#i feel to my knees in the taco bell parking lot | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fruitcoops · 3 years ago

Note

okay so we all love dad dumo and he's an incredible parent but even dumo isn't perfect. Could we maybe have dumo snapping at logan (or sirius, if it strikes your fancy, but i love dumo+logan dynamics) and then apologizing for it like a parent actually f*cking should

Oof, yes. Combined with asks for Sirius and Logan bonding, as well as some pre-Cap and James. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for parental figure disappointment

The car rumbled. Dumo’s hands squeaked on the wheel as he flexed his fingers. Logan felt like he was going to throw up.

Can we turn around real quick? No, too vague. Can we go home so I can use the bathroom? No, he’ll say I can wait another ten minutes. I forgot my phone at home? No, he saw me put it in my pocket. Logan ran through every possible way of asking to go back to the Dumais house without giving away his dilemma; with each scenario, they grew further from where he needed to be.

“Hey, Dumo?” he began quietly, swallowing around his dry mouth. What was it his father always said? Honesty is the best policy. “We need to go back to your house for a moment.”

“We’re already running late,” Dumo said, not even sparing him a glance in the rearview mirror. The traffic around them was a mess. “If we go back, we’ll miss the first part of warmups.”

“I know, but it’s kind of important.”

“So is the game. If it’s your wallet, you don’t need it right—”

“I left my skates by the front door.”

Dead silence filled the car as Dumo slowed to a stop at the fourth red light. Logan’s heart sank and his stomach crawled into his throat. “What?”

“I left my skates by the front door,” he repeated, staring at his hands. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking—”

“Tabernak, Logan!” Dumo snapped. He felt something inside him wither and die. “First the nap, then forgetting to wash your jersey, and now you left your fucking skates behind? What’s going on in your head? You are an adult now with responsibilities, and it’s your job to keep track of your shit.”

“I know,” Logan said quietly.

Dumo huffed. “Clearly you don’t! Do you just not care? Is that it?”

“I care.”

“This isn’t a college team, Logan.” Dumo’s accent grew harsh around his name. It had been a bad day for him—Adele came down with a nasty cold just after Celeste left to visit her parents for the weekend, and there was always an added pressure with home games. Logan knew that, and he knew he should have been paying better attention.

“I know.”

Dumo muttered a curse under his breath and pulled onto a side road, then swore again when his duffle bag slid in the passenger seat. Logan closed his eyes; there was no way they would make it all the way to the house and back to the rink in time for pre-game rituals. Damn it, Tremblay. What were you thinking?

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Dumo parked the car with a quiet “go”, and Logan hurried inside with a slight nod to the babysitter as he grabbed his skates before slinking back to the car with his head hung low.

“I’m really disappointed in you,” Dumo said when they reached the freeway again.

“I’m sorry.”

He received no response.

They won the game despite skipping all their superstitions, no thanks to Logan. He played like shit; Arthur barely gave him four shifts the whole night. Finn shot him a concerned look as he rinsed off and slipped back into his street clothes, but Logan didn’t have the energy to confront both his best friend and the upsetting feelings connected to the aforementioned best-friend-slash-secret-crush. If he tried, he’d certainly end up doing something stupid.

He packed his things, slung his bag over his shoulder, and followed Dumo out to the car like a stray dog with his tail between his legs. “I really am—”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Dumo interrupted as they pulled out of the parking lot. Logan pressed his lips together. “Are you hungry?”

Starving. “Kinda.”

“I’ll heat up some leftover lasagna when we get back to the house. Will you pay the babysitter and make sure the kids are in bed?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.”

Logan ground his teeth around the steady ache building in his chest—he hated disappointing people in general, but it was a whole different story with Dumo. He was his second father, the person Logan admired most on the team. He gave him a home and a substitute family to ease the homesickness, and was always there to cheer him on. And Logan let him down.

They went through their nightly routine silently, which was a sharp contrast to their usual banter. Marc and Louis refused to go to bed at first, nearly bringing Logan to tears in his frustration, but he eventually got them settled down and tucked in. By some miracle, both the girls were already asleep.

“I’m going to call Celeste,” Dumo finally said as Logan unloaded the dishwasher. He nodded without a word, not trusting his voice.

As soon as the dishwasher was full and running, Logan took his phone out and dialed the only person he wanted to hear from. It rang twice before connecting. “Hello?”

“Hey.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Hey, Cap, what’s up?”

“Not much.” Sirius sounded confused, and more than a little tired. “Ça va?”

Logan’s eyes burned. “Not bad. Do you have a minute?”

There was a rustling noise from the other end, followed by the clink of keys. “You’re at Dumo’s, right?”

“Oui.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thanks,” he managed around his tight throat. “See you soon.”

Hushed voices came from the living room and Logan padded down the hall, knocking gently on the doorframe. Dumo looked up and furrowed his brow. “Un moment, mon amour. Are you alright?”

“Sirius is coming by in ten. We’re going to hang out for a bit, if that’s okay.”

“Tell him I say hello.” Without another word, Dumo uncovered the base of his phone and returned to his conversation. Logan nodded and headed back out into the hall, swallowing down the tears forming behind his eyes.

Ten minutes turned out to be seven minutes—Logan was simultaneously flattered and concerned—and a soft knock startled him out of his thoughts. Sirius already looked worried when the front door swung open. “What happened? Is everyone okay? Did something happen to Celeste?”

“She’s fine. Dumo says hi.” And he’s horribly disappointed in me. Logan took several deep breaths through his nose to control the tremor in his voice and Sirius gave him a worried once-over. “Can we drive around for a bit?”

“Of course.”

For all of his bluster and general brooding vibe, Sirius continued to be the king of empathy and (in Logan’s opinion) a secret mind-reader. The second his arm draped across Logan’s shoulders and held him close as they walked down the sidewalk, he felt some of the pressure in his chest release. “Sorry about the late call,” he sniffled. It was a cold night—the snot threatening to drip from his nose was frigid already. “I just—I needed to get out for a minute.”

“À tout moment.” Any time. Logan didn’t feel deserving of that kindness after the mess he had been on the ice. The heaters kicked on as soon as Sirius started the car and Logan closed his eyes, leaning back into the warm seat. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“It’s so stupid.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.”

Logan took a moment to breathe before shaking his head. “I forgot my skates. We were already running late, and I forgot my fucking skates at the house.”

Sirius hummed, but said nothing.

“It’s—Dumo has been having such a horrible day.” Tears clogged his throat again. “And I took a nap earlier because I stayed up late last night like an idiot, and Adele’s sick so he had all the kids and no help while he was trying to get ready, and then I overslept so it was already going to be rushed and forgot to clean my jersey and then—and then I forgot my skates. God, I’m so stupid.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true.”

“It’s not.” Logan wanted to kick him for being so infuriatingly patient. Sirius glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “That’s not why you’re upset, though.”

“He’s—” Logan broke off and swiped the first tear away with his sweatshirt cuff. “He said he was disappointed in me.”

“Ah.”

“It’s such a stupid thing to be upset about.”

Sirius sighed through his nose and pulled into the parking lot of a 24-hour Taco Bell, then turned off the car and faced Logan with one eyebrow raised. “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Belittling yourself.”

“Okay, Heather,” Logan snorted. Sirius reached over and flicked him on the forehead. “Hey!”

“You forgot your skates. Big deal. We’ve all been there.”

Logan shot him a glare. “You’ve never forgotten your skates.”

“Yes, I have. My very first game with the Lions, actually. Except I didn’t realize it until we were already at the rink.”

“Did Dumo drive you back?”

“The whole damn way. He was mad as hell, but he did it.” Sirius’ face softened, and he poked Logan gently on the thigh. “Stop kicking yourself for this one. It sounds like it was a bad day for you both.”

“I still feel like shit.”

Sirius shrugged. “I bet. Disappointing Dumo is the worst feeling ever.”

“He wouldn’t even let me apologize.”

“He will.”

They sat in silence for a full minute as Logan tried to find the right words. “How did you deal with it? Letting people down. It feels like I’m drowning, sometimes.”

“Really, really poorly,” Sirius half-laughed, crossing his ankle over his knee. “It wasn’t until I was named captain that I started accepting that people weren’t lying when they forgave me for fucking up.”

“Why?”

“Believe it or not, the people I was around as a kid didn’t make a habit of apologizing to me when they did something wrong.”

Logan looked up from the faded letters on his sweatshirt sleeve and sniffled. “Thanks for bringing me out here.”

“Pas de problem. I figured you could use some company outside the house.”

“You’re the best.”

“I try.”

“You succeed.” You’re like a brother to me, actually. “Is this what James did for you?”

“No,” Sirius laughed. Affection took over his face, bright even in the dim light from the streetlamps. “No, he snuck me onto the roof of the rink with massive amounts of junk food and stayed with me until the imposter syndrome faded. It was fantastic, but we nearly got hypothermia several times in the winter. This is much more comfortable.”

“Thanks for helping me keep all my fingers and toes,” Logan said wryly. He lapsed back into silence and folded his forearms on the dashboard, sighing at the pleasant stretch of his back. “I know I have to go back eventually, but I’m scared.”

“Honestly, Logan, I bet he’s already forgiven you. He knows it was an accident.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” The words came out as little more than a whisper. Sirius’ hand rested hesitantly between his shoulder blades until Logan leaned back into it, then began rubbing gentle circles.

“He does,” Sirius said softly. “And he loves you so much.”

Logan sniffed back more tears. “Really?”

“Ouais. You’ve been living with him for nine months now, and he’s so proud of how far you’ve come.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he told me. Last week, after your hat trick. People fuck up, Logan, but that doesn’t mean they’re unforgivable. You don’t need to flay yourself for one bad day.”

Logan shut his eyes with a slow exhale and buried his face in his forearms. “I think I’m ready to go back now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“D’accord. Buckle your seatbelt.”

He straightened up and stretched, wincing at the crack of his back. Sirius drove out of the parking lot and hummed under his breath to the radio, but Logan didn’t miss the careful glances out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t need to worry about me,” he finally said. “I’ll be okay.”

“I know,” Sirius said casually, though he looked like he was holding something back. Logan didn’t press; Sirius would talk in his own time if he wanted to. He opened his mouth, paused, then sighed. “But I do worry about you.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

Thank you, Captain Black, for the most media answer of all time. “You really don’t have to.”

Sirius parked the car and leaned his head back against the seat. “You’re my friend, and I care about you, so I worry.”

Logan blinked at him. “You care about me?”

“Obviously,” Sirius muttered. Even in the darkness of the street, his cheeks were pink. “Now go on, you've got someone waiting for you.”

“I care about you, too.”

“Out of my car, Tremblay.” Despite his words, a smile quirked at the corner of Sirius’ mouth. Logan socked him lightly on the arm and opened the door, shivering in the night air as it bit through his hoodie.

“Drive safe, Cap.”

“I will.”

The walk to the front door felt less like a trip to the gallows and more like coming home; Logan felt his muscles relax, and saw the curtains shift as someone moved away from the window. Dumo opened the door before he could even knock.

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison. Logan raised his eyebrows and Dumo opened the door the rest of the way, ushering him inside.

The moment the door closed behind him, Dumo wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so sorry for what I said earlier, Logan. You made a mistake, and I shouldn’t have come down hard on you.”

“I’m sorry I made us late,” Logan said into his soft shirt. “And for not helping earlier. It won’t happen again.”

“All is forgiven.” Dumo patted him on the back of the shoulder and held him at arm’s length with a sad smile. “I should have kept a better handle on my temper. You don’t deserve to be spoken to like that.”

Logan bit back the urge to say it’s okay or I deserved it and instead pulled him in for another hug. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I didn’t realize how much you’ve helped me until today.”

Dumo made a quiet sound and held him tighter. “It’s a gift to have you here.”

Logan squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of emotion rolled in his heart. “There is nowhere I would rather be,” he whispered. They stayed like that for a long moment, swaying slightly, before Dumo stepped back.

“Get some rest. We have early practice tomorrow.” He mussed Logan’s hair and gave him a nudge toward the stairs. “Bonne nuit, mon fils.”

Mon fils. Logan’s breath caught for a second and he smiled. “Bonne nuit.”

#logan tremblay #sirius black #pascal dumais #finn o'hara #james potter #sweater weather #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #hurt/ comfort #cap and logan bonding #dad dumo

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no-droids · 5 years ago

Text

Promise Me (It’s Yours)

Part Eleven of the Rough Day Series

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 10K

Warnings: OMFG might be the first chapter of rough day to not need any warnings, can you believe it?? I mean of course there’s language, a splash of smut, and just the briefest reference to suicide, but pretty PG-13 this time my guys I apologize

A/N: I’m sorry I know people show up for the smut but I was feeling soft in this Taco Bell parking lot so here this is, I hope y’all like it. I guarantee none of the math is correct but please go with it

***

You jerk awake to the sound of whimpers.

It’s late. The bonfire is nothing more than glowing coals, and your back is resting against a scratchy log instead of a long, comfortable chest. You blink rapidly, trying to figure out where that noise is comi—

The kid. Fussy in his crib, his gasps starting to turn into quiet sobs.

“Hey,” you murmur, aiming for soft and comforting, but the sleep sits right in the middle of your vocal cords and splits your voice in half, making you sound like an exhausted demon. Weirdly enough, it seems to chill him out (did a demon actually teach him how to choke people without touching them?) and you sit up to blearily look around. Where’s Din? “Where’s—” you rub your eyes and squint around once more, “—where’d your dad go, bug?”

The clearing is bare. The field is, too—no path, excluding the one you three made on the hike here. Nothing in the distant forest, and the black duffel bag sits somewhere near your feet.

Alright, no worries, maybe he just… went to take a leak or something. Really… oddly far away. That’s fine. Sometimes humans have to do that—maybe he has a. A shy bladder. Or something. You’re totally fine. The kid blinks back at you through equally tired eyes, his head tilting as he seems to be taking cues from you right now in the absence of his father. You both should just try to go back to sleep…

Or you can wait up for him. That sounds like a better plan. Don’t panic, just trust him. Give him the benefit of the doubt, it’s the least you can do.

You take a second to look around again, still coming up empty. It’s dark out, but the moon is suspended high in the sky. The fire doesn’t even give off much light anymore, just dying embers. Your eyes scan the ground again, catching on the black bag at your feet.

Was that there when you went to sleep? No, the last person who had it was Din, and he was sitting over there, in front of the boulder behind the kid’s shield.

You blink down at the stationary bag for a few more seconds, studying it like it’ll spill all of its secrets if you glare hard enough, but then something sparks in your memory. Something odd, something you only noticed for a second last night. There was a red light that reflected off Din’s helmet when he reached into the bag for food earlier, wasn’t there?

You think back on it, try to isolate the hazy memory. If it was a laser sight, you would’ve recognized the bright beam and panicked, but you didn’t. It was unfocused, dim. Flashing.

Had… had Din brought a tracking fob with him from the Crest? But why?

Maker, it’s like your mind knows it should speed up but it’s still too stupid to actually do it. You should… you should check the bag, right? Just in case… you don’t know. You’re being ridiculous.

You reach out to catch the dark bag nonetheless and then unzip it, rifling through it for a particular item you figure should be in here somewhere. Food, food, more food…

Somewhere…

—It’s not here. No tracking fob here. No red light to be seen of.

Had you been imagining it?

No, you determine after a second. No, because you remember thinking it was odd—you specifically noticed it, clearly recognized it but didn’t contemplate too much into it at the time.

Alright, no worries, maybe he… maybe he went on a quick little hunt while you were both sleeping. He must’ve gone back to the ship to grab his armor and guns and then set off. That’s fine, there’s more food in the bag. He said he’d be here when you woke up, which most likely means morning. Right?

Cool. Cool cool cool, you can wait until morning. You can just settle back down against the log right here and find a comfortable position—there we go—and just wait for the sunrise, wait for the inevitable return of your missing party member. Party leader, arguably. He’ll come back, he always does.

Your body begins to relax, even though something still seems… strange about this. Like there’s something important you’re still missing.

… The field is bare.

You instantly sit up and turn back to study it in the moonlight, study the single path you left on your way here. You remember hiking at least… a grand total of two hours to get here from the Crest, maybe? Granted, you took quite the detour, but that just means he would’ve carved a distinct, new path on his way back—

Would he… would he really go on a hunt without going back to the ship first? Would Mando truly venture out—without telling you—to go collect a quarry without any weapon on him whatsoever? Any piece of armor besides a helmet?

Does that seem right to you?

Fuck, you suddenly feel wide awake, and the baby starts gasping out troubled cries again. You push yourself up to your feet and stumble around the dying flames to go comfort him, dropping to your knees next to the reflective sphere. Your head stays on a constant swivel as you quiet him, brushing the pad of your thumb along his wrinkled forehead and shushing him as you keep looking out at the breezy field of grass, trying to see if you missed anything.

Fuck, maybe you’re just overreacting. What direction is the ship? Which way did you…? You think back, trying to piece together limited information of what you can remember about today. Glancing back down at the log you slept on and then the path leading away from the clearing, rapidfire calculations start going off in your head. No, you realize after a second of frantic thought—no, the sun would’ve—if you walked…

Eventually, you’re able to pinpoint a general idea of where the ship should be, and if you’re right, then he definitely would’ve left a new path to get back to it. You don’t like this. It’s out of character for him. It sits too weird with you, and the kid rarely starts crying unless something is bothering him.

Alright, alright, don’t panic. Din is a professional. He must’ve left on purpose—you would’ve woken up if there was any sort of struggle, or even just an exchange. Odds are, he grabbed the tracking fob and just… went to go get the quarry.

Without waking you. Without telling you. Without bringing anything else with him. No armor. No guns. Just the fob.

Some strange sense of dread begins to fill you, one that feels all the worse when there’s no clear explanation for it. You won’t pretend like you’re an expert, but to a Mandalorian, that seems like it could be considered suicidal, wouldn’t it? What reason would he have to do this?

The field continues to wave, undisturbed, in all surrounding directions except one. You look over at the clearing leading to the dark forest, the treetops too thick to let anything but traces of crystal moonlight through. If he left… he’ll have gone that way. The only direction that wouldn’t leave a path.

Okay. So there's a decision that needs to be made. You can either stay here, in the middle of this wide open field until the sun comes up, and hopefully he comes back by then. Or… you could. Go check if something went wrong.

The forest is gorgeous from here, you can see that. Thick treetops, drifting gently in the breeze, steady and quiet and picturesque. Admittedly, you can also see a haunting, looming nightmare of darkness warning you to stay away from whatever it’s hiding. This is an unfamiliar planet. You know it’s safe, this is the most isolated sector and Din said practically no crime happens here, but. He also said he’d be here when you woke up.

Hang on, wait. Something catches in your peripheral. There—right on the other side of the kid’s crib, you see—

A glove.

… He left the glove. Whether on purpose or by accident, Din left his glove. The one connected to the vambrace, the one that houses all his controls.

The one that houses the comm link.

The piece of armor is already in your trembling fingers before you realize you even went to grab it. Anxiety, stress, dread—you don’t know which weighs on you heavier while you slowly rotate it in your hands, trying to understand what’s happening right now. He left his emergency communicator. The only chance you have at contacting him unless he decides to come back.

Panic suddenly constricts in your chest, and you make your decision blindly. The kid continues to squeak out little whimpers as your arm sinks down into the leather and you pull the gauntlet up almost to your elbow, flexing your fingers inside the fabric and feeling your heart beating in your throat. The controls are fairly basic, it doesn’t take much time to figure out which button he synced with the hovering sphere, which command he uses to lock the two locations together.

“Chill out, kiddo,” you whisper, doing your best to calm your own raging uncertainty. Conviction is key, you think. You made your decision. Not wanting to waste any more time in case something went awry, you sling the bag over your shoulder and set off in the direction of the trees, feeling… woefully underprepared for whatever may potentially face you.

The forest is quiet as you finally make your way past the first few trees marking its beginning, or end, and you need a second to blink and adjust your vision. It’s dark—if you thought it was dark when you awoke, it’s nothing compared to this. The treetops are thick and barely allow any moonlight to pass through their dense leaves whatsoever, just bits and pieces scattered here or there. There’s no path, no trail, just nature. Fallen logs, moss, rock and boulder formations you have to avoid.

You shush your agitated ward again, wanting to control yourself because you’re getting the kid worked up into baby battle mode with no visible threats to see. He reads energies—he’s capable when he wants to be, when he deems the situation fit. Right now he’s quieted somewhat but he’s still on high alert, recycling your inner panic outwards until you feel the air shifting around you, an… unexplainable phenomena you can’t even describe properly.

Well, you figure. If anything, he’s far more dangerous than any weapon Din typically carries with him. You tend to forget, most of the time. He’s never hurt you, no matter how boisterous the tantrums sometimes are, and you find yourself very rarely thinking of him as anything other than an innocent, helpless baby you’re tasked with protecting. Though it appears that most of the time, he’s been the one protecting you.

What are you saying? There’s no need for protection right now, you’re simply searching for your absent ally. You’re not being brave—no matter how quickly your heart is beating or how much your hands are sweating, you’re not being brave because bravery implies facing something you fear. You have nothing to fear, it’s nothing more than an abandoned forest. A backdrop for your endeavor.

Though… though now that you think about it, this setting looks eerily similar to one you’ll have seared into your memory forever. The forest on Corellia.

You will the thought away with a frantic shake of your head. Naboo is safe, Naboo is safe—it’s not like Corellia. It’s not crawling with people desperate for food and credits, desperate enough to resort to kidnapping and slave trade. Naboo will economically prosper no matter what threat befalls the galaxy, its industry comes from tourism and resorting.

You stop for a second, needing a breather. Just for a second. You haven’t been walking more than fifteen minutes but the terrain makes your feet hurt. Sure, there are clearings between trees and the ground isn’t complete overflowing with obstacles, but they’re still present. The scattered rocks dig in under your shoes and some of the bushes you pass by have sharp leaves or thorns—but it’s the sprawling root systems that prove to be the worst. They crawl across the ground like they can’t decide whether they want to be part of it or not, and more than once you stub your toe on a hidden tube arching a few inches out of the mossy soil.

A part of you almost has to remind yourself that you’re here because you’re looking for somebody, rather than being trapped here trying to evade something. The adrenaline and fear are starting to get the best of you, make you too antsy, warp your senses. You’re deep in the forest now, but not enough to feel the wind disappear yet—you can still hear it rattling around above you, leaves slapping against each other, branches creaking as they tower over you. You almost wish it were quiet. You don’t feel comforted by the breeze anymore, it doesn’t feel like an ever present reassurance as much as it does a burden that masks the noises you could otherwise be hearing. The snapping of twigs that could potentially be there. The crunching of leaves under feet that aren’t your own.

So. You should probably admit now that this was actually a horrendous idea. Because you’re fucking stupid for not realizing this earlier, but. Din ventured into this hellscape to find a quarry, did he not?

A… wanted criminal.

Shit. What the fuck. That’s a hell of a fucking thing to register this late, isn’t it?

You can turn around, you figure. You can turn around right now and head back to the campsite—actually, that sounds like a great idea. You should do that.

You spin around and begin retracing your steps… which, you figure out about five minutes later, is an impossible feat. None of your surroundings look familiar—or shit, maybe it all looks familiar. Like… trees. And fucking rocks. Trying to distinguish landmarks is almost impossible now, and there’s no way to tell which direction you’re going with no visibility overhead, no celestial body to guide you.

You don’t immediately panic, not until you (quite literally) stumble upon a small stream of water flowing through some stones under your feet.

Well, okay. That’s not good. Okay, well, no, you suppose that could be good. It’s water—it’s a landmark, sure, the tiniest little landmark you've ever seen, but that’s exactly the problem. You’ve never seen it before. Which means you’re most definitely not going in the right direction.

At this point, the only option you have is to turn around again. Maybe you can unintentionally make the same series of stupid mistakes once more to start you right at the beginning. The kid is still glancing around in his cradle, making sure no harm comes to your useless ass, but then you freeze when you begin to hear something in the distance.

It’s an unfamiliar sound—a deafening one, even from this far away. Long and echoing, a giant chorus of… something. Something you’ve never heard before, something you can’t place.

Your heart is thundering as you walk closer to the source of it, moving slowly and cautiously forwards and having no clue what it could possibly be. It doesn’t seem to amplify much as you travel closer, which means it must be a ways away still. It’s terrifying nonetheless—the anticipation, how sweaty your hands are, the way you’re very aware of the muscles in your stomach for some reason.

The baby coos softly at your side, but the suddenness of the gentle noise nearly makes you jump out of your skin. You gasp and look down at him for the first time in what feels like ages, clutching at your chest, but then—

—then footsteps rush you from behind and something grabs at your shirt.

You react completely on instinct, your body nearly throbbing with adrenaline as you whip around and launch a mean jab aimed at the dark silhouette behind you. It slams directly into his solar plexus hard enough to bend him in half and ripple through your whole arm with the blowback. Your other fist pulls back and instantly goes for him again, but he just barely manages to jerk his arm up and block it in time—

And thank the Maker he does. Because you were just an inch shy from colliding your knuckles against the side of his head in your wild stage of panic. The one currently covered in devastatingly strong, shiny metal, the helmet just barely visible in the dark forest.

It’s like it doesn’t even register with you—you’re already going to hit him again when Din’s hand hooks around your arm and he yanks you forwards. Your body slams into his and then he’s wrapping himself around you and holding suffocatingly tight. Everything inside you still wants to struggle against him, gasping into his shoulder as your heart continues to gallop with terror no matter what your logic tells you. But he holds harder than steel and the sound of his voice eventually returns to you after a moment, repeating harsh words at you through a familiar vocal filter.

“—me, it’s me, it’s me, I’m right here, stop it, stop it, stop—”

You blink desperately against black fabric, letting the familiar scent, touch, and embrace bring you back down again. He’s so solid—has such a strong hold on you, absolutely no give to be found, and the devastatingly tight embrace manages to quickly settle you.

But he doesn’t wait long. As soon as you stop fighting him, he releases you in favor of grabbing your shoulders and shoving you out at arm’s length, frantically jerking the helmet up and down your body and twisting you back and forth while he looks. Your arms dangle with the inspection and you readily let him move you around like a rag doll, not having enough sense to register anything beyond safe. You’re safe. Everything seems to exist in a box right now, far away and yet compact at the same time. The visor snaps back up to your face and you blink dazedly up at him.

“I’m sorry,” you immediately tell him, voice pitched high and awkward, “woah, hah—whew, ahah—I’m sorry, I-I’m just—“

His fingers hook at your chin and he pulls it up, tilting your head back and forth, allowing the small patch of moonlight beaming through the treetops to catch the water in your eyes. It glints in shameless betrayal, and you try unsuccessfully to blink it away despite the damage already being done. Din drops his arm and you lower your chin without the platform propping it up.

“You just—you just—” you gasp out, delayed relief suddenly filling you and making your voice wobble dangerously, “—y-you went on a hunt but you left your armor. You left your guns, you left everything. I didn’t know—what could’ve happened, I—why’d you do that? W-Why—why didn’t you t-tell m—”

He wraps his hand behind your head and pulls you into his chest once more, not saying a single word. This hug is just as tight as before, just in a different way. He still uses it as a way to calm you and it still squeezes the air from your body, but this one doesn’t feel like it’s entirely for your benefit anymore.

It takes you a few more seconds to realize his hands are trembling.

