the other. A plump lip finds its way between Hook’s teeth, big dark eyes trained on her lips as if he was a starving animal looking at prey. She can feel it, brow quirking as the corners of her mouth curling up into a smirk, “You wanna make out again?” And who would he be to say no?

#descendants #descendants imagines #descendants rise of red #descendants fanfiction #descendants x reader #james hook #james hook x reader

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sillyuin · 2 months ago

Text

The ghost of you. (Part 2).

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

Genre: angst. fluff.

Pairing: Mingyu x reader.

Warnings: Break up.

(Part One here)

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

The soft morning lights entered the room, weakly illuminating it. Mingyu woke up with a soft groan of someone who wanted to sleep a little longer, and turning over, his hand rested on the sheets in a futile attempt to find the warmth of your body.

He opened his eyes and after hesitating for some time, he sat on the edge of the bed, yawning while covering his trembling body with the blanket; maybe sleeping without a shirt wasn’t a good idea. He got up from the bed to go to the bathroom and right at the entrance door, he found a note placed there.

“I went out to buy breakfast, it won’t take long.” Seeing the note written in your handwriting made him smile to himself.

As you entered the apartment, you were greeted by a tempting aroma coming from the kitchen that could easily make anyone hungry. You sneaked in silently, and there he was, with his back to you, completely focused on what he was preparing.

Slowly, you approached, careful not to make noise with the shopping bag you were carrying, but it was you the one who was surprised…

“Good morning, y/n,” he said without getting distracted.

“C’mon! How come you always notice when I arrive?” You stood next to him, looking at him with pouty face. Mingyu turned to look at you and smiled.

The apartment that was once empty and quiet, has come to life again. The sound of your voice giving Mingyu good morning returned, as you lazily kissed him on the cheek, the sound of laughter could be heard again, and candy bags filled the trash cans throughout the house. It was as if nothing had happened in the first place, and the ghost of you was nothing more than a nightmare from which Mingyu had finally awakened.

That morning, you had gotten up a little earlier than usual; it was the weekend, so there was no reason to wake Mingyu early. You preferred to let him sleep a little longer and surprise him with breakfast, but some things were missing, so you had to go out to buy what you needed, not before leaving a note where he could see it.

“You know I almost never wake up early on my days off,” he said suddenly while you were having breakfast at the dining table.

“I know that very well,” you replied before taking a sip of your coffee. “It’s just that…”

Mingyu looked up from his plate to find you poking your omelet over and over with your fork.

“Don’t play with your food,” he said playfully. “I can make you something else if you don’t like it.”

“I do like it, it’s just that I’ve been thinking…” you sighed, leaving the fork at the edge of the plate, and with your gaze lowered, you whispered, “I don’t want to go somewhere else without telling you. I won’t run away again.”

You could almost feel his gaze and that made you panic. When you finally decided to face him, you discovered that indeed, he had his eyes on you, but not with sadness and sorrow; his face looked peaceful, he was smiling gently. You felt so vulnerable and had to low down your gaze, feeling like if you looked at him for another second, your stomach would fill with butterflies.

“It doesn’t matter, you’re home now.” He got up from the table and took the empty plates he had served himself. “Eat, we have a nice day ahead.”

You nodded and quickly finished your breakfast in silence and went to the bathroom to wash up. While you waited for Mingyu to finish getting ready to go out, you approached the bed and focused your gaze on the paintings hanging above the headboard; they were the three small paintings Mingyu had made. They were simple and empty but at the same time, they were very captivating.

“The red thread of fate,” you whispered.

“A red thread connects those who are destined to be together,” you heard a voice behind you, Mingyu had entered the room.

“No matter how much it stretches or tangles, it will never break,” you continued the idea.

“I love that story,” Mingyu sat down next to you, crossing his legs. “Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

“Gyu, what were you thinking when you painted this?” you asked tilting your head slightly.

“Well, I just wanted to paint, I guess,” Mingyu tilted his head to the same side as you. “But…”

“But…?”

“I couldn't stop thinking about you” he confessed, leaning his face closer to yours and leaving a kiss on your temple; his arm wrapped around your shoulders, allowing you to get even closer to him. “… That’s why I did. I thought you were my red thread.”

“You thought…?”

“Yes, because now I know,” you couldn’t see his face, but it undoubtedly sounded like there was a smile on his lips, a beautiful smile that assured you everything was okay. “You are my red thread.”

You closed your eyes and let yourself be enveloped by the moment, wrapped in the safety of Mingyu’s arms and his soft laughter in your ear, which you had missed so much during the time you were apart.

You were happy. Mingyu was happy. And nothing could be better than being back home.

“Gyu, if I tell you something, won’t you get mad at me?” you asked later that night while you both tidied up the kitchen together.

“That only makes me think it will be offensive,” Mingyu looked at you with a raised eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Your painting is interesting… But you have way more talent,” you shrugged when he judged you with his gaze.

“In my defense, I was drunk.” Mingyu crossed his arms on the chest.

“No drunk person makes such perfect horizontal lines. You can’t fool me!”

“A good artist never reveals their secrets…”

“Hey, that’s not how the phrase goes. Don't turn your back on me! Gyu!”

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codnriddlewhore · 1 month ago

Text

A/N: guys idk how to make thos links someone teach me plsssss and i hope u like this, i decided to post 2 shorter parts instead of 1 long one, felt nicer. next part is gonna be set some years later and itll be maaaybe a tad bit happier. dont hesitate to say anything, good or bad, mwah

wc: 965

She left earlier, of course.

The day after, to be precise. It was a slow and quiet morning. She felt at peace and torn apart at the same time. Can you feel that way? Maybe like someone that felt content with the way they lived their life, though now being stuck in a tornado.

Tom´s wife was sitting on the breakfast table with one leg propped up on the chair, wearing one of his jumpers and a teacup in her hand, smiling to herself and only having kissed him good morning and asked if he wanted tea. It angered him. Of course it did, she was always and every day the biggest chatterbox in the morning, excited about the day. He sometimes joked that it annoyed him. He hoped she realized the joke. He lived off her feeding him her presence. And who smiles like that, does he have a stain on his tie? Did she pack him heart shaped-sandwiches? I mean what else could´ve-

“Why aren´t you getting dressed? We`ve got to leave in-“

He checks his watch.

“exactly 13 minutes. I love you, but I know you wouldn´t make it.

She looks up from her tea, smiling again. He could sense it wasn´t the adorable type, it made his stomach turn. Something was wrong.

Well of course something was wrong Riddle, you´re ignoring the fact that you weren´t able to breath after the argument last night and that, you incontrollable child threw up all over the fucking bathroom you-

“Oh Minerva took the 2nd years to Hogsmeade for the morning, got 3 free periods.”

Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. You never lie to me, you´ve never lied to me- What did I do, please, I´m begging you to go back day before yesterday with me I can´t fucking stand this

Of course he knew what he did, though did it deserve such a reaction? From both of them?

She stands up, gets very close to him and musters a real smile, one that made her eyes really small and showed her gums. It took all of her willpower left to do so. For him, It made his before mentioned train of thought stop.

Okay, of course it´s still her. It´s his wife.

She straightens his wobbly tie, there was no need to do so on other mornings. Another look in his eyes, knowing she´s the probably the only person that will see the truth in them. The fear. The other wobbly thing in the room were his legs when she kissed him, deeply, not hungry, but lovingly and meaningfully.

“Be nice. They´ll love you”

“Pfft, absolutely, don´t they always?”, he didn´t want to make a joke in such a moment but I guess he felt human, wanting to lift the atmosphere.

In the years after, they´d both remember this moment countless of times, she grinning like a child that remembered their last cool birthday party and he as in the objectively worst choice of words he ever made.

It was time, she felt it in the air. She'd die otherwise. Her to-do-list was now fairly simple, though the circumstances added some points.

pack Cry Put music on to distract Sob Pack Unpack Sob Look forward to life Pack Leave her faveorite blanket. He secretly thinks it´s fluffy. He gets cold easily. cry Cry happy tears because how fortunate is she to have spent 3 years with such a magnificent person. Pack Write note Cry but just a tad Breathe. Make tea. Put a lid on his cup so it stays hot. Breathe Smile Leave

Tom came home early. Who fucking cares about the pre-OWLs, he knows there´s the quidditch finale tonight and no one will concentrate. 1st day after Christmas break, whose idea was that.

Was she still in the school? He didn´t see her, though he didn´t particularly go look for her, he knows when to back off. She sometimes “regenerated” in her own space.

He got comfortable in his house and went into the ki- Did he forget his tea this morning? Seems unusual.

a note.

No.

In a pace an Olympic fast-walker would be jealous of, he makes his way to the library and sits down in the old, brown leather chair. His eyeballs hurt from his palms pressing into them, a strategy from the orphanage when he was first mocked for crying, it prevented the tears wonderfully. Tom sat like that for a few minutes, his left leg bouncing up and down and increasing in speed.

No.

Abruptly Tom stands up and walks over to the bookshelf with her little detective novels and big encyclopedias on algae and what not. His shaking hand pulls one out, the title doesn´t matter. He stares at it. He smells it. It doesn´t smell like her, at all. Why would it? It´s just a book. Was she real?

From his mouth comes not a growl, not a scream, what is it? He simply knows he hasn´t made that noise in a very long time and it almost accurately described his emotions. Almost. Nothing ever really will, he believes, though he´ll find a word for word description of his thoughts many years later. The book is now in about 14 pieces, torn apart, unreadable. Something wet runs over his hot cheeks. The knee-part of his grey slacks is ruined by the wet grass. He thought he´d suffocate inside.

Dearest Tommy,

I think I said everything I meant last night, though my devotion to you is hard to word.

You are the most precious, wonderful thing that has happened to me.

I want you to accept yourself.

To see yourself as I do.

You´re too much of a gift to existence and love in general to reduce yourself to a cause.

I love you, my Darling.

There were a few more words in between, but the tear stains made them unreadable. He´d get to reading it at some point. Maybe.

#angst tom riddle #tom riddle x reader #professor tom riddle #x reader #harry potter #tom riddle au

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claraswritings · 3 months ago

Note

Can you do the alphabet for both of them?

The Luca version of the alphabet…based on this… I posted the Carmy one first

CHEF LUCA NSFW ALPHABET

Warnings: it’s a NSFW alphabet so again…sexual content. The No section may be slightly TW but it’s not graphic and it’s essentially saying he would never do it. (Easily skippable).

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Luca is SO attentive. I’m talking after care king. He’ll clean you up afterwards and make sure he cuddles up to you, kissing you and holding you until you fall asleep in his arms. If he’s got work the next day, he will kiss you whilst you’re sleeping and leave you a cute note and breakfast for you so you don’t wake up and think he’s dipped.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)-

Of his own? Luca likes his hands, he works with them all day and tends to you with the same attention to detail, he likes how can tease your body with just his fingers, trace shapes over your skin, and please you with just his touch. Of yours? I think Luca would be a thigh guy, if you wear something that’s thigh hugging he can’t help imagining his face between them or them around his neck. Doesn’t matter if they’re thick thighs or not, he’s just happy to be squeezing them or having them squeeze him when he gets the chance.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Luca loves finishing inside you. The first time he did, it was an accident with the two of you getting carried away in the moment. He’d apologised but when you’d kissed him straight after and told him how hot it was, he became super into it, sometimes he’ll stay inside you for as long as possible afterwards other times he’ll pull out and watch it leak out. The image of it soon has him hard and ready to go again.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He’s a little into the idea of almost getting caught. There’s been a few times when Luca has snuck off with you to places and had you up against the wall, hand over mouth to give you something to bite on. Maybe somewhere where he knows an ex of yours or some guy who wants you might walk in. It’s his way of making you his. BRAIN GO BRRRRR 🥵🥵

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)-

Experienced enough that he knows what he’s doing but definitely not a player, something like 2-3 relationships and maybe 1-2 flings/ONS which whilst he enjoyed at the time wasn’t really his thing. Luca prefers the commitment. He absolutely knows what he’s doing though.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Luca is big on eye contact and would like fucking you with a leg or both over his shoulder so he can get in nice and deep but still see your expressions and how you react to him. He’d want you to see how good you’re making him feel as well and be able to kiss you easily if he wants to reassure you how good you’re taking him. Also he likes being able to put a hand on your stomach and feel himself inside you.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

It all depends on the mood. Luca doesn’t mind joking around sometimes. If you’re watching a movie that has a sex scene or something he’ll start teasing you and whisper ‘I could do that to you’ or ‘you look like you’re enjoying that, should we try that?’ And if you do go along with it, he’ll be teasing you the whole way. Other times, if he’s had a long day or needs reassurance he’ll be so sweet and serious and telling you how lucky he is.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He’s neat and pretty well maintained but not obsessive over it. He keeps himself tidy. On you, he doesn’t care in the slightest.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Luca is romantic, plenty of kisses and gentle touches and, now this is a massive headcanon of mine, I can imagine he’d be like so attentive and caring in a lot of the more intimate personal moments, like he’d be gliding his hand up your thighs and asking “can I take this off?” and kissing you as he undresses you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

I’d say he did it every so often before you. He was one of those people that, before he fell for you, he was pretty fine with being single so he’d do it if he ever had an itch he needed to scratch.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Oookay… now Luca definitely has a bit of a size kink. He’s extremely gifted downstairs and loves seeing how you stretch around his girth and how he can feel himself if he presses his hands on you. If you’re a lot shorter than him too, even better. 👀 Projecting? Me? Never

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He likes doing it in your shared kitchen when you’re alone. It started one day when he was teaching you how to make some incredible dessert and one thing lead to another… youve also maybe got a little bit… personal outside once or twice. Discreetly.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

You wearing his clothes. If you steal his hoodies or shirts, all he can think about is if it was all you wear wearing. And soon it would be 🥵

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

I think anything related to aggression or Cnc would be a big no. To me, Luca is an consent king and would loves having you splayed out saying how good he is and where he can tell you how much he loves you so anything involving even pretending to hurt you is a hard no.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Luca is hands down, without a doubt in my mind, without any question, without second guessing, a munch. He’s not going to say no if you want to go down on him but he prefers giving… he loves spending ages between your legs with his mouth and tongue on you, making you cum at least twice. It gets him off tasting you.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Luca is adaptable. Mostly he likes to take his time with you, he knows he’s big so wants to go slow at first at least… however if you’re begging him to go faster, he won’t deprive his girl of what she wants 🥵. Sometimes the two of you would get carried away that you’d end up having a fast passionate session

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He’s game. Like said above, he’d prefer to take his time with you but if you’re hot for him and there’s time constraints he’s happy to test it…every second counts

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

I think Luca would be pretty open minded within a relationship. If you’re interested in something, he’d probably find your enthusiasm sexy and be willing to try for you.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

I’d say he can go for a few rounds and then one extra in the morning. He’d last a good amount of time, Luca wants you to cum first and twice before he does

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He doesn’t own any but if you do, he’s more than happy to watch or even use them on you. You have a love egg that sometimes you slip in and let him have the control for, but it’s only a matter of time before he’s pulling you off somewhere quiet to replace it with himself. Said it before and I’ll say it again… BRRRRR 🥵

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

In public he’ll be pressing gently into you so you can feel him half hard, and whispering how he wants you. He’ll leave himself there just until you start to push back into him and he’ll pull away, dipping for only a second to bite your neck.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

I can imagine he’d be a moaner, he’d let out the most low delicious guttural throaty sounds if you’re in control… if he’s in control and you’re having a bit of a more… heated session he’ll be vocal telling you how good you feel

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He likes cockwarming. Not even in a before or after sex way. Sometimes when you’re just cuddling, he wants to be as close to you as possible. Even if you’re cuddled up as close as possible, it doesn’t feel close enough so after a few minutes and with plenty of enthusiasm from you he’s sheathed inside you.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

I am a firm believer in Luca being absolutely hung. Definitely above average and thick. 😏 the kinda dick you need to ease down on 🥵.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Id say it’s middle to high. Luca is obsessed with you regardless Whether it’s sex or just being around you, he’s happy to match you. Sometimes he can’t keep his hands and mind off you… other times he just wants to lie with you and be loved.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Usually you’ll stay awake for a bit afterwards either just kissing and slowly making out or he’ll cuddle up to you and wait for you to sleep. I think you’d usually end up sleeping first and he’d be happy to just soothe back your hair and trace your skin until you slept

#luca the bear x reader #chef luca imagine #chef luca x reader #luca the bear imagine #luca x reader #the bear x reader #luca the bear #the bear luca #chef luca #give him to me

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canadianfangirl-95 · 4 months ago

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A Bahamas Bet

Frankie Morales fanfiction x f! reader

Summary: Going on vacation to the Bahamas with your friends could only call for sun, fun and a sweet vacation hookup. Nothing could ruin your enjoyable time, not even your childhood friend’s obnoxious army buddy, Frankie Morales. Right?

Original characters- Wendy (Will), Blaire (Benny), Sofia (Santi)

Two-part series warnings and info: 18+ Minors DNI, enemies to lovers, one bed left at the inn trope, alternating povs, Frankie doesn’t have a child, brief mention of therapy, reader nickname Birdie, alcohol, smut, protected p in v, hat stays ON, oral f receiving, swearing

Part 2 Word Count: 8k

Part 2

Saturday

Head pounding, you pull your tired body up in the bed. Rubbing your hands on your face, you look over to the other side of the bed and notice it empty. You can’t hear anything either, until the hinge of the bathroom door creaks, and Frankie steps out, already dressed for the day in a fitted black t shirt and cargo shorts, his signature hat perched comfortably on his head.