You go to pull back, but he tightens, anchoring you to him. “What’s—” you gasp against the fabric covering his shoulder, “—what’s wrong? Are you okay? Where’s the quarry? What’s—what’s making that sound? Are we safe?”

Din takes slow, shallow breaths, and you hear it almost too well with your ear shoved against his body. Little by little, he loosens his grip on you. Both of you are still panting by the time you’re able to wrench back and look up at him.

Bare, shaky hands push your hair back away from your face, eventually coming to rest framing both of your cheeks. They’re warm and strong where his fingers wrap around the bend of your jaw, securing you in place, and when he speaks, he sounds like he’s been through hell and back.

“Don’t ever,” Din whispers brokenly, tugging a little bit to make sure you’re listening. “Don’t ever—ever run away from me like that. Ever again. Understand?”

You stare up at him, wide-eyed and dumb, unmoving. Is that what he thinks? That you were trying to… to run away from him?

“I—I wasn’t running,” you immediately stutter out, blinking rapidly at him and trying not to let the confusion show on your face. “I’d never run—I-I told you I wouldn’t—”

“I came back and you were gone,” he breathes, his quivering thumbs brushing along the height of your cheekbones. “I—my kid, he was gone, everything was gone, I-I…” The helmet shakes back and forth the slightest bit, and then he drops his grip to clamp down on your shoulders, clearing the fragile turmoil from his throat and hardening his tone. “Listen, you can’t do that—you can’t take my kid and just… just disappear like that, please, promise me you won’t do that agai—”

“You disappeared,” you accuse with a whisper, but it’s like he doesn’t even hear you.

“Promise me,” he urges, shaking you enough to make your head bobble just slightly, and the quiet plead of his voice through the modulator compels you to acquiesce without a second thought.

“I promise I won’t disappear,” you vow to him, unwavering and earnest. “Now promise you won’t, either.”

Din stares at you for a moment, his body tense and completely stationary. He’s still breathing heavy though, his chest rising and falling hard enough for you to count. One, two, three… Seven. Seven whole breaths, before he finally responds.

“I promise,” he eventually declares, before taking a step forward and crowding you, pulling your shoulders in and slowly tilting his helmet down until it rests against your forehead. The cool metal feels like ice on your burning skin—but you ignore it and allow him to get as close as he can possibly be, to hold you tight and keep you there. “I promise,” he goes on, “that if you ever—that if something ever happens to you two, and you just… just vanish on me like that again—then I’d—I’d…”

And then his next words steal the air from your lungs, wipe your head clear of any thoughts whatsoever—the hushed, vehement sincerity in his voice. Yet… calm. Certain, composed, and with purpose. Almost as if he could only get you to understand one thing, then he would want it to be this.

“Then I’d tear this whole galaxy apart to find you,” he tells you quietly, tightening his hands on your arms and swearing an oath to you. “Both. Both of you. I’d—I’d never stop. I’d rain hell. Tell me you understand.”

“I… I understand,” you finally murmur, and Din quickly pulls you to his chest and wraps himself around you once more without another word. His fingers tangle in your hair and encourage you to rest your face in the crook of his neck, so you do. Even though his helmet jabs uncomfortably at your cheek like this, you do your best to just settle down and breathe him in, bring your hands up to rub at his back and wait for his heart rate to slow.

Eventually it does. It seems like it takes ages, but eventually he's able to unwind his large stature from around you, letting you have a bit more of your own space. He doesn’t take his hands off you, though—his palm drags down your elbow and catches your bare hand in his, gently tugging.

“Let’s go,” he says quietly, beginning to lead you… somewhere. Probably out of the forest and back to the ship, but you don’t question it and completely forget about the low rumbling still echoing in the distance. You follow directly behind him and away from the mysterious sound, the fingers of your right hand still laced with his left, knowing there are far more important questions to be asked.

“Din,” you whisper, but he doesn’t need anymore prompting.

“I thought I’d be quick enough,” he admits, pulling you along by your hand. “It’s barely been a couple hours.”

You stay silent and focus on your feet, letting him go at his own pace. More than once he plays bodyguard, standing in front of wickedly sharp branches while you and the kid pass, and there’s never anything said beyond a quiet ‘thank you’ every time he does it.

“I’ve…” he says after a while. “I’ve been doing this job for awhile. And there are things… things you learn. Quick. Ways to predict people, ways to get in their heads. Last known locations tell you a lot about a quarry. Smart ones go to populated planets, planets like Coruscant, planets that make it nearly impossible to find people. Brave ones go to dangerous planets, suicidal ones try their luck in the Unknown Regions, idiots continue to go about their business on their homeworld without caring. But planets like this—like Naboo… those are the pacifists. The ones that don’t ever put up a fight. Watch your feet.”

You blink and stumble over a hidden root nonetheless, trying to keep up both physically and mentally. Din tightens his grip and catches you by your elbow.

“This one was like you,” he goes on, pulling you up and leading you forward once more. “Wasn’t trying to run. Just wanted to spend his last few months hiding out on the most beautiful place in the galaxy before he got caught.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up? Why’d you go in the middle of the night?” You whisper, not upset anymore. Just trying to understand. “You couldn’t have waited until morning?” But Din just shrugs.

“I didn’t want to remind you.” His sentence is short and stunted, yet serves to answer all three of your questions without providing any information beyond that, the unspoken sentiment barreling forth and smashing into you full force. He didn’t want to remind you. He wanted to leave while you were asleep and then return before you woke up, never letting you remember that responsibilities exist beyond this gorgeous planet for the time being.

You’re a bit shocked, to be honest. In hindsight, though, you suppose it makes sense. Din was the one who navigated to this sector, kept the bag out of your reach the whole day. If the kid had decided to wake up just an hour or two later, he would’ve been back by then, and you would’ve never known any different.

“Anyway,” he clears his throat, and a wave tiredness suddenly grips you. Fuck. Too much thinking. “The quarry went willingly, they always do when their last wish is to chase down a pretty landscape. Nice guy. Found him camped out by a giant—”

Din suddenly goes oddly quiet, and you’re too exhausted to push it. You’re starting to drag a little bit. You woke up in blind panic and have been on edge ever since, and now that you know things are okay, your body just wants more sleep. The trees blur as you keep moving forward, zoning out and knowing you likely have another few miles of walking before you’re back.

You almost trip over him. You don’t even notice he’s there until you nearly run into him. In your defense, the only visible part of him is his helmet; the clothing is too dark under the thick treetops to see anything else. Still, it takes you a second, and you blink down at Din’s crouched figure in front of you, blocking your intended path.

“Up,” he turns to mutter over his shoulder when you ultimately fail to comprehend.

…There’s no way.

Hesitantly, you lift one of your knees to his side and feel his arm firmly hook under it. Emboldened, you lean down until your forearm can wrap around the front of him, and then you do a stupid little bunny hop along the curve of his spine. Din easily catches your other leg before rising up.

He bounces you higher on his back once he’s upright, and you’re automatically resting your chin on his shoulder and clinging to him, your heart filling with butterflies as he begins trudging forward.

It’s… oddly comfortable. As long as you keep your arms wrapped tight around his chest, you can bury your face into him and drift in and out. He goes out of his way to keep you as level as you can possibly be, trying to soften his steps so your jaw doesn’t bounce on top of him while he steps over fallen logs and ducks to avoid low hanging leaves.

Later—you’re not sure how long it’s been, his voice comes through the modulator, ringing with your ear pressed against the helmet no matter how quiet he tries to be.

“How’d you know I went on a hunt?” He asks, and there’s a soft reservation in his tone, as if he doesn’t really want to speak but needs to ask you anyways.

“Mmm?” You slur into the fabric stretching over his shoulder, probably drooling on it a bit, too. “Hmm?”

His voice increases marginally in volume, but still maintains a gentle undertone that lulls you into relaxing deeper. “You knew I left to look for the quarry—how?”

“Fob,” you tell him tiredly, not having much energy to spare the words. “Wasn’t in the bag.”

You’re too out of it at this point, it takes a moment to realize Din has abruptly slowed down. “How’d you know there was a tracking—”

“You’re… reflective?” You ask, though you don’t really know why you’re asking. “S’to your detriment. Sometimes.”

That seems to stun him somewhat, halting him in place for the time being. The biggest response it gets from you is the tiniest little eyebrow twitch inwards, wondering why the steady movements of your transportation seems to have temporarily stalled. “How’d you know I left my armor?”

“Hmm?” You ask again, not really hearing him.

“Hey, stay awake for a second,” he bounces you and you groggily mutter something under your breath that even you can’t comprehend. Din glosses over it while you blink your eyes open. “Tell me how you knew. You didn’t go back to the Crest.”

You drag your head off his shoulder and squint around, looking around at the edge of the forest and the flowing grass beyond and trying to think with your stupid, tired brain, really needing to focus on the question. “…No?”

The curiosity in his voice can’t be masked, not by him nor the filter through which it’s processed. “So how did you know I left my armor on it?”

“You would’ve left a trail,” you shrug. “The grass is tall.”

“I could’ve just taken the path we made earlier,” he eventually proposes, still completely motionless in the middle of the relatively sparse number of trees leading to it. “Gone back to the ship exactly the way we came.”

“Y’could’ve,” you admit with a yawn. “But the ship is that way,” you lazily raise your arm and point a good fifty or so degrees to the left, and Din follows his own outstretched gauntlet you’re still sporting around your hand with the visor.

“I’m impressed,” he finally says, shifting you on his back but perfectly content to keep his feet rooted to the spot. “I didn’t think you had a good sense of direction. You know where the Crest is on this planet but not when we were on Canto Bight.”

You snort a laugh. No, no you have no such thing—you got lost as fuck in this forest. A good sense of direction counts as a solid survival skill, and you’d say you still very much lack most of those. Besides pulling water out of thin air, you can’t claim to know much of anything at all in that department.

“Mmm. No, that was just—“ you shake your head. “Y’know, jus’ some… panicked? Math? That’s all.”

“Panicked…” Din repeats slowly, “…math.”

You nod, frustrated that he’s still not moving, clearly waiting for you to explain your rapid, chaotic thought process from earlier. Still, you do your best for him, trying not to slur your words too much. “We… walked towards the sun this morning to get to the field. I remember, because your shiny ass was blinding me the entire time, what must’ve been like. A whole fucking hour? At least. And… and then we walked a little less to get here, forty-five minutes probably, then me ‘n the kid watched the sunset leaning up against that one log, which was at a solid angle—little more than fifty degrees to the right from the path. You could’ve retraced your steps from earlier if you really wanted to, but taking the shortcut would’ve shaved off about...” you snuggle your face into his shoulder deeper for a moment and think really hard about it. “Thirty minutes? Or an hour round trip. Give or take, since the kid slowed us down.”

He still doesn’t move, and you huff quietly, feeling like you’re on top of a stubborn blurg that just can’t be fucking bothered. Should you squeeze your legs around his middle? Will that work?

“You… went on a hunt, sweet girl,” Din finally says, bluntly, after way too long of a pause. He sounds vaguely impressed for reasons beyond that of your comprehension right now. “In your own little… panicked way. How does it feel?”

“Unsuccessful,” you breathe, burying your forehead into his shoulder once more and blinking your eyes shut. Too much thinking, too much thinking. You need to sleep.

“You were on the right track,” he hums, bouncing you up and setting off again, and you can’t help yourself. It’s completely involuntary, tumbles out of your mouth without thought.

“Craziest bounty hunter in the guild,” you slur, and Din doesn’t give you even a shred of the laughs that deserves.

“I should make you walk just for that,” he threatens instead, though he does no such thing. He just keeps leaning forward in a position that can’t be comfortable for him and lets you fall asleep on his back, holding you tight to his body as he finally breaks out of the last trees and continues hiking through the familiar field to go back home.

***

You rouse twice. Once, when hands allow your legs to slowly slide down a firm body and settle on solid metal. He spins around to catch you before you can collapse, and then slowly eases your exhausted body down to the floor.

A bare hand cradles the back of your head until that finally settles down, too.

The second time, you can’t quite be sure of. One of those moments where you’re barely conscious, drifting to the point where everything around you could be part of your dreamscape, where you can’t trust your own ears or mind to differentiate between what is real and what isn’t. All you’d need is a single person telling you this didn’t actually happen and you’d accept it without question.

Pacing. Quiet footsteps moving back and forth across the floor as you sleep, pausing every once in a while to stand in front of your slumbering figure. Something unintelligible is mumbled as he walks away, the hollow thunk of boots clambering up a ladder. Engines rumble to life under your ear, and gravity gently pushes you deeper against the flat metal supporting your body.

The footsteps soon return and start to pace around once more.

***

“Hey,” a quiet voice murmurs, your shoulder rocking back and forth slightly. “Wake up.”

You blink your eyes open to a familiar visor looking down at you, his hand quickly leaving your shoulder and brushing a gloved thumb across your cheekbone when he sees you’re awake. “Mm? Din? Wha’s—” you glance around you at the dark hull of the Razor Crest, before blinking your tired gaze back to him, “—s’going on? Wha’ time s’it?”

“Late,” he whispers. “We’re in the air. I had to wait until the kid was asleep, but I want… I want you to see something.”

“What is it?” Still blinking blearily, you sit up, but then Din grabs your hands and keeps your momentum going until you’re slowly dragged to your feet. What you do when you’re standing upright doesn’t really qualify as standing or upright—you just sag against him with exhaustion as he wraps his forearms around your lower back, keeping you pressed tight against him as your ankles drag uselessly against the ground.

“Use your feet,” he reminds you quietly, and you harumph in a grumpy response. Maker, you want to go back to sleep. You’re sure you tell him as much, but he just shushes you and encourages you to hold yourself up, letting go while you steady yourself but hovering his palms a few inches away from your arms just in case. “I want you to put my helmet on.”

“Excuse me?” You ask him, swaying slightly and rubbing one of your eyes, not feeling amused. “Is this some kind of… power trip? Or something? Because you’ve spent the last few days literally beating me up, I’d assume that would be enough for y—”

“I let you beat me up,” he grumbles under his breath. “How are you ever gonna take a punch if it hurts you that bad to just throw one, sweet girl?”

“I’ll punch first,” you respond groggily, trying to move forwards so you can lean on him again, but being stopped by a firm grip on your shoulders.

“I know you will,” he mutters, letting go after a second to brush your hair away from your squinty eyes. “Listen, I want you to put my helmet on, okay?”

You nuzzle your head into his leather palm and hum, giving it some thought. “Are you gonna… turn on the light thingie?” You clarify, not being able to remember what the setting is called, and he nods.

“Yes,” he tells you very seriously. “There’s a… stars, a ‘noise thingie’ that I’ll turn on, too. You won’t be able to see or hear for a little bit—you’ll have to trust me.”

“Is this for sex?” You blurt as soon as the thought occurs to you, and Din sighs heavily, letting his head drop to his chest in exasperation. “Like some sort of a… sensory deprivation thing? Because if so, I can like—I mean I can get into it.”

“If I say yes, will you put it on?” He tries, and. Well, that question shouldn’t wake you up nearly as much as it does. You blink at him, actually registering the sight of the mirrored visor this time. Your gaze drops to see he’s back in full beskar regalia, his body looking even larger and broader with it on.

“Oh,” you say quite suddenly, remembering the question. “Oh. Shit yeah, I will.”

He shakes his head. You’re getting better and better at reading him—becoming more fluent in helmet, one could say—and this head shake says he can’t believe he’s actually surprised that worked. “It’s not for sex,” he tells you immediately, deadpanning the delivery even more than he typically would. “Will you still put it on?”

You look at him blankly, wondering why this is even happening. He said you’re in the air right now, and there’s… something he wants you to see? Whatever this is, it’s spur of the moment. Something he felt the need to wake you up for, but likely won’t push if you decline.

“Yeah,” you nod, “'course I will.”

“Close your eyes,” he murmurs, tipping your chin up slightly in the dim hull so he can watch. Since they already want to do so regardless of the gentle command, your lids readily dip shut and you wait patiently as his touch leaves you for a moment.

You’re already sagging a bit by the time one of his hands returns to your cheek, and then plush lips press gently to yours. The sigh you give him is completely involuntary—aching and quiet and longing as you let it go right in his mouth, your expression narrowing with concentration.

But he’s quick. He leans back before either of you can get lost in it and reminds you with a gorgeous, rumbling baritone, “You’ll have to trust me.”

You nod in confirmation and soon his helmet is carefully being lowered over your head. This is the second time around he’s done this—and you suppose if you couple that with your still lazy demeanor, the silent darkness that comes along with it doesn’t bother you as much as it did a few months ago. The padding still grips your cheeks and you still feel disconnected from your surroundings—even more so now than the last time he put it on you—but it’s welcoming, in a way. Giving you a reason to cling to him and tilt your head with the unfamiliar weight, breathing slow and easy while isolated in your own little pitch black world.

Oh Maker, you could probably fall asleep again just like this, so long as he keeps holding you up. But Din has other plans, clearly. He eases you backwards, continues to walk you back and back and back some more, and you have no problem just going with it. He’s strong, taking almost all of your weight and somehow instinctively knowing how to hold you so that you’re fully supported no matter how you’re positioned. He shifts you to one arm at one point, does something with his free hand that you can’t really figure out but aren’t really bothered by either.

He guides you both a few more steps backwards, and you start to wonder how long the hull actually is. But then he suddenly grabs you tight—tight enough to make your eyes pop open to the black void in front of you and panic slightly, before he tilts you back even more and suddenly the ground is dropping out from under your feet, the air rushing silently around your entire body.

Okay, now you full-on panic.

He doesn’t let go, thank the stars, even when you scramble up to straddle and cling to him, heart clanging hard against your sternum at his fucking audacity. The jet pack? Are there just no fucking rules anymore?

Sure enough, the thrusters kick in and he’s good enough with the phoenix to counteract the gravity shift as much as possible, making it a gradual thing instead of a rapid change in motion. You’re almost confident you would’ve slipped out of his grip and gone slamming to the ground had he not done the preventative maneuver.

Regardless, you’re gonna fucking kill him. You’re going to murder Mando and get your own bounty puck, one with your name on it. It won’t end well; everyone after you will have a personal vendetta considering you offed one of their own. If you survive the confrontation then you’ll likely get taken to mine spice somewhere for the rest of your miserable life, probably Kessel—that is, assuming he doesn’t kill you first, within the next however many minutes.

And oh, he seems like he takes his sweet fucking time, hauling your fuming, decapitated ass along on a late night joyride. Every second he continues to allow you to fly in blind, deaf isolation is another butt whooping you’re vowing to give him, and it pisses you off even more that you can’t even express your righteous fury because you can’t let go of him. You’re a parasite in midair, clinging to his metal body while he slowly descends, navigating you both down until you feel his boots finally meet solid ground.

You carefully reach for the ground with one foot and try to feel it with your tippie toes just in case he’s somehow tricking you, until Din drops you down and your feet mercifully meet dirt. As soon as you find your balance, you shove an open palm against the metal of his chestplate in anger and Din quickly catches your wrist, the beskar shaking slightly under your hand like he found the whole thing rather humorous.

You don’t have much time to fuss. He spins you around and then his hands settle on your shoulders, and for some reason… you only notice it now. The fabric covering your torso and legs is gradually becoming damp for some reason. You can’t feel any real splashes of water—no raindrops or anything, but it gets worse and worse the longer he holds you steady in front of him.

His hands eventually drag down your arms and elbows, until they’re catching your wrists and slowly pulling both of them up. Din cradles the backs of your hands as he presses your palms against the cold metal helmet around your head, and then he gradually begins to pull it up, and—

—Loud.

You stop for a second.

… Tears spring up.

Din keeps pulling.

What starts out as a dull hiss continuously amplifies as the beskar slowly lifts, growing louder and louder in volume until it’s a deafening, violent, thunderous roar.

Yet still, you don’t open your eyes. You just… listen to it. Let the sound of it fill your heart, the same sound you caught earlier in the forest but now amplified exponentially, almost surrounding you with reverberating white noise. Your whole body is practically drenched in water by the time you finally open your eyes and blink through the heavy mist.

He said no oceans, and he was right. It isn’t an ocean—it’s… something so unbelievably beautiful that you don’t even have a name for it. You don’t want one, not really. There isn’t a name that would be good enough. It’s easily—by and far, in your measley handful of decades of existence—the most majestic thing you’ve ever seen. A gigantic, enormous cliff dwarfs you on three sides, with tens of thousands of tons of water arcing over their sharp edges and plunging into the rocky lake below.

The cloud of droplets ricocheting from the base of the jaw dropping cascade is massive in and of itself—easily taking up a good quarter of your field of view even from this distance away. The shore sits close enough but the spectacle is still somewhat distant, remaining an untouchable heaven, a gorgeous lake separating you from it and rippling with waves that settle to lap at the sand.

The rest of the setting comes later, after you’re able to process the main event. You’re in the middle of the forest from before—familiar colossal trees wrap around the shoreline and vibrant shrubbery blankets the edges of the falling water, evergreen and fed by a constant nourishing mist. The sun is also beginning to come up. You can’t see it yet, but you can see the way the sky is starting to gradient itself from a starry midnight blue to pale lavender, the first rays beginning to peak over the treetops.

You feel yourself take a few, slow steps forward, but leather catches your hand from behind and gives it a firm squeeze before you can move completely out of reach. You don’t even have to look back at him to know what it means. The sentiment transfers seamlessly—be careful, he says, before dropping it and letting you continue forth.

Reaching the shore brings even more beauty to a backdrop you didn’t think could get any better. You have to carefully step over—oh, heavens—small, transparent crystals tinted every color you can imagine to reach the water, sparkling under the gently lapping waves. They’re like thin, flat shards of glass, and you know that if the sound of the falling water wasn’t so deafening, you’d probably be able to hear the muted crunching noise they make shattering under your boots with every cautious step. Jagged edges and multicolored powder is all that’s left in your wake, no matter how careful you try to be.

You almost don’t want to move since they’re so delicate and everywhere, probably blanketing the entire floor of the lake, but you push forward with purpose until you’re just close enough to squat down and dip your fingers into the cool water. It’s crystal clear and reflects the lightening sky with every gentle ripple and disturbance. You study the pieces of glass as the repetitive waves distort their shape, the colorful shards turning to smooth, round pebbles the closer they are to the water. A large green one catches your eye—circular and comparatively tiny, but standing out amongst all the rest.

You pluck it from the shore and let the almost perfectly round emerald sphere roll around in your palm, scanning the shallow water once more. Then, ah—there, you reach out and grab a slightly larger, heavier, unassuming brown one that you have to hold up to the gradually rising sun to see its sparkle. It’s got harder edges and feels rougher in your hand but you like it that way. You like that there’s a bit of a warm amber at its center when the light hits it right.

Perfect. Taking another moment to study your choices, you eventually end up finding a gorgeous, slightly pearlescent piece that sits just between the size of the other two in your collection. It’s tinted a pale, off-white amongst a sea of color and there’s something gentle about it that speaks to you, something that feels right about the gradual sloping curves and how it sits in your palm.

Carefully pocketing the three pieces of fragile glass and rising up, you glance back to see Din standing there, helmet on once more and frozen right where you last left him.

He looks… awkward, almost. Holding his hands behind his back, all his weight shifted to one foot while the other twists back and forth against the ground just slightly. Nervous, for some reason. Feeling unsure of his place. The posture tugs at your heartstrings, as well as the spectacular gesture, and you soon make your way back to him.

“Where did you… where did you find this!?” You have to yell over the rushing water once you get close enough. “I didn’t see anything on the navcomp—”

“—wasn’t—navcomp—” he replies, barely just loud enough for you to hear. You miss most of it, but you’re able to piece together the gist based on what little you can catch. “—quarry—isolated sector—uncharted.”

Uncharted. It’s uncharted, the navcomp wouldn’t register it. Untouched by millennia of progress. Plenty of people have probably seen it before, but apparently none of them have ever told anybody about it. The universe is vast but it’s also old—it’s unbelievable that cartographers have plotted almost the entire galaxy but they still missed something like this.

The roar of the marvel is so deafening, it takes you a moment to realize he’s still speaking

“—nobody—yet—it—” he nods the helmet out at the spectacular landmark, “—it’s yours—you want—”

“My what!?” You bellow, but he doesn’t clarify or add anything new. He just spins you around again, extending his arm out over your shoulder to point at the breathtaking view and then dropping his helmet down next to your ear.

“Yours,” Din repeats firmly, resolutely. Nothing more to be said.

You’re not sure if you’re crying yet, there’s too much water in the air to tell. All you can do is just instinctively lean all your weight back into his chest and let his arms lace around your body, and you have to blink the droplets away as they start to trail down your forehead and into your eyes. He keeps you like that until the rising sun begins to reflect off the cloud of mist at the rocky base of the monument, scattering light in all directions and splitting it into a beautiful spectrum that reflects every color.

You wonder if Din can see it. You wonder if there’s a filter on his helmet that isn’t infrared or night vision, where a computer isn’t constantly alerting him to movement or sudden changes in atmospheric pressure. Just… pure, unobstructed, visible light. You know there’s probably all sorts of tracking measures programmed in, you know he can zoom and spot a sniper from a vast distance—you know he sees things you don’t. Things you won’t ever see. But you also hope the visor isn’t shaded too dark—you hope there’s a setting that works like a one way mirror, if only so that he can also see the beauty of this planet the same exact way you can.

You eventually turn in his arms and take one small step away from him just so you can look at him, and sure enough, the visor is tilted up towards the natural beauty. Your eyes study every inch of him as if you’ve never seen him before, as if he may as well have taken the helmet off right in front of you. This is thoughtful. It’s so fucking thoughtful of him. For being such a mystery, this right here… this is soul bearing. It’s not an ocean, it’s a million times better than one and the fact that he not only remembered you telling him something like that, but he actually flew you out here to see it. It makes your chest ache with an unknown feeling, one you still have trouble recognizing. It settles down right in the softest part of you, makes your mouth open and give it a four letter name.

You say it so softly, confess it knowing he’s not looking, knowing he’d never be able to hear above the sound of the cascading rapids crashing against the rocks below. You can’t hear it either, but you can feel it. The way the word lilts off your tongue, the simple truth in it that’s impossible to hide from any longer.

He glances back at you, before doing a double take. Gently, Din pushes at your shoulder and urges you to face forward again, to take all of it in while you still can, and yet.

All you can see is him.

His head slowly turns back down to face you, and your eyes keep shamelessly scanning every bit of him, watching the mist droplets chase each other down the reflective metallic curves and contours of his helmet. Din slowly leans in, carefully eases his arm under yours and wraps tight around your lower back to bring you closer to his side. You sigh and press up against him, your palm creeping up the damp fabric wrapped around his throat. The visor doesn’t leave you, even when your temple comes to rest against his pauldron. No, he just allows the smooth metal covering his forehead to gently touch yours for a moment and hold there. Both of you tucked away in the middle of a hidden paradise, standing in front of a gorgeous monument crafted by the hands of the Maker himself.

And, like the two starry eyed idiots you are, neither one of you can seem to look away from the other.

You mouth a silent thank you to him, hoping he can read the heartfelt candor from your lips. Something tells you your message was received, because his grip tightens. As if in slow motion, his whole body lazily drops down just enough to scoop you up with an arm hooked under your knees—before Din suddenly rockets upwards.

You squeal and cling tight to his shoulders as he lifts you up higher, and higher—he slowly rises across the considerable length of the lake and closer to the falling water. You’re already beyond drenched but as he gradually approaches the base of the falling water, it starts raining down and splashing you in buckets.

Once he’s near enough to the powerful, arcing column pouring over the long rocky edge, Din carefully spins around and hovers until his back faces it, which means you can hide your nose and mouth from the splashes against the armor shielding his shoulder. He slowly rises up the length of the natural landmark and lets you watch the rushing water up close behind the safety of his body, sacrificing his own view so that yours can be all the better.

Eventually the falling waves break and you look down at the broad, gorgeous rapids flowing out towards you, the sun casting its dawning light over their foaming peaks. Din spins around and you adjust yourself accordingly against his chest, knowing you’ll never have a view like this again. He flies low along the river and you can see the colorful glass sparkling through the strong, yet completely transparent current. Soon he levels out and you cling tight to him, burying your face in the soaking wet fabric of the cowl wrapped around his neck and sighing, unable to recall a time you’ve ever been happier. It swells in your heart and warms your entire body even as it’s drenched in cool water, and you wonder again how he could’ve ever thought you were running from him. How could he ever think you’d run from him when all he’s ever done is give you wings?

***

The Crest hurdles through hyperspace while Din silently removes his armor and then strips you both of your sopping wet clothes. You remember your glass souvenirs at the very last second and carefully remove them from your pockets despite your closed eyes, reaching out to hand them to Din without looking. His palm catches the pebbles with the quiet sound of them clinking together, and you feel him pause for a second, probably studying them as he cradles them in the dim, single fluorescent light he left on.

You feel him leave you momentarily, hear him gently set them down someplace safe without a word. When he comes back and his warm arms snake around you once more, he lowers you down to the blankets and then proceeds to make the softest love to you he knows how on the floor of his ship.

A small part of you wishes you were still on Naboo, but somehow. Somehow, despite the dead quiet hull, it’s better than anything you can remember.

His naked body presses tight to yours, his mouth always open and tasting wherever you’ll let him venture, never letting you forget for a single second that he’s just as bare and exposed as you are. Your hands take full advantage, feeling everything. The strong, rippling muscles of his back as he props himself over you, the soft hair curling at his nape, the length of his spine shielding you from the rest of the ship, allowing you the opportunity to pretend you’re somewhere else if you really tried. If you tried, you could convince yourself you’ve got a mattress beneath you instead of a blanket draped over hard steel. You could convince yourself your eyes are open while he kisses you, despite knowing it’ll never be allowed.

But… you don’t. You don’t need to. There’s nowhere else you’d rather be.

And then at one point, his mouth is between your legs and you see a flash of his forehead on complete accident.

To see it on any other person would be nothing, it would mean absolutely nothing. It’s not like it somehow makes him anymore recognizable to you—plenty of people share the same exact features, you still wouldn’t know him out of a trillion different faces. He could walk right by you and you’d never know. Technically, it’s not even his face—it’s just a small fragment of it. But to you, the quickest glimpse of dark, wavy locks curtaining over the smooth, golden skin just below his hairline… it means everything to you. You sear it into your memory, right alongside the sight of crystalline water roaring over an enormous cliff edge.

You never tell him you saw. He never finds out.

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #din djarin #fanfic #reader insert

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maybe-your-left · 4 years ago

Note

can we get something with ky or and ben forgetting about our date? 🥺 like they stood us up after meeting us in real life for the first time? 🥺💜💜💜

SOBBING 🥺😭

yes. i will anon. for YOU 😘

“Ma’am?”

You took a deep breath, trying to not lash out on the waitress. Your chin placed in your palm, elbow on your table, staring down at your phone. Not one message from Kylo today, not even a ‘happy anniversary my love’. Or a ‘I’m so lucky to have you.’.

“Is your companion still coming?”

“I guess not,” you sighed, fighting off the tears welling in your eyes. Anger, betrayal, hurt coursing through your veins, how dare he? How dare he not remember, or even check his phone today? You had told him last week there was a dinner reservation.

“I’m so sorry ma’am,” your waitress gave you a sad grimace, “I’ll have the valet bring your car around.”

“Thank you.”

———

You say in the parking lot of the restaurant for thirty minutes. Maybe he would come in while you waited, because he didn’t forget you! But no, he never showed.

Promising yourself you wouldn’t cry, there was not use for them. No matter how many times you called Kylo, he didn’t answer. So, you were determined to show him how little you cared about him since his silence spoke volumes.

You stopped at a liquor store, grabbing some of your favorite vodka. Not like you didn’t have some at home, but the fresh wound required a fresh bottle.

In the elevator towards your penthouse you practiced calming breaths. You almost lost it in the parking lot, seeing Kylos Porsche right in his spot next to you. Thinking nothing of it when your car wasn’t there.

Poised over the doorknob, you steeled yourself for what was to come. Maybe he would be asleep, or doing work, or worse... maybe he had someone over.

Kylo hadn’t given you reason to doubt his fidelity before, always showering you with acts of love and devotion. Making sure you knew that he belonged to you, no one else.

But now...

“You’ve got this,” you whispered. Clutching your purse and vodka bottle to your chest, to stop yourself from charging at him. There would be zero benefit in making him mad, he would just fight with you until you were in tears and he punched something.

The door opened quickly, you slipped inside. Toeing your heels off next to his work shoes, so far so good. No unknown heels next to his, or different coats in the closet.

You padded past the kitchen and dining room, seeing the barest amount of life. Only a few lights were flicked on, evidence of him devouring whatever was in the Taco Bell bag on the counter. You rolled your eyes at it, he would’ve had real food if he checked his phone.

A loud slam spooked you, followed by Kylo yelling at something. His voice sounded slightly slurred, and his whiskey wasn’t on the fridge. “Great, he’s drunk,” you walked quietly towards the living room.

Unfortunately the sofa back was in direct view of the stairs, all you wanted to do was slink past him to go up and sob in the bathtub.

Thats it!

“Jesus christ,” Kylo boomed at the TV, “What kinda shit was that!”

You glanced at the screen, mistakenly voicing your groan of disappointment. It was an MMA fight, something he was too invested in. Kylos head snapped over to you, his face instantly irritated.

“Finally coming home?”

“Excuse me?”

He scoffed, taking a swig from his bottle, “I’m surprised you had the fucking nerve to come back here. After dinner with your lover.”

Your eyebrows shot to the roof, baffled by his anger towards you. He continued to glare at you, lips snarled up as he spat out more venom.

About how horrible you were to cheat on him.

How dare he think he could trust you?

After seven years together!

You had to look away, the tears no longer a threat but skimming down your cheeks.

Kylo scoffed at that, “Oh, what’s the matter? Cant handle being called out for being a fucking whore?”

With trembling lips and a wobbly chin, you trudged past him. Despite him continuing his assault, taking deep drinks between each bout. You padded up the stairs towards the bedroom. Ignoring him yelled at you to pack your shit.

Once the door was shut, you crumbled. Sobbing as loud as you could, no longer able to hold it in. Screaming through it as your body trembled with anger and deep depression. There was no stopping it, you let the tears flow as you ripped your gown off.

Twisting open the bottle and taking as big of a drink you could manage. Choking on it in your bout of sobbing, you sounded like a cat hacking up a furball.

Once you were naked, you went to the bathroom, vodka in hand. Crying harder when you saw your reflection. Face splotchy, stained it tears that ripped through your makeup. Your eyes were already puffed and blood shot, you were a wreck.

Your body went on auto pilot when filling the tub, throwing in bath bombs of soothing smells. Turning on the radio to some classical music, it seemed fitting for your hysterics.

Managing small sips between shuddered breaths, almost retching over the side when you took a wrong breath.

Apparently, during one of your coughing fits, darth tantrum decided to come upstairs. Throwing the bathroom door open with a scowl on his face, “What do you think you’re doing?”

You cried, bringing your knees to your chest so you could bury your face. Kylo didn’t like that, grabbing a handful of your hair to yank you up to face him. You screamed when he hoisted you to stand, bubbles and glitter dripping down your naked body.

“Why are you still in my fucking house,” he shook your head, “Huh?”

“Kylo...”

“You need to pick your shit up before I throw it off the balcony-��

“YOU MISSED OUR ANNIVERSARY DINNER!”

Kylo stopped, looking at you like you were speaking in tongues. Your voice was hoarse from tears, but you could accept anymore abuse, “I wasn’t-I wasn’t out with another man,” you gasped as his fist tightened.

“What?” he whispered, small and sharp.

“I called you,” you reached behind your head yanking Kylos hand from your hair, “I called and texted, to remind you that it was tonight. And you didn’t show up, you-you-you forgot about me!”

“I didn’t-,”

“Yes you did!”

Silence.

“I’ve tried to contact you all day, and you’ve ignored me. And I sat at our favorite restaurant where, by the way was our first DATE, for over an hour!”

He swallowed slowly, unable to look you in the eye. His face instead looking at the bubbles, you trudged on, determined to rub salt in his wounds.

“And then, I find you here. In our home, drunk enough to accuse me of cheating on you! Drunk enough to call me names and insults all without considering my feelings.”

“I-,”

“Why would I expect you to? Nothings ever about me, it’s always about Kylo. And if Kylo doesn’t know whats happening, then that means it’s my fault.”

“That’s not-,”

“Don’t even fucking try,” you stepped over the lip, snatching a towel to warm yourself. Kylo’s eyes followed you, looking from your toes to meet your puffed eyes.

He visible cringed at you, mouth popping open to defend himself but you refused.

“You know what,” you mumbled, “You fucking get out, go hang out with your friends or some other bullshit because what you did to me is unacceptable.”

Kylo followed you out of the bathroom, stumbling not only on his words but his body. “No-no love, I didn’t mean it! My phone hasn’t been working today I’m sorry, I know you didn’t cheat on me...”

“Enough.”

You lowered your head, taking a step back from his reaching hands to hold you. That wouldn’t work this time, you were done.

“Take some clothes and get out.”

———

OOPS SAD

FUCK KYLO REN

TAGGING: @finn-ray-nal-beads @onlykyloscenes @candycanes19 @historyandfandoms50 @caelum-phyriina-vermillon @ghoulian13 @mrs-kylo-ren @millenialcatlady @relationshipwithmybed @dancingmicrobes @wayward-rose @contesa-lui-alucard @daydreamsofren @insufferablelust @ohdamnadamm @mariesackler @caillea @safarigirlsp @jalexunderthestars @shesakillerkween @glassythoughts @zimmermansbrat @not-the-teen-witch @jynzandtonic @roanniom @celestiasin @glassbxttless

#adam driver #kylo ren #adamdriver #boyfriend kylo ren #boyfriend kylo #maybe your left #ask fridays #3.19.2021 #tw: mentions of infidelity #could be considered #tw: verbal abuse #kylo is yelling at us #tw: alcohol

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openforjean · 4 years ago

Text

her dad’s birthday

Bucky Barnes x Mexican!fem!reader

Warnings: mentions of death, a lil sad

A/n: this story is mostly for me but I hope u can enjoy it too

for the love of god pls reblog with ur thoughts

Bucky’s pov

Y/n.

I’ve been seeing her for a four months now. We’ve been on ten dates to dinner and eight movie dates. And I don’t plan on letting her go.

Today is her father’s birthday, and I know this because Y/n has mentioned it a hundred times now. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I forgot her dad’s birthday?

“What do you think I should wear?” I ask. she whips her head to me and she sizes me. “He won’t care, I promise, so don’t worry,” she says. I look down at my shirt and flatten it. Yes, I’m nervous. I’ve never met her father nor her mother, she doesn’t have much a connection with her mom but it’s different with her dad. She loves her dad, she talks about him a lot, she visits him often too. She buys him candy and balloons. It’s sweet really, she’s a great girl.

I really scored with Y/n. I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone better than her. She’s it for me.

“You look good, okay? Don’t be nervous, he won’t test you. Just be yourself,” she says, pulling my waist to her. She kisses my cheek and smiles. “I’ll try, I just don’t wanna mess up with him. I just- I really like you and I’d hate to ruin it,” I admit. Her face falls but her hand goes to my cheek, “there is no way you’d mess anything up. You’re a gift Bucky, you are a gift to my life. The past month has been the best month of my life in...a long time, you won’t. He’ll have to like you cause I lo- I like you. I like you a lot, now let’s get going. I need to buy him some stuff,” she says. She rubs my cheek, I take that hand and I kiss her knuckles. I love her too. And it might be too early to say but that’s what I feel for her.

We walk down the street hand in hand, it feels right. Her skin is soft and warm, she glances at me sometimes to see if I’m still staring. Which, I am mostly likely am. She’s too beautiful and captivating to look away from, and if people got to know her personally, there’d be a fight for her hand.

We walk into the local grocery store and she immediately went straight to the flower section. I follow her and she begins to browse. “Maybe roses?” I suggest, she simply responds “nah”.

“I got him roses last time, I’m thinking sunflowers and daises. What do you think?” She asks, picking up both bouquets. “I think you should get both?” I suggest. She gives an approving hum and takes them in her hands.

“You can pick out a balloon as I go get a cart, okay?” She says. “Yeah. that’s okay. I’ll be at the balloon section,” I answer. Y/n walks off and I head to the balloons.

I scan the balloons, deciding which one to get. But my eyes catch something even better, a SQUARE balloon. That’s awesome, this is my first time seeing one. Kinda freaky...anyways, I’ll get that one for him.

“Excuse me, can I get the green squared happy birthday one filled up?” I ask, the man nods and takes the balloon from the drawer and begins to fill the balloon up. I hope her dad likes it.

“That’s a cool balloon, Buck,” she says, pulling up next to me with the cart. “You think he’d like it?” I ask. “He’ll love it, it’s whimsical,” she responds. The employee hands me the balloon and I take it. I turn to Y/n to place it in the cart, since it has a weight at the bottom. But...I get distracted. A big smile and bright eyes take over her face, I could just feel her happiness and excitement. I place the balloon in the cart and the flowers are in there too.

We check out and we head to the next stop. Guadalupe’s Produce, a small Mexican store that is farther down the street. I’ve been there before, they have great vegetables and wonderful fruit selection. Y/n also knows the owner.

I’m holding the balloon and the flowers as Y/n watches the cars go by. She does that, she admires people. It’s interesting.

We get closer down the street and she sees a taco truck parked right across from the store. “Bucky, we should get tacos. Real tacos, not that Taco Bell shit,” she suggests. Of course I’m going to agree, her taste is way better than mine.

We arrive at the store and the owner greets us. Y/n starts a conversation with her and I wander around as they speak. I take a basket and place the flowers in there, holding the balloon in my right hand. I walk down the first aisle, it’s filled with books, magazines and comics. All in Spanish. I know Spanish, fluently too. I only whip it out in certain places though. The second aisle is full of chips and candies. Sabritones, Chicharrones, Gansitos, and Paleta Payaso’s. I take three of the clown and a bag of Chicharrones. I couldn’t help but grab a box of Duvalin’s and de la Rosa’s too now. How could I not?

I walk back near Y/n, it seems she’s almost done talking to the owner. I could hear the owner say, “come to the register” in Spanish. Y/n looks my way, her eyes fall to the basket in my hand. Y/n walks up to me with parted lips. She peeks inside the basket and spots the snacks, she looks back up at me. She takes my face in her hands and brings my lips down to hers. The kiss is like fire, passion and her lips taste like cherry cola. I could live in this moment forever.

She pulls away from my lips and she reaches for my metal hand. She holds it to her heart, “you got his favorite, Bucky”. Her eyes water but she pushes them back. She leads me to the register with her hand in mine. I place the basket on the counter and the owner, Angela, rang them up. But before she could finish, Y/n took a little bottle from next to her and places it on the counter too. I don’t recognize the candy. I hand Angela my card before Y/n could pull hers out her phonecase. Angela takes it and prints the receipt, Y/n pinches my butt.

“Do that again, Y/n,” I joke. Angela bags our snacks and flowers.

She quickly does it again as I take the bag. Y/n smirks as she dropped a ten in the tip jar.

We exit the store biting our tongues, waking across the street to the taco truck.

Once we cross, the entire mood shifts. The music got louder and voices too. People stood around conversing, children playing and families eating on benches. We get closer to the truck and the food hit my nose, it smells so good. The spices and the tacos. The sun barely hits the truck, it’s shady and windy. It’s a perfect spot.

We walk up to the truck and Y/n leans on the counter, squinting to read the menu.

“What kind of tacos do you want, Bucky?” She asks, turning back at me. “Surprise me,” I answer. Y/n smirk and turns back around. That smirk could diet her lead to a good surprise or a prank. I sit in a bench next to a family.

“¡Hola Marco! ¿Come estas? - ¡que bien! - yo qiuero dos platos de tacos con dos Jarritos, por favor,” Y/n says. I can understand what she’s saying, and she knows. So she’s not going to sabotage my tastebuds. Wait- what about her father? Is she getting him food too? Or are we eating here?

She pays the man and walks back to me, I smile. She sits next to me and I wrap my arm around her with the balloon in my hand still. I kiss her temple. “Thank you, Bucky. Thank you for coming with me to visit my dad, I appreciate it. You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had,” she says, looking down at her hands. I could hear her heart race as she spoke.

She looks at me and I peck her lips. I rest my forehead on hers and look into her eyes. “Y/n, you don’t need to thank me. I rather be with you than anything else, so really... thank you. I can’t wait to meet your father, I can’t wait to meet the man who raised such a great woman,” Bucky says.

Before Y/n could respond, her name is called. Y/n jumps up and takes the food in her hand. She tilts her head to come to her and I do. I take the bag and the balloon follows. She takes my free hand and she begins to lead me up the street.

“Where does your dad live, Y/n?” I ask.

“Not far, just a few minutes away from my apartment. It’s an easy walk but a long train ride, surprisingly,” she answers.

“You took the subway to your dads house?”

“ONCE! My legs were hurting so bad and I didn’t think it’d take half an hour to get there!” She exclaims, I laugh and she pulls her hand away from mine. “Y/n, I’m kidding. You’re so precious,” I say, pulling her shoulder to mine. “We’re almost there, sorry it’s taking a bit,” she says.

“It’s okay, I’m used to walking,” I answer.

I look ahead and on the left is a cemetery, on the right is a street full of houses. Her father’s place must be on the right. I pull her hand towards the right so we can cross. She stands still as I drift. She looks deep into my eyes and I look at the cemetery. Shame and fear take over her face, her head drops to the ground. I come back closer, realizing what’s going on. I pull her close and I hug her.

Her dad is in the cemetery.

Her father is dead.

We’re visiting his grave.

She’s been visiting him at the cemetery all along.

I hug her tight and I whisper “it’s okay” in her ear. I know she feels guilty, and she shouldn’t feel guilty on this day. She should feel happy, like she was before. She pulls away, wiping her tears and I push her hands down and I wipe them. “Let’s see him, Y/n,” I say.

Y/n nods and leads me to the cemetery. We pass the gate and we walk up the stairs, she leads me to the stone. She places the food down, gently. She immediately drops down to her knees and hugs the stone. Rubbing its back, I remain standing.

“Hey papa, happy birthday. I love you and I miss you. This is Bucky, he’s my boyfriend and we have something for you,” she says. She looks back at me and I hand her the snack bag. She removes the dead roses and pulls out the sunflowers and daises, and places them in the vase next to his stone. She arranges them neatly. “We also got some snacks to eat, we got your favorite...well, Bucky got your favorite,” she says. She looks up at me, her eyes are begging for me to sit on the ground with her.

I sit.

She take the balloon from my hand and ties it around vase. “He seems to know your favourites before he even met you. Crazy, he even got you this balloon. Isn’t it cool?”

Oh man. My heart. She’s talking to the grave as if he’s alive. I think I might cry.

“You can talk to him too, Bucky. He’s friendly,” Y/n says. I nod and I scoot closer to her. “Hi Mr. Y/l/n, happy birthday. I’m honored to meet you, you have an amazing daughter...she’s been a blessing to my life. I hope you like the balloon, it’s green and a square! It’s cool, but yeah, anyways...I’m glad to be here celebrating your birthday,” I say. Y/n’s hand lays on top of mine and she leaves it there.

“We’ve been dating for five months, he makes me very happy. He’s only been good to me and so much more, he’s the guy I’ve been telling you about for so long,” Y/n says. I didn’t know she talked to her father about me.

“We also have tacos! I got him some regular tacos though, nothing too spicy. I don’t want his tongue palette to die,” she says as she takes the drinks out. Now, I’ve had these before. Jarritos. A classic Mexican drink. My favorite flavor is the same as Y/n’s; mandarin.

She passes me my plate and sets my drink next to my foot. She does the same for herself. But before she opens her box, she does this thing and it’s a great thing. She recycles. She takes all the plastics and places it in one bag, so she can recycle it all. It’s admirable.

She hands me her drink because she knows I have a bottle opener on hand. I take it and I open it for her, and mines too. She opens her box and begins to eat.

I take a bite out of my taco. Holy cow, it’s so good. The smell is one thing but the taste, wow. Bucky is in love.

“Oh dad, I forgot to tell you. I paid off my credit card, I’m proud of that. I thought I’d die in debt, but no- I paid it!”

Y/n spoke to her father as I ate, I spoke too. I told him about how Y/n caught her first fish and her first tien going on the Cyclone. Now, she’s finishing her food.

“We need to eat the candy, Bucky,” Y/n says with her mouth full of food. “I’ve been waiting to hear those words all my life Y/n,” I ramble out. I dig into the snack bag and I take out la paleta. I hand one too Y/n, and we unwrap it. They definitely do not look like the packaging and neither of us have hope they ever will.

Y/n holds hers up and says “to you papa, happy birthday”. I hold mines up too and we bite into them.

She finishes her paleta and she takes a small green bottle out from the snack bag. She takes the plastic off and she pushes it into the plastic bag. She twists the bottle and little crystals fall out into her hand, she purposely lets it fall. She licks it off?

“Y/n, what’s that?” I ask, eating my paleta.

“Lucas,” she answers, pouring more onto her bare palm.

“Ummm, sure,” I place my hand out and she licks hers off first. She pours some in my hand and it looks like sugar, I quickly lick it off.

As soon as it hit my tongue, it was too late. The saltiness and sourness hit like a train, I was not expecting that. I wipe the remaining “candy” on my jeans. I take the soda and chug it down to get rid of the taste as Y/n laughs her ass off.

The soda runs out and I put the bottle down and I wipe my mouth. “You’re lucky I love you, Jesus what was that?” I say.

Y/n’s laughing stops. I get concerned and it hit me what I just slipped out.

“James Buchanan Barnes, I’ve been waiting to hear those words all my life”.

Sorry this isn’t so good, been really down lately. Hopefully it’s decent💗 pls leave some feedback💗

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x mexican!reader #bucky barnes x poc #bucky barnes x woc #bucky barnes x woc!reader

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omigiry · 4 years ago

Text

Marry me?

synopsis: The uncertainty of what lies ahead makes people hesitate to take a step further.

warnings: slight mention of broken relationships of reader’s family.

POV: Third person (she/her)

ry’s notes: gets a lil’ bit sad in the middle, just a pinch of angst 🤏

Bokuto was a nervous wreck their entire date, his palms would get all clammy and he would always space out. His mind was so occupied that (name) had to call his name twice to get his attention, it didn’t only happen once but this is the fifth time now. Bokuto had planned for a whole day out on a Saturday, since the early morning he went to (name)’s apartment, they watched some videos on the internet or played some mobile games until they finally went out as scheduled on his plan.

He would put his hands in his pockets when it gets sweaty or he would rub it together. He was so excited to finally ask her hand in marriage, he already received blessing from her family all that’s left is for her to say yes. They were friends for the past 6 years and had been dating for 3 years, he wanted more and he was a hundred percent sure that he could picture a future with her.

“Kou? Are you alright? We could go home if you don’t feel well.” (Name) suggested, concerned for her boyfriend who was acting differently.

“No, it’s okay. I can manage.”

Bokuto took her to an amusement park, it’s been years since they last visited one. Not only that, this was their first date when they were officially in a relationship. They also talked about how they wanted to visit an amusement park again.

“There’s so many new rides now. Some of the old ones are replaced.” She pointed out. There’s a lot of extreme rides now for adults to enjoy. It may have turned to an amusement park for their group age rather than for kids or teens.

“Yeah. A lot has changed over the years. Come on let’s ride that one!” Bokuto pointed at the drop tower so he could avoid talking to her, if it goes on he might vomit because of his nervousness.

After riding their second one, Bokuto felt a little relieved. A part of him relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the day. When they felt exhaustion kicked in their system, they decided to enjoy the sunset.

“Where are we eating?” She asked. Her head was resting on his shoulder as she played with his hand.

“You up for tacos?” He asked. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but he prepared all the things she likes.

“I’m always up for tacos.” She looked up at him and smiled.

He didn’t plan anything grand for his proposal. He just wanted a simple day with her, reminiscing the moments they shared together.

“Do you remember the time when we went to a zoo?” Bokuto asked.

“Yeah, the owl seemed pretty attached to you when you petted her.” She remembered the time when they saw the owl and the keeper allowed them to touch it. The owl snuggled in Bokuto’s hand when he reached out. “Not gonna lie, felt a little jealous.” She joked.

Bokuto laughed at the end of her statement. “Do I need to remind you again that you’re the only one for me?”

“I also remember that I kicked your ass when we went surfing. You really sucked at it.”

“It’s hard to balance on water!” He defended. He was good at a lot of sports, but doesn’t do well in any water sports. “I prefer a stable ground.”

The drive back home was loud at the first hour, singing along to songs and laughing at their embarrassing stories they haven’t shared to each other yet; a while later (name) dozed off. Bokuto glanced at her sleeping figure and couldn’t help but smile fondly at her.

It was moments like this that made him sure that he wanted her to be his wife. He would want to wake up every morning next to her, he wants to fall asleep as she brushes his hair using her fingers, and he wants to drive you around to places that would make you happy.

Bokuto woke her up when they reached her apartment. She unlocked the door and when she did, she saw her living room filled with string lights and with pictures attached to it hanging from the ceiling. She hasn’t noticed yet their close friends who were hiding from the dark.

“What is all this Kou?” She asked and turned around to see him leaning on one knee. Her brows furrow as she takes a step back.

“(Name). I want to spend every second of my life with you, I want to wake up to every single morning and fall asleep every single night besides you.” He started his speech and (name) stood there as a feeling of dread creeps in her. “Will you marry me?” Bokuto said after his speech, looking nervously up to meet her eyes.

“Koutaro. I-i’m sorry.” She said, before she ran out from her apartment and went to her mother and sister’s apartment. It wasn’t far from hers but it would still take a 15 minutes walk.

When she left Bokuto was left dumbfounded, their friends who were hiding came out.

“Bokuto, are you alright?” Akaashi asked him.

Bokuto wanted to chase her, but it might lead to something worse.

All of them comforted Bokuto and tried to contact (name) but she couldn’t be reached. Minutes later, Bokuto received a text from (name)’s sister that they were on their way to their family owned bakery.

“I gotta go.” He told their friends.

“Bokuto, you’re not in your right mind to drive right now.” Akaashi stopped him. “Let us accompany you to make sure nothing happens.” He offered and Bokuto agreed.