He comes to a stop at the end of the bed and rests his hands on his hips, “Well, morning sleeping beauty.”

You grunt and grab his pillow from beside you before throwing it at him. He easily bats it out of the way and smiles. “Feeling fresh and ready to enjoy the day?” He asks with far more gusto than you would prefer given your state of unwell.

Peering at him through hooded eyes you reply, “Frankie just, leave me here to rot, go get brunch.” You say, as you rest your head back down on the pillow.

Grinning, he comments, “Alright well, I uh- left out some water and Advil for you there. Thought you might need it.” He shuffles on his feet, trying to play off the incredibly thoughtful act as a moment of complete nonchalance.

Pulling the comforter down off your face, you look at him and then the nightstand, “Oh, thanks Frankie.”

He nods, “No problem I’m gonna, uh- I’m gonna go catch up with everyone.” he says, gesturing to the door, before fumbling around with his wallet and room key and heading out.

Once you’ve finally collected yourself enough to run your drained body through the shower and pull a brush through your hair, you make your way to the dining room with sunglasses adorned on your face. You were still working on getting back to yourself after the brutal hangover you’ve been feeling and did not want to risk running into Juan without covering up the grim bags under your eyes.

Bennys eyes brighten when you approach the full table and he gestures to you, “Oh, there she is our beautiful and not at all dead looking friend.”

They all clap along with him as you wave your hands, conceding to his comment.

“Still look better than you Miller.” You say, sitting down and beginning to eat your pile of breakfast food you’ve collected from the buffet.

Blaire offers you a sympathetic smile, “Oh don’t listen to him, just start thinking about seeing Juan later and I’m sure your energy will come right back.”

“Mm, you’re right. We’re going to the beach today, right? Maybe I’ll get a nap in while I’m there so I’m nice and refreshed.”

Wendy taps her hands on the table and straightens up in her seat, “Right, so once you’re all done, I think we can head there after we’re all changed. Maybe some beach volleyball if you’re all down?”

The group gives their approval for the days’ activities and departs once you are done eating to get ready for the hot Bahamas rays and stunning waters.

Th sun scorches your skin as you lay your towel down on a reclined chair on the beach next to the girls. You pull your bathing suit cover off, revealing your tiny black bikini that shows every bit of skin that you’re looking to show off this weekend. Grabbing your sunscreen, you sit down on the recliner and begin to apply it on yourself. You see Frankie standing just to the side, apparently looking out to the water’s horizon, however, if you could see under the mirrored sunglasses he has on, you’d be able to see that his eye line follows every movement of your hands as you apply the sunscreen to your smooth skin.

Rolling over onto your stomach you gesture to Frankie with the sunscreen, “Hey roomie, could you get my back and shoulders?”

He gulps and tries his best to feign annoyance. “I see what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing Frankie?” You say, mimicking your innocence of yesterday.

He huffs, “Fine, but you asked me, so it doesn’t count as anything.” He says, waving his hands casually before you.

You pop your eyebrows up and down and lay back down on the recliner.

Frankie sits on the side of the recliner and wishes to all that is good in this world that your ass didn’t have to look that good in your bikini. He squeezes the sunscreen into his hand and looks down at your nearly bare back. Taking a deep breath, he begins rubbing the lotion onto your back and shoulders, trying to be mindful of the top of your bikini bottoms.

You let out a quiet moan that could only be heard by him, “Seriously?” He asks in a sarcastic tone.

“Sorry, just feels so nice and relaxing.” You say, giggling to yourself.

He rolls his eyes and finishes rubbing the lotion on you, patting your shoulder when he’s done and standing up from the recliner with a grunt.

A while later you’re woken from your slumber with a smack on your ass, you turn swiftly to see Sofia hovering over you, “Hey bitch wake up it’s volleyball time.”

With a groan of sleepiness, you get up from your comfortable position and make your way to the volleyball court on the beach your friends are situated at.

The game is certainly waking you up and making you feel a little more energetic. Wendy suddenly taps your elbow and points over to the water, “Hey isn’t that, Juan?”

Your eyes snap over to where she is pointing, you pull your sunglasses up slightly to look more intently and sure enough see the same man you were flirting with last night. Today though he is shirtless with short swim trunks. His tan chest was chiseled, and his 6 pack was undeniably sexy. Biting your lip briefly you give Wendy an excited look before turning your attention back to the man by the shore.

Raising your hand to wave, you are just about to call out his name when suddenly a THUD- in the form the volleyball strikes you right in the head. You turn and look with a shocked expression on your face to see Santi standing on the opposite side of the net with his shoulders at his ears and a grimace on his face.

“Sorry!” he yells over to you, waving his hand as an apology.

You nod your head and look back to the shoreline, where Juans stunning physique has now disappeared from. Chewing the inside of your cheek you look around for a moment before returning your attention to the game.

The music in the resort nightclub is booming and the crowd is carrying on with the same energetic dancing as the previous nights.

You and Blaire are situated in the middle of the dance floor after a few too many drinks enjoying the night. Your eyes continue to scan the room for your mysterious love interest, though admittedly, dropping back to Frankie in the booth. His hair is especially curly this evening, poking out of his hat after spending the afternoon in the water. His cheeks are rosy from being in the sun today and his black t shirt was open on the top 3 buttons, exposing the small patch of chest hairs. You are dressed in a tight red dress that hugs each and every curve with black heels that have straps around your ankles, and a special pair of black lace panties for your potential suitor that night. If he ever shows up that is.

A hand finds its way to your waist, and you turn swiftly in it, placing your hands firmly on Juan’s chest as he looks down at you with a devious grin.

“Hey beautiful, sorry I took so long to get here. My buddy is pretty much blacked out in his room right now, so I had to make sure he was alright.” he says, inching closer to you and wrapping his arm around you.

Smiling back at him you fumble with the buttons on his shirt casually and look up to meet his gaze, “It’s okay, I’m just glad to see you here now.”

You look back over your shoulder to discover that Benny had seen Juan’s attendance and joined his girlfriend on the dance floor. Subjecting everyone to his terrible white boy dance moves.

You and Juan fall into a comfortable routine of grinding against each other and sneaking back to the bar for shots, as well as stealing heated kisses, all of which had your head spinning. He was a nice guy, for real he was, but you knew it was just a vacation fling. He didn’t give you those butterflies that you knew you were supposed to have.

Finally, feeling the effects of all the liquid you drank, you offer your apologies as you exit to seek the washroom. He leans in and tells you that he’ll be at the bar getting some more drinks.

Feeling so much lighter and not having to squeeze your thighs together any more due to the incessant need to pee, you return to the dance floor and peer over to the bar. However, Juan is nowhere to be seen. You look around and sneak a peak at the booth your friends are at, but still nothing. In a huff you walk over to the bar, just for your elbow to be tapped by Juan over to your side. Your smile spreads across your face until you notice his worried expression.

He leans in with his hands planted firmly in his pockets, “Hey, I uh- I’m gonna head back to my room.”

You perk up and run your hands on his chest, “Okay, that sounds good to me.”

Juan slightly recoils at your touch and pulls a half smile, “Oh, no just by myself. It was nice meeting you, but uh- I don’t think it’s gonna work out. Have a nice night though.”

Before you can pick your jaw up off the floor he has turned and is heading to the doors. Your head spins from the alcohol and the complete 180 degree change your date has just had. Turning on your heels you go over to the dance floor where the girls are all dancing to the Britney Spears throwback booming through the speakers.

“Hey, what happened to Juan?” Blaire asks.

You shrug, “I don’t know. I thought things were going great and then all of a sudden, he bailed on me. I don’t know what even happened.” Crossing your arms you think back to the conversations you had and look for any red flags you may have put forth.

Wendy bites her lip and looks up in thought, “I saw him talking to Frankie at the bar after you left to go to the washroom, maybe he would know?”

Your eyes narrow in suspicion, and you excuse yourself to go to the bar. As you squeeze through the crowd you see Frankie seated on a stool with his broad shoulder facing you, looking up at one of the TVs. You tap his shoulder, and he spins slowly in the stool to face you, his expression dropping slightly.

“Hey um- this is weird to ask but did Juan say anything to you when you were talking to him. Like about me? He just left in a hurry, and I don’t really know what I did wrong I guess.” You say with your arms crossed and shoulders hunched forward, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Frankie swallows deeply and hums to himself, “Uh, nope he didn’t say anything about you.” Taking a drink from his beer, his eyes are somewhat sympathetic.

Biting your bottom lip you nod, “Oh okay, well worth a shot I guess.” You motion to turn but before you can Frankie interjects.

“It might’ve had something to do with what I said to him though.”

Your head whips back and eyes bulge, heat growing between your ears. “And what did you say to him?”

He smirks to himself and replies, “I told him that we were a couple, were looking for a third and that I was really excited to get to know him.” He chuckles and winks at you before bringing his beer back to his lips.

Head spinning, eyes burning you stutter out, “What, - what the fuck Frankie why would you say that?”

“Probably because his face was funny as hell when I told him, plus that guy was a total tool, you should be thanking me.” He responds with a smile.

Your emotions get the better of you and you shove him directly in the chest with both hands, “Dammit Frankie! He was not a tool he was a good guy. I can’t fucking believe you!” You turn on your heels and storm towards the exit.

Frankies eyes bug out and he quickly chugs his beer before slamming it down on the bar top to rush after you.

Your friends see the kerfuffle from their comfortable seats in the booth. All quietly wondering what was to come from this fight. Santi and Sofia give each other knowing looks before they all return to their evening.

All you could hear during your stampede to your room was the trailing footsteps of Frankie’s shoes and his meek calls for you to stop.

Finally getting to your room you slide the card in and heave the door open before whipping it hard to close. Frankie’s hand finds its way between the door and the latch to squeeze in and follow your step once more.

“Hey, come on are you seriously that mad?” he asks, with his arms spread and exasperation on his face.

You whip around to face him, placing your hands on your hips. “Yes, Frankie I am fucking mad. You had no right to do that. I don’t even understand why you would give a shit if I hooked up with him tonight.”

His face drops with his hands, “I don’t know, I just, fuck I don’t know Birdie.”

“Oh no, don’t even start with that Birdie shit. You have never once in your entire time knowing me used my real nickname so don’t start now.” You turn your attention to your suitcase and begin throwing items into it.

“What are you doing?” He asks, watching your fumbled state.

Not even looking over your shoulder you reply, “Getting the fuck out of this room. Have fun cuddling Santi tonight.”

Frankie steps inward and crowds you, “Come on don’t do that. Just talk to me, why are you leaving.”

You turn quickly in your spot, standing now just inches from him. Raising your head to speak directly into his face. “You wanna know why? Fine, you are the biggest narcissist I have ever met.” You begin, counting out on your fingers your reasons. “You ruined my date, and my vacation. And you’re too busy wallowing in your own self-pity to realize how your actions affect other people. Are those enough reasons to leave?”

He sucks his teeth and looks down at you, “Are there any reasons to stay?” he asks calmly.

“Hm, not that I can think of. Can you think of one?” You ask sarcastically, glaring at his deep brown eyes.

In an instant his mouth crashes into yours. Your eyes bulge as you take in the moment, before quickly falling victim and wrapping your arms around his neck. He grabs your hips and pulls them in closer to press against him. It’s all tongue and teeth as you devour each other next to the mini fridge of your hotel room. He slides his hand into your hair to pull your head back, granting him access to nip and suck at your neck as you moan and run your hands through the hair at the nap of his neck.

He turns you on your feet and backs you up until your knees hit the edge of the bed, before pushing you down flat on it. He leans down and grabs your heel to pull it up to his chest and begins pulling the straps off them, peppering kisses along your ankle. Moving to the other. His drunken hands fumble with the clasp, “Fuck sakes you had to choose the most complicated shoes.” He mumbles under his breath.

You roll your eyes, “Shut the fuck up and get down here.”

He eyes you with raised brows and pulls the shoe off your foot before taking his hat in his hand and pulling his shirt up and over his head, placing his trusted hat firmly back on his luscious curls. You bite your lip as you watch him unhook his belt and pull his shorts down, kicking off his shoes in the process.

You widen your legs for him, and he trails his hands up your thighs, sneaking them slightly under the hem of your dress. You rise up on the bed and pull the straps off your shoulders to begin shimmying the dress down your body. He rubs your legs as his eyes widen, watching your plump chest fall free from the fabric of the dress as you continue to scoot it further down your body. His hands raise to grab the material from you, and you lift your hips to allow him to pull it the rest of the way down your body, leaving you bare save for your lacey panties.

He runs a finger lightly over the fabric on your folds, “These were for him then?” he asks quietly.

You nod slowly, he grins and comments. “I guess his loss is my gain then.”

You inch up on the bed as he follows you closely, climbing over your body and launching down to capture your mouth with his teeth. Your hands explore every inch you can reach as you urge him forward. Hips bucking up to seek friction against his hardening length.

He breaks off and looks down between the two of you, “Needy huh?”

Shaking your head with frustration you pull at his curly locks, “Can you just fuck me already?”

His smirks and leans back on his haunches to grab your panties and pull them down your legs, before rolling onto his side and side his boxers down.

When he returns to his position you both drop your gazes. He licks his lips, looking down at your wet pussy, just dripping for him and your eyes pop at the sight of his cock. Long and girthy, a sensational feeling creeps up your spin as you admire his length.

He looks at you, “Did you happen to bring any-,”

“Oh, fuck, yeah just in my nightstand.” You say, pointing over to the table situated beside the bed.

He nods and reaches over to the nightstand to pull out and roll the condom firmly onto himself.

Widening your legs for him he leans back down to bring you into another kiss, reaching down between the two of you to guide his cock into your entrance. The first few pushes burn with the stretch, but it feels too good to slow down. He continues his pace until he bottoms out in you, both of you letting out an agonizing moan as you take in each other.

“You okay?” he asks.

Nodding you reply, “Yeah, yeah fuck, Frankie just move I need to feel you.” Your tone almost begging.

Frankie smiles and begins moving his hips back and forth against you, your eyes roll back at the feeling, and he leans down to capture your nipple in his mouth. Biting it tightly as he slams into you at a pace you haven’t experienced before.

He breaks away momentarily to mutter under his breath, “Can’t believe we’re doin’ this.”

Moans escaping your mouths as the top of his cock presses against your clit with each devastating roll of his hips. You bring him back up to your mouth to pull at his lips with your teeth as he continues to move into you. Deep breaths and the slapping of skin is all that can be heard as the two of you take in each other’s bodies. He lays flat on you, and you wrap your arms around his neck to squeeze as your walls clench around him, sending the most incredible waves up your body and causing your chest to arch into his. He hums at the feeling and then lets out an animalistic grunt as he presses forward one last time, filling the condom inside you.

He stills and rests his head against yours, both of you breathing deeply. “Fuck, what was, fuck was that?”

You giggle under your breath, “I don’t even know.”

Frankie drags his tired body off you and heads to the bathroom. You slide under the sheets and close your eyes, head still spinning from the alcohol and the intense orgasm you just had.

He comes back and lays down next to you resting his arm behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. “Do you uh- do you wanna talk about that or-,”

“No, no Frankie I just, mmm I need to sleep. I’m still too drunk.” You say rolling over on your side and snuggling next to him.

He grins to himself, looking down at your sleepy state, “Okay baby, get some sleep.”

Sunday

Eyes creeping open, you once again feel the weighted body of Frankie against your back and his arm slung over your side. Your annoyance ringing in your ears before the events of last night and your current state of undress crash into you like a freight train. You don’t move, don’t breathe too heavily, as if not engaging in the truth or awakening the world with your presence would somehow make what happened last night not real. Did you want it to be real? No, how could you possibly, he’s an ass, always has been. Last night was just a drunken mistake. Was it? It did feel amazing, and you could’ve stopped it any time, but you didn’t. Have you secretly been thinking about the possibilities since the beginning of this forsaken bet? All these questions swirling around your aching head makes your eyes squeeze shut again, desperately trying to drown out the light and the consequences of your actions.

As if feeling the tension literally emitting from your body, Frankie begins to roll over and move his arm off of you before waking himself. You hold still in the position you are in, pulling your covers close to your chin and hoping he might not see you.

He rubs his eyes and peers over at you, “Mornin’” he says with a groggy voice.

Slowly rolling over onto your other side with a shy smile you look at him with your head rested firmly on the pillow, “Hey.” You whisper.

Frankie rolls onto his side and places a warm hand on your arm that is holding the comforter tight to your neck. “You okay?”

Pulling your mouth into a thin line you nod, “Yeah, just uh, - don’t really know where to go from here. Or what it meant.”

“Yeah, that’s uh, I think a bigger conversation after some coffee.” He smiles, rubbing tiny circles in your arm with his thumb.

You nod and rise out of bed, both of you getting ready silently but politely. Holding the door to the bathroom open for each other, him handing you your sunscreen from the table when you were fumbling in your bag looking for it, you making the bed including his side.

The two of you walk beside each other down to the buffet for brunch, no words, just a comfortable silence. It doesn’t feel like even small talk would be safe until you have a chance to properly talk.

After collecting your much-needed coffee and food, you both sit down at the table with your friends and they all examine your faces, wondering where you stood after last night’s fight.