Once he arrived he stopped by the door and saw (name)’s back was facing him. Her hands were on her face as her shoulders shook. He knows that she was crying. Her sister was rubbing her back, and her mother saw him outside and gestured for him to come in.

He slowly opened the door hoping the bell wouldn’t make any loud noises. Their friends follow behind him. As he gets closer he hears that her sister was asking her questions.

“Are you afraid?”

“Yes, I am afraid!” She bursted, she looked at her sister with pained eyes. “Our mother got left, you got left, and that doesn’t excuse me as well. We all get left behind!”

“We were unfortunate in love, but it doesn’t mean that you will be too.”

“No. Life doesn’t want us to be happy. Life always ruins everything for us when we’re too happy, and what if life doesn’t know this is happening and when it does it’ll take it away from me.”

“(Name).” At the sound of a familiar voice she tensed up. She felt a hand on both of her shoulders and was slowly turning her around.

“Koutaro. I’m sorry but I can’t do it. You know my family’s background. My father left us, my sister’s soon to be husband stood her up on the day of their wedding. All of the men in our lives eventually left us.”

“I’m not like your father or your sister’s ex-fiancé. I will always be here. I will stay.”

“Words! Those are just words!” She stood up trying to run away again, but Bokuto was quick to react and grabbed both of her hands tightly and blocked her way.

“Do you trust me?”

“I do Kou, I trust you more than I trust myself. I might do something that will make you run away!”

“Nothing could ever make me love you less.” He said. His tone was so desperate that his voice was shaking. “You already told me that you dream of me being your husband.”

“And it was supposed to stay that way! A dream! Nothing more. My dreams don’t come true, Kou! Everytime it will, there’s always something bad that will happen! Life seems to find a way to push me back to the ground, and if I become happy it wouldn’t last!” (Name) was frustratingly screaming at him as tears ran down her face.

“I want to invite life into this important event of our lives. If it doesn’t want to, then let’s forget it and make the future we want to happen! I’m willing to risk it all.” Bokuto’s hand was tightly holding hers, afraid that if she let go she would be gone too. “I want to take a leap of faith. I know everything you’ve been through, and I will be there for whatever life throws at you.”

She searched his eyes through her tear filled vision. His eyes spoke it all, it was telling her that he was sincere, it shows nothing else but sincerity and love. Bokuto lets go of his hand, and for a minute she thought that he was already tired. She thought that he already gave up.

Bokuto stretched his arms out and closed his eyes. “Are you jumping or what?” He hopes that he gets his message and that if she accepts she would gladly fall into his arms that waits for her.

(Name) looked at her sister and her mother for an answer, but they only said that it was her own choice. Bokuto was a constant person in her life. Everything that had happened to her mother and sister had an effect on her relationship with other people, she would only keep her circle of friends small and it took time before she could finally open up to someone. Bokuto became the man she could rely on, he was always there, and she didn’t want to lose that. If he was willing to risk for her, then she would too. She’s still afraid of what will happen, but she’s more afraid to hurt Bokuto.

After an internal battle with herself, she wrapped her arms tightly around Bokuto’s frame. Bokuto let out a sigh of relief, the heavy weight on his shoulder finally lifted and embraced her.

“You don’t have to fight alone. I’m here.” He said and stroked her head to comfort her. “Will you marry me?” He tried again. This time she nodded and whispered a “yes” that he could only hear, wishing that life didn’t hear it in order not to ruin this perfect moment.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #bokuto koutaro x reader #bokuto koutaro imagines #bokuto koutaro scenarios #bokuto x reader #bokuto imagines #bokuto scenarios

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palettes-and-prompts · 5 years ago

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100 First Meetings (Dialogue Prompts)

1) "Were you the one in the bathroom a second ago trying different lines in the mirror to work up the courage to ask that barista out?" 2) "Wow, you're cute." 3) "You come here often?" "This is a morgue." 4) "You! What the hell are you doing in here? We're closed!" 5) "Ahhhh! I hate my fucking life!!!" "Mood." 6) "You have magic?!" 7) "You don't look like you'll last a day here." 8) "You should leave before your date gets back from the bathroom, I saw them in here the other day popping the question to two different people." 9) "They never told me they had a younger brother/sister." 10) "Who's the twink?" 11) "I gotta ask, are you mad about something or is your face just /like that?/" 12) "You're my new roommate?" 13) "You're not married are you?" 14) "Hey, you're not dead are you? Cause I'm on probation and I can't afford to be involved in a fucking murder or something." 15) "So you're the one causing all this trouble." 16) "I need you to pretend we're dating so this dude will leave me alone." 17) "Honey, there you are I've been looking all over for you! Pretend you're with me so this person will go away." 18) "So you're the loud moaner from upstairs, huh, never knew you'd be so cute." 19) "You're not the pizza guy." 20) "You know, when I said I wish the love of my life would just fall out of the sky this isn't exactly what I had in mind." 21) "Any particular reason you're putting peanut butter in my kid's hair?" 22) "You made me dinner?" 23) "You've got the wrong room, but feel free to stay naked." 24) "You must be the motherfucker who broke my windshield!" 25) "Hi, you are very naked." 26) "You their new toy?" 27) "How'd you like to make fifty bucks?" 28) "I know I'm going to regret asking but who are you?" 29) "You got any friends?" "No." "Well you do now, come sit with us!" 30) "Cute face, I'd love to sit on it sometime." 31) "Where'd you find this dork?" 32) "Uh, there any particular reason you're screaming at two thirty-six in the morning? 33) "Out of curiosity, do you think you could lift a dead body?" 34) "If you don't let go of this bag of chips I swear to god I'll bring you to your knees in the middle of this fucking WinnDixie." 35) "WHO THE FUCK ATE THE LAST OF THE FUCKIN DORITOS, I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL-oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know we had a guest. If I'd known we had a guest I would've cleaned." 36) "Are you the vegan cannibal? Because I have so many questions." 37) "Ooh, hello Mommy/Daddy. Fuck, did I just say that out loud?" 38) "Am I dead? Are you an angel? Am I in heaven?" "Actually you're in a taco bell, you tried to do a kick flip on your skateboard in the parking lot and hit your head on the side of the dumpster." 39) "You brought a fucking guest to our SECRET BASE?! I'll deal with you later. Hi, hello, it's very nice to meet you please make yourself at home!" 40) "So, you gay or what?" 41) "No, sorry, we don't want any girl scout cookies." 42) "Holy shit, you just saved my fucking life!" 43) "Hey, honey, it's just me. You were in a really bad accident so don't try moving around too much, okay? How are you feeling?" "You called me honey. Do I know you?" 44) "Jesus, your face is about as red as your hair." 45) "Run along little ballerina, you wouldn't want to be caught hanging around the bad kids, would you?" 46) "No, I'm not the stripper, but I can be if you'd like." 47) "You ready to cut open some bodies?" 48) "Get in if you want to live." 49) "What are you looking at, short stack? Mind your own business." 50) "Your headphones aren't plugged in properly so I can hear everything you're listening to. I was going to tell you earlier but then you started watching the weirdest porn I've ever seen and I didn't want to embarrass you, but I'm about to leave so I figured I'd tell you before someone else sits around you." 51) "I don't know what they've told you but we don't need another member, go home." 52) "Hey, stop right there, you can't steal that! That's illegal!" 53) "Who's the nerd?" 54) "You look like the kind of person who wears days of the week underwear." 55) "So, how many pitchers of margaritas are you allowed to sell me?" 56) "My head fucking kills, I shouldn't have drank last night. Hey, wait, why do you and I have matching rings on our fingers?!" 57) "Congratulations, idiot! You just ruined a six month plan and now we have to start all over!" 58) "That is the ugliest shirt I've ever seen, where can I get one just like it?" 59) "I know you make straight A's, but I'm still not sure if you're really smart or dumb but really lucky. Because I've seen someone ask you what the square root of pi is and you answer with 'I don't know, I guess it depends on the flavor.'" 60) "Who the fuck let you in?" 61) "Hey, I'll give you twenty bucks if you take a photo with me to make my ex jealous." 62) "So, you eat ass or what?" 63) "You a cop?" "No." "Too bad, you would have looked good in a uniform." 64) "With a face like that I'll be whoever you want me to be." 65) "Hey, you have eyes, do you think this outfit makes me look fat? You can be honest, I can handle it." 66) "I'm just looking for a nice person to settle down with who'll fuck me hard and tell me they love me when they cum on my face, like, I feel like that's not too fucking much to ask for, you know? Anyway, I'll have a diet coke and the chicken salad, please." 67) "I swear to god, this is not what it looks like." 68) "First of all, don't you fucking come in here and try and start a fight with my best friend while you're looking straight goofy as hell in those fucking Walmart shorts and those thrift store crocs." 69) "HEY! YOU ACROSS THE STREET! YOUR DOG IS SO FUCKING CUTE AND I WOULD FUCKING DIE FOR THEM!" 70) "Anyone who says they don't like musicals is either lying to themselves, has never watched one, or is a heartless android sent by the government to blend into society and collect information about us." 71) "Asking someone out is easy, watch this. Hi, I think you're cute and if you're not seeing anyone do you want to go out sometime?" 72) "Hey, I saw you crying earlier when you stepped on a bug. Do you need me to, like, call someone for you?" 73) "I can't tell if you're really high and just hungry or if you're buying 28 family bags of shredded cheese at three am because you just love cheese. Either way you should probably also buy some laxatives or lactaid while you're already here." 74) "When I told you to make a power point about something you're passionate about for our first class meeting I didn't mean make a power point on 'How to Give Great Head' and I absolutely didn't tell you to include pictures." 75) "Are you wearing that tacky ass outfit because you genuinely like it or because you're a Leo and crave the attention?" 76) "Did you really just buy the last chocolate chocolate chip muffin? You are now dead to me." 77) "The fuck are you looking at loser?" 78) "Dude, books are just like subtitles without the movie." 79) "Hey, in your tinder bio is says your friends call you Badger Slammin' Sam and I literally only swiped right just to find out why." 80) "Are you hitting on me? Am I being punked? Are you a hooker? Did my dumbass friend put you up to this?" 81) "Hey, I need you to settle something for me and my friend. Which is the right way to pronounce carrot?" 82) "Do you believe in love at first sight, what about disgust at first glance?" 83) "Look, I'm not saying that MCR's last album changed my life, but I'm absolutely saying that." 84) "Can you move out of my way, I have to clean puke off the floor before I'm allowed to use my lunch break to cry in my car." 85) "Hi, I believe this very drunk person is your roommate, they told me this is the address. I caught them in my backyard playing with my dog again." 86) "I know you're probably not allowed to do this, but I kind of need to borrow an iguana." 87) "Hey, I saw you drop your sandwich in the parking lot earlier and start crying and I felt bad for not saying anything earlier, but I went to the sandwich shop and luckily the dude remembered your oddly specific order so I got you another one. I hope you get to feeling better." 88) "No, we don't sell 'that crazy kush' here, you can try Target." 89) "I was just calling because you sent me a picture text three weeks ago by accident with the caption 'When they let you deliver the digiorno after you clap them cheeks.' and I was just wondering if you could explain what that means because it's been keeping me up at night ever since you sent it." 90) "Hey, I just overheard you talking with your friends about how you put mustard, ketchup, and ranch on your macaroni and cheese and I just wanted to come over here and personally ask you which circle of hell you crawled up from." 91) "What the fuck is a diet water?" 92) "You guys here for the orgy?" 93) "Was that your scream? Why did it sound like a banshee?" 94) "I saw you pour two five hour energy shots into a cup of coffee earlier and then proceed to mix it with monster and red bull and like, dude I know this isn't really my place or whatever but I think you should probably go to the hospital. Like, I think you're gonna die." 95) "Your profile said you're a vegan but my profile says 'Only contact if you eat ass' and you contacted me, so what's the truth here?" 96) "Call me adorable one more time and I'll knock your teeth down your fucking throat." 97) "Move, I have to go fail my Stats test before I can go home and cry into a bag of hot cheetos while I rewatch The Office." 98) "I'm sorry, did you just order a fifty piece mcnugget for here, for yourself?" 99) "So, how do you feel about lizards?" 100) "Question, are you a top or a bottom, because you're giving off major power bottom energy but I'm not one hundred percent sure."

#Dialogue prompts #100 prompts #100 first meetings #first meetings #dumb #dialogue #writing prompts #writing #most of these are just stupid #sorry leos #lightly nasty #lots of swearing #prompts

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ohprettyweeper-moved · 5 years ago

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A Summer Story

Age 16

Pairing: Tyler x Kansas Word Count: 1815 Warnings: None? Challenge: Kansas’s YouAU Writing Challenge Tags: @takenvysleep @breadbinishigh @svintsandghosts @xtina2191

After that year, I didn’t go back to camp. Not for a lack of wanting to, but it seemed to just not work out. Red went the next couple of years, and when she came back, informed me that Tyler had not attended again, either. He and I chatted every now and then on instant messenger, but when AIM’s popularity faded away, so did our conversations. MySpace became the big contender, and Tyler and I followed each other, but we weren’t in each other’s Top 8 or anything.

“What are we gonna do for your birthday this year?” Red asked one Wednesday night after youth group.

I shrugged. I was switching to a new school for my junior year, my parents were on the brink of divorce, and I wasn’t feeling very celebratory in general. I kicked at the sidewalk and crossed my arms over my chest. Her parents were coming to pick us up at anytime, and I just wasn’t in the mood to make plans for something that would likely be ruined by my disintegrating family unit.

“Don’t worry,” Red said, squeezing my hand. “We’ll get you out of the house and do something really fun.”

I didn’t say anything. Most days were good. Most days I didn’t feel like things were falling apart, even though they were. I toughed it out and looked forward to celebrations and tried to keep my head up, but some days were harder than others. The fight I’d had with my mother before youth group that night had made today a hard day.

At family dinner the following Sunday, Red was grinning wide when I arrived. She pulled me to the downstairs living area where we usually hid out and clapped her hands in excitement.

“I found something for us to do for your birthday! There’s gonna be a killer show at Ground Zero. My mom said her or my dad will drive us, and take us for food beforehand. And you can stay with me, the whole weekend, if you want. Oh, and you’re gonna love the present I got you.”

With a sigh, and still not sure that I was up to a big celebration, I joined her in her excitement. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

.&.

Friday was a really long day, but Red and I made the most of it. It was the last Friday before school started, so we spent most of the day at the pool. When the sun was too much for Red’s fair skin, we walked back to her house and showered, then got ready for the show that night. We stopped at Taco Bell on the way, had our fair share of tacos and Mountain Dew, then my uncle dropped us off at Ground Zero.

“You girls be careful!” he called as we hurried out of the car.

Red and I waved our agreement. The guy at the front took our cover charge, and we went into the show. One of our favorite bands, one made up of guys from our youth group, was playing tonight, but I wasn’t sure who else was on the roster.

I chewed hard on my bottom lip as I looked around for one of the guys from the youth group band. I had a major crush on him, and wondered if that wasn’t what Red had in mind when she planned this. When I spotted him across the main room, I nudged her with my elbow.

“Is that my birthday present or something?” I joked.

Red chuckled. “No, I think what I’ve got in mind is better, actually. Just wait for it.”

I kept my glances at the boy across the room to a minimum, so Red wouldn’t be put out that I wasn’t looking forward to her present, or that I wasn’t really taking in the night and appreciating her efforts -- I appreciated them more than I could say. We were waiting for that first group to go on when someone yelled from across the room.

“Hey, Kansas!”

Frowning, I turned to figure out who was calling my name. When I saw him coming from the back of the room, my eyes went wide and my jaw dropped nearly to the floor.

“Tyler?”

I looked at Red to see if she was seeing what I was seeing, or if I had gone nuts. Red just grinned and said, “Happy birthday!”

I hugged her tight before running towards Tyler. You would think being young and not seeing each other for four years would have made the reunion awkward, but, surprisingly, it wasn’t. I was only excited to see him, and if his hug told me anything, Tyler was excited to see me, too.

“Nice bracelet,” he commented, turning the beaded bracelet he had given me at camp around my wrist.

“Oh, yeah,” I blushed, “I wear it a lot still. It is my favorite colors, after all. What are you doing here?”

Tyler gestured to a boy with a piercing and dark hair leaning against the back wall. “That’s Josh, a friend of mine from Ohio. We’re a band, just a two man deal, but lots of energy, if I do say so myself. Red told me things have been rough for you and that your birthday was coming up, and we worked out a show here.”

I couldn’t help it. I hugged him again, even tighter. “Thank you.”

Tyler’s hands joined behind my back. “You’re welcome.”

.&.

Tyler was right -- the energy he and Josh had on that stage, even with just two of them, was insane. After the last note sounded, I wanted them to start all over again from the beginning. It was like … magic.

“You’re pumping my ego,” Tyler laughed when I told him that later. With our friends in town, Red had been able to finagle her parents’ extra car for the night. We went for more junk food, then parked back at Ground Zero. Josh and Red seemed to be hitting it off, so Tyler and I just sat on the hood of her car while they walked around the venue grounds and talked.

“No, really,” I said, leaning back against the windshield of the car, “that was really amazing. You’ve got talent, dude.”

Tyler smiled and nudged me with his shoulder. “Thanks. What about you? What’s the big dream?”

Taking in a deep breath, I pointed to the storm clouds way out on the horizon. Cloud-to-cloud lightning flashed, and the faint rumble of thunder followed several seconds later.

“That’s the dream. I love storms, you know? It’s chaos, the good kind. I wanna chase after them and analyze the data and know everything about them.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Tyler said, putting one hand behind his head.

I folded my hands over my stomach and stared at those storm clouds. I couldn’t wait to be driving fast, rain hitting the windows, wind rocking the car. One day, my mind told me, one day.

“So, Red also said that you had a thing for the one of the guys from the other band?” Tyler piped up.

I groaned and covered my face with my hands and sat up, leaning forward on my knees. “I can’t believe she told you that! I’m gonna kill her!”

Tyler sat up, too, nudging me with his shoulder again. “C’mon, Kansas. We’re sixteen, it’s perfectly normal.”

I dropped my hands and blew out a tense breath. “Yeah, but it would probably be more normal in this case if he actually knew who I was, besides some girl from youth group. It’s a mess, really. I could have chosen better.”

“You can’t help what you feel.”

For some reason, my mind went back to swim night at camp four years ago, when I had felt so jealous over Tyler hanging around Molly and Claire.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“So what are you waiting for? You should go talk to him. You never know, ya know?”

I considered his encouragement. “Yeah, that’s true. But besides not knowing me, he’s got a girlfriend. So there’s that.”

“Ah, the catch,” Tyler laughed. “I understand now I didn’t get the whole story.”

“Yeah. But it’s all right. It is what it is. I’m kind of a mess anyway.” I set one elbow on my knee, and set my chin on my hand. “Too many things are changing at once. It sucks.”

Tyler put his arm around me and hugged me to his side. “Yeah, Red told me. I said that already. But she did. You’re gonna be fine, Kansas. A couple more years, you’ll be out there, chasing storms and tornadoes, and nothing here will matter anymore.”

“Except for maybe tonight,” I sighed. “I wasn’t looking forward to this birthday, but it’s turned out pretty great. Thanks for coming down. It’s been a while, but I was really glad to see you.”

“Me too,” Tyler agreed. “You know, I had a big crush on you that summer at camp. You were the coolest girl there.”

“Shut up! You’re such a liar.”

“I’m not,” Tyler laughed. “I felt really bad that you were upset about Molly that night. That’s why I made you the bracelet. I wanted to tell you when I gave you that bracelet, but I chickened out.”

I smiled, big and with nothing in mind but Tyler. “Well, at least you told me now. I had a crush on you, too. Which you probably knew because of the whole Molly thing, but since you said it …”

Tyler nodded. “Thanks.”

I nodded too, and laid back against the windshield again, and Tyler followed suit. Another whisper of thunder sounded. I wanted something to happen, even if I wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe my twelve-year-old crush and my life and everything else was coming together to give me the guts to take the conversation where it went next.

“Wanna know a secret?” I offered.

“Sure.”

“I’ve never been kissed.”

Tyler’s brow raised. “Really?”

I shrugged. “Really. The opportunity never presented itself, I suppose. I’m a sappy girl, Ty. I wanted it to be special, not some random thing.”

Tyler propped himself up on one elbow. “What about tonight?”

“What about tonight?” I frowned.

“Is tonight special?”

My head snapped around so fast, I was probably lucky I didn’t get whiplash. I tried to answer, but I wasn’t even sure he was really saying what I thought he was saying. One hand came up to touch my cheek; I could feel how shaky he was. Tyler was just as nervous as I was. I realized he was waiting for me to answer, so I did my best to give a confident nod.

When Tyler’s lips met mine, my messy life made sense again. Or maybe I didn’t care as much that it didn’t make sense. Tyler was my first kiss, and everything about it was absolutely perfect.

#ks youau wc #a summer story #tyler x kansas

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chubinecco · 6 years ago

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Cheat Day, August

Okay, so, quick preface on this one, since it’s the first time I’m doing this. About a year ago, I decided I wanted to lose some weight. (Number of health related reasons for this, but also, I wanted to better see a bigger difference when I stuffed. Big -> Real Big is all well and good, but tiny -> pretty big is like *melts*)

Went well for a couple months, but I REALLY missed stuffing myself, started having trouble staying on the diet from day to day kinda thing. That’s when I decided I should get a cheat day.

Now, to prevent myself from deciding every day is cheat day, I pick a specific day a couple months in advance that I think I’m likely to eat a lot usually it’s some kind of holiday or event.

August’s cheat day was the 24th (with some spill over to the 25th because I was at my friend’s wedding, but this is just about the 24th).

I started the day with a BIG ol’ bowl of pasta with ham and cheese and spices stirred into it, four slices of bacon, two eggs and a NICE big glass of water. By the time I was finished, I was feeling pleasantly full, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

This is when my day went a little sideways XD Some kerfuffles with my prescription (adhd) and packing and everything else, I didn’t get on the road quite on time, and was in a bit of a hurry, I didn’t get to eat ANYTHING else u.u BUT I’d promised myself I was gonna get my tummy good and stuffed, so around about 2, I was making good time, and I asked my phone/GPS to find me a taco bell along my way :3 I ordered myself one of those twelve taco boxes, stopped in the parking lot real quick and downed two of them right away because they’re just SO tasty; but also salty, and I forgot to get myself anything to drink. whups.

I didn’t want to get behind, so I unwrapped my third taco, and got back on the road. Some stop and go traffic, I unwrapped another taco any chance I got and few more miles down the road I’m starting to feel it. Kinda full, nice tightness high in my belly, but not too heavy. Wishing I had something to drink, but it’s okay, I had a REALLY big glass at breakfast, and my car’s got AC, so I’m not dehydrated, just wish I had something to help it along.

I managed another taco and got my first cramp. Not a big one just sort of my tummy goin’ “Hey, Chubs, what’re you doin’ up there?” Felt so good, gave myself a bit of a rub and rest as I was driving along and wondered, “how many tacos have I had?” I managed to reach into the box next to me and get all the empty wrappers together and counted them.

Seven Tacos.

I’d had seven tacos, just over half the box. And I was feeling SO good. Full, achey, but also just... Let’s just say, even if I hadn’t been in the car, I would’ve been driving stick at this point.

But I’ve got just shy of half the box to go. The next two tacos, I took my time. Slowed down a little bit, but they were kinda cooler by now, and I was driving at speed on the highway, and holding half a taco in your hand while driving isn’t exactly easy, so few times I had to like... two bites, then kinda work the whole rest of the taco into my mouth like peeling a banana with my lips and barely getting to chew before I swallowed. Kinda a weird experience, but also kind of AMAZING to have that much food in my mouth at once, I could really feel the last swallow of each taco I ate this way as it went down my throat.

Because of this, I got a bit burpy; REALLY wished I had that water, but oh well. Rubbing my tummy gently, shifting in my seat. I could feel the wheel of the car was closer to me than it was when I started driving. I kinda almost wanted to push my seat back, but that’s silly, I’m at the perfect height for my mirrors, and my feet reach the pedals and just.. I’ll be fine.

But oh BOY I was feeling it. My stomach felt SO big. Bloaty and full and just... packed. Nine tacos so far. I glanced over at the box and was like, “I can do one more. At least one more will give me a nice, ten tacos.”

I grabbed my tenth taco, unwrapped it like a pro and chowed down. FUCK it felt good. Hurt a bit too, and I wondered if I could actually make it through the last two. I didn’t want to bother carrying the box on the train with me, and I DEFINITELY didn’t want to leave two tacos in the car. I thought about trying to give the last two away, because I was SO stuffed, but it’s two tacos, and that could go SO awkward...

I checked my phone, and I had just shy of an hour left until I got to the train station. One hour, two tacos, one SUPER full belly that was really intent on informing me just how much I had eaten. I could do this.

I drove along a while, kinda idly fiddling with the box next to me, thinking about how full I was, how much I’d waited, could I have my next taco yet? I felt pretty good... Distracting myself listening to podfic. Fic was getting to a “Good Part,” and I was feeling really Good too, and I decided, “Just one more. I can handle one more.”

Eleven tacos down. Just one more to go. “This feels SO good. It’s been TOO LONG since I’ve had a cheat day on my own, no event or people to get weird about how much I’m eating just because I can, but DAMN I wish I could share this with someone who Gets It...”

My belly was full, I was feeling almost floaty and warm and good. I could feel my belt digging in, but only a little. More belly rubs, more driving, It’d only been maybe ten minutes since my eleventh taco, but I was SO close to the end. So close to an even dozen, and it felt SO good.

I grabbed my last taco, unwrapped it. Bite and chew, bite and chew. Every swallow felt AMAZING. By the end of it, I was kinda disappointed it was over, but also SO FULL it was a relief to know I had Done It. I ate a dozen tacos on top of an ENORMOUS breakfast, and the day was only half finished...

I made it to the train station with PERFECT timing, found I’d parked on the far side of the building from the tickets, no big deal, I could do with a bit of walking, my knees felt a bit stiff after all that driving. I got my tickets, then had to RUN across the concourse to get all the way back to track 2. Turns out I had more time than I thought I did, and running on a FULL full stomach is oof, but whatever. I got in my seat and felt SO squirmy. Tummy was Not Happy with me for that one. Not queasy or anything just like, Very Fucking Aware of just how Full I was, and also that I kinda needed to pee, but... no time, and didn’t really want to get up once I’d sat down...

One ninety-minute train ride of reading and thinking about my tummy later, I arrived in New York a bit later than intended, but none the worse for wear, and I get to walk about half a mile to get to where I’m staying for the weekend. I could have taken the metro, but it really wasn’t that bad, and I really didn’t feel like dealing with fare, so walking it was.

Some travel and other things, I made it to the tail end of my friend’s rehearsal dinner. From here, because of the other people around, I was more focused on socializing than my own greedy belly, so I didn’t get to revel in how stuffed I was nearly as much, but it kinda also meant I was distracted enough I probably put more in there than I would have otherwise been able to get through.

There were a number of casseroles out, and I was promptly handed a big ol’ jug of Coconut Pitorro.

Few things to know, 1) Pitorro is basically, Peurto Rican Moonshine 2) I am EXTREMELY lightweight XP

I didn’t have much, but it does NOT take much for me, even on a VERY full stomach XD I made a point of trying a couple bites of all the different dishes (there were like five of them) and also rehydrating in addition to having this DELICIOUS nectar of the gods that was mixed so strongly it made even the hardier drinkers shake their heads a bit XD

So, in the range of about twenty minutes, I’ve met about a dozen new people, forgotten about a dozen new names, inhaled three glasses of water, another modest plate of food and a shot and a half of what’s basically straight Rum.

I felt AMAZING. I didn’t think I COULD feel better than I did when I got on the train but BOY was I wrong.

That’s when they informed me the party was moving. I was just like “lol, you want me to stand up? uhh... Good luck with that...” but I was still mostly sober yet, and between the lot of us, we all managed to get outside and into a handful of Ubers and on our way to the next destination.

My car was the first one there, so we grabbed a table, I had another cup of water, slowly nursing it and waiting for the rest of the troupe to show up.

I was... a bit less interested in putting anything much more into my stomach at this point, but it’s a wedding, It’d be rude to just sit and drink water while everyone else drank beer. Thing is... I just... don’t like beer. This was a local place, and I could tell it was REALLY GOOD beer, but just... not my thing. I managed to nurse about half a beer and a couple cups of water (They were small cups) while we were there, chatting with new friends and old. It was a good time, even if I was feeling a little meh.

After a couple hours, we moved to the next place. I was feeling a bit less meh, had managed to pace myself pretty well, though I was still pretty giggly and tipsy. and they informed me gleefully that the next place had more Pitorro!! Mixed drinks with new varieties of Pitorro!! :3

I had one of those, tried a sip out my friend’s drink, all of them tasted SO GOOD. and I was SO gone XD tummy was still FULL, but I was just WAY too happy and bubbly to care, and I had PLENTY of people to chat with and grin with and just it was a GOOD time ^.^

After that, a few of us headed up to the bride and groom’s house. Hung out, lazed about with bride’s dog, who hadn’t seen me in about a year and a half and practically LAUNCHED herself over the back of the couch to come greet me, she was SO HAPPY to see her Uncle ‘Chubs.’

Around 11, the bride handed me a glass of Jungle Juice and asked my opinion. Bride has a tendency to mix things STRONG XD. But DAMNED if it wasn’t tasty XP

That was the last thing I had for that cheat day, but even the next morning I was feeling it. Didn’t get around to getting up and having breakfast until almost 10am XP (which was a philly cheese steak with all the works from the place on the corner XP) But DAMN was it a good time.

Cheat Day totals

Large bowl of pasta with cheese, sour cream, ham chunks

Four slices of bacon

two eggs

TWELVE tacos

five sampler-servings of Hispanic home cooking

1/2 a beer

~5 shots of Pitorro

~6-8 cups of water

one glass of “jungle juice”

#chubinecco cheats #Not certain about that tag. but for now. since don't want to confuse the people who regularly use the ''cheat day'' tag...#chubinecco talks #stuffing #If you guys are interested. I'm thinking about doing this every month from now on 8D #PS this is fairly stream of consciousness style. and not very edited XP just a forewarn

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kylie-gets-fit · 6 years ago

Text

New Zealand

Five years ago, I had the chance of a lifetime that opened up a door to many more chances of a lifetime - interning at Disney. One of those chances was meeting my friend, Nola, a Tongan girl from New Zealand. We connected so well while in the states and I promised her one day I would go visit her in her country to experience her culture - well I keep my promises and it took your girl 5 years but I visited her! There were things I will never get to experience again, and sights I’d never get to see again. Let me tell you, it was a once in a lifetime experience - even if I get to go back.

I flew from Los Angeles to New Zealand on Fiji Airways, with a layover in Fiji. Apparently this is moreso of a budget airline for people in Oceania, but I was impressed. My first flight wasn’t the best as I was in a center seat and had an old man not only with his elbow in my seat, but also his foot under the seat in front of mine where my feet should be! After that rough 11 hour journey though, I had window seats for all remaining flights and the flights were so much better! There was music and movies available on the plane (I didn’t know this okay?) and the Fijian people were so nice.Even in the Fiji airport they all greeted me with “Bula!” which is their way of greeting people, much like the Hawaiian “Aloha”. While in that airport I met quite a few people from New Zealand and they were so nice and very helpful. My second flight was to New Zealand where I went through customs for the first time in my life. I don’t know why I was so nervous but it was pretty much a breeze. Just declare anything you have and go through the process.

I’ll discuss the food there since it was the first thing I noticed after leaving the airport - I felt like I hadn’t left America. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, KFC, Carl’s Jr., and soon to be Taco Bell everywhere! My struggle was finding gluten free meals - fries were a huge part of my diet! Nola’s family threw a barbecue and I was thinking since they are islanders there would be a roasted pig and lots of tropical fruit....burgers, wings, sausages, potato salad, and rolls! Their ice cream is so delicious though! I tried kiwi ice cream and it’s way better than it sounds. Their strawberry ice cream also has real strawberries.

One thing I didn’t mind there was how accessible the beach was. We went to three different beaches while I was there and each one was magical in it’s own way. The first beach we visited was Piha Beach and that was my favorite. Let me tell you, I will never see a place more magical. Our drive to the beach was long, and while everyone else was saying, “are we there yet?” I didn’t mind because the drive was gorgeous! There were so many trees and so much green and I don’t see that at home ever!

Once we got there, we parked the most beautiful, green forest and had a walk ahead. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how gorgeous this place was, and I hadn’t even seen half of it yet! Once we got to walking, not only did we get to enjoy the green view, but also a stream that I assumed led to the ocean. I wanted to get a photo in the water with the green in the background so I asked Nola to take a photo. The sand was black and the water was warm! Once we got to the beach, I knew I needed to take in every moment and every little bit that my eyes could see. The green grass and trees behind me, the black sand below me, the heavenly sky above me, and the powerful ocean in front of me. I will never see something that magical ever again and I will never forget!

There were many differences in New Zealand I picked up on that I wish we utilized here in the states. Without getting into politics, guns are outlawed there. I can tell you I always think about the chance of being caught up in a mass shooting in the States. While it is possible for someone to buy a gun black market there, I did not once feel worried while there. People don’t make big scenes there when they don’t get their way. And the most eye opening thing of all was how they take care of one another. We were in a drive thru and there was a man on the side begging for money. Her family began scrambling for coins and together we probably gave him about $5-8. We also went to a restaurant that had a cooler in the front with food in it. When we first walked in I assumed the food was for sale, but as we walked out I saw a sign that read “Free Food for People in Need, One Box Per Person Please”. I wish we had more of that here.

And of course, the reason I went there - to meet Nola’s family and learn about her culture, both Tongan and New Zealand. There were a couple things that I didn’t particularly agree with - like how women are required to keep their legs covered above the knee, but for the most part I saw the beauty in their culture.

They are very emotional people, and I wish that is something the American culture had. What first woke me up to this was visiting the cemetery (yep, we did that). Her family had recently lost her grandmother and unexpectedly, her cousin was violently killed. Instead of staying quiet, these people express what they are feeling - a lot. They talked about it so much, it would normally make me feel uncomfortable. But I realized something. They aren’t having meltdowns, they aren’t crying behind closed doors; wow, this is what it looks like to grieve death in a healthy way. We went to the cemetery after church on Sunday to visit them. How do they visit their deceased loved ones? They keep lawn chairs at their graves, pop down on a seat, and talk to them. About life, about everything. They even introduced me to them. You may think this is strange, but I found it beautiful. They weren’t the only people doing this either. There were people all around of all cultures in New Zealand doing this.

The Tongans are very formal in everything they do. They all get dressed up for church. I was lent a “kiekie”, somewhat like a woven grass skirt, to wear over my dresses for the week.For New Year’s I thought they had found a “kofu” or dress that happened to fit me, but it turned out that Nola’s aunt thought it would fit and said I could have it if it fit! We brought in 2019 in church. Church was spoken in Tongan, so I am not sure what they were saying. Once we left church, we went to Nola’s grandfather’s house where her whole family met to honor him. Everyone crammed into his small living room. At least it looked small with about 30 of us in there! Her grandfather, weak and brittle, started the discussion, getting very emotional. Then they all were speaking in Tongan taking turns to talk. Some were crying, some were laughing. I had no idea what was going on but just enjoying the fact that I got to witness this. The Nola’s sister Tina turned to me and said “would you like to say something?”. I was caught completely off guard. I can’t speak Tongan and had no clue what they were discussing. They all told me I could say anything I wanted regarding the new year. I improved some statement about how I was grateful for them allowing me to attend their family events and being able to bring in the new year learning about their culture. Then her grandfather spoke up. I could tell he was putting in all of his energy to look my way and speak, and he spoke English to me. He told me that he was glad to meet me and hopes to see me again. I fought tears. I had just met this man 10 minutes ago and I’m a no-one in this room of a family, yet he took the time to make me feel not only welcomed, but special.

Not only did I get to experience the Tongan culture, but I gained a family. Not only did I meet the relatives Nola lived with, but I met her extended family as well, as they are all very close. I met cousins on both sides of her family and bonded greatly! They are all funny and had great senses of humor. I asked what the term for white girl was and they told me it was “palagni” and that became my nickname. One night we were playing a game Nola’s sister Lote knew of called Psych, which is basically like Cards Against Humanity except you all get to create and vote for the answers and the subject is one of the players. Naturally they all were roasting each other and it was hilarious. But then they began roasting me. I didn’t even realize they knew me well enough to have anything on me! I said “Wow you guys don’t hold back!” and Tina said, “Yep, welcome to the family!” and we all laughed. At that moment I really did feel accepted and that I was a part of the family. Families aren’t always cordial, sometimes they insult each other, and I got to be included in that as well.

The goodbyes were also very formal. The night before I left, the entire family came into the living room for a family prayer. Her father said his prayer in Tongan and Nola explained that he said he was thankful that I was able to come and they could meet me and prayed for a safe trip back home. Everyone said something about my visit. He also said he was sorry if their home wasn’t nice but it was all they had. Let me tell you what they presented me with. They had a 3 bedroom home and Nola’s sisters were also there for summer break. That means there were 6 of them. THEY GAVE ME MY OWN ROOM. These people were so humble yet so grateful for what they had.Thank goodness I had written out a Thank You card and gotten them a basket of chocolates or I probably would have looked silly with how formal they made this. I really felt loved in this moment. They gave me a Tongan mat as a parting gift and I will treasure it forever. Tina said when people ask me about it I can say it’s from my Tongan side. It was a joke, but she somewhat mean it as well. I came to see Nola and learn about her culture, and I gained a family. Her parents wanted to take a family photo and luckily the instagrammer in the room brought her tripod! The next morning when I was leaving, her mother said her goodbyes and began crying. I met her a week ago. It was incredible how much I bonded with this family. SO MUCH LOVE.

#travel #newzealand #travelblog #lifestyle

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tiberivs · 6 years ago

Note

for the writing prompts i think 55 would be nice with ralbert, thanks

55. “I fell in love with my best friend.”

this prompt is actually very similar to something ive been working on on-and-off so i just went ahead and finished it for you! so sorry this took a little bit!

Race pulled into their usual parking spot at the park and turned the engine off before Albert handed him the Taco Bell bag. He dug his hand into the bag, grabbing his burrito and a handful of hot sauce before reclining his seat back and laying down. Albert grabbed his food and turned around so he was sitting cross-legged on the seat and leaning against the dashboard. He let out a heavy sigh that he hadn’t even known he’d been holding in. Anxiety twisted in his stomach and he drew in a breath before muttering, “RaceIgottatalktoyou.”

“Huh?” Race asked through a mouth full of burrito, lifting his head to look at him. “Speak up, dude.”

“I gotta talk to you.” He felt his hands shaking and he balled them up into fists to try and stop. Race sat up, pulling his seat back up and resting one Converse clad foot on the dash. “Alright, shoot,” he said, setting down his food on the center console. Albert stared down at his lap. He hadn’t planned to get this far ahead. He let out a shaky breath. No time like the present, right Al?

“I’m in love with you,” he blurted, immediately biting his lip and regretting saying anything. He felt Race’s stupefied gaze burn into his cheek and it took everything to force himself to look up and meet his eyes. Race was silent for a moment, but those few seconds felt agonizing.

“Oh, uh… cool,” he finally said. Albert’s eyebrows furrowed.

“…Cool? That’s all, just cool?”

Race let out a frustrated sigh and threw his head back. “I don’t fuckin’ know, Al! What do you want me to say, huh? You can’t just spring this on me and expect me to have a coherent answer.”

Albert ran cold. He suddenly became nauseated and his chest felt tight. “I, uh… sorry. Forget I said anything.” Gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get out. He set down his food, grabbing at the door handle in a blind panic and quickly escaping. He didn’t know where he was going, and he didn’t care. He just needed to get away.

He vaguely heard a car door slam behind him and he kept walking faster. And faster. And faster. He was sprinting at this point, thankful for the years of track that his mom convinced him to do. He made a beeline for the woods, hoping that maybe he’d get lost or get eaten by a bear or something so he’d never have to face Race ever again.

He collapsed, falling on the forest floor covered in newly fallen red and orange leaves. His chest heaved and he felt bile rising in his throat. Why did he get himself into this? Why did he have to say anything to Race in the first place? Everything would have been just fine if he kept his goddamn mouth shut for once. Hot tears ran down his face as sobs racked his body. He sat up slowly, leaning against a tree and hugging his knees as he continued to cry.

He didn’t hear his name being called, slowly drawing nearer. His head was pounding hard and his breaths were uneven and noisy as he attempted to calm himself down. He didn’t hear the leaves and twigs crunching near him. So when a hand firmly grabbed his shoulder, Albert swore he jumped 10 feet. His head whipped up to see Race, kneeling next to him and breathing heavily.

“Are you fuckin’ crazy? The fuck were you thinking runnin’ off into the woods like that, psycho?” Race swore. Albert averted his gaze down and kept his eyes trained on one very interesting stick. He clenched his jaw, wiping at his eyes quickly.

“Why’d you have to follow me, huh? I obviously want to be left alone. Just go away, okay?” he plead, tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie nervously.

“Yeah, and let you fall off a cliff and die or something? Fat chance.” Race scoffed, moving to sit cross legged across from Albert. He bent over slightly so he briefly made eye contact with him, before the ginger tilted his head back and looked away. “C’mon, talk to me Al.”

“And what do you want me to say, huh?” Albert snapped. “That I was kidding? I wasn’t. I really do love you, Race. And I just…” Albert’s voice broke, and he bit his lip in an attempt to keep himself from losing it again in front of him. “…The way you reacted made me scared. Scared that… that you were gonna get freaked out and hate me.” He finally looked down and met Race’s icy eyes, filled with concern. “I thought I was gonna lose you, okay? I can’t handle that. So just… if you don’t feel the same way, just forget I said anything and spare me the heartbreak, okay?”

Albert didn’t get a verbal response from Race. Instead the boy suddenly lunged forward, kissing Albert hard, almost painfully so. What the fuck, Albert thought. Once he had processed what was happening, he quickly pulled away and stared at Race disbelievingly. “What was that?” he asked breathlessly, cheeks and ears turning pink.

“What do you think, dipshit?” Race quipped, a blush forming on his own face. “It’s my way of saying… sorry for being so dumb.” Albert tilted his head, eyebrows knit in confusion. Race sighed, picking at a leaf on the ground. “Listen. What you said kinda freaked me out a little. But it’s only because I’ve been thinkin’ a lot lately and uh… I dunno.” He ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair nervously.

“Thinkin’ about…?” Albert asked, waiting expectantly.

Race chuckled and answered softly, “Thinkin’ that I fell in love with my best friend. I’ve been wonderin’ lately, what it would be like if we dated. But no, that’s stupid, I kept telling myself. Albie doesn’t like you that way. So I guess I was in shock.”

Albert couldn’t help but smile softly. “Maybe it is possible?” he suggested shyly.

“Yeah,” Race said with a soft smile to match. “Maybe.”

#ralbert #racetrack higgins #albert dasilva #mine #Anonymous

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pb1138 · 7 years ago

Text

Through the Window

Cable x femReader

Deadpool and Cable need to lie low for a while, so they choose rural Indiana. It just so happens that where they choose to set up shop is not too far from where you grew up, and old memories and emotions get stirred up. HELLA ANGST and then fluff. LOTS of mention of loss/death. About 2,000 words

Deadpool 2 spoilers

“Hey, guys, I have to take Mindy home. I’ll be back in, she says, like two hours. So probably more like 4.” You had poked your head through the archway into the living room, waving at Cable and Wade who were sitting on opposite ends of the room.

“I’m coming with you.”

Surprised, you raised your eyebrows at Cable who had spoken. “I mean. Ok, but we’re going to be singing loudly to a lot of weird music.”

Cable shrugged and stood, crossing the room to you. “I don’t care. I’m goin stir crazy in this dump.”

Wade gasped in mock offense, putting a hand to his chest. “How dare you. I work my ass off to make this place a shitshow. To call it a dump is just downright insulting to my efforts as a homemaker.”

Cable looked pointedly at you and you smiled, waving him along.

The three of you piled into your car, Cable in back, and you set off on your way. Due to your friend’s shitty navigation, it took you nearly two hours to get to her house despite it only having needed an hour, hour and a half tops. But you didn’t mind. You were having fun, talking to her, singing with her, making fun of Cable’s reactions to you both. You had been pointing out houses you liked along the way, as well as obligatorily pointing out every single herd of cattle or horses you saw. You had met your friend in her freshman year of college in DC, but it turns out you were both from the same small town in Indiana. You were ecstatic to have found a piece of home so far away and after so long. The two of you became close friends and eventual roommates in one of the dorms on campus before you had made friends with Dopinder, the lovable taxi driver. He had been taking you across town when DP called needing a ride. You had said it was fine, you didn’t mind sharing a taxi. As soon as Wade’s ass hit the seat, you were best friends. The two of you moved in together after Vanessa passed away so Al didn’t accidentally shoot herself trying to shoot him, and so Colossus wouldn’t lose his mind. Cable had ended up moving in after a while, too, something you very much didn’t mind. Cable was. Just. Fuck. Like. Oh my god. There just aren’t even words.

And then Wade decided to piss off one of the biggest, most widespread mafias in the entire United States and suddenly they needed to lie low. “I’ve got just the place,” you had said, and voila, rural ass Indiana. Nothing but corn and beans and cows for miles. Home.

“You missed the turnoff,” Mindy said.

You smirked and glanced at her, shaking your head. “Nope. I wanna go see my old house. I wanna see what they’ve built over it.”

Cable’s interest was mildly, very mildly, piqued, but he didn’t ask about it. He knew actually very little about you past beyond the basics—Indiana born and raised, mutant but self-trained, tense family life, come to DC for school. That’s really it. Truthfully, he was a little excited to see through this window into your life.

A few miles later, you turned onto a nicely paved road and began your tour. You started with the house of a childhood friend and crush who ended up being gay with a teenage-hood friend and crush, then moved on to the house of another friend, then the cemetery where you road your bike, and then finally your old land.

“Eight fucking years and they still haven’t built anything? What a load of shit.” You scoffed, pulling into the overgrown driveway. Cable narrowed his eyes in confusion, looking out the window at…well nothing. There were two garages, an old barn attached to a silo, and a storage barn, but other than that?

“What do you mean?” Mindy has asked.

“So. Eight years ago. I fucked up. And accidentally burnt my house down.”

“Fucking what?”

“It’s a long story but basically I tried to smoke a cigarette and fucked up and now my house is no more, aight? The people who bought it said they were going to build a new house for their kids. Eight years ago. And there’s still nothing. I mean, it’s kind of touching in a way because it still feels like mine, but jesus what’s the hold up?” You drove them through the rest of the driveway, telling them some stories about your childhood before you continued on your way to the town about a mile away. As you drove down the main street, you slowed down at a candle store and stared at it for a long minute before Cable watched you wipe a tear from your eyes.

“Was that your dad’s store?” Mindy asked. You nodded in response, and suddenly Cable understood. He knew your dad had passed away not long after your house burnt down. ‘The year of hell’ you call it. And he remembered you telling him that your father had owned a computer store, some dinky little place, but you loved it. He looked out the window at the candle store again before he silently reached out and touched your shoulder. You smiled slightly in your rearview at him and set off again. Mindy’s house wasn’t even 2 minutes away. You said your goodbyes and Cable moved up to the passenger seat and the two of you set off again. After learning about what all you’ve lost, Cable felt a little closer to you, not that he didn’t feel close before. In fact, if he were totally honest with himself, he downright liked you. Perhaps a little too much.

You took a different way out of town, more direct to get home, but you had pointed out a few more landmarks (the water tower, a park that “hasn’t changed one goddamn bit,” your gay crush’s old house, some train tracks you said the cops had yelled at you for walking on.) And after a while, you had begun to cry. Not blatantly, but Cable heard the cracking in your voice, saw you trying to hide your eye wipes. Quietly, he asked, “Are you alright?”

Your lip trembled and you gripped the wheel tightly, but nodded. “Yeah. It’s just. A lot of memories.” He nodded silently and looked ahead. After a few minutes of silence, you quietly admitted, “I miss my dad.”

He looked at you and his heart shattered. You had tears blatantly falling down your face now, one hand holding your head, the other gripping your wheel with all your strength. “I’m sure wherever he is, if he’s somewhere, he’s proud of you.”

You were silent another moment before you shook your head slightly. “I’m not so sure. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the last eight years.”

Cable frowned. “But did you learn from them?”

You nodded slightly. “I like to think so.”

He looked forward, hands resting on his knees. “Then he’s proud.”

You pulled into the parking lot of a factory and got out of the car. The sun was setting ahead of you, and you pulled yourself onto the hood of your car, staring at it. Cable got out, too, and stood next to you. “It’s not just what I’ve done since… It’s what I did before.”

Cable looked at you, took in the orange light making your skin glow, lighting the trails of your tears, softening your hair. “What are you talking about?”

“My dad. Um. My dad died thinking I didn’t love him.” You sniffed hard, your voice quivering. “And, before you say he knew, really he didn’t.”

“Go on.”

“So. The night before he died. He asked if I wanted to go into the city to do laundry. I was 14. In my emo phase where parents suck all kinds of shitdick. I told him no. A few minutes later, he comes in and yells at me, which should have tipped me off because my dad never yelled.” You took your sunglasses off and wiped your eyes hard. “So I went, and I was pissed and being petulant. We went and threw our clothes in and then went and got Taco Bell, so I was like cool, Taco Bell. But still annoyed.” Cable pulled himself up on the hood to sit beside you. “And then we started driving around my old neighborhood, where I was born. And he was telling me stories, just random tidbits from my youth. Which was also weird. And then we went and got our clothes and started home.” You swallowed hard and your voice started shaking hard, holding back sobs. “He and my mom were getting a divorce. A while before they asked who I wanted to live with, and I had said my mom. So we’re leaving town that night and he goes, ‘When your mom and I get divorced, will you come see me?’” You choked out a sob and turned your hands into fists, teeth digging into her lip. Cable reached over and put his hand on your shoulder again. It took you a minute to calm down enough to continue. “And I didn’t fucking say anything. Not a goddamn fucking thing. So then he goes, ‘I bet you won’t.’ And I. Didn’t. Fucking. Say. Anything.” You were sobbing now, blatantly, choking your words out one by one. “I went to bed really late that night, but when I did he was still snoring in bed. We hadn’t talked since we left town. And then I woke up to my mom calling an ambulance and he was gone.”

Cable couldn’t handle it anymore. He reached over and wrapped his arm around you, pulling you into him. You turned and buried your head in his shoulder, arms wrapping tightly around his waist. He held you close, rocking ever so slightly, waiting for you to calm down. It took a while, the sun almost completely set over the horizon, but you whispered a small, “Thank you for listening,” into his shoulder, your grip around his waist slackened significantly.

He put his cheek on your head and rubbed your arm gently. “Doll, I would listen to you read the dictionary word by word, shit letter by letter if I thought it would help you feel better.”

You shook with a small laugh and you pulled back, smiling slightly up at him, eyes puffy and red. He smiled gently at you and brushed a bit of hair behind your ear and you turned your cheek into his palm, your hands moving to his wrist. Before you realized what you were doing, you had turned and pressed a kiss against his palm, and once you did realize, you slipped off the car, moving to head to the passenger side. Cable hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second before he slid off after you and gently caught your wrist. You turned towards him and let him pull you into him, your hands going to his chest, his to your shoulders. You both looked at each other for a moment, eyes flicking back and forth before you stretched up and ever so softly put your lips to his, ghosting your skin just barely against his. He moved to cup the back of your neck and leaned down into it, warmth and love radiating from his core. He pulled back after a moment and you smiled up at him. “Turns out I don’t need to read the dictionary after all.”

His smile widened and he kissed you again, this one long and passionate, almost leaving you breathless. You were interrupted by the ringing of a phone and you sighed, knowing it was probably Wade, being annoying. You stepped back from Cable and smiled, tossing the keys at him. “I’m too tired to drive.” He chuckled and stepped around to the driver’s side and you set off for home, holding hands the entire way.

#cable #cable x reader #nathan summers #nathan summers x reader #x reader #marvel x reader #deadpool x reader #death mention #loss mention #angst #fluff #x reader fluff #cable fanfic #cable fanfiction #fuck #i love cable #ugh

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tahlreth · 7 years ago

Note

Winteriron Bakery AU where Tony is the owner of Stark Bakeries and falls for Bucky. Steve and Sam tease Bucky a lot because Bucky always goes out of his way to visit the cake shop. Granted the cakes are delicious but it's way out of Bucky's workplace. Rhodey and Pepper tease Tony a lot whenever Bucky comes. Bucky is always blushing when he talks to Tony. One day Bucky shouts that he loves Tony. Tony immediately agrees to date him. Fluffy, cute story. Happy ending.

AN: Woooow this got totally out of hand. XD Also, it’s barely edited because I’m awful. But yeah. Probably angstier than the asker intended. Sorry! But it’s still pretty fluffy sometimes? idk Hope you enjoy it! Because it is super long, there is a ‘Read More’

Bucky hadn’t been home before 10:30 at night in almost a month and a half.

It wasn’t that he was pulling overtime, though he’d managed to fool his roommates for just over a week with that cover story. Evading their questions had gotten trickier after that, but Bucky persevered for two more blessed weeks. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or embarrassed about where he was spending his time… it was just that he didn’t need Stevie or Sam ruining everything. He’d been certain that as soon as they knew where he spent his time, they’d show up and figure out why he was going there. Once they figured out, their ‘I’m a little shit’ switches would be flipped and the teasing would begin. And yeah, they wouldn’t really mean any harm, and once they both settled they’d be supportive about it, but… It was just that he didn’t need them destroying his new happy place.

He’d discovered the little cafe completely by accident. One day, one horrible awful shitty day, he’d just started to drive. It was something that had always helped him calm down, and he hadn’t had any specific destination in mind. He just… drove, taking turns when the urge hit him, getting further and further away from both his work and his apartment. Bucky hadn’t even thought about stopping until his stomach started to complain, which was when he started looking for diners or maybe a donut place.

What he’d found instead was a shop named 'We Sell Fucking Cakes’, except the 'u’ on the sign had been replaced with an adorable looking cupcake capped with what looked like a wrench. Intrigued, he’d found a place to park and found his curiosity further peaked by a poster in the window that announced they’d defeated 146 attempts to force them to change their name. It had seemed like Bucky’s kind of place despite the cutesy looking decor - when he’d opened the door, it had been to the sound of hammers hitting an anvil instead of a bell. He’d thought it was the weirdest and cooling fucking thing ever.