Wendy rubs your arm sympathetically, “Hey, how you doing? What happened last night?”

Frankie clears his throat to defend you before you interject, “I’m fine, last night was a total misunderstanding. Sorry if I worried you guys.” You say, offering a half-hearted smile.

Benny crosses his arms and leans back, “But like, what made you wanna go round for round with Fish here?”

Biting your bottom lip and looking at Frankie’s deep brown eyes, filled with concern you straighten up and reply, “I thought Frankie ruined my date when he talked to Juan, but I was wrong, he explained himself when we got back to the room and he was right, that guy wasn’t right for me. I didn’t need him, don’t need him.”

Frankie’s face pulls into a short smile, trying to stifle his apparent joy at your story.

Blaire smiles, “Well, I hope you two are still okay if we break off for our couples day today.”

Nodding you reply, “Oh of course, you guys go and enjoy your days. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Santi grins to himself and slaps his hands on his thighs as he rises up, “Alright well, if you’ll excuse us, I have a date with my lady and a waterfall.” He says, taking Sofia’s hand and helping her up before waving to the group and departing.

The other two couples stand as well and say their goodbyes, leaving you and Frankie staring down at your plates of food and steaming coffees.

You eat in silence, a million questions racing around your mind with each bite of your toast. Upon finishing your plate, you lean back in your chair to check your phone. Looking at your calendar you’re reminded of something you unfortunately forgot. “Hey, Frankie um, - I’m really sorry but I booked a massage for this morning since I knew they would all be busy. I can always cancel it if-,”

He waves his hands causally towards you, “No, no please go. We can catch up later.” he says, breathing deeply out of his nose.

You smile and nod before getting up and heading over to the spa. During your walk your feet feel like they’re floating and you’re still slightly dizzy from the events of the weekend. Rounding the corner to the spa you look to your right and catch a sight of Juan standing near the checkout desk. He spots you and quickly turns on his feet to face another direction.

Pulling your lips tight to your teeth you huff out of your nose. Yep, that seems about right, you think to yourself. A relaxing massage is exactly what you need to hopefully shut your mind off for a while.

A while later you leave the spa with your body and mind more relaxed. Your hangover has disappeared, and your energy returned, ready to take on whatever the rest of the day called for. While still nervous, you didn’t know what Frankie would think about what happened last night. He has never once shown interest in you during these few years. Was it purely physical or was there more. If there was more, was there more on your side? How would your lives fit together you thought. He lived in the same city as you, had the same friend group as you, partook in the same activities on the weekend as you. Really, your life has been blended for years now. He has a good job and so do you, it seems like it could come together seamlessly. However, there’s still the nagging feeling that is crawling up your neck each time you consider a relationship with him. That feeling comes of course from the relentless taunting and bullying you’ve received from him. You’re tough in the skin and it never bothered you but is that still the type of person you would want to build a life with, having had such a bad foundation to form on.

As your mind drifts in and out of uncertainty, your eyes are unfocused as you turn a corner and come crashing into none other than Frankie Morales.

“Oh, shit sorry.” You exclaim, trying to steady your footing.

He grins down at you and grabs his hat to scratch his head, “Hey, that’s okay I um should’ve been watching where I was going. A little lost in thought I guess.”

You nod and clasp your hands firmly together in front of you, “Hm, yeah, me too I guess.”

Taking a deep breath, he asks casually, “How was your massage?”

“Good, good thanks for asking. Definitely relaxing.”

“That’s good.” He says, both of you drowning in the undeniable awkwardness of the moment.

Frankie clears his throat before asking, “Do you wanna, go for a walk? I saw a trail over at the end of the beach that looks nice.”

Accepting the time has finally come for your talk, you agree and begin the walk towards the beach.

Sun beating down and waves crashing in, the beach is filled with fun seekers and tanners. They all look to be having such an easy-going time compared to yourself whose stomach has not stopped twisting since your sandals hit the warm beach.

You and Frankie remain in your quiet state until he finally finds the trail head and starts down it. He looks beside himself at your flushed chest and chewed lip that you’ve been worrying since you left the spa. “I don’t, really know how to start this I guess.” He says, placing his hands in the pockets of his plaid shorts.

Grinning slightly, you look up at him, “Yeah me neither.”

“I guess, I should first just apologize for what happened with Juan last night. I really am sorry.” he says, looking around at the foliage of the trail.

“Oh right, uh thank you. I appreciate that.” You say before thinking further, “I guess my question from last night was never answered so -,” you trail off, hoping he understands where you’re coming from.

He nods, “Yeah, that I don’t entirely have an answer for I guess.” He scratches the thin patchy beard spread across his chin. “I guess I was just threatened by him and didn’t like the idea of you going home with him, or anyone else really.”

His admission came as a shock, still unclear as to why he had such feelings. “Why did that bother you? I mean, we go to bars together, we’ve both seen our fair shares of one-night stands. It didn’t seem to bother you before.”

“Yeah, I know. Um, just felt different I guess.” he says quietly.

“Different how?” You ask, crossing your arms and growing slightly frustrated.

Taking a deep breath, he pinches the ridge of his nose and thinks. “Sorry, I haven’t done this in a while.” He begins.

“Done what?”

He smiles softly, “Talked about, - talked about my feelings. For someone.”

You take a deep breath in your nose and twirl your thumbs together, still slowly making your way down the trail. “Is that what we’re doing here? Talking about our feelings for each other?”

Before he can reply he looks forward at the scenery the trail has led to. A cascading waterfall atop a simple flowing stream and wildflowers all about. A single two-person bench sits quaintly near the edge of the water.

You laugh to yourself looking around, “Huh, figures. The waterfall for lovers.”

He grins and then offers his hand to you; you look him in the eyes before taking it and allowing him to lead you to the bench.

Frankie sits and rests his elbows on his thighs, taking deep breaths and looking at the water toppling down the cliff side. He turns his head to look at you, “Ask me again.” he says.

You look at him confused, “Ask what again?”

He clears his throat, “Ask me again why I always treated you the way I did. Like you were annoying.”

Biting your lip, your voice comes out as quiet as a church mouse, “Why?”

Frankie’s breath comes out like it hurts, “Because, I thought if I pushed you away like that then it would be easier. I liked you as soon as I met you, but I just, I was a mess when I was discharged, and I didn’t want to burden you with all that. I wasn’t ready for whatever this could be. So, I thought if I didn’t get close to you then I wouldn’t have to worry about you developing feelings for me. Making you hate me seemed better than disappointing you.”

It was heart wrenching hearing Frankie speak so highly of you and so poorly of himself. Floods of emotions came, and you had to know more about what you were considering at this moment. “What about now? Are you ready now?”

“Now?” he began, “Now, I have a steady job and a therapist that helps me take care of my mind. I have friends who are all happy and have moved on from everything we went through in the service. Now, I’ve spent 72 hours with you and during that short time you managed to break through all the walls I had built and the cage I put myself in.”

You want to respond, want to apologize that you may have pushed him too far, especially with the bet, and that you could give him more space, but he continued before you could pull the strained voice from your throat.

“I think I am ready now. I think I’ve worked hard these last few years to become a man you deserve. I think you deserve the world, I really do, and while I can’t give you that, I’m hoping I may be enough.” His deep brown eyes well up with emotion and he tries not to look directly at you.

Your chest tightens and your breath stops. This isn’t the Frankie you knew, no, this is new. This Frankie is different. This Frankie doesn’t have sharp edges or a quick wit. This Frankie, this Frankie is one you could fall in love with.

“Frankie, I have been extremely surprised by you this weekend. I have yelled at you, laughed with you, and experienced things I didn’t think were possible. I’m gonna need some time to catch up, because up until a few days ago, I absolutely hated your guts.” You and he both laugh for a moment, and he takes your hands in his. “But, if you’ll allow me the time, I’d like to try to catch up to where you are, because I really like you and I want to see where this could go.”

His eyes lighten and his smile beams, “Shit really?”

Nodding you reply, “Yeah, I guess Fish and Birdie do kind of go together anyway.” You beam and he matches your expression.

Frankie wraps his arms around to bring you into a tight embrace and you stay there still, him holding you and you listening to his rapid heartbeat.

“You know, if I weren’t such a nice person, I might count you confessing your love for me as making a move.” You say giggling to yourself.

He lets out a chuckle, “I think I already lost the bet last night when I kissed you.”

“It’s okay, I won’t count that either. We can split the room, and you can just owe me like 50 dinner dates.” You say pulling yourself out of his arms to lean in and plant a loving kiss to his lips.

“Deal. Now that I’m sure the waterfall worked its magic, we should head back.” He says, taking your hand again and helping you off the bench.

Your mouth gaps, “Did you know this was down here?”

His face grows embarrassed, “Uhhh, yeah, I did. I figured I needed all the help I could get.”

You laugh together and take his hand in yours, traveling back down the path.

“You didn’t completely hate my guts, right?” he asks inquisitively.

Rolling your eyes you reply, “Oh big time. Couldn’t fucking stand you.”

Frankie’s mouth drops in fake offence. You continue, “But, I did think you were cute and may have daydreamed about you a little.”

He smiles and pulls you in to wrap his arm around your waist, “I’ll take it.”

Returning to your room you look at the bed, the scene of the crime. You still haven’t spoken about that part of the situation yet and just thinking about it makes your core ache for more.

Frankie spots your eyeline and follows it to the bed, both of you standing near the edge facing each other and holding hands. He looks back at you, “I didn’t know when would be a good time to talk about, that whole thing. It was a bit impulsive on my side and I’m sorry if it was too soon.”

You shake your head, “No, no it’s okay. It was definitely unexpected, but I don’t regret it at all.”

Nodding he bites his lip, “So uh, what the fuck was that all about then?” he asks, his tone changing to a humorous laugh.

You match his laugh, “Fuck I literally don’t even know. Was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“Pfft, fuck, it was incredible. I can’t wait to see how it feels when I’m not hammered and can actually take my time.” He says, smiling at you, the lines on his face shining brightly with his expression.

You both look over at the bed again, chewing the inside of your cheek, before looking back at each other.

Moving as one, you close together and bring your hands to his face and his on your waist. Encapsulating each other in a heated kiss. His tongue pushes against your lips, which you happily encourage with your own tongue. You quickly become impatient and begin pulling at each other’s clothing. Unbuttoning his shirt as fast as your fingers can manage while he pulls at your shorts and pushes them down your legs. Once you’ve sufficiently rid yourselves of your clothes, save for Frankies hat, he turns you and sits you down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m gonna take care you baby alright?” he says, kneeling down and kissing the inside of your thighs as you lower your body flat on the bed and spread your legs for him. He swiftly turns his hat backwards and hums as he swipes a finger through your slick folds, “I didn’t get a good look at you last night, you have the most perfect pussy I have ever seen.”

“Oh stop, you’re just saying that.” You say with a giggle.

“Does this make you feel like I’m lying?” he asks, before diving in like a man starved of food for weeks.

Your back arches immediately as he expertly takes you apart with his tongue. Bouncing around between your entrance and clit. Your moans permeate the room with each swipe. Before you can even realize what’s happening, the string in your core is snapping and your orgasm is rushing through you. Frankie can feel your pussy plump out for him, and he quickly slides two fingers into your entrance for you to clamp down on. The sudden intrusion descends you into another wave of your orgasm. Hands grasping desperately at the bed spread, breath deep, you finally come down from you transcendent high.

He licks one last agonizing stripe up our folds to your sensitive mound and begins to crawl up the bed to you. “Taste so sweet baby.” He says before latching his mouth to yours.

You take his face in your hands and taste your pleasure on his mouth and mustache. You scoot out from under him and urge him to lay down flat on the bed. “I wanna ride you baby.” You say breathlessly.

He bites his lip and moves on the bed, before he can lie down you reach down to his head and pluck his hat off, planting it on your own backwards. He growls at the sight and steals a passionate kiss before accepting his position as pillow princess.

You reach over to the nightstand and hand him a condom. He rolls it on, and you sit up on your knees over top of his hardening length. Taking him in your hand you swipe him through your dripping folds, before slowly lowering yourself down on him. Each inch sending pleasure through every nerve of your body.

“Fuck, baby, taking my cock so well look at you.” He says, grabbing your hips tightly, no doubt to leave bruises for him to kiss tomorrow.

Bottoming out you let out a primal moan and place your hands firmly on his chest. “Oh, you feel so good.”

“Yeah? Show me how good I feel inside you.” He says through gritted teeth, slowly rocking you on his thick cock.

You raise up and down on him and every time it feels better than the last. Over and over again until you’re both panting from pleasure and overwhelmed. He reaches up and presses his thumb to your clit, so you roll your shoulders back and place your hands behind you on the bed to expose more of yourself to him. Your breasts bouncing with every movement and your head rolling back as your break approaches.

He watches you intently, as if you were a masterpiece in a museum, “Wanna see you come on my cock baby. You look so good when you finish.”

A few more sharp circles of your clit with his thumb and you’re stuttering, “Fuck, Frankie I’m gonna-,” is all you can manage before you begin squeezing him within an inch of his life. He follows immediately after, rutting up into you while he moans from his own bliss.

After a minute of deep breathing and eyes trying to roll back to normal you finally climb off of him and toss his hat off your head. He kisses your cheek before heading to the bathroom to clean up.

He rolls back into the bed with you and pulls you close to rest on his chest, “Mmm, that was great.” He says kissing your head.

“I’m so tired after all that, wanna take a nap?”

“Sounds good to me.” He says.

Hours later you’re awoken by your phone ringing, just missing the call you roll over and peer at the screen. “Fuck.” You exclaim.

Frankie jolts awake and looks at you, your eyebrows furrowed reading your messages. “What’s wrong?”

“That was Sofia trying to call me, looks like she texted me too. They headed down to dinner a while ago.”

He chews his lip and eyes your still naked body, “Would I be a total dick if I said I just wanted to stay here for the rest of the night?”

Turning in the bed with a mischievous look you ask, “No, but whatever would we do with all that time?” with a wink.

“Oh, I can think of something.” He says, leaning over onto you and capturing you in a kiss.

You oblige but quickly push him off, “Can we get room service though, I’m starving.”

Nodding, he replies, “Sure, then I’ll only owe you 49 more dinners.”

Room service took about 45 minutes, which gave you sufficient enough time to fool around again. Now sitting together on the bed, wrapped in the hotel’s fluffy white robes you stuff your faces with pizza and chicken wings while chatting.

“Good thing you brought that box of condoms, huh? Would’ve had me sprinting to the hotel store at 1am last night in nothing but my boxers if you didn’t.” Frankie laughed.

You grin as you swallow another bite of pizza, “Hey I was planning on hooking up this weekend, didn’t know it was gonna be you but, oh well.”

“What size box did you get anyway?” he asks, reaching into the nightstand and pulling out the box. “34!” he exclaims, looking at you with wild eyes. “How much sex were you planning on having this weekend?” he asks, laughing.

You laugh and snatch the box out of his hand, “Hey, I wasn’t gonna use all of them, obviously.”

“I don’t know, sounds like you had some pretty big plans for this weekend.”

Biting your lip, you look him up and down, “No, but something big did come up.” You say with a wink.

He looks at you slightly confused but also amused.

You giggle, “Sorry, dick joke.”

“Oh!” He laughs, “Yeah, one of my more redeeming qualities that’s for sure.”

“I’d say you’re pretty much redeemed at this point.”

Smiling, he looks at you with those damn deep brown eyes that make your heart twist every time now, “I am sorry again about how things have been between us. I really regret hurting you like that.”

“Don’t worry about it, I think a part of me could tell there was more to it. Will and Benny always sang your praises and I trust them so, I figured you couldn’t be as much of a bad guy that you led on.” You reply, taking his hand in yours. “It’s actually kind of exciting now, I get to get to know you all over again. The real you, that is.”

Looking bashful he tucks his head down slightly, “Well, I’ve gotten to know you quite a bit, and I really like you.”

You lean in for a kiss, “Thanks Fish, I really like you too. Does this mean you’re gonna start calling me by my nickname now?”

He goes into a fake deep thought, “Hmmm, I don’t know.” You offer a pout and plump your lower lip out. “Alright, you win, Birdie.” He says with a wink.

Monday

“You ready?” Frankie asks, putting away the last of his things in his suitcase.

Looking around the hotel room you grew a sense of sadness, so much has happened this weekend in this room, and you are sad to see it go. You are worried, worried about how the real world would react to your relationship with Frankie. Praying it wouldn’t reject you like a bad piercing and instead you would be able to blend your lives together and continue how it’s been these last crazy 24 hours.

“Hey,” he says softly, rubbing a hand on your shoulder. “It’s gonna be alright. We’re gonna go home, and get back into our routines, and I’m gonna take you out on a date. Have a chance to treat you right.”

His touch warms you and his words make you swoon. He was so comforting, and so reassuring. The way his eyes twinkle when they look at you could only be described as magic.

Nodding along to his soothing words, you throw your backpack over your shoulders and grab your suitcase, sliding out the door behind him. Once in the hallway, Frankie offers you a caring smile and his hand, which you accept gladly.

Walking into the lobby hand in hand with Frankie Morales was not how you expected this vacation to end, and by the looks on your friends faces it’s not what they were expecting either.

“Well, what do we have here?” Will hums.

Benny whistles and the girls give their ouus and ahhhs.

“Alright calm down you animals.” Frankie says, to settle the crowd of looky loos.

Blaire smiles, “So this is why you two weren’t at dinner and drinks last night, huh?”

“Thought you were dead.” Sofia comments with a laugh.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” You say, steadying your suitcase on the white granite floor. Frankie squeezes your hand reassuringly.

Santi crosses his arms and grins brightly, “Well, I guess my plan worked after all.” he says, winking at Sofia who laughs and swats his arm playfully.

You look at him confused, “What plan?”

He smirks, “Oh, I booked you guys in the same room on purpose.”

Yours and Frankie’s mouths drop as the rest of the group share your shock. Various whats and Popes echoing out from you all.

Santi taps his hands up and down in the air, “Alright, alright calm down. I had to do something after the way I’ve been watching my best friend pine over this woman for the last few years. He wouldn’t make a move, so I just thought if I put them in the same room together for the weekend they’d be forced to-,”

“Fuck.” Benny interjected, giggling.

Sofia shakes her head, “Noo, talk. But I mean, we’re assuming you also….” She begins, giving you an inquisitive look.

You cross your arms and suck your teeth at the thought of your friends tricking you and Frankie, but ultimately nod your head slightly which earns a cheer from the group and causes Frankie to press his hand to his face in embarrassment.

Frankie pulls his hand off his face and points jokingly at Santi, “I’m gonna kick your ass, man. You could’ve told me.”

Santi shrugs, “It had to happen organically, love can’t be forced.” he says, wrapping his arm around Sofias’ waist.

Will leans into the group, “Hey Pope, did you hit Birdie with the volleyball on purpose on Saturday?”

You perk up immediately, snapping your fingers as you point at him. “Hey, yeah that was when I was trying to get Juan’s attention!”

Laughing, he replies, “Hey I was looking out for my boy. Didn’t want that guy messing anything up. I thought about trying to get rid of him that night too, but it seems Fish beat me to it.”

“Oh, you have no idea, that is a funny story for the shuttle ride.” You say, tapping Frankie’s elbow as he smiles at you.

Wendy claps her hands together, “Alright, now that we’ve got that all sorted, let’s head back to reality.”

Quiet groans erupt from the group as they collect their bags and head to the lobby doors. Frankie swiftly grabs your wrist before you can get too far and swings you back into his arms. Looking down at you he smiles, and you smile right back, before he leans down and kisses you tenderly, squeezing you tightly in his strong arms.

And there they were, those butterflies floating around in your stomach, just like you always knew you were supposed to feel when you were with the right guy, at the right time.

Part 1

@christinamadsen @fluffygoffpanda

#pedro pascal #triple frontier #triple frontier fanfiction #fanfiction #triple frontier fic #frankie morales #frankie morales fanfiction #frankie morales smut #frankie catfish morales #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales fic #francisco morales

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the-fluff-piece · 1 year ago

Text

Sanji x reader modern day AU part 2:

I just want some f**ing coffee

Part 1: I just want some f**king...wine!

Part 3: I just want some f**ing sleep and comfort

Check out my other stuff:

My Masterlist - Short and Multichapter stories

Headcanon Masterlist

The date you were on the other night was disappointing - but the food was great! For some reason though, a chef from the restaurant took an interest in you. After crashing your date, he realised you were living right next to him all this time - and vows to court you until you're his! In this chapter, Sanji will bring your hungover ass some delicious breakfast and you'll get to know him (and his lips) a little better

Saturday morning. You woke up late, two glasses of wine really did knock you out, how pathetic. In uni, you could easily have double that and not even noticed. Sleepy and with a light headache, you check your phone - no message from Thomas. So he didn't like the date, either. No surprises there. Still stung.

You peeled out of your blanked for your morning ritual: a cigarette and coffee on the balcony. You caught your reflection in the mirror: yup, looking tired as fuck. Bags under your eyes, hair like a bird's nest and the general vibe of something that had existed for too long at the bottom of a handbag. Enough to scare the shit out of the judgy older lady from across the street when she would see you. It were the small things that made you happy.

You shuffled to your kitchen where you made a horrible discovery: Coffee was empty. Even scraping at the bottom of the tin can didn't produce enough for a cup, so you grumpily slipped into your fluffy robe, grabbed the pack of cigarettes and shuffled on to your small city balcony.

You lit one and watched the people on the street: an old lady with a cute dog, they were often walking by, so adorable. Joggers. Should do that, too. Sometimes. Not now. Woman on bike, looking fab. Damn, I should buy some of those workout pants, too. They look comfy! Hot blond guy with shopping bags, waving at someone. He looks like a snack. Cute cat yawning. Should get a fuckton of tho- wait a minute, you knew that guy. That was Sanji from yesterday.

Yet another cigarette became the victim of slack jawed staring between the two of you, sailing down to the street two stories below. Poor thing.

"Hey princess, I brought you coffee! On the house!" He shouted, grinning from ear to ear. "I got breakfast, too!" He had the inflection of someone luring an animal using treats. It worked well.

Your caffeine deprived brain couldn't fathom what was happening down there: the cook strolled towards the building and you lost sight of him. Shortly afterwards you heard a knock on your door. You ran inside to look through the peephole in the door.

What the fuck.

"Hey princess, I didn't know what you liked so I brought the classics!" his cheery voice could clearly be heard through the door and you saw his clear, blue eyes looking directly through the peephole in a fish-eye perspective.

"Can we maybe start at...WHY ARE YOU HERE? HOW?" You screamed at the door.

"I saw that you lived here, too! What a coincidence ! I just wanted to apologise for yesterday. Please let me make breakfast for you!" His muffled voice from behind the door sounded excited and way too cheery for this hour.

You listened to true crime, you were half sure that the guy was a crazy murderer, killing lonely women and possibly cooking them. But there was also a strong dependency on coffee and you were sure that you wouldn't make it to the supermarket in your state.

And it would be rude to refuse his offer. You removed the doorchain, unlocking the door. Sanji stood there with the widest, happiest grin you have ever seen, holding up a shopping bag full of groceries and with a duffle bag strapped around his shoulder. He was wearing fine pants and shoes and a very comfortable looking hoodie. The moment his eyes caught your sight they lit up with delight and a flow of barely discernible syllables bubbled from his mouth.

"There you are JUST LIKE I REMEMBER I will make you the best breakfast OF YOUR LIFE ❤❤❤" he mumbled like an old lady talking to her kitty cat. This weirdo was definitely not feeling dangerous enough to be a murderer. You stepped to the side. He moved past you into your apartment, looking around with open interest.

"How cozy! I love that chair - oh I know that book! Wow you have lots of plants, I somehow cannot keep them alive." He looked around like a tourist in the middle of a historic little town, slowly making his way towards your kitchenette.

"Uhm, it's not much, and it's not exactly cleaned up..." you apologised. Surely he was used to grade A equipment.

"It's fine, I have the same one, our apartments are quite similar." He explained, not showing the slightest sign of shock over your dirty little kitchen. "Besides, I brought some stuff." He sat the duffel bag down.

Humming to himself, he began unpacking and cleaning simultaneously like it was the most normal thing for him to operate in your kitchen. Dazzled, you fell into your comfy armchair and watched that tall, slender and overall handsome guy in your kitchen. He unpacked various ingredients and began rummaging through your cupboards, eventually finding a bowl and beginning to mix something. He even made a little show of flipping bottles around in his hand like a bartender or cracking eggs open with one hand. You felt a bit useless.

"Can I help...?" You asked, unsure of what you could even do.

"No, need. I'm cooking for you!" He turned around with a wink.

"Oh...ok." you said, getting up, feeling your headache again.

"I'm gonna...take shower" you decided and went to your small bath.

"Yes take your time! I'll call you when it's time to eat" he assured you.

Getting into the shower stall, your body slowly woke up. The hot water and flowery scent of your soap relaxed and refreshed you, soothed the ache in your head. Haven't had a man in here in...four years? And a handsome one at that. How strange. The realization of what was happening in your apartment at this moment was hitting differently now that you've awakened.

There is a hot guy. In my apartment. He's cooking breakfast for me.

Fuck, I look like shit. Fuckfuck! You decided to put as much effort into this as you dared. Quite frankly, you were out of practice. You washed your hair with the special expensive shampoo you once bought and never really used, you tried to peel and moisturize your face like you wanted to every day, and you put on a light perfume, that also just sat there for special occasions like today.

You snuck to your wardrobe in the bedroom. Outfit - what do you wear to a spontaneous breakfast with a guy who wears business casual on a saturday morning? A Blazer and blouse? The dress you wore to your sisters wedding? Standing in front of your wardrobe, you noticed that it was much too full but you still had nothing to wear.

You reminded yourself that he had already seen you at your (almost) worst, everything was an improvement. Deciding on a casual outfit, you grabbed a shirt and a pair of slacks and peaked into your living room/ kitchenette. Sanji had a towel over his shoulder, whistling as he cut a vanilla bean open. You came to stand next to him at the counter to look what he was doing. His sleeves were rolled up and he wore a black apron.

"Hey princess, there you are!" He greeted you as he took some cream out of the shopping bag and put it on the counter.

"Do you have to call me princess all the time?" You asked. "It's kind of making me uncomfortable."

"If you don't like it, I'll stop, mademoiselle" he told you with a wink. You rolled your eyes at him and he chuckled.

"Do you have something like a whisk?" he asked even though he already had a look around your kitchen.

You pointed to a cupboard above you.

"Thank you, mademoiselle" he said and smiled at you. As he moved to open it, you became once again aware of how tall he was. He reached over your head, getting extremely close and you caught the scent of his cologne.

He took out the kitchen utensil and began whisking the vanilla in a bowl together with sugar and the fresh vanilla. It was fascinating to watch his practiced movements and his joy while cooking.

He reached into his bag again and set a device made of metal on the counter, shaped like a bottle but with a few applications. You knew that thing from that one cooking show, but the name eluded you.

"Know what that is?" Sanji asked when he saw you staring.

"Of course" you say with your most confident voice, "that's a cream whipping thingy" you concluded.

He laughed from the bottom of his heart.

"Exactly! I'll have to tell my colleagues at the baratie about it's new name." He joked while he filled the device of unknown designation with the cream and screwed it shut.

"You know you can also use it for soup" he explained as he put it into your empty refrigerator.

"A whipped cream soup?" You asked and Sanji laughed again. His happiness was infectious.

"I'll show you another time." He promised as he started to prepare coffee beans with a small hand operated grinder. Another time? He was planning other times already?

"So, since you were on a date just yesterday I'm guessing you don't have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?" He tried to ask casually, but his eyes were darting nervously as he spoke.

"No, I don't" you honestly answered and heard him exhale with relief.

"I bet the guys are all crazy about you!" He mused, watching your reaction. You snorted at that.

"Yeah, so crazy they're all running away" you commented, trying not to sound bitter and failing spectacularly. You added: "seriously, I think I am not made for dating. They all want to be 'just friends', guess I am that type of girl."

"Good to know that other men have no taste in women." He said happily. "Makes it easier for me" he continued. He cooked coffee now, pouring the hot water carefully over the powder. It smelled delicious. While the water turned into precious coffee he began setting the table. You were already reaching for the coffee pot like the junky you were when he caught your wrist. Even his hand felt soft.

"It's not done yet! I'll serve it to you when it's perfect to drink" he told you, turning your hand around in his and breathing the faintest kiss onto your wrist, causing you to blush violently.

"Just sit down while I add some finishing touches. You must be so hungry" he mused.

You wandered back to your comfy armchair on shaky legs, the tingle of his touch still fresh on your skin, looking at the beautiful cook working his magic in your tiny kitchen. When he began to set the table, you were still baffled by the variety and professional look of the foods.

There where beautifully decorated crepes with fruit and whipped cream, a steaming pot of delicious smelling coffee, bread slices surrounded by what looked like home made, savory spreads, fresh orange juice and some cooked eggs. It looked perfect and smelled like heaven. You took out your phone and made a picture to send it to your friend Chrissy to show off.

"Am I already making it to your Instagram? I feel honored" You heard him behind you as he peeked shamelessly into your phone, almost resting his chin on your shoulder.

"But let's not just look, let's eat." He waited behind a chair for you and pushed it to the table before he sat down himself, spinning the chair around and sitting down backwards, with his hands and head resting on top of the backrest.

You didn't know what you expected, but you were overwhelmed. "Uhm, why are you doing this again?" You asked insecurely - the best your ex ever managed was toast and marmalade.

"A beautiful lady deserves to be pampered" he answered in a serious tone. "Besides, I kind of lost my temper yesterday and crashed your date" he didn't seem sorry, in fact he grinned when he said it.

"So enjoy! I cooked up a luxury breakfast for you." His blue eyes sparkled with anticipation as you carefully loaded the crepe onto your plate, destroying the small masterpiece somewhat. You were normally not one to have breakfast, but the appetizing smell got you hungry.

The crepe was soft and warm, the cream tasted like vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. Its texture was perfect: creamy and fluffy, slightly buttery. It was perfectly balanced with the fresh, sour taste of the fruits. You could have moaned it was so good!

Ping

The constant ping of a cell phone was distracting you from the taste orgasm you were having. Opening your eyes, you saw Sanji, leaning on the backrest, staring at you with hooded eyes and an open mouth.

Ping

"Someone's messaging you I guess" you told him, ripping him from his trance.

"Oh, sorry! I should have turned that off." He took out the phone from his pocket and unlocked it. Being as nosy as he had been, you peeked at the screen - seeing the familiar design of a dating app.

Of course he was online dating. Every ping was a match, from the looks of it he got lots. Of course he was a player, the signs were all there, you just didn't want to see them. Suits, cooking, all that "princess" and "mademoiselle" bullshit. You scowled, hard. Years of training in the harsh world have made your scowl a powerful tool to broadcast your dissatisfaction to the world. Sanji understood immediately.

"No! It's not like that! I swear!" He held up his hands.

"I didn't say anything" you told him, surly.

"But you looked. Here, nothing is happening." He handed you his phone. What normal person does that?

You looked at his app, he had almost a thousand contacts, in this small town quite significant. Apparently, he was just matching every single woman he was shown, and most of them matched back. You navigated to the messages, he didn't protest. It really was sad.

He opened most conversations, all of them were a variation of "bonjour mademoiselle, I love you" and were read but ignored. The last messages were months old, he must have given up at some point. It was a strange display.

"You really thought this line would work? Just telling random women you love them right away?" You asked, unwilling to believe that someone would dedicate time and effort to this approach.

"It's no line!" He protested. "I love all women!" He said it as if this was a normal thing to say to a woman he currently was kind of flirting with.

"You won't get very far with that, this is too much too soon" you tried to explain.

"Why?" He asked seriously. "Love is good! Everyone wants to be loved!" He seemed very passionate about that.

"You don't just see someone and fall in love, that's not how it works, and it's not healthy" You were drawn into an obviously doomed debate but couldn't help it.

"No offense but, forcing yourself to date someone you don't like and doesn't respect you seems pretty far from love as well" he mused.

"Touche" you conceded, thinking about last night's disaster.

To your surprise, he blushed furiously and seemed strangely giddy all of a sudden.

"You are already jealous!" He said happily. "You want me so much that you are jealous, but don't be! The dating app didn't work because this" he pointed at himself and you" this is destiny!" He got up and swirled around like he was dancing, pouring you a fresh cup of coffee in the process.

"Just milk, no sugar" you reflexively said. He nodded and poured milk from a tiny carton into the cup. After the wine, the pasta, the dessert and the crepe, your expectations regarding this coffee were sky high.

You took a sip, Sanji almost leaned all the way over the table to savour your reaction.

It held up. The coffee tasted soft and just like freshly grounded beans always smelled. Like chocolate and nuts and warm summer mornings. You smiled as you remembered the delicious scent in the mornings of your childhood when the grownups drank their coffee while you had a whole day of playing ahead of you.

You heard a soft whimper from Sanji. He was staring at you with his mouth open.

"It's so nice to take care of someone who appreciates it." He said. "You're so sensual..." the last words were a husky whisper and his eyes fell shut. An unexpected kiss landed on your lips. It was nervous and hot and a little too wet, his eagerness getting the better of him. His little moustache tickled your face and you couldn't help but fondling that small goatee with your fingers. He kissed and touched you like a horny teenager, moaning as his tongue played around your mouth and his hands wandered over your body like he couldn't feel enough of you at once. His nimble, long fingers threaded through your hair.

It felt good, but it was too much. A guy with that kind of dating app approach was still a red flag. In a second, you could see your heart break when he left as soon as he got what he wanted. This was too easy, too perfect. Something was seriously wrong.

You pressed your hand against his muscular chest, but he didn't get the hint. He seemed to interpret it as you exploring him and he clutched your hand to himself, encouraging you to feel around more. It was seductive to just keep running your hand over his body, you could clearly feel his defined muscles under the soft fabric of his hoodie. But the doubt was too much for you to handle.

As his mouth broke away to kiss your hand, you managed to tell him: "Stop! Now!" He immediately let go and backed off, looking confused but still very much aroused. He was handsome with his lips red from a passionate kiss and his cheeks blushing. Too perfect.

"Did I hurt you? I am so sorry!" He wrung his hands and looked like a boy that had broken something expensive.

"No, it's just too fast. And I honestly don't know if I even want that right now." You explained.

He looked like you just stabbed him. Either he was the strangest, most naive man you ever met - or he was the best actor and most skilled asshole who would break your heart.