And then… then he’d fallen in love.

Not with the food or the coffee, though both were pretty amazing. Their menu of 'real’ food was pretty limited - some sandwiches, one kind of soup every day, the occasional taco or casserole special. Where they really shone was in their desert selection. It was as varied as the baked goods were delicious, and Bucky often wondered why they hadn’t opened up a bakery that was only a bakery.

“Because I need coffee like I need air,” the resident genius baker had told him with a shrug and a twinkle in his eye. He’d also had flour streaked across his nose and on his cheek, and Bucky had ached to brush it away with a few tender swipes of his thumb. “If we sell it, I get to drink it for free. Duh.” It wasn’t fair that the wink he’d given before disappearing into the kitchen made Bucky a little weak in the knees.

It was for him that Bucky made the hour-long drive everyday after work. He’d been purposefully vague whenever he was asked about his job and where he lived. From the way Pepper’s eyes danced, he wasn’t fooling the woman who handled both the register and all of 'We Sell Fucking Cakes’ marketing. She and Rhodes (who the guy Bucky desperately wanted to impress called Rhodey) were very clearly aware of his gigantic crush, and they were always making sly comments whenever the man who’d stolen Bucky’s heart came out from the back to mingle. At first, Bucky had fucking panicked, sure that they were going to ruin this as surely as Stevie and Sam would.

Thank fucking Christ that Tony seemed oblivious as to why they were teasing him the way they were.

Tony (whose last name he didn’t know, but it was fine, Tony could just take his) sometimes blushed or darted quick looks Bucky’s way, but he seemed oblivious to Bucky’s feelings. That was both a blessing and a curse. Because sure it meant Bucky was too chicken-shit to ask him on a date, but it also meant that they could talk without things getting awkward. Tony not knowing about Bucky’s infatuation meant he could sit in the warm, welcoming cafe for a couple hours a day. It meant they weren’t avoiding each other’s eyes or pretending things didn’t get weird when one person was crushing and the other person wasn’t.

And Tony definitely wasn’t. He came out and talked to Bucky all the time, but he tended to talk to most of the patrons. Everyone loved meeting the man behind the baked goods, and Tony seemed to thrive on the attention. He preened and boasted, and it was so well-deserved that Bucky found it endearing instead of ignoring. The fact that he lingered or even sat at Bucky’s table was easily explained away; Tony was a nerd. A total, complete, unapologetic geek. In Bucky he’d found a kindred spirit, and their discussions usually revolved around things like Star Wars, Star Trek, Dune, and various books and video games. They even had a book club of sorts, where they traded beat up paperbacks and then argued over what the author was trying to say. It was friendly, it was Tony wanting someone to talk nerdy to, and not anything more.

Bucky was the one who wanted a romantic relationship, and he was the one who was too scared of losing what they had to ask for it.

It was fine though. He liked being Tony’s friend. Eventually his crush would (probably) fade, and he’d get to keep Tony’s friendship for a lot longer than dating would likely last. So it was fine. He had a great little spot to hang out, eat dinner, and spend all his money at. He had Tony stopping by his table for chats, and he had Pepper and Rhodey shooting him knowing glances without giving up his crush to the object of his affections. Bucky had it good, really, and he was thankful for it.

Then Sam and Stevie got curious and way too nosy, and he knew that his good thing was living on borrowed time.

~.~.~

“Hey! This is the street that goes to our apartment! Where the hell are you going, Buck?”

“To drop you punks off,” Bucky said, trying his hardest not to gnash his teeth. “Your fucking car’s not even having any problems, I’d bet my goddamn life on it. You and Stevie are just trying to be nosy.” He growled when Sam leaned forward and peeked around his headrest, hands gripping Bucky’s shoulders. “Get the fuck off of me while I’m driving.”

“Awww, someone’s being a grumpy bear,” Sam teased, grinning at Bucky when their eyes met in the rearview mirror. “C'mon Bucky. Take us to your secret hideout!”

“Someone’s going to murder you in your sleep tonight,” he muttered as he tried to shrug Sam’s hands off. “I ain’t taking you anywhere but home.”

“If you drop us off, we’ll only tail you in Sam’s car,” Stevie pointed out calmly from the passenger’s seat. He looked highly unimpressed when Bucky whirled to face him and bared his teeth in a snarl. He even threw a fake yawn in for effect, and Bucky was officially Not Amused.

“I knew it! I fucking knew you were lying, you assholes. Gonna murder you both now.”

Despite the threat, he took a turn that would eventually lead him to 'We Sell Fucking Cakes’. Steve meant the threat, and the pair of them would be impossible if he forced them to sneak after him. Even if he just stayed home for a day, they’d just tail him the next, or maybe the one after that. He was totally unwilling to give up his favorite cafe or his crush for as long as it would take the two idiots to lose interest. So he just drove, putting up with their teasing and their rambunctious behaviors - he wished they would just fuck already to work out some of that tension sizzling between them.

When they realized just how far away the cafe was, he sank down in his seat, shoulders nearly touching his ears in a show of defensiveness. They wisely didn’t comment, but he could feel their judgement. If they thought he didn’t see the knowing looks they were exchanging then they were as stupid as he was annoyed by this turn of events. They’d know that he wasn’t going to this place just for the food and the atmosphere. Bucky didn’t think it would take them longer than a few minutes to realize that he was going there for Tony, and he really, really didn’t want to deal with that. 'We Sell Fucking Cakes’ was his - he didn’t want to share, not even with his best friend and their slightly more shitty roommate. He wanted to keep it and his massive crush for himself, and he lowkey hated Sam and Stevie for putting him in this position.

He flirted with the idea of just taking them somewhere else, but they’d know.

Observant assholes.

They got to the cafe far too soon for Bucky’s taste - once he’d killed the engine, he locked the doors before the other men could leave. “If either of you do anything to ruin this for me,” he growled, looking as menacing as he possibly could. He had it on good authority that that was pretty damn menacing, and Steve and Sam looked suitably concerned. “I won’t just murder you - you will beg me for death before I’m done with you. I’m not kidding, Stevie, so you can stop rolling your fucking eyes. Keep all your fucking commentary to yourselves - I don’t need any help or teasing from the peanut gallery. I like this place, and if you embarrass me to the point that I can’t come back, you will be on my shit list for the rest of your shortened lives.”

Before they could reply, he unlocked the doors and exited the car, slamming the door shut behind him. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he stalked toward the cafe - his mood lightened a little when he saw that the number of attempts to get Tony to change the name had gone up to almost two hundred. Maybe when they hit that total he’d throw the staff a little party…

The sound of Steve and Sam walking behind him caused his mood to tank again. Bucky knew that he looked grumpy at the very least. He might even have his 'murder face’ on, but he couldn’t help it, not when he was sure this was going to go terribly. Steve snorted when he heard the sound of a forge that announced their arrival, and he wanted to throttle the idiot. Tony had inserted lots of little quirks like that - his second love was engineering, and he wasn’t ashamed to make that obvious. His shoulders were close to his ears again, and he stormed over to his usual table and flung himself into his seat. And it was his, at least at his usual time of day; it was always empty and waiting for him, which he appreciated. When he was sitting there he could sort of see into the kitchen, so he got little peeks at Tony happily baking and puttering around.

Steve and Sam paused, both looking over at him in confusion. Despite the way he was glowering, arms now crossed over his chest, he jerked his chin towards the front counter. Even if he was pissed that they’d forced him to bring them here, he wouldn’t let them leave until they’d tried and praised the food and coffee the cafe served. Once he’d calmed down a little from his snit, Bucky would be placing an order of his own. He could feel two more pairs of eyes on him, judging and concerned in equal measure - he hoped like hell Pepper and Rhodes wouldn’t take his bad mood personally. Not even catching a glimpse of Tony was enough to make him smile; he just slouched down in his chair, wishing the floor would open up and swallow him.

Because even if his shitty roommates were being normal and not terrible just then, he was pretty sure that would go out the window as soon as they met Tony. It had been… a while, a long while, since Bucky’d shown interest in anyone. The pair of them would know he was into Tony right away (so sue him, he had a type) and they’d be so fucking delighted that their manners and common sense would fly right out the window. God, Pepper and Rhodey might even join in, and they’d all be making fun of him and his crush, and Tony couldn’t stay oblivious forever.

He’d worked himself into a state that was just shy of a full-blown panic by the time Steve and Sam joined him at his table. His table that now he had to share, and Sam’s stupid head was blocking his view of the kitchen. He briefly thought about forcing them to change seats - Stevie was short enough that he wouldn’t be an obstruction - but realized that would only give them more ammunition. If he went up to the counter he could maybe take a peek in and give Tony a greeting that could also be a warning… When he looked over that way, he met Pepper’s eyes - she mouthed an 'are you okay?’ and he could only shrug in response.

“So this is where you’ve been coming every day?” Sam asked, sounding both confused and deriding. “It’s a cafe, man. Can’t be anything that special - we drove an hour for this?”

“Hey,” Steve said, knocking his shoulder into Sam’s arm. “Don’t knock it 'til you’ve tried the food. It smells great in here - if it all tastes even half as good, I’m gonna have Buck start bringing stuff home for me.” Bucky shot a grateful smile his way, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. Maybe… maybe this could be okay. Maybe he could get through this relatively unscathed. Tony didn’t always come out right away, and Bucky hoped that this was one of those days. If he could hurry his nosy friends out of here, he could pass this place off as a quirk - somewhere quiet that he’d stumbled on and used to unwind.

Unfortunately, just as he’d started to relax the universe proved that it hated him.

“Bucky!” Tony sounded so happy to see him, just like he always did. For the first time it made Bucky want to run, and he thought seriously about returning the greeting gruffly just to throw Steve and Sam off the scent. But it was Tony, and it wasn’t his fault that Bucky was in a crappy mood.

“Hey Tony,” he answered, looking up with a smile that he knew was too soft. Sure enough, he saw his roommates go stiff from the corner of his eye, and he just knew that soon they’d have matching, shit-eating grins on their faces. His crush was standing by his table, absolutely beaming at him; despite everything, Bucky felt himself start to cheer up a little bit. “Saw you’re getting close to two hundred.” Tony’s expression changed to one of pride, and his attention was still completely focused on Bucky - he hadn’t glanced at Steve or Sam even once. “Maybe when you get there you should change the sign.”

“Noooo! Not you too Buck. I thought you liked the name,” he said, pouting even as his eyes danced with laughter.

“Not the name, Tones,” he soothed, straightening in his chair. “But you should put a sheet over the words, get people’s hopes up. Then, while they’re still smug in their victory… you can very dramatically pull the covering away to reveal that you’ve replaced the cupcake with a cookie.”

Tony practically cackled when the full genius of Bucky’s plan hit him, and he couldn’t help but duck his head to hide his pleased smile and the way he was blushing just a little bit. Beneath the sound of Tony’s delight, however, he heard Sam give a low wolf whistle. Nobody would ever be able to prove that he was the one to deliver a vicious kick to the idiot’s shin.

“You have the best fucking ideas, Bucky-babe! We are definitely doing that - maybe we’ll reset the counter to zero too… oh! Sorry, I’m being rude. You’ve got friends. Hello, friends of Bucky. I’m Tony - owner and resident baker extraordinaire.” Bucky half expected Tony to bow, and when the man side-eyed him with a grin tugging at his lips, Bucky knew that he’d been sorely tempted to do just that. “Buck’s never brought anyone with him before. I was starting to think that maybe he didn’t think this place was good enough to tell anyone about. Which reminds me!” He turned back to Bucky with a scowl, putting his hands on his hips. “What the hell was that book you had me read? That was such bullshit, and I’m pissed you made me read that with my own two eyeballs.”

“Why should I be the only one to suffer?”

“Ass. Anyway! So yeah, I’m Tony. I see you already ordered - tell me how you like the cake, friend one,” he said to Sam, cocking his head to the left. “I used a new recipe for the ganache, and I’m not quite sure about it. Reviews have been good so far, but I’m always open to more opinions. And friend two - why would you get such a sweet drink when you’re eating something sweet enough to give some people a toothache? I’ll go get you something more bitter - you can try both and then tell me how right I am. Do you want usual A or usual B, Bucky-babe?”

Steve and Sam were staring at the whirlwind that was Tony, and Bucky was probably taking too much pleasure in their gobsmacked expressions. “I think maybe I’ll switch things up and take not-usual C. And this is Sam - friend one - and Stevie, er, Steve - friend two. They suspected me of nefarious plots and decided to tag along to foil any evil plans.”

“They’re too late for that - already read the damned book. Nice to meet you, Sam and Steve! I’m Tony - wait, told you that already - and that’s Pepper at the counter. Rhodey went to run an errand, but he’ll be back soon. And now I’m off to get Bucky’s order and a not-so-sweet drink for Steve. Be right back!”

Tony left as quickly as he’d come, and Bucky watched him go with way more interest than was appropriate for someone who was just a friend.

“Wow. Just… wow. Guess we know why… Bucky-babe,” Sam’s voice was a drawl, and he got another kick to the shin for his trouble. Bucky was also wearing his fiercest glare, because Tony was the only person allowed to call him that ever. “Is driving an hour to come here.”

“It is all becoming clear,” Steve agreed, wearing a wicked little smirk that could only mean bad things. “Have ya asked him out yet, or are ya pining?”

“I’m not pining,” he said, flinching at the pout even he could hear in his voice.

“He’s pining,” Sam remarked in an aside to Steve. “Probably has been since he started coming, poor guy. I think we need to help put him out of his misery, Steve.”

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

“I dunno if even our words of wisdom’d be enough,” Steve mourned, knocking Sam’s arm again. “Maybe we oughta watch. And laugh.”

“This Tony might have untoward thoughts about Bucky, man. I think we need to find out what exactly his intentions are.”

“’S a good idea. You wanna be good cop or bad cop?”

“Good cop. You’re scarier than me, even if you are a shrimp.”

“Will both of you just stop? Please?” Bucky hissed, feeling a blush start to creep over his cheeks. “I told you - don’t ruin this for me! I like coming here–”

“Doesn’t seem like there’s been much 'coming’, not with you so tense.”

“Shut up Stevie.”

“New plan - let’s help the man get laid. Tony seems like he might be into it.”

“That’s a much better plan. Operation: Let Bucky Come Here has now begun.”

“… what the fuck is that name, Steve?”

“Shaddup. I’ll come up with something better later.”

“I’m kicking the both of you out and I’m gonna get roommates who aren’t such fucking trolls.”

“Oh, you guys live together?” Tony’s cheery voice made him jump in surprise - he hadn’t realized the man had come back. Bucky felt his cheeks heat as he prayed that Tony hadn’t heard the rest of their conversation. “Then maybe you can help me solve a little mystery that me and Rhodey have been working on. Pep’s not super interested, but I think that’s 'cause she already has it figured out.” As he spoke, he set a plate with two huge chocolate chip cookies in front of Bucky, along with a tall glass of ice cold milk. Steve got a cup of coffee that probably only had a little bit of sugar and cream in it - he knew from experience that it actually paired really well with the pie that Steve had chosen to get. “Where the hell do you guys live?” Tony plopped down in the only free chair, the one that just happened to be next to Bucky. It was a struggle not to sling a casual arm over the back of it.

“He hasn’t told ya?” Steve asked slyly, shooting a look in his direction. “I’d have thought he’d be giving you directions so ya could drop by sometime.” Unlike Sam, his best friend was a lot better at evading Bucky’s kicks even when he couldn’t see them coming. Tony just looked a little confused before shrugging.

“He’s a private guy,” he said, looking over to meet Bucky’s eye with a smile. “I didn’t want to push.”

“Oh, but you have no idea pumping my friends for information?” Steve’s smirk made him realize that he’d chosen his words poorly.

“If you’re going to be… pumping anyone, it really oughta be Buck.” Before he could yell at his friend, Steve quickly bounced to the actual subject of the conversation. “We live about an hour away, actually. It’s a nice drive though. Might hafta stop in for myself sometime.” Bucky gave him a 'you do and you’re dead’ look, but Stevie happily ignored it.

“An hour away? Huh! Never seeing you around ever suddenly makes a lot more sense. Mystery solved.” Tony blinked, then looked over at Bucky with wide brown eyes that he could stare into forever. “Wait. So do you work nearby, or like… halfway between here and your house?”

He promptly occupied himself with eating his cookies. There was no fucking way he was answering that - he’d much rather stare at his snack and eat. Besides… he was sure Sam and Stevie would be jumping right in.

Sam quickly proved him right.

“Nah. Bucky actually works in the opposite direction,” he told Tony with a grin, leaning back in his chair. With a casual ease that Bucky envied, he draped his arm over the back of Steve’s chair, completely missing the way Steve’s cheeks turned a little pink. “We were wondering where he kept disappearing to. Now that I’m here, I can definitely see the appeal.” That drove Steve’s blush away, and the small blond went so far as to elbow Sam in the stomach. Bucky approved, because the only one he wanted to notice Tony’s appeal was himself. Sam could fuck off and find his own crush, or he could finally admit that he wanted Steve and put them all out of their misery.

Bucky flicked his eyes up at Tony, who was slack-jawed as he stared at Bucky. He felt himself start to blush again, and this time the heat rose all the way to the tips of his ears. After a second of the scrutiny, his shoulders started to inch upward and he started to slouch over, wishing that he’d murdered his two friends before this day could happen. “So you… you drive…” Tony sounded a little faint, and Bucky wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole. “You’ve been here every day except weekends. Bucky-babe, that’s two hours in a car every day. I know you like my baking, but holy shit. You don’t have to go that far! Fuck, I could send you home with a box of deserts to tide you over for a few days or something.”

“… I like it here,” Bucky told him gruffly. “’S nice and quiet, and I like to drive anyway. Don’t mind that part. Plus I get to see you. And Pepper and Rhodes,” he added in a hurry. “I’d miss our book club.”

“That doesn’t happen every day!” Tony told him, flailing in his seat. “We could schedule days, you dope, so you don’t have to drive so far all the freaking time. That has to waste so much gas!”

Bucky wanted to tell him that it wasn’t a waste, that he didn’t mind using the gas or buying enough snacks and coffee each visit to justify his several hour stays. The words to let Tony know that he liked when they just talked, or when Tony was dealing with some irate patron and made faces at Bucky as soon as they turned away. It was nice, when they caught each other’s eye while Tony was working in the kitchen - Tony didn’t wink every time, but whenever it did happen his stomach started to flip and his heart would beat just a little faster. Seeing Pepper and Rhodes was nice too, and their teasing was a hell of a lot more subtle than Sam and Stevie’s.

That wasn’t completely fair, because his roommates would settle after a few days of being merciless, but still. Rhodes and Pepper were almost as big a draw as Tony was.

He’d sort of thought Tony might enjoy having him around too. Maybe not the same way Bucky did, since he was so far out of Bucky’s league it wasn’t funny, but he’d thought they had made a connection. They were friendly, if maybe not exactly friends - they’d probably have to exchange numbers and see each other outside of the cafe to claim that much. Tony always stopped to talk to him and had started using Bucky as a test subject for new recipes. They had inside jokes and running arguments about a multitude of subjects, and he had really thought that Tony was glad to see him whenever he walked through the door.

Judging by Tony’s efforts to convince him to stop in less frequently, he’d been wrong.

“I like coming here,” he reiterated, jaw clenching once he’d bitten the words out. “Thought I was welcome to stop by any time. Sorry for bothering you so much.”

Tony didn’t immediately rush to say that Bucky wasn’t bothering him. He didn’t say anything at all, just sat there and looked uncomfortable, and the atmosphere had turned awkward. Steve and Sam were both squirming, which fucking served them right. This was their fault - if they’d just kept their noses out of Bucky’s business, he’d still think Tony liked him, if only as a friend. Maybe some people would appreciate knowing the truth, but he’d been happy with his ignorance, thanks. They’d ruined it, just like he’d thought they would. After a few seconds of silence, Bucky shrugged and dug around in his pocket so he could set a few bills on the table.

“Thanks for the cookies,” he managed as he stood and walked away. The sound of a hammer and anvil irritated him when he yanked the door open - what the fuck kind of noise was that for a cafe? Rhodes was coming in as he was going out - he ignored the man’s smile and his greeting, walking past him with nothing more than a shrug. On reaching the safety of his car (doors locked and windows rolled up all the way just in case), he took just a few seconds to breathe, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.

Once he’d gotten himself under control, he started the car and headed for the apartment, not waiting for Sam or Stevie.

They could find their own damned way home.

~.~.~

Bucky didn’t go to the cafe on Wednesday or Thursday; when Stevie had ordered him to go back on Friday, he’d flipped his friend off and hidden in his room for the rest of the night. Both of his roommates had been apologetic, but that didn’t fix anything. He’d lost one of the few places outside the apartment where he’d felt comfortable and happy, and he’d lost what probably could have been a really great friendship once he’d gotten over his crush. There was no way he was going back there just to be embarrassed and hurt when Tony avoided him while Pep and Rhodes looked on with pitying eyes. That was the only way another visit played out, and he wasn’t interested.

By the time Sunday rolled around, he was snapping and snarling at Sam and Steve whenever they spoke to him. He felt uncomfortable in his own skin, angry and twitchy and just all around miserable. His friends tried to be understanding, but the way they were hovering and being so damned nice only irritated the shit out of him. Bucky finally told them to leave him the hell alone and just fuck already; when he slammed his door it was too loud in the deafening silence he’d left behind him.

Monday passed by in tentative, awkward silences and long glances and Tuesday was more of the same. None of them seemed able to stand being in the same room as each other, which meant Bucky was back to being sequestered in his own space. He lose himself in his work and mindless internet use, back to having bad days and no longer comfortable with trying to drive away his feelings. Not after how it had worked out the last time.

Before he knew it, three weeks had passed in a listless haze and he realized that something had to give. He couldn’t keep being an asshole to his two best friends. Bucky knew that he owed them a hell of an apology, and that he needed to find a way to get over this before he lost Stevie and Sam’s friendship completely. He hadn’t really meant to go back to 'We Sell Fucking Cakes’, but he passed by the turn that would take him home, and he was halfway there before he started to question the unconscious decision. At that point, he figured he might as well keep going.

Wasn’t like he had anything at the cafe left to lose.

~.~.~

The count had reached 195, and Bucky hated knowing that he wouldn’t be around to see it hit 200. He didn’t find the anvil and hammer sound as annoying as he’d tried to tell himself it had always been. In a weird way, it was kind of like coming home. An old one, anyway, one that you’d left behind and couldn’t ever really get back. The place was busy, which was a blessing. Or it was, until he saw a young couple sitting at what had been his table; that hit him like a punch right to the gut. At least Pepper didn’t seem to notice him right away, and he pulled his ball cap down over his eyes and kept his head down too, trying to figure out what he might say when he was finally at the counter and had to make an order.

Bucky was halfway through planning a garbled speech when it happened. He heard Tony before he saw him, and he hunched in on himself further. There was something wrong with Tony, he could tell that almost immediately. His voice, usually so animated and full of life, was much duller than Bucky could ever remember hearing it. When he peeked up at him, Tony looked… well, he looked sad. There were bags under his eyes and he drooped instead of carrying himself with effortless grace.

Shit, had something terrible happened while he was gone? Someone could be sick - Tony could be sick - or maybe there was finally enough pressure to change the name. Maybe the business was going under despite how busy they seemed, or maybe Tony had been dealing with the shitty family he’d dropped vague hints about. Maybe he’d been reading another shitty book.

Maybe… maybe he missed Bucky as much as Bucky missed him.

The thought gave him a burst of courage, and even if he was wrong that was okay. If he just… if he tried, no matter what happened, he could move on. It would give him some closure, and he could work on not being such a prick to his friends. So yeah. It was time to take a chance.

As a bonus, Tony had always been kind of dramatic. He’d probably eat this shit up, which could increase his chances of success. Challenge accepted.

Stepping out of the line, he whipped his hat off - he was pretty sure he didn’t imagine the gasp that left Pepper and Tony’s lips. Keeping his movements exaggerated and theatrical he tossed it to the floor and (just for effect) shrugged off his unbuttoned plaid shirt as well. It had been a busy day in the shop, which meant he’d gotten sweaty enough for his tank top to cling to his upper body, and he knew damn well that he was displaying his muscles to their best advantage. He didn’t even mind the oil and dirt streaked over his skin, because Tony’s eyes had gone wide and his pupils had dilated; if he was happy with what he saw, Bucky was happy to let him see it.

The other patrons were muttering now, and he was sure more than a couple of them thought he was insane, but he didn’t give two shits. He only cared what Tony and (maybe) Pepper and Rhodey thought. Refusing to feel as silly as he might look, he pointed at Tony, who obligingly put one hand over his heart.

“I came here every day to see you!” Bucky declared loudly, putting all the confidence he didn’t really feel into his voice to keep it steady. “The first time I came in here was an accident - I just needed to drive. Then I came in, and you had chocolate all over your cheek and it was fucking adorable. After I ordered you came out and talked to me for half an hour about Stargate Atlantis, because you’d had a marathon the day before. It was awesome, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a piece of cake as good as that one. It was orgasmic, Tony. You bake the best shit ever, but that wasn’t why I made the hour drive every day!”

Tony was still staring, shock warring with a tiny smile, cheeks slowly turning pink. He could hear a couple women cooing at him, and Pepper looked pleased as punch even with one hand covering her mouth.

“I came because…” he dropped his arm and shrugged, scuffing the toe of one boot over the floor. “I came because I wanted to see you, and I wanted to talk to you. I couldn’t get up the courage to ask you out, but–”

“Yes!” Bucky blinked at Tony’s interruption, and for a few seconds they just stared at each other. Tony’s face was turning a very appealing shade of pink, and God Bucky wanted to kiss him.

“What?”

“I mean… what? You… you weren’t… nothing! It’s nothing.”

“Jesus Christ.” Now Bucky was staring at Pepper, because he’d never heard her use anything even remotely like foul language before. “You are the two most frustrating men I’ve ever met. Bucky!” He snapped to attention without even thinking about it, eyes on her. “Did you really think Tony was coming out to talk to you for the hell of it? Do you honestly believe that he comes out and spends that much time talking to just anyone? Why are you such a moron? And Tony!” It was such a relief when Pepper shifted her attention, because she was a lot scarier than he’d have thought. Tony shrank beneath the weight of her gaze, his eyes darting from her to Bucky and back. “The man was driving an hour each way to come and see you! He picked his table so he could see you working in the kitchen! He brought you books and movies and weird geeky things that I didn’t understand at all but that you loved. He was not coming for your cupcakes, you idiot. You are driving me insane, and I’m tired of trying to gently nudge you into realizing that you both have giant, embarrassing crushes on each other.” When she pointed to the kitchen, her finger was shaking with what was probably rage. “Get your asses into that kitchen and sort this out, or so help me.”

She didn’t need to tell them twice, and they both booked it to the kitchen to the sound of their 'audience’ clapping with a few wolf whistles thrown into the mix.

People were such assholes.

Once they were in the kitchen, Bucky took hold of Tony’s hand and tugged him into a corner he knew for a fact wasn’t visible to anyone else. He probably should have let go when they were tucked away, but instead he focused on tangling their fingers together. One of them should probably talk too, but they were busy avoiding eye contact. He tried a couple times, even opened his mouth, but the words didn’t want to come. Pepper was going to end up murdering them both at the rate they were going.