He turned away, looking hurt and small. But he was a grown man - he had to deal with rejection. You bet you weren't the first woman he startled. After a few seconds of hurt he seemed to get a hold of himself as he began to fidget with a zippo from his pocket.

"I am sorry I fell upon you like that. And kind of ruined the mood." He looked defeated, but composed. "I will be more controlled in the future. I am sorry!" He apologised with a smile that had to be forgiven immediately.

"Let's just be adults about this and forget it" you tried to somehow save the situation.

"No." He said decidedly.

"What?" You were confused.

"I'm never going to forget that. I don't want to act like I wasn't interested in you. I'll never ask for something in return when I cook for you, I promise. Please, let me cook for you in the future" he pleaded, absolutely losing you. What was his deal?

"So please, enjoy your breakfast" he said and sat down again to watch you. He explained all the foods to you in detail, making your head spin a little with all the information. He was almost like a podcast you could listen to while eating. Although your usual eating entertainment was Netflix. On the couch.

"So, after just now I hope it's not weird...but I brought the last classic for a fancy breakfast." He said a bit flustered.

"What is that? I am already stuffed..." You answered.

"Some champagne" He grinned.

"Did you really bring champagne?" You asked in disbelief.

"Just an open one from the Restaurant, we wouldn't sell that tonight anymore. But it's enough for two glasses and fresh enough." He explained, his relaxed smile back in place.

"Mhm, after yesterday I am a little hungover...just a sip?" You asked as he already poured two glasses.

You felt so tired and cozy, the table wasn't cutting it anymore. Actually, it has been ages since you used the small kitchen table - the couch was much more comfortable.

"Let's sit down here" you suggested and Sanji brought the glasses to your coffee table and sat down next to you with a wide grin and the bearing of someone who had just scored a win. He lay his arm on the headrest just above you and took one of the glasses.

"To destiny" He mumbled a toast.

"Destiny?" You giggled.

"Don't laugh! Do you think it's coincidence that you sit in my restaurant and an hour later I see that you live in my apartment building?" He said sternly.

"We live in a small town in a small building, we would have met sooner or later" you argued.

"Still destiny..." he mumbled with an adorable pout.

You touch your glass softly to his and say: "to daydrinking!"

He laughs. "To the good life" he returns the toast and you both drink.

The champagne is a bit too dry for your tastes, but surprisingly smooth. When was the last time you had a drink before noon? Probably some company event.

Looking at the handsome man on your couch, you deluded yourself into thinking you could have fun with him without attachment. Even in the moment the thought crossed your mind, it was as clear as the sparkling wine in your hand that you already liked him. He looked to inviting next to you, his outstretched arm creating the perfect space for you to rest your head. You leaned against him, feeling the soft fabric of his hoodie and his warmth once again. And it saved you from drowning in his eyes. He gasped a little when you touched him and began breathing really hard - good actor? Really naive? Doesn't matter now.

"Tell me something about yourself" you told him.

"Uhm mhm well I am a cook" he mumbled like his mouth was giving up.

"I know that" you told him. "What about family? Is this your family's restaurant?"

"Well kind of. More my stepfather. I don't really...it's complicated" he suddenly sounded like a normal person again. "But Zeff is really cool! And my colleagues at the restaurant are like my brothers." He told you about his stepfather, the restaurant and what kinds of menus he planned as you sipped your champagne. Between the hangover, a long week and a big breakfast - you were absolutely exhausted. Before you knew it, you drifted off to sleep, dreaming a pleasant dream about you and Sanji owning a small bistro somewhere nice and quiet.

When you woke up again, you were alone on the couch, afternoon sun bathed your living room in golden light, Sanji was gone. You lay outstretched under a blanket, the champagne was gone, too.

Fuck, now I fall asleep at a date? Is he mad at me?

The kitchenette is spotless, safe for the cream whipping thingy drying next to the sink. He cleaned up and left. Maybe you should bring him the thing? Or will he come and pick it up?

Undecided, you poured yourself the last cup of cold coffee. It tasted a little bland now, having lost its full aroma. You looked around your empty apartment and missed Sanji's cheery busyness already. Maybe you should just go and see where he lived. But you didn't even know his last name.

Years of online dating and unhealthy nosiness had given you the talent to find people by first name and extra info. You googled "Sanji" and "Baratie" and found an interesting newsarticle: "Success for charity" it said. "The local restaurant Baratie made a big leap for charity this weekend, inviting the children of the local community centre to cook delicious and healthy meals together. A win for the community and the children".

There was an adorable picture of Sanji, his arm around a cute little girl holding a plate of vegetables. The description read: "Sanji Vinsmoke showed the children that veggies can be tasty".

Bingo!

You would just stroll through the building and give him back his stuff and apologise for falling asleep on him. Like a normal, nice person. You were 99% sure that he didn't play games like "wait 3 days until you write" or something.

The halls of the building were narrow and long and it took you some time to find his name on one of the doors, it was on the opposite side of the building, no wonder you never bumped into him.

You pressed the doorbell, already anxious to see him again. Soft footsteps could be heard, the door opened. Your world crumbled a bit.

In front if you stood an absolute sexbomb of a woman. She wore Sanji's hoodie - the one you fell asleep on just earlier - and nothing else as it seemed. She had long, smooth legs, a perfect hourglass figure, full lips and the cutest face. Her pink hair was a perfect messy look. You stared. She looked annoyed.

"Yes?" She asked in a melodic voice.

"Uhm, is Sanji here?" You asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the flat behind her. She blocked your view.

"No, he is at work." Her answer was short and finite.

"I brought his cream whipping thing back" you stammered and indicated the device you were holding.

"Syphon" the woman stated.

"What?" You asked, confused.

"It's called a syphon. Thank you. Bye." The woman took the syphon out of your hand and closed the door, leaving you dumbstruck in the hallway.

_______

What is happening here? Who is the mystery lady? What's her relationship with Sanji? Is the writer of this story just messing with you to create a cheap cliffhanger?

Find out in the next installment of this Sanji modern day AU!

I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE THIS. I was so unhappy and revised and revised and...you get the idea. It's still not perfect but I am content enough.

As always, please leave a comment if you want more or if you have a wish how it should continue. it's always a great motivator to me and I probably wouldn't have written part 2 if people hadn't asked for it

I am taking the freedom to tag previous commenters, I hope you don't mind

Also: please comment to be taken into the taglist for this story! I think I will write it for a while

@yeeeeezly

@roronoazorohater

@opalryst

@pastel9girlbunny000die

@pandabear-artsy-witch

@missallsundayyy

#one piece fanfiction #one piece x you #one piece sanji #black leg sanji #vinsmoke sanji x reader #vinsmoke sanji #op sanji #blackleg sanji #sanji #sanji modern au #one piece modern au #one piece au #one piece fanfic #the fluff piece

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tgmsunmontue · 11 months ago

Text

It's all academic darlin' PART 2/10

12k+ Hangster AU. Updating 2-3 parts per week and will be finished by 31st January 2024. (Each part is ~1500 words).

Bradley is a professor but living his best life with IceMav parents. Jake is a pilot. Maverick sort-of tries (and fails) to play matchmaker, so he tries again. Touch of epistolary and sprinkling of one-sided unknown/mistaken-identity.

(Note for later parts/chapters - Ice uses sign to communicate at home, I’m typing it like sign is English despite the fact that I know it isn’t (while NZSL is my third language, I have no working knowledge on the grammar useage in ASL).)

PART TWO

The next morning he wakes up slowly. There’s music again, although quieter, and he can smell coffee. He’d gone to bed early last night, using the excuse of the long drive, because saying he was developing a pressing headache wasn’t something he wanted to mention. He showers and inspects his bruises in the mirror, presses gently on the cuts where the stitches were removed only two days ago. Nothing feels inflamed or more tender than what should be expected.

He grabs a black Henley from his bag and pulls it on, only feeling very mild discomfit as he moves now. It’s looser and darker colored than what he usually wears, however his usual form fitting things were dragging across the stitches, catching on them. So, he’d succumbed to Phoenix buying him some shirts that didn’t show blood every time he reached too far when playing pool or rubbed his stitches. Not that it’s a problem now that they’re gone, but the shirt reminds him that someone cared enough to help him feel comfortable. Walking toward the kitchen he finds Bradley standing at the stove, poking at the contents of a pan. Whatever it is smells good, and he hopes that there’s the intent to share.

“Mornin’,” he greets, his voice sounding rough.

“Hey, morning. Help yourself to coffee, or there’s tea and stuff. I’ve made some breakfast. Sorry it’s a bit, uh, mixed. I’m just trying to get through the perishables so no one has to deal with the repercussions next time we visit.”

Jake has a closer look at the pan and sees fried potatoes with some ham and egg thrown in along with some spinach and tomatoes, small sprinkling of cheese and it smells a perfect combination of crispy-salt-fat and his mouth is watering.

“Smells good. Thanks. You didn’t have to.”

“Seriously man, you turning up means I won’t have to gorge myself too much today to get through everything. I don’t want to have to come back to this place and find liquified vegetables in the fridge.”

“Learnt that lesson the hard way huh?”

“Unfortunately,” Bradley laughs and shakes his head ruefully.

Jake takes a breath, a shaky smile making its way onto his face in response to the wide smile and crinkling eyes. Bradley smiles so easily, like it’s natural to just be smiley and friendly and simply… good natured. Jake would bet money he doesn’t get called an asshole on the regular. Unlike him. Considering he’s Mav’s son though he might just be hiding his more asshole-ish tendencies much like Jake is ensuring he doesn’t stray from the societal norms of being the most polite and accommodating of guests.

Bradley is making him think though, maybe finding someone who is more mild mannered and edges on too polite would balance him out. It’s not what Jake usually finds attractive, but with the year at work he’s had maybe quiet, safe, and friendly… could make a nice change. Not that he’s in a hurry for any type of relationship, but he might table it for consideration for the future, because maybe coming back to the same place, the same person, has started to have some… appeal.

“Did you sleep okay?”

“Yeah, better than I expected,” Jake replies, and he’s assuming the combination of drive and headache had made his brain unable to formulate its semi-regular nightmare fodder. That’s what disrupts his sleep these days, not the location.

“That’s good. Here,” Bradley says, passing him a plate piled high with food and moving towards the dining table with his own. “You won’t get this again sorry. I’m leaving early tomorrow, so I’ll probably be gone before you get up.”

“It’s fine. I lived plenty long enough looking after myself, I’m sure I’ll survive a couple of weeks on my own here. I didn’t expect any cooked meals when I decided to come stay. Are you driving back?”

“No. Well, partly I guess. I’ve got a plane at Fallon, so I’ll drive there and then fly back to San Diego. Perk of the job,” Bradley says, and he grins. Jake assumes it’s a reference to Mav’s connections, that he can store a plane at Fallon and use the runway and airspace for personal use. That’s one hell of a perk. The food tastes as good as it smells and Jake lets himself savor it, enjoys the novelty of food being cooked for him.

“Actually, I have a favor to ask. Nothing major, just… can I use you phone later? I need to make a couple of calls. First one needs to be to Mav.”

Jake agrees easily, it’s no issue for him. They do the washing up and Bradley continues to sing along to the music playing from a portable speaker. The man doesn’t seem to care that Jake is virtually a stranger, no embarrassment at all as he belts out the words to the song being played and tries to encourage Jake to sing along as well. Jake guesses he’s someone who is truly confident, which with a new Hawaiian shirt today, easy smile, clearly happy with whatever lot he has in his life… well, Jake guesses Bradley probably is.

He’d probably be just as happy right now with or without Jake there, singing along to himself. He clearly doesn’t feel like he needs to impress Jake, and for once Jake feels a little unsettled. Unsure about how he should act with no crowd to play up his own abilities, someone he doesn’t need to harmlessly flirt with, it leaves him without a guide book of basic social interaction and he feels unmoored. He excuses himself to go and grab his phone from his room and thumbs through to Mav’s contact and puts the call through.

“Hello. Pete Mitchell.”

“Hey Mav, It’s Hangman.”

“Hangman. Good to hear from you. Did you find the place alright?”

“Yeah. Although Bradley wasn’t expecting me. He wants to talk to you actually.”

“He wasn’t expecting you and he can’t call me himself,” Mav says flatly. “Let me guess. He lost another phone.”

Jake barks out a laugh, because hearing Mav’s disappointed tone and not have it aimed in any way toward him makes him feel like he’s in on a private joke. And maybe he can go with a teasing thing rather than a flirting thing if this is a thing. He walks back to find Bradley lounging on the sofa, looking at something on a tablet.

“Yeah, fell in the lake,” Jake provides and Bradley’s eyes shoot up to meet his, narrowing as he realizes that he must already be talking to Mav.

“Jesus. That kid. I swear he goes through a phone a year. Falling in the lake is probably one of the least exciting ways it’s happened. There’s been the top of a car, wing of a plane, compressor which was a stupid prank when he was an undergraduate… Can you put him on?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Hi Dad…”

Jake moves out onto the porch, trying to be polite and give Bradley some privacy, but the other man just follows, clearly not seeming to want or need privacy as he listens to his father talking. “Yeah, I know.” “Yes. Another one.” “Please stop keeping count.” “I’m good. How’s everyone at home?” “Okay. I’m glad to hear that. Tell him I fixed the smoker.” “Yeah.” “Ugh, I know.” “You’d think so wouldn’t you?” “What? Uh, good I guess?” “Got a whole bunch of stuff done.” “Yes Mav, all the important shit.” “Jesus Mav, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, you can grill me then.” “Well, it’s not like my fridge is going to be overflowing with food, I thought the least you could do was feed me dinner.” “I knew you’d want to see me…”

Jake listens to the one-sided conversation, can almost imagine Mav’s side. Not that he knows who else Mav might have at home, but the easy laughter and conversation makes part of him ache for what he doesn’t have with his own father. It’s a small passing ache now; he’d like to think he’s managed to work through the worst of it and accepted that the rest is something he can’t change; more importantly accepted it isn’t his responsibility to change. He listens again and the conversation has shifted to confirming times at the airstrip for take-off and he briefly wonders where the plane is stored in San Diego, because from the sounds of it Mav is picking Bradley up and Jake knows Mav has his own plane. Actually, maybe that’s the one Bradley flew here. Or they store their planes together.

“Yeah, love you too. See you tomorrow. Did you want to talk to Jake again?”

“Here…” Bradley says, and he passes Jake’s phone back to him before walking away back inside, leaving Jake with his privacy and he appreciates it.

“Uh, hey Mav…”

“Hey kid, I hope Bradley isn’t too much… you’re meant to be taking it easy and I know you didn’t break that drive up over two days like you were meant to.”

“I’m good.”

“You are good kid, and I want you to stay that way. It’s why we follow the orders of our doctors.”

Jake snorts because he’s pretty sure Mav ignored half of the orders he heard prior to his retirement.

“I’m here now, and I will do nothing but rest. Once Bradley leaves with his blisteringly bright shirts and music it’ll be the perfect place to rest and recover.”

“He’ll get rid of both if you ask –”

“Nah Mav, it’s kind of nice having someone not walkin’ around like I’m about to collapse any minute. He even cooked me breakfast this morning, he’s a good host.”

Mav makes a weird choking sound and there’s mumbling he can’t make out before he clears his throat.

“Well, I’m glad. I’m going to call you in a couple of days and check in with you, okay son?”

“Yeah Mav, that’s fine.”

Ending the call Jake slides his phone into his pocket, although he should really go and see if Bradley wants to use it to make the remainder of his necessary calls. He wonders what he’d have done if Jake hadn’t turned up. He should probably call home and check in with Javy and his siblings. He flicks off a couple of messages and lets them all know he’s okay. He stares out at the sparse scrubby forest, can see the shimmer of water off in the distance, looks at the lean-to stacked high with firewood and wonders what it would be like to have a place like this of his own. Somewhere he chose to be for longer than the length of a deployment, somewhere to return to. Not to one of his siblings. Not Javy. His and his alone.

The bang of the screen door startles him and he turns to see Bradley, changed into running shorts and a loose tank.

“I’m just going to go for a run before it gets too hot. Did you want to come with me?”

Jake pulls a face, because normally he’d love to, but the jarring nature of running would not be great for his head. Today needs to be a rest day.

“I’m meant to be taking it easy. Running probably isn’t the best idea.”

The look that that new information gets him makes him wish he’d kept his mouth shut, but he’s feeling okay right now, needs to allow his body to recover after the drive yesterday if he wants to get back to flying as soon as he can. Bradley just nods his head though, accepting it without asking further questions.

“Okay. I’ll show you the best place for swimming later, and the docking spot if you want to take a kayak or paddle board out.”

“Sounds good,” Jake replies, failing to mention that he definitely won’t be kayaking or paddle boarding, although normally he’d love to do either of those things. Swimming sounds good though. He’s been aching to exercise in some form and swimming is something that he can gently start with. Maybe work up to the others.

“I’ll be back in an hour or so. Make yourself at home.”

He watches Bradley head off to what may or may not be a regularly run track before heading inside. He’s not going to snoop around, but he figures he can definitely go through the kitchen and maybe figure out what he could make for lunch. There’s an odd assortment of things, but he thinks he could cobble together some type of sandwich, but there’s no bread. Okay. This gives him something to do. He likes his bread too much not to have some on hand for a quick snack so he quickly searches for a recipe. No yeast that he can find, but there is beer, so he sets to work.