Talking was maybe not the way to go here, so Bucky gave up on them for a while. Using his hold on Tony’s hand, he carefully pulled the shorter man into his chest and settled his chin on the top of his head. Tony melted against him almost immediately and wrapped his free arm around Bucky’s waist. They both took a deep breath at almost the same time, and he couldn’t help but start to chuckle. Tony started laughing a few seconds later, and Bucky let go of his hand to wrap both arms around him instead. Moving carefully, he backed them up until he could lean back against the wall, fingers rubbing gentle circles into Tony’s back.

“Pepper’s my new favorite,” he murmured at last. “I’m going to bring her presents so I’m in her good graces when she eventually takes over the world.” Tony snorted, then pressed his nose against Bucky’s neck.

“Why can’t I be your favorite?”

“… you’re my favorite when it comes to things of a relation-date-ship-romantic stuff,” Bucky said after a moment of thought. “Don’t wanna kiss Pepper the way I wanna kiss you, that’s for sure. She’s more my favorite potential future dictator.”

“She would be a just and fair ruler,” Tony allowed, shifting his hands to rest them on Bucky’s hips. “So… you do wanna kiss me?”

“Wanna kiss the fuck out of you.”

“Why didn’t you, you know… do anything about that?”

“I didn’t think you wanted to kiss me.”

“Dude. Really? Pep and Rhodey have been teasing me about you for weeks. I thought you were, you know, politely ignoring it.”

“No… I thought you didn’t realize that they were teasing me.” Tony pulled back just enough that they could stare at each other in disbelief. Pepper was right - they were both idiots. Bucky huffed out a quiet laugh, then shrugged one shoulder. “Okay, so your friends were too subtle, and my friends were like a wrecking ball to the face.”

“Oh my God, I wanted to die.”

“Me too. … I wanted you to come after me when I left,” he admitted quietly, tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Or at least say I wasn’t bothering you, or that me coming here wasn’t a waste.”

“… I didn’t know how to do it without shoving the crush I thought was hopeless in your face. And then you were just gone, and I had no idea how to find you.”

“Well we can’t have that. We’re swapping numbers before I head out. And, uh. Do you wanna make a da–”

“Yes! Yes to that. That’s what I tried to say yes to earlier, only then you acted like maybe you weren’t trying to ask me out so I got really embarrassed and there were a whole bunch of people watching which, you know, was kind of great. Especially when you took that other shirt off,” he emphasized the words by skimming his hands up and then down Bucky’s arms. “Like, they’re all super jealous of me now, and it was kind of romantic, declaring your all-consuming love for me in front of so many people–”

“Woah, hold on. I wanna date you, kiss the fuck outta you and maybe get to know you well enough to fall in love and all that junk. 'All-consuming love’ at first sight is for like… Romeo and Juliet. I want something real.” Tony was gaping at him, and Bucky shrugged self-consciously. “Or. Uh. Something like that.”

“That is so much better, and yes please. So before you leave we’ll set up a date and get each other’s numbers, right?

"Yup.”

“You like me and I like you, and we’re gonna date - exclusively - with the aim of maybe making it a long term thing. Right?”

“Mm. That’s the idea. You cool with that?”

“So cool. Like, ice age cool. Details are sorted, kiss the fuck out of me now please.” Grinning, Bucky cupped the nape of Tony’s neck, toying with the ends of Tony’s hair. When he didn’t immediately go in for the kiss, Tony began to pout at him, then lifted up onto his toes to steal one of his own. Bucky evaded the attempts several times, then swooped in to catch Tony’s mouth in a kiss that turned heated in a matter of moments. After all the dancing around they’d done, Bucky was very okay with diving into the deep end when it came to physical displays of affection.

When Pepper came to check on them twenty minutes later, Tony was sitting on one counter, shirt rucked up so Bucky could run his hands over bare skin. Bucky himself was locked between Tony’s legs, tank top on the floor and Tony’s heels digging into the back of his thighs. They were both breathless with new bruises on their necks that showed they were taken, kiss-bruised lips never leaving each other for long.

She wasn’t too impressed with their lack of concern when it came to keeping food surfaces sanitary, but Bucky didn’t mind the lecture they got. He wasn’t even fazed when she ordered him to help Tony wipe the kitchen down; the way he whistled while he worked seemed to actively irritate her.

Why would he give a shit when he had an all-day date with Tony set up for Saturday and a box full of treats to apologize to his roommates with?

Life was good, and he was really glad Tony had decided to sell fucking cakes.

#anonymous prompt #my writing #my fic #winteriron #Tony Stark #Bucky Barnes #Tony Stark x Bucky Barnes #non-powered au #Tony has a bakery #they're both oblivious #boys in love #boys kissing

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dahliawolfe · 4 years ago

Text

Little Sister Earp

Wylie pt. 2

Ok, so she would admit. She had royally fucked up this time. And Wynonna was going to kill her. As she should, cuz boy, did she ever fuck up. Wylie panted, back against a tree. It was nearly midnight, and she, knew that Wynonna and Doc would be home any minute. And….Shit. Oh, no. Doc was gonna give himself a damn coronary when he didn’t find her in her bed. Well, fuck.

See, the thing was, Wylie had gotten herself into a bit of a pickle…again. She’d heard Dolls say that they needed to get some recon on the revenants that were hole up in the old mine tunnels by the creek, but how he didn’t know how they could get in. Theoretically, he’d stated, someone could crawl in one of the smaller shafts and plant a mic to get what they needed. Ya know, use them for their info before Wynonna killed them? The spy shit that Dolls was really good at. Well, anyway, Wylie had taken it upon herself to sneak off and plant the mic. She was the smallest, she could navigate the narrow tunnels the easiest, but they’d never let her do it, so while they were all out “working other angles”, Wylie snuck out, mic in hand, and made her way to the tunnels. And everything went exactly as planned. Until, well, until she triggered a mine collapse on her way out. And then those damn dead heads definitely knew something was up. So, she’d wiggled her way out of the rubble and ran like hellhounds were on her. And now, here she was. In the middle of the forest, blood sticking one of her eyes together, knee scraped to hell, and losing the ground she’d initially gained. Why did she park her car so damn far away?!

Finally, the mustang was within sight, so with one last strong push of her legs, she sprang from the tree line, making a mad dash for her car. When out of nowhere…lightning hits her? Every hair on her body stood on end as she hit the cold ground, her breath leaving her in a harsh whoosh. Bright purple light shrouded her, and she honestly had never felt anything so painful in her life. And then, it was gone. Her body twitched on the ground as the sound of boots ran towards her. She could hardly hear them over the ringing in her ears, but when a very worried looking Doc leaned into her line of vision, she knew she was safe. She was always safe when Doc was there.

Doc carried the limp body of Wylie through the doors of the Earp homestead. She was breathing, but Doc was worried. He’d never seen Wylie so still. She was always full of life, jumping around, making them all laugh. And now, her little body was cradled in his arms, and she wasn’t moving, or talking, or laughing.

“What the hell happened?!” Nicole demanded as they entered the home. “Oh, Wylie,” she drawled upon seeing the youngest Earp sister.

Doc laid Wylie on the bed, and Nicole immediately grabbed the medical supplies. He stroked the hair away from the young girl’s eyes, saying a silent prayer that tonight wouldn’t be the night he lost her.

…

Nicole washed the blood off of her hands and leaned against the sink with a sigh. Wylie was in rough shape. Though not as bad as she had originally thought, the girl still had needed a lot of stitching up. The burn marks on her worried Nicole the most because electrocution wasn’t something she could just sew up. There could be lasting damage that Nicole couldn’t even see. “How the hell did she even get struck by lightning on a clear night?!” Nicole growled lowly.

“It wasn’t lightning,” Dolls spoke, coming into the room.

“Come again?” Wynonna demanded.

“It was some type of magic. I’m not sure what kind yet, but my bet is it isn’t good”

Doc sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, why the hell are you standing around?! Go find out what happened!” He stormed out into the night, already pulling a cigarillo from his breast pocket.

…

“Ok, Baby, I need you to wake up now. We’re all very worried about you, and some of us aren’t handling it very well. Doc is gonna smoke himself to death if you don’t wake up soon,” Wynonna cooed to her baby sister, gently stroking her cheek.

“Mmmm. Mama, no,” Wylie groaned, pulling away from Wynonna’s hand. It had been nearly 6 hours since they’d gotten the girl home, and this was the first time she’d been awake.

“Hi, there, Sleepy Bug. Can you open those pretty eyes for me?”

Wylie creaked one eye open, looking over at Wynonna briefly before closing her eye again and rolling into Wynonna’s chest. “Tired, Mama. Wanna sleep,” she mumbled.

“Aww, I know you do, Baby, but we need you to get up for a little while. I’ll make you some French toast, and you can have some of that expensive coffee that you and Waverly love.”

“With sugar?” Wylie asked, raising her head.

“Of course.”

“Mmkay, but my leg hurts. Can’t walk, Mama.”

“How about we get Doc to bring you downstairs then. Hmm?” Wylie nodded, so Wynonna stood to retrieve Doc.

She found him standing guard at the top of the stairs. “Hey, she’s awake. Wants to know if you can carry her down for breakfast.” Doc shot to his feet.

“My pleasure!” he declared, pausing only to inquire, “Is she alright?”

“I think so, yeah. Seems a little out of it still.” Doc nodded and made his way to the bedroom.

“Hey, there, Little One. I heard you needed a ride down to breakfast,” he greeted with a smile. Wylie was sitting up in bed, an old t-shirt of Wynonna’s hanging off of her smaller frame. She gave him a small nod and rubbed her eyes. Doc stooped to pick her up, and her arms went around his neck, her legs going around his waist.

“Thanks, Daddy,” she mumbled against the skin of his neck, and despite his best efforts, Doc froze at the statement. His heart swelled with love. Wylie had never called him that before, but he’d be damn lucky to have a kid as great as her.

“Of course, Pumpkin,” he replied, kissing the side of her head and making his way downstairs.

…

Waverly studied her little sister in amusement. “Uhh, Wynonna, maybe you should have laid off the syrup.”

“Huh?” the oldest sister hummed, looking up from the report she was reading. She glanced at Wylie, and her eyes grew wide. The kid was covered in syrup. Her shirt was wet with it. It was smeared from cheek to cheek, and large pools of it littered the kitchen table. “Wylie!” she gasped. The girl looked up sharply from licking the drop of syrup running down to her elbow. “You’re covered in syrup!” Wylie looked around sheepishly and her eyes grew glassy.

“’M sorry, Mama,” she mumbled sadly, reaching for a napkin to try and clean up her mess. Wynonna frowned. Though Wylie had called her Mama before, she never did it when she was fully awake, unless she was sick. So, maybe she wasn’t as good as Wynonna had assessed earlier.

“That’s ok, Kiddo. Why don’t you go wash up, and I’ll clean this.”

“Wave help?” the girl asked.

“Umm…”

“Of course, I’ll help you, Sweetie,” Waverly answered softly. She ushered a still limping Wylie upstairs, mouthing, “Call Dolls,” on the way.

…

Wylie was plopped on the couch, watching CatDog on Nicole’s tablet when Doc and Dolls made it back to the homestead. She had her thumb tucked into her mouth, roughly chewing on the fat of it. Everyone peeked their heads into the room before stepping back into the kitchen.

“So, she’s doing what?” Dolls asked, hands going to his hips.

“I don’t know, Man. Regressing?!” Wynonna harshly whispered back.

“Regressing?”

“Yes, Dolls! Regressing!”

“Hmm. That’s interesting.”

“No. No, it’s really not. If Wylie were, well Wylie, she’d be pissed to see herself like this.”

“I’ll do some digging. The good news is, it looks like the recorder she stuck in the mine last night wasn’t discovered, so I’ve been listening in. I’ll keep an ear out for anything.”

“Doc, what about you? This level of fuckery ringing any bell from the ye old days?”

“Not that I recall. I will read some of Wyatt’s journals and see if he mentions anything.” Upon hearing his voice, Wylie immediately perks up from the other room.

“Daddy?!” she gasps, rolling off of the couch and running too him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

“Well, hi there, Sugar Plum. What is my best girl up to?” Doc replied, scooping her up without missing a beat.

“Missed you. You were gone so long,” Wylie stated, tugging at Doc’s signature hat.

“Was I? Well, I do apologize.” Looking around the room, Wylie caught Dolls eyes.

“Hi, X,” she drawled, her finger going back in her mouth.

“Hello, Wylie. How are you feeling?”

“Umm, I gots an owie. Nic made it better though,” she declared, holding out her stitched up leg.

“I see that. How did that happen?”

“Umm…I was doing something bad,” she pouted, hanging her head.

“That’s ok. I do bad stuff too sometimes. You’re still a very good girl,” Dolls confirmed, stepping closer to stroke a wayward strand from her eyes. A rare moment of gentleness. In response, Wylie beamed at him.

…

“I’m heading out to pick up the take out. Need anything else?” Nicole questioned later that night.

“I go?!” Wylie questioned, wriggling her way out of Waverly’s lap.

“Umm…”

“Not this time, Kiddo. Nic’s in a rush,” Wynonna replied.

“Wanna go, Mama.”

“No, Wylie.”

Wylie stomped her good foot, letting out a screech of, “Maaaamaaaa!”

“Lord have mercy,” Doc chuckled, earning a glare from Wynonna.

“Wylie Caroline Earp!” Wynonna boomed, causing Wylie to freeze, crocodile tears still rolling down her cheeks. “I said “no”, and I meant it!”

…

Wylie swung Nicole’s hand back and forth as they made their way into the local Mexican restaurant. Nicole tried to hide her grin. If anyone was a match for Wynonna Earp, it was her baby sister. After a bout of wailing, thrashing around on the floor, and general tantrum throwing, Wynonna threw up her hands and walked away, reminding Wylie to wear a jacket.

To her credit, Wylie didn’t give Nicole any grief on the brief trip to the heart of Purgatory and back. She even carried one of the 3 bags of food they’d acquired.

Doc was on the front porch when they got back, and he offered a sweet smile to Wylie.

“We got tacos, Daddy!” she exclaimed proudly, slinging the bag up for him to see.

“Did you now? Well, how about we go get those hands washed up so you can eat some?”

“Mmmkay.”

…

“I’ve got something you should hear,” Dolls stated, entering the house in the middle of dinner.

“Got you taco, X!” Wylie proclaimed, fighting off Wynonna’s hand, which was trying to wipe taco sauce off of her cheek.

“Thanks, Kid. Wynonna, this is kinda urgent,” Dolls replied, nodding at Wylie, who was obliviously dipping her tortilla in the queso.

“Ahh, ok. Umm…Doc, can you go get Wylie cleaned up for bed?” Doc quickly nodded and stood.

“Still eating, Mama,” Wylie informed.

“You can finish tomorrow.”

“Tacos for breakfast?!” the young girl gasped.

“Sure. Why not?” Doc scooped Wylie up and made his way upstairs.

Wynonna turned to Dolls. “Play the tape.”

…

“Ok, so Waverly, you’re staying with Wylie. If she wakes up, tell her that we’ll be back soon. Everyone else, load up. We’re going to get our girl back,” Wynonna ordered later that night. Dolls found a recording of one of the revenants in the mines who used to practice dark magic. He was talking about the spell he’d blasted Wylie with and how he assumed they were all at their wits end by now. What the bastard hadn’t counted on was the fact that the Earp family took care of their own and didn’t compromise on loyalty.

…

The revenant squirmed under the burning touch of Peacemaker. “So, you gonna fix it yourself, or are you going to make me hurt you some more?” Wynonna growled. She’d been beating the unholy piss out of the dude for the last hour, and she was honestly getting a little tired of his shit.

“I’ll…I’ll tell you how to fix it ok? It’s a potion. You make her drink it and she’ll be good as new. Promise.”

“Well, I guess you better get to talking. Peacemaker is getting antsy.”

…

Waverly was sipping on a mug of tea, when she heard the desperate cry of, “MAMA!” The older sister sprinted up the stairs, throwing open the door of Wylie’s room.

“Wylie, it’s ok, Baby. I’m right here. Wave is here,” she cooed, stroking the sweaty hair out of the shaking girl’s eyes. She remembered when Wylie was young. The nightmares the kid would get were terrible.

“Wave, scared,” Wylie whimpered. Waverly bodily lifted her little sister, placing her on her lap and tucking her head into Waverly’s neck.

“Shh. It’s ok. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

“Mama left again?” Wylie inquired quietly, and Waverly’s heart shattered. Wynonna leaving had torn Wylie’s heart out. She’d had nightmares for months after.

“No. No. Of course not, Baby. Mama would never leave you again. She’s just out with your Daddy, and Nic, and X. She’ll be home soon.”

“You stay?”

“Always, Little One. I’ll always stay with you.”

…

Wynonna entered Wylie’s bedroom to find her two little sisters tangled together in the middle of the bed. She smiled. Those two were the only thing good that had come from her life. And she’d kill or die for them. Walking quietly to Wylie’s side of the bed, she opened the glass bottle Dolls had filled with the potion needed to cure Wylie. She gently shook her sister, whispering, “Baby Doll, can you wake up for me?”

“Hmm?” Wylie hummed turning to face Wynonna.

“Here, Honey. Can you drink this? It’ll make you feel better.” Wylie did so without question, sleepy but completely trusting.

“Yuck, Mama,” the girl mumbled, wrinkling her nose and laying back down. Wynonna smiled and laid down beside her.

…

“What the fuck is that taste in my mouth?” Wylie groaned the next morning. Wynonna and Waverly were asleep on each side of her, so she slowly slid out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen, making her way to the fridge. “Ohh, tacos,” she exclaimed, grabbing one and shoving it in her mouth cold. A chuckle behind her made her freeze.

Doc looked on as Wylie mauled the cold taco. “Feeling better?” he asked teasingly. She swallowed roughly.

“Umm, yeah. I think so,” Wylie replied, looking down nervously. “I’m sorry if I made things weird. Thank you for putting up with that.”

“Nothing is Weird, Wylie. It was my pleasure to help you.”

“I know it sounds stupid, but you are kinda like a dad to me. Ward was kinda a piece of shit, and he died when I was like a baby, so I don’t really remember him. But you take care of me, you’re nice to me; even when I’m stupid, and well… yeah. But I don’t like expect you to do anything just cuz my monkey brain defaulted to that when….when what-the-hell-ever happened.”

Doc stepped closer, drawing her into a hug. “It was my pleasure to be your daddy. Even if you were spelled.” Wylie wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tighter than she ever had. Cuz, hell, maybe that nasty revenant did her a favor after all.

#Wynonna Earp #wynonna earp fanfiction #doc holliday #earpsisters

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taeshabibi · 7 years ago

Text

28 Days - Part 7

Genre: Angst/Fluff/Romance

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Warnings: Major Character Death, Mentions of Depression and Suicide.

Summary: You and Jeon Jungkook despise each other and were sworn enemies. But what if Jungkook took his own life? Would you be willing to make a deal with the Devil to relive the past 28 days and prevent Jungkook’s early end?

Read: Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3: Part 4: Part 5 : Part 6 :

Part 7 - Bangtan Boys

Taehyung winks, kisses his palm and blows it towards me. "You'll thank me later."

I wiped my face and rolled my eyes. I turned around from him and saw Jungkook's body was facing our direction. He was glaring at us. How long was Jungkook staring? When our eyes met, he quickly freezes and looked away. He began walking towards the school again.

Taehyung begged me to go into his car with him. I would have refused, but kids were still surrounding the parking lot and saw the whole incident unfold. If I left him, people would probably think my relationship with Taehyung wasn't real. I sighed and sat in the passenger seat of the Ferrari.

"Can you please explain to me why you told Jungkook we're dating?" I whined.

"Not just dating. We're boyfriend and girlfriend," Taehyung corrected me.

"Okay, my fake boyfriend. Why?"

"I can't go into explicit detail but it's all apart of the plan. You know the plan to get you and Jungkook get closer," Taehyung explains like it should have been obvious.

"How is this supposed to get me and Jungkook closer?" I questioned.

"Jealousy, duh."

I snorted and smacked my knee. "Jealousy? Oh c'mon Taehyung, you know Jungkook has no romantic feelings for me. Why would he be jealous of me dating you? This makes no sense."

"First of all, we don't know how Jungkook feels about you. Second of all, whether you want to admit it or not, Jungkook and you have been getting closer. You guys are almost even friends."

I interrupted him. "Huh, friends? Any time we actually have a conversation, it always ends up in a heated argument."

"A meaningful heated argument," Taehyung pointed out.

"So what? I literally want to rip my hair out when I have a discussion with that guy. God, he's even worse than the arrogant assholes on my debate team." I sighed. "Okay, but how does jealousy have to do with this just because we're 'almost friends'," I bent my fingers to express my exasperation.

Taehyung makes a sharp right turn. He was driving pretty fast, but still pretty well for a monster whose main residence is Hell.

"All friends get jealous of each other when they hang out with other people. Especially people who are cooler than them," Taehyung pointed to himself.

I chuckled. "You are the opposite of cool. Yeah, you're the freaking devil himself and have superpowers, but besides that your personality is pretty average."

"Wow, you really hurt my nonexistent, non-beating heart," he replies sarcastically, wiping away a fake tear.

"Anyways, in case you haven't noticed you're a loser at school. You got a couple of friends but you aren't on any sports teams, ain't rich, don't dress well and the only attention you've gotten before meeting me is being the victim of Jungkook's pranks." I️ open my mouth to argue but I shut it. Oh damn, he's right.

"By dating me, a super model-lookalike who drives a two million dollar car, your social status will be raised at school. Thus, other kids in your grade will pay more attention to you. Jungkook will get annoyed that you're receiving all this fame, and BAM, he'll want to get closer to you himself."

I wish I could argue with him again, but Taehyung made some good points. "Wow you might actually be right," I admitted with shame.

"I'm always right. So what do you want for lunch? Jjangmyeon or Taco Bell?"

I traveled my regular path to school the next day. After I entered the front doors, I noticed a different vibe from the students. Instead of ignoring me like I was invisible, I saw people whispering and pointing. But not like they were ashamed or laughing at me. No, their faces showed they were impressed.

Hoseok, one of Jungkook's closer friends, patted me on the back. "Damn y/n, didn't know you had it in ya."

"Uh, thanks.." I couldn't tell if he was sarcastic or not.

Hoseok was apart of the notorious Bangtan Boys in our city. There are popular people at our school, but the Bangtan Boys were at a different level. They were teen royalty. The Bangtan Boys usually stuck to themselves or allowed an exclusive few to be seen with them at school. No one knew what bonded them together. Was it their good looks? Their playboy antics?

They were so famous that the girls in our city even created a fandom name for them, ARMY. ARMY stands for Adorable MC for Youth. It's pretty much the most badass name for a fandom.

Jin, another Bangtan Boy, also congratulated me. "So what did you do to seduce him? I also want a sugar daddy," he whined. Hoseok smacked him.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't seduce him. You guys are so weird..." Yeah, calling them weird wasn't a smart move, but I wanted them to leave me alone. It felt strange that the most exclusive clique was interacting with me. Were they here to threaten or hurt me?

"So how much did his car cost?" Yoongi, another Bangtan Boy, asked.

"I don't know...a couple million I guess. Seems like a waste of money, though." I shrugged my shoulders.

Yoongi gasped and put his hand over his mouth like he was genuinely offended. "You-you demon. Take that back. A beautiful car like that is never a waste or money. It is a man's pride..a man's baby!"

"Like I said you guys are so weird..." I muttered.

"Can you guys leave y/n alone?" Jungkook joined the group. He was dressed in a black t shirt, jeans, a dark beanie and tan timbs.

"No need to get so jealous Jungkook. You know, y/n has a man now. It's too late for you to take a slice of her cherry pie. She's off the market," Yoongi casually remarks.

"Take a slice of cherry pie?!" Jungkook and I choked, our eyes widening.

"Damn if I didn't know any better, I'd think you guys are dating," Jin wiggled his eyebrows.

"Absolutely not. Never!" Jungkook and I replied at the same time.

"See? You guys are so in sync. I heard that when people are dating, they're alike and talk the same way too," Jin explains.

"We are nothing alike!" Jungkook and I declare. We point at each other and simulaneously yell, "We gotta stop doing that!"

Jin, Yoongi and Hoseok smile at each other like they knew something we didn't.

Yoongi says, "You guys just proved it yourselves. Strange y'all talk the same way, yet barely even speak to each other. You guys used to converse all the time. I remember Jungkook telling us about his childhood memories about you-"

"YOONGI HYUNG!" Jungkook whined.

"Oops, I wasn't supposed to supposed to say that in front of her, was I?"

Jungkook shook his arms back and forth, alike to a baby throwing a tantrum. I giggled and pretended to be cool, but I was shocked. He's talked about me? But I thought he hated me. I thought he hated all the childhood memories of us. Isn't that why he ended our friendship and only tortured me?

The first bell rang, which indicated that class was about to official start in 10 minutes.

Hoseok huffed. "Ugh, I wanted to find other ways to annoy Jungkook, but we have to go to our lockers. I guess I'll see ya around, y/n," he clicks his tongue, gives me a fist pound, then walks away. Jin and Yoongi also say their farewells.

I fiddled with my thumbs, nervously. "I guess it's only you and I, Jungkook. Hey, how about we go to class together since it's our first period-"

Jungkook walks away without sparing me a glance or saying a single word. I'm not even surprised. I went to my locker and reached first period English. Jungkook was there in his seat using his phone. I sit next to him, and he doesn't glance up. It was like I wasn't even there. One step closer to his heart, and then he walks ten steps further away from me.

Class goes by regularly and he continues his ignoring routine. Finally, it's lunch time.

I buy some kimbap and banana milk from the cafeteria. I arrive at my regular table outside, and sat alone. This table is perfect because it has a view of the student parking lot which contains Jungkook's car.

Jungkook usually leaves school during lunch and probably goes to local fast food restaurants. I wouldn't know where he exactly goes to because I don't have a car to follow him with. This is a perfect place to spy on him without being suspicious.

I tear off my kimbap packaging and await for Jungkook to go the parking lot and drive away with his car. Checking my watch, I realize it's 7 minutes into lunch time. That's strange, he's usually left by now.

I was just about to take my first bite of the food, when a manicured, petite hand grabs the kimbap from my hand and throws it on the ground.

"Hey, that's no fair! What did the kimbap ever do to you?!" I yelped. I looked up and shut my mouth. It's Ji Hee and her gang were right behind her. I gulped.

"Really y/n? Worrying about kimbap? I'm pretty sure that's going to be the least of your problems when I'm finished with you." Ji Hee cracks her knuckles.

"Hahahahah what are you talking about?" I squeaked.

"Thanks to my top resources, I've finally figured out the identity of the Victoria's Secret Scammer. It's you," she points at me. I guess Jungkook finally told her the truth. Can't trust a kid who resembles a coconut.

"Uh, you have no evidence and I have no idea what you're talking about. I can advise you a therapist for the delusions you're having-"

"Shut it. Fred told me everything and now it's all making sense." Fred popped up from behind Ji Hee and crossed his arms.

"How could you Fred? And how did you even know?" I ask him.