PART THREE

#Hangster #Sereshaw #top gun maverick #top gun maverick fanfic #It's all academic darlin'

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domiforpresident · 1 year ago

Text

Love to hate you, hate to love you ♡

|| Part 2

Paring: fem!blackreaderxRiriwillams

Summary: You and Riri have to work on an assessment together after school. Riri constantly tried to put up walls when around you, but you were willing to break them down. Though, Eventually she let them down for you.

Word count: 3.4k+

Warnings: slightly mean!riri, cursing, a little Riri angst (broke my heart to write fr)

This is briefly proof read so bare with me if there's any errors

Divider creds: @firefly-graphics

Dialog color coding: Riri, y/n, Maya, Riri’s Girlfriend

Tag list: @oceean @kya-rose @shahanaazsoumah @ririnator (if you wanna be tagged just lmk)

It had been a few weeks since you first encountered Riri. You couldn’t do your daily routine without thinking about her. You thought about her while in the shower and she even haunted you in your sleep. The only two places you thought you could escape the chokehold she had you in, she easily invaded. You barely even knew the girl but she was the only thing on your mind 24/7. Your notion to get back on Riri’s good side was still a priority of yours. You just didn’t know how to put it into motion. Riri had been skipping classes for the past few weeks. When you did see Riri The most interaction you had with her was when she would give you quick glance’s that came to an end as soon as she realized you were looking back. Today you hoped Riri would actually show up to class. You doubted she would though. Regardless, you got ready for the day like you usually do. You did your hair in twists, then did your edges. Next you put on a grey graphic sweater with light brown embroidered words on it, tan cargo pants, and your Jordan 1 dark mocha’s. You grabbed your tote bag and headed out the door, you would’ve eaten breakfast but you were too eager to see if Riri was going to show up to class today.

You were now walking down the halls headed to your class. You saw Riri’s girlfriend while turning a corner. This wasn’t anything new though you saw her quite often. But this time something was different, she looked worried, and she was coming your way. For god knows what you thought, maybe she had somehow found out you were plotting on her Girlfriend. Maybe she wanted to compliment your outfit, whatever it was you were anxiously anticipating what she was about to say to you.

“Hey y/n i was just wondering have you seen Riri” she muttered out fighting tears.

You thought to yourself how does she know my name if I’ve never spoken to her. In that moment though, the only thing you genuinely cared about was Riri’s well being.

“No, I haven't seen her yet, is she ok?” you asked.

“Yes she’s fine it’s just- never mind. If you do see her, let her know I just wanna talk to her.” Riri’s Girlfriend said while choking on her words a little as she walked away.

You remained standing there for a few seconds trying to brainstorm on what could’ve possibly happened as to where, Riri's Girlfriend would be fighting tears and asking where Riri was at. As well as why out of all people did she decide to ask you. At the end of the day It wasn’t your relationship issues, and even though she did tell you to let her know if you saw Riri you didn’t plan on doing so. You wanted a few moments with Riri to yourself. She would probably see Riri later on in the day anyway so you wouldn’t be hurting anyone by withholding that information you thought. you still needed to get to class so you headed down the halls once more.

Finally you had reached your destination, Now you were about to find out if Riri had skipped class again or if she was sitting in her designated seat right behind you. To your surprise there she was sitting down with air pods in. Riri had gotten her hair done in cornrows going straight back. She had on a black and white flannel, a white crop top that compressed to her body and revealed her abs, along with some baggy blue jeans that sat right on her waistline and a pair of black and white Jordan 4’s. You immediately perked up now knowing that she came to class today. You thought to yourself maybe today would be the day you could finally put your plan into motion.

You walked through the door with a big smile on your face and slid into your seat. The class was kind of chatty because your professor had stepped out for a second. You saw that as an opportunity to speak Riri and you took it.

“Hey Riri” you said with a small smile.

Riri ignored you. You thought it was because she couldn’t hear you over whatever she was listening to so you knocked on her desk. Lightly enough not to startle her but aggressive enough to get her attention.

"Huh?” Riri said as she took one of her air pods out her ear.

“Hey Riri” you said again with the same small smile in a sweet tone.

“What do you want that’s so important, that you had to interpret my music” Riri bluntly questioned.

“Well we do sit next to each other Riri, and you fr wanna go the whole year being rude to the person you’re sitting right behind??” you sighed out.

“So you didn’t have shit important to tell me. Made me cut off my music for nothing” Riri spat out at you.

“You should at least try to hold a normal conversation with me Riri, I’m gonna be here for the rest of the year. It wouldn’t hurt you to make a friend.” You said, trying your best to convince Riri to talk to you.

“and you should try to get off my-“

Before Riri could finish her sentence your professor walked in. She was still looking at you though. Instead of a look of irritation, She was looking into your eyes With that treacherous smirk on her face. At this point you couldn’t tell if Riri loved or hated you. She was so evil to you every time you and her talked and acted as if she hated you. But that smirk, her god awful Smirk said otherwise.

Your stomach was doing backflips and you felt yourself starting to blush. If you held eye contact with Riri any longer you knew you would say something to embarrass yourself so you turned around in your seat before you could. Riri let out a low chuckle. You were probably the only person who heard it. You thought her smirk was bad. But her laugh was worse, it made you feel like you were about to melt. It was so light and airy but so attractive at the same time.

“Ok guys we’re gonna be working on a project for the next few days, and you will be pairing up with your neighbors.”

Your professor then went on to further explain the assessment to the class. You were attentively listening, hoping to distract yourself from the way Riri made you feel. You knew that you liked Riri a lot, but nobody had ever made you flustered. It’s as if she knew ever button of yours to push. Riri got on your nerves, all while making you get butterflies in the same instance.

It was the end of class now and you needed to know where you and Riri were going to study. You turned around to face Riri again.

“So Riri…do you wanna study in my dorm or yours??” you asked her.

“My dorm. I don’t know what you got going on at yours.” Riri muttered the last part a little as if what she said had some underlying meaning.

“Well you’re gonna have to give me your number Riri, so i know what time to come over.” You explained.

“I don’t have to do anything. Maybe you should just read my mind and figure out when I’ll be ready to study ma.” She said mockingly as she threw that nick name at you again.

You found it corny coming from anyone else, but when Riri’s Chicago accent laced it, it sounded so smooth. However You were a soldier and you weren’t going to let Riri watch you fold that easily. Not yet.

“Riri I’m being serious” You picked up your phone. “put your number in my phone so i can text you when I’m on the way, and you can give me instructions to your dorm.” You spoke sternly trying to get your point across, and stand your ground.

“Hand me the phone y/n” Riri said as she rolled her eyes.

You handed her the phone and she put her number in it, then handed it back to you.

“Don’t try to come over after 10 though, My girlfriend is supposed to be coming over.” Riri said in a timid and exhausted tone.

You wanted to ask if she was ok, but you didn’t want to pry at her relationship problems, and risk the friendship with her that was slowly forming.

“Ok Riri that works for me, all i know is you better open the door when i get there.” You joked with Riri because you knew how rude she could be sometimes.

“I should keep yo ass locked out just for saying that” she joked back. In that low giggle that drove you insane.

“I’ll see you later Riri.” You laughed while walking out the door. Now walking in the hall’s, all you could picture was Riri’s low giggle, and how it danced off her tongue so smoothly.

You just made it back to your dorm. It was the end of the day now, all your classes were over. To your pleasant surprise, your best friend was there sitting on one of the beanbag chairs y’all had in the corner of your dorm. It’s been a while since you got a moment to talk to your bestie after she started spending the night over her boyfriend's apartment regularly. You needed a moment to catch up with her. So you dropped your tote bag on your bed and plopped down in the beanbag chair right next to her.

“Hey y/n, girl i was just about to text you and let you know i was here. I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.” Maya said while reminiscing on the conversation’s that you and her used to have.

“Maya so much has happened the past couple of weeks.” You began to explain. “You didn’t lie Riri’s lil butt is mean. I think that's one of the reasons why I like her.”

“You think you like Riri?? Need i remind you she has a gf." Maya tried warning you once again.

“I don’t think I know I like her. She’s literally all I think about, even if I wanted to stop thinking about her, I couldn't.” You tried to clarify.

“Well are you gonna shoot your shot or what? If you like her as much as you say you do, act on it girl.”your best friend tried to encourage you.

“Well it’s not that easy maya, I’m trying to build somewhat of a friendship with Riri. especially when thinking about the fact that the first time she spoke to me, she was yelling at me for scuffing her shoes.” You covered you face with your hand and blushed while saying the last part.

“You scuffed her shoes??” Maya couldn’t help but laugh.

“It wasn’t on purpose.” You blushed while laughing.

“Aww you really do like Riri huh??” Maya asked.

“I really do maya, and tonight I’m going to Riri’s dorm to work on an assessment with her.” You stated while smiling.

Your mind had now gone to the idea of being closer to Riri than what you usually were. You and her would possibly be inches apart, maybe even less than that. Riri was Making you nervous and she wasn’t even present.

Maya then got up from her bean bag chair. “Well good luck y/n I’ll talk to you later, and you better tell me how it goes with Riri.” Maya demanded in a playful manner.

Maya was now gone, probably at her boyfriends apartment. You were getting ready to go study at Riri’s dorm. You freshened up and took your hair out of the twist you put them in earlier today, and let your long thick 4-c hair fall to the middle of your back in a twist out. You now had on a white tank top, black sweatpants and your black converse. You texted Riri and let her know you were on the way to her dorm. When she texted you the directions, to your shock Riri lived right down the hall from you. So why hadn’t you seen her even if she wasn’t going to class? You had to save your thoughts for later though because now you were at Riri’s door. you knocked and she opened it.

“Hey Riri” you said while smiling. You were excited to see her and overjoyed that she opened the door the first time you knocked.

She had changed out of the clothes she had on in class and changed into a black wife beater, and black sweat shorts.

There was a moment of silence. She hit you with her extreme, and intoxicating eye contact again.

“So yo ass just gon stand outside all night, or you gon come in?” Riri grinned while giving you space to walk through the door.

You walked in her dorm. You would be lying to yourself if you said you thought Riri was going to properly invite you in. she welcomed you into her dorm without something extremely snarky to say. In your eyes that was progress.

“You can sit on the bed, I already started working, if you need help on anything I can explain it to you.” Riri told you.

For the first time Riri didn’t have something snarky to say to you. She genuinely wanted to get her work done. It’s not like she was in a rush though. When you sat down on her bed you saw she was practically done with the assessment. So why did she still invite you over, you thought to yourself.

Riri walked over to her bed and sat down right across from you, you and her notes were the only thing separating y’all. As you and Riri got to work you realized that you both work very well together, when she’s not trying to be rude to you.

An hour had passed, you and Riri were finishing your assessment, along the way you and her cracked a few joke's. As you and her were laughing a knock came from the outside of Riri’s door.

“Hold on y/n let me see who it is” Riri said as she looked at the door confused.

“Alright, don’t take too long though I’m starting to get sleepy, and we need to finish up.” You said as you smiled at Riri as she walked to the door.

You couldn’t help but be nosy and try to see who was knocking on Riri’s door at this time of night. It was a man. Specifically a white man. What the hell was a white man doing outside of Riri’s dorm room, especially at night!? You thought to yourself.

“I thought I told you not to come to my door anymore. If you want something done you gotta go to the website.” Riri said in an irritated voice.

Before the white boy could say anything else she slammed the door on his face. You couldn’t help yourself at this point you had to ask Riri what that was about.

“Who was that, your friend or something??” You asked.

“Nah just a customer” she put air quotations around the word customer, so now you were even more confused.

“Customer for what??” You asked once more.

“You came here to study, not be all up in my business” She argued.

“Oh come on Riri, we been playing and laughing this whole time. Now you wanna be rude again??” You rebutted.

You saw Riri break a little in that moment, she semi let down her walls for you.

“So basically…” Riri began. “I do people’s assignments and assessments, for a price of course. I make pretty good money off of it too.” She explained. “I figured, the work is mad easy for me so while I’m here i might as well get something out of it.” She added.

“No I get that, especially when thinking about the fact that you’re a black queer woman operating in a mainly white space, it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra money on the side.” you agreed.

“Exactly, these white people lucky to have me, not the other way around.” Riri proclaimed.

“Don’t say that too loud, they might hear you and come to get you, because god forbid a black woman have confidence in her intelligence.” You joked.

Riri was starting to blush. You were validating her experiences which no one had ever done for her before. It was definitely a sight you could, and planned to get used to.

“I’m glad you invited me over Riri, it was nice studying with you.” You said as you packed up your things.

“I guess it wasn’t unbearable to study with you either y/n.” She said with a subtle smile on her face.

Riri wasn’t smirking at you, she was actually smiling at you?? you managed to make Riri smile.

“Good night Riri” you smiled back while rolling your eyes and walking out her door.

You had made real progress with Riri today, you actually made her smile. Not only was she smiling but she was smiling at you. The sight melted your heart.

You were back at your dorm now, you Changed out of your sweatpants, and into some pajama shorts. As You were laying down in your bed drifting off to sleep, you got an unexpected text from Riri.

"Can I come over? I know it's late but I really need someone to talk to."

"Yeah of course Riri" you texted her back. If anyone else asked your immediate answer would've been no, but with Riri it was different.

You didn’t know what to expect when Riri got to your dorm. It was late as hell. What could Riri possibly want to talk about?

It had been 5 minutes since Riri texted you and you heard a knock at your door. When you opened it, to your shock Riri’s eyes were puffy and red. She had tears falling down her cheeks. You instinctively pulled Riri into a hug.

"Oh my God Riri what the hell happened." You asked in a concerned tone as you walked Riri over to your bed.

"Um- my…my girlfriend came over and we started arguing really bad, it got mad heated." Riri whispered as she barely got her words out.

"Riri calm down, take your time." You soothed her while rubbing her back.

"Whenever we're arguing she takes the lowest blows at me, and I don't know what I did or do to-"

You immediately cut Riri off.

"Riri, she's supposed to be your significant other, the person that's your peace. If she's going out of her way to make you feel bad about yourself then that's not your fault. Don't ever think it is." You said wholeheartedly.

All Riri could do was slightly smile at you. The real reason she chose to come to your dorm is because she knew that you would validate her feelings about the situation. With the short time shes known you she took note that you valued how she felt, and You genuinely cared about her.

"I really do appreciate that y/n." Riri said as she embraced you in a hug.

"It's the truth Riri, you should be with someone who respects you and doesn't make you feel this way." You told Riri.

"Y/n do you mind if I stay here for the night, I don't want to deal with her ass anymore for now." Riri asked.

You took Riris cheek into your hand and rubbed it gently.

"Of course you can my love" You lightly giggled as you answered.

Riri had eventually calmed down after talking for a little bit longer. When you and her laid down She nuzzled her head under your chin and sat it on your chest. You didn't position Riri to do it, she just did it. You could've sat there forever just soaking in the moment, you were on cloud 9. You couldn't understand why Riri decided to texted you and only you in her time of need but she did. She found security in you.

The next morning Riri was gone. She sent you a text before she left that read,

"I genuinely appreciate what you did for me last night y/n."

As you read it You were still high off the fact that Riri was nuzzled up under you. It was the next day but your heart was still racing a little. Riri made you feel a way no one else could. Whenever you thought about her you cheesed so hard your face started to hurt. Today's challenge was figuring out what last night Meant for you and Riri’s relationship. She had a girlfriend but it was extremely obvious that their relationship wasn't healthy. You also weren't too fond of the idea of being a rebound. You cared for Riri too much for your own good and You needed her like oxygen.

It broke my heart having to hurt Riri a little, but I hope yall enjoyed 😭💙, also this is gonna be a mini series so probably like 4 or 5 parts it really depends.

#mcu riri williams #riri x black!reader #riri black panther #riri is my wife #riri x y/n #shuriri #riri williams #mcu fanfiction #lgbtq #black sapphic #leabian #fanfic #i love mean women #i can most definitely handle all that #Riri is secretly a big ole softie

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verai-marcel · 11 months ago

Text

Your Hearth Is My Home (BG3 Fanfic, Astarion x Female Reader, Part 16 of ?)

Summary, Notes, Tags, & Part 1 are here.

Act II - Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

AO3 Link is here, my dear.

Word Count: 4275

————————————

Act II, Chapter 4 - The Portal

The next morning, Karlach was sitting at the campfire, waiting very impatiently for you to wake up.

“C’mon, c’mon! Let’s go see if Dammon can fix up my engine!”

You smiled at her. She was like a kid in her excitement. Getting up and throwing on your day clothes, you left camp in a rush, pulling on your gloves as you went.

“Why do you always wear those gloves outside of camp?” she asked.

You shrugged. “Habit.”

Karlach looked at you, tipping her head to get you to continue. You ignored her.

“Alright. Keep your secrets.”

“I will, thank you,” you said with a grin.

Dammon was waving to the two of you as you arrived at the forge. He explained what he had done, and how Karlach needed to install the piece.

You watched with academic interest as she opened up her chest and installed the insulating chamber to her heart engine.

“Did… did it work?” she asked as she stared at her hands.

“Only one way to find out.” Dammon held up a hand. “Go on. Give us your hand.”

Tentatively, Karlach reached out to him. Slowly, she placed her palm against his.

He didn’t burn. He only smiled at her. “Damn. I’m good. And you… you’re very touchable.”

You held back a snicker.

Karlach looked at you. “I can touch people again!” Her face was lit up like a summer sky, her happiness filling you with so much joy that it overflowed your heart. Unable to help yourself, you leapt up and gave her a big hug.

Laughing and squealing with cheer, she swung you around a few times, easily holding you up like you weighed as much as a feather.

“I can’t wait to hug everyone!” she cried out.

“Wait,” Dammon said, his face turning serious. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

***

Walking back to camp, you glanced over at Karlach, who was clearly processing Dammon’s news. You didn’t know what else to do, other than hold her hand the whole way back. You had your gloves on so you couldn’t pry into her emotions, but you could tell from her expression that she was quickly digesting it and moving on.

I’m not sure that’s healthy for her emotionally, but maybe she’s handling it better than I would have.

“Who are you going to hug first?” you asked, hopefully getting her mind off of her future for the time being.

“I don’t know…” She tapped her chin. “Although it’d be real funny if I hugged Lae’zel first!”

As the two of you entered camp, hand in hand, you noted everyone’s reaction.

Gale did a comically exaggerated double take. Really? He’s such a dork sometimes.

Lae’zel and Shadowheart raised an eyebrow. Those two are more alike than they realize.

Astarion glanced at your joined hands and smirked. Oh, I bet he’s got loads of quips in his head right now.

And Wyll smiled and immediately came up to the two of you, holding out his arms. You let go of Karlach and not so subtly pushed her towards him.

He picked her up and held her tightly. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.”

Karlach and Wyll seemed like they were in their own world, so you walked past them quietly to get breakfast made. As they finally joined everyone at the campfire, she told everyone about her heart and her future choices.

“But we’ll worry about that when the time comes,” she said when she saw the concerned looks on some of their faces. “For now, let’s figure out what’s goin’ on with these tadpoles in our heads. Then I can go home.”

They planned to head to a mausoleum in the old ruined town south of the inn called Reithwin town. You bundled up some snacks for them and wished them luck.

***

A little past midday, you saw a familiar face.

“Arabella?”

You recalled the little tiefling girl from the party, where her parents had been coddling her and profusely thanking the group for rescuing her. The fact that she was here alone did not bode well.

The base of your spine tingled. It felt cold.

Oh no. This isn't good.

She told you that the others had saved her from the shadow cursed while she was looking for her parents. They had told her they would look for them.

You glanced up at Withers, who subtly shook his head.

Godsdammit.

“Well, while you wait for them, why don't you come help me with some chores?”

She shrugged. “Sure, I guess.”

***

Arabella soon grew bored of helping with your chores, as most children do, and split her time between playing with the animals and bothering Withers with inane questions. You eventually took her to the inn to play with the other tiefling children while you helped out around the building.

After a few hours, you saw the party return, Halsin leading with an old, battered lute in hand. He headed straight for the room where the Flaming Fist were staying. He looked determined, an elf on a mission.

You fell in step with the others and followed him, wanting to see what had gotten the usually calm archdruid into such a state.

Halsin held out the lute to the semi-conscious man on the bed, talking softly with him. The man didn’t seem to respond, and even strumming a few strings didn’t do much beyond getting his focus for a few brief moments before he fell into delirium once more.

What if…

You quietly backed away from the group and went to the bar.

“Alfira!”

She turned to you. “Yes, what is it?”

“Could you come help us? We need someone who can play a lute.”

She grinned. “Well, I might know someone.”

Returning to Halsin with the bard in tow, you tapped him on the arm and gestured towards Alfira. “Can she play?”

He nodded and smiled at you. “Great idea.” Handing the lute over to the tiefling, he stepped back and allowed her to stand beside the bed. After listening to his broken song for a few minutes, she began to play the same song on the lute.

You watched as the man, who you learned was named Art Cullagh, slowly came back to the present, his fragmented mind reconnecting the dots of reality with each strum of the lute. When he sat up, looking around at everyone with clarity in his gaze, Alfira handed back the lute to him and wished him well before excusing herself.

“Thank you,” you called out to her as she left.

“Any time,” she replied as she smiled at you.

You turned back to the conversation before you, learning about the next steps in Halsin’s quest to save Thaniel.

“A portal?”

Halsin nodded. He turned to everyone. “Whenever you are all ready to help, I can summon a portal and get Thaniel out of the Shadowfell. But I’ll need your help to guard it. If the enemy comes and shatters the portal before I return…”

He didn’t need to elaborate. Everyone nodded.

As they all began to head out of the building and back to camp, you spoke up. I have to confirm, even though I'm pretty sure Withers was right. “Did… did you find Arabella’s parents?”

When all of their faces fell, you knew they had. And it wasn’t good.

“No!”

You turned around to see that Arabella had been eavesdropping.

Dammit, I thought she was with the other children.

She looked to be on the verge of tears. “I saw you all, so I came to ask… But… it can’t be. No! I refuse to believe it!” Taking off in a sprint, she left the building faster than you could speak up.

Chasing after her, you saw her taking the path back to camp. A bit relieved, you followed her, keeping her in sight, making sure that she made it back safely. The rest of the party followed at a more sedate pace.

Reaching the campsite, you saw that the girl was sitting with her arms around her knees, staring out at the water next to Withers. Looking at his stone-faced expression, you only shared a nod before turning away, letting her process the news.

You went about your usual chores, mending and cleaning while letting the stew pot do its thing, but in the back of your mind, you wondered if you could repeat your off-the-cuff cooking cantrip that you had accidentally sang in the Grymforge. While part of you enjoyed letting the food slowly simmer and accumulate its flavor, you knew that the others were probably hungry.

Dropping off the pile of armor and clothes to be cleaned next to your bedroll, you took off your gloves and went up to the pot and stared at it.

Alright, here goes.

Your hands hovered over the simmering water as you hummed, trying to remember exactly what you had done last time. Knowing that it wasn’t quite right, you still managed to make something happen as greenish-yellow lines sprung from your fingers, and you weaved a spell with your voice.

Dropping the magical web down onto the pot, you were surprised to suddenly see the simmering water go eerily still.

You peered into the pot curiously.

A tingle shot through your spine, and you reared your head back just as a fountain of stew shot from the pot, steaming and boiling in the air before landing straight back in, liquid splashing over the sides and scalding your hands. You hissed in pain.

Shadowheart called your name as she rushed over. Taking your hands, she cast a light heal on you.

“Careful, that nearly hit you in the face,” she said, taking a handkerchief and wiping the stew off your skin.

You smiled at her, a bit embarrassed at how badly your spell had backfired. “I know. Thank you.” You glanced over at your stew. “It… might be done?”

It smelled good. You grabbed the ladle from where it had landed on the ground, cleaned it with magic, and tasted the stew. “Yup, it’s done.”

“A dangerous way to make dinner faster,” Gale commented. “But effective nonetheless.”

“You could market that as dinner and a show,” Wyll joked.

Rolling your eyes, you started to serve up the meal.

Afterward, everyone began to prepare for the next day. Sharpening weapons, sparring with each other, reading up on spells… You finished with everyone’s clothes and set them by their tents as usual before heading over to Halsin, who was staring out across the water, deep in thought. You were worried for him most of all.

“Halsin,” you said quietly, reaching up to touch his arm. He felt determined, unshakeable as a mighty tree. Yet there was a hint of fear, but it didn’t seem to be for him. “How are you feeling?”

He turned to you, a gentle smile on his features. “I won't lie, I am a bit nervous. Traveling into the Shadowfell is no easy task. I’ve studied for years, beseeching the Oak Father for his blessing. I pray that we will have his favor come morning.”

You nodded. “I’m hoping that everything goes smoothly. Who will go with you?”

“I must go alone.”

You gasped. “What? Why?”

“The portal is maintained with my power, and the more people that go into it, the more it will drain me. If I’m to have a chance at finding Thaniel and bring him home, I need to go in with as much strength as possible.”

You nodded. That made sense. “So everyone else will be defending the portal?”

“Yes. The moment it opens, the shadow-cursed will swarm it, trying to destroy it. If they succeed…”

He didn’t need to say more. You reached for his hand and held it tight. “I trust our friends. They’ll make sure you come back safely.” You smiled. “And I’ll make sure there’s a nice meal waiting for you when you return.”

He smiled back. “That’s more than enough incentive to return.” Halsin let go of your hand and held his arms out for a hug, and you gladly let him wrap his big arms around you.

“You’re stronger than you know,” he murmured.

You pulled back, observing the knowing look in his gaze. “What do you know that I don’t?”

He grinned. “There’s a power inside of you, older than even me, and I’m more than three centuries old. I can’t quite place it, but it’s there, within you. You just need to learn how to harness it.”

Frowning, you instinctively reached for your back, but quickly pretended to scratch your shoulder instead. “If you say so,” you said, putting your hands in your lap and wringing them together. He must be sensing something else, not actual power. I’ve never done anything other than cantrips.

He patted you on the head, and you felt a fondness, like a big brother ruffling your hair. “One day, little witch. You’ll find your magic.”

***

Returning to camp, you rolled Halsin’s words around in your head, but they made zero sense.

An old power? Inside me? Maybe he’s sensing the seal my mother placed on me. There’s nothing else it could be.

You tried to put together the pieces of knowledge that you knew from what your mother had told you. You had an eladrin ancestor somewhere in the past, it was why your ears were a bit pointy. An eclectic form of magic, based solely on song, was what you had learned from your mother, who had learned it from hers, and so on and so forth, passed down through the generations.

From your father, you had learned a bit about the different planes. Baator, Shadowfell, Feywild, the Astral Sea, and their denizens. You had never really thought about why your father, so learned in these things, was living in a small village in the middle of nowhere, but you were thankful for the knowledge. If not for his random lessons while you were growing up, you would have never known about the githyanki, devils, demons, pixies, and other extraplanar beings.

It has to be the seal. It must be some kind of ancient spell she put on me. But for what purpose? Other than giving me weird premonitions.

Perhaps it was a protection spell? It had certainly saved you from bodily injury a few times at this point.

You had been in your head so thoroughly that you had walked past your bedroll and towards the other side of camp, your foot nearly stepping off the shoreline and into the murky water. You stepped backwards and felt a presence at your back.

“Still can’t sense a damn thing, can you?”

You turned to see Astarion smirking at you.

Godsdammit, can’t you come talk to me like a normal person? “Can I help you?”

“You’ve already helped me plenty, my dear,” he said. He pulled out his dagger, gesturing towards yours on your belt. “I’m returning the favor.”

You sighed. “Alright. Go easy on me.”

Pulling out your dagger, you attacked, a clumsy lunge, a graceless swing. For five minutes, he effortlessly deflected every one of your strikes.

Then he began to hum.

Confused, you continued to attack. There was no power in his song, but somehow, he seemed to be even more nimble as he dodged and spun away from your flimsy attempts to stab him.

“Your turn,” he finally said.

“Huh?”

“Hum something while you attack.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Just indulge me.”

Sighing, you thought of a faster tempo song and began to hum. Focusing on the song while striking at him over and over, you stopped thinking, and started to just act and react on instinct. Like the flow of a melody, you slashed, parried, jabbed, and finally, felt like you had made progress when you grabbed Astarion’s wrist, twisted his arm, and dipped in close, pointing your blade at his throat.

“Not bad,” he said, beads of sweat slowly dripping down his forehead.

Then you felt a tapping on your belly. You looked down to see his other hand, wielding a second, shorter dagger, pointed at your gut.

“But I would have eviscerated you before you got this close.” He tapped the flat edge of the dagger against your belt.

Sighing in defeat, you stepped away from him and put your dagger back into its sheath. “Well, at least I got closer.”

“Did music help?”

You nodded. “Yes. I… I hadn’t thought of that. It was like I stopped overthinking about my next move and just reacted.”

“Good girl,” he murmured, patting your head. You felt that fondness, but it was different from what you had felt with Halsin. This one seemed like…

No. There’s no way.

You pulled away, tired of getting mixed messages. “Thank you for helping me,” you said quietly as you glanced back at your bedroll. “I’d better get some sleep.” You started to turn away.

“Wait.”

You turned back to him. “Yes?”

“I…” He paused for a moment. “Tomorrow morning. We’ll be helping with this”—he gestured dismissively—“portal thing.”

“I heard.”

“So…” He looked up at you and then looked away, clearing his throat. “Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be hungry when I return.”

You smiled. You miscommunicating idiot. “I’ll keep that in mind.” On a whim, you stepped up to him and patted him on the head, the same way he did to you. “Stay safe, kitty cat.”

He caught your hand and held it close to his chest. His gaze bore into you, two scarlet irises focused fully on you. “You do the same, kitten.”

Thrown off by his intensity, you blinked and backed away, pulling your hand gently from his grasp and smiling to hide your sudden nerves. “Of course. Good night.”

“Sweet dreams, darling,” he said, but you were already heading towards your bedroll.

I’m not running away. I’m not.

***

The next morning, everyone headed off to a small rock outcropping that was just outside of Isobel’s barrier. You went to the inn to help out with laundry and potion making, since a shipment of goods had just arrived, and many of the guards had been injured to get the shipment here.

As the day progressed, you could tell something was wrong. The tingling at the base of your spine was growing stronger with every passing minute. In the past, a tingling would just make your mind churn with anxiety, and you usually calmed down after distracting yourself with some chores. That was before you began having these stronger inklings, and their strength kept increasing as you spent more time with your companions.

This time, the feeling would not go away, even after peeling all of the potatoes in the galley.

You stepped out of the Last Light Inn, your gaze turning north towards the spot where Halsin had opened the portal. You weren’t sure how things were going, but your heart kept telling you to go have a look.

Don’t do anything stupid. I’ll be hungry when I return.

You knew it was his roundabout way of telling you to stay safe and hidden away.

Your seal kept tingling. Fine, I’ll just go take a peek.

As you made your way over to the edge of the shield, your heart began to drop. Shadows and the shadow-cursed were swarming a shining portal, covered in crackling lightning. And in front of the portal, the party was fighting desperately, defending it to the last.

You could tell that the spellcasters were down to only cantrips, their power weakening as they grew exhausted. The fighters kept swinging their weapons, but the sheer number of enemies was forcing them back, step by step.

You didn’t see Astarion, and started to peer around, looking for him. It wasn’t until Karlach made a big shove, forcing two shadow-cursed away from her, that you could see a bit beyond. On the ground in the front of the portal, you saw one pale elf, clutching his side.

Your feet began to move before your mind caught up. As soon as you left the safety of the shield, you could feel the shadow curse filling your lungs, but you didn’t care. You had to get to the group.

You had to get to him.

Claws of darkness scratched you as you passed, lines of crimson leaking into your clothes as you took cut after cut. But you pushed through and to everyone’s surprise, made it to the top of the rock overlook.

“What are you doing here?” Karlach yelled as she grabbed your arm and practically tossed you behind her.

You paid her no mind. Immediately kneeling down where Astarion lay, you pulled up your sleeve, exposing one of the deeper cuts on your arm, and forced it into his mouth.

“Drink, dammit,” you cried.

The sounds of the battle behind you became muted as you watched his eyelids flutter. His lips moved, and then through sheer instinct, he latched onto your wound and began to drink. You winced at the sharp pain of his fangs penetrating your skin, the pull of blood into his mouth. But after half a minute, he let you go and opened his eyes.

“You idiot,” he rasped as he sat up. He looked terrible, wounds on every limb, claw marks raking his chest.

“I know,” you replied, and slowly stood up, turning to the shadows.

In the back of your mind, you had a thought.

Closing your eyes, diving into your memories, you recalled that specific song from your mother, the one she had only taught you phonetically. A melody to shield against the long cold nights, a hymn that traveled beyond Evermeet, beyond the Trackless Sea.

It was a song you had sung a thousand times, and nothing had ever happened. But you felt that maybe, just maybe, something would happen if you just sang it one more time.

What if it doesn't work? It's never done anything before.

But it has to. I need it to work.

Taking a deep breath, you imagined a barrier, much like the silvery shield of Isobel, and began to sing.

As if the world suddenly paused, the sounds of battle quieted. You weren’t sure if it was because you were so focused on your song, but it sounded as if the hordes of the undead were moving farther and farther away.

You opened your eyes. A golden aura was before you, pushing back the darkness, giving the others a chance to breathe as the shadow creatures slammed against the shield. With one particularly strong hit, you felt one of your cuts bloom in pain, a burning slice into your skin, and you gasped in agony.

The shield crackled and began to fade.

Oh shit.

Ignoring the pain, you sang, and sang, and sang, until the barrier grew strong and bright once more. Until your voice was hoarse and your throat was raw. Until you felt like you were being flayed alive with each strike, the shield taking its power directly from your body. Your cuts bled, the searing pain intensifying with each passing lyric. But you would not, could not stop your song. It flowed out of you like water over a cliff, unstoppable.

Until finally from behind you, the portal crackled and shattered. You felt a familiar presence behind you.

“Well done,” Halsin said.

Smiling, you ended the song on a single triumphant note.

The shadow cursed had disappeared, and vestiges of the enemy lay around a golden perimeter that slowly faded as the barrier created by your song faded away. You felt exhausted, but also elated. You had helped.

The others turned to you, and they all immediately gave you a strange look.

“What?” you croaked.

Astarion tipped his head towards your reflection in the water. “Take a look at yourself.”