Fred adjusts his glasses. "I'm sorry y/n. But I saw you commit the crime. I always glance in your class before first period starts so I can check out the pretty girls in your class. Such as, Ji Hee here," he shyly points to Ji Hee and she gags.

"When you thought nobody was watching you, I was. I saw you write the message on the board and recorded the incident with my phone."

He pops out his Samsung and shows me the video. The screen displays the side profile of my bushy, unruly hair and the outfit I wore that day, while committing the crime.

Oh fiddle sticks, I'm really done for. Other students began joining the crowd behind Ji Hee.

"Can't argue with that, huh, y/n?", Ji Hee laughs maliciously. "I've figured out your villainous master plan. I remember the day that you stole my chair, you begged to switch seats with me. Because I'm a genius, I figured out something was suspicious. So I refused. But of course, you took matters into your own hands and scammed your way into my seat next to Jungkook."

Damn she is spot on. Can't argue with that.

"Am I wrong, y/n? I'll hurt you if you lie to me." She raises her manicured hand up, threatening me.

"No, you're right. Everything you're saying is the truth-" Before I completed that sentence, her hand strikes me against the my cheek hard. I felt her nails dig into my face. When her nails left my skin, my cheek was still stinging. A pool of liquid fell down my face. Was it my tears? I wiped my face with the sleeve of my white sweater and found a deep, red stain. No, it was blood.

"What the heck? I told you the truth and you still hit me? Gosh, I hope you break your manicure," I snapped, while cleaning my head with some napkins. I️ study Ji Hee's face and there was not a trace of guilt.

"What I don't understand is why would you do all this? We all know how disgusted Jungkook is from your presence. He's always showed the world how much he hates you. So why would you create this tomfoolery? If not attention, is it because you thought you had a chance of him dating you?"

I snort. "Man, Ji Hee if only you knew... Look, I knew you were a sicko, but smacking someone just because you didn't get clothes and I’m threatened by them? If you're so desperate, go search for a Victoria's Secret jacket in the dumpster, you freak." Ji Hee began screaming like a banshee. I must have really hurt her ego. She slammed her fist against the table.

"You know, I was about to let you go.. But it's only fair for you to deal with further consequences for your actions. C'mon boys."

Two jocks from the football team push me from my seat on the table. I hit the ground. They pick me up and hold my arms back. I tried to escape from their grasp, but it was no use. Years of being a couch potato finally caught up to me. I was not strong enough to escape this situation. She strikes me against my nose. More blood pours down my face.

"Laugh all you want, y/n. It is a funny matter. Thinking that someone low class as you could date someone as great as Jeon Jungkook? That you can create mischief and fool all the girls in our class without consequences?"

After each sentence, she and her friends kicked me in the stomach. I thought it wouldn't hurt that much, but their high heels dug into my stomach.

"We all know you're dating some billionaire model. Yet that wasn't enough? You're still trying to get into another guys' pants? What a slut. Jungkook is grossed out by everything you are. I see it. We all see it. You aren't even worthy enough to clean the dirt off his shoes-"

"She is much more worth to me than that," a deep voice booms from the crowd. The kids move away to let Jungkook get closer to us. He looks at the entire scene that unfolded and stares at me. His face dropped from the sight of me drenched in blood.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Ji Hee stutters, "U-uh Jungkook what are you doing here?"

Jungkook ignores her question.

"Imbeciles, let her go," he demanded. The guys look at Ji Hee for approval. She shakes her head refusing.

"I guess I'll have to do it myself." He pulls one of the guys off of me and flips him over like a hamburger patty.

Now that one of my arms was free, I punch the other guy in the gut. He lets go of me and tumbles over in pain.

Jungkook holds my arm. "I'll let you know y/n has so much worth to me than you guys realize. She is not a slut. Talking to other guys besides her boyfriend doesn't mean she's a cheater. Besides, the reasons why we've become closer is because she recently become a member of the Bangtan Boys."

The teens around us were in shock, especially me. Everyone's eyes widen, and most kids' mouths were in the shape of an 'O'.

"But that's impossible! Not just any average person can join. One of the main rules is you have to be apart of the male elite. That would mean y/n would be the first girl to ever join in history!" Ji Hee screeches and grabs a fistful of her hair. Damn, this girl has lost her mind.

Jungkook edges his hand towards mine ever so slightly, until I felt his fingertips brush my hand. I unfurled my fingers and let his slip around mine until I could feel the heat of his palm pressed against my own. I shudder because his hand is so much warm in comparison to my cold one. His thumb caresses mine.

He turns towards me and lowers his face until we were inches from each other. Jungkook holds my gaze and says, "I know." He tightens his grasp around my fingers.

He leads me away from the scene and we walk towards the parking lot. The whole entire time, Jungkook doesn't let go of my hand. Not even for one second.

11 notes · View notes

itsdjjones · 7 years ago

Text

I Can’t Fall in Love Without You

TAGGING: @notpeterxparker & @itsdjjones

DATE: 3/15

PLACE: Dom’s dorm, taco truck & tattoo parlor

NOTES: Dominer goes out to eat and Dom gets a tattoo that Parker drew for him.

Parker rubbed her hands together as she made her way to Dom's & Ethan's dorm, she let Patrick Stump's voice drain her thoughts out but it still didn't help the fact that they hadn't been alone together since, well that night. She swallowed when she stood in front of his dorm door and knocked on his door. She glanced around, started to play with her fingers as she bounced on the balls of her feet and gave a few smiles as students passed by before she looked back at the door. She rolled her eyes as she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote, 'Sorry that I missed you. Im in my dorm if you need anything. -Parks' She put the pen in her mouth as she hooked her bag together.

When Dom said he was at home and she could come over, he really meant he was across campus but still wanted to see her. In the library studying for finals. After that last text he backed his bag quickly and rushed quickly back to his dorm, maybe a little to fast because while he was running back to the dorms he ran right into a professor. "Sorry, I'm sorry." he said helping pick up their papers. Once they seemed situated he ran off once again. He pushed the button to the elevator one too many times and then opted for the stairs of the dorm building instead. When he rounded the corner and saw Parker standing at his door he felt his heart skip a beat. "Hey...I'm sorry, I just...was on my way back I thought I would beat you here" he said clearly out of breath as he approached her. "What's up?" he asked as he got out his keys to unlock the door. He was way too happy to see her at the moment.

Parker put the pen back into her bag when she saw him and couldn't help but smile as she pulled out her headphones once her iPod was off. "You couldve told me you weren't here. We couldve met somewhere else." She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall next to his door. "Not much, but did you just ran the flight of stairs to get here?"

"Oh...yeah I guess I could have" he said as he paused and thought about it. "Well I'm here now so it's cool. Unless you wanna go somewhere else and we can just hang out?" he suggested. "Whatever you wanna do" After getting the door open he let her go inside first and he shook his hand at her question. "Yeah the elevator wasn't working or something...I don't know" he said tossing the small comment aside. He walked in so quickly he didn't even see the piece of paper in her hand. "Oh is that the tattoo?" he asked. It wasn't. It was the note she was going to slip under the door before he rushed upstairs.

"Well, I would feel bad after you ran up those stairs if we went somewhere else." Parker replied and thanked him as she walked into his dorm. She placed her bag onto his small table and raised an eyebrow. "Or you were in a hurry and kept pushing the button like crazy." She smirked, glanced down at the note and crumbled up the paper. "No, it was the note I was going to leave you." She tossed it into the trash can. "We also need to work on your lungs or something because I dont know how youre running up and down the court like that."

Dom laughed. "I did not" he said with an eyeroll. But she was right that is exactly what happened. He laughed and sat down on the bed comfortably. "Oh, are you challenging me to a one on one on the court?" he asked. One thing they had in common was their love for basketball. They both played in school and every summer they'd be out in the court of their home, playing basketball in the street. They hadn't done that in a really long time.

Parker rolled her eyes when she heard him and sat at the foot of his bed. "Whatever." She gave him a knowing look. "Please, we both know I can kick your ass if we did, but yes I am because it has been a while since I schooled your ass." She playfully pushed him as she scooted further on his bed and propped her knees as she leaned against the wall. "And I cannot wait until I see your reaction once I bet you."

Dom laughed. "Hey maybe I let you win all those times?" he said with a raised eyebrow. They both knew that wasn't the case though. He faltered back a bit as she playfully pushed him. He sat on the opposite side of the bed, facing her. It wasn't awkward to see her like he thought it would be. It felt like their usual selves. "Oh okay okay. Lets go out to the court tonight. Bet" he chuckled. Dom looked over at her after a pause. "So lets see the tattoo." he suggested. "Might go get it today if you wanna come with me?" he suggested.

Parker let out a laugh. "Are we sure about that? I mean, I feel like at first you did but then over time I kicked your ass." She put her hair into a ponytail and slowly nodded as she listened to him. She was glad that everything was back to normal between them, no awkwardness like there was last night. "Fine, what are we betting?" She gotten onto her knees as she reached for her bag, carefully grabbing it and glanced back at him as she gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I dont have any plans tonight and Im done with classes." She carefully pulled the bag towards her and started to lose balance before she placed her foot onto the ground. She placed the bag onto the bed, opened it up and pulled out the sketch of the tattoo. "I know that you said you wanted to be African, so I decided to draw Africa and I also drew an eye in the middle. I also thought that you can put it on." She gotten up, placed the tattoo on his left shoulder. "This shoulder."

Dom shrugged. "Maybe" He watched her closely as she raised her arms to put her hair up. Even just the simple mundane things he thought she was beautiful. "Hmm I'm sure we could figure something out" Dom could think of a lot of things but nothing he wanted to say at the moment. "Awesome so am I" He said as he watched her get the sketch out. He looked at the sketch and smiled. "Yeah..yeah this is awesome. I love it!" He smiled. Dom looked up at her as she was standing close to him with her hand on his back shoulder.

Parker rolled her eyes when she heard him and slowly nodded. "Yeah." She breathed out and grinned. "Sweet and I was hoping that you'd love it. It took me about, five days to draw it only because I wanted it to be perfect for you." She smiled. She pulled her hand away from him, knowing that it was lingering a bit on his shoulder and cleared her throat. "That way, if you want, we can always do a boxing inspired photoshoot to show it off."

Dom watched her pull away and he frowned a bit but went back to smiling. "I mean its great Parks." he said taking the piece of paper from her so he could see again. I really appreciate it. A lot." He looked back at her, handing the paper back. "Yeah we could do that. That would be cool" he nodded. Dom stood up and he grabbed his wallet. "Wanna get something to eat and head down to the tattoo place?" he asked.

Parker smiled once more, knowing that she had to keep the touching to a minimum. "Thank you." She breathed out after she smoothed down her dress and looked at him as he talked. "I know you do." She grinned and hugged him when he stood up. "I promise I'll make the photoshoot amazing. Thank you for agreeing." She nodded, knowing that she hadn't eaten anything since that morning and a protein bar would cut it. "Sure, yeah. Are we taking your car?"

Dom hugs her back for probably longer than he should and he looked back at her. “Well I don’t mind at all. It could be fun.” Dom went to get his wallet and he nodded. “Yeah if that’s cool with you?” He asked as he grabbed his keys.

Parker nodded as she looked at him. "Of course, yeah." She pulled back once he did and grabbed her purse, that was in her backpack. "That's totally fine with me, I like riding in your car."

"Okay great" He let her leave the room first and they went to the elevator. "I guess it started working again?" he shrugged and laughed awkwardly. Dom stepped into the elevator with her to go down to the lobby and out the front doors of the building. There they went to the parking lot and to Dom's designated spot. He stepped inside the car on the drivers side and buckled up. "So what are you feeling to eat?" he asked.March 16, 2018

Parker smiled as she shook her head and playfully slapped him on the chest. "You're such a liar." Once they were outside, she opened up the passenger side before she slid in, thankful for leggings, she closed the door and she buckled up once she gotten into the car and hummed a bit as she crossed her legs as she thought. "What hadnt we had in a while? Tacos? Sandwiches? Pizza? Wings?" She glanced over at him as she rested her arm on the center console. "Burgers?"(edited)

Dom laughed and then smiled at her comment. He started the car up and headed out of the parking lot. "Oh...I'm so feeling tacos" he nodded. "Like not taco bell but like good street tacos from a taco truck" he added. Dom rounded the corner. "What about you?" he asked glancing at her. He noticed her leaning over a bit and it was the first time ever he had felt the urge to reach out and hold her hand while he drove. Of course he didn't do that but the thought was still there.

Parker hummed a bit as she nodded. "Sounds good to me, its been a while since we've had that." She said softly, glanced at his hand and glanced ahead. "So, I was thinking that I can help you guys out with the decorations for Ethan's party?"

"Sweet" He headed towards the taco place that they liked. It wasn't too far so the trip there was short. "Yeah? That would help out a lot. I feel like I'm doing everything on my own. Like a super sweet sixteen or something" he laughed. "Ethan is spoiled and he is lucky he has us as friends. But then again its a late party so we kinda owe it to him right?" He shrugged.

"Yeah. Well, Im glad that you didnt have a sweet sixteen or we wouldn't live it down." Parker teased with a smile as she glanced at him. She shrugged a bit, knowing that he was right that they did owe him a party. "We do, but I mean, you guys did celebrate his birthday beforehand. However, I think its a way of everyone celebrating his birthday instead of the select few."(edited)

Dom laughed. “If I did it would have been on that show and I would have been famous for two seconds.” He laughed. “Also if I ever talked to Ma the way those kids did on that show I would have got my ass whooped.” He nodded. “Yeah true. I agree.” As they got to the taco truck he parked the car and stepped out with her. It was a nice day out and Dom was glad they could sit outside and eat today.

"Yeah, I don't think Lala and I could survive being under the same roof as you." Parker replied with a laugh and nodded. "Definitely and probably would've been grounded for life." She unbuckled her seat belt and stepped out of the car as she put her purse strap onto her shoulder. "So, I figured I can pay for the food and for the tattoo. Since I didn't get you a birthday present."March 19, 2018

"You would have lived" he laughed. "Pretty much, my mom can be brutal. We both know that." Dom looked at her and shook his head. "What no way you don't have to do that." He said. Dom didn't exactly have a job at the moment so his financial situation wasn't the greatest. He knew Parker got paid well though, and she somehow always had a lot of money but he didn't question it. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Parker laughed as she shook her head. "Nah." She teased with a smile and nodded, knowing a lot of people will be questioning where her money came from, but she always had a backup plan. "Yeah, Im sure besides. Like I said, I didnt get you a birthday present."

"Fine. But next time. My treat" he nodded. They stood in line at the food truck and Dom glanced over the menu on the side. He put his hands in his pockets and rocked on the balls of his feet. "What are you gonna get?" he asked as he turned towards her. "I was thinking maybe the steak tacos."

"Got it." Parker replied with a smile before she glanced at the menu as well. She hummed a bit, looking down the list and looked over at him once she decided. "That sounds good. Im going to go with the chicken tacos, figured change it up a bit from the norm."

"something new. I like it. I bet they are good." Once they got to the window they ordered and paid quickly. Walking towards the side they waited for their food which only took a few minutes. Taco trucks were pretty fast. They found a spot to sit at the tables outside and he glanced at her. "So how have you been?" he asked. "I don't think I even asked you that earlier." He said as he grabbed a taco to take a bite.

Parker sat down across from him and shrugged a bit. "I've been alright, I guess. Just, dealing with projects and stuff. How have you been?" She shook her head once she took a bite and swallowed what she had once she was done. "Its cool, really. Want a bite of my taco?" They often took bites of each other's food but she wasnt for sure if it would be okay for them to do so now.

"Pretty much the same" he nodded. "Sure" he said as he took her taco and pushed his own plate towards her to have a bite of his own. "Hmm, yeah thats a good taco" he nodded. Dom wiped his mouth with a napkin and swallowed before speaking again. "I've been craving these for a while now" he said. After a long pause he looked over at her. "I'm glad things haven't been that awkward with us lately." he confessed.

Parker nodded and pushed her plate as she took a bite out of his. "I can say the same thing about your taco, I might have to get that next time." She said as she chewed her bite, following suit with a napkin and wiped her mouth. "Same, but I wasn't for sure what exact kind of tacos that I was craving until now." She looked at him, licked her lips and gave him a soft smile. "I am too. I've been hoping that things wouldn't be extremely awkward between us and we both know that I can't handle extreme awkwardness."

Dom smiled at her. He nodded agreeing with her. “Yeah I know. Especially with us you know. I mean it’s us why does it have to be awkward you know?” He reaches over and put his hand on hers. “Us against the world?” He asked. The phrase was something Dom used a lot when it came to the two of them.

Parker listened to him, nodded and gave him a smile. "It doesnt, even though we have some awkward moments." She replied softly and glanced at his hand, feeling it comforting her like always. "Us against the world." She turned her hand so their palms would be touching. "Like always."

“Good.” He smiled. Dom caressed her hand gently sad that they couldn’t be like this all the time. He pulled his hand away slightly and moved back to him food. “I’m excited to get this tattoo. What if I freak out and faint though?” He laughed.

Parker nodded as she felt him caressed her hand and swallowed hard when he pulled his hand away from hers. "Well, luckily enough, you'll be sitting down and if anything, you can squeeze my hands to focus on that."

“Yeah I’m glad that you’re going with me because I need a distraction from the pain.” He laughed. Dom finished off his tacos and he sat back in his chair stretching a bit. “Oh the might make me lay down though because it’s on my back shoulder.”

Parker laughed as she placed her hand on the back of her neck and nodded. "Im really great at times and sometimes, Im not." She said before she took another bite out of her taco and looked at him, knowing that he was right. "Yeah, thats true."

“No you are great.” He smiled. “I guess we’ll find out.” He stood up and tossed their trash. “Oh my god...” He paused. “I just realized my mom might actually be pissed that I’m getting this.” He said looking over at her.

Parker raised an eyebrow when she heard him. "Not always." She said. She glanced over at him, knowing that Mrs. Jones didnt know about her tattoo either. "Then she will be pissed at me as well." She stood up, grabbed her purse and looked at him. "If you want, you could always ask her?"

Dom gave her a look and he shrugged it off. “Yeah true. Maybe I should just get mom on my bicep and she won’t be as mad.” He joked. They went back to his car and he buckled up once inside. “I’m glad you’re the one coming with me though.” He smiled.

Parker returned the look and shook her head with a laugh. "Ooo make sure you have it in a heart and an arrow." She added. She buckled up as she gotten comfortable once more before she glanced over at him with a smile. "Who else would go with you to get a tattoo and get street tacos? But Im glad Im the one too."

Dom laughed. “Perfect!” Dom shrugged. “Maybe Ethan but I kinda like you more than him.” He laughed and smirked at her. Of course he loved his best friend Ethan but Parker was different and they both knew that.

"Totally." Parker said through her laughter and let out a sigh as she relaxed. "It happens that Im more beautiful than him and that you do." She looked at him before she glanced ahead and glanced out the window.March 21, 2018

“True.” He smiled. They drove off towards the tattoo parlor and Dom parked out front once they got there. “Okay now I’m getting nervous.” He said as they walked inside.

Parker rubbed his back as she looked at him and stood in front of him. "And thats nornal, you're going to be fine. Actually, you're going to be great. Remember, Im going to be here for you, every step of the way."

“I know.” He talked to the artist at the front and they showed him the sketch and where he wanted it. Soon he was laying face down on a table, his hand reaching over to take Parker’s.

Parker placed both of her hands on his hand and caressed the back of it with her thumbs as he got the tattoo, hoping he wouldnt be in too much pain. She glanced at his shoulder, knowing it was going to be amazing.(edited)March 22, 2018

Dom squeezes Parker’s hand as the artist started but it got used to it once he went on. A couple hours later he was standing up and looking in the mirror over his shoulder. “That is awesome dude.” He said slapping the guys hand. “Now I have your art on my body forever.” He said looking over at Parker.

Parker kept caressing the back of his hand when he squeezed it. She grinned at how well the tattoo came out and it looked great on him. She quickly took a picture of him looking at it in the mirror and stood up after she put her camera back on her bag. "Yeah, you do and you have a little piece of me. Just in case something happens." The guy looked between and threw his gloves away. "I'll tell you what, for Parker's boyfriend, I'll make you a deal." Parker glanced over at him and opened up her mouth before he raised his hand. "Nu-uh, Im going to cut the cost of the tattoo down to 150?"

Dom turned around and frowned when Parker said if something ever happens. “What?” He asked but before he could explain his confusion the artist spoke and Dom raised his eyebrows. “Yeah...yeah that sounds great dude. Thanks. I’ve been told I’m not allowed to pay for this.” He laughed as he looked over at Parker.

Parker took a deep breath and let it out. She smiled as her cheeks warmed up when she felt his gaze on her. "Its a late birthday present, from me. So thank you." She said as she grabbed her things and paid at the counter. Once she was done paying, she put her purse strap on her shoulder and walked over towards Dom again. "Ready boyfriend?" She asked with an eyebrow raised when she looked at him.March 23, 2018

Dom let her pay and he raised his eyebrows back at her. “Shut up.” He smirked and took her hand as they walked out of the parlor. “Wanna hang out back at the dorms?” He asked as they got back into his car.

Parker couldnt help but let out a laugh as he took her hand as they walked out of the parlor. "Make me, oh wait. Will you?" She smirked back, knowing that she was playing with fire but she couldnt help it. She buckled up as she looked over at him. "Sounds good, I need to take my shoes off." She wiggled her toes in her heels, didn't understand since she's in heels all night whenever she's working.(edited)March 25, 2018

Dom looked back at her and raised his eyebrows. "I could if you wanted me too" he smirked. It was the only tiny hint of their feelings they had spoken of or indirectly spoke about since that night together. He got into the car with her and laughed. "Dont stink up my car with your feet!" he teased her, obviously joking.

Parker couldnt help but smirked when she heard him and shrugged a bit. "True, but I kinda like this teasing or whatever is going on because we both want to do something about it but we can't." She admitted as she looked at him. She rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Excuse me? My car smelled like your feet from Chicago to here Senior year."

"And see that right there is just mean" he laughed. Dom looked over at her in the car. "We could if we wanted to" he said quietly. Dom looked back at her and he laughed as she spoke. "I know it did! My point exactly!" he teased her. Dom drove off back to the dorms and he parked in his designated spot.

Parker rolled her eyes and playfully slapped his chest. "Oh really? Please tell me you wouldnt do the same to me." She pointed out and swallowed hard when she heard him. "Yeah." She pushed back some of her hair and shook her head. "Its for a short bit and my feet don't smell as bad as yours though! And I have leggings on." She pointed towards her galaxy leggings that she had on. She slipped on her shoes and unbuckled her seatbelt before she gotten out of his car.

Dom clutched his chest and laughed. "No I wouldn't because you know I would just do it anyways." he shrugged. "No teasing" He glanced at her legs as they had came to a stop. "Yeah I like those." he smiled. Stepping out into the cold they walked back up to the dorms. "Mine or yours?" he asked. Their rooms weren't that far apart so it didn't matter to him.

Parker opened up her mouth and closed it. "You would, but of course you would give me a little heads up though." She replied softly and smiled when he mentioned that he liked them. "Thank you, they're new." She shivered a bit against the cold and hummed a bit. "Which one do you prefer?"March 26, 2018

"Yeah of course" He got into the elevator and pushed their floor. "We can chill at mine." he nodded. "Because I happen to have a huge tub of ice cream in the fridge that I was saving for you" he smiled at her as they stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the room.

Parker smiled when she heard him and looped her arm through his out of habit before she leaned her head on his shoulder, knowing that he would warm her up with his body temperature. "Chocolate chip cookie dough?" She asked as she looked up at him and remembered something. "I have to go and get you the cream for your tattoo so I'll be there in five seconds." She stood up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek and headed to her room, dropping off her purse and grabbed her cream before she headed back to Dom's after locking the door once more. "Got it."

"Only the best. And chocolate fudge for myself of course" He smirked. Dom looked down at her. He always loved how close they were even if other people didn't get it. "Okay that works." he felt her kiss his cheek before he unlocked his door. He left it open knowing Parker was coming back. A lot of rooms kept their doors open. Like a come on in if you want to policy and when doors were shut it meant you wanted privacy. Ethan and Dom's door was shut quite often. He smiled when she got back and he got the ice cream out of the freezer.

Parker slipped off her shoes once she gotten back into Dom's dorm and closed the door behind her, out of habit. "Here." She placed the cream on the table and looked at him. "Okay so, have you read what you need to do when you get a new tattoo?" She washed her hands and grabbed two spoons for them.

Dom thanked her and he nodded. “Yeah the guy told me before we left when you were paying.” He nodded. Dom took the spoon and he opened his small pint of ice cream.

"Awesome." Parker replied, as she opened up her ice cream and looked around the dorm as she ate her bite from her spoon. "So do you want to watch a movie or vibe to some music?"

Dom took a couple bites as he got comfy on the couch. “Yeah I’ll put some music on.” He said as he got out his remote to switch on his Bluetooth speaker. He put his music on shuffle and some instrumental beach music came on.

Parker rose an eyebrow when the instrumental beach music came on. She sat on the table as she swung her legs back and forth, took another bite of her ice cream and chewed on her cookie dough bites. "Want some?" She offered as she showed him the ice cream, knowing if she didnt do that, then, well. It was self-explanatory.

"Yeah" he took her spoon and took a bite and offered her his own ice cream. He leaned back on the bed. "How are your mid terms going?" he asked. It was nice to just chill and not worry about anything at the moment. Neither one of them brought up the fact that they both had feelings and things had gone back to normal sort of. He knew it wouldn't stay this way for long but he wanted to enjoy this moment.

Parker shrugged a bit at his question and stole a bite from his ice cream before she answered him. "They're going good, less stressful and Im glad that Im almost done. What about you?" She asked as she looked at him, jumped down from the table and sat down next to him on the couch before she looked at him.

"Pretty much same" Dom nodded. "Most of my mid terms were final papers. I'm just gonna be glad when summer comes around because I'm already over the crazy workload this semester." he shrugged his shoulders.

Parker nodded as she listened to him, glanced back down at her ice cream and took a bite. "Me too and speaking of which, we need to take a road trip."

Dom raised his eyebrows as he took another bite of ice cream. "That would be really fun. Where to?" he asked as he looked over at her. God she was so beautiful. How was it he was just now figuring that out? Well he always knew she was gorgeous but not like this. It was so different now.

"Myrtle beach?" Parker asked as she looked at him and licked her lips after she noticed that she had some ice cream on her bottom lip. She noticed that he had some ice cream on the corner of his mouth. "You got some, ice cream on the corner of your mouth." She pointed to the left side of her mouth.

"Oh yeah that would be fun" he said. "Just you and me?" he asked. Dom couldn't stop staring at her and he swallowed a bit. When she spoke he kinda snapped out of it and licked the corner of his mouth. "I was saving it for later" he joked and smiled at her.

Parker nodded as she looked at him. "Yeah, just you and I." She nodded as she shook her head as she smiled. "Of course you were." She laughed a bit before she grabbed her lid and licked her spoon once she put the lid back on before she placed her ice cream & spoon on the table. She raised her leg and smoothed down her leggings.

"Okay cool" He smiled at her. The rest of the night they just talked about random things and laughed, ending up falling asleep cuddled up to each other at late hours of the night. Dom wished he could stay in this bubble with them but he knew that it was going to pop soon. They couldn't ignore this forever.

#para #para: parker #para: withoutyou

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