You walked to the edge of the water and gasped. Your ears had grown pointier. Your skin had become tawny brown, and your hair had turned into waves of auburn red, streaked with strands of gold and orange. And your eyes, gods, they glowed like the setting sun. You looked as if the whole of the autumn season had manifested in you.

As your magic faded, you began to look like yourself again, but the image was burned into your memory.

The last memory of your mother as she sang this exact song, her form looking exactly like one of the legends she had told you as a child: The autumn form of the fey eladrin, the folk from the feywilds who spoke and sang in Sylvan, the predecessor of Elvish.

You turned back to the others. There were smiles all around, but you could tell they were definitely tired. Shadowheart pulled out the last arcane potion from her belt and quickly drank it.

“Vos cura!”

A blue glow suffused the area around the group, and everyone felt their wounds heal somewhat.

Except for you. You felt nothing except for Astarion’s bite mark heal on your arm. Curious.

“Let’s head back to camp,” Gale announced, hovering next to Shadowheart, his eyes assessing her condition. “We could all use a rest.”

The others began to walk away with Halsin, who was carrying the boy in his arms. Only Astarion remained by your side, guarding you. He held out his arm to you, as if he was escorting you to a ball.

You smiled. It was a kind gesture, and though you knew he did it to be playful, you also knew that he wouldn’t have offered if he didn’t care.

You reached out for him.

Then your world tilted.

And everything went dark.

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

Chapter End Notes: I have been waiting and WAITING to post this chapter, I’ve had the portal portion written since chapter three, just infilling the story to get to this point. I’m so happy to finally share this chapter with you. I hope it was worth the wait! Let me know what you think in the comments!

And let me know if you want to be on the tag list so you get notified of the next chapter release! (I usually post on Thursday nights, but I may be delayed here and there because of that darn real life thing getting in the way)

Tag List: @numblytemporary @xalphafox @avitute @stormyjane7

#bg3 #bg3 fanfic #astarion #astarion x f!reader #baldur's gate 3 #female reader #writing #bg3 spoilers #your hearth is my home #cw: blood #cw: injury

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neonthewrite · 9 months ago

Text

Grey Landing (Part 10)

I have finished another GT July(2023) prompt! This time the prompt was "Memory". I don't remember what I had originally planned for this prompt when I started the challenge, but when I started planning it Isaac kept coming up. So we have more of Isaac's misadventures.

(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9)

~~~

The food, simple but hearty, felt heavy and strange in Isaac’s hands, like he held edible gold. He wasted no more time tucking in to an unorthodox meal, tearing bites off the large crumbs of bread and cheese and trying not to picture the disapproval he’d get from his mum for it. She’d taught him manners for how to be a guest in someone else’s house. She’d given up trying to get him to use them at sea.

Considering his predicament, trapped in a giant bowl on a giant counter in a giant bloody house, Isaac considered himself still adrift. So he ate like a sailor. His body sang with relief.

It forced him to think about when he last ate. He cast his mind back to a morning that felt normal, a coffee and breakfast before heading out with a bundle to be his lunch while he was out on the waves working for their next supper. That hadn’t been this morning. Had it been the day before? If he’d known a storm would break his ship and send him so far adrift, he’d have been more discerning with that precious bundle of rations, maybe the last lunch ever packed for him. Hell, he might have said something more to the people he passed on his way to the dock.

They probably all thought he’d been taken by the waves.

As with most things that might lead to heavy thoughts, Isaac pondered the memory only long enough to know he ought to shut it away again. A moment’s reprieve didn’t mean he had the time to break down just yet. Beyond the walls of his improvised jail cell, three giants sat at their dinner table, talking little but every casual word boomed.

He thought he’d finish up the offered food in his desperate hunger, but eventually the scale of things caught up to him. He pondered what remained of what he’d been given and wondered if they’d even be able to tell he had anything. His core was heavy and full, but he’d hardly made a dent. He set the ridiculous portions beside him and considered climbing out of the bowl before abruptly lying back with a huff.

His eyes closed in spite of himself. He didn’t plan to sleep, but he would make himself as comfortable as he could. The giants could take their time as far as he was concerned‒

“Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main, now we’re safe ashore, Jack!

Don’t forget your old shipmate, faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-o!”

He’s on a ship, a chorus of voices calling up as a hundred hands or more toil away. It’s all familiar. A grinning face, pale and mischievous, angles his way as the lyrics of their shanty always come back to the name.

“Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main, now we’re safe ashore, ‘Zac!”

While everyone else sings ‘Jack’, the nicest voice on board sings to Isaac alone and he knows he can belong‒

A jab to his side broke Isaac out of the unexpected dream. He flailed away from the offending feeling, a hazy memory of someone he might never see again clinging to his thoughts. A confused noise escaped him as he caught up to what had poked him.

A giant fingertip, large and callused and probably strong enough to crush his ribs by itself, lingered nearby. The attached hand loomed close in the bowl with him, with an equally giant arm extending overhead. Isaac’s brow furrowed as he stared up, again confronted with the scale of these giants. Clei stood over him, looking almost worried.

“Am not dead yet, lad,” Isaac told him. “Restin’ my eyes and slackin’ off, is all.”

Clei huffed and muttered in that language of theirs. “Crur cayg.” Apparently that was his warning, because that hand descended on him despite his noise of alarm. Once again Isaac found himself all too easily gathered up in a single hand, a fist curled around his middle and restricting his movements. He grimaced as vertigo gripped him just as securely when Clei lifted him out of the bowl and turned away from the counter at the same time.

The room whirled past him, barely-familiar shapes passing in and out of notice in the fast movements of a giant who didn’t seem to notice Isaac turning green. Thankfully they didn’t have that far to go, at least as far as Clei was concerned. A few steps later, Isaac found himself back on the giant table, scrambling to his feet after Clei set him down prone. The dishes from dinner were set aside along with the centerpiece, so Isaac found himself fully on the spot with giants looming and staring from three sides.

Clei still looked sheepish. Gufnad still looked annoyed. Trydi had her lips pursed in something like exasperation. Isaac, deciding not to let the silence draw out too long, held out his arms. “Am I on trial, then, my gracious hosts?”

Gufnad bristled, a lot like Isaac expected him to. He had a memory of more than one disciplinary hearing from his navy days, when just existing rankled an officer or two. Gufnad followed that pattern all too well.

Before the man could bark some indignant thing at him, though, Trydi shot him a look. “Gufnad. Dlad.” And then she sent Isaac a similar look, one that cowed some of his contrarian attitude despite himself. “Kaimu. Dlad.” She said more, quick syllables falling over each other and leaving Isaac in the dust, unable to pick up words in her rhythmic accent any better than he could before, though he realized partway through her question what their language reminded him of.

Isaac sighed. Some of the annoyance left his shoulders, but he still gestured vaguely at her. “I don’t understand you, lass. I don’t speak … Big Welsh. I don’t even speak normal Welsh. And for that, am sorry. We won’t get anywhere talking at each other like this, hmm?”

Clei finally chimed in, with the attitude of someone not used to speaking up to the others. He stammered a bit, and though Isaac tried to follow, he only heard one familiar sound among the rush: the giant used his name, once or twice, and Isaac had to hope he was vouching for him the best he could.

When Clei finally tapered off, Isaac watched him for a beat, then looked to the other two expectantly. “Only good stories, I hope,” he said, again only to prevent an awkward silence.

Gufnad’s frown didn’t waver. “Trydi, crur bid wal nei̯fitblei̯nd.” Isaac narrowed his eyes. He recognized the word that Gufnad had called him before, and he could only assume it was some kind of insult. Neigh-vit-blind yourself, you stubborn bastard.

Trydi winced faintly and glanced between Gufnad and Clei, and occasionally even Isaac. As head of the household, apparently the tie breaking vote fell to her. Isaac didn’t get a vote at all, not that that surprised him either. All he could do was stand there in the middle of a giant table and hope the outcome favored him.

Finally, she sighed and tilted her head towards Clei. “Bid tars. Clei, yulubus grag. Gaog, wif gwut hust.”

Isaac still didn’t understand them, but the grin that broke over Clei’s nervous face and the resigned eyeroll from Gufnad told him enough. He sighed; two giants on his side wasn’t bad at all, and having the lady of the house giving him any measure of a chance was worth a lot. His shoulders unwound some tension and he once again held his hands together in front of himself, nodding at her. “Trydi. Thank you.”

She didn’t smile at him, not exactly, but her lips twitched in bemusement. “Rayfn, kaimu.”

~~~

@not-a-space-alien

@amenarae

@starskichild

#gtjuly #gtjuly2023 #mywriting #gt #g/t #giant tiny #g/t handheld #handheld #trapped #giant sailor #language barrier #isaac grey #clei cefniad #trydi #gufnad #food #giant food #'big welsh' as a descriptor of their language really tickles me #also thanks everyone for your patience

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ivanttakethis · 2 months ago

Text

Before Round 18 (Part 2) - Tov’s Log

Onyx (?) vs. Lang (?) -> ??? Win

————————————————————

Sleep did not come easily to Tov.

Just as she feared, a dying Lark haunted her dreams.

She had his face cradled in her hands.

He was looking up at her, smiling softly, and for a moment he wasn’t himself.

His hair was brown and messily braided.

His skin was darker and freckled.

His eyes were green and knowing.

“Congratulations.” Tallis whispered.

Tov awoke with a strangled yell, still wearing her dress and glass heels.

She gave up on sleeping altogether after that.

Two guards came to her door sometime around sunrise.

They said her presence was required for some kind of interview.

Tov knew better than to ask questions.

It never resulted in any answers.

She was granted a few minutes to change, before being led out of the dorm.

The guards took her to the main Alien Stage complex and through a series of underground tunnels; twisting and turning, this way and that. She didn’t even try to keep up with how many lefts or rights they took.

Finally, they reached a heavy black door with a keypad next to the handle.

The guard on Tov’s right entered in a passcode, while the guard on her left obstructed her view.

The keypad made a short beeping noise and the door unlocked with an audible click.

“Inside. And sit down.” One of the guards instructed.

She shuffled into the room and sat in the metal chair closest to the door.

There was a metal table in front of her and an identical chair on the other side. Fluorescent lights lined the ceiling. The walls were white and bare.

The door shut firm behind them, locking in place.

Tov was all alone.

She wondered if this was how isolation felt. It wasn’t padded and there was some furniture, but it was quiet and windowless, with no way to keep track of time.

After an unknown amount of time, the keypad beeped, the lock clicked, and the door swung open again.

Tov looked up to see two AREPH agents enter the room. She immediately recognized one of them as Agent Pol, the same agent that interviewed her after Solei disappeared.

Agent Pol walked in with a determined look pinched in her brows, her eyes set behind black sunglasses.

But the other agent, taller with a bulkier build, looked hesitant.

“Hello, Tov.” Agent Pol said her name like a curse. “I’m Agent Pol from the AREPH. Do you remember me?”

Tov nodded.

“Good, that makes things easier. This is my partner, Agent Irin.” She said gesturing to the other agent.

“Hello.” Agent Irin nodded. He looked to be sweating under the bright lights.

Agent Pol took the chair across from her while Agent Irin remained standing, tense in his shoulders and stance.

“We have a few questions about what happened to Subject-012864.” She said.

“Lark.” Agent Irin added.

Tov already knew Lark’s identification number. She knew all of her classmates’ identification numbers.

“Let’s start with some background. Did you know Lark well?” She said his name like a curse too.

Tov shook her head. “No.”

They’d only interacted a handful of times in Anakt Garden. She couldn’t remember them speaking at all during the competition before their round.

“Do you know who he associated with?”

“Noora.” Tov said immediately. She knew there was something or other between them.

She couldn’t imagine how Noora felt now that Lark was dead.

I should say something next time I see her. Maybe I could apologize?

Aside from Noora, Tov couldn’t remember who else Lark spent time with. “I don’t know of anyone beyond that.”

Agent Pol scribbled something down in her notebook, writing in a language Tov couldn’t read. Likely on purpose.

“The day of your round, when did you see Lark?” She asked.

“I saw him first at breakfast, but we didn’t sit at the same table.” Tov recalled. “After that, I didn’t see him again until right before the round started. We left our dressing rooms at the same time and walked to the stage together.”

More writing.

“And what was his condition like when you saw him before the round?”

Tov wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to forget it. Those hazy golden eyes were burned into the back of her mind.

“He was… sweating… and his eyes were unfocused.” She said.

Agent Pol raised an eyebrow, “You didn’t think to say anything?”

The question hit Tov like a punch to the gut. Her eyes started to sting again.

I’ve asked myself the same thing so many times.

I still don’t have an answer.

Agent Irin sighed wearily, “Agent Pol…”

“I’ll withdraw the question.” Agent Pol said, her words clipped. “Let’s get to the reason we’re here then, shall we?”

Her smile was sharp. Tov resisted the urge to narrow her eyes.

What’s this all about then?

“The AREPH has opened an investigation into Lark’s death.” She said. “Although we’ll have to wait for a full toxicology report, his preliminary autopsy suggests he was poisoned.”

What the—

“Poisoned?” Tov echoed, bordering on disbelief.

“Yes. We believe he was poisoned.”

No.

No no no no no.

How could this have happened?

We’ve been watched like hawks since Round 15.

Was it a guard?

A member of production?

Another contestant?

Tov mentally shook her head at the last thought.

No, that couldn’t be it.

Lark was docile. Harmless.

But what if Lark wasn’t the intended target?

What if it was me?

She sucked in a breath, a sinking feeling blooming in her stomach.

What if Lark died because someone wanted to kill me?

“—Tov?” Agent Irin called.

Tov stumbled out of her thought spiral, looking between the two agents, “Yes?”

“Agent Pol asked you a question.” He said. She could hear a tinge of concern in his voice.

Tov looked back at the other agent who was already lookin at her. She could feel the weight of her scrutinizing gaze, even behind her glasses.

“I asked if there were any of your classmates that could’ve wanted to harm Lark.” She said.

No one came to mind. Not even Daiki.

For as much as Tov was loath to admit it, Daiki was a strong singer. Lark wasn’t a threat to her.

“No.” She answered, sure for once that she was right.

“I assume that includes you?”

Tov furrowed her eyebrows, “I beg your pardon?”

She tried her best not to sound indignant, but the question was asinine at best and insulting at worst.

There was no way Agent Pol just asked her if she wanted to hurt Lark.

Tov hadn’t seen footage from Round 17, but she probably looked like a fucking mess after he collapsed.

He practically died in her arms and she was asking if Tov was the reason he did.

“Were you confident that you could beat Lark?”

Ah, that was it.

She wanted Tov to say she was better than him. More talented. More worthy of living.

Tov wasn’t going to play that game.

“You saw the scores.” She said in lieu of a concrete answer.

Agent Pol’s forehead wrinkled briefly, before smoothing out as if nothing had happened.

“Answer the question.” She pressed.

Agent Irin interrupted, “You don’t have to—”

“She does.” Agent Pol cut him off, not breaking eye contact. “And she will.”

They were at an impasse, neither side wanting to concede.

But only one would be punished for it.

Tov couldn’t afford that. She couldn’t be isolated when Nyx was performing.

What if he needs me and I’m not there?

She set her jaw, muttering through gritted teeth, “Yes.”

It felt horrible to even say.

But Tov knew she’d be called a liar if she said no.

77 - 22

69 - 31

They weren’t rounds won by slight margins.

There was a reason everyone kept calling her the “Star of Season 39”.

She hated it.

She hated it more than anything.

Minori… Lark… Forgive me…

The room fell silent while Agent Pol wrote. The growing length of her paragraph mocked Tov.

She wished her glare could burn a hole through the paper.

“What about that other contestant your close to… Himei?” The way Agent Pol said her name almost made Tov’s eye twitch. “Is she confident in your ability to win?”

She thinks Himei had something to do with this?

Not possible.

Himei wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. And Lark didn’t deserve it.

Tov didn’t hesitate to answer, “Himei knows I can win.”

Her tone left no room for further discussion. She was tired of the agent’s bullshit tactics.

Agent Pol seemed to find her response amusing. It set Tov’s nerves on edge.

“Very well,” she said, closing her notebook. “That’s all for now.”

For now? Oh joy.

Tov looked to Agent Irin, “Am I free to go?” She asked.

The agent seemed surprised by being addressed directly, startling at her question. “Uh, yes—” He straightened his posture, “There should be a guard outside to take you back to your room. Follow me.”

Agent Irin entered a passcode into the keypad and the door unlocked.

Tov rose from her chair to follow him out, but Agent Pol spoke again before she could.

“You should know, for the time being, every contestant will be restricted to their dorm rooms.” She said. “Any and all interaction is prohibited. Punishment for those who disobey will be severe.”

Tov simply nodded and followed after Agent Irin.

Divide and conquer. She thought as the door closed behind her.

They’re trying to make someone crack.

————————————————————

Tov dreaming about Tallis, but not in the way she wanted 😔

Lark and Tallis are so similar that Tov’s unconscious is melding together the grief she feels about each of them.

And with the new restrictions, there’s no way for Tov to talk to Noora about Lark before her round. It’s a repeat of Flor and Minori all over again.

She can’t even call Wren now, probably when she needs encouragement the most *deep sigh*

Wren: “Just hang in there.”

Tov: “I’m really fucking trying, girl.”

Lark and Noora belong to @kamersona.

Tallis and Himei belong to @lookatmysillies